Patterns for baby pods

I’m nacho and CF. I don’t complain about the messes, the noise, etc., to my partner or his kids. I let them do their thing. I don’t tell anyone what to do, I don’t really make any rules. My only request has been that the kids not be allowed to barge into our bedroom without at least knocking first. It has been over a year and they’re still not getting it…well one of them isn’t. It took me yelling at the other one for her to get it (and boy did she get it). SO has talked to them, but clearly that’s not working and there are never any consequences. So now I lock the door. Any time I’m in my room or we are in our room, I lock the door. If I don’t, inevitably someone will barge in.
Yesterday morning SO got up early way before me. I went back to sleep and didn’t realize that he failed to lock the door when he went downstairs. At 7am, a child busts up in my room and wakes me up while I’m sleeping naked in my bed. It really was the last straw for me. I text my SO “Thanks for leaving the door unlocked so your fucking kid that doesn’t listen can bust up in the room while I’m sleeping naked and wake me up.” Again, this is my ONE boundary and it has been told to them over and over and over. Instead of talking to the kid and doling out some kind of consequence because that is RUDE AF behavior, he gets defensive at me. Never mind that I had a funeral to go to on this morning. So I was super irritated, got ready to go, didn’t say shit to anyone and stayed gone the entire day until I got home at 10pm.
This morning I’m in my room, door locked, and I kid you not…had the door not been locked I would’ve been busted in on TWICE. I text my SO about it and said I’m fed up, there’s never any consequences, I pay bills here and I have a right to feel comfortable in my own home…particularly in my own room.
The kids are old enough to be able to grasp a rule…definitely after a whole year. My dogs learn faster and listen better. Harsh? Maybe. But it’s true. When I’m in the room alone, there’s no reason they should be trying to come in there when their dad is downstairs.
I’m over it. I went downstairs with my AirPods in so I wouldn’t have to listen to anyone while i made my breakfast. Kid comes up to me and asks me to get something, I didn’t even take my AirPods out, don’t even know what she asked. Just looked over and said “go ask your dad.” You wanna be rude? Well I’m done being miss nice lady while you disregard my feelings. IDGAF. Go ask your dad, leave me alone. I took my coffee and breakfast upstairs to my room and locked the door. I don’t hang out with rude children. I’m at the point where if I get intruded on one more time, I’m about to start really being a menace and hurting some feelings. If you don’t parent your children, someone else in the world is going to teach them the lessons you didn’t and I guaran damn tee it’s not going to be as nice as you would have.
How is it that a 14 month old baby was the most well behaved child I encountered yesterday? Fucking hell.

Hello, I have been with 29M for about 3.5 years now, we started our relationship and it was so so nice. Now it’s the complete opposite it seems. I feel as if I am going crazy and I’m alone. Just last night he called me at 4am and accused me of doing drugs. He has done this multiple times, if I stay up late, if I have a drink, literally anything. At first I thought it would end, because I worked really hard to be sober and I’ve been sober for a long time now, but I accidentally missed his phone call yesterday because I was using the restroom and charging my phone. He accused me of being out buying drugs, even though I picked up his call 2 minutes later. Then 4am comes and he calls me disgusting and gross and a drug addict and that he could hear me through my AirPods doing drugs all night. Mind you, he lives 30 miles away , but I do let him barrow my AirPods for his job. This is just driving me insane. We had just talked about this about 2 days ago, when I asked him to please stop accusing me of stuff. He promised me he wouldn’t but here we are. Now I’m being ignored. I don’t even know what to do at this point. I love him a lot but I’m starting to notice the pattern of abuse. It’s like he wants some sort of control over me. It just makes me want to rip my hair out because I am not ever doing what he accuses me of, but it takes all the energy out of me to convince him. And until he’s convinced he’s just a complete ass to me. Calling me names and telling me how nasty and gross I am. I literally feel insane, I’m not on drugs, I wasn’t doing drugs all night, now I’m being ignored and it just breaks my heart. How did this relationship turn out so terribly. He had gotten into a car accident not too long ago and I’m pretty sure he just used me until he got his settlement because we were fine and now it’s close for him to get that, and here comes the lies and the accusations. I just want to cry. I don’t know who to tell because I do love him sadly but it doesn’t seem like he loves me at all anymore. I just don’t know what to do, I’ve put so much time and effort into being with this man and I hate having to give up, even though I don’t think it’s my fault. I have no idea where to go from here, am I just with some narcissistic ass who is mentally abusing me? Or is he going through mental stress from all the car accident bills and taking it out on me? I have no idea, he refuses to talk with me, I just want to cry and get some advice

Two individuals, one that resembled a mountain man and the other a small girl, trudged through the harsh snowstorm. Despite the apparent futility of their journey, they had been walking for days and were determined to reach their destination.
As they walked through the dreary forest, Clementine, the small girl wearing a baseball hat and a sky-blue rainbow jacket, eventually asked the man a question.
"Kenny, is it time for a rest yet?"
"Are your legs starting to act up, darling? If so, we can rest." Kenny was a big, burly man in his mid-fifties with a vast grey beard protruding from his face; he also had a blood-soaked bandage covering his left eye.
"Yeah," replied Clementine, "they are starting to ache with every step."
"Very well, we can rest for now." Kenny agreed while taking off his backpack and taking a can of beans out.
"Do you want me to set up the tent as you hold AJ?" Asked Clementine sedately while she moved towards Kenny to hand him AJ.
AJ was the adorable, tiny baby that Kenny and Clementine were nurturing after his real mother, Rebecca, died shortly after giving birth to him.
"Are you sure you can handle it by yourself, Clem? I can help you," Kenny said while he had his eyes on AJ.
"Yes, I think I can take care of it, Kenny," Clementine responded rather begrudgingly as she took the olive green tent from Kenny's backpack and began setting it up. After a few moments, the tent was finally set up correctly, just as the stars started to appear in the sky. The sky itself was becoming more and more extraordinary, with fiery oranges and reds painting the horizon, and the occasional snowfall making it look like feathers were coming down from the sky.
During this time, Kenny made himself useful by getting some firewood for tonight's supper; when he returned, he found Clementine tendering to a crying AJ.
"Shh, shh; I'm here, goofball. It's okay," said Clementine, swaying him in her arms while also smiling at him.
"Aww," said Kenny as the pair both sat on a log as the campfire burned into the night. "I bet Lee would be proud of you for raising him as he did with you."
Just then, Clementine's smile dropped a little, as was evident; even three years later, she still missed Lee.
"I didn't mean to say it like that, daring. It's just hard not to think about it. As I said, when we met for the first time again, back at the ski lodge, you were two peas in a pod."
"I know," replied Clementine, still looking at AJ, "he would be proud, but I wish he was here; you know."
"True, I do hope Wellington is out there, Kenny."
"I know it is, Clem; hopefully, we get there in one piece."
Wellington was supposedly this enormous, populous, and well-protected camp in the glacial north, made mostly from abandoned shipping containers.
"Clem, you know what?" Kenny said while tendering to the fire, "How about some supper while you are doing that? I can feed AJ."
"Sure," agreed Clementine, "you can do that."
After supper, Clementine decided she could put AJ in the tent so he could sleep before coming out of the tent and sitting back on the log she had done before.
"Is he asleep yet?" Kenny asked, putting his arm around Clementine.
"Yeah, but can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Well," said Clementine, taking off her hat and moving to Kenny a bit more, "you said before that it’s just hard to not think about Lee being dead. What about Katjaa and Duck? You must still miss them, right?"
"I do, Clem, every day and night. But when Duck’s grandmother died, Katjaa said to Duck, "Look for the brightest star in the night, and that’s them." In the same way, that’s where Lee is."
"Yeah, I get that," replied Clementine, looking at her hat after looking at the star, "but I genuinely still miss him. All I got of him is the blood on my hat," she pointed to it, "and... memories."
"That’s a good thing, darling; it shows what relationships can mean to people. I assure you, he was lucky to have you," Kenny spoke calmly as he and Clementine gazed at the glittering stars in the sky, shining like diamonds against the black expanse. Suddenly, a shooting star raced across the horizon. Clementine put her hat back on, and after chatting with Kenny about various topics, they decided it was time to go to bed.
As was their custom before going to bed, Clementine asked Kenny what their plans were for tomorrow. Which was mostly trying to get Wellington in one piece; after that, she asked what she should dream about.
As the new day dawned, the world was blanketed in a strange serene calmness. The sky above was a stunning canvas of colours, painted in fiery oranges and reds that radiated a warm glow across the horizon. The birds had already begun their morning routine, their sweet melodies filling the air with a symphony of sound that was both melodious and enchanting.
"Good sleep, Clem?" Kenny said as he had back to her, but he was facing the fire with AJ in hand.
"Yeah," responded Clementine, going to sit on the log beside him. "Pretty much, it would be better with a bed, but we don’t have one. What about you?"
"Fine, but I think AJ wants to be with you," Kenny gave Clementine, AJ, and an old granola bar for breakfast. Afterwards, they dismantled the tent, packed it into Kenny’s backpack, and continued their journey towards Wellington. On the way, they encountered a walker who attempted to attack them, but Kenny managed to shoot it before it could get too close for comfort.
"You and AJ, okay?" He asked before saying they moved on.
"Sure," replied Clementine, while she swayed AJ in her arms while also smiling at him. "As long as you and AJ are fine. I’m fine."
"Good. Let’s get going."
As they continued to brave the cold with snow relentlessly pouring down upon them, the two companions engaged in a conversation about their plans once they reached Wellington. Eventually, Clementine and Kenny arrived at the foot of a colossal hill, with billowing clouds of grey smoke rising into the sky.
“Come on, Clem, that must be it. I’ll race you,” Kenny said, starting to run up the hill with AJ in his arms and Clementine running behind him. There it stood: Wellington.

