[ara79]

rach, i am just catching up and all i can say is wow. your SIL is...wait, i don't even have the right words. that is so sad that she isn't eating. 5 months and no bump. sounds just like my girl friend. she is 5 days behind me, and looks so itsy bitsy. she said her dr told her she is measuring behind. i wanted to say, well, yay...you work out 6 days a week w/ a trainer and eat like a bird all day. it makes me sad. at first, i was comparing myself to her and i felt huge. but i have gotten it through my head, that i am taking care of lily, and my weight gain is going towards a great cause! i wonder what your SIL's dr says to her?

[designdiva32]

Amy, I'm so glad you and Lily are doing well. Thanks for the tip on falling also, I didn't realize it could be so fatal. I've been a wee bit worried about that lately as I'm really tired and dizzy lately with my low iron levels etc so if I do have an accident at least now I know to go to L&D triage. By the way, you don't look big at all, just beautiful and glowing in those pictures of you and hubby.

Shawna, sorry about your Papa hun, thats heartbreaking. My last remaining grandparent, my Nana doesn't have long either so I know how hard it is. I can't get back to her either as its soooooo far and I can't fly that distance anymore. Lets just hope they both hold out long enough to meet our babies or at least for us to get back there for a visit. Hey, you can come visit me on your way. By the way, did you piac this morning??

Rachael, your SIL is a fool! Who takes the wonderful gift of a natural pregnancy and abuses it like she is doing? I can't believe she lets herself get heatstroke and doesn't eat!! That poor baby really doesn't have much of a chance and I can imagine how frustrating this is to watch. Us IF girls treasure every minute we are blessed with the chance to grow our precious babies so its just inconceivable to me that someone can behave like that. I think nature made a mistake and should have given this pregnancy to someone alot more grateful!

Josee, your next cycle is GOING TO WORK! I've put a request out to the universe (like on the Oprah show!) and I'm going to check out what fertilty dances really do work. It sounds like you have a great relationship with your Dad too, mine is a bit like yours also, he tends to go where the grandkid are. Which is why hes finally flying out to see us when Reed gets here...I guess kids are a great motivator...I mean they are kinda cute.

Devan, your poor feet! You look great in the pics though hun, very pretty and glowing. Thats good DH is back soon too, with this preeclampsia stuff I'll feel much better knowing hes there with you.

Susan, DH found an independant car installer for us here in Toronto. It was a company that sold and installed them and we had it done on the weekend. Do you have such a thing in RI?

Jen, you look great in your pics. I'm so jealous of your lovely long hair. Mines long but brittle and fine so it always breaks. I love thick healthy hair like yours.

Kris...Simon in the sink is the cutest thing, my DH was all grins when I showed him. What a darling!

Hi everyone. Tia, hows Bear treating you these days? Hows the nausea? Just keep thinking it usually goes away by about 16-17 weeks, thats what kept me going. I'm not doing as well as I could be unfortunately. I'm really suffering from low iron levels at the moment but because of my digestive issues I don't absorb it properly so I'm permanently tired and dizzy at the moment. I'm hoping the OB can figure something out to help me on Thursday as I'm starting to feel out of breath just lying in bed! My last blood test said I had barely none left so heres hoping my next results on Thursday are better. I doubt it though, I still look like hel l. Oh well, only a few more weeks to go...although I'm starting to feel like my body has had all it can take. I hope it can hang in for just a few more weeks so Reed can get bigger and stronger.

[ara79]

hey alana! i am sorry that you aren't feeling well. are you on any iron supplements? that is awful to feel that way. i hope on thursday that your results are better and that you start feeling better.

kris...i forgot to way (but i don't know how i did) that simon is one beautiful boy! those pictures are so precious! LOVE the sink one, too cute! and you look great too hun!

[GRITS]

HI girls My company is sleeping late this morning, and Mia too........So I thought I would pop in and say hi. We are doing okay, tired, but good. My parents and brother, SIL, and nephew leave tues. And then it is just my sister and 4 kids left here. I will be able to slow down a lot by then. Thank goodness. It is hard to keep up with everyone with so little sleep. Mia still wakes up every 3 hours at night to nurse.
I hope everyone is doing well, miss you

[sunny72]

Amy, so happy things are okay with you. Thanks for informing us about falls and pregnancy. Scary scary stuff.

