June Wobbly Toddlers

[ellery]

Since I'm not sure if we're wobblers or toddlers anymore, I thought I'd start us off and combine the names. And point out to any lurkers that if your kids qualify, come on in and join us. :)

So I'll do introductions again...

me, 37
DH, 38
Danny, 14 months

Things are just going really smoothly here and I completely love this age! Danny is a lot of fun and seems to learn something new each day. Last week he was all about not wanting to leave daycare each day, and it was a little embarrassing - I felt like I had to explain to all the other parents that no, I do not beat him when we get home, he just REALLY likes daycare. So it was a surprise when he greeted me this afternoon and grabbed my hand to lead me out of the room. I was very flattered until I looked down and saw in his other hand, his favorite toy horse (he seems to be obsessed with horses). He was trying to make a break for it with the horse. ;)

No real progress in the speech department or the eating department, as the boy seems to exist primarily on crackers, milk, yogurt and applesauce. Despite my best efforts to introduce him to new foods. :rolleyes: His daycare teachers were talking about it with me this afternoon (as Danny continued plotting ways to leave the room with the horse) and tried to tell me that it's because he was breastfed that he prefers to drink milk and eat graham crackers versus eat a varied diet like his classmates. Um, that's a new one to me.

And just an interesting note, looking back on the days of all the sleep issues. These days our bedtime routine consists of bath, books and him going into the crib and doing whatever it is that he does to fall asleep (I kiss and hug him and leave the room). I used to rock him to sleep and he's recently weaned himself off of that. Who knew? We finish our books and he slides out of the chair and walks over to his crib waiting for me to put him in it. I would have never dreamed of this back in the days of all the sleep battles.

So how is everyone else?

:)

Leah

ps... Here's a pic with one of his other obsessions - trash cans...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8d823b3127ccec4110ec6e5a300000026100AcNGbNk1ZuW IPbz4M

[LA98]

Hi Leah, thanks for starting us off this month. So glad to hear you guys are doing so well! Love the one about Danny trying to smuggle out the horse. Great picture too, and judging from the look of that belly, he's doing just fine with that diet of his! :D

Jason will be 14 months in a few days. I wish I could say we're enjoying this stage too, but I can't. :( Actually, things have been pretty awful for the last two weeks. Basically, Jason's been screaming at me *all day long, every day.* I took him to the doctor last week just to check ears, etc because it's just so out of character for him (unless of course he's developing a new character :rolleyes: ) Everything was fine, but the next day I spotted one point of a molar. The other gums are extremely swollen, they look like little mountains in his mouth. So I understand that he's hurting, I'm giving him Motrin, but teething doesn't account for the massive tantrums he's having. Ear-splitting screaming to protest every single time he doesn't get his way. OhmyGod, my ears have been ringing!

Other than that, he's just been a little monkey getting into all kinds of stuff. The other day at the library I turned my back on him for just a second (yeah, I know, that's what everyone says but it really was a second! :) ) and he had climbed up onto a chair, then stood up and was making his way across a table! On the playground he tries to imitate what his big brother or the other kids are doing (and of course gets furious when I need to remove him from something). And he's now using signs for "all done", "apple", and "milk", although as Laura was saying on the last thread, they look really similar so I still don't know what he's asking for! :p Oh, and the sign for "dog" too, his latest obsession. Here's a picture of the little stinker. (Need to work on that batting stance! :D And he really does whack the ball.)

Oops, almost forgot: Happy (belated) birthday, Hannah!!!!! Laura, did you enjoy your get-together?

Lori

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8db06b3127ccec462c0c1fba700000016108QctGbVu1bA9 vPgA

[LHBryan]

Hi Leah and Lori! Thanks for getting us started this month, Leah.

I too hope the lurkers--and others who haven't posted in a while--will join us! Has anyone heard from Poppy or Gouri? I think of Jen and her family often and wish them all the best.

Me: 36
DH: 45
Hannah: 1 year!

Hannah had a great birthday on Saturday! We had about 6 couples and 4 kids over for drinks/hors d'oeuvres/snacks/cake and it all went very well considering we did all the cooking and cleaning w/ a 1-y-o under foot! Sort of stressful, but really fun. Hannah LOVED her carrot cake. She scarfed down the first big bite and loved it so much she shoved a huge amount in her mouth and almost couldn't manage.:D I get the feeling she has quite a sweet tooth (like Mama and DaDa)!

