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TTC #1- Looking for buddies!

We are planning on doing fireworks. I went and got them after the appointment. I bought both because I was worried if we waited they would sell out. We will give the envelope to my Sis in love after the appointment on 6/10 if Peanut shows the good and we will have the party on 6/14. We will find out with everyone. It will be a long week. :)
 
Sarah the scan looks beautiful can’t wait for the gender reveal!! I’m still team pink with you!

Yes Memorial Day weekend is coming which means my husband will be off yesss lol it is officially summer break so now I’m only off a little longer :( I don’t want to go back to work. I want to be a SAHM for a while. I didn’t think I wanted to but now that she’s here I’m like forget work!! Maybe I can find enough freelance work to stay home :haha:

Sunny I was thinking the same thing. I saw this girl I followed on Instagram had FET a few days before my IVF And she found out she’s pregnant again. It made me panic lol I was like whoa not yet! And I POAS just to make sure lol I haven’t got my period back yet (but it was never normal anyway right?!) It is so strange that after trying for so long I was relieved to not see two lines.. who am I anymore?!
 
Happy Memorial Day!!

Sarah, fireworks, wow!!! That's going to be so awesome. Just a couple more weeks :D I'm also still thinking girl. With the genetic stuff you got done you'll also find out if it's a boy or a girl because, here in the US at least, they test for sex-chromosome linked diseases (they'll keep it private if you ask them to though, but you could give the results to your sister). Glad you're feeling well :)

Dream, wow that's a lot of RSVP's!! You'll probably be all set with whatever you need for the baby with that many people :D Love that you have a countdown til maternity leave. Almost there!

Tb, hahaha now you got me thinking that I should test, just to be safe lol. Wouldn't that be something?!
 
Wow I thought I was going to have to amputate my own leg this morning. Well, not really but the pain was crazy. Rolled over and a charley horse took over my right calf. It was awful. I tried walking it out for a bit, DH massaged it out but it's still kinda sore. I hope these don't come often!

30 weeks tomorrow and I have an OB appt in the afternoon. FX she books my 32 week scan. It's been too long since I've seen my little muffin in there,
 
Thanks Guys! So glad to make it to 13 weeks. Felt a sigh of relief on Monday morning, followed by a headache that is still going on today!

Hey Sunny I asked if we would find out with the genetic testing on the gender but the MD said it wasn't covered by the insurance and we would have to pay $4000 out of pocket. Crazy!!! We could have done the sneak peak through Amazon but the hubby wanted to wait for the scan. Hoping Peanut acts right on the 10th.

We are preparing for baby and trying to pay off some debt before Peanut gets here. Plus, put some up for things we don't get at the shower or our parents doesn't buy us. We also have to meet our insurance DED and OOP, which might be up to $4000. We are following Dave Ramsey for the most part. With a few things here and there that are different. Luckily the husband is invested as well. I tried this last summer and he was interested but wasn't apart of the planning or knew what all had to be paid. Now he is. And driving me CRAZY! LOL! If we stick to the plan we can be Credit Card Debt Free by November. Then Car, House, and Student loans. I just don't want things to be tight like they have been in the past and I want to be able to enjoy the baby and not worry as much. :)

Happy 30 weeks Dream!!!
 
Woo hoo 30 weeks!! You’re so close! Those charley horses are the worst. It’s the only negative symptom I had. Hope you don’t get many more!

Sarah happy 13 weeks!! We did the Dave Ramsey method too then we had to go and do IVF and it screwed that up a bit but we are back on it. Good luck!! And I can’t wait for the 10th!
 
Yay for 30 weeks tomorrow Dream! Charley horses are the worst! I remember getting a couple bad ones towards the end of my pregnancy!

Hope you are able to get some debt paid off Sarah!
 
Sarah, I remember you said that a couple of weeks ago but figured the doctor was talking about something else back then. The genetic test (Non-invasive prenatal testing, or "NIPT"/ "cfDNA") checks the cell-free DNA of the baby. This contains all the chromosomes, including the X's and/or Y. I haven't heard of any company leaving out the sex of the baby (in the US), so I'm kinda curious which company the OBGYN office uses, and why that would cost extra. Or is it not a genetic test but just blood work that detects the levels of certain proteins (like AFP, hCG etc) to screen for neural tube defects/Down's?

We did NIPT and I called the company beforehand to negotiate the price. They said the full bill would be thousands of dollars, but if I gave them a call, they could offer it for $250-$350 or so lol. Even stated it on their website. Our insurance also denied the claim, but due to an agreement between the OB's office and the pharma company, we didn't have to pay at all. Not sure why but not complaining either :D

That's awesome you're planning on becoming debt-free! I personally don't really care for Dave's view on credit cards, but can understand how his approach works for a lot of people. Once you're out of debt though (and feel like you got a good handle on things of course), read up on how to use credit cards to your advantage. We've never carried a balance on our cards, not even a dollar of interest paid, and have gotten soooo much travel stuff for free. Many cross-Atlantic flights, fancy hotel stays, airport lounge access, TSA-pre/global entry, all thanks to credit card bonuses.

Dream, hope you got a date for your scan set. How many do you get? I only had 2, ugh.

