Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Jas12]

MsFlutter--ha, i guess that is the unpredictability of birth eh? I am glad to hear you could care less at the time--i am sure my immediate surroundings could be a cardboard box for all it would matter at the height of labor and intense contractions! I am going to try to stay home for a while as well (since i am a 3 min walk from home to the doors of the hospital!)

MrsMitchell--I hope you can get that nasty exam out of the way so you have one less thing to worry about--i am sure you will, most first babies are a little late rather than a little early I think.

Radiantgirl--i remember the sleepiness of the first tri very well--just know that you are entitled to daily naps-no questions asked

, and that for most women that feeling should lift in about ohhh, 3 months--ha.
Here's hoping you don't get morning sickness--i got a queasy feeling for about 4 hrs a day starting around my 2 month--but it lifted almost the day I started my second tri so 'some' of what you read is true!
Speaking of books--i am reading Ina Mays guide to Childbirth right now (got excellent reviews) and so far it is very interesting. The first few chapters are just various birth stories and that is as far as I have gotten. I'll let you know what i think....
Not on the topic of pregnancy, but I remember we were almost ring twins. I started off with a radiant diamond in a Lucida setting, but found it too thick on small fingers so I switched to a Michael B. petite princess setting. It was intended to go with my radiant but long story short--I fell in love with a cushion from Mark T. and well, the rest is history...at the time of changing my ring I remember admiring yours

.........................................
How's everyone else doing?

So glad I didn't have a Jan. baby this morning--a balmy -30 outside today

-- even plugged in, my car wouldn't start and i was late for work--blah, i am not a fan of mondays.

 

[mrssalvo]

congrats radiantgirl. you and Jackiejas will have to update the preggo thread here with your due dates!!..

 

[blushingbride]

Thanks Tacori! I guess we''ll just wait and see how things go when we''re TTC.

Congratulations to all you ladies...and to your little ones too!

 

[radiantgirl]

Jas - thanks for the congrats! Congrats to you as well. It is great to have someone go through this at the same time. I haven''t told many people, so it''s nice to have this online community here where everyone is so supportive and helpful! When is your first prenatal appointment? I just switched doctors, so my appointment was moved from 2/1/08 to 2/12/08. They mentioned they were going to do a vaginal ultrasound on this first appointment to see the baby clearer. Anyone ever had this done? Is it as uncomfortable as it sounds?

Jas12 - I don''t like feeling so tired all the time, but I am hoping that this will pass with the next trimester. Maybe wishful thinking? My mom told me she didn''t have m/s with either pregnancy, so I am hoping I will take after her as well. I am trying to find a good pregnancy journal, but find it hard to narrow it down to the one I want to get. Do you have one you recommend? Yes, we are ring twins! I don''t remember reading about your ring search, but I definitely do have the Michael B. petite princess setting. Do you have the matching wedding band as well? I love my setting still!

mrssalvo - Thank you so much for the congrats! Congrats to you and your baby boy! Are you excited since you already have 2 girls, right? I updated my EDD on the thread you provided the link for. Thanks!

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 1/21/2008 2:56:33 PM
Author: radiantgirl
They mentioned they were going to do a vaginal ultrasound on this first appointment to see the baby clearer. Anyone ever had this done? Is it as uncomfortable as it sounds?

yes, it''s slightly awkward and uncomfortable, but it''s not painful and it is cool getting to see the little bean on the screen for the first time.

 

[lili]

radiantgirl-

most initial u/s are done vaginally.
like mrsS said, they are awkward and uncomfortable if anything.
here are some favorite websites that the other ladies recommend: babycenter.com and whattoexpect.com.

 

[radiantgirl]

Thanks mrssalvo and lili! I imagine it will be awkward and uncomfortable, but I''m sure seeing the baby on the ultrasound will be quite rewarding. I will keep you guys posted once I have my first appointment.

lili - thanks for the websites. I have been to babycenter.com, but have to check out whattoexpect.com. There is so much to learn.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Is it strange that I didn''t find it awkward? Maybe b/c the tech was a female. Maybe b/c of my history of cysts I have been examined by lots of random people. I don''t know. It really wasn''t bad at all.

BARGAIN ALERT: Not sure if anyone is in the market for a swing but Target has the fisher price nature swing (We have it and love it. It swings both ways. Decent looking.) for $40 off. They changed the design (bees instead of butterflies, slightly different colors) so they are trying to get rid of them.

 

[divergrrl]

Radiant Girl: Congratulations & welcome!! I just had baby #2 in September, so I''m not on as much as I''d like to be, but I wanted to pop on and wish you a healthy 9 months. Also when I read your post and saw the words Michael B Petite Princess, well, I had to click on your userid and search your threads to find a pic of your ring. Props to the hubby! Your ring is gorgeous. You had your engagement pics on there too...you & dh will make a gorgeous baby, what a lovely couple you two are!! Love that ring...have to ask, did you get the matching band?

