MayJune05 Babies - We're All Turning 2!

[happy1nuv]

tantrums ~ I don't know that I'd call what Nic does a tantrum, its more of constant whining...ESP if I'm trying to do ANYTHING with Joey... WHEN will this stage end???

wendstress ~ ADORABLE pics...esp LOVE the middle one. After Nic's speech session this afternoon, I'm so going to try doing that, because I REALLY want a cute pic of the two of my boys but am clueless how to get one. So far I have TONS of trials, but none that show both boys faces...

stairs ~ Nic doesn't want to go down stairs by himself anymore either. He still goes up ... I was attributing it to regression, not fear though...

usa ~ Ugh! Hope you recover from the weekend soon...sounds like a doozy!

[allyray231]

wendy great pictures!

Tantrums - yup! not a lot but we get them. I love the falling to the floor

2nd birthday-same as last year-at my parents

[Sasha]

psusna - At daycare, Sarah sleeps on a mat, which is what makes me think an air mattress/travel bed might be ok. We actually have a 2-bedroom villa, a huge plus because she wakes up if we all sleep in the same room. I go back and forth on whether to try the PnP one more time or not. We used it the other weekend when we visited my family and 2 out of 3 nights were very bad...but it could also have been attributed to her constipation issues and teething, not the PnP. She napped in it just fine and had one good night of sleep. I'm at a loss. The good thing is we are driving, so I can bring as many sleep options as I can fit in the car. ;)

[cynder]

Disney If it's any consolation, my best friend has the same situation with her kids and age difference like yours and the third was totally chill. I think they know how to compensate or something.

Tantrums It's up and down here. I wasn't really able to do a lot of the Love and Logic stuff while traveling but we're doing a lot of "Do you want time out". We haven't actually put him in any kind of timeout but that seems to be more effective than a warning system for us. It's kind of cute - he says, "uh, no" and then usually stops what he is doing.

Alicia I have so been there. Sun, my friend and her husband, DS and I went to a Barnes and Noble in a yuppie area of DC. They ditched me while I wrangled DS in the kids area. We had two massive-stare-at-thrashing-doing the-"plank" tantrums while playing at the train table. So embarassing and FRUSTRATING. Don't worry we've all had those days.

[diedra1027]

Tantrums - Oh Yeah, but nothing too major in public...yet (knock on wood). Severity is definitely related to fatigue...

Scared - Avery will occassionally 'fake' being scared, but she also expresses her fears correctly (like when we're at the doctors office waiting for the doctor to come in).

[rancherswife]

tantrums: Um, not so much tantrums, more like melt downs, doesn't really throw himself to the floor yet, though, i'm sure it's just around the corner, probably sometime today, since I've mentioned it. ;)

[Dreshny]

Tantrums: None here yet, just grouchy spells, especially when he's tired.

2nd birthday party: We're having two again, one in Philly with relatives, and one with friends in the park in NYC. No real themes, but we may try to incorporate a train and/or a guitar (his favorite things) into the invitation and cake.

Sleep deprivation: Asher's teething canines. I feel like (and look like) I haven't slept in a week. When does the misery end???

[ahavnes]

Fellow Tantrum sufferers--So glad I am not alone! I almost forgot to mention the "plank" that Cynder mentioned. That's Abbey's favorite trick--to stiffen up and scream, while refusing to be carried. It's awesome. :cool: Abbey has also mastered the high-pitched scream while I wipe her face. Any day I expect to have a knock on the door from CPS. The neighbors must think something strange is going on. :o

Sasha- We've stayed in a hotel with Abbey several times. Usually I just end up sleeping with her in one of the beds and Scott sleeps peacefully in the other bed. :rolleyes:

[Sasha]

Alicia - Do you go to sleep with her or put her down in her own in the hotel bed? I know she'd sleep ok in a bed (I wouldn't be comfortable!) but it's the getting her down to sleep in a big bed alone....I don't really want to go to bed at 8:15. ;)

[ahavnes]

If we're all in the same room, I just end up getting in bed for the night and read or watch tv after she conks out. If we have a suite or something, I lay with her until she is asleep and then sneak out. (Although half the time I end up falling asleep also!) If I sneak out, I barricade her with pillows. She has fallen out once though, but it scared her more than hurt her (although I felt terrible!). Hope that helps!

[Sasha]

Thanks, Alicia! My only fear is that she would totally think it's playtime if I got into bed with her. Kind of like, oh fun, mommy is here to hang out with me! I could so see it being 10PM by the time she'd go to sleep.....

[ahavnes]

Sasha- Hah! I sent you a pm! :)

[DisneyGirl]

Alicia My favorite things that Nikki does is when she becomes stiff as a board when I try and put her into her car seat..GRRRR. Then people in the parking lot are looking and thinking most likely something like...that idiot "younge girl" (i could pass for ohh say 21 if i am lucky) has not idea what the heck shes doing or she must be abusing the poor little girl. My neighbors must think my DD is nuts from all the fits she thows and her yelling.

[usafwife]

happy1 ~ Thanks. Yes, it was a doozy. I beginning to get used to it when both of DH's brothers are here. When his middle brother and family are just here things are MUCH better.

Tantrums ~ We have had a few here. It's worse when she is tired.

Faking scared ~ Not really happening here. It takes a lot of scare DD. I have noticed when she is watching a couple of movies she will act a little scared. She isn't really afraid or scared of anything (which is both good and bad).

Sleeping in hotels ~ We've stayed in several hotels since DD was born. Sometimes depending upon where we stay and how big the room is she will sleep on her Little Mermaid sleeping bed (looks like a sleeping bag but doesn't have a zipper and it has a pillow). We got it in Sept. 06 when my mom was in the NICU. It's become her favorite thing to sleep on (even at home). Most of the time the rooms only have one bed but it usually a queen (sometimes it's a king) so she has slept in the bed a few times. The last one we stayed in had two beds so DH and DD slept in one and DS and I slept in the other.

Here's a picture that shows some of DD's bruise on her face. It's actually gotten worse looking now. I've considered taking a picture of it and sending it to SIL so she can see what her "perfect" son did. At least DH's grandparents got to see if up close the other night when we went out to dinner.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/usafwife7503/April%202007/IMG_0614.jpg?t=1177015346

Here are some pictures from Easter.

Hunting Easter eggs inside at my mom's because it was just too chilly outside.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/usafwife7503/Easter%202007/canondigital105.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/usafwife7503/Easter%202007/canondigital104.jpg

My little guy (just 9lbs)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/usafwife7503/Easter%202007/canondigital091.jpg

Easter egg hunt on Saturday
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/usafwife7503/Easter%202007/canondigital073.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/usafwife7503/Easter%202007/canondigital072.jpg

[Aunt Liv]

usafwife - Your SIL sounds like a doozy! Jeez! Why is she dictating when you are to have your DD's party??

tantrums - Definitely happen a LOT more when she's tired. She doesn't really do the plank...more like the noodle, where she goes completely limp as I try to pick her up and almost falls out of my arms :cool: ...nice!

sleeping in hotels - we've only had to do this one time with DD and we got her a crib from the hotel. If we try to sleep with her, she thinks we're having a party for her and won't go to sleep. I don't know what we'll do when she outgrows her crib or starts sleeping in BGB and we have to stay in a hotel.

scared - Nothing I've noticed...yet.

[tgray99]

Tgray: Congratulations! You’ve earned the “travel with puking kid” merit badge!! It sounds like quite an ordeal, but I’m happy that the party turned out well for your grandfather. How is Ryan doing??

Woo hoo...when can I expect my badge? I'd also like the accompanying "traveling with diarrhea-having kid" tab. ;)

Birthday Party: We're going with a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom themed party. Here's one of her invitations that I've finished. They're taking a while to make...I couldn't find pink and orange polka-dotted paper so I'm sticking orange dots over white dots on pink paper. :rolleyes: Yep, I bite off more than I can chew.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/tgray99/upload.jpg

It's supposed to look like the front of the book:
http://www.thereadingnook.com/image_manager/attributes/image/image_2/068983568X_large.jpg

[psusna]

tgray: I will fashion your badges as soon as I stock up on brown material :) Love the invite -- most crafty!! I can't wait to see the entire party. It's going to be so cute!

usaf: Sarah is adorable!! Thank you for sharing your photos. Man, SIL is something, huh? Hang in there!

aunt liv: We've got the noodle here too. I don't know how we haven't dropped him yet.

[tgray99]

PSUSNA: Thanks! :D I'll be looking for those badges in the mail soon. ;) I hate having to do her party by myself...I'll be on my own again next year, it looks like. :rolleyes:

"Hold You": So suddenly Aidan wants to be held. ALL.THE.TIME. As soon as we get home she's in front of me, arms up, crying "Hold you!" She's never been this clingy and whiny before. Anyone experience this?

[DisneyGirl]

tgray Awesome invites!

[ahavnes]

Tara- We are having MAJOR clinginess now as well. Abs lost it this morning when I got in the shower...even while Sesame Street was on! :eek:

Disney- LOL! Abbey does the arching back-stiffen up thing when I am trying to put her in the stroller. It's awesome; especially when she kicks the stroller and it goes rolling off through the parking lot. :o I am actually laughing at how stupid I must look.

usawife- Cute pics! Sorry about the bruise!

[IrishEyes]

Sasha - thanks! We took that after a bath when we crafted Brody's long wet hair into a faux-mohawk. Man, we need to get his hair cut.

Question - Brody's on amoxicillin because of an ear infection. He's become somewhat hyperactive since we started him on it Wednesday. Has anyone else experienced this side effect when their children are on antibiotics?

[DisneyGirl]

[
Disney- LOL! Abbey does the arching back-stiffen up thing when I am trying to put her in the stroller. It's awesome; especially when she kicks the stroller and it goes rolling off through the parking lot. :o I am actually laughing at how stupid I must look.



I actually laughted out loud when I read your post about Abbey kicking the srtoller and it rolling through the parking lot..LOL My house is on the top of a small hill and Nikki has many times kicked the stoller, tri-cycle down the hill and here I am chasing the damn things ALL-THE-WAY down my road. Like I said..my neighborsmust think I am lossing control. :o

[rancherswife]

My house is on the top of a small hill and Nikki has many times kicked the stoller, tri-cycle down the hill and here I am chasing the damn things ALL-THE-WAY down my road. Like I said..my neighborsmust think I am lossing control.


Oh, yes, we live on a hill ourselves, with no neighbors, but I'm sure to look a fool! Landon will purposely push his toy shopping cart, tryke, pretty much anything with wheels down our driveway just to watch me go chasing after it, usually with newborn in tow. Very fun! It's no big thing to drive through the ranch and find random toys (with wheels) rolled off into the fields, those are the days I don't play his game and when he pushes it, he loses it for the day! But yes, I can so relate to that! :)

alicia: LOL! I can just picture the stroller rolling through the parking lot! Too funny!

