One of my worries is that I don't feel like I know my body! I honestly had no clue that I was about to give birth last time until 2-2.5 hours beforehand. My water didn't break until my 2nd or 3rd contraction (which were still very slight and not preceded by any other warning), and even then it was barely noticeable, and I only knew that it happened in hindsight. It seems like the Hive sampling corresponds with the statistic that subsequent labors are often shorter, though not always. I guess just to be safe, DH and I will have to at least read up on emergency DIY birth, and we'll leave if I feel even the slightest contraction--better to be sent back home than not make it, right? Fortunately, my parents will be nearby (guest house 50 feet down our driveway), so I won't have to worry about waiting for them to come over to watch DS. I kind of wish that I weren't an only child because my mom and I had pretty much identical labors--a little over three hours at 36+ weeks (except she had a little warning since her water broke earlier in the day). It would be nice to have another data point from her! I didn't even think about pushing time until some of you ladies gave that info. I pushed for maybe 20 minutes max last time? My OB told me the pros for having an episiotomy, and as he was about to tell me the cons, DS decided that he couldn't wait and just came out.

I guess I'm somewhat girlie in that I vastly prefer dresses/skirts to pants, and I love pink. But my hair is almost always in a messy bun, and I almost never wear make-up, nail polish, jewelry, or accessories. For really dressy occasions, like weddings, I might put on very light make-up--light to the point that my DH peers at my face a few hours later and asks, "Are you wearing make-up?" Obviously, it's lost on him, so why bother?

Newsies! It's appropriate for that age group, too, I think.

Miracle? In a sense, they outsmart the evil Soviet team ... ETA: oops, I missed the part about wanting to avoid sports movies. sorry!

Unfortunately, no--I don't know anyone in the town where the hospital is. Also, with my first, I really didn't have any warning that things were getting started. My first few contractions barely felt like anything, and we only left for the hospital because my DH insisted. He still says, "I told you so." :tongue_smilie:

.

10.5 weeks and due Oct 5

(Apologies if this has been asked before, but I searched and didn't find any threads on the topic.) For those of you who have more than one child, was your time in labor longer or shorter for subsequent babies? I ask this because I'm a little nervous about getting to the hospital in time for my second baby (due in October). With my first, my total labor time was 3 hours, 15 minutes from the first contraction. My DH was terrified that I was going to have the baby in the middle of the night out on the county road as my contractions kept getting closer and closer. We live 30-35 minutes from the hospital, and we don't have the option of a closer hospital since we're in a rural area. Can anyone reassure me that I should have enough time to make it to the hospital? (I do not want to do a homebirth; I really, really like my OB and hospital)

Finale is decent for most purposes (though there are little things that drive me up the wall), and it is fairly easy to learn. Most serious composers that I know, though, prefer Sibelius, although that has a steeper learning curve.

It's a vicious cycle, too. After a subpar instructor, students think that history and theory are boring or dumb and decide not to take additional history/theory courses.

Performance was never my primary thing (although I played the piano and harp), but I have a PhD in music (concentrated in music history--baroque, 17th-c.). I have totally left the academic track, though, and am now a SAHM. Sometimes I consider applying for positions semi-locally, but aside from more elite institutions, most places want someone who will lead the jazz band, teach brass, AND teach music history/theory--and they're willing to sacrifice in the quality of the third to fill their hodgepodge needs. However, I don't regret not pursuing a career in academia because rather than following a particular job, we live in an area we love and aren't too far from family. Also, we wanted to have a lot of kids, and that's not really compatible with the tenure-track route. My DH and I met in our graduate program, got married part-way through, and graduated at the same time, so it's nice to be married to someone who loves early music as much as I do. Sometimes in hindsight, I wish that I had left after getting my MA (two years, as opposed to 5.5), but I do think that I became a much better writer after writing my dissertation, so I guess that's a plus.

Here's something I found from my state's lactation consultant association that might be useful: http://www.walc.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/BOTTLE-NIPPLES-FOR-THE-BREASTFED-BABY-Gima-0509.pdf I will say, though, that I occasionally used Avent bottles with my DS and never had the biting problems mentioned in the link. For my next, though, I might try out some of the ones recommended.

Do you have more info on this alternate recording? I loathe Jim Weiss's voice.

