April/May 08 Mommies:Celebrating our first birthdays!

[May2008Mommies]

Welcome April and May 2008 Mommies!

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k269/lp_becky/baby3da7.jpg

Who we are: A group of women who were due in April and May 2008. Some of us had our babies in March, April, May, and June. But we don't discriminate! :p

What we talk about: Anything and everything, from our growing babies to our personal problems. There really is no such thing as "TMI."

Why: Because we can, and because it's nice to know there are other women out there who might be going through the exact same thing you are.

If you weren't a member of the April or May 2008 Mommies pregnancy group but would like to join here, feel free! If you would like to, post the following information in red:

Username:
Me: Name, age
DH: Name, age
DS/DD: Name
Birthdate:
Time of birth:
Weight at birth:
Length at birth:
Any other children:

May 2008 Pregnancy and Mommy threads:
May 2008 Mommies: Movin' and Shakin' Through Winter (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44040)
May 2008 Mommies: Watching our Babies Grow (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42836)
May 2008 Mommies: Our Babies Have Bloomed! (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41576)
May 2008 Mommies: Babies Under Construction (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35886)
May 2008 Mommies: A Baby Bump for the Holidays (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37562)
May 2008 Mommies: From the Second to the Third Trimester (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39419)
May 2008 Mommies: Babies in Full Bloom (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40616)

Combined baby thread
http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1892285#post1892285

[May2008Mommies]

Member list


Alioop12345
Me: Ali, 35DH: Aron, 30
EDD: 4/14/08
Tessa Isabelle
Birthdate: April 3
Time: 2:23 pm
Weight: 8lbs 3oz
Length: 20.5 inches
Other children: Jake, 2/3/4

anemone
me: 33
dh: 33
dd: Eloise
birthdate: 5/14/08
time: 8.41am
weight: 8lbs 14oz
length: 20 inches
other children: DS, Henry 2.5 years

Baby Lust
Me: Amanda, 25
DH: Shane, 30
DD1: Hailey Marie
DD1 Birthdate: 4/29/08
DD1 Time of birth: 5:55pm
DD1 Weight at birth: 3lbs 10oz
DD1 Length at birth: 17 1/4"
DD2: Madelyn Claire
DD2 Birthdate: 4/29/08
DD2 Time of birth: 5:58pm
DD2 Weight at birth: 5lbs 1oz
DD2 Length at birth: 18 1/2"
Any other children: DS, Lucas 6/13/06

BridalLace
Me: Heather, 35
DH: Cristian, 34
EDD: April 7, 2007
Ethan
Birthdate: March 28
Weight: 8lbs
Length: 19 inches
Other children: Elodie, born 5/7/05

Chelsea524
Me: Chelsea, 25
DH: Jonathan, 36
EDD: 4/25/08
Avery and Harrison
Birthdate: March 15
Times: 9:47 and 9:49 am
Weights: 4.10 and 5.13
Lengths: 17 inches and 18.5 inches
Other children: DS Trystin 9/29/99, DS Corbin 8/13/04

coquelicot
Me: K, 30
DH: B, 31
EDD: 4/29/2008
C.J.
Birthdate: April 14
Time: 2:15am
Weight: 7lb 5.2oz
Length: 21 inches

Crystal_Orchid
Me, A, 32
DH: L, 35
EDD: March 28, 2008
Avelyn Grace
Birthdate: March 25

CT's Punkin
Me: Name, age - 36
DH: Name, age - 39
DS/DD: Name - Gabriel (aka GTT)
Birthdate: 5/13/08
Time of birth: 10:48pm
Weight at birth: 7lbs 11oz
Length at birth: 20 3/4"

Da1sy
Me: Daisy, 31
DH: Eddie, 32
EDD: April 11, 2008
Nathaniel Ivan
Birthdate: March 20
Time: 3:46
Weight: 5lbs 6.45oz
Length: 19 inches

Dettes
Me: Bernadette - 34
DH: Mike -35
DS/DD: Caroline
Birthdate: 5/21/08
Time of birth:10:35 a.m.
Weight at birth:7lbs 13oz
Length at birth:19 3/4
Any other children:Will - 4, Kate - 3

ducgal
Me: Victoria, 39
DH: Kevin, 40
DS/DD: Ivan
Birthdate: 5/19/08
Time of birth: 10:05P
Weight at birth: 9lbs, 15 ozs
Length at birth: 21 1/4 inches
Any other children: nope

E&O
Me: Kelly, 30
DH: Nathan, 31
DS/DD: Cooper
Birthdate: 4/27/08
Time of birth: 2:43am
Weight at birth: 6lb, 11 oz
Length at birth: 19 1/4 in
Any other children: DD, Kate, 23 months

FoxyBlue
Me: L, 24
DH: N, 28
EDD: 4/28/2008
Dawson
Birthdate: April 23
Time: 10:51 am
Weight: 8lb 10oz
Length: 21.5 inches

IrishEyes
Me: Kellie, 34
DH: Rob, 36
DS/DD: Carson
Birthdate: 5/13/08
Time of birth: 6:57pm
Weight at birth: 8 lb, 11 oz
Length at birth: 21 1/2 in
Any other children: DS, Brody, 3 yrs old

Gabe's Mom
Me: Natasha
DH: Jeff
EDD: April 10. 2008
Lucas
Birthdate: April 11
Weight: 8lbs 10 oz
Length: 21 inches
Other children: Gabe 10/4/05

Ironhair
Me: Sidney, 32
DH: Jason, 33
DD: Alivia Paige
Birthdate: 05-04-08
Time of Birth: 7:25am
Weight at Birth: 8 pounds
Length at Birth: 21 inches
Other Children: DS, Aiden Brock, 05-14-06

jaredsgirl
Me: Megan, 30
DH: Jared, 31
EDD: April 18, 2008
Annika Marie
Birthdate: April 23
Time: 9:17am
Weight: 7lbs 9oz
Length: 20 inches
Other children: Owen 12/9/05

jenjunum
Me: Jennifer, 27
DH: Scott, 27
EDD: 4/25/08
Lily Renee
Birthdate: May 5
Time: 10:06 PM
Weight: 8 lbs 13 oz
Length: 21 in

jess&dan
Me: Jess: 26
DH: Dan: 27
EDD: April 6, 2008
Aaron Robert
Birthdate: March 27
Time: 8:11 pm
Weight: 7lb 10oz
Length: 20 inches
Other children: Nathan 1/31/05

Kelly51703
Me: Kelly, 31
DH: Chris, 31
DS/DD: Andrew Christian
Birthdate: 4/5/08
Time of birth: 1:22 AM
Weight at birth: 7 lbs 1 oz
Length at birth: 19"
Any other children: Lauren, 2 1/2

Kenswife
Me: Emily
DH: Ken
EDD: April 11, 2008
Brayden
Birthdate: April 3
Time: 9:00 am
Weight: 7lbs 12oz
Lenth: 20 inches
Other children: Alyssa 5.25.00, Ilanna 3.8.05 & Tyler 9.26.06

kissmary
Me: Mary, 29
DH: John, 31
EDD: April 12, 2008
Henry Ellis
Birthdate: April 19
Time: 3:18 am
Weight: 7lbs 5oz
Length: 21 inches

Kristen78
Me: Kristen, 29
DH: Andrew, 33
EDD: 4/4/2008
Liam Andrew
Birthdate: April 4
Time: 12:11 am
Weight: 8lbs 3oz
Length: 20 inches
Other children:Caitlin 11/3/2005

lee60657
Me: Lee, 32
DH:33
EDD: April 6
Andrew
Birthdate: April 2
Weight: 8lbs
Length: 22 inches
Other children: DD, Feb. 2005

Lolly
Me: Laura-34
DH: DH
DD name: Megan Ann
Birthdate: May 3, 2008
Time of birth: 7:20 PM
Weight at birth: 6 lbs, 6 oz.
Length at birth: 19.5 inches
DD #1-Mary Elizabeth 4/29/06

makena32204
Me: Darla, 30
DH: Tom, 39
DS/DD: Tristan Maxwell
Birthdate: 5.6.08
Time of birth: 3:38 pm
Weight at birth: 7 lbs, 9 oz
Length at birth: 21 inches
Any other children: DD, Amelia 7.17.06

Marisa
Me: Marisa, 32
DH: Chris, 32
EDD: 4/18/08
Theodore "Teddy"
Birthdate: April 29
Time: 8:30 pm
Weight: 8lbs 10 oz
Other children: Joey, 1/20

Meatpie
Me: Joanna, 34
DH: The Hus, 33
EDD:April 15, 2008
Max Howard
Birthdate: April 14
Time: 12:20 pm
Weight: 7lbs 13oz
Length: 20 inches
Other children: Jack

Mel7dog
Me: Melissa, 25
DH: C, 25
EDD: 4.3.08
William Christopher
Birthdate: April 7
Time: 7:02am
Weight: 7lbs 2oz
Length: 21 inches
Other children: Benjamin 4.26.06

Mickey&B
Me: Michelle 33
DH: Brian, 34
DS/DD: Dylan James
Birthdate: June 4th
Time of birth: 9:48 am
Weight at birth: 8lb 8oz
Length at birth: 21 inches
Any other children: DS, Aidan 8/25/05

mollymac
Me: Melissa, (34 in a few days. . . )
DH: Chris, 42
Max J.D.
Birthdate: April 24
Time of birth: 3:56 a.m.
Weight at birth: 7lbs 15oz
Length at birth: 20 1/2
Any other children: Big Sisters Mia 7/03, Maddie 2/06

MrsBeckyLP
Me: Becky, 25
DH: Matt, 28
DD name: Madelyn (Maddie) Mae
Birthdate: April 17, 2008
Time of birth: 9:35 a.m.
Weight at birth: 7 pounds, 4 ounces
Length at birth: 20 inches

Mrs.Chappy
Me: Robyn, 32
DH: Steve, 32
DS: Jacob Bryce
Birthdate: 4/26/08
Time of birth: 8:27 AM
Weight at birth: 8 lbs 14 oz
Length at birth: 21"
Any other children: Benjamin, 3

MrsSpencer
Me: Mandi-26
DH: Nathan-26
DS: Nicholas Harold
Birthdate: 4/29/08
Time of birth: 8:31 PM
Weight at birth: 7 lbs 3 oz
Length at birth: 18.5"

MtySheera
Me: Marlene, 32
DH: Daryl, 34
EDD: 4/12/08
Zachary Ryan and Tyler James
Birthdate: March 10
Weights: 5lbs 12.8oz and 5lbs 8.4oz
Lengths: 18 inches and 17.5 inches
Other children: Frankie, 3 in October

Parrothead
Me: S, 29
DH: P, 36
EDD: 4/28/08
K.N.
Birthdate: April 26
Time: 1:27 pm
Weight: 7lbs 4oz
Length: 20.5 inches
Other children: M, 2 years

Pgirl26
Me: Amanda-27
DH-Stephen- 27
DS/DD Name: DD Addesyn Paisley
Birthdate: May 2, 2008
Time of birth: 12:44pm
Weight at birth: 6lb 1 oz.
Length at birth: 19"
Any other children: DH has two daughters... Kelsea 5, Khloe 2

phart
Me: Shannon, 32
DH: Alex, 31
EDD: 4/24
Malcolm Agustus
Bithdate: April 17
Time: 9:05 pm
Weight: 6lbs 8oz
Length: 20.5 inches
Other children:Aiden, 11/03 and Maura 3/06

red_canuck
Me:Amanda, 27
DH: Rob, 29
EDD: April 13, 2008
Ainsley Victoria Marie
Birthdate: April 11~At home
Time: 8:15pm
Weight: 7lbs. 15oz.
Length: 21 inches
Other children: Logan, 3/13/06

rachrich
Me: rachael, 28
DH: corey, 29
DS/DD: Owen
Birthdate: 5/15/08
Time of birth: 8:02am
Weight at birth:8lb, 5.5 oz.
Length at birth: 20.5 inches
Any other children: DD Olivia 12/7/05

SiValleySteph
Me: Stephanie, 30
DH: T, 30
EDD:April 28, 2008
Damon
Birthdate: April 28
Time: 4:05 pm
Weight: 8lbs 6oz
Length: 20.5
Other children: Lucas, 3

smilewithme
Me: Mandi, 30
DH: 30
DS Name: Jameson Brian
Birthdate: April 19, 2008
Time of birth: 1:38 a.m.
Weight at birth: 6lbs, 11oz.
Length at birth: 19.5"
Any other children: Madison, 1/28/06

Sophonisba9
Me: Eva Marie
DH: Matt
DS/DD: Catherine Claire
Birthdate: 5/5/08
Time of birth: 10:30 am
Weight at birth: 8lb, 11 oz
Length at birth: 20.5
Any other children: DS Jack 1-26-06

[May2008Mommies]

Standrea
Me: Andrea, 27
DH: Stan, 27
DD name: Eliza (Ellie) Jane
Birthdate: May 1, 2008
Time of birth: 9:25 p.m.
Weight at birth: 7 pounds, 15 ounces
Length at birth: 21 inches
DD #1-Abigail (5/12/06)

sully130
Me: 32
DH: 34
DS: P.
Birthdate: 5/02/08
Time of birth: 4:58 p.m.
Weight at birth:8lb, 8 oz.
Length at birth: 20 1/4 inches
Any other children: DD born still, 4.22.05, lives in my heart; DS born 4.20.06, lives in my home

summerbride2005
Me: C, 31
DH: W, 31
EDD: April 29, 2008
Camryn Marie
Birthdate: April 11
Time: 9:44am
Weight: 6lbs 2oz
Length: 18 inches

tashaw6
Me: Tash, 29
DH: Neil, 28
DS/DD: Kade
Birthdate: 9 May 2008
Time of birth: 17:29
Weight at birth: 9 lbs, 5 oz
Length at birth: 20 inches
Any other children: None

tgr68
Me: Naamah, 27
DH: Cordell, 28
Caedmon Gregor
Birthdate: April 2
Time of birth: 6:34pm
Weight at birth: 8lbs 7.8oz
Length at birth: 20"
Any other children: Shylah 6/18/05

tinagirl26
Me: Kristina, 36
DH: Grant, 43
DS: Liam Elliott
Birthdate: 5/6/08
Time of birth: 8:59 am
Weight at birth: 7 lbs, 6 oz
Length at birth: 19 3/4 inches
Any other children: DS, Caleb Eric, 2/13/06

Twinnyme
Me: Melissa, 36
DH: Dave, 32
EDD: April 15, 2007
Bridget Julia
Birthdate: April 9
Time: 8:07am
Weight: 7lbs 9oz
Length: 21.25 inches
Other children: (Re)Becca, born 1/14/05



Always in our thoughts:
Sophia, Cr8zyforaf, allison, Eloo, Eric's Wife, jesseybell, taylandra, GlamaGal's daugher

[May2008Mommies]

Our babies by birthday

March

March 10: MtySheera: Zachary Ryan & Tyler James
March 12: Squee: Finley Noah
March 15: Chelsea524: Avery Mae & Harrison James
March 25: Crystal_Orchid: Avelyn Grace
March 27: Jess&Dan: Aaron Robert; Maggie8202: Ella Rose
March 28: BridalLace: Ethan

April

2 - lee60657: Andrew; tgr68: Caedmon Gregor
3 - kenswife: Brayden; Alioop12345: Tessa Isabelle
4 - Kristen78: Liam Andrew
5 - Kelly51703: Andrew Christian
7 - mel7dog: William Christopher
9 - twinnyme: Bridget Julia
11- summerbride2005: Camryn Marie; red_canuck: Ainsley Victoria Marie; Gabe's Mom: Lucas
14- coquelicot: C.J.; meatpie: Max Howard
17- MrsBeckyLP: Madelyn (Maddie) Mae; Phart: Malcolm Agustus
19 -smilewithme: Jameson Brian; kissmary: Henry
23- jaredsgirl: Annika Marie; Foxyblue: Dawson
25- Jessiesmama: Jacklyn Sophia
26- Mrs.Chappy: Jacob Bryce; December27JJB: Ava Rosemary; Parrothead: K.N.
27- E&O: Cooper Nathan
28- SiValleySteph: Damon
29- MrsSpencer: Nicholas Harold; Baby Lust: Hailey Marie and Madelyn Claire; Marisa: Theodore (Teddy)

May

1- Standrea: Eliza (Ellie) Jane
2- Sully130: Parker; PGirl26: Addesyn Paisley
3- Lolly: Megan Ann
4- ironhair: Alivia Paige
5- sophonisba9: Cate; jenjunum: Lily Renee
6- tinagirl26: Liam Elliott; makena32204: Tristan Maxwell
7- L-O-V-E: Aaron Joseph
9- tashaw6: Kade
13- IrishEyes: Carson James
14- CT'sPunkin: Gabriel; anemone: Eloise
15- rachrich: Owen Blake
19-ducgal: Ivan Vincent
21- Dettes: Caroline Eileen; OctoberPrincess: Madison Rose
27- BeachGirl: Hailey

June

4- Mickey&B: Dylan James

[May2008Mommies]

saved

[May2008Mommies]

saved 2

[May2008Mommies]

Open for posting!

[Mickey&B]

Awww..... were in the toddler section

[Standrea]

When I saw toddler section, I just got sick. Seriously, how has it been a year already?!?!

Thank you all for the birthday wishes!

[Baby Lust]

Holy - I can't believe we have TODDLERS!!! :eek: :D

Good luck to everyone having parties this weekend! We are expecting 60 and sunny tomorrow, so hopefully nice enough to keep everyone outside!

[summerbride2005]

I can't believe our babies are toddlers!

[Mrs.Chappy]

im in denial..i won' accept that he's a toddler

though the development daily is ureal..hes doing hip-hip horray..answers questions (shakes his head no) etc..he has become a person overnight..**sigh**

thanks for the new thread

[December27JJB]

Mrs Chappy- Me too! :( In my eyes, she's still a baby lol

Its crazy how they're absorbing things and they are starting to communicate! Ava gets mad when someone takes her out of the bathtub or the wagon and she lets us know it. She and her big sister are already fighting/struggling over toys. Oy! The other day, I let her have sips of my tea and when I put my glass back on the table and she got all mad then lifted a finger and started scolding me, 'talking' to me in an angry voice. DH and I nearly fell out of our chairs laughing because it was funny but :eek: What happened to my baby?

Happy Birthday ALL of you May babies!!!

Standrea- Ellie is adorable! LOVE the tutu!!

[MrsSpencer]

It's like the past year has went by faster than the last 26 years of my life!

[tashaw6]

Toddler?....Never! Not my baby ;)

[rachrich]

Hi ladies....it's been a long time and there's a new thread. I went back and filled myself in on the last thread.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all babies I missed!!! I love all the party/1-yr pics.

Mrs.C I'm so sorry about your aunt. I'm thinking of you and your family.

andrea So good to hear about Ellie's clean bill of health! Are you meeting with a nutritionist now? She's such a cutie!

Owen is making leaps and bounds between physical therapy and vision therapy. He's almost ready to move off of jarred purees as well. He's seeing a kidney specialist now, who diagnosed him with a very early and mild form of kidney stones (caused by his anti-seizure med), so between kidney doc and neurologist we're trying to alter his dosage or come up with some alternate plan so he's not going to have kidney problems.

I'm hoping to be in here more frequently again, I miss being here (real long story why I haven't been here)!

[anemone]

New thread again?!? E. is still technically not a toddler. So I'll cling to her being a baby for a week and a half yet!

I've missed a bunch of birthdays, so Happy Birthday: Nicholas, Hayley, Madelyn, Damon, Cooper, Ava, Jacob, Abbie!

Happy Birthday this week to: Megan, Alivia, and Cate!!

Rach, so good to hear from you - I had noticed you weren't around and was hoping there wasn't anything wrong with Owen. Glad that his PT is going well and you're moving off the purees. He's doing well!

Not much to report here. E. is going well. She is keeping me on my toes as she is into everything! I take her to gymbaroo classes, which she loves, as she gets to socialize with other babies. She also loves being at DS's preschool and gets pretty angry when we leave and she doesn't get to stay and talk to the older girls there!

[December27JJB]

RachRich- I had been wondering about you too. I am so happy to hear things are going better for Owen. You are such a good mama to him! I'll be thinking about you and Owen.

[MrsSpencer]

Glad to hear all is well Rach!

[Standrea]

I'm glad to hear from you too Rach!

We HAVE A DIAGNOSIS!!! Well, sort of. 2 of the tests from bloodwork came back that Ellie is anemic. So, we will start iron supplements and see how that does. I'm not sure if that is attributing to her weight issues or not though (haven't had time to research it yet today-doing so next).

Her birthday party was great! I have to say, my little girl was very spoiled. I have no idea where I'm going to put this stuff! Abbie's party was in the morning, and even some of her friends brought gifts for Ellie too. It was REALLY nice. The weather turned out to be nice too, which is a plus. I'll post pictures as soon as they download.

Happy Birthday Megan, Alivia, & Cate!

[Mrs.Chappy]

Andrea..at least a diagnosis..now breathe!! right?

[Standrea]

You know, I'm thinking she may have an absorption problem. If she's not "getting" enough iron, but she's eating more then the recommended daily value, it's something, right? I'm totally calling in the morning and asking about it. Her formula alone has a ton of iron in it, plus the food she eats! Am I thinking wrong about this?

[tgr68]

Rach~Good to hear from you! Yay that Owen is doing well!

Standrea~Glad you finally have a diagnosis!

Funny story here....
I was in nursery during church this morning. I was already holding DS when another baby (little girl a couple of month younger than DS) insisted that I hold her as well. DS was laying on my shoulder and the little girl was looking around. Well, she turned to look at me and swung her arm around accidently hitting DS. He promptly lifted his head, pointed a finger at her, and very clearly said "don't".

[twinnyme]

So cute, Tgr68!

Andrea - glad you have a diagnosis. Hope you get in touch with the doctor this morning to ask your question.

Anemone - cute about E. getting angry when you have to leave DS's preschool. I agree that it's hard for our kids to be/becoming toddlers now. I think we moved to the new forum primarily because we were at 1,000 posts. I thought we'd wait until all the May kiddos were toddlers, too, but it seems we were at 999 posts!

rachrich - glad to hear that Owen is doing well.

All is well here. Busy busy weekend. We were out of the house yesterday from 9 to 7 for my nephew's Communion. It was fun and after two hours of clinging to me (unfortunately after Nana and Papa had already left for another commitment) she finally let go of the death grip and played more by herself. I've seen glimpses this week of her doing that again and I think it's because she's taking more steps. I think we're at the stage where separation anxiety is kicking in so much because she is realizing she can walk away from me and now needs to "run" back to me. But the more steps she takes (she's taking 5 or 6 sometimes now) the less the separation anxiety seems to be, thank goodness.

We're working on getting her to nod her head or say "yes" now - she said "yah" the other day - because she's shaking her head a LOT now. She wouldn't go to anyone yesterday and when they'd ask she'd cling to me and shake her head vigorously. Everyone found it very amusing. I know having her nod is fighting a losing battle because her next thing will be to SAY "NO!" but I try anyway! :p

[makena32204]

A new thread? I'm so far behind on the old one. I guess it's a loss on catching up.

