1 day DPO and in need of buddies :)

[confusedprego]

Yea, your hcg def got a lot higher than mine though so I don't know if that makes a difference in how long you'll bleed for. My doc told me to wait 2 weeks for anything to up in 'there' but Kirk and I did as soon as the flow was reasonable after about a week or so. Oh you can actually see that cycle on my charts and I recorded BD - Nov. 21st - I could feel my cervix closing back up and figured it was similar to an AF and didn't worry about it - but def your call! Just be careful because I think I literally O'd the day my hcg dropped back down to 0 because that cycle was super short!!
We went with white siding, blackish roof and blue shutters I love it!! I will love it even more when there is landscaping!

Sam - how's it feel to be so close to being off work?? must be excited!

 

[pinksmarties]

Kels - at least you know how fast your hcg is dropping and hopefully an end to the bleeding. I think the advice is when the bleeding has stopped to avoid infection but like linds say when its light enough like AF and you feel okay then it should be okay. I felt like that after my losses and even after B was born.

Linds - that sounds lovely, what so of lndscaping are you planning to do/look like?

afm - nah not a brave woman at all. I was failed induction, epi ending in emcs with B which I think made bonding and my first few weeks so difficult for me. So this time I am hoping for a natural birth but it depends on my BP behaving although I really don't think I had pre-e last time which led to the induction.

Work toady was good as I had a much better sleep last night but I am beginning to count down the days. The first day I am off my mum is visiting for a long weekend which is nice but I won't be able to relax till she is gone. She isn't very hands on with B so won't get much help there but it'll be nice to have her around.

 

[BeachChica]

Kelsey - glad everything went well with your appt today and HCG is dropping. I don't think your will have the bleeding for to much longer with those numbers. Like the other girls said I think they like you to wait a couple weeks after a MC to BD just to keep the chance of infection down etc. Plus I think you are extra fertile after a MC so be careful if you do.


Lindsay - glad you are feeling better. It really sucks getting sick when you're preggo and can't take anything. What is a water table? We still need some decorative curtains but at least we finally got blinds. Thankfully there is nobody behind us but I always felt a little uncomfortable BF in my bedroom or family room since it's so open in the back of my house.

Sam - it's so close for you now! When I go back to work you will be starting your stay at home. I am so jealous!!! I will have to look into that book. I am sure he would like that.

Rach - we need an update from you on your new job.

AFM - the parents took the news fine I guess about not baby sitting. I didn't talk to Chris's mom, he did so I guess it was fine. They live so close now that they will probably stop over a lot anyway, which by the way I am finding a bit annoying. Is it wrong for me to feel this way? I want the grandparents to be part of her life but I kinda want my own space to do our own thing as a new family. I have waited so long for this!!! They come over like 3 times a week now and stay for a couple hours each time. That's just not going to work for me when I go back to work and haven't seen her all day!! Ugh!

 

[babydust818]

Kelsey - glad to hear HCG is down to 655 already. Sorry you had to go through another dose, but seems like it's taking care of everything. That's great you'll have a night to yourselves tmrw. Happy Anniversary! Hope you enjoy yourself. I know it's not fun with all the bleeding, but i think you and Ryan just being in each other's presence in a romantic way is going to help the healing process a whole lot more. He sounds like he's been great through it all and that is wonderful. As far as BD, that's up to y'all. Always thinking of you.

Sam - your work days are numbered... YAY! I bet you can't wait. Not sure how you do it, but you're doing a great job. Try to enjoy yourself and can't wait to see LO when he gets here. Did you decide on a name yet?

Jessie - Really glad daycare was able to get beautiful Isabela in as soon as they did! That will help a lot when you go back to work. I know you'll still worry about her, but i'm happy you found a place you feel comfortable with. Glad yours and Chris' parents took the news good. I can understand where you're irritated with all their company multiple times a week. If it really starts upsetting you, i'd nicely tell them. That's unfortunately the only way they'll get the hint. Love the pictures on facebook of her. Chris seems to be in complete awe with her. It's so heart melting to see how great of a dad he is! He's got a funny sense of humor too! Ya'll are perfect for each other. Beautiful family.

