Wow, I'm so sorry about this. He doesn't deserve this and I hate man-ese, too. I do not know why they think telling us to calm down is going to do anything but send us into even more fevered rage. Seriously.

Happy birthday, little man!

You are a superhero!

I agree with most of it, but we loved the swing and the exersaucer, times 2. My son had a borrowed swing, but we bought him an exersaucer. My daughter had extensive surgery at eleven months of age and slept in her swing for the first week or so post op because the pressure when she laid down made her miserable, but she'd used that swing every day from about week 2. We bought her swing ourselves, but were prepared when we did that she might hate it. Fortunately, she adored it, and still does.

I think a full high chair is not a necessity. We use on of those feeding seats that straps to a dining room chair. Ours has survived two kids and travels well, too.
My recent post Simple Woman’s Daybook

I understand how you feel. I cycled through several different schools in rapid succession when I started high school. It made the whole experience unbearable for me and I pretty much decided I didn't want anything to do with it after that. I finished, but I was not happy. My favorite teachers came in college and I'm grateful that I had the chance to meet them.

It's great that you have so many. I moved through so many schools that very few teachers stood out to me. I remember a few, but I don't always remember why I remember them. It sounds like you had a great French teacher! Mine was Mrs. Gonzalez. I still find that ironic, you know?

Oh, what a great point!

I hadn't even thought about the entirely excellent point that what you want to be isn't quite as important as who you want to be. If you're not who you want to be, what you want to be is probably not useful at all. Now, I have a whole new line of thought to pursue.

Oh, I know. I still keep in touch with one of the family's that I babysat for. Both girls are married now. One is having a baby. They're doing things and it's fabulous, but I wonder if these are the lives they envisioned.

Mine fits, but not quite. I feel slightly off-kilter and don't quite know how to adjust that. I like what I do, but I'm not sure I love it anymore.

I had to make a choice when my daughter was born. Nurse her or live to see her graduate high school (at a minimum). It hurt like hell, but I chose medication and getting myself better so I could be here for her as she grows up. Not to mention that fighting on effective treatment would potentially deny my older child of my presence, too, and he certainly didn't sign up for that.

This looks really good! I'm going to have to try it.