Pre-K/Preschool Thread Week of Sept 18th

[MrsReber]

Good morning! It's early. My laptop still won't let me connect remotely so I can't access anything but my work email (week three of this). Gotta love it.

Our realtor called yesterday to go over the list of inspection items. The buyer's attorney told us to "address the items or issue credit at closing." Ha ha ha ha. They put in the contract that they would only ask for repairs for "major structural damages." They want us to clean the gutters (amazing, since they're brand new and were cleaned about a month ago- plus their inspector never looked at them), "reconfigure" the front steps to the house (a mere $10,000 project- but our steps passed the township inpsection), re-route our wash water to the septic (which will kill the bacteria in the septic system, causing major problems and they'll have to pump the tank every 6 months with all the extra water) and replace a GFI outlet in the bathroom because it doesn't work (interesting since we use it every single day). There are actually 10 items on the list, but only about 2 of them are valid. I have to call our attorney this morning and go over all the items with him and remind him what the contract states about repairs. I wouldn't dream of asking a seller to clean gutters unless it was blatantly obvious that there was a problem. As DH said- it's almost fall, they'll be full again by the time we close.

Me and the kids cleaned out the toy room in the basement while DH was away in VA for the weekend. When I tried to clean out the toys in the spring, the kids got upset about getting rid of their stuff. This time, they were very willing to help me and they even suggested getting rid of some "baby" things that they didn't need any more. I'll eventually have a garage sale. I'm still deciding how to price things. I have a bunch of clothes that I was thinking of throwing in a box for $1 each (shirts and pants). I also have my double stroller. I hate to let it go for less than $25, but I don't know if someone would pay that at a garage sale. I'd try to get it to a consignment shop, but I don't know if it's in good enough shape for that- plus we'll be leaving soon so I can't wait around for it to sell. The kids wanted to get in the stroller and go for a walk! As if they'd still fit. I loved that stroller. I'm sad to not have any babies to put in it now.

Today we have the CO re-inspection, Casey's riding lesson, I have to get Casey to school and pick her up and I have to call our attorney about the inspection. Busy day for me. DH is supposed to come home from work around 9:30 so I can take Casey to her riding lesson. I'm so stresses- couldn't sleep much thinking about the inspection issues. I know it's the buyer's realtor and attorney who are driving this. They asked for every single item listed on the inspection report. I want to ask them if they really expect us to move in 5 weeks because we can't do all that and pack! Besides, they came in $19,900 under our asking price so we're not issuing any credits at closing.

My mom may call me to go apple picking later with the kids. She's off work today. Casey is still bummed about going to school when Brenden is home. She's really going to be upset in VA! I ordered her tinkerbell costume for Halloween. I'm not sure where we'll be, though. Either way, I'll have to find a place for some trick or treating or they'll be really upset. Brenden loves his Spiderman costume. It's a hand me down from his cousin. His cousin wore it a few years in a row and now Brenden is carrying on the tradition. He wore the costume all weekend long. I had to make him take it off so we could go to the store.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend! I'll stop babbling now! Just stressed out....hopefully this will all be over soon!

[hrk]

Good morning all
Susan- Sorry to hear about all the hassle with the house. Just put pictures of Virginia all around the house and keep reminding yourself of how much it will be worth it.

Well we had a very busy weekend.
Soccer was Saturday morning and I have to say I am not impressed. And my friend who recommended the program to us is very embarassed. Apparently we have a young, new coach who has no idead how to keep the interest of young kids or what to do with them. They "practice" for an hour and they spent maybe 10 minutes with an actual soccer ball, and the rest of the time playing duck,duck goose and tag. Meanwhile the other groups around us have little goals set up for the kids to kick at, are running relays etc. Logan actually asked us if he could go join one of the other groups that was playing with their soccer balls. My friend talked with the head of the coaches who assured us it will be better by next week, I hope so, since DH does a better job with Logan in our basement and that is free.
Saturday afternoon Logan had a playdate at our haouse and they did a great job of playing together without us around, so Ari got some alone time with mom and dad.
Sunday we went swimming and then had a picnic with a group of friends in an area park. They have a minature train for the kids to ride on, that goes all around the park. Logan just loved it and keeps asking when he can go back.
This week should be busy with back to school night tomorrow and the Jewish New Year starting on Friday night. Saturday we are having some friends over, so I will probably spend most of the day cooking, going to try a new dessert recipe for Apple Puffs, I hope they turn out.
Hope everyone else had a nice weekend.
Heather

[Sarah428]

Susan - Please, babble away, sometimes just airing everything helps relieve some of the stress! I can't believe they are asking for all that; I guess they're thinking "it doesn't hurt to ask, the worst they can say is no" but makes for a big headache for you. Hang in there.

