July05Mommies -- Life with our little ones

[July05Mommies]

Welcome all mothers who had their babies in July 2005!!!

If you had your baby in July of 2005 please feel free to join us. Even if you were not previously an active member, please join now – we love making new friends!

If you would like to let us know who you are, please post your information in the following form:

CC Name
Me: Name, Age
Married: Date
Baby’s Name
Baby’s Birth Date
Time of Birth
Weight
Length
Other Children’s Name, Age

Don’t forget to post any requests for a change in roster info in red to make it easier for the thread moderators to see. Thanks!

Thread Histories:
The first year – Part II (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16810)
The first year – Part I (http://http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=1095)
First Trimester (http:// http://boards.weddingchannel.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3931939&#3931939)
Second Trimester (http:// http://boards.weddingchannel.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4125651&#4125651)
Third Trimester (http:// http://boards.weddingchannel.com/thread.jspa?threadID=489635&tstart=0)


Your thread moderators are:
docoNY & NYN

[July05Mommies]

JULY 2005 MOMMIES – Member List (by username)

Char473
DH: E
Married 3-7-04
Sydney
7-08-05
8lbs
21 inches
Big Sister: Shelby 7-22-94

DanaLynn
Me: Dana, 36
Married: 8/3/02
Emma Jaidyn
7/21/05
Time of Birth: 9:31 am
7 lbs. 7oz.
20"
Big Brother: Hayden, 2 (1/21/04)

December27JJB
Me: Jessica
DH: Josh
Married: 12/27/03
Parker
6/13/05
5:53 am
6 lbs 6.2 oz 19 in

dizylizy
Me: Liz, 31
DH: Pete, 31
Married: 11/8/03
Harrison Raymond (Harry)
7/1/2005
5:30am
7lbs,15oz
21 inches

elnelson
Me: Erika, 32
Married: 6/14/2003
Andrew Axel
7/27/2005
1:31PM
6lbs 14oz
18.5 inches

Heatherlynne
Me: Heather, 28
DH: Mark, 33
Sarah Liberty
7/3/05
7 lbs., 3 oz.
21 in
Little Sister: Kaitlyn Noelle (11/28/06)

jki
Me: Jen, 33
DH: Ham, 33
Married: 7/5/02
Cassidy Anne
7/9/05
8 lbs., 8 oz.
21 in
Big Brother: Jackson James

Jodi AKA Boston Teacher
Me: Jodi, 32
Married: 7.12.03
Camden
7.23.05
9lbs 2oz
21"

Jp'swife
Jill, 28 yrs old (as of March 28th...close enough!)
Married: October 11, 2002
Alexander Joseph
August 7, 2005
6:22 a.m.
8lbs, 2oz
22 inches

Kasia216
Me: 35
Married: 9/21/002
Jackson Karol
07/22/2005
6:03PM
8lbs 1 oz
21 3/4 inches

kmack
Me: Kara, 35
Married: 9.14.02
Ava Aileen
7.21.05
4:10 am
8lbs 15oz
21 inches

lil_nance
Me: Nancy, 36
DH: David, 33
Married: 10/12/02
TTC: 5/01/04
Connor Ryan
7/15/05

maggieb
Me: Maggie, 34
Married: 11/2/02
Marisa Carmen
7/8/05
2:55PM
8lbs 3 oz
20.5 in
Big sister: Helena Elizabeth 12/2/03

Montaukbea
Me: Deirdre, 29
DH: R, 30
Married: October 5, 2002
Jameson
July 28, 2005
8:00 PM
9 lbs.
21 1/2 inches

Msmarie B
Me: marie, 30
Married: 11/02/002
Lexington Thomas (Lex)
07/09/2005
10:45
6 lbs 11 oz
20 inches

myshel
Me: Shel, 29
DH: C, 27
Married: 6/6/03
Luka Alonso
7/21/05
8:17 PM
7lbs 15 oz
19.5 in

Nanner
Me: Age 36
Married: March 27, 2004
Samuel Ezra
6/23/05
6:30 pm
6 lbs. 8 oz.
21 inches

newyorkgirl
Me: Erika, 31
Married: 7/20/02
Bennett Lawrence
7/9/05
11:40 am
6 lbs, 10 oz
19.5 in

NYN
Me: Teba, 29
Married: 5.26.02
Catalina Michelle (Catie)
7.22.05
11:12am
8lbs 5.5oz
20.5 inches

PaulsGirl
Age: 34
Married: 10/26/2002
Ava
7/26/05
4:03am
7 lbs, 14.4 oz
20.5 inches

Tray85
Me: Tracie, 34
DH: Bill, 34
Married: 6/21/03
Katie
7/21/05
5:55pm
9lb 3oz
21 inches

[July05Mommies]

List of Babies (by birthday)

June 13
Parker
Mama: December27JJB

June 23
Sam
Mama: Nanner

July 1
Harrison Raymond
Mama: dizylizy

July 3
Sarah Liberty
Mama: Heatherlynne

July 8
Marisa Carmen
Mama: maggieb

Sydney
Mama: Char473

July 9
Bennett Lawrence
Mama: newyorkgirl

Cassidy Anne
Mama: jki

Lexington Thomas (Lex)
Mama: MsMarie B

July 15
Connor Ryan
Mama: lil_nance

July 21
Ava Aileen
Mama: kmack

Luka Alonso
Mama: myshel

Katie
Mama: Tray85

Emma Jaidyn
Mama: DanaLynn

July 22
Catalina Michelle (Catie)
Mama: NYN

Jackson Karol
Mama: Kasia216

July 23
Camden
Mama: Jodi aka BostonTeacher

July 26
Ava
Mama: PaulsGirl

July 27
Andrew Axel
Mama: elnelson

July 28
Jameson
Mama: Montaukbea

August 7
Alexander Joseph
Mama: Jp'swife

[July05Mommies]

List of Baby/Mother by Baby's Gender!

Our Beautiful Boys!
Sam/Nanner; Harry/dizylizy; Bennett/newyorkgirl; Connor/lil_nance; Luka/myshel; Jameson/Montaukbea; Alex/Jp'swife; Lex/Msmarie B; Jackson/Kasia216; Camden/Jodi AKA Boston Teacher; Andrew Axel/elnelson

Our Gorgeous Girls!
Parker/December27JJB; Marisa/maggieb; Sydney/Char473; Cassidy/jki; Ava/kmack; Katie/Tray85; Catie/NYN; Ava/PaulsGirl; Emma Jaidyn/DanaLynn; Sarah Liberty/Heatherlynne

[July05Mommies]

CC Parenting/Informational links
*please let us know if you run across any others that you'd like us to add.

Eating
Breast Feeding Help and Support (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=198)
Which formula for supplementing a breast fed baby? (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=2575)
Formula Feeding Thread (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=573)
Mom's with Pumps (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=1540)
What is your child eating today? (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=191)

Sleeping
Sleep Teaching/Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=133)
The "I need sleep" thread. (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=2390)

Other Group Threads
Cloth Diapering Thread (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=102)
Moms of newborns to 6-month-olds meet here. (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=126)
What Parenting books do you suggest? (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=2226)
Baby carrier and sling info. (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=402)
Master Diaper Bag thread. (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=2202)
Support thread for moms of high-needs babies. (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=2212)

**A big shout-out to the August 2005 Mommies who moved to a new thread before us so that we could have a format to copy. :D**

[NYN]

Hi Ladies,

I had to move the thread over here because we reached our post limit w/ the other one. Wanted to get my shout-outs in:

heather: Congratulations on your beautiful little girl! I added her "little sister" stats to your roster. :D

lizy: Congrats on your pregnancy. I hope it goes much better than it did last time for you. As everyone said, a H&H 9 months to you!

Jodi: We are moving to Brooklyn so not very far away. I think it's funny that you said that Catie looks like me because that is what I think of Camden every time I have seen a picture of him since the first one you posted (that he looks like you, not me :D).

sickies: I am starting to panic at all these stories about babies w/ strep, pnuemonia, etc. and parents who thought everything was fine. Same thing w/ two women at work (one of them, her daughter had pinworms!) I am normally not so crazy about this kind of stuff but we are going on week TEN of this cough. Of course it is terrible at night and practically non-existent during the day but I can swear I hear a little wheeze. DH doesn't hear it. I really hope this is me just being a nervous nelly and not mother's instinct or something b/c I am going to kick myself in the ass if something is wrong with her.

santa: We aren't going to try it again. She really just doesn't like him. DH sent me a link to this page which I thought some of you might enjoy: Scared with Santa (http://www.southflorida.com/events/sfl-scaredsanta,0,2245506.photogallery?coll=sfe-events-headlines&index=1)

TTC #2: We were originally going to start in November of this year (so last month) but we are now putting it off b/c I am planning on going to nursing school next fall. I really don't even know when we'll TTC again. I don't want to have another baby if it means I have to come back to work. Right now I am very focused on getting career stuff in order.

Here are some recent pictures of my little lady:

[QPDoll]

adorable!!

[Nanner]

Oh, NYN, I am in STITCHES over those Santa photos! I specifically love numbers 7 through 9, because of the Santas themselves. Thanks for the laugh! And Catie is looking gorgeous. It looks like she's actually coloring, huh? If I took a photo of Sam "coloring," it would be with a piece of paper with dots all over it (from him slamming the crayons repeatedly), and the crayons chewed in half. :)

You can add Sam's full name to the roster, which is Samuel Ezra.

Heatherlynne: Congratulations! Kaitlyn is a beauty!

[newyorkgirl]

Hee, love the Santa pictures. We were planning on going today, but have been grounded due to an unexpected fever. Anyone know what might be the cause of a 103-degree fever with no other apparent symptoms?

NYN - Catie with the crayons is so cute! We set Bennett down on the floor with large pieces of Kraft paper and just let him go to town. It's hilarious - he yells "Color!" now when he wants to color with crayons. (We've actually used some of the resulting masterpieces as holiday giftwrap for the grandparents.)

Oh, and you were very close with the time of birth - it's actually 11:40 am. But at first, I couldn't remember either. I had to go back and look at a birth announcement. :)

[myshel]

Anyone know what might be the cause of a 103-degree fever with no other apparent symptoms?

Teething? Specifically molars? Luka went through this about a month ago. It was awful. He had a super high fever with no other symptoms. We took him to the ped twice. Finally, the ped said that it could be teeth because his "huge molars" were coming in. Just a thought.

[newyorkgirl]

myshel - I wish it was molars, but the kid doesn't even have his canines yet, let alone his pre-molars and molars. Yes, my child will go off to college and be eating with four teeth - two on the top and two on the bottom. It could be teething, I guess. We felt his gums and didn't feel anything coming out and he's been a little retentive today, if you kwim. ;)

He's down to 101, so if all things are going well, we'll be able to go to playgroup tomorrow and a Picture People session. :)

[lil_nance]

Extra updates for me. DH and I both had birthdays recently.
Me: Nancy, 37
DH: David, 34

Connor birth info
Connor Ryan
7/15/05, 10:48pm, 6 lb. 11 oz, 19 1/4 in.
Baby sister due 4/18/07

We're doing Santa on Monday. Fingers crossed it goes well since I need a pic to include in the cards.

Erika Connor got molars before canines so it could be that. As long as it goes down with tylenol or motrine, you should be ok.

Nanner Connor has the same coloring style as Sam. Maybe it's the sign of controlled genius. :p

ETA: Just took a look at the scared of Santa pics. I almost peed my pants laughing. Thanks for sharing.

[QPDoll]

Can you add me to the roster?

QPDoll
Me: Tina, 32 (2/16/74)
DH: Travis, 31 (7/14/75)
Married: July 4, 2003

Baby’s Name: Peter Randall
Baby’s Birth Date: July 23, 2005
Time of Birth: 9:34 am
Weight: 7lbs 3oz
Length: 20 inches

Baby’s Name: Nathaniel James
Baby’s Birth Date: July 23, 2005
Time of Birth: Nate 10:37 am
Weight: 6lbs
Length: 19 1/2 inches

[NYN]

newyorkgirl: catie got her molars before her canines too. and last night i noticed she is getting more teeth in the back. all her teeth are coming in completely out of order. she is going to have a huge gap in her front teeth like her mama. :D

i will add the roster stuff this morning when i get to work.

[Tray85]

newyorkgirl - Same here. Katie is getting her molars before canines. Before the molars, she had only 3 on top and 4 on bottom. She had a lower grade fever from the molars.

[QPDoll]

Well, I have sick kids this week. I was hoping it was just a cold, but Nate's temp spiked to 104.2 this morning so I took him to the ped. He has bronchitis and a nasty throat, but it’s not strep. Ped was concerned due to Nate's health history that will turn into pneumonia, so we are starting abuterol breathing treatments and an antibotic. Pete is sick too, but he fights illnesses off much better than Nate. Both my husband and I are sick too, and to top it off - Washington was hit with a major windstorm last night and I can't find a pharmacy open to get prescriptions filled!

[lil_nance]

Think I might need to send this photo to the Scared of Santa website. Poor Connor. He got his first haircut today and hated that. Then I tortured him with the big guy in the red suit. Mind you less than 2 minutes before and after the photo he was laughing and playing peek-a-boo with people. Have to say, I'm glad I don't have Santa's job.

http://static.flickr.com/141/323534943_88902889bf.jpg?v=0

[NYN]

HAHA, omg, you guys are so mean!!

qp: sorry to hear about the sickies. i know how much it sucks. :(

[newyorkgirl]

Hee, Nancy - Bennett and Connor are at it again, conspiring behind our backs. :)

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/Picture_resized.jpg

[Tray85]

Tina - I am so sorry to hear that everyone is sick. Its awful when one person is sick, let alone the whole house! I'm sure the albuteral will help pretty quickly. Its always worked very well with Kate.

Ha! I'm even more resolved to not have a Santa picture!!

[Kasia216]

Santa! - Ok Bennett + Connor have me rolling those pictures are too funny. I decided to skip the whole santa thing as I thought I would pretty much get the same reaction from Jackson. In the meantime, my company had a Holiday Family Brunch party on Friday and they hired a Santa and Photographer so I decided to give it a shot. I was completely shocked he did not get hysterical however his facial expression was priceless - he was staring at him and his forehead and eybrows were all crinkled up. It looked as if he was trying to figure out why this man was dressed so stange and then he decided it would be funny to pull on the old man's beard! I promise to post the pictures when I get them - hope they caught it all...

[char473]

Loving all of the Santa pics:) We have avoided Santa this year, mainly for his safety and for fear of lawsuits.;) Instead here is our Xmas card:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/char473/Picture-1.jpg?t=1166418060

Plenty of Florida snow here...and 80+ degree weather.

Take care!

[QPDoll]

Love the card Char!

Nate decided he hadn't seen the ped often enough this week, so today he thought he would go see her again. While I was getting a wash cloth wet to wipe him down after lunch - he stood up in his high chair and did a nose dive to the floor and landed on his noggin. So, while Im attending to Nate, who is screaming his head off, Pete decides to stand up in HIS chair and get into a bag of potatoes that were on the kitchen table, and chuck them one-by-one around the kitchen. :o Nates fine. The kitchen is trashed.

Oh, and do I bother wrapping their gifts this year?? They found them today, and think they are pretty cool. Already fighting over them. LOL :rolleyes:

[kmack]

the santa pics are hilarious! char beautiful girls! and sorry to hear about the visits to the ped QPdol.

well last night we had our first bout of the stomach bug :( i was just about to get into bed when ava started crying this really weird cry. i went in to check on her and she was standing in the crib, so i was rubbing her arm to get her to lay back down and she started puking all over the place! i didnt know what to do so i just let her stand there and get it out...i figured better to have it all in the crib than all the way down the hallway! when she was done she looked down at it, pointed, and said 'ut-oh!'. then i think she realized it was all down the front of her so she started crying. what a mess! i cleaned it up and during this she threw up 3 more times, in the bathroom, all over me, and in the kitchen. she ended up throwing up every 10-20 minutes until 3:30 in the morning...i put her back in her crib on a towel and she did a little more 2 more times, with the last being around 4:30 am. of course last night DH had his xmas party and didnt get in until late, so i told him to go to bed and i would stay up with her b/c i had a feeling i wasnt going to get any sleep and wanted him to take over once she got a little better (the poor guy, i thought he was going to cry when he saw her throwing up! it was awful to watch, she was half asleep and then would cry out 'mommy' in this really sad voice and it was just heartbreaking). luckily she hasnt thrown up again today, but the ped. told me to only give her clear liquids and not give anything solid until after 12 hours of not throwing up. i tried chicken broth from some soup i got but she wanted nothing to do with it. what can i give her to eat after a stomach bug? the poor kid seems to be starving, i did give her a little banana and she stole some crackers out of the pantry and kept both down but i am wondering if i should risk giving her anything else.

i am glad she is feeling better but this threw our whole day off - DH took a vacation day and we had a ton of things to get done before xmas. i really dont want to take her out, so that means we will probably be stuck having to do a lot tomorrow which i am dreading. not to mention i am worried that one or both of us will come down with this for xmas :mad:

anyway, hope everyone has a happy holiday!

[Tray85]

Oh, kmack, I am so sorry. I am in total fear of this stomach bug. I've heard about it going around here too.

Santa - Katie wouldn't sit on Santa's lap when my in-laws took her yesterday. This is the only thing she would do.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/Tray85/Christmas06.jpg

[newyorkgirl]

kmack - I am so sorry Ava isn't feeling well. Believe it or not, DH has the stomach bug. Bennett and I are still in the clear, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed we'll get away scot-free since we had two bouts of it this summer.

It's hard to get them to eat anything when they're feeling this miserable. Hmm... the thing that Bennett liked to eat most was Chinese rice porridge. Basically, you cook some rice in a saucepan with 1 part rice, 2 parts water, 2 parts chicken broth and, if you want, just a little soy sauce (for flavor and for a bit of electrolytes). But the soy sauce can dehydrate some people - it just depends. You cook it until it's way past the done stage - if the water gets low, you just add some more - until it looks like watered-down oatmeal. But it's good because there's a lot of water and just a bit of sustenance to make them feel better. Even I eat it when I'm feeling under the weather.

Other things you can try - saltine crackers, bananas, applesauce, apples, diluted apple juice, Pedialyte (although I don't know of many kids who will eat those, maybe the Pedialyte popsicles?), toast.

I think the main thing is to just keep them hydrated. My ped told me to give Bennett any liquid he would take - even milk - so I stuck to milk, water and a little Pedialyte, but if he hadn't taken the milk, I might have gone to diluted apple juice.

[QPDoll]

My pediatrician said that Otter Pops are a good substitute for pedalyte, she said even the pops are kinda gross. My boys drink the Gerber version of pedalyte with no complaint. We buy the individual packets of powder and mix it as we need it.

Hope you guys are feeling well for Christmas!

[kmack]

thanks tray my brother lives in LA and he had it too - he missed his flight home for xmas b/c of it, and couldnt get another one until tomorrow for the low [price of $600:eek:

yesterday we thought we were out of the woods. ava seemed much better and just wanted to eat and drink - i felt bad for not giving her anything (other than water) so i finally had to give her some banana and saltines. she held it down okay. i had a pizza for dinner and she was screaming for it, so i gave her a little bit of the crust. i had also gone out and gotten some pedialyte so i have her some of that with a little apple juice in it. by the end of the day i thought it was safe to give her more liquids but i think it backfired b/c she threw up again at 9 pm! i got her out of the crib and we both fell asleep on the couch. DH was at a wake and he had forgotten his keys so when he got home he was knocking so i had to get up. right after i opened the door she puked again, all over me and then half in the sink.:( she threw up one other time and so far has not again since midnight. and i ended up running to the bathroom at one point b./c i thought i was getting it but luckily i didn't...i have felt awful all day though. so again, i am not getting any of my last minute xmas stuff done! and i am so tired i dont know what to do. this sucks.

erika i was going to try your recipe but of course i dont have any chicken broth in the house, and only brown rice...would that work do you think? and interesting that your ped. said to give him milk, i was wondering about that but decided not to give her it b/c i thought it would make her worse. i hope this thing goes away soon, as we are travelling to NY on the 26th :rolleyes:

[newyorkgirl]

kmack - I think it should work just fine. You may have to cook it a little longer to get the brown rice hulls to open up. You can just use water - the only reason I suggest chicken broth is because it gives the rice porridge a little additional flavor, making it more likely that the kids will eat it. I have also thrown some chicken parts into the pot just to add flavor - I don't give Bennett the chicken - just let it cook up with the rice. So if you have some chicken in the freezer or something, you can use that.

Yeah, my ped is totally laid-back like that. He thinks that BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce and toast) diet is good, but if the kid is wanting more, by all means feed him/her food and drink. I think he believes that if they're willing to eat it, they will likely be able to keep it down. (Maybe I should tell him that Ava wanted the pizza, but couldn't keep it down anyway?) Bennett's only had one stomach virus where he's thrown up anyway, so I'm hoping he's got my stomach-of-steel constitution (as opposed to DH, who gets a bellyache everytime he eats something a little bit strange).

[newyorkgirl]

Happy Boxing Day, everyone!

I hope everyone is doing well. Here is the front of our holiday card this year.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/photojaypeg_lj.jpg

Inside, it says, "don we now our gay apparel"

lil_nance - I have to thank you so much for bringing the little tikes train set to my attention. I found a new one on Ebay and bought. There was a little bit of worry as whether we'd get it in time, as the seller was having shipping issues, but we got it just in time and it's fantastic. I hope Connor enjoys his train set as much as Bennett does!

(We set it up on a alphabet playmat in the kitchen.)
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/IMG_3872a.jpg

The best part of this Christmas was that Bennett picked up a new word yesterday. He walked around all day, yelling, "Happy!" every twenty minutes or so. :)

[lil_nance]

I don't think Connor likes his train set quite as much as Bennett. He insists on playing natural disaster and tearing the road and track apart. He does love all the other trucks, cars, and books about trucks & cars that he got. Have you all checked out the present review in the 18mo-4yr threads? Good info.

We have been dealing with random tantrums. It's frustrating because little things or sometimes nothing at all can set him off. I know it's just the age but still wish we could skip it. He was really good the week before Christmas, must have known Santa was watching. ;)

I love all the pictures. We have cute kids.

[Tray85]

I put my review of toys on the 18mo to 4 year old thread:

http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1122315#post1122315post1122315

Page 2

[kmack]

hope everyone had a nice holiday! i hate to say it but ours wasn't that great :rolleyes: the friday before xmas ava stopped throwing up and seemed much better on saturday. on xmas eve while at my SIL she got the runs and i had to change her what seemed like every half hour. this continued into xmas day, and she has still not gotten back to normal. i felt pretty nauseous on xmas and it turns out 2 of my nieces, my SIL, and one of my nephews were all throwing up that night or the next day. we were traveling to NY on the 26th to see my parents and we almost had to turn the car around b/c i thought i was going to be sick...luckily the pepto i bought worked and we made it to NY, but i felt awful the whole time we were there. i actually thought i was preggers b/c i couldnt eat anything and had to take 2 naps a day - but, i definitely am not. the nausea went away but of course now i have a bad head cold, just in time for new years! we ended up getting a flat tire on the way back to boston, it was really fun unpacking the trunk that was filled w/ xmas stuff so we could change the tire. when we got home my mom called to say that my niece and she and my stepfather were all throwing up too!! i cant believe how easily this thing spread.

anyway, ava didnt seem too excited about xmas. we bought her a giggling elmo chair and were convinced she would love it b/c she LOVES elmo, but she cried and would not go into the living room on xmas morning! she has yet to sit in the thing, i am wondering if i should just take it back.

here she is looking thrilled after she finally stopped crying
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l180/hellerke/DSCN3721.jpg?t=1167535587

maybe i will add to that toy thread b/c she only seemed to like one or two things. believe it or not the thing that kept her attention the most was pulling some magic markers out of the carton and then putting them back in, over and over for a good half hour :confused:

she is also being a royal brat, throwing tantrums all the time and i am hoping it's just b/c she hasnt been feeling that great. she also suddenly hates the car and screams and cries the whole time. and she wants nothing to do with daddy anymore, i really needed to pass her off while iwasnt feeling well and she only wanted her mommy..oh well!

finally, to top off the holiday season we just found out that DH's niece (his twin sister's daughter) has cystic fibrosis. we are pretty devastated about it, she is only 6 years old. her ped. sent her and her brother for a test b/c they have asthma and have had pneumonia several times but no one actually thought she would have it...we cant believe the test came back positive. i really know nothing about it, does anyone? from what i understand the life expectancy is only around 30 years...it is just so sad:(

[char473]

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Drive by work post here. Loving all of the pics and am going to read toy reviews next.

Syd had a good Xmas. We were at my mom's house for about 6 nights so that was alot of fun for all of us. Syd surely did not get spoiled at all;)

She loves most of her toys. Her little cell phone is a hit, as is her purse, and of course any book is a favorite. She loves the little bus my mom got her and loves to chew the people. She really LOVES the Melissa and Doug magnent letters for the fridge. Pretty much loved it all.

