Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Affidavit of Support I-864	Hello VJ'ers So now that my Husband and I got our NOA1 the other day we are starting to get everything together on the off chance that maybe our I-130 will be approved within the next few months. It says the possible date could be between March 10 - 16! One can only hope it would be that quick! And we want to be prepared so we can fly through the NVC stage! Anyway I have a question regarding that affidavit of support... And I am just curious as to what others on here would do in our situation or what suggestions anyone has... The Story... My Husband attended university from Aug 2008 until May 2012. Part of his schooling required him to do a co-op whether he was paid for the co-op was dependant on where he could find one to do and if they would pay him or not. Anyway he applied for this awesome co-op that he didn't think he would get in a million years, but the angels were on our side and he got the co-op. He started the co-op in November of 2011 and worked part-time while finishing up his last few semesters of school and was paid a decent wage. He worked in this co-op after he finished university and graduated up until August of 2012 where he landed himself a permanent full-time position at the same company where he was offered full benefits and a salary of 50K a year plus a possibility of a 5K bonus depending on personal and company accomplishments. The Question... So for the I-864 AOS you need to fill in all the tax jazz and have supporting tax transcripts (which we know from reading everything on here). Well seeing as he was in school and only worked for a few months of 2011 and 2011 is the most recent tax year that we can get transcripts for, should we go ahead and get a co-sponsor? Just to be on the safe side... I mean now he makes well above the 2012 (2013 isnt out yet?) poverty line in order to support 2 people, but will that even matter? I mean yes he has pay stubs, and his offer letter of employment from the company, but although those may be helpful they are optional and the tax transcripts seem to be the most important as they are a must... Are they not? So basically should we go ahead and do the co-sponsor? Or will we be okay even though his tax transcripts don't show a whole lot as of 2011? Is past tax history super important? Or is what he is currently making now more important? What kind of things are they really looking for besides being able to support me? Any thoughts, or suggestions, or what others would do, would be greatly appreciated. C	A & C	Female	Canada	2013-01-10 10:37:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	US taxes while in I130/IR1/CR1 proceedings	THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Speedwell!!!! My Husband is getting prepared to file his taxes and some crazy person (<---- that is me being super nice ) told him that because I don't live in the US and I am not a Resident of the US yet, that he can just file as single.... And I had a mini melt down... okay it was more of a FREAKOUT, trying to stress the fact that he MUST file as married. C	A & C	Female	Canada	2013-02-21 15:41:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	DS 230 questions 31 a and 31 b	Never leave anything blank. If it does not apply to your case put N/A or None.	A & C	Female	Canada	2013-06-24 22:20:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	May 2013 Interviews	DO NOT DELETE: *****Please take the most recent update from the list*****     Instructions 1. If you want your status to be added/updated, do not say "Please add me". Go ahead and edit it yourself. You do not need permission. 2. Please make sure you are using Rich Text Editor as your message setting (Settings->Posting Settings->Enable visual (RTE) 3. Click "Reply" on the most recent/updated posting version of this list. 4. Remove [quote] (top and bottom) around the list. 5. Always use [Courier New] Font. (It will stay lined up correctly if you use the correct font.) 6. Add in order by NVC case complete date. 7. Add the date you received your interview date so others can see from case complete to assignment time-frame. August Cases Waiting on Interview: NAME................COMPLETE....RECEIVED....INTERVIEW...VISA TYPE....EMBASSY missing you babe....08/14/12....04/01/13....05/21/13....IR-1.........Yemen December Cases Waiting on Interview: NAME................COMPLETE....RECEIVED....INTERVIEW...VISA TYPE....EMBASSY Gringa Chapina......12/11/12....04/19/13....05/22/13....IR-1.......Guatemala January Cases Waiting on Interview: NAME................COMPLETE....RECEIVED....INTERVIEW...VISA TYPE....EMBASSY ik2011..............01/13/13....03/06/13....04/02/13....IR-1.........India ndu26...............01/28/13....03/05/13....04/19/13....CR-1.........Nigeria olumides_wife.......01/31/13....03/05/13....04/16/13....IR-1/CR-1....Nigeria February Cases Waiting on Interview: NAME................COMPLETE....RECEIVED....INTERVIEW...VISA TYPE....EMBASSY 2HeartR1............02/04/13....03/05/13....04/16/13....IR-1/CR-1....Nigeria dwheels76...........02/05/13....03/05/13....04/15/13....IR-1.........Nigeria A.J..........,,,....02/06/13....03/15/13....04/02/13....IR-1/CR-1....Morocco PARISS..............02/12/13....03/15/13....04/03/13....IR-1/CR-1....Morocco M&C.................02/12/13....03/13/13....04/15/13....IR-1/CR-1....Nigeria Carlos1986..........02/12/13....03/06/13....04/03/13....IR-1/CR-1....Colombia PuppyLove...........02/12/13....03/05/13....04/18/13....IR-1/CR-1....Pakistan papiakumi...........02/14/13....03/05/13....04/18/13....IR-1/CR-1....Venezuela sugarbritches.......02/14/13....03/06/13....04/22/13....CR-1.........United Kingdom wellensky/denise....02/15/13....04/01/13....Got it......IR-1/CR-1....Nigeria Carry...............02/15/13....03/04/13....04/17/13....IR-1/CR-1....Canada LoveyDovey..........02/15/13....03/07/13....04/01/13....IR-1/CR-1....Philippines elicearea...........02/18/13....03/05/13....04/25/13....IR-1/CR-1....Romania EmilyS..............02/19/13....03/04/13....04/05/13....IR-1/CR-1....Canada