July 2008 Babies~One & Going Strong

[july2008mommies]

Welcome July 2008 Mommies



http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y137/mrs_natalie/boy111.gif
ADSigMel
Lvella43
Lcarlson90
Daisy
MrsR
Jeannie
ToMama
MSH
JLR
Sue


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y137/mrs_natalie/girl111.gif
Amie
MsPeachy
kelseyledare
steviem
Bloomwood
Monster Mama
Lizard
Gokatgo


To join please post the following:

Username:
Me: Name, age:
DH: Name, age:
Your new arrival's name:
New arrival's birthdate:
New Arrival's Birth Stats:
Any other children:

We invite you to share a photo and birth & growth stats of your littleone for our photo section!



Please post updates in red for ease of finding! If we can't see it, we can't add it.

Your Threadmistress is: Lvella43.Please PM with issues regarding the thread.
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Previous Threads:
1st Trimester (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37864)
2nd Trimester (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39795)

Our Baby's Arrivals (="http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43787)

[july2008mommies]

Daisy
lcarlson90 - ugh, I'm so sorry to hear that you're all sick! Fingers crossed that it is just the flu and not the H1N1. Also, I hope your job gets better!

Bloom and Steveim - yay for walking!

lvella - cute pic!

I think 5 new teeth have came in this month alone, all molars - he has a mouth full now! Are you guys teethbrushing? I bought a toothbrush recently and before that we were using those teeth wipes. He has taken a few steps here and there, but that it is. We started a toddler group yesterday and Jensen had the best time! He had so much fun, I am so pleased. He is pretty content with other kids around and he loves to spin wheels, so he just found a shopping cart and wheel barrel, flipped them over and hung out spinning the wheels during free play. The class is also during lunch, which I figured he wouldn't eat due to all distractions, but he sat in a chair at the table with me and ate his entire lunch. He had such a good time, he was clapping and chatting during the drive home and then took a 3 hour nap!

We took him to the UW/USC game last weekend and he did really well there as well. I bought earphones for him for the noise and not only did they totally work, he willingly wore them and was happy the entire game.

Words - he is saying a few more like uh-oh and yeah and he'll point to things we ask (like wheel or ball).

We going on vacation Monday, so fingers crossed he does well on this flight, since it'll be the longest he's ever gone on (we're going to Japan). I hate flying too and for some reason my anxiety is up this time, so I am probably going to need to take something (I would prefer not to). I think our next vacation is going to be via train!

Have any of you checked out the Posh Tots site? Holy crap, I had no idea!


______________________________


Lcarlson
Sorry I have been MIA for so long. I have been so crazy at work that I haven't had time to really spend much time on CC. I interviewed for a position in a different department with my company and I was chosen. It's really a lateral transfer but I thought that there would be more opportunity for advancement in the new department. I have been trying to do my job and train with the person that I am replacing. I have been miserable and I am really regretting my decision to change departments.

To make matters work I got sick last Saturday and found out on Tuesday that I have Influenza A (most likely H1N1). Then Tuesday night both of my babies came down with it. Both of them finally seem to be getting better, but I am still really stressed out because kids tend to get better and then get a secondary infection like pnuemonia. I keep hearing these stories about kids dying and it's freaking me out. I have been taking care of them pretty much by myself since Wednesday since DH is also sick.

Hopefully I can come back later to do some replies.


____________________________________

Bloomwood
Well, S must've gotten word that I said she couldn't walk. She is now a full-time walker. It just clicked for her over the weekend and on Monday it was on. I can also tell she is starting to get an interest in words. I've caught her repeating sounds when I say words to her. Yay. I don't think I mentioned it, but she does say "nenenene" for no. I looked out at the room last night with DD1 playing and S standing up and thought: "oh wow. I have 2 little girls now."

JLR - Disney on Ice sounds so fun!

Ms. Peachy - that spoon looks cool. I'll have to check it out. DD1 is obsessed with boobs - the other day she said "Mommy, when I get bigger, I want S to suck on my boobs." btw, I haven't BF'd since February! and then another day she told me she wanted to wear a bra "when my boobs grow."

Lvella - he has a lot of teeth!! Sorry for his multiple wakings.

Steviem - so glad you enjoyed camping! The dirt gets to me, too, but I try really hard to get past it. I love how much Avery is communicating!!!


_________________________________

steviem
Hi ladies,

It feels like it has been forever since I posted. Things have been busy 'round these parts.

Avery started walking 2 weeks ago and she's getting pretty good at it. I can't believe how much older/bigger she looks now that she is walking. Thankfully she started walking just in time for our camping trip (last weekend). I soooooo did not want to deal with a baby crawling in the dirt. She got dirty enough as it was. Camping was quite the event. I haven't been camping since I was a little kid and I was worried I would hate it. I do not like being dirty and the idea of roughing it is so not me. But, I was pleasantly surprised. It was really pretty and peaceful and the kids had fun. It was hard work and I am still trying to recover but it was fun!

In other news, DS started preschool last week. What an emotional day for both of us! He still cries when I drop him off but his teacher says he only cries for a minute so that is good. I sure hope he likes it and that the crying stops all together.

Let's see whatelse........ Avery is saying quite a few words. She repeats pretty much whatever word we say to her and she is starting to communicate really well. If she is tired, I ask her if she wants to go "night-night," and she shakes her head "Yes" and says "Yeah." If she is hungry or thirsty, I ask her and she says "yes." It is making things easy. DS was a really late talker so all of these words/communication Avery is saying/doing is a lot of fun

Lvella: What an adorable little guy!

Peachy: Great find on the shoes. I need to get Avery a pair or two for the Fall.

Tomama: Hope L is feeling better.

Daisy: Glad you survived that plane ride- wow! I think I would have just started drinking after a certain point

Bloom: Avery is the same way about me feeding her. It's so annoying.

JLR: Hope you had fun at the ice show!

[Lvella43]

I looked up some talking information because I think we're headed into Late-Talker-#2. Here is a short blurb for our age group of kids:

12 to 18 months
At his first birthday, your child will likely use one to five words meaningfully. By 14 months, that working vocabulary may grow to seven real words, though he may have up to 20 "words" (these may be more like sounds) that only he and someone close to him can understand. He'll even practice inflection, raising his tone when asking a question. He might say "Up-py?" when he asks to be carried, for example.

Your toddler is realizing the power of talking as a means of communicating his needs. Until he learns more words to get his ideas and desires across, he'll likely combine his speech with gestures to show what he wants. He'll reach his arms toward his favorite toy, for example, and say "ball." In fact, some toddlers develop a whole sign language of gestures to communicate with their parents. Your child might cover his face when he's embarrassed, for example, or pound on the table when he's mad.

Don't worry if he struggles to get his meaning across now and then. This frustration is actually a healthy sign that he's trying hard to communicate and cares whether or not you understand him.

By 16 months, your toddler will probably start making many common consonant sounds, such as t, d, n, w, and h. Learning to make these sounds is a watershed event, one that leads to the rapid vocabulary spurt that most children go through starting around 18 months. Don't expect to hear all these sounds in actual words yet. But you may hear him repeating them when he's alone in his crib or playing with his toys.

[MsPeachy]

lcarlson - How scary about the flu! I hope you and your whole family can get well soon!

Daisy - That PoshTots site is crazy! Especially the cribs and other beds (but they are kinda cool :o)

Lvella - I think I'm going to have a late talker too. She babbles a lot and her receptive language is great but other that repeating sounds 'mamamama' 'gagagagaga' 'babababa' she doesn't even try to talk. That info you posted is interesting. I can definitely relate to the concept of a language of gestures because I can communicate with my DD and understand her needs/wants by a combination of signs, pointing, and facial/body language. With your first late talker, did you do anything or find anything that finally worked to get words or did you have to resort to some sort of professional help?

ETA: I almost forgot! I had something strange happen at Wal-mart this weekend. One of those things you hear about from other people but think it wouldn't happen to you. I was shopping with my DD in the cart. She is sitting there looking around and she had her pacifier in her mouth. I'm pushing the cart and stop to look at some crackers on the shelf (still standing in the "push cart" position IYKWIM) and this older man comes down the aisle next to me and reaches in front of me and grabs DD's pacifier saying "hey you, gimme that" and tugging on it. Now, I might do this if I were playing with her but this was just creepy. Without even thinking I grabbed the man's arm and pulled it away and said "please don't touch my baby". The man apologized and went on his way but it was just WIERD! I was a bit freaked out but glad that I had the presence of mind to react so quickly. DD was, predicatbly, unfazed by the entire event.

[Lvella43]

mspeachy That is FREAKY WEIRD!! DS1 was a late talker and we got some amazing help from the Birth to 3 program in our area. Its a national program so check it out first. I'm going to give Dylan until he's two before I seek out that program again; we waited much later for DS1 and shouldn't have. Also, we do lots of sign language in this house to try and ease up on some of the frustrations.

Dylan's Signs:

More
All done
milk/drink (same to him right now)
fish
train
dog
hat
sleep
bath
car
airplane
water
grapes
bus
ball
blanket
water

[MsPeachy]

milk/drink (same to him right now) Again, an interesting similarity. DD never really picked up the sign for "drink" or "water" but she does know "milk" and mostly she does "milk" for any kind of drink. Last night she was signing milk very insistently and actually refused other beverages until she got the milk she wanted. (It was strange because usually she doesn't get milk in the evenings - only at meal times)

Thanks for the tip on the Birth to 3 program. I'm going to give DD until 18 months before pursuing anything seriously. And I'm hoping once we get her into daycare, she'll learn from her peers.

[Sue]

Just checking in with a quick post...

*sigh* got laid off again, I'm starting to get a complex :) So the job hunt begins again...

Talking Ryan isn't saying much either. He's got Mama, uh oh, ball and hi and that's about it. I know he's trying to talk, he very distinctly makes the same sounds, I just don't know what the hell he is trying to say or what he's talking about! We've tried signing, but we're not very consistent, we definitely need to try harder. But he'd only get it on the weekends really, since they don't do it at daycare.

Ryan had a nasty case of hives last week and this weekend was gnawing on anything he could get his hands (including me!) on so I'm hoping that means he's getting some teeth. He still only has 6 - 4 on top and 2 on the bottom.

Other than that everything is pretty much status quo. We need to decide of his Halloween costume... anyone know what their DC are going to be?

[Bloomwood]

Quick check-in and subscribe!

MsPeachy - weird!!!! So glad you said something.

Sue - I'm so sorry!! You definitely seem to be a victim of this horrible financial climate. Good luck.

Lvella - interesting word stuff. DD1 started daycare at 16 mos old. I remember commenting to another mom at that time that I could already see how helpful it was by how verbal she'd become in a short period. The mom replied with something to effect that maybe it wasn't daycare but just her time. I mention that b/c DD2 started daycare at an earlier age and it seems "her time" is going to be similar to DD1's.

Anyway...

DD2 has hand foot and mouth. Blech. We have had two back to back weekends of crappiness. Last week was DD1 and I getting sick and this weekend was DD2. My saving grace? DH and I are going away alone this weekend. Nothing short of hospitalization will bring me home early.

[TOMama]

lvella - thanks for starting the new thread!

I need to come back and catch up. Landon is going through something this week. He's almost walking-- taking 10-20 steps, but then goes back to crawling. Anyhow, he has been extremely onery (hitting big bro), screaming "mine!" and worst of all refusing to nap and it's been HORRIBLE. In fact, he's in his crib right now and has been screaming his head off for the last 30 minutes while I made dinner.... hasn't slept all day :( Off to pick up grouchy baby!

[Lvella43]

Halloween Costume Dylan is going to be Superman. Its one we had for Jack/DS1 when he was little. Here is Jack doing his best modelling:

http://media1.dropshots.com/photos/94885/20061029/171613.jpg

And to prove he is as strong as you might expect a baby superman to be; here he is lifting a car with a single hand!! hee hee hee
http://media2.dropshots.com/photos/94885/20061031/171233.jpg

[Lvella43]

Sign Language I wanted to note that we also did sign language with DS1 and the speech therapists thru the Birth to 3 program said it was/is the best thing you can do with a late talker. They were amazed that Jack was signing 3-5 word "sentances". It was reassuring to hear from the professionals that they encourage the sign language. I felt a lot of pressure from my family and ILs that we were doing the wrong thing and they thought it was slowing him down verbally. Turned out that Jack had a genetic problem that I also had/have forming sounds. Ptttthhhhh on the familes judging us! Can you tell it still bothers me?

[JLRenheos]

Hi all :) checking out the new digs, thanks lvella

I ended up taking A to the Ped again. Ped said that he has eczema. So, we're just using 1% cortisone for now.
I had a nice bday. I worked--I probably should've taken my bday off. We went out to dinner w/our friends and their daughter @ the Cheesecake. DH bought me a Pedi/Mani, so I'm anxious to have a pedi done, since I've never had one before.
We had fun on our Disney's On Ice show. DS became ancy about the last 40 min. of the show, but was Great all together! Then we had lunch out w/my gf and her Grandchild.
It's been a busy 2 wks. and a difficult one as well. My friend at work, lost her dad on the 14th & I went to the visitation. Then, one of my BEST friends/work colleague, died unexpectedly on the 19th, but we all didn't get word til the 21st. She was coming back from South Dakota(visiting Mt. Rushmore) on their way home. She was like a Mom to me & we confided in one another. I grieved a lot last week. I still cannot believe it. I went to her visitation, burial & then church svc. all on Fri/Sat. last week. Now our office is looking to hire.
Now, this weekend we're having a surprise 80th(100 people+) for my Grandmother & the whole family will be in town, incl; my Mom :)
Oh, and A is sick w/a daggone friggin' cold again. Uugh. I hope he's all well in time for next week since I'll be working FT.
I cannot wait to go on vacay this next mo., because I've been in a weird funk too. Oh, and if you July mommas want to friend me on LJ, my name over there is Ferbie. I hate using PB and its' much easier to post pics. on my LJ acct.
sorry for the novel

DS
A isn't walking yet. He has a cold, so his naps haven't been good maybe like 45min. for the whole day and he's been waking in the mid. night. He mocks everything/sound that we make. It's funny. He's growing like a weed. He's definitely a Momma's boy, but alas he's a happy one--for the most part. ;) We have his 15 mo. WBV on the 13th. We'll be vax'ing too, since we didn't do last visit.

lvella he's a doll & gotta luv that Superman halloween costume!
Daisy have a great trip to Japan!
Bloomwood enjoy your getway & sorry to hear that the kiddos got HFMD:o
steviem sounds like you had a great family camping trip! Glad it went well
lcarlson sorry that you got the H1N1. ick. Hope your household is on the mend. Here's hoping you'll end up liking your position in the long run. hugs
Sue hugs, sorry about your job. Good luck w/your job huting. You're such a trooper. It's been a tough year for you. As far as halloween costumes we'll be in Fla., so I have No clue what I'm doing. I certainly wouldn't want to put him in anything hot.
MrsPeachy Since having a child, it always amazes me that strangers feel the urge interact w/our children. Why can't they just smile & say, "hello!"
TOMama hope L is doing much better. Is he walking yet? I guess he'll full on do it, when you're least expecting eh?! I hate when A has bad days too.

Yay for all of those that have FT walkers now! Wow, they're not so little anymore.

[MsPeachy]

Sue - I'm so sorry to hear about the job. This economy stinks!!! I hope you find something even better real soon!

Bloomwood & JLR - I hope your LOs get well soon!

Lvella - it's nice to hear some people support signing! I think every little bit helps when it comes to trying to communicate. Anything that can reduce frustration on the baby's part = fewer tantrums so that's a good thing right?

AFM - Today, DD is going for a trial day at a daycare center we're considering. DH is taking her. I'm excited for her but nervous too. I know she'll love the other kids and new toys but I'm worried how she will do in the eating and sleeping situations. She's used to being fed in a high chair and sleeping in a crib so I don't know how she will deal with sitting in a little chair at a table with other kids for eating or settling down on a cot for a nap. Anyone else help theiir DC through a similar transition?

[Sue]

MsPeachy Ryan transitioned from the infant room to the toddler room a couple of months ago - going from a high chair and crib to table and cot. He has done great, there wasn't any problem at all. It may take a little bit of as adjustment, but that is too be expected. We still use a high chair and crib at home, there hasn't been a problem switching between the 2.

[MsPeachy]

Thanks for the info Sue. Can you elaborate on what you mean when you say "little bit of adjustment"? :P Glad to hear you haven't had problems switching between what he has at DC and what you use at home.

[Sue]

Thanks for the info Sue. Can you elaborate on what you mean when you say "little bit of adjustment"? :P Glad to hear you haven't had problems switching between what he has at DC and what you use at home.

That was my disclaimer :) Some kids will need more time to get used to a new way of doing things. Ryan did great, he went from taking no naps in the infant room, to a 2 hour nap on a cot in the toddler room. The eating at a table wasn't a problem either, it's not that much different from a highchair. But your results may vary :)

[MsPeachy]

Sue - LOL!

Discovery Day Update - DD did great! She did have problems with eating at the small chair and table but they had a high chair that she was able to use. She ate well (the teachers were impressed with her love of green beans!) and even slept on the cot! DH said she ignored him when he went to pick her up and wouldn't come to him to leave because she was so busy playing with the other kids. The center gave us a nice little packet with photos of her day, the daily report all kids get, and her first art project. Overall, we were very pleased!

[Sue]

Great first day MsPeachy!!

Just a quick post since signing was being discussed a few posts ago... Ryan actually signed "more" this morning while nursing! It took him a few months, but he finally is getting it :)

[TOMama]

Talking - Landon is definitely more "talkative" than his big bro (my benchmark), but he's so into walking these days that language is on the backburner. Current words are Mah, Dah, Hi, Yesh, No, More, Done, Wah (water)... One word that is very clear that he uses to tease DS1... MINE!-- usually said as he grabs and runs away with DS1's beloved blankies.

I'm fully prepared to do speech therapy if his speech doesn't come in by 18 months. We did ST with DS1 starting at 16 months (a little early because he was already receiving PT at the same center). His language really came in at 22 months and now he's on target... not sure if it was the therapy or just genetics kicking in.

Signing - I need to do more, but I've forgotten the signs myself. The best is when L. signs "all done" when we're out shopping :)

Swine Flu Vaccine - What are you ladies doing? I'm leaning toward doing it since the SF is rampant here in Calif and I would feel horrible if either kid came down with it. High fevers scare me.

Anyone still BF'ing? I'm trying to wean, but apparently I'm L's "lovie". I need to get him a transitional object.

So Landon is walking (yay!) but not sleeping (boo!). Naps are horrible-- he either cries for 1+ hour, then sleeps for 1/2 an hour or falls asleep in the car as I drop off/pick up DS1 from his activities. I don't think 15 min. naps count. :( Last night he was up from 2:30 - 4 AM. I just gave up and watched an Oprah that I had tivoed. He's usually in a pleasant mood, so I hope the non-napping doesn't create future problems.

SO's later. Hope that everyone had a good weekend!

[Lvella43]

Sue & MsPeachy Once they start signing it really picks up fast!!! Hang tight! I used to use some kid sight for the video dictionary, but have found www.aslpro.com much more helpful.

