August 2005 toddlers

[Azure]

Here is the new thread for the new year.

Update on DS2. He is confident walking and has a very camp run. We have taken down the main stair-gates as he can cope well enough with walking up and down (the stairs have lots of spindles), and he worked out how to open the gates ages ago anyway. Not many words - a form of mummy, daddy, grandma and grandad but that's it. He is a lovely, happy child with a beautiful laugh. If he wants you to come with him he grabs your clothes and pulls you along. He loves playing with cars (lining them up) & trains (we have all the Thomas ones plus tracks from DS1) and his favourite toy is the big sit-in coupe car at his grandparents', although he can't move himself forwards in it yet, only backwards. He's never needed a haircut, although his curls are long when wet. He loves baths and the swimming pool. I just wish he would sleep later than 5am.

[pookey]

Sorry Suzi (and e1 else not interested in double buggy dilema!!) were the reports you heard about P&T to do with car fumes or something worse ?

[suzi2]

I've heard and read that the toddler in the back is at prime height for traffic fumes, discarded ciggies and dogs. If you search on the products forum some people have such comments. However I have also heard of little hands getting caught in the wheel spokes - most recently someone on my babyworld an clubs little one. I believe the new sports model has mudguards though which help.

[pookey]

Oh no how horrible , think that might be the final thing to stop me considering that pram. They are a very common sight where we live I think its because many of the houses are terraced and have narrow hallways (ours is the width of the front door). OK no more pushchair talk if I can help it

[Azure]

Hi all, hope you had a nice Easter. We had a lovely time at my parents'. DS2 absolutely adores my mum - Grandma is now one of his few words. He completely blanked DH and me when there was an option of his Grandma or Grandad to play with. Oh well, I got over being ignored when it meant I could sit quietly in the conservatory reading the newspaper undisturbed. Back at work for a couple of days and then away next weekend.

[queenrollo]

we went out with friends to see a rockabilly/50's rock and roll band. absolutely fantastic, people doing the proper jive dancing, and even some dressed in all the 50's gear.
we left at 10pm though because we were both shattered!! i have totally lost my abililty to drink since having ds and sitting there watching everyone get drunk was hard!!

dp is really missing his drum kit......so we need to get some work done on the studio so he can set it all up again and make noise. ds loves dp's bongos and heads straight for my BIL's djembe when we go round there. i think we have a little musician on our hands!!

ds has been napping at about 2.30 for an hour but today climbed up on the sofa and nodded off at 11.30!!

[pookey]

Azure what is it with little boys and their grandmas - I go to work and its 'byes', his grandma leaves at the end of the day and there are tears and wails of 'na-nee'!! Ds has been a real cutie today and all smiles apart from that

QR that sounds fantastic I love watching people dancing but must have beeb tough not able to get drunk and really let your hair down. Still dealing with a toddler and being hungover the next day prob woudnt have been much fun . App ds has climbed on the sofa once or twice and fallen asleep, but not when i am at home, really gutted as it sounds like a miracle and so grown up!

[bramblina]

Welcome Lazyline!
Josey LOL at you reading a paper! I'm just the same and hence was ready to top myself after studying was all over...!
Bus sounds fab, Miaou!
QR are you taking the lo to Glastonbury?
Ds woke two nights at the weekend, and 5am on Wednesday, but cut his first canine last Monday, and another yesterday, so that explains all the bad nights and nappies. Poor thing. He seems to just suffer a day or two at a time and then I check his teeth and go "aahhh". Or when he's grumpy i just think, yeah, must be some more teeth on the way!
Had my coil removed yesterday quite excited! But not going to ttc till June, got a holiday to let my hair down on! Just one last time!

[queenrollo]

hi.....yes we're taking little one to Glastonbury......although he's such a crazy kid maybe we should get him a performers pass instead!!
latest vocabulary is ooooowwwooooo....as in 'oh no'. very cute indeed!

two of our friends have 'unexpectedly' fallen pregnant. and dp sent me a text which ended with....maybe we should have another one soon.
i just don't know. i want to, it seems a much better idea now than it did a few months ago. but i was so immobile with ds that i won't be able to run around after him if i'm like it again....actually i think that puts me off more than the bit with having two kids to care for.
not even considering it till after Glastonbury though....because i haven't had a proper holiday since 2004, and i want to be able to drive before i have another.
(my driving theory test tomorrow morning!)

[queenrollo]

i passed my theory!!
now i just need to get over the next hurdle!!

[pookey]

Congratulations QR eek Bramblina I remember being desperado to buy pregnancy kits at the earliest opportunity hope it goes well

[PanicPants]

lol, quickly read pookeys post and thought that Queenrollo was pregnant

Then read it properly and saw that it's congratulations on passing your theory QR, and that you're about to ttc bramblina.
Know what you mean about waiting for a holiday - We're going to france for the 1st 2 weeks of August, and I really want to be ablt to eat lots of smelly cheeeses and drink local wines and have a good time without worrying about being pregnant.

