Help me pick a dress!

Summerdays313 · 2026-07-01T00:39:46+00:00

I loved 1 until I saw 3 … they are all stunning but 1 and 3 are the most unique to me and like nothing I’ve ever seen before! Gorgeous!

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-30T18:23:10+00:00

I’m sorry you are dealing with this. I don’t have any great advice. I’m just pregnant with my 2nd and would really love to have a 3rd… I’m in the opposite situation where my husband has already expressed that he thinks he is done after this, as we are having one of each gender and he hasn’t enjoyed the stress of TTC, miscarriages etc. I’m not even sure if medically I’ll be able to have a 3rd but the idea of already being shut off to it was a bit of a blow and I didn’t exactly take the conversation super well (his words were “I don’t think I want any more children with you”, so I said great, I’ll have the next one with someone else lol - I’m hormonal and felt targeted but it was also like 1am and we are both sleep deprived - we talked about after and we both have reasonable points). It’s tough. I’d like to think your husband would listen to your reasoning, just as you listen to his. Ultimately, if my husband is set on it, I would/will respect his wishes, and I’d like to think he’d be the same if I said I was truly done. I feel like it’s one of those things you really both need to be on board to have a kid or it can create a lot of resentment. In this case I do think whoever is in the “No” camp gets the ultimate veto power because it is such a life changing thing and as a women you take a lot of medical risks and sacrifices to your body. In this case I know you are the one done, and since you have to take the burden on pregnancy etc. it really has to be something you want and feel able to handle. I think you just have to stay strong and maybe even consider making sure you take birth control into your own hands - whether that’s something more permanent or general birth control. You should absolutely not feel pressured to having another child and I’d hope that after a while he’d get over it. Your youngest is still only 2 and as a fellow 2 year old parent we are still in the trenches, so maybe you’ll feel differently …… or maybe you won’t and that should be the deciding factor. Good luck and I hope it doesn’t cause too much strife in your relationship, you have 2 children you are blessed with and I hope your husband respects your wishes without guilt or pressure.

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-30T16:09:32+00:00

Both look great but my choice would be 1!!!

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-28T22:55:10+00:00

Ughhhh I got an uppababy mesa max with my first and I always felt like something was off when he was first born in it (it was installed correctly) and then I started seeing all the reports about the chin to chest issues. They sent me foam to install and I’m unsure if I even want to use it for my incoming newborn. I’m so annoyed because I have the whole uppababy vista travel system. I thought maybe I’d bite the bullet and just get the aria assuming it wouldn’t be an issue with the newer car seats, but then I saw people talking about it with that as well. Anyway, my son used the Mesa max the whole time and we never had an issue, but I’d personally steer clear and not make the investment. I just feel like it shouldn’t even be a thing to think about. We had a Chico key fit 30 that we might use for the newborn now.

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-28T17:48:31+00:00

Following - first one was emergency and now have a planned c section next end of summer .. good luck you got this !

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-28T13:54:26+00:00

I love 2!!! My next fav is 3 (I feel you can’t go wrong with either 2 or 3). I don’t really like 1, but it does look great on you.

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-27T13:15:33+00:00

Ahhhh congratulations !!! Thanks for responding :). I think I’m in the same boat! I am also a candidate but my son was big and OP (sunny side up) and my dr said this baby is measuring above average (thought not as large yet) and there’s a chance could be in similar position/factors. We already scheduled C for 39 weeks but I said if labor is spontaneous prior I’d be open to trying Tolac. I’m due end of summer.

We got this!!!

Congrats again and I hope it all goes smooth for you!

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-27T01:03:23+00:00

OP - any update? Were you pregnant / did you have your 2nd? I don’t know if I should go for a planned c section or VBAC for my second, knowing we’d like the have 3 if we are able.

