May 2010 Toddlers, Cruisers, +1 Crowd

[helios7]

I figured I'd get us started with the right month since May somehow crept up on us all.

Life is just chugging along here. All of Quinn's testing has come back negative (including the celiac test which i was worried about). But I had him back at the doctor today as he's sick (of course :rolleyes:) and the doctor said the celiac test is unreliable at this age. Retesting him at 3 or 4 will be a definitive answer. So we're just kind of stuck. The doctor said that as long as he's growing and gaining weight, we'll hold for now as further allergy/food intolerance figuring out is invasive and complicated. But I'm not happy. My instincts say something's wrong... I guess I'll see where we are in a month for his 18 month checkup, and if things are still the same maybe I'll push for further testing. I hate to submit Quinn to yucky tests, but it just doesn't seem right to me. He's having 3-4 dirty diapers every day - I only change dirty diapers. They're never just wet! His sleep has been disrupted as he often wakes crying but goes right back to sleep after eating (a new behavior) and I see chunks of food. I cannot imagine he's getting all the nutrients he needs when food seems to run straight through him. I'm really feeling stressed about the whole thing, as well as worried for him. Generally he seems in good spirits but... something just feels off. And this has been going on since late February. :(

Aside from all this health stress, he's doing great. He's very into "helping" these days. He loves to "seep seep!" (sweep sweep) to the point that I can't sweep if he's around as he steals my broom. :cool: He also loves to "help mama" (switch laundry from washer to drier, close the fridge, find his shoes, etc). And of course rocks in puddles are still a fave. Overall, we're having a good time together. This is a fun fun age.

And now someone's up and crying. I so didn't need a cold right now - both for him and eventually I'm assuming for me. Sigh.

[Pony]

Thanks for starting us off Heather!!! I'm so sorry about Quinn and his stomach/diaper issues. Is he still off dairy? Just wondering if you could reintroduce it since it seems like he is still having issues which may not be dairy related. He would have more nutrient dense food options. Have you tried no gluten to see if that helps? I am so sorry you are dealing with this.

Evelyn is doing so well. Her scabs fell off and she looks back to normal. We still do not have a home for Charlie so we are keeping them separate. It is hard, b/c it feels like we are keeping him, but still looking for somebody to take him in. I may have a lead from someone at work.

She still sucks at sleep. For the past 1 1/2 months, maybe longer, she is waking up around 4-5 am super restless and nursing and nursing and nursing while on top of me.

She has been nursing a lot these days. Food intake comes and goes. She just started to eat breakfast as she was never interested in it before. If she doesn't like dinner, we usually get cottage cheese in her. She loves it. She is like Maya, loves her frozen peas! She actually ate chicken last night. Carl made CL's Vanilla Balsamic Chicken and she had a few bites w/o spitting it out.

Lots of words--up (which also means down), hello, tiger, cookie, etc. She says A, B, C. She loves to do itsy bitsy spider. She loves to be outside. It is already hitting the high 80's here, so it is getting really hot out. My SIL bought Evelyn a water/sand table that she loves. She loves to splash. Lots of nodding, but sometimes doesn't answer appropriately w/ yes/no nods.

I just love that girl so much. She is so funny. She weighed almost 25 pounds at her last appt.

As for me, I'm hanging in there trying to figure out what the heck I'm doing w/ myself. I just finished a class and am still thinking of applying to nursing school. I just have no job satisfaction, BUT I have a lot of flexibility with my job. Not sure why I'm wanting to do this now that I have Evelyn, but I think down the road it will be a good choice. I just think I need to do it now or else I won't ever do it. This also means postponing #2. If you would have said to me a couple of years ago that I was thinking of postponing #2 and going back to school, I would have laughed in your face. Carl is supportive either way. It is just something really wearing at me right now.......ahhhh!!!

Hope you all are doing well!!!

[Pony]

Tami, Evelyn is getting better w/ the biting. It has happened here and there. So glad Maya is getting better w/ that. Evelyn wanting to nurse all the time is getting a little embarrassing w/ Skype!! :eek::cool::rolleyes: She doesn't say anything, but "ma, ma, ma, ma" when she wants to nurse and then proceeds to pull my shirt down or look down my shirt. Supercute when we are alone ;) I'm starting to get the "you are still nursing" comments from some people who don't get it. I don't like having to justify why I still nurse my 15/16 month old.