Tomama classic with the "all done"!!

[JLRenheos]

I can't believe I have a 15 mo.'er now! Is my DS the only one in the July group that's not walking yet?

Flu Vaccine I've also been thinking about doing it, simply due to the type of work that I do & now that I have a child, I don't need to pass the germs onto him too.

I'm finished w/breastfeeding & have been for awhile now. Speaking of BF'ing, mybbs are Sooo deflated. It's depressing. I went bra shopping a few weeks back & I couldn't find a bra that fit me right Or that I liked. Any rec's for a good bra brand?!

Talking he says his name, bye, makes animal sounds(some), mama, sometimes dada, up, hugs, all done, thank you. I'm sure there are others that I'm forgetting. Now we really have to watch what we say...I said 'oh, crap' & dh said 'oh sh1t' the other day and ds started to mimic the sounds & copy us. oy. DS totally caught me off guard when he started sounding out those words :eek:
I have been working w/ds a lot on these words...thank you, you're welcome & please. I say it constantly.

We'll we had a big wknd. My family came in for a short visit to celebrate my G'mas 80th Surprise! Everything went well & she was shocked to say the least ;) I was exhausted after chasing after my DS all day at the party. DH had his 1st Sat. off in about 6 wks. We went to a fest. late last night after the big party--gotta luv those funnel cake fries! Ds/I had lunch out today & Noodles & Co. and then my Dad, brother & nephew came over for a while.

I know we talked about shoes here recently. What shoe size is your DC wearing? I went to Stride Rite today & had DS foot measured & he's measuring @ a 6w, so a 6 1/2w -- for room to grow, they told me. DH gets a discount there(10%) but only after spending $50. It's so hard for me to justify spending $42+ on a pr. of shoes that he won't wear for long. The shoes are so cute though! I think I'll just go get a generic set of Robeez @ Target, until he starts walking.

I'm working FT this week...boo:( WAAaaaa! We've got our sitters lined up for the week! I'm hoping to get my Pedi in by the end of the week. I've never had one.

Anyone have an I-pod touch? I've been eyeing one! Would you rec. the 8GB Or the 16GB? What do you like about it?!

[Sue]

Talking Ryan is definitely trying to talk and I'm sure he is saying some words, I just can't decipher them! He did say one of our dogs names the other day and I think I've caught "mine" a few times.

Flu Vax We'll be discussing this at his 15 month app't. I'm not too concerned and honestly, I don't know what to do. We'll see what his ped says.

BF'ing Still going strong here, we haven't started milk at all. My freezer stash is dwindling though, he eats 12ozs at DC and I have only been pumping 8-10 in 3 sessions, I have about 5 weeks left. I'm going to try adding a session or 2 and see if that helps.

Shoes I need to get him measured again, but Ryan was a 5.5w about a couple of months ago and I just picked him up a pair of 6w. I have gotten him Stride Rite shoes on ebay and haven't paid more that $27 including shipping for new shoes. I agree, it kills me to spend so much on something he's not going to be wearing long. We also have an outlet that I need to check out.

[MsPeachy]

Flu Vax - Well, DD has her 15mo WBV on the 22nd and we will discuss with the Ped then. I definitely want her to get the regular flu vax but I'm on the fence with H1N1. Sometimes I think definitely and others I'm not sure. Will see what the Ped's opinion is.

Shoes - A couple weeks ago when we went to the StrideRite outlet, DD was measuring about a 5/5.5 The shoes we bought were 5.5/6. The 6s are definitely a little clompy on her and her Size 5 Robeez Tredz are nearing the end of their span so we're probably moving into the true 5.5 size.

JLRehneos - Please try the outlets if you can. We got screaming good deals on good quality shoes. No iPod touch here but I'd base my size choice on how much music I have and whether I was planning to watch video on it or not.

Signing - It's so cute - DD has adapted the 'All Done' sign to "make it her own". When she's all done, she holds both arms straight up over her head (looks like a ref calling a field goal!). She does this at meals and sometimes in the bathtub. Also, she's been sick this week and not sleeping well during the day. In the evenings, to indicate she's ready for bed, she makes the "bath" sign. I think it's because she associates the bath with the start of getting ready for bed routine.

As for us, I mentioned above that DD has a cold. She probably got it during her day at daycare. But that's to be expected I think. Unfortunately, it's causing us to delay her trial day at the other center and thus delaying the whole sign up, get started with daycare thing. But what can you do. I just feel bad for her because she's so congested and miserable.

[JLRenheos]

I went last night & bought DS a generic pr.(Target's brand: Ministar) of Robeez. They were $12.99. I bought him XL 18-24 mos. I'm hoping these will last him for at least a few months. I ended up getting him the ones w/the footballs on them.

I keep on telling myself, just 2 more days...just 2 more days of work.

[Daisy]

Hi Ladies-

Just caught up on the new thread! We're still in Japan...supposed to leave today, but because of the typhoon, who knows. So far our flight is just delayed. We're hanging out in the hotel right now - our first down day! We've had a great time, this country is great. Everyone is super friendly and everywhere is super clean. J loves all the attention he gets from everyone - people want to play with him everywhere we go and he's received several gifts. :) People just love kids here and we've had great luck with him sleeping anywhere and eating whatever. I'll probably post some pics in the travel thread next week.

So because J has been in the stroller a lot these last 2 weeks, not much is new with walking, or talking for that matter. He says uh-oh, mama, dada, yeah. He's pretty chatty in general. He signs for "all done" and "more" - the only two I've done with him.

Shoes - I think J wears a 4-4.5. I have some size 5's at home and they're still big. I bought the 18 month pedipeds last month and they're also still a bit long on his feet.

JLR - I'm so sorry for your losses.

Flu Vaccine - I'll probably wait until J's 15 month WBV and speak to his ped about it and see what he says. I never get vaccinated, but maybe I will this year. I'm still not working in the office, so I think my chances of getting sick are decreased anyway, but we'll see.

Sue - so sorry to hear about your job! That sucks.

BBL!

[JLRenheos]

Daisy looking forward to seeing your travel pics.! Your trip sounds amazing!! How'd did J do w/the flight and all?

For those that travel often, what are your travel tips while traveling with a little one? I'll have to pull up some ol' threads. I'll have to check out flight requirements...we're flying Delta. This time is going to be diff., since last time was a year ago & he was just a baby and all I did was nurse him. I have a feeling he isn't going to sit still esp; since he's learning to walk.

We almost have a walker on our hands!!:eek:;) He's been taking a lot more steps each time & last night, DH/I saw him take at least 10 steps! He's standing a lot more by himself too--he's really good at doing that. This is getting exciting!~

[Lvella43]

Hey all. I've been a little MIA. I lost my job and we hit a rough patch, kids are sick..blah blah blah.

I hope to catch up with you all tomorrow (Sun) I hope that you and your families are happy, healthy and doing well.

[JLRenheos]

Omg Lvella! I'm so sorry. Economy blows right now. Sending hugs your way.

I think us July mommies have had it rough this year.

[JLRenheos]

Your trip to Japan looks amazing Daisy!! Sounded like everything went well! How neat that you were able to take DS to Disney over there, even if it did rain. Thanks for sharing your pics. ;)

[Daisy]

Lvella - yikes, sorry to hear that you lost your job. :( Hopefully you'll be able to find another one quickly.

JLR - thanks! We are still jet lagged (esp me), hence I'm CCing at 1am. We typically fly Delta as well and we really like them. I'm not sure if I have any tips. How long is your flight? For this long one, I overcompensated (just in case) and brought a ton of food for J, plus 10 diapers, another set of clothes, his little blanket, toys, a few books and even some DVD's to plug into DH's laptop. I even brought formula as a backup in case I couldn't get milk. J still uses a pacificer too, so a couple of those - we'll probably wean him soon now that we're back. I also brought Tylenol, again, just in case. DH and I take turns eating and playing with J and holding him while he sleeps. When are you going? For stroller/carseat, we always gate check. I even bought those red gate check bags from TRU. J wanted to play at times too - it was tough not to let him crawl around on the filthy floor, but he did stand and walk around between us (we sat bulkhead) - with shoes on of course! We also brought the Ergo carrier on board and didn't use it. Oh, remember we went to NYC last month and J spilled 2 full beers (one on me, one in the diaper bag)? Well he spilled 2 again! This time they thankfully landed on the floor! He just kicks those legs so fast! :o

[JLRenheos]

thanks for the traveling tips Daisy Our flight is no biggie, as it is only 2-3 hrs w/an hour layover. It should give DS/us a break before we reach our destination. Yeah, we're def. going to have to bring a lot of snacks/sippy & some things for him to keep him occupied. No laptop here. Tylenol, yup, can't forget that! We're leaving here next week. We'll gate check stroller & DH's parents are driving, so they're taking an older extra carseat for us, so we don't have to bring ours ;) We're heading to Fla., so I'm sure it'll be a packed, kid-friendly flight.


AFM
I'm taking DS for his 15 mos. WBV tomorrow afternoon. We're behind in Vax'ing, since we didn't do it at his 1yr.. DH keeps on reading things, talking to people & looking at the internet & he's freaking me out a bit w/the MMr & the rest of the vaccs(we do have an 11 yr. old nephew that is autistic on DH's side). We have vax'd thus far. I hate being naive, being a 1st time parent.
I gave DS his 2nd haircut over the wknd. I think I did O.K. I had him in the booster seat at first, but then needed to get to the BACK of his head. I just sat him in my lap & cut the rest like that.
We have a total of 10 teeth so far. Two more molars are coming in on bottom. Him upper molars, finally broke through!
Cute thing, I put him down for a nap yesterday. I always say, night-night & love you. For 40 min., he played in his crib and then off/on, he would repeatedly say Looooove Youuuuuu. So cute, however, I was thinking, Child when are you going to take your nap?!? I thought he'd never hush. He's such a chatterbox.
eta - our monitor is slowly going out, so, if I don't log on her for awhile, it is because of that! I thought it almost died earlier tonight. I hate our PC anyway! Would love to get a new one!!

[MsPeachy]

Lvella - I'm so sorry to hear about your job. I hope you find something even better real soon!

We still have no talking here at all! Just jibber-jabber. DD is still getting over her cold and isn't sleeping well at night so DH and I are pretty tired from being up with her. I don't think any of us have slept through the night in a week.

It's been a little stressful here for us recently since my uncle is about to lose his fight with lung cancer. He'sbeen on life support since having a heart attack or stroke last week and I'm just waiting for "the call". I'm especially worried about my mom since this is her last brother. Her other brother passed earlier this year. So anyway, it's been an emotional rollercoaster.

[JLRenheos]

Took DS for his 15mos. wBV today.

height: 32inch(75%) has been in this % since about 6mos. old
weight: 25lbs. 2ozs.(50%) his weight has slowed, since he's more active now
head cir.: 19 inch.(90%) hasn't changed

He's grown about 2 inch in a little more than 2 mos. time.

We did go ahead w/his mmr vax. We did talk w/our Ped about our concerns. He also got his hepA, chicken pox & the Pneumococcal vax. Since we didn't do vax'ing at his 1 yr.. We did these today & we'll do his 15 mos. vax @ his 18 mos. appt & then we shall be up on everything. I had asked about the flu vaccine & they're waiting on a shipment. So, no flu vax for DS as of now... Hopefully, DS won't catch anything from the people on our flight to/fro.
So, w/those that have boys, as you know we're supposed to push back the head of the penis & make sure it is clean. We'll I though that I was pushing that area back good enough & cleaning the area well. However, some reattached. Bad Mommy. Our Ped. had to pull some of the skin away/apart. Thank goodness we caught it then, Or else it would've been surgery. Poor DS for all that he went through today. :o

MrsPeachy hope your DD feels better soon! Sorry to hear about your recent family news of your uncle. So sad.

off to hang out w/my clan, give DS a bath w/his scooby bandaids & enjoy the rest of my eve. watching the World Series of Poker!

[Lvella43]

Its officially been a week since I nursed Dylan so I think we're done. We nursed about 3.5 months longer than I thought, but he was so dependent in the middle of the night! He bascially weaned himself so it was pretty uneventful. The end of night feeding also brought STTN! FINALLY!!!

I am less discouraged than I was last week about losing my work, but its still a big void.

[Lvella43]

I feel like so much goes on in this thread even though it can be slow at times. I hope this doesn't seem out of left field, but I really enjoy this support and outlet regarding our July bebies. its so nice to communicate with a group of strong women so thank you all for being here! I think you all make me a better Mom.

[steviem]

Hi ladies,

Hope you are all well and are enjoying the Fall! It's my very favorite time of year :) It was nice, cool and even rained here in Socal so I finally switched all of Avery's summer clothes out for her warm Fall/Winter clothes. Then guess what happened? It got HOT again..... like 90-100 degrees hot- YUCK! WTF? Where is my beloved Fall weather?

Anyway, all is well here. Avery has been walking for about a month now. She is a funny little lady. She is a bit of a drama queen though, I must admit. She likes to scream, very, very loudly, when she doesn't get her way. She and her brother play well together, however, they also fight a lot over toys. I hear my son say "MINE," and Avery replies, "Mine," right back to him. It's kind of funny, but does get old really quickly.

She is saying tons of words and will pretty much repeat whatever word you tell her to say. It's a lot of fun. Some of her favorite words are: Mama, dada, water, baba (bottle), kitty, Sid (our dog), cracker, cookie, night night, yes/yeah, NO (her favorite!), mine (another favorite), I love you, eye, nose, etc. I think my son had like 3 words at this same age..... such a difference in the two kids.

We are almost ready for Halloween. Avery is going to be a fairy, simply because I wanted to get more use out of that tutu we got her for her first birthday. I need to spraypaint some fairy wings and add glitter but other than that, we are done. DS is going to be Spiderman (the buffed out version) and he has been wearing his costume since we got it in early September. Thankfully, he hasn't asked to wear it in public yet but I am sure that will be coming soon. (I always swore I would never be one of "those" moms who let there kid wear costumes to grocery stores, etc., but now I completely get it. Sometimes, it just easier to let it go!)

Daisy: Your trip sounds amazing! Glad you had fun and that J was a trooper!

JLR: Where are you guys going on your vacation? I bet you are super excited.

Peachy: So sorry to hear about your uncle :(

Lvella: Bummer about the job. I am sure you will find something you like a lot better. Try and stay positive but I agree, the economy BLOWS!

Hope you all have a great day!

[JLRenheos]

DS has been walking about 15-20 ft. before crawling/hitting the ground. He's made a LOT of progress in the last week! I'm ready for warm weather, pool time, drinks & sunshine for an entire week! I'm looking forward to taking DS to MK at Disneyworld for the 1st time, even though he won't remember a thing. I just hope he's a good boy on the flight. So much to do to get ready and never enough time. Lucky me, AF is here & hopefully, it's gone by the time we leave. Go figure, right?!:rolleyes:

and for Halloween, DS is going to be a Pirate. <3

steviem off to Orlando! It won't be as much work this year, since DS is a yr. older this time around. Now, I'll be chasing a toddler, instead. I'm just excited to get outta town. ;)
hey, I'll take the heat anyday & you can HAVE our 40-50* temps!:p I'm missing our Summer already.

you're right lvella, it HAS been so nice, to just come here on CC with all of our ups & downs and to be able to chat w/other July moms about parenting; etc... BTW, how's the weaning going from BF'ing?

[MsPeachy]

Lvella - I agree! I like hearing about other babies born close to the same time as DD.

Stevie - WOW that is a lot of talking!!! We just did the clothes changeover too but I kept a few warm weather outfits out just in case.

JLR - I hope you have a great time on your trip!

I attended the funeral for my uncle last Friday. It was tough. Especially tough was that I drove up to Philly and back in the same day. Normally not to bad but it took me over 5 hours to get home because of traffic and rain! (should be about 3). Thankfully my MIL was able to watch DD for me so I only had to worry about myself which made it easier.

DD is still fighting whatever illness she has. DH took her to the Ped yesterday because we were worried abuot a possible sinus infection. Turns out she has a slight ear infection in both ears but they couldn't tell if it was in the sinuses. We got some amox so hopefully it helps. Mostly she's just really really congested and wakes up coughing at least once/night. I feel so bad for her. Other than that, she's in good spirits. Still no words but lots and lots of activity. She likes to crawl and climb on anything - me, DH, the dog, her toddler chair, the high chair. A real active monkey!

Oh and since she went to the doc, we have some 15 mo stats -
Height - 32" (~80%)
Weight - 22lb 13 oz (~50%)
She's growing about a half inch a month but is losing weight. I know that's probably normal for an active toddler though. I can definitely see she's losing that babyish look and getting more lean in her legs and tummy.

[TOMama]

Just a quick fly by... again...

L had his 15 mo. WBV last week--
Height - 31" (50-75%)
Weight - 22lb 7 oz (25%)
Head - 18.75" (75%)

He's slowly growing into his head! So funny when he walks because he always has to do the head adjusment to keep his balance :)

Landon is so active these days and wants to do whatever big bro is doing. Right now, climbing on the coffee table ottoman and trying to jump to the couch (2 feet) is his latest thing... The ottoman has been banished. Never a dull moment!

He's up from his 1/2 hour nap! BBL

[JLRenheos]

at my wits end getting ready for this trip. I'd rather stick needles in my eyes. Oh yeah,,,worst.cramps.eveR! I packed for both of my guys & I haven't even packed myself. ugh. Everything has fallen on myself, since dh has been working a lot. I wish I could go back & start these last 2 days all over again!

[Daisy]

Just doing a fly by - J is 15 months today and we just got back from his WBV. He got his vacs, plus the flu and H1N1 vacs.

Weight: 20.13 lbs. (10-25%)
Height: 30 5/8" (25-50%)
Head: 18.25 (25-50%)

I really hope he gets the height genes from my side of the family! DH and I aren't the tallest (5'5" and 5'6"), but just about everyone else on my side of the family is 5'7" - 6'3". DH is the tallest on his side, they are all petite.

What else is new...J is walking and chatting. He LOVES spinning things, such as wheels. He will point to any wheel (or anything that looks like it will spin) and get excited over it. He also has a sign for spinning/wheels. At our toddler group, for example, he is pretty content finding a wheel barrel, flipping it over and studying it and spinning the wheels. It'll be interesting to see if this is a phase or a sign of what is to come. So I think most of his christmas presents are going to revolve around things that spin and move in some sort of fashion.

Words that I can think of that he can say - mama/dada, go, yeah, George (our cat), ball, meow, woof, ****-a-doodle-do, something that sounds like alright.

Shoes: 4
Clothes: 12-18 months and these are still baggy, length is good though.
Diapers: 4 and I think we'll be here for awhile.

[MsPeachy]

Hey everyone! We finally decided on a daycare center for DD. She starts next week. I'm excited for her and feel that we chose a place that will fit best with her needs. Also, this past weekend I hit a local consignment sale on its last day. Everything was $1 - I got a bag full of clothes (including 2 Talbots Kids holiday sweaters!), a set of sesame street books and 2 Thomas videos for a whopping $16!! I couldn't believe it. If you all hear about one of these in your area, I highly recommend going.