And then, when we get back I think we might start trying (keep changing my mind!)


Ds has been a little monster this week. We've been away and it has upset his routine and he didn't sleep well the entire time we were away. He was then grumpy all throughout the daytime. Glad we're home tbh.

[pookey]

Oooh pancipants defo eat lots of forbidden pregnancy things and enjoy your holiday before ttc, I am so bored of cheddar cheese sandwiches, but who knows maybe all the wine and sun will be conducive to a bit of babymaking

[suzi2]

DS is having such a tough time getting to grips with emotions. The whole day he is either frustrated, angry, upset or excessively excited. A lot of the day is spent crying (mostly him, not me lol). This evening DH was reading him a story and in the story a teddybear fell off a chair. DH read it and pointed to the picture and DS absolutely broke his heart and sobbed for 10 mins. Sort of sweet but I feel really bad for him all the same. I just want to hug him all the time and tell him that these feelings will pass. He's also getting jealous of DD now he's that little bit older and tries to hit her. So I end up having to tell him off a lot. Poor wee thing, such a lot to cope with eh?

[PanicPants]

Lol pookey - maybe!


Oh suzi, that must be so hard for both you and him. I'm sure he'll settle down in time.

[bramblina]

Suzi it's funny you say that. Ds has recently been able to feign pain, standing infront of the mirror and trying, while watching himself, cry! Only if he has been in the last 5 mins, and then drags it out. It's quite funny. He can also put it on now when wanting a bit of sympathy, the funny bit is when he stops almost on cue if attention is diverted by a biscuit , Grandma or other interesting object. Then tonight in his bedtime story a bear had a sore arm and I pointed to the bandage- he then held his own and tried to wail! I almost cracked up! It just shows how much they can understand, and really amazed me.
Ds can count to 4, occasionally misses out 3 though . Today when we came down the stairs, I counted on and after 8 before I had a chance, he said "9"- I got quite a surprise!
He woke again at 4am on Sunday morning, cried when dh tried to put him down 4 times and asked for Mummy's bed, so he came. But last night took almost an hour to settle, asking for Mummy's bed, so from now on we just can't bring him through, he's obviously getting more determined to get what he wants.
His top 2 canines are just waiting to pierce through now and he was abit tired at playgroup today, he found the knitted blanket from the doll's pram, wrapped it round his head and repeated "ahh, shawl" over and over he is mostly attached (second to me I think) to his shawl and it is the most precious thing to him, it was quite sweet. One friend likened the sight of him to the boy in the washing powder advert with the boxer shorts over his head!

[Azure]

How cute hearing about your LOs being caught up in their stories and LOL at the practise crying. We had a nice long weekend in the Cotswolds the weekend before last - such a lovely part of the world. DH and I briefly flicked through property pages of the area before wondering what jobs we could actually get there. We've just been to a solicitor's to get our wills written - I'm ashamed to say we don't have any at the moment, and it's been worrying me. The most difficult thing is trying to decide who should look after the children if we were both to die - we don't have an ideal solution at the moment. It's so depressing to think about, but it makes sense to sort it all out.

[pookey]

Suzi sounds really hard. I think I read its normal for toddlers cry a lot more than we would imagine they would and to cry very easily. DS had a major upset last week when dp uprooted a thin tall tree from our garden in front of him. I wasnt there but app he wailed with horror and was inconsolable! I met ds and my mum in the street about half an hour after this happened and ds said wind to me and then ran off. I think DS called the tree wind because it used to blow and sway in the wind. He kept repeating 'wind' and 'tree' for the rest of the afternoon. I had told dp to tie the tree to its post not uproot it so I was pretty cross.

Ds was in a real clingy mood this afternoon and just kept crying at the smallest things and wailing Mama Mama constantly. A colleague of dp's came to our house because she is going to do some painting for us and it was just awful because he would not stop crying (particularly awful as she volunteers at Sure Start so I felt like she was thinking tut tut tut what has she done to this poor child!).

Azure we dont have a will either, really need life insurance aswell but its so expensive. Well done for getting it sorted though its so scary.

Bramblina wow thats impressive about your ds counting skills. I got a shock when i noticed today that ds knows and anticipates lots of the moves for the boogie beebies end song! It was so funny and really surprised me. It is amazing how they can suddenly do something without you realising they were even close.