Ughh...rainy here today, which means no chasing anything down the driveway. ;) Which really means no playing outside, which means Landon will run around like a cooped up wild man this afternoon. Lord help me!
We have another wedding to attend this weekend (tis the season, I guess!) thank goodness this one is indoors! :)

[happy1nuv]

hmmm, ranchers, I'm kinda jealous. The only wedding we're invited to this season is 7 hours away and not inviting my kids, so we're not going... I WANT a wedding to go to...

noodle ~ ah, sounds like fun. We have the plank here, but not the noodle...at least, not yet.

[allyray231]

Irish Aiden gets a little "happy" on it but maybe it is just because he is feeling better?

[DisneyGirl]

rancher I wanna go over your house!! I want to live in the middle of nowhere with no pain in the A$$ neighbors.

its 72 degrees here today!! YAHOOOO

[Chylynn]

Feel free to ignore, venting/getting my feelings out because I feel like I am going to burst.

We had Rebecca evaulated on Wednesday with a speach therapists and are currently waiting on the report, but when we left the office, the ST said she thinks Rebecca is where most 1 year olds are, so she is 1 year behind. Ouch. We have an appointment arranged with a neurologists since it is standard protocol to make sure everything is working in the brain. The ST does not see why Rebecca is not talking since she understands 100% of what we are saying and can hear. She basically has no motivation to talk since she signs what she needs/wants. Once the insurance company receives the report, we will be seeing the ST twice a week.

Somehow I feel like this is my fault that she is not talking. Maybe I did not talk enough to/with her when she was a baby. I thought I did...I certainly read enough to her, but what do I know since I am a fist time Mom.

My poor daughter has been through 2 surgeries, wears glasses, countless opthomologists appointments, geneticists appointments and her neutritionists twice a year, and now we need to throw in a speech therapists into the mix. I feel like I am going to go crazy. What else is going to happen?

Sorry to be such a downer. I love my daughter to peices and she is such a happy, beautiful child.

Sigh...I feel like such a failure as a parent. Have to fun, R is awake. BBL to attempt to do shoutouts to everyone.

[Sasha]

Chy - Please do not beat yourself up over this. After meeting you and darling Rebecca in person, I can certainly vouch for the fact that you are a great mom! All kids develop differently and Rebecca will catch up. The fact that you are doing so much for her is a testament to what an amazing mom you are. And she certainly is resilient because it sounds like R has been a trooper through everything. This is all to help her. (LOL, I'm sure there is going to come a day when she is a teenager and mouthes off to you, that might just laugh thinking back on this! ;) )

Irish - I am pretty sure that is a common side effect.

Plank vs. Noodle - Definitely in the noodle category. She will go limp and squirm around to get out of being carried somewhere (usually when she is refusing to hold my hand!).

[rancherswife]

chy: I second what sasha said. Each child develops at his/her own pace, she will catch up and it's great that you're gettin into the ST right away. Hang in there, she'll be a chatter box before you know it! ((hugs))

[usafwife]

Aunt Liv ~ Thanks. Last year they didn't bother to come because BIL had to work, oldest niece wasn't home from camp, and some other reason. I thought that she could have brought their other two kids but she didn't. Of course we didn't know this until after we had already bought food, made two cakes (so we had enough for everyone), and other things. Last we knew they would be coming back at least every other month but that hasn't happened. I could already tell that if we had it on the 7th of July she'd find some excuse not to attend because of the wedding.

Tara ~ The invites are wonderful!! I can only imagine how time consuming they are to make though. Sometimes DD wants to be clingy but it's usually when daddy is gone for more than a few days. Maybe it has to do with him being gone? Speaking of deployments do you have the Sesame Street DVD for deployments?

psusna ~ Thanks. Yeah, seems she goes in spurts....sometimes good and sometimes just a pain.

Alicia ~ Thanks. I just hope when people see us out they don't think we did that to her. I felt like everyone was staring at us last night at the park. I wanted to scream we didn't do this to her, her 4 year old cousin did.

Weather ~ It's warmed back up here this week. Thank goodness. The snow we had last Saturday was not fun. DH had to drive in basically a blizzard in the morning with 3 inches on the highway. Oh so much !! The 30something degree days were getting to be too much in April. We are now back to wearing shorts this week. What a difference a week makes.

happy1 ~ We only have one wedding that I know of this year to attend. We have to figure out who is going to watch the kids though. Can't be the one sitter we would normally have because she's the bride. ;)

Chylynn ~ Don't beat yourself up. You are doing everything you can to help her. I know I was down on myself for DS' problems following his birth...I somehow thought that I had caused him to be born early, the reason he wasn't/isn't gaining weight, the reason for his reflux, etc. I know it isn't easy but it isn't your fault. You didn't do anythign to cause it....you are doing everything you can to help her. {{{HUGS}}}

What is everyone using to keep drawers shut? I thought that the cabinet door clips (or whateve they are called) would work on the drawers but DH doesn't think so. I have to wash my silverware before we can use it because DD opens the drawer all day long and plays with some of it. Today I found my freezer bags all over the floor. I need some input ladies.

[ahavnes]

chy- Please do not feel guilty about this. I know so many people who did not speak until they were 2 or even 3 and they are all very successful adults who had happy, normal childhoods. Actually, my cousin is one of them and now we can't shut her up! ;) The fact that R is a happy and beautiful child is evidence that you are doing everything right.

Disney- LOL! You've got me beat. I'm glad we don't live on a hill! :) Although I am about to try to take our 40 pound dog to the vet with Abbey in tow...can't wait to see how that goes!

[rancherswife]

alicia: Um yeah, I just have to say, you are one BRAVE soul my friend! Good luck with the trip to the vet. I'll be thinking of you. ;)

oh yeah and I forgot to tgray, those invites are amazing. you are quite talented and MUCH more ambitious than this dead beat mom, who's yet to plan crap. I do have a date picked though! ;)

[Chylynn]

Thanks, girls. You are all so sweet. I did not mean to vent to you all, I just had to get it out. It felt like it was eating me up inside, kwim?

Big Girl Bed -Add us to the group. I just took my DDs crib apart and made it into a daybed since she jumped out of her crib after her nap today because I did not come to her room fast enough. I walked into he room and she was playing on the floor with her stuffed animals! I puther back in her crib and she proceeded to jump/climb out again. I put her back in one last time and she did the same. OY, this is going to be fun in our house during naps and bedtime!

[DisneyGirl]

Disney- LOL! You've got me beat. I'm glad we don't live on a hill! :) Although I am about to try to take our 40 pound dog to the vet with Abbey in tow...can't wait to see how that goes!

OH! :eek: I don't think I could do that! Let me know how it goes. Praying for you!

Chy Please don't beat yourself up! My DD says next to NOTHING and she has a big brother and myself who talk to her all day long! The only thing she has now pat is NOWAY! Be kind to yourself and never tell yourself you failed as a parent.

[tgray99]

Tara ~ The invites are wonderful!! I can only imagine how time consuming they are to make though. Sometimes DD wants to be clingy but it's usually when daddy is gone for more than a few days. Maybe it has to do with him being gone? Speaking of deployments do you have the Sesame Street DVD for deployments?

What is everyone using to keep drawers shut? I thought that the cabinet door clips (or whateve they are called) would work on the drawers but DH doesn't think so. I have to wash my silverware before we can use it because DD opens the drawer all day long and plays with some of it. Today I found my freezer bags all over the floor. I need some input ladies.

Yes, we've seen the Elmo deployment video...I'm not totally sure how much of it she really "gets". She really started to get clingy when she got sick. I'm going to do some research on if this is an age-appropriate behavior.

As far as drawers go, I use the clips that are screwed on to the drawer and the inside of the cabinet.

Along the same lines...what do y'all do to childproof the dishwasher?

oh yeah and I forgot to tgray, those invites are amazing. you are quite talented and MUCH more ambitious than this dead beat mom, who's yet to plan crap. I do have a date picked though! ;)
Thanks! :) For some reason I ALWAYS bite off more than I can chew.

[alienhost]

man I'm so behind...

nose so far (knock on wood) I've only seen her put her finger in her nose, thankfully that's rare.

plank vs noodle I get both. If she doesn't want to get in the stoller she gets stiff as a board. Sometimes she crumples to the floor to avoid being picked up - fun stuff!

2nd birthday party Everyone's themes sound like fun!
Her playgroup party is next Friday :eek: with a Sesame Street/Elmo theme. Her family party is next Saturday with a Hello Kitty theme. I can't believe she will be 2 in a week! And if people would just RSVP!

scared she doesn't fake being scared but today she told me she was scared of the gorillas at the zoo - one was right at the glass and I pushed the stroller up to it and she said "no mama, I scared".

tgray I'm glad your trip went OK, eventough DD was so sick. Your invites are awesome! I took the "easy" way out this year and did mine in photoshop.

jessiesmama it sounds like things are improving on the ST thing.

happy1 yea for saying "two" - very cute!

wendstress great pictures, thanks for sharing!

usafwife sorry you are going through so much family drama! I'm also sorry about the bruise. But those are great Easter pics!

tgr cute Easter pics.

Disney I can't believe you are 1/2 way there with your PG!

Chylynn please don't feel guilty! Being a parent is so hard and you have been through a lot with your DD. It's great that you are getting her to see a speech therapist, she'll be talking a mile a minute in no time!

sorry if I missed anyone....I haven't posted since Monday!

[alienhost]

Oh I forgot to mention that DD pitched a total fit when I tried to get her to try on her dress for her birthday party. She said "no like it". :( She doesn't wear dresses that often but she really was resisting (alternating plank/noodle). Help! I think I need to have a back up outfit available. :confused: Any ideas on what I can do?

[cynder]

Chylynn
she is such a happy, beautiful child

You really can't argue with that. You are a great mom. I bet you in 10 years you will look back at this and shake your head in amazement over all she will have accomplished.

Tara Amazing invites!

usawife Not really a problem yet though I sternly warn about drawers. We have the Baby Safety clips on all the cupboards.

alienhost Try it again in a couple of days. DS was the same way with his easter blazer. Or maybe distract her with something when you put it on.

[ahavnes]

Vet Trip- As I predicted, it was a total disaster. :rolleyes: Let's see...we had to wait 45 minutes before the vet even came in; Abbey was a maniac in the room and was trying to play with all of the vet equipment; she got so mad about being confined that she hit me (this has never happened!); when I scolded her she laughed at me :mad: ; the dog had to wear a muzzle b/c he was trying to bite the vet; Abbey was screaming; the dog got out of the muzzle....twice, which the vet has never seen before; and we left without the dog even being examined b/c everyone involved was upset. To top it off, DH got stuck in Houston and did not get home until 9pm. Needless to say, I opened a bottle of red wine when we got home and let Abbey run wild in the backyard. Apparently I am a glutton for punishment, b/c I am taking her to Houston--ALONE--today. Agh. :cool:

[diedra1027]

alienhost - Does your DD have a favorite treat? I don't like to do it often, but occassionally I will offer DD a treat if she does something that I need her to do. For example, she will not let me trim her nails without a huge struggle (crying, screaming, kicking...the works). I recently found that if I tell her she can have one jellybean if she sits still while I give her 'a clip' she'll do it for me. I know lots of families get out of control with the bargaining and rewards, so it's something I try to be careful about over-using.

