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.

[bramblina]

Had a cracker yesterday that I just have to share!
Before bath ds was naked palying with his little people zoo (yes, dangerous I know, just wait for it). He stood up and paused, i noticed what was, well, already going on so picked him up, ran off to the bathroom and he did a little poo on his potty.
After bath he was all dressed and MIL had popped over, he was playing again with the zoo. I was sitting next to him on the floor, talking to MIL when all of a sudden he thrusted his polar bear literally in my face, covered in poo and exclaimed "oh-oh bear"!

....then handed me the chicken coop, which contained half a poo. I'm so glad he found it so quickly, it could have lain for days


Earlier that day while sitting in my friend's garden he picked us both a daisy, isn't he just soooo sweet?!?!

[pookey]

Bramblina you poor thing how traumatic I think a yuk emoticon would also be appropriate

[suzi2]

lol bramblina, imagine if you had left it there, you'd be like "what animal is that?" a few weeks later ! DS peed on/in the laser printer the other day...

DS is also picking us daisies. It was very cute, but now if we go to the garden centre he's always trying to behead the plants to give to us!

[Azure]

Bramblina LOL. The disgusting things that happen with small children . We took DS2 to a paddling pool in a park yesterday, which he absolutely adored. He loves water. We must take a ball and bucket etc next time to stop him trying to "borrow" everyone elses. He also loves the film Happy Feet and this morning was trying to tap dance - very cute.

[queenrollo]

ds loves the Charlie and The Chocolate Factory film.......and even though i love Johnny Depp i'm getting a little bit tired of watching it!
went to Parent and Toddler this morning and ds has now developed a rather annoying habit of pushing/shoving other children....i try to tell him off when he does it but i really don't think he understands that what he is doing is wrong to be honest.

[bramblina]

Azure, tap dancing- very, very sweet.

QR, ds is the same. He was always a little heavy handed, sometimes simply affectionate (he would hug someone so much they would both fall over- hard to tell him "no" when he was actually trying to be nice). However recently I've noticed, he did it today in fact, stood very close to someone and slowly pushed in to them, either with his arm, leg or whole body. For no reason, too, and I'm still wondering if he even has a reason or is just trying new things?

Had some awful news last week, a girl from school found her dd (1.5) dead in bed on Tuesday morning. We got married the same year, she has a ds (3) and the last time I saw her we were both pg. The lo had been unwell in the evening and at some point in the night she had been sick. They are unsure of the cause, choking on vomit was suspected and meningitis has not been ruled out so the lo has gone down to Edinburgh for tests. It has made me a little bit panicky at nights as ds had developed MIL's chest infection and cough, and today had awful diahorrea (sp); you know when your lo is unwell but you sure as hell don't expect that. Said friend had lost her Mum at a young age too so I just think she's had her share of hell, tbh.

[pookey]

Bramblina that really is sad and shocking. Not surprised you are panicky at night I would be the same without a doubt I drew a sigh of relief when DS reached 1 but they are still so vulnerable.

[suzi2]

So sorry to hear about your friends little one Bramblina. I really get panicky about that sort of thing though I suppose it really is something that is out of our control. I doubt there is any hell worse than losing a child.

The pushing into thing... DS has done this a lot with DD and I'm not quite sure whether it's to hurt her or to see what happens or to 'cuddle' her. I've given him the benefit of the doubt so far... but he really pushes against her hard. Sometimes it's just a foot that creeps over to her and presses into her sides. I think he's trying to find out at what point she'll cry... but that makes him sound really twisted! So I hope not! Mind you, we've watched him on the video monitor settling to sleep at my mums and it's weird. he hits his teddy off the sides of the cot and steps of him a lot! The he headbutts the cot himself. Very odd and I'm trying not to read too much into it. My mum's worried he's going to be a psychopath or something!

[Azure]

Bramblina how dreadfully sad for that poor family. I can't imagine how awful that must be.

[kate100]

Bramblina, that's terrible, the poor family, I'll be checking on my LO's all night tonight.

DS2 can be a bit rough too, he doesn't mean to be, but he's a lot bigger than the other kids his age and they all fall down around him.

We went to Bourton on the Water for my birthday yesterday and ds2 ......... fell in the river, much to the entertainment of the Japanese tourists on the other bank. Luckily the river is very shallow and he ended up sitting up to is waist in very cold water. We'd been dipping his feet in and he got a bit carried away and leapt in, it's so typical of him. Good job we'd taken a change of clothes for him.

[Azure]

Happy Birthday for last week Kate. A similar thing happened to us in the Cotswolds at Easter - DS2 slipped into the water (only his legs) at the Bibury Trout Farm, despite me being right there with him (whoops ). Unfortunately we didn't have a change of clothes, but luckily our cottage was right next door.