:)

[tholbrook]

Me: Tami (35)
DH: 38
DD: Maya, 20 months - 8/25/08

Hi everyone! I posted pretty recently last month, so not a lot to add. Every day brings new words and funny things that Maya does. The temper tantrums have subsided somewhat, and I suspect the ever-increasing vocabulary is helping. Plus I've been doing better about giving her more "control" as often as I can ... giving her choices whenever possible and warning her ahead of time if there is something she has to do (come inside or get her diaper changed, for example).

I was working on her baby book the other night, and decided to jot down the words that she uses on her own (i.e - pointing out pictures or objects, and not just imitating us). I came up with almost 250 words :eek: so I think she is doing really well with her vocabulary. I'll give a lot of credit to the many "First Word" books that Maya loves so much ... this one is her favorite:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51mCsA5NspL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

Anyway, sleep is okay, but apparently the 12 hours straight through the night was a phase, because she has dropped back to about 10 to 10.5, and sometimes as few as 8. Naps are rarely more than 75-90 minutes. But I'm not complaining!

We leave in 2 weeks for CA, and I've been doing "practice runs" with sleeping in the same room. It's been okay, she will wake up if I come upstairs while she's asleep, but will go back to sleep quickly - if I give her a drink of water and a hug :p. I need to start putting her in her travel crib/playpen to make sure she can still sleep there.

Pictures to come later...


Heather - thanks for starting the thread this month! So sorry you're still dealing with Quinn's food issues. I can't even imagine how stressed you are. (I will mention that Maya frequently has at least 2 dirty diapers a day, and sometimes 3 - but I do change wet diapers too). Rather than going through the invasive testing, can you try some sort of elimination diet for Quinn? Maybe starting with wheat/gluten, since the celiac test is unreliable ... however, as much as I hope you find an answer, I hope it doesn't turn out to be a wheat sensitivity or allergy.

Love the "Mommy's little helper" - very cute. Maya isn't really interested in helping me, but wants to see what I'm doing, and stands next to me on the chair, chatting away. She especially loves to stand on her tiptoes to watch inside the mixer bowl when I'm making bread.

Michelle - glad you're having fun with Evelyn! I admire you for going back to school. I'm sure it's a hard decision but it sounds like you have your family's best interest in mind. You'll figure it out! :)

Re: nursing ... yeah, I get the "you're still nursing your daughter?" a lot, but only when they ask me. We don't BF in public very often anymore, since it's only a few times a day. Which is nice because DH thought it would be funny to teach Maya to growl at the same time that she says "Nummies!" - so that could certainly be a little embarrassing! But when we're at home, it IS really funny :p! I was making her dinner tonight, and was chatting with her about what I was doing. I asked her "Maya, do you know what else we're going to have for dinner?". She looked up at me and earnestly replied "Nummies?". LOL :D! If I had a better supply, she'd probably be attached to me all day long.

Oh, and a water/sand table should arrive at our house in the next few days... thanks for the idea - I had never heard of one until I saw the FB pictures of Evelyn.

[helios7]

I have to pop in briefly to say we have (and love) the book Tami posted too. It's been one of Quinn's favorites since he turned one - and he can also identify a lot of pictures from it. It's great.

I tried an impromptu water table with Quinn in April, but he wasn't into it. I'll try again this summer. He finally got into the sandbox at the playground last week, and so I'm considering one of those too. But I don't want to get it if he's not into it!!!! :) :) But they're great - I used to love the water table in my classroom.

Michelle - great to hear from you. And I'm still processing my response... hang in there! So much on your mind!

Tami - I think I am going to try a gluten free diet for Quinn for a few weeks before his 18 month appt (so I have to get on it) and see if that helps. Or maybe I'll start with wheat free, and then expand to gluten free. I kind of hope it doesn't help too! But if it will help, then we've got to do it. Obviously. Of course with him being sick right now everything's off kilter. But we all got great sleep last night - he got close to 14 hours, and I got close to 10. Can't remember the last time that happened, and it was definitely needed!

[Pony]

Heather--10 hours. I'm so envious. Sleep was crap at our house last night. Evelyn will not let me just turn over when she wakes up, she has to nurse. "ma, ma, ma, ma" and then gets on top of me looking for my breasts and cries if she can't find them. sometimes she thinks my belly button is her milk supply. ha! crazy, cute, and annoying all at the same time.

