PS Mommy thread with toddlers 12-36 months

[mayerling]

Thanks, AMC, K goes to bed around 8pm and falls asleep within an hour and gets up around 7am. I'm jealous that you are getting 12 hours and that you used to be able to go back to sleep!!! K will nap around 10-1030am for 60-90 mins after getting up at 7, and then her 2nd nap is around 2/3pm. On weekends, I have to hold/rock her to get her to nap - otherwise, she will only nap for 30 mins. The nanny is able to get her to nap in the crib, but pats her to sleep and stays in the room in case she wakes up once to pat her back to sleep. So, I get no free time on weekends as I am part of the naps!

JGator, I used to be part of the naps and on some days I still am. I used to sit in the room in case N woke up before 1.5 hours which was my minimum. I thought of it as free time, though, because I'd have my iPad and would just surf the net or watch something while he slept.
Also, as far as the 10 hours go, N was a 10-hour sleeper until around 16 months when he started doing 11+ so maybe he and K are similar in that respect. Mind you, that he's been doing 11+ without any intervention from us; at some point in his life he was just ready.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I still lurk on this thread, just haven't had much time to post!

As always, I love the pics! I need to post some myself--I haven't downloaded any pics from our camera for at least a month. I plan to after K goes to bed, but then I'm too exhausted to do anything more than the bare minimum to survive.

JGator, so glad to hear K is STTN! That's huge!

LC, so sorry to hear about the second molars. K's bottom two have made it through, but the top two are still coming in. I'm not kidding, these second molars have been coming in for months and months. I wish I had tips for you--at least now K finds something she can stick back there and chomp on (like a rubber spoon). And so cute that E loves nakey time. K does, too. In fact, when I get her dressed after taking a bath, she pitches a fit. The joys of toddlerhood.

Also, how are you feeling? The first tri for me was really tough. I hope you're at least not too nauseous. Being pregnant when you have a toddler is just so much different.

amc, it sounds like we have identical schedules. K's bath starts at 7pm, I like her in her crib at 7:30 (though admittedly we don't get her in there until 7:40 some nights) and I get her out of her crib at 7am. Luckily she still loves her naps and will sleep at least 2 hours. I'm like you, I don't know what I'd do without nap time. It's when I get all my housework done. I'm super nervous about baby #2 because I know their nap schedules won't coincide for at least a year.

Everybody else, I hope you're all doing well!

AFU
1. K used to be my easy baby. She is turning into a very typical, independent, opinionated toddler. I had a tough time from about 15 months - 18 months, then 18 months - 23 months were pretty good. Even though she's a late talker, we were communicating better and she was pretty easy-going, so it was a fun phase. Now? She's really becoming her own little person. She still doesn't say "no", but any time I ask her a question, she shakes her head no. No, she doesn't want lunch. No, she doesn't want to play with any toy I give her. No, she does not want a pet unicorn. Even if she wants something, she still tells me no. And if I tell her not to do something, it's game over. Honestly, I'm just exhausted!

2. I'm planning to call early intervention today to get the ball rolling with a speech pathologist. I'm not worried about her, I really do think she'll just talk when she's ready. But she still only says a handful of words (mostly "hi", "bye" and "uh oh") and I want to make sure I'm doing the right things. And in the back of my mind I'm always a little worried about autism, but only a teeny tiny bit.

 

[lliang_chi]

Hi NEL! I can't wait to meet your DD#2. K's going to be such a great big sister. I love how she loves babies too. Hopefully the speech therapist will tell you there's not much to worry about, but I'm like you and would rather be proactive than worrying you didn't intervene early enough. My mom still regrets not taking my brother in for eye exams until he was 15 and he was blind as a bat! GAH, don't say that about the molars!!! I just want them to come in already. Today was particularly bad.

JFO, exposing L to language will only help her. THey're such little sponges now, it'd be great. I hear that grandparents don't really stick to the immersion since "it's easier" to just speak in English if they know English since that's what the baby's primary language is. Do either you or your DH know any languages? We don't, but DH and I talked about it, and if Ethan were to learn a foreign language DH said either Mandarin or Arabic.

JG, Wow oh wow! K's been doing AWESOME sleeping so well! I'm sure you and your DH feel like you're back to sanity now. You got through the biggest part (night time sleep), so now you working on naps etc will be pretty reasonable for you. Ethan no longer sleeps in his crib for naps, we put him on the futon in his room. He likes it because he can just get up and walk out when he's done with his naps. Which sometimes is only 35 mins (NOOOOO!!!)

