PS Mommy thread with toddlers 12-36 months

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I love to visit here and get my fix of the CUTEST bubbyzsazsa's ever!

cheers--Sharon

 

[lliang_chi]

Lol AMC that pic is the BEST. Ethan loves his nakey baby timetime. He even asked for it when he's stalling :"Nakey... Nakey... Nakey..." Did he pee in the am when he wokE up? Ethan wants nothing to do with potty and just wants to eat first thing in the morning. So I think I'll save that until he's old enough I can reason with: go potty while I fix you breakfast.

Monnie, thanks for your insight withwith the "modified" EC. I still think you're doing greatgreat. Yeah these polar vortices are putting a making it harder to pull the trigger on the 3 day PT. Dh talked about it and we're going to wait until we can get his teachers on board. I think we might need to wait till he moves to the 2yo room since that's when the teachers really go after the pt.

VL, hello don't feel any just come on over and post. Thanks for chiming in on the EC. Must be super nice to not have to do the poopy diapers. Today DH was hung over so I was primary care give for most of the day. He only changed 1 diaper today, so I made sure it was a poopy one

Monkey, we got a new roller seat that has a built in reducer seat. We live in a small condo so the less extraneous stuff we have around the better

 

[vintagelover229]

I guess I didn't realize I didn't put any of the things that I did for ECing that would probably be helpful to all the mamas on the board.


First let me say I felt crazy doing it. There's a great article in eco-parent this month (a green parenting magazine I get) and they both work full time and they still EC and had some of the same feelings regarding it as I did. I wanted to start right away but we didn't have a potty (in retrospect you really don't need one but I wasn't very comfortable with holding him that way when he was born-more on me than him-and we will start right away in the future). I began at 3 months. Richard was very strong so he had good head control so I just held him on the potty singing him his potty song.

I know-a potty song. I felt like this but I did it. When he was first born and I could tell he was going I would sing it (or if he just went I would sing it). Then at 3 months when we got the potty I put him on almost every time he had gone in his diaper. The potty was on his dresser (yes I held him lol) and when I changed him on his pad I'd just put him on the potty (and a LOT of the time he'd actually go) and sing him his song. The point of this (in my mind) was to associate potty/diaper/wet/going/song all with the same place. He caught on in a few days.

There were times I'd catch so many (and at one point I was doing it too much) that when I didn't and he didn't go I'd get upset. I'd remind myself it wasn't about the catch-it was about getting him familair with the potty so there weren't any fears in the future. To make it a fun place. I signed potty (super easy-thumb in between your pointer and middle finger and shake-also the letter T in signing and you just shake it) and sing the song. He loved it.


I did right away in the am (when he was a baby that was always poop time) and after naps. Then at random times during the day (every hour or so). You'll be amazed how quickly they catch on.


There are potty stikes where he doesn't seem to want to go and we also do diaper time without a diaper cover (and naked time) to see how often he really has to go-but he really loves the potty. The past week he hasn't been going as much (or at least telling us) so I've had to wash more diapers but oh well-that's just apart of it all.

Be relaxed about it. I recommend starting as early as possible though bc kids are a LOT smarter than adults give them credit for. Just because they can't communicate it (which is actually the biggest issues for kids I find) not that they dont want or need something (in general). We've been watching signing time and he has over 40 signs and well over 40 words that he's been saying since he was a year old. He knows animal signs-food signs-daily signs-a ton of them. Its amazing too me.



I wanted to say Monnie I didn't even know you mentioned me until I reread things lol. Guess I must have felt something pulling me to post

Everyones kids are sooo cute and I love reading all the progress stories. So I still follow but little man still needs a lot of my attention and the house is just crazy right now. Lots of snow-crazy polar vortexs (we heat only with a wood stove since our house didn't have anything when we moved in but base boards) don't worry we're keeping warm. I'm also trying to spend less time on the computer but haven't done that great of a job yet.

I use the bjorn potty (although I would have bought the ikea potties since they are a lot cheaper) and the small ikea potty.

 

[vintagelover229]

Figured I'd post an updated photo with me in it since I've changed a lot since I got married!

 

[monarch64]

Thanks for sharing all of that, VL. I know, at first when I saw your post I was like "omg, she actually saw me post and responded, yay!" but then I read it and realized it was simply coincidence! How funny. You look great, I follow the babywearing thread too and saw all your awesome pics there too! Glad you checked in, don't be a stranger.

