bittyb

I'm only a few weeks along but reading about other women's due dates swiftly approaching has got me impatient already. Any tricks for convincing yourself to just let things take their course and enjoy every minute of it instead of just waiting for the big day?

My first prenatal appointment is a week from tomorrow (yea!).

My last period was only about three days: light, moderate, moderate.... nothing. Just stopped. I have been off of birth control since June. This is a very short period for me. They used to be 7 to 9 days, then dropped to 5 after several years of being on the pill. At the end of June and the end of July they were around 7 days, and heavy.

My understanding is that implantation bleeding only happens for about 1/3rd of women, and it's usually more like light spotting and pinkish, light brown, right? So I assumed I couldn't possibly be pregnant at the beginning of September. Now it is October and I am definitely pregnant. The symptoms I am having (bloating, very mild nausea, cramps, fatigue) I was also having in September...

It's not possible I'm actually a month farther along that I thought I was, is it? When I ask my doctor next week, do they have a way to check for sure?

Thanks!

My husband and I have been arguing for what feels like forever about flooring. Our carpets are old and disgusting, and so is the padding. I want to replace them with wood laminate (easier to take care of than real hardwood, and I've seen some nicer ones that I really like) but he wants carpeting.

The concerns are:

Temperature: we live in CO and the house does get cold, while area rugs will be fine for the majority of the room I do have to admit that the rooms will probably be colder...

Children: he thinks they'll get hurt running around on wood floors, since small children tend to fall. I think this is a bit helicopter-y.

Cats and Dogs: seriously, I think this is the best reason to not have carpets! They RUIN them. They scratch them (declawing is not an option, don't even ask), barf on them, tear them away from the wall if they get accidently locked in a room, or have potty accidents! Aren't small children going to barf on them and have potty training accidents, too?

Cleanliness: I think wood is easier to clean, my friend argues carpet is easier to clean. However, when I sweep and mop the floor, it takes longer than vaccuuming and is more labor, but it's cleaner to me than the vacuuming! Vacuuming doesn't clean the carpet padding, and it doesn't get out stains and gunk. Steam cleaning carpet is a pain in the behind, and takes far longer to do than mopping.

Appearance: I love wood floors, he thinks living spaces need carpeting. It's all preferance on this one, so it's a bit difficult to compromise on it.

So, if you have an opinion, or can help me see the pros for carpeting, or a different viewpoint or something, please do! I obviously want what I want, but I don't want to just steamroll the husband (especially if it turns out to be a bad decision afterwards, hah!). Thanks!

My husband and I are discussing volunteering to foster puppies with a local rescue. The normal time frame for fostering is a couple of days up to a couple of weeks. The rescue groups supply veterinary care and the foster families provide food, water, love and shelter.

If you have fostered before, what should we consider? Is it extremely hard to give the puppies back when they are ready for their forever homes? Do we need to purchase more crates for them, since our dog still uses his, or other items? Or anything else about the experience you'd care to share? Thanks!

I do not know much about dog activities, such as flyball, agility training/competitions or the other activities you see in doggy magazines.

My puppy is 8 months old and is a labrador/pointer mix. He is very sweet and well socialized, so there aren't any concerns about him playing around or with other dogs. He is also extremely active and loves to run around and wrestle with other dogs. He gets about one to two hours of exercise a day.

He is not good at catching a ball in his mouth, nor about fetching it (returning it), but he'll chase. He does well with obedience, but it's harder for him with extra distractions. He's also mixed breed, so obviously Conformation trials are straight out!

Is there a particular activity that I could look into, given these few things about him? Also, how do I find them in my area? I live near Boulder, CO, which is a very outdoors, active, dog-friendly area, so I would imagine there is SOMETHING out here.... I don't really have the first clue in how to find it though.

Thanks!

My puppy is about 7 months old he just finished his second (intermediate) obedience course and he frequently goes to doggy day camp and meets other dogs at the dog park and on hikes. He is very good with his commands and has gotten very good about not bullying. He was the most dominant dog in his puppy obedience class, but he now behaves much better when meeting dogs.

He's mostly stopped trying to nibble other dogs' ears and now tries to lick their muzzles after they sniff hello instead. I have read that when a dog licks another dog's lips it is actually a submissive gesture. However, a few dogs get upset when he does this. I've learned that as soon as a dog wrinkles its nose or bares it's teeth I pull him back. He has been bit a couple of times now and doesn't seem to learn! He loves everyone and every dog, but they don't all love him back...

Is there something else I can do to help him learn when to back off? I ask before letting him meet other dogs, and I try to watch out for any sign of trouble. I just don't know how else to help him learn dog social skills since we try to socialize him with many dogs on a regular basis already and he's already been through obedience classes and had socialization there as well.