Tami--that is too funny about the growling and saying that nummies was for dinner. can you please get that on video :). we don't really nurse in public either like we used to. i would be interested to see how she would handle that, b/c she doesn't sit still w/ nursing. she is soooo squirmy. i hope maya likes the water/sand table. evelyn could play w/ that for HOURS.

evelyn's grandma wants to buy her 2 pairs of shoes. carl has spent at least 8 hours looking for shoes on line. it is driving me batty. CAN WE JUST GET THEM ALREADY!!!!!! I think we are going to get these in cherry

http://www.rileyroos.com/cgi/rileyroos/maryjane.html

these are on sale and super cute!!!!
http://www.rileyroos.com/cgi/rileyroos/maryjane_sale.html

shoot, can't find the other website.

my mom comes for a visit on monday. i'm dreading the cleaning issue we deal w/ when she is around. remember, she got me 3 cleaning products for xmas. also, during a skype session she said she is going to cut evelyn's bangs. carl said if she does that then he is going to cut her hair when she is asleep. :p:cool::D. i WILL scream if she cuts evelyn's hair.

ok......hope everyone is well!!!

[Beth G.]

Me: 40
DH: 41
Michael: 16 months

No time to really post but wanted to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day!!

Michael is better and it turned out it was not the MMR. The fever lasted a full four days. He went back to day care on Tuesday and two of the other kids were home with high fever and no other symptoms (and they had not had any shots).

Michael's favorite word is No. He says it with a really high pitch, and so earnestly/innocently and a little head shake. Do you want to go to the crib? No. Do you want to go to sleep? No. Do you want dinner? No. Or he will turn on the video monitor, see the crib, and say No. So I went out and bought that 100 First Words book (even though I just ordered a dozen new board books because we are soooooooo bored with the ones we have that I've not been reading with him enough). So perhaps there will be some more common vocabulary besides No :).

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs554.snc3/30310_1446307522386_1374095276_1174968_5133157_n.j pg

[acginkc]

Happy May!!

Heather- I'm so sorry Quinn's stomach issues are not improving and the tests didn't give you any answers. Hopefully you'll figure something soon. Sounds like he's a pretty happy guy despite that. Quinn's helping sounds so cute. Matt is more of a distractor right now. :)

Michelle- Wow. I can't imagine balancing work, family and school. Way to go. I know those decisions/choices can be so hard and I don't envy you having to make them. But I agree that the longer you wait the harder it will be. I'm impressed that you are still nursing. I had lost my enjoyment of it so a year was the right amount of time for us. I know at that time I got a lot of surprised reactions so I'm sure it gets worse after the 1 year mark. Why others care how I feed my baby is beyond me. Hopefully E will continue to find foods she likes.

Tami- 250 word!!! That is amazing. I'm glad her tantrums have subsided. Matt is just starting his. How is the trip prep going? This may not be an option based on what you have, but I have an iPod touch and there is an app I downloaded (avail for iPhone as well) and its a baby iPod. it has a piano, flash cards, quizzes and other fun stuff. You could also download episodes of Sesame Street. Might be good for an emergency backup if she is getting too restless. Have a great trip.

Well, we are truly a biter. Matt moved up classes at daycare this week and since Monday he's had 5 biting incidents. We think it is a combo of adjusting to the change (which is strange since he's been playing up at least half the time for the last month or so), inability to communicate effectively, and teething. We are working with the teacher to make sure he gets the same consequences at daycare and home. Thankfully he doesn't seem to be enjoying the negative consequences so we are not unintentionally rewarding him. It's just so frustrating (and painful). We are also throwing more tantrums when we don't get our way. What happened to my sweet, happy boy???:(

So DH and I leave for Hawaii on Monday. I can't believe it is already here. I have so much to still do to get us ready to go (and would really like a little pedicure before leaving). I'm also getting really sad about leaving Matt for a week. Despite his toddler angst he really is the best and I hate being away from him. Matt does great when we are out to dinner or running errands so he is usually a pleasure to have him with us. But there is something restorative about having a dinner out with DH and wine and not having to pick up food off the floor. So I am trying to remind myself that this time away will be good for him and good for DH and I. Gotta give our marriage its fair time (why is it so easy for me to forget that). So my mom gets in town on Monday and she's looking forward to her time with him as well.

We don't have nearly the decipherable words that the rest of you do, but he's learning fast so I'm sure I'll start to recognize more soon. He repeats the same words over and over, I just don't know what they mean. :p

Hope the other moms who haven't checked in yet are doing well also.

And because I haven't posted any pics in a while...
http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs560.snc3/30620_10150184305675571_503150570_12319651_6859170 _n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs529.snc3/30047_10150178842735571_503150570_12193423_7129528 _n.jpg

[tholbrook]

Beth G - glad Michael is better now! And adorable picture - I can't believe how much older he looks ... almost unrecognizable from a few months ago. I hear you on the books ... I admit that a few of the books that drive me batty have ended up under the sofa - and I haven't bothered getting them back out :o:p.