 

[monkeyprincess]

I realized I haven't been taking as many pictures of Ev lately for some reason, so I'm trying to make more of an effort to remember to do that. Anyway, here's a sweet one from the other night. He was trying out the sleeping bag my MIL bought him for daycare. I'm afraid it is going to be huge and not fit in his cubby, but he appears to like it. I love how he still sleeps with his hands up when he is on his back.

 

[lliang_chi]

MP, aw look at your blondie I love how he sleeps in the "touch down" pose. Ethan used the sleep like that, now he prefers to sleep on his tummy. Is the sleeping bag a little bear? It's so cute!!! Also this is the toilet/potty seat combo we got Ethan: http://www.amazon.com/Bemis-1583SLOW-Elongated-NextStep-Closing/dp/B004CT50UA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391445587&sr=8-1&keywords=bemis+child+toilet+seat

VL, thanks for sharing the EC process, it's very interesting and definitely seems like it worked out so well for you guys. I'm very impressed. May I ask, are you a SAHM? I'm wondering how to do the EC when babies go to daycare. I doubt it's a possibility, since there would be a lot of kiddos to do this with. I agree, kiddos are so much smarter than we think they are. I thikn Ethan's just in the habit of sitting around in his diaper since that's what we always did when he was little. Oh well.

 

[monkeyprincess]

LC, Ev definitely prefers his tummy to sleep too when he is in his crib, so it brings back memories when I see him sleep on his back like he did as a tiny little guy. The sleeping bag is actually a puppy. Here it is: http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/shaggy-head-sleeping-bag/?pkey=dsleepover-2& I was a bit skeptical about him sleeping on "fur," but he seems to like it. I just peeked in on his room on the camera at daycare, and he is sound asleep in it, but it takes up more space than the other kids' who are sleeping on the regular mats.

Thanks for sending the link to the training seat thing. I might buy something like that along with a traditional potty chair to see what he prefers. He truly couldn't care less about a dirty diaper, so I have no expectation of him being potty trained any time soon, but I don't think it will hurt to at least start exposing him to them and see how he reacts.

 

[monarch64]

Aw, MP! Ev is such a cutie, that pose is adorable. They look so sweet when they're sleeping!

Back to the EC thing for just a second--we would've liked to have really practiced it from the beginning, but I went back to work 7 weeks after delivery, and my husband worked from home for the next 8 months. For the sake of everyone's sanity and to protect our livelihood, I had to make it as easy on him as possible. The first time he saw her poop on the potty he was sold, though! We switched roles shortly after that and now it's been a lot easier with me staying home to get her on the potty whenever I can. All of my work can be done during her naps and after bedtime, whereas his entailed a regular business day of phone calls and taking her to meetings with him, etc.

Speaking of naps and bedtimes, we have a sleep strike going on. It's actually just the going to sleep part. Once she's asleep now she STTN for 12 hours, and is still taking a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. After the whole static electricity fiasco she had a couple good nights and then WHAM! Won't go to sleep. I've been rocking her til she falls asleep because the CIO was not working--over an hour of scream crying and would've gone longer if I'd let her. I'm convinced it's just a phase and I hope it's a short-lived one.

 

[jfo]

LC, that's a great idea about having her help put books away after we're done reading them. She's already a champ at bringing them to me... An Olympics themed birthday party for E and his classmates sounds awesome. That's cool that E's class allows for outside foods. Our daycare is "allergy aware", so no outside foods allowed. Wow, I can't believe he is going to be 2 already. Love his hat!

Monnie, Alex is just gorgeous! SO cute that she likes to put things away in the sink. Do you have a step stool for her to use when you DO want her to climb up and "help" in the kitchen? I'm wondering if I should do that for L so that she can start getting used to "helping". At daycare, they have a stepstool for the kids to climb to wash their hands and I should probably do that at home instead of having to hold her awkwardly at the sink... I'm sorry to hear about the sleep strike. Hope it doesn't last long!

MP, what a sweet photo of Ev! I've been bad about photos too recently. I have out of state family members who have been asking lately what L is up to. Oops. Glad to hear that the transition to the young toddler room is going well! Is Ev on one nap now? Too funny about Ev throwing away his sippy cups. I've had to put the safety locks on all the main lower kitchen cabinets at this point, including the one that hides our recycling container. It's kind of a pain, but really only a few extra seconds and a bit of effort to unlock it to get to it. I laughed out loud when I read about how Ev is saying "oh yeah" and "oh boy". L's favorite phrase is "oh no". At some point, it replaced "uh oh", and she says it when she drops/throws something by accident OR on purpose, which seems to be very often. It came in really helpful the other day when we were out walking in the snow and I had her in the Beco Gemini carrier. She was wearing her snowboots, which are still a bit big, and so her boot came loose and fell off her foot on a couple occasions during our walk. I probably wouldn't have noticed until i had walked some distance away had she not immediately alerted me with an "oh no!"

amc, that photo is HILARIOUS! I can't wait until it's summertime here and I can feel ok about letting L run around naked for a bit... Even with just a diaper on before or after her evening bath, she is so happy. Great job on B going on the potty again!

