Andi and Anne, me too. As menopause gets closer, those monthly hormonal changes put terribly violent thoughts in my head. I'm a pacifist who abhors violence. I would never do that, but man, sometimes I get so furious I call in sick with a migraine because I know I can't people today.

Yeah, this stuff as hormonal in nature meshes with my own gut feeling. Thanks.

Hormones are tricky tricksters, and not fun tricksters. I was completely unable to take BCPs back when I was fertile because they put me in a deep horrible depression. When I did the menopause thing they thought I should have some hormone replacement stuff to ease the way (what was I thinking!), and it did the same thing. Ick!

Now granted there is about no medication that actually agrees with me so this should not have been a surprise.

But yeah, hormones, medications, and even diet changes or other things can do the most awful things to your mood.

Also, I realized that in my crazed busyness I had been coming in and catching up reading but not doing the posting stuff.

Thanks, Burrell.

Can I handle a 7 year old while on top of taking care of my almost 3 month old? I guess I'll find out tomorrow because I'm going to be babysitting for G for the first time since ltc was born.

In a number of ways it is easier with 2. G will occupy the baby and entertain her.

That is the hope.

I'm not going to talk about packing...

however I realized I should share that I'm moving to Transylvania County North Carolina.

First Bitches post in a while, because I feel the need to share that I've had "Goin' Courtin'" from 7 Brides for 7 Brothers stuck in my head off and on for like 3 days. Could someone please come over here and kick me in the head until it goes away? Ta ever so.

Ugh. I'm annoyed at my father-in-law, and I don't know how much we have to attribute to his dementia worsening, and how much is still not okay.

Every year the whole family picks a day and rakes his leaves. He has a HUGE yard -- it takes 10+ of us hours to do it all. But we bring beer, Tim's dad orders pizza, I make desserts, so it's fun. We're doing it this Saturday.

This year Tim's dad announced that he wants barbecue instead of pizza, and furthermore, his contribution would be a container of cole slaw. The rest of the family can sign up for what they're bringing (including, I assume, the barbecue). I'm annoyed that we're raking his huge fucking yard and he isn't bothering to feed us (except for the cole slaw). (And money isn't an issue here.)

I think that he's conflating this with other family parties, like Christmas, where everyone brings a dish. But shit, man, if your family spends hours raking your huge damn yard, you can't feed them?

But I recognize that I need to let this one go. His dementia is definitely worsening, and trying to explain to him that it's good manners to feed the family who did all your yard work is going to be a losing battle. The rest of the family is okay with bringing food (or isn't going to argue), so I'm just making my desserts and shutting up on this one.

The one I'm not going to let go, though, is that he announced that he doesn't want anyone going in the house. Like, to eat. (We can go in to use the bathroom if we use the one in the basement and take our shoes off before we go in.) There's a big shelter with picnic tables and such next to the house, and when we have parties in the summer, that's where we eat. But it's going to be a HIGH of 49 this Saturday, which is fine for yard work, but not for sitting and eating, especially after the sun goes down.

My guess is that people will just ignore his edict and go inside. I mean, if it's cold, it's cold. But I already told Tim that if we *do* have to eat outside I'm noping out and going home and he can get a ride home from someone else and bring my pie plates with him. I love Tim's dad, but I'm not eating outside when the temperature is in the 40s. No way.

Or am I being whiny and entitled and ridiculous?

Ugh, Steph. I have no advice, but I will offer my experience in that dementia can make someone more rigid and stubborn about the way things have to be done.

I have managed to get up, showered, and dressed, as well as had two cups of tea and breakfast, all before G arrives. As well as all the usual things I do to take care of ltc, who, at least for the moment, is fast asleep.