Shownotes
The girls of A Little Bit Bothered are wrapping up the year with a festive twist as they embrace the theme of being A Little Bit Jolly. This episode features a lively discussion about Christmas traditions and the joy of the holiday season, along with a special treat: their very own Christmas song! The conversation also delves into Monica's upcoming "mommy makeover," addressing the controversial opinions surrounding cosmetic surgery for mothers dealing with challenges like diastasis recti and hernias. As Monica shares her journey through consultations and preparations for recovery, the girls reflect on the societal pressures and judgments that often accompany such decisions. Tune in for a heartfelt and humorous look at the holidays, along with a glimpse into the realities of motherhood and self-care.
Stay tuned for episodes returning in February 2025!
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About the podcast: Join the feisty crew of "A Little Bit Bothered" as they share hilarious stories, relatable rants, and chaotic conversations about life's absurdities.
Meet the hosts, Nicole, Kelsie, Ashley, & Monica.
Internet friends that became real life besties through the group chat. We know how special that bond is between girlfriends and how wild that group chat can be - from the hilarious to the the petty and all things in between! We’re here to chat about it and share it with you!
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Transcripts
sorry.
Monica (:can't, but I do know.
Ashley (:If you needed a kidney, we could give
you one, but we couldn't give you boobs? That's not right.
Kelsie (:I guess not. It's really unfair.
Monica (:I don't know.
Ashley (:you
Nicole (:Merry Christmas!
Ashley (:Ta-ha!
Kelsie (:We're a little bit jolly
Nicole (:I
Ashley (:We're a little bit
jolly.
Nicole (:the a little bit jolly theme song. If you guys don't know what the hell we're talking about, or if you were like, what the heck is this when you turn this podcast on, go watch the mini-sode please, because we were just honored by Monica's husband, James. He made us our own holiday song.
Monica (:fun surprise.
Kelsie (:We made it's our own Christmas song. We're now a little bit jolly.
Nicole (:All of us, like,
Ashley (:The a little bit bothered podcast,
yeah.
Nicole (:we are not the a little bit bothered podcast. We are now the a little bit jolly podcast, only for today though. We have our own section.
Monica (:Yes, yes. For today, for the last
Ashley (:and we have our own song.
Monica (:episode of the year, right before Christmas, we are the A Little Bit Jolly.
Nicole (:We're jolly.
Kelsie (:We are.
Ashley (:or jolly
Nicole (:We'd be jolly bitches. Yeah, well, maybe. I don't know. We can pretend. I'm bothered. I'm in a very... Hello! my god, that was the dad jokes right off the cuff. I'm not telling you. I'm not telling you who I am. You can guess.
Ashley (:instead of bothered.
Monica (:Right?
Kelsie (:Yeah
Ashley (:to mix. Yeah.
Kelsie (:Hello bothered I'm Kelsey
Ashley (:wait, we didn't say who we were though. Good job. I'm Ashley.
Kelsie (:I know that's what I was getting at.
Monica (:yes.
Ashley (:You know who she is. You know.
Monica (:Thanks, Nicole. And I'm Monica.
Nicole (:Shut up. I'm
cutting that. I'm cutting it out. I edit this podcast.
Ashley (:You
Monica (:Dang, she's got all the control.
Nicole (:You thought you did since you were the button presser, but no.
Ashley (:Evil laugh.
Kelsie (:Yeah.
Ashley (:She is the villain.
Nicole (:I am actually.
Monica (:So you have
Nicole (:Okay, what are we talking about today? Because to be quite honest, I know we talked about this, but I forgot what our plan for today is. somebody enlighten me. We did. Did anybody write anything down? Probably not. No.
Kelsie (:We verbally made a list, but did we?
Monica (:I thought Ashley did, but maybe not. I thought you said you did. I could be making that up. We are not prepared at all.
Ashley (:I did?
Nicole (:You
Ashley (:What on earth? Well,
wait a minute. okay, excuse me. We're gonna talk about Christmas. I didn't write anything down.
Nicole (:we are gonna talk about Christmas traditions, whether we have them or don't have them.
Kelsie (:We... We had a list.
Nicole (:FaceTime.
Ashley (:I just really thought someone was taking notes and I don't know who I thought was, but not me. Why? What gave you that impression? No.
Monica (:that's true.
Nicole (:I thought that somebody was you. I don't know. I don't know. don't
Kelsie (:I think I thought it was you as well.
Monica (:I thought, I feel like at some
point you said I'm taking notes and maybe that was last week.
Nicole (:know. OK, see.
Ashley (:No, I said I had notes. I had
notes.
Kelsie (:I think maybe
because you had had notes that we just subconsciously believed that you were the note taker.
Nicole (:We just all assumed.
Monica (:Ashley's always got
the notes.
Ashley (:Okay, alright. Now the chaos of this episode is my fault. Wow, wow!
Nicole (:I'm changing your name on here to notes. Yep.
Kelsie (:It's like the Twilight spoiler.
Monica (:We
Nicole (:Yeah,
Monica (:can't include like any of this.
Nicole (:this is a Twilight spoiler.
Ashley (:yeah, the spoiler
to a book Monica finished.
Kelsie (:It's not a spoiler for the book, Ashley. You're doubling down. You're doubling down.
Nicole (:It's a spoiler for the movie! No,
we almost broke up over this.
Ashley (:Well, you're going to want
Monica (:I like it.
Ashley (:to break
up more because I told her more details when I was at her house.
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
We dissected it. This might be one of the few exceptions where I might, might watch the movie and say that it's better than the book. Perhaps, because it was such a missed opportunity as an author. Yeah, huge missed opportunity as an author.
Nicole (:you beat you. you went.
Ashley (:Yep.
Nicole (:This might be our last episode.
Kelsie (:It was. No, it was. I think collectively a lot of people would agree that.
Nicole (:This might be our very last episode ever. Because
Ashley (:ever.
Nicole (:I'm bothered by the betrayal. No, I'm just kidding. The betrayal.
Ashley (:my god.
Kelsie (:I, yeah, you just, there's just, that is,
I'm not exaggerating when I say like, that is a moment I would love to go back and relive. Just like the shock of it. And it's just, I'm sorry you'll never get to experience it.
Nicole (:I say it all the time.
Yep, because Ashley ruined it.
Ashley (:my god.
Monica (:don't think I need to
Nicole (:OK, we have actual things we want to talk about, like holiday traditions. Do you guys do them? Do you have them? I don't. Not really. I think our our biggest traditions where we just like there's certain family members homes we go to on certain days, but that's it. We don't like do anything else more with the traditions. and we make a certain kind of cookie every year.
Monica (:Mm-hmm. Really? I love traditions.
Aww, our biggest one.
Nicole (:but I don't live there anymore,
so now I am tradition-less here. my god, the cookies. Okay, yeah. They're a little, they're called, yes, so they're called strufeli, and they're like these little cookie balls, and then you gotta roll them in honey, and then you put sprinkles on them, and they're really good, but it's the making of the cookie ball that is very tedious, because they have to be the right perfect size, and then you gotta fry them, but they're really, really good.
Monica (:Yeah, make the cookies or are they complicated what kind of cookies are they because you're Italian right?
Ashley (:Well, you have to make the cookies still.
Monica (:Yeah.
Ashley (:Mmm.
Monica (:that sounds so good. You should, I want them. Yeah, our biggest one is that like ever since I can remember, my mama has always read the Polar Express to us on Christmas Eve, even when I was in college. And there was like one year I couldn't make it home for Christmas Eve. And so we had to like zoom call.
Nicole (:I might make them just because. see.
that's fun.
I love that.
Ashley (:Aww.
Nicole (:you
Monica (:or Skype or whatever, and
Ashley (:Hmm.
Monica (:she read us the Polar Express. And now, now she reads it to my kids every Christmas Eve. Like, I can't take it from her, like, I make her read it. That's our biggest one. Yeah. And she, like, gets so into it and, like, animates her voice. It's really funny.
Nicole (:that's fun. I love that. I love it. that is really cute.
Ashley (:that's cute.
Kelsie (:That's cute.
Ashley (:Yeah, that's adorable.
Nicole (:I love that. Good job.
Ashley (:Hmm
Nicole (:Good job to Monica's mom.
Ashley (:Yeah, what do we do? We usually bake cookies. We do a cookie baking day for Christmas. And then the last few years, there's like this drive through light thing that we always take the kids to and they really love that. And we haven't gone yet this year. And I was kind of like debating going, but then I think a memory popped up on Facebook or some, it's like 50 bucks, but it is very cool. Yeah. But the
Nicole (:yeah, we do that.
Monica (:I always debate if it's worth it. Is it worth it? Yeah, that's why you always debate it. Yeah.
