General chatter while we wait (and commentary on the "pull out method")

[WinterBub]

That's pretty much where I was at, Dobby I had constant morning sickness, and that just seemed cruel. If you know what you want to do, I would call and get the ball rolling. Losing all the pregnancy symptoms did make things easier for me, and I hope would do the same for you

 

[gigglebox]

Dobby I’m so, so sorry you’re going through this. I hope things get moving on their own soon so you don’t have to go through any additional distress with your body. Big hugs; hang in there

 

[DobbyForever]

Hugs. Thanks Winter. Exactly. I hate that you know firsthand what I mean. There are just certain things I’d never wish on anybody. Just listening to “I want you back” by bsb on repeat

My brother’s friend tested positive. His rapid test is negative but the exposure was 6 days ago. Took A to get another test this morning through Kaiser just to cover our bases and will do one last rapid test on Monday morning before I send him back to school

 

[DobbyForever]

Sorry for being wrapped up in my own s* rn

 

[gigglebox]

Winter; really glad you found us and have found the forum helpful! I have always loved it as a place to obsess about babies without judgement, lol. Well maybe not babies as much as peeing on tests.

I am interested in following your journey! Have you taken any bump photos? I guess you probably aren’t showing quite yet…but when you do I’d love to see! And any tests! I am a test addict haha. Anyway I feel like once you’ve gone through mc loss it’s always in your head to not get attached. It’s natural for humans to want to protect themselves. Is your Wednesday appointment this week or next? I’d bet money all is going just fine in there!

shae I am looking forward to squinting at some tests soon!!! Looks like I’ll have to live vicariously so show us anything, even if it looks blank. I wanna see!!

thanks for the input on the bed y’all. Right now the oldest and middle share a room and have bunk beds. The idea is maybe switching the bottom twin bunk out for a queen bed and having the two younger ones share it. They can go back to two twins if ever they change their minds. The current twin bed would then go inti ds3’s room, and he would probably still nap there…but I want to turn the room into a classroom/guest room.

oh that reminds me, Winter I was homeschooling before covid. My oldest was in private school but it suddenly closed due to financial issues. Hubby and I aren’t a fan of public schools here and all other private schools were way too expensive. It was definitely an adjustment but it’s going well so far! We are just starting to prep ds2 for starting school next year. It will be interesting trying to teach two very different ages…

 

[gigglebox]

Oops how could I forget sweet Luna?! Here is our puppy who will be 1 new years day she is a Boston terrier

 

[Flueky88]

Gigs, my 4 y.o and 2 y.o. (soon to be 3) will share a twin bed sometimes. S likes sharing a bed but V isn't as keen usually. S is my cuddlebug.

OMG that pup, Luna is way too adorable I think once the girls are older we will get a puppy. For now caring for them and our one senior dog is enough. I really don't know how you raised as many animals as you have with young children. You are super mom!

Completely understand the worry of being stretched too thin with more kids. That is my main reason for wanting to stop. It'd hard to get help to watch 3 very young kids as is so not a lot of time for ourselves. Late nights is time for DH and I to do what we want.

Dobby I hope it happens without assistance soon so you can recover. I'm so sorry. Also, no worries as you have every right to just focus on yourself right now.

Shae I hope the temp rise is true and stays up for you

Winter oh so exciting you have a scan soon! Praying it will be perfect. Oh and yes I cooked the cheesecake in the instantpot. The Gamache and peanut butter cream frosting wasn't made in the instant pot. Mine didn't come with a cookbook but if you Google what you want "cheesecake" or "potato soup" "....." instant pot then you can get all kinds of nice recipes. Most with the option to jump to recipe. I pin a bunch of recipes on pintrest.


Pretty hope the potty training adventure goes well. I think I'm going to start S on Friday or Saturday. I'm ready to only have 1 in diapers! OMG the preggo pounds from 20weeks to 32 weeks were crazy. I'd gain like 8 lbs a month. I gained very little if any outside of that time frame though.