My DH and I splurged on a Stearns and Foster mattress. He has back issues and needs a firm mattress, while I miss my "cloud bed" (read: soft mattress, plus pillowy mattress cover) from before we were married. To me, a lot of firm mattresses feel like sleeping on a board, but, obviously, my DH's back is more important to me. I don't know how it works, but our firm Stearns and Foster doesn't feel rock hard, yet offers really good support for my DH's back--something to do with their coil system, I think. We definitely hadn't been planning to spend quite that much money on a mattress, but we kept going back to the same one after visiting several stores and trying out a lot of mattresses. I think that a softer Stearns and Foster would probably be even more heavenly, but I'm really happy with the firm one we have, and my DH's back feels much better sleeping on it.

According to this article, they will still honor gift cards and coupons: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/borders-files-for-bankruptcy/?hp

I really like the atmosphere at the Sci-Fi diner at Hollywood studios. The food is typical diner food, but I like watching the B-movie clips and eating in the little car.

I have had an Oxo can-opener for 6-7 years; I don't treat it badly, but I don't go out of my way to be extra careful with it, either.

I use unsalted. Unsalted is usually better quality, and manufacturers often add salt to lower quality butter.

I cannot stand the sound of the scraping or the ultrasonic (I think that's what it's called--it uses water and there's a horrible high-pitched sound) cleaner. I think it's the same reaction some people have to the sound of styrofoam or fingernails on a chalkboard. I also have very sensitive gums, and almost everything hurts a lot. I also had a terrible experience as a teen with a wisdom tooth removal when the anaesthesia didn't really kick in. I shrieked as the dentist pulled the tooth, and both he and the assistant nonchanlantly asked what was wrong. After another injection, they asked me to just raise my hand if it hurt again--yeah, right (I guess it doesn't look good in the waiting room if someone's shrieking in pain in the back). So count me in with the dentist-shy crowd!

I roast a lot of things: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, squash, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, onions, garlic, etc. I usually toss them in a little olive oil with some salt and pepper. If I have herbs on hand, sometimes I throw them in, too. Then I usually roast them at about 425 and stir once or twice until they're done. Tomatoes are delicious slow-roasted at a low temperature. Since I live far from a grocery store (or in the summer I have too much excess produce from my garden or from neighbors), I sometimes do several meals worth at once. That way I only have to turn my oven on once, and the cooked stuff takes up a lot less room in the refrigerator. The veggies are best right after roasting, but if I'm busy with other things, the convenience is great. My DH also loves snacking on roasted cauliflower and broccoli, which I definitely encourage (better than chips or ice cream!). Plus I've noticed that the veggies go a lot faster when they're roasted versus boiled or steamed. The caramelization from the roasting is delicious. I also make a lot of salads (we almost always start with a salad), and I always have 2-3 homemade, lower-calorie/fat dressings on hand in the fridge, and I change up the fruits/nuts/veggies/garnishes depending on what I have on hand. There are some excellent, healthier salad dressings in the America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook (or the same recipes are in The Best Light Recipe from Cook's Illustrated). This shallot vinaigrette has also been a stand-by for me: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Shallot-Vinaigrette-5213

I love being to order holds online. My rural library is pretty small, but it's part of a great system, and I often get things in a few days. Occasionally, though, it will take a few weeks even if there are no holds (I think this happens when I order from smaller libraries further away). Some weeks I go in and have a few items waiting for me and other weeks a ton of my things come in at once.

7 days, 2 renewals if there is no hold. There are a small number of "browsing copies" (new releases) that are 7 days with no renewal possible. No limits on the number of DVDs checked out, just a limit of 100 items on any one card. Fines for DVDs are $1/day, as opposed to 10 cents/day for books and CDs.

Different rites (or liturgical traditions) exist in the Catholic Church. The most common is the Roman rite (hence the term Roman Catholic). But there are other rites, such as Byzantine, Coptic, Chaldean, etc, which are Eastern rites (there are also a few Western (non-Roman) rites like the Ambrosian rite). Before the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century, there were other rites as well.

:party:Not the prettiest win by the Packers, but I'll take it!

Do you have a food coop nearby? Mine sells it for 3.79 (16 oz.). ETA: this is for instant SAF