Shawna, so sorry about your grandfather. It is hard to think of not having them around forever. That doesn’t mean you won’t still have him in your life in the way of a very special angel smiling and watching over you.

Josee, my parents are clueless too. I know it is a long way to come, but I knew they wouldn’t come visit me in the US until a grandchild was in the mix. Sure enough when I told the I was pregnant they started planning the trip over. I know for sure that they are in the “Wait and see mode” again for No.2 and we’ll never see them over here otherwise. I feel like telling them not to plan anything around the state of my uterus. I can’t take the pressure.

Alana, did they recommend an iron supplement or a diet higher in iron? Sorry you are having the dizzy spells.

Grits, so nice to hear from you. Can't wait to see more pictures of Mia when you get some time.

Rach, it’s really hard hearing about your SIL not looking after herself during pregnancy. This topic is a sensitive one for me. Since we’re sharing, sign me up for former eating disorders anonymous. Besides mentioning it to you girls before and my DH, I haven’t really admitted it to anyone. I had family comments and semi-interventions by them in hindsight, but at the time, I thought they were being entirely inappropriate and morons. One time to my horror my brother cornered my DH and interrogated him about it behind my back. If anything it shut me off even more as I was extremely upset with my brother being that a lot of comments he made to me as a teenager triggered a terrible irreversible thought process. Not to blame him for all of it, but geez, I felt like I couldn’t win. First my thighs were chubby and now he’s grilling my DH who was rather mortified about the inquisition too. My problems also started in my teens and was intertwined with my vegetarianism. Nothing could pass through my lips without it being accounted for and regretted. It really takes over you entire life.
I would like to say that things got better after I got married, but sadly, I have to admit that it may only have improved a bit. I would say that I was still in denial. I thought having a slim-fast for breakfast, a couple of graham crackers for lunch and plain rice for dinner was more than enough compared to before. When I stumble on photographs from before, I realize that I wasn’t looking after myself and I feel embarrassed at how in denial I was. I have to say though that the minute I connected health, life, survival and fertility together, things really changed for me. I certainly had an awakening. Also with DH having a smart head on his shoulders and being in the medical field, I realized how many things can go wrong with your body at the best of times, and if you’re not nourishing it or respecting it, you’re going to be in real trouble. And that leads me to when I finally became pregnant. I had an overwhelming need to look after myself and the precious one I was carrying. I had no qualms about eating meat again after all those years because I had such a fear that I couldn’t sustain a pregnancy on a vegie diet. I know you can and many do, but with my history I wanted to stuff as many nutrients into my face as I could put my hands on. My attitude became eat them before they eat us like a mother bear. My cousin-IL was shocked to see me feasting on ribs at my baby shower. I was making up for lost time. I'll always have "issues", but I'll always look after myself.
Sorry this is so long winded. I guess my point is that it is very very sad that your SIL is still enslaved to her disorder and I know how it must be frustrating to see. I empathize with the whole disorder aspect, but she has to think of her unborn and get help. No-one else can do it for her, it has to be her. And for her daughter’s sake also. That little girl will be observing her mother’s habits and forming her own little self esteem based on her surroundings. They are such sponges.

And now I’m off to eat raviolis, collard greens and a hunk of chocolate!

[ara79]

brenna, good to hear from you!! i don't know HOW you are doing it with that many visitors and for that amount of time. glad you are doing well, we're going to need more pics of beautiful mia!!

heidi, thanks for sharing. i am so glad that you overcame that disease and are who you are today! we love you! and your ravioli sounds delish!

[hopeful2bmom]

I know I have told you gals about my eating disorder before( anorexia free for 6 years now). I won't comment on Rach's SIL because it is an illness and she can't help it, the heatstroke well that is just stupid but secondary to needing to feel like she is exercising.
It's a really tough thing to overcome. More dificult for me than infertility has been. Mine was never about "fat" or exercising. It was about control. While all around me in my life was failling and spinning out of control, the only thing I knew I could control was what I put in or did not put in my mouth. I used to eat 6 grapes a day and some water and think that I would be able to sustain my life. I weighed 89 pounds at the age of 31. It was disgusting. When I first met DH I was still struggling to eat but I would force myself.
Anorexia is a dark, scary and lonely place.
I don;t know your SIL Rach but I am sure if she acknowledged her problem, came to terms with it and then started treatment she would be able to see how it's affecting her baby.
I hope that she can find the help she needs.
As for her just being mean- well maybe that's just her baseline personality or maybe it's lack of nourishment to her brain!