Have a great weekend ladies!
 
Sunny- would you mind sharing any info on the best credit cards for rewards? We currently just have 1 that gives us 2-3% cash back on purchases. I'm interested to see what we could get for travel!
 
I was just going to say the same as Amber- please share Sunny !
 
Of course!

The points you'll get for spending are nothing compared to what you get as sign-on bonuses. The offers come and go and differ by bank so what's available today may not be available in a month from now.

We generally do a bonus sign-up every 3-4 months or so (sometimes just one of us, sometimes both of us), which isn't nearly as hardcore as some real "travel hackers" out there but still has given us at least $15k in benefits in the last couple of years.

So far this year, I've gotten 80k in points from Chase (which is worth $800 in "cash" [ie. you just apply it as a statement credit to your account] or an extra 25% when you use it for travel [book your flights or whatever through the Chase travel portal, so $1000]. For that, we had to spend $5k in 3 months to get the bonus. We don't spend nearly that much on our day to day expenses so we just prepay things like homeowners/car insurance, or pay our quarterly taxes (self-employed). Others solve that spending problem by paying their mortgage (but there's usually a fee for paying with a credit card so we haven't tried that yet), or buying gift cards to grocery stores/gas stations etc. All of that is called "manufactured spending" by the way, so you can use that term to look up other ways of meeting your spending requirements. After you hit your spending, you usually get your points or miles posted the following statement. That particular card did come with a non-waivable $95 annual fee (always cancel after that first year so you'll only pay once) but that's a small price to pay for what you're getting in return.

Last month I got 50k points from BoA ($3,000 spending requirement to hit the bonus), which is worth $500. It came with global entry/TSA pre (which DH and I already got for free thanks to a different card, but baby girl still needed it) worth $100, and another $100 for travel spending (we just bought a $100 American Airlines gift card that we'll use eventually). It also had a $95 annual fee, but again, we're getting $700 for that one-time fee. DH just did one so far this year and it was for 60k Delta miles (worth a rountrip ticket to Europe).

We generally don't bother with bonuses that are worth less than $500 (in travel or cash), unless it's super easy to get the bonus (e.g. no spending requirement). There are certain rules of how many cards you can apply for by bank so it's not worth signing up for a crappy bonus that takes up a spot when a better deal might be coming up. Credit inquiries stay on your credit report for 2 years, so if you go through too many, it can negatively affect your score. We both have credit scores in the 800's so when you do it right, it doesn't affect your credit score.

That being said.... it's very important to keep track of your credit card application details. Start a spreadsheet! Add information like the date you applied for the card, details on the bonus you applied for, how long you have to meet the spending requirement (and add that to your calendar!), when you need to close your card (especially important if there's an annual fee, set a calendar reminder for that one as well!).

Also, make sure that you enroll for auto-pay and all of that. You don't want to accidently leave a balance and pay interest. Don't sign up for cards that have a high spending requirement if you won't be able to pay it off within a month, bonuses that don't require spending are around from time to time as well.

Doctor of credit is a great resource to find the latest bonuses: Best Current Credit Card Sign Up Bonuses & Offers For June, 2019 - Doctor Of Credit
 
Hi Ladies! I had a very tiring but fun day yesterday at our baby shower. Today I'm totally pooped but it was such a good time.

Countdown continues, 29 days left of work! woohoo. Plus I've taken off the last week of June as vacation time before my official mat leave on July 19th. Going to hopefully use this time to go a little nuts on cleaning the house, do laundry etc etc.

Next ultrasound is June 13 at 32 weeks. I only get this extra one because my OB wants to check on the growth of Rick's kidneys (they were a little small at the anatomy scan) and my fluid levels as a result of low papp-a from first trimester screening. I'm just happy we get to see him again. We were considering doing the 3D/4D private scans but they're so expensive and seem like a waste of money.

WhatsApp Image 2019-06-02 at 6.50.39 PM.jpeg
 
Dream- glad you had a good shower, it looks so nice! You are looking beautiful, love your dress!

Sunny- thanks for all the good info! I will definitely be looking into it more!
 
Dream, you look absolutely gorgeous. Glad you had a good time. So in just a few more weeks, you're off for a full year, right? Love it!

Amber, no problem :) Happy 9 months Leo!
 
Sunny I am not really sure now. LOL. They took 4 vials of blood and will take more on Monday. I know there were testing for Downs and all that. So who knows. I haven't gotten any word on how it came back which I take it be that it is okay. I go Monday for the gender scan and will find out more. :) Thank you for the credit card info. Will be looking into that. We are following Dave in some ways, but then kind of doing our own thing. He wants you to survive on beans and rice and not eat out. Well, I like eating out even when I am not pregnant. I just budget for it. We also love date nights with just us or with the kids. So we aren't being as strict as some. It works for us though.

Dream your shower looks so nice. You look beautiful! I know you are so excited for the break coming soon!
 
1 week from today and we will be doing our reveal hopefully. MD appointment Monday at 3 for the US!!! I can't wait to find out! Happy Friday to everyone!
 
I'm so excited for you Sarah!! It's going to be a nerve-wracking week I'm sure.
 

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