Sept. 2007 - Happy Holidays!

[~Katie~]

Here we are in December! Hopefully it won't be too much of a crazy month for us all!

[mommajb]

What would we do without you Katie? Thanks for starting the Dec thread. I knew it was December but it never dawned on me to start it.

The kids are having friends over this afternoon. I have a call into the plumber. We have a water leak that is causing damage but we cannot find the source. It is a wintery mix outside and ugly.

Linus is comfy in his henley onsie and babylegs.

I have the tree up but not lit or anything yet. Dough is chilling for tree ornaments. I am going to let the kids have their fun and not put out breakables I care about (or could hurt anybody this year).

: to all.

[~Katie~]

I hope the plumber is able to find the leak mommajb.

I am picking up the house today and washing laundry. We have a home inspection this week and I'd rather the house look somewhat livable.

I put up the tree on Thanksgiving, it has always kind of been my thing to do and Andrew ends up watching. Liam is doing really well with it and practices the one finger touch with the ornaments. All of the breakables are high up on the tree and the rest are plastic so I don't worry too much.

It has been rainy the last few days and is now sunny and windy today, I think in the high 40's. I wish the weather would make up it's mind. I am feeling lots of baby kicks and we even felt the baby kicking from the outside about a week ago, I though I was hillucinating until I made Andrew come and feel it. I think there's an ox in there.

[*jeanine*]

We're back.

We had a nice trip to my parents. The weather was wonderful there. It looks like it might be nice here, too. I have a ton of laundry to do. And I think I'm going to go to DMV today to get a new driver's license. Jamison relocated mine a few months ago. I should probably get a new one.

I think I'd take the crib down. I don't have one up. Jamison takes her naps on me and doesn't transition to the bed. I'd love to transition her to a bed, but I've totally given up hope.

[leanbh]

i was totally subbing the other thread but november wasn't our greatest month.

my best friend died in november a few years back, and i just always get sick with grief.

as well, we all got truly sick. stomach bug for a whole week, passed from dd to me to dh to me again. that was not fun, especially right before thanksgiving.

so, ro's napping. still twice a day. anyone down to one nap?

we've completely finished our christmas shopping for ro! i stayed glued to craigslist for about a week straight, and we got her all three of the big things (from which we were going to choose one) for under the budget of one of the big things new! i was so proud. so we got her a table and chairs, a little oshkosh armchair, and a rocking plush elephant. all for like 80 bucks!!!! and they're all in mint condition. you'd think we just took them out of the box.
we bought a couple things new. she's getting a redheaded and freckled corolle doll, a placemat (as she's just started eating without her tray with us at the table), and a stuffed panda. the girl LOVES pandas.

other than that, we're all finally feeling better. there's been no puking since wednesday. i've never changed our bedsheets so much in my life.

hope all is well!

[SweetTexasgal]

Mommajb-Lucy has a beautiful round crib that my mom bought her....she actually has a beautiful nursery that my mom and I spent a lot of time setting up. She has never slept in the crib or spent much time in the nursery other then getting a diaper changed. The crib is still set up and I too don't know when I will take it down. I wish it would convert to a toddler bed....but it won't. What I think we will do with it eventually is take off the legs and set it on the floor...and add a fairy bower.

ishy-so sorry about your kitty.

[SweetTexasgal]

leanbh-Lucy is taking one early nap a day. She is ready to go down by 11:30. I wish she was still taking 2 naps or that her 1 nap would move a little later....she really needs a 2nd nap by late afternoon. Up side is that she is going to bed between 7:30-8:00.

[ishyfishie]

Thanks Michelle. Lindsay, glad you guys are over your sickness!

We have the crib side-carred to our queen bed, but she doesn't sleep in it. Every now and then, I make a half-hearted attempt to get her to sleep over there, but mostly it allows me an extra few inches of room because I can let my arms/legs hang over onto it if I have to. If I get pregnant, I guess I'll try a little harder to shift her over into it, since there's definitely not enough room in our bed for four of us. If it weren't for that, I'd take the thing down!