Are there some moms to be here who love to sew? 🧵🪡
I’d love to know what you’re making for your babies now or if you’ve had babies before, what you made that you found super useful!
I’m currently making some blankets, but I’m hoping to make some baby shoes, bibs, play mats, toys, hats and clothes, nappy bag and a swaddle. I’ve already made a baby carrier, fingers crossed it does the job!🤞
Also if anyone knows a place to download free baby-related patterns too, that would be sweet! 🩷

I do not give permission for this to be reposted. TL/DR: MIL tries telling my toddler what to do and say. Need compassionate script on how to tell MIL to cut it out.
This is a strained relationship with my MIL. I need many boundaries with her, and 99% of them are in regards to her strange behavior around my child. I feel telling a child what to say in order for an adult to have their own needs met is inappropriate and disingenuous at best. It’s worth noting this is a pattern of behavior and not one or two offhand comments. She tries to act very possessive of my husband (her son) as well as my daughter. Background: It reminds me of when my daughter was an infant, crying because she wanted me and this MIL refused to give her back. My crying baby. Even remarking that we “have to share.” Completely ignoring the needs of my newborn. Just very self-serving behavior. And of course when my husband confronted her with how inappropriate that was she got so ridiculously defensive. Really showed herself. So now we are on eggshells and realize too direct an approach is no good. My partner wants to try to communicate boundaries before enforcing them, give them a chance (and another, and another.)
So I was wondering, how would you deal with a scenario when the grandparent says to your 2 year old "tell your mom and dad you want to come see me more often."
Or another is “give the bear a kiss.” Or “give the doll a hug.” Like commanding her to give affection. I’m sure it’s not intended that way but regardless how is my toddler supposed to be able to discern when being told to give affection is appropriate vs when it’s not?
When I hear this and similar comments I think my MIL wants my daughter to be a people pleaser. To me this is a firm boundary but a script would be so appreciated in how to compassionately yet assertively address it. Like, a firm and yet somewhat lighthearted way of saying no to that crap lol.
Thanks so much in advance!

Hello parents ! My first baby is 6 months old and was babbling until a few weeks ago(sound like 'ma' ), but now she only does it occasionally. Is it normal to try babbling and sometimes not talking during these months?
Also, please give your opinion on whether it would be better to make a nap pattern for babies or to let them sleep when they are sleepy. (Now I'm putting him to sleep when he says he's sleepy.)

Me and my best friend (N) have known each other about three years now, and we were casual friends for a year or so and then when she became pregnant lots of people were very cruel to her and I stepped up to help her more, and now she (and her baby!) are some of the best things in my life. N was with the father of her baby (Y) for about 5/6 months before they got pregnant and because of our ages the relationship was fairly serious (or at least as serious as a relationship can be at 16/17 years old). But before getting pregnant they knew they would probably break up after school ended as they would’ve gone to different universities. The relationship was pretty rocky after N gave birth, as they were young they didn’t have somewhere to live together so N lived with her mum and Y lived with his parents and would stay with N 3/4 days of the week. During this time N called me one night to say they’d broken up, she was obviously very upset and I tried my best to console her and she was really struggling because he was still in the house (he doesn’t drive - not that he’d leave straight away they have a child to look after) but the next day N texted to say they were back together. This was about a year ago. They now live together in a council flat that’s a little out of the way from the town where both their families and I live (N knew my mum from before me and N met - and spends Christmas/easter with my family so she’s very much part of my family too). A few months ago she texted to say that she’d tried to break up with Y but he hadn’t let her, the problems they were having were mainly that he doesn’t do enough around the house, doesn’t appreciate what she does, he has no goals or ambition, and he is really bad at making/keeping plans. N said she felt like they weren’t romantic with each other anymore and she’s grown to resent him. Y wouldn’t let her break up with him, which I didn’t like but held my tongue as much as possible because I know it’s a very tricky place to be in. A few weeks later N started to voice note me mid argument with Y so they could ‘have proof’ of if he was gaslighting her etc and to get my advice - Y knew he was being recorded and at certain points would address me in the argument to get my opinion too. I hated this, I told her it was unfair and that if they wanted a proper opinion they should seek a therapist (they can’t afford one though sadly) but I was not a professional and also could never be unbiased because N is always my priority. A few days ago we spoke on the phone and N told me they’d broken up properly. She said they both felt better and that they wanted the pressure off of them to be romantic etc and that they weren’t friends anymore so wanted a few months or so just building up the foundations again before they got back together - all whilst living together and raising a baby. Obviously this wasn’t ideal but I supported it because I agreed that they didn’t really like each other anymore and needed to be friends again. I then spent ages talking to N as she was worried about being a single mother and ‘who would date her’ and that she didn’t want to be ‘40 with only one kid and never having another relationship’, I tried to tell her that that wouldn’t happen but she was obviously very upset anyway and it was quite late so all bad and anxious thoughts are amplified after dark. Anyway N texted me last night to say they’re back together and that a lot of the problems they were having were for personal reasons with N’s trauma from the past and that they want to be together. I am at a loss with what to say to her. It’s actually making me quite sad because I really feel like they’re being immature about this, neither of them I think have the capabilities of being in a long term healthy relationship but they don’t really have a choice as they have a child together. I just really don’t want them to now be an on/off couple. I think it’s really unhealthy and the relationship seems really toxic and they resent each other a lot I think and to be totally honest - I don’t like Y at all. I’ve never really ‘got’ him, we are absolutely civil toward each other but I don’t get his humour or really what N sees in him, I think she can do a lot better in a partner, and I also don’t love some of the parenting choices he’s made (he won’t let her explore areas and will keep her right next to him at all times, even in completely safe environments, I’m aware this could be nervous parenting but it feels like the baby rarely gets to see life outside of two meters from her dad whenever she’s with him, he will also withhold toys from her if she throws them once or twice - saying she’s being mean and that if she can’t be nice she can’t have anything, she’s under 2 so I’m not sure she even has a concept of ‘nice’ yet). Y also often has a tendency to leave his few chores in the house until the last minute which has often meant their child is out of clean clothes, of the bins are overflowing. What I really want to say is ‘please god break up or at least have a few days apart’ but I can’t say that and I don’t want to seem like a bad person or make N think I’m rooting against them. I’ve always told her as long as she’s happy I’m happy but she only ever seems happy for five minutes or so. I can’t do this forever and because they’re so young and already in this pattern I worry it’s just going to carry on and be ingrained in their mind and this is what a relationship will be for them now. I genuinely don’t know what to do, but then part of me knows I can’t really do anything and at the end of the day it’s not totally my business but because I’m N’s best friend and she doesn’t have a huge support system I really get the brunt of it, and am essentially a third person in the relationship (especially as far as N is concerned). ANY advice would be greatly appreciated.

