Ten Things Tuesday!

KH826

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Please share with us any 10 things on your mind today (can be TTC, pregnancy or parenting related ... Or totally random!). PIPs (pictures in posts) are of course always welcome.

Ready, set, GO!

firstcomeslove2013

Let's see if I can get through this today....

1. We FINALLY hired a dog trainer and met with her this weekend. She is coming back tonight so I am really excited about that. We don't want to have to re-home our dogs once the baby gets here but the baby will come first. Our dogs came to us with a lot of issues and that was about 7 years ago. It's a lot out fault for not dealing with it sooner but it is what it is and we are happy with the person we've hired. We'll see how it goes!

2. My inducing lactation is going well...I think...no pumping yet but my boobs are growing and itchy...that has to be a good sign right?

3. I was watching 3 kids but now I am back down to 2. This is great. Not so great for the wallet but great for my sanity. The child I am no longer watching is just not a happy baby and it's hard to focus on all the children when he was here. My other business is picking up so once I am back down to one kid (our niece) with one on the way (squinter) it will be easier.

4. I am really enjoying writing my blog...it's been fun to put on paper what my experience has been. This has been a wild ride.

5. I haven't been as active on the board and I don't like that. I'm still around and I'm still reading all the posts but I don't post as much myself... Sorry about that guys

6. Things are really up in the air about the possibility of us moving into a house on property at C's work. It has me all stressed out because it's so uncertain and I REALLY want to live there!!! There is no one living there now and there has been hints to us being asked/offered the house since C is the director but nothing final or even for certain...it's driving me bonkers!!! I need direction.

7. We have also finally hired someone to mow our grass! C doesn't have time to do it and I am TERRIBLE at it (I know my weaknesses). We hired the daughter of one of C's coworkers and she did fantastic.

8. One of our dogs threw his back out for the 3rd time. Not much we can do but be sad for him. He gets spoiled for about a week and then he's good as new. I wish I could help him feel better but aspirin and spoiling will have to do the trick.

9. My brother is getting married in September and I am DREADING it!!! I LOVEy brother but I am not a fan of the person he is marrying...I will also have just begun pumping at that point...I guess it will be another adventure!

10. I have a TON of stuff to sell on eBay but I can't find time to post it... My to do list is rapidly growing!!!

ball.and.chain

1. My aunt is leaving today and I will be on my own with B until my wife has a week off in August.  I'm simultaneously sad/nervous to see her go and happy to have time to ourselves.  I don't think I'll be getting much done though.

2. I do think it is time to try B out in the Boba so that I can get things done (with two hands!) even if he is being clingy and wants to be held all the time.  The minimum weight is 7 lbs and although I haven't weighed him recently, I'm pretty sure he's past it.

3. I am loving the parenting thread this week.

4. We had a stretch of beautiful warm but not too hot or humid weather and now it is getting hot and I hate it.  Humidity + hot baby = grumpy Momma.

5. My aunt is currently out picking up lobster rolls for our lunch.  Definitely ending her trip on a high note!

6. Can't decide if we need ("need") a Rock n' Play or not.  Opinions welcome!  We have a bouncy seat and a swing.  My wife thinks the RNP pretty much serves the same purpose as the bouncer, but I hate the bouncer.

7. My BFF lives out of town, so she sent her step-daughter (who is 20 and lives near me) to visit us yesterday and bring us all sorts of treats from a fantastic bakery she works at.  Today we are eating amazing banana bread and raisin-pecan bread.

8. I just sent my dad his Father's Day card.  Better late than never?

9. I'm down to once a week PT and my foot seems to be improving, which is great.  Still, progress is expected to be slow.  I have no idea when I'll be able to run again.

10. Even though I'll be back at work, I'm looking forward to fall!  I'm not a summer person.

Pinkspark

1. I'm going to try my best to get to 10 things.

2. I feel bad that I don't do a good job of keeping up with this board! I do read everyone's posts though! I think you are all the bees knees

3. My mom came over for 45 minutes so I could get out of the house. I really needed some me time. I ended up going to dunkin donuts and sitting in the parking lot rocking out to Blink182 and trying to recapture my youth

4. I am so sick of washing bottles. I think I might just bite the bullet and buy more bottles so I can just put them in the dishwasher at the end of the night.

5. I really appreciate the honesty in the parenting thread for this week. I'm not a real judgy person, so I forget sometimes that what I or others do gets looked down upon. Either way, it's not cool.. and I'm glad this board is nice and kind.