VL, hello! Richard is such a cutie pie! Kudos to you and the early EC and potty training--it really seems to have paid of well for you guys! I never really had heard of EC until here, so it's something I may have to consider for the next one, if we're lucky enough to have another. Thanks so much for sharing the details. I really like your carrier too. Looks pretty AND comfy.

AFU, things are going well. L's food pickiness seems to have abated somewhat and she will occasionally eat her former favorite veggies and meats when she feels like it as well as some fruits that she was avoiding for several weeks, like raspberries and strawberries. She's generally been a really happy girl, keeping very busy and yapping up a storm. I'm guessing she says between 50-60 words, expressions or animal noises and appears to understand them versus just repeating what we say. It's pretty cool! Her 15 month dr's appointment is a week from tomorrow, so I'll be interested to see how she's grown. She still only has 5 teeth--3 on the bottom and the top two middle, but I went ahead and scheduled a pediatric dental appointment for the end of the month. While she's not using bottles, she's still using those Nuk trainer sippy cups and they're so much like a bottle, I don't know if it's really any better. She sees a regular sippy cup and says "no" and refuses to drink from it. I'm having sporadic luck in having her drink from a straw. I suppose I could go cold turkey and only offer her a cup with a straw and deal with the potential drama...

Here's a recent pic of her in her Chinese New Year outfit. She was really cute walking around in it... like a little dainty lady since it's a long dress and she couldn't take normal sized steps.

 

[Dandi]

Hi beautiful mamas! As usual, I am so sorry for being such a slack poster, I just can't keep up these days! When did life get so hectic?! Oh yeah, Oscar... that's right Just wanted to drop in and let everyone know we are still here! Oscar is 13 months and has been walking for a week now (yay!). He gabbles and chatters and is the happiest little guy around, and a pure joy. One thing I am struggling with a bit is his naps. He is easy to put down for his morning nap and will sleep for 2 hours or so, but is totally disinterested in an afternoon nap. Then by dinner time he is pretty unpleasant! If I can hold him out until 11am he will nap until about 2pm, and be fine for the rest of today. However today he was really tired by 9:45am so I put him to bed, and I can bet my bottom dollar he won't nap this afternoon. How do you know when they're ready for the transition to one nap?

Love love love reading about everyone's bubbas and seeing their beautiful pictures.

amc, Oscar is going through a rudie nudie stage too!! Although the last time it didn't go so well... poo on the carpet and all that That photo is absolutely hysterical!

JGator, I'm so, so happy for you that K's sleep is sorting. You're a wonderful mama and it's wonderful that you are seeing the results of your hard work! Sleep well mummy!
LC, HUGE congrats on your pregnancy mama!! So so happy for you! Ethan will be the best big brother!!

mp, Ev just gets more and more gorgeous! I CANNOT get enough of how babies sleep with their hands up, it's so precious!
Hi vintage, monnie, mlk, Freke, pupp, jfo, mayerling, and anyone else I may have missed!

Here is a recent pic of Oscar, his hair is getting so thick and he is proned to bad hair days

 

[lliang_chi]

Dandi, just a quick phone post, but yes the transition to 1 nap goes a lot like getting soooo sleepy for the morning nap and refusing the pm. We just kept pushing Ethan later and later until he was hitting at least lunch time. Basically moving am late and pm earlier and meeting in the middle

 

[Dandi]

Ahhh LC that is exactly what I needed to hear!! I was just so unsure if I'm doing the right thing by holding him out until 11am for his nap, but it sounds like in time it will work itself out, because surprise surprise... no afternoon nap today. Thank you SO much!

 

[FrekeChild]

OMG Dandi! His hair is awesome! He looks like a little anime character!

We started A on swim lessons a couple weeks ago, but I realized the other day that she's still in an 18mo swimsuit, which explains why it fit her so ridiculously - kept going around her neck. So she picked out a new one at the store the other day, I'll have to see how it fits her tomorrow. It's been kind of cold here, for South/Central Cali anyway.

