I am 100% this picture. I ordered a Christmas Vacation rug from Etsy and now I want it to be December already so that I can put it out on the porch. Look at how perfect this is!
I can’t decide if I want to decorate right now or wait a couple weeks.... I think I need to wait til I buy some new stuff from target first to feel inspired! @hannahbananas11
@jumpy57 I'm the same way! I do it the first thing after my Thanksgiving coma wears off, but I can't until then. It is my absolute FAVORITE time of the year. I aspire to be one of those women who can replace every item with a Christmas counterpart - I've got towels, mugs, pillows ... the only thing I really need is a Christmas body pillow now
Did you guys have a good Halloween? My spider web was fun to set up, but ZERO kids saw it and then knew what to do. I was directing them to it every time since they would all just try and run right up to us lol. I sounded like a broken record.
@hanfam2021 that’s super cute! my kids dressed up and we went to my parents house to trick or treat and had dinner. i did buy a bunch of candy for our house too. our area has the highest amount of positive cases now more than ever so i didn’t feel right taking them around, though im sure it would have been fine.
We're planning to put up the Christmas decorations asap. I love Christmas so much and am so ready to be in the Christmas spirit!
Me: 31 Husby: 36 Married May 2014 TTC # 2 Since December 2021 Baby girl W born 2/2021 Our journey so far... (tw loss & infertility)
Diagnosis: Poor Egg Quality Working with an RE since March 2016 2 failed TI cycles 3 failed IUI cycles
IVF Feb - April 2017 23 eggs collected, 20 mature, 14 fertilized with ICSI, 4 day 3 blasts, 3 day 5 blasts, 1 PGS normal Transferred 1 PGS normal embryo 4.12.17 BFP 4.21.17 MMC due to small gestational sac 6.8.17
Our adoption journey: 12.25.18 Agency picked and apps submitted! 5.1.19 Adoption on hold so we can buy a house! 1.1.20 Homestudy process started 3.14.20 First social worker visit 5.25.20 Homestudy Approved & Submitted to Agency
6.1.20 Surprise! Positive pregnancy test! Healthy baby girl born 2/10/2021
@hanfam2021 that web is soooooo cool!!!! I might have to try that out next year. We live in the boonies said we don't get trick or treaters, but if I set that up at the end of the driveway maybe people will stop for candy 😂
How was everyone's Halloween? We were able to go trick or treating and it was a nice 'normal' to an otherwise crazy year. Plenty of precautions seemed to be taken by almost everyone so that helped a lot. I live in southern IL and there's a freaking chili bean shortage. We always have chili for Halloween and that was a bust. I checked 4 Walmarts, 2 Targets, even Dollar Generals. Nadda. Hope the daylight savings didn't screw everyone up too much.
my H already started playing Christmas music but we prob won’t decorate till after thanksgiving.
@aaimee what a random thing to have a shortage of! Our stores finally got toilet paper back but paper towels are still a no-go. Although apparently there was a pumpkin purée shortage in early October.
@aaimee ours was fun! We had a group of three trick or treaters, which was three more than I thought we’d get (we are the only house on our street, and you can’t really see our house from the road). I bought regular size Snickers and Reeses because I figured we’d give a big bonus to any intrepid explorers who ventured to our house. So each of those three kids got three regular-size candy bars apiece since they arrived right at 8 as I was about to turn off the porch light and I had 10 pieces in the bucket! I told my H that they’ll definitely be hitting up our house again next year to get more big candy bars, so now we’ll be the secret candy jackpot house of the neighborhood. 😎
I had a very uneventful Halloween. No trick or treaters, no parties to attend, SO was at the hospital on call all weekend so I was by myself. I usually like to watch scary movies on Halloween if I stay in but couldn't get myself to do it since I would be home sleeping by myself, sounds silly I know but I can't help it 🤷♀️ I did eat lots of chocolate though!
@hannahbananas11 those kids scored at your house! They will definitely be back next year! Also- love that rug!! My family watches that movie every year since before I was alive and we have a Christmas Vacation board game we play, some of us have pj pants, and any decor we can find related to the movie ☺
@jumpy57 yes!! We played it for the first time last year and it was pretty fun, alcohol is usually consumed that day as well so I'm not sure how fun it really is or if that had any influence, I guess I'll find out this year! I found a link for it
@hanfam2021 - Cute! & @aaimee - We never get trick or treaters so it was pretty boring. I'd love to be able to host parties in our new house one of these years, but now we get to look forward to starting up ToTing again in the next few years so that might be a ways off, lol.
