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

[Flueky88]

Dobby I love the photos! I am so glad you got to have such precious memories with A! That is such a sweet moment with A making a friend. Also it sounds like you all had a wonderful time except for sick cousins and then getting sick at the end.

Registration isn't open yet for preK but it should open up next week or two. I am thinking I probably wouldn't know until late July when school is getting ready to start up in early August.

Oh man that's a crazy evap!! I agree, test again just in case!


Gigs so glad he got a bonus just in time. I hope things pan out with his business so he can take a step back and open up more fun stuff for your family. That is crazy about the amount he gets taxed on his business! I hated tax time when DH worked for his dad as a "contractor"!

I'm sorry for bfn. It's soo hard to see those when you are hoping to see a bfp. It sounds like there is a potential though to ttc in the future.

Great job on the weight loss! I think slow but consistent weight loss is the way to go and easier to maintain lifestyle changes. I can't recall, do you have a main goal set for a weight or just going to stop more based on how you look and feel?


Winter, for some reason I was thinking too that MFM was in addition to OB. Maybe it just varies. Well it sounds like a good plan to follow up with MFM. Sorry that it means delivering at a hospital farther away. In my area they are actually discharging 24 hours after a vaginally delivery unless there is some reason not to. They tried to after my 2nd but I wanted to work more with the lactation consultant since I had difficulties with my 2nd. I wanted to go home asap with my 3rd but I was GBS positive at my screening at 36 weeks and didn't get the 2nd dose of IV antibiotics before delivery so they wanted to keep E at hospital for 48 hours so I obviously stated to.

Glad your US was good other than the picture quality. So glad baby is healthy!

Also you can definitely lose weight when you are ready! Give yourself time to heal postpartum though. My milk supply decreases even with modest weight loss so I avoided trying to lose until E was 1 year old. Also, I get so dang hungry while BFing.


AFM loss more weight. I had gained the previous week after the cheesecake but it was totally worth it! I'm less than I was 2 weeks ago though so very pleased with that! I finished my latest beach body program "fire and flow", I really enjoyed it. Debating about restarting it or going back to muscle burns fat as I haven't done mbf since before my surgery last year.

Poor V still has ear infection to right ear. Went to her pediatrician yesterday instead of urgent care (2 weeks ago). Hoping it goes away this time. Girls are good otherwise. S's party is Friday and I'm off that day. So much to do and always so little time!

 

[DobbyForever]

Gigs, Well I’m definitely not doing it now! That is a creepy thought. Idk. Like I know there’s something special about the physical card and people put them in their fridge but idk. I feel like I can just post f FB I should do it. I’d probably just hand deliver all of them minus the two out of state ones.

OOOO he sounds on board to me! Maybe time to switch to ntnp?

No that made sense! Answered my ?s. I just TurboTax lol

Flueky woot! And yes cheesecake is worth it. So glad you have the day of the party off! So sorry that her ear infection is so persistent m. Did the ped do anything new/different that should help? Hope it’s big giving her much grief.

AFM A is so sick. Idk if he can go to school on Monday sick. Tested again and out of Wondfo. BFN. Crazy indent on my cbs though. I don’t remember the indents being this bad last year. And now the indent has moved lol I cannot with these tests anymore.

 

[gigglebox]

um...Dobby....is that test still wet? I 100% am seeing lines everywhere here.....on wondfo and the CB....................................

 

[WinterBub]

Don't have time for a proper reply- but I agree that there is for sure a line visible on both the CB and th strip....

Did you DTD when you had your Vday date?

 

[gigglebox]

ok for a proper response now lol
So sorry A is sick poor thing!! I'm sure you're just *so* thrilled with those who chose to bring their ill kids on vacation. But seriously, "why they do that?"
Hey there's always digital christmas cards! email would probably be easier, anyway...plus you could cheat the system and get your digital mock up done on the card website then screen shot it hahahah yay free! I'm a bad influence.
lol turbox tax...haha yeah if our stuff wasn't so complicated that would be nice. Unfortunately with him being an owner, plus getting a salary, plus my side income...it gets complicated and i want someone to do them that knows all the secret money saving loopholes haha

Fluek yay for the continued downward trend in weight loss! That's awesome! I agree, slow and steady wins the race. At this point I have kind of loose goals but mostly I just want to eat less and start with my weights (I'm still not consistent and I would like to be, at least to tone a bit). I just want to feel better, and I already do a bit so that's nice I'd like more stamina. I've been getting on the treadmill more often and that's been nice, too. Not running but walking at the highest incline. One of those things you just don't feel like doing but then you feel good about it afterward. I take my ipad with me and just set it on the treadmill and watch JTV while I walk lol. Goes back fast enough.
What about you? What is your ultimate goal? Also I'd still love some "before & current" photos! I know you've worked so hard and it must be a very noticeable difference now.
Sorry about V's ear infection!! What a shame all these sick kiddos it's so hard watching your kid be in discomfort. Also good luck with the registration! I hope you can get in. What do you mean you won't know until July...??? Don't they need to let you know asap so you can search elsewhere if need be?