My father (56) found out this week he has prostrate cancer. His younger sister had cancer when i was pg with ds but has made a good recovery, however his father died of cancer about 15 years ago. He will have an appointment in 3 weeks to discuss treatment but he has pretty much been left in the dark about hospitals, severity and treatment etc until then which is stressful. On the flip side Dp thinks the fact they are not rushing him into treatment is a very good sign.

[pookey]

Had a really lovely day with ds yesterday, we had a picnic and played in a sandpit at the park then had a cold drink at a cafe (one with toys at the back), it was fun being hot and sandy a bit like being on a holiday. I wanted to give dp a break so he could stay at home with the footie but actually it was the nicest sat I have had in ages

[bramblina]

Just back from dh'd auntie's wedding in Dalkieth, had a lovely time but I hate the way it unsettles ds all over again, like 2 weeks ago when we went to Glasgow. He was very good and we had a lovely time but he had 2 late nights and early mornings (he seems to wake early when he's not in his own bed...?) and has suffered from the lack of sleep. Last week he'd been a bit reluctant to go to bed but after 3 nights was fine, then we went away. Tonight he was back at it, crying till i walk in and he's fine. I try the soft approach then when I realise it's all put on have to take a firm voice but as he's so upset I feel bad. It doesn't help when dh is away as I feel it more when I'm on my own. He's good to talk to about it and tbh when he's home can be more of a hinderance as he's softer and goes in quicker(!) but it isn't so stressful when he's here for some reason. Ds is also quite clingy, wouldn't leave my side at the wedding (all new people and surrounding so tbe really, was very good though and admired by all in his kilt-will adda photo soon) but today wouldn't go near my Auntie who he loves and dragged his Grandma round instead! I remember my dr telling me they usually suffer a bit form separation anxiety at around 9 & 18 months so I'm going to put it down to that- for now anyway!
We went to Edinburgh Zoo yesterday (thanks for the tip Suzi we did take the bus and what a great plan! Met up with rels who didn't and were knackered!) and had a lovely day, ds was barely in his buggy, walked loads and really enjoyed the animals though there weren't many of the ones he knows but was really interested. He tripped up though and bashed his head on the tarmac, now has a bruise in middle of his forehead and scratch down his nose (so I'm wondering if he had a headache this aft, he was quite whingy). He was so exhausted he was asleep before we got out of the carpark at 5.45pm and we didn't even queue! When we stopped at some lights he woke a little with the change of noise (YKWIM) and said "hippo, hipp - o" and was asleep again.
My sister is coming over from Canada in 2 weeks so ds and I are going down to London on the sleeper, spend the day with her then travel up with her! I'm really excited, we're planning the Zoo and the Eye. (Edinburgh Zoo had no elephants, giraffes, rhino was hiding and the gorillas were in Spain so i think ds will relate to a few more animals in London...!?I hope YSWIM!).

I actually popped on to say I'm sorry Pookey to hear about your Dad, but to add that dh's grandfather was diagnosed with this 3 years ago, we thought he wouldn't be here for much longer when we were told it had spread to 5 other parts of his body, but he's now 87 and doesn't even "suffer" from it, really. He has a colostomy bag and quite a lot of medication but he gets it all at home, the dr comes out and he hasn't been to hospital in 2.5 years, not because he can't but because he doesn't need to, and that's all really, so I hope it's much the same for your Dad and quite agree with your dp as this is often the case from what I believe. Fingers crossed for you.

[pookey]

Thanks Bramblina - how wonderful that your dh's gf made such a good recovery after it had spread. Hopefully the fact my dad's still fairly young will also stand him in good stead.

I know exactly what you mean about when dps are away, mine doesn't do that much practical stuff but the emotional support is there and just knowing he is around helps me to feel relaxed. I have never had a night with ds where dp was away can imagine it must be hard.

Dp told me last night that his eye sight is deteriorating day by day, made me feel bad for not realising the extent to which this had been hurting him and some things clicked into place. Ironically though he has today decided to try and be more proactive about doing stuff by himself like taking ds out and shopping on his own in the local grocery store.

[Azure]

Pookey so sorry to hear about your Dad and also that your DP's sight is failing. It must be a very difficult time.

[Tigerlion]

Hello to everyone and hope you are all well. Sorry Pookey to hear about your dad. QR I passed my driving test when I was seven months pg with DD. I figured that I could not go round London with a double buggy as it would mean walking everywhere as no bus would let me on. I love driving now but am still to scared to do motorways and big roundabouts! It is such a feeling of liberation abd even if the two babies are screaming in the back it means I can get from A to B with little hassle.

I have not been on for ages - been kept busy with weaning DD who seems to be eating absolutely everything. Whenevr I try to give her purées to DS he looks at me in disgust and laughs as if to say that he has no interest in tiny baby food, when he was not eating it so long ago himself!

