February '09 Mamas ~ Childhood Chat :) - Page 24

[Thursday Girl]

sometimes they are so cute you totally forgive their transgressions, and I think Esme hit the mark on that one.

I am going to talk to June's dr about speech therapy, the girls and I are about the only ones who can understand her and even then their is a large amount we can't understand, she's getting more and more words too which is making it harder because so many words sound the same as other words. Most of what I figure out is because of context, so if she comes up to me with something not related to anything that's going on I am pretty clueless.

Also I am super annoyed with Hubs because I went to pay bills only to find out what he has been paying is past due amounts and not the current stuff, so everything is so far behind and I am trying to play catch up  but with owing $1700 in bills and him just bringing in $600 a week and needing $200 or so to travel to the job it's just not cutting it, all this and I get the "joy" of being a parent by myself to 4 kids. After 2 weeks alone I told him I wanted to go to Joann's by myself (and by myself I mean with the 3 month old because I'm not leaving a 3 month old) and he said yes, but then I looked at his account and realized I can't in good conscience go spend $50.00 even if it is for supplies to make diaper covers to sell. Especially when his old boots finally gave out and he HAS to get new boots. I'm just super frustrated with the whole damn thing. Be caus eof Jo-anns, because they could come shut off a utility, because I told him to buy boots when we actually had a bit of money we could get away with not spending on bills and he didn't listen. I am so tired of being broke and alone, I'm a damn country song and it sucks.

[Mal85]

Oh Courtney, I totally hear you when it comes to being broke all the time. It gets really old and very tiresome. We've definitely had our share of money troubles. I hope everything works out for you guys. 

Owyn is having a pretty hard time right now. DH has been working a ton of overtime. He works for the electric department and something huge broke on the generator at work, so they've been working pretty much around the clock to get it fixed. It started the last few days of June and they are finally at a point where they can send the part off and won't have anymore overtime until he comes back in a couple of weeks. The timing for this was actually perfect. We found out just days before that I need a root canal and a crown, so we really do need the money right now. And I'm off work, so it's really okay for me to have the girls all the time, but it's been a strain. We're all used to Daddy coming home in the afternoon and he spends a lot of time with Owyn in the evenings. She's really missing him and it's coming out in her behavior and attitude. We've had a few days now of her arguing with everything I say, even when I'm telling her something she wants to hear. She's just in an argumentative mood and there's no breaking it. This morning, she refused to eat breakfast after begging me to make her something. So, I told her she couldn't watch any Backyardigans until her food was all gone. So, what does she do? Dumps the entire bowl of cereal out of the table and then announces that her food is all gone now. Ahhh! So, the tv is gone for the day. I usually let her watch tv while Greta naps so that it keeps her quiet, so it's been a challenge keeping the volume down for naps. I am also hosting a book club meeting here tonight, so I really could have used some tv time to get stuff done myself, but we're sticking to it. She's mostly over it now and is actually playing with her toys in her room. 

Greta's doing well though. In the last week she has mastered army crawling, got two new teeth, learned to sit up from laying down, and has started attempting to pull up to things. Thankfully the pulling up to things has not been successful yet, but she's trying. This girl is just doing everything at once and I see full mobility in the near future! 

With DH's overtime, things have slowed down on the house, which sucks. I really wanted it on the market before school starts, but I don't know if we'll make it in time. He was in a good mood after working yesterday, so we went out to lunch and went to pick out paint for the walls. I figure if he can't get any of the more time consuming stuff done, I can at least work on repainting the walls and something can get done! We are going to look at two houses this Saturday, one of which we're both equally excited about, which never happens! DH even said he could see choosing to live in that house over building a house if we can get it for the right price. 

My summer is just flying by. We leave for vacation in 2.5 weeks and I return to work the day after we get back. I'm really enjoying the summer off, but I'm not really dreading going back to work. It will be nice to get into that routine again and have some time out of the house. Owyn starts preschool a couple of weeks after I go back to work and she seems to be getting a little nervous about it. Especially since she recently figured out that her best friend is not going to the same school as her. I think she'll do great though!

[AKislandgirl]

Hi Mamas! Things are busy around here as we prep to leave town for 3 weeks. I'm getting excited to head into some warm weather. It has been in he 50's here!

Coutney: Money problems are so stressful. I'm sorry things are so tight for you guys. And not having your DH around is so so hard! I hope things get better for you soon.