The edges of two little teeth are finally poking through on the bottom, so she's been fitfull some nights. I can't complain though b/c she's slept through the night about 50% of the time over the past 3 weeks. FINALLY! I know exactly what you mean, Leah, about coming a long, long way with all our sleep issues. Last night Hannah slept from 6pm-6am without a peep.:)

Her favorite words are still "No" and "Wow!" It's adorable the way she says "wow" over and over as she flips through a book, when she sees a bird, or when I use the food processor. Her incessant use of "No"--often said w/ great concern--is sort of cute and funny, but we're making an effort to use the word more sparingly. I hate for her whole world to be full of "No"s.:o Otherwise, she's just loads of fun right now. We're introducing a little cow's milk today and hope that goes OK. I'm going to gradually stop pumping at work in the next couple of weeks and keep just the before-bed and wake-up nursing sessions a bit longer.

Lori--I'm so sorry you and Jason are having a difficult time lately. Sounds like those molars could be a big part of the problem. Given how hard Hannah was screaming and flailing two nights ago (and by morning I could see the tip of tooth#2), I know teething can make them really mad. Otherwise, "experts" say to ignore tantrums and remain neutral, but that's easier said than done. Jason looks so grown up swinging that bat! Oh, and not to freak you out, but H's dr. emphasized that as soon as H is able to climb up onto a chair, she should be moved out of her crib and use a mattress on the floor. Sounds like your little monkey may be approaching that milestone!

Leah--I agree with Lori. Danny looks like he's doing just fine on his current diet! We have good friends who are adventurous foodies, but their 4-y-o is a very picky eater. His Mom has done lots of research on the issue b/c it drives her nuts. She read that pickiness is genetic for the most part (rather than a learned behavior) and blames her picky in-laws. Not to place blame or anything...but don't I remember your DH is a bit picky?;) All that aside, Danny's diet obviously isn't related to BFing (how absurd, especially since the taste of breastmilk varies depending on what Mom has eaten) and I really wouldn't stress out. He'll branch out at some point. I remember being a VERY picky eater as a child (refusing sandwiches, eating only a massive plate of french fries or an ice cream sundae whenever we went out to eat!, etc.), and now I like just about everything. I would just make sure Danny's daycare Moms don't "play up" the food issue in front of him/during meal time. I'm always shocked to realize how much Hannah understands. Our dr. also mentioned that Hannah's appetite will decrease over the next few months, rather than increase, which surprised me. Lastly, our dr. said to be careful about resorting to cookies, puffs, animal crackers, etc. when she hasn't eaten the other stuff b/c they quickly learn to hold out for the things they prefer, knowing they'll get them if they just wait. Hannah is that way w/ cheese, applesauce, peaches, and yogurt. She won't think about touching meat, veggies, or other fruits if those goodies are around. Oh, and do you still add cereal/oatmeal to applesauce and yogurt to give it more substance? We still do. OK, that's enough rambling. Can you tell we talked to our dr. A LOT about diet the other day?!? How cute about the horse! Danny is sneaky!

-Laura

[ggs830]

Hi guys! I've been MIA the last month or so, but hopefully I will have more time to post this month.

Me: Gouri, 31
DD: Shaelyn, 2.5
DS: Jahan, almost 15 months

We are doing well over here. Jahan is a wild man, always on the go from the moment he wakes up. It's funny how different he is from Shaelyn-- I don't know if it's a gender thing, birth order thing, or just a personality difference, but he is so much more independent (in some ways-- see below) and adventurous then she was. He rarely likes to just cuddle and relax with me, he'd much rather be on the move and exploring. Shaelyn has always loved to cuddle and read books. Jahan has shown no interest in that, although he does like to flip through books on his own.

Our main challenge is bedtime/naptime...I posted before about Jahan's separation anxiety, and while it's not as bad as it was before, he's still pretty clingy when it's time to sleep. This means that I cannot leave the room until he's completely out, and because he doesn't like to be rocked to sleep anymore, I usually spend at least 10 (usually closer to 20) minutes hunched over his crib, rubbing his back. Ouch, my back is so sore these days.

Eating is okay. He can be very picky at times, which is difficult...he loves cheese and yogurt, but since we suspect he's lactose intolerant, I try not to give him dairy, which means it's hard to find things he likes. Fruit is always a favorite, but I don't know how filling it really is. We've got his 15 month WBV coming up, so we'll see how he's doing on weight gain. He's still in 12 month clothing (and it's pretty loose on him), so I don't think he's put on all that much weight.

