July 2010: Talking Tenacious Tantruming Toddlers Too Tiny To Turn Two.

[Spirael]

Here we go again...

hey cake!!! fab to see you. I'll have a if you're offering (lapsang souchong please).

No party here, i feel a bit bad as all his little friends have had parties and he's the last to turn two so we ought to reciprocate. But he really wouldn't enjoy it so we don't think there;s much point. We might take him for a fun day out this Saturday. The following weekend we're off on holiday with friends so we'll have a little party there with cake etc.

Have just had a long rant at DH about my day. It's just as much my fault as my mum's really, I'm no good at shutting the door and ignoring. DH suggests I try to go into the office more often on a Thursday which sounds like a good idea.

We didn't have a party for G. Call me an old grump but I don't see much point at this age. I was meeting up with some friends that day anyway so we had a little morning tea with two families who have kids the same age as mine.

Nice to have you back cake! I don't post as often as I'd like cos it's a busy and tiring stage but I miss you all when I've not been on!

Woodlands I think your dh is right, I wouldn't be able to crack on with work if I were at home, especially since you know you can calm him down quicker than anyone else. Frustrating though!

Wws I'm not doing anything for s either, part of me would like to but it won't mean a thing to him.

Gotta run, sam's escaping downstairs before his lights gone green

I'm in the 'old grump' corner - we didn't have a party. We had birthday tea and a cake. Next year will be different but two is too young imo

Nice to have you back cake :)

W woke with a dry nappy for the second morning in a row

WOW mylife thats amazing, i wonder if its having his older brother in pants and going to the loo thats making the penny drop with W. How did you go about it then and why did you think he was ready. D does a weewee in the potpot most nights before teeth but has also wee'd on the floor during nappy off time so im a bit confused really. Re the nursery question I was asking if his behavour is better at nursery?
chu guess what???? F slept through!!!SLEPT THROUGH I TELL YOU!!!! Well, he woke with wind at about 9 but settled straight away so i'll just gloss over that but nothing then till 6.30!!! I woke at 4.30 and i couldnt settle just waiting for him to wake! Unfortunatly D woke twice at 10ish and 1.30ish, i really dont know why he is waking but its been for a few nights now, he's very easily settled mostly i wonder if hes going through some bad dreams.
We are thinking of taking the sides off his cotbed this weekend, shall we just do it do you all think?? Its hard though isnt it just when thngs MIGHT be taking a turn for the better its scary thinking we might spoil it.
cake HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cant believe you left us all for so long. The penance for going AWOL has to be survey, can you include whos in beds and whos toilet training and something around food and speach, Thats just what im interested in knowing about at the moment. So whats happening with you, hows Lady A, your right we do 'see' everyone on FB but dont get the nitty gritty. And how is F?
DH is off today and monday then hes back for four days and then off for three weeks, i love him being home at the weekend but i do find that things go to pot a bit for some reason so i hope we can get through three weeks without things going too pear shaped!
Whats everyone doing at the weekend, whos birthday is next? D's is a week sunday, 22nd, then we are supposed to be having a get together with two other friends little boys at a soft play center, we are just going to tell all our friends to meet there rather than have a party, its more an excuse for the adults to meet than a 'birthday party'.

mlic well done W! L will not wee on the potty, he knows when he needs to go and says mummy weewee, potty, gets on potty sits squirming holding the wee in, gets of sits on sofa and as soon as his mind wanders does it all over the sofa!
chulita I really feel for you with DH being away so much, is he being effected by the Olympics at all? been listening to Radio2 about the armed forces being drafted in and thousands also on standby.
viks thats great of F sleeping through! is D still in a cot? seems most are now in beds and L is still in a cot and quite happy in it so not sure if we should be moving him into a bed.
We had a great day yesterday the sun was shining all day we had a picnic and we had a great day,dh took L down a vertical slide for over 8s and then lands in a really deep ball pit, it was so deep it took a while for him to get out I also had a panic attack when I realised dh had taken him down it
We have a couple of relatives coming on sunday for a buffet tea but no party here.
L slept from 6.30 til 8am!!