She has also, and I am not quite sure how, learned to count to 10. I taught her to count to 4, but I have no clue how she got to 10. It is so cute, she runs around the house counting. Oh, and she loves to yell "Touchdown"!! My DH is so proud. It is so fun to watch her learn everday, and hear her try to say every word. I love that little girl to death!!

Take care:)

[NYN]

oh kara, that is terrible. i am so sorry to hear that. did they not do that in the routine newborn screening six years ago? oh my god. my heart is breaking for your family right now. :(

[kmack]

thanks NYN...i am not sure if they ever screened for it. it turns out that her tests are now 'inconclusive' - based on her readings last week it was right over the level for definite CF. she was re-tested yesterday and her readings were indeterminate (they werent as high as CF but werent low enough to rule it out). so they are doing a lot of blood work and of course the results wont be back for 2 weeks. they also want mike's nephew to be retested too...my poor SIL is a wreck. we are praying for this to be false-positive of something, aside from lung issues she doesnt have any of the digestive issues that CF usually causes. please pray for a miracle!! of course mike reads the NY post all the time and there was an article in it yesterday about a 29 yr old with CF who just had a double lung transplant, and her 27 yr old sister also had CF but just died....ok, sorry to be a downer here.

on another note, i forgot to mention that we got ava the homestyle kitchen from walmart and we tried to put it together on xmas eve and half of the screws were missing:mad: we need to get on it b/c we are hoping she will like it. and she is finally sitting in her elmo chair.

char what a smarty pants counting to 10! ava still cant get 1-5 right. she has been putting words together lately, like pointing to my eyes and saying 'its your eyes' and she brought my FIL into the kitchen and pointed to the ceiling and said 'papa its the light'. oh yeah, she loves to tell us when she farts too :o she says 'oops!' and then 'FAHT' really loudly in her nice boston accent, then grabs her butt...:rolleyes:

[docoNY]

happy new yr ladies
can I be readded - I was in Ireland for Christmas and finally back online!


docoNY
Me: Deirdre, 37
Married: 6/6/03
Orla Margaret
7/9/05
2:20 AM
8 lbs, 6 oz
19.5 in


I always worry about travelling but then Orla ends up being a dream - she didn't sleep much on the flight - but adapted to the time change ok (5 hrs ahead) & would go down around 930p and sleep till 10a and would take a 2 hr nap and she has adjusted on this side of the atlantic too

she bonded asap with her Nannie - no problems going to her and loved her cousins (5, 3, 2 and 1m) and when we show her pictures now she can name everyone

Christmas was ok - she didn't get much in toys since we had to drag it home but she didn't leave the country empty handed either :) just no big stuff!

that will be our last flight with her as a lap baby - we didn't buy her a seat since it was a lot of $$ and it was unbelievable the amount of wiggling she could do!!

newyorkgirl we had a strange high fever too! day 1 in Ireland 102.4 and then 101 the next day and pretty normal after that - we never figured it out either.

NYN how is the cough now? O had one too for a few weeks and did last winter too - figured its cause they can't blow their nose and it runs down their throat (ick).. of course she coughed a lot of the time we were with MIL who kept talking about the 'bad' cough.. ugh

kmack glad Ava is better - the IL's had the tummy bug when we were in Ireland - didn't get to see them for days! the boston accent fart just made me LOL! :) we just get 'doodoo' comments when she farts.

I hope your niece is ok! a friend has a nephew w/CF - think he is about 9 and now their 2nd child who is a month or so younger than O has it. The family is fairly positive about it but they have had years to adjust

Tray85 Orla wouldn't sit w/Santa either - I am in the pic :)

QPDoll sounds like you need eyes on the back of your head with those twins!

char473 O got a purse too! she cracks me up when she plays with it!

lil_nance the santa pic is priceless :)

hard to believe our 'babies' will be 18m soon!

[Kasia216]

Hope everyone had a Happy New Year!!!

The holidays were nice. Jackson had a fine time opening his gifts and playing with his new toys. It's always a nice time of year to get together with family & friends.

We just got back from 10 days in Florida. We visited my sister, took a trip to Disney (Magic Kingdom) then spent some time in Sanibel Island which I would highly recommend as it's very kid friendly and such a cute/quaint little island!

Enjoy a few recent photos!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a294/cheryl216/Florida10.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a294/cheryl216/Florida12.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a294/cheryl216/Florida14.jpg

[heatherlynne]

Happy New Year Ladies!
Sorry I've been MIA. Kaitlyn is colicky and she has been keeping me very busy.
Anyway, I was hoping some of you might be able to help me. Sarah is now expressing an interest in the potty. I am not even close to being ready to toilet train, especially with a new baby, but Sarah wants to sit on the potty, and even went twice today. Can any of you recommend any books, tips, ANYTHING to help me. I just don't have the time for extensive research right now.
Thank you so much!

[Tray85]

What cute pictures, Kasia.

toddler activity ideas - Anyone want to share ideas on how to keep a toddler occupied? We go to Gymboree, the park district, the library, museums, etc. But at home, I have a hard time thinking of things to do with her. She's getting so bored this winter!

[QPDoll]

Kasia - cute pictures! I think we are going to visit my dad in FL next month. I notice in your pictures your DD has a sweater on, is it chilly there? I thought even this time of year it would be warm. I have no idea what to pack! LOL

toddler activities - we try coloring every once in awhile, as well as playdoh. Each day we turn on the radio, MTV, or Serius and we dance. Recently, we got the Deluxe Band in a Box by Melissa and Doug and I have been showing them how to work each instrument - they love this! We also belong to a MOMS club, which has daily activities, but we generally skip them unless the boys are in just the right mood. Oh yeah, and McDonalds Playland (specifically ones built just for toddlers). If your DC is good at sitting and paying attention (mine are not, unless I had another adult with me helping out - one for each child) we go to the library for "lapsit storytime". Depending on the library, this either really sucks or is an awesome program.

[Kasia216]

QPDoll The weather in Florida was pretty nice overall. I guess it depends on where you're going within Florida. We visited my sister in Melbourne for a few days which is 1.5 hours south of Orlando and the weather was in the mid 70's and sunny most days. Jackson has a sweater on as we were at the beach and it was windy and the sun was started to go down. We also spent time in Sanibel Island (west coast - near Ft Myers) and that was warmer however evenings were cool as well. I would monitor the weather as it can be hit or miss and I would pack a few items that you can pull out in case it gets cool.

Toddler activities @ home I try to keep him outside most days (classes, play dates, playground etc) however since it's cold outside he's been indoors more so I've been focusing on activities to do while inside.

We spend time reading books, playing & building with his legos and blocks. I sing and enact popular kids songs (Wheels on the bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider etc). We've been working with Caryons + paints lately and he's been doing a good job at making a mess now :p We also do puzzles. I try to engage in play with him but I also thinks it's important that he learn how to play on his own as well.

[dizylizy]

Wow- I haven't posted in forever.
Harry is donig great. learning and trying new words all the time. Repeats a lot. snow is his new one. and says BABY alot. He is still signing but loves to just point and grunt now. we have been telling him to use his sign or words. I won't get him out of his high chair until he says all done. this can be frustrtaing for him as He sesms to know I know he is done.... KWIM...
Down to one nap. at 12:30. can sleep for 3 hours. took a short one in the morning and another in he afternoon. then went to bed on time... He mutinies if we try to put him down to early... or try for two... =) stinker...
I am doing Ok with the pgy.

Toddler activities- we don't do a lot, read books when he sees them. nothing is "planned" just let him play with toys and us. loves to interact with us. patty cake, itsy bitsy spider, happy and you know it... watching our signing time videos. He just loves those. I can say signing time and he runs for the TV... I have tried coloring but he would still rather eat the crayons than draw.

utensils- he must have a fork or spoon in his hand. loves to feed himself. he has gotten really good at it. likes it best if we guide his hand to the food, get the food on the fork, then we have to let go so he can put the fork in his mouth...

[lil_nance]

Connor is starting to talk a lot too. One of this week's words is "bra". He sees mine in the bedroom or when I'm getting dressed. I don't make a big deal about it but I've mentioned it if he asks. Well, Saturday we were looking at the Penney's ad. He starts jabbing the pictures with his finger "bra, bra, bra". Ummmm....yeah those are bras. My boy, bras and trucks, he's such a guy. :rolleyes:

He's added apple to words that he signs. Didn't want his lunch today. I asked him what he did want. He signed and said "appuh". How could I refuse. I love that he's starting to be able to tell me what he wants rather than me just having to guess.

dizylizy Don't know if you've tried a Doodle Pro or Magnadoodle. Connor got one for Christmas and it's helping with the coloring skills. Our ped recommended it at his 15mo check-up. Glad to hear you're pregnancy is going well. I feel like everything has been so quick this time around. I just don't have time to focus on being pg AND chase Connor. KWIM.

[kmack]

great pictures kasia! i love that last one.


Can any of you recommend any books, tips, ANYTHING to help me. I just don't have the time for extensive research right now.
heatherlynne what kind of book, like a how to? i dont have anything but noticed that there was a pamphlet of toilet-training basics that came with mine. ava has been doing poops in the potty about every other day. last week my SIL (auntie moe-moe) and niece and nephew sat in the bathroom with her and told her to go poop and she did. SIL got so excited she screamed and scared ava...well a couple of days later ava went again and immediately started yelling "MOE-MOE!!" so she could come in and check it out :rolleyes: it was pretty funny.

toddler activities: we don't do anything structured, ava is pretty content with all of her toys. my sister was visiting this weekend and my nephew is in a motessori school so my sis had her do one of their activities - she filled up a bowl with some dried beans and handed ava a coffee scoop and an empty bowl and ava just transferred the beans from one bowl to another and that kept her occupied for almost 45 min. we also just joined a music together class and she was terrified at first - but i have been singing some of the songs at home and she seems to love them now so i am guessing she will get more into it.

BRAT: so not sure if ava is just hitting the terrible two's early or if she is just cranky from not being the best sleeper (although she has been STTN most of the time now) - but she is a friggin nightmare. i'm talking serious tantrums, several times a day. she ALWAYS wants everything her way and usually i dont give in b/c i dont want her to be a spoiled brat, but by the end of the day i have no energy left to fight with her. this weekend we were at the mall and she was THAT kid that was thrashing about on the floor, shrieking at the top of her lungs until we left...:o i honestly thought DH was going to sprint for the doors and pretend not to know us, it was so bad. i was mortified!! she has never been that bad...i had let her out of her stroller and she was walking around just fine, then we bought her this car set that came in a big box and she insisted on carrying it herself. it was too heavy so she couldnt walk straight and she kept getting into people's way so i tried to take it from her and that's when it started. then we tried putting her back in the stroller, then i just tried to carry her and i almost dropped her b/c she was thrashing so much. i am kind of scared to take her shopping with me alone now!!

she also never wants to take naps anymore, she has been in her crib crying for about an hour now - i have gone in twice and she seems to be settling down now but she just refuses to want to sleep. we dont even have a bedtime routine anymore b/c she wants nothing to do with her books, she knows it means its time for bed so she tries to run out of the room. so now we just brush her teeth, kiss her goodnight, try to read her a book and then just end up throwing her in the crib. i hope this phase doesnt last too long!!

on a good note, she is talking so much - she has started putting some sentences together and is learning the alphabet. she totally understands most of what we say so now DH and i have to speak in code so she doesnt understand us. okay, i'd better go check on her again...

[lil_nance]

Connor had his 18mo check up today. height 33 1/4", weight 25lb 10.5oz, head 19 3/4". The dr. recommended putting him in a regular bed. Originally I was going to do this but we were able to get a free crib from a friend. I'd like to keep him in the crib for a while longer since he's such a good sleeper and napper. I don't want to mess with it. The dr. concern was that he'd try to climb out and fall. He's not even trying this currently. But the dr. pointed out that it would be harder to switch him while dealing with a new baby if that's when he decides to start climbing. So now I'm totally torn. My gut says he'll be fine in a crib probably for at least the next 6mo (baby is due in Apr). But you all know how they can change overnight. HELP...what to do...what to do?
Other than that, appt. went well. He's perfectly healthy and where they want developmentally. Although, I wasn't that crazy about this particular dr., he didn't really go over many of the developmental things (sleeping, eating, walking, vocab, etc.). I had to bring most of it up.

[newyorkgirl]

she totally understands most of what we say so now DH and i have to speak in code so she doesnt understand us. OMG, this is us too. We have started to spell things out so that Bennett doesn't know what we're talking about. Also, we have to refer to his elephant - his lovey - as "the pachyderm" so he doesn't hear us talking about it and demand his elephant. :rolleyes:

Bennett has his 18 month checkup today and he had two shots - did really well for the exam and for the shots. Totally healthy and everything's fine. He now has five teeth, total. I swear, he's not going to get all his baby teeth in until he's five.

talking - He's talking up a storm now and starting to put words together into sentences. We're teaching him to count (he seems partial to even numbers - one, two, four, eight, ten!) and colors. He can sing parts of the ABC song and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star which, incidentally, is the same melody and I totally didn't realize this until a few months ago. Yeah, silly me.

indoor activities - Bennett only lasts about 30-45 minutes playing independently with his toys. He also has an Aquadoodle. We sing and dance. We have a pool table down in the basement and he loves to get on top of it and throw the balls into the pockets. When we need to get out of the house, we go to the play area in the mall, the pet store, or the train table at Barnes & Noble. I tried to go to the library, like I did when he was younger (7-10 months), but he's way too active and too loud now. There's also an aerospace museum in a huge airplane hangar not too far from us (we live about 15 minutes from the airport) and I've taken him there a couple times for him to run around. The museum's free, but parking's expensive, so we can't go there too often. I've also thought about taking him to my gym in the middle of the day to maybe throw balls around a basketball or squash court (when no one is using them), but I haven't done that yet.

tantrums - We seem to be over the worst of it (knock on wood). It was really bad when he was around 15-16 months old, but somehow it's not as bad now. Or maybe just more manageable? He still has some nasty tantrums, but they just don't seem to be as bad as they were when he was a bit younger. We had a similar situation to you, kmack, where we were leaving DH's workplace and Bennett wanted to pull DH's briefcase (on roller wheels), but it was too heavy for him. DH kept trying to help, but Bennett just swatted his hand away each time. So we just finally had to let Bennett drag it himself until he realized he couldn't pull it. Then he looked at us and said, "hand," which is what he says when he wants one of us to give him a hand.

I have pictures, but my computer is on the fritz (I'm using DH's work laptop right now), so I can't upload them. Darn it!

[dizylizy]

shoot- I need to make the 18 month appt.

Bitting- her we go again. after a few months off Harry has now bit his cousin 3 times in 2 days. I am sure it is an anger thing. we are tell him each time it is bad and no bite. not nice. He gets a little upset and puts his head down for a second. but then later something/one wil piss him off and Chomp...

Eating- kind of a chore this week. doesn't want to sit ni high chair any more, wants utensils, gets pissed when he can't pick up the food with the fork. and is not eating the stuff he used to eat last week.... off to check out the 18 eating thread...

[NYN]

hi ladies, i have a new job now and have no time to post during the day but i have been trying to read along as much as possible.

we are doing fine but we were in the E.R. with Catie last week after she woke up at 1:30 making that barking-seal noise they tell you to look out for when a kid has croup and she was having trouble breathing (couldn't get a full breath in at all) so I told DH we needed to just go and we literally got there in ten minutes. we were there for several hours. they treated Catie right away and she fell asleep (she was fine after that) but they wanted to observe her for three hours and apparently they also wanted to harass me about my parenting decisions because they wouldn't stop bothering me about not vaccinating and then i got yelled at because i told them that Catie was 26lbs at her last doctor's appointment but when they weighed her she was 28lbs and they had made up the wrong dosage of the medication. :confused: i'm sorry but it's 3:30am and i'm in the E.R. with my DD and you have all been asking me irrelevent questions about her vaccination schedule and now i am supposed to make up dosages of medications for you too? whatever. i am just glad that she was fine after that whole incident. the next day it was as if she had never even been sick.

Catie is talking a lot too but not stringing sentences together yet. She repeats everything and calls me "Teba" with a perfect Spanish accent. It is very funny. She also says Hi to everyone like "Hi Dada, Hi Aba (grandma), Hi Chicho (our dog)" but then to me she says "Hi Baby." HAHA. She has not been sleeping well and it is really starting to get to me but I can't do much about it because she is getting another molar. This is her fourth one in a span of three weeks. I feel really bad for her because she constantly has her fingers in her mouth and I am terrible and always seem to forget to give her pain medication. I don't know why but it never occurs to me to give it to her before bed.

lil_nance: i would go with my gut but i am also the type who ignores any non-medical advice that my doctor gives me. i don't pay her for parenting advice and every family is different.

here are some recent pictures of my big girl:
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/tbesada/47b7df37b3127cce8089a72a89db0000001.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/tbesada/47b7df37b3127cce8089cd88087c0000001.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/tbesada/47b7df37b3127cce8089cda789630000001.jpg

[jki]

I haven't posted in forever, either!

Cassidy had her 18 month check up yesterday. She's 26 lbs., 3 oz. and 33 inches. She was such a show off for the ped, that the ped pronounced her as being "precocious" - of course, this is the same child (and same ped) who was "failing to thrive" as a baby and "developmentally behind" when she had to go to physical therapy for not crawling! :rolleyes:

NYN: Catie is so cute - she's all girl!! What a terrible ER experience!

crib/bed: That's interesting, lil_nance that your doctor suggested a regular bed. Both my kids will stay in their cribs until they are too big or ask for beds. There are plenty of kids in Jackson's playgroup who area 3+ and still in cribs.

talking: Cassidy talks up a STORM. 3/4 word sentences almost all the time. The other night, we went outside at 5:30pm and she said "it's dark already, mommy."

Here are some pictures of Cassidy from Christmas:
http://images.costcophotocenter.com/348%3C47868%7Ffp63%3Dot%3E2323%3D829%3D5%3B%3C%3D3 2328294%3C%3B699nu0mrj

http://images.costcophotocenter.com/348%3C47868%7Ffp67%3Dot%3E2327%3D82%3B%3D%3B%3B4%3 DXROQDF%3E23236%3A7%3C8%3B539ot1lsi

[NYN]

cassidy is gorgeous...

i also meant to say that catie is so NOT ready to go anywhere near the potty. she cried the few times that i sat her on it so i stopped. but also, she is not the type of kid who will tell you that she needs a diaper change. she is seriously content to walk around w/ her diaper full of poop. then when i change her she looks at me very seriously and says "caca" (poop in spanish) so i say "yes, caca" and she says "yea." so i know she knows when she has poop and when she doesn't but she just doesn't care about it i guess. i just remembered this b/c i re-read ava's potty story and i thought it was so funny. :D

[docoNY]

flyby - supposed to be showering
Orla had her 18m visit last week

22lbs 10oz & 32.5 inches

she gained 1lb and 2inches since the last visit

she started stringing words together about 2 wks ago - mommy's coat, mommy's shoes, bye bye daddy, baby sleeping, etc

I say 'who's mommy's good girl' and then 'orla' a lot so now she does it but she says it all at once.. its pretty funny

and she keeps calling her hands eyes - and when they are dirty she screams eyes and at first you think something is wrong with her eyes! she will give you her hand though when you ask for a hand

potty she will tell us when she goes 'dodo' but haven't tried the potty yet

activities we just wing it since its only the weekends.. she would have us read her books 24/7 if she could though.. forever saying book and bringing one to you - she loves giving her baby doll a bath too

other news I will be moving to working from home M-F soon - I troubleshoot software over the phone since July and the stress of rushing home is killing me and just realized that I have a great opportunity and going for it - it will be lonely - no chit chat but I will survive!

[docoNY]

NYN love the pic w/Catie & her sling! sorry about the croup/ER - O had croup in Oct and its nervewracking!

jki Cassidy is adorable!

newyorkgirl we talk in code too :)

dizylizy Orla bit my nose last night! hopefully it was an accident!

kmack we have had bad moments with O when we try to get her into her stroller - if we dare to let her walk then she won't go back in - its unbelievable - the howling and back arching, etc

kasia love the pics!!

*waving* happy weekend ladies!

[heatherlynne]

kmack-Thanks. I did find some books-some for Sarah, and one for me. She has really enjoyed the books and I was actually just reading mine too.
Potty-Sarah will pee on the potty most of the time, and she tells us just as she's going poo. She just needs to work on letting us know a little sooner. Either way, she HATES putting on any type of diaper or pull-up!

[lil_nance]

Winter is finally here. We got about an inch of snow last night. Connor loves it!
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/146/373542872_70e5d395e9.jpg?v=0

[dizylizy]

lil-nance- yeah for snow. Harry likes to play in it to. cried when I had to bring him inside on saturday. then fell asleep on the couch after being in the house for 15 minutes.

Signing- anyone still signing. Harry loves the Signing Time Videos. He even asked for it. granted he only watches about 10-15 minutes adn then is off to something else...

biting- been good for the last week.

eating- harry's appetite has gone down. still loves carbs. but eats less and grazes a bit more. we ahve tried to limit juice and water down what we give him... tryign to cut it out so he will eat more at proper meal times....

naps- down to one but some days he slips in two. Pete and I ahve been arguing about bed time. I have always thought we put him to bed at 8pm. Pete says 8:30. umm. in pj's, then kisses, then book and bed. done by 8:15... I put him to bed most nights since Pete watches him during the day... need to get out my fry pan and give DH a good smack.. ;) (watch out buddy, I am preggers and will take your head off!)

[lil_nance]

signing we've never been very consistant about it. Connor signs more, apple, banana, and he's made his own sign for cracker. Glad to hear you like Signing Times. I've been wanting to get a video. Even if Connor doesn't watch it, we've got #2 on the way.

eating noticed a decrease in appetite here too. Although it varies day to day and meal to meal.

bedtime It's around 8pm but varies depending on when dinner and bathtime get done. I don't stress about it too much since he's a good sleeper.

crib/bed Thanks for the feedback. Connor will stay in a crib for now. We're in the process of painting and getting his new room ready. Luckily there is space for the crib and a bed.

potty we're no where near ready for this. I'll worry about it sometime after his 2nd b-day unless he shows an interest sooner.

photos all our "babies" are turning into adorable toddlers. I can't believe how quickly they grow.

[QPDoll]

potty I bought a seat, and they looked scared when I put them on it. LOL I wish I would have had my camera with me! LOL No where near ready to start PT.

signing My boys just finally started signing! :p They don't talk yet, but they can sign eat, more, done, and milk. They love watching signing times, and bust out 'signing' every time I turn it on.

lil_nance such a cute picture! ... and you can keep your snow, Im SO ready for SPRING!

Pete and Nate have been sick the last couple of weeks. Croupy, broncious, cold type illness. I never know when to take them to the doctor, or when to say, 'bah, its just a cold'. I would have had them in the ER last week, but DH convinced me we had all the medications at home from last time and thats all they needed. It worked, but I did break down and take them in yesterday. Doc said to continue what we have been doing. :rolleyes: I hate it when DH is right. LOL

I am sooo ready for spring here. I have been "spring cleaning" like mad too. The basement was fully cleaned and sanitized last week because we had a sewage pipe back up into our basement (not as bad as Dirty Jobs, but holy hell, still nasty). So everything got tossed and now Im in a cleaning/orgnaizing mode and have made tons of progress upstairs. The computer room is WELL on its way to being a full-on playroom now. Just a few things left to do!

Oh, I hear stiring upstairs...little people must be awake from their nap!

[Tray85]

Kate just had her 18m visit. 26.2 lbs and 33 inches (though I think it may be more, it was hard holding Katie down on the table).

potty - She knows what the potty is, but I haven't attempted anything yet. I'll wait until she's at least 2.

signing - She sometimes uses milk and "all done", but since she's using so many words, she's pretty much done with signing.

DocoNY - I had this thread up and DH saw a picture of Orla and said "Aw! She's so cute!" :) LOL about eyes/hands.

Clothes Shopping - What is everyone doing for clothes shopping in general? I tend to pick up things here and there and then get kind of annoyed with myself that I don't have more outfit options or matches. I tend to go to Old Navy, The Children's Place and the local consignment shop. Do you get things here and there or go get a bunch of outfits all at once. I swear I just bought 18 month clothes and she's already growing out of them. Also, even though the stuff in stores is cute, I don't need bathing suits and shorts just yet. Its 10 degrees and will be chilly for 4 more months! If anyone has any good ideas (online stores? ebay?), let me know!

[newyorkgirl]

potty - haven't even attempted it yet. I was actually thinking I just might buy the thing that goes over the regular toilet seat - anyone know if that's doable?

signing - Oh man. I so wanted this to work, but Bennett just never sat still long enough to learn a sign, any sign! He talks so much now anyway, we just gave it up.

sick - Tina, Bennett has the same croupy, bronchitis-sounding, snotty-nosed cold. We're only a week into it, but the ped says to expect another week of it or so. Then, he might get a couple days of feeling well, but then he'll probably get hit with the next wave of cold viruses. Great. Don't you just love cold/flu season? :rolleyes:

naps - Bennett's mostly down to one nap on weekdays, but we often give him two naps on weekends - one 30-minute nap in the mornings and a longer, unlimited one in the afternoon. He seems to be finally dropping the second nap - not that I was complaining.

