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

Is anyone else having trouble with having just one 'favoured parent'? Alice has always been a bit of a mummy's girl but in the last couple of weeks, she won't let DH bath her or get her ready for bed any more, she just screams inconsolably until she falls asleep exhausted. Also I have to be the one to put on her coat, take off her shoes, sit her in her chair etc, and she wants me to carry her round all the time (this is getting v difficult in view of the enormous size of my bump these days!) Not sure if this is an age-related thing and she'll grow out of it or whether it's connected to me being pg and she's jealous of the new baby. I don't really remember dd1 being like this. though. Anyone got any ideas of the reason or how to deal with it?

OMG ponto. We have exactly this here too. DH comes home around 6pm and for the last fortnight or so, as soon as he hears DH's key in the door, or sees him coming up the path, then he screams "no,no,no,no,no" hysterically. He is inconsolable and says stuff like "don't want daddy, don't like daddy" etc. DH has done all the bathing since Johnny was born but now it's turned into a hysterical half hour. He used to squeal with delight when dh got home, so I think it must just be an age thing. It has to be, there's nothing else changed. Poor dh though, it must feel horrible. Yesterday was much better though. I bought Johnny a new toy (open topped Edinburgh bus ) and he played with it all afternoon. He even said "want to show Daddy new bus", surprisingly, because before, even the mention of daddy was enough to have Johnny in tears. So, I called dh and told him to come in and go straight to johnny. Do not stop to take your coat off, do not go to the toilet, do not pass go, do not collect £200. Be really really really interested in his new bus! So, he did that and it seemed to do the trick, until bathtime when he was hysterical again. DH is away for work today and tonight, so I did the bathing tonight and Johnny was meek and mild and contented.

My only advice is the MN chant:

This too will pass
This too will pass
This too will pass

We were back at the docs today with Johnny's non-chickenpox. Doc shone a big light on it to have a good look and reckons it's a skin infection so gave us some antibiotic cream to put on. Hope it does the trick.

Elf - that sounds really very sweet with Evie. Johnny isn't really playing like that at all, but today, I saw him at toddlers bresatfeeding a doll. He lifted up his jumper and skillfully latched the doll onto his vest. He sat patiently before doing the same on the other side.

Evelyn has been like that since she was born
DH doesnt get a look in. She's a real mummies girl.
I remind DH that Evelyn loves him, and switch off during a mega screaming session if necessary.
I've found if I'm not there (so if I go out for an evening, ha!) then she is fine. Its only if we're both in the house that she gets stroppy.

Thomas is fine with either Paul or myself but if grandad is here then neither of us get a look in!!

MB - the Book "theres a house in mummys tummy" is good and Thomas loves it! Its nicely drawn and he can relate to loads of the things in it as its about a little boy, so there are trains and cars etc that Tom loves anyway and the little boy has a toy giraffe as does Tom so we refer to that as Gerry Giraffe etc. I still don't think Thomas has a clue of what is coming but hey ho!

Well I am going to be a lady that lunches today! I am meeting up with a couple of friends and one of them has a 3yr old and the other has a 20 week old baby, I can't wait!! Better get off the PC and go and get ready!

hope you all have a lovely weekend x

I'm glad it's not just us then. Things have been a bit better the last couple of nights as I have sat next to Alice while dh has read her story, taken her upstairs and got her settled in the bath before he washes her, then been in the room next door while he actually puts her to bed. And one night I was at work and he managed her no problem. I guess it is a phase, and it will all pass in the end.

Just a really quick post to say that Johnny did his first ever poo on the potty today.

He now asks for a new nappy every time he's done a pee and this afternoon he was dry for over 2 hrs before asking to have his nappy off and use the potty. Don't think it will be long before we will have to do the potty for real.

Well done Johnny!
Sounds like you should start potty training very soon Mawbroon - I think there is a window of opportunity for potty training and if you leave it too long you may find you've missed it!

I have taken your advice and we have started potty training today ponto.

So far, about 6 pees and 2 poops, on target, with a couple of accidents. These were while I was MNetting though, so kind of my fault really.

He went three hours doing nothing earlier on, despite me plying him with liquid. Then he did a flood. Of course, this was one of the ones on the floor....

great stuff MB!! and well done Johnny!!
We have started putting Thomas on the trainer seat on the loo on a night before his bath to get him used to it and he will sit there no probs, not had any wee's yet but I aren't bothered I am just pleased that he is content enough to sit still there for a few mins!

