British Bun in the Oven

[Jewel-8 21]

Today is a big day!!!! We woke up and wished Roslyn a happy birthday!! Tomorrow we are doing cake and things. Pictures will follow.

Then we headed into town for a doctors appointment. I had a miscarriage in May and then some abnormal test results so I needed to follow up with those. Not only did we find out it was probably nothing, but we confirmed that I was pregnant again!!! Woot!!

Not that I didn't know, just that I wasn't getting too excited until we saw a heartbeat. We did!!

Now I was napping on the couch and got a text to check my case status for Removal of conditions. I freaked out a bit because I thought that meant interview or RFE, but card production has been ordered!!!

I knew I was right picking the 13th for my daughter's bday!! Friday the 13ths are f'ing amazing!!!

[DiZZyLoX 114]

Congrats!!!!!! Really awesome!!

Loxley is doing awesome its his mom who needs the valium!!! Being a first time mom and freaking put over everything is no joke!!! But hes so worth it. Not sleeping through the night. Just sleeping a little longer giving us an extra hour or so. But if he gave me any more time my boobs would feel like boulders. Breast feeding those first 3 weeks were hell!! Omg i thought i Would quit. But we made it. How is everyone else doin??

Sorry for the shitty grammar...i cant be bothered to fix it. Being a mom,i have mastered the rt of "f it"

Edited July 15, 2012 by DiZZyLoX

[Jewel-8 21]

LMAO!! Motherhood sure changes people. Always for the better of course. Glad he is sleeping well and you have no problems with your milk! I always have trouble producing so although I always wished to be on the other side of the spectrum I'm sure it's just as hard.

Do you get up and pump? I had a coworker who would get up at 2 am to pump even though her baby slept through the night. The kid was so big though!

[TracyTN 237]

Today is a big day!!!! We woke up and wished Roslyn a happy birthday!! Tomorrow we are doing cake and things. Pictures will follow.

Then we headed into town for a doctors appointment. I had a miscarriage in May and then some abnormal test results so I needed to follow up with those. Not only did we find out it was probably nothing, but we confirmed that I was pregnant again!!! Woot!!

Not that I didn't know, just that I wasn't getting too excited until we saw a heartbeat. We did!!

Now I was napping on the couch and got a text to check my case status for Removal of conditions. I freaked out a bit because I thought that meant interview or RFE, but card production has been ordered!!!

I knew I was right picking the 13th for my daughter's bday!! Friday the 13ths are f'ing amazing!!!

I am SO excited for you Jewel - congratulations!!! Are you going to find out what you're having this time around, or? I'm anxious to see the 1 year old pictures. Hard to believe sometimes how time flies, eh?

Dizzy - glad to hear all is well with you. I think all of us were a little freaked out by things at first too. I don't think the post PG hormones help either, let me just say. I couldn't physically breast feed (breast reduction surgery), so I can't even imagine.

I just realized I promised a picture from Emily's 2nd birthday and I didn't share so, as soon as my phone will cooperate, I'll upload one.

[TracyTN 237]

Finally got the picture off the phone - here's Emily enjoying some of her birthday cake.

[*julez* 124]

Tracy, Emily is absolutely darling! I can't believe how grown up looking she is.

[TracyTN 237]

Thanks Julez! She's a trip!! I've wondered for a while if she's going to be one of those kids who is 2 but seems more like 2 going on 20. Although I think Empress' cute little bug has the corner market on that one.

By the way all - the terrible twos - no one really warns you. I mean the patent disregard for things you say - omg!! If it weren't for other parents I know, I would think we were in line to raising a rebellious mess of a child! Just a constant pushing of their boundaries AND your patience. Thankfully Chas and I have started to find the tantrums funny from time to time (preferably when we're not out in public, LOL). The dramatics of them and the mundane reasons they start are just kind of hysterical.

But she makes us laugh and smile all the time. Last night she got a telling off for kicking her daddy in the face during play. When he pointed at his nose and said 'oww', she sat up and kissed it for about 10 minutes straight.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

I guess Madeleine has always been kinda physical. Jon is now calling her Ginger Godzilla.

Anya's not tolerating wrapping quite so much now she's growing older and more curious. Apparently babies go through stages of liking it/not liking it. Of course I'd never force her to be carried, but I do miss it when I can't! It's our bonding time now I'm back at work.

It still works if we're out on a walk, though. I wrap her inside - she SCREAMS! I literally just open the front door and it's INSTANT quiet. It's like a bizarre on/off baby switch. She is absolutely fascinated by cars and trees.

But if you think she ever doesn't like the wrap - boy oh boy does she HATE the stroller. My poor MIL has resorted to simply carrying Anya in her arms everywhere she goes now.

Not only did we find out it was probably nothing, but we confirmed that I was pregnant again!!! Woot!!

Congratulations! :dance:

Roslyn and her sibling will have the same age gap I have with one of my brothers - and I LOVED having a sibling at that age!

