January 2008 Shiny New Year Toddlers - Happy 2nd birthday to us!!

[LilySwalLoosHerTurkeyBaster]

Where did 2 years go ????

happy easter all

Sorry I?ve been absent again. I just can?t seem to find any time for me at the moment which is bad as coming on here always makes me feel better.

We are having a terrible time with Aaliyah at the moment. As you know she has never slept much during the day or the night but she?s been taking things to extremes recently. I am implementing the ?No Cry Solution? and it does seem that she is learning to put herself back to sleep after coming into light sleep which is much better and we can generally get from 8pm-12/1am without her needing us. The last few nights though she has been waking at 2am and screaming until 5am. There doesn?t appear to be anything wrong with her (she does have a bit of a cold but it?s on the retreat) and bucks her back and won?t settle in any position in her cot or in my bed and whereas cuddling her used to be a comfort to her it doesn?t seem to be at the moment. Come the morning again she is her usual happy soul. I am at a loss as to what is going on. I am so sleep deprived and have mastitis on top of a cold at the mo

On top of that Xavier is being really naughty, throwing things, shouting ?No? all the time and whinging for cuddles all day even when you are actually cuddling him. All in all just the usual terrible twos but without any sleep to fortify me I am finding them both really hard work at the moment.

I?ll try and have a little catch up now

Happy Easter everyone!

Lilyloo ? wow, have an amazing trip does sound like you need it! Job sounds good for you too.

Gingeme ? that?s a nice part of Scotland how is the bedtime routine? Sorry to hear that David has chicken pox Well done on your weight loss, I gave up chocolate, biscuits and cakes for Lent and lost 5 pounds but need to target bread too I think! That massage sounds fab!

Hi LaT thought you might be interested in some of the Spanish posters and books for kids on here www.indybel.com/home.php?cat=45 3rd trimester wow!!

Simpson ? hope you feel better and had a good night out last night do you have another night tonight without kids? lucky lady! My cat is 3yrs but is adored by my kids so think a cat is a good pet. Canal boat trip sounded lovely

Willsurvivethis ? I hope things are getting better sounds like good news on the job front

Mixedmama ? so glad to hear that things have been resolved with your IL, I remember it being a really tricky situation.

JKS ? sounds like lots of good progress for you and H sorry to hear about the chicken pox though, poor mite. I second you on the thank goodness for Easter front, I am DYING to have a piece of chocolate tomorrow after 40 days and 40 nights?.

Nicky6 ? poor little Noah with reflux my nephew had that and was so much better when he started solids. I feel your pain on sleeping through the night. Champneys ? you lucky things

Hey Angechica

Coldy here so can't respond in full.

Happy Easter everyone.

MrsMc - Between about 9 and 18 months, Sabela had periods of being wakeful for hours at night. Sort of fortunately for us, she wanted to play but there was no way of getting her to sleep. She would sometimes be up for 4-5 hours. It was teeth, every time, that was the culprit. I stmpathise. it was hellish. So hard to cope with a toddler when seriously sleep deprived. Is anyone giving you a hand?

Thanks LaT for speaking to me when you don't feel well, hope you feel much better soon. I agree with you, it must be teeth casuing the night screaming, hopefully it will pass soon

Presume everyone has been having busy holidays / weekend. We have been trying to tire A out after we had to put him back in his bed about 12 times last night . We have been swimming this morning - my friend gave me a really cute float suit for A - and then out in Jesmond dene all afternoon so by rights he should be sparko. My sympathies MrsMc it sounds like what you need is a bit of a break! How old is Aaliyah now? Only thing that I can think of is to give her a big supper - porridge or rice? Alek exhibits similar behaviour to X at times at the moment - more so when stir crazy, so letting him run free in outdoor spaces seems to help but that in itself can be so tiring for the parents! Well 2 short weeks at work coming up and some time with my mum next week which will be nice.

Hi all

Sorry to hear of bad nights for you Mrs Mcjnr

Went to brouse round really fab 2nd hand shop near my mum's yesterday and ended up buying a toddler bed for £25!!