Also at the sale I picked up a Halloween costume. DD is going to be a giraffe - it's got a little tail in the back and everything. :)
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j43/MiaT2/Family/BabyG/IMG_1852-1.jpg

Hope you all are well!

[Lvella43]

Oh stop!!! That giraffe is waaaaaaaaaaaaayyy too cute!!!!!!!

[undesigned]

Hello everyone,

It's been so long since I've posted.

Lana has been sick with colds two times already since the fall season began. I got her vaccinated for the regular flu, but the ped's office still hasn't received the H1N1 vaccine yet.

She's also teething up a storm - her molars are coming in. We've also been dealing with some sleep issues too. On top of that she's been super clingy and always asks to be held. We finally did some sleep training (CIO) this past week and even though it was painful, she's going down for naps and at bedtime much easier.

These are her stats from her 15 month WBV:
Ht: 32" (90%)
Wt: 25 lbs 6 oz (75-90%)
Head: 18 cm (50%)

She's still a big girl! If you can believe it, she's actually thinned out a lot since she started walking. She's into everything now. She figured out how to climb onto our bed the other day.

Talking: Not too much. She does a lot of babbling. She can say mama, baba, milk and no.

She's really into copying us now. It's so cute to watch.

She's going to be a fairy princess for Halloween. Hopefully we can use the tutu for dress-up for awhile. She's such a girly girl. She loves to twirl around admiring herself in the mirror when she wears outfits she likes. She also has been carrying (dragging) around one of my purses she has now adopted as her own. No wonder why girls are more expensive than boys!

Lana hates getting her teeth brushed. She fights it every night, clamping her mouth shut and screaming bloody murder.

Hope everyone's been doing well!

[JLRenheos]

Hi everyone! Hope the kids have a great Halloween~ Our trick Or treat is tonight. So weird to have it on a Saturday night, instead of the usual Thurs..

back from vacation....grumble grumble. I wish that I was still there. I need a vacation from our vacation! However, I'm SO glad to Not have ds be in a room w/us anymore. I hated tippy-toeing around. Glad to have ds be back in his own room/crib~

Perfect weather in Orlando! Not enjoying this darn cold weather here back at home. Vacation was good for the most part.--> DH was sick and/or not feeling good for 1/2 of the vacay & the ILs were starting to grate on my last nerve. They could've at least 'offered' at least 1X to watch DS, so that DH/I could've had a date night out on vacay or for us two just to have some free time down at the pool. I think one
day we might've had 2-3 hrs. by ourselves at the pool.
Mst of the time, it was just me/DS Or dh/ds with my husband's parents. I think I felt like that, 'cause they're on vacay & will be for another 1 1/2 wks.. I know it's not their child & responsibility, but still...

-we officially now have a walker!
http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/100_8516.jpg

-taken @ the resort
http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/100_8594.jpg

-here's what he's going as for halloween this year~
http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/100_8613.jpg

[Lvella43]

JLR Yippee for walking!!! Such a cute costume; hope you had/have fun ToT.

Dylan went as Superman and I never tried the costume on him before this afternoon OOPS, it was way too small.

The lighting is bad, but it completely sums up how Dylan spent most of ToT; attached to me in some way. he was warming up towards the end, but he was sooooo overtired.

http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/94885/20091031/153454.jpg

http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/94885/20091031/164314.jpg

[Lvella43]

QOTD Who still has their child rear-facing?


We do and I'm wondering when I should turn him around. His feet already his the seat and for now its fine, but as soon as he is walking thru the snow and slush i don't think that will thrill me so much. Maybe we'll just take his shoes on and off all the time?

[Sue]

Sorry I've been MIA, been reading along though :)

Ryan's WBV isn't until the 9th, serves me right for waiting so long to make the appointment. Not much going on here... he's finally getting 2 more teeth on the bottom!

He's waking up from nap... so just to answer the QOTD - Ryan is still rearfacing, we'll either take off his shoes or put a towel or something over the back of the seat.

BBL with some Halloween pics, Ryan was a dragon :)

[JLRenheos]

It's funny you mention that lvella because dh/I were just discussing turning DS FF when we got back from vacay. He's currently RF. As soon as I can borrow my Aunt's camcorder, then I'll FF DS(hopefully this week)! I'd like to video his initial reaction ;)

[Bloomwood]

QOTD: nope, turned her around just after one year. We actually turned her FFing when we arrived in Hawaii a week after she turned a year. Kept her that way when we got home.

My little gets-everything daughter is currently fighting strep. Oh and potentially an allergic reaction to the penicillin given to fight the strep. The good news is it wasn't swine flu which is what I was convinced she had - high fever, chills, runny nose, fatigue, cough.

Halloween was great. She loved following her sister to all the houses and getting candy. I'm not sure she knew the candy was to eat, but she loved going up to people handing it out and then carrying around the little bars.

Hope you're all doing well. The Halloween pics are GREAT.

[Bloomwood]

Oh wait, I have a QOTD as I am getting ready to go grocery shopping.
What in the world are you feeding your kids for breakfast? I am not one to make eggs or really anything that takes much effort but I'm in a rut with frozen waffles, oatmeal and yogurt with fruit. Help!

[MrsR]

Sorry I have been MIA (seems like I am always saying that:rolleyes:) but my dad has been in the hospital for the past 2 weeks -- complications from H1N1 but he is on the mend.

We had Jack's 15mo WBV -- I can't remember his head circ but here are the other two stats:
height -- 33.5 in (off the charts)
weight -- 28lbs 2oz (85th percentile)

QOTD 1 -- Jack is still RF, I want to keep him RF as long as possible but getting him into his seat now has become a daily battle -- he will "stand up" by pushing his legs against the back of the seat and refuse to let us buckle him in -- I am wondering if this is just a phase or if it is going to be this way for the rest of the time he is RF. . .

QOTD 2 -- since Jack is allergic to eggs, I have become somewhat creative -- I give him cinnamon toast (toast with butter and sprinkled with the sugar cinnamon mixture), biscuits with jelly, "breakfast burrito" (just a burrito with cheese and turkey sausage), bananas and Annie's also makes a fruit "pop tart" that we have given him in the past. Of course our standby is apple cinnamon cheerios. . .

[Daisy]

QOTD - Carseat - J's been FF since he turned 12 months.

QOTD - Breakfast - yeah, we usually do yogurt or waffles too. Somtimes he'll get some of the pancakes we make for ourselves, same with eggs (we'll put peppers, mushrooms, etc. in them). Have you tried these: Breakfast Pockets (http://www.happybabyfood.com/our-products/happybites/breakfast-pocket)? I get them from Whole Foods, they're pretty good.

Cute Halloween pics everyone!

[MsPeachy]

Hey everyone!! How did the LOs do on Halloween? We actually did some trick-or-treating and DD was really good about it. Mostly she just stared at the people but she loved wearing her costume and stomping around! Then she went to birthday party at Chuck E Cheese on Sunday and had fun riding the little rides. Busy weekend!

But we are still fighting whatever is causing her congestion. At the doctor's this morning (for her 15 mo WBV - finally!) we learned both her ears are still infected - and that's on top of being on Amoxicillan for the past 2 weeks! So we have a new rX for Arithromicin and a checkup in 2 weeks. I hope this does the trick because DD is just miserable. On the plus side, we were able to get both the flu vax AND the H1N1 vax at the Ped's office! What a relief!

QOTD 1: RF vs FF - Well, we're doing both. In my car we have a Boulevard RF and don't plan to change that until we can't get her in that way. This is her primary seat and the car isn't very big (Mitsu Outlander - small SUV) so I feel she's a bit safer staying RF for now. In DH's big ol Silverado she's FF in an inexpensive Evenflo seat that's FF only and converts to a booster. She likes FF and looks out the window a lot but doesn't protest when RFing in the other seat.

QOTD 2: Breakfast: I think this is DD's favorite meal of the day. On any given day she will get banana and milk plus either oatmeal with brown sugar, waffles with either cream cheese or syrup, cold cereal in milk, or scrambled egg with cheese. Sometimes she gets a slice of toast with either berry cream cheese or plain cream cheese and preserves on top. She also likes pancakes and french toast.

Lvella - Cute Superman!!! We bought these (http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=535744&cmSource=Search)for DH's truck - got 2 in a pack so you could try puttingon the back of the seat to protect it. They also have a full seat protector like this (http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=325778&cmSource=Search)or this (http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=535843&cmSource=Search)that could work for you.
http://content.onestepahead.com/assets/images/product/detail/15240.jpg

JLRenheos - Yippee for walking. The world is his now!!! hahahah :p

undesigned - Have you tried letting your daughter watch you brush your teeth? We did that (unintentionally) with DD and she now tries to brush her own teeth when we hand her the toothbrush.

MrsR - You must have some killer back muscles! Holding 23lb DD is tough enough - I can't imagine 28lb! Whew! ;)

[jeanine]

Hi Everyone!

It's been a while since I posted, but I've been reading along. For the past month, Ben has had a cold. It goes away for a few days, and then BAM he's sick again. I feel so bad for him...wish there was something I could do.

We had his 15 mo WBV a few weeks ago
He was 21.5 lbs (~10%), and 31.5 in (~75%). I forget what hsi HC was, but it was 50%.

He's started to talk a little more. Besides mom and dad, he can say truck, tractor, duck, dog, Bob (after his favorite show Bob the builder), and a few others.

He's becoming a super picky eater. What happened to my boy who would eat everything? I hope this is a brief phase.

DH and I are going to Vegas with friends in 2 weeks. Ben is staying with my parents. I am nervous about leaving him, but I think the break will be good for me. We are going to celebrate a friend's 40th b-day. She has Stage 4 BC, and 5 years ago the docs told her she wouldn't make it to 40. Even though I'll miss Ben like crazy, I didn't want to miss celebrating her bday.

Ben was a lion for Halloween...here's a pic of him getting ready to T or T. I let him eat a Kit Kat (first taste of chocolate). That was a big mistake. He was wired beyond belief. I think I'll be staying away from chocolate for a while more. He did enjoy it though.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj70/Neen78/IMG_1312.jpg.

QOTD1 - We turned Ben FF a few weeks ago.

QOTD2 - For breakfast, Ben usually has waffles with cream cheese or oatmeal. He usually has half a banana or blueberries with it. He likes pancakes too. I made a batch of pumpkin ones the other week and he loves them. It's hit or miss with eggs and french toast.

JLR - Yay for walking. Sounds like you had a great trip. A is too cute.

Lvella - Dylan is so cute as Superman. Sorry about your job.

MsPeachy and Bloom - Hope your little ones feel better soon. Ugh.

MrsR - Glad to hear your dad is better. Jack is a big boy...Sounds like you have adjusted to his allergy pretty well. I had bought a box of Van's waffles and noticed that they are egg free.

Daisy - Your trip to Japan sounded great. Loved your pics in the travel thread.

[TOMama]

I'm in the car with my laptop and the kids are asleep in the backseat-- I finally have time to post!

I love all the halloween costumes! I'll post L's when I'm on the other computer.

Landon was a lion for Halloween too. He loved it and especially enjoyed trick-or-treating and knocking on the doors. He doesn't have stranger anxiety yet-- he kept trying to walk into peoples' homes!

QOTD1 - We've been FF for a couple of months now. I was going to wait, but DH put him FF in his car and that was the end of our RF days.

JLR - Yay for walking! Let the craziness begin!! He's such a cute little pirate. Sorry the ILs were not more helpful during your vacay... I know the feeling :rolleyes:

Lvella - What a cute Superman! He's such a smiley little guy.

Other News:
We still haven't moved into the new house yet... it's just dragging on and on. The kitchen should hopefully be done this week then the mad packing begins. Just writing that gives me anxiety!

Okay, I better post this quick, I'm having connectivity issues...

[TOMama]

QOTD2 - Mostly fruit- peaches (almost gone :(), bananas, watermelon, strawberries, avocado cubes. He's not a fan of yogurt unless it's frozen, but if I make a smoothie (yogurt, fruit, flaxseed meal) he'll drink it up. Also pancakes & waffles (lately the multigrain or pumpkin mix from trader joes), cheerios, soft breakfast/granola bars, oatmeal. Since we dropped DS1's morning preschool I should really spend more time on breakfast.

MrsR - Sorry to hear about your dad. Hope he's feeling better soon. I'm going to have to check out Annie's "poptart". We usually get the Nature's Path organic ones for DS1, but the sugar seems kinda high.

Daisy - Will have to check out those Breakfast pockets. I like heat & serve!

MsPeachy - We had the same problem with antibiotics w/DS1 earlier this year. I think he went thru 4 antibiotics until we got rid of the infection for good. :( Hope the Arith. kicks it and she feels better fast!

jeanine - Have a great time in Vegas, what a wonderful reason to celebrate.

Well, I better run. L is up and eating a snack and DS1 is still asleep in the car. Daylight Savings Time had the opposite affect on him... tired & grumpy!

[TOMama]

Here's my little lion and dinosaur (or as he says, triceratops)-

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2587/4070250403_3a47c92dd0_m.jpg

Another breakfast idea-- Quiche. My kids love it. And I love this quick & easy quiche recipe w/built-in crust (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quick-Quiche/Detail.aspx). I use a pancake mix (i.e. bisquick) instead of flour and substitute the bacon with broccoli, chicken sausage, ham, etc. Anything goes.

Potty Training, anyone?-- I know it's a little early, but I've been putting L. on the potty before baths and when I have the time & energy. He gets it and usually goes and has even pooped. He even imitates the "Shhhhh" sounds that I make :) Amazing! I'm not ready to forego diapers, NOT even close! But after struggling with DS1 for over a year (I just got him to go #2 in the potty last week), I was told by many that PT'ing between 18 months and 2 yrs old is the best... before they get all defiant and have a mind of their own. :D

Bloom - Missed your post the first time around, hope S. is feeling better soon. Poor little thing!

[JLRenheos]

back to reality from our vacation... the house is a freakin' zoo,,,I don't want to clean & I could use a nap.

Took DS to get his seasonal flu vaccine this morning.

I totally forgot about the time change this past wknd. & it's messing w/my son's times. Now he's getting up earlier, which I'm not excited about.
I went to BRU today & picked up some more sippy cups-->the lil' gripper w/straws & the Insulator.

qotd2
no new ideas for breakfast...I pretty much ds all of the same things you give your DC for breakfast.

PT'ing haven't even thought about it. That's interesting what the general public said as far as the ages go to start PT'ing TOMama

hope she gets well soon bloomwood If she's allergic to any of the 'cillin' family, than it seems like she'd be o.k. with Clindamycin instead or something of the like... like a Z-pack, if she can take that.

sounds like jack is thriving & doing well MrsR. Hope your Dad gets well soon from the swine flu/complications.

MrsPeachy hope DD's ears get better soon. EI are the worst. that's great that you were able to get both the vac's in at your visit. Adorable Giraffe ;) Congrats on finding a daycare.

jeanine picky eater too, eh?! I think it's starting here at our house too. Probably a phase. DS now starts to just let the food drop out of his mouth if he doesn't like. It drives me batty.:rolleyes: I don't want to force feed the kid, ya know?!! B is Super cute! Have a great time in Vegas!~ I'm jealous,,,,haven't been there since 3/07. Where are you staying at?

what such handsome little guys you have TOMama! Cute costumes~ Good luck moving & settling in once the madness begins!

Jack is adorable in his 'S' costume lvella makes his blue eyes stand out even more ;)

undesigned hope your DD gets over her colds soon. I betcha she made a pretty fairy for ToT!

sue Hope all is well w/you. How did your dS do for ToT'ing this year?!

[undesigned]

QOTD1: We've been forward facing since 1 year.

QOTD2: We do usually do oatmeal with milk & mashed bananas, frozen waffles, toast with jam, bagels with cream cheese, french toast, smoothies (banana, frozen mangos & pineapples, OJ & spinach - it's a great way to get her to eat her greens), yogurt, scrambled eggs, and DH will sometimes make her breakfast burritos (tortilla, scrambled eggs, cheese).

Halloween: we took DD trick or treating at the mall. It was a lot of fun. I've been trying to post a photo from flickr but can't seem to figure it out.

MsPeachy: Both DH and I have brushed our teeth in front of her but she still hates it. I don't know how we're ever going to get her to do it on her own.

Love all the Halloween pics!

[JLRenheos]

dh has managed to give me HIS cold. Thanks alot hun. I have officially lost my voice, too:o Laryngitis=not fun. I sound like cookie monster.

MrsPeachy can you try singing to her, while she's brushing her teeth? Can you try & redirect some of her attention elsewhere? A allows me to brush his teeth & he even does his own. He doesn't mind it at all. I made a toothbrush song up for when we do it.

Well, I finally managed to get A in for the lapsit storytime for the Winter session @ our local library! It begins next Friday & I'm really excited! It was booked last session, I couldn't even get in & was upset.

Reading to your Child
How often do you read to your child? What books do you currently own Or that you would recommend getting at the library? I think reading is SO important & them being interested in books is a great thing!~

--I read to DS everyday, if I don't forget. DS loves books & I put them in his crib at naptime AND at bedtime. He'll look at them a lot, on his own. He's constantly bringing books to me & wants me to read to him. We have a good little stash that I rc'vd at one of my baby showers(thought that was an awesome gift!). We have a lot of the Sandra Boyton books....I'll have to see what else we have...

[Bloomwood]

I love all the adorable costumes!! We had tons of fun ToTing as well. Maybe someday I'll get around to loading a photo...

Thanks for the thoughts on breakfast. I made some pumpkin muffins and have been serving those with yogurt and fruit. She loves oatmeal and does a fine, but messy, job eating it herself. She is just such a little piggy. Today she ate her muffin (mini but big mini), a whole bunch of fruit and yogurt and then I gave her 1/2 piece of toast with cc. I think she would've kept eating.

She is getting pickier about veggies :(. But, I keep trying and she does ok. Last night she ate spinach, cucumbers and tomatoes, so I can't complain too much. But, what she wanted was more pita. At one point she was double fisting the carbs.

She loves getting her teeth brushed. A big part of that is just doing what her sister does. We have a tall step stool that she climbs on. She reaches for her tooth brush, a cup, and a washcloth---> she has the whole routine down and loves to play in the water. MsPeachy - can you let him be distracted by water while you brush?

PTing - not really thinking about it, but I put her on the toilet last night just to see. She didn't want to get off. She cried even. I guess it doesn't hurt to give her some fun experiences with the toilet before we do it for real. DD1 was SO easy to PT; I am keeping my fingers crossed for her too.

Reading - we read a ton every day. She is constantly bringing us books and she is particular. At bedtime, I have to let her pick the book or she'll throw it out of my hand and reach for the one she wants. I do NOT remember DD1 being this opinionated!

She is saying all kinds of words now. I just realized the other day she is saying "thank you" when we give her things. So cute. I am also trying to get her tell me when she poops in hopes of helping her make the connection when PTing comes. She says "poh poh" and taps her diaper. Right now it is just when I am already well aware, but I'm hoping she'll do it sooner...soon.

Two major sweet things recently. One, I told her it was time for bed, so she walked over to her sister on the sofa and leaned in for a good night kiss. Then, the next day, I got her out of her crib and first thing she did is walk over to her sister for a hug. Ack. She is killing me with her cuteness.