AMC, I agree I go CRAZY when Ethan decides to pull a fast one with his naps, (like <1hr). There's a few times where he just fought and fought naps. It's exhausting. Wow, B sleeps like a champ if he goes for 12 hrs. Ethan used to go 11 hrs, but with teething it's been more like 9 or 10 on a good night. I miss sleep.

TOday I called in sick from work. I do actually think I'm coming down with something, very low fever, and I'm just WIPED with Ethan's poor sleep schedule these past few days. I need a do-over.

 

[amc80]

AMC, I agree I go CRAZY when Ethan decides to pull a fast one with his naps, (like <1hr). There's a few times where he just fought and fought naps. It's exhausting. Wow, B sleeps like a champ if he goes for 12 hrs. Ethan used to go 11 hrs, but with teething it's been more like 9 or 10 on a good night. I miss sleep.

Oh, this will really make you hate me. If he sleeps for less than 90 minutes I just speak through the monitor. I'll say "lay down and go night-night." And what do you know? He will lay back down and go back to sleep.

 

[FrekeChild]

AMC, I agree I go CRAZY when Ethan decides to pull a fast one with his naps, (like <1hr). There's a few times where he just fought and fought naps. It's exhausting. Wow, B sleeps like a champ if he goes for 12 hrs. Ethan used to go 11 hrs, but with teething it's been more like 9 or 10 on a good night. I miss sleep.

Oh, this will really make you hate me. If he sleeps for less than 90 minutes I just speak through the monitor. I'll say "lay down and go night-night." And what do you know? He will lay back down and go back to sleep.

 

[amc80]

Yeah, sorry. The first time we tried it we thought it was a fluke. But it's worked every time since then.

 

[amc80]

We've put B on the potty two mornings in a row and he's gone pee both times! I still think it's just where he happens to be when he pees, as opposed to "oh, this is the potty, I'm supposed to pee." But I'm hoping with enough fanfare he will make the connection. We are going to switch to Pull-Ups once the current box of diapers is gone. I figure it will be easier to just stick him on there at more regular times if we can just pull his pants down.

 

[monkeyprincess]

amc, seriously? If we talk to Ev on the monitor to try to calm him down, he always steps up his screaming a notch or two. You don't know how luck you are! That's great about the potty too. I ordered one earlier this week, and according to DH it arrived while I was out of town. I guess we'll at least get him used to sitting on it this weekend and see what happens.

LC, hope you are feeling better. It is not fun being sick, but being pregnant with a toddler, must make it even harder.

NEL, I hope you are able to get some good information from early intervention. Chances are all is well, but it's great there are resources out there to help. I've seen so many instances among my family and friends of kiddos who don't do much talking until they are 2 or so, but in today's age of information and comparison with other people's kids, it is hard not to get concerned when your kiddo doesn't seem as advanced in certain areas as other children. I totally get that.

JGator, I'm so happy for you that things are going so well with K lately. It's like she is making strides in every area of development all at once. Great job getting her to sleep better, what a relief that must be. We've actually had a really good streak of sleeping this week, knock on wood. A couple nights, he woke up a few hours after going to bed, and we checked on him to make sure he was okay, but then left the room and made him stay in the crib. He cried a few minutes, but then just collapsed and fell asleep. I think I finally have DH convinced it's okay to make him cry a bit as long as we can see that he is okay and just doesn't want to be in his crib. On the one or two nap thing, honestly, we probably wouldn't have dropped a nap yet unless daycare was doing it. It seems like most kids would eventually move to one nap on their own if there is some developmental reason for it. Also, we let Ev nap on a mat on the floor on the weekends, and I don't really see it as a problem because that's what he does at daycare as well. Can you try that instead of the crib? Obviously, you are still somewhat tied down during nap time in case they wake up, but it also allows you to move freely and get things done while they are asleep.

Jfo, that's great that L is so verbal! After hearing how she can say 50-60 words, I have to admit I started counting Ev's words, and if I stretch it a bit, I can maybe get 12-15, but most of them are really simple things. He does about four signs (more, thank you, please, eat), and he will repeat some words if we ask him to like "yellow" or count "one, two, three." But he's nowhere near as verbal as your little one. His one party trick now after watching letter factory is that he can recite the sounds of several letters. We say what days the A say or what does the S say, etc., and he can do the sounds (but he couldn't identify the letters or anything, so it's probably not that impressive).