Internal U/S: I''m like Tacori on this one. I had so many problems with uterine polyps, fibroids,etc..I''ve had my fair share (and everyone else''s) of internal u/s. Plus with my "multiple miscarriage" history, I had to get so many early ones in each of my successful pregnancies that flopping on my back and opening the store for whatever tech is wielding the wand does not phase me. I''m even to the point where I''m cracking jokes during it. For instance, the female u/s tech at our office is a younger girl...funny...so I told her..."sheesh, I usually get dinner and flowers before this kind of action". Had her rolling. But she''s my OB''s daughter & has seen me through so many ups and downs, that I feel like she''s a "safe" person, so its not ucky. And lucky me, with my last pregnancy, I had to have soooo freakin'' many internals because of that fibroid on my cervix, they couldn''t see it without the d!ldosound.

Well today I''ve been spitup on and crapped on. Oh yes, excitement all around. D yakked on me so many times...and then she was sitting on my lap, and started puttering in her diaper, and all of a sudden my leg got warm & a stench filled the air. Oy.

I lift her up and her whole backside & my jeans are covered in sticky stinky poo. So of course, its EVERYWHERE and I go through about 537 wipes getting her cleaned up as I''m tossing my poo-pants and spitup covered shirt into the bathroom. I''m trying to give her a bath and keep the dog from rooting through the poo covered clothing on the floor. I just had to get her clean first...before I did anything else. Oy. But all is well and I decided tonight was a good of occasion as any to open the 2004 Jordan Chardonnay I''d been saving. (DH hates white wine anyway..I''m normally a red snob, but I like this winery and he''s on a trip right now...so there!)

Curlygirl: omigosh Lilly is too adorable in her cupcake outfit. In love!

I wish you lived close, her and Delaney would be such cute bff''s!

DH and I are trying to decide if we want to take our next vacation in NYC & Boston, South Carolina, or Hawaii. I know, weird selection...but I''m such a city lover, and I''ve never been to NYC. (the standard by which all other cities are set, I imagine...I''ve spent a ton of time in Chicago--my family is there, D.C., San Fran, Vancouver BC, Seattle, but never the Big Apple and I''ve been dying to make it there). But if we make it, I''ll let you know! We won''t have kids with us though. Grownup time. DH wants to go to Mexico. Again. I am so sick of Mexico. Great country & I love it, but my last 6 vacations have been there & I still have yet to see what I consider "important" places for me to see. Europe, Asia, NYC, Australia. I want to meet my dh''s family in England! (aunts & cousins) Oh well. He''s spent so much time in Europe, he has no desire to fly that far if he doesn''t have to. Well yippee skippee for him. I mean he even said, "if you don''t want to go to Mexico, how about Puerto Rico?". Granted PR would be fun, but I just want a complete 180 from our other trips. He''s not big on NYC, but he prefers a slower pace & he''s been there before. Dude ruins all my fun. LOL...good thing he doesn''t care if I travel with my girlfriends without him!

Ok...Wyatt Urp woke up hungry, so its time for last bottle before she goes to bed.

Night all!

 

[Demelza]

Date: 1/16/2008 12:05:39 PM
Author: divergrrl

Demelza: You rock. Where were you when I was having my bfing probs? I totally think the problems with bfing difficulties stem from women not having the support they used to have when there was no other option (family women helping to get it right). Also mothers ''back in the day'' weren''t as displaced from family, so there were mothers, sisters, grandmothers, aunts, etc to help out with the family. Now we have to ''do it all''. From friends I know who''ve gone to LLL meetings, its a good place to find that support. I love your doggie avatar. I have a weakness for g.sheps.


My girl was UPSET last night. She was in the basement barking her BIG bark at the door..(daylight basement). So I went downstairs & the door was unlocked. Hmmm...I actually went down with my pepper spray & alarm panic button because I haven''t heard her bark like that since the drug dealers next door moved out a few years ago. I let her outside & she was hopping mad all around the backyard, just P!$$ED as hell. I forgot how *tough* she is, because you know, she''s my furry snuggle girl who loves to kiss my kids & lets my son feed her by hand. So she finished doing her recon & came to bed, but was wired, if you know what I mean. For all I know, it was a raccoon, but she doesn''t bust out THAT bark very often.


Oh...helpful hint. Don''t rub your eyes after unlocking the safety on a pepperspray nozzle. I got pepperspray in my eyes. OW!!!! And in my mouth . D''oh!!!

Here is my other baby, Sascha...

Diver -- I completely agree with you! I go to a breastfeeding support group once a week and the support is invaluable. I know you had lots of trouble breastfeeding your son and I can only imagine how hard it was for you deciding to stop. That takes real courage too; in the end, we all just want to be present and available to our babies and there was certainly a time when the difficulties I had breastfeeding were preventing me from doing that. Kind of ironic actually. Anyway, it really is hard to believe that something so natural is so damn hard!

