I went to UCLA for a scientific research conference in 2009. I was there for 5 days in June. My impression of the city was it is expensive and very spread out. It was fun to go to the beach and rodeo drive to people watch but overall not really my jam. Nice weather though.
@ceclarlinetlo yeah totally not my jam. We would have to seriously downgrade and probably not be able to bring or dog. I can't even think about that right now.
@underthesea I have no personal experience with the area, but last year I had a friend who decided they wanted to move out there to try to get in a med school around that area (particularly UCLA, but anywhere in California in general). They ended up having to *strategically* change where they were sending applications because they didn't find a place they could afford until they looked in Sacramento. Like, think > $2000/mo for 1 bedroom apt. Of course, this is all third hand, so take it for what you will. UCLA is an amazing school though, and if I was offered a post-doc there, I would definitely have to consider it.
@cjs260 yeah those numbers make me nauseous. Right now we own a little 3 bedroom townhouse with a small yard. It's perfect for us right now. I can't imagine living in a 1 bedroom high rise with no outdoor space. The family housing is a bit more affordable but no dogs allowed. If we want to find a place where we could bring our dog I'm pretty sure we'd be living in the worst part of town.
@underthesea truth? I'm not a fan of LA, my H is in film so we go too often and ugh. I just don't like the vibe of the city (I'm from Detroit, it's wayyyyy friendlier here!) But you do have options for a little more space! Sherman Oaks in the valley is a great alternative if you can't afford Silver Lake (which-lol-who can?!) Santa Monica where it borders Venice is great and used to be less expensive (not sure if it still is?) also some parts of Glendale are a bit less expensive.
Steer clear of most of the southern areas (inglewood is ok) unless you're ok with super sketchy while gentrification takes over- we have friends who just bought a house just north of Compton, the value will skyrocket but in the meantime their neighborhood is super unsafe and instead of helping to CHANGE the situation they're just helping to out price the previous residents ::sigh::
It is a fun city, you'll never run out of things to see and do, it's just not my style personally
@underthesea I lived in West Hollywood in my early 20's and LOVED it, but I'm not so sure it would be my thing now. It is an expensive area, but commuting is the norm there, so a lot of people live in cheaper areas and commute to work. I was paying $800/month for a studio and this was 10+ years ago so I can only imagine it has gotten more expensive. Still, LA is a really fun place to live. I miss the beaches there.
@TinaBelcher thanks for some positive info. We live in Portland so I know it would be different. I just need to take one step at a time. DH had an interview yesterday locally so I'm just going to pretend everything is going to work out in our favor until it doesn't.
@TinaBelcher thanks for some positive info. We live in Portland so I know it would be different. I just need to take one step at a time. DH had an interview yesterday locally so I'm just going to pretend everything is going to work out in our favor until it doesn't.
Great approach! I would be a wreck over the uncertainty because I'm a huge planner so I'm totally being a hypocrite by saying this, but there's no need to stress about something that hasn't happened yet and may not come to pass at all. I don't want to wish ill upon your husband, but I'll cross my fingers that things will work out so that you can stay local
@underthesea Portland is my favorite city to visit, so you'd probably like Sherman Oaks and Glendale! Sherman Oaks in particular, it's a little oasis of real people, great food and excellent thrift shops
I don't know if anyone watches Big Brother, but I have been refreshing the blog all day and I cannot wait until the live show tonight. There is serious drama going on in the house and I'm so excited! It's one of the only reality shows I still watch and it's been so boring this summer. I'm happy it's finally starting to pick up!
Have any of you who work for small businesses or by yourself thought about how you will handle pumping at work if you plan to breastfeed? I work in a hotel and I'm the only employee here for some of my shifts, and I have no idea how to make it work.
Have any of you who work for small businesses or by yourself thought about how you will handle pumping at work if you plan to breastfeed? I work in a hotel and I'm the only employee here for some of my shifts, and I have no idea how to make it work.
