I never lost weight while nursing either. My sister drops weight during breastfeeding, and she could never understand why I didn't. It frustrated me to no end, but I wasn't going to sacrifice the health of my babies to attempt to lose weight while nursing by dieting or starving myself. I guess my body just handled breastfeeding differently... btw, I had the hardest time pumping, and my sister was a milk machine!

I'm sorry today isn't a great day for you! :grouphug: I agree with other posters, I'd go to the party for a little while, just to get out and enjoy even a small amount of time together and with others. I say that assuming the proximity of the party and your house are feasible in terms of your Dh getting to his job. If you have to drive a distance and it's not worth going, then I guess it would make sense to stay home... and that means you need more :grouphug:.

Since my kids are younger, we wait until Christmas Eve for all the gifts. If they were out earlier, my oldest wouldn't open them, but I know my youngest would.

Fantastic! I was reading them off to DH, and I could hardly get some of them out because I was laughing so hard!

Oh my gosh!!! How awful!!! Definitely praying! :grouphug:

Laina may be changed by others to Laney. Would you mind that? Any of those middle names for Issac sound good to me! :) Best wishes for your c-section and the arrival of your new little one!

There can't be anything more perfect than that! I can't wait to hear what he thinks!

My hearts and prayers go out to every one of you here. :grouphug: "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11 Whenever I feel like I'm losing hope, I pray this over and over. God is always good when we rely on Him. Stay strong...

Ours is 68 during the day, and 65 at night. I'm currently sitting here with jeans, socks, sweater, and 2 blankets on me while DH is in jeans and a t-shirt. I'm always the cold one in my house! My youngest parades around naked while I'm bundled up!

DS#1 weaned himself at 10 1/2 months, but I would have liked to have nursed longer. DS#2 weaned himself around 15 months.

I use this one all the time & have loved everything I've found from it. I really like how other people can review and include any changes/suggestions they found to make the recipe even better. I sometimes use foodnetwork.com as well.

I haven't started this yet, but I have a dear friend who INSISTS I read The Book Thief (can't remember the author right now). It can be found in regular literary fiction and teen fiction. She said it is the best book she's ever read, and she is an avid reader. I trust her opinion explicitly. I read The Thirteenth Tale and really liked it. It's serious, and some say depressing, but I really enjoyed the main character's story. I asked for The Help for Christmas. Other than that, I'm really fond of Jodi Picoult's books, so I usually recommend her. Nineteen Minutes, My Sister's Keeper, and Second Glance are my favorites.

There's a great local one for me called Union County Mommies. I spend time in there for local resources.

Congratulations!!!! Wishing you all the best!

That's wonderful!!! We are dealing with bedtime woes with our youngest who will be 3 in March... I wonder if he could understand your plan? :tongue_smilie:

I am anti mandated preschool as I believe we should not force ALL young children to attend a school setting even if it's considered "preschool". Developmentally, it's not right for every child, and it should be a parent's choice. However, I am one of those moms who sent her eldest to preschool at age 3 because I thought that would be appropriate. He went again at 4, and he struggled because the teacher was SO strict. His spirit was nearly crushed, but I wanted him "prepared" for school. At that time, homeschooling was not even on our radar. His negative preschool experience at 4 prompted us to decide to homeschool. As for my second, he attends a Christian preschool at a church 4 minutes away from here. He started at 2.5, and he LOVES it. We decided to send him the 2 days a week for 4 hours to give me a break in order to homeschool our oldest. My youngest is very busy, always on the go, extremely curious, and very social. For us, it was the wisest choice. Some may think he's too young, but for my family, this is the best option for Mommy's sanity and his brother's education. I know some mothers can handle bunches of kids and all their antics, but I am not one of them. I truly love my children and would do anything for them, yet I'm no good to either of them when I am overwhelmed and stressed. This little break 2 mornings a week helps me tremendously. It's not up to anyone to judge the choices a family makes. Afterall, think of how upset we get when we are judged for making the choice to homeschool. Judging a family's choice to send their child to preschool is no different.