Sat I took the kids to have their pictures done at JCP. They ended up running 1.5 hours behind and I was p*ssed! Fortunatly the pics turned out perfect, guess it helped that I bribed Ella with a ride on the merry-go-round after pictures :o.

Not much happening this week, I trying to say "no" to things that pop up as I've being feeling very overwhelmed & stressed lately. Of course we've been invited to 3 different things on Oct 7th!

I have my first test in my human anatomy class tonight and I'm nervous. I've gotten 100% on both quizzes but now feel like I've forgotten everything :eek:!

Sarah

[RunnerKim]

Susan - that's crazy requests. I bet they're just giving it a shot and hoping you'll do some of it.

Lainey's decided to be a witch this year. At first it was pirate but interest has dropped for pirates. She hesitated when she found out that she won't get to fly on a broom like in one of the books we have. I already have a costume and hat that were hand-me downs so it's perfect. I'll pick her up a little broom that I saw at the party store and a little green face paint. Jamie will be a giraffe (Lainey's old 2T costume). He'll just wear it at school though, I don't think I'll have him go trick or treating.

Heather - sorry that soccer class was so disappointing. I hope it's better next week. When Lainey took a class 2 summers ago they did a lot of non-soccer ball things but it was easy to see that the skills were all soccer related though and perfect for 2.5 year olds (lots of changes in activities to keep their interest). Chasing down the coach, standing cones up with one foot, hopping over hoola hoops etc. Along with actual soccer ball stuff too. But the little bit older kids were definitely doing more traditional soccer activities. We went to one of my nephew's games on Saturday and Lainey is dying to play soccer. (we took an extra ball so she could kick it around on the sidelines). Our SoccerTots place only does weekend classes during the summer and I might be able to sign her up for the local league kick 'n play next Fall (another area that having a post-Sept. 1st birthday is probably going to an issue!).

Sarah - glad the pictures came out well after that kind of wait. Crazy! I'm sure you'll do great on your exam - it's all in your head, just relax and let it come to you.

Joanne - I don't think I ever responded about Ian getting a part in Oliver. Very cool! Sounds like it'll be a big time committment but what a neat thing for him to be involved in. How's Caitlyn's sleeping going?

It was a tough week last week. After DH and I conferred we realized that Lainey had been waking up 3-5 times a night all week. She normally sleeps through or maybe gets up once to go to the bathroom. She didn't have a reason that she could name - I don't know if Merc dying was part of it or not. She talks about him. She went with DH to pick up his ashes on Sunday and last night she slept through the night. It could not be related at all though. We'll all just be happy if she goes back to sleeping through! Jamie's canines have been coming in so he's been fussy too.

Lainey's party is next weekend - I've ordered helium balloons (our decorations and part of our favors) and Lainey and I made up big batches of play dough for kids to play with while at the party and also take home. I'm also in charge of food - anyone have a good preschool snacky item I could make/buy? They're having cake obviously so something different - I figured I'd do some bananas and grapes. DH suggested chex mix but I wasn't sure how well 3/4 year olds would eat that? Probably more for the parents anyway.

Kim

[MrsReber]

Sarah- thanks! I think I really needed to vent a bit. DH came home at 10:00 as I was leaving for Casey's riding lesson. It's so peaceful over there. It helped to get out. Brenden loves the tire swing they have so I mostly stand there pushing him until his hands get tired of holding on to the rope. Casey did great, again. She's almost ready to lose the lead line and control the horse on her own. I'll be sad to switch instructors, but her instructor has many contacts in Virginia. Coincidentally, that's where she buys all of her horses.

I got home and the inspector was here, just finishing up. She's great and I think she understands our desire to get out of this crazy state. They actually charge a tax if you're leaving the state- my brother says it's 2% of the sale price of your house. So I'm giving everyone involved in the closing my mom's address. Hey, look- we're not leaving! I'm moving in with mom! What an unfair tax. We already have to pay a realty transfer tax of about $1500. The other tax would amount to somewhere around $6,000 :eek: ! So we're trying to work around that. Anyway, we got our CO and I called our attorney to let him know that we're not obligated to do anything with our front porch and steps.

I have to get Casey off to kindergarten. She's not going to be too happy since Brenden will be here with me, but the time goes by SO fast! I have to find a family picture for her to bring in for back to school night next week. I think I packed most of them away!!

Heather, that's really rotten about the soccer practice. What a let down. I could understand if they were much younger kids, but still, you're paying for soccer, not duck duck goose, which they can play at daycare.

Kim, how funny that Lainey wants to fly around on a broom! I really like hand me down costumes. Casey is the one who wants something new each year. They're getting so expensive. I wish I could make more stuff, but I just don't have the time or the imagination.