Andrea- YAY!!! I'm so glad you got a diagnosis finally and that it's something treatable. KWIM? I'm glad the bday parties went well. Ellie's pic in the old thread is adorable...I think she looks like you!

Happy Birthday to all of those that I missed!! And, I missed a lot. :(

We had Tristan's birthday party this past weekend and it went well. I think every gift he received was some sort of shape sorter. It was pretty funny when we were opening them. He also got a tool bench that you pound the shapes through. Of course, Amelia thinks it's hers...sigh.

My inlaws are here in this week for a visit. Pray for me.

And, I have to share this awesome news!! My sister and BIL are adopting from China and got their referral last week! They have a picture and she is just plain adorable. No bias here. Once they get their court date (appox 3 months), the will go pick her up and bring her home. Very exciting! They also have a little boy that they adopted from the Ukraine in 2005. I'm so proud of them.

[MrsSpencer]

Yeah, we moved because of the posts (Becky had planned to wait as I asked her after we made the other thread), and she was really busy this weekend so I moved it real fast that night.

Happy Birthday to the babies!

Andrea- Glad you have an idea what's wrong..and I think you're question is on the right track..at least it sounds right to me. Glad she had a great party!

I was at walmart and Nicholas took off down the aisle from me..sigh..he's such a big boy. I had to chase him and he's fast! Practically running away...thank goodness my sister was with me..I gotta figure out how to shop with him now (he screams bloody murder in the buggy).

[Dettes]

HAPPY HAPPY to ELLIE, MEGAN, ALIVIA, CATE and TRISTAN!!!!

Glad to hear you're getting to the bottom of things Andrea. Your thinking seems quite logical to me.

[CTs_Punkin]

Standrea - Glad to hear the Drs are starting to put the puzzle together for Ellie's weight issues. Glad to hear she had a nice birthday!

A Toddler thread... really? Ugh.... can't be. My baby is still my baby, right? ;)

Question - What are you guys feeding your kids for Breakfast? G is still on just a bottle for breakfast & then 2 meals of baby food/finger food and 3 or 4 more bottles.

Now that we're going to be moving to milk soon, I know I need to start making time in the morning to feed him a breakfast & not just some milk.
So I'd love to know what you all are feeding them.

Thanks!!

[MrsSpencer]

CT- I give Nicholas yogurt, and some cereal (cheerios or kix) in a tiny bowl with milk (of course didn't do that until he was switched) and give him a spoon (I put more on his tray). He likes to feed himself, and refuses to eat babyfood. I give him organic pancakes (I dip them in babyfood (he'll eat the fruit that way) so it's easy to swallow), and a half a banana. After he eats (about two hours) he gets a bottle of milk before his nap.

[Mickey&B]

Andrea So nice to finally have an idea of what is going on with Ellie. Can't wait to see pictures of the girls in their birthday outfits!


I was at walmart and Nicholas took off down the aisle from me..sigh..he's such a big boy. I had to chase him and he's fast! Practically running away...thank goodness my sister was with me..I gotta figure out how to shop with him now (he screams bloody murder in the buggy).
Today 04:31 AM


Snacks.....snacks....snacks! We never go shopping without them ;)

Breakfast Here are our "usuals" Oatmeal, cereal bars, Organic O's cereal, yogurt, cheese, pancakes, waffles,and fresh fruit.

Not much going on here. We are having a playdate this afternoon and the boys want to go in the pool so we are getting ready for that.
and gearing up for Dylan's party in the next few weeks. I have SIL, BIL and their two kids comming in to town for that and I can't wait!! I finally convinced DH that we NEED a new couch and so we are going to order that today :D hummm... I guess I am busy

oh and Dylan has his first tumbling class this morning I can't believe my little guy is going to his first "class" tee-hee

[Standrea]

CT-Ellie has either cheerios, toast with jelly, pancakes, waffles, or eggs for breakfast (oh, and sometimes a cereal bar if we are running errands). She has fruit with it too, (strawberries, blueberries, cut up grapes, apples, or pineapple).

Mrs.S-Ýou could always get one of those harness things. I know people are against them, but it's a safety issue. Honestly, I'd nip it in the bud now, and make him sit in the stroller. I'm super paranoid and it's too dangerous to me. Maybe you can get a carriage cover with toys, or attached linkadoos to the carriage. It's habit forming, ywkim?

[IrishEyes]

Nope, I'm not coming over to the toddler section! You can't make me!

sniff sniff

Andrea - glad to hear you have an answer. I'm happy the party went well!

Rachrich - welcome back and yay that Owen is doing great!

makena - I'm sure she's the cutest baby in the world!

[Lolly]

Thanks for the birthday wishes for Megan! She totally devoured her birthday cupcake last night after dinner.

Would love to update more and do shout-outs but I've got a ton to do at work. With everything going on with my family I think I'm on the verge of a breakdown. Or perhaps there is some delayed depression?? Anyway, I'm feeling helpless and out of control and I usually have so much control over things. Ugh! I hate this feeling.

In other news Mary and Megan have their birthday check-ups (3 and 1) today! I'll post stats tomorrow.

[December27JJB]

Breakfast breastmilk (first thing in the morning), yogurt, fruit, oatmeal, vegetarian sausage, scrambled eggs, whole wheat waffles (plain and blueberry).

Ava happens to be really good feeding herself with a spoon. DD1 never did that this young. She has these: http://www.novanatural.com/s.nl/it.A/id.323/.f They're small and really lightweight.

[MrsSpencer]

I even strap him in the buggy and he wiggles out and tries to stand up..he's going to be a handful I believe. I have a cover, he doesn't play with the toys on it but for a split second. I always have puffs or cheerios or something for him, but it doesn't keep him occupied but for a few minutes. I tell him no when he cries, and don't pick him up, but after a while when people start to stare or try to tell me what to do (I want to hit them) I let him walk in front of me (between me and the buggy) and he's fine for a few but gets bored and wants to do something else. It takes me HOURS to grocery shop and most times a few trips a week simply because I get tired of fighting with him. He's almost full on running now, quite sturdy, doesn't crawl anymore and trying to climb. I think I'll get a harness and see how that goes, I have no problem with them..you gotta do what you gotta do.

[Kelly51703]

We're in toddler section...no way!

Andrew will be 13 months tomorrow. I can't believe it. He fell yesterday and tore his frenulum on his upper lip. Man did it ever bleed. I called the doctor this morning and there's nothing to do for it. It just happens. His teeth have been really bothering him too. He's cut two molars on his right side and now the left ones are coming in. He's drooling like crazy. And to top it off he's constipated. I've been giving him Benefiber and its helping.

Breakfast Andrew will eat just about anything you put in front of him. I've given him cereal bars, cheerios, pancakes, eggs, and waffles. He's officially with baby food. He smacks the spoon away if I try to give it to him.

[CTs_Punkin]

Thanks everyone on your breakfast suggestions. My son doesn't get up until 7 and we're out the door by 7:30 - so prior to this point, I had just enough time for a bottle for him - I guess I'm going to have to get up earlier & wake him.

[E&O]

CT-Does your DS go to daycare? Will they let him eat breakfast there?
I wake up Cooper around 6:30 and he has a 6oz bottle, but then around 7:45-8:00 he gets a breakfast at daycare. I always take yogurt and then something like waffles or pancakes. Bread with applebutter was a big hit last week. If I had to wake myself and the kids up earlier to have b-fast at home, I don't think I'd survive.

I'm impressed with Cooper's acceptance of foods. I remember fighting with Kate at this age, and she didn't eat much variety. Maybe it's a "lesson learned" but I started Cooper right away on whatever food we are eating for dinner and never made anything special for him. There has been VERY little that he refuses. Yesterday for lunch he even ate 1/2 a veggie burger pattie. He threw a few pieces back at me, but I started dipping them in hummus and he kept right on eating. Also, when it was just Kate, I would feed her earlier (5:30-6:00) and she would just play when DH and I ate later. But with 2 kids, I just don't have the time or luxury to feed them earlier. They get a snack right when we get home and then wait until 6:30-6:45 for dinner. Probably another reason why Cooper has eaten our foods right from the start.

Tonight is is 12month WBV and I have a few questions lined up for the ped, especially some advice on how to drop bottles and move on to sippy cups. He'll take the sippy and drink maybe 1-2 oz per sitting. But I just don't see how this will take over bottles completely. I feel like he'll never get enough oz of fluids in a day. (3 meals plus 2 snacks= 5 sitting per day and 2oz per sitting is only 10oz). I had the same dilemma with Kate, and I know we figured it out eventually, I just can't remember how I did it, so I thought I'd ask for advice this time around.

[sophonisba9]

Cate is on 4.25 hours of straight nap. We were out running errands and I didn't put her down for her morning nap until 10:45. She did this on Saturday too. One 4 hour nap instead of two two hour naps.

Breakfast- whatever part of the bottle she'll drink, usually less than 4 ounces. Then yogurt, some fruit puree or chunks, sometimes little bits of waffle, pancake or toast and I offer cheerios or puffs. I'm lucky if she drinks 12 ounces total all day. I try offering another bottle before nap and she bats it away like it's poison. so she gets three 4 ounce bottles and usually doesn't finish them and 3 meals. She never eats more than two jars of baby food at a sitting. Cate consumes so much less than JAck did at the same age.

I can't believe it's her birthday tomorrow. for the record I don't have a toddler, she's still a baby because she doesn't toddle. ;)

[kissmary]

I've come to accept that I have a toddler, since he's been walking for awhile. But he's still a baby, too. :)

Henry must be a pig, because he nurses first thing in the morning and then about an hour later has breakfast--some kind of fruit and toast, O's cereal, pancake, etc. Then nurses again before his morning nap. He still doesn't want to drink much milk, though, and I feel like I'm done with nursing but don't know how to drop these last 4 feedings!

Gotta go, bath time!

[Mrs.Chappy]

which cereal bars is everyone using..i don't want one w/ too much sugar. Jake is a chunker as is!! he is getting bored w/ breakfast..we give him everything and anything...cereal bars will be new..i'll buy and bring them on the plane w/ me Thurs.

[Baby Lust]

MrsC, I give DDs Nutrigrain bars and they love them! All different flavors. We are on apple cinnamon now.

[Mickey&B]

I have given D both the Nutrigrain, the Gerber ones and the Eating Right ones (grocery brand from Vons) the gerber ones are small and they only have 8g of sugar so they aren't too bad considering they do have fruit in them so your going to have some natural sugar in there. I think the Eating Right ones have less but we are out right now.

[tgr68]

Both DS and DD eat the Nutrigrain bars here as well.

[Standrea]

Ellie eats Nature's Choice multigrain cereal bars. They are allergin free, and have 14g of sugar.

[Kelly51703]

Andrew eats the Gerber cereal bars.

[E&O]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY (some belated) to Addesyn, Megan, Alivia and Cate!

We had Cooper's WBV last night and it went well. We were the only people in the waiting room, so the ped got a chance to see Cooper speed crawling all over the place, and pulling up on the benches. And in the exam room he was babbeling up a storm for her. So I think she saw he was hitting his major milestones. His stats were:
Weight: 19lbs 3 oz (5th percentile)
Length: 27 1/2 inches (3rd percentile)

At his 9month appt, his length was measured pretty incorrectly (at 28", 50th percentile) so it was a bit of a disappointment to see this drop. But now he much more in line with his "curve"

We were given the green light to start with milk. (There is a debate in the Toddler Forums over whole vs 2% milk, and on our end, our ped gives the go ahead for either of those, but nothing less than 2%). We opted for whole milk with Cooper because he is so tiny, just for the extra fat and calories. This morning I gave him a bottle with 1/2 formula, 1/2 milk and it went fine. We just have to watch for signs of his eczema coming back and then we might need to reevaluate the milk.

And when I asked about moving to sippy cups, she said the best thing is to just do it. Especially since Cooper is not relying on bottles for naptime/ bedtime. I expressed my concern for him not getting enough liquids using the sippy cups, and she said 5 sittings per day (3 meals plus 2 snacks), he only really need 4oz per sitting to reach 20 oz per day. So we'll give it a go.....

Finally, thanks MrsC for asking that question about cereal bars. I was curious too and expected that all of them would have tons of sugar or HF corn syrup. Looks like Nutrigrain is a popular choice so I may give that a shot.

[Lolly]

Got to the peds office yesterday afternoon (after waking DD1 from her nap at daycare) and the doc wasn't there. Apparently she had to leave early and they left a message on my home phone, around 11 AM (appt was at 2:50). Well, I'm at work all day! I had to leave work 3 hours early! So buy the time we were there it did not make sense to drop them back off and go back to work. So they told me they could reschedule at my convienience. Well my convenience was right then! Ugh! Seriously, I am in a bad rut it seems and it sucks. Got an appt. with my OB tomorrow as well. Anyway, the ped appt is later this week; will update then.


Who's birthday is today???
Happy Birthday to Addesyn, Alivia, and Cate :)

[twinnyme]

Happy Birthday to Addesyn, Alivia, and Cate!

Breakfast - Bridget eats bananas (some days a full one, holding it herself, some days just bites), Cheerios (dry, though I tried giving her some in a bowl with milk and a spoon today - didn't go so well), sometimes a mini-bagel (whole wheat or cinnamon raisin) with jelly, sometimes scrambled eggs (mostly on weekends), fruit - cut-up grapes, blackberries, whatever we have in the house, oatmeal (she LOVES oatmeal - "real" oatmeal, the flavored kind - but it takes a lot of time to feed it to her), yogurt (YoBaby), cottage cheese, and sometimes cereal bars. If she's anything like DD1, she'll eat a banana a day for the entire year between 1yo and 2yo!

Cereal Bars - We just started using the Gerber Graduates ones a couple of weeks ago. A good friend of mine always has Nutrigrain bars for her boys when we're out and about with the kids so I'll have to try those as well.

And when I asked about moving to sippy cups, she said the best thing is to just do it. Especially since Cooper is not relying on bottles for naptime/ bedtime. I expressed my concern for him not getting enough liquids using the sippy cups, and she said 5 sittings per day (3 meals plus 2 snacks), he only really need 4oz per sitting to reach 20 oz per day. So we'll give it a go.....

Thanks for posting this, E&O. I think we plan to go the "cold turkey" approach to sippy cups by 13 months (this weekend - okay maybe not) or by 14 months at the latest (which is when we did it with DD1) because we're not having much luck here. At least she's finally drinking milk with no protests but mainly out of her bottle still.

Gotta run! Busy day at work today.

[Mrs.Chappy]

thx for posting about the cereal bars..i'll get some nutrigrain ones so my older one can have them too. Jake also loves loves Chex (but mashes them up which makes a mess)..i've switched it up a bit and bought Crispix..He also loves Puffins cereal which is healthy too.

My DH is out of town (we are flying to meet him there Thurs). So, what happens, Jake has teething diahrrea, poops int he bath while my older one was in there...this is all just before bed and i had to go out to a parent-teacher conference for DS1. My bro was coming over after they were in bed to babysit.. What a freakin mess. Of all times for DH not to be available..i could have used the help! I slept well from all the 'excitment'.

the constant poops are giving him diaper rash though i change him instantly..i'm using neosporin, balmex and putting an acidopholous pill in his nighttime bottle. He's on rice, bananas and crackers. I want no poops on the 1:10 flight to detroit!!

[MrsBeckyLP]

CT-Does your DS go to daycare? Will they let him eat breakfast there?

That's what I was going to ask! Maddie nurses around 7 a.m. when she wakes up, and then she eats breakfast as soon as she gets to daycare at 7:30. I've found that on days we're home, she needs to wait about 30 minutes after nursing to have food for breakfast, probably because that's what she does at daycare. I would hate to think about trying to feed her a meal in the morning before we leave. That means I would have to get up earlier, and it means I would have to wake her up earlier (because I have to wake her up most days lately). I hate doing that.

He fell yesterday and tore his frenulum on his upper lip. Man did it ever bleed.

OMG, OUCH! Just thinking about that is enough to make my mouth hurt. Poor kiddo.

I'm pretty behind here, so I'm not even going to attempt anymore SOs, except for birthdays I missed. Happy Birthday to Addesyn, Megan, Alivia and Cate. And happy birthday tomorrow to Liam and Tristan!

We had a really busy weekend and finally got our shrubs planted in front and on the sides of the house. The ILs came down, and FIL was a huge help while MIL watched Maddie. Maddie did a *little* better with MIL than she usually does, but not much. I was still running into the house to check up on them and to feed lunch, put down for nap, get up, etc. They stayed until almost 5 p.m. on Sunday, and I was SO ready for MIL to leave!

Maddie was sick this weekend -- some "viral" thing that was really bad on Sunday -- and actually spent Sunday night sleeping on the living room floor with DH! She went to bed at 6:15 on Sunday, only to wake up at about 7:15. She was crying hard and wouldn't go back down, so we brought her into the living room. We put some blankets down, and she fell sound asleep by 8. DH can sleep anywhere, so he said he'd stay out there with her, because neither of us wanted to take the chance of moving her and having her wake up (she's been doing that lately when we try to move her). She slept until 3:30, and then I got up, nursed her and put her back in her crib. There she slept until 8 a.m. (I stayed home from work with her yesterday). She was feeling much better today; she actually woke up smiling instead of crying, like she has for the past few days.

[ironhair]

Thank you for the birthday wishes for Alivia. We had a fun day yesterday - I took the day off of work to spend it with her. We bought a few new outfits at Children's Place, had lunch out, went to the zoo (which she loved), picked Aiden up from Daycare, and ended the evening at the Circus. I still can't believe she's 1 - how did that happen?!?

Breakfast - thank goodness she gets breakfast at daycare, I don't know how we would fit one.more.thing into our mornings! She has been done with purees for quite a while now, and would much rather feed herself, although she is a finicky little thing. She eats an absolute ton of food, but not a large variety. I guess I'll just keep offering different things.

Becky - sorry to hear Maddie was sick over the weekend, hopefully she's on the mend now and back to her usual happy self!

Happy birthday to: Addesyn - Megan - Cate!!

[MrsBeckyLP]

We haven't had one of these in ages, so here goes:

QOTD: What kind of music does your child like?

Maddie is really into old-school hip-hop. :o We found this out by accident, of course, but she loves dancing to the beat. While we're taking a bath every night, DH does the dishes. He listens to "Backspin" on Sirius XM (on DirecTV) -- Grandmaster Flash, Run-DMC, Sugar Hill Gang, Salt-N-Pepa, LL Cool J -- and when we come out of the bathroom, she starts bobbing her head and smiling. Then when we come out of her bedroom to give Daddy kisses before bed, she really jams out. It's hilarious. I don't want her listening to that kind of stuff, and I really can't stand it myself, but it's so funny to watch. I make DH turn the channel if a "naughty" song comes on. We also put on Kids Place Live (we have Sirius XM in the car, too), and she'll occasionally get into the kids' songs. But she's really a sucker for old-school hip-hop. I mostly listen to country or classic rock, and she doesn't seem to get excited about those AT ALL.

[Mrs.Chappy]

Becky: thats too funny!
QOTD: What kind of music does your child like?
Jake tries to 'sing' to the new release by the Black eyed Peas..not sure of the words exactly but when i try and sing it to him, he sings w/ me 'gotta get'...etc so i guess the answer to the question is Top 40

[Standrea]

Music-
She likes anything from Sublime to Pink FLoyd to Disney princess music! ;)

[rachrich]

Happy Birthdays to Megan, Alivia, and Cate! Hope you are all having fun celebrations.

DH & I are taking personal days off of work next Friday and doing something special with Owen. We have the personal days to use....or they go to waste so might as well use it! I don't know what to do though.....wer'e thinking the zoo if it's nice, or to the park. I dunno for sure. We might leave Olivia at daycare so just the 3 of us can have time together, as that is a rarity. :)

Music Owen loooooves music and will sometimes "sing" along (read: babble at a high pitch). since we're both music teachers, we have very ecclectic taste......we like it all (except country-sorry Becky!) from Bach to Kanye West. so Owen likes any kind of music, and it's funny at church when we're singing a hymn he'll stop whatever he's doing and focus so intently, and after the music is over he goes back to what he was doing beforehand.

Breakfast he'll have a bottle 4 or 5 oz and either cereal or 1/2 jar of fruit.

[Kelly51703]

Music Andrew likes all types of music. He'll dance/sway to Elmo and "head bang" to Daddy's music.

[tashaw6]

Music: Kade also likes all types of music. He even dances to his own tune. Its so cute to watch.

[tgr68]

Music~Anything and everything! He even dances to his sister singing random, made up songs.

[Mickey&B]

Music~Anything and everything! He even dances to his sister singing random, made up songs.

he he Dylan too! I think his favorite might be Salsa though ;)

[sophonisba9]

Music- neither of my kids seem to care about music. Whenever I try and sing to them, Jack always tells me to STOP!

Thanks for the birthday wishes for Cate. It was just an ordinary day for us. I had a doctor appointment in the morning and put her in a cute dress so she got lots of attention. she kept biting her fingers and screaming about it. Some nice grandmother would be making googoo eyes at her and all of the sudden she scream and start crying. People kept apologizing and saying they hadn't meant to scare her. I had to explain it wasn't them, it was her own fault. Tooth number 5 is pushing out the gum out so far, but it hasn't cut through yet.

We're trying to decide if we should go visit the in laws this summer. By the time we buy 3 plane tickets, pay for parking and dog sitting, it's so expensive. We're conisdering just sending DH and Jack, which would cut the cost more than in half. I love my MIL, but SIL royally pissed me off at Christmas. SIL is on maternity leave because she just had a baby so she would probably be at MIL's house the whole time, with her two kids. I'm not sure I could stand 10 days. I'm really leaning towards just staying home.

[E&O]

Music- I never really thought much about it, but outside of the car and my ipod at work or the gym, DH and I don't really listen to a lot of music.
But Cooper got a toy HUMMER for his b-day and if you push a button it plays YMCA (don't ask, DH's Aunt- who is just a big kid herself- buys ridiculous, waste of space gifts). But Cooper adores this car, its always the first thing he crawls towards. And he could listen to YMCA all day long.

[MrsBeckyLP]

E&O- Cooper has all kinds of cars, huh? What a lucky kid! ;)

[E&O]

Cars, balls and dump truck full of legos are his favorite toys. ALL boy that one.

(but the HUMMER is not a ride-on car, just a smaller push around car, thank god!)

Although he also loves banging the pots and pans in Kate's play kitchen, so maybe he does have a domestic side. :)

[MrsBeckyLP]

(but the HUMMER is not a ride-on car, just a smaller push around car, thank god!)

That's kind of what I figured.

Maddie is REALLY into this baby doll my cousin sent for her birthday. She gives it hugs and kisses and tries to put on its stocking cap after she pulls it off. She pats its back and head and plays "gentle" with it. I think it would be interesting to take a bunch of boys and girls the same age (the age our kids are) and put them in the same room with dolls and cars, and then see who plays with what. Maddie likes balls, but she's never shown an interest in cars or anything like that. It's like she's hard-wired to know what she's "supposed" to play with. She's such a girl.

