January 2009- Help! A toddler ate my baby!

[hackneyzoo]

I told you it was a lame title.....

Hello! Phew, nice to find MN working. Has taken me so long to read through that I've forgotten everything.
Hello Chef!! Nice to hear from you. Hope you get that post at uni, sounds perfect. So funny that you have all the same kids shows as us.
Pat - your sofa should have been sold on ebay as a conception tool. Get you with your sex in showers and domestic goddess bit, be careful, you'll end up up the duff at this rate! Don't forget you, me and Books are in the standing firm camp! Not coming down now with my sister, not sure when will be down now as away for my birthday in Easter hols. It's that one that we don't mention that you just had
Dog - cinema sounds fab, I'm going to steal that. Up for camping, I'm up for anything.
MissJ - sorry about Friday, feel rotten now, will make sure better organised next time. My Mother is a total diasater zone in case you hadn't worked that one out, can't be relied on for anything - has mental health issues, but that apart is not the greatest parenting example!
MM- Glad you've had a good day, perhaps the tide is turning?

Want your opinions on reading - am pretty anti teaching preschoolers anything in theory, always all for the let them play as long as possible philosophy but DD is showing a real interest in books and wanting to read. Do you think I should start teaching her phonics or just carry on letting her learn odd words by sight? Preschool (which is school - she goes to reception/Year 1 class just for the morning as no separate preschool) do phonics with the older kids so I'm guessing the sudden interest is coming from there but I'm really not sure what to do. I want her to stay little forever [weeps] [wails] [weeps again]

Lenni- go with what she wants, thats what I have done with DD. I feel I have held her back somewhat as she knew phonetic and normal alphabet at just 2 and could recognise small words about the same time. I bought her a jolly phonics poster and some readers which she enjoys and she can now read and sound out short words, but i never actively 'tech' it as such, they all have a method at school so I don't want to interfere too much. She is more into writing at the moment, moving on to some of the 'curly' letters that she has always found difficult. Phonics computer games are also fun and flashcards but we only get them out when she wants to.

moose- they gave me a clothing leaflet today, I will check it out later

Right have guests so must run!!

Oh Lenni, I remember that feeling, particularly with ds2. I felt bereft when he started school.

I didn't do any 'teaching' as such with either of my boys before they started full-time. They were both into books, ds1 still is, massively so in fact. Ds2 not so much, although to be fair his main interest lay in Thomas the Tank Engine books anyway.

I don't think its a bad thing to do a bit if they already have a degree of experience of it from preschool and are genuinely intersted and keen.

Agree with Books, letter sounds and starting letters would probably be the best place to start, going on the way my boys have learned to read at school. If she's really keen to learn some 'actual' words, perhaps just some simple cvc words?

Even if she does learn to read early, she'll still be your baby and they are so cute when they're tiny and sit there reading a book to you.

Jolly phonics do an alphabet cd that is incredibly annoying useful for helping them get a handle on pronouncing the letter sounds and they seem to love the songs too unfortunately.

Ds1 loves to read too and is starting to recognise letters. Interested by your comments Lenni as I am having a big dilemma as what to do re school for him. Can't decide whether to leave him at his pre school which is completely free play or move him to a school nursery which will be more structured. I am applying for both and will just have to decide nearer to the time.
On here for hand holding as after a big haf an hour phone call with hv who is a sleep specialist we are having another bash at cc. Going in every 5 minutes and on 33 minutes so far...

morning

dh off today is going to take dd1 into town for shops and lunch while bracken sleeps so i can have some peace and t.v watching

bracken took a few steps yest

pat - sounds like u had a great day

we had choccy betty crocker pancakes luch i luv pancakes

i went to sainsburys for food shop last nite also bought dd1 some bits for hakf term

bought -

eat your peas book
playmobile , vet and horse and rider and horse - i luv playmobile and so does she
snowhite and cinderella book
2 little sticker books

dd1 loves books her reading is @ the level of year 2 and she is only in reception class

bracken is into the touchy feely books

How did it go gumps? Last night was our first night of Jay Gordon night-weaning - first 3 nights I am supposed to 'feed him short', which worked well. Was interesting for me to actually stay awake during the feed, which lasted less than 1-2 mins before I unlatched him - then he rolled off and went back to sleep with no fuss. He was waking every 45 mins on average though. So 2 more nights of that, then 3 nights of cuddling but no feeding... it's totally comfort suckling, I am sure of that. Nothing wrong with that, but I just feel after a year of feeding completely on demand, now I get to meet my needs a bit too - my need for some unbroken sleep! Would not have survived without co-sleeping - but would probably not be in the same boat without co-sleeping either!

