I probably would not use it. I am paranoid, and with several small children, I would not want to take the risk. Overnight is just a bit too long for my comfort, personally.

I am so sorry hornblower. So unfair.

That just went on my to do list for next year with my 2nd, 4th, and 6th grade boys. DD age 17 is reading this over my shoulder and is envious that we didn't do that when she was that age.

Even if you don't really like cop shows, maybe try White Collar? It's pretty clean, not generally gory, clever, and not so much guns blazing. It's my go to when I run out of other things. The Resident is a bit goofy and unrealistic (although maybe not in comparison to New Amsterdam!), but I like it. I also like 9-1-1, and its LoneStar version is at least interesting. Schooled (I've never seen more than a few clips of The Goldbergs, and it's a spin-off) is very silly but funny for those of us who went to school in the 90s.

I totally hate the term "geriatric pregnancy." As if I needed a cane to walk into my appointments! I had my first at 24, but we actually got more fertile as we got older, go fig. I had a normal pregnancy at 36, a normal one that turned complicated and didn't end happily at 39, and then a ridiculously high risk pregnancy that went actually quite well at almost 42 (could have done without the readmission for postpartum preeclampsia, but eh, it wasn't that big of a deal to spend a couple of extra days snuggling him in bed while the nurses took care of us). He's perfect, absolutely perfect. Having a baby in my 40s has been amazing. Yes, it's a bit physically harder, and I'm more tired, but also I have five older kiddos, so I'm also much busier, but there's something I can't explain that is so wonderful about having him. Part of it is that having him is a bit of a miracle anyway, but also, by this point, I know exactly how fast it goes, and I also know that I'm capable of doing this parenting thing, so I just enjoy the heck out of having this sweet little guy. I'd expect a busy pregnancy and a lot of appointments. Watch for hypertension and diabetes. My biggest worry is that my little dude will be lonely, because he is five years younger than his next older sibling, and/or that he will lose us before adulthood. It's a little weird to realize that our older kids are getting well over a decade more of us than he will, but he gets more laid back parents, and he gets the siblings too. He's a bit indulged by everyone, lol.

I know, mama. It's so hard. I wish I could tell you something more concrete.

Part of the reason for that is because preeclampsia itself is a symptom of a conflict between the Mother's body and the placenta that then leads to a cascade of other symptoms. The problem is that there can be a lot of reasons for that conflict, and it can develop along different pathways. So for one couple, it might be that their genes just don't play well together and make placentas that her body can tolerate. Some mothers get it right at term in their first pregnancy because their body just hasn't done that before, and then they're fine the next time. Some others (yours truly) have underlying conditions, known or unknown, that contribute. Sometimes it's a genetic issue in the baby. And so on. It's really, really complicated! We know a ton more than we did fifteen years ago, but research is ever ongoing. Good luck Monday @hjffkj!!!

Oh, perfect-- that may work well. I will take a look. Probably we can do just the book and TE. He likes to work independently and just ask for help when he gets stuck. Thank you!

If more than 90% of women don't get enough choline, then why don't 90% of women have pregnancy complications? PE only affects 5-8% of pregnancies, so why don't the rest of the women who don't get enough choline get PE? And with basically the same diet (in fact, probably more eggs in the later ones), why did I only get PE in the sixth one and postpartum with the seventh?

I only skimmed the article a bit because preeclampsia caught my eye. They have found that women who get PE do tend to be low in vitamin D, but supplementing vitamin D has not been found to make a difference in PE rates. Blood thinners help prevent clots in moms with clotting disorders but don't prevent PE either. Calcium may help in women with extremely low dietary calcium intake, such as found in developing countries, not like "does not eat a lot of yogurt" diets. As of yet, the only thing shown to prevent PE, and only in a few women, is low dose aspirin, started by the late first trimester. Someday. . . Someday we will have a prevention and a cure, I hope.

My rising 10th grade son is liking Jacobs Geometey this year. He likes that he is mainly independent. But now we need algebra 2. He isn't interested in an online class. No AOPS. We did a couple of years of that, and he just does not want more.

Yeah, even though I do enjoy math and am pretty good at it, given that I have three younger boys in addition to those two, making up my own lessons tends to be reserved for other subjects that are a better fit for my time. I think that's part of what I like about Singapore, that it has just enough guidance for me. I'm great at elaborating on it as needed; I just don't want to do that all the time. But, this is encouraging. Maybe I can use AOPS with him more as a "hybrid," more direct teaching than the heavy discovery. It sounds like it is worth a try, anyway. Thank you!

My older son did AOPS Pre-a and A and was just frustrated with them. He likes math too but did not enjoy the discovery method (but also prefers to be independent so, lol -- he is actually a very compliant and easy kid but likes what he likes and doesn't like what he doesn't like). Soooo I'm slightly hesitant to try it with my second son. But, maybe I should just try it with him and see. He tends to be a bit more of the "what if we do this" sort of kid than his older brother and is more laid back.