[Mickey&B]

Becky One of my favorite things as a teacher was to see the boys playing in the "dramatic play area" I love to see the look on the faces of their parents when the boys would walk around the classroom in heels and a purse ;) I always made an effort to make things very ambigious so that I could attract both the boys and the girls to certain toys. By preschool they are well "wired" to like the gender specific toys. I gave Aidan a baby doll very young and he was never really interested in it he has always LOVED balls and I can see Dylan is following in his footsteps!

[IrishEyes]

DS#1 was always very attracted to wheels early on. He now loves playing sports and any type of car/boat/train thing. (Carson also loves to push cars back and forth and make noises.) Now, when he's good at school and can pick out a reward, he brings home rings and necklaces with flowers on them and likes to wear them. So he's got a boy side and a girlie side!

Becky - that's nice that Maddie is so soft with that doll. I'm having the hardest time getting Carson to stop hitting faces (what he does when he's happy). We take his arm, show him how to gently 'pet' and say "Ah, Carson, soft" and then he starts hitting right after we stop that.

[Mickey&B]

Becky - that's nice that Maddie is so soft with that doll. I'm having the hardest time getting Carson to stop hitting faces (what he does when he's happy). We take his arm, show him how to gently 'pet' and say "Ah, Carson, soft" and then he starts hitting right after we stop that.

Yes! we are totallly dealing with this. and... Dylan grabbed and pinched my arm this morning because he was mad that I put him in his car seat Holy Moly I have a feeling this little guy has a bit of his mommies attitude and I am not looking forward to the 2's with this guy!

[CTs_Punkin]

- Gender toys - Well G LOVES balls, and cars. At daycare it's pretty much the same, but does also love their kitchen set & will play with that for a long time too. He doesn't play with any of the stuffed animals we have for him or any of the dolls really that daycare has. He's all boy this one! ;)

Music - I sometimes catch him bobbing his head - but haven't really figured out to what kind of music.

Just noticed that on the first page - birthdays section - you have it that Gabriel was born on 5/14 - nope, his birthday is 5/13 - can one of the TMs fix please?
Thanks!!

[Standrea]

Gender toys-
Ellie loves her stroller and doll. I'm so excited to take her to the American Girl doll store for her to pick out her bitty baby (she got a GC for one for her birthday).
Her favorite toys though are FP little people!

[ironhair]

Whenever I try and sing to them, Jack always tells me to STOP!

That's what I get from Aiden, "Mommy, don't sing!" :rolleyes:

I found it so interesting that Aiden seemed to be hard-wired to be all boy from day one. DH's grandma once said little boys are born with a buzz, and I know what she was talking about now - before he could make any other sounds, it seems he knew how to make car noises! I gave him a doll last year for Christmas to prepare for his new sister, but he wasn't really interested in it. However, all that said, Alivia seems to have been born with the same buzz. Yesterday she was playing with some of Aiden cars, pushing them back and forth, and was making motor noises. We don't really have any "girl" toys for her yet, and it wouldn't really matter - she only wants to play with whatever Aiden is playing with.

Daycare said she had her first full-on tantrum yesterday. Great...Like Mickey said, I see quite a bit of mommy's attitude in this one and I am scared!

[tinagirl26]

I know I've been a total stranger around here, but I wanted to pop in to say Happy Birthday to all the May (and April and June) babies!! Congrats to all the mommies for surviving the first year - woohoo!

Today is my little Liam's birthday and I can't believe how fast the year went! I'm sure you all can relate. :)

And while I'm here I'll drop off a picture of my birthday boy...

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a74/tinagirl26/2009/025-2.jpg

[summerbride2005]

music- Camryn will dance to anything. The Black Eyed Peas were on Ellen yesterday and she couldn't stop dancing in front of the tv. I was cracking up!

[tgr68]

E&O~don't ask, DH's Aunt- who is just a big kid herself- buys ridiculous, waste of space gifts I cannot tell what a relief it is to hear I'm not the only one who deals with this!

Hitting Faces~We are dealing with this too. He always wants to pat babies, but the face is the first thing he goes for. I usually catch his hand, tell him "no faces", and puts his hand on baby's arm. It still hasn't sunk in, but I'm consistant so hopefully soon. ;)

Gender Toys~He prefers noise makers, balls, trucks, etc; however, his sister is always stealing his toys, so he usually plays with her baby dolls and kitchen.

Tantrums~I got my first full-blown tantrum from DS yesterday. I put him down for a nap at ILs. He doesn't like sleeping anywhere that's not his crib, so I had him CIO. He fell asleep after about 20 minutes (checked on him at 10 min mark). When he woke up, he was ticked!!! I walked into the room, and he screamed, got red in the face, and was stomping his feet! :eek: I have never seen him so mad. I just stood there for a second shocked that my baby was acting that way!

Happy birthday, Liam!! Cute picture!

[twinnyme]

Happy birthday, Liam!

Music - Bridget doesn't seem to make any distinctions yet. She seems to like all music, though in particular her sister's silly made up songs, too!

Gender Toys - We have a lot of neutral type toys - blocks and such - and with DD1 I deliberately tried to have her play with cars a lot etc. - and she still does and now I do it with Bridget, too. In fact, I pulled out a little tiny firehouse we have the other day and helped her run the cars through it; she loved it. But she'll probably end up liking girly toys later on too, just like her sister!

Hitting/tantrums - not too bad on the tantrums here yet but we have the hitting. I don't know where it comes from, but it's very frustrating. With DD1 we had it for a LONG time, despite consistent reactions to it - and lots and lots of reading books about feelings and "discussing" feelings. I'm hoping the phase will last much less time with Bridget but I'm not counting on it. At least DD1 mainly only ever hit me (just once did she ever hit another child) before the phase ended. With Bridget, when she hits, I'm removing her from my lap immediately (which she completely hates), saying "no hitting," letting her be on her own for a few seconds, then picking her up again. I hope it works, I don't know what else to do. I think using signs helps and I meant to do more of that with Bridget but we haven't done as much of it as I'd hoped.

So, what's everyone's plans for Mother's Day?
We're going to go to a local amusement park that is just a few exits away on the highway but that we still haven't been to yet and I've really wanted to go. Mothers get in free on Sunday with a paid child admission, so Bridget and I will both be free. It's supposed to be only 64 and cloudy/windy, so hopefully we'll still be able to go. We'll probably see MIL on Saturday.

[MrsBeckyLP]

Mother's Day- No real plans. We're going to my hometown just for kicks. I just don't feel like sitting home doing nothing, and while it's "my" day now, too, I still want to see my mom. I hope to go to church and then out to brunch. A friend I met online now lives near my hometown and is having her daughter baptized at the church where I was confirmed/married, so it would be great to see them there. It's only supposed to be in the upper 50s here. :(

Funny story. Yesterday Maddie's class at daycare went on a walk. I guess she was sitting in the stroller (one of those huge six-seaters) next to an older boy. Her teacher said he was picking at her and wouldn't leave her alone, so she finally swatted his hands away and yelled at him. I guess the kid left her alone after that! I was so proud that she wasn't letting the bully pick on her! ;) Then she fell asleep for 30 minutes in the stroller. She's been developing quite the little personality these past few weeks!

[anemone]

Mothers Day I have low expectations. I'll get a sleep in, and breakfast in bed (hopefully DH won't dump all the kids in bed with me, and I can read the paper in peace). Maybe a bunch of flowers. We live interstate from our families, so we'll call our mums at some point.

Music E. loves me to sing to her. She doesn't really bop to music I play, but she (and DS) are really happy for me to play either their music or mine during the day. They settle down well and play nicely when I've got it on.

Gender Toys Of course E. is fascinated by DS's cars etc. I think it's the wheel thing they get interested in at this age. She is very different to him though at this age. He was making "broom" noises by now while pushing the car. She really likes playing with non toy stuff - ie opening drawers:rolleyes: One thing she is really going for is the toy kitchen and play food. She likes to bang the little saucepans and open the door and fiddle the knobs.

tantrums none yet. Although she shows a bit of attitude and complains when I don't let her do something she wants to.

The other day I was doing a peg puzzle with her which had farm animals on them. I was saying the names as she was picking out the puzzle pieces. As I said the names she repeated them all back to me - sheep, cow, horse, dog, chick, duck. She couldn't do Turkey. Such a little parrot! She also said "That's mine" to DH this morning (again just repeating what he said).

I am starting to gear up for her birthday next weekend. Dh announced last night that I am now having to fly on my own with the children to our home state:( I'm not sure how I'm going to go with both, as E. is such a wiggler at the moment. It's a 1 hour flight, and I'll have to get us all down to the airport, into the bus from the carpark, get the luggage booked on, and then onto the plane. Arghhhh! I'm dreading it already. He asked if I was "OK with it", which I said no I wasn't, but as he's got a work meeting on in a different state, I have no choice:rolleyes:

Andrea good news you have a diagnosis on Ellie. The girls' birthday parties looked fabulous - you did such an awesome job

Becky Your neighbor sounds like a total pill. I wouldn't be able to help myself and would have to say something back to her! Love that Maddie likes Hip Hop - hilarious!

Happy Birthday Liam. Such a cute pic!

Ironhair Our DS's sound the same. Mine has a doll, he named it after himself "Baby Henry" but didn't ever really play with it.

[ironhair]

Happy Friday! ...Slow day today...
Today is DH's birthday. We are planning to celebrate with a co-worker who's bday is also today, but we are also scheduled to get family pictures done mid-morning tomorrow (who's bright idea was that?) so no late-night partying for us (as if that would ever happen:rolleyes:), PLUS I'm getting a cold and will probably have a bright red nose by tomorrow. Ugh!

Mother's Day: DH has to work Sunday, but we are all spending the day together tomorrow getting pictures taken and shopping. He informed me yesterday that MIL is planning on coming to town Sunday morning and going to church with me...now I have to call my mom and invite her, then we will have to do lunch and most of my day will be shot ...MIL has a daughter of her own, who has a daughter - why is she raining on my Mother's Day? Sigh.

Twinnyme - your MD outing sounds like a lot of fun! I hope you and the girls enjoy it.

Anemone - Wow, E sure is talking quite a bit, even if she is just being a little parrot :) That's great. Alivia now says kitty, but not much else. In due time...I fear she won't shut up once she starts!

Tinagirl - cute picture of Liam! He is smiling so nice for his picture :)

[kissmary]

Mother's Day - Maybe I'll go see the Wolverine movie by myself, since DH never found a baby sitter last weekend so we could go together. :rolleyes: I think I might request that we go out for pizza, too.

anemone - That's a lot of talking! DS will occasionally say one word or phrase and DH and I will look at each other like "Did he just say that?"

[SiValleySteph]

Hi guys!

Way late, but thanks for all the birthday wishes for Damon. :)

I finally figured out how you all knew who's birthday it was ... by looking at the front page. Sorry about that. So, Happy Birthday to ALL! :D
I know, lame.

Music - D loves ALL kinds of music. He can even play the kazoo. He tries to play my DH's electric guitar when he leaves it out.

Gender toys - I'm not really big into the gender specific thing. My older son is going to Build a Bear this evening to get this stuffed zebra that he's been dying to have for 2 months (he had a sleeping chart to complete and he finished it last night) D loves to play in the kitchen, as does Lucas. Actually, my husband cooks, too, so how could this be a guy thing? Also, my husband can change diapers and all that and my older son always loved changing diapers on his stuffed animals. It was hysterical. He used like 5 wipes on a teddy bear one time and it was very damp! And they still love to run around (or crawl ;) and play with cars and legos and everything. They're pretty well rounded, actually. hahaha

That said, we don't get the boys princess dresses or that sort of thing. :p

[SiValleySteph]

Oh, remember how I mentioned the cardtable playhouse I was making for Damon's birthday. It came out awesome! I'm so pleased with it. :) Here's a look:

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/SiValleySteph/playhouse1.jpg
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/SiValleySteph/playhouse2.jpg

They both seem to like it and I like that it can get put away easily. Once I move the changing table out of their room, I might leave it up more often.

[rachrich]

Steph that's so cool! Looks like the boys love playing in it. How neat.

ironhair Have fun celebrating....even if it's not a wild 'n crazy all night party ;)

Mother's Day Well, I found out today that DH and the kids got me an hour massage tomorrow morning! I'm so excited. I've had a few massages in my life, and they're just wonderful.

QOTD Is anyone planning summer vacations yet?? Are you doing family or you and DH alone or both? DH and I recently booked a cruise for just us---we REALLY deserve an alone vacation since we haven't had one in a few years. Besides, grandma and grandpa get them for a week, which they loooove. Our dilemma is that we want to do something with the kids too, but since the cruise is $$$ we're going to do several "little" things with the kids and then next year plan a family trip somewhere.

[Dettes]

Just dropping in to say Happy Mother's Day all! Have a great day!. DH will be away, and my mother (my 4th child) is in the hospital with a fractured shoulder, so I'm going to my SILs to celebrate with my MIL, which is good, b/c the kids get to play with all their cousins.

Rach - I forgot to tell you how happy I was to hear about Owen's progress! Good news!

tantrums - yes, but I'm on to her. She has a completely different tone when she is pi**ed!

vacations- we rented a shore house for two weeks the end of JUly beginning of August. Just our family, which is kind of nice b/c we always go away w. friends or our extended family. Although we've already invited half the world to visit us down there, so I don't think we'll be alone too long.:rolleyes:

I am exhausted - I chaperoned Enrichment Day at school and spent the day carouling 26 four year olds all day. Fun times but now its time for some wine!

[SiValleySteph]

rachrich, I'm so jealous of your vacation plans! And of your massage! :) I would love both. hahaha

vacations, We are all going to Indiana in July for a family reunion of sorts. All my cousins and their spouses/kids will be there and the town has a festival - Swiss Days. :D I'm looking forward to it, but it's not really a vacation vacation. I'm hoping to take a trip to Mexico or Hawaii in August. The whole fam. We have to do it before school starts, so that doesn't leave much time after our other vacation... which reminds me, I haven't asked off yet for that even though we have plane tickets! oops.

Happy Mother's Day everyone! :D

[Standrea]

Happy Mothers Day!

Vacation Plans:
I think we may go to Cape Cod with DHs family for a week this summer. Besides that, we will camp quite often. Our deal was no "rëal" vacations for 4 years, because we bought a camper instead.

We were in CT for the weekend visiting with friends. Last night, we were at the mall, and I decided to change Ellie's diaper right before we left (it was like 9:15ish, and we were driving 2.5 hours home). I get into the bathroom at macy's, and realized what had happened. Ellie had such a nasty blowout. She hasn't had one in months. Thank Goodness I had a disposable on it, because i would have just thrown the cloth diaper out. It was SO BAD. Abbie had a similar situation happen when she was 10 months old too. Ugh, I hate teething!!!

Steph-
That card table playhouse came out awesome! How did you do it?

[kissmary]

Happy Mother's Day!

Vacations - In two week's we'll be in Kill Devil Hills, NC, the Outer Banks. We'll be there for a week with MIL. A bunch of DH's friends are renting three 25 person beach houses nearby--there are 60 some people staying in them, not all people that we know. And none of them have kids. So we opted to stay nearby instead. Then in July DH and I are going to a conference in Chicago alone and Henry will be staying with my parents! I'm really excited for that time to NOT be mommy.

Steph - The playhouse looks GREAT!

[twinnyme]

Steph - great playhouse!

Rachrich - hope you enjoyed your massage!

Vacations - we are planning the week of Fourth of July to go "camping" - BIL/SIL/2 nephews have an RV and we're going with them but renting a cabin (a one-room cabin!) at the same site in Maine. We'll probably take a few day trips to things in the area - haven't even researched it yet - and just stay at the site (which has swimming, sports, events, a playground) otherwise. Other than that, I'll probably head with the girls for a long weekend to NY/NJ a couple of times this summer. No other plans.

Hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day. The amusement park was great. Great weather, Bridget took two good naps in the stroller, and even got on some rides. She loved them! She went on the skyride with daddy, the carousel (a mini-one and a big one), and a couple of "car" rides with big sister.

She is smiling HUGE here - you just can't see it behind the pacifier! :D
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3662/3520644140_f161363f9a.jpg?v=0 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3654/3520642540_08941dc864.jpg?v=0

Hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day.

[MrsSpencer]

That's the cutest picture with both sisters twinnyme! I can't wait to take Nicholas to an amusement park!

Steph-I love that playhouse! You're so much more crafty than I could ever dream of!

Waving hi to everyone else.

We didn't do much for mother's day, we went and spent time with my mom and dad which is what I wanted since my dad and brother don't get to see Nicholas much. I've been doing okay, they upped my medicine and it's been a little bit of a struggle with the side effects (dizziness, nausea) but they are tapering off now thankfully. Like I said we got Nicholas's pictures done and right before I was going to get him ready (he was asleep on the couch) the stupid dog who was asleep beside of him stretched and scratched his face. So of course there's a scratch on his face, I think I'll go back and get them done again, but not till this fall.

[MrsSpencer]

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm318/NicholasHaroldsmommy/68e9f5f6-3443-11de-bef8-001cc056ddd.jpg


http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm318/NicholasHaroldsmommy/2a7f1c08-3443-11de-97b2-00151764960.jpg


http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm318/NicholasHaroldsmommy/bd3beaeb-3442-11de-97b2-00151764960.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm318/NicholasHaroldsmommy/b366b788-3443-11de-bef8-001cc056ddd.jpg

[MrsSpencer]

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm318/NicholasHaroldsmommy/bd6b866c-3442-11de-97b2-00151764960.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm318/NicholasHaroldsmommy/dd7ebcd0-3442-11de-97b2-00151764960.jpg

[E&O]

MrsS- great pics. Nicholas loves his Elmo, huh?

I hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day! It was pretty much just another Sunday at our house. I did get flowers and cards, DH and Kate bought me a chocolate chip muffin at the bakery when they went to the grocery store, and DH changed all poopy diapers yesterday. But I was still cleaning and tidying and cooking lunches and chasing kids all day long. What was great was that Kate's class really concentrated on Mother's Day this past week so she was really into it. All day she kept saying "Happy Mother's Day!" and "I like you mommy." When DH asked for a bite my muffin, Kate told him "It's not Daddy's day."

Cooper has discovered the stairs and IT. IS. ON! He is so super fast, he is just up those steps in the blink of an eye. I was washing some lunch dishes yesterday and kind of zoned out, but soon I realized I did not hear Cooper. He had climbed up the entire flight of stairs (all but the last 3)!!!! The bottom of our stairwell is all open on the one side, expect for a slim banister, so there is nothing to hook up a gate too, but we have to figure something out. I pull 2 dining room chairs over to block the steps and this make him so mad. He will just sit there and cry! We can't even really play in the playroom anymore with him, all he does is rush over to the steps and start climbing. This little guy is going to be a menace!:D

[coquelicot]

MrsSpencer and twinnyme, love the pictures! We need to get DD's 1-year pics done, but the studio wants her to be able to stand on her own first. She doesn't do it for more than a few seconds, and most times she doesn't care to even do that. I've already postponed the appt once. We're tentatively scheduled for this Friday, the day after she turns 13 months.

Happy Birthday to all the now-1-year-olds!

Vacation plans: Planning on heading to SC for a week in August. Pray for no hurricanes! We're also driving to MI for a weekend in June. From Tennessee. With a 14-month-old. Yes, we're crazy.

Mother's Day: Massages appear to be a popular gift. DH got me a gift certificate for an hour-long one. I'd asked for a pedi GC, but hey, I'll take it. Just have to actually use the thing. The place is 30-45 minutes from here. They do have child care there, so if DH can't watch DD, I can just put her there and go treat myself! :) Our actual day was spent at church in the morning, chilling in the early afternoon so DD could take a nap, then going out for pizza in the evening. I'm not hard to please. :) We were going to get together with DH's family, but they couldn't make it down here after all. We'll celebrate Mother's Day together in a few weeks.

Anyone else battling molars right now? Ugh, nighttime sleep has been AWFUL. DD is up at least twice a night. Friday and Saturday night, she wouldn't fall asleep until 10:15. Last night she collapsed at 8 pm, thank goodness but was still up. Last night it was for over 2 hours starting just after midnight. After the 1-hour mark, and after I'd given her Tylenol and teething tablets and nursed, rocked, and patted her, I finally just had to let her cry for a while because she was so wired. Went in our bedroom, shut the door, and turned off the baby monitor so I could rest. After 45 minutes, I tried patting her again, and she fell asleep around 2:30. She was up again around 6 but thankfully nursed back to sleep relatively quickly. This has been going on for weeks now. I'm so exhausted.

[MrsSpencer]

coquelicot- That's one thing about Target I don't like..I wanted pictures of him standing and walking and stuff and they just wanted him to sit down..I'm going to take him somewhere else at some point to get some of him standing.

[E&O]

Forgot to mention our vacation plans (I know right, how can you live throughout the day with knowing our vacations plans! :p)

Anyway, the ILs rent a beach hose down in Delaware for 2 weeks each July. We'll be there for the first week, along with my SIL and BIL. It's always fun, MIL gets up with the kids every morning and we have so many extra helping hands. Plus my BFF and her husband have a family beach house at the same place. Last year we were able to coordinate and we were there the same week and spent some time together. Hopefully we can do that again this year.

So DH has talked me into it....and I think by the end of the summer we might be moving. Still staying local, just moving up to a bigger house with more space for all of us and all of our stuff. Hopefully our "forever" house. We are already making notes about things we need to do and starting some smaller projects to get our house ready to sell. And DH is printing our MLS sheets on new houses everyday. I'm nervous about it of course, I always thought our house was tidy and comfortable, but now I look around and thinking about having to get our house "show" ready and I just want to throw up.

[MrsSpencer]

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=89a6f7614ef771611d2126&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Forgot to post Nicholas's One-year slideshow.

We don't have real vacation plans..we just take weekends and take small vacations :).

And yes...he loves Elmo!

[jess&dan]

Thanks for the new thread!

Gender toys: Aaron loves cars! He's makes the "vroom" sound and drives them all over! And he loves to throw balls around. In fact, both of my boys were all BOY from day one. They both see a doll and toss it aside. Nothing that I ever did...all them.

Hitting/Tantrums: Aaron has only hit once or twice...but he's a huge tantrum thrower! He gets down on the floor and bops his head on the ground a few times, along with screaming. We're going the ignoring route for now since no other form of discipline does much with a 1 year old.

Vacations: We haven't quite decided what we are doing yet. This year was our year to go to FL with MIL at her timeshare...but neither of us feel like dragging the kids and all their stuff on a plane. So we'll probably end up local at the beach. I could care less as long as we get the kids to a beach!

tinagirl26: Happy Birthday to Liam. What a cutie!

SiValleySteph: Great playhouse! And cute boys! :)

Standrea: Nasty blowouts in public are the worst!

MrsSpencer: Great pictures! What a cutie!

E&O: Ugh to the stairs. DS1 never had issues with that...but Aaron is obsessed! A whole new world for me!


Mother's Day was pretty good. We just had an easy day spent with SIL and MIL. DH and I went to the movies and then took the boys out to fly a kite that DS1 got for his birthday in January. It was the perfect day for it!

Here's a Mday pic of my boys and I.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a265/jpillera/May%202009/May10200917.jpg

Hope everyone had a great day!

