PS Mommy thread with toddlers 12-36 months

[Loves Vintage]

Going back a few posts . . . Noel - I love the photos you posted! How cool is Skye? I can't believe she can swim so well! I think it's the frequency of her exposure! We've done three sets of swim classes, but we only go once per week, so there's only so much development that can take place. I love the pictures with her friends too - toooooooo cute! Glad you posted an updated and so happy to see and hear how Skye is doing!

LC, Ethan is just the cutest! Love all of his photos! Sounds like he has quite the active life!

Freke, Yikes! Sorry to hear about A's tumble, but glad to hear it was not serious.

Mayerling, Welcome!

******

Everything is going great here. We're having a great summer, spending tons of time outside, which is not where I would typically be during 90+ temps and humidity, but S loves it, so out I go. We've been exploring a lot in our own backyard. S found a frog at the top of her play swingset/tower. No idea how he got up there, but DH brought him down and let S see him before sending him on his way. Last weekend, we found a snake (harmless garter snake), so I took a few steps back (haha) and S took a few steps forward, watched him closely as he slithered away and then mimicked him with a little dance. It was the cutest.thing.ever!!!!! Kids are so funny!

She is super into her dolls these days. She likes to take care of them, help them go to sleep, sits them all around a table for a tea party, hee-hee, changes their diapers, etc.!

Oh, that reminds me, I wanted to mention Corolle dolls here. http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_lin...rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463275901&pf_rd_i=1238231011 Another mom recommended these to me. I adore them. They are a lot nicer than a lot of the dolls in the stores -- no creepy eyes!!! I'm sure you can find these in some toy stores, but I just prefer ordering on-line, so that's where I got S's "baby."

Oh, and one more thing - we started gymnastics last week! There are no swimming classes this summer, so I thought we'd give gymnastics a try. There were maybe 15 toddlers in her class. It was basically a few songs/dances in a circle, and then free-range toddlers with a parent on all of the equipment. S seemed to really like it and wanted to go back in when class was over and we were leaving!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! I am delaying catching up on some work, so will turn to that now . . .

 

[monarch64]

LV, those Corelle dolls are lovely, thanks for posting!my mom and I are always looking for pretty, soft dolls without creepiness! Hope you've had a nice vacation.

Alex is learning more "animal" sounds. Most recently, what a bee says: "zzzzzzz!" She does puppy dog, kitty cat, duck (or bird), and now bee. We are working on frog and elephant, but those are obviously a bit

Last week, our little chickpea decided she had had enough of her diaper and decided to take matters into her own hands. She removed her diaper and shredded her shit and threw it all over her room. That wasn't very fun.

 

[lliang_chi]

Monnie, blech, I kinda puked a little reading the diaper disaster you had. Sorry you had to deal with that. Adorable that A managed to Buzzzzzzzz like a bee. Ethan does "Ooooh oooh oooh" for gorilla (accompanying chest pounding is optional, DH taught him that one), "Neeeeeeh" for horse.

LV, S sounds an adventurous little girl! Glad she's able to do lots of exploration outdoors. Must be nice for her to get out and about. Gymnastics sounds like so much fun! How old is she? Do they have very young kiddos in gym too? We're doing swimming lessons, for Ethan.

Noel, yes! Ethan's daycare just sent some sprinkler play pictures and I was waxing about how much he's slimming down and he's no longer my pudgey little squish any more. Makes me very very nostalgic.

Freke, Poor little A I'm sorry to hear about her "battle scar". I'm glad all was well, and I totally hear you about being stressed in a new, especially not-child-proofed environment. Sis LOVES having Ethan over, but I have to be SO VIGILANT when we go over because her place is of course not childproofed. But it makes her really happy seeing him and she comes over like 9.5 times out of 10. So I just make sure I pay extra attention.

PT, awww! Ava sounds so adorable running in to find the Bebe! How young is A's cousin? It's great that she has other cousins close by that she can grow up with. I'd love for Ethan to have cousins near by to grow up with, but I don't think it'll be in the cards for us. Unless we start cracking on #2 (and if it were up to me, we totally would be).