Fiona is weaned! I kind of thought I'd never say that. We are on day 4. She hasn't asked to nurse at bed time but is pretty whiney in the morning. The weaning fairy brought her a beautiful Waldorf doll which was a big hit! As were the hershey kisses! Hopefully in a couple of weeks our mornings will be smoother too. It always seems to take a while for major changes to sink in for her but so far it has been really good overall. Sigh... a little bittersweet too.

Maeve is happy and mellow. She has mastered pulling to standing is beginning to cruise the couch in little wobbly steps. She crawls on hands and knees now too. She says Papa but only says Mama when she's crying. I think she is calling Fiona Yaya. :) She is such a little love and puts up with a lot of rough love from her sister! :) Fiona was trying to carry her yesterday! Yikes!

I had been thinking about extending my trip south but have realized 3 weeks with my mother is enough! DH will be leaving on the boat but our sitter is back in town. I think he'll be gone for a week starting the day after we get back.

Fiona starting to meltdown- have to run!

[Thursday Girl]

Mal- try this activity for nap time, it kept June busy for over an hour!!

Plus setting up an embroidery hoop with some loose weave fabric, blunt tip needles and embroidery floss is good for a decent stretch of time, you just have to change out the thread for them. The key is to not have the floss longer than their arm, then it gets tangled.

Can't believe Greta is getting so big! It can totally be hard for them to adjust to dad being gone, my girls had a rough time the first week but we have settle into somewhat of a routine. The house not being ready sucks, boy do I know about that, I so badly want a third bedroom again, it's only been like 4 years or something asinine like that.(I know your trying to get ready to sell as opposed to just have enough room, but it's sort of the same)

Sue- wow, cool that Fiona is weaned now and that she is taking it nicely.  Funny that Fiona tries to carry Maeve, those little sisters really do have to be tough. Today I caught Juniper holding Coraline!!

The money thing will be okay I think I have figured out that if Chris gets paid what he says he's getting aid I can have the bills paid off by the 17th. Then we just have to figure out how to come up with $1300 to fix my van...and maybe find some money so the backroom can be worked on again. I feel more peaceful knowing that things will be paid off soon.

So I started a facebook page for local moms to help plan get togethers since kids always play longer when other kids are around, it seems to be running beautifully so far. Even as a source if outing ideas you wouldn't normally know about, especially since Tampa is a fair size town and has lots of free events for kids and families.

[Vegan Princess]

Courtney: I'm glad you're feeling better! I hear you on the money front! I just got $750 in bills for my 20 week ultrasound and NT ultrasound!!!! I had no idea I'd be paying out of pocket for them. But apparently they go toward my deductible. Anyway, that was money we so needed to pay the midwife. Argh. I'd still be interested in ordering a diaper cover. I don't mind paying you in advance so you can buy materials, if you need. Let me know. I'm mostly just looking for newborn size. I have a bunch of newborn fitteds. But most of my bigger baby stash are AIOs. I've never actually used fleece or wool covers yet! I'm excited to try.

Sue: Congrats on the weaning! I'm betting it is bittersweet no matter when it happens.

I just cannot believe how big all your tiny babies are getting! It goes so fast! Probably much faster for me bc I'm not the one taking care of them every day. ;-)

Mal: Makenna started w/preschool anxiety yesterday. After we got home from the airport she started asking when I'm going to pick her up from school and how long I'd be gone and ended up totally crying! But when I went to hug her and pick her up she said she was tired. So I think she got overwhelmed thinking about it after a long day of travel and needing to go to bed. It was still on her mind today though bc she asked if she had to go to school today. I said no and she kept saying "but what about the day after this day?" I definitely think it's going to be a big adjustment on our end bc she has gotten so clingy lately!

AFM: We got back from Indiana last night. I had a nice time visiting with the inlaws. But we didn't do much. It was 105 and just miserably hot out. Too hot to do anything. So we sat inside and did nothing. But M played SOOOO well with her 4 yr old and 2 yr old cousins. She really just let me sit and relax while they entertained themselves. She was crying today bc she missed them so much already. M is ready to move there! Oh we also swam a lot - that was the only way I could tolerate being outside. Was lovely to visit with my SIL who is due with #3 in less than 3 weeks! I'm so happy to be home in the cooler weather and my own bed now though. I am DONE traveling until after baby and I am just happy to hunker down and get to nesting. 