My big news is that I've decided to give up work and be a SAHM for a while. My great nanny is leaving us in September to have her own baby and I couldn't bear the thought of getting someone new. We don't want any more children and I really want to spend the time with my two before DS2 starts school. I plucked up the courage to tell my boss on Friday (the first time I've resigned from a job in over 15 years), who was suitably shocked. We'll have to really cut back on expenditure (I may even have to give up my cleaner ) but it was now-or-never really. Shame I've now got to work my three month's notice.

[pookey]

Wow Azure thats a brave and exciting decision, I really hope you enjoy being a sahm . I havent decided for certain yet but it is a possibility that at the end of my maternity leave I will work notice and become a sahm aswell. Was it a difficult decision or are you just really happy - bar the cleaner of course

[Azure]

Pookey it was a very difficult decision. I have worked for my boss for over 11 years and am in a senior position, amazingly being able to work a (mostly) 4 day week. My company has an extremely good final-salary pension scheme, which is rare these days, and other benefits such as life assurance. So, I've had to consider the knock-on effect of my pension etc by giving up. Having said that, it's a now-or-never opportunity to spend time with my boys when they are this age, and particularly before DS2 starts school in two years. I have been working for 20 years - in theory I have another 20 years to go - and so 2 years out of that is not such a big deal. I'm lucky in that I have a marketable qualification (chartered accountant), but I'll reassess the working situation in a couple of years. Money-wise it's going to be very tight, but I think we'll just have to cope with that. Who knows, after October half-term I may be fed up of the kids and be desparate to get back to work!

[pookey]

Azure, I am pretty sure you would be far more likely to regret not taking this opportunity. Two years of watching the purse strings is certainly not so bad when you have a career that you can pick back up without too much difficulty. If I do give up work I will hopefully retrain - an English degree is not the most marketable qualification, especially considering I have little understanding of spelling, punctuation and grammar!

[queenrollo]

back from Glastonbury.....a very mixed experience. we decided to leave early and with what's happened on site today i'm so glad we did.

ds has come back off holiday all grown up, loads more words and has learnt to shout.

[MrsJetson]

Hi - Azure do you live in Bibury? We live 5 miles away - when we are in the UK. How funny!

You may all remember how I was very proud of DD potty training herself at the beginning of May. She has done soooooo well but we have been staying with my mother for 10 days now and she has started to wet her pants at virtually every opportunity! Do you think I should put her back into nappies (even though I ask that - I do think it's a bit of a daft idea), OR do I persevere and take a wardrobe of clothes on every trip??? I don;t know why this is happening - she was dry for a good couple of months.

Hope all of your little ones are as independent (read: stroppy, bossy, very strong willed)as DD!!

[Azure]

QR - I was thinking of you when I saw the pictures of Glastonbury this year. I admire you for going with yuor DS. MrsJ, we just went to Bibury for a long weekend. Lovely part of the world. DH's mum lives in Cheltenham and I spent part of my childhood in what is now South Gloucestershire (was Avon at the time), although have been in London since I was 18. Where do you live when you're not in the UK? Sorry for forgetting if it's been mentioned before. Difficult one about your DD. If she's been dry for some time I would be very hesistant to put her back in nappies. Does she wear nappies at night still? I think you have to persevere and hope it's just a minor glitch.

With regard to my DS2 I've just signed him up to nursery for 2 mornings per week from January. He was originally going to start September, but as I'm giving up work later that month I want to spend the time with him exclusively. It's strange how it seems such a big step for DS2 and he seems too young, certainly at the moment - poor DS1 was in nursery full time from 5 months and I didn't think anything of it at the time. When he started pre-school he was significantly reducing his time away from home (we combined it with an after-school nanny until I went on maternity leave). We've also had a letter through from the nursery attached to the school where DS1 goes asking us to confirm whether we want the place there from September 2008. Oh, and by the way can they have a cheque for £900. By Thursday. Non-refundable. We're in a real dilemma about what to do - the pre-school is quite serious (sitting down to learn letters etc) and I worry whether it'll be too much too young for DS2. On the other hand, as he'll have the age disadvantage at school (August baby of course) is it better for him to have a good grounding? Does anyone have any thoughts, or is it only me being forced to think this far ahead? Another factor is that DS1 will have left the school by the time DS2 starts reception as it only goes up to 8 for boys, and we really don't know where he'll be going next.

[Miaou]

Hi there everyone, hope you are all well and enjoying your little ones. Last night I put ds into a bed for the first time (it's an ordinary divan bed but dh unscrewed the legs so it is nearer the floor). To our absolute amazement, he stayed there all night, and was last up in the morning!! I think it helps having older siblings; he and dd1 have been playing at sleeping in her bed for a few weeks now so he knows what it's all about. Naturally, I don't expect this "honeymoon" period to last (he doesn't appear to have worked out that he can get out yet ), but still, it's good that he is happy to be in there.

Re potty training - dh asked me this morning if I was planning to build on this success and try to get him dry during the day - - not with me about to have no. 4 in the next month, no thanks!! Like some of yours, he will tell me when he has done a poo, but not a wee, and we are living in a fully carpeted rented house ... nah, I really don't fancy spending the next month on my hands and knees scrubbing the carpets ...