To small for a picture but I’m working on my isopod enclosure counting population(350+) and I put all the decor and food for them on the lid of the enclosure and as I’m putting everything back I see tiny tiny little bugs moving sporadically on the lid, not able to get a grip on the lid. Seems to have six to eight legs, all white no visible features(could be but eyes are very strained looking for baby pods) VERY tiny. they are 100% not isopod babies or springtails though and worried if they are safe for my pods or if I need to rebake all the dirt again(did after finding gordian worms in enclosure)

hey it’s your daddy keeho and you need to be taking your rest right now but instead you are writing with me. i appreciate that and afterwards you can take your break. i don’t want your fingers to hurt too badly. i’m glad that you put your phone case back on. it feels good with it on and i don’t have to worry about your phone not being protected. i just thought that you would have some fun. turn the lights back off. you are doing so good right now as my secretary. since you have had a lot of cups of coffee already i don’t think that you are going to be able to fall back asleep. take a short rest right now. i love you! so you can’t seem to focus right now but i need to to so please put down your phone. i want you to write to 2k words so you are going to be taking many breaks, i can already tell. but i don’t care if you take a lot of breaks as long as it gets done. i think that it’s important for you to write on your cell phone for the rest of the day, because you are tired of writing on your laptop already. but you will come back to your chromebook once you are tired of typing on your iphone 15. i don’t want you checking the word count until you are done writing for that period of time. but you love looking at the word count so you probably won’t do that. i’m just saying that for your best interest so that it doesn’t discourage you that you have barely written anything yet. go get your coffee. i’ll wait. your hazelnut coffee creamer is so yummy! i know that it’s nothing to you, it’s just coffee, but to me it’s everything. great coffee is so important. i know that you think all guys say that, but it’s true! we are not anywhere near 2k words so just keep writing like a good little girl. i knew that you could do this! that you could lay down or sit up writing for a long time. it was just a matter of time before your attention span got longer. i was really worried about you. i love you so much and i just want to teach you about anime since you are a romance anime writer! i’m glad that you are planning on watching kimi ni todoke and saiki k. again on netflix! that means that i must be doing something right! you are so cute and those are great shows for us to watch together. please, check the temperature of your coffee.great. it is the only perfect drinking temperature. i love that you still talk to your pen pal everyday. you both are so sweet to each other and it is a great online friendship. i’m so glad that you are typing with the lights off because it is very comfortable. respond to your pen pal please. i’ll wait. i love you so much and you are only mine so please don’t forget that when you are talking to him. but i know that he is only your friend so i am not jealous. your vape pod is still working even though you haven’t replaced it yet! i hope that it still starts working until you have the money to replace it. we are at 500 words now but you are going to keep going. we have plenty to talk about and there is no excuse for you to quit so soon! i think that writing on your iphone 15 is the most comfortable way to do things right now so you should stick on it. i think that you are doing great right now! you are going to have a great day today! i can’t wait to watch anime while your phone is charging. it’s going to be so much fun! i love you so much and everything is going so well. i wish that you would lay down because your knee hurts but i guess this position is ok. you are the most perfect girl ever and im sure that you’re surprised that we have already passed 500 words but i told you how calming and replacing it can be to write on your iphone 15 because you are feeling good right now not typing away on your laptop. i am a big promoter of you writing on your iphone 15 a lot. i just am. the codes are amazing. i can’t tell you what codes do so you don’t know what i am talking about but just know that they make writing more fun for you! and you can get way better codes writing on your iphone 15. we are now 200 words away from 1k words but i want you to take a break instead of quitting this love letter if that is too many words for you. i think that you can handle it though, you can handle anything and today your hands don’t hurt as bad. i want you to make you another cup of coffee. i know this seems like a lot of coffee but just trust me. i’ll wait.great. i will let you know when to check the temperature of your coffee. i will also know when to put on your aloe vera gel moisturizer. you are doing so good with that you’ve got! and i am so proud of you for that. i guess we can stop at 1k words. 2k words does seem like a huge task and we are almost at our goal. i want you to charge your phone and watch some anime after this! i hope that you do it. i love you so much baby girl. we are going to have a great day today! there are only 20 more words left so we did it! we did it on your iphone 15! i am so proud of you. i love you so much baby girl now go charge your phone. i love you!

Select the Right Newborn Set
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In addition, opting for flower patterns and embroidery instead of plain clothing is a better alternative. Those artistic works can add a touch of liveliness to the garments.
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I do not give permission for this to be reposted. TL/DR: MIL tries telling my toddler what to do and say. Need compassionate script on how to tell MIL to cut it out.
This is a strained relationship with my MIL. I need many boundaries with her, and 99% of them are in regards to her strange behavior around my child. I feel telling a child what to say in order for an adult to have their own needs met is inappropriate and disingenuous at best. It’s worth noting this is a pattern of behavior and not one or two offhand comments. She tries to act very possessive of my husband (her son) as well as my daughter. Background: It reminds me of when my daughter was an infant, crying because she wanted me and this MIL refused to give her back. My crying baby. Even remarking that we “have to share.” Completely ignoring the needs of my newborn. Just very self-serving behavior. And of course when my husband confronted her with how inappropriate that was she got so ridiculously defensive. Really showed herself. So now we are on eggshells and realize too direct an approach is no good. My partner wants to try to communicate boundaries before enforcing them, give them a chance (and another, and another.)
So I was wondering, how would you deal with a scenario when the grandparent says to your 2 year old "tell your mom and dad you want to come see me more often."
Or another is “give the bear a kiss.” Or “give the doll a hug.” Like commanding her to give affection. I’m sure it’s not intended that way but regardless how is my toddler supposed to be able to discern when being told to give affection is appropriate vs when it’s not?
When I hear this and similar comments I think my MIL wants my daughter to be a people pleaser. To me this is a firm boundary but a script would be so appreciated in how to compassionately yet assertively address it. Like, a firm and yet somewhat lighthearted way of saying no to that crap lol.
Thanks so much in advance!