bluetina............02/19/13....03/14/13....04/04/13....IR-1/CR-1....EGYPT chuhuchu............02/18/13....03/18/13....got it .....IR-1.........SINGAPORE ebe.................02/20/13....03/06/13....04/17/13....IR-1/CR-1....Chile regw76..............02/20/13....03/13/13....04/08/13....IR-1/CR-1....Japan Rezahoss............02/21/13....03/06/13....04/09/13....IR-1/CR-1....Abu Dhabi Sangita.............02/23/13....03/06/13....04/17/13....IR-1/CR-1....India RFQ.................02/24/13....03/14/13....04/03/13....IR-1/CR-1....Egypt God's mercy.........02/25/13....04/02/13....got it .....IR-1/CR-1....Nigeria sic2005.............02/25/13....03/07/13....04/17/13....IR-1/CR-1....Bangladesh Gregger235..........02/25/13....03/07/13....04/12/13....IR-1/CR-1....MEXICO sonineni............02/26/13....04/07/13....04/04/13....CR1..........INDIA austex..............02/26/13....03/06/13....04/08/13....IR-1.........Australia flamgirl............02/27/13....03/06/13....04/29/13....IR-1/CR-1....INDIA PerthtoMass.........02/28/13....03/06/13....04/30/13....IR-1/CR-1....Australia Mzsitcheron.........02/28/13....04/06/13....04/25/13....IR-1/CR-1....Jamaica leszeku1............02/28/13....03/08/13....04/04/13....CR-1.........Philippines March Cases Waiting on Interview: NAME................COMPLETE....RECEIVED....INTERVIEW...VISA TYPE....EMBASSY meltemapo...........03/01/13....xx/xx/13....xx/xx/13....IR-1/CR-1....Turkey John & Jeni.........03/01/13....03/29/13....05/14/13....IR-1/CR-1....Greece JLCANDRLF...........03/04/13....03/07/13....04/12/13....IR-1/CR-1....Brazil Mrs. AJ.............03/04/13....03/07/13....04/09/13....IR-1/CR-1....Cameroon lovecyercat.........03/05/13....03/06/13....04/30/13....IR-1/CR-1....Russia oohpartiv...........03/05/13....04/24/13....05/29/13....IR-1/........Ecuador VikingMamma.........03/06/13....03/06/13....04/10/13....IR-1/CR-1....Iceland Grace2013...........03/06/13....03/07/13....04/16/13....IR-5.........Guangzhou sld.................03/06/13....03/14/13....04/03/13....IR-1/CR-1....Philippines pogipatrick.........03/06/13....03/24/13....04/15/13....IR-1/CR-1....Brazil smkr................03/07/13....03/12/13....04/17/13....IR-1/CR-1....India K n E...............03/08/13....04/02/13....05/17/13....IR-1/CR-1....Pakistan niyapravi...........03/11/13....03/12/13....04/18/13....IR-1/CR-1....India Highyella72.........03/11/13....04/02/13....05/06/13....IR-1/CR-1....Nigeria hamigirl710.........03/13/13....03/15/13....04/30/13....IR-1/CR-1....Morocco Aladlhassan.........03/13/13....04/02/13....05/20/13....IR-1/CR-1....Morocco Judy2Rock...........03/13/13....04/02/13....05/21/13....IR-1/CR-1....Jamaica Mntjc...............03/13/13....03/12/13....04/03/13....CR-1.........Belgium TeamMcGregor........03/15/13....03/29/13....05/15/13....IR-1/CR-1....Dominican Rep. Mina90..............03/15/13....04/01/13....05/05/13....IR-1/CR-1....Bangladesh martha brown03......03/18/13....xx/xx/13....xx/xx/13....IR-1/CR-1....Kenya FeFrSaKa............03/19/13....xx/xx/13....xx/xx/13....IR-1.........Ecuador MeredythB...........03/20/13....04/01/13....05/07/13....IR-1/CR-1....Ireland Vicki&Nanuka........03/20/13....04/30/13....06/17/13....IR-1/CR-1....Nigeria Mar_Wil.............03/20/13....03/30/13....05/02/13....IR-1.........Philippines Sunflower123........03/20/13....03/29/13....05/13/13....IR-1/CR-1....Mexico Roosha .............03/22/13....03/29/13....05/19/13....IR-1/CR-1....Qatar kwakuoj ............03/22/13....04/01/13....05/15/13....IR-1/CR-1....Ghana Oriz................03/22/13....04/01/13....05/06/13....IR-1.........Israel babyjk .............03/26/13....04/01/13....05/08/13....IR-1/CR-1....Barbados elle13 .............03/26/13....04/01/13....05/02/13....IR-1/CR-1....Malaysia Bongnhanna..........03/26/13....04/02/13....05/28/13....IR-1/CR-1....Phnom Penh Toff................03/26/13....04/10/13....05/07/13....IR-1/CR-1....Australia MikeJill............03/27/13....04/01/13....05/14/13....IR-1/CR-1....UK Mrs&Mr..............03/27/13....03/29/13....05/24/13....IR-1/CR-1....Greece ImmigrationReform...03/28/13....04/01/13....04/09/13....IR-1/CR-1....Nepal RajNav..............03/29/13....04/01/13....05/10/13....IR-1/CR-1....India Aleigh36............03/29/13....04/01/13....05/15/13....IR-1/CR-1....UK watergirl76.........03/29/13....04/03/13....05/08/13....IR-1/CR-1....Canada lonelyboy2003.......03/29/13....04/30/13....06/11/13....IR-1/CR-1....Ho Chi Minh, Viet Nam April Cases Waiting on Interview: NAME................COMPLETE....RECEIVED....INTERVIEW...VISA TYPE....EMBASSY s$susauk............04/01/13....04/01/13....05/28/13....IR-1/CR-1....UK floyd...............04/01/13....04/01/13....05/09/13....IR-1/CR-1....India Yugo................04/02/13....04/11/13....04/23/13....IR-1/CR-1....Algeria Chetsky.............04/02/13....05/01/13....06/03/13....IR-1.........Philippines NYCBound............04/02/13....04/12/13....05/15/13....IR-1.........Canada valprime............04/03/13....04/12/13....05/30/13....IR-1/CR-1....Canada Aprice138...........04/04/13....04/10/13....05/21/13....IR-1/CR-1....New Zealand YA 1127.............04/04/13....xx/xx/13....xx/xx/13....IR-1/CR-1....Dominican Rep. lyra................04/05/13....04/11/13....05/16/13....IR-1/CR-1....Malaysia dopeyzn.............04/06/13....04/10/13....05/02/13....IR-1/CR-1....Switzerland srloring13..........04/09/13....xx/xx/13....xx/xx/13....IR-1/CR-1....Nigeria Zara1124............04/09/13....04/10/13....05/29/13....IR-1/CR-1....Pakistan sai.mi28............04/09/13....05/01/13....06/04/13....CR-1.........Philippines Panda Sky3..........04/10/13....04/11/13....05/13/13....IR-1/CR-1....Myanmar arriyan.............04/10/13....04/29/13....06/21/13....IR-1/CR-1....Singapore EmilyMary...........04/11/13....xx/xx/13....xx/xx/13....IR-1/CR-1....Bermuda teysha..............04/12/13....xx/xx/13....xx/xx/13....IR-1/CR-1....Haiti SundayBelinda.......04/12/13....04/30/13....06/06/13....IR-1/CR-1....Nigeria NikiR...............04/15/13....05/01/13....06/03/13....CR-1.........Canada ErinBeth............04/15/13....04/30/13....06/11/13....CR-1.........Morocco JandRP..............04/15/13....xx/xx/13....xx/xx/13....IR-1/CR-1....Jamaica