Feb & March 2007 - I'm a Big Kid Now

[febmarch2007moms]

Time to move over here. Like always, no point in making this difficult. This thread is just a place to chat amongst ourselves. I'll reserve a few spots in case we want to add any links.

Previous thread
http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44067 (Feb March 2007 Toddler Thread)


If you need anything updated with this thread, please PM me (boilermaker) directly. I won't be logging into this account otherwise.

[febmarch2007moms]

Birthday List

Babies By Birthdate

January
12 - LA Bride 2004 - Malcolm
24 - E'sprincess - Madilyn

February
1 - Sage - Aidan & Owen
7 - Isobel - Evie & Jane
14 - Shimmerstar - Noah
17 - jenjen0713 - DS
20 - Daniel's Kitty - Michael
26 - rancherswife - Reece Carter

March
2 - boilermaker - Payton Elizabeth
3 - dpangel33 - Hailey Madison
4 - Betsyboop - Amelia Claire
5 - Tandis - Veronica & Audrey
8 - Buffy - Morgan Alexis
9 - Kindermom - Henry
11 - danalou - Mackenzie
13 - Orion - Dalton Alistair
20 - miaclear - Aaron
21 - littlemia - Claire

[febmarch2007moms]

Save

[febmarch2007moms]

Open for business. The last few posts from the previous thread...

dpangel:
Dawdling - I wouldn't say DD is a dawdler as much as she just likes to be stubborn and not do what I want her to do. We've had issues with getting her dressed for over a year now; she's so opinionated on what she wears it's ridiculous. So I've finally given her control and let her pick out what she wants and that seems to help things go faster, except for days like pictures and such when I have a specific outfit for her to wear

Violence - She's always been violent but only towards me. She began hitting, biting, scratching back before she turned one then it got better when she turned two but now we're back to the horrid stage at three. She literally mauled me in WM one day that I couldn't regain control over her so I started bawling (still looking for the pics on 'People of WM' blog ). When she saw what she'd done she began crying too and apologized for hurting me. She and Daddy had a long talk when we got home and now every day she tells me she wants to make me happy and not cry so as soon as she starts to act up I tell her I'm unhappy and she calms down so I won't cry .

PT'ing - She's been day trained for over a year now and finally night trained last month!! Now if I can just get her to quit demanding I take her potty all the time at home it'll be great!!

Sibling Update - Well DD was sure she was getting a little "stister" but turns out she'll be getting a brother!!!

Vacation - I'm so excited for our trip to FL next week! We're taking DD to the beach, WDW, and to see a shuttle launch. She knows we're going to the beach but is going to flip when we get to WDW!!


shimmerstar
Danea, congrats on your boy!

I haven't been back here in awhile. Noah's little brother Eli was born March 5th. Noah is a very caring brother and really seems to like the baby.

I will agree with the poster above who said three is WAY worse than two. He can be so obstinate and moody. He hasn't been too violent with us, but he sure used to be. He has always been a force of nature. He only listens when it suits him, and then screams bloody murder if he gets a consequence. I was so thrilled yesterday when I dragged him screaming from preschool because he didn't listen, and therefore didn't get a drink. We are so, so consistent and he continues to just test us all the time. Someday I will come to terms with the fact that he is not going to be a kid that accepts authority well.

We count for him too and it works about 60% of the time.

littlemia
Dawdling- We managed to get out the door in 30 minutes today but we didn't do breakfast since I thought we'd just be gone for a few minutes. I think I may just have to feed her in the car sometimes. Probably some of the dawdling comes from not having a set schedule everyday. Hopefully she'll adjust to getting ready for preschool- that is if I find a preschool.

3 vs. 2- Everyone told me three was harder than two but so far I think they're about the same, just different. The whining and arguing have ramped up in the last few months and that's annoying, though. Actually, I think all of the ages have been difficult just in different ways. If she had eaten like a nornal child the infant and young toddler stages wouldn't have been so hard.

Danea- Congratulations! Hope you have fun (or are having fun) on your trip. It's been pretty hot here lately but it's nice at the beach. I didn't know there was a shuttle launch coming up. One of these days I'm going to have to see one up close.

