[cherisheachday]

Congragulations!! I hope to be as blessed as you are one day. I will pray for you and your baby.

Karen

[coco46]

More good news...my boss approved me taking a week of vacation the week before I want to start maternity leave.

So I get 14 weeks of fully paid leave! I love my job.

[crick]

Wow Coco! That's truly extraordinary!!!

My sil gets no paid maternity leave at all, isn't that unbelievable? She's using the rest of her vacay time but that is only a couple of weeks. The rest of it will be unpaid leave. Doesn't even have short term disability!

So that's awesome you work for a company who seem to embrace new moms and kids!

[coco46]

Crick,

That's terrible about your SIL. We really don't take care of our new moms here in the US, generally speaking, and it makes me really appreciate how good I have it here.

I mean, I'm extraordinarily lucky that I could afford to stay off work for my entire leave whether I got paid or not, but it is sure nice to have my income, uninterrupted, the whole time.

It makes me sad when I think of moms (and dads!) who get no paid leave, and who are forced to come back in 4 weeks or what have you because their family can't do without their income, you know? And what about parents that work at places where FMLA doesn't apply? I can't imagine.

[crick]

I was shocked actually, when she told me because for whatever reason I thought it was mandatory to have at least a 6 week paid leave. I guess I've always worked for companies that had it and assumed that was the norm. Teach me to assume, eh?

I am really floored to now know it's more common than not that there is no paid leave. What better reason to have paid leave if not for a new child? People get paid leave to have cosmetic surgery which is often a surgery of choice, not necessity, so I don't understand the difference here. Why does short term disability apply there but not for maternity leave? Ugh.

Anyway...sorry to detract from your thread! So glad to read things are going well for you and bean is growing big!

[Cobb]

So glad that everything continues to go so well!!! And am giddy with excitement about the upcoming ultrasound!!! I know he will be beautiful!

Hug that boy for me (and yourself of course...)

[coco46]

Hi Cobbler!!!!!! It's good to see you, Mama!

He's getting very big and very active. He loves to kick Mommy about 4 in the morning. Pretty cool!

[Cobb]

Hehehe... he's just warning you now not to expect to get any sleep! I'm so glad that you're enjoying every minute... seriously, just reading your words, I get the feeling that you must positively glow!

[kiwi]

Coco, Glad to hear everything is going well I'm loving the transition from "here, put your hand here, you should be able to feel him kick within a couple minutes" and after a while I just got a blank look because nothing was happening... from that to "Holy cow! Look at what he's doing to your stomach!" as I am bulging and protruding from the pummeling within

[coco46]

So...in case I didn't get enough of a heart attack after the whole windshield thing, I guess, I fell pretty hard at work yesterday.

It scared me more than anything, though my left knee is now an ugly, swollen bruiser. I made them take me to the hospital, not for the knee so much, but for Bean. I'm almost certain I caught myself before my tummy ever hit anything, but I was terrified.

The EMT in the ambulance nearly got a punch in the face, since she kept insisting that I didn't need to get checked at L & D. She kept saying stupid things like "You obviously don't know how the bag of waters works." and "I've had three kids, I know what I'm talking about." Of course, I felt no inclination to share my story with a complete stranger (who was also a complete idiot ), so I didn't even bother to tell her I'd already given birth myself. Then at the ER, she kept repeating to the nurses and anyone else who would listen that I only had knee pain, and didn't need to get the baby checked.

I insisted. I told the admitting lady to ignore her. I told the nurses and the doctor and everyone else within earshot that nobody was going to make me go anywhere unless I got my baby checked out. Lucky for them, they agreed with me. Thank God, he's just fine. Good heart tones, lots of movement. No bleeding or cramping.

Maybe I should just check myself in! Apparently, walking and driving are too dangerous for me these days...

[numbr1dbcksfan]

OH MY GOSH!!! Be--- Careful!!!!! Just get one of those lark things and ride around on it for the rest... No traffic.. no walking .. NOTHING!!!

Im glad you and bean are ok...

[coco46]

Thanks Christine...I may look into one of the little scooters, LOL. Though at the rate I'm going, I could end up in a 4-scooter pileup or something.

I feel almost silly posting this stuff. Like I'm creating drama or something, KWIM? But...it was very scary at the time. I'm just glad things were OK once again.

[kiwi]

Ooh, Coco! I'm glad you and Bean are okay!!!

That's it, you're restricted to nothing harder than mudbaths and fluffy pillows for the next 4 months

[Casey677]

Better a drama queen who knows everything is ok than to under react and have something wrong and not know. You did the right thing getting checked!! I am just so happy that all is well. Try to take it easy!

Casey

[spitzlvr]

Coco,

I have a story I know you will appreciate. Saturday I went to my Doc. They had a new lady doing the pre-doctor work, and they asked if I would mind if she worked with me. (Along with a regular). She asked me alot of the same questions that I had already answered (I am assuming it was so she could learn). When she asked when my lmp was, I told her (back in April). She get the little wheel, spins it around, and announces - "Well, Congratulations! You are 9 weeks pregnant!". After laughing, I told her try again - I was about 22 weeks pregnant. (If I looked like this at 9 weeks, YIPES!). She blushed, and tried again. She got closer the second time. She also forgot to take my BP or weigh me. As I was leaving she came after me, and asked if I could come back for them - she was very sorry. I found the whole thing very funny.

Oh - my visit went well - my ds got to hold the doppler box while my dh held the wand thing. My ds had such a smile on his face, listening to his little sister 'talk' to him!! Everything is going OK, but my Doc has decided to up my visits a little eariler than the original plan. So I am now going to start going every 2 weeks. (That shouldn't have happened for at least 6 more weeks).