@jumpy57@birdiejo I'm feeling fairly uninspired when it comes to decorating in general =( I guess if we decide to get our Christmas gear out early, I can mostly recycle what I did last year so I've already got a "plan".
@moiguippy Our stores have paper goods, but apparently they've run out of buns and milk. Maybe people are planning on freezing them? Although I still can't find crockpot liners, although that's a problem even when there isn't COVID.
just me again, here to complain about counting carbs on a Monday when you work in healthcare. there’s not enough carbs in my life currently to get through a manic Monday. I need to make sure to pack some healthy snacks and I’ll feel like I’m not actually starving to death...... I’m also so sick of covid. Hearing about covid in the news and at work daily is exhausting. id like to FF to February and live in my little bubble with my family and shut everything else out.
@roadspeckle me too! I was hoping due to some early estimates by Pfizer that their vaccine would be out now. But good testing takes time, and I'm glad it's not being rushed prematurely! But I do really hope to shed some stress after all the election news and the COVID news and everything else that's weighing heavy on us.
@birdiejo me! Though I’m in Alaska and 2am Eastern is only 10pm here, so I’m not pulling a late nighter, just a regular nighter 😉. I’m hoping for a very clear landslide so that there’s no question who won tonight. I don’t want to rely on mail-in ballots for victory because then I’m afraid of the bull**** that a certain person will pull to try to claim victory prematurely. 🙄 I’ll be stress-baking today for sure!
@hanfam2021 - I could use some de-stress at this point.
@birdiejo - I'm sure I'll be keeping tabs on it more and more as the polls close, but I have to work at 7 so I don't know if 2AM is feasible for me. I love my sleep, lol. I did print out an electoral map and some of the projections to keep track of points and potential upsets. I voted early so I don't have to deal with the crowds in-person, which is good because from what DH said our polling place was a hot mess this morning (he was there when they opened at 6:00)
Was scheduled for a General OB appt but my doc called in sick. They called me right within 10 minutes when I would normally be arriving to check-in, so I'm glad I was running later than normal today and not at the hospital yet. They offered to get me in later today with Dr. Douche but I declined and asked if they had anyone else available. I don't remember if I gut reaction scoffed or laughed when they offered - either way the poor scheduling girl was probably confused. They said no, so I penciled them in for next week instead. So far my appointments with them have felt 100% pointless outside of meeting the staff (compared to my glowing experience with MFM) so I admittedly don't prioritize them, at all.
Also found out that DH's relative that works in Labor & Delivery that just bought a house out of state isn't planning on retiring and actually moving until March or April, so I guess I need to talk to them about how I request that she not be on my care team or if they'll even let me designate that.
Still have the day off, so I ran a bunch of errands today instead and I am beat. I don't know when all of my energy ran off, but it has. I need to make myself a reminder sign to stick on the fridge that says "You're 6 months pregnant, it's okay to slow down / take it easy / rest / etc."
The more I deal with the "general public" the further along I get into my pregnancy the happier I am that I've decided to be a hermit outside of work & appointments starting at 3rd tri. I was in Target this morning when they opened at 8, there was barely anyone in the store and I was still overrun by people in my "social distancing" bubble. I walked away from a display at one point because there were 3 people surrounding me all within touching distance and my anxiety was just flaring. It wasn't even what I'd consider a high-traffic aisle - I was looking at kitchen gadgets in the back of the store. I expect that in the front near grocery, HBA, cleaning, etc. - not when I'm looking at strainers and serving utensils. Ya'll seriously can't give me a minute to make my selection without getting in my space?
I am happy to report that I did finally find Slow Cooker liners. It took 3 additional stores today to do it, but it's checked off of my list. I was good and did not hoard all of them. Also had a problem finding Minute Oats which were requested by DH. I thought that was a super random thing to be completely out of so when I finally found some I bought 2 canisters.
I had ordered a gown for a maternity photo shoot a whike back, received it this weekend and opened it today and they sent me the wrong dress Glad I hadn’t booked with the photographer yet! Hope they take care of it soon.
You should definitely be able to request not having a family member on your care team (as long as it isn’t a very small facility).