Lindsay - Really don't know what any of us would do if you weren't in this thread. You're like the glue lol. You seem to have a grip on all our concerns/questions and always make us feel better. Hope you have a great weekend. Spending it with little Oakley and the sun sounds perfect.

Alyssa - hope you are doing okay. I hope the new kitty is adjusting well.

AFM - i went into work on Monday to find out that i had to leave and come back Wednesday because they couldn't badge me until then. Was such a waste! So i worked Wednesday and was off Thurs and today. I work Sat - Weds this week. So i'll get a good feel of things. My first day wasn't so bad. Seems that i'll like it once i get confident. All the girls are very nice and friendly which helps.
Today i am 26w and i read that the baby's eyes open this week. So i took a flash light and did that trick. It was so neat. He was kicking around lol. I didn't do it very long bcz i was afraid it would be too much, but it was so cute. I keep trying to think of names, but honestly am stuck. I am thinking Dylan will be his name, but we will see! 1 week from today and i'll be in 3rd tri! Viability today is 80-90%!!!!!! Less than 100 days to go! Yippie!

 

[confusedprego]

Hi everyone!!

Kels - hope you had as great of an anniversary weekend as you could have!! I want to hear all about it! Hope your bleeding is pretty much done at this point! Do you have to go back to the docs at all?

Jess - a water table is like an activity center that's kind of like a sandbox but raised up and instead of sand you put water in it and they can squirt water out of a canon (it's pirate themed) and have little boats that float in it and buckets and a thing in the middle that when they pump it, it showers water over the table. It's really cute and Oakley is OBSESSED with water, so it's great for him.
That's tough with your parents! We had visitors it seemed almost every day for the first month and then it started slowing down. Typically people were pretty good about only staying an hour or so but I found it awkward when I had to pump or something, but it did slow down after a little while. Do they call before they come? If they do, you could just say that you're trying to get Isabela on a new schedule and you'd prefer they come another night or only between the times of ___ to ___. And then if they don't get the point from trying to put them off all the time, then unfortunately you'll just have to be blunt with them. How is the breastfeeding going? Are you still supplementing?

Sam - how are you doing?? I just saw on facebook that Jessie from the other thread that found out she was pregnant the same weekend as you delivered her little boy today!! Sounds like even though he's 5 weeks early that all is perfect in her world Soon to be you!!

Rach - how are you doing?? Sounds like the new job will be a good fit for you when you get more comfortable That's great!! It's always tough being the newbie at a job - I always hate feeling like I don't know how to deal with every situation. I've gotten to a point here in my lab that I feel like I'm finally the person everyone comes to to ask questions and I'll be moving on soon and will have to start all over again!

Alyssa - Saw you had a temp spike on FF - is that O or have you started the pills? When do you start your summer thing?

AFM - I'm back at work today after taking Wed-Fri off last week. My nose is still runny and I'm a bit run down but overall, I'm definitely better! Playing catch-up here at work, so hoping to have a productive week and get done with this degree soon!!

 

[korink26]

Thanks girls---you were right about the bleeding almost being done! Yesterday still had some red but today it's mainly some brown stretchy cm. THANK GOD, that was an awful 10 days.
Jessie, I remember our parents/sisters/family coming over constantly after having Khloe. It slows down once she's not so new His mom still comes over a lot unannounced, and we've told her repeatedly to PLEASE call---especially like when I was nursing, she'd stop as i was sitting topless in the living room! I'm close enough with my parents that I can just tell them exactly how I feel, but he doesn't have that relationship with his parents. Not to bring it up---but this is your last week, right? Doing anything exciting?
Lindsay I so agree with Rach about you being our glue! You know at least a little bit about EVERYTHING so you always have an answer which is such a relief! You don't know how many times I think of something, and say to myself, "Oh, I'll have to ask LIndsay later" haha! Hope you're feeling better and you made it through your day at work. Khloe has a little sand and water table that she's just starting to understand and she LOVES it. Makes quite the muddy mess, but it's great.
Sam---IT'S THE FINAL COUNT DOWNNNNN!!! Hope your week goes quickly and then you can relax. Will B still go to daycare while you're home on leave? It almost seems necessary because it'd be so hard on you to try and do both!
Rachael so glad that it's going good so far---sometimes your co-workers and really make or break a job.