viks I'm so pleased F slept through, good boy! Fingers and everything crossed it's not a one-off and he's getting the hang of sleeping at last. I can't report any progress here, it's as bad as ever! wrt cots, unless he's climbing out or obviously unhappy I'd be tempted to leave him in tbh. S is only out because he was climbing over and he's woken up earlier and earlier since then - cos he can open his door, once he's up, he's out/downstairs so we have to get up too so he doesn't turn the cooker on or somesuch.

memphis this thing he's being delayed on now is all olympics stuff, it's only going to get worse til it's all over. So frustrating, I don't even like the olympics! He texted earlier to say he might not be home til gone 11pm and he'll most likely be back in again next week. It's not so bad when you know, it's when it's popped up without any warning that I hate it.

Argh, sibling battles, off we go again!

L is ill...so ill she went to bed at 5pm - tonight's going to suck isn't it?

On the up side, I had two women comment on how well behaved my children are today and one of them said I looked so calm and how she'd never have dared take her 3 to a cafe on her own. they were being lovely (apart from S who was really pushing my buttons but at least wasn't shrieking) but I've learnt the best way to enjoy a coffee is to make sure they've got what they want/need and then be sure to finish your drink before they run out of toasted teacake. On the off chance that they are speed-eating, have a couple of micromachines in your pocket that you can pull out and let them drive them around a racetrack made with straws/sugar packets til you're done (and pray that B doesn't decide to have a mammoth 30min feeding session!).

Up 9 times between 11pm and 6. Dh tried give me a lie in even though he didn't get home til 11.30 last night but B woke up needing a feed and large spider started descending on me while I fed him, had to leap up to squish him so i'm well and truly awake now!
Happy saturday everyone!

9 times!

9 times, oh man, who were u getting up to? hows L? nice of DH but BAD of the spider, hope you smashed its brains out!! If it wasnt that im sure it would have been something else though! That just seems to be the way of it right now.
Im well and truly pissed off too, F slept through again, really really brilliant and im over the moon that it wasnt a one off.........BUT D had a really bad night, he woke at 3.30 crying and then cried, whinged, chatted, rahhhh'd, told the dog off (even thought hes downstared in the kitchen??) DH went in twice and i went in and told him off (bitchbags!) but to no avail. he didnt seem to stop till around 4.40. F woke at 6am, which is fine after sleeping through but not fine for me who has had less sleep than if D slept through and F woke for a feed!!!!
You really cant win can you!!!!!

chul that is shitter than shit! Hope dh is off today so you can have a bit of a rest.
viks if yu dont go into D what does he do? Does he like books? If L wakes up early I tell him to lie down or read his books...doesnt always worl but sometimes he listens.
L slept well he woke once but ive been up since 1, had the inklings of a uti coming on all week, been drinking those cystitis relief drinks and cranberry all week but im in sheer agony sorry TMI im passing what looks like pure blood and ive cried most the night so now im in emergency docs. Got so much to do making Ls cake (another one) trifle and jelly and clean house for tomorroe, dh wants to cancel but I spent £40 yesterday on every party nibble I could find! And im not wasting it, plus im sure I will be fine by morning.
Got hospital monday too for my routine bloods/brain. Also need to talk about trying for baby as I will need extra care

Hope you're ok memph :(

Chul, sounds utterly shit there :(

Vik, I don't know what to say! I think what have you got to lose by putting him in a bed. But then unlike chul's S, W can't reach his door handle so unless E lets him out, he's trapped

Oh and yes, he's better at nursery. But he was good for me Wed, Thurs and Fri so feeling more positive

memphis hope you get something sorted! UTIs are awful, you poor thing...could you be easy on yourself and buy a cake/trifle? I know it's not as good but would make life a bit easier.

viks it was 3 times with B, once with S who was randomly wandering the house at 3am and 5 times with L who's ill yet is somehow miraculously better now that the sun's up.
DH is off this weekend so we'll muddle through, keep thinking that this time next year it'll all be a whole lot easier!
What happens if you leave D? When S was in his own room we just left him to it and he'd eventually go off again, we could turn that handle upside down so he couldn't escape but obviously can't trap L in the room or we'd have puddles...

mlisc things will get better as he gets older, it's a good thing you've got work to keep you vaguely sane. I think they play up more with us because they feel safe and don't have to work to get us to love them.