I worked part time at a very small library until DD was almost a year old. While there was always at least one other staff member there, there were times when I'd be the only one on the floor that i was working on. I explained to my boss that I NEEDED to pump during work and she would either schedule an extra person during my shift or whoever was working on the adult floor would put up a sign letting patrons to come to the children's floor if they needed anything so they could cover my desk while I pumped (children's floor was on ground level, so holds were kept there and I had a lot more patron interaction than the person on the adult floor usually). A coworker told me that when her kids were nursing 20+ years ago, she was often the only staff member on schedule. Luckily for her, she lived in the neighborhood, so her husband would actually come over with the baby so she could feed it and then he would man the desk. This wasn't an option for me, because we lived on the opposite side of the city so my commute could be anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on time of day and traffic, and I wasn't going to make DH run back and forth with that going on.
Unfortunately with small businesses, resources are limited and what works in one case won't work in another, but I hope you're able to make it work! Maybe you could have a conversation with your supervisor now to try to brainstorm ways to work pumping in. My biggest advice is make sure to emphasize how important it is that you pump. I know with my boss, she was in her 60s and I have no idea if she ever breastfed but it did take a few conversations to make it clear to her that if I was going to be working, I had to be able to pump.
So this is just a quick bitch but if your office hours are from 8a - 5p, M - F then turn your f'ing phone from the after hours recording at 8a!!! Ball of anxiety over here! Grrr!
@BrennansMom2012@katesmama0706 agree with both of you! The pediatrician we used to go to before we moved closed for lunch, too - and of course, that's when I'd call 9 times out of 10,ugh. I get not wanting to take appointments during lunch, but I always felt that they should at least keep their desk staff on - I used to work at a doctor's office when I was in high school and the office staff always took their lunch in shifts to avoid this problem. The pediatrician we went to had a large enough staff that they definitely should've been able to do this.
I felt 8 months pregnant getting out of bed today. I need a massage.
We we decide what we are going to do for our sex reveal! Our appt is wed but we will have them write the sex down and seal it in an envelope. I'll take a box to our party store and have them fill it with balloons and pick it up later. We will find out the same time as my parents, sister and BIL and my 96 year old grandma who is declining rapidly. I think it will be a special memory to share with her because she may not be here when baby comes. I can't even think about that right now.
@underthesea I love that idea! We waited to find out with our close friends and family (maybe 15 people). We did the reveal in front of everyone (including a few FaceTime family members) and then had a cookout afterwards. It was a really special moment to find out with everyone we love. It's not initially what I wanted, but it was amazing to see my mom and gramma's faces.
In other news, apparently Vh1 Classics is now MTV Classics. Season one of Laguna Beach is on now and I read Daria is on tomorrow night. This is so fantastic (even though I feel SO old).
I felt pretty good this morning so while DH is taming the jungle that used to be our backyard I'm cleaning the kitchen. I cleaned behind the big appliances and found the usual dirt and grime but also a golf ball, 11 cat toys and about $5 in change. We just moved in about 8 weeks ago so none of this was ours lol.
I don't know about anyone else but the last couple days I've been SUPER grumpy. Especially with my husband. I hate it so much! I really haven't been too emotional this far except for a few times I can think of, but I do notice irritability hitting me- and I am completely aware of how irrational it is but I can't help it.
@shlecka that's exactly how I've been feeling too! I have the shortest fuse ever lately and I'm not normally like that at all. Hopefully it passes soon!
@underthesea Do you have an OB appointment right after the ultrasound? If the ultrasound is done in a lab by anyone other than the OB, you might want to give her/him the heads up as well just so they won't look at your paperwork and accidentally spill the news to you. My OB asked me way in advance if I was team green so she wouldn't accidentally say anything but I can imagine some doctor walking in right after and just being like "WELL CONGRATULATIONS ON THE LITTLE BOY/GIRL".
That said, that's a cool idea! We took ours in the sealed envelope to a bakery and got little cupcakes and just found out, the two of us. I wanted a little bit of time to absorb the information before sharing the news with others (although I can totally appreciate the sentiment of finding out at the same time as everyone else close to you!)
