Thanks! The audiobook was available to borrow from my library’s online section, so looks like I’ll have something new to listen to on the way to work.

I read Escape right after Under the Banner of Heaven but then I just couldn’t handle any more FLDS. Maybe it’s been long enough to try again.

In California we have state disability insurance, so it’s really just short-term disability insurance that you have to pay into through your employer. You get up to 4 weeks before birth and six week (8 weeks for c-section) after birth for pregnancy disability leave and six more weeks of parental family leave that’s…

Sarah should upgrade to the platinum plan. I just the good morning sickness drugs pre-approved and I only had to pay $25 instead of $400+. It’s totally worth the extra monthly premium, especially since there’s no deductible.

I found my bio dad a couple years ago. He left my mom when she was pregnant and married his secretary. They have three kids and he already had a daughter from his first marriage. It really didn’t make me feel any better. Mostly I still resent him for not supporting me financially or caring enough to seek me out. At…

Candlewood Street in Lakewood is definitely a place to hit all the major chains: Red Lobster, Marie Callender’s, East Side Mario’s, Chili’s, Outback, Black Angus, Round Table Pizza, SuperMex, George’s Greek, Fuddruckers, Soupplanation, Hometown Buffet, Elephant Bar, Buffalo Wild Wings, Mimi’s Cafe, El Torito. In the…

I feel ya, especially when you want to commiserate with someone but you haven’t announced yet. I watched a TV show where someone had a missed miscarriage last night and had to turn it off and started freaking out. I have completely decided to screw the “don’t eat this” bullshit this time around. I’m eating sushi twice…

Yay, I’m due in September too. I’m also on September 2016 message boards but I just can’t be bothered to keep up. It was different two years ago when I was a first time mom.

I love her in everything. She was even the sister in Don Jon and only spoke in a single scene and she still was amazing. Time to re-watch The United States of Tara.

I didn’t see The Danish Girl, but I’m just going to pretend that Alicia actually won for Ex-Machina.

I had to scroll forever to find someone who also watched Crossing Jordan. I was actually surprised what a great comedic actress she is after watching her on a procedural for all those years.

All I can say is good luck. We started trying at 32 and it took 2.5 years including lots of testing, acupuncture, herbs, Clomid, and unsuccessful IUIs, before I got diagnosed with endometriosis, had surgery, and a medical induced menopause. Got pregnant naturally the cycle when we planned to start IVF. But I know…

2.5 years to get pregnant with #1, two cycles for #2. I guess it happens often.

Lots of people are against lupron but it worked wonders for me. No doctor ever cared about my painful periods until I couldn’t get pregnant. Then they finally suspected endo and I got a lap to diagnose and remove what he could see. Six months of lupron meant no pain or periods though I had hot flashes. And I finally…

It also tells me I woke up five times to go to the bathroom. I forgot that it starts almost immediately. My step count is also way down.

I’ll have to check that out. I was also suspicious of a ten point jump in my resting heart rate a few weeks ago, yep, now I’m eight weeks pregnant.

My mom did the same, though it wasn’t a capricious choice. She worked just long enough to max out her teacher’s pension but she’s still in this limbo because she won’t be on medicaid for another year. So of course, she got breast cancer again in the year between retirement and eligibility for medicaid. She has almost…

My freshman year roommate had a boyfriend like that. She walked him around campus on a leash. Luckily, he scared away his roommate pretty early on so they spent most of their time in his dorm room. He got over it though and apologized to me at a party two years later because they were really creepy and mean to me.

I don’t think it’s typical for white collar workers to get any paid leave either unless they live in a state where it is part of state disability or they have purchased short-term disability insurance separately that covers maternity.

You mean like how it works in California? Except the employees pay state disability insurance; I’m not sure how much comes from employers.