If I have to say "Hold it correctly, please," one more time, I'm going to go crazy. She's left handed. She may never have beautiful handwriting. But I can't let her get away with holding a pencil the way she is.
I spent way too much time yesterday finding shoes for my work trip tomorrow. Then I got home, wore them around for 10 minutes, and realized that my 24-week pregnant self is not intersting in tottering around on heels. Seriously, my back hurt within minutes. Shit! So I'm going back out today to find cute flats, which is tough because I don't think flats are cute. (I wear chacos or flip-flops most days, but if I'm dressing up I really prefer heels).
I also decided that I don't have time for a pedicure, so I did my own toenails, and I smudged them immediately. Shit!
And we have a trash-related emergency going on but I'm not even going to share that one here. Gross!
Ugh.
I agree with Thad. Aerosoles are the bomb. Even when pregnant. They have some cute styles now.
If I have to say "Hold it correctly, please," one more time, I'm going to go crazy. She's left handed. She may never have beautiful handwriting. But I can't let her get away with holding a pencil the way she is.
Grumble.
I also feel a little awful today.
Have you tried a foam pencil grip? It can help make holding a pencil correctly feel more natural. I'd bet you could find some inexpensive ones right now with all the school supplies on sale.
If I have to say "Hold it correctly, please," one more time, I'm going to go crazy. She's left handed. She may never have beautiful handwriting. But I can't let her get away with holding a pencil the way she is.
Grumble.
I also feel a little awful today.
If you need any specific suggestions, snap a pic and send it my way. As a school OT I work on improving pencil grasps day in and day out and would be happy to offer any suggestions.
I had my prenatal interview this morning. I realize there's a reason for the questions, but I have been happily married for 3 years with no STD diagnoses, so IMO the number of people I've slept with before him is not exactly my midwife's business. I lied. I guess that's my early confession.
I also turned down the 1st and 2nd trimester screenings. I feel like they're the standard tests I would have gotten last time (I didn't decline anything) so I'd know if I were a carrier for cystic fibrosis by now. And the NT test is great for another ultrasound but I'll just go through a private company if I'm jonesing that bad for another ultrasound.
If I have to say "Hold it correctly, please," one more time, I'm going to go crazy. She's left handed. She may never have beautiful handwriting. But I can't let her get away with holding a pencil the way she is.
Grumble.
I also feel a little awful today.
Have you tried a foam pencil grip? It can help make holding a pencil correctly feel more natural. I'd bet you could find some inexpensive ones right now with all the school supplies on sale.
We've tried them, but even the so-called ambidextrous ones don't work well for the left hand.
If I have to say "Hold it correctly, please," one more time, I'm going to go crazy. She's left handed. She may never have beautiful handwriting. But I can't let her get away with holding a pencil the way she is.
Grumble.
I also feel a little awful today.
If you need any specific suggestions, snap a pic and send it my way. As a school OT I work on improving pencil grasps day in and day out and would be happy to offer any suggestions.
I hate how my phone rotates all my pictures. She normally defaults to holding pencils like this, with her thumb up really high, instead of a tripod grip. I can't tell a difference in legibility either way (but, she's only on her second day of first grade, so it's not like I'm expecting calligraphy or anything).
ETA: She often holds it maybe an inch higher, too.
Have you tried a foam pencil grip? It can help make holding a pencil correctly feel more natural. I'd bet you could find some inexpensive ones right now with all the school supplies on sale.
We've tried them, but even the so-called ambidextrous ones don't work well for the left hand.
How about writing claws? They have three little holes for the fingers.
It looks like the kitchen project is a go. So for 2-3 months we'll be living in a building site. I need to keep the end in mind at all times....
Ugh. Of all home reno projects, the kitchen is the hardest to deal with. However, it does give you the opportunity to try some really great grills and marinades while your stove is MIA!
@thadsrad & laurensmomma I did get one pair of Aerosoles. But I'm afraid it may just be the angle, regardless of how comfy the shoe is. I got a pair of flats (the kind with a small wedge) and I'll bring both with me. It's also tough because I didn't have time to buy online, and I'm really unimpressed with the selection in brick & mortar stores. This is why everyone shops online!!
If you need any specific suggestions, snap a pic and send it my way. As a school OT I work on improving pencil grasps day in and day out and would be happy to offer any suggestions.
I hate how my phone rotates all my pictures. She normally defaults to holding pencils like this, with her thumb up really high, instead of a tripod grip. I can't tell a difference in legibility either way (but, she's only on her second day of first grade, so it's not like I'm expecting calligraphy or anything).
ETA: She often holds it maybe an inch higher, too.