Sarah- good luck on your test!!

[JoanneOR]

Susan, it does sound like they are just asking for everything they can think of and hoping to get something. Some of the things just sound so unreasonable. Clean the gutters?? That's crazy! Just keeping thinking, once those papers are signed, you'll never have to think about this again, or your job!

Kim, Caitlyn is sleeping better at night. Now if she cries I don't go down to her right away. Last night she started crying, and got out of her bed. She came into our room and I asked her what was wrong. She said "I want to go to bed." I told her, you were just there, why did you get out??" It might have been funny if it wasn't 3:00 am. :rolleyes: So I put her back in bed. What is Lainey doing when she wakes up? I can certainly emphasize with you!

Sarah, good luck on your test tonight! I'm sure you'll do great, especially with a 100% on the quizzes.

Heather, that's too bad about the soccer. Hopefully, maybe the coach will have learned something from watching the other coaches with their groups and will change it next week. Would you feel comfortable asking to switch to another coach?

Ian had his first rehearsal for Oliver yesterday. We found out more about the schedule and it won't be as time-intensive as we thought. The orphans only practice on Sunday afternoons and an occasional Wednesday. They have two different casts, so he'll only be in three performances. But they might add more shows. Now the challenge is to find a costume. We need to hit the thrift stores soon since 75 other kids will be doing the same thing!

Jameson had his first soccer game yesterday. The coach really didn't play him too much. I had to stop myself from saying something to him, but I realize this is more of a competitive league and he probably wants to play the better kids. Some of the other kids are really good. This one girl on his team was amazing. And, Jameson made a few mistakes when he was out there. The coach pulled him out right away when he made a mistake. I tell you, it was nerve wracking to watch! Jameson has been so excited about this, and he can get really upset and emotional about stuff. I was worried he was going to be upset. But, he was fine after the game. And, towards the end he had a couple good passes. His team won 7-2, so he was happy about that.

This weekend is his party at the Chicago Fire game. We're bringing nine boys! We have an extra ticket because Colin got invited to a birthday party for a friend at school and he said he'd rather go to that. He got pretty restless at the last Fire game we went to.

Kim, I think fruit would be good for the party. Or, you could make little sandwiches and cut them into shapes. My kids actually do like Chex mix, too. Then, there's always goldfish, too.

[MrsReber]

Kim, I totally forgot! I second Joanne's suggestion about little sandwiches. For my stepmother's 50th birthday party, the caterer actually made little pbj sandwiches and the kids loved them. So, if there are no nut issues, that might be a good idea. Also cucumbers or carrots with ranch dressing. My kids love to dip and a bottle of dressing goes pretty far. Brenden loves the Sponge Bob baby carrots they sell now. I was so happy to see that they finally got wise- instead of having these characters promote sugary stuff, have them promote veggies and fruit!

[HRJ]

Susan, I bet you can't wait until those buyers' annoying agent and lawyer are out of your life! Clean the gutters and re-arrange the steps, indeed. :rolleyes: Glad your inspection by the township went well. I guess that out-of-state tax thing must be fairly new, because I don't remember that being in our closing costs when we moved to Mass. Glad that Casey is doing so well with the riding lessons.

Joanne, hurray for Ian for getting a part in Oliver (and hurray for you, that the rehearsals aren't that time-consuming). Sorry that Caitlyn is having sleep issues again.

Sarah, good luck on your exam -- if you did so well on the quizzes, sounds like you'll do well on the test, too. Glad the photos came out so good.

Kim, I agree that bite-size fruit is good, or some goldfish-type crackers. At least around here, everyone is so paranoid about nuts, I wouldn't do peanut butter unless you were absolutely sure that it would be OK with all the parents.

I wouldn't be surprised if Lainey's sleep difficulties had something to do with Merc's dying -- but, it's hard to say. Hope things get back to normal soon.

Heather, sorry the soccer was disappointing. Did the coach get any kind of training from the league before he started? I hope things get better.

Victor had his first soccer session this weekend, and it went very well -- in this league, until the kids are 7 years old, they don't have real games, just drills and scrimmages, with no keeping score) -- in fact, they refer to the sessions as "clinics," not games. The kids did a lot of drills, and then they scrimmaged against another team of 5-year-olds -- just so happened, it ended up being against the team that Victor's friends the twins are on, so he was happy about that. Some of the parents were saying, "Oh, we know the kids are keeping score for themselves" -- but what was happening on the field was so chaotic, I don't know how anyone could really figure out what was going on. Victor had fun, which is all I'm interested in -- but I felt so bad, I forgot to bring water with us, and it got really hot on the field.