NEL, I really hope you guys make it out for another beach trip. Do you think you'll do another family vacation to Montauk? I wouldn't sweat K needing variety in her meals. I think kiddos won't be able to remeber, "But we just had this 2 wks ago!" And I definitely have my regular/go tos for Ethan versus getting fancy everyday. Especially breakfast. Yogurt, cheerios & milk, eggs. Sometimes I mix up the eggs a bit with some ham or cheese. On very rare occasion (usually the weekend) Ethan gets pancakes, waffles and the like. Very very rare occasion.

AFU: Ethan is getting more and more opinionate and trying to push his way. He threw an EPIC fuss-fest this morning. I'm getting pretty tired of it. It's always when we're on our way to daycare and I have to either wrestle with him to put him in his car seat or talk him down and get him to go in his car seat. Then deal with him crying for at least 5 mins for the whole 1+ mile drive to school. One thing I'm looking forward to if/when we move is that DH will be put on daycare duty and he can deal with this.

Attaching a pic of Ethan @ daycare during sprinkler play today.They said he LOVED it and that he was the only kid that went straight up to the sprinkler without any help/coaxing.

 

[noelwr]

lc - cute sprinkler pic! The fuss-fest will pass. It's just hell going through it, especially when you're running late in the mornings.

monarch - yuck! Time to introduce her to the potty?

LV - sounds like S isn't afraid of anything! Gymnastics sounds great. We're still doing dance class but I have to threaten no TV to get her to participate. And then she'll keep reminding me: "Mommy, I'm a good girl!"' Uh-huh...

- - -

A colleague's 1.5 yr old drowned a couple of weeks ago. That got DH and me thinking if S would be able to swim if she fell unexpected into a pool. Sunday afternoon, I dressed her up in her school uniform (the heaviest clothes she owns) and her old shoes and told her we were going to the playground, via the swimming pool. While we were walking next to the pool, I pretended to slip and pushed her into the deep end, and then I ran away. DH was hiding behind the corner, so he could watch her. We’re both trained in CPR, by the way. Luckily, she swam to the side and pulled herself out. Of course, she was very upset, and I had to tell her how silly I was to trip and very sorry that I pushed her in the pool. It was so mean, but at least now we can sleep better knowing that she could handle herself if she fell in a pool, provided she didn’t hit her head on the side and could find a place to get out. I’ve been feeling guilty ever since, so I’ve been spoiling her a little. I think she deserves it for being an awesome swimmer at 2 yrs old. Luckily, she wasn’t scared to get back in the pool.

 

[lliang_chi]

Noel, aw, poor S and poor you for needing to play the bad guy and pushing her in the pool. But wow, oh wow, you've got quite the swimmer on your hands. I'd totally spoil her a little bit too, just to to assuage the guilt also.

Today was the FIRST DAY in a long time that I managed to get out the door the day care without Ethan flipping out about being put in his car seat. Hooray! I'll call it a success.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Monarch - I'm glad you liked the doll rec. I had a feeling you might like them. What is with all of the creepy eye dolls anyway?! We only have one Corolle doll right now (trying to keep things simple!) and a few cloth dolls. I will probably get one of the corolle dolls with longer hair when she is older. Sorry to hear about the poo incident! At least you will have the story to tell her when she is older, right?

LC - Sooooo cute! Oh.my.goodness. Does your daycare take photos regularly? Or is that a photo that you took? I predict Ethan is going to love swimming. Glad you had a better morning today. I recall a few instances where S refused to go in the car seat, but it was a short phase, thankfully!
Re: gymnastics, yes, all of the kids are 3 and under. The youngest was probably 20 months or so. There were 15-ish kids there. Two were return students. One of the moms had her daughter dressed in a gymnastics uniform (not sure if that's the right word). I was a little about it, haha. I may, however, have a little nike outfit (just a tank and leggings, but sportier than her usual attire) on the way. Hee-hee. Oh, she's 2.5 and not nearly as adventurous as I've made her sound!

Noel - Very sorry to hear about your co-worker's child. There have been several losses here this summer, either in pools, lakes or at the ocean. It is terrifying, so sad and so preventable.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LV, it sounds like S enjoys the outdoors and all of the things that live in it I love a girl who isn't afraid to play with the bugs. Thanks for the Corelle doll link. K is starting to really like "babying" her toys. She carries around her soft stuffed animals, hugs them, puts them in her shopping cart and pushes them around. I think we may need to upgrade to real dolls soon. And I'm so glad S is loving gymnastics. I love the one kid in her leotard. My kid would probably be the one who wanted to wear the leotard, so I'd have to let her then awkwardly explain to the other parents that it was her idea, not mine. We took gymnastics when K was a year, so she was really too young. She didn't understand any of the song + dance numbers and she mostly just wanted to run off of the mat, which was illegal. Anyway, I always put her in really inappropriate clothes (like dresses) because she just ran around, anyway. Now I've spent way too much time talking about gymnastics attire.