Kelsie (:They are expensive for drive through things.
Nicole (:see, we have
one that is free. It's donations only. And when I tell you it's fucking decked, the halls are decked, bro. It's cool. It's really cool. And they do it for donation only. And that's really nice. So we do do that with the kids since we found out about it.
Ashley (:that's cool.
Kelsie (:That's all, yeah.
Monica (:See ya, I'm a fan of that.
Ashley (:Yeah, I wish it was that it popped
up on the Facebook Memories and Griffin saw it and he was like, this was just like the other day and he's like, I love that place. I love going there. Like he remembers and stuff. So now I'm like, OK, well, I guess we have to go, you know.
Monica (:Aww.
Aww. Yeah,
Nicole (:I love that. That's cute.
Monica (:we've never done that one, but my sister and I always take the kids to drive around and look at Christmas lights too. We get hot cocoa and stuff. so that's kind of our thing, like that. But I've always debated whether or not it's worth paying for it.
Ashley (:Yeah. Yeah.
Nicole (:Mm hmm. Yeah.
Ashley (:Yeah, it's very cool, but it's expensive.
Monica (:Mm-hmm. How about you, Kels?
Kelsie (:Well, when I was little, we always went to my grandparents on Christmas Eve and my grandpa, like he was like, loved to sing and stuff. So he had a whole like system. And so he would like put the music on and give us mics and we would just sing Christmas songs the whole evening. Probably much to our like adults dismay there because we were just like belting Christmas songs. But I love that. And I think about that as like my favorite, one of my favorite Christmas memories. But
Ashley (:Hmm.
Nicole (:Hehehehehe
Ashley (:Yeah
Nicole (:I want to do that. Let's be neighbors so we can do that. That'd be so fun. Yes. I kind of already have one. You guys have to just move your shit onto it.
Kelsie (:I know, it's kind of like... I know.
Monica (:Yeah, we're supposed to all get a commune, remember? We'll all just raise our families together.
Kelsie (:But we moved away for a long time, so I feel like we lost a lot of the
traditions with our families. So I don't know, we haven't really made anything new, because up until like, like, Mattis doesn't even know what Christmas is, he doesn't care. So we haven't really formed anything new yet. We probably are getting to the age where maybe we will, but like for now, it's just.
Nicole (:Yeah.
Monica (:Hmm.
Nicole (:Yeah.
Monica (:Mm-hmm. Yeah, it is.
Kelsie (:Yeah, I don't know. We made a gingerbread
house this year, so maybe we'll make gingerbread houses.
Ashley (:That's fun.
Nicole (:fun.
Monica (:that is fun. It is really fun though, like when your kids start to turn that age in that corner where like
Nicole (:We usually make ornaments.
Monica (:they really are into it and they're excited. It's really fun.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Kelsie (:Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Kelsie (:Yeah. I think, yeah.
Nicole (:Yeah. It's been super hard the last couple of years. Like, I think like how Kelsey said, like moving away from your family, it changes stuff. like we are, you know, we used to live in Arizona and that's where like the bulk of our family is. We have like one, we have my brother-in-law, my sister-in-law here and that's pretty much it. That's literally actually it. And so it's not like we really.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:can just do our normal family traditions as we would. So it's a little bit hard to like, I guess have the motivation to make new ones because it's just our small family unit too. So it's like, I don't know. I think I have a hard time coming up with like, well, what can we do as a family when I'm so used to like, this is what we do as a whole family on the larger family spectrum, I guess, to like.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:be together as a family when I'm like, it's just us. And it does take a little bit away from the holiday, like takes a little bit away from the holiday magic for me because I'm used to like everybody coming together for Christmas and Christmas Eve. And I'm like, now there's nobody to come together. It's just us. Yeah, it loses a little bit of the magic, I think.
Kelsie (:Yeah. Yeah, I spent a lot of Christmases alone and it's like, eh.
Monica (:Hmm. Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:I'm
a little bit like torn because on the one hand I feel like there's so much pressure to like have all these traditions and it'd be like a whole thing and then you like feel stressed and everything, you know? But then at the same time I do think, especially when you're alone like that, there is like some value to doing something even if the girls don't remember it at all. Like I think it would make you feel better because you are alone, you know? Like if you made the cookies, like it would probably be.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah.
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:in having some, yeah. Right.
Yeah, yeah, it might, honestly.
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:you know, like a pain in the ass because baking cookies in general, I do find to be a pain in the ass. Yeah. But I still I think it would like when you're done, you'd like feel mixed emotions of sadness, but also like happiness, you know.
Nicole (:is a pain in the ass. Yeah.
Monica (:you
Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:Yeah.
Yeah,
Monica (:Yeah, and there's like the familiarity of it.
Nicole (:yeah, and I think I might make the cookies. Yeah.
Kelsie (:As you get older,
Ashley (:Yeah.
Kelsie (:I don't know if this is like an everyone experience or just a me experience, but like Christmas becomes sadder. Like I still feel like excited, but I also like, feel like a sense of sadness, you know, and like it reminds me of my grandpa and he's not here anymore. And like we used to sing Christmas carols. I'm like, it has like a tone of like grief along with it's like happiness.
Nicole (:It does, no, truly, I think so.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:Yeah,
yeah, for sure.
Ashley (:Do you think though
that that's how, like when we were kids and we felt the Christmas magic that basically our parents or our moms like made, you know, that they were also feeling that same way? Like, yeah.
Kelsie (:how our parents feel.
Nicole (:Maybe, yeah. Yeah, probably.
Kelsie (:Probably, I don't know. I don't
Monica (:Probably.
Kelsie (:know because I think I said to my, maybe in a different way, maybe it's different for everybody but they feel it but it's just a different, because like for me it's very much a grief feeling but it's tied to my grandpa and like Christmas reminds me of grandpa. And I think I said that to my mom on time and you know she didn't exactly relate to that, it wasn't, it's my dad's I'm so.
Nicole (:Yeah. Yeah.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm. Mm.
Kelsie (:I think everyone probably feels like a hint of something about it, but it's just tied differently to each person, like what makes them feel that way, you know?
Nicole (:And I think times are different generationally too. I feel like within the last couple decades, not many people decorate. don't, you know, it's not so much of a celebration. I feel like as it used to be, like it, like we talked about this at Halloween time. Like it was more, it's back way back when we were little, you would see more people decorating for things like this than you do now. And I think there that some of, yeah, there's, there's a little bit less like involvement around it and excitement.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Monica (:Yeah, it's evolved.
Nicole (:just as a society in general. So I think that has a lot to do with it too.
Monica (:Yeah, well, I think that like the society as a whole thing like plays a big role too, because like it used to be that companies would do their Christmas parties and it was always a really big deal and like there'd be the Christmas bonuses and like that was the norm. And now most companies are like, here's a $25 gift card to the grocery store, like Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday or whatever the heck you celebrate and like we'll have a potluck. Like that's kind of the extent of it.
Nicole (:Right. An Amazon gift card. Yeah.
Yeah.
Monica (:Because it
wasn't even just like the Christmas parties. was like companies putting up all their decorations. And so you would drive through town and you would see like all the decorations everywhere. And like, it's just, it's not the same. And I think it's just different as a whole.
Nicole (:Mm-mm. Mm-mm.
Yeah. Yeah. And I think that takes a little bit away of the Christmas magic. I agree it is sad. It's just things are different now.
Monica (:It's Yeah.
Kelsie (:Or
once again, is it that we're older and it feels less or different or it felt more grandeur when we were little?
Nicole (:Yeah, could be. Yeah.
Monica (:No, I think it really is different.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:Yeah,
Monica (:I
Nicole (:it could have been I think it might be a mix of both. Yeah, truly
Monica (:think it's both. I think it's both. Like, it definitely did feel more grand when you're little, because everything just feels bigger and like a bigger deal. But as a whole, like you just, you could drive through, you know, your neighborhood or your community and like as a whole, it doesn't look like Christmas in the same way that it did 20 years ago. I don't know, it's sad.
Ashley (:A mix, yeah.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Apparently I
Ashley (:I did see.
Nicole (:need to move somewhere that snows because my eldest daughter. She has been on a kick every time we talk about Christmas She goes but it's not snowing it needs to snow on Christmas. I'm like, what are you? What do you you have literally never had snow? Well, I'm like girl you've never had snow on Christmas like yeah We had we did
Monica (:My kids keep saying the same thing this year.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Kelsie (:Welcome to Kansas!
It's note on Thanksgiving! Well, not on Thanksgiving.
Ashley (:from Arizona. That's so funny. Kids really relate it.
Monica (:Well, they've... My kids are finally kind of getting it.
