EricaG

What a busy weekend you had. Hopefully your daughters hair will grow back enough that it won't look too bad for the wedding. I will keep my fingers crossed for you! This weekend I was working and trying to get back into the swing of things after being off for over a year. Now I am working evenings today and tomorrow. Which reminds me, I should get some stuff done around here before I have to get ready for work.

So I found a pic although it is not the greatest, but it should give you an idea.

The cone is a cute alternative. Our daughter will have a bucket, but we are going to pack things in it to save space. When my daughter was a flowergirl in Cuba a couple years ago, my mom made a little cloth basket type thing that was very simple to pack. I will see if I can find a pic.

I am also wearing my wedding dressfor our AHR. Not only do you get another chance to wear it, but then everyone that was not able to make it to the DW can still see you in your dress for the part of the wedding they get to be a part of. I am also planning to do TTD, but I am having a second dress for that just is case the dress doesn't come out of it in perfect condition.

I agree that you should let her know that you and your FI have chose the RIU in Jamacia for YOUR wedding location. If she would like to stay elsewhere, she is welcome to do so, but you would also understand if she was not able to make it. I know that there are a lot of people that are paying for the day passes for those who are staying in other hotels, but I refuse to. Maybe I am wrong, but we picked a reasonably priced resort, and if people are going to stay somewhere else because it is cheaper, then I feel they can pitch in the $50 pp for a day pass. That is my 2 cents on that, and my Mom agrees with me, although no one is staying else where so far.

I thimk that our wedding will be at 3pm. That way we will still have time to get pics done before it is dark. Since we will be having group pics done with everyone after the ceremony, then that will keep everone busy for awhile. Then everyone can go freshen up and meet at one of the bars for drinks before the reception. That is what friends did at their wedding, and it was fine. I still have to hear back from my WC to get the times for sure, so things could still change.

My daughter is 3 and says that her baby brother has a 'Daddy's bum". One day she was playing with her Dad (my FI) and we was trying to reacher her to play spank her. She would laugh and run close then run away. She told me that Daddy was spanking her bum, so I told her to spank Daddy's bum then (not thinking about it) so she ran up and hit him in the crotch! Then I had to keep trying to show her where to shpank his bum, but she would point and she 'no, that's Daddy's bum!" Needless to say, we started a new activity for her.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ava The garter toss is totally tacky.....I'm definitely doing it! LMAO

They turned out really great. I can't wait to make them for my AHR!

