October 2005 - and then they were 2!

[stinkymalinki]

My darling boy's birthday today

We gave him a Fisher Price Little People garage as his main present, which he loves, as well as loads of Bob the Builder trucks and Thomas the tank engine bits.

He's currently having a nap, then we're having a little birthday tea later.

A good day SM x

We have just had a ridiculous "naughty step" situation! I don't like the whole naughty step thing but use similar technique by excluding Johnny from wherever I am for 2 mins and then doing the chat afterwards.

We were cuddled up on the sofa reading books when he bit me hard on the cheek. He knows that biting is an offence which gets no warning before being excluded because we have been here before. So, I put him in the kitchen for the prescribed 2 mins and when I went to do "the talk" I asked him if he knew why he was in the kitchen. He didn't answer, so I told him that it was because he had bit mummy on the cheek. "Want to see where Johnny bit mummy on cheek" he says. For some reason I found this funny and started laughing. I have just taught him that biting is funny AAAAAAAAARRRRGH

Actually, biting was really funny this morning. He was getting his nappy changed and announced "Johnny going to bite Johnny". "On you go" I said. He then bit his own finger really hard and was surprised that it hurt. I was hoping that it would teach him that biting is sore. Either it hasn't worked or he is a slow learner.

I am hoping this is just a very temp phase until his last molars come through.

oh no MB! I too have trouble keeping a straight face when disaplining Tom! Hope the biting stops soon hun!

at MB - Evelyn bit herself once in temper, I think it did teach her a lesson.

I've been @ eye casualty this week with a "viral infection in my eye". Lovely.

Laptop battery dying, will be back online tomorrow (MUST study tonight) so will catch up properly then

Hope you are all well

Oh yuk, an eye infection does not sound very pleasant Elf. I hope it sorts itself out soon. How are you feeling otherwise?

Johnny has been asking to sit on the potty! Hooray, finally we might have some progress. He has sat on it three nights in a row at bathtime. He has yet to do anything in it, but at least he isn't screaming the house down at the very mention of the potty.

Oh shite. DH called me up to see JOhnny in the bath. Rash under his arm. Googled chickenpox and it looks very much like he has it. I will see how the rash looks tomorrow and then I will know for sure. Right now I am trying to convince myself that it's bites or something, but given the slight temp and clinginess of the last few days and now a rash, it's looking pretty likely. What a joy staying in for a week until he is no longer contageous......

Oooh, is it Chicken pox?

Did you see my other thread?

Going to doc at 3.10pm. Didn't think it was worth bothering the doc for, but HV referred it on, so they asked me to come in.

MN collective wisdom seems to be that it is, so we will wait and see what the doc says....

The doc said "hmm, not 100% sure that it's chickenpox, seeing as it's so mild. But we have to treat it as though it were chickenpox"

So I am no further forward really.

There were about four signs on the way into the surgery saying that you should alert reception if your child has high fever and a rash. Makes me think that it's doing the rounds here just now, so I think that makes it even more likely that it is chickenpox that ds has.

how is he today MB?

He's up and down Elf. Fine and dandy one minute then really clingy and distressed the next. He has a few more spots, but they are still very localised under his arm. Other than that, the spots are much the same. We are at my parent's house for the weekend and he has just passed out no bother in the "big boy bed" here which he was all excited about. Hopefully he will sleep all night!

How is everyone else doing?

Goodness me, what a day. Somehow I just didn't get my act together at all today and we didn't even go out of the door! I can't tell you the last time that happened! Johnny must have been really bored because he decided to pee in the potty today! One miss and then two hits . I only had his nappy off because his bum was a bit red and lo and behold he came up with the goods. It was very funny, he decided that he didn't want to take his big boy pants on and off (lazy like his mum) so he just poked his willy out the bottom of the pants.

Things are all happening at once. A couple of nights ago, we were staying at my parents house and he just hopped into bed without any milk!! That is the first time ever ever that he's gone to bed without a breastfeed. Then yesterday, he only fed morning and night. Again, that is the first time ever. But then he made up for it today!! And he had a big fuss about wanting downstairs at bedtime.

It's all go!

MB - Johnny sounds like he is doing really well hun, I hope it has continued for you! Still not started Tom with the potty training, he isn't showing any of the signs they say to look for so I will leave it for a while longer.
Hope everyone had a nice easter break.
I am trying to get some packing done as we are going up to Yorkshire for the weekend for a family do, but we haven't been up since Xmas and I had forgotten quite how much stuff we take even just for the one night! Can't imagine this time next year packing for another little one too!! lol

mb - hope johnny starts to feel better soon.

yf - i decided not to bother toilet training ds until ds2 had been around a while, just because I suspected he might regress back to wanting nappies again, and considering that he wants me to do his nappy every time i do ds2's i'm glad i didn't bother. Know what you mean about travelling though, we struggled to get everything in with just ds1. I'm dreading our first trip out with both of them, not only will we need more stuff but ds2 will also be taking up some room that before we would have used for packing iyswim!.