yes, I think maybe hubs would be open to "ntnp" but since I feel ovulation really badly it's not really up to chance or "if it happens, it happens", we would know. I guess I could keep it to myself but I would still know. I need to make a pro and cons list....right now I'm leaning towards just giving it a shot next month and see what happens. Leave it up to fate. And maybe if that doesn't do the trick, call it quits because after that there are two months in a row I'd be due where I wouldn't want to be due (December -- i.e. Christmas time and then January, with ds3 already having a birthday then). Also I am already uncomfortable having a kid at 37 so as close to 36 as possible would make me feel a little better....maybe....

I don't know. Lots to think about and it really depends on what happens with hubby's job, and I don't know if that will be sorted by the time I'm fertile again lol.

 

[gigglebox]

also Dobby what dpo might you be? when if AF due?

 

[DobbyForever]

Re ntnp I agree that the job likely won't be sorted overnight. I'm loving the idea of you trying next month. And hey, 37 isn't so bad. I know I wanted to be done at 32, but if things had worked out with OA or even if another guy comes in and really wanted to have a kid then yeah I'll have a kid up to 38. Maybe. No matter what happens or what you decide, it'll be perfect. But I'm high key rooting for baby making time!

Re the sick: yeah. I wouldn't have minded if they were a little sick and came, but they had packed medicine and I walked in on them secretly dosing their kids. So they knew what they were doing. I do get it though. I've slipped A Tylenol behind people's backs before. But idk coughing and feverish ok. The rest of it was nasty and unnecessary.

LOL it's okay re the screenshot! Been there, done that! Or just order a small number to give to immediate fam and then scan it to send to everyone else hehe. On my work scanner because I don't have one

Definitely. Y'all got a lot going on. Better to go through a CPA and really know how it works. Really hoping they can get some bites on and get some people hired!

Flueky I agree with Gigs about July being such late notice. I know you said that you can just keep her home, but what about the other families? Yikes. I remember losing it on A's daycare because I was like 38w preggo and they still hadn't confirmed I could enroll him or not. I was like I need to know one way or the other because I have a hard deadline on when I need to take my a** back to work and my parents also work.

Yeah, we ended up doing it because I wanted closure I felt bad about it after actually. I was pretty annoying about it and we stopped and started like 3x because his heart wasn't in it and I kept changing my mind. But then we did eventually finish once. So that was 2/12 or "CD 14". I'm "due" on T/W. My last active pill is tomorrow. Nothing has been out of the ordinary but I had some weird AF like cramps while I was at Disney, I had booze intolerance, and all the rides made me want to throw up (which isn't normal for me to be motion sensitive like that). Nothing that can't be explained though but yeah that's why I wanted to test when I got home just to ease my mind. Lot of good that's done LOL

They're all indents, I swear. There's four tests total:
1. Evap Wondfo: I just kept it to compare where the test line shuld be on this morning's test.
2. FMU Wondfo: Underneath and clearly nothing there. That was taken in the 5-10m window.
3. Yesterday's CB: Had the indent that is waaaaay too close to the control line
4. FMU CB: Also had an indent in the timeframe too close to the control but then about 5-10m later that indent went away and the new indent appeared. To be fair, the new indent is arguably where the test line should be BUT it's ever so slightly crooked and I swear there's no color. This one is the bottom CB in the double pic and the cb in the solo pic.

 

[Flueky88]

Dobby yes a cheesecake is always worth it! Gotta enjoy life too We have a different antibiotic this time so hoping it does the trick! She hasn't talked about her ear hurting today so at least that's good. So sorry A is sick. I hope he feels better soon.

I'm seeing lines or what I think are lines on the tests. I'm team inconclusive though and maybe test Monday morning. Surely, if it's a real line it will show up better by then.

Gigs, I don't blame you for going to a tax professional. When DH did contract work, we went to one because turbo tax said we had to somewhere between 5 to 7K. I think we ended up paying a little under $2K when we filed with a tax professionals help. We paid him more to file than via turbo tax but we still came out much better. Once he stopped contract work and it made sense to do a standard deduction vs itemize or whatever we went back to TurboTax.