fav13259............04/15/13....xx/xx/13....06/24/13....IR-1/CR-1....Mexico Pluis...............04/15/13....04/29/13....06/24/13....IR-1/CR-1....The Netherlands Jbda................04/16/13....05/01/13....06/24/13....IR-1/CR-1....Turkey champi..............04/16/13....05/01/13....06/03/13....IR-5.........India Avram...............04/17/13....04/29/13....06/26/13....IR-1/CR-1....Macedonia Jonelo..............04/18/13....04/30/13....06/12/13....IR-1/CR-1....Romania A & C...............04/18/13....05/02/13....06/03/13....CR-1.........Canada MGRD................04/19/13....04/29/13....06/24/13....IR-1/CR-1....Haiti Ess.................04/19/13....05/01/13....06/13/13....IR-1/CR-1....Pakistan Mady................04/22/13....04/29/13....06/04/13....IR-1/CR-1....Egypt Icede...............04/22/13....05/01/13....06/04/13....IR-1/CR-1....Lithuania Ludakrishna.........04/23/13....05/01/13....06/12/13....IR-1/CR-1....India T & P...............04/23/13....05/01/13....06/12/13....IR-1/CR-1....India Sarsoor............ 04/24/13....04/29/13....06/17/13....IR-1/CR-1....Egypt hikergirl...........04/25/13....xx/xx/13....xx/xx/13....CR-1.........Canada SerenityNOW.........04/26/13....xx/xx/13....xx/xx/13....IR-2.........Bulgaria Dr. H and Mrs. H....04/29/13....04/30/13....06/06/13....IR-1/CR-1....Malaysia lucy................04/29/13....xx/xx/13....xx/xx/xx....IR-2/CR-2....Barbados daphoknee...........04/30/13....05/01/13....06/17/13....CR-1.........Canada Tanithw.............05/01/13....XX/XX/13....06/03/13....CR-1.........UK     I just did my best to fix this. Make sure yall use the most recent one Some people who had updated it with their interview dates were missing in the last copy and paste of this.	A & C	Female	Canada	2013-05-02 11:57:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	I decided today that I do not want to have a OB rotation type Doctor. I want a private practice. So I called around and found one YAY. I have to go sign paperwork tomorrow and then I pray they can give me an appt asap	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2011-02-21 17:16:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	I had my first stranger comment on my belly today. She thought I was having a boy, I said no a girl, asked when I was due then says, Oh shes going to be small. Haha I feel like I'm huge I didn't show this much at this stage with my other 4. I've only gained 7 lbs, and hopefully I don't gain too much more. awe, You probably wont gain that much more If you have only put on 7 pounds, I will take a guess of 16 to 25 pounds total. I am hoping for a girl as well, but I do not mind another boy.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2011-02-21 09:22:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	I have always been able to make an appointment to see the OBGYN as soon as I thought I was pregnant... I know.. I do not like this lol	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2011-02-15 16:39:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Hey ladies, Had my 12 wks Nuchal scan yesterday and unofficially, everything looked good according to the doctor. Still waiting for bloodwork though to say so in black & white. awe!! SO cute! I am sure everything will be just fine I wish march 1st would hurry up and get here. lol thats my first ultrasound. You know in Canada my OB would see me the minute I said I am pregnant here they wont see you till your 8 weeks. However I did see my Family doctor although he did nothing but bloodwork and told me that the OB Group I choose is the best out of the three.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2011-02-15 10:48:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Congratulations, Canadiandggal! When's your due date? I think it must be almost the same as what mine was--but a year later! This is your second, right? So great for your little boy to have a brother or sister! And maybe labour will be a lot easier this time; they say it usually is! C. Hey MTL, For now it IS October 10th but I am sure it will change with time. That is actually funny and so very true, what was your date again? Yes this is my second, I have a 4 year old, he is already excited. He told my doctor yesterday that Mommy is having a baby brother (obviously he is pulling a straws lol. Yes I really hope that my labor this time around is much quicker and less painful but hey Its worth it either way.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2011-02-15 09:54:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	I'm preggo!!!! Your almost in your second trimester Congrats	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2011-02-09 12:10:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Congratulations Canadiandggal. How are you feeling so far? Good so far but it is just the beginning. No nausea yet although I have never really had morning sickness with a pregnancy so we will see what comes in the next few months. Just the normal symptoms for now, achy breasts, bit of lower back pain,frequent peeing. Cannot wait to see a OB, Seeing my family doctor on MOnday then the OB In two weeks.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2011-02-08 03:50:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	I used an OBGYN. I had just moved here so I didn't have a family doctor so the NP that was in the walgreens clinic gave me a couple of referrals to OB's in town. I would call your insurance company as they should have a list of providers that accept your insurance. Not all doctors accept all insurance and visa versa. It will also be important to find out what hospital your doctor delivers at and ensure that your insurance works with that hospital as well. I chose to use a "group" type practice that way they always have a doctor on call. I have read a fair bit about going to a single Doctor practice and the fact that they tend to have more inductions because women don't always go into labour according to that doctors schedule!!!! (you don't want a baby to interupt the Dr's golf game...lol). I just tried to make my appts with a different doctor in the practice each time so that I got a chance to meet them. Thanks, I just called a Place from my husbands health care site and I have an appointment in a few weeks. They have 5 doctors and they rotate through them	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2011-02-07 14:45:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Ok all you preggo people lol .. Did you guys use a regular family doctor or a OBYGN? I really want a female doctor for this pregnancy. But do not know how to go abouts getting one do I ask my family doctor? Oh just found out today... 