Another Unofficial Chatterbox Thread- Everyone is Welcome!

[XTinabell]

With DS8, my deep innie just got shallow; with DS4 it popped out!
Outies have always kinda creeped me out, so I didn't like to look at it. DH liked to joke that it was my Butterball indicator, and I was done.


OMG, I did that, too! I thought, "I'll never have another chance to clean this out again..."

Okay, this all sounds really freaky I am definitely never having kids. I don't want to know what it feels like to have your belly button POP OUT!

 

[XTinabell]

Christina! I see your little green light is on!

Geesh, isn't it past your bedtime? Or is it morning already?

It might be 2am here. Dh is a night owl and he's on holidays and his bad habits are rubbing off on me. I'm actually not even tired and am getting rather hungry. If I stay up late for a couple of days my body starts to revert back to North America time, it's almost supper time!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

It's just odd-looking (to me), it doesn't really hurt. The skin on my belly was quite taut as well. Of course afterwards not so much. It's still kinda baggy.

But don't worry, I think that has a lot to do with age. So have 'em young if you can!

And I want to add my congratulations in with the others. Are you looking to get married within the next few years, or is it an open-ended engagement?

 

[XTinabell]

It's just odd-looking (to me), it doesn't really hurt. The skin on my belly was quite taut as well. Of course afterwards not so much. It's still kinda baggy.

But don't worry, I think that has a lot to do with age. So have 'em young if you can!

And I want to add my congratulations in with the others. Are you looking to get married within the next few years, or is it an open-ended engagement?

It's open-ended for sure. I'm just not a normal girl who dreamed about getting married when she was five. I've been living like a married woman for about 3 years now, the ring is awesome and I like being a fiancé as opposed to just the girlfriend but not in a rush for a wedding or to sign those papers.

Well I'm glad to hear the belly button pop doesn't hurt. Is it a gradual process or are you at the dinner table when you hear a loud POP and you look down and your belly button is protruding?

 

[Alex2kMommy]

We'd normally be eating dinner right now (6:00), but we had a late lunch (around 2:00, I think it was) so no one is really hungry yet. I'm just going to make some spaghetti, which doesn't take long, so no big hurry.

Today the streets here were slushy with a lot of bare spots, so I dared to venture out for the first time by myself. I had no trouble at all, thank goodness!

I went to the next city over to a camera shop; they have a machine for making personalized photo calendars, and I brought a CD of photos along to use. Unfortunately I didn't get there until 4:15, and they close at 5:00, which really isn't enough time for me to do one of these things. It usually takes me about 3 hours to figure out how to lay out all the pages, select which photos to use, background colors, any photo editing to do (zoom in, crop, red-eye reduction, etc.)

I talked with one of the clerks before I left, because I know you can do the calendar online, it's just that last year they said the software on the in-store machine was better and had more options. They've upgraded the in-store machines since then (and apparently the online version), she said actually now there are more options online!

So I'll just make it from home and submit it, then they'll print it at the local shop and I can pick it up. Yay! I make one for DH, one for his dad and stepmom, one for my folks. I think this year I'll add one for DH's mom and stepdad, and maybe one for great-grandma, she might get a kick out of it.

OH! And maybe one for me! DH takes his to work, so I never get to see the calendar except when we go over to FIL's!

 

[XTinabell]

I made a calendar for my brother two Christmases ago and did everything online. I was really pleased with how it turned out. It was made with those ring thingies as opposed to the usual staples, but otherwise it looked quite professional. Hopefully it works out for you too.

I must have a million calendars in the house right now. When people don't know what to buy me for a gift they get me calendars so I have a closet full of them

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Well I'm glad to hear the belly button pop doesn't hurt. Is it a gradual process or are you at the dinner table when you hear a loud POP and you look down and your belly button is protruding?

OMG, what a question!

No, it's very gradual and not painful. Mine is normally very deep, so it took awhile before I realized it was getting shallower. Then it got... flat, I guess. And I noticed when I lay down that it popped out a bit. Eventually it was out all the time.

The belly skin gets pulled so tight by the growing babe, though, so the skin just feels very tight and sometimes tender. I got this lotion from The Body Shop that was supposed to help with keeping the skin supple. I still got tons of stretch marks, and now the skin is baggy, but it did seem to keep the skin soft at the time.

 

[XTinabell]

OMG, what a question!

No, it's very gradual and not painful. Mine is normally very deep, so it took awhile before I realized it was getting shallower. Then it got... flat, I guess. And I noticed when I lay down that it popped out a bit. Eventually it was out all the time.