She has taken to climbing into and out of her bed by herself for nap and bedtime, which is quite the feat, but she's so proud of herself when she does it! She also is sooooooo turning into a mama's girl - she wants nothing to do with Daddy right now, partially because he's been working a lot and is stressed out when he's around her. (I don't blame him, adding jury duty on top of work, on top of toddler daddydom is a really big PITA.) So I've been spending a lot of time hanging out with her and trying to get her to go to sleep, because Daddy just.will.not.do.

I'm tired. It's time for bed!

Hello to everyone else and their cuties!

 

[Dandi]

Haha Freke that is hilarious!! That pic reminded me of someone and that is precisely it... a cartoon character!!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Jfo, oh my goodness, that is such a cute picture of her in her Chinese New Year outfit! And hilarious about the "oh no." Ev says "uh oh" all the time too when he drops things or accidentally on purpose drops things. He has also starting saying "no no no" when he is about to drop something from his highchair because he knows he shouldn't do it, but then he proceeds to do it anyway. I'm looking forward to the end of the dropping/throwing phase! Last night, he knocked over DH's drink and it spilled on the floor, so I grabbed some towels and started wiping the floor. Ev picked up one of the towels and immediately started wiping the floor, and he kept squatting down and wiping different areas of the floor all night. I'm going to have to put him to work!

Dandi, ha ha, love his hair too! We are in the middle of the two to one nap transition, and experiencing the late afternoon/early morning crankiness too, and trying to keep him from falling asleep 11 or 12 something. He usually only sleeps 10 hours at night (on a good night), and his nap has only been about 1.5 hours, so I hope he starts taking a little longer nap during the day to make up for dropping the second nap.

 

[Kunzite]

The kids are starting daycare this week and I took the twins for about 4 hours yesterday to ease them in. I thought O and I would enjoy a few hours of alone time but he asked me if we could pick up the babies every 10 minutes. He was so happy when I told him it was time to get them.

This was O and E as soon as we got home. This was probably hug #10

 

[dani13]

Dandi, L dropped his second nap around that time ( he's now 16 mths). He goes to sleep around 11 and will sleep 2-3 hrs. He then goes to bed for the night around 730-8. Sounds like O is ready for the transition!!! Ps he's super adorbs!!!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Kunzite, that is just the sweetest picture. Your heart must melt so many times a day watching them interact. Good luck with the transition. Are you going back to work?

 

[Kunzite]

Dandi, we transitioned all 3 of ours to 1 nap right around 13 months. You just have to work really hard to keep him entertained and active until it's nap time. Nap adjustments are always hard for a few weeks but then will even back out.

MP, it did melt my heart! They hug each other all the time but normally not at the same time, if that makes sense. Like E will decide he wants to hug O but O won't hug him back. So this was new and so genuine Yes, I start work on Thursday. These guys need more socialization than they get with me so I'm excited. Though M had a really rough day. I'm concerned we're going to need to switch him to a special needs daycare if he doesn't adjust soon

 

[lliang_chi]

Kunzite, Awww!!! Big hugs! O and E are so adorable together. I hope M adjusts soon. Do you think having other kiddos around him will help with his language development? FWIW, a lot of kids in Ethan's toddler class don't talk much, I think the teachers are just used to it. Also I wonder if E "speaks for" M since he knows M so well. Well, I hope M's transition goes well and he can stay with his brother. It'd be hard for them to be apart, I know I had a hard time the 1st time I was separated from my sister (1st day of kindergarten). Good luck with your work!

MP, Ethan loves saying "Oh no" also. Now his newest obsession is wiping things. This weekend he kept pulling wipes out of the diaper bag to wipe EVERYTHING down. And this morning he grabbed a sponge and I showed him how to wipe things with it to keep him from putting the sponge in his mouth. He still put it in his mouth

Freke, SO nice to hear from you and A.

Dandi good luck with the nap transition. Like Dani said, it's a lot of entertaining and song and dance. Are you somewhere warm? Maybe you can take him outside right around 10:30-11AM and get him running around to stay awake? Then he can crash hard when he comes in for his nap. I used to take Ethan grocery shopping on the weekends. Which worked half the time because he'd sometimes fall asleep in the 5 mins it took to get there. Once a lady commented "You have the *cutest* groceries" when he was napping in the bed of my grocery cart.