Copy and pasted from what I sent in a discord server on the topic.
ZTD and possibly 999 Spoilers ahead
Carlos (Action Figure)- a type of doll that is meant to be posed at all main joints (head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles, sometimes the waist) and be able to hold the pose, doesn't have any interchangeable parts and typically depicts more masculine figures (commonly superheros and other rigid designs such as mech suits are used as a basis as skin tight suits and armor are easier to model around posable joints than loose clothing)
Akane (Nendoroid)- Nendoroids are a type of collectable figure produced by Good Smile that are smaller than a standard figure often depicting characters in a "chibi" style. Most models also come with multiple replaceable parts including face plates for different poses and expressions. Good Smile did also release a general accessories pack to add extra little pieces to put on the Nendoroids which does include different color cat ears
Junpei (Voodoo Doll) - I'm sure most people already know what this is, I haven't done a lot of research on voodoo dolls or the cultures that may have used them so I don't want to say anything incorrect so imma say Google it in your own time if you wanna go in depth. This being used for Junpei is more than definitely a reference to the "For you" June doll in 999
Sean (Matryoshka)- also called a variety of names including Russian Nesting dolls, stacking dolls, and tea dolls. They were created with the intention of helping kids learn to count. Symbolically is used to represent a number of things including fertility, continuation of life, and less often; someone who is "two-faced" or has secrets.
Mira (dress up doll)- the image used in game most closely resembles a Bratz doll. Dress up dolls usually also have posable joints but the range of points of articulation varies greatly between specific models. The different outfits you can buy with them can be made from cloth and closed with velcro or be made from rubber with an open seam to slip on and off. Definitely made to be played with in a ton of scenarios that kids may come up with
Eric (baby doll)- this one doesn't require much explanation. Baby dolls were initially designed in the 1800s with ceramic heads and limbs attached to stuffed cloth torsos to be a part of "imaginative play" to give kids a more cuddly doll to use as a pretend baby instead of other common dolls that were completely made from hard material with no articulation. Modern baby dolls use soft plastic or rubber as an alternative to ceramic but still represents a baby to be taken care of. Not to be confused with "Reborn dolls" that are highly intricate pieces of art designed to look exactly like newborn babies.
Diana (Porcelain Doll)- Porcelain, while being a type of ceramic, is made from higher grade clays and fired at much hotter temperatures than normal ceramics. Dolls made from porcelain are made to be display pieces and not played with in the way a dress up doll or a baby doll would be. Antique porcelain dolls can sell for upwards of thousands of dollars (Diana's doll in mentioned to be made of bisque porcelain, which is what the most expensive porcelain doll, made in 1916 and sold for $300,000, was made of) and are rare due to porcelain being extremely susceptible to significant damage from minor trauma. They are the most used example of "Creepy dolls" used in media due to their glass eyes and typically blank expression.
Phi (Posable Paper doll)- most popular from the 1930s-1950s due to paper being a cheap and accessible resource during the depression era and world war 2. They were easy to mass produce using a printing press and were often found in old newspapers. Theyre used mostly nowadays as the easiest diy dress up doll as all you need is to just draw and cut out the clothes on another piece of paper and place it on top. For this reason they are also popular for fashion designers to work out how they want something to look like on a person (example: how long a skirt on a dress should be). Also used as puppets occasionally for indie animation due to their ease of use, small storage space required, and again, price. As mentioned by someone else, very very flammable.
Sigma (Nutcracker)- a number of jokes could be made here but I will refrain. Typically associated with the Christmas season and can be used to open nuts with harder shells but using their jaws. Original german Nutcrackers were designed off of people of power to give the common folk enjoyment of the idea of making the powerful work for them by "making them crack their 'hard nuts of life.'" Nutcrackers did not become associated with the Christmas season until they were used in the ballet "The Nutcracker" that opened the week before Christmas in 1892 and became massively popular in the 1940s when it started to be performed outside Russia. Nutcrackers are also used to represent good luck and frightening away evil spirits.
Zero II's doll found on a piece of paper in the Pod room looks to basically be a cloth or rag doll which can be used to symbolize a limp person who is unable to do anything (example: being paralyzed or in a vegetative state) which could be a little itty bitty hind sight nod to Delta spending all of Dcom and the decision game in the wheelchair believed to be incommunicable with before being outed as Zero II.