[kimthebride]

Thank you everyone for the congratulations! Ava is such a good baby, Thomas is so cute with her, and thugh I am ridiculously frickin' exhausted I couldn't be happier!

If you're interested, here's my birth story as posted in the April '07 thread:
http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1311823&postcount=512
And yes, I got my epi! :D :D :D

There's no way for me to catch up right now, but I'm trying to read along. Hope everyone is doing great!

[Aunt Liv]

kim - heeheehee!! I love your L&D story for Ava! Congratulations again...and I'm so glad that it took twice the time to deliver this time than the last time ;) ...I would only wish that for you, though, and only this one time. I can't wait to see photos of Ava!!

[tgr68]

Kim~Loved the story!! Boo to the first set of nurses you encountered. I had to laugh at the one who finally jumped up and ran out of the room, so you could get your epi! :p

[kimthebride]

LOL - I know, usually you hope for HALF the L&D time for someone, not double ;) . It worked out so well (after dealing with the rude idiots at first) I have to say I am so, so happy with the delivery overall. :)

And because I know you all will get a kick out of it, check out the pics of Ava and Thomas for their 1st day home in the same PnP...gee, do you see any resemblance at all??
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/171/466505105_77f1fd76de_m.jpghttp://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/466495590_7090b2dfff_m.jpg

Big Ouch
Thomas had his official First Real 'Walking' Boo-Boo today. He fell twice skinning both knees til they bled. He has been whining and rubbing his knees, so I think he actually hurt them in addition to cutting them. Bathtime should be fun. Not!


Okay, I just was going to try and catch up but OMG I am so far behind!!! Maybe next time, when I am not delirious with exhaustion, LOL!

[DisneyGirl]

alicia Oh, I am so sorry to hear about your trip to the vet. I know I would have totally lost it!
Thank god for the wine when you got home..LOL I may have to come over and join you for a FEW glasses!!!!!!!!

[Sasha]

Kim - Love the birth story and, wow, Thomas and Ava are most definitely brother and sister!! She is beautiful, congrats again! :D

Alicia - You were most entitled to some red wine after that afternoon. ;)

[Aunt Liv]

kim - I can't get over how much they look alike!!! So adorable! I'm sorry to hear about Thomas' skinned knees, though - ouch!

alicia - You DEFINITELY deserved an entire bottle of wine ;) .

[ladybug0525]

Kim - Congrats she is beautiful and can you tell they are siblings or what?

[rancherswife]

alicia: Girl, I really hope you enjoyed that wine. You were certainly entitled to the bottle! :)

kim: Beautiful...and I love the birth story. Glad it went pretty much as planned! The epi. is the most fabulous invention...unless it wears off, when you're dilating from 4-10 in about 5 mins. then, it's a POS! ;) I cannot get over how much Ava looks like her bro. Too freakin' cute.

So...I've ventured over to LJ and though all I've done is set up an acct., that's a start right? I feel like an idiot over there, I need to really concentrate and figure it out when I get a second...HA! Like I ever have a second! Hopefully, I can get something going at some point this week.

Ok..i'm off to try and get my littlest man to sleep while his big brother is still snoozing, so I can catch a wink. :)

[jmvan74]

So far behind...as usual. :p

Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Welcome to LJ, Rancher! LOL! It gets easier as you go.

[happy1nuv]

drawers ` no clue, but let me kjnow if anyone finds a good product cause nic is forever in my drawers (and we USeD to keep knives in drawers.... now they're in limbo)

chylynn ~ Don't sweat the speech stuff! nic was diagnosed at a 10 month level... itll come. And, in the meantime, speech therapy is FUN! And, I think its helped Nic's attention span too, since he has to sit still and play games for an hour twice a week and he can't just get up and run (nic is nOT one to sit still for long)

alicia ` all i can say is that you are brave for just the attewmpt1

[psusna]

Kim: Thanks for sharing your birth story. Congratulations on the epi :) The photos of Ava and Thomas are a riot – they can’t look any more identical. Congratulations again!

Alicia: Here’s to a better week!!

Chylynn: You’re a great mom!! I’m sure that Rebecca will do great in therapy and be talking up a storm in no time.

Drawers: We don’t do anything. The only ones he messes with are in our bathroom and then he just grabs toothpaste and a comb (we keep everything else bathroom related in locked cupboards or the closet).

Trip recap: The weekend trip to KY was good. It was a lot of driving for a weekend trip, but DS did so great. He didn’t make it through the wedding (which wound up being an hour and a half!!) so we spent most of that time on the church playground. He did great at the dinner Friday night and again at the reception. The highlight of the trip for him was our visit to Kentucky Horse Park! He got to sit next to the driver during the carriage ride, talked to every horse he saw but didn’t really want to pet one. He had a blast just running from paddock to paddock to see the horses. I’m glad to be home and glad that there I no more travel on our calendar for the immediate future. Mommy needs a break.

Busy week around here. I hope everyone has a great week!

[tgr68]

Kim~It amazes me how much they look alike! Ava is so pretty! :)

Drawers~We were having difficulty keeping our cats out of their treat/toy drawer, so we ended sliding a yard stick down through the drawer handles. It's not anything fancy, but it does get the job done. ;)

psusna~Glad the trip went well! :)

[ahavnes]

Kim- I cannot believe the rudeness of the first set of nurses! My head would have spun around excorcist-style at the woman who was "faxing somthing." :rolleyes:

psusna- Glad the trip was a success. :)

[Sasha]

Drawers - We only have something on the drawers in our bathroom and it's those safety locks that you press down on to open. I was tired of finding my dental floss strewn about the bathroom. :rolleyes:

psusna - Glad the trip went so well.

[psusna]

Quick question: Which magazine publishes the annual "best places to raise a family" list? TIA :)

[jmvan74]

drawers: We use the plastic push down ones. I think they are by Parents, got them at target. Almost every drawer in our kitchen and bathroom is locked. Too many dangerous kitchen gadgets w/ in reach and no place to transplant them to.:)

[rancherswife]

jmvan: LOVE your avatar!!! Too freakin' cute. :)

[Aunt Liv]

drawers - I haven't had too much trouble with keeping Maia away from drawers...note to self, though, she'll probably have a drawer obsession in a few weeks. :rolleyes:

scared - OK, now Maia is petrified of fountains! WTF!!!??? I have NO idea what happened. We used to go to look at the fountain all the time, and she enjoyed putting her hands in it and splashing the water. This w/e, we went to look at the fountain, and she got so freaked out that she almost ran out into the road. :cool:

Chylynn - Please don't beat yourself up!! You have a gorgeous, intelligent daughter and you are a fantastic mother.

psusna - Glad the trip went well.

US: Well, besides the fountain incident, DH and I booked our first family trip. I'm so excited. The three of us are going to Destin, FL for my 30th birthday. We're staying in a beach-side condo, and I cannot wait. YEY!

[rancherswife]

drawers: We have the plastic latch things to, and of course, he has figured them out! :rolleyes:

aunt liv: A vacation sounds fabulous! Enjoy! :)

psusna: Glad the trip was a success!

My baby is 8 weeks old today. :( Whyyyyyyyy does it go so fast? He's got quite a bout with the baby acne goin' on right now, poor guy. Landon got it too, but not nearly as bad, and his cleared up within a couple of days, Reece has had it for about a week now. Anyone know any miracle tricks? :confused:

Still trying to figure out LJ, btw!:cool:

[psusna]

Me again. Daycare sent home a notice about LICE today. Great. Apparently the kid who has it is 2 years old so it COULD be someone in Jackson's class. Great. They sent home no instructions. Any clues what I can do? I checked his head tonight and don't think I saw anything but I have no clue. This stinks. Watch him get lice for his birthday. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving....:rolleyes:

[jmvan74]

Thanks, Rancher. That's my little heffer! He is just over 17lbs at 14weeks. My milk is definitely not skim. :D When you figure out LJ, I'm jfit52 over there.

Aunt Liv:Vacation sounds great! I wonder what spooked Maia. I have noticed Collin is becoming more leary of different things.

psusna: DS must have been so adorable w/ the horses. :)

[jmvan74]

Me again. Daycare sent home a notice about LICE today. Great. Apparently the kid who has it is 2 years old so it COULD be someone in Jackson's class. Great. They sent home no instructions. Any clues what I can do? I checked his head tonight and don't think I saw anything but I have no clue. This stinks. Watch him get lice for his birthday. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving....:rolleyes:

They sell lice shampoo at the drug store. I saw a lot of lice as a 1st grade teacher and it always made my skin crawl. LOL! One of the other teachers used to wash her hair w/ the shampoo everytime a kid in her class had lice. hehe!

[rancherswife]

Lice: OH LORD!!! No, I have no advice, but sympathy, I remember in elementary school, when the nurse would com in to check, I'd freak instantly thinking someone in my class had and it and I was sure to get it. Then once I started teaching, anytime I'd see a kid itching their head, I had the nurse in there checking for lice. Seriously, like several times a year, I'm sure she thought I was a pain in the @ss. ;)

jmvan: I love chubby babes, I am growin' one myself! Someone told me my milk must be "cream" lol! I'll "friend" you if I ever get it figured out. :)

[tgray99]

Me again. Daycare sent home a notice about LICE today. Great. Apparently the kid who has it is 2 years old so it COULD be someone in Jackson's class. Great. They sent home no instructions. Any clues what I can do? I checked his head tonight and don't think I saw anything but I have no clue. This stinks. Watch him get lice for his birthday. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving....:rolleyes:
Yeah, lice is going around the elementary school I work at...a whole mess of boys got their heads shaved (the po' people cure) this weekend. It's so funny to see all these little boys with goofy head tanlines.

Are any of y'all just constantly astounded at what our kiddoes know? I can tell Aidan to get me a specific book off her bookshelf so she toddles her little chubby legs on over there, holds her head sideways the way I do when I'm at the library looking at the shelves. Then she grabs the exact right book and brings it to me. I'm amazed everytime she does it. I don't even know how she does it.

[psusna]

So do I need to be washing all of his stuff in hot water now? I'm clueless about lice and now, of course, I htink my head is ithing all the time. Stupid power of suggestion. I'll look for that shampoo tomorrow Jmvan. Thanks!

Tgray: yea, I think it's a kid with a school aged sibling. I just pray that the kid is not in Jackson's class.