Noel, I'm so, so sorry about your coworker's child drowning. That is truly awful. It must be re-assuring knowing that S is such a strong swimmer. As I read your story, I half expected somebody to come running out, trying to save S. So glad the experiment worked.

LC, that pic of Ethan is soooo cute! I love that he's running toward it with gusto. In usual K fashion, she creeps close to it, then gets her hands wet, her feet wet and then if she's feeling very brave, she'll get her head wet. We're doing another beach vacation this year, but this time we're going a bit farther to the Outer Banks. Are you guys taking a trip this summer? With all of the in-law shuffling, you may be tired of trips to the airport.

Oh, and sorry about the fuss fests. We have them, too. Also about the car seat (sometimes, not every time).

Monnie, omg, the poop. I can't imagine. It must have been everywhere! Apparently I did this once while my mother was out and my father can't tell the story (to this day!) without gagging. It's a good thing A is so cute.

Freke, how is A doing? When you mentioned the sound of her head hitting the floor and involuntarily groaned out loud. I'm glad that even though you were technically on vacation, that you didn't have to worry about inputting all of her info. in the computer system. In situations like that, you just want to see the doc as soon as you can. I'm so sorry! I hope the rest of your trip was completely uneventful.

 

[FrekeChild]

Hey guys, sorry to run off on you like that. We've been in the middle of buying a house in a crazy market and between that and an almost 20 month old running around, I have my hands full.

So yes, A was fine. Except that the night before the dive down the stairs, she was sleeping in bed with us, and rolled off the bed in the middle of the night. It was not a good trip for her.

Then, later in the evening of the 4th, during the big BBQ my dad organized, with people all over, he caught his foot on the leg of the coffee table, fell face first into the couch, throwing a glass of wine onto my just showered brother (who had just had his two teenage daughters lecture him on proper attire for the party) and the khaki couch, and then falling to the floor. No harm done to bro's clothes, the couch or my dad, but between him and A falling on the same day, I now seem to have some kind of PTSD to crash, boom, bang, smash, etc noises and jump all of the time now.

I'm starting to try to think about birthday/Christmas presents and what kinds of things to get A that she'll enjoy and use. Right now we're thinking of some kind of table and chairs for coloring/whatever, a tricycle (she's really interested in trying them out at her playgroup), a playhouse/climbing apparatus and a toy piano. Not all of those things, of course, but those seem to be items that she would probably be interested in!


Noel - it's amazing that S is such a good swimmer - A has only been in the pool a handful of times, but we're going to have to start teaching A how to swim and be vigilant about it - our new house has a pool. I'm already having nightmares!

LC - What is up with toddlers hating car seats?! Since A has gotten so independent, she's started throwing hissy fits about her carseat too.

NEL - How are you guys doing? I love K's curls. Has she had a haircut yet? Something happened one day where A's hair went from straight to crazy wavy with random little ringlets. I'm not sure what to make of it, but it looks like she's getting my hair after all.

I'm missing a whole bunch of you, but I have got to at least try to catch up on sleep while I can!

 

[Loves Vintage]

NEL - That's so funny that it might have been the kid herself who wanted the leotard, lol. That would never have occurred to me, mainly because I could not imagine S asking for something like that, or anything really specific. Sometimes, she will reject an outfit I select, but very rarely. I love baby girl clothes, so feel free to talk about clothes excessively. Yes, I apparently still call them baby clothes. S asked me if we were going shopping, while we were running an errand. I said, yes. She said "for baby clothes?" Haha! Because that's all we ever go shopping for, well, that and food, I guess. Anyway, she seemed to enjoy gymnastics a lot more this time around. It takes her a while to get used to new things, but she was really going for it this time. She's been climbing up our bed headboard lately too, so I think she will enjoy gymnastics more as we go along. The class you mentioned sounds a lot different. We are on the mat for about 5 minutes, and then it's run around and explore all of the equipment. Your class might have been geared more for little ones? Do you think you will try again as she gets a little older? Glad you liked the doll rec too. Let us know if you get one.