Kunzite, I hope the transition is going okay for all of you. It can't be easy after being home with them for so long. I say all the time I wish I could stay home with my son, but I am at least happy that he gets exposed to all sorts of great activities and social situations at daycare. I don't think I would be able to keep him as entertained and stimulated, or maybe that is just the excuse I give myself for not being a stay at home mom.

 

[monarch64]

Just popping in quick to say sleep strike has been over for several days! I'm probably jinxing it by saying so here, but whatever. She's been an absolute dream (no pun intended) taking naps and going to bed at night. No idea why the turnaround, but not gonna question it. Oh, and we have graduated to actual grown-up flatware during meals now. Still messy, but more controlled.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Just had to share a cute story. I was trying to think of things to do with Ev this weekend (it was cold and we were feeling a bit of cabin fever), so I pulled out my tablet and found some kids songs on youtube. Did any of you use to watch Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show on Nickolodeon? Well, they had "Skidamarink" (sp?) on youtube, and I totally remembered that song from the show when I was little, so I played it for Ev. After a few times, he would do his little conductor hands for the song and then join in on the "I love you" part. Now, he keeps saying "I love you" to me or when he is pretending to read his books. Just in time for Valentine's Day, although I'm sure he has no idea what it means yet He also has started immitating us when we cough or sneeze or say certain things, so we really need to be careful....

 

[NewEnglandLady]

MP, I definitely remember that song! Aren't the imitations super adorable? The downside is that you have to start watching what you say (at least in theory--I've been saying this for months and still have a hard time curbing my potty mouth). But I think it's so cute when they imitate you. BTW, I did reach out to EI and they're supposed to call me this week about scheduling an evaluation. I just have to work around the C-section I'm having this week

amc, yay for B's potty streak!! I think it's great to put him on when you think he might pee. At least that way he can make the connection that peeing in potty = good! I feel like it's too much for them to understand (at this stage) that the potty is for peeing and once he's on it, he should go. But I'm admittedly naïve when it comes to potty training. K likes sitting on hers and now we have her sit on it when she's naked (before she gets in the bathtub), but she still has not actually peed in her potty. She just sits on it, laughs, and points to the big potty.

LC, how is the molar pain? K's comes and goes, so even though it's taken them a long time to come in, not every day is bad. I really hope E gets some relief soon. How are you feeling, by the way? Did you end up sick all weekend? I came down with a head cold, which was frustrating since it was our last weekend as a fam of 3.

Monnie, so glad the sleep strike is over! Keeping my fingers crossed that it continues!

 

[monkeyprincess]

NEL, yeah, I forgot about that little thing in you need to work around in your schedule this week All my best to you for a safe procedure and healthy baby and mommy! Can't wait to hear that she has arrived!

And yes, I am a bit concerned about the imitating to be honest. I don't swear in regular conversation or anything, but I occasionally do if I hurt myself or drop something or get really frustrated or something, and now that there is a little inquiring mind seeing and hearing everything, I need to work on that. I have also noticed I need to be careful about little arguments/tiffs with DH. We're not crazy or anything and don't yell at each other, but I've noticed Ev can pick up on even minor tension and looks concerned when we get frustrated with each other. Like he's thinking why are they not joking around and smiling like usual? It's like we now have a little spy in your house watching everything we do and say!

 

[JGator]

MP, K listens to that song on Pandora pretty regularly. She hasn't said the words yet though. Go Ev! That's adorable. I think K would get up if we tried to put her on a mat for a nap at home! My DH thinks that he has been in the let her CIO it mentality all along, but I know he is really a big softie and doesn't want to hear her cry either. We have just been lucky that after we got her off the nighttime bottle she hasn't cried that long on CIO so it was bearable for me/us. She usually cries for a minute or 5 minutes. Last night/this AM, she cried for 20 minutes on/off which was difficult to listen to, but I am so afraid of undoing my progress that I kept myself from going in to her.

NEL, best wishes to you this week. When is K's birthday again? Isn't it this week too?

Monnie, Yay for the end of the sleep strike!

AMC, sounds like you are well on your way with potty training! That's amazing. I've always heard boys took much longer so B is really advanced! We also used to be able to talk or SHHH into the baby monitor to K and have her stop crying, but I'm afraid to try it now that we have a new system in place that's working!

LC, I hope you have recovered and that Ethan's sleep and teething are improving.

