Weekly Randoms 7/9

UnbreakableKimmySchmidt

@galactickates , @molosmiles Thanks for the insights!  Def have to talk with DH more about this and make a decision either way soon.

Augusta108

@DLpanda08, I feel your shoe shopping pain! I’m a 10.5 and there are never cute shoes in my size. I’m lucky if they even have 10s in stock most of the time...

snackheart

I never realized that being a size 8 meant I have big feet

skilouise

@DLpanda08 Have you tried Tieks? They're super cute flats that work for a ton of different foot types, and they sell up to size 13. They're a little pricey, but are hands down the most comfortable shoes I own.

merostomata

I work at a medical school and got an email about med and nursing students needing pregnant women in the 1st and 2nd trimesters to practice ultrasounds on. You schedule a 1 hour spot with them and they give you a $25 Target gift card. I was kinda bummed I wouldn't get another US until the 20 week mark (since we didn't do genetic testing at 12 weeks) so am thinking of doing it! The only thing giving me hesitation is that I wouldn't want to expose the baby to an extended ultrasound- I've heard that's potentially dangerous, but also wouldn't think they would do it in a workshop if it was harmful. I'm guessing the slot is just an hour and the US would just be a bit longer than usual for instructional purposes, but have no idea. Any thoughts?

ladystout08

@merostomata I'd totally do it. Even if it's scheduled for an hour I doubt it'll actually last that long and you can discuss your concerns with the, it'll actually be good practice to see if the nursing students can answer your questions. 

skilouise

The IVF onesie that I bought for our pregnancy announcement arrived yesterday. It seemed so tiny... until I held it up to my stomach. Then it suddenly seemed a lot bigger  

Mandamay1414

@UnbreakableKimmySchmidt are you guys definitely planning on moving within the next 1-2 years anyway or are you just considering it because it would be nice to have a bigger house? I think if you are planning on moving anyway, it would prob be better to do it now that with two small children. If you are just considering it because extra space would be nice, then maybe just staying where you are is a better idea. Just my two cents, but I've lived in tiny apts and now a small 2 br house for the last 4 years (this is baby 2 for us). I have found that living in a small space forces me to evaluate what I really "need" vs what is just stuff that will take up space. We lived in 550 sqft apt in Boston for the first 10 months of DDs life- we didn't buy a crib or a bunch of other nursery furniture because it wouldn't fit. Same with the big toys.. we didn't buy them because they wouldn't fit. It was a great (although forced, lol) money saver for us. Also, when we did finally move, it was a breeze because we just didn't have a ton of stuff accumulated. 

That being said, I do wish we had one more BR in our current house. But unfortunately, we can't afford to buy a house right now with our dang student loans eating up such a huge chunk our our monthly income. We will be making it work again

rooonilwaazlib

snackheart said:

saltedcaramel518 said:

jgil85 said:

My skin is complete garbage this pregnancy. I'm getting deep cystic acne that I haven't had in ages and it hurts. I feel like I'm going through my ugly duckling years all over again but at 32    
Pregnancy glow my ass 

Me too! I had bad breakouts in the beginning of my pregnancy with DS, but I thought I had avoided it this time. Nope. This week, my skin suddenly became so oily and is breaking out. It sucks not being able to use anything with salicylic acid to treat it. 

Add me to this club.  My skin looks awful and I'm so self-conscious about it.  

Same, same, and same.  I've given up on trying to put makeup on.  Even the Bare Minerals stuff that never affects my pores is getting me all gross.  I've just resigned myself to the fact that I am reliving puberty symptoms and I need to just go with it. 

katethemom

I opened a fortune cookie today that didn't have a fortune in it. Sad face. 

achays11

@DLpanda08 and @augusta108, I wear a size 12. And with this being pregnancy #3, my shoes are starting to feel tight. I don’t know what I’m going to do about shoes. 

galactickates

Me too in the too tight shoes club.  we are camping this weekend and I felt like I could barely put my tennis shoes on.  

ladystout08

rooonilwaazlib said:

snackheart said:

saltedcaramel518 said:

jgil85 said:

My skin is complete garbage this pregnancy. I'm getting deep cystic acne that I haven't had in ages and it hurts. I feel like I'm going through my ugly duckling years all over again but at 32    
Pregnancy glow my ass 

Me too! I had bad breakouts in the beginning of my pregnancy with DS, but I thought I had avoided it this time. Nope. This week, my skin suddenly became so oily and is breaking out. It sucks not being able to use anything with salicylic acid to treat it. 

Add me to this club.  My skin looks awful and I'm so self-conscious about it.  

Same, same, and same.  I've given up on trying to put makeup on.  Even the Bare Minerals stuff that never affects my pores is getting me all gross.  I've just resigned myself to the fact that I am reliving puberty symptoms and I need to just go with it. 

+1 

DLpanda08

@snackheart I’ve always been told I have huge feet. Maybe it’s because I’m short? I’m 5’2 and 8 wide is the smallest I can wear. 