Here are some recent pictures...

Bennett picks up any pen, crayon, pencil and shouts, "Color!" and looks for the nearest drawing surface:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/IMG_3955a.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/IMG_3993a.jpg

Our first big snow (all two inches of it!):
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/IMG_3966a.jpg

[lil_nance]

Bennett is looking so cute. Connor wants to color but when I give him the crayons, all he does is toss them out of the box and throw them around. :rolleyes: We have a bit more luck with the Doodle Pro. He's going crazy with the snow. If I set him down outside he immediately runs to the nearest pathetic patch of snow and starts dancing in it with the biggest grin on his face. Of course, bringing him inside to thaw out and taking him away from the "so" is cause for a HUGE tantrum. Connor had a runny nose this afternoon. He's finally decided that "sometimes" it's ok to wipe his nose and will even say "blow". After dinner, he wiped his nose, then he had to wipe mine and DH's. Then I practically died laughing as he walked over to the dog and tried to wipe her nose. Needless to say she was a bit less cooperative.

[QPDoll]

Bennet is so cute! I love that jacket he has on!
I hope he starts feeling better. Do you take him anywhere or is he pretty much just isolated in the house? Im torn weather or not to bring Pete and Nate around other kids because I don't want to get others sick, but at the same time - screw them...everyone elses kids are rubbing their snotty noses on my guys. LOL

clothes Gymboree...I work there so thats pretty much all they have. I usually buy one thing from each line, but only if I *love* it. DH says they have too much, but he doesn't realize how much they have grown OUT of.

ETA: Nancy - how cute about wiping the dogs nose!!! I finally got Nate to wipe his own nose. He snotted all over himself when I was driving and I couldn't reach him safely, so I handed him a kleenex and showed him how/what to do with it. It was cute to watch him mimic me. He did a somewhat decent job of wiping his own nose, but lord knows he certainly hates it when I do it! LOL

[myshel]

Since Bennet (who is a doll, BTW) has snow picture, I decided to post my Luka snow picture. This one is from a few weeks ago. It was the first time Luka ever wore his snow boots and snowpants. Needless to say, he couldn't figure out how to walk at all.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/160/372185892_28f1f69f82.jpg?v=0

A funny Luka story... As I was driving home from school and daycare one day, I was talking to Luka in the car. I kept asking him questions like, "What does a duck say?" and "What does a dog say?" He kept giving me approrpiate replies. So, I asked him, "What does Daddy say?" and he cheerfully replied, "Yeah!" Then I asked him, "What does Mommy say?" His reply-- "No!" Talk about funny stuff.

[NYN]

Hi Ladies! I have been trying to reply here for two days but keep getting distracted. I love my new job b/c I am so busy but at the same time it eats into my board time which isn't fun. :)

potty: I may have mentioned this before but we are so not ready for the potty over here. Catie is content to sit in a pile of crap, literally! We plan on getting one of those things that goes over the toilet seat. I honestly hope it is fine b/c I can't get one of those potties. Aside from having no room for one in our new bathroom, they really gross me out (I am weird about bathroom things). My girlfriend potty trained three kids w/out one of those little potties so I am banking on her experience that it'll work. For now, anytime I attempt to sit Catie on the toilet she screams like it is hurting her butt, lol.

signing: Catie is a great signer. We learn from the Signing Times DVDs. I love them. We are treating sign like a third language, so even though she says all the words she signs (usually as she signs them), we still continue. It comes in handy in surprising situations, like when we are on the subway and it is loud and she wants her water, she will get my attention and sign "water" or whatever. My MIL now takes care of her and Catie taught her a bunch of signs, lol.

clothes: Catie has a lot of clothes. I am really into clothes and my sister and mom are the same way so she always has too much. I buy her a lot of stuff at Old Navy, Children's Place, GAP and occasionally Gymboree or Janie and Jack. Usually if there is something that I really want at Gymbo or J&J I ask my mom to buy it. Nice perk of birthing the first grandchild. ;)

croup: After our trip to the ER Catie was good as new, thank god. She hasn't been sick since and I am 100% convinced it had everything to do with daycare. She was sick the entire three months that she was in there! It is so nice to be able to sleep at night and not have to worry about her coughing or runny nose.

naps: Catie naps once a day for 2-3 hours at my MIL's house but when she is home all day (on the weekends or on the two days she is home with my husband during the week) she naps twice. We kind of force her into it. I know that is horrible but it is so draining to be stuck in the apartment with her all day. Now that we are more settled in our apartment I usually try to take her out for a walk in the stroller around 11am so that we can come back, do lunch and then she can have a nice long nap around 1. Otherwise the morning drags on and I end up losing my patience with her which I strive to avoid doing.

toddlers: Catie has become a very active toddler, seemingly overnight. Sometimes I wonder where my baby who we worried would never walk has gone. From the time she wakes up to the time she goes to sleep she does not stop. It is very exhausting but at the same time I am enjoying her so much right now. She is a big jokster and loves making jokes. She even points and then laughs and slaps her leg when she makes jokes. It is very funny. She is also super-sweet and loves giving hugs and kisses. She will pucker up and try to kiss everyone smack on the lips. Watch out!

Mommy!: Catie has switched from calling me Mama to calling me Mommy. I was very surprised as I thought kids didn't start doing that until much later. DH is still Dada. It is very cute to hear her say "Mom-meee" in the mornings. I told her not to cry when she wakes up, just call for mommy so now she stands there and says "Moommmm-meee" with the full effect of a drama queen.

I love all your snow pictures. It is hard for us to play in snow unless we get a good fall b/c we live on a busy intersection so it turns to ugly slush practically as soon as it hits the ground.

We are Brooklynites now and are enjoying our new home. Our neighborhood is very nice but much more urban than where we used to live so that has taken a lot of getting used to. Sleeping, for example, is very different b/c whereas before we used to live on a very quiet, very dark dead end street, it is now much louder. I have to say that Catie has adjusted very well all things considered.

Here she is enjoying our new couch:
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/tbesada/47b7df08b3127cce81614adb4f400000001.jpg

[docoNY]

NYN what a sweet picture! getting sick is totally tied to daycare. Orla was sick the minute she went to daycare last winter. Knock on wood she has been a tad bit better this winter (minus croup in Oct). I meant to tell you I saw our lacation consultant quoted in a Time Out Kids - glad your liking Brooklyn! we love it! :)

myshel look at all that snow! we haven't had enough yet for a picture!

qp my kid is a nut - she can spend 10 min wiping her nose.. she will just sit/stand there doing it over and over.. when I want peace I give her a tissue!

lil_nance that is so cute about the dog's nose!

newyorkgirl cute pics! he does love to color! we tried it 1x around Christmas and I think O will do it but keep forgetting to get big paper! :D

Tray thanks wish she would smile for pics!! she just stares! and now she has added fingers to her daily babble but it sounds more like fockers or something that doesn't sound nice :D

shopping
I picked up a bit of summer stuff last fall at CP and ON - O is in daycare so I have to remember that she doesn't need a lot of good stuff.. but I keep forgetting.. I never send her anything nice or cute and then we never get the nice stuff worn! when we were in Ireland for 10 days she had all her good stuff so we got some use out of it.

I did pick up some ON 18-24m shirts recently but she didn't even really need them..she is 19m next week and still fits fine in her 18m jeans so think she will be ok till it warms up. I do get sick of her clothes though which makes me shop.. I am sure DH loves that!

happy weekend!!

[newyorkgirl]

Thanks, all.

NYN - That's such an adorable picture of Catie. I'm glad you're enjoying Brooklyn. I keep wanting to give you a call, but I don't want to bother you at work when you're busy.

myshel - See, now that is real snow, not like the wimpy stuff we have here. :)

Tina - The first few days Bennett gets a new cold or something, I will try to keep him away from other kids. After about 3-4 days, I'll start to take him out again and put him back into daycare. My ped says that the time they're really contagious is the 1-2 days before they start to show symptoms anyway, so keeping them home once they are already snot-nosed and croupy doesn't really help that much and after 5-7 days, they're not contagious anymore even though they may still be symptomatic.

clothes - I am trying to resist buying more clothes until the spring! After Bennett hit about 15 months, I really thought he wasn't going to grow that much more so I bought 12-18 month clothes, but he just keeps growing taller and gaining about 1.5 lbs between doctor's visits! I finally broke down and bought a couple pairs of 18-24 month pants, but I really don't want to buy anymore until the weather gets warm.

Mommy - Bennett recently started doing this too. He still says Dada for DH, but he switched from Mama to Mommy a couple weeks ago, and last week, started saying "doggie" instead of "dog" for his stuffed dog. He still says "dog" when he is referring to actual dogs, though.

toddlerhood - I have entered the age of "I do it!" He has wanted to do everything himself for a while now, but now he can tell me that he's going to do it himself. *sigh*

kisses and hugs - Bennett loves giving kisses and hugs too. He kisses everyone on the cheek except me. He gives me smackers on the mouth. :) About a month ago, we were playing with these dinosaur water squirters in the bathtub and I wanted to show him that two dinosaurs could interact with each other, but I didn't want them to do anything violent, so I had them hug and kiss each other. LOL Now Bennett takes his dinosaurs and smooshes them together to "kees!" and "ug!"

[Kasia216]

Loving all the pictures! Especially all the snow photos. Can't believe all the snow you got Myshel! Nothing here in Manhattan, not even a light dusting :rolleyes:

Potty - Not ready for that at this time and I really see no need to introduce it at this time.

Clothes - Jackson's wearing 18-24 months these days however most stuff is still a bit big on him so we have to roll everything (which is not my favorite look). I've also started to buy 2T spring/summer stuff when I see a good sale so we have a nice little wardrobe coming along. I buy most clothes online. I did happen to hit an amazing sale in the Kid's Diesel store this weekend - most stuff was 50% off (exception Jeans)!!!

18-Month Check-up - I was a bit late in scheduling this but Jackson has an appointment next week

Toddler - Amazing how he's grown. He's so animated these days. Makes most animal sounds which cracks me up. Vocabulary is getting better...not as advanced as some however he's learning 2 languages so I think that might be causing some confusion. Anybody else speaking more than 1 language in the house?

Not much into drawing or painting however he loves to build things with his legos and blocks. Loves all his cars and trains and can't get enough of books (lift and flap, slide). As far as classes - he's enrolled in a Gym class on Mondays, Music class on Wednesdays and Swim lessons on Saturday. Trying to keep him busy.

Crib/Bed- He'll be staying in his crib for now. He has no sleep issues so I see no reason to mess with a good thing.

Naps - He's been on 1 nap per day for some time now. It's usually about 1:30P (like clockwork). He'll nap for about 1 hour or so...

School - Have an interview + child observation next week for a 2's program that begins in September. I'm not sure we'll make it in as they're not very many slots available and it's fairly competitive. If he doesn't make it in, I'm fine with it as he'll continue with his normal classes.

Take Care everyone!

[heatherlynne]

Potty-Sarah introduced herself to it, so I am following her lead with everything. She is pretty good with pee, and is getting more consistent with poo. Sometimes she forgets to give herself enough time to get in the bathroom though.

Clothes-Sarah is in an 18-24 month and I just buy stuff as I see it. I'm in FL, so I mainly jut stock up on warm weather clothes and I did get some winter playclothes from Kohls that were a great deal. She loves shoes and will wear them to bed if we let her. Her favorites are crocs mary janes. I can't get them off of her feet!

18-month checkup-25lbs4oz and 33 3/4 inches. She's doing just fine.

Toddler-She is a hoot. She is repeating EVERYTHING! Thankfully my DH was the root of her first curse word. She knows all her animals and sounds, all her body parts (and she loves boobies b/c I am nursing the baby). She is learning the alphabet and her numbers and loves to sing and dance.

I don't have her in any classes or playgroups right now.

Signing vs talking-Sarah still does both. She often with tell us what she wants and sign at the same time. Her vocabulary is far more advanced than her signing though, so most of the time it is easier to just talk.

Mommy-I don't remember when Sarah started calling me Mommy. Sometimes she just says Mom too. For a while, she was calling my DH Mark instead of Daddy. That just cracked me up.

Crib/Bed-Sarah has a crib and got a twin bed at the end of December when we moved her to her new room. She immediately took to it, and she usually sleeps all night in the bed, but naps in the crib. I am hoping to transition her out of the crib within the next few months so I can give it to the baby.

Naps-1 every day around 10:30

School-Not yet. Maybe next year.

http://images1.snapfish.com/34939%3A5%3B%3B%7Ffp372%3Evq%3D3246%3E742%3E536%3E WSNRCG%3D32355%3A%3A5%3C7878vq0mrj

http://images1.snapfish.com/34939%3A5%3B%3B%7Ffp377%3Evq%3D3246%3E742%3E536%3E WSNRCG%3D32355%3A8%3A8699%3Cvq0mrj

[kmack]

wow, lots of updates here!

18 mo. visit: i scheduled it late b/c i switched peds. so we go on monday.

clothes: ava must finally be catching up to everyone b/c i feel like i have been buying her 18-24 mo. clothes for a while now! some pants are still too big but most fit her. and i just bought a shirt from ON that says 'my heart belongs to daddy' in 18-24 mos., washed it first, and put it on her yesterday and it's too tight :eek: i think her growth spurt is b/c of the change in her eating habits - thankfully she has a much better appetite now. the other night for dinner i made just enough salmon for me since DH was out of town and ava stole ALL of it off my plate - i couldnt believe my eyes. she also just ate half of my tuna sandwich at lunch. she still has her days of being very picky, but i am so relieved that she is finally eating 'normally'.

potty: she probably goes 1-2x a day in her potty. i did just buy a seat that goes over our seat, b/c as someone mentioned earlier it is kinda gross dealing with the mini-potty. she seems to like it just fine. if she has to go poopy it takes a while b/c every time she so much as farts, she has to stand up, investigate what's in the potty, and then wipe herself. over and over! we had a couple accidents, and once she even reached into the potty and tried to grab it :eek: ..i am not pushing anything, if i know she is about to poop i just ask if she wants to go on her potty and just do what she wants. the last couple of days she has grabbed my hand and said 'pee pee' and then led me in the bathroom. but then she makes me sit on the toilet too, and i cant fake it, i have to pull down my pants too :rolleyes:

toddler: sometimes it makes me sad to know that my little baby is gone! she is non-stop all the time, blabbering away and doing crazy things that just make me laugh. she is SO bossy, she orders me around all day - mommy, SIT! mommy, REACH! (to try to turn on the ceiling fan), mommy NIGHT NIGHT! (she wants me to lay on the floor with her), mommy MORE WATER!..mommy PEE PEE! (see above). she was doing this to my poor MIL the other day while she babysat her, ava wanted her to lay on the floor and bang her feet on the coffee table, LOL. she also wants to do everything herself, like putting on her shoes and socks. she went through a phase of wanting to be naked all the time but luckily that passed. she loves to give kisses and hugs as well, but right on the lips...

signing: she only learned a couple of words and now that she is pretty much talking she doesnt even bother.

naps: she still hates to take one, but i put her down around 1:00 and she will sleep for 2-3 hours. she only sleeps 10 hours max. at night though.

ETA:for the moms of girls, what is your favorite shoe? or if you had the money, what shoe would you buy? my dad gave ava some $$ for xmas and i want to buy her a nice pair of shoes but i dont know what kind or even what color to get...i want to make sure i get something that she will wear all the time. she loves her pedipeds but the sole is too soft so i only let her wear them inside.

[Tray85]

kmack - First, LOL, our girls are so similar. Katie shouts demands all day. I have started making her say please. Hers are: Blues Clues! Walk! Basement! Toys! Slide! :) I can't sit near her and read a book while she's playing with her toys, oh no, I have to be actively engaged. She's taken my book away. Shoes - We like Stride Rite. They are about $45. They are well made and look nice. I got her the pedipeds after she started walking, but you are right, they aren't great for outdoors.

[NYN]

omg, i just literally laughed out loud over ava's potty story.

shoes: i love, love, love see kai runs. these are my favorite shoes and we own three pairs. but honestly, sometimes i find cute shoes at Target for $10 and i love them just as much. i feel like now that she walks normally she doesn't really need "good" shoes.

tray: i hate stride right shoes b/c the grip is so strong that the soles actually catch and make her fall down. maybe it is just the ones we have though (we only have one pair that my MIL bought her and they are more like sneakers than shoes).

[lil_nance]

Katie shouts demands all day. I have started making her say please. Hers are: Blues Clues! Walk! Basement! Toys! Slide! I can't sit near her and read a book while she's playing with her toys, oh no, I have to be actively engaged. She's taken my book away.
Eeeek! You've cloned Connor and changed him into a girl. The above sounds exactly like my day. Well, switch The Wiggles for Blues Clues but still.

I have a little crack baby. As Connor learns new words, he usually only gets one syllable. For a snack, he'll often ask for "Crack". Luckily, I know he means cracker.

shoes not a girl mom but thought I'd chime in anyhow. We have Stride Rite and a pair of leather sneakers from Target (Cherokee brand).

[heatherlynne]

kmack-Sarah's favorite shoes are Crocs-Mary Janes. She even wants to wear them to bed. She also wears a pair of Converse All Stars that she's pretty fond of. For church shoes, it's always pedipeds...

[jki]

shoes: We usually buy Stride Rite or Preschoolians. Cassidy has narrow feet so Pedipeds fall right off of her. :( If money were no object, I'd probably buy Eccos and Naturinos.

[QPDoll]

We buy Eccos because Petes feet have been so wide that they are hard to fit. Just recently, I found a pair of regular cheepie tennis shoes at Payless that are fit great; although they haven't held up like the Eccos have. The Eccos have worn well enough that I can pass them down to a friend, the cheepie shoes are thrashed before they even out grow them.

[QPDoll]

My boys are still sick. I never know when to bring them to the ped or when to just suck it up. All last year, Nate was so sick, so frequently, that we were at the peds all the time. Now that they are growing up, my DH says we have all the meds they need and to just deal with it.

About a month ago, they had (what I assume was) croup. I started them back on their rx cough syrup and albuterol. They still have a productive cough and a really snotty nose (its been clear snot up until a few days ago, now its *slightly* greenish). I did break down about 2 weeks ago and took them to the ped, he gave us more cough syrup and an antibotic (which I didn't give them, because they prescribe antibiotics for *everything* there).

The past few days, Pete has been SOOOO tired that he is miserable, but he isn't falling asleep or staying asleep. He isn't eating much. Today, he was so tired he was smacking himself on the face! He finally fell asleep on our drive home from an errand (I was hoping the drive would help knock him out), but as soon as I pulled in the driveway, he woke up and I can't get him to go back to sleep. Today, the only thing I have been able to get him to eat was a couple bites of mini shredded wheats (his favorite) and a few french fries (I was trying anything!). Nates appetite is fine, but he has a bit of runny-butt.

They have all their teeth, sans their 2y molars; although Nates last two eye teeth are just poking through.

Its so hard when I have two the same age, to NOT compare them.

My DH and I are suppose to go out of town tomorrow - DH has a meeting this weekend and Im tagging along to go shopping and relax. The boys are staying with my inlaws (which Im nervous about).

Im not sure what I should do. Im not sure if they are sick, and if they are sick, if there is anything we could do for them anyway other than let it run its course. Im not sure if I should stay home this weekend and let DH go by himself. Im not sure if they are just going through a phase with no sleeping and no eating (I hear toddlers do that! LOL). I just don't know.

[jki]

QPDoll: Since you're going out of town, I'd take them to the ped tomorrow just to be safe. I like the rule out ear infections before the weekend.

[Tray85]

QPDoll - I don't have much advice, but just wanted to say that you are definitely not alone. Its hard not to question everything as a mom...and every situation seems to be so ambiguous! The boys' appetites are probably related to not feeling well (maybe swallowing all of the gunk from their runny noses?)

I would say that if they aren't really, really ill - to go on your trip. Just make sure your IL's know where to take them if things get worse.

[Kasia216]

QPDoll - I would go with jki'sadvice and try to take them to see the doc before you leave for the weekend. It would depend how sick they are and whether you feel comfortable leaving them. How far away will you be? It's been cold here on the east coast and not only are the kids all sick around here, the adults are too! If you decide to go have a great time!

Shoes - PediPeds, SeeKaiRun, Preschoolians, Naturino and Gucio shoes are all really nice. I just bought Jackson a cute pair of Geox sneakers - not sure they have Girls styles but they are pretty nice!

[QPDoll]

Thanks for the advice everyone! We went ahead and went on our trip (we were 3 hours from home, but only 1 hour from where the boys were staying). It was soooo nice to STTN, and sleep in! I went shopping, enjoyed a coffee and even did a little scrapbooking while my DH was in a meeting. It was great. It was held at a casino (convention center) and I won $20, DH won $150. Not bad considering we had no idea what we were doing. LMAO

The boys actually did okay at my ILs. MIL remarked how they can't seem to sit still for very long :p, but they slept okay for her - of course, she kept them up until 9pm or so, and our bedtime at home is 7:30.
They are having a difficult time adjusting to being home tonight. They don't want to let us out of their site and we are having to do a little CIO tonight since nothing was working trying to get them to sleep (including rocking, a warm bottle - which I had to pull out of storage!, lullibye cd, one of our shirts, etc.). I think they got a little spoiled at my ILs; they said they rocked them to sleep each night.

Anyway, wow - it was a great weekend and so nice to get away. Oh, except DH was sick the whole time...but since he was in a meeting most of the weekend, I only had to listen to him whine in the evening. LMAO

ETA: Im dying to get the boys brightly colored converse...either red or orange. I saw some while I was out shopping and thought they were so cute, but figured I could wait until they outgrow the pair they currently have. OH! And I got to visit stores we don't have in my area, like Childrens Place, Carters Outlet, JCrew for Kids, Tommy for kids, and...something else, I can't remember. Oh! A STride-Rite store! I have only seen a few pairs of stride-rites at Nordstoms (which is 45 minutes away), and was not too impressed with the offerings, which is a big reason why I have always bought Eccos. But There were a bunch of cute stride-rites that I would have loved to have had them in when they were learning to walk.

[Nanner]

Hi, girls! Question for you all--

Has anyone's child moved to a toddler bed yet? I'm not sure if Sam is ready or not, but he has now learned how to climb over the top of his crib. He had one foot over for the longest time, and he finally learned how to hoist himself up.

What are the other "signs" that your child is ready for a toddler bed? I don't really think he's ready, because when we put him down for a nap or night-night, he usually sits up and messes around for a while, then ends up sleeping in a corner of the crib. Do they learn to sleep regulary, on a pillow, while in the bed, or should they be able to do this before they transition to the bed? I'm confused. I just don't want him to scale over the crib in the middle of the night and hurt himself.

Other than that, we've got a lot going on! Baby #2 will be here in 2 1/2 weeks, if not sooner. Sam has gotten his molars in! He was so slow getting his teeth. He had 7 teeth for the longest time. Then suddenly he's practically got a mouthful! Crazy. At least he can eat crunchier things now.

[lil_nance]

Nanner with baby #2 due so soon, you might want to consider a crib tent to keep Sam in the crib a bit longer. I just know I couldn't deal with a baby and transitioning to a toddler bed. That said, if he's able to get out, he's ready for a bed. I know a lot of kids still don't use pillows or blankets in a bed. Here's the link to the big kid bed thread http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15935.

vomitting we're dealing with this for the first time tonight. Connor threw up twice after we put him down for bed. He's been ok for almost 2hr now. He's sleeping a bit fitfully but thankfully hasn't gotten sick again. Anything I need to be on the watch for? Once he was cleaned up, he was acting fine and went back to bed ok. All day today, he's been a bit cranky, clingy, and his appetite was off. Checked for fever before bath and it was 99.3. Should I send DH out for Pedialyte or something in the morning or can I just go with a mild diet?

[jki]

Toddler Bed: We follow Weissbluth and according to him, you're not ready for a bed until you specifically ASK for one..... hopefully, that's not until age 3+ for us! :) I like the crib tent advice. Cassidy's brother can climb in and out on his own and we just explained that it's dangerous to climb out because we have wood floors and he could get hurt. He always calls us to get him out but we allow him to climb in because the mattress protects him from falls. We also keep their rooms pitch black so there's no temptation to get out.

lil_nance: It's nice to have Pedialyte on hand because it replaces electrolytes. Just watch for dehydration.

[Tray85]

Someone in my mom's group just posted this and I snagged 4 pairs of shoes for Katie for $30!!

I came across this web site and thought that I would pass it on.

WWW.Darlingshoes.com

If you enter to code VDAY70 at the check out all shoes are 70% off.

[heatherlynne]

Beds-Our ped warned us that Sarah may regress if we tried to put her in a big bed and then brought the baby home, but he insisted that we stop the crib as soon as she could get out-he never mentioned a crib tent or anything though (that sounds cool).

Signs that she was ready-we put a twin bed in her room and then we would put her down in it if she fell asleep and we had to carry her to bed (like if she fell asleep in the car, then we would bring her in the house and put her on the twin). Eventually, she started telling me that she wanted to sleep in the 'big bed' and now she chooses at night if she sleeps in the bed or the crib. During the day, I usually have her nap in the crib b/c she will play for a while and then nap and it buys me some extra free time. She has never climbed out of the crib, and we have a rail on the bed so she doesn't fall out.