 

[confusedprego]

You guys are so nice! I hope I'm not know-it-all-ish!! I just do research for a living so when you guys ask questions, if I don't know, I just do what I do every day and find out! haha. Plus, I you guys!! Crazy how long we've all been talking! I love it!

Alyssa - I'm starting to worry about you! I hope you're doing ok!! I'm still stalking your chart!

Kels - so glad your bleeding has slowed and will hopefully clear soon - did you have a nice weekend??

Sam - I'm curious about the daycare thing too!! Do you plan to still take B?? I'm going to cut Oakley back while I'm home with baby #2 but I can't decide if it's better to cut back in days or cut back in hours he's there a day. That sounds confusing but what I mean is that he goes 4x a week right now from 730-430, so I don't know if I should do 2x a week 8-4 or something to keep him used to full days there, or if I should go down to 4x a week 9-12 (pre-school). Maybe I'll talk to my daycare and see what they suggest. I want to have more time to spend with him but want time to bond with new baby (and get some sleep!). So, I'm curious what your plans are!!

Jess - I agree with Kels - it definitely does slow down after the first couple months but people do tend to just stop by a lot more. We've been fortunate that everyone seems to call before showing up but they're typically on their way at the time but they seem to always bring food haha so I haven't minded too much! They also definitely do not overstay their welcome. Our biggest problem was when we would go visit family at their houses, when we decided it was time to go, everyone wanted "one last turn" to hold the baby and we'd end up leaving 2hrs later!!

AFM - doing a bit better today, every day gets a little better with how I'm feeling. I've been getting sinus headaches from all the mucus but overall, I feel pretty good. I feel pretty guilty though, I've cut way back on my soda intake but I pretty much have one soda a day still. I feel super guilty about it but I still don't always feel so great to my stomach and it really helps calm my stomach. I've tried switching to the caffeine free versions and I don't know if it's all in my head but they make me really nauseous. Did all you ladies cut caffeine out completely?

 

[babydust818]

Lindsay at first I didn't have any soda bcz I was so use to being on my new way of living. I didn't drink soda for months but I've slacked A LOT and have had some here and there. I still get all my water in but I am trying to drink just a soda a day. Some days I don't have any but I make up for it in other days. Today I needed some to wake me up. I've been drinking coffee too which I never usr to do. Oh and the chocolate. .... yeah guess i do consume a lot of caffeine.

 

[korink26]

Lindsay what's Oakley's nap schedule like? Ryan's a teacher so home for the summer, but we wanted Khloe to still stay in a routine. So we debated sending her 1 or 2 full days or a couple half days. I decided that she usually naps from 12ish to 2ish so I decided instead of paying for her to nap over 2 hrs, that we'd just pick her up right before nap at noon. no, you are not a know it all--more like a god send most of the time Omg, sinus headaches, at least for me, ARE AWFUL! I sometimes can't tell the difference between my sinus headaches and a migraine! In the beginning of my pregnancies I got headaches so I would drink some coffee with some tylenol and it helped. Otherwise, I did switch to caffeine free mountain dew or sprite and tried to cut out the coffee. I'm not sure I'll be so strict with the next baby? Chocolate, now that's another story. I did not even try and cut that out If you get headaches by cutting out the caffeine, I wouldn't cut it out. I think that would be more stressfull for the baby than a little caffeine. A soda a day is peanuts.
And yes thanks for asking---I did have a good weekend! We went to dinner for our anniversary, and then thought well if we don't have Khloe maybe we should get some errands done. So we ended up spending some quality time with the people of wal-mart so that we could get some groceries and laundry detergent ect. Didn't get home till 930 and we were beat. Anniversaries just aren't the same anymore---but wouldn't change a thing
ALYSSSSAAAAA-----I also am worrying about you, how are you!?!?
Rach---how's the job!?

