Happy as a clam!

My son is 20 months old and has discovered how to get out of his crib. I watched him do it and while he didn't hurt himself (his maneuver is pretty good and smart actually) I don't want to risk him possibly hurting himself doing it. We tried a little while ago to switch to a big boy bed and it didn't work. We did it on a Friday, and he slept like a champ at night but we couldn't keep him in it for nap time and he ended up crying himself to exhaustion. It was a mess and we ended up changing it back Sunday night.

My plan this time around is to do it on a Sunday night, so he can sleep in it as he did great before, then he'll nap at daycare like he normally does, then sleep in the bed at night as usual, then by the weekend hopefully he'll be better adjusted to it and able to sleep in it during nap time.

Does this sound like a good idea? Does anyone else have any advice as to how they successfully transitioned into a toddler bed?

My dog was recently diagnosed with Cushing's disease, he is older and instead of putting him through treatment we have decided to let him live out his days peacefully until we know when it's time to humanely euthanize him. My question is, how will we know? There is a part of us that is selfish and wants to keep him with us as long as possible, then there is the part that says I wouldn't want to be uncomfortable, maybe we should do it now.

He isn't eating much, and has yet to get out of bed today. He lays there and wags his tail and stays in bed. This also means he hasn't eaten or drank anything since yesterday. I don't want to be selfish but I dont want either him or myself to feel as though I am giving up on him. As far as treatment for this disease goes, money isn't the issue, its the side effects of the disease and the medications that is the issue as he seems to have had this for a few years already so it is somewhat advanced as he weighs 12 pounds and his liver is over 4 and I am told that isn't a good sign.

Has anyone else gone through this? Any advice would be much appreciated.

I have taken clomid probably a total of 7 times, and never had any side effects. This is my first cycle after having my son, and I am experiencing every side effect listed on the prescription. Because I never suffered them before, how long do the side effects last after you are finished with the last pill?

My husband was offered a pretty decent life insurance policy through his work, and before we were married he designated 50% to go to me and 50% to go to his mother. We are now married and have a family, and if before my husband gets a chance to change it something were to happen to him, would it still be split even though we are now married? Does being married change any of that? I know with the life insurance policy I have if I were to designate someone other than my husband as primary beneficiary it would have to be signed by myself, my husband, and the third party as well as be notarized.

I am not trying ot kill my husband for insurance money, but after reviewing our investments and everything I got curious.

Thanks!

I have been diagnosed with PCOS and my cycles are irregular. My question is: How long do you wait before you think about testing? I don't want to end up being one of those girls on "I didn't know I was Pregnant" or some other reality documentary on TLC or the Discovery Channel. So how long do you normally wait? 2 months after having a period? 3? 6?

First I would like to state that I am far from spoiled, but I need to convince him we need to buy a new car. I currently drive a Toyota Corolla that is 8 years old, and as of right now needs about $3,000 in repairs before the extreme heat of summer comes and another $1500 before winter. Currently, it's too small for our family. This is where we are arguing: he would rather find a way to come up with the money to get it fixed vs. trading it in while we can still get some money for it. The problem I am having is trying to figure out how long it will take for us to come up with the money, because at the rate we are at now, that'll be about 6 months. We have our fun savings but most of our money goes into retirement/CD's/other investments, so a small car payment isn't a big deal really. I just don't see the point in putting $4500 into a car that is at most in a good market worth $5000.

If anyone has any ideas or angles I should try approaching him with, I would greatly appreciate it.

I was wondering about labor pains, especially in the lower back. Do they tend to be more centered in the lower back, or is the pain more widespread throughout the lower back and hips, but not necessarily on one side or the other?

I am been googling symphasis pubis dysfunction and it sounds like a have a lot of the symptoms of this. Anyone else been diagnosed with this condition? I have a doctors appointment tomorrow and definitely plan on going over it with him. I don't think it's pre-term labor as I have no cramping, bleeding, excessive discharge, ect. For someone who has been diagnosed with this did your doctor put you on bed rest or what were the other recommendations to help ease the pubic discomfort?

Thanks

If you have been pregnant or are pregnant, they say around 14 weeks you start to feel a "fluttering" feeling in your stomach. it is apparently the baby kind of moving around. How do you know if this is a flutter or something else like gas? I have these feelings that feel almost like a small cramp, but not a cramp, kind of like a twinge that lasts for just a few seconds, and it is more in the middle of my lower abdomen than one side or the other. Is this the "fluttering" I keep hearing so much about?

I asked my doctor and they said everything looks great and it is most likely fluttering, but since my doc is a man he said, "I can guess what it feels like from what others have told me, but I can't tell you from personal experience."

Any personal experience you might have would be awesome. I know I am probably just over reacting to everything my body is deciding to do, but I thought i would ask.

Thanks

So, I am currently suffering from really bad morning sickness. I am sick day and night. I am having a lot of liquid meals (smoothies, protein shakes, etc.) and dry toast. Sounds yummy huh? Anyways, I was wondering if anyone out there knows of ways to make what comes up not taste so bad. I have gotten to a point where it doesn't hurt so much anymore, but it sure does taste bad. And since nothing else is helping, the sea bands, snacking on toast and crackers, various vitamins, etc. are there any suggestions on improving the taste?