Hope that helps!!!

[Nanner]

Thanks for all of the input re: toddler beds, ladies. We've decided he's not quite ready for one. Here's the story that I didn't share.

When I posted, he had not only started crawling out of his crib, he was crawling out constantly, and would not stay put. The first night, he slept with us in our bed. But I didn't want to encourage that, with the new baby coming. The next night, we shut his door, and he ended up screaming until falling asleep on the floor (hardwood floors). I felt like we were abandoning and traumatizing him, so I didn't want to do that again. The next night, we put the mattress on the floor, but he had so much freedom, he wouldn't stay put at all, and DH finally took him into the living room and slept on the couch with him. I think he fell asleep around 1:30. Ugh. We thought he might be sick, so took him to the ped. Nope, no problems. We thought maybe he needed a new sleep schedule. Nope, his naps are fine. He's sleepy when we go to put him in his crib at night, but he just doesn't want to go to sleep.

So we decided to take Dr. Weissbluth's advice, which is to put him back in his crib over and over again, without looking or talking to him, until he stays there. We've now done this for 4 nights in a row. I guess it's getting better, but he's still climbing out.

First night--1hr45min. of putting him back in his crib, approx. 120 times.
Second night--1hr15min., approx 100 times. He fell asleep, but got out of bed around 3:30 and crawled into bed with us. We were both too tired to put him back.
Third night--1hr30min., approx 100 times. It didn't seem like he was going to give up, so we gave him a sippy cup of milk in his crib, and he fell asleep.
Forth night--1hr., approx 40 times. Did the same thing as night 3.

So we'll see how tonight goes. So far, this method hasn't been that great. But he did say it should take 3 or 4 nights. I'll give it tonight. But I don't know any other alternative that won't make our lives miserable when the baby gets here next week!

[NYN]

wow, it is so quiet in here! i hope you are all just enjoying the winter (yeah right!).

we are not ready for a toddler bed here either. i have instilled the worst sleep habits in catie mostly b/c i'm so terrible about wanting to sleep train. it is just so much easier (and cozier!) to have her in bed with us. must get serious about this soon. other than that, we are not ready for a toddler bed b/c we have no room for one. purely selfish reasons! but as jki said, most people in our circle aren't moving their kids out of cribs until after their third b-days so it's totally not weird for us to still have her in a crib.

catie finally did a poopy on the potty! i wasn't home for it (of course :rolleyes: ) but DH was kind enough to take a picture of it, lol.

hope you are all enjoying a great weekend. :D

[Tray85]

Just breaking up the quiet!

Question - how many of you are still in high-chairs vs. booster (or no) seats? Katie is just now fighting the high chair.

[Kasia216]

Wow it has been very quiet in here these days :p

We have our 18 month Well Visit tomorrow. I'm so late it should have been over a month ago :rolleyes:

Jackson still eats in his highchair. He has no issues with it and will gladly sit there for all meals. He's also pretty good at using them in restaurants as well.

Question - We're looking for a nice table + chair set for Jacksons room. I want someplace (beside the floor) where we can sit and paint/color or do puzzles etc. I saw a plastic set at Ikea but I think I would like something a bit more sturdy and made of wood not plastic. Any suggestions - pics?

[jki]

Cassidy sits in a highchair in the dining room and a Fisher Price booster in the kitchen. We also have a Stokke Kinderzeat for her brother. I'm thinking of getting rid of the highchair (she climbed out of it, onto the tray, onto the table, down to a chair, and onto the ground the other day - gave me a heart attack because I was in the bathroom) and getting another Kinderzeat because she LOVES that chair.

Kasia216:
I bought Cassidy a table/chair set from Overstock but it looks like they no longer have it.

Here's one that might work for you:
http://images.overstock.com/f/102/3117/8h/www.overstock.com/images/products/P10338726.jpg

[kmack]

highchairswe've never had a highchair at home but use a little chair that hooks onto the table, nowadays when she wants to eat she moves a kitchen chair over to it and just climbs in :rolleyes: she still uses a highchair when we go out, we tried a booster seat once but she wouldnt stay in it.

table and chairs
my MIL got us this (http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=109391&RN=299) set at bed bath and beyond for $10...we haven't put it together yet but it is wood not plastic. we don't have any room for much else so it will have to do for now.

