# February '09 Mamas ~ Childhood Chat :)



## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Are we ready for this??? Our sweet little babies are growing up!

And I just have to say that I think it is so awesome that we have been chatting for well over 3 years now! I am so thankful to have all you awesome mamas in my life 

So let's keep chatting!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Ok, I'm trying to respond to things from the last thread!

Mal - I hope Owyn had an awesome birthday party!!! I'm glad she's happy with her earrings. I had mine pierced when I was 6, my aunt had them done for me as a 'surprise' for my mom.. I'm not sure my mom was thrilled.. But I was happy with them  Although I stopped wearing earrings in high school and never wear them anymore.

Kate - I'm glad your OB appointment went well! I'm keeping you in my thoughts. I hope your VBAC goes smoothly and no induction is needed  It won't be long now! That's awesome that Aubs stays in bed til the sun comes up! Wow! R gets cranky if I leave the bed to get ready before he wakes up :/

Sue - That would be so exciting if you can move up your moving plans! The only place in the US I've lived is NC (north of Charlotte). I actually really liked it there, nice climate, nice people, we were about 4 hours from the ocean (Charleston SC - I love that area!) and about 2 hours from the mountains (Asheville). Other than that I think Canada is pretty awesome 

Cindy - Let me know how M likes the movie! I've wondered about taking R, he likes the book. I just don't like the cost of a trip to the movies.... That is soo cute that she says she only sleeps in her bed on Mondays lol!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Just quick. Mostly just adding my subscription. Thanks for starting the thread Everr! I cannot believe we are here!!! Seems like we just moved to toddlers yesterday!

We're not doing the movie this weekend. We got freakishly beautiful weather (mid 70s!) so we are spending as much time outside as possible this weekend.  I think it'll be crappier next weekend - and DH is really against taking her on opening weekend. So I'll let you know next week. 

Cindy


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Wow it's amazing that we have been chatting this long. It's been so nice to be able to follow your journey's. The fact that my baby is 3 makes me think it's time for another baby sigh... Thanks for starting the thread Ever

I wish I was well enough to take the kids to the movies. I'm still exhausted and slightly congested. I ended up having to take dh to the emergency room Friday because he passed out at the doctor's office (he had passed out in the morning as well). I was at work and had to leave abruptly. I've never had to do that it felt awful but I was so worried about dh that I didn't really care at that point. Thankfully my bf was working in emerge that day and she moved his chart to the front of the pile so we didn't have to stay for the entire day. He had an x-ray and bloodwork and tried to pass out again but thankfully I could see it on his face and warned the lab tech and we lied him down fast enough. Doctor thinks he has strep on top of an influenza. His fever was incredibly high even with advil and tylenol. His face was bright red all the way to his chest and he was barely able to stay awake or move. He's now on antibiotics and I had to give him both fever reducers every four hours until his temperature stayed below 38. His fever finally broke this morning and he sort of looks human again. My mom thankfully was an incredible help during all the illness and hospital visit.

I'm so behind on everything I just want to crawl under the blankets and cry.

The kids are whiney and fighting.....

Cindy I'm so jealous of your weather we have snow right now.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

*Nilla* ... That sounds awful! I hope his fever comes down and he starts to feel better soon. Strep A?

I can't believe we've been chatting for over three years! That's wild!

We've still got this dang cold that just won't quit. RSV and viral bronchitis are going around ... I wonder if we've got some variation of one of those? Whatever. We're getting on with life, living it with awful coughs and congestion. But the heck with it, we went swimming this morning.

H loves swimming! Yay for water baby number TWO!

I'll be back later ... must eat something. Swimming makes me hungry!

Thanks for starting the thread, *Ever*!

*Movies* ... We took E to the Winnie the Pooh movie in the summer. She loved it!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

We're here! Wow, can't believe we've been together this long! I was just thinking today that it might be fun to get the kids involved with our little group. Maybe a penpal type thing? Owyn always sees the pictures up here and asks about your little ones. I find it so strange that she doesn't know them when I feel like I know all of you so well!

We made it to see The Lorax today. Thanks for the idea, Cindy! Owyn LOVED it. She sat very still the whole time. So much that I had to remind her to go potty when I saw her squirming a little. She just didn't want to miss it. And I really liked it too, such a great story. She came home and asked to watch Cinderella but passed out on the couch before I could even say no. She's had quite a big weekend!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Mal - Happy Birthday to Owyn! Sounds like she had a good and busy time.

Nilla - Ugh, that sounds awful. I really hope everyone is better soon.

I also can't believe how long this chat has been going - and how big they've all gotten. I turn around, and suddenly I have no babies at all anymore - just one big kid and a toddler who wishes she was a big kid too.

Speaking of big kids, K has become absolutely obsessed with letters and phonics lately. Philosophically, I want nothing to do with pushing academics. But I'm not sure it's up to me. All he wants to do is draw letters and type letters, and try to make the sounds. He was doing text chat with his aunt on Skype the other day, and managed to sound out and read "cat", "dad", and a few other things all by himself. Slow down! Where did my baby go?


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Holy Cow! Childhood years? This is amazing! Love you Mamas!

Nilla: Oh dear! I hope he starts feeling better soon.

Sick: I think that although she is over the flu, Fiona is now getting a cold. And my throat hurts. We are with you Starling in the never ending sickness this winter. I'm ready to be healthy!!

I took M to a baby shower today. She hated it! So many people. She slept for a while in the wrap and then fussed and cried the rest of the time so we left early. I feel like she gets overstimulated so easily and I don't know if I can do anything about it other then let her nervous system catch up with her and continue to keep things mellow. She nursed a ton when we got home and fell fast asleep of course!

Erin: Way cool about K reading! Sounds like you don't have a say in it! Pretty awesome. I'm going to purchase of make some sandpaper letters ala Montessori and start to work with F a bit with them because she is also suddenly showing a big interest. Maeve was cooing at her the other day and Fiona got so excited, "She said ggg, she's learning her letters Mama! I'll go get ggg- " then she ran of to get her magnet letters and came back with a b. Pretty close!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

crikey I was 30 posts behind on the other page and now we are somewhere different. so if my responses are a bit out of order or not full of the latest details please excuse.

Kate- glad for a good OB appt and a bit jealous of Aubs staying in her own bed all night. June still needs to fall asleep with me and then occasioanlly wake sup and comes BACK into our bed. But once she falls asleep I make Chris take her back because I need room to move now.

alright I am gogin to have to finish catching up later as June wants to do stuff. I DID get through all 30 posts in the toddler area and will transfer over my post from there and then come back and catch up at some point with the new childhood (OMG) forum posts.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Catching up is overwhelming, I'm about 30 posts behind, but I am going to try.

Starling- Coraline is doing well, I had my mother blessing yesterday and they henna'd my belly and she just loved all the attention, she was rolling and kicking and just in general making the henna process a bit herder for those decorating my belly. LOL





as for old computers, do they ever die gracefully? I simply love seeing th pics you post of E and H. And Happy Birthday to you, sounds like a nice day.

Erin- i read my husband the debate of bike over walking in the snow and he once again reiterated why he likes Florida so much. As for school, I struggle with this question often. Florida has some of the worst public schools in the nation. There are a few decent options you can possibly get into via lottery but none of them are even close to as good as the private school we have them in. It does make it tough because we trade work for their schooling and Hubs often doesn't make it home for dinner with us because of that. Every once in a while we tour a public school and we are reminded why it is worth it. The kids are so far beyond what they are doing in public school and we don't think they would properly accomadate them, their private school has different teachers for each class, their is a lot of outside time and they teach them to learn not to take some test. It's like homeschooling in a very small school environment. Your public school sounds pretty nice though and if we lived somehwere else I might be more willing to consider public school.

Cindy- so happy for a nice healthy babe and for laying chickens!! Your movie theater sounds awesome. I have hear dpeopel say the Lorax is good but I have hated the other dr.suess books made into full length movies, although I almost want to go anyway because of the repubs saying it's a brainwashing movie put out by liberals. Haha, alas we can not afford to go to the movies.

Sue _ I saw the garlic thing on facebook, totally a strange allergy. as for moving my dream is the pacific northwest, too bad that my husband will probably stay in florida forever,

Everr- yeah for midterms finished!!

Mal sorry she's feeling crappy..and yes sleeps get better!! Oh and happy birthday to owyn, very cool she did so well with the ear piercing.

Kate- My kids vax schedules are all crazy too.

as for baby timing-

Jewel-40 w 2 days

Josie-41 w 3 days

Junie-40 w 1 day



> (okay now to respond to the next page of stuff.)


oh and here's a linkto the photo shoot my friend did, password Pink

http://sweetplumphotography.zenfolio.com/p469442320/h38f27624#h1fc85644

be back soon.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Nilla- how scary to have your Hubs so sick.

my oldest daughter turns 9 today, or did already (she was born at 11:54 am) at this point they ( the hospital)had her and it would take us 3 hours to finally get her back, big reason we didn't go with a hospital birth ever again. Can't believe she is so big now. (and now I must go make her birthday cake)


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Courtney that's a gorgeous belly! Happy Birthday to your big 9 year old!

Mal I can't believe she went through with the earrings. I know Dee wouldn't ever. Owyn's a determined little girl.

Erin Wow that's so early for the reading and phonics. I think when it comes to what they have an aptitude for you just provide them with the materials and they will self direct. My oldest has an aptitude for math, spatial relations and physics. I just provide him with games and activities and toys that enhance that he self-directs his learning. He has no interest in phonics or letters other than he wants to read so he can accomplish some of the math books and he wants to read his own books when he wants. I've provided him with learning activities for reading and phonics and he's just not ready for them. He can't self-direct there so I left it.

Sue - That's awesome that you know what she's allergic to. Garlic is not something I would really think of eliminating short of in an elimination diet.

I think Dee is getting sick now sigh... she seemed to escape most of it but now her and my mom are sick. She's sleeping now thankfully. If I can't go to work tomorrow I have no idea how I will pay my bills this month. Dh went to work this morning. I told him he must come home when his body tells him it's time to lie down. We have the teacher strike going on here this week so ds is at daycare so I can get some homework accomplished. He's been just awful lately yelling and fighting with dd. Like screaming at her until she bursts into tears. I'm at a loss with him right now so I sent him away to daycare (I know that sounds awful







). It's so hard to know if the kids feel the same way we do with battling this last illness and if they are just out of sorts because it's still impacting them or if it's something else. I guess the strike and disruption in school could be getting to him as well. I know there is a lot of tension there.

Dee has been really funny lately in the way she's acting. She's just dancing around all the time and singing and saying things in different voices. It's so neat to watch her experimenting and then making herself laugh. She's also been really into music and dancing lately. I'm going to have to find ways to incorporate that into her day.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Easter: Thinking about baskets for the girls. I'd like to get a new CD of "kids" music. I'll probably stick it in M's basket since I can't think of anything else to give a baby! Any favorites Mama's? I think F will get a magnifying glass and some kids chop sticks. Maybe some stickers or clips or some other little things like that to put inside some plastic eggs. We usually get new books at the holidays too. I'll give her a few jelly beans too for her treat. Have you guys though about this yet?

Courtney: love the henna belly! So cool! And happy late birthday to Jewel. 9 years old! Wow!

Nilla: Sorry to hear that Dee is getting the bug too. I hate it when they are sick! I'm sorry things are so rough with your son right now too. I hope things can settle down soon. Do you have a Spring break coming up? Will the teacher strike affect that? I hope you can all rest easy and healthy soon!

I'm not sure what kind of changes I expected for Fiona in having her garlic free. It has only been one week but nothing has changed for her yet. Still itchy, complaining of her bottom and stomach hurts, mostly constipated. I know it takes dairy a couple of weeks to get out of the system so we'll see in another week if she's feeling any better. Maybe we just haven't had enough time. I still have this sense that we are missing something though. We still have the celiac test to do and the Dr. said he may want to do a patch test as well (which would reveal intolerances rather then true allergies if I have that right). Last night is the first time in weeks that she slept through the night though. She has been waking frequently and has been quite upset and taking a while to resettle. I was relieved to only have one baby to deal with in the night! (how do people with twins do it?!)


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Sue, I responded to your question about CDs on Facebook, but we like Elizabeth Mitchell, Frances England, the Barenaked Ladies Snacktime CD and Keller Williams Kid. We're doing beach stuff in their Easter baskets this year for our trip this summer. I'll get them each a swimsuit and a few beach toys. I think I'll get Owyn more beach stuff so I can get Greta an Amber necklace. Owyn got hers on her first Easter too.

Owyn has been in such a bad mood this week. And I was just talking about how pleasant she's been lately. She does have a cold and it's making her more tired than normal, so I really think that does have a lot to do with it, but these huge screaming fits are about to drive me nuts! Last night, it took both DH and I to hold her down to get her pajamas on for bedtime. As soon as we finally got them on her, she immediately passed out in DH's arms. Right now, she's sitting on the floor with her Tegu blocks throwing a fit about the magnets not sticking together. I showed her how to turn them over to make the stick together, but she just doesn't have the patience for it right now.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Re: easter. I just saw something about dinosaur eggs - they hatch and there is a little dinosaur inside. I thought that sounded really cute. I found one on amazon for $5. I'll do a few jelly beans and maybe a cadbury egg bc I always got them. Maybe some stickers. And I think I'll order some face paint crayons. Makenna loves to draw on her face, wipe it off and re do it a million times at the childrens museum. That's about all, I think. I really want to get her this set of stampers of discount school supply, but I think I'll wait on that.

I gave up dessert for lent. I was eating way too much! I feel way better. But I am looking forward to eating some junk on easter!  Mostly I've been coveting these cookies from the farmer's market on Thursdays.

M has played by herself sooo nicely today. For hours. It's really unheard of for her to play for SOO long. She took out blocks, trains, bean bin, and played dentist on her babies. I got so much done around the house. I really hope this is the big blossoming of her imaginitive play! She already does a lot of imaginitive play, but she never plays for hours on end without stopping.

Mal: Sorry for the rough week. My bet is it's from not feeling well too. No fun!

Sue: Sorry the garlic removal hasn't helped yet. I hope it will in the next few weeks. You are still nursing F, right? So no garlic for you? I would be so bummed! You can send the garlic greens my way - I love green garlic!!

Nilla: I hope Dee feels better! Wow, a teacher strike! That's kind of crazy!

Erin: That's awesome that K is so into letters and phonics! I say run with it. I definitely don't agree with pushing it on a child that's not ready, but it sounds like he is and has the ability to learn to read pretty early on. I know there is debate as to whether reading early is beneficial - but I can't see how it can hurt a kid if they are into it.

Cindy


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: I forgot to ask how your supply is holding up without using the lactaid?


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

easter-some candy. One of those singing things that looks sort of like a rabbit , maybe a book, and some bubbles or something.

Erin- very cool about the reading, my first was like that, when they are ready they are ready.

Mal- my friend and I are going through a lot of the same thing with our girls, a lot of it is the age, the new or soon to be new siblings don't help the situation. Like every day when I say I am making dinner she throws a fit b/c she wants me to make lunch not dinner.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Easter - I'm not even thinking about that yet! Hmm, I have no idea what he'll get. I have some new shoes from a while ago I could give to him, he's about ready for them. I don't know... Probably some chocolate eggs too. I think he'd enjoy a little easter egg hunt!

Cindy - I'm jealous of M playing be herself like that! Awesome!

Mal - Oh that doesn't fun! R is a challenge most days. He argues with me about EVERYTHING, even things that are just plain facts and not arguable. It is frustrating. He also never listens to a thing I say. Sometimes I feel like a total parenting failure.

Sue - R has a few putumayo cds and I love all of them. I want to get him another one (hmm, that's probably a good easter idea..) I'm sorry Fiona is still having some problems, I hope the changes kick in quick! Poor girl!

Nilla - You have so much going on. I hope your family gets healthy soon. *hugs*

Courtney - Love the belly paint!! I'm glad you had a nice mother blessing  I'm excited to see some new baby pics in a few weeks 

Erin - Wow - that's awesome that he's starting to READ! R is soo not into phonics at all lol!

AFM - like I mentioned above R is driving me nuts. He doesn't listen to anything I say, argues with me about everything, and is constantly doing stuff purposely because he knows it bugs me. I hate to say this but he is such a brat :/ He is also very bossy with both me and when we have my cousin's little boy over. I have to bribe him to get him to do anything. He makes everything into such a struggle and it's exhausting! I feel like I've gone wrong somewhere and I'm not sure how to fix it. Ugh


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Ever: We definitely have days like that too. Sometimes it seems like more days like that than good days, we're definitely going through it this week! At home is pretty much the only way she acts like that though and knowing that does make me feel better. She does know how to behave, she just chooses not to when she's with me!

Today, we spent the afternoon making sticker charts. Two different ones. One big argument we've been having is over tv time. She wants to watch tv all. day. long. I don't know where it came from. Tv is not something she's ever been allowed to do all the time. I have a feeling she watches a lot of tv when I'm working. I know my niece has a tv in her room and that's where she goes a lot of the time when I'm working. And my MIL gets a little overwhelmed by both girls, so she depends on movies to help occupy Owyn when Greta needs her. So, we made a chart that has the days of the week and four different slots for each day. From now on, when she asks for a show or movie we'll put a sticker in one of the boxes. When her boxes for that day are full, then no more tv. She's going to hate it at first, but I'm hoping it helps eventually. The other one is for small household chores and good behavior. Her categories are "Pick up toys", "Throw your trash away", "Use kind words", "Follow Instructions", "Eat at the table", "Put on PJs", "Dry Pull-Up When we Wake", and "Good day at church". I've been paying attention this week to what our biggest arguments are about and writing it down when it comes up. Some of those things are things she could potentially get multiple stickers for each day. So, the rewards for those things are smaller, like Play-doh time or painting time. Things like a clean pull-up or good day at church that will take her longer to collect will have bigger rewards, like a mani/pedi from Mommy or picking out some new hair stuff or something. Tonight went pretty well. I have to remind her of the sticker chart right now, but I'm hoping eventually she'll remember and then the behaviors and responsibilities will become habit. That's that goal anyway, we'll see how she responds to it.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Mal: Please keep us updated on the chart! I think I'll need to steal the tv one. It's good for them to have something concrete to see that their slots are all getting filled up for the day. M asks way too much too. I'm curious how the good behavior chart will work out. It sounds a bit complicated but a great idea!

Everr: I complained about the same thing the other day - M never listens. I was at my friend's house yesterday and she gave me a discipline book to borrow called "Magic 1-2-3". (My friend has a daughter the same age). I can tell someone else lloaned/gave it to her. Anyway, the premise is really simple. If they are doing something you don't like and want them to stop, you calmly count. 1. wait five seconds, 2, wait 5 seconds, 3. And if they don't stop you say "ok, 3 minutes in time out" or you can take away a privelage "no game time or no dessert tonight". The idea is that once they understand how it works, they will stop before you get to 3. No talking in between counting, no getting emotional. Supposedly all the arguing or negotiating or explaining we do in between negates the effectiveness. Anyway, I tried it twice today. It works. So I'm curious to see how it goes once she knows the drill. I haven't finished the book - just read that main part. There is a more involved section on getting kids motivated to do things you want them to do, like clean up or eat dinner. Obviously just counting doesn't work for something that takes 15-20 minutes to complete. Anyway, I'm testing this out and i like it bc it's simple and it keeps you from yelling and getting emotionally overcharged. Bc I've found myself really yelling lately when M won't listen - and I don't want to be that kind of mom. Don't feel like you've gone wrong - I think it's just part of the "i do it myself" stage they're in. Learning what situations they can control and how they can control us - and learning to exert their will and independence. I know this rationally, but it still drives me insane when I ask M 15 times not to get on the table or to come with me when we're in a store, etc.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Cindy - I'm always worried about my supply, but I think it's stable. H is drinking about four ounces in a cup about three times a day, and still nursing tonnes. I think it really helps that he sleeps with us, so he can nurse on demand during the night. What's your plan this time? Do you still have your LA systems? Want mine? I've got lots of bags too.

Courtney ... What a gorgeous belly you have! I can't believe that you're so close. The girls' school sounds wonderful. Does it have a specific approach? Waldorf, etc?

Mal ... Sounds like you've put a lot of thought into the charts. I'm interested to hear how it goes. We've never done any reward system, mostly because I get lazy about follow through. I like that they'd know when their screen time is used up. E is always wanting to know if she can watch something and the answer is usually no. I wonder if it'd be better to give her control? Let her decide when to watch one show a day... So she's not always guessing. But I want her to not obsess, so I'm not sure what the best approach is.

Sue ... From everything you've ever said about F, I doubt that garlic is the main culprit. I really hope you figure it out soon! I can't wait for you to move south!

Ever ... R sounds so very normal to me in all your posts. My diagnosis? You're parenting a three-year-old! Hang in there, mama. I know that you're a gifted mother.

AFM: I signed E up for gymnastics, which is quite a coup! It's a popular, affordable program at the community centre and we lined up early and got the second to last spot. It starts in April, and E is very excited. H is a rolling machine ... He rolled right off of the couch this morning while I reached for a diaper. Bad mama moment. : (.
He and E absolutely adore each other and are really loving making each other laugh and smile. I love it!
I think dp and E are going to The Lorax this week, and then next week E and my mom are going to a play about "Frog & Toad" ... From the books, which are some of her favorites.
Easter: Hadn't thought about it. We might skip it one more year? Or maybe we'll do an egg hunt. E would like that. Thanks for reminding me!

(writing this on my iPhone, so that's it for now ... And I apologize for the typos!)


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

everr- i could have written the post you wrote about R concerning Juniper. She is a brat! Hubs says all of the girls went through this. He is the one that reminds me when I block out the kids bad behavior or annoying pregnancy things. LOL. It goes away eventually b/c my older kids don't do it...they do other stuff.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: Gymnastics sounds fun! I didn't love the class offered here. I felt like it was basically "open gym" for this age with little instruction. And they charge an arm and a leg for that - when they also offer "open gym" to play on the same equipment for twice as long for half the price. I love the idea - just not our options around here until M is older. Thanks for the lactaid offer! I may take you up on the bags once I am ready to give birth (don't want to jinx anything). I think I have 3 lactaids? I can't remember. My plan this time is no bottles. Lactaid from the get go. And also dom from the get go. I didn't start dom until 2 months last time and lactaid until 5 months. I'm hoping doing both early will really help me getting a boost in the beginning. Also, I'll be taking lecithin from the start. I got mastitis twice in the beginning and it killed my supply on my left side. I finally got back to an ounce per feed on that side once I started goats rue when M was 9 mos old!

I think I forgot to mention, I signed M up for swimming lessons. They start late April. I chose the ones where parents can still be in the water with them. Most want them to be alone once they turn 3, it seems. DH is going to take her. Though I'm sure I'll go along and watch at least some of the times.

Cindy


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Thanks for the commiseration! It makes me feel better that this is just normal. I was really starting to worry that I needed to fix my parenting style. Which is pretty relaxed and that's why I was worried... I feel like every single day is a learning process for me. I could almost even say every single minute lol! I think sometimes my expectations of R are too high. And I also think sometimes he's desperate for my attention (which is often limited and distracted...) I'm trying though!

I'll be signing R up for swimming and soccer this spring/summer. I think that's it.. That should be enough considering he's already in daycare full time. He (and I) need some downtime to do whatever we want with no commitments.

Cindy - I actually purposely waited til R was 3 so he could do the no-parents group lol! He tends to cling to me in the water and won't participate (I tried it last winter). Although the last time we went swimming a couple weeks ago he FINALLY started swimming on his own (with a life jacket on)! He was thrilled with himself  So I think he'll enjoy the swimming lessons on his own.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

*Cindy* ... You might want my LAs too. I have six, and it was great to have them all full and not worry about refilling them. When are you due? The gymnastics that I signed E up for are awesome ... taught by professional gymnastics instructors and part of a larger affiliated gymnastics group. Only $50 for April-June, Saturdays! Whoo hoo! I really hope it'll boost E's physical confidence.

*Swim lessons* ... E goes swimming twice a week, usually. Lately she's refusing to put her head under, for whatever reason. She's very confident in the pool, and loves swimming. She's taken three sets of lessons so far, all parent participation. The next one she needs to take is no parent participation. And she 'has' to put her head under in order to 'pass.' I don't want to set her up to fail, so we're not doing that session this season. She's not ready to go in without one of us with her, and she's adamant about not putting her head under. H has gone under several times (sooooo easy with a baby!) and so E is staring to think about it. Would you mamas put her in knowing that she won't pass? Should I put her in and let her do as much as she can? Would it be good to see if an instructor could encourage her in ways that I'm not? I'm feeling very unschool-y about it. Like, she'll get it in her own time. She has plenty of opportunity. Gah. Dunno.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

I taught swimming lessons for years and I often had kids in the youngest class (no parents) who would obviously not pass the first time around, but it was still a good learning experience for them. I plan to put Owyn in lessons this summer. She loved the parent-tot class last summer and this year she is old enough to start the class without me. I know she won't pass this year, but she'll still learn a lot from it.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

I'd put her in anyway! I 'failed' swimming lessons 3 times because I wouldn't put my head under. I was probably about 3 or 4. I don't remember being too traumatized about it  I can't remember if I had to redo the whole session.. I think they just moved me on as soon as I finally did it (3 lessons later..)


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: Sure, I'll take them.  Can't hurt! And they have special nursing vibes from you guys! LOL! I'm not due until 10/5. Soooo far away!!! I'm not focusing on that at all right now. Just focused on my appointment on Friday to make sure everything is ok! $50 is amazing! Our gymnastics comes out to like $26 per 45 minute class. Open gym is $10 for 1.5 hours.

I don't think M would swim without one of us right now. It's been too long since we've really been in a pool. And she clings to me so much lately - won't play in big groups and wouldn't leave her death grip on my leg at the dance class I took her too. And I doubt she'll stick her head in the water now either - she never has been willing. But she may surprise us. Hopefully she'll be ready for a class without us after she does this 8 week session and gets comfortable with the setting, etc.

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Swimming: I'm a terrible mother who has taken her child swimming only a few times in her life. I really need to get her in the pool regularly. I have no clue about lessons here. I'll have to look into it but I think I'd prefer her to be in the pool with one of us (err... with DH!). our pool is freezing!!

Lessons: F is doing a dance class and it is up to debate as to weather or not she will stay in it. She loves it and has fun but seriously is a falling apart exhausted mess after class every time. It's like it takes everything in her to listen, do it all on her own, interact with the other kids, etc... She has class again on Saturday and we'll make the decision then. We are going to try to bring a snack to eat there after class and let her know ahead of time that we are heading straight home to read books. (quiet time to recharge.) We will see. Makes me think about some of you guys who's kids are ready for preschool- F is so not there. They want all the kids to be in a recital in May. We are unsure if we will go with that or not. She's only 3 after all and I have no need to push her into something she's not comfortable with. Some of the parents have rubbed me the wrong way in there interactions with their kids as well. DH and I think maybe the dancing scene isn't for us after all! But like I said, we will give it another shot this weekend since she does enjoy it and if we stick with it stay through the end of the session.

Kids driving parent nuts: Me me! F can be quite whiney and demanding. It is very difficult for me to remain positive and keep it together sometimes. She also rejects any help or comfort from DH when she is in certain moods which puts it all on me. Sometimes I just want a break!!

Starling, I too doubt garlic is the only thing in the picture with Fiona. I wish we could do all the testing we needed to right away (and that the tests would really give us the answers we need- I realize they might not!) but its just not that kind of thing. Lots of waiting, taking things out for a few weeks, adding things back in for a few weeks, etc... Hopefully by the time summer comes around we'll have a better picture of things.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Cindy ... October babies are great! And perfect timing for me to move my LAs along. I'd planned to hold onto them for his first year, just in case. You know what I mean. I need some kind of 'insurance' even though he drinks happily out of an open cup and nurses all the time. You get it, I know. So yeah, remind me closer to your due date (in case he comes early ... because I'm convinced this one is a boy) and I'll pack them up and ship them off to you!

Sue ... I hear you about the classes. I just had that conversation with my partner, about when it's okay for E to quit something. We've decided that three tries is expected and then she can decide. Does that sound realistic to you mamas?

Ever and Mal ... Thanks for the swim lesson feedback. I was such a fish when I was little. I can't remember a time when I didn't know how to swim. My mom started us super young in the pool in my grannie's apartment building, so we were swimming by two, she says. It's hard for me to be patient on this one.

Erin ... Awesome about K's interest in phonics! E is loving playing with letters and sounds and sounding out words. She 'reads' all the time (hallelujah!) and often sits on the couch reading while I read my book and H nurses. She's pretty good at sounding the words out when she wants to try. I'm not pushing it at all. I never make her try to sound it out, but she's into trying on her own.

Oh, and whoever suggested a penpal set up with the kids, that'd be cool! Or skype? Let's do something!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Classes - I feel so terrible Dee isn't in anything right now. I just have absolutely no. time. I'm hoping that we can start preschool in the fall. Swimming lessons around here seem like kind of a joke. They don't actually teach them to swim. There is a private lady however that is supposed to be really good. I need to contact her because my 5 year old still can't swim. He's done all the lessons so far in the public pool and can barely float. It's a bit ridiculous to me. We were supposed to sign Dee up for dance but I lost track of time and so.... yeah.... no dance. Em is in hockey but he's missed a lot with our illnesses.

Starling I would put her in even if she will fail. I think it's a good learning experience especially if it's up to her whether or not she does it. My kids also do better when they are without parents they listen better and accomplish more in classes. As far as quitting something. My rule is if you decide to do a session of something be it art, sports, school, choir etc. You must finish the session. You never need to do it again but you must finish the session. Maybe that's a little hardcore.... I don't know but my philosophy is that you should finish what you start. So we only choose things with short sessions for now.

Sue I hope you get your answers. Allergies are such an ongoing battle.

Mal I commend you on the chart. I've tried to start a few but I don't have the discipline so we fall off the wagon.

It is late why are my children still chattering away in their room.....????


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

I like the idea of pen pals and skype! Sounds like fun! 

We finally had the car today and it felt so freaking good to get out of this freaking house!

oh, cindy: F got one of those dino eggs that hatch for Christmas. She loved it but be warned- it took like a week!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Sue: How long has she been taking the class? I had some parents complaining of that right after preschool started. It's totally typical for a 3 year old. You're right, it takes a lot of focus and energy for her to hold it together during class and when she gets home, she feels secure enough with you to just decompress and let her frustrations out. The same thing will likely happen when she starts school if you don't plan to homeschool. I really don't think it's a sign that she's not ready, because she's likely to do it at any age. My older nieces and nephews still go through the same adjustment at the beginning of every school year. I had one mom tell me after the first couple of weeks that she was thinking of pulling her son out because he was a mean, crabby little boy everyday afternoon after school. I told her to give it a little more time and within a couple more weeks, he had adjusted.

I think Skype would be lots of fun with the kids. I got rid of my laptop though and I'm not sure if our desktop as a camera. Maybe I can do it on my phone... I'll have to investigate.

So far the chart is going pretty well. When I see her doing something that is on the chart, I'll say something like "Owyn! Right here on your chart it says 'throw trash away'!" and right then she'll realize that she just did throw her trash away and will run over to where I keep the stickers chattering about which sticker she's going to choose. She likes to count how many empty boxes she has left. We haven't started the tv time chart yet. The way I made it, it starts on a Sunday so we'll start it this weekend. We decided to leave Saturday as an open day with no tv limits, but only because we're not usually home much on Saturdays. Not much time for tv! Plus, DH gets up with her on Saturdays and his Saturday morning "routine" is to throw Wonder Pets on while he dozes on the couch.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

swim lessons- we've never done them (and we live in florida lol), honestly most summers we only make it to a pool a handful of times, except for last summer when we had to stay in my sisters apartment and there was a pool right outside. So when we go a kid is with a grown up or we put floaties on them (and still watch of course). The 2 older girls eventually taught themselves to swim, i think it had to do with peer pressure as their friends who had the pools could swim.

as for other lessons- Junes is in a music class the country offers for free through the childrens board. The other girls would like to be in stuff, but I can't even afford the cheap classes the city offers ($35 for 7 weeks for dance or gym, $25 for 6 weeks of soccer or a sport $15 for a month of tai kwon do) consistently. Maybe one kids class sometimes we could swing, but to put 2 or 3 of them in there, plus you need to buy the city rec card that's good for a year, it just isn't happening. I kind of feel like an ass and a loser but what am I going to do?


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Mal: Thank you for that perspective on F's reactions to her lessons. It does make a lot of sense to me what you've said. She's been in them a couple of months but the first month she was in with only 1 other kid. When it became clear that they coldn't hold 2 classes with that age group they combined them into one. So this last month she's been in with about 8-10 kids which is when we started noticing the problem. We'll see how this class goes on Saturday.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

I would love to do penpals and/or skype! I think R would have fun with that  I have skype downloaded but I've never actually used it, but I'll figure it out  Whoever wants can look me up by my name!

I've been thinking that it's time to start a bedtime routine for R.. As it is he stays up until I'm ready to go to sleep - he won't fall asleep alone ever. This means he's staying up late. I don't want a big routine because I'm lazy.. But I was thinking of making bedtime about 9pm (which is late, but right now he stays up til 10pm so it would be an improvement!) So maybe start getting ready at 8:30 - snack, teeth, potty, pjs, story, sleep (ideally I would say goodnight at this point, leave the room, and he would fall asleep on his own... Is that asking too much?). He still has num-num at bed time too but I'm really trying to end that. He will now go a couple nights without it and then he remembers and wants it for another night or two. It's slowly becoming less. And we still cosleep so I'm planning on him going to sleep in our bed and I'll just join him later. I don't know what to do about this! Sometimes I really would love an hour to myself at night.. But I really don't want to fight with him over this because I don't have the energy. Another problem is that sometimes I'm ready for bed at 9 myself, so that would mess up the 'routine' because I'd be going to sleep with him. Hmm, oh well.. Maybe I should just leave it alone for now..


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: Our routine starts around 7:15 or 7:30. Potty, put on diaper and pjs, read 2-3 books, brush teeth, then into bed (our bed again). Often we both lie with her - but it has to be at least 1 of us. We usually get up again and have our free time once she is asleep. DH has been going to sleep for the night w/her and it's making me annoyed bc I never see him. LOL. Or he falls asleep and stays asleep until I come to bed and then gets up for 3 hours. But anyway, she doesn't care if we sneak out. It is hard to get up again if you let youself fall asleep! What time does R wake in the morning? 10 seems so late for getting up to get to daycare. Does he still nap? M doesn't nap. She's done by 8. And still sleeps until 7:30 or 8. As for falling asleep alone - i don't know how to get that to happen. But I know M would NOT go for it easily right now! She never has! I think it would either involve some measure of slowly moving yourself further from him each night until you are not in the room w/him anymore or having him be upset about it. Probably easier to just lay with him for now.

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Yes, I was going to ask if he's still napping as well. If he is, then cutting the nap out will help greatly with getting him to bed earlier. I know if Owyn was staying up until 10 and getting up early every morning (she's an early riser, 7:00 am has been sleeping in for her lately) then she'd still need a nap. As it is now, she gets up earlier on the days I work and every couple of weeks needs a nap one day to kind of recharge. Anyway, we start our routine around 7:15-7:30 as well. We brush teeth, get pull-up and PJs on, get a drink of water, go potty, kisses for everyone. Then, usually DH lays down with her (in her twin size bed). She's usually so tired that she falls asleep within minutes, but other times she stay awake for 15 minutes or so and just talk about her day before falling asleep. DH gets back up after she falls asleep. Sometimes she asks for me to lay down with her, but it's mostly been Daddy's job ever since I was hugely pregnant and really uncomfortable laying in her small bed with her.

If he's tired, I think it'd definitely be doable to lay down with him and get back up after he falls asleep. Sometimes, the hardest part is not falling asleep while waiting for Owyn to fall asleep. She has occasionally fallen asleep by herself, but it's rare. It's usually totally by accident too. Like DH has her all ready for bed, lays her down, then goes to the bathroom or something and she'll fall asleep while she's waiting for him to come back. The other night, DH put on a movie for her and let her watch it in bed. She did fall asleep, but I didn't really like it so he hasn't done it again. I don't want her to have that stimulation right before falling asleep. My rule is usually that she can't watch tv once it's dark outside. Not sure what I'm going to do with the time change coming. It won't be getting dark until much later pretty soon!

Going to get my eyes checked this afternoon. I feel like I've been putting this off since I started having babies, but we finally have vision insurance so it's time. I've never had an eye exam before other than my regular sports physicals when I was in high school. Really hoping I don't need glasses, but suspect I probably do. My eyes have been bothering me for a while now and it's getting to where I really notice how blurry things are becoming, things that I used to be able to see. So, we'll see...


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Ah, bedtime. The elusive beast we all want to tame. It's interesting to read about everyone's arrangements and routines!

I'm usually alone at bedtime (dp tends to work 12-9pm), which is not ideal. But I make it work.

E is not napping at all anymore, so she's done by 7pm. We start the routine then, bath (sometimes), teeth, wash hands and face. She chooses two books, we get into the family bed, along with H. We read the stories while he nurses, then turn the lights out and E listens to an audio story while I lie beside her, nursing H. H usually falls asleep.

E's usually asleep by 730pm with no bath, or 8pm if we add a bath to the routine.

I worry about when H is no longer interested in just nursing quietly why E falls asleep. I'd like to be able to leave E to fall asleep on her own, but I don't see that happening any time soon. On the rare occasion that H won't settle and be quiet with just nursing, I stand beside the bed bouncing him while she falls asleep. That's as far as I can get, and only if H is fussy, which is very, very, very rare.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

No naps here either which makes bed time a lot easier for us. Our routine is to do jammies, teeth and potty, 2 books on the couch, kisses and hugs for everyone and then into bed. We do the couch for books because she'll let DH read to her and help with bedtime but not once we go to bed. She nurses for a minute then rolls over and I lie there while she falls asleep. This is usually less then 5 minutes. We aim for in bed by 8:30 but it often goes a half hour either way depending on the night. Maeve is begining to protest this plan of being with DH while she's tired and hungry so things are shifting a bit- I often go get her if she is fussy and then lie in my bed while nursing Maeve or do the bounce next to the bed like Starling. I can't leave the room either. Someday... a mama can dream right?!

Maeve woke up with an awful cough this morning. Poor baby just feels crappy today. I hate that.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: Which audio books do you have? I haven't found many (at the library anyway) that hold M's attention. We have a Pinkalicious one that came with one of her books that she loves. I keep meaning to make my own but haven't got around to it.

For those of you w/2 kids: Do you plan to do anything different this 2nd time to maybe help the kid be able to fall asleep on their own? I'm already pondering this. I'm torn. I know the kid will likely just be in our bed for a long time and so will likely end up the same. But it sounds so nice to at least try and get the kid to be able to go to sleep on their own. Nearly all of my friends' kids can. But they all did some sort of sleep training to one degree or another. Though some of them just had kids that never really wailed when left - just fussed a little. So sleep training worked easily for them.

Mal: I need my eyes checked too. It's been since before I was pregnant w/M. Pregnancy changes your vision. I actually think it made mine better though. I had a very mild prescription I chose to wear while driving, especially at night. But I never ever wear them anymore and i can read street signs just fine -they were a little fuzzy before. Also, did the Lorax scare O? My friend was telling me she keeps reading it's too scary for 3 yr olds. I think O did fine, right?

AFM: I had an ultrasound today at my OB (no more RE). Baby measured 2 days ahead.  I am 10 weeks 1 day, baby measured 10 weeks 3 days. The med system I am on is all wierd so I go back next week and see her again (and she said she'd do another u/s if I want). Mostly just bc they didn't call this week's visit a prenatal - i have to actually go in a day before and meet with a coordinator to discuss my questionnaire and then I have my real first prenatal with the doc to discuss all the info the coordinator put in the computer. Odd system. Then I'll have the NT scan in 2 weeks. I'm hoping they can tell me the sex then! I know 3 friends who found out they were having boys then. I'm not counting on it though. And actually, DH and I haven't agreed yet if we are finding out or not. Obviously, I want to know. He sort of doesn't.

Cindy


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Hmm, yeah R still naps, that is a problem! I can't change that though because he's at daycare and they do naptime.. I think I'll still try with my 9pm bedtime idea and see how it goes. It is 9pm, surely he should be able to go to sleep at that time! It's probably too much to ask to have him go to sleep by himself. I'm going to try though!  Or maybe work up to it somehow. It's good to hear what others are doing.

Cindy - glad your appt went well!!! I think if/when I have another baby I want the sex to be a surprise at birth  But I know it's hard when you have the opportunity to just take a peek


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

We have a baby hammock for Maeve. I can put her down in it when she is sleepy and bounce her and she'll go to sleep. Fiona - never! Until recently this worked at bed time too. DH would put her down while I put Fiona down. She's not having it anymore though! Not sure what we'll do when she doesn't fit in the hammock anymore though. I don't really know what to do differently for bedtime though because I'm not comfortable with her crying- especially as an end to the day. We'll just have to see how it all plays out!

PS. It must be biological or something- my kids way of making sure they don't have to compete for resources. I swear every time lately that we try to DTD one of them wakes up! Little buggers!


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Geez I've been out of it! Where to start!

Easter--I bought baskets that I'm planning to use in the girls' room. Aubs is getting a magnetic doll thing that I saved from her birthday, the rest of her magnetic letters from Christmas, and books that I ordered from Scholastic. We'll do an egg hunt either in the house or outside, if its nice. Probably stickers and candy in the eggs. And if I'm not busy having a baby. New baby will get a textured book (obviously too old for a day or two old baby, but whatever, someone gave it to us) and two finger puppets. Trying not to murder my mother right now for insisting that the girls need Easter dresses. 1) because we're not church-goers, so what's the point? 2) because who knows if new baby will even be here; 3) because then I have to buy shoes for them to wear with the stupid dresses that they'll never wear again so that I can take pictures of them in the dresses.









Reading--I really dislike the idea of pushing it, although it does make me feel a little inadequate when FB friends post how their 2.5 year old just sounded out two words. We talk about letter sounds, what starts with "S", that sort of thing. Mostly when I'm in the shower--she brings a letter from her puzzle and we talk about what starts with that letter. Spelling her name, our names.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Thursday Girl*
> 
> Like every day when I say I am making dinner she throws a fit b/c she wants me to make lunch not dinner.


This is us. 40 times a day. It is making me a less nice mommy. I try to just be silly, but my patience runs out. "NOOOOOO! I want pancakes for lunch! NOOOOO!"

"Okay, do you want crickets or worms in your pancakes?"

"Worms."

"Okay."

And then I give her whatever we're having, but at least it stops the fit for the 3 minutes it takes me to make her whatever I'm making.

I try the counting thing, but it just enrages her. When I say "one" she starts screaming and throwing herself on the floor, and I'm pretty sure she never hears two or three. Its exhausting. And I'm feeling like all i do is try to get her to do simple things, like wash her hands with me after she pees, put socks on, get out of the street, sit on her bottom in the booster. And its not so much that these things are essential, its just that i know that she can do them, and has done them for months on end without problems, so why is it now she can't?! I guess some of it may be regression related to the baby's imminent arrival, but maybe its the "terrible twos" just arriving a bit late. Because two was very sweet compared to this.

And also on the subject of mommy guilt, I feel like this baby is already taking away from the quality of the time Aubs gets. I'm struggling (physically) to get into her toddler bed to cuddle at night, and i can tell it makes her sad. But I don't want her back in our bed after working so hard to keep her in her own. She asks to be picked up, but I really can't carry her for long, and I try to save the carrying for across the street in the rain situations. Sitting on the floor with her is getting uncomfortable. Leaning over the bath tub to play is out due to the feet in my ribs. Oh well. I guess this is just how it goes!

Quote:



> Originally Posted by *Vegan Princess*
> 
> I got mastitis twice in the beginning and it killed my supply on my left side. I finally got back to an ounce per feed on that side once I started goats rue when M was 9 mos old!


Cindy, I'm so glad you mentioned that! I thought my supply on the left was waaay less because I had that side augmented 15+ years ago, but now that you mention it I also had mastitis on that side when Aubs was about 4 weeks old. I wonder if that's what did it? I guess we'll see if anything is better with that side this time around.

Gymnastics/dance--Aubs is signed up for community gymnastics that begin on Monday and go through the end of May (I think). It was $65 for the season, once a week for 45 min., at a local elementary school. They don't have a ton of equipment but I think she'll like the tumbling well enough. The only part that bugs me is the way the kids are all in the gym and the parents wait in the hall to minimize distractions. Which makes sense, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for that separation. If it goes really well I'll look into "real" gymnastics or dance at a studio for the summer.

Swimming--I'd love to do it this summer but I don't see it happening. Aubs is completely water-phobic when it comes to her face or letting go of me, and I don't really think DH would be open to committing to a season of it. And I don't want to terrify her. I think we'll spend time at the little indoor water park this year and worry about swimming lessons down the road. They have a "beach slope" from 1-2.5 ft that I'd be comfortable with her playing freely in, even if I'm in there with her holding new baby.

Going to post now out of fear of losing all of this.....


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Naps--we're still doing them. Both of us. 1.5 to 2 hours every day. Its hard to believe that this is the same child that refused to sleep for the first two years of her life! She gets up when the sun comes up (6:30ish until the time change) and gets in bed with me for very squirmy cuddles. DH leaves for work around the same time, so all of his noise helps us wake up too. She's barely able to keep her eyes open by noon, so we go down for a nap. Then we start bed time around 7:00 and try to have her in bed by 7:30-8:00. Bed time is usually a bath, pjs, brush teeth, she picks two books, I read the two books to her in her toddler bed (this is becoming a problem), then I lay with her for 10 min or so and we talk about the day and the next day's plans. I give her a countdown: "Mommy has to go downstairs and do the dishes in 3 minutes." "One minute left, then I get hugs and kisses...." Then I leave and remind her that if she needs anything, she can yell for Mommy or Daddy and we'll come check on her. At night, she can say "I need more cuddles" and one of us will go to her. Then if she stays in her bed until the sun comes up, she can watch one TV show after breakfast. So yeah, bribery. She was in our bed full time until about 2.5, then we started moving her once she was asleep....and this routine has only been in place since she turned 3. And her toddler bed is still in our room. So its not "perfect" but an easier transition was worth the wait. I'm assuming little baby will sleep with us for at least 18 mos., but have a pack'n'play just in case she sleeps wonderfully all by herself. We'll see.

Sue, have you heard of muscle testing? I heard about it from my (new) chiropractor--basically they put potential allergens on the person's arm, with the arm held out at a 90* angle, and if there is an effect on the arm muscle there is an allergy or sensitivity or something. Not sure if it would be an option where you are, but maybe the next time you go to Anchorage, if you don't have an answer by then. Just a thought.

Cindy, hooray for a growing babe! I agree that October will be a great time to give birth.

AFM, same same. DH's grandma died last week, so he left today to go to CA for a week. I'll have 2 nights to myself, then my dad is coming to keep us company until Thursday. On Thurs we'll go up to my parents', meet DH, have dinner alone Friday (!) and then I have a baby shower to go to on Saturday there before we head home. After that I'm not going to do ANYTHING except think about new baby's arrival and enjoy the last couple of weeks with Aubs. I think I have 3-4 weeks left? I need to do another belly pic! Lots left on the to-do list, really, but none of it seems compelling yet. I guess it will all get done eventually. Actually a cup of hot chocolate seems really necessary right now. I think I'll do that....


