PS Mommy thread with toddlers 12-36 months

[mrssalvo]

tacori, I got Jake''s lunch box from pottery barn kids. I love their kid gear and it holds up well. as for his lunches, I will pack him what I usually feed him at home. cut up fruit, turkey, a gogurt, some goldfish or cheerios and then he takes a sippy cup with milk. the teachers obviously help get everything out onto the highchairs where the babies eat. the school does a snack too.


okay, i''ve to a question for all you toddler mom''s. are you getting the flu and the swine flu vaccines for your kiddo''s? I''ve never done the flu shots for my kids in the past but both my daughters school and Jake''s preschool has sent home papers about it. there are over 1000 students in my girls school so the chances are greater now that they will be exposed and then bring something home. I am going to do the vaccines for the big girls but am still undecided about Jake. just curious what all you researcher mommies are doing.

 

[lover in athens]

TGAL:

delurking for a second to ask you a quick question...is the dr sure that a''s spot is a hemangioma? kids are also often prone to get things called "pyogenic granulomas" which can look a little like a hemangioma, except they develop later (at any time really--as opposed to hemangiomas which you usually see in infants), and are really MUCH more likely to bleed (kind of how you''re describing). the only reason i ask is because PGs usually need to be removed to get them to heal, otherwise they just keep bleeding. if your pedi isn''t positive, you might want to see a derm...

ok...i''m done with the unsolicited advice!!

see you guys soon (coby is already 10.5 months!!)!!!
xo,LIA

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 9/2/2009 11:21:34 PM
Author: lover in athens
TGAL:

delurking for a second to ask you a quick question...is the dr sure that a''s spot is a hemangioma? kids are also often prone to get things called ''pyogenic granulomas'' which can look a little like a hemangioma, except they develop later (at any time really--as opposed to hemangiomas which you usually see in infants), and are really MUCH more likely to bleed (kind of how you''re describing). the only reason i ask is because PGs usually need to be removed to get them to heal, otherwise they just keep bleeding. if your pedi isn''t positive, you might want to see a derm...

ok...i''m done with the unsolicited advice!!

see you guys soon (coby is already 10.5 months!!)!!!
xo,LIA

Holy moly LIA, I think you''re right. And the thing was TWO docs have called it a hemangioma. One is the ped, who wasn''t my regular ped, and the other a specialist. But I''m reading that hemangiomas shouldn''t bleed like this. This thing is erupting all the time and blood is EVERYWHERE.

Thanks so much...I''ll let you know if that is what it is. The things you can learn on pricescope....

 

[janinegirly]

TGAL: I hope you get clarification on what it is---lover in athens had a great point! Did A have the mark since birth? I hope you''re hangning in there--I''d be a basket case!

MrsSalvo: I won''t be doing the vaccines. I thinik if my daughter were in daycare I''d maybe consider the flu one but def not the swine flu. There''s not enough data on this vaccine and I still believe the chances are minimal. Like you said, an older child might be more likely to have exposure...as we''ve seen it has pop up in several high schools in our area.


Thanks to all meanwhile on the suggestions for C''s sleep. I gave her some tylenol last night and it helped but not 100%. She went to sleep early and was conked out. Didn''t stir till 530am which is much better than previous nights but not like she used to be (was after about 9hrs straight sleep compared to 11 in the past). But she was wide awake and very fussy wanting to be carried. I finally got a bottle (wouldn''t stop whining until she got the bottle) and after that she slept till almost 8. So does that sound like it could still be teethign? I can''t tell if the tylenol is what is helping her sleep or it''s the relief from teething pain.

 

[Jas12]

Tgal--hope that LIA''s observation leads to some answers. Sounds like that might be it! PS is the best!!! So many smartie pants on here to help out.


MrsS. I don''t think iam going to do the swine flu vaccination just yet. The risks are hugely overstated at this point IMO. I don''t think there was even one confirmed case in our city. I think it''s a lot of scare tactics at this point. I am going to take a wait and see approach. Interested to see what the others are doing.

Q--i think M is eating just fine. I get worried about eating sometimes too (Co just went thru a week of basically eating nothing due to 5 teeth coming in over a couple of days and i thought for sure he would wake in the night hungry, but he didn''t). I think we forget how little they are and they really don''t need much to get by. Even the pickiest kids seem to thrive. My grandma still talks about how she is amazed my aunt seemed to live off air alone.