I think your goals are great and making small changes along the way makes it easier than going extreme with changes. My PT said walking on inclines was great. She wanted me to walk more and incline was better than level surface. I think you engage muscles more and so it becomes more intense but low impact. Ultimately I'd like to get down to around 140 so I'm in the middle of healthy range for BMI, but I want to get more muscle/toned with a flatter tummy. I've went from size 20 to size 12, so already lost a bunch from my midsection. I'll try to snag some pics today. Definitely a big difference

Just a guess as they will fill up slots first for those below the income threshold. I'm not sure if they wait to fill empty spots until closer til school year starts or some other timeline. I figure if I assume it's right before school year starts then I can be pleasantly surprised if I find out sooner. If she doesn't I'll probably try to get DH to work with her a little more on some things. I worry the least about her academically though. She has been more advanced with her language and speech than her sisters and she just seems so dang smart. However, I think a structure like preK would help her prepare for Kinder. She loves other people too so no worries on that front.

Well I hope things work out with ntnp. I agree that things just tend to work out when our families grow. Somehow we all find a way.

 

[Flueky88]

Burnt orange top pics are now. The gray top and green shorts are around July 2022, and the dress picture is I *think* somewhere between April and July 2021.

 

[DobbyForever]

You know what I love most about those pics? That your genuine smile and glow is present in all of them! Love them all but yes I def see that progression. So awesome and happy for you!

 

[WinterBub]

You look amazing, Flueky! I'd also like to be ideally 140-150, but that feels like a looooooooong way away right now. Congrats on all your progress, and for making it a true lifestyle change. I hope that you hear before July about pre-K. You're in a good place as you're not desperate for her to get in, but none the less- hope she gets a place! My LO gets semi-recurrent ear infections. Last year(?) he had one that didn't clear with Amoxicillin. They put him on a second tier antibiotic and that took care of it. Amoxicillin has worked fine after that, so no clue what happened that one time. Different bacteria, I guess.pp

I'm so excited for your potential NTNP, Giggle! It does sound like your hearts are in it. I hope that you'll get more clarity on the money stuff in the next couple of weeks, so that you'll feel better about going for it! 37 is not too old, and you have pretty solid proven fertility to work with but the biological clock is for real, and I can attest to that- so I agree with not waiting too long! Here's to hoping you can be my bump buddy!!! Good for you on the weight loss and lifestyle changes, too. We have an elliptical machine thing, but I haven't stepped foot on it since my transfer.

Wow, Dobby! I think that those are real lines, and you're just super early/conceived on that Vday date. How would you feel if you are pregnant? I hope you get whichever outcome you'd be hoping for and I'm sorry A is sick. I'd be livid with those relatives. So rude! My brother used to give his daughter Tylenol and drop her off at day care knowing she had a fever. I really got into it with him when I found that out: that's so rude to the staff, and the other families, not to mention pretty cruel to your sick child who should be kept home to recuperate.

I did see MFM just to do the 12 week NIPT when I was pregnant with my LO. So, I think they definitely can be just used for consults about certain issues that they can look at in greater detail, but then send you back to your OB. Seemingly some people they just think are better off with closer care the whole way. We will see... Right now I will see the MFM and my OB next week. Can think things through after that.

Hope your Pastor search is going well, Shae!

 

[gigglebox]

holy crap fluek!!! that difference is amazing!!! especially in your face, just wow!! color me impressed. And all while eating cheesecake!!! You're definitely right, small sustainable changes is the way to go. Otherwise there's really no point; the second you go back to old habits, you'll be back to where you were.
also agree that you have a lovely smile!

Dobby that timeline sure is suspect...I am also on team repeat test because I see it on that wondfo and if I recall, there was another time you were pregnant (maybe with A?) when we all saw it before you did...but maybe they're all just indents, that's certainly a possibility considering the tests they put out today. Heck my frer had an indent before I even peed on it. I took a pic just in case it wanted to play tricks on me.

Winter why were you sent to MFM for the 12 week work up? Did you have any red flags or is that standard there? Here the ob does initial workup and scans at 12 weeks(ish) so that's interesting. I only ever saw MFM with DS1 and only after the bad scan and when the genetics testing came back normal; it was basically to monitor his "heart condition". So will you make a final choice after next week or are you definitely leaning MFM?

as a total aside I went back to the early days in this thread just to see what was going on at the time. I really wonder how some of these women are doing now?? Like clairybell, J, Keepsmiling...I know there were more but those are the ones that stand out most in my head right now. Oh and kitty! I think she had a second daughter. Was she on here at that time? I hadn't seen her around since after she had the first girl but it showed an updated signature for her.

 

[Flueky88]

Dobby, thank you!

Winter, thank you. When you are ready to start losing. Make some short goals. When all you have is your "big" goal, it is hard to get disheartened with how long it is taking to get there. if you have small goals it makes you feel happy to meet those and help keep the motivation.

Sorry LO has semi-recurrimg ear infections. V has had 2. This recent one they did amoxicillin, and it didn't work but now we are on omnicef. I like it because it's 1xday and V likes the taste so it's easier to get her to take it.