6. For the record- I exclusively formula feed, do disposable diapers, and we circed my Lil Man. And it is what worked for me and my family.  Props to everyone for doing things their own way!

7. My brother and his wife are expecting a son and they chose to tell everyone his name. I don't see why people can't just accept that they have chosen- especially my mom. I'm glad i kept our names a secret!

8. I really want to work out a way to stay home with the kids, but it isnt going to happen. That makes me sad.

9. I bought a wiiU and mario is still as fun as it was when I was a kid!

10. sleep is overrated!

channe9

1. Did a bit of research and decided that a Denmark clinic might be our best bet if/when we switch to IUIs. 

2. Can you believe that flying to another country (with a MUCH higher cost of living!) will be cheaper than doing it at any of two or three places in the city where we live, let alone the rest of the UK?! 

3. We're contemplating Denmark in late September and trying one last ICI (with a new donor) at home in early August. 

4. When we first started looking into this process, characteristics of the donor seemed so important. I combed through zillions of profiles. Wife was less keen and felt awkward with the process. Now, we both just think, "Meh... healthy is good." Makes picking the next donor pretty easy actually... 

5. TTC has definitely gotten in the way of other things in my life. I wish I could compartmentalise, think about other things, concentrate better during the TWW. 

6. The world news has been so terrible lately that it's been another distraction. Yuck. 

7. Wife mentioned that we are eating more protein to my mother on Skype the other day. I saw my mother's face--the way her eyebrows rose. That's it. My mother thinks we're pregnant. Gah.

8. This is the same mother who has been sending me baby clothes since I was about 24 and who used to tell me that I'd make an excellent single mother so why not get on with having a baby... You can see how this is NOT the relative that you want to know anything about your TTC process until it is a DONE DEAL. 

9. We've joked that my mother would leave her life behind in the US to come and bark orders about how I need to gain weight, eat meat, etc. if she knew we were even trying...  

10. That same mother and my 92 year old grandmother (!!!) are coming to visit in a few weeks. Looking forward to it but also a bit anxious about inevitable insinuations... 

trisholio

1. I'm going to try and do this on my phone. Every time I try to use the laptop it's a signal for the girls to crawl all over me.
2. I'm very tired today, which equals cranky.
3. Baby K is 11 months old today. She is getting so big and smarter everyday.
4. My belly is getting so big and hard! It is making simple tasks more difficult.
5. I want to have more patience with M. She is 2.5 and just a toddler, but sometimes acts and looks much older so I have higher expectations of her. She pushes my buttons and her boundaries every day.
6. My mom keeps making comments about how we aren't excited enough for our little girl to be here. I am excited, I'm just also exhausted, stressed, overwhelmed, scared, and I have two other little girls to care for each day. I am pretty sure she forgets how stressful it is to have young children.
7. Only 6 more weeks to go! Or as my doula says 4 to 8 weeks. She says it's a due month, not a due date, lol. Most first time mom's go into labor 1 week and 2 days after their due date. That would put it on September 10th, which is our wedding anniversary. I don't care as long as I don't have this baby on September 11th.
8. It was in the 70s here last week and awesome, now it's back in the 90s and I haven't left the house in two days.
9. I have an appointment every day next week for me or the girls, and some are super important. I'm already tired thinking about it.
10. We still have to find respite care for M and K when I go into labor. Lots to do!!
P.S. Most days I love my life and our girls, I hope I didn't complain to much today, but some days all the responsibility just sucks!

StacyLH24

1. This girl is PUPO!!!!

2. I may have used a Wondfo last night to see about the HCG in my system. It was the very faintest of faint line. I think I will use a FRER this weekend to confirm that the HCG is out. Beta is 8/5. POAS will begin in earnest next week.

3. I'm hoping that our other two embies can be frozen, but it didn't sound promising. I didn't realize that growing ahead of schedule was a bad thing

4. Turns out that they did not do ICSI for any of the eggs. It is good to know that they could fertilize on their own.

5. I didn't have one cramp, nor did I feel the catheter go in. That Valium was some good stuff. I got sleepy on the way home and took a nice nap once we got back.

6. I really need to paint my toenails. The paint on them is chipped. I can't believe that I keep wearing sandals to work with them looking the way they do.

7. Our RE's office needs to update their paperwork. My instructions said bed rest for 24 hours and to only get up to go to the bathroom. Today he said I didn't need to do that and to just relax and take it easy. So confusing!

