Home PS Mommy thread with toddlers 12-36 months

[janinegirly]

tacori: T looked beautiful in all her photos, seems like such a fun group! I already ordered the UMI's, will try them on her tonight to see if they are too small, hope not! I guess that's the downside of ordering online.

tgal: I"m sure A will gain friends soon--she's still new to it all! It's hard watching our LO's inteact without us right there isn't it.

C is doing well and talking non stop. She says "hi... to whatever object" (dog, bird, car) and then right after "what are you doing?".She repeats everything we say..particularly filler comments ("oh really", "alright", "oh boy"). If she can't think of someting to say, she will say the alphabet. She is also really insisting on doing everything herself, walking up/down stairs, closing everything (that's getting annoying). She still not an easy eater, but not horrible either--I think it might be my cooking, haha. She is an insominiac some nights though and it's driving me crazy! I don't know how you girls put your toddlers down so early when they nap 1-3? I put her down at 830 but she has been pushing bedtime and will lie and kick around for an hour sometimes. Any ideas why? Am I feeding her milk/dinner too late? I'm exhausted!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 5/24/2010 1:51:16 PM
Author: janinegirly
tacori: T looked beautiful in all her photos, seems like such a fun group! I already ordered the UMI''s, will try them on her tonight to see if they are too small, hope not! I guess that''s the downside of ordering online.

tgal: I''m sure A will gain friends soon--she''s still new to it all! It''s hard watching our LO''s inteact without us right there isn''t it.

C is doing well and talking non stop. She says ''hi'' to whatever object (dog, bird, car) and then right after ''what are you doing?''.She repeats everything we say..particularly filler comments (''oh really'', ''alright'', ''oh boy''). If she can''t think of someting to say, she will say the alphabet. She is also really insisting on doing everything herself, walking up/down stairs, closing everything (that''s getting annoying). She still not an easy eater, but not horrible either--I think it might be my cooking, haha. She is an insominiac some nights though and it''s driving me crazy! I don''t know how you girls put your toddlers down so early when they nap 1-3? I put her down at 830 but she has been pushing bedtime and will lie and kick around for an hour sometimes. Any ideas why? Am I feeding her milk/dinner too late? I''m exhausted!

Janine,

For my child, it''s not a problem putting her down at 7 even though she can wake up from a nap at 3:30. Even though it seems counter intuitive that she''s only been up for 3.5 hours before bedtime, I keep in mind that she''s been up since 6:45 AM for her day. She''s tired by 7, even with the nap.

I''ve also noticed that if I lag and she''s in bed by 7:30, then she''s up for the next hour tossing and turning. I''ve seen her stay awake as late as 9. If she''s in bed by 7:15 latest, she''s usually out within 20 minutes.

So depending what time C gets up in the morning, she might be overtired by 8:30. Amelia''s schedule is up at 6:45-7ish (we let her kick around in her crib for a bit before we get her though), nap at 1pm to about 3, then bedtime at 7. In the winter months, she''ll probably go down slightly earlier. Dinner is at 5:30, 6 pm latest.

Hope that helps.

 

[Burk]

Hey mommies!!

Tacori~LOVE the avi! I''ll have to hunt down the pics of T''s last day of preschool....I bet they''re adorable!

QT~Hope your first day back at work is going well!

Jas12~K is much better. Thanks for asking...however, he must be going through a growth spurt because he ate a ton yesterday and then woke to nurse at 11:00 (usually wakes around2) and then again at 4 acting like I was starving him. Booooo. So cute that Co is starting to come around to being a big brother. I think he''ll do great when the baby gets here...which is soon!

Blen~Congrats to your DH! Aren''t tantrums fun?!?!

Bobo~Poor B....hope he''s on the mend finally!!

puffy~Sorry the boys are sick. Hope they feel well soon. Didn''t know you were going to Vegas again, weren''t you just there or is my mommy brain kicking in?

blondebunny~I agree with the others. We do pizza but no soda (however my mom lets her have a sip of her diet soda here and there and I choose not to fight about it...not worth it).

jas~Hope you''re feeling better!!

Tgal~I''m sure A will make friends (and probably already has). T is the life of the party at her school but right away when she gets there it takes her a few minutes to get settled so maybe A was just getting settled?