 

[confusedprego]

I thought I responded last night, but I guess not!

Yea, I do get headaches when I don't have soda so I think that's why I haven't stopped completely. I'm horrible with soda when I'm not pregnant - I drink way more soda than water, which is terrible but it's definitely my form of coffee!! I'm hoping it won't have an effect on baby boy while breastfeeding him.

Glad you had a nice weekend! I think everything is different as you get older, haha! Friday nights have become running errands night for us and we end up in bed by 9 usually

Oakley also naps from 12 or 12:30 to 2-3 so I think I will cut him back to just pre-school (9-12) 3-4x week while I'm home with baby boy 2. That will save us a lot of money, especially since I likely won't have an income :/ Our daycare is right around the corner thank goodness! It's literally a quarter mile from our house so at least it won't take long to go back and forth!

I'm like you girls and I haven't cut out chocolate at all! That doesn't even cross my mind as an option

Sam - I feel like we need daily check-ins from you now that Jessi on the other thread has had her baby! I'm on high alert!! How are you feeling?

Rach - saw today is your Friday on facebook - any fun 'weekend' plans??

AFM - I'm freaking exhausted!! This week seems to be dragging on - probably because I was home Wed-Fri last week so it just seems like it's taking forever!

 

[pinksmarties]

Hi ladies

Kels - so glad the bleeding has nearly finished and you had a great anniversary. The odd night out we have had has ended like yours, a visit to the supermarket for shopping!! Sounds like a good plan picking Klhoe up before her nap.

Linds -I was really good with regard caffeine last pg and cut it all out including cokes (but not chocolate!!) but this time I have been slightly more lenient. Still no proper coffee but I have had the odd coke zero (and still having chocolate!!). I do get very bad headaches though when I give up chocolate (when on diets) but after a few days things settle. Glad you are feeling better, I haven't had much sinus problems to compare but it sounds pretty bad.

As for daycare we are going to keep B in his routine for now, so that means 4 days a week for his benefit and so I can bond and have time with the new baby. I think though after a while once we have routine going I may cut down B hours.

Rach - I am sure once you get going you'll be great. I hate being new in a job and not knowing what and where things are. Like linds I am the come to person now for certain things and thats great. Hows the bump? Is Andrew feeling movements yet?

Jess - like the other ladies have said things do slow down as baby get older and more often now we go to them but then again we don't get lots of visitors especially unannounced.

Ayssa - hope you are okay.

afm - 4 more days to work. Doubt I'll go early like Jessie!! I had my consultant appointment today at the hospital but ended up seeing the registrar and my Dr at a conference. It started out okay going over my last birth. I was told my vbac chance was about 50% due to age and bmi/previous birth etc. When she started say 'they probably won't let you' was when I started gritting my teeth. However all was okay till I out and out refused cfm. Obviously she told me all the risks I countered with the cochrane review she said that CFM showed the first sign of rupture and that the doppler might only be used every 15 mins therefore missing the first signs and she got a bit defensive and said that I would need to discuss it with the cons as it was 'outwith protocols'. I go back to see him in 2 weeks with a scan before hand (that was never really explained as to why I need the scan but I know she is checking out baby size and placenta.) There was talk of elcs (natural type csection) but I will chat to the cons about that and see what he says.

 

[MarHunting]

hi girls. I've totally been MIA. Look how far along you girls are... that's just wild.