ped. visits: just curious as to when everyone is going back? we just switched peds and after the 18 mos. visit we are not due back until she turns 2, just curious if that was normal.
~~~
ava has just been cracking me up lately. today we were laying on the floor and she looked up at me and just smiled...and then she reached over and grabbed my entire boobie and squeezed it (i was fully clothed BTW, lol) - kind of like she was honking a horn or something...then she stared at it for a minute and said 'NIIIIIIIICE BOOBIE!!!!"...i was dying, if only DH had been around to hear it. we are just getting over another stomach bug, just about 24 hours of vomiting (nothing like last time thankfully) and then 5 days of foul diarrhea...so glad that's over. we leave tomorrow to visit my dad in FL, i am really nervous about the flight but can't wait to get down there!

[lil_nance]

highchair We do a combination of highchair and regular kitchen chair. Breakfast is usually in the kitchen chair with daddy, while mommy sleeps in a few min. ;) . Lunch and dinner are in the highchair. When he's with me, he wants to be in my lap and is up and down all the time so the highchair is easier. It also has a 5pt harness which he doesn't seem to mind and it keeps him put. For those of you using a booster. Do you strap DC in?

ped we don't go back until 2yr.

[dizylizy]

Highchair- Harry has been out of the high chair for about 4-6 weeks now. he much peefers pulling out the kitchen chair and standing in it. We also had a little table with chairs for all the kids to use (nephews) but they prefer to sit with the grown ups. We got the little table and chairs from IKEA.

Ped- not until 2 yo. plus, we have been holding off on getting the chicken pox shot. our new ped is OK. He understnds my feelings on not subjecting him to serious diseases, which I don't think chicken pox is. It is rare for kids to die from this, it is diplitating for a few days but you recover better than from measles or hepititas. He will need it before kindergarten but I am holding off at least 6 more months to make him a bit stronger. probably get it at 3 yo and than a booster at 5yo...

[Tray85]

Thanks for the highchair/booster comments.

Kmack - LOL about your daughters comment!!

Timeouts? - I gave Katie her 1st time out yesterday. She was climbing onto my glass coffee table and sitting in the middle. She wouldn't listen to me tell her no (ha, as if she ever listens). Finally, I tried it. She did it 4 times total and got 4 time outs of one minute each. She was REALLY upset by the 4th time, but I stuck to my guns. Anyone else using timeouts yet? The funny part is that later that night when daddy was getting her ready for bed, she was trying to rip something off of the wall and daddy mentioned a time out. He said that she got really serious and then said, "mommy no no climbing...time out...no no...baby crying!" He said she was pouty and slumped over when she was saying it. Heartbreaking! But, I've got to get that kid to listen. I'm worried about the summer and her taking off like a bat out of hell.

[Kasia216]

Just had our 18 month Well Visit (bit late :rolleyes:) and my champ weighs in at 24 lbs and he's 34 inches long! We don't have to go back till he hits 2.

Time Outs - We have not instituted time outs yet. The reason being is that I don't think at his age he will fully comprehend the concept of "Time Out". I do however believe it's a good form of discipline when properly used (for out of control behaviour - temper tantrums, biting, hitting etc). At this time we are still redirecting his focus and using positive reinforcement. It's worked thus far for the most part.

[newyorkgirl]

highchairs - Bennett is still in his high chair. We have yet to get a kitchen table for our not-so-new house now, but once we do, we may switch over to a booster. I still strap him in when he's in the high chair. We sort of want him to understand that the high chair and the table is for meals. We were recently at a family gathering and I watched my mom chase my nearly-3-year-old nephew around while trying to feed him dinner. Ugh.

time outs - I think Bennett is just beginning to understand time outs. We've only done one time out so far - when DH got a new big flatscreen TV, all Bennett wanted to do was push the buttons and mess with the connections behind it. So after many warnings and a couple tantrums, we picked him up (kicking, twisting and crying) and put him in the crib. Ten minutes later, after he'd calmed down, we brought him back downstairs and he headed straight for the television. I said, "Do you want to do go back up to your crib?" He shook his head and said, "Noooo!" So I said, "Well then you can't go near the TV. If you don't want to go back to your crib, you can't touch Daddy's TV." And he hasn't gone near it since. We're actually a little surprised ourselves at how effective it was. We're not going to do many timeouts - we're saving it only for the serious things and I sort of don't like using the crib but I don't know where else to put him. Generally, talking to him, giving him options and natural consequences seem to be enough.

The other thing that we do is if he's just having Big Emotions, we will pick him up and take him out the situation to calm him down, but I don't know if that's technically a time-out or not.

jki - that is a beautiful table & chairs set! Where is it from?

things they say - When Bennett tries to lift something heavy, he'll grunt, "Unh! Unh! Dammit! Unh!" The first time he said it, DH and I looked at each other, just shocked - we are totally going to have to watch what we say now! And yesterday, he just rattled off 1 through 10 in Chinese.

We just got back from an extended trip to San Diego to see family. We were supposed to only go from Thursday to Sunday, but our flight home got cancelled on Sunday because of a massive snowstorm at home and they weren't flying anyone out until Tuesday. We had a pretty good time - and my parents loved spending time with Bennett. We went to Legoland, which was fine, but I think he would have appreciated it much more if he had been just a little bit older, and we went to Seaworld, which he *loved*. He loved the sea lions, the walruses, turtles, everything. He favorite was the dolphins. Here we are, watching them:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/IMG_4119a.jpg

[MaMa2D]

hello! i've been lurking on the july '05 mommies thread since my second trimester with DS and have occasionally posted. i had a horrible experience with my wedding photos popping up all over the internet when i was an active member of the WC and have been so apprehensive about joining a new group. but, i love reading about all of your little ones and constantly find myself wanting to post ... so, if its okay i'd love to join almost two years late :)

[jki]

MaMa2D: It's never too late to join! Welcome!

newyorkgirl: That table is from overstock.com (http://www.overstock.com/?page=proframe&prod_id=2039902). It's only $65 but comes with just one bench. Bennet looked like he had a blast in SD!

[char473]

Been forever since I have posted, but I have been lurking. Syd is blooming everyday. I am so in love with that girl. She is very much a mommy girl now. Daddy is a play thing at this point. Not much to report as far as changes, just little changes everyday. She is picking up more words and has a killer imagination. Still counting (has been for about 3 months) and has started to count on her fingers which is too cute.

Ped: We go back at 2

QOTD: Do you ladies still use the crib bumper? I just removed ours because our little climber has been trying to use it to get out.

QOTD2: Do you have a tricycle, or motorized ride on? I am debating as to which one I want. A neighbor has the motorized Dora quad and it looks cute, but I don't know if I would rather her pedal around. Perplexing, I know.;)

Loving all the baby talking stories and how much our little ones are becoming little people.

Take Care.

[QPDoll]

ped back at 2, unless still not talking then we reasses that at 21 months.

crib bumper we never used one, but I'd have it out by now because my little monkeys are climbers. They BOTH can now get out of their cribs.

ride toys currently, we only have a ride-on thing (not a trike, no peddles). I'd like to get them a moterized thing for their birthday, but Im not sure *IM* ready for that. Im thinking we will get them a Cozy Coupe (fred flinstone car) for their b-day and maybe peddle trikes for Christmas next year. Probably a moterized one the next summer (3rd birthday).

My boys seem so behind compared to everyone elses (here and in my Aug 05 list). We don't talk much (hi, here). no pointing to body parts, very few animal sounds (dog, elephant, bee), let alone no recognizing letters or numbers, no counting. Its all I can do to keep up with them during the day, I can't imagine trying to teach them letters and such too. Just keeping them from fighting is a full time job itself. I feel like Im failing them already because Im not teaching them things like that - and because they aren't talking and such yet. Is anyone else's DC not talking, counting, recognizing letters/numbers yet? Or are mine really behind?

[char473]

QP: Syd doesn't really talk in phrases, more like " All done", or Bye-Bye", about 2 words max. She hasn't started animal noises really because I haven't gotten there yet. And while she can count to 12, she can only recognize to about 3. Seriously most of what she learns is from my 12 year old. She is amazing with her. I think everyone should have a Shelby:)

I am sure your boys are learning just great. If anything, i'd think with twins they will be surprising you very soon:)

[docoNY]

hi ladies - officially working from home full time (since 3/1) and its so nice to not have to ride the subway and worry about getting home in the evening!

Orla still goes to daycare but she goes in later and comes out quicker and laundry/dishes get done during the day!

welcome MaMa2D!

ped we go back at 2

crib bumper we took it out whenever she started standing in the crib so that was a while ago

ride toys we have some sort of car thing (no pedals) that she just learned to move forward with her feet - we have had it since her 1st bday and its great for her pushing her dolls around, etc.. we will probably get a trike for her 2nd bday but doubt we will do the motorized - space issues in Brooklyn :)

talking Orla talks a lot and does phrases like 'daddy over there' & she will basically repeat everything and she can do her animal sounds (we went over them first a few times)

but no letters or counting - we don't do anything with it either though.. we do say 2 shoes, 2 dogs, etc but that is it

I bet the twins have their own language!

[newyorkgirl]

I bet the twins have their own language! That's what I was going to say! I was just thinking that they are in their own little world and they can probably communicate well with each other. Bennett doesn't speak in long phrases or sentences - the most he can do is 3-4 word phrases, but I feel like he lags a bit in fine motor skills. He's still not able to use his fork properly and can't "throw" a ball and there is a girl in our playgroup who's a couple months younger than him and she can already take off her shoes and socks AND put them back on. So I think it's a matter of where your child(ren) are developing right now. I'm guessing, because the twins are so active, that that's where their development focus is right now. And language will come when they need it. :)

[lil_nance]

crib bumper took it out ages ago, shortly after he started rolling. He managed to pin himself under it once. Not hurt and no fear of suffocation as he was mobile enough but it freaked him and me out.

ride on Connor got a Cozy Coupe for his bday and we LOVE it. So far he only goes backwards. When he first got it, he played with it for hours every day for about 2mo. He has a small bike with training wheels that friends got him for Christmas. He's no where near ready for it. Not sure what they were thinking. :rolleyes: I'm planning on a trike for his bday this year but not sure which one.

talking etc. Connor talks a lot. His vocab has just taken off in the past couple of weeks. We are starting to notice him using 2 word phrases and being able to remember things longer. For instance, he got his hair cut last week. I mentioned it this week and he said "buzz (razor sound), dry, play (they have a play area)". I was so excited that he remembered, esp. since he was screaming during most of the cut. LOL. He's also making requests like "bana (banana) eat" or "snow, stomp, puhleees :D ". He is starting to repeat number sequences and recognizes a few numbers but doesn't understand counting yet. We're learning colors but his accuracy is hit or miss.

[Kasia216]

Bumper - Might be the minority but we still have the bumper in the crib. Guess it's time to take it out ;)

Ride Toys - None. Got a Radio Flyer tricycle from my sister for Xmas but he's still too young for it. Suppose by summer he'll get use of it. Nothing Motorized at this age.

TalkingNot too much. Babbles like crazy and says a few words - Mama, Dada, Hi. He's not counting, saying the alphabet or speaking phrases. He's learning 2 languages so that may be causing some confusion:( . I brought it up during our last Doctor's appt. and our pediatrician said I shouldn't be too concerned at this time. If his vocabulary has not expanded by 22 months or so then he told me to give him a call and he'll have us come in. I have to keep reminding myself that all kids develop differently.

[jki]

Crib Bumper: We still have ours, too!

Ride Ons: We have a couple Little Tyke cars and a tricycle. Her legs are too short to pedal so I just push her. The motorized ones seem hard to steer and are expensive.... we have some friends with them, so we just use theirs. ;)

Talking: Cassidy talks like crazy. She can count to 20 but if I put 20 objects in front of her, she can't tell me there are 20 - so it's more memorization than knowing numbers. She can sing the ABC song but only knows a few letters. She speaks in full sentences all the time now.

I TOTALLY agree that each child develops at their own rate. Cassidy didn't walk until 16 months, so I think she's had a long time to focus on verbal skills. Her brother didn't have a vocabulary explosion until 22 months and didn't speak in sentences until 30 months. He can't take off his own clothing, whereas Cassidy runs around the house like a stripper when I'm trying to get her dressed. :rolleyes:

[QPDoll]

That is true, they do have a lot of physical skills (throw a ball, almost catch it when thrown back, can run and kick a ball repeatedly, climb everything in site, and when they want something up high they can push something over to it and climb up. They can open their walk-through baby gates (as a team), and climb out of their cribs. Oh yes, and they use their forks and spoons very proficintly.) I wouldn't say that they have their own real launguage, but they do know what each other wants. I figure though, its like spending enough time with anyone, you get to know what the other is thinking with just a look or a word or two.
Today, Nate say, "hi" on command. First time either of have responded with languaged when requested. They do have great comprehension, I ask them to do something and they usually do (well, Nate anyway, Pete does what Pete damn well pleases).
And I was thinking, they would probably know more if I acutally taught them. Books are a struggle at our house. They have to each hold their own, and sit on my lap on their own...and of course, the other just wont allow that so it turns into a fight. I do sing the ABCs to them a lot, and we count - we sing counting songs and I go 1-2-3 when I do things like have them jump up and down, or when I toss them on the couch or bed.

Thanks for the reasurances, Im just being pariniod, I know. This week has been a rough week. My uncle passed away unexpectedly last week and so my Dad is here visiting (he hasn't seen the boys since they were born) and the rest of my family has been getting together almost every night. Its stressful for me to try to keep up with my boys in a restaurant or wherever. Yesterday, my 10yo neice was going to put Nate on her shoulders and DROPPED him and his head bounced twice across the floor. Then he vomited. I was freaked out. This was in the middle of a restaurant, who knows what she was thinking doing something like that. He is fine today, I guess he got sick because she was bouncing him up and down quite a bit and he just gorged himself with dinner. (from what I hear, my boys eat a LOT in comparision to others their age :rolleyes: )

But anyway, been a stressful week. Feeling overwhelmed with the boys, with family, trying to get the house picked up (losing that battle) and recover it now that everyone is over that bout of stomach flu or food poisening that they had last week. Feeling victemized for having twins. I get one in the car and I find the other one belly-flopped in a mud-hole. Im getting one out of the bathtub and the other one is dunking TP in the toilet and then sucking the water out of it (gag). I get one mess cleaned up and then make another (open a sippy and dump it on the floor). My mom just says they need a spanking, but If I swatted them for every infraction, thats all I would be doing. And its hard enough right now not to lose my patience and yell at them all day. I don't want to be that kind of mom. Im not sure what to do with them though. I dread waking up in the morning, I dread them waking up from a nap. I look forward to night times soooo much, but Im so exhausted that I just sit here like a bump on a log.

Speaking of exhausted...Im off to bed. DH wants my help on a project, but Im just too pooped to deal with it right now. My aunt flew out of town last night, and my Dad leaves in the morning. Maybe life can return to normal for a few days.

[docoNY]

Tina I hope life quiets down for you soon! very sorry about your uncle

I agree with the other posters - every child is different - while Orla might be able to chat all day long she only started walking at 14.5m and pretty much can't do anything you listed! and I think if your twins are THAT active they clearly need to eat as much as they are :D

sending you lots of hugs!!

[jki]

QPDoll: Awww - you poor thing. Life sounds so stressful for you right now! You have major sympathies from me.... although I don't have twins, having kids 12.5 months apart is probably somewhat similar. Have faith in the fact that it does get better and easier as they get older.

My only suggestion for you (in terms of ABCs and 123s) is something like this: (http://www.amazon.com/Leap-Frog-Phonics-Magnetic-Learning/dp/B000LG1UIY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/002-5664743-5484048?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1173368309&sr=8-2)
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000LG1UIY.01-A2N82AA0OHT34J._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

It has way too many pieces and it is quite annoying but I think it has helped my kids learn their letters.

[NYN]

QP: I'm sorry that things are so stressful for you right now. Catie does not count or say her ABC's either, it is more like "counting" (one, two, tree, shoe, pato, tres, FIVE!) and her ABC's consist of her starting the ABC song and then directing me and her dad like we are a choir as we continue on with the rest of the song. She also does not have as large a spoken vocabulary as some of the kids here (kasia, Catie is bilingual too and I am told this is normal). However she signs REALLY well and can ask me for most things. In fact, I can't think of a time where she can't ask me for exactly what she wants. You might want to invest in the Signing Times DVDs. They are really great and in our case have worked well for language development too since she repeats the word when she signs it. Signing also curbs tantrums. For example, she used to get very frustrated and throw a mini-tantrum if she couldn’t do something, like peel her stickers off of the sheet. So I taught her the sign for “help” and told her not to cry, she could just ask for help. So now she asks for help All. Day. Long. But I’d still a million times rather have her ask for help than here that whining cry! (I am terrible, I know – I just can’t stand that cry.)

Anyway, as most everyone else said, kids develop at their own pace. As someone whose child developed her gross motor skills on the very, very, very late side, I am a little bit more patient about these types of things now. Still, I also know how scary it is when it’s your own kid (kids!) so I will also tell you that I think it’s completely normal to worry.

MaMa2D: Welcome!

newyorkgirl:
there is a girl in our playgroup who's a couple months younger than him and she can already take off her shoes and socks AND put them back on.
What?!

highchairs: we still (happily) use ours. Catie has very good table manners and is very good about eating so I DO NOT want to mess with that. Her father will occasionally let her sit in the chair next to him as he is eating breakfast since she likes to share his Cheerios but that is a big treat and not the norm. I love our high chair and will be sad to give it up (especially since our kitchen is so small we only bought two chairs for our table, HAHA. Talk about not thinking ahead.

ped visits: We are terrible and never took Catie for her 18-month WBV. I don’t feel too bad b/c we were in the hospital with croup a few weeks before and what are those WB visits for other than to weigh her (which they did already in the hospital) and vaccinate her (which we don’t do). Now that we are settled I am starting to look for a new pediatrician and we’ll probably visit right before we leave for Spain in June. I am almost afraid to type this but we hopefully won’t have to make any sick-baby visits anytime soon. Catie is like a different kid now that she is no longer in daycare.

time outs: We don’t really do time outs although I do make her go throw her tantrums in the other room and have occasionally told her to sit on the couch and “count” to five which, for some bizarre reason, she does even though I can tell that she is very annoyed by the fact that she has to do it.

crib bumper: We still use ours.

trycicle: we have one of those radio flyer ones but I don’t think it has peddles. I haven’t really thought about this as it is freezing over here and I can’t even imagine it getting so warm that we can actually enjoy going outside again.

tables: I am in the market for some sort of arts and crafts table. I want something that she can use to color and paint on and also play with chalk (I saw that some of them come with a little chalkboard). I was even thinking of buying a plain table and then getting one of those table top easels. I’m not sure what I’m going to get yet.

Yesterday I stayed home from work. I don’t know if I have mentioned this before or not but I am not adjusting very well to being back at work at all. It is going on 8 months now and I am still not used to the fact that I am a working mom. Add that to the fact that my commute is much longer now that we have moved and I am just miserable all the time. Not that you guys can do anything but I feel a constant need to talk about it even though I realized recently that it makes people uncomfortable that I do that and they don’t really know what to say to me, HAHA.

Anyway, yesterday I stayed home from work and since it snowed we did a lot of arts and crafts. I am trying to do a lot of sensory stuff with her so we tried glitter glue for the first time and it was a big hit and we made a card for my little cousin’s baptism. We also tried play-dough (even though I think she is too young for it) but Catie was grossed out by the smell (What?! That stuff smells awesome!) and didn’t like to touch it. She still has very weird sensory issues (which is largely why she would refuse to put pressure on her feet for 10.5 months) and is very odd about texture. For example, if I put ketchup on her plate she will dip her chicken nuggets it in but GOD FORBID her hand brushes against the ketchup, she goes crazy. My girlfriend has a son the same age and he will eat his dinner and then lick his fingers all the way up to his elbows. I once saw him lick his shirt because he got some cream cheese on it. But Catie is the total opposite. She will eat but then spend the rest of the time cleaning her hands, clothes, the high chair tray etc. I spend a lot of time worrying that she is inheriting my neurosis (along with my good looks :)) but then I think maybe she is just a clean kid. At least I pray that that’s the case.

Catie is also really into girly things, much to her father’s dismay, as my DH has spent so much energy into making sure that we are not “those” type of people who only buy her pink dolls with barrettes in their hair. ;) I, of course, love it when she drags my high heels into the living room and spends the next half hour trying to get them to stay on her feet. :) She mothers her dolls and me and DH and nurses everything, even her fork at dinnertime, and always wants to put on lipstick and deodorant. HAHA. I’m pretty sure that a boy would do the same exact thing if he saw his mom do it daily and I try to tell DH that and I praise her a lot for all the non-girly-stereotype things she does (girl can kick a soccer ball better than Pele!) but I still think it’s adorable!

Anyway, I feel like I had so much to say but I am typing this really quickly at work and should cut it now. I’m glad you are all doing well!

Curious to know if anyone talks to myshel and if she had her baby yet...

[lil_nance]

NYN Sorry to say at least in Connor's case, although he sees me do girl things all the time, he's a boy. He is obsessed with cars, trucks, blocks, etc. The car/truck thing started around 15mo. I swear it was some type of genetic boy thing. He will carry a stuffed animal around occasionally but as a security object and not in a motherly way. He also doesn't roleplay much although my friend's DD who is the same age does.

I "talk" to myshel all the time as we are both on the Apr. 07 mommies board. She's still working, no baby yet. Both of us are at that pg and uncomfortable stage. Sleep is virtually non-existant for me and DD hasn't even arrived yet. I'm coming to terms with the fact that DS will no longer be my "baby". There are a surprising # of ROs due in Apr/May both on CC and IRL so it helps to have friends that are going through the same stuff.

[myshel]

Hi, ladies. Sorry I've been MIA lately. Between teaching, being pregnant, being a wife, and mothering my toddler, I have a little time for CC each night.

Update on me: No baby yet. I'm as huge as you can possibly get without actually splitting open and hatching a baby alien. :p I know I mentioned this before, but we're having a girl, so I've been trying to stock up on girly clothes. I'm just starting to get into buying dresses, which is really funny because I personally hate them. I wished that I was having the baby a bit sooner, but I seriously think I could be the last woman standing .

Update on the Lu: Luka is doing really well. He has a pretty large vocabulary (or at least I think so) fora child his age. We've been working on him to say, "Please" (but he usually jut signs it) and "Thank you," which he says pretty regularly. He's also really big right now into saying baby, but this is always accompanied by lifting my shirt, which can get a little embarassing.

Even though he's quite the talker, Luka is pretty physical too. He loves to play ball of any kind. He has a Little Tykes basketball hoop that he constantly plays on. I'm actually quite surprised-- he knows that he needs to bend his knees to shoot. He's also quite adept at identifiying a football, football players, and loves to yell, "Touchdown!" and do the motion. Luka, suprisingly, isn't really into cars and trucks that much. He can say, "car" and will play with them at home, but it's not his top thing. Sports definitely take that place.

That said, we've discovered at daycare that he also likes to play dress-up a lot. His favorite item is a pair of red sparkley shoes (think Dorothy ala Wizard of Oz). He also, in the morning, likes to sit next to me and watch me put my make-up on. He tries to imitate me, but mostly just wants to run the brushes through his hair.

One thing I will say is that Luka has become more snuggly with me. There was a long time where hedefinitely favored DH over me, but now I think it's even out. Thank goodness for that.

highchair: We put ours away about two months ago and now use a booster seat at our regular table. For a while, Luka would cry and fuss when put in the highchair. I think he stopped liking it because he doesn't sit in one at daycare.

time-outs: We sort of follow what our daycare does in regards to time-outs. They only give them if there's some sort of altercation between children. That said, we don't have to do them at home just yet.

Crib bumper: Luka's been out of his crib since late December, so obviously we're not using the crib bumper right now. For us, the transition to big boy bed went pretty well.

Sorry I've been MIA. I will definitely make the big announcement when the time comes!

[Tray85]

QPDoll - So sorry about all of your stresses lately. My BILS are twins and my MIL said they didn't talk for a very long time. Friends who have boys complain about the same thing. While they could jump and climb before Katie, she talked before them.

Talking - This is something she's been great at. She puts together 4-5 word sentences. She can count to 10, but if there are objects in front of her - she can only go up to about 4. She sings the ABC song and knows whn things are letters, but can only identify one by site. We have to watch everything we say b/c even if she is paying attention to TV, she'll pick up on stuff said from across the room. We are working on colors. I try not to be militant about it and just teach her casually. Grandma and Grandpa are great for this too when they watch her one day a week.

crib bumper - We never had one, so nope.

Tricycle - We have a big wheel that she's just starting to figure out and one of those corn popper ride on toys. I'm debating what to get next as well.

[PaulsGirl]

Hi everyone *waves*

I haven't updated here in months!

Time Outs - We don't do this (yet). She understands "no" well. I've found the "talk it out" method works well with her.

Crib Bumpers - We never used one.

Talking - Like some of the other July 05 babes, Ava's bilingual. She has a good vocabulary in both languages. I speak to her exclusively in Armenian, as does my family. She sings a lot! The tune to the ABC song, This Old Man, and others that she makes up. LOL! She can say three-word sentences "Mama, no night night", "Where'd it go?" etc. She recognized letters. She calls them "A!! B!!"

Tricycle - She's got way too many vehicles!! My dad got her a motorized truck and a Mustang pedal car. She also has a big wheel. She hasn't quite grasped how to independently ride these things, but she was a late walker, too.

High Chair - Yes, for all meals. She has a booster that we sometimes use too.

Has anyone started thinking about birthday parties yet? I will do a scaled-back birthday this year, and am tossing around a few themes...

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

[NYN]

birthday: yes, we are doing an elmo theme but are having a small party this year w/ just our playgroup. i will still decorate nicely though b/c i really enjoy that and catie is a big fan of birthday parties having gone to about twenty already, lol.

potty training: i forgot to mention that catie has started going potty on a regular basis but is still not showing signs of readiness for training, plus i don't want to start until we get back from spain in mid-july. still, she goes in the mornings and before her bath at night with no problem (if you remember, she was deathly afraid of the toilet for some reason) and loves to flush her diaper liners (when you CD she poops into a liner that you then flush) and say bye-bye to poopy so she's picking up on the concept that poop goes in the potty. she has done one poopy on the potty on her own and it's all i can talk about, HAHA.

here is a picture of Catie signing apple (she is holding a nectarine though -- they are all apples!):
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/tbesada/IMG_1766.jpg

[Tray85]

weaning - For those of you who have or are weaning, did you experience any weird symptoms? I keep getting these hot flashes and I think its coinciding with weaning (I'm only 35, so I can't blame it on menapause!!). My insomnia is back too, but I experienced that before pregnancy & nursing.

[MaMa2D]

Thanks for all your welcomes!!!! (and letting me join 2 years late!)

here are my stats ...

Me - Mariana, 30
DH - 31
Married - 4.26.03
DS - Dalibor
Born - 8.2.05 (I know its August ... but he was a week late and I still consider myself a July mommy)
1:41 P.M.
8 lbs exactly
20 "

[MaMa2D]

*****Edited to remove pics******

[MaMa2D]

Okay ... I posted way too many pictures! I'll most likely be taking them down in a week as I'm still a little leery of having our photos on the internet.

Talking D. is bilingual, as well. Or I should say we only speak to him in Croatian ... he is barely starting to say more than four words. Lots of baby talk and he knows all the animal sounds ... hehe! His lack of speach really doesn't concern me, as I know that he understands us.

Tricycle So after two hours of having D. "help me" assemble his tricycle, I found out his little feet don't quite reach the pedals (although he's beyond the height requirement) :mad: He does have a motorized quad and a pedal car ... I'd really like him to learn to pedal before he gets hooked on the motorized car.

Bumper We still have it on his crib. Although, I may be removing it soon since he's become such a climber and I found him trying to use it to boost himself up the other morning :rolleyes:

Birthday Party YES! I am just starting to plan his birthday party! NYN, I am doing a Sesame Street theme! Dalibor is addicted to the show!

[lil_nance]

Mama2D Dalibor has gorgeous eyes. I'm a sucker for brown hair and blue eyes. Guess that's one of the reasons I married DH. :)

b-day party We'll probably do something with playgroup. I'm not going all out this year but would like to do at least a cake and a few friends.

[MaMa2D]

Thank you lil_nance! I'm a sucker for dark hair and blue eyes, as well. DH has THE bluest eyes I think I've ever seen and dark hair! It's practically a miracle that Dalibor has blue eyes ... my family and I have the darkest brown/black eyes and DH's entire family has blue eyes. What's even stranger, is that DS has my eye shape and DH's eye color and eyelashes.

I don't know if its ever been discussed in this group ... but why do some moms feel the need to compare their children to mine ... OUT LOUD! We just went to see DS's pediatrician for his 18 mo. well baby (we're on the delayed schedule) and this woman kept asking me questions about DS and basically kept telling me how her DD was so much more advanced and what I could do to "engage" (her word, not mine) my child more. :confused: I swear I could have punched her!!! Any experience with this?

[dizylizy]

Mama2D- I haven't had that. but I have felt like I wasn't doing enough to teach him... a lady at work has a grandD in a Montessori school. she was talking about the philosphy and all that her 3yo can do. OMG, she can fold clothes, tie her shoes, is very well behaved yada yada. and why can't I get Harry into one... AUgh, so now I feel bad. I am checking some books out of the library on Montessori teaching and preschool play.

[Tray85]

My mom friends compare, but not in a mean way.

I really try not to focus on what DD is doing better, even if others point it out. I think it would suck to have someone brag about the superiority of their child if mine were behind. I've seen the neighbor ladies do it to each other and its not cool. I have one friend who is really worried about her son's speech and she's always commenting on my daughter's vocabulary. I tell her that her son is "ahead" on so many other things - mainly physical. So each kid is different and have their own talents, for lack of a better word.