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Audiobooks: I download the Barefoot Books podcast stories. They're awesome and free! We also like the fairytale collections from audible.com ... And the storynory podcast also. We also have Babe The Pig, Robert Munsch stories, Beatrix Potter, Winnie the Pooh, the Gruffalo, Llama Llama Red Pajama, and a few more than I can't think of just now. E is most fond of the Barefoot Books stories. She likes the scarier ones, which surprises me.
As for the Lorax, do went with her and she says E wasn't scared. For all that she likes to listen to a scary-ish story, she gets scared easily when it's a movie.

Cindy ... So exciting that all looks great with your baby! Whoo hoo! Did you hear the news about Domperidone? Apparently they say that high doses (over 30mgs a day) can cause arrythmias and even sudden death! WTF? There's lots of debate going on about what population they studied (older than sixty years) and how Dom works for breastfeeding mothers. I'm hoping doctor Newmans site will have something to say about it all. I take 160mgs a day!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Doing bedtime differently With the second... I don't think we will. I love having the children sleep with us. I think he'll need to be able to nap alone though, eventually. So I am thinking I need to start trying to leave him once he's asleep. Right now he usually naps in the ergo while we're out or E comes and quietly 'reads' while I lie down with him when he naps. We'd need a monitor for that, I guess. Any recommendations? He'd be sleeping on our bed, which is about a foot and a half off the ground 'and is on the second floor. Right now I bring him down with me after E falls asleep and he sleeps on me while I read.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Wow, Kate! Monster post! You are SO close!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: Is this new news on the dom? I know there were concerns over heart issues in old patients that already had heart problems to begin with. That is actually why the FDA pulled it here in the states. We cannot buy it here. I had to order it online from some pharmacy that was in some random south pacific country. I've read all the old stories about it and felt the studies were on populations that were given very different dosing and already had problems. But yeah, it's not ideal! I always wondered a teeny bit if it impacted my ovaries. I read one anecdote of someone saying the high levels of progesterone from it made her ovaries atrophy (she was on it for stomach issues for numerous years - not sure which dose). But I have also read many stories on the BFAR website of women using it for numerous babies and never having a problem with their fertility with each subsequent kid. So likely it had nothing to do with my problems. Thanks for all the audio book reccomendations! Do you have both kids in bed? How does that work so E isn't kicking H? M is always whacking me in the head or kicking one of us. She is literally ALL over the bed in any given night!

Kate: You're so close!!! It's crazy to think you could have a new sweet little daughter at easter! I think some newborn baby shots in an easter basket would be SOO adorable! We took pics of our 3 day old baby chicks in the easter basket last yr. Not quite the same. ;-) I think we are going to have to get a toddler bed and put it in our room to transition M into. I don't want to move her twin mattress into our room. I just have been putting it off until I don't think I'm jinxing anything by buying it.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I have to say - I have no idea why it never occured to me to look on itunes for audio books. Thanks so much Starling! I just downloaded TONS of free podcasts. And there are so many great books to buy. I'm going to see how she tolerates the free ones before I buy any. I'd love to have her sit and listen to some audio books in the early afternoon. Since she won't nap and she refuses to do quiet time, we often put on a video so she sits still and so I get a break. But I'd much rather not put the tv on. I think this would make her rest nicely while also stimulating her imagination. Also, I downloaded a lot of classic stories. We go to a little place called Fairyland a lot (went today). It has all sorts of tiny rides and little houses, etc. based on classic tales - none of which M is familiar with. I think it would be nice for her to learn the stories and then appreciate what she is playing in/on even more.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Hi Cindy ... New study. Collapsing into bed now but will find it and link tomorrow. Enjoy the stories! E will sit in her hideyhole (we converted the space under the stairs into her own little play nook) for hours listening to stories and hanging out on the little bed in there with our dog and the cat and a muffin tray of snacks. Very cute. I hope M likes them! E loves the classic fairytales. She can retell almost any of them in a mashed up way. Her favorite Barefoot Books ones are The Cloth of the Serpent Pembe Marui (hero chops off seven heads of a serpent) and The Blackbird and His Wife (blackbird wife gets kidnapped by the king and her husband has to rescue her). Like I said, she's got a taste for the darker tales. Funny kid!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I just looked and found the health alert for canada. I guess the US said the same things in 2004 when it pulled it, but about an IV version. I'm not sure what to make of it. I didn't have any problems or symptoms while on it last time. But does that mean I wouldn't again? I think 30 mg/day would be a waste of time. Are you going to continue taking it?? I have a lot to think about between now and October.

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Lots of posts to catch up on! You ladies are chatty in one day!

Sleeping for the second one: I probably haven't changed much so I'm sure we'll keep the same kind of routine for Greta. Owyn is pretty okay with DH putting her to bed now, so at least we're not outnumbered I guess! I am able to lay Greta down in the crib to start the night off, which was much different with Owyn. I had to be with her while she slept at night. Although she napped very well in the crib! I like your routine Kate with the countdown to when you leave the room. Maybe we should try something like that here.... Her bedroom is right off the living which is where we are after she goes to bed. Maybe if we just leave the door open so she knows we're still right there? I'll see if DH would want to give it a try. It would really be up to him since he puts her to bed.

Cindy: Yay for graduating to the OB! I've read stories of people finding out the gender at 12 or 13 weeks, but mostly if it's a boy. And even then, I wouldn't set my heart on that. Girl parts tend to still be pretty swollen at that time and could look something like boy parts that early on. So, what looks like a boy at 12 weeks could clearly be a girl by 16 weeks.

Kate: I know how frustrating her fits can be. I feel like we have bigger temper tantrums now than we ever have, and over the silliest things!! She's found a new screech that she's never done before and pulls it out for all of her fits right now. I know people say "terrible twos" but I think 3 is worse. This is a big age for establishing their independence and trying to figure out what they do and do not have control over. They want control over everything which is why every silly little thing is a huge battle. I try really hard to remind myself of that when we're in the midst of it and offer her control over something appropriate. Choices are huge right now. I give her two choices about almost everything. Even things I think wouldn't matter, if I don't give her a choice she's turning into a demon child with the screeching and kicking and whatnot. It's even harder when you feel like you're 912 weeks pregnant. I felt like I was constantly annoyed with Owyn towards the end of the pregnancy. So exciting that you could have a new one here by Easter though!!

Ever: If you want him to drop the nap, I would think the daycare should honor that. Don't they have kids there that don't nap? Surely they do something with the older ones no longer napping. It'd be worth asking about if you decide you want him to stop napping. I know on the days Owyn naps, I just don't expect her to be in bed before 10. Sometimes she'll surprise me and ask for PJs at 9 or 9:30, but not usually.

AFU: Same, same here. Owyn has had a couple of good days. I've been doing good about limiting her tv time and she actually played in her room all morning the last two mornings. I hardly saw her for hours!

So, I did need glasses. Not surprised there. It's not too strong of a prescription though, so just reading, computer time and driving luckily. I'm dreading it a little though. It seems once your vision starts to go, it only gets worse. And DH has such bad eye sight already, he's getting a new prescription every year. He started wearing them as a young child, I think kindergarten or first grade. I hope the girls get my eyesight and his teeth, otherwise glasses and braces will break us!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Yeah DH is pretty adament about NOT finding out the gender. So my guess is we won't be at the 12 week - even if they know. Maybe I can change his mind by the 18/20 week one.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Maeve has croup which totally sucks. She actually slept pretty well considering last night though. I was out on the porch with her bundled up in a blanket at 1am though. i haven't taken her into the ER because her breathing doesn't seem too labored but she obviously feels like crap. She isn't napping more then 20 minutes here and there throughout the day. Poor baby- I hate hearing such an intense cough from such a little one. i thought about you, Cindy, and how much you've been through this with McKenna. Boo to croup!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I'm sorry Sue. It's terrifying! Croup seems to go away during the day and come back at night. So be aware it could be bad again tonight. I don't think we've ever not used the steroid treatment - which lasts 24 hours. The 2nd time she had it in Indiana, they gave her the med in the ER but we still almost had to go back. Now we have an arsenal of that medicine at home. When she wakes up w/croup we go sit outside and take the medicine right away. It has saved us from going to the ER the last couple times she's had it. I even got our new pediatrician to write me another prescription to have on hand since we are almost out of this one. I hope you guys have a much more restful night tonight! M never had it as such a teeny tiny baby - i can't imagine. I think she was 11 mos old the 1st time she got it. I got it alot as a baby though. Did a stint in an oxygen tent for a day or 2 before I turned 1.

I am so lazy today! I'm exhausted! I even napped and am still tired.

Cindy


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

*Sue* ... Poor Maeve! And poor you! I hope she feels better soon. It's such a scary, unsettling sound. Get better vibes coming your way, Maeve!

*Cindy* ... I've been thinking about the dom dilemma. I've decided to stop using it. I stopped at eight months last time because my family doctor was horrified at the high dose I was on and told me to stop immediately. This was after finding a lump in my breast that turned out to be nothing at all. It scared me enough though.

For me, I think the dom helps establish a better supply, but I'm not sure that it does much for me after it has been established. I've actually been very lazy about taking it over the last month or so, with no noticeable different in my supply.

Were I expecting now, I would still take it, in the same high dose, for the first three or four months, which is what I did this time. For me, the benefits (at the beginning, anyway) outweigh the risks as they're laid out and based on the populations studied. Does that make sense? Also, I have some and will have some more (for free) that I could send you along with the LAs, if that's a legal thing to do. Is it, do you think? PM if you want.

*Mal* ... I hope you find some cool, funky frames that you're happy with! Having worn glasses since I was 2, I've had my share of the good and bad frames out there. Take a girlfriend along to help you pick. Someone whose opinion you value and who you know will be honest!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Kate so excited to see pics of your new baby girl!

Sue so sorry to hear about the croup. Ds has had it several times but we've never gone to the ER for it. Just slept him under an open window with blankets up to his neck. Also once when it was really bad I gave him coca cola to open the airway







. He never had it as a babe though just after 2.

Mal - I hope you find some glasses you like. I've worn glasses since I was 13. I've found I like the plastic frames the best now. They seem to hold up to my abuse and when babes are yanking them off my face.

Bedtime- Wow I guess I need to count myself lucky. I read a couple stories or dh does after pi's and teeth brushing. Then I leave some water at the bedside and I leave. Both kids are in their shared room own beds. Sometimes they ask me to stay in there and I will give them an extra hug and a kiss but I never stay unless they are sick. If I stay one night I know it will become a routine.... I know that makes me sound rigid and mean but I need that time in the evening. Bedtime is 730 here nap or not. She can stay up and read books in her bed but she needs to stay in bed. She still occasionally needs that nap especially this winter with all the sickness we have had. I worked very hard when they were little to get them to sleep on their own without them crying or being upset about it. I do occasionally have to separate them because one will keep the other awake.

Starling - thanks for podcast site. We use storynory but my older one finds it a little tame for his liking.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

naps and bedtime- I am amazed that Juna still takes them, but not every day. she still falls asleep with me. I did change the way I put the kids to bed, I have become more slack. Jewel would have her B's (boob, bath, brush teeth, book and bed) then I tucked her in a left and until she got used to it she cried, but once she was used to it we hardly ever had problems. Josie was the same. Not sure why I haven't done that with Junie.

I need to get more books on cd. I will be looking into those as soon as I found where i put our recordable cd's.

Cindy- awesome about the great ultrasound.\

AFM- I don't want to do anything else but stay at home. maybe sew a little, clean a little, wash some laundry, but I just want to be here and not go anywhere else. depending on my LMP or ultrasound date I could have the baby at home right now or starting in a bit less than a week. I still think I will be holding out until April, but earlier would be super nice. I just want to meet her and things feel so unsettled right now it makes me want her in my arms, in the house and just shut out the world. PLUS there is this roller coaster I want to ride and our passes run out April 10th or 12th and the longer I have to recover before I ride it the better.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Courtney - It's exciting how soon she will be in your arms!! I hope the time passes quickly for you and she comes in time for you to get on that roller coaster 

Nilla - Wow you are lucky! That would never work with R.. Stay in bed and read? Without Mama? Not gonna happen lol!

AK - Oh no, I hope she is feeling better!

Mal - Hmm, I've never thought about asking the daycare to drop the nap for him.. I should talk to his teacher when I pick him up today and see. He should also be going to a new group in July (the one he's in is 2.5-3.5, he'll be 3.5 in July) so maybe that group doesn't have naptime? I'm going to find out! I think it will be hard for the next few weeks while I'm still in class, because I often get back late and there just wouldn't be time to get him into bed. But once classes are over we can have more routine to our evenings so that should help!

AFU - Nursing is coming to an end for real. He is skipping days at a time now. He hasn't nursed since Friday evening and even then it was only for a few seconds because it was hurting me so I had to end it. My nipples have been so sore. I'm not sure if it's related to him weaning or just part of my cycle at the moment.. But I think this is it for sure. It's bittersweet.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

A busy place the last few days!

Kate and Courtney - Exciting how close it's getting for both of you! I hope it's soon.

Sue - poor Maeve! I've never seen croup, but it sounds awful.

Starling - thanks for the audiobook ideas. I think K would love that. And it's nice to hear that my kid isn't the only one obsessed with letters and words right now. I was worried he's been watching too much of mom and dad typing on the computer.

Nilla - we've got a pretty solid bedtime routine here as well. Toothbrushing, pjs, then listen to a story from dad while in bed. His bed is in our room (since our whole house is our room), but he stays in it without problems. I'm not sure if that's because we really started pushing it before L was born, or because something just finally clicked with him.

AFM - We've been out of town for the last several days to the "big city" across the bay (about 6,000 people), giving some interviews, a presentation, and going to a science conference. And of course, doing about a million errands, shopping, doctors and dentist appointments along the way. I must say, traveling with a 3 year old is way easier than with a 1 year old. Katmai could understand our explanations of what was happening, didn't mind being watched by our friends when we had to do a presentation, mostly listened about what stuff he was allowed to use in other people's houses, and was interested in the new surroudings. Lituya, on the other hand, wanted to cling to me for the entire 4 days, and was generally fussy and unsettled.

So I think 3 is a pretty good age. That said, as soon as we got back home, we got back into the tantrums every time L touches anything K was playing with. Which happens often. Even more, since she's figured out she gets such a good reaction from it. That one I have no idea how to solve...


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Erin: Welcome back!

I just had to share this link. My friend showed me this website where people alter ikea products. I love this idea. They use an ikea storage unit as steps upto a loft bed. The bed is much lower than your typical bunk bed, so good for younger kids. DH is getting annoyed about overflowing toys so we started thinking about how to organize her room. Her room is fairly small and she will have to share it with kid #2 (who will sleep in our room for a long time but will need a dresser). But I think this is great! M sooo wants the bed and the tent. Even though she understands mommy and daddy can't fit in the tent to lay with her. I found the bed used for $85 and the tent used for $15. The organizer sells used for $30. You can put a toddler bed underneath, like in the pic, make the underneath into a reading nook with a curtain and cushions and lights inside, or put another twin mattress on the floor.

http://www.ikeahackers.net/2011/11/ladder-into-steps.html

Hope all are well! It's pouring rain here and will for 5 days. Today it's a nice change. We're doing lots of art projects. Tomorrow we're going to go to ikea and check this stuff out in person. They have lots of toys to play with at ikea and a cafe - so that fills up time on a rainy day. LOL.

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Oh how I wish I had an Ikea near me! I have a feeling I would spend way too much time (and money!) there, though. The closest one to me is about 8 hours away. That bed does look awesome though!

We are having beautiful weather here right now! Yesterday it was mid-70s and sunny, today it's over 80 and sunny and should be this way the rest of the week. I think we might get some rain on Thursday but still warm temps. I'm really hoping this weather sticks around and spring really kicks in. We've actually had a really mild winter, so I can't complain too much. It is nice to see colder weather come to an end though. It also means the end of the school year is that much closer. I can't wait to spend the summer with my girls! I have been waiting for that all year!

We've been praying for my dad. He works in production (a printing plant) and his company is selling. He just found out last week. The same thing happened to him 10 years ago and he's had a rough go ever since. He took a big pay cut to stay in this area and a couple of years ago, they downsized and he got another pay cut plus some of his paid vacation was taken away. Now, they're selling to a company over two hours away. He's feeling pretty defeated. He only needs a job for 3 more years before he can retire and now he's feeling like he should retire early, which would be a huge hit to them financially. I just hate to see him going through this at his age, when he's so close to retirement. It was bad enough 10 years ago when he was in his 50s, it'd be damn near impossible for him to find a decent job in his 60s... Anyway, keep him in your prayers. DH and I are talking about selling the house a little earlier to move in with them sooner and help them with their bills. We're just waiting to see what he finds out from the new company...

As for Owyn, she really cracks me up lately. She personifies everything! Different size blocks become a family with a dad and a mom and a baby. Even her fingers become little people. It's so funny to watch her!

We're off to bbq with friends tonight and take advantage of the awesome weather and longer days!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Hi guys- sickness ending up getting us all but I think we are all on the mend now.

Courtney: Love the B's!  Can't believe how soon until Coraline is here!!!!

Kate: You too- baby will be here so soon. I have to smile picturing your pregnant self trying to crawl into Aub's toddler bed! 

Nilla: At what age were your kids able to be put to bed on their own? And how did you manage without lots of tears? Maybe its a personality thing- Fiona still won't go for that but maybe M will? Did you just inch out of their room over time?

Cindy: Love the ikea hacks site. I've seen some pretty cool ones with that same bunk bed. Fiona was just looking at the pictures with me. She wants me to sleep on top with one of the dogs. Her, Papa, and Maeve and the other dog will sleep on the bottom! Ha! Makes me laugh in many ways- first that she pictures us all together forever in any bed, and second that she would sleep with her Papa and not me! In my dreams! The girl wakes up crying a lot lately and seriously freaks out if he tries to comfort her instead of me- like if I'm up with Maeve or something. Sigh. Someday she'll be big and not want anything to do with me so I should just except it now!

We were just talking about moving and I said maybe we should sell a lot of our stuff rather then pay to move it, "because we can always go to Ikea." DH laughed at me- "they aren't everywhere, they aren't like Starbucks!" I know but man, that store sure is fun! I had a fun little daydream about shopping there for our new house (which is also only a daydream right now! Ha!).

Mal and Erin: I'm also jealous that your DH's can put our kids to bed. Have they always been fine about that or was it something you had to work on?

Sorry to hear about your dad Mal. Totally sucks. I hope you guys moving in helps all of you out.

I bought a used food dehydrator yesterday. So excited! Going to dry some pears today.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Sue - I'm going to dehydrate some apples today. I bought a dehydrator a few months back and I've done Kale chips and apples but that's it.

As far as bed goes I think the thing that makes it easier is that they are together. Ds was good until about 3 years of age on his own and then he started freaking out at night. So we eventually bought a twin and put it in our room and him and Dee slept in that bed in our room until she was about 18 months or so. Then we moved the twin and a mattress into their room and they went in there together. It was easy enough if I remember correctly. But if they weren't together I think we would have more issues. I worked on it when they were babies though easing myself out of the room. I started by touching but not picking up. Then sitting but not touching. Then sitting by the door. Then just leaving. It took a while and some backwards and forwards. But it might just be a personality thing I don't know.

Cindy- If I had an ikea near me I would totally get that bed. I've looked at it many times but it costs too much to ship.


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Reading along but can't properly respond b/c DH took the "good" computer to CA and i can't get internet on the one that's here. Thinking of you all though.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Nilla: I'm so jealous you got to move your kids without much fuss! M swears she will fall asleep without us if she is in her tent - but I seriously doubt that!!!

So I went to Ikea today. I found all the stuff on craigslist and then they all got sold. So we just decided to get it new. I bought the bed tent and a cute flower light to go in the space underneath. I'll make that into a play area for now w/her bean bag and book shelves and a little armchair she has. I may attempt to sew curtains that have a door and windows. But I am so not crafty! Anyway, the bed turned out to be way longer and heavier than I thought it was going to be. Too much for me to deal with. I would have had to tie the car shut and it is pouring rain and I wouldn't have been able to get it in the house. So DH will stop by on his way home one day and get it. DH really wants to do the steps - he doesn't think she will be able to manage the ladder at night. I think we need to let her try and see. They wouldn't let you try out the ladder in the store. Anyway, I'm excited to get it all set up!

Makenna was begging to be left at the free babysitting play area at Ikea. She cried when we left and she hadn't gone. I didn't leave her bc we were there w/her best friend - why bother. I've never left her before. But heck - she wants to be left so bad. I'm going to go back and browse around more and let her play. Sounds like a nice break!! I didn't really look around much today bc my friend's kids had had enough.

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Cindy - that bed looks cute! We have vague plans to build a loft in the yurt some day and put our bed up on it, then put a bunk bed for the kids underneath. Beds take up a lot of floor real estate in a 450 sq foot house, and we don't have anywhere to put Lituya when we eventually move her out of our bed. Who knows when it'll happen though - neither of us is good at construction or has a lot of extra time.

Mal - that sucks about your dad! I hope he's kept on by the new company.

Bedtime - It was a long process for us getting K happily into his own bed. First, I nightweaned him at around 15 months or so (when I was pregnant with L). Then we did bedtime with me nursing him in bed for a minute or two, then turning my back to him, and having him cuddle between me and daddy. Then we'd do the same thing, but I'd leave after a few minutes. Then I'd nurse him in a chair and only daddy would cuddle him in bed, moving him into his own bed after he was asleep. Then no one would cuddle him, but daddy would hold his hand as he fell asleep. Then finally to now, where daddy tucks him in, reads a story, and walks away. He probably got to that last step reliably at about 2.5 years old.

I don't know if I'll push it as early again - we're not having any more kids, so I don't need to make room in our bed, and don't have to deal with pregnancy nursing. But it is really really nice to be where we are now.

AFM - It's so odd hearing about everyone's warm weather. Alaska has had such a dramatic snow year this year. I woke up to another few inches this morning, and it's still hovering at around 5 feet on the ground (which I doubt we'll see until June this year). But it's not been very cold, and the light is definitely back.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Just because I need to vent somewhere... What on earth do you do about a potty regression? K was doing really great, perfect at school, pretty good at home. Then he's been getting worse and worse over the last week or two. He pooped in his pants 3 times today! Earlier, in exasperation, I told him that if he peed or pooped in his pants, then he had to wear diapers again, and he would get to type on the computer if his pants were clean and dry (typing on the computer is his favorite activity in the universe). The first time, he seemed upset and fought the diaper. Then he pooped in his pants two more times anyway, and didn't seem to care when I stuffed him in a diaper. I try not to be angry and disappointed, but even when I try TO be angry and disappointed, he doesn't care at all. Just laughs. Arrgh! I'm pulling my hair out here (and I don't really actually want to put him back in diapers permanently).


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Erin - That is frustrating! I'm really not sure I have advice for you.. The only time R has poo accidents are when he's sick. And he's had a few phases of having pee accidents but I think those might be a bladder infection or just stress. Is there any changes that could be causing him to stress or try and take control in this way? I guess one way would be to really involve him in the clean up, get him to do as much of it as he can. Maybe having to take all that time to clean himself up will be an incentive to just use the potty? And definitely cleaning up should be done immediately, so you don't get to continue playing with wet pants.

Cindy - Very cute bed! And I do like the idea of the steps just because it's cute and gives extra storage. I do not like the railing though, I would skip that. I think it's safer to just leave the steps as is imo. I need to make my own trip to ikea, I want to buy a cheap coffee table to nail R's train tracks into.

Kate and Courtney - I'm getting so excited for your new babies!! I can't wait to see pics 

Mal - I'm sorry to hear about your dad's troubles. That really really is not fair. I hope something works out for him.

RE bedtime - I have had such a busy week and there is just no way to have a routine and a decent bedtime. I don't think it's an option until my classes are over. That's ok. I don't have any intention of moving him into his own room. He doesn't want to and there is only the two of us so it seems kind of silly to sleep in separate rooms for no real reason. AND as for dropping naps, I asked R if there were kids in his class who didn't nap and he said there was and they went to the gym instead, I asked him if he would like to go to the gym instead but he said "No, I think I just like to nap" lol. So much for that idea!

We are also having gorgeous weather! We are breaking records, we've been having highs of 18oC and over the next week there are expected highs of 21oC!! Crazy warm for this time of year! I want to get the bike out this weekend!!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Erin ... That must be very frustrating! I'm not sure how I'd handle it were it me. What about no pants or underwear at all? Tell him that there aren't any diapers that fit and he'll have to stay home and be nakey until he can figure out the potty? Unless there's something underlying it all, of course. Stress, infection, illness, etc. But then, you or someone else would have to stay home with him. Gah. Dunno. I hope it's just a short phase and he gets past it soon!

Mal ... Thinking about your dad. How stressful. I hope everything turns out for the best!

Ever ... Cute that he still wants to nap! It'll all work out.

How are our pregnant mamas doing?


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

New bed, nice bed tent. And M wants to sleep in my bed bc the "blankets are more comfy". LOL. Haven't pushed it yet.

I had another u/s this morning. 11 weeks 1 day. Baby was moving all over! So neat to see! I haven't seen it doing that yet. I'm doing well. A wee bit of nausea here and there but nothing awful.

Erin: No advice here. But my good friend is having the same issue with her little one. She doesn't know what to do at this point either. Her daughter will use the potty for the babysitter 2x/week but not for her mom.

Everr: So cute that he still wants to nap! 

Cindy


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Erin I had the issue with peeing when my ds went to kindergarten. He would pee his pants on a daily basis at school because he didn't want to go inside when playing or because he was too scared to use the bathroom with the door closed or because the lineup was too long after eating and before playing he would just go out instead of waiting in the lineup. I made a reward system that if he came home with dry and clean smelling pants then he got a rock (he fills a jar to earn rewards like movies, video game time, skating outings, lego, apps for the computer etc). If he was wet or smelled like pee I took a rock out. If he got to the end of the week with clean and dry pants every day that week he got 5 bonus rocks. It took a couple weeks but it worked. We also talked about why he was doing it, how it smelled bad to other people, what he could do to prevent it. I was getting so frustrated so this way I didn't have to get upset with him about it I just took the rock and he visually saw the jar getting emptier and when he succeeded he saw the jar getting fuller. I don't know if this will help but K seems to really get concepts so maybe this would give him a visual sense of his progress. I never went back to diapers with my kids when they had regressions because I thought this would make the regression worse because sitting in wet pants is more uncomfortable than a wet diaper that holds all the moisture away. Plus when my kids were having regressions they usually needed more of my attention and I didn't want them to get it by diaper changing and want to keep this activity. I probably did a heck of lot more laundry because of this stance though lol.

Cindy - Yay for the wiggly baby!

Mal - forgot to say it earlier. So sorry to hear about your Dad's situation. My FIL has gone through this a few years ago. Each time he changed jobs he took a pay cut. I know they are struggling to save for retirement. He's also having some health issues now so if it happened again I don't know if he could find another job. I hope the company keeps him on!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Cindy: yeah for a wiggle baby! This makes me smile!

Erin: Girlfriend... I'm with you on this one. It is so beyond frustrating to me. F will have whole days of no accidents and then a day with 3-4 accidents in a row. I don't get it and don't know what to do either. I just say things like, "oh no, it looks like you haven't been listening to your body. It was trying to tell you to go pee in the potty." And often when I notice she has to go we have a race to the potty to see who can go first. She always wins, LOL! We did go back to diapers for a while just before M was born because she just gave up for a while but she is in undies night and day now. Our only problem is day time. I do try to have her clean herself up as much as possible.

M is perfecting the art of motor boating and wants to do it all the time! Through the story at the library story time, while nursing (what, you didn't think that was possible, she doesn't believe me), and my favorite for an hour at 3am. It's lovely. Good thing she's cute.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Well a miracle happened last night! Makenna slept in her own bed. And she said that she wanted to go to sleep like a big girl. She knows we can't lay with her in it. But we each offered to stay by her bed while she fell asleep. She kicked us both out! And went to bed all on her own! Of course she woke up at 2am and came to our bed. But holy moly. I absolutely do not expect this feat to be repeated anytime soon. LOL. But DH said that it's like no amount of coercing her would ever work to get her to do it - she had to decide on her own. DH was all sad actually. Especially since when he brought her up to get her ready for bed she said "thank you for building my bed daddy". "I love you daddy". Just really sounding like such a big girl too.

Anyone doing anything for St Patrick's day? It's my husband's favorite day of the yr. He loves going drinking with his friends. He even bought himself a new shirt. LOL. I, of course, never get to participate. I'm sort of missing corned beef and cabbage today. Ack. Don't tell anyone. LOL. I had a nice morning out by myself trolling the bookstore and shopping for some easter stuff for M. Michael's has all their easter stuff 40% off already! I may take M out to dinner just to feel like we are doing something fun too while DH is gone.

I took M to the pediatric orthopedic surgeon about her toe walking. He was pushing either serial casting - a series of non-removable walking casts on both feet changed evert 2 weeks for up to 12 weeks. But he said it only has a 50% success rate. Or surgery to legnthen her achilles tendon. And she would be in casts for 6 weeks after. Both options sounds horrid and made me want to cry!! I think I am opting for neither. I'll watch it over the next couple yrs (he said they do surgery before school). I toe walked and I am just fine! I think I saw a quack doctor. He said he could prescribe physical therapy, if I want. But he doesn't think it'll make a difference. So I'm trying to remind her to walk on flat feet. But she doesn't like to.

Nilla: I love the jar/rock idea.

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Mal, that sucks about your Dad.

potty regression- all of my kids have done this, I won't put them back in diapers although sometimes I have really wanted to. I just remind them that they use the potty now and change them and remind them that I know they were having a fun time, but if they had just stopped to go potty it woul dhave been really quick but having to change their clothes and clean them off takes a lot longer and they miss more of their fun stuff.

Cindy- so neat about the wiggly baby!! and awesome about the bed! I took all my kids topick out new sheets when they moved to their own bed and made it a big deal. That didn't work for Junes but it did work for the other 2. Not sure about toe walking, when I was a kid my sister had a friend that toe walked, she was13-14 years old. I do know that only wearing high heels can shorten your calf muscle, but everything I have is random bits of knowledge.

Sue- motorboating made me LOL, only b/c I have only heard it used when a guy is doing it to a girls boobs, I had to realign my brain.

Baby- she's coming along, I still haven't been able to picture what it will be like with a new baby, which has me a bit freaked out and scared something will happen to her.

St.Patrick's day. Josie had a friend sleep over so in the morning we had green pancakes, and then we went to the river of green festival which was too hot and didn't really have that much to offer. Then swimming at my sisters and home for corned beef and cabbage with horseradish sauce.

Something you have to try- nerds Jellybeans with a crunchy bumpy outer shell, so insanely good.

and here's a picture, you can see my belly but really I am posting it b/c it isn't often I see a picture of myself and think "wow, I look so pretty in that picture"


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

You do look gorgeous in that picture Mama!

Funny about the motor boating! :0

Cindy: That sounds really extreme! My niece was a toe walker and they gave her stretches to do as well as said swimming is really good for her. She's on the swim team. She still has to be reminded sometimes but it has really helped. I'm with you and skipping either option!! I'd get another opinion on that for sure. Yikes!

We've decided to pull F out of dance class. They are on spring break this week so no class. The difference in our Saturdays is so striking that the decision is pretty clear. Hard to believe one 45 minute class can effect her so much but there you have it.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Nilla - that rock-in-jar idea is a good one. I think I'll try it with him. Negative consequences don't seem to phase him, but maybe the positive reinforcement of seeing the jar fill up and being able to spend those for fun things will help.

Sue - Hope your weekends go more smoothly w/o the class. There will be time for that sort of thing when she's older. Funny how different the kids are, though. I'm wishing it wasn't spring break this week, because I think K is better behaved when he goes to head start in the morning! Though I feel kind of bad for thinking that (and for the fact he does better without me).

Cindy - wow, that does sound like an extreme remedy. I would see if there's a gentler option!

Courtney - Cute pic. With 3 kids, I bet I'd be too busy to spend much time imagining what it'll be like with the new one. I'm sure it doesn't mean anything bad.

AFM: What defines "screen time" for you guys? K's absolutely favorite activity in the whole wide world these days is to type on the computer. Not on a game, not on the internet, just typing into a blank word document. My husband says it doesn't count as screen time because there's nothing passive, nothing bright or flashy, no addictive reward structure, etc... I guess I kind of agree, but I'm not sure. He doesn't do it all day long, but he does do it a lot (unless we're withholding it as a reward for clean pants).

Went to a saurkraut/kimchee making class my friend was doing this afternoon. Fun.

And would anyone who feels like they missed out on winter this year like to have some of my 6 feet of snow? Free for the taking! I would like spring before July!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

my kids would sure like some snow Erin!

okay I feel a little better about the not being able to imagine the baby after she is born and my blog will explain why. I tried to explain it to my husband, at first he started to listen but he was trying to watch a movie, but part way through he got exasperated and said it was horrible for me to say something like that and then I got mad and I yelled, "why, I should just think it in my head and not have anyone to talk to about it?" and then I told him not to complain about me being on the computer and "talking to women I have never met before" b/c at least THEY listen. Anyway, here it is.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Courtney - *hugs* I think worry just comes with the job. When I was pregnant with R I was so sure he was a she. I didn't really have a huge preference either way, I just thought we would have a girl first. Even after the ultrasound showing it was a boy I still would often catch myself thinking 'she' in my mind. And I'm not sure I really pictured what actually having the baby in my arms would be like (although I was a first time mom, so it was all a brand new experience). And I also worried about all the what ifs.. It's scary when you love something so much but can't control what happens. Actually I still have moments of panic when R isn't with me and I think, 'what if...' I think the worry is completely normal and not at all a sign that you 'should' be worrying. *hugs*

And you do look awesome in the pic!

Cindy - Yikes, I would definitely be getting a second opinion! I'm sure it's not that serious (at least at this point anyway! She's only 3!) And that's awesome you're making progress on sleeping alone!

Sue - Sounds like the dance class just isn't F's thing. Not every personality is up for something so social and busy 

Erin - Well, R doesn't play on the computer ever.. So screen time is just watching shows/movies. I wouldn't be as opposed to playing on the computer (especially what K is doing), but I still think I would limit it a bit. I like him to be actively playing (which he also is doing all day at daycare, so I try not to be too strict)

Our St. Patty's day was pretty uneventful. I had heard that my city has a big parade, BUT turns out it was last Sunday, not actually on St. Patty's day. So we missed it. But I took R and my cousin's 3 year old 'J' to the zoo and then J stayed for a sleepover. The boys have been having a blast together. One issue I have though, J is sort of delayed a bit. He doesn't speak well and he's very very very easygoing (bedtime for him = tell him it's time for bed, he goes and gets in bed and goes to sleep without a peep, which is great, but also seems very unusual for a 3 year old). He also doesn't put up a fight against R ever.. And R totally takes advantage to the point where he just a total bully. I feel so awful about it. Obviously I intervene and try and discipline R but he just does it again the next chance he gets. It's also hard for me because I can't really understand much of what he says, so I'm left guessing until I get it right and he nods. Everyone in the family is trying to get him to really say words clearly and put words into sentences but it's difficult. He is supposed to start JK in September (he turns 4 in October, so he's in the year before R) but I feel like he's really going to struggle. I don't think R is an exceptionally mean kid, but kids tend to pick on those who are different, and that's what R does. I have a nephew on my ex's side who had some speech delays (not as significant as J's) and even he had such a hard time in jk. They ended up switching him to a private school with only 8 kids per class for a few years until his language caught up (now he's back in public school and doing fine). Anyway, I guess I'm just venting a bit.. I feel bad for J and want to help him and also I feel awful that my sweet boy is being such a bully


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Courtney: I always think you look pretty in your pics! Hard for you not to. Interesting about realizing you are picturing a boy! I am so curious to see if your intuition is right and the u/s was wrong. I've definitely had friends told one thing and they got the other. But it's rare. I too was convinced I was having a boy and then shocked when I found out M was going to be a girl. Now I just have no clue. I'm figuring boy but only bc that is what we're hoping for (or DH is hoping for. I suppose I would prefer a girl but since I know he wants a boy I want him to have one). I don't have any feeling about it one way or another though.

Erin: I think I would allow the typing with a limit as well. A longer limit than other types of screen time. M loves to "press letters" - and I think it's a nice way to work on letters with her without me pushing it.

Everr: Wow, I can't imagine a child going to sleep so easily! Perhaps being in JK will toughen the kid up a bit? Would J's family be open to a private school with smaller classes? Are there early intervention programs there? I know that even here in crappy USA there are a lot of early intervention programs for children with delays of all sorts and I think they are often free or very low cost.

Speaking of speech issues, do any of your kids still consistenty mispronounce certain letter sounds? Makenna always says "t" for "c". Like car is tar. And she puts a "t" sound at the end of words that end in "k". So book is bookt. She's done this forever. I've been assuming it will go away. But will it? She has always been very advanced vocabulary wise and started talking early.

M was back in our bed last night. I knew it was a fluke occurance. LOL!

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

yes, June mispronounces a LOT of things and most words she says could possibly be a handful of different words and she can get VERY upset when we don't understand what she is saying. I am going to talk to her doctor about it again and INSIST that we do something. I'd like to take her to a speech therapist, I mean I know she is talking in sentences and understands everything but her inability to get her point across is so upsetting that I think something has to happen.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

R actually started talking late but then his language boomed. There really isn't anything that he says that I (or anyone) can't understand. He has a couple cute mispronunciations - pocsibles instead of popsicles, racoons instead of cartoons, sghetti instead of spaghetti... Umm, that's all I can think of. I definitely think R is verbally advanced. I think this contributes to my concern for J, even though I know R is 'advanced' it is still quite dramatic seeing the difference between the two. I'm not sure what J's dad is doing to help. My mom has talked to him a few times about getting help for him, but he always says he's just a boy and it's not a concern. And apparently his daycare teachers haven't said anything which I find surprising. I hope he learns to be more assertive in jk. But I think the speech is going to need professional help, which he isn't getting


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Fiona says an h sound instead of th. I think its cute! She often says things like "I was hinking about having a snack." She also says things like, "keeping an eye with them" instead of keeping an eye on them. Everyone can understand her though and she too was an early talker and communicator. At 5.5 months she starting signing milk when she wanted to nurse. She said Mama at 6 months...

Yes, I'm still feeling conflicted about pulling her out of dance only because during the class she is loving it and she talks about going and dances around the house "like in my dance class." Ugh! It is just that we pay so much for it in terms of her behavior for the rest of the weekend. i wish the class size was smaller...

I'm willing to pass out some snow too! This has been crazy- it's snowing right now. I don't know when we will see the grass again!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Courtney, I just finished reading your blog post. Big hugs mama! I'm thinking about you and sending good thoughts for a happy healthy baby. We'll be waiting to find out if "she" really is a "he". You will know so soon!!


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Courtney, big hugs to you. Maybe you know this birth or this baby will be different, but different isn't necessarily bad or unsafe. Maybe s/he has something new to bring to your life, or your birth experiences, or something like that. And I think you look great!

Speech issues--Aubs really didn't have much of a vocabulary until about 3 months ago, so I'm not really bothered by her lousy pronunciation. She's always willing to try to say it right. I'm trying to let these things work themselves out and stop expecting her to be me.

Cindy, the casting and/or surgery sounds extreme to me too. I say get a second opinion. Or wait six months and see if anything changes. And hooray for a wiggly baby!

Nilla, I LOVE the rocks in a jar idea. I'm going to steal that one for sure.

Sorry that I haven't been on top of things more--no internet for a week and a half, and I don't think I can catch up at this point! I think I'm somewhere between 37 & 38 weeks today, and starting to get uncomfortable. Really just in the last week or so--not able to get up out of a squat without putting a hand on the ground, groaning when I have to get out of bed at night or roll over. But overall everything is good. BP is nice and low, weight is steady, baby is in a better position than Aubs was. Trying to stay positive about all things VBAC. Now I just need to wait for the little one to arrive! Nothing planned at all for the next three weeks (except Aubs' normal activities) so I guess I need to settle in, make some meals, and get ready.

Again, sorry I didn't respond to everyone. Thinking of you all.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Courtney: I read your post and I could have written that myself while I was pregnant with Greta. I just knew she was a boy. He had a name, I pictured my life with a son. I could only look at boy things. Finding out she was a girl wasn't a disappointment, but it was not what I was expecting. I don't know that I ever pictured 'her' being a part of our little family. I had a really hard time imagining another girl even after we found out. The first thing I said when she came out was "Oh Baby!! Is she really a girl???" I was still convinced she could come out a he. But now she's here and I couldn't ever imagine not having her. I've even tried to imagine what it would be like if she had come out a he and I just can't see it anymore...

Owyn still mispronounces a lot of words. But she's close enough for me to understand what she's saying. She also comes up with strange names for things. She's really into Cinderella right now (which I just don't get. it was so never my favorite disney movie growing up, but my niece introduced it to her and she just can't get enough of it). She calls it Princess Pea. It took me for. ever. to figure out why she calls it Princess Pea. Until we were watching Super Why one day and I realized the little girl dressed as a princess on that show is called Princess Pea. So weird too, because she rarely ever watches Super Why. Oh, and granola bar. She calls them 'nola bars. So, now I find myself calling them 'nola bars all the time. She calls strawberries strawberry-land from Strawberry Shortcake.

As for you people getting snow, you can keep it! We've had some gorgeous, gorgeous weather here the last couple of weeks! Spring came early for us. We're supposed to get some storms this week. I'm just hoping the severe weather stays away. We had our share of tornado scares last year, I don't want any of it this year! And the way tornadoes are looking in the rest of the country... we're either getting tornado season early or it's just going to be another bad year for them. Spring storms make me not like where I live...

So, send me some encouragement... we're struggling with breastfeeding here and have had to supplement with formula. This girl has a huge bottle preference and I'm not really sure how to remedy that when I still have to go to work. I found a milk donor this week and met up with her over the weekend. What an amazing person she is! Not only did she give me the milk, but tons of great advice on how to get my supply back up. She hooked me up with a support group that meets at a nearby hospital and I'm going to their meeting tomorrow night. I just can't wait until this school year is over and I can just be with her everyday. I just have to keep my supply up until then, right?!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Mal, do you have any LLL meetings near you? A lot of times the moms and leaders have a lot of advice to offer, although it sounds like you have found some nice people and information.

hearing that many of you felt the way I have is helpful, and promising that I will get my girl.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Found out today when I dropped R off that the daycare is reducing nap time! It will now be only 1 hour instead of 2! Woohoo! I hope this means I can get him to bed earlier at night 

Mal - *hugs* I'm sorry you're struggling with nursing. Is she using slow-flow bottle nipples? Often bottles are so much easier to get milk out of that it's hard for babies not to prefer it! A slow-flow nipple might help make the bottle not as great? Also, is she in the bed with you nursing through the night? That would help keep your supply up for sure. Also, blessed thistle and fenugreek are good supplements for supply. And definitely go to a support group!

Kate - I'm so glad to hear that everything is looking good for your VBAC! You will have to try and let us know when you go into labour so we can sending you lots of good birthing vibes!! Won't be long now!

Sue - Oh that's hard that she likes it so much  Maybe you could try going every other week? Is there enough kids to split it into two smaller groups?


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Everr: Why did I not think about every other week? You are a genius!! They tried having two smaller classes but she determined that there weren't enough kids for the earlier class and combined them. That is when we started having problems. I'll see what DH thinks about every other week. That might be perfect for us.

I need a moment to vent. As you know we have been wanting to move for some time. Well a job came up in Seattle and DH won't apply for it. I know that he doesn't want to live where he has a long commute but having a job there would mean that we could actually live on the same island where my parents and sister live. I can't even imagine how cool that would be. I've always wanted to live there. I get the commuting problem, I really do so I shouldn't even be disappointed but I am. Sometimes it just feels like we will be here forever and I really don't want to live here anymore. This winter has been especially hard because of weather (which reduces us to one car) and sick kids- I've been stuck home a lot. I so want some adult interaction and time with my family. Hoping my spirits lift in the spring and we find the right place for us. Ugh! Vent over, thank you.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Sue - I see how frustrating that must be for you. But I really get your husband's point too. I grew up in Seattle, and would NEVER want to commute daily from its farther outlying areas - especially any of the islands. Which island is it? I think Seattle is fine if you live actually within city limits, preferably not too far to the edges, and make use of the public transit/bike paths. Otherwise, the traffic is just not worth it.

But I love Alaska, and my adult community is wonderful here, so I shouldn't talk. Is there a way you could make more connections where you are? Not as a replacement for moving, but as something to make your life better in the meantime?

Everr - I hope the shorter nap works out for him. With 2 hours nap, I can't believe he ever went to sleep at night at all!

Courtney - I was convinced L was a boy for the first 2/3 of pregnancy, and only really thought about her as a girl at the very end (we didn't find out beforehand). I understand how you might feel you can't get lucky enough to have another healthy baby yet again. I felt a little of that even with #2. But luckily, statistics don't work that way - your odds are just about the same each time.

I hope you do get speech help for June - that sounds like it must be so frustrating for her!

Mal - I'm sorry you're having trouble with nursing. When is the school year over for you?

Kate - wow that's close! Hoping for some cute baby pics soon!

Speech - K is understandable by basically everyone, and has been for a long time, unless he gets into one of his long extra-high-pitched run-on whining fits, then no one can. A few random grammar errors, but no real pronunciation problems that I can think of off the top of my head.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Sue, I totally get it. I SO want to move out of Florida, there are some things I like about it but mostly not so much. I want to live near the mountains. My dream spot the PNW, 2nd place near at least one of my sisters. and NOW all my sisters are moved or moving and the only person left will be my mom, who isn't helpful but quite the opposite. I do have some good friends but I am just not a Florida person. However Hubs doesn't seem to be interested in moving anytime soon and I feel like we are just stuck here forever.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

double post ... wierd


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Phone post ... Sorry for typos

Courtney ... I think if I had three girls, I'd be pretty convinced that my fourth was going to be a boy. That said, your Little Women set needs one more girl! As for feeling a sense of unease, I truly understand the feeling. I was never brave enough to talk about it on here, but I had a sense of something going wrong with my pregnancy with H. I think I was sensing that i would end up with the c-section and failed homebirth. If I was pregnant with my fourth, I'd be anxious about the odds too ... I think that's totally normal. On the other hand, you've set a great precedent with three beautiful, healthy children so far. Hugs to you.

Sue ... Oh! How frustrating! I understand the commute issue, but the chance to be near family is SO awesome! And of course, you'd be closer to me! No way you could live nearer his work? Visit your family lots?

Mal ... What about getting rid of the bottles altogether? H started on open cups and sippies at four and a half months or so. How old is Greta? I think it helps keep H at the breast, because that's where he gets his sucking needs met. Does she use a soother? Maybe toss that too? There'd be a couple rough days while she adjusts, but might be better in the long run if she only has your boobs when it comes to sucking. I hope it all works out!

Ever ... I doubt R is any more of a bully than any of our children. I do think that kids sense weakness and naturally exploit opportunities while they are learning the more subtle codes and cues of social interaction. I hope your nephew can learn or acquire some strategies and coping skills before kindergarten. He'll be one of the youngest in his class, which will be a challenge. Would they consider holding him back?

Speech: this is E's strong point, which is nice. She's extremely verbal and has an amazing vocabulary .... Better than most eight year olds I know! I'm glad she has something she is really good at, especially when I'm noticing so many of her peers ace playground dynamics, make friends easily and perfect new physical challenges after just a couple of tries. My little wordy bookworm is just fine. Right?


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Neither of us wants to live in the city. And I get the commute issue- it was just for a little bit I was having a wonderful daydream about living close to my family. I know we'll get there...

Everr: I hope your cousin't little one can get some intervention for his speach issue. Maybe once he starts preschool the teachers will get him some help if his parents are reluctant to acknowledge it.