It is quite a big one so will probably put J in it and M will have his bed.

My dad (bless him) went to mothercare today and bought a bed guard which M loves as its bright pink

Have had very difficult day with M today She always seems bad when I have had time away from her, like she is punishing me or something

ATM she is kicking off because she wants her pink buggy which she knows full well is at my mum's and this temper tantrum has been going on for 30mins

Had solicitors appt this morning and divorce petition re-done as H refused to sign the last one

Hope everyone ok....

Evening ladies
Sounds a bit pants Simpson Divorces can take a while if things aren't amicable. My DH told me this after his ex refused to sign the papers after she declared nothing was wrong. This was after she left DH with their boys when she run off with another man without telling anyone claiming she had post natal depression.
How are you feeling LaT ? Any sign of that cold shifting?
MrsMcJnr well what can I say...this to shall pass
Bedtimes are working a treat here at the moment I started a little thread on here and a couple of brilliant suggestions were made. What we are doing is having our story in my bed then David and George go to their beds and Edward stays in my bed. 20 mins or so later all are asleep then I lift Edward to his bed voila.
Davids chicken pox have all scabbed over and hes looking like a spotty dog just waiting for the other two now.
I had my weigh in today and have lost 3lb which I must say shocked me as I have not been that good realy. Probably put it all back on next week with all the choc Ive been scoffing
Ah well nearly time for Waterloo Road so best get my jamas on.
xxx

Ugh DD was up 12-6 last night! got 3 hours sleep and felt sick all day. She fell asleep in the pool in her swimming lesson! I can see the teeth poking through now so let?s hope tonight is a better night. Xavier has been great today, he must be feeling a lot better from his bronchitis; we had a few rounds of lashing out and hitting me but other than that, an angel (what is that all about? And what should I do?)

LaT ? how are you feeling?

Am going to start potty training in a couple of weeks, any advice warmly received

Angechica ? we often have to put X back to bed over and over. The book I am reading at the mo (for Aaliyah) The No Cry Sleep Solution has tips in it for toddlers who do just that. It involves giving them a number of passes that they can use to come out but that?s it and the idea is to give them less passes every night and if they have any left in the morning, to give them a prize. Not convinced X would go for it Aaliyah is nearly 10 months now. I was giving her porridge at night but actually, it was making things worse as it delayed her getting to bed after her bath. Don?t think she is hungry really anyway. She certainly eats quite well during the day now as long as she can feed herself. I agree about toddlers needing to run, we are so lucky, we have a 100m2 terrace that wraps around our flat and X has a few ride on toys and a play house etc so he does spend a lot of time out there letting off steam. We also go out for at least 2 if not 3 walks a day and often he goes on foot rather than in the buggy. Enjoy the short weeks and the time with your Mum I spent the day with mine today, it was nice.

Simpson ? what a great bargain that toddler bed was! We have a 2nd hand shop in the village and I?ve got some great toys for the kids from there. Bed guard sounds funky too! Hope M is having a better day and that you get the petition signed soon

Gingeme ? how is David? Anyone else come down with it? The dr told me the other day that there are loads of cases here at the moment. Guess it?s the time of year for it. Love the new hairstyle by the way the sleeping arrangement sounds great. I shared a room with my 2 sisters (one 2 years younger and the other 7 years younger) until I was 15. I think it forges a very close bond and when I look back it also meant my parents never had to get up with anyone in the night because unless we were ill, we consoled each other. Great weight loss again! I haven?t done a weigh in this week due to my choc excesses but have now cut right back on bread so will be interested to see what impact that has.

Bum. I lost a post that I thought I'd done earlier today.

Thanks for enquiries about my cold. Much better today. Even did some gardening.

Gingeme - well done on the bedtimes. I saw that thread and knew it must be you. How is the chicken pox?

MrsMc - thanks for the link. We tried NCSS. It did make some improvements, funnily enough at around 10 months. I hope it works for you.

Ange - enjoy the time with your mum. Had something else to say to you in the last post but can't think of it now. grrr

Simpson - I hope ex-h is not asking for too much from you. Sorry it's not straightforward.