Ashley - Matt's expressions always crack me up - that 2nd picture is hilarious! I do have an iPod but it's a classic, not a Touch. I know I can still put videos on it but not sure if Maya would be willing to wear earphones to hear it (I haven't even looked to see if "baby earphones" even exist). Have a great time in Hawaii - it will be tough to leave Matt but just imagine a week with no tantrums to deal with! :D

Happy Mother's Day, everyone! Hope you have a great day tomorrow! :):):)



Here are a few pictures of Maya ...

Food all over her face, although I have no idea what it is
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee70/turtlehouse/100429MessyFace40.jpg

Running away from DH down our driveway - she is FAST (I don't know if you can see it in the picture, but her front foot is completely off the ground)
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee70/turtlehouse/100503RunningawayfromDaddy40.jpg

And riding on her horse, which is more fun now that she can climb up by herself
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee70/turtlehouse/100505Allsmiles40.jpg

[acginkc]

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

[Pony]

Love all the pictures!!!!!

I hope everyone had a nice mother's day. I think Evelyn knew it was Mother's Day, b/c she was exceptionally cute.

I was trying to work on her baby book on shutterfly, while I have downtime in btwn classes! If you all are doing one, what are you all writing down for firsts??? I'm just coming up w/ them, but feel like I'm missing something......

First Art Opening
First Tooth
First Plane Ride
Favorite food
Favorite book
First word
First time you rolled over
First time you crawled

This is just her first year book, so walking will go on next years book.

Here are some recent pictures....

My mom knitted her this dress
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0db27b3127ccefa5890c701d600000050O08AaOGzhy1aNQ e3nwc/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/


Here she is playing w/ her water/sand table. Her legs are the best!!!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0db27b3127ccefa58e7e9c06b00000040O08AaOGzhy1aNQ e3nwc/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

[helios7]

Hi ladies..

I'm loving all the pictures. The babies are looking so cute. Hopefully I'll remember to post one of Quinn sometime soon.

I know I've been quiet - not much new to report. We're really struggling with Quinn's stomach issues. When he was sick last week food was just racing through him, and he's lost weight. His personality has changed - he's moody, zero frustration tolerance and just wants to be held all the time. It's really been tough. We're repeating testing, and going ahead with a visit to the pediatric gastroentologist. So life has been really tough and stressful on that front - I'm really worried about my little man!

On the positive news - we learned today it looks like Quinn will have a little sister! So that's exciting. And all is going well with the pregnancy, so I really can't complain.

Not much else to report - we've spent a lot of time at home lately. Quinn still loves to be a helper, I'm teaching him "pick up" and the other day he actually threw something in the garbage beginning in another room.

Michelle - I think sitting up is another popular first. First solids? First favorite toy maybe? Love the sand/water table,and I definitely love Evelyn's legs!

Ashley - I hope your vacation (minus the luggage mishap) is going great! And I'm sorry to hear about the biting. Quinn's explored gnawing on me a few times - I'm not enjoying it!

Tami - Oh my! Maya looks so big, and I love how much she can do. She's always my glimpse into what's coming my way a few months from now. :D

BethG - Michael looks so cute. I'm glad to hear he's feeling better! he's really had a run of bad luck with the illnesses this year! He'll have an iron clad immune system by the time he reaches school age.

Here's Quinn at our town's cupcake festival last weekend. He was more interested in the puddle.

http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs045.snc3/13311_1427888306674_1516817069_1064158_3581586_n.j pg

[Pony]

Heather!!!!!!! So excited for you!!!

Also, sooo sorry to hear about Quinn having a really hard time lately. Gosh, I sure hope the Ped. GI doc has all the answers. It is time for you all to know what to do!!! Did you end up cutting out the gluten?

Oh, and Beth G. I thought of you. My friend's son has been sick a lot this year. He is Quinn's age. He is not in daycare, but his sister is in preschool 2 days per week. They thought it was allergies (cat), but just saw a Ped. Allergist and confirmed he has no allergies. So, they are digging deeper, b/c he is constantly w/ a runny nose, etc. The Ped. Allergist said on average kids his age are sick 24 weeks out of the year!!!! Crazy!

[tholbrook]

Reported...

[Beth G.]

Michelle, I don't know why you would think of me when you heard that story about being sick 24 weeks a year. I mean, it's not like Michael had 101.3 and a snotty nose when we picked him up at day care today or anything :(.

Can anyone recommend a suction bowl? I have one that doesn't stick too well. Michael was making a good show of dipping his spoon in the yogurt yesterday and licking it so I figured I would let him keep going. I went to heat up my dinner. Not the minute I looked away, the spoon was down and he was unsuctioning the bowl.