I often hold my pencils that way, too. It's easier to see what I'm writing. Granted, I never had anyone teach me how to hold a pencil properly as a lefty, so that's just how I ended up holding it. She might need more tips on how to hold the pencil as a lefty so she can see what she's writing. This might be a useful site:
I'm aware. But I'm low risk for downs, and even if the baby is born with it, it won't change our feelings toward our child. I simply meant that I realize one of the perks of the test is another ultrasound. I know it serves a bigger purpose than just letting me see baby, but it is a screening I don't feel is necessary this time
I feel like you've been around long enough to know not to say the bolded! People don't get the NT scan because it will change how they feel about the baby.
We've tried them, but even the so-called ambidextrous ones don't work well for the left hand.
How about writing claws? They have three little holes for the fingers.
I looked into them, but it seems like they might make it hard for her to see what she's writing without hooking her wrist.
My main concern isn't perfect penmanship, but I want her to have the muscle strength and stamina to actually write. I'm worried if she develops bad habits her wrist/fingers will get tired and sore too quickly.
I'm aware. But I'm low risk for downs, and even if the baby is born with it, it won't change our feelings toward our child. I simply meant that I realize one of the perks of the test is another ultrasound. I know it serves a bigger purpose than just letting me see baby, but it is a screening I don't feel is necessary this time
We didn't get one with Caleb either. It wasn't even offered when I was pregnant with Abby.
I feel like you've been around long enough to know not to say the bolded! People don't get the NT scan because it will change how they feel about the baby.
I stand by my statement and fail to see the issue. Unfortunately there are people who opt to end pregnancies because of discovered "defects" like downs, so it very well COULD change certain peoples feelings. I am not in that group of women. I am also not saying that I think people in that category are right. I mean no offense, but I am not understanding why I'm suddenly feeling like I should be defensive about declining screening that I've thought about and today decided just wasn't necessary and attempting to explain my rationale behind it.
I think she was more saying you could very much want and love a child with a condition and still terminate the pregnancy for numerous reasons.
I feel like you've been around long enough to know not to say the bolded! People don't get the NT scan because it will change how they feel about the baby.
I stand by my statement and fail to see the issue. Unfortunately there are people who opt to end pregnancies because of discovered "defects" like downs, so it very well COULD change certain peoples feelings. I am not in that group of women. I am also not saying that I think people in that category are right. I mean no offense, but I am not understanding why I'm suddenly feeling like I should be defensive about declining screening that I've thought about and today decided just wasn't necessary and attempting to explain my rationale behind it.
This was why we didn't bother with the expense of a NT scan. I knew it wouldn't make a difference in our decision making.
I feel like you've been around long enough to know not to say the bolded! People don't get the NT scan because it will change how they feel about the baby.
I stand by my statement and fail to see the issue. Unfortunately there are people who opt to end pregnancies because of discovered "defects" like downs, so it very well COULD change certain peoples feelings. I am not in that group of women. I am also not saying that I think people in that category are right. I mean no offense, but I am not understanding why I'm suddenly feeling like I should be defensive about declining screening that I've thought about and today decided just wasn't necessary and attempting to explain my rationale behind it.
I think it's totally fine to decline screening. But when you say you're declining it because a bad result wouldn't change how you feel about the baby, you're implying that women get the screening so that they can decide whether or not to abort. It's a common statement among women who decline screening. While some women who get the screening will abort if a genetic abnormality is found, others just want to be as prepared as possible for any medical condition that can be detected before birth. My fear is that posts like that could dissuade women from getting screening because of the implication that the reason to get it is to decide on termination. So if you wouldn't terminate, why get it? But there are lots of reasons to get it. I'm not picking on you, it's just something that gets said a lot that I think is misleading and should be addressed.
I stand by my statement and fail to see the issue. Unfortunately there are people who opt to end pregnancies because of discovered "defects" like downs, so it very well COULD change certain peoples feelings. I am not in that group of women. I am also not saying that I think people in that category are right. I mean no offense, but I am not understanding why I'm suddenly feeling like I should be defensive about declining screening that I've thought about and today decided just wasn't necessary and attempting to explain my rationale behind it.
I think it's totally fine to decline screening. But when you say you're declining it because a bad result wouldn't change how you feel about the baby, you're implying that women get the screening so that they can decide whether or not to abort. It's a common statement among women who decline screening. While some women who get the screening will abort if a genetic abnormality is found, others just want to be as prepared as possible for any medical condition that can be detected before birth. My fear is that posts like that could dissuade women from getting screening because of the implication that the reason to get it is to decide on termination. So if you wouldn't terminate, why get it? But there are lots of reasons to get it. I'm not picking on you, it's just something that gets said a lot that I think is misleading and should be addressed.
I think how it's presented might need to be changed sometimes also. Because it was presented to me as "Do you want to get an NT scan to see if there's anything wrong" and decision making was mentioned as a primary reason. Not to be prepared, but the implied focus was on whether or not we'd want to keep the baby. I knew it wouldn't matter, so I declined.