Janine~T goes down around 8 these days and like Tgal said I notice the nights it takes her the longest to fall asleep are the nights when she''s over tired. She sleeps from 8-8 typically and then naps from 12:30-1 to 3ish. Dinner around our house is 5:30-6 as well.

We had dinner at one of our neighbors on Saturday night and T had the time of her life. She played and played and played. She was doing so well that we actually stayed out past 10!!

She has NEVER been up past 10. She slept in until 9 yesterday morning and had a 3 hour nap....10 is obviously too late for my girl...and me!!

Only 8 more days of school and then I''m off for summer break! Things are so busy with end of the year stuff and yearbook stuff.

 

[qtiekiki]

Tgal
Thanks. I am doing fine with work. Just checking emails, and getting updated. No actual work yet. My chief told me to take it easy and don’t jump into it.
Janine
C sounds so cute. We need videos, or I need them. Hehe. Can’t believe she is saying sentences already. M is so behind.
No help with bedtime. M’s bedtime is even later at 9pm, and she naps from 11/11:30am to 2pm-ish. If she doesn’t nap at that time, then bedtime is tough.
Burk
Thanks. Work is going well besides thinking/missing the kids, but that is expected.
Glad K is doing better.

Tacori
How was your first day of class? Hope you still have time to get on PS.

 

[TravelingGal]

Well case of the missing nanny solved...she sent me a text today. She was stuck in Honduras for 5 months due to immigration issues with her son. I''m glad she is OK and it was what I suspected.

 

[janinegirly]

thanks for the sleep tips burk & tgal. I''ll give it a try. I just thought she''d never be sleepy early after waking up at 3 or 4 somedays. She went down a bit earlier last night but still too late for mommy. We are also at my parents house as demolition started on our house, so the adjustment factor could be affecting her sleep too.

tgal: glad the nanny surfaced. I suspsect she''ll be hoping for her old job back shortly. Good to hear she''s ok!

qtiekiki: I know, I need to figure out video! She really is just mimicking, I dont think she knows how to string a sentence on her own. But if she hears a phrase she mimicks. It''s pretty funny. If I don''t understand, she gets soooooo upset! How''s M & J doing? You have such cuties.

 

[Burk]

QT~What are your hours at work? Do you get to see the kids before you leave? How is J sleeping? I think we both had good sleepers with our first, right? T was sleeping 12 hours by 3 months and K is not. even. close. Boooo.

Tacori~How is school going?

Tgal~What a relief to have heard from the nanny!

janine~It took T about a week or so to really get back into her routine when we moved...changes make them go a little crazy! How long do they expect the kitchen reno to take?

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 5/25/2010 8:36:23 AM
Author: janinegirly
thanks for the sleep tips burk & tgal. I''ll give it a try. I just thought she''d never be sleepy early after waking up at 3 or 4 somedays. She went down a bit earlier last night but still too late for mommy. We are also at my parents house as demolition started on our house, so the adjustment factor could be affecting her sleep too.

tgal: glad the nanny surfaced. I suspsect she''ll be hoping for her old job back shortly. Good to hear she''s ok!

qtiekiki: I know, I need to figure out video! She really is just mimicking, I dont think she knows how to string a sentence on her own. But if she hears a phrase she mimicks. It''s pretty funny. If I don''t understand, she gets soooooo upset! How''s M & J doing? You have such cuties.

Mimicking is hilarious, isn''t it? It''s such a mirror...we don''t realize what we do until our little ones do it. The sponge factor still freaks me out.

And yeah, my nanny wants her old job back, I know it. Honestly, her disappearance was the best thing that happened to Amelia. My old nanny was extremely loving, but also was somewhat lazy. As Amelia got older, she did the bare minimum to engage her. I just never heard anything going on in the house. With my current nanny, there''s always something going on. They''re reading, or building a "tent", or having tea parties. I know 20 months seems pretty typical for language to explode, but I don''t think it was a coincidence that my new nanny started around that time.

When my current nanny came this morning, she said, "Amelia do you want to play?" Amelia said yes, then looked at me, waved and said "So BYE!" Sheesh!

