August Randoms

lurvleybunchococonuts

@mia80 @wychets I don't think I've ever loved myself/my body more than when I've been pregnant 💚💜 I hate the aches and pains but LOVE my belly and the movement and feeling kicks and nudges and knowing I'm making a flippin human being! It's amazing! 

hedgepig

@wychets Thank you for sharing that - it's a beautiful sentiment! I don't always feel my most beautiful these day, but I do love the way my pregnant body looks and feels, even with all the discomfort. 💜💜💜

wychets

@mia80 Congrats!!! 

Ecat504

@wychets I definitely understand, I had DD1 at 19 and DD2 at 21. So I definitely appreciate the pregnancy more this time around and maybe because it was planned and the other 2 weren't - I'm way more into it. Like I love talking to her and playing with her in there. But also I love having the 3 girls who are so in love with her and ready for another baby sister.

wychets

@Ecat504 Yes!! My DD is so in love, she talks about him all the time and even kisses my stomach at bedtime. It really makes my heart smile to see her so happy, she has been asking for a sibling since she was 2 haha!

kitkatz1990

It’s so good to read that so many of you are feeling super beautiful right now!! I always think other pregnant women look so adorable with their bumps. I just feel dumpy and unattractive. I hate how everything looks on me. I wish I could appreciate my own pregnant body! 

I definitely appreciate this pregnancy more than I did with my first 2. I was 21 and 24 with those pregnancies, and I feel like I am appreciating each stage of pregnancy more this time because I truly understand that this isn’t just a baby, it’s another member of our family that we haven’t met yet if that makes sense. It’s definitely very different this time!

mtengl

There are days when I looove how I look pregnant and others where I am like blah. I do love the feelings and movements but have a hard time with aches and pains of course. My first pregnancy with a lot of glow and being happy about it this one has been a bit tougher to be connected but the further I get along the more I am connected to this baby. 

I have been swamped today with work, I had a million e-mails to go through. I was kind of annoyed because they want us to have the Directors fill out an extra form for us and a lot of them are already swamped... I would rather just take the extra time to do the work myself then have someone else do it...

name1109

Yeah I’m in team I’m-pregnant-and-hate-it. I mean I love her moving and the little girl growing in there. For me pregnancy is a necessary evil. I feel large, uncomfortable and generally awful. I love all my wiggly worms but pregnancy is so not my jam. All ours have been in our 30s so maybe it’s getting progressively harder? My sister loves pregnancy...I wish I was in that camp but I’m just not. 

windywoman

I like being pregnant. I don’t love it but I’m enjoy the “magic” of it. We struggled to get pregnant with DS and I was in such awe during the whole thing. It was a rough pregnancy mentally with so many things happening. This time around everything seems to going so smoothly that it feels strange. I am enjoying just making a baby at this point and feeling him/her move more and more. 

hedgepig

@lurvleybunchococonuts Belatedly, I finally got DH to take a picture of me with DS in the HBC onbuhimo!

acdc1109

@name1109 This is where I'm at too! I've never loved pregnancy but my boys are totally worth it! I had my first at 26 and yes, it definitely gets harder. 😫

memar12

@mia80 we are in a similar situation but not exact.
I am 33 years old, we have been TTC for 3 years, with lots of pressure from both families. We had 2 failed IUIs which was accompanied by weight gain.

Then IVF, the first injection knocked me into menopause with hot flushes , then other injections. In my case, my eggs were not responding, injections increased from 8 days to 12 days till I eventually responded.

Aarrggghh!!  the egg retrieval, the sedative didn't knock me out much so I felt the pain, I screamed throughout the procedure. Only 6 eggs where retrieved, I have heard that as much as 22 or more eggs can be retrieved.
Out of the 6 eggs, 3 fertilized, 2 were viable, 2 embryos transferred and one stayed (My miracle).
The day I tested positive, I cried uncontrollably. I could not believe it, it felt like a dream.