8. I'm more excited than I wanted to be. I'm trying to keep myself in check...knowing that this may not work, or that even if it does, that doesn't mean we will get a healthy take home baby. It is daunting to think that if this doesn't work, we will probably have to start over from scratch.

9. It's a beautiful day. C is mowing the lawn and I'm sitting outside with the dogs.

10. I hope those embies will get snuggly in a few days.

redrockmama

1. M and I are sitting at the clinic waiting to get some labs done.

2. Ped. called late last night and was worried that he is still jaundiced and asked us to cone get more tests done.

3. I'm sick of my baby getting poked, he hates it.

4. Speaking of dogs (someone did, or a couple people) ours have been so neglected. They broke through the fence three times now and one keeps escaping through the front door when my comes over. They are not happy and I feel bad. One is a very abused rescue with lots of anxiety and aggression issues. We might try meds and see what happens. It's so overwhelming on top of the baby and J's new job.

5. I used to judge people for getting rid of pets when babies come but I totally get it now. I don't know if that's what we'll do, but right now it's just hard.

6. It's our turn be back to finish later.

7. Grr. Stupid lab person wouldn't let me hold or nurse M while he got poked. He wailed and wailed. Not going back there again.

8. Hope the results cone back okay.

9. the first time we got to the lab the Dr. office hadn't faxed the order so I called and they were in staff meeting, so I had to waste an hour at the store. Super frustrating.

10. So I bought myself some coconut milk ice cream and I can't find it. I'm clearly having a whiny day,I should take a nap.

Pinkspark

@Redrockmama  We had to find a new home for one of our dogs too. We had tried everything we could to transition him into the new lifestyle but he just wasn't happy once the twins cam. Although it was VERY hard for me to say goodbye, it was the best choice we could have made for him. Now he's living it up with an older gentleman taking walks and sleeping on the couch!

Mystjava

Wow.. Today seems to be " a need to let stress go!" kind of day...

1 I'll admit  it has been on the rough side for me recently and I just super anxious for my DP to get us a house we can move into... she is on the lacking side of motivation for it.  

2 "Build-A-Bear" is a dangerous place.. I remember it when we built our bears there ten years ago and just recently we went (at the beginning of the month).. sigh.. I just bought another one... (My son loves it!) 

3 Speaking of my son, he's sick again... It seems like any kind of tummy bug, it affects him horribly!  I really feel useless when he vomits a lot (yes, he does have meds to help with vomiting, but still...)... grrr! 

4 Back at number one - I also wish we can expand our "search" area for the house.  She won't lift a finger regarding it because it causes too much anxiety. 

5 Okay, this isn't good for me nor constructive.. I don't need to be "nick-picking" my frustration out on this... 

6 On a super positive note -- my LO makes my day - sick or not!  He's wonderful and makes me smile most of the time. 

7 (another downer - I don't like the "news" as of now.. all the horrible things.. )

8 I want to drown myself in some Italian Ice (Lemon) to be specific! 

9 I'm ready to shed some poundage off my belly -- I am still carrying my baby weight from my pregnancy.  (I was pregnant five years ago... I still can't believe that much time has already gone by..... )

10 Proud of the families that are speaking up about how they are parenting their children.  You should be celebrating.. it is good to have those kind of courage and confidence in yourselves.  I'm  just glad that I am still able to nurse my LO when he wants to  (like when he's sick or just need some comfort ... I don't think I have any milk in my boobs, but it is comforting for him.)  -- why this is important? I have to wait 6 weeks after he completely stops before I can have my mammogram. 

KH826

@redrockmama – I am so sorry that M is getting poked and prodded again. I SOOO know what that is like, and it is so incredibly hard to watch and go through with a young baby. Between our NICU stay and then the week we spent in Children’s Hospital with William when he had his infection, I feel like we have experienced a lifetime of medical procedures with this little guy already. I know that is an exaggeration, and that lots of children go through a lot more, but when it is your child anything feels like to much. Sending you lots of hugs and hoping that M is in tip top shape and doesn’t need anymore testing.

 

@KLeigh1 – You are going to meet your little girl so soon! I am so very excited for you! Wishing you a great, quick labor and delivery! Can’t wait to hear more and see photos once your daughter has arrived! J

 

@StacyLH24 – YAY for being PUPO! I can’t tell you how excited I am for it! Fingers tightly crossed!