[miaclear]

Waaaah....my baby can't be a big kid :(

[boilermaker]

That's so funny Amy because I am thrilled that mine is more like a big kid ;) It's even more amazing to me to see her with her older cousins.

[shimmerstar]

I am not sad about him growing up, because I think it's awesome to see all he can do now, but behavior-wise, I want him to be two again! I can't even describe how crazy he can be right now!

[miaclear]

I am not sad about him growing up, because I think it's awesome to see all he can do now, but behavior-wise, I want him to be two again! I can't even describe how crazy he can be right now!

YES! Aaron was the sweetest little boy and then shortly before he turned 3 turned into a terror. He's still sweet...at times...but man, I'd LOVE to have my 2 year old back for a couple days.

[boilermaker]

Just thought I would give this a bump. Life has not been fun for the past few days at our house. Payton has been experiencing growing pains, which make for long nights. Then yesterday she got stung or bit by something and her whole ankle swelled up. The lack of sleep has turned her into a miserable mess and I am exhausted by the end of the day with her. I actually yelled at her this morning to just take the damn medicine already (she's been refusing all of it which is a real pain since she used to love to take medicine). Horrible mom that I am.

On the plus side, she's taking swimming lessons. She's a very cautious child so it is slow going but she's had 2 lessons and certainly made improvements both times. I'm hoping she'll be willing to go underwater by the end of the summer.

And we're starting to work on reading and improving her phonics. She's so interested in reading that I figured I might as well do it. So far so good.

I can't believe June is almost over though. I feel like our summer is going to poof, be gone before we know it so I'm trying to plan out some fun things for the next two months.

[boilermaker]

Well after that post, I feel like an even worse mom. Payton does not having growing pains nor did she get stung. She had an unexplained fever for several days 2 weeks ago and apparently this is all related. I guess she has a virus that her body is still fighting and she now has something called HSP. Basically her blood vessels are now inflamed from trying to fight the virus and it leads to a rash and then swelling in the extremities. Her other foot swelled up scarily fast yesterday evening (which obviously wasn't a sting/bite) so off to the ER we went and 4 hours, an IV, lots of lab tests later we finally got to go home with that diagnosis. I'd never hear of it before.

[betsyboop]

Yikes, that sounds terrible! How'd she do with the IV? I can't imagine how they get a 3 year old to leave one in?? I've never heard of HSP before either. Do they know how she caught it?

I think everyone knows about our main struggle right now- potty training. We switched back to diapers full time about 2 weeks ago and it's been awesome. Her behavior has improved soooo much, we basically have the old Millie back- she's fun to be around, hardly ever causes trouble, etc. Plus we don't have to clean up accidents constantly. One interesting thing- she won't wear a diaper to school or on play dates as if she's embarrassed to wear one around her friends. Cracks me up:p But hopefully she'll start getting embarrassed to wear one at all...

[boilermaker]

That is great that the diapers are helping all around. It sounds like she is being a normal 3yo and that is the area she wants control over. There is no way you can potty train her if she's not going to willing participate.

The HSP isn't a catchable/transmitted thing. It's just a reaction when you get a virus in your bloodstream. I did get a call back from the ER and she's got a pretty high level of strep in her blood. But since she showed no signs before, there was no way to know.

[shimmerstar]

Carrie, that must have been scary to have to go through all that. I hope she is better soon and sleeping well again.

Betsy, yay that diapers are making it easier. Our control issue is sleep, but in all honesty our control issues are a lot of things. :p

We had a really rough couple of weeks at the beginning of the month, but for the past week or so he has been awesome. His sleep has been pretty bad but last night was a little better. My main concern right now is that he is suddenly getting a new teacher at school and I'm not sure what's going on. I think I'm more upset about it than he is, but I really don't do well with change.

We started swimming lessons too, and he's too afraid to do much. But we took him swimming in the lake and he was dunking his head, blowing bubbles, etc. so I think it's more of an issue with the environment.

[betsyboop]

Yup, it's definitely a control thing. She's a stubborn little girl- my parents just laugh that I'm getting a taste of my own medicine:p I was also super old by the time I was potty trained. I actually remember sharing a sticker chart with my sister for making it through the night without an accident- and she's 2.5 years younger than me!