JFO, Hoping L will help put her books away. I think that was the first thing Ethan put back. You can tell her you'll read a new book after she puts the first one away. Are her books in a spot that she can reach them? We have those Elfa drawer systems as Ethan's toy/book box and he pulls his books out and can put them away himself. I'm glad L is going back to her almost normal eating habits. She's so adorable in her little cheongsam. Try the Oxo training cup: http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Tot-Training-Green-Ounce/dp/B0038JDUDE/ref=sr_1_3?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1391534381&sr=1-3&keywords=oxo+cup

AFU: I HATE teething! Ethan's been struggling with his 2nd molars for like 2 wks now. Anyone have any teething advice? I need something to help Ethan get through 10 hrs for his sleep. This waking up at 4:30-5AM stuff is getting old!

 

[amc80]

Kunzite, what an awesome picture!!

Dandi- B dropped from two naps maybe a month ago or so. Actually, let me take that back- he had been on one nap a day at day care since August, but always took two naps on the weekends. One would be from about 9-11 and the other from 1-3. And then, one day, he wasn't his horrible cranky self at 9am, so I didn't put him down. And that was it He now naps for about two hours from 12-2 or maybe 11-1 if he's having a rough morning.

 

[jfo]

Dandi, great to hear from you! I always loves the photos of O that you post. That's so funny about his hair. I find that L is starting to have the same issue with bad hair days now that her hair is thickening up too. I concur with LC that the same thing happened with us for the transition to one nap. I feel fortunate that she started showing signs for switching to one nap around the same time that she needed to transition to one nap anyway for daycare. We just kept pushing the morning nap further back gradually. Now she is in a groove and will typically nap from either 1-3pm or 2-4pm (if she is still sleeping at 4pm, I wake her up so it doesn't mess with bedtime).

Freke, what a big girl A is climbing in and out of bed herself for naps and bedtime

MP, thanks! I'm looking forward to the end of the dropping/throwing phase too! That's too cute that Ev was helping you clean up. L will try to clean her tray after she's done eating because she sees me do it. Like you said--we need to put them to work!

Kunzite, that is just the sweetest thing ever! It makes me want L to have a sibling... stat! I'm sorry to hear about M having a harder time adjusting though. Do you think the daycare won't be able to give him the attention he needs?

LC, we have a bookshelf in her bedroom that she can reach three out of the four shelves, but it would require some work to put the book back, but no biggie. The problem is that we often read in our family room too, where she doesn't have a specific place for her books to live. I should think about that! Ooh, I will definitely try that cup. L does not like cups with handles, so this might be right up her alley. thanks for the suggestion! I really really hope that E can get those second molars to come through asap! That sounds miserable. I wish I had some advice for you, but L only has 5 teeth, so we haven't gone through the pains of the larger teeth yet and I don't look forward to it.

 

[lliang_chi]

JFO, just put a basket/box in your family room so she can toss books in there. Every so often rotate books between her room and the book basket. That's what we do with E's books in his room and books in his Elfa storage.

 

[JGator]

AMC, love your horsey picture of B. He is so handsome! What times does B go to sleep at night and wake up? You got my attention with your 9am nap comment.

VL, Richard has such striking eyes! That's awesome that he has been using the potty for so long! I need to get K a potty now! I like the look of the Bjorn ones. I wonder what color K would like best.

MP, Ev is adorable in his sleeping bag. He looks so peaceful. How is his new day care class?

Monnie, sorry to hear about the going to sleep strike. I hope she is over that, but wow, she sleeps for 12 hours! That's AMAZING!! Go A!!!

Jfo, beautiful picture of L in her Chinese New Year outfit! I cannot believe she is saying 50-60 words. I think K is probably only saying 20 or less including Cold (when we open the fridge/freezer), Up We Go (when climbing the stairs), Baby (all time favorite), DaDa, Whoa, Yeah, Yay, and Cheese. That's really the bulk of what she says that I can decipher - she babbles a lot and signs some words particularly "More". She is learning some French though, but doesn't speak it. The nanny asks her things like where is your nose, ears, eyes, etc in French and she also asks her to give or blow a kiss/bisous and she will do it. We have some baskets from Land of Nod for K's toys and books - we use these in our family room http://www.landofnod.com/strapping-shelf-basket/f842 for books and these for toys http://www.landofnod.com/strapping-floor-bin/f4111.. K doesn't put anything away or if she does, she will dump everything out immediately. K also has 5 teeth - 3 on top and 2 on the bottom.

Dandi, good luck with the nap transition - I will be following you soon, I think. Love Oscar's hair - he is such a cutie pie!

