I was going to post this as well. PLEASE report this to VAERS.

Those are VERY healthy weights. The average weight of a baby is 6-7lbs because SO many inductions are done before baby is ready for birth. So many in the medical field think a 7lb baby is "normal" and that a 8.5lb baby is HUGE!!!!! A baby between 8-9lbs is ready for life outside the womb. Most nurse very well also. I want to slap your midwife. Since it sounds like switching mws isn't an option, at your next appointment you need to have a VERY candid talk with her about how she made you feel. Remind her that you have birthed your other babies just fine and that you are sure this one will come out just like the others did. ;) And then tell her not to bring up the baby's size again. You can always wait to call her later in labor. ;)

I completely agree with this.

Ditto the Homeschool choir. One of my dd's was in it this past Spring semester and LOVED it!!! We were never involved in CHEER's co-op when we were in the group, mainly because of the cost. :ohmy: FAITH has a co-op as well but I'm not sure what the subjects will be this coming year or what day it will be on. The past few years it has been on Fridays. It's no extra charge for group members to have their kids in the co-op. For art you might check out Philbrook's 2nd Saturday's free days. Kids (I don't remember what ages) get a plastic box and each month get a free art supply and an "art card". The art card correlates with an exhibit in the museum and has an activity on the back to teach the artist's style. The art supply they get is something they need to complete the activity. While it's not a class, it's a fun way to incorporate art into your schooling.

Praying here as well. :grouphug:

Co-slept with three of my four children. Fully support co-sleeping when done safely. Especially for breastfeeding mamas.

I'm an only. Dh is the last of three. So...no.

I'm in the Tulsa area. My vote would be to drive on through Tulsa and visit OKC. The bombing memorial is very moving. To walk around is free but there is also a museum you can pay to go through. There's not much here in Tulsa that you'll be sad to have missed. Woolaroc is fun too but it's not in the Tulsa area. It's about 45 minutes north on HW75. If you have the time it's worth the drive. The drive to Dallas is quicker if you take I40 and then I35. I've driven both ways...that was the quicker route. It will also take you through OKC.

Thanks! We don't need history or presidents this year. And a homeschool Mom in OK has developed a really great curriculum for OK history. :) I think we may have enough. She has a pretty full course load so I think the research on the states that I'll have her do will be adequate.

Ah yes...great ideas! Thanks!

A couple ideas I had since posting.... - a biography on one well-known person from each state - research the events surrounding admission to statehood

We will be studying the states again this year. This time it can count as a high school credit for geography for my oldest dd. The last time we did the states I think my oldest was 4th or 5th grade and my 2nd dd was 2nd or 3rd grade. I know how do to the fun projects to learn the states. What resources are there for older middle school/high school level? I can still have her make a notebook like the other kids and require more in-depth work. But is there anything I could add to it? Research projects perhaps?

My oldest will be in 8th grade this coming year. Starting last year I planned out most subjects through graduation. Curriculum we use may change but the general idea of what we need to get done (subjects required, # of credits, etc) is planned. With my others I will follow the same plan starting in 7th grade and adjust for each as needed.

Another vote for marshmallow fondant. Great stuff and it will stiffen up fairly well.

Honestly, scientific studies aside, just consider the ingredients!! All of the added preservatives, chemicals, etc are NOT good for our bodies. And especially our children who are still growing and developing! I am of the opinion that if people would educate themselves and think about what they are putting into their kid's bodies, there would be A LOT less children being medicated. Just look sometimes at what people are putting in their shopping cart. It's appalling. Any food colorings, BHT, TBHQ, BHA, "natural" or "artificial" flavorings, MSG (this is almost always hidden, look online for a list), anything hydrogenated, HFCS, and anything I can not pronounce. You HAVE to learn to read labels. You HAVE to read labels on things that you think may not have anything in it. The other day I picked up a container of cottage cheese. It's white, right? It had food coloring in it!!!! The Feingold diet. You can find some info online and implement it without buying the program. The NDD Book by Dr. Sears

They are a little on the high side. BUT, if you look at the numbers with what you ate before checking, it doesn't surprise me. That highest one you are concerned about, your body may not respond well to the starch in the rice later in the day. You need to improve your diet just a bit. When you do that, you will probably see better numbers. You have some good proteins. But with those proteins are you eating a vegetable? The protein needs a veggie to help break it down. And yes, the sweets are an occasional treat. I'm on the fence about Brewer. My view is a special diet isn't needed. Good nutrition and exercise will, in most cases, prevent a good deal of pregnancy/labor/birth related issues (GD, PreE, placenta health, healthy third stage, etc). When I say "good nutrition" I mean 70-90g protein/day (making sure you have a serving at breakfast and before bed), fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits, whole grains, complex carbs, 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water each day (water or pregnancy tea; I don't count milk, juice, etc. The body needs water), eating every 2-3 hours, occasional "goodies" (everything in moderation :)), and very little to no processed foods (the placenta will tattle on a woman if she's been eating a diet high in processed foods, among other things). Don't stress about it!! Make small changes each day, don't try to do it all at once. :grouphug:

:bigear: Writing is one area that (sadly) we have been lacking in. My oldest will be in 8th grade and needs a little instruction in this area. She will be doing Excellence in Literature's English I which has quite a bit of writing already. I can't see any sample lesson pages for Essay Voyage, just excerpts where instruction is given. So I have no idea what is required of them to complete. I didn't know if both would be too overwhelming or if the Essay Voyage would be some instruction she needs which would supplement her English I. :confused: ETA: Is the TE essential??

