Feb '08 Toddlers--it's April!

[nolonger]

Old thread here

Trixie, Molly, and Terran are walking now, Molly quite a bit, so I don't think we can stay in LWAB.

BabyBump is due at the end of the month. Dea is having the first of two insems today hoping for a Christmas baby and othes were talking about when to TTC or the best way to avoid surprises. Krisis is recovering from essure (hope you're feeling better today).

Senara is talking up a storm and starting to show interest in printed language as well. Rosemary is becoming an artist and slgt is looking for suggestions on crayons or other drawing materials.

Um...this really sounds like a bunch of toddlers to me; I don't think we're in infancy any more.....

:

[Jezzy]

Thanks for the new thread NOS!!

Dea Good luck! :

[flapjack]

Here. Nothing new to report, apart from stating, loudly and clearly, that I'm done, done, done, done, done with making babies...

[eilonwy]

Thank you Helen; I was beginning to feel as though I had killed the thread. :

Someone care to explain Essure to me? I'm climbing the walls...

Bella and her brother do everything together; They watch The Backyardigans, they read books, they play peek-a-boo (have I mentioned that this is his favorite game? He thinks it's the funniest thing EVER). It's entirely too cute! I really feel as though I have two sets of two rather than a group of four, despite the fact that they're all fairly close in age. In fact, BooBah and Bella are closer in age than Bella and Bear. Anyway, it's cute. I like it. This is yet another reason that getting pregnant would be an absolute disaster for me; I'd have to have *two* more. : I will concede that a teensy, weensy, itsybitsy infinitesimally miniscule bit of me has vague hopes of winning the lottery and settling down with several husbands and lots of help... but more and more, I feel a cold chill in my chest at the thought. The last baby growing up is bittersweet but mostly sweet.

Bear still has diarrhea, but he's only pooped once today and it's already 1:15. : He also had tears when he cried this morning (not much, but a little) and (most importantly) he finally PEED. He still seems kind of wiped out, but he's not "sick."

I've decided that if BeanBean and Boobah want to let their hair grow (both do) that they'll have to take some responsibility for it. Washing and combing, in particular-- and getting clean. Both are *capable* of washing and combing, but with Bean in particular making it happen has been a chore. I told the two of them in the tub the other day that if I had to argue about it again, they were getting buzz cuts. I just can't tolerate the smell of dirty hair, and being healthy, rambunctious children they usually smell not only of dirty hair but of actual *dirt*. Both immediately understood and acquiesed; We'll see how it goes the next time I ask them to wash their hair. The combing was just as easy,

Bella has been running away with her poopy buns. Yeesh.

Bean's been analyzing the song "Lemon Tree" today, offering fun quips like, "The lemon must be a very lonely fruit," and "You know, they're not quite *impossible* to eat, you just have to peel them..."

Hm, what else... Bear has not grown another tooth, we're still at six. It doesn't even begin to concern me. What DOES concern me is the incessant grinding. Bean has litterally ground away at least 1/3 of his teeth by now. I don't even know what to do, aside from training him to sleep with a mouth guard before the permanent teeth start to come in. It's really grotesque, the way they all grind their teeth. Any thoughts?

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[Teenytoona]

: OMG we have toddlers now, don't we!! Thanks NOS!

Rynna, Essure is some kind of metal thing that blocks the tubes, sorta tubalish but not as invasive. I'm sure Helen will know more.

O, Krisis I meant to do that efore,but didn't get around to it. I hope you feel better soon, and that the worst is over.

Um yeah, soon as this wrist bill comes in, next up is Mr Toona for the snip. I totally feel you and Rynna there. I want no more worrying.

Senara crawled into the bathroom today, spotted her bathtub letters and started saying A-E-I! A-E-I! To which we replied, O-U and sometimes Y!

Been working on a cow share and today we get the meat and sort it. Should be fun a couple of mommas on the local AP board are coming to help.

[eilonwy]

Ah, right. So it wouldn't be a good deal for someone who's allergic to nickel, hm? :

[nolonger]

Well, I have tio confess to showing Terran the first of the Ball-Stick-Bird books yesterday and his eyes definitely lit up as if he understood at least part of how it works.

I was a reading toddler and there was no "teaching" involved, you just couldn't stop me. I don't remember not knowing how to read and assumed my kids would be young readers as well. One of my original reasons for wanting to homeschool was so that my kids could read as soon as they wanted and whatever they wanted whenever they wanted.

Neither of them had any interest at all when they were little. Jeanita learned at six, Chris at seven.

I in no way advocate spending over $200 on books to "teach" a one year old how to read, I just still have the books left from Christopher, think they are excellent, and am trying to hold on to them for Terran.

