PS Mommy thread with toddlers 12-36 months

[Blenheim]

EB - Ha, I''ve never used the Wii Fit either. So you''re not the laaaast person in the world.

PJ - Axel and George sound quite similar these days. G''s also obsessed with the toilet (and trying to drop things in it), and we''re just leaving the door closed by now. But it opens with a lever and not a turn knob... I think it''s only a matter of time for us.

Claritek - You know, I think I''ve heard of other kids going from zero to sentences all at once, as well. It sounds like you turned out fine too, thanks for weighing in.

TDM - It''s also great to hear about your experience - thanks! I do feel better after hearing about everyone else; it seeing "delayed speech" in his medical charts that made me feel worried.

Burk - so sorry about all of the sleep problems.

 

[Burk]

puffy~Hey there! Yes, one in diapers is much better than two....although we''re still working on it. What does your hubby do? I can''t remember, does he travel a lot? Mine does so I can totally relate to being all alone with two kiddos (and packing) Yuck!

blen~Thanks!

Things around here are good. Tayva''s doing so good with the underwear. I am so happy to be only buying diapers for one kid!! Kade''s sleeping has been a lot better the past few days, too. I told DH if they could just plop a 4.5-6 mo old on ya I''d be all for another one!

Oh, and the basement is only waiting on carpet and they need to finish tiling the shower....we''ll be moving stuff in by the middle of the week. Yay!

 

[PenelopeJane]

Blen, they do sound similar and probably because they''re so close in age. When is G''s birthday? Axel is April 5.

Burk, yay for moving in finally! Fingers crossed that potty training sticks.

We went to Monkey Joe''s which is a bounce house over the weekend. P loved it and Axel went crazy, bouncing and squealing everywhere! Even enjoyed going down the bigger slides which I thought he''d be terrified of. I liked that they had hand sanitizer stations all over and separate bounce/slide areas for 3 and under.

Action shot

 

[Tacori E-ring]

PJ, how cute! We have a monkey joe''s here too. T of course HATES the preschool area and insists on going on the HUGE, SCARY slides.

Burk, I have often said the same thing. The first 6 months were the hardest (on me).

 

[Blenheim]

PJ - April 7th, so quite close in age! And dang that bouncy thing looks fun.

George has started stomping his feet during temper tantrums. I find it funnier than I should.

 

[puffy]

PJ SO CUTE!!!!

burk usually DH doesn''t travel too much, but it was just bad timing as we were trying to pack. and the kids are always getting into trouble now. so glad that the kids are doing well. YAY for T doing so well with her PTing!! i guess SHE decided SHE was ready. and good that K is seeping better...that is ALWAYS a good thing!

ok mommies...now that my little baby is mobile and i totally miss having a newborn again....how crazy am i to even think about having another one??!?! i just said the other day that i was done and i even told DH that i was 100% happy and done. but when i watch the little munchkins on the video, my heart is telling me that i NEED to have just 1 more. it just seems that with N, everything happened so quick and i MISS the newborn stage. i miss the first laugh, the first smile, the first everything. i think it might be because i didn''t focus all my attention on N since i had B as well and i seems like i just missed all the little things. i still love when N laughs and smiles and coos, but it not like when he was 2 months. CRAZY i am!!

 

[mrssalvo]

puffy you''re not crazy at all. I honestly thought I was done after two but never felt entirely ready to makes things permanent (i.e, hubby getting snipped.) there would be times I''d be with my girls and I just felt like someone else was missing. I''m so glad we decided to have one more and I really felt done the entire time I was preggo with jake and still feel that way. 3 is it for us. Baby #2 was a blur for me b/c my oldest was only 20 months when she was born. I liked that my kids were a bit older when I had Jake so I really could appreciate every minute with him.

burk, yay for moving stuff and for T being potty trained and for K sleeping better!! your are supermommy!!

tacori-congrats on finishing!! that is awesome...

penelope-cute pic. we don''t have a monkey joe''s here but have something similar. Jake loves bounce houses too..

blen; Jake will have a tantrum once in a while and I admit to getting a kick out of it. the drama is just so hilarious.

not much going on with us. Juggling work and the In-laws in town for a visit. Getting ready for a week in florida later in july. i cannot wait b/c we a vacation is very much needed!!

 

[qtiekiki]

I’ve been MIA. With work, the kids and party planning, there’s not much time left. Party planning is going well. Invites is finally ordered after having them done for a week already. Just bought stuffs for the favors, but need to buy some candies to add in for the older kids. Still have to order cake and foods.

Kids are doing well. M is getting one of her second molars in; three quarters of it is out. Lots of tantrums and time-outs for that girl now. J is putting himself to sleep when all the lights are off, so nights are easier now. I can put him down and prepare his next day bottles, so it gives a little time to do things. Naptimes are still no go though; he still needs help.