Anyone have any thoughts on how to reduce the clinginess??? Do you think I should get a babysitter once/week for a few hours or something? I just have not really been away from M at all since January (except for maybe an hour or 2/week that she stays home w/DH while I do yoga or something) and I think since then she has forgotten how to be ok without me by her side constantly. 

Cindy

[Thursday Girl]

Cindy- clinginess- i think if you can getting someone to be with her for a little bit would be a great idea, especially if you start out with them being at the house while you are still there and then maybe transitioning to you or them being gone. it would e a gentle reminder that she can have fun even when you aren't there.  As for the covers, are there colors you want? I have that striped fabric, yellow, black, green, maybe enough pink to do the waistbands and leg bands of one diaper and a sort of grayish blue.  I am also going to run to the store and pick up some more fleece because it's on sale right now. I'll let you know what i get. I love the fleece and wool covers as the other part of my diapering system. I use pockets the other times.

[Vegan Princess]

Courtney: I loved the fabric you used for the one you made. And pink on the edges sounds great! I'm not super picky. Colorful sounds nice though. :-) What are your thoughts on fleece vs. wool? They both accomplish the same thing, right?

Hmm. I think I might talk to DH about getting the babysitter we've used on and off since M was almost 2 to come for a couple hours/week. I would love to get to an extra yoga class or to go swim at the gym (and M cries at the childcare there at the big gym now so we haven't been going). Plus I just think it might be good for her. I'm not sure we should be spending the money though. 

M is all screwed up from the time change. Before we left she was going to bed around 9 and getting up between 8 and 10! Last night she went to be at almost 9 and got up at 6:30 today. Blah. Yesterday she got up at 7:30 and was so crabby and throwing herself on the ground over nothing all day. Today should be fun. LOL.

[mckittre]

Cindy - no great ideas on the clingyness.  If she had so much fun with her cousins, maybe a playdate where you leave her with a couple good friends would be a good thing to work towards?

Courtney - I'm glad you're feeling more at peace with the money stuff.  Having to count every penny is really hard. Our income is super variable as it's all freelance and consulting stuff, but we've been lucky the last few years to have set ourselves up in a life with almost no regular bills, so we can afford that variability. I hope the speech therapy works out. I imagine it must be super frustrating for Junes to only be able to talk to family.

Sue - Congratulations on the weaning. I hope you have fun in the warm weather. And better everyone else than me.  I hate heat, and left to my own devices, will probably NEVER leave Alaska in the summer. Summer is too nice here, and too hot everywhere else.  (I'm happy to go Outside at other times, though - especially November). The other day, I realized K is so used to long-sleeved shirts that he finds the short-sleeved ones too strange-feeling and refuses to wear them ever, even if it is warm.

Mal - K always gets crazy and argumentative when dad is gone too.

Starling - I love the crazy explanations they give for everything at this age. Even when it is exasperating. I wish I could stop K from repeating every "important" comment in a super high-pitched whining yell over and over and over again.

AFM: Just got back from a few days backpacking and packrafting, which was awesome. Paddled to some islands with neat sea caves to explore, then climbed a beautiful trail over a mountain with great views, alpine tundra, and marmots, and then paddled back home. Katmai did the entire trail himself, which was somewhere between 5 and 6 miles yesterday, with about 1400 feet of elevation gain (plus another several miles and 1700 feet of elevation the day before). He loved finding cairns and running between them, and we were really proud of how much he managed to do by himself. Lituya wished she could, but mostly is still riding on my back. I love our expeditions, but I've gotten so used to planning large-scale adventures in difficult seasons and super remote places, it's really a fun change of pace to do backpacking that's just easy for a change. A nice summer vacation.

[Everrgreen]

Erin - Wow!  That sounds awesome :)  I wish I could do a big camping trip, I never seem to have the time.  I want to take R camping this summer but that will just be car camping for a night :P

Cindy - Definitely get yourself a babysitter!  I don't know if it will help her be less clingy when she's with you, but at least you'll get some breaks from all the contact.  R always wants to snuggle.  He's in daycare full time so mostly I don't mind it when we're together (although, sometimes I still just want to be alone!)