Mal: I think I'd try some of the suggestions Starling gave. Sorry you are having such trouble right now! Sounds really stressful.

Starling: Of course a quiet bookworm is wonderful and perfect! We all have our strengths!

Fiona is in her "baby me" mode. It's really taken this long to hit. I expected it earlier. I've been trying to wear her on my back in the ergo for a bit each day which seems to help. It's what I do a lot of with Maeve so she likes that. She started sucking on her hands and fingers after M was born too. Somewhat annoying but we've decided to ignore it. Also, refusing to use utensils when she eats and only using her fingers. Not sure how to deal with that. We keep encouraging her to use her fork but she'll say, "little girls like me need to use fingers." I'm sure it will pass... sigh!

Everyone should wear their footie jammies and cowgirl boots to play in the snow!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Do you guys all have wills? We haven't done one yet







. Mostly because we haven't really decided who we would want the girls to go to if we both died. I hate thinking about really but I know we need to do it. I REALLY REALLY don't want them to go to anyone on DH's side. We've both thought my sister but she and her husband are always strapped for cash and barely have room for their own kids in their tiny place. We may ask my brother- really though, I don't even know how to bring it up. How have you guys approached this?


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Oh I hate thinking about that  I don't have a will.. Well, I have a little typed up thing that I signed but I don't think that really counts. It was just a quick fix because I knew it would take me forever to get an actual will done. BUT, the important people in R's life know what I want. He will go to live with Grandma if something happens to me. And I've talked to my mom and my best friend about my concerns if ex should suddenly reappear wanting custody. They will fight him in court for R. I hate the idea of something happening to me before R is old enough to understand where I've gone and why... Just thinking about what it would be like for him tears my heart apart 

Your pic of Fiona is super cute! I can't believe all the snow.. We are still having our unusually warm weather. We're in sandals and t-shirts here!! Tomorrow I babysit J so we're all going to have a picnic at the park after daycare!

J actually goes to the same daycare as R, but he's in a different class. I'm really surprised the staff there hasn't expressed concern (that I know if). He really needs help with his language. Maybe my cousin will hold him back for jk, but I'm not sure.. Daycare would be more expensive than just before/after school care (we have full day jk here..) R has also started translating for him (or just guessing what he wants and asking for it for him). It's a hard situation, I feel so bad  My mom is trying to deal with R's bullying with lots of praise when he's playing nicely. I'm not sure how I feel about that... Praising for something he should be doing anyway seems kind of weird. I'm not really a 'good job' type of parent, it doesn't come naturally for me... Although my solution tends to be lots of time outs and/or yelling, which isn't working :/

Starling - a wordy bookworm sounds wonderful! R uses his language skills to be mischievous  Sometimes that kid is too clever for his own good!

Sue - That is frustrating about the Seattle job.. I understand both views. How bad is the commute? I am so so happy to be back in my hometown near my mom. I really don't ever want to leave here (of course it depends on if I can get a job when I graduate.. I'm staying optimistic that I will). It's a tough situation for sure.. *hugs*


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Wills: We haven't done one yet, but we've been talking about it a lot lately. We're going to Jamaica next year for a friend's destination wedding and I've set the goal to get our will done before we leave for that. I hate the thought of people fighting over our kids and there are a lot of different people I can think of that would step forward and want to take care of them. It's hard to decide who though... For a lot of reasons, my IL's would be a good pick, but neither of us feels right asking our parents to raise our kids when they should be enjoying their retirement. Luckily, all our family lives in the same area, so no matter who had custody of them, everyone would still be a part of their lives.

Speaking of parents and retirement... my dad got offered a job by the people buying his company. It's a long commute, but they offered to let him work 3 12-hour shifts and pay for a hotel room for two nights. Then, he'll have 4 days in a row at home. They're paying him just a little more also. He's not thrilled about how far away it is, but he figures he should take it since he's so close to retirement. Could be hard for him to find anything else...

Thanks for all the replies and encouragement on the nursing issues. I went to the support group meeting and got some great advice from other moms there. I'm trying not to stress too much about it, but also trying to be okay with the fact that it might not completely work out. I am taking fenugreek and it seems to be helping a little. Today, I did a power pumping session (10 min. of pumping, 20 min off) for 2 hours. It totally sucked, but maybe it'll help.

So, Owyn got the movie "Lady and the Tramp" for her birthday. She really likes it and has asked to watch it a few times. But she's really scared of the scene with the Siamese cats. The other day, when that part came on, she dropped what she was doing and ran out of the room saying those were scary kitty cats! Today, she just started crying her eyes out. I went running into the room to find her covering her eyes, crying and talking about the scary kitty cats. She still asks to watch the movie though!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Mal: Yay for your dad! That's incredible they are paying for a hotel for him. As for the movie, Makenna always runs out of the room when the monkey comes on in Toy Story 3 and asks me to skip those scenes. But she still LOVES the movie. Funny - we have 2 siamese cats. I wonder if that scene would scare Makenna? Probably not just bc we have those cats. Ugh - power pumping SUCKS! Been there. I hope the advice you got helps you guys out.

Starling: I agree - a wordy bookworm is great!  M is not very social these days either, except with her couple friends she's known forever. She has become more shy as time has gone on.

Wills. We don't have one. Thanks for reminding me! I honestly do not know who she should go to. My first thought is DH's brother and his wife. They have a very similar way of parenting and 2 kiddos close to M's age. I feel much more in tuned with them than my own siblings. But they are expecting their 3rd child. So that could be a lot to ask of them. But then again, my brother and sister both have lots of kids too - and I do NOT like the way they parent. My mom is too tired and has fibromyalgia - it wouldn't work. Though I'm sure she would if she had to.

Unfortunately, my oldest nephew was 3 when his mommy passed away!! The idea just breaks my heart still. Especially having a 3 yr old now! I was 19 at the time. My brother and my nephew moved in with us for a while after that happened and my mom and dad helped a lot with my nephew. I just will never get the image of him at the gathering after her funeral out of my mind. He was running around playing with his cousins and having a great time with little a care in the world - just so oblivious still to what had happened. Ok enough about that - it's going to make me cry thinking about it.

We are working on the toe walking. We walked to and from the park on our flat feet today. She's pretty proud that she can do it! Says she is getting really good at it and can't wait to show daddy. So we'll see. It takes me reminding her to stick with it about 50 times on the 3 block walk though.

I am meeting with the midwife I like on Monday to see if we can work out a price we are comfortable paying. I would be so thrilled to try for a homebirth!! I'm just so torn about spending the money.

Cindy

PS: Makenna has demanded to go to bed early the last 2 nights. So unlike her!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Wills - Ugh. Speaking of paperwork we should have done years ago. We've talked to the whole family about who the kids will go to (my husband's sister), and they're all friendly and easy-going people, so I'm pretty sure they'll do that and not fight over them. But there's nothing in writing. The hard thing in our family is that even though we have wonderful choices personality-wise, pretty much all of our relatives are single. All our siblings are single, almost all of our parents (except my dad) are single, and there are no cousins or any other members of their generation around. It would be a big burden on his single sister to suddenly be saddled with our two kids, and though I know she'd be a wonderful mom, and we do have a little life insurance, there's no getting around that.

Does anyone know if there's any way to make a simple will without a lawyer? Something online maybe?

Cindy - that story about your nephew is so sad! K talks about death sometimes, but I don't think he would get it at all if one of us really died.

I hope you do get to do a homebirth if that's what you want. I always thought it would be neat, but it never was an option here. My births were good anyway, luckily.

Mal - I'm glad they're keeping your dad on, even though it doesn't sound like the best deal for him. How many more years does he need to hold out there?

Everr - A power imbalance between kids naturally leads to one pushing the other around. Not that you shouldn't try to stop it, of course, but it doesn't mean R is a bully. K pushes around his sister as well (usually when she's attempting to bother or play with him), which I also try to stop, but I do think it's natural kid behavior.

Sue - K never did the "baby" phase, but I almost wish he had. He's much more focused on differentiating himself from his baby sister, and constantly wants to talk about the things L can't do yet.

Starling - We get what we get. Your wordy bookworm is fine, and mine probably is too. Today I was picking up K at preschool, and one of his classmates was in the hallway being goofy, making animal noises, etc... K says "I don't like that funny talking boy." L, on the other hand, runs over to him squealing, then runs away when he roars at her, then repeats the game. I think I know who my social kid is going to be. K has a great vocabulary, is incredibly verbal, obsessed with letters and numbers and words, confident, and fairly physically capable. But he's aloof, stubborn, very cautious, and almost never gets involved in the run-around-and-be-crazy type of play that it seems like all the other kids do. I sometimes wish he'd lighten up and be more of a regular kid. But then I see a lot of myself in him, so I know where it's coming from.

Movies - Is K the only kid who's never seen a kid's movie? It really just never occurs to me to do it - movies in our house are an adult hangout time on the laptop after the kids are in bed. Is he going to be hopelessly culturally behind by the time he gets to kindergarten?


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I have a 9 year old and I still don't have a will. I so need to do something. I don't know who they should go to and it becomes even more difficult now that we are about to have FOUR KIDS! who the heck wants four kids. Plus we will have no money to offer with the kids besides what social security will give. we think maybe Chris's dad and step mom, but you know they are getting older. then you have my 3 sisters. My oldest sister is awesome with them, but more in a spoiling them aunt sort of way and she has never wanted to have children but would take them. But her physical activity isn't great and there is this reward system and be good and eat all your food and some other image problems. My middle sister would take them but her boyfriend is really pretty sick right now, his heart and he can't do much. It would be hard for them to have 4 kids. She would really like her own kids but the dr's say his heart isn't strong enough to even make them right now. then my twin sister, who's about to have her first but she wants to go back to work after she has her baby and they just have a different standard of living that I am afraid adding 4 extra kids into the mix would ruin that. My mom is too sick and pretty needy overall, my dad is too religous, Chris's mom is sort of crazy, not overly fond of most of my kids (she likes the one that looks like Chris), i think her husband is a weird molester and there is NO WAY IN HELL my kids would even be allowed alone with them. I guess I should talk to my twin and my middle sister.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Erin: I was thinking about the movie thing. Like I think most of us have seen most disney movies, etc. But I doubt she will. She has seen all the toy stories and cars and maybe a couple other movies. Mostly they are reserved for when she is sick and gets to watch a lot of tv. Also my husband has been known to put one on on his laptop while I nap or something on the weekend so he can nap next to her. But I always feel really guilty letting her watch that much tv in a row without good reason! Haha no reason to worry about your child being culturally deprived.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

R watches movies but I'm sort of picky about what he watches. He has seen quite a few though. They never bother him at all, it's me who gets upset lol. I guess it's more that some of them have some scary/depressing stuff going on and I don't really like him exposed to that. But it all seems to go right over his head. The little boys turning into donkeys in Pinnochio was horrible for me.. R didn't seem to care! I don't mind Winnie the Pooh and Mary Poppins. He has seen a number of Disney movies but I'm not sure about those.. Especially the older ones portray women as idiots or just have too big a focus on adult relationships (with the woman being submissive). I should delete them off the computer actually... I think it's safer to stick to shows. His absolute favourite show is Dinosaur Train.

Mal - Those siamese cats freaked me out too when I was little!!! *shiver* Although I always wanted to get the book on tape from the library.. I guess I had to conquer my fear 

I'm glad to hear about your dads offer!

I just finished my last assignments for the year! Now I just have my exams to prepare for and then I'm DONE! And the closing date for my summer job is on Friday. Please keep your fingers crossed for me that I get an interview! (and an offer...)


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Movies: F watches a fair amount of TV and movies. She likes shows better then movies usually such as Diego (her fave), Dora, Dinosaur Train, and Wonder Pets. We rent movies on the weekends and make popcorn which is fun. Most Disney stuff is too intense for her but she loves the various Pooh Bear movies from the classic which we own to some of the "newer" ones like Piglets Big Day. We have Bambi which DH was horrified since it "paints hunters as evil". I don't let her watch the "princess" movies though because I don't like them and they seem to have some scary element to all of them- evil step mother, witches, etc... Anyway we watch our share but are careful about what it is she watches.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

So my friend tells me you can buy a kit online for wills and have it witnessed by 2 people and notarized. Doesn't sound too bad! My BIL and SIL are coming to visit us next months so I guess we should talk to them then about putting them down.

Everr: Yay for almost being done!! What will your summer job entail? Fingers crossed for you!

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

That is interesting about the will kit. If you find a link let me know. I think we'll have a lawyer friend here do it for us though. We've decided to ask my sister even though money is sort of an issue. We figure we'll have some money and my parents will be able to help as well. They are just too old to be the guardians though.

Everr: Crossing fingers!!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

I bought a will kit a couple years ago and I'm pretty sure the templates for the will are on my mom's computer, once I find them I will share 

The job is a student public health inspector position. It's a practicum I need to complete in order to become certified. I can do it next summer but I'd really like to do it this summer! Then I just have to complete my program and pass an oral exam and I will be a Certified Public Health Inspector


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## Veritas Vitae (Dec 26, 2011)

Court, I would take your kids. I've always told you that. I even want to make sure I have enough bedrooms when I buy a house for you all to come visit.










(You're done at 4 right? j/k)


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Everr- good luck!! I am crossing my fingers for you.

Movies- we didn't let Jewel watch princess movies at all or even introduce her to the disney princesses. then she went to school. it was over, her 2 best friends (twins) LOVED PRINCESSES), so Josie was exposed to it right off the bat as was Juniper. Now we don't do so many movies and more shows on netflix. I prefer showing Junie stuff like backyardigans, sesame street, yo gabba gabba, etc. She does sometimes watch things I don't like as much when her older sisters watch stuff, I have absolutely said no to certain things like 6teen and other horrible shows. (in 6teen, I heard them say something about someone being gay,and it wasn't about them actually being a homosexual which I would be fine with if it was dealt with respectfully, it was used as a slur. I was in that living room so quick!)


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Testing tapatalk....

I'm having an awful time getting internet time lately! Aubs is really extra demanding, and I'm trying to cut back on TV since it seems like she can never get enough. I can stand tantruming over TV shows. We like Caillou, Wonder Pets, Backyardigans (love the music), and Curious George. Similar objections to the princess movies, although I don't even know some of them--Tiana, Rapunzel.... I think the last "new" Disney movie I saw was Lion King when it came out. My mom has introduced Cinderella, which is really annoying, but at least we don't have it here. I think I'll download some Diego, because she seems to enjoy that when they have it on at "pre-school."









Speaking of entertainment, I got an app the other day called Pocket Phonics that's sort of neat. It has the kid sound out the letter and trace it with their finger. There's a free version to see if you like it, and then I think the full version is $1.99.

Re. wills, we have "mutual reciprocal" wills--basically they say the exact same thing, that the other spouse gets everything if one dies; if we die in a "common accident" then everything is split between our parents. Really simple. We need to update them to appoint guardians, but really the only people who would be capable of taking the girl(s) would be my parents, and I know they'd fight for it if they had to, so I'm not terribly worried about it (thankfully). We had them done via DH's work, for free--some employee assistance type programs offer them for low or no cost, if anyone has that option. We probably need to do something more elaborate, but bleh. It will get done eventually. We did them right after we got married b/c DH was going to training out of state, and we wanted to get medical directives in place JIC. Remember the whole Terry Shiavo thing, the woman in FL with the feeding tube? It was about that time and we were sort of disturbed.

Need to go back a page now and catch up!

ETA: (again) that even if you don't have a formal will, _something_ in writing is better than nothing. Take it to a notary and have them notarize your signature; give a duplicate (not a photocopy) to someone you trust.

As for me, I'm starting to feel seriously pregnant and a bit uncomfortable--mostly just winded all of the time. 38+ weeks, but no real feeling like babe will come before 40. Although she's welcome any time now! Next midwife appt is Tuesday, so I might have her check me if she offers. Not that it means anything, but I can't help but be curious since I can't reach my cervix myself anymore. Trying not to think about the induction/RCS decisions I'll have to make if I go over 40. I'm sort of worried that having Aubs running around all the time is going to just delay labor indefinitely, b/c I'm not going to be able to relax enough with her doing her thing. Every time I lay down to take a nap or go to sleep, the BHx kick up strong enough to keep me awake, but of course nothing productive. Ho hum. So we wait.

Courtney, how are you feeling? Cindy?

Mal, if things don't work out with your donor and I have oversupply issues again, I could potentially help you out with milk after babe is born. Keep us posted on how that goes....


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Kate; Hoping you won't even have to think about what to do if you get to 40 weeks. I knew things felt way different on a Thursday when i was pregnant with Maeve. I was sure that labor would start that day and it did- but not until I got Fiona to sleep that night did things really get going. It was like my body could finally relax enough knowing I didn't have to take care of her too. Your labor will start but maybe not till Aubs is in dream land. Getting so excited for you!! Can't wait to see pictures!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Kate: You are so close!! So is Courtney! I can't wait to see pics of the new babies!! I can't remember if you've mentioned this already, but any names yet?

Greta has a double ear infection right now and one of her ear drums burst from it. My poor girl.







I feel bad because I suspect she had it for a few days before we realized it. She also popped her first tooth this week, so we just attributed her symptoms to that. I've never heard her scream the way she did when the doctor checked her ears. It just broke my heart. Owyn has never had an ear infection, so this is a first for us. Just hoping she isn't prone to them! I'm really shocked by her though. You'd think she'd be in some awful pain with as bad as her infection got, but she's just been a little fussier than normal. She's a generally very happy baby, so this little bit of extra fussing was unusual, but it still wasn't that bad.

We are counting down the days until our Easter break. I have an early out at work next Wednesday, then we're out until the next Wednesday. That'll be my last break from work until the end of the school year. 5 weeks after Easter break and I'll be done for the summer! I am so looking forward to it. I have to say, just looking forward to this summer off work is making me more excited about my job. I've gone back and forth all semester on whether or not I want to come back next year. Right now, I'm leaning towards staying with it. The breaks, the time off, the part time schedule... all for very decent pay considering what I do. It's hard to leave something that gives me this much time with my girls. Plus, we've recently had a lot of visitors considering schools for next year. I've gotten a lot of great feedback from families. People are coming to my classroom telling me they've heard such great things about me and really want their kids in my class. That's pretty rewarding right there and makes me feel like people are depending on me.

So, while wondering around Walgreens waiting on Greta's prescription, I found her an adorable Easter basket. I also found some super cheap Easter candy for Owyn's basket. So, I got that totally done! One less thing to worry about getting! Owyn's friend gave her a Pez dispenser the other day and she is obsessed with it. I found an Easter Pez dispenser with some refills to stick in her basket. She'll be so excited about that! This weekend, I'm taking Owyn clothes shopping. It'll be the first day Greta has stayed at home with DH all day. Owyn seems to be looking forward to a day with just Mommy though.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

I just put some pictures of my girls in cloth diapers/longies in for this contest. Give them a thumbs up if you have time! Let me know if you add any of your own pictures! 

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1348900/the-annual-mothering-cloth-diaper-photo-contest


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

AK - voted!

Mal - Oh poor Greta! With such little fussing I wouldn't have suspected something so bad either. R never has had an ear infection (actually, he's never been sick enough to take to a doctor for anything..) It does sound like you have a great job there with the hours and time off, it's nice to have such a good balance. A job you love and that you're great at is awesome!!

Kate - You're sooo close! I'm thinking of you and sending lots of labour vibes. Hopefully your babe will be in your arms before you even need to think of a 40 week decision 

AFM - I had a nice weekend with my friends to celebrate my b-day. I turn 29 on Wednesday  Today I've been doing some interview prep just in case I get a call. I'm so anxious waiting to hear!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Ugh, ear infections sound horrible. I've never dealt with that with myself or the kids thankfully. Hope Greta feels better soon.

Also, awesome feedback from the parents about your classroom Mal! I'd want you to be Fiona's teacher if she went to school! 

Fiona has been complaining that her vulva hurts when she pees. Sometimes to the point of crying so we took her in today to see if she has a UTI. no, but she does have a yeast infection. I didn't think little kids could get them. Poor girl. So we will treat that and hope it clears soon.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

I just got the call - I have an interview next Tuesday!! Eek! I'm so excited/nervous


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Woot Woot!


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Yay for the interview!!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: Yay!!! And Happy Birthday mama!!  I hope you get the job for your b-day.

Mal: Ow! Do they do anything about the ear drum? Sounds so painful! We never had an ear infection here either. Thankfully! And you are very lcuky to get summers off! That will be here so soon. Eeck!

Sue: A yeast infection? Poor thing! Those are so heinous. How do you treat it in a little one? I hope she feels better soon!

AFM: Makenna got croup, yet again on Friday. Thankfully we have the steroid medicine and didn't have to go to the ER. Still scary though! Every time she gets a stuffy nose it seems to go into croup. She got a cold on Friday and I just knew. I took out the medicine before she even went to bed - hoping it would ward it off.

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Everr: Yay on the interview!! Good luck! And your weekend sounds great! DH and I were just talking about trying to go on a date next month and maybe letting Owyn have a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's. Not quite ready to be away from Greta overnight, but at least we can lay around in bed in the morning when it's just her!

Sue: Yuck on the yeast infection, poor girl!

Cindy: Yuck on the croup too! That poor thing, she is really prone to that huh?

They just gave us drops for the ear with the burst ear drum. The doctor said it should heal, but we're supposed to get it checked on in a week to make sure it's healing.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

mal- My Josie was like that with pain. I took her in to the ER once b/c she hadn't peed in two days. it turns out she had an ear infection so bad it was bulging. The Dr. could not believe she was laughing and smiling with him b/c he says he's seen grown up crying from the same thing. Some people just have a higher pain tolerence.

Sue- sorry she has a yeast infection. That is sucky.

Everr- congrats on the interview and HAppy birthday!

Kate, I feel you I want this baby out. I am 39+ weeks now. They give me until 41 until I have to see the back up physician, but even if that happens I will refuse everything and just go with sono's and stress tests to ensure baby is okay. the midwife group I am with now follows the law more closely than the one I had with josie, who went 10 days past 40 weeks.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Courtney: How late will they let you go? DH and I were just talking about how dif midwives here have dif rules. My last midwife's cutoff was 42 weeks. but I think the homebirth midwife I'm thinking of using is 43. Not that I expect to go that late! M was 10-14 days early. But I guess you never know.

I saw my friend yesterday and she is pregnant. She thought she was due end of July but her midwife changed her due date to June 27th. She has had zero ultrasounds to confirm dates. And she said they were still using protection when the midwife says she conceived. So I think she is going to run into issues with going "post dates". Though they did tell her they would be a little more flexible with her bc she originally thought her due date was so much later. I find the situation a bit odd.

And speaking of midwives. I met with the one I'd like to use yesterday. I really like her. She is very sweet. And has been a midwife for over 30 years. DH and I still haven't made our final decision to use a midwife or go the hospital route - but I think we are about 95% in agreement that we don't want to birth at the hospital (the one we have to use is particularly crappy about interventions and you just get whatever doctor/resident is on when you go in - no matter who you've been seeing for care). It's just hard to ok spending the $4500 when I so want to spend the money on a king sized bed. I'm sure we'll end up doing both, but we really really shouldn't.

I need a date night!! Even DH said so last night! I wish we had grandparents to leave M at overnight!

Cindy


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Courtney! SOOOOOOO close! I can't wait to 'meet' Coraline!

Kate ... You too! There's going to be spring babies! Whoo hoo!

Ever ... Great news about the interview!

Sue ... That's awful. So uncomfortable. Poor wee dear.

Mal ... I hope little miss is feeling better?

Gotta run. Working on a new manuscript and I only have an hour each morning to write so I better get back to it!

xo


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Courtney and Kate - I'm just waiting to tune in for a birth announcement here pretty soon. So exciting. And I hope both of you are luckier than I was with timing. Lituya was 15 days late! Which was late enough they had to recommend induction and do a bunch of NSTs and ultrasounds, but I was stubborn, and she came on her own time anyway (at 9lb, 15oz).

Everr - Good luck on the interview and Happy Birthday!

Starling - 1 hour a day, and you actually manage to write a book with it! I'm impressed. I'm about 1/2 way through a rough draft of my second book (the kids are in this one), but switching off work days/times with my husband gives me a lot more time than that.

Sue, Mal, Cindy - I hope your littles feel better soon!

AFM - We've been having such a good time with beach days lately (something different from snow?). Katmai has all of a sudden gotten super-agile scrambling and climbing and leaping on the barnacle and seaweed-covered rocks, and really loves it. I can't wait for the big low tides next month. Lituya wants to run on the beach as well, but can only manage on the gravel or hard-packed snow. Is anyone else struck by how big our kids seem lately? It seems like every day I look at K and say, "wait a second, I didn't know he knew/could do that already!"


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Mal - Oh wow owee!

Sue - Dee had a yeast infection a while back and she was flaming red down there. I used gentian violet in a little squirt bottle diluted and sat her on the potty to spray (the potty is now purple). Then she sat there and watched a show while she aired out and dried. Then I put dark pants on her for the 4 days until it cleared and underwear that were old (I had to chuck them too stained).

Cindy - yuck croup is awful. I think it lays dormant and when their immune system lessens it flares back up again. This is just a theory though but it's what happened all last year for ds. This year I did more Vit. D and probiotics and no croup but we've had everything else..... Any new symptoms from the wiggly baby?

Starling and Erin - Wow to the books. I'm trying to get an 8 page paper accomplished with just one kiddo home during the day and finding it next to impossible.

Kate and Courtney - Eagerly awaiting those newborn pics!

Ever Yay for the interview. What do you do to prep for interviews?

AFM: I'm almost done this semester. I have a big presentation tonight. A report due tommorow. A paper due monday, an exam due the Thursday, and another report due the week after. I start my coop on the 16th which means I am back to work full time for 16 weeks. I haven't worked M-F 9-5 type job ever!!! It will be interesting to see how that feels. I also joined the 8 week healthy weight loss challenge thread and I have started making a significant effort to lose these pounds that have been on for the last 10 years. I gained 10lbs between 18 and 19 from birth control and I never got it off. I've lost 2.7lbs so far in the two weeks. I've started the C25K program. I just had my 30th birthday and I heard that it's a pound a year after that so I thought it's now or never.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Nilla - I've heard from others that the interviews are very content based, questioning our knowledge of what we are learning in the program. So I've reviewed some of the important stuff that others were asked about. And I prepared what I would say for the typical interview questions. I get so nervous that I can't even string a sentence together, so I wanted to have a prepared answer ready to say lol!

It sounds like the end of your semester is busy busy! But you're almost there! And good luck with the weight loss  I've been so lazy this winter and really need to get active again!

Erin - Your beaches there sound like so much fun! I need to get outdoors with R more, not that we have cool beaches here, but there's some nice trails and rivers. And I agree about our little ones! It amazes me sometimes what R is capable off and what he thinks about/says. I find I also go the opposite direction and have bigger expectations of him than are fair, and then I'll get reminded that he's still very little.

Starling - Wow! I'm so impressed with you! Good luck with the writing!

Cindy - I think the midwife will be worth the money. I can understand it's hard to spend it though! And that is very weird about your friend.. A similar thing happened to me, the midwife wanted to bump up my due date (although it was because of the 20 week ultrasound, so there was a reason), I insisted we leave the due date because I'd been charting and I was worried about problems if I went 'late'. But then my water broke at 36 weeks, so we bumped up the due date at that point which made me 37 weeks and able to birth at home. I'm still sure I had my dates right, I think R just grew fast in there lol!

Kate and Courtney - Thinking of you both!! Any day now!!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Nilla: Thanks for the tip. I never thought about it lying dormant and that maybe something like probiotics could ward it off!

AFM: I had my NT scan today. Thankfully the u/s and blood test came back with a negative result for risk of downs or trisomy. They said all the organs looked good. And we got to see some amazing shots - the brain hemispheres, spine, baby stretching when it woke up. After, when I asked, she said she could probably probably have been able to tell the gender but, of course, DH didn't want to know. I did see one shot of the thighs to knees - I didn't see anything in between. But I don't know if the shot actually went all the way up or what. I'll see if I can attach a pic that DH took with his phone of one of the printouts. We even got a little footprint shot! This pic is profile and shows a leg and foot.


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Beautiful babe, Cindy!







So happy things are going the way they should.

No name for babe yet, but Mallory is in our top two. Hope you don't mind, Mal! I'm going to let DH and Aubs decide from here.

Getting super anxious for babe to arrive, assuming this cold I've got passes today or tomorrow. Considering letting the midwife strip my membranes on Tuesday (will be 39+4, I think), even though I don't really think it will do any good. Anyone think its a good idea? I know i need to just wait, but going post dates is going to create stress with the hospital--they'll want a waiver, NSTs, bleh.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Hello beautiful baby!!!

Kate: I've never had my membranes swept or gone late. I don't know! But you are so close Mama!! Any day now!!!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Cindy - It's a baby!! So cute! How many weeks are you? It seems like you just found out and now you've got this real baby in there  (That sounds funny, but you know what I mean!)

Kate - I don't know, I didn't have that done. Maybe wait and see how you feel? If you've having some contractions etc. maybe you could try? You are so close!!

AFM - I may have met someone worth dating... But as it is right now we just in the becoming friends stage and I don't know if he even likes me. But maybe he does. I'll keep y'all posted if anything interesting happens ;o)


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Hello baby! What a great picture! How wonderful!

Ever, that's exciting ... Can't wait to hear details.

Kate ... SOOOOO close! I cannot wait to hear about the birth, which is going to be amazing, spontaneous and vaginal. Right on!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I'm still just 13 weeks today. Isn't it amazing what happens in such a short period of time???

Makenna is on the glider birthing the baby that's in her tummy right now. LOL. She says it's a girl named potato.

Kate: I went early so don't know. But I think I would probably leave well enough alone until 40 weeks. They don't start pushing the NSTs, etc until 41 weeks, right? You are using a midwife but still birthing in the hospital, right? I hope baby decides to come before you have to deal with any of that! I'm still hoping for a newborn in that new outfit inside an easter basket!

Courtney: Hoping you are well on your way to birthing that little girl! I'm off to go check facebook again. (for those of you not on facebook, she posted yesterday that she thought it was starting - was slowly contracting today and going about her day, last I checked).

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Cindy - isn't it fun to see the baby looking so real for the first time? I'm glad everything looks good. With L, I ended up finding out I was pregnant, getting an ultrasound, and finding I was 11 weeks along all in the same day. It was quite a shock to see the little baby looking like that in there!

Kate - I'd wait. Really, the NSTs are not so bad, and they probably won't make you do them until a bit later anyway, right? I think they're less of an intervention than the membrane stripping. I do think, in almost all cases, that the baby knows when to be born. But then, I did have to wait until 42+1 last time!

Courtney - Yay! I hope you meet her soon if you haven't already.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Cindy Hello baby! Wowee 13 weeks and everything looking babylike instead of blob like. It's miraculous isn't it.

Ever - that's exciting. New possibilities are always exciting whether or not they pan out.

Kate I personally would wait. Sometimes I think the babe doesn't start the labour for a reason. In both my kids cases there was a very good reason they weren't trying to come out and the 'natural' induction with the cocktail pushed my son into a stressful situation causing meconium and the NICU as consequences. With my daughter the non stress test showed stress and that she couldn't handle the induction so although I still ended with a c-section it was less stressful and no ill effects for her. Just my two cents.

AFM: having a bit of an emotional breakdown. Seems to recur at the end of the semester and then I have that interview tomorrow and well that's freaking me out. Send me calming vibes if you can ladies. I'm a bundle of nerves and tears these days.


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## Veritas Vitae (Dec 26, 2011)

Hi, this is Courtney's sister, I wanted to let you all know that Coraline was born at 12:33am on 3/30/2012 weighing 7lbs12oz at 20 3/4"


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CORALINE!!









M, thanks for the update!!! And congrats to you too, on your babe-to-be.

Look at her eyes--doesn't she look just like the other girls? Beautiful, Courtney. Can't wait to hear all of the details.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Hello beautiful, precious, glorious Coraline! Welcome to the world, baby girl! You have joined a most awesome family, kid. Seriously.

Courtney ... I can't wait to hear more! And many thanks to your sister for posting here for all of us who were on tenterhooks!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Hello gorgeous girl!!!!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Welcome Coraline! Happy Birthday to baby and mama!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

What a sweet girl!! Happy birthday to Coraline, you really have joined the coolest family ever. What a lucky girl!! Congrats to Courtney, enjoy your babymoon!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Welcome to the world Coraline!!! I'm so happy for you and your whole family Courtney!! Huge congrats!! Enjoy your babymoon


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

thanks Ladies.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Congrats Courtney she is gorgeous! Welcome Coraline to your tribe of little women.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

*Courtney* ... Come tell us all about it when you can! And more pictures!

*AFM*: I'm thrilled to report that E has fallen asleep ON HER OWN for the last three nights! She told me that she wanted to keep the light on and read until she fell asleep after listening to her audiobook. I figured it was worth a shot. I told her that she wasn't allowed to call me unless it was to turn off the light. It worked! I'm thrilled! We're heading off to Vancouver Island on Tuesday to go to Tofino ... Yay for whales and hot springs and crashing waves!

*Kate* ... You're next, Mama! How are you feeling?

*Sue* ... How's F's yeast infection?

*Nilla ...* Has your sense of dread eased up?


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

nak

cindy- that is a cute baby

kate- i'd wait, i truly think babies know when they are supposed to come although waiting can be hard. what's the other top contender? i love Mallory.

nilla- soothing vibrations your way.

everr- how exciting about a potential.

AFM my milk already came in, i thought t had b/c she was already having wet diapers and the poo wasn't all black tar, then yesterday milk dripped out of her mouth. Juniper is super excited about being a big sister but Josie is having trouble adjusting. I explained that i have to lay down and rest so Daddy has to do everything and it makes it so things are different but tey will go back to normal soon. i think i need to get her out with a friend for a special day or something. okay pictures- my birth photographer took some amazing shots.







this one makes me cry. I can feel her head and it was so amazing!







and my four daughters


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

I know you all are right and the membrane sweeps. Its just so tempting! I'm going to have her check me on Tuesday, then we'll see how I'm feeling the following week (assuming I'm still pg). Right now I'm feeling NOTHING except a couple of stronger BHicks in the evenings and some awkwardness going up and down the stairs. Its weird that this pregnancy feels easier than the last one, in some ways. Hopefully the birth will be too! Name-wise, I think DH decided last night that baby will be Mallory, so Mallory Jean it is. Seems so strange. Aubs was just "baby" for so long, despite having a name...but we'll need to differentiate between babies this time, so maybe M's name will get used earlier.

Starling, the trip sounds fun! I hope you all have a great time.

Ever, exciting!! Keep us posted. I miss that rush that dating brings. And I love that you're staying open to it--you really never know what might happen if you leave your heart open!

Courtney, I really love the photos, especially the first one. And yay for milk! Are you feeling alright otherwise?


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I am feeling okay. Trying to ignore the mess in my hou. People came over and we have tons of dishes and the faucet broke while hubs was washing tgem. Next person who comes over might be asked to do a load of laundry. (Probably not, but it'd be nice.)


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Courtney: Your photographer did an amazing job of capturing the emotion of the time! Gives me chills! 

Cindy


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Well I cried during the interview. They asked what the worst moment in my nursing career was and it was pretty terrible and I hadn't prepped for that question and well... I was wound too tight so I cried. I got over it but I felt completely embarrassed. I also had another tearful moment yesterday. I was running, slipped and dropped my brand new iPod onto the cement and smashed the screen. I got it as a birthday present and I felt terrible. On the plus side the exercise and diet are working. I am losing weight and when I went interview clothes shopping I fit into a smaller size pants.

My mom left today for a week so I'll see how I cope on my own with no help and 2 papers to write.

We ordered the kids bunk beds yesterday with a trundle bed underneath for sleepovers or that possible third child. I can't wait for them to get here it will free up some room and allow me to put some stuff on the walls around them and hopefully give me the push to get that room ultra organized.

We got the whole family out running today. Ds was grumpy about it but he came. Dee was in the stroller until the end but even she ran a bit.

Courtney: Those pics are amazing. Your little tribe of women is gorgeous.

Kate: I hope the babe decides that it wants to come sooner rather than later for you.

Starling: Yay for child initiated sleep! and vacations!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Nilla - Hugs! I'm sorry you're having such a hard time of it. Hopefully the running helps you calm down a little - exercise always does for me.

Courtney - Wonderful pictures. I'm so happy for all of you.

Starling - Sounds like a fun trip. One of my favorite memories from my year-long hike was coming across a coastal hotsprings in the middle of nowhere during the chilly spring.

Kate - Hope baby comes soon for you! After hearing my story about how my second came 15 days late and with a much longer labor than the first, I had one of my best friends completely pessimistic headed into her second delivery. Then she had the baby one day early with a super quick and easy labor. Hope it goes the same for you.

AFM - I think we've finally started melt season here (though it's snowing again right now), and our under-yurt space (gravel floor, we store tools and bikes and the freezer there) has been flooding. I've been bailing buckets full of water out for a couple days, but I'm still happy for the melt.

Computer obsession - Katmai is still absolutely ridiculously obsessed with typing on the computer. Sitting in front of a blank word document, typing letters, numbers, symbols, and occasionally words (he especially likes to copy the word "MacBookPro"), counting the numbers of gs he just typed, etc... I do limit it, but it's a fight every time, and he knows how to open the computer and will if I'm not paying attention. I never imagined this activity could become so engrossing (it seems kind of boring to me). What limits would make sense for something like this? I don't really need to squash his interest in letters entirely. It doesn't seem like that harmful an activity, and I wouldn't care if it was Legos he was wanting to play with all day. And it's the best thing ever if I need to tend to L or get something done around the house. But really, he doesn't need to be glued to a screen too much either. Sometimes I give him a time limit and tell him to set himself a timer (he loves using the timer on the microwave), but he doesn't seem any happier to stop to the beep than to my arbitrary command. What I end up doing is some combination of letting him type away, using the timer, distracting him into another activity, ordering him into another activity, hiding the laptop on a high shelf, or getting us all outside (best option). Which doesn't seem like a very well thought out strategy. And certainly doesn't prevent him whining about it constantly. Help?

(Of course, here I am on a screen. And he sees both me and his dad work on laptops A LOT, since all our work is on them, and much of it is while he's around - when the other parent is watching him)


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Courtney: I love those pics! I can't wait to hear more about the birth. She is as beautiful as all your girls. You are certainly one lucky lady!

Starling: Your trip sounds awesome! And I'm so jealous of E putting herself to sleep! The other night, I told Owyn that she needed to stay in her bed until the sun woke up. I said if she woke up, she could look out the window. If the sun was still sleeping she needed to lay back down, but if it was awake then she could get out of her bed. Well, she woke up screaming at 2:30 in the morning. Stayed in her bed, just screaming her head off until I laid down with her. When we got up the next morning I asked her what made her cry in her bed and she said "I looked out my window and the sun didn't wake up". Oh well, I guess that idea didn't work so well!

Kate: I had my membranes stripped with Owyn at 39.5 weeks and the day after my due date. Not sure if it did much. I started losing mucous after the second time, but I was already past my due date, so who knows if that was what did it. I was scheduled for an appt the day I went into to labor with Greta and was going to have her strip my membranes at that appt, just didn't make it there! Also, I love that you're using Mallory!! I feel honored!

Nilla: I'm sorry you're so stressed. I probably would have cried over the new iPod too if it makes you feel any better! The bunk beds sound awesome!

Erin: I have no advice on the screen time. It's still a battle here with Owyn. We use her TV time sticker chart, but she sees all the other days in the week and wants to just keep filling the boxes with stickers so she can watch more TV! This weekend was good though, she really didn't watch any TV because we were out of the house all weekend. She whines and throws a fit about it too when we're home. We deal with it a lot like you do and it's no fun. But once she gets over it, she can go play by herself for an extended period of time now. She's been going into her room playing with her toys for hours at a time when we're at home. It's really wonderful!

A full day at work today, then Easter parties Wednesday and I'm off for a week! Better start getting ready to go!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Erin - I limit R's screen time as much as possible but have to deal with tantrums when I do. It's really frustrating. He watches shows/movies occasionally at home and almost constantly at my moms house :/ It's hard because he doesn't play on his own at all so if he's not watching a show he's bothering me in a whiny/bored kind of way. I really wish he would play!! The only solution is to be out of the house and busy. Or sit and play with him but I find that to be the most boring thing in the world (hate to admit that, but it's true!)

Nilla - *hugs* I'm sorry you're under so much stress right now. I had a mock interview a while back and almost cried in the middle of it







. The woman doing it kept asking me questions that I would never be asked in my type of work and I guess I wasn't answering them the way she would and she seemed annoyed with me. My big interview is tomorrow and I'm so nervous about it. I hope it goes ok :/

Courtney - Your photos are gorgeous! You have such a beautiful family 

Kate - I'm thinking of you! I keep waiting to sign on to fb and see an update  I have two other friends on fb that just had babies (both on March 31st). These are friends from a baby group I used to go to during R's first year. It's been exciting see all the updates on fb!

AFM - R gets his first vaccine today (DTaP-IPV). I'm feeling ok I guess. It's hard studying public health and having mixed feelings about vaccines. My profs are all very pro-vaccine and very adamant that the diseases are horrible, vaccines save lives, and the risks are minimal. Statistically I agree with all of that. But there are real risks, some kids do have side effects, and when it's your one child that is in that 'minimal' group the statistics don't matter. I also partially agree with the argument that a lot of the diseases aren't seen any more and that most people recover. But again, I don't want my child to be that one rare case of the disease and especially that one rare case with serious complications. So I guess that's why my decision is to go with the vaccines. I do feel better about it knowing he's a healthy 3 year old... And he's not getting the full schedule, only DTaP-IPV and MMRV (then a couple more when he's 12-13).

Okay, that was just some rambling that I needed to do lol!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Just to update, R had his first vaccine and didn't even notice. He had a great time at the appointment. Crazy kid.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Courtney: love those pictures. Got all teary eyed over them on fb and again here! Makes me want another baby! 

Everr: Awesome! Glad he was unfazed. Vaccines are so hard for us parents to figure out aren't they

Starling: Have a great break! Hot springs sound divine! How is the writing coming along?

Erin: We are in serious melt mode here too! Woo Hoo! We have a yard- well patches of a yard here and there! And DH got his car out which has been trapped by a giant snow burm all winter. Loving having my car back and getting out more with the girls!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

My interview went just ok. I won't say great. I started getting a bad cold on Monday and yesterday my head wasn't as clear as I would have liked. I messed up some technical questions. And he told me that everyone else being interviewed is graduating this year. But I'm the only one from the area and my GPA is high, so maybe that will help (well, those are the reasons I got an interview even though I'm not graduating this year). I should find out soon, maybe tomorrow.

I'm still sick too which sucks. I stayed home today and kept R home because I was too tired to drive him to daycare. One more day of class tomorrow and then a nice long weekend  Yay!

And also, I need to stop reading about vaccines. Just stop. I've made my decision, I feel it's the right one (maybe? Agh!) I need to just stop, right now.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: I hope you get it! You never know. I'm sorry you are sick. And I'm sure R is fine from the vaccines. Did he have any fever or anything? Amazing that he didn't flinch or anything!

Starling: Have a great trip! I love hot springs.

You ladies in AK always put things in perspective for me weather wise.  I've been complaining about lots of rain and temps in the 50s. I guess you guys would be thrilled. LOL. The sun is out again but still a bit chilly in the low 60s. Still need a sweater. But lovely to feel some sun on my skin!

Cindy


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Ever, sorry you aren't happy with the interview outcome. Maybe think of it as good practice? Or maybe they'll think they can offer you less money because you're not immediately available, and it will work out in your favor. Who knows? As for vaxes, great that R didn't mind. Aubs minds the "prep" but not so much the shot. As soon as we stop restraining her she is fine. Maybe things will be easier as she gets older. She hasn't been to the doc for nearly a year (last time we got IPV only, I think) so I'm planning to make her an appointment at our first "meet the pedi" visit for new baby. Which I dread. I mean, assuming she's gaining weight, is there a reason to take a new baby to a pediatric clinic full of germs? Especially since she'll be born in the hospital.... I guess they'll check her hips or something?

Erin and Sue, so glad things are melting for you!

Mal, hope you're enjoying the beginning of your week off. Anything specific planned?

Nilla, sorry about the stressful interview. And the ipod. What a rough week! But congrats on the weight loss--sounds like you've been really busy.

AFM, still pregnant, obviously. I'm so irritable right now, I feel like a pretty bad mommy. Just want to curl up on the couch and wait for labor, but that's really not an option just yet. Aubrey is going to pre-school tomorrow morning, and I might send her on Friday too, just because she's been out of control. I'm thinking about going to walk the mall tomorrow while she's at school and then see if I can get a reflexology appointment Friday while she's there. Friday will be 40 weeks, which is when labor started with Aubs. I was a stretchy 4 cm and 40% effaced on Tuesday, so maybe a bunch of walking will do the trick. I've lost lots of chunky goo, but no idea whether its from the cervical check or something more exciting. DH has promised to take her out of the house for a while on Saturday, too, so that's something to look forward to.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Oooo Kate - you are SOOO close! And that labor is going to go quick when it starts!! Yay!! You're not a bad mommy - you're just doing what you can right now. I sort of feel bad lately too bc I am just so tired and lazy - but I don't have that great of an excuse yet. I just hit the 2nd tri - isn't this when all that energy is supposed to come back or something?


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Kate - Hang in there! Maybe you'll have an Easter baby.

Everr - Sorry the interview didn't go as well as you hoped. But sometimes it seems worse from your side than theirs. Hope you get it anyway.

Cindy - I would love 50 degrees and raining! That would make a wonderful dent in the snowpack. Instead, I sprinkled wood ash on the garden today (on the snowy plain that has the garden buried somewhere beneath it, anyway).

I took L to Headstart along with K today, because all the little kids in town were visiting to help dye easter eggs. She had a total blast, and dyed pretty much her entire hands and face yellow in the process (K liked it too, but not quite so vigorously). She's always so pissed off when he gets to leave for school in the morning without her, so it was nice to give her a chance to be with the big kids. Do all younger siblings try to be "big" so desperately? Looking forward to our tidepool egg hunt this weekend!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Kate - I hope you are doing well!! I've been stalking you on fb to see if anyone posts about the baby on your wall  R didn't have a well baby visit for a long time. Maybe a year old or even 18 months? I can't remember. But he did have doctors check him right after birth (after my transfer for the placenta) and again when he was hospitalized for jaundice at 3 days old. I'm not really sure how important it is.

Cindy - Hopefully your energy comes back soon! It must be so much harder with number 2 because you can't nap as easily  And, no, R didn't have a fever or anything. He didn't even complain about his arm being sore after. Maybe they gave him a placebo vaccine lol. I, on the other hand, felt like I was getting sick at the time (I had my dtap booster) and it has turned into the worst cold ever that won't go away. I'm still sick. Luckily I don't need another booster for 10 more years.

As for my job, I didn't get an offer on Thursday which is when he said he'd decide by. So I'm not optimistic that I got it. It'll probably be a little longer before I get a definite 'no' though as he's probably given the others time to say yes/no to their offer. We'll see :/


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Happy Easter if you're celebrating! I'm still here, still pg.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Aww boo Kate - was hoping the new babe could wear her new easter dress today.

I hope everyone has a lovely day. Makenna is eating all of her candy today, it seems. Though she didn't get too much. DH's relatives invited us over for an easter dinner and egg hunt this afternoon - so I fear she'll be eating a ton more over there. Oh well, tomorrow is a fresh day. 

I made it through lent with no desserts. Last night we went out for ice cream sundaes. I'm eating candy today. And then I'm going back to just eating dessert once or twice/week bc I really think it is the best thing for me! 

