Elizabeth Edwards10 said:Just tell him straight: since your bones won't be back in place until long after the umbilical cord falls off, you won't be able to bend over to bathe the baby in the big tub, so he should handle it. And since he plans on doing it every single day, he can also expect to scrub out the tub every night before bath time—because why would you do that? You want the specialized tub. Simple. I'm curious to see what color tub he ends up picking.🥳
But look, you don't really know until you try it... We didn't even bother with a specific baby tub. My husband was in charge of bath time for the first year, which gave me those precious 15 minutes of peace in the evening while they were just playing around in the bathroom. He didn't do it every single day, and we certainly didn't spend our time scrubbing the tub before every use, and honestly, it worked out just fine for us.
It honestly drives me crazy. I spent the entire day yesterday tidying up the apartment—mostly just sorting through clothes, which shouldn't have been anything physically taxing—but afterwards, I felt completely wiped out. I was practically immobile because my body felt so incredibly stiff. 😲
Another thing that really got under my skin was when my husband and I spent a good thirty minutes trying to figure out how to squeeze an older child's bed into the bedroom. We eventually had to admit there’s just no way to make it work without making the whole layout look like a complete disaster (and I refuse to live in a room that looks chaotic). So, we gave up on the idea...
If only the previous owner of this place had opted for a three-bedroom unit instead of what they bought, I would have saved myself so much unnecessary stress in my life...
It feels like my stomach acid is just sitting right there in my throat. I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and then the nausea hit. So, I tried to drink some water to settle things down, but as soon as I laid back down, I realized I could feel the water trapped in my throat, and I was right on the verge of throwing up... Now it’s 3:00 AM and I’m just sitting here at my computer. I can't even focus on anything productive because I'm feeling so weak and shaky; I'm just waiting for this water to finally move through my system so I can hopefully get back to sleep... I think I'll head over to the living room and turn on the TV—hopefully, something mindless will help me drift off...
I haven't quite managed to catch up with my friend yet because she's dealing with some major chaos... but I finally sat down to look through what my policy actually says.
Well, here we go—Article XIV states: "Upon the expiration of the one-year insurance period, the contract shall be deemed valid for the subsequent one-year insurance period under the conditions set forth in these General Terms, unless the insured party/policyholder provides written notice of their intent not to renew at least 60 days prior to the end of the agreed period."
Long story short—it’s a total mess. I did sign the paperwork, but I honestly didn't realize they changed things this year compared to how they handled it last time...
Regarding the cancellation, the lady over at Medicare (she was incredibly rude, so I just call her "the old hag"—which, let's be honest, fits) seems to be pointing toward Article XII: "The policyholder may terminate the contract with a three-month notice period, during which they are obligated to pay the corresponding premium."
However, there is also Article XI, which says: "If the policyholder fails to pay the due premium by the agreed deadline, and neither they nor any other interested party does so, the Agency will terminate the contract 30 days after the policyholder receives a certified letter from the Agency reminding them to pay the overdue premium. (...) In any case, the contract is terminated if the premium remains unpaid within 90 days of its due date."
In my view, this means I don't necessarily have to formally request a termination; I could just stop paying for a few days... then settle those three months of premiums and send them a formal notice stating that the contract has been terminated per the terms once that 90-day window closes. I'm going to try heading back there on Tuesday to clear this up. When I went the other day, I was just too angry and in such a rush to make sure I had all these details studied properly.
Honestly, what they’re doing at MIT is just plain rude. They really ought to be sued—maybe even reported to the Consumer Protection Bureau. Instead of actually sending me a policy, all I got was some sort of warning on $133 😠 . There wasn't a single mention of a new payment plan, or any verification of my current income, NOTHING. And this was all intentional because I purposefully didn't renew the policy!!!
So, I go to ask them for their cancellation form, and this lady tells me they handle those things within a three-month window from when you submit the request , and then she has the nerve to tell me I just need to pay everything owed so far plus three more installments...
And if I don't pay immediately, she says they’ll just hit me with a garnishment on all my accounts... If you aren't following how that works these days, believe me—you do NOT want that hitting your bank account. They freeze everything, even if you have ten times the amount required for the garnishment, and then you can be stuck unable to access your own money for months on end 😠 😠 😠
But seriously, I am thinking about suing them through consumer protection; there’s no way this is legally sound. The idea that I "tacitly" accept a renewal without ANY offer, any notice that the policy was extended, or any notification regarding what my payments would be... nothing. My godmother is an attorney, so once I get all my paperwork organized, I’m going to sit down with her and hammer this out And to top it off, the lady actually had the audacity to claim she’d be happy if I had taken their supplemental coverage, saying I definitely needed it. I shut that down pretty quickly by telling her I definitely do NOT need it since I already have private supplemental insurance—which is exactly why I intentionally didn't renew...