 

[gigglebox]

The irony is that now that it’s been taken off the table, #4 sounds so appealing! I’m not ready to be done but also not ready for another. But hubs says no so I’ll have to come to terms with it somehow. It’s the smart choice but try telling that to my uterus.

hmm I’ve never used the instapot. What makes it so great?

I love this puppy but she’s crazy and destructive, lol. Fortunately she mostly destroys the kids toys Which gives me an excuse to throw them away, so I don’t mind so much. I’ve been keeping my eyes open for another puppy friend for her but not really actively looking. I’m hoping my Mom gets a dog that will get along with ours But I have no idea if that will ever happen. I really wish she would get a companion though. I hate her being alone in her house. She wants one but will Be traveling a few times at the beginning of this year and said she wanted to wait until after that. She said it wouldn’t be fair to the dog to leave it behind when she goes on vacation. I am like, people leave their dog for eight hours a day every day. Going on vacation here there is not a big deal. Plus I offered to dog sit for her when that happens, but she still seems apprehensive to do it for some reason…guess I’ll just have to wait and see. In the meantime I sent her over ads for cute puppies every time I see them, lol

 

[Flueky88]

Gigs, I like using the instant pot for a potato soup recipe, making shredded chicken quickly for salads or buffalo chicken sliders, and making cheesecakes. Can make all kinds of things though. It is a pressure cookie made easy and you can also use a variety of other functions on it depending on which model you get. I haven't used the slow cook function on it as I have my tries and tried crockpot.

Destructive puppy that mainly destroys kids toys, gotta sign up for a pup like that lol. Okay, sorry, I sometimes get sick of all the toys to pick up. We had a toy purge before Christmas.

 

[WinterBub]

Listen to all the BSB you need to, Dobby. It is a grieving process plus the physical aspect of it. I promise you that I felt much better on all fronts once the physical part was over. Hard to move on while it is still happening, you know? Sending you a big hug. I've just started watching all the Harry Potter movies again. Dobby is about to have his big final moment in the end of the Chamber of Secrets. Made me think of you! Maybe a good tv show or movie series would be a welcome distraction?

Gigglebox- No, no bump photos! I am shocked at how bloated I am already though I was very big by the end of my pregnancy, and am starting this one out substantially heavier You're right- there's an element of self protection involved. I still just can't picture a happy ending. Very much appreciate the positive thoughts and support! My appt/scan is next Wed. So a week and 2 days away.

My hat's off to you re: home schooling. Everyone I know who tried it said it was incredibly difficult. Though I suspect it's different if you make the active choice to do it vs. get thrown into it. I'd love to hear more about how you actually do it. We are also hoping to choose a small private school. We have a preschool in mind for a couple of mornings next year, but that isn't a school school. There are some small church affiliated schools around us that we need to look into. We're allegedly in a decent school district, but not keen on the enormous class sizes/number of kids in the school we'd be zoned to. Not sure I have the ability to homeschool- i fear that I'm nowhere near patient enough! Your dog is beautiful hopefully we'll get a dog or cat down the line- just doesn't work for us right now. And my OH is allegedly allergic I get where your Mom is coming from. If she wants a companion, may as well wait until a point when you'll be at home and looking for companionship for an extended period of time!

Shredded chicken sound great, Fleuky! We need to cook some new things. Everyone is tired of the same stuff over and over. Although I do enjoy taco night, no matter how often we do it we do try to change it up at least and do quesadillas, or enchiladas instead of always actual tacos. We had burgers tonight because my LO absolutely loves them.

Oh, and for all of you with 2yos- LO got a little Chillafish balance bike for Christmas and we took him out for a spin today. He had the best time, and was clearly really proud Of himself It was not at all expensive, so totally recommend giving it a try!

 

[PrettyInInk42]

Gigs - So far, everyone's been pretty happy about it. If your kids want to share a bed, I'd say go for it. It won't be forever and if everyone sleeps better because of it, then good. My oldest wants to fall asleep in out bed all the time. I know there'll be a day when he doesn't even want us touching him, so I figure get this time while we can.

Winter - That's the book I read too.
Queasy and sore boobs is definitely a good thing. Keeping my FX for you at your nex appt.
And thanks for the toy bike recommendation.