My OB uses an answering service for when she isn’t available. I went into labor with DS around midnight so when my H called he got the service and told them what was happening and they patched us through to the dr (actually a fill in dr bc mine was out of state at a funeral). My MIL works for said answering service but we didn’t get her that night. We later found out that the lady who took our call told my MIL (and other workers there) that I was in labor when she went in for work at 7am. We purposely didn’t tell anyone I was in labor bc I didn’t want people calling/texting me asking the status of my uterus. At my post partum follow up I told my OB this happened and she told me I no longer have to leave my last name or even a message with the answering service. Just let them know that I need the doctor to call me back. Sometimes they give me grief about it but as soon as I mention I’ve had HIPAA violations with their service they quickly apologize and don’t ask any more questions. This was especially helpful when I was *TW going through a loss in January and hadn’t told anyone* and for this pregnancy where I needed a lot of early testing and was calling a lot before we had announced. Needless to say, they should be able to make accommodations for you but you may have to remind the care team you do have about their HIPAA obligations if the family member is working that day.
@moguippy - I'm sorry that happened to you. I don't know why anyone would think it's okay to tell their co-worker something like that. Obviously if you or her son wanted her to know, she would already know.
I am going to likely have to suck it up and have her for the Childbirth Class. I checked every class between now and February and she's the only instructor listed on any of them.
We are driving to NC tonight so I guess I will be here for the election although I’d rather just find out tomorrow instead. 🤦🏻♀️
The great road trip back across the country to our own house has officially begun. We farewelled my family tonight and I’m trying to not pregnancy cry everywhere over it and make MH feel guilty. It just definitely sucks to be leaving before all the holidays and then to have Covid going on and no visitors this year sucks more.
Also, cannot wait to get home because Christmas is going up ASAP.
@WildMagelet you absolutely should be able to request that. my mom is a provider where I’m also a patient, she happened to be on call one night when I needed some advice on my kiddo, and I asked them to transfer me to someone else. Family members involved directly in your care is frowned upon typically.
@moguippy that’s insane. I’m so sorry that you went through that and they didn’t allow your privacy. Unfreakingreal.
So yesterday I failed my GD screening. The threshold they use for the 50mg test is 135 and I tested at 182. Initially, I was super professional on the phone. They called while I was taking an afternoon walk (FINALLY below 80 degrees). I asked some questions and figured out my next steps. And then the next lap around my block I just started tearing up, getting super down on myself for somehow being the worst (which isn't true of me or anyone who needs the 3hr test or anyone who has been diagnosed with GD). Election stress did not make anything better even a little bit. I cried like three times and was super duper mean to myself.
Now, I'm looking forward to taking the 3hr test and actually getting a diagnosis either way. If I do have it, then I can start monitoring and controlling. And if I don't have it, this is still kind of a good wake up call that even though I think I'm alright, I could eat healthier and take it easy on the portion sizes. I've only gained 16lbs from my normal baseline, although I've gained 24lbs from the first prenatal visit. My morning sickness made me drop off a ton of weight initially because I was keeping down maybe one nutrigrain bar and zero-to-one gatorades per day for 2 weeks. Who knows, maybe even though I'm in the right "weight zone", the big fluctuation from the start of the pregnancy made it even harder for my body to keep up. All I know is that I need to make peace with myself (and with this election) if I'm going to keep my stress levels down.
I'm sure there's tons of STM(+)s on here with better wisdom and more experience, but if you guys end up in my boat and want to vent or talk, feel free to message me! I can let you know some of my go-tos and coping strategies when I feel myself start to head down a real negative self-talk path.
@hanfam2021 - You're definitely not the worst the way it was explained to me was that getting the Dx is outside of your control based on the the type of concentrate they use. A lot of people are able to control GD with diet alone (so far I've been one of them). Even if you do end up having to take insulin or some other medication to keep it under control, it's still not your fault or even something you could have possibly avoided. Every pregnancy is different. Try not to beat yourself up about it.
And ditto on the election stress. I should have scheduled the day off. The majority of my workplace is polar opposite of my political alignment so I ended up hiding in my office all day to avoid the chatter. My anxiety is through the roof, I woke up a little after 3AM and couldn't get back to sleep, and despite getting to Starbucks 25 minutes before my shift, I didn't even get to order after waiting as the "next person" in line for 10+ minutes so I had to do without my tea and egg bites I was looking forward to (for 3+ hrs while I was awake earlier than I wanted to be). It was such a Monday-ish Wednesday.
