@mom2adoodle Loose bowel movements. It took me 3 hours to realize I was in labor with my first because I just wasn't expecting it (6 weeks early) and what I was feeling were contractions, but I thought I just had to go to the bathroom. I had back labor and that's essentially what it felt like at first
@bibliobebe I put my fall decor out in August when I was pregnant with DD1 (she is also a September baby). I knew it wouldn't happen if I didn't do it early. I'm totally planning on doing the same this year. Fall is the best!!!
@MrsVoorhees I hope you can get to the pumpkin patch this year! We went last year for the first time. It's an orchard/pumpkin patch combo. McKenna definitely was more into the orchard, but she still enjoyed the pumpkin patch. We will be going back this year. My plan is to go when Layla is about a month old, and wear her the whole time. I know you're due later than me, though, and that could effect things for you.
@PoodleDoodleOoo we have already had people asking us the plan for Christmas this year and I'm not sure I want to travel. I moved to the USA 4 years ago and have yet to spend a single Christmas at my own place. Every year it rotates so technically it's my family's turn this year but I'm not sure about it. Especially not knowing how our LO will be with sleep etc. plus that means a 2 hour car trip across the border into Canada in the winter with a 3 month old. I assume it's doable, but do I want to do it? Not really. I want to have Christmas as my family this year in my own home. Maybe we will go up to visit for a day or two but not spend a long time there. I've been put under the guilt trip big time from my dad. My granny has some special Christmas dress she really wants the baby to wear...so if anything I'd do it for her but I don't know. I'm also concerned about family getting vaccinated. I know that sparks a huge debate with everyone but I've been advised by my OB to ensure anyone visiting with the baby have a flu shot and have tdap. I've had some negative reactions to the suggestion and I'm just worried because certain people in my family are always sick! I don't want to put LO through that if we can prevent it. Either way, I'm not looking forward to Christmas this year because of the pressure we are already getting to visit. I would really love a relaxed Christmas at my place. Maybe some of them can come to us if anything. Or just a short trip after Christmas.
I think there is one living underneath our backyard deck. I've seen it twice in the last two weeks, walking around minding its business at 6pm! I thought they were supposed to be nocturnal! Anyway, some of our neighbors dogs have been sprayed so now I'm very afraid of letting my dog out without me checking the backyard first (I would rather get sprayed then have her sprayed). We have water fountains in the backyard so I'm assuming our yard is attractive to skunks. We have lights everywhere too though and online peeps claim that keeps them away. WRONG. This skunk is an anomaly apparently.
Ugh - I see your skunk encounter and raise you one! . One just happened to kick the bucket right next to my garage where I keep my trash bin. Neither myself nor my dog noticed it until a 3am doggy pee break when I was half asleep on Friday am, and was all "what the hell is that thing?" - since *thankfully* it hadn't released its scent when it died, so it just looked like a discarded wig or something (and TBH, the dog didn't even notice it at this point either...he's a "smart" hound dog...) Needless to say, the husband is recovering from surgery - so I ended up disposing of it a day later (even though he told me he would do it when he was better...but then I would have had to look at a decomposing skunk for god knows how long). After something had gotten to it. And it stunk to high heaven. So here I am, Saturday morning at 6am (because why on earth would the dog let me sleep on a weekend...) attempting to maneuver this thing on to a shovel. I finally scoop it up and make my way (speedily) to the back of the yard - gagging all the way. And, of course, I get 10ft away from my goal, and the damn thing falls off the shovel. So I have to scoop the stupid skunk up again - while gagging this time - and make my way a few more steps before I can heave it into the wooded area behind the house, proceed to puke, and walk away as fast as possible. And then maybe puke a few more times for good measure. Great start to the weekend right there...
AND! To top it all off, DH goes to me after noticing what I used to get rid of it - "Wait, you used the good shovel??" Ha. Seriously, dude?
For the last few years I have hosted Christmas for my Mom/MIL side of the family. It is approx 10 people. While it seems like a lot It has always been easiest for us. I like being home, everyone brings a dish or 2 around noon-1ish, we open presents, hang out, eat. They usually only stay 3-4 hours, help me clean up and then they are gone.