@AshVA I haven’t tried tieks because I’ve heard that they run narrow. I have to have wide shoes even if it’s a material that will stretch over time or else my toes are in excruciating pain after about 15 minutes. It’s why I can’t wear heels. 

wkuandrea

@DLpanda08 I have small feet so I have no first hand help here BUT my best friend wears a size 15 (she's also 6'5") and she finds great shoes through Nordstrom Rack (more luck online usually, but also in stores?) and a website called Long Tall Sally (the smallest size they carry is a 9, but they do carry wides!). I'd do a lot of googling around wide shoes and look into specific comfort shoes by extra wide widths -- brands like Sofft, Walking Cradles, etc. They have some non-ugly shoes out there And you could always order a few from Zappos and easily return! 

kaf1788

Jumping into the "my shoes don't fit club". I ordered a super cute pair of loafers from M. Gemi and they definitely fit when I got them a few weeks ago. Today I brought them to work to wear for the first time (I always commute in flip flops...) and when I got in to work I could baaaarely get the right one onto my foot. Like it took me at least ten minutes to get it all the way in, I might have to cut them off me at the end of the day. Super embarassing!

snackheart

Anyone have any recs for a good pregnancy workout DVD?  I have a prenatal yoga one that I like but that's it.  I'm still going to Orangetheory twice a week for the time being, so for an at-home workout I would prefer something whose intensity falls somewhere between those two ends of the spectrum

DLpanda08

It’s our anniversary today and I always make a lemon cake for dessert. Today I burned the stupid cake. And it makes me feel like crap. 

KLS123

@snackheart not a pregnancy specific DVD but I have been doing TRX band workouts (you can buy them on Amazon) and they are very pregnancy friendly since most of the exercises are done while standing and you are just tractioning your own body weight

saltedcaramel518

@DLpanda08 Agh, having a baking fail is the worst. 

snackheart

@DLpanda08 aww happy anniversary!  I am sorry about your cake though

galactickates

I think we're really lucky to have January babies.  Anything we don't get at baby showers we can get deals on black Friday.  Prime day is on Monday and I was considering shopping but I think I'm I going to wait until black Friday.  If anyone sees a deal on baby monitors though I expect a tag!  

snackheart

galactickates said:

I think we're really lucky to have January babies.  Anything we don't get at baby showers we can get deals on black Friday.  Prime day is on Monday and I was considering shopping but I think I'm I going to wait until black Friday.  If anyone sees a deal on baby monitors though I expect a tag!  

I don't mean to be an enabler but don't rule out Prime Day shopping.  I dove into it 2 years ago when pregnant with DD (due in November so I was a bit further along) and I was able to get some of our most-needed items for an amazing value.  We got a crib, a double stroller, a new infant carseat, and a fanceh baby carrier--all brand new--for around $500.  

I plan to do some serious browsing this time around again, even though it's still early.  At the very least we need another crib (we buy the ones that convert into toddler beds then into full beds so each kid has to have his/her own) and I'm definitely looking for baby monitors too so I'll let you know!

snackheart

Today my Coldplay Pandora station is being really weird and giving me all this random 90's music (Chili Peppers, Cranberries, U2, Oasis...?).  It's fine but not definitely what I'm accustomed to with this station.  I'm really curious what I thumbs-upped to make this happen

UnbreakableKimmySchmidt

@Mandamay1414 It's nice to hear that it's not impossible to have kids in a smaller house.  We are not really looking to move but it would be nice to have more space especially when we have guests (DH's family lives out of state and they come and stay for up to a week sometimes).  However, we can make our space work and I don't like lots of "stuff" either.  I'm anxious to start getting rid of baby stuff and the baby isn't even here yet!  ha! 

tosh24

We really need to think about starting up the HDBD thread now that some of us are farther along. My bump at 14 weeks with #3 is the same size as my bump at 6 months with #1

BitterBetty12

I’m nauseas and exhausted and ignoring DD (12 months) to play by herself for the last 30 minutes before bed because #moty. She’s currently entertaining herself by pulling shedded hair out of the dogs tail and then feeding it to him... they’re a concerning pair.

sfgiantsgamerbabe

@DLpanda08 Sorry about your cake

My SIL is in labor! Baby Boy decided to come two days late (she was due on Monday). Not too late but she was getting impatient. 

luckymay2x

@DLpanda08 I'm sorry about shoe shopping. My parents have always made fun of how big my feet are and I'm sensitive about it too. It sucks to have to buy something for a part of your body you are sensitive about, and then to have someone (even your own kid) to make an insensitive comment - ugh.

luckymay2x

I had my mid year review today and told my boss I would be taking maternity leave in Jan. He took it well. I also said I plan to work from home after Christmas until my due date and he was OK with that, too.

So that's a relief! 

kns1988

DLpanda08 said:

I started researching cloth diapers over the weekend and I feel like I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole. There is so much to learn, but I feel like it’s worth it for the savings. 