On another topic, DH and I have made the decision that I need to go back to work . :( DH's job is secure for now (knock on wood), but with the way the economy is, we both feel like it would be better if I was working as well, just in case. I'm pretty bummed about it-- I've been home since Jahan was born, and both the kids are going to have a rough time of it (so will I:(:(). Luckily, my wonderful parents have again offered to watch the kids, so I feel good that they will be with their loving grandparents. Still, I'm not looking forward to going back into the workforce.

Laura: Happy Birthday to Hannah! Lucky you that she's sleeping through the night. I hope she keeps that up!

Lori, I hope things improve with Jason. It must be that age, because we have days like that around here too. Not often, thankfully, but enough that at times I'm ready to tear my hair out. (((hugs))).

Leah, I'm so glad Danny is sleeping better for you, too. Love that belly shot-- baby bellies are so adorable!

[ellery]

One of these days I'm going to learn that by posting positive things I jinx myself. ;) Someone has kidnapped my easygoing amiable baby and replaced him with a very opinionated toddler!

I renewed my efforts to introduce Danny to some new foods this weekend, with spectacularly bad results. ;) He cried for 10 minutes when I had the audacity to suggest that he might like cheerios in milk. He likes cheerios, likes milk, thought the combination would be tasty... no go. At least after this weekend I've realized that his issues seem to be a combination of texture and fear of anything new. He loves yogurt but when I put it in a bowl this weekend (to combine it with cottage cheese, a combination he's liked before), he freaked out. Sobbing hysterically and refusing to go anywhere near it until I managed to finagle some in his mouth and he realized it was something he likes. :confused: I talked about it with one of my coworkers today (she's more of an expert in early child development than I am) and she said to just leave it alone, which was my instinct anyway. I'll just keep offering him choices and leave it be.

He's been expressing his opinion more and more these days anyway, so I'll focus on dealing with that, versus creating conflicts. New since I last posted is testing limits - blowing raspberries at me while he's eating, trying to bite me while I'm cutting his fingernails, and tonight I got bonked in the head with his new (soft) baseball bat. The bat went into "timeout" a few times because it insisted on repeatedly hitting me in the head. :rolleyes:

Gouri- so good to see you back! Sorry to hear about Jahan's sleep issues. Does he have any loveys that help the process? It's only in the past 2-3 weeks that Danny has started attaching to a little blankie and a little bear/blankie thing that have helped a little. Very sorry to hear that you're going to have to go back to work but good to hear that it'll be your parents with the kiddos.

Laura, happy belated birthday to Hannah! So cute about her favorite words being "no" and "wow." I'm pretty sure that Danny's favorite words (if he talked) would be "now" and "are you kidding me? you want me to do what?"

Lori - love that picture of Jason! He does have an impressive stance! Sorry to hear about the molars and the ear piercing screams. And yikes for him making his way across the table. I'm sure my days are coming for that... :eek:

[ellery]

Just bumping us back up as we seem to have fallen off the page and were hurtling towards oblivion...

How is everyone?

:)

Has anyone else seen this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8) on youtube about carseats? We're still rear facing in our house thanks to the last thread posted on the subject, but I thought the video was interesting anyway.

[LHBryan]

Hi everyone! Hope everyone is enjoying summer! Just popping in quickly to say hello.

Leah--thanks for posting that link. Very interesting. Also, thanks for alerting me to the drowning info on the other thread. VERY SCARY. Absolutely terrifying.

Gouri--welcome back! Hope sleep is going is better. Sorry to hear you have to go back to work. Such a tough thing that I personally fret over daily.:(

We're doing well. I have a couple of questions for y'all. What are your thoughts about the Vitamin D deficiency issue? Do you give your child a multi-vitamin? If so, what kind and how? We're really bad about giving Hannah her vitamin and now I'm worried about her bones! The vitamins we have are so icky though, so I hate giving them to her.

Also, how much milk do your little ones consume/day? And has your little one transitioned to a cup well? Hannah still nurses twice/day, but I'm gradually weaning over the next few weeks. She nurses fine, but she doesn't want to drink much milk from a cup. She still doesn't get the hang of sippy cups very well, but she'll drink a bit more from a straw cup. However, she doesn't drink much milk (regardless if it's BM or cow's milk or mixed) from a cup. Maybe a couple of ounces. I'm worried when we wean that she won't get anything close to what she should drink in a day. She does love cheese and yogurt, so perhaps I shouldn't worry? TIA for your input!