[tgr68]

a whole mess of boys got their heads shaved (the po' people cure) this weekend. When I was teaching at a small private school, I was so thankful when half my class shaved their heads during the "lice breakout". Definately saved my time and sanity when it came to weekly head checks! ;)

[psusna]

Thanks for all of the lice adivce girls! Talked to MIL tonight who fancies herself some sort of expert for some reason and we'll check him out tomorrow morning before I go try and figure out if the lice head is in his room.

Aunt Liv: Your vacation sounds great!!

All this baby talk is making my uterus ache. Thanks ;)

[kimthebride]

Lice
Oh gross - sorry you are dealing with that! I remember needing to use the shapoo and mom having to wash ALL the clothes & bedding & pillows, anything my brother & I touched when we had it as kids. Ugh.

Smart Kids
Thomas astounds me on a daily basis. He checks on Ava when she cries out from the PnP, the other day he got his hands on the digital camera and was holding it up to his face 'taking pictures', Tom got him a tee-ball set and (yes, in our livingroom) he knows how to set it all up and hit balls. He still doesn't talk much english, but you can see how he comprehends everything! its soo coool to watch this little person you made. :cool:

Aunt Liv
Can I come? :D

Okay, Mom has been in since Sunday while MIL has been staying with her sisters. But as of this morning i'll have both staying here - Mom on an air mattress in my room and MIL on the livingroom couch. Did I mention I'm in my room with DD & Tom is in the tv room with DS - his crib has been moved in there? YEah, should be an interesting week ;) .

[cynder]

Lice Ewwwww.

Kim Stay sane.

Smart Kid This still freaks me out. I know that Sam is a fairly typical average kid but his knowledge about letters and counting (to 20!) really freaks me out sometimes. But then he'll pick his nose or something and it's all good.

Bite Guess who got bit again? Second time, and one too many. It looks like there is a "biter" attacking all the kids. DH wants me to rally all the parents to talk to the director to take some action since that is what SIL did when our niece kept getting bit. This is the busiest time of the year so I don't have time for all this drama and effort and I feel sorry for the parents of the biter. He is def. the biggest kid with the least amount of verbal skills who bites when frustrated. Ack! What to do?

[psusna]

Home today not with lice but with a nasty cold, fever and I'm guessing and EI. Going to the doctor later this morning. I don't mind the day off at ALL!

Cynder: UGH! DS also just got bit last week for the first time in 10 or so months by the same kid. I was LIVID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They immediately moved the biter out of the room and up into the next class (she was the oldest one in the room and, I think, getting bored). I'm so sorry you are dealing with this -- it stinks.

Smart kid: Last night at dinner -- me: who is your best friend at school? DS: "Mason is my best friend at school." -- zoinks!

Kim: Good luck with that arrangement! Hope Miss Ava is doing great!

[Sasha]

Cynder - Aww, poor S. I think it is totally reasonable to talk to the director and ask what their plan of action is to keep this kid from biting.

Kim - Oh my....ummm, good luck! ;)

Aunt Liv - Your vacation sounds great!

Rancher - I am Sasha76 on LJ.

Lice - I totally remember my mother combing through my hair as a child with the special pick/comb thing. I have curly, thick hair, so it was like torture! psusna, I hope he doesn't have it.

Smart kid - I am constantly amazed at what she understands and can say. This morning she said to me, "here you go" and handed me a cheese cube. She's been saying her ABC's and counting to 13 for awhile now. She can pull up her pants and help put on her shirt, and I'm just thinking to myself, where did this little person come from?

Sarah is killing me with her lack of eating. Her latest is that she will now taste something and then spit it back out. Even things she loves, like pancakes and cheese. The only thing she will eat for breakfast now is yogurt. I know this is due to teething - I think we are dealing with 2nd year molars in addition to incisors - but just because of her existing pickiness, I am afraid things won't get better. I hate to be so paranoid about it but I have a half brother who is the world's pickiest eater and I absolutely don't want to go down that path with Sarah. At least she is eating lunch at daycare still, probably because it's a social event with all the kids there. Because social event of breakfast and dinner with mommy and daddy doesn't seem to be cutting it. :(

[LIZNKEITH]

Blech! Not lice!! I remember getting shampooed when I was about 4. Yuck.

Smart Kid
DD's language has exploded the past couple of weeks. She's really starting to say a lot of phrases, knnows almost her entire alphabet (with the exception of j-m and), can count to ten, and is really coming along with naming shapes and colors. I know it's par for course at this age, but it blows my mind to hear my "baby" spouting out all this stuff.

cynder,
Oh no, I'm sorry! It's definitely a phase as Caroline got bit twice in one week about 3 weeks ago. Like you said, it's completely developmental, but maybe a teacher can shadow him and intervene at time when he feels frustrated.

[happy1nuv]

reading along, but gotta run to go put king of destruction to bed... hopefully he'll nap since I just got joe down... would LOVE some time to myself today!

Just a quickie...we had a potential mothers helper out yesterday. My totally shy grab onto mommy whenever a stranger is near... practically LEAPED out of my arms to go to hers about 3 seconds after she walked in the door. SCORE!!!! :) I'm so happy with her its not even funny!!!

[allyray231]

hi I am here-hurt my hand so harf to type!!

[Aunt Liv]

smart kid - I'm amazed with Maia every day...and now that she has *FINALLY* added the word "Yes" to her vocabulary, I'm very happy :D . She's getting really good with her colors, and she can pick out almost any book as well. She also likes her shapes, and absolutely LOVES to draw. She's not as good with the alphabet (she misses a few letters), but she's definitely getting better. I love that we're all so proud of our kids.

biters - Yikes! We haven't had to deal with this yet at school. I don't know what I would do!

sasha - Teeth blow the appetite every time. At least she's tasting the food before spitting it out, though.

kim - Wow. Good luck with the arrangement is right!

vacation - I know!! I can't wait to go to the beach! DH and I haven't gone on vacation by ourselves (and with just Maia) in FOREVER! I'm looking forward to some uninterrupted family time. Plus, since I'll be about 6 months pg, I don't have to worry about my two size 0 SILs strutting their stuff on the beach. :eek:

ETA: I crossposted with happy1 and allyray...
happy1 - Awesome that the Mother's Helper may work out!

allyray - What did you do to your hand?? Ouch!

[diedra1027]

Her latest is that she will now taste something and then spit it back out.Avery has been doing this too and it drives me insane. I wish I had some good tips on how to stop them from doing it...

[ahavnes]

My Life Rocks!!! Turns out we're on a little vacation of our own. :rolleyes: A water main broke in our front yard last night and was gushing 15 gallons per minute. The City had to come out and shut off our water, but naturally, it's our responsibility to fix it, not the city's problem. :mad: So, we packed up at 8pm and spent the night at a hotel about 1 mile from my comfy home. To the tune of $150!! At least Abbey had fun running up and down the hall like she was in "The Shining." :o The plumber still hasn't shown up today, which means I will likely be in the hotel again tonight. Even better, we are flying to California on Thursday and I have no clean laundry. The icing on the cake was that I got pooped on by a bird this morning...on my white shirt! Life rules. :cool:

[cynder]

ahavnes

Wow. I can't even laugh. You need to run off into the sunset at this point.

[rancherswife]

alicia: Damn girl! You got it goin' on!!! ;) No, really...I am sorry. I know what it's like to not have water (our well went out the week of x-mas) not good times. You're having some sort of domino effect here with the streak of bad luck, I agree with Cynder run off into the sunset, oh wait, you can't find the sunset from the black cloud that keeps following you. Hang in there!

happy: hmmm..."king of destruction" that rings a bell to me. ;) Usually while I'm nursing, or tending to Reece, is when the $hit goes down! Smat kids!

smart babes: There is not a day that goes by that the child does not amaze me, seriously. Brett and I just look at eachother in awe. It's so cool. The thing that killed me yesterday was the fact that we're driving down the road (through town actually) and on one of the main streets, he sees one of Brett's big rigs going through down, now mind you, these trucks are not around our house, they're only out at another ranch on the other side of town and Landon rarely sees them, unless he's with Brett while they're shipping or being delivered. So, I don't even notice the truck and from the back seat, I hear " Daddy, cuck (truck), mooooo." I thought, I'll be damned, that is on of Brett's trucks!lol Crazy kid! :)

I'm starting to think this baby acne that I thought Reece had is actually eczema...he has his 2 mo. wbv next Thursday...we'll see.

[jrdhbunny]

ahavnes- Oh goodness- I am so sorry about all the stuff that's been happening!!!

Sasha- No advice for you here- James won't even taste anything.

cynder- Oh that stinks!

allyray231- Ouch! Hope your hand feels better soon!

Aunt Liv- Hooray for a vacation!!!

kim- Wowza! Holy full house Batman!

psusna- Hope your DS feels better soon. And yikes, lice!

smart kid- James doesn't know his alphabet (we've been working on it!) and can only count to three, but he's finally starting to know his colors and his vocabulary is expanding very quickly (although his pronunciation still needs some work). He also has quite a little memory- he knows our street, my car, Jim's car, Pop-Pop's car, Starbucks (:rolleyes: ) and lots of other stuff. One other thing he does that cracks me up is when we're listening to the Cars soundtrack in the car, he can name the character that's on the screen when that song is playing- more specifically, when that section of the song is playing. I think he's seen that movie too many times :o .

Planet Earth- Has anyone been watching this on the Discovery Channel? It's pretty spectactular. James is obsessed with it. He calls it "Rock" because the first one we saw opened up with a shot of the Grand Canyon. And he's so used to watching shows on Tivo that he gets frustrated when we can't fast forward through the commercials.

Second B-day Party- It's this Thursday and I'm driving myself nuts with the planning/cleaning. DH keeps telling me not to stress about it, which is easy for him to say because he isn't doing a darn thing for it- not even the stuf I've asked him to do. Grrrr. You would think that with such a popular theme it would be easy, but I don't like a lot of the favors and games out there so I've been making my own. Sigh.

[tgray99]

Paci Withdrawals: Ladies, my girl is in fullblown cold turkey paci withdrawal. I'm thinking of sending her to a substitute paci clinic to get her over the hump. She's currently screaming in her room because she doesn't have Baboo to help her get to sleep. I will NEVER let get my next kid get addicted like this. On the plus side, my occupational therapist friend told me that once she gets over the withdrawal symptoms, her vocabulary will skyrocket and she'll start talking a mile a minute. That's good because she still doesn't string more than 2 or 3 words together yet.

[ahavnes]

Paci (AKA, "Baby Crack") Abbey is in full withdrawl mode as well. Her smart mom timed her cold turkey paci weaning with teething and an impending plane trip this Thursday. Smart move, mom. :cool: Seriously though, it has been total hell. :rolleyes:

The Water Adventure- I am happy to report that we've got water again! And it only cost us $500 in repairs and hotel. :cool: I am cracking up at your comments though, very funny. :)

[tgray99]

Yay! My friend (foley42 here on CC) is taking Aidan Friday evening for me so I can get a blissfully quiet kid-free zone for a few hours. :D Woo hoo!!!!