Shimmer- I saw your thread about the sleep issues. That sounds really rough especially with a new baby to deal with as well!

Man, I'm jealous that you guys are having luck with swimming lessons. I signed Millie up a couple months ago, went to the first class where she did ok at first but then ended up clinging to the side of the pool crying. I had to take her out before the lesson was over. Then we talked about it at home and she said she wanted to go back and try again the next week. So we did, but then she refused to even get into the pool at all. Ugh. So I stopped going- Nate was 3-4weeks old at the time and I just didn't want to fight with her about it. Maybe next year, I guess.

[boilermaker]

Are you able to go in with her? Payton won't do anything if I'm not in with her, so I signed her up for private lessons. I just wear Riley in a water swing (if she's not sleeping). But you know, she'll have plenty of time to learn and it's better for her to be comfortable with the water than scared of it.

shimmer, I read your sleep thread too and don't see how you are doing it with both kids!! I thought Payton was a horrible sleeper but compared to Noah, I'll take it. I hope the sleep stays good for you.

[betsyboop]

But you know, she'll have plenty of time to learn and it's better for her to be comfortable with the water than scared of it.

My thoughts exactly. My mom is terrified of the water and can't swim at all and I really don't want my kids to end up that way. And no, I wasn't able to go in with her unfortunately. I'm sure that would have made a big difference.

[ieducate]

Well, it has been forever since I have posted on this thread...been a crazy couple of years to say the least. Anyway, just wanted to stop by and say a quick hello. I can't believe that the baby I was pregnant with on this site is now 3 1/2 years old...going on 30. :) Julia is a super star and wonderfully healthy...despite coming out 11 weeks early. :)

I also just had another baby...a baby boy born at 39 weeks at a scheduled c-section. :) Jonah Benjamin is 9 weeks old. He is perfect and wonderful. We had multiple losses before him and lots of IVF, but he is here now and that is all that matters.

I hope everyone is doing well. I very rarely get time to hang on the Internet, but I happened to be playing around and noticed that the thread had been updated. I hope your kids are all doing well.

[miaclear]

Aaron's starting preschool next week. He's going T/Th from 9-2 and the only reason he's excited to go is because he got a nametag on his lunchbox so he wants to go so nobody else will eat his lunch. Whatever works! I hope he has fun and it isn't a traumatic departure. I want to cry happy tears, not tears of frustration. We have a meet the teacher later this week and his first week is only 9-12...so I'm hoping the gradual ease in will help.

He loves being a big brother, especially now that his sisters (16 months old) are REALLY into playing. They love to dance and chase each other around and jump on Aaron's bed. Having more than 1 kid really does make life a little easier...in some instances :p I love that they have playmates.

Our swim classes were really good, Aaron still isn't able to actually swim. But he is comfortable in the water and can balance on a noodle (like a horse), kick and balance with the kickboard, and pretty much he'll float in the pool all day if we let him. He has one class left this week. I don't think we'll get him horizontal and face in the water (the goal) but I'm very pleased with what he's learned. We did private one on one classes in a private pool.

[boilermaker]

Good luck with school Amy!! I hope it is all smiles for you.

I am so ready for fall! Summer was fun and went by in a flash but I love fall and all the stuff that goes along with it. I'm looking forward to being able to run around outside for hours without ending up in a sweat or sunburnt LOL. I ended up quitting Payton's swimming lessons as we weren't getting anywhere with them. I think the lifeguard we had was pretty bad and I didn't think i could really fire him and pick a new one. But Payton will now go in the water with her little life jacket swim thing on by herself and she'll put her face under and is way more comfortable, so I'll take it. We actually had one very scary pool incident this summer that made me (all of us) realize how quick things can happen.

Payton moves to the next room at school next week. She's not had any problems with transition up to this point and one of her current teachers moves up with the group, so it should be an easy move. I really like the head teacher and she promises to keep Payton challenged since she is starting to read and write above her age level. Payton showed such an interest in reading and writing that we decided to embrace it and she's doing very well with her phonics and with learning sight words. It's really fun to watch her recognize words in books and to figure out words and teach them to herself.