Don't remember if I mentioned that Victor also resumed swimming lessons last week -- it went so well, you'd never believe this was a kid who was terrified of the water at one point. He had a blast, and asked if he could go to swimming every day. While I still think the aquatics program at this Y needs a little fine-tuning -- for instance, there was a whole lot of confusion when we first got there, about where each of the various classes was supposed to be having their lessons, and they got started much later than they were supposed to -- the teachers seem to be very good, and really connect with the kids. So I guess it's worth a little annoyance on my part.

Saturday afternoon we went to a festival sponsored by our local PBS station (WGBH), and Victor got his picture taken with Curious George (he loves that new Curious George show -- has anybody else seen it?) and Leona from "Between the Lions" (I really love that show, myself -- it's on while Victor is at school, so we record it). We also got to see the studio where "Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman" is filmed, and to meet some of the kids from the Fetch cast. (I think that show is meant for kids a little older than Victor, but he likes to watch it occasionally anyway). We also stood on line for like a million hours in the blazing sun so Victor could go on one of those "moonwalk" things. :rolleyes:

Jasmine is doing well -- Victor goes around saying things like, "hello, my pet," and "goodnight, my pet." :D She had a very nasty bout of diarrhea the middle of last week, but it seems to have subsided -- BTW, if anyone knows a good way to get lingering smells out of carpets, please let me know. (sorry, was that too gross?). She goes back to the vet tomorrow morning for her rabies shot.

Things have been very busy at work, much busier than I remember them being previously at this time of year. I've also got a lot of cooking/baking for Rosh Hashana that I've, of course, been putting off until the last minute. I meant to make challah today, but it was 82 degrees (:eek: In Boston! In mid-September! :mad: ) so I'm waiting--hope it cools off a bit.

Helene

[RunnerKim]

Helene - do you have any Nature's Miracle? It comes in a white plastic bottle with a bunch of red writing on it. Great for all sorts of canine and feline (and even child) messes.

Sounds like Victor is having some great successes. Lainey starts up swim classes again in October.

Oh goldfish crackers - why didn't I think of that. I think I'll do something like that along with the fruit. The community center room we're using is a big gym with a little room on the side for the food etc. and from the 1 party I was at there a couple of years ago - you don't spend much time in that room (cramped and it's a seperate room from the fun gym) so I don't think we need to have much food. Daycare is nut free so I wouldn't want to touch anything with nuts in it but a funny thing - Lainey got all excited about having PB&J at my sisters and then asked if we could have it at home sometime! She's never been that fond of it (she's not a big jelly person - doesn't seem to care of berries in any format) but I make almost all the bread we have in our house and don't often have more plain sandwich bread around.

I've been meaning to ask you all if you any of you have read the book "10 Little Squirrels"? When we were visiting my parents we got a whole bunch of younger kid books that they have outgrown (neice and nephews). They go to a tiny school (as in no more than 20 kids in K-8!) and when the school library gets rid of books it lets the students take them home. This was one of those books. Lainey randomly selected it one night out the bags of news books for story time and I start reading it to her without having looked at it. Look at the cute squirrells playing in the tree. What do they see but a man walking towards them with a gun!!!! A hunter of course. Each of the 10 squirrels decides what to do - run away, hide, stay still. And then the hunter fires the gun - big gun blast pictures. And then all the 10 squirrels run away - so at least none of them died apparently. I was definitely skimming over it towards the end. Whoa. One thing to have a childrens book about hunting - I think that could be okay - but not told from the perspective of the hunted animal! It was copyright 1960 but it was written by Bill Martin. Isn't he the author of Brown Brown, Brown Bear? Anyway - taught me a lesson about blindly reading a book without even flipping through it.

Kim

[cchhbb]

Helene, I would use Simple Solution for the smell. It worked great on Garrett's mattress when he had a stomach bug and it got on his mattress. DH bought it at the pet store.

Great to hear Victor is in love with the water. It amazes me how kids change so quickly.

Susan, I'm sure someone would buy your Peg stroller for more than $25. I bought one about 4 years old for $120 at our consignment sale, resold it 6 months later for $125, and it just sold for $100 last month at our sale. People really love Pegs and are willing to pay for them.

Kim, I make sandwiches with cream cheese and jelly sometimes for class parties and they tend to be a big treat. I also cut them out into some shapes.

Joanne, good luck with the big birthday party. It sounds like a lot of fun for the boys.

Susan, it sounds like your buyers are trying to get anything that they can. I think that is pretty standard practice unless the house is sold as is.

Heather, I hope soccer practice improves for Logan. I'd hate spending the money if there is very little time spent on soccer.

Garrett came home with a huge bruise on his cheek. He bumped into a computer table. He's milking it for everything he can get. It's kind of funny to listen to him describe what happened and how his face hurts. I bet it will be a pretty colorful bruise tomorrow.

