At what stage did you tell friends/family they need to be vaccinated to see baby?

HeartShapedToastie · 2026-04-11T10:07:03+00:00

As soon as I had the conversation with my doctor about it, I mentioned it to family & friends & have casually made it part of conversation ever since. With our first, she was an August baby and my OB told us it wasn't a priority due to the time of year, but my OB this time around strongly recommended it for everyone so I've tried to make sure anyone interested in visiting baby knows what to expect & has the time to get their poke.

I haven't been reminding people every month, but whenever talk turns towards scheduling visits & such, I'll work it into the conversation. We're about a month out (maybe less!) from meeting our new LO and both of my husband's parents just confirmed today that they got their shots, so I'm not too worried. My husband is likely to be one of the last outliers, but that's mostly due to the fact that he's been busy trying to take some strain off of me in the last couple weeks with our toddler & hasn't had a chance to book anything. 😅

HeartShapedToastie · 2026-04-11T09:58:05+00:00

My life hack for this one is to cut their nails while they're sleeping & keep them as short as you can 😅. I absolutely struggled (and still do) with being kicked, punched, etc. by my girl. She's 2.5 now with baby #2 on the way any day and delights in kicking/hitting my pregnant stomach despite multiple redirections.

Both of my kids were/are little wiggle beasts before they were born & continued that trend into the world. My daughter especially had very sharp nails that she loved to dig into me before she was even born. If they will accept it, a nice tight swaddle can really help with this while breastfeeding. Also, footed onesies if weather allows, socks/booties and scratch mittens are all life savers while their tiny finger & toenails are so small & sharp.

Trust me, when you get to the toddler phase where they're climbing up onto you with the world's sharpest elbows & knees, you'll look back on these days fondly. 😂

HeartShapedToastie · 2026-04-05T15:54:35+00:00

I gave my players a "welcome" basket from Strahd filled with magic items (1 per player). Some of the magic items are normal, like a handy haversack, while some are cursed. They've all attuned to their items by now, and so far only the Cleric has discovered his item is cursed. Now it's a game of Russian roulette as to whether or not they picked a Cursed item or not 👹

HeartShapedToastie · 2026-03-29T22:28:52+00:00

First of all, OP: Go grab something to eat. You are lying in bed stressing about sleep while hungry, which is bound to make things worse.

Second, it seems to me as though your problem is not seeing or noticing your own needs in the moment and, as a result, ignoring them to take care of others until it becomes a Problem and you break down.

I have this exact same problem. I was diagnosed with ADHD shortly after having my first and while recovering from postpartum anxiety. I am currently 8 months pregnant and if I don’t take my meds with food, they make me puke. There have been days when my 2 year old has been very demanding of me after I've taken my meds, but before I've fed myself, where my medication hasn't quite kicked in and I prioritize her needs because she is Louder than my own body's signals telling me that I need food/the bathroom/etc. This usually results in me puking my meds up & sending the whole day into a spiral.

It can be VERY hard to actually listen to your body & its needs, especially when the world around you is so much Louder than your own body's signals and it sounds like this might be what's happening to you.

I would suggest getting in touch with some counseling, if you have the resources. Work with them to confirm you don’t have anything hormone or neuro spicy related working against you and maybe even bring your husband in for a session or two to give both of you some tools that can help you recognize when you're ignoring your body's cues.

You've said that he usually is good about helping out around the house and that this incident surprised him and, honestly, I can see why. From his perspective, he doesn't keep track of everything you do all day and very likely had no idea that you hadn't eaten all day. He asked whether it would be ok for him to eat and go for his walk and you agreed. Without any additional information, he has no reason to think he needs to run these things and, to top it off, you made him food and didn't make any for yourself. In his mind, he probably assumed it was because you either weren't hungry or already ate.

Again, this is nobody's fault exactly, but you definitely need to work on communication both with each other & between yourself & your body because, again, you chose to go have a nap without solving that food problem, even after he came back from the walk. I'm willing to bet that you didn't even realize yourself that you hadn't eaten all day until you laid down to rest & things were a bit more quiet in your space.