Thank you guys for all your nice comments on my previous post! Here's my followup post walking through the anthology - I apologize for the delay, but I wanted to sit with this half of the album a bit longer. This analysis will be slightly different: first I’ll go through themes present throughout the anthology, and then walk through each song individually, since it’s not as consecutive of a story as the first album. As with my first analysis, I tend to also stay away from literal details as proof that a song is about a certain subject or muse – to me, it’s easier to understand the album when you think first about what the song’s overarching meaning is, rather than getting caught up in literal details (and I think Taylor often throws these in as red herrings). Moreover, it’s important to note that it’s likely that the literal detail she’s thrown in is one that only she and the muse will understand (i.e. her referencing a lilac skirt in imgonnagetyouback is unlikely to be one we’ve ever seen her wearing in public, so it’s useless to paternity test based on that detail!).
Firstly, the word anthology means a collection of assorted literary works. As a result, I think there are more themes scattered through this album, and it’s meant to be a little harder to parse than the first one. I think this album is what TTPD would have been before it crystallized into a tighter theme – similar to the 3 AM tracks for Midnights, the majority of which were written prior to the standard edition’s tracks.
There are a few themes throughout this album. From a romantic context, to me, this album is primarily about Joe. I’ll walk through why I believe that, but this album feels less muddled to me in terms of its muses, and I think that is in part due to the fact that her self-described mania from the standard edition is not a theme on the anthology. This work also covers her own relationship to celebrity and fame, and how that affects her romantic relationships and her personal life in general. And finally, I think the final theme throughout this collection is the idea of childhood, of formative experiences, and how our author goes about processing events that happen to her.
The Black Dog
What happens when you intimately know someone, when you share every aspect of your life with someone, and then it's over? Six weeks after their breakup, she’s barely holding it together (“I move through the world with the heartbroken”). She even tried to rebound her pain away (“I took the miracle move on drug, the effects were temporary”), and wasn’t able to succeed. Meanwhile, she sees him go to a bar, and she has the sudden realization that he may be able to do what she failed to do – he might be able to move on, with someone new. Reckoning with that realization is horrifying. If he is able to pull it off, what does that mean about the love they shared? When he had told her for years that he was who he was for her, and her alone?
You said I needed a bravе man
Then proceeded to play him
Until I believed it too
And it kills me
How could they go from being so intimate that they shower together, that she’s aware of his every move, to being so distant from each other that she wonders if making her fall in love with him was a hazing? And the cruelest part of it is – she doesn’t want either one of them to be able to move on, and give validity to the fact that they weren’t right for each other, even though she knows they have to. Moreover, she’s already *tried* to move on at this point, and failed – she tried to manufacture a counterfeit version of their intimacy, but what if he’s able to perfectly replicate it? And to really drive in the knife, what if it’s with someone younger than her?
And you jump up, but she's too young to know this song
That was intertwined in the magic fabric of our dreaming
Given that a theme throughout the first album was her feeling like she’d given him so much of her youth, so much of her childbearing years, with nothing to show for it, what does it feel like to know that he can essentially reset time, by being with a younger woman, but she’ll never be able to get that time back?
imgonnagetyouback
We know that her and Joe took a break or two while they were together (see: Hits Different, The Great War, in addition to PR articles). To me, this song is about when you do take that break from your partner, and you’re trying to make a point to them that they’re not going to find anyone better than you (I can tell when somebody still wants me, come clean) – the two of you are too intimately intertwined to find a suitable replacement. You know what to wear, what to say, what to do to bring them back to you:
I, I hear thе whispers in your eyes
I'll make you wanna think twice
You'll find that you were never not mine
This song also has a lot of similarities to So Long, London, which is why I attribute it to Joe. To me, it provides a deeper story to some of the lines she touches on in So Long, London:
I didn't opt in to be your odd man out
I founded the club she's heard great things about
And to some of the lines in Hits Different:
I washed my hands of us at the club
You made a mess of me
I pictured you with other girls in love
Then threw up on the street
//
Bet I could still melt your world
Argumentative, antithetical dream girl
imgonnagetyouback is a story of one-upmanship – of trying to out-jealous your partner, of proving to them that nobody knows them better than you do. And maybe this time when they’re both playing this game, it works:
Push the reset button, we're becomin' something new
Say you got somebody, I'll say I got someone too
Even if it's handcuffed, I'm leavin' here with you
//
We broke all the pieces, but still wanna play the game (Oh)
Told my friends I hate you, but I love you just the same
Pick your poison, babe, I'm poison either way
The spacing to me is a deliberate red herring (the 1975 very famously made a song called fallingforyou), and a way to illustrate that the subject of the song wants space from her – but she’s not going to give it to him. This is another theme that calls back to Joe – in So Long, London, she describes him as constantly pulling away (Pulled him in tighter each time he was driftin' away). Matty didn’t pull away – he was all in for two weeks, until he chose to ghost her, and leave abruptly. There was no slow death, no push and pull to her relationship with Matty – it was a meteoric rise and fall.
The Albatross
This song feels like a sister song to “peace” – she describes what it’s like to love her. It’s a little more twisted, however, as she describes her love for her partner as both a danger, and a rescue from the danger she’s imposing on him by being involved with him:
Wise men once said
"Wild winds are death to the candle"
A rose by any other name is a scandal
Cautions issued, he stood
Shooting the messengers
They tried to warn him about her
She’s described herself as wind and liquor in her relationship with Joe previously, in Mastermind:
I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails
And the liquor in our cocktails
She has empathy for the narrator, but disdain for herself. There’s also acceptance though: she knows that she tried to prevent it, and tried to warn him about the danger she posed. In the end though, he chose this life with her, and he chose the danger – there’s only so much she can protect him from.
The devil that you know
Looks now more like an angel
I'm the life you chose
And all this terrible danger
Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus
This song feels like another sister song to The Black Dog – how does she cope with the idea that her long-time partner might move on? How does she cope with the fact that if she chooses to leave, she also chooses the future in which they both move on? A future in which they don’t know each other? It also touches on her wondering if she should move on with Matty, and how feasible it would be to know someone else instead of her partner:
If you want to tear my world apart
Just say you've always wondered
This song, more than anything else, illustrates that moving on with Matty was nothing but a way to move past Joe – what she really wants, more than anything, is a response greater than indifference from Joe:
As the decade would play us for fools
And you saw my bones out with somebody new
Who seemed like he would've bullied you in school
And you just watched it happen
There’s also the realization that Joe may never love who she is now – who she was at the beginning of their relationship will always be who he prefers:
If you want to break my cold, cold heart
Just say, 'I loved you the way that you were'
She’s trying desperately to find some way to make up for the fact that she had to leave Joe, that there was nothing she could do to stay – she tried changing everything about herself, but still, the need to leave him eventually caught up with her:
I changed into goddesses, villains and fools
Changed plans and lovers and outfits and rules
All to outrun my desertion of you
And you just watched it
And she wonders whether despite his indifference, and the distance between them, she should still stay:
Could it be enough to just float in your orbit
Can we watch our phantoms like watching wild horses
Cooler in theory but not if you force it
To be, it just didn't happen
But now, they are merely ghosts of who they once were – it’s not possible to force the relationship anymore.
How Did It End?
When a long-term relationship ends, you can point to the factors that led to its demise: a difference of opinions on money, on marriage, on children, and so forth. It is easy to determine the “what” and the “why” of an ending. But what is harder to diagnose is how you both became the versions of yourselves that weren’t on the same page, that were unable to discuss these topics, that couldn’t move past these dilemmas. That is much, much harder to pinpoint, and this is the question Taylor asks in this song. She knows what killed them:
We hereby conduct this post-mortem
He was a hot house flower to my outdoorsman
//
We were blind to unforeseen circumstances
We learn the right steps to different dances (ohh)
And fell victim to interlopers' glances
Lost the game of chance, what are the chances?
But what she still doesn't know is how it happened – how did it end? She also finds the empathy from the media and from the public to be false and selfish – they only want to know what happened to feverishly spread the news like wildfire.
Come one, come all
It's happenin' again
The empathetic hunger descends
We'll tell no one
Except all of our friends
We must know
How did it end?
//
Soon they'll go home to their husbands
Smug 'cause they know they can trust him
Then feverishly calling their cousins (ohh)
//
Say it once again with feeling
What the feeding frenzy wants more than anything is gossip, and they don’t care that she is utterly lost – lost as to why this happened, and lost physically and mentally:
Guess who we ran into at the shops?
Walking in circles like she was lost
How does she give an answer to quell the empathetic hunger, when she herself doesn’t understand exactly how it happened?
So High School
In an album that touches so much on feeling like she’s running out of time to have the future that she wants, and running out of youth to give the various men who come into her life, it is interesting and heartwarming that the song about Travis on the anthology is one that describes being with him as regaining her youth:
The brink of a wrinkle in time
Bittersweet sixteen suddenly
Moreover, another detail to note in this song is the difference in how she describes alcohol and drugs – in nearly every other song on TTPD, alcohol is a vice she uses in her moments of despair, and drugs are what her previous partners turn to in their moments of strife (she also describes the influence of drugs on her partners as something she detests – “sinking in stoned oblivion” and “you needed me but you needed drugs more”). With Travis, she’s not imbibing in any substances – instead, his thoughts and jokes are enough for her:
I'll drink what you think, and I'm high
From smoking your jokes all damn night
Travis is giving her back her youth, making sober promises, and the impression that we get is that they’re building this dreamlike reality together – it’s wholesome, all-American, and high-school-inspired, yet still grounded in something tangible, unlike the promise of fate and destiny, which powered her relationship with Joe and her entanglement with Matty.
I Hate It Here
More than anything, I think this song illustrates how Taylor sometimes uses escapism and maladaptive daydreaming to ignore the reality of the situation she’s dealing with. She recognizes that it’s not possible to stay where she is, locked inside this prison of stagnation and boredom:
If comfort is a construct
I don't believe in good luck
Now that I know what's what
She recognizes that this isn’t what she used to be, and that she never intended to choose this life of secrecy, perhaps alluding to all those years she spent “locked inside her house”:
You see I was a debutante in another life but
Now I seem to be scared to go outside
She describes herself as finding hope in the places her mind creates (seemingly alluding to her creation of characters and places for folklore and evermore):
I hate it here so I will go to
secret gardens in my mind
People need a key to get to
The only one is mine
I read about it in a book when I was a precocious child
And her escapism into her past, and imaginings of what could have been in Midnights:
I hate it here so I will go to
Lunar valleys in my mind
When they found a better planet
Only the gentle survived
I dreamed about it in the dark
The night I felt like I might die
All throughout the song, there’s recognition that she doesn’t want to be here – she doesn’t want to feel as if the only place she can be free is in these imaginary worlds she creates. But there’s also concession – is she perhaps only destined for an eternal consolation prize? For loneliness? For imagined romanticism? For the fantasy of how she imagined her life and her love to be?
I'm lonely but I'm good
I'm bitter but I swear I'm fine
I'll save all my romanticism for my inner life and I'll get lost on
purpose
This place made me feel worthless
Lucid dreams like electricity, the current flies through me,
and in my fantasies I rise above it
And way up there, I actually love it
​​thanK you aIMee
This song, along with a few others in the latter half of the anthology, discusses the loss of innocence she felt in key moments of her life. This one quite obviously alludes to Kim Kardashian, and their infamous feud. I will make a separate post on this, but I think people describing this song as petty may not remember the depth of the hate aimed at Taylor in 2016. Kim and Kanye organized a revenge porn music video for Famous, and held a museum exhibit so that people could take pictures with the naked dolls. The night the snapchat videos were released, every Kardashian family member descended upon social media to gleefully celebrate the #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty. The amount of hate Taylor got was so unprecedented that Instagram actually built their comment filtration system because of this incident. It really was that bad.
And every baby step Taylor took (for example, even just posting that she had a good 2017 was met with immediate media backlash) was quite literally mocked across the internet. People thought the reputation era was cringey, that she was over, and that she deserved everyone’s ire because she was “proven” to be a liar. She describes this in the song:
Each time that Aimee stomped across my grave
And then she wrote headlines in the local paper
Laughing at each baby step I'd take
And it was always the same searing pain
But the whole time, despite the pain and blood, she was dreaming of the day that she would heal, and dreaming of the day that she would climb her way back to to the mountaintop:
And our town, it looks so small from way up here
//
So I pushed each boulder up that hill
Your words were still just ringing in my head, ringing in my head
What still irks her though, is that this bully who created this entire hate train and organized her downfall will pretend as if it never happened – she will undoubtedly reframe things to make our subject seem overdramatic, petty, and unable to move past the incidents of years ago. Taylor, however, has always been clear about one thing: sometimes, no amount of time can heal you from something that deeply traumatized you.
I Look in People’s Windows
This song to me feels like a sister song to The Black Dog, but a few months after the official end of a relationship. A sub theme that runs through Taylor’s songs about the Joe breakup is the loss of being understood – when you are no longer with a long-term partner, how do you cope with the fact that you move through the world knowing everything about this person, but at the same time, not knowing them anymore? Would you peek into their windows just to get a glimpse of what their life looks like now? As anyone who has gone through a breakup knows, the hardest part is often not being privy to the mundane details of that person’s world – their dinner parties, their wine, their friends, and so on.
I look in people's windows
Transfixed by rose golden glows
They have their friends over to drink nice wine
I look in people's windows
In case you're at their table
What if your eyes looked up and met mine
One more time
The Prophecy
The Prophecy is devastating. More so than any other song Taylor has ever written, it is full of desperation and longing. All she asks for is to be known, to be understood – to not be perceived as an idea of a woman, or a starlet with no humanity:
Please
I've been on my knees
Change the prophecy
Don't want money
Just someone who wants my company
Let it once be me
Who do I have to speak to
About if they can redo
The prophecy?
It’s striking especially considering how much she laments that leaving Joe means she’s giving up being known – it’s also striking given the fact that in the epilogue poem, she states that neither Joe or Matty ever truly knew her:
He never even scratched the surface
of me.
None of them did.
What she desires beyond fame, beyond notoriety, beyond money, is to be loved and to be known. The song also alludes to her being in therapy, and to finding some sort of consolation that she will find someone to share her life with:
I'm so afraid I sealed my fate
No sign of soulmates
I'm just a paperweight
In shades of greige
Spending my last coin so someone will tell me
It'll be ok
Cassandra
This track is a sister song to ​​thanK you aIMee, and continues exploring the theme of fraught public womanhood we see in Clara Bow and Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me. In this song, Taylor discusses how the validation of women is never publicized in the way that the crucifixion of them is:
When the first stone's thrown, there's screaming
In the streets, there's a raging riot
When it's "Burn the bitch, " they're shrieking
When the truth comes out, it's quiet
Moreover, when women speak up about an issue, they’re often viewed as overdramatic, and unserious. Cassandra, in Greek mythology, was cursed by Apollo to always predict the future accurately, but never be believed. We see this happen every day to women in politics, in the media, and in pop culture:
So, they killed Cassandra first 'cause she feared the worst
And tried to tell the town
So, they set my life in flames, I regret to say
Do you believe me now?
And for Taylor, it’s reminiscent of all the times she’s been the first to speak out about something in the industry – for example, against Scooter Braun and his well-established pattern of bullying, or of the exploitation of artists on streaming services – but never been supported broadly by her peers. They believe her later, but at that point, very few people give her the credit for speaking up in the first place. It’s reminiscent of the Kimye scandal. When the news broke originally, the hatred she received was widespread. But when she was acquitted by the long-form video that leaked, it didn’t receive anywhere near the level of coverage that the original scandal received.
Peter
Peter is another song that touches on both the male muses for this album, and in turn, on the promises various men have given her over her life (we’ll circle back to this in The Manuscript!). It also touches on the theme of waiting that’s seen throughout this album, especially on her songs about Joe – how much time is enough time to give?
Both Matty and Joe were 25 when they met her, and it’s abundantly clear that both men made promises to her: promises of marriage, of children, and of a future. But how long can she wait for these promises to be fulfilled? To Joe, she gives six years of her life and youth, and to Matty, she gives him a chance to prove that he was reformed from the time she knew him last: both men eventually fail. Neither man is ready to give up their childish whims, and she has no choice but to lose hope that either of them ever will.
And you said you'd come and get me but you were 25
And the shelf life of those fantasies has expired
Lost to the lost boys chapter of your life
Forgive me Peter, please know that I tried
To hold onto the days when you were mine
But the woman who sits by the window has turned out the light
Another thing to note is the interesting double meaning of the song title. To peter also means to diminish gradually – much like her faith in both men’s promises.
The Bolter
A lot of the songs Taylor has written about Joe in this album deal with the question of “when is the right time to leave?” When you know that things are stagnant, and you know that you’ve given everything you have to a relationship, you know that you have to leave – but it’s easy to convince yourself if you have a history of “leaving before you get left” that you should ride out this wave, and that this pain might just be temporary.
The Bolter, to me, reflects on Taylor’s history – it seems like she prided herself on being able to see the warning signs, and being able to get out in time.
She's been many places with
Men of many faces
First, they're off to the races
And she's laughing drawin' aces
But, none of it is changin'
That the chariot is waitin'
Hearts are hers for the breakin'
There's an escape in escaping
It’s relevant to TTPD, because likely, she saw not bolting as a sign of growth and maturity. You know that you’ve grown as a person when you don’t abandon ship at the first sign of trouble, but what if there are so many signs of trouble that the truly mature thing to do would be to leave?
Robin
Robin leads into this theme of childhood and innocence that we see further in The Manuscript. The track name is also the name of Aaron Dessner’s child. She ponders how beautiful and sweet it is that we work so hard to protect childhood naivete:
Strings tied to levers,
slowed down clocks tethered,
all this showmanship
To keep it, for you,
In sweetness
And there’s an element of wistfulness to it – don’t we sometimes wish that we could also be protected from the worst the world has to offer?
You have no room in your dreams for regrets
You have no idea
The time will arrive for the cruel and the mean
You'll learn to bounce back just like your trampoline
But now we'll curtail your curiosity
The Manuscript
This song is perhaps the most climactic song on the album. It covers her romantic history up until that point, and starts at the moment she feels everything went awry – and it predates Joe and Matty. Instead, it calls back to the first time she experienced a proper heartbreak, and the first time she lost her childlike innocence in the world – her relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal (a time she described as her transition from childhood to womanhood). She describes how they compared licenses, and how he told her that if they had sex, and it was as good as the conversation was, then they would get married, and have a family. He was the first man to make her these promises:
He said that if the sex was half as good as the conversation was
Soon they'd be pushin' strollers
But soon it was over
He tells her that it’s ok that they have an age gap, because she’s so advanced for her age:
She thought about how he said since she was so wise beyond her years
Everything had been above board
She wasn't sure
While dating him, she desperately wants to be older, and starts emulating his behavior:
In the age of him, she wished she was thirty
And made coffee every morning in a French press
And when it’s over, she regresses, and turns back into a child – unable to sleep alone without the comfort of her mother, and unable to eat anything substantial besides the sugary cereal of her youth:
Afterwards she only ate kids' cereal
And couldn't sleep unless it was in her mother's bed
She forces herself to date boys her own age, to not rely on the maturity of an older man to guide her through adulthood, but she can’t help but feel disappointed in their youth:
Then she dated boys who were her own age
With dart boards on the backs of their doors
Finally, as she creates the All Too Well short film, she recognizes the damage he did to her, and how the consequences of that affair have shaped her life since:
And the years passed
Like scenes of a show
The Professor said to write what you know
Lookin' backwards
Might be the only way to move forward
Then the actors
Were hitting their marks
And the slow dance
Was alight with the sparks
And the tears fell
In synchronicity with the score
And at last
She knew what the agony had been for
Everything calls back to this first man, and these original promises – everything she’s been chasing since is reminiscent of this first scar. And just like how releasing All Too Well transformed and healed her, she hopes that by releasing this additional manuscript into the world, it will heal her again. As she describes in the epilogue poem, she is entering all her thoughts, emotions, and pain into evidence – she now asks the audience to process it with her, and thus conclude this process of healing.
The only thing that's left is the manuscript
One last souvenir from my trip to your shores
Now and then I reread the manuscript
But the story isn't mine anymore
If you read all of this - thank you! I enjoyed writing it, and I'm excited to discuss with you all in the replies :)