Freke - Yay! How exciting about your house! I was actually going to mention this toddler table from Ikea as a good thing to have for kids over a year: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50178411/ They have a few different styles, but this is the one we got, and it has worked out great. Often, she will have her snack there. Lately, she's been seating her dolls and stuffed animals (we have some other small chairs too) around the table for tea and cookies. Too cute!

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Since I'm doling out random recommendations, I have to mention these too: http://www.amazon.com/Duralex-Picardie-4-Ounce-Clear-Tumbler/dp/B0017LR21Q/ref=pd_sim_k_8 They are tempered glass. I think we have the 5 3/4 oz ones, and then we also got a larger size later for tumblers, and another set for water glasses. We haven't lost one yet! I think she started using these around 1.5. She prefers them, and so do I. We still use sippy cups with straws when out and about, however.

Also, would love to hear updates from Skippy and Geri!!

 

[mayerling]

LV, thanks for all the lovely gear suggestions.

Freke, a new house sounds so exciting. And it sounds like A is so grown up now.

LC, I love the pic of Ethan with the water splashing all over him.

NEL, what's it like dealing with a toddler and pregnancy at the same time?

Pancake, how have you and S been?

Hi to everyone else!

AFU, things are going well. We're moving soon so the past couple of weeks have been taken up with packing and, thankfully, N has handled it well. He's still not walking on his own; he just refuses to let go of our finger. He's still a picky eater; you never know if the thing he ate yesterday he will eat again tomorrow. Also, at what age did you move from bottle to sippy and from sippy to cup? N is just over 12 months and I'm trying to introduce a sippy for milk (he's been taking water from sippies from 5 months), but the health professionals in the UK tell me that at 12 months he should be drinking everything from a cup.

 

[monarch64]

Yup, the poop disaster was terrible. Fortunately(?) it was all solid. Still, quite a mess, and I hope she never ever does it again. Blech.

My dad's been really sick recently, and I got a call from my mom last Thursday when they were on their way back home from his appointment with the oncologist, in which they requested I bring Alex outside our house for a minute while they stopped by. I did so, and hot as it was, my dad got out of the car (with oxygen tanks inside) and had a quick minute with his granddaughter. It was bittersweet. She LOVES her Poppy and didn't understand why the visit was so quick, of course. Tough thing for mommy to see. As long as his health is compromised, we won't be visiting them, which is very hard for me. My husband keeps encouraging me to go down and hang out with my mother and father, but I am just too afraid of possibly introducing any sort of bacteria or virus while he's not in good shape. We have Skype, though, and FB, and Twitter. Thank goodness.

I'm keeping up with all your updates, and promise I'll get around to responding soon.

 

[lliang_chi]

LV, how's S liking gymnastics? I'm sure she looked adorable in her sporty outfit. LOL about the little girl with the straight up leotard and whole 9. More on Ethan's swim class later. But the picture was taken by daycare. They sent it to us because they were so impressed by how gung-ho he was.

NEL, oh, Outer Banks would be fantastic! Are you driving with the boys too, or just a human vacation? In some ways I wish Ethan was a little more cautious. I don't konw if it's a boy-thing or an Ethan-thing but sometimes I just wish he would take longer to do something crazy so I don't have to follow him around "spotting" him. Now if it's something he's done regularly before I just let him fall and get a bump.

Freke congrats on the house. Hope you can find a nice table & chair set for A.

You too Mayer. Glad N has been OK with the move and adjusting. I wouldn't worry about N not walking on his own. He sounds like he can but is just very cautious and doesn't want to let go yet. Just you wait, he's going to walk one day soon. Then the next RUNNING full speed. Don't sweat the sippy vs bottle too much. He'll eventually come off the bottle. But we weaned Ethan from the bottle at maybe 13 months. He's now almost 18 months and has been drinking out of a glass (albeit a very small one) for 3 or 4 wks now.

Monnie I saw your thread, hugs to you and your family. I'm sending dust for your dad. I think you should spend some time with your dad if you're comfortable, and I'm glad he can still interact with A via Skype etc. It's not the same but it is the next best thing. Sounds like she's really close to him. Very hard for everyone.