5 weeks . Edited by Canadiandggal, 07 February 2011 - 12:14 PM.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2011-02-07 12:12:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Hi everyone-- I haven't been around much for a while. Congrats, Colleens! And Ontarkie: I like the name Alexis. I considered it for my baby, and can't quite remember why it didn't ultimately make the list. My baby is almost 3 months old now! We will be flying with her from Vancouver to Montreal for my immigration interview next Saturday. Everyone cross your fingers for us! I'm less worried about the interview than I am about how she'll be on the plane! She can be fussy at times. Also, I wish it were any month other than January, for the love of Pete. It's *freezing* in Montreal this time of year. We won't really be able to go out exploring with the baby the way we would have if it had been spring or fall. Still, we are staying 5 days because I lived in Montreal for many years, and we want to meet up with my old friends. We'll get most of them to come to our hotel. I had a lot of stress last week because I had to bring my baby with me to my immigration medical--which meant taking her out in a cab at 5:40am, and then waiting around in the dark with her in line till the place opened at about 6:15...then leaving her in the waiting room with my husband while I had the medical. I had been planning to leave her at home, but she suddenly started refusing bottles (I breastfeed, but until recently, she would accept a bottle of pumped breastmilk)! So I had to bring her. Then I had to bring her on Friday to the passport office. I'd been advised to show up first thing when they opened to avoid having to wait for hours. So the baby and I got on the bus at 6:58 am and arrived at the passport office at 7:29. There were already about 20 people ahead of us, but we did manage to get the whole thing done in about 45 minutes. Still, it's so stressful having to drag the baby hither and yon for immigration-related stuff. I wish this could be all done already! Do wish us luck... C. I wish you luck.. You will do fine and be with the hubby in now time. Take care in monteal and try to enjoy the plane ride, I bet she will surprise you and do quite well on the plane.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2011-01-09 13:58:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Well I had my ultrasound this morning, and pretty much got the all clear and I'm no longer considered high risk. We also found out we are having a girl That is awesome news, bet you are happy to know the "high risk" is over with. Congrats on a girl as well	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2011-01-05 14:12:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Now that I'm 32 weeks pregnant ,I've been seeing two OBs from the beginning: A regular OB and a perinologist who looks after high risk pregnancies. And from the beginning ,I saw the difference between my Canadian OBs care and USA OBs care. I had two OBs in Canada and I was very unhappy with both of them due to lack of time spent with the patient and so many other reasons. As a matter of fact my last and the second OB was very famous one who has books published and was practicing in one of the best teaching hospitals in Toronto: Mount Sinai. Yet;she never used to remember anything from my file every time when I visited her and she had to check the computer to remember any info about me. The first one was even worst who happened to be very laid back OB and told me everything was gonna be fine when i found out serious problems with my first baby. And ,I've lost the baby in the second trimester. I've been having completely different experience in here. My OBs do remember me every time when they see me and they don't need to check their computer to remember all the info about me. I had a lot of routine tests here that I never had during my two pregnancies in Canada. My famous OB's secretary used to do the urine test sticks every time when I saw her. In here ,a nurse does that. Overall I must say that I'm happy for being pregnant in USA more than I used be in Canada.Yes we pay alot for our insurance in USA,but I see that the quality is also different. Did u also have different experiences in terms of prenatal care in both sides? If so ,how? Unfortuanely I have to say that I liked My canadian OB way better then the one I had seen here. I was not impressed with the health system here and blamed them for my miscarriage for awhile (wasnt their fault)	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-12-31 10:30:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Congrats Colleen! She is beautiful. And thank you everyone who congradulated me. I still don't have Byron home But I was informed on Thursday that he should be in the NICU for no longer than a week...so 5 more days, provided there is no more setbacks. (I don't know how to minimize photos like Colleen on here haha. And I don't think I posted but he was born at 37 weeks and he was 5lbs, 4oz and 18inchs long. awe he is absolutely adorable and tiny!! He was a bit early but he looks pretty healthy.. IS he a jaundice baby? I know They made dylan stay for almost a week because of that. I hope he is a healthy and happy baby! I am sure the next few days go fast for you and you will have him home in no time. Hang in there! COngrats again Edited by Canadiandggal, 18 December 2010 - 10:51 AM.