PS Mommy thread with toddlers 12-36 months

[jfo]

MP, we have some nicknames for Lila, including "miss chatty" and "pokey". She definitely loves to talk, but for as many words that she knows, she still really just babbles a lot of the time and she has a bad habit of whining when she wants you to do something, so I try to ask her to use words she knows instead. Pokey is because she loves to take her time doing everything... eating (she's been known to sit in her high chair while she eats, sings, babbles, throws her sippy cups on the floor, rinse, repeat for on average of 45 minutes), climbing stairs, etc. But thank you, yes, I hope this ear infection was just a one-off and won't become a frequent thing again. I have to say that those ear drops are very effective though--I feel confident that her infection is gone now.

I imagine it will be quite some time before L will go on the potty too, at least not by accident. She can't seem to stay dry for very long at all. I think your potty song is super cute. I need to think about how to get L excited too.

I love how you describe Ev as a little nerd! That's absolutely fantastic that he participates in all three room's spanish and music classes! Our daycare only has music class once a week, and it's L's absolutely favorite thing. That's really cool that your daycare offers dedicated spanish classes. They incorporate spanish and sign language into the weekly curriculum, but it's not something that's specifically called out, so I don't have any sense as to how often spanish is actually used.

So cute that Ev wants to help with everything. Learning to clean up and sort mail are all great skills. I had to laugh out loud by the way about how he shouts "bye bye" to everyone when he's leaving. L does the same exact thing when we pick her up from daycare.

I think I forgot to mention in my last post, but LC, I wish you the best of luck with your interviews. Let us know how everything goes.

 

[bibiloves]

Hi mamas!

Is anyone using a suction bowl that they can recommend? My 14 months old has been trying to take the spoon from my hand and feeding himself for a couple of weeks now. I want to get a bowl that would stay put on the high chair tray so he can practice his scooping skills. Let me know if you have one that works well. TIA!

 

[lliang_chi]

Hi Bibi, in all honesty I found suction bowls as a waste. Maybe it was the booster/high chair we had, but the tray wasn't exactly level/straight so the suction didn't have the best/constant suction to keept he bowl stationary. We just had to wait until Ethan outgrew the "throw everything all over the place" phase. When they're going through it, it's SO UNBELIEVABLY messy. But it only lasts a few months.

AFU: We started Ethan in underwear full time last weekend. We still haven't done full on nakey bottom potty training yet, but we'll probably try it some time this month. THus far he's done OK. We put him in pull ups for naps and at night. He's only had a few accidents at home, but at daycare he stays dry for the most part. I guess having hte older kids in the two's classroom helps remind him to go etc. Good ol' peer pressure.

 

[jfo]

Hi Bibi, I never used a suction bowl either, but I have heard that the Munchkin brand of suction bowls work well for kiddos learning to use the spoon, but it's not strong enough to prevent the kid from picking up the bowl and dumping it over, if you want to prevent that too. As LC mentioned, the food going everywhere phase is a phase that they all go through anyway.

LC, yay for E being in underwear! And peer pressure is an amazing thing, isn't it? Our picky little eater gets 5 out of 5 at every meal at daycare. Thinking of you, btw.

 

[monarch64]

Bibi, we never bothered with a suction bowl, either. I give Alex little Rubbermaid containers or these little melamine bowls I usually use for serving salsa or dips. It took a few feedings until she understood how to best maneuver the bowl. Her highchair tray has indentations and a cup holder, and she really likes to segregate things into those so she can pick things up more easily.
Also we have a really good carpet shampooer.

LC, so impressed with how E's potty training is coming along! I took Alex to Target today and we picked out a set of big girl undies featuring Sesame Street characters. She held the package all the way through the store. We're going to attempt the 3-day training this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm cautiously optimistic, but am not expecting miracles.

Here are pics from today of her eating bananas and kiwi from a bowl with a spork. I didn't have the detachable tray with the other indentations on there in these pics, but you get the idea. ETA: oh, look, you can even see our little scavenger doggy's paws in the first picture. Not only do we have the carpet shampooer, we have a goat.

 

[JGator]

LC, thinking of you.

Monnie, A is just too adorable - I lovee her pig tails! Good luck with the 3 day potty training.

MP, how is Ev sleeping? I totally feel your pain on hearing him cry. I just keep telling myself it's better for her in the long run to learn to settle herself down - it's not easy though. She has been waking up at her old times the last couple days, but we had a good week of her sleeping in an hour later which was nice!!!

Jfo, wow! L is so verbal - that's great that she can say avocado, butterfly and owl! I cannot believe she got another double ear infection. Poor baby! Hope she is feeling better soon.

AFU, my back has been killing me for 2 days and my DH is away travelling for work. That does not go well with a 24lb girl who seems to want to be picked up ALL THE TIME!!! Ouch! And, she keeps making messes all over the floor, too! I went to the chiropractor yesterday and today and found out I have an extra vertebrae or disc in my back. Apparently, that's not my problem, but interesting to know. I fell down the stairs in the middle of the night a year ago, and I think lifting K re-aggravated that old injury as the pain is on the same side. It is excruciating to sit/stand and pick up/put down K so I'm dying for DH to get home tonight and help me out! K has figured out how to open doors and is having fun walking all over our house. She just started saying - Hi-e. And, we got the Lettter Factory DVD that MP mentioned and she says K-K-K and T-T-T sounds now. K has 6 teeth, and she seems to be teething as she is crankier and keeps putting everything in her mouth.