Amy- I have fallen a few times, but mostly just land on my butt. From now on I will call them. Glad you are ok!
BTW you look perfect for the amount of weeks you are. You seriously look like a model. Don't compare yourself to anyone. else. ALthough I did just get a glimpse of my boobs and they are getting beigger and bigger.
Toward the end they really pick up speed in the growth department -so watch out girls!
I went from a small 34b to a 38 c-d in five months or so.
Yikes!

[ara79]

i just ate way too many pancakes.

[hopeful2bmom]

Brenna- You must be going mad over there with all of those people. I am going to lock my doors and turn of the phones!

How often do you nurse at first when they are just born?
I am wondering if I will get the same amount of sleep that I get now. One hour on and one hour off!

[ara79]

susan, i am happy that you too overcame your eating disorder. my boobs are already HUGE! i bought my bikini for my 2 trips, and i had to buy an XTRA-large top so that the cups would cover these bad boys! i have to get it altered b/c it is huge around my back. i was a 34C before pregnancy and i am currently spilling out of my 36D. i wonder how big they are going to get towards the end...not to mention when my milk comes in. YIKES!

[hopeful2bmom]

Did you find any dresses AMy? I liked the one you had in the pics with Chris dancing.

Your back and legs are so tiny!

You know it's funny, I feel more stable in the wedges too!

[hannah01]

thank you so much for all the compliments about little simon!! i love, love hearing that he looks like me - i can't see it yet. especially since i'm not with the dad (obviously) i really want him to look like my family. jen you're right - with him making gang signs at 8 weeks, i think it's a sign we need to get the he** out of l.a.

shawna, i'm so sorry to hear about your grandpa. i hope he'll be okay. take care of yourself and try not to stress- i am really excited to hear about your upcoming bfp!

amy, i'm so glad you and lily are okay! i had no idea falls during pregnancy were so dangerous. i remember always taking stairs super slow because i was terrified of falling. just be careful please!

alana, i too had problems with iron absorption during my pregnancy. has your doctor put you on perscription iron yet? if not, ask about it. that made a huge difference for me - energy went up, headaches went away.

devan, how often are you getting your bp checked? with that swelling in your feet it probably should be pretty regular. i used to always stop at the drugstore by my house and check it myself during the last month of my pregnancy. good to keep up on that. your pics are darling!

jen, you look great and you do not look fat. i hope you're feeling good - can't believe you are entering 2nd trimester already.

rachael, your s-in-law sounds really annoying. sorry you have to deal with that. i think the only thing you can do in that situation is just rise above and try not to let her bother you. i'm sure that will be the challenge of a lifetime. simon is sleeping wonderfully! he wakes up twice to eat, but has gotten much more efficient - nurses for about 10 minutes then passes out again. and the little angel doesn't have dirty diapers until morning - gd love him. that saves me a lot of awake time. how is sweet little aiden?

[Angelwithhope]

I think we have an amazing group of strong ladies who have helped themselves out. I honestly don't know when i saw my ray of light. My aunt would say you can eat ANYTHING and not gain weight but what she didn't know was that it was often all I would eat for days on end.

All this talk about big boobies....lol.

I did PIAC this morning....it was a FDP. Now no idea if it's still trigger or if it's a true BFP. We'll just have to wait and see if it gets darker! DH made me do it! lol

Did any of y'all hear about the little girl who crawled into a toy vending machine? Stupid people when she came back they opened it up and let her go back in, so now they're rewarding her. The minute her mum took her out of it again, she went to climb back into the machine through the hole again! *Sigh* Stupid people!!

[MamaSoon]

Kelly, how was the show on Friday night?

Rach, did you get to sleep in a little this morning? What happened to the other 1/2 bottle of rosé?

Brenna, you are a saint. How you can have all those people in your house at once, i'll never know. glad to hear you are doing well, even if sleep deprived.

Heidi, you are a little angel.

So Kris, are you going back to work soon or taking more time with Simon during the day?

[MamaSoon]

No way, Shawna! Holy cow! And you are still 8 days from beta? Are you gonna pee again today or at this stage do you want til the next morning. I am not a POASer at all.