IWST - I know you're there somewhere.

Mixedmama - Awesome advice, by the way! I've kept it for myself just in case.

Sabela's eating is coming on in leaps and bounds since I came up with my plan. I've hardly had to be heavy at all, which is fab. She's stopped refusing htings that she likes and she's even tried a couple of new things. her latest is roast beef. We had our Easter roast lunch on Monday (was too bleurgh to do it on Sunday). I put some on her plate, with carrots etc and potatoes which she loves. I thought she could juts look at it and eat the potatoes. Instead, she leapt on it like she'd been waiting for it all her life and ate three toddler slices with lots of gravy. Funnily, she didn't do the same with the carrots

I am an Auntie again as of 3pm this afternoon. My SIL had her little boy by emergency c-section today. All is well, though the details are hazy. She has back problems and I think it all got too much for her, hence section. Welcome to the world Hector!

I am here but things got seriously scarily too much this weekend and I am still crawling out - work not helping.

Back soon x

Although better here today - sun is shining too. Hada good time with Nathan pottering around in his walker on the drive while I put last years leaves in the bin.

And his amazing new chair has arrived via occupational therapy. He's finally too big for the bumbo and he needed somewhere to relax eat and play unsupervised ie to enable me to answer the door without having to move him first. And since he's had his walker he's no longer happy on the floor, he wants to be up!

Just got back from fab day at local farm.

Highlight of the day for M was when she got licked in the face/hair by a calf although she was a bit shocked at the time!!

J had a good time too feeding animals etc and got to bottle feed a lamb.

Going to Natural History museum tom (hopefully with other MNers too )

WST - hope you are feeling better today. Spoke to Matt today he reckons midday is good for sat.

Ha ha Simpson I bet she was shocked We are going to a farm on Monday when DH is off.
iws it always bring a smile to my face to read the bits about Nathan. I would love to meet him one day and give him a big hug.
Good news on the eating front LaT. I just love roast beef too. Georges apetite seems to have realy picked up lately too. I think theres another growth spurt on its way
MrsMcJ at falling asleep in the pool. Sleep deprivation is hell isn't it? This too shall pass....
So far the bed time routine seems to realy be working and all the boys are sleeping well. A couple of 6 am starts but I can live that (sort of)
Davids all scabbed and the spots are dissapearing slowly.No sign of the other two getting it though George did have a small cluster of spots on his wrists yesterday but I think that was more of heat rash as its gone this morning.
Off to the park soon before DH goes to work.
DS1 is here from Sunday and my Mum is here from Monday though shes staying with my Dad.
Enjoy the sunshine everyone xxx

hello all We're back from 12 lovely days in the sun and hurrah, the sun is shining here too Shame I have to work tho...!

Right, off to try and catch up on this thread but thought I'd say hi before starting....otherwise by the time I've caught up it will have moved on 20 pages!!

Gingeme - it was J's turn to be today as I met another MNer and took J to natural history museum and he was at the moving T Rex

LaT - glad the eating is going well...

Filly - hope you had a good holiday

Have been giving M some foods she should not be having (to see if she has improved at all) and now she has developed a rash on face and back

Hi all,

We're going to see my Dad tomorrow, so we have the massive journey there. I got really freaked about it as she's been really reluctant to settle to anything in the last few days. So, I went to buy her a toddler laptop for the train. It would be absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to take it on a train! It is so noisy. She does love it, but I'm thinking it is defintiely one to put in the cupboard until next birthday and feeling like I wasted £20.

Wish me luck!

LaT - good luck!!

Is the lap top the Peppa Pig one? M has that one and the noise drives me up the wall

No. It's the Beanstalk one. Ther would be a competition to see which one is more annoying!

where is everyone???

Out in the sunshine??

Having a very relaxing day today and kids are playing in the garden although I expect them to start fighting over wanting the same toy any minute

Met WST yesterday which was lovely and Nathan is getting so big and his walking is coming on really well.

