Congratulations! It's not the most creative thing in the world, but when my parents were expecting my sister (#4), they showed me (#1, with two brothers between us) the home pregnancy test and asked me which picture (positive or negative) it looked most like. So when we found out that we were expecting #4, we showed the test to our DD (also the oldest, also with two boys in the middle) and let her figure out what it meant. I thought if she got the baby sister (though #4 was a third brother), it would be especially fun for her to find out in the same way that I found out about mine.

Right now, I have an index card for each of the three big kids that lists their morning tasks -- clear breakfast dishes, get dressed, make beds, morning chores, etc. Their lists are in the order I want the things done. I also have four index cards for myself -- before breakfast tasks, after breakfast tasks, afternoon tasks, and evening tasks. Otherwise I forget to give the kids their vitamins and can spend all day wondering what I ought to do next, so nothing gets done. For schoolwork, I use plastic mesh workboxes, color-coded for each child and for group subjects. Every week, I plan out what they should do in each subject, and then before each day's school time, I can just load the boxes.

What would be symptoms of melanoma? I suppose I'm at higher risk for it, because, although I've never used a tanning bed nor tried to tan, I burn very easily and have had a few sunburns. I can't think of any moles that have changed, or that haven't been there since I was really little, though, but beyond that, what else should I look for? No family history of any sort of cancer, afaik. (I use sunscreen on my kids if they'll be unavoidably outside in the summer during peak hours, like at the beach or a theme park. Otherwise, we just try to keep hats on them and shirts for the boys, and in the summer, I keep them inside between about 10 and 4. We use California Baby, because I remember last year reading some information that said that retinyl palmitate, which is used in many sunscreens, can actually increase the risk of skin cancer. If so, I wonder if that is one of the reasons for the increases in melanoma.)

I still have all of mine, and they need to come out. Two of them are all the way through, and the other two are mostly through. I wish I had had them out earlier, so I wouldn't need to deal with them while caring for little kids (and when I didn't need to work anesthesia and pain meds around pregnancy/nursing), but I didn't even have them appear until well into my twenties.

Oh, that is funny! And at least you weren't saying that he WAS slimey; you were just asking how slimey he was. Maybe he wasn't at all. :) When I was shopping for a vehicle several years ago, we wanted a particular engine in it, so I'd call places with the vehicles listed for sale and ask about the engines. Most of the time, the salesman didn't know and had no idea how to find out, which was really annoying, because I wasn't hauling my pregnant self and my 2yo around for nothing. What I learned from Google was that one number of the VIN would tell me which of the two engine options a vehicle had, so the salesmen were all astounded when I asked for the VINs. Several of them had no idea that the engine was part of the VIN code.

Everything makes me cry. Steel Magnolias, for sure. Love that movie! A thousand scenes from Lord of the Rings make me cry. The whole coronation scene, and when Aragorn sees Arwen, and when he tells he hobbits they bow to no one -- they all do me in. Cars makes me cry every time too.

Radians are very narrow. However, since you're talking about a seat for a 1-2yo, it might just depend on whether the current seat "puzzles" well with the infant's seat, which sometimes can happen since one is rear-facing and the other forward-facing. I know for a while, we had a big Graco infant seat (RF'ing) and a big Graco MyRide (FF'ing), and I'm thinking they had to have been next to each other, because otherwise my boostered child would have had to climb over one of the other seats to get to the middle spot, so I'm sure she was on the end. We have an Evenflo Maestro in one car for our 3yo, and it is a good forward-facing seat that can be harnessed for a long time and then can be a booster. Not sure how narrow it is, though.

I do all of those things, and I probably don't really need to do them. I'm pretty sure carjackings, murders, etc. are extremely rare around here. But a little extra caution doesn't hurt.

Cheese. Yogurt/kefir smoothies. Nuts. Eggs. Meat. Lots of salads. Green veggies. Zucchini and/or eggplant in place of pasta -- like for lasagna noodles.

