Ok, I'm back

[percival]

I still have truckloads of work to do, but my motivation is increasing in inverse proportion to the size of my inflating belly. Bending over is a challenge, and baby seems to think that space for lungs is not nearly as important as space for his/her bum and legs. (Yes, we'll get to know the sex at birth. My, have we been cross-legged ...).

So I'm officially back on LiveJournal.

:D

Comments

[angelofthenorth.livejournal.com]

wheeeeeeeeee!

good to have you back!

*hugs Perce carefully*

[aome.livejournal.com]

Yay! Welcome back. I'm definitely curious to know how things have been going!

[perceval.livejournal.com]

One of these days, I'll use Semagic to upload all the e-mail updates I sent round to the pregnancy filter.

Things are fine except for heartburn (£$"! ...) and aforementioned shrinking lung capacity. I'm carrying high, and that's one of the problems that go with it. Also, baby's decided to start getting more and more active in the last trimester, when activity should be slowing down. Not so here.

[aome.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see your backdated emails or at least the 'highlights' if you ever have time - but I also understand the waning motivation, so don't stress over that. I do now vaguely recall your offering to set up an email list for that, but I was swamped with things at the time and didn't get around to contacting you. I hope things have gone relatively smoothly!

[actionreplay.livejournal.com]

will junior be getting his/her own LJ account then?

[perceval.livejournal.com]

No, but s/he will have his/her own filter so that people can decide whether to opt out or in. Beware though: contents of filter might be TMI and will definitely not be designed to make you broody!

[cynthia-black.livejournal.com]

Welcome back to LJ! :-)

You'll find that baby *always* puts his/her needs above yours...

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

Welcome back!!!

[tefkas.livejournal.com]

Hey, welcome back!!!!

*hugs*

Fingers remain very much crossed that all goes smoothly for you, DH and sproglet (August, isn't it?). I see you're back online in time for HBP, too...

[chrysantza.livejournal.com]

Welcome back!

**hugs**

[sannalim.livejournal.com]

Yay, you're back! I've been wondering how you were doing.

[murasaki99.livejournal.com]

Welcome back! I'm currently shopping for a stroller for my sister in law and brother. They are on schedule to pick up their baby girl from China this fall. I'd better get cracking on the quilt I'm sewing for them!

I think it's kind of nice you'll be surprised by the baby's gender on the day. Just pick out one of each names. :)

[perceval.livejournal.com]

Have you talked to them about their needs/preferences? You should check the book and web site Baby Bargains. We have a MacLaren, and although I can't recommend it yet, it seems a good choice so afr.

[murasaki99.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, the stroller is off my SIL's 'BabiesRUs' wish list, and since they had three strollers listed, Mom and I called them to see if they had any preference among the three. Turns out they had thought about it further and liked the Jeep Liberty stroller (guess what sort of truck they have?), since it is made for a taller man to steer and will allow the pilot to jog. I think the baby is going to get plenty of fresh air. :D

[aome.livejournal.com]

I have two daughters from China - if your B/SIL have any questions, feel free to send them my way. :)

[murasaki99.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your kind offer. I'll let my siblings know. They're in the 'OMG we're going to CHINA!' phase I think. They've been painting the nursery and compiling a wish-list of baby things. I just ordered the stroller they wanted. I'm very excited at the chance to be an aunt again.

I like your cool 'Ai/Love' kanji. My SIL has joined the Red Thread society and she and my brother have been going to meetings and have met a number of adoptive families, which they found very heartening.

It's been a 2-year long 'birth process' and I'll only relax when everyone is back in the US safe and sound.

How were your own experiences?

[aome.livejournal.com]

I recall that our "OMG we're going to China!" phase, particularly for the first one, was more sheer terror than anything else, lol.

I'm surprised it's been so long for them, though - it was 21 months for our first daughter, from first application to travel, but there was a 13-14 month wait for referrals back then, it took us longer to finish paperwork, and our travel was delayed because of SARS. For our second child, it was about 10 months from initial paperwork to travel (and only 5 months for our referral), and I know referrals are still coming relatively quickly.