Feel better, JLR!!

[undesigned]

Ok, I finally figured it out. . .

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3582/4078934258_729eeba292.jpg

Reading: We always read books at bedtime and maybe a book or two during the day. She has a very short attention span though and won't let me finish a book before she "asks" me to read another. Sometimes I'll see her quietly flipping through books by herself.

PT'ing: Does anyone have a potty training seat to recommend?

JLR: Feel better soon. It's so hard not to get sick when our kiddos get sick.

Bloom: DD is also getting pickier about veggies. Sometimes she eats them, sometimes she spits them out or outright refuses them. But she loves the pasta and bread.

[JLRenheos]

undesignedwhat a cutie pie~ Little girls look SO cute when they have piggytails!

[Sue]

don't have time for a long post right now, but will try later tonight when Ryan goes to bed...

We were commenting on Ryan's adventurous side a few days ago and wondered when his first trip to the ER would be :) Turns out it was yesterday! He was following his teacher into the bathroom and she didn't know he was behind her, she closed the door and he got his pinky caught in the hinge side. He had his first ambulance ride and first stitches. We are going to an orthopedic on Monday to see if the tip can be saved, it was pretty much hanging on by a sliver of skin. He's doing really great... was a trooper at the hospital, only time he was upset was when we had to restrain him while he got the Novocaine and they stitched him up. He was saying hi & bye to everyone in the ER when we were leaving.

He's down for a nap right now, so I have to try and get some stuff done. I want to keep a close eye on him so he doesn't try to pull off the bandage or play with it.

[MsPeachy]

Oh no Sue!! I hope his finger tip can be saved and that he heals up quickly. Poor little guy! I can totally see that happening though. DD got bonked in the head by the refrigerator door because DH didn't see her running toward him when he opened it. They're quick at this age!

Bloomwood - What a sweetie. I love it when you can see the demonstrations of affection (especially unprompted!)

TOMama - Cute pic of your wild animals! ;)

jeanine - You have a cute lil beastie too!

undesigned - Adorable pic! How did you find hairbands small enough to do those ponytails?

Everyone - it's not me that has problems with brushing DD's teeth - I was commenting to undesigned - but I appreciate all the suggestions!

PTing - Not even on our radar

Books - We have the usuals - Are you My Mother, Brown Bear, The Foot Book. A couple others that she really likes are Lullaby And Good Night (http://www.amazon.com/Lullaby-Good-Night-Jill-Ackerman/dp/0545011663/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257529811&sr=8-13), Polar Bear and the Rainbow (http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Bear-Rainbow-Glitter-Books/dp/1405476052/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257529859&sr=1-1) (this one has glitter ont he pages so it gives that textural element), and finally, I picked these up at a consignment sale and they are a HUGE hit. DD LOVES pointing at all the different objects on the pages and having us tell her what they are. They've really helped iwth her receptive language.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61EX1ZWEHJL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51a9V5ddfdL._AA240_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61E2D1G5MVL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg

I had my ever-so-fun annual today and was told that my doc would like me to get a baseline mamogram before getting PG again. Fun. On the plus side- my appt reminded me that I LOVE my doctor. DD is still under the weather - vomiting from coughing and now some diahrrea. We're trying a "bland" diet of mostly toast/bread items and some fruit and NO dairy except for yogurt.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

[steviem]

Hi ladies,

Happy Friday!

Adorable pictures of the little ones in their Halloween costumes. I didn't get a single, decent picture of Avery dressed up in her fairy costume :( She was cranky and refused to wear the flower hat thingy and really didn't even want to trick-or-treat. We pushed her around in her car while her big bro knocked on all the doors. I need to dress her up again and take some pictures, just for memory's sake.

Sue: Oh no! I hope the little guy is okay. Sounds like he is a brave one.

Undesigned: Avery and your DD have the exact same hair syle :) Does your DD sit still while you do her hair? I swear, Avery and I have a full out battle every morning, when I do her hair. I thought that wasn't supposed to start until much later?!

Peachy: Not to answer for Undesigned, but, we get our tiny rubberbands from Target and/or Walmart. They are in the baby section near the other hair bows.

Bloom: That story is too cute how S gives her sister a hug! I love when siblings are nice to each other and actually get along! My two seem to fight constantly...... ugh!

JLR: I hope you feel better soon.

Breakfast ideas: We pretty much do what everyone else has listed. The only thing I'd add is that I often bake a banana bread or zucchini bread loaf which they eat with cream cheese. It's easy and they love it.

Books: Between the two kiddos, we have soooo many books. I try to read to them often, but, there are days when it just doesn't happen :( I recently bought a ton of books through Scholastic (DS's school fundraiser.) They were super cheap ($1-$3) and really cute books.

PTing: Not until she is 2. We pt'd DS when he turned 3 back in June. We are still struggling with getting him to go poop on the potty..... it's not fun.

Brushing teeth: Since she sees her big brother do it, she likes to copy him and brush her teeth as well. However, she get's pissy when I try to help so I just let her do it by herself for now.

Mammogram: Glad you brought this up Peachy! I just scheduled my very first one for early December. I'm nervous! I wanted to get it done a few years ago, but between 2 kiddos and nursing, this is the first time that I am able to do it. My insurance won't pay for mine, since age 40 is when they normally recommend your first/baseline mammogram. I'm 36, soon to be 37, but my mom had breast cancer at age 47 and they say if you have a family history of bc, you need to get your mammogram at least 10 yrs prior to when your family member was diagnosed. I'm not looking forward to it, but I know I need to do it. Anyway, good for you for getting one as well :)

Enjoy the weekend ladies!

[Daisy]

Hey Ladies,

I'm so glad it's Friday, I am so ready for some wine. I've had scattered mom-brain this week and am ready for it to be over. I'm going out with the girls tonight and getting a massage in the morning and I am really looking forward to it. Between work and DH traveling this week, I'm just spent.

Books - DH and/or I read to J everyday. I recently put some of his favorite books on a low shelf and he likes pulling them down and looking at them.

Teethbrushing - J actually likes getting his teeth brushed, it's just a matter of me remembering to do it regularly. He has just about all of his teeth, so I think it must feel good on his back gums where they are still coming in.

PTing - seriously?! No way, we are nowhere near that.

Halloween - cute pics everyone! We lost our new camera, so I need to get our pics off of my phone still. We didn't go trick or treating, maybe in a couple of years.

Mammogram - steviem/MsPeachy, I'm curious, did your docs say anything about MRI's? I've read that they're better at detecting and are becoming more common (esp if you have a family history) (I also realize that insurance may not pay for it either...). My mom has BC for the second time, this time stage 3, she's been dealing with it for about 2.5 years now. I think after my next child I will look into things more and may look into doing something drastic. We don't have the gene, but I just don't want to feel like I'm waiting for it, you know.

Sue - Yikes!! Hope his little finger gets better.

[steviem]

Hi Daisy,

Sorry you had a rough week ;)

Re: Mammogram vs. MRI: Funny you mention this. When I was pg with DS back in 2005/06, my mom had the genetic testing done to see if she carried the BRCA1 or 2 gene. Thankfully, she did not. However, I was a bit scared to learn from the oncologist that my chances of getting BC are still higher than the general public due to the fact that there is a family history of the disease. This doctor also told me to make sure I get MRIs in addition to the regular mammograms. When I brought it up to my OB/GYN at my last visit, she said that I should just go with the mammogram for now. She indicated that MRIs on breast tissue are not very accurate? I'm not sure what to believe. I think at some point I will definitely get an MRI as well- why not, you know? It just sucks that this is all out-of-pocket since I'm not 40.

I hope your mom is doing okay and hanging in there. How many years was it between your mom's 1st diagnosis and the recurrance? I worry about this all the time with my mom. She's been cancer-free for 12 yrs now but it is always in the back of my mind.

Have a great weekend and enjoy your wine ;)

[Daisy]

Steviem - yeah, I have heard some conflicting information too. My mom was about 43 the first time she got BC, that time it was stage 1, removed and radiated. She was diagnosed with stage 3 at 56. She's stable now and they just backed off a little on her current chemo dosage. But until her counts are where they should be, she continues to be on chemo. She gets MRI's and CT's regularly, so I do believe that they are good to get. Has anyone else in your family had it? My mom has 5 sisters and 2 of them have had it once and my grandma never had it. My OB always tells me that I have a few years until I should start getting tested, but again, I will probably do something (testing...not sure what yet...) after baby #2 anyway just because I want the peace of mind.

Sorry for furthering this depressing conversation. :o

Hope you have a great weekend!

[JLRenheos]

re: on Mammograms --I've had them done. Back in '97 I had a 3cm benign solid mass (fibroadenoma) surgically removed. I was young(20) & scared at that time. The mammograms can be uncomfortable at given times; esp when they have you in the xray machine and you have to hold your breath & can't move. Everything is in a pinch. I've also had an u/s of the breasts(similar to a preg. u/s).

sue omg, poor thing! hope his little finger heals back perfectly fine. Hugs.
MrsPeachy hope she gets well soon. poor thing has it on both ends. seems like the colds are making their rounds.

off to bed, gotta work tomorrow...... my brother is coming over to sit our DS for a few hrs., since he doesn't want all of us sickies over at his house & doesn't want his kiddos sick. I was supposed to take DS over there. I hate feeling crummy.

thanks for the book ideas, going to the library tomorrow to pick some new ones up!

g'night~

[Lvella43]

commuinication explosion here while I was out of town. I look forward to catching up with you all tomorrow!

[undesigned]

For those of you who have Maclaren strollers, the company has announced a recall of its strollers. Apparently, the hinges on the strollers have amputated childrens' fingertips! Parents are being advised to stop using the strollers and to contact Maclaren to obtain a repair kit.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33787728/?GT1=43001

MsPeachy: We get the ponytail elastics at Target. I think it's the Goody brand - they come in a package of 50.

steviem: I also have a hard time getting DD to sit still so I can do her hair. Sometimes I do it when she's in her high chair or in her stroller so she can't run away from me.

Sue: How scary! Hope he's feeling better.

TOMama: I made the quiche for DD today and it was a success! I threw a ton of veggies in it.

[JLRenheos]

HelloOOo?!!! ;) Hope everyone is feeling better & doing well.

We're off to our Winter session/Storytime in a 1/2 hr.. Looking forward to it~

DS is walking well & he's practically running :p He's been really cute lately.

I'm not 100%, but close. It's been 10 days, so I'm hoping to feel MUCH better, by the 2 wk. mark, since dh had his for 2 wks.+. DS is a little congested. Uugh.
Nothing exciting going on. Going to enjoy this beautiful weather here & play outside/do yard cleanup, since it's going to be 60 & sunny out this wknd.! =)
Saturday morning, I'm watching our friend's DD from 7:30a-12:30p & then I have a my good friend's baby shower from 4-7p. I'm excited for her! This is their 1st baby--a boy, Andrew. They've been ttc for awhile w/no prob. getting pg., but have trouble maintaining the pregnancy. They've had multiple miscarriages.
After the shower, then the 3 of us are going over the ILs to celebrate my MIL's Birthday.
Oh, and I think my uncle is coming over this wknd. to fix the whole in our yard(from the leak we've had) from this Summer. It's been 3 mos. ....:rolleyes:


I saw the Maclaren recall. Thanks for the heads up. I have the Volo, but haven't done anything yet... Gotta get on that!

[TOMama]

JLR - In case you didn't do it yet, here's the link to the Maclaren recall form. Thankfully, they simplified the process-- http://recall.maclaren.us/order.php

[JLRenheos]

thanks TOMama ;) Voila! I should recieve it within 5-7 days.

I don't know how many of your DC are taking 1 Or 2 naps a day, but mine has been down to 1 nap/day for a long while now. Anyhow, been enjoying the fact that he's walking now & have been able to tire him out easily/playing outside & letting him walk next to me for a good 3-4 blocks-just in time for naptime! (albeit, it takes awhile) ;).....anyhow, been loving the fact that he's been taking 3 hr. naps!!!

[Bloomwood]

JLR- I'm with you. I only finally found her "window". If I get her down at 11, I get a solid 3+ hours, but if I miss it, I don't know what I'll get. Unfortunately, her big sister was home a couple of days this week so we were out playing and didn't really hit her window.

We're doing well. She is teething or something because boy oh boy was she a crab apple yesterday. yikes. Bedtime couldn't come soon enough. She also woke up the night before and took forever to get back down. I don't know why I didn't just give her motrin when she first woke up. DH was traveling so I put her in bed with me for a little while. She never slept, but I enjoyed the cuddles and then put her back to bed.

Her favorite word now is "truck" ("tuck"). We've had construction on our road with tons of trucks; she's been in heaven!

We're heading down to So Cal for TG. The flights were super $$$, so we didn't get her a seat. Ugh. I'm going to be so over a squirmy toddler, but thankfully it is only a one hour flight.

[Daisy]

Hey Ladies,

Naps - yes, one nap here, it's about 12:30-3:30. Love the 3 hour window. Although today he took a quick morning nap...probably due to the awake time he had last night from 1:30-2:30. What a nightmare, he never wakes up at night so it feels extra hard on us. I think he's getting the last of his molars since he's drooling like crazy and always has his hand in his mouth. I am beat!

Thanksgiving - we're going eastern Washington to see my family, as per usual. It's started snowing on the pass already this weekend, so my fingers are crossed that the drive over is good in a couple of weeks. It can get seriously hairy.

So I know that there is a thread already on this topic, but what is everyone getting their DC for Christmas? I don't want to buy anything huge since space is getting to be an issue, but we'll see. J is into his wheels and music, so I will probably get him somethings related.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

[Daisy]

Ok, I am a couple of weeks late, but here is a picture of J on Halloween as a zebra. This photo was taken at our weekly toddler group...also a good shot of him doing what he loves - spinning wheels. :)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2574/4104331215_e277169cb5_m.jpg

[MsPeachy]

Hey everyone - Well, it has finally stopped raining here and I'm hoping that the end of the cold, dank weather will signal an upswing in DD's sinus/congestion/ear infection mess. Has anyone heard of a correlation between chronic ear infections and speech delays? The ped mentioned it last week and I'm wondering if the problems DD has had since the summer have contributed to her lack of talking. I think we may be finally making some progress on that front. We get MaMa pretty well now, her version of dada is "GaGa" and Bye Bye made a couple appearances last week as did PopPop (my Dad).

DD has all 4 of her 1yr molars now but still only 4 bottom and 4 top teeth. I think the molars are helping her confidence in eating as she has recently tried (and liked!) chicken nuggets, hot dogs, kidney beans, tofu, and cornbread. Also, daycare reports that she is a great eater and apparently there she has had a cheesburger, breakfast biscuit w/ham, macaroni & cheese (we've never been able to get her to eat this!) among others.

She's pretty mobile and is getting better at scooting herself along on her ride-on toys. Another new favorite activity is pushing things around - cuold be toys but lately has also been her high chair (on wheels) and her play table.

Naps - We've been at 1 per day since about June. She was going down about 11:30 but now at daycare they do naps from 12ish to 3ish and she usually sleeps about 2.5 hours in that timeframe. We have a "window" too and if she falls asleep in the car for even as little as 10 minutes, her whole routine is shot.

Turkey Day - My DH wants to have it at our house every year (otherwise his family whines and is indecisive and ends up not doing anything) I'm not looking forward to cleaning or dealing with guests during DD's naptime but all we have to cook is the turkey( guests bring everything else) so that's nice.

Christmas Gifts - Well, I already did post in the gift thread so here is a link to my entry there. DD's Xmas Gifts (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1957209&postcount=232)


Daisy - Love the Zebra pic!! :)

[JLRenheos]

what a cute lil' zebra, Daisy! Have a great trip and a safe one too on TD!

MrsPeachy can't help you w/the chronic EI/speech delays....Anyone? Hope she's feeling better these days.
Think of it this way, at least you don't have to leave your house & you'll have leftovers!! ;) I'll have to check out your xmas list!

We're traveling this year to Indiana for TD. Looking forward to being w/my whole family this year for TD! DH hasn't been there for at least 2-3 yrs.

I need to re-thread DS carseat & move it up a notch, but I wonder if it'll make a diff., once I move him FF-within the week. I'm still debating...whether to do so, because he likes to lift his head when he's RF anyway & I'm sure he's straining to do so. Geesh, I hate installing taking out/re/installing carseats. uugh. PITA.

I'm really dreading this winter. I hate being locked up inside & stuck in the house. I CANNOT wait for Spring, already! I think I might have to sign DS up for tumbling class or go swimming at the Rec. Cntr. just.to.get.out! This yr. flew by & I can't believe our little ones are going to be 1 1/2 yrs. soon!!

Christmas Giftshmm,...still working on it. These are just my ideas thus far(from Mommy/Daddy & Santa Claus-- He likes the Laugh&Learn FP Telephone, maybe some new books, music, a Zoo pass, new shoes-now that he's walking, pjs, Spring clothes, bath mat, dipes/wipes, blackout shade & curtains from IKEA, although he already has a valance, white noise machine, & maybe some other sm. items...
Our house is becoming engulfed w/toys, oh, and the outside too. It's redonkculous!

[JLRenheos]

Santa Claus-has anyone taken their DC to see Santa yet?!
I know, it's a little early, but we went & had DS pics. taken today w/Santa:p I didn''t want to fight the crowds and/or forget & be a procrastinator. He wasn't sure about Santa,,,,esp; being held by someone else. He didn't have a christmas outfit on(spur of moment), however, I had him dressed in a cute scarlet/grey o.s.u. outfit, so it worked!

Made the choice to FF him yesterday. I could tell he was tickled to death & loving his new view! It was time. I took video/pics. of him.
I babysat a 2 1/2 yr. & an almost 8 mo. old, along w/DS for my bro/SIL lastnight. It was a late night out. Instead of waking ds up & taking him out in cold, I just decided to keep him there overnight. That was a 1st for him/us! He was going to be there in the a.m. anyway, since dh/I both had to work today. He was just fine.

Weekend plans
Dh will hang out w/ds @ home and I'm going out w/my family to a Phil-Am dinner/party association tonight! All you can eat Filippino food=yum! There's also prizes to win.
I may do a lil' shopping tomorrow, as Carter's has their sleepers on $ale for $8

[MsPeachy]

Hey everyone!

Well, we're off to the ENT tomorrow. Last week, DD went to the ped and they tried this super-shot of antibiotics. We went in on Sat morning for a checkup and she still had an infection in 1 ear and fluid in the other. We could have chosen either another antibiotic shot or oral meds. We chose oral meds to try to keep the infection in check until we can get in with the ENT. Luckily I called today and was able to get her in tomorrow. Unfortunately it seems that tubes may be our only option at this point. I'm not happy about it but if it makes her get better than that is what we must do.

Santa - Not yet. Maybe one of the next couple weekends. I hope she does as well as last year!

And lastly, here are 2 fun and easy ideas for thanksgiving leftovers.

Turkey burritos - take a tortilla and slather sweet potato pie on it, add leftover turkey, roll and bake in oven. Can garnish with leftover dressing if desired.