[acginkc]

Hi all. Just a quick post before getting ready for work.

I'm sorry to hear that Quinn and Michael are not feeling well. I hope both begin feeling better soon.

Love the cute pictures of all the babies.

Tami, have a great trip to CA. Can't wait to hear all about it.

Michelle, how is the baby book coming?

Our trip to Hawaii was great. We had such a nice time. I missed Matt like crazy of course and the resort we stayed in had a ton of families so I was surrounded by kids Matt's age which made it harder. But he did great at home with my mom and it was great for DH and I to have some time together since our marriage has kind of been on the backburner for the last year (hopefully I'm not the only one guilty of that here). My mom had so much fun with Matt though she said she better understands why my house is always a mess. It was really nice to be able to lay out in the sun for 5 hours one day, definitely would not have been an option if Matt was there.

Other than that we are doing well. Matt is talking a ton more and getting more recognizable words. My mom started saying "1,2,3,GO!" every time he went down his little slide. So now he'll hold up 1 finger and say "Two" or if we do the "1,2,3" he'll throw his hands and and yell "Go!!". It's so cute.

His appetite has been pretty weird lately. One day he'll chow down and eat way more than you ever think he should, the next day he'll barely pick. He's also taking to not eating a meal then coming an hour later and wanting food. I'm not sure how to handle this. On one hand I don't want him to be eating between meals, but I also want him to listen to his body and not eat just because the food is there. He is getting the same type of food both times, he doesn't skip a meal then get a treat later so it's not that he's learned he'll get junk if he waits. Anyone else have this happen?

OK, time to get dressed and out the door.

[bekki]

Ashley Thanks for the update on your trip. Adam and I are going to be gone for 10 days in September, and I'm really nervous about leaving the boys for that long, well, maybe sad more than nervous. Anyway, it's reassuring to hear that your trip went so well. Also, my kids are very up and down in their eating habits as well--I think it's pretty normal. I just keep reminding myself that my responsibility is to present the food, their job is to eat it, and there's nothing I can do to make them do their job :o It's hard to remember that when they have one bite of dinner though! I try to just keep them on a schedule for meals and snacks--no in between stuff. I have an opportunity for food every 2 hours or so it seems, so I can usually stall them a bit with water or a book.

Question for the masses--water/sand tables, does anyone have one? We're about to baby-proof our deck so the kids can play outside, and I was looking into getting one, but I'm not sure what to look for. Like what makes a good water table :p I'm thinking a lid and drain are probably the main things, but I'm interested to hear about what other people have found.

[Pony]

Question for the masses--water/sand tables, does anyone have one? We're about to baby-proof our deck so the kids can play outside, and I was looking into getting one, but I'm not sure what to look for. Like what makes a good water table :p I'm thinking a lid and drain are probably the main things, but I'm interested to hear about what other people have found.


Bekki, we have one made by Step 2. My SIL got it for Evelyn from costco.com. We are very happy with it. It has a lid and drain. It came w/ a shovel, 2 little pots, and 2 boats. Evelyn LOVES it. There is a picture I posted with her standing next to it a couple posts above this one. Also, lots of pictures on FB with her playing with it. :) I didn't look into any sand/water tables, so not sure what other features they may have.

Food is the same over here. Hit or miss. I feel like she rarely is eating what we eat. I tend to do a lot of frozen peas, cottage cheese, yogurt, or cheese quesadillas.

So, Evelyn had the dog bite, a bruised cheek from falling on a plastic crate, and a fat lip all in the past 3 weeks. :o Her lip seems to be healing fine, but it happened at the park and there was blood. eeks! Poor thing.

Ashley, so glad you all had a nice time. Sounds great, but I could not imagine being away from Matt for that long! I'm glad your mom recognized how hard it is to keep the house clean!!!

My mom was in town for a week and we survived!!! Evelyn had SO much fun with her. It was cute.

Beth G. How are you all doing over there????? :o :( We do not have a suction bowl...well we do, but it doesn't work. :rolleyes: We took the suction part off.

Hope everyone is doing well.

[Beth G.]

Michael has already been napping over an hour so not sure how much time I have to post. The weekend was ok and we sent him back to day care Monday but after his nap there he went downhill and had 102.9 when DH got him home. Took him to the ped yesterday for the standard ear, throat, chest check and all clear. No fever all day yesterday but he woke at midnight with 103.3. Gave him some ibuprofen and he slept through until 7. DH is sick too so he stayed in bed until 9:30 and then came down. I took today off since he watched Michael yesterday. When I came down from showering Michael had been sleeping on DH's chest for 15 minutes. He woke after 30 mins burning up again. So if no change in the morning we are back to the ped to have the ears rechecked.