Your pancakes all sound good! We had MILs, which were nice.

pat shall we keep an eye on the weather? Tis snowing here currently. Just thinking soft play would be another option although HT will be crazy!

Great to hear from you chef, DD always sounds so grown up! Guess those couple of months makes a lot of difference at this age. She sounds super cute.

Books - DD does the same thing with quoting books, she knows the words to about 10 or 15 of her favourite books now so she can 'read' those to herself when she wants - but lately she seems to be forever in a book and asking me what words say. She seems to be getting quite frustrated now and cries that she can't tell the story if I'm not able to read it to her for whatever reason - in the car for instance. Think I'll get that alphabet CD you've mentioned MM and start on letter sounds and I'll mention at preschool again and see what they say.

Gumps - Sorry wasn't around to handhold, hope it went ok and tonight goes ok too.

Morning,

Gumps, sorry, logged off straight after my last post. I would have stuck around if I'd read your post first. Hope you got through it ok.

Tink, yay for Bracken's steps.

DD fed herself almost all of her porridge with a spoon this morning for the first time. She usually uses her hands, which is a tad messy to say the least.

She is currently playing the knock down towers game with her brothers again, only the updated version involves her charging across the room with her walker at top speed and running the blocks and her brothers over. Still, they all seem to be enjoying it.

Ds1 is still doing fine, it actually feels like I've got my little boy back again. Dh and I have noticed that the rash he gets on his cheeks and chin has gone. We have found out that the chip shop we use coats the chips in a flour mix to stop them going brown (apparently this is standard practice in most chip shops) and we had had chips once a week in the past three weeks for one reason or another. Putting two and two together, we are now wondering whether his worsened behaviour was caused or at least exacerbated by a gluten reaction, as we have been extra vigilant since he's been home and he honestly seems like a different child now, as well as his skin clearing up. Fortunately, a chip shop that does a gluten free service has just opened in the next village, they cook everything on separate equipment and even make gluten free batter. Its pricey, but after the couple of weeks we've just been through, definitely worth it.

Have just bathed our little old lady dog and received a bath myself. Had a telephone consultation with the head vet yesterday and have an appointment to take her to see him myself this evening. We think we have decided on palliative care, rather than surgery for her as she didn't cope well last time she had surgery, recovery was really tough on her and now she is practically blind and a bit deaf we feel the whole experience of going into the vets overnight would be too much for her to handle. The vet says we will just have to keep giving her abs when her mouth gets infected and put her on anti-inflammatories and painkillers as and when she needs them to make sure she is comfortable. She is still eating well, is a proper fat old lady and she doesn't seem ill or depressed so the vet felt this was an appropriate course of action given that surgery really isn't an option for her. She is going for a full examination we are going to agree on her care plan tonight.

Never been through this before as all our other dogs have gone very quickly and in most cases unexpectedly.

Will pop back shortly and catch up....but...i have just got off the phone to the tax credit people and am ... if you had SMP while on maternity leave and earned under 30k gbp in this tax year you can claim back tax of 100gbp per week for each week you received smp... get on the phone ladies!! I feel an iminent shopping accident (actually it will just about clear my credit card and overdraft, but nevermind!)

Booksgalore - Thanks for the shout out the other day, I lost our thread just after the baby was born. How are you all doing? Mairi is a true toddler now, and we are trying for #2. Going to catch up here..

sounds great HZ! Do you want to come for lunch here tomorrow with J?

Hi Shanster!

Just off to make supper, but saw you were talking about phonics etc Lenni.

I'm doing a free pre-school literacy support course at the moment and they have taught me a few things that would support them...

You start with the letters satnip as they are the easiest.

You teach them the letter names and say they make the sound 'x'. So the letter E makes the sound eh for elephant. etc. Apparently that helps them when you get to things like ch as otherwise it is harder to understand how two letters make one sound (apparently).

When reading to them, you follow the words with your fingers.

.. that's all I've learnt so far! eek, crying baby..

120...Yes, that would be lovely! if its nice I might walk to the farm and then head your way...what sorta time/?

Books...I just rang the tax credits peole to tell them my hours/salary had changed and that I had been on maternity leave. The woman asked if i got SMP and how much. If you earn under x amount in this tax year and you were on maternity leave for some of it she said I was entitled to a tax rebate of x per week. Wasn't concentrating very hard as J was trying to grab the phone off me at the time, but give them a call. I think they rebate you at the end of the tax year via your credits. but have just realised they over paid us massively ages ago so we are probably still paying them back their over payment iyswim...