Mayerling, on the naps, if I even look at my phone while she's napping on me, she wakes up and grabs the phone and that's the end of the nap. Once I know, she's fully sound asleep, I could look at the phone, but her favorite toy is my phone!

AFU, we took K in for her 15-month check up on Friday. She had a screaming fest for the majority of the physical exam and the shots - she kept nodding and shaking her head at the doctor when the doctor was talking to us before her exam which was pretty hilarious. She ended up sobbing during her nap on the car ride home. She is in the 26% for head and 65% for both height (31") and weight 23 lbs and 13 oz. The doctor said she has good muscle tone/core muscles and asked if we were athletes - um no! And, she also said K would transition herself to one nap - not sure how that works. She urged us to get her off her night-time bottle by the next appointment. And said she can keep the paci - and not to worry about her teeth with the paci. She said even if she's 4 and uses it, she will have a small gap in her front teeth that closes in 6 months, but if she were to do the same with her thumb, she would need a metal plate to close the gap! We haven't had this particular MD that many times, so I'm not sure I am totally on board with all her suggestions. She also said that since K has been constipated every other day lately that she probaby has a genetic pre-disposition to it, and she shouldn't have rice, bananas, apples, etc. She was very concerned about us getting her not constipated now so that she wouldn't turn into a 4 year old who is afraid to go to the bathroom. She said we should not potty train till she's 3 because of the constipation, and that it would make her afraid of the potty! I really doubt she will be chronically constipated, and we definitely do not want to wait till she's 3 to potty train! We took K to her gym class over the weekend. She totally was a non-participator! She kept running over to the ball pit in the corner. So, pretty much a fail until the end of class when she did participate in the circle. Hopefully, she will get more out of this week so she can exercise her strong core!

 

[amc80]

NEL and JGator- yes, things are going really well! I'm still keeping it casual, but I think he is getting it. On Saturday we were out and about and I know he had a fair amount to drink. When we got home he was dry so I stuck him on the potty and he went. We decided to get him some pull ups to make it easier to take them up and down. Thank goodness I took a few seconds to pay attention to the sizing- the 2T/3T only goes up to 35lbs! We ended up buying the 3T/4T (32-40lbs) since B is 32lbs right now. Are there really 4 year olds who are 32lbs? The sizing just seems screwy. Luckily they fit well so I'm glad we didn't get the smaller size. I was concerned that the overnight version wouldn't be as good as the regular overnight diapers but they worked just fine.

Whomever (whoever?) mentioned using a regular fork, thank you! B has been using baby forks but had trouble stabbing his food. I finally gave him a real fork and it worked much better.

I was thinking of this thread yesterday when B was playing in his crib instead of going down for his nap. I told him over the monitor to "lay down and go night night," and he did. It's so funny. Maybe because he was such a crappy sleeper for the first 15 months he's going easy on me now?

We spent part of the weekend looking for beds for B. We've decided to just use the futon that is already in his room. We will do the pool noodle trick to keep him from falling off...and if he does fall it's not much higher than a toddler bed. We want to buy a bunk bed set but we plan on moving out of state next year and it's just one more thing to move.

 

[lliang_chi]

AMC, How do you get B to pee on the potty first thing in the morning? Ethan is so antsy and hungry when I ask him, "Pee pee potty?" he very firmly answers "NOOO!!!! Eat!" So he always goes about his breakfast and then gets changed afterwards. As I said before (along with MP) Ethan has no qualms sitting in a wet/dirty diaper. Does B's crib convert to a toddler bed? Ethan's does. I have half considering changing him since he had such horrible sleep the past two weeks, but I think that was just a moment of desperation. We also have a futon in his room which is a little higher than his crib/toddler bed. But not much higher. He has fallen out a few times during nap, but nothing too bad.

JGator, You know K the best so you would know what works for her. But also don't be scared to experiment if you would like to change something. But definitely you made HUGE strides with her sleep , you should feel proud of all your hard work.

Will be back to write more. Need to catch my ride home

~LC

 

[amc80]

AMC, How do you get B to pee on the potty first thing in the morning? Ethan is so antsy and hungry when I ask him, "Pee pee potty?" he very firmly answers "NOOO!!!! Eat!" So he always goes about his breakfast and then gets changed afterwards. As I said before (along with MP) Ethan has no qualms sitting in a wet/dirty diaper. Does B's crib convert to a toddler bed? Ethan's does. I have half considering changing him since he had such horrible sleep the past two weeks, but I think that was just a moment of desperation. We also have a futon in his room which is a little higher than his crib/toddler bed. But not much higher. He has fallen out a few times during nap, but nothing too bad.