 

[puffy]

burk yes, we were just in vegas last month and took another short trip there last week since it was somewhat easy with the kids so i figured to take advantage of it. and funny thing, we''re going back next month as well. haha!! how are the kids?

qt hope work is going ok. when we went to vegas, DH and i watched a show and it must have been no more than 30 minutes since i left the kids and i was freaking out even though they were with my mom. but after a bit, i was fine. so strange. hope the kids are doing well!

tacori hope school is going well!!

jas12 the boys got sick the day before we came home so it was still a successful trip. hope you are doing ok. baby''s almost due, yeah? i''m so excited for you!!

well mama''s a week since we have been home and i finally unpacked everything. haha!! the boys are getting better but now i feel like i''m coming down with something. yuck!

still have a ton to do. take care mamas!

 

[Jas12]

hi gang

my PS time is nil these days and i can''t keep up with the 2 threads i read everyday -ha, that''s pathetic.
I had to take the day off work due to appnts all day today so hopefully i''ll be back to having some time to read tomorrow.

Puffy--i hope you don''t get sick too, but glad at least the boys were healthy for your trip

Janie--big ditto to everything tgal mentioned about sleep scheduling. Co has pretty much an identical schedule to Amelia, only he typically naps from 12-2 (he''s never been a long napper) he eats at 5:30ish and i try to get him in bed by 7. If he''s not overtired he''s out in 15 mins or so, but b/c it''s lighter ;ate in the evening now and we are often out and about later in the evening, i''ve noticed that if he goes to bed after 7:30 he''s chatting away for an hour! Kids seems to have so much trouble winding down. Could be what''s happening to C

Tgal--so funny about hte ''bye'' to you when the nanny comes in. Co does that to me every morning when MIL takes over. I am both happy and insulted-lol

Burk-yay for summer break!!! good luck with all the loose ends (reports, meetings, etc. are the downside to that time of year for sure)
......


i had a scan today and baby is measuring fine (despite my belly indicating otherwise) he/she is estimated to be close to 7lbs but you know how inaccurate those estimates are. Kidney looks good but we also found out he/she has fetal gallstones. Seriously, if it''s not one thing it''s another these days. I had a pedi consult at the hospital this aft and was assured it''s nothing to stress about, they should spontaneously resolve. I hope so. I am also strep b + & borderline anemic so that''s throwing a wrench into the homebirth plans. I might give up on the whole idea (depends on if i can get an antibiotic order from my family dr. & iron levels up in the next 2 weeks) Pedi was totally supportive of homebirth (esp being across the street from the mat ward and OR) but i need to decide based on comfort.
i am also pretty immobile. My hip/pelvic/back pain is severe and i am on modified rest. I am not able to stand or walk for more than a few minutes. Kinda makes being home alone with co impossible, but he''s been good thankgoodness. House packing has stopped and my life is at the point of "throw the hands up and laugh" chaos and i am not really freaking out. this is my last week of work so i need to focus on prep for the new teacher, getting a space ready for the new bay and just taking care of myyself now. goooood times

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Hopefully I will catch up this weekend on the posts but I had to stop in to tell you all I am alive (barely) and Tessa peed in the potty today at daycare!!! Haha. Guess a day of seeing the older kids do it was enough for her. She asked her teacher if she could use the potty and her teacher said she peed. I am NOT expecting her to go at home. We don''t have a REAL mini potty here but I am still proud of my little monkey. She seems to like daycare but HATES getting up and HATES when I leave her. She was pissed at me yesterday when I picked her up. I actually cried when I dropped her off on the first day because she was so sad and clingy. It also made me sad that I am no longer a SAHM with the freedom and the time that comes with that. I am excited to be learning and having a new career but it is a change KWIM? Change is scary and uncomfortable.

Hope all my favorite mamas and tots are happy and healthy! I''ll check in soon!

 

[Jas12]

yay--i am back at work and can have my PS time

Tacori--yay for peeing in the potty! Ya never know, it might stick at home too! Transitions are so hard. I don''t don''t deal well with change initially so i know how you feel. Starting school, new routine and changing child care arrangements is a lot to have happen at the same time. Time for adjustment is all you need.

