PS Mommy thread with toddlers 12-36 months

[puffy]

hi mommies....

tried to catch up yesterday, but came down with a horrible fever, but feeling much better today.

tacori T cracks me up...cookies!!! that''s so funny. when B asks me for something that i''m eating and i know he shouldn''t have it, i''ll give him a strawberry and he loves it. he thinks it''s the best treat in the world. haha. oh and B smells EVERYTHING before it goes into his mouth. if he doesn''t like the way it smells, he insists on putting it in my mouth.

burk hope T did ok with sleeping and not waking. have a wonderful dinner tonight and hopefully T will go to bed with no problems again so it won''t mess up any progress you have made.

lili how is J doing?

qt heehe, that''s so funny that M pushes her stroller but doesn''t want the doll in it. how are you feeling? hope you are doing ok. hope M''s sleep is back on track.

mrsS hope jake is back to taking naps!!

neat that''s great that the boys are so well behaved!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I love "Chelsea Lately" and I was watching one with actress Mary McCormack. The two are friends IRL and Chelsea was teasing her b/c Mary is thinking of having a third child but she doesn''t even like her youngest. I could really relate and I am sure Mary was playing it up for laughs but she explained that her oldest daughter is an angel. She is THE perfect kid. When she would see parents with out of control/bossy kids she would smugly judge and think she was this AMAZING mom for having such an AMAZING child and her friends must be horrible parents. That was all until her youngest was born. She described her youngest Rose who is two as "a nightmare and I honestly don''t like her." She then said "I respect her. I fear her and I want to drink with her with her but I don''t want to raise her." Then she said how Rose is so pissed, she is like Tony Soprano because she is so tough. Then she went on to say she thinks if Rose could work the car she would leave. I was laughing so hard I was practically in tears. It is great to hear parents of other "spirited" children.

Meanwhile T has actually been a really good girl today. I lost track of time and didn''t put her down for her nap until almost 4:00

Bad mommy. Here is another bad mommy moment...I was giving her a bath and she has this Dora bath doll. She started yelling in Dora''s face (an inch away) and then turned her over and said "No! NO!" and spanked her!!!

Then Tessa started laughing hysterically. This was the first time I have seen her mimic me in a negative way and it kinda stung. I do not (I SWEAR) scream in her face. She got a little creative there but I am starting to rethink the whole spanking thing. Right now it works but...I don''t know...parenting is so tough. She moved on though and started pretending Dora was pooping

She kept saying "poop! Oh yuck!" It was an interesting bath.

MrsM, it was a major battle until I let go. I really can''t control her. I love the thought of an evil chuckle. You need to get the no drip sippys.

NF, there is hope.

Your boys are advance. Today was the first day she got her shirt off by herself. Now she goes full monty whenever she can get away with it. The zipper pjs are the best until they figure out how to unzip (which she now can).

MGal, he is starting young! T is just obsessed with being naked and baths/showers. She asks for one 5 times a day.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Puffy, sorry you are sick. Please make sure your don''t have an infection. Fever was one of the signs I had one after I gave birth to T. I am glad B smells food too. It is so strange b/c she even smells stuff she eats EVERY SINGLE DAY.

 

[puffy]

tacori oh my...that is so funny about the bath and her dora doll. but you are right, parenting is tough for sure!! we have a friend who flicks his kid''s ear (lightly) every time he doesn''t listen, and it got to the point that when the kid didn''t listen, he would automatically cover his ears so his dad wouldn''t flick them. when i yell at B, he will ask me to stop yelling at him and that i am hurting his feelings. so i "talk" to him about what he did then he totally listens to me.

anyways, hope everyone has a wonderful NYE!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Puffy, T just laughs when I laugh at her (half the time at least) or rolls her eyes.

Burk, these would look adorable in a playroom.

 

[snlee]

Hi, I''ve been MIA but wanted to wish all the mommies and toddlers a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Haven''t been on PS much. I''ve been enjoying the 1.5 weeks off that I have with DH and D. Hope you all are doing well and hope to catch up soon!