I wish I had some magic trick, but I don't....I tell him good morning and then, as I'm lifting him out of the crib, ask if he wants to go pee pee in the potty. And he runs over there and sits down. He doesn't normally eat right when he wakes up so that is probably part of it. We do everything upstairs and then go down to eat, and that's just the schedule we've always had.

His crib does convert...but I really don't want to convert it since we are trying for #2. It's a total PITA to do so I'd rather leave it. Otherwise we'd have to convert it now and then later on convert it back and buy a bed for B, so I'd rather just skip to that part now. Glad to know the futon has worked okay for you. We are going out of town next week but I think we will start using it as a bed when we get back.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

amc, sounds like the potty training is progressing for you--that's great! And it must be nice to finally have a good sleeper! K's was always a good sleeper, but she had a long phase of waking up at 5:30am and now that she does the solid 11.5 hours, it makes me feel much more rested. It also eases my mind about baby #2 since theoretically I'll only be up with the baby. Since you're TTC, it's comforting to know the older one is a solid sleeper.

Oh, and I meant to ask. Sounds like all of your bedrooms are upstairs and the kitchen is on the main floor. Our house is the same and I only have a potty in K's bathroom upstairs. Do you have a second potty for your main floor bath? Trying to figure out if I should just get two.

LC, so funny that E is hungry first thing in the morning. The boy likes his breakfast! K is a light eater in the mornings and I'm usually rushing to get her dressed, fed and out the door. But she likes to laze around in the mornings and never has much of an appetite, so getting her to eat is a chore. So sorry to hear that E has been in a bad sleeping phase--hope it's over now!

JGator, it's completely normal for kids to scream through the 15-month checkup. K did the same thing at her 15 and 18 month appts. I have a feeling it's going to be the same at her 2 year appt. I even bought her a doctor's kit to play with and we practice using the stethoscope, etc., which is fun for her at home, but doesn't translate to the doc's office. The transition to 1 nap is kind of tough, but depends on the kid. K's afternoon nap started getting shorter. I would try to push the morning nap later, but it was really hard to get her to wait until after lunch. If she fell asleep before lunch, then her afternoon nap wouldn't happen and by bedtime, we had a very fussy baby. Tons of luck to you!

MP, I am the EXACT same way about arguing in front of K. It's not like we have big arguments in front of her, but we get frustrated with each other. Every time we're in a "normal" mood we completely agree that it's wrong to argue in front of K. But then when we're annoyed, it's so much harder to put it aside until she's in bed. We've actually been better about it...and I don't mind discussing things in front of K, I just don't want to say "D, stop being a jerk and see it my way"...which is sort of what happens most of the time.

 

[monkeyprincess]

JGator, your doctor had some very strange and specific comments and recommendations. I would take some of it with a grain of salt and just see what happens. Ev had a fit at his 15 month appt too, and the doctor and nurse both said 18 months is usually the worst. Ev suddenly woke up when I carried him up to his room the other night and had an absolute fit when I put him in the crib. I just decided to sit down on the rocker and see what would happen. I think he thought I left because he didn't seem to know I was in there. He cried for 30 minutes straight and when he started standing up and violently falling down and nearly hitting his face a few times, I gave in and picked him up. Ev 1, Mommy 0. DH unbeknownst to me was watching on the monitor, and when I came down, he said, I think he would have fallen alseep if you hadn't picked him up. I could have smacked him! He's usually the one who gives in! We have let Ev cry himself back to sleep when he wakes in the middle of the night, and usually that only takes 5 minutes or so, but he was not having none of the put him in the crib awake thing. I can't complain too much though because for the past week and half, he has stayed in his crib all night, so we are back on a good streak. At some point, he is going to have to learn to fall asleep on his own in his crib though.

LC, Ev has been doing the sign for "eat" every morning lately. We used to just get him ready and they would feed him breakfast at daycare. I can't figure out if he is really hungry, or he has just figured out a new trick to get me to feed him. The main reason I'm suspicious is because the kid loves to eat and pretty much never says no to food, and lately every time he sees his high chair, he decides it's time to eat. Getting smarter

amc, if you can spare a bit of that sleeping and potty training magic, please send it my way!

NEL, one more day! Thinking of you guys!

