Bulletin Board of Bad Behavior

i'm somewhere between two and a half and three months pregnant.

i think i'm going to have a girl. don't ask me why -- well, one of my friends from west virginia did this weird thing that she swears works to see last night, and i had just felt like it was going to be a girl, really, in my head i'd been saying she. . . so we'll see.

i still don't have a lump; i put my size six pants on this morning and they were not tight yet. i think the lump will arrive at month four.

i love my baby, and that i can have a baby.

her name is going to be allison. his name i think is going to be james edward, or edward james.

i don't think i've ever been as happy and scared at the same time. it's a strange but wonderful feeling.

congrats

thanks. it's great!

today is now the hubby's birthday according to pax acidus time, not mine, but who cares it's the hubby's birthday and we will be seeing the baby for the first time in about twelve hours!

this is so cool. i hope everything is okay. everybody cross fingers, toes -- if you have monkey feet, legs, and especially eyes, that the baby is well. we will find out soon!

Old wives tale used by my friend for determining sex of baby. If you start to crave dairy based foods, then it's a girl.

I assume someone has dropped a copy of, "What to expect when you're expecting" into your mit (or they are about to) Good. It's a useful book that covers all the stuff you generally need to know. I've just offloaded my baby gear (high chair, car seat, back pack, push chair etc) If you can, borrow as much of this stuff as is possible. Second hand is the way to go. Everything looks like shit once a baby starts messing with it. And you really don't need it forever. Don't go "high end" on any items except the car seats. Used to be that european standards were higher than US (Britax) don't know if this is any longer the case.

Tell hubby to avoid all those first time dad books. Waste of time. He is just a glorified spare part. He'll get plenty of time to shine over the next 20 years.

I love talking about babies so if you have any questions, let me know.

the what to expect book! omg!! what is it with parenting folks!! it's like this bizarre bible -- i've been given two copies of it, and someone else was, like oh, i've got this book i've got to give you . . . i'm like, please, let me guess!

i'd not heard that about the dairy. i've only been craving apples. i don't know what that means.

"Tell hubby to avoid all those first time dad books. Waste of time. He is just a glorified spare part. He'll get plenty of time to shine over the next 20 years."

i'll do that. he's been really freaked out lately. i did read that something like 65 percent of all males get hormonal with their partners during their partner's pregnancy. he's been sick, tired, and strange. yesterday he said, "i don't know what i'm doing. i've been good at everything in my life and i am not good at this!" -- i'm like what the hell are you talking about and stop freaking out, ya weirdo! we're one week pregnant in our heads, i do not expect you to "do" anything. plus he's been great. i really have no idea why he thinks he's not "doing" something right. he's so sensitive right now you really would think he's pregnant.

he sent me flowers from the baby, i thought that was incredibly thoughtful

the baby looks good and normal and healthy according to our doc. the hubby did not cry or pass out at the office, so i was really reassured that he might be the spare part i need . . . the one that rubs my head and holds my hand. he did that pretty well.

we're only nine weeks and two days. so i'm happy. that means more healthy womb time.

i can't wait to get a big belly. i told a friend of mine the other day . . . it's like your whole life adult life you're like is my tummy still flat, do i still look thin? then boom! you're running to the bathroom in the morning watching to see if the lump has grown overnight. i think i'll let the hubby body paint pictures on my belly when it gets bigger and then we'll photo them -- he's really artistic and talented.

"If you can, borrow as much of this stuff as is possible. Second hand is the way to go."

that is the plan; unless it's organic new stuff. and i don't want the baby getting lots of stuff -- i don't want the baby to be a "stuff-ed" baby.

"I love talking about babies so if you have any questions, let me know."

thank you. i really appreciate that. i feel like a selfish convesationalist, but all i want to talk about is the baby and the pregnancy. i'm sure i'll have lots of questions. right now i'm still just pretty euphoric.

okay, tommy, two questions:

if you'd like to skip all my rambling, here they are briefly -- what is your impression of a moses basket? do you think the hubby won't benefit from reading the book, The Expectant Father?


have you ever heard of a "moses basket"? if so do you know of anyone who's used this instead of a basinet? what's your impression.

i'm looking at one right now. it's a bit pricey i guess, but i like where it's made (honduras) and by whom (a co-op of women) -- it's also got organic roots, so i'd rather buy that than a wooden/synthetic basinet. they make stands for them too. of course, if someone offers me a basinet then that's that, but i am just wondering from a parent how good these things are -- none of my friends have them. i know i'm going to need some way of keeping the baby in my bedroom with me at first other than keeping the baby in the bed because that's dangerous and a bad habit to start -- any info on the moses basket as opposed to a basinet will be appreciated.

i just got all my preggers clothes from my girlfriend who was pregnant last year this time. she got pregnant in january, me february, so it's almost the same. it's great. i won't have to buy any clothes. she also brought me, which she had to sneak out of the house, The Expectant Father, etc. have you heard of this, does it fall under don't give to hubby?

1) I was given three books, they were all crap. Best by far was to read the books for women. The men books were all about your wife will be different for a while -treat her differently. Read the women books and you will see in clearer english exactly how different she will be. (even if your own eyes didn't tell you.) If your husband can't work out that being pregnant is:

a) hard work

b) slightly scary for you

c) a big fucking deal

Then:

a) He is not the man you think he is - tell him to take his sperm back

b) Call me, I'll smash his balls in to make sure it never happens again.