 

OK, here’s my 10…

 

1.     I am looking forward to the “confessions” thread later this week. I think we should make it an ongoing thing. I also think that it shouldn’t be strictly for parenting. I think there are plenty of confessions that pregnant and TTC folks can add as well. I think anything from what you are planning to do as a parent, to some of the decisions you have made in pregnancy, etc. is all fair game. I am looking forward to getting a few more things off my chest and reading everyone else’s “stuff” J

2.     Today we went shopping again and finally got some things for Will’s nursery. We had packed away all of the “Lucie stuff” weeks ago, but the room remained a total blank slate while we contemplated what we wanted to do to it for Will. We really wanted to create a space that was special for him and created with him in mind. It felt a little like giving him “some other baby’s nursery” to leave some of the décor the same. I did convince my wife not to repaint (the pale green we had when we thought we were having Lucie is fine, and I really didn’t want the project). So the paint and furniture stays, but everything else is going to be different. We picked a color pallet and décor “theme” – I use that loosely since we aren’t really theme people in the true sense of the word – and we bought several things for the room today! It feels like we are starting to make some progress!

3.     So I also looked for work pants again today while shopping and bought nothing. Turns out finding dress pants that fit my 7 weeks post partum body is not an easy task. I have found that I am one of two sizes depending on the style/brand of pant, but I have also found that I don’t like how anything fits. I suddenly have much wider hips, which is making life difficult. I just want to find one or two pair to get through the next couple of weeks since I am in the process of trying to drop some weight. I have a few dresses and skirts that I can mix in, so I really need a pair of black pants and pair of grey pants and I can work with that. Unfortunately, I hate everything I try on…

4.     Soooo… I got my first post partum period today. I feel pretty icky. Majorly crampy, and just achy in general below the waist! Things are still light, if you get my drift, but I am feeling like my body is gearing up for the period to end all periods. I am NOT excited. But I am glad to get it out of the way this week before I am back at work next week.

5.     I had not one but two iced coffees today. I hope that doesn’t impede my sleep tonight. I am really tired. Waiting for Will to stir and need his before bed feeding, then hoping to get a decent stretch of sleep out of him! Fingers crossed!

6.     I really was excited about the thread about bottle recommendations today. I would love to see more threads about recommended products in general. Maybe we can make that a recurring thing as well. We bought a small pack of Target brand diapers today (confession: we do disposables. Just what is best for us)… anyway, we heard good things about the Target ones, and they are much cheaper than the Pampers Swaddlers we have been using. So we bought a pack. I hope we like them. We truly hated the Huggies that we used when Will was in the hospital, but the Pampers have been good. I am hoping the Target ones are comparable.

7.     Oh, I think I remember reading somewhere earlier today (was it this thread? Parenting? I can’t remember…) that B&C was looking for people’s thoughts on Rock-n-Plays… So, we have the Graco version called a lounger, but it is virtually the same thing. We LOVE it. It is what Will has slept in at night in our room since the day we brought him home. We have had only moderate success with the swing during the day, and we didn’t get a bouncer seat, but the lounger has been awesome. It is also very light and portable. It folds up nicely for travel. So it is a nice alternative to a bulky pack-n-play for overnights away from home. It also doesn’t take up a lot of space in our bedroom (which is great because our room is small), and Will just generally seems to love it. He sleeps like a champ in it. Two thumbs up in my opinion!

8.     So, for parents who have gone back to work following maternity leave…. Please give me one piece of advice that you didn’t receive in advance of returning to work that you wish you had gotten. Ready, set, go! Thanks in advance! J

9.     My car has to go into the shop tomorrow. I concerning light came on in the dashboard while we were out today. Not sure what it means exactly, and I feel like the car is driving kind of “funny” – I know, very descriptive. At any rate, I am going to take it to the shop in the AM to see what it up. REALLY hoping it is not an expensive fix. That is not in the plans at the moment…

10. Yay! I made it to 10 and baby is still sleeping! I was worried I wouldn’t. Hopefully he wakes up soon to eat and then we get some good sleep out of him. I feel like I have lots I wanted to post all day. I was ready mobile throughout the day today and kept thinking of things I wanted to say but didn’t have time to reply. I may try to pop back on a little bit later if I remember other things that I wanted to say…. 

Jazibel

1. Glad to be getting to this while its still Tuesday :-)  It's 10:02pm and with luck I'll finish in one sitting.  First @KH826 - thanks for asking the question about returning to work, it's been on my mind and I'd love to hear what other people have to say as well. 
Also loving the Parenting thread this week and the idea of a confessions thread tomorrow :-)

2. Job hunting, thinking about childcare and running out of money has me on edge these days. I feel like I keep trying to find a solution that addresses all of the above, but so far nothing has manifested. 