Tacori--adorable play-date stories. Such a fun age.

How are the preggie moms doing?

......

I still can''t get co to walk full-time. Seriously driving me nuts. He has a system of switching from crawling to walking (only walking when it is of utmost convieniece for him

) He outright refuses to walk beside me. He''ll freeze up and drop to a crawl --or go all statue and just refuse to move at all. What a little monkey. I am trying hard to ignore it,but it''s frustrating. It''s pretty hard for him to perfect a new (and fundamental) skill when he hates it.

I am HATING being back at work full-time. It was hard enough over the summer with charlie working till 11:00pm, but now i feel like i don''t see my hubby or my babe

. I feel guilty when i finally do pick up Co and we have to do groceries or make dinner instead of ''quality'' stuff.
*thanks for letting me whine*

 

[janinegirly]

Jas12: sorry about the back to work blues--it''s always tough the first month. Who''s watching Co again? C also doesn''t want to perfect walking--in fact in her case cruising is all she does at most. I''ll hold her hands and she''ll stand and take one step and drop to a crawl. Not sure what to do to encourage more. In general she''s cautious so every milestone seems to happen at the tail end of the average "range". I wonder if it''s b/c she just loves crawling too much. Other babies who go straight to standing/crusing seem to walk faster. C just loves high speed crawling, she uses toy rings as a buffer between her hands and the floors and she''s off!

 

[Jas12]

Janine--Glad to hear i am not alone. i am afraid i''ll have a 2 year old that talks in full sentences but won''t walk

Co was behind the curve in all the large motor skills too and also is a speedy crawler. He absoultely flies on all fours--and with toys, just as you describe. Funny kiddies we have!
Co is with my MIL. She spoils him and plays one-on-one will him alllll day, so i know he is in good hands, but i still miss him.

 

[mrssalvo]

tgal-great advice from LIA and seems to made sense. I''ll be interested to see what all you find out! how''s packing coming?

janine: sounds like Chloe did pretty good with the tylenol. it probably just wore off and she woke up hurting. once the teeth break through she should go back to her normal sleeping pattern.

jas12-i know how hard it must be to want Co to walk full time. try not to stress about it. like I said, jake crawled/walked for a couple of months before really walking full time. Co will get there, I promise. I''m sorry you hate being back at work full time. I know how much you really do love being home with Co and would feel exactly the same way if I had to leave Jake. I hope knowing he''s in good hands help and that it will get a little easier on you. Is there any way you can move to part-time is full time your only option?

 

[Burk]

mrss~I don''t know what I''d do if we weren''t busy!

Keeps things interesting, right. As for the flu vaccines....I''ll get them both and so will T. We''ve had a large number of H1N1 cases in our city (and 5 in our school alone) and with my occupation being at school 4 hours a day around sick kids I think it would be crazy not to. There''s a private school in our city that had close to 200 kids out sick yesterday and they think it may be a strain of H1N1. Scary.

Tacori~T''s play dates are cracking me up. Too fun! I agree, it''ll be nice when we don''t have to worry about teeth any more (besides routine cleanings

) I''m glad it wasn''t an infection...that''s the last thing I need. I''m still cramping some here and there but it''s not anywhere like it was on Sunday.

Janine~That could easily be teething. Tylenol only really lasts 4-6 hours so it could have worn off and that''s why she woke.

Jas12~Sorry you are hating being back at work! Like Mrss mentioned, is there any chance for part time? I love my part time situation (about 4 hours a day). I think I need to work for my sanity and the extra money and T needs daycare but I couldn''t do it full time. T didn''t walk full time right away. I''m sure Co will get more confident and be a full-time walker before you know it!

Not much new with us. It was raining out this morning and Tayva was obsessed with the rain and how wet everything was. She couldn''t quit talking about it the whole way to daycare and then talked her teacher''s ear off about it when we got there. I''m taking her to my lower level volleyball games tonight (not the team I coach, but the teams under me in my program) and we''ll see if I can get her to sit still through an entire game (doubtful).

 

[sasa]

puffy, have a wonderful trip!

Thanks lili, he is so chinese, he prefer asian food over anything else.

Burk, eating is still not better, he won''t eat anything over 5 bites. Even his snacks, it''s very frustrating
but not much we can do. yay on no bladder infection

, hope the cramping will go away soon. Sorry to
hear Tayva is teething, little B is too and it''s not fun.