Time to go home from work. So HI to ALL MY FAVORITE MOMMIES. Hopefully I’ll have some time to catch up tonight.

 

[PenelopeJane]

Tacori, thanks, I can only imagine T going on the big slides! P got hurt going on the biggest ones...slammed STRAIGHT into the wall going at a ridiculous speed. Found out the hard way that those were intended for big kids (8-12 y/o). Super scary.

Blen, how cool. I almost made it to my due date which was April 9. So funny about the feet stomping. Tantrums are getting more dramatic over here. Axel sprawls out onto the floor, presses his face into the carpet and sobs hysterically. Then pretends he can''t get up and rolls all over the floor haha.

Puffy, thanks and no, not crazy. I flip flop back and forth, telling DH to get snipped and then the next day tell him to wait. I feel the same about #2 growing up so quickly and it feels like that time is cut into half since most of the quality time is shared with #1. And I feel so overwhelmed with love and joy when I watch them play together...I think, why not multiply that joy by having more??? hehe. I think we''re done, but I know deep down that if I got pregnant on accident that I would be absolutely over the moon.

mrsS, good luck with the in-laws. Yay for fL vaca...it is SO hot here.

qt, glad things are going well. you''ve got a full plate! That''s great J is putting himself to sleep. Poor M, hope the tooth comes in fully and quickly!

Went swimming this morning and Axel thinks he is an olympic swimmer. Grabs diving rings, throws them in and proceeds to dive head first. It''s nice having a baby who likes the water for a change...P was terrified which is why she didn''t learn to swim til she was 4...but loves it now.

 

[jas]

Jackson just spent an hour cracking himself up by spinning around until he got dizzy and then trying to walk. Why we buy them toys I have no idea.

P.S.Two toddlers getting molars is an invitation for me to drink heavily.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

T got her first haircut. She was NOT happy. She looked on the verge of tears the entire time. DH thinks it looks exactly the same

She took an inch and a half off to even it up. Nothing drastic. We got cupcakes afterwards

 

[Burk]

Penelope~Thanks! So excited to have the basement done....for many reasons (HATE construction crap) but having a huge playroom for T is probably the top of the list.

That pick of A is so cute!! And, that''s great that he has no fear with teh pool!

Tacori~We need pics of this hair cut!! I''m still too scared!

And yea, first 4 months were brutal this time. T was a much better sleeper so it wasn''t as hard. Lack of sleep is not cool!

puffy~My DH was traveling pretty much the entire 3 weeks leading up to our move so I was packing by myself. While K wasn''t mobile at the time (that''s got to be hard) he was still a newborn and nursing constantly so that was a challenge. When will you be moving in? As for wanting another, I don''t think you''re crazy. I am pretty sure I still do but not because I miss having a newborn. I don''t. I love the stage we''re in right now and I can''t even imagine not getting to do this one more time. We shall see.

mrss~Thanks! It is a lot going on, but I don''t know how to function without chaos!

Yay for Florida! We''re heading on vacation the end of July too....can''t wait!!

QT~Hi there!! Can''t wait to see pics of the party you''ve been working so hard on!

jas~Hilarious-you did get it on video, right?!? Hope the boys molars come through soon!

Potty training is going pretty good. She''s not having accidents over night or during nap, which is awesome, but is still averaging one accident a day-usually when she''s playing and just doesn''t want to stop. I''m going to take her to daycare tomorrow for a while so I''m nervous to see how she does there with everything going on. They are good about getting her on the potty often, though, so I hope she can be accident free while she''s there. We''ll see. Anyone have fun plans for the fourth?

 

[puffy]

tacori awwww, her first haircut. i''m sure she''s as beautiful as ever! but YUMMY on the cupcakes.

mrsS your post was exactly what i am feeling!! B was just 2 when i had N and even though he was pretty much self entertained and a great helper, i still focused on him a lot so he wouldn''t feel left out. so then i kinda felt like i missed things with N. DH just thinks i''m crazy and hormonal. haha. am i happy, yes. am i complete, MAYBE. i know that i just long for 1 more baby to go through all of this again. vavay sounds wonderful!!

qt hi mama!!! hope the party planning goes well.

