xumelanie

There was one on Walnut Street just off of 4th Street.

I've been going to Dr. Jennifer Fagedes for years, and now bfwissel goes to her as well. Before she became an optometrist, I went to her dad. She does have a downtown office at 7th and Vine, which I believe is the old Provident Bank building. She even has Saturday hours once a month. The only unfortunate thing is that she is not considered "in-network" for our company's vision plan, so I have to submit the claim myself.

Totally agree with this. I had so many recommendations from people to buy maternity clothes there. I checked them out, and I felt everything seemed super-thin and cheap. I know I won't be wearing this stuff for long, but most of it felt that it wouldn't even last a month. $30 is a lot to pay for a pair of pants that are paper-thin, especially when I can find a pair of $30 pants elsewhere that is better made. I don't think it's just their maternity clothes, either. I've looked at their "regular" women's clothing in the past. I remember thinking that I could get something similarly priced at Macy's when they have a sale and use a coupon. The clothing at Macy's is better quality. However, I do understand why people choose Target over other big box stores. They do keep their stores clean. What I don't understand is why people get super-excited just to walk in the place. I really just don't understand how people are always spending over $100 there regularly and are proud of that.

I don't think they always are the cheapest for anything, which puzzles me even further as to why they are so popular. They do seem to be cheaper than stores such as Walgreens, unless Walgreens has that particular item on sale. Also, I had bought some small toys at Toys R Us to put in Easter baskets for our nieces and nephews. Later on, I saw the same items at Target, and they were not any less expensive than TRU.

What is the big deal with Target, and why do so many people just love that store? I admit that I do go there once in a while to buy things like shampoo and toilet paper, but I can't imagine going there every week to buy stuff. I notice that facebook has a group called "I went to Target to buy shampoo, and I spent $150." Looking at it, all these people are saying how much they love the store, and they never leave without spending $100+ in a visit. Someone went as far to say that whenever they have some extra money to spend, they go to Target and just fill up the cart. Why the obsession? It's a big box store, and I like to refer to it as a glorified K-Mart. Anyone who really can't go into Target without buying a bunch of crap is better off spending a little more at another store for one or two items. It's not worth saving 50 cents on a bottle of shampoo if you end up buying $50 worth of stuff you don't need. People in the fb group are bragging about how much they spend there in a typical trip. Truthfully, I'm proud of the fact that I've walked into a Target without buying a single thing.

It would be awful if they close the OTR store. I suspect many people do not own cars and probably walk there for their groceries. With new condos and apartments going in the area, I suspect business can pick up for them. Besides, I thought they had an agreement with the city to keep that store open. I thought it was part of the deal with the city building the Gateway Garage on Central Parkway. Besides, why the push for all these super-sized stores? I hear more people complain about the size of them. I prefer the smaller-sized grocery stores such as the OTR one. It doesn't take me 30 minutes to buy two items there like it does at some of the huge grocery stores.

^ good catch. :) And many people are not going to back away if you politely smile and say in a soft voice "Will you please step away?"

I've been to a few self-defense seminars, including one taught by an ex-cop. All of them have said if the other person does back away when you ask them to, then yell and cuss at them.

I don't think RnR overreacted in this case. It is very scary to have someone follow you. She asked him to leave her alone, and he didn't. I think if he had really just wanted to ask directions, he would have left her alone and found someone else to ask. If that was what all he really wanted, he could have just walked into CVS and ask for directions instead of following someone. Now, I don't know what he wanted, but the man's behavior would have been suspicious to me as well.

It sounds like knocking over the bicycles was an accident and not the intent. On a similar note, my husband's extended family will occasionally get together and go to a park. We go on the bike trail, which has a combination of bike riders, walkers, skaters, etc. Most of the family walks, and some will bring their bicycles. One time we brought our bicycles with us, which meant we ended up keeping an eye on the kids in the group. At times we would stop and wait for the walkers to catch up with us. We were constantly telling the kids that they had to keep their bikes and themselves off of the trail when they stopped. Many times they just stared at us, and they would be stopped in the middle of the trail just sitting on their bikes. There were times when some bike riders were coming up from behind and had to swerve to keep from hitting them, and we received several nasty looks from the riders. I don't blame them because this did create a dangerous situation, and they had no way of knowing that these were not our kids. However, we now just walk on these family outings.

I'm begining to wonder if she is going to reopen this year.. Ice Cream Palace was open last night.

I love it!

Is it really too much to go 5 minutes without talking on the phone? I just got back from Chipotle, and the woman in front of me talked almost the entire time her burrito was made. The person making it even made a "mistake," but I blame it on the customer for not paying attention. It held up the constantly growing line. I hate when I see someone checking out or ordering food while talking on the phone. I think it's rude to both the employee and the person on the other end of the conversation. If a conversation is that important, then step out of line and let others ahead of you. However, I can't think of many times that can't wait 5 minutes.

I hate the cans with tabs. I'd rather use the cap opener. I end up cutting myself or spilling the contents when I use the tabs.