Thanks Snlee, Yay on D sleeping 13 hours! Can''t believe he will be One...

Tacori, How cute the girls hold hands, don''t you wish we have our camera ready by our side 24/7 to catch these moments?

TGal, sorry to hear about the bleeding, must be scary to look at. Hope you get some answer soon.

MrsS, I plan to have little B get the flu shot since it''s instructed by the specialist for his Kawasaki. But I will hold off
on the swine flu vaccine, the vaccine is just too new...and I''m not sure about it.

Jas12, sorry to hear you''re hatting work, I feel you...

 

[snlee]

Burk, glad you don''t have an infection. Rest up!

lili, yes, maybe soon, we''re thinking about it. How about you?

janine, yes, mostly CIO. It took 3 nights. The third night he cried for 3 hours. Every time we picked him up he''d fall asleep in our arms but scream when he put him down. After two hours, we just let him CIO for an hour. Since then he''s been pretty good. Sometimes he''ll cry for 30 minutes here and there but has been pretty good about putting himself to sleep. Sorry to hear about the C''s sleep issues. I think it''s probably teething. D wakes up a few times too b/c of teething. Hope it gets better soon. What are your plans for C''s birthday?

mrss, we''re going to have family over our new house for D''s birthday. I want it to be small but there will probably be about 25 people. We''re not doing anything fancy though. Very low key. Haven''t done much planning so I need to get on it!

Hi LIA! Hope to see you here more often!

TGal, great advice from LIA. I hope you figure out what it is soon so it can be treated if needed.

jas12, sorry you''re having such s rough time going back to work. I know it''s hard. The first week was the worst for me but it did get better. I hope it gets better soon. It''s hard being away from the LO.

bobo, how is the new house coming along? Are you all settled in now?

 

[lili]

TGal--
Yikes, exploded? Poor A.
LIA may be on something....I was thinking that a hema usually don''t bleed.
My niece had one about a cm and never did exploded for 3 yrs.
Hope you find your answer soon.

LIA--

It''s good to see you and it''s great to have someone w/ your expertise and experience in children''s wellness.
Wow, can''t believe Coby is 10.5 months already.
You know, you mommies dn''t have to wait until your little ones to turn one to join us

Janine--
I was going to say teething as well.
J didn''t have a problem when her front teeth came in, but those molars and canines were just PITA.
She was waking up on the hours (or else would be fussy throughout the night).
And like Jas12''s Co, she refuse to eat for a week during that time.
When I see J starts drooling or starts mouthing her hands, I''d usually give her a dose of tylenol before bed.
That seems to help her get a good night''s sleep.

Jas12--
Haha, that would be funny to have a talking crawler
Don''t worry, Co will walk when he''s good and ready.
There was a kid in J''s class who was like that as well.
He could walk, but continued crawling for a good month before he went into full walking.
Apparently, he was able to get to places much faster when he''s crawling.
Then one day, he realized he could walk (and run) and get to places just as fast.
Then walking became fun and he hasn''t been on all four since.

Sorry you are not enjoying going back to working full time.
It is the pits to not have the time to do quality things w/ your baby.
It''s like that for us too....fortunately, J''s bedtime is a little later, so we get to play a bit before bed.

Like MrsS asked, can you go down to part-time?

 

[lili]

MrsS--
We will get the flu shot for J, but don''t know yet about the swine flu.
Will see what the pedi suggest.

Burk--
Haha, I can just see T talking everyone''s ears off.
That''s just too cute.
Have fun at the game.....who knows, maybe T will be captivated by the ball bouncing back and forth over the net to sit still?

Snlee--
Wooo....how exciting about ttc soon.
Soon for us too. I just had gum surgery recently, so I don''t know how that is going to affect my cycle...
Hopefully, it won''t take me as long this time around.
Ideally, I''d want another spring baby, but it''s looking to be more like summer or autumn.
Not liking the idea that I''ll be lugging around 20 extra lbs during the summer heat

I like lowkey parties -- gives you the chance to spend more time w/ the guests and the birthday boy.

J has recovered from her cold. She kicked it almost immediately.
I guess her immune system has been strengthen after those months of catching a cold from all of her classmates.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

T looks so old to me today!

Could be she is wearing her new fall shoes or a really cute outfit. Could be that she lays on her belly to play now. Could be that her hair is getting longer. Could be because she is talking more and more. Could be because she is now 22 months. I just am staring at her wondering where my baby went. She is a little girl now.