 

[Burk]

Hope everyone had a great New Years! Ours was low-key and nice. Went to dinner and were home and in bed by 11.

Had T''s 2 year check-up a lot early yesterday b/c DH was off and we wanted to talk w/ her pedi about her reflux. Anyway, here''s the stats:

height: 37in. (97%) I made DH re-measure her when the nurse left b/c I diidn''t believe it!
weight: 26 lb (45%)
head:don''t remember but it was 40%

janine~No extreme measures really (although I''m sure some would argue that 3 hours of on and off whining and crying the first night is maybe a little extreme?

) My T also did the nubby cups right away with success and didn''t really get into the straws until closer to 18 months.

Tacori~How cute are those animal storage bins?!?! LOVE them! And that lady on "Chelsey Lately" sounds hilarious. I may have to be on the lookout for the re-run! My T also mimics me with her babies....she''s always putting them in time-out! Oh, and my stupid varicose veins are "down there"

. Not cool.

Neat~Thanks. I tried to tell MIL to not rock....she didn''t listen to my request. Imagine that.

puffy~sorry you weren''t feeling well! Hope you continue to feel better! T hasn''t woke at night since the one rough night when I laid down the law!

Thank goodness.

 

[janinegirly]

thanks for nuby tips, might make transition from bottle a bit quicker. She can drink out of sippy cup etc., but does not associate it with milk bottles. She really loves those and I admit to babying her a bit too much probably!
On a similar theme, at what age do they accomplish fork and spoon self feeding?

Tacori: I hope we can see a video of T some time soon on FB--after hearing how you describe her it really seems like she is so entertaining (and challenging, I know, but it sounds cute from a distance . I love Chelsea Lately too..

Burk: I hope the sleeping pattern continues! I have tried the CIO approach a few times, but C goes into extreme cry with nose running and sweaty head, I usually cave. I know I will pay the price eventually for soothing her to sleep several times a night (although I never take her out of her crib). Your T is a tall girl!

 

[mrssalvo]

janine. Jake will use a spoon and fork for a little bit but usually puts it down and uses his hands b/c it''s much faster for him or he''ll pick up what he wants to eat with his fingers and put it on the fork. I started giving him his own spoon when he started trying to grab for mine.

Just wanted to wish all the mommies a Happy New Year. My hubby was out of town working all week and just got home late yesterday. In my efforts to keep things fun for my kids we were out and about and I didn''t have my PS time. they go back to school next week so hopefully I''ll be around a bit more and can catch up with everyone.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Janine - as soon as James started self-feeding we gave him a baby spoon/fork to play with during the meal. Eventually he learned to use it. He uses a spoon much better than a fork though

We always do mealtimes together and he''s into the monkey-see-monkey-do stage so he just imitates us. Sometimes he still eats with his hands - especially if it''s something yummy that he wants to shovel in really fast

James is 18 months old today! I can''t believe how big my little baby is already. His pedi appt is coming up here soon so I''ll post his stats after. My DH''s cousin had a baby girl on December 31 and she''s so cute! Makes me want to hold a newborn again

She lives about 45 minutes away so hopefully we can get out there to visit soon.

Hope everyone had a great New Years!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

So I think T is getting one step closer to PTing. She has suddenly decided wet/dirty diapers are not comfortable and asks us to change her diaper. I also notice, kinda gross, but the diaper is warm so she must be asking us right away. That''s improvement. Now only if she would tell us she needs to go BEFORE she goes we might have progress! At least it does make changing her less of a battle which probably will only delay PTing b/c honestly a kid in diapers is pretty easy when we are away from home.

Also I think my kid has strange genes b/c at 2 I think her eyes are STILL changing. Shouldn''t they be set by now? They are starting to get a lot darker. I still consider them hazel but they seem more green/brown now than green/blue like before.