Ronald Williams9 said:Rebecca Vaughn7... Don't let it get to you. Honestly, men can be absolute idiots sometimes. My partner is the exact same way—he never takes my word for anything. In his mind, everyone else always knows better than I do.
My partner often drives me up the wall by taking this completely hands-off approach... basically telling me, "you know more about this than I do, you decide." It happens every single time we deal with finances or anything involving the IRS or government paperwork. I'll spend days, even weeks, crunching numbers and weighing every possible option, yet I get absolutely zero help making the final call. 😠 Now, the burden has fallen squarely on my shoulders to engineer the perfect financial plan for our childcare costs. On top of that, I'm trying to talk him into letting me go to the specialist for those follow-up appointments over the summer (assuming the doctor can fit me in), mostly because I simply cannot stomach driving around in this blistering heat—plus, we'll be dealing with a much tighter budget. And his response? Of course, it's just, "well, if you think we can afford it, then fine"... honestly...
Rebecca Vaughn7 said:It drives me absolutely insane how my aunt constantly lectures me every single time we talk or see each other. She just keeps repeating, "You have to be careful!" over and over again.
I mean, seriously, do I really look that brainless? Does she think I don't realize there are things you just shouldn't do while pregnant, or like I’m actually going to go out of my way to be reckless?!
Today, she calls up, my husband picks up, she asks what I'm doing, he says I'm just cleaning out the fridge... and of course, there it is: "You've got to be careful!" Careful of what, exactly? What am I supposed to be protecting myself from inside a refrigerator? Polar bears? 😠😠😠😠
Don't you worry, that phase will end the moment you have a baby—and once you do, you'll spend at least a year hearing nothing but "Watch over my grandbaby!" at the end of every conversation. I suppose they wouldn't be so worried otherwise... 🤣
I’m feeling the exact same way about this nausea—it’s honestly so frustrating. I’m already five months along and I still get hit with it from time to time! It’s definitely better than it was at the start; I can actually brush my teeth in the morning without an issue now (which, let me tell you, was a total nightmare for about two months), but every once in a while, that wave of sickness just hits me out of nowhere and I have no idea how to handle it... Usually, I try to eat something to settle my stomach, but then I end up feeling incredibly bloated, which just makes everything feel even worse. Honestly, there are moments where I’d rather not eat anything at all, though I have managed to put on about 13 pounds so far... 🙄 )
rowdyviper7 said:I honestly just got incredibly frustrated out of nowhere because of my aunt. Out of the blue, she decided to lecture me about how we "have" to get married, and then she goes on about how the baby shouldn't have my last name at the hospital, only to switch to my father's surname a few days later. She couldn't even explain for the life of her why any of this matters—it’s honestly ridiculous. It feels so wrong that my dad would even have to go down to the registrar's office to formally recognize the child (seriously, that’s just awful...). I can't stand the thought of my baby being seen as some kind of outsider from day one—that is easily the most offensive word in the English language! To make matters worse, just a few days ago, she was all, "Oh, kids these days, just do whatever makes you happy, times have changed and nobody cares about those old traditions anymore." Now? Suddenly, she’s completely flipped. I have no idea what's gotten into her or who's driving her hormones crazy lately... ugh...
What nonsense... Honestly, when I was married, our baby actually had my last name at the hospital simply because I hadn't updated my paperwork in time. When you go to the vital records office, you both just follow the standard procedure, and he just signs the acknowledgment of paternity—it really isn't a big ordeal at all. And calling a child a "brat"? That’s a bit much... I haven't heard anyone use that term quite so harshly in ages.😲 It’s probably best to just tune her out; she'll likely change her tune once the mood passes.
I was at my pediatrician’s office today, just flipping through a copy of *Parents* magazine while I waited (not that I actually subscribe to it), and honestly, one article by some specialist just sent me flying off the handle. It was unbelievable how much nonsense she managed to cram into a single piece. She actually claims that between four and six months, mothers don't produce enough milk if the baby is particularly large or active, implying they absolutely have to supplement with at least one bottle of formula. Then she suggests that once solids start being introduced, moms definitely won't have enough milk—specifically citing a 500ml daily limit—so formula is a necessity. To top it off, she asserts that after the four-month mark, a woman can't increase her milk supply, claiming a maximum cap of 1000ml per day. I mean, hello? If that were true, how on earth do women exclusively breastfeed twins?! And then there's the bit about motor skills: she claims babies can't start using their tongues to push food toward their teeth until they hit a year old. I suppose the logical conclusion from her logic is that you have to serve a mushy mix until they turn one because they supposedly can't chew properly? It's just ridiculous. It really rubbed me the wrong way, especially knowing pregnant women are reading this stuff. I truly hope they don't take everything they read at face value...