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-12-18 10:51:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Our LO arrived this morning at 5:28. I went to my Dr's appt yesterday and found out that my fluid levels were low so they decided to do an induction. We started at just after 5pm last night, and I made it to about 8pm and 6-7cm before I decided an epidural would be a good thing. They broke my water right after the epidural and within about 30 mins I was at 8cm. So I got to thinking this isn't going to be too bad!! It took awhile to get to complete, then the pushing began. She didn't want to get out from behind my pelvis, so I ended up pushing for close to 4hrs. I had about a 45min break about halfway through where they just let my contractions help move her forward a bit. But we finally got her out and it was well worth all the work and the wait. She is super sweet with TONS of hair! She has been breastfeeding like a champ already and so far she has not been fussy at all....but I know that will soon change!! She weighed 7lbs 13oz and was 19.5" long. They took her for a bath a couple hours ago and brought her back with a super cute red and white striped hat and little white socks with little candy cane appliques...too cute!! I am still a bit numb from the epidural, and I am not sure I am looking forward to it all wearing off!!! Awe she is sooo cute. I am glad to hear that your labor was not too bad and fairly quick at points. Take care and remember to rest when you can..Congrats Edited by Canadiandggal, 16 December 2010 - 03:05 PM.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-12-16 15:02:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	I gave birth to my little boy on December 3rd at 11:42am <3 woot! Congrats!	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-12-08 15:43:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	I had my 2ND doctors appointment today. Blood pressure was a bit high for me but still in the normal range, I was a bit stressed being paranoid something will go wrong. Anyways the Doctor used his little doppler thingy and we got to hear the heart beat again that was so relieving to hear a nice strong heart beat. We weren't sure if we would actually hear it since my uterus is tilted it can make it harder to find. I have another ultra sound scheduled for Jan 5Th. I will be 15 1/2 weeks for that one, its with a specialist and a high tech ultrasound to check for down syndrome. And then depending on the results they may recommend more tests. Awe, I am happy everything is ok. I am sure there will be no problems at your next ultrasound. I wish you luck	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-12-08 15:06:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	That is a nice bonus! I keep telling my mom that. Whenever she says she's getting old, I need to remind her that she is younger than most parents who have children my age. She just celebrated her 46th birthday on Tuesday, so she will probably get to be a young hip grandma before she's 50 There are tons of people I went to high school with who have kids now, and none of them are married. Literally none. Part of me thinks it might be more prevalent in smaller towns. When there is nothing to do, people just have sex I guess... Yes...thats the reason but that was never me I actually bought a shirt when I was 8 months pregnant that says "My father thinks Im still a virgin" It was awesome...I still have it in my closet...one day is shall wear it again Edited by Canadiandggal, 02 December 2010 - 07:52 PM.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-12-02 19:51:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	I was in Ottawa. Pretty much all of my friends are about the same age or older than I am when they had kids. I really don't know of any one of the people I new...even those who were just casual aquaintances that were any younger than their mid 20's when they started having kids. I guess it has a lot to do with the region you are in. has to be the difference in regions Edited by Canadiandggal, 02 December 2010 - 06:55 PM.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-12-02 18:55:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	I seem to notice that a lot of lower income families seem to have kids at younger ages as well. To me it seems that in America the "middle class" is smaller than in Canada, and there seems to be more disparity between lower and middle income families. In my experience it seems that the middle to higher income families tend to wait a bit longer to have kids. It could also because lower income families do not have as easy access to affordable birth control, or maybe they don't receive the education on preventing pregnancy. I know that these are generalizations, and it may just be in the area that I live in, but I see a lot of it. I know that in my husbands family, his mom had kids quite young, his sister had kids at a young age and his 16yr old niece has a 2yr old son. And I seem to see a lot of people who seem to be in similar situations. where In canada are you from? Most the people I have know far out beat me to having children, Most the people I knew or knew of in high school had children between the ages of 14-17. My best friend had her first at 14, second at 15 and third by 17.Maybe it is the area I am from but the low income was far more of the usual than the middle class. In my opinion I would say there was Low income and "high imcome".In my opinion I would say the opposite about Canada and USA But It is probably just the area I was from.