Mama2d - that woman sounds plain rude.

What's everyone doing for Easter (for those that celebrate Easter)? We have a neighborhood egg hunt. Then I'll do one for Kate at home. Then we have Easter at the IL's house. Easter was one of my favorite days as a kid. I'm debating about coloring eggs. Maybe I'll let her draw with crayons on them or something.

[QPDoll]

My boys get compared to others, and to each other All.The.Time. It drives me bonkers and I get quite defensive and worried over it, because in many ways they are 'behind', but in other ways they are far ahead. Even between the two of them, there are noticeable difference. That brings some comfort because I see firsthand that each kid is different, even when they are twins. LOL It is still difficult to hear comments like that. Perhaps she had a fear of something developmental about her child and is making up for it by talking up a strength her child has? I know I talk up how much my boys eat and how big (tall and muscular - not fat) they are, especially compared to my friends kids, who are all just a month or so older than mine. We had been so worried about losing these guys, or having micro-preemies (we went full-term for twins), that now Im so grateful and proud of how big they are! (like I had much to do with how they are built, but still.)

Easter - we are going to be going to Florida to see my Dad, so probably not doing anything other than that. We have an egg hunt planned with my Parents of Multiples group, but its suppose to rain and I don't really feel like participating in the rain at this age. Last year we had a small egg hunt for them (okay, it was just a photo-op) and at our own house gave them a basket filled with books (first bible, Guess How Much I Love You) a ducky puppet that quacks which they still adore, and a chocolate bunny. We let them gum on the bunny for a little bit, which the really enjoyed. LOL

[Kasia216]

The stomach bug paid a visit to our apt last week. Jackson went on a food strike and I had to do everything I could to get liquids in him. Thankfully just about 1 week later, he's back to his old self ;)

Easter - We're headed to my Dad's for Easter Dinner. I also think we're going to check out the Big Easter Egg hunt they do in Central Park. I have to find out the details but our friends went last year and gave it a thumbs up. I'm also going to make him an easter basket and fill it with a few fun toys/books/videos. Anybody do pics with the Easter Bunny yet?

On a fun note - I'm going to see Justin Timberlake in concert on Thursday night in NJ. I can't wait!!

Hope everyone has a nice week!

[Tray85]

Kasia - My BIL and his girlfriend just went to that concert a week or so ago in Chicago and LOVED it. Didn't do the Easter Bunny pic. I figured Kate would just freak out.

[dizylizy]

EAster- plan to have a seafood dinner at SIL house. I will get Harry a basket with a few candies, a FP Easter train and maybe some chalk for outside play. the neighbor hood is planning a big easter egg hunt next weekend. But I think I will skip b/c it is at nap time and Harry is a stinker if he misses his nap. plus, I can just see a melt down in store when another kid comes up and grabs an egg he wants... Won't be doing the Easter Bunny, Santa sent him into hysterics....

so cute moment- with this pg I have been exhausted. so I fell asleep yesterday on the lounger at MIL's. Harry came over and started to play with my feet. I woke up and looked at him. he laid his hand on his cheek then his head on the foot rest. (sleep sign) smiled at me and then proceeded to climb up on me. then he had to get down to get blankie. then climb back up to sleep with me. Ahhh. love this cuddly stage!

[QPDoll]

My boys have runny noses - slightly greenish-yellow. We fly in 6 days! Do they need to see the ped for an antibiotic before we go???

[lil_nance]

QP don't know if an antibiotic will help but I'd call the ped for advice.

Not to scare you but here's what's going on with us. Connor is still fighting off his cold. It seems to come and go. He's had a cough and runny nose. This morning he woke himself up earlier than usual because he was coughing. He sounded a bit wheezy so we took him to the doctor. She said he is wheezy and it's probably just a residual from the cold. He's on nebulizer breathing treatments for 2wk. I was concerned about him being sick and a newborn arriving any day. She said it shouldn't be a problem, that he is past the contagious part of whatever he had.

In other news, this morning I went to a rummage sale with a friend. I got Connor a little ride-on fire truck for $1. He loves it. I may have to remove the batteries. Also picked up a whole bunch of books. The kid is going to have his own library soon. We are so amazed with his vocabulary. It has totally exploded in the past month. He knows his colors and we're now working on letters and numbers. He seems to crave learning so I'm happy to feed into it. Does anyone have any good toys or games for letter & numbers that they'd recommend?

[Tray85]

lil nance - Katie is the same way. She's just now able to sing the whole alphabet and can count to 11 (why she stops right there, I don't know :p ) She LOVES this alphabet toy and plays with it for long stretches of time:

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000I02Y9C.01-A3T7DP7IJ54S2Q._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

*** press the button below the letter and a little thing flips up to reveal a picture and then *** hear things like "K - K is for kite".

http://www.amazon.com/Care-Bears-Lights-Sounds-Letters/dp/B000I02Y9C

[MaMa2D]

no plans to visit the Easter bunny ... i think it may be too traumatic :D we'll be spending the holiday with my in-laws. always have a great time with them (really, i actually like spending time with them ... hehe) since dalibor has grown out of most of his clothes, mama had some fun shopping for a new outfit! i'll post pictures after the holiday! should be fun for dalibor as he has two young, boy cousins.

Kasia - how was the concert? i saw justin timberlake in san diego and i want to say that it was the first stop on this tour. it was CRAZY ... lots of screaming girls :p ... i'm sure the show has gotten even better since!

OMG dizylizy - that is the cutest story!!!

QPDoll and lil_nance - i hope your boys are feeling better!

Happy Easter to all those that celebrate!

[dizylizy]

Easter plans- chruch, egg hunt, dinner with family-mostly seafood with ham.

Went to an Easter Egg hunt on Saturday. It was CRAZY. we sat on the grass outside the roped off area with all the egss in it for the under 2 set. anyway, I told Harry when he sees the guy with the balloon we can go get the eggs to put in our basket. so teh guy comes with the balloons. he is 80 something. he walks around the ring TWICE! he grandson is runnign around trying to hype up the kids. Who by now are crying b/c we parents have to hold them back from gettnig the egss, after we told them thy could get them when they saw the balloons... augh. behind a kid is frantically trying ot climb his father, beside me a mom is holding back her fighting 2 yo, down the line, about 6-8 girls are crying hysterically... I yelled out, "Alright already, let the balloon go!" man, alive, he spent more time walking the cirlce then the kids did picknig up the eggs... Yes, i was that parent... as he let the balloon go, i took harry to a spot with about 6 eggs, plopped him down and helped him pick them up. let all the other kids and parents run ahead. IT was fun for Harry, He loves watchign other kids. He met the Easter bunny and was not afraid. (probably b/c he was in my arms... (Hated Santa) Plus, the park was filled with dogs, which I did not get. This event is for kids not pets... the dogs were barking, growling at each other, and pooping (I almost stepped in poo twice. ick!) They put on a great event. evn the jungle gyms and swings had balloons and decorations. I sure it will be more fun once Harry is older. My 5 yo nephew got a ton of eggs and had a great time. the 80 yo man and his grandson did the same thing for them to hype them up. Now that is an appropriate use of building the anticipation...

[lil_nance]

Just FYI I'm a mom again! :D Avery Elaine arrived on 4/2/07, 7:49pm, 5lb 15oz, 18 1/2in. Connor loves his baby sis.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/211/447816807_a135566cc0.jpg?v=0

[MaMa2D]

CONGRATULATIONS lil_nance!!! I am getting baby fever again and your news and the adorable picture have just intensified the feeling! hope you're all doing well!

[jki]

lil_nance:
WOW! :eek: Congratulations! :) Avery is gorgeous! Glad Connor is loving his sister!

[QPDoll]

Congratulations Nancy! Connor looks adorable with his baby sister! Welcome to the world, Avery! Congratulations on choosing a great family!

sick kids Pete and Nate still have a cruddy nose, and Pete has a bit of ear drainage. Im taking them to the ped tomorrow to check if they have fluid in their ears. If the do, Im asking for a pain reliever for them - if they do anything beyond tylenol. I think they are both fine though, other than a lingering snotty nose. We fly out tomorrow night! Thanks for the well-wishes!

[Kasia216]

WELCOME AVERY!

Lil-Nance - Hope your doing well and that pic of Connor with his new sis is just precious :)

Can't believe Easter is this Sunday already -> Where does the time go?

MaMa2D - Dalibor is adorable - those blue eyes are just beautiful. The Justin concert was great. Pink opened and although I'm not a big fan of her music, I really enjoyed her opening. I felt kinda like I was a chaperone at a senior prom as the stadium was filled with teens & twenty-somethings but other than that it was a fun time:D

QP Doll Hope Pete + Nate feel better soon! Have a good flight!

[char473]

Happy Late Easter!


Congrats Lil Nance and welcome Avery!! So cute:)

QP - good luck, and I hope the boys feel better.

Tray - I got Syd the alphabet toy you posted and she loves it! She counts really well and is learning shapes and colors. Now we are working on the alphabet. We also do art time - coloring, finger paints and play doh, although she tries to eat that most of the time! We have also started the terrible 2's in the form of tantrums and independence, so we are working on curbing the tantrums, but keeping the independence.;)

It's been forever since I posted, but I have been keeping up. Syd is doing great. She is like a sponge. She discovered her shadow and has been dancing with it all of the time. We had a great Easter. Syd had fun finding the eggs, and eating all of the food.

Here are some recent pics:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/char473/093.jpg?t=1176165557

And a grumpy girl who doesn't like bunny ears 1st thing in the morning:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/char473/127.jpg?t=1176165644

Take care!

[jki]

Here are some Easter pictures:
http://images.costcophotocenter.com/34993%3A%3A%3C9%7Ffp65%3Dot%3E2327%3D82%3B%3D%3B%3 B4%3DXROQDF%3E232384274%3A%3B59ot1lsi

http://images.costcophotocenter.com/34993%3A%3A%3C%3A%7Ffp65%3Dot%3E2327%3D82%3B%3D%3B %3B4%3DXROQDF%3E23238429%3A%3B%3B43ot1lsi

Has anyone had any luck with potty training? I put Cassidy on the potty 3 times per day and she's had 5 instances outside of her regular potty times where she has asked me to go and subsequently went. Does anyone have any advice regarding potty training kids early? Her almost-3-year-old brother is going to be wearing diapers after she's out of them! I've heard I should just put her in underwear.... but I'm a little scared!

[December27JJB]

CONGRATS Lilnance!!!!!!!!

[QPDoll]

We are home from our "vacation"! The boys did *fairly* well on the flights. The long flight they both did great on, the shorter flight was very difficult for Pete (and mommy). It was a long week for both of them, and they were super glad to be home - they tore through the house like wild men, making sure all their toys were still here.

The visit with my dad and step-mom went okay. Their house was a 'no touch' house - insomuch that my sm bought chairs just for them so they wouldn't be sitting on her kitchen chairs. The first few days it mostly rained and was cold so we didn't get out to do anything, and then Pete had a day of vomiting for some reason. After that, things started going better. We had a lousy day at Magic Kingdom, and then a great day at a Wildlife Park, and great day at MGM Studios.

a very wet day in the sunshine state, miserable in the happiest place on earth:
http://pics.livejournal.com/bluegingham/pic/002wxt4k

They became obsessed with water fountains while on our trip:
http://pics.livejournal.com/bluegingham/pic/002xbcyw

The park was a favorite highlight (my dad is a park manager there):
http://pics.livejournal.com/bluegingham/pic/002y271c/s640x480

Pete, true to himself, found the phone and was in heaven"
http://pics.livejournal.com/bluegingham/pic/002y45ez/s640x480

he didn't like getting sand in his sandles"
http://pics.livejournal.com/bluegingham/pic/002ya5dc/s640x480

MGM Studios was fun as we wrapped up our trip
http://pics.livejournal.com/bluegingham/pic/00302r5f/s640x480

[Tray85]

Tina - Your boys couldn't look cuter in their little bermuda shorts & sandals!!! Glad the trip went well overall. Phew - I'm tired just thinking about it though! ;P

[dizylizy]

tina- your boys look so cute! I can't wait to take our kid (s) to WDW!!

[kmack]

hello all - dropping in for a quick update. i think some of you saw in my other post about ava not napping anymore that DH's father passed away unexpectedly a few weeks ago...we live in southie and my in-laws came over very early to prep for BIL's (he lives downstairs) st. patrick's day party during the big parade. they had to double-park b/c parking is horrible around here...they came inside and started getting the food ready when my FIL went to move the car. he found a space right on the corner but when he got out of the car he slipped on the ice, broke his neck (technically this isnt the correct term but its the easiest way i know to explain it), and became paralyzed from the neck down. he suffered cardiac arrest as they were putting him in the ambulance and luckily they were able to 'save' him, but then they got to the hospital and figured out the extent of his injuries. they weren't sure if the paralysis was going to be permanent (b/c it really wasnt a broken neck, but the vertebrae were shattered, again i am sort of confused) so they took him into surgery to try to reduce the swelling around his spinal cord. it didnt really work and while he was in the hospital his condition got worse until finally we decided (at the recommendation of his drs.) to take him off life support :( as you can imagine it has been a horrible time - my DH was extremely close to his father and we saw them all the time...ava LOVED her papa so it has been kind of weird trying to explain to her what happened. even this morning when i told her we were going to nina's house her face got really sad and she said 'papa boo-boo'.

so anyway, that is what we have been up to lately. but i did want to post a little update and say congrats to lilnance - connor looks so cute with his baby sister!

ava has been a crazy lady lately - she can now open all the doors in our house, even the outside screen doors so she has escaped a few times :eek: . i am back to the phase where i have to watch her every second which is tiring me out. she also started to climb out of her crib, she hasnt realized she can actually get out so she just dangles on the edge and yells "help me mommy". she also wants to do everything herself - like if we come in from outside and i try to unzip her coat, she bats my hand away and yells 'no you help you!!!' which means i dont want you to help me! and if i do happen to unzip it, she cries and makes me zip it back up so she can do it. it makes for a loooong day, moving in slow motion b/c it takes her forever to do everything!

she is also semi-potty trained...if we are home all day she usually goes on the potty for everything. most of the time she will tell me but sometimes i need to ask her every 20 min or else she will have an accident. we do have undies that we keep her in and yes she has had a few accidents. she cries when she poops on the potty, i think she is really scared of poop ever since she did one while standing in the hallway naked b/c i was too busy talking on the phone to notice she had to go :o and a few times we are out she has asked to go potty - but she also says it when she is crying in her crib at night, i think half the time she is bluffing and just wants to get out of the crib though.

she has been talking a lot more and knows how to say the alphabet but doesnt know the letters other than a-b-c. she used to be able to count to 10 but now she can only do to 7 for some reason. i am trying to teach her colors but everything is blue to her! and she also calls me by my first name to get my attention - if i am ignoring her calls for mommy, after about the 4th one she will say very sternly 'KARA!!!' and i just die laughing!

i cant really think of anything else - i love all the photos posted, i can't believe how big our babies are getting!!

[Tray85]

Kmack - I am so sorry about your FIL. What a sad situation. :( Katie seems to be doing much of what Ava is (with the exception of potty training & no napping). She has to do everything herself. This has led to lots of tantrums. Ugh.

Hubbie was gone Tue - Fri night last week and Katie was sick with a fever. Longest week of my life! Its so weird about the fever, that's her only symptom. I think I'll bring her to the ped tomorrow to check her ears. She was also super cranky. I had a friend and my mom stay with us and that really threw Katie for a loop. We don't normally have extended company. As soon as they left today, she was better.

This makes me dread our trip in June a little bit. If she goes that nuts over company, I hope she isn't totally thrown staying at a hotel. Then again, it could be the combo of fever, daddy gone, teething, new people, etc.

[December27JJB]

kmack- Oh gosh! I am so sorry about your FIL :( You all are in my thoughts.

[Nanner]

Hi, everyone! Sorry I haven't been participating in this thread for so long! We had a lot going on, what with having another baby and all. Ha!

I will catch up in a while, but I wanted to drop in and let you know all about Sam's new sister. Her name is Hannah Jeanne, born on 3/2/07 @ 8 lbs., 1 oz.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/195/444931443_ec65287a10.jpg?v=0

Unfortunately, most of the photos we have of her so far, she's sleeping. :) She's a much needier baby than Sam ever was, but she's still a really good baby. Just loves to be held is all. She's already sleeping through the night, so she'll probably move to her crib this coming week.

We also went to take photos of Sam in the bluebonnets last week. It's a tradition in Texas to take photos in the bluebonnets (state flower) that grow along the highways in the spring:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/201/469514992_8c083f8c02.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/476222041_c7891f2678.jpg?v=0

[newyorkgirl]

lil nance and Nanner - Congratulations on your little babies! Almost makes me want another one. But not yet! ;)

kmack - OMG. I am so very, very sorry. I've been so out of it lately that I don't know what's going on here on CC or anywhere else. I can't believe that this is happening to your family. I'm totally here if you ever want to chat on the phone or shoot me an email.

Bennett is crazy. I don't think there's any other word for it. And he's driving me crazy. I thought we left behind all the tantrums when he started to talk and was able to communicate, but they started up again, and with a vengeance. His favorite phrase is, "I do it!" which means everything from, "It's mine!" to "I want to do it!" to "Leave me alone!" But it doesn't mean anything sweet and cooperative. ;) We had the nastiest tantrum in the mall one day trying to leave the train table at Barnes & Noble. Full-on kicking and screaming, wailing like a wounded cat, etc. He even managed to kick loose the drawstring on my pants, so I'm in the middle of the mall trying to hold on to the child, carry two jackets and a diaper bag AND pull my pants back up at the same time. I manage to tie my pants back on, carry him up two flights of stairs in the parking lot, but then I had to hold him upside down (only way to hold a squirming toddler with one hand) so I could fish the car keys out of my bag. Finally I get him back into the carseat and I had to sit there for a few minutes for my arms to stop feeling all jelly-like so I could drive. Whole darn episode lasted over 30 minutes. Geez.

The silver lining is that Bennett has such a great personality and talks a mile a minute. He is starting to put full sentences together and make little jokes. We are working on the letters of the alphabet - he recognizes a few, but he can sing the ABC song pretty well - as well as numbers - he can count up to 20 pretty well when he concentrates and can recognize a handful too. He can identify most colors, but if you ask him to identify colors when he is busy doing something else, he'll just name any color to get you off his back. (haha) And he just can't get enough books. We bought a bunch more today, hoping that will keep him entertained for a few more months. We've been to the library, but I'm too worried about him bending/tearing pages to borrow them...

No potty training yet, but he's starting to say, "Change diaper" even before he poops, so I suppose I should take advantage of it, but I've been sort of lazy. :)

I've got pictures, but I haven't uploaded them onto the computer yet, so I'll post them next time.

[dizylizy]

Nanner- Hannah is so cute! Sam looks great in the bluebonnets!
NYgirl- Man I hear you. I haven't had a full out blow up like that but we have been close. We have been teaching that we eat at a table. this did not go over well the other night. I took him to his room and put him in his crib-twice so he could scream it out.... he didn't eat much.

Appetite- some days he will eat like a pig, others, not so much. I try to give as many healthy snacks as possible, limit any chips and water down pop and juice.

Diaper/potty trianing- he is starting to recognize that he is "going" but doesn't want to be changed. I had to hold him down the other day. Still does a better job if we change him in one spot or on the changing table. (we still use it!!!) I have started to change him standing up -if it is pee. a bit easier for me to kneel and than to sit with this huge pg belly (I know it will get bigger so practicing now)

Signing- stil signing, we check out the videos from the library. I am worknig on the feelings one and hurt and sick. so he can tell us more what is going on.

ABC's and #'s- He can recognize a few letters and count to 2. ;) His ggma gave him a teddy bear holdnig and H for Easter. now when he sees me write his name while we color, he says "H is for Harry!" so cute

2nd b-day party- I think we are going to do an animal pool party. there was this cute pool with a canopy in Oriental trading company that would be great. Plus, he is loving animals right now. Just starting to figure out Sesame street and Elmo!

[lil_nance]

Nanner Congrats on the new baby. Hannah is adorable and I love the pic of Sam in the flowers.

Tantrums So glad to know I'm not alone with these. I know having a new baby in the house is cause for adjustment. But man, who swiped my kid and left me with this alien child. Some of the tantrums have been horrible. My parents were here for a week and even they were a bit surprised by him. He's fairly good with Avery but has issues with everything from coming inside to putting on shoes or taking a bath (and he usually loves baths). It's frustrating and when dealing with a newborn and lack of sleep, it's even worse.

Energy Connor seems to be go go go non-stop. It amazes me how much energy he has. Wish I had some of it.

[lil_nance]

Luka is a big brother. Myshel had her baby this morning. Carolina Elise arrived at 7:25 am. She weighed 8lbs 8oz and was 21" long

[Tray85]

Congrats to all of the new babies & 2nd time moms here! Its so hard to believe.

tantrums - oh yes. We have them too. Katie definitely wants to do everything by herself which leads to a lot of frustration. She has gotten better since the four teeth coming in broke through the skin - but she still has them. I'm dreading the two year molars now!

[dizylizy]

Congrats Myshel!

Tantrums- we have our share. I end up putting him a quiet place if I can't get him to calm down. we use time outs on a step. he knows he is trouble. gets a bit weepy, I put him back one to two times. when he is calmer, I explain why I did that. (hitting is bad, no biting. no throwing shoes) than I make him give a hug to the injured party, if there is one. Excpet my orny 3yo nephew refuses to get the "sorry hug" He is usually the one getting biten or hit. but I don't usually see why he was bit. (like holding a toy away from DS or putting it up so DS can't get it or (more recently) ripping it out of DS' hands)

[QPDoll]

Tantrums. Ugh. We have been there, done that, and want to return the damn t-shirt. Pete wants what he wants, when he wants it, or he screams, arches his back, and throws things. I usually stand there and watch him, or walk away, then he just lays on the floor so he doesn't have to do whatever it is you do want him to do. Nate just started having tantrums and he screams and then holds his breath!

I have just resigned myself to never going anywhere again! They usually try to run in opposite directions. I have had to drag (yes, drag) them out of the park because one runs to the water while the other runs into the parking lot; or drag (yes, drag) them out of McDs or wherever because they are being naughty. I have found no way to control the tantrums, or control them from running away (I have leashes, but they just lay down and pitch a fit, so its more of a string to drag them with than anything).

Now, I only take them out when I have a second adult with me, like to playgroup at the park or something. That way, if one of them is acting up or running away, I can chase or whatever, while someone stays near the good one, or chases the 2nd runner.

At home, I try to keep them fed at all times. I have noticed that keeping their energy up with a snack like cheese or grapes keeps a lot of the tantrums at bay. Of course, then I have two energetic toddlers to chase, but its better than two energetic, cranky, pissy toddlers to deal with. LOL

Pete just started biting, more of a nip though, and usually done cautiously as to gauge your reaction. Then he licks. Most annoying!

Nate will give hugs for sorry when I ask him to, Pete usually just bops Nate on the head if I tell him to give him a hug sorry, so I have to physically (nicely) push them together and wrap Petes arms around Nate for a hug - like I have to show him how to do it.

I think I'm going prematurely gray over here. These two have me at the end of my rope most days.

We dared a restaurant the other day, and Pete was throwing, kicking and screaming in the restaurant, so my DH picked him up abruptly and took him outside. He told him stearnly thats not how we act in a restaurant and held him (gently but firmly) with his nose to the wall. Im shocked, but it actually worked.

[dizylizy]

Oh the nose against the wall, toes against the base board. augh- that is what I use to have to do. Of course I was a bit older. I think it works. Time out for the previous generation. =) may have to try that with Harry and my nephews when I watch them. I do give warnings. "You have to teh count of 3 to make a decsion or i will make it for you." Harry is starting to understand this one. my 3 yo nephew kind of taunts me with it but I stand firm. he is helping me to be a more stern mother. =)

Biting- Harry is still biting. I have told my SIL and her sister who currently watch Harry during the week, they are allowed to punish as tehy see fit. (time out & hug, or a spanking or time in the bathroom by himself. I really don't want him to be bitting when we starts day care again in a few months.

we are living with my BIL and SIL until we find a house now that DH has a steady job. cross your fingers. this will be our thrid weekend out shopping. We almost put an offer in on one but it went under cnotract while we slept on it. A bit discouraged but we have a bit of time until Rocky is born.

[Kasia216]

Tantrums - They're starting in my household these days :( At first I blamed it on being tired/cranky or teething (as his back teeth are coming in) but I realize they're tantrums over not getting his way.

I often try to ignore him and give his behavior NO attention but he will often times come over and swat at me or dig his hands in my arm/leg as if to say - you better pay attention to this. I have resorted to firmly taking his hands/arms and giving him a firm NO! It's kind of upsetting as I'm not sure where this behavior is coming from? I know he's testing his boundaries with me but man is it exhausting.

He used to be great in restaurants but these days unless it's a diner we have about a 20-30 minute window before he reaches his limit. I have just opted not to put myself in the situation and so we don't do dinners in restaurants much these days.

I'm really hoping it's just a phase he's going through. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one trying to figure out how to best handle these tantrums.

Congrats to all the new babies - seems like many July Mommy's are onto #2 already. Another baby is not really in the plans for us in the immediate future. Maybe in another 2-3 years...

Lastly - Headed to Barcelona, Spain next week for work! I've decided to stay 2 days extra to walk around the city and see all the Gaudi art!

[msmarieb]

Hello ladies! Long time no chat?!

Life has been a little busy for me these days. I have changed jobs twice, put one house up for sale, bought and moved into a new house...just to name a few of things.

I still love being a mom! It is soo great. My little boy is such a joy to me. His personality is so fun and bubbly. We are blessed that he has a great temperment. It's still hard dealing with him wanting his way. His new think is to stick his toungue out when he's upset. Much better then the bitting face we went through a couple of months ago.

I'm still at an awe of all the things he's learned in less then two years. He can lock and unlock the garage door, knows which key goes in the door. He feeds himself with a spoon....actually eats everything with a spoon even grapes! He can count to 10! And talks us to death. He is a joy! I'm glad to hear that the July babies are thriving! Here are some pictures:

FROM EASTER(easter pics aren't working):
He was wearing a fresh bruise from the coffee table...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/472978047_0352c9508f.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/230/472978039_f635ea2f06.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/196/472953332_42fe2dd94a.jpg?v=0

[NYN]

Hi all! First off, congratulations on all the new babies. It seems like this group had all boys and now you are all having girls! I am really itching for #2 as well but will have to wait a bit for that.

I have been very busy at work and can never seem to log onto get a complete post in so I will try to rush and keep this short. Catie is doing great and seems to finally be caught up to where your kids are in terms of speech, ABCs, counts to ten, etc. She is very big into singing and dancing and still knows all her signs. We finished colors (though everything is blue :D) and are now working on farm animals and zoo animals. She was very excited to see a horse in Central Park this weekend!

Tantrums are in full swing in our house as well. You have to have the patience of a saint. My husband is so good at dealing with her but I find myself getting very frustrated. It seems that we will have one day where she will behave really, really well and then she will make up for it the next day by driving me bonkers.

All in all though I find that I am really enjoying her right now, especially because you can SO tell that I am her favorite person in the world right now – I am totally relishing in that!

Here’s a picture of me and Catie at my sister’s shower and another of her on Easter that I don’t think I ever posted because it has just been that long. Hope you are all doing well.

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/tbesada/47b7da11b3127cce83c69719a7f10000002.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/tbesada/47b7da35b3127cce8342415254360000002.jpg

[myshel]

Hi, everyone! It's true... my little Luka is a big brother. :) Carolina Elise was born May 1, 2007. She was 8 pound, 8 ounces and 21 inches long.

Every single thing about my birth experience with Carolina was completely the opposite this time. With Luka, I was induced, had a long labor (12 hours), pushed a long time (2+ hours), and got the wonderful epidural. Wih Carolina, my water broke 6 hours before my scheduled induction; labor was 6 hours, and I had no epidural. I went way too fast. I also have to say that all of my issues with BFing Luka aren't really a problem with Carolina at all.

Luka is adjusting to a new sister quite well. He's such a big boy these days. It's kind of crazy all of the things he can do. At his daycare, they were worried about his language development, but he is one of the younger kids in his particular room. Also many of the kids in the room are girls. I've always heard that girls develop their language skills much earlier than boys do.

Luka is still slender but very tall. Lately, he's been eating like a horse, so I'm hoping this is signaling a growth spurt for my little peanut.

Sorry that I haven't been around much. I hope to be around more now that I have more time.

[docoNY]

congrats to all the 2nd time mamma's!! that is so sweet all the boy mom's are having girls the 2nd time around! I always wanted a big bro!

well I am happy to say after 10m of TTC I finally got a BFP - I am in a state of shock at the moment but we are so very happy! I am due in Jan so Orla will be 2.5 yrs old then - guess that is a good age sep! ;)

Orla update 22m on Wed and a total chatterbox - talking about yellow taxis, dogs walking, man bike..she points out everything and she seems she is right on track with everyone here with the crazy/wear you out days! But then she cracks you up when she says 'go cook dinner'

kmack I wanted to say how very sorry I am to hear about your FIL. That was a very sad story.

[December27JJB]

CONGRATS Myshel! Welcome Carolina!!!!

CONGRATS Docony!

NYN Catie is absolutely adorable!!!!

We are doing well. Parker is growing like a weed! She's really communicating now (both in ASL and spoken English) She is SO obessed with Dora. I am so ready to break those DVDs!!!! Her tantrums are getting MUCH better (they started early on.) She loves to give hugs and kisses, sometimes she just walks up to me and hugs and kisses me! It melts my heart every time! I've been pulling up a chair in the kitchen so she can stand on it and watch me cook and help me. I am loving this age! I've been dreaming and thinking of babies a lot lately but we are so not ready for #2! I think we will start trying in the fall of 2008. :)

It's crazy to think that 2 years ago we were getting ready for the arrival of our little ones! Now, we are getting ready for their 2nd birthdays! You girls will always hold a special place in my heart because we went through our pregnancies together, from posting our BFPs to sharing our labor stories!

[Nanner]

Congratulations to all of the new moms! That is SO funny that so many of us boy mommies are now having girls. I know I'm loving my little girl, and loving buying all of the cute clothes and accessories. :)