[DisneyGirl]

Paci My DD never used one and she still only strings 3 words together.


I

Ahavnes So, glad to hear that you have water again and your back at home.

[HedgeGirl]

I'd love to post more, but we leave tomorrow for a 5 day trip to Michigan for my SIL's graduation and mini family reunion (including a 3 hour drive each way to Indiana to see DS's only surviving great grandmother on Thursday...after traveling all day Wednesday). DS travels well, thank goodness, so hopefully all will go smoothly. Of course, we are also starting to work on 2 year molars. Love the timing.

Smart Kid: I too am constantly amazed at things DS is doing and saying. Brady likes to describes things "Mommy hold hockey stick" and "hockey on tv" (We've been watching lots of NHL playoffs in our house and Brady likes to play with our hockey sticks whenever he gets a chance). He likes rhyming. We've got a few that will crack him up every time and others that he's making up on his own. I'm pretty proud of his vocabulary and knowledge of letters (all, thanks to the keyboard-o-rama Elmo game on the Sesame Street website and the Leap Frog Fridge Phonics letters) and numbers (he can recite the numbers up to about 13, but isn't actually counting above 2). But we're still working on actually leaving the ground when jumping. Sorry this got lengthy quick...I guess I'm proud.

Rancher & anyone else on LJ: I'm hedgegirl over there as well. Would love to have a few more friends.

Paci & Biting: My thoughts are with those of you having to deal with these issues right now. No fun! It too shall pass...hopefully quickly.

[psusna]

alicia/tgray: was there anything specific that made you decide it was cold turkey time with the paci? I know DS will act like you are describing your girls withdrawl symptoms -- it won't be pretty. He's cutting 2 2 year molars now and I just can't do it to him right now. I'm scared!!!!!!!!

Alicia: hope the water problem is solved. What a mess and what a pain that the cost falls to you! I hope your trip goes well.

Kim: well, Thomas must have told Jackson how "cool" it is to skin your knees b/c Jackson promptly went out and did just that last night -- twice. Now he walks around pulling his shorts up to show everyone his "knee hurt". Boys!

Liz: So funny -- DS skips j-m too. He just goes lalalalala for those letters and picks right back up at n :)

Hedge: Have a safe trip!

jrdh: We have all of the Planet Earth on TiVo -- good to know that your DS enjoyed them so we can maybe try to get him interested in those so we don't Wiggle ourselves to death!

So it turns out DS does not have an EI just a gnarly sinus infection that is causing him a lot of pressure/pain which the ped said may actually be hurting in his ears a bit, but no actual EI. Whew! He finally got a good night's sleep last night -- the gunk in his sinuses and nose is just so incredibly thick, I don't think it will ever go away! The ped also gave us good advice about checking for lice. At least it seems that no one else at school has caught it yet....

I'm really in a bad mood about having to be back at work today. Why are part time jobs that pay any amount of money so hard to find?!?!?

[allyray231]

good luck on the operation paci-i am too afraid to do it! although I keep telling him when he turns 2 that he is a big boy and we need to pack all the pacis up for thr babies

Aiden is doing a try out at a in home daycare today for an hour or so. We visited Friday and it seemed to be good. NOw if they would just call DH about his job!!

[happy1nuv]

It's a good thing I love Nic, cause he just erased my s/o's and updates... and im just not re-typing...ARGH!!!

Hope all is well!!!

[ahavnes]

Thanks for the well-wishes on our water issues. It's so nice to be living in the 21st century again with running water. ;) However, I've been so stressed with work, water, a teething toddler, and getting ready to go to Cali tomorrow that I did a real stupid thing. I went to Target last night after Abbey went to bed. I was in a hurry to get some things and get to the gym before it got too late. Well, I guess I was really in a hurry, b/c I bought $100 worth of stuff and left without it! :eek: That's right. I paid, watched the guy put everything in the bag, and then left with only one bag out of three. :cool: WTH is wrong with me? I need a vacay...

psusna (Paci-related)- I have been trying for months to get Abbey off the paci and nothing has really worked, which lead to me try the cold-turkey method. Although I must admit, I've decided to postpone until we get back from California. Do NOT need a screaming toddler on the plane tomorrow. :o

tgray- Glad you are getting a break! What are your plans?

Hedgegirl- I am miamimouse on LJ. :)

[Sasha]

Alicia - You so deserve a vacation....and not to the hotel down the street or your ILs house with Abbey! Glad your water is fixed, sorry about the bill.

psusna - Hope Jackson's infection clears up quickly. At least there is no lice!

Good luck to all of you on operation paci. Sarah never took one, so at least that's one issue I get to avoid!

Sarah's daycare has school photos today and deadbeat mom here has totally slacked on cutting her nails. So of course yesterday she scratched herself really good on the face. I'm sure that will look lovely in her photo. :cool: At least the small bruise on her head from when she fell off a chair while Grammy was babysitting this weekend has cleared up. (yes, DCF will be knocking at my door soon enough! ;) )

[DisneyGirl]

Thanks for the well-wishes on our water issues. It's so nice to be living in the 21st century again with running water. ;) However, I've been so stressed with work, water, a teething toddler, and getting ready to go to Cali tomorrow that I did a real stupid thing. I went to Target last night after Abbey went to bed. I was in a hurry to get some things and get to the gym before it got too late. Well, I guess I was really in a hurry, b/c I bought $100 worth of stuff and left without it! :eek: That's right. I paid, watched the guy put everything in the bag, and then left with only one bag out of three. :cool: WTH is wrong with me? I need a vacay...

OMG! You really do need a vacay!! Hopefully life will chill out for you really soon.

[tgr68]

Smart Kids~I love seeing so many of the learning things DD does. One thing that cuaght me by surprise for her age though was that she is identifying her emotions. She tells me though that "Stitch is happy/sad/upset/etc." except for when she is upset with me. Then it's "Shylah mad at Mommy" as she throws herself down for a tantrum. :rolleyes: She also knows her alphabet (forgets E & Y, says "double" for W), counts to 10 (consistantly forgets 6), and sings a whole slew of songs (forgetting words here and there):
*Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
*Jesus Loves Me
*Bye-O (song GMIL & MIL sang to DH when he was little)
*Jesus Loves the Little Children
*B-I-B-L-E

Cynder~LOL at the nose picking calming you! :p I'm sorry DS got bit again.

psusna~Hope he is feeling better today.

Ally~Ouch! I hope the hand is better!

Alicia~Ugh! Glad you've got your water back now! Is there anyway you could call up Target and explain what happened? Maybe the cashier would remember you walking out without your stuff.

Paci Withdrawls~I hope this phase passes very quickly for those of you dealing with it.

Our allergies have all kicked into high gear and DD is teething (eye teeth). :( Yesterday we picked up some OTC Claritin for her, hoping it would help. I just feel so sorry for DD. Last night she couldn't sleep and wouldn't go down until close to 11pm. She ended up sleeping in until 10am, though. :eek: I gave her some Claritin, played for a while, read some books together, and ate lunch. Now, she is back down for her nap with some BabyVicks to hopefully clear up her sinuses. I hoping she sleeps a good couple of hours this afternoon and then goes to bed on time tonight.

[Chylynn]

Pacis -Good luck to all who are working with their children to give them up. We still let R have hers at nap and nighttime because we don't want to change too many things right now since we converted her crib to a daybed.

BBG -Oh, my God. This transition is awful. My whole household is barely getting any sleep. I put her in her bed after doing our normal routine, gave her the pacifier and left. She stood by the baby gate crying for a half hour. When I peaked down the hallway, she was sitting on the floor so sad. I went in with her and laid her down on her daybed and I layed next to her and she was out in 2 minutes. I have no idea what else to do...I am at a loss.

Lice -Sorry to hear about having to deal with this! That sucks!

Abbey -You really need a vacation! Sorry to hear about water problems/leaving bags at Target! Ugh, you poor thing.

LJ -I am Chylynn over there. Would love more friends to keep up with. I tried to post to Kim LJ, but it was friends only.

Must go...

[alienhost]

wow I'm sooooo behind. I've been going crazy preparing for DD's birthday parties, it's been nuts!

My attempt at shout outs, I'm missing folks I'm sure...sorry about that!

kim your two little ones are definitely brother and sister, it's uncanny how similar they look!

Cynder sorry DS got bitten again.

psusna I hope DS is feeling better.

Ally I hope your hand is getting better

ahavnes I'm glad your water situation got fixed, you really do need a vaca!

jrdhbunny good luck with the party, I feel your pain on the no help from DH thing!

hedgegirl have a safe trip.

lice yikes, I'm feeling itchy just thinking about it!

operation paci I wish you all luck, now if I could get DD to stop sucking her thumb!

smart kid I'm amazed each day. She can recite the alphabet and can identify any letter you point to etc. She can count to 11, but for some reason she skips 7 all the time. She can identify most colors and is starting to do shapes. She can "read" the Sandra Boynton "Opposites" book, I know she just has memorized the pictures but it's funny to hear her say "short and tall" and "right and wrong" when we turn the pages.

a kids point of view on Monday I took her outside and the magnolia tree had dropped some flower petals. She said, very concerned, "Oh no mama, flower is broken". Where do they get this stuff? :)

[ahavnes]

Alphabet & Counting- Ok, I feel like a total loser. Abbey does not know her alphabet at all and doesn't count. :o She is great at identifying body parts, objects, animals and their sounds, etc., but she shows NO interest whatsoever in learning her letters and/or numbers! I've tried books, crayons and those foam letters for the bath, but nothing really interests her. What gives? I am starting to feel like she's behind and she's not even 2 yet!!

[kimthebride]

Am I a TOTAL dork for almost being happy that we didnt end up moving when we thought we were going to, because now I can have a little bday party for Thomas here? ;)

[rancherswife]

alicia: WOW girl, I don't even know what to say. You need to break open another bottle before you head out here to Cali. my friend. :) Things are sure to become less hectic for you soon. And as for the counting/alphabet, I'm in the same boat with Landon, he has no interest in abc's or 123's. :rolleyes:

BBL to finish my post, I wanna nap with the babes. :cool:

[usafwife]

Update on A ~ He rolled from his back to his front on Sunday. I couldn't believe it. I wasn't expecting it since we haven't been able to do much tummy time. I can't believe he turned 3 months last Thursday. The time is going by so quickly! I thought it by quickly with S but it's going even quicker with A. He is still small so it's helping it make it seem that he isn't as old as he is. A's still in preemie clothes but is getting too long for the onesies and one piece outfits so we are going to newborn. He also has worn a few 0-3 month shirts (pants are a lost cause in that size as they just fall off) since it's getting warmer here. I did find some preemie shorts last night and immediately grabbed them up (he's still got plenty of room around the waist for them). Hopefully he'll grow into the 3-6 month things for summer but I'm not going to hold my breath for that. ;)

Night out ~ We had a night out on Saturday. I think it was the first time in well over a year. And the first time we had gone out to eat alone without any kids. DH took me out for our anniversary dinner and then to a friend's birthday party. We all went out dancing. We ended up staying much later than we had planned. It was 1:30 am when we left so it was a little after 2 am by the time we got home, got both kids. We didn't get to bed until 5:00 am and had to be back up and at church by 9:00 am. Was a short night but we definitely had fun. I'm looking forward to the next time.