 

[amc80]

amc, sounds like the potty training is progressing for you--that's great! And it must be nice to finally have a good sleeper! K's was always a good sleeper, but she had a long phase of waking up at 5:30am and now that she does the solid 11.5 hours, it makes me feel much more rested. It also eases my mind about baby #2 since theoretically I'll only be up with the baby. Since you're TTC, it's comforting to know the older one is a solid sleeper.

Oh, and I meant to ask. Sounds like all of your bedrooms are upstairs and the kitchen is on the main floor. Our house is the same and I only have a potty in K's bathroom upstairs. Do you have a second potty for your main floor bath? Trying to figure out if I should just get two.

One of my big fears about having #2 was doing so with a #1 that still wasn't sleeping. I can't imagine pregnancy with having to wake up a bunch of times!

As far as the potty situation, we only have on in "his" bathroom upstairs. Once we get more serious about potty training I think we'll get another for the downstairs bathroom. I haven't decided when we will start training for real. I think he is pretty far away from being able to wake up dry. His diapers are always as full as they can get without leaking.

 

[lliang_chi]

AMC, yes, the futon works fine. We don't even open it up all the way, it stays in couch form and he just sleeps on that. Like I said he has fallen off once or twice, it'll wake him up and he'll fuss, but no broken bones etc. If you're concerned just put some thick quilts and pillows down there, or throw his crib mattress under like Freke did for A's bed. Yeah I think our habit in the morning has been to get up, and he's always asked to eat so I'd get him a banana and he'd eat it on the couch. I guess we'll stick with that until he's ready to PT for real.

NEL, Ethan's appetite is hit or miss in terms of eating breakfast or not. He'll defnitely eat fruit, but then he wants to putz around a little, then he'll finally sit and eat an omelet/frozen waffle/English muffin. The teething pain is still here, unfortuantely. E has his good days too, but unfortunately it's more bad than good. Good luck tomorrow!

JGator, ditto NEL, totally normal to cry and scream during the 15 and 18 month appt. She'll recover quickly and then just hold onto you for a few mins. And the pedi's are used to it.

MP the imitating is so cute. We've done a decent job cleaning up language in front of Ethan. We dont' swear too much, just when we're upset or hurt ourselves. And thus far Ethan's been keeping it clean. It's interesting that your Ev and NEL's K have always been such empathetic babies and toddlers I can see how they'd sense the tension between you and your DH. I get annoyed with J and I think Ethan realizes it too, because the house will become VERY quiet, not a lot of talking but lots of doing. But it usually blows over. Yes, Ethan uses eating as a stall tactic too. These kids are sneaky little buggers.

Monnie, glad your sleep strike is over! Good for A for getting back to her usual routine.

AFU: Still teething, still not great in the sleep department. We've been giving him Motrin/ibuprofen and his poops have been pretty gross as a result. I can't wait until this is behind us again. Ethan turns 2 on Monday!

 

[JGator]

K's nanny just texted me a photo that I had to share of her at the gym. Guess where she is?

 

[jfo]

LC and JGator, I am definitely encouraging my parents to keep speaking Cantonese to L. But, I think you're right, LC, in that I don't think my parents are consistent about it, especially now that she knows quite a few words in English. They fell into that pattern with my brother and I, for sure. We're first generation Americans and out of literally all of our cousins, we are the only ones who don't speak Cantonese fluently. Oh well. They teach some Spanish at her daycare, and both DH and I took Spanish in high school (and college for DH), so we are also using some Spanish with her at home. I took a year of Mandarin in college, but it's hard to remember too much of it when you don't use it often. I think it'd be great if L could speak Mandarin and/or Cantonese when she is older and maybe Spanish or French too.

NEL, thinking of you and your family! You are SO close to meeting your new LO... It's interesting to hear how K was your easy baby and then you had a bit of a tough time between 15-18 months and then it got easier again for a while. L has been my easy baby too and she certainly has become very opinionated and impatient recently. I imagine these will be some interesting and challenging next several months (or years).

amc, wow, B is in a groove! What a good boy to pee on the potty and to be such a good sleeper for his mama

MP, most everything that L says are really simple, and she definitely doesn't pronounce everything right, but it's cute to listen to her try. She can't seem to say 's' as the leading consonant for a word, like "sun"... she uses a "d" sound instead. That's great the Ev knows and can say what several letters sound like. I don't think L has any idea about recognizing letters or their sounds yet. I got the Letter Factory dvd, but she isn't that interested in it yet. I'll try again in a few weeks. That is SO adorable that Ev is saying "I love you"!!