[SiValleySteph]

molars, I'm pretty sure Damon is getting some. He has been such a crankpot recently after being just the most pleasant guy. His gums are very swollen and he's not sleeping that good, but I haven't got a real good look yet to see. Argh. Hope this passes quickly!

mothers day, DH & DS let me sleep in and brought me breakfast in bed! DS was sooooo excited about it. They also had a gift and flowers. The gift was a box of soaps, which I appreciated because I like fancy soaps. :p I had to move the breakfast to the table, though, because the two boys were shaking the bed too much. Ha!

That card table playhouse came out awesome! How did you do it?

It's all felt. So you just cut the rectangles for the side (1" wider/taller than the side of the card table) and then cut out whatever you want to put on and then sew it all on. After the sides are done, you sew them together so you end up with a giant tube and then sew the rectangle for the roof on. For the flowers/birds/oranges, they all have velcro on them and I stuffed them for a more 3d look. There's a watering can, too, and a mailbox and some mail. :D It was a fun project, but I had to take a day off to get it done.


MrsSpencer, Those pictures came out great! I bet you were pleased with them. :)

twinnyme, Those are the best pictures. YOu can just see the joy!

[ironhair]

Vacation Plans? Ha! DH can't be pried away from work - it drives me nuts! We haven't been on a real vacation since we got married in 2002. Even then, he was on the phone with work the minute the plane landed and barely got off throughout the week. We'll likely take a couple weekends here and there and do small stuff, but that's about it. I won't push the issue until the kids are a bit older.

Great pictures MrsS!

Pictures - we had pictures taken on Saturday and it was a JOKE. It was an absolutely awful experience, starting with a 45 minute wait. Once it was actually our turn, Aiden wasn't in the mood and wouldn't look at the camera, let alone smile. Alivia wouldn't sit still for anything, and even though the gal taking our pictures was the "Manager" I swear she was new to the whole process of taking pictures of kids. I wanted to pull the plug on the whole thing and reschedule, but DH said I was being "emotional" and told me to chill out :mad: I HATE all of the pictures and can't believe we spent money on them. Maybe I'll have them redone on my own in the next few weeks?

Jess&Dan - you look great, what a great pictures of you and your boys!

Molars - we are totally there, and I am so ready for it to be over with.
Like SiValleySteph mentioned, Alivia is a total crankpot - nothing makes her happt, and it's getting really old!

[SiValleySteph]

ironhair, I didn't mention our 1 year old picture experience, but it sounds a lot like yours. I wasn't really that pleased with any of the pictures we ended up buying either. Oh well!

[Kelly51703]

It sounds like everyone had a great Mother's Day! Mine was laid back and easy going. Just the way I wanted it to be. Plus I didn't have see MIL so that really made me happy!

Gender Toys Andrew will play with jsut about anything. His sister is usually taking things from him so he will find something else to play with.

Molars We are dealing with molars and it is not fun! I don't ever remember DD being this bad with them. I think that all four are in and now Andrew is cutting his eye teeth. He sleeps for crap. He's up every two hours on a good night, every hour on a bad night. When is it going to end!? I need sleep!!

Vacation Nothing is planned although I could really use one!

MrsS Love the pictures!

jess&dan Great picture of you and your boys.

ironhair We had a bad experience with our one year pictures too. Andrew was tired so he wasn't in to having some strange lady make funny faces at him. We only got two different poses and I wish I had more. I thought about having them redone but I like the two that we have.

[sophonisba9]

Cate's party was this weekend. MIL sent her a shopping cart and a dollhouse. Jack loves them so much that she's hardly gotten to play with them. It's not like she could do much with the cart since she doesn't walk.

Her 12 month WBV is wednesday. I don't think she's gained much weight. I'm afraid she's starting to drift back down the percentiles again. I've been trying to feed her more fat and protein, but she eats so little that it doesn't much matter.

[MrsBeckyLP]

Happy belated Mother's Day to everyone! I hope everyone had a great day!

twinnyme- B looks so old and grown up sitting on those rides with R! Wow!!!

Steph- Great birthday gift. It turned out wonderfully! I didn't realize you were making it; I thought you were buying one off Etsy. Awesome job!

jess&dan- Your boys look like you!

MrsS- Nice pics of N! Too bad they won't Photoshop out his scratch! That would be such an easy fix.

E&O- Eeek! Good luck. Keeping a house show-ready when you have young children does not sound like fun! I would be so nervous trying to sell a house in our neighborhood in this market. Are things moving in yours?

ironhair- I'm sorry you had a crappy time at the photographer. I don't think we'll ever attempt a studio session for those reasons. Luckily I have a friend who is a photographer, and she does outdoor and natural setting sessions; we'll stick with those! Hopefully we'll have one in a few weeks, because I have yet to get Maddie's 1-year photos done. I was waiting for green grass and leaves on trees!

Mother's Day- We went to my hometown and just hung out with my parents. We had lunch, and then we did a bit of shopping on the way home. I got a new diaper bag (bought it for myself a few weeks ago during the PPB outlet sale) and DH got me a card and the Lady Antebellum CD. Yes, I still buy CDs! Anyway, it was a pretty good day. It was nice being able to do whatever I wanted. DH didn't even tell me to turn off the light last night when I was reading in bed! Maddie gave me lots of hugs and kisses throughout the day, and that would have been good enough for me!

Vacations- We don't really have a family vacation planned. DH is going to Vegas May 27-June 3. He tried to get me to to along for a long weekend, but I'm just not comfortable leaving Maddie yet. I know she'd be fine with my mom, but I just don't feel like I need time away from her so I can regroup. I'm fine without that. Plus we're still nursing in the morning and at bedtime, so I didn't really want to lug the pump along. So he's going with a buddy instead. Anyway, I'm off for a few days at the end of June for a country music festival we always go to. And then I want to take a week off in July to stay at the lake by my parents; hopefully they'll only be there for part of the week so we can have some time with just the three of us. I'm sure I'll take plenty of long weekends at the lake this summer, too. I'm already looking forward to my four-day Memorial Day weekend.

Dropping food on the floor- Anyone else having BIG problems with this lately? Please tell me the phase will pass SOON. Maddie has been doing this for a few weeks, and it's out of control lately. She also decided last week to start chewing food for a few seconds and then pull it out of her mouth and set it back on the tray. Between those things and whipping her sippy cup on the floor (how is she so fast at that??!! -- I'm seriously holding my hand out waiting and it still hits the floor!), I'm going nuts. Please, please, please tell me she'll grow out of this phase soon!?

[IrishEyes]

Dropping food on the floor- Anyone else having BIG problems with this lately? Please tell me the phase will pass SOON. Maddie has been doing this for a few weeks, and it's out of control lately. She also decided last week to start chewing food for a few seconds and then pull it out of her mouth and set it back on the tray. Between those things and whipping her sippy cup on the floor (how is she so fast at that??!! -- I'm seriously holding my hand out waiting and it still hits the floor!), I'm going nuts. Please, please, please tell me she'll grow out of this phase soon!?

Yup, we've got that going on too. Trying not to laugh or react so hopefully he knows I'm not interested and it'll pass soon.

Vacations - we're trying to do a long weekend on the Eastern shore. DH's family is doing a week in Myrtle Beach, but that's an 8 hr drive (yuck!) and I don't have the time to research to find something down there.

Pictures - we're going to try next weekend. Originally we had an appointment for Saturday, but then Carson got a long scratch on his cheek. I think Carson will do great. Brody hates cameras right now.

Teething - we've got all the classic signs -- cranky, chewing on everything, slightly warm, diarrhea. C'mon out already! We've been lucky to have a 3 month break in the teething thing. It's been nice.

Mother's Day - We went out for lunch. It was nice. Then we came back and spent a lot of time playing outside. Then I wound up doing laundry, washing dishes, packing lunches just like a regular day. WTF!?

[Baby Lust]

Dropping food on the floor- Anyone else having BIG problems with this lately? Please tell me the phase will pass SOON. Maddie has been doing this for a few weeks, and it's out of control lately. She also decided last week to start chewing food for a few seconds and then pull it out of her mouth and set it back on the tray. Between those things and whipping her sippy cup on the floor (how is she so fast at that??!! -- I'm seriously holding my hand out waiting and it still hits the floor!), I'm going nuts. Please, please, please tell me she'll grow out of this phase soon!?
Yup, we are in the same boat. It is definitely a game for Madelyn to drop things over the edge of the high chair tray, and Hailey pulls things out of her mouth and either puts them on the tray or next to her in the seat. :p :rolleyes:

This: (how is she so fast at that??!! -- I'm seriously holding my hand out waiting and it still hits the floor!) made me LMAO!

Us: Madelyn was back in the hospital last week. She was having a very hard time breathing on Tuesday, so DH called and told me to hurry home so I could take her in. Once we were called back, they listened to her, gave her a breathing treatment and then put her on oxygen. Then they checked her sats and they were at 89% (95% is the bare minimum) so they admitted her again. We went for another chest x-ray and she still had the pneumonia. She was on oxygen for 2 days, then was doing better, so just got the breathing treatments and IV meds/steroids. She was in Tuesday night through Friday afternoon. Her ped diagnosed her with asthma, which is what I suspected it was from the beginning. She's doing much better now, while on steroids, antibiotics and breathing treatments. We go back on Thurs for their 1 yr WBV and will get another chest x-ray. Needless to say, I'm exhausted!!!

[anemone]

Oh no Babylust - that's terrible:(. I hope Madelyn continues to improve and the asthma is easily managed. It's something I've always been really paranoid about as asthma and eczema are the same gene, and in our families (both sides) there are family members with either of those. So far we seem ok, but asthma is often diagnosed pretty late, so we'll see.

SiValleySteph Your play house is so cute! I have no idea how you managed to find time, but it is just wonderful!

MrsS such great photos! He is just a little cutie now!

Irish your vacay, sounds a lot like ours. DH will go on them, but he takes his blackberry with him:rolleyes: Guess he thinks he'll be able to save the world while on vacation if needed.

jess&dan gorgeous pics of you and your boys. I still don't have a decent one of me and both kids - they either are scowling, pulling strange faces or I look horrible!

twinny the girls look so cute together! Don't you just love it when they are both together laughing!

Becky E. is doing the same. I seem to remember DS doing it too, so it's a phase that passes. It's just tedious. I recommend getting a dog. Ours comes in after dinner time and cleans the floor for me, then I just have to swish over with the mop:p Of course, there are problems of their own with having a dog though....

[Baby Lust]

anemone, Yeah, I had no idea eczema and asthma were related! She does have eczema on her feet (so does DH, who has asthma, and so does DS, who has not shown signs of asthma yet). Hope you guys stay clear of it!

[Mickey&B]

Dropping food on the floor- Anyone else having BIG problems with this lately? Please tell me the phase will pass SOON. Maddie has been doing this for a few weeks, and it's out of control lately. She also decided last week to start chewing food for a few seconds and then pull it out of her mouth and set it back on the tray. Between those things and whipping her sippy cup on the floor (how is she so fast at that??!! -- I'm seriously holding my hand out waiting and it still hits the floor!), I'm going nuts. Please, please, please tell me she'll grow out of this phase soon!?


Yes!! and it's irritating me to death!! Thank GAWD we have a dog :p at about the 3rd or 4th time I just take him off the highchair! I remember AJ doing this and well he doesn't do it anymore LOL! so I'm gonna say yes it's a phase ;)

Baby Lust Oh no poor thing! I hope she continues to feel better!

Vacation Brian is throwing aroung the idea of going to Playa De Carmen in Mexico in June or July and I am having a really hard time saying yes.. First it means leaving the Boys for a week! and second I am so not bathingsuit ready NOT EVEN CLOSE to the point that I want to cry just thinking about it! and I want to be able to enjoy a vacation on the beach without being so self-consious of how I look ya know? am I being unreasonable? We haven't been on a real vacation since our honeymoon over 6 years ago and so we are do and we could really use a break from life right now. Brian's job is pretty stressful and he just wants to go sit on the beach for a week and I can totally understand that. I know that weight shouldn't stop me from going on a marvelous vacation but I can't help how I feel right now. Even if I hit the excersize hard losing 40 lbs in 2 months isn't possible!!

Mother's day Was awesome!! We had a bbq at my Mom's and invited B's parents as well so we had all the mom's there! and DH got me the iPhone holy moly am I addidicted!!

[summerbride2005]

Babylust - I'm so sorry about Madelyn. I hope she stays healthy.

Dropping food on the floor- Camryn is doing this and it drives us crazy. She is also putting food in her mouth and then spitting it out or taking it out and putting it back on her tray. I want this phase to be over soon please!

Vacations - We are going to Kauai in August for 2 weeks. I'm so excited to go since we didn't make it there last year. We will also be doing a few weekends in San Diego since DH works there so often and it's only a 2 hour drive from us.

Teething - Camryn has 2 top molars coming down, but she seems to be okay with them. Thank goodness. She still puts everything in her mouth but I can deal with that and some drooling.

Mother's Day - Camryn and I met DH in San Diego on Friday for Mothers Day weekend. We just got back this afternoon. DH took me to the Hotel Del Coronado for brunch and then our favorite Italian place in La Jolla for dinner. I ate a ton for Mothers Day. Just the way I like it! :) I hope everyone had a great mothers day!
__________________

[Mrs.Chappy]

have to go back and catch up

Last wed i got to work, then got a call frmo DS1's school that he fell off monkey bars and hit head..i flew out of here...he needed stitches (DH was away and we were leaving the following day to meet him)..so i spent my day in the ER. 2 stitches and a plate of spaghetti later, he was fine.. DH is taking him to get the stitches out.
The flight w/ both kids alone was fine..Glad DH was there for the ride home, both kids were zonked and Jake was so fussy, crying.

MIL is an ass.. never called to say happy mothers day to me. WTF?? i gave birth to her grandkids. Anyway, DH finally called her at 9:30 to say happy mothers day and she didn't ask to speak to me (nor did i ask to speak to her)..no love lost there. She is so oblivious...that's for the venting thread i guess.

ok, off to catch up

[E&O]

I recommend getting a dog. Ours comes in after dinner time and cleans the floor for me, then I just have to swish over with the mop Of course, there are problems of their own with having a dog though....
I would recommend that also, but I know Becky is not a dog person. Our dogs do clean up most messes that hit the floor, but like anemone said, they cause their own set of problems and messes.

BabyLust- So sorry to hear about Madelyn and the continuing asthma and pneumonia issues. I can only imagine how exhausting (physically and mentally) it can be to have your little sweetie in and and out of the hospital. Hopefulyl your pediatrician can help you find a long-term remedy.

DH is at home today with Kate. She had a fever again today at school and was sent home at 9:30. (she was just sent home back on 4/28 with a fever and now two weeks later, there it is again). Thankfully DH had a light day and was able to leave. Going to the doctor to waste $25 to find out she has a spring cold. But at least she can go back tomorrow. I was supposed to go into school and have a Mother's Day lunch with her tomorrow, and I don't want to miss that.

[SiValleySteph]

BabyLust, So sorry Madelyn has been so sick. I hope she is getting better and the asthma is getting under control. :(

Vacation, This thread inspired me so I think the 4 of us will go to Mexico in August for 4 nights. Swine Flu discount must be in effect because there are some great deals. Since it's so cheap, I think we are going to stay at a really fancy hotel instead of just regular nice. :p If that makes any sense... DH and DS1 need to get their passports renewed!

Mrs.Chappy, Sorry about the stiches!

FWIW, I love my MIL, but I would never expect her to call me and wish me Happy Mother's Day. In fact, DH called her to wish her a happy Mother's Day and I didn't talk to her and didn't think anything of it. ??? I mean, I'm sure you have other issues, but I wouldn't say this qualifies anyone as an ass. I hope my DILs wouldn't think poorly of me if I didn't call them to say happy mother's day. Eek.

[jess&dan]

SiValleySteph: Sounds like a great Mother's Day!

ironhair: Thank you! Sorry that pictures was such a mess for you. Aaron's 1 year pics didn't go very well either...and it wasn't until after that I found out he had a fever. :( I don't hate the pictures we got...but they aren't my favorites at all. I figure I'll make it up at his 18 month shoot. :)

Kelly51703: Thank you!

sophonisba9: I hope Cate's appointment goes well and that she gained some weight.

MrsBeckyLP: Thanks! No one ever tells me my boys look like me! They say they look just like my DH!

Baby Lust: I'm so sorry. I'm glad they have figured it out and hopefully she'll do much better now. Poor baby.

anemone: Thanks! I didn't think we would get a good one because Aaron was in a mood...but it worked!

Mrs.Chappy: Ugh...poor kid! Glad he's okay! My heart skips a beat every time the daycare calls me about one of the boys!

Dropping food on the floor: Aaron does this to feed the dog. It's very annoying. And he throws his cup off the table at least 50 times.

[tashaw6]

We had Kade's birthday party at our house on Sat (and it was his actual birthday then too). It was fabulous. We had around 30 people in our house and of those 10 were babies/toddlers. Rach was there too! It was such fun! Kade had a fab time! I know this cause he slept like a trooper! ;) DH sister was over from London so she helped out a ton and even made the birthday cake!

I don't know if Kade partied too hard cause on Monday morning he was very HOT! We took him to the Dr and he has an ear infection. He has had a runny nose the last few days which is from him getting another tooth and I think this is what causes it for him. The last time he had an ear infection he also got a tooth in so this is my deduction. I hate it cause it means more antibiotics. But anything to get my baby fit and healthy again.

Kade is also throwing stuff over the edge of his feeding chair. Its so funny to watch. He looks at us, then throws it over the edge and then looks for our reaction. Of course we try not to laugh to avoid encouraging it on. He also waits for the dog and throws food for her. Sadie loves it ;)

Vacation: Yes, yes, yes! We are actually going to the beach next week!! Can't wait. I am excited to see how Kade will like the waves!

MrsC: Hope DS is ok after the stitches. Poor boy!

Babylust: Hope Madelyn is doing ok now.

[rachrich]

Kade's party Yep, it was a lot of fun! I could tell Kade was having a great time! Tash you gotta post some pictures when you get a chance. Did he enjoying opening his presents?

I just ordered Owen's party invites today and they'll be in next Monday. We're having his party June 14th....why so late?? Well, my sis and her boyfriend get back from a cruise this weekend, the following weekend we have memorial day parades our band is marching in, the following weekend is a friend's wedding, the following weekend is our high school's graduation! pheeewwwww! so that's why we've had to postpone it, but it's ok. My mom's bday is june 16th, so we're doing a joint party.

I can't believe my boy will be 1 on Friday!

We go back to the neurologist in 2 weeks, and will be lowering the prednisone down to .5 ml 2x a day so it will be the last month on that. yay! We've noticed a SIGNIFICANT decrease in his swelling and it's so great.

Owen is clapping now-he LOVES patty-cake. He loves banging toys on his tray for sound effect and he drops stuff on the floor to see if we'll get it. He's so cute!

[tashaw6]

Kade's party Tash you gotta post some pictures when you get a chance. Did he enjoying opening his presents?

I must get my pics off of my camera and then I'll post some! He loved his presents! I wish we could have opened them in front of everyone but Kade had other ideas and just wanted to sleep!

He's so cute!

This I can attest to! He TOTALLY is!! :)

[tgr68]

Hey ladies! I hope all is well with each of you and your kiddos.

Mother's Day~We went to church that morning and met up with ILs for lunch at the lake. After that, DH's grandparents watched the kids with DH and I went to see Star Trek with my parents. Overall, it was a pretty relaxing day.

I know I've missed a ton of birthdays, so Happy Birthday to all the May babies!

Kissmary~Did you end up seeing Wolverine? How did you like it?

SiValleySteph~That tent is so cool! Thanks for posting how you made it. I think I may look into copying the idea this summer!

Summer Vacation~I've only barely thought about it. DH works in the fireworks industry, so we won't be looking at any type of vacation until August at the earliest. We have a ton of family we haven't seen in awhile, so when we do go that's most likely where we'll head.

Adorable pics, MrsSpencer!! :D

Dropping Food~OMGosh, yes!! Let's just say that DS and the dog are very good friends right now. ;)

BabyLust~Poor Madelyn. {{{HUGS}}}

MrsChappy~Oh gosh! I'm glad DS1 is okay!

Things here aren't going too bad. DH has really started in with busy season, so last night it was 10pm before he got home, and tonight as of 10:20pm, he's still not home. :( It's exhausting and totally sucks, so I have to continually remind myself that it's only temporary.

In the meantime, I have 3 graduations (college, HS, middle school) to keep me busy in addition a baby shower and planning DD's birthday all between now and the end of busy season. Plus there's my 10-yr class reunion to plan (myself and 1-2 other people are working together) and our city's biggest community even to get mostly planned. Whew! Okay, I'm making myself tired reading all of that. Off to bed! ;)

[MrsSpencer]

For those of you who know the little boy I watch Eli..he became a big brother yesterday morning when Lilly was born!

[IrishEyes]

Carson is 1 today. Egads, the year has flown by so fast. We're having a party on Sunday (also for big brother Brody who turns 4 on the 25th), so I'll post some pictures next week.

Happy Birthday also to CTs Punkin's Gabriel!

[ironhair]

Dropping Stuff - Oh, yes. A favorite past-time at our house too. Whenever she drops/throws stuff on the floor, she looks at us and "Uh Oh!" It is too cute to ignore - so I think we are only encouraging the behavior :rolleyes: As others have said, she and the dog are pretty tight these days.

BabyLust - So sorry to hear about poor Madelyn. Hopefully, now that the seem to know what the problem is, you're on your way to getting it under control.

Rach - That's good news about weaning Owen off of the prednisone.

MrsC - Glad your trip was good and that flying with both boys wasn't as bad as you feared!

Us: We have walking at our house! When I picked her up last night, the daycare provider had her walk to me. She did such a good job:D Unfortunately, she was in bed before DH got home last night, but she walked for him this morning. It's bitter-sweet - such a good feeling to see them learn new things and walk for the first time, but a little sad to see them grow up.

[CTs_Punkin]

Sorry, just a drive by.
Happy Birthday to Carson - Gabriel's birthday twin.
Gabriel has his 1yr WBV - and then we're just having a small birthday dinner w/ my MIL. G started taking his first steps last weekend. Still not walking, but that's okay ;)

Hope everyone had a nice mother's day.
Hope to pop back in here soon w/ SOs.

[Lolly]

Happy birthday to Carson and Gabriel!

Mothers Day was good.
Mary (DD1) and Megan's (DD2) birthday party was this past Saturday! We had so much fun and it did not rain!!! Once I upload the pics I'll post one here (and teh rest in the party threads). Our living room is FULL of new things! Not sure where we're going to put it all. I think its almost worse than their Christmas gift pile :eek:

And here are Megan's WBV stats.

Weight: 19 lbs (10-25%)
Height: 26.5 (25%)
Head: 17.75 (50%)

I guess she's just little like me! The weight is great considering she was just 17.11 a few weeks ago because she kept getting sick.

Will try to stay caught up in here but may not get to post too often!!!

ETA: what's the link to check the height and weight percentages? I know I've seen it somewhere...