The thread in hangout annoyed me. I like to believe I am a GOOD mother but I got one TOUGH kid. She has been known to throw face-down, kicking and screaming tantrums in public before. Somehow I think a spanking and a fast getaway would not tame my little monster. When I hear moms (with easy kids) or non-parents judge I can only wish they could take my little girl for the day. She may look like an angel but she can turn fast!

If and when I have another I can only hope my second is laid-back and E.A.S.Y!

TGal, hope you get some answers soon!

Janine, I bet the meds wore off. Hope she gets back to her happy self soon!

Jas12, Co knows what he likes huh? I bet once it starts getting colder he will walk full time. At least you know he CAN walk. Hope his teeth all popped through. Every age gets more fun IMHO. Sorry about working and not having enough family time. I can relate.

MrsS, T had a flu shot last year so probably will have one this year as well.

Burk, toddlers are so funny. I love watching how they interact with each other. Good luck at the volleyball games.

Bobo, I wish I did have my camera. Oh well. How is little B doing?

Snlee, how is Mr D doing?

lili, glad J is almost over her cold. T had a mini one last week too.

 

[mrssalvo]

tacori-right around 2 is when it seem you really notice your baby has become a toddler. it''s bitter sweet for sure. my 7 year old is turning into a young lady and losing some of the little girl that she once was. 2nd grade is maturing her faster than I''m ready for. she seems so big and grown up at times now. thank goodness I''ve still got Jake to get my baby fix.

lili-glad J has recovered from her cold.

bobo-I know little b has never been a big eater but do you think the teething could be even making it worse? when Jake is teething I can hardly get him to take 3 bites of anything.

burk-all this flu stuff is scary. I don''t think there are any documented cases in our school yet. they actually have canceled all field trips until further notice because of the fear of it. they won''t even have vaccine''s here until the end of oct. so i''ve got time to think about it.

 

[sasa]

snlee, we''re settled in but I''m still warming up to the house. It still doesn''t feel like "home" to me yet.

lili, *ouch* gum surgery, sounds painful.

Tacori, can''t believe Tessa will be Two soon. I know what you mean, my sister''s son is so easy so she can''t understand why I have a hard time dealing with little B.
Just ignore them, you are a wonderful mom. Little B is good, thanks for asking. He is loving "the fresh beat band" show and can watch it all day long and dance along with it.

MrsS, I think teething make it worse, he won''t even take his "favorite" snacks when he is teething. At least he is drinking up his soy milk mixed with soy formula cocktail.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

MrsS, for some reason it just really hit me yesterday.

But every age has its pros and cons. I bet your little ladies are maturing fast.

Bobo, maybe that means are next ones will be easy!

I am not sure where T learns all her sass from. I don''t think it''s from me! I like to think I am a fairly laid-back, low drama person but maybe I am delusional. T does not like their show *but* does love their little music videos they play on Noggin. She always runs up to the TV to dance and "sing." It is really funny. Take a video of B dancing. He is so adorable.

 

[Burk]

Bobo~I bet it's frustrating! Did your ped put him on a multi vitamin? Teething is NO fun. T's finally popped through...hope B's do soon!!

snlee~Thanks!

lili~Yep, she's a talker. Her teacher just loves it, though, because she actually knows what T wants and all the other kids aren't talkers so she has to guess.

T sat still a grand total of 2 minutes at the game and then wanted to go play with the volleyball!

She was well-behaved (no tantrums or anything just wiggly. Go figure.

Tacori~I hear ya on baby looking so old.

Lately T has been all about picking out her own outfits and I think that's what's been making her feel so old to me....she actually has a pretty good sense of style!

Today she picked out leggings and a babydoll type shirt and her Uggs. She looked like she was 10!

I went over to hangout to read the thread you referred to....I'm with you. My child is "spirited" and while she is very well behaved and uses her manners perfectly usually, she has her moments. I can't always predict when it will be and I surely won't quit going out in public for fear that she may whine or cry.

I so hope this baby inside me is an easy baby because T has been anything but!!

mrss~Yea, the flu stuff is scary. That's great that it hasn't hit your area. We had almost 100 out yesterday at our school. There's a bunch of yucky flu stuff going around. The H1N1 won't be available for a while so you'll be able to ponder and decide what's right for your family when the time comes.