Yesterday was really hard. DH was watching him and I was working in the basement. I think Michael was pissed that I was not paying attention to him and he was super cranky all day. Today DH is at the office and he has been fine. Not sure what to do tomorrow. He will need to be home again and it is easier on DH if I work at home from a logistical perspective, but from a behavioral standpoint, it might be better if I'm not here.

(noises starting in the crib)

The new books have been a challenge. Apparently Michael likes his routine. He says no no no to most of them and then does a dance of delight when we bring out one of the old books. Oh well, will keep trying.

Ashley - welcome back. Glad your trip went well. Sounds like Matt's new words are very fun!

Michelle - love Evelyn's legs! The suction part on our bowl also doesn't work, which is why I'm shopping for a better one. Michael can just pull it right up. I also had sitting unsupported as a milestone and moving from tummy to sitting.

Bekki - overheard one of the peds doing a toddler well visit and he said not to worry about the eating, toddlers are notorious, and three meals a day of cheerios are just fine.

Heather - exciting news that Quinn will have a sister. I hope you find something to help with his stomach soon. I am sure you must be frustrated and worried. But is looks like he is still a happy guy (and likes his puddles!). It's great that he is a good helper.

Someone is standing in the crib. So Tami, I hope all is well I think maybe you are on your trip or if not leaving soon - hope all goes smoothly. Hi to anyone else I missed, and I am off to really make Michael's day and check his temp for the zillionth time. He hates diaper changes now just because he knows there is a good chance of a rectal thermometer too. Good thing we have the 15 second one.

[Beth G.]

Michael was squirming in my arms in the rocking chair while I was singing the first of two songs to him before putting him in the crib. Typically, this means jumping up and down in the crib screaming rather than going to sleep. But the squirming continued so I couldn't do the singing/rocking anymore.

Me: Do you just want to go in the crib and not hear Mommy's songs?

Michael: Yeah.

Into the crib and to sleep he went!

[tholbrook]

Hello from California!

So... we made it here, obviously. I can't say that the trip here was fun, but overall, Maya did really well. We had a 2 hour drive - at 4 a.m.!!! - just to get to the airport yesterday. Did she sleep on the way there? Nope! But she was so excited about the "big adventure" (it's not often we wake her up, put her into the car still in her pj's, and hand her a sippy cup) that she chattered away the entire time. And she nearly went crazy when we got to the airport and she could see the airplanes. She slept most of the first leg of the flight, but not much during the 4-hour part. Which was exhausting :cool:. She was pretty good considering how long we had to sit there, and how cramped we were. We were in a large plane with a middle section, so she couldn't even look out the window. I kept asking DH to check the time - it was a LOOOONG 4 hours. Oh, and NO changing table in the bathroom either. :eek: Talk about challenging! I had to balance her on my leg with my foot up on the seat, and get her diaper changed without letting her touch everything.

Anyway, we're currently staying in the least-childproof place I think I have ever seen. Outlets with the covers missing, and exposed tack-strips (read: sharp nails sticking out of the floor) are the biggest things, but I have had to keep a VERY watchful eye on Maya because I have no idea what else she could get into. <sigh> :(

Despite all of that, she is having a blast visiting with her Grammie and Papa (and one of my sisters is here for a few days too). She loves exploring (:eek:) and playing with all kinds of new things (again: :eek:). Unfortunately, her sleep -- both naps and night - is crappy and she is severely overtired. But you would never know it - she is smiling, energetic and happy. But when she is away from all the distractions, her behavior goes downhill fast. I am crossing my fingers that she'll sleep okay tonight.

Oh, and I can sympathize with Michelle ... in the last 48 hours, Maya has had several "incidents" and now looks like a trainwreck. The night before the trip (a matter of hours, actually), DH was holding her while I got her crib ready. Apparently she turned in his arms quickly and: splat! she landed facedown on the floor. It was AWFUL. :(:( Her front teeth hit against her gums and they were bleeding. And her chin has a little rug-burn on it, but really minor. It scared her so much, she couldn't stop crying for almost an hour, and it hurt her to nurse, and that upset her too. DH was as much of a mess as Maya was. We came *this close* to cancelling our trip, but she actually slept really well ... until we woke her up at 4 the next morning, that is. Since we've been here, she has run into a metal basket and conked her forehead on the corner of a table.

Quick personals:

Heather: I am SO excited that you will have a little girl! You will just love it. Quinn and his puddles crack me up. I hope you have found a definitive diagnosis for his stomach ailments - is he doing any better this week?