Tantrums: Oh, man. We are in full tantrum mode. Sam is usually very easygoing. But since Hannah was born, we don't get out as much as we used to. It's just so HARD to look after him and make sure he doesn't run into traffic while I'm also holding a newborn. And since we've been holed up in our little tiny house here, he's gone stir crazy, and gets all dramatic and throws himself to the ground a couple of times a day. He gets into everything...he even flooded the bathroom the other day while I was in the shower! Turned on the faucet at the sink, and closed the drain!

Update on sleep issues: Some of you may remember me talking about Sam and his sleep issues. He started climbing from the crib, and wouldn't stay put. So we tried a toddler bed--didn't work. Too much freedom! Anyway, after several months of this, I FINALLY was able to talk DH into getting a crib tent. That thing is from the heavens! Finally, he's sleeping again! And he actually really likes it. So yay.

[myshel]

doco: Yay for the BFP! Congrats!!

Here's a recent pic of Luka with DH at the hospital:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/227/484994531_dea20bc10f.jpg?v=0

[dizylizy]

docoNY- fantastic on the BFP!

Stove/ help cooking- I let Harry stand near me on a stoll to wathc me cook. thought I had the stoll pushed away enough that he couldn't reach the burner I was using. nope. he has 2nd degree burns on two fingers, thumb and pad under his fingers. i knew what happened when he stated screaming after i turned my back on hime for 1 second! I feel horrible. he is doing great. Just and FYI!

[lil_nance]

DocoNY Congrats on the BFP
NYN Catie is so cute in her Easter outfit
Myshel Awww the men and their little lady, precious.
dizy sorry to hear Harry got hurt but glad it wasn't worse and he'll be ok

Connor is over loving his baby sis. He spent a good portion of today slobbering kisses on her. So cute. He also loves it when she touches him. He doesn't realize she's just waving her arms randomly. Of course the other portion of the day was tantrums. Ah well, we can't have everything.

[Tray85]

Longer Days - Just out of curiosity, are your little ones staying up longer because of the longer summer days? Mine definitely is.

[lil_nance]

potty training Yikes! He's growing up and I'm not ready! :eek: C expressed an interest in the potty this morning so we went out and bought him one after church. I don't think we're quite ready to potty train but I want to encourage his interest. Do I also buy some underpants for him now? He's not really assisting in getting dressed or undressed unless it's his shirt. I know we'll be in diapers for some time still. I have to admit the whole potty training thing has me worried, stressed, etc. definately not the message I want to convey to him. So ladies, give me your advice, wisdom, resources. How do I let me liitle boy grow up? and how do both me and my floors survive this upcoming phase?

[myshel]

I don't have any advice on potty training, nancy. I am wondering, though, how many of us have started the process. We decided to wait a bit with Luka because of the new baby and new house thing (we moved into a new house the weekend before I was due with Carolina).

Also, what are you guys planning on doing for the 2nd birthday party?

[dizylizy]

potty training- nope. not really interested. He sees his cousins pee all the time since they never shut the door. Not assisting getting dressed, typically cries, doesn't want to be changed. we will wait until he is a little closer to 2.5 or 3. My SIL and BIL have had all kinds of troubles with their two so I am leary to start.

Growth spurt- I think harry is going through a spurt, lots of sleeping and non stop eating last night. put away most of a hamburger, strawberries, oranges, part of Pete's oven pizzia, chewed on a carrot to get the dip... plus breakfast with me, then a 2nd breakfast plus lunch pus snack. then took a 3 hour nap..

2nd b-day- ball theme. got a blow up pool and going to fill it with beach balls in lots of sizes. plus hook up a sprinkler. let the kids eat lunch and cake. gift to them is beach pail, beach ball and cookies. plannig for 11-1 party time. with about 8-10 kids ranging in age from 1 to 6. family and friends and coworkers.

[Tray85]

Potty Training - Haven't started yet. I'm in no rush. Diapers are easy! :) I'll work on it probably by 2.5 b/c I want her to start preschool at 3 and they have to be potty trained by then.

Birthday Party - We are having her little playdate friends over with their families (in addition to our immediate family). We'll do a BBQ + kid snacks and then baby pools & toys for the kids. We picked Blues Clues as a theme since that is her favorite show.

[jki]

Potty Training: I'm thinking of giving up - cleaning up urine all.over.the.house is making me suicidal. Cassidy DEMANDS to wear underwear every morning and after she has an accident, I switch her to diapers. She wakes up with a dry diaper in the morning and after naps, so I do think she has bladder control - she just doesn't have the maturity to tell me she needs to go if she is playing or having fun. I'd say she's had ONE day with no accidents and success with telling me she needs to go vs. me putting her on the potty.

Birthday Party: I'm not doing anything this year in terms of a big party..... I got tickets to see Elmo Live and that will be our family celebration.

[myshel]

Potty training: DS isn't all that interested, and it's not like I'm in a huge rush. MIL had told me that DH was potty trained just after he was two, so maybe DS will be easy too?

Birthday party: I'm pretty sure I want to do a pretty lightly themed Elmo party, but as with the first birthday, I'm confused as to who to invite. I'm thinking family and maybe a few friends that have kids.

[docoNY]

thanks for all the congrats ladies! appreciate it :) the ickies have started but otherwise doing ok and it still feels unreal (u/s is 6/12)

potty training I am petrified to start it - Orla is very vocal when she has a dirty diaper - wont sit tells us 10x she needs to be changed but not even sure how to go about starting it

birthday party I was going to just do the usual family party w/my parents and my bro & SIL and found out my bro/SIL might be out of town :P so our small party is turning lamer!

O has 4 cousins all in N. Ireland so we miss them when it comes to bday parties!

[Kasia216]

Potty Training - Nope. Think we may wait a few more months as he doesn't seem ready for it just yet. Don't want to push it.

Birthday Party - Have not really thought about it yet but guess I better. Will probably have it at a Gym space or something like that. Will likely invite kids from his classes he takes and some family + friends. As far as theme - Not sure I'd do one - maybe just a color theme? Can you tell I've thought so much about this :rolleyes:

[Tray85]

Playgroup Drama - A little background. Each week, about 7 of us moms have play group with our kids at one of our houses. One mom now has a big problem with kids bringing sippies to playgroup b/c she thinks they get sick that way. We all try to keep an eye on our kids, but yes, sometimes they steal each other's sippies (Ha - the woman who has such a problem has the daughter who takes everything from everyone (including clothes) and she is never told no, but anyway!) Now snacks have become an "issue" as well. The general snack situation varies. The complainer woman leaves out no snacks, but takes her daughter inside for her own special snack midway through group. Most of us put a few little bowls of fairly healthy things like cut up grapes, pretzels, fishies or raisins. Personally, I could care less who puts out what. Also, if a little mess is made, it doesn't bug me. The complainer woman seems to loathe any little mess the kids make. Another mom in the group suggested having a "seated snack time" where everyone sits and has a snack/drink. This is what she does with her VERY mellow son. Nice in theory. But corraling the under 2's and up might be pretty difficult. Emails have been flying this afternoon and are people sound a little tightly wound about this subject.

Obviously you can tell my leaning - mellow the heck out, people!

My question - What is the sippy/snack "rule" in your playgroup?

[jki]

My question - What is the sippy/snack "rule" in your playgroup?

Wow. That sounds RIDICULOUS. We have no "rules" with regard to sippies and snacks. Everyone does their own thing. I usually put out disposable sippies or juice boxes and several snacks - goldfish, veggie booty, raisins, etc. I don't like the "seated snack" rule because what if my child doesn't want to have a snack at that time? Oh - there is one rule - no nuts.

If the complainer woman doesn't like messes being made at her house, maybe she should suggest other venues for playgroup. For example, one woman in our group HATES having people over - so she does other stuff.... like calls the fire house to arrange a tour, picks a local park and brings extra sand toys and snacks to the park, suggests zoo outings, etc.

Good luck - hope everything works out.

[lil_nance]

No rules. The host doesn't provide snacks because all of us hate to cook. LOL. Every mom brings snacks (cheerios, fish, etc.) for her kid and a sippy. The kids usually share snacks. We try to keep the sippys with their owner, usually it works.

[Kasia216]

I'm a working mom so I don't host playgroups at my apt but it does sound a little "rigid". I agree with JKI, if she is soo uptight about mess and such, she should host the playgroup outside her house - park or something? The only time I heard about snack restrictions is if a child has an allergy to something. Seated snack time sounds nice in theory but that will never happen with toddlers - Also, what happens if a child is not ready for snack when the "time" arrives. There's always one in the group that usually likes to rock the boat :) Good luck!

[QPDoll]

We also have a playgroup of mixed ages. Its not a seated arrangements because kids are kids ;). Some of the hostesses do set out a few snacks, some bring something to share and some bring just something for their own kids. Its really laid back. I usually bring something for my own kids because of a nut allergy and generally 2yo pickiness. When I host, I usually have snacks and disposable sippies for all the kids (or paper cups depending on the age). (and I reuse the disposable sippies until the spouts crack)

It sounds like you have a large group for playgroups, what about splitting it up for the under 2 crowd and the over 2 crowd? The over 2 may be more ridged like a sit down snack, where as thats pretty hard with an under 2 crowd. We tried this with our group since the under 2 crowd has different time needs, but our Moms Club is really low in membership and I think I'm the only one left that has anyone under 2.


But I also second (third, whatever) that perhaps that one mom just doesn't want to host anymore or suggest that she arrange her playgroup time at a local park instead - or have her host outside-only playgroups if she has a kid-friendly yard.

[December27JJB]

Thats silly!? I dont know what that mom was thinking that kids dont make a mess and they can sit still? :confused: In our playgroup most of us are vegetarians so each one of us brings a vegetarian dish or organic snacks to share. No one complains about making a mess. If a kid makes a mess we take turns sweeping the floor and take turns picking up food off the floor. I agree with what the others are saying, that mom shouldnt host a playgroup in her home if she doesnt like the mess the kids make. Good Luck!

[Tray85]

Thanks for the replies. I'm so glad I'm not losing my mind! She really does hate hosting & should stick to using "her" day as a park day or something. I saw her today and she made some comments. I told her that I think the host mom for the week can have rules for their own house, but that I didn't want to be told how to parent in my own home. (I said it nicely) I think we agreed to disagree.

**continued rant*** :p
My closer friend in the group and I were having a $itch session on the phone about complainer friend's double standard. Her daughter has repeatedly wandered upstairs in our houses to explore...she even grabbed a whole chicken breast during an evening party and put it in my friend's laundry basket! She steals shoes, hats, clothes, toys, etc. Her mom NEVER watches her & instead brags about how good she is. Well, she may seem good if you are never watching her! I know these things are all something that our own kids might do and I'd have no problem with it - except that she's complaining so much about other kids. Um, hello!

We have a group outing tomorrow - so THAT ought to be interesting!!

***Another question - My friend mentioned above is wondering how to broach the subject of keeping complainer's daughter from wandering the house. I told her to ask complainer "Can you go see was she is doing right now? I just don't want her to get hurt up there." Any other thoughts?

[December27JJB]

Chicken breast in a laundry basket! EW!

Can you lock the doors or barrier the rooms you dont want children to go in? Maybe you can have the gatherings in one room if that is possible and keep everyone in that room? I hope things get resolved soon!

[NYN]

Ew! I think I would die if I found a chicken breast in my laundry basket, lol.

I already answered you in the other thread. I think that these "rules" are ludicrous. I do feel bad for her daughter though as she is the one who will end up losing out in the end b/c she has the freaky mom.

potty training: I am waiting until we get back from Spain. Catie sits on the potty twice a day during the week and three times on the weekend (b/c I am home in the middle of the day - duh) but she doesn't seem very thrilled about it one way or another. Thought this morning she did wake me up by telling me she had "mucha caca." HAHA

bedtime: Someone asked about bedtime. Yes, Catie is going to bed much later these days. She has been sleeping a consistent 11 hours a night since we night-weaned at 21 months. I'm very happy.

language: A while back I was concerned about Catie's language development b/c we speak three languages at home, plus sign. I just wanted to share that my fears were pretty unwarranted as she seems caught up now (if a little confused). She talks more Spanish than English but can translate the word when asked. Funniest is when she goes up the stairs to our apartment, she counts them one through eleven (don't know why eleven???) and then uno through diez. HAHA.

Hope you are all enjoying the long weekend. We are going to a bbq/pool party today -- can't wait!

[Tray85]

NYN - LOL about Catie!! My Katie stops at thirteen and keeps counting it over and over again. It sounds like two-teen, two-teen. Not sure why she chose 13 as her magic number. :)

Tiny update to story - We all had a playdate at this small local farm. I was giving Katie her sippy cup and a few fishies and complainer mom says "You guys and your snacks!" I wanted to scream. Um - stop 100 strollers and 95%+ are going to have snacks!!!

[December27JJB]

Tray85 Oh gosh! You should've offered her some snacks just to throw her off :p

NYN- We are using ASL and English here. Parker goes back and forth between the two. Sounds like Catie is doing well regardless of how many languages you use at home!

I hope you all had a great weekend!!!

[char473]

We only play with neighbors in our cul de sac, so play groups = block party;) but I think I would not be happy with chicken in my laundry, or kids bullying mine.

Things are good here. We are going to SC this weekend for my brother's wedding. Syd is growing like a weed. She is a big time mommy's girl. All she wants is mommy. Which I love of course. We even have a "mommy" song. Tonight is her first night in her big girl bed, and after about 4 reminders to stay in bed, she fell asleep. So here's hoping the morning goes as smoothly. She has always been a great sleeper, a trait from me I'm sure.

Recent pics:
My oldest, the big sis rocking a self portrait:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/char473/Familypics040.jpg?t=1181872666

My Fairy Princess:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/char473/Familypics042.jpg?t=1181872967

A little cuddle for Daddy:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/char473/Familypics049.jpg?t=1181873029

Take care!

[Tray85]

Char - your girls are beautiful.

Everyone enjoying their summer?

We just got back from the Great Wolf Lodge in Wisconsin http://www.greatwolf.com/. Its a big waterpark resort. We all had a great time & Katie was very brave in the water and on the waterslides!

Now that we've had one successful trip (drive was only 3 hours), I know we can go elsewhere. Yay! I'm already planning in my head.

[dizylizy]

Tray85- I love Wis Dells! We had such a fun time there last summer. Harry was 8 wks old and totally enjoyed the hot tub. I know you aren't supposed to but we let him float for like 5 minutes. had this look of awe and was asleep for 4 hours (!!!) after that. Can't wait to take our boys there to ride on the go karts and water slides!

Char- what a great picture of your oldest! and the fairy... see, I need to have a girl...

Summer is hot here in CO. 2 days of over 90 degrees and I am ready to be done with being pg. next one is going to be planned to be due in March... =)

[Kasia216]

Char Great Pictures of the girls!

Father's Day - Hope all the dad's had a nice 2nd Father's Day. We went to the beach in the AM as that's what DH wanted to do then we drove to my dad's and we all went out to an early dinner. I gave the dad's a framed photo of Jackson that I had taken by a photographer a few weeks back. They loved it!

Terrible 2's? - I've noticed DS testing his boundaries more and more with us each day. I've seriously started to consider "time-outs". It's difficult as I'm a working mom and I have to rely on his nanny to carry out some of the discipline and boundary settting with him each day. He's started to do all sorts of things that he's never done before -> Climbs on top of the coffee table, turns all the light switch's (he can reach) on-off , pulls open the fridge and takes the contents out and on the floor and the list goes on. I feel like we spend a good part of our time saying no, no, no. Is anybody else going through this? Any advice to offer? Please tell me I'm not alone....It's sort of distressing as he was so well behaved and it just seems like he's turned a corner and is really rebellious now?

[QPDoll]

Summer fun - sounds like a really fun trip, Trey!

We leave on vacation this weekend to go to the Lincoln City, on the Oregon coast (that far down the coast for us is about 6 hour drive). We go to the OR coast each year with the inlaws (whom I don't get along with!). The boys will love it this year. Their cousins will be there: ages 3 and 2.

terrible 2's this has been going on for awhile now. Lots of tantrums, and being naughty. They have been climbing on the coffee table since they could first pull themselves up. We pick our battles. Coffee table is fine (they get bored with it when we don't tell them no, and then its no fun), but the table is a definite NO. A couple months of that, and now neither is all that interesting to them, of course, they are on to bigger and more annoying things - mostly fighting, starting to kick and hit at each other.
We do practice timeouts, or at least we had been until we took the cribs down this week! Usually a few minutes in the crib worked wonders. We also do nose-to-the-wall. For us, its usually one hits the other and refuses to say sorry (give each other hugs), so he gets nose-to-the-wall, which they hate but actually comply with. After a few seconds (and they are crying and fussing while nose to the wall), I ask if they are ready to say sorry, and they say yes and go give hugs.

Each kid is VERY different, so what works for one may not work for the others. We also give spankins when they do something dangerous (in which they know they are not suppose to do, like run in the road).

Anyway, you are NOT alone, and just remember - its a phase. Its actually a good thing. They are learning to challenge things and its actually an important part of their development. It shows independence, creativity, tenacity, and a variety of other traits that actually are good things. Now, to challenge that energy into good versus evil (my daily battle). LOL

I am being attacked by paper airplanes! Gotta run! (my niece and nephew are staying with me this week)

[myshel]

Terrible 2s: We've definitely hit that stage at our house. Luka has become more willing to test the boundaries. The only time we use timeouts is when he does something physically violent (bite DH or his sister, hit Mommy,etc.) or when he doesn't listen to repeated requests to stop an activity. This is what they do at Luka's daycare too. Whenever Luka hears the word "timeout," his heads snaps up, and he looks guilty.

We usually place him on a chair where we can see him and then ignore him for about a minute or two. He usually rubs his eyes and looks sad. I think he understands that he's done wrong. This usually does the trick.

QPDoll: The nose against the wall is my dad's favorite form of punishment with my nephews. I can remember many times from my childhood where my sister, my cousin, and I had to do that.

[jki]

Terrible 2s: Yeah - in full force here. Is it possible that my kids don't listen to a WORD I say unless I'm yelling? I read a number of discipline books at Barnes & Noble yesterday - 123 Magic, Positive Discipline, No Cry Discipline Solution..... I can't decide which will work for us. We do employ time outs - usually in their rooms and they have to stay there until they decide to come out and behave.

I agree with QPDoll that you've gotta pick your battles. Easier said than done, I know.

[char473]

Thanks Ladies:)

Terrible 2s: Syd is testing her boundries everyday! We are using a modified time out, making her sit in her room, and so far it is working. But like PP have said, you pick your battles. The main thing I am working on is being consistant in public. Most kids seem to know it embarrases the crap out of you, so they tend to act out more, but with my oldest, I was just as firm in public so she quickly learned it did not fly with me. So we are hoping Syd catches on soon

Bday: We got her a play kitchen for her Bday, and we already put it together. She loves it! It is a light pastel colored wood one. So cute. She also got a tricycle from my mom that she loves.

Big girl bed:: So far so good. She has been in it for about a week now and has seemed to transition just fine. We will get her a full size bed soon.

[Tray85]

Terrible Two's - Definitely in the testing/tantrum stage here too. I never really understood what "chasing after a toddler" was until now~! She's nuts and into everything. She tends to have tantrums when overtired/hungry or bored. No real advice - we just take one day at a time.

[newyorkgirl]

Hi ladies!

It feels like it's been a while since I've been here (and longer since I've updated my LJ! For those who are on LJ - I'm sorry! I'll get around to it this week, I promise!).

Bennett is absolute riot. There are no words, seriously. One minute, I'm the proudest mama, and the next, I'm totally frustrated with my headstrong kid. I'm sure you all feel the same way sometimes.

Terrible twos - We are SO in the thick of it, although I sort of feel like the worst of it has passed. (Or am I just dreaming?) There were a few months there that both Bennett and I were just frustrated because he just didn't have the ability to reason yet and still wanted to do things that were beyond him, endangered him, etc. So he would just throw fits all the time. Now things seemed to have calmed down a bit - I'm able to reason with him at a very basic level and he understands consequences better. We do a combination of 1-2-3 counts, the two-choice method, and Mommy's-way-or-the-highway (when it comes to things that are life-threatening or not-an-option). He understands our discipline, even if he doesn't always obey. Right now, the problem we are having is that Bennett doesn't think DH means it when he disciplines him. With me, Bennett has no problem understanding that I mean business, but Daddy can't possibly be serious, can he? ;) Anyone else have that problem and what can we do?

kasia - Hey girl! I agree with QPDoll in that you have try things out to see what works with Jackson, but I've found that engaging Bennett in tasks is helpful. If I see him pulling the Tupperware out of the cabinet, I say something, like, "Come on, Bennett, help me put these back in the cabinet!" We had that same problem with the light switches where he liked to turn them off and on, and we tried the same thing ("Let's turn the lights off!). It worked for a couple days, but then he was back to switching them off and on. But that fascination only lasted for about a week when we ignored it, so, like QPDoll said, everything's a phase. Jackson will likely give it up on his own once he gets bored with it.

Also agree with tray85 - tantrums are less prevalent when Bennett is well-rested, well-fed and not bored.

Some pictures!

Cherry Blossom Festival:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/008a.jpg

At the beach:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/a140a.jpg

Getting swung by Daddy and Papa:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/a351a.jpg

Strawberry picking (er, eating):
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/068a.jpg

[lil_nance]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1001/718813244_10b2be1fe1.jpg?v=0

[lil_nance]

Negotiations Lately when DS wants to do something and he thinks I might say no, he'll say "few minutes". As in "Connor run outside, few minutes". It's cute and I will sometimes let him if he asks nicely. But, I'm also scared because I know the bargaining will just increase as he gets older.

Mealtime C eats a good breakfast and a usually a decent lunch but dinner has become a battle. He doesn't want what were having unless it's pizza. He will still eat chicken nuggets, meatballs, fruit, jelly or grilled cheese sandwich. I know he won't starve. We had chicken and he threw a tantrum over it but then ate nuggets. Wouldn't eat the meatloaf but will eat the meatballs. I don't want to be a short order cook. I just want him to eat what is served. Any suggestions?

Big boy bed C is showing an interest in this. We're going on vacation later this month. I'm hoping to squeeze him into a PnP for a few nights. Then after we return, we'll be transitioning to a regular bed.

Birthday We went to a July 2005 babies b-day party last week. There were 7 kids incl. C. Fun but hectic. I'm having a playdate with cupcakes for him at our house a few days before his actual birthday. Mainly people from my MOMS Club who I know I don't have to impress. We're doing a construction theme. I'm planning on frosting the cupcakes with chocolate and putting little hardhats on them. I got C. a construction themed t-shirt to wear. Bought some cute plates and napkins at the $ store. But that's it, no fancy invites or large party this year.
Also, please post pics of your parties and b-day photos. I love seeing how quickly our cute kids are growing up. :D

[dizylizy]

birthday- Harry's 2nd was so low key. I did a beach ball pool party. I got lots of inflatable mini balls from OT and filled a pool with balloons which the kids had more fun popping... then a spinkler ring and a small baby pool. Lots of people were out of town so we ended up with 7 kids. just the right amount. I made way too much food. Mini bagels, mini muffins, frout tray and veggie tray. drinks- OJ and Tea plus pop. I bought extra disposable sippies for the kids. as favors, I had little pails also from OT and gave them fruit snacks and dum dums. It was a blast! I didn't eve want to tear the kids away from the pools to eat cupcakes. we adults just sat around chatting. very relaxing party!

Meals- If he misses a meal, tough. I am not going to make him something different. If we have chicken, he gets chicken. Harry didn't want Mac and cheese the other night and only wanted chips. we put the chips away and told him no. he had to eat his macaroni. He wouldn't so I threw it away. I gave him some time and then offered the steamed carrots with dip. He ate 8 carrots. all was good. then he had a treat of 3 large marshmellows. but I did put him to bed the other ight after a fit at teh table. it was a late dinner and he was tired from a very short nap. so we got into our pj's read a book to calm down. had some milk and went to bed... He woke up the next morning and ate a huge breakfast. I think it balances out. Need to teach him that dinner is what mom makes not what you want. That is what my mom did. you can specialize what is made (suace/no sauce or chese/no cheese) but she wouldn't make anything else for you.

[myshel]

Mealtime: Luka is a really great breakfast and lunch eater. Supper is another story though. Basically, we offer what we've made. Sometimes he eats everything that's offered, but other times, he focuses in on thing we're eating and eats serving after serving of that. I suppose part of the reason Luka does that is because we always try to offer one thing with supper that he will eat for sure (Ex: Last night we had spaghetti with meat sauce and salad; he ate the spaghetti but didn't touch the salad. A couple of nights ago, we had hotdogs, strawberries, and cottage cheese; he ate cottage cheese and strawberries.). We don't have the problem with requesting specific food items as some people do. I suspect it's because he doesn't know enough food words to do so. He will request ketchup for meat, but I don't have any huge issue with that. If we're having a veggie that I know he won't eat, I do have small cans of veggies Luka does like on hand and will make him one of those.

[Tray85]

mealtime - Katie rarely will eat what we are eating (pizza, corn on the cob and rice are the ONLY exceptions). She still doesn't have a very diverse "palate". :P I think her body composition is 90% cheese. I assume that she'll get better with age? Since I'm a veggie and my husband is not, we generally "fend for ourselves". So, its not like I make a huge meal for the family. I make sides and make something for Katie. I know this isn't how I grew up. We ate what my mom made. But its not something that bothers me (yet?).

birthday - Hers isn't until the 21st. We are having about 30 adults and 14 kids. I'm putting out two pools and a sprinkler. Also, we just bought a swing set/climber, so that will be assembled by her party. We are doing a Blues Clues theme - so cake and decor will be Blues Clues. I also found this card board dog house that kids can draw on or hide inside. That should be fun. So as not to stress myself out too much, we are catering in Italian food.

potty - I just started putting Katie on the potty. She thinks its funny, but doesn't do anything. Anyone read any good potty training books?

[char473]

Happy late 4th! We had Sydney's 2nd bday today. I can't believe my baby is 2! We just did a small family party but we had such a nice time. Syd soaked up all of the attention. Here are some pics.
Walking around with her "nummy" (she wants to feed everyone)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/char473/Syds2ndbday107.jpg?t=1183858646

The spread:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/char473/Syds2ndbday103.jpg?t=1183858728

Close up of the cake (from the best bakery ever!):
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/char473/Syds2ndbday105.jpg?t=1183858793

Eating (and looking quite possesive):
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/char473/Syds2ndbday113.jpg?t=1183858866
cont in next post.

[char473]

Presents (and mommy was not opening it fast enough):
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/char473/Syds2ndbday119.jpg?t=1183858952

The tunnel (she loved this thing!):
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/char473/Syds2ndbday125.jpg?t=1183859002

Eating: She pretty much wants to eat everything I eat but only when I am eating it. Otherwise she has her regular meals that she likes, and doesn't handle change too good. But we are working on it.

Hope everyone is well. Loving all the pics. Take care!

[newyorkgirl]

mealtimes - Bennett goes through phases of eating everything in sight and then not eating much at all - all day long. He still eats dinner separate from us, though, and it's not what we eat. However, he does have to eat what is prepared for him. If he doesn't want it, I let him drink milk and then set him down from the chair. Sometimes I can negotiate - one bite of something he doesn't particularly care for, one bite of something he likes, and so on.

We're just hosting playgroup on Monday - Bennett's birthday. Nothing too fancy, but with a nod to The Very Hungry Caterpillar - food will be everything the caterpillar eats in the book. I'll post pictures after it's over.

[docoNY]

I just realized I never came back and updated this thread :(
I had a 'missed' miscarriage 4 wks ago - we went to see the hb the first time at 9 wks 5 days and found out the baby stopped developing at 6 wks and had a d&c later that week.. so things have been sucky lately

but of course having Orla has made me less mopey - can't be mopey when you are running after a toddler

anyway to change the subject to happier things! its hard to believe its July and they are all turning 2!!

we just had a family party and we actually staggered her gifts.. Sat at the bbq/party then Sun a couple and then Mon her actual bday :)
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b125/docoNY/Orlacorn.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b125/docoNY/orla2ndbday.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b125/docoNY/Orlawithmurphy.jpg

we have her well visit tomorrow - she seems skinny to me and she might have finally grown so we shall see

mealtimes
she is good with breakfast and she is in a new daycare about 6 wks now and she is not eating well there so we have been sending lunch (leftover dinner usually). Dinner we offer her what we eat and she usually does ok but doesn't eat enough to we add a cheese stick if needed, etc and she would eat fruit all day long if she could

potty we have a seat to go on the toilet and since the 4th she asks to sit on it and I have to read a book to her but it seems like a toy to her. Not sure what are the next steps!? no diaper and let her wet herself?!

anyway hope everyone is having a good summer with their toddlers :D

[Tray85]

DocoNY - So sorry to hear about your miscarriage. :(

Orla just keeps getting more beautiful. Katie's favorite thing is corn on the cob too.
----
Kate has a mystery fever again! Plus she just got over 10 days of diarrhea. It went away for 3 days and now its back with a vengance. Poor thing's behind was torn up. I finally bought some Butt Paste because the Desitin made her scream yesterday. Several friends have complained about mystery fevers lately. One of them said the ped's office said the same thing - lots of calls about mystery fevers. I hope it all clears up for next weekend's birthday bash.

[docoNY]

Tray85 thanks - appreciate it - getting better

could the mystery fever be teething?

we had O's well visit on Wed
25 lbs 10oz
34.5 inches

up 2 inches and 3 lbs since Jan

Orla was a very early teether - started at 4m and she had a few mystery fevers since Jan and thought it might be teeth related but couldn't get in there to tell

well low and behold on Wed I had the doc check and she already has her 4 2 yr molars!! a milestone done and we are not sure of when it happened.

we did have some bad weeks here and there but we still can't get over the fact that we are done in the teeth dept! now onto toilet training!

[lil_nance]