[betsyboop]

mia- Good luck with school! I hope Aaron loves it. Too cute about the lunch. 3 year old logic can be just hysterical sometimes:D

Like Carrie, we gave up on swim lessons. Unlike Payton, Millie made zero progress and won't go into a pool at all (well, I guess technically, she'll stand on the second step at my parents' pool, but she won't even let someone carry her into deeper water). The ocean however, is no big deal to her- she'll go right up to her neck. Obviously someone has to be right there with her!

We also gave up on soccer. She refused to participate and was very disruptive to the rest of the class, so that was the end of that.

Summer really did go by fast. I'm so glad to be leaving it behind! The hot weather was brutal this year and we were sooo busy with selling the house and moving. Millie was so stressed out about it and we only realized the extent of it once we moved. She calmed way down once it was over. The best part is that she goes right to sleep every night now. No more million excuses, coming out of her room constantly, playing/reading in her room until all hours, etc. It's been great. Of course we're going to have to go through it again in a year when we move again...

[boilermaker]

Betsy, I think that is actually common for kids not to go in water that is over their heads. We were lucky in that our local pool is gradual. Not exactly zero or whatever it is called, but enough that she could play in it without us having to hold her or float. Makes a huge difference and explains why she's fine in the ocean.

So I got out the tub of fall clothes today to see what I had, what I need, etc. Yeah. She grew. A lot. Almost all the 3s are too short or just right at her ankles. So I measured her today and she has grown 2 full inches in the past 6 months. From under 20% to over 50%. Unfortunately, she's still sooo skinny she's barely on the weight chart and even on the smallest size of adjustable waist, pants are often too big on her. It looks like it is going to be a fall of dresses and tights.

[shimmerstar]

Carrie, I just got out old clothes for Eli over the weekend. Tis the season! That's great that Paty is doing so well with her reading. Noah just moved to the Pre-K 1 room, and from what the teacher tells me, he is already ahead of what they are learning. But Noah is absolutely thrilled about new toys. He will not stop talking about school now. I had thought that he might pick up more reading skills by now, but I'm just glad he's happy.

Karen- good to hear from you! Congrats on little Jonah (that's my nephew-to-be's name) and I'm so glad that Julia Rose is doing well.

Betsy- glad everything is settled with the move now. And that Millie is getting more sleep.

Miaclear- how is school going for A? I hope he loves it!

We are getting into the back to school groove. I have been back to teaching for three weeks now and my class is settling down and we are having good days and a bit cooler weather. Noah is still something else. He cracks me up every five minutes and is very, very opinionated. Example: The other night he wanted a Curious George book, and I said I put them all downstairs. He replied "No. You did NOT put them all downstairs!". Um, how do you even argue with that? He is sassy but has been better behaved both at home and at school. I attribute it partly to his last two teachers being fabulous and knowing how to manage his behavior without getting into power struggles with him. He is quick to pick up on things like song verses and slip-ups from mom and dad.

He is mostly sweet to his baby brother. He worries about him choking on toys and will take things away from him. He worried that the other babies at daycare would hit Eli. He loves it when Eli smiles and laughs at him, and is very concerned when he cries.

Sleep is a lot better. Our issue now (because don't we always have to have one?) is eating. He wants junk all the time, and every time he is hungry or thirsty it ends up in a mini tantrum because he doesn't like the healthy choices I offer. I stopped giving him after school snacks, but he usually takes one bite of dinner. I give him his dinner again for his bedtime snack and he still doesn't eat it. But he complains all the time that he's hungry! It sounds like he eats okay at school, must be peer pressure.

All in all, he's an awesome kid! I'm so lucky. :)

[boilermaker]

Giving us a bump.
I've had a hell of a night and I don't know if it is the age, the xx chromosomes, my crappy parenting, or what. The fits are escalating, both in frequency and emotion. Tonight, she didn't want to go to bed, wanted to keep playing. I gave her the typical countdown (5 min, 3 min, 1 min), then picked her up and carried her upstairs. The fit started and before I could even get her to the bathroom, she literally slapped me. Full on, right across the face. I was so stunned I didn't even know what to think. I dropped her on her bed, turned off the light and walked out before I did something I regretted. DH is OOT of course.