I also went to starfall dot com and decided...uh, we won't be using it. I didn't like the look on Terran's face. it reminded me too much of how Christopher reacted to a brand new PBS television show about a purple dinosaur named Barney. Just no thanks. We'll do something else. instead.

[salt_phoenix]

Originally Posted by flapjack

I'm done, done, done, done, done with making babies...

I always heard that when you KNOW... you KNOW. I am so afraid of never knowing. I'd really like to be DONE in my head and heart before my body decides I am, iykwim? le sigh

Originally Posted by noordinaryspider

I was a reading toddler and there was no "teaching" involved, you just couldn't stop me.

I remember wanting and begging my mom to "teach me to read!" as early as I can remember.. I must have been 2-3. I also remember her saying to me, "when you are bigger and go to school, you can learn to read. You are too little right now." : The same woman who wouldn't "let" me take band or music, because... "well, just because, that's why". : I felt SO cheated when it came to my education (or lack thereof) I really really really wanted to learn SO MANY things, but was most often met with, "now you don't want to be TOO smart... boys don't like girls that art TOO smart." uh... ok... : It really is no wonder I choose to UNschool. The kids might say, "BUT YOU NEVER TAUGHT ME TO STAND IN LINE!" But they will never say I didn't LET them learn whatever they wanted. More than anything you hear things like, "but wouldn't you LOVE to play guitar? surely you want to take art lessons? but drama class is FUN!"
Funny how you can't win no matter what.

As far as the toddlerhood status goes. Ember took STEPS for a month, but didn't actually WALK until that little jack-o-lantern tooth popped thru. Now it's her preferred method. So only a couple days really. (says mom who is being dragged kicking and screaming out of LWAB)

[eilonwy]

I should interject here that learning letters doesn't necessarily translate to reading right away. BooBah knew several of her letters at 14 months and still isn't reading at 4.5. She hasn't been terribly interested, either. Bella knows her letters with more fluency than either of her older siblings did at this age, and unlike her siblings seems hell-bent on reading. She's got two word families she understands and is really working hard on phonics. She's on track to be the earliest actual reader, despite getting off to the slowest start of any of the kiddos. At 14 months, Bella was not walking and was hardly doing anything that could be called talking. Pointing to letters and naming them was waaaaay out of her league-- Bella was an *infant* at this age. It's all complete insanity, though-- they do what they do when they do it, and really don't pay much attention to what we think ought to happen.

[lovetobemama]

I'm not entirely kicking and screaming, but I am dragging my feet Though, with the new walking, it does feel like a new chapter has arrived, and I am suddenly peaceful about closing the last one.

As for us, I never in a million years thought that just 2 kids could be a complete family...never...but suddenly, it feels very book-endish. In my own way, I think I am like you, Rynna, where the symmetry of it feels "right" somehow. If we had one more, it would seem off, so then I would think we need a 4th, and there is NO WAY that our marriage could take 2 more pregnancies, babies, and toddlers. I'm not even sure we could survive one. We are "that" couple who truly believe in AP living, but then get cranky and start fighting over the fact that we can't just drop the kids with some stranger any old time and take a night to ourselves without regret.

Plus, Molly and I still co-sleep, with DH in the other room, and it is getting OLD!! I want my hubby to spoon, not my baby. But we can't all 3 fit, and so we are just waiting till it seems "right" to move her. Who knows when that will be.

I just kind of feel that there is nothing more that I want/need from pregnancy or having another baby, and I feel like we are handling what we can handle right now, and anther baby would be rough...too rough.

But I kind of feel like a failure for thinking that, though...Like I am somehow not a very good mother, if I feel that I can only handle 2 well, when I could probably easily have more physically. Especially with all you supermoms who have 3 and 4 kids, even if they are far apart in age, or with you all who are at 2, but definitely planning more.

[ema-adama]

Jumping in very quickly - been busy getting ready for our trip to South Africa. We fly tomorrow night :

I think Hillel is the last walker. He takes steps, but definitly no walking happening just yet - so toddler he is not just yet - but I'm happy enough to be here

I'll pop in occasionally while in SA, although I am hoping for a computer free chunk of time soaking up the sun, sand and air of that most beautiful city, Cape Town or kaapstad

[PlayaMama]

okay, left-0handed so it'll be short and messy.

rynna- i'll let you know the nrxt time i see a stockmar/mercurious buy. in fact, o'm tempted to organize one because all you have to do is be a homeschool group and buy like $250? worth of stuiff. i got the block beeswax crayons for lazlo to help him learn how to hold his pencil, and they are yummy!! linnaea prefers markers but she'll use them too, i think the 12 color box was like $8?