-Laura

ETA-Leah, I forgot to respond to your earlier post. Welcome to the "not-so-easygoing baby club!" Sorry to hear about Danny's change in temperament. I'm right there with you. Hannah is a joy, but boy does she get mad and upset when something isn't to her liking. You should see her stick her lower lip out, cry, and scream "NO!!" She's a terror when I'm trying to get her dinner ready.

[ellery]

Hi Laura. :)

I'm still online because I'm lurking on the drowning thread, freaking myself out. Danny's in the pool every weekend.

I'm just one voice, but I'll see if I can't take a stab at your questions.

Vitamin D - um, haven't worried about it since Danny drinks milk with superpowers. ;) As in, organic with Vitamin D and DHA (or DHEA?).

how much milk - Danny absolutely loves milk and drinks around 20-22 ounces per day. I don't think it really matters if they drink milk or water (or diluted fruit juice), just that they're drinking something. She can get calcium from cheese, yogurt, etc. I know some parents do chocolate milk with success, and I have a friend who mixes Pediasure with milk and her twins love it. (I'm not so sure about that, but that's what she swears by)

cups - um, Danny still isn't on the sippy cup. I tried to transition him to the sippy cup gradually, putting the nipple on the Avent sippy cup, and that's as far as he's gotten. (if anyone has any advice, feel free to throw it my way - I've tried the straw cup and he seemed baffled)

My ped told me to wait until Danny's 15 month checkup to think about vitamins. I guess they do blood work then?

And yes, Danny is no longer easygoing all the time, but still most of the time, thank goodness. It occurred to me this morning, as Danny was protesting vehemently that having his diaper changed was roughly equivalent to being stuck in the eye with a hot poker, that it's really hard to take him seriously when he's wearing a shirt with a giant blue dinosaur on it. Rather than laugh in his face, I validated his feelings, but I was giggling on the inside. I think I'll choose not to share this with him, but there is something ridiculous about a very small person dressed in dinosaurs cursing you out in baby/Martian. ;)

[LHBryan]

Thanks for your responses, Leah.:) I agree--it's very hard to take a tantrum seriously when our little ones are so cute. When Hannah gets really mad, she throws herself on the floor and looks like she's trying to bite the floor. I try to ignore it or validate her feelings of frustration, but I can't help but laugh inside at the little drama queen.:p

Hannah seems to be drinking a tad more milk this week, so I'm not going to worry for now. I know I can't complain since she eats lots of solids. It's scary how much she likes fruit. Nectarines in particular--she could have just eaten a huge dinner, including 1/2 a nectarine as one of several items, but if she spots me trying to eat the other half she pitches an unbelievable fit!

Yet another question for y'all. Ever since introducing Hannah to lots more foods--the past 2 months or so?--it seems like her butt is perpetually red around her, ummm, ***hole. It will clear up for maybe one diaper change, but then be red all over again. I feel bad about it and know it can't be comfortable. She never had trouble with this when EBF, but I assume it's probably the increased fruit in her diet that causes the irritation (especially b/c she averages about 3 BMs/day!). When I asked her dr. about it and asked if it's a food sensitivity, she was sort of dismissive, saying we don't need to worry about food allergies/sensitivities unless she develops hives. Does anyone else's little one have this problem? We use Desitin Original cream when it's bad and Aveeno the rest of the time, but I fear we may need to switch to Desitin (or something else) full time. Also, do you use wipes?

Hope everyone's having a good week!

-Laura

[ellery]

Okay, um, where is everyone else? ;)

Laura, I had a friend whose twins always got really bad diaper rash when they ate especially acidic fruit. It even happened once when they ate an Italian ice that was lemon. I think she just held off the fruit for a while and they're fine now. I wouldn't think of a nectarine as acidic, but I don't know what else Hannah is eating and I don't actually know that much about the subject in general...

I'm just psyched that Danny deigned to eat a few small pieces of dried apricot tonight at dinner.

List of foods he now eats: yogurt, cottage cheese mixed in; most crackers; applesauce; those hideous gummy fruit bites; cheese sticks sometimes; bananas on occasion; stage 3 baby food (his daycare mom insisted that I try him back on jarred food again - grumble, grumble) and ice cream ( ;) ).

[sugarbaby]

Delurking here to say hello - haven't posted in months, as we still have no internet (one more year until we do). But we're on vacation for 10 more days, and our condo has wireless. Yippeee!!! I am a net-surfing fool!!!

So...

Me & DH: 31
DSs David & Jonathan: 17 months, and very wobbly!