We just sat and researched all the options for getting rid of cable yesterday. After our guests leave on Jan. 2, we are done with it. I am SO excited! The only glitch we see is DH being able to watch sporting events... he's hesitant because of that, but we'll figure that out. I'm thinking there's something out there that will let him do this???

I'm terrible at quoting several posts, so I'm going to try to sum up my favorite points by everyone here. First... KEEP GOING! I think you've done something amazing... don't stop now as you are SOOOO close... Three months is a blip in the whole life scheme of things. And the reward at the end will be so satisfying!!! We're just starting the debt snowball for my school loans here, and I cannot wait to get to the months of salary in the bank... you're almost there! REWARD YOURSELF!!! Do something every week to praise yourself for "making it" through another week. You deserve it. It could be something so simple as a dish of ice cream somewhere. Then, when it's over, truly celebrate!!! Whatever that may be for you to say congratulations to yourself and your family. GET a CLEANING LADY just this once to clean your house for you. It's okay to say you need help, and there are people out there who want to help you in this manner. MAKE THE COUNTDOWN CALENDAR... this is such a great idea. Or, you can make one of those paper chains and remove a link every day. Hang it in a prominent place, so you can see the progression every day as it gets smaller and smaller (and your smile gets bigger and bigger!). It's easy to give up, and I've been in a job I HATED, dreaded, thought I'd never survive, but I pushed myself through because there was a light at the end of the tunnel... you will make it! And, I'm sorry for saying don't quit if you wanted me to tell you to quit :tongue_smilie:

In our home currently, due to their ages, I buy the same amount of gifts for them; however, the monetary values are different. My eldest asked for some Playmobil stuff which costs more than coloring books and washable markers for my youngest. At this point, the same number is the fairest way to go. As they start asking for more expensive things, I may go with monetary value... we'll see.

:grouphug:

I completely understand all that both of you have been going through with your Dh's parents. My DH has the same type of parents, and it has only been recently where he's been able to accept that he will never get what he needs from them. He's turned to God and the Bible, and he has a great mentor at our church who has helped him tremendously on this walk. He still communicates with his family, but he's able to shrug things off whereas before he was hurt so he tried to avoid them altogether (which caused more issues). I have always encouraged him, praised him, and stood by him through everything. If your DH seems to have have "found" his independence, and you've noticed a change, then you are probably already doing everything he needs to support him which has helped him get to this point. Just continue to love him and let him know how wonderful he is to you and your children. How thankful you are for his work to support your family... put notes in his lunch, or hide them in his drawer. Little reminders of his "greatness" will keep him confident and show him he's #1 with you. As a wife, you must be feeling so much joy toward him as you watch him "grow". Congratulations to both of you!

WHY??? How on earth do people get out of that safely??? For us Americans, it would go in reverse to what we're used to as well! Yikes!!!

:grouphug: I've been on and off antidepressants since 1994 when I fell apart my last year of college. I started with Zoloft, and that worked great. I came off and went back on a few times until 2002 when I became pg with my first son. I had a TERRIBLE ppd experience after him, and medicine saved me (and him). After thatn, I will never again be ashamed to have to take a pill. The insulin analogy is so true. I've never needed high dosages indicating it's a true chemical imbalance. It runs rampant through all the women in my family, another indicator that it's chemical. I came off when I was pg with my second son, knowing full well I'd be back on shortly after his birth after the ppd with my first pregnancy. I'm now on Celexa, and it's been 2 years. My dose is not high, but it keeps me level, and I don't plummet anymore which makes it harder for me to recover. I've also recently started seeing a counselor, and that is helping me as well. You are in NO way a failure. Your body just handles things differently than another's, and that is OK. That is how you were made. Do what you need to do to stay healthy. I commend you for realizing you're in a bad place and for getting the help. Often, that is the hardest part. As for NSAIDS. I still take Advil, etc. Occasionally, I'll have a drink (usually a glass of wine), but it does make the alcohol work more quickly, so I'm very careful. Just know, you are in no way alone in this journey. Wishing you good health and peace! :001_smile: :grouphug:

Saying prayers for you. :grouphug:

:grouphug: I'm sorry... sending prayings your way.