[mommajb]

Thanks for the crib thoughts. I think we'll probably take it down but when we get to it nobody knows. I am not sure there is emotional room for him in our bed but he has no plans to move out anytime soon. I wonder if this is what it is like for parents of 20 somethings that move back in?

Katie, I hope Andrew gets good news soon. Sometimes not knowing is the hardest part.

leanbh, I hope December brings you : I thought you were totally joking about two naps. If Linus naps which is about half the time he naps for about 40 minutes in the late afternoon either on me or in the stroller. Somedays he will fall asleep in the car on the way home for lunch but I try not to go out in the mornings so the kids can get their work done causing those days to be few and far between. My kids just don't sleep unless it is time for me to be somewhere.

What are the details today jeanine? I have an eye docotor's appt and the kids have friends coming over late afternoon. I hope today's batch is less irritating that yesterday's. They drove me bananas and I told them so. If around all this chores and school work get done we will put lights on the trees and make cut-out cookies to hang. This was also the plan for yesterday...

[*jeanine*]

details - school today. school was closed last week, and I'm not sure the teacher's gonna show up today since she really enjoyed her week off. jujitsu today. bath first (once a week, whether they need it or not). grocery shopping if I get a list made. no dinner if I don't get a list made.
dh bought an ipod and stereo system for his office. i spent the last 18 hours downloading software (gotta love dial-up). today I want to play with it and get some music on it. (I don't think it's gonna happen, but i really really want to play with it!)

yesterday's details, because I know you're dying to hear them - I colored my hair. not very crunchy of me, but I just.can't.deal. with gray hair. i've been trying to get over it, but i just can't. so today my hair is "chocolate caramel". too bad that stuff doesn't smell as good as it sounds. it's a medium reddish-brown. it's a nice color. (a lot better than gray ). and, ftr, i have no problem with gray hair on others. in fact, i'm a little envious of women who *aren't* bothered by their gray hairs. i've tried to not be bothered. i can't do it.

jamison's a cling-on today. she was a cling-on all night last night. i have very little patience for it today. luckily i just got her distracted with playing blocks, and ds is by her. it's taken me a really long time to write this. i'd better go get something done before she attaches herself to my leg again.

naps - jamison usually takes one a day. she's never been on a schedule. ds was on a schedule though. he went to one nap a day when he was ten months old. and stopped napping at 2 3/4. dd1 (3 1/2) is still in that awkward stage of needing a nap, but her sleep is all messed up if she gets one. we don't usually put her down for a nap, but her body is still trying to adjust to being awake all day.

[RedOakMomma]

Hi there!

I have a September 2007 baby (through adoption), and I was wondering if I could ask a quick question...what do you think your child (girls especially) would enjoy for a holiday present? I'd like to get her something she'll enjoy as she goes through this next year, but she's our first girl and the first baby we've had at 15 months old right at Christmas. With the other kids, they were either too young for anything specific (10 months) or old enough to know what they'd really enjoy (22 months). This in-between stage, before she's really talking and showing what her favorite things are, is really throwing me for a loop.

We're getting a wood kitchen set, because I think she'll enjoy it, but what else is there for girls this age? We have blocks, building toys, and books a-plenty from our other kids...I just wish I could think of a few special things for her.

Thanks! And (very) belated congrats on your babies!

[~Katie~]

On the agenda for me today - Sewing and working on my hyenacart while Liam takes a nap. I've been told that we are moving on post Dec. 15th, so I will yet again be spending the next 2 weeks packing. We are doing it as an effort to save money, we will be carrying this house's rent until it gets rented out, but it will mean saving on utilities and gas. I'm going to see today what we can refinance on and if I'm still eligible for a student loan deferment or forebearance. I really, really hate money.