And yes viks I truly battered his brains out with my wedding shoe that I've not worn since the wedding and yet somehow was under my bedside table confused am I.

Got really strong anti b's he was concerned about my kidneys but assured him I had no pain there. Had dh working the kitchen like a pro.

Good stuff memphis, they normally get working quite quick so hopefully you'll be much better in a day or so.

Ok, well L is truly ill, halfway round Asda she gave up, sat in the trolley and slumped. I thought she'd fallen asleep at one point. She's got a fever of 39.6 and is huffing when she breathes. I'm not sure whether to take her to see anyone but she's obviously having problems breathing...I hate the way they always gets ill at the weekend!

is there a prime care unit or a walk in center you can take her to near you?

They have given me a 3 day course and he says they are so strong that within 12 hours I will feel loads better, lets hope he is right!

mlisc D is starting off in his bed and still coming in our, I cant see that really changing til he decides or I get REALLY STRICT!
Due date is somewhere around mid Nov, I dont like to put an exact date on it because I think its different to what they've told me anyway!

chulita hope L gets better, never nice when they throw up esp when you're out.

cake welcome back to the fold, hope everything is ok with you :)

I ended up giving her my inhaler and 5 mins later she was running around again. I know about not giving others prescription thingies yadeyada but when I took S this time last year with the same thing they gave him one straight away so I thought I'd cut out the middle man...I'm now waiting for her to cream in tonight. S didn't have a nap and has whinged all day, fingers crossed for a quick and easy bedtime!
I swear B is by far the easiest one and he's only 4 months old!

The survey!

Where does he/sleep?

If in own room - bed or cot?

Sleeps through?

Starting to potty-train?

How many teeth?

Any on the way at the moment?

Has dummy?

How much milk?

And how - breast, cup or bottle?

Typical meals in a day?

Favourite food?

Copies others, especially adults and older children?

Plays mainly beside other children, but is beginning to include other children, such as in chase games?

Points to things or pictures when they are named?

Knows names of familiar people and body parts?

Says sentences with 2 to 4 words?

Repeats words overheard in conversation?

Recognising shapes, colours, letters and/or numbers?

Completes sentences and rhymes in familiar books?

Plays simple make-believe games?

Uses one hand more than the other?

Follows simple instructions?

Follows two-step instructions such as ?Pick up your shoes and put them in the closet.?

Names items in a picture book such as a cat, bird, or dog?

Stands on tiptoe?

Kicks a ball?

Begins to run?

Climbs onto and down from furniture without help?

Walks up and down stairs holding on?

Throws ball overhand?

Makes or copies straight lines and circles?

The survey!

Where does he/*she! sleep?
Half in her bed and half in ours - she usually arrives next to me at some point

If in own room - bed or cot?
Bed since last month

Sleeps through?
Nah! She was starting to but has been crap lately with teething

Starting to potty-train?
Noooo! She's showing an interest in the potty etc but I'm not.

How many teeth?
20

Any on the way at the moment?
One of the last 4 molars is driving her potty at the mo

Has dummy?
yes, still for sleeping

How much milk?
1 bf at bedtime

And how - breast, cup or bottle?
bf - planning to give up in next week!!!!

Typical meals in a day?
Brekkie: a banana and peanut butter on 1 slice of toast, diluted juice
Lunch: Jacket potato/sandwich/pasta/noodles plus something like some cake after
Afternoon snack: Smoothie and a dried fruitbar
Dinner: stirfry/pasta/dahl/veg sausages and mash plus a pudding like ice cream or a soya dessert

Favourite food?
Olives, bananas, rice, pasta

Copies others, especially adults and older children?
Yes - usually is doing whatever F is doing, esp if it's naughty...

Plays mainly beside other children, but is beginning to include other children, such as in chase games?
Yeah a bit of both

Points to things or pictures when they are named?
Yep

Knows names of familiar people and body parts?
Yep

Says sentences with 2 to 4 words?
Yes, chatting loads now. Her record is 5: 'Where has [random friend] gone now?