In other news I might put her in preschool this spring!

don''t want to jinx it but I was talking to a friend who sends her son to the same one I am planning on sending T and she said they have FOUR openings (which I guess in the land of preschool is a lot). So hoping I can get her in b/c I really do need a break and then she will get a place next year w/o us having to go at 4 am to "claim" it.

Burk, I have never heard of that before. Ouch! Hope they go away after you give birth. T is SOOO tall. If the doubling of 2 year old height is true your girl will be over 6 foot!

Janine, T still doesn''t have the concept of a fork down all the time. If it is faster with her hands, that''s what she uses. She is good with a spoon though. Can''t remember what age but as long as she can grasp the concept I wouldn''t worry about it. The nubys are really great sippy cups. I know the straw ones are popular here but T must be a slow learner b/c she didn''t get the concept of a straw until 18 months or so. There ARE advantages for that b/c she would never try to steal any of DH''s diet soda when we ate out. Now...that''s another battle.

MrsS, can''t wait til you are back to your "normal" life.

Diva, congrats on your cousins baby. I forget how little newborns are. James is growing up. I bet he looks more like a little boy and less like a baby now.

 

[lili]

Tacori--
LOL....your T is too funny.
I guess you can''t sneak off and snack on something w/o bloodhound nose there sniffing you out
I''m sure it struck a nerve there when T mimicked you in a negative way, but I have to say that sure is funny...especially when she broke out in a hysterical laugh.
You have got to video T for us! We are dying to see her in action.

Puffy--
Sorry to hear you are not feeling well.
Hope you''ve recovered.
How great it is that you can "talk" to B.....he''s such a big boy now.

Burk--
Wow, T is super tall.
She''s got probably 4-5 inches on J and she''s only 2-3 months older?
She''s a January baby right?
Her birthday is coming up then....so what''s the theme for her this year?

 

[lili]

Janine--
Haha....J is like that too when I tried CIO back when she was 9 months.
Haven''t tried since then. I do let her cry a bit when she refuses to take a nap, but will go in after 5 minutes.
Regarding the fork and spoon, J is still pretty messy when she uses utensils.
And like Tacori''s T, she will use her hands if she wants to get her food in her mouth fast.
I think they were using utensils at 15 months at daycare.

 

[Burk]

janine~CIO worked easily for us when T was younger but not now. When we let her just cry when she woke last week she''d get crazy sweaty, mad, hysterical so I think I know what you''re talking about with C. To break this waking habit I had to do a combination of reasoning, some crying and whining, going in and out of her room, it was just a long mess. I started giving T a spoon around 15 months. She was terrible at first but now does great. Like the others she still uses her fingers if she''s in a hurry. You can offer at least and see if she''s interested?

Tacori~Yay for a move towards PTing!! T decided a couple days ago she was all about getting "treats" (she knows she gets M &M''s or a sucker if she goes in the potty) and used the potty all morning. By afternoon she was over it and told me she was didn''t want to go in the potty anymore.

Great news about preschool too! I think Tessa will LOVE it and if it saves you from having to go at 4am double yay!! About the varicose veins, I hadn''t heard of it either and was actually really worried when I discovered them. My OB says they''re more common w/ women who workout (jumping w/ volleyball was BAD I guess) and also in pregnancies after the first. Sucks. I put T''s stats in the thing on Babycenter and it came up with 5''11" for T. I''m not surprised since I''m 5''10" but it''s crazy to think about her being all grown up and tall.

lili~Yep, got myself a tall drink of water.

She is a January girl. January 18th is her birthday. I just ordered the invites the other day and I did butterfly invites w/ a pic of her in her Halloween costume and will stick with that for a mini theme. We''re just doing family so I won''t be going crazy with it but I know she''ll love it.

 

[mrssalvo]

i only have a second but wanted to say tacori, I think my girls eyes are still changing and they are much older. They used to have hazel and Lily''s were always a touch darker than C''s but I noticed the other day that both of them are looking more and more brown. Not nearly as dark as my brown but def. more brownish than greenish. So, i guess it''s possible for T''s eyes to still be changing and be getting darker b/c I''ve seen it first hand with my girls. Jake''s are still bright blue though. I''d be shocked if his changed colors at all.

kids go back to school tues. so I''ll have time to catch up with everyone then! i miss you all!