PJ YES, i know. my heart just melts when i see B playing with N or when N is laughing at something B is doing. i love it when B ''reads'' to him. and the whole time i am watching this, i know that there is plenty more love and happy times to go around. so cute your description of your little man at the pool.

burk so glad PTing is going well...so proud of T!! we''re in 2 weeks. we''ve been taking small stuff there that we really don''t need here. and the rest of the stuff, i''ll let the movers handle. each of the boys'' rooms there is all done and furnished with new stuff and decorated and most of our new furniture is in. i love each stage of the kid more and more, but for me, it''s something about having a tiny little newborn that just weakens my heart. i look back every night at B and N''s newborn pics and seriously, i start to get teary eyed...my DH is so right...i am a hormonal mess!!

hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend and a happy fourth!!

if packing for the move isn''t bad enough, we have disneyland coming up soon and i have to pack for that too. haha. bad timing on everything.

 

[ChinaCat]

Hi mommas! So I've been away for a week and with the changeover just checking in on Jas12. I am assuming she had her little one already???? Any updates?

Hope you are all well! I'm about 6 weeks away from having a toddler of my own. See you on the flip side!

 

[Jas12]

hi guys!!!

i just thought id do a drive-by and say that i am still alive.

Most of you know but i did eventually have a baby-LOL. Went to 42 weeks again. Well, 12 days over if i go by my late DD of the 12th, and 16 days overdue if i go by my ultrasound DD. So, i've decided that if i ever get pregnant again, i am automatically adding 2 weeks to whatever date they give me.
I had a GIRL Katrine Adelyn (we're calling her Kate). She weighed in at 8.3 lbs. The labor was BRUTAL. She was posterior (hello back labor, vomiting, over 3 hours of evil, evil transition from 8 cm to 10) for a total of 22 hours of torture. I was hoping the second was going to be easier, but nope. not so. However, my middies were so amazing and knowing that i originally wanted a homebirth, they never suggested drugs and so i was able to deliver with nothing but my two quick doses of antibiotic. So no iv's, fetal monitors, painkillers etc. It was SO much easier to get thru it when i could move around freely and shower, bounce on balls etc. I don't think i could have done it without them since we had a heck of a time trying to find a way to turn her and allow me to push.
But she did come out and seems to be in great health, but we have a bunch of tests this week to look at the kidney, gallstones and ecogenic bowel.

Co is adjusting pretty well. he really likes her, gives her kisses and constantly asks "where's my sister baby". he's really interested in how she came out and how she nurses. He's has been more difficult than usual, i think b/c routine has been severely disrupted, but considering he's 2 & a baby is a huge change, i am pretty happy with the transition so far. I've only been in tears once for a brief moment-ha

so far, two is a crazy amount of work, but very differnt from the first kid. i am still trying to wrap my head around how to do things like grocery shop or even get dinner made, but the 2nd is easier in the sense that you've already become a parent so that psychological adjustment doesn't have to be made. It's more like just adding more work to your day (and some love of course

anyway i hope to catch up later this week. Hope everyone is doing well!

 

[Blenheim]

Jas12 - congratulations on baby Kate! I'm sorry to hear that labor was so hard the second time around, and I hope that all of the upcoming testing goes well. It must be hard transitioning from one to two kids.

 

[puffy]

jas12 CONGRATS on baby katrine!! LOVE the name! you guys must be over the moon. sound like Co is doing well. sorry to hear your labor was so rough but you are a trooper!! take care mama

 

[PenelopeJane]

Jas12, congratulations! That is the prettiest name!! How cute Co asking where his sister baby is. You are a lucky mama, enjoy this time and get lots of rest.

 

[fieryred33143]

Congratulations Jas12 I love her name!

Hi ladies We're officially moving over as S turned 1 last week. I'm going to read through the last few pages to get some much needed tips on everything

I have a question though about walking. S does not put her feet flat on the ground. She stands on her tippy toes. Everyone says that she's probably just going to learn how to walk that way but I've also noticed that when I put her feet flat for her, she is much more stable. When she's on her toes, she has zero balance. When I put her feet flat and let go, she'll stand on her own for a few seconds. I can't get her to do that on her toes. Also, when she's on her toes and tries to walk with me, I have to hold both of her hands and most of the time she falls. When she puts them flat, she can walk with me just holding on to one hand.

So what do I do? Should I just give her time to figure it out or is there something I can do to help?

TIA!

 

[PenelopeJane]

Welcome Fiery and Sophia! Yay for 1!

I don't have any real advice since Axel was an early walker, but maybe keep practicing with her, putting her flat on her feet and I think she will "get" that it's more stable and start walking that way.

 

[ChinaCat]

Congrats Jas12, and welcome Katrine!

Question for the BTDT moms. Thinking ahead to O's first birthday. Any great toy ideas you can share?

EB- Would you recommend the car you got Henry? Looks pretty cool.

 

[MustangGal]

Congrats Jas12! I kept poking in to see if you had the baby.