Kunzite, OMG, love the picture of O and E!!! Too sweet!!! How is M doing with the daycare transition. How are you doing transitioning back to work?

LC, good luck with Ethan's teething. I really have no advice other than Hyland's teething tablets. I give K 4 of them every night before bed as part of my preventive measures for the night.

Freke, how is swim class going? I think we'll sign up K in the Spring or Summer. That's great that A has mastered getting into/out of the bed!

AFU, K has slept for 11 nights in a row now. She is only sleeping about 10 hours at night though and is taking 30-60 minutes to fall asleep with me rocking her at night. She has challenged us a few nights lately with crying, but I just look at the clock and usually it's over in 5 minutes or less - we did have one night where it went on/off for 30 minutes, and I was so torn, but held out so that I wouldn't undo all the progress. She still has 2 naps during the day. I'm going to ask the doctor about the 1 nap transition on Friday at her 15-month appt. K is a walking machine all of a sudden. She has totally gained confidence and is so fast. It's amazing how quickly that happened after waiting for so long for her to walk! We also have a dropper/thrower when it comes to meal times. K loves to hear everything crash to the floor and makes such messes for me to clean up! We signed K up for My Gym and her first class is this weekend. The nanny took her to open play time yesterday and apparently she stalked a baby and kept saying "baby" rather than being interested in playing with the equipment.

 

[amc80]

AMC, love your horsey picture of B. He is so handsome! What times does B go to sleep at night and wake up? You got my attention with your 9am nap comment.

Aww thanks! Bath time starts at 7 and then he goes to bed when that's all done, usually by 7:30. He wakes up at 7am on week days and "sleeps in" until maybe 7:30 on weekends. So pretty much 12 hours of sleep at night. But he would be exhausted by 9/9:30am and need a nap that early. Which meant I could go back to sleep for a couple of hours. But that's long gone

 

[JGator]

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!

 

[amc80]

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!

That sounds so frustrating! I'd go crazy without my breaks/his naps. Some nights we even put him to bed earlier because he gets so cranky. Generally, he goes to sleep without issue. We still give him a sippy cup with milk. He lays down, drinks it, and is usually asleep within 15 minutes. Last night he woke up around 3am, screaming as if he was being murdered. But it only lasted a few seconds and he went back to sleep. Bad dream maybe?

And don't be too jealous, this sleeping through the night thing has only been consistent since a little after Christmas...and he'll be 18 months in a few days!

 

[jfo]

LC, we do have her wagon (to be eventually used as an actual wagon once we have decent weather) and a toy bin in our family room, so I should just designate one of those as where her books should "live". Right now they are in stacks in both places as well as on our coffee table, her little table and chair set, the floor... But yes, I need a better job of rotating them with the ones in her room!

JGator, great to hear from you! Yeah, I was surprised myself when I just decided to stop and try to count all the words/expressions she uses because I didn't think it was in that range either. It just seemed like for several weeks in a row, she was saying a couple new words every day and it started to add up. Language development varies so much from kid to kid... I definitely am not reading anything into it other than I'm glad that she can express herself a little better. That is so great that K is learning French. I've asked my parents to try to speak Cantonese to her as much as they can so that she can be familiar and supposedly she seems to understand a lot of what they say, but I've never heard her try to speak Cantonese. Then again, I am not fluent myself, so I probably wouldn't really realize it if she was!

I am so happy to hear that K has been sleeping through the night without needing your help going back to sleep for 11 nights in a row! Great job on sticking to the routine. You will always have challenges here and there, but that's to be expected. In terms of transitioning from 2 naps to 1, it'd be interesting to hear what the pediatrician says, but if it seems like she still needs both naps right now, I wouldn't worry about pushing her to have one. It's when you start having the funny situation where she will nap in the morning and really start to refuse the afternoon nap is when you can start thinking about gradually pushing her one nap in the morning later and later. I think I read that some kids aren't ready to move to one nap until closer to 18 months. That's awesome that K has become confident in her walking. She obviously was one of those kids that never needed to learn to crawl in order to get around! Too cute that she is so interested in babies. I'm sure she is going to love her gym class!

 

[JGator]

Jfo, definitely have your parents teach L Cantonese. We have friends with twins who are 10 months older than K, and the wife/mother is Chinese, I think she speaks Mandarin. Anyway, the twins know tons of words (definitely all their animals and thank you, please, etc), in Mandarin and they use both English and Mandarin. Our nanny is from the Congo, and my in-laws live in French-speaking Switzerland so French could be useful if she sticks with it.