Jeanine - I get the greys too, don't feel bad. It runs in my family to go grey really young so all of my siblings and I dye our hair, though I haven't done it in a few months.

Naps - Liam was down to one nap a day starting around 10 months, it usually lasts an hour and a half to 3 hours depending on how badly he slept the night before.

Hi RedOakMomma! For Christmas we have done coloring supplies and paper, a musical instrument set, an aquadoodle, and are looking to get him a bilibo and maybe some wooden cars. A lot of us have been talking about ride-toys and that seems to be perfect for this age.

[First Time Mama]

Hi! We're good. We had a busy thanksgiving weekend, spending time with both sides of our family, but it was good. Milo still takes two naps on most days, one in the late morning and one in the afternoon, and he usually goes to bed about 9:00 pm. I want to get a tree this year and decorate for christmas, but haven't yet. This will actually be the first Christmas that we will ever have our own tree. We lived with family for years, last year I didn't get it together with a little baby, and the year before we were moving right at christmastime. So this year I 'm determined to at least get a little tree. I guess I better get on it! I still really need to call and get health insurance for Milo straightened out but I need to find the right paperwork and the time to call. I 'm still not sure what we are going to do for christmas presents for milo. I was thinking maybe a soft, waldorf type doll, a riding or pushing toy, and some utensils and plate/bowl for him as he is grabbing our spoons and forks and trying to eat with them: DH has applied to 8 graduate schools for the coming fall. He is planning on going back to graduate school for physical therapy. We haven't heard anything yet, but should be hearing if he has been granted interviews soon. I'm crossing my fingers that it all works out, and that he gets to go somewhere close to home. We have some big changes ahead of us when he's back in school and I'm not sure what our life will look like. I'm nervous about it, but also just really anxious for him to get started, so that we can get through this phase, and he can have his career and degree and we can have more finanicial security/opportunity.

[lactivist]

I swear I am alive! I know it doesn't seem like it but I am still living and breathing. Thanksgiving was really nice. We had some family over and it was fun. Kaija and her baby are doing great. He is such a sweet little man that LOVES his grandma something fierce. He was smiling and cooing at me this morning and my heart just melted. Dahlia has been super fussy and clingy. She had roseola and that is going away but she is also cutting molars and at the same time getting quite an attitude about certain things being off limits for her. She has been driving me a bit mad honestly.

We are hanging in otherwise. I am trying to get a bunch of co-ops done before the holidays and have been very busy. I am helping Zaid with a homeschool science fair that happens next monday. He is doing a project about rocks and minerals and how they form.

Eavan is doing great in school and is mellowing out a bit at home. I have been able to take him places lately without it being a nightmare so that is really nice. Time just keeps passing by at such a fast pace.

Dahlia is a dancing fanatic. She is such a girl. She loves shoes and purses and babies. She loves to dance and listen to music and has the daintiest little pincer grasp when she takes things from you. : She makes me smile when she isn't whining at my feet.

Dh still has a layoff date for the end of the month. I am keeping my fingers crossed that something shows up. His stress level is getting really high.

I trust that all will work out in our favor. I have to keep the faith.

I am not caught up on the other thread. Katie what is going on with your dh? Dahlia only takes one nap if any. We have never owned a crib. Dahlia sleeps in our bed and now knows how to get off safely or call for help so I can relax a bit about it. For Yule I got Dahlia a few knob puzzles, playsilks, stacking toys and a push wagon. I got her a babydoll for her birthday and she LOVES it.

I will try to keep caught up this month. Sending : to all that need them.

Wendi

[~Katie~]

Wendi - So glad to see an update from you. I was wondering about you. I'm glad all are doing well, I hope your DH can hang in there and that something new comes along quickly. I will have goodies going out to you tomorrow, I need to take pictures for my website gallery tonight so don't peak The news with Andrew is that he may be deployed during the time of this babe's birth, we weren't expecting it at all but we should know this week or early next week for sure.

[HeatherB]

Gotta sub here...