Ariah is amazing and sooooo much fun now! Hard to believe 7.5 months has gone by so quickly.

I finished breast feeding on Sunday and my boobs are killing me. Hoping tomorrow that will ease up a bit more. I've been weening her for a couple weeks but its still tender.

SAM... you're almost done work! Unreal.

All the best to everyone. xo

 

[confusedprego]

Sam - So exciting you only have 4 (by the time you read this probably only 3) days of work left!! Gosh!! Crazy crazy you'll have two under two soon!! I'm sorry they're not being more cooperative with your birth plans and I really hope you get your vbac! I have a friend that had a C-section first time and had two vaginal births after that and her BMI was on the high side but I think she was below 35 for all of them but it can definitely be done but obviously take into consideration what the docs say, they're just trying to give you the best care!

Mar - so good to hear from you!! Drying up was the worst! The cabbage thing really works! If you put the cabbage in the fridge and take it off leaf by leaf and put it all over your boobs, it feels sooo good! My mom swears if you take aspirin that it dries you up but I think it just numbs the pain lol. My boobs are already producing that clear milk and I feel like I'm having a let-down every once in a while - freaks me out!

How's everyone else doing??

AFM - I did a nasal rinse last night and wow...I've def got some sort of infection going on up there but I was able to breathe through both nostrils all last night so I think I'm on the road to recovery!! Assuming I have another week or so but it shouldn't be as bad as what I've had (hopefully!!)
Little O is in a bit of a rebellious stage right now. He's going through a hitting and kicking and 'no' stage. NOT fun!!! It's pretty frustrating every day when I go to pick him up from daycare hearing about all the disciplining they had to do with him. Don't get me wrong, I'm super thankful that they're disciplining him but I'm just so ready to be past this stage. It's already slowing down at home - it started here about a month before they said anything was going on at daycare - so hopefully it will get better soon!
As for new baby G - we were watching him flop around last night - we could see him from the outside until he flipped around and I could feel him kicking at my spine. He's up and about this morning - he's already up pretty high! I checked my weight this morning and I've gained 16lbs already...think that's just a 1lb more than they suggest (5lbs in the first tri + 1lb every week after that would put me at 15lbs) but I did start 6lbs lower with this pregnancy than I did with Oakley so I should probably just not really think about it!!

Happy almost Friday, girls!!

 

[BeachChica]

Happy Birthday Rachael! How is it going with the new job? How are you feeling?

Kelsey - Glad you had a nice anniversary! How is the bleeding? Did it finally stop? Did you guys decide to get intimate?

Sam - so exciting you only have a few more days of work!! Are you all ready for your new addition? Is the CFM where they hook the monitor to the baby's head? If so I am not sure why they would need to do that? I had continuous monitoring with Isabela but I think it was using the stress belt.

Mar - so good to hear from you! We need a pic of Ariah all grown up now!!! Is she crawling yet? I've heard a lot of people swear by the cabbage leaves that Lindsay mentioned as well.

Lindsay - Happy 23 weeks!!! Did you use a kettle for your nasal rinse. I got one of those for Chris last time he was sick and it is so funny to watch! LOL Is O getting to the terrible 2's early? I heard the 3's are the worst.

Alyssa - you should be off at your summer job now. Hope you are enjoying your time in NYC and the break from TTC.

AFM - just trying to enjoy my last few days before going back to work on Monday. We are going out on the boat tomorrow and Saturday and will enjoy a quiet father's day at home Sunday. I just discovered a travel bassinet! Have you girls seen this? Babies R Us has it for $40. I was looking for something for the boat because I did not want Isabela sleeping in the bouncer. It is so compact folded and has a little handle to carry it with. I wish I would have known about this before schlepping my pack and play on my last few trips!!! I'll try it this weekend and let you know how it goes.
As for the visitor situation, I kinda blew up at Chris about it Monday. We went to visit his parents on Sunday with Isabela (his dad had also come over earlier that day) and then on Monday his mom came over again after Chris got home from work. I just couldn't take it anymore. His mom also mentioned to me on Sunday that she was interested in volunteering afternoons at Isabela's day care. I didn't say anything to her about it... but I'm like, we are paying a lot of money to send her there to develop and gain social skills, having her there would be just a crutch for Isabela. It's just too much from them you know. Ugh!