Just like you @mia80 I show off my bump and look at myself a lot in front of the mirror
I really hope and pray I don't go through IVF again.

lalarose22

I think pregnant women are SO beautiful 😍 I seriously love seeing everyone’s bumps pictures, but I’m also guilty of looking in the mirror and not loving how I look some days!

lurvleybunchococonuts

@memar12 IF is such a b*tch and you are a friggin warrior for going through all that 💙 I *technically* have IF but I call it IF "lite" (PCOS). Thankfully I just need extra help ovulating. Much love and respect for going through failed IUIs and all the injections and retrieval process, etc. You deserve to show off that bump and scream to the world about it 💙💙💙

@hedgepig eekkkk 😍 I LOVE it! That color is just perfect 💛 

bserena

One of my sisters is 17 and entering her senior year of high school. She plays basketball (like, amazingly, no idea where she got that from lol!) and has pretty much her whole life. She has gotten some college offers already but yesterday she received an offer from her dream school! Full ride, basketball scholarship! I am just so incredibly proud of her and happy for her and wanted to share the good news. She has worked so hard and deserves every bit of this  

wychets

@bserena That is awesome!! Congrats!!

@memar12 You are a ROCK STAR!

lurvleybunchococonuts

@bserena awesome! Congrats to your sister 😍 

I made the mistake of drinking coffee this AM. It actually sounded good for the first time this pregnancy and it didn't make me ill! Buuuttt, the twins are JACKED on caffeine now and breakdancing on my bladder 🤦🏻🤦🏻🤦🏻

mia80

@memar12 Infertility sucks!!!  And dealing with pressure from family only makes it harder Also, sorry to hear you reacted so poorly to the IVF drugs. 

I'm turning 40 this weekend and we've been TTC for almost four years and are unexplained. Three failed IUIs (plus weight gain ugghhh) and moved to IVF last April.  We were actually pretty lucky and I didn't have many issues with the drugs for IVF (honestly had worse side effects for IUI), and ended up with 18 eggs retrieved, 12 fertilized and 5 made it to day 5. Our fresh transfer was successful, but ended in a MMC at 12 weeks.  Then we did FET last Sept, and had an early loss at 6 weeks.  At this point I was a disaster because our doctor just kept saying everything looked good and they had no idea why it wasn't working... so stared to honestly consider what life would be like without children because DH isn't comfortable adopting and if there was some sort of problem with my eggs doing another retrieval at 40 wasn't going to make things better.

Anyhow, did another FET this Feb, and they upped my progesterone (was doing vaginal suppositories twice a day and injections every third day up until week 10)... not sure if this was what I needed... but it worked!  I had so much anxiety the first trimester and it only started to go down around week 20. For all of the awful pregnancy symptoms that people hate (nausea, exhaustion, etc)... I actually loved them, because even though I felt like crap, it meant my little Nugget was growing. And now that I can see my bump (and feel Nugget moving) I'm obsessing over it and love checking out my belly! lol

mtengl

I love hearing all your pregnancy stories ladies! I am in awe of all of you and all you have done! 

This is the first day since like 8 weeks pregnant maybe that I have not taken any nausea medicine. Also of course my OB prescribed an antacid medicine (which I think is my main issue now because it can make me nausea) but the pharmacy said it was back ordered. Luckily it is just Pepcid so I am picking up some at target later. I also am nesting already and am picking up some free and clear detergent to wash the babies clothes and organize the Girls closet (both DD and Ivy will have to share a closet). It is way soon I know but I just need to do something baby related. 

surlyjaneausten

I like this stage of pregnancy where everyone can tell that my belly is baby and not just a burrito. Also this baby seems way more active than my first. Anything I eat or drink immediately triggers a little dance party. 