Our experiences overall were largely positive (which is why we did it again ;) ) - being in China is both cool and stressful - being so out of your element and getting used to a new child and all that, and our agency isn't perfect, but our facilitators took VERY good care of us in China, which really 'made' it for us. They told us where to go and what to do and how to fill out documents, handled any illness, handled all the money, navigated airports etc. It left us free to focus on our new daughter. We also both liked China's fairly predictable pattern, in terms of wait times and requirements.

Our first daughter had been fostered, and she's been very easygoing and largely on-target from the beginning, as were the other 12 girls (age range 11-17 mos) in her group. Our younger one had been in the orphanage her whole life, probably spending most of that in a shared crib, and she couldn't even sit up at one year, and took longer to adjust and fully bond. None of the 7 girls in our second group (all 12 mos old) could walk and only one could crawl, but they all made up for lost time VERY quickly after getting home. So, we had two very different experiences, but we love our girls very much and feel that you take risks with pregnancy so risks with adoption is really no different.

[queen-ottf.livejournal.com]

Welcome back!

::carefully hugs you, so as not to decrease lung capacity any more::

[janeylou.livejournal.com]

Welcome back ... you-and-a-half! Wow! What can I say?! I was out of the loop for a little while and had NO IDEA AT ALL! I'm so pleased for you. Can you still see your feet?! *smirk*

[prettyannamoon.livejournal.com]

Hey there! *hugs you* I was just wondering how you were doing the other day - checked your userinfo page and saw THE time was steadily approaching.

Welcome back!

Hang on---

[amaterasu.livejournal.com]

HOW THE HECK DID I MISS THIS??

Seriously, I had no idea--you've been in my thoughts lately, and I am absolutely overjoyed to hear this! CONGRATULATIONS, and welcome back!!

**so, so many hugs**

Re: Hang on---

[perceval.livejournal.com]

< smug > Yeah, and it was a natural conception, too < / smug>

[alphabet26.livejournal.com]

Yay! Glad to see you again, and I'm glad everything is going well. :)

[jiminyc.livejournal.com]

Welcome back! Glad to hear things are going well!

[erised1810.livejournal.com]

Welcome back.

sometiems I forgot who yo uwreand thogut hit was spam and was botuto throw it away *snort*
good luck withthe work.

[wench2002.livejournal.com]

Welcome back! It's great to see that both you and baby are doing well! I can't wait to see the updates. :)

[h311ybean]

Welcome back, Perceval! I've missed you and am very glad you and the baby are doing well.

[swampfaye.livejournal.com]

wb :D

[lilac-bearry.livejournal.com]

Yay! Glad to hear baby is growing so well!

[angua9.livejournal.com]

Welcome back!


New book and new baby... it doesn't get any better than this. :p

[perceval.livejournal.com]

Oh, I have one or two items I'd like to add to the list - such as breathing space? you know, like, under the ribs?

[ljrags.livejournal.com]

Glad to see you back :)

[atropos87.livejournal.com]

Welcome back :)

[stereo-m.livejournal.com]

Yay, welcome back! Glad to hear everything's going well. :D

Well, except for the breathing issue. But who needs air, anyway? Pah.

[jennlee2.livejournal.com]

Yay - welcome back!

[awelkin.livejournal.com]

Welcome back.

Catherine

[lizr0221.livejournal.com]

skjfhkdjfhgdslkjgh

WHAT IS THIS?

You're pregnant?! I'm a bit miffed I wasn't informed for all this time but I am OVERJOYED for you! That's just wonderful, darling. Congrats!

Update me on everything!

[perceval.livejournal.com]

I'm a bit miffed I wasn't informed for all this time

Well, it's not that I didn't post the news on LJ - check out the February archive.

[themorningstarr.livejournal.com]

Welcome back! Can we expect baby updates soon?

[calanthe-b.livejournal.com]

~hugs~ Lovely to have you back! I'm just reaching the end of my first term's worth of teaching and--guess what--I survived! (I can say that with certainty because I don't have the hellion class again for two weeks...)

Hope everything's going well for you and your husband and the baby, and that he/she decides to let you have the full use of your lungs back soon!

[still-ciircee.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're back! I've been praying for you and your husband and the Wunderkind.