Things are starting to settle down a little and feel a bit less hectic now, although i have to keep reminding myself that ds2 should only be about 1 week rather than 6 weeks, especially when he still wants to feed every 2 hours. He was 8lbs on tuesday. He seems so huge compared to when he was born, even though he's really still so tiny

aw glad to hear that everything is settling down for you DLAMIS, Thomas was fed every 2hrs too and it was very draining.

I have actually felt human this week for the first time in months and have managed to get loads of chores done, my house looks fab at the minute!! So I am taking THomas out to the local soft play to meet up with some other mums and tots today so that my house stays tidy a bit longer!! lol

Oh man, I think we had a taste of the terrible twos the other day.

Firstly, I said no to JOhnny's request for breastmilk. He had been in bed with me half the night, and then had just not long finished feeding when he asked again. He only asked because I was getting in the shower and he saw my boobs. Cue him screaming and throwing himself on the floor for the entire time that I was in the shower.

Then later, he insisted on walking to the bus stop rather than going in the backpack and then 30 seconds later wanted carried. Not backpacked, but carried in my arms which he is just too bloody heavy for. I told him he had to walk or go in the backpack. Cue another screamining fit. I walked around 500yards to the bus stop with him hanging on my leg wailing.

Then he had two smaller episodes in the shopping centre which I sorted by wrestling him into the backpack and walking on...

I think he must have been feeling ill or something because this is so out of character for him. But it seems to have done the trick because today he walked for miles without asking to be carried once. I offered him the backpack several times which he refused and he just walked beside as good as gold.

I always thought that I would ignore tantrums, but I can't bring myself to do it. I really think that he gets distressed by the lack of control that he has over his emotions and I can't help but respond by consoling him. We talk about it later and he really does seem to have a grasp of what I am saying, so perhaps this phase won't last long.

Oooh, and he peed in the toilet tonight.

YF and DLAMIS, I know what you mean about the amount of stuff that you take away for one night! I have found though that if you are limited (eg using public transport) then there is SO much stuff that you suddenly manage to do without!!

And now we've had two days as good as gold and walking everywhere....

Keeps me on my toes I guess!!

Hellloooooo anybody there?

Johnny has diarrhoea today. Oh joy. Perhaps it was a one off, but I have my doubts...

aw MB how is Johnny today? do you think it was something he had eaten? How is it going with the allergy testing?

All well here, Thomas is coming along lovely and seems such a happy smiling little lad. The words are coming now, todays being Bobby! I am 22 weeks pg at the min and am feeling lots of movements now which is nice and Paul felt movement briefly last night too.
The weather is lovely here today so we have been in the garden this morning, it was cool but not windy which was great as Tom loves playing outside and he is just getting to grips with his scooter now which seemed so big for him when we bought it last year!

Right well I better go and stick my feet up for 1/2 hr whilst Thomas is still napping otherwise I will be asleep in front of the tv by 8pm again!

He was ok today YF, apart from really pestering me all morning for breastfeeding. Then we went out on the bus and he was happy as anything. He ate a huge tea and then had an eruption into his nappy which required hosing down in the shower before we could do anything else! DH and I suddenly started feeling queasy, but I think that is in our heads. We are still on the waiting list for the allergy tests, but I'm fine about waiting because I am pretty sure that he will still be allergic and that the test won't tell us anything that we didn't know already!! I am quite sure that this diarrhoea isn't allergy related at all.

Talking of on the bus. Johnny sits the whole time looking out the window and pointing out everything that he sees. He has started recognising some of the bus numbers and having a pretty good guess at some of the street names. Obviously it's just a memory thing, but I still think it's amazing! It's probably highly irritating to the other passengers though!! My favourite thing is when we go past Cameron Toll, he says "there is camera toll"

I'm glad to hear that Thomas is doing well YF. I am hoping you are less worried about him now that he is speaking a bit more. If he's anything like Johnny, then he will be waiting ages before doing anything and then doing it very quickly. I can't believe that you are 22 weeks already. LOL it's always much quicker when it's somebody else who is pg

I have decided to read LLL's book called "How weaning happens" just so that I have a clue about what to do if/when the time comes. I think it was a one off the other week when he went to bed without milk. He seems to want to feed more than ever at the moment. I just see the age gap between him and his sibling getting bigger and bigger. If I got pg right now, then he would be 3.3 yrs older than the baby. I kind of feel like the decision has been taken out of my hands and I am practicing natural child spacing and whatever age gap we end up with will be the way that nature intended, but then in the next breath, I am thinking that it's time to get a move on!!

