May Toddlers - still toddling along!

[helsy]

Oi! Over 'ere!

I'm using my sick leave well and have just booked a holiday in Oban - we're going to see Balamory and sea eagles, hopefully.

[GeorginaA]

Hello helsy Thought I'd make you feel a little less lonely over here...

[SusiS]

gotcha

[GeorginaA]

Eeep

Susi - was it you going to the sing and sign classes? Any progress on that score?

[SusiS]

lol
yep, we went to tinytalk!
welllllllll, we stopped going about 2 months ago - when lucas was too mobile and would just crawl over all the other kids (not mobile obviously!)
i never thought he actually picked anything up - BUT he does the sign for 'all gone' - hmmm, guess that's the only one really!
all the others he grabs me and takes me to what he wants; or just points at it

we mainly went there to see other kids and mums

[spots]

ooh Helsy you're coming to Scotland! not passing through Edinburgh are you? When are you up?

My Dh worked in Oban during his dark ages. He speaks of it.... fondly....

[helsy]

Spots, it's the first week in August but I think we're sticking to the West Coast - straight up the M6 then whatever's after that . Another visit to Edinburgh is on my list though...last time I remember being there we saw the woman who plays Susie Sweet or Penny Pocket in Balamory (the older one), in a restaurant in Leith. It was about 15 years ago and at the time she was still in Take the High Road. Oh no, have also been there with DH when he was bf (so it must be less than ten years ago) but can't remember it. It's age. What's the name of that veggie restauarant - used to love that. Hendersons or something?

Hello Susi, glad to see you out and about. How long now?

Dd2 has been waking up regularly for hours every night for the last week. I think it's teeth - she's going for the full front row across the top.
Last night we worked out she must have had 4 - 6 hours sleep.

I have to speak to nursery tomorrow. When I go to pick dd2 up I ask how she is and someone - whoever's eye I catch - will eventually say "fine". I ask what she's eaten and I get "you can look at the sheet" so I have to walk over and read a sheet to see how many poos she's had, how long she slept and what she's eaten. Not happy. I expect interaction - feels like it's gone downhill since dd1 was in there. It's a bit tricky to complain at the workplace nursery, though.

[helsy]

Just realised that sounds like I went to Edinburgh with DH when he was breastfeeding........

[Bozza]

Just reporting back in. Have actually been back since Saturday but have been so run off my feet and so many messages to catch up on that I have only just got round to posting.

We're all fine. Had a lovely holiday with great weather. DD did really well at eating out in all the French cafes/restaurants etc. Had quite a taste for omelette but struggled with crusty french bread. Had some trouble with her re - sleeping but managed to get it sorted eventually. And she learned to walk. She was doing a couple of steps between me and DH before we went but now she is off. Falling over regularly but definitely displaying a preference for walking. DS's new game is pretending to be the ferry driver.... So he lines up all his lorries and cars etc (he's got 100s) on the bed and puts his France jigsaw on the pillow (thats the map) and pretends to drive the fast ferry.

Georgina are you still having trouble with DS1's teenage tendencies? Your post on the other thread really struck a chord with me. It described DS exactly. He is being extremely hard work at the moment and in comparison DD and her tantrums are so straight forward. What strategies are you using to deal with it?

[Linnet]

Hello everyone,

well it's been an exciting day here today. Police vans screaming out the road at 8am this morning on the way to Auchterarder we think or more probably somewhere along the M9 where the protestors were blocking the roads.

Then they blocked off the Broxden roundabout so nobody was getting in or out that way. Big lorries travelling along the main road outside our house because they were all being diverted, like I said all very exciting.

All the helicopters are at the moment leaving Gleneagles and heading, back to where they came from. I'm listening to the 6th helicopter in as many minutes flying over my house. Between that and the two that fly over every now and again checking the area it's getting a bit noisy.

But anyway onto babies and mummies. How are we all doing?

Susi how are you? How many weeks are you now? hope you're keeping well.