3. I love my parents and they're coming to visit for 2 weeks. I have no idea what I'm going to do with them for 2 whole weeks.

4. I've been going to the gym every day since last Thursday. My goal is to go everyday (or almost everyday). I'm not weighing myself so that I don't obsess about the weight-loss part and instead just focus on changing my habits, routines and enjoyment of being active. So far so good and I even feel like I have more energy during the day.

5.I keep forgetting to post the cupcake recipe - I promise to do it soon ;-)

6. When I pick Owen up he's all smiles. Its just amazing. He's such a happy lovely baby.

7. Kaden's molar is finally poking through. He was screaming again today (he gets all wound up and in pain) and I gave him ibuprofen. We've had to give him medicine so often for the last few weeks of teething I feel a little bad but I can't watch him suffer.

8. Our babysitting co-op is having a business meeting at a local wine bar tomorrow night.  I'm looking forward to getting out and socializing (even if I don't drink) ;-)

9. Ugh I just remembered that I need to change our sheets since Owen spit up on them this morning.  Luckily its cooler tonight than it has been in a while so sleeping with flannel sheets shouldn't be that bad.

10. The discrepancy between the number of photos of Kaden when he was a little nugget and Owen now is quite drastic.  But I take them when I can, and Owen never sits still so its hard to capture his expressions.  Kaden just lay there like a lump - lol!  Makes me a little worried about what our life will look like when both are mobile.  Kaden is so high energy, if Owen is even moreso I'm going to need to start drinking coffee again...

First pic is Owen at 2.5 months (redish t-shirt onesie)
Second pic is Kaden at 2 months (coral nightgown)

ATXmommas

1. I don't often post about a lot of family stuff, but we've had a rough couple weeks and it's definitely wearing on me.  

2. One of my SILs had surgery this week to remove part of her brain.  She's been battling cancer for a few years and several months ago a tumor was found in her brain.  She took some meds to shrink it - and it worked - but another one grew and required surgery.  She's doing ok post-surgery, but I just can't imagine going through it and knowing there is a likelihood that the cancer will continue to grow in her body.

3. My grandmother (my stepdad's mom - all my biological grandparents are deceased) is 88 and was recently diagnosed with lung cancer.  No chemo at her age, but she was taking medication that made her feel awful.  She needed to get her lungs drained again this past week, but had to stop taking aspirin ahead of time.  A day or two after she stopped the aspirin, her caretaker found her unconscious at home.  She had a stroke and has been in the hospital ever since.

4. My grandmother is so sweet and up until now has been very healthy considering her age.  She still lives on her own and was mostly self-sufficient prior to the stroke.  I'm really afraid of what her quality of life will be from now on.

5. I am scheduled to attend a meeting at the Capitol on Thursday morning.  Received word today that I need to be prepared to give a 15 minute presentation.  Huh?  Really, a day and a half to prepare a 15 minute presentation?  And, I'm scheduled to be out at a leadership summit all day tomorrow.  

6. LO woke up close to 1am tonight rather than 11pm - wahoo!!! 7. To answer some questions, I have heard so many people rave about RNPs! I was tempted to buy one, but we survived without it. But we also bed shared for the first 7 months. If we hadn't, I think a RNP would have been a must have. He did nap in his swing a lot during the day, but it took a few weeks for him to be comfy there. He hated the swing so much when he was super tiny that I was worried that it was a big waste of money. My childbirth gave us this tip for getting him used to the swing (what I'm about to tell you is not how swings are intended to be used, so just a warning... Or perhaps a confession) - we put him in the swing swaddled and just kinda put him at an angle where we could buckle him around his legs. And sometimes we didn't buckle at all when he was just a lil immobile lump. Then we cranked the swing as high as it would go. Worked like a charm, but this method does require a baby that likes to be swaddled. 8. @KH826 & @Jazibel‌ - perhaps a new thread for returning to work? I'll chime in. 9. I didn't pump as much as normal today, which was frustrating, then Z accidentally spilled some when she was preparing bottles. 10. Here's hoping I get another good stretch of sleep out of this little one (and that these top teeth come in soon!). Night, night.

doodah1013

Its Wednesday, but whatevs... I do what I want!

1.  I am craving milk and coffee... Strange.  Of course I am drinking decaf, but its like I need it.  I have never been a coffee drinker in my life... so that is weird.