Cheryl

[RunnerKim]

Susan - Cheryl's comment reminded me that I was going to suggest you list the stroller on your local craigslist. I bet you'd get it sold fairly quickly that way. You should be able to search to see what others have listed it for (although its not like ebay where you can actually she who has sold and for how much) I was able to get a really good idea what I could sell my pump for locally that way.

Cheryl - how's Garrett liking his new class? And how are you liking it? Poor guy -- hope he's getting ice cream for dinner or something ;)

Kim

[LaraW]

Kim, I was going to say that Natalie loves Chex Mix. We had some on our recent trip to Chicago. Goldfish would be good, cheese sticks might be good too. Natalie loves anything that comes in a pre-packaged wrapper like a granola bar or a mini bag of chips.

Joanne, glad that Caitlyn is sleeping better. Hooray for Ian being in Oliver and glad the rehearsals and performance schedule isn't as bad as you thought.

Helene, that is great about Victor and the pool.

Susan, I am sure you can't wait to close now, and these buyers will no longer be your problem. Good luck with everything.

Sarah, I go to JCP for pictures too. I'm not sure that I would wait 1 1/2 hours, though. I try for after lunch/naptime for both kids. It does mean going there in the afternoon when they've had a chance to get behind, but it has worked out OK. I try and go during the week and its not so bad then.

We had an OK weekend here. I always feel so bad, coming here and venting and venting about all of our issues, and then find out that Natalie is sick :(. She woke up at 2:30 am on Saturday morning, and was basically up for the day, complainign that her ear hurt. I got her in to the doctor on Saturday morning (they have Saturday hours for urgent care) and she had a raging infection in that darn left ear. THe doctor thought it might have just been that the anitbiotic that she was on a few weeks ago didn't get everything. But, that would explain some of her tantrums last week, if she wasn't feeling well.

So, we got her onto a more potent antibiotic and they also gave us some drops to numb her eardrum in case we have a similar incident in the future, that will allow us to at least numb the pain until we can get into the doctor.

We were kind of set to have a really busy (but fun) day on Saturday. DH had a class for his test, and Natalie had a birthday party to go to in the afternoon. Then, we were going down to DH's aunt's house for dinner b/c his brother/SIL and our 2 nieces and nephew were coming out for a vacation.

Well, first, DH's class got cancelled. This was actually kind of good because I don't know that I would have been able to deal with both kids by myself on basically zero sleep. We got Natalie a doctor's appt Sat morning, and got her going on her medicine, and she laid down for a nap for about 3 hours. But, it was 30 min of sleeping, 30 min of crying basically for the whole time. She did konk out for 50 minutes, and then was up around 2:30.

We tried to go over to the birthday party but it was over (it was scheduled from 12-3 and we got there at the very end). It was at a park near our house and there were some other kids there that she knew, so it was OK. She actually perked up while we were at the park, and I thought she'd be able to go down to Denver for dinner that night. When we got home, though, she just started melting down over every little thing. We fed her dinner at about 4:30 pm, and while she was eating, she started to cry and said "I want to go to bed" :( DH took her up at 5:00 and she was asleep by 5:15. I thought for sure we'd her from her around 9 or 10 (she didn't eat much dinner and didn't eat any lunch) but we didn't. Then, I thought we'd hear from her in the middle of the night, but we didn't. She slept through until 6:30 Sunday morning, and seemed much happier. And hungry. SHe ate 3 bowls of cereal! :o

She seems to be feeling better.

I need to get Natalie signed up for swimming lessons. We were not able to get into the most recent session, but I think there is another session that starts in October or November.

Happy Tuesday, everyone! :)

[RunnerKim]

Lara - I hope Natalie is feeling better and that resolves the worst of her behavior issues.

A question about the Leapster that a couple of you recommended - I was reading the reviews on Amazon and many people are disgusted with Leap Frog for an advertising feature that sounds like it is built in to the newer model. Not having seen one in person, I was wondering if anyone here could tell me how prevelent and annoying it is? It sounds like it's a link on the screen no matter what game the child is playing. Some of the older models still seem to be available and I'm wondering if I shouldn't go that route. TRU is having a sale on the Leapster - buy it and get a $25 game free which seemed like a good enough deal to shop early for Christmas (but i'd guess they only have the newer model in the store).

Kim

[cchhbb]

Kim, Garrett is loving his class. His teacher is just an incredible gift. I don't think the class is a good fit for him though. He is the only child in the class that is verbal. I stopped by today since I was at the school for a room mom meeting and watched for a few minutes. The other children couldn't say things like rainbow. Garrett was spelling the words as the teacher put them up during circle time.