Hpoe everyone is well and is getting some of this lovely weather that we've had here!

aw I am glad that Johnny was feeling more himself. I remember when my niece started saying the street names whilst in the car it was soo sweet! I am more relaxed now with the speech thing and am really glad that we did those few weeks of signing classes as he is still signing things now which he learnt and saying the words for a couple of them too (like tree) I really wish I had had the confindence to go to a signing class earlier as I really do think that that helped us both really. I have the pack and dvd so can start doing it at home with the new baby when I am ready
This pg seems to be going much quicker then the last one partly because I know what to expect but also having to chase Thomas around the days just fly past and I don't get to over think every twinge like I did first time round.

The weather has been lovely here and we have spent the afternoon outside, Tom even got to eat his tea in the garden which he thought was fantastic!! lol
oh I am going to have to go as I am using the laptop and it is resting on the bump and I don't think the little one likes it being there!! lol

Night night all, hope everyone else is well too xxx

I didn't realise that you had done the signing after all YF, I remember that you had been humming and heying about it for various reasons. We loved it and I would certainly do it again with another child. Johnny still remembers some of the signs even now.

We have been reading a book about a baby elephant growing up and Johnny said that he wanted to have a mud bath! LOL. He was really getting into imagining that he was an elephant and that it was mud, not water in the bath. Very cute indeed

• Elf limps in -

Hello!

I feel like I haven't been on in ages
Been so manic at work. Its been our year end so I worked 7 til 4 for the past few days, then home and started again at 7 when Evelyn went to sleep til 11.30... knackered today!!

Hope everybody is okay. Will catch up & post later...

mb- yes we did about 4 classes in December but then the classes were changed from a weekday to a weekend which we couldn't manage unfortunatley. Thomas really enjoyed all the singing and signing and I just wish I had had the bottle to join the class earlier!
Ah bless Johnny and his wanting a mud bath!! We are reading "there is a house in mummy's tummy" to Thomas at the moment, he gets really excited on the last page when you see the baby! bless him x

Elf, nice to see you back, hope that work eases for you soon! How is Evelyn doing? Are you back to full health now? x

Hello, haven't been around for ages. We've just come back from a week at Butlins in Minehead which was great fun for the children, and as I result I enjoyed it too! Alice loved seeing all the characters like Pingu and Bob the Builder and the pool was excellent. Not very restful though as we were charging around from one activity to the next. So now I am back home with a mountain of washing to do and work to catch up on but thought I would just have a quick look on MN first !
Yokefleet I think you are doing well not to notice pregnancy discomforts - I am really struggling this time around - I am the size of a house (now 27 weeks)! Mornings are ok but after lunch I am exhausted and I ache from the bump down. Feeling the baby move loads though so that is one good thing.
Catching up on other posts - Mawbroon, did you think Johnny did have chickenpox in the end? Both mine had it this time last year and Alice still has some scars on her face

Hi Elf. Nice to see you. Is your limp real, or just that you are too tired to lift your feet? Sounds a bit manic with your work. I hope it eases off soon.

YF - I've heard about that "mummy's tummy" book. Is it any good? I have told Johnny that he was in Mummy's tummy when he was tiny. LOL he claims to remember it I asked him if it was light, cold and dry in mummy's tummy and he said yes to each question. LOL, I see through you Johnny, you don't really remember at all. LOLOLOL

Ponto - glad you had a good holiday, even though it was exhausting! Sorry to hear you are a bit achey. I guess it will be difficult for you to rest up with Alice to run after.

Not sure about the chickenpox tbh. It is almost three weeks since we first noticed the spots. They never blistered or scabbed over and they haven't faded. He is also getting more of them in other places on his body. Not loads of them, but the odd couple here and there. I will take him back to the docs because it's not fitting the chickenpox pattern at all any more.

We have had a mad day here. It was a blizzard in the morning and then by late afternoon it was glorious sunshine, all the snow melted and Johnny played outside on his trike.

oooh, I was too tired to move any of my bones when I posted!! I worked really really late (luckily at home) and now I'm behind on my studying feeling a bit sorry for myself! Got exams in June and i'm NOT ready.

Evelyn is coming along nicely, she has an obsession with a cooking program on Sky, its called The Barefoot Contessa and she asks me every day if I will "put the lady on" and she'll sit and watch the programme, asking me every so often "what is the lady doing". On the way home as well she likes to play "I'll be x and you be y" so she'll tell me that she is, for example, Sammy, and I am Jessica who are kids that go to the same childminder. The other week she was mummy and I was Evelyn, and she went through the random list of questions I ask every day when I pick her up (have you had a good day, what have you done, where have you been, who was at the childminders etc!). It does make me giggle.

Glad everybody is okay and toddlers coming along nicely