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Happy Easter, everyone. I'm sick here. Owyn tested positive for strep throat on Friday and I'm fairly certain I've come down with it too. I called the on call doc this morning to try and get a prescription called in and she refused. Apparently you don't get strep throat over the age of 15. Which is news to me. I have all the symptoms, including lovely puss pockets in the back of my mouth. I barely made it through church this morning and ended up sending DH to our family Easter dinner without me. Greta hung out here, taking a nap and he came to pick her up when she woke up. I hate that I'm missing her first Easter.

Owyn was very excited for Easter this morning. We dyed eggs at my sister's last night. All the little girls got baths and some were getting those sponge rollers in their hair for this morning. I didn't bother, thinking Owyn would hate them. She came begging for them after all the other little girls got them. She actually slept in them, I was shocked! It turned out way cute, we might have to try it again sometime. She got a Wonder Pets DVD collection in her basket this morning and said "How'd that Easter bunny know I love Wonder Pets?!" It was very cute. Greta even enjoyed it thoroughly. She was all smiles and grabbing for her basket. She got an amber necklace and they both got swim suits as well.

I did feel okay when they got their baskets this morning, so at least I got to enjoy that with them. Now, I get to suffer through the night and go get some drugs tomorrow. What a great way to spend my last break from work before the end of the school year.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Mal - Oh no! I'm sorry you're sick  It sounds like you got to enjoy Easter morning though so that's good! Hopefully you'll recover quickly.

Cindy - Good for you for giving up desserts! I sort of like the idea of going sugar-free but it's so hard..

I have been cringing a bit at the chocolate R has had. I got him a modest amount but then my cousin went and got him a ton of stuff. I've been letting him eat a lot, I figure the sooner it's gone the better lol. And I let him have it out when we had family around so he'd share most of it 

Kate - *hugs* Before you know it you'll be busy with a newborn wishing she was back in your belly. Ok, maybe you won't wish that, I did a bit with R though


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Feel better Mal!!

Oh man - the egg hunt this afternoon was ridiculous. Like 5 different people all brought eggs. So each kid got TONS. A few have pretzels and cheddar whales but the rest are candy. I'm not sure how to get rid of them all without her freaking out. I think it will have to happen gradually. Argh.

Everr: I didn't give up sugar. That is too hard! Just dessert. So no cake or cookies or chocolate. But it was ok if my morning scone had chocolate chips or I had chocolate chip pancakes. Still can have sugar in my rare decaf coffee, etc. You get the point. Though I'm sure i'd be well served to just give up sugar all together!

I've still managed to gain 7lbs already, even having not eaten dessert for the last 40+ days. I probably gained a few lbs gorging on dessert before that though. I looked back at my chart from my last midwife (I have a copy of all those records) and at exactly this point w/M she has me recorded as having gained 7 lbs - but that I swore up and down I only gained 3 according to my scale and that she was all concerned about my fear of gaining weight bc I argued that with her. So I think I only gained 3 at this point last time. I need to start being active again!

Cindy


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Oh I think I forgot to mention that we have our care/birth plan figured out!!! The apprentice midwife that worked at the birth center when I had Makenna is now a homebirth midwife. She just passed her licensing exams recently. She works closely with a midwife who has been doing births for 20+ years. We are going to be her first official client on her own from start to end. But the experienced midwife is fine with answering any questions about prenatals that she may have and will also be present at the birth. She is a very sweet gal that I always felt super comfortble and comforted around. She did most of our prenatals with Makenna. The midwife was always in the building but not always the one sitting and talking with us. And because I know the more experienced midwife is there to consult with if anything crazy comes up and will be at the birth, we feel totally comfortable with her. And she is charging us 2/3 of what the others midwife we were considering charges. So that makes paying for a homebirth seem much more manageable. Yay!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Cindy - I'm so glad you've figured out the midwife -that sounds like a great setup.

Kate - Hang in there! With L, the wait beyond her due date felt interminable, and I agonized every day of it, discussing/arguing with the midwives (at the end), etc..., but as soon as she was born, it all vanished behind that beautiful newborn face.

Mal - Yuck! Hope you're better soon.

We had an awesome Easter here. Woke up to light snow, dressed up in warm clothes, and joined friends at the beach to enjoy one of the lowest tides of the year! We did hide Easter eggs in the tidepools, but the kids preferred to hunt the real tidepool creatures (me too). Then we had a campfire potluck, and all went home. K doesn't yet know that Easter is supposed to involve baskets of chocolate, so we elected not to tell him. But his daddy told him that the "Easter Sandlance" hid the eggs in the tidepools, so now he's talking to us about how the eggs were laid by this sandlance (a tiny intertidal fish), given to us to color, then given back to the fish to hide them. As if our kid wasn't odd enough already.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

kate, i know it sucks to wait ti meet your baby, but just remember she will come when she is ready, she's just not quite ready yet,

Sue- adults can totally get strep throat but it's way worse as an adult, i got it once and it felt like i had been hit by a mac truck. I hope you feel better soon and someone gives you some dang medicine.

Everr- sorry the interview didn't go as well as you would have hoped.

Easter- we had a good easter, our kids ate gobs of candy. My oldest, Jewel ate so much candy and then went on a swing and got spun and spun and then got in the car and puked into a bucket, poor thing, the kids has always been a puker and never been able to handle large amounts of junk food. Juniper was super excited abut the easter bunny coming, she kept asking when he was going to come bring her presents. My Josie sat down to eat her chocolate bunny then walked out with it almost finished said it was melting and that she didn't want anymore. she asked if she had to finish it. poor thing, I'm not sure why she would think that since we never make them finish their food.

This weekend was busy. I went to a barbeque satruday and Chris was supposed to meet me but had to much work. It was really fun seeing all my friends and the big kids had a great time swimming all day. Then on Easter we went to my friends for a food and an easter egg hunt. I was exhausted by the time we got home sunday evening and my bleeding had picked up. yeah it may have been a bit much 8-9 days post partum. I plan on spending today in bed...until later when Hubs gets back from work, then I will help drag trash and buidling materials to the front yard for SWEEP ( the city comes and picks up large amounts of trash once a year) and I really need to do laundry today..okay maybe I'll rest.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Kate ... Soon, soon, soon!

Mal ... Do you feel any better? Adults can totally get strep throat. What a weird thing to say!

Cindy ... Yay for birth plans! I think going with newly certified professionals is a great idea, having been one once myself. They do tend to charge less, and yet they are SO vigilant and up-to-date and on their game with tonnes of energy and excitement, and, as you say, they usually work with a more experienced mentor in case things go pear-shaped, which is oh so very rare. Good for you for sorting it out!

Erin ... Wonderful pictures! Your Easter sounds magical.

Sue ... How was your Easter? Matching dresses?

Courtney ... Take it easy, woman!

AFM: Our holiday to the West Coast of Vancouver Island was a total disaster. We got to our gorgeous waterfront cabins, took an evening stroll along the beach, and then promptly fell victim to a horrific stomach virus, one after the other. Seven out of nine of us got it. It was pure, liquid evil. I wish we'd never gone. There is nothing like being far from the comforts of home with barfing, poop-exploding children, and then add the adults in and it's good times all around. We limped home on Friday, then celebrated Easter while my partner's family was still here (recovering). But no one wanted Easter dinner proper, so it was mostly just chocolates and goodies for the kids. When the family left and my partner went to work on Saturday, the kids and I went to Stanley Park to ride the Easter train, see the Easter bunny, watch a puppet show and do an egg hunt. Then our co-op had an egg hunt yesterday, which was loads of fun. E traded her chocolate for a new Bingo game, which she's really enjoying.

Today we got on the Skytrain and went to a new (to us) park, which was a blast. It had tonnes of playground equipment and we went with a super-climber friend of ours, which meant E got inspired to push herself to do more and try new things, which was great to watch. Lots of fun! I've broken out the stroller, because H is mammoth. I think my baby-wearing days are going to be limited. He's having shots on Thursday, so we'll see how much he weighs then. I'm guessing 20 pounds? He's as big as E was at a year.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Oh man Starling! That sounds horrible! I'm so sorry you peaceful vacation plans were dashed. Glad you all made it back in one piece and still got to enjoy the weekend. It's so crazy how brothers and sisters can differ in size by so much!

Courtney: You are super woman! But perhaps even you should take it easy for another week or so.

Erin: A tidepool easter egg hunt sounds magical!

AFM: Had a nice day. We toured the Mrs Grossman's sticker factory this morning. They make all the stickers that come on rolls (plus a bunch of fancy ones that are sold by the sheet too). The tour was really cute and M got tons of stickers. We brought a friend so we both enjoyed it more and had lunch at the lake next door. This afternoon I checked out the big YMCA here. I have gone to a tiny one 10 minutes away for the past 3 yrs. Never looked at this one. But it is HUGE! And so nice! Has 3 indoor pools and an all day kinder gym with tons of things to play on, including a jumpy house. That is free with membership and so is family swim time. I've never wanted to go to this one bc of the parking situation - you have to park in a garage and get validated and pay at certain times. But they offer prenatal yoga and prenatal water aerobics - and the important thing is that they have childcare. Bc I can never make it to prenatal yoga during the week bc DH works too late. So I think we'll switch. The funny thing is, I've heard lots of moms tell me they just drop their kids at the childcare and go use the hot tub and sauna to get a break - they don't even always work out. LOL. Doubt I'd do that! But you never know. ;-) Child care costs $5/hr per kid at this one. It's only $2/hr at the Y I currently go to. Not a big deal for 1 kid, but with 2 it would really add up quick.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Starling: yikes! sounds terrible!! I'm glad that you made it home and were able to enjoy some Easter time though.

Kate: She'll be here! Soon, so soon!

Mal: Feeling any better?

Cindy: It must feel so good to have your birthing plan in place! Sounds like a great plan!!

Everr: Hear anything back on the job? I'm still crossing fingers for you.

Erin: Love the pictures. We did a beach egg hunt too. It was great fun!

AFU: We had a nice Easter with friends. Great potluck with kids and dogs running ammock. Our egg hunt was on the beach too. Loved watching all the kids in snowsuits scurrying about. Fiona got really into it!

We've had some rough days around here with her. I don't know if I told you guys about bringing wheat back into her diet? Anyway she's been eating it for the past 3 weeks so that we can do a blood test for celiacs. She needs it in her system so that we get an accurate test result. Anyway- it started out ok but has gotten worse and worse as time has gone on. Leg cramps, stomach cramps, constipation, itchy skin, crappy sleep, and so so so very emotional. She's kind of a mess and I hate that I know that the food we are giving her makes her feel this way. Anyway she is getting her blood test today. I'm nervous about how that will go but DH will meet us there to take Maeve so I can hold her and try to keep her calm through it. Bringing the Rescue Remedy and a pack of gummy bunnies and crossing fingers it goes fast! I've given blood so many times but I still hate it. Preparing to plaster a smile on my face.

Maeve is doing great. We had her well baby visit yesterday. I'm having a hard time believing she's 6 months already! She rolls all over the place these days. Still pretty wobbly with sitting but getting stronger. We've given her a few tastes of food here and there but really waiting a bit for her to become a stronger sitter. She weighs 15 pounds and is 27 inches long. Fiona weighed 16 pounds at a year!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

It sounds like everyone here had a fairly nice Easter!

Courtney: Take it easy lady!!

Cindy: So glad you got the midwife situation figured out. Now you can just hang back and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy knowing you're in good hands.

Starling: Sounds like an awful bug you guys got. What a damper on a fun trip! Sounds like Easter went well though.

Erin: I love those pics! Your life never ceases to amaze me, what lucky kids you have!

Sue: Will you be able to stop giving her wheat after the blood test? Your poor girl, feeling badly and now being stuck with a needle. I'll be thinking of her today and hopefully you guys get some answers soon.

AFM: I'm finally starting to feel better. I got in with the doc yesterday morning and feel just a little better with each dose of medicine. DH stayed home with us yesterday. Greta is working on her second tooth and was a crying mess all Sunday night into Monday morning. I was completely useless with the chills, followed by bouts of horrible sweats, followed by the chills. So, DH was up with her most of the night. Looks like I'll be back to normal just in time to go back to work. I'm glad I didn't have to take off work for this, but it sucks to spend my break taking care of one sick child, then nursing my own illness.

With me being sick and Greta being crabby, Owyn has been taking full advantage of her new Wonder Pets DVDs. It's really all she's done. Today, a new treat came in the mail for her. I got her some reusable sticker sheets with little scenes to put them on. We got it for our road trip this summer, but I let her go ahead and play with it today. My energy level is still low and figured it would get her to stop watching Wonder Pets for a while. She has been having a blast with them!

Greta is getting bigger everyday. She's almost 15 lbs right now. She loves rolling around and is all grins anytime Owyn gives her any attention. We also started giving her some foods recently. She is almost sitting on her own and was obsessed with food! She's been trying to grab food off of our plates for weeks now, even opening her mouth every time we would take a bite in front of her. I've always said I had a feeling once she was old enough for food, she'd just loooove to eat and I was right! She devours everything we give her!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Hard to believe that all your tiny babies are getting so big so fast! I wonder why all the 1st babies were tiny and the 2nd babies are so much bigger? Even same sex siblings?

Sue: I hope the blood test goes ok. Poor Fiona. I hope you are able to get rid of the wheat asap now that it's done. I had to give blood SO many times for this infertility/IVF process - and I still HATE it. Littles are so resilient. I bet the gummies will make her forget all about it.

AFM: I got in the pool and did laps using the kick board and tried a water zumba class (me and all the obese and old people). I didn't love the class so I went back to doing laps after 1/2 hour. Pretty bouncy yet not that great of a work out. It felt really good to be active for an hour though!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Cindy - Good for you! I sooo need to get active again and I don't even have the pregnancy excuse  That Y sounds AWESOME! I would totally drop R off just to soak in the hot tub lol!

Mal - I'm glad you're feeling better! I can't believe Greta is getting so big and starting to eat! That's great 

AK - Oh poor Fiona! I hope she recovers quickly when you can take the wheat back out of her diet. And that's awesome that Maeve is doing well! I think R was around 20lb at 6 months!

Starling - Oh no, I'm so sorry! That sounds awful  I'm glad you're feeling better now, it always takes a while to fully recover from those things 

Courtney - You better be resting!! Sounds like you had a fun Easter but definitely remember to put your feet up sometimes! That's funny that Josie thought she had to eat all her chocolate, poor girl!

Erin - Your Easter sounds wonderful! I love the pics! What is that Katmai's looking at in the top pic?

Kate - Thinking of you...

AFM - I have a date on Thursday  The guy from the bus finally asked me! I'm nervous.. And excited..

No word yet about that job.. I'm going to have to call him tomorrow though because I lost my cell phone today and that's the number he has. I'm so mad about my phone. I hope someone turns it in but I think someone has taken it for good. I left it in class and went back for it about 15 minutes later when I realized and it was gone


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Ever, yay for a date! Can't wait to hear how it goes.

Erin, I agree, your kids are very lucky. You are raising little adventurers and I hope the spirit sticks with them through adulthood.

Cindy, way to go on the water workout. I'm jealous! I bought a maternity swimsuit months and months ago and haven't used it ONCE. So much for that. Sounds like the midwife situation is working out perfectly!

Mal, glad you're feeling better, but it does suck that you were sick or taking care of O the entire break. The sticker things--are they like colorforms? I swear I can't find anything like that for Aubs. I thought maybe they stopped making them for some reason. I know I loved them as a kid.

Sue, poor Fiona. Hopefully the blood test went alright and she can start to feel better soon!

Starling, sorry your vacation didn't go as planned--sickness always hits at the most inconvenient time. I can't get over how busy you seem to stay with the little ones! How do you do it?

Courtney, you better be resting! You're another one--I have no idea how you manage to do so much. Did you guys get the laundry room floor finished before Coraline arrived? I also wanted to ask you about the pork and tomatillo chili--do you know how your friend makes it? It sounds awesome and I think DH would go crazy over it.

AFM, still pg, 40+5 today. I woke up this morning thinking I might be having a nice contraction but it was just my super full bladder.







I'm going to try to get Aubs to take a long walk with me today, but I'm not sure what we'll do. Maybe the little playground by the river if its not too windy. Ho hum, passing the time!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Sue- poor, poor Fiona. I hope at least this brings answers.

Mal- sorry about the sickies and on your break. we have had so many school breaks turn out like that.

Starling- what a miserable vacation. I'm so sorry .

Cindy- that Y sounds nice. sometimes I think about checking out the one in town, they offer discounts to poor people and I think we would qualify, but I wonder how much the kids activities would be on top of the monthly rate. And so neat about the midwife. it was really awesome working with the same midwife from last time, who is my friend now.

Kate- it is hard to go over, I know. Josie was 10 days late, this will end soon and when it does and you are holding your baby it won't matter that you had to wait, and someday she will be 6 like my Josie and her birth will seem a million light years gone.

pork tomatillo chili- I NEED to get the recipe, my favorite food ever! I will share when I get it.

laundry floor did get finished before the birth and I REALLY need to do laundry. I did rest the other day, then this morning woke up and moved all the construction debris. Poor hubs is really sick and was puking every 20 minutes while we were doing it and has actually agreed to go to the doctor...tomorrow. he's working today. but it is pretty amazing he's going to the Dr b/c he NEVER agrees to go the Dr, but it's kind of scary if he is sick enough to actually go. at least he's working, if he was too sick to work I'd be really scared! I can't believe he let me do as much as I did this morning so the whole time I was dragging out the wood I was worried about him. I am sort of sore now and plan on not doing much today. story time at the library, dentist appointment with Jewel and maybe just one load of laundry...not folding it though. resting would be nice but necessity dictates that's not going to happen. I actually do feel surprisingly good, not like I had a baby 12 days ago.

here's my birth story

and a video my photographer made


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Courtney: Maybe it's my hormones, but your birth story made me cry. So sweet.  I hope your DH feels better soon!

Kate: I love what Courtney said about soon baby will be here and before you know it, the birth will seem a million miles away. So savor this time. But I hope it goes quick!

My DH is actually going to the doctor too and that never happens. He thinks he has a hernia. He ate some gigantic burrito for lunch yesterday and it made it apparent. His left side got all bulgy. Ick! I feel bad bc I couldn't help but laugh at him bc he was waxing poetic about not being able to believe that his favorite food gave him a hernia. LOL. It wasn't caused by the burrito though - likely from the ab workout he did w/his co-worker a few days ago - 1st workout in ages.

Cindy


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Courtney - Your birth story is so beautifully written - I was tearing up! And the video is beautiful too!

Kate - Soon soon. Just try and keep busy and enjoy these last days/hours 

Cindy - Yikes! Hope he's ok!

Someone called about my cellphone!!! I had sent a text to my phone saying 'if you find this phone please call ...' with my mom's home number. She got a call late last night. I called the guy this morning and he has it but is only downtown at night (after 10pm) so he's going to leave it with security at the the theatre. I hope he follows through, he seemed a tad sketchy, but he did call to let me know he had it so that's a good sign.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Oh Courtney, that was a beautiful birth story. It reminded me so much of my good friend's homebirth. The way we all just seemed to spend the day together, talking, laughing, enjoying each other's company while she worked on birthing a baby. Very relaxed, very bonding and so amazing.

Kate: The stickers are a lot like colorforms. It's by Melissa and Doug, they have several different kinds. Some with animals and different scenes. We got the one with household pictures. There's a living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and backyard. She played with it for hours! Sometimes she wanted me to do one of the rooms, then she would take it apart and try to recreate what I made. I even had fun playing with it! We found it on Amazon. I was actually ordering new bottles for Greta and needed just a few more dollars for free shipping, these books are only $6! Best $6 I've spent in a long time! http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-House-Reusable-Sticker/dp/B004PBLP5O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334170587&sr=8-2


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Courtney: I'm a crying mess as I read your birth story and watch the video. Beautiful Mama!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Mal our whole family had strep, my dh even had the scarlet fever face and body rash. The doc in emerge told him that 2/3 of people culture positive for it but most are just carriers. He was soooooo sick. I had it before him and managed to clear it without antibiotics but I wonder if I might have gotten better a lot faster if I had got some.

Cindy that Y sounds fabulous

Starling sorry to hear about the nastiness on your trip.

Sue I'm terrified to get the celiac test for just that reason. Dee projectile vomits and doesn't eat when she has gluten. Can a toddler vomit and not eat for 3 weeks straight? I'm not so sure that's why I've never gotten her tested. I hope the test gives you answers.

Courtney LIE DOWN!! kidding sort of seriously you need to rest my midwife (an older lovely german lady) would have taken a strip off you for doing all that.

Erin love the tide pool easter egg hunt!

Ever is school done for you for the semester? I finished my last assignment today.

Kate sending vibrating labour vibes your way.

AFU: Not much new. Easter was low key my brother came to visit but I had a lot of homework and didn't get to visit much. We might take an impromptu road trip this weekend. I want to go to IKEA.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Nilla: My sister was just talking about being a carrier for strep. Her kids get it pretty frequently and she started to notice a pattern. She would get a little cold with a little bit of a sore throat, but the sore throat would get better throughout the day and never turn into anything bad. A couple of days later, strep throat would start making the rounds through her kids. So, the last time her daughter got it she brought it up with the doctor and they said it sounds very possible that she is just a carrier for strep. When I woke up with a sore throat on Easter, I was really hoping the same thing would happen for me, but I wasn't so lucky.

My MIL is bothering me right now. She is a super healthy person. She used to be a personal trainer, she's currently a massage therapist out of her home. She also runs marathons and is very strict with her diet. I think it's all great that she's so healthy and able to run marathons well into her 50s. But everyone in their family obsesses over food. My FIL makes nonstop comments anytime she bakes cookies or a cake, and can be rather rude about it. I watch DH struggle with it. He grew up with them and has a very unhealthy relationship with food that involves binging and "cleansing" (not purging). It consumes his mind most of the time. My MIL has been trying to be helpful with Owyn ever since she started eating solids. She commented on giving her whole milk rather than reduced fat... when she was no more than 14 months old! I told her then that it was fine with me if she wanted to give her reduced fat at her house, but that I would be giving her whole milk at home. I explained how a baby's body and brain is growing much faster than ours, her metabolism is much faster than ours, and that she needs more fat and calories in her diet to support that. She constantly keeping a watchful eye on how many calories are in Owyn's food. A couple of times, Owyn has gone to their house eating a granola bar, so then my MIL goes out and buys the reduced fat, lower calorie, organic granola bars that she thinks Owyn should be eating and sends them home with DH. She noticed that I started buying gummy vitamins for Owyn to take, so she went out and bought the all-natural, no sugar vitamins that she thought Owyn she be taking.

The thing is, I think Owyn eats a great variety of foods compared to most 3 year olds I know. She loves most fruits, she will eat most vegetables. She is almost always ready and willing to try new foods. She gets plenty of greens in her diet, plenty of protein and fiber. And, she's 3 year old and 28 lbs. She is, by no means, an overweight kid! If anything, her weight is low on the growth chart. I see absolutely no reason to restrict the fat and calories in her diet. It is more important to me to get a wide variety of foods into her diet, which she is pretty good about. DH isn't very helpful. He grew up with his mom and thinks she's right. I look at him and see a person with a very unhealthy relationship with food and I don't want that for Owyn. I don't want her to see all this pressure surrounding food.

Anyway... not sure what I'm looking for here, but I just needed to rant.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Mal- that's seriously annoying. There are a lot of eating habits in my family that are not good and I have to work hard to keep them away from my daughters. From people obsessing about being overweight when they aren't to someone overweight insisting they eat all their food and trying to bribe them to eat healthy food by offering unhealthy food.

today I am mostly lying down..and playing on the computer right now. I am resisiting doing the dishes even though they are bugging me and ignoring the 4 loads of laundry that need to be folded.

oh and those melissa and doug reusable stickers are awesome! they are on the wish list at amazon.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Kate - Hang in there! L was 15 days late (not that I think yours will be so late), and it was agonizing, but on day 16, I had already forgotten all about it.

Courtney - Beautiful birth story. And good for finally resting! You've been doing SO much for just having had a baby. The laundry will wait.

Mal - that does sound annoying about the food thing. K is around 28 lbs as well, and it's SMALL for a 3 year old. I struggle sometimes with getting K to try new things and eat a variety of veggies and other foods, but I'd never in a million years worry about him having full fat food. I think it's better for all of us really, just in moderation. And obsessing about food is no good for anyone.

Everr - Hope the date goes well! And I hope you get your phone back.

Starling - Ouch. What a time to be sick!

Sue - That sounds so hard. Hopefully you get answers soon, and F can go back to eating what's good for her.

Speaking of diets, why is gluten so difficult for so many people these days? I've never worried about it for my family, since no one seems to have any food issues of any sort, but it does seem awfully common now. I don't think I knew a single gluten-sensitive kid when I was young - never even heard of it until adulthood.

Today was an absolutely gorgeously sunny day, and our weekly hike day. On clear nights, it freezes enough overnight that we can all just walk right over the top of the snow in the morning, and go wherever we like. I love spring (even if there is still 4 feet of snow on the ground).


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

I got my phone back!!! Yay!!! I'm so relieved 

And, my date went well! He's a lot of fun and I really like him, but, I have a small feeling he's the lifelong bachelor type. Which is ok for now. I'll just have some fun for a while 

And, I had my last day of class today!! Just 6 exams to write and then I'm done for the summer!

Mal - Oh that's frustrating. I would get so annoyed. I'm sorry you have to deal with that 

Kate - Thinking of you!!!


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Baby Mallory Jean born Fri 4/13/12 @ 5:01 p.m. via c-section. 1 cm uterine rupture, small bladder perforation, lost 1L of blood, but doing ok after 3 hrs of surgery to repair all. Worst luck ever, huh?!

Baby is huge. 9 lb. 13. oz., 21.5", 14 cm head. 3 entire lbs. more than Aubrey. Believe it or not, the entire thing was still better than last time. Will share more when i have better internet. So in love!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Welcome to the world baby girl!! Sounds like a rough go. I hope you are able to get lots of rest and recover quickly. And enjoy that big, beautiful baby!! Can't wait to see pics!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Welcome Baby Mallory!!! Congratulations Kate!!! I'm so happy for you  I'm sorry you had such a rough time and I hope the recovery is quick - *hugs*. I can't wait to see pics of your sweet (big!) girl!! Is Aubs excited??


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Welcome to the world, MALLORY!

Congratulations, *Kate*! I am so sorry to hear that you didn't get the birth you were hoping and aiming for, but I am thrilled that she is here and that you are on the mend. I can't wait to see pictures of our newest baby! And wow, three pounds bigger! That's practically a whole other baby! H was two pounds heavier. I think that had a lot to do with my ending up with a c-section. Rest up, be gentle with your body, and let everyone around you do your bidding while you snuggle in and get to know that precious baby girl!

And *Ever* ... I meant to come rave about you going on a date with Bus Man. Have fun with it!

*Erin* ... I think a lot of the gluten-sensitivity is a fad. Just another bandwagon to get on, but one that makes sense for a lot of people, because gluten is pretty difficult to break down and digest, so lots of people just feel better when they're off of it. As for celiac, that has been around for a while, but I think gets tested more often now, resulting in it being diagnosed more often. When I first was diagnosed, there was nothing out there for alternatives, or what was available was gross and grossly overpriced. What I like about this trend? More options at restaurants and supermarkets! Yay!

*AFM*: H is 18 lbs, 8 oz! E was 17 pounds at one year! H is almost SIX AND A HALF MONTHS OLD! He's eating everything, and gets really irate when he has to wait if he sees someone else with food. He's not taking much formula any more, but still nursing tonnes. His poops are getting a bit dry though. I wonder if I should offer him water? He's sitting, rolling and wanting to be upright, standing with someone holding his hands. E walked at ten months, so we'll see what he has in store for us soon! H is super mellow and happy, which E was too, so I feel pretty lucky to be two-for-two on that front!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: What? Your date was with bus guy?????

Kate: CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I'm so sorry that you ended up with another c-section. Sounds like it was a scary ordeal. So glad you are ok! I'm wondering, did you rupture during labor and then end up with a c-section? Or did it happen during the section? Eeeck! Wow, your little girl is 50% bigger than Aubrey! So crazy! Rest up and heal and enjoy every wonderful second with your darling new daughter!!

AFM: I am beyond pissed at my DH right now. Won't get into details but I didn't sleep at all last night! I stayed in bed until 11, even though I still coulnd't sleep bc I was so mad. DH slept on the couch and M woke up at 7am so I made him deal with her. I'm sure he is feeling like sh*t today bc he didn't go to sleep on the couch until 2:30 and was really drunk. That made me a feel a tiny bit better. LOL. Going to be a long day - not sleeping while you're already worn out from being pregnant does NOT feel pleasant.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Vegan Princess*
> 
> Everr: What? Your date was with bus guy?????


Well, yes, but I'm not sure if it's the same one you're thinking about.. There was that one guy I met way back in early February and then found on fb and messaged. I never heard from him.

But the following week I started chatting with a regular on the bus who lives in my town and commutes for work. We've been chatting since then and at first I didn't think much of it but then I started crushing on him. And finally last week he asked me out to dinner. He's a pretty impressive guy, very talented and successful. He's also 12 years old than me which so far doesn't seem to be an issue.. And then there's another dilemma: I didn't know this guys last name until last week just before he asked me out. Turns out, he has the same last name as the guy I messaged back in February. And during our date I found out that he has a younger brother who lives in the city we commute to. So I'm about 99% certain that these two guys are brothers. And I'm so embarrassed about the guy I'm seeing finding out that I searched his brother up and asked him out months ago. What are the chances of that??? I have such bad luck :/

Anyway, I'll deal with that later I guess 

I'm really sorry about your fight with your dh. I hope it all gets resolved quickly *hugs*

Starling - wow time flies! I'm glad H is doing well! I wouldn't worry about water right now. He'll be fine with breastmilk


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Everr- I'm not sure how I missed that you were going on a date, although I suspect the newborn is behind it, so glad it went well, and hey maybe the brother thing will just be an amusing story later on..although it could just be a coincidence too.

Starling- wow on the size difference in your kids...and the size difference in your kids Kate!

Cindy- sorry about the fight with your Hubs, those always suck.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Kate: love up on that new baby! I hope you recover quickly. I'm sorry things didn't go as planned Mama. Can't wait to see pictures of your two girls together! Does Mallory have red hair? 

Everr: Yeah for a date. Crazy about the last names. Maybe it will make for a good love story! And awesome that you are so close to the end of term. Good luck on finals!

Cindy: I hate fights with DH- sounds like a big one. Hope you are both feeling better now and have things worked out.

Erin: I was going to say something similar to Starling about the gluten. I had never even heard of celiac before so I do think that testing more and doctors and patients being more aware of it accounts for some of it. We were shocked when we were down south and we asked about something on the menu being gluten free- "Oh would you like to see our gluten free menu?" Whoa! That was pretty cool for us Kodiak kids! 

Starling: Fun to read a great report about H. Maeve is just shy of 15 pounds now. She is just beginning to get into food- still a little wobbly with her sitting so I haven't pushed it much. I couldn't resist offering a bit here and there though over the last few weeks. She digs it! I think breastmilk is all he needs but a little water wouldn't hurt either.

Fiona is still have a rough time but not quite so much as even a few days ago. I have to say- we are hoping she does have celiac's so that it would explain to us what is going on with her. If she doesn't then we are back to figuring it out. DH and I are working so hard with her (and finally on the same page!) and working hard on our whole families diet in hopes that it helps us all out. Yesterday I went to put Maeve down for a nap and fell asleep for 2 hours! I woke up to a happy Fiona and an uber clean house. It was pretty awesome. I didn't realize how exhausted I have become.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Kate - Congratulations and welcome Mallory! Sounds like the birth must have had some scary moments. Friday the 13th luck? Glad you're both OK. And that is an amazing size difference. Lituya was 2lb 10oz more than Katmai at birth (at 9lb 14oz and 7lb 4oz), but you've got me beat!

Everr - glad it worked out. And if he ever does find out, the brothers thing sounds more like a funny story than anything - you never actually went out with his brother.

Cindy - hope you two patch it up soon.

Starling - H does sound huge. L is far far bigger than K was, at 22.5 pounds (15 months) K only outweighs her by 6 or 7 pounds. I feel it when I'm cycling them both up the hill for sure (and when I'm carrying L on my back). Neither one of my kids has consented to nap in a bed, and with our lifestyle, there's a lot of walking naps. But my two are still more like 60th percentile vs 5th percentile, so I can't really complain.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Welcome Mallory!!!! Sorry that your birth was not what you envisioned Kate but I'm glad that it was still better than your last one. Can't wait to see the pictures.

Erin I think the gf is getting more exposure as the celebs get on the bandwagon. There has been some talk that says that GMO's may be behind the rise in celiac disease who knows? I think a lot of people suffered for many years without a diagnosis and now that there is more awareness we can get the diagnosis earlier and it tweaks Doc's to test for it.

Starling My ds was a tank as well 24lbs by 7 months but then he levelled off and didn't gain for a long time especially after crawling and walking started and he was too busy to eat all the time.

Ever Glad your date went well. Too funny about the brother story must be some kind of genetic attraction 

Cindy I hope your fight is all smoothed over and he has apologized.

AFU we decided to make the trip down to Van to see friends and family and visit Ikea we are still here, going back Tuesday. I think it was a good choice it's nice and hot here and snowing in PG. Went to a friend's daughter's first birthday and had a lovely visit. My ds fell in love with a younger woman both of them said they were getting married. He's heartbroken he can't see her again anytime soon.


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

This is the only decent photo i've managed to take on my phone, and no wi-fi in the hospital so no other access until i'm discharged, prob Tuesday b/c they're keeping a close eye on my bladder. But spirits are up; i'm enjoying my time with just Mallory before going home. I'm following along but its hard to respond on just a phone. Thank you all for the encouragement and sweet words, it means a ton to me.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

That is one beautiful, squishy new baby! Oh, how I wish I could come nom on my little namesake! (Yes, I am totally taking credit for the name!)


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Hello Gorgeous Squishy Baby!!!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I said it on facebook and I'll say it again that baby is SO BEAUTIFUL, seriously an awesome looking kid.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

She's beautiful. I'm glad you're doing well, and hope you get to go home tomorrow.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

AK - Just saw you won the cloth diaper contest!!!! Woohoo!!!!

Kate - Gorgeous! It looks like she has red hair just like her big sis 

My first final is tomorrow and I'm in full study mode!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

woohoo Sue- good job on the win!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

ooh cool! Thanks for the votes!

Good luck on finals!!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Sue - congrats!

Everr - hope the final went well.

I've got a couple things we've been struggling with, behavior-wise, that I was hoping to bounce off you guys.

Food: K is somewhat picky, which is totally normal. He's also incredibly contrary about food. No matter what's on offer (even if I know he likes several of the options), he whines, complains that he wants something else, tries to come up with bizarre specific requirements that don't match any food available "I want something raw but not crunchy and not juicy and not orange." He'll refuse things he helped choose, or things he asked for 1 min before. In group settings, no matter what I bring for our lunch, he'll refuse it and instead beg and whine for a friend's lunch, even if they clearly don't have enough to share. (and it's not healthy food vs junk food, just something different than what I brought). I sometimes wonder if he gets enough (vegetables and protein particularly), but mostly its the behavior that's driving me up the wall.

Getting Dressed/Ready: K still does not know how to get a shirt or coat on or off. Not because he's not coordinated, but because getting him dressed or undressed or ready to go anywhere takes so long as it is, I can't imagine adding any more coaxing/ordering/impatient pleading. I want him to do more for himself, but we will literally NEVER get out the door if I wait for him (no matter how enticing the outing, he'd rather dawdle than get ready), so most of the time I just grab him and stuff him into all his clothes. We are, without exception, always the last ones out of preschool. (L, on the other hand, loves to try and put on clothes so much I think she'll learn before he does.) How do I teach basic self-help skills and still get where we're going?


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Erin- sounds tough but here are some of my thoughts. With food: It is our jobs as parents to provide healthy food at predictable times (breakfast, lunch dinner, snack, etc...). It is the kids job to decide if they will eat it and how much. That is what I aim for at our house at least. Somedays it seems she does reject everything- even favorites but I figure that if she is truly hungry she will let win over her stubborn strong will! Usually does. It's hard though when you know they are cranky because they just need to eat some stinking food and they refuse to do it! I think you just have to ride it out.

Clothes: find some times when you really don't have to be somewhere at a given time and let him do it. Oh, I see you still need your sock- I will be outside while you take care of that. Oh what fun we are having outside! This bike riding is so awesome!! I can't wait for you to join us! OR...make it a race. Ready set go- can you get your shirt on before I do? Or before L does. Wow you are so quick! I can't believe it- my head got stuck but you were the fastest!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Food: I think it's a 3 year old thing to refuse whatever's offered even if you like it. My rule and it may seem harsh but if one of the kids is whining at the table about what is being served they get down and leave the kitchen until they can be pleasant at the table or at least silent.

Clothes: I will carry a child to the car in their pjs and dress them wherever we arrive. I will also just leave the house and pack the car or get the stroller ready while waiting. Usually my kids if left there with nothing else to do and no one watching will just get dressed *usually*. Getting them to learn to do it I would make it a game of monster's eating their various extremities as they pushed them out. We also did the races. Also when they ask for anything other than breakfast in the morning I say "Sure when your dressed". Can you borrow an older kid to 'show' him how it's done. Make it a game of dress up or something that you challenge him and the older child too? Or borrow some dress up clothes to use for games/practice?


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Those are tricky ones, Erin!

Food: I would encourage the folks he's 'begging' off of to politely let him know that they didn't bring food for sharing, and I would make sure that there is at least one thing in his snack that he'll like. I pack the 'treat' foods (package granola bars, raisins, etc) in my bag so E doesn't go for those first, and I put the snack bag in E's backpack, for her to help herself to any time. I put lots of good foods in her bag; apples, carrots, sandwich, seaweed, berries, tofu, cucumber, hardboiled eggs, meat, nuts, other fruits and let her eat whenever/whatever she chooses.

At home, I make sure she has at least one thing on her plate that she likes at each meal. If she doesn't like what we're having, she can help herself to carrots, apples, toast with PB, etc that she can do herself. She is expected to sit at the table with us for meal times, and she willingly tries new foods, which I'm happy about.

Clothes: If you feel done with dressing him, I'd let him go out of the house in his pajamas, until he's interested in putting his own clothes on himself. And I'd bring a coat, so that if he gets cold, he can figure out how to put it on himself. On the other hand, I think it's okay that he's not dressing himself. E's still not riding a balance bike. They'll get there in their own time.

AFM: Must dash. My dear, dear friend is struggling with cancer, and I have her girls staying. Got to get them organized to go see their mom.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Starling - I'm so sorry about your friend.

Thanks for all the tips, guys, I'll definitely be trying some of them out. Just putting my complaints in words seems to have spurred a temporary reprieve of sorts - he's been OK about food for the past couple days. Starling - I can't believe you have so much variety of food handy for snacks around at one time. I'm lucky if I can manage a sandwich, orange, and a handful of nuts. I'm also impressed E can get herself toast. Our kitchen is rather child unfriendly, I guess. Most stuff's out of reach, none of the bread is pre-sliced, the lid to the pb jar is much too big for kid hands, etc... I think I might need to make more regular snack times too - because he can whine about food literally any time of the day.

The clothes thing is more difficult. Leaving the house usually involves him walking down a bumpy slippery snowy trail for a couple hundred yards to the bike trailer, not something he can actually do with no boots or pants (which is often the state he'll stay in if I don't intervene). And I'm usually carrying L, so can't really carry him too. I'm not sure he has enough competitive spirit for the race thing, but it's worth a try. And Sue, that's a good idea to just go out into the yard to play without him sometime.

Starling - You're right, it is easy to expect kids this age to be able to do the same things, when they really have an even wider divergence of skills than they did as babies. K has a good friend whose speech I can barely understand, but draws complicated and detailed pictures of fish, oceans, and tidepool critters. K can't get his shirt off but spends his time climbing boulders and cliffs and is learning to read. They're all so different.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

So do most of you guys' kids dress themselves?? Makenna can't do it on her own. Though I am going to work with her on it more. I mostly just do it. She can pull her undies and pants up and down when she pees but she puts her undies on wrong half the time if she is putting them on herself. I think she could manage pants but she hasn't figure out how to get a shirt on without some help. She is an expert at getting naked though! LOL!

We just had her cousins (age 2 and 4) here for 5 days. Her 4 yr old cousin (turning 4 in 2 weeks) can dress herself. We were talking about all the things Willa can do and what Makenna can do bc they are big girls - so I asked her if she wanted to work on dressing herself. She does.

Starling: I'm so sorry about your friend! I hope she will be strong and healthy soon! I've always been impressed by E's willingness to eat a varied diet.

RE: FOOD: Every meal here is a bit of a negotiation. M still eats a super limited repetoire of foods. It's frustrating. But lately I have been holding my ground about her eating what she is served - mainly at dinner. And if she doesn't want it, she doesn't get anything else. If she is really hungry, she will eat it. I do try to balance giving her some of what she loves as well as some veggies, etc that she does eat. And often it is already something totally different than what DH and I are eating bc she definitely won't eat most meals I cook. So I definitely do not want to prepare a 3rd meal if she won't eat what she is given. And I am not taking any crap from kid #2 in the food department. I think I was too quick to make something else for Makenna for a long time and I wonder if she wouldn't be willing to eat more foods if I hadn't given in so easily. Oh please let this baby be a good eater. LOL.

Kate: Been thinking of you. I hope you're feeling well and enjoying baby Mallory!

AFM: Nothing exciting here. Relatives just left after 5 days. It was a lot of fun having the cousins here! Also nice co-parenting with 2 other adults and splitting some of the duties for a few days (and having my husband home the whole time too). Makenna is a bit sick today. So we've just been laying low and resting after having run around every day.

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Owyn does pretty well when it comes to dressing herself. She prefers to do herself if she can. She still gets her underwear on backwards or sideways at times, but she can tell that it's wrong and will keep trying until she either gets too frustrated with it or gets it right. Shirts she can do herself, but can't tell if it's backwards or not. If I tell her it's backwards, she'll turn it around. I've been buying shoes that she can put on by herself. The kind with velcro or flip flops. Last week, I bought her some Toms in her size. They are so cute on her and she absolutely loves them and she can put them on by herself, but I think they gave her a blister on the bottom of her foot. She kept insisting on wearing them even though she was limping all over the place from the blister!

I think playing dress up was the best practice for her. She is constantly changing her clothes during the day, so I guess being able to dress herself is a bit annoying as well. She leaves her clothes all over the floor in her room, gets into her dresser to find new things. She'll even pull a chair into her closet to get things off of hangers. I find her in a different outfit several times a day!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Starling: So sorry about your friend. That is tough. I hate cancer.

I think its a very good point about the different skills and abilities our kids have. Fiona can get herself dressed but doesn't always want to. She does her own shoes/boots and coat all the time though. She's been interested in getting herself dressed since she was about 18 months old!







Lately though all she wants to wear is pajamas and maybe a skirt over her pajamas. Works for me. I tell her footy pj's are for home only but she can wear the cotton ones. Only because she doesn't like how the footies feel in her boots and it becomes a frustrating situation for all of us!

I'm waiting for 9:00 to call the Dr's office. Freaking Dr has had the test results from her celiac blood panel since Tuesday and still hasn't called us back. I called Wednesday last week, then tried again on Friday but they were closed. It's not like this is to check something minor like her vitamin D level or something- this is a big deal. CALL US DUDE!!

Both kids are sick and Maeve starting in with the barky croup coughing again last night. Sucks. I"m tired and grumpy.

Starling: you inspired me to put out more snacks. We do lots of nuts and fruit- fresh and dried but haven't done hard boiled eggs in a while. I'm on it today. Maeve loves the yolk too!

Kate and Courtney: thinking about you mamas and hope you are enjoying snuggling up with your newborns!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

AK - How frustrating!! I hope they get back to you soon!

RE Dressing Selves - Umm, definitely NO! He won't even UNDRESS himself most of the time :/ I just dress him. Sometimes he'll have a shirt preference but mostly I just grab something and do it. He does get a bit silly sometimes when I'm trying to dress him which is frustrating.

RE Food - R is pretty good. I don't make substitutions. Although if it's something new that I can understand him not liking I will let him have a quick easy snack. And I don't really keep any junk in the house so if he's hungry it's mostly health snacks he gets. Sometimes he asks for something I don't have, he can eat what's there or not eat. I don't put up with whining about food :/

Erin - I'm so impressed with Katmai and his friends - reading and drawing pictures!! Wow. R doesn't even recognize the letters and his drawings are just scribbles. I'm trying to think of what R really excels at but unless being cute and funny counts then that's about it lol! Social skills I guess would be it 

Starling - I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I hope she's doing ok.

AFM - 5 exams down, 1 left on Friday! I have 3 days to prep for it and I need it! I'm so behind in that class. And I'm still seeing my bus guy, things are good there


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Ever - Glad it's going well with the bus guy, and good luck on exams! Social skills is absolutely a strength that counts! In a group, K is always the one off to the side doing his own thing and saying "I don't want to" to all group activities. His friend who draws beautiful pictures is frequently disciplined for hitting and pushing, and utterly melts down if there's even the suggestion of needing to share.

Sue - Sorry about the sick kids, and hope you get answers on the celiac soon!

Kate and Courtney - send us a few squishy baby pictures sometime when you get the chance

Clothes: I guess K isn't the only one not dressing himself! He does always do his boots - mostly because he finds it hilarious to mix and match rubber and winter boots so he has 2 left boots of 2 different colors. At a recent kid activity a girl an entire year younger than K heard her mom say it was time to go, ran over to find her snowsuit, put it on (arms and legs), zipped it up around halfway, put her boots on, and stood by the door. I was blown away. But I guess she's the unusual one! And it's probably not fair of me to compare K to the other preschool kids, nearly all of whom are a year or more older than him.

Food: I find I have had slightly better luck lately with giving K our food, but with all the ingredients separate, plain, and raw if possible. Maybe that would help you too, Cindy? We eat so much that's all mixed together with sauce, curry, stir fry, soups, etc... And he usually won't touch it. But a plate of plain broccoli, plain noodles, and plain tomatoes often seems to go over better. Also, I've found the only thing K will absolutely always eat is fried eggs if he gets to fry them himself. I'm hoping for better luck on the veggies when we can get them from our own garden again.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Erin: Yep, I often deconstruct dinner for M - or put things aside as I'm making it. I'll try and make our veggie side dishes ones that she will eat. But it's pretty common for her to be eating tofu and green beans while we eat something totally different. Pretty annoying. But at least she does have some healthy standbys in her limited repetoire. LOL. Thank goodness the kid likes eggs bc we have SO many of them right now from our girls.

Everr: Yay for a nice distraction from bus guy!! ;-) I hope your last exam goes well! I wouldn't worry about what R is or isn't doing right now - I'm sure he is absolutely fine and perfect. M is still scribbling, knows a decent amount of letters and sounds but it no where near reading or writing them and still doesn't dress herself. It's fine. It'll happen in due time.

Sue: I hope you got those results! Let us know!!

AFM: I am pondering eating meat again. If I do it will only be pasture raised, local meat. I can't decide. Yesterday I wanted to. Today it doesn't sound as appealing. LOL. My husband is trying not to get too excited by the idea of me eating /serving meat. I've been veggie the entire time we've known each other. He said he didn't want to pressure me - he wants it to be all my own decision. But then he said it would be really awesome if we could have a date night at a steak house. LOL.