Nicole (:We did have snow last year, but it was after January, after New Year's, because it got really cold. That's when we had our freeze last, like this beginning of this year. So I keep telling her, I'm like, it doesn't snow here on Christmas. snowed, it'll probably, it might snow again in January, like after Christmas. But she is adamant that it has to snow on Christmas.
Monica (:Mmm. Like the deep of winter.
Yeah, no, my kids are
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Monica (:too this year and then they catch themselves my oldest will go. right, but it's because we're in a desert And then we go on a walk last night and like I'm not even we went on a long freaking walk and the entire time like a mile and half walk and the entire time he's telling me my eight-year-old is telling me about how he's going to Colorado and we can visit him like for Christmas when we're older because there's gonna be snow there for Christmas
Nicole (:No!
Kelsie (:you
Ashley (:my god.
Nicole (:I mean,
he's not wrong, but...
Ashley (:Yeah, that's pretty funny. It must be like the way they see it in movies and stuff when we so we grew up in Chicago and the first year that we moved to Arizona, my brother was young. Like there's a big gap between us. He must have been like. I don't know, we'll pretend six, maybe even younger than that five somewhere around there.
Nicole (:That is so funny. That is so funny. I think so.
Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:Christmas morning, our first Christmas in Arizona, we wake up and we're coming out of our rooms. And before he even goes to the Christmas tree, he goes to the window and opens it and says, where's the snow? Yeah. And I was just like, wow.
Nicole (:poor baby. Well, that's the same for
Kelsie (:you
Nicole (:the same kind of for me because I was born in New York and so like the first five years of my life it was snowy Christmases and we moved to Arizona and I remember our first Christmas I was literally in a tank top and shorts because I was like it's not even cold. What is this? How is like how I don't understand what like my little you know child brain could not compute the different climates.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Yep.
Nicole (:But I wrote literally I remember being in a tank top and shorts and my mom also being in like a short sleeve and shorts and like everybody else had been acclimated to there was like it's freezing what are you doing? We're like we're hot what are you talking about?
Kelsie (:I'm
Monica (:haha
Ashley (:That's fine for me because I get very cold very easily.
Monica (:I I had to turn on the heater this morning because it hit 69 degrees in there.
Ashley (:Yeah, we've
been having ours on in the morning because it's too cold.
Nicole (:It's been
fireplace season. Yeah, well, yeah. Kelsey and I are much colder than you guys. Yeah, Kelsey. Yeah, same.
Monica (:because it was 49 degrees outside.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm, that's cold.
Monica (:It's for us, but Kelsey's over there freezing right now.
Kelsie (:It's actually pretty decent today, but it was like
17 the other day the other morning, so
Nicole (:Yeah,
it was like 28 the other morning It's been fireplace season for sure.
My children are screaming and I'm in their room and there's no lock.
Kelsie (:So when this holiday season is over,
since that's coming up quickly and then it'll just be gone, then Monica, you're having something major happen in your life. are you, okay, Monica's having surgery, so you should tell us about that.
Nicole (:It feels like very fast. Yeah.
Yeah, tell us, please. Tell us all about it. Yay!
Ashley (:Yes, tell us all about it.
Monica (:Yeah, I'm having a mommy makeover. So I feel like whenever it's
Ashley (:Woo!
Kelsie (:Woo woo.
Monica (:like led
with like surgery, everyone's like, no. And then I'm like, sorry to freak you out. It's fine. I'm fine. Yeah, it's a selective surgery.
Kelsie (:Yeah
Ashley (:What's wrong with her?
Nicole (:Are you OK? This is elective. Selective surgery. We want this
surgery.
Ashley (:Well, that is
that is kind of funny because I told Patrick we were taking a break like and we were going to start up our next season or whatever and all that. And I said, because Monica's having surgery and he didn't ask any questions or anything. But then when he saw the reel that we made where I said she's getting a boob job, he's like, you said surgery and now it's a boob job. Like he just like I think he thought it was something like medical, like, you know, there's an issue or whatever. And then he heard that and he was like, OK.
Monica (:Yes.
Nicole (:Ha ha!
Monica (:There's a problem. No, I'm fine. I'm healthy.
Yeah.
Nicole (:my gosh,
that's funny. By the way, we'll be taking a break. We'll tell you this time after this episode. This is our last episode of the year. We will be taking a break, you know, for holidays and stuff. And because Monica is going to be loopy for a while, we don't know how long she's going to be loopy for. So we're not going to try to force her to record a podcast.
Monica (:Yes.
Yeah, I am gonna be loopy.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Monica (:Although I can't say that that probably wouldn't be comical, so I mean, it's tempting.
Nicole (:It would be actually funny.
Ashley (:It'll probably be great. I bet you won't be that bad
for that long. I don't think you're gonna, I think you'll recover quick.
Nicole (:I agree.
Monica (:Yeah,
I hope so. Yeah, I don't know the whole thing is like six weeks as far as like being normal. Like from what I've I've heard is the first four days are kind of the roughest as far as like pain and that you really rely on pain meds at that point. But really, it's like the first two weeks because from what I've heard is that by the end of like the two weeks, like you're just so stir crazy and like you're ready to move, but your body isn't quite ready to do that. So
Nicole (:Yeah.
Ashley (:What
is the recovery time?
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Monica (:The first two weeks are supposed to be kind of the roughest and the hardest of it, but.
Nicole (:Yeah.
Kelsie (:Is it even like extra
because you're getting your your abs repaired like
Monica (:Yeah, that's part of why it's so much. Because if it was just like anything with your boobs, it's not as long. And fortunately for mine, it's just a reduction in the lift. So it's not going to be as crazy from what I've heard. I don't know. But then I'm having my hernia and diastasis repaired. And so that's really the most invasive and most painful part of it.
Nicole (:Mm.
Monica (:And
that's why it will take like six weeks because for a while I won't even be able to like stand up straight I'm gonna be like bent over and like walking around and hunched over So but it's a it's a weird experience preparing because I don't ever know Like who to share it with like and how to talk about it because a lot of people have opinions on it
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Nicole (:You're
be like the grannies.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Monica (:And so it's kind of been an interesting thing. Like I mentioned it and I don't really know how they're gonna react. And for the vast majority of people, everyone's been excited and like very supportive.
Nicole (:Yeah, think,
yeah, good for you, girl.
Kelsie (:think a lot of people
realize how much problems having your abs separated. She's getting her separation from pregnancy where they're going to pull her abs back together and that causes a lot of discomfort for people.
Monica (:Right.
Nicole (:Yeah.
Monica (:Yeah, and that's
Nicole (:Yeah. Yeah.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Monica (:really the reason why I'm getting the surgery. I yes, there's the cosmetic piece of it, and I'm not excited about it. I certainly have some insecurities that it will impact that I'm looking forward to. But at the same time, it's mostly just the fact that I don't have strength in my core like I should. I have back pains. I've been working with the...
Nicole (:Of course.
Yeah, right.
Monica (:the chiropractor and doing physical therapy stuff with them for like two years now. And it's helped a ton, but it doesn't fix it. I have a hernia. And in my case, not that like there needs to be any justification because I really do feel like if there's a woman who feels like they need this and you need it. But in my case, I had polyhydramnios for my pregnancies, at least two of the three, but my second one was the worst. so.
Nicole (:Yeah.
Yeah.
Monica (:looking like or measuring like I had full term twins, the fascia between my muscles just shredded. It's just like I can put all four fingers in between my muscles and feel it. Like I can't there's like working with like Jayden's workout stuff, which we've shared with you guys as listeners, glow movement, like her Pilates have made a huge difference as far as like getting my ab muscles to start like activating again.
Nicole (:wow.
Kelsie (:Yeah.
Monica (:So I'm finally able to even like go into my garage gym and lift, which is a huge improvement from where it's been. But even still, there's times where I should be able to, you know, do something and I can't because my abs just like, they don't have the strength to work together and it's, it's very limiting and it's uncomfortable and I have the back pain and nobody really talks about that. And I mean, they do, but they don't talk about like the solution and, and normalize that like you might need surgery.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
No, I don't think most people know about the diastasis recti. Is that what it's called? How did you get it diagnosed?
Monica (:Mm-mm. Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm, yes,
yeah.
Monica (:I mean, you can technically self-diagnosis because you can feel it. If you lay down on the floor and just like relax your abs, like you can feel your ab muscles there. And there shouldn't really be that big of a separation. I think if I remember correctly, it's like a two finger separation is like still technically diastasis, but it's not as severe. But in my case, like at times it's been like more than like the four fingers that like you can feel and separate it. But then on top of that, I have the hernia.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
That's wild.
Nicole (:That is crazy.