Connor is 2! How quickly the years have gone. He had a good DAY today, wish I could say the night was good too. Tantrums over dinner meant that the special birthday dessert will have to wait until tomorrow. I think I'm more dissapointed than he was.

Enjoying his cupcake playdate on Friday
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1078/823113265_b47282ad81.jpg?v=0

Opening presents. Bus, garbage truck, tricycle, Cars DVD. Yes, if it has wheels it's good.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1381/823113249_6bcadb2fe7.jpg?v=0

[December27JJB]

Happy Birthday July babies... er...toddlers!!!!

I still cant get over the fact that our little babies are now 2!


Doco- I am sorry about your m/c

Parker is still not potty trained. We also have been getting mysterous fevers and diahrrea. Like Katie, Parker would scream her head off when we put destin on her so we found some organic butt paste that doesnt make her scream. Poor thing! We have, I believe 4 teeth to go. Her canines and behind her canines. She's been really grouchy lately and I am 99% sure its the teeth.

[lil_nance]

Doco so sorry for your loss

Connor had to have bloodwork done today. It was the general screening the do for 2yo plus some for allergies. I took him to Quest. The tech had trouble finding the vein then ended up having to use both arms to get enough. Meanwhile he's terrified and screaming. He kept saying "All done. Go bye-bye". I felt aweful for him. Afterwards he just wanted the bandaids off. Mommy bought him a Matchbox Hummer to make herself feel better. :o

We had our WBV on Mon. He's 35" (75%), 27lb 14oz (50%), 20" head (95%). Lots of brains in there. LOL.

[char473]

Doco: So sorry for your loss:(

All of the pics are adorable. :)

Syd is sick, she caught her sister's stomach bug, so I have been puked on most of the day. Poor baby, I know she is hurting, and I wish I could make it go away right now. Hopefully it is just a day bug.

Take care!

[December27JJB]

Lilnance- OUCH. Poor Connor. I hope he is ok. I HATE needles too! :(

Char- I hope Sydney is ok. It is never fun dealing with a sick little one.

[char473]

lilnance - I hope Conner's blood work comes back normal:) I hear ya on the needles thing. My oldest DD got sick first and has a sensitive stomach, so needless to say we ended up in the hospital for an IV and fluids. She had to get stuck 3 times for the IV and was being so good, but dropping some big tears:(

Thanks for the get well December!! Thankfully the next day Syd popped up like nothing was wrong and resumed daily life!

Take care!

[docoNY]

lil nance, char473, December27JJB thank you - appreciate it

lil nance poor Connor - we had a traumatic blood removal at her 12m.. they stuck her in the vien got no blood, went to the other one - couldn't find it and went back to the original one - it was hell :( luckily they just took it from her finger this time.. I am starting to think shots are much better to go through (and never thought I would say that!)

char473 glad Syd is all recovered - I think I would hurl if I got thrown up on! :)

December27JJB I hope the teeth are in (if that was the issue) and no more grumpy Parker! The day is so much more enjoyable when they are happy :)

[myshel]

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Wow, it's hard to believe that our little ones are 2, or at least most of them are! We had Luka's birthday party this last weekend.

The birthday cake from Target.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1356/875616775_f34e2ab952.jpg?v=0

The birthday boy isn't so sure about this...
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1040/875621781_6f5fba627f.jpg?v=0

Luka, with one of his favorite gifts-- the bubble mower!
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1293/876632280_144db685fd.jpg?v=0

And just because I like it, a shot of Luka wearing some of my high heels
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1295/876465166_f3d863d833.jpg?v=0

We have Luka's WBV on Friday. I'm a little nervous about his weight because he's still really small. He eats really well, so I'm not sure what the deal is there. Then again, we've struggled with his weight since about 4 months on. Our ped also mentioned possibly testing Luka for allergies because he constantly has a runny nose.

Hope everyone else is doing well and growing! :)

[Kasia216]

Happy Birthday to all the JULY Little Toddlers!

Jackson celebrated his 2nd Birthday on Sunday - July 22nd. We had a Birthday weekend that included a fun visit to the Strasburg Railroad on Saturday and Sesame Place on Sunday! We all had a blast :cool:

I was late on scheduling his 2 year WBV so our visit isn't till August 12th.

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer and their little toddlers!

Recent Summer Pic

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a294/cheryl216/OldLyme7.jpg

ETA: Myshel: Luka in your heels is Hysterical!

[QPDoll]

That picture of Jackson is awesome! Happy birthday to him!

Also happy birthday to Luka! Love the high heels! Hahahahaha

Today is Pete and Nates birthday, its been non-stop partying since Friday.
Friday, playgroup party at McD's. Saturday, family & friends party at Chuck E Cheese (33 people, 5:30 on a rainy Saturday at Chuck & Cheese = chaos!). Sunday, recouperating LOL. Today, mom and boys at McD's for ice cream, and cupcakes with dada tonight after dinner.

[docoNY]

QPDoll Happy birthday to Pete and Nate!

KASIA216 that is a great picture!! glad to hear Jackson enjoyed Sesame Place?! we are going next week through O's daycare and was wondering if it would be too much for a 2 yr old :)

Myshel I think that is a photo of Luka that you can use to torture him in the teen years ;) its a riot!!

[char473]

Myshel: Luka looks so cute and happy! Loving the heels pic. It is definately a first date show and tell pic;)

Kaisa: Jackson is adorable! Glad he had fun.

QP: Happy Birthday to Nate and Pete! Hope their day is great!! Sounds like they had a very busy weekend.

Can you believe how fast our little ones are growing? It seems like since she turned 2, she has become even more of a sponge - its amazing. She knows more spanish then I do! Colors, shapes, ABCs, counting, animal sounds, body parts, she loves choo=choos, the list seems to grow everyday! At this rate it seems like she will be 16 tomm:( She has finally learned the manners thing too - please and thank you all the time.

Take care.

[myshel]

2 year WBV Stats:

Length: 34.5 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 23.4 pounds (4th percentile)
Head: 47.25 (25th percentile)

Length and head have increased and held steady in the respective percentiles. Weight is the biggie for us though. Luckily, Luka has moved back on to the charts with this visit! Yay! He was off the charts for his 12 month and 15 months visits, so this is a big step for us.

[newyorkgirl]

Finally downloaded Bennett's birthday pics!

We didn't do anything too fancy, just hosted a special playgroup (since it was playgroup day). Normally, the host just provides a little snack or something, but the OCD in me totally comes out and I have to provide a loaded table everytime. Anyway, this was no exception and I "themed" it to boot. Of late, Bennett has been fixated on The Very Hungry Caterpillar and can rattle off everything the caterpillar ate on Saturday by memory. So I had a fruit salad with the fruits the caterpillar ate Monday through Friday, then had just about everything else, plus cupcakes with little frosting caterpillars. Afterward, they all played outside with a little fountain kiddie pool and a bigger regular kiddie pool (it was 98 degrees - luckily for the moms, the kiddie pools were in the shade):
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/bday039a.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/bday043a.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/bday047a.jpg

We just got back from a 10-day vacation to southern California. First half was mainly in LA, and then my mom took care of Bennett at my sister's place for the remainder so DH and I could spend some time alone in Santa Barbara. Love SB! But we did get to show Bennett the sights in LA.

Disneyland
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/socal/072a.jpg

He *loved* Travel Town. Seriously, if any LA area moms of boys (or girls with locomotive fascinations) don't know about this place, they have to go!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/socal/086a.jpg

And he wouldn't get off the kiddie cars on the Santa Monica Pier:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/socal/108a.jpg

Hope everyone is having a good July!

ETA: Oh yes, his 2-yr WBV stats - Height - 36 in (80%), Weight - 28 lbs 4 oz (50%)

[Tray85]

Aw! Happy Birthday to our July babies!!

We had WBV today:
Height 36" (95th %)
Weight 28.2 lbs (75th %)
head 50cm (off the charts HUGE!)

We had a big Blues Clues/pool party on Saturday. Then brunch and gift opening on Sunday. Here's a picture of her eating cake:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/Tray85/KatieBday.jpg

[QPDoll]

Finally downloaded Bennett's birthday pics!
He *loved* Travel Town. Seriously, if any LA area moms of boys (or girls with locomotive fascinations) don't know about this place, they have to go!

The expression on his face is the picture of absolute pure joy! I love it!

[dizylizy]

Wow, I am behind on the 2 yr WBV... I know he needs shots. still holding out on the chicken pox vacine. esp since I am pg and will have a newborn soon. (8-8) Since we just moved, I need to find a new ped. There is one in the same building as my OB so I think I will go there.
Harry is talking so well now. loves Mickey Mouse playhouse and elmo. can play well by himslef which will be good when the baby comes. Loves trains and has begun to figure out how to put his clothes on. Getting better at being splashed in the face at the pool. Also, bought him a pair of crocs and he can put them on and take them off! love his independence but miss the cuddling...

[lil_nance]

Isn't it hard to let them grow up. It's exciting our toddlers are getting independent but I miss my baby too. He's extremely verbal but is more cautious with physical things like climbing and jumping. Hasn't started dressing and undressing himself yet. "Mommy help do it" is his phrase when he doesn't want to try something on his own. He has peed on the big potty twice in the past 2 days. Woohoo. I'd love to get potty training done before winter but I'm not counting on it. He's sleeping in his big boy bed for the first time tonight. So far so good. We babygated his door rather than the stairs. What have the rest of you done?

I love all the pictures.

[myshel]

Isn't it hard to let them grow up. It's exciting our toddlers are getting independent but I miss my baby too. He's extremely verbal but is more cautious with physical things like climbing and jumping. Hasn't started dressing and undressing himself yet. "Mommy help do it" is his phrase when he doesn't want to try something on his own. He has peed on the big potty twice in the past 2 days. Woohoo. I'd love to get potty training done before winter but I'm not counting on it. He's sleeping in his big boy bed for the first time tonight. So far so good. We babygated his door rather than the stairs. What have the rest of you done?

I love all the pictures.

I'm impressed that you've gotten that far with PT. I just bought our potty off of e-bay and am waiting for it to ship. Once it comes, we'll intro the potty, but I'm not going to push it too much.

As far as the BBB goes, you know that Luka has been in his for a while. His bed is our old bed (a full size). We put a mesh rail across one side and left it at that. Technically, Luka can get out of the bed, but he chooses not to. He'll sit in his bed and sort of whine until one of us comes to get him. In the almost 8 months that Luka has been in that bed, he's only fallen out once. It happened two months ago; we heard a thunk, and DH ran in to check on Luka. He was just sitting on the floor, clutching his blanket. Anyway, I hope it goes smoothly for Connor (and for you, Nancy!).

kasia: I love Jackson's hair! He looks like a model. I wished I had the patience for that.

Tray: What a sweetie! I love that dress!

NYgirl: Bennett looks so full of life in those pictures! What a looker!

[QPDoll]

He's sleeping in his big boy bed for the first time tonight. So far so good. We babygated his door rather than the stairs. What have the rest of you done?

We have a gate on our stairs since our upstairs is so small. We only have a short hallway which leads to our room. Each morning when they wake up, they come into our room for a quick snuggle before we all get up for the day.

My boys have been in BBBs for about a month now. Some days/nights, they only want to play - I just short the door and leave them in there and its not long before they are passed out on the floor or even sometimes in their beds. :rolleyes: At night is usually easier than naptime though, and they play/read books for a few minutes by themselves and then go to sleep. I have to say though, at first it was a really rough transition and we ended up with a lot of broken things (bookshelf, bookends, etc.) before we stripped their room. There wasn't a lot of sleep for any of us. We resorted to sort of a CIO, again, and left them shut in their rooms when they wanted out before they had slept. It was really hard to hear them CIO again!!!! But it really didn't take them long (a week, if that) before they realized that it was sleep time and I meant it! We did try laying down with them to help them go to sleep, but that just seemed to keep them awake.

[lil_nance]

Well last night went great. Connor stayed in his bed all night and woke up in a good mood. He didn't get out of the bed until I went in and got him. He slept in it for his nap today too. He's in a full bed that's on the floor with just the boxspring, no bedframe, under it. I put a mesh bedrail on one side but so far he seems to be more towards the middle. He looks so tiny in that big bed.

[NYN]

Hi all, it's been a long time. I can't believe the kids are two already! Catie turned two on the 22nd. We had only been back from Spain for a week so I threw together a small b-day party with her friends for the 21st and then had my parents, IL's and our sisters over on her actual birthday. We got her a play kitchen and my parents got her the food and I think I was more excited than her about it!

We had a great time in Spain. My sister got married and it was a beautiful day. Catie and I were her only bridesmaids -- it was really cute. The reception lasted until 4:30am and Catie danced until 2am! I couldn't believe it. Then she asked me to nurse and within ten minutes she passed out. It was great. She is usually HORRIBLE to be around if it is even one minute past her bedtime (which, lets just say is a LOT earlier than 2am, lol) so this was a great surprise and DH and I actually got to enjoy the wedding. The rest of the trip was wonderful as well and I really wish it hadn't gone so quickly.

I am still working and it is still slowly killing me. Nothing much else to say about that. ;)

We were also behind w/ Catie's 2nd year WBV and finally did it last weekend. She is 36" tall and 29.5lbs (she lost 1.5lbs in Spain!). You would have thought the doctor was killing her if you were in the waiting room, so loud were her screams as soon as she laid eyes on her.

Anyway, that is all I can think of. Some pics:

Birthday theme was red and white polka dots:
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/tbesada/47b7d911b3127cceb825c967e3cf0000002.jpg

Actual birthday at home:
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/tbesada/47b7d911b3127cceb825e226a3030000002.jpg

She ate a LOT of ice cream in Spain:
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/tbesada/47b7d905b3127cceb85cb06f68c20000003.jpg

My mom, sister me and Catie (sorry it is not the best shot) before the wedding:
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/tbesada/47b7d905b3127cceb85260a028fe0000002.jpg

[char473]

No stairs here;) She has been in her BGB for about 1 month and we just shut the door. She is close to, but has not figured out how to open it. Normally she just calls for me, or I hear her playing, and when I go in there she has all of her books in her bed, with her "babies" - her teddy, her big sis's ratty old mechanical cat, and her new Build-a-Bear Bella. We are going to upsize her bed in a couple of months to a full.

QOTD - Do you use pillows in the BGB/BBBs? We don't but I want to try one, but am not sure if I start out with a reg. size or smaller.

NYN - Catie is so adorable. You all looked beautiful at the wedding. I love how Catie is pointing a the petal.

[lil_nance]

pillows I made one for Connor. It's half the size of a standard pillow. I made the outside and then stuffed it with a few layers of batting. It's really thin but I didn't want him using a regular pillow yet. Sometimes he'll sleep with his head on it but often I find him at the opposite end of the bed. Also, he hasn't figured out how to sleep under the blankets yet. He's just on top of the sheet.

NYN Catie is so cute. Love the polka dots

C is suddenly terrified of the bath. No idea why. Any idea of how to help him get over this? Is is just a phase, seems to me I've read about other kids with the same issue.

[jki]

pillows: Cassidy has a small one in her crib. No BGB for her anytime soon!

potty training: I think we're on our way. I was PTing her at 19/20 months and then she regressed. At her 2yo WBV, the ped told me to let her do it on her own terms. So I just stopped asking her if she needed to go, I stopped talking about it, etc. Well, for the past 6 days, she has been ASKING to go - with success at least 3 times per day, both pee and poop! I'm still scared to put her in underwear though.

2YO WBV: Cassidy was 35 inches and 30 lbs.! She was a maniac with the ped and the ped told me I needed to read "Raising Your Spirited Child." :rolleyes:

Here are some recent pictures:
http://images.costcophotocenter.com/232323232%7Ffp%3A%3A%3Dot%3E2327%3D82%3B%3D%3B%3B4 %3DXROQDF%3E2323954975842ot1lsi

http://images.costcophotocenter.com/232323232%7Ffp5%3C%3Dot%3E2327%3D82%3B%3D%3B%3B4%3 DXROQDF%3E23238%3A6%3C449%3C%3Bot1lsi

We had a joint Dora themed party for Cassidy, her brother - family only:
http://images.costcophotocenter.com/232323232%7Ffp5%3C%3Dot%3E2327%3D82%3B%3D%3B%3B4%3 DXROQDF%3E23238%3A4%3A%3B443%3Aot1lsi

Happy Birthday to all July 'babies!'

[PaulsGirl]

SO great to come here and see all of these updates!

Like many of you, we had a small, family party with just the grandparents & aunt/uncles, and her BFF & her parents. It was just perfect.

pillows She has a toddler one from one of those magazines I always get. The Right Start, I think?

Potty Training We're on our way! She is a quick learner and it's coming along...

I have one QOTD- who uses a toddler bed? We're thinking of getting one...but we keep going back and forth. She seems too little for a twin-sized bed.

Here is a picture on her actual birthday:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1035/946704751_4058572457.jpg

[dizylizy]

Pillows- He uses one at grandmas. I am thinking of using a reallu flat one on his BBB b/c there is a gap at the top... mostly he sleeps on this big yellow duck. who has to get kisses at bed time too. =)

Toddler bed- we have a toddler bed set up in his new room at the new house. he has slept in it once. but we put him to bed so tired I don't think he even realized it. He is staying at grandmas this until Rocky is born. and she is having him nap in a queen bed. he does OK most days, she says. but at night she still puts him in a pack and play. doesn't want him wondering the dark house... not sure what we will do when I am home with both...

Potty training- haven't even started. Harry can not pull up his own pants or pull them down. so we are teaching that first. then will move onto the potty.

2 yr WBV- need to schedule this....

Bath hating- Harry went thourgh this a few months ago. he would just scream when I would give him one. we tried bubble bath, getting in with him. sitting on the edge, new toys. It lasted about a month. but then stopped. not sure. now he loves to get in the water. also it helped to take him to the pool to get splashed. I htink he was splashed in the face and it scared him or he slipped and hurt himself when one of us was bthing him... not sure. but it passed.

[myshel]

Pillows: Luka has one on his BBB. It's pretty flat though as it's one of my former pillows. Sometimes he sleeps on it; other times, he doesn't.

Under the covers: Luka slept in his BBB for almost 8 months without going under the covers. He sleeps with two "blankies," so I would sneak in during the inwter and cover him in the night. We've just recently started using a sheet for practice. He never stays under it all night though.

NYN, jki, and Paul's Girl: Wow! What pretty little ladies! Luka will have some cute prom dates!

Scared of ped: Luka may be the one kid on the planet who doesn't freak when we got to the ped. In fact, Luka giggled most of the visit, and our ped kept commenting on how good Luka was during the visit.

Potty: I won a Baby Bjorn potty chair on ebay, so I'm waiting for it to ship. Once it gets here, we'll talk about starting to PT then. I know that Luka's moving up at daycare and in the toddler room, they PT.

[QPDoll]

Pauls girl that picture of DD is stunning!

NYN & jki What beautiful girls you have! Its so hard to believe they are two already. :sigh:

pillows/covers Its been too hot for "real" covers, so they sleep with a crib blankie. My boys adore pillows and have been sleeping with them for awhile in our bed (with us with them), and when they got into their BBBs, they went into our room, grabbed our pillows and put them on their beds. :roll eyes:

PT Pete will occasionally tell me he has a dirty diaper by signing "change" to me. Not that he really *wants* me to change him, but he does want a clean diaper. He hasn't recognized wet yet. Nate, OTOH doesn't care about either. When I change a dirty diaper on him, he makes an Ick sound that I always made when changing a dirty diaper, and he laughs when I tell him its yucky.

[Tray85]

Such beautiful pictures!!

afraid of bath - Katie went through this a few months ago. I reverted to bathing her in the baby tub for a few weeks. Eventually, she was fine with the big tub again.

pillow - I just ordered some child sized pillows from One Step Ahead, even though she's not in a BGB yet.

what do you do for hitting?? - Katie is in a major hitting and kicking phase. What do you all do for hitting/kicking?? Time outs each time? I generally catch her hand mid-air and tell her "no hitting" sternly. This stops the hitting moment, but then she'll have 20 more throughout the day. Ugh.

[QPDoll]

what do you do for hitting?? - Katie is in a major hitting and kicking phase. What do you all do for hitting/kicking?? Time outs each time? I generally catch her hand mid-air and tell her "no hitting" sternly. This stops the hitting moment, but then she'll have 20 more throughout the day. Ugh.

We do time-out with nose-against the wall; they have to leave their hands on the wall, and looking straight forward. If they move from this position, we move them back to it, it didn't take long for them to learn what to do. Actually, standing against the wall worked from the first time we used it when we were out to dinner and could think of nothing else to do.

They get this for every hitting/kicking infraction, just for about 15 seconds (which is as long as it takes). Then they have to apologize by hugging whoever they hit (usually their brother). If they won't hug, they go back to the wall for another 10-15 seconds. I've only had to do it a second time on a rare occasion, and have never had to do anything more than that.

My sneaky one, Nate, has tried to go straight to the hug when he is about to get the wall - but we make him stand at the wall first anyway. Now, all we have to do is mention, "do you want to find a wall?" and they stop whatever it is they are doing.

[NYN]

Catie is a big hitter. It is so embarrassing. It is getting better now but there was a point where I was refusing to take her around other kids b/c she would hit them as soon as she saw them. For the longest time we would repeat (over and over and over) "hitting hurts, ouch" and then demonstrate gentle touch (sliding hand across your face, gently) and repeat "gentle, like this." But then she started hitting and then automatically saying "gentle, gentle" and demonstrating gentle touch. That was about the point where I started feeling really helpless and stopped taking her to playgroup and LLL meetings. Then we went to Spain and this kid happened to hit her. I know it is horrible that I find this so funny but she was so disturbed and she kept saying "he no gentle, he no gentle." Well thank god for that kid b/c he really helped curb that whole situation.

We also bought the book No Hitting by Karen Katz which she loves.

We don't do really do time outs but occasionally if she hits we sit her in a chair and tell her she has to think about how hitting hurts. She really hates this, HAHA.

[Tray85]

Thanks for the input. I like the No Hitting book idea. I need to get more consistent with something that gets her attention. Right now, we say no hitting and make her apologize. She's quick to give hugs and loves and say sorry, but that doesn't curb the hitting in the first place.

What is odd is that Katie will only hit ADULTS and not other kids. Its pretty much limited to us and her grandparents..but its a dozen times a day and getting old.

[lil_nance]

Anyone have good recommendations for books regarding tantrums? I'm really getting sick of all the crying and whining. My "What to expect" book says something about more than twice a day being classified as "frequent". Yeah that's us lately. I can tell some of it's related to the new baby but it's still driving me crazy. Also looking for info on potty training. I feel like I need to educate myself on the how to before we go into it 100%.

[kmack]

drive by post here...happy belated birthday to all our kiddos! we were away the weekend of ava's birthday so we didn't have a party - she had a joint bday cake with her cousins and then last weekend she had one of her own so she could get some presents from DH's family. i am realizing it stinks to have a bday in the summer b/c we never seem to be around on the weekends! i promise that next year we will throw her a real party.

i can't believe she is 2 already! she is so funny sometimes...i think we are finally in the stage of her saying embarrassing things in front of strangers. she went through a constipation phase so i used to hold her hand while she went poopie. well i brought her to the bathroom with me while in a restaurant (just so i could pee) and she said really loudly "ava hold mommy's hand so she can go poopie!!". then this morning we were out on a walk and this woman walked by us with a white cast of something on her nose. so ava said "mommy what that there on her nose" and pointed right at her as she walked by. i know it is going to get much worse! a midget (dwarf?small person?) walked by us at the mall and i was just waiting for her to say something but thankfully i don't think she saw him.

we had her 2 yr. wbv and she was only 34 in. and 27 1/2 pounds - of course she was hunched over and moving around when they did her height so i can't imagine that was an accurate measurement. she was supposed to get the MMR vax and also the polio one (are there 3 shots? i didn't realize she needed another one) but she had an infection on her arm so i opted against the shots. she also really likes her doctor for some reason - she sits there and just does what she is asked (open mouth, check ears, etc.). however, they had to draw blood and she cried for almost a 1/2 hour afterwards- the poor girl was totally traumatized. i think it was b/c they pinned her down on the table to do it, she has seen me get my blood drawn several times so i prepped her for it, so if they had just sat her in a chair or something i think it would have gone much more smoothly. oh well.

which leads me to...ava will have a little brother or sister in march! i am 12 weeks along and have been monitored since the beginning b/c i had a previous m/c. my progesterone levels were low so i was on supps. until yesterday. i have had 2 u/s already and heard the heartbeat so hopefully everything will go well. anyway, i feel like they take blood at every visit so ava just sits there watching and wondering what the heck they are doing to mommy.

potty training we were so close months ago but for some reason she wants nothing to do with it. it may be b/c she had a poopie accident when she didnt have her diaper on so i think it scared her.

BGB not even close! i guess we'll need to get her in one by march (or a few months later) but i am not sweating it. i would love to get her a pillow though but i had no idea where to buy toddler ones...now i know! she loves snuggling under her blanket so i think she will be excited for a pillow so she can be like mommy and daddy.

toy recall - does anyone have any of the fisher price toys that were recalled b/c of lead?? of course we have a few...mainly these guys

http://http://service.mattel.com/us/recall/img/paint/large/Affected_H5569.jpg
MIL bought her them a month or so ago and she LOVES them and has been carrying them around everywhere. i am totally paranoid now about what it means...i wouldn't be surprised if she had them in her mouth a few times :(


here are a couple bday pics...hope everyone is enjoying the rest of the summer!
http://http://images.kodakgallery.com/servlet/Images/photos3980/1/98/51/0/18/6/618005198109_0_BG.jpg

http://http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l180/hellerke/DSCN4715.jpg

[dizylizy]

Hi all! happy to report the birth of baby #2. Not quite as drama filled as the last one. but I could have done without all the blood draws the last two weeks. oh and the thought that I might have to be put under general ani rather than a spinal block.

Nathaniel Ryan was born on 8/8 at 8:35 am. weighing at a hefty 9 lbs, 5.4 oz, 21 inches long with LOTS of dark hair and dark (blue?) eyes. with a mighty cry. no wind up just a piercing scream of pain/anger... like "mom, why did you let me fall asleep?"

Harry is not quite sure of the new baby, esp when he cries. He gets me a pillow when I nurse. kinda giggles when he sees my bbs. He wants to be helpful and tried to "take/hold" Nate this morning while I was nursing.
Gotta run, tantrum in process over puzzles, need help on this too. let the terrible twos begin.... =(

[lil_nance]

Liz Congratulations. Would love to see pictures of the boys.
kmack Congratulations. Wishing you a happy healthy 9mo :)

[docoNY]

Liz congrats!!!

kmack congrats on your pregnancy!

[NYN]

congratulations Kmack and DizyLizy!!

We moved Catie to a toddler bed three days ago. For a girl who slept in her parents' bed for 25 months, it was completely anti-climatic. I was expecting a fight, tears, sleepless nights but no, she just lays in it and sleeps her 11 hours. She's not exactly happy about it but she's not complaining either. It's more like she's just resigned to the fact that she's a big girl now and big girls must sleep in their own bed (that and she's probably just thankful it's not the crib). :)

LOVING it!

Hope you are all doing well.

[Tray85]

Congratulations Kmack and DizyLizy!!

We are definitely in a stage of terrible 2's over here. But, I think its almost 100% from getting the 2 year molars in all at once. Today, I actually alternated Motrin and Tylenol like you would with a fever and she turned into a peach. Wish I had thought of that days ago. I've never heard so much whining, crying and screaming. Then add in the hitting, flopping on the floor, throwing things and general pissed-off-ed-niss and that's been my fun life lately. :rolleyes: Every.single.thing. is a battle. Even my mom's group noticed her insanity today. Normally, she's the happy one loving on everybody.

We are going on a vacation Wed - Sat, so relief is on the horizon. I told hubby that I'm close to revoking my mother's card!!!

[kmack]

wow NYN i hope ava takes to her big bed so easily! i am dreading the process...

congrats dizylizy!

tray sorry to hear you are experiencing the terrible two's, i know how it feels!!

questions: i forgot to ask the ped. at our 2 yr visit - when should ava start using flouride toothpaste? and is it okay to switch from whole milk to lowfat? it seemed like the day of her birthday she stopped liking whole milk and will now only drink my milk (1%).

[newyorkgirl]

kmack - Our ped had us switch from whole to 2% at the 2yr WBV. I don't know about flouride toothpaste - I'm guessing it will probably coincide with when they figure out they don't have to swallow everything that they accept into their mouths. I just use the Orajel baby toothpaste that comes in the package with the finger brush. I guess I'll ask when I schedule a dentist visit for Bennett at 2.5 yrs. (I was told dentist visits can start sometime between 2.5-3 yrs, depending on when your child will be willing to sit in the dentist's chair.)

[kmack]

ok thanks...brushing ava's teeth is a huge nightmare right now. currently i only use the finger brush and water b/c she doesnt like the toothpaste that came with it. i wanted to try some other ones but i wasnt sure if she could have the flouride or not and i havent found many without it.

does anyone have tips about getting her to be better at brushing her teeth? right now i have to wrestle her to the ground and shove my finger in the side of her mouth to keep it open, while i put a finger in the other side to brush. of course if DH or anyone but me is around at bedtime she opens wide for them! little devil :rolleyes:

on a side note i just wanted to share something (of course i will probably jinx myself now)...remember when i was having such a hard time getting ava to sleep, mainly for naps? well the past month or so she has really taken to her dolls. so at naptime one day she said she wanted them all in the crib with her. so i put all 6-7 in there with her, covered them with blankets, then covered her with a blanket and walked out of the room and that was that. well, now this is her naptime and bedtime routine! of course after lunch when i tell her it's naptime she still cries and tells me very sternly she doesnt want to go to sleep, but then when i remind her that all her babies are waiting for her in her crib she gets so excited to lie down with them! she just asks me to rub her back a little and then when i say i am going to leave she asks me to leave the door open and i don't hear a peep out of her. i am so excited, it has been a major load off my shoulders to not have to stress out every time i have to put her to bed. ok, just thought it was weird but thank God something works now! i will enjoy it for 6 more months until i have to deal with a newborn's sleeping habits again!!

[Tray85]

Kmack - That's so cute about the dollies.

Toothpaste - My pediatrician actually said to use a tiny amount of flouride toothpaste even if they swallow it (at our 18 month visit). She said that the pediatric dentist that she takes *her* kids to OK'd it. I have a few tubes of non-flouride kind and one tube of Toms of Maine flouride kind - strawberry flavor. I just sort of alternate between them all. Burts Bees makes a good orange flavored non flouride toothpaste. The only time I panicked was when I caught Katie slurping from the tube!!!

Clothes - are your kids starting to assert themselves with clothes (or the lack thereof)?? Katie spends a good portion of the day (at home) naked. She has been in a clothes hating rut for about a month. She even takes her clothes off at playdates. Of course, some of the other kids follow suit. :rolleyes: Then, in addition to the naked thing - she wants to wear crazy accessories like dress shoes, sunglasses, cardboard boxes for hats. It makes for cute pictures, but she'll scream bloody murder if I take them off.