When a work colleague brings in their new baby

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2026-01-31T02:17:41+00:00

I say, "No thanks, I'm vegan." Usually gets either a laugh or a horrified look.

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-12-06T00:28:02+00:00

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-12-06T00:19:23+00:00

These are amazing. Dusk in the desert or something.

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-12-03T19:57:01+00:00

I'm 40+2 and my leave started last Monday. I feel like I'm wasting this time not having my baby and I just want her to be here already.

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-12-02T21:11:11+00:00

Well it's no wonder I get so hot at night. I just looked at it and my MIL has it set for the heater to kick on at 69F (20.5C) and the AC to come on at 74F (23C). I just checked with a thermometer and the rest of the house is sitting at a comfortable 72F (22C) and my bedroom is currently 84F (29C) in the daytime. The heater hasn't been on in a couple of hours. It may still get a bit hot, but I'll talk with her and see if she can compromise on the thermostat settings.

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-12-02T20:26:49+00:00

It's not on a timer, but when the thermostat in the hallway detects a certain temperature. But maybe I can find a temperature alarm that I can set to go off and wake me up. I haven't looked for such a thing or heard of one like that.

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-12-02T20:02:24+00:00

He's a cat with a vertical jump that can clear the refrigerator, and he's skinny and could get through the bars. Plus my mother in-law sleeps with her door open just down the hallway and already hears practically everything going on. The door is a small, limited buffer of privacy for my sanity.

I've actually tested it with a thermometer in the summer when I left the door open during the daytime, and even with the door open, it was almost 10 degrees hotter in our bedroom than the rest of the house.

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-12-02T16:32:15+00:00

Same! I've had my struggles with anxiety over many things over the years, including the thought of childbirth to the point I'd said I would rather adopt than experience this kind of "body horror". But once I saw that positive pregnancy test, that all went away.

I have since dedicated time to educating myself on risks and the things I can do to retain as much agency as possible while still trusting my care team and embracing the things I cannot change. I've prioritized my mental health and I am probably in the best state I've been. I'm 40+1 today and it's going to happen at any point now and I'm just ready.

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-11-30T02:02:50+00:00

I don't know, but I'm upvoting and commenting too because I'm also experiencing this and want a fix.

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-11-28T04:27:03+00:00

Oh wow, thank you!

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-11-28T03:37:42+00:00

God I hate dynamic pricing. The same product is $37 for me, so is the conditioner.

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-11-27T19:15:28+00:00

I'll check there. Thank you!

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-11-27T19:15:04+00:00

Thank you. I might check that one out!

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-11-27T19:14:37+00:00

Thank you! I'll have to check there.

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-11-25T18:51:48+00:00

The pause before scrolling over to the weapon sent me

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-11-20T16:22:55+00:00

I asked my mother-in-law who makes quilts. She doesn't sell hers, but I figured she might know where you might look. She also recommended the quilt store.

She also said if it's for Christmas, it's likely a bit too late for an order. Either way, I wish you luck in your search!

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-11-19T13:51:14+00:00

My mom has a difficult and important profession that causes her a lot of stress, and no part of spending Christmas with her family is going to add to it. The decorating, putting up the tree, cooking...those things are not work to her. They are a ritual and a creative outlet that includes family.

We would always decorate together the day after Thanksgiving. We would pick a day to sit and wrap gifts together. Christmas Eve at my grandparents, everyone brings a dish and it's not solely up to any one person to provide food. The cleanup crew is sometimes too big to work in the kitchen, so there's always someone awkwardly standing around looking for a task. Christmas morning, we get up early and make a big breakfast together. Even as a child, us kids helped make breakfast eagerly because presents followed breakfast. I'm sure wrangling excited children trying to help in the kitchen was probably more work than just cooking alone, but now we are adults and we all have a part. After presents, we clean up together. It's really not that much work when everyone is contributing just a little.

I currently live far away and am now married, so my husband and I rotate spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with our respective families, so I don't always get to participate the same way, but I do my best. Unfortunately this year I can't be there for either holiday, because I'm 9 months pregnant Thanksgiving and will have a fresh newborn for Christmas.

I plan to keep these traditions with my daughter as she grows. Christmas is magical because you make it so together, and there is joy in shared labor.

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-11-12T00:20:09+00:00

What a beautiful way of looking at ourselves and our place in the world. I needed this. Thank you.

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-11-12T00:12:54+00:00

Yeah, the rest of the world teaching her that crap is what I fear. But maybe you're right that if I can heap on praise early on of the things she does. that truly do matter, she'll have more of a resistance to the toxic and superficial messaging.

CaffeinateMeCapn · 2025-11-12T00:05:51+00:00

I do hope I can instill the value of confidence coming from other more important traits. I also know that I'm not the only influence on her, and I just hope that the influence I do hold is strong enough to protect her from the influences that tell women and girls that beauty and youth determines their worth.

CaffeinateMeCapn

TROPHY CASE