AFU, Ethan's swim class was rough. He cried the ENTIRE time. He kept reaching for me or J and didn't like this strange man making him do things in the water. I'm hoping that tomorrow, I'll go early and get him climated to the water before his actual swim lessons. The next day we went to a suburban swimming pool that has a sprayground, and kiddie pool. We got some great pictures and Ethan had a wonderful time.

 

[monarch64]

Thanks, LC. Gosh E is so darn cute! Glad he loves the water.

All is well here. I'll be back to the thread soon. I like to participate in Hangout threads that don't require a whole lot of thought about family. I hope you guys don't see me posting over there and wonder wth my deal is that I can't update here. Anyway...I am still following along and A is doing great. Love all your pics, the kiddos are outstanding as usual.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LC, I can't help but laugh about E hating swim class when he seems to be having a great time in the suburban pool! Is he happier in swim class these days? And our Outer Banks vacation will be with the puppies, too. Which means we'll be driving and not flying...12 hours on the road with 2 newfoundlands and a toddler. I may have a meltdown myself.

Monnie, I am very, very sorry to hear about your father. I know it must be hard on your entire family. You are most definitely in my thoughts and I hope that his condition is improving.

Mayerling, are you still prepping to move or have you made the move already? Hopefully the move is over and you can start to feel settled in the new house (very exciting). So interesting that your pediatricians recommend drinking from a cup at 12 months. I don't even want to think how much water and milk would be all over our house if K drank from an open cup. She actually LIKES drinking from cups, so I give her one somewhat often, but it's when we're outside and it's just water, so when she (inevitably) spills it on herself, it's no big deal. Otherwise, it's still a sippy and K is almost 18 months.

Oh, and being pregnant while wrangling a toddler can be challenging at times. I only have 1 day (Fridays) when it's just me and K. I love having our one day together, but since I've been so nauseous, Fridays can be a little challenging. Luckily the nausea will subside soon and then hopefully it will get easier (temporarily).

LV, I have to agree that shopping for kids (or baby) clothes is much more fun than shopping for other clothes. And I'm glad S is enjoying gymnastics! I think we'll definitely try gymnastics again when K is a little older. We seem to rotate between art, music, swimming and gymnastics classes...when she's 3, she'll have a few more options.

Freke, Did you guys close on a house? Still feeling sane? I've been wavering between a play kitchen and a table and chairs for our next bigg-ish purchase. Did you end up making any decisions about what is next? I feel like we're starting to live in a toy store with all of the stuff around our house. Oh, and we STILL haven't cut K's hair, but she really needs it. I just haven't had any time!

AFU, nothing terribly new or exciting, though it seems like K changes every day. The kid is FUNNY. She loves playing games and giggling and she just cracks me up. She's still not using a lot of words...I feel like I could do a better job of working on it with her. I also need to give her a more varied diet. I feel like I've been on auto-pilot since getting pregnant because I'm tired and not feeling like myself. I still give her finger foods (we're working on utensils) and I have to admit that I have it somewhat easy since she's content to sit and read a book and I don't have to chase her around.

My sister and her two kids (+ boyfriend) came to visit for a week and it was really nice. It was great having another mom in the house, she was just really helpful. K was great with the baby...for a day. Then she started getting jealous, so yeah. That was fun.

 

[pancake]

Hi everyone!

I've been reading this thread as always, but you know when it's been SO long since you've posted that you don't know where to start? That's why I've been dragging my heels!

Monnie, I'm thinking of you and your family. Serious illness in the family is always so difficult, no matter what the nature of the relationships, and sometimes it's just easier to withdraw from the world a bit, I definitely know how that feels. Are your dad's white cell counts low at the moment? If they're not, I think visiting is a great idea, and even if they are low, if you're well it sounds like it might be good for you (and for him) to visit? But not pushing you in any way, just wanting to reassure you that it is ok to visit unless you're actually unwell.

NEL - toddler-wrangling with MS, you are a champ! Katie sounds so fun, this age is just AWESOME, I agree. Re jealousy, there's no way around that, I don't think. But everyone else with a toddler and a second baby seems to muddle through it and I'm sure you guys will do much better than muddle!