This year I am a little concerned since there will be a baby but I will still host. I think I will invite my dad too since it is babies first Christmas. I will probably just make the basic dishes this year with no extra and it should be OK. I think it is very important to have Christmas morning be about immediate family (just parents and baby) and make your own traditions!
Me: 32 DH: 31
TTC #2 since January 2018
Baby #1 DD Born 8/25/2016 BFP: 8/11/18 Due: 4/26/18
@rock1cherry Speaking of border travel, do you know how that works yet with a newborn? All my extended family is up in Canada, although my nuclear family is down in the southern States with me. I know they don't need a passport for a while, but do you just bring a birth certificate to prove they're yours? I probably won't be bringing LO across for a while, but I thought I'd ask. Also, are you planning to get both passports for your LO?
@kosmo86 - I thought about inviting our families to celebrate Christmas with us in the AM, but then I remembered how grating and cranky MIL makes me and DH, and since she has the tendency to stay allllllll ddaaaaaaayyyy I didn't really want to open up that doorway...
I'm somewhat dreading Christmas this year because of my MIL. She only lives 10 minutes away, but I'm having issues with getting her to understand that I don't necessarily want to pack up two little babies and all their stuff and come to her house for several hours on Christmas Eve.
She keeps saying "but there may be presents for them if they come". WTF, you're going to not give them their presents if you have to drive 10 minutes to do it? I don't understand why she can't come see them on Christmas Day at our house.
I'd be willing to have my mom watch the boys and stop by MIL's house for an hour or two to see the family (I really do want to see them), but I think it's ridiculous to have to wrangle 2-3 month old twins and all their gear into the car and then into her house to do it.
@MojieJo - And you and @PoodleDoodleOoo both have snow and ice to worry about at that point. DH and I decided to be nice for the kids' first Christmas and try to make it to his extended family Christmas since the kids were only a few weeks old. We figured that that would be the only Christmas when we would get up early and go anywhere because it wasn't going to effect the kids at all. We got on the highway and realized everything was iced over and turned back around. I don't care how short the trip is. It's not worth it in the ice and snow.
@diagonalley I really hope it turns out to be nothing but I can sympathize with your worry! I spent all day the day before DD was born in and out of the bathroom with stomach cramps, an achy back and loose bowel movements. I felt really off and had my suspicions but wasn't ready to admit to myself that I was in early labor. The next morning, I woke with contractions and it was the real deal. Two weeks ago I had similar symptoms...I even told my DH how unnerving it was because it was exactly how I felt the day before DD was born. I brushed it off because I was only 33 weeks. But woke the next morning with regular contractions and ended up heading to L&D. Obviously the contractions stopped and all was good but I was already 1cm dilated, which was a bit of an awakening. Long story short, I can relate to your worry. Take it easy and see how things go. If you're not feeling better or just aren't sure, call your doctor. Always better to be safe than sorry!
I'm already dreading having the conversation with DH regarding the holidays. We usually have house guests (5 or more) and I'm def not feeling it this year, especially if I plan on nursing I don't want my boob out in front of all of my inlaws. Additionally, I just want Christmas morning with our immediate family.
For those who are still on the fence about purchasing a video monitor, I can't recommend it any more. Putting DS down for a nap today, he pulled his pants off twice and attempted to climb out of his crib. All of which I would not have known about if I had only an audio monitor.
Just a recommendation for those struggling with recent 3-4 yr old developments/behavior hurdles. We bought this for DD1 this week, and it is working great! She loves putting her magnets up, and if she gets all her magnets for the day, she gets something out of the "prize box" before bed. I just bought a bunch of cheap party favor items/stickers and filled a box with them. It is already making my life so much easier. You could probably find a printable sticker chart and get the same result, but anyway, just wanted to share.