Bramblina, I'm so sorry to hear about your friend . What a terrible blow for her. I can't imagine being without ds.

[josey]

Hi everyone

Im just about demented with DD she is so strong willed I seem to have a fight on my hads at every corner I turn, her speach has improved so much but sometimes its not for the best as she is arguing back she has turned 15 on me overnight!!

She has also taken to getting up in the middle of the night again, Im thinking that its the cot as the other night she had her arm stuck through the bars, we have thought about getting a toddler bed for her, I have a normal single bed but like you've done maiou I cant take the legs off mine. Has anyone got or used toddler beds before?

We are going to Tenerife next Friday, I cant wait to get away from this awful weather, just hope DD decides to behave on the flight, I have been buying bits and bobs to entertain her with so fingers crossed.

I think I might have a bash at potty training when we come back hoping if she is in little swimmers it might give her the idea of pulling pants up and down instead of lying for a nappy change.

Mrs J Could you not try pull ups for a week see if that helps, or even just use them when you are out?

Azure congrats on taking the big step, Im sure you will love it, when I gave up work in December it took me a while getting used to not having my own income it still is a bit strange.Good luck with it all anyway

[suzi2]

Miaou - DS has been doing great in his 'big' bed now for weeks. He has been known to pop out for a book or something in the early hours of the morning but we're amazed he hasn't been more bother. The only problem is he now wants to sit in a 'big' chair everywhere (and he's so short he can't get down out of it!) and wants to sleep in mummy's bed.

Josey, DS has a car shaped toddler bed. It's very low and has slightly raised edges and the first time he fell out was last night. If we hadn't been given it as a hand down, we would have gone for a cheapo IKEA toddler bed. DS is pretty small and although we have a normal single, I'd worry about him trying to get in and out and falling out etc. He also sleeps any way up, siddeways, feet against the wall or whatever so I prefer to know he's in something low incase he slides out.

MrsJ, I'm pretty clueless about potty training but I'd say that if she's been dry, it's a glitch? I'd probably just try and stay in the house for a good few days and make a real effort to keep her dry by reminding her to go etc etc. maybe the excitment and interest of being elsewhere has distracted her?

Azure, good luck on the SAHM! I have to say that in the most part I love it...

Oh, and what's your due date Miaou? Are you going to give us all a week or two of excitement first like last time?

[suzi2]

I want to get DS a climbing frame for his birthday - anyone got one? Any recommendations?

[josey]

Suzi2 I dont have one but my old next door neighbour bought there son for his 2nd Bday the one out of earlylearning with the tent thing on top and the slide.

I ordered a little bed out of the mothercare sale, fine for £40.

Had a disaster the other day, builders eventually got round to tarring the entrance into our house and our drive, so we had to have the cars out on the road, only for a lorry carrying the frame of a house to go through the car funny though the builders are buzzing about and all the things that were to be done still are being given 1st class attention!

DD has taken to colouring in she calls in pin not sure if thats for pens(crayons) all day everyday she has been sitting at her little table scribbling away.

Fav new word, I'm stuck, says this when in highchair, pram, carseat etc

[josey]

Just noticed that Twiga has had a boy another of the August thread with a little bro or sis!

[kate100]

HI all, we've been on holiday, camping in the rain in the Channel Islands, still had a lovely time 'though

Azure, what a brave decision, I'm sure that you'll love it. Even though I do a day a week at work, I still feel like a SAHM. I've got the same pension problem, the terms of teachers pensions have changed and I have to be back at work the term that ds2 starts school, so I'm on a countdown to going back to work or I miss being able to retire at 60. I had to give up my cleaner when I gave up work to and I really miss it as the house gets a lot messier when you're in it all day

DS2's talking is coming on loads, although he has trouble with some words as he still sucks his thumb I wish he would stop as it's making his teeth stick out loads, there's a big gap between his 2 front teeth and the rest, any thoughts on getting him to stop gratefully received.

Can't believe he's 2 in a few weeks, it doesn't seem possible that my tiny baby is growing up so fast

[Azure]

Glad you had a nice holiday Kate, despite the weather. DS2 is still not saying very much, although I'm pleased that "thank-you" (well, "tanku") is one of his words! His limited volcabularly includes his version of penguin ("wingin"), in reference to Happy Feet, and "train" because he loves trains, particularly Thomas. He is starting to jump (normally saying "jump" at the same time). For his birthday I'm thinking of getting him a nice wooden garage. Trains and cars are tbe toys he most enjoys playing with; we have a large train set complete with almost all the Thomas engines already (thanks to DS1) and the only garage we have is fairly plastic and horrid. BTW has anyone signed up to the ELC birthday club? Last year we got a voucher for 20% off for each child and I'm hoping we'll get the same this year. On DS2's actual birthday we're going on holiday, so it looks like we'll have his birthday cake on the ferry to France. We'll be in France for DS1's birthday.