Turkey pot pie - Need some premade dough, pie crust, or even pillsbury crescent rolls. Line a glass pie or baking dish ( i use my rectangular pyrex) with dough. If using the crescent rolls, just unroll the whole package and don't separate the pieces. Tear off what doesn't fit. Add shredded leftover turkey, any leftover corn or peas or even green bean casserole. Pour 1 can cream of chicken soup and 1 can cream of mushroom soup over meat and veg. Season with a little S&P. Either add more dough, your leftover dough or another dough package on top and bake for 15-20 min on 350 (or whatever temp the dough package calls for.) until top is golden brown. Let set for 15 min and then serve.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving!!!

[Daisy]

Hi Ladies,

This thread has been so quiet since Thanksgiving, hope everyone survived the holiday. Not much is new with us, we got our decorations up and I'm almost done with my shopping. J's current favorite activites include bouncing golf balls on the tile floor (he thinks the noise is so funny) and making animal sounds. We got our family holiday picture taken care of last night and I just ordered cards.

So my big news is that I'm pregnant again! I found out over Thanksgiving (since I was almost 2 weeks late). I was in disbelief for a few nights (as in laying awake all night) since we did NOT do the deed during the week when I thought I would be ovulating...apparently I was wrong! We had the first appointment yesterday and I'm almost 7 weeks. I have to say, I feel like I just did this and was just pregnant. Not to mention I finally feel like I'm in great shape again, I think I will just try to work out as long as I can. My due date is July 25th...Jensen's was July 26th, so these kiddos are going to be almost exactly 2 years apart. Totally nuts. Good news is that I feel fine and I really hope it stays that way. Oh and I already got an H1N1 shot too.

MsPeachy - how is your DD doing? Thanks for the receipe ideas, they look good.

JLR - re Santa, not yet, but we will, maybe next week?

[Bloomwood]

Oh my gosh, Daisy!!! congratulations!! What exciting news. I can't tell from your post if you were trying or not. I think disbelief is common trying or not!! haha.

We are gearing up for Christmas. I'm trying to include Serena out of guilt but it is so much for with my 3 yo this year. She's so into it. We're doing the advent calendar, a teddy bear tea, nutcracker and hosting a gingerbread house decorating party for some of her preschool friends. She has NO interest in sitting on Santa's lap but I think she agreed to stand next to him.

Serena is a total PITA right now. I mean, so amazingly cute and smiley but she isn't sleeping as well as I'd like, is picky with her food and going through major separation anxiety. I know it is just a phase and I try to focus on how much she is changing and growing. She is saying a bunch of words but usually only I can decipher them! truck, cup, all gone, bird, balloon, ball, bye, hi, duck, mama, dada, ("mada" once during a separation anxiety spell!), hat. I think that is it. DD1 had over 80 words by the time she was 18 months so I'm trying not to compare, but I am!!

Oh and all 3 of us had the swine flu. The fact that DH didn't get it speaks to how much he has been working. ha.

I think I'm finished with Christmas shopping for the girls. Yay.

[Daisy]

Bloom - thanks! Yeah, depends on how you define trying...I would say no, but it's not like we were doing anything to prevent it either. I was in shock for a few days only because J was planned to a T and I thought for sure I knew my cycle better and that I would ovulate the next week...apparently I am rusty at tracking this sort of thing! Either way, DH is super excited and I am as well - I always wanted my kids to be 2-3 years apart. Obviously I just needed to make a few mental adjustments and we're going to need to move before this kiddo shows up!

I can't believe all 3 of you had the swine flu, how terrible. Sorry your DH is working so much. Mine is traveling a lot this month, but is going to take a week off at the end of the month and hopefully we'll book a winter Hawaii trip for early next year.

[MsPeachy]

Congratulations Daisy! That is exciting & fabulous news. H&H 9 months to you!

We did Santa today. It was almost a disaster. Last year was SOOOOO much easier!!! Ended up being a whole family shot. Interestingly, I was the one on Santa's lap. He said he'd heard I'd been good. ;) I will try to get the pic scanned.

[jeanine]

Congrats Daisy! That's wonderful news. Hope you have a very happy and healthy pregnancy.

I just got my first PP AF yesterday. Ben fully weaned about 3 weeks ago. It was a good run.

We tried Santa last weekend. Ben freaked. We couldn't even get him to stay on Santa's lap long enough for a picture, even with us both on his lap. I'll probably try again.

You ladies are on the ball with Christmas shopping. I barely started. I bought Ben one thing so far, the PBK anywhere chair.

[steviem]

Hi ladies,

Daisy: OMG! A big contrats to you! Very exciting. I got pg with Avery when DS was 15 months, which is similar to you. From my experience, my second pregnancy was so much more of a blur than my first since I was so super busy already taking care of a little one, that I didn't have a lot of time to rest, and truly "focus" being pg with #2. But, it is totally managable and I do love that they are so close in age, especially now that they actually play together :)

Not much going on here. We went to my mom's for a few days for Thanksgiving which was nice. It was the first "major" holiday without my dad so it was a bit sad, but we tried not to dwell on it. All of us have been sick off and on for the past few weeks which sucks (coughs/runny noses, etc.) Do you ladies have any good tricks for helping little ones with coughs and stuffed up noses? I hate that you can't give them cough medicine! I use the humidifier and I also rub Vick's Vapor Rub on their chests and feet but other than that, there doesn't seem like much else I can do to help relieve their symptoms. Anyway, if you know if any tricks, please let me know :)

We are all set for Christmas. All gifts have been purchased and the house is decorated, but I still need to send out our cards and wrap presents. Avery's "big" gift is the Step 2 Play Kitchen. I think she will really like it, seeing how she always plays with the kitchen at DS's preschool. I also got her some play food and dishes, some slippers, new jammies, a few books and a doll.

Avery is doing well. She tries so hard to keep up with her brother, which cracks me up. She loves to dance and clap her hands whenever she hears music. She also had developed a bit of a temper and will throw herself on the floor like a drama queen when she gets upset..... fun!

Anyway, I hope you are all well :) Sorry for the long update.

[MsPeachy]

"big" gift is the Step 2 Play Kitchensteviem - That's the same one we got for DD as her big gift!! I hope both our LOs enjoy them! :)

cough remedies - no great ideas but we are also struggling with this too. DD is so tired (and cranky/needy) because she's not getting good quality rest. We do the saline in the nostrils to help loosen everything and I think tonight I'm going to try a rolled up towel under her mattress to try to elevate/incline it a little. I don't know what else to try. DH asked me if that's how things were going to be for the next 3 months. It is quite frustrating that there isn't more we can do to make them feel better.

[Daisy]

Thanks ladies! So far I'm feeling great and just tire out by mid-afternoon (conveniently during nap time).

steviem/RO's - I'm happy that they're going to be close in age, but of course I'm anxious about taking care of two kids this little. And I'm dreading the whole 4th trimester bit, blah, especially since I now know what I'm in for! I think for sure I'm going to arrange for more help for at least the first year. So with J, I didn't go to the gym much (but I was also working full time and exhausted at night)...this time, I think I'm going to try to go the entire pregnancy - we'll see how I do!


So I think I'm pretty much done with Christmas shopping. My parents seem to buy J everything I want for him, so I don't feel like I bought him a ton. I got him a Costco pack of MatchBox cars, a tool/work bench, some cute RL clothes from the outlet (I pretty much cleaned them out! :)), books and a big dump truck. BTW, the FP Laugh and Learn Playhouse we bought him for his birthday has been a huge hit - thanks for the rec. If we had more space, I would be getting him that PBK anywhere chair and a table and chairs, but those will have to wait until we move next year.

I think we're going to do Santa next Tuesday. Today we have our toddler group holiday potluck - it'll be fun and chaotic.

We have a bunch of holiday parties this weekend, I get to be DD and not drink, can't wait. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

[TOMama]

Congrats Daisy!!! Two years apart is good, a little crazy at times, but good! When DC2 is J's age now they'll be able to play together-- the best part of my day is when the boys are laughing & playing together (makes me forget the times when they're literally pulling each other's hair and screaming ;)).

We've been super busy the last few weeks. We moved on Black Friday and it's been hectic ever since. Still trying to get my Christmas cards out, buy presents, unpack, wrap presents...Haven't decorated yet and DS1 keeps asking about it... not a good idea to move right before the holidays, but glad the move is behind us.

Landon has gone through a growth spurt and is now a little boy! He understands a lot and wants to do EVERYTHING that his brother is doing-- He demands equal treatment. I'm having a hard time getting him to sit in his highchair because he wants to sit at the table like his bro. He's a messy eater, so that won't be happening for a while.

He's also started throwing tantrums, laying on the floor and the whole bit. He has quickly learned how hard and cold tile floors are though, so he gently lays himself out before going into the theatrics. Funny guy!

Current words: Ball (for ball or oranges), outside, go, no, book, shoes, socks, Mama, Dada, Nana, Wawa (water), more, nose, cheese, nigh nigh, Mah (mickey mouse), done, hello, bye bye,

Started stringing 2 words together, but mostly it starts with "No" or "More". He also loves balls and has just started kicking the ball around. My favorite though is when he plays with the "doctor" kit and puts the stethoscope around his neck and the blood pressure thing on his arm... then walks around with the shot...:D

cough remedies - I use honey and it seems to work for a short while.

Have a great weekend!

[Lvella43]

Daisy!!! Congratulations!!

[Sue]

I have been so lax lately.... I've been reading along, but haven't posted. So let's see if I can get to everything :)

Ryan's finger healed really well and the nail is starting to grow back, he's just getting over a nasty cold, the dr. put him on antibiotics just to be on the safe side, since his cough was getting really nasty.

Halloween I still haven't uploaded any pics, but all we did was go to Nannie's house, but he did look super cute in his dragon costume!

PT'ing haven't even though about it...

Mammogram my midwife wants me to get a baseline done, I have a history of breast and ovarian cancer on my dad's side, but I have to wait till a year after BF'ing. And we're still going strong :)

Books We try reading to him, but Ryan is more interested in turning the pages and won't let us hold the book.

Brushing teeth OMG, you'd think we were killing him!!! He hates it, hates it, hates it.

Thanksgiving pretty uneventful, just went to my mom's house.

Santa not yet, we got his holiday pics done Saturday, but the mall was WAY too packed. We'll have to get up early and take him first thing in the morning.

Tantrums we are in full on tantrum mode and the hitting has started... yay.




Congratulations Daisy!!



15 month WBV
28 lbs (although he has lost some weight from being sick)
32 inches

Still haven't progressed too much with talking, only a handful of words. But he is thinking and it's so cool to watch. He'll take the step stool out of the closet and put it next to bed so he can climb onto it. Then he'll get down and put it back.

We are in full on separation anxiety. He clings to us when we drop him off at daycare. He won't go to sleep if I'm not in the room, he screams like a banshee when I put him in the pack n' play to take the dogs out. I hope it passes quickly!

I'm still out of work and it's really sucked the Christmas spirit right out of me... We got our tree last weekend, but still haven't decorated it. Haven't decorated the house or gotten a gift. DH and I decided to not exchange this year, but even just getting for Ryan is going to be tough. And it sucks. I've been in such a funk lately.

[JLRenheos]

Whew! Finally catching up w/everyone!! I hope everyone finds them well this December. Looking forward to the 2010 Year!
I can't believe DS is upon being 18 mos. old already! We've been staying busy since T-giving--anniversaries, bdays(Dh celebrated his 37th on Dec 3),baby showers, working, babysitting & Christmas parties and such....).

I ordered DS photo cards through Sam's Club last night & will pk. up tomorrow!! House/tree is decorated, but not to it's full extent due to DS plucking EVERY ornament off the tree. Hardly any bulbs this year, but wooden & other fun ornaments will suffice for this year.
Tonight, we met up w/some friends to take the kids to see Santa again & Christmas lights outside(BRrrrr!).
The Christmas festivities begin this wknd. w/my family being in town & will be staying at my house!!! Seems as though we're celebrating almost everyday this next week w/a diff. family. Christmas shopping,,,I'm behind as usual, but have bought some.
We bought DS 3 gifts & then he'll get some little stocking stuffers & maybe some clothes from us.-(Little People Airplane set/Cash register/L&L Play phone w/music CD), 'cause he'll get PLENTY from everyone else.
DS is starting to say a lot more words & that's been fun to listen to him. When DH kisses me, DS sees him, so DS kisses(many) me too! It's entirely SO sweet,,kisses & love from both my boys! ;)
Tomorrow is our Last library session for the '09 season, then we're movin' on up to the 18mos and up class for '10!!
Other than everything else, I've just been taking time to remember the loved ones that aren't w/us this holiday season. My friend of 14 yrs. from work was like a Mom to me(passed away almost 3 mos. ago). I've been in a funk, not just w/ thinking of the ones we miss, but w/my Dh too. It's been hard & I've been crying a lot....So, I've been trying to have less PC time & stay busy doing other stuff...like cleaning. blah

I'll have to post a recent pic. of DS.

eta, Congratulations Daisy!!!

S/Os for another time...

[MsPeachy]

Hi Everyone!

Only 1 week to go until the Big Day! Hope you all are doing well. We are sick again here. DD has been having some fevers the past couple of days and coughing at night the whole week. Lack of sleep and stress over DD and trying to get all my baking, wrapping and shopping done has led to my coming down with some sort of cough/congestion thing too. Fun fun. And now we're supposed to get like 18 feet of snow this weekend or something (just kidding but it could be pretty bad)

We put together the kitchen we bought for DD this week. It's so cute. I can't wait to watch her play with it. Also, we took advantage of the TRU sales and bought a little Barbie ATV ride-on for $42 that we'll save for her birthday this summer.
http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-3145417reg.jpg

Going along with my inability to stop buying things for her, I also bought her this cute Baby Tubbles that she can play with in the tub.
http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-2869907reg.jpg

Now if we can get reasonably healthy, X-mas should be a pretty fun time.

cough remedies - I actually gave a try this recipe my Indian co-worker suggested. It did seem to work a little but is best for dry coughs. Small dollop of honey in a teaspoon, pinch of ground black pepepr, and a couple drops of lemon juice. Mix together and swallow.

