I nursed almost twelve years and stopped this summer. I lost a bit of weight and my appetite went down a lot. Aside from the cup changes I expected, I also lost weight in my upper arms and around my shoulders. My body now looks sharper. Congratulations on your run and I hope the transition is easy for you both.

I wish I'd known that homeschooling would mean I wasn't quite a SAHM anymore. Kindergarten was easy to integrate into our routine. Every year adds more work to my plate and I've had to stretch to integrate siblings. Cleaning and shopping don't get done during the school day. Meals are prepared at night when my husband gets home. A lot of perks my family got used to by having me at home were gone. I'm sure other people figured it out ahead of time, but it was a shock to me.

As a loss mom, I can't even watch the first episode. My father was telling me a little bit about the plot and I can not willing suspend disbelief long enough to wrap my head around having a child die and then immediately adopting another infant. Having gone through that kind of loss, I find it offensive.

I'm so sorry. Sending prayers for you and your family. Take as much time as you need to make memories and enjoy snuggling your son when they change the vent. There is so much sadness mixed along with such profound joy. It is easy to overlook the joy. I hope your overwhelming love for your son is a comfort to you both.

I didn't wear make-up for a long time. After my last baby, I went and had my colors done with some friends. I enjoy it and I like spending a couple of minutes on something that is just for me.

We listened to Peter Pan on audio. My kids are probably younger than yours and they thought it was just OK. On the other hand, I wished I had read it in one of my women's studies classes in college. There is a lot of weird sexist projections on Tinkerbell and Wendy. I was also very much amused by a swearing Tink.

You've gotten some great advice. I found having multiple sets of pumping parts was very important. When you are pumping for a preemie, they don't want you to refrigerate and reuse one set. By having four or five sets, I could wash twice a day instead of after every pumping session. The hospital will provide you with your first kit and you can buy more from them, but I found them cheaper on line. Since there are only three companies that make hospital grade pumps, I'd call the NICU or Labor and Delivery ahead of time and find out. Buying a hands-free pumping bra will also be a game changer. Wishing you and your little one all of the best. I hope your NICU time is short and uneventful.

My presents get funneled into wool, either roving for spinning or yarn for weaving, knitting, and tapestry.

I used OPGTR with my first son and am using Phonics Pathways with my second. The font size in OPGTR was small and my son often got overwhelmed with how it looked on the page. My son also had a hard time with the uppercase "i" looking exactly like a lowercase "L." Phonics Parhways is easy to use, the font is large and not confusing, and we do a page a day. There is enough white space on the page that it doesn't look crowded. The pacing is working well for us and I'm seeing smooth progress. We just started Reading Pathways for first grade and it is reinforcing concepts he has already learned. Two pages a day in that book seems to be just enough.

Right now, I have things squirreled away in an upper built-in cabinet in our dining room. My three year old is really interested in all of our science equipment and this is one of the few places she can't reach even with the stool.

In past years, I staggered the start of different lessons. This year, we jumped in to a full load and it worked out fine. The first day involves a group picture, milkshakes, and Papa bringing home dinner.

I'm still in diaper bag days, but I recently figured out that I don't need to carry everything with me all the time. Back-up items and just-in-case things can live in a bag in my car. Hand lotion, Chapstick, extra baby-wipes, and a brush live in my car. Turns out, I don't really need them very often.

My whole family sees a DO instead of an MD. I wouldn't say she practices differently than previous MDs I've been seen by. She is a good doctor because she listens and works with us to figure out treatment plans we are comfortable with.

I wore my mom's dress and it is currently upstairs in a cedar chest. She married in the 70's and our dress is a polyester special. I machine washed it before having the neckline altered. I'm also saving the veil that my MIL and I both wore. I really like the idea upthread of letting my girls play dress-up in a few years.

I really liked Lentil Science and my oldest got through ten or so lessons. It ended up not working for us because my younger kids kept getting into the materials and the resulting mess made my head feel like it was going to explode. I bit the bullet and finally threw out all the toilet paper rings, beans, and other 10 million choking hazards. I kept the books and will probably recreate everything when my youngest is six.