He did have a tough day today. I think he is coming down with something. He is really tired today. Also, the school bus driver overslept so I ended up taking him to school. That really upset him. He kept talking about how the bus forgot him.

Cheryl

[MrsReber]

I typed a whole response last night and my computer shut down on me!! Grrrr.

Anyway, welcome Natalie to the left ear infection club! The ear doctor confirmed today that Brenden's ear is indeed draining. I have to put the drops in twice a day. I brought him back to see if the hole from his tube had healed yet. He's still got the hole. I noticed drainage last week, but it wasn't a lot and it only seemed to be there once a day so I wasn't sure exactly what it was. Plus, I couldn't find the ear drops I bought! Well, I found the eardrops a few days ago, luckily.

I cannot wait to be done with this whole house selling thing. The buyers have asked for a lot of things and DH is freaking out at me because I told him that we're not doing all of them and I refuse to commit to all of that. He said "but it's no problem to clean the gutters!" I am trying to explain that if we commit to it all and then they come for the walk through and see leaves in the gutters, they could refuse to close. We're dealing with people who have never owned a house. It's fall. There will be leaves it the gutters in another week. If we clean them, the leaves will come back the next week. It rained today and we have no drainage problems. DH is so afraid of losing our buyers that he doesn't want to push back on anything. He really freaked out on me when he got home today. He just doesn't understand the legal aspects of it all. He seems to think the buyers will just leave. I know they wanted to be in our house as fast as possible and they really have nowhere else to go. We agreed to fix some things they asked for- things that were petty to ask for. Our attorney sent out our response today. I'm not thrilled with our attorney, but our realtor recommended him. I'm not exactly impressed. I'm a paralegal. I could've written a better response. Unfortuanately, here in central Jersey, we're required to have lawyers.

Lara, I feel so bad for Natalie. Brenden used to cry all night once his ear infections got out of control. I feel bad for you, too, with the lack of sleep!

Kim, thanks for mentioning Craig's list. I never even thought to look there. I have actually never looked at Craig's list! I'm so out of the loop on that one!

I don't know much about the Leapster, but we decided against it since the cartridges were $25 a peice and the age ranges seemed very short. However, I know some of Casey's friends have them and she loves to play with them. I was just unsure if she'd continue to enjoy it or not.


Casey told me "shut up" the other night- I can only imagine she picked that up at school. I do not use that phrase at all at home. I told her it was not nice and that she better not talk to me like that or she'll go to her room. She was upset because I mentioned her thumb sucking (still!!!!!) and how it's going to ruin her teeth. I was so disappointed that she'd use that phrase. I have even yelled at DH for using it before (before we had kids). Sigh. I hate those negative outside influences!!

[RunnerKim]

Oh Susan - you're going to love some of the words that come home with Casey, if what my nephews will let drop is anything to predict by. Definitely pluses and minuses to being around older kids! My nephews go to a diverse school (culturely/language-wise) and so they also have learned some lovely words in other languages. Lainey tells DH or I to "stop talking" to her when she doesn't want to hear what we have to say.

Can you compromise with DH and let him clean the gutters as a nice thing to do for them but not formally agree to it? Not sure if that would address his fears of them walking away. Anybody who would walk away from a house b/c the gutters weren't cleaned is way to flakey.

Cheryl - that's great that Garrett is loving school and has a great teacher and I can understand why you'd be concerned if he's the only verbal kid in the class. Garrett is so advanced in his verbal/reading skills, I'd expect you'd have a difficult time finding same age kids even close to his abilities. Do you think supplemental/differentiated work in that area will satisfy his needs or do you think you're going to have to move him?

I go back and forth on the Leapster - especially if this ad thing is as annoying as it sounds. We don't anticipate any long trips for the next year (since we'll hopefully be moving next summer we're not planning them) but it would be nice for the 2 hour drives to the coast and it seems like a good main gift for Christmas. She could use it for a couple of years and then Jamie could have it. I could be wrong too - I think she'd be more in to game playing since it's interactive but maybe it'll be like watching TV for her (which she has only a small interest in).

Kim

[MrsReber]

Kim, thanks for the advice! I posted my stroller and high chair this morning on craigslist. It was really easy to do. I'll try to add pictures later. There was a stroller similar to mine selling for $100 so I listed it at that. I have some other items I might add, too.

Have you decided anything on the Leapster yet?

[zippy478]

I don't normally post here but I just got this info in my news reading on the 'net and figured I would share it here.

September 22, 2006
Hasbro issues toy recall following two child deaths
PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Hasbro Inc., the nation's second-largest toy maker, issued a voluntary recall today on part of a toy workbench set after two children apparently suffocated to death on oversized plastic toy nails, company officials said.

Chief Executive Al Verrecchia said the recall applies to two plastic nails included in the Playskool Team Talkin' Tool Bench, which has sold about 255,000 sets in the last year.