 

[TravelingGal]

Tacori, hooray for peeing on the potty in daycare! And while change is scary and uncomfortable, I think it''s so great you are doing what you are doing. It''s good for YOU. I think hating being dropped off is normal. Now that Amelia knows what''s up, she doesn''t like being dropped off. She protests, I dump her off and as soon as I am gone she is fine. Fortunately she isn''t screaming, but she does do a weak protest cry 50% of the time. It''s part she doesn''t want me to go, part she doesn''t have friends, part that she generally doesn''t have much interest in toys so that''s no motivator for her. But every time I pick her up, she''s happy and the teachers say she has a great time. I spy on her a bit before I go in to pick her up and she always indeed seems happy, which is a relief.

Jas12, your life sounds crazy! Glad to her the stones are not much to worry about...can''t believe you are almost there! And yeah, the "bye" is somewhat insulting but always funny.

Question for the girl moms...any recommendations for a hair detangler? Amelia''s hair is no longer responding well to just shampoo.

And the big news in our house yesterday was that my child ate a bunch of broccoli willingly...as in, putting it in her mouth herself. She''s never eaten a green eggie willingly (she will eat carrots)...I always have to hide it. Hopefully she continues to like it.

 

[Burk]

Tgal~I use a cheapy Suave detangler that I got at Target and it works great and smells great....I even used it to help get a sucker out of her hair (thanks to my DH!).

Tacori~I agree 100% with Tgal! School is for YOU and you deserve it!! I''m sure Tessa is loving daycare even if she''s making it hard on you at drop off!

Yay for peeing in the potty too!! It''s amazing how they want to mimic the older kids. T does great on the potty at school for that very same reason.

Jas12~Boo to all the end of pregnancy crap you''re going through!! Don''t worry about the house, just focus on healthy baby. I hope s/he doesn''t stay in there as long as Co did!! Good luck getting end of year stuff done and organizing for next year!

Puffy~Didn''t recognize your avatar without your two cuties...but the bling is beautiful!

Does your DH have to work in Vegas or are these trips just purely for fun? Either way, fun for you!! Hope the boys are feeling better!

 

[Burk]

Okay, had to submit my replies to everyone before I type out this book....THOUGHTS ON THIS PLEASE......

So two nights ago I had dinner out with friends and cheated on my no corn, no dairy diet so the pumped BM K got in his two bottles while I'm at work yesterday was causing him some gas/tummy issues. I decided that in his nighttime bottle I'd do half BM and half formula (which I've done before) to help his little belly. I had a new formula I found that was corn/dairy free. So he had 3oz BM/3oz new formula in night time bottle. Down by 7:30. Up at 9:30 in a pool of vomit....not just a little spit up, but vomit. He then vomited off and on until 1am (at the end it was mostly just dry heaves

). It was terrifying...I've never seen an infant vomit like this. His little body would literally convulse and the sounds were like adult vomiting sounds. I cried. Anyway....I called our pedi and he wanted me to take him to the ER if he didn't get better by midnight but by then he had improved enough that I thought it was okay not to take him. He woke at 2am and nursed a bit and drank a few ozes from a bottle DH gave him around 8am. Pedi says it could be the new formula OR he could have just had a stomach virus. What do you guys think? I don't see how the formula could have caused something this serious so quickly...it was soy formula and I've had soy in my diet and it had brown rice syrup and I eat brown rice often with no issues. I think it's probably best to just stick with BM and stay away from the formula for now but I'm guessing by 6 mos I'm not going to be able to keep up with him (because I'll be starting volleyball and not able to pump during tournaments, ect) and we're going to have to go to at least 50/50 and I was hoping to use this formula since it's organic and it's WAY cheaper than the one other formula that doesn't contain corn. Just wanted some mommy opinions. My DH is like, whatever you think....NOT helpful.

 

[Blenheim]

Burk, oh poor little guy. Even if you''ve been eating soy and brown rice, he''d probably be getting much higher concentration of them in the form of the formula than in the form of your milk, and so I could see it going either way. Dairy and soy sensitivies can be linked as well (or at least there''s a positive correlation between the two). My two main thoughts are (1) that the only real way to know is to try again and see if he has the same reaction, and (2) if you don''t want to risk the vomiting again anytime soon, then you could try the other formula you were thinking of for a little while or (if feasible) try to go with exclusive breastmilk until you can''t anymore. Kids often outgrow sensitivities, and so even if he is sensitive to the formula now, he may be okay with it later when you need to start relying on it a bit more and you could try again then.

Tacori - yay for peeing in the potty!

Jas12 - sorry to hear you''re feeling so crappy.