[E&O]

Lolly- it amazes me how much of a size difference there is between boys and girls. Cooper's 1 year stas were very close to Megan's (he was 19lb3oz and 27.5") and he was ranked in the 3-5% and the same stats for a girl are in the 25%. I never realized it was that much of a gap.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all of this week's big kids: Carson, Gabe, Eloise and Owen!

[jess&dan]

tashaw6: I'm glad Kade had such a good party! But sorry the poor little guy has an ear infection.

rachrich: Whew! You'll need a vacation after all that!

tgr68: I'm glad you had a nice MD! And boy, you're another one who has way too much going on!

IrishEyes: Happy Birthday to Carson!

ironhair: Yay for walking!

CTs_Punkin: Happy Birthday Gabriel!

Lolly: I'm glad the party went so well! And it sounds like Megan is doing great! A petite little lady!

Aaron learned what a monkey says yesterday and now goes "eee eee" when asked or holding his monkey. :) Cracks me up! I just love the small things like that!

[E&O]

So I just picked up Cooper at daycare, it's now his turn to be running a fever. It really is running rampant this week. Thankfully my mom was already at our house sitting with Kate (and her fever) today. So I was able to quickly drop off Cooper and come back to work. (Thankfully my house/work/daycare are within a 10 minute of each other). But tomorrow I'll have to stay home with him.

I was surprised he got a fever since he's been on antibiotics all week for a minor EI that the ped caught at his 1yr WBV. The nurse at the office called back and said to go ahead and give Tylenol. I asked if it meant his ears were getting worse. She said maybe, but keep checking his temp and if it doesn't break with Tylenol, they'll check him again tomorrow.

I thought this was all going to get better now that spring has sprung.:rolleyes:

[rachrich]

boy, it's been quiet in here!
Quick post to address belated birthdays I missed:

Happy Birthday to Eloise, Gabriel, and Carson!!!

DH & I took the day off today to spend with Owen and do something with him by ourselves for his birthday. It's supposed to be really nice later,so we'll take him to the park, out to lunch somewhere, and go to Toys 'R Us and let him "pick" something out. Dh just took DD to daycare for the day. I figured we should do something alone with him, because DD got a few years to do stuff with us by herself, so I think owen deserves special time with mommy and daddy without big sis!

[ironhair]

Rach - I totally agree. I take their birthdays off from work and do something with just the birthday boy/girl. I don't think Alivia much noticed, but Aiden thought it was really pretty special that he got to do something with just mommy yesterday (he turned 3 yesterday). I hope you enjoy the day with Owen, and that he has a happy 1st birthday!!

We have our joint party tomorrow at 10:30 tomorrow morning and I am NO WHERE NEAR READY! I have a meetin out of town today and a graduation tonight WTH was I thinking?!?

[Mrs.Chappy]

Hi,

Rach: glad you got to do something on your day off for the b-day..that's special. DH is taking DS1 to the Yankee game in a few weeks for his 33rd b-day! i'll be in Seattle on business. Our nanny will be there to watch Jake. I agree that b-days shouyld be special!

Question; two weeks ago at our 1 yr check up the ped looked in jakes mouth and said that it didn't look like there were any signs of molars coming in. Last night he woke at 2 am crying. I swear, i have not entered his room after we put him to bed in like 8 months but i did go in b/c he was crying and sitting up...i thought he just wanted a paci..i felt his head and knew he had fever. it was 100.7. I gave him tylenol, pattedh is back and left..he cried for an instant and was out till 6:45 this morning but i was already gone for work. My babysitter told me that he didn't have fever (98.something) and he is happy so i'm chalking it up to teething??? sound right? its like i've never done this before ;) i know he is chewing on his fingers etc..
i guess i'll assess later when i get home.

meanwhile my dad had a defibrillator put in his heart yesterday.. it was scary stuff but i won't go into details...please keep him in your thoughts!

[twinnyme]

Happy birthday to Carson, Eloise, Gabriel, and Owen! (and Aiden, too!).

Wow, I feel like I dropped off pictures earlier this week and then got sucked into a really really busy work week, so I haven't been able to be around much. Thanks for the comments on the girls' pictures. It was a really fun day, and yes, you could really see the girls' joy! And yes Becca looks SO old in the pictures - they both do. They're growing up so fast already.

MrsSpencer - great photos of Nicholas. Bridget loves Elmo, too! She sleeps with him every night. It's strange because we hardly have ever even watched Sesame - we're usually watching something for DD1 instead these days.

Coquelicot - sorry about the nighttime sleep, ugh. Molars - no molars here yet, thankfully. Bridget still hasn't gotten another tooth, for months now. Still has just four.

but now I look around and thinking about having to get our house "show" ready and I just want to throw up.

I'm sure I'll feel that way, too, when our time comes - not for another couple of years at the earliest, though. And we're NOT even generally tidy for the most part, so I'm really dreading it. Good luck with house hunting/selling! Sorry about the rough week with Kate and Cooper both having fevers; wow, that's not a fun daycare/work week!

Jess - love your Mother's Day photo. Cute about Aaron saying "eee ee"!

Ironhair - sorry about the awful picture-taking experience. Yay for walking, though! Have a good party tomorrow.

Pictures - Daycare had picture day this week, so both girls' photos were taken. I put them in Red Sox outfits and had individual photos of them done and I'll put something together for Father's Day if they come out nice. We just had the professional photos done last month for my ILs that I got a couple of good photos of the girls from, so I figured I would do this instead - just like I did last May with daycare photos!

sophonisba9 and Tashaw6 - glad you had nice parties for Cate and Kade!

Dropping food on the floor - not too much of a problem for us. I recall it being worse with DD1. Bridget does do it, just not that frequently, really.

Baby Lust - hope Madelyn is doing better now! One of our 6 nephews has bad asthma and always had bad eczema, too. I think they're both pretty well managed now, though (he's almost 4).

Summerbride - San Diego must be fun to visit. I've only been once but it was a fun place!

MrsChappy - sorry about DS's fall from the monkey bars. Hope he's feeling better. And I'm sorry to hear about your dad; hope the defribillator helps him.

SiValleySteph - a trip to Mexico sounds fun. My mother, sister, and nephew were supposed to be there this week but they canceled and went on a cruise to Bermuda instead! :rolleyes:

Rachrich - the summer just gets so busy, doesn't it? Glad Owen's swelling has been down! Hope you're having a great birthday day with Owen!

Tgr68 - sorry the busy season has hit DH! Hope it passes quickly!

Lolly - glad Megan is gaining again!

Whew - caught up, I think! Not much going on here. Just a usual day, and a thankfully less busy than usual weekend coming up. Looking forward to that. We'll probably do a lot of cleaning tomorrow and then we're getting together with friends on Sunday.

[E&O]

So everyone in our house is back at daycare and no longer sick. Cooper visited the ped yesterday and the only thing she saw was a red, irritated throat which was the cause of the fever. With a little help from Motrin (shhh, don't tell daycre) his fever is under control and now he has the whole weekend to fully recover.

I have GOT to find a gate that will work on the bottom of our stairs, because Cooper is a maniac. I must have pulled him off the stairs 5 times in 5 minutes yesterday. He just will NOT be redirected. Right now I pushed dining room chairs in front of the steps, but he now knows he can just slide those out of the way. He always has the hugest grin when you catch him climbing up and then screams like the dickens when you pull him off.

I love the idea of taking the day off for your DC's birthday and doing a one-on-one activity day. However, Kate's birthday is like 4 days before our annual beach vacation, so I'm already taking a week's vacation a few days later. It just wouldn't work. So I guess for now no one gets to play hokey for birthdays.

Enjoy your weekends!

[sophonisba9]

Cate had her wbv yesterday. She was 30.5 inches, same as last month, but I don't really trust the girl who did the measuring, it wasn't the usual nurse. She gained a surprising 1.5 lbs, so now she's up to 21 lbs 12 ozs. I forgot to ask about percentiles.

The bad news from the visit was that the doctor took me seriously about my concern for Cate's hips. I was really hoping he'd look at her and say she's fine, don't worry about it. I've noticed recently that when Cate tries to get into a crawling position, her hips give out and she ends up flat on the ground again. She can get around army crawling, but she doesn't like to stand and seems unsteady in her hips when I make her stand. She's incredibly flexible and I began to think that the flexibility meant that she was having to work that much harder to keep her hips stable. Long story short, the doctor wants us to take her to Children's hospital and have her hips x-rayed to make sure there's no malformation. I haven't been able to get through to make an appointment yet.

[Standrea]

I wanted to come in here and share how I found Ellie today when I went to get her up from her nap.

She was sitting on her floor playing and laughing. I have no idea how she got out of her crib, as I didn't hear a thump or crying (I do hear her aways kicking her wall, which she does through the crib slats as she falling asleep...weird kid!)
Anyway, scared the crap out of me. We now need to lower it, and take the bumber out (I'm pretty sure she used it as a "Step").
Anyway, she's nuts!


We had her WBV today. While she's still a peanut, we are making strides and growing!
She was just over 15lbs (i can't remember exactly), and 27.5 inches. She's still pretty well under the charts, but starting to follow her own curve, which is excellent! The pediatrician was pretty pleased. We have to go back in 1 month to check her iron levels, and then we'll determine if she needs to go to see the endocrinologist. We tested with Soy this week, and she had a reaction, so that's still out. I'm not ready to test the dairy yet, as soy has been the weaker of her reactions so far.

Ok, I really need to trry to get to sleep!
I hope everyone is doing pretty good! It's really quiet around here lately!



How about a QOTD?
Now that we are going into a new "phase", what are the favorite toys now?
Ellie loves the sandbox outside, as well as the water table. But, she's pretty bored with our inside toys, even after I change them out.

[Mrs.Chappy]

sophia: sorry abou tthe hips...keep us posted~~

US: lovely morning at the peds on a saturday. Jake has a virus or something..102.5..he slept till 9 then was back down at 11..woke me once at night and i gave him motrin..poor guy..looks feverish and that pathetic baby sick look

[Baby Lust]

Quick update on us: We've had our fair share of hospital stays for a while now! Let's see... Madelyn was in the hospital April 26-28 and was back in May 5-8. She did have pneumonia, which is now gone (yay!!) and was diagnosed wit asthma. Then on May 13, Hailey woke up wheezing, and by the time I got home from work, she was breathing very fast and her little heart was beating out of her chest. Poor girl. :( They had their 1 yr WBVs schedued for the following day, so I contemplated just waiting to take her in, but after giving her a breathing treatment, she didn't get any better, so I took her to the walk-in. Luckily, her ped was there, and as we walked by, thought it was Madelyn again. He checked her out and her oxygen sats were at 86, which is really low. He put her on 1.5ml oxygen and they came up to 97, which is where they should be. So he sent her for a chest x-ray and she too has pneumonia. He admitted her to bring her sats up, then kept her another night off of oxygen to make sure they stayed up. She is doing much better now, and we go in for a re-check/her 1 yr WBV on Friday. Hopefully she's clear and we are done with this crap for a while!

Here are Madelyn's stats from he WBV:
Weight: 21# 8oz (60%) (down from 22lbs ?oz due to being sick)
Height: 30 1/4" (85%)
Head: 18 1/4" (82%)

Hope all the sick kiddos feel better soon!!

[Mrs.Chappy]

dropping off first haircut photos..DH insisted..i think we could have waited.
http://media6.dropshots.com/photos/141389/20090517/sq_130236.jpg

http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/141389/20090517/sq_130247.jpg

the end result:
http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/141389/20090517/131615.jpg

here is a before..taken last week

http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/141389/20090511/113423.jpg

sorry about the sizing

[Mrs.Chappy]

wow, babylust..that's too much for one parent!

[twinnyme]

How about a QOTD?
Now that we are going into a new "phase", what are the favorite toys now?
Ellie loves the sandbox outside, as well as the water table. But, she's pretty bored with our inside toys, even after I change them out.

Yeah, I'd say Bridget's favorite "toy" is the playground - she's a maniac at the playground lately, wanting to do the biggest things, just like big sister. Except for our latest trip, when she was a bit off, she has thoroughly enjoyed the playground lately. I went with just her on Saturday and we went on the biggest slide together, she was giggling like a madwoman. Loved it! Other than that, I can't really say that she plays with toys too much. :rolleyes:

Standrea - I can't believe Ellie already got out of her crib. When you say you have to lower it, was it on the highest level? Bridget hasn't even tried, thankfully. We kept Becca in the crib until almost 3 and I plan to go even longer with Bridget, if she'll cooperate.

MrsChappy - great pictures of the haircut! Jake's so cute!

sophonisba9 - hope the hip appt. goes well. I'm sorry to hear there's a question but hopefully it all works out.

E&O - glad everyone is back to doing well and was back to daycare!
Bridget is a maniac on the stairs, too; now if I try to carry her up she flips out and wants to get down and do it herself!

Baby Lust - glad Madelyn is doing better.

Bridget is now saying a few words - mama and dada for a while, now "hi there" (also for a while) and sometimes "hi daddy," uh-oh (just this weekend), "this" (as in "what's this?"), and yoss ("yes"). She also shakes her head no and nods yes sometimes.

[IrishEyes]

We had a party for both of our boys yesterday. It was a lot of fun and they got a few cute gifts (even though we asked on the invite for no gifts). Carson ate more of the cake then Brody did.

On Saturday, we tried to take the boys for birthday pictures at Penney's. Brody has hated going for photos since he turned 1, but Carson has always been a ham. Well, the tables were turned on us. The photographer got Brody to loosen up and we got great photos of him. Carson had a meltdown the moment we went in there and we got just one photo (no smile) and Brody was looking away from the camera too. Bah. I hope that maybe they can get some cute ones when the school has summer pictures taken.

Carson is taking 2-3 steps now. He could totally walk, but he's still a little fearful. Tomorrow is his 1 yr WBV.

QOTD - Carson's favorite toy is anything he can grab on to and walk with (his new Leapfrog ride-on train, or the big dump truck).

MrsChappy - my DH requires both boys to have trimmed hair at all times. He hates mullets and/or uneven hair (one of his pet peeves) so I have been trimming since Carson was pretty young. Very nice hair cut!

BabyLust - wow, it sounds like you've had a difficult time lately. I hope the girls get better and stay better!

sophia - I hope the hips are OK!

[E&O]

QOTD- Cooper's favorite toys are balls (he just laughs and laughs when you toss a ball to him) and cars. Especially ones that play songs or make noises. He's also big into banging the pots and pans from the play kitchen.

One of his favorite "games" to play is what we call... wrestling. He will stand up very tall on his knees, put his hands high above his head and then just fall forward onto the floor (body-slam!). He does another version of this when he is standing up, where again he throw his hands high into the air and then just falls forward for you to catch him. I honestly think we are going to have a problem getting him to walk because if we have him standing up and move back for him to take a few steps, he just falls forward so we can catch him.

He has been interested a bit more in his walking toys (push car, shopping car) meaning he takes will now take 3 or 4 steps before he gets bored and heads off to something else. Although this weekend he did take two very wobbly, very spastic steps toward me before falling for me to catch him. So that's progress, I guess.

Bridget is now saying a few words - mama and dada for a while, now "hi there" (also for a while) and sometimes "hi daddy," uh-oh (just this weekend), "this" (as in "what's this?"), and yoss ("yes"). She also shakes her head no and nods yes sometimes.
Twinny- that is awesome! Cooper is nowhere close to talking. Right now he just yells at us/scolds us with his own brand of jibberish! He says LOTS of Ds (da, da, daddy) and Bs, with a few Ms (mumma, mumma) thrown in just to tease me. Right now DH is trying to get him to point, and this weekend he was doing an adorable peek-a-boo move.

[Dettes]

Happy Belated Birthdays to Kade, Carson, Gabriel, Eloise and Owen!!! Sorry I missed them, had an insanely chaotic two weeks - DH was away, my mother (who was supposed to be my sitter while DH was away), fell and fractured her shoulder and is now in rehab, DH's cousin who is also one of our BFF's had a recurrence of cancer and went in for surgery - she has two little girls, whom I took for her, and a whole host of other curve balls were thrown my way - I won't go into all the gory details, but suffice it to say I need a vacation!!!!

Cute pics of the first haircut Mrs. C. - I've still got a baldie. What little she does have looks like its coming in red though. I guess I'll need to invest in lots of sunscreen!

Sophia Hope Cate's hips are alright.

Oh Babylust - you're due for a break soon. Glad the girls are on the mend.

Andrea Sounds like Ellie is a crazy little monkey. Yikes for you!

Us We had Caroline's party this weekend - her birthday is not until Thursday, but I hate to schedule things on a holiday weekend, so I planned it for this past weekend. With everything going on, I broke down and (gasp) had some of the food catered. Let me tell you something, IT WAS AWESOME!!! I am a bit of a control freak, especially when it comes to entertaining, I love doing it, but I inevitably end up stressed out the morning of a party. Well, not this time - just picked up the phone ordered the food and voila, instant party. Of course, I had to make a few things because I couldn't give up total control (baby steps ;)), but I was so much more relaxed. It made clean up a lot easier too. Caroline had a great time and LOVED her cake as well as the ice cream that I caught grandpa feeding her.

Thanks Irish you reminded me that I have to schedule an appointment for professional photos of my clan now that the little misses is going to be a year! Finding the time is going to be the hard part.

[Standrea]

Sophonisba-somehow I missed your post about hte hips! I'm so sorry! I hope everything is ok!

Babylust-WOW. I hope that the girls are feeling better and stay well forever. You've had a rough go at it these last few months! Hugs!



Ellie had her EI evaluation today. She did not qualify for services. She did get with motor skills, they were "blown away" (theír word...that's what they wrote on the sheet they gave me today) by her speech. She kept yelling "I did it" when she did soemthing that they wanted her to do. She was a good girl, and only got mad when they took away the cheerios.

[MrsBeckyLP]

sophonisba9- What does the ped think might be wrong with Cate's hips? Have you made the appointment? I really hope it's nothing.

Andrea- Ellie is speaking that well? Damn!

twinnyme- Wow, it sounds like Bridget's vocabulary is really expanding!

baby lust- I hope those girls get healthy and stay healthy soon. You guys have been through a lot of illness in recent months.

IrishEyes- I'm glad the party was fun! We asked for no gifts also, and I think everyone BUT three people brought something. I really wish people would just listen, but clearly that's not the norm in our circle.

E&O- Cute story about Cooper and "wrestling." Maddie still likes to play "tip over." Whenever she's lying on our bed with us, she'll lean forward and then throw herself back, effectively tipping over. Actually, we really can't get her to sit up on the bed at all because she immediately tips over.

Dettes- Wow, crazy two weeks there. Caroline's party sounds great. I think sometimes the cost is worth not having the hassle. Next time we have such a large party (if there ever is!), we're having it catered for sure. Good call!

Us- I was sick last week with a severe sinus infection, and I missed work Wednesday and Thursday -- felt like I was going to die. I got some abx, and thankfully I'm starting to feel better, but still not 100 percent. The one nice thing about being a WOHM is that when you're sick, you can take your child to daycare. I still felt like crap Friday, so my mom came down for a visit (her idea). I think DH would have had to call in sick if I were a SAHM. There is just no way I could have taken care of a child feeling like I was! Anyway, my boss has walked past my office several times today and has not once spoken to me. He didn't ask if I'm feeling better or even say "hi." Weird.

Maddie is still such a little honey. She's ALWAYS smiling or giggling about something. Seriously. She ALWAYS has a smile on her face -- everyone comments on it. She's expanding her vocabulary and now says duck and dog. She will point when we ask her where certain things are (the fan, light, door, eyes, etc.). Speaking of doors, she loves playing with them. She will sit and swing a door back and forth for 10 minutes. She's finally made it to that really speedy crawling stage. She still doesn't balance on her own for more than a few seconds, so I think she's still a long way off from walking. We are down to one nap a day, even on weekends. I was tired of fighting to get her to have an afternoon nap, so her nap is now around 11:30, after she eats lunch.

I've been thinking lately that it might be nice to wean her from our morning and bedtime nursing sessions, but I just don't know -- so then I start thinking I'd like to keep doing it until she stops wanting it. She's so attached to the boob. If she wakes up in the middle of the night (which has been happening more frequently again lately), she wants the boob when I go to her, and I give it to her because it's the easiest way to get back to sleep. I would like to not be nursing for a while before we have baby No. 2, but I just don't see an end in sight. Is anyone else still nursing? Any thoughts?

[Standrea]

Becky-She is. It's amazing to me, especially since Abbie didn't start talking until she turned 2. I'll have ot get it on video and send it to you. Her little voice is adorable!
I'm so sorry that you were so sick :(. I was wondering where you were.

[phart]

Man-oh-man! We went on vacation and now I am WAY behind...

:::waves hi:::

[twinnyme]

Phart - welcome back! Hope you had a wonderful vacation.

MrsBecky - glad you're feeling better! "The one nice thing about being a WOHM is that when you're sick, you can take your child to daycare." - so true. I've done this once or twice myself!


IrishEyes and Dettes - glad you both had good parties this weekend!

E&O - the peekaboo games are so much fun. Bridget loves that game!

Andrea - isn't it amazing how two kids in the same family can be so different? That's great about Ellie's speech - amazing!

Clinginess - we seem to have severe separation anxiety lately. In fact, it seems to be the dominant personality lately - for the last few months. I've had a week or two here or there of Bridget playing well independently and not needing me every.second.of.the.day but most of the time she wants me all the time, and it's driving me insane. I feel like I've worked so hard at getting her to be more independent than her sister was, and I've failed. I see all these other kids who are little honeys - always happy or smiling - or playing so independently and happily - and I just don't know what I've done wrong or if it's just their personalities. I know she still needs me at this stage, so I'm going with it, but it is still driving me crazy. Anyone else going through this who can commiserate?

[phart]

Thanks Melissa! We had a great time:-)

Someone asked about vacations...we just got back from Hilton Head and it was really great! Even with 3 young kids;) In the past we've gone at the end of Summer but Aiden starts kindergarten and we didn't want to take him out/pay more for peak season so we decided to take him out of preschool for a week instead. Next year I guess we'll have to suck it up and pay a little more. We hope to take another 3 or 4 day smaller trip before school starts...not another 12 hour car ride! But the kids did awesome.

[Mickey&B]

I didn't check in all weekend and now I'm behind.

Andrea Wow at Ellie's speech, Dylan points to everything and says "that" LOL!

Phart Welcome back!

Clinginess - we seem to have severe separation anxiety lately. In fact, it seems to be the dominant personality lately - for the last few months. I've had a week or two here or there of Bridget playing well independently and not needing me every.second.of.the.day but most of the time she wants me all the time, and it's driving me insane. I feel like I've worked so hard at getting her to be more independent than her sister was, and I've failed. I see all these other kids who are little honeys - always happy or smiling - or playing so independently and happily - and I just don't know what I've done wrong or if it's just their personalities. I know she still needs me at this stage, so I'm going with it, but it is still driving me crazy. Anyone else going through this who can commiserate?