I have no idea what a moses basket is, but if you are planning to hide your offspring in bullrushes - it sounds like a winner.

And again I say I'm so happy to think of you being preggers. It really is an exciting time and as Bill Gates will surely tell you, all the money in the world can't buy that feeling.

That message comes up and says your message has been entered successfully. It made me laugh to think it said that when you posted you were pregnant.

"I have no idea what a moses basket is, but if you are planning to hide your offspring in bullrushes - it sounds like a winner."

hahaha! i think i'm just going for a used crib (although there is this really cool eco-crib for twenty-seven pounds, although i don't think they sell it yet in the US).

"And again I say I'm so happy to think of you being preggers. It really is an exciting time and as Bill Gates will surely tell you, all the money in the world can't buy that feeling."

that's so true. we thought i couldn't have children. my cervix is now a little messed up, so it is scary. i mean, when i found out about the problems with my cervix i nearly passed out. i did -- i blacked out. when all of a sudden you think you can't have children it just -- it really changes a lot of things. of course, i went through this spell where i blamed the hubby because it was related to an std, but i mean, if you don't have this std by the time you are my age you are among the twenty-percent of folks who don't. i really could not blame him anymore after a while. he's a decent guy -- he slept around, he picked something up and gave it to me -- he didn't do it intentionally and he got it while we were not together, what can i say, except when you're married you seem to end up sharing it all, even the really bad, ya know.

i'm so happy though. twenty-nine and thirty were the two shittiest years of my life. thirty one so far has been the greatest -- bill gates is so right about a couple things -- (not thomas friedman and the world is flat though, i strongly dislike him -- cockhead!) but, there is nothing better than a baby, and the hubby gets honorably discharged from the navy in three days -- so the military and the possibility of those fuckers ever calling us again is just a part of our past -- see ya later alligator!

the baby is ten weeks old today (plus or minus three days)

So, did you have the ultrasound scan? Isn't it amazing the way that they can check the blood flow from mother to baby. Or am I getting ahead of myself?

i had an ultra-sound or a sonagram. i'm not sure, and i read in one of my books it is the same thing?

but i didn't see the blood going from me to the baby. i saw the baby's heart beating and that is amazing.

they were not supposed to do the ultra-sound until week 12, but they thought i was in week 12 based on my cycle and all of that.

in the seventeenth to twentieth week we will see the baby again. then, they will probably be able to determine the sex and we will be able to see fingers and toes.

what do you mean about the blood flow. should i have been able to see that somehow? to be honest, the hubby would know far more about what we saw. the doctor was talking, and i was asking questions before he could finish. the hubby, was like, honey, be quiet, i'm trying to hear him, plus i only really wanted to know one thing . . . is the baby okay. and the doc said everything looked fine.

i was worried because of the vaccines i'd had for honduras, which is a no-no when you are pregnant, but he said that the ones i had were okay.

let me ask you something, did you get sick with mrs. tommy's pregnancies? i've had some rough days here and there. the past three have been pretty bad, and the hubby gets sick right after me or during. he just called me and said that he's been so messed up all day. is there anything that you recommend he do for it? to relax or whatever. i'm worried he's going to have an ulcer while i have a baby. i think he's stressing himself too much when i get sick.

we got offered a used crib today. i'm very happy about it. i don't think the lady expected me to be so happy, but i was like, that's awesome, yes, we'd love it! my friend who gave me all her preggers clothes was with me, she was like, she's really into recycling.

Yeah, I don't know the difference between ultrasound or sonogram either. The thing I remember though was the difference between Henry and Miranda. Roughly, seven and four years ago now. By the time of the second baby, the technology had moved on or they had bought a new machine. We were watching the grainy black and white screen and the operator froze the image which had turned multicoloured. We asked what it was all about and she said something along the lines of that it was a picture of the blood exchange between mother and baby, the different colours signifying the levels of gases and so on. I was competely blown away by the technology. It might be one of those things that they only do in the later screenings. Having said that they didn't do it at all for Henry.

I just remembered an old friend in England who is a midwife. She has delivered thousands of babies. I once asked her who were the worst patients. Without hesitation she replied, "Teachers." They read all the manuals and think they are experts. They are always firing off questions in the middle of labour. Try not to do this, as she gave it to me on good authority that the delivery staff have it in their power to make it a more miserable experience for smart arses. The hospital where Henry was born also told us the same thing. Don't come in with a twenty seven page birth plan unless you have discussed it with the baby first. Busy harrassed nurses love nothing better than fawning over pushy patients who have confused a hospital with a hotel.

congrats Sarah.

"Without hesitation she replied, "Teachers." They read all the manuals and think they are experts. They are always firing off questions in the middle of labour. Try not to do this, as she gave it to me on good authority that the delivery staff have it in their power to make it a more miserable experience for smart arses"

hahahaha!! that is so true of us in most things. we are terrible know-it-alls! you can't teach us anything.

can you imagine if my mom, brother, and sister-in-law went in with me while i was labour (my brother and mother are teachers, my sister-in-law is a speech language pathologist, but they call her a speech teacher, which she really really loves especially since she worked her butt off to become a speech language pathologist ) god, the doctors and nurses would be like, well then, do it yourselves folks!

poor hubby. he's not been reading his book.

thanks mc.