Today I proudly asked her if my hips were widening again, assuming the answer was yes because a) I’ve been up three sizes for a month now, b) I’m walking my heart out every single day and honestly feel tighter, c) none of my pants fit right anymore (even if I can barely button them at the waist).
She just gives me this look and goes, "I don't know... you definitely look wider to me..."😢😢🙂🙂🙂🙂 🙂
She was in such a rush to catch her show that we didn't really dive into it, but then she called me later. When I told her the scale hasn't budged, she insisted my stomach had grown, though she couldn't quite tell which part of me was actually expanding—she just knew something had changed. 😠😠
I love my mother, but sometimes I just want to strangle her.
If I were you, I'd honestly just stop asking people those kinds of questions. Just don't. You're pregnant. You're going to widen a bit... put on some weight... your belly will grow... and once you give birth and get back into your exercise routine, you'll get back to your old self without any trouble. If I could pull it off at 35 after gaining 20 pounds during pregnancy—without even working out, since I'm pretty lazy—then there's no reason you couldn't do it too. You're just ruining perfectly good days by worrying about all this. Instead, just browse through those cute baby echo sites or look at nursery gear, maybe hit up one of those local pop-up markets happening lately... I won't lecture you any further.
Honestly, it’s driving me absolutely crazy right now—pregnancy or not, I can’t even catch a break! Instead of just sitting here peacefully enjoying my morning coffee, I’m jumping out of my skin every single time I hear some scratching or rustling coming from the chimney. I’m starting to have these vivid little nightmares about some feral creature clawing its way through the flue while I’m just standing there barefoot in the kitchen😲
So, what’s the move here? Do I just sit tight and wait for whatever is in there to... well, pass away if it can't find its way out? Because if that happens, I’m pretty sure the whole house is going to smell like something died within a couple of days.🤮
Honestly, it’s so frustrating. I am just sooooo incredibly exhausted and unmotivated lately. I feel like I have zero drive to do anything at all. I head into the office and try to tackle even the simplest little task, but my mind just wanders everywhere. Before I know it, two hours have vanished and I have absolutely no clue what I actually accomplished during that time... 😢 I had originally planned to work through at least July, take some vacation time, and then maybe take a month of medical leave right before maternity leave kicks in. But honestly? Right now, I feel like calling my boss and telling them I won't be in starting tomorrow! I don't understand why I'm feeling this way. Last time, I actually enjoyed being at work—they practically had to nudge me to get me to stay! It was fine back then... I just have to force myself to push through May, and maybe part of June, just so my disability benefits aren't such a massive drop from my regular paycheck...
I’ve been dealing with this absolutely brutal bloating lately... Honestly, yesterday I felt like a giant balloon; I couldn't even bring myself to head into the office, so I ended up just taking a personal day. Luckily, I managed to pull a shorter shift today, and hopefully, a few days off over the weekend will help me reset.
And don't even get me started on my apartment—it looks like a literal disaster zone. There are breadcrumbs everywhere I step, and if it isn't crumbs, it's a mess of puzzle pieces or plastic Tupperware scattered all over the floor.
To top it all off, my stomach makes me look five months along instead of three. I know people say you "pop" faster during a second pregnancy, but this feels excessive. My coworkers at the firm have already started noticing, and I’m only in my 14th week! 😱
Just you wait until you actually have a baby... then everyone starts questioning why you’re going anywhere alone with an infant, who's going to help you, etc.—as if you've suddenly become completely incapacitated just because you're currently dealing with some health issues.