Your Sascha is adorable! I, too, have a weakness for German Shepherds. Sadly, Howard, the beautiful doggie in my avatar, died in August 2006. I can''t bring myself to change my avatar, though; I miss him terribly. I''m sure you feel safe having Sascha around looking after you and your family. Howard was super protective too -- a bit over the top, actually.

 

[Demelza]

Date: 1/16/2008 12:56:05 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Demelza, Thank you so much. Your support and encouragement means so much. Today I am feeling much better. I did some major heat therapy (heating pad, hot wash cloth, hot showers), massage, kept feeding....seems to have worked. It is only *slightly* sore today not like the pain I was in yesterday (ohh, that was horrible). The redness has faded too. Tessa nursed w/o the shield last night but my nips were SOOO sore afterwards. I tried out my ''soothies.'' Really liked them and suggest them for all the new mommies who are going to BF. I got mine online. They are reusable for up to 3 weeks and do seem to ''calm'' things down. You are an inspiration! You should be proud of yourself that you hung in there. Please post pics of your daughter (if you feel comfortable). I am sure she is a cutie!

So glad to hear things are better and I hope they stay that way! Having been through a ton of problems, I''m always comforted by the fact that eventually the plug always gets unplugged or the blister always heals. It''s hell at the time, but the body does seem to take care of these things promptly. Is Tessa 3 months yet? You''re almost half way done with the exclusive breastfeeding part!!! You should treat yourself to a gift when you reach the 6 month mark. You deserve it!!

 

[divergrrl]

Demelza: Howard is such a dignified name for a gsd. I bet he was quite the BMOC. I''m sorry he passed, and I don''t blame you for not changing your avatar...I wouldn''t either. He''s beautiful.

Well, I''m going to inundate you guys with Delaney pics. I''m totally in love with her. My baby. She''s like a girl version of Jake in looks with a different personality (he''s a happy guy who''s introspective, and she''s an out and out extrovert who''s also happy).

Delaney''s cold weather stroller gear..yes, she''s in there...somewhere...LOL. Sascha is trying to sniff her out. She conked out on the walk.

 

[divergrrl]

coy girl

 

[divergrrl]

SMILERS!!!!!!!

if this doesn't cheer you up, I don't know what will.....D is good for what ails ya!

ETA: lol..that's her new "gangsta" name. vitamin D....

 

[divergrrl]

yummy baby rolls....just add butter...

 

[divergrrl]

rolling:

 

[divergrrl]

Yeah...I''m a bada$$...been doing THAT since I was 3 mo. old....I''m just fast now is all....

 

[divergrrl]

I''m outta here...

Peace out.

VitaminD

 

[radiantgirl]

Divergrrl - Thank you so much for the congrats and all your compliments! Yes, I did get the matching band for it. I love my set still! Also, thanks for the info on the internal u/s. Hopefully, it''s not as bad as I think it will be. Congrats on having your second baby! Our due date is in September as well. Your daughter, Delaney, is so adorable!!! How can you not melt with a face like that?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Dem, she will be 3 months soon (Feb 3rd!) You are right. Half way done!!!!

Diver, D is so cute! I wish T could wear hats b/c babies look so adorable in them.

 

[mrssalvo]

oh my gosh diver, D is the cutest thing...i just want to go and snuggle with her.

tacori, my girls would never wear hats either and I always think they look so cute with them on. they were baldies too so it wasn''t until they were older that I even got to do bows and barrettes.

So, we put up the crib this past weekend. I''m trying to decide what I want to do for bedding but at least we did something. I also went ahead and popped open my pack n play in our room. I''ve received various baby gifts and am just piling them in there for now so they are all in one place. it still feels to early to be washing things and hanging them up etc. My girls are also getting so anxious for the baby to get here. they talk to him all the time, telling him they love him and can''t wait to feed him and tuck him into his crib. it''s so sweet

hope all you preggo''s and mommies are getting rest and doing well.

 

[ellaila]

Oh gosh, way too many posts to comment on them all!

Congrats RadiantGirl! Welcome to the best thread on PS

Diver, Delaney looks like such a bundle of fun! That SMILERS shot is just absolutely priceless -- fantastic! Gabe is def. smiling now, but we''re still waiting for K to bust one out ... getting anxious! She''s typically done things a few days behind him so I''m hoping to see one any minute now ...

Speaking of Katelyn, in addition to reflux, baby girl''s got some colic. EEEEEEEKKKK!!!! From 5-10 pm on most nights, this is not a peaceful house to be in. I just keep telling myself, "This too shall pass" but holy crap, it''s hard when your baby is inconsolably crying. And of course that sets him off crying too. Sometimes you gotta laugh just so you don''t cry, you know? But the rest of the day, they''re sweet little munchkins so I guess we''ll keep ''em!