My second DS is a rising 6th grader. He is great at math and likes it pretty well. We have used Singapore for years, and he will finish 5 soon. I don't have 6. I used Singapore through 5 with my first son and then moved him to AOPS pre algebra to do over two years. That went okay. Buuuut, I am starting to wonder if AOPS is a good choice. My kids don't tend to like all the words on the page that young, and I'm thinking it just may not be a good fit for him. Do I want to try AOPS Pre-A, maybe in a more teacher-dependent way? Do I want to buy Singapore 6? Do I want to skip 6 and go right to Pre-A, and if so, what is similar to Singapore?

No idea what the rules are around here, but I have no problem with a school setting an age cap, or a lower limit. I just might not agree with what those limits are. I think 21 is too old because they can provide alcohol. I personally also think below high school age is too young. And it seems reasonable to me that they should follow state laws of consent if there are laws about how far apart in age they can be. So 19 attend with a 17yo, fine, but not with a 14yo, if state law doesn't allow for that. My school let my 20 year old boyfriend attend my senior prom with me when I was 18. They also let me attend his junior prom when I was 15, and he was 17 (and the two in between, lol). Why would a young adult man want to attend high school prom? To make his girlfriend happy. (He did so under some slight protest, haha, but did because I wanted to go.)

Also, Noreen, you have worked plenty. Just because there is not a monetary salary, it doesn't mean you haven't worked. And your work has made it possible for your DH to bring in money.

It would go to the house improvement fund. That would buy trim or materials to make something to store our cast iron or materials for the next set of built ins or whatever. Doesn't sound exciting, but it would be the next step in continuing to make my house useful, and that would bring me joy every day.

Yes to this! For swaddling tiny babies, there are other blankets that work better than a quilted one, and you can't put any blanket in a bed with a baby anyway. I like a quilt-style blanket for a play mat. They stay put nicely compared to receiving blankets, and they look cute in tummy time pictures. But that also means they will be spat up on, possibly placed on the ground outside, etc. I will be really grateful for a sturdy blanket or quilt to use that way, very grateful, but it shouldn't be fragile.

It is very rude, yes. But also, it is somewhat practical. What if the registry has no newborn sized clothes on it because her neighbor gave her a whole bag of that size? She doesn't really need a whole host of people bringing newborn when what she really needs is the next size up. So yes, if I bought newborn clothes, I'd include a gift receipt. It's still rude to ask for one though, but I'd err on the side of assuming the person meant to be practical and helpful to a new mom rather than dictatorial.

I think it is horrible for ANY kid, and especially a kid with learning challenges. Kids always know whose work is being discussed, even if the teacher thinks they are being anonymous. If nothing else, the child was sitting there in the classroom, listening to the teacher and other students pick at her work. That's so damaging and hurtful to any kid! If it is a student who struggles, then it denigrates all of their hard work and effort and may mean they don't want to try next time. I certainly wouldn't want to, and neither would my children. And for a child who normally does well and who has an off day or something, the other kids catch that and pick on that child. I think it would have been much more beneficial for the teacher to talk about some general things she noticed. "I want to review rules on capitalization today because it can be hard to remember all of them. Let's focus on that for our next assignment." Maybe choose one or two things that she wants them to keep in mind for the next time.

This completely!

Mexican? We have a few around here that are great, and they have a big variety. Instead of a chain place, what about a local restaurant that you've never tried?

You're quite welcome! I wish I didn't need to know all this stuff, but since I do, I try to be helpful. My nephrologist wants me on an ACE inhibitor eventually, but since my kidneys are currently in good shape, he is willing to defer that until I am done with pregnancy/breastfeeding.

No personal experience with that cuff, but we usually recommend Omrons, as they tend to be very accurate. My cheap Omron has been accurate for me around 1400 times and has saved my life twice. Have him take his BP once or twice a day at the same time, or however his doctor recommends, and have him ask what numbers they consider concerning. My nephrologist wants to me to call if I see 135/85 regularly, meaning that catching up on sleep doesn't drop them back down, but everyone is going to have a slightly different threshold. I would have him ask about diet; something like 92% of hypertensive adults have it just because it's genetic, so while it is great to make some changes there, tell him not to get too frustrated if it's not enough. ACE inhibitors may cause a slight cough, but they're also great for kidney health, according to my nephrologist. But there are like a gazillion different options, something like eleven classes, depending on how they're sorted, so if one doesn't work, he can ask about others.

AHA says 180/120 is urgent: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings/hypertensive-crisis-when-you-should-call-911-for-high-blood-pressure (160/110 is emergency for pregnancy.) I'd have him be seen.