We have 8 different events to attend each year. I have divorced parents so we do my Mom & siblings, my Dad & siblings, my Mom's extended family, my Dad's extended family, DH's immediate family, DH's Dad's extended family, DH's Mom's extended family and our own Christmas as a family. It's insane. We've made slow progress over the years trying to make things easier - for example, we now host my Mom and siblings' holiday at our house and we do it a couple weeks after Christmas. It makes it so much more enjoyable than trying to squeeze it right on or around Christmas. We have also been flexible for the past few years in regards to when we do our own family Christmas and just do it whenever it makes sense. This only works, though, because DD doesn't understand dates. As she gets older and knows which date is actually "Christmas" and that all her friends get visits from Santa on that specific day, we won't be able to be as flexible. My kids' experiences are way more important to me than anyone else's feelings. And, I'm not going to lie, I'm almost looking forward to the built-in excuse to start missing things once the kids are older!
@Jabreen yes we intend to get both passports for the baby. While I am not a US citizen yet, I can apply next year. Since she has the opportunity to have both we will do it. For the time being I believe baby can travel with their birth certificate. If you don't have it yet you can use the birth record or a letter from the hospital or doctor with certain info on it.
I used this site for info so I assume it is correct -
I am also a nexus holder so I don't know about that yet. I think I will need to find out about that as well since I assume she needs her own card for that.
@RedMar haha! After my 3yo stopped taking naps I tried quiet time in her room. She would talk in the monitor and say "I know you see meeeee" and when I just ignored her she would get naked and jump on her bed. Fun times
regarding Christmas/ holidays. Ugh I don't even want to think about that. In laws want us to come to thanksgiving in CA for a week. I'm hoping H's team will be in the middle of playoffs and we can just skip this year. then we are back in CA for H's best friends wedding on December 17, which without asking my in laws booked a house and invited other family members to stay with us and Then asked if we would stay another week for Christmas. Thanks but no thanks. Being away from home with such a young infant and two toddlers for that long is not appealing. I like hosting my own Christmas which usually includes opening gifts and cooking all day while staying in my pjs
re: Christmas/ holidays, our families all live a plane ride away. Not happening with an infant. Instead, I am trying to use the holidays as an enticement to get my MIL (whom I *love*) to come stay with us in December so I can start transitioning back into work. Stay the whole month! Stay for Christmas! Watch our baby?????
@PoodleDoodleOoo we have family nearby and we always host Christmas. Last year was the exception as I'd gone through a loss the month before and was really unmotivated so we just switched and my SIL hosted. I hope I can host this year again, though. We do it a bit different: everyone comes over on Christmas Eve and I make a huuuuge dinner and we open some presents. We hang out the next day in the afternoon because my brother and the kids do their presents on Christmas morning. They've never had to set this boundary with us specifically, it's just what we do, although parents and in-laws have complained. DH and I will do the same with our family and will have our private Christmas morning tradition. If anyone complains, we will put our foot down and tell them we have our own traditions and we'll see everyone when we aaall get together later. Christmas is huge for kids as they get older and I think the small family traditions are very important. We've had a friend stay with us the past couple Christmases so I'm hoping we can enjoy our first as a family of three by ourselves. Put your foot down with DH now and be clear that there'll be no "you and my mom need to plan it".
My son was born the first week of November and I hosted a small Thanksgiving at my house a few weeks later. It worked out really well. We only had DH's and my immediate family (8 adults and 5 children). Since it was close family, we didn't feel an overwhelming desire to have the house super clean. I am pretty comfortable in the kitchen so the food prep wasn't at all daunting. Also, having everyone come for Thanksgiving meant that they didn't come visit right when DS was born, giving us a couple weeks of just the 3 of us.
For Christmas, the tradition has been to do a small family breakfast with my parents and siblings (usually at my brother's house). Then we have the big extended family get together for dinner. Since I live 3.5 hours away, we go and stay for 2-3 nights. I am not sure how long we can maintain this tradition - when the kids are old enough for Santa, will we want to do a different Christmas morning tradition?
@unwritten12 True! We also live on the edge of the unincorporated part of town, too, so the roads tend to be either poorly plowed or not plowed at all if there's been significant snow. Sometimes we have a hard time getting out of our subdivision because they like to skip our street for some reason.
Luckily, DH has an Outback now (before we had a very low to the ground Saturn of some sort and my Prius, which doesn't handle well in the snow), so we're better off than we were, but it still makes me nervous thinking about driving in the snow with small infants. And then there's the issue of getting them out of the car and into the house without slipping and falling. Ugh.
