I’m grieving for the kids that we now can’t have. How do I cope?
We’ve discovered that my mental health isn’t anywhere near as stable as I thought it was. And we had to make the difficult decision to stop trying to get pregnant. I know that this is the right choice to make, for my sanity if nothing else. But I feel like I’m grieving for the life we planned, and the kids that won’t be a part of it. Any advice?
Finding plus-size maternity clothes: A Canadian struggle, eh?
Once the bump started forming, and my regular clothes started tugging in weird places, it was time to take the journey into finding plus-size maternity clothes in Canada. Oh boy? Hooray? I had a gut feeling that things wouldn’t be all that easy and boy was I right.
Finding plus-size maternity clothing was a nightmare!
How do you deal with an adult bully in the family?
For about a decade, I’ve been handling a cycle of bullying from an in-law. It’s not exactly like a workplace bully — I can’t just quit my family. But I’d like to be able to not focus on this person while at family gatherings and somehow enjoy myself with the people there that I love. Anyone got any advice for this?
How my silicone wedding ring represents marriage as a whole
After being diagnosed and struggling with Bipolar Disorder, I thanked my husband for all he had done, and I gave him a new wedding ring.
This one is silicone, and I have one to match. I still have my original gold wedding band, but my silicone ring now seems so much more of a real representation of marriage to me…
How can I get a packrat to stop giving me stuff?
My mother saves everything. I have spent the last decade trying to fight my own packrat tendencies. But I’m pregnant with the first grandchild, and now am receiving lots of stuff from her. Is there any graceful way to communicate that I don’t want to take on curation of a family museum? Or do I have to store it for another 30 years, until she won’t notice that I threw it out/donated it?
I hate being pregnant and it’s totally okay
I hate being pregnant.
There. I said it.
Does it mean that I’m going to hate motherhood? Absolutely NOT! Since the moment I found out I was pregnant, I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of my child. I just haven’t enjoyed the journey of pregnancy.
Let’s face it, pregnancy isn’t all about “glowing” and the occasional bout of heartburn. Well, maybe it is for some people but it definitely hasn’t been for me.
What unexpected things did you want when you were new parents?
I understand how useful those are (I intend to help buy a duffle bag and stuff it full of diapers!) but I wanted to know if there were any items or helpful suggestions that would be useful for me to give or do for new parents. What “strange” or “unusual” items will be useful for the new parents? What unexpected items did you not have that you wish you did have when you were new parents?
How do you keep the peace at joint family gatherings?
Our families are pretty different — liberal vs republican, generational differences, religious vs atheist — and once the drinks start flowing, it’s hard to manage the interactions. The whole thing makes me super anxious, and I don’t even want to have a birthday party for our kid because it will mean bringing the families together.
How do you manage different families? How do you keep the peace and still enjoy yourself at joint gatherings?