June 2007 Moms, Welcome to October! - Page 2

[mataji4]

I was reading Jill's post, thinking "Bjorn doesn't do that." And then this morning it's been one tantrum after another!!!!!!!! Yikes. And that dead weight thing is just brutal- he's so heavy. The other kids were so shocked. He's not a baby anymore!

And he's starting to do that hitting me to nurse/demanding nurser thing they do about this age that I do not care for.

Other than that he is great. Such welcome cute trouble he is!

The other day I blurted out to my husband "If it were up to me alone, I would have another baby." I meant in a couple of years. He was is another room and had no response. ?? He sure isn't making that vasectomy appointment! Seems like there is no end to the vasectomy horror stories around here- infections, everlasting pain and discomfort, and babies anyway! And a good friend of mine got pregant with the IUD...? So after my cycle comes- soon?- we'll just be charting to avoid and using condoms during fertile times. I can't believe after all these years of marriage and childbearing, there isn't a more, um, elegant, solution to avoid pregnancy!

[buckeye_mama]

hi, mamas! can I join in? I have a son, Oliver, who is 16 months (6/1/07), and am expecting #2 in April!

As far as tantrums...um, yeah - Ollie has been throwing them since he was about 11 months : they've gotten better, but I'm scared to see what the "terrible 2's" are going to be like!

[Jilian]

Welcome Buckeye! Congrats on your pregnancy!

Here is a pic from our local paper of us at the heart walk: http://spotted.heraldtribune.com/pho...843&size=large

Ev is the little guy on the left and I'm the one in white. It was such a great time!

We have success to report. DH and I came up with a plan to move Evan's crib back to his room and to fill up a blow-up mattress and have DH sleep on that in there with Evan while he transitions in. We weren't expecting it to work but it is working! Evan has not nursed at night AT ALL for the last 2 days. DH has easily gotten him back to bed without any crying at all. I'm shocked and the sleep is wonderful. We're still waiting for some sort of setback.

[wombatclay]

Welcome Buckeye! :

Ro throws the now and then tantrum but compared to her normal scream fests they're actually pretty second rate. Not that I want them to be bigger of course! But she is still fairly easily placated when it's a "normal tantrum".

Wasn't there a mama in our DDC who was having an IUD baby? I'd like to have another babe if we could figure the whole thing out. We're still not dtd more than, oh, once a month? Maybe less? And things are still pretty uncomfortable so I'm in no rush. Poor dh. And poor me (since it's my bottom line that is causing everyone difficulties ).

I poured myself a glass of wine last night (a gift DH brought home to soothe my solo-parent weekend woes) but before I could drink it Ro dumped it on my head! Seriously! I was laying on the couch with the wine on a shelf next to me and she managed to grab the bottom of the glass and tip it onto my head! I couldn't decide if I should laugh or cry so I did a bit of both. I'll give it another go tonight.

[PatchChild]

Evan has gotten so big! When did that happen? I love the picture of all of you. Keep sleeping babe, keep sleeping.

Hi buckeye, welcome to the group. It's fantastic to be able to hear from all these mamas with babes at all different points, and yet so close in age. Very reassuring.

Owen seems to be over his summer sleep upset. He sleeps until 5 and comes to bed to nurse and sleep until about 7:00, or he sleeps until 6:30 and then is up for the day. For him, this is fantastic. I'm getting so much more sleep these days. Hmm, maybe this means it's time for another?

[MayBaby2007]

Hi Haven't posted in the June 2007 tribe yet.

Lily was born June 8, 2007.

She's a ray of sunshine. Most of the time. Our biggest problem right now is cutting in molars and separation anxiety. She has 4 molars coming through. Poor baby. She has pieces of her upper right molar through. Her bottom left molar is bulged...getting ready to make an appearance. She's been miserable. She's had a runny nose and mild fever (99/100) on and off with these molars. I think it's actually turned into a cold....because now I'm : She's sick and miserable. I'm TIRED and sick. No good can come from this This is when single parenting becomes nightmare-ish.

[Keeping up]

Tantrums - we got them good. Seanie will storm off, stomps his feet and circles the kitchen a few times in a huff ... typically after I take him off the table, where he really likes standing (he climbs up there). I have had three head bangers before him so I expect him to follow his siblings and be a head banger yet. I remember my daughter (the quiet soul she is & was) at 18 months doing these push back back slamming, head smashing throws on the ground. The tantrums are a bit much.