Courtney - I'm glad your money stuff is looking ok.  I don't stress too much about my money issues.  I know it's only until I start working next summer in my real career.  For now we just make do.  I guess it also helps that I know we'll always have a place to live and food to eat.  The important things :)

Sue - Aww, weaning is so bittersweet.. R hasn't nursed in a few months now.  I think it was early April when he last nursed.  I think about it sometimes, when we're snuggling down to bed, it's so strange that he doesn't even ask for num-num.  Although he will still pull my shirt collar down and rest his head on my chest :P

Mal - Poor Owyn!  R is very similar (I've actually had him throw food in the garbage so that it will be 'all done'.. So angering!!)  My summer is also flying be.  More than half over now!  I wish I had more time/energy/money to do fun things with R.  Actually I have Friday off so maybe I'll keep him home for a mommy and R day.  Do something fun :)

AFM - Things are busy.  Between work and my course all my free time seems to vanish.  I want to take R to the beach, and this local reptile zoo, and go camping, and visit some friends..  I guess that's it.  Some days I miss being home with R and all the free time we had together.  Life is so busy now.  But it's the right choice, I know.  I just wish I could have some time off with my baby :(

[Nillarilla]

Erin Wow! That's so awesome my 6 yr old whines when we do our little hikes and Dee still rides in the pack with absolutely no effort to walk or climb I wish we could go camping just have no time lately. Dh and I are gearing up for a big hike of Berg lake in August but we aren't bringing the kids.

Courtney glad you feel like the money thing is sorted out a bit. We are stretched pretty tight right now with me making 1/2 what I normally do but at least I know that's temporary.

Cindy definitely get a babysitter this is probably your last chance for a bit of freedom before the other little darling arrives.

Sue congrats on the easy weaning. Is it still going smoothly or has she asked again?

Ever I've tried a version of your technique for the times when they are crazy. I just hold them until it all slows down and then I talk. I think my kids might need some more physical connection to 'know where they are in the world'. I've always kind of thought that perhaps if I held them they would think it was ok to act like little crazies and scream and yell. But I'm slowly letting go of that and things are improving.

Dee is having more trouble with her ear and seems to have some lasting hearing loss so off to the Doctor we shall go and get a referral to the audiology clinic. It's kind of weird not really like ear infections but more like just pain and then she gets very tired and nauseous and sleeps it off and is fine in the morning and it only happens sporadically. I have a friend who has Celiac and also has an inner ear thing called Meniere's and I'm truly hoping it's not that.... The treatments are severe and the outcomes for her hearing are not great.

[Vegan Princess]

Nilla: That is scary - I hope that isn't the cause of Dee's ear problems! No fun either way!

Everr: Did you end up keeping R home on Friday? Do anything fun? And btw, you look AMAZING in your pics on Facebook!! I 2nd Starling's comment -  I want your stomach!! Maybe in a yr. :-)

Erin: What an amazing trip!! 

AFM: Well even DH thinks we need to do something about how clung to me M is. I left her with him on Friday and did a swim class and she cried when I left - even though she's usually happy to be with Daddy. He thinks I should leave her for drop off playdates with her friends - but I can't really ask her friend's moms to keep her right now - they all have 2nd children and also they have no time or desire to do a swap bc their kids are in preschool already or they have a sitter a couple times/week. I hate to spend the money on the sitter, but my friend gave me the name of a highschool girl from her church that she used recently who charges less than $10. And yes, it would be SO nice to have some free time before baby comes!!! DH has been working a ton lately and is often home late and I don't see it getting any better in the near term. I'm also thinking maybe I should just make her do the childcare at the Y that she hates? I just feel bad bc she ends up crying lately. But I so want to work out and I am feeling yuck bc I'm not getting much chance to.

Cindy

[Everrgreen]

Thanks Cindy :)  And I did keep him home and we went to the beach (the pics are from that day).  It was really nice.  I'm going to keep him home a day next week too.  Maybe do another beach day!  

How are things with the clingyness?  I think I would vote for some tough love in this case..  I would leave her at the Y, she'll get used to it.  R cried when he first started going to daycare but then he adjusted and now he loves it.  I think it will be good for her in the long run and she's plenty old enough to understand that you haven't vanished completely and that you'll be back.  Plus, it will be so much easier to do it now then try and do it when the new baby arrives.  Try not to make a big deal of it, just say "mommy needs to go exercise for a little bit and then I'll be back to get you, have fun and I'll see you soon"  Then leave.  In my experience the longer you draw out the goodbye the harder it is for them and for you.  Just my 2 cents :P

Nilla - I'm sorry about Dee's ear problems.  That is so hard to see your baby suffering.  I really hope it is something that can be easily treated.  Keep us updated. *hugs*