To all that are touting LLL meetings, what exactly is done at these meetings? I''m still BFing the babies some of the time, but def. not at every feeding -- it just got to be way too much for me. My fave feedings are the middle-of-the-night ones actually, those are nice and relaxing! But during the day, it just got to be too stressful. I DO feel guilty about it, like maybe I didn''t try hard enough, but then I remember that I was trying to nurse two babies every two hours and then pump, and literally my entire day was spent dealing with my boobs, and I felt completely and utterly drained and like I wasn''t able to do anything else. I do still give them each some breastmilk every day whether it''s through nursing or EBM, so I guess I should be happy that I''m at least doing that much, right? But anyhow, I was wondering if it''d benefit me to attend a LLL meeting? I know they can be pretty hardcore about BFing, and I really don''t want to be made to feel guilty ...

Everyone else, hey there!!!

Hey, NJC, are you still checking in?? Been thinking about you and wondering how you and Jon are doing!

 

[ellaila]

A few new photos of the babes!

First, girly babe:

 

[ellaila]

And now Gabe the babe:

 

[Jas12]

Diver--That smiley pic of D should be used for mood therapy! You are right; you can''t help but smile when you see that!

Mrs.S.--so cute that your girls already love their little brother-to-be--that is sooo cute. I bet they''ll just adore him.

Radiant girl--yes, I have the Michael B. petite princess wedding set as well. Sometimes I wish I had the reg. princess (for a bit more bling) but overall I love it. My original Lucida setting overwhelmed my small fingers (you would know how that is) so I am glad I went with the daintier setting. I changed the head a bit (got smaller prongs) and switched the radiant for a cushion during my nightmare experience purchasing my e-ring--it was a novel-worthy ordeal--but i luv the end result. I do have to clean the bands a lot or they loose their sparkle, do you find the same thing?

All this talk about internal ultrasounds--must admit this is the first I have heard of it! I just had regular ones at 10, 12 and 23weeks--interesting. Sounds a bit uncomfortable--but USs of any sort are worth it I think.

I took a 31 week bare-belly pic last night. I must have stared at it for a good 10 mins thinking "is that really me"!?? Two more months of pregnancy seems like nothing really, but 2 more months of rapid tummy expansion fascinates/terrifies me.
I get weighed today at the Dr--I am really interested to see where I am at. I don''t really care anymore, it''s more amusing than anything to think about how much a woman''s body changes in just a couple of weeks when preggo.

 

[curlygirl]

Diver, Vitamin D is just precious!!! Oh man, that smile is contagious!!! She is absolutely GORGEOUS! If you come to NY, you HAVE to let me know, I would love to meet you in person!

ella, the babes are growing so fast!! They are so beautiful. I''m so sorry that Katelyn has colic. It will pass, I promise. I think they say that one day, it''s just gone. I hope that happens soon for you. Hang tough, sister!

radiantgirl, CONGRATULATIONS!!! I hope you have a very healthy, happy 9 months!! You''ll love all the support you get here! Keep us posted on all your progress!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Ella, our lives changed after we visited babysleepsounds.com. You MUST try some white noise. It really relaxed Tessa. She likes the vacuum and hairdryer. We play it on "repeat" and I even bought a CD bombox with a remote. I bet I turn it on at least 3 times during the night. Try just running different things first (sweeper, hair dryer, shower, etc) to see what she likes. The downloads are cheap. I think under $2. Totally worth it. Also what worked for us is a TIGHT swaddle. I hate the swaddle mes (or ready made ones) they just aren't tight enough for our little monster. Get the waffle weave blankets. They are the best. Then put in a paci and strap her into the swing. Works for us. Some nights she even sleeps in her swing.

ETA: It DOES get easier. I just remind myself she is not behaving like this on purpose. Some babies just need more help soothing themselves than others.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Tessa wants to play too! Here are some 11 week pictures.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

She is a sweet girl.

 

[Jas12]

Ella--we must have been posting at the same time earlier in the day cuz i missed your pics--my goodness, they are changing week by week--they are getting very distinct looks now and no longer look like teeny weeny new borns

Sorry to hear about the colic, i can only imagine how frustrating that would be--esp if G is nice an quiet and K. triggers a cry from him

hang in there--you are always so positive so if anyone can get thru it, it''s you!!

Tacori--yay! more gorgeous Tessa pics--i really do still think that she and Delaney look alike--adorable!
--i am going to keep the white noise idea in mind if i ever need it.

Anyone tried Adiri Natrual Nurser bottles? I am thinking of ordering some--the reviews seem really good--supposed to make the switch b/w breast and bottle easier for those who pump/wean etc.--who knows...
This is the link if anyone is interested: Adiri