 

[confusedprego]

Jess - I use the squirt bottle from neti but it's the same idea as the kettle. Kirk thinks I'm crazy for using it and believing in it but it really is a god send when you have sinus headaches! Clears everything out! I was too clogged for a while for it to work but I think it will help clear things along now that my body is starting to clean up!
We hit the terrible 2's around 18 months, I'd say with Oakley! He's a great kid but he's definitely a stubborn little booger!! I'm going to have my hands full with him probably forever lol. I'm not surprised based on mine and Kirk's personalities as to why he is this way but it's still challenging! I know all two year olds are stubborn but yea...I think this is just the beginning haha. He started throwing tantrums around 18 months where he would literally throw himself on the floor kicking and screaming for 30 minutes at a time. We literally just let him do it and waited it out and they started getting shorter and shorter and he's already cut them out nearly completely - if he's tired we'll still get one or two here or there. BUT - daycare says he's doing that there now, but I'm sure they have their methods for dealing with it. The 'NO' thing is definitely getting on everyone's nerves so we're trying to not say "no" to him at all anymore which is more difficult than it seems. Instead of "no, don't do that" I have to explain "we don't poke the dog in the eye" "it's not nice to throw your food across the room" etc etc. lol
We never had a travel sleeper but I definitely could see how they would be useful! Especially for a boat! Let me know what you think!
I feel so badly for you about the unexpected visitors! It should slow down but you definitely need to be very open with Chris and hopefully he can ask his parents to at the VERY least call before they drop in. I'd kind of be surprised if your daycare let your MIL volunteer at the daycare. I think you have to have specific certifications and stuff. It's really sweet of her to want to be so involved but that's kind of a separate thing. Maybe tell her you'd rather save her Isabela time for when you and Chris need a night out or when she's sick and you can't bring her into daycare.

 

[MarHunting]

JESSSSSSSSSSSSS as if you are back to work already?!?! Where has the time gone?
The boobs are still tender but totally going down. Last night at soccer I got a ball right off the nipple and it felt like my boob was going to explode. Here I think I'd be safe with a double bra. lol.

Ari is such a little ham. She's incredible and being a mom is amazing. I'm so blessed.

Not crawling yet but we are really working on it. She's shaking her head no (and for fun), clapping her hands, rolling all over the place and says Dadadadada Dohdohdohdoh doh and something that sounds like OH WOW. haha. I encourage Momamamamamamama and she replies with Dadadada. OF COURSE!

 

[BeachChica]

Mar -she's so grown up already!!! How adorable she is!!! I can't remember for sure, but you are off for a year aren't you? Why did you decide to stop BF now? It's a lot of work I know but I was just wondering. I will definitely do it for 6 months and see how it goes after that. I am hoping it will be easier when I go back to work. We have a mothers room there and I will actually be able to make time to pump! It's hard at home with her because when I get a break from her I am trying to get other things done.

Lindsay - Wow those temper tantrums do sound rough! Chris isn't very patient, can't wait to see what he's like when Isabela does those! LOL Are you feeling better? Also, we need some house pics!


Happy 35 weeks Sam! How are you feeling? I don't think we've seen a bump pic from you this pregnancy!!! Humpf!!!

Happy 27 weeks Rach! Saw your bump pic on FB. You look great girl. It's nice to get to that point when you definitely look pregnant.

AFM - no boating today as its been raining a lot and that would be no fun. We are going to see how it is tomorrow and maybe just go for the day. It's that time of year here for us! Ugh!

 

[babydust818]

here's a quickie....