 

[lliang_chi]

Hi ladies,

Monnie, love seeing pics of A! I love her pig tails Good luck with the 3 day potty training. We haven't done that yet, but maybe later in March. Funny thing about Sesame St undies. Ethan's size 4 Pampers has Elmo on it, so whenever he saw it it was INSISTENT on "Elmo! Elmo! No Scooby! No choo choos! Elmo!" So I ran out to Target, Buy Buy Baby and Kohls all in search of Elmo underwear so he'll lay off the diapers. Nope. I had to order them from Amazon AND hide the Pampers. For his overnight/nap time pull ups, I had to make sure it DIDN'T have Elmo on it (Pampers has Diego (I think?) from Dora Explorer and Huggies has Pixar). Oh and other funny underwear story and I'll shut up. One of the daycare teachers (Ethan's toddler teacher) was like, "Hey! Ethan's in underwear now!" Then she told me that Eli (an older boy in Ethan's twos classroom) told her, "Ethan's got COOL underwear." So she asked Eli, "Well, that's cool.. What kind of underwear do you have, Eli?" <cue 2 yo shaking his head> "Bad underwear." This boy is so adorable and precocious, it's a hilarious.

JFO, as much as it stings to get "rejected" by Ethan, I've learned to respect his wishes. When he tells me to walk away, I usually give him his space. The world runs at lightening speed for toddlers, so in like 30 secs he's ready for me again. When I tried to force him to accept me, it always escalated to be worse. And y'know I can get that. There's times when I'm just done with Ethan or DH for a little bit. Wow, I can't believe L can say avocado and butterfly. Ethan says things that sound like butterfly. He's good with the single and double syllable words. But anything more than that it's kinda a jumble of similarly sounds.

JGator. yikes, sorry about your back I hope your DH comes home soon and can help. Did the chiro session help any?

AFU: Thanks everyone for the interview vibes. Now just waiting for an offer. Really hoping they don't cheap out on me which is likely. We'll see. It's a lateral transfer so we'll see what happens.
I had a D&C yesterday, our little Sprout didn't make it. I took the whole day off, napped on and off, but that blew my night time sleep. I managed to get a reasonable amount of sleep but it was fitful. Today I'm back at work, easier to keep my mind occupied I guess.

Ethan's doing great in his underwear so far. Still no poop in the potty but that's OK. He didn't poop at all yesterday so he had a GIANT poop first thing this morning. I KNEW he was pooping too, but he refused to sit on the potty. Let's just say his poop was so big it actually plugged our toilet. I had to spend 20 mins plunging it. Yes, my 2yo son... Sigh!

This weekend we're heading off to Denver to visit friends. It'll be fun and a good way to help me get over things.

 

[monarch64]

Oh, LC, I'm sorry for your loss! Hope your trip soothes you. I'll be thinking of you and your family this weekend. Hugs.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Bibi, like LC, I never found a suction bowl that worked, either. But the messy stage does pass. K still sometimes spills a bowl of cereal, but I guess I'm used to the cleanup.

LC, E is doing so well with potty training! And I completely agree that respecting Ethan's wishes is the way to go. K is in a similar stage with DH. Plus she says no to everything, so when she says no to something I just say okay and move on.

Thinking of you a lot this week. Glad to here everything went well on Wed. and am hoping your cycle starts soon. Good luck with getting the offer!

Monnie, A is so cute and her hair is getting so long!

AFU, K had another stomach bug this week. That's fine, except the babysitter and D also got it, so I've been completely on my own with Katie and Cora. It's really not bad, I just don't get a spare minute to do basic things like shower, use the restroom or clean the house.

Still have one more evaluation with Early Intervention, but they think K definitely needs some speech therapy, so that should start soon. I'm really eager for her to be able to communicate.

 

[monkeyprincess]

NEL, hope you and the baby avoid the stomach bug. Ev also had that the past couple of days. So not fun. I hope the speech therapy helps K. Was there a certain guideline they used to determine she needed that?

LC, as I mentioned on another thread, I'm thinking of you. Really hope you get a good offer for the new position. Sounds like E is doing great with the potty training. I was home the other day and saw the Super Nanny on a talkshow. She was saying kids usually start to have bladder control around 18 months and you know they are ready for potty training if their diaper stays dry during their afternoon nap. I wonder if that's true. I am going to have to pay closer attention to whether Ev is ever dry after a nap. It seems like he is usually wet.

JGator, sorry to hear about your back. I hope it has helped having DH home. Ev is about the same size and even without a back problem, I start to get tired after several minutes of holding him these days. He's like K and definitely going through another clingy stage. I was home with him yesterday, and I cannot even tell you how many times he reached up to me and said, "Up." I still indulge him and pick him up most of the time because I figure it won't be too much longer and he won't wait to be held as much. Does she like Letter Factory? Ev does most of the letter sounds now and mimics a lot of the dialogue and actions. So funny.

Bibi, we don't have a suction cup bowl either. We've been lucky because he is usually pretty good about not throwing the actual bowl or moving it around too much. I think it is because they put his lunch on his tray at daycare because we really didn't have to do much to teach him to use utensils. He insists on feeding himself these days and grabs the spoon away from me or refuses to eat if I try to feed him yogurt or applesauce, etc.