I think it does have a lot to do with personality and with age. I try to encourage Dylan to play with the toys. I hide them under blankets, rotate them, or put them in bins so that he wants to go over and pull them out. I play on the floor with him so that I'm still close but I try not to engage in play with him. Everytime he wants to be on top of me I try to re-direct him to a different toy. My oldest was the same way and I have always tried to raise them so that they would be independent players but nope neither one is. Aidan is almost 4 and he is just now getting to a point where he will play in his room with the door closed. And the only reason he does that is so that Dylan doesn't come in and reck whatever he is playing with ;)

[E&O]

Clinginess-we seem to have severe separation anxiety lately. In fact, it seems to be the dominant personality lately - for the last few months.

I am noticing this more and more too, especially in the evening right as we hit dinner and bed time. He is pulling up on my legs, just grabbing on to me so hard, I think if he could he would climb right up me. Most times he is easily distracted with a snack or bath or playing with his sister, but last night for example, he was not happy if he was not being held. He does have two top teeth pushing out and I'm hoping this might be a symptom of that.

I am starting to get a little bit worried about thumb-sucking. DD was so never attached to her thumb or pci, so we never had a habit to break. But Cooper has his thumb in his mouth all the time it seems. Unless he's crawling around or really involved in play time, it's in his mouth. He doesn't really "suck" on it, but it's in there all the time. Does anyone else have a thumb sucker (or an older DC who did this)? When does he get too old to do this? How would I even begin to break this habit? If it helps soothes him to nap/sleep, that's awesome...go for it. But I don't want him to become a toddler who is walking around with his thumb in his mouth all day long.

[Baby Lust]

Separation anxiety: We went through this with Madelyn about a month ago (I think it lasted about a month or so) and now we are going through it with Hailey. So far it has just been a phase, but the blood-curdling screams get to be too much sometimes! :rolleyes:

[MrsBeckyLP]

Separation anxiety: We've been dealing with it for months. Maddie can be quite clingy at times and only wants me. Grandma (my mom) will do if she's around, and sometimes Daddy will do the trick. Otherwise she's always tugging at my pants legs and crying for me to pick her up. It's OK when we're outside though -- she loves being outside. Oh, and she's been crying again at daycare when I drop her off. I hate that most of all.

[kissmary]

I don't know if it's separation anxiety or something else, but Henry has been clinging to my legs lately, a lot. But then he's been giving lots of hugs, too!!

Pointing - Henry points at stuff and says "buh" which may mean "what" in baby speak. ;)

On Friday I had a friend/neighbor over with her newborn and her 15 month old. Her DH had ("volunteered") to drive 4 HOURS to the Newark airport to pick up his parents who flew in from Germany for 4 weeks. I had to take care of Henry and Max all day. And Max is not walking yet and loves to be held. The came when I would have gotten Henry ready for his nap in the morning, but then he didn't want to take his nap! I don't know how daycare providers do it, but I was exhausted. Luckily DH came home 2 hours early. The reason she was over was that she had a C-section and couldn't pick up Max, so needed someone to watch him.

[twinnyme]

Separation anxietyOh, and she's been crying again at daycare when I drop her off. I hate that most of all.

Oh, I hate that most of all, too. This morning was the first time in weeks she went happily to her caregiver without crying (sometimes lately she hasn't cried but it's because I have put her in the high chair and given her a banana to distract her - it was nice not to have to do that today!).

I just hope what Bridget is doing IS separation anxiety/teething/something that means this will end SOON! Thanks all for commiserating with me. :) Oh, and Mickey&B, thanks for this:

My oldest was the same way and I have always tried to raise them so that they would be independent players but nope neither one is.

Makes me feel better, though I'm sorry neither of us seem to have independent players much! DD1 has gotten much better at it lately, thankfully.

Bridget said BA BA this morning (for bottle), a few times and in context. So exciting. I love seeing her proud little face. Of course, when I asked her "can you say milk?" she shook her head vehemently! Now, let's not discuss why she is still using a bottle (with milk) - she just does not seem to like sippy cups. We'll probably get rid of the bottles cold turkey at 14 months like we did with DD1.

[MrsBeckyLP]

Twinnyme- I sure hope it's just a phase, too. It is nice having a Momma's girl -- makes me feel good! -- but I'd like her to be a bit less clingy and be comfortable around more people. I would think she would be, considering she's been in daycare since 4.5 months and sees lots of people every day. :confused:

Me- I'm about bursting at the seams here, and I need to tell somebody, so I thought this would be a good place. I'm trying to keep from writing about this in my LJ, since I want to try to keep TTC mostly a secret this time -- we told a lot of people about TTC last time. I know a few of my LJ friends lurk here -- yes Amy, I'm calling you out! ;) -- but that's OK. I'm not even telling my mom this time, and we're super close. I just want it to be a big surprise when it happens. So ... I got my IUD removed today! Let the baby making begin! I have not had a period since I had Maddie, so I have no idea where I'm at in my cycle (IUD was probably the reason for no period). Hopefully we're blessed again and get pregnant quickly. :D

[ducgal]

I don't post very often, but I do read along.

Ivan's 1st b-day was yesterday, but his BIG party is on Sunday. DH wanted to invite everyone we know - he loves big parties. So, there's no way everyone could fit into out 1000 sf house with tiny backyard. So, we're having it at a local park - we rented an air conditioned train car.

I really wish I knew how many people would be there. I sent out invitations about a month ago, but very few people have RSVP'd - though I did get several responses today, and I hope to get some more in the next few days. It's so Southern California. :rolleyes:

Ivan had his 12 month appt today. He cried harder when he got his shots today than he has in the past - it was a little difficult for me.

Height - 32.25" (over 95%)
Weight - 25lbs 8oz (85%)
Head - 19" (90%) -

[Mickey&B]

Becky Yeah for TTC!! how exciting!


I really wish I knew how many people would be there. I sent out invitations about a month ago, but very few people have RSVP'd - though I did get several responses today, and I hope to get some more in the next few days. It's so Southern California.

LOL! I know so frustrating!! I always just buy more food then I think I'll need. I usually do personalized goodie bags and that's what gets me I need to know how many kids I'm gonna have! I do find that if I put regrets only or if I put an email to rsvp to I get more responses

[summerbride2005]

Becky- - That is so exciting! I hope it happens for you guys quickly.

[shoegal]

Twinnyme- I sure hope it's just a phase, too. It is nice having a Momma's girl -- makes me feel good! -- but I'd like her to be a bit less clingy and be comfortable around more people. I would think she would be, considering she's been in daycare since 4.5 months and sees lots of people every day. :confused:

Me- I'm about bursting at the seams here, and I need to tell somebody, so I thought this would be a good place. I'm trying to keep from writing about this in my LJ, since I want to try to keep TTC mostly a secret this time -- we told a lot of people about TTC last time. I know a few of my LJ friends lurk here -- yes Amy, I'm calling you out! ;) -- but that's OK. I'm not even telling my mom this time, and we're super close. I just want it to be a big surprise when it happens. So ... I got my IUD removed today! Let the baby making begin! I have not had a period since I had Maddie, so I have no idea where I'm at in my cycle (IUD was probably the reason for no period). Hopefully we're blessed again and get pregnant quickly. :D

LOL!!! I can't help it!!!! That kid is too darn cute and sometimes you post here before LJ! :o :p

[twinnyme]

MrsBecky - good luck TTC! Hope it happens quickly for you!

Ducgal - have a good party for Ivan this weekend. The air conditioned train car sounds really cool.

[rachrich]

Hi gals. I just can't seem to keep up here.

Becky Good Luck and HAVE FUN on your 2nd TTC journey. It is so hard keeping it a secret when it's something you're SOOO excited about! I'd be bursting to tell someone if I were in your shoes.

E&O-Thumb sucking DD is a thumbsucker through and through, but she mostly sucks when she's bored or tired. Her thumb isn't in her mouth 24/7. We're sort of concerned, but when she had her 1st dentist visit last summer, we asked him and he said it's not a concern right now. We go back in August, so we'll see what he has to say about it then. I guess I can't really give any advice....just my experience from thumb sucking. I was a thumb sucker until Kindergarten and my sister was until Junior High (by then only at night...BUT STILL!) so it sort of is in the genes. I think ironhair's DS is a thumbsucker IIRC.

Owen goes to the neuro tomorrow, and hoping to drop him another .5 ml down on the prednisone, which would mean one more month of him on .5 ml 2x a day. YAY! I can't wait for him to be off that.

He is clapping now and it is the sweetest thing. I'm going to have to find some pics from his bday-it was just the 4 of us celebrating and we got an ice cream cake from DQ. His big party is going to be on June 14th and the invites came yesterday! So i have to get those out.

[Mrs.Chappy]

Becky!! Good luck! I go to my OB on June 1st. i'm debating getting the IuD..i know there is an entire thread on it. I just can't decide..that or the pill.i keep forgetting to take the pill, DH won't wear condoms and we are not 'ready to get pregnant right now', his words - I thought he was done..so i'll leave it at that.

Rach: good luck at the neuro

[Baby Lust]

Becky, Good luck!

Well, we officially have a walker! Madelyn has been all over the place today!! She's been taking a few steps in between furniture lately, but yesterday she took about 10 steps and now today she's all over! Eek! :eek:

The girls had a speech therapy appt today and they did really well, except they don't know their basic body parts. Apparently that is a 6-9 month milestone. So we are going to work on that. Madelyn has been saying "ba ba" a lot lately, and sometimes when she says is, she waves, so I guess one meaning for that is bye-bye. She has also been saying "mama" a lot, but not in context. I'm working on it though! ;) :p Hailey doesn't have as many consanants, so we will continue to work with her, but the therapist was happy to see that they understand a lot of commands. "No", "Come here", "Sit down", "Shake your head 'no'", etc. They both also clap and patty-cake, shake their heads 'no' (alot of times at each other :p) and nod.

I have to say I love this age! 12-18 months is my favorite so far, though the rest (up to age 3) is great too.

Glad to hear everyone is doing well!

Hope you all have a nice long weekend!

[MrsBeckyLP]

The girls had a speech therapy appt today and they did really well, except they don't know their basic body parts. Apparently that is a 6-9 month milestone.

Huh? I've never heard that, and Maddie doesn't really know her basic body parts either (I can tell she knows a few but isn't great at pointing to them). I'm pretty sure daycare said that's a 9-18 month milestone; they have a big chart they go off of and mark things off as they're accomplished. We just had a conference with her teacher, and the teacher specifically said "now we just have to wait for her to start pointing to body parts and stuff, but that will probably be a while." So I think those people are full of baloney. And yay for Madelyn walking!!!

[Baby Lust]

That's what I was thinking too. Maybe the standards vary by state? Regardless, I'm not worried, but we'll definitely work on them :)

ETA: Not at all saying that your state's standards are lower than mine! :o :p

[MrsBeckyLP]

ETA: Not at all saying that your state's standards are lower than mine! :o :p

Hehe. I know! Like you said though, it can't hurt to work on them. We've been working at things like that much more lately.

[tgr68]

Belated birthday wishes to Carson, Gabriel, Eloise, Owen, and Ivan!

Dropping Stuff~He loves doing this!! The dog also loves it. :p Anyway, his new habit sparked quite the argument between he and DD the other morning. I was in the bathroom getting around for the day, when I heard a toy hit the floor and then this...
DD: No, Caedmon!
Me: Please don't yell at your brother.
DD: No! Caedmon! (after another toy hits the floor)
DS: No! No! No! No!
DD: Caedmon! (whiney)
DS: Mamamamama!

I cracked up laughing. At least I don't have to worry about DS not sticking up for himself! :p

Jess~So cute about Aaron's monkey sounds.

MrsChappy~I hope the defib helps your dad. Very cute cut!!

sophonisba9~I hope everything with Cate's hips turns out okay.

Andrea~I would've freaked!

Toys~He isn't really into anything in particular. As long as he can throw it, he's happy. :rolleyes:

BabyLust~Ugh! What a frustrating and stressful round of dr's appts. :( FWIW, I can't get DS to pay any attention when we go over his body parts, so he doesn't know them either. He'll point them (nose, eyes, ears, mouth) out on the dog, though.

Becky~I nursed DS until 13 months (beginning of May). At that point he just acted done, so we quit. If I were in your situation and DS was still interested, I'd personally keep going. Good luck TTCing!

Phart~Welcome back from vacation!

Clinginess/Separation Anxiety~He does pretty well with drop offs/pick ups at church, but whenever I'm in the room, it seems like he never gets out of my reach.

Thumbsucking~DS does this when he gets really tired. Other than that he's pretty well forgotten about his thumb.

Update on Us...
Caedmon had tooth #3 break through this evening. He's also getting much braver with letting go and standing on his own. The longest he'll stand is a few seconds, but he gets this excited smile on his face that is priceless everytime he does it!

I have got to get in here more often, so that my posts aren't novels. :o

[anemone]

I have got to get in here more often, so that my posts aren't novels Ha! Me too!!

We went to our home city for E.'s birthday over the weekend, and had a family only party at MIL & FIL's place. It was lovely, but E. was a grumpy girl (no idea why) and DS was as well. It's so nice that every.time the family see them they are complaining & clingy:rolleyes:

As predicted the flight over on my own was horrible. E was due for a nap, so was extremely wriggly, and yelled a lot. DH flew back with us and she was the same for the last 10 minutes of the flight and he said" My God, she was a nightmare" to which I said, "you should have seen the flight I did on my own":cool:
Both kids have been very overtired this week, and I've been supervising a lot of fights. tgr68 E. sticks up for herself a bit too, but she is already a dobber. She'll yell at DS and then crawl over as fast as she can to get me to intervene.

E. also stood alone for the first time during the birthday party, so it was nice that the whole family saw it too.

Babylust that's crazy about the pointing to body parts! I'm sure with DS they did it at 18 months, not 12! Sorry Hayley has also been ill - you've had a horrible couple of weeks.

Becky Yay for TTC. I'll look forward to hearing your news! I found #2 a tough one, so wasn't feeling too excited after over 6 months TTC (DS was first go).

MrsC So cute with his new cut! I'd love to be able to say I'm getting E.s hair done soon, but she's still a bit of a baldie!

phart lucky you for the vacay!

rach Hope the neuro goes well

Standrea Ellie's vocab is nuts! Why were you doing an EI test if she's managed to climb out of her crib and she speaks so well? (Just curious - I thought it was for gross and fine motor, sight and hearing, developmental type stuff only, but maybe i'm wrong if you've got other medical issues?)

SophonisbaHope Cates hips are ok. You must be feeling pretty uneasy about it, so I hope it goes well, and you get peace of mind.

Here is a pic of E. at her party. Note the grumpy look and she is riding her new wheely bug
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff25/anemone_09/DSC_0057.jpg

[Standrea]

Anemone-
THe nutritionist set up the EI, because she is Failure to Thrive. I think alot of FTT children are delayed because of nutrient deficiency. Éllie actually didn't really start crawling until 11 months, so it was after we already had the appt. set. (I think the appt. was set like 2-3 months ago). There area few things that kids qualify for it automatically, so maybe that's why the nutritionist thought to set it?
E. is so cute on her little mouse!

Becky-Good luck! I agree with Rach-make sure you have fun!

Rach-Thinking of you guys! I hope the doctor goes well!


We are just finishing up packing and getting out of here for the weekend! I can't wait to take the kids camping. I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

[E&O]

except they don't know their basic body parts. Apparently that is a 6-9 month milestone.

Oh my god! If this is true than Cooper is in a whole world of trouble. I mean, he is a crazy babbeler, but he has no real words and certainly can't associate words with any objects yet. But I really think Kate was a late talker too. She only walked at 16 months and I know she talked after that- so maybe 18 months. (I remember joking that now that she is finally walking, she is giving me something new to worry about- her lack of talking!)

But Cooper is really starting to cruise. He'll go across the whole couch, than over to the end table. I think he could totally walk on his own any day now, except he thinks it's hysterical to fall forward so you catch him. I think this is really going to put a damper on walking.

Also I've started taking a thermos full of milk to school for Cooper and he is flying through 20 oz a day. No wonder he doesn't seems to want any when he's at home. So I told them to limit him to 4oz at breakfast, 4oz at lunch and 4oz at his afternoon snack. Anything else can be water. I'm refilling this thermos everyday and I know with Kate I was filling it every 2nd or 3rd day.

[MrsBeckyLP]

Becky~I nursed DS until 13 months (beginning of May). At that point he just acted done, so we quit. If I were in your situation and DS was still interested, I'd personally keep going.

I think that's what I'm leaning toward now. I really would like for her to be the one to decide. I assume you read my question in the extended nursing thread? I don't think I posted about it here, but I also don't feel like going back to look! eta: OK, so I see I did post about it here. I have a short memory! We are doing CIO to get her to sleep without nursing, and it is going well. Night one she cried/whined on and off for 20 minutes, night two was three or four minutes and night three was five or six minutes. So hopefully it continues to go well! I really want her to be able to go to sleep without nursing, and so far, so good. We switched up the order of our nighttime schedule, and now we read books after nursing. Before, she would nurse last with the lights out and fall asleep doing it.

anemone- E is so adorable! I don't remember ever seeing a picture of her before. Happy belated birthday to her!

E&O- Wow, Coop sure likes his milk, huh? Maddie does pretty well with hers, which I'm really happy about. Recently she's even stopped dropping her sippy cup on the floor! (I just doomed myself by writing that, I know.)

Andrea- Have fun camping!

Memorial Day weekend- We're heading to the lake by my parents. Actually, my mom came down last night and is watching Maddie today (she's a preschool teacher and her year ended last week), and the three of us will head up there tonight after I get home from work. DH will meet us there after work tomorrow. I hope Maddie does well with her life jacket on. I really don't want to have to struggle with her on that! She liked boat rides last summer, so I'm sure she'll enjoy them this year.

[Mrs.Chappy]

Memorial Day weekend:
We are heading to my parent's country house in Berkshire County, MA. Its so nice up there but totally not babyproofed so i'll 'relax' after Jake is in bed for the night!

as far as body parts..Jake has no clue.. actually, i shouldn't say that..he knows some,,,'hands', socks go on feet, etc. I am in the speech/hearing field and am so not concerned if he doesn't get those things now. They usually all catch up eventually.

My monster loves putting things in things..i.e., we have lost several toys in the diaper pail (so i had to move it)..i find random balls, toys, etc in random places..its cute. I even found socks in my coat when i was leaving work.

[MrsBeckyLP]

MrsC- I saw your posts on FB about not being in a baby-proofed place. I feel like that every time I go to my parents', and I hate having to watch her like a hawk! This weekend will be no different for us, I'm sure.

[Mrs.Chappy]

Becky:totally..not sure how it happened but jake got a hold of a meat cleaver in my parents house...they are in the process of moving and i have no clue why it was in a cabinet floor level. He was playing w the wood block that it goes in andi grabbed everything away from him (i freaked out a few days later just thinking about what could have happened)..the following day, my mom was cleaning it and cut her finger so bad she needed stitches. freakin' nightmare.

[kissmary]

MrsC - A meat cleaver?? That's too crazy/scary.

Becky - I'm trying to end our nursing relationship and it's going well so far. We just have to drop the morning/evening ones by the end of June/beginning of July.

On the subject of milk - Henry still only drinks a few ounces a day. We only nurse twice a day morning/night. He does drink plenty of water, and if there's even a small amount of juice mixed in, he chugs it. Any ideas for getting him to drink more milk? He eats cheese every day and yogurt most days, too.

baby-proofing at other houses - I talked to my mom about this, since Henry will be spending 4-5 days there in July. She said that she would put rubber bands on the cabinet doors and wouldn't that be enough? She was partially joking, but I hope she and my dad do something. They have a lot of junk in their cupboards.

The weekend - We are driving down to the Outer Banks tomorrow! Well, tomorrow we are driving 4 hours and staying with friends near DC, then Saturday the other 4 hours, plus picking up MIL at the airport.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

[twinnyme]

I am in the speech/hearing field and am so not concerned if he doesn't get those things now. They usually all catch up eventually.

I am not in the field and am so not concerned about that either. I have never heard of knowing body parts being a milestone for 6-8 months. But as someone else said, maybe different states have different milestones? I can't see how it can be when pointing isn't a milestone until 12 months, I don't think. :confused:

Anyway, daycare gives us "progress reports" twice a year, which I find highly amusing for 1 year olds. But Bridget's main provider told me the other day that she was not able to fill out "can point" (or whatever the term used is on the report) on Bridget's - we haven't received them yet - and just wanted me to be aware. I told her that it was fine, that I've seen her point at home (though she wasn't yet at her 12 month WBV when the doctor asked about it) but that the progress reports aren't "gospel" to me. She looked taken aback and then laughed about it, saying that some parents get very concerned about all the reports. But to me it's just a general picture. Bridget does some stuff at home she doesn't do at daycare and vice versa, and also, I do agree that, absent diagnosed issues, all kids do catch up eventually. They just may be working on something else at the moment, like walking or motor skills.

I mentioned the story this morning to another caregiver in her room, the caregiver who was my older daughter's caregiver for years, and she said that the reports are important to document issues. That makes sense to me, sort of like a work issue, I guess - you have to have it documented before you can do anything about it - but I still find the reports highly amusing! :D

And all this said, I am "working" with Bridget on animal sounds right now, and I even find myself "working" with her on body parts too - just fun working and a way to play but "working" nonetheless! :p

I used to ask older DD "what does a cow say? A duck? A dog? What does Mommy say?" And she'd answer all of them and then to the Mommy one, say "no." It'll be interesting to see if Bridget comes up with the same answer when we get to that point!

[E&O]

E&O- Wow, Coop sure likes his milk, huh?

I have yet to find much that Cooper does not like. The only food I've really seen him refuse was this week when we ate salmon. Now if we could just see the results of all this eating on the scale.

BTW Becky- Enjoy TTC! I'm sure your DH will! My DH loves preganancy for two reasons- all the sex and 9 months of having a guaranteed designated driver.

[coquelicot]

*Body parts* - DD doesn't know too many yet, I don't think, although she'll respond correctly when I tell her to clap her hands. I asked her this morning where her elephant's nose was, and she grabbed the right body part. I then asked her about the ear. Took her a minute, but she grabbed it, too. Don't know if it was just coincidence or what.

*Nursing* - we're still doing it, too, 3-4 times a day depending on whether or not DD takes 1 nap or 2. I'd love for her to stop, but don't see it happening soon. With her going through whatever phase she is that's making her wake up so much at night, I hate to traumatize her by weaning. I am at least trying to take away the nurse/sleep association. Before naps, we nurse and THEN change diaper, rock, etc. We used to do nursing right before rocking if she didn't fall asleep first. In the early mornings, I let her suck for a while, then pull her off and rock her. At night...well, still working on that one. :)

*Drinking milk* - DD is slowly upping her whole-milk intake. It's helped that I gave her the Take-n-Toss Disney Princess cups. She loves to look at the characters on the cup, which I think encourages her to drink it more. Plus it's not a very heavy cup, so she can tip it better. A little messy, but at least she's actually doing it. She also seems to drink more while in the car or in her high chair. She's not big on me holding her and giving it to her.

*Baby Lust* - yea for walking! Which brings me to my news...

DD walked this morning, too! Just two steps, and I'm not sure if she was walking or stumbling forward. But I'll count it! She had a lot of witnesses, too; we were at the library during their little toddler-time segment.