Sam just one more day! unless you get weekends off? I bet you can't wait!!

Lindsay hope you're feeling better. It's so awesome to see baby move around. I can never tell what exactly is going on but I can feel stuff!

Mar your daughter looks exactly like you! she is so cute and looks so grown up! love the pic of her in the pool.

Jess hope everything calms down with the parent situation. That is a little too much about wanting to volunteer at Isabelas daycare. I understand loving your grand child but yikes! Hopefully Chris can talk to her some more and she will be understanding. let me know how the travel bassinet is. I've saw someone on a yard sale site selling one! hope you have clear sails for tmrw!

Kels hope you're recovering well and no more.bleeding. thinking of you!

Alyssa hope all is well....

afm finally in 3rd tri!!!!

 

[pinksmarties]

Happy 3rd tri Rach!! Amazing to see and you'll soon be counting down the weeks till bubs is here.

Hope today goes okay at work.

Linds - great you get all the movement and can see it all from the outside. Its only in the last couple of weeks for me it has been really noticable from the outside. O tantrums sound bad but totally typical I think. B has been having them for a while but maybe only lasting 5 mins at the most but I think he is working up to longer!! Oh generally just shouts NO at B but I try to say why he isn;t allowed to have/do something, even if they don't quite understand yet I still feel its right than just shouting no with no reason(in their eyes anyway!)

Jess - hope the rain stops a nd you get out on the boat before getting back to work. I can't believe you have to go back already it just doesn't seem like 2 minutes ago she was born.

Mar - Arih is just lovely and so grown up looking for her age. It must be all that hair. We have hair envy!!

Kels - hope you are okay and having a lovely weekend.

Alyssa - hope thinsg are going well with your summer job. Thinking of you.

afm - off weekends so still 2 days to work. I might do a bump shot tomorrow, we'll see. I won't do anything to put me or baby in danger but the culture of monitoring after cs is just outdated. Here in the uk things are better that over there. With everything I have read and researches and online forums some practices over your side are horrific. Finding vbac friendly doctors seems to be a nightmare and even some women, perfectly healthy etc are being threatened with court action, social services if they don;t have a repeat cs. Birth choices are so medically driven now which os something you don;t realize

 

[CallMeAL1982]

Hi, everyone... sorry I've been MIA, I'll explain after I respond to you all!

Jess- I'm so glad you were able to get Isabela into a daycare you're happy with, I'm sure that will make going back to work tomorrow a bit easier. I'm also glad your workplace has mom-friendly policies that allow you to pump at work. I have heard a lot of stories about places that don't make it easy! I'm sorry to hear that your in-laws are being overbearing... I hope Chris can stand up to them for you and you reach an arrangement you are comfortable with. I think sometimes grandparents think they have 'rights,' when actually they have privileges, which can be revoked at any time. I'm sorry it's stressing you out! I hope you enjoyed your first Father's Day.

Kels- I hope you are feeling better physically and emotionally. I'm sorry you had a rougher experience with the misoprostol but glad it seemed to all work in the end. I hope Ryan was able to come home and take some of the burden off of you and that you're enjoying Father's Day today. What kind of teacher is he? (I'm always curious!).

Linds- hope you and baby G are doing well. Sorry about Oakley's tantruming... hopefully he'll move past it quickly. Hope your sinus/cold is doing better also and that you're feeling good. I wouldn't worry at all about your weight, it seems like you're right where you should be. You were also so sick at the beginning of this pregnancy that I'd have been more worried if you weren't gaining sufficiently.

Mar- Ariah is gorgeous. I'm glad you're enjoying her! It seems like the first words I always hear people saying their babies say are either "no" or "dada" but then the rest is close behind and then you can't get them to be quiet!

Rach- I hope you're enjoying your new job! Are the hours easier? Did you get your insurance worked out?