Jfo, ha ha, L sounds like a hoot. She and Ev sound a lot alike. Ev "chats" constantly too. He has all the intonations and inflections of real conversation but most of it is gibberish. We pretend we can understand him and say, "Oh really?" "Is that right?" and he keeps going and looks up and waits for a response. He can say a lot of random words and will repeat almost any word we say to him, but I don't know how much of that he retains. Almost all of his words and phrases come from songs, so music is definitely his learning medium for now.

AFU, as I mentioned to NEL, poor Ev had a rough week. We kept him home on Monday because my SIL thought he had hand foot mouth, but it turned out it was just a rash or baby acne from a combination of his runny nose and drooling (I think he is teething again). Then on Wednesday, he seemed completely fine in the morning, and half hour after I dropped him off at daycare, they called to say he had really bad balance and later threw up twice. DH stayed home with him and ended up having to take him to the doctor because he kept getting dry heaves and couldn't take in any pedialyte. They gave him zofran, and that seemed to do the trick, and his vomiting stopped But he still had a lot of blowout diapers. He seemed absolutely fine yesterday but couldn't return to daycare until today. I really hope neither DH or I end up with what he had.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

MP, I hope you stay healthy! Sounds like K had something identical to E. Not a lot of puking, but lots o' diarrhea. I hope E is better today.

So the way EI determines eligibility is by scoring each child based on how delayed the skill is. Speech s a comprehensive score including receptive and spoken language. K's receptive language is really good, however her spoken language is really delayed, so even if the comprehensive score puts her in the normal range, the evaluator will recommend eligibility, anyway. She says she looks for 2 year olds to use about 50 words including verbs, multi-syllabic words and stringing 2 words together. K uses fewer than 10, no verbs and almost all are monosyllabic.

Interesting about a dry afternoon nap diaper--k definitely isn't doing that, but I'm tackling one thing at a time!

 

[FrekeChild]

Hugs LC.

NEL - A had EI too, but for physical stuff. It's amazing how easily they figure out what's going on with the kids. I thought the testing was just so interesting to watch. Hugs. I want you guys to be able to communicate too. It's a lot of fun. And sometimes, it's a real PITA.

 

[jfo]

Monnie, Alex is looking like such a big girl these days! Love her pigtails. How did the 3 day training go?

JGator, thanks so much. L got sick again since the last time I posted, but fortunately, no signs of another ear infection. I am so sorry to hear about your back! That sounds excruciatingly painful. I hope you can get relief asap. That is so cute about K walking all over the house now. L tries, but hasn't quite figured out how to open doors, so she focuses on walking into rooms and trying to shut the door behind her. Perfect recipe for getting trapped. It sounds like L and K are on similar timetables as it relates to teething. L has her top two teeth and her four bottom, and she has the top teeth next to the middle ones coming in, and I actually think she might have her bottom molars starting to come in now too. L is also sticking her fingers in her mouth all the time, drooling and is getting quite cranky.

LC, how are you doing? How was your trip to Denver this weekend? Hope you hear about the job offer soon... That is hilarious about E and his underwear. It just cracks me up when I hear stories about the little ones having such definitive opinions on things. Right now, L gets to choose which pair of shoes she wants to wear in the morning because I soon realized that if I chose for her, she was going to have a fit. It was really timely that you wrote about Ethan and respecting his wishes to give him his space. I totally came across that this weekend. L was sick last week and my mom came and stayed with us for a couple nights so she could watch L since she couldn't go to daycare. My mom is #1 in L's world--it's really adorable. But it came to bite me when I went to go get L out of her crib when she woke up on Saturday morning and my mom had left the day before. She had been saying her grandma's name, and when I showed up instead, she was seriously upset... nah, outright pissed. I tried to pick her up and she didn't want me to, and I forced it (should have known better), and she had a complete meltdown for easily 15-20 minutes of which I couldn't calm her down. DH came in the room and was like, WTH, but she didn't calm down with him either. Anyway, I finally snapped her out of it by taking her downstairs and putting on a baby einstein dvd. Yesterday, she woke up from her nap and I heard her calling for her grandma again. This time, I came in the room and announced, it's Mama. She was a little put-off, so I asked her whether I could pick her up. She avoided contact so I let her be for a few minutes and I didn't try to pick her up until she seemed to have decided it was ok that it was me, and then we were fine. Oy, lessons in parenting.

NEL, oh no, a stomach bug is just the worst. I hope you and C were spared although I'm sorry that you've had to handle so much without help! Hope everyone is feeling better. When will EI start for K? I hope you will start to see results pretty quickly. I imagine that K probably has a lot of thoughts in her head that she would enjoy expressing in words.

MP, I'm sorry to hear that Ev had the stomach bug too. Hope he's feeling better and you guys didn't get it. Ha, I do the same thing with L and pretend to understand her nonsensical babblings. Problem is when she really thinks she is telling me something and gets frustrated that I didn't do something about it. Also, while L can say a lot of words, she by no means is perfect in her pronounciations! She does say butterfly quite well, but avocado sounds more like avo-da-DAH. She also can't seem to say "s" or a hard "c" as leading consonants yet for words and substitutes a "d" sound instead, which makes things confusing sometimes.