Michelle: Evelyn looks like a little model with that sweater dress. And I don't remember if I already told you this, but we got a water/sand table too - it's a Step2 as well, although it might be a different model. It has been raining non-stop lately, so we haven't had a chance to play with it yet.

Beth G: Noooo! Not again! I hope Michael gets better soon - and your DH too! LOL on the "No" to your singing. Maya has been doing that to me as well - "Done!" when I sing her favorite song (If you're happy and you know it...) and then turns to DH and says "Happy?" - which is her way of asking him to sing instead. Little stinker - I know I can't sing very well, but neither can DH! ;)

Ashley: welcome back! Yay for Matt's new words - it really opens up a whole new world when you can understand what they are saying. No, you're not the only one guilty of focusing more on the baby than the spouse. I am extremely guilty of that myself :o but hope to start incorporating some "date nights" into our schedule. So far, easier said than done. And don't feel bad for leaving Matt with your mom. So far our "vacation" has completely wiped me out.

Bekki: with your two little wild men, I think you deserve (and NEED!) that vacation, hopefully to someplace quiet and relaxing! We bought a Step2 "Naturally Playful" sand/water table. I assembled it but we haven't used it yet --- I will most likely only use water, since I have zero interest in cleaning up sand from all over the house. When Maya is old enough to dust off the sand herself, I will reconsider ;). I'm happy with the table, although I wish there was a plug in both sides.

[Beth H]

Hi all - this month certainly has gotten away from me. I'm getting ready to start a new job at the university where I work, so that certainly has contributed to it.

We have the same sand/water table as Michelle. (Ours has an umbrella which does provide some nice shading.) Like Evelyn, Will loves his. I will say, it creates a huge mess - like it requires an almost instant bath when he's done as he is a) soaked b) covered in sand. I know my sister eventually abandoned the sand aspect of it and made it a water table only. :) The mix of sand and water is what does it. . .

Will is doing great - very "busy" they tell me at daycare. He is very big now on saying "no, no, no" and shaking his head, even if he really doesn't mean "no." He still is a terrible eater - so anyone with eating struggles, you have my sympathies.

Ashley So glad you had a great trip to Hawaii. It definitely is hard to balance marriage with a newborn - you're not alone!

Beth G Sorry you've been hit again with illness. Hopefully the summer will be a respite from all that.

Michelle Will got a fat lip at our park 2 weeks ago - blood and everything. He falls a good bit and always has bruises and scrapes on him.

Tami - glad the flying went OK. Hope you have a good rest of your visit.

Bekki - I know you will enjoy your trip. It's great that you have family "willing and able" to take care of twins.

I'm off for a girls' weekend this weekend - first time DH has been alone overnight with Will. I have a feeling there will be an Elmo's World marathon on Saturday. . . .

[Beth G.]

Tami - so glad the flight went ok and you are having a good time! That is Michael's favorite song too. I sing it when I come home from work as I open the door and walk up the stairs (Michael is usually in his high chair in the kitchen which is on the second floor). I had sang it a lot when he was a newborn - he has the musical inchworm that plays it. On his third day at day care, they said he had a great day and had smiled and laughed when his teacher sang that song, so I knew he was ok! Have a great trip and I hope Maya avoids any further mishaps!

Beth H. - enjoy your girls weekend!

The update here is that Michael has a sinus infection and started antibiotics tonight. His fever had been lower today but still over 101 so DH took him back to the doctor. He refused my singing again tonight and went straight into the crib with no protest, so I won't complain. We are really struggling with work. DH has watched him two days, I watched him Wednesday and took a sick day tomorrow too, plus we have an appointment Monday so we are off as well. I have to work Saturday and Sunday, and DH is still sick and his mom is in the hospital. We both work 3 hours most nights to try to catch up. Ugh. I need a vacation, but with all the time I've been out from work I don't have one coming anytime soon. Ok, end pity party.

Have a great weekend all!

[acginkc]

I just started reading Jodi Picoult's book Vanishing Acts and she had this great line that I had to share because I think it is so right on. Hope you all enjoy it too.

"When you're pregnant, you can think of nothing but having your own body to yourself again; yet after giving birth you realize that the biggest part of you is now somehow external, subject to all sorts of dangers and disappearance, so you spend the rest of your life trying to figure out how to keep her close enough for comfort. That's the strange thing about being a mother: Until you have a baby, you don't even realize how much you were missing one."

[tholbrook]

Ashley, thanks for sharing that - nicely stated, and so very true! :)

Beth G - hope Michael is better with this round of antibiotics. Crossing my fingers for all of you that this is the last bout you'll have to deal with for a long, long time.