It seems to be transitions that set the fits off. But I can't not have transitions. We have to go to daycare, we have to eat meals, we have to run some errands and she has to go to bed!! I've tried the time warnings, I've tried time outs and taking things away. Nothing is working.

Any tips?

[shimmerstar]

Please, please let it be the age. I keep worrying about what I'm doing wrong, because I feel like I try way too hard at parenting to have him be so naughty! I could have written the previous post, because he slapped me over something last week. We have weeks that are great and suddenly we are back to where we started. He never does anything I say, despite consistent consequences. I have to pick him up and drag him to time out, etc. He is getting too big for me to haul around anymore.

Something that sometimes works for us is to remind him of something fun that can happen after we get the other stuff done. I also bribe him some, like if he gets dressed without a wrestling match and is ready to go by the door when we leave I will let him have a piece of gum in the car. We have a Melissa & Doug responsibility chart that we put different goals on and he gets a magnet for each goal he met that day. The first time we got him a gift when he reached a certain number, but we haven't done that in awhile.

Another thing I've been thinking of trying- when I used to watch Supernanny (and scoff at those poor parents that I have a complete new understanding of), she would always do a family schedule. We have 95% of our troubles on the weekends, because he is out of routine and even though we do stuff, I think he gets bored and restless being home a lot. So I have been thinking about doing a family weekend schedule and going over it with him when he wakes up.

I hope this thread gets revived because I need a lot more help and commiseration with Noah than I do my baby. When it's bad, I can't stop wondering what is wrong with him and what we've done wrong. I took him to get a screening eval though our school district, but they said the issues that he's having (that I told them about) were not affecting his learning, so he doesn't qualify for an IEP or anything. I still wonder sometimes about taking him to a private behavior consultant or something.

Carrie, I hope it gets better for you, but for better or worse, you're not alone!

[boilermaker]

Shimmer, I need to add you to LJ. I posted in my journal and most of the moms here commented there. I think the age is 95% of it. I'm so sorry you are have the same struggles. It really makes you feel like a failure of a parent! Isn't it funny how opposite kids can be though. Payton is happiest on the weekends when we do nothing but play around the house. I think some of it is that DH is home to help, either with Riley or to play with her. I blame some of it on the weather too. I cannot wait for it to be warm enough to go outside without having to bundle Riley up. I just haven't found a way to get them both out for more than 15 min. I swear I've spent upwards of $300 on indoor play places this winter to try and give Payton some outlet for her energy (and we have our bounce house in the basement which does help). And some of it is jealousy. Now that Riley is taking her toys, can push her over, can climb on top of her and pull her hair, let's just say there are a few sibling fights. And then I blame some of it on my sleep deprivation. I know the fact that Riley is still up 2x a night means my patience is low and my energy is low and it's just tough to operate like that, esp on the days I work.

So, maybe we can share stories if nothing else!

I will say, one of my BFF has a boy 3 weeks younger than Payton and he makes Payton look like an angel. My friend has tried every parenting method out there but her son is so spirited, stubborn and big and strong and it's so so tough.

[shimmerstar]

Yes, please add me! Shimmerstar80
I haven't posted in my journal in a long time, because I started a blog that family can access, but I still love to read and comment on others.

[littlemia]

I forgot about this thread but saw it come up on new posts on my phone. I'm on LJ, too, but I keep forgetting to check it. Boilermaker- I don't think it's poor parenting, I think this age is just really difficult in some ways. Unfortunately for us, every age has been difficult but for different reasons. I don't have a lot of time to write tonight but I want to commiserate. Tonight she was being really difficult and I asked her why. Her answer? "I like to be naughty. I like doing naughty things." Jeez, Louise. We don't even use the term naughty so I don't know where she got that from. Our big issue is that she gets out of control and I don't know how to stop it. I've been thinking about starting a thread about it but I don't know if I want to open myself to all of that.


We have weeks that are great and suddenly we are back to where we started.

This is us. It's totally unpredictable, too.