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-12-02 16:11:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Since we are a bit older (I am 37 and Si is 36) we don't really have time on our side when it came to kids. We both knew that we really wanted them, and have been waiting a long time to have them, so the choice was pretty easy. I stopped using BC pretty much as soon as we decided to start the K1 process (not that we had great odds of getting pregnant when we only saw each other once every month or 2!!) There will always be a million reasons to put off having kids, and I don't think you are ever 100% ready, and no matter what stage of life you are in there are always things that you are going to need to sacrifice. We could have waited a bit longer and paid our last little bit of debt, waited until Si got a promotion and we could have bought a house first, but it didn't happen that way. There have been some tough times, but we have made it through, and things are getting better every day. I had hoped to be able to go back to school for a career change, but with a little one that is going to be a bit harder (especially since we do want another and probably won't wait too long before starting to try again). But I am sure somehow it will work out. It may take a bit longer, but I will get there eventually. Huggles, I don't think you are ever sure when it comes to making all the sacrifices, it has been hard for me to give up a lot of things, but having a family opens a lot of opportunities for new experiences as well. I wish I could have had my kids earlier...I hate the thought I am going to be close to 60 when they graduate from high school, and at times I worry that I am not going to have the energy for 2 little ones (should we be lucky enough to have a #2). And now that my parents are 68 & 73, I know that my kids are not going to get much of an opportunity to get to know and enjoy them, and that makes me a bit sad. Unfortunately no one can tell you when you are ready, only you can make that choice. It was like making the choice to get married. I am sure that a lot of things in your life changed when you made that choice, and it will be the same with having kids. You said that like a pro.. No one is ever a 100 percent ready..	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-12-01 06:55:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	I'm the wrong person to ask about this but I'll reply anyway. I made the decision to have my first daughter when we had been married for 5 years and I was finishing my master's degree and employed as a school counselor. It seemed like the natural thing to do and I really wanted a baby. Looking back I think I wanted a baby because he was deployed a lot and I was lonely, also my friends (who were older than me) were having babies too. I was 23 when I got pregnant, and 24 when my baby was born. When he left me two years and two babies later, I grew very resentful and jealous of my friends who were without kids and could spend their money on themselves and come and go as they pleased. Being in a stable relationship makes having kids a pleasure. I am able to enjoy my kids a lot more now that Sean is with us. It makes everything much easier when you have a truly supportive husband. I probably would never have been jealous of my single kid-free friends if my kid's dad had been as wonderful as Sean. So I guess for me it was being finished with school, being married for a few years, and having my career in place. Also, having one baby is not as life changing as having two. You can still go places with one kid, but two is a lot harder. Sean and I are home-bodies and we love doing things with the kids. For us the kids are a lot of fun. We play Mario on the Wii with the kids, and love to go swimming, etc. with them. My ex husband preferred going out, so being tied down with kids was no fun for him, and it hurt me when he went out and left me at home with the babies while he partied. So the kind of life style you want to have plays a role too. Yeah I am probably not the best person to give my opinion either but here it goes. I found out I was pregnant with my son and it was the biggest surprise of my life, although he wasn't planned I had been thinking about starting a family... Now I was Young 19 when I had my son but I had also been with his father since I was 14 and stayed with his father a year after my sons birth. Now that I look back at I wish I could have picked another male but do not regret my son. I knew that I was ready to expand my family shortly after I met my Husband.My husband and I had been together only a year when we started trying because it felt right but we ending up having a miscarriage and it tore me apart. I know I am ready to do it again and My husband is a wonderful dad, sometimes I just stop and think where I would be without my husband. One day My husband will adopted my son and make it legal but for now we are taking it inch by inch. We are quite the homebodies as well and my husband evens out with my parenting. I am a very laid back parent and he is the one with the backbone. To be honest there will always be pros and cons to having children, It is a full time job and yet the money is not great but the rewards are. Yes you will not have all the freedom you did without a child or the same freedom with money but you will want to spend all the extra money you do have on your child.I think that if it is truly something you will want in life then you will know when the time is right. There is not just one way of knowing when you are ready or when it should happen and in my experience when you are trying it does not always work out. Now everybody has to have amazing pregnancies and keep us up to date	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-11-30 10:35:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	I have to say I'm jealous of all you pregnant ladies. I don't know what it is about being married, but now that I have my wonderful husband in my life I want to have another baby! My girls are (almost) 8 and (almost) 6, and they would love a baby brother or sister (My little one Emma says we need to have 2 boys to "even out our family"). Sean is a wonderful step dad to them and we are a very happy family. I'm ready to have a little baby in my arms again! I am right there with you ha ha . I Have been married for awhile now and have a 4 year old son. My husband is a pretty good Father (step dad) and we have been trying like crazy.I am dieing to have another little one in my arms but it has yet to work out.. (I did get pregnant April 2009 but had a miscarriage). so I am quite jealous yet very happy for all you ladies having babies...definitely makes me miss the pregnancy moments.