Glad to hear everyone is doing well! Tracy - Emily is TOO cute! What a beautiful young lady.

Anya and I are doing well except... I HATE PUMPING! Ugh! I am so close to supplementing. The problem is that I pretty much HAVE to pump late at night in order to have enough for the next day, which causes me to lose sleep, which causes me to be able to pump less... a horrible catch-22. But then I somehow make it to every weekend (just - I was two hours late to work this morning) and think, 'hey... I can do this... just a little while longer...' During the week I am lucky to get 4 hours of sleep a night.

Alex and I are passing ships in the night during the week... he has a full-time job now and works either 3 pm - 11 pm or 7 pm - 3 am. He sleeps in the spare room on week-days which I have to confess to rather liking... Anya sleeps in our bed with me, and I'm so proficient at nursing in my sleep now (seriously) that both she and I get more sleep that way!

Here is a photo from today:

Here she is wrapped on my back! She prefers this these days as it enables her to better see the trees. I also like it if I need to get chores done - I've done washing up, baked cookies, done the laundry and vacuumed all while she's been on my back.

And happy in the wrap:

I have many amusing photos, but my favourite has to be:

[TracyTN 237]

Awww Rachel - she is just as cute as she can be!!!! :) I'm sorry you're having such a hard time pumping - and I wish I had some advice to give you on that front. I do know from my friends who have done it that it's harder than most people think, so you should feel proud for having kept it up this long. I don't think there's any shame in supplementing, but that's just me.

I thought I had 'thread killed' the posts in here so I'm glad you replied. And with such cute pictures too :D I think pictures should be required of you new mommies so we can hit our cute out quotients for the day. Just an idea.

Thanks for the compliment about Emily. Let me just say that my least favorite part of the terrible twos is when you are sternly telling her off, she still thinks it's funny and that we're joking. The only way we can really get her to listen is to put our face in front of hers, hold her chin and make her look at us. Otherwise she thinks we're still playing. This is particularly frustrating when you're doing it after a bout of her slapping you in the face in 'play'. She is still in play mode but needs to understand that slapping people isn't fun for anyone but her. LOL.

She also can now get into the fridge, so we've had to put a lock on it. This after her daddy was doing laundry the other day and came back only to find her with an empty chocolate bar wrapper, chocolate on her face, and 'All done' from her tongue. Oh and a broken egg earlier in the day...

Where's Jewel? Wonder how she is feeling.

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

So this is just a question for the older mamas in here: did you get any pre-pregnancy consultations with your doctor before trying? If so, what kind of advice did you get? I ask because the BF asked me the other night, "Do you ever think about having a baby with me?" I told him if we want to do it, my window is closing pretty shortly. We're not even thinking about trying yet (I mean, we don't even live together yet!) but the genie is out of the bottle now so I'm starting to do some pre-planning.

Good lord, I never thought I would be posting in here!

[TracyTN 237]

I did not, and I was well into the 'advanced maternal age' category when I conceived (39). My thinking was to come off the pill, try and pinpoint ovulation the next month and go from there. Hubby and I sort of had an agreement that if we tried for six months and did not conceive, we would re-evaluate. Mainly because of our age (he is 6 years older). I started taking both a prenatal vitamin and folic acid, and hubby took folic acid (supposed to help with 'swimmer' production).

I was always pretty regular with Aunt Flo throughout my adult years, even all those years on the pill - so I thought I could possibly be a fertile myrtle. LOL. Apparently this was true. I stopped the pill at the end of August 2009 and took my first and only positive pregnancy test on October 27, 2009. (Some dates are just emblazoned in your mind) I suspect I may have conceived sooner had hubby not been in England during my 'fertile time' in September...

All this to say - I guess if I were you, I would go it alone for a bit if you're sure you're ready. But if you had any 'female problems' in your younger years, it may not hurt to consult your doctor first. I mean obviously, it doesn't hurt to do that either way - but I guess what I'm saying is I wouldn't feel 'compelled' to unless I'd had issues in the past.

I hope that helps (and wasn't too much TMI, LOL)!

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

I did not, and I was well into the 'advanced maternal age' category when I conceived (39). My thinking was to come off the pill, try and pinpoint ovulation the next month and go from there. Hubby and I sort of had an agreement that if we tried for six months and did not conceive, we would re-evaluate. Mainly because of our age (he is 6 years older). I started taking both a prenatal vitamin and folic acid, and hubby took folic acid (supposed to help with 'swimmer' production).

I was always pretty regular with Aunt Flo throughout my adult years, even all those years on the pill - so I thought I could possibly be a fertile myrtle. LOL. Apparently this was true. I stopped the pill at the end of August 2009 and took my first and only positive pregnancy test on October 27, 2009. (Some dates are just emblazoned in your mind) I suspect I may have conceived sooner had hubby not been in England during my 'fertile time' in September...