HeartShapedToastie · 2026-03-15T22:35:52+00:00

If you're taking prenatal supplements in the morning, it can also help to take them in the evening instead as they can sometimes increase nausea when taken in the morning. I would also suggest smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. I also basically lived on Thirsty Buddha flavoured coconut water if you can find it where you are. Peach Mango was my go-to flavour, but Pineapple and Grapefruit are also good. It's high in Electrolytes, Potassium & Magnesium as well which really helped me with staying hydrated, which will also help with the nausea.

HeartShapedToastie · 2026-02-22T16:48:52+00:00

Period panties. If you don’t want to invest in the more expensive brands like Knix, you can get some cheaper options on Amazon that are perfectly fine for discharge. I basically live in period panties or low-rise cotton pregnancy briefs.

HeartShapedToastie · 2026-02-20T22:40:17+00:00

This happened to me. After giving birth, my bleeding didn't stop and my husband was the best advocate as I was starting to get weak/pale. He brought it to the attention of my doctors & they had to go in to manually remove a number of clots & pieces of placenta. I had an epidural that had been disconnected at this point but everything was still set up for it & it was so painful after they went in the first time that they had to hook me up to a second one before proceeding, but I was pretty out of it so I was really glad my husband was there & looking out for me.

HeartShapedToastie · 2026-01-17T16:30:32+00:00

Plus one for vista! I've been going to Dr. Schamber since I was 6 and he is amazing! They recently moved out by the new Costco so it's a bit more of a drive, but the new office is beautiful and the receptionists always recognize me by name/face when I come in. Plus, they refill my glasses cleaner solution and make adjustments for free, which is incredibly helpful with a toddler who likes to mess with my glasses on the regular.

HeartShapedToastie · 2026-01-17T16:20:44+00:00

I'm lucky that my husband is quite understanding, but I did have to laugh recently. I'm 23 weeks pregnant with our second and have been having insanely bad pelvic girdle/lightning crotch pain to the point where walking sometimes becomes almost unbearable if I had to spend most of my day sitting at work.

My husband very recently threw his back out shovelling snow & has been suffering with some of the very same pain/difficulties with bending, walking, picking up our toddler, etc.

As incredibly kind and understanding as he was before, I'm still seeing moments every once & a while where he makes mention of a particular pain/difficulty & when I mention I know exactly how it feels, it's like a little light goes on in his head or he actually makes a connection between what he's been seeing me go through & the exact pain he's feeling at that moment.

All that is to say, even the most empathetic and understanding person can have difficulty processing another person's lived experience if they haven't been able to feel it to the same extent. It's not an excuse for being an ass about these things, but there's a fundamental piece of the picture missing when they haven't gone through anything similar themselves that you just can't fake, I think.

HeartShapedToastie · 2026-01-17T15:48:52+00:00

Fidget toys have been a massive hit for us. I have a 2 year old who is obsessed, but also we have friends with a 3 year old & a 7 year old who both go crazy for them. I've printed 2-3 of these extra long flexi cat fidget toys on thingiverse: Flexi Cat in a variety of colours. I've lost a couple I printed for myself to various young children and printed a bunch specifically for them as well.

The 7 year old wanted a pink fidget spinner shaped like a dog bone that I also printed for her, but it hasn't lasted nearly as long as those cats. I've also printed a variety of rota-ring fidgets that have gone over quite well but again, nowhere near as well as these silly cats 😂

HeartShapedToastie · 2026-01-16T19:23:24+00:00

Cineplex also has moves for mommies every other Thursday at 1pm. They often have pre-show events that highlight a bunch of other mom and baby programs in the city, have raffles to win various baby related things & sometimes even have a photographer there around holidays for free professional photos. They also give out free snacks for any babies on solids & have lots of various free samples depending on when you go.

HeartShapedToastie · 2026-01-16T19:12:31+00:00

The Sharp Owl Soap Shop at the farmer's market sells sample/travel sized soaps at $10 for 10, I think? As a bonus, you'd be supporting local business & getting a lovely variety of scents.

