Do you trust your dr? I didn't want to make this decision while I was IN a pregnancy, so we decided on barriers until the little one was safely here and I was back to normal. Whatever that is, lol. :tongue_smilie: I talked to my dr about everything. How old I was, my pregnancy history, our dc's special needs, etc. He recommended the vas for permanent bc and the IUD for anyone who had qualms about permanence. Even tho he would have had a stake in a tubal, he said some women experience a real emotional difficulty from the loss of their fertility. His advice made sense and I'm glad I got his input. If I didn't have a trusting relationship with a caring, pro-life dr, I'd find another. :) P.S. I didn't vote.

and were referred to this: http://www.kidsflysafe.com/ I found it available to rent on ebay. For our little peanut, we decided just to go with the airplane's lap belt during flight and rent a booster with our rental car when we reached our destination. Our dc was very excited at the beginning of the flight (excited-happy, thankfully!), but was lulled to sleep and slept a great deal of the trip. We were ready with snacks, coloring book, games, DVDs, etc. Blessings! P.S. I took gum for the pressure (my ears were painful even with!) but I guess she didn't need it since she slept through the descent.

but he has surprised me (pleasantly) before. =) I am so blessed that my dds now watch chick flicks with me.

Sorry that was confusing. No, I meant the schwa would be the second syllable vowel sound. The first syllable is 'tan' as in 'suntan.' It seems to me that the more common (Russian) pronunciation has the soft 'a' instead of a short 'a' sound. Mine sounds more -- well -- countrified?

Some churches partnered with some local bakeries to offer day-old-bread to the elderly. As soon as I heard about it last week, I thought, "Hey, there's something I can do WITH my dc!"

About nicknames and unusual spellings and pronunciations, many say: "Just tell people your child's name is _____" -- "Just correct them." My name is Tanya. TAN-yuh (can't figure out how to show the schwa.) Not TAWN-yuh, like most people would assume. Don't ask me why. That's the way my parents heard it and that's the way they pronounced it. And they always corrected everyone who got it wrong WHEN THEY WERE WITH ME. But, I found it a royal pain to have to correct people. I was a timid kid who didn't like to assert myself with teachers (call it a personality flaw, but there it is) and I would always do it once. But, if they continued to mispronounce the name, I just let it go. And I hated it. I hated that I didn't want to assert myself again and I hated that they didn't remember or correct themselves and I hated that my parents didn't name me Susan or Jennifer or something that people KNEW how to pronounce. I grew a little gumption, and by high school, I had everyone pretty well trained. But it was STILL a pain on Honors Day in front of my senior class to be awarded scholarships by college reps who didn't know my name! I once was introducing myself at a party in college and a guy got it wrong. I corrected him. He listened and made the choice, "Well, I'm going to call you TAWN-ya," and I said, "I won't answer. That's not my name." (Obviously, not the guy for me, lol, but it ticked me off.) Fast forward to this year. I was hired to teach by the old principal who was retiring. The new principal inherited me and all the other 100 or so staff, and she got my name wrong over and over. I didn't expect her to know everyone's name immediately, but after being told how to pronounce it, I did expect her to get it. I finally gave up. Did anyone else have this experience with an unusual name or pronunciation?

and I think it's a pain. Some accounts will allow you to set them up in the First Initial - Middle Name - Last Name format. Some won't. So. . . when I try to pay a bill or call to question something, I honestly don't know which name to tell the company. For instance, he can be registered as "Mark Thomas Jones," "M. Thomas Jones," "Thomas Jones," "Mark Jones," "Mark T. Jones," or "M. T. Jones." One lovely mailing list messed the whole thing up and we're now receiving lots of mail addressed to: "Mthomas Jones." Yes, it's true. I didn't know dh when he was in school, but I can imagine it was a mild headache each year having to start all over with new teachers, friends, etc. who were reading his name on a roster. If there's any way around it, I would put the name you want to use in the front. Even if it changes the flow. That's what we did with our children so they would avoid this. JMHO

Love it!:lol:

My mom was SUCH a help. Yes, I was nursing, but she took care of me. Brought me cups of tea. Made a big meal for our family. Watched the other children in another room so I could nap with the baby after being up all night. My mom was so attentive. I've told dh we'll be traveling, too, when our chicks scatter and have homes of their own. And I'll be rearranging schedules with big ole blocks of time for new babies! If my first had arrived on her due date or any later, I would have missed my brother's wedding. :glare: To me, that would have been disappointing. Glad to hear I'm not the only one even though lots of others feel differently. :)