Yep, btdt; it's ridiculous and unfair. Struggling and sacrificing but not actually behind on the mortgage = can't get help. I don't think you can feed a family of seven on $125 a week, unless you live in a really low cost area. I couldn't do it here without feeding us a ton of white flour-based carbs. I second the suggestion to look into food stamps, and for any kids under 5, WIC. (And CHIP health insurance for the kids, if you're currently paying for that.) I'd look into trading in the van as well, and I think you and your DH need to sit down and look at all of your expenses with regards to your income. And it may be that you need to cut the extra-curriculars. :(

Tom's -- the kids have liked the strawberry, and I like the mint. JASON's also makes a mild toothpaste that is good for gums. And there's always some sort of tooth powder or tooth soap; I've heard that Kiss My Face soap (which is just olive oil and salt, I think) is good.

With our first homebirth, the midwives required that our ped sign some sort of statement; I can't remember exactly what it was, but it basically acknowledged that she was okay with the homebirth and that if we had to transfer to a hospital where she had privileges, she wanted to see the baby. She never batted an eye at the homebirth and was completely okay with all of my non-mainstream ideas. Per our midwives' requirement, we took the baby to see the ped at either 48 or 72 hours (I can't remember); it was completely unnecessary, except that they did his PKU test then (though the MW could have done it when she came back to check on us as well). With our second and third homebirths, the midwife came back to check on us and to do the PKU test, and we didn't do a ped visit until quite a bit later, as there was no reason to do one. The MW kept tabs on the babies (and me) for a few weeks, and I did weight checks at home, but I was also pretty familiar with what a newborn was supposed to look like.

For the DH, I recommend having him voice his concerns, as concretely as possible. Then discuss with the midwife, and she can tell you both about transfer protocols, signs she looks for that something is going wrong, ways she monitors you and the baby, etc. If she's a CNM, she'll also have specific protocols for prenatal care, and she'll refer to her backup OB if anything out of the ordinary presents itself. Our experience with choosing homebirth is a little unusual, because we didn't opt for the hospital for the first baby. I liked the idea of non-hospital birth, and I found a freestanding birth center, staffed by CNMs, that I liked after the first visit. Then I brought my DH to an information session, and he was able to hear the midwives' "side" -- what they felt normal birth looked like, how they addressed problems, why they were a safe choice, etc. He was impressed, and then after DD's birth was such a wonderful experience, when we moved and needed new midwives for #2, it was an easy jump for him to a homebirth with more CNMs. As for the "what ifs," to be honest, that's something I have to work through every single birth. I've had four very easy, very smooth births (one birth center birth and three homebirths, all amazing and wonderful), and statistics are on my side, and yet, each time, sometime towards the end, I just have to spend some serious time praying and giving things over to God. I have to lay my specific fears (and each birth has had its own particular concern in my mind) at His feet and leave them there. And I have to ask Him for the strength to deal with whatever He allows to happen. I am grateful that my faith has not been tested in that way as of yet, but I know He would help me through anything. Really, that's how I deal with the "what ifs" -- you can't manage them, or plan or research your way out of them, but you can get your heart in the right place to handle them. ETA: I should also add that my personal experience is also atypical. After my second baby, and after my SIL had had one normal pregnancy/birth, her second baby was stillborn at 36w, which was, of course, devastating. She'd had complete, excellent prenatal care, the usual u/s, etc., and her baby died suddenly. They reviewed her records and never found any reason to suspect there was a problem. So, obviously, this colored my feelings about testing, doctors, hospitals, etc. when I was expecting my third baby; I was already happy about homebirthing, but that cemented it. It wasn't that I didn't have faith in doctors and hospitals, and I feel that sometimes they are the right choice (and if the Ultimate Midwife leads me to that choice in the future, I pray that I will heed that leaning, and I will be grateful for the medical technology if it's needed); it was more that I realized that nothing *I* did or didn't do would guarantee my baby's health and safety.

DH just says that we homeschool (and that we planned to homeschool, before our children were old enough to homeschool officially), and nobody's ever been critical of that. Actually, most people are really complimentary and think it's great. I think he knows a lot of people who are, for one reason or another, out of the mainstream and/or suspicious of The System. Our whole lifestyle is very DIY -- DH is very big into hiking and projects and teaching himself (and our children) new skills, reading a lot, etc., so homeschooling really fits us. I don't think anyone who talks to DH for more than a few seconds (especially if they've met our oldest child, who is super smart and also quirky) is surprised that we homeschool.