All this to say - I guess if I were you, I would go it alone for a bit if you're sure you're ready. But if you had any 'female problems' in your younger years, it may not hurt to consult your doctor first. I mean obviously, it doesn't hurt to do that either way - but I guess what I'm saying is I wouldn't feel 'compelled' to unless I'd had issues in the past.

I hope that helps (and wasn't too much TMI, LOL)!

No, not too much TMI! I'm very regular too, and didn't have problems with female things when younger BUT I did have a miscarriage less than two years ago (unintended pregnancy with an ex who was definitely not father material). One of the things I did learn during the horror show of the miscarriage is that the doctors thought everything looked good and healthy in there though. TMI ! TMI!

I'm working out regularly now to try to get to myself in good condition, mostly for my own health. Vitamins are definitely a good idea. This is the first time I have actually said/posted anything about this idea that he and I have, and it's totally scary and exciting and crazy and wow! The only thing I know is that he is the only man I have ever loved who not only wants to be a dad, but is ready to be one, wants to be one with me and who actually makes me think actively about having kids!

Oh dear, I have a feeling that if we go through with it, I will be an insufferable mother.

[TracyTN 237]

You may want to chat with your doctor though given the past miscarriage. Of course, it could have just been 'one of those things' but you may feel better for your own piece of mind to have that chat. You may also get some other good information - and just 'talking it out' to someone like your doctor can help you in your decision making and all too.

It's a HUGE decision and a hard one - so I'm impressed you're even this far along with it.

[Jewel-8 21]

Never thought I'd hear that for YOU!!!! Awesome! I second the folic acid. Vitamins are super important to start 2-3 months before trying if you can. Alcohol depletes folic acid, so some of us need it much more than others. Especially if we like a glass of something with dinner before the double lines - just saying! *innocent look*

Anya is so cute! She looks big to me! How old now? Roz just turned a year and isn't even 17 pounds. Anya almost looks like she is about the same size.

Roz loves her stroller and will sit and chill out in it for hours if we go over to the neighbors for BBQs and such. My husband is always taking her out to drink at my cousin's house down the street while I'm at work because she is happy to just stay in the stroller as long as she gets attention.

We're all doing really well here. My husband and I are leaving the kids with my brother's wife tomorrow and going to Denver overnight. Absolutely scary to be away from Roz overnight for the first time ever. This will be good practice for when we go on our UK trip mid-September and leave her with my MIL for a wedding and some sightseeing.

She's not walking yet, but stands up and twists around quite a bit for fun. I hope she is walking when we get there because she'll be 14 months by then and my MIL wants to buy her a good pair of shoes and a winter coat. It would help if I ever put her down, but you know.. only baby I have had for a long time since my son is 9 years older than her. It will be interesting to see if #3 walks sooner than the other 2 because I'll be so much busier.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Awww Rachel - she is just as cute as she can be!!!! :) I'm sorry you're having such a hard time pumping - and I wish I had some advice to give you on that front. I do know from my friends who have done it that it's harder than most people think, so you should feel proud for having kept it up this long. I don't think there's any shame in supplementing, but that's just me.

It's not really a shame... it's more a case of, I KNOW I have the milk... so it'd be very frustrating and feel like a waste of money if I had to supplement! But I think this weekend I am buying a can of formula anyway and sticking it in the cupboard. Lack of sleep isn't helping me or Anya or anyone! If, next week, I have to skip an evening pumping session and just go to bed early... I shall.

I thought I had 'thread killed' the posts in here so I'm glad you replied. And with such cute pictures too :D I think pictures should be required of you new mommies so we can hit our cute out quotients for the day. Just an idea.

Happy to oblige!

Thanks for the compliment about Emily. Let me just say that my least favorite part of the terrible twos is when you are sternly telling her off, she still thinks it's funny and that we're joking. The only way we can really get her to listen is to put our face in front of hers, hold her chin and make her look at us. Otherwise she thinks we're still playing. This is particularly frustrating when you're doing it after a bout of her slapping you in the face in 'play'. She is still in play mode but needs to understand that slapping people isn't fun for anyone but her. LOL.

Ooh no! Sounds like you're handling her exactly the right way, though! From how Anya is now I suspect she might turn into quite the little monkey... I am VERY willing to wait for her to get to that stage!

Anya is so cute! She looks big to me! How old now? Roz just turned a year and isn't even 17 pounds. Anya almost looks like she is about the same size.

She's 3 1/2 months. And actually she's pretty small! I don't know what it is about the photos but people who see photos first (i.e. relatives) and then see her in person can't get over how tiny she actually is. My MIL and mother both say she looks a LOT older in photos.

She was 9 lb 3 oz and 23.5" at her two month appt, I estimate she's about 25" long now (she's quite long!) and around 11-12 lbs. Her head is really tiny - in the 5th percentile. At 2 months her head was the size of an average newborn's. She is still firmly in 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers, and a few of her larger newborn clothes still fit!