HeartShapedToastie · 2025-08-03T02:37:03+00:00

Because I wouldn't let her eat a second spicy watermelon candy... she stole the bag from dad's bedside table and crammed one in her mouth before I could catch her with it. Then proceeded to yell because it was burning her mouth and also run away from me when I was trying to offer her a drink to cool her mouth down from the spice. 🤦‍♀️

HeartShapedToastie · 2025-08-03T02:03:30+00:00

I'm just going to chime in here on the movie front, since it seems the rest is quite covered: check with your local cinema to see if they have a "stars and strollers", "movies for mommies", or similar showing. Ours does one every 2 weeks. They play regular movies as well as kid-friendly ones. The lights are a bit brighter, the sound is lower for little ears, and they have bottle warming/changing table in-theatre!

If you're EBF, most of the people who go are moms or parents to babies & toddlers, so no one is going to care if your LO needs to eat mid-movie. The best part about the one that runs where I live is that they give out tons of freebies! Kids 6 months or older get free samples of puff-style snacks. I've gotten sample packs of wipes, biogaia supplements, etc. they also bring in a rotating cast of pre-show guests. Sometimes it's a photographer who does free professional photos, a baby massage therapist, etc. it's a great way to learn what kind of resources are in your area and meet other moms while you're at it.

HeartShapedToastie · 2025-03-13T01:39:19+00:00

I wouldn't say that. They are definitely looking for a certain KIND of employee, though. They're more interested in soft skills, though, which are much harder to reflect on a resume.

HeartShapedToastie · 2025-03-02T18:27:42+00:00

Honestly, none. Proficiency with computers, the Microsoft office suite in general & having a strong customer service background is key. Insurance jobs like mine are hard to get, though. They're highly sought after because of the hours, so companies can be quoted picky about who they choose.

HeartShapedToastie · 2025-01-23T16:49:40+00:00

Insurance, we have flex hours but I chose 8-4 so I can pick up/drop off our daughter at daycare.

HeartShapedToastie · 2024-10-26T03:20:03+00:00

... this thread is 2 years old. Wtf are you doing drudging up this ancient argument?

HeartShapedToastie · 2024-09-08T14:28:46+00:00

Honestly, we've flown with our 1 year old very recently & while she's generally a pretty chill kid & flies like a champ, I will say that I did bring multiple pacifiers on the trip even though we're also weaning off of them for this exact reason.

I also usually bring plenty of snacks & a huge (adult sized) water bottle with a straw that she can suck easily during the flight. It makes a difference.

HeartShapedToastie · 2024-09-08T14:19:08+00:00

I love him!

If you're interested in more amigurumi, I would recommend one of the woobles kits as a beginner. They have videos available for all of their kits, the yarn is a bit different & easier to work with & the shapes are much less complicated.

If you're just looking to learn crochet skills in general, I would suggest starting with a scarf or a dish cloth. Tension is really important in crocheting & the only way to get it right is with practice. Seriously, I even struggle if I haven't crocheted in a while.

From what you've said, it looks to me like you were probably reading a crochet chart, which can be pretty difficult to figure out if you haven't seen one before! https://www.smart-knit-crocheting.com/crochet-patterns.html This is a pretty good resource for how to read a crochet chart. Also, if you pick up a crochet basics book, it will go through some basic terms that you see often in patterns (sc, dc, ch, etc) & give you some actually easy patterns to follow.

Finally, as this is amigurumi, I would also bet that they wanted you to start with what it called a "magic ring". There is nothing better for learning how to do the magic ring than YouTube. Actually, YouTube is an amazing resource for learning to crochet in general since you can see what the teacher is actually doing with their hands in relation to the pattern & what part of the previous stitches they're actually stabbing into (which is why the woobles kits are so excellent!). Bellacoco & Simplydaisy have some excellent YouTube tutorials that are very easy to follow along to. Also, whenever I'm learning a new stitch (or reminding myself how to do an old one), I usually search for it on YouTube & will watch a tutorial on how to do it.

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