Okay, ladies, we leave for our first volleyball tournament this afternoon. It's an out of town tourney so I don't get to see T tonight which makes me so sad, but DH is bringing her to the tournament tomorrow morning. If you believe in prayer, please say a few for me and my team...or dust or positive thoughts, whatever-I'll take it!!

I have a bunch of very nice kids and we're really talented, but we're super young and who knows how it'll go. Have a great weekend everyone!!!

 

[mrssalvo]

hi all....just got finished watching the movie Bolt with my hubby and kiddo''s. really cute movie.

burk-i''m sure you gals will do great but will say a prayer for you and your team!

bobo-well at least he''s getting some good nutrients in the cocktail! that''s better than nothing.

i hope everyone has a great labor day weekend!

 

[sasa]

Thanks Tacori, I hope the next one will be a easy one. Will try to catch little B dancing on video, it''s so hard to catch "the moment" at this age.

Thanks Burk, his pedi did prescribe him vitamins but we''re holding off on giving it to him since he is still getting formula in his milk. Sending tons of *dust* to your way~

MrsS, Thank god he love his "cocktail".

We''re heading off to San Deigo tomorrow to visit a old friend and stay in SD for a night. Hope every one have a wonderful labor day weekend.

 

[Burk]

mrss~Thanks for thinking of us!

Bobo~Thanks!

Well, the tournament def. could have gone better but we had our moments. DH brought T today and she did great. She was exhausted and ready for bed by 6:30 tonight.....so much excitement today she barely napped so she was in need of sleep. I''m tired too and may be in bed before 9:00 at this rate. So sad.

 

[lili]

Tacori--
They do grow up so fast huh?
Time for another one

hehe.
And you are a good mom....pay no attention to those people

Hope T recovered from her mini-cold.

Bobo--
Poor B, hope he''s back to eating.
He''s been on this eating strike for a long time huh?

Burk--
Aw...sorry to hear that the tourney didn''t go as wonderfully.
Glad to hear that T was a doll and enjoyed her tourney visit.
Hehe, going to be at 9 sounds good to me.
I''d go to bed that early if I could.

----------
Hope everyone is enjoying the labor day weekend.

 

[puffy]

hi mommies!!!

the trip to vegas couldn''t have gone any better. i had a great time just shopping and being pampered. DH enjoyed himself as well. and most importantly B was great with my parents. we went to pick him up and he ALMOST didn''t want to come home. when he saw me, he ran to me and wrapped his arms around me, gave me a kiss, then gave his baby brother a kiss. so cute.

i was so sad when i dropped him off at my parents place, but he was excited to go. he gave me the biggest hug and kiss and said he loved me and that he''ll miss me but that he will be fine. the minute we pulled out of the driveway, i had my parents'' phone number dialed. haha. but every time i called, i was practically in tears, well i actually was a few times, but he said he was having a great time. and my mom took a million pics to send me which was nice.

i''ll try to get caught up at some point, but am just pooped right now. and have a ton of laundry to and cleaning to do.

hope everyone has a great labor day!!!

 

[janinegirly]

puffy: sounds like a fantastic trip! welcome back!

tgal: how're you doing?

burk: aww, T is growing fast and stylin' already. Tournemant sounds like it went well.

tacori: Tessa is just feisty and that hangout thread annoyed me too. Tantrums are a part of a normal child's development and while I would walk out during one at a restaurant I'm not so sure I would at a store. I'd try to calm her, but sometimes you have to let it run its course. And it depends on the surroundings too--I mean a small boutique is different from a Walmart,etc! I always say C is easy, but what I mean is she's easy in the sense that she sleeps relatively well, eats what I give her, wasn't colicy,etc. But she is loud sometimes and already throwing a few tantrums. She gets quite mad when we take away something from her! But I think that's all normal..gosh, wonder what that means she'll be like in a year from now though for the terrible 2's!

Anyway, a few questions for you all now that C is fast approaching the big 1! (eek!)

*any suggestions on what to do to encourage her to walk (assisted)? She'll do it if she really has to and if she's leaning on a couch, but when I take her hands, she drops to a crawl!

*for a 1st b'day, what kind of food do you offer if other babies are comnig (age range 1-2)?

*and lastly and on a simliar note, any suggestions for (table) foods for a 1 year old? C pretty much is ready to eat anything but we're not always healthy eaters. I've given her scrambled eggs, grilled cheese, pizza (she loves that), tinsy bits of pasta (ravioli,etc)..then of course the usual mushy foods (yoghurt, bread, cheese, avocado). I'm missing the meats I think Anyone have any great favorite recipes or suggestions?