AFM - So R needs to learn some RESPECT.  It is driving me nuts.  He is sooo sassy and argumentative.  I don't know what to do about it but he is so disrespectful.  He will roll his eyes at me and say "Mama!  Stop talking!" (when I'm just having a normal conversation with him/my mom/etc.), I've also gotten "Mama, I told you to be quiet!!", or just "Shhhh!", he rarely ever listens when asked to do something/stop doing something, and if I get mad he will just stick his tongue out at me and then laugh and run off.  He also argues with EVERYTHING, when is exhausting.  I don't know.. Any ideas??  I try and treat him with respect as much as possible (modeling how he should act in return), but there are times I have to tell him to stop talking, be quiet, or shhh..)  That's where he gets it from I'm sure.  I'm feeling so worn out with him lately!

And finally, just a funny story:   Last night R was telling me about this new game he played at daycare, he was going on and on and on about how tricky the game was and how he didn't win.. The game?  Ghost town - the teacher says ghost town and they have to stop talking.  I can totally see how that would be incredibly tricky for R and why he would never win LOL!

[mckittre]

Everr - Funny about the "ghost town" game. :)

Not sure there's any magic solutions for argumentative kids.  K isn't "sassy" so much, but wants to reason/argue about everything.  "Put some pants on" "Why?" "Because it's cold outside." "But I want to be cold" "OK. And people don't want to see you naked in town" "Why don't they want to see me naked in town?" "Because it's not polite." "Why? What's 'polite' mean?" etc...  It never ends.  I do sometimes tell him I'm on a "why break"

Cindy - hope the babysitter works out for you. At least if it's the same one every time, I'm sure M will get used to her.

Nilla - I hope you figure out what's wrong with Dee's ears and that it's something you can treat easily.

AFM - Taking off Saturday morning for a week and a half in Denali Park (which I've actually never been to).  We've been invited to give a series of talks in a lodge there, so it should be fairly plush! But hopefully plenty of time for hiking around during the days.  We're bringing my MIL as babysitter, and it should be a fun family trip.  If my husband ever finishes the work he needs to get done.  He's self employed, and we have enough money right now, but he always signs up for way too much. The projects are all important and interesting, but he gets stressed out about finishing them all, and I think it affects all of us a little (and shifts some of the burden of household stuff my way).

[Vegan Princess]

Erin: Your trip sounds fun! I hear you about burden of household stuff being shifted. DH has been working really late lately. So I'm doing everything. I can hardly complain though after knowing Everr does it all on her own, every day and Sue had her DH leave for a month! I guess I just get a bit more annoyed bc I'm so pooped out lately. Makenna can't understand why she has to wear clothes in public either. She always wants to take her bathing suit off and go nude at the splash pad or public pool. Personally, I don't care, but I don't usually let her do it bc no one else is nude and a lot of people honestly do not get letting your kid run around naked. Plus I suppose there  could be a perve around. But mostly it's the whole societal standard thing I have trouble explaining it to her bc I don't really want her to adopt the way of thinking that our bodies are shameful and need to be covered up.

Everr: So funny about the game. LOL!

So Makenna says she actually WANTS our old baby sitter to come watch her. The high school girl isn't going to work bc my friend sent me the email that has her schedule in it and it doesn't fit anything I'd want to do. So perhaps I will have our old sitter come. I did make her go to the Y childwatch on Monday. I let her pick out cookies at the store that she could eat there as a bribe. She totally cried when I left. But my DH went and picked her up about 1/2 hour after I left so she didn't have to stay the entire hour+. I had to go back and get DH's keys when I was done bc we swapped cars (car seat). The lady told me she only cried for 2 minutes then played nicely. So at least she didn't cry long. I may bring her there again tomorrow if DH doesn't get home in time for my class - which I doubt he will. I also took her swimming there on Tuesday and didn't make her go to childwatch - tried to keep it all fun and happy and let her know that if she wanted to keep doing the fun things she likes there, we could only keep going if mommy gets to do the things I like too. In any case, M told me she doesn't like childwatch bc she doesn't want other kids to be there. I don't think she would cry or mind if I left her there and she was the only one there. Today we went to a farm and she wanted to play at the park part. But she didn't want to go on the climbing sturcture without me. I refused bc I felt dizzy and not well. So she chose not to play on it bc there were a couple other kids. I find that so frustrating! I keep explaining there will always be other people at places where we go, etc. That she doesn't have to play with the kids but she needs to not be bothered by them. 