I always try to use the "let it go in one ear and out the other" method to ignore this kind of nonsense, usually just repeating that things will happen how they happen. But once, at a summer camp, one woman really managed to push my buttons when she tried to (not very subtly) organize half the camp to find some poor soul to hitch a ride with me. She claimed he just needed a lift to Chicago, supposedly just so I wouldn't have to tackle those 186 miles highways all by myself with my little 🙄. So, we ended up having a much more direct conversation (since the breezy approach wasn't working), and of course, the little one and I made the trip to Chicago perfectly fine on our own... And then she has the nerve to wonder why I only stayed at the beach with her and the baby for a few days... 😁
I honestly lose my mind a little bit every time I remember how they don't include my bonuses when calculating my average salary for benefits, yet the second it’s time to pay for daycare, suddenly those same bonuses and severance packages are front and center in the calculations. 🤮
Ronald Williams9 said:Honestly, it sounds exactly like what you'd expect from someone with such a small mindset. But seriously, she sees all kinds of income flowing through here every single day... I guess she's just used to seeing the divide between people on minimum wage and those pulling in the big bucks. Who knows? Maybe I showed up looking like a total bum in my sweats, so she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that this is actually my salary. Who knows... I am absolutely livid. Because I can already see the harassment coming. She's going to be watching my every move. It’s fascinating how when you work hard and play by the rules, suddenly everyone treats you like a suspect. They're quick to grab your money, but when you actually need help—like needing things covered during maternity leave—suddenly they're nowhere to be found.
The country is just full of frustrated people who are jealous of anyone earning a bit more and are just looking for some sort of imaginary "revenge." You see the exact same thing happening in that thread about daycare costs.
I had this experience at the IRS where some young, clueless clerk spent the entire year failing to process my tax refund. It wasn't until I finally lost my cool and marched down there in person that she actually pulled my files, admitted everything was perfectly in order, and I had my money within fifteen days! Now I'm just kicking myself for not reporting her to her supervisor... And of course, I know the same person will likely be handling my filing again this year, so I'm not holding my breath that I'll see that money before winter.
I know it doesn’t really fix the problem, but whenever I deal with those kinds of clueless people behind the service counter, I always insist that my signature be in blue ink or maybe even a different color entirely instead of just standard black. It’s become my little defense mechanism because I actually had to deal with this once myself—some lady at the DMV gave me this whole dramatic performance, acting all conspiratorial like, "Oh, I shouldn't even be telling you this, but..."
It was such a headache! Honestly, it makes you wonder if they've ever even heard of high-end color laser printing. You can get a color copy these days that looks absolutely indistinguishable from the original document...
Michelle Nelson4 Why don't you just start locking the kitchen if you're the only one doing the cooking? Or maybe even that "tidy" study of yours? If the grandkids want to play, they can go to Grandma's room. Or head out to the backyard. The kitchen and the living room aren't playgrounds. When it comes to lunch, just make enough for the three of you. Bring a plate over to your mother-in-law, then lock yourselves in the kitchen and wait until evening so you can all enjoy a peaceful meal together. You really need to start organizing your life this way right now. If you spend your time making threats or daydreaming that things will magically change once you have a baby, you’re going to end up with nothing. They don't care that you've given birth and have a little one, just like they don't care that you're pregnant right now. Their parents won't see it as a valid reason anyway; honestly, your sister-in-law went through pregnancy and had a newborn while dealing with one, two, three sick, loud, messy, and sniffly kids, so they won't show any more empathy later than they are now (and clearly, they don't care—unfortunately, there are plenty of irresponsible parents out there who struggle to actually parent their own children).
PS — the fact that they want an extra meal despite already having four meals at daycare or school is perfectly normal and common. But that doesn't give them a pass to be rude or mean-spirited, and based on what you're saying, the oldest one certainly is. Sadly, he's setting a bad example for the younger ones, who will almost certainly follow his lead...
Honestly, being pregnant makes work feel so much more draining than usual... There’s an endless mountain of tasks, but I just don't have the energy for it anymore. I find myself daydreaming constantly about when I can finally head out on maternity leave and get some actual rest, which is exactly what a pregnant woman should be doing. The day before yesterday, I was pulling a 12-hour shift from 8 to 8, and then yesterday it was "only" 9 to 7. Then I wake up this morning, hoping to just enjoy a quiet cup of coffee and scroll through my phone, only to see 11 unread emails from both of my managers asking for updates on things I haven't even had a chance to touch yet. 😳 I mean, seriously, what do they think? Do they imagine that those few extra hours I'm awake at night are spent glued to a computer instead of, say, spending at least a decent thirty minutes with my little one after dinner is done? Part of me just wants to switch to a strict 9-to-5 schedule and tell them if I don't get to it, I simply don't get to it. Let them...
To top it all off, the other night around 7 PM, my husband calls me to say he's finished for the day and heading home—and asks where I am. I told him, "I'm still at the office." Then he goes, "Is there anything to eat at home?" And I'm like, "I don't know, I'm at work!!!" But apparently, he was feeling pretty helpful, because by the time I actually made it through the door, he had already whipped up dinner for us. 😍