Dobby - I feel you on just wanting all the tissue to pass ASAP. My reasoning was wanting to get back to TTC, but still. It's just weird knowing that it's hanging around inside you. Hoping everything passes as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Flueky - That's my same feeling about stopping at 3 kids; just not having enough time for everyone. Late night is my personal/chill time too. lol
I remember one of my first thoughts after the dust had settled at Matthew's birth was "Oh, God, now I have to change twice as many diapers. lol

AFM, already dreading going back to work on Wednesday for 3 days. This break has just seemed exhausting. That being said, I did do a lot of laundry and sorting today, as well as some kitchen stuff. That may be why I'm so tired. Gonna crawl into bed as soon as I post this.
In other news, half way point! And I've definitely felt some movements over the past couple days. Guess it's all down hill from here. I've already had a few times when I thought to myself "what the hell am I thinking having another medication free birth at home?"
But I keep reminding myself that for thousands of years, out ancestors had no other options. And I totally survived last time, so it's doable. Just hoping labour is no more than 12 hours and I get a decent sleep beforehand.

 

[shaescott]

9 dpo. I’d love to say I see something, but I don’t. It’s pretty early, so I’m trying not to let it get me down. Knowing that my mom was negative on a blood test at 11dpo with me helps.

 

[gigglebox]

Will write more later but just comibg to say keep your chin up Shae, still time! But i thought i saw a whisper line…but I’ve got the line eye something fierce.

y’all my desire for baby has skyrocketed. I don’t know what happened lol

 

[shaescott]

Gigs I have super bad line eye too, so if it’s a whisper line I’m probably going to assume it’s just line eye and not actually there lol.

Was just driving to visit family and 10 minutes from getting there I had another sip of my coffee and was singing along to songs when my body said “if you keep singing, you’re going to throw up. If you have another sip of coffee, you’re going to throw up.” It felt like my lower esophageal sphincter kept opening and I was like desperately blocking my upper sphincter to prevent anything from coming up. It came out of nowhere, super weird. This was right after I was having a pity party saying “I just really don’t think I’m pregnant, I want to be, but I’m pretty sure I’m not”. So makes me wonder. We’ll see.

 

[Flueky88]

Pretty, you can do this! You've done it before and you can do it again. How long was your last labor? FX it is shorter than 12 hours, I'd say it would be. Also really hoping you get a decent night sleep. I never got a decent night sleep before mine but it does happen for some

Gigs awww sorry baby fever has sky rocketed.

Shae not seeing anything yet. Chart looks good though. I don't think my ICs were bfp at 9 do. I think it was 10dpo when they were positive.

 

[WinterBub]

Congrats on halfway, Pretty! And for feeling movement that makes it more real, doesn't it? I remember the first movement I felt was weird, and I was like "that wasn't from me ". If you've had a drug free labor before, I'm sure this will be no problem at all for you. My Mom was born at home with just a couple of aunts there to help my Grandma

Sorry that your desire for a 4th has gone through the roof, Gigglebox. Sometimes I want what I know I can't have. Does it seem all the more enticing because OH said no? Maybe see how you feel in a few weeks, and then talk to OH again? If your heart is really set on it, I hope he comes around!

Good luck, Shae! I don't see anything, but I'm not good at this

Need some thoughts: LO out of nowhere is vomiting and having horrible diapers, too. I would assume it is norovirus (or similar) except we haven't seen anyone else for 10 days. We're just homebodies and have been hanging out together, going for walks etc but no contact with other people for 10 days. Does that suggest he has food poisoning? Not sure what to do... Also not wanting to get whatever this is myself OH is meant to be the main nurse, but he keeps leaving to do a "quick phone call" or some other job.

 

[shaescott]

I gifted my mom a willow tree sculpture of a mom and adult daughter and she was like “are you trying to tell me something?” And I was like ? And she was like “the daughter is obviously pregnant” and I was like “… no she’s not???” And she was like “she is, just a little bit” and I was like ????? And I was like is this your subconscious or something, what the heck? She told me nothing is definitive yet, she seems to be guessing that I’ve conceived but have not yet successfully/fully implanted, when I said that she was like “yeah something like that”. I really hope her inklings are right and baby is just still getting all settled in.
This is the sculpture, by the way. Tiniest little bump in the sculpture definitely not meant to be a pregnancy based on the item description.