I'm just curious. Someone I know just had her first baby. Her fil (a relative of mine) is the one who called to let me know. In the same conversation, he said they (he and wife -- the mil) are leaving for their 1.5 week vacation today. Hmmm. Is it just me, or is this bad timing? Their dil and baby are not home from the hospital yet. Yes, they had planned the trip for a while, but it's not out of country. Just a road trip to see relatives. And the baby's been on the way for nearly 9 mos, so they could have adjusted their plans, you know? Babies can come weeks before or after a due date, and I think I'd be reserving that month or so for the welcoming. I'm just remembering how my mom took care of me right after each baby was born -- how she wanted dh to bring me and the babies (with whatever other dc were already here) over there for her to care for us while he was gone to work and I wasn't able to drive yet. Even though I told her it wasn't necessary, of course, it was nice to be pampered for a few days at least. Maybe I was just spoiled. And then I had another thought. When my brother and sil got married, they selected a date 2 weeks after the due date of my first baby. And their wedding was in her hometown, 4 hours from here. I remember thinking at the time, "that's weird -- I might not be able to go." And it wasn't a big to-do that was planned FOREVER in advance, just a small family wedding in her small home church. We have a close family and everyone makes a big effort to be involved in this kind of stuff. Luckily, our little girl was a couple weeks early and we were able to travel with our newborn and stay in a hotel . . . Glad it turned out that way. Anyway, would these situations make you go, "Hmmm," too, or is it just me? I mean, if it was my second cousin planning her wedding or mil and sil's 30th Anniversary Trip to Hawaii they'd planned for over a year, maybe. But . . .

but I'd lean toward #2 or #3 because of the adjustable strap. But, I have a weird bone issue on the top of my foot, so that's just me.

Keep up the good work!

Is this a book? I'm having trouble searching for it. Thanks!

To adults? I just found out a part-time teacher is needed locally. They prefer someone with specialized certification (TESOL), but it also says "or related field." Wonder what that means? Any ideas? I'm in education. Elementary ed, special ed, and now a little college ed. Thinking of applying just to see what happens . . .

lol My parents said I used to interrupt them (I was the first) with "Now let me talk" as soon as I could talk! What a cutie. She'll become a teacher or host talk shows. :) Looks like my girls are headed in that direction, too.

I love Annaliese, too, but really consider whether you like the flow of two 3-syllable names together. Hadassah Annaliese is beautiful, but . . . You might consider the 2-syllable, accent on the second syllable (think French) possibilities. Hadassah Danielle Hadassah Christine Hadassah Camille Hadassah Renee Hadassah Nicole Hadassah Michelle Hadassah Denise Hadassah Marie Hadassah Monique Hadassah Simone Hadassah Paulette and Hadassah Elise That said, you have shown excellent taste in the past and I think the names you're considering now are lovely! :cheers2:

Thanks for sharing this precious memory with us!

When I'm on FB and click on "home," I can see what my "friends" have posted. Only, it's just "some" of them. I think, when I "friended" people, I may have "subscribed" or "hidden" something, but I don't know what or how. Where do I go to change this? Thank you!

:iagree:

The dogs have killed at least 2 squirrels in the backyard. Isn't that a sign that they wouldn't do well with cats? We had cats and dogs when I was growing up, but we only had one dog at a time. Does that make a difference? I'm inclined to believe these kiddos are to be catless through the natural lifetime of our dogs, and, by then, the kiddos will likely be grown and/or on their own. What do you think?

:laugh:

:lol: That's priceless!

:grouphug: Sorry you're having a stinky day.

my grad studies, but I also have anecdotal experience. Short answer: beneficial to some students, not to others ~~ beneficial in some situations, not in others I LOVED group projects. Yes, I did a lot of the work, but that didn't bother me. I liked taking it on. It is my personality to need social interactions to talk myself through new info. I can see where other students dislike/hate it. I do think it's beneficial to be exposed to these experiences periodically. Some jobs do require group work. Usually, however, each person has a specific specialty/task that he contributes with well-defined responsibilities. KWIM? As a teacher, I think it works better when the teacher assigns the specific tasks rather than allowing the students to select or just "work together." Otherwise, yes, some students will slide while the others do the work. my humble professional opinion

(minus imminent danger, of course) to avoid moving. It's my LFTTD (Least Favorite Thing To Do). Right up there with planning a wedding. :D