Sam- You're so close! Enjoy your last little bit of work, I hope it passes quickly! Do you have a lot to do at home before your new one arrives? Have you thought of names yet? I'm sorry you're facing resistance from your doc about vbac, but I'm glad you are advocating for yourself about what kind of monitoring you do and don't want. So often 'protocol' is about what's easiest and most convenient and lowest-risk for THEM as opposed to what's best for you as a mom and your new baby. Glad you're standing up to them!

AFM, I've been in pretty rough shape. After I went to the gyno and got referred to the FS, my depression has kinda spiked... I hadn't been drinking for 9 months and I started again (not a ton until last night, but my tolerance is WAY down... and last night we're not discussing, but I think I got it out of my system!), I haven't been running as much, I haven't been eating well and have lost some weight, etc.

My temp spike was indeed ovulation, but since we hadn't had sex for several weeks, there wasn't even a 'chance' and I was upset about that, but things have been pretty bad between Rob and I so I think it was good to take a break. He and I have been arguing a lot... he's been pretty bad about taking care of stuff around the house and it's been making me feel like I have to be responsible for both of us, and I've had enough trouble just dealing with myself. We're actually going to seek couples counseling when I get back in August, which I hope helps. I just feel like I'm going through a lot of this alone.

I went to the FS last Tuesday, and they did some initial testing... my ovaries are SUPER CYSTIC (they actually looked like caviar on the ultrasound) and my hormones are, of course, totally crazy. As soon as I get my period I can start birth control, which should help a lot with my mood as well. I liked the person I saw, I think she seems on top of her stuff and apparently she's the one in the practice who deals primarily with PCOS so she's seen a lot of cases like mine. She also told me to stop temping altogether and not to use OPKs because with the hormone profile I have it is just going to stress me out, so that's helped a bit.

She seems pretty optimistic that it's not a question of "if" for me but "when," both because I'm young (31.5), in good overall health and on the lighter side, and that I was able to get pregnant on my own. Apparently they can't actually use injectables on me because there is a really high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation with the cysts and my AMH (anti-mullerian hormone, mine is very high and indicates FANTASTIC ovarian reserve, but very sensitive to the injectible gonadatropins) so they are going to try a really high dose of clomid for a longer period of time (starting me at 150 mg for 9 days as opposed to the typical 5). They will do bloodwork and ultrasound monitoring on me. I will definitely need a trigger shot as they are concerned at the thickness of the capsule around my ovaries... apparently that's really common in PCOS as well. Depending on the results of my other bloodwork that I have to get done next week, they may put me on baby aspirin and steroids as well to suppress some of my other hormones and make me more responsive to treatment. I'm also still working with insurance to determine what of this is covered (since they can code some of it as treatment for mid-cycle pain from the cysts, at least some of it is), but that's stressful as well.

Things around the house are okay... I've been trying to keep things clean and keep up with the housework just to keep things feeling 'normal.' Mini (new kitty) is doing really well... she is still very skittish and feisty and fights with the other cats but it's getting better every day. We are pretty sure she was abused so we're just trying to be patient with her and build trust slowly. She is so sweet and affectionate when she relaxes so I'm sure she'll get there.

My summer job actually starts on June 25th. I love being in the city and I love that work so I'm pretty excited for it to just happen already!

In the meantime I'm just winding down my school year (my last day with kiddos is June 24th) and trying to make the end of the year special for my kids. The person who's replacing me is not someone I know but she has a rough reputation in the district so I'm trying to set up as many systems as possible to make the transition okay for my kids. I got my class list for next year and I have some really neat kids in my class, but I'm still pretty sad about having to give up this emotional/behavior class.

I'll try to be better about responding, I don't want you girls to worry! I've just been finding the board hard to read from the pregnancy end, and all of the LTTTC boards are depressing for the other reason. Ugh, I feel like I don't fit anywhere! Anyway, thanks for your support as always, girls, I couldn't do this without you (even on days when I'm feeling jealous and depressed and bitchy and I don't want to talk to anyone).