I took the day off from work today to interview daycares, and we''re currently in the middle of an afternoon nap break. I haven''t found anything I''m in love with yet. George was "that kid" at the last one. All of the other kids were nicely sitting at a table and playing with Duplos, and he was running around and shoving the Duplos off the table onto the floor and stealing toys from other kids. He even made one little girl cry. We were butting up against naptime, but ugh.

We spent this weekend out in the country, and I think that George loved it. He''s now willing to walk outside and happily walked around in the fields. We picked strawberries - I ate some and put the rest gently in containers, while George squished his, threw them on the ground, and then picked them up and ate them, after they were nice and covered in dirt and yuck. He thought they were the best thing ever. I keep telling myself that a bit of dirt is good for his immune system...

Running around post berry picking. (It takes a lot of concentration.)

 

[TravelingGal]

burk, it seems that the formula could cause it that quickly, but maybe someone more knowledgable can chime in. It only takes a couple of hours for them to process it. When Amelia had a tummy issue, it was normally about 2 hours from the last thing she ate. Although she also had a cold, so the coughing could have caused it. So hard to say.

I''d stay off it for awhile and try again at a later date...he may take to it better then. Poor thing!

Blen, that is such a great pic of G!!! I just think he is so adorable.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Hi everyone! I have not been in this thread in a while and will never catch up

But I miss you all!

TGal I thought we could continue our conversation here instead of threadjacking...

Date: 5/26/2010 6:28:32 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 5/26/2010 6:20:56 PM
Author: dreamer_d

Date: 5/26/2010 6:16:39 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 5/26/2010 6:12:25 PM
Author: dreamer_d

My first thought was along these lines: If mom says no, tough cookies kiddo! It means no!

Slight thread jack but I had an interesting experience yesterday along these lines. We were on a road trip with the inlaws and MIL and I were sitting in the back with Hunter. He wanted the bottle of pop that my MIL was drinking and decided that crying hysterically was the way to get it. My MIL initially put the bottle away and when he started crying she said, 'Oh well, I guess it won't hurt him!' and went to give it back. I Stopped her and said, 'No was Jose, he does not get his way when he pulls a fit!' She looked a little chagrin and I thought she might argue, but then he stopped his 'hysterical crying' after 10 seconds and instead played with the new object we gave him. Point one for mom But it does teach me something about how my DH was raised and why he thinks he should always get his way!

Anyways, if you don't want her watching then you can put a stop to it for no good reason other than you are mommy! Hear you roar!

That's great Dreamer! I totally agree...I never give Amelia back anything if she pitches a fit. I do not want to hear it! And I know, without a doubt (basic psychology) that if I give in to her while she is having a fit, she's going to use that as a weapon against me more and more!

Maybe it's because I have a daughter that I fear those teenage years, but I truly think to myself the saying we've all heard before: If I can't beat a 2 year old, how the hell am I going to manage a teenager?

I am mother. I am 37. Hear me roar, you toddler!

hahaha... too true. I have the same rule about fits. I am sympathetic that he is frustrated and I usually try to empathize by saying something like: 'I know it is frustrating, you really want that bottle, but it is not for Hunter.' And then I distract him. I want him to know I hear him, but at the same time know what the rules are.

Sorry for the threadjack PG!

Sympathy is great, and I agree it's good to use it in conjunction with mean-mommy-ain't-gonna-give-it-back syndrome. Plus I learned the 'Not for Amelia' from you. I use that all the time along with an 'I'm sorry' when applicable.

You are wise to teach Hunter this. Kind of interesting...it helps in something that I didn't foresee. There are times that I am physically unable to do what she wants, even if I wanted to. She has been on a total cantalope kick lately. LOVES melon. She asked me the other day, 'MELON! More Melon please!'

I had to say, 'No Amelia, I'm sorry, there is no melon today. No melon. Strawberries?'

I would have felt really bad if she had thrown a fit when honestly, I simply had no melon and couldn't do anything about it right then. But she truly now understands that when I say no, it just ain't gonna happen. She didn't care for strawberries, but she understood there was no melon that day. Fits do not magically procure desired results...it's comes in handy in more ways than we can imagine.

PG, also apologize for the threadjack!

It is a good all purpose phrase. I think I learned it at his daycarem along with always useing verbs "Dont X" rather than simply "No."