Cat, congratulations on the engagement. We got married when dd1 was 4 and she was our flower girl we had a great day and she loved it.

I haven't checked the other thread so if I've missed any other exciting news I apologise.

Well, dd2 is getting more monsterish by the day. Still into everything, climbing more, getting taller and being able to reach more things so we're moving everything higher by the day. I'm going to take her back to Clarks soon to buy her some proper shoes since she's still in the soft pre-walker ones. Not looking forward to that incase she has another screaming turn when they try to put the shoes on her feet.

Screaming is something that she likes to do for fun. She screams all the way round Asda while we're doing the shopping. Screamed the whole time I was in Waterstones the other day. It really does get very annoying especially as it's such an earsplitting scream, you can see people wincing as they walk past. I feel like asking them if they'd like to take her home and put up with her for 24 hours, then they wouldn't give me such horrible looks and maybe sympathise instead.

MIL had a brainstorm yesterday and bought both dd's a ball each. dd1 got a slightly bigger one than dd2 and dd2 much prefers her big sisters so they fight over it(enter rolling eye emoticon here). dd2 tries to bounce hers like dd1 does and she's so funny to watch.

And we have a new TOOTH!!! yeah at long last a new bottom tooth has appeared. I'm so happy there is another one about to pop through the gum any day now as well. I was beginning to think that she'd be stuck with 6 teeth for the rest of her life, lol

New words this week include granny and Mine. And she's learning how to blow kisses which is really cute. Granny was asking her tonight if she could have a kiss when we were leaving but dd2 kept giving me the kiss instead, lol

sleeping is fine, eating is fine, tantrums are coming along a treat, lol

All in all we're doing fine. Hoping to go away to Edinburgh if not next week then the week after for a day trip. dd1 was asking at the weekend when we were going, this was while we were watching the parade in Edinburgh on TV, I told her we'd go once everything had calmed down again.

Helsy, you'll love Tobermory, dh and I stayed there once at New Year in a lovely hotel that overlooks the bay. We were only there 3 or 4 days and it was so cold seeing as it was the middle of winter, but it was lovely. I keep saying that we should go back in the summer sometime, maybe one day.

Dd1 has now finished school for the holidays, finished last week. This year she managed to go to her school trip, didn't get sick like last year. they went to Craigtoun park, spots will probably know of it. She had a great time and they got a fab day for it as well so she was well chuffed.

ok, going to go for now talk again soon

Linnet
x

[GeorginaA]

Oh God, Bozza, it had got so much better. Then in the last 3 days, ds1 has had a MAJOR strop (to the point where we've carried him upstairs to his room kicking and screaming) after he was told off for hitting ds2. He's bitten ds2 on the finger and he threw a toy at him yesterday. This from a child that has had hardly any problems with his brother at all up to now.

Not sure if I'm doing the right thing but I've gone down on him like a ton of bricks - really want to emphasise that this is NOT acceptable behaviour. I have told him that I love him, but I don't like him very much when he's like this. I told him I could trust him and sent him upstairs to play on his own until ds2 had his sleep when he could come down. Then I focussed lots of attention on him when he came downstairs (books & board games) and then asked him if he could be trusted with his brother when the nap was finished or if he'd like to play upstairs again for the afternoon. He chose to be with his brother and was a lot better with him.

He's in major moods at the moment coming home from nursery too, so I don't know if he's just picking this up from nursery or whether mini-teenagerdom has kicked in or what. But it's like balancing a tightrope not upsetting him on the 5 minute walk home ... and GAWD the DAWDLING! Worse than when he was 2! He can make a 5 minute walk last 20 minutes!

Have dug out my siblings without rivalry book out again and reading through it. Going to have a big focus on behaviour over the next few weeks I think - try and get things back on track.

[GeorginaA]

that should be couldN'T trust him, obviously...

[egypt]

oh georgina. sounds tough but you seem to be handling it the right way and doing the things you should be. i guess it's just their age. they try and test you and like you say, see children at school behaving in such a way. who knows, maybe they get away with it, so he's trying it on to see.

hi linnet. sounds like mayhem up where you are. is anyone in london? are you ok?