LC what age do they recommend starting swimming lessons over there? Here they recommend from about 3 months (the purists all say that from birth would be better, but they don't recommend that as babies should have a bit of a medical history before they start, plus who is organised enough to get a young newbie out of the house and into a pool???), but Australia's a very water-safety-centric country. Dot started lessons at 11 months, so relatively "late" by some standards, but she loves her lessons and the school is great. Their aim is to have the kids getting to the side of the pool independently before they are 3.

Ethan is such a DUDE!

Mayerling, how are you guys and N going? Have you moved yet?

Noel - so tragic and sobering about your colleague's child. But great to know that S knows what to do in the water!

Freke and LV, hello!

AFU, things are motoring along. Dot finally started walking a couple of months ago and is now an unstoppable force (although can't run yet, I am trying to make the most of this while it lasts!). True to form she is a total chatterbox and has no hesitation in telling us exactly what she thinks about everything all the time! Her current obsessions are:

1) Clocks
2) Cats
3) Letters of the alphabet - she knows A, B, C, D, E, H, K, O, S, T so far. She doesn't know them in order but delights in pointing out letters she knows in magazines, newspapers, books, brochures, shop windows, car numberplates, etc. And requires acknowledgement of what she is telling us, every time

We're off to Bali on holidays on Saturday for 10 days. I'm really looking forward to it but am dreading the 6 hour flight with a busy toddler! I have stocked up on supplies (little Schleich animals, a slinky, castanets, a shaker thing, sticker books, a new alphabet book, a couple of other little toys, a magnetic drawing board, crayons - all wrapped up individually to kill more time!) in the hope that we will be able to keep her interested in staying put for at least SOME of the flight.

Monday was the anniversary of my father's passing and it did make me think of this group. The period of his illness was such an isolating one for me, and so fraught with emotional trauma and difficulty, and this group really helped to get me through (well, the newborn to 12m thread, but it's the same girls here now!). I am so grateful for that support that I received, it gave me a forum to vent and talk things through in a more "anonymous" way than talking to people IRL and I don't know how I would have managed without it

In general it's still been a challenging time these past few months. D is still struggling with post-viral fatigue (following his illness in April) but is slowly improving. There are still sagas with my father's estate and superannuation which seem neverending and sometimes really get me down. And then I crashed my car last week! (nobody hurt, low speed, but a PITA and just insult to injury!) But I am keeping the faith that things will improve and I think we'll get there, it's just a matter of time. And in the meantime, we have our sunshiney girl to keep us optimistic!

Here's a couple of pics - all my recent ones seem to be of her eating, haha.

 

[pancake]

Oops here's another

 

[FrekeChild]

Quick note because things here are INSANE:

1a. Closed on the house. It's about to get painted throughout. We've spent the last week juggling A and trying to get a few things taken care of at the house, like meeting with people about landscaping, painting, interior stuff, exterior stuff, and actually doing work ourselves. Like taking down wallpaper (Please, for the love of Pete, don't ever put up wallpaper!), taking out shelves, filling holes in the walls, mulling over paint colors, figuring out furniture placement and what we need to buy. Living in a house for 16 years puts a lot of holes in the walls apparently. Especially if you are a teenage boy.

1b. The day after the sellers moved out, our real estate agent drove over to the house, and caught our neighbor's gardeners cutting down two of our trees in our front yard. Timing is suspect, obviously. The gardeners tried to say that it was on the neighbor's side of the property line. The neighbors said that they told the gardeners to "get rid of the bees in the trees". Right. So that's been a mess. What a way to be welcomed to the neighborhood, eh?

2. Moving/packing/cleaning.

3. Leaving for NYC in a few days.

4. A came down with a cold. Unfortunately every time she gets sick I get sick too, so I feel like it's just inevitable. Talk about worst timing possible.


NEL - no idea on stuff yet, but I'm accumulating a list. Tricycle, play house, jungle gym, table and chairs, dolls, grocery cart with groceries, sandbox...those are some of the "bigger" items on the list.

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, Love the updates on K. And I'm sure she'll be the sweetest big sister ever. When do you guys find out what you're having? Are you planning to? Don't be too hard on yourself about K talking and the utensils. I'm sure your pedi will let you know if there are concerns, even though I'm sure she's fine. Your little girl is so smart! Sounds like K will have a fun-filled schedule alternating between art, music, gymnastics and swimming. And Mommy will be crazy busy too How's D doing? Will be be stepping up his game more with K when the new baby comes? Often I find that the dad starts covering the toddler and Mom focuses on the newborn (especially if the baby's BFIng or whatever). Good luck driving. We drove from Chicago to Toronto with Ethan when he was 15 months, and just give yourselves a lot of time. I'm sure K and the boys will need some run around time to stretch their legs and get some air.