Repeats words overheard in conversation?
Yep

Recognising shapes, colours, letters and/or numbers?
Not shapes. Knows a few colours. Knows a few numbers but is hit and miss. Knows 5 letters tho as she's learnt from hearing F reading.

Completes sentences and rhymes in familiar books?
Yes, esp songs. She loves nursery rhymes.

Plays simple make-believe games?
Yes, she's copied F so has done stuff like that for ages

Uses one hand more than the other?
Not noticed

Follows simple instructions?
Yep

Follows two-step instructions such as ?Pick up your shoes and put them in the closet.?
Yes eg. get bambi and put him in your bed

Names items in a picture book such as a cat, bird, or dog?
Yep

Stands on tiptoe?
Yep

Kicks a ball?
Haven't seen her do it much

Begins to run?
Yes she's quite fast

Climbs onto and down from furniture without help?
Yep

Walks up and down stairs holding on?
No. She scoots down on her bum and climbs up

Throws ball overhand?
Not noticed

Makes or copies straight lines and circles?
Not especially!

oh and nap: bleddy mare at the mo. still has one but trying to reduce it as she's taking so long to go down at night. mixed results

er..not 20 teeth, 16!

Hurrah for the survey!

The survey!

Where does he/sleep?
In own room, we have decided not to bring him through to ours whatever happens (we get out the sofa bed in his room if all else fails)

If in own room - bed or cot?
Still in a cot (and in a grobag) - he is very happy in it still. We plan to move him into a bed sometime round Christmas.

Sleeps through?
Yes, fairly reliably now (thank the good lord). Sleeps roughly 8pm-7am.

Starting to potty-train?
He tells us when he's done a poo and sometimes asks for a nappy change at other times. He likes sitting on the potty but has not yet produced anything in it. AM not planning to try really for another few months.

How many teeth?
Still only 12!

Any on the way at the moment?
No - I've lost hope of the canines ever appearing. We're probably due a bout of teething actually, he hasn't had one for ages (last tooth came through before Christmas)

Has dummy?
No - never has had.

How much milk?
Still two feeds a day (sometimes three)

And how - breast, cup or bottle?
Breast. Though he does have an occasional cup of cows' milk (and quite often v milky tea)

Typical meals in a day?
Cereal (weetabix, shreddies, raisin wheats) + fruit for breakfast. Bread + ham/houmous/cheese followed by fruit for lunch. Portion of whatever we had the previous night for dinner (eg tonight he had curry left over from Thursday), followed by Greek yoghurt/honey/banana, usually. Couple of snacks during the day - Marmite rice cakes or raisins are a favourite.

Favourite food?
Ham, homous, baked beans

Copies others, especially adults and older children?
Yes - loves following older children round.

Plays mainly beside other children, but is beginning to include other children, such as in chase games?
He's very sociable and loves playing with other children. Hasn't yet gone through the hitting/snatching stage (I'm sure it will come...)

Points to things or pictures when they are named?
Yes

Knows names of familiar people and body parts?
Yes

Says sentences with 2 to 4 words?
Just about

Repeats words overheard in conversation?
Hmm - I guess so

Recognising shapes, colours, letters and/or numbers?
No, not really. Haven't tried yet apart from colours, and am suspecting that like many little boys he can't really tell colours apart yet.

Completes sentences and rhymes in familiar books?
No - speech not up to this yet

Plays simple make-believe games?
Yes

Uses one hand more than the other?
Not noticeably

Follows simple instructions?
Yes

Follows two-step instructions such as ?Pick up your shoes and put them in the closet.?
Not sure - must try!

Names items in a picture book such as a cat, bird, or dog?
Yes

Stands on tiptoe?
Not really

Kicks a ball?
Yes

Begins to run?
Yes

Climbs onto and down from furniture without help?
Ohhhh yes!

Walks up and down stairs holding on?
Yes

Throws ball overhand?
No

Makes or copies straight lines and circles?
No

Phew that was comprehensive! He also has got to the independent stage - he will only do things on his terms (or else a tantrum ensues). For example we took him swimming today and we thought he wasn't going to get in the pool at all (he has developed a sudden fear of the bath so we thought this was the same) but eventually he got in when he was good and ready, not when we wanted him to get in!