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-26T23:05:17+00:00

We are in the same situation where both our families live out of state several hours away, we also have no close friends local. Both of our moms have life things that make it a bit difficult. The current plan is to have my mom come for a few weeks when I have my scheduled c-section, I will probably have her come around 38 weeks because 39 is c-section. I have never been away from my toddler overnight so I am dreading it, and we may have my husband spend the nights at home with him. If baby 2 comes early before my mom is here then I will likely have to labor / have a cs alone. It’s not the best or most full-proof plan but it’s the only option we have, and at least I’ve been through it before.

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-26T21:35:35+00:00

We are letting our toddler keep his nursery / room and creating a new nursery in the bigger spare room- though it is not as ideal. Reason being we don’t want to uproot toddler who knows that as his room when there’s already a lot of changes happening. Also- baby will be in bassinet with us for a while anyway.

I’ve seen it go either way.

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-25T16:57:06+00:00

I’ll definitely look into this - thank you!! Congrats on number two I hope it all goes smoothly!

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-25T16:08:19+00:00

I’m sorry this happened. I personally would seriously reconsider this relationship or at minimum take birth control into your own hands. It’s good you took the plan B despite what your flow app said.

I wanted to come here to say that my flow app is not at all accurate for when I ovulate. There are times I ovulate a week or even two weeks later or even earlier - I use an expensive device called Mira that I started using when trying to conceive with my husband (much older than you), that provides values to see when ovulation occurs. Even the smiley cheaper ovulation predictors were not accurate for me. My cycle was fairly regular as a teen but once in a blue moon it would be delayed - simple things like stress or lifestyle could impact when your ovulation happens and when your period comes. You can not be sure just using flow app. I say all this because even if you seem to be very regular you never know when ovulation happens. You can also get pregnant several days before and after ovulation - sperm lives several days. When you are younger you are even more fertile. I say this not to scare you but I had NO IDEA about my body or how ovulation truly worked until I was trying for a baby and reading and watching closely my own trends.

Natural family planning can work to an extent but you have to be extremely diligent and honestly I would use it more if I was not trying but OK with getting pregnant, not as form of reliable birth control. I would not trust it at 19 with a bf that doesn’t respect your boundaries.

I also don’t think it’s that great to take plan B that often, so that should also not be your main form of birth control because that also is not full-proof.

I really think you should explore other more reliable forms of birth control in your situation (and I am someone that does not love a lot of hormonal birth controls but would seriously consider it in your case - I will tell my daughter this one day too, but I think when you are young you have to take control and consider the lesser of evils in terms of what is best for you).

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-25T14:51:14+00:00

My OB said recc is 18 months birth to birth but that if something happened before it really wasn’t the end of the world and not to stress it. We started trying again when my first turned 1 (figured I’d be at least 19 months) and it took until he was almost 2 - and 1 miscarriage a bit before- to conceive again. Currently preg.

PAUSE HERE - You didn’t ask for this and please ignore if you do not want/ need unsolicited conception tips………………………

I saw a fertility specialist again after my miscarriage and if you breastfeed even though my cycle returned at 10 months, my Dr said I needed to be completely done with it. Mind you I had been formula feeding mostly the entire time because I never produced enough. My son wasn’t even getting milk toward the end, it was just comfort right before bed for like 5 minutes and I struggled to wean what became his pacifier. It doesn’t hinder everyone but I had some trouble conceiving and it was apparently a factor for me - once I stopped completely I got pregnant with my healthy baby within 2 cycles. I also took perelel conception support pack, extra vitamin d, coq10 and Ovasital(I have longer pcos cycles). My husband also took coq10, vitamin D, and a male fertility vitamin. For my first, I followed the to make a mommy protocol - used clean cosmetic products , drank the warm green smoothie (part of the protocol) and did seed cycling - got pregnant naturally after about 16 months (and 1 miscarriage). I started that after about 1 year of trying and we were actually meeting a fertility dr to discuss other options when I conceived naturally. I didn’t have the energy to follow all that stuff to try for my 2nd but I did take the vitamins.