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Don't have much time to post but I wanted to let you know.... celiac panel came back negative!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Wow Sue! Has her behavior improved since the test and removing gluten again? Or do you think her issues are from something else entirely? Has removing garlic helped at all?

Makenna has a new issue that I'm not loving. She is constantly afraid our car is going to fall into the ocean! And cries and freaks out. It started this weekend when we were in San Francisco and went down a big, multi block long hill with a view to the bay. She started crying and demanding I turn. But then she had a HUGE fit about not wanting to go to the beach bc she thought we were going to fall in (same trip). I chalked it up to a 1x thing. Where we live, we are on the other side of the bay and live a few miles from it. When you drive down the street leading to ours from the downtown area, you can see the bay. This is a drive we've done every day, if not multiple times/day for over a year and she never cared. But since this weekend's freakout, she freaks out again every time she sees the water. She demands I turn, demands I park the car and just generally freaks out. I had to have her drive with a library book in front of her face so we could get home from a park up in the hills (with an even more pronounced view on the way home). Ugh. I feel bad that she is scared but how do I get her to understand that the car is NOT going to fall into the ocean and that we are actually no where near it??


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

*Sue* ... well that's perplexing! What now?

*Cindy* ... I was vegan or vegetarian for fifteen years, and started eating meat a couple of years after being diagnosed celiac. I love meat now.

As for the *car-going-into-the-ocean* thing, I would take her to a friendly mechanic and have him explain the brakes. If she's confident, I'd have her ask the question herself and articulate her fear as best she can (you can interpret, if necessary). I find that E often accepts information and fact from 'experts' MUCH easier than if I try to convince her. Because we're going to homeschool, I figured I better come up with a solution to that asap, so I get her to investigate her own questions and concerns. I've had her ask skytrain cops why it's not safe to go up the down escalator or stand to close to the rails, ask the bus driver why it's not okay to stand on the seat, ask the grocer why she can't eat the fruit before she pays for it, ask her gymnastics instructor why it's better to jump off things that aren't too high, ask the librarian why she can't eat ice cream while she looks at the books, ask the construction guy why the building isn't going to fall on her, ask the fireman how the smoke alarms work (she has a fear of our house burning down), etc. Works GREAT!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: Great idea. I'll have to look into who I can ask. Grandma explained that no roads go into the ocean and that cars don't fall off of roads while on the phone earlier. But we have yet to be in the car since she spoke to her. As for meat - did you have any mental hang ups about eating it? The thought of chewing it is freaking me out. Also the guilt factor bc I am veggie not just for health reasons but for moral reasons. And also the fact that Makenna has only ever been veggie and she does not want to eat meat and she doesn't want me to eat it (I asked her earlier how she would feel). I worry about being a hypocrite - teaching her 1 thing and doing another. And also I feel like this is something I can probably never go back on with her. For myself, I can always decide in a month to go back to being veg - but I may be stuck having to cook and serve meat to her if she tries it and likes it - which I doubt I would want to do if I am vegetarian again. I know I like the taste of meat - I always did like the taste. That's my problem. Pregnancy cravings, I suppose. Today I was wanting to eat rotisserie chicken skin. The other day it was steak.

Cindy


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Cindy ... I had major hang-ups about eating meat. I bought the most organic, humanely treated free range buffalo for my first meat. And after eating it, I felt like a million bucks. When I started eating meat on a regular basis, I had so much more energy. I know eating meat is not the right thing for everyone, but my body was begging for it! You could always be a closet meat-eater for your pregnancy and then see if the cravings persist once the baby comes?


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Cindy - I started eating meat again last year after 5 years as a vegetarian. I only eat fish and poultry, no red meat (I haven't had red meat in probably 7 or 8 years ago..) R wouldn't eat it at first but then he started to and now he loves it. He doesn't eat red meat either, sometimes he asks if someone's having something but he knows we don't eat cows and pigs so I just tell him what the animal is and he knows we don't eat that. He also won't eat chicken/turkey bacon because it looks like pig bacon which he knows we don't eat. I decided to add in some meat because I truly felt it would be healthier for myself and for R to have some meat in our diet. I find it really hard to eat healthy as a vegetarian, I know not everyone does, but for me it seemed to take a lot of work to make meals that would satisfy me. Have some chicken/turkey or fish really helps me feel satisfied and healthy and it's a lot easier to make a meal that way (for me). The one thing I'm not too happy about with myself though - when I first reintroduced meat my plan was to only eat local, organic type meats. Well that has gone out the window. I can't afford that type of meat, I can't enforce that on people I'm visiting for dinner, and it's not available at restaurants (and we also eat fast food meat occasionally..







. Ah well!

If you're unsure about sticking to it and what Makenna will think then I agree with Starling - just eat some in secret to see how you feel.

Starling - I love that idea! I think it's awesome you get E to take the initiative like that! I should really do that with R. He argues with everything I say. He will even ask me a question, I gave a completely simple, factual answer, and his response is "No! Tha'ts not right!" Why does he even ask lol?? I should get him to find out for himself by asking someone else, let them deal with it 

Erin - Yep that's how R is with food too. If it's mixed together with sauces/spices, forget about it! But he will devour a plate with separated plain rice, plain veggies, and plain meat. At least he's eating! Actually, last night we had fish with a lemon sauce and he ate that, but he wanted his rice and veggies separate.

AK - Huh.. So now you're back to square one? What do you/they think could be causing her issues?


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

It's nice to know I'm not the only potential veggie drop out.  I was veggie from age 15-21 and went back to eating meat until age 26. I think I'm just having a harder time bc of M. I suppose you all are right - I should eat it wihtout her knowing for now. But that means sneaking it while she's in the other room or only eating it at like 9pm. She always comments about what's on our plates and is VERY aware that her dad eats meat. I don't feel like I want/need to eat a ton of it though.

Everr: If I do eat it, I only want to eat grass fed - it just sounds like it's so much healthier. And I can actually visit the farms where it comes from (I already visited one a couple weeks ago that does a CSA box of grass fed meat). I wouldn't expect others to cook that for me - so my thought is, I'd likely remain vegetarian at restaurants, etc. And that is fine. But yeah, there are a few things I've been craving that I'm sure aren't organic or grass fed - like gyros meat! And you're right - it's SO pricey. DH bought 2 steaks at that farm after our tour and he paid $50 for them. Though I think a box is $40 - but includes all sorts of cuts of meat as well as pork and chicken. I don't see myself eating a ton of pork. I have to say though - I live in a foodie mecca. Alice Water, who is credited with starting the whole "california cuisine" and farm to table style of cooking has her restaurant a mile from my house and has influenced SO much here. One of her chefs just opened a butcher shop that ONLY sells local, pastured meat. And more of the restaurants here are incorporating organic meat, etc. But it is still far and few between and you do pay the price to eat at those places. Which really is NOT in out budget very often these days. But mostly we eat at home anyway.

Cindy


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

We buy organic, humanely-raised meat also, and so we don't eat a lot. My partner, who is a chef, is very good at making it stretch.

*FYI, mamas!* I discovered this thing called Face Book. It's a social networking doohickey that some of you might have heard of. Anyway, my publisher is contractually obliging me to be more "socially connected" so I am now on FB. Sigh. It's true. So if you PM me, I'd be happy to add you, Ever, Nilla, Kate, Sue, Erin, Mal & Courtney! If I can even figure out how to do that, that is. Haha.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Starling - LOL! Yay  I just searched you up but couldn't find you.. I think I pm'd you my name ages ago so you can add me!

ETA. I just remembered I'm unsearchable at the moment.. I'll change that for today so you can find me 

ETA (again). I found you! It looks like you have a fan page set up, so I liked you  I think you need a regular page though to be able to see other peoples updates/pics.. Not sure..


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

And Cindy too, of course! I think I forgot you because I'd just replied to your post. You know that I love you!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Meat - I was veggie from about 13 years old to 27 years old. I stopped when we did our year-long walk, mostly for hospitality reasons. If we were going to wander into a village hungry, after 2 weeks in the wilderness, and someone was going to kindly open their house to our grubby selves and serve us a meal - we were definitely going to eat it. I still don't buy meat or usually order it at restaurants, but I eat it when it's served to me and at potlucks. And I do accept and cook gifts of hunted meat from friends that hunt. In fact, we just used up some bear in the freezer for a stew the other night. Ethically, I'd be fine with buying a small amount of organic humanely-raised meat, but I never end up seeing the need to do so. I'm happy with our heavy salmon diet. Of course K has decided he doesn't like salmon, so he's mostly veggie. I can usually get him to eat one bite of everything, but then he'll usually just eat the grain part of the meal.

Starling - Pawning off some of the "whys" on other experts sounds like a good strategy. K will accept answers from me as well as from anyone (often not well), but I do get exhausted with the endless endless string of "why" and "what would happen if" questions.

Sue - What's your next step? That's great that she doesn't have celiac, but then not so helpful that you can't figure out what's wrong.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

sick sleeping baby in arms...

Starling:  sent you a friend request! I love the ask the expert tip!

I was veggie for 10 years. Then DH's cooking just started to smell really good and I started eating meat again. I felt much better for it!

As for what's next? I don't know. We are keeping her gluten free because it was so clear in those 3 weeks before her test how awful it was for her. It was like everything that was bothering her was 10 x worse. It was a cumulative effect too- by week 3 she was a total wreck. Now 2 weeks later things have improved. Still this "background" of skin issues, constipation, leg pain...just not as pronounced. removing garlic didn't make a lick of difference.

kids are both sick with the crud. Maeve got herself so worked up in her misery last night that she puked all over me.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Starling, welcome to Facebook! Lol, I'll be pm-ing you!

I don't know how any of you lived without meat. That's one thing I just never could do. I love meat too much. Now, pork... I could go without pork. Oddly, I used to love pork, but during my pregnancy with Greta I was completely turned off by it and still am for the most part. Well, except for bacon. I still love bacon. Beef I could take or leave, aside from a nice ribeye steak. That I love. But chicken... I could never give up chicken.

Sue: It's good to have an answer, I'm sure. I'd still be puzzled as to why, but obviously you know what makes her feel better. I think I'd be the same as you. She's better without gluten, so out it goes!

Things here are going well. Haven't had much to respond with, but I'm still here reading most days. Owyn had a playdate at the park yesterday with my old daycare girl. Those two are just too fun together. Every time they see each other it's as if they've gone years apart. They greet with a huge hug and kiss and giggles galore! Her mom mentioned that they may be moving a couple hours away in the next couple of years. With them going to different schools, it's hard telling if they would remain this close anyway, but it's still sad to think they won't be sharing their childhood with each other.

3 weeks from tomorrow is the last day of school and I cannot wait! I have hit that wall at the end of the year. So far, the only day I have really dreaded work was my first day back after maternity leave. But I'm there now. I'm so mentally done and so are the kids. It really has been a great year with them overall and I will miss them next year. It's crazy to think now I have to start all over with a new group come August! I was asked how I felt about taking on mixed ages and going full time, but I declined. I said I would be fine with having some 4 year old kids in my class, but that I'd much rather keep it to 3 days a week for now.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

yeah for summer break Mal! I hope these 3 weeks zoom by!

I've asked this before and gone over it in my head a million times but here I am again. Carseats.

What are your bigs and littles in?

Fiona is at the height limit for her Britax Boulevard rear facing. We either need to forward face her or get her a new seat. If we do a new seat Maeve will get the bouleveard. Any suggestions. I'm torn about forword facing her. DH says he's fine with it but it makes my heart race a little thinking about it. I thought I had this figured out and was going to do a Radian but learned it is not compatible with subaru's.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Makenna is in a Britax Marathon. She could still rear face in it, but we have her facing forward. I feel guilty about it bc I know rear facing is safer. But I figure it's probably not horrible being that she is over 3. She would definitely have to forward when the new baby comes anyway bc DH would not be able to fit in the car w/2 rear facing car seats.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Owyn is forward facing in a Britax Marathon right now. She gets motion sickness really easily when she's rear-facing. She started that at about 2.5 years of age. So, we turned her earlier than I would have liked, but cleaning up her pukey mess was soooo not fun! We just moved Greta out of her Chicco Keyfit and rear-facing in a First Years True Fit. It's Owyn's old one. So, we're currently without a back up seat for DH to use. The plan is to purchase either another True Fit or a Graco MyRide for Greta and use the one she's in now as the back up. I just can't decide between the True Fit and the MyRide. As far as safety goes, they are both pretty even in my mind and the price on them is comparable, so it's really just personal preference right now... Owyn will stay in the Marathon probably until she's ready for a high-back booster. She's pretty petite, so I can't see her outgrowing it before then.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

R is still rearfacing in a Radian XT. He'll likely stay that way until he's 4 or close to it, probably when the snow comes - I didn't like the snowy boots all over the back seat of the car this past winter :/ My mom has a Britax Frontier for him in her car and it's forward facing but he only rides with her in town. That seat can also be used as a high back booster up to 120lb so we'll get good use out of it. I love both these seats and recommend them


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Sue ... What's this about Radians and Subarus? We leave for Costa Rica on Monday and we're taking our two Radian Sunshines with us, but my aunt and uncle are picking us up in their Subaru. Am I in trouble?

E is FF, much to my dismay. she RF until we installed H's seat, so nearly three years. But we couldn't fit two Radians in RF.
H is RF in a Radian, which he's been in since he came home from hospital.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *starling&diesel*
> 
> Sue ... What's this about Radians and Subarus? We leave for Costa Rica on Monday and we're taking our two Radian Sunshines with us, but my aunt and uncle are picking us up in their Subaru. Am I in trouble?
> E is FF, much to my dismay. she RF until we installed H's seat, so nearly three years. But we couldn't fit two Radians in RF.
> H is RF in a Radian, which he's been in since the trillions from hospital.


I was told on the family safety forum that once your child is too heavy to install with latch the seat can't be used in subaru. As long as they have latch you should be ok. After 35-40 pounds (can't remember off hand) the seats should be installed with a belt in a subaru. subaru belt and radian don't mix.

HAVE AN AWESOME TIME!!! How long do you get to stay?


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Have a great trip Starling!!! I could so use a vacation right now!! But today, I mostly think I just need a vacation from my own kid.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Have fun Starling!! Also, I don't think I'd seen many pics of you before you got of facebook. You're gorgeous!!

So, last night--on a whim--I tried something new at bedtime. I had Owyn choose one book and stuffed animal (well, she chose a plush doll that says a bedtime prayer instead of an animal). I told her that daddy was going to lay in bed with her and read her the book she chose. Then he would give her a kiss and a hug, tell her he loves her, turn off the light and come back into the living room with me and Greta. At first she said no, but then she came out of her room with a book and said "Daddy read this one to me?" Then, she got into her toy box and found her plush doll to sleep with. She was waiting by her bedroom door with these things when DH got out of the shower. And it totally worked! She got a little nervous when it came time for him to leave the room, so I went and gave her a kiss and hug, let her give Greta a kiss goodnight, showed her how to squeeze her doll to make it say her prayer and she was fine! I heard her squeeze the doll a few times after we left the room, then never heard another peep out of her! We're going to try it again tonight. I'm really hoping this sticks. It would be great to be able to just put her in her bed and know she'll go to sleep on her own. It's only taken us 3 years to get here, lol!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Awesome Mal! I hope it sticks! We have had some bedtime awesomeness of our own around here. Several times now in the last couple weeks Fiona has let DH put her to bed. They listen to a winnie the pooh audio book and both fall asleep! But this is huge- she has never let anyone but me near her at bedtime. I love it! We'll see how it goes when DH leaves town next week. I'm going to try putting it on for her after I tuck her in. hmmm....


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Thanks, Mal! I'll admit that it's pretty lovely seeing you all over there!

Ever ... Tell us more about your Bus Boy!

Congrats on the bedtime success!

AFM: I'm so looking forward to our holiday! We leave on Tuesday to spend the night out at a hotel at the airport, then catch an early flight to Houston, then onto Costa Rica from there. Can't wait! We're there for two weeks. Thank goodness that E's seat will still be okay for her. She's 30 lbs. We're getting an SUV while we're there, but my Uncle is picking us up in his Suburu and we're not getting the rental until a few days later. What a drag it is to travel with carseats. I wish I didn't mind renting them, but I've heard such terrible things about rental car seats.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Mal: That is SO awesome! I'm jealous! I feel like that day is SO far from happening here!!

Our big change here is that a friend left me her twin aerobed when she moved. We had it blown up for my niece to sleep on last week. We ended up putting it in our room, next to our bed, on Monday. Makenna won't fall asleep on it, but DH moves her to it after she is out and she has mostly stayed on it all night. Though last night, DH fell asleep with her (as he always does) and I didn't wake him until I came to bed. He moved her and then he got up until like 1:30. Sometime between me going to bed and him coming back, she crawled into his spot. I had a crappy day yesterday dealing with Makenna and he knew I was feeling a bit miserable so he just left her and slept on the air mattress bc he wanted me to still have the extra space in bed. That was nice of him! It has beeen SO nice having extra room in the bed and being able to snuggle DH!! Who knows if she'll be out of our room when the new baby comes, but now that I've had a few nights of space in the bed, I don't really want to go back. She has still been crawling over in the mornings and snuggling me before we get up - so that is nice.  I guess a lot of you have been doing this transfer for a long time.

Cindy


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

We have been having some bedtime awfulness around here. Dee has been crying herself to sleep. She gets herself so wound up and starts screaming about silly little things. I think she's frightened since we moved her into the bottom bunk. I have to find a way to alleviate the fear because I am not willing to lie with her until she falls asleep she takes forever. I did take her in my bed and let her fall asleep next to me listening to audio books for a bit while I worked on homework or browsed the internet. She's getting over tired to boot and keeping her brother awake who is exhausted after a full day of school and care. I'm going to see if I can find a nightlight or reading light to place near her bed and a music dock for ds's ipod (if they still make them it's really old) and perhaps spray her sheets with some lavender. I need to get her a squeeze bottle for her water as she has dumped her cup in her frenzies the last couple nights.

I started my work term for school it's Mon-Fr 8-4 and this was my first week I am sooooo exhausted. I've never done the M-F thing it's always been shift work so 4 12hr shifts in a row and then 5 or so off. Plus this is mentally draining because I am doing research work and it's a lot of reading, spreadsheets and project plans in a tiny brown cubicle. I've got to find a way to make it more bearable.

The exercising and weight loss is going well. I finished week 4 of C25K. I have lost 2 inches off the waist, 1/2in off the hips and 1/4in off my arms. Not sure about the boobs but those seem to have take a hit too. I didn't measure them pre. I've only lost 3lbs but I'm sure that I've built up some muscle and I'm running for 5min straight in the intervals when I started at 1min so I am happy with the progress. I feel better and I have more energy. Plus the running gives me 30 min by myself which I wasn't taking before and dh is supportive.

Sue do you have any further plans for investigation with Fiona?

Starling have a fabulous trip! So jealous.

Mal Yay for summer break. I hope you have a fabulous recharge.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

We're starting a bedtime routine here too. I've been trying to put R into bed around 8-8:30 and making him go to sleep on his own. He's doing ok actually although it takes him a looooong time to fall asleep. But I'll be sticking with it now that I'm done school. I think I'm going to make it 8:00 lights out so that he's at least asleep by 9. I think he'll start going to sleep quicker as he gets used to it too. He still goes to sleep in our bed though and then I join him later. But I'm tempted at the idea of putting him in his own bed... Mostly because things are going well with my bus guy and I'd like the option of having him over after R is asleep. It's really hard to date as a parent!

Nilla - good for you with the exercising! I am officially done school and ready to get active! I'm going to get a month of unlimited hot yoga and go every single day. Plus I want to start biking daily too. R is still in daycare full time so I have lots of free time  (I do need to find a job asap, but until then..)

Starling - wow!! Have an awesome trip!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Hey Everr ... Have you had that "Is that other guy your brother?" conversation yet with your Busboy?


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

ps. You have vicarious second children via us, we have vicarious brushes with the dating world via you!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: Congrats on finishing the year!! You so deserve to have some me time until you find a job. Sounds divine. I love hot yoga! I miss it! Do you have an extra bed or even air mattress you can blow up and transfer R to if bus guy comes over? The transferring seems to work well for Makenna. And I am so excited to hear things are going well with bus guy! 

I am very excited. Phil Lesh, one of the original members of the Grateful Deal, opened a new music venue about 30 minutes from me. He's playing tonight with Warren Haynes, my absolute all time favorite singer. DH and I are going and it turns out my friend and her partner are going tonight too. She was in my birth class w/M and is also pregnant again. Her daughter is 10 days older than M and they love playing together. So they are going to share a sitter - and DH and I finally get a night out!!! Makenna was born to a Warren Haynes song.

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I thought I already responded but I guess not.

Cindy- very cool. Enjoy the night.

starling- have fun, I'm jealous too.

okay there is seriously a lot to respond to. I do want to hear more about bus guy. and now it;s all on the other pages and I will have everything mixed up.

if fiona doesn't have celiacs what is the next step? so confusing, i hope you figure out something soon. you might try contacting my facebook friends shana seneka or meli mosseythey've both been through the gammet.

carseats- Jewel-9 year old- graco booster with back and a safety first backed booster. Josie-6 year old- graco booster in less used car and britax frontier. Juniper 3 year old- britax marathon FF and a graco myride 65 RF and Coraline- a bucket seat RF for now. she'll get the myride later, the britax frontier will get tossed in Oct when it expires

Junes has backslid in the sleeping department. She has come back into the bed the past three nights and Hubs has let her so now she won't stay in her bed and we have to start all over again. I never even knew she came back at night b/c I was so tired and wrapped around Coraline. The bed is just too small with 4 of us, when i was complaining for hubs to move over last night he just got up and went to the couch.

i'm one handed typing and it's a pia. so here are some pictures like requested.



i'm still in baby bliss land mostly. hubs work is crap and he's looking for an actual job working for someone and my van is done so for the moment we are a one car family, it kind of sucks...especially since we just put in $1100 to fix the stupid van.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Courtney - Love the pics! Enjoy the baby bliss 

Cindy - Woohoo! Enjoy your date night 

So, more about my bus guy  Umm.. Right now we're just having fun and enjoying each other. I honestly haven't had any serious conversations with him about anything at all, including his brother lol. Sometimes I feel like it's just a fling but other times it seems like there's some real potential there. We'll see. Yesterday we went flying (he recently go this pilot's licence) and I flew the plane. That was pretty cool. And he wants to take a trip for a weekend. Cindy - he suggested San Francisco! If we end up doing that we should meet!! So I'm just enjoying what it is right now. It's scary though.. My ex left me a bit insecure and I think dating in general is scary for anyone. I just always feel like the guy's going to change his mind any second. But I'm trying to stay relaxed and have fun


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: Oooo yes, come visit!! I would love to meet you. Too bad our littles couldn't meet too. But M is so shy with new poeple right, now she probably wouldn't play w/R anyway. SF is a great city to visit for a weekend! Were you scared flying with a new pilot? And flying the plane?! Very cool though! And yes, dating is such a crap shoot and so uncertain for everyone. But it sounds like you are keeping a great atitude about things. Or at least trying. ;-)


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Cindy - A bit nervous yep.. But I was impressed at how not-scared I was. And flying the plane was fun, I knew he would fix it if I messed up 

AND - I just came here to post - R went to sleep in his own bed tonight (I have had a twin in the 2nd bedroom forever for him, just never used it) NO tears, and asleep in probably 20 minutes. WOW!!!!! (He did not nap today so that helped!)


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Finally caught up a bit! Having trouble b/c tapatalk is not working and the minute i pick up a laptop someone is hungry and someone else needs her rear wiped. Everything is pretty good here though; M is my reward for letting Aubs live past infancy, i've decided. She's an easy baby. 10 lb. 8 oz. as of last Friday (2 weeks old). Lots more to say but of course short on time.

Sue, did they check F for a corn allergy? There's corn in everything, it seems.

Hmm, photos....apparently i can't do that frm my phone. Will log in properly soon!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Kate - Glad things are going well! And yes more pics please 

Soo, R's sleeping on his own is failing miserably tonight. It started off right, got ready for bed with 2 stories around 8pm then lights out. But he came out a couple times and when I put him back the second time he was so sad and it broke my heart  But I settled him down and left. I went to bed and was just on the laptop in bed and he came in and wanted to sleep in the big bed with me so I let him. Big mistake. He tossed and turned for close to an hour. Finally I left him in the room in the big bed to go to sleep on his own. That's where we're at now.

Tomorrow night he's sleeping at my cousin's house so he'll have to go to bed on his own. And from now on it's 8pm, in his own bed, lights out, that's it! No more caving!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: Did he stay in the bed all night? How did you sleep without him? Yay for last night's success - that shows you he can do it!

Kate: Too funny about M being your reward.  Def need pics! How is your supply on your augmented side? Any better this time around?

The show was so awesome! So much fun! Makenna did great at her friend's house. They went to sleep in bed together really easily and quickly for the sitter. I was shocked actually! The sitter sat with them for a little bit then left and then they fell alseep on their own. The other little girl puts herself to sleep every night - she was a good influence on M. And thankfully when we brought her home at 12:30 she went right back to sleep easily. Too bad I couldn't sleep. I think I got a contact high from the concert!! I couldn't turn my brain off even though I was tired from dancing for hours.

Just scheduled my first visit with my midwife for wednesday. I'm so excited to finally switch to midwifery care instead of OB care!!

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Good to hear from you, Kate. So glad things are going well! And, yes, more pics please!!

Everr: We had success with Owyn 3 nights in a row, then Sunday night she decided she wasn't okay with this arrangement anymore. I had changed it up because I wanted to read to her instead of DH. She chose a book with lots of different fairy tales in it and didn't understand why I wouldn't read the whole book. I had let her choose two fairy tales out of it, but she wanted me to read them all. So, that led to a meltdown and she ended up crying for a while. DH went in and tried to calm her down. He told he'd go get her a drink of water and she quieted down while she waited for him to come back... so he never went back in and she fell asleep within a few minutes. He said he felt like he was tricking her, but we both thought if he went back in while she was quiet it would just get her started again. Last night, she kept coming out of her room asking for things (I need a water, I need to potty, I need a snack, I need a hug, etc, etc, etc). The last time DH put her back in her bed, it really broke her heart, like she knew she was losing the battle. DH had a hard time leaving her in there, but he did it and she went to sleep. So, I guess all these nights have been successful considering she did go to sleep on her own, but I liked it better with no tears!

We're also having some success with Greta! I've had a really hard time co-sleeping this time around. She is a squirmy sleeper. She also likes to sleep right up against me with her face in my pillow, so I'm always waking up worried she's suffocating in my pillow. The last several nights, I have been putting her back in her crib after she nurses and she is sleeping a lot longer at a time there! Saturday night was the best. I put her back in the crib at 1:45 am and she slept until 7:30! Most nights, she'll wake sometime between 1:30 and 2:30, go back to the crib, then get in bed with us around 5-5:30 where she stays until we get up for the day.

Last night, we sold our pop-up camper. I was really sad to see it go. We decided to sell it since we haven't used it in almost 2 years. We never once got it out last summer. We've been talking about getting one with a/c and heater. It would make things easier with the girls going camping with us. We're not going to be able to get one right away though. We need the money from this camper to go towards our home improvement projects so we can sell the house. I'm really glad we have the money to get this stuff done, but I was really sad last night. Getting all of our things out of the camper made me feel like we were going camping, which is such a great feeling. The worst part is that the last time we used the camper, we didn't know it was the last time we'd use it. I didn't get to say a proper goodbye.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Mal - hopefully you get to go camping this summer anyway. Do you have a tent? And I'm sure the home repairs/house sale will be worth it.

Cindy - Sounds like a fun time. And great that you get to switch to a midwife now.

Kate - Glad you're all doing well. You deserve an easy baby! (I don't think I deserved my 2 easy babies, but my baby is trying to make up for it now with toddler obstinateness)

Everr - Glad it's going well with bus guy so far. I've ridden in about a million small planes, but never taken the controls. I think I'd be scared to, even if the pilot did let me!

Courtney - Sweet pictures.

Sleep: I've been SO lucky with K for at least the past 6 months. We can tuck him in (in our room, since there's only one room), read a story, and he'll go to sleep (as long as I can prevent L from trying to crawl in his bed and play). It makes me think I ought to do the exact same thing with L. I started nightweaning K at her age (16 months), and I wasn't going to for her, since there's no big reason to, but I'd love for her to follow her brother's pattern.

Speaking of L, my baby is so much a toddler now! She said her first sentences the other day: "rock in the water" and "nursing on the bed" and is generally full of firey toddler obstinate behavior.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

will be back soon to reply my oldest wants to play poptropica just wondering if you could vote for my pics

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1351988/faces-of-mothering-contest/40


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Reading along....

DH is out of town for the week. It's only been 2 days but it already feels like forever. Bed time sucks without him here. Hopefully we'll get into a better rhythm there because this is just the first of many trips. Field season is officially upon us. Sigh...

I organized a group of Mama friends to meet for a walk in the woods today. It was nice but the wind made it really cold and not everyone was dressed well for it. I'm hoping to meet for walks regularly- I'm calling it Babes in the Woods! I really like to give F chances to socialize with a nice age range and visit with friends but it has been hard lately to have playdates here. She doesn't want them to use certain toys (I'm actually ok with that- we call them "too special for sharing" but it just stresses her out a bit) and it often seems that no matter how I plan it my friends over stay and its beyond introverted F's time frame. I get that not everybody has a sensitive kid like mine but don't you think 3 hours is sort of long for a playdate at this age? I try to do no longer then 2 hours and usually closer to 1.5. Anyway- the woods. Neutral territory, fresh air, running around, not too long. And Fiona is totally in her element. It's so nice for me to see her stressed out. Walks in the wood for the win!

Loving reading about bus guys and dates and vacations! Would love more pics Kate!! Mal, totally get the saying goodbye to the memories of the camper. But it one step closer to your new home!

off to bed... night ladies!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

sounds fun Sue. We do Friday morning breakfast club but we swtich it to different house...and we don't do it every Friday. we also have the LLL meeting where we get together once a month and the LLL parenting meeting that we host at a park and sometimes the babywearing club meets up with us as well. As for a time limit- I would be one that stays way longer than I should. You could always put a start time and an end time and then have something you have to do, especially if it involves leaving the house...of course the walks in the wood sound awesome, I love it.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Vegan Princess*
> 
> Everr: Did he stay in the bed all night? How did you sleep without him? Yay for last night's success - that shows you he can do it!


No, he came and got in bed with me early morning-ish.. Maybe 3-4am? I actually went to sleep just fine  He's been getting really squirmy and always wants to be right on me and while I do love snuggles I also am starting to crave more space.

Courtney and Sue - The mom groups sound like fun! Sue, I would just tell them upfront that F is sensitive and can really only handle 2 hours. Then kick them out when the time is up if they've forgotten and don't leave on their own. I will say that I would totally stay for 3+ hours if nobody told me otherwise and things seemed to be going well. R is very social and for me because I'm a solo parent I love the chance to be with people.

Mal - Woohoo for sleep success!! I'm going to be more consistent with R from now on. It's time and he's ready. He also hasn't nursed in a few weeks which sort of makes me sad when I think about it (it's clearly done now). All of this independence all at once...

AFM - Well I finally told my bus guy that I'd met his brother (the former bus guy I'd told you all about). He didn't seem too concerned. It's more funny I think.. I was just sort of embarrassed about it. But it's out there now so I don't have to fret about it


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: Yay for getting it off your chest. LOL. It is actually pretty funny!

Mal: Sorry you had to give up the camper. I agree w/Erin that you can still tent camp until you get something else. I know how you feel about not saying goodbye. When I moved out of my apartment in San Francisco when we moved to a more suburban area when M was 3 months old, I didn't get to say my goodbyes. I had to rush out of there w/M and the cats bc the movers were early. I lived there for over 5 yrs. I felt very odd for a while after that! You reminded me that we need to figure out the camping trip we've been wanting to plan. I want to get at least 1 trip in before I'm too big to do it comfortably! The place we love is already booked up so we need to find some new spots.

Sue: I hope you find your groove soon! I know it's hard single parenting 1 - I can only imagine 2! The woods is a great idea! We go to a friend's house every Monday for a playdate and we rarely stay more than 2 hours - and that is M's best friend and I am pretty close to her mom. I always try to explain over staying our welcome to Makenna. LOL. Makenna does great at their house - but I watched that little girl for a couple hours last week and M went around hoarding her toys. I was SO surprised! I thought she was over that! I think she was being defensive after having her bossy 4 yr old cousin stay with us the week before.

Erin: Hard to imagine that L is a toddler already! But my good friend has a little one born the same time as L and he is talking up a storm.

AFM: Well, M doesn't seem to be staying in the air mattress. DH moves her when he comes to bed and she keeps climbing back into bed with us. We wake up and there she is, in the middle of us. LOL. I tried to transfer her last night before DH came to bed and she just sat up and said "NO!!" and got right back in my bed. Hmmmm.

I have my first midwife appt today! Yay! 

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Sue - Outdoor playdates are a regular favorite here too. Though I prefer the tidepooling/beach play to the directional walk variety. Mostly because the kids always have different ages, speeds, and interests, and when we try to go on a walk together it always seems to degenerate into widely separated clusters where parent A is trying to keep up with their racing ahead kid, and parent B is valiantly trying to coax their kid along, etc... And K is usually the one dawdling, meaning I don't get to talk to the other moms (which is most of the point, really, since he could care less about other kids). Sorry you're having a hard time with your husband away. Mine does fieldwork too sometimes (though not as often), and it's always hard, but has definitely gotten easier as L has gotten older.

We took the kids out in 2 separate packrafts for the first time today. Last fall we squeezed all 4 of us in one of the largest sized rafts, but the kids are just too big now. I was worried I wouldn't be able to paddle and hold L from leaping out of the boat at the same time, but it worked out well, and she enjoyed it, especially looking at the ducks. Which she was trying to call chickens. It took us forever to figure out why she kept yelling "jitten! jitten!" K's favorite thing was paddling into the little caves along the cliffs. A great trial run for our paddle/low tide campout Sunday night.

We've been doing a weekly outdoor adventure day for the last few months now (every Thursday), and I wish we'd started earlier! I thought we did plenty of hiking and outdoor stuff, and of course we do, but there's something very freeing about having it scheduled in, never having to think about "what day will the weather be best, what other things do we want to get done, maybe we should just get out for a quick walk, maybe one parent should stay home and work, etc..."


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Erin- I love having a set day for that, thinking maybe we should do that b/c i don't think we get nearly enough outdoor adventure.

I'm being driven crazy by things breaking again, they always seem to happen in batches. Currently my car and my washing machine need to be replaced. Both are annoying and the car is currently impossible to replace b/c work has been horribly slow to non existent for Hubs and we have no money, I totally feel like a loser but I'm not about to tell him b/c it would hurt his feelings.But seriously our electric got turned off the other day we ARE losers. I have some money set aside to buy Hubs birthday present (a dishwasher) and I think it will have to go for getting a new washer. Sigh. at least I have a handsome handy husband and four amazing, beautiful, intelligent daughters and we all love each other and find each other amusing...and I currently have a slight lead in the mothering photo contest. so there are good things too.


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Feel like I can't catch up response-wise so I'm jumping in where we are!

Cindy, yay for your midwife appointment! Let us know how it goes. You're having a homebirth this time, right? Will you find out the sex? i know you said DH wanted to wait, I think? I watched a show about California Fish & Game on Nat Geo last night and it was in SF. Made me jealous--seems like you have EVERYTHING there. Feeling sort of disappointed about where we live right now. I love that its more rural than where we were in TX, but there aren't great moms groups, health food stores, or other things I'd like around nearby. And I hate driving 15+ miles to spend a short amount of time somewhere. Maybe I'm just wanting too much!

ETA: the supply on my augmented side is AWESOME this time around. Go figure. I'm blaming the mastitis I had on that side last time. Its actually my better producer now!

Mal, I know what you mean about the camper. We sold our first boat ("my" boat) when I was 8 mos. pg with Aubs, and I was sad because I didn't know it was the last trip out on it--didn't realize we would sell it quickly. I was happy to see the second boat go. Now DH thinks he needs another. I think he needs to get rid of a different hobby before he gets back to boats. Or maybe a canoe or a kayak...?

Ever, R staying in his bed until 3 or 4 sounds like progress to me! I'd keep it up--even if it stays this way for a while. And good about getting the brother thing off your chest.

Erin, can't believe L is so big already! Reminds me to cherish these baby days.

As for me. Can't remember what I shared before, but I talked to the OB that did my section on the phone yesterday and she clarified some things for me. I'll finish my birth story eventually but basically (probably from my 1st c-section or the surgery I had as a teenager) my bladder and uterus were adhered together with scar tissue. This may be why my body wouldn't contract hard enough to push M out--but anyway when they did the section, they lift the bladder off the uterus. This exposed a "window" of plastic-wrap-thin uterus, which tore and bled. A lot. I think that's the reason they ended up doing the inverted-T incision.  It also tore into my bladder, which is why they had to repair all of that. All in all it was still better than my first section--I was alert and could move my toes throughout; got back in the room to hold M as soon as the 3.5 hr. surgery was over. Maybe its naive, but I feel like getting to 9 or 10 cm and then my body refusing to continue with the contractions despite pit to encourage it was my body's way of protecting me from something worse, given the scar situation. I also feel like this all would have been different if it weren't for my first section...but we'll never know, of course, and I'm refusing to feel like a failure for this birth.







I'm still a bit sore and afraid to do to much, but time heals all.

Mallory was 10 lb. 8 oz. at the 2-week appointment. She does have red hair, just like Aubs, and honestly looks just like her, just bigger. She's 3 weeks old today and barely fitting in 0-3 month clothes.







She was tongue tied at birth, and we had it clipped when she was a day old--so grateful we did that. It didn't bleed at all, she didn't make a sound, and her latch improved dramatically. Thank goodness for that. Here's my big girl:


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Cindy- yay for the midwifes!!

Kate, she is so pretty and I love that picture of Aubs holding her. I'm glad you feel good about M's birth and I think it's pretty cool your body wouldn't go further with the birth in order to protect itself.

Everr- so it really is his brother then and not just a same last name thing. I was very curious about that.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Gorgeous pictures Kate! She is beautiful. And the picture of her and Aubs is amazing! LOVE LOVE LOVE!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Kate - Love the pics! Aubs looks like such a proud big sis - very cute 

R skipped his nap yesterday and today and was in bed around 8pm and asleep in minutes. He was at my moms last night and she said he did awesome. I love it! He doesn't do as well through the week when he's napping at daycare. But I'm going to keep sticking to it and hope he just accepts it with less fighting. I love having the free time in the evenings but I also miss him  I hope he continues to wake up early and join me in the big bed for a while.. I don't know..


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

I took Fiona in today for an allergy patch test. They will keep the patches on her back until Thursday. I sure hope we learn something new from this. It should give us "intolerances" to foods. She is not really a fan of these things being taped to her back right now but I'm hoping She'll forget about it since they need to stay on for a few days. We will get initial results on thursday and then the allergist will look again on friday.

I've also decided to take her to a holistic clinic in the Seattle area when we are down there this summer to see what we can learn there.

DH is at sea for the next week and a half. We made a chart with a boat on it for each day he'll be gone. Fiona seems to like that and looks at it frequently to see how many boat days until the house picture comes up. I'm still not in my solo parent groove but I'll get there...

Hope you guys are doing well. Sunny days here are helping us pass the time. Heading to the garden shop tomorrow to get some things. That should be a lot of fun!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue: I was reading your 1st paragraph and about to ask if you've seen a naturopath. My best friend was just here this weekend. Her daughter is not celiac and not allergic to gluten - but she gets bad eczema when she eats it. They swear by their naturopath - who diagnosed the eczema as being a gluten intolerance that she'll hopefully grow out of in time. My friend's DH suffered from a horrible skin issue for a yr or two until the naturopath figured out what it was from. I hope the patch test gives you some answers!!

Everr: How is the own bed thing going?

Kate: Thanks for sharing your story. I had wondered if you ruptured during labor or what. Thank god your body knew what it was doing!! So scary to think about what could have been if you weren't already cut open at that point! Love the pics! 

Courtney: I loved the pic of Juniper and Coraline on facebook the other day. I loved how Coraline was looking at her.

AFM: I pulled some sort of muscle under my left shoulder blade and it hurts to breathe. Ugh. I think I'm finally on the mend though. I can't wait for this weekend! My big anatomy scan is Friday morning. I'll have them put the gender in an envelope and open it on Sunday. I plan to open it in a public rose garden with a nice view of the ocean and golden gate bridge. My mom will be here then. I so can't wait to find out what I'm having!!!! I was sorting through Makenna's clothes today bc my best friend brought me tons of 4T clothes. Making sure all the 2T were pulled out, etc. I'd love to know if I can cart all those clothes to my friend or if I need to seriously organize them!

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Oh my gosh! Can't wait to hear what you are having Cindy! This is so exciting!!!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Cindy I am super excited to find out to, what a great way to do it.

Sue- hope you get some answers soon.

So I have been hit hard today by the baby blues and I don't really feel like doing anything. Luckily my friend is coming over later. I think I am just going to go lay in bed and hold my sweet baby b/c nothing else seems like a good idea. Everything feels sort of hopeless and I don't want it to. I am so sick of being poor and I want a laundry machine that works and I want a dang car to drive around. I'm wondering if these things are the cause of the baby blues and maybe it's not baby blues at all but it's just that it sucks to have everything broken and no damn money. I totally screamed at Hubs this morning about how much I hate this and under my breath muttered about how much it sucks to be poor and maybe he should do something. I think he probably heard. I am totally a bitch.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Courtney - hugs! hope you feel better soon with some sweet baby snuggles. And there's probably truth to both perspectives. Brain chemistry doesn't create all our problems, but it changes how we perceive them, turning what was formerly a doable challenge into a hopeless mess.

Sue - hopefully the patch test will give you some answers.

Cindy - Exciting to find out so soon! And I can't believe you're getting 4T clothes already. K is such a pipsqueak, he still fits in 2T just fine, and I can pass his outgrown clothes directly to Lituya.

Everr - K definitely didn't become easy to put to bed until after he gave up naps.

Kate - That is neat that your body knew to protect itself from a birth it couldn't handle. And I'm glad it worked out better for you than the first time. What's with all these second kids being so much bigger than the first ones, anyway? Is that true for everyone, or just this group?

AFM - We just got finished with a cycle of really big (more than -5 feet lows) tides, so we've been on the beach a lot, and went camping across the bay for the biggest tide. So much fun. I think really the kids are just an excuse - I love tidepooling so much. Now it's been beautiful weather and the night time freezes seem to be gone (crossing fingers), so I've been working to get the garden in. And falling behind on computer work and our house is an utter disaster with all our time spent outside. I love May. All the sun and none of the bugs - one of the best Alaska months, I think.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Erin - Sounds fun! Enjoy the weather 

And yes, if I could get rid of naps, bedtime would be a breeze! If R stays in daycare this summer I may request the naps get dropped. If I don't find a job soon though I'll have to keep him home and then I'll drop naps myself.

Courtney - *hugs* I'm sorry you're having a hard time.

Cindy - I'm so excited to hear what you're having!!! As for R's own bed.. Well I'm making him go to sleep in it but he has yet to last a night. It's ranged from about 12am-4am when he's joined me. I'm sure we'll get better over time!

Sue - Oh poor Fiona  I hope you get an answer soon! I had to have one of those patch things on when I was younger and it was so itchy (and not because I was allergic, just because it was there). And good luck with the solo parenting!!

AFM - I'm job hunting and it's not going well :/ I need to find something by the end of May or I lose my daycare subsidy. Then I'll have to keep R home with me which I really don't want to do. I love him, but the thought of going back to being a SAHM fills me with panic.

And for the good news. Things with my bus guy are still going well. I'm still not sure there's long term potential there, but I'm having fun  And my cousin has taken R for sleepovers twice now and R loves it, so that's awesome! I've been getting lots of time off


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Gah! So, an example of R's 'going to bed' when he naps: He was put into bed at 8pm, it is now 9:10pm. He's still wide awake. He's quieted down, he's stopped coming out of the room crying/needing to pee, but every so often he calls out "Mama are you going to bed yet?" lol! Grrr! So frustrating!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I totally remember those days Everr, Jewel once handed me something (I couldn't see anything in her fingers but she told me to take it, I thought it was pretend but it was sticky) and then asked for a tissue. That bedtime thing, man sometimes it works and sometimes even at 9 and 6 they give you a hard time.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Courtney ... Hugs, mama. Hold your perfect wee Coraline close!

Cindy ... You are totally having a boy.

ps. I will now resume my vacation!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Sue: Hope the solo parenting is going well. The chart idea is great! DH doesn't leave town very often, but he has some training coming up at work he'll be gone a work week for. I'm not looking forward to the idea of parenting solo with two kiddos!

Cindy: I can't wait to find out what you're having!! I agree with Starling, I have imagined a boy for you ever since you got pregnant!

Courtney: I'm sorry you're feeling down right now. I agree with Erin on this. I think it's probably a combination. You probably wouldn't feel as hopeless if you weren't post-partum right now. Just snuggle that baby, enjoy this new beginning with her. Things will look different tomorrow.









Everr: Fingers crossed for your job hunt!! Sounds like R's transition for bedtime is going well! We've had one night with Owyn that didn't go great. But it was a day when she took a nap, which hardly ever happens. It was a lot of in and out of the room. I need a drink, I need a snack, I need to go potty, I need a hug, etc. etc. Then, she got sad and cried for a little bit. It wasn't fun. She actually went to bed by herself when we had company the other night! I was shocked about that. She was so tired, she came and asked for her PJ's and a book.

Kate: Love the pics!! She looks so much like Aubrey. They both look so much like you!!

AFM: Last night, DH and I went out to dinner with some friends. We actually left as soon as I got off work, so I didn't get to see my girls at all yesterday. That was really hard. My MIL picked them up from my sister's house and they stayed with my IL's until we got home. Owyn was long asleep by then, but Greta woke up for a while after we got home. Normally, I would hate it when she's awake until 11 pm, but I was happy to see her last night! Then, she slept from 11-7 am!! It was amazing!

Getting closer and closer to the school year ending too! Yesterday was actually the last day of my lesson plans. We finished up the alphabet and did a Mother's Day craft. Tomorrow we have a field trip, then just two days next week! I'm thinking of doing a pajama party one day and bringing popcorn and a movie in. The end of the school year is so much fun!

Oh and Owyn learned how to pedal this week! Finally! She has a little tricycle and her balance bike. She can finally ride her balance bike, it's been too tall for her but she can touch the ground flat foot now! But she goes for things with pedals. Anytime we're at a store and she sees the bikes, she says "Mommy, I need pedals please?!" She finally got it on the tricycle and we rode around the block a couple of times. I had to help her steer a few times and she'd yell "Mommy, get your hands off, I doing it!"


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: I got excited that you were home and going to tell us fun stories! I hope you're having a fantastic time. 

Mal: Yay! Your last few days of work sound fun. Summer is going to be divine for you. I remember the feeling of wishing M would wake up when I missed her.  Glad you got a night out though.

Courtney: Hugs!! Money problems are tough! We've had our share lately too. Being home w/M has been a HUGE adjustment for us bc I made about 50% MORE than DH. So we went from an extravagant lifestyle to really pinching pennies. You have a beautiful family though and I know you guys will get through this and be fine. I hope taking a little time to yourself made you feel a smidge better or stronger.

Gender: I have no strong feelings. I've sort of been thinking girl, but I am def hoping for a boy. Mostly bc I know DH wants one so bad.

Bedtime: I'm so sad - M gave the airobed that we'd be transferring her to a leak!!! So we put it away yesterday. I think we may just put her big girl mattress on the floor next to our bed after my mom leaves next week (she's going to sleep on it while she's here).

