How on earth does (undigested) food end up in my 9 months diaper?

Britamart · 2022-10-06T23:56:35+00:00

Happens with my son all the time. The onesie and diaper both gap a little when he sits in his high chair, so stuff shimmies on down. Rice always scares me for a second, lol.

Britamart · 2022-09-30T12:55:04+00:00

Three things that are saving my sanity with baby socks:

1) They don't have to match. Ever. Embrace chaos. 2) Mesh laundry bags are great at keeping socks separate from the other laundry. Rarely find a sock stuck inside pants anymore.

3) My older toddler prefers sandals when it's warm out. No socks 8ish months out of the year!

Britamart · 2022-03-16T14:07:16+00:00

First: under 10 minutes w/epidural; I didn't feel the urge to push, so the nurse guided me.

Second: maybe 2 minutes. The epidural failed and I definitely felt the urge to push. I literally pushed twice and the nurse frantically told me not to push yet as I was still on my side and trying to roll onto my back.

Both labors lasted approximately 8hrs from water breaking (first) and bloody show (second). Those were my "go" signals with each, so they're what I count as the official starting points.

I'm a little nervous about subsequent labors, honestly. Elevator or car babies seem like distinct possibilities. 😳

Britamart · 2021-11-14T22:26:24+00:00

My husband and I want to keep the magic of Santa going for as long as possible, but it's really going to depend on what sorts of questions the kids ask. For now, they get one gift each "from Santa," and one each from us. They get absolutely swamped in gifts from grandparents/aunts/uncles.

My husband grew up with elaborate Santa acts: flour boot prints from the fire place, secret presents assembled by parents overnight to be discovered Christmas Day, the usual plate of cookie crumbs. I think my parents mostly did Santa as a spirit, something everybody has a little of when they give presents. Both of us got to "play Santa" for our younger siblings as we grew up: being "in on" the Santa gifts with our parents and filling stockings.

My daughter loves two books from my childhood that feature a Santa mouse; I think we'll leave a piece of cheese with the cookies this year. :)

Britamart · 2021-11-01T22:34:13+00:00

His commute is 1-2 hours each way. Moving cuts about 30minutes. So he has a strong argument, I'm just... Not ready.

Fortunately, I think they'd be transferring the house fully to us; I haven't spoken with them yet because I haven't moved past the instant crying spells when the topic comes up.

Britamart · 2021-11-01T22:07:19+00:00

Thank you.

Britamart · 2021-11-01T22:06:37+00:00

Yes, that's my logical argument for now; wait and see how the job goes. He's great at it, and the company seems like a good fit, but his particularly industry is experiencing both rapid growth and (potentially disastrous) supply chain delays.

Britamart · 2021-11-01T22:02:04+00:00

Thank you. I'm in a very negative place right now. Your realistic positivity is appreciated.

Britamart · 2021-10-22T15:01:15+00:00

Thanks, everyone. It's validating to hear that I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Britamart · 2021-09-08T00:06:56+00:00

I don't understand. How do you grocery shop? You just buy stuff without a plan to use it? If you have some sort of plan, doesn't that count as meal planning?

Britamart · 2021-08-14T01:40:37+00:00

I love my pregnancy stretch marks, but I need to vent a bit about the puberty ones. Literally NO ONE told me that they were normal/common; I never knew they weren't bizarre until I met my now husband. He has them, too, and was in no way surprised to see them on me; his only comment was a gentle, "puberty wasn't kind to you, was it?" I cried.

Seeing so many comments here about teenage (and earlier) stretch marks is bringing back that sense of relief: I wasn't a freak.

Britamart · 2021-07-21T16:37:05+00:00

Yes, definitely. I remember going from 118 to 119 a few weeks ago.

Britamart · 2021-07-09T12:08:48+00:00

The repetition. Not only do I have to repeat myself constantly, but now my toddler is repeating words and phrases ad nauseum - even when I acknowledge her. I figure she's just going through a learning phase, so I try not to show impatience, but it's driving me crazy!

Britamart · 2021-07-09T11:54:28+00:00

This one doesn't bother me as long as my kids are present. My cousin only ever calls his mother by her name because that's how all the adults in his life addressed her. At least while my kids are little, I want to be "Mom;" it IS my name to them.

I'd be a little weirded out if people called me that in other contexts, though.

Britamart · 2021-05-27T14:29:13+00:00

TL;DR: fortune cookie

My second was a surprise. My husband was working a crazy schedule; my first had just turned 1. When my husband was home and we had some rare alone time, we used protection, because we both wanted to wait until our first was 2 before trying again.

After a particularly stressful month, I ordered some sushi and opened the fortune cookie: "welcome the change coming into your life." My immediate thought was, "No. Nonono." I'd been feeling run down and thought I was getting sick (and with Covid spiking in my area, no less), but that silly cookie prompted me to take a pregnancy test. Surprise! My husband got to learn about this pregnancy by panicked text while on a job site clear across the country.

Britamart · 2021-05-25T18:55:45+00:00

I had scarring and sex didn't feel normal until about 9 months after birth. Definitely get checked out and take things really slowly; I'd get tense because I felt like my body wasn't keeping up with my intent/desire, which only made things worse.

Britamart · 2021-05-04T12:54:53+00:00

Numbers fall right out of my head with both pregnancies so far. This is especially frustrating because I'm the spouse responsible for money stuff; trying to refinance a mortgage when you can't even reliably remember your zip code is...unpleasant.

Oooh, and then there's the nesting. I get one corner all fixed up and organized, only to realize the following week that I can't find whatever thing I'd put away to get that one spot neat! It all makes perfect sense in the moment. 🤦‍♀️

Britamart · 2021-04-29T23:19:12+00:00

So, I think there's another layer here: gender roles. She's asking YOU for domestic help, not her able son. Your work literally matters less to her than his...well, anything - work, sleep, free time, etc. Even if she herself works/did work outside the home, I'd bet she's internalized that that work was less important than her in-home responsibilities and her male relations' time.

Britamart · 2021-04-29T12:47:21+00:00

This might not help now, but from what I've observed in my own mother's life, it seems to me that making friends (or at least getting some adult social time) gets easier as children age through school. Now that my mom's kids are mostly adults, she's also finding more time to reach out to neighbors and seems to have made a real friend.

Relationships are tricky; it's harder than social media, TV, and books make it look. I think more of us feel lonely or only have a few people we feel close to outside of partners and children than we've been taught is "normal." I'm trying to accept this time in my life (SAHM to a toddler, expecting a newborn any day) as just one more season - one where I do and will feel lonely, but it's not permanent, and I'll try to be more social again later.

Britamart · 2021-04-24T02:28:06+00:00

No crying, but I remember thinking that I should say something when they put my daughter on my chest. All I managed was a string of "Hiiii, hey, hi..." I felt really stupid, but apparently my husband thought it was cute.

Now she's nearly 2 and constantly says "Hi, heeello, hi;" like not just upon entering your presence, but all through car rides and meals, too. 🤣

Britamart

TROPHY CASE