FI and I got into a little fight today over text and he called me to talk it out but I didn't know he was still working so all of a sudden i hear his boss start just screaming at him-- ugh now I feel even worse because I really was overreacting and then he got in trouble. blah
oh and I have no idea how we are navigating the holidays...
My in laws live in Tennessee while my parents live 20 minutes away. We are on a rotating schedule to go visit and my SIL is on the same schedule with her inlaws. We are supposed to do thanksgiving with them and Christmas with my parents but since we just spent 3 weeks out there for the wedding and are having the baby, we told them we aren't coming for thanksgiving and family Christmas will be wherever the baby is. I'm in the middle of applying for a job in la and husband has a potential job in Sacramento so we may end up moving before the holidays and everyone can just come up to see us
I can't seem to keep up with this board these past few weeks but I'm reading and following along when I can. I just never feel I have much to add by the time I get to the convo! I hope you are all doing well. We are in the home stretch!
Normally, we've been swapping holidays annually - one side gets Thanksgiving/New Year's, the other gets Christmas. This year is different. Our plan right now is to see DH's family the weekend before US Thanksgiving - but w/o baby. It's a pretty short flight, but BIL is getting married then and it's a strict no-child affair. I don't feel comfortable leaving my 2-month-old with anyone but my parents (and frankly, I am still not sure I'll even be going). Then, we'll spend the rest of the week with my family. Christmas will also be with my side, which I don't mind at all right now. LO is baby #1, so travelling for holidays at 3 months won't make any difference to him/her. Then, the plan is to drive the 9 hours (I think I'll pre-pump to save us having to stop as often) to DH's side for New Year's. We'll likely adjust this schedule completely once LO is old enough to understand the holidays better or we decide it's time to start having Christmas at home.
Well, my internet has been down at my place for over a week, and my boss has been in every day until today- so I am 942 posts behind... again. So freaking frustrating!!! I miss being able to get on here daily the worst!!! Needless to say, I'm going to pitch a fit to my landlord if it's not back up by the weekend- I work from home on occasion- and my entire maternity leave plan is based on being able to do that so I can keep getting paid.
Hope everyone's staying cool in this crazy heat. I'm trying to catch up as much as I can before I head back home to my internet-less oblivion Sending love to all who are feeling down, sick, etc. and to all the ladies having great appointments, feeling movements, etc. Just had my 32 week appointment yesterday and all is right on track- plus this little guy has made a habit of kicking whenever the doctor uses the doppler, and now we've added hiccups as a daily thing, sometimes several times daily, which he doesn't seem to like because after a few minutes he wiles out in there- super fun at 2 a.m.
I'm reading all the posts- doesn't make as much sense to try to answer many of them since they've been answered to but know I'm feeling all the same things and loving so many of your posts. I too have been feeling uncomfy and blah some days, and my energy is nonexistent these days- just want to sleep... in a pool... in the shade.
@CindyLouWho427 I've had issues with TB getting back to me - I was able to get into our BMB and read everything but not comment, respond, post, even though I was logged in, for over a week. That was about a month ago, and I emailed customer support- they got back to me two days ago. So you'll probably get an explanation in like, oh idk, a year from now. So frustrating!
Gas or contraction- I did that to DH the other night- except I knew it was just gas. He saw me grimace and asked me what was wrong, and I said my stomach was bothering me and he started to fly out of his chair like a lunatic. Had to tell him to relax, it's just gas pains. Anyone else's DH or SO getting twitchy from waiting and it being so much closer?
Alright- I made it up to page 74 but I have to head home Hoping to get back on here tomorrow and finish catching up. Missing this group the worst!
@seitzy3 haha hilarious!! He knows we can see him as well bc we talk to him through the monitor. He has yet to call us out on it though lol.
@jabreen, just an FYI, if you plan to go a long time without pumping or feeding that could hurt your supply. It may be wise to have your pump hooked up to your car (they sell adapters) or get some batteries for that bad boy so you can pump while on the road!