 

[mrssalvo]

puffy-so glad you had a nice trip and that B had a fun time while you were away...

hubby and I left sunday morning for our night away. my parents just came and stayed at our house with the kids which is so much easier than trying to pack up 3 kids and take them to my parents. they all did great and it was nice being away for even one night with my hubby. i also got to spend some time with my best friend who lives in Cal. now but was home for the weekend too. we are such homebodies and spent most of the time sitting at the kitchen table at her parents house knitting with her mom. thank goodness for cable and the internet so my hubby wasn''t too bored. we did go to a huge fireworks party that night so we were social. the one night was perfect too b/c by monday I really was missing my kids. Looking forward to another trip away though. it really was a nice break.

janine-i never pushed my kids to walk. i actually never held Jake''s hands or helped him. I just honestly didn''t have time to walk him around and honestly didn''t want to kill my back trying. eventually they will do it. Jake didn''t walk full time until 13 months. one day he just started standing unassisted by himself. then he''d eventually take a few steps. it''s one of those things they just do when they are ready. my sister used to walk my niece around for hours. my sister''s back always ached and her daughter would not crawl, only wanted to hold their hands and "walk." She ended up skipping the crawl stage but even with all the "walking" she didn''t walk unassisted any sooner than Jake.

food-I''d say cheerios, goldfish, yogurt, banana''s or other baby friendly fruit. i would guess most mom''s of kids that age probably bring along their own snacks too.

Jake usually eats what we do. other foods I always have for him though are black beans, whole wheat waffles, different fruits etc. sounds like C has a pretty balanced diet though.

 

[qtiekiki]

I''ll have to catch up later. But I finally scheduled the big u/s. It''ll be on Friday. Yay.

 

[janinegirly]

mrssalvo: thanks! how do you serve the black beans? (might be good source of protein if I can''t figure out meats).

qtiekiki: can''t wait for the big u/s results! i''m guessing boy..

 

[mrssalvo]

qt- soooo excited

janine- I buy Bush's reduced sodium seasoned recipe and I just warm them up in the microwave for about 30 seconds and put them on his tray. he feeds them to himself. I started him on the beans when he was 12 months because he was slightly anemic and they are such a great source of iron. great fiber and protein too. Jake still loves them. oh and wanted to add that none of my kids would eat a lot of meat as babies. I thought my middle daughter might never eat meat b/c she would find away to spit out meat that was even in sauces etc. But I just kept offering it to her and around 3 she started liking it. Now, she is probably our biggest meat eater. Jake won't really eat a lot of meat either. I just keep offering it to him.

 

[lili]

Puffy--
Welcome back.
Sounds like you had a blast, as did B w/ his grandparents.
What a little sweetheart he is w/ you and his little brother.

MrsS--
Sounds like you had a relaxing time away from the kiddies ^.^
So did Jake missed you terribly?

Janine--
Like MrsS said, I wouldn''t worry too much about encouraging C to walk.
She''s doing just fine. Babies have their way of doing things.
She''ll walk when she''s good and ready.
Good luck w/ the party.

QT--
How exciting about your us this friday.
I''d vote for a boy too, but I think my prediction started being off after I guessed Peony''s.

TGal--
Hope the move is smooth and the A''s dr appt went well.

 

[janinegirly]

it''s so quiet here, where is everyone?

well yesterday I gave chloe small pieces of meatloaf (it was beef only and cooked well) and she ate it. Seems like she''ll eat anything so long as she can feed it to herself. I might try chicken breast tonight, just not sure how to prepare it since we usually eat it drenched in some kind of sauce!

for c''s party, we''re inviting family (both sides and 2 cousins who are 8 and 10). I''ve also invited 2 friend who have kids (age range 9 mo''s to 2.3 years) but both are boys! Not sure if they''ll come though since they''re old friends from NYC and it''s a trek to the ''burbs! We''ll do speciality sandwiches from an great Italian deli and maybe a pasta dish. Might get a cake from the Cake Boss! (since the sandwiches will be from hoboken...not that far away). Then gotta figure out balloons, extra table/chairs, flowers and snacks for kids if there are any. It''s not a big party, but I''m still gettting sucked into planning. Maybe gift bags with a photo of C since most guests are family. Let me know if anyone has ideas or tips!