Pancake, Hello dear friend! I'm sorry to hear life's throwing you all sorts of curve balls. I remember your father's passing and how much the family drama etc I'm sorry to hear it's still dragging on. Enjoy yourself on your holiday. Sounds like you have a FULL arsenal to keep S engaged on the flight. And hopefully she'll take a snooze to kill time too. When you said it's individually wrapped, you mean wrapped like a present? That's BRILLANT! There's no recommendation for swim lessons here in IL. It's not so prevalent to have swimming pools etc here, so nothing required by law. But James and I are very adamant about learning swimming since it's a survivial skill.

Freke, glad you were able to close on the house. Good luck on the move. What the WHAT re: the cutting of trees?!? That's ridiculous! Can you guys make the neighbors plant a new tree as a replacement? I mean, they freaking cut down YOUR trees! Hope A gets over her cold quickly and you avoid it. All those toys sound like a great idea for A.

Monnie, Glad you guys are doing well. Thinking of you and your dad. Hoping you can get a visit in soon. Hard for everyone, but it's sweet that you all are so close.

AFU: Ethan has been hit/miss on the swim lessons. 2nd lesson he loved it. 1st and 3rd one he HATED it. Yesterday I took him to another pool (outdoor). He wasn't interested in doing any swimming-like motions (kicking, lying flat etc), but he was happy to run around and stand in the water. So I call it a tie. This weekend we're going to a friend's lake house so hopefully we can give him more water exposure.

Ethan's learning more words. I think he's up to 18 or 20 words. He says "Peas-th" and tries to say Thank You. Oh and he's developed a streak of naughtiness. He used to always take his empty bowl or cup to the kitchen sink after he was done with eating. But the past few days, he's had no interest in it. He'll look at me, smile and run off in a different direction. Or take the bowl then throw it on the ground. INFURITATING!!!! He also refuses to help clean up his books/toys, which he totally used to do before. So maddening. He'll still put his dirty clothes in the hamper, so that's at least something.... I know he's just 1.5, but still I want him to learn to clean up.

 

[amc80]

It's seems like just yesterday I was in the Wanting But Waiting thread....and now I'm officially moving over to the 12-36m thread. Where did the time go???

Today is B's birthday. My "little" baby is a year old. Half of me is sad that my baby isn't a baby, and the other half of me is happy that he's not a baby...I'm not a huge fan of the newborn stage. Of course he's sick with a sinus infection and has had a fever up to 104 Not a fun way to spend his birthday! His wellness check is today and we will be delaying his shots for another week or so.

Anyway, I'm excited to join you ladies over here.

 

[JGator]

Happy 1st Birthday to B!

 

[lliang_chi]

Birthday wishes for B! Welcome to toddlerhood AMC!

 

[amc80]

Hi everyone! Well, what a week. B was sick the entire week. He got an antibiotic shot on Thursday (his 1 year wellness check was more of a sickness check after all...) and that seemed to make a huge difference. But it also gave him a rash over his entire body. Ugh.

Anyway, after five days of 102+ fevers it finally broke Friday, and he's on the mend. He still has some side effects from the antibiotics (OMG so many blowouts) but seems to be feeling much better.

Oh, and he's 29lbs and 33". What happened to my little baby?

 

[Kunzite]

Hi mommies!!

Much like Pancake said, I can't seem to get a post done these days because I get overwhelmed trying to get the entire thing done and then find I don't really have the time! I hate just posting about my LOs and not properly catching up!!

Things here are crazy busy. O just recently started both private speech therapy and early intervention so he averages 3 appointments a week, M has 1 early intervention appointment a week, and then we have the random appointments... this week both M and E have hearing screenings! Like AMC, we've also had a ton of sickness. M had a fever for 3 days, passed it to E who had it for 4 days, and then M had it again (passed it back?) for nearly 5 days! So we've had 2 weeks of nearly nonstop fevers. M is a terrible sick kid too. I told him that he was just perpetuating the stereotype about guys being sick and his poor future wife What sucks is that I really wanted to start *looking* to go back to work around the time the boys turned one but I don't know how that's possible with everything that's going on. I really want to work but there's no way one of us could have taken off the last two weeks for fevers, kwim?