I've always thought the issue with girls is men and them having sex, and then the issue with teen boys is drugs. At least, that was what the "loser" kids in my highschool were up to based on gender. But I am happy to have a boy because he will always love me

His daddy on the other hand

OK, Hunter listens but he loves to play in the toilet. When he goes for it I get down on his level and turn him to face me and say very clearly looking him in the eyes "Not for Hunter! You cannot play in the toilet!" And he will now walk away and not do it... for a while. The if I turn my back he goes for the toilet again. I will say no to him twice then he gets kicked out of the bathroom to be with his Dad. I suppose I just persevere and he gets it eventually?? ETA He now will stop and wait until I am watching to attempt the great toilet adventure. So he knows he should not do it...

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 5/26/2010 6:55:01 PM
Author: dreamer_d

Hi everyone! I have not been in this thread in a while and will never catch up

But I miss you all!

TGal I thought we could continue our conversation here instead of threadjacking...




It is a good all purpose phrase. I think I learned it at his daycarem along with always useing verbs ''Dont X'' rather than simply ''No.''

I''ve always thought the issue with girls is men and them having sex, and then the issue with teen boys is drugs. At least, that was what the ''loser'' kids in my highschool were up to based on gender. But I am happy to have a boy because he will always love me

His daddy on the other hand

OK, Hunter listens but he loves to play in the toilet. When he goes for it I get down on his level and turn him to face me and say very clearly looking him in the eyes ''Not for Hunter! You cannot play in the toilet!'' And he will now walk away and not do it... for a while. The if I turn my back he goes for the toilet again. I will say no to him twice then he gets kicked out of the bathroom to be with his Dad. I suppose I just persevere and he gets it eventually?? ETA He now will stop and wait until I am watching to attempt the great toilet adventure. So he knows he should not do it...

Good idea to put it to this thread.

Sounds like you have it under control. Babies can be tenacious, that''s for sure. If he keeps doing it, it might be OK just to resort to a very firm "NO!" and move him immediately. If he thinks he''s not going to even get 2 seconds of fun, he might give up.

But most likely he''ll get over this phase at some point, so yes, he will get it eventually.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 5/26/2010 10:47:41 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 5/26/2010 6:55:01 PM
Author: dreamer_d


Hi everyone! I have not been in this thread in a while and will never catch up

But I miss you all!

TGal I thought we could continue our conversation here instead of threadjacking...




It is a good all purpose phrase. I think I learned it at his daycarem along with always useing verbs ''Dont X'' rather than simply ''No.''

I''ve always thought the issue with girls is men and them having sex, and then the issue with teen boys is drugs. At least, that was what the ''loser'' kids in my highschool were up to based on gender. But I am happy to have a boy because he will always love me

His daddy on the other hand

OK, Hunter listens but he loves to play in the toilet. When he goes for it I get down on his level and turn him to face me and say very clearly looking him in the eyes ''Not for Hunter! You cannot play in the toilet!'' And he will now walk away and not do it... for a while. The if I turn my back he goes for the toilet again. I will say no to him twice then he gets kicked out of the bathroom to be with his Dad. I suppose I just persevere and he gets it eventually?? ETA He now will stop and wait until I am watching to attempt the great toilet adventure. So he knows he should not do it...

Good idea to put it to this thread.

Sounds like you have it under control. Babies can be tenacious, that''s for sure. If he keeps doing it, it might be OK just to resort to a very firm ''NO!'' and move him immediately. If he thinks he''s not going to even get 2 seconds of fun, he might give up.

But most likely he''ll get over this phase at some point, so yes, he will get it eventually.

I have been doing this of late, but I think I will send him right out of the room immediately too!

 

[sbde]

hiya mommies,

just a quick drive-by here because these posts will be lost to the world once 2.0 kicks in but glad to hear things are well with everyone.

dd/tgal - i find the "not for J" phrase works v well, and when my monkey began his fascination w/ toilets i did the same thing, and would take him out of the bathroom whenever i saw him trying to play there. he realizes it''s not a play area now and actually shakes his finger at me to tell me that it''s off limits when we are in there haha. of course the day he learns how to open doors himself will be an issue!

ooh btw, because these posts will all be gone - maybe we should all post our kiddo pics that we''ve been so hesitant to do so haha.