My son had his first day of preschool Tuesday and loved it 😍. I was such a mess dropping him off. He was like “are you sad? Why are you sad??” I was hoping I wouldn’t cry because I didn’t want to put a damper on his excitement. Luckily he wasn’t too worried about it, the director was used to dealing with emotional moms and nervous preschoolers. He was very excited to go back this morning and I’m just so happy for him. 

acdc1109

@surlyjaneausten DS1 was supposed to start preschool in September and I was so going to take the whole day off! They delayed opening until January so now I will be off but I know I'm still going to be a mess! I love that he's getting old enough to enjoy fun stuff (like zoos and amusement parks), but sad that he's not my cuddly baby anymore. 

wychets

@surlyjaneausten when DD started kindergarten I took the entire day off so I could cry in peace all day without judgement lol, she wasn't scared at all and loved it....meanwhile I had a meltdown in my car.

dumbledoredies

Oh man, hi everyone! I've been terrible at keeping up on here. I apologize. We went up north to the beach for a week long vacation at the end of July. It was so incredibly relaxing and very much needed as a mental reset.

We got back and closed on both of our houses yesterday! So we have a ton of our stuff packed up in a POD. I have movers coming next Friday to move our big things over to the new house. And there is a ton of stuff we are going to move ourselves over the next week. DS and I spent the day over at the new house today with my mom and MIL cleaning everything. 

We are going to do some upgrades in the house. The main and most expensive project is replacing all the floors. I had an installer coming out tomorrow to take a look at what will go into reno-ing the current floors but he texted me this afternoon and said this morning one of his guys tested positive for covid and he worked with him yesterday so he needs to get tested now 😫 damn you covid! So I'm basically at a standstill for everything. I cant make any other decisions until I know what the floors will cost.

I have such a love-hate relationship with being pregnant. Our journey to become and stay pregnant hasn't been the easiest (nor the hardest) so I feel like I have this added appreciation because I feel so grateful and blessed to be experiencing it. But I spent the first 20 weeks anxious that something bad was bound to happen at any moment, made even more crippling with the bleeding I had at the beginning of the second trimester. This horrible back pain is driving me mad because I hate having to slow down and not being able to do everything I would normally do. But feeling this baby kick and move around is such a dream. There have been a handful of times I've been laying in bed at night and I feel the baby kick and I'm reminded of when I would lay in the exact same spot in bed crying and wondering if I would ever feel baby kicks again. It's surreal and a million times worth it! 

memar12

@lurvleybunchococonuts this is so heartwarming, thanks a lot , Hahaha at "breakdancing your bladder"
@wychets
@mia80 so sorry about what you went through too. Glad we get to carry our little ones. Sending you hugs

laurenmicheley

I am so late to the party, but just finished season 3 of Ozark and woooooow! So glad I finally sat down to catch up; was a wild ride!

potofgolden

Lots of Randoms Here:

Census - Have y’all filled out the census already? I just completed it on my phone. I had been delaying doing because I wanted to count this baby, but it looks like the deadline is September 30th. I’m glad I went ahead and did it, I don’t want anyone knocking at my door. 

Beer  - We are on our way back from our weekend getaway to Fredericksburg, Texas. I found some new NA beers. It was my cousins 40th bday and he is taking a hiatus from alcohol, so there was several NA beers to try. It was nice not to be the only one trying them out. We also had all the regulars to pick from (odouls, Texas Select, Heineken)  I felt spoiled! My aunt and uncle got the beers at a Central Market, which I believe is HEB’s(TX grocery chain) version of Whole Foods. You might try checking with your local grocery store to see if they can order you some. Pics in the spoiler.

Bed- I’ve slept in this bed at the AirBNB multiple times before. It is usually comfortable, not this time! My hips, butt, and back are sore and were aching all night. Some of you that experience this all the time may want to upgrade your mattress if you have the funds. I didn’t realize how comfortable my mattress was until I wasn’t sleeping in it. 

We need to be spoiling ourselves! This baby growing is hard work!