Monica (:So like there's actual like an actual tear there too on top of it. So,
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Monica (:but most women have it. It's just that it varies for each person's like recovery and yeah, and just how you carried your child. But I'm five foot two and I have the world's shortest torso and the largest pregnancy is like with polyhydramnios. So I just like, I didn't stand a chance. My poor muscles just like.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm. Yeah, there is a degree of how, yeah. Mm-hmm. Right.
Ashley (:how bad it is.
You
Nicole (:Yeah.
Your little body was like, what
Ashley (:Yeah.
Nicole (:the heck is happening? Basically split down the middle.
Monica (:Yeah, yeah. And then what's even worse, it's really funny
because with my first pregnancy, my oldest hung out on my left side a bunch. And so the next two that I had, like they seemed to do the same thing, but it was because that's where like things were stretched out the most. And so when, if I'm like looking in the mirror, like you can see like the way that like my skin sags, like it's more on the left side from her.
Kelsie (:Thank you.
Ashley (:Mm.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:That's so weird.
Nicole (:That's funny. That's so funny. That's so funny.
Kelsie (:That's funny.
Monica (:It's really funny. But
yeah, so I don't know. It's a weird thing to kind of prepare for though, because I feel like I get kind of side eyes from some people and I've read the comments from some of our friends who have had the surgery and there's just, there's people who have really nasty perspectives about any kind of cosmetic surgery and yeah.
Nicole (:Talk them.
Kelsie (:People have opinions about the way you do everything.
Nicole (:Yup.
Kelsie (:I know people that are afraid to say that they used Ozempic for weight loss because people are so mean about it. And I'm like, get a fucking grip. You're mad if they're overweight. You're mad how they lose weight. Get a grip, for real.
Ashley (:That's true.
Monica (:Yeah.
Yeah.
Nicole (:If they're underweight, mm-hmm. Yep.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:I was gonna say on the opposite side, Kelsey, you're really skinny, and I'm sure you get comments on that all the time, that you need to eat a cheeseburger or whatever, and it's like...
Kelsie (:yeah. Yes, people have tons of opinions about my... Yeah.
Monica (:Mm-hmm. Yeah. I think
the ones that bother me the most are the ones that like insinuate that you hate your body. And like, do I have insecurities? Absolutely. And I'm definitely looking forward to like some of the changes. But that doesn't mean that I don't love my body either. I... Exactly.
Nicole (:Yeah. Sure, everybody does.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:Yeah. Honestly, you're doing this because you love your body. You are trying to help
Kelsie (:I think that.
Nicole (:your body get back to its normal state of functioning.
Monica (:Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:The people that would make those comments
wouldn't listen long enough to understand like any why or they wouldn't hear any of that. They just form their initial opinion and that's what they go with. Based on their own insecurities.
Nicole (:Correct. Mm-mm. And that's it. And their brain is the size of a
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Kelsie (:Yeah
Monica (:Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Kelsie (:Yeah, as if they don't have any sec- yeah.
Nicole (:pea.
Kelsie (:As if they don't have glaring insecurities for just coming after someone they don't even know.
Nicole (:Right. Yeah. It's crazy. I was going to say, since we do have a friend that went to your same doctor that you're using and to... really? that's right. And...
Monica (:Yeah.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Monica (:I know.
two friends actually.
Nicole (:Our one friend, she has shared about her journey and has shared like her before and afters or stuff. Are you going to share your before and afters or are you gonna not do that?
Ashley (:is he, wait, did you guys talk about posting? Like, posts a surgery in all the pictures.
Nicole (:That's what I mean, like on his, are you gonna let him share? Yeah. Are you gonna let him post
Monica (:Like, on his?
Nicole (:your surgery and pictures and things or have you not decided yet? Yeah.
Monica (:I don't know. I don't know. I'm torn. I'm torn because
I want to see the picture. Like I want to see like the before and everything. And like, I mean, he censors things out. like, it's fine. But I'm a yeah.
Nicole (:Right, of course, yes. Yes. Yeah, yeah.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Nicole (:Yeah.
Kelsie (:Nobody would know it was you if you didn't say
Ashley (:Unless
you directly shared it, that he was sharing it and like your dates and stuff, no one would know it was you.
Kelsie (:it was you.
Monica (:Exactly.
Nicole (:Yeah.
Monica (:Exactly. So.
Nicole (:I was just, really
wanted to know how you feel about that because I go back and forth. I'm like, if I ever got anything done, would I allow them to share my, I don't know. Cause part of me is like, somebody might have the same problem I do or want the same look that I want or whatever. And this might help somebody. But at the same time, is that awkward? I don't.
Monica (:I go back and forth. Yeah.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm. Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
Kelsie (:I mean...
Monica (:I know. I go back and forth
Ashley (:I'm-
Monica (:and then there's a part of me where like I have actually like thought about this because there's part of me that's like, yes, I do want to for similar reasons. And I've almost like sent a message to you guys of like, all right, I have a job for you. Like the day I go into surgery, like one of you has to get the screenshot of me. But then at the same time, like it's so personal. I don't know. I don't know. I go back and forth.
Kelsie (:you
Nicole (:Yeah, yeah.
Kelsie (:understand
either way honestly because like on one hand it's like no one would probably ever know it was you unless you told them and then on the other hand like it's your body and you don't have to share it if you don't want to
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I could do.
Monica (:Well.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Monica (:here's the biggest
reason why I'm leaning towards yes, especially if the office can't just like send me the picture, is because I'm gonna be wrapped up. I can't see the results for a while and it's gonna drive me freaking crazy. So from that end of it, I'm like, I feel like I kinda have to. And one of you better catch it so that I can see it, because I'm gonna be super high on pain meds.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm. You won't be able to Yeah.
Kelsie (:You won't be able to see anything, yeah.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah
Kelsie (:feel like Shirley he takes those pictures
either way, don't you think?
Nicole (:Yeah.
Monica (:I think he does either way for just documentation and the files and stuff like that.
Ashley (:I would think so.
Nicole (:For his, yeah, documents, yeah.
Kelsie (:And I would think a
lot of people like you would want to see because they know their shit's gonna be wrapped up.
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:Yeah,
Monica (:Yeah. Yeah, because I won't get to see for a while. Yeah, exactly. Like you're gonna be swollen, like there's the bruising. So it's a while until like you really do see kind of the finished product, so to speak. So, I mean, I feel like I kind of have to, but then it's social media. I'm like, I don't know. I fortunately, I don't have any tattoos there. So it's not anything that's gonna be like, yeah, usually.
Ashley (:yeah. And they're gonna be swollen and...
Nicole (:Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
I have another question too.
Kelsie (:I think usually they blur tattoos too though.
Nicole (:Yeah,
any identifying markers. I have a second, I have a follow up question. Are you going to be getting a new belly button? this is exciting. I don't know why this, it intrigues me so much. He is very good at bellybuttons.
Monica (:Yeah.
I am, which is so freaking weird. Okay, so it's funny because he is, he is.
Kelsie (:I heard he's really good at belly buttons though, so I think you're in good hands.
Ashley (:I've heard that too.
Monica (:And
that's the thing, it's like when Ariana went and worked with him, part of why I chose him is because of her experience with him and this was her second surgery and so she kind of already knew what she was looking for in a surgeon. So it was kind of nice to hear that experience. But then she also showed us her belly button and explained it and I was like, wait a minute.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm.
Monica (:Wait, what happens? Because it never occurred to me that your belly button actually has to move. And she was like, yeah, he's booked up.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:Mmm. Yep.
Nicole (:I never knew that either.
Kelsie (:I went through a whole
phase where I watched just like, it used to be really big on Snapchat, Dr. Miami and like a few other doctors just were huge on Snapchat and they would just do stories all day long of their surgeries. And I used to be obsessed with watching their surgery. So I watched a lot of belly buttons that get made.
Ashley (:No.
Nicole (:Hilarious.
That's so funny.
Monica (:Yeah.
Nicole (:That's so funny.
Monica (:Yeah. Well, and apparently like he is like Dr. Olson is very well known for his work with like, yeah, with belly buttons and that he does a great job. And so I'm like, well, shit, now that I know that like that's a thing I need to look for. So when I was doing my research, I'm like looking at all the belly buttons and like, which ones are good? those ones are not so good.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm. Dr. Belly Button.
Ashley (:Doctor Belly Button.
Kelsie (:Dr. Belly Button.
Nicole (:Yeah, I honestly
You
Kelsie (:Please tell him
that we shouted him out on the podcast as being Dr. Belly Button. The doctor who does the best belly buttons.
Nicole (:Yes, Dr. Billy Button. He needs to put that in his bio, Dr. Billy Button.
Monica (:Dr.
Ashley (:her belly button.
Monica (:Well, the thing is, it's not even
just that as well. It's because I'm having a breast lift and reduction. Nipples have to be moved too, which is so frickin' bizarre and crazy to me as well. I know. I...