I'm sick with some sort of cold-like illness. Every time I ever get sick, the lymph nodes around my groin are the first to swell up... and I'm drinking a crapton of Pedialyte... and the baby has decided that this is the weekend he's going to focus on kicking, punching, and generally resting on or near both my bladder and my colon. I've been peeing every 15 minutes for the past 4 hours.
@canavara I do have a midwife appt right after. Hopefully she doesn't spoil it! I don't think we ever discussed if we would find out the sex with her. I'll make sure to say something right away. For our first we found out during the ultrasound so this time we wanted to something a little different. Also, I hope you feel better!
DH is off to LA for his interview. I just want to know what our life is going to hold for us next year. At least he wouldn't start the program until next summer so I have time to let it all sink in.
@canavara omg me too with the cold type deal. I'm trying so hard to stay hydrated and drinking a ton of orange juice for vitamin C but I'd love to stop peeing constantly and panicking every time I cough or sneeze.
Re: Randoms 2.0
BFP1 12/24/14 - EDD 09/07/15 (D/C 8w1d)
BFP2 6/12/15 - EDD 2/22/16 (D/C 10w3d)
———
Diagnoses and Treatments
PCOS (myo-inositol, excercize)
Indeterminant levels of APS IgM antibodies (baby aspirin)
Sub-septate uterus (hysteroscopic septoplasty 12/18/15)
———
BFP3 05/02/16 EDD 01/09/17 DS born 01/05/17
BFP4 01/28/19 EDD 10/?/19 🤞🙏
Steer clear of most of the southern areas (inglewood is ok) unless you're ok with super sketchy while gentrification takes over- we have friends who just bought a house just north of Compton, the value will skyrocket but in the meantime their neighborhood is super unsafe and instead of helping to CHANGE the situation they're just helping to out price the previous residents ::sigh::
It is a fun city, you'll never run out of things to see and do, it's just not my style personally
Jan17 Sept Sig: Pumpkin Spice gone too far
Unfortunately with small businesses, resources are limited and what works in one case won't work in another, but I hope you're able to make it work! Maybe you could have a conversation with your supervisor now to try to brainstorm ways to work pumping in. My biggest advice is make sure to emphasize how important it is that you pump. I know with my boss, she was in her 60s and I have no idea if she ever breastfed but it did take a few conversations to make it clear to her that if I was going to be working, I had to be able to pump.
We we decide what we are going to do for our sex reveal! Our appt is wed but we will have them write the sex down and seal it in an envelope. I'll take a box to our party store and have them fill it with balloons and pick it up later. We will find out the same time as my parents, sister and BIL and my 96 year old grandma who is declining rapidly. I think it will be a special memory to share with her because she may not be here when baby comes. I can't even think about that right now.
In other news, apparently Vh1 Classics is now MTV Classics. Season one of Laguna Beach is on now and I read Daria is on tomorrow night. This is so fantastic (even though I feel SO old).
BFP1 12/24/14 - EDD 09/07/15 (D/C 8w1d)
BFP2 6/12/15 - EDD 2/22/16 (D/C 10w3d)
———
Diagnoses and Treatments
PCOS (myo-inositol, excercize)
Indeterminant levels of APS IgM antibodies (baby aspirin)
Sub-septate uterus (hysteroscopic septoplasty 12/18/15)
———
BFP3 05/02/16 EDD 01/09/17 DS born 01/05/17
BFP4 01/28/19 EDD 10/?/19 🤞🙏
That said, that's a cool idea! We took ours in the sealed envelope to a bakery and got little cupcakes and just found out, the two of us. I wanted a little bit of time to absorb the information before sharing the news with others (although I can totally appreciate the sentiment of finding out at the same time as everyone else close to you!)
DH is off to LA for his interview. I just want to know what our life is going to hold for us next year. At least he wouldn't start the program until next summer so I have time to let it all sink in.