M has been having fits about being a big girl and doing everything herself these days. Yesterday we went to fairyland and when we got back to the car I unhooked the strolled seatbelt. So she started crying about how she was going to do it - only she is not capable of doing it. She insisted I rehook it - so I did - and then she couldn't get out. So I unhooked it, Meanwhile she is freaking out. She wouldn't get in the car so I ended up picking her up and just putting her in the car and closing the door. I was so frustrating I needed a moment while I put the stroller away. By the time I put it away, she still hadn't got in her car seat. So I warned her that I was going to put her in if she didn't. She didn't. So I did. Then she's extra upset and thrashing and wanting to buckle it - but again, she isn't able to yet. I ended up having to hold her arms down to get her buckled in. Not a fun scene. Then she cried half the ride home that "I'm a big girl. I don't need help. I can do EVERYTHING myself." Ugh. I understand the indepenence desire - but sometimes she just CAN'T do things and she doesn't get it. And sometimes mommy doesn't want to stand around for an extra half hour when I'm tired and want to go home.

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Mal- woohoo on all that sleep, it is amazing to wake up after a nice sleep like that and how nice to get out. I always miss mine when I go out, but i like going out too.

Cindy- those fits are no fun, my first was the worst with them. I also have no guess for your baby, but I am super excited to find out!

AFM- I am feeling better today. I think yesterday it was a combination of the hormones, bad situation and not enough sleep. i felt the worst for my Hubs who I bitched at every time I talked to him. I apologized this morning and told him I knew the things coming out of my mouth were mean but they just kept coming. He said it was okay but sort of confusing b/c I would bitch about one thing ( I told him I wasn't making dinner and he needed to, he said no pizza and I yelled at him about how he shouldn't always just buy something to eat if I don't want to cook and maybe he should cook something sometime. Even though I knew I wanted him to just buy something. So then he went to the store and bought something to make and then I bitched at him when he got home because dinner would be so late then and he should have just bought something if he was going to be home this late. didn't he know Josie had to go to bed in 6 minutes?? We ended up eating after 8:30 (an hour past Jo's bedtime, she needs a lot of sleep) so this morning when Jo was a wreck I told him it was his fault. sometimes I don't know how he puts up with me.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

M and I just made the yummiest brownies! They have a can of black beans in them and are grain free. Not a bad treat for little ones! A yummy way to get some extra protein in. 

http://www.naturallyknockedup.com/healthy-grain-free-brownies/comment-page-1/#comment-68902

Anyone see the new cover for the issue of Time coming out tomorrow? I shared the pic from another friend on facebook. I got it from an unmarried guy who was just shocked by it. I don't typically read Time but now I want to check it out - I'll probably read it in the library or check out line though. The comments for the cover are not good! Typical America. But the pic was def meant to stir up controversy, i think.

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Courtney: hope you start feeling better soon. $$ stress is no fun. Hug that baby!

Cindy- getting so excited to hear your news this weekend! That fit you mentioned- happens here ALL.THE.TIME!! It can be so frustrating.

Fiona's patches were pretty irritating to her and she's been on edge this week. I've been distracting her with far too much TV. They came off today. Pulling the tape was the worst. She thrashed and cried and tried to get away. I hated seeing that and having to basically hold her down while the nurse pulled it off as quickly as she could. Initial results- beef and potato. My midwestern IL's won't have a clue how to feed my kid when we visit!  Lots of other spots look red now though so I think we'll be adding to the list tomorrow. The spots have to be looked at again a day after being removed- a delayed reaction kind of thing.

Maeve has pooped in at least 5 days- I've sort of lost track. When should I worry? She's super gassy but no poop!

We are missing Papa around here but doing ok.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Sue - Beef and potatoes?? That is so strange! I'm glad you're sort of getting some answers.. Hopefully you can figure it out 

Cindy - Oh R is the master of major tantrums I think. I get so frustrated with him sometimes. I do a lot more threatening and bribing than I'd like :/ It's especially bad if we've had a busy day which it sounds like you did. Thanks for the brownie recipe - I'll have to try it!

Courtney - I'm glad you're feeling better today. Those hormones can make you crazy, just remember that things will get better. You have a gorgeous family!

Mal - Yay for class almost being over!!! You'll have an awesome summer  We've put aside the balance bike here too, I had such high hopes for it but R just is not interested. I got him a little 12" bike with training wheels and he LOVES it. He zooms up and down the sidewalk by himself, it's been great!

Starling - Hope the vacation is going well! Can't wait to hear about it 

AFM - bedtime is going a bit smoother tonight.. I think.. It's been about 30 minutes and he's quieted down (still not asleep..) When he doesn't nap it's soo easy. That one hour nap at daycare really ruins bedtime!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Everr: So weird, right?! I really had high hopes for the balance bike too, but she always asks for the ones with pedals. Maybe I'll find a little one on Craigslist for her... My IL's got it for her, so I hate for them to be disappointed that she doesn't like it much. Maybe she'll like it as she gets older?

Sue: Beef and potatoes?! That poor girl! I wouldn't know how to feed her either.









Owyn just went to bed. She napped today, which was weird. It was early for her to be that tired. She normally gets sleepy around 4-4:30 in the afternoon, but she passed out just before 2. We held bedtime off for 45 minutes, but she still fought it a little. Lots of coming out of her room, lots of putting her back to bed. It's been about 45 minutes and I'm not sure if she's asleep, but she is in bed and isn't crying...


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

beef and potatoes, wow. i didn't know people could even be allergic to that.

Junie used to use her balance bike but has switched to her sisters old tricycle and loves it more than I have ever seen a kid love a bike.

Sue- not sure about the poop, 5 days sounds a bit long, if she doesn't poo in the next day or two I think you might need to think about doing something. (this with the caveat I have never dealt with the situatin and have only heard some friends talk about it in an offhand manner, but I bet a quick google search would give you a decent answer.)


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue: So are you going to still leave out gluten? So no garlic, gluten, beef or potato? That sounds so hard!!

Off to u/s...

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Vegan Princess*
> 
> Off to u/s...
> 
> Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Going to buy baby prunes today and see if that helps!

Feeding Fiona- a bunch of the spots are red and irritated this morning. Our appointment is this afternoon so I will know more then. For sure no garlic, rye, other gluten grains, and... to be determined this afternoon. Potato still looks really red so that too I'm sure- I can't remember what food was in what spot. I'll update!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Cindy - Can't wait for your news!

I hear you on the frustration thing. K doesn't so much insist on doing things himself, but if he gets something in his head about what's going to happen, he WILL NOT stop crying until we go back and do it over (like if someone else walks first along the trail, we have to back up and start over again with him as the leader, etc...). Oddly, it's L who spends the most time insisting she can do things herself, particularly putting clothes on (which she can't).

Sue - That sounds so hard! I'd hate to make separate meals for a kid, but think I might just do it with that many intolerances. Don't think I could stand to give up all of that myself.

Courtney - Glad you're feeling a bit better.

Starling - Can't wait to hear your vacation stories.

Bikes: Funny, K LOVES his balance bike. But that may be because he's got no other options. I'm not sure he's ever seen or used a tricycle or pedal bike his size. More likely, it's because absolutely every possible surface in our immediate neighborhood is a hill, and balance bikes are great for coasting. He doesn't even like pushing his up the hill, I doubt he'd like pedaling uphill.

I keep wanting to get out and plant everything in my garden, and then it starts snowing again! We had enough snow already this year (and much of the ground is still snowy, not the garden). I did plant some of the frost-tolerant stuff under row cover, and we'll see what happens.

My Headstart teacher's boss came to school the other day and did little assessments on all the kids, and kept talking about how well K could do letters/reading/etc... for being only 3. I'm kind of impressed myself sometimes, but I felt a little strange there - like she must have assumed I'm one of those parents who spends my evenings drilling the kids with flashcards or something. He's just a kid with odd interests!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Just came to check for an update, Cindy!! Can't wait to hear 

ETA.. Shoot, I just remembered you're not opening the envelope til Sunday. Ah well, we'll have to wait longer


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Well the scan went well. They said everything looked good. She was definitely able to tell the gender. She wrote it down and also included a picture of the bits in the envelope.  She warned us when she was measuring parts that we could tell - I didn't look. DH said was was going to cheat and look but thought he might not know what a baby penis looks like anyway and might convince himself of the wrong gender - so he didn't look after all. LOL. Now I really can't wait to know!! Makenna asked me afterward if we found out. She wants to know too.

Erin: Yep - we have to redo SO many things! Only a 3 yr old would totally redo everything. That's so awesome about the letters!!! Makenna wrote an "m" yesterday really well out of no where, so I thought maybe she'd be ready for this pre-k workbook I bought ages ago. But she definitely is not ready for it. She could trace the letters but not really write and she doesn't want to follow the instructions for any of the pages. And I don't want to make her if she's not there yet.

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Cindy- so glad everything looks great!

So we are back from Fiona's appointment. I had a good cry with my mom on the phone- partly because I'm relieved to know something but also because I'm so overwhelmed. She has a long list Mama's. Garlic and rye we knew from before. And now... egg, wheat, soy, potato, pea, beef, pork, carrot, and peanut. I'm still wrapping my head around all of this and wondering what the hell to cook for dinner and wishing so much that DH weren't gone on a freaking boat for another week. One meal at a time, one meal at a time...


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Sue - Oh wow, that is overwhelming.. Well, R and I don't eat pork/beef and we do alright.. Lots of fish, chicken, vegetables, rice. I'm sure you'll figure out a system, one meal at a time like you said 

Cindy - I'm glad the scan went well!! It really makes me think it's a boy.. I just can't imagine the tech warning about accidently saying girl bits, they just aren't as obvious, yk? Maybe though. Oh well, you'll know on Sunday!

Erin - Ugh, I can't imagine still dealing with snow. We are finally getting warmer weather here and it's great. Today was sunny and 20oC - love it! And it definitely is impressive what Katmai can do! Hopefully the teacher doesn't think you're drilling him with flashcards every night lol!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Sue - Rice with stir-fried veggies and fish and no soy sauce? That list does sound hard! And right when you're a single parent too. But I'm glad you're finally figuring it out. And once you start figuring out a few things you like without all those ingredients, I'm sure you'll fall into new habits, and it'll get a lot easier. One meal at a time is probably the right attitude  Is any of it something she might grow out of?


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue: Oh man! So many to keep straight! You're going to need a big list posted on the fridge! No eggs but chicken is ok? Does it matter if the chicken is fed a diet of soy? Other protein ideas a beans and lentils. We do a lot of lentil dishes around here. I try not to make too much soy. And yes fish is a great option for you. Honestly the egg and soy are so hard bc they are in so much - especially soy. I was vegan and avoided eggs - but it's hard to be off so many things all at once! At least not many veggies and no fruits were ruled out! Such a bummer you can't feed her your fresh eggs. Man, hugs! You should check out some of the allergy cookbooks - I know they have recipes that avoid a lot of the main allergens like soy and gluten and nuts.

Everr: She warned us to not look before she had even looked herself - she had no idea how obvious it would or wouldn't be. I asked her part way through if she knew already and she said she purposely hadn't looked bc she didn't want to slip up by accident. I think she told us 1 last time at the end not to look and that is when she figured it out and took a pic for us of it. 

It's amazing to me that 2nd babies make it into this world at all after all the bruising my belly has gotten already from Makenna. Owie! It's quite disconcerting getting bashed in the stomach by her. I'm sure it's normal for moms w/little ones though, right? It's mostly accidental - not always.

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

bashing bellies- yep normal. I have had them body slam my belly.

sue- wow that's a lot. one meal at a time really is a great way to look at it and before you know it making meals without that stuff will be old hat.

okay coraloine is calling BBL


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Sue sorry hugs that's a limiting list but there are ways around it if you know the substitutions. At least you still have corn and dairy. I have been cooking dairy, soy, and gluten free for a couple years now. For school I have to make it nut free as well. A lot of the websites I use are vegan, soy, gluten, dairy and nut free so that eliminates 3 things off your list. For potato starch you can sub in tapioca. For eggs in baking I've found chia and psyllium works well. You may have to order some ingredients online but you will become adept at feeding Fiona I promise. I'll pm you some sites and some recipes tomorrow and any tips I have on the top of my head. There is a ton of stuff made with coconut so at least that's not off her list. Plus if you boost her immune system and heal her gut she may get some foods back.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Happy Mother's Day to all my favourite Mamas!! Hope you're all having a special day <3


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Happy Mother's Day ladies! Sometimes I still can't believe the world lets me be a mama after all this time. So blessed.









Anyway sorry for being MIA. Its so hard to get laptop time, especially if I don't TAKE it in the morning, which usually means TV time for Aubs. But whatever, its Mother's Day and I'm going to spoil myself! DH had to go in to work today to finish up his real work after a week of training, so it will be just the girls today. And really has been for a week or so, with him leaving before we get up and getting home around 9:00, after they're basically asleep. Ah well. At least he's around to take out the trash.

Sue, I'm so sorry that you're dealing with so many allergies. What a nightmare. I have no advice but wanted to say how awesome you are for pursuing this and being such an awesome mama for Fiona.

Cindy, I couldn't contain myself. I don't have a feeling either way about your little one, but I'm glad s/he's healthy! What is M hoping for? I was wanting a boy, just to do "both," but now I'm so grateful that Mallory is a girl. Even though Aubs isn't especially girly, I think it will simplify things. Or that's what I'm telling myself.

Erin, I'm anxious to garden too! My tomatoes and jalepenos are in small pots on the front porch, but they need to go into big pots with cages out back. That's all I'm doing this year because we were worried about moving...hopefully I'll be able to get them done and moved this week.

Things are good here. Mallory is an AWESOME baby still. So grateful for that after Aubrey's reign of terror. I'm starting an online bar exam study course at the end of May for the July bar exam, so I'm going to be sending Aubs to daycare full time for June and July. She's super excited. Hopefully M will let me study. So far she mostly just sleeps and eats all day and fusses a little in the evening, so I'm thinking it should work. I also applied for a federal job (doing legal assistance for the air force--wills, custody stuff, deployment docs, landlord-tenant, that sort of thing) and actually got a "referred to hiring official" notice, so I'm sort of optimistic about that. Even though I'm not ready to go back to work, it would be worth it to work for 2 years, pay my loans down/off, and then be done with work entirely. No idea if/when I might hear anything further. There's an NAEYC (sp?) accredited child care facility there on the base, so the girls would probably go there. I'm going to try to put it out of my mind until I hear something one way or the other. For now, just focusing on snuggling with my babies and the bar exam!

Does anyone else find their littles are really sensitive to sugar? We don't really do juice, but I have a terrible time getting Aubrey to drink water, so I've been giving her either watered down juice or watered down gatorade. But it seems like her behavior just goes downhill when she has that little bit of sugar....desserts are really bad. Maybe its the preservatives in that crap rather than the sugar? Any tricks for getting her to drink water?

Now to go back and see what I've missed! Have a great day mamas!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Happy Mother's Day, everyone! We are getting ready to head to my sister's to bbq with my mom and sisters and their families, but wanted to pop in and wish everyone a happy mother's day... and stalk Cindy a little! Can't wait to hear the big announcement!

Kate, have you tried ice water? Owyn isn't big on water either, but for some reason if I offer her ice water she goes for it. Especially if I let her put the ice in herself. So glad to hear Mallory is being good to you, especially with your DH being gone. She's just taking after me, ya know.









I talk about it all the time, but this week is the last week of school!







Tomorrow we are having a game day. They are all bringing in their favorite games for the day. Wednesday will be a pajama party with popcorn and a movie. Then, after one week of breaking down my classroom for the summer, I will officially be on summer break, woo hoo!


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

No, I didn't think of ice water. I'll try that.

Quote:



> Garlic and rye we knew from before. And now... egg, wheat, soy, potato, pea, beef, pork, carrot, and peanut.


Wow. I'm still thinking about this...NO IDEA what to do. I guess I would start with freezing leftover poultry to feed her every time you make it. Which sucks, because I'm not a huge poultry fan. And fish of course--maybe you can portion it out for her and then freeze it. What a PITA. She's a lucky girl to have you. Can she still eat beans? I'd go to them often too.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Well ladies, we opened the envelope!

We're having a...

GIRL!!!!

I can't believe it!  We opened the envelope in a favorite rose garden. And it turns out to be so fitting bc I definitely will be using the name Rose in some regard. Most likely middle name. Though I haven't 100% ruled it out as a first name. I've always loved rose, loved the name and I feel like I am surrounded by them in the community in which we live - which is something I love about being here. The street at the end of our block is Rose. And my mom reminded me that my great grandmother was named Rose. 

I'm sure DH is happy - but he seems pretty down. I feel bad. He says he's not sad but I know he's got some disappointment to work through. But he'll be fine.

I'll post some pics later.

Happy mother's day ladies!!

Cindy


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

BTW, the tech included a pic in the envelope. Perhaps we can't figure out what we are looking at, but it doesn't look girly to me. I'll have to scan it and upload it. She didn't put arrows or anything so I have no idea how baby was oriented, etc.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

So exciting, Cindy!!!
Can't believe that I was wrong!
(back to my holidays now ....)
ps. I loooooooooooooove the name Rose! We would've used it if one of my nieces wasn't named Rose. Love it!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Thank you Starling!!

I'm back to post a few pics.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Congrats Cindy!! So exciting!! Your pics are so cute, love seeing your expressions! The garden looks beautiful and I love the name Rose  I think it's understandable for your hubby to be a bit disappointed. This ddc really doesn't make a lot of boys lol!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Congrats Cindy! And Rose is a sweet first name (would be a fine middle name too, of course, but I think it's more common that way than as a first name).

Funny so many girls here! In my town, it's the opposite. Lituya is one of the only ones in a sea of boys. I didn't care too much, but I think my husband would have been a little sad not to have a girl the second time - he wanted one of each. I'm sure he'll be absolutely excited about your little girl soon enough.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

congrats Cindy, How exciting!!! I love Rose, I used it as part of Juniper's middle name. And your hubs will come around, mine has never shared with me his small sadness that there hasn't been a boy but I think he may have shared with others. he adores his girls but I think the reason he's not ready to say for sure he's done having kids is that he would really like a boy.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Girl! So exciting and beautiful pictures Cindy! I think its the first belly picture we've seen! You look amazing!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. Didn't do anything different here as DH is still away. 3 more sleeps until he's home though! This is the short trip. He'll be gone for most of June so this is our practice run and we've done ok. We did get 5-6 inches of snow yesterday. Good grief!

I've done something crazy though- tomorrow someone is coming to clean my house!! I'm so excited. I'm just going to be sure to declutter today so she can scrub away. I've never had anyone clean for me. She's going to spend a bit more time tomorrow but then come for weekly quick cleans throughout the summer since I"m going it alone for the most part.

My siblings and I are planning my parents 50th wedding anniversary party for this summer. Good grief- pulling teeth would be easier. It's driving me crazy. There are 5 of us but people are dragging their feet on decisions. I said that I was going to do the invitations this week- if they had an opinion on what card I used please weigh in otherwise I would go with my pick. My oldest sister got all worked up about how she was going to do it, blah, blah, blah... fine do it then. She sent me the link to the card (Used tiny prints). It was all wrong! I had to call her back so she could contact the company. She's all huffy about how stressful doing the invite is. Then why didn't you let me do it?! Seriously, what a cluster!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Cindy-- Yay for another girl!! It really is great having girls. I wanted a boy the second time around, but am so thankful for my Greta-bug. I just love watching the sister relationship develop between Owyn and her. They adore each other.

Sue-- So jealous of the house cleaner! I did tell DH once we get this work done on the house, I'm going to declutter then have someone come in and deep clean for us. The house needs it, bad! And good luck on planning the party. A few years ago, my siblings and I threw a big bash for our parents' 40th anniversary. There are 6 of us and it was almost a disaster trying to get everyone organized and in agreement on everything. I have no desire to do it again anytime soon!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Sue I am totally jealous of the house cleaner, I wished like crazy for a house cleaner that year Chris was gone, I should have just done it. Plus plannign that reunion does not sound fun. I'm about to embark on something similiar but less pleasant. My sisters and I need to sort of plan my moms life. She is goign to move to North Carolina were my sister is but she needs to save money so Chris and I are planning on having her move in with us for a couple of months. it should be hellish and corwded. (3 adults 4 kids in a 2 bedroom one bath 900-1000 sq feet). I will survive. I guess we are going to put her in Junes bed, put June in a toddler bed in our room and put a bunch of our stuff in the shed to make room. It's not totally planned yet and we haven't told my mom yet. My sisters are going to help pay for the move and I guess I will drive her up when we go up for my sisters birthday....Junes needs me know, I'm off.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue: good for you!! I had a house cleaner once/mo when I worked and had them come every few weeks when M was a newborn - it was so nice to not be scrubbing the floor. I still vacuumed and did maintenance but nothing major. That stopped when I quit my job. I'm already wishing we could afford to have someone come after baby is born. LOL. My friend in New Mexico said they have an organization there to prevent postpartum despression and she gets some volunteers to come spend 4 hours/week cleaning her house!!! Her baby is 2 months old already too. Can you believe that???

That party plan sounds awful! LOL! It will be worth it though.  Just keep reminding yourself of that.

Courtney: You are an amazing daughter! An amazing woman all around really, but that is very kind. Hopefully your mom will help make life a bit easier by helping with the kids or cooking or cleaning?

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Thank you for all the support regarding the allergy issues. I know we'll get the hang of it. Nilla- pm away. I'd love to hear anything you've got for me!

Kate: Fiona has always been a water drinker. But maybe to make Aubrey more into she can pick out a new water bottle?


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

water- my oldest was all into juice (watered down) and wouldn't really drink water, finally I just stopped having juice in the house and consistently offered water and nothing else really. With Juniper it IS more exciting with her own water bottle. each of the kids has their own camelbak bottle, even I drink more water when i make sure to fill my bottle.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

R is a good water drinker. I don't always have juice in the house (when I do it's plain oj and I water it down a lot) and I rarely have milk (not sure if I should offer this more?) Sometimes even when we have juice R will ask for just water. I'm always telling him what's good for him what's not and he'll say "I want water because juice has too much sugar and I don't want that" lol. His daycare teacher has commented to me before about R refusing sugar. She told me they offered a second helping of dessert once and R said "oh no thank you, it's too much sugar" lol. She thought it was hilarious 

Courtney - That is so great for you to do that for your mom. I'm sure it will be stressful but I think it will also be a great (learning?) experience for your kids 

Sue - Good for you!! I would love to do that  And good luck with the party planning!

AFM - R had his first soccer game last night! He loved it! It was awesome. The kids were all so cute running around and the parents were trying to teach them what to do. It was kind of hilarious and adorable at the same time  I posted a pic on my fb wall if you want to see


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

K is pretty good about drinking water (we almost never have anything other than water or milk in the house, and our well water tastes awesome), but the time we let him get ahold of one of those waterbottles with a straw you bite to let you suck the water out he was overwhelmed with excitement and drank so much he had to pee 5 times in the next hour. So a new waterbottle might work.

Everr - Soccer sounds cute. When I was a kid, we always called littlest kid soccer "beehive ball" because all the kids were chaotically swarming around the ball all the time.

Sue - 5-6 inches of snow! I was complaining about an inch and a half (it did melt fast). I've got a bunch of the garden planted anyway, under row cover, so hopefully all fine. The house cleaner sounds awesome. But I don't think my place is clean enough that I'd even be comfortable having some professional cleaner see it to help!

Courtney - That's great that you can help out your mom, even if it ends up a bit stressful and crowded. Hopefully she can help out with the kids some? I don't know what I'd do without my next-door-grandma (MIL) here.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

No time to really post. I really dislike working Mon-Fri and having school ugh! I've been reading along. Congrats on your new daughter Cindy! Loved the pics


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Awww, thanks Nilla! 

Sue: I got a good chuckle out of that chicken article you commented on on Facebook. I live in Berkeley and have chickens. LOL. I almost commented, but then I realized the thread wasn't started by you!

Attempting to re-institute the idea of quiet time around here. My mom was in charge of it yesterday and had a few talks w/M about how she needs to let mommy rest now. So we were successful today, despite my mom leaving this morning. We'll see if it continues! It was only 20 minutes each time, but I figure once she gets used to it, I can increase it by 5 minutes each week. And she has to do it in the living room, not alone upstairs.

Tonight we were supposed to try and have her sleep somewhere besides our bed again - but M is currently asleep, sprawled out across my side of the bed. LOL. I guess DH failed at that attempt!

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Cindy- funny huh. The comments on that thread sort of cracked me up. I was thinking- um, its me only in a different location!

Everr: Loved the soccer pictures! Too stinking cute! I would love to see the swarm of kids after the ball!  Hilarious!

One more sleep until DH is home! So excited to see him. I can't wait to process this whole allergy thing with him. I feel like I'm still wrapping my head around it. It's weird to me that he still has no clue about any of it since he's been out at sea this whole time. I'm still planning to take F to a naturalpath when we go south to see what we can do to help heal her gut...

Sunny day- getting ready to set up the painting easel on the deck. We don't have room for it in the house so pretty much just use it during the summer. Fiona's excited.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

oh wow, he doesn't know yet? That is a lot to process without a sounding board.

here's some pics, just because they are funny.

Junes fell asleep while reading her comic



and when she woke up some of the comic book was stuck to her face


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Courtney, pics are too cute.  You really are super generous, I hope that the time with your mom in the house isn't as bad is, err, as bad as it could be.

Cindy, CONGRATS!! I'm so excited for you. I can see DH being a bit disappointed though, mine definitely was although he tried hard not to let it be a "thing" during the pregnancy.

Sue, good for you for getting someone to clean. DH got someone in to clean here for Mother's Day. The best present ever.

Ever, so jealous that you have soccer for R! Everything here starts at 4 or 5 years old. We've done community gymnastics, but i'm sort of disappointed with it. 7 sessions was $60, and then on the 2nd practice we were told that to participate in the recital, you have to spend $32 on a leotard. And then they have pictures taken during one of the practices, and they try to make you buy pictures. Seems like a lot of money for seven 45 minute sessions. I don't know if we're going to do it again in the summer or not.

So I put a rug in front of the refrigerator and am letting Aubs get her own water in a cup from the door. Only 3 giant spills so far today, but I'm hoping she'll drink more so that she can get it herself again. Also going to do the water bottle thing the next time we're somewhere that sells them.

Massive headache for me this afternoon, not sure why. Need to get off the computer I think.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Kate - The city I live in doesn`t start soccer until 5, but there`s a small town about 20 minutes away that has a 4 and under group. It was $50 for the season and that included his uniform! I`d still like to get him in swimming lessons too, but it`s so hard to get in. I was told to try for the summer session because it`s not as popular, so we may have that for July and August. Hope your headache is gone quickly, that`s not fun at all 

Courtney - So cute!! I always see these pics of kids falling asleep in strange places. R never falls asleep like that. The only time he falls asleep without a fuss is if I`m snuggling with him.

Sue - Yay for your hubby coming home!! I hope the naturopath has some good advice for Fiona!

Cindy - Quiet time sounds great! The only way I get that with R is with a movie. He will sit and watch an entire movie without a peep. I wish he would play quietly on his own but that never happens. Good luck with the own-bed stuff. We are doing ok here. I`m staying consistent with bedtime and he`s going to sleep on his own (still with a fuss, unless it`s the weekend and he didn`t nap). I forgot to tell everyone but on Monday night he made it the WHOLE night on his own. Last night was bad though.. He joined me shortly after midnight and continued to wake and squirm the rest of the night.

AFM - I`m still job hunting but I think I have an interview at a bakery-bistro place. It would be awesome if I get it. Lots of kitchen work would be sort of practical for work experience as a PHI. And it`s only open 8am-5pm! Besides the stress of not having a job I`ve been enjoying my break. R has still be in daycare so I`ve been going to hot yoga almost daily, plus biking, plus just having a lot of me-time. It`s great! Next week is his last week of daycare unless I find work. And things are still going well with my bus guy


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: Do some extra hot yoga for me please!! I hope you get the job!! Working in a bakery would necessitate lots more hot yoga. ;-)

Courtney: So cute! M would never ever just fall asleep like that. Ever.

Sue: Yay for DH coming back!! Man is he going to be surprised about all the allergens!

AFM: So I picked up a fire engine toddler bed from a friend of mine. Her daughter is 10 days older than M and slept in it in her own room and requested a twin bed. She also puts herself to sleep all by herself. So I'm sort of talking it up about how her friend was such a big girl when she slept in it. It's set up next to our bed. I also made a sticker chart and she gets a sticker for each night spending at least half the night in it. After 7 nights, she can pick out a small toy. It's time for this to work - so it has to! LOL! This is like the 100th bed iteration we're on - but at least it's only borrowed! Wish us luck! Bed time is now...

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Good luck, Cindy! Owyn is still doing well going to bed on her own. She fusses about it every now and then. We just have to make sure to leave her door wide open, then she can see us in the living room. So, now one person is stuck sitting on the couch where she can see us until she goes to sleep. It usually only takes a few minutes and I'm usually putting Greta to bed at the same time, so it works out. We've also kept bedtime at the same time even if she takes a nap. It does take her longer to get to sleep, but she is getting better about staying in her bed at that time. Granted, she does play on her bed for a while, but I don't mind as long as she stays there. She has been wanting to nap lately. She's taken 3 naps this week. I think she's in a growth spurt, her feet grew a size in a matter of a couple of weeks, so maybe that's why she's been so tired.

Funny Owyn-ism... On Mother's Day we were at my sister's for a bbq and they had the kiddie pool set up for the little ones. Owyn kept yelling to her cousins, "Come on, let's get in the cat pool!" It took me a minute to figure that one out. Kiddie=kitty=cat. Lol!

Yesterday was the last full day of school! I'm headed in today for our awards ceremony, then all the teachers are going out to lunch to celebrate the end of the year.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Mal: Yay for summer!! Cat pool - lol! 

Well, she fell asleep in the fire engine bed and stayed in it until 6 am!!! Yay! Definitely a successful night. I know all too well to get too excited about a single night of success though. LOL. Only I'm not taking any crap this time. It felt SO nice to sleep next to DH.

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

love the cat pool! LOL!

Great to hear bedtimes are going pretty well for folks! I still have to lie down with F until she falls asleep- most nights its pretty quick though. Some nights she'll listen to her Winnie the Pooh audio cd with DH though and fall asleep with him which is glorious! 

Mal and Everr: yeah for summer break! Hope the job hunt ends with the bakery gig E! That would be awesome! Your me time sounds amazing!

DH came home last night a day early! I didn't tell F he was coming after I got the call. I asked her to check something on the porch when I heard his car pull up. She was so surprised and couldn't stop hugging and kissing DH! Super cute. Maeve was tired and ready for bed but was also full of smiles and gooey kisses for him. Melted my heart! He's home for 2 weeks now until heading out again. He has to clean gear all day on the boat but is going to try to have tomorrow off which would be so great.

He was pretty shocked to hear about all of the allergies. First response- well, she's just going to have to eat some of it, we can't do this. NOPE- that's not how it works honey. I know he was just figuring it out and it does seem daunting. He'll be on board...

Hilarious conversation from the other day...

F: You know Papa and I have our own car?

M: Oh, you mean the volvo?

F: laughing- No! Papa doesn't have a vulva Mama! Vulva's are for girls! Papa has a peanut!

M: Trying not to wreck our car while driving and laughing- You mean a penis.

F: Yes, like a said, he has a penis.

Oh my sweet girl!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

I need to vent  So, I have another job interview next Thursday (yay!) But, R's daycare subsidy ends on the Friday. It's unlikely I'll get a job offer until the following week. So I spoke to the subsidy people and they said my subsidy is just put on hold and I can use it as soon as I find a job. So that's fine. But then I talked to the daycare and as soon as R is done (ie. Friday) he loses his spot. They have a wait list and his spot will be gone immediately  So, my mom is going to pay for an extra week to give me time to find out about the job I have the interview for. But after that, if I don't get this job, I have to take him out. And I won't get him back in until September (he'll be put on a waitlist, but should get a spot.. Hopefully..). So I can't continue job searching and I have no choice but to go on welfare for the summer. I'm so depressed over this. Well, hopefully I'll get the job and it will work out (the subsidy will kick back in and R won't lose his spot). I had hoped to just keep job searching until I found something because I need the money so badly. The whole thing just really really sucks.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

that sucks that they can't hold the spot, that is super annoying. we had to deal with that when i lost my job when Jewel was little. We had to keep paying for daycare while i looked for work b.c the wait list was so long.

Sue, that's awesome that he came early.

urggg Corline doesn't like whren i type...reading though


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

NAK

Everr: that sounds so stressful! I hope everything works out for you.

Still muddling through meals around here. I have to read labels so carefully and have made a couple of mistakes. It's hard with so many foods of limits.

I went to a baby shower yesterday with just Maeve for 3 hours. It was so nice to have a break from Fiona. She's such an intense kid and having DH away is hard. I was happy to leave her with Dh and head out to recharge for a bit. It was a nice shower too. He heads out again in a couple of weeks so I'm trying to get away a bit while he's gone. School is almost out here too so I have a high schooler who will come watch Fiona (or rather take Fiona fun places) 1 x a week. Unfortunately she's on vacation with her family for half of the time DH is away on his next trip out to sea but I'll take what I can get.

Kind of a gray rainy day here. Time to make a cup of tea...


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue: Check you out these days with the hired help! ;-) First a cleaner, now a mommy's helper. Good for you! I am going to look into hiring this neighborhood 11 yr old who works as a mother's helper after baby comes. She is homeschooled so she could be pretty flexible about when she came. I probably would have her very much, but might be nice to have her play with Makenna so I can nap or hold the baby so I can get some cleaning done. Has Fiona shown any improvement yet with the diet changes??

Starling: Are you back yet? Come tell us wonderful tales of your journey! And post some pics. 

Everr: What a lame pickle they've put you in!!! Good luck on Thursday - I'm so hoping you get the job!!

AFM: Things have been going well here. Makenna has slept in her fire engine bed next to our bed each of the 5 nights we've had it! And slept in it ALL night. We have a sticker chart going and she gets a toy after 2 more nights. She loves to talk about how proud of herself she is!  And we have stuck to doing quiet time every day too. We're up to 1/2 hour. She sits or lies quietly on the couch near me. But it's better than nothing and she is grasping that she does need to be quiet and not talk my ear off.

Makenna and I met with a doula today. She is going to be in charge of M at the birth. Can take her in another room, etc if she is stressed out. But she is also a massage therapist and I really look forward to getting some massage during the birth! I didn't have a doula last time. And she says she can help coach DH so he can be more useful. LOL. M wants to see the baby come out, but she's not sure she wants to hang out for the labor part. She keeps asking if the doula can take her in her room and shut the door if I'm loud.

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

cindy, m is pretty funny. the doula sounds great.

sue- i totally get the intense kid thing. a break is nice. hooray that you are getting a cleaner and a 1x week take f fun places lady.

AFM i have been waiting to see the results of the faces of mothering contest and they changed it and now have a top ten which i made it into. do wit it what you will  really hoping I win, since Juniper fell out of our bed a bunch even after I tried a side rail which in the end only made it so it took me LONGER to get to her. Josie fell out a few times too when she was in there...and once I fell out, i sort of was about to but le myself to see how scary it was for them to fall out...super scary by the way, even when i was expecting it. (yes, I'm pretty weird). not sure if my mom is moving in at this point or not. if she does it will just be for a month.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Courtney: I voted for you just now. I hope you win! I think we're going to sidecar the crib this time. Perhaps baby will sleep in a bit and let me and DH have some closeness. But if nothing else, I think it will make nap time safer. LOL at you falling out. We had our mattress on the floor for a long time when M was younger. I didn't love that though. We started with a super high sleigh bed and have been thru a few platform beds until we found one we liked. I became an expert at selling bed frames on craigslist for a while there. LOL.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

that's pretty funny. our bed is kind of high too, but the mattress sits on a boxframe thing that has drawers in it and we NEED those drawers, so we couldn't lower it. We would have to give up one of the drawers for the co-sleeper, totally worth it though.

So my grandparents cam yesterday and I haven't seen them since June's first christmas or something crazy like that and for some reason it really made me realize how big Juniper is, maybe b/c I kept wanting to call the baby Juniper and Juniper Josie, since they were more those ages when I was with my grandparents. but it just really floored me that they are all so big. how did my kids get so big?


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Courtney, smiling thinking bout you getting ready to "fall" off of your bed. Hope you win the contest! you were ahead by quite a bit when I voted for your fabulous picture!!

AFU: We are doing pretty well here. F's changes are subtle but the most exciting and unexpected benefit to getting her off of these foods is that she hasn't peed her pants in over a week. I know both Erin and Nilla mentioned allergies when I've talked about her frequent potty accidents but I'm amazed! She has control of her bladder and hasn't had an accident in over a week!!! She was having daily accidents before this. I just came to think of it as normal. Her bowel movements are a bit more regular too. Skin still itchy but I think it will take several weeks to see changes there.

This weekend is Crab Festival in Kodiak. Carnies come to town and lots of great food booths. There will be a parade on Saturday. I'm not sure how to handle the food thing yet... there is bound to be contamination even if we find something that is technically ok. We just hit up the mexican food booth for a corn tortilla with cheese and black beans and hope for the best as far as contamination goes. This event is only once a year and pretty much the biggest deal in Kodiak. Don't want to miss out or eat in front of her so we'll have to make a compromise...

The house cleaner was here this morning! So happy to have hired her for the summer. Makes me happy!!

I came home from an eye appointment earlier to find M asleep on DH with the ergo. He can't reach back and clip it because of a bad shoulder so F did it for him!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Sue so glad you are seeing results. I know I haven't pm'd you yet and I will. Food events are so hard. I can't take the risks because of the explosive and long lasting results with my kids so unfortunately they do miss out on some of those treats but I make sure to find a substitution they like equally as much. So that when we are eating something like pizza I have candies that Dee can have and a food she likes, usually fries are ok in a lot of places and she loves fries. Sometimes the indian booths are ok because they make their rice without broth's and use coconut milk instead of dairy and don't really use soy products. Maybe this is an option for you? Mexican I would be concerned about because the corn tortillas often contain gluten and/or soy and the beans can be thickened with flour or if they come out of a can they have soy in them. It's such a process learning and making mistakes and learning some more. I find if I have a couple of go to foods that I can find almost anywhere that I know they will eat then I feel 'safe'. I actually find family events the most stressful because I don't trust people even though I know they mean well and want to help they just don't have the same experience or knowledge.

Courtney I voted. Nice pic!

Cindy yay on the doula and the sleeping in her bed. I was going to have a doula last time but didn't use her because of the c-section. I felt better just knowing she was available.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Nilla: what you said makes so much sense! Since we are just diving in and seeing a bit of progress I really don't want to undo our humble beginnings! We'll probably end up packing something... she can still do dairy so getting ice cream should help! 

Gorgeous sunshine today. Heading to a playground with some friends later in the morning. I'm hoping the sun sticks around for the festival- especially parade day.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Sue, good luck with the festival. That would be a really difficult event to take her to considering all her limitations are still new. I understand, too, not wanting to miss out. I like Nilla's suggestion for finding an equally special treat she can have.

I'm officially done for the summer!! I went in this morning for our year-end meeting, got all my orders in and paperwork done for next year. I went in a couple of days ago and cleared out my classroom for summer cleaning. So, I am done, done, done until August 6, woo hoo! I made an appt for the girls to get portraits done this summer. I love, love this photographer we're using. I went to high school with her and she is AMAZING. I have wanted to get pics with her for ages, but she is super expensive. I decided to just bite the bullet this summer and get them done. So, I'm having a garage sale in a couple of weeks to help come up with the money and that is keeping us pretty busy. Owyn really loves going through everything with me and helps sort things into different piles for me. It's awesome that she is actually old enough to help with things around the house! She knows my morning routine is to de-clutter the house as soon as I get up in the morning, so she has started picking up the living room in the mornings, totally on her own. She'll put Greta's toys away, put clothes in the hamper, throw trash away, etc. It's awesome!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Just thought I'd check in here  So, I had my job interview today and it looks like the job is mine. She's checking references tomorrow and then said she'd call Monday and needs me to start immediately. Woohoo! I have to pay out of pocket for next week's daycare which sucks. If I get a couple shifts I might get some reimbursed though. And it turns out I have to switch R to home daycare anyway. The job is only part time and involves Saturdays so the daycare he's at won't do. I'm going to keep him on the wait list there for September when I'm back in school but for the summer he'll have to go to a home daycare. They've matched me up with one and I'm going to meet the woman there tomorrow. So things are sort of coming together. I wish I could have kept R at the daycare he's at. I'm disappointed about that and I hate doing that to R when he has his friends and knows all the staff  But I really need the job.. Oh well


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Mal: Woot woot!!! Enjoy your summer!!

Sue: Glad you are getting some sun!

Everr: Yay for getting the job!!! What a bummer about having to switch the care - can't you do part time where he's at and maybe have you mom watch him on weekends? Just a thought - but I'm sure you probably would be doing that if it worked.

AFM: We got photos done today at JC Penny. My dad sent M a super cute fancy dress and she recently got her hair cut to her shoulders - and Pennys is SO cheap - so I figured why not. They turned out really cute! I'm going to frame one for my dad for father's day. 

My chicken that went broody a couple months ago is going broody again already!! So soon??? Maybe my prego hormones are rubbing off on her. LOL.

Cindy


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

The daycare he's at is full time only. My subsidy will only pay for days I'm scheduled to work. So, if I have 3 shifts during Monday to Friday, the subsidy will pay for 3, and I have to pay for 2 (even though I'm not working, but the daycare requires full time coverage). I really really want him to stay there but I can't justify the extra cost. I'm only going to be making minimum wage. I emailed my mom asking if she'd consider paying for the extra days so maybe that will work. But then she'd also have to agree to babysitting Saturday and I'm not sure how she'd feel about that. I'm not sure what to do :/


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Have to brag on baby Maeve. We've been doing EC and in the last few days she's started signing potty to let me know she has to go. I'm blown away.

Happy Summer Vacation Mal!

congrats on the job Everr! Hope that your child care situation comes together. Sounds tough.

Pictures: There is a woman here that I really want to do pictures with. I want family pictures but not sure I can talk DH into it. At the very least I may just say we are doing me and the girls and guilt him into it! Ha!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Ooooh pictures that's a good idea. I know a couple photographers I should see if I get some done.

Sue that's so cool about the EC. Good luck with the festival. The other thing I was going to add is that if I don't put a focus on the food and act nonchalant about it they usually have less of a reaction to it. As long as they have a substitute they like they are happy. This is harder with school for me since there is less control and advanced warning.

Cindy that's so funny about the pre go hormones effecting the chicken.

Ever I hope your childcare works itself out and congrats on the job.

Mal yay for being done for the summer. I'm jealous.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Well I think I'm going to keep R at the daycare he's at. I talked to my mom about it last night and she said she'd help with the extra costs to keep him there. Which is such a relief because I was feeling so guilty about switching him. The poor kid always seems to get the short end of the stick  I went to visit a home daycare today just to see but I'm even more sure I want to keep him where he is. The woman seemed very nice and she has a great schedule with lots of outdoor time. But it was a small house and a bit messy and I just can't picture R being happy there at all. I think he would be bored and it would be very very hard for him. I'm hoping that once I start working there will be extra shifts available or maybe I can find a second job to help me get more of the daycare subsidized. I'll still need help for Saturdays but my mom is mostly around and I have other family too. I'll figure it out.

Anyway!

Re photography - I want to get more done too!! The only pro pics I have were in a studio and I'd love some outdoor ones. Actually my new boyfriend (eek, can I call him that?? (formerly 'bus guy')) is an amazing photographer. It's just a hobby but he is so talented. I haven't introduced R yet but when I do I'll ask him to do a photo shoot for us 

Sue - That is so awesome!! I tried EC with R but got too lazy. And it took him forever to start signing. But, I still credit all my EC attempts to R's early potty training (well, that and the use of cloth diapers). I'm glad to hear F is getting better 

Cindy - Lol, poor chicken! And I'd love to see a pic of M all dressed up 

Mal - Woohoo! Congrats! What a relief to be done  Put your feet up and enjoy your summer break!


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Cindy, hooray for a restful night! Fingers crossed that M continues to have luck in the fire truck bed. How are YOU feeling? Seems like the fall will be here so soon! Too funny about your chicken.

I love the name Rose. DH wanted Aubs to be Audrey Rose, which ended up Aubrey Ruth. I think Audrey Rose is also the name of some ship in a movie or something. So I've pumped twice now (trying to slowly build a little stash) and I thought of you. I told you my augmented side has the better supply this time, right? Its weird, because the un-augm. side gets soft when its empty, but the augmented side really doesn't get as soft. Like the scar tissue is firmer or something. Weird. Still very grateful that it is better this time around.

Sue, fantastic about the lack of potty accidents. That's going to make Fiona feel more confident too... Your DH's reaction sounds like what I would expect of mine. But things will adjust, of course. I have to admit I'm curious about your DH's job...sounds like something mine would love. Does he work for NOAA?

Ever, did you say BOYFRIEND?







Is it official? Are you boxing up the granny panties and shaving again and all that? (IMO that's the worst part of dating!) I hope that R can stay where he is. If he does have to transition, maybe you can do it at the start of the school year, or the middle or something, when other kids are going back so that its not so weird for him. I know what you mean about the poor kid thing though. DH went to 10 different schools between Kindy and 12th grade, because his family was always moving--dad in jail, mom changing jobs, living with family members. He isn't traumatized but it definitely impacted him (and the way he feels about the girls' schooling). Have you gotten a definitive answer back about the job?

Seems like there's more I wanted to say...I'm having trouble keeping up these days. Someone is always screaming...usually Aubs. She's not coping well with Mallory all of a sudden. Guess I should have expected that. Aubs went to Grandma and Grandpa's house, then came back and has been miserable ever since. Telling me she's sad all of the time, constantly trying to poke M's eyes, telling me she wants M to stay in my belly forever. Not good. DH is gone to Anaheim for a week (back next Friday night) so I'm on my own for now. Which is actually kind of nice. I'm going to try to get it together this week while he's gone. The first task is to keep Aubs busier...I'm just going to try to keep her doing something constantly so that she can't think about Mallory or screaming at me. Second task is to say "no" less often...because I'm finding myself saying it about stuff that doesn't really matter. So I'm going to say "stop," "yes," or make a compromise. At least that's my goal.

AFM, I feel like I'm still newly postpartum. Mallory is six weeks old today, and I'm STILL sore along the top of the inverted-T. Much worse than my classical incision. Still feeling okay about my failed VBAC, but getting some support online through a private FB group and "Special Scars ~ Special Women." Trying to stay positive. I need to make my follow up appointment with the OB so that I can get more info--my understanding of what happened needs to get validated (or not) and I need to know if she agrees with the other OB who told me (not in these words) that getting pregnant again would be reckless. I also need to make a 2 month appt. for Mallory. Not sure why, since I'm not planning to vax yet. I do think she has a plugged tear duct, but I guess that will either resolve itself or it won't. Probably too early to worry about that much.

Next week I start studying for the bar exam, too. Not sure how many hours/day I'm going to allot for it. Thankfully M sleeps most mornings, and I can take Aubs to daycare any time for the next two months. No time like the present to get all of this crap done, huh? M was 13 lbs. at 4 weeks, so I need to consign a bunch of her stuff. Unless you need hand-me-downs, Courtney or Cindy? Anything in particular? Mallory is wearing 3 and 3-6 mo. clothes already. I know ya'll already have girls, but stuff does get worn out. I had tons of NB and 0-3, then a gap, and a ton of 12 month size stuff. Weird. I think Aubs was wearing that stuff at like 6-9 mos., when she started solids, so I got rid of the stained stuff. Who knows.