Anyway, DS is still having bottles of cow milk first thing in the morning, after lunch and before going to bed. I have been trying to get rid of the lunchtime feed but as all he ever does with his food is play with it I feel that it is better to get something down him than nothing at all. He then refuses to eat his supper with it and just plays with it, and usually ends up dumping his plate on the ground. I am sure that he is not hungry as the lunchtime milk has filled him up. It is a viscious circle and I am at my wits' end as to what I should do about it. I have tried cooking him all his favourites and he is uninterested. I have removed any props that he used to play with at the table which is why he then treats his plate as a prop and hurls it to the ground, with the food on it.

To make matters worse he is now waking at around 4.30/5 in the morning which I am sure is due to hunger. I am exhausted due to this and the fact that I have to wake around three times in the night to turn DD around as she has just started rolling over in her cot but cannot roll back and panics, then screams when this happens.

Sorry about the long message but I really could do with some advice here from others who may have gone through something similar.

Pookey, I bought the Othello from the Jusonne.co.uk website. It is so compact and only costs £149.95. I have been stopped numerous times on the street by pregnant mothers wanting to get one and evn the lady at the check out at the supermarket commented on how it is the best double buggy that she has seen by far and she is constantly seeing the likes of the Jane tandem and the Phil and Teds. I was very proud when she commented on mine! It is perfect for London and sometimes people have to do a double take when the hear little cries from DD but see DS smiling as they have no idea that there are two babies in there!

[PanicPants]

Pookey so sorry about your Dad, and yes, I'm sure it's a very good sign that they aren't rushing him straight into hospital.

Tigerlion, if it's any consolation, dp is very similiar, loves his milk and hardly eats anything. I'm trying not to worry too much, and keep offering dinner and when it ends up on the floor I calmly (!) pick it up and dinners over.
Sorry I can't offer solutions for the sleep problems though, as I've only got ds. But I know that recently he has discovered our bed - especially in the early morning, so we stopped allowing him in, which does seem to have settled him back down again.


Talking of hospitals, we've had such a bad day with ds today. It started with him coming down with conjunctavitis yesterday, so today he has gummy, swollan eyes and absolutely screams blue murder even if he sees the eye drops, let alone when we try to put them in. He then fell off a lowish chair at my Mums while I was at work, and apparently cried far longer than he normally does when he has had a bump, and then at tea time, dp was carrying him downstairs when he slipped and they both fell down the last 4 or 5 stairs.

Ds cried and cried, and then we realised he was bleeding from a cut from the back of his head (we're not sure how he did it, but think he either caught it on the stairgate or dp's watch). There was a lot of blood, the cut isn't too big (about half a cm) but looks fairly deep. In the end we decided it wasn't bad enough to go to the dr. But we've just put him to bed and I know I'll be checking every few minutes

[bramblina]

Oh dear TL and PP.
Tigerlion do you limit the amount of milk you give ds? Have you tried marking the cup/taking a note of the amount he gets in a bottle and then slowly reduce it, day by day? Or diluting it with water and maybe he'll become less interested? Have you considered giving him supper? I know it doesn't help with the milk problem but it may let you catch up on your sleep. 2 Weeks ago ds would not touch his dinner which was unusual so I ended up giving him porridge at bedtime as I didn't like the thought of him going to bed hungry. Thankfully he didn't do it again, but tonight he didn't eat much but had had a good lunch so I can see why.
Pookey does you dh suffer from something that you would expect to affect his eyesight? It must be very difficult for you all.

[queenrollo]

ds has 8oz milk at breakfast (half in his porridge) and at bedtime too......i used to give him 4oz at lunch and tea but he wasn't eating so dropped the two daytime ones and his appetite has picked up, not variety though which i was hoping for.it was terrible the first week or so but he got over it in the end!! i'd also moved his tea to 5.30 (so we eat together when daddy gets in) but it coincided with him being a real terror at bedtime, moved it back to 5pm and bedtimes have started running much smoother again.

we appear to have toddler diarhoea, i'm keeping him off dairy to see if that settles it but not really any change, reducing the amount of fibre in his diet this week too (he eats huge amounts of fruit) but still no difference and i'm coming to the conclusion it really is just 'toddler diarhoea'.....

dp is away tonight, Friday, Sunday, Tuesday and Friday, Sat next week too.....picked up some drumming work at short notice. it's very odd not having him here in the evening, and bedtimes are surreal and a little uncomfortable (emotionally) going to bed without him.......there's a possibility of this becoming a regular thing, so guess i'd better get used to it!

sad news for us this week...a close friend has died, had cancer so it was expected but we are close to his wifes family (her sister is my best friend and their parents are like grandparents to ds).....we've known him for over 15 years....would have been 40 this year and leaves two children behind (from previous relationships). i feel for his wife so much, a widow at 27