Freke, how did you learn that EI was necessary for A for physical stuff? L went to physical therapy for mild tort from about 3 months until she was close to a year old. It was amazing how some very simple exercises really helped L out. She did take a bit longer that average to physically to start turning over, crawl and walk, so I sometimes wonder how much longer it would have taken without the PT.

AFU, I suddenly am experiencing a cling-on baby. After L's Saturday morning melt-down where she made it clear that she was really mad that I was the one coming to get her from her crib rather than her grandmother, she proceeded to not leave my side and would prefer to sit in my lap or have me pick her up and hold her pretty much constantly the rest of the weekend. She would cry every time I walked away from her even while she was playing, and even her daddy would only temporarily be able to distract her. I know this stage won't last very long so I enjoyed all the cuddles, but it really was exhausting to listen to her whine and cry the moment I'd step away. I'm not sure if it's due to the molars coming in, separation anxiety due to a developmental thing or both?

 

[FrekeChild]

Freke, how did you learn that EI was necessary for A for physical stuff? L went to physical therapy for mild tort from about 3 months until she was close to a year old. It was amazing how some very simple exercises really helped L out. She did take a bit longer that average to physically to start turning over, crawl and walk, so I sometimes wonder how much longer it would have taken without the PT.

Well, our old ped looked at her around the 2mo mark and noticed a flattening of the back of her skull on the right side starting, so she sent us to physical therapy to get it checked out. She was diagnosed with plagiocephaly, torticollis and macrocephaly by her ped, the PT and her ped neurosurgeon before she was 4 months old. We had to go to a pediatric opthamologist too, to make sure it wasn't something to do with her eyes. Insurance stopped paying for her PT after 6 months, and our PT was seriously amazing and pointed us towards EI. They did a super fast evaluation for her because we were moving to CA from NM in two months.

With EI, she had two PT appts every week, some eating specialist action, craniosacral therapy, and we got a year's worth of therapy in two months. Then when we moved to CA, we got new insurance, so we started over with a new PT, and then she finally dismissed us at around 18 months. We still go and see a physical therapy assistant once a week for play group, so she can keep an eye on her and make sure all is well, and so far, so good. Thank goodness. It's been a very long road.

I don't remember when she rolled over, but I do remember that she only started to crawl at about 9-10 months and then took her first steps a couple days before she turned 1. I was thinking about this yesterday when we went to the zoo with our friends who have a three year old and a one year old and we talked about when all of our kids started walking.

I know that the "Back to Sleep" program has saved many lives, but it really exacerbated A's problems, and while she had mild-medium cases of everything, we really felt stretched to the limit in some respects.

But it's amazing the difference that those exercises made for her. I'd totally recommend early intervention to anyone - they really really really helped us so much.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Jfo, yes, we are experiencing some of the communication frustration on Ev's end as well. He used to only do the sign for "please," but now he has learned to say it out loud to and nod his head or say "yeah" or "yup" at the same time, which is apparently his way of answering for us? The problem is that he has it in his head that so long as he says please, and nods his head, he should be able to get whatever he wants whenever he asks for it. It has led to a lot of lying on the floor scooting himself backward with his feet (his version of a temper tantrum). That's cute that L likes her grandma so much, but I'm sure that was frustrating. These little ones are really starting to show their independence and preferences, aren't they?

NEL, yuck, so sorry you all got sick. So glad baby Cora didn't get it. Thanks for the information on the speech therapy. It is always nice to have those guidelines in the back of my mind. I don't think Ev says any verbs yet that I can think of, but he can say a few two or three syllable words and a few two-three word phrases, so hopefully, he is on track for an almost 17 month-old.

AFU, things are going well now that everyone is healthy. Ev is showing a few signs that he is more aware of the state of his diaper. A couple of times I could hear him start to wet his diaper, and he recognized it too and said "Uh oh" and then immediately started tugging on his diaper like he wanted it off. Other times, it can be completely puffed out and full, and he couldn't care less, but at least he knows when he is going now. Oh, and the past few days when I am changing his diaper, he has waved his hand through the air and said "pu." I think I inadvertantly taught him that, and he even does it for wet diapers. Cracks me up because he is probably doing it at daycare too. One more funny story, and then I'll go Yesterday at daycare when they laid out his sleeping bag in advance of nap time, Ev apparently started say "no no no" and folded up his sleeping bag and tried to put it back in the cubby area.

 

[monkeyprincess]

I forgot to ask, does anybody have any good recommendations for ride-on toys for 18-24 month olds? Now that we are finally getting spring temperatures and can go outside, I'd like to get him something that he can ride on/be pushed in, but I have no idea which type we would get the most use of this spring and summer.