The belly skin gets pulled so tight by the growing babe, though, so the skin just feels very tight and sometimes tender. I got this lotion from The Body Shop that was supposed to help with keeping the skin supple. I still got tons of stretch marks, and now the skin is baggy, but it did seem to keep the skin soft at the time.

That just sounds so funny. I imagine you have to quite a full tummy before your belly button starts to pop out.

Aren't there prescription lotions you can use to prevent stretch marks? If there aren't there should be!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I must have a million calendars in the house right now. When people don't know what to buy me for a gift they get me calendars so I have a closet full of them

The first calendar I ever made for DH had the little plastic rings, and the page was a single color photo color-copied on one side, with a calendar month printed on the other (so that when you opened it there was a photo on the top, and the calendar month on the bottom.) Now they are very sophisticated, you can do different color backgrounds (even ones with patterns or graphics), add text, use multiple photos on one page, etc.

The software I've used has pre-set photo layouts; so for instance a single-photo layout you could choose one of the following: Photo on the left with room for text on the right, photo on the right with room for text on the left, photo at the top with room below for text, full-page photo. And the options for multiple photo pages are even more varied. It's nice, but not quite as versatile as I'd like; it would be ideal to be able to change the size of any photo, or arrange them however I like. But maybe that will come in a few years...

I know what you mean about getting calendars as gifts. DH got one for the TV show, The Office, for his birthday. I looked at him funny, and he shrugged his shoulders. I found it under the coffee table the other day and asked, "Are you a fan of this show? I've never seen you watch it." He said, "I watched one episode after I got the calendar; it was a little odd and I couldn't get into it."

 

[XTinabell]

We should plan a Hyena trip to Vegas. I've never been and I'm ready! I don't gamble, but I can learn as long as I don't have to go over 10 dollars.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

That just sounds so funny. I imagine you have to quite a full tummy before your belly button starts to pop out.

Aren't there prescription lotions you can use to prevent stretch marks? If there aren't there should be!

There are, but I've heard they're like the creams to increase your bust size, they are expensive but don't actually work.

I think the best thing you can do is use some sort of lotion to keep the skin soft, and drink lots of water. It might not help with stretch marks, but it might help the skin's elasticity.

I read somewhere that whether or not you get stretch marks is genetic. I'm not sure if that's true, because I would think any mom who carries twins MUST get them, right? But what do I know? I got them both times. At the time they look like big purple gashes, really hideous. After the baby arrives, they fade to a reddish color, then gradually look like a flat scar, skin-colored but noticeably different.

 

[XTinabell]

The first calendar I ever made for DH had the little plastic rings, and the page was a single color photo color-copied on one side, with a calendar month printed on the other (so that when you opened it there was a photo on the top, and the calendar month on the bottom.) Now they are very sophisticated, you can do different color backgrounds (even ones with patterns or graphics), add text, use multiple photos on one page, etc.

The software I've used has pre-set photo layouts; so for instance a single-photo layout you could choose one of the following: Photo on the left with room for text on the right, photo on the right with room for text on the left, photo at the top with room below for text, full-page photo. And the options for multiple photo pages are even more varied. It's nice, but not quite as versatile as I'd like; it would be ideal to be able to change the size of any photo, or arrange them however I like. But maybe that will come in a few years...

I know what you mean about getting calendars as gifts. DH got one for the TV show, The Office, for his birthday. I looked at him funny, and he shrugged his shoulders. I found it under the coffee table the other day and asked, "Are you a fan of this show? I've never seen you watch it." He said, "I watched one episode after I got the calendar; it was a little odd and I couldn't get into it."

Well at least he gave it a shot. It's funny that someone would get him a calendar like that, usually if you don't know the person you would get them something generic like a city calendar.

I should get a calendar made, it sounds like they've come a long way since I had mine made. Can you choose how big the calendar is? Like make a mini one or do they have to be the standard size? I like mini calendars.

 

[XTinabell]

There are, but I've heard they're like the creams to increase your bust size, they are expensive but don't actually work.

I think the best thing you can do is use some sort of lotion to keep the skin soft, and drink lots of water. It might not help with stretch marks, but it might help the skin's elasticity.

I read somewhere that whether or not you get stretch marks is genetic. I'm not sure if that's true, because I would think any mom who carries twins MUST get them, right? But what do I know? I got them both times. At the time they look like big purple gashes, really hideous. After the baby arrives, they fade to a reddish color, then gradually look like a flat scar, skin-colored but noticeably different.

I've heard that too. My mom didn't get stretch marks but my sister has some on her legs, but maybe my mom did get them and just couldn't remember. I know you can get some kind of a laser treatment that supposedly clears up stretch marks. I wonder if that's what celebrities do, have you noticed that none of them have stretch marks? And how did Angelina Jolie get back to a size zero a month after having twins?