29 weeks today. :-) 

Cindy

[Mal85]

Hey ladies. I feel like I haven't been here in forever. We have been so busy I can't think straight. Last week, I re-painted our dining room. DH is still working tons of overtime, so the girls and I have still been pretty much on our own. This week, he shouldn't be working any extra hours so he'll be around to help us get ready for our vacation. We leave Friday morning! I was hoping to get both the living and dining rooms painted before we leave, but I'm not going to have time. That kind of sucks, because I'll be going back to work as soon as we get back so I'm not sure when I'll have time. I'll have to wait until our schedule gets into a routine. 

This past weekend, we took a trip to the lake. Owyn got to go riding on a tube behind the boat for the first time. I rode with her and she loved it! She kept shouting "Faster, faster!!" I even took her out for a veeerrrryyyy slow ride on the jet ski with me. She loved that even more and kept telling me to go faster. She is super excited for our beach trip now that she had a weekend at the lake. We're leaving early in the morning and stopping for the night in Memphis. We should get there early enough for the kids to have time to swim in the pool and go out to dinner someplace that night. Then, we'll be up early to get to Gulf Shores that afternoon. Greta had such a great time at the lake too. She loves the water! And she even took a 2 hour nap right on the shore, so we didn't have to make a trip back to the hotel. I was glad the girls did so well for the weekend, it makes me less nervous for the week-long trip. Greta had never traveled overnight before and she did great! She was so worn out, she slept better than she does at home. 

When we got back, I got the news that the principal at my school passed away. His funeral was this morning, so that was hard to come back to. I had the girls with me, so I didn't get a chance to talk to the other faculty to find out if the school board is hiring anyone else or what is going on... I guess I'll find out when I head back to work. 

DH and I are still slowly, but surely getting this house ready to sell. We looked at 3 houses last weekend with no luck. The one we were really excited about had a lot of issues. The foundation was bad, every room needed a makeover.. it was bad. We loved one of the houses, but it was way out of our price range. Our agent is selling his house and wanted some fresh eyes to look at it. Of course, that's the one we loved! But it was a style of house we didn't think we'd like, so I think it really opened our eyes to what would work for us. We're going to look at a house tonight when DH gets off work. It is the perfect price, sits on 5 acres and has a huge 4 car garage for DH to put his workshop in. And the pics look really nice, all updated and new. DH isn't too sure about it. It's outside of town a little ways and he likes being this close to work. He rides his moped to work a lot in nice weather and wouldn't be able to do that anymore. Plus, it's really close to the school district line and we aren't sure if the girls would be able to go to school here, so that is certainly something to ask about. Wish us luck!

[mckittre]

Mal - Hope the house search is going well

Cindy - Not too long now, I guess!  Have you asked M what bothers her about other kids being around? Maybe there's some strategy she can use to deal with them better.

Just got back from my week of vacation/work in Denali Park, which was awesome.  Training K up to hike longer distances in preparation for our next big trip next spring, and excited to see he might be able to carry himself. Only problem was that the voles ate my broccoli while I was gone. My husband is gone for a few weeks for work now, but my mom just showed up, so I should have 2 grandmas and and an aunt around - which ought to be enough to let me have time to edit my book draft?

Couldn't resist a few cute Denali photos.

[Vegan Princess]

Beautiful pics Erin!! Lituya is turning into such a little girl now! So crazy - where does time go??? 

Makenna is so not a walker out in nature. But today we went to a redwood forest and she did the 2 mile loop without being carried at all and without complaining. But only bc she was having so much fun with her 7 yr old cousin. When it's just her and I or DH, she would complain her feet hurt or have daddy carry her on his shoulders. 

My brother and his eleven kids have been here for a few days. They leave tomorrow. Makenna has been having SO much fun with them. She cries every night when we haul her off to bed at 10:30 bc she doesn't want to stop playing. She hasn't had a moment of shyness around them or a bit of territoriality about sharing her toys. I've been impressed! She is going to be so sad when they go home. I always notice that after she spends time playing with older kids, her manner of play evolves! Last night the cousins (who range in age from 4.5 to 19) were all out exploring the city and Makenna insisted DH come back down stairs and snuggle mommy while she played alone with her toys. She seems to learn new ways of playing and gets so much more focused after watching the bigger kids play. Maybe I don't do enough modeling of play? I've never modeled how to play with toys - though I know some of my friends do. 