also, biology is HUGE for our baby making desires. it's totally like that core reptilian brain telling you to make as many as you can to get those genes passed on! my grandma had eight kids and they are mostly messed up but eaqch of them had at least two kids and really, it's not great for the species as a whole (mopstly drugs and alcohol reaons) but it's great for my grandparent's irish/english genes

yay senara and loetters!! linnaea knows quite a few animals like, she sees our chicken toy and goes "bwock bwock" or a roar for lion or dinosaur. no ;etters yet but she loves reading books and will grab my finger to point to something she wants the word for.

i'm bummed about the lack of balance too, three is just NOT good number for me and 4 is my lucky number (and mine and bear's birthday )but there is no way i am ever going to have 4. in fact, i think we're going to start a fund for "stopping the red-haired madness!" so that i can afford the essure thing. it kind of freaks me out because my dh so obviously has super sperm that i'm afraid i'll totally be the one person it fails for and have a tubal pregnancy but we can NOT handle 4 (still not quite sure we can handle 3 and the test is actually tomorrow morning at 9 so i _could_ still just be late, like 1-1/2 weeks but maybe, ya know, just maybe?

emily- so sorry about your loss! my dh lost a close friend and my friend lost her uncle, it really seems like a big month for passing on.

julie- your "school" sounds way better than the uh, "real" thing. i hear you about knowing you're done. my mom had thought i was getting my tubes tied after two and i just wasn't _that_ sure (then she made some comment about having a litter which is so weird for her because she totally supports kids and all that.... but now, i'm completely and 100000% sure that three is all i can handle and i'm not even sure my mate will be able to handle more than 2 at a time.

teeny- yay cow share!! if i could find anything similar i'd be all over it

ema- i hope your flight goes well! and that you all have a great vacation!!!!

in other news, linnaea has cavities one in her front tooth and two behind her side teeth. plus they chip super easily, i think she has three missing pieces. i'm feeding her raw cheese and taking my clo and brush9ing her teeth with probiotics and hoping i qualify for state health care because this would wipe out our meager savings plus be super traumatic and i don't want to night wean but i'm considering it. i think the lack of milk has just had her nursing all the time when she's sleeping. i'm also considering the $50 butter oil to try and remineralize them. bleh. and i've been so good about brushing and flossing! :

OH!! and funny 4/1 joke? i went to ban someone but figured i should enter in my username first to see what happened and then i ended up banning myself anyway! ha!

[PlayaMama]

okay, so now i'm spotting and freaking out. i still haven't taken a pregnancy test and i guess i could be a week and a half late after two 28 day cycles OR i could totally have an ectopic pregnancy.

i'm going to call the clinic out here even though they said they wouldn't be able to help me out until tomorrow morning.

will update when i can!

[eilonwy]

Originally Posted by PlayaMama

in other news, linnaea has cavities one in her front tooth and two behind her side teeth. plus they chip super easily, i think she has three missing pieces. i'm feeding her raw cheese and taking my clo and brush9ing her teeth with probiotics and hoping i qualify for state health care because this would wipe out our meager savings plus be super traumatic and i don't want to night wean but i'm considering it. i think the lack of milk has just had her nursing all the time when she's sleeping. i'm also considering the $50 butter oil to try and remineralize them. bleh. and i've been so good about brushing and flossing! :

Bean has cavities; Interestingly, none of the other kids do. His teeth are also a bit softer than the other kids, and more worn down by grinding. I keep hoping that he'll start losing them (he's 6.5 and while the two lower central incisors wiggle a bit, they're not loose enough to be called 'loose') but no luck so far. It seems that despite getting them on time, he's losing them later. In any case, he's got a total mess in his mouth. As such, I pay attention and have been hypervigilant with my research. I can't begin to afford things like clarified, grass-fed raw organic butter and all that stuff on the "natural cures for cavities" thread (that thread irritates me for so many reasons...), but like I said I've done a lot of reading.

Here's the thing: If a kid as young as Linnea has cavities, it's probably due to a congenital issue rather than anything you did. Yes, things you do/don't do can help/hinder, but the primary cause is probably entirely unrelated to toothbrushing or the lack thereof... or to nightnursing. Some kids have weak enamel, others weak baby teeth. Still others have calcium metabolism abnormalities which can cause tooth issues (this was of great concern when BooBah was small, because she definately metabolizes calcium strangely and we couldn't tell how it was related to her kidney issues). Some are just more prone to the particular bacteria which cause cavities. I guess what I'm saying is, try not to beat yourself up too much.

[PlayaMama]

i'm not pregnant

my test was negative. apparently i'm just two weeks late thank you thank you thank you!!!

[PlayaMama]

Originally Posted by eilonwy

all that stuff on the "natural cures for cavities" thread (that thread irritates me for so many reasons...), but like I said I've done a lot of reading.