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-11-29 13:54:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Colleens and Bern I hope the time flies for the both of you. Babies first Christmas yay!! I haven't looked at the forms for Canadian citizenship yet, I have a long way to go before having to get set for it. I'm now 11 weeks, the nausea has started calming down this past week which is nice cause I felt sick all the time. My 2nd doctors appointment is next week and I can't wait, I've only had the one appointment when we first found out I was pregnant and its been 5 weeks since that appointment. I know there really isn't much more to check on since that appointment since I had to have the Ultrasound done right away and everything was good. But I'm being paranoid and just want to get to the doctors again so they can tell me all is good. Its crazy cause I've been through all this 4 times and never worried like I am now. You will be fine Life gave you a wonderful Miracle. Relax and enjoy the pregnancy when you can I guess four times is not like the 5th, hang in there.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-11-29 13:20:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	She is head down, but has not engaged yet, so hubby just tries to get her to migrate that way while telling her to move down and hurry up!! I did a bit of looking today I found the applicateion for proof of citizenship...it is a lot more straight forward. Here is the link to the instructions and form. It looks like you will need a certified copy of the babys' and your long form BC, 2 forms of personal ID (I am assuming you will be able to use the SSN and passport for an infant)and 2 citizenship photos. These are different than passport photo's and there is a document that gives the guidelines for it linked in the instruction packet(the critera is a little more forgiving for infants under 12 months age). The cost is $75. So it looks like it won't be that bad after all. Yeah that form was confusing for me... They should make a child application	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-11-28 17:13:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Just under a month to go, yeah, I'm pretty much done with being pregnant. I remember those days Congrats on becoming a mommy	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-11-27 17:42:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Hi everyone! I'm finally ready to update, though this will be brief as I have to head to bed soon. I had a baby *girl* on Sunday, October 17--7lbs, 4oz, 21.25 inches, very healthy. She's pretty much bald, but in a cute way. I had a c-section in the end, and I wasn't very happy about that (6 nights in the hospital really messed with my mind), but 2 weeks later it no longer seems important. I did have to reschedule my immigration interview It had been set for October 28, but that was impossible once surgery (and recovery, etc) was in the mix. So it's now rescheduled for January 19, 2011. I could feel bad about this delay, but I feel like I can't afford to do so: I have to focus on the baby. C. awe congrats. You just get better!!	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-11-02 07:07:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Congratulations, Revenesque! I'm so sorry you had such a rough labour and delivery, but I'm glad your daughter's here! As for me...I'm still waiting. I guess I'm only 3 days overdue, but it feels like longer! Today I feel pretty queasy and crampy--so possibly this is early labour. But it's not for sure by any means. I'll update when I can. C. Awe that could be early signsIve known people that felt fluish. well I hope that you have a quick and easy labour whether it be today or next week. heres to the baby being healthy and cute let us know when it happens Good luck	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-10-06 18:35:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Hello ladies! Hope you all are doing well! Love the baby pics on this thread--so adorable! Sorry for the late post. I'm finally caught up in my sleep (sort of) and things are slowing down. My baby is dozing in her bouncy chair so I have time to catch up on VJ. Better late than never! PHOTOS: 1) Unhappy baby just after birth 2) Baby after her first bath a day after birth 3) Baby on my Breast Friend pillow on my lap at home 4) Dad changing baby's diaper 5) Dad dries her bum with a hair dryer 6) Baby in a basket after a professional newborn photo session BABY ANGEL'S BIRTH STORY: Sat, Sep 4 4:00 AM - Woke up due to tummy pains, took a long shower to help ease the pain. Hubby sleepily called out from bed wondering if I'm OK. I suspect I'm in early labour, didn't worry about it since I could still walk and talk. Called the midwife to give her the heads up. Spent the rest of Saturday running errands with hubby. Sun, Sep 5 10:00 PM - Contractions unbearable. Called midwife for some guidance. She told me to keep labouring at home and try to get some sleep. I couldn't sleep--too painful, so I surfed the net. 12:20 AM - Water broke as I got up from the chair. I scrambled to the bathroom to slap on a maxi pad. Called the midwife who gave me the OK to head to the hospital. Hubby and I packed and headed out. Ride to the hospital was brutal. 1:46 AM - Checked into the hospital, met the midwife there and was assessed. 5 cm dilated. I was in so much pain they gave me laughing gas. Did nothing for me--still in pain and light-headed from the gas. 3:20 AM - Midwife ran the water in the jacuzzi tub and told me it might help with the labor pain. I got in for about 5 mins, got back out and asked for an epidural. She checked me again--6 cm dilated. Prep work started for the epidural. IV put in. 6:00 AM - Anesthiologist gives epidural. 30 mins later...HEAVEN! 8 cm dilated. Midwife told me to get a couple hours of sleep, which hubby and I happily obliged. 8:00 AM - Still at 8 cm. 10:00 AM - Still at 8 cm. Midwife was concerned at the lack of progress. 