words - have really picked up here. DD is definitely "saying" things and repeating words/sounds but I can't always understand her. Some she's good at are car, cat, ball, birdy,bye bye, ho ho ho (LOVES this!), 'mo' for Elmo, and also we have an Oscar the grouch ornament on the tree and she likes to go up to it and "says" oscar the grouch (but it doesn't really sound like that)
~~~~
TOMama - We're having some trouble with the high chair too. DD wants to be on our laps and sit at the table with us.

Sue - We have big ol tantrums here too as well as hitting. I'm sorry about your work situation. I hope the new year brings better news for you.

JLRenheos - I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I love your kissing story. DD kisses us when we ask but the other day I kissed one of her dolls on the cheek and she thought that was the funniest thing. She grinned real big and then had to come "kiss" her doll too. Then she made me kiss it again. I love watching the learning.

[JLRenheos]

bringing us up from the bottom

Just wanted to wish Everyone safe & happy travels, for those that are traveling and a very Merry Christams. I hope the 2010 new year brings something good for all of us. Happy New Year!

2 down & 4 more celebrations to go! My family left today & has spent the last 4 days with us at my house. It's been a crazy one! I'm exhausted, but it's been fun and wouldn't have it any other way. I really took advantage of my family being in town & having 'free' babysitting!!! It made shopping so much easier! DS now has a cold & probably got it from my sisters. I'm SO shopped out. I did get my i pod touch, but don't have it programmed yet.

Looking forward to being able to enjoy the snow this year w/DS-now that he's a little older, since my Mom gave us a cool sled for a 'family gift'!!

Enjoy the rest of the week everyone! I'm off till the 4th of Jan!

[Lvella43]

JLR Happy Holidays to you too. Get some rest so you don't get sick too.

mspeachy It cracks me up that you got a bday gift already. Good deals are hard to pass up though. Love the kissing of the doll. Isn't it great to see their minds working!

Sue Thank goodness Ryan's finger is better! On the PT topic. One thing we wished we had done with #1 was introduce a potty or the toilet way before PT so it wasn't totally foreign. Dylan peed on the potty yesterday! It was a total fluke, but he loves to try because he sees his brother doing it all the time. Tantrums and hitting...ahhh good times.

__________

Ok, its the middle of the night and I was trying to catch up a bit, but I need to get back to bed.

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

http://media6.dropshots.com/photos/94885/20091211/132111.jpg

[MsPeachy]

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all have safe and happy celebrations however and whenever you celebrate!!! :D

lvella - That is an AWESOME card!! Love it!

JLR - Hope DS feels better soon!

[JLRenheos]

wishing everyone an early Happy 2010 New Year!

Our computer screen has burnt out, well pretty much anyway...So, I'm posting from the library instead. I can't even charge it from home, which is why I'm at the library. Uugh!! I can post from my ipod touch, but I have to go where anyplace has free wifi. Anyhow, no internet connection for the time being just SUCKS!

cute cute lvella!

We're doing well here. We partied everyday last week, but Tuesday. I'm still recovering.
DS had a great Christmas. Families got him music CDs, tape/cd player, outfits/clothes, dipers & a few wipes, a lot of cash, Little People toys-farm stuff, books, corn popper, See n' say, O.S.U. hat/ball, Bus from Little People, Doug & Melissa wooden puzzles/wooden learning cube, white polar bear shag rug thingie. We bought him 4 toys,,, matchbox cars which he LOVES!, FP cash register, LP Airplane, L&L play phone and the rest were just socks & Nike warm up suit-on the back of the jacket says, "Just Do It!" Super cuteness!

DS is going to turn 18 mos. on Saturday!~ He's getting older looking. I need to take him to get his big boy haircut from an actual barber or one of those places that have tvs-kid friendlier, but hate to pay that kind of money for one. I just know that he isn't gonna have it from a male barber touching his hair. We'll see how it goes! He needs one desperately!


For New Years...I think we're going to get together w/2 other sets of our friends & hang out w/the kids. Nothing too exciting. We may go to dinner or just hang out at a friend's house.

[Daisy]

Hi Ladies,

Hope everyone had a nice holiday - I'm sure glad it's over, the whole thing was exhausting. I'm seriously thinking of just staying home next year - packing presents and toys back and forth to my parents, plus just having a little one is super tiring. I'm almost out of the first trimester and am looking forward to getting some more energy back. DH took this week off and so far it's been pretty fun (and nice to have the help). We got a couples massage yesterday and we hope to take J sledding this weekend if it snows.

J got way too much stuff for Christmas, it's almost irritating. I'm not even going to bother getting some of it out until later. I joked with DH that we should just start moving furniture out to make room for his toys. :rolleyes:

So not a whole lot is new with us, J is running around, making huge messes and chatting up a storm, although I can't think of new words right now.

JLR - we bought a huge set of matchbox cars as well and they are a huge hit with J. :)

Lvella43 - cute holiday card!

Sue - sorry to hear about the job situation, hopefully it'll pick up after the new year.

Happy New Year everyone!

[Lvella43]

Happy New Year !!!!!!

Wishing you all the best for 2010

[JLRenheos]

How's everyone?? Hi all:)

[MsPeachy]

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

The holidays were great but exhausting!! I'm glad they're over :o The play kitchen has been a HUGE hit so far. We have even gotten DD to do some "pretend" eating off the plates. It's so adorable. She got about 4 dolls for Xmas too and they've been favorites as well. Oh - and the $3 maracas too. :p

We're still having the ear/congestion issues and have scheduled the ear tube surgery for 1/21. I'm a bit upset that it's so far out. I wish the ENT would have indicated that scheduling was a few weeks out. But, as nervous as I am about it, I'm hopeful that it helps DD. Also, her 18 mo WBV is next week and I'm happy that I'll finally be able to tell the ped that we have some words. DD has about 15-20 words and I think she may have more but I can't understand them yet. Her favorites are moon, book, byebye, ho-ho-ho,mama and pop-pop (my dad). She said bubble and cheese over the holidays which are new.

Hope things are well with all of you! :D

[steviem]

Hi ladies!

I am soooo bummed! I typed a long message last night and even "previewed" it and I log-in today, and the post is no where to be found...wtf? Anyway....

I hope you are all well and that you enjoyed/survived the holidays! Seems like we've been busy since October and I am so happy that things are finally back to normal. It was fun with all the holidays but now it's time to scale back and get back to a routine.

All is well here, although Avery and DS have both been sick with ear infections and the stomach flu. In addition, my mom and DH also had the stomach flu so from Christmas Eve - the end of the Christmas weekend, I played nurse to the entire family. I was so tired and over it by the time everyone was feeling better....I felt like I needed a vacation!

Avery is doing well now that she is healthy again! She continues to "talk" a ton and "NO!" seems to be her favorite word which is very annoying most times ;) She also loves to have full-blowen temper tantrums and lay on the ground and stomp her feet- seriously, where to they learn this stuff? She is still very sweet but her mild mannered nature is long gone. She definitely has a strong/opinionated personality now.

How are all your kiddos eating? Avery used to eat anything and everything I put in front of her, but now, she is so picky. She has pretty much existed on the following for the past few weeks: toast, oatmeal, yogurt, bananas, berries, pickles, cucumbers and string cheese. She is totally boycotting meat and veggies (other than cucumbers) and it is getting frustrating. Are any of you experiencing this?

For the most part, she is down to one nap per day, ususally from 1:30-3:30pm but some days, she sneaks in a 30 min nap in the morning. She is also still drinking 2 bottles of milk per day (morning and night,) but drinks from the sippy cup the rest of the time. I am going to try and wean her from her "baba" in the next few weeks.

Well, I hope you are all well. Here's to a happy, healthy and joyous 2010!

[TOMama]

Happy New Years ladies & babies!

We just got back last night so I'm buried in laundry and trying to put away the Christmas stuff... my 2 least favorite things to do.

I'll catch up and post later!

[Daisy]

Hi Ladies,

It's so nice to be getting back to a routine today! Although we probably have too many activities during the week...swim on Sunday, gymnastics on Monday, Kindermusik on Wednesday's and toddler group on Friday's. At least I won't be going nuts this winter with all the activities! We'll see how it goes, swim only lasts a month and 2 other classes go until April, so we'll see. We had our first gymnastics class today - what a work out for me! It's going to be a beast once I have a belly. Anyway, J hung from the bar all by himself twice! I'm so surprised and pleased. :)

So DH was home all last week and we took J sledding (he had a blast) and we went to two different children's museums (one was great, the other was crap). I also didn't change a dirty diaper all week, it was so nice! We also booked a Maui trip for the end of February. This will probably be our only big vacation this year, so I'm pretty excited. So far only my chest has grown, so hopefully it stays that way and I don't get a belly until after our trip! :D

steviem/eating - J can be hit and miss too. He likes all dried fruit, but not really the fresh kind...but he did eat some grapes at lunch today. I think it's a consistency thing since fruit feels slimey and wet. I try to offer him whatever we're eating, but sometimes it's just too easy to make him one of those earth's best pizzas or some chicken nuggets.

MsPeachy - good luck with the surgery! That is funny about the toys, J's favorite "toys" right now are water bottles and golf balls. :rolleyes:

[Lvella43]

Hi!!!

I totally agree that its nice to be back to some sort of routine and normalcy.

Food Dylan is so freaking picky! It KILLS me that he won't eat all the fresh food we make, but if I make him some pre-made turkey meatballs or chicken nuggets he will freaking chow them down! I have to hide ALL veggies in something like applesauce or on the bread for a grilled cheese. I can finally get him to eat a pear. Although he love love loves apples, he just sucks the juice out of the "meat" and then spits it all out. :rolleyes: its a huge mess to clean up

MsPeachy good luck with the surgery!

[JLRenheos]

We've got a nasty cold started here & feeling feverish too, so he's been Super cranky lately, hasn't been eating much & hasn't been himself. Thank goodness for Tylenol/Motrin ;) We're both wanting to get out of the house SOON! My lit' guy needs a haircut bad! He's looking like a rag muffin. Lol! I'll attempt to take him for his cut when he's feeling better. I don't think he's gonna groove to some stranger messing w/his hair/head. Should be interesting.

QOTD
Anyone thought about PT'ing--potty training? I know there's a thread, but where do I start & are there any good book recs. out there to pick up??

Here's my little guy @ 1 1/2 yrs. taken on Jan. 2, '10


Here's another pic or two, from Christmas/Winter 2009-
My Mr. Smiley =)

One of his visits w/Santa--Winter '09

[Lvella43]

JLR What a little cutie!!!! So sorry he's been so sick; hopefully feeling better now.

PT Given that our older son is over 4 and we still struggle......I wish that we would have introduced PT even if he wasn't ready. Getting over the idea of the toilet and the familiarity of it would have been easier at 2ish rather than older than that. With Dylan we have already started sitting him there before baths and such. He has peed once, but it was a TOTAL fluke. Dylan is super interested, but not ready. He is only interested because he sees his older brother doing it all the time.

[Lvella43]

A little Dylan love for you all!

http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/94885/20100112/152644.jpg

[MsPeachy]

Hey everyone!

I wanted to pop in and share some big news - we're expecting #2!! We just started trying in Dec and got really lucky I suppose. EDD Sept 9. DD will be 26 mo. when the new baby arrives. I think it'll be a good spacing. DH is 3 years apart from his sister and has often said that he felt that they would have been closer had they been closer in age so that was our goal with TTC this time. I'm hoping for another girl so DD can have a sister but DH wants a boy and is already convinced this baby is a boy. According to the Chinese gender predictors, he's right. So we will see.

Only 1 week to go until the ear tube surgery. I'm going to be nervous wreck from now until it's all over. We had her 18 mo WBV this week and it went well though. The doc was pleased with her progress and growth in all areas and said that she didn't have any concerns about her development.
Stats
Height - 33" (50-75%)
Weight - 24 lbs 11 oz (50%)

JLR - Hope DS is feeling better.

Lvella - darn - my work blocks your photo site. I'll have to check in later to see what I'm sure is a cute pic.

Daisy - you have a busy busy schedule!!! I don't know how you get it all in! Gymnastics sounds like a lot of fun.

Food - DD is on a major picky eating kick!! She is boycotting most veggies - even those she normally loved!!

[jeanine]

Congrats MsPeachy ! That is wonderful news. Glad to hear her WBV went well, and I'll be thinking good thoughts for her surgery!

We don't have Ben's WBV till Feb. I was a little late scheduling his appt this time around.

We're finally getting back into a schedule. This winter/spring we're doing Little Gym and Kindermusik. I hope Ben enjoys the music class because I'm really excited for it.

Ben is really exploding with words, and he is a lot of fun right now. I have a brother and sister who are still in college, and he got so close with them over their winter break. I am sad to see them go back to school. Ben was funny with my brother, he can't pronounce his name so he calls him "Oh No!", which is what my brother kept saying as we watched the Eagles implode the past two weeks.

Food - Ben is going through a really rough phase with this. He won't eat any vegetables most of the time. If I'm lucky I can get him to eat a few peas or carrots. He won't eat sweet potatoes anymore, even in the form of oven fries, which were his favorites. He's also hit or miss with chicken and pork tenderloin, two things he used to eat up.

I finally finished decorating Ben's playroom. Hopefully he enjoys his new space. Today though the weather is warm (well, 45 degrees F anyway) so we are headed outside after the nap. Yay! I am so over winter!

[Sue]

Congratulations MsPeachy !

Holidays were trying... It's constant in-laws for a week - Christmas, anniversary, birthday. And DH's brother was up from Florida, so throw in a couple of extra visits in there. One thing that does piss me off is I always ask what the other kids want and include a gift receipt "just in case". I hate spending $ on something that won't be used. So I gave everyone a list of ideas for Ryan (he has 5 aunts & uncles on DH's side) and on it were tub toys (said he likes to stick things on the side of the tub, pour splash) and art supplies... so what does he get? From one uncle a set of markers and tub crayons. I email the uncle and say that he already has the color markers and he EATS crayons, do you have the receipt? Nothing. An aunt gets him stamps and yet again... tub crayons. WTF. This is why I prefer gift cards. Stuff that he isn't going to use - a waste of $ and quite honestly I'm pissed that I got their kids something that they wanted and actually put some thought into it and not just get the cheapest thing I could find. Lets see... tub toys. Likes to stick things on the tub, likes to splash and pour - let's get tub crayons!!! Brilliant!

In other news... Ryan had his first dentist appointment this week. Went just as well as it does when we brush his teeth :) He's gotten 4 molars and his 4 top & bottom, and the dentist says the canines will be making an apperance soon. I need to make his 18 mon WB appointment, but the kid shot up. He's so long now!

Food He hasn't been too bad, actually he's gotten better at eating veggies and other things that he wouldn't eat before. We had switched him to a booster, but he likes to push away from the table and lean the chair back.

Words These are coming along. Thanks to his friend at daycare, "mine" is his new favorite word. Everything is "mine".

I am also happy to report that I got a job! Well sort of. It's a temp to perm deal, the person they hired for the position in September is not working out, so they want to test drive me for about a month. So I gotta bust my ass this month :) The only thing that stinks is that the day is 9:30-6, except on days I need to pick up Ryan. We'll see how that goes... I start Monday and am now kicking myself in the ass for not getting done the long to-do list. Hard to get motivated when you always have tomorrow :o

[Daisy]

Congrats MrsPeachy, so glad another July mom is preggo! :)

Congrats Sue on your new job!

MsPeachy - yeah, our schedule is a little nuts, but it's fun and since I've had zero work to do lately, it helps keep the day busy for me at least. How are you feeling? Good luck with the surgery.

lvella - cute pic, you guys have a ton of snow.

So not a ton new since the last time I posted. Jensen is a little dancer lately, he'll bust a move to just about anything, it's pretty cute and funny. There were some preschool fairs here this week and I found two montessori's close by that take 2 year olds and have PT programs. We're going to go to the open houses later this month, but I think I am pretty set on doing this for J this fall when I have another little one to consume my time. My Saturday night sitter just gave us notice too since she works too much during the week, she wants her weekends off. :( I love my Saturday nights and now I'm going to have to go through the trouble of finding someone else, blah. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

[Lvella43]

Congrats MsPeachy So exciting congrats to you on #2! Good luck with the tube surgery; hopefully it will provide some needed relief.

Sue I am with you 100% on the gift thing!

Daisy Good luck with the preschool search; its so draining, but when you find the right place its so much easier to drop your child off there.

[TOMama]

Good gawd, I'm so behind...

Congrats Ms Peachy! My kiddos are 26 months apart too. I love it, especially now that they play together and, at times, seem to love each other too! :)

Sue - Congrats on the job! I'm with you on the lack of gift receipts... I have a whole box of random/duplicate things to donate. Waste of money.

Lvella - LOVE Dylan's pic. I have snow envy too... been a bit too summery here for my liking.

jeanine - Are you going to share pics of the playroom? I'm starting to put together the kid's playroom too. It's much more fun than organizing my filing (bleh).

Food - L's still a little piggy and stuffs his face. However, without even looking he can detect when there's something in there that he doesn't like and out comes that piece. My dog used to do that when we hid his medication in food :p

Talking - L's talking up a storm... even has a few phrases, although he probably doesn't realize they're phrases-- "no, not that", "here you go", "more that", "go down". He just wants to keep up with his brother. The one word that I'm surprised he hasn't mastered is his brother's name. That'll probably come along when the tattling begins.

I'm still trying to get things organized. Most of the main stuff is done so at least we can function. We have office furniture on it's way and I just bought organizational stuff for the mud/craft room and the kid's playroom. We haven't hung a single mirror/wall art yet either-- DH's job since he's anal about those things and thinks I'm going to hang everything too low (which is probably true). Hopefully this weekend we can get stuff done!

Have a great weekend everyone!

[MsPeachy]

Hey everyone - Thanks for all the congrats. So far it's very different than last time with DD. I have a lot more nausea and less exhaustion (or possibly, less time to actually be exhausted)

Anyway, I wanted to drop in and request good thoughts for tomorrow. After a few snags, it appears we're cleared to go through with the ear tube surgery. To make things more exciting, DD had an off/on fever for the past 3 days and I took her to the Ped today who said her ears are very infected (again). We did this horrible double-shot of abx called rocefin (sp?) and are now hoping we can keep the fever at bay long enough to get through the procedure. As if I weren't nervous enough!!!!! I'm scared and hopeful at the same time. So wish us luck!!

[steviem]

Congratulations Ms. Peachy! Very exciting :)

Thinking of you today and hoping your DD's surgery went well. Keep us posted.

[MsPeachy]

Thanks Steviem.

Update: The surgery went very well. The surgical center and doctors and staff have this procedure down pat. I made DH go in to the OR with DD because I didn't think I could handle seeing her put under. Once he came out and removed his scrubs we went to a consult room. We hadn't even been in that room for 2 minutes before the Dr was coming in to tell us it was over. Another 5 minutes and we were led into recovery see DD. I was very nervous about the anesthesia and DD did have some trouble with it afterwards. She was crying a lot and was inconsolable. It was hard to get her calmed down so once we were clear to leave, we just dressed her and put her in the car and went home. On the way she fell asleep. Unfortunately her sleep schedules were all messed up yesterday so we didn't have a great night and she's been acting a little wierd today too. Hopefully we can get her back on schedule. DH & I are so happy to have this all done and we are looking forward to putting this mess behind us and give DD a chance to get healthy again.

[Daisy]

MsPeachy - glad to hear that it's over and went well! How nice that it was so quick too. Hope that the sleep schedule gets back on track quickly too.

[JLRenheos]

....just catching up!

;)

lvella what a super cute pic. of D!! I haven't gotten a chance to take A out in the snow to play, since he was sick at the time.

MrsPeachy Congratulations on your pregnancy! How exciting!! Glad to hear that your DD's ear surgery went well & hope that DD is feeling herself again now.

jeanine oooh, you'll have to post a pic. or two of the playroom you're getting together. I wish I had an extra room just for A's toys, alone. It's insane.

Sue Congratulations on the job, even if it's just a temp. one for now! I hope your 1st Monday went well.

Daisy hope your preg. is going well. Stinks to hear about your Sat. night sitter. Hopefully, you'll be able to find a replacement, so you can enjoy these last 5 mos. or so, before the new addition arrives.

TOMama I hope you're having fun organizing your new office! Are you all settled in your new home now?

[JLRenheos]

Hi again! :)

DS update
we took DS for his 18 mos. pics. about a week ago. They're awesome! We had them taken at Target. We always have. I have his 18 mos. WBV next wk., but may cancel & go this Friday. He gets 2 shots.