 

[janinegirly]

just a quick note to say I love the "not for ...." tactic. I''m going to try it with the "i''m sorry but no"/finger wag combo. I need to be firmer. I''m lucky that C is generally well behaved and a good listener but she does throw fits out of frustration sometimes and they are accompanied immediately with huge crocodile tears. It''s hard to not give in sometimes. But Tgal makes a good point, if we can''t stand up to a 2 year old, god help us when they are 16 and slamming doors!

 

[jas]

Good lord I''m behind. Again.

I have my SIL staying over this weekend, my other SIL visiting and my MIL/FIL 50th anniversary, so I may run here to escape and catch up. And by "here" I mean whatever version of PS is around.

Toured and registered the boys for nursery school for the fall. They will make the cut off by 4 days. So little. I''m feeling so sad at the end of an era and the beginning of another. Good thing I only have all summer to create all sorts of ridiculous worries...

J. bit Logan again (second time ever) this morning. I''ve never gotten him in a time out as quickly. I got him out after the time and he, without prompting, went over and said sorry and kissed his brother.

If only politics worked so nicely.

 

[Burk]

Blen~Thanks for your thoughts...go point about the higher concentration in the formula vs. what I eat. We thought T was soy sensitive as well as dairy and corn so maybe K is but it doesn''t bother him the little bit I eat and the concentration through BM? LOVE the pic of G!! Hope you find a daycare you love soon!

Tgal~Good point....it could cause a reaction that quickly. I was just wondering about that strong and type of a reaction but both the kids are pretty sensitive so if he is indeed sensitive to soy it would make sense.

I think I''ll probably just EBF (and be better about my diet) as long as possible and then see where we are when I need to start some formula. If he''s closer to 6 months I may give this one another try since many babies start to outgrow their sensitivities around that time. T didn''t until 15 months so I''m not holding my breath but who knows... this vomiting episode could have been a fluke and by that time he could do great on it. I think it just scares me to think that he could potentially have the same reaction!!!

Hi dreamer, sbde, janine and Jas!!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 5/27/2010 11:49:45 AM
Author: janinegirly
just a quick note to say I love the ''not for ....'' tactic. I''m going to try it with the ''i''m sorry but no''/finger wag combo. I need to be firmer. I''m lucky that C is generally well behaved and a good listener but she does throw fits out of frustration sometimes and they are accompanied immediately with huge crocodile tears. It''s hard to not give in sometimes. But Tgal makes a good point, if we can''t stand up to a 2 year old, god help us when they are 16 and slamming doors!

And saying "I hate you!"

 

[Loves2Laugh]

Hi everyone! I''m coming out of lurkdom because we''re struggling with discipline over here and I''ve been trying everything D and TGal has mentioned. P will LAUGH at me when I get a firm voice! Ohhhh.... I have to count to 10 because on top of whatever he''s doing, to get a reaction like that just makes me fume! We''ve already started 1 minute time outs in his crib. They''re very few and far between but I don''t know what else to do. Example: Today, he (once again) pulled the cats tail to the point that his rear was lifted off the ground. I got down on his level and made him let go, then very firmly told him do not pull kitty''s tail, HURT kitty! He looked at me, smiled and went on his merry way. This has been going on for 2 weeks now and not getting any better. Of course my mom tells me to smack his hand but hurting him for hurting the cat just doesn''t seem like the correct way to get my point accross. I haven''t put him in time out for this yet but what else can I do? My "firm" voice isn''t passive either. DH tells me I''m being mean, but once P laughs or smiles I look at DH and tell him that P doesn''t think so! Ugggh... he''s such a good boy 99% of the time, but these little moments are so frustrating!

 

[jas]

Date: 5/27/2010 9:39:21 PM
Author: Loves2Laugh
Hi everyone! I''m coming out of lurkdom because we''re struggling with discipline over here and I''ve been trying everything D and TGal has mentioned. P will LAUGH at me when I get a firm voice! Ohhhh.... I have to count to 10 because on top of whatever he''s doing, to get a reaction like that just makes me fume! We''ve already started 1 minute time outs in his crib. They''re very few and far between but I don''t know what else to do. Example: Today, he (once again) pulled the cats tail to the point that his rear was lifted off the ground. I got down on his level and made him let go, then very firmly told him do not pull kitty''s tail, HURT kitty! He looked at me, smiled and went on his merry way. This has been going on for 2 weeks now and not getting any better. Of course my mom tells me to smack his hand but hurting him for hurting the cat just doesn''t seem like the correct way to get my point accross. I haven''t put him in time out for this yet but what else can I do? My ''firm'' voice isn''t passive either. DH tells me I''m being mean, but once P laughs or smiles I look at DH and tell him that P doesn''t think so! Ugggh... he''s such a good boy 99% of the time, but these little moments are so frustrating!