 

[puffy]

hi mommies!! hope all of you had a good new years!

tacori such great news about PTing, and preschool too, YAY!! i must admit though, when B was PTing in the beginning, i was scared to take him places in case he would wet himself or if he got caught up playing and forgot to tell me he needed to use the potty. so i would just ask him every 10 minutes or so until he said he had to go. haha.

burk T is a skinny little girl!! how is she doing? hope she is continuing to go to bed without a fight and that she is sleeping so you can too. how are you feeling?

diva wow, 18 months already!??! congrats on your cousin''s baby. holding B for the past 2 years, it was kinda weird to hold a newborn again, but i''m loving every minute of it.

lili yes, i am a ton better. gosh, i know...B is such a big boy now. when my mom calls him baby sometimes, he corrects her and says no, that''s noah, i''m a big boy. i''m really tying hard not to yell at B lately cause i know that there is a lot going on for him. i know he''s ok with it and he''s doing wonderfully being a big brother, but i still feel bad that he doesn''t get all my attention. and i know he is slightly bothered by it. the other day i asked him to be gentle with noah as he was playing really rough right by him, and B got kinda upset. he just picked up his toys and went to his room and closed the door. i asked if he was ok, and he didn''t respond until like 30 minutes later. poor kid. how is J doing?

 

[msb700]

Hi Everyone..wishing everyone a happy and blessed 2010...

I''ve been MIA since i''ve got some very tragic news

My cousin (female & 17) passed away Dec 30th unexpectedly while taking a nap that afternoon..she got a seizure and bit down on her tongue and suffocated..The whole family is devastated and I never realized a person can cry as much as i have over the past few days...I got the news 7:20 pm on Wed and frantically drove to my cousin''s house where my whole family(aunts & uncles and cousins were there)..it was horrible..being there, seeing the devastation and then seeing the ambulance carry her body out of the house..i hope no one ever has to go through a turmoil like this ever in their life..to loose a child, at such a young age and so unexpectedly is sometimes more than our minds or hearts can handle..I hope God is looking over her..As a verse from the Quran says "To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return"...

I''m sorry for being such a downer this early in the day but I feel so broken

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

I am so sorry to hear of your family''s loss.

Thinking about you.

Jen

 

[janinegirly]

mrssalvol: I missed the original post on eye color, but C's got interesting color as well. It looks brown to everyone b/c they are dark, but when you look close, compare to mine (which are v. brown) or see them in the light they are a dark hazel. Almost greenish gray with some yellow in the middle. But it's a color I can't describe. I wonder if they will turn more brown, but they've been pretty inconsistently indescribable! She also has a slight line in one iris (which we already had a pedi opthamologist look at -- it's completely harmless), so she has the most unique eyes..I love them. She's 15 mo's now.

burk: yup sounds like C...hot, sweaty, hysterical and MAD after CIO (if she's not in the mood--sometimes for naps she'll just cry weakly and go down). I think a lot of it has to do with a dark room because during the day, she goes down fine! Keep us posted on how things progress with T in this dept!

tacori: I gave C a spoon pretty early on but she plays with it and prefers to use her fingers. Wasn't sure when they're able to master it a bit more consistently. With avocado she'll use the spoon b/c she feeds herself by turning the spoon upside down and putting it in her mouth--so it has to be a food that sticks! I've seen her take forks out of the dishwasher and pretend to feed herself but that's a whole different story!

puffy: hope you're feeling better!

snlee: hope you're transitioning back to work ok..at least you're in a warm climate--I freezed my butt getting into work today! Is D talking much yet? C is still a bit slow in this area..I count about 6 words. Latest being "coo coo" for cookie. OH boy.

anyway, love the storage options! Anyone have a good table and chair combo for toddlers (That's space friendly). C is taking over the house, we need to give her her own space.