I'm thinking he's going to be slow at talking, 'cause all of the guys on my DH's side, all have had speech delays/tutoring/help. He does/can say an assortment of words. Should he should be saying more.--how many words for the appropriate age? Are boys generally slow to start out with? I know the smarts are there. That, or maybe he'll be a silent one, until about age 2 & then all of a sudden just explode! A lot of the times, only I, can understand. I won't do anything for now, but it's in the forefront of my mind.
In the last few wks., he's finally mastered how to climb on our furniture. I'm not loving the fact, that he's climbing on my coffee table though. rolleyes.
My child has an intense loooove for music! He's always got my ipod. We had our 1st 'toddler' storytime last wk & am soo glad that has started back again. Oh, and I'm starting to incorporate a little more discipline. He's old enough now, to where he can understand. Time out, will become my best friend. ;)


How are all of your DC doing w/self-feeding?
Eh, we're so-so. I'm doing the feeding ALL of the time. He knows what to do & how to do it, it's just that he's not very good & he misses his mouth 99%of the time. I guess I should really STOP feeding him & allow him to master it & practice more. It's hard, because I want less mess & want to get it done quickly too. I have no clue if some of it is a texture thing or what. Part of the problem is, is that he's just SO darn stubborn. The times where I've wanted to 'help' him eat w/a utensil, he gets mad & won't let me show him/or work w/him. The other part is, is that he's gotten used to playing w/something,,,like a toy/s. Really, he's just quite lazy and has gotten used to me putting things in his mouth. I've bought playdoh to help w/his hand/finger dexterity,,,,and surprisingly enough he plays with it.
Any suggestions????

food
he could be better at eating more veggies. A lot of the times, I'll hide them in other foods to disguise it. haha. He's a pretty BIG eater. We had chinese buffet the other day & about everything I put into his mouth he said, 'Yummmmmy!' Or 'MMmmmmmm!' Lol! Mac/cheese is a staple in our household along w/Dora yogurt, sugar free applesauce & fruit cups. Actually, this last mo. he's started to pick up more with the Milk intake. It seems like he's been drinking a TON more or going through some sort of growth spurt.


Otherwise, I had my family intown the other week, ALL at our house. crazybusy. They may be coming again this wknd.. Been busy watching our friend's DD & my 2 nephews. Trying to clean up & out my WIC. We're trying to look for tix. to Vegas for March. We're not finding any good flights right now for the right $ amt.. Boo. Still hoping though. I'm hoping this Vegas trip works out. We're just getting started on planning our vacay w/the ILs to Orlando & then I've got to get started on planning our cruise for next April--(for our 10 yr. anniv.)!

I'm caught up for a long while now. I'll have to post a pic. of him!

[Daisy]

Hi Ladies,

J had his 18 month WBV yesterday and got 3 shots -
21 lbs.
31" tall

JLR - I don't know, it doesn't sound like you should be worried at this point. If he is chattering in his own language and using some words, he sounds fine. Kids just do things on their own time. Does he do things that you ask? (like, "where is the ball?")
Cruises - how fun, I so want to go on another one...hopefully spring of '11 and I will leave the kids with my parents. Where do you guys want to go? Vegas will be fun! We booked our Hawaii trip a few weeks ago and also didn't find any of these supposed deals.

Feeding - J self-feeds but isn't too interested in using utencils, we've done it and I offer it at every meal, but he just doesn't care most of the time. I suppose he'll just do it when he wants to. He also isn't interested in art projects / coloring (since you mentioned playdoh), he just wants to play with his wheels. :)


So what is going on with us. I've been having new doors, baseboards and casings installed in the house...we're on day 7 of the work and I'm so ready for it to be done! Who knew it would take this long? It is looking sooo nice though...my GF said it was like a little botox for the house, ha ha. Jensen's newest word is "light." Kind of random to me since we never point lights out, but he likes circles and always points to the can lights, go figure. It is amazing what a boy he is - he loves all things trucks and wheels, he went nuts when we passed a front loader (see, I now know all the proper names) the other day.

[JLRenheos]

Daisysometimes he gets things that I ask for, esp; the ball, since he knows what that is. ...and if I ask him to sit, he'll do that sometimes too. As far as cruises, haven't the slightest idea. You have any recs.? I was thinking along the lines of a Carnival cruise line. I'm sure you can't go wrong w/any of them, really. yeah, still looking for Vegas. No such luck yet. DS is loving all of his car stuff too. Good luck w/all of your home projects. Everything sounds like it's all going to be SO nice.

had a terrible day yesterday w/DS. I wanted to start the day all over again. Today, MUCH better! In fact, we went over to my friend's house today & had a playdate!

TCP is having a $ale--certain items $2.99!-(Winter items)
My guy friend bought a ton of SUPER cute girl items for his DD for dirt cheap. I'm going to tonight to see what I can find for DS.

[Lvella43]

Mspeachy Thank goodness all went smoothly. Are things better now; has it been long enough after the procedure to feel better?

JLR I'm right there with you on a little bit of discipline. Clearly they are too young for anything major, but they get things pretty well now. DS#1 was a late-talker for sure; not until he was almost 3!!! We did speech therapy with him and it seemed to help a lot. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but we do sign language and its so great for simple communication! Dylan is saying some words, but still is slow. I can't remember what is "normal" for this time, but I think the biggest thing is what you've already done and that is to rule out other issues. If you do decide to check out speech therapy see if there is some sort of Birth To Three program in your area.

Self Feeding No joke, Dylan has been feeding himself with a spoon since we introduced food. It wasn't always graceful, but he insisted! Now he will wait for a utensil to eat. It sort of funny and annoying at the same time as I wish he would let me help him with some of the messier items. My floor and my sanity would appreciate it ;)

Food variety I am so confused with Dylan. He is picky but not; its hard to explain. I can't figure him out at all. I hide veggies in anything I can though since he just doesn't eat them. I continue to offer them though and just let him leave them alone. Also, one thing that works/worked with us is to serve small portions and let them ask for more. They feel proud of themselves in some way. Also, then they don't feel overwhelmed with the amt of food on the plates.

Daisy Good luck with the house updates hopefully it will be over soon!

[JLRenheos]

I went to TCP tonight & am going back for more...:p;) Clearencing out their last Fall/Winter seasonal clothing.

I bought about 20 items for $43. Things were marked as I mentioned earlier, but my friend told me to ask them for a 15% coupon and they gave it to me, so I got MAJORITY of the items for $2.57 AND $0.84:eek:

Maybe this wasn't a good thing that my friend told me about their $ale;)


Clothing/Sizing?
Thought I'd ask since I was shopping tonight & wanted to buy ahead, and wasn't quite sure what Size to buy for THIS Fall/Winter season. I went ahead and bought majority size 3s. I did come home and try some of the diff. shirts on. I guess it depends on the fabric too.
What sizes are your LO's wearing now? My son has a gigantic head, so I have to be careful what type of shirts/size that I buy. He's in sz. 2's right now. He probably could wear 3's in shirts, but they're a lil' long in the sleeve. For pants sz.,,he's short waisted, so he's inbetween the 18mos-24 mos. range and even the 24 mos. are usually long on him.

wow, I'm on a roll here...

[MsPeachy]

Hi everyone!

Thanks for all your well wishes on DD's recovery. She seems to be doing very well these days and is quite the "chatty Cathy". Not that I understand everything. A lot of times, she sort of just talks/babbles to herself. I also have trouble telling the difference between certain words like "mel-mo" (Elmo), "moo" (moon), and "mo?" (more) Almost every word lilts upward at the end. It's cute though. A new word recently is "eat". She especially likes to stand next to our dog while she's eating her food and point at her and say "eat, eat"

We are in the full throes of temper tantrums though and they can erupt at any moment for any reason, no matter how minute. Sometimes it's quite hilarious. However, we have also instituted short time outs when she is particularly bratty.

JLR - Your DS actually sat still for pictures????? I'm jealous! We haven't taken DD since last summer and I think it would be a total nightmare if we tried. Does your Target have different backgrounds or props they use? The time I took DD there, it was just a plain white background. Yay for the sale scores!

Daisy - Yay for a little house facelift. It's amazing how some small changes can make big differences! How's your pregnancy going?

Lvella - I know what you mean when you say it's hard to explain about the food pickiness. DD eats things most kids won't but pushes away the usually popular items.

self-feeding - It's going okay. She feeds herself mostly everything unless it's cereal in milk, or similarly messy items. However, I know at daycare she feeds herself exclusively and apparently even ate sloppy joes by herself.

veggies - hit or miss. She actually prefers them cold! Canned green beans and peas are preferred over the frozen style so we buy the no-salt added cans. She also likes cucumbers and raw green peppers occasionally with salad dressing. She likes to sit on DH or my lap during our dinner (DH gets home late so she typically has her dinner earlier than ours) and pick food off our plates or salad bowls. She has tried things like kidney beans, lettuce, and ground beef this way.

other foods - Well, DD is an anomaly apparently because she will not eat pasta, mac n cheese, or rice in any form (although supposedly she eats these things at daycare) so it's hard to give her starches to help fill her up. Sometimes dinner is supplemented with a piece of toast with cream cheese or some crackers just to get some carbs in her.

clothing sizes - DD is thin through the waist and butt so the 18-24 size falls down. She's pretty well in 18 months both for girth and length. She does have a tummy though so I could see us going up to a 24 m in tops. I have a bunch of 18m outfits from last summer that I'm hoping to get some more wears out of this spring/summer. I have no idea what she'll be by next winter. Probably a 2T. Also amazingly, she's still wearing the size 6 StrideRites we got her in the fall. Talk about a good investment for $10!!

[Daisy]

Hi Ladies,

My house project will be done today!! He just has a little painting to do still. It's amazing what matching doors and new moldings will do to a place! ;) That being said, we should have done this a long time ago since we will probably start looking for a new place next month - I am so excited! We have lived here for 9 years and have talked about moving for a long time, I'm excited that it's finally happening...we are so out of space. I also haven't told anyone (to avoid questions, money talk, etc.), so it is nice to tell my CC friends. We're going to hang on to our current place until the market picks up, I don't really want to be a landlord, but there have been 3 other places in our community of 60 for sale for the last year and nothing has moved, so it just makes sense to wait (in the entire time we've lived here there has maybe been 1 or 2 places for sale every 6 months and they usually sell within 3 months, just to give you an idea). Anyway, between this and being preggo, it's been hard to get any sleep at night!

Veggies - J favors peas and corn, so that is what he gets most of the time. He's hit/miss with carrots and edamame, I haven't tried green beans in awhile. He really likes hummus lately (on just about anything too).

MsPeachy - it's going good now that I'm out of the first trimester! I have so much more energy now (I'll be 15 weeks on Saturday) and I feel like it's starting to go by faster. How are you feeling? How far along are you now?

Clothing/Sizing - well, I have a small fry and 12-18 months fits him perfectly right now. I'm sure that 18-24 is what he'll wear all summer. He has a ton of 18-24 month winter clothes too that I'm not confident that he'll ever wear. :rolleyes: Did I mention that his feet are still a size 4?

JLR - I need to check out TCP, I don't think we have one in our nearby mall, I'll have to look online.

Lvella - how nice that he's been using utencils this entire time!

[JLRenheos]

It's been a Very busy morning!
We had his 18 mos. WBV today. He got a few shots too. We're a month behind.

33 inches-75%
27 lbs. 12 ozs.-75%
19 inches in H.C.

So, he's gained almost 3 lbs. And grew 1 inch since his last appt. 4 mos. ago!

I spoke w/my Ped about DS speech & mentioned to him about DH side of family(Boys only) that has all struggled w/their speech. He said as long as he can say 6 words at this age we're fine. DS does & says more, but not often enough. For now, we'll keep chugging along in the word dept. & then we'll re-evaluate at his 2 year WBV to see what his progress is.

very quite in here...hope everyone is doing well.

going to try & get a cat nap in myself, while DS is napping

DS is exactly 19 mos. today!

[MrsR]

Sheepishly waving hello -- sorry guys I have been SO BAD about posting here -- work and home life have been ridiculously crazy -- We have started our next round of IVF and that, combined with trying to get our house ready to be put on the market is making my free time in very short supply:o

Daisy -- I can't believe you are thinking about moving while preggo -- I am in denial that I may too be preggo soon and moving. . .

Anyway, We had DS's WBV last week and his stats were:

35 inches (off the charts (again):rolleyes:)
30lbs 1 oz (90th percentile)
19-3/4 inches in HC (95th percentile).

He got his Hep A shot but tensed up his arm so much when the nurse gave it to him that a bunch squirted back out:eek: The nurse said she had never seen that happen before but that since he would get another round of it when he is 2, not to worry (but still?!?!?!).

self feeding -- DS is very good without utensils, with utensils is another matter. . . he actually is better with a fork than a spoon (easier to spear something and not worry about dumping it in his lap I guess).

food variety -- depends on the day really. Some days he loves Tilapia, other days he turns his head and says "NO" and won't even think about taking a bite. Same with pretty much everything else, although I can always get him to eat rice and orzo (and can mix in most stuff into the rice or orzo and he will eat it).

clothing size -- DS is in 2Ts (and has been for a few months). He is just so long. His feet when they were measured a month ago were a 6.5. We have moved him to size 6 overnight diapers but he is in size 5s during the day.

Okay, I gotta get back to work. . .

[TOMama]

Hi Everyone!

L. had his WBV a couple of weeks ago:

32.5 inches (50%)
23.5 lbs (25%)... how I envy his metabolism
noggin 75%... lollipop kid

self-feeding - Been doing this since 8 months, I think. He's the "do it myself" type and I've only spoonfed him a few times. Still VERY messy, even with utensils. Plus he loves to throw food :rolleyes:. I'm always cleaning the floors...

food variety - He prefers "real" food over snacks (opposite of DS1), which is a good thing. Veggies are getting a little harder, but he absolutely loves fruit, cheese, noodles, rice chicken, pork, beef, etc. He'll eat veggies if I grate them into things.

clothing size - Mostly 18-24 months and some 2T's for tops even though they're long in the arms. He has short legs, so I think he'll be in 18 mo. pants for a while. It's crazy that he hasn't worn half of the clothes that he "inherited" from DS1. If I were to do it over again, I'd just size-up. Besides, little boys with sleeves rolled up is cute.

MrsR - good luck with the IVF and also moving! Crazy about the shot... he must have some serious arm muscles! :)

JLR - I just read a book called "nurture shock" and they have a great chapter about children and talking. DS1 was also a late talker (22 months), but he went through ST (not sure if that helped or just his own readiness) and doesn't have any problems expressing himself now. In fact, the other day he asked me if a stingray felt like polymer gel... nuts!

Daisy - Kudos to you for doing house reno and being PG!

Okay, I think the kids are done giving me some private time. BBL!

[JLRenheos]

MrsR I hope you're doing well from your ET & I hope things go planned for you. I wish you all the best w/this IVF cycle. your DS is growing like a weed! I don't know how you keep up w/him in the clothing dept.! Looks(from the stats) like he'll be very tall. You must have height in your family/ies.

TOMama I like your blog. wow, you do have a lean/tall kiddo! I'll have to check out the book. thanks

MrsPeachy yeah, our Target has quite a few props/backdrops...we'll, he'll sorta sit for a few seconds,,,I just have to direct his attention to something ;) Gotta luv those $ales! I bought his Entire Fall/Winter clothes for this yr.! Cute clothes too.

Daisysounds like you have a lot on your plate. I'm sure you're glad you have your house projects completed!

lvella thanks for your reassurance on ST. I spoke w/the ped & check again at his 2 yr wbv. He mimics alot, it's just not clear yet.


We'll ladies...we have 11.1 " of Snow,,,,and it's still snowing. ick
There are days like this, where I *wish* we had a snow blower. boo.

Thank goodness I went to the store & checked out movies at the library.
I was supposed to work this 1/2 day, but was canceled due to the snow. :)
Anyway, I'm looking forward to playing in the snow w/DS -kinda his 1st time.
We got rcv'd a sled for a family xmas gift & can't wait to take in our yard & sled ride!

Today, I'm making a stock pot of Paty's Cuban Black Bean Soup!
It's awesome!! I'll have to post this recipe.

[Daisy]

Good Morning -

J is at swim with DH this morning and I have about 1.5 hrs before they get home, the new sitter gets here and our realtor arrives to take us to look at 6 houses. So while I should be getting things/myself ready, I'm enjoying being at home by myself! :D

J threw two amazing bloody-murder tantrums this week, it was ridiculous! I really don't know what they were for either and I hope that he doesn't do it again! Usually when he's ticked he'll wimper and throw something. :rolleyes: I've been getting a lot of headaches with pregnancy too, so the timing of them wasn't so good (I'm 16 weeks today!).

JLR - how nuts you have so much snow! We have the total opposite weather here. Our target doesn't do photos, but I wish it did, how easy and close to me that would be.

ToMama - cool blog. I want to put a lot of maps in DS's future playroom, so thanks for the ideas! I'm already mentally decorating a lot of future rooms in my head, it's silly.

MrsR - good luck with your IVF. Yes, I think we're nuts to do all of this now, but we're out of rooms plus it's such a good time to buy something bigger and better, we're just jumping in. So are you guys planning on staying in your area when you move? A couple of our suberbs really run together, so we may end up in another town (I don't care either way), but still in the same vicinity that we're in now.

We're going to the Billy Joel/Elton John concert tonight with friends. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

[JLRenheos]

yet again, we're having another Winter Wonderland Snow Dump! My specific area last wk., got about 7-9" & the whole County got about 11.1" and now we're getting more(they est. 4-8"). GAH!
My driveway fairy(my bro) came over last week & surprised us by cleaning off our driveway w/his snowblower. I need him to come back!! I wish we had one.

Someone in my family just commented to me & said, if you're gonna have another, you better get on it, 'cause they just came out w/another study on autism & said the older you are, the higher risk you have of having a child w/it. gee, thanks for the info & making me feel bad. I'll just leave it at that.
Anyone hear this news report Or read about it?

Been thinking about you MrsR

I hope everyone else is doing well. ;)

[jeanine]

JLR - We're about to get hit with another storm too. It sucks. We had 20" on Saturday, and we're supposed to get at least 18" tomorrow. I am over winter. Did A have fun in the snow? Ben loves it.

I would have smacked that person who said that to you about autism. I was watching GMA this morning and the Dr. on it said the media reports on the study are misleading, and not to worry about it. There might be a clip on the GMA website.

I also agree that it seems like A is right on track with his speech.

Daisy - Hope you had fun at the concert. Good luck with the house renovations and planning a move.

ToMama - I really liked your blog, and the decoration ideas for L's room.

MrsR - Good luck with the IVF and getting your house on the market. That Hep A shot story is crazy. We had Ben's Hep A shot today, and I kept thinking about Jack.

Us - We had Ben's 18 month WBV today (only a month late).

Stats - 33.5" tall (~80%), 23 lbs 10 oz (~17%). I forget his HC, but it was around 60%.

Ben is doing really well. He's chatting up a storm, and he's a lot of fun. He has a super stubborn streak, and he's starting to enter the "mine" stage, but it isn't too bad yet. We had a week where he was telling us he needed to "pee in pot". I got super excited and was all gung ho to start with PT, but then he lost interest.

Is anyone going through a sleep regression phase? Ben has been a nightmare regarding sleep lately.

Not too much else is going on. We are starting the design for a kitchen renovation, and it is making my head hurt. I love to cook and bake, and I need a more functional kitchen but it is so hard trying to determine the budget. I feel like we should have done the reno when we moved in 7 years ago, and then the "are we staying or moving" question wouldn't have been an issue in determining the budget for the kitchen.

Hope everyone has a good rest of the week.

[JLRenheos]

Good Afternoon All! ;)

jeanine hope the kit reno goes smoothly! In the meantime, have fun designing away!! When are you slated to start? Yes, A had a fun time in the snow! I'll have to post a few pics. sometime later. We're supposed to get more snow this wknd.. You too, huh w/the snow. fun.fun. I got stuck in my driveway last night.
wow, B is a light little fellow, isn't he?! that's great that he was initializing "pee in pot'. He'll get there. Mine is not interested at all, but it's still very early. Do you have a seat insert that goes inside the commode Or do you have an toddler's potty chair?
On sleep regression Nope! Not having any issues at all.

Just dropping these off! These are his 18 mos. photos - Clickable!

http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/Adam%20-%202010/th_e5df0332.jpg (http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/Adam%20-%202010/e5df0332.jpg)


http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/Adam%20-%202010/th_518bbd31.jpg (http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/Adam%20-%202010/518bbd31.jpg)


Nothing new here. Met Dh for lunch today & DS/I also had storytime together. He's been very ornery here lately. I think we're most definitely at the Terrible 2s stage. He's into screaming fits & temper tantrums when things don't go his way, has been told 'No!' Or gets really frustrated. I've also noticed that he's extremely sensitive too.