I don't have many recent pictures but here's a good one to show what a CRAZY personality E is. The kid is a riot! Mismatched outfit, insisting on wearing a monkey hat that's missing an eye, and carrying his spatula around like it's a lovey!!

 

[Skippy123]

Kunzite, my boys are in Speech Therapy too; I think we have had the ST since Oct or Nov 2012. I think it helps!! Miles is starting to talk in sentences but Evan is a little behind. Are you guys liking it? That is cute about Elliot; my Miles is like your Elliot, very happy go lucky screaming (in happiness) and laughing all day!

 

[lliang_chi]

Kunzite, your E looks like a riot! I'm sure he (and O) keep you in stitches and on your toes all day Sorry to hear about the sick little ones. I hope everyone's back to being healthy and happy again.

AMC, my goodness B is a big big baby (not so baby). I'm glad he's on the mend, but yikes, diaper blow outs are no fun.

AFU: We had a big lake house adventure this weekend. Ethan LOVED being on the lake and boat rides, that he was very sad to come home to boring Chicago condo. He's been a Cranky McCranky-Pants in the morning when he wakes up. I think he's looking for the lake. Hoping everything rights itself because we're flying to Sonoma next weekend, and I'm goign to try to shift his schedule by an hour to make the time adjustment a *little* easier.

 

[amc80]

B is really picky about finger foods. Maybe picky isn't the right word- he likes lots of things...but it's very random as to whether or not he will actually eat "real" food. I know he will always eat cheerios, graham crackers, and ritz. But, obviously, I offer him other things first. He's been sick lately with no real appetite, so I haven't really cared what he's been eating, so long as he is eating something. Well, apparently his appetite is back and he's suddenly okay with finger foods. At daycare he ate an entire pancake for breakfast, 1/2 of a ham and cheese sandwich with apples (the soft ones), and a cheese stick for afternoon snack. Then he was crying like crazy last evening. I figured it was because he hadn't pooped since Monday (eek) so I gave him a container of pureed prunes, which he sucked down...so I gave him a squeezy thing of baby food...gone. Then I sat him on my lap while I ate a sandwich and offered him a bite. Sure enough he took it. He took several bites and loved it. I know part of the problem was being sick, but I'm starting to wonder if he doesn't like the way I cut his food into tiny little pieces. Anyone else have experience with that? He seems to prefer having the entire "thing" and taking bites himself.

 

[lliang_chi]

Yes, Ethan likes having food from my plate vs his plate even if it's the same thing. Pasta I never cut up for him. Sandwiches and omelettes I'll cute up into about 2" sizes. Fruit like peaches pears etc I'll slice up into thin slices or larger 2" chunks. Ethan's weird if it's too small he doens't like it. If it's to big he won't eat it. Talk about Goldilocks and 3 bears! LOL

 

[amc80]

Yes, Ethan likes having food from my plate vs his plate even if it's the same thing. Pasta I never cut up for him. Sandwiches and omelettes I'll cute up into about 2" sizes. Fruit like peaches pears etc I'll slice up into thin slices or larger 2" chunks. Ethan's weird if it's too small he doens't like it. If it's to big he won't eat it. Talk about Goldilocks and 3 bears! LOL

Hmm that's really interesting! So maybe I am over-cutting his food after all. I know when we go out to breakfast he will eat bananas but won't do so at home. Maybe restaurant bananas taste better?

 

[NewEnglandLady]

amc, I've recently noticed the same thing with Katie. I was still cutting up her food, but she prefers to have the whole thing and bite pieces off herself. I still cut things into pieces because she can be super messy with large pieces of food, but I feel like she wants her food to look like our food. Just chiming in because I thought it was interesting that you're having the same experience.

 

[amc80]

amc, I've recently noticed the same thing with Katie. I was still cutting up her food, but she prefers to have the whole thing and bite pieces off herself. I still cut things into pieces because she can be super messy with large pieces of food, but I feel like she wants her food to look like our food. Just chiming in because I thought it was interesting that you're having the same experience.

That is really interesting. It's weird to think that babies can have preferences for this sort of thing. I'm sure I do a bit of overkill with how small I cut everything up. Tonight I'm going to try bigger pieces and see if it helps.