[spots]

Georgina it makes sense to me that ds1 should find ds2 more provocative now that he can participate in life a bit more. DD irritates the hell out of all my friends' toddlers with her attempts to be involved in games, grabbing toys, wordless looming etc. It's sad to see her turned away so cruelly! She had a bedroom door slammed in her face yesterday. I think it may have beeen the first time she ever experienced someone being nasty to her.

Watched news all morning while DD was at c/minders and then took her down to the beach and stood waist deep in the sea feeling lucky and a million miles away from the trouble. Which, of corse, we are not. hope nobody here is waiting for news...

[GeorginaA]

Ds2 finally fell off the arm of the sofa today - he screamed lots though and was up to mischief later though, so I think the head bump taught him nothing at all!

You're quite right, spots - I forget just how much fuss has been made over ds2 lately too (due to doing so much more). Must be very hard on a 4 year old

[Bozza]

Georgina I can confirm that they don't learn! DD's falling down the stairs and night in hospital had no impact whatsoever on her attempts to get to the open stair gate. Spots yes I think we have probably all had to stop and think today.

DS was actually better tonight. Last night he wouldn't come home from nursery and laid on a floor cushion and kicked his legs. One of our problems with DS has been lashing out (at us as well as DD) and since we have got back from holiday we have really clamped down on this. Spots was amused in a wry sort of way at that being the first time somebody had been nasty to your DD. I think my DD is quite a tough nut due to regularly being pushed out of the way, having toys removed abruptly etc.

Linnet are you quite close to Gleneagles then? Also DD is walking but still in cruisers but since she started walking days after I bought them she'll have to stick with them a bit. She actually quite likes shoe shops as well! Despite in general being an appalling shopper.

Another q. Has anyone had their DD's hair cut yet? DD's is getting quite long at the front so I have bought her some slides. Also the baby hair brush doesn't really do much anymore but mine is a bit viscious. Does anyone have any reccommendations?

[Judd]

Oooh, do want to get involved in chitchat but have guests (and I can only make a toilet trip last so long !!)

[Ponka]

Helsy, Egypt, I am most probably going to the Nottingham meet up. I have nothing to loose being so close (except a day annual leave at work). I don't know anybody either, I've bumped into just a couple of them briefly roundabout on Mumsnet but I don't do much posting out of this bit. They seem nice. I just thought I'd wade in and see what happened. My god, my first ever mumsnet meetups and they are 2 within 2 days potentially.

It sounds like you are right next to the G8, Linnet?

Cat, I don't have any information about the meetup. Please could you email karen dot broughton at ntu dot ac dot uk?
I wonder if Prufrock is mid - house move round about now?

Welcome back, Bozza.

Oh Georgina, sounds like you are having a tough time with DS1. I sometimes think it's hard to know what to do with one that's not talking yet. I can't imagine 2 or more!

Hi to everyone else!

[Ponka]

I forgot to ask my "what would you do" question....

We are thinking of sending DS to a nursery. I work 2.5 days a week. The rest of the time I have relatives to look after DS (I know, I know, I do appreciate how lucky I am!)

DH and I are on pretty basic wages so we don't have loads of money but we get by o.k. I've really noticed a change in DS recently. He's turning into a proper little boy. I think now is the time that he could really benefit from interaction with other children. I don't know many other mums so he doesn't get it a lot when with me or with mum/MIL. I cannot decide whether it's worth paying to send him to nursery for 1 or 1/2 a day a week purely for the interaction benefit. I wouldn't be as comfortable with him at nursery as I am with family care but I'm sure I would get used to it. What would you do?