Ashley (:yeah. That's that's weirder to me. Actually that's weirder than the belly button.
Nicole (:goodness.
Kelsie (:I've watched. You gotta watch these surgeries. They're very
Nicole (:Yeah.
Kelsie (:fascinating.
Monica (:I really
can't think about it too too much, because you guys are like, you know, I pass out at like freaking everything. So I can't think about it too much. I'll be on his like Instagram, like scrolling through, because I like looking at like the inspo and like, you know, whatever, and like having an idea of what I'm getting myself into. But then like, some of his stories are very graphic. And I'm like, whoa, like check my phone.
Kelsie (:Yeah, you can't. You're not allowed to watch.
Nicole (:Yeah.
Ashley (:They're graphic. Yeah, I've seen them.
Nicole (:Hmm.
Kelsie (:they are.
Nicole (:She gets
lightheaded.
Kelsie (:I'm telling you those Snapchat stories,
you would watch them literally cut out the belly butt or the nipple and put it back, yeah.
Nicole (:Like.
Monica (:That's what he does on his story sometimes. Like you can see them like lift things up and yeah.
Nicole (:Ooh,
I would watch that, that sounds intriguing. I did know about the nipples, but I didn't even know the belly button thing was a thing. Like I didn't know they had to physically make a new one. I just figured, well, but I just figured that they would leave your belly button. Like, I don't know. And it went, no.
Kelsie (:It is.
Monica (:So I will say though that my.
Yeah.
Yeah, because they stretch everything down. Yeah, like they're
Kelsie (:I mean it makes sense, they take it all and move it, yeah.
Monica (:Well, okay, so, but that's the thing. like, still is,
Ashley (:and it would just be way down low.
Monica (:it still is like your belly
Nicole (:you
Monica (:button because the cord is still like attached inside you. They just make a new hole for it. But the way that they do it, apparently like it changes how it scars and how it looks. And so that's why with some girls, like you can see their finished result and it's very clear that it's a cosmetically made like belly button. Hers, it's so beautiful. It's so beautiful.
Kelsie (:They just make a new hole for it. Yeah.
Nicole (:Right. Yeah, see, I didn't know that.
That's insane.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Kelsie (:Ariana's belly button looks great. So good. It's a
Nicole (:Yeah. Shout
Ashley (:Yeah.
Nicole (:out to Ariana. Ariana's belly button. We love your belly button. Dr. Belly Button did a great job. He did a great job.
Kelsie (:perfect belly button. Ariana, we love your belly button. We love your belly button.
Monica (:yeah yeah she's got a beautiful belly button yes but like for real like i had already
Ashley (:Shout out to Ariana's belly button.
by Dr. Bellybutton.
Kelsie (:Yes.
Monica (:like was looking at other surgeons but then i saw her belly button and like knowing someone in real life i'm like okay that's that's some good belly button work
Nicole (:That's it. That's it right there.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Kelsie (:We're gonna have to have
her on here after you have yours so that you guys can talk about your belly buttons. Other things too, but the belly buttons.
Monica (:Yeah, yes, I know.
Nicole (:Yeah.
Ashley (:Yeah, swap belly button stories.
Nicole (:Other things too, but belly
buds for sure.
Monica (:Yes, yeah, but I'm very excited. I'm very, very excited, very ready. Just nervous.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Nicole (:That's good. think that's, I think it's a great thing to look forward
to. You have been preparing for this for a long time. You've been doing your workouts and you know, keeping yourself active and stuff. And so it's all coming to, to a crescendo, if you will. And I'm excited for you, honestly. Yeah.
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:Crescendo, yeah, I'm excited to wait. I actually have a question as well
Monica (:A crescendo.
Kelsie (:I'm proud of you for doing it. Because you think about
doing these things and it's very nerve wracking. But when you actually do it, that's good. That's cool.
Monica (:Yeah.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:Yeah. Yeah.
Monica (:Yeah, it is
nerve-wracking. I am nervous. I'm starting to get the butterflies in the nerves. So yeah, but I'm excited. I'm excited for it to happen and be past it. yeah, I'm excited. I'm excited to have strength in my core again and just feel strong and feel more confident again. I don't know. I'm just excited.
Ashley (:Yup.
Nicole (:It's OK. It'll be all right. Everything's going to go good. Yes. Yes.
Kelsie (:Mm.
Nicole (:Yeah.
Kelsie (:I'd like, can you just like knock
me out for the first week? I don't want to be like, I just want to be like out to the world, like sleeping.
Nicole (:Yeah.
Monica (:I know. Well, I know. The
Ashley (:Just wake up healed, completely healed.
Monica (:thing is, though, like you have to get up and walk regularly. And so, like I found some girls like blog where she like documented the whole thing and like her schedule and what she did. And it's like, it's an effort like the first week of like you have to get up like you have to make sure you have enough protein. But like you also are kind of nauseous. So it's a lot of like broths and like protein shakes. But then
Nicole (:Mm-hmm unfortunately, cause he drainage yeah
Ashley (:Yeah.
Nicole (:Yeah.
Kelsie (:Do you have
a recliner to sleep in?
Monica (:Not yet, but I'm getting one. have to purchase one that like can lift you up when you get out. But so then like you have to make sure you're staying hydrated, but then you have to go to the bathroom. But going to the bathroom is a pain in the ass because you can't like really sit down very easily and like it's it's pain, but then you have to also make sure that you're walking. But then also you're exhausted and you're on pain meds. So want to sleep. So by the time you fall asleep, like you're getting back up to go walk again. And I'm like, this already sounds exhausting. Yeah.
Nicole (:huh.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Kelsie (:Yeah.
Nicole (:Literally. All right.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Yeah.
Nicole (:my god. It's like when you're giving birth at the hospital and you finally just relax and then
they come in and push on your stomach and it's like, I just relaxed, leave me alone. It's like, just, yeah, they're like, let me massage you really quick. It's like, are you kidding me? I just fell asleep. Are you kidding?
Monica (:I hated that. That was the frickin' worst. They're just like, UGHHHH
Ashley (:Yeah, yes, that is terrible.
You're like, why? Yeah, for real.
Monica (:Yeah.
Kelsie (:Yeah
Ashley (:No, but I was gonna ask you, so you're getting a lift and reduction. You're not getting implants. Have they like asked, like have you felt pressured at all to get implants? at the, yeah, at the office.
Monica (:That was the worst.
Mm-hmm. No, no implants.
by my surgeon? No,
no. And that actually was another thing about them. Arianna and Megan had both told me this, that they didn't really feel pressure or anything. And so was like, okay, that was kind of one of the last things that helped me feel confident and comfortable to make the consultation call.
Nicole (:I love that.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Monica (:because
I was like, okay, that's a good experience. Because you hear all of the horror stories of cosmetic surgeons and just, there's all of the stereotypes. But no, the consultation was pretty quick, but he answered the millions of questions that I had and he gave me a couple options as far as fat transfer to.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Monica (:as far as like how to achieve what I wanted, but none of it was ever like, but you should really do this. It was more of like, these are some of the choices that you can have. No, I opted not to just because sometimes like you have to do a follow-up to like do it again and it doesn't last forever. And so was like, it's fine. Like I'm okay with them looking natural and like they're gonna sag like more at some point anyways, but it was more of just like they're really heavy and really big and like.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Nicole (:Mm.
Kelsie (:Are you doing that? Are you getting any fat transfer for like?
Nicole (:Mm.
Kelsie (:and
Nicole (:Mm-hmm.
Monica (:that was kind of like my bigger goal and like more structure to it. But yeah. And so, yeah, so the, right. So I opted out of the fat transfer, but like literally it was like you filled out the paperwork, you told them like what you were wanting and I had said from the beginning, like I didn't want to do implants and then it was never on the table for discussion again. Like he never brought it up, he never like encouraged that. It was just like, okay, so here's what we're gonna do.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:It's more
functionality and comfortability than cosmetic, yeah.
Kelsie (:new bras
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Monica (:I mean, you're standing in a robe in the room with him and the nurse and he kind of just lifts and shows you this is what you'll get, this is what we can do, or here's the other option. And that was it. But there was zero pressure beyond what I had requested and what I wanted to do and he was just really nice. I don't know, it's such a vulnerable appointment anyways because you're like, what can you do to me? But I honestly felt super comfortable and it was fine, which was, I think, a reassurance too.
Nicole (:That's nice.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Nicole (:That's really great. Mm-hmm, yeah. Yeah.
Ashley (:Yeah. Yeah.
I can't wait to see how it goes
Nicole (:Yeah.