Well, my fourth baby was pretty close to 38 weeks with only 30 minutes of labor. Very certain of all dates, and no inductions. #1 -- 40 weeks 6 days, 11.5 hours of labor, including 1.5 hours of pushing #2 -- 41 weeks 1 day, 7 hours of labor, including 20 minutes of pushing #3 -- 40 weeks 5 days, 8 hours of labor, about two pushes So we were absolutely expecting another 40+ weeker. Early wasn't even remotely on our radar. #4 -- 38 weeks 3 days, 4 hours of labor. FOUR! One push. I nearly sent DH to work, thinking it was prodromal labor (which I've never, ever had at all). If I had, he'd have missed the birth. Shoot, *I* nearly missed it. I went from "let's see if we can feel the head now that my water broke" to "hey, it's a boy" in less than a minute. I spent the first two weeks completely baffled that it was even over. (And he was nearly two pounds smaller than my biggest baby, #2, but the same length -- I was like, "where's the rest of the baby??" He was still 8 pounds, though, and he was on track to be in the mid-9 range like his big brothers, if he'd gone as long.) Funny thing is, I was very achy toward the end of the fourth pregnancy and kept saying to DH, "When this baby comes, it's going to be fast." Based on #3, I expected fast at the very end; I did not expect the labor to be half the length. Anything's possible. :)

Baby gates/locks on cabinets/whatever to keep the little ones out of the flour? My 3yo occasionally gets into things while I'm doing schoolwork with the older ones; it's a pain, and I am a little worried that him plus a 1yo next year is going to do me in. I'm not a big fan of baby gates, but if that's what I need to do, that's what I'll do to keep them from destroying the entire house every day. I don't do a lot of structured time with my under 6's, and even with my 6-7yo this year, it's been pretty short. Mostly I just let under 6's come along for the ride. I put activities for them (early learning activities, stickers, scissors, tape, paper, crayons) in a box of their own, and I read to them as I have time between the older kids, and they participate in other readings and crafts if they want to. This helps, somewhat, though I know I feel badly that they don't get the same mom-intense time that my oldest got at that age, where I had time to read endless books to her. But they get older siblings, and that's a different sort of benefit, one not to be overlooked. :) And some days, I'm with you -- there isn't enough of me to go around. There just isn't. But there's always enough of God, and He only gives me what He can help me to handle. :grouphug:

Oh, yes, I do think it would be better to have a machine that lasts for more than seven years. But given the choice between nothing and a cheap machine from a big box store, I opted to have *something.* For the money I paid for them, I'm relatively happy with seven years. My mom's old Singer lasted for a good thirty years before she finally switched, as she felt it wasn't working well with the threads she could get locally. So, yes, that is my longterm plan, to have a workhorse older machine, but being able to finish the projects at the time I needed to trumped anything else. :)

My basic machine (that was a gift) died suddenly about seven years ago; I was in the middle of sewing holiday outfits and needed a machine, but I didn't have the luxury of time for waiting and searching for a good used machine. So I went to WalMart and bought the Brother CS6000i for under $200; it had generally good reviews, and I ended up liking it a lot. It lasted me for many projects and years, and my biggest complaint was that it was a bit lightweight, so on my plastic table, it tended to walk a bit when I sewed quickly. But I would highly recommend it. Well, it died a couple of weeks ago, again in the middle of time-sensitive projects. I also am really short on cash, but I knew I wanted another Brother, partly so I could use the same feet. I didn't need the large amount of fancy stitches that the CS6000i had, but I wanted an automatic buttonhole. I ended up getting this one: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brother-17-Stitch-Free-Arm-Sewing-Machine/17039055 It's a Brother LX2500, and so far, I really like it. It is a more limited machine, and I may well outgrow it, but that's okay -- if I want to upgrade in the future, this one would still be a reasonable backup/machine for my daughter to use. It has an automatic buttonhole, though four-step instead of one-step, and it does have different stitch widths and lengths, though not quite as customizable as the other CS6000i (but as DH pointed out, I need a few options for those but not tons). It won't let me sew quite as fast, which may be the biggest issue in the long run, but it's all livable. For the money, I'm pleased. Anyway, I would recommend either of those machines, based on the price points. I also second the recommendation to take the time to look for a good used machine.