Hi Shanster, glad all is good with Mairi and you are trying for another, good luck!

Am glad others have toddlers who are wanting to read. I was wandering about whether to teach DD or not as had read lots of stuff saying you should hold off, but thought that was a bit as she asks what the letters are and seems to want to read. So am letting her lead me without doing any active teaching. I think they do a bit at nursery as well. I have recently been amazed at the amount toddlers seem to be able to reel off verbatum, Lily comes out with huge chunks of bear hunt and that sort of thing.

Moose glad your half term is going well, the way your boys play with DD sounds lovely.

MissJ, glad your night weaning is goin gto plan so far. I have just been out and bought some hipp night time formula, so fingers crossed for tonight.

Am in the middle of trying to ebay a whole pile of stuff. have put it on the for sale board here, but no one is interested so far. ebaying takes forever!

Still no news with J's next scan, all very boring and frustrating waiting.

Am loving this developmental stage at the moment, had forgotten how gorgeous babies are when they are making thier transition to toddler.

Evening

Not stopping as have just baked a chocolate cake and want to eat it while its warm.

Hi Shanster, lovely to hear from you. Glad all is well and you are planning another new addition.

HKZ, this is one of my favourite ages as well. Dd is so cute I could eat her at the moment.

Been to see the vet tonight, managed to stop myself blubbing and have agreed a course of meds for palliative car for my old gal. Daft thing is she actually seems really well in herself at the moment. Vet was lovely and said we can change our mind and go for the op anytime and that nothing is set in stone. I hadn't realised quite how blind she's got though. We don't walk her in the dark and she was really scared and walking into things on the way the vet. It was quite a shock to see her like that, as she obviously knows where everything is at home and navigates accordingly and in the park in daylight she follows my outline or her nose so you can't really tell unless she decides to run headlong into a bin or something. The whole appointment was a mix of reassuring and upsetting iyswim.

Anyway, on a lighter note, I have a question. How do you dress a baldy 1 year old little girl for a Rock N Roll party? The boys are both going James Dean stylee with denim jackets, turned up jeans, plain white tshirts and quiff type hair styles, but I am at a complete loss for dd. Anyone got any ideas? Where's Tree when you need her? She's always good at this sort of thing.

bookmarking as guests here and its crazy busy, just had a roast chicken for dinner though, continuing with my domestic goddess.

MissJ- Slimbridge is pretty all weather really as there is indoor bits. Went to the dick whittington place today with DD and nephews and it was a NIGHTMARE!!!

Tink- DD LOVES eat your peas, with have the CD as well and she knows it off by heart (as she does about 50 books!).

120- I do point out the words but its very tedious in a long book [bad mummy]. Lots of compliments on Monkey by the way!!

HZ-good luck on ebay.

gumps et al- good luck with night time training, we had another 7pm-5am night last night which is a vast improvement, then he went from 5.15am till 7am so not bad. Fingers crossed fro tonight.

books- day sounds fun.

right, must get off as getting funny looks from all...............

Oh moose,your poor puppy, glad you have such a lovely vet. For DD how about a spotty swing style skirt and a little white capped sleeve t-shirt and booby socks (the little white ones with frills?) think homely 50's style. and mmmm chocolate cake.

Dog....just having a clear out really, nothing all that exciting www.margonaut.com/newblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/girl.jpg Just have loads of stuff that isn't worn and tooooo many pairs of dungarees for one boy! You should get to bed and make yourself a home cinema

Good idea HKZ, am liking the capped tshirt and frilled socks, they should be easy to organise. Now, where do I buy a spotty swing skirt for a one year old? First stop, Ebay methinks.

Am stuffing warm choc cake with choc/vanilla butter icing with one hand and typing with the other. (It was worth bf purely for developing and refining mnetting one-handed skills. )

Moose, she could just wear some polka dot leggings or capri pants. I have a pair of blue cotton capri pants that were dd's, 6-12 months, they might fot your dd, you are welcome to them...they are very cute...I dressed DS in them and he looked all girly last summer

dog...wrong link!

HZ give me a call in the morning. have migranine and AF so off write blog then bed! By the way have a table at an NCT thingy on March 6 so you can come along and flog your stuff/give it to me to do so if you wish. Elkie are you going to that?

Pat glad the monkey has admirers! I have had three more commissions. Eek. I know what you mean about pointing out words. I only do it in the quick books with lots of repetition as I think she'll pick it up the easiest with those.

night all!