@RedMar Good point! We have an AC adapter for the car for mobile laptop use, so I'll be sure to pack that for the breast pump, too. I'll probably also mix in some actual feedings, since LO will definitely need diaper changes and DH and I will need food/bathroom/leg stretches.
I have been stressing out for a bit about how to break the news to my mom that we are choosing to not have anyone else in the room when it comes time to push. I was really dreading it because I know she's excited but I spoke to her today and she tried to guilt trip me a bit by saying she was sad because all her sisters got to witness their grandkids being born but she understood that it was our choice. Now I just have to break it to my sister who I had asked to help me by holding a leg. She may not be as gracious and understanding as my mom. Mind you, she's the one that sent me a message saying that it would be best for her if the baby came between sept 3-9 because she can take the time off at work to come down here...
Re: Christmas. My husband is still convinced that we are going to his parents' like we do every year. With two newborns and a 2 year old? EFF THAT. No flipping way.
We alternate Christmas between my folks and my in laws. But DD turned 3 this spring an, you know, remembers things. so we're starting a similar new family tradition to have Christmas morning at home. And then fly to either place the day or two after. This year is at my parents, who are on board with this plan (as are my sibs, their partners, and kids). A little worried about next year -- we have their only grandbabies, but at least they'll have a while to get used to the idea! And @mamadomino , I probably need to make sure H knows this is the plan from here on out too! Haha!
I hate how stressful the holidays have become since being married and I'm sure it will be more so now. I haven't decided what we'll do yet, but we're planning on staying home more during the holidays for sure.
Christmas is such a weird time. As much as I like to coordinate seeing everyone, I'm losing the desire to cart the kids around on a day when it's supposed to be about them. HOWEVER, I don't want to host a Christmas thing (my parents are divorced and remarried, my husbands folks have recently separated, awk.). Not sure what we'll do this year.
Wife to A; Mama to C (2009), N (2011), H (2014) & baby F due 09/16/16
Re: July Randoms Thread
@MrsVoorhees I hope you can get to the pumpkin patch this year! We went last year for the first time. It's an orchard/pumpkin patch combo. McKenna definitely was more into the orchard, but she still enjoyed the pumpkin patch. We will be going back this year. My plan is to go when Layla is about a month old, and wear her the whole time. I know you're due later than me, though, and that could effect things for you.
AND! To top it all off, DH goes to me after noticing what I used to get rid of it - "Wait, you used the good shovel??" Ha. Seriously, dude?
For the last few years I have hosted Christmas for my Mom/MIL side of the family. It is approx 10 people. While it seems like a lot It has always been easiest for us. I like being home, everyone brings a dish or 2 around noon-1ish, we open presents, hang out, eat. They usually only stay 3-4 hours, help me clean up and then they are gone.
This year I am a little concerned since there will be a baby but I will still host. I think I will invite my dad too since it is babies first Christmas. I will probably just make the basic dishes this year with no extra and it should be OK.
I think it is very important to have Christmas morning be about immediate family (just parents and baby) and make your own traditions!
BFP: 8/11/18 Due: 4/26/18
She keeps saying "but there may be presents for them if they come". WTF, you're going to not give them their presents if you have to drive 10 minutes to do it? I don't understand why she can't come see them on Christmas Day at our house.
I'd be willing to have my mom watch the boys and stop by MIL's house for an hour or two to see the family (I really do want to see them), but I think it's ridiculous to have to wrangle 2-3 month old twins and all their gear into the car and then into her house to do it.
And then there's Thanksgiving...
● IUI #2: BFP - early M/C
● IUI #3: BFN
● IUI #4: BFN
● IVF/FET #1 (2 transferred): BFP! TWINS!
● FET #2 (1 transferred): BFP! BOY #3!
● Natural #1: BFP - M/C @ 8 weeks
● Natural #2: BFP - M/C @ 5w5d
LOL
Just a recommendation for those struggling with recent 3-4 yr old developments/behavior hurdles. We bought this for DD1 this week, and it is working great! She loves putting her magnets up, and if she gets all her magnets for the day, she gets something out of the "prize box" before bed. I just bought a bunch of cheap party favor items/stickers and filled a box with them. It is already making my life so much easier. You could probably find a printable sticker chart and get the same result, but anyway, just wanted to share.