I voted "other." DH has a bachelor's degree, and then he completed an additional two-year program in his field. It's probably equivalent to a master's degree but without the thesis, and it's not actually called a master's, just a certificate. But "vocational school" doesn't quite qualify it either.

They may ask you to sign a waiver, stating something to the effect that you understand the risks of not vaccinating and decline the vax. Our family doctor has required that for my little boys; I don't know specifically about the Gardasil, because the doc is new to us, and she's not yet seen the only one of my children who is close to old enough (my 10yo DD).

I never want to know ahead of time; I strongly prefer to wait and find out at the birth. All of our midwives have let us see for ourselves, which is fun. I feel very strongly about nobody calling the baby by name until he/she is actually born and officially named by DH and me. I have a set of neutral newborn-sized sleepers that all of my babies have worn, and I like that. Pink and blue appear quickly enough. :) I will admit that it's been hard when it comes to names, though. The first two were easy; the third one, we maybe had a girl name but no boy name, and it took five days to find one for him. So we did a bit better for the fourth one and had a tentative name in mind.

An hour or two a day, aiming for five days a week. An hour or less to do copywork/few workbook pages for general skills, reading (phonics earlier, now reading aloud to me), and math (Miquon), plus a memory verse, plus an hour or so for the family subjects -- history (which, for the first grader, often includes drawing a picture and dictating a couple of sentences to me as a narration), read-alouds, and occasional science, art, picture study, and music.

I can tell you why we chose Getting Started With Latin for our first Latin curriculum. -inexpensive -- $18 for the book plus free mp3s -- what a great way to try out Latin! -spiral approach, short lessons, just a little bit at a time and then plenty of review without being boring -no writing -teaches real grammar right away -- nothing against things that start with colors or numbers or the like, but we wanted something that would get her started on grammar. -not cutesy -- it's humorous sometimes (there seem to be a lot of poets who never carry writing tablets, and farmers who plow the land but do not love it), but DD is turned off by cutesy. -no need for me to know Latin in order to teach it. We have continued to use it because we really enjoy it; we often do two lessons in a day, but DD gets it just fine (faster than I do, sometimes, and I'm generally good at languages). We'll be transitioning to Level 3 of Latin's Not So Tough in a few weeks; actually, I think DD could start on Level 4, based on the grammar she's learned so far, but there is some vocabulary taught in Level 3 that's not in GSWL, so I would rather a bit of overlap than skipping vocabulary. Truly, I love GSWL like nothing else. I wish they'd make more books like it. Bottom line: because of GSWL, DD, who is the one who requested Latin to begin with, really loves Latin and has positive feelings about it.

My little guy is a few weeks younger than she is, and he's going through major separation anxiety right now. He pretty much wants me to hold him all the time, and if I walk out of the room, even if he's with his older siblings (whom he adores), he cries until I come back. So I expect that there is a bit of that going on with your little sweetheart, in addition to whatever else re: drugs, etc. I would suggest a carrier if possible; I like a wrap for front carries (baby is snuggling in his wrap on my chest right now, next to me, but happily looking around and watching everything else), but if you think you'd prefer her on your back (I'm short, and my babies are pretty big, so I can't do a lot with an older baby on my front and use a lot of back carries), I'd recommend an Ergo.

My Klean Kanteen cost me about $27 four years ago and still looks great. No rust, no more than a tiny dent or two; it still stands upright just fine, and it gets dragged around, dropped, etc., plenty. For me, it's been well worth the money. (I have a 27-ounce one.) I just bought a black 40-ounce one for my DH, and he likes it too. He and I both have the stainless loop caps, and we like those a lot, though the only catch is that they squeak a bit when you screw/unscrew them. I also just bought a hot pink 27-ounce one for my 10yo; she didn't want the cap like ours, because she wants to drink from it in the car without worrying about it all dumping on her. She likes the sport cap, and it has an attached cover for it, so she can keep it clean. I highly recommend the KKs!