Thomas has been really grumpy through the day the few days and is really clingy. He is dribbling alot too and has his hand to his mouth so I don't know if there is another tooth in there coming through. I can't get my finger in to look and he won't keep his mouth open for me to see!!! I don't know how many teeth he has got but they are all very very sharp!

Pregnancy wise I am now at 24 weeks and constantly running to the loo for a pee!! I had forgotten what being pg was like! I have got my appetite back and haven't had much sickness in the last 3-4 weeks thankfully although I have taken a liking to KFC which I had never had before!
Anyway I better go and put my feet up whilst Thomas is napping otherwise I will be asleep myself at 7pm!

Good luck with the potty training mawbroon, sounds like Johnny is doing really well. Alice has had a few accidents recently - she just gets too involved in playing, then a panic stricken look comes over her face and she she suddenly says 'I need a wee' and it's all over the floor. I'm just glad we've decided to take the carpets up and have wooden floors!

Glad to hear that you're not feeling so sick YF. Greggs sausage rolls were my favourite thing when i was pg with Johnny. And pickled onion monster munch! Re sittingon the toilet seat - that's how Johnny started YF. Ages ago, he would have screamed the house down if I asked him to sit on the potty or toilet, then it progressed to sitting on it but never doing anything for ages. Thomas will do it when he's ready.

The potty training was good today. I took him to MILs which was a 10 min walks (at toddler speed) then a couple of mins on the bus and another 10min toddler speed walk. We left straight after he had done a pee and he made it all the way there and then went straight on the potty for a big pee, so I think he really has got the hang of it. He's had 2 accidents today, just like you say ponto, they have been when he's been really involved playing. The second time, he was sitting on our neighbours brand new couch but luckily it's leather and she has two boys and knows what's what!

I start my breastfeeding peer support training tomorrow which I am looking forward to. They have a creche for the children and it's going to be the first time that I have ever left Johnny anywhere other than with family. I felt quite sad when I filled in the forms tonight, having to write about his allergies and to give explicit instructions that he was not to be given any food unless approved or provided by me. I bet he has a great time though and the snack will probably be fruit so I have nothing to worry about.

We finally got his allergy appointment through the post the other day for 9th May. They sent a form for a boiled egg challenge which got me panicking a bit, but I called them and they said they only do the boiled egg challenge if the skin test is negative which is not quite so bad. So skin tests for egg and dairy, blood test for penicillin and the egg challenge if his skin test is good. Could be a long day....

Potty training still going well.

We went to toddlers yesterday and he has become obsessed with the red and yellow sit-in car. He wouldn't get out for love nor money, including at snack time, so I was pretty sure he was going to have an accident and pee all over the car. Which of course he did! But that was his only accident yesterday.

Today, he only had one accident and it was entirely my fault! He was asking to feed a lot this morning, so we cuddled up on the sofa feeding and then inevitably, we both fell asleep for around 2 hours, until I was woken by him peeing on me!

The downside is that dh and I were eating tea (Johnny was finished and tootling around playing) when he said "jOhnny going to do poop on potty". Sure enough, he did. Right there in the kitchen whilst we were eating! Didn't put me off my stovies though.

Hope everyone is doing ok. I am going to yet another MN meet up on Saturday. Should be a good laugh.

Sounds like Johnny is doing really well MB. Thomas loves the red/yellow cars too and he always hogs them!
Not much happening here at the moment to tell you all about. We are busier now then ever with playgroup this morning and we have made some friends locally that we are meeting up with every week. I am really happy about this as it means that Thomas is getting to play with other children before the only other child he was seeing was my niece and he really missed seeing her all day when she started nursery, so that was when I decided I had to get us out there and start meeting people. Anyway I better go and get Thomas ready to go as he is already shouting for his shoes!! We don't need to leave here for another 20mins!

Yippee. No accidents today And he's learned how to give his willy a shake so that he doesn't drip everywhere when he stands up.

Can't remember if I mentioned this before, but we finally have an allergy appointment for 9th May. Not looking forward to it much though.

Well done on potty training mawbroon (and Johnny!)
Pleased that you've made some new friends yokefleet. Alice has just started playing a bit with 1 or 2 other children when they come to our house - she still ignores everyone else at playgroup though. She and dd1 play together constantly when they're both here, though there are a lot of arguments. Had a 'bad mummy' moment today when I'd left the girls in the bath while I got dressed. I assumed the shouting was because they were arguing about bath toys but when I went in dd1 had somehow managed to get her hair caught in the plug chain! I had to get scissors to cut it out. I have been trying to explain to them both that they need to be more specific with their cries for help, so I can respond more quickly if it is a real emergency as opposed to an everday toy dispute! Not sure if they can cope with that concept aged 2 and 4

It's gone all quiet. Hope everybody is doing well.