Beth H - Congrats on the new job! Hope you have a smooth transition. Sorry to hear Will's eating has not improved much .... have you noticed any patterns to his likes/dislikes?
I had to laugh about your comment about your DH and the Elmo videos. When my DH watches Maya the 2 nights a week that I get home late, the answer is always the same when I call home to check on her: "she's watching Elmo's World" :rolleyes:. I do admit that she has picked up some new words from watching, so I don't mind too much.

We have just a few more days left (:() here in CA. Maya is still having a blast, and I'm already sad that it will be several more months before we see my dad again. We made a 3 hour round-trip today to visit some family, and Maya shocked us by being absolutely wonderful in the car the entire time - despite it being WAY past her bedtime on the way back. I guess I don't give her enough credit for being a good traveler in the car. :o:D

Here's her first trampoline experience (and don't worry - there were 4 of us standing close, ready to catch her :eek:)
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee70/turtlehouse/Maya%202010/DSC_2227-1.jpg

Hope everyone else is well!

[helios7]

Hi all.

May is just flying by - I can't believe it's June next week. We're going away for Memorial Day weekend, and my head is just swimming with all I need to do this week in preparation.

Before I forget - here's my boy in his new sandbox. http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs533.ash1/31274_766220770275_430337_42867669_2034394_n.jpgSo meone already gave my perspective on the combined sand/water table - as an experienced preschool teacher I recommend only using sand OR water at one time. The urge to mix is just too great and then - yuck!

The latest round of testing found Quinn has rotavirus. How long he's had it is not clear, but that's at least one cause of his stomach issues. I'm not sure if he was tested for that during the first round and it has since popped up, or if it has been there all along. The doctor also thinks there's a food intolerance, so he's dairy AND soy free. The soy free is tough - that stuff is everywhere. While I'm fine with eliminating most processed foods (good idea in general) I'm struggling with snacks for him. So i'll take any dairy/soy free snack ideas people have!! :)

And that's pretty much all of our news. I'm 21 weeks, the pregnancy continues to go well and is also just flying by. I don't have time for personals now, but will hope to come back soon. Quinn's been on an hour and fifteen minute nap kick lately, so my "down" time has been limited. He appears to have broken that today as we're already at 2.5 so here's hoping it's gone for good. His sleep has been tough lately - we had to do some sleep training last week as it was just a mess for us all. But luckily we only had a night or two and now he seems to be back on track through the night. :D

Hope all mommies and toddlers are well!

[acginkc]

I'm waiting for DH to be ready to go look at plants at the nursery so I'll post really quick.

Tami- How was your trip to CA? Love your pictures on FB. It looks like Maya had a blast. Not sure if you are back home yet, but if not hope the return flight goes smoothly (or went smoothly if you are already back)

Heather- How has Quinn been doing? Have they figured out any more about what may be causing his tummy troubles? I hope that he's getting some relief (and you are getting a break from diapers).

Beth G- How is Michael feeling? I hope he's finally hit a stretch of health. I'm sure it is exhausting to keep going through this cycle.

Beth H- How is Will's eating. Matt is a really good eater so I'll send you all the eating vibes we've got. Hope he keeps finding new stuff he likes.

Michelle- How is the search for Charlie's new home going? I know it is probably harder as time goes on to give him up.

bekki- We missed Matt like crazy on our trip, but in the end we all did well. We Skype'd with him a couple of times and that was great for all of us I think. I needed to see him and he got so excited when our faces came up on the screen.

Well we have been great around here. Matt and I have had some great trips to the park lately. For a while now (about 6 weeks) Matt was really fussy and just a lot more irritable. Well it seems like in the last few days he's finally gotten back to normal. He's back to my smiley, agreeable and fun kid.

Funny story. We were at the park the other day and playing in the play houses. Matt spotted two girls (8 and 9) and took a liking to them. He kept going to the house they were playing in to see them. He'd smile, giggle, dance around and try to climb on their laps. He'd run out and then head back in and do it all again. I have never seen him flirt so much. Well funniest part was that a bit later when we were playing on the playground the two girls showed up and wanted to play with him some more. His whole flirting routine worked like a charm. I may be chasing off girls all the time as he grows up. :D:cool:

A couple pictures...
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs534.ash1/31307_10150199146685571_503150570_12680546_671190_ n.jpg

Cheesin' it up
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs574.snc3/31307_10150199802870571_503150570_12701428_4811176 _n.jpg

I hope you all have a great holiday weekend!! "See" you all in June.