 

[shaescott]

Winter poor little guy! I would say to make sure he gets lots of fluids so he doesn’t get dehydrated, but have him drink slowly to prevent more vomiting. Any fever? How long has he been vomiting?

 

[WinterBub]

He had the bad diaper situation all day yesterday, then started vomiting this morning. I'm just stumped... We usually can work out where a bug came from but this we haven't seen anyone for over a week, and can't think of anything he ate that we didn't. Thank you for the tips- just gave him some Pedialyte.

 

[gigglebox]

Fluek lol on puppy that destroys toys...that was my thought, too, haha. We also did a toy purge right before xmas. I'm already itching to do one again, what with all the toys around here! They seriously have too many. We have too much stuff in general though. This past summer we actually filled a dumpster of things (granted a lot was trash in our woods) plus had a "pay what you want" yardsale where we got rid of a LOOOOOTTTT of stuff. It really felt nice to offload so much but I still feel like we have a ton. I think I'm going to get rid of a lot of clothes next....try to sell a few things and donate what doesn't sell. Hmmmm I'll have to give the instapot a try if I get a chance, but I honestly don't see myself using it too much and it may become one of those things I just don't use and another thing to get rid of. I'm also a crock pot addict, especially this time of year. I make a boat load of chili every week it seems like. My middle boy loves it, youngest sometimes likes it, and hubs and I woof it down. If you have any crock pot recipes to share, send it my way. I can send you the chili recipe I found that I've been hooked on recently. I think I've made it 4-5 times in the past month. I also made it for guests during xmas.

Winter I'm looking forward to your appointment!! I would love to see u/s pics! Regarding homeschooling, it was definitely tricky at first because I didn't know what the heck I was doing. I heard so many opinions on how to do it/which programs to use (there are a ton)...in the end I totally winged it the first year, and was nervous for an annual evaluation (which is required in my state), but it was cancelled due to covid stuff (with the schools closing and all, then cancelled assessments for homeschoolers). That was a relief, and it helped us ease in a bit. My son's been doing great though! We had started with a hodge podge of tools; mostly a variety of activity books for his grade level. Last year we signed up for time4learning, and online program, and I would make up lessons for him, and he does a lot of the leading himself -- like if he gets hyper interested in a subject, we'll research the crap out of it. Last year he was SUPER into space, so he did a lot of research on space; he learned how to look up info on line and also wrote down his findings in his notebook. He was having trouble with math as it got more complicated, so this year we added "the good and the beautiful: Math" to his curriculum and he's been doing really well with it.

DS2 is just starting out now; he's been reluctant to practice handwriting (he's only 4 so I'm not too concerned yet as he will still try here and there), but does enjoy drawing/scribbling. I just downloaded ABC mouse so we'll start there. Technically he won't be in school until the fall (staring kindergarten), but not harm in starting now Plus they all three like ABC mouse and they have games with math, letter, etc. so why not!

All that to say, starting is the hardest part, followed by finding other homeschoolers/a support group/friends. We still haven't successfully accomplished that.

OMG A BALANCE BIKE, that's on my "to get" list and I keep forgetting!!! Thank you for reminding me!! None of mine can ride and that's my goal this year, to get all three going on it, even if ds3 is just on a trike. The other two should be able to, especially my oldest....but he has an aversion to anything remotely difficult *eye roll*

Shae how insanely odd of your mom to say the figure is pregnant! I actually saw the picture first and thought, what a sweet statue! Then I read what your mom thinks....??? I guess maybe I can see it but meh. Is your mom the type of have a lot of strong opinions on things?

Ok still broody over here but hubs and I talked one last time and he's put his foot down, so until we have a true "oops" that's it for me. I'm fertile right now so I'm sure at least part of these feelings are fueled by hormones...so I'm sure they'll subside...they have to...!