 

[lliang_chi]

MP, the next riding toy I'm thinking of getting Ethan a balance bike. I think it'd probably be better for him as he gets closer to 3, so for now we'll use his little push-along buggy that he's been using since he could sit. Wow, great sign that Ev is aware of peeing and pooping and doesn't want to bit in a soiled diaper. And FWIW, Ethan was never dry upon waking before we started sitting him on the potty. I just got him a potty seat, and before bath I used to just sit him on it and see if he wanted to go. Maybe if he has older cousins or family friends who are around 3 or 4 yo, he can see them going on the potty? Seeing how Ethan is so peer pressure driven, I definitely think seeing other kids using the potty helped egg him on.Adorable little Ev stories, sounds like he's exercising his opinion

Jfo, OMG isn't it ridiculous that our little kids can have such larger than life hysterics? And sometimes I feel like, "Whatever, kid. I'm the parent you're the kid, so get used to it." But then Ethan's hysterics are just SO DRAINING, that honestly I'll respect his opinions and give him some space. I'm glad L is feeling a better and is hopefully over her sickie.

Freke, how are you and A doing? So nice that she has a "built in" playgroup with the EI/PT so you can get an informal opinion on A's development. That'd be such a great "peace of mind" for me, expecially after you guys went through all the PT and EI etc since A was a wee baby.

NEL, I hope EI helps K with speaking. She's so bright, I'm sure she'll be so happy once she figures out talking and can communicate everything she wants to say to you guys. Dust you and C stay spared from the stomach bug. Definitely no fun having that AND dealing with a newborn. Wow, I can't believe C's 30 days old!!!!

AFU: So Ethan's not pooping in the potty at all, and thus far only pooped in his underwear (once) or in a pull up. He went 3 days before he finally pooped tonight during/after dinner. I fed him a package of pureed prunes & apples to get his digestive system moving. My friend (pediatrician) suggested juice to get them to poop too, something about the sugar pulling water into the GI tract to get them to poop. Anyway, not sure what progreess we'll make on going #2 in the potty, but we'll give it a shot some weekend or another.

 

[monarch64]

Ugh, I wish I had good news to report about the potty training, but I don't. We didn't end up doing it at all this past weekend! Combination of factors... 1. Alex has decided to veto every single suggestion/command by crossing her arms and saying "no" vehemently. 2. I really didn't have my shit together and couldn't find the damn package of big girl undies when it was time to do a load of whites. 3. I experienced my own mental block regarding this whole "let's get potty trained/be a big girl" thing/anxiety attack last Thursday. I think I'm jumping the gun maybe and/or I'M not ready to skip from diapering a baby to having a potty trained big girl yet.

I go back and forth. She's great about the potty sometimes, then sometimes she's anti. I think I'm pushing things even though she seems more or less ready. I've talked to lots of other moms who all have differing stories of their toddlers' potty training (much like breast feeding, everyone has a story about that, you know?) and the more I hear the more I realize I don't have to feel like we SHOULD be doing this whether she's "ready" or not. Our weekends are always so freaking full anyway that it's not even realistic. What might work better is me doing it during the week and cutting off play dates, etc. For example, this coming weekend I have lunch with girls I went to school with from kindergarten through senior year of high school, then that night my husband and his and play so we'll have a sitter, then the rest of the weekend we have errands and chores and visitors. So I'm thinking a month or two from now during the week would be a better time.

Today we had a warm spell, so everyone was out and about. I took A for a walk on the trail behind our house. We strolled part of the time, and part of the time she walked with me hand in hand while I pushed the empty stroller. Bittersweet! Then we took a casserole (that word sounds so old-fashioned! It was a freezable pasta/veggie dish they made for us when we had her) to friends with a 5 week old baby. It's been a minute since I held a new baby, he felt SO LIGHT! I thought I would pick him up and start pining away for a new kiddo but nothing. Nada. Zilch. Just...a cute little baby. He started rooting around for a boob and that was hilarious--sorry, mister, these faucets are off! Alex had absolutely no interest--she was busy playing with his older sister and even when I showed her the baby she was less than thrilled. Two major signs this factory is closed? Or does the bio clock chime again without warning when you're over 35 with one already?

Sorry for the selfish post. I'll try to get back to everyone soon--please know that I have kept up with reading posts as usual.

 

[monkeyprincess]

LC, my 4 year-old nephew got one of those balance bikes last summer, and he loves it! I am totally getting one of those when Ev is a little older. So, he likes his push along buggy? I've been looking at those. Do you have the Cozy Coupe one? I'm looking at that and also a Radio Flyer one that transitions from a stroller to a trike. Sorry to hear E's not into the number two potty training, but hopefully, he'll get there soon.

Monarch, I've made no secret about how badly I'd like another baby God-willing, but I just wanted to say that newborn babies that are not related to me really don't bring out the maternal longing in me either. They never have. My kid or my nieces and nephews, and I go crazy over babies, but other people's newborns kind of intimidate me.

 

[lliang_chi]

MP those Cozy Coupe things are HUGE with kiddos because it's so much like Mommy & Daddy's car. It has doors and a roof and a steering wheel. Ethan rode in one at a friend's house and didn't want to come out. We had to hide it when we were leaving. But you can't really push it along, so not sure what you're looking for. The buggy we have for Ethan is this one: http://www.step2.com/p/Push-Around-Buggy.. He likes it but not as much as the Cozy Coupe one. To be honest, I'd probably go looking for these things and a balance bike on Craigslist or a thrift shop since I'm a total cheapo.