Jillian - the picture link didn't work for me - but congrats on the walk.

Thinking about birth control here - thought for sure we had messed up this past month but thankfully not (we are done, just haven't done anything about it). I need something easy to control AF and to avoid pregnancy - haven't figured it out yet.

Welcome to our newbies and congrats on the pregnancy to Buckeye (I think) - my four are all less than 2 years a part, a great spacing IMO!

For my fun ... I am darn : and wish it was summer all over again.

[willoLevin]

Hmm... I never thought of A's upsets as tantrums, per se. Maybe because my brother was such a tantrum-ing kid that no one ever will compare? Or else we just aren't there yet.

Actually, I wouldn't say S. ever had a tantrum, so maybe my standards are different or my kids are just not into that? (S. went through a biting phase. I'm not suggesting he was perfect! )

But A. will cry and yell and he does knock his head about things to get attention, but he does it so intentionally, and gradually increases the force until someone responds. I guess I think of tantrums as being beyond normal human control.

On birth control:
I've mentioned that, in addition to the Mirena (hormanal) IUD, DH insists on condoms, right? Because, while I'm not really interested in giving birth to my next child (I hope to adopt), DH would've been happy to stop with ONE kid. He's taking no chances!

Is it wrong to send my almost-5-y.o. to school wearing my lavender knit gloves? They're the tiny/stretchy kind, so not really too big. But I can't find the boys' winter accessories ANYWHERE! I've gotten out the major items (coats, boots), but I've only found one hat for each and zero kid gloves/mittens. It's only 38 F this morning, and he NEEDS gloves to play happily when he gets to school. They're outside quite a while at the Waldorf School. I'm feeling so negligent!

And now all you guys have me feeling guilty for A's still wretched sleep, too. I'm not the only one who has a frequent waker, right? We keep talking about taking steps, but then we don't...

Have I mentioned that DH is going to take me with him (he's going to a conference, for work) to Spain next October? A. will be 2.25 yrs old. I keep lobbying for making it a family trip, but, aside from the expense just for airfare, DH wants it to be the honeymoon we never had. (I was supposed to join him at a different conference in Spain two weeks after our wedding, but I herniated a disc in my back and was instead disabled for about three months!) It's hard to argue with such a loving thought. But won't it be hard to leave A. still at that age?!?

WHO HAS TRAVELED, LEAVING A TODDLER THAT AGE?

I know, normal people don't fret about such things so far in advance, but I do. I think I especially get sad thinking I'll probably have to wean him, whatever his plans. (S. weaned at 2 yrs 9 mos.)

Obsessively, fussily,
--willo

[Jilian]

Willo, I'd probably go at that age. I guess it really depends on the child and the childcare options. If the kids will be staying with someone they are really comfortable with and someone you trust then go for it! This is where having more than one kid comes in handy - they'll have each other for added comfort. With DS1 I let my mom take him to Disney overnight when he was 2. He loved it. He weaned around 17 mos so that wasn't an issue.

I'd send him in the lavender gloves too He'll take them off when he gets there. But I've been known to use lavender diapers on my boys too, colors don't do anything for me - a color is a color not a sex IMO.

[Jilian]

Evan has had his language explosion this past week. It is amazing! He's literally learned hundreds of words this past week, he's like a little sponge. Anything I point at and say the word for he repeats. He started talking in two-word sentences today too. He says "get down" "All done" "no touch" and "bite ball" (because I kept telling him not to bite his brother's football). It is so exciting! DS1 did not talk like this until he was about 2.5

I know I'm gonna jinx it, but he's still sleeping without nursing. This is day 3. He wakes up for just a few seconds in his crib and DH pats his back and he goes right back to sleep. DH is still in the room with him. I think it really makes DH feel good to be able to care for him without me. If I were in the room he'd cry until I picked him up so this works well. DH is calling Evan his "little roommate" They affectionately refer to Evan's room as the "boy's room"

[wombatclay]

Welcome MayBaby! My dd2 was born on the 8th as well.

BC- I've thought about the mirena, but I'm not convinced that it would be comfy with the prolapse. Some PoP mamas say yes, some say no, and since I'd be paying out of pocket and the pockets are essentially empty I don't want to risk being in the "no" category right now.

Age/travel- I remember with dd1 feeling like she would be ok with my being gone overnight/for a few days when she was about 2.5yo. But of course by then dd2 was here so there was no reprieve. I don't know how dd2 is going to "go" in terms of independence but I'm hoping for a similar age... somewhere around 2.5-3.

