I also would like to know this.

How are they worse? My baby started walking at 11 months. He has no sense whatsoever, doesn't understand much language yet, but is mobile and fast and yanks his hand away from you like it's on fire if you try to hold it (and also he's barely over 2 feet tall so any adult holding his hand has to bend over to do so.

I only bathe the dogs a couple times a year. I just let them stink (they aren't too bad, really). When I do it, though, it's either the hose in the back yard or a do-it-yourself dog wash at a grooming place. My dogs are 90 and 50 lbs respectively them having wet post-bath zoomies inside my house is NOT an option.

Also, starting on January 1, 2014, the provision of Obamacare that says that all insurance companies must offer maternity coverage (it need not be complete coverage, but they can't just peaceout on maternity coverage all together like another poster here said they just found out their company does currently) will go…

The bunny suits are usually only for c-sections where I live. You have to wear one in the OR for a c/s but normal deliveries don't have anything like that. And in many hospitals now babies room in rather than going to nurseries. It's kind of a movie cliche to see all the babies behind glass in the hospital nursery but…

There's a number of things going on. The problem with the US healthcare "system" is that it's not a system at all. It's a zillion individual systems.

Midwifery is way more carefully regulated (and normalized) in the UK. Here in the US you can (maybe) get a highly-qualified medically-trained midwife, but the chances are much greater that you won't.

Having been through many rounds of "But will you pay for this? TELL ME!" with insurance companies, I've learned the following procedure for figuring this shit out:

Like everything US-healthcare-related, it depends on your insurance policy. Good insurance, you won't pay anything. Bad insurance and you'll pay much more than $23K. And everything in between.

This is WILDLY dependent on your insurance. You will pay anywhere between 0 and 100% of the cost. I paid not a dime, for all of my prenatal care and for the birth (emergency c-section, so the most expensive of the basic possibilities). Not a single cent. I have very good insurance. Had I not had very good insurance, I…

If she's eating dairy or eggs, she's getting B12 without any supplementation. B12 is only an issue for vegans.

Also always a true fact.

It's raining on my faaa-aaa-aaa-ce. (Real actual tears here.)

Am I the only one who thinks the joke is that you need only be in a given fandom for about 5 minutes before you encounter the ole "OMG you guys are all losers, I am so done with fandom, I feel sorry for you guys, you should really think about getting a life" fandom-flounce? It's a total fandom cliche. Some people…

There's a lot of fandom outside of Tumblr. Tumblr is notorious for skewing very young but fandom exists in many other venues that attract more older fans.

I think Baby Tashkent has actually gone through ALL of these categories. He was a standard baby from birth-6 weeks. Then his baby acne kicked in BADLY and he started getting baby pattern baldness and he was seriously hideous until about 12 weeks. Then he blossomed into the most gorgeous baby of all time from 3-6…

As the mother of a new walker, I understand the impulse. It's still way overboard but I joke at least once a day that the baby needs a helmet because he is constantly bashing his noggin on things.

I vastly prefer me-only vacations to all other options. Travelling alone, ftw!

I've never liked bars either. Now that the smoking situation is better, they are still SO LOUD. I can't hear myself think let along have a conversation with the people I went there with. What is the point of everyone just sitting around staring into their glasses totally unable to communicate in anything other than…

I have grumpy resting face. I think I'd actually prefer bitchy resting face because then at least people would secretly question whether or not they deserve to be bitched at. With GRF, people just assume I need more caffeine.