PS Mommy thread with toddlers 12-36 months

[lliang_chi]

Hey mamas!

What's everyone going to do for your LO's for Easter? It actually might be nice here (50F) so maybe I'll do a little egg hunt for Ethan. I put little Easter stickers in the cubbies for his classmates at day care. Nothing cute and Pinterest worthy, just cut up stickers and wrote "Happy Easter from Ethan" on the back of them. But hey, it's the thought that counts right?

 

[lliang_chi]

Happy Easter ladies! Just swinging by to post some pictures of Ethan. We had a nice EAster dinner with Sis, her BF and our really good friend. J's parents were supposed to come but neither was feeling well, and MIL is scheduled to have surgery on Friday. But dinner was nice.I made a pork crown roast, stuffing, grilled asparagus, twice baked potatoes, bacon brioche rolls. Sis made a salad, leeks and dessert.

Yesterday was so nice, 58F. I didn't have my sh*t together to do an egg hunt but I took Ethan to the park. He loved the slide, except he doesn't know how to climb up and down stairs. He's actually completely stairs-unaware. He's so used to level ground he doesn't understand that the ground can come out from under you if you're up one step. Well, we'll ahve to teach him some time...

Question for Freke, NEL, anyone else that feeds their LOs citrus. Ethan seemed to get a diaper rash twice. THe first time was REALLY bad, and the second one had potential to get bad. I think it was triggered by giving him cuties. So does anyone else's kid get a diaper rash when they eat too many cuties/oranges?

~LC

 

[monarch64]

LC, sorry, I am none of the people you mentioned, but I happened to be lurking tonight and read your post. Alex has had a weird little rash in the front diaper area we've noticed after we have fed her citrus fruit in the form of jarred baby food, specifically pears/pineapple. I have a sensitivity to pineapple, as in, I can only eat a couple pieces of fresh pineapple, if I eat more than that my tongue starts to swell and get numb. My mother was just telling us on Sunday that my niece developed a strange rash and they figured out that she'd consumed a ton of those little grape tomatoes over two days. Not a citrus fruit, tomatoes, but still a fruit and obviously lots of acid. My mom says she can't eat pears (she has really sensitive skin and seems to have reactions to everything even at 70+ years old) and swears that fruits are the culprit whenever children get unexplained rashes.

 

[lliang_chi]

Monnie, Thanks for the update. I really think it's the citrus that caused Ethan's diaper rash. Bummer because he *loves* oranges. I'm going to limit him to only a few segments of cuties, but cut them up really small so he feels like he's eating more. He puts up QUITE a stink when he doesn't get what he wants.

Bummer my pictures didn't post yesterday. I'm reposting them now.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Cute photos, LC! I'm no help with the citrus/rash question. K liked cuties for a few days, but has been on a cutie strike for a couple of weeks (I just tried again this morning). Interestingly, K's eczema on her face really flared up on Easter. I was afraid it might be the peanut butter I'd given to her, though I've given her peanut butter several times before that. But now I'm realizing that Easter was the only time she's ever had pineapple (there was some leftover from the ham and she tried it and loved it). Now I'm wondering if the eczema flare-up was a result of the pineapple. How is E's rash today? Gone?

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, any cute Katie & Easter Bunny pics? We didn't do any Easter Bunny stuff, mostly because I'm a total "Grinch" and told J I didn't want to propagate the Santa Claus/Easter Bunny/Tooth Fairy myth. But I wouldn't torpedo it, so if he wants to do it, by all means, go ahead. I've got plenty to do without needing to add that on my plate.
Ethan's rash did eventually clear up, and I'm limiting his cutie intake to only a few segments at a time. If he can tolerate it, I'll move it up to one more segment each time. The boy REALLY loves the citrus so he's always sad and wants more. I don't eat it in front of him otherwise he whines until he gets some.

~LC

 

[NewEnglandLady]

This picture of K is not so great--she's shy, so she wasn't keen on being held by the Easter bunny. She started to cry a few seconds after this was taken.