2.  We went to see Planet of the Apes this weekend and it was very good.  It led to some pretty interesting conversations about violence, mercy, group mentality, etc.  We go to the movies a lot these days...  Probably the #1 thing we will miss once little Squints gets here!

3.  Last week our Board of Directors held their meeting at camp.  It was very stressful.  I just wanted everything to be perfect!  I mean when you work non-profit, you definitely want the board on your side.  I think everyone was pleased.  Our conference rooms overlooks our newly planted butterfly garden... and everything was in bloom... and I made cucumber infused water (that was picked straight from our garden.)  I almost killed myself, but hopefully it will pay off in the long run.

4.  So, I don't know if anyone has seen the news that Girl Scouts is releasing an official Girl Scout Barbie, but I could not be more angry about it.  I have my own feelings about Barbie... which could be a thesis paper in length, but I know there are many people out there who love the doll and I can respect that as a parenting choice.  However, I find the Girl Scout doll, and its companion "program" to be wildly inappropriate.  The whole tag line is that Barbie can be anything (because she has had so many careers.)  But in each of the photos Barbie is dressed up in highly sexualized, pink versions of whatever "career" she is representing.  It just made me really mad... Also, Barbie is dressed in a uniform for 4-5th graders and still has monster-boobs.

5.  The news has been way upsetting lately.  I am going to find a good AudioBook and forego my morning NPR... It must be done.

6.  My little Burke dog is so hurting.  He is just so pitiful and it is so sad.  We know it is his back, and taking him to the vet would be $1000's of dollars in xrays just so they can tell us to give him pain meds, but it is so hard to feel this helpless.  I worry about how I will react with a sick child if I am this worried about my sick dog.

7.  I love our little baby.  I know the little bit isn't here yet, but A and I talk to my belly a lot, and I think it still feels like this couldn't really be happening.

8.  We are meeting with our doula tomorrow night to do the big fat intake form.  We really like her.

9.  Our camp garden is producing SO MUCH FOOD!  We grow and donate to a local food bank and so far this year we have donated almost 200 pounds... and that is before tomato harvest.  (yum tomatoes!)

10.  I am so excited for @stacyLH24 .  I hope for every person trying to get pregnant that the goal is near, but it is easy to get excited when you have kind of seen someone journey from the beginning. 

2MamazInSeattle

I'm late too! But here goes anyhow...

1. This week has been giving me a lot of anxiety as my team is in town and I had to actually go into the office yesterday and will have to tomorrow and Friday - and look nice, sit upright and pay attention all day long. I'm so lucky to work from home on the couch! I made it through yesterday just fine and know it's only a few more days. Last day of work is next Friday!

2. @firstcomeslove2013 - Having a yard guy (and a housecleaner) saved our marriage, I swear. Money can buy happiness in a few arenas! I get it! Totally worth it!

3. @RobertJane 33 - SO Glad you got an all-clear on your Mat21 results!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a relief!

4. @ball.and.chain as for the RNP, we got one. From what I hear, babies can be into bouncing or swinging - the RNP is a swinger, but I'm planning to use it for co-sleeping as even the mini-cosleepers seems would be an albatross in our small bedroom. My sister's friend who actively fosters newborns said the RNP is the most consistently successful tool she's found, which is why we got one! Of course, we'll see what Simone thinks.

5. @KLeigh1 - SO happy it's almost time!!!!!!!!!!! But also scared that it will put me at the top of the list!!!

6. @wallace323 - I read the Parenting thread and was mildly horrified that my GTKY "shout out to a bumpie" made you feel left out, and it's weighed on me and I realize how that could've made you (and others) feel. I think it was just meant to be a rah-rah thing but I'm so sorry it hurt you and made you feel excluded. And I'm glad you said so, like @ATXMommas said, I can't do better if I don't know I messed up! Thanks for speaking up, and please accept my apology on that.

7. @StacyLH24 - OMG OMG OMG you are PUPO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8. So on the Parenting thread this week - so intense but it was great to follow and read. I think it's the case in any group that some of us will always feel left out here and there, but I love that everyone is so on board to be considerate to each other. I think like many said on that thread, we all judge ourselves too, which is hard .

9. I'm going to the Mariners daytime game today. Of course we've had epic sunshine for two months and today it's cold and pouring rain. Oh well - it's a work thing and I'm sure it'll be fun. My one co-worker said "I hope your water doesn't break at the game. Best bring a spare pair of pants. We'll make fun of you, then help you to the first aid station..." Nice! LOL! I hope that doesn't happen!

10. I just did my pregnancy check-in, but can't help but mention I'm 36 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!