Anyone on FB there is a lovely pic of Nathan & Molly on the swings together

Hope everyone ok.

Yes it was lovely to meet Simpson and kids again - and Simps's lovely brother who occupied the kids quite a lot so we could chat more

Friend of mine who saw photo of swings asked if it was Nathan's first official date lol.

Sang in the church worship group for the first time in this church and for the first time since having Nathan - I've only done singing/guitar in small groups since having him. Going to do it once a month or so

Had a little walk with DH and Nathan to the park and Nathan did some walking between us holding our hands which is quite tricky for him balance wise - proud of him!

My heart just nearly stopped, I just discovered Xavier on the outside of the bars on our terrace standing on the ledge, we are a floor up, can?t stop thinking what would have become of him if he?d fallen I thought he was really safe out there too, I have no idea how he climbed over, it?s too high even for me to do it. Watching him like a hawk now! Am shaking actually!

LaT ? how are you feeling? NCSS does seem to be working ? some nights ? I am now able to put her in her cot awake day or night and she will go off to sleep if she knows I am there and stroke her back a bit, that is a major improvement. She can also send her self back to sleep if she wants too. Sat night was great, she slept 9-3.30 had some milk and went back to sleep after 20 mins and woke up at 7.30. That I can handle. Last night and the one before were pretty bad though. I am thinking of implementing the card system for Xavier as he is pretty bad at getting up again when we have put him down. Think he might still be a bit young to understand that though? Great news on Sabela?s eating; it?s a battle with Xavier these days too. Congrats on being an Auntie again

Ginge ? how is David? Glad to hear that so far the other boys haven?t caught it.

Willsurvivethis ? thinking of you and wishing you well sounds like Nathan?s chair is a godsend! He is coming on so well, must have a look at the photos on FB.

Simpson ? the farm sounded fun we had one near where we lived in Scotland. Will be fun to take the kids there when we go back on holiday in August. That said, my kids saw the following animals last night in the village when we were out for a walk: 2 elephants, a tiger, 2 miniature ponies, 4 horses and a camel ? the circus is here!

Glad you had a great holiday Filly how far along are you now? Do you know what you are having? I often wonder what my family dynamic would be like with a 3rd depending on whether or not we had a girl or a boy. No plans for another at the mo, I just couldn?t cope, maybe think about it at the end of the year.

Just had a disastrous playdate Xavier kept trying to hug and hit his little friend and she just wailed the whole time, they?ve known each other since they were 3 m old but their friendship just isn?t working at the mo

OMG MrsMC - Is there something you can do to secure it? It would be such a pity for him to lose his outdoor playspace. As for the playdate, don't worry. It'll be great again in a little while. I think Sabela would be a bit young for the card system, but you could give it a try. I have found that talking through things with her really helps and you might give that a try too (I'm sur eyou have). For example, a couple of weeks ago I asked her why she always cried when she wakes up. She just shrugged. I told her she didn't need to and that mummy was never far away. Since then she hradly has at all, and sits and plays in her cot for up to an hour when she wakes . Also, I explained that mummy was tired and needed a rest too when she went to bed. I think she thought we were downstairs having a great time when she went to bed. She's stopped getting us upstairs so much now. I realsie she was just really curious as to what we were doing. Similar sort of thing worth a try?

OMG Mrs Mcjnr - hope you have recovered now from the shock..

Had a bit of a myself today too.

Took J to a routine hearing test (he has one every 6mths or so due to severe ear infections)

Anyway saw consultant who basically said his hearing has gotten much worse since last appt so he will need op to have grommets

I know its only a minor op but my poor baby going under knife (PFB alert)

I know I will be in a right state when he has it

Oh well, and am back at hosp tomorrow with M for pead appt lets hope there is better news and I don't end up seeing horrible pead too

WST - since speaking to you M has done 3 poos to 2hrs this eve so not tolerated the food at all

JKS you were right the pox have now moved on to Edward the next in line age wise
Never mind not going to let it spoil Davids 6th birthday today. Just means he won't be able to have his pre school booster tomorrow
Will pop by later gonna be busy today xxx