Monnie,Hey, don't sweat the potty training thing. Like everything else with parenting, you gotta do what works for your family. It sounds like you have a really good plan in place, so I'd say stick with it. You know A best, and you know what works for your family. For us, we're OK with working on potty training now. Ethan does fight going to the potty when we go, but for the most part, he knows what the timer is for and will go maybe 60% of the time with no fuss. And the weirdo thing is: Ethan loves going to the potty in public places but puts up a fuss with going in a private home, like our bathroom, or a friends' house. Totally doesn't make sense, but it makes stuff like going on errands etc much easier because he actually likes going there. Weird boy. Like I said, you do what's best for your family; I'm just relating our perspective on this in case the logistics of being out and about on the weekends seem daunting to you.
And like MP, I personally really want a 2nd child, but other ppl's babies just don't trigger the baby fever. It's very much like you said, "Yup, cute squishy baby there. But not really feeling the need for another." But when I'm with my family I just feel like we're not complete.

Re: the pooping or lack of, I dunno, I hear it's not an uncommon (especially with boys), so I know we'll work it out eventually. So far we've been putting him in underwear for most of the day and just putting him on the potty every 60 mins. Then switch him to pull ups for nap and overnight. But at daycare yesterday they kept him in underwear during his nap, so maybe we'll try underwear for naps this weekend.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Freke, good to know you had a great experience with EI! I was really impressed with the knowledge of the evaluator I talked with last week. K was napping, so she didn't interact with her at all, but she made some suggestions based on my descriptions and they've already helped. I really think this is going to be really helpful for us over the next several months. You probably remember K having torticollis and plagiocephaly as well. The first think our PT told us was to get K off of her back...so K actually started sleeping on her side at 7 or 8 weeks. We had to get rid of the swing and take her out of the rock and play. Now I'm extra cautious about Cora and am constantly monitoring her to make sure she's not keeping her head in the same position all the time.

MP, so funny about the sleeping bags. And good news about E starting to know the state of his diaper. K is in a similar place, though she's obviously older than E. Two days ago, K brought me a diaper and pointed her bum to indicate that she'd pooped, which is the first time she'd ever done that. Then I asked "Did you poop??" and she shook her head no. Haha, we still have a long way to go.

Oh, and ride on toys. I haven't found any I like. K can't seem to operate them very well, she just wants to go backwards. I did get her a tricycle and a pedal car for her birthday--she figured them out pretty quickly. I was planning to get her a balance bike this summer because I've heard good things, but I think she's still too young for them.

Monnie, I do think we put too much pressure on ourselves to help our kids hit milestones like potty training. And like you said, every kid (and parent) is different. I'm really waiting for K to let me know when she's ready, I'm not pushing anything. I don't think we'll be anywhere close until this summer. And selfishly, that's fine with me because I think it will be easier to potty train her in warm weather when she's in dresses

As for your biological clock--I wouldn't sweat it. If you're one and done and have no urge for another, then that's fine! A is perfectly happy and you're happy, so all is good. If an any point you start yearning, then you can address those feelings then. Until then, enjoy all the attention you can give A!

jfo, I also have a super clingy baby. She goes in phases, but it's hard for me to know how much of it is a normal phase and how much of it is/was due to be being pregnant and having a newborn. When my tummy started getting bigger, K got super clingy with me. And now when I'm not holding Cora, K wants to be in my arms all the time. I do think it's normal. I do tell K that I can't pick her up at times and if she whines/cries, I'll give her a time out. It's sweet that she wants to be with me at all times, but I need for her to know that it's not possible and also be able to emotionally handle being told that she can't be held. Is L the same way with your husband?

LC. when E poops in his undies, do you just throw them out? Or is it relatively easy to clean up? I have no idea why I'm curious about this, I just haven't had to do it before, haha. But it's temporary! E will get the hang of it!

I ended up getting the stomach bug over the weekend, blah. At one point I puked while nursing. Gross. Plus I was worried about C getting sick, so that just makes the whole experience more stressful. But we're all over it and feeling good!

AFU, nothing new here...just have the EI interview today. We had newborn shots done of Cora and I had Katie jump into a few of them. This was after daycare, so her hair is a mess and she was also having some meltdowns because...well because Katie is weird and didn't like the photographer setting her stuff up in our house...and K really hated it when the photographer handled Cora. She's super protective. Anyway, there were lots of tears and really no good shots of Katie and Cora together, but I'm attaching one!

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, wow look at your two girls! Just gorgeous! Also to all the other ladies here, there's two more C pictures in the newborn thread. Since you asked about Ethan's poopy undies, it's actually really easy to clean them out. Firstly when he poops in them, we pretty much know right away so it never sits for a long time. Also undies don't smush like snuggly worn diapers do, so the poop kinda just sits there. So really all I have to do is flip the poop in the toilet. It's SO MUCH easier dealing with poopy undies than poopy diapers (remember we did cloth diapers). The worst is poopy pull ups. I feel gross about tossing a pull up full of poop into the trash. So I always clean it into our toilet with our diaper sprayer then toss the pull up after. The pull up gets SATURATED with water.
In terms of washing the underwear, your best bet is to rinse the soiled laundry first then run through a regular wash cycle. For our cloth diapers, we did a cold water rinse first to get the urine etc out, then did a regular wash with detergent. For diapers we did a final rinse to remove any residue that would make the diapers repel water. Since these aren't diapers I skip the final rinse. I'm lazy so I just do this with all his clothes at once, we do laundry 2x's a week for him. If you'd rather not wash all the clothes like that, then I'd just soak soiled clothes/underwear in the sink, to get the urine/poop out, then toss into the laundry hamper to lander as usual.