We have 8 different events to attend each year. I have divorced parents so we do my Mom & siblings, my Dad & siblings, my Mom's extended family, my Dad's extended family, DH's immediate family, DH's Dad's extended family, DH's Mom's extended family and our own Christmas as a family. It's insane. We've made slow progress over the years trying to make things easier - for example, we now host my Mom and siblings' holiday at our house and we do it a couple weeks after Christmas. It makes it so much more enjoyable than trying to squeeze it right on or around Christmas. We have also been flexible for the past few years in regards to when we do our own family Christmas and just do it whenever it makes sense. This only works, though, because DD doesn't understand dates. As she gets older and knows which date is actually "Christmas" and that all her friends get visits from Santa on that specific day, we won't be able to be as flexible. My kids' experiences are way more important to me than anyone else's feelings. And, I'm not going to lie, I'm almost looking forward to the built-in excuse to start missing things once the kids are older!
I used this site for info so I assume it is correct -
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/724/~/children--travel-documents-for-infants
I am also a nexus holder so I don't know about that yet. I think I will need to find out about that as well since I assume she needs her own card for that.
regarding Christmas/ holidays. Ugh I don't even want to think about that. In laws want us to come to thanksgiving in CA for a week. I'm hoping H's team will be in the middle of playoffs and we can just skip this year. then we are back in CA for H's best friends wedding on December 17, which without asking my in laws booked a house and invited other family members to stay with us and Then asked if we would stay another week for Christmas. Thanks but no thanks. Being away from home with such a young infant and two toddlers for that long is not appealing. I like hosting my own Christmas which usually includes opening gifts and cooking all day while staying in my pjs
DD #1 3/26/13
Mo/Mo twins MMC 3/31/14
DD #2 3/31/15
DD #3 8/25/16
Edit grammar
For Christmas, the tradition has been to do a small family breakfast with my parents and siblings (usually at my brother's house). Then we have the big extended family get together for dinner. Since I live 3.5 hours away, we go and stay for 2-3 nights. I am not sure how long we can maintain this tradition - when the kids are old enough for Santa, will we want to do a different Christmas morning tradition?
Luckily, DH has an Outback now (before we had a very low to the ground Saturn of some sort and my Prius, which doesn't handle well in the snow), so we're better off than we were, but it still makes me nervous thinking about driving in the snow with small infants. And then there's the issue of getting them out of the car and into the house without slipping and falling. Ugh.
● IUI #2: BFP - early M/C
● IUI #3: BFN
● IUI #4: BFN
● IVF/FET #1 (2 transferred): BFP! TWINS!
● FET #2 (1 transferred): BFP! BOY #3!
● Natural #1: BFP - M/C @ 8 weeks
● Natural #2: BFP - M/C @ 5w5d
blah
oh and I have no idea how we are navigating the holidays...
I hope you are all doing well. We are in the home stretch!
Hope everyone's staying cool in this crazy heat. I'm trying to catch up as much as I can before I head back home to my internet-less oblivion
I'm reading all the posts- doesn't make as much sense to try to answer many of them since they've been answered to but know I'm feeling all the same things and loving so many of your posts. I too have been feeling uncomfy and blah some days, and my energy is nonexistent these days- just want to sleep... in a pool... in the shade.
@CindyLouWho427 I've had issues with TB getting back to me - I was able to get into our BMB and read everything but not comment, respond, post, even though I was logged in, for over a week. That was about a month ago, and I emailed customer support- they got back to me two days ago. So you'll probably get an explanation in like, oh idk, a year from now. So frustrating!
Gas or contraction- I did that to DH the other night- except I knew it was just gas. He saw me grimace and asked me what was wrong, and I said my stomach was bothering me and he started to fly out of his chair like a lunatic. Had to tell him to relax, it's just gas pains. Anyone else's DH or SO getting twitchy from waiting and it being so much closer?
Alright- I made it up to page 74 but I have to head home
@jabreen, just an FYI, if you plan to go a long time without pumping or feeding that could hurt your supply. It may be wise to have your pump hooked up to your car (they sell adapters) or get some batteries for that bad boy so you can pump while on the road!