We did cloth diapers for the first year, and it was totally worth it. I stopped at a year because I got pregnant and exhausted, and DS started rolling around like a crazy man during diaper changes, which made the snaps harder. It was so nice to never have to run to the store for diapers during that first year, though. Even if I ran out in the middle of the night, I just had to do a load of laundry. It's so much harder leaving the house when you have a sleeping baby. 

kns1988

UnbreakableKimmySchmidt said:

I know some of you have moved during pregnancy or are in the process of moving...what are your thoughts?  

We moved when I was pregnant last year. We should have had a month between the move in date and the baby arriving, but he was born 5 weeks early. We moved the day that we brought him home from the hospital! It was total chaos. My MIL had to go help finish packing up our old apartment, and we closed on the new house in the hospital. My recommendation would be to not wait until the 3rd trimester.. lol

BitterBetty12

@DLpanda08 cloth diapering is such a rabbit hole, but I love it. Researching cloth diapers was one of my absolute favorite things to do while I was TTC my DD (after my loss I threw myself into it) and also while I was pregnant. I feel like there’s a steep learning curve in terms of figuring out what’s out there, but once you spend some time you start to get an idea of what you’ll be most interested in. Heads up though - I don’t think it saved me money. I got a lot of expensive AIOs. And also am just obsessed with adding to my stash. But I absolutely can save you a lot of money when you do it the right way. 

@UnbreakableKimmySchmidt I moved when I was 36 weeks pregnant with DD and we moved when I was 8 weeks pregnant with this LO. It kind of sucks but the first time because I was so far along we had a lot of people who pitched in to help. This time I’ve just been taking things slow. Second trimester is probably the best moving time!

libertymomrn

Totally random, but I finally took the time to figure out how to change my profile pic from the stock one, and I'm pretty pleased about it. 

AliKay20

galactickates said:

I think we're really lucky to have January babies.  Anything we don't get at baby showers we can get deals on black Friday.  Prime day is on Monday and I was considering shopping but I think I'm I going to wait until black Friday.  If anyone sees a deal on baby monitors though I expect a tag!  

!!!!! This. My DH would so appreciate this fact!! We can keep everyone updated on a Deals thread when it comes close to black Friday!! Wooooohoo.

also, I’ve been up since 5 AM bc bladder and pregnancy insomnia?? Yikes

DLpanda08

@BitterBetty12 I can definitely see where you could end up spending a lot on a stash. This one woman on Craigslist (I’ve been stalking the cloth diaper listings there) was selling her stash of 100+ AIO and AI2s she bought new. I’m thinking maybe 30 total would work for me. And I’m leaning more towards prefolds just for the fact that it’s cheaper than the pockets and even more customizable from an absorbency standpoint. I’ll probably get some pockets anyway though for times when we have a babysitter or baby is with my parents.

wkuandrea

ugh I am sure hormones are not helping, but I have moments when I really dislike my DH. Prime example: he sets his alarm 2 hrs before he has to leave for work so he can spend an hour laying on the couch playing on his phone. He used to just do it in bed, but I am a light sleeper and I finally convinced him it was rude... but still the alarm! (I have no commute as I work from home, so this is seriously two hours of sleep I'm missing out on). 

snackheart

wkuandrea said:

ugh I am sure hormones are not helping, but I have moments when I really dislike my DH. Prime example: he sets his alarm 2 hrs before he has to leave for work so he can spend an hour laying on the couch playing on his phone. He used to just do it in bed, but I am a light sleeper and I finally convinced him it was rude... but still the alarm! (I have no commute as I work from home, so this is seriously two hours of sleep I'm missing out on). 

Girl, you are not alone.  MH has a way of getting on my last nerve especially when I'm pregnant. 

He also kills me with the alarm BS.  His M.O. is to set it at the time he would like to tell people he gets up in the morning and then sleep another 1-1.5 hours, but snoozing it every 10 minutes in that time.  It wakes me--but not him--up right away so I end up having to shake him and ask him to turn it off.

I can't tell you how many times I have asked him to please, please just set it for the time he actually intends to wake up.  So effing rude!!

BitterBetty12

@DLpanda08 My stash is a mix. I have a newborn stash and a one size stash. Most of my newborn stash is AIOs but I also have a decent amount of fitteds and covers. For the newborn stage I found the fitteds with covers to be the best for overnights. I also tried a bunch of different brands. It was helpful because I was able to get an idea of what brands and types of diapers I liked best. From there I built up my one size stash.

I have a lot of prefolds but I mainly use them to stuff in pockets. I prefer pockets or AIOs that have a pocket to traditional AIOs because then I’m able to better customize absorbency to what DD needs at a given time.

tosh24

@DLpanda08 Unless it's a super good price where it wouldn't matter if the diapers got wasted, I would be cautious about purchasing an entire stash from someone. Aside from discovering what works best for you as the diaper changer, you won't know what styles and brands will work best for baby until they're here. I started with a smaller stash pre-baby and then when baby came figured out both what I preferred and what worked best absorbancy and containment wise for DS. Just like some brands of disposables will work better for one baby than another, the same is true for cloth. Some of the popular brands people raved about didn't work AT ALL for DS. I will say that I completely agree with @BitterBetty12 that fitteds with covers worked best for overnights (and I preferred newborn AIOs for daytime - hated prefolds!).