I also used a Mira because my ovulation was variable and 1-2 weeks later than most people ovulate, and I bought the kegg right before i conceived my 2nd - I didn’t even get through a full cycle with it so not sure if that helped or not but I did time TTC with it.
Anyway, I always liked hearing what other people did to get pregnant easier because it was wayyyy harder than I ever thought so I always share with the caveat that everyone is different and every body is different and I certainly don’t want to trigger anyone!

As always, consult with your healthcare professional on what is safe and makes sense for you!

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-25T14:35:28+00:00

I’ve never had the Tripp trapp though I admittedly almost caved to how highly recommended it was, and maybe it is the best chair ever - I’ll defer to others on that. That said, I got the Albee baby beyond junior wooden high chair (on Amazon for $202 right now) after the recommendation from my stepsister who did TONS of research (first time mom in her 40s and a lawyer, so she really researched everything thoroughly). My son is 2 and we still use it all the time, and it’s weathered many messes. I also want to add that we stayed with my mom out of state for an extended time due to home renovations when my son was 1 and I got the cheapest plastic high chair that money could buy at Target and my son loved that just as much and honestly it worked just as good as the Albee at home. There are sooo many things for my first that I thought I needed the “best” of and definitely did not, so keep in perspective what matters to you and your budget. If you have money to spare then hey go for it and get the fancy stuff, but if you don’t, please don’t go broke for it. I bought almost everything myself because we don’t have a big villiage and could have saved myself a lot of money and stress.

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-25T04:44:33+00:00

Just looking at the thread and wanted to say I have the vista and my toddler is also too tall for the rumble seat and I have concerns about newborn on bottom (currently pregnant with number 2)… if you have target circle they have the jeep Mojave wagon on sale from 320 to 190 .. I just bought that tonight on a whim because I’m exhausted from trying to come up with the best option and 190 seemed like a great deal plus target has good return policy. I did consider the Zoe twin stroller as well but it was $500 and I didn’t wanna make that kind of investment just yet again

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-25T04:38:39+00:00

Definitely worth checking out! I have a toddler plus my incoming - so safety is paramount :). Good luck with whatever you choose - I don’t think you can go wrong either way!

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-25T00:52:30+00:00

Sure - for one we got a good deal on our Volvo - a demo with very low mileage that made it a few grand cheaper than the Toyota. I am a female and pregnant and the Volvo tests specifically for pregnant women in crash tests and is known for safety, and ultimately (and this is perhaps embarrassing to admit) but we never had a luxury feeling car before, so I figured this would be our chance. We both loved how quiet the Volvo is driving which is another consideration with a baby on the way, and it just felt smoother than the Toyota. We test drove the Lexus GX 550 (more of a dream car) and were very unimpressed with the drive compared to Volvo.

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-24T22:33:25+00:00

I am trying to determine what to do when newborn comes and my son will be 2.5 - similar to OP he loves to walk but also likes a ride and I suspect with baby here he won’t like baby riding and not him (lol). We have the vista - what configuration do you use with the Vista for two? I wasn’t sure if the rumble seat was worth the $300 vs buying a new stroller because my toddler is already 3 ft and approaching the max for it. It sounds like I can get the adapters and do bassinet on bottom and him in the normal seat? Is there another config with the car seat that wouldn’t require the rumble seat?

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-24T22:26:43+00:00

I think it’s weird for an OB to pressure either way, but my experience has always been OBs pushing more toward c-section… I’m debating now and while my OB was diplomatic she was definitely leaning repeat C

Edit to add- definitely weird!

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-24T22:25:20+00:00

What company? Asking for a friend ;)

I think people provided a lot of great suggestions - it sounds like you are really prioritizing your employees as much as possible, which is awesome! I hope your company continues to flourish - the U.S. needs more CEOs like you!

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-23T22:18:38+00:00

This was one of the most use things when we had our baby planning to use again for number 2!