I hit 31 weeks today. 6 weeks until term! Makenna came at 38 weeks exactly. Crazy to think this little girl could be here in 7 weeks. Getting through this big family visit was one of the last big things on my list. Next week we are ripping out our bedroom closet and fixing a leak and doing mold remediation. That will be the last big thing to get through. And the adjustment of M starting preschool in a month. But that's not really a big task on my part. I've finished buying all we need (which really wasn't much), ordered and received all my breastfeeding meds and herbs and even have a stockpile of donor milk in my freezer already. All I really have left to do is wash clothes and dipes and the put them away and find the car seat in the attic. :-)

How is everyone? Busy, I suppose! Our little thread has been so quiet these days. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying summer!!

Cindy

PS: Starling - I'm going to PM you about the lactaids one of these days. I'd still LOVE to have them, if you are still up for passing them on. :-)

[starling&diesel]

Oh, Erin!  Such beautiful children in such beautiful country.  Swoon!

Cindy ... Of course!  Let me know where to send them and I will.  I have six, I think, plus a couple rolls of 4oz bags.  I won't chuck in the dom, being that it's going across the border, unless you're in a bind for it?  

We're having a great summer!  Outside a lot and getting into such a nice rhythm as a family, just in time for being going back to work in less than 60 days.  Argh.  Anyone have any bright ideas on how to become independently wealthy?  My EI ran out this month, so we'll find out what living on one income feels like until October.  

Hello everyone else!  xoxo

[AKislandgirl]

Hi Everyone! Just back from 3 weeks in Washington. We had a lovely family reunion! I also loved seeing Fiona with her cousins. It was really great. She had way fewer tantrums then I expected and seemed to really thrive in the sun, beach and farm. Makes my heart ache for our farm even more. I loved seeing her grab the goats by the collar to help her Auntie move them to the new barn and curling into her lap to help milk the cow. It was great to see ALL of my siblings together too. Loved it. DH and I rented a cabin for a week of our stay too which turned out to be perfect. Forced quiet time to start and end the day really helped us all but Fiona especially. I am very happy to be home but it was a great trip. I even  survived flying home solo with the girls. Fiona went to bed with a fever and woke up still so hot. I didn't know if I should just try to reschedule or fly anyway but its such a pain to reschedule and I knew we would be looking at terrible layovers and such so I just went for it. She threw up twice in the 2 hours it took to get to the airport but then seemed to get better- thank god! i was so worried she was going to throw up on the flight. By evening she was just over it and was back to herself. Phew!

Maeve is really changing a lot. Little bits of balancing while standing although she's not really interested in cruising the furniture too much yet. She got 2 teeth while we were gone with another on the way which will put her at 7. Before the trip she could sort of take or leave food but now she's really into it. She thought it was awesome having an Auntie who runs a produce stand! We all loved that! She was babtized while we were there and screamed through the entire thing because she was so tired and couldn't understand why she couldn't just nurse to sleep. Poor girl. 

Saddly, our old dog died while we were away. I feel such guilt that we weren't with her. And feel so terrible for our high school friend who was house sitting for us. She held her in her lap while she died. I'm so grateful for that. I had a big cry when I got home last night and only one dog came to greet me. I will miss her so much. My Willie girl was our first baby really. I'm glad that she is no longer sick and hurting though. I hope Fiona will remember her when she is older.

Erin: Love those gorgeous pictures!!

Cindy: Sounds like a great visit! Getting so excited for you and that new baby! :)

Mal: Hope the house prep keeps ticking along.

Missed you ladies and glad to be back!

[Vegan Princess]

Starling: Just PMed you. If you figure out how to become independently wealthy, please let us know! Living on 1 income is TIGHT! I hope you enjoy your 60 days - but I know you'll do great when you go back, as you did last time around. Just a couple days/week, right? I'm loving all the outdoor, squishy H pics on Facebook these days!

Sue: Welcome home! I had read about your dog on facebook, but reading about it again just now totally made me cry. I guess I'm hormonal. I'm so attached to my pets though. I'm sorry. What a lovely friend you have to stay with her and be so gentle to her while she passed. Do you think you guys will get another dog to keep your 1 dog company? I hope you got some great pics of F helping milk the cow! How fun! That's one thing I really want to take M to do. She is often afraid to get close to the cows at the farm but she claims she really wants to milk one (the little farm near us doesn't do it). 

Cindy