The toy company learned in February about the death of a 19-month-old boy from Martinsburg, W.V., who apparently choked on at least one 3-inch-long plastic nail, Verrecchia said.

Last week, the company learned it was named in a civil lawsuit prompted by the death of a 2-year-old boy from League City, Texas, who also allegedly choked on a toy nail.

"As soon as we heard that, we made the decision to get the product back and find out what's going on," Verrecchia said.

The toy workbench is designed for children three years and older, company officials said. Both victims were younger than that.

Verrecchia said the nail, which is more than an inch wide, meets federal safety guidelines.

Consumers who return the plastic nails will receive a $50 gift certificate for Hasbro products. Verrecchia said consumers can also claim a gift certificate for returning toy plastic screws in the set, although those parts have not been blamed for any deaths and are not part of the recall.


I know this is a super popular toy with boys so I'm just doing my part to spread the word.

Maura :)

[RunnerKim]

Thanks for the heads up Maura. I think we're safe on that one. It was so easy with Lainey but when the 2nd child comes along you have all this stuff for the older child that the younger one should have! And Jamie is the oral kid that puts everything in his mouth.

Cheryl - I was curious how well Griffin was talking now? I know you'd inquired about Jamie several months ago. Jamie is still not saying many (any?) words! However, he communicates incredibly well. He has so many more signs than Lainey did and he has distinctive vocalizations. One of his teachers say he could communicate with dolphins. He carries on conversations - just not in English. I'll be curious what the pediatrician says if he's still not really using words at his 18 month appt (which isn't until the end of Oct, so we can get flu shots for everyone too). When is it considered "late" for a child to talk?

Susan - hope Craigslist works well for you. I forget about it too and someone mentioned it in regards to Leapster games (unfortunately our area seems to not have much in that area). I've been reading your house thread and am so sorry that is turning in to one major frustration after another. I think I will pick one up on Saturday. I have a feeling we'll be at TRU to exchange Lainey's bike anyway. DH talked me in to an 18" one and I really think that's going to be too tall.

Lainey helped me make her cake last night. We're doing a banana cake (her birthday partner opted for chocolate so we wanted something different). Tonight I'm decorating it - she requested a clown cake (no idea why - I'm a little afraid she doesn't really know what a clown is and has a different idea of what the cake will be). I did a clown cake for her playgroup's 1st birthday so I'm basically re-doing it. A 2 layer round cake with clown heads on top (using a half ball pan for the heads) and then using sugar cones to make the hats.

Kim

[LA98]

Maura, thanks for posting that recall. We don't have that toy either, but boy, I'm shocked that Hasbro didn't do the recall back in February after the one reported death! The company I used to work for would do a voluntary recall if there was any reported incident with a child, even if there was no actual injury involved...

Kim, I'm trying to remember how/when Brian's speech delay was diagnosed. We had an early lead on it because we'd been seeing an ENT and audiologist for his ear issues, and they asked about his speech and gave us information on what to do if he didn't start talking soon. I definitely remember being asked at his 18-month visit how many words he was saying, I said zero, and we left that day with the Early Intervention phone numbers. I also remember them saying that if he didn't have all the ear problems and was communicating well (as you're saying Jamie is) they would not have been as concerned... Your cake for Lainey sounds adorable! Hope she likes it. Are her birthday and party this weekend? I haven't been keeping up with this thread very well lately.

Lara, hope Natalie's ear is better by now, and Cheryl, hope Garrett didn't come down with anything.

Helene, terrific about Victor and his soccer and swimming! I can't wait until Brian can play a sport. I think it's so great for them. Cute too about him and Jasmine. Oh, and happy new year! :)

Brian was recommended for the preschool class at his school. His teachers feel that he's bored and needs more stimulation. I've been so totally over-emotional about it, I have no idea why. I guess it's just a "he's growing up" kind of thing, but I've been really surprised by my reaction to the whole thing... It means he's leaving two teachers that he really likes, so I was unsure how he'd do with that, but they've told me his transition is going well. The room he's in now is called Preppers (prepping for preschool) and what I never realized before is that they keep kids in this class until they feel they're ready for preschool. That's why there have been some "older" kids (a couple of bigger, and aggressive, boys) in his class. I can see the logic in holding back kids who aren't ready, but it also doesn't make sense to keep older kids who tend to misbehave in with younger ones! :rolleyes:

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Lori

[JoanneOR]

Hi everyone. Things have been crazy here, but wanted to check in quick!