I have just finished reading through this thread and I can see all points, but I have a few things to add. I am an rural nurse, so I do everything from geriatrics, cardiac, emergency, med/surg, labour & delivery and whatever else needs to be done. In our town, c-sections are not done unless absolutely necessary, but we only have a handful of drs that do deliveries (we only have 10 drs most often), one dr that does c-sections and 2 drs that do anestetics, but only one of them does epidurals. If there is a failure to progress, fetal distress or any of the other several medical reasons for a section, the dr that does the c-section is called in to do a consultation. From there the dr makes a decision whether to section or not, and discusses it with the pt. We do have some scheduled c-sections, but they are usually repeat sections or breech presentation. Then there are the emergency sections were the OR staff are called in. Around here we are not given the choice of having an elective c-section without a medical reason. As I say this, I know that this will not be the same in every hospital, town or city. As for pt's having a natural birth, I have seen many that have planned for that, and even in early stages of labour still plan to do so (although they are usually still smiling too) Like we say, if you are still smiling, you have a ways to go! Not all pt's decide against the natural birth in the end, but many, if not most do. They are asking for something for pain and usually an epidural. Of course in our hospital, only one dr that does them and usually being short staffed with no nurse to special an epidural pt, they often don't get the option of an epidural. There are many other ways of non-medicinal pain control, but you have to find what works for you. As for epidurals slowing down labour, I have seen where it has done so, where it didn't seem to make any difference other than pain relief, and I have seen where it has sped up the delivery because the pt was so tense from the pain. As for personal experience as a mother, I have had 2 c-sections and the second one was elective, but here is my situation. I had been contracting for a week and a half with leaking membranes. Finally I went into the hospital at 1am with strong contractions every 3 minutes. I was still only 1 cm dialted. At 8 am the dr ruptured my membranes completely, then at 1 pm I was put on the drip. By 5 pm I was still only 5 cm so an epidural was arranged for me. (I did not want an epidural at all, but by this time I was tired and I knew it was going to be a section, so I got it)By 6pm I had the epidural and was out like a light. At 8pm I still hadn't progressed, so I was given the option of waiting for another hour or to go ahead with the section. I choose the section. I had my daughter by section at 9:19pm, 20 hours after getting to the hospital, but a week and a half after starting to contract and living in the bath tub. In the end, my daughters head was engagedin my pelvis wrong and would not have been able to make it out. She was only 6 lbs 8 oz. Then with my son, I wanted to have a VBAC. I did not want to have another c-section if I didn't have to. I finally gave in and had an elective section which everyone I knew was trying to encourage me to do. The reason everyone wanted me to have section and the reason I gave in was because my pelvis was separated. OUCH!!!! My pelvis was so bad that I had a 4-wheeled walker for the last 2 1/2 months of my pregnancy. I had 2 ambulance trips to the city, just to be sent home the next day, and there was almost a 3rd trip. When they had to rearrange the OR schedule, they left a spot open for me in case I decided to have a c-section. So finally I decided it was time rather than being sent to the city however many more times before having the baby and ending up with a section there. (My dr who can do VBACs was out of town and the OBGYN that comes out here as a specialist said he would deliver my baby, and he was in town for my section) Since I didn't go through the labouring process, my recovery was a lot better the second time around. BUT, I cried for the 4 days between deciding on a section and actually having it. I cried as they preped me before the OR, in the anti-room and even on the OR table, why? because I didn't want a section, but I knew that it was the best choice. With my pelvis in the condition it was, having a VBAC could have caused permanent damage. My son was healthy at 3 weeks early, 7 lbs 6 oz and a head size 4 weeks ahead of his age. I have come to accept that my pelvis is not adaquate for having babies, and when it is time for baby #3, I will probably just have an elective section, although I may still enquire about a VBAC if my pelvis isn't separated again. In the end, each person, each baby and each delivery is different. As long as the baby is healthy and mom is healthy, that is what is important. To have a c-section or not too......you need to read the FACTS on both. During your pregancy you should be researching them anyways and asking your dr questions. Taking prenatal classes also inform you on these issues. Make sure you go into it with an open mind or you could be very dissapointed in the end. Also, keep in mind that failure to progress is if there is less than 1 cm dilation in a 2 hour period, this is called dystosia. Is it possible to have a natural birth? YES! It happens a lot, sometimes because that is what the Mom wants, and sometimes because things go too quickly for them to have anything. People should be encouraging, not all birthing stories are aweful experiences. Dbld78 - I like how you pointed out how so many people are willing to get other surgeries like boob jobs, nose jobs and the like without thinking about the real complications that can result. C-sections are major ABD surgery, so they shouldn't be taken lightly, and yes I think there is room for a decrease in the c-section rates, but when it comes down to it, it is up to both the pt and the medical experts. After all, both are the cause of the high non-medical section rates.

I totally understand that you would feel frustrated. That seems like a lot of things that have changed in a short period of time. How many people were supposed to be going?

Babies do need a passport. My daughter has had one sice she was 4 months. We have to renew it now and we are getting our sons done as well. The Canadian passport they would get for the babies would be good for 3 years, and it is a fraction of the cost. I think it only costs about $23 or something. As for the one that will only be a few months old, they can write in the date that they are leaving and needing the passport, and they should behave no problems getting them. We have always gotten ours within 2 weeks of applying, but I am not sure if that is the norm!

Oh yeah, there was a comment about taking fertility for granted. My best friend has not found the man of her dreams yet, but she really wants kids. She found out last year that she has PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome) which will make conceiving very difficult for her. She is currently taking steps to improve her chances of becoming pregnant when the time comes, but she was also told that once she turns 35 (she is going to be 29 this year), they won't do anything to help her out. Because she wants kids so bad and there is no deadline for finding the man of her dreams, she is seriously considering a donor. She has decided that if she doesn't have anyone in her life by the time that I get married in Nov, she is going to go ahead and get donor sperm in Jan! Everyone around her is supportive, heck, I even started picking out donors for her to consider and got her a turkey baster! LOL

Here is a bit of funny info. I had my daughter during my last year of nursing school. I was doing a 4 weeks course before doing my preceptorship and I only made it to 2 weeks of it! Then I ended up with a c-section and went back to do my preceptorship 4 1/2 weeks later. (I wanted to get done!) Anyways, my daughter was the 10th baby of my grad class in 4 years. Wow right?! The funny thing is that we were in nursing, we had the highest pregnancy rate in the college of all programs ever there, and only 2 were planned. My daugther was the last one born before grad, but there were 2 more born witin 3 weeks before her. At grad there were also 2 more pregnant I believe. Our grad class proved almost every form and even some combinations of BC to not be 100% effective. What is the lesson? If it is meant to be....it will be!!!