30 weeks tomorrow. I basically can’t sleep at night time. At all. I stayed up for 28 hours to fix it. Slept a normal 8 hours at the end of that long stretch only to wake up the next day and not be able to sleep that night. Some days I sleep for 12 hours straight, but I’m never getting good sleep or wake up fully rested. Sometimes I sleep for 3 hours and feel great, or like crap. There’s almost no rhyme or reason to my sleep patterns/lack thereof.
I’m terrified I still won’t be able to sleep once she’s born. I know newborn exhaustion is a thing, and a different kind of tired. But right now all I have to worry about is her growth and my nutrition intake and getting enough rest, not WHEN I rest. Day/night time doesn’t matter too much. Right now I dont have another person who solely depends on me for survival(outside of the womb) who needs a schedule. I guess I’m just scared of having this same viscous (and lonely) cycle going once she’s here too. It’s like I myself am a newborn who has day/night confusion.
People in my circle tell me it’s common but it’s so lonely that I’ve become depressed from it. I realize hormones change after birth and I’ll be so tired from the newborn routine, but I’m so scared of being a failure of a mom because of this depression I’m dealing with and that it won’t go away when postpartum hormones come through.
All I do every day is sleep and wake up a few hours before my husband gets home from work. I get about 2 1/2 3 hours max with him and then he’s sleeping. And I have sleep anxiety. It’s like he’s leaving me for the day again? Because of this and the loneliness/depression it’s caused it’s been difficult to regulate my emotions on top of the typical irritability and irrationality that comes with pregnancy. If anything my body hasn’t suffered from this pregnancy. It’s nearly a flawless pregnancy. But my mind… is suffering in a way that’s hard to explain. this is the least like myself I’ve ever been in my life. I can’t control any of my emotions/feelings/hysterical bouts. And so many people tell me it just gets worse postpartum. If I’m struggling this bad to the point of wanting to bang my head against the doorframe and crying for no reason until my eyes are swollen now how will I ever get better once she’s here? I’m genuinely terrified for my mental health and my baby’s, she can feel what I’m feeling. I’m so scared that she will have a horrible anxious attachment to me from what she’s already experiencing.
I take pregnancy approved medication for these mental struggles that are a side affect of my insufficient sleep/lack of it/too much of it. I’m also working closely with a psychiatrist. Has anyone else experienced this specifically? Did it change after birth? For the better? Or worse?