 

[Alex2kMommy]

We should plan a Hyena trip to Vegas. I've never been and I'm ready! I don't gamble, but I can learn as long as I don't have to go over 10 dollars.

You know, somebody mentioned that several months ago; was it you? I was thinking it was someone who had been there before, though.

I don't know if I could swing it, but it sure would be fun! A friend of mine went a few months ago for a work conference. She had a nice suite (!) and they gave her champagne and chocolate covered strawberries at check-in; she was hooked already!

The room had a lovely jacuzzi tub, and as a mom, she loved just having peace and quiet in the evenings. She took leisurely bubblebaths, read books in bed, and went to an m&m store! I forget if it's just a store or a factory, I'm thinking it was a factory with tours offered. Yum! I mean 'fun'!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Well at least he gave it a shot. It's funny that someone would get him a calendar like that, usually if you don't know the person you would get them something generic like a city calendar.

I should get a calendar made, it sounds like they've come a long way since I had mine made. Can you choose how big the calendar is? Like make a mini one or do they have to be the standard size? I like mini calendars.

I bet somebody makes minis!

I used to do an 8.5x11 (so it opens to 17" height x 11"), but I just saw that Costco now offers a 12x12 size, WOOHOO!!!

Gosh, that reminds me that I meant to check out their calendars and see what kind of options there were... I tried looking online, but it wouldn't show me the page layout options until I uploaded photos to use. WHY WOULD I UPLOAD ALL MY PHOTOS until I knew I wanted to use them for the calendar??? Show a sample, for cryin' out loud!

 

[XTinabell]

No it wasn't me that mentioned it. I don't think I could afford it for quite some time because it costs so much to fly to America from here but I really want to go.
Dh went a few years ago and the M&M place was the highlight of his trip

 

[XTinabell]

I bet somebody makes minis!

I used to do an 8.5x11 (so it opens to 17" height x 11"), but I just saw that Costco now offers a 12x12 size, WOOHOO!!!

Gosh, that reminds me that I meant to check out their calendars and see what kind of options there were... I tried looking online, but it wouldn't show me the page layout options until I uploaded photos to use. WHY WOULD I UPLOAD ALL MY PHOTOS until I knew I wanted to use them for the calendar??? Show a sample, for cryin' out loud!

Yeah no kidding, some people don't know how to make useful websites. You could try uploading one picture to get some ideas if you really wanted to see the layout options.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I've heard that too. My mom didn't get stretch marks but my sister has some on her legs, but maybe my mom did get them and just couldn't remember. I know you can get some kind of a laser treatment that supposedly clears up stretch marks. I wonder if that's what celebrities do, have you noticed that none of them have stretch marks? And how did Angelina Jolie get back to a size zero a month after having twins?

Yeah, that's just not natural!

I had c-sections, and you aren't allowed to do any sort of abdominal exercise for quite awhile. I'm less self-conscious about the stretch marks than I am about the saggy belly, though. I told DH that if I lost some weight, I'd consider surgery to get rid of that, it's pretty ugly! The only option I've seen, though, is where they slice away the belly skin, and I think they pull down. You lose your belly button! So they have to make a new one, otherwise you look weird.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Yeah no kidding, some people don't know how to make useful websites. You could try uploading one picture to get some ideas if you really wanted to see the layout options.

I should check it out before I go my usual route with Kits, huh? Costco could be a heck of a lot cheaper, too. The gal at Kits did say that when you do it online you can save your work and finish it later, which you can't do in the store. That is a great plus! Last year I got stuck; I went in after dropping DS4 at preschool, and didn't finish before it was time to pick him up, so I had to lose it all, AAUGGGH!

So I will check out whether you can do that with Costco, too.

 

[XTinabell]

Yeah, that's just not natural!

I had c-sections, and you aren't allowed to do any sort of abdominal exercise for quite awhile. I'm less self-conscious about the stretch marks than I am about the saggy belly, though. I told DH that if I lost some weight, I'd consider surgery to get rid of that, it's pretty ugly! The only option I've seen, though, is where they slice away the belly skin, and I think they pull down. You lose your belly button! So they have to make a new one, otherwise you look weird.

That would be so strange if you didn't have a belly button. You should get the surgery and tell them not to put on the belly button so you can stand out.
I don't think stretch marks are that big of deal, I know my mom also hates all the extra tummy skin she has and has wanted to get some kind of a tuck and pull but it's one of those things that's easier to talk about doing than actually do it.