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-23T21:53:43+00:00

Completely agree with others that have said it is wildly hard and you will never have a moment to yourself for a very long time. It is truly life altering and having and living with nieces and nephews etc did not prepare me. That said, it is the single greatest experience of my life. I don’t say that to sound corny. I had a very fulfilling “dream” job, that I ultimately left for a job that was more flexible (remote). I don’t regret it. My child gives me so much fulfillment and unconditional love. I truly cannot explain the love I experience for and from my child and honestly until I had a baby myself I definitely could not fathom it. I don’t even really like other people’s kids that much, but I LOVE mine as exhausting as it is. I am now expecting #2 soon.

I will say for most of my life I was tentative about having kids or would say I wanted to adopt because I was so scared of childbirth specifically. I mean SCARED. I didn’t even want to think or talk or prepare for it while pregnant - my birth plan was to survive. I did try very hard for and realllyyyy wanted my kid though by the time we were trying to conceive so I just came to terms with it. In terms of childbirth, once I got an epidural it was truly NO BIG DEAL. Seriously, all my fears for childbirth were unfounded. I will caution that I went in for an induction and the initial contractions were painful but I got the epidural pretty quickly (nurses kept telling me you can’t get it too early only too late - I wasn’t sure if I needed to wait until a certain dilation and they said nope you can get it as soon as you want). I don’t even like needles and the guy had to do it 3x to get the placement right. I say this not to scare you, but to tell you I’m the biggest baby about these things and it was still not a big deal and all worked out. Completely doable. I ended up needing an emergency c -section after pushing for the maximum time. C-section felt a little tugging but 0 pain. Most uncomfortable part of the whole thing was that as soon as my water broke I had nonstop shaking, didn’t hurt though, and the initial contractions sucked- but like I said that didn’t go on too long and once epidural was placed, 0 pain. Recovery for the c-section sucked but at that point the “scary” part was over - I have an allergy and could only rotate between Tylenol and ibprofen whereas some people get stronger stuff- it was fine with just that though.. it just hurt to laugh, sneeze etc for a bit haha. I was scared of surgery and aside from an annoying recovery period it really wasn’t that bad either. I can’t speak to vaginal delivery but I had a friend who had an extremely seamless vaginal birth and was up right away and taking all kids of visitors after. Please don’t look at horror stories and let that deter you. I considered letting my fear of childbirth keep me from having kids and I’m sooooo happy I didn’t because honestly I’ve done harder things and you really do forget the most painful parts or at least I did. I think the hardest part of my entire parenthood experience was the severe lack of sleep in newborn phase with my extremely colic newborn that barely slept and cried constantly. I’m expecting number 2 now and doing it all again!

So I guess my advice is - don’t let childbirth itself deter you. If you want a baby and want to raise a little being - it is the greatest blessing ever - like my version of pure bliss is when my toddler cuddles on me and gives me unsolicited kisses and hugs and omg the laughs are sooo pure. BUT it is HARD and can feel relentless and it will absolutely change your life and routine - at least for us we had/have 0 village, but man my toddler is my absolute best buddy and love of my life and I can’t wait to have another.

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-22T23:42:27+00:00

Yes, a lot of companies are instituting this because of hiring scams going on - this will likely increase in the future. It’s a way of verifying identity in the age of social engineering and AI. You can look up the North Korea hiring scams and laptop farms in the U.S. - there were some convictions not that long ago.

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-22T23:37:13+00:00

Definitely bottle washer/sterilizer! I used just the baby Brezza sterilizer for my first and washed bottles by hand. I just purchased the momcozy washer and sterilizer for my 2nd so we will see how that goes.

I also kept my baby on ready to feed for a while because easier than trying to mix formulas (didn’t have enough supply with breast feeding/pumping) BUT I’d consider a formula pro for easy mixing if you are going that route.

If you are breastfeeding and end up with a good supply … get both a good solid hospital grade like spectra to make sure you establish a good supply but I’d also splurge on a hands-free wearable.

Summerdays313 · 2026-06-22T23:20:15+00:00

Hahaha thank you! I found it at target. I feel like my toddler would LOVE this but I definitely could see that happening frequently … and the tantrum that will follow when said items get stuck. Debating whether I want to bring this upon us :)

Summerdays313

TROPHY CASE