 

[janinegirly]

msb700: I am so sorry for your loss--that is so sad and sudden. Please know you and your family are in our thoughts. ((Lots of hugs)).

 

[puffy]

msb i am so, so sorry to hear about your family''s loss. you and your family are in my thoughts.

 

[janinegirly]

Anyone have advice for a 15 mo old that is starting to throw tantrums? C is so clingy with me these days. She will often hang on my pants and whine until I pick her up and if not, she will have a fit! This makes it very difficult to do much of anything while she is awake. If I don't let her do something--like open the fridge or play with the dishwasher or generally do whatever it is she is determined to do, she will go into full on cry and cling on my pants and throw her head back which inevitably leads to her hitting her head on something which leads to bigger cry/need for attention. I know she is just curious and wanting some attention, but I also know I need to start setting some boundaries. However she is not able to reason yet..so what's the best way to stamp out or guide her out of a tantrum without sending a bad message? And is it normal to be this clingy? If I leave the room she will race after me, or if I slip out (to go to the kitchen to grab something) she will almost panic and come racing while yelling out! Sometimes I have to go to the bathroom and let her come in!

But when I'm out of the house (and leave her with DH or my mom), she apparently is perfectly fine .. or at least that's what they tell me!

 

[Burk]

Mrss!! Are the girls excited to go back to school?

puffy~Glad you're feeling better! T is really skinny. Her pedi isn't concerned (thank goodness or I'd be stressed trying to get the girl to eat) since I was always tall and thin so he thinks it's just genetics. She has been doing great. MUCH better sleeping. She was soooo excited to get to go to "school" today!

msb~So sorry about your cousin! My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family!!

janine~T's room is really dark. She sleeps so much better in a dark space. I think T's waking was just a phase, as she's been doing great when we put her down and isn't waking at all. I think C's clingy behavior is pretty normal and I'd ignore the tantrums. They're a cry for attention and if you give in every time she throws one she'll know how to get her way! I would just walk away and say you'll talk to her when she's done.

Back at school today.....yuck. I have almost no clothes that fit anymore and it's cold. T was super excited to go back to her "school" so that's good at least. Hope everyone is having a good Monday. I'm starving so I need to get grab lunch!

 

[qtiekiki]

Msb
I am so sorry for your loss. I’ll be thinking of you and your family.
Burk
T is so tall.
CIO doesn’t work for us anymore either. And that’s what leads to her climbing out of her crib. Glad T went back to her bedtime routine. I wish I could say the same.
Janine
Ditto on Burk about CIO not working well as the toddlers get older. Meena gets hysterical, cries and sweats, just like C and T.
It’s so neat to hear about C’s eye color. We, Asians, just have dark brown eyes, though DH’s eyes are lighter than mines and I love them.
Tacori
Yay on PTing progress. Dirty and wet diapers don’t bother M at all. Yesterday I put her on the toilet before bed. She thought it was funny, but didn’t pee. I think it’s a good time to start daycare for T.
Puffy
LOL on asking B if he needs to go pee every 10 min. Our 5 yrs old nephew still has accidents on occasions b/c he will hold his pee when he is playing, and then he doesn’t always make it to the toilet when he needs to go.
lili
Seems like J roll around a lot in her sleep. Had she ever roll off your bed? Just curious b/c M is all over her crib at night, and we are kind of worried about her in a regular bed. We plan to get bed rails, but I wonder if that’s going to be enough.

 

[Burk]

QT~I wish M would have cooperated for you!

Hopefully she''ll be transitioned to the mattress on the floor and be sleeping well by the time the new baby gets here! At least you have a lot of help should you need it....that was my biggest fear: me home alone (since DH travels a ton) with a waking toddler AND infant!

Also forgot to mention that I asked pedi about binkies at T''s 2 year and he was not concerned in the least. He said as long as it''s just for sleep and she knows the boundaries he sees no problem and to just pay attention to her cues when she''s ready to be done. I kind of already knew that, but it was reassuring to hear her doctor say it!