I feel like you've been around long enough to know not to say the bolded! People don't get the NT scan because it will change how they feel about the baby.
I stand by my statement and fail to see the issue. Unfortunately there are people who opt to end pregnancies because of discovered "defects" like downs, so it very well COULD change certain peoples feelings. I am not in that group of women. I am also not saying that I think people in that category are right. I mean no offense, but I am not understanding why I'm suddenly feeling like I should be defensive about declining screening that I've thought about and today decided just wasn't necessary and attempting to explain my rationale behind it.
I understand what you mean. We don't do any additional testing (mostly because our insurance sucked ass), but that kind of bit us in the ass this time. At our anatomy scan, they saw a bright spot on her heart, which was most likely nothing, but could be a marker for Downs or something worse. We wouldn't have terminated for Downs, but we would have if she had a really serious physical defect (one that would make her life short and painful, basically). Since I was already 20 weeks, we had to rush and do a blood test, and we didn't even get the results back until we were past the window that we could terminate. Thankfully, the test came back with a super low risk, so it ended up being nothing.
If the ultrasound had shown something horrible, we would only have had a few days to make a decision.
I'm not trying to talk you into or out of anything. I don't really know what my point is.
Eta: we would also want the additional time to figure out what we would need to know for caring for a chronically ill child if she had a heart defect or something like that. To be prepared for possibly having a newborn that needs heart surgery- that would change where I plan on giving birth, and I would probably opt for a c-section for a medically fragile baby. Plus going ahead and meeting with the specialists we would need and stuff like that.
I think it's totally fine to decline screening. But when you say you're declining it because a bad result wouldn't change how you feel about the baby, you're implying that women get the screening so that they can decide whether or not to abort. It's a common statement among women who decline screening. While some women who get the screening will abort if a genetic abnormality is found, others just want to be as prepared as possible for any medical condition that can be detected before birth. My fear is that posts like that could dissuade women from getting screening because of the implication that the reason to get it is to decide on termination. So if you wouldn't terminate, why get it? But there are lots of reasons to get it. I'm not picking on you, it's just something that gets said a lot that I think is misleading and should be addressed.
I think how it's presented might need to be changed sometimes also. Because it was presented to me as "Do you want to get an NT scan to see if there's anything wrong" and decision making was mentioned as a primary reason. Not to be prepared, but the implied focus was on whether or not we'd want to keep the baby. I knew it wouldn't matter, so I declined.
That's interesting! It makes me wonder how my provider would have presented it if I had asked more questions. By the time we got to that point I had done a bunch of research and already knew I wanted it, so the conversation was more about what types of screening are available.
Post by TrudyCampbell on Jul 22, 2014 14:36:15 GMT -5
I always find this interesting because at my OB practice the NT scan didn't seem optional. It was just the next thing I was told to schedule. I would have never heard of people opting out of it if it wasn't for this board.
If I have to say "Hold it correctly, please," one more time, I'm going to go crazy. She's left handed. She may never have beautiful handwriting. But I can't let her get away with holding a pencil the way she is.
Grumble.
I also feel a little awful today.
If you need any specific suggestions, snap a pic and send it my way. As a school OT I work on improving pencil grasps day in and day out and would be happy to offer any suggestions.
Not to hijack the conversation, but this is a perfect example why I love this board. There is just so much knowledge on here about EVERYTHING, and everyone is so willing to share! It just makes me smile!
I always find this interesting because at my OB practice the NT scan didn't seem optional. It was just the next thing I was told to schedule. I would have never heard of people opting out of it if it wasn't for this board.
My old OB said they only recommended it for 35+ couples. I didn't get it last time because of that, but I will for any future pregnancies, mainly due to this board and two ladies I know that didn't discover some serious issues until the 20 week scan.
I always find this interesting because at my OB practice the NT scan didn't seem optional. It was just the next thing I was told to schedule. I would have never heard of people opting out of it if it wasn't for this board.
My OB didn't even mention it with Dylan he acted like I was weird for asking about it. And I had to call insurance on my own to figure out if it was covered. They said it wasn't but I had no procedure codes for it. I was annoyed because DH has a family history of downs.
With Lyla he brought it up at my 12 week appointment but I wasn't able to go in for it before 13 weeks due to scheduling issues.
Post by TrudyCampbell on Jul 22, 2014 14:49:00 GMT -5
I went out to get cupcakes for my nanny and decided I needed a Tuesday treat.
Bad part of this is that I think Ruby's leg got a little pink on the walk. Ahh there's no way to keep her legs/arms out of the sun in the baby carrier. I hope it just looks pink because she's hot and we just got home. We were only out like 25 min including the time inside the bakery.