Fiery - Kyle didn't walk until after his b-day, and now at 16 months he's walking on his toes. I'd probably give her another month to work things out, and if she's still doing the toe thing maybe try working with her. Supposedly my hubby walked on his toes for years, as in with his toes curled under and looked like a pointe dancer

 

[PenelopeJane]

China, how exciting about the upcoming birthday...now I am reminiscing about A's b-day 3 months ago....

Axel's favorite toys that he plays with daily are his sit n spin zebra, lawn mower, and tool bench which came with a hammer that he likes to bang and fix things with. I'd say anything he can sit on, push, or pretend with is good in our book. When I vacuum a room, A gets his corn popper push toy and vacuums along side me.

 

[MustangGal]

Congrats Jas12, and welcome Katrine!

Question for the BTDT moms. Thinking ahead to O's first birthday. Any great toy ideas you can share?

EB- Would you recommend the car you got Henry? Looks pretty cool.

The Cozy Coupe is a winner with Kyle, and also a slide. We have this one http://www.step2.com/product.cfm?product_id=1499, which Kyle still loves. I'm hoping it'll last a few years until he's ready for a real swing set.

 

[PenelopeJane]

The Cozy Coupe is a winner with Kyle, and also a slide. We have this one http://www.step2.com/product.cfm?product_id=1499, which Kyle still loves. I'm hoping it'll last a few years until he's ready for a real swing set.

That thing looks so awesome! I know what A is getting for Christmas hehe. Does it take up a lot of space and do you use it in or outdoors?

 

[MustangGal]

We have it indoors, and it does take up a decent amount of space, but DH let me convert the pool table room into a play room, so we have a good place for it. There is a smaller version too that wasn't out when I bought that one, http://www.step2.com/product.cfm?product_id=1751.

 

[mrssalvo]

whew...I finally am able to log in...(thanks ella)

how are all the mommies doing?

Jas12-congrates on baby kate!! eek on the labor, I don't know how in the world you do it!! you are one superwoman for sure!!


in Jake news, he's peed in the potty 3 times in 2 days. He told me yesterday he wanted to pee on the potty so I put him on. normally he sits there and then nothing...but yesterday he actually went. then I put him to bed and he looked at me and said "mommy, pee pee on the potty again?" so I took him to bathroom and sure enough he went again. Only once today so far and I don't really care one way or the other. we've got a 12 hour drive to FL in 2 weeks and I'd really rather not be traveling with a kid who needs to find a potty quickly but it's fun to see him so excited and getting ready to achieve another milestone.

hope all is well and I'll be back later when I have more time!!

 

[ChinaCat]

Thanks PJ and Mustang! Great ideas, and that slide looks awesome. O is a bit of a daredevil, so thinking he will love the cozy coupe and the slide.

 

[qtiekiki]

CC
Cozy Coupe and slide are good 1st bday gift. We didn't get M anything, but she got a lot of walk and ride type toys as gift. She enjoys it, the one that we kept.

Fiery
Give Sophia another month or so to see if she starts putting her heels down. You can try the shoes with squeakers; the shoes help kids use their heels because they put their heels down to make the squeaky sounds.

MrsS
Yay for pee pee in the potty. We went on a short road trip to see my parents this past weekend, and I was glad that M wasn't potty trained yet. The restrooms are just so filthy.

Jas12
Congrats again. You are definitely a trooper, going all natural with her posterior. You go mama.
How cute that Co is asking "where's his baby sister?". M was also very interested in J nursing. She now identifies my boobs as dede(little brother in Cantonese)'s milk.

puffy
Hope the move goes smoothly.
Have fun in Disneyland. We are thinking about taking M for her birthday since she loves watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse now.

Burk
Yay for T being PT.
How is Kade doing?
We are having the party at an indoor playground, and they offer package where they provide cake and party favors. But they don't have the theme I want, so we are just booking the venue. All the planning is really because I am particular about things.

Tacori
Hair cut and cupcake. Nice.
How are you?

 

[Blenheim]

China- There's an "Awesome Toy Thread" or something along those lines if you search for it. A lot of the suggestions are geared more towards the 2-3 range, but I think that some people shared first birthday hits as well.

These are George's favorite toys right now:

(Just a warning, I'm trying to link and I'm not used to the new PS, so this may not work.)

Firetruck - just be warned that this makes siren noises.
Crocodile Creek Ball
Spinning top similar to this one
Shape sorter
This puzzle
Books in general.
Jack in the Box. The Amazon reviews of this one are accurate in saying that they need adults to close it for them and that the monkey isn't terribly good quality - I've had to stitch up one of his seams already. But George loves the toy.

I also made him a George-sized picnic table for his birthday, using plans from the Knockoff Wood blog, and he loves it. He gets really excited when he goes outside and sees it, and the first thing he usually does it sit down on the bench.