With her sleep issues last week and the new baby coming I just think it would be so cruel to take her beloved binky away.

 

[neatfreak]

MSB So sorry for your loss. That is just so tragic. My thoughts are with your family.

QT Oh man do you have a handful there! Do you think maybe it's time for a toddler bed so she can't hurt herself? Even if she rolls around a lot I would think bed rails would be enough to keep her in...

 

[janinegirly]

qtiekiki: like NF said, I''m wondering if a toddler bed would work?Those are low and seem more manageable than a mattress. I''m so intrigued how she climbed out of the crib, C''s crib doesn''t ahve anywhere she could get footing, but then she isn''t very tall. How are you feeling otherwise?

 

[lili]

Tacori--

for T getting closer to potty trained.
It does make it so much easier when they want to be changed huh?
Fingers crossed for T that the spots for the preschooler will be there when you applied.

QT--
J did fall off our high bed 3 times when she was sleeping.
First time was when she started to roll, so that was when she was around 4 months.
Second time was when she was around 14 months, but she had a soft landing because she fell on her bed that I laid down next to our bed.
She didn''t even wake up.
Third time when she was around 16 months when she was having a cold.
She tends to move around more when she''s sick.
That one, the thud and cry woke me up
She did fall off the bed 2x when she was rough playing on the bed.
I couldn''t use the bed rails cuz our mattress is too thick.
And I don''t think it''ll keep J from falling since she''ll climb over things even in her sleep if she''s not feeling well.

Janine--
It''s tough trying to get your chores done w/ a wailing baby, but that''s all you can do.
J was like that and is still sometimes, but I just let her cry.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Lili, she is a bloodhound! Haha. She even scrunches up her face and you can HEAR the sniffing. She is so strange but she IS funny. It struck a nerve when she mimicked me spanking b/c I was just starting to thinking maybe I need some new techniques. Not sure what the laughing was about. I obviously do not fall over laughing after I spank her.

I heard her today yell at her doll about a timeout. Funny thing is it has been MONTHS since I have mentioned those. Maybe she saw it on TV or something.

Burk, babycenter.com says she will be 5''3" which kinda surprised me but she is a shortie. I don''t think my T would ever be over treats. She asks for ice cream ALL day long. Random since she rarely has it to my knowledge. Maybe MIL is giving her some. Who knows. Glad your pedi is not worried about the binkies. Neither was mine.

MrsS, they looks really green again today. I should stop trying to figure them out. Interesting about your girls'' eyes. They do have a similar look to T. Yay for school tomorrow!

Puffy, I don''t think she is really ready but it is interesting when she has more "signs." She is only 2 so I am not stressing it. B is so mature. He cracks me up.

msb, sorry to hear about your cousin. What a tragic loss. It is okay to feel all of your emotions to their fullest. My thoughts are with your family during this difficult time.

Janine, I feel like T''s eyes are still darkening and she is (technically even though I usually never count months) 26 months. I never filled out the eye color in her baby book. My DH has VERY blue eyes and I have VERY dark brown eyes. As of now they are still hazel. We''ll see what happens. T loves helping me unload the dishwasher too. I believe they make a table and chair set that folds. They do make smaller ones that fits only two chairs and some have a shelf below the table for storage. Welcome to toddlerhood. It ain''t pretty. When T is out of control I ask her if she is tired and needs to go to bed. The threat of bed sometimes is enough to straighten her out. If not I put her down. Doesn''t matter what time it is. I let her cool down in her crib. Moms get the worst. It sucks. I guess T is an angel when I am not around as well.

Q, that is cute she thought sitting on the toilet was hysterical. My friend used to put pillows down around her son''s crib just in case he jumped out.

The lady from the preschool e-mailed me and said they still had an opening so I am going to go talk to her tomorrow. Yay!

 

[lili]

msb--
I''m so sorry for your tragic loss.
My thoughts will be w/ you and your family.