Monnie, glad to hear the sleep strike is over! Hope all is well with you all.

LC, oh my, those second molars are taking their sweet time, aren't they? I am definitely not looking forward to that time! How are you feeling these days? Hope you don't have much morning sickness and you're feeling all around pretty good outside of probably some lack of sleep due to E's disrupted sleep.

JGator, I have to agree with MP in that the pediatrician's comments were kind of strange--particularly around the constipation. Obviously, do what you and your DH feel is best for K! That is great about her strong muscles/core though. I'm sure that K will ease into her gym class. If K is anything like L, she'd be content to observe for a while first before deciding to dip her toe in the water, so to speak.

ETA, just saw your photo of K hiding in the ball pit. Super cute!

L had her 15 month appointment this morning. Funnily enough, she actually was far less upset this doctor's visit than in previous visits and only cried when she was weighed and measured and when she got her 4 shots. When she was having her chronic ear infections last summer and fall and we were at the doctor's office nearly every week or sometimes even more often than that, L would just get hysterical and cry until she threw up, so this was a HUGE improvement. Since the ear tube surgery was successful, we haven't had to go back since, so I think she must have forgotten It was interesting to see how she has grown--22 lbs, 15 oz and 32 inches tall, so she has only gained a pound in 3 months, but grew an inch and a half in height. I suppose that's the trend now that she's walking around and generally more active.

I originally had a dental appointment scheduled for L back in December, then moved it to January, but it was rescheduled due to extreme weather until later this month, and after talking to the pediatrician this morning, I rescheduled it to June. She basically told us that since L only has 5 teeth and as long as we're brushing them, we probably don't need to go until she has at least her first set of molars in. I just hope that I'm brushing it well enough in the meantime. L fights me every night if I try to help her brush her teeth.

Gosh, so many of you mamas are moving your LO's to big kid beds and starting on PT'ing... I feel like I'm way behind, but tell me that I've got time, right?? Also, any tips on stopping whining? Recently L has started whining when she doesn't get her way or yelling over DH and I when we're trying to have a conversation with one another because she wants the attention on her. I've tried ignoring it, and I've also stopped talking and calmly telling her that I won't respond to her when she whines that way, but I have no idea if she understands what I'm saying...

 

[monkeyprincess]

Jfo, L doesn't like Letter Factory? Say it ain't so? It is like crack for Ev I was telling DH it is like a baby version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show when he watches it because he totally interacts with it and anticipates what is coming next and makes all sorts of gestures and sound effects,and he looks at us and expects us to be just as involved. It is literally the only show he watches though. Nothing else holds his interest, which is probably a good thing because he probably shouldn't really be watching much tv anyway. And it sounds like L is going through a similar phase as Ev as far as the interrupting and trying to assert his will when we say no to something. He mocks us sometimes and says "no no no." I can tell it is going to be a challenge to reign him in! We're nowhere near potty training or putting Ev in a bed, so if you're behind, so am I. I ordered a potty chair and put him on it a couple times this weekend, and he thought it was the greatest thing having his little throne, but no pottying was going on.

JGator, cute picture! She likes what she likes, and I'm sure she'll come around and want to interact when she's ready. That's funny she likes to get all buried in the balls.

 

[jfo]

MP, I know! I was surprised too. It looks like it'd be really engaging and I can totally envision Ev getting into it! What's funny is that L's only show that keeps her interest is either Baby Beethoven or Baby Mozart from the Baby Einstein dvd's... I literally can put one of those on, and she will just get completely sucked in/mesmerized for 20 minutes. I try to use it sparingly, but I admit to putting it on when I need to do some chores uninterrupted! It's also the only way she will sit still and let me clip her finger and toe nails without jerking away.

 

[FrekeChild]

Two things:

1. Potty training sucks. A is not into it at all. HOWEVER, I managed to find GIRLY 2-3T DC Superhero undies at Target. They are so cool. They have Wonder Woman insignia, Superman and Batman in pink and fun colors. One pair has Batman's utility belt around the waist. Can you tell my husband has infected me with his comic book nerdiness? But this was huge - I didn't want to buy frilly pink undies with "Princess" on them. Or pink hearts. I will take the Batman Utility belt undies ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. I may have bought them in 4T too....