I guess what I'm saying is, try not to beat yourself up too much.

that thread TOTALLY irritated me too i was like, but, um, surely bacteria have something to do with it? like, ALL the studies haven't been faked by the big bad dental association. though i DO think that diet probably has a lot to do with it.

i guess lazlo had such cavities early and i was convinced i could do better by brushing etc. and i'm just bummed that it didn't really matter. thanks for the hugs.

quite honestly, i'm just so happy right now that i'm NOT PREGNANT!!! that everything seems great

[lovetobemama]

Carrie!!! Phew!!! I'm glad that things have worked out in the way that you were hoping!

And about the cavities, I'm SURE that it must be to do with what Rynna was talking about, rather than how you have cared for her teeth so far. At this age, it can't be poor dental hygiene. Most kids don't even start dental hygiene yet, so don't blame yourself at all!!!

[sarahn4639]

Hi all!

Things here are really good at the moment. I'm really enjoying teaching my sex ed class. I just finisheed a rotation and will start a new one in 2 weeks. I got the research job too! I've been reading thru all the previous studies I'm replicating and will get started working this week. I'm excited because I will get to find out how some of my previous clints are doing and there are some I still think about! I've been gone from full time for 3.5 years so I haven't seen many of these clients for atleast 4 years! I'm also working with my first VBAC doula client. I really like her, she's got a 10 month old and has no support. I really hope things work out well for her!! Well, enough about me! James is great, he's changing all the time, like daily!! I really love this age! He also loves reading and often brings me books and signs want, want, want!! He's starting to make animal sounds and that's adorable. Grace was talking quite a bit at this age so it's a little weird to me that he's not but I know it's just his normal. So, he eats like you wouldn't believe. He eats more than Grace, not just sometimes, at every meal. He's not a big baby at all, where is all this food going!?!? Is there any reason I should be concerned about this? I sort of am but I can't pin point why, I think it's partly because of my own habit of over eating so I'm sensitive. James and Grace are playing together so well these days, it's very cute!

Family planning- I always thought I wanted 4, but I'm leaning more towards 3 now. I love the end of pregnancy and giving birth and having a newborn.....but it's just so much work! I am getting some time to myself and I'm loving it, I didn't get this after having Grace so it's been 3.5 years since I could just kind of do my own thing and not have to worry about everyone. James is such an easy kid! I think I will look at our next baby as the last but keep my options open for a while just in case. I think I'll do an IUD after the next baby and after 5ish years and a feeling of certainty DH will get a vasectomy. That's the plan at least! Am I alone? I still haven't gotten my fertility back. No period and very little variation in CM. I'm kind of hoping it returns in the next few months because I know we want another one and I'd like ot have time to get my cylce straightened out so when we're ready, we're ready! But I do kind of like not worrying or having to do anything to prevent!

Emily, I don't think it's a sign of being a bad mom at all, quite the opposite in fact! I think it just means you know your limits and you are setting them and doing what's best for your whole family so you can be the best mom possible to Ben and Molly.

Carrie. YAY!!! I'm so happy for you! I hope you don't have to worry about that again until you are ready for it!!

I also decided this week that I am for sure homeschooling. It's been a hard decision because I'd really like to go back to school and become a midwife and that will be hard while schooling and having kids at home. Oh well, it will all work out somehow and I feel like homeschooling is right for us. I think there are a few of us here that are or are planning on homeschooling in some form.

Sorry for the long ramble about myself. I you all!

Also, how do you floss a baby's teeth? I don't even floss Grace's, am I a bad dental hygiene mom?

[eilonwy]

Congrats on not being pregnant! :

[eilonwy]

Originally Posted by sarahn4639

I still haven't gotten my fertility back. No period and very little variation in CM.

I won't insult anyone by speaking to this... but I'm kind of curious as to the average return of fertility, post-childbirth.

I also decided this week that I am for sure homeschooling. It's been a hard decision because I'd really like to go back to school and become a midwife and that will be hard while schooling and having kids at home. Oh well, it will all work out somehow and I feel like homeschooling is right for us. I think there are a few of us here that are or are planning on homeschooling in some form.

: I've also decided that I'm going back to school. I don't know what to study first, but eventually I'd like to do medical research. I've got to sort out this allergy business. I think midwifery would be fantastic as well. I'll probably start looking at these things when Bear's nine or ten, mostly because I need Mike to work. Then again, it may be sooner if the kids are reliable on their own for a few hours. I don't know. We'll see.

Also, how do you floss a baby's teeth? I don't even floss Grace's, am I a bad dental hygiene mom?

Quickly and ineffectively, in my experience.