[MrsBeckyLP]

I have yet to find much that Cooper does not like. The only food I've really seen him refuse was this week when we ate salmon. Now if we could just see the results of all this eating on the scale.

Maddie is pretty much the same way! The only thing I've given her that she really doesn't like is avocado. And she's so tiny -- just 19 pounds. It's funny, because I posted on FB last night that the amount of food she consumes amazes me at times!

My DH loves preganancy for two reasons- all the sex and 9 months of having a guaranteed designated driver.

Sounds JUST like my husband. Sex and alcohol -- yippee! :rolleyes: Only he didn't get too much sex -- or ANY -- for the last 10 weeks of my pregnancy!

coquelicot- Yay for steps!!!

[IrishEyes]

Becky - congrats on TTC! Very exciting!

Memorial Day - we aren't doing anything too exciting. Might go to SIL's on Sunday. Monday is Brody's birthday, but since we already had the party, we'll have cupcakes and give him a present (bike with training wheels?).

Milestones - according to this BabyCenter link (http://www.babycenter.com/0_milestone-chart-13-to-18-months_1496589.bc), they expect 50% of babies to be able to point to one body part at 14 months. I realize these milestones are all over the place (and kids are too)... Carson can do some of the advanced ones for 13 months but not all of the ones that should be mastered.

Carson is turning out to be a lot like Brody - learns physical things quickly and lags somewhat in talking & other 'processing' activities. Brody definitely caught up with his age-mates by 2 or 3.

Eating - Carson eats a lot more (in quantity it seems and definitely diversity) than his older brother. His favorite thing is spaghetti. His mouth keeps opening like a baby bird. I was surprised he didn't weigh more at his 1 yr WBV.

Update on us - I'm sort of PO'd that I have to leave early to go get Carson and drive him out of the way to have his TB test looked at. Bah. He's completely changed over to milk and we're having no issues. Yay! He's taken 3 steps with no help walking from one person to another, so he'll be walking all over soon enough! Here are his 1 yr WBV stats:

Weight: 22 lb 6 oz
Height: 32 inches (95th percentile)
Head: 18 inches, which is the same or less than what he was at 9 months, which doesn't make any sense.

[SiValleySteph]

Body parts - Really? Seriously? I don't work with my baby at all because I am frazzled and I'm happy if he's happy. I just feel in a rush all the time trying to get through the daily details. Plus, he's still a crankpot. I saw 1-2 new teeth, I think, but I can't get a good look. I'm guessing his molars are still coming in.

Oh good, I looked over the chart and at least he can do one thing that's advanced. He's a great stacker - he can stack 4 barrels, a few blocks, etc. :p I'm not a total failure!

Oh, he still doesn't really walk - he's getting better, once he got 17 steps, but he's not quite there yet.

And he doesn't talk too much. Like real words ... need to work on this.

[Baby Lust]

I think "standards" are so different, not only from state to state but even from ped to ped! The therapist wasn't at all concerned that they didn't know body parts, so I'm not either. I thought it was outrageous, myself! But I guess it is something new to work on. *shrug*

[makena32204]

Body parts - Really? Seriously? I don't work with my baby at all because I am frazzled and I'm happy if he's happy. I just feel in a rush all the time trying to get through the daily details.

I could have written this word for word...animal noises, body parts? Am I supposed to be working on this now? I dont even remember from DD. :) He's walking, babbling a lot, climbing and all over the place. I think he's doing just fine even if he cant moo or point out his nose. :p Although, it would be nice if he fed himself more. So far, he'll only do about three different finger foods...O cereal, cheese crumbles and carrots. Occasionally, green beans (if I have time to make them and think about it in advance).

[ironhair]

Body parts - Really? Seriously? I don't work with my baby at all because I am frazzled and I'm happy if he's happy. I just feel in a rush all the time trying to get through the daily details.
I could have written this word for word...animal noises, body parts? Am I supposed to be working on this now? I dont even remember from DD. He's walking, babbling a lot, climbing and all over the place. I think he's doing just fine even if he cant moo or point out his nose.

Count me in this group as well :o When I do try to work on these things with her - like trying to get her to say a word or a sound, or asking where something is - Aiden answers for her. We've tried talking to him about it, but he can't help himself! She won't need to talk with him around:rolleyes:

Irish - Alivia way out-eats Aiden too. I catch myself telling him "You need to take 3 more bites, Alivia ate more than you did!" Nothing like encouraging an eating disorder at 3!

Baby Proofing - We don't baby proof. I'm a firm believer that children should learn to respect boundaries and other people's property...however, that's not worked out as well as I had planned...although, no where my kids spend time is really baby-proofed (outside of daycare), and it's not been too much of a hassle/safety-issue. Then again, I don't think anyone in my family actually owns a meat cleaver ;)

Yes, Rach was right, I do have a thumb-sucker. He just turned 3 and is still at it. He doesn't do it at all during the day, but the minute he sees me walk in the door, he starts asking for his blanket and his thumb goes immediately to his mouth. Then it's generally just when he tired or upset about something. Someone once gave me a Thumb Guard (http://www.thumbguard.com/Thumbguard.html), and swore by it. I haven't had the heart to use it yet. Alivia gets a paci, how can I explain it to him that he can't suck his thumb anymore? I'm too much of a softie.

Aaack - just noticed the time - I have a hair cut in 5 minutes...be back later to finish!

[Mrs.Chappy]

https://www.searsphotos.com/ImageServer/dep_show_line_item.aspx?I=1062A39A-95C7-467F-B7E9-09D3996DCC1B&C=Nathttps://www.searsphotos.com/ImageServer/dep_show_line_item.aspx?I=BDB137ED-A5FA-48DD-B7CC-FC8F0AC28734&C=Nat&R=90

took the boys for pics today...here are a few

https://www.searsphotos.com/ImageServer/dep_show_line_item.aspx?I=D908546A-364F-4F2F-936B-E4C9561B061A&C=Nat&R=90

https://www.searsphotos.com/ImageServer/dep_show_line_item.aspx?I=EA39AFDB-0A18-455F-BA13-2386B1C526A1&C=Nat

we waited an hour (with an appt),..needless to say i'd rather pay more money w/ less hassle. i' won't be going back to SEARS.

[ironhair]

OK - back to finish my post...

MrsC - that was our experience at Sears, and it will be our last time as well. At least you got smiles out of both of yours when it was all said and done.

Anemone - Eloise is such a little doll, and love her outfit, right down to her red shoes!

We survived the birthday party last Saturday! Actually it went quite well. We asked for consumable-type items for gifts, and I think we ended up with 40 cans of play dough! Here are a few pics from the day: This is a picture of Alivia walking from her daycare provider to me during the party (you can see a bit of Ellen behind her). And a picture of her enjoying her cake (she enjoyed it much more than Aiden enjoyed his first cakeAnd one last picture of A&A enjoying their birthday present from us, a battery-powered dump truck. Aiden is a pretty good little driver. http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff169/Sidney_Lang/BirthdayGirl.jpghttp://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff169/Sidney_Lang/Mmmgood.jpghttp://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff169/Sidney_Lang/DumpTruck.jpg

Weekend Plans - My 15-year HS reunion is this weekend. With 4 different events, most of the weekend will be spent on that. I still live in the town where I went to HS, so at least there won't be any travel involved. I'm really looking forward to seeing some people I haven't seen since our 10 year reunion. I hope to get a trip to the zoo in too, but that might be pushing it.

Alivia is working on a molar. I can see it popping through the gum, and it is causing lots of havoc - she is a complete bear! I hope it ends soon. She is also getting much better/braver WRT walking. I was in the laundry room last night and when I turned around, there she was, walking toward me from the other room with the biggest grin on her face. I'm hoping full-on walking isn't too far away now simply to get rid of the DIRTY knees. She loves to play outside, she ends up a dirty little pig b/c she crawl everywhere.

[twinnyme]

I'm hoping full-on walking isn't too far away now simply to get rid of the DIRTY knees. She loves to play outside, she ends up a dirty little pig b/c she crawl everywhere.

And I'm thinking that Bridget is getting braver WRT walking because she doesn't want to crawl on the dirt. Every time she is about to she hesitates and then starts walking, LOL. I'm loving it.

GREAT pictures of A&A and also the boys, MrsChappy. I too am amazed that they were still that smile-y after an hour wait - that's great. Cute coordinating outfits, too.

Also, just to clarify, by "work" (which I put in quotes originally too) on animal sounds or body parts it's mainly just when we read books that have those things in it. It's not like I sit her down at 6 o'clock every day and say, "okay, animal noises/body parts tutoring time." Just something to do for play time / to pass the time when she doesn't want to play independently.

[Baby Lust]

Also, just to clarify, by "work" (which I put in quotes originally too) on animal sounds or body parts it's mainly just when we read books that have those things in it.
That's exactly what the therapist said to do. She had a puzzle that made the animal sounds so she was telling the girls what animal made the sound, then she made the sound. We also have a baby body parts book so when we read that, instead of pointing out the parts on the baby in the book, I use the girls. I guess it's never too early to work on new things. Sorry to have freaked everyone out.

[tashaw6]

Becky- - That is so exciting! I think we will probably only TTC next year. Also, as you know I still nurse. I think I will be continuing just for a while longer and then start weaning.

Hair cut: Kade's hair is really long. Its all curls when it is dry so you can't really notice but when it is wet it reaches near his shoulder blades. I think the time has come for the first hair cut :(

Rach: Hope the neuro goes well!

Walking and talking: When we went for our wbv the Dr asked how many words Kade is saying and she was really concerned that he wasn't saying a lot. That was our "work" to take home-get him to say more words. Man oh man what happened to the days of just letting them be. I am so glad I have you guys to "compare" with otherwise I'd be a stress ball thinking what a loser mother I was! E&O Kade also does the whole falling forward thing when he walks and thinks it is so funny. He also takes around 5 steps on his own which he has been doing for over a month now so I don't know when he is just going to start walking.

Milk & water: Milk is not going so well but he is getting there. His facial expression is priceless when he drinks milk and then realises it is not b-milk! He actually spits it out. I can't help but laugh. Now water, he can down a cup in no time at all. I am so happy that he likes water so much. I know that can be a difficult one.

wbv stats:
Weight: 23 lbs 4 oz
Length: 33 inches
Head circumference: Can't remember inches but he's in the 94 percentile

Plans for the long week-end: We actually just took this past week off and drove down to Virginia beach. It was heaven. The weather was lovely and we had such a wondeful time. Kade was really apprehensive about the waves but loved crawling all over the sand! He really loved the indoor heated pool at the hotel we stayed at. I think he is a natural! He was "diving in" and kicking his legs even! He did really well on the drive there and back (13 hours there and 13 hours back...yes we are mad but it was a last minute decision so that is what we were stuck doing).

Hope everyone has a lovely long week-end!

[E&O]

It's been quiet around here all weekend, I hope everyone was enjoying the holiday.

We had a good weekend, LOTS of family together time. We took the kids to a local farmers market on Saturday where they had balloon animals and face painting and a real live cow! (don't know why that seems so exciting to me, but he was just out walking among the people). We did lot of errands...Target, Wal Mart, Home Depot (slowly getting the house ready to put on the market). And spent a lot of time outside splashing in the water table and kiddie pool. Cooper was not at all into the pool- I think the water is much too cold for his taste, even when we let it warm up in the sun for a while. But he LOVES splashing at the water table. He goes from dry to soaked from head to toe in a matter of seconds.

We might be getting somewhere with walking.... he become really intrigues with a a few walking toys this weekend and was doing a lot of laps around the top floor of the house. But when it comes to walking towards someone he still does the "fall forward". But we have learned that standing up, instead of getting down to his level, keeps him from doing that. I think by the end of June we'll have a wobbly walker in the house.

My favorite thing he does recently is when I am sitting on the floor he will crawl over, kind of dive into my lap, and lay there all snuggly for a few seconds. Lets me rub us back or play with his hair. Until something catches his eye and he is off again!

[MrsBeckyLP]

Great pics, MrsC and ironhair!!

twinnyme- I know exactly what you mean about "working" on those sounds and stuff. That's how we do it, too.

Tash- Wow, Kade is tall! He's almost 5 inches taller than Maddie!

E&O- Sounds like a nice weekend. Maddie has been snuggly like that lately, too. It's so funny. Yesterday we were out to eat and she leaned over and hugged DH's arm and wouldn't let go for about two minutes. So sweet!

We had a nice weekend at the lake. Maddie was such a good girl, except for the temper tantrums she threw when she wasn't getting her way. She totally has it figured out that Grandma will do anything Maddie wants her to. :rolleyes: She spent a lot of time walking holding onto our hands this weekend, and her balance is getting much better. She pushed the umbrella stroller around the paved campfire pit (when no fire was lit) about 100 times. All she wanted to do was walk. When we were on the boat, DH sat in back with her facing the motor (it's a pontoon with fishing seats in the rear), and she waved at everyone. It was adorable. She slept great all weekend and is now going down to sleep awake without crying! Yay!

[MrsSpencer]

Everything is going well here, Nicholas is totally into the temper tantrums when he isn't getting what he wants. He's "yelling" alot, and in restaurants and DH is saying we're not taking him to any more unless he stops. He's almost running now and is always on the go. He's saying more words, like "okay, bye, and num-num (for food)". He has a little walmart shopping cart and he puts his Elmo in it and pushes it around. He's a total handful now (which is why I'm rarely online) and we had to get a lock for the toliet..as I caught him (while I was getting ready) open it and try to put his toys in there.

He is sleeping a bit better he only gets up once at night now, as opposed to 3-4 before. He has 4 teeth coming through at once all on top so I think that has something to do with it.

Well he's upset again (he's been whining/crying a lot with his teeth)...gotta go..glad to see everyone is doing well!

[SiValleySteph]

"working" with the kids, Just to clairfy, I don't think there's anything wrong with "working" with your kids. It's just not a priority here at the moment. I'm trying to get more book reading in to the little one. He's only interested a little ... much more interested in pulling books off the shelf or slamming the shut. :p He loves music, though!

Oh, I have been trying to work with my older son on reading since he's going to K in the fall. I'm not sure about it - it just frustrates us both. I'm only asking for 5 minutes of attention a day and that is like pulling teeth or something. He has no problem listening to chapter books and paying attention, but the second you want him to try and sound things out ... forget it! Not sure if I will keep trying this or not...

[twinnyme]

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! We had a fun weekend but kind of laid low, as poor Bridget had pink eye. Sigh. But she was never irritable at all - except of course when we had to put eye ointment on her! (We went to the pediatrician on Friday, she was 22 lb. 4 oz. with a onesie and slightly wet diaper on.)

MrsBeckyLP - so cute about Maddie waving at everyone and pushing the stroller around the firepit. Glad she's going to sleep without crying for you, too, now, especially after sleeping out of her element at the lake; that's great!

MrsSpencer - glad Nicholas is sleeping better for you! It is a tough age for restaurants though like anything else it depends on the kid. We've always had rough times in restaurants.

That was our "work" to take home-get him to say more words. Man oh man what happened to the days of just letting them be.

I agree! And I don't push at all, we go with the flow of what the child wants. Like SiValleySteph, my older DD does not want to practice numbers (she keeps telling me that her teacher says she wants them to do "homework" and "practice their numbers" but then she doesn't want to; fine with me!). OTOH, as part of our nightly routine, we have three books, three songs, and then 5 minutes of sitting and talking - and often during that time, DD1 asks me to spell things. So, whatever she's feeling like is what we do; otherwise, she learns through play and daycare and that's more than enough at this stage for me!

Reading - Bridget isn't too interested in reading right now, either, though she still likes the lift-a-flap ones - she seems to just like to see how many she can get me to get off a shelf during bedtime routine! She points and points to them and I try to figure out which ones she wants. :p We usually stop this after a couple of books.

Walking - Bridget took leaps and bounds this weekend. In terms of walking, until Thursday night she was doing a lot of the "fall forward" thing. But on Thursday night we were at the park and she was walking like crazy - guess she liked the huge open space; our house is small. Until this weekend, for a month or more, she took maybe 2-3 steps, maybe at the most 4-6 steps at a time, and when she fell she reverted back to crawling. But as of this weekend now when she falls she gets back up and continues walking, and she's walking sometimes 10-15 steps in a row! I think that means there's no looking back now.

Talking - She's starting to mimic now - she said "up" this weekend and also "I did it!" (I wonder if that's something they say to her at daycare; I usually say "you did it!") I heard it a few times this weekend - it's not clear but it's understandable and in context - and DH heard it this morning.

She's also very much into putting lids on things lately. That's partially where the "I did it!" comes from, I think. DD1 never talked at this age - she maybe had just a couple of words at this age, and her language explosion came closer to 18 months - since then, I don't think she's stopped talking except to sleep!

AND she's napping much better if we can hold her off until 11 or 12 and just give her one nap - on Sunday she napped from 11:30 to 2:00 and she's been taking 2-3 hour naps more and more. This is in preparation for her move to the "toddler room" at daycare next week; she gets cranky in the later morning, especially since she typically wakes around 6, but we try to do it as much as we can. It helps with our schedule the days we're home, too, so that DD1 can get out and do fun things as well.

I LOVE this age!

[tashaw6]

Becky: I was looking at him lying down today and he really is pretty tall. DH is tall so I guess he is following in his footsteps.

Here's a quick pic of my Q-T!

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc358/neiltashandkade/Kade%20-%2013%20months/_MG_5328.jpg?t=1243390202

[tgr68]

So cute, Tasha!!

[Dettes]

Hi everyone. Hope you all enjoyed the long weekend. We stayed local and hit a parade and a few bbqs then went into the City for Fleet Week on Monday. Nothing too crazy. I do miss my weekends at the shore BC (before children) from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Oh well, we'll be down there for two weeks in July.

Rach - any updates? Been thinking of you guys.

Anemone - Eloise is adorable! I know that expression on her face well, my middle DD has that look a lot.

Great pictures Mrs C - note to self (again) PLEASE make appt. to have kids pics taken already!

Iron - your kids are too cute. Love that cake picture, looks like she enjoyed it.

OMG Tash - Q-T is RIGHT!!!!

I LOVE this age! - you said it sister! I do too! I forgot how completely fun it is. They're such little show offs now and so proud of themselves - and the best part is that they haven't learned to say "no" yet or talk back ;). Can I freeze her at this age??

This is a little off topic and probably belongs somewhere else, but I really don't post regularly in any other threads and it is the reason I am up at 3:00 in the morning. I have been interviewing for a new job, which came to me, completely unsolicited, and now I have to make a MAJOR decision - stay where I am or leave. By way of background, I am an attorney at a law firm about 10 -15 minutes from home and the kids' school. As far as the job goes, it is great in the sense that I have a lot of flexibility, I am close to home, I've been there almost ten years, so I'm established there and pretty much come and go as I please. The problem - I hate, loathe, despise etc. the profession! I became partner and have received all sorts of awards as an attorney, however I have gained zero personal satisfaction from any of that. I'd much prefer to receive the mom of the year award, but alas, they don't give those out. Anyhow, the job I am interviewing for would NOT be practicing law (which is the most appealing part of the job to me). It would be in the asset protection dept. of what is probably NY's premier high end retailer. The problem is that I'd have to commute into the City, which although its only about 25 miles, at rush hour it can take well over an hour. Plus, I wouldn't be able to shoot home to see the kids for lunch or over to their school for various events. OTOH, the people there *seem* so much more family friendly. (I can count on my one hand the number of times my current boss has asked me how my kids are). At the other place I know the girl who would be my direct boss. She said that after I learn the ropes, I could work one day from home. UGH, I am so torn. I keep thinking that since I have to work (at least until I win the lottery), I should be doing something that I like right? What is that saying about what is worse, the hell you know or the hell you don't???
Sorry for the LONG tangent, just a rant in hopes that writing it down might help me make a decision.

[Lolly]

Dettes, I can see why you were up so early in the morning. That's a big decision to make. I guess my own question to myself (if I were in your shoes) is what if the new job doesn't pan out to what you hoped it would be? Would you be able to easily go back to what you have now? I would just be concerned that the commute may get to me, or that I wouldn't have the flexibility to do family things during the work week, even if they said it would. That said, I'd still go for it, if its something that truly makes you want to get up in the morning and go do all day. (I've been at the same big telecom company for 15 years now (started here when I was 19) and though I do not love my job, I've become comfortable enough to stay. And like you I have to work :()


Hello Everybody!

[twinnyme]

Dettes - that's a really tough decision. I wish you all the best in making it. I'm glad that writing it down may have helped. You didn't mention money so I'm guessing that the salaries are comparable even though you are a partner at your firm - or else that the money isn't a factor. You said that at the new job, "She said that after I learn the ropes, I could work one day from home." Could you get that in writing with the negotiated offer, and could it be a flexible day (so that you can attend events for the kids on different days) or would it always be the same day? I think Lolly put very eloquently the question I would have about this decision. Good luck making it! It's great that you have found a position that makes you want to do it that much. (Btw, I'm pretty sure there's an attorney support thread on here that you may want to cross-post this, too, or maybe the WOHM thread - those ladies always have good questions/input.)

Tashaw6 - adorable picture of Kade!

[phart]

Don't cut Kade's hair! I love it:)

[E&O]

twinny- Sounds like bridget is making leaps and bounds in all kinds of ways. That's so awesome to see them learn new things everyday!

Becky- Yeah for going to sleep unassisted. Cooper has never really fussed at bedtime and it is so nice when the bedtime process is easy and snuggly and not a battle of wills!

Dettes- Yeah, those decisions are always so hard to make. But I think we make better parents when we come home in a good mood, after having a pretty enjoyable day at work. I don't LOVE my job but I like the people I work with and I'm not bringing home the stress of my work each day. I think it makes a big difference. And you might find you appreciate the commute- giving you time to wind down after a particiularly trying morning with the kids or relaxing after a stressful day at work.

So Cooper was sent home from daycare with a fever yesterday and it peaked this morning at close to 103. He also had developed a little blister on his "sucking" thumb. This worried me a bit only because a child at daycare recently came down with Hand, Foot, Mouth disease. So the blister really had me worried. I took him to the doctor this morning and turns out it is a double ear infection. She said the blister was probably just from sucking and cutting his teeth. (Just a coincidence it appeared the same time as the fever). So he is on amoxicillan 3x per day for the EI and we go back next week to see if it is clearing up.

The ped also talked to me for a while about Vitamin D supplement (she had mentioned this to me back when Cooper was very young 2-3 months old but I never really did anything about it, I kind of just thought this was a "pet project" of hers). Anyway....she seems to think there are a number of things going on with Cooper that could benefit from Vitamin D supplement including his constant runny nose, his delay in getting teeth (3 and 4 only appeared last week), his 'soft spot' is still not closed and his chest really caves in when he is breathing. So I picked up a liquid multi-vitamin at the pharamacy this morning and we will start with that tonight. I figure it certainly couldn't hurt. She also said he should get direct sunlight for about 15-20 minutes twice a day. Even if it is just sitting by a sunny window, so I'll make that a priority when I can now that the weather is nice. Has anyone else gotten any advice on vitamin supplement from their ped?