Did you have to scalp your dd1 YF, or is it not noticable? It just makes you wonder what on earth was she doing to get tangled up with the plugchain!

Johnny doesn't play with anyone at toddlers either and I've noticed recently that he more or less ignores a regular mindee I have who is 7 months younger. About a month ago, I would have said that they were in the same age range and they did kind of play together a bit, but suddenly, Johnny has moved up a notch or two and seems way ahead of this other boy. I know the other boy will of course catch up soon, but it's amazing how quickly they can change sometimes. Johnny did a 20 piece jigsaw this morning, more or less by himself

well we have had a lovely afternoon, been to a friends for lunch and then Thomas and her little boy who was 3 in Jan have spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the garden! lovely! Thomas seems to play with other children if its one on one but when at playgroup were there are about 6-7 kids they each seem to play on there own. Thomas will sometimes go and look over one of there shoulders to see what they are doing but he doesn't really interact with them!

Well done Johnny with the jigsaw!! Thomas does one with about 10 pieces, its a thomas tank one that he loves and its all torn at the edges, you can tell its well loved!

Ponto, aw bless you having to cut the little ones hair. At least with having a boy I shouldn't have that problem!!! and if this baby is a girl they might have to have a short back and sides hair cut too as I am rubbish at trying to sort out my nieces hair in a morning after she has been staying over!

Wow, Johnny was dry all night last night. I have been putting him in pull ups and calling them night time pants in an attempt to completly disassociate them from nappies. They have little pictures on them which disappear if there is any wetness, and this morning, they were still there.

I was dreading potty training and trying to go out and about without accidents, but he has taken to it really well. I bought a folding potty which has been great so far.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend

Well done Johnny, its sounds like he has really taken to it!! Great news MB!

We are having a busy day today we have playgroup this morning then our local museum has put a free event on for the kids the theme this month is "Welsh Heroes" We haven't been before but its for kids 18 months to 5yrs and its free! so thought we would give it a go! I hope Thomas has fun as the one next month is Cars which I bet he would love!

Hope you all have a nice weekend x

Thomas did his first pee on the toilet tonight!!!! yipppeeeeee

That's fantastic YF. Was he all pleased with himself?

We made a huge deal of it when JOhnny did his first one, same with first poop, and we phoned everyone to tell them. Now, anytime I am on the phone, he yells in the background "Johnny did a poo on the potty, Johnny did a poo on the potty, Johnny did a poo on the potty" LOL

We had a lovely weekend, ending with a bbq at SILs house. Johnny came away like a wounded soldier with scraped knees and a bang to the head that drew blood, but he didn't seem to care. It's amazing how much he has changed, it was only a few months ago that I was saying that he wouldn't take part at soft play, and now he's right in the middle of all the rough and tumble.

Aw sounds like you all had a lovely weekend MB! Thomas is really adventuous and loves to climb and run and jump, a proper little lad my mum says! (never still for a second though!)

Re the 1st pee - Yes we whooppeed and clapped and he nearly fell off the seat with the excitement!! lol then we rang my parents to tell each of them too, it was very funny.
we had another first yesterday too, he peddled his trike first forwards and then backwards. Again I am sure my neighbours thought we were having a big party with the noise we were making with our cheering and clapping! After every time Thomas made it down the patio he would stop to wait for the applause!

That's funny YF I used to give Johnny a huge hug every time he used the potty, but I think the novelty has worn off now because he doesn't seem that bothered any more! Well done Thomas on the tricycle! JOhnny knows what to do, but he just can't quite co-ordinate himself yet to do it! He also can't jump. What about the other LOs?

Thomas has been jumping for a while now, he was trying too for ages then it just suddenly seemed to click with him. He loves been outside in the fresh air running, jumping and smelling the flowers! I hope we have a nice summer this year it will make my life a lot easier!! (NOT TO HOT IN AUGUST MIND!)

Hello, hello, I'm back... where does the time go! I've been busy at work so my usual lunch time posting has been restricted as we are being audited, and whilst I can get away with "I'll give you an answer in a minute whilst I finish this job here" I dont think they'd appreciate "in a minute when I finish on mumsnet!"
Evelyn doing well - skipping, hopping and jumping, and she recognises numbers 1 through to 12 (not sure how though!!)
I've been poorly again, keep falling asleep in my study book, mid sentence just pass out. Had a blood test today to check iron / thyroid and for glandular fever, eek!

All the toddlers sound like they are coming along beautifully!