10:30 AM - Midwife instructed to push despite of only being at 8 cm. She said this was a very unorthodox practice but we did it to see if I can get to 10 cm. I did. 11:00 AM - Active labour for the next 3.5 hours. Baby crowned with lots of hair. Got stuck in the birth canal with little progress. I got very tired and OK'd assisted birth (vacuum or forceps). 2:00 PM - OB-Gyn showed up with team & vacuum. Pulls baby out @ 2:26 PM. ANGELINE, born in Vancouver, BC on the 5th of September, 2010, weighing 8 lbs 5 oz, measuring 21 inches long, bloodied, with one nasty conehead for being stuck in the birth canal for so long. Hubby was going to stay at my head and not watch the events happening down there--but he ended up seeing everything, being part of the the birthing activities, even touching the baby's head as she crowned. He was also adamant about not cutting the umbilical cord--but ended up cutting the cord. OB-gyn said it's just like cutting through calamari, lol. He said it wasn't as bad or traumatic as he thought, lol. Yah, I think this will be our only child. The labour and birth was pretty brutal--don't ever want to go through that again. Congrats!! What a cute girl, the basket picture is absolutely adorable. Its funny that you say the part about your husband sayng he would stay by your head,,,, My ex was sitting in a rocking chair eating a sandwich while i pushed and my doctor was watching king of the hill while the intern delierved him. Yes babies grow far too quickly, i think dylan grew out of his premmy clothing within a week or two he was so small and then so big. Anyways sorry you had a hard labour and delievery but it is always worth it in the end. She is very cute. Congrats again to both you and your husband. Take care Edited by Canadiandggal, 05 October 2010 - 06:19 AM.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-10-05 06:18:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	((ANT)) Yes, I had to make my brother paint the Dylans room yet again, this time a light blue which was what I shoulod have done in the first place lol But it did teach me for the next one to go with neutrul colours. (which we hope to make one day soon just taking some time ) Yeah I remember being in the hospital and the "photo" nurse came around and asked if we wanted pictures of him. (first off they were way too expensive and second of all He had high jaundice levels) So we waited till he was 4 weeks old, we took him to Sears with his Favorite teddy bear at the time. They were nice pictures, although I wish I had taken more.Time flys by too quickly! I have a picture of him at 6 months old when he was at his "roundest" he was a porkster, I will add it just so youll can see the change! we once took a picture of him sitting in a tire as he was our little michelin man. haha wish I could find it Edited by Canadiandggal, 06 September 2010 - 01:27 PM.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-09-06 13:24:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	My little man at 4 weeeks old..what a monkey hehe Edited by Canadiandggal, 04 September 2010 - 06:50 PM.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-09-04 18:49:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Yes I bought all pink stuff, some white and even some blue. I had tons of little diaper shirts that said Grandma's Girl, daddys girl, Mommies little angel, I had made my brother paint a wonderful pink room with butterflies all over the wall. I had bought all the bedding, the car seat/stroller combo, I was ready and waiting for a girl. haha It was sure fun exchanging everything that was possible. Let me see if I can find a pic of the main man as a baby!	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-09-04 09:34:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	hehe, nice ant! I remember the days when dylan would sit there and laugh/clap/giggle at certain things, come to think of it he still does! (hes 4 now) Bern! That is awesome boys are fun, although I did want a girl, was Told i was having a girl during 3 ultrasounds then when I was 38 weeks I had an ultrasound (my tummy didnt seem to be growing anymore) and the ultrasound guy was like do you know the sex? I said yes, he said what is it, I said its a girl? he went silent, I said it is a girl right? He was like Nope we have some gonads and a #######, weird for a girl right? I had been calling my tummy Ysabelle for so long, I was said and yet happy and yet sooo confused. Weight can is actually good for you and the baby! Massive kicks,oh yeah thats a boy! I wish I had video taped my tummy at 8-9 months it looked like I had an alien inside me, fingers poking out, flat tummy on one side, large lump on the other, was scary lol I should on made it do tricks haha Good luck in the coming months	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-09-03 09:37:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Took me a few tries to get the picture to work Edited by Canadiandggal, 27 August 2010 - 06:42 AM.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-08-27 06:41:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Hahaha I look like a total dork, big friggin tummy though. Enjoy em while they are young they grow up too quickly Edited by Canadiandggal, 27 August 2010 - 06:37 AM.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-08-27 06:36:00
Canada	Got Baby? Avez vous un bebe?	Hey now!! I was 96 Pounds when i got pregnant with My son, I was 110 before I went to the hospital it was all in the belly. "skinny people don't always gain a ton of weight" I also had NO morning sickness or anything but horrible heartburn. Oh and my Induction was horrible, absolutely horrible took forever,and ever so much pain . However second time "for real" will be my big gain you cannot have two great pregnancy or at least i will not be that lucky here lol Edited by Canadiandggal, 27 August 2010 - 06:35 AM.	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-08-27 06:34:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	Applying for citizenship while ROC	I take it back ignore me. I guess Ive been seeing things. Yes you can apply and it may push your Aos too!	Canadiandggal	Female	Canada	2010-09-07 15:23:00