[Dettes]

Thanks for the advice ladies. Didn't mean to get this thread sidetracked with my middle of the night ramblings, but I appreciate your input.

[Mickey&B]

Wow I didn't get updates all weekend not that I had any real time to be online but I am so behind!!

be back later to catch up!!

[Mickey&B]

Don't cut Kade's hair! I love it:)

Tash I'm with phart on this one!! I love it!!!

We had a great weekend. I took Aidan to a new park that has a big hot air balloon and goes up 800ft he had a blast!!! he loved it! Saturday we stayed home and got ready for our Backyard BBQ/Pool Party!! The boys were in the pool just about all day on Monday!! I'm still cleaning up though :p

Walking Dylan found his love for push toys a few weeks ago and yesterday he took his first unassisted steps!!! he only took 3 or 4 but I am sure that walking isn't far off either. He gets so frustrated when everyone else is walking around him. He stands up but then falls forward and gets so mad.

I'm in full party planning mode! I have family comming the begining of next week and I have to finish getting everything for D's party and get my house in order.

Dettes that is a tough decision to make. The grass is always greener ya know? I say go with what your heart tells you. If this job doesn't work out would you want to go back to practicing law? Giving up partner is a lot to think about. Good luck!

[anemone]

Don't have time for a bit post, but Dettes I may have mentioned that my DH did this - he was an M&A lawyer at a big prestige law firm and was going to be made partner in 6 months. He just hated law, and I encouraged him to leave as I didn't want him to feel like he was stuck in a job he hated b/c we had a big mortgage/ school fees/ whatever in years to come. He moved into a new career, and is so happy that he left law. It was a huge risk (I was pg with DD, DS was 2 and I don't work, his new career is in a more volatile industry, so no guarantee of employment/ bonuses etc) but it was def the right decision. You've got to go with your gut, and if you work full time, it shouldn't be something you hate for the rest of your life KWIM?

[tashaw6]

The ped also talked to me for a while about Vitamin D supplement (she had mentioned this to me back when Cooper was very young 2-3 months old but I never really did anything about it, I kind of just thought this was a "pet project" of hers). Anyway....she seems to think there are a number of things going on with Cooper that could benefit from Vitamin D supplement including his constant runny nose, his delay in getting teeth (3 and 4 only appeared last week), his 'soft spot' is still not closed and his chest really caves in when he is breathing. So I picked up a liquid multi-vitamin at the pharamacy this morning and we will start with that tonight. I figure it certainly couldn't hurt. She also said he should get direct sunlight for about 15-20 minutes twice a day. Even if it is just sitting by a sunny window, so I'll make that a priority when I can now that the weather is nice. Has anyone else gotten any advice on vitamin supplement from their ped?

We have been recommended this by our ped mostly cause there is hardly any sun in Ohio...lol! I don't see any harm and we don't give it to him every day just when we remember. I like that it may help with his teeth case Kade's teeth are also taking their time. He also only has four (and I think 5 is coming).

Don't cut Kade's hair! I love it:)

Love it!! :) We are still up in the air about what we want to do with his hair but I love his curls. We do get tons of "oh what a pretty girl" though. :rolleyes:

Us: We went to a meeting for a new program being offered at the montesorri here in our town and its geared for infants/toddlers. I am pretty excited cause its a great place where they nurture the kids and teach them life skills etc. I have really been feeling like I haven't been giving DS enough stimulation and I feel bad "working" with him when we get home cause I can imagine he's had a long day at daycare as I have had at work. He will start there at the end of Aug. What do you guys think of montesori? I don't know very much about there whole philosophy but from what I have read and heard it sounds great. I love that they learn at their own pace and that they get to mingle with older kids so they learn more.

And I think we also have a walker. Kade has been taking a few steps here and there but mostly when we are around and encouraging him. But today he walked from his room to the big room where they play and that is quite a distance. And then when we got home he just got up and walked across the room. I don't want to say he is a full on walker quite yet cause he still spends a lot of time crawling but he is definitely getting there!

[anemone]

Tash I love Montessori. I did a lot of reading and hoped to get DS into preschool, but unfortunately the commute was too difficult and we instead got into a Reggio preschool (which is great too, although their philosophies are quite different). There is a thread in the 3yo forum that you can ask questions in thread here (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29615&highlight=montessori). Montessori is supposed to be great for boys especially. Probably Mickey can give more insight as I think I remember she's a preschool teacher(???). BTW, loved the pic of Kade and his curls - too cute!

[E&O]

Wheeew! What a morning! At a WOHM I like to think I have pretty good control in the morning and can get everyone up, ready and out the door with minimal stress. And we've actually been leaving EARLY the past few weeks. BUT.... this morning was insane and I could not wait to get the kids to daycare and go to work for a rest!

Cooper's "seperation" issues were in full force. As soon as I set him down to play he just screamed and cried. He pulling at my legs, screaming the entire time I was getting myself ready for work. I hate to just ignore him but I can't get anything done holding him all morning, so I just push through it.

We had the windows open this morning b/c the weather is so nice and I seriously thought a neighbor might call the cops because my kid was screaming for like 20 minutes straight! Kate can usually entertain him and keep him happy in the morning, but she was in a funk this morning and all she wanted to do was lay on our bed and whine.

Only 5 more moths until seperation issues reach their peak and taper off!

[Dettes]

Ohh, E&O I know those days... hang in there!

Thanks again for all of your input with my job situation girls - I've decided to stay where I am - sometimes life intervenes and makes decisions for you ;)...

[MrsBeckyLP]

E&O- Sounds like a hellish morning. Ugh.

Dettes- I'm glad you were able to make a decision. That must have been a tough situation to be in. You can't hold out on us -- why did "life" help? You aren't pregnant, are you???!!!!

Us- Maddie cut her third tooth on Friday -- the one on the right next to her bottom ones -- and I can see at least three more (all on top). She's been such a good girl though and has hardly complained. She also "let go" and stood by herself for the first time yesterday. She was holding onto her cousin's jumperoo while he jumped in it, and she let go and clapped for him, then went back to holding on like nothing had happened. She'd usually sit down the minute she let go of something. Then later in the day she let go over and over again while I was sitting on the ground facing her. I got it on video, and it was so cute! She did it for about 10 seconds once before leaning forward on purpose. My mom thinks she's not as far off from walking as I think she is (I've been guessing at least two more months). We shall see.

We go back to the hip doctor in two weeks, and I hope we get good news. At least she's walking holding onto our hands (bearing weight on the hips). That's what the specialist said would help determine how things are really developing.

[E&O]

You can't hold out on us -- why did "life" help? You aren't pregnant, are you???!!!!

Oh, I thought that very same thing too!

[Standrea]

I totally did too ;)!

[ironhair]

OK, me too!!

[tgr68]

Oooh! Now I'm curious too! ;)

Question about aggressive behavior...
DS has decided to use hitting (and more recently biting) to express his frustration. Any ideas on discouraging this type of behavior? TIA!

[SiValleySteph]

hahaha, ok, now I must now as well! :D

walking, DS was taking a few steps for a couple weeks, but just last week he took off and is pretty much exclusively walking. If he falls over, he just stands up and walks again. So cute! Good timing, too, as we went to a Greek Festival Friday night and he toddled around dancing and enjoying the music the whole time. He would have been filthy if he was crawling!

Cozy Coupe - We got Damong a Cozy Coupe this weekend as a birthday present from my parents and he really loves it! Then we went to the grocery store last night and he went right over and got into a car cart. It was so cute. I was going to use the other kind of double cart, but it seemed like he thought that was his car. :p

Aggressive behavior, Sorry you are dealing with this tgr. Not fun. Isn't redirection recommended at this age? I think... not sure. We do make a point of telling younger DS that it's not okay on top of redirecting for the benefit of our older son so that he doesn't see younger one getting away with something, KWIM?

[kissmary]

We are back from the beach (in fact came home a day early, on Saturday, instead of spending a night part-way) and had a great time! Henry loved the sand and the pool, but he could do without the ocean.

Some pictures from his first time in the sand:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3634/3579442505_6c616fe306.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3363/3567878196_418155cff1.jpg

Yes, we left him in his pjs since we went out in the morning before it was hot and too sunny. :D

Of course, now that we are back to cooler weather, he seems to be getting a cold. Ugh.

I think I'm caught up in here, but won't do any SO's, except to say that I'm waiting for Dettes' news, too!!

[Mickey&B]

Becky Yeah for Maddie!! She'll be walking before you know it!

Dettes You opened yourself up for that one.....don't leave us on the edge :p

re-direction, a strong "that's not okay" and then giving him something he can bite or pinch is what we do. It's tough developmental stage! I have to remind myself that he doesn't understand that it hurts just that he gets a reaction UGGG but some days I swear!!

[B]Kissmary Great pictures!!


We are gearing up for D's party this weekend and between having family comming in and all of the events we have planning I am tired just thinking about it!!!

But he has been taking more and more steps everyday he is definetly determined and stubborn!! if he falls he just gets right back up and trys again and again before he gets upset :( I'm thinking if he keeps up this pace he'll be all over the place at his party which would be great since it's at the park!

[Mrs.Chappy]

c'mon..nowi'm curious!!
glad you made the decision..

hope all is well w/ everyone.

Jake is making me nuts. In the car i feel as if i'm revisiting the early colic days....help! he has such a temper and is moody *i guess he got 'something' from me despite the fact that he looks nothing like me ;)

[Dettes]

:D Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I have never spilled to anyone until 12 weeks for any of my others and I still won't IRL - so keep it low, but I've just been so giddy that I had to share somewhere and I feel somewhat anonymous on here.

Adorable pics of Henry! None of my kids liked the sand at first.

Good luck with the party Mickey! Is he the last of our babes to turn 1?

MrsC -I feel your pain. Caroline has a little temper now too when she doesn't get her way. Hopefully it will pass soon.

On the teeth front, Caroline's top front teeth are finally coming in. She has had her bottom two teeth for foreever and then she cut her eye teeth - I've never seen a baby get eye teeth before the front ones. She looked like she had fangs and I was calling her my little vampire.

[Lolly]

OMG Dettes! SQUEEEEE!!!!

You know, I have the itch again too because I've been pregnant or had a new babe for basically the past 4 years now. :D Plus, its swimsuit season and its so much easier for me, mentally, if I'm pregnant or just had one. Makes making excuses for my belly easier ;)

We're fresh from a short weekend in Savannah and I loved it. We need to go back soon because we just didn't have enough time to do too much. But we did tour the city and went to Tybee Island for a few hours. The girls had a blast on the beach and loved the water. What a beautiful area Savannah and Tybee are. The girls did OK for the long car ride. 4 stops up and 4 stops back made it a 10 hour trip each way. I think without so many stops we could have made it in 8.5 hours.

[MrsBeckyLP]

Dettes- Sorry for calling you out, but YAY!!!!! I'm so excited for you. I got a huge smile on my face when I read that!!!!!!! Congrats! Hopefully I won't be too far behind you!

[ironhair]

Dettes: YAY!! Congratulations!!!

You gals who are announcing or TTC are starting to get to me...I'm so undecided right now. I succumb so easily to peer pressure :p

[Mrs.Chappy]

yay..congrats!! very exciting.

[twinnyme]

Congratulations, Dettes! How very exciting! I have to say that I'm completely oblivious and, though I read your post, I didn't pick up on what you said at all. Congratulations!

Aggressive behavior - not really, though she definitely swats her sister away sometimes (I don't blame her). We say "no hitting" to her and redirect her, as we did with DD1 at this age. If DD1 hits, she gets a time out - but that is very rare these days. However, Bridget is definitely tantruming in just the last couple of days - when she's upset and she's standing she doubles over her body and starts screaming. Lovely.

She started in the toddler room at daycare today and did pretty well at dropoff. I'm eager to find out this afternoon how she did. It was so weird to sit her in the little chair at the little table instead of in a highchair when I was leaving - she looked so BIG!

[summerbride2005]

Dettes- Congrats!! That is so exciting!

[Standrea]

Congrats Dettes! I have to admit, I emailed Becky right away yesterday after your post to see if she thought the same thing, and have been checking back on here like a lunatic.

I have to admit, I'm completely green with envy. And, just yesterday I thought I was done ;)

[Mickey&B]

Congrates Dettes!!!!

[twinnyme]

I have to admit, I'm completely green with envy. And, just yesterday I thought I was done ;)

Me, too! I held the sweetest 4-month-old yesterday and also found out that a friend is pregnant with her third, and now all I can think about is wanting a baby! We probably won't, because we are done done done, or so we keep saying, but as a coworker has said, "never say never." I still think we're done but I'm definitely feeling some twinges. Congratulations again!

[kissmary]

Congrats, Dettes!

[MrsBeckyLP]

I held the sweetest 4-month-old yesterday and also found out that a friend is pregnant with her third, and now all I can think about is wanting a baby!

I think that's my problem. (Though it's not really a "problem" considering we only have one child and plan to have another, hopefully soon.) One of my good friends had a baby last week, and I have three more who are due in October. That makes four out of our close group of seven girlfriends -- and two of the seven aren't even married, so they don't count!

[rachrich]

Hi girls. I'm so terribly behind, as seems to be the norm for me the last month or so.

CONGRATS DETTES!!!! very exciting. You're going to start a domino-effect in this thread now. ;) As much as DH & I are gung-ho about having a 3rd, we're waiting a little longer than we originally planned due to Owen and what he's going through. Dr's have "strongly advised" us to wait until we find out results of Owen's genetic tests (should be this week!) so we will know whether we'll need genetic counseling and some special pre-natal tests....a lot of "IF's" I know but that's where we stand. If Owen was a "typical" 12-month old, we'd definitely be TTC right now.

Not muich going on with us/Owen. Waiting, waiting, waiting, testing, testing, more waiting....that's pretty much our lives these days. we're hanging in and hoping for a negative result on the Lowe syndrome this week.

[tashaw6]

OH MY WORD Congrats Dettes!!! Our first May mommy to be pg again!! :)

Ok, I was reading through the thread since I last posted and each post I was agreeing...sitting in the small table instead of the high chair, at the beach eating the sand, loving the sand, pool but not the waves, walking around falling but getting right back up, the 10 hour drive to and from the beach, screaming in the mornings whilst I am trying to get ready...tick tick tick. I love this thread for this reason. :)

Rach: Praying for good results!

[Baby Lust]

Rach, Hope you get good results tomorrow! Will be thinking about you!

[Mickey&B]

Rach Yes, I hope you get some good news tomorrow.


I have to admit, I'm completely green with envy. And, just yesterday I thought I was done
Today 11:34 AM

LOL yes, I had my IUD removed today (because of some of the side effects I was having) and while I was waiting for them to do a pregnancy test I kept thinking "what if" a little part of me doesn't want to take any BC and just see what happens. The other part of me though is scared to death :p

[tgr68]

Congrats, Dettes!!! :D

Good luck, Rach!

[MrsSpencer]

congrats dettes!

thinking of you rach.

[anemone]

Congrats Dettes! Now you're making me think as well.....

Rach Hope all goes well for you today. You guys are due for some good news!

[Dettes]

Rach - keeping my fingers crossed for you and Owen and waiting to hear your report of good news. Lord knows you're due for it, and I totally understand you're wanting to wait.

Thanks ladies. I was looking for a sign as to what I should do about changing jobs - and - I got one! We always said we would have 4 an I wanted them before age 35 (according to my calcuations, my due date is the day after my 36th birthday -not too bad) I realize that we've been very fortunate thus far both in getting pg and carrying so I don't want to take anything for granted. I do know what all of you who think you may be done mean about having second thoughts. I'm already getting nostalgic thinking this is my last. Good God, I need my head examined!

[Lolly]

Rach, thinking of you, and Owen of course. I pray you get good news :)

[MrsBeckyLP]

Rach, I hope you guys get great news today! I'll be thinking about you guys!

Mickey- Have you decided what BC you'll use now, or are you just going to skip it? Come on, have another one! ;) (I say that like I'm the one paying the bills and raising the kids!)

Maddie got "beat up" at daycare yesterday. Her teacher called me and said "her friends were ganging up on her" and then someone threw a rock at her from close-range and it hit her in the forehead. That left a red mark and now a bruise. Then, not even 10 minutes later, she was grabbed/pinched in the cheek by someone and it drew blood. She has a deep, nasty-looking scratch on her cheek near the corner of her mouth. Poor girl. It just breaks my heart thinking about her sitting there crying after that happened. Ugh. Some "friends," huh? :p I hope she learns to fight back and doesn't just sit there and take it. She's by far the smallest one in that room, and I don't want this to become a regular occurrence.

[E&O]

Congrats Dettes! You're amazing to give it a go with 4 kids!

I do know that our family is now complete. And while the idea of being pregnant and welcoming a teeny tiny bundle is wonderful, I know my limitations and I admit I'm barely getting by most days with just 2 kids. I want to be a great mom to my kids and I know that will be very hard for me with any additional children. Although it is weird to think that when Kate was 13 months, I was pregnant with Cooper.

Like everyone else mentioned, I'm wishing the very best for you and Owen, Rach!

After a hellish morning on Monday, Cooper has been great. So smiley and cheerful. An yesterday he pointed for the first time. We were outside and saw a low flying airplane (we live near a regional airport). I said, Cooper look at the airplane and he pointed right at it and screeched! He's cute because he's so deliberate with his pointing, he will watch his hands, get his finger pointed and then hold it up.

Also funny is the new game Cooper and Kate like to play. Kate will sit on this little ride-on/push-along car we have, and Cooper will stand up behind the car. Kate willlift her feet and Cooper will push her along the hallway. Cooper is super small but he is strong as heck! Kate weighs about 30lbs and he pushes her along like she weighs nothing. And he laughs and laughs the entire time. It is so enjoyable watching them play together.

[Mrs.Chappy]

Rach::: i'm thinking of you guys as you wait!! praying for some good news too for you.

[MrsSpencer]

Oh Becky poor maddie..hope she's okay.

[ironhair]

E&O - I wish my kids would play that well together. They do well for about 10 minutes a day, then they fight over toys the rest of the time:rolleyes:

Rach - good to hear from you! Will be thinking good thoughts for you.

Poor Maddie! Days like that are hard on a mama.

Our receptionist is in the hospital having a baby as we speak...I can't wait to hear the details!

Alivia said "Aiden" as clear as day yesterday! She was looking for him and when she found him she yelled "Aiden!" and was so happy. Other than that, she really only says "mama", but she says that all.of.the.time, and usually b/c she's chewing me out for something, ha!

[Mickey&B]

awww poor Maddie I hope she figures out a way to keep herself from being picked on. It so hard when all the kids find that one kid to pick on :(

Becky I picked up Yasmin. I was on it years ago and don't remember any side effects.
And while the idea of being pregnant and welcoming a teeny tiny bundle is wonderful, I know my limitations and I admit I'm barely getting by most days with just 2 kids. I want to be a great mom to my kids and I know that will be very hard for me with any additional children.

This is exactly how I feel!!! and on a more selfish note I haven't lost that extra 50lbs :eek: I gained with Dylan and getting pregnant now OMG!! that alone might kill me!!

[E&O]

E&O - I wish my kids would play that well together. They do well for about 10 minutes a day, then they fight over toys the rest of the time:rolleyes:

Well in all honesty, they played so well together right after they were outside fighting over the kiddie sized patio chair. I made them take turns and this *really* ticked Cooper off. When it was Kate's turn in the chair he was screeching and grabbing at her arms and heads to pull her off. Little temper on that one... like his momma!

[twinnyme]

Alivia said "Aiden" as clear as day yesterday! She was looking for him and when she found him she yelled "Aiden!" and was so happy. Other than that, she really only says "mama", but she says that all.of.the.time, and usually b/c she's chewing me out for something, ha!

So sweet - I cannot wait for the day that Bridget calls her sister by name (or at least some semblance of it).

[Standrea]

Rach-I'll be praying for you.

Becky- Karma's a Bitch. ;). JK I'm so sorry to hear about Maddie's friends beating up on her :(. The poor muffin. I hope the scrape heals quickly!

Nice to see you in here Mrs.S!



I had a hair appt. last night, so DH was left to feed the girls and get them ready for bed. Ellie woke up this morning with her eyes swollen, totally mucousy, and then started puking. He forgot to read the label, and kielbasa contained milk. Poor kid. At least we now know that she still can't tolerate it.

[ironhair]

Well in all honesty, they played so well together right after they were outside fighting over the kiddie sized patio chair. I made them take turns and this *really* ticked Cooper off. When it was Kate's turn in the chair he was screeching and grabbing at her arms and heads to pull her off. Little temper on that one... like his momma!

Yes! This is typically how things are at my house. Oh, and Alivia certainly has my disposition and temper. She gets MAD at the drop of a hat, and doesn't hesitate to let you know about it either. I can't wait until she's a teenager, not!

Andrea - that's too bad that Ellie's reactions to dairy don't seem to be lessoning (is that a word?). At least you are able to keep her healthy and happy by watching what she is eating though.

[E&O]

Becky- Karma's a Bitch. . JK I'm so sorry to hear about Maddie's friends beating up on her . The poor muffin. I hope the scrape heals quickly!


Becky-At least Maddie was attacked by children and not by a flock of angry, vengeful, shitting birds! (and for what its worth- I have a birds nest in my front door wreath that I really want to throw away, I'm just too lazy to do it. Thankfully I think the nest has been abandoned and no birds are stopping by for visits. Guess its my payback for still having my Xmas wreath up in June!)

[IrishEyes]

Hello everyone, I feel like I haven't been here in ages, but it's probably only been a few days. I went on a short business trip and was gone just about 48 hrs. Unfortunately, I didn't even get the chance to leave the hotel where the meeting was occurring, but it was nice to sleep in a dark, quiet room with no disturbances! And I read 2 books during my time on the plane (ah, the simple pleasures).

Rachrich - I'm hoping for some positive news for you and Owen today!

Becky - Poor Maddie! Tell her not to let those other kids boss her around!

Dettes - congrats! There's a twinge of envy here too, but like other PPs, DH and I know our limits and it's definitely 2 kids for us!

Andrea - sorry to hear about the re-emergence of kielbasa. Um... yuck!

ironhair - aw, so cute! I keep thinking Carson's first word will be his big brother's name. Can't wait!

Carson is learning so much right now (just about walking on his own full time - 11 steps max right now, interested in learning about every item in the house) and also in that throwing/biting stage. Although, it appears the only person he bites is big brother (when they wrestle, which they like to do). So it's a challenge to get him to learn that neither are appropriate.

[MrsBeckyLP]

Becky-At least Maddie was attacked by children and not by a flock of angry, vengeful, shitting birds!

Now that is freakin' funny!

Andrea- You're a bitch. ;)

ironhair- How cute it must have been to hear Alivia say her brother's name!!

[Standrea]

Becky-At least Maddie was attacked by children and not by a flock of angry, vengeful, shitting birds! (and for what its worth- I have a birds nest in my front door wreath that I really want to throw away, I'm just too lazy to do it. Thankfully I think the nest has been abandoned and no birds are stopping by for visits. Guess its my payback for still having my Xmas wreath up in June!)

That is the best thing I heard all day! LOL! I now have tea all over my screen!