That's just a coupon for tomorrow. Saturday and Sunday is the actual sale. If you "Like" them on FB and if you have an ON card, there is a 15% off coupon. :)

A HUGE ditto to anyone who said to avoid the Pit. It's awful. Did you try sitting in a chair and having someone push against your knees? Sometimes that helps pain in that area of the body. If you do have another, DO NOT get induced!! Your labor will be a night & day experience!! Almost all of my clients who had Pit with #1 are really worried about their next birth. And in almost every. single. case. her labor starts, she wonders if it's really labor, calls and says, "I think I might be doing something....could you come over and check me??". Then I get there and she's around 7cm!!!!! :lol:

Thanks! We found a Homewood in Alexandria that has better rates than the Falls Church location. Right now that's our top pick. All of the others mentioned are out of our price range or not available.

We are planning a trip for this Fall and have started researching hotels in the D.C. area. One question I have is, if we are looking in the surrounding areas are there any areas we should stay away from? We have been looking online but not knowing the area, I don't want to find one and then discover it's a horrible location! Our wish list for a hotel is: - One room for 6 of us. We could possibly do two rooms if the price is under $100/night. - If we can find one room for all of us, I'd like to keep it under $175/night. - Close to a metro station - Free breakfast - Free parking

A1c isn't an option for her at this point. It needs to be done early in pregnancy and then continued to see what the levels are doing. And you still have to do blood glucose levels. It's just not an accurate test to decide to do and give a dx of GD based on the findings. There is some good, easy to understand, information here: http://seattlebirthnet.com/files/Diabetes_and_Pregnancy2.pdf No. The way you tested may or may not be accurate for you. This is why I suggested doing it again with your normal food intake. No. Speaking as someone who has had home births and who is a midwife, you need to address this. If you aren't comfortable with them and can't develop a trust, you need to find a different midwife.

If you are concerned, do the finger pricks after you have eaten what you normally eat for breakfast. Check after you wake up (fasting) and then two hours after you eat. That will be a more accurate read of what your body does in response to your normal diet. Not after loading up on foods that you don't usually consume, in those quantities. If you don't test again then adjust your diet a bit and make sure you are getting at least 15-20 minutes of exercise each day (walking, swimming, etc). In the morning focus on proteins and veggies. Don't focus on simple carbs and sugars. Some complex carbs are fine. Before you go to bed eat something with protein, even if it's as simple as a protein shake. Add a handful of spinach, a little fresh/frozen fruit to it, some yogurt or keifer, and some ice. It will mix up like a smoothie. :) I wouldn't be concerned if you were my client. But then again, I wouldn't have tested you like they did and even the 50g GTT isn't accurate about 50% of the time. ;) So we may have gotten a different result. However, I do agree that it's nothing concerning.

$40/kid???? :blink: Last year I think I paid $7/kid for the week. We visited a church this past week and they were charging $10/kid for the week. It seems that around here, free VBS is a thing of the past.

I would venture to guess that the reason the pushing noises stand out to her is because she wasn't there. She was outside of the birth, listening to noises that she didn't understand, wondering if Mama was ok, etc. Talk to her about that. Show her other births. Explain that pushing is hard work and sometimes making noise helps a woman get the job done. Talk to her about what kind of noises are helpful (high-pitched screaming is useless, open jaw/moaning/grunting type noises are efficient). Our daughters will never know what normal birth is unless we start teaching them and letting them witness normal birth. So yes, I fully support having children at births. Ditto the others who have mentioned having someone there for her. It will give her someone to hang out with in case she chooses not to be in the room or in the event of an emergency. I have btdt and our children (who were younger than your dd at the time) were welcome to be in the room. For my 3rd birth my 2nd dd was 2yo. My pushing grunts scared her a bit so my oldest (then 4yo) took her to the living room. Of course my 2nd dd was too young to remember any of that. The 4th time it happened so quickly in the middle of the night that it was just me and dh so we were a bit preoccupied to go wake them up for the delivery. ;) But ALL that said, if YOU are not comfortable with her being there, she needs to wait outside (but still discuss the above topics with her so she isn't out there questioning and wondering what's going on). The most important thing is that you feel comfortable with everyone in the room while you are laboring and birthing.