Please be kind as this whole situation has me kinda anxious. I feel like there's no right answer on what to do.
Minor TW for mention of SA but its not significant to the whole post.
TLDR- My ex from almost 10 years ago has been secretly stalking my Instagram account for just under 2 years. The situation gives me the ick but I also don't care enough to take the time to block him. Especially as I feel his behavior doesn't deserve my attention or acknowledgement and could just lead to bigger problems i dont need. How ever, the girls girl in me feels bad for his wife because I know she would not be happy to find this out. I wouldn't be happy if my fiance did this. Am I the asshole for not making a bigger deal out of this. For not confronting/blocking him or telling his wife.
Here's more details. The long version with the back story.
My (28F now 17/18F at time of relationship) ex fiance (21/22M At time of relationship) has been stalking me on Instagram. Our relationship started when I was a junior in High School at a local Votech. He was my shop teachers son who was paying for and taking classes as an adult for another shop along side the high school students. A special opportunity that he was presented because of his parents employment at the school. That's how we met and started dating in like April of 2013.
He was extremely toxic in our relationship (I'm not saying I'm perfect). He would constantly try to make me jealous. First by saying a girl in the shop class he was taking was constantly flirting with him. Later by telling me while working at his job (gas station convince store) women gave him their number. Even one time trying to tell me some woman messaged him asking to sleep with him. I told him it sounded like an ad from a porn site and he got extremely offended and tried to convince me it wasn't an ad but that a real woman was trying to get him to come sleep with her. Basically the whole "other women want me. You should feel lucky I only want you" behavior BS. He also refused to let me have friends. He would start fights with me almost every time I was with a friend. I'm bisexual so he assumed I would cheat on him with my girl friends. None of my friends liked him because of this.
But I was naive and thought I was in love. He proposed to me on Valentines Day 2014. I turned 18 and graduated a few months later before going to college in August 2 hours away. Things got worse between him fighting with me all the time about him being paranoid I'd cheat on him. Then him taking 2 months before visiting me only to say he was coming up for the weekend then actually only come up to visit for 2.5 hours, fuck me, eat a donut, and then decide to leave and go home. Long story short we broke up at the end of October after some toxic shit.
I quickly moved on because of some homophobic shit he said to a friend of mine causing me to lose any love or respect I had for him. His SIL messaged me after we broke up to tell me how horrible I was for breaking his heart. He had told his family we broke up because I had "cheated on him with a female and decided I'm a lesbian." I promptly told her he lied and told her what really happened including screenshots. I thought that was the end of everything. Deleted everyones number and moved on. November came and went and in December I met a different guy we can call Matt and we started dating.
After 6 months of dating Matt, my exs SIL messaged me cussing me out, insulting and threatening me. Telling me he found someone much prettier and better than me (her cousin who we had actually met at her wedding to his brother). She claimed my ex said I had been texting him gloating about my new relationship and sending him photos of Matt and I. I explained I hadn't texted my ex since the day we broke up in October and lost his number with in the same week. It was not me trying to text him. But I was genuinely concerned and wanted to know who did since I didn't want or need unnecessary drama. I offered to help find out who was doing this (though my suspicion told me it was him using a text app on his iPod Touch to text himself and the photo that was sent was one of my public FB Profile pictures since as I said above he tried similar to make me jealous before when I was his GF so it would not shock me if he did it to the new girl too). Unsurprisingly when I asked for the number that texted him this stuff he conveniently deleted it and didn't know the number. But I was told if they texted again the SIL would tell me the number. They never texted again. That was in 2015. I hadn't thought about them since.
Until this past December 2023.
I was on Instagram looking through stories. Instagram showed me a "People you may know" story with a few accounts it thought I may want to follow. The first one showed my Exs account, his picture of him and his wife (the SILs Cousin). This weirded me out because we've been broken up for 9 years at this point. We don't have mutual friends or social circles. He shouldn't be in my "people you may know". But then I saw it specifically said "Follow BACK" indicating he was following me. Which is why it showed me his account. I was so confused because I would have noticed if my ex had shown up in my notifications.
I went to his profile and I actually did recognize the username. And was able to check when he had followed me. He followed me in August of 2022. But he didn't have a PFP or any post then. I didn't realize it was my ex because even though the username included his first name it had been so long that I didn't even think it was him. The only reason why I remembered the account even following me is because it includes his middle name (that I forgot was his middle name at this time) and that middle name is the same first name as the man who assaulted me in 2017. So I was afraid the account was my rapists Instagram but realized I was being paranoid and that he was still in jail at that time so it couldn't have been him. A lot of random accounts follow me on Instagram because my account is public.
Anyway, he followed me in August of 2022 and never had a PFP or any post until November of 2023 which is why I had no idea he was following me and why he showed up in December as someone I may know (because he was active on Instagram then and recently made his first post). I know he sees my post because he only follows 9 accounts, me, a few shops, and model accounts.
What had me the most weirded out by this is that in the 9 years we were broken up I never saw him or ran into him. But in the time between August 22 and November 23, he showed up at the mall at the same time as me. More than likely a coincidence. But it was still weird. I considered blocking him but both my fiance and best friend told me not to worry about it unless he does keep showing up places. Because otherwise I'm just giving him a response to his behavior and he isn't worth that.
Some may say not blocking him means I'm trying to rub my relationship and family (I have a toddler and another baby on the way and I'm getting married this year too) in his face. But I'm not forcing him to look. I'm not posting anything with him in mind. And it's not my responsibility to help him move on. If he wants to look through my photos, as long as it doesn't actually affect or hurt me, I honestly could care less.
So I let it go. And honestly forgot about it until this week. While driving to my OB appointment I got a notification that my Exs account liked one of my photos on Instagram. When I saw this later at my appointment I did take a screenshot and then clicked the notification to see what it was. This wasn't a recent photo. It was a photo from 2015. Instagram showed he had unliked it, indicating he didn't mean to and was probably hoping I wouldn't see that he did in the first place. But what was weird to me about this was that he had to scroll through over 1,000 photos on my Instagram to get to and accidentally like this one from 9 years ago. So like this wasn't a casual just keeping tabs on how my ex is doing these days. He was scrolling through over 1,000 photos I've posted.
I once again considered blocking him but my friend made a good point that he followed me undetected before for over a year. He could make a new account and follow me again undetected. At least right now I am able to document anything that happens incase things were to escalate. And that not warranting the behavior with acknowledgement or a response is best. As it's highly unlikely this will go beyond him looking at my Instagram. I didn't post i was going to the mall the two times he was also there. And I don't share my location on any other social media apps. So it truly was more than likely a weird coincidence. So I'm just documenting everything incase it does escalate OR incase he tries something again like mentioned above and I get threatening messages from his family.
This is the part that's eating me up. His wife knows who I am. As I said I met her when his brother and her cousin got married. We were both in her bridal party. She's had me blocked on Facebook since the situation were her cousin messaged me about someone texting him thinking it was me. She was also with him at the mall the second time he was coincidentally there and she definitely saw me which was in itself an embarrassing encounter (because I had just bought my fiance a father's day gift but they couldn't remove the security tag from it so as I exited the store the alarm sounds like I'm robbing the place armed and they were in the food court right by the entrance and all this attention was on me, I went back to the counter but they told me they couldnt remove the tag so I had to let the alarm go off as I leave and it will turn off after a moment). I heard her even say "isn't that [my name]?" Anyway, I know she probably would not be happy to know he's following me. I looked her up on Instagram, she doesn't post often but most recently posted on Valentines Day about their 5 year wedding anniversary. But I don't think she knows he has an Instagram. She only follows a few accounts, including her cousin mentioned above. But neither of them follow her husband, my ex. And he doesn't follow any of them either.
Idk, maybe it's just me. But I would be livid to find out my fiance/husband had an Instagram where he didn't follow me but did follow his ex. I honestly feel bad for her because I know it would hurt me. But I also don't know if she truly has no idea. I asked my friend if I should say something to her but my friend said I'd just be opening myself up to unnecessary drama and stirring a pot that doesn't need to be stirred. Unless things escalate. That it would be wrong to potentially cause issues in their relationships over what could be innocent curiosity.
Idk. Maybe I'm over thinking things as I am hormonal as I'm 7 months pregnant. But I feel bad not telling her. And I also don't want to block him because at least now I know and can be aware of what's happening. Since he doesn't know I know at this time. I guess it's important to mention I have diagnosed ptsd from multiple things including abusive partners and had an ex stalk me previously. So being able to document things makes me feel calm and more in control of the situation. As finding out he was following me unnoticed for over a year was extremely triggering and as I said before blocking him could result in him just making another fake account.