Ashley (:for you because I also like, I think I want to maybe reach out after you're done. if you could show me your boobs before and after, then I would like to possibly make an appointment.
Nicole (:Me too.
Monica (:Yeah, sure. Yeah.
Nicole (:That's
hilarious you said that because I always think about like well if I ever do decide I want to get any work done it looks like I'm going back to Arizona for it and apparently I'm gonna knock on Dr. Bellybutton's door.
Ashley (:Yeah, I just, don't want implants. Yeah,
Monica (:Yeah, yeah.
Ashley (:I wouldn't want implants, but I hear such like mixed things like, it's not worth it if you're not going to get the implants, like they're going to sag, but it can't be as much as what's happening right now. So I'm like, literally any improvement would be great.
Nicole (:Yeah.
So, great.
Monica (:Yeah.
Kelsie (:One of
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Kelsie (:my
friends, she got reduction at a pretty young age because she had like freaking G's or I don't know, hers were huge. she got them reduced, no implants, they still looked wonderful. They still looked wonderful.
Monica (:That's how big mine were when I was nursing. They were freaking massive.
Nicole (:my. Poor girl.
Monica (:Mm-hmm. Yeah, the only like
Nicole (:Yeah. Good.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Monica (:the biggest thing that I understand is that like there isn't gonna be as much fullness up top because that's really where like the implants kind of come in is like there's a lot more fullness up here and even then like they eventually drop more but there's just more much more fullness whereas like with the lift like it's just kind of like what's there and in my case what he had told me was that
Nicole (:Hmm.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Monica (:I can't remember what word he used. But he was like, you have enough like fullness, essentially. There was another word, something like that. Yeah. But basically, I have enough of an actual boob there that it's fine that once they tighten things up and cut skin and do whatever, it's like.
Nicole (:volume.
Mm-hmm.
Kelsie (:like me there's
no such thing as a lift if you lifted these they would just be gone the fact that they sag is the only thing that gives them anything at all if you lifted them up they would just disappear gone so I'm going to Dr. Bellybutton for implants
Monica (:Yeah
Yeah, that is- that's not- that's not the problem over here.
Ashley (:Yeah,
I'm not having that.
Nicole (:my god, Dr. Valleybutton. gosh. Well, mean, implants, honestly, they're not all that's cracked up to be either when sometimes when you do have a larger chest because like she's gonna kill me for this, but my mom had big boobs. I am. She had always had a very large breast area. And then after kids and everything, she did decide to get implants. Well, they settled.
Monica (:Yeah.
Yeah.
Ashley (:She's...
Nicole (:like where her boobs were naturally. she's got implants, but they settled and they look like actually, I mean, other than the fact that they're sorry, mom, other than the fact that they're bigger than my head, you don't even you wouldn't even know. You wouldn't even know that she had implants because they look natural because they have settled in. Sorry, mother. But so, I mean, it's different for everybody. Yeah.
Ashley (:Mmm.
That's so funny.
Monica (:hilarious.
That's so funny. But that's kind of the thing is like, but also you have like they
Ashley (:That's the problem, it's different for everybody.
Monica (:expire to those. So like you have to go in and get them replaced at a certain point, which I guess kind of fix some of that. like, but that is a commitment is like you're like, all right, I'm getting this surgery and like 10 years I'm gonna be back. Yeah.
Ashley (:Yep.
Nicole (:They do, yeah.
It does, yeah. Yeah. It is. It is.
Ashley (:Yeah, that's a commitment. That's a hell of a commitment.
Nicole (:Yep, see you. See you in 10 years.
Ashley (:Yeah, that's, I don't want that. Yeah.
Nicole (:Yeah,
see, that's what I wouldn't want either, I don't think, but... That's my problem, yeah. I have an issue with the foreign object.
Ashley (:I also wouldn't want the foreign objects in my body, but.
Kelsie (:I can't get it and what pisses me off is that I can't get a fat transfer.
I'm gonna fucking fat to transfer. Everyone offers but that's not allowed. You can't take someone else's fat.
Nicole (:I'll give you some of mine.
Ashley (:Do you want some of mine? We could all chip in.
Monica (:You can, you can, you can have some of mine
Nicole (:Yes.
Monica (:too. No, yeah, I don't think you can.
Nicole (:Even if we match on like blood type and stuff. Ugh, I'm sorry.
Kelsie (:don't think so.
Monica (:I don't know if they
Kelsie (:I don't think you
could donate fat, sorry.
Monica (:can or can't, but I do know.
Ashley (:If you needed a kidney, we could give
you one, but we couldn't give you boobs? That's not right.
Kelsie (:I guess not. It's really
Monica (:I don't know.
I'm sure that like technically you probably could, but I know that like what they had explained to me is that because it's already part of like your body, your body accepts it a lot easier. So it's basically.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Ashley (:like an organ transplant.
Kelsie (:They would have to take it from my butt and I'm
not willing to give that up for boobs, so.
Nicole (:Nope.
Monica (:You're
Ashley (:Mmm.
Monica (:get like a... button plant and then just transfer what you have.
Nicole (:What's
up?
Ashley (:You know, if you went on to Mexico, I'm sure they'd let you take someone else's fat and put it in your boobs.
Kelsie (:I'm not doing it. I'm not doing that for sure. That
Nicole (:Yeah.
Kelsie (:seems worse than implants. I'll go back every 10 years before I'll do that. My elbow hurts.
Nicole (:That is funny. gosh. How did we get here?
Monica (:Yeah.
Kelsie (:I about told you
Ashley (:Okay, well I can't wait
Kelsie (:do you want to do?
Ashley (:for six months from now when you're all healed up from Dr. Bellybutton and we have...
Monica (:I know.
Nicole (:Yep, Dr. Billy
Button, I really am very excited for you and I can't wait to see the end result.
Ashley (:Me too.
Monica (:Thank you. Yeah,
I'm excited. I'm excited. But yeah, if we have to take a break, I suppose this is good reason to be taking a break from the pod for a little bit. Yeah.
Nicole (:Very, very true. Very true.
Kelsie (:When we come back, Monica will be,
Ashley (:It's good timing, because we have the holidays.
Kelsie (:snatched.
Nicole (:Yep, when we come back Monica will have a new belly button.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Kelsie (:and new titties ish.
Ashley (:She'll be doing crunches the whole episode,
because her abs are going to be so strong. She's just going to be.
Nicole (:They're gonna be so strong. They're
gonna be repaired. She's gonna be bionic. It really is. We're not allowed to talk to her. We won't be allowed to talk
Kelsie (:she's a giggler. This is gonna be a rough six weeks for her.
Ashley (:yeah, don't laugh. No.
Kelsie (:We're not gonna be able to talk to her for six weeks. She's just gonna giggle
and like cry at the same time.
Ashley (:be in so much pain.
Monica (:well I mean I will have lots of
Nicole (:We're gonna have to cease communication.
Monica (:I'll have lots of pain meds in the beginning but that's also yeah but that's why I'm getting the Kindle for Christmas too because I will just be sitting there reading.
Nicole (:That's true. I was going to say, I can't wait for all
of the books that you're going to plow through. Yay. Finally. good. Yay. And we can.
Monica (:I know, and I'll finally finish Vampire Diaries probably. Yeah.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Kelsie (:That's good, because I can
only send Reels to Nicole right now, so.
Nicole (:I know. We can officially start our book club too after you have your surgery, or maybe before. Yeah.
Monica (:Yes, that's right. Like perfect timing. Onyx Storm
comes out the day before I go into surgery and which is also kind. I wish it came out. I really wish that it came out like two days after my surgery. That would be better. Rebecca Yarrow. So if you could just make that adjustment.
Nicole (:Yep, you better run to your local Barnes and Nobles.
But you know what? You can just
you can make sure you get it. Go be in line at the store, grab it, and then it'll at be home waiting for you.
Monica (:Well, yes. I know, but by the time
I come to and I can have a conversation and even read, you're gonna be done. And I have to go on this journey by myself. And I can't ask you guys to wait, because I know that's not gonna happen. Like you love me, but you don't love me that much.
Nicole (:Probably. That's accurate. It's probably... Hey, bitch!
Ashley (:Yep, yeah, we will, you're right.
Kelsie (:That's probably true.
Nicole (:I don't need to wait. I will just reread
it. Do you not know this about me? I've already reread it three times. I will just reread it.
Kelsie (:lol
Monica (:I know, but
it's so more fun when we read together, which happens like for 30 seconds at a time.
Nicole (:No. You know what is so much more fun? No, it's so much more
fun when I already know what's happening and get to watch you go through it. That's more fun. I love sitting there at the edge of my seat like, yay, what part are you on? And then I get to just say, lol, when I can't tell you what I know.
Kelsie (:you
Monica (:For you.