2. Someone repeats everything we say, often long after it was said by us. Like, the "$#!+" word and "damn". So, fun times when we're driving to Target and we hear this little voice in the backseat saying over and over, "$#!+ $#!+ $#!+ !". I'm just glad it's not the F word. Yet.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Jfo, I had forgotten about the Baby Einstein ones. Ev used to be freakishly obsessed with both Baby Bethoven and Mozart. We must have misplaced those in the move because I have no idea where they are, so we haven't put them on for him in a long time. And I agree, there are just those times during the day when you need your little one to sit still for 20 minutes or so, and the videos work great for that. We usually only put them on when Ev wakes up early and we are both still getting ready for work or when we get home from work and are trying to get dinner ready and things organized.

Freke, too funny about the swearing from the backseat! I am usually a very calm person, but put me behind the wheel and I get just a tad bit impatient and aggressive, so it's a good thing Ev doesn't ride in the car with me on my way to and from work! My brother learned his lesson a few years ago when his then three year old son suddenly yelled from the backseat, "That f-ing bus needs to move right now!" So terrible, but since it is not my kid, I had a good laugh about that one.

 

[lliang_chi]

JGator, adorable picture of K in the ball pit

JFo, I would think you're doing great with L's teeth. Pediatric dentists will tell you to come in as soon as the 1st tooth comes in. I took Ethan in a month before his 2nd birthday. She wants me to bring him in again in 6 months but I'm kinda meh about it. At least since it's preventative there's no copay, but it's still time I need to take off. Aside from sleep issues caused by Ethan, been doing OK. I'm much more tired this time around than when with Ethan but I'm sure having a toddler has a lot to do with it.

MP, awesome that Ev sounds letters out. That's great. There seems to be so many of those DVDs that you can put on and these little kiddos just absorb it all. One of my friend's son loves this DVD called Baby Babble. And they're pretty sure that's why he knew all of his letters.

AFU: Not much going on. Still wake ups in the early morning. E now has preferences who he wants to come get him (recently it's been Dada). Too bad for him Dada sleeps through it all and I'm the one that hears him first. So I get the "No Mama. Walk away. Dada up." This morning Ethan woke up @ 4AM (again wanting DH). He had also wet through his diaper, clothes and sleep sack. DH eventually came out when Ethan was really fussing for Dada, and he took him. While I was passing E off I said, "And he's wet too." DH: "So why didn't you change him." "Because he wouldn't let me." Then I got to go back to sleep. Not feeling guilty at all.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Any other video suggestions? I like the Baby Einstein idea. D is very anti-TV, but now that we have a newborn and a toddler I think he'll understand the need to keep K interested in something for 20-30 minutes while I nurse and can't chase K around (when I'm on my own).

I can definitely relate to those of you with cursing toddlers. As you know, K says very few words, but one of them is sh*t. D and I are both guilty.

Is anybody else having a really tough time with terrible twos? K is killing me with her meltdowns. If I try to make her do anything, she has a meltdown. This includes getting in her car seat, changing her diaper or putting on clothes. If I tell her she can't do something, it's worse. Today she had an hour long fit because D told her she couldn't have a cupcake. I try to ignore her, but that's difficult in public. It's getting to the point where I don't want to do things with her, which makes me feel awful. Today I just started crying because I feel so bad that she's frustrated. I'm also extremely hormonal. Cora's arrival hasn't made the fits any better or worse.

Speaking of Cora, so far K is in love with her. But the novelty of having a baby in the house may be wearing off. K goes back to daycare tomorrow and I'm glad shell be back in her regular routine.

 

[lliang_chi]

OMG NEL, the tantrum twos are here in my house too. Ethan puts on this offended pout whenever I tell him No. And he'll fuss for the STUPIDEST LITTLE THING EVER. I don't know if he's old enough to do time outs, but I have to say I sure am tempted. So no suggestions, just commiserating with you. I tried reading 123 Magic, and, while I think it's a great book, I still am not sure if he's old enough to understand time outs and behavior = consequence. I'm sure I"m not giving him enough credit. He's head butted and hit me quite a few times and man I get so PO'ed. Which is horrible because he's my son and isn't even 2 yet.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LC, I have said "you're not even two yet!" to K at least 50 times.

We've been doing 1-2-3 Magic with K since she was about 18 months old--it actually works well for us, but I hate to use it constantly. Plus, I still can't figure out how to use it in public or in the car. So it's not the magic solution for us. Daycare starts timeouts at age two, so this week is the first time shell have them there.