 

[monkeyprincess]

NEL, I agree with LC, your girls are both so beautiful! It's a cute picture even though Katie didn't like the process, and the ones on the newborn thread or so cute! She's a beauty And I know you think it looks messy, but K's curly hair is the cutest!

 

[JGator]

NEL, Katie and Cora are true beauties! Love those curls!! I think Katie could be a model! Glad to hear you are all feeling better. Good luck with the EI also. I'm sure it will really make an impact.

MP, K got this for her birthday and we push her around the house in it. http://www.amazon.com/Little-Tikes-Princess-Coupe-Ride-On/dp/B0097GKTO0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1394646613&sr=8-2&keywords=cozy+coupe It does have a removable floor board so they can use their own feet to get around too, but we haven't taken it out yet. That's great that Ev is aware of his diaper status! K is giving me a hard time with changing lately where she rolls over and tries to stand up mid-diaper change. Not fun or easy!

Monnie, take your time and do what's right for you and your family on the potty training. Eventually, we all get potty trained so I wouldn't worry about it too much! Just like all the other milestones.

LC, our pediatrician mentioned that too about apple juice pulling water into the digestive system. I also heard that kids who drink juice are the ones with teeth issues at the dentist, and since K is not great about letting me brush her teeth, she won't be having any juice for a LONG time. We do give her baby food pouches of prunes regularly though since she seems to get constipated a lot. Good luck with the underwear and naps training!

Jfo, sorry L was sick again! I think we have twin kiddos - except L is leaps and bounds ahead of K verbally! K has been super clingy lately - I call her my shadow. She's always tracking me and hugging my legs so I'll pick her up and seems to want me even when the nanny is here now where she didn't seem to notice me before. My back is on the mend, I think.

AFU, K's streak of sleeping through the night ended 2 nights ago. She was up crying for a long time around 2am so DH went in one night and I went in last night and rocked her back to sleep. I am assuming/hoping this is teething related and not a relapse to her old ways - I let her cry for what seemed like a long time, and it was not slowing in intensity so that is why we ended up going in. We have a lot of dogs in our neighborhood and whenever she hears one barking she has been patting her thigh - I found out recently that's the sign for dog - I had no idea! My back still hurts, but it is on the mend. I have been to the chiropractor a few times, and I had the most amazing massage with lots of stretching in my legs and back on Saturday. I think that made a huge difference.

 

[amc80]

Nel, I love that pic! K's hair is beautiful. Is it hard to keep it looking good (as in untangled)?

I'll add to the balance bike/car discussion. B has some sit on toys at daycare that he loves. They are cars and then he uses his feet to push himself along. There is also a toddler quad that is battery powered. He LOVES that. DH and I are currently looking at buying him a balance bike. I'm curious to see if he can ride it or not. He has such good balance and coordination, but I'm not sure if this is too advanced. I second the craigslist suggestion. I've bought some ride on type toys for him on there and it saves so much money.

We are going to start officially potty training soon. We had been waiting until we got back from a weekend trip last weekend. He is getting really good about going pee in the potty (we have to put him on it, it's not like he goes and sits down on his own). Yesterday I put him on it before bath time (so around 7pm) and he peed. His diaper was dry and I know it hadn't been changed since 4pm or so.

We went to San Francisco and then to the CA Central Coast this weekend. I actually remembered to bring my good camera so I got some cute pics of B.

 

[dani13]

Hi all,

NEL, omg, your girls are absolutely gorgeous!!!! Just precious!! Hope you are feeling well!!

Amc,those pics of B are amazing!! He is so handsome!!!

JG, that's so funny about K and signing. My Mom has been teaching L too, and he always makes the sign for "more" when he wants more of something. It's so cute!!!

L is doing great, getting bigger everyday, and so amazing. He's been sleeping well now for awhile ( we put him down at 8pm and he sleeps till 730-8am, straight through) so we are so thankful for that. He is so very active and is saying full sentences now " where did he go?" And " what's that?" are 2 of his favorites, lol!! The babbling is constant. He is just too darn cute and keeps us on our toes, haha!!!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Dani and JGator, too funny. Ev's signs took us by surprise too because some of the girls at daycare taught them to him but never told us they were doing it. My favorite one is "baby." I used to love when he signed "please," because it seemed so sweet and polite, but now he has really started to take advantage of that one and thinks he should get whatever he wants when he signs it and gets mad when he doesn't. Have you guys found that it is hard to get them to say the actual words for the signs they know? We finally taught Ev to say please and thank you, but for the longest time, he wouldn't do it because he only wanted to use the sign.

Dani, sounds like you've got a talkative little guy. Ev just started the "what's that?" thing too, and he always holds his hands up in the air like he's confused. Doesn't just keep getting more and more fun the more their little personalities shine through?

amc, cute pictures! For most under two kids, I would say they were not ready for the balance bike, but B might be the exception. He's big for his age and sounds very coordinated, so he just might be able to figure it out. Ev is nowhere near ready, but maybe next summer.

AFU, I went ahead and got Ev a couzy coupe because I saw a good deal online compared to their usual price. I will probably try to get him something else this sumemr that he can try moving himself in. You guys make a good point about craigslist. For some reason, we have always been leery of trying that route, but maybe I'll have to rethink that.