Also, we just happened to be at the mall on St. Patty's day (hence her green dress), but I hadn't planned on taking any Easter bunny pics. So she still has bed-head from her nap.

 

[parrot tulips]

NEL - Love the Easter Bunny photo! We tried to have one taken with A, but after the crying Santa pics, we thought it might be nice to "introduce" her to the bunny first (while the family ahead of us was selecting their pictures/package). She was terrified, so we passed.

LC - My parents never really did the Santa/Easter Bunny thing (cultural thing...?), so I grew up thinking they were just fun holiday cartoon-like characters. Imagine the neighborhood kid's horror when I explained that to them! I honestly had no idea anyone believed in such things, so I didn't realize I was ruining anything for anyone.

 

[lliang_chi]

PT, I was TOTALLY the kid that did that too! LOL It's pretty funny now that I think back on it. I agree, I recognized that Santa/Easter Bunny etc were characters of the holiday, but I didn't have any "magic" belief behind them. Like Mickey Mouse. Shrug, J thinks I'm a total grinch though. Whatever, I'm not apologizing for it. So cute that Ava was not about the Easter Bunny.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

PT, I had the same fear about her having a breakdown with the bunny after our Santa pics. I don't think I ever posted them, but she was NOT happy about Santa.

 

[janinegirly]

LOL NEL, if I knew how to scan photos I'd share our Xmas one. My first (age 4) has a grimace (forced half smile) and the little one was mid scream, arms extended. It got a lot of laughs so thank goodness I got SOMEthing out of the 2 hr wait and $20 fee for one photo (2 copies of the same shot, uh why?).

At least K is staying still so in a way she meant to cooperate! I love these shots more than the perfectly posed smiley ones anyway .

PS What's Santa's excuse?

 

[janinegirly]

Monnie, Thanks for the update. I really think it's the citrus that caused Ethan's diaper rash. Bummer because he *loves* oranges. I'm going to limit him to only a few segments of cuties, but cut them up really small so he feels like he's eating more. He puts up QUITE a stink when he doesn't get what he wants.

Bummer my pictures didn't post yesterday. I'm reposting them now.

LC - I just love E, he looks like a little man you must want to cuddle him all the time!

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, this might make me seem mean, but that's a hilarious Santa picture. Lots of babies don't want anyone but their parents holding them so I suppose Santa is used to the crying/screaming baby.

Janine, I totally agree with you. Crying baby santa pictures are way more fun than boring smiling ones. How were C and A with the EAster Bunny this year? Thanks for the compliments on Ethan. Yes I love hugging him. He LOVES snuggling the dog, who's not very amused by this new development. But it's so cute watching him run up to her to give her hugs.

Oh and for grins, Ethan decided he was way too cool for mommy and wore his pants "hip hop style". Actually even funnier story, I picked him up from day care on Tuesday and his teacher was like, "We've got a funny story for you!" So he woke up from his nap and usually they change his diaper and he likes to hang out and play by himself before snack time. He usually likes to play over by the crib area, and as long as no one's sleeping, the teachers let him hang out there. On Tuesday he comes running out from the cribs to give his teacher a hug, and from the waist down..... completely naked.

 

[janinegirly]

Too cute, are those diapers green or is that just a reflection! Cutie and charming the daycare ladies I'm sure.

For some reason there is no Easter Bunny in our mall...maybe it's considered too religious or something?

I think my littlest would have been equally terrified as she was of Santa.

 

[lliang_chi]

Janine, they're green cloth diapers. They have little turtles on them. Did A have a picture with Santa? Did she totally freak out? We didn't do Santa pictures so I don't have anything of Ethan.

NEL, I just thought of something, can you post last year's Bunny pic side by side with this year's?

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LC, that photo is hilarious. K's pants fall down all the time (long legs, no butt), but it's less funny on girls than boys.

here's a side-by-side Easter shot. This year's pic should have the same border, but my husband must have cropped it out and I'm too lazy to find the disc and re-download.