Namaah ~ Sorry about the teething. S went through those teeth back in March and it was absolutely horrible. I'm so glad it's over. I hope S' come in quickly. {{{HUGS}}}

Alicia ~ Don't feel bad about counting/abcs. We got DD the little people learning zoo and I try to tell her what each animal starts with but she doesn't really repeat it back. Instead she tries to say the actual animal name. We have gotten her to go to 1, 2, and 3 in counting but it's hit or miss most days.

I'll go see what else I missed out on.

[rancherswife]

a pic. of my little 8 week chunk:
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k15/rancherswife/100_1521.jpg?t=1177532997

[usafwife]

Lice ~ My niece had it back in late February/early March. The shampoo did nothing for her so my BIL got online and found out that using listerine and a shower cap kills them. So that's what they did....everyone got their hair saturated with listerine and then a shower cap. They said that was the only thing that worked.

We thought that DD would get them (we had been there the weekend before they found out) but they didn't show here. I looked at the box but it said not to use on kids younger than 2. So I decided that we'd use the listerine/shower cap if they appeared. It's a lot cheaper than the shampoo, that's for sure.

LJ ~ I'm usafwife7503 over there.

[Dreshny]

Wow, rancherswife, Reece looks so much like Landon! What a cutie!

[diedra1027]

Alphabet & Counting- Ok, I feel like a total loser. Abbey does not know her alphabet at all and doesn't count. :o She is great at identifying body parts, objects, animals and their sounds, etc., but she shows NO interest whatsoever in learning her letters and/or numbers! I've tried books, crayons and those foam letters for the bath, but nothing really interests her. What gives? I am starting to feel like she's behind and she's not even 2 yet!!Will it make you feel better to know you have some company in this department? Avery has amazing language development, but has shown very little interest in the alphabet or counting. I just discovered last week that she can do the ABC song (most of it, at least). It's not something I sing regularly, so I think she learned it from Fridge Phonics :o. She can correctly identify only 1-2 letters, however I can see that she's starting to put the pieces together. She knows the words for all the numbers up to 20, but doesn't recite them in order - she says 1,2,3,9,12,17,19... She can't identify any of the numbers as far as I know. She does have a very basic conceptual understanding of 2, but that's about it.

[Aunt Liv]

Maia surprised me today. I was taking her down the stairs while I was holding 2 cups. She looks at me and says: "two sippy cups." :eek: :eek: So, I guess she can count to two...I had NO idea!

diedra - Maia knows her alphabet from the fridge phonics as well. :D

rancher - Reece is adorable!!

usafwife - YEY on the night out with your DH! You deserve it!

pacis - YIKES! Maia has her pacis attached to her (aka her thumbs-she'll suck either one). She's pretty good about only sucking when she's tired though.

[tgray99]

I'm about to box Aidan up and mail her to Botswana...she started crying when we left church and hasn't stopped screaming/crying since. She's throwing herself down on the floor, reaching for me then rejecting me. Asking for a story then pushing it away. I just put her to bed and it's been about 15 minutes and she's still crying (although it's gotten softer). Ugh. Any ideas? Thoughts? Takers?

[DisneyGirl]

abc/123 Nada here.
tgray sending you hugs..I know how you feel!! Nikki pulls that stint with me all the time and I can't figure out what to do to make her stop.

[psusna]

usaf: GREAT tip about the listerine and shower cap. So far so good here, but I will definitely keep that in mind. Only 7 more days to go before we should be in the clear....................

Ranchers: It's mini-Landon! Reece is just too cute :)

Tgray: I'm so sorry. Is this all related to the paci withdrawl? Maybe she just needs some extra comfort since Baboo isn't around?

Working on birthday party prep tonight. Must get back to stamping napkins....fun.

[tgray99]

When I try to hold her and rock her she screams and freaks out and tries to get away. I think tonight she was overly tired. I do think the crying starts out with Baboo withdrawal and it just escalates from there.

[tgr68]

tgray~DD has been doing the exact same thing with me today. :( Hers is from teething and allergies causeing her to feel awful. I hope Aidan goes to sleep soon and you get a short break before heading to bed yourself. {{HUGS}} This is exhausting!

[ladybug0525]

tgray - thinking about you, man hope it pass quickly, hoping she is already in bed.

Talking - Jack talks a ton but is also not interested in ABC's or numbers. He wants us to sing the ABC's all the time but he doesn't. He just orders more ABC's all the time.

Rancher - He is adorable, don't you love having 2 boys!!

I can't keep up but am trying to come on CC more!

[cynder]

tgray - Teeth?!? That's my answer for everything, sadly. I hope it passes fast.

abc/123 - Knowing these is so not a milestone at this age so don't worry if your child doesn't know them. I do have to say that while I hate 99% of the "talking toys" we have, the Leapfrog Fridge Phonics and the Letter Bus were helpful in teaching letters. More importantly they helped distract while I cook. :)

I still can't ever get DS to say "1". And totally doesn't not know the Alphabet song.

Rancher So weird, but I too thought "Wow, that baby looks like Landon!" I so want to pinch his cheeks.

[rancherswife]

Thanks for the compliments on my little man. :) We like him. ;)

tgray: sorry for the rough evening with Aidan! I'm sure it has a lot to do with the whole baboo thing. I lmao that you wanted to ship her to Botswana, gimme the addi. to where you were gonna ship her...I may need to send a cute little 23 mo. old boy along with her. :)

teeth: Landon's getting his two year molars. FUN! Drooling like mad and night wakings. Seriously girls, the last two nights, he's been up more than Reece. What's wrong with this picture?

And what the HELL is the deal with my wild a$$ kid????? What am I doing wrong? Seriously, all hell breaks loose as soon as I start dinner, no joke, this was the senerio in our kitchen this evening. Landon comes around the corner sporting his b-day suit, lovely, I decide to ignore the fact that he's stripped his clothes off and ask him if he'd like to help me cook, I get a firm "NO!" and he proceeds to open the freezer and begin taking out all of the food. I redirect and that works for about 2.2 seconds. Reece decides he needs to nurse, I put the chicken on the bbq, since clearly, Brett was coming home by way of turtle...Landon continues to run "free", breaks a picture frame, meltsdown when I get onto him....refuses to put a diaper on, etc. In the mean time , I forget to flip the chicken, so it's now charcoal on one side...nice! What happen to my sweet little boy that would sit in his highchair, and eat a snack while watching mommy cook? I just don't understand! We finally got both babes bathed and to bed and I finally got to take a nice hot shower...felt like it had been days since I had done it (not to worry, only about 24 hours! ;)). Now I'm ready to hit the sack. Hopefully, the tylenol I doped Landon up with will help with his teething issues tonight.

Nite girls!

[Jessiesmama]

Hi ladies,
I only have a sec sicne I'm running late to work and work has kicked my A$$ this week and left me with no internet time.

Sleep Update
Jessie STTN 4 out of the last 5 days!!!!! YAY!!! Thanks again for all of your advice and support.

LJ
I friended everyone who posted their names.

[Chylynn]

tgray -I bet it is part of baboo withdrawl and maybe part teeth? But, then again, I always blame anything wrong on teeth. :) I hope your night got better. ((Hugs))

racherswife -great picture! He looks so much like Landon. Sorry about last night and cooking in the kitchen. I have to admit, I love your stories, even though I'm sure you don't think they are very funny when it happens.

ABC/123 -R doesn't say them either, but then again, she doesn't say much. We start Speech Therapy on Monday, but she has started saying some words more clearly recently. Her favorite word is "car". Thanks again everyone for your support when I had my vent a few days ago. It is so nice to know that we are all able to support one another when we are having bad days.

jessiesmama -Awsome!! So happy sleep has resumed in your house!

[alienhost]

first of all a big HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY to:

Mary Kate (traciann's DD) and
James (jrdhbunny's DS)!!! Have a great birthday!

usafwife I'm glad you got a night out!

rancherswife wow Reece does look like Landon! So cute!

tgray I hope Aidan settles down for you.

jessiesmama great news on the STTN! You must be thrilled!

chylynn I'm glad that the speech therapy is going well already!

[Chylynn]

Happy Birthday to Mary Kate and James! Enjoy your day/evening with your children, Mamas!

[allyray231]

Happy Birthday to Mary Kate and James!

[Sasha]

Happy Birthday James and Mary Kate!!

Rancher - Reese is the spitting image of Landon! Adorable! Sorry Landon gave you such a run for your money last night (but is it wrong for me to admit your stories always make me laugh? :p )

Chylynn - I friended you on LJ (I'm Sasha76). I'm glad speech therapy is helping R progress.

Jessiesmama - Yay for STTN!!!

ABC/123 - I should clarify that yes Sarah can say her ABCs (although L-M-N-O still comes out "Elmo") and 123s, she has very little interest in identifying them. We have fridge phonics, but she prefers to play its ABC song. The only way she will identify them is in this Barney flap book, and I'll say "A is for apple, where is the A?" and she'll point to the A/apple flap. I'm sure she is recognizing the apple as opposed to the A.

[jmvan74]

Happy Birthday James and Mary Kate!

Rancher: Reece is adorable. Gotta love a chubby baby! Well, our back's may not, but ya know.:p

tgray: I'm so sorry DD is giving you such a hard time. I hope she fell asleep for you. :(

Jody: Glad Jessie is finally starting to sttn.

abc/123: Collin counts to 6, but doesn't recognize numbers or letters. He'll sing the abc song, sort of, when he hears it.

Meri: Glad that A is doing well and you got a night out alone w/ DH.

[ahavnes]

Happy B_day Mary Kate and James! :)

Not sure what I am doing online when I have a plane to catch in 2 hours. :rolleyes:

Abc's- Ok, glad to hear I am not the only one with a slacker kid. ;) Unfortunately, we have a stainless fridge, so the fridge phonics are out. Abbey really isn't interested in her "talking" toys much anyway. Oh well, we'll get there!

rancherswife- What adorable pictures! I love fat little chunky babes. Sorry about the wild man. I have a wild woman he would love to meet, although he would have to put his clothes on first. ;)

tgray- Abbey has been doing the same thing. I call it Toddler Colic. ;) I have found that Tylenol and a cool teething ring, along with some Elmo seem to do the trick. Not a huge fan of tv, but sometimes it's a sanity saver in our home. :)

[LIZNKEITH]

Happy Birthday Mary Kate & James!!