 

[JGator]

AMC, B is so handsome, and he looks like he knows what to do with the football already! Good luck with the potty training. It will be great to not have to deal with diapers anymore!

Dani, great to hear from you. That's great that L is asking questions!! Our nanny teaches K sign language so I only know a few signs like More which she uses all the time. She has been working on Please lately too.

MP, K thinks she should get whatever she wants all the time whether or not she signs Please. She has been having quite a few scream fests lately when she doesn't get what she wants like taking her doll with a cloth body into the bath tub. K never says Dog or More which she signs all the time. I did hear her say Please once...but yeah, she pretty much exclusively signs some words. She doesn't say that many words yet, but Cat is a new one. She also puts her hands in the air which is so adorable! I think Ev will like the cozy coupe. Let me know if you find anything else that I can get for K to use outside. And, I forgot to respond to you previously, K likes the Letter Factory, she only says the K and T sounds though.

AFU, K woke up crying a few times last night while we were still awake, and we did not go in though. She has been pretty cranky during the day lately too. She's still super clingy with me which I'm hoping she outgrows soon. Oh, and she seems to be on a hunger strike. She has had yogurt for dinner the last two nights - she will only eat baby food in packets that she can suck out herself or yogurt these days. So, she's getting chicken in the baby food packet. She will also eat strawberries and an occasional pear. So, no more avocado, blueberries, cheese, sweet potatoes - she refuses them all. Could this be teething related?

 

[jfo]

Freke, it sounds like EI and PT really helped out A in those early months. So glad that it was valuable and helpful for you guys as well.

MP, ha ha, yes, L is saying "yes, please" too and smiles really big when she says it (and she actually signs it at the same time) because she pretty much figures that she'll get what she wants. She usually does, heh. To answer your question about signing and speaking--L seems to only use a few signs these days (please, milk, thank you and all done), but will say the word and then sign at the same time or right after. Glad to hear that Ev is starting to recognize those urges and being a bit uncomfy hanging out in dirty diapers. L seems to recognize the urges, but doesn't care about the dirty diapers at all. She also is almost always wet after her nap. But I have noticed that at daycare, more often than not, when they check her diaper throughout the day, there's one time a day they check her and she's dry. I'll have to see if there are any trends there. I'm interested in a ride on toy for L too. I'm not sure if I want one to push too or just something that she can use in the house or on the sidewalk near our house. Between the two strollers and the wagon we got her for her birthday last year, I'm not sure if we need anything else for walks per se, but I am curious what others have to suggest because I might change my mind! ETA: I see you got the Cozy Coupe! I bet he will love it.

Monnie, I would say that your plan to try the 3 day potty training in a few months sounds great. Obviously, do what feels
right for you and A. I already feel like PS mamas are ahead of the curve when it comes to potty training! Most people I
know IRL say that they didn't PT until closer to 3. A friend saw the potty seat in our bathroom and was like, um, isn't L
a little young for that? Yes... but I suppose I'd like to get her used to the idea at least. I know full well that she's not physically capable yet--she can barely climb on the step stool I got for her, let alone be able to pull down her pants and sit on the potty by herself. So I'm just seeing how she can start to get her used to things mentally.

LC, i know, seriously! I feel like have a bit more patience that your average bear (and certainly more than DH), but whew,
that particular episode was over the top and I'm sure that there will be more to come. I have heard that having a toddler is a humbling experience. There is no doubt that is true, no matter how well-behaved and happy your kiddo is. They all have their moments!

NEL, your daughters are simply beautiful. Thanks for sharing! I really think that K and L have similar temperaments--sensitive is what I would call it. She doesn't act clingy with her daddy. She wants to know where her daddy is and loves having him read to her and will play with him, but she is a mama's girl. It sounds like you are teaching K the right things, and it's so good that she isn't jealous of C. I hope that L will be the same way if/when we have another child.

JGator, I know--it really feels like L gets sick constantly. I just feel bad because it seems like she's just recovered from one thing when she picks up something else. But I feel fortunate that none of it serious! I was hoping you would chime in about how K's behavior has been recently because I really do feel like we have twin kids! Yes, L has been my shadow a lot recently. I'm sure between the teething and the age that they're at, they might just need some extra assurance from mommy. I'm sorry to hear that K's good sleeping streak seems to have had a hiccup. Hopefully, that's what it is--just a hiccup! Did she sleep better last night? ETA: I just saw your new post. It definitely sounds like it could be teething related. I've also noticed that L will have her back and forth with her willingness to eat depending on if she's sick too.

amc, wow, B sounds like he is just thriving these days! Love the photos of him in California. What a handsome boy! Best of luck with the official potty training. He sounds like he is ready!

dani, sounds like L is doing so well!! Wow, that's awesome that he is saying complete sentences now! Good to hear from you.

AFU, L is doing well and is getting quite good about articulating her needs. Last night, we went out to dinner early and it took forever to get our food. When she was getting tired, she told us "night night", "home" and "all done" because she was ready to go! She's also been thankfully healthy so far this week. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for myself, so I hope to not give her my new cold or the eye infection I seem to be having. Blah.

 

[JGator]

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone. We got about 6 inches of snow last night! When will this winter end??