At 25 weeks, one beer every once in a while isn't going to hurt. If you consider that a beer is approx 5% alcohol, a 12 oz bottle would only contain a bit more than 1/2 ounce. Go ahead and enjoy one. I agree that one every once in a while probably won't hurt. My bigger fear is that I'll want more than one. ;)

Good point. I also wonder if Japanese women completely give up sushi when they are PG.

25 weeks now. As much as I miss the coffee, I am grateful that I don't feel the urge to consume huge amounts of caffeine. I definitely think it's nature at play. It's a good thing I had already started decreasing the caffeine. I would have gone through some major withdrawl otherwise. It's unfair to have a craving for something you aren't supposed to have. :( I do like beer, and for a long time I didn't have any taste for it. I was happy. Then over a week ago we went to an opening for a bar, and they have a nice patio. I suddenly started missing beer. I'm sure a few sips wouldn't hurt, but I'm afraid to even try. I look forward to sitting outdoors in August with a nice cold beer. :)

I'm in the same boat. Nothing unusual, but I am eating Chipotle at least 5 times a week (I normally try to limit it to 1-2 times per week). It just tastes so good. :) I'm also drinking more orange juice than I normally do. Pork and BBQ sauce no longer taste good, and I haven't been big on sweets. I would rather have a big bowl of fruit salad instead of a slice of cheesecake. The most surprising aversion I've developed is with coffee. Before pregnancy, I was a coffee addict. I drank at least 32 onces a day (half caf, half decaf). I loved the taste of it. I had figured that I would switch to decaf, but now I can't even stand the taste of it. The strange thing is that I miss it, but I know I don't like it now. My aversion developed around the same time my Starbucks gold card arrived in the mail. I told the owner of one of the local coffee shops downtown about my aversion. I wanted them to know that I'm not mad at them.

Ahhhh, pregnancy and motherhood! Stay out of their way guys! Actually, I receive very few (if any) comments on what I eat now that I'm pregnant. The taste of mustard and/or mayo literally makes my stomach turn. So, I will eat sandwiches without any of that stuff on it. I'll get comments from people such as "How can you eat like that?" Depending on my mood, sometimes I've replied with "How do you eat it with that stuff on it?"

The store that offered the workshop on babywearing does sell the Moby wraps, the Ergo, and the Beco. They will let you try them on in the store as well. In addition to the things you mentioned, we also plan to use the carriers at festivals and other places with huge crowds. I can't imagine trying to navigate a stroller in those situations, especially at something like Oktoberfest.

^Last month bfwissel and I went to a workshop on babywearing that discussed the types, safety issues, and proper fitting. We haven't purchased one yet, but we did like the double-ring slings. There was another one we like as well, but I can't remember the name of it now. I do know a couple in our neighborhood that only uses slings for their babies. They don't own a stroller. I do plan on using both depending on the situation.

Wow, she told you this? That sounds like something she should have kept to herself. One or two MnMs does not sound excessive. That is very impressive! I can understand why you're not telling the other Moms yet. I can only imagine some of the responses you'd get. On a related note, I hesitate telling people that we plan on buying cloth diapers. I've gotten all sorts of reactions from people, including a sarcastic "well, good luck with that." It's almost like people want you to fail.

I've recently started lurking on Baby Center, and I'm amazed by the number of boards they have! So far, the people do seem friendly there. The pediatrician I had as a child still has a practice, and he's only a 15 minute drive from home. My nephew gets sick a lot when he visits from Florida, so he has actually gone to see this doctor several times. We're still going to look at other ones as well just to see. We'll probably check out several options for day care. There is one 2-3 blocks from home, and I actually walk by it every morning on my way to work. I'll definitely have to take a look at this place. It almost sounds too perfect for it to work out.

The reason I'm lurking now more than posting on MLM is to become familar with the board before just jumping in with all conversations. I tend to do this when I'm new to a message board no matter what the topic is. I have already received good advice on MLM about a few things, such as where to buy maternity clothes (and I did drive to the suburbs for most of my clothing). What I should have clarified in my post is that I don't expect to receive a lot of recommendations for child care or pediatricians near where I live. I'm basing this on some of the posts I've already read in these areas. I do not want to drive 45 minutes with a sick child one-way to see a doctor, especially when I know there are doctors closer than that. The same is true with child-care. We know there are centers in and near downtown, so we would prefer to not have to drive 30 minutes out of the way for one if we don't have to. I would think most parents choose doctors and child-care options near their own homes as well. I know the women on MLM will have great advice in other areas, and I don't intend to discount their opinions because of where they live. The reason I said that I wonder if I will be flamed on there is because of posts I have seen on there, such as "You couldn't pay me enough money to live in the city" or "_____ is the only good area to raise children.) We do have lots of friends and family members that live in the suburbs, so we do things around town as well. Even last night we were in the suburbs adding stuff to our registry at Babies R Us, which really isn't close to downtown.

I have joined that board, and I've been lurking more than posting right now. One thing I notice about that board is that is seems overwhelming suburban/exuburban. Most recommendations I've seen have been for places and people that live at least 45 minutes from me. I'm almost afraid that I will get flamed if I mention where I live.