Weaning- I'd planned on weaning around 2years with dd1 but with Ro on the way the plan changed. I'd like to nurse Ro for at least the first two years and then go to a don't offer/don't refuse approach. I love breastfeeding, and am very "pro" about it, but I really don't want to be breastfeeding a 5yo (and given dd1's personality that is very very likely at this point if I left it up to her!).

Ooops... the babes are calling! Back later!

[mataji4]

We GO to sleep easily here but wake up still too often for my taste.

willo- I left Bodhi when he had just turned two to go to Australia for 10 days with my sister. It was a blast and I really didn't miss the kids at all. He had weaned just two months before- his choice, not mine- so that wasn't an issue. Go for it! How fun!

an IUD and condoms? geez. that's covering his bases!

we're still awaiting the language explosion over here- i think it will lessen the screaming from frustration.

[buckeye_mama]

Thank you, all, for the welcome

I have PCOS, and needed to use clomid to have DS, and femara for this one...so birth control hasn't been an issue for us after this lo is born, we probably won't use anything, but also won't do any kind of medications or treatments - just let nature take it's course, and if we are blessed with #3, then so be it...if not, we'll look at doing something permanent in a few years...

DH left this morning to go out of town for work for 2 days...DS is going through a very attached-to-daddy phase right now (since I was so sick and exhausted in the 1st tri, he got a lot more one-on-one time with him), so it will be interesting to see how he does with just me...this morning went great, though, so I'm optimistic...I think we might actually be making progress with his stranger/separation anxiety!

[PatchChild]

Owen had to get stitches today!! Yikes. Not my idea of a good time. We went to the playground and he was having a ball climbing up and sliding down as always. This time though, he slipped on a stair and crashed face first onto the step. This would have been a nasty bruise except that some moron made the stairs with an edge piece facing up and he got an inch long gash just to the side of his eye. Half an inch more and it would have been his eye! Fortunately, my DH had gotten to the playground to join us 5 minutes earlier so I didn't have to cope on my own. Also fortunate, the playground is a 3 minute drive from the pediatrician.

We were there before DH got off hold with the receptionist. They took him in right away, decided it needed stitches, and gave me a cloth soaked with topical anestesia (spelling?). Hold it on him for 10 minutes they told me. Ha ha ha, you've apparently never met my son. We managed though, by having DH find a song from Signing Time on You Tube which we watched over and over on his iPhone. Thank goodness for technology. Owen was fascinated. Then of course came the fun of laying him down and holding him still while they stitched, I held the hands and laid my head on his lap to keep him from moving while DH held his head. DH is a paramedic so he really wasn't phased by doing that. We even got a compliment by the pedi at the end of it, saying he didn't usually let parents do the holding because they can't seem to do it right. So, it's a good thing that we can immobilize our son?

Two stitches later, and one super tired boy we headed back home for a very early bedtime. Icky.

Ouch!

[Jilian]

Buckeye, good luck with your two days alone. I hope things go well.

Patch, YIKES! How scary! I'm glad your DH was there to help. I'm happy Owen didn't smash his eye, that would have been so much worse. Poor little guy. I hope he's feeling better soon.

[wombatclay]

Yikes! I'm glad Owen is ok! I'd be a wreck. Brilliant use of technology. Big hugs to you all.

[mataji4]

Oh poor Owen! This is the time for owies, I guess. Bjorn fell on his face so many times today! And one time he managed to cut his gums and lip really badly- poor thing. I took my daughter in for stitches at this age too. And we almost took another son at this age for a bad fall on a rock, but didn't. He still has a bump on his head in that spot.

I had a thought today, that I've had before, but it really helps get me through tough moments:

THIS IS THE HARDEST I WILL EVER WORK IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.

So hats off to you hardworking mothers!

[buckeye_mama]

Thanks, jilian - last night and this morning went fabulously! I'm really, really enjoying the time with him, although I was ready for bed at 8:00 last night when he went down

Patch: poor owen!! I hope his eye is feeling better soon!

[Jilian]

4/4 is a great day to be born, it is my birthday! I've always thought an April baby would be perfect. April is such a nice month and the weather is so mild.

[wombatclay]

My dd1 was born April 5th so I'm a bit partial to that day!

(of course, she was due in March so it took me a while to decide April was a good birth month since at the time I was seriously annoyed that I'd been pregnant an "extra" two weeks )