I got a hemangioma removed from my lip yesterday and got 4 stitches and now my face/lip/gums are throbbing and I can only take Tylenol cuz preggo and I’m being a huge baby about it but ugh it hurts
@WildMagelet I'm sorry about your poopy day! We are offish halfway through the week and I hope it's getting a little better for you I deal with a similar workplace situation, and I tend to avoid certain people as well. Thank you for the kind words of encouragement! I've been looking up what to eat with GD and tbh it seems like most of my favorite things anyway
@PinkKathryn12 I'm sorry about your stitches! I hope the pain is going down.
@hannahbananas11 was it you who was talking about the christmas vacation game? I just pinned it because I couldn't buy it if anyone wants a little virtual Christmas cheer today, I've been working on this Christmas pinterest board for years. I got all the decor, crafts, cooking, cocktails, t shirts, playlists, and diy ornaments that I've like ever seen.
@hanfam2021 I can totally relate to how/why you feel that way! You did not fail or do anything wrong. Big hugs mama! If you need any extra words of encouragement or food suggestions, feel free to PM me anytime. Maybe we could start a GD thread?
Yesterday got really exciting. Ended up with two major wheel problems 20 minutes from my ILs so it’s been a fun and exciting time. Thankfully no car accident and we are 50% fixed at this point.
Re: Weekly Randoms 11/2
SD: 21 & SS: 17
BFP #2 6/3/2020
*Trigger Warning*
Did you guys have a good Halloween? My spider web was fun to set up, but ZERO kids saw it and then knew what to do. I was directing them to it every time since they would all just try and run right up to us lol. I sounded like a broken record.
Married May 2014
TTC # 2 Since December 2021
Baby girl W born 2/2021
Our journey so far...
(tw loss & infertility)
Working with an RE since March 2016
2 failed TI cycles
3 failed IUI cycles
IVF Feb - April 2017
23 eggs collected, 20 mature, 14 fertilized with ICSI, 4 day 3 blasts, 3 day 5 blasts, 1 PGS normal
Transferred 1 PGS normal embryo 4.12.17
BFP 4.21.17
MMC due to small gestational sac 6.8.17
Our adoption journey:
12.25.18 Agency picked and apps submitted!
5.1.19 Adoption on hold so we can buy a house!
1.1.20 Homestudy process started
3.14.20 First social worker visit
5.25.20 Homestudy Approved & Submitted to Agency
6.1.20 Surprise! Positive pregnancy test!
Healthy baby girl born 2/10/2021
my H already started playing Christmas music but we prob won’t decorate till after thanksgiving.
I had a very uneventful Halloween. No trick or treaters, no parties to attend, SO was at the hospital on call all weekend so I was by myself. I usually like to watch scary movies on Halloween if I stay in but couldn't get myself to do it since I would be home sleeping by myself, sounds silly I know but I can't help it 🤷♀️ I did eat lots of chocolate though!
@hannahbananas11 those kids scored at your house! They will definitely be back next year! Also- love that rug!! My family watches that movie every year since before I was alive and we have a Christmas Vacation board game we play, some of us have pj pants, and any decor we can find related to the movie ☺
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Christmas-Vacation-Griswolds-Card-Scramble-Game-For-2-4-Players-Ages-12/493861853
@jumpy57 @birdiejo I'm feeling fairly uninspired when it comes to decorating in general =( I guess if we decide to get our Christmas gear out early, I can mostly recycle what I did last year so I've already got a "plan".
@moiguippy Our stores have paper goods, but apparently they've run out of buns and milk. Maybe people are planning on freezing them? Although I still can't find crockpot liners, although that's a problem even when there isn't COVID.
SD: 21 & SS: 17
BFP #2 6/3/2020
*Trigger Warning*
I’m also so sick of covid. Hearing about covid in the news and at work daily is exhausting.
id like to FF to February and live in my little bubble with my family and shut everything else out.
I’ll be stress-baking today for sure!
@hanfam2021 - I could use some de-stress at this point.
@birdiejo - I'm sure I'll be keeping tabs on it more and more as the polls close, but I have to work at 7 so I don't know if 2AM is feasible for me. I love my sleep, lol. I did print out an electoral map and some of the projections to keep track of points and potential upsets. I voted early so I don't have to deal with the crowds in-person, which is good because from what DH said our polling place was a hot mess this morning (he was there when they opened at 6:00)
Was scheduled for a General OB appt but my doc called in sick. They called me right within 10 minutes when I would normally be arriving to check-in, so I'm glad I was running later than normal today and not at the hospital yet. They offered to get me in later today with Dr. Douche but I declined and asked if they had anyone else available. I don't remember if I gut reaction scoffed or laughed when they offered - either way the poor scheduling girl was probably confused. They said no, so I penciled them in for next week instead. So far my appointments with them have felt 100% pointless outside of meeting the staff (compared to my glowing experience with MFM) so I admittedly don't prioritize them, at all.