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, Awwww!!!! K's so big! Heart melt!!!

 

[Skippy123]

awww great pics LC and NEL

My boys (twins) are going to be 2 years old in 11 days! They are sure lots of fun; they love for me to read to them and show them how to put legos together. Evan gets lost in stacking his legos and Miles loves to have books read to him. Hope everyone is well!

 

[lliang_chi]

Skippy, how fun! I can't believe the boys are almost TWO! They sound like they're so much fun!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Oh my gosh, Skippy, your boys are going to be 2?! That's crazy! Are you throwing a party? Will legos be involved

Attaching this super cute pic of K. I feel like this is how she is 90% of the day. Energetic, happy and just the most adorable thing on the planet.

Oh, and I spent the entire week with her last week at home (babysitter's daughter was getting married, so she took the week off). It was the first time I'd had so much time with Katie just relaxing at home. I was worried that I might feel frazzled, but I wasn't. She was such a joy all week and I genuinely enjoyed our time together. Everything was just so much more...relaxed.

 

[janinegirly]

NEL: what cutie! She's got curls and they're growing fast. I can't tell if she looks like you or DH yet..I think you. I'm glad your time off was so enjoyable, this is such a fun age. A is at a great age too, early words, running non-stop, contantly putting everone's shoes on and trying to get outside. In your case I'm glad it was so relaxing ...time for #2 to shake it all up, haha.

PS Any summer plans this year? We are determined to go to the Cape again, we've booked Chatham--I've never been so hoping it's fun.

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, I agree with Janine, I think Katie looks a lot like you. I think I told you this but I love her little curls. So cute. I'm glad you had such a good week. I've spent a lot of time with Ethan the past few days, half days mostly and he's been OK. Cranky at times but SUPER SWEET and cute so it kinda makes up for it.

AFU: MIL had her heart surgery on Friday, so sorry I've been MIA a bit. So far so good, no signs of infection and the surgery (albeit long, almost 11 hrs) went well. If you guys can spare some dust for a boring, uneventful recovery that'd be great. As it is, it will be a LOOOONG recovery process for her.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LC, such a cute pic of you and E! I'm so glad your MIL's heart surgery went well, tons and tons of dust to her. You guys have been through so much with your MIL over the past couple of years. Is J going down to FL? Is his sister helpful at all?

Janine and LC, aside from the lighter hair and lighter eyes, I think K still looks like D. D's mom is Filipino and I see those traits (the nose, the epicanthus, which is the fold of skin in the inner corner of the eye), plus she has D's mouth and his eyebrows. Still, she looks more like me than she did when she was born. Always interesting to see which genes dominate.

Janine, Yeah, #2. We've always said we'll start trying next month (officially the next time I ovulate), but I'm not feeling quite ready. I think we may just take a "wing-it" approach with the next one, which sounds crazy coming from me since I'm such a planner and methodically track my ovulation. But since I'm not champing at the bit, I'd rather just play it by ear. Because I know that when we have another, it's going to get that much crazier.

You're going to love Chatham! Isn't it nice having a vacation to look forward to? Chatham's a great destination because you just relax on the beach or you can take day trips to Boston, Plymouth, MV or Nantucket. We booked a trip to the outer banks this year, but we're not going until September. We might take a long weekend and go up to Maine or something in the meantime.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Just crashing your thread to say that I absolutely love all of these adorable pics

NEL, Katie is so cute. Her little ringlets are just perfect! And how amazing to see how much she's grown in just one year. Love the Easter Bunny and Santa pics.

LC, Ethan looks like the sweetest little guy. I love the picture of you and him together!