Withour photog they are only charging another $200 for TTD. We are also going to have some done that are not pro pics since we have some guests that enjoy taking pics.

I also missed this thread the first time around. Good luck with your surgery, and I will be hoping for a quick and easy recovery for you. I like a few others on here are at the opposite end of the spectrum...wanting a reduction. I have decided that once I am done having babies (probably only one more) than I am getting them 'wacked' as I call it. Gravity has already taken effect on my boobs and my back gets sore easily and more often. When I get my reduction, they also do a lift, so I am set...once I have baby #3. My sizes before pregnancy, during and after breast feeding are: D - DDD - DD (my daughter) DD - G - DDD (my son) A little boobie history in our family: My Mom had a breast reduction before having me and it made her look so much thinner since she wasn't so top heavy. She was also able to breast feed both me and my sister, although it is touch and go with breast surgeries whether you can. You won't know until you try! My Mom's chest is back up to a DD and she is thinking of getting another reduction! My sister is 16 and is already wearing a D! We have boobie geans in our family. LOL I guess the one nice thing about my surgery is that I won't have to pay for it, since it is covered by our healthcare!!! Sweet! Maybe I can use the $ that I would pay if I was just getting a lift, and go on a nice relaxing holiday after the healing is done!!! Once again, good luck with your surgery!!!!!

I am soooo excited to do it, and FI seems a little more interested in it now too, which makes it even more exciting. As for it being a fad, whether the fad stays for a long time or not, we will still be able to say that we were some of the first ones to do it. This isn't a fad that I could ever see anyone saying...'what were we thinking? Why would we have done that?". It is something that will always be a fun, exciting memory that we can share with others.

Your pics are wonderful. Seeing everyones great pics makes me even more excited for our wedding day in Nov!!!

****If you are squirmish, you may not want to read this!!!**** So about a week and a half ago I stepped on a piece of glass and I was sure that it broke off when I heard it crunch. I tried to get it out, but had no success, so I waited until FI got home. By the time he got home though, it was already closed up and I was not letting him open it up again to dig. Eventually it will fester its way out! So I have been walking around on my toes for the most part with my right foot. The last few days I have been able to put weight on it, but I still had to becareful with my heel. So my sister called lastnight, and as I was running to answer the phone, I bumped my heel on something and ....OUCH!!! I looked at it and it had opened up a bit again. Then I started to squeeze it and finally got it opened up again. When I was digging with the tweezers, you could hear them scrapping on the glass. Finally I let FI do it, and turns out the piece of glass was about 1 cm long, and one end was pointed while the other end was almost 1/2 cm wide. WTF!!! And I had that in my foot for that long? Today at work my foot felt great though, and I had to remember that I could put all my weight on my heel again. LOL!!!

I don't want to see my FI before the wedding either. I have told him that I will be staying in our room the night before and he has to stay with someone else. I am not worried about seeing him during the day, as there will be enough things to keep us busy during the day. My only concern was for meals, but there are enough resturants there that we will arrange which restaurant he can eat at and which one I will eat at that day. There, problem solved myself! LOL

The invites look great!!! I love the clear envelopes. I wish I would have known about them and where to get them around here. Oh well!

I also love the books. They turned out so great and useful. We were planning to get everyones room numbers together once we got down there to, but to put it in the book, what a great idea!!!

So far we have 20 booked, but there are more that say they are coming and just haven't paid their deposits. (Taxes just went up do to fuel prices too!) I think in the end, we might end up with about 30 people.

I have to work this weekend, but I am excited. I have been off for over a year and I love my job as a nurse. OMG, my ticker says 6 MONTHS!!! Time flies when you keep busy, and now things are going to be even busier with me working. Not too much longer now!

Here is what I was sent from the WC. Beach Ceremony This is an upgraded bouquet that you can get. Some bridesmaid bouquets or even other upgraded bridal bouquets