Is he stopping the behavior (even if smiling)?

Sometimes the intensity/intimacy of face-to-face with mommy, and/or the realization he''s been caught doing something naughty will cause a kid to smile. They''re not happy and it''s not a teenage-type smirk. Sometimes they smile out of embarrassment, out of not knowing what other reaction to have, or even just to check in and make sure that you are upset with the behavior or still love them.

Does that make sense?

If he is stopping the behavior, you''re fine, I think. If he''s smiling and still doing the behavior, I''d need to gnaw on this.

Time outs are good.

I really understand how frustrating it is. I''ve had to count to five myself to make sure I''m not discipining my boys in anger when they repeatedly do the things I''ve said not to do, or even things I''ve disciplined them about before. They test boundaries.

Hang in there!

 

[Jas12]

Hi mommy friends, i am intersted reading the discipline stuff. Good tips!

ditto Jas about the smile thing. Co will smile when i very firmly scold him, but he usually stops what he is doing. I don''t crack a smile back. I hold a stern look and move on (this is admittedly hard to do). He hates being in trouble so i think the smile is a defense thing.
His latest is screaming! 2 sharp, quick blood curdling screams when he doesn''t get what he wants. He does this b/c he knows it''s a rule that he can only scream outside.
I just quietly say "the answer is still NO"
and ignore him. I still haven''t tried time out with him b/c usually he does his scream, cries for a min or two and then is on to something else. When he is totally calm and doing something else I address the issue with him again and might say something like "i know you want to watch another show, but you can only have one. Mom said no, so it was not nice to scream at me" (or whatever). He always then attemps to completely change the subject (this tactic is hilarious & always something so random) like yesterday, after a lecture he just looked me in the eye and said "need batteries for the mobile...and the baby screw driver"

????!!??
I said, "take it up with dad buddy, mom''s still mad about the screaming"


oh and a lovely toddler trait i need help with: strange preferences. Co will only wear one pair of shoes right now. MIL bought him a pair of sandals b/c it''s stinkin hot here lately and he totally freaks if we even go near him with them. He''ll only wear pumas (b/c of the little puma symbol on them i guess).
Any advice on dressing kids??

 

[Loves2Laugh]

Thanks for chiming in jas and Jas12. I honestly didn''t even think about the smile or laughing as something other then "haha, you''re not happy with me, and I don''t care!" Thinking about it now, at 16 months old I don''t think they can have that type of sarcastic sense like a teenager would. And admittingly that was once how I would react to my parents when I was a teenager!

jas- Yes, he does stop the behavior. However, he ends up doing it a few hours later or the next day and I feel like a broken record. I think this is something that''s going to just take a while to sink in. He does the same thing if he sees a can of pop or something else he can''t have and will whine and whine until he finally gives up. Then goes through the same thing all over the next day or when he sees it again.

Consistency... that''s what I keep telling myself and DH because I can see how parents end up giving in beacuse it''s just the easier thing to do.

 

[PenelopeJane]

Hi,

I'm just going to jump in feet first on the toddler thread as little man turned 1 on April 5!

Huge lurker and I've posted on the newborn thread a few times, but life gets in the way of keeping up with posting...but I just have to share...plus you guys don't mind some pics right?

I also have a 4 year old daughter named Penelope (hence the screen name), who will be graduating from preschool next week...time flies!!!

Jas12, I usually try to give choices. I don't normally care what the kids wear, but if we're going somewhere nice I give a choice of 2-3 items to pick from.

Mr. Axel eating his cupcake. DH made a cake recipe from barefoot contessa but it called for 1 cup of coffee, so he made the cake for adults and 12 separate cupcakes without the coffee for kiddies. Am I a terrible mom for not only NOT making son's first bday cake, but having DH do it?