2 Year Old Molars
I was coming in here to complain about them and see you're having the same problem, Ranchers. We are on Day 9 of Rude Awakening. She's been waking up between 4-5 am every morning at which point she's up for the day. If that's not bad enough, last night she decided to wak up around 1:00 and was up until 2:30. Good times.

Jody,
Yay! Congratulations!! How does it feel to sleep?

[psusna]

Alicia: Have a great trip!

Molars: Add us to the list too. When he was home sick on Tuesday he told me “mouth hurt mommy. No hot dog.” You KNOW it’s bad when the kid disses turkey dogs. At last the drool has let up a bit. I think we might be close to popping the bottom right tooth.

Happy Birthday Mary Kate & James!

ETA: YAY JessiesMama!! Congrats on seeing the sleep training through! Here's to many more STTN nights :)

[tgr68]

ladybug~Glad to 'see' you!

ABCs/123s~Like Cynder said, these are not a milestone for this age at all, so don't worry if your DC is not there yet!

Ranchers~I hope you were able to get a good night's rest!

Jessiesmama~Yay!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARY KATE AND JAMES!!!

Well, I was so tired after yesterday that I slept way in this morning and skipped Bible Study. DD and I are having a pretty good morning. Her nose is still awfully runny though, so the kleenex obsession is back (blow nose once, throw away, get a new one). :rolleyes: I also had lunch plans today that were cancelled due to my friends daughter being put on very strict bedrest through the rest of her pgcy (due in July :eek: )! So..........I suddenly have a full day with nothing to do.

[allyray231]

YAY jessiesmama!

ABC/123 We say 3-that is about it :)

[happy1nuv]

Happy Birthday to Mary Kate and James!

abc/123 ~ Nope, although he LOVES to hear YOU sing the alphabet song. And, I did get him to say "two" when trying to show him how to point 2 fingers (as in, how old are you going to be?)

:)

[DisneyGirl]

Happy Birthday Mary kate & James. Hope you both have a wonderful Birthday!

[Traciann]

aw thanks for the birthday wishes for mary kate! its crazy to think that I have a 2 year old! we taught her how to saw two when we ask her how old she is. its adorable. her birthday party is on saturday...hello kitty because she loves yeow, yeows. :)

abc's mk has just really had a word explosion...so we are not singing the alphabet just yet. although i did recently sing it to her when she was brushing her teeth and that seem to motivate her to brush more!

happy birthday james! hope you had a great birthday!

[Jessiesmama]

Sleep
I really can't believe it. Sleep is the best! It's been almost 2 year of not STTN (for me too!). I feel like it's going to stop. I'm in shock. Thank you ladies for being so supportive and helping me through the STing for the last 2 weeks!

Of course my job required that I be in NYC by 6:00am this morning - so I'm not exactly sleeping tons yet...:rolleyes: But I'm used to it.

Ranchers
Reese is sooo cute. I bet when they're older and everyone looks back on these early photos, they are confused for one another!

ABC's/123s and colors
Jessica can say her abc's but will not identify letters. She can count to 10 in english and spanish but I don't think she'll identify numbers either. She knows the names of colors but will not properly identify them either. a few weeks ago she said "Mr. golden sun (a photo on her sippy) has red eyes, just like me". She will pull a green block out and confidently state "yellow"!

[rancherswife]

Thank you everyone for all your sweet compliments on Reece. We too see that they look a lot alike, it'll be interesting to see how his little looks evolve in the next year. I think his hair will be lighter than Landon's...we'll see. :)

Ughhh....I got a dreaded phone call this morning, from my girlfriend that we walk every morning with, that her ds (landon's best bud) has been throwing up since last night..she also has a little one 6 days older than Reece. GREAT! I was just thinking to myself that we've made it almost two years and he's never had the flu! I've surely jinxed myself! Cross your fingers for us.... :(

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO Mary Kate and James!!!


OK...off to help Landon p/u a HUGE mess he's made with his goldfish crackers....yay! ;)

[Sasha]

Ugh.....Sarah bit one of her daycare teachers yesterday. :( The teacher was trying to put Sarah's shoe on and Sarah didn't want any part of that, so she apparently bit her. I am really upset, Sarah has never bitten before and I do not want to go down that road. Her main teacher (not the one bitten) said that Sarah has been more agressive with the other kids if they take things from her, she doesn't get her way, etc. She hasn't bitten them, but she pushes. I am generally very friendly with her main teacher (heck, I invited her and her granddaughter who she cares for to Sarah's bday party!) but today she was very cool towards me. Any thoughts or suggestions as to what I can do at home to nip this in the bud?

[psusna]

Sasha: I’m so sorry :( We just went through DS being bit again at his school and here are some things to consider that may help you pin down a reason for her change in demeanor within the class. How long has she been in the current class? Is she close to the time to move up? She may be getting bored in there, especially if younger children are moving in and getting more attention from the teachers (based on the fact they need more care, help with the transition, etc.). Along that same line, has a new child moved in who perhaps Sarah doesn’t mesh with? I think that your source may lie in one of those areas. For us, the child who always bit/bites DS starts doing so right about the time it’s time to move up to the new room. She is bored with the room, has done everything she can in there, needs to be challenged more and have a change of scenery. Just some things to think about as you sort through this. As for the cold shoulder you got – that’s ridiculous. She should know Sarah better than to get upset over a one time incident. Hang in there and try not to get down on the whole thing. Work with her teachers and the ED to find a solution. ((hugs))

ETA: I was just thinking back through this again and one thing in your post got me thinking -- you said she bit her while she was trying to put Sarah's shoes on...could it be that Sarah wanted to do it herself? Maybe she wants to be more independent than the teachers are allowing? Perhaps she needs to help out more in the room -- get her own blanket at nap time, put her own shoes on/off, etc. maybe she would feel a little more in control of things that way? Could she be a special helper in the room and help get craft supplies out, help go make copies in the office, etc.?

Just trying to think of all possible ideas.....

[ahavnes]

Can I just brag about my little one for a minute? ;) She was the best girl ever on the plane yesterday. We had to take two flights and she was a gem! (Although the Elmo DVD didn't hurt, haha!) The flight attendant on the flight from Dallas to Orange County actually told us we should get the parents of the year award, and another lady stopped to tell us what a good girl we have. That's NEVER happened on a flight with Abbey before, and we've done quite a few. :) I guess Abs really knows when it's clutch time. LOL!

Sasha- Abbey has been getting quite agressive lately too. She hasn't bitten (yet) but she has been hitting me on occasion and is way more aggressive with other children. She used to be very good at sharing, whereas now it is a joke. :cool: Let me know if you get any good suggestions, b/c I am all ears! As for the teacher, I think just talking to her and letting her know that you'd like to work with her to adjust Sarah's behavior should help. Like you are a team kind of. I wish I had better advice!

[Sasha]

psunsa & Alicia - Thank you, you both bring up some great points. psusna, to answer some of your questions, Sarah is actually one of the younger ones in the classroom, although due to her height one of the tallest too. They aren't moving any of the kids up to the next room since they have all turned or are soon turning two, and instead are just changing the class curriculum (basically no room in next class up, so this is their solution). They do have about three new kids in the class, one of whom is from Sarah's old room, but the teacher hasn't said which kids in particular Sarah is having problems with. You might be onto something with the independence thought. Sarah loves to put on her sandals by herself, but she was wearing sneakers yesterday, which she has never tried to put on alone. But maybe she wanted to yesterday? In general, Sarah loves to not have shoes on, so more than likely, it was just her being stubborn about her shoes, as usual. One thing however is that once before, this teacher tied her shoes so tight that it actually left marks on her foot. I had to say something to the main teacher who said she would talk to this other teacher about it....so maybe Sarah was afraid she would tie her shoes really tightly again?

Sorry if I am rambling, but I am just really upset and perplexed over this new behavior.

Alicia - Yay for Abbey being an angel on the plane!

[happy1nuv]

alicia ~ yea! gotta love the days you start your posts with "let me brag..." :)

:)

[jrdhbunny]

Thank you so much for the happy birthday wishes! We had James' party yesterday and it was a blast (even though the birthday boy only got a 30 minute nap :eek: )

Happy Belated Birthday to Mary Kate!

sasha- James used to be a biter too so I feel your pain! I think everyone has given really good advice so I don't have much to add as we're dealing with a little aggression on our end as well. I will say that a lot of it may be the discovery of a sense of self and consequently selfishness. I think the best thing you can do is reiterate at home that it's not ok to hit or push- I have to remind DH not to laugh when DS hits him, even when it's clearly in play. And is it possible that the teacher was being a little rough when putting on Sarah's shoes? I know that when James is squirmy, I sometimes push a little too hard to get his shoes on. She may have bit because the teacher was unknowingly hurting her.

Alicia- How great that Abbey was such a good girl on the plane!

rancherswife- I love your stories- Landon sounds like so much fun! And how adorable is Reece?? Hope they don't get sick!

jessiesmama- Yay for the sleep!

usafwife- Ahhhh...sounds like a great night out!

Ouch- Did I mention that James gave me a black eye on Monday? He was fooling around and threw his head back...right into my eye. It didn't look too bad at first, but it has grown into a full blown shiner. Nice look for his 2nd birthday party pics. :rolleyes:

You Oughta Be in Pictures- I took James to an open call for a local modeling agency and he was selected. I'm trying to be realistic about it as I know that there's a very small chance that he'll actually get any work, but we're so close to NYC that we figured why not! I've researched it pretty thoroughly and they're totally legit. They're registered with the BBB and I have a friend who did some work for them when she was a child. It's not like one of those places where you pay them thousands of dollars to rep your child or for "modeling classes"- there's no fee, except for the headshots which you can go anywhere to get, and when he gets paid for a job (they get a 10% commission). So we'll see. I figured it will be a fun story for him to tell when he gets older.

[usafwife]

I'm trying to recover from yesterday. My mom had a follow up appt for her aneurysm. We had to leave around 7 yesterday morning so we'd make it in time for her CT. We wait an hour for them to do the scan. That meant we were late for the office appt but it didn't seem to be a big deal (wish some of the offices around here were that understanding). We waited next to nothing in the waiting room (compared to last time when there were no seats and we waited almost 3 hours to even get in a room) and had plenty of seats to pick from. We waited in the room close to 2 hours (we kept getting colder and colder and DS needed his diaper changed). I go out to the waiting room to get a diaper and wipes but DH and DD aren't there. A man asks if I'm looking for a man and little girl and I told him yes. He said he'd go get him for me. Turns out that DH had taken DD to the playroom (didn't know they had one). The resident is in the room when he brings me the stuff. After he does his exam the neurosurgeon comes in. We discuss some things and find out that radiology didn't do the correct CT (she wanted a CT angiogram and they only did a regular CT). So they see if they can do the CTA today so we don't have to come back. They are able to fit her in so that takes another hour and a half to get called back. So we are leaving in the middle of rush hour traffic. So not my idea of fun so we stop and get something to eat and change the kids before heading home. DH has to go back in to work when we get home (they called him when we were waiting in the office). It was only suppose to be for an hour but turned out to be close to 2 1/2 hours. Needless to say it was after midnight when I got to bed. And it seems he has to go back in again tonight for two hours. I'll expect it to take 4 and then go back in by 6 tomorrow morning.