Big girl waking up from her nap, gotta run....


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: So glad you can make the daycare thing work! And whoah - BOYFRIEND??? How exciting!!  LOL about Kate's comment about packing up the granny panties. Haha.

Kate: I do recall you saying you had good supply on your augmented side. I forgot to respond. That is so great to hear! I can only hope I have half the luck! I dusted off my "making more milk" book and was reading about causes of low supply. I'm 99% sure mine is from my augmentation. Although, now I see there is a section in there about hormonal reasons and it lists low progesterone and luteal phase defect as a cause! I have no idea what my progesterone levels were when I was pregnant w/M. At least enough to not lose the preg. But it said one mom had a baby and had low supply, tried for #2 and found out she had luteal phase defect, took supplemental progesterone during preg and had a full supply the 2nd time. I guess low progesterone during pregnancy can inhibit proper breast growth in preparation for nursing. So that is pretty much the same situation as me. Maybe the extra estrogen and progesterone I took for the 1st tri this time will help. But I'm not betting on it. Thanks for the hand me down offer. I think we're good. In fact, I plan on pulling ALL the bins out of the attic this weekend and organizing them and labeling them. Nesting has DEFINITELY set in!

Sue: That is so amazing that she can recognize the urge and sign it so early! I don't recall M using signs before 9-10mos old! I love the idea but I have no idea where to start. Maybe I'll read up on it.

AFM: So as I said above, nesting has def kicking in. I've been busy sorting everything and giving things to goodwill, cleaning out closets, etc. It's pretty exhausting. LOL. Seems early but I guess I'd rather do it now than when I'm huge. I feel pretty good for the most part. Trying to be active. But yesterday I pushed M in the stroller up to the farmer's market. I was dying from some side cramp by the time we got there. And even though we hung out at the nearby park and with a friend at the market for 3 hours, it kicked in when it came time to walk home. I'd just talked to DH on the phone and he offered to pick us up. I wanted to walk the mile+ home but when I got up to leave it started up again - plus M started crabbing. So I had him pick us up.

Fall still feels decently far off to me. LOL. But we have some trips planned down to San Diego to see my family next month and Indiana to visit DH's family over the 4th. So time is sure to fly by!

BTW Kate, I've been feeling like I want to try and find ways to say "yes" more - bc "no" is said alot. I'm sure it's part of the age!

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

re "no": I too am working on this! 3 year olds are so strong willed aren't they?!

kate: DH does work for NOAA- fisheries biologist.

Great to hear your update. Hope the week alone goes smoothly. I'm gearing up for it again next week. This time for a month. Not ideal but it is what it is. Times likes these I wish I had family around though.

Cindy: Totally got those weird side aches with walking during M's pregnancy too! Such a bummer. I decided it was ok to slow down a bit once it became a little bit regular.

girls freaking out... more later1


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Yeah, I'm thinking maybe the cramp was round ligament pain? It felt a bit above where I know the top of my uterus is right now.

I forgot to tell you guys - I think we may have picked a name!! Gemma Rose (pronounced Jem-ah). I kinda threw it out there last week and DH liked it and last night he told me he's getting attached to the name. So it's not for sure yet by any means, but it's lovely to think we may have agreed on one so easily this time! Def. not sharing w/anyone in real life - but wanted to share w/you guys.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

I love the name Gemma!! And Rose goes with it so well! Gemma was on the short list for Greta. It was one we both liked a lot, but for some reason just couldn't pull the trigger on it.

Kate, so good to hear from you! I hope you can survive the week without your DH. I'm sure you guys will do great. Although, I think I would have lost it if DH left for a week when I was 6 weeks pp. I'm really spoiled though, he pretty much never leaves town. He does have to go for a week-long pole climbing training thing right after school starts up again. I'm already dreading that! I'm sorry Aubrey is feeling down. Does she like to help with the baby? Helping me change diapers and things like that always made Owyn really excited.

And a big yeah that to the saying "no" problem. We have a lot of it here too. I've been working really hard on it myself. DH has a really hard time with it. It's like "no" is his go-to response to any question she asks. I really try not to interfere with him parenting the girls, but he sometimes needs reminders that Owyn is only 3 years old and his expectations can be a little ridiculous for a 3 year old to live up to.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Sue- how'd the festival go? And brag away b/c that is totally brag worthy!!

Kate- I'm good for clothes but my twin sister is having her first and could probably use them as she only has a few outfits right now. The bar exam? wow, you are pretty awesome to be doing all that, I'm impressed

Cindy- I had that happen when I pulled June in the wagon to the store and it was worse on the way back b/c of all the groceries, I would have totally called Hubs to pick me up if he wasn't at work.

Mal- yay for summer break. i always feel happy even when the girls are out of school, I bet you are doubly happy.

Everr- boyfriend, woohoo, although I don't envy you needing to shave all the time now.

nothing really new with me.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Cindy- i LOVE Gemma Rose. Gemma is one of my favorite names but people said having a jewel and a gem would be too much.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Cindy - I like Gemma Rose. 

Everr - Boyfriend! Awesome. Hope it continues to go well.

Sue - Glad to hear the diet is helping F's pottying. I know that my husband had horrible bedwetting and accident problems as a child until his mom figured out his food intolerances (milk, in his case). He did grow out of it eventually, and is fine with milk now. And awesome about Maeve! I was so fed up with potty-training K when L was born that I didn't even want to think about the potty for her. But she does stay dry at night and seems interested in the potty, so maybe she'll be easier. Good luck having the kids to yourself again. It is easier in the summer, I think. Though I'm lucky for now, my husband is going away for less than a week next time, then not again until August.

Kate - One thing I found that helped when L was little, was remembering to take time to actually be physical with K. Hugging, lap-sitting, horseplay, whatever... I found that I was spending so much time holding, nursing, and carrying the little one I was so touched out and never touched my older kid anymore. Still have that problem somewhat. But it does go in phases. K was OK with L when she was a newborn, terrible when she was a crawler, and now they're good again now that she's becoming a toddler.

Saying no: I often find myself saying "it's not time for X, it's time for Y". More so than no. Which is better, but really it's OK to let him lead occasionally on what's going to happen.

AFM - I've spent nearly all of the past week outside.  It's been mostly beautiful, the snow all melted, the weather got warm (up to a high of 60), I got the garden finished planting and growing (I was so proud of my thumbnail-sized radish today!), and we've been doing a sort of "backyard adventure" project with the kids where we went all around our tiny neighborhood learning birds, taking pictures, exploring in the woods, etc... I love this time of year.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Yep, boyfriend  So yes I have to shave regularly lol! I actually had some sugaring done and am going again tomorrow, it hurts but the hair stays away for almost a month so it's worth it. AND, yesterday I let him meet R. It went very well. I asked R after what he thought of him and he said "He's very nice and also beautiful" lol! I'm excited about where this is headed right now 

Erin - I'm glad you're getting some nice weather!! I can't imagine the snow just melting now. Yikes. We're into some gorgeous summer weather now and I love it!

Cindy - Oh I love Gemma, so cute! Makenna and Gemma.. Aww <3


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Kate - You have so much going on! It sounds like things are going well though. Hopefully you stop having pain soon, that part is not fun at all  And studying for the bar exam?? Good luck!!

AFM - I should be hearing about the job today but I'm sure I've got it. One of my references is my friend and she was called this morning and they thought I was perfect for the job  So I'm sure they'll call soon. I'm anxious to hear when I will start! And R is definitely staying where he is. My mom's going to help with that. Such a relief!

I'm not sure if I mentioned this or not but I got my final marks for the year and it's all A's and I made the Dean's List  How's that for a single mama?? I just need to keep it up next year!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Everr- that's awesome, way to go!!!

Oh and I totally won the co-sleeper! yay.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Everr: boyfriends and jobs and grades! Woot Woot! That is a lot and you should be proud! Glad R thought bus guy was beautiful!  Too cute!

Courtney: Yeah for the win!

Cindy: Love Gemma Rose! Pretty!

Erin: I wish I could say my garden is in and growing but in the next few days i will be able to. We got a late start this year and had to rethink the plan anyway. No carrot, potatoes or peas for us! Also the garlic that we planted in the fall is up. Hoping to trade our friend from the brewery for beer!

The festival went well. She loved the rides and the parade! We ate very little and pretty much took turns taking her around to look at stuff or go on the rides while the other ate some yummy food so we weren't eating in front of her. It worked out! The food can't compete with the spinning apple and the airplane ride anyway!  She did eat ice cream which I know realize probably had eggs in it. oops! Learning all the time...

Starling we miss you. Are you back? If not I'm even more jealous!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Courtney: Yay!! I'm so glad you won!!

Everr: All As and deans list? I am SO proud of you!!! And you must have quite a looker there for a boyfriend if your 3 yr old little boy called him beautiful! ;-) Very cool that you are at the point where you feel comfortable introducing him to R - and even better that is went well. I'm sure you were nervous.

Sue: Glad the festival went well. Ugh - so hard not to be able to give her ice cream. Sorbet it is unless you make your own, I suppose.

Erin: Glad you are able to get out and enjoy the weather and your garden. I love this time of yr!

AFM: Nothing exciting. Spent all day walking around San Francisco. Walked clear across the city and back - but stopped a lot along the way. I felt pretty good. It was probably about 5 miles. I'm spending today sorting through all the bins of M's old clothes and labeling sizes. Had all sorts of sizes mixxed altogether. I pulled out all the newborn and 0-3mos clothes and found all my newborn prefolds and covers. Man do we have way too many tiny clothes!!Ok, I better get back to sorting. Had to take a break and eat bc the decaf coffee I got with a "tiny sprinkling" of caffeinated beans actually had WAY too much caffeine for me this time and feel all cooky. Good for sorting, I suppose. LOL. Planning on BBQing ribs later. DH is pretty thrilled to try out meat recipes now that he has someone to share them with.

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Courtney - Congratulations!

Everr - Congratulations to you too! A boyfriend, straight As, and a job? Awesome. You are kicking a**

Sue - I didn't even think about the garden thing with all of F's sensitivities. Beets, chard, cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, brussel sprouts, radishes, lettuces, arugula, and onions? All those grow well here, and are some of our staple veggies (besides carrots, potatoes and peas). And I don't think you're all that late. I'm just impatiently early. Sucks you can't give her ice cream though. Aren't there kinds without eggs?

Cindy - I could NOT handle caffeine in either pregnancy, which made me (a regular coffee drinker) very sad. I remember going to an espresso stand literally on the way home from the hospital with K, I was so excited to have it again.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

We're back!

We got back a couple of weeks ago, but then I had to go to the east coast for a few authorly things. I took H with me and left E with dp and my mom.

Had a great time! More later.

Congrats, *Courtney*! I tried to vote a few times, but it was when we were in CR and I'm not sure that it worked. I loved the picture even before I knew it was yours! Gorgeous photo.

Congrats to you too, *Ever* ... way to rock the Dean's List, woman! And ooh-la-la about being twitterpated. So fun! And exciting to have ramped it up to the meet-the-child stage. When do we get to meet him?









*Kate*, you busy woman. Don't get burnt out!

*Sue* ... Glad that your DH is back to help defuse all of the food complexities. When, oh, when do we get to go camping together?

*Mal* ... Yay for your school year being done!

*Cindy* ... I didn't have caffeine at all during either pregnancy, or while prepping to be pregnant, or while nursing either, so really, I've been off caffeine for about four years, with a few exceptions here and there. H woke up at 4am today, and DP isn't around for the next couple of days (restaurant staffing disaster), and so I got a caffeinated latte this morning. It was great! I might start drinking it again. I don't like drinking it when I'm on the ambulance though, because it ramps up by adrenalin rushes and makes me shaky. But for recovery from sleepless nights and needing to be fully present for two small kids? You bet! I got so much done! Laundry, housekeeping, installed H's bike seat, went for a bike ride with both kids, made supper, and did bedtime with a smile on my face! Now, may not be the caffeine, but it very well might be!

Hi *Nilla*! Hope all is going well with your end of semester stuff? I might have lost track of where you're at with that ... sorry!

*Erin* ... I am often jealous of your rural, outdoor life. We are constantly debating relocating back to the bush. Sigh. Until then, I shall just live vicariously through you! Sounds dreamy!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Everr: Congrats on making the dean's list! Sounds like things are really great for you right now. Soak it up, you SO deserve it!!

Starling: Welcome back! I've seen some of the pics you've put on FB. Looks like you've been having a great time!

Oh, how I miss caffeine! I mostly gave it up while I was pregnant with Owyn, then introduced it at the end of that pregnancy. I had caffeine while nursing her and it never seemed to make a difference with her. I kept a little caffeine in my diet while pregnant with Greta (who was over a pound bigger than Owyn, so much for caffeine causes lower birth weight huh?!). But she can't handle it while I'm nursing. If I have even a little, she sleeps horrible. Just restless and fussy all night. Every now and then I'll think, "Oh, that was just in my head. It wasn't really the caffeine that caused it." Then, I find I am sorely mistaken when we have yet another horrible night of sleep. So, after learning my lesson about a dozen times, caffeine is totally gone right now.

Nothing much new here. We had an extra long weekend with lots of BBQs. Owyn went swimming almost all weekend. She is definitely my little water girl! She starts swimming lessons in a few weeks. The first time she's old enough to take the class on her own and not with a parent. After watching her all weekend, I think she'll do great!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: Welcome back! We still want CR stories when you have time! LOL about finally having your first caffeinated beverage. Glad it made for such a happy and productive day! 

Erin: To funny that you got a coffee on the way home from the hospital!

I love the taste of coffee but am very sensitive to caffeine, no matter what my body is doing. I usually don't drink much caffeinated. I totally stopped drinking any coffee before we did IVF (even decaf). The decaf has creeped back in. And now that I keep getting headaches, I find getting decaf with a tiny bit of caffeinated makes them go away (like 1/2 inch of caf with the rest decaf). Yetserday we went to the yummiest coffee place ever. They have about 20 dif kinds and they brew them by the cup. It's very easy to blend them - so I usually get decaf with a sprinkle of caf beans. Their regular cups are brewed very strong - like 3x the amount of caf than a regular coffee. I found that out the hard way when I was nursing M. I don't know what they did to me yesterday but I felt so awful! No one there has screwed up my mix before! I did get all my sorting done though! LOL.

Cindy


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Crap. My main point of posting was to talk about swimming lessons and I forgot. Ha!

M has been doing swimming w/DH. I went out of my way to find a class she could still do w/one of us bc she is so shy lately. But half the time, she just wants to play around and not participate. DH thinks she might be better off taking the class without him after all (with him watching from outside the pool). But I am a bit afraid that she will cry and refuse to go in the pool without him. I'm not sure if we should shelve the lessons until she is older. Or if waiting until she is older will make it worse - like maybe we already waited too long to have her in the water a lot.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

I was worried Owyn wouldn't do lessons without me. But with Greta, I can't really do the class with her now unless I wanted to find a sitter. The class is while DH is working... I think it will work out though. I worked it out with her best friend's mom. They are going to take the class together. They like to kind of show each other up, so we're hoping they will motivate each other. We'll see if it works or not!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Erin: Your list is just about everything we've been working on for the garden! 

Starling: SO glad to hear you had a great time. You are a busy woman. How did E do with you being away?

Caffeine- yes please. Must drink coffee daily. I gave it up for my pregnancy with Fiona but not Maeve. They were pretty close in size with M being a few ounces over. I drink a couple mugs full every morning and often some earl gray tea in the afternoon.

Swimming- We have got to get F in the pool more often. I suck at it.

Canning beans this afternoon and dehydrating beets for beet chips. Hoping F will dig them!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Yeah, not going back onto coffee regularly any time soon. Had one this morning and was shaky and irritable afterward. On occasion, I guess.

Lessons: E is doing gymnastics, which is not a parent participation class. I was nervous about her not wanting to go in without me, but she hollered goodbye while she ran in without so much as a look back. The parents sit way up in bleachers that are on the second floor, and she has never even looked up. Funny. We're waiting on swim lessons. She isn't interested in putting her head under, and she'll need to do that to move on in the lesson sequence. So, no lessons for now. We swim twice a week though, so she's getting quite good at her water skills other than that.

AFU: Who else bikes with kids? *Ever? Erin? * What's your set up? Advice? We have a single trailer and then I just put on a hand-me-down rear mount seat, which I had in mind for H. Yesterday I put H in the seat, and E in the trailer, for a half hour ride. Today we went further abroad, and I worried about H falling asleep in the mounted seat, so I put him in the trailer and E in the seat. But then it was dodgy getting on and off the bike with 35 pounds! I didn't like that at all. And H did fall asleep, and was all crooked and looked uncomfortable. E really loved being high up and able to chat with me, but she's five pounds away from being too heavy, and it was so awkward not to drop her and the bike when I got on and off.

Wondering if a double trailer would be better? But I can imagine E getting frustrated with H grabbing at her. Wish I had the money for one of those Dutch cargo bikes!

Now that H is almost 8 months old, I'm going to say it ... he's actually an "easier" baby than even E was! How'd I luck out with that? One of his favourite things to do is to "shop." We put a bunch of his toys in a bucket, and he "shops" from it for ages. Putting things in, taking things out, playing. Sometimes half an hour! Just hanging out on the floor, busy with his toys. And he's happy as heck, and easy to please, and a delight! He is waaaaaaaay more interested in moving around than E though, so I guess that he require more chasing-after. He's pulling up and cruising now. Not that interested in crawling, same as E. The difference is that he can, whereas E never mastered crawling. E walked at ten months. I'd rather he wait longer than that!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Welcome back Starling!! H does sound like a great baby! The more I see other babies the more I realize just how difficult R was. I think I rolled with it pretty good at the time and just assumed a lot of it was typical baby stuff or due to me being on my own. I also think he's a difficult toddler/preschooler lol. Maybe it's just me 

As for biking - R is still in his Wee Ride Kangaroo seat which is in front of me. This will likely be the last summer for it though, I think he'll be too big next year. But, next year he'll be old enough for one of these so that will be nice. I like doing longer trail rides so pulling a trailer would never work. Actually, I prefer just having free time to go biking by myself.. But sometimes it's fun to bring R along 

Caffeine - No way. I've never been a coffee drink. Sometimes I'll have tea but usually just herbal. If I drink caffeine it really messes me up.

Programs - Well I missed out on the spring swimming lessons because it's so crazy hard to get into them in this city! June 20th is the sign up for July/August so I'll try again. He is in soccer Monday evenings which is fun, R loves it.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Starling: H sounds a lot like Greta. She really is a delightful baby too. She plays on her own for pretty long stretches. Owyn wasn't really a difficult baby by any means, but she didn't play on her own until she was much older. Maybe a second child thing. Greta would like to be on the move, but she just hasn't figured it out yet. She does roll pretty much anywhere she wants to go. Just this week, she mastered sitting up on her own, but is rarely still long enough to stay there for long. She is very vocal too and loud!! She says mama and dada and jabbers all the time. Tonight she signed "all done" for the first time! Owyn never picked up on the signing, but Greta tries to copy everything we do so she is really picking up on it! I need to introduce more signs.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Starling - Welcome back! Glad it went well. And great to end up with an easier second baby. My two were similar, I think. And as she grows into a toddler, I think L is more difficult. The age is more difficult (I'll take 3 over 16 months any day), but also she has less natural caution and more natural deviousness, and is hell-bent to keep up with K.

Biking with kids: I use a double trailer, a Burly. Both kids squeeze in just fine, and even though they're close together, they don't seem to mind. Towing both of them up the hill several times a week got me in great shape, which I'm losing a bit now that preschool is out for the summer and I don't take them into town so often.

Swimming: I could sign K up this year, and he'd have no problem leaving me, but I'm almost certain he'd refuse to participate, so I won't bother. He's never been super into the water (which leads me to take him to the pool less often, which compounds it), and he's a very cautious soul who takes a long long time to warm up to participating in any game or activity with other kids and mostly just says no to them. Even after months of preschool, there were lots of activities there he only ever liked to watch. (oddly, he's not at all shy with kids or adults)


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Lessons- June isn't doing any, although I am thinking of starting a co-op preschool thing with some of here friends since she won't be getting into school next year like her sisters did.

easier 2nd child- sweet, that's always nice. I think all of mine have been pretty easy (probably why I have 4). Jewel (9) is tougher now b/c she's really mean to her sisters and Josie(6) is sort of a pain because she doesn't solve problems she just cries. June is pretty bratty and says people are stupid when they don't do what she wants. We are trying to work on all of these things.

Starling- can't wait to hear about your trip.

biking- I used to have a 2 kid pull behind trailer, it was nice. Someone gave us a ride behind bike seat we will use for Coraline and it would be sort of cool to all go out bike riding but my bigger girls I think might give up, but it I thought they could decently do it I'd be tempted by the ride behind bike.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

'urgh super annoyed with Hubs. We are leaving soon to go to a food fight birthday party and he is not going to make it. the party is for a 6 year old and 8 year old and now Junes is going to have to food fight alone because I can't be outside, I need to be inside with the baby. I know he's working but I think he should put the job off for a day so he can help her. I've been planning on him coming since we got invited, but his work always trumps any and all plans. It's not that I think he shouldn't work just that sometimes he needs to plan around events.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Sorry Courtney. I hope someone was able to help her. Can't even imagine a food fight birthday party!!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

It was pretty awesome. My best friend ended up helping her and all of my kids had tons of fun, I'll show you pictures once I get them loaded.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Courtney - the food fight party looks like it was so much fun!! I would love to host something like that someday. Maybe as an end of the school year party when R is a bit older.

It's funny, R is so good about leaving me and being independent if it involves playing with other kids. But at home he can be so clingy and rarely plays alone. He just needs to be with someone I guess, but it doesn't matter if it's me lol! I'm going to get him into swimming this summer so that should be fun. And he's still enjoying soccer too. Not sure what we'll do in the fall but I'll have to find something.

I had my first shift on Saturday and I LOVED it. It is such a great place to work. The manager is very nice and very like-minded (we both had home births and bonded over that ) I'm mostly in the kitchen which is great. I love preparing food and I love cleaning too so it's perfect. I'm really going to enjoy it there. I have 4 shifts a week, 6 hours each. But the one shift is Saturdays and the day care isn't open so I need to find babysitters and my daycare subsidy will only cover the 3 week day shifts. Kind of sucks. But I'm glad to be working!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: So glad you love your new job! It's probably fun to do something new - and especially to know that you get to leave after summer is over.  M always leaves me alone more when she has others to play with. Playdates now def make things easier for me, whereas when they were younger, it was just me breaking up fights over sharing the entire time.

Courtney: I'm glad your friend was able to help! Must have been a crazy mess! Fun idea though! RE: The breast milk. I do know that you can fedex milk. But I need to check prices. I saw one quick post about someone who spent $200 between the cooler, dry ice and shipping. If it's that much, then no way! But if it's only like $50, I'd totally pay! 

It's raining here! So random bc this weekend was gorgeous and warm. Spent a lot of time outside. We went on a nice urban hike yesterday. Our town has hundreds of tiny pathways that go between roads - often hidden and rustic and letting you peek into tons of backyards. Some are stairs, some are not. Tons of them seem to go up very steep hills! So our route took us pretty far up and stopped at 2 parks that we haven't been to since we used to go on these hikes when M was a tiny baby. We have a map of the paths and used to do this every weekend when M was a few months old. Can't remember the last time we went. I had to bribe M to stay in the hiking backpack the entire time w/a lollypop. LOL. Anyway, it felt really good!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Everr: so glad your new job is fun and you like it! Woot Woot!

Cindy: Those hidden trails sound cool!

AFU: We have begun our solo gig. It's just the girls and me until June 28th. Wish me luck! My babysitter isn't going to work out after all. She is on vacation and then got accepted to this naval academy camp. Great for her and all that but I'm bummed not to have any kind of break for this whole month. So wish we had family near by. I have one friend who has offered to take F from time to time but honestly I don't really like how she parents so I'm not comfortable with that. Spanking, CIO, the whole works. She brought up spanking the other day actually so she may revoke her offer after she has heard what I had to say about it. It's not something I can smile and nod about. I told her that we don't spank at all and believe that it doesn't teach children to behave well it just makes them afraid. IMO, avoiding bad behavior out of fear of being hit (and I did use the word hit because that is what it is) is not the same thing as children learning to behave well out of their own will. I told her I don't want my children to grow up afraid of me. It's our job to guide them towards good behavior. Anyway- awkward conversation but it's not something I can let go if someone asks me about it. I admitted I lose my cool plenty but I have learned to walk away and start over. I hope it doesn't come to this but if the threat of spanking or god forbid the actual spanking happens in front of my kids we won't be hanging out anymore. Ugh!

On a much happier note... a local photography friend has asked me to be a part of a couple photo shoots she's been wanting to do- babywearing and breastfeeding. I'm so excited!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Ever ... Great that you're enjoying your job!

Courtney ... I'm glad that your girls had a good time at the food fight party. What a cool idea!

Sue ... Frustrating about the babysitter. And NO WAY, Jose about that other mom. I read on another thread here at MDC, one where people are going on about what they'd get flamed for by the old MDC, and someone actually posted about how they're using spanking, and it's working because now their kid is trying really hard not to hit. WTF? Teaching that it's not okay to hit ... by HITTING? Sigh. I actually miss the old MDC!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Everr - Awesome that you like the job. I think R is exactly K's opposite in terms of personality. K will happily play forever by himself, but only sometimes tolerates his sister joining in, and usually does his own thing even in groups of kids. I take him to see other kids sheerly out of a sense of parental responsibility (isn't it supposed to be good for them?) and so I can hang with their parents.

Courtney - Food fight party sounds fun. Might be an idea for when mine are older.

Sue - that sucks about the babysitter, and your friend. June 28 is a long time, isn't there any sort of drop in activity or another friend you could swap kids with for a bit? You need some kind of break.I forget how lucky I am sometimes! My husband's away for a few days, but I am blessed with a local grandma here, and all of my friends would be fine to watch K. And there's quite a bit of informal kid-swaps that happen, especially in the summer.

Cindy - I used to love those little trails in Seattle (also often had stairs and were steep).

Bad mom strategy of the week: Kids are sick, husband's gone, and when they decide to have a screaming meltdown at eachother at 7AM when I'm trying to make breakfast and coffee? Chocolate. Giving each kid (and me) a small square of dark chocolate solves absolutely everything. I don't even feel very guilty about it.

AFM: Thinking about what I was doing last summer, I'm suddenly overwhelmed by how BIG my kids have gotten. Lituya was barely sitting up, and now she's running everywhere, climbing rocks, and speaking in sentences. And when she takes off for the bottom of our driveway at breakneck speed yelling "Run on the Road!!!" I do wonder where my baby went so soon. And when I stop paying attention to Katmai for a minute, I find that he's let himself outside, gotten the pruning shears, and wandered off to the top of a little hill on our property to snip down the elderberry for me, before getting involved in some imaginary game. Or he's reading words and talking about phonics rules, or balancing on logs, or explaining in detail how plants grow...


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

never feel guilty about chocolate!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

I realize our kiddos aren't really "toddlers" anymore but I read this today and found it a great reminder.

http://theparentingpassageway.com/2011/06/28/guest-post-meaningful-work-for-toddlers/

I have to say that age 3 is so hard for us. I miss the twos! But as the article talks about- engaging her in real meaningful work in the house really does help a lot.

What are you guys up to these days? Here are some of the things that have helped us...

-using a dropper to drip colored vinegar into a tray of baking soda

-washing windows with a spray bottle

-cooking

-planting in the garden

-digging for worms for the compost bin

-polishing the wooden toys

-washing playsilks in a warm of warm soapy water

-washing dishes in the sink

-laying out ingredients and letting her make concoctions

I need to do it more...


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Oh I love parenting passageway! Although sometimes I feel guilty reading her words about all the things I should be doing with my kids and how I should slow down but can't because I'm just so busy. But it's a good reminder. I did the 21 days of being a more mindful parent. It was good reflective work.

I have found that giving her a cloth and a spray bottle is a fabulous distraction. Also the folding of laundry she likes that. Plant watering, helping with cooking: she loves to crack eggs and pour stuff.

I have been reading and following along but no time to post. Thanks all for reminding me to say no less. I find I say no a lot if I am busy because it does take longer to let the kids do it. I need to let it go a little and slow down but choose when to so I'm not stressed about it.

AFM: I went to a gender communication workshop today that was pretty awesome. We all know that men and women are different but she really had a wonderful way of highlighting the differences and putting some humour into it. I definitely took a lot home I could use with my son and my husband. The big one was eye contact. Just because a man isn't looking at me doesn't me he's not listening. Men often have to look away to focus and concentrate. I will never again tell my son to look at me when I am talking to him. I need to read some stuff on why gender matters I think. For parenting and for entering an IT workforce which is primarily male.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

That's a great list Sue! I'll have to do the dropper one. I even bought droppers a while back but forgot about them. And I've been meaning to do the concoction mixing idea - what things do you put out for her to mix up? M always helps in the kitchen. She likes to "wash dishes". She helped me dust yesterday and keeps admiring the spot on the side of the buffet that she polished. She also has her own watering can and loves to water the potted plants - and she often trims leaves off our bushes with DH. She always asks to trim the bushes. My dad just ordered a big vertical planter for strawberries that is for her. My dad's wife is all excited for her to be involved in gardening - but she doesn't realize that she already helps with all our gardening (but we don't have all that much growing). I think I'll let her spray and clean some things. She loved washing the glass off after painting it at a children's museum. They had squirt bottles and squigees out for the kids.

What else? She picked out a broom and dust pan in her size when my mom was here and wanted to buy her a toy. So now she helps sweep up her crumbs. And she insisted we buy a piggy bank from the $1 bin at target yesterday. She kept asking for money so I finally told her she should earn some by doing chores. I haven't decided yet what that should be though. Maybe collecting eggs or feeding the cats? DH is a bit torn though on whether or not we should teach her that she should do chores bc she gets allowance for them or if she should do them bc she is part of the family and everyone does them. I didn't intend on a $$ lesson when I agreed to the piggy bank, but now I'm glad it was brought up.

Everr: Is that bus guy in the flying pics on facebook???  You look awesome up there!!

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Sigh... I look at your list Sue, and it all looks pretty wonderful, but it all looks like something that will be quickly rendered a disaster by a 17 month old! My two kids are pretty close in age, but I still find the difference challenging. What "meaningful work" can be done by both at the same time? K loves cooking with me, loves to help in the garden, etc... L wants to do everything he does, but if I get both of them involved together she snatches the mixing spoon out of his hand, flings flour across the floor, starts ripping leaves off the cabbage plants instead of thinning the radishes (K is a little overzealous with the radishes himself - he loves them too much to let them get big), etc...

Not to complain too much. Spending all day playing on the beach and playing outside in warm sun is great for all ages, and we had a really good day.

Cindy - I'm not even sure K understands what money is! He goes to the grocery store and post office with me sometimes, but I always pay in plastic, so I don't think he has much sense of the concept.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

*Everr* ... I will not make a comment about the Mile High Club. I will not. Not happening. Nope.









*Sue* ... Great list! We do a lot on it already, but not the dropper one. Cool idea ... now to find some droppers.

*Nilla* ... Are you moving towards IT? Did I miss that somewhere along the line? Gendered stuff is tricky at our house, being that DP is so butch that she gets read as a boy most often, and has so many masculine tendencies. I find a lot of the male-ish generalizations apply to her too. Interesting!

*Helping*: E loooooooves to help and can and will whenever possible. We don't usually have a firm time issue, so she can go at it whenever, so long as I leave enough time beforehand if I want to end up doing or going somewhere else. She loves to help by cooking, and can pretty much put a meal together on her own, with direction and supervision. She has mastered the sharp paring knife when it comes to thinks like bananas and melon and other softer things, which pleases her to no end.

She often puts H's meals together. This morning it was cutting blueberries and banana and toast strips, and mixing brown rice and squash together. We've got a tiny garden area that is all hers, much to my control-freak-martha-stewart consternation. A learning curve for me for sure! I don't get her to help much with the vaccuming and cleaning, although she'd love to. My control-freak-martha-stewart tendencies haven't relaxed enough just yet. I do let her have her own rag and such and she follows along, which counts. She loves to wash just about anything, from her toys to DP's motorcycle.

She loves 'going by herself' right now, which means I send her on an errand to the neighbours (within our co-op complex) to drop off or pick something up or check the mail. She'd love to do more of than, but not okay just yet. She also loves to go to storytime at the library "by herself," which means that I have to stay in the main area while she runs down the hall and into the separate room and enjoys storytime by herself. This also include running ahead and into whatever store/house/even that we're going to. She always waits once she gets in, which is great, but this one gets my heart racing a bit.

*Money*: E loves money! We do everything with cash, so she is often the one to pay. We'll give her the paper money and she'll give it to the clerk and get the change and receipt. She often shops "by herself" (see above). I help her find what we need and she does the rest.

She has a piggy bank and we give her whatever money she wants for it. She understands when we don't have any more, and never complains. We don't buy her things that she asks for, so she doesn't know that that's a reality for some kids. She likes to buy her dog a treat now and then, but even with that, I sometimes say no if I don't have the 50 cents for it. She'll ask for things sometimes, and when we say no, she'll ask why not. We tell her that we don't have the money for it, but if she wants to ask for it for Christmas or her birthday, she can. She can also save up any money she gets that is her own.

The piggy bank money is for play, not considered hers. We can use it, replace it, switch it out. Her money is what people give her specifically, which is very rare. There is a little old man up the block that gives her a dollar when he sees her, and she has sold a few of her things, but she always spends the money on hot chocolate or rides on the automated cow or donkey nearby. She understands that if she wants a bigger ticket item, she'll need to put the money away and not spend it.

DP and I haven't talked about allowance formally, but I don't think we'll connect chores to money. Interesting topic!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Oh, the helping. Owyn loves to help, but she can get a little over-zealous with it at times. She has a little spray bottle and free access to wash rags, so she loves to wipe surfaces. She can reach the sink in the bathroom by herself, so I often find her rinsing her dishes off in the bathroom. Not so fun when there was food on her plate, though! She is into a big ice water thing right now. She has access to her cups, so I often find her getting ice out of the freezer and filling her cup in the bathroom. She also loves to help with Greta. She helps me change her diapers and helps pick up toys after her. She loves when I ask her to "watch" Greta for any length of time. Like when I go to the bathroom I'll ask her to watch her sister and make her smile if she cries. She takes this role very seriously. She also has a little broom and dustpan, so she likes to help sweep the floors too. With cooking, she loves to stir and pour things. She has attempted cracking eggs, but still needs help with that one.

She is also able to do a lot for herself now. She gets herself dressed. She is also very stylish so she doesn't usually pick out anything too out there to wear! She likes her clothes to match, also her shoes! She brushes her hair in the mornings. She can put her shoes on most of the time. She has the bathroom procedure down-- can go, wipe, flush and wash her hands totally on her own. She can pick up after herself. Her imagination is really running wild right now too, so that keeps her pretty entertained most of the day. It's really entertaining to listen to her when she's pretend playing with her dolls, so funny to hear her play out real life events in her pretend play!

Anyone have trouble with public bathrooms? Most public bathrooms anymore have automatic flushers and they terrify Owyn. I used to be able to just cover it with my hand and she'd be fine, but lately she refuses to use them. When we're out, she just starts asking to go home if she needs to use the bathrooms. A lot of times home is an hour away when this comes up. Not sure how to remedy this. I'm afraid she's just not going to tell me she needs to go in order to avoid the scary toilets and we'll end up with accidents when we're out...


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Vegan Princess*
> 
> Everr: Is that bus guy in the flying pics on facebook???  You look awesome up there!!


Yep 

Starling - lol! And I won't respond to any mile high club comments.. We were only 3500 feet 

Re Helping - R *loves* to help! I try and let him as much as possible but sometimes I'm in a hurry and I just want it done. Your list is great Sue! I may have to keep some of those in mind for a rainy day  I find we are so busy now that we don't have a lot of down time.. R is in daycare full time, I'm now going to be working Saturdays, that just leaves Sundays and it's pretty easy to make plans and have stuff to do. Last week I kept him home from daycare one day for a zoo day with mommy. I'll probably do that often because otherwise I only will have 1 day a week with him. (although I'll admit that sometimes that's enough..)

Re Money - R doesn't really have a concept of money. He does, however, love to get a spare card for me and pretend to buy stuff with it lol! I think it's a good idea to start introducing it and I might do that, get him to pay for little things with cash. I did this at the zoo last week to get him to pay for our train ride, but he really wasn't into it and didn't seem to care.

Re Public Toilets - No problems here. R actually went by himself last week! We were in a safe public restroom so I went into the stall by myself. He went into the one next to me and did everything he needed to on his own. And then crawled out the bottom leaving the door locked :/ I had to get him to crawl back under to unlock the door.

Erin - Your life is so busy right now!! Just think though, both of them will soon be out of this toddler phase and will be awesome playmates. My brother and I are only a year apart and we always played together growing up 

Sue - Good luck with the solo parenting!! I'm sure you'll do fine  And I totally agree with you about the spanking lady. I will (shamefully) admit that I have spanked R. I didn't do it because I thought it would be a good idea and a good discipline tool. I did it because I was frustrated and felt out of options and just going through difficult stuff. But, I haven't spanked him in a long while and I'm doing a lot better at controlling my emotions. I think mostly it's because I am doing better emotionally so I don't have all that underlying stress with me all the time.

Nilla - Sounds like an interesting workshop. I've been thinking about this because bus guy isn't too open about how he feels (which is common for guys I think..) The last guy I dated was SO ridiculously open that it seems like such a huge difference. But the last guy also ended up being kind of an ass and so far my new guy is awesome and I think his actions speak more about how he feels, so I'm ok with that 

And, I had my second shift today, still going great! She said there should definitely be extra shifts available for me especially in July and August so it's going to work out well


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Mal ... E is terrified of automatic flush toilets! I drape a coat over it and then let her leave the stall before i let it flush. Maybe she'd go if you draped something more substantial over it? A special Flushproof Recieving Blanket perhaps?


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

My friend told me to call them magic flush toilets bc they magically flush on their own - and play up that aspect. M has never loved them but since I always called them that, she seems to be ok with them. She never likes flushing noises at public restrooms though.

Starling: I am always so impressed by what E does and what you guys allow her to do. Things that don't even occur to me yet.  You're always my inspiration!

Makenna fell asleep at 5:45 tonight! She was on the couch watching a video while I worked on dinner. I realized it had been quiet for a while and went to check and she was out. I'm so afraid she's going to wake up at 2am and be up for the day! She had a very busy day playing though. She spent 2.5 hours at a friend's house then they came here and played for 2 more hours. Had a rest then went to a park for a while. We went to the grocery store after the park and she was melting down by the time we got in the car.

Cindy


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

BTW I'm not getting my email notifications from here anymore. Anyone know how to fix it? Everr, I think you told me what to do last time and it worked - but I forgot what you told me! Something I had to do to my computer.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *starling&diesel*
> 
> *Nilla* ... Are you moving towards IT? Did I miss that somewhere along the line? Gendered stuff is tricky at our house, being that DP is so butch that she gets read as a boy most often, and has so many masculine tendencies. I find a lot of the male-ish generalizations apply to her too. Interesting!


Yep the second master's degree in my double degree is health information science which is basically health information technology and clinical information systems. The workshop was fabulous. She also did the introvert vs. extrovert and got us to write out how the other perceives us and might find difficult communicating with us. Helped me to understand why I have issues with extroverts and what they find difficult about communicating with me. The brain differences in men and women were the most intriguing I think. They described men as having boxes to be able to jump in and out of and that there is a 5-6 sec delay before they get 'into' the appropriate box and can respond. They also have an empty box and can truly think of nothing while women have a map in the mind and it's always there and no empty place. Most men respond with the conclusion first, women conclusion last. Oh so much interesting stuff.

Money we don't tie allowance to chores. We have chores because you live here and are part of this family. We give money for learning to manage money. It's a weekly allowance but it only started when ds was 5.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *starling&diesel*
> 
> Mal ... E is terrified of automatic flush toilets! I drape a coat over it and then let her leave the stall before i let it flush. Maybe she'd go if you draped something more substantial over it? A special Flushproof Recieving Blanket perhaps?


Oh, a blanket or something is a great idea. That might work and we usually have one if Greta is with us. I'd have to do it before she even sees the toilet though. She recognizes them by sight and won't go near it if she sees it's an automatic. We were shopping last weekend and she had a full on meltdown when it was time to potty and we couldn't find a non-automatic toilet anywhere. I finally had to bribe her and even then she cried the whole time she was pottying. Poor girl.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

*Starling* - I'm so impressed by all that E does. A lot of stuff I wouldn't have thought to try.

*Nilla* - The workshop sounds fascinating. For chores, what age do you have formal "chores" for the kids?

*Everr* - Glad your job is going well and you're enjoying the flying. I've seen some pretty neat stuff from small planes, but I've never quite been comfortable in them, and often see them as more of a necessary hazard of life here.

*Mal * - Only one autoflush in town (in the school), and K doesn't seem to mind it.

*Helping -* In general, I feel a bit guilty that I've backed off of encouraging K to "help". I let him when he asks or seems interested, but if the kids are ever entertaining themselves/eachother so that I can get something done quickly and without interference, I leap on the opportunity! I worry I'll have battles later over toy pickup, etc.. if I don't try harder now, though.

*Independence -* I do love the independence they can have at this age. I can send K on an errand to grandma's (same property, different house), and he can now play outside by himself! The other day he went out and played for probably 20 minutes while I was putting L to sleep, then let himself back in. In some ways he seems so young for it, but there really isn't much trouble he could get into and he stays well in bounds.

*Money* - How terrible is it that I want to keep K naive as long as possible? Since the only things he ever sees purchased are fruits and veggies, he never asks me to buy anything other than an orange or some cherry tomatoes. No toys, no candy, no begging for stuff of any kind. I want to keep it that way! He is fascinated by numbers and receipts though, and the postmistress lets him push in the numbers and make the receipt every time we mail something.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Making meals! You can tell that E is a daughter of a chef!

My mom sends F cards sometimes with $1. She thinks its pretty cool and likes to use it to pay for our groceries or for a movie at blockbuster. I don't think we will do an allowance- I never had one. If I needed $ for something I just asked for it. I may or may not have had to do something extra around the house to earn it- sort of depended. And I didn't always get it when I asked either.

Fiona plays outside alone quite a bit. Our yard is fenced though. When she is out front without the fence she knows her boundaries and I make sure the dogs are out with her to bark if anyone comes by. I only let her in the front alone when I'm able to keep popping out to check on her. No opportunity for solo errands here.

toilets- I've heard of people using post it notes to cover the sensor.

Yesterday my heart dropped when Fiona was mad I told her to wait on the sidewalk so I could help hr get in the car. She ran away from me right into the road. It was awful and I yelled so much and shoved her into the car. She sobbed the whole way home. I was still so shaken by it that I had a hard time sleeping last night. We have talked about it a lot but it was the worst feeling ever to see your child do that.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Oh sue... Owyn did that to me in a parking lot one time and it scared the hell out of me. I really was to blame. I often open her door and just ask her to climb into her seat while I put Greta in her seat on the other side. That time I walked away before she was all the way in and she came running after me and darted into the middle of the parking lot. My reaction scared her enough that she likely won't do it again but I really should have kept my emotions in check. As a kid I had a friend that was killed by getting hit by a car. A few years ago my SIL was also hit by a car, badly injured and lost a pregnancy from it. So my fear of that is really heightened.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Hugs Sue! That is so scary! I'm glad everyone is fine! We talk a lot about not going in the street bc we live on a busy corner at a 4 way stop. We dont have a drive way and have to walk up the side walk a bit to get in our front gate. But as much as your child knows, you just never know if they are going to be a 3 yr old and do something impulsive!

Sue - what do you use for making concoctions? I set some stuff up in the backyard today. It was a lot of fun. Wasn't sure what to use so I put out: flour, corn starch, sugar, salt, water, vinegar, baking soda and food color with a bunch of different measuring cups and spoons, a wooden spoon and a whisk. I also dug out the droppers and she did the baking soda and vinegar. Also a hit. I had bought the droppers a while ago bc I kept meaning to order liquid watercolors and do a painting project with the droppers. She really wants to do that now that I've shown her the droppers - but I still haven't ordered the paint. Oops.

Erin: That is pretty cool that K has only ever seen you buy fruit and veggies! We don't often buy toys and so Makenna never asks. It is very rare that she finds anything she says that she really wants. Her american girl doll was really the only thing I can think of like that. Her best friend is so spoiled. I really like her mom and we agree on a lot of parenting issues, but she just buys way too much for her kids! It's a problem if you ask me. So we go over and the little girl is always whining bc she doesn't have a certain Thomas train - when she already has 50 other ones. But no, she needs that one. It's just not something M does - and actually, after that incident, Makenna kept asking me why her friend kept whining about the train. She used those words - on her own. She never heard me say the little girl had been whining. So it obviously bothered her too. M does understand paying and money. She always takes my old credit cards or auto club cards I give her and says she wants to pay for dinner or she often wants to save money to pay the parking meter (ha -can you tell I live in a more urban area than you guys?). She also likes to sign the copy of credit card receipts that you get to keep for yourself.

Playing outside alone - our yard is fenced. But I never leave her out there alone for more time than it takes to run in and grab something. She wouldn't be happy and I'm not comfortable. Like I said, we live on a busy corner. The subway station is 2 blocks away and we get lots of foot traffic past our house. Not that any of the people going by are out to cause trouble. I'm sure she truly is safe in our yard - I'm just over protective. Like I said, we do live in suburbs, but for being suburbs, it's still fairly urban here. I wish I could jsut let her go outside and roam! My husband grew up on a 40 acre farm and his mom just set the 3 boys loose. He ended up walking a mile or 2 down a country road to the neighbor's house when he was 3! The nieghbors had to call his mom - I guess she didn't even realize he was gone yet!!

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Funny the different things we worry about in different places. Any people that come by our place are likely to be friends of ours. My main misgiving about leaving K out playing by himself is bears and wandering dogs! I'm relying on my own dog's barking warning there, and the fact that the bears are extremely unlikely to present any problem.

Our property is 3 acres, and not fenced at all. But the thick brush provides a natural barrier in most directions. Following open paths/roads, he could climb the steep trail up the mountain (unlikely), or head down to the road. He knows he's not allowed to go past the base of the driveway, and even past that it's a very quiet road for another 1/4 mile or so until he gets to the main road into town. He does know to stay on the side of the road and watch for cars. I don't think he's the type to decide to go to town by himself though, or I wouldn't let him play alone.

As for only buying fruits and veggies, I think the lack of shopping is actually a perverse benefit of living in a really small town. No shopping temptations of any sort. We stock up on staples over the internet or every few months on a trip out (which K isn't always there for), then just buy organic produce in the little natural food store in town (less now that the garden is really getting going). Everything else comes over the internet.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

I have started letting Owyn go outside to play on her own for a bit. She knows to stay in the yard. The farthest she wanders is around to our front porch or into the alley behind our house. I don't worry too much about the alley because it's only used by the 4 houses on our block and we are right in the middle. So, our neighbors pull into their drives before getting to our portion of the alley. She likes to play in the gravel and dirt out there.

She gets bored pretty quickly though. Poor girl is so used to having other kids around her age. She always did when I did daycare and always has at my sister's house while I'm working. She really doesn't know what to do with herself right now with just Greta and me. I think that's why she's been so annoying with her sister. She really wishes she could play more with her. Greta is interacting with her a lot now and loves when Owyn gives her attention, but sometimes Owyn gets a little excited about it, in her face too much. Greta definitely speaks up for herself though. She will push Owyn away and yell at her if she doesn't like what she's doing.