Leah, I love the picture of Danny - that belly is too cute! Laura, I had a friend whose daughter had chronic diaper rash, and so she started using a washcloth and spray bottle instead of wipes (unless it was poop). She also just switched to cloth diapers (the kind with velcro tabs), and her daughter's diaper rash is gone. Some chemical in the disposable diapers bothered her little tush. She would also sprinkle baking soda in the tub during bathtime, which seemed to help.

Well, the boys have been walking now for about a month, and they have just taken off - it is so fun! They also are starting to use words to ask for things - cup, Os (which refers to just about any food item), up, bathtub, bubbles. We are on vacation in California right now, and they absolutely love the beach. They would fearlessly walk straight into the ocean if we let them!

It was good to read everyone's posts. Hope you are all having a great summer!

[PoppyJ]

I'm baaaaaack!! Sorry we have been MIA for so long. Once Avery got mobile, my internet surfing time shrunk to nothing. But I am going to try to take a few minutes a day to relax and get on the computer.

I do not remeber the last time I posted so I will give an update.

Me: 33
DH: 38
Avery: Almost 14 months

Avery is a kick and a handful right now. She is really learning to express herself- mostly with screaming and throwing fits when she does not get her way, but she is also picking up some words- doggie, daddy, eye, fan, cat and some signs- milk (which she uses mostly for water), eat, more, and all done. I am trying to teach her the sign "please" but she is not catching on with that.

She started to walk at 11 months and is now running everywhere. She is doing good on the eating. After tons of allergy testing, the doctor gave the green light on everything but straight eggs. Is anyone else still feeding purees? Avery really loves them and we figured it was a great way for her to get her veggies. We are also giving her lots of finger foods. She really loves yogurt, pita bread, and peaches. We are slowly switching her to milk and trying to convince her that the straw cup is so much better than the bottle. She DOES NOT agree! She will drink water out of the straw cup but is not too pleased when it contains formula. I have replaced her morning bottle with a sippy cup. I will slowly replace each bottle with a cup until she is off the bottle.

What are the nap schedules for everyone? Avery is switching to one nap and it is not going well. Any advice?

Speaking of napping, she is waking up from hers. Hopefully it will not be months and months before I post again.

[sugarbaby]

PoppyJ, I still give the boys purees because there are some veggies that they won't eat otherwise (e.g., peas). Canned pumpkin is a favorite - a little butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger, and they are in heaven! I also put canned pumpkin in their pancakes to boost the nutrition.

As far as naps, they are down to one 2-3 hour nap now, right after lunch. They kind of just fell into it, we didn't really force it. Although the past few days Jonathan has been very cranky in the mornings and doesn't seem to be able to make it, so he's been taking a nap from 10-12, and then maybe a 45 min. power nap in the afternoon.
We kind of just "read the signs" - they weren't sleeping in the morning, or were only sleeping for 20 min., so one day we just tried keeping them up, and they did great! It really helps that DH is a teacher, so he's home to help more and we've kind of figured out the nap schedule together! Good luck!

[Bawstinn]

Yet another question for y'all. Ever since introducing Hannah to lots more foods--the past 2 months or so?--it seems like her butt is perpetually red around her, ummm, ***hole. It will clear up for maybe one diaper change, but then be red all over again. I feel bad about it and know it can't be comfortable. She never had trouble with this when EBF, but I assume it's probably the increased fruit in her diet that causes the irritation (especially b/c she averages about 3 BMs/day!). When I asked her dr. about it and asked if it's a food sensitivity, she was sort of dismissive, saying we don't need to worry about food allergies/sensitivities unless she develops hives. Does anyone else's little one have this problem? We use Desitin Original cream when it's bad and Aveeno the rest of the time, but I fear we may need to switch to Desitin (or something else) full time. Also, do you use wipes?



Madeleine gets horrible diaper rashes (or just red in the same area) when she is teething and she has too much fruit. I wouldn't say it is a food sensitivity since she is fine when she isn't teething. I had to get a doctor note so they would give her juice at daycare because it would get too bad - she gets very acidic and the fruit (and juice) just made it worse. When she gets red I stop using wipes and use a paper towel that was cloth-like (now I can't remember the brand).

Our doctor gave her a script for a cream that had sulfer in it that was for burns. I only use it when it really gets bad, else when she starts to get red I use the Desitin in the purple tub and at night I add a healthy sprinkle of cornstarch on the top. One of the other home remedies the doctor also recommended was to dab mylanta (or somthing like it) on the red and sprinkle cornstarch on top. I can't say if that really worked - the Desitin/cornstarch works best for her.