Then insurance messed up his last eye exam and work is suppose to pay for it but they sent a letter stating they needed more information about it, that there is a copay for us, and that we have secondary insurance. Well, his employer pays for the eye exam, we don't have a copay for that part (he paid it the day he was there and they are suppose to reimbruse us), and that is the only vision insurance we have so where they come up with the idea that we have secondary is beyond me.

Then there is the bill for DS' circ in the hospital. It's $4,000 (why in the world would it cost that much??). I forget what exactly we owe. Then we get the bill yesterday for the repair (the original doc who performed the circ took too much skin off and wanted it repaired). That cost $400 and we owe $60 something. Not quite sure that I feel we owe for the repair since it wasn't our mistake but whatever. I don't think that putting in two stitches was really $400+ but whatever.

[Aunt Liv]

usafwife - {{{HUGS}}} Seems like you've had a LONG couple of days. You need a nice big bottle of wine...:D. Seriously, though, I'm sorry that your mom has been ill and that on top of it, you've had to deal with all those insurance issues.

jrdhbunny - How cool that James gets to be a model!

Sasha - I'm sending you {{HUGS}} as well. I have no advice, but can lend an ear.

Alicia - I'm so glad that Abbey was a complete angel for you on the plane!

ranchers - I hope you all don't get sick!!! Hopefully, your friend was able to contain it and keep it at her house.

Jessiesmama - WOOHOOOOOO!!!! That is FANTASTIC! I'm so glad that Jessie is *finally* sleeping. Here's to continued uninterrupted sleep!

US - Maia decided to forego the nap today. I'm SO freaking tired! She hung out in her crib for a while, but then eventually had enough and decided it was time to come out. So she's been a crabby babby all afternoon. I really hope that her skipping her nap today was just a one-time thing...

Question BBB/BGB - Is anyone just getting a railing for an existing bed? If so, what kind and how did you decide? I have my old bed from when I was growing up, and instead of getting a new bed for Maia, I was thinking of just using that. Problem is, that it doesn't have a box spring (it's half of a bunk-bed). Any ideas or suggestions? It seems that a lot of the railings require a box spring to lock the rails in place.:confused:

[DisneyGirl]

You Oughta Be in Pictures- I took James to an open call for a local modeling agency and he was selected. I'm trying to be realistic about it as I know that there's a very small chance that he'll actually get any work, but we're so close to NYC that we figured why not! I've researched it pretty thoroughly and they're totally legit. They're registered with the BBB and I have a friend who did some work for them when she was a child. It's not like one of those places where you pay them thousands of dollars to rep your child or for "modeling classes"- there's no fee, except for the headshots which you can go anywhere to get, and when he gets paid for a job (they get a 10% commission). So we'll see. I figured it will be a fun story for him to tell when he gets older.

What place are you using if you don't mind telling me either on here or through a PM. I ask because I am looking into something for DD and since I also live close to you maybe I can try out the same place or maybe get an idea of a place in my area.

Thanks!! Maybe I'll send you a PM

[cynder]

Anyone else going through weird sleep issues. Last few nights, DS moans and cries in his sleep, tossing and turning. He has the slightest temp so I think he's teething those last molars but I have no way of getting in there to see. Garrrr!

So not used to weird sleep after all this time.

Sasha We got bit and I know that our center sends a sheet home with the biter on what to work on at home. I would openly talk about it with the teacher and see if you guys can brainstorm some ideas. Our center was pretty open with the fact that at this age they will not discipline but mostly shadow and redirect the biter. Most biting at this age is a sign of verbal skills or increased social interaction that causes them to be more territorial with their toys or things than before.

DS gets really weird about shoes too. Right now he wants to put his Crocs when I put his tennis shoes. So I get him a little toy or book to distract while putting the shoes on.

[happy1nuv]

usa ~ HUGS!!!

Allright...Joey's a callin.... argh!

[portlandbride]

BGB Question Aunt Liv, we used this bedrail and have had no problems with it.
http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-3173986reg.jpg
It actually has a strap that goes underneath the mattress and attaches on the other side. We didn't really need a rail on each side since the one side is against the wall, but this was the best deal I could find at the time. We got it at Babies R Us.
My DD has been in a BGB for about 3 months now and it's been great!
Oh, and it fits bed sizes from twin to queen, I think. It fits a full size for sure b/c that's what she's in.

[rancherswife]

cynder: I feel your pain, with the sleep. Landon's dealing with the two year molars and we've had a couple of rough nights. Same type of thing you described. The last few nights (when I can remember) we've givne him some tylenol and he's slept better. For a couple of days, I was up more w/ him than Reece! Go figure! ;)

[kimthebride]

Anyone else going through weird sleep issues. Last few nights, DS moans and cries in his sleep, tossing and turning.
Yes!
He has been SO TIRED he drags around the apartment, but he's restless at night. I don't know if its upcoming 2nd year molars or all the distractions with guests/overnight guests in & out of our place or what.

This morning MIL left, so its just us 4 now. So I guess we'll see if it was that or something else...

[Dreshny]

Asher is also moaning and crying and talking in his sleep. I figured it was teething.

[tgray99]

Aidan's really been putting her fingers in her mouth a lot lately and chewing on things. I figured it was because she's paci-less now but I guess it could be teething. She's been way fussy too. Ugh, I hope this is the end of teething, I'm so over it.

[jmvan74]

We had some rough nights last week and low and behold Collin has 2 of his secondary molars, now. ;)

[rancherswife]

So, this pic. pretty much sums up the current relationship between Landon and Reece. (i.e. Landon's all over him....Reece is annoyed!:cool: )

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k15/rancherswife/100_1571.jpg?t=1177871741

[tgr68]

Poor Reece. :( ;) LOL!!! So cute!

[alienhost]

phew, well we survived 2 birthday parties this weekend! I'm totally exhausted....DD did great and had a blast, despite the pouring rain!

here are a few pics of the b'day girl. I need to organize all the pics and I can post some others later but here are two. The doll stroller (thanks kimthebride) was her favorite - notice the little shopping bag (favor bag) hanging from the handle just like mom, when we are at the mall! :D

hmm. must get DH to better coordinate his outfit next year. ;)

pics removed...

Sasha I'm sorry you are having issues with DD at daycare, I don't have any advice but I think others have given you good info. I hope it's a stage that passes soon for you, hang in there!

ahavnes yea for the easy plane ride and your little angel!

ranchers that pic of the boys is great.

usafwife sorry you are dealing with all of that.

Jessiesmama yippee for sleep!

jrdhbunny ouch, sorry to hear about the black eye!

traciann I hope you post pics of your Hello Kitty party, we did HK too and I'd love to see your party!

sleep issues/molars I hope everyone is doing OK/better.

modeling I signed DD with an agency when she was 10 months (after she was selected from an open call as well). She actually went on a few "auditions" and did 2 jobs last year but I never saw anything in print. We got paid but they always have at least 2 models so they can choose the best shots. The market in our city is pretty spoadic/slow so in bigger cities like NYC/SF/LA you there are a lot more opportunities. It was fun/interesting but it would have been really fun to see her somewhere in print. Good luck jrdhbunny let us know if we can see James anywhere!

[tgray99]

Wow, alienhost, that's quite a cake!!

Rancherswife: That's a hilarious picture.

So today I put Aidan down for a nap and I laid down for a little while. She cried a little when I put her down and then got quiet. When I woke up and went into her room, this is what I saw:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/tgray99/23mo010.jpg
No wonder she was so quiet. As soon as I went in there she started singing the "Clean Up" song. :rolleyes: Anybody want a kid?

[DisneyGirl]

Rancher Love the picture!

Tgray OMG! I would have flipped my lid. Kids..gotta love them!!!

[kimthebride]

tgray
LMAO!

I was discussing the importance of video monitors with MIL this week. With a newborn, an audio monitor is fine because you only need to know when they are making noise. With a toddler, if they AREN'T making noise, you need to run to see what the heck they are up to. ;) Needless to say, I have 2 video monitors in my apartment.

[Dreshny]

tgray: It's lucky she's so cute, huh? ;)

[happy1nuv]

tgray ~ wow, she was busy! if it helps, the developmental specialist that came to see nic on thur said that it was a way of exploring (throwing everything on the floor) and totally developmentally appropriate. (easy for me to say since I'm laughing at the carnage... sorry)

alien ~ GREAT cake!

:)

[tgray99]

tgray ~ wow, she was busy! if it helps, the developmental specialist that came to see nic on thur said that it was a way of exploring (throwing everything on the floor) and totally developmentally appropriate. (easy for me to say since I'm laughing at the carnage... sorry)

Yay. :rolleyes:

Nah, it didn't bother me all that much. What bugged me was her going along behind me and getting books off the shelf after I put them up.

Which leads me to this: I think Aidan and I are getting bored with each other on the weekends which leads her to making messes and getting cranky and me getting frustrated with her. Weekends used to be her time with Ryan. I rarely saw them on the weekends because they'd play, hang out, go places and do stuff. I know she misses him and that she's bored. What do y'all do on the weekends? Luckily the next 3 weekends we have stuff already planned but beyond that I'm at a loss.

[rancherswife]

tgray: Oh yes, she and Landon would make a fine pair! ;) Too funny!!!

[LIZNKEITH]

Ranchers,
I love it!! Landon looks so micheivious in that photo.

Tara,
ROTFLMAO! What a busy girl!

[psusna]

alicia: Excellent news about the good girl on the flight! Hope you had a great weekend.

alien: She is ssssssssssssoooooooooo cute with her little stroller!!! You are a brave woman doing 2 parties in one weekend. Her cake is fabulous!! Our party is on Saturday -- so much to do.....

ranchers: Your boys are just too cute! Wait until they are older and the tables turn with Reece into Landon's bizniss all the time -- then we'll see who is crying ;)

tgray: LMAO!!!! At least she was quiet and let you rest :) You probably are right on about the boredom thing. I'm not sure what advice I can offer -- you're doing a great job!

kim: totally never even thought about putting a video monitor in his room when he goes to the BBB. Brilliant!!

We are having big time DSL issues at our house and it's driving DH insane. I really hope it gets solved