 

[lliang_chi]

Thanks NEL, MIL had her surgery here in Chicago. Her case was too complicated that none of the docs in FL wanted to take her case. They suggested she go to AL, but we all figured if she were going out of town, might as well come up to Chicago where J and I are. SIL is in CA, she cannot fly since she's now 8 months(?) pregnant. So she's getting updates from J. J and I figured that we'd be doing most of this work since we're HERE and it just makes sense. Thanks for asking and for the dust.
Trying for #2, J and I have kinda discussed it, and I really think he won't be able to handle it until all of this surgery stuff is past us. But I do want to start maybe late summer. I have the Mirena IUD so there's a "pull the trigger" decision to be made, that I'm 100% sure J will waffle with.

Janine, a beach vacation sounds SO NICE! Do the girls like the beach? Ethan's old enough this year, so we're going to try to take him to the "beach" here in Chicago (Lake Michigan) to see if he likes the sand. I refuse to call it a beach since I'm a FL girl and I *know* what beaches are!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LC, I'd forgotten your SIL is pregnant! How long do you think your MIL will be in the hospital? Will she be in after-care in Chicago once she leaves? I remember you and J looking into assisted living several months ago. I hope she's getting stronger this week, poor thing.

Are you excited to take E to the beach this summer? I'm definitely looking more forward to it this summer--last summer K could only sit in the sand and attempt to put handfuls in her mouth. This summer she can actually walk on the beach and play in the water. And I think Lake Michigan counts as a real beach. I mean, at least it's tidal. I grew up in Missouri where going to the beach meant swimming in a smelly lake. But I loved it!

AFU, K is in developmental overload right now, it seems. Two weeks ago she could say "Mama" "Dada" and "Bloon" (balloon). Now she pretty much tries to repeat everything I say. Her favorite game is to point at things and say "Dat?"...then I tell her what she's pointing at. I'm sure she's pleased as punch that she can get me to talk to her any time by just pointing and saying "dat?"...she seemingly never gets tired of this game. This morning she pointed to a brush and said "dat?" I said "that's a brush" and she said "dat breh". I seriously doubt that she was trying to say "that is a brush", but I'm still overwhelmed with how fast she's picking up on language.

I should probably stop cursing so much.

I'm attaching a funny beach pic from last year--now you can see why I'm so excited to have a mobile beach baby who won't just sit collecting sand.

 

[Kunzite]

OMG! LC & NEL, they are adorable!! Look at your big kids! I'm dying for the babies to get a little older

I only have a minute (all three LOs are playing together, happily!! ATM...) but wanted to share a cute O story. This is how the conversation went:

Me: You need to put your milk in the fridge.
O: No, mine!
Me: Put your milk in the fridge right now.
O: No no.
Me: Do you need to go to a time out?
O: Yeah (puts his milk in the fridge and walks to time out!!)

This kid is a riot!

 

[geri]

Kunzite - We need a like button on PS! That is too cute.

NEL and LC - Your little ones are just adorable!

NEL - the language development really is amazing, isn't it! It just gets better and better, although now at 26 months we have such a little chatterbox on our hands I sometimes wish she would just be quiet for 5 minutes. We get a running commentary on everything, all day long!

 

[mayerling]

Hi ladies,

Quick question for the toddler thread: what's the recommended daily milk intake after the first year?

 

[lliang_chi]

Mayer, my pedi says to shoot for about 24 oz. It's OK if it's less if he's eating other stuff like cheese or yogurt.

NEL, yes it's going to be fun seeing how Ethan reacts with the sand. I'm going to get him some digging toys for the garden and have it double as beach toys.
Wow! I can't believe K is trying to imitate your words and stuff. Ethan's still very content to just use the: DAH! Buh! Wa, Mmmm, etc. So no words yet. He does say Dada a lot which makes J super happy. LOL about the cursing.

Geri, I love toddlers babbling on. It's so cute! And very encouraging if she's that verbal.

Kunzite, your little man is hilarious! And how awesome the three of them are all playing together.

MIL will stay in Chicago until she's fully recovered. So the plan is she'll do rehab and skilled nursing up here too. The upside is she'll get to enjoy the Chicago summer, which is the BEST!

Attaching a pic of Ethan. He was dressed up for picture day @ school