Also found out that DH's relative that works in Labor & Delivery that just bought a house out of state isn't planning on retiring and actually moving until March or April, so I guess I need to talk to them about how I request that she not be on my care team or if they'll even let me designate that.
Still have the day off, so I ran a bunch of errands today instead and I am beat. I don't know when all of my energy ran off, but it has. I need to make myself a reminder sign to stick on the fridge that says "You're 6 months pregnant, it's okay to slow down / take it easy / rest / etc."
The more I deal with the "general public" the further along I get into my pregnancy the happier I am that I've decided to be a hermit outside of work & appointments starting at 3rd tri. I was in Target this morning when they opened at 8, there was barely anyone in the store and I was still overrun by people in my "social distancing" bubble. I walked away from a display at one point because there were 3 people surrounding me all within touching distance and my anxiety was just flaring. It wasn't even what I'd consider a high-traffic aisle - I was looking at kitchen gadgets in the back of the store. I expect that in the front near grocery, HBA, cleaning, etc. - not when I'm looking at strainers and serving utensils. Ya'll seriously can't give me a minute to make my selection without getting in my space?
I am happy to report that I did finally find Slow Cooker liners. It took 3 additional stores today to do it, but it's checked off of my list. I was good and did not hoard all of them. Also had a problem finding Minute Oats which were requested by DH. I thought that was a super random thing to be completely out of so when I finally found some I bought 2 canisters.
SD: 21 & SS: 17
BFP #2 6/3/2020
*Trigger Warning*
SD: 21 & SS: 17
BFP #2 6/3/2020
*Trigger Warning*
You should definitely be able to request not having a family member on your care team (as long as it isn’t a very small facility).
I am going to likely have to suck it up and have her for the Childbirth Class. I checked every class between now and February and she's the only instructor listed on any of them.
SD: 21 & SS: 17
BFP #2 6/3/2020
*Trigger Warning*
SD: 21 & SS: 17
BFP #2 6/3/2020
*Trigger Warning*
@moguippy that’s insane. I’m so sorry that you went through that and they didn’t allow your privacy. Unfreakingreal.
Now, I'm looking forward to taking the 3hr test and actually getting a diagnosis either way. If I do have it, then I can start monitoring and controlling. And if I don't have it, this is still kind of a good wake up call that even though I think I'm alright, I could eat healthier and take it easy on the portion sizes. I've only gained 16lbs from my normal baseline, although I've gained 24lbs from the first prenatal visit. My morning sickness made me drop off a ton of weight initially because I was keeping down maybe one nutrigrain bar and zero-to-one gatorades per day for 2 weeks. Who knows, maybe even though I'm in the right "weight zone", the big fluctuation from the start of the pregnancy made it even harder for my body to keep up. All I know is that I need to make peace with myself (and with this election) if I'm going to keep my stress levels down.
I'm sure there's tons of STM(+)s on here with better wisdom and more experience, but if you guys end up in my boat and want to vent or talk, feel free to message me! I can let you know some of my go-tos and coping strategies when I feel myself start to head down a real negative self-talk path.
Sooo....I have that to look forward to next week! And now I can tell my co-worker she can keep her used baby carrier.
SD: 21 & SS: 17
BFP #2 6/3/2020
*Trigger Warning*
And ditto on the election stress. I should have scheduled the day off. The majority of my workplace is polar opposite of my political alignment so I ended up hiding in my office all day to avoid the chatter. My anxiety is through the roof, I woke up a little after 3AM and couldn't get back to sleep, and despite getting to Starbucks 25 minutes before my shift, I didn't even get to order after waiting as the "next person" in line for 10+ minutes so I had to do without my tea and egg bites I was looking forward to (for 3+ hrs while I was awake earlier than I wanted to be). It was such a Monday-ish Wednesday.
SD: 21 & SS: 17
BFP #2 6/3/2020
*Trigger Warning*
@PinkKathryn12 I'm sorry about your stitches! I hope the pain is going down.
if anyone wants a little virtual Christmas cheer today, I've been working on this Christmas pinterest board for years. I got all the decor, crafts, cooking, cocktails, t shirts, playlists, and diy ornaments that I've like ever seen.