[LA98]

Hi, glad to see everyone's doing well!

Laura, when Brian was a baby he used to get the rash you're describing, as well as a bunch of really severe diaper rashes from antibiotics. The plain Mylanta worked very well for us. I loved your description, as if Hannah is trying to bite the floor. I am astounded sometimes at the intensity of Jason's anger. Some days it seems like it's the only emotion he's got. That is until he gets what he wants and then he's all goofy smiles and laughter. :rolleyes: We've been having some very rough days here, between normal toddlerness and those darn molars still working their way in (only 1 left, hope it hurries up!).

Speaking of the molars, has anyone seen actual blood from teething? There was a little on the crib sheet and a little smeared on Jason's cheek when I checked on him the other night. He was sleeping so peacefully I didn't want to wake him up, so in the morning I checked him all over and couldn't find anything. The only thing I can guess is that the blood came from his mouth as a molar pushed through?

Poppy, good to hear from you! So Avery is only allergic to eggs? I know a while back you were concerned it would be several more foods, right? Jason started refusing purees a long time ago but it sure would be convenient if he would have one occasionally. We're also having a little trouble kicking the bottle habit, especially upon waking up in the morning. And since his new wake-up time for the past few weeks has been 5 am (heaven help me) I'm just too tired to battle his very strong toddler will at that hour.... As for naps, he's still taking two, but they're usually only about 45 minutes each, sometimes 30 minutes and occasionally an hour. And he's fighting me really, really hard on those naps. Sigh. A tired, angry toddler is not a pretty sight! :)

Leah, yay for the apricot! :) Jason's doing something new at meals: He *must* have a fork and tries to spear everything. He has trouble of course, but he'll eat whatever I spear as long as I hand the fork to him. Mr. Independent. :rolleyes: As for the cups, I think it's just going to be a matter of repetition for Danny. Keep giving him the sippy or the straw and he'll get it. And I liked the winking smilie by ice cream on your list of Danny's foods: Jason said a new word the other day and it was "ice pop." :o My rationale is that it feels good on his poor gums. ;)

We went to a first birthday party last weekend, they had a costumed Elmo there to entertain the kids for a little while. Jason kind of charged right toward him but stopped about a foot or so away. He did the same thing to a costumed Miss Spider last week at our library's summer reading club kickoff. She had her arms out to him for a hug and he kept running up to her but stopping just out of her reach. It was pretty funny. :)

Lori

[PoppyJ]

I have not seen any blood from teething but Avery is getting her first molar right now. And wow....that is not fun! I am giving her lots of ice cubes. It is really cute because if she hears the freezer door open, she will come running for her ice cube.

We did two different allergy test- blood and the scratch test because she was still getting hives and diaherra. Both test had different results but eggs were they only consistent thing. So we are avoiding straight eggs, but are giving her eggs if they are cooked into things. So far, she is handling everything really well.

This nap thing is killing me. One day it is one nap and then the next it is two. The problem is that she wants to drop her afternoon nap which means she is up from 10AM until 7PM straight and becomes possesed by about 5:00 and is falling asleep in her highchair while she is eating dinner. Any suggestions?

[sugarbaby]

Lori, my boys bled when they first started teething - Jonathan was gnawing on his fist so hard he bled. David is geting a bottom molar and was bleeding tonight while getting his teeth brushed. As far as I can tell, it's normal! Although not fun for any involved!

Poppy, have you tried keeping Avery up later in the morning or putting her down right after lunch? Another suggestion that has worked for us is distraction! Last week when Jonathan suddenly decided to take his nap in the morning instead of the afternoon (which meant a long stretch from 12-8 PM, and the two babies napping at opposite times:eek:) we got him back on track by keeping him occupied with something different - we went for walks and played outside, read tons of books, and he was able to stay awake and get back on his usual schedule of napping from 1-4. Stretching him out for an extra hour or two in the morning was much easier than that 12-8 PM stretch! I've heard that most babies waver between one and two naps a day for awhile, and then one day it just happens. Hang in there!

My big struggle right now is mealtime - the boys have suddenly decided to boycott grilled cheese sandwiches and spaghetti - two of my favorite weapons in my arsenal of meals. So tonight they had a "deconstructed" grilled cheese sandwich: cubed cheddar and cheerios (as a stand-in for the bread), and a side of strawberries. They LOVE strawberries. Last week they went through a whole container in a day! Where would moms be without Cheerios? It is the greatest invention ever!