Kim, a banana cake sounds good. Hope the party goes well! Maybe try ebay for a Leapster. Not sure if you be able to get a much better deal than somewhere like Amazon, though. Hmmm, I remember having Caitlyn's speech evaluation at about 14 months when she wasn't saying many, if any words. I don't want to alarm you, and I don't think you should be alarmed at all, but I do remember them saying she should be saying at least a few words. I'd ask your pediatrician, like you said. Some people say second children talk later, too, because their older sibling says things for them. Not sure about that, though. Even though Caitlyn wasn't saying much at 14 months, and probably not at 18 months, either, she talks up a storm now. And, you can pretty much understand everything she says. The girl doesn't stop talking from the minute she wakes up! And, she really only had a few months of speech therapy, probably 10 sessions altogether. I'm not sure how much it actually helped her. So, even though Jamie isn't saying much now, I'm sure once he starts he'll really pick it up quickly.

Susan, yes, my kids come home with some lovely words. This past weekend Colin kept saying "oh Jesus" :eek: :eek: We quickly put a stop to that one. Thankfully before he went to religious education class Sunday :D . Hope Brenden's ear is better. Any progress on the house? I'm still amazed about the gutter thing!

Cheryl, that's great to hear that Garrett is enjoying school. That's tough to figure out how to handle his advanced verbal skills in that situation. Do they do regular evaluations? Maybe the teachers will have some suggestions.

Lara, how's Natalie been doing?

We are down to one car - mine broke down on the way to a White Sox game earlier this week. Luckily DH was ahead of me in his car since we were taking two cars because he had to go to work from the game. It's not looking good - it's an old car and I don't know if it's worth all the trouble DH is going through to figure out what's wrong with it. He has the entire front end of it right now. It's been tough trying to juggle things this week with only one car.

Tomorrow is Jameson's birthday party at the Chicago Fire game. They are predicting thunderstorms :eek: Yikes. I'm just praying it's all over by game time. We are bringing our nephews, and five other boys. Colin got invited to a birthday party from a kid in his class and said he would rather go there and my neighbor is watching Caitlyn. We supposed to have pizza and cake at our house before the game - hopefully we'll be able to go to the game because I don't have anything else planned for 10 boys!

Gotta run...

[cchhbb]

Kim, Griffin says about 15 - 20 words, plus quite a few animal sounds. At this point, Garrett was speaking in sentences so I asked his Dr about it and she said that 15 months she would like to have them say 7 words. Griffin is also a pretty good communicator and has a lot to say in Griffin language which I don't always understand. I haven't signed with him, but he's created a few of his own.

I hope that Garrett's class with have some verbal children join it. They only have 5 children now, but anticipate it being full by Thanksgiving. If they don't get more verbal children, then they will have to determine how to give Garrett extra enrichment.

Kim, I wish I would have known you were looking for a Leapster. I could have picked one up at our consignment sale last month. I'm going to one in a few weeks and I will keep an eye out for one. Costco has one right now I noticed yesterday.

Joanne, sorry to hear about your car. Hope things end up being minor. What a pain to deal with that. Good luck on your birthday party.

I need to go wake Griffin up. I have to head out to the wood finishers supply store and get the stain for my kitchen cabinets. We seem to be making progress on that project. I just hope to have my kitchen finished in time for holiday baking.

Cheryl

[MrsReber]

Joanne, I can't even talk about the house!! Argh! We're telling them we need to know on Monday if we're moving ahead or not. They're asking for all kinds of stuff now and DH and I are done negotiating. They've given us nothing- not even a valid mortgage commitment naming our property.

Lori, the preschool class will be great. I noticed a tremendous change in Brenden in the last month. He knew letters and numbers, but never really tried to spell or read. Now, since he started in the preschool room at Goddard (for the 4 year olds) he has been writing letters like crazy. And, if you all remember how he is- of course he can make most of the letters perfectly and neatly. This kid just does things- he never goes through the beginning stages. Like he never took practice steps, he just got up and walked one day.

It's tough to see them getting older, but it's so amazing to watch them learn. It still hasn't sunk in that Casey is in kindergarten now! But she has become such a girl in these past few weeks. Me and my mom are cracking up over this new behavior of hers.

Cheryl, good luck on finishing your kitchen. Once we move, DH and I are going to tackle that ourselves. I may be asking for some advice!

My mom says when I was younger, I never spoke. I had 2 older siblings who used to get me whatever I wanted. All I had to do was point! Oh, I knew the right words, but why talk when I could get such service by pointing!
Brenden was an early talker. I think he really watched Casey and saw how she got things by communicating. He could speak coherently by the time he was 1. It was amazing. Casey, on the other hand, was hard to understand until she was about 3- and sometimes we still have a hard time understanding her.

Kim, that cake sounds very cute (and tasty!)

Joanne, I hope it doesn't rain on you and I hope that there's nothing major and terribly expensive wrong with your car!