[egypt]

would a comb do the trick bozza? have one from boots for babies and the brush doesnt do much for her either. have lost it in fact. she has curly hair at the ends so dont want to cut it. ahhh

i have no info on the meetup either. can someone email me on simcla at onetel dot net

thanks xx

[Twiglett]

I wouldn't worry about interaction till they're over 2 tbh .. at this stage if you have relatives looking after your child and they're happy doing so and your child is happy I'd just leave him there because there is no additional benefit IMHO of him going to a nursery

you could if you wished find a local playgroup for your days off and take him along ..but there's plenty of time for the interaction bit

[Ponka]

Bozza, I took DS to the hairdressers for the first time this week. He didn't take to kindly to having his hair cut but it was getting stupidly long. Before I took him, it was getting very tangled all the time. I used a really soft baby brush but made it damp with water sometimes and it seemed to get through the hair a lot better and I wasn't worried about it being damp because it's summer.

[spots]

Oh the very idea of DD and hair care makes me larf... she is the original monkey fuzz baby, no hair at all, just a dusting of something white , bit like icing sugar on a bun!

Ponka agree with Twiglett about the nursery. I take DD to toddlers once ot twice a week so she sort of has the choice of mucking around with other people or hanging around with me. She's quite sociable I'd say, but apart from the odd grapple over toys that she and another baby both want there's not a lot of interaction worth paying for. The good thing about it is at least she gets to play with different toys, to have a shot on slides and climbing frames, and to be aware of other children a bit. You don't have to shell out much for that!

[cat82]

ATTENTION EVERYONE! MAY BABIES MEET UP ANNOUNCMENT!

13th August 2005 at Prufrocks FABULOUS house in cambridge (i've been in it and am very, very jelous ) Could everyone who is able to make this date please e mail me at [email protected]

Thankyou!!!

And another important bit of info for anyone who may be interested....df and i are considering trying for no 2 in 1 month. I'm scared to death but have thought of nothing else for a few months now. Come on guys you know my history (neurotic, depressive, alchaholic nutbag )
Do you think it's a good idea?
I'm too scared to talk to anyone else about it rl, they'll all think i'm mad!

Quick cat and Kiera news update: er....not a whole lot really. Kiera can now say "goaty", "cat", "bear", "mama", "dada", "yes" and "no"
She makes signs for incy wincy spider and blows kisses which is really cute Still no walking! but she is wondering around on her walker at last.
DF proposed officaly last Friday he went down on one knee and produced a rose from behind his back with my ring over the stem. He bought champagne and we had a fab evening, i've been smiling ever since!!

Helsy- enjoy you holiday!

Susi- how are things? how's the bump?

Libb- All my love, talk to you soon xx

Ponka- Personaly i think nursery can benifit children. I kow it's working wonders for my freinds little girl who was previously very clingy and is improving daily now she's going to nursery. She's less shy with people and she interacts with Kiera more now as well.
It's up to you tho, i don't want to put kiera in nursery but only because i know i'd be a nervous wreck knowing they wouldn't be following my routines!!

Georgina- I hope things improve between ds1 and ds2 for you soon. I'm here if you need someone to "screeeeam" at

Lots of love to you all and pls e mail when you can. Prufrock is without internet access for about another 5 days i believe, but send her love to everyone also.

xxx

[Bozza]

Ponka - its really up to you about nursery. We've been very happy with both our two at nursery 3 days a week. But we don't have family nearby so that was never an option for us. Its my nephew's christening tomorrow and DS has gone to stay with my Mum and Dad so its just been DD tonight. Felt quite strange. And the paddling pool has got at least two punctures. DD's walking getting much better so will be able to wear pretty, long dress tomorrow.

And the worst thing is that we've been consistently overspending since DD went to nursery last autumn. And due to the holiday have got to within £100 of our o/d limit. Have transferred some money from Egg but will take a few days to clear so on a shoestring for this week hoping purchases don't clear and from next month we are on a tight budget. So will have to come up with some budgetary ideas.

[Bozza]

Had DS's hair cut by this point but a bit different for a girl. Good idea about the comb - I have one that came with the baby brush. Might try that. Or could buy a brush from Boots with my advantage points.