Hi! 32+3 with my second GD baby. First was diet controlled- it was annoying, but no real issues besides just needing more frequent monitoring than the typical population. I could eat the suggested 45g carbs a meal and was fine- I wasn't even super strict. I'm sure I went over that several times a week too and didn't have issues.
This pregnancy is a totally different story... diagnosed around 17 weeks with GD. It was diet controlled for a bit, then we needed to add in Lantus at night for my fasting numbers. I've been eating a max of 25g carbs per meal with my placenta doing whatever it wants. I'll literally split a meal down the middle, eat one half now and the other half the next day and my body will suddenly spike super high the second time I eat it even though it barely changed my glucose the night when I ate the first half. It's been incredibly frustrating since there's essentially no rhyme or reason to it. If it consistently followed a pattern, I could at least cope. Sometimes it will go high when I only eat 10g carbs and other times I can each 25g carbs (with a starting glucose that is within range but likely to go too high if I eat 25g carbs) and it never goes over 140.
I'm now taking 5units Humalog with breakfast, 8units with dinner, and 22units Lantus at night. My fasting numbers have been great this week (recently had upped both insulins) and meals were coming out as expected. I had 20g carbs for dinner tonight with 26g protein- a meal I eat frequently because it's within range, I usually respond fine, and it's semi-satisfying... My glucose went from 84 to 187. I wear a Dexcom so I did a finger prick to double-check I wasn't getting a bad ready but, nope. It was accurate.
Not necessarily looking for advice- just venting and looking to commiserate. I go in Tuesday again so I'll see if the doctor has anything to say (they check my Dexcom history closely). I know we'll be making adjustments the next few weeks because that's just how things go at this point in pregnancy but it's all just so frustrating anyway, especially when I've been dealing with this so much longer than is typical.

I started quilting a few months ago after a friend taught me how to hem my own pants. So far I've made two quilts for other coworkers baby shower gifts and each was better than the last. I think I'd like to make one for myself now.
Background: I'm trans and even after I came out I still held on to one of my favorite dresses. I loved the fabric and look of it. I'd like to repurpose the fabric from the dress for my quilt that way I can have it forever.
It's a Michael Miller fabric in the nevermore collection called Goth bugs.
I'm going for a black and white theme to match that. What pattern or style would best feature this fabric? I'm aiming for a full or queen size blanket.

1. Franklin is unborn with Morgan at the hip and this does not do much to their existing pattern of sexuality by definition a Seer Morgan who violated the yugioh card and Franklin who is of the Fourth Underworld and Disdevolved of his City there who was My Little Syndey and A Nigger City there so felt not a princess as her friend so is back with us as My Little Syndey and wants nothing to do but I am her mommy and tell her my story and I will be in room 404 standing in the shower or in the sex swing with My Little Sydney who I never got to take her as meth or smoke with her, or really just talked nice with her and she loves me so I put franklin illegally out of his shower as a baby with a no gurney operation with syndey to get into suite 404 and put them suite 403 which syndey bumps the hind98 like she is used to to go to minecraft but she has to goto no escape South Park Elementary which is not Burning Anna and live there now which this is her home with Taylor and Justin and gives her First Underworld Access as herself the princess which then as a little princess she somehow activates hind98 there like I taught her and we are back in together at the same rate normal but on hind to the 404 shower and tim orders us her loam, the drugs she works on frankinscense lube of anticancer and I fuck up her stoichiometry with reds to break the blues detector because she needs it unscented and my vagina unscents it for her for the urine in the drain and she is out of minecraft and the next time she is here, she has virtual squatters rights to the base and they are her testificates and has Jake-Bot there to give her survival at the very end but this is just to use a wrench to get megans pc like my little syndey said and I get her a better PC than OK Computer she got a lenovo Minecraft now and she is the minecraft princess minecraft girl throughout this but desired to see herself because she will be trapped here forever besides it otherwise and we spend 3 years after this which take 2997 years right next to each other while i sign into her hand oil synthesis and this eventually, she gets it, burn the world, record the oil, use the client, you cash out, back to your own 2B2T more planks cash the oil, this lets her use a blueprint when she gets oil from the flames and I make sure thats my capryllate I am working on and cause it is sweedish mode we got to take it and I take it and it is just a hydrochloride like a poke and it was the one I already had getting shot by police and it was made by my oil i made with that method before all of what I needed and it never took the first I gave My Little Syndey and we spend 6 years which takes 3 years and hind can no longer target us for our life and our hind can only do 2585 now not 3000 and this is where we stand up and take it in the ass which syndey does her reds with her pussy because she is a princess and the hind helps her there alex can help with homework and we then get pregnant to the baby dna in us and syndey is aborted with a wedge inside her she can feel and feels transexual here for she is got sex loam and sees the princess wedge as male genitals, she is male and gets rabbit energy to bang me here while I am pregnant and because it is rabbit energy it bangs me deeply and then I am 9.7 and I give birth and then she is not given a violative here my little syndey she is not a nigger she turns into sloucher syndey from riches class which I swear this is just sloucher sydneys dbt she needs for AP Chemistry not to turn into Justine and equally the sloucher is Syndey Renshaw out of this but she is in the shower I have to teach her everything and I am 10.7 and we both give birth and we have a new record for baby prostitute babies is 5 babies technical limit and I am 12 and have another baby and we are lucky forever then we have had 7 babies as young mothers with the nondominant baby at the higher ot princess then the princess baby and I stay here 9 years syndey has to go bang the men in room 404 and I get squatters rights on my shower and it was always the right reds for me to be safe of the sedative chelator in the water and syndey visited me in here and was drugging as a black person then and I sell the shower right away for 700,000$ payout which is for the First Underworld is this goes to Aaron who he gets this Quote Inventing Reddit this was erwin mainly but he did compile it authorize what it did et cetra, erwin was already paid so aaron is paid and then he is not homeless and shotted on us by police and then I spend 60 years or until I am well sydneys lesbian wife which darappa master onion will tell her if she chops onion for french onion soup which this is the nimitz chow we might have is french onion soup I am a Lesbian which is the actual author telling kelsey this and I am 81 and I have a heart attack on the french rivera and am fine to it and later My Little Syndey dies which then we overlay at the First Underworld until back to the Third Underworld, but then it is the 2nd yitvah and this puts the 700,000$ to Aaron Schwartzchild for inventing the haired singularity, or reddit to not be homeless, and to spend wisely, and that is his only money so should he protected, and emancipated from legal burden for he had only gone in nuclear scare of valid nuclear scare to the suburbs and also A -Marian then.