You will have to let us know how it goes next week!


Gigs, thank you!! Definitely believe in treating yourself but not to indulge or overindulge all the time. I like to eat some chocolate or something sweet everyday but it's usually a small amount. I'm already planning on a mint oreo cheesecake around st. Patrick's day LOL.

I'm friends with Claireybell on FB. She doesn't post much personal but seems okay. I'm also friends with Kitty on FB. She doesn't post much though. She was on here while pregnant with her 2nd girl. I hope everyone is doing well and happy though.

 

[WinterBub]

I think about Pretty, too! I wonder if anyone who left the thread still comes back to read, but doesn't post. It seems like Reddit ate up a lot of forums.

Hopefully the new antibiotic kicks the ear infection once and for all! My OH apparently had recurring ear infections until he was 8-10, so it seems LO is the same. We actually saw an ENT who wants to put tubes in, but neither of us are that sold on it. In the past month his speech has really come massively along out of nowhere (that was the only reason we were considering it). So, will hopefully be able to avoid the surgery.

That mint cheesecake sounds amazing!

I went to the MFM for the NIPT last time as they did not do that scan and blood test in the OB's office. No idea why, but the only thing they offered was to go and do the test at Any Lab Test Now, which I wasn't keen on. So, they said I can go to the MFM and do genetic counselling/the tests there. I think that I'm leaning towards accepting the MFM unless it would be astronomically expensive.

 

[DobbyForever]

Fluek FXed that new antibiotic works! Glad it’s not bothering her today.

winter ooooo mint Oreo cheesecake that’s new! Are you making it or do you but it somewhere? I’m glad you have some time to meet both types of care team and decide what’s best for you. Hopefully LO can avoid the surgery.

i think kitty popped in for her second but I may be thinking of someone else. I wish I still remembered J’s yt handle. I remember she posted a lot of short videos on her channel. Claire must be thinking of us, too! I just saw her pop up on my IG story the other day. Greenie got a bada** tattoo! She’s looking mighty good not to make things weird watch here come read that pink posted some cute pics of the kids back in winter. So cute how similar they are with their facial expressions. Kitty rarely posts and usually artsy pictures of herself. That’s all I got from my quick Insta stalk lol

Yeah idk. At first, I thought maybe I screwed up and should have taken my new pack a couple days early since I ended early but the internet said as long as I had 5-7 days of pills then it’s fine. Then I wondered if maybe I did mess up and I do tend to O between CD 15-18 off the pill but idk. I’m not feeling well nor is A so a trip to the store for more tests is out of the question. I just don’t know. I see it clearly irl but they just read colorless indents. The Wondfo evap was the only one that looked pink. I don’t know that I can think about it. I’m scared if I think about it too much, I’ll want it. Logic brain says this isn’t how I want a child and it’s not who I want a child with. Like talk about salt on a wound. Got “dumped” on your Valentine’s date but hey here’s a baby as a consolation prize. But there is a part of me that will always want a second kid. And if I let that part breathe into this and then I’m not pregnant, I’ll be sad all over again.

 

[WinterBub]

It's Flueky making the cheesecake- I'm just wishing I was there to eat it

I hope that you and A feel better shortly, Dobby. And didn't mean to get your hopes up/make your mind start running a million miles a minute. If the line is real, it will keep developing, so try to just keep calm and see what happens in a few days.

 

[DobbyForever]

Aww you're sweet. You didn't get my hopes up at all. I just didn't want to ignore your very valid question.

Ohhhhh haha that's funny. Well, Fluek def post pictures when you make it! That sounds interesting! Is it actually green, too? That'd be awesome.

So I either just have the worst luck with tests or I’m pregnant. Lucky I sprang for a 5 pack knowing I have issues poas lol. The first three at 10m I thought I saw something, didn’t think I caught it on camera but filters disagree. Hour later looks like another colorless indent though so who the eff knows.

 

[gigglebox]

reading more but MY DOPPELGANGER PL!! Where's PL been? Last I remember she had the boys and was trying to get a dog.

 

[DobbyForever]

Wait who is PL? Lol

also just asked on Premom and the cb lines are water lines? Seriously these tests are too much lately lol. I miss the good old days.

 

[gigglebox]

Dobs I completely feel you, I know my situation is totally different but I was appreciating the contentment in my life of being done with kiddos before new thoughts slipped in my mind....it really does a doozy on the ol' think box. We'll see what happens. I definitely see lines and you didn't need to highlight them, but I also know the way the tests can be...hard to say about the pill. Is it the mini pill? I've read with typical use those aren't necessarily as effective, but who knows. Also if this isn't a pregnancy and just bad tests than obviously no reason for concern...guess we'll just see how things develop (no pun intended).

also I wouldn't deny cheesecake right now...