I am going out with some friends this weekend, and I am pregnant but not comfortable enough to start telling people as I have already gone through this a number of times. We are going to an establishment that is non-smoking, so I am safe there. But I don't want it to be too obvious by only drinking water. Are there any fun concoctions that aren't filled with sugar, caffeine, or liquor for a pregnant chick to drink?

Thanks!

Why is it that I have this huge problem with people using words like prego, preggers, pregalicious, preggy, etc.? not to mention those who use "dis" for "this", "dat" for "that, and all of the other phonetically spelled slang out there. Do people not realize it makes them look uneducated? These words literally drive me insane. I see this a lot in the TTC messages and I really fear that there are people out there who are this uneducated wanting to bring people into this world. Please, at least come across as educated and use proper grammar and the spell check.

I guess this was more of a rant, but why does this bother me somuch?

I have a Coach purse, it has white leather handles and bottom that are starting to look more like greyish handles and bottom. Can I just use regular leather cleaner/conditioner to make them white again? The bag itself has no stains or discoloration, but the handles really make it look worn.

Thanks

Sorry guys, this is a long one...

So, I was watching a show on TLC about genetics and inherited traits, and it might have dawned on me why I am having such a difficult time conceiving a child. Here are a few traits in my family and I would love some insight as to what your opinions are:

1. On my mother's side, I have 2 uncles and 3 aunts. One uncle has a healthy, wonderful son. Other uncle has no children by choice. Of my aunts, one of them (aunt #1) has a different father than the other two (aunt #2 and #3, and my mother) and the same father as the uncles. Her children are healthy and she had no problems with conceiving or maintaining a pregnancy.

2. Aunt #2 had her first child when she was 33, and had no problems conceiving or carrying him. Then decided to expand her family when she was 40. Between the ages of 40-51(current age) she has had 2 children, one full term stillborn, and 2 miscarriages.

3. Aunt # 3 decided to start a family when she was in her late 20's. She had difficulty conceiving and miscarried 4 times before finally having a healthy baby girl at 31, then a healthy baby boy at 34.

4. I am an only child, and my mother had no problem conceiving me.

5. Aunt #1, aunt #3, my mother, myself, and my cousin have all been diagnosed with severe endometriosis. All aunts, and my mother have had hysterectomies because of this.

So, I know that genetics can be a headache. And that their male partners could have played a role in some of the fertility issues they have had. But does this sound as though it could be a possible genetic trait? I have a doctor’s appointment on Thursday and plan on asking him since it never occurred to me to ask him as I have no idea why I never thought about this before.

But what do you guys think? My husband and I are in our 4th year of TTC, have had 3 miscarriages and one ectopic pregnancy, and are getting ready to have testing done as to why we are having difficulties.

Thanks!

I have make up brushes that I paid good money for, and I really need to clean them as I can tell they are becoming a little icky. How do I go about doing this?

I have lost a total of 78 pounds over the last 6 months or so. I am starting to notice a little bit of saggy skin in certain areas. I already use lots of skin firming moisturizers and drink lots of water, well, nothing but water, and I am wondering if there is anything I can do now to prevent it from getting really bad as I have about another 40 pounds I want to loose? Anyone have any advice? I don't want to have to resort to skin removal surgery as I am pretty sure my insurance wont cover it. If it does come down to where that is my only option, is there a way i can get my insurance to cover surgery?

Thanks for any advice.

To everyone out there trying to conceive, I feel so much pain and sympathy for you. My husband and I have been trying for 3 years. It's definitely been a rough road that isnt even paved and seems to be filled with nothing but pot holes. My question for you out there is: How do you make it through the holidays? Our first holiday season TTC wasn't so hard because we were still patient and hadn't been through what we've been through now. Last year was a little rough, but we had various treatments we were doing and had a lot of support from our families. Now this year, our families just don't seem to get it.

They don't understand I don't want to spend the holidays around a lot of joyous children opening gifts. They keep asking what I am "doing wrong". They think I should move past it and count my blessings, when in doing so, I count my losses too, and it hurts.

The holiday season isn't even fully upon us yet, and I am brought to tears. I can't go out without hearing talks of gifts or santa or what the hottest new toy is this year. How do you bring yourselves to enjoy what is supposed to be a happy time of celebration when all you want to do is stay at home with a case of wine and drown your sadness until its all over? And is there anything wrong with wanting to drown your sorrows until the holidays are over?

I have a friend who is selling a 36 inch Magnavox HDTV. I dont know a lot about TV's, and don't watch a lot of tv, but I like to watch movies when its cold out. And since it is getting colder out, I was thinking of buying it from her. She's selling it for $300. Is this a good deal? I have never owned a magnavox, if you have, would you recommend it?

I was curious as to what time you normally eat dinner at. Whether you're single or a family. Lets say you work a standard 9-5 job and its just you and your husband, you don't eat out frequently, and you each have a 30 minute commute home each day.

What time do you eat?

I had a D&C July 2, AF finaly arrived on September 1. I typically had 28-29 day cycles. I know I ovulated this month, my charts as well as OPK's said so. Now my TWW has officially turned into a 16 day wait. Does it sound like I am getting excited over nothing?