Nothing planned for the wknd.. Just try & get out of the house, since we were cooped up for a few days earlier in the week. Dh has been burning the Midnight oil working(90+hrs.) :( Sunday is his day off, so I'm going to try & convince him for the 3 of us to take DS to a Museum. We'll see....

enjoy your wknd Everyone!

[Sue]

Hey everyone, I hope everyone is well! It's been rough getting back into the work routine, there just isn't enough time in the day! Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to get back here for a more detailed post. I wanted to drop off Ryan's 18 month stats (3 weeks late!, I really need to remember not to wait so long to make his appointments!)

Height - 35.5" / 97%
Weight - 27lbs 6oz / 75%

He also got 2 shots, his dtap and chicken pox (he's on the delayed schedule). Hopefully I'll be back this weekend to catch up!

[steviem]

Hey ladies! I hope everyone is well.

Avery had her 18month WBV a few weeks back and I realized I never posted:
She is 26lbs 8oz & 33" (80% for both).

All is going well here. We are enjoying some amazing weather here in SoCal- sunny with blue skies! I am loving it and am ready for the Spring :)

Nothing too exciting going on here. Avery is doing really well. Still saying quite a few words, with "No" and "Mine" being her favorite :rolleyes: She is also now saying "please" and "thank you," so at least that helps balance out her attitude sometimes. She is a sassy little thing- she went from being the most mild-mannered little baby, to this sassy little girl. Sometimes it makes me frustrated, and other times, it makes me laugh. She thinks she is way older than she is. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that she has an older sibling so she is always trying to compete and keep up with him.

She is still a good sleeper (8pm-6am) and is taking one nap per day, ususally 2 hrs long. She is back to eating pretty well again (thank goodness) but is now boycotting pasta. It's always something.

Dare I ask if anyone is planning/brainstorming ideas for birthday parties? Can you believe our babies will be TWO?????????? I want to put the brakes on... time is going by too quickly for this mama.

[TOMama]

I've been thinking about bday parties for both boys. I was tempted to do a joint party even though their bdays are 2 months apart... but then I think I'll do a kid party for DS1 (probably Lego Racers theme) and then a family party for L (I'm thinking Lil' Ol' Man Party).

I'm so not ready for him to be 2 though! He's usually a happy little camper, but boy is he stubborn... DS1 is still in the whiny/defiant stage, so I'd like to keep L. sweet & moldable for just a little longer.

Thanks for the blog love. The lack of personal time has been getting to me lately and blogging has become a fun outlet so I don't go postal ;)

Hope everyone is doing well!

[Daisy]

Hi Ladies,

Birthday Party/steviem - haven't thought about it, but since you brought it up, we probably won't do much since DC2 is due two days before J's birthday. We'll probably throw something together last minute at the house and invite whomever can come over. :)

ToMama - how is the house? All settled in?

JLR - super cute pics. We didn't take any at 18 months...whoops.

jeanine - how fun, good luck with the kitchen reno!

Sue - how do you like your new job?

This week has been kind of nuts for us. All 3 of us caught the stomach bug that's been going around and it was complete misery (vomiting and diarrhea). We were supposed to go to Maui last Saturday and ended up canceling our trip. We're feeling better now, but are now dealing with new house drama (I posted about it in the househunter thread), so we'll see how that goes today/tomorrow since we're probably going to make a really aggressive/strong offer.

J is doing really well. He is saying new words left and right! So far today it's been knees, ready, set, go and nite, nite. Yesterday was up/down, yes (as opposed to yeah) and cheerios (which sounds so cute). He loves looking at our Maui Revealed book, finding the maps and pointing out all the compasses. He pretty much loves circles and wheels and likes to point them out. Not much new on the eating or sleeping front. He'll do 7-7:30PM/8AM and 12:15-3 or 4 for nap, it really varies.

Hope everyone is doing well!

[JLRenheos]

We went to the museum a few wks. back like I had mentioned on V-day wknd. It was fun & ds had an absolute blast!@
We're thinking about going to another Children's Museum this wknd.-it's about 1 hr. away.

Today was our last storytime for the Winter session. I'm sure we'll sign up for Spring session as well. I'm hoping his speech picks up some. I see that he wants to 'talk', but am seeing his frustration. I contine to work w/him & observe, so we'll see at his 2 yr. how he's progressed between now/then.
I've been taking him to our Mall. They have a 'play' area just for kids. Since, it's darn cold out/Wintertime, it's been nice to take him to be around other kids. Another reason to get out of the house! ;) It's also been fun taking him to my Father's place of business to let him run around & to see other kids. My brother has been coming over as well w/my 2 nephews.

Dh/I are back & forth about going to Vegas. We're still looking into it & we'd be going w/friends. Depends on our finances(we probably shouldn't, but we could use a vacay). Dh works SO hard/much all.the.time. that he desperately needs some much needed R&R. If we did go, we already have a babysitter & we'd only go for about 3-4 days, as opposed to a full week like we used to go.

Birthday - I'm wanting to rent a blow up thing for outside & let the kids play in it, but dh seems to think that he wants to do it low-key this year. We have about 1 acre, so there's a lot of room for Everyone! We'll see who wins that battle. We'll invite our closest friends & Immediate family. If not, then I'll put some pools in the yard & call it a day... We have SO many outdoor toys for the kids to be occupied, that it's ridonculous.
Most likely, it'll be held at our home this year. I love the fact that my DS has a Summer Bday! As far as games/creative touches, my DS is in love w/cars so maybe we'll do something w/that in mind.

Hope everyone is doing o.k.. Will come back for S/Os

[MsPeachy]

Hi everyone! Wow, I haven't been in here in a while. I can see that our lives and LOs are keeping us all busy busy busy. My DD is a toddler terror. She exhausts DH and I and come Monday morning, we are more than happy to drop her off at daycare!!! We've made a lot of progress in speaking lately though. She has lots of words, mimics what we say and is starting to learn a few letters. Healthwise we've had more colds but I saw the ear tubes doing their job as the fluid grossly drained out.

I can't believe our little babies are going to be 2 in a few months. I was watching a funny video of DD where she was just learning to pull up and stand and realized that it was taken exactly a year ago!! So much development in such a short time! I don't think we'll do anything big this year. I will be 31 weeks PG so I doubt I'll want to deal with a lot of people or prep.

Daisy - I told my DH about your DS's nap schedule and he was jealous!! Hope your pregnancy is going well.

JLRenheos - We love taking DD to the mall. The one close to our house is small and not crowded and it has been a lifesaver as a way to get our ball of energy out of the house during these cold months! Some days it has truly saved our sanity.

TOMama - Oh the stubbornness is the worst! Especially when they sit or lay down somewhere and refuse to move!

stevie - I'm so jealous of your nice weather!!!

Sue - hope the job grind has gotten better. I know it's tough at first.

jeanine - hope your DS's sleep issues have gotten better. We haven't had that problem yet though we shall see what happens when we transition out of the crib.

[Lvella43]

Wow oh wow! I've been reading along, but not posting too much. Seems like everyone is chugging along getting thru winter. Spring is so close I can almost taste it!!! We just returned from a trip to the Bay Area to see my family. It was "eh", but the kids had a great time.



Birthday Party (holy cow we're coming up on2!) I think we've decided on a "ball" theme. Instead of doing balloons and such I'm going to order a few dozen beach balls, make a beach ball cake and whatever else I can come up with. Dylan loves to play sports/with balls and so that is where it all came from.


TOMama I think I missed something about a blog? Do you have one? Let me know!! :)

JLR Great pics!! How do you have a 20 month old already?! So big!

Sue How is the job family balance treating you now? Hopefully things are going well.

Daisy When is your due date again? Are you going to find out the gender?

____________________________________

Dylan Update
I'm embarrassed for myself that this is 2 months late. Better late than never, right?

Weight: 24 pounds 13 ounces - 34%

Length: 31 3/4 inches - 32%

Clothing size: 18 month spot on

Diaper size: 4. Freaking HATES diaper changes. I literally have to sit on him to change him. Once its done he's back to being Happy Dylan in a millisecond.

Shoe size: Size 7ish, maybe 7.5

Sleep schedule: Sleeps from about 5:30 or 6pm until 6am or 7am, one nap around 10:30 for usually about an hour

Foods: Is a picky eater, but at the same time eats a bit of variety. He is starting to branch out more which is so AWESOME!!! Loves almost all meat, loves apples, but really just sucks the juice out of them then spits out the rest. Nice.Hmmm veggies are very difficult, basically if they aren't pureed and hidden in applesauce then he doesn't eat them.
.
Nicknames: Chillin', Pinball (the kid bounces off of everything!), Little Shit, but mostly I call him The Little One and I've even caught Jack calling him that so I've slowed down.

Teeth: I think 18? Just has the 2 year molars to look forward to. Lets us brush without too much fuss. Dare I say he LIKES to brush.

Other: Dylan is a copy cat for sure. Will try anything that he sees being done or said. Loves to sweep, dust and wipe the counters. LOVES to wipe his hands, face and while he's cleaning himself up, he gets his tongue also. He does it so much that we sort of just see it as normal for him, but wow was that entertainment for everyone on our trip to the bay area. Still in a crib and I may just keep him there until he's 5. I of course am forgetting a TON of stuff. Overall, VERY happy kid and super busy as he should be at his age. Oh....we cannot in any way, shape or form take him back to a restaurant again for at least 6 months. He is CRAZY! We prefer him contained in public so he is in the Ergo a lot. He is just so darn busy busy busy. Lucky for us he does all his crazy stunts with a lot of joy and laughter so it takes the edge off of things. Also, Jack and Dylan are really starting to play together a lot!! Its so weird for me sometimes in the morning when they are off playing and don't really need my attention. Its weird and an adjustment, but its nice. They also fight, of course, but Chris and I are actually doing pretty well not solving problems for them; we are really staying focused on getting them to resolve things between just the two of them. Another random is that he will tell us when he goes #2! I think he will be much easier to PT just because he saw Jack go thru it.

Talking!! Dylan talks so much and has so many words I can't even keep track. Mostly he speaks in two-syllables but he is so clear!! He has certain words that he just will not say and will only sign but overall is super chatty.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/imaging-site/services/doc/4726:110192700212/jpeg/BG http://www.kodakgallery.com/imaging-site/services/doc/4725:310192700212/jpeg/BG http://www.kodakgallery.com/imaging-site/services/doc/5391:718003700212/jpeg/BG

[MsPeachy]

Freaking HATES diaper changes. I literally have to sit on him to change him. Once its done he's back to being Happy Dylan in a millisecond.
Seriously, what is it about this? We have the same problem. It's not like it's something new. If I say "let me check your diaper", DD runs away! It almost makes me want to move up our PTing time table.

[JLRenheos]

Hey all :)

a lot going on
I have been miserable for the last 1 1/2 wks. I'm on an Rx along w/cough meds. saw my dr. today. fun.fun. My fam. is coming into town this wknd. for 1 week & then they're taking my son back for that week(our 1st time w/o him :/) should be interesting. Gee, w/me only working pt & not having to care for my son, wow!...not gonna know what to do w/myself Or time!! It's been absolutely beautiful here these last 3-4 days,,,in the 50's/60's! We've been enjoying the outdoors & going to the Mall play areas! Oh, I've also watched my bro's 2 kids-both boys(almost 1 yr./almost 3yr.) along w/my DS. Dare I say, "Oh Boy!!" Everything went fine. We've also started up storytime again!

In one wknd., we went & did the Children's Museum, Museum of Natural History of Arts/Sciences And the Zoo-I invited my bro/sil and kids, since DH couldn't join. Actually, I went down 2x in 1wknd. Crazy fun.

My gpa is in the hosp. makes me sad. He has stage 4 renal failure. doing a little better. Very weak & on oxygen on a reg. basis at home & also had gout too, w/blood in prostate/urine. he keeps telling family, he's ready to go.

Spring is just around the corner! :)

lvella oh gosh! It's been forever!!!! Super super cute guys!!!

[TOMama]

Ack! I have not been getting the email alerts... what's going on?

L Update:
To sum it up... super active-- climbs on everything and gives me a heart attack at least once a day, very observant & understands more than we think, wants whatever his bro has, lots of words (except his bro's name-- must be a reason for that :p), starting to get naughty-- the 2's are going to be crazy, a very happy, upbeat personality.

Is it too early for 2 year molars? L has had his hands in his mouth lately and has gagged himself twice-- always in the car. I've had to deconstruct his carseat twice in the last couple of weeks to wash the cover... what a PITA!


JLR - Hope you feel better. That's awesome that your fam is going to watch A for a week. Enjoy your free time! Sorry to hear about your grandpa... it's so hard to see them suffer.

Lvella - L.'s the same about diaper changes... makes me crazy... especially the poopy diapers (sigh). My blog link should be at the bottom of this post... I think.

Oh man, he's up from his nap already... will BBL!

[Daisy]

Hi Ladies,

How is everyone doing? Getting ready for spring? I just planted some flowers out back this morning and uncovered our outdoor furniture. :)

What is new with J - picking up new words left and right. DH has been taking him swimming on the weekends and he doing really well with jumping, blowing bubbles, etc. I picked up some shorts/polos at Gymbo and Gap the other day for him too (I love the plaid short/solid polo look on little guys). I am so ready for spring to get here!

ToMama - so I was trying to find your blog entry where you posted some rooms with maps in them, but now I can't find it. Ideas? I found two maps at rosenberryrooms.com that I plan to get J for his new playroom, but of course I want to cover all options before I hit the purchase button.

Lvella - I can't see your pics! I'm due 7/25 and we actually found out the other day that we're having another boy. :)

JLR - yikes, I hope you're feeling better! Sorry to hear about your grandpa. :(

Diaper Changes - no kidding, it's like he only squirms when it's a dirty diaper too, gee thanks.

MsPeachy - how is your pregnancy going? Mine is going by fast all of a sudden. I can't believe I'm already 21 weeks!

Birthday - so DH found this bed (http://www.kidsuniquebeds.com/FireEngine.html)to get J for his birthday, so now I'm thinking we'll do a very loose firetruck/car themed birthday for him (basically cake and plates since I may have a newborn or be in labor). He is going to go nuts over that bed. Can't say I ever thought I would purchase a car bed or anything red, but what can you do.

AFM - we bought a house and close on 4/15 and although we were planning on renting out our current place, we may end up selling via silent sale - check out the Househunter thread so I don't bombard you here with details. Needless to say, these last few weeks have been nuts. Since I am clearly not going to be decorating any nurseries pink, I'm just going to have to get some feminine furniture for the new house. :D

Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

[TOMama]

ToMama - so I was trying to find your blog entry where you posted some rooms with maps in them, but now I can't find it. Ideas? I found two maps at rosenberryrooms.com that I plan to get J for his new playroom, but of course I want to cover all options before I hit the purchase button.


Daisy - here's the map link (http://blissbloomblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/hes-got-whole-world-in-his-room.html)

I'm probably going to get this canvas one (http://www.landofnod.com/family.aspx?c=107&f=2759)from land of nod.

[MsPeachy]

JLR - I hope you are feeling better. Good luck spending a week away from DS. We haven't even done an overnight to g'ma's yet - I don't know if I'm ready! I'm so sorry to hear about your grandpa. I hope he finds peace.

TOMama - I don't know about 2-yr molars. DD seems to be behind the curve for teeth. We still haven't gotten all the eye teeth in yet.

Daisy - Congratulations on your boy!! I'm jealous of your fast pregnancy! Mine is just dragging. Maybe because I'm still in that in-between stage. I'm not really showing just look fat, no feeling movement, no real doing anything for the new baby yet so it's been frustrating. I am literally counting the weeks until we can have our "big" u/s (only 5 to go!) Oh -and congratulations on your new house too!

-

So I had to come on here and tell about something that DD does that really amuses me. I have long brown hair and my DH on the other hand, shaves his head. DD likes to look through my fashion magazines and many times when she sees a model or woman on the page with long brown hair, she points and says "Mama!" Well, we watch Thomas the tank on Sprout in the evenings and the other day, Sir Topem Hat was on and she pointed to the TV and said "Daddy!" So now I like to joke with DH that DD thinks I'm Jennifer Connolly or Eva Longoria but DH is Sir Topem Hat. :D

[Lvella43]

Sometimes you guys are so brilliant and you probably don't even realize it. Dylan has been NON-STOP crying at night for 3 nights now and I couldn't figure out anything! Then I read here and someone mentioned 2 year molars. I bet that is it!!!!! He just woke up crying again as I was reading these updates and I gave him some tylenol and I sure hope it works!!

We've had a really rough few days. Dylan crying at night is tiring then.....my oldest fell and we had to go to the emergency room. Not that you guys want to talk about 4.5 year olds, but I'm throwing this out there. When Jack gets really hurt if we don't remind him to breathe, he will stop breathing, pass out, eyes roll back and he convulses as though he's having a seizure. ITS AWFUL!!!! We figured this out about 1.5 years ago. We called 911 the first time, then proceeded to have him fully checked out by our pediatrician. Turns out its a totally normal reaction to pain. Long story short is that this injury had a lot of blood and he passed out. We were FREAKED, but thankfully 3 stitches and a seriously awful black eye and he should be fine (http://media6.dropshots.com/photos/94885/20100315/080526.jpg). I forgot to take a picture today, but his eye/cheek are ridiculously black, blue, purple. Poor little dude.

[Daisy]

Hi Ladies,

DH is in LA so my time filler for this evening is CC. :) I forgot to mention the other day that we successfully weaned J off the binky last weekend. He fought his first nap without it for awhile, but after that, smooth sailing!

ToMama - thanks for the link! I tried to find a wall map with similar detail / color as the ohdeedoh picture, but I just couldn't find one (especially for under $100). So, I think I'm going to get these two: World Map (http://www.rosenberryrooms.com/109-world-map.html) and USA Map (http://www.rosenberryrooms.com/109tlyl.html). Now I need to decide on a wall paint color, chair color for the table/chair set I plan to buy, etc. for the playroom.

MsPeachy - I forget, how many weeks are you? I have a small bump, but I'm not filling out any maternity clothes, that is for sure. I hate this in between clothing stage, I feel like I'm wearing the same things over and over. Cute story too, btw.

Lvella - yikes, I have heard of kids doing this. I bet he is getting those molars.

[Lvella43]

Daisy We have a version of the USA map on the wall in Jack's room and I have to say that he LOVES it and we refer to it all the time. its great! I got it at Target of all places. I need to check out the artist's name because I think you can get them at Art.com or Posters.com for pretty cheap.

[MsPeachy]

Lvella - So sorry to hear about Jack. I hope he is doing better. That is super scary about the breathing and convulsing. At least you know to expect it.

Daisy - I'm only 15 weeks. I feel like the last 5 weeks has taken 2 months! I hear ya on the clothing blues. I'm desperate for some new stuff but don't want to get anything "regular" since I know I'll be in full maternity soon. Looking in my closet is quite depressing. I think "I don't want to wear that again" :p

[MrsR]

[B][COLOR="Red"]my oldest fell and we had to go to the emergency room.

Must be going around Lvella -- my Jack fell yesterday while at Barnes & Noble with the nanny. Long story but he cut the back of his head pretty badly and he needed 13 stitches:( He seems to be doing fine, but it was awful. . . Now, if these things happen in 3s, I just need to find another Jack who has fallen and required stitches recently . . .

[Lvella43]

MrsR OMG 13 stitches is a lot; how did it happen?! What did he hit his head on?!

[MrsR]

lvella -- Jack went to sit down on a stool at the table to read a book with our nanny and all we can think is that he expected for the stool to have a back. He basically fell over backwards and hit his head on the bottom shelf of the bookshelf behind him "just right" and sliced his head open. The cut was between 1.5 and 2 inches long. Fortunately it is in the back so when it heals it will be covered by his hair. The good news is he has not let it slow him down at all:rolleyes:

[TOMama]

Oh no! Hope the 2 Jacks heal quickly and the mommies get a little break from all the active kid drama. I was just telling DH that we'd be lucky if we make it through this year without broken bones or concussions... L is a daredevil climbing machine and is making me crazy. Today I found him standing on top of our center island, with a naughty little smile-- little bugger figured out how to climb up on the counter stools. I swear he's taking years off my life ;)

[JLRenheos]

we're 'kid AND diaper' "free" for the next 5 1/2 days. wahoo!

My Mom/3 sisters took back A for the week. So, it's just DH/I ;) They just left.

DH is taking it harder than I am. - only because he works 80+hrs. all.the.time. & often, he doesn't get to have daddy/son time a lot. I need a break & I think of it as a good thing for both us/grandma! ;) I've got a busy week ahead, so I have very little down time(except for at nights/this Tuesday!), to really sit & think how much we'll miss him. I know he's in good hands and thank goodness for his snuggly. :p

gpa is home now & his surgery went well & he's feeling really good now!

Off to find something to do & enjoy the rest of my weekend w/NO kid responsibilities!!! yay!

SO glad Spring is here!

[Lvella43]

jlr wow, enjoy your time!!!