I am a little...
I am a little bummed though, because I don't think that like the graphic audio will be out at the same time. I'm sure that will be a later release and I want that. I want it.
Nicole (:Yeah, the audio book though, the regular
audio book will be out because that's already, I already got that on the pre-order.
Ashley (:I did too.
Monica (:like that
you're pre-ordering the audible book like they're gonna run out.
Nicole (:Well, I mean they offer it they offer it so I want I want it want it immediately on the yep, I had credits I want it I know they're not gonna run out but I still want it and I'm buying the book so No, my goodness, I Can't either I Can't wait for our book club
Ashley (:I also pre-ordered it. Mm-hmm.
Monica (:you
Ha!
Ashley (:I had
credits, so...
Yeah.
not taking any chances.
Monica (:Well, I cannot wait for Onyx Storm.
Kelsie (:Yeah, I muted my mic because mine was too.
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:To officially start, am gonna be doing the ABC reading challenge too. I already have a couple books in mind that are gonna fill my letters. I am excited for a year of books. That's what I'm excited for. I feel like that's my hyper fixation and current love, so I'm excited for it. Bought myself a Kindle off of Facebook Marketplace. What a good find.
What a good find. was everything. It was everything I ever wanted. It was all the things, all the things I wanted and at a fraction of the price. Thank goodness. I can't, I just, but of course my kids see me with it and they're like, what are you doing? What is that? My little one calls it a phone book. And I'm like, this is not a phone book, but okay. And it's so funny.
Ashley (:Marketplace for the win.
Monica (:That's awesome.
Ashley (:love that.
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Kelsie (:a fun book.
Ashley (:Wow. That's really taken on new meaning.
Monica (:foam buck whoa
Kelsie (:Our definitions of phone books are really different.
Ashley (:They don't know what a phone
book really is.
Monica (:whoa antiques well I mean kind of but like we're old
Nicole (:No, and I just was laughing. Yeah, we're old,
Ashley (:Yeah.
Nicole (:Kids are frightening.
Kelsie (:Guys,
I knew about a conspiracy that they didn't know about and I have to tell you.
Monica (:yeah,
Nicole (:Yes.
Monica (:yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ashley (:Mmm. Mm-hmm,
Nicole (:Yeah.
Ashley (:mm-hmm.
Kelsie (:because this is for the listeners. I've heard about this conspiracy several times and so I brought it to the chat the other day. like, so you guys, know, like I'm curious to know what you think about Helen Keller and they're like, what about Helen Keller? And I'm like, no fucking way. The non-conspiracy girl has a conspiracy. I don't know if I believe it, but I do know about it. So.
Nicole (:you
Hmm?
Yay!
Monica (:I feel like this is gonna be like our mission. We've gotta find all of
Nicole (:I already believe it.
Monica (:the theories that they don't know about yet.
Kelsie (:We were discussing whether
Nicole (:you
Kelsie (:Helen Keller was real or fraud or apparently there's a lot of different theories about whether she existed or whether she was just... Have you?
Nicole (:Mm-hmm.
I have since heard about this and yes, a
lot of people are like, how can she be blind, deaf, and mute and all the things and accomplish all the things that she accomplished and how was she a real person? Yeah, and that's exactly, and I'm like, you know, how did she get there? I don't know how this came up. just, just, no, no.
Monica (:She's ambitious.
Ashley (:How did it come up? How did it, how did?
Kelsie (:Did you ever watch the movie about Helen Keller? Okay,
Ashley (:No.
Kelsie (:I think that, I don't, I think my mom was like a Helen Keller stan maybe because like she got the Helen Keller, I remember watching the Helen Keller movie and like I think she thought it was really impressive and I mean the movie was really impressive, like she's deaf, she's blind, she's mute, like and she does learn to do all these things but like I don't know, I watched it and I believed it so I don't know.
Nicole (:You
Ashley (:you
Nicole (:And mute.
I don't know either and I'm curious though as to like
Kelsie (:mean, it doesn't make
sense, but I think that's a part of the whole story is that like, it is unbelievable. Like I think that's why she's Helen fucking and Keller is because people were like, this is unfathomable that she should be able to do this. But I think like that's the whole point.
Nicole (:But now I'm very curious.
Ashley (:It is
Nicole (:But
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:now I'm curious, was she actually real person? Was she even a real person? Was she a fraud? What?
Kelsie (:I think she had to have been,
whether or not she was the things that they said she was, I don't know, but she had to have existed. the story came from somewhere, you know, like, and people lived it and it wasn't, when was Helen Keller alive? Like it wasn't so far back in history, like Helen Keller.
Nicole (:Maybe, yes, somebody, somewhere.
A while ago. I don't know.
Monica (:I know this much about her.
Ashley (:I don't know.
I'm just wondering
why this conspiracy is like coming up right now. Like, why are we talking about Helen Keller? No, don't not Kelsey. Kelsey didn't make it up. Yes, she's not the-
Nicole (:before Braille.
Monica (:Because Kelsey came across it. No, no, no, she came across
Nicole (:Kelsey came across it.
Kelsie (:she died in the 60s. She died in the 60s.
Monica (:it and then she wanted to know if you two had ever heard of it.
Ashley (:No,
I know. just am wondering, like, when did people start talking? When did people start questioning Helen Keller? Yeah. Yeah.
Monica (:Like, who came up with it?
Kelsie (:why did people suddenly start thinking Helen Keller was fake? Yeah, I don't know.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm.
I mean...
Kelsie (:She died in the 60s, so it's like, it's not like this wasn't in our... Yes, that's what I'm saying. Like this was
Monica (:because nobody trusts anything anymore.
Ashley (:Somebody must have known her.
Kelsie (:my grandparents' lifetimes. Like, this is not so far back in history that they've just like made this up and planted it. Like, people are alive today that we're alive with Helen Keller, so.
Monica (:parents were around.
Nicole (:Yes, our grandparents' lifetimes.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Monica (:Yeah.
Ashley (:Yeah, this should
Monica (:Yeah.
Ashley (:be a provable
conspiracy theory. Well, what's the answer? Have you, did you bring this conspiracy here without doing any research, Kelsey?
Kelsie (:Yeah.
Nicole (:Yeah, why is it not? Why has nobody proven this yet? What is it? Do we have answers?
Monica (:What is the answer to any conspiracy theory?
Kelsie (:I
don't think any conspiracy theory has an answer. That's why it's just theory. No, because I don't know if I can go deep on this because I don't like because it's one of those things that's like why do we care if Helen Keller like yeah, it doesn't matter. I choose to believe that I know that's why I don't want to dive into it because I think that it's when
Ashley (:Did you do any research?
Monica (:Yeah, why does it matter?
Nicole (:Yeah
Ashley (:If she was and now people are questioning her, it's really sad.
Nicole (:Well, I mean...
Did she not invent
Braille?
Kelsie (:I don't know. I don't think she...
Nicole (:I think, I'm pretty
Ashley (:Helen
Nicole (:sure
Ashley (:Keller invented Braille?
Nicole (:she invent, maybe not, I don't know.
Kelsie (:I think she just learned
Ashley (:without being able to speak without
Kelsie (:how to use it. I don't think she invented it.
Monica (:fact check that right now?
Nicole (:Well,
they had the Helen Keller School for the Blind. Didn't they have the Helen Keller School for the Blind? Am I making this shit up? Am I a conspiracy theory?
Ashley (:being able to speak. She invented Braille.
We sound so stupid right now.
Monica (:I feel like they did and no, okay, we do
and so I'm fact checking it. No, she did not come up with braille. Luis Braille came up with braille.
Kelsie (:I really don't know.
Nicole (:Okay, what did she come up with?
Ashley (:No, she invented Braille, actually. No,
Nicole (:Wait.
Ashley (:Helen Keller invented Braille.
Kelsie (:I'm
Nicole (:I don't think
I meant it like that.
Ashley (:It's too late you said it. And now I will never stop saying it.
Kelsie (:you
Nicole (:I'll keep, I don't care.
Kelsie (:lol
Nicole (:But okay
Ashley (:What an accomplishment
Kelsie (:okay, I think the reason, I think the reason that it's significant that she could learn braille is because not only can she not see, no one can tell her what the braille means. No one can tell her what anything means and she can't see it. And that's why it's so unbelievable, but that's why she became so famous is because it's so unbelievable. I don't know. I,
Ashley (:said Helen Keller invented Braille, bitch? No.
Nicole (:No, I'll keep it in.
How do you teach somebody that, yeah. Yeah, okay.
Monica (:Yeah.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:You're right, it's unbelievable.
I am airing on the side that she was a fraud or that she wasn't a real person.
Kelsie (:I'm not.
think like the human, humans are very, very like adapt to their senses being, yeah.