This was a dark beer, which isn’t my favorite taste, but it was still good.^this one was the lighted and tasted the best. Definite Favorite! Highly recommend.

Smelled like skunk, tasted like Corona.

surlyjaneausten

@potofgolden That St Pauli reminded me of a wedding I went to a few years ago. They had that beer specifically for the groom’s dad who was a recovering alcoholic but so many people were drinking it, not realizing it was NA. So funny. Sounds like it smells lovely 🙈. 

mtengl

I got the girls closet all organized this weekend. It took forever because DD was all over the place, but I got newborn clothes washed and all the swaddles and burp clothes and so on washed and put up. I also organized the drawers. I am pretty happy about it. Hopefully we can keep it pretty organized but there is a basket for everything. 

bserena

@mtengl that's awesome! I always feel so good after getting stuff organized. 

I have my final for Bio 2 today (anytime, it is online). So glad to be almost done! I have a two week break after today from school so I am going to try and get packing.

mtengl

@bserena  Goodluck!! I am sure the 2 week break is much needed!

potofgolden

@bserena good luck girl!
@mtengl goals!!!

potofgolden

Xxxxxxxxxx

mama-buckets

Bahhhh. 

Ever have one of those days where you feel emotionally spent, anxious, on the verge of tears, and then it’s like BAM! Things continue to manifest negatively after that? I’m having one of those today. For no reason. Things are overall pretty peachy, but today, for whatever reason, my brain is in panic mode. Like I just want to curl up in bed with my blanket and CRY! I had a minor meltdown when hubby brought the mail in and 50% of it was medical bills.

I just needed to offload that to some people who might actually get it hah. Hubby is doing his best to be supportive but it hits different when someone really GETS it. 

mtengl

@mama-buckets  totally understand it. I was on the verge of tears last night after fighting DD at bedtime. I just wanted to give up.

potofgolden

potofgolden said:

Xxxxxxxxxx

My butt was just trying to say hi! Buttpost! 

windywoman

Hugs @mama-buckets I had one of those days the other day. They are draining.

DS turns 2 on the 25th ( 😭 )and I have no idea what to do about a party. If we did have something it would have not be his 3 sets of grandparents, one uncle, and our BFs. But at this point I’m like is it even the right thing to do. I just really don’t know what to do. The good thing is is that if we do end
up not doing anything it’s not like he really knows. I still feel bad. I will have a little thing from here with just us with cake and presents no matter what. 

vetgirl2011

@mama-buckets that was completely me on Saturday! I may have cried because I was really craving a chocolate shake, and couldn’t have one. 🤷‍♀️ (Stupid gestational diabetes!) At least your meltdown was over bills. 

kelk5

@windywoman maybe a zoom party? I did a zoom 1st birthday party for my son in May. I kept it to just my husband's and my immediate family members. It was about 45 minutes long. I had them watch his cake smash then open presents (they sent them in advance). It wasn't the same but he enjoyed it and everyone enjoyed watching him.

@mama-buckets totally normal to happen. I cry 1-2 times a day.

laurenmicheley

@windywoman I think it would be nice to do something to celebrate. He's turning two so he won't remember a big blowout party, anyway, so keeping it small and zooming if you want sounds like an awesome idea! FTR, my SIL who is the type to have over-the-top birthday parties for her kids decided to have a small family party for my nephews 2nd birthday. It was just great-grandmothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins (of which there are two) and my nephew was delighted! This was pre-covid.

mtengl

@windywoman Can you all plan to do quarantine 2 weeks before just because older adults would be there? That would probably be my only concern. Pre-COVID DD turned 1 in January and we just did something super small. It was my close friend here (AKA DD local adopted grandma), the neighbors and their two kids, and a former coworker and her 1 year old. Now I would probably just have the adopted grandma come over since she is the only one we socialize with because she takes precautions. you could just invite those you know who take precautions and already socialize with?