For gifts, what about a baby doll? My DS climbed up on the top bunk (up the ladder!) tonight and immediately found one of the small babies that belongs to the big boys. He "kissed" and hugged on it and was quite happy. So that's what's got me thinking about dolls. He's getting his own small Kathe Kruse doll, a wooden push duck (like I had when I was little), and some blocks for Christmas. Stacking and in/out toys are great at this age, too. When my first September baby had his Christmas at this age, we gave him Haba Sticki Blocks and they were a huge hit. The boys still play with them!

Naps - He definitely needs two, but doesn't always get it. With my MIL in town, there was too much activity around most of the time for him to nap well. One night I decided we all needed to go for a drive, and DS fell asleep at a time that was rather early for him, but slept the whole night! (Well, he did wake to nurse, of course, but ykwim. ) So it varies but he definitely needs two.

We're planning to get our Christmas tree on Friday, as it'll be nice and chilly out - high in the mid- to upper-50s. Woohoo! We keep having lovely cool days, then a day or two in the upper 70s. It's like it's TRYING to get cold, but having trouble quite keeping it! At least it's mostly been very pretty so it feels appropriate to be playing Christmas music in the car. :

Tomorrow we're planning to have friends over for the first time in ages. One advantage of having the MIL here is that the house has to be presentable! So we plan to keep it that way (the FIL and his wife come in less than 3 weeks!) and make use of it.

But I better wash the diapers first... It smells like a hamster cage.

[mommajb]

Originally Posted by HeatherB

But I better wash the diapers first... It smells like a hamster cage.

I know that smell.

Wendi it is good to hear from you.

My days start earlier and earlier lately. Dh has to be in at 8 which is early for him so I need to run.

[greenmagick]

Some of you are still getting two naps

Cian is trying (and I am fighting) to drop his one nap. The last two days he didnt go down til 5. which of course means he is up til 10 or 11. Lilah did the exact same thing at this age, so something must be in the genes

[leanbh]

Originally Posted by greenmagick

Some of you are still getting two naps

Cian is trying (and I am fighting) to drop his one nap. The last two days he didnt go down til 5. which of course means he is up til 10 or 11. Lilah did the exact same thing at this age, so something must be in the genes

i thought ro was going down to one nap, but it was really her molars coming in.

she naps in the morning for an hour, and in the afternoon, she's been napping up to two hours! i am relishing it while i can and before the cabin fever of winter sets in. we're supposed to get snow this afternoon.

roro is getting this doll: http://www.amazon.com/Corolle-Mon-Pr...8320006&sr=8-1 :: it's got red hair and freckles!!! :: that's been difficult for us to find in something age appropriate and not a cabbage patch kid.

[*jeanine*]

Jamison got a Corolle Tidoo doll (the kind that can go in the bath) for her birthday and she loves it. She also got a Rody Pony that she loves. And she got this annoying thing (http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-Alpha.../dp/B00005OWEP). She loves it too. She carries it around like a baby boom box. Luckily it plays music, not just the alphabet, so it's always on the music. DH taped over the speaker so it's not so loud. We had fun in the very beginning trying to make it say dirty words :, but it won't let you.
She also likes the see-n-say and blocks that we already had. She just last week started stacking blocks. Until then she would only crash them, which is still good fun. And she likes this http://www.dmartstores.com/ha06bubabupo.html. That's all I can think of as far as her "favorite" toys. Well, she really likes the big kids' choking hazards, too.
She's getting this from the jolly elf (http://www.hearthsong.com/hearthsong...6&cmvalue=HS|2). I have no idea what we are going to get her. There's not a lot that we don't have.

Today's plan - Homeschool, more iPod music transferring, order ds's stuff from the jolly elf (spy gear), look at my big old pile of work and decide if I want to deal with it today. I think I already know the answer to that one Oh, and speaking of hamster cages - wash diapers.

: Have a good day, ladies! :