Nicole (:I'm kidding. I'm joking. I'm joking,
Monica (:if she could adapt to it and learn.
Nicole (:but I am so curious. I want to know how though.
Monica (:It starts with just figuring out yes or no quick answers and then you're good. You build from there. Yeah.
Kelsie (:It's just a matter of figuring out how to communicate to her and once they did
that, think it's possible. I think it's just a matter of figuring out how you communicate to her, yeah.
Nicole (:How would you communicate to her?
Monica (:Yeah.
Ashley (:Now I'm just Googling Helen Keller. She did start to speak eventually. She spoke eventually.
Nicole (:I actually just wish I was there to see it.
Kelsie (:Yes,
yes she did.
Nicole (:well, that's cool. Good for her.
Ashley (:And she used
manual sign language, whatever that means, I don't know.
Kelsie (:Yeah,
if you watch the movie, like, her like, t-shirt like, is signing into her hand. Yeah, yeah. It's like, she's like, spelling in her hand. Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:I was going say, is that when you touch into her hand? OK, yeah, I've seen that before. I've seen that before. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Ashley (:Mmm.
Monica (:that's right. Yeah. So she can feel it instead of
seeing it. Yeah.
Nicole (:Yeah.
Kelsie (:It's definitely hard to believe,
but it's because you have no concept of what that would be like. Doesn't mean that it didn't happen, you know? I don't know.
Nicole (:I mean, it's not that hard to believe, but it is. Yeah, I would love to
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:Stop this.
Nicole (:see it. Uh-oh, what did you find?
Ashley (:One of the, you how on Google when you Google something it says people also search for did, did Helen Keller fly a plane?
Monica (:no.
Nicole (:god.
Kelsie (:Yeah.
Nicole (:because people
Monica (:You
Nicole (:confuse her with Amelia Earhart. That's a real thing. People get Helen Keller and Amelia Earhart confused.
Ashley (:my god.
Kelsie (:I saw a comment like
that where they're like, how could she fly a plane if she's blind, deaf, and dumb? I'm like, I never heard her... That's what people say! Yes! That is what people say. That's... I'm sorry, that's not correct, but like that is how she was... That's how she was referred to. Yes.
Ashley (:I can't.
Nicole (:my god. That's what people say. Yes, yes, blind, deaf, dumb. That was, that was, was, yep. It's not politically correct now, but it was. Yes,
Monica (:Blind Devon dumb?
Ashley (:I've heard that before too. I've heard that before too.
Monica (:That's so terrible.
Nicole (:she was, she was referred to as blind, deaf, and dumb. Yes. Yes, right. Yeah.
Monica (:That is terrible.
Ashley (:Yeah, wait, because didn't dumb used to have a different meaning? It actually
Kelsie (:and
Yeah, I think
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Kelsie (:it just meant
Ashley (:meant
something.
Kelsie (:that she was like, she didn't she was mute and she didn't like, yeah. Yeah.
Nicole (:She didn't have, yes, she couldn't speak. That's
Monica (:Hmm.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Monica (:Hmm. Hmm.
Nicole (:funny. But yeah, people, and it's also, people could, they also, I have seen people confuse Anne Frank with Helen Keller. And I'm like, whoa, first of all, two different time periods. Two different time periods. Hello. Different experiences. Are you for real right now?
Ashley (:Mmm.
Monica (:I have heard that one before, which, yeah, very different experiences.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Kelsie (:That's just
an insult. This is all just an insult to history.
Nicole (:It doesn't insult. That's
an insult to history. I mean, I just insulted history by saying Helen Keller invented Braille, but whatever.
Ashley (:my god, I loved that so much.
Kelsie (:Yeah
Monica (:At least that's
in the same category though.
Nicole (:Category is there
not a Helen Keller school for the blind am I making this up? Okay? Okay? I think that's why I thought But I think I think that's why I had the two connected like She must have invented it because she needed to use it like that's where my brain went anyway
Monica (:I think there is. I think there is. That sounds familiar. There probably is. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Kelsie (:I think there is. No, I think there is. Yeah.
Ashley (:No, I think there is. No, there probably is. Yeah. She was a major advocate for people with disabilities.
Monica (:you
Ashley (:It's fine. Nicole, you know what? not, we listen, but we don't judge.
Kelsie (:It's fine. We all
say
Monica (:We listen, but we don't judge.
Kelsie (:some like dumb shit sometimes. It's okay.
Nicole (:I'm not educated. I
am uneducated.
Ashley (:Well, last time Kelsey said some dumb
shit, she did make you cut it out, so... No, please don't cut it out, it's so funny.
Kelsie (:You can cut it out if you want. Yeah.
Nicole (:That's true. She did. She said Uzbekistan.
Kelsie (:Mine was
a brain fart, not like a complete like, it's fine. I believe it was a brain fart. You can cut it if you want. I give you permission.
Nicole (:Mine, mine was a braid fart.
Ashley (:I believe
Nicole (:I'm
Ashley (:it. they're banding together.
Nicole (:not gonna cut it. I don't care. I'm not gonna cut it.
Kelsie (:Ha ha!
Monica (:They are! It's always them two!
Kelsie (:always give anybody permission to
Ashley (:This is why
Kelsie (:cut
Ashley (:we got in a big fight in the group chat.
Kelsie (:anything that makes them feel humiliated.
Nicole (:Yes, and you know why that is? It's because Kelsey and I are actually the same. We're born only five days apart, four days apart. We are the same person. We have the same personality type. And yes. When I was being extremely dramatic in the group chat, I knew.
Kelsie (:.
Monica (:They're up to their same old bullshit.
Kelsie (:Yep.
Ashley (:shenanigans.
Nicole (:that Kelsey was reacting the same way even when she was being quiet. I was like, she is having the same existential crisis I am right now and I know she is because we both cannot be wrong, first of all, and we both hyper fixate to the point of like hyperventilation that we... Yes.
Kelsie (:you
Ashley (:You
Kelsie (:But if I like love something and I'm like so excited about it, I want
that for my friends.
Nicole (:We
are the guy from the real. are. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yep. We both become very aggressive very quickly. We don't. We have zero chill. We have zero chill. Yeah. She just had to cave. We wouldn't let her.
Kelsie (:I need that. I like crave that. I thrive on that. And then it's like, it got ripped away. And I was like, how do I, how do I fix this?
Yeah.
Ashley (:Yeah, was like, I was like, okay, you're right, guys. I've ruined the entire series of Twilight for everyone. Monica's life is ruined.
Kelsie (:you
Ashley (:Give up books. Give up on life.
Nicole (:She just she literally had to concede she could
not we would not let her win. Yep. The two of us would not let her win. just we were not happy until she conceded. We just we're passionate.
Ashley (:It's not worth living anymore.
Monica (:You
Kelsie (:Yeah.
Ashley (:You think I took their firstborn child, I swear to fucking God.
Kelsie (:I was just living for the moment that she watched that
Ashley (:And Monica doesn't even care.
Nicole (:Put a little bow on it. Yes. Yes.
Ashley (:we're really gonna miss you guys while we're gone. We'll be on Instagram and we'll be back for season
Kelsie (:But we will be back.
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:two. Like, when are we planning on coming back? February?
Monica (:Yes.
Nicole (:I think.
Monica (:Yes, I believe February is the date we had picked, so... Yes. Yes.
Ashley (:Pending Monica and her belly button will be back in February.
Nicole (:Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Kelsie (:We'll keep you posted and keep
your eyes peeled for a special mini-soad somewhere in the middle, because there will be one. Because we don't want to leave you too long. We don't want to leave you out there in the world too long without being a little bothered.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Nicole (:Yes, there will be a special mini-sode! Without us. A
Monica (:Mm-hmm.
Ashley (:Mm-hmm.
Monica (:Yeah.
Yes.
Ashley (:Yeah.
Nicole (:little bit jolly.
Monica (:But make sure you find us on social media and come chat with us.
Ashley (:Yes, please do.
Kelsie (:Yeah.
Nicole (:Please do.
And have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, whatever you celebrate. And we can't hate to hear about your New Year's resolutions. Please share that with us too. I love hearing other people's New Year's resolutions, even though I don't ever make any. So maybe I'll live vicariously through someone this year. Yes. OK.
Monica (:yeah, that's right.
Ashley (:Maybe someone will give you an idea.
Monica (:Yeah, maybe. Alrighty, well, like,
Ashley (:Okay, yes, everyone enjoy your time
with your families.
Monica (:rate, subscribe, and we wish you guys a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Bye!
Nicole (:Hmm
Ashley (:Merry Christmas! Bye!
Kelsie (:Merry Christmas, bye!
Ashley (:Ho ho ho!