Tomorrow I am taking the day off! I'm doing a garage sale at my sister's, so the girls will be with DH during that. Then, I'm going out to eat for my cousin's birthday-- ladies only!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

*Sue*, so scary! I would've just felt sick. E is learning to use her run bike and every time she nears an intersection I worry. Traffic is scary stuff!!! So glad that she is okay. You will be too.

*Mal*, have a great day tomorrow!

*Outdoor play* ... Sigh. My biggest regret for my children is that we don't have a yard. My favourite memories of childhood are the times when I was outside in our various backyards, or wandering the neighbourhood by myself,or reading in the crook of a tree in a nearby park, or scribbling in my notebooks hunkered down behind one of the big headstones at the cemetery by my dad's house. Yes, loved hanging out at the graveyard ... call me wierd. My kids won't be able to do any of that on their own.

I have a lot of conflicted thoughts about letting E and H go out on their own. I simply don't think it's wise in the city. It's true that we live in a very close-knit neighbourhood, in a part of the city that feels like a small town. I cannot walk down the street without seeing at least half a dozen people that we know. But there is a core group that forms the community, and then there a LOT of transients. People who aren't here for long, or are just passing through, or are tourists, or have no vested interested in the safety of our kids. We do let E play in the very small play area at the corner of the co-op. And the kids in the co-op basically have free reign within the fenced areas. But I can't imagine letting her even go to the store at the top of the street alone before she is ten or older, nevermind the awesome park three blocks away

What I would give for a great big back yard!

But what I've been hearing from other homeschooling folks and people who have been there done that is that it's great to be rural for the younger years (right now!!!) and in an urban centre for when the kids get older and want to be connecting with other hs kids and resources. Bah. I don't know. The grass is always greener ... but wait, we don't actually have grass.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

super scary Sue, My Jewel rode her bike into the street while a car was coming and it was so scary! and I yelled at her with the adrenaline of the moment. She did not get hit and I scared the bejesus out of her, she has never done it again.

roaming. I sometimes let June out in the front yard with her sisters, but only to go to our neighbors house. I let them all in the back yard (fenced) alone and don't worry too much about them. We are in the city, in a little historic neighborhood about 10 minutes drive north of downtown. Their is currently a pitbull roaming around attacking cats and there are a LOT of sexual predators nearby. Not right near us b/c we are by an elementary school but close enough. There's a lady that has some old big houses nearby and she rents them by the room to recently released sex offenders. I would love to move to the country, but I just don't see that happening anytime soon, and their really are some advantages to living in the city. free concerts, library programs, free museum days, etc

oh- we had a sleepover last night. June had 2 friends saty over. plus her sisters had 7 friends. It was actually loads of fun but I am a bit tired,.

baby crying sorry i didn't get to more personals


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Sue - that is scary! I've never had K do that to me, but I absolutely worry that L will do it as soon as she gets the chance. Her favorite game ever is to run the wrong direction at top speed and be chased.

Starling - I grew up in a city, and am now super-rural and I can totally see both sides. I love the free-range life here, the wilderness everywhere, ocean, mountains, etc... and living in a town small enough that anyone who sees a kid getting in trouble knows them and can call their mom. On the other hand, social options are extremely limited when there are only a handful of kids near your age in the entire town, and not all the high schoolers agree that everyone knowing your mom is a good thing! I envy my husband all his self-led wilderness trips as a teen, but when I was a kid in Seattle, I could take city buses all around town, be an intern at the aquarium, volunteer at the international film festival, and work in a molecular biology lab after school, among other things.

I also think you underestimate your kids (or overestimate the dangers). Think what she's capable of at 3! At 6 or 7 or 8 she'll be more than twice as old, and I wouldn't be surprised if she could navigate traffic like a pro to get to that park, or to run an errand at that store with total confidence. I know I did all those things as an elememtary school kid in the city. And in terms of dangerous people, the statistics show crime is actually much less than it was when we all were kids (when it was already quite rare).


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

concoctions- yep, just random Kitchen ingredients. Cinnamon is a hit because she likes how it smells! I let her experiment with anything edible really.

I know that she is a bit out of sorts with DH gone but the whining and crying over every.little.thing has got to stop. I'm going to snap!

I hate that I think this about my own child, but I find myself so frustrated with her sometimes! I wonder why she has to be so intense and sensitive. It's not fair to her- it's who she is but its freaking exhausting. In my sane moments I see those things about her as strengths but right now I see them as fing hard to deal with. Today for example she lost it because I wasn't putting my legs where she wanted me too when I was sitting in the chair! Good grief! Sometimes I wonder if this is normal 3 year old stuff or not.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue: I'm sorry you are having a tough time and having to deal with it w/DH gone and no breaks! Makenna can get the same way over things. If you don't fold a blanket how she wants (and she can never explain so that you can get it how she wants it) she will have a melt down. And she has been known to cry over DH having his legs a certain way too. My guess is it IS normal. They can be bossy and want you to go along with their ideas - and at the same time have difficulty explaining to you why or how they want things that way.

Courtney: You are a seriously brave mama having that many girls over! The pics were great! I hope you got some rest today.

Mal: Enjoy your night out!

I'm probably jinxing myself by saying this, but I've really been having some lovely days w/Makenna lately. The past couple weeks I have been remarking to her and to DH each night how nice the day was. She just seems to be so agreeable right now. And so willing to clean up a mess she makes or apologize about things before I can even tell her not to do them. She hasn't been nearly as cranky as she had been. And she keeps telling me she loves me out of the blue a few times/day.  Maybe she is entering a new phase? I keep thinking I'd like to freeze time and keep her just how she is right now. I keep trying to get her to tell me things she likes about Daddy so I can make a list of things she says - but she often says "I just like mommy". LOL. I guess she is really into mama right now.

I'm off to watch a movie in someone's back yard w/one of my girlfriends. I guess it's a good night out for a prego lady. LOL.

Cindy


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AKislandgirl*
> 
> Today for example she lost it because I wasn't putting my legs where she wanted me too when I was sitting in the chair! Good grief! Sometimes I wonder if this is normal 3 year old stuff or not.


It's normal for my 3 year old and was normal when my son was that age although he was more levelheaded. My daughter is a fireball of emotion. That's why we call her the firecracker. She screams at everything, whines at everything, cries at the drop of a hat. However she also laughs and giggles to the point of tears, she sings her little heart out in these made up songs, and smooches and hugs with fierce abandon expressing her love. I don't believe that she could do all the things that bring light into my life without the things that make steam come out of my ears. It's tricky for me because I want her to stop whining and crying but I don't want to stifle her expression or emotions.

Independence- My kids are only allowed in the yard by themselves. It's fenced all the way around. Em went into the playground next door without asking and I lost it. I just have awful unrational fears about my kids getting snatched. There is also really no sense of community here. I don't know my neighbours they don't know my kid. I would never get a heads up from anybody if something was off.

Mal- sorry you had to experience that. Terrifying for sure. My brother was hit by a car when we were little and biking so I am very cognizant of that especially where little people are concerned. You just can't see them.

Cindy - I hope this is a new era for you and may we all reach it!

Courtney you're a crazy lady! 9 girls plus your own? Not on my life!

Erin - chores here start as soon as you are capable of picking something up and putting it where it belongs. Doesn't always translate to them doing it consistently though.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

I agree with everyone. In some ways, K has been awesome lately. But he also definitely has meltdowns over crazy tiny things, especially being the "leader". If anyone ever walks in front of him going anywhere, no matter how slow he is, he has a total screaming crying breakdown and insists on everyone backing up to do it again.

We got to watch a porcupine and a spruce hen in the woods today on the way home. Fun. Even L was super excited by the porcupine.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Oh yes, Owyn has her meltdowns too. Over the silliest little things. If I sit in her spot (even though she hasn't sat there since hours ago), if I clean up her breakfast/lunch/dinner and she wasn't done (even though she hasn't been eating for an hour and I've asked her several times if she's done... she's always saying "I almost done"). I never know what will set her off. Sometimes she insists on my help in the bathroom, sometimes she wants the door closed and me to be in the other room. If I don't know what she wants (by mind reading?) then she has a meltdown. Sometimes she wants to climb into her car seat on her own, sometimes she wants me to help her. Again, I'm supposed to just know these things... She has the drama down pat. Covers her face, throws herself onto the floor. She's definitely been more sensitive lately than she's ever been.

She's also becoming even more girl if that is even possible. Everyday she needs a "pretty princess dress". She enters the room doing ballerina twirls, with arm motions and all. She has this shirt that says "the princess has arrived" and it definitely describes her to a T lately. I think I'm in for it with this one. Maybe Greta will tone down the girliness a little?


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

*Meltdowns*: E doesn't have many, but when they do happen, wow! They leave me exhausted and spent. Yesterday at the park, for example. We were there with friends, and E pushed her little buddy, so I have her a warning. Then later, when another little boy wouldn't let her go down the slide, she pushed him and yelled at him. I gave her a second warning and told her if she pushed anyone again, we'd have to leave. I held her in my arms, made sure she heard and understood me and that I had her attention. She reassured me that she'd keep her hands to herself. Then about fifteen minutes later, she shoved her little buddy again, so we promptly left. She sobbed the whole way home. And I had to carry her bike all the way home, and had a baby on my back who was flopping to sleep and I couldn't get his sun cover over his head, and E wanted to cuddle while we were walking and and and. Phew. These happen about once a month? Her friend is also our neighbour, so E went over and apologized after she'd calmed down, and they took up playing where they left off.

*Girliness*: Not E. Her best boy buddies are the ones who use her dress up clothes. Sometimes she'll get dolled up if they are, but she's more likely to put on her dinosaur costume. She never plays with her dolls (which makes me a little sad because I loved playing dolls!), and has no connection with princesses at all. Even if people try to tell her that she's a princess, she argues with them. I was SUCH a girly girl ... I was kind of looking forward to a some pink and frilly fun with my own daughter! Ah well!

Back later ... children beckon.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Gah.. Meltdowns = daily. R is just so emotional about everything. This morning I had to work early so I was up before him so I could get showered, well he had a meltdown as soon as he woke up because I was already up. He had a meltdown because he wanted me to carry him to the kitchen (which I did, because we were in a hurry and otherwise he would have stayed in bed freaking out forever). He *didn't* have a meltdown about breakfast which is surprising (usually he asks for something, then won't eat it, then has a meltdown when I refuse to get him something else). He was also upset about getting his hair done and getting dressed. It is one crying fit after another after another with him. Sometimes he is just so miserable and I don't get it. But of course at daycare he's all sunshine and rainbows and his teachers always comment to me about how great he is. And he's mostly good with my mom too although she does get it sometimes. It's frustrating. I do think though that when he's good he's really really good. Agreeable, easy going, full of smiles. But he really flips hot and cold quickly.

I have to add about the girliness - R loves to put on my shoes and purse and walk around. He also often will make a stuffed animal or other random toy his 'baby' and take care of it.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

The sleepover was loads of fun, although the next day i had a headache from lack of sleep. there ended up being a total of 13 kids including my own, 3 of whom were 3 years old. Now we are starting on a 6 week Hubs out of town thing, he will at least be home on the weekends, but this should be totally fun (sarcasm). I just didn't handle him being gone well before and I am hoping it goes better this time. At least he WILL be home every weekend which didn't happen last time and it's summer vacation so we don't have to wake up early and get ready for school.

tantrums- 3 can kind of suck with that. June can be quite nasty.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Hearing that your littles are also having meltdowns makes me feel so much better. I know that part of this button pushing thing going on this week especially is because DH is out of town. She misses him and is doing her best to control SOMETHING. Knowing is great, dealing with it with more grace is another. I'm working on it. Man, that girl knows how to push my buttons though!

Courtney, I still say you are a brave woman! I can't imagine Fiona attending a sleep over! How did the 3 year olds handle it? I hope the weeks with DH away goes quickly. I'm jealous you get to have him home for the weekends! And yeah for not having to rush out of the house during this time. That should help with the stress.

Fiona slept terribly last night and is now asleep on the couch as a result. Sigh, THANK GOD! Maeve is also asleep which I feel is nothing short of a miracle. I need this quiet break with my coffee! I'm struggling to get into a good rythym with the kids right now. I feel like I used to do better with DH away and get into a groove pretty quickly. Now with 2 kids its taking more time! I"m going to spend the afternoon getting the house picked up and then make some bison burgers for supper. Fiona has been super picky about food this week too and I feel a need to pack some protein into her. I'll make sweet potato fries for Maeve too. She and I dig those!

Next month we go south for 3 weeks. DH is there for the first half of the trip and then heads home to get back to work. He was supposed to be heading out to sea for another survey cruise right when he got home. That trip has been postponed and he leaves the day after the girls and I get home! GAH! Sucky. So I'm trying to decide if we should try to reschedule our flight and stay longer at my folks house or come home as scheduled. It can get to be pretty long to be away from home. I wish I could afford to bring my niece up to help. I hate living so far from family! HATE IT!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Isn't there a thing about challenging behaviours spiking around half- birthdays?

Sue ... That is a LONG time without DH. Any chance of another candidate for mother's helper? Does that other teen have any suitable friends? Even just someone for Fi to play with? Can your niece's family help? Heck, I'd chuck in a few bucks! Move down here, already! We need a Pacific Northwest train adventure destination!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

the 3 year olds did good. One is June's best friend, they are 2 days apart. It's almost like staying with an aunt or something we have known each other since they were infants and I have breast fed the child. The other is an older 3, almost 4 and her big sister was here as well.

Sue- I'd totally post pone going home then and get a mother's helper if you can. I told hubs if he was going away for workagaon i would need a cleaner to come, he thought that was funny. squiggly baby


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

My SIL sent me this a while ago. It def breaks out the categories by 6 mos. And I was just talking to a mom of older girls this weekend about kids changing every 6 mos:

http://www.centerforparentingeducation.org/programs_articlesresource_byage.html

Though I wonder if M is just now hitting the agreeable 3s instead of the whiny 2.5s?

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Sue - Get on the ferry with those kids and come visit us over in Seldovia sometime to break up that time with DH away. Seriously, you're always welcome.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Awww, Sue, you should totally go visit Erin!! How fun!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Erin- wouldn't that be awesome! Hmm... will have to look at ferry schedule. If we don't do it this summer I really would love to at some point! Really love this idea!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Holy Cow! Just read the description of the 3.5 year old! Spot On! Tank you for resharing that Cindy!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Sue - We're gone to Denali for a chunk in late July, and have a few day backpack trip at the end of this month, but otherwise I should be around all summer. And if it doesn't happen this time, fall and winter are fine times to visit also.

We just got back a report card for Katmai from Head Start. Not really, but it is a little sheet evaluating his level of development in lots of different areas compared to the 3-year-old norm. DH took one look at it and said "They should have just written "GEEK" at the top." (said lovingly, by a very geeky dad). It basically shows him way down below the norm on things like "interacts with peers" and "makes friends" and way up above it on things like "letter-sound knowledge" and "thinks symbolically". Nothing we didn't know already, but kind of funny to see it written out like that.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Oh man, report cards?! I always felt very silly filling out report cards for my kiddos last year. It's more of a progress report, but for a 3 year old? Oh well, I bet it's cool as a parent to see the teacher's perspective. Owyn won't get report cards or progress reports at her school. They do a portfolio throughout the year of each kid's work and progress. It's kept by her cubby and I can look at it anytime I want to. They do 2 parent/teacher conferences throughout the school year to let parents know how they're doing.

Sue and Erin: You guys should totally do a meet-up! How fun!! Of course I would be completely envious of you two. How I would love to meet all of you in real life!

I got Owyn all signed up to do dance classes this year. She'll start the end of August. I was reading over the details of the class and it seems to be a pretty serious class. I know as girls get older with this group, they can become competitive. It was a little overwhelming to see their expectations, but they are the only people nearby that offer classes to kids Owyn's age. I guess we can always drop it if it turns out to be too much for her. She is beyond excited though! She is constantly dancing like a little ballerina all over the house (and out in public!). When I told her she'd be in class with her bff and get to go every week, she was just thrilled. I also scored on a garage sale and found a leotard and two dance skirts for her.

Cute Owyn moment: This morning I asked her who her best friend is (we have playgroup tomorrow and she was talking about all her friends coming swimming). She wasn't quite sure what a best friend is so I told her it's your favorite person, someone you always want to be with. She thought about it for a second and said "Greta Junebug is my best friend!" I just love how much my girls love each other.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Mal - yeah, it does seem a little silly. But preschool here is HeadStart, so I'm sure it's an official govt mandate that the teachers have to do it. And I think part of their program mission is to identify at-risk kids who need help, so I suspect it's more about that than it is about the "report card" aspect.

That's awesome that your two littles get along so well. We had a really big rough patch when L hit the crawling stage, but now that she's a toddler, it's much better, they play together more, L follows K everywhere, and K often helps her with stuff. And sometimes screams that I should "put Lituya away!" of course.

There are no official "classes" for preschoolers here (other than preschool!), so K will have to make do with informal gatherings for a number of years yet. Which is mostly fine, but also means that the things he gets exposed to are pretty much the things I like to/know how to do. Lots of hiking. No dance or sports.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

I'm so excited. I have just found a Suzuki violin teacher for Fiona. We'll start after our vacation next month. The woman will come to our house once a week for half an hour. Fiona has been wanting to play a violin for a long time. We'll buy her a violin down south during our trip. Cuteness!

Hope everyone is doing well! Lots of sun in Kodiak these past few days. The garden and kids are happy! DH will be home in less then 2 weeks. Woot Woot!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Hey ladies, I'm having a rough week. I haven't heard from my bus guy since Sunday morning. He's not responding to my texts or answering when I call. I think he's ending things via the silent treatment which is so so pathetic. And I'm totally confused as to why.. Things seemed like they were going really well and when we parted ways Sunday morning everything seemed fine. Why do I always end up wondering what the hell is going on


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: I'm sorry! That sucks!! Do you think he may have been freaked out by meeting R? Sounds so peculiar. Maybe he has a good reason? Unlikely that he couldn't at least find the time to text and say he was busy though. Men can be so lame at times! How is work going?

Kate: How is everything going? We haven't heard from you lately. I was wondering if Aubrey is still sleeping in your room in her toddler bed? If so, how is that working out with the baby waking up? M is out of our bed now (mostly) but I'm guessing she will still be in our room when baby comes. She claims she is going to start sleeping in her own room when baby is born - but I highly doubt it.

Courtney & Sue: How are you two holding up w/out your hubbies?

We had a nice trip down to San Diego. Went to a county fair and to Seaworld. Makenna had fun at the beach and going in the pools and hot tubs at my mom and dad's houses. I didn't sleep well for some reason. But at least I wasn't grumpy at my mom like she always says I am - and she didn't annoy me this time. LOL. My sister just booked a trip to go home w/her 3 girls at the beginning of august. I hadn't planned to travel anymore at that point but my dad offered to buy us tickets to come back. My midwife says it's fine, but I know I will be tired and it will be hard to be away from the comforts of home and all of Makenna's toys, etc. at 32 or 33 weeks pregnant. Plus my sister always runs around doing a lot and it will be hot then. So I doubt I will go back. But I also know I likely won't get home again until next yr some time and who knows when I will see my sister. My brother and his 11 kids will be coming to stay with me (!!!) in early July so I will get to see him again soon.

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Everr: What the hell? I'm so sorry. That is so weird. Why are men so ridiculous? I hope it's just some kind of misunderstanding.

11 kids! Wow! Will everyone stay at your house Cindy? Sounds crazy!

Violin- short lived excitement. Turns out the teacher was fired from the middle school for cussing at kids, sleeping at work, and talking about sex to the kids. GREAT! Yeah, she's not coming to teach my daughter violin at our house. I was so excited. My friend and I are trying to find someone else to teach the kids. She thinks this really awesome 8th grader who is amazing on the violin may begin teaching so fingers crossed there.

DH will be home a week from tomorrow. We are doing pretty well but will be so happy to have him home. I'm so tired by the end of the day. Summers are hard. I have to say it really makes me think hard about a third. If his work will continue to mean gone more then home during every summer I'm not sure I can handle it unless we live near family. But overall we are doing well- eating slightly crappy and getting to bed late and watching too much TV but whatever!  Tonight she's eating kale though! Yeah for kale chips!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Yep 11 kids. 4 were his, 6 were hers and they had 1 together. But they pretty much have full custody of all of them. So yes, the entire family of 13 will be coming! They stayed with us 2 yrs ago and it was much easier than I'd anticipated. The older kids kept the younger kids quiet and well behaved. The 2 youngest slept with their parents in our guest room and the rest of the kids just made a big bed together on the lviing room floor and took up WAY less space than I thought they would. They were also out and about pretty much all during the day - I'm anticipating the same. I'll do some things with them but may let them do most of the SF touristy stuff on their own. Not sure I feel like carrying M up the huge hills to see Lombard street for the 80 millionth time and I know she's not going to want to walk them. I used to live a couple blocks away from it until we had M. I will join them to re-tour the Jelly Belly factory though!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

When I left on Sunday he said he would text later and take R and I for ice cream. But I never heard from him. I'm actually a bit worried. But most likely he's just being the typical a$$ that all guys seem to be. I'm exhausted from it though. I've been completely stressed all week and I'm having nightmares and I wake up constantly. If he's just giving me the silent treatment for no good reason then that is so cruel. And I'm not really sure what a good reason would be because it only takes 2 seconds to send a text.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Oh, Everr, that is not cool at all. I kind of hope that something is wrong, just so he's not being an a$$. I'm so sorry. That just sucks all the way around. Keep us posted? Hugs, mama. You do not deserve the silent treatment. How juvenile. Maybe he's just sorting out his increasingly big feelings for you and will come back renewed and excited about committing?

Cindy... 11 kids! Wow! Full house! Pancake breakfasts or just boxes of cereal and loaves of toast?

Sue ... GOOD LORD! Thank goodness that you found out! That's horrifying! I hope the grade 8 kid works out. We're on a wait list to being classes at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra music school in the fall. Just gentle intro to music and movement, with a focus on kids who are going to go on and learn an instrument. We're doing violin too!

AFM: I'm off to a meeting at a local university to talk to the dean about what I need to do to complete the degree that I started a million years ago. I'm nervous about it. Weird.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: How exciting to be possibly be going back to school!! Are you still planning to go back to work in October?

Oh and last time they were here I bought a bunch of little boxes of cereal at costco and lots of eggs. I'll probably do the same. I do not plan on having to feed 13 people for while they are here - that is just too much money! Last time they got chinese take out - huge metal tubs of whatever they ordered. LOL.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Everr - That's awful! I hope that he just lost his phone or something, because that's no way to treat you.

Cindy - Sounds like quite the party with 13 visitors! We always have a ton of visitors in summer (surprisingly, no one wants to visit AK in the winter). They usually only come in groups of 1-3, but we often have strings of them nearly the whole summer long. I use my garden to feed everyone.

Starling - What's the degree in? And not too surprising that you're nervous. I occasionally still have dreams that I'm supposed to graduate but don't have all the right credits and haven't studied, etc... a good decade after I left college.

Sue - I hope the 8th grader works out. Do you have family that would like to come and visit you during the summer? (retired grandparents, etc...). We find lots of people like to come to AK this time of year, and they do lend a hand. You need a tribe of friends with kids there to share the load. I have family around, but we have such an awesome community also. There must be cool families in Kodiak somewhere?

Kale chips from your garden? I haven't made any yet this year. Need to do that!

AFM: We had our big annual summer solstice party at the yurt last night. Dozens of people hanging out in our yard watching the sun slowly sink over mountains and ocean, kids running around, potluck full of great food (I made rhubarb pie and a big salad from our garden, and K helped me make bread shaped like little suns), and lots of fun all around. Sun finally set at 11:25PM, but folks were pretty much gone by then. We let K stay up as late as he wanted for solstice (he has a book where a little girl gets to do that in the arctic), and he didn't sleep until 1AM! (so says dad, I was already out by then).

And today is our 9th wedding anniversary. Maybe we'll actually go out without the kids for the first time in years.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Everr: Another one hoping it's not the silent treatment. Maybe something came up unexpectedly? Keep us updated!

Cindy: Wow! That's a lot of kids around. I bet M loves it though! When we get together with my family (frequently) there are often upwards of 20 kids around. Owyn loves it!

Starling: Good luck with your meeting! One of these days I'll go back to school in some way... hopefully to get my Montessori certification. But that won't be for a while. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the local school will expand one of these days. I told DH my 40s is a good time to focus on me and my career. Until then I'm sticking with what I've got because it's flexible and gives me plenty of time with my girls. He thinks I'm crazy thinking I'll make a career move in my 40s, but oh well.

Sue: Thinking of you girls being without your DH. I go nuts just one day with my DH, I can't imagine having weeks away.

AFM: We're going out of town tomorrow and the girls are staying with my ILs. The closer this trip gets, the more anxious I am about leaving Greta for the first time. I know they will be in good hands and she'll have her sister there with her. I wrote out instructions today for them and ended up with 3 pages of info on Greta! There are just so many things that could come up with her! She's also on different medicines right now, so there's a lot to think about there. Her seasonal allergies are just awful right now and we started her on Zyrtec which is helping. Her eyes were so horrible, her doc prescribed eye drops for her. She looks and feels a ton better, but she screams bloody murder when we put the drops in.

We've been busy lately getting our house in order. We've met with a realtor a couple of times now and are getting pretty close to putting it on the market! I'll be doing some painting, then DH will refinish the hardwood floors in the next couple of weeks, then finish putting in the new cabinets in the kitchen. I'm hoping to get it up for sale before school starts! We've been doing a lot of research and it looks like we could list it for more than I thought I could. And it looks like, if we buy instead of build, we can afford more than I thought we could since the interest rates are so awesome right now. DH is anxious, but getting more excited about it the closer we get. We're actually going to look at some homes in the next week or so... one of them has a pool!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Cindy - Wow, that's a big family! Must be quite exciting in their house. I can't imagine! I'm sure it'll be fun to have them. R would be thrilled to have company like that around 

Sue - Yikes, I'm glad you found all that out about the violin teacher. Recruiting the young student sounds like a great plan. I would love to introduce R to music somehow. Maybe in the fall. Soccer isn't working out too well, it requires lots of encouragement/bribery to get him to play :/ He starts swimming in July so hopefully that will be better. But I definitely think he'd like something a bit different in the fall.

Starling - That's awesome about going back to school!! DO IT!! Going back has been nothing but awesome for me  I'm actually kind of sad that I only have one year left lol! Although I also will really enjoy making some money finally. And I want to continue and do a part time/distance master's which I'll start after working for a year or two.

Mal - Oh a weekend away sounds great! I'm sure Greta will be just fine with your inlaws, but I know it's easy to worry  That's too bad that she has such bad allergies. I actually didn't think babies could have allergies like that until their second year because their first year they get exposed and it's not til the second year that they have the immune system over-reaction. Although I'll admit I have no personal experience with allergies, I just read that in an article a while ago. Good luck with getting the house ready! Very exciting!!

AFM - Still no word from my guy. I have no idea what to think. I go back and forth between being annoyed/mad to being worried/upset. I don't know. This just really really sucks


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Everr ... That does continue to suck. Please keep us posted so that we can either send virual daggers his way, or good vibes for his health and safety.

Erin ... I wish we could come to your Solstice party! Maybe someday! And Happy Anniversary to you both!

Mal ... Three pages! I can totally see myself doing the same. Have fun!

Degree shmegree: I went and talked to the convener for the Liberal Arts program, and even with the credit they'd give me for PLA (Prior Learning Assessment for my writing and paramedic work) I'm still looking at at least one full year, including two science courses, two upper level language courses, plus at least five more courses worth of English. I just don't have the ambition required. Nor the money. And certainly not the time. So, doesn't look like I'll get around to it anytime soon. What with the writing, being a paramedic and doing more and more for homeschooling each year, I doubt that I'll be in a hurry to pay to go to Uni for what will end up being Liberal Arts degree when I already have TEN BOOKS PUBLISHED. Seems silly. Bah. Bummed out about it. I didn't think I'd have to do MATH. or SCIENCE. Or SPANISH. For an ENGLISH DEGREE. Meh. Shelve that idea for now. And I'd have to pay for each and every credit, even if they 'give' them to me for my books. Grr.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: That sucks!! What is it that you want to acomplish w/the degree? You already have a career as a paramedic and an awesome career as an author! Just for the sake of finishing? I hate all the pre-reqs to get a degree. My college had 6 campuses and each had all sorts of requirements for a degree and I ended up switching half way through so I would have more choice in my electives.

Erin: I totally forgot the sun sets so late for you guys! How crazy! And what a fun celebration! I can't believe K stayed up so late!!

Sue: I'm assuming it stays light as late for you - I'm wondering if your chickens stay out until the sun sets?

Ah the life of a prego. I've spent the past 3 days obsessing over donuts. I finally went out and got some this afternoon and now I just feel SO sick from them. :-(

I've been busy sorting everything and anything I can think of. Today was lovely - DH brought home a filing cabinet that his work was getting rid of yesterday. I was able to organize so much and clear up so much clutter! And Makenna played so nicely while I did all this. We have a bunch of baby stuff down in our guest room and she put it to good use with her dolls while I worked.

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

everr, that is totally sucky. as for soccer, that's what happened when i had the girls in.

Cindy- that is a huge family, UI'm sure it will be loads of fun though.

Erin- that sounds like an awesome party, my mom had a going away solstice party, but it was all her drunky friends and this time i had no hubs or sisters to hang witth. i left quickly when people started smoking pot while my kids were in the backyard much too close for my comfort.

Sue- that teacher sounds awesome. (sarcasm)glad you found out beforehand.

mal- a weekend away with Hubby, wow that'd be supercool, i want one...when Cora's bigger. i told him the best date ever would be one of those survival course weekend long classes.

doing okay without Hubs my house is trashed beyond belief but everyone is alive and happy. After this weekend he will be gone for 2 weeks before I see him again. I am thinking of going to stay with my twin in NC for most of the summer. she's talking to her man, i'll talk to mine see if we can work it out. i don't think she fully realizes how overwhelmed she might get with 4 kids for 2 months, i'd also miss my house after awhile, but it would be uber cool to be with her and her pregnancy i'm sad to be missing it.

today we had a freaky incident; I had Coraline in the moby and I bent over to grab something from a drawer and she fell out, or the top of her fell out, I reacted quickly and caught her but not before the back of her head hit the drawer. It was so scary, she cried for awhile and fell back asleep, I woke her right up and watched her eyes for a bit then let her fall back asleep. She seems okay and her head didn't hit hard, there was no bump or bruising or anything and I put arnica on it right away. I have some mistrust of the moby now. I just learned the high back cross carry today, but I don't think I want to use it because I could never even sort of catch her if she fell or even see if her wrap was mispositioned or came loose or something. I'm trying to figure out if I put her in wrong or something, when she was half out it seemed like maybe one of the straps was under her body instead of around it but I just can't be sure. She's my third kid I've used a wrap with and nothing like this has ever happened before. It sure does make me glad I won that Boba though


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Finally heard from my bus guy. He is very stressed and sort of having a life crisis at the moment it seems (for a couple legitimate reasons).. I'm going to see him tomorrow for an in-person chat. It's not for sure over at this point. I need to see what happens tomorrow. I really want to be mad at him for leaving me in silence for so long but I may need to wait until he's feeling better. Definitely if we stay together that needs to be addressed because I'm not ok with what happened. We'll see..


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

I'm glad you finally heard from him but he better have a pretty damm good excuse.

Courtney: Scary! Glad she's ok.

Dh will be home in 5 more days!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Hmmm, Ever. My hackles are raised. Keep us posted.

Sue ... Let the countdown begin!

Courtney ... Thank goodness that she's okay! I love high back carries, but I'm the first to admit that there is a pretty steep learning curve involved!

AFM: at my mom's for the weekend. Bittersweet. You women know what I think about her marriage and their house. Nothing has changed. But she's so thrilled to have us. I came up to see my dear friend who is palliative with cancer. I hung out with her three daughters. And did my best to put on a game face. Hard to see my beloved friend suffer so. And no one seems willing to plan for the inevitable. We went to the children's festival here, where Charlotte Diamond performed! She's a rock star to the under five set.
H is threatening to walk, the little punk.
E wants to shave her head. This is month six of that particular request. I told her that if she still wanted to shave her head in the summer, she could. And she still wants to! Thoughts? I'm worried that people are going to think that we're encouraging her, because we're queer. Gah.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

sue- super glad there's just 5 days left!

Everr- glad he finally got back to you and there seems to be a reason behind it, although I'll be waiting to see how the talk goes.

Has anyone heard from Kate?

Starling- I'd let her, there will be some people that do think that and others who think she has cancer or something, but when it comes to non permanent body choices I like to let my kids lead the way. People are going to think what they will, but your family's opinion on the matter reigns supreme, and true friends will know the truth, and really, who else matters?

researching tubals and they really freak me out and I wonder if how I am feeling reading about these is how Hubs feels about vasectomies. PLUS, I haven't wrapped my brain around no more kids yet, which seems ass crazy. I really don't want to have another kid while on gov't assistance, but if we had money, I'd totally have another kid.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Everr - Doesn't sound quite as clear-cut as "got in a car wreck" or "decided to ignore you", which probably makes it all the harder. I hope your talk with him clears things up for you.

Mal - Hope your trip is going well! Makes me think I need to teach L some way to get to sleep besides nursing. Not to go out of town, but just to occasionally attend some 7PM event without her. And that's exciting about maybe buying a house.

Starling - I think 10 published books is a far more impressive credential than any degree, and I expect any employer would as well. And I'd let E shave her head if she's that into it. People will probably think things, but you know the truth - and it's a crappy lesson to a 3-yr-old that she shouldn't look the way she wants to because of what people will think!

Courtney - that sounds scary! I don't think I'd trust a moby in a back carry either. I did it a few times with K, but it does just feel a bit too stretchy and loose for the purpose. A woven wrap seems more trustworthy. My DH said the vasectomy was no big deal when he ended up doing it. We went that way because it seemed less invasive than a tubal.

AFM - Glad for the rain this morning. It's been hot (well, 66 degrees, but it can get up to 80 in the yurt in the evening, and it truly feels hot to all of us here) and sunny, and I've been having a terrible time prying myself back inside to work on the book manuscript I have to turn in at the end of the summer. Garden is growing so fast I can almost see it, and we have so much salad I've been giving baggies of it away to anyone who'll let me. I love gardening.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

My talk with bus guy went well. He apologized for ignoring me this week, admitted it was wrong and mean and promised never to do it again. I'm forgiving him because he really does have a lot going on and I haven't been as helpful as I could have been the last couple weeks. I guess I didn't realize how stressed he was (which in hindsight I clearly should have realized). But he isn't mad at me about it, it was just a communication problem which we are going to be better about from now on. So we are still together and moving forward from this. I'm glad. I really like him (5 days of silent treatment aside..) Anyway, I'm happy with how things are now. Hopefully things are smoother from now on 

Erin - We've had days this week where it feels like 40 C with the humidity (105 F). I actually spent 2 nights at my moms this week to enjoy her a/c. It's cooled down again now. I much prefer weather in the 20's (70's F)

Courtney - Isn't a vasectomy supposed to be a much simpler/less risk procedure? I would definitely force him to be the one if it were me.. Another option is for you to get an IUD, they are supposed to be pretty effective and you can get a copper (non-hormonal). I'm getting one of those soon for myself. As for the moby incident, I never felt it was that secure with R. I think as a new parent I was nervous about tying it really snug (also, it isn't supposed to be used for back carries.. Not sure if you had her front or back). But I definitely preferred the woven wrap. (Wow, typing that just gave me a major flash back to all the time I spent with R in the wrap.. I miss that..)

Starling - I'm sorry about your friend. I can't imagine how difficult that must be. It's nice you have time to spend with her though. As for Esme shaving her head, hmmm, I suppose it's only hair and it will grow back, right? What about starting with a short pixie cut? And that sucks about the degree. I agree that it doesn't really make sense for you when you already have a well established career. I can't believe they want you to pay for credits they give you!! That's crazy! I got 7 credits for other courses I'd taken and I didn't have to pay. Oh well, just forget and don't worry


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

she was front when she fell and i didn't know that about back carry's. now i want a woven wrap but i can't even sort of justify spending over $100 and i wish now that when i won the gift cert i had bought the woven wrap i was eying instead of buying my sister a moby. 

everr glad that things are still hapening with bus guy.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Starling: So sorry about your friend. Must be hard to see. About the haircut, I'd go for it if it's what she really wants. Hair grows back!

Courtney: You definitely want to use a woven for back carries. The stretchy wraps don't offer the support you need.

Everr: I'm glad you are able to sort things out.

Erin: It's been hot here too! Sheesh. Fiona has been out playing with the hose all week. Sort of glad to have a gray inside day today.

Cindy: how are you feeling these days?


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Today is our wedding Anniversary. DH called this morning from the boat. Best connection we've had yet. So looking forward to getting him home- Thursday! I told him I'd have a couple of beers in our honor tonight. He misses beer!  He has one more day of fishing and then they fly from Adak to Anchorage on Wednesday. Then home Thursday morning! I've been working on decluttering and tackling the troubled spots in the house- dining room table, end tables, etc.. the places stuff collects. The cleaner comes on Wednesday too so he should come home to a clean house. That is my gift to him.  He will like this far more then anything I could buy him. I'll have Fiona make a belated fathers day card too.

Fiona and I were talking to Maeve about Dh yesterday. "where's Papa? Papa's on the boat. He's coming home soon!" Then I set her down and she said- Papa! Oh melt my heart with the cuteness. So her first word is Papa. She can say Papa, she signs potty and sometimes signs milk...but still no Mama.  Little stinker.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Sue - Happy Anniversary! So cute that Maeve said her first word! Wasn't she just born?? Crazy! I'm not sure if it's just my experience or if it's a regional thing, but Papa is what R calls his Grandpa (and what my ex-FIL goes by for his grandkids). I wonder if people get confused when R talks about 'Papa' to other people.. I never thought about that.. I've had a few people comment to me recently about how cute it is that R still calls me Mama, I guess most kids have moved on to mommy at this point. I love being Mama 

I'm still feeling anxious about bus guy.. I think I'm just thrown off by last week and we haven't had any time together since then (just the one hour I met with him for a talk). My one friend didn't think he deserved a second chance after that. But I think he does.. I'm just feeling sort of insecure about everything right now. Gah. I don't know. I want to talk to him more about how I'm feeling but I also don't want to put more pressure on him when he's still really stressed and has asked for some time and patience while he figures out his life. Which is understandable. I can be so insecure sometimes. I hate that


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Sue-- Happy Anniversary! It's our anniversary too, 7 years!

Everr-- Oh man, I do not envy you at all right now. Dating is so complicated. I really hope everything works out for the best, you so deserve a happy ending!

Starling-- I'd let her get the hair cut if she really wants. I had the same difficulty making the decision to pierce her ears. She just wanted it so badly and for so long, I had to cave eventually.

AFM: Our weekend away turned out really great! Greta slept for the night for my IL's and had so much fun all weekend swimming and getting 100% of Grandma and Papa's attention. Of course, Owyn had a blast as always. And we had a really great time! I certainly missed the girls and worried about Greta's first weekend away from us, but we had such a relaxing weekend just catching up with good friends and I even enjoyed a few drinks!

We celebrated our anniversary today by taking a family trip to the dentist-- Owyn's first visit. She did so great! The person that did her cleaning let her explore and play with every tool before she used it on her, even let her hold the sucky thing and put it in her mouth whenever she wanted. She is so excited to use her new floss that the dentist gave her! Her teeth also looked fantastic which is great to hear since DH and I had less successful trips to the dentist. He needs fillings and I need a root canal and a crown, like within the next couple of weeks. So, that's just fabulous.









Oh and Owyn had her first swimming lessons class this morning-- also went fantastic! It just blows me away watching her do things without my help. She is quite a capable little person! She is in class with her best friend. We kind of planned that, hoping Owyn would help her friend's anxiety with the class. But Owyn got so caught up in her own fun, she kind of forgot about her friend today. She says tomorrow she is going to hold her friend's hand to keep her from being scared.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue: Awww, she's talking already! Too bad Papa missed the first word - but how sweet for him to come home to it! Happy anniversary!

Mal: Happy anniversary to you too! I'm so glad you had a great weekend away and all went smoothly. So nice that swimming went well.

Starling: Maybe you could compromise and tell E she can shave the under half of her hair and then see if she wants to shave the rest? I think I agree that if she really wants to, she should be able to. But as a mom, I think it would brake my heart! Alas, it will grow back!

Makenna is becoming more shy and more timid as time goes on. We went to b-day party for her best friend this weekend. It was very small - just them and 1 other girl. Plus a few adults. Makenna plays at their house every week - but this day she wouldn't let me get a foot away from her. She has been so clingy! I just wish there were something I could do to help her not be so shy. But I don't really think there is anything? Do you think she may be getting clingier/needier bc of the upcoming baby? She starts preschool 3 afternoons/week in 2 more months. I am anticipating a rough adjustment, unfortunately - even though she says she isn't going to cry bc her best friend will be with her. Though in the end, I think preschool may be what helps pull her out of her shell a bit. I am also having to cancel my gym membership at the big gym we switched to and switch back to the little gym bc she cries every time I leave her at the daycare there. It's way bigger and has more kids than at the small gym. She used to beg to go to the small one and now she is always saying how she doesn't think we should go to the gym. I don't want to make her miserable just so I can workout.

Sue - you asked how I'm feeling. I'm feeling pretty good. I'm 25.5 weeks. Getting some body aches but I feel like I have more energy than I did for a long time. Baby is nice and wigly. I am feeling so much more this time since my placenta isn't in the front like last time. It's pretty cool!

Cindy


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Wow just finished reading.

Can't keep up with you ladies lately.

Music: I'm not starting anything with them until 7 or so.

Hair: As I posted on fb I find it difficult when the first and often only thing people comment on is Dee's long curly locks. Yet I am reluctant to cut it.... Why is that? My son wants to shave his head and I have been saying no forever. I think I'm going to have to rethink that one. It's very true that he should be in control of his body.

Dentist: I gotta get on this one.

Courtney and Sue I feel bad for whining because my husband is leaving for 3 days. I don't know how you mama's do it!

Ever: Sorry about the way bus guy handled his crisis. Hope things improve from here.

Courtney: How terrifying about the slip from the wrap. I've never used a moby I have a woven and I love it. It always feels tight and secure, not sure how I'd feel about stretchy.

Erin, Mal & Sue happy anniversary.

Cindy glad to hear your pregnancy is going well and yay for family visits.

Starling bummer about the degree. But truly it's just a piece of paper and what more could you do with it? Would your life be any fuller? I get the desire for the education and sense of accomplishment though.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Happy Anniversary!!

dentist- I wish I could go to the dentist, it would cost us a fortune there is so much wrong with Hubs and I's teeth. The ids are covered and have been. June has cavities : (

wrap- yeah I am looking into a woven wrap, but I'm not sure it's possible and I think I will just use my beco.

Cindy- June, who is generally quite outgoing, went through a shy stage during this pregnancy but she has gotten over it.

Ever- I agree with you that you should give him this chance, of course if it happens again then it's time to go. But people are only human afterall and everyone messes up sometimes, especially when in stressful situations.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Happy anniversaries!

E is delighted with her haircut, and so I think we've avoided the outright shave for a while. She's pleased as punch. I did it with the dog grooming scissors and DP's wahl clippers. Fun!

Ever ... My hackles are still up for Bus Guy. The jury is still out on this out, and rightfully so! Now you know that you can meet someone, date them and have a great time together. That can happen again, if this is not your forever man.

Where is JustKate? I hope everything is okay.

Courtney ... I far prefer my Ergo and Beco to wrapping, especially with having another child. Having another three, you might feel the same! I loved wrapping with E, but am doing it less with H. E was far more content to be "up-up" for long stretches, but H likes to get down and dirty whenever he can, so the SSC (soft-structured carrier) is better suited to his personality.

AFM: Speaking of down and dirty, we were out the door to the ER yesterday after H fell and hurt his mouth. He was bleeding so much and screaming that I couldn't get a good look inside, so we called my sister to come watch E and started out the door to the hospital, when he finally settled enough for me to see that he'd ripped the underside of his upper lip, where it connects. He calmed down enough that we decided not to go. He seems none the worse for where. E, on the other hand, was distraught. I remembered a tip about using a dark facecloth so that the blood isn't so obvious. Good idea!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: Pic of her new cut that you did yourself?


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Everr - I hope it works out well for you guys. But I'm sure you'll do whatever is best for you and R, whatever that may be.

Starling - I saw the pic of E's hair on your blog. Cute! Glad H is OK after his mishap. L hasn't had any real injuries yet, but she's so much more daring than her brother I'm waiting for it any day.

Cindy - She may grow out of the shyness, but I don't think you can do much about it. One thing I've heard though is that it's better not call kids "shy" in their presence (like in apologizing to others when they don't want to talk), because it gives them a label and makes them think they can't ever do that social stuff. I hope she does well in preschool.

Hair: when K had long hair (at 2 or so), people sometimes commented on it, and thought he was a girl. With short blond boy hair, no one notices at all. But for L, the first thing people ALWAYS comment on is her bright red hair (at any length, style, etc...). Other parents of red heads have told me that lasts pretty much forever. Kate, do you get this too?

AFM: Does anyone else have an incredibly obstinate and contrary child right now? I swear, he WILL NOT do anything that anyone else suggests, or ever join in on any group activity, no matter what. We've been going to parent-tot swim classes lately. He's always super excited to go, and has fun doing stuff in the water. But I'm pulling my hair out arguing with him the entire time because he will always want to do anything but what all the other kids are doing (example: "Let's all kick our feet now!" leads to K crossing his legs and clenching them together). Once he comes up with his own plan that's totally different, he will happily practice kicking and swimming and even put his head under. And he's like this with everything. Is it the age, or just him? (I know I was an incredibly stubborn child, and I worry I'm getting what I deserve here).


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I also saw the pictures of E's haircut and LOVED it. Poor H, mouth injuries do have a LOT of blood and one of my kids has had that very same injury, I just don't remember which one. Way to go remembering the dark washcloth in the heat of the moment.

I contacted Kate on facebook, she's good but has been really busy with studying.

I've had obstinate children, but never THAT obstinate, i hope it doesn't last long.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Glad to hear that Kate is good!

E is super, duper stubborn these days too. Fledgling independent thinkers, right?

I'm trying to move H to one nap a day ... any one have any words of wisdom? Nilla? Erin? Courtney? Everyone else?

Oh! I have to tell you about my score! A friend is moving to Taiwan, and she sold me her double Chariot bike trailer for $20!!!!!! Whoot! Whoot! Do a happy dance! Those things sell for between $200-$400 USED! Yeehaw!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Dudes, Fiona is so very stubborn. So very very stubborn!

Dh is home tomorrow! So stoked! I'm exhausted.

One nap- I'd take any nap longer then 30 minutes. It just doesn't happen around here. I will dream and hope that someday Maeve will be a napper.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Owyn has her moments of being stubborn. But really, she just tunes me out and does what she wants. Drives me crazy sometimes.

Sue: Woo hoo, welcome home DH. I bet the girls will be thrilled to have him home!

Swimming lessons are still going well, she has jumped off the diving board twice now! Today she went under on her own for the first time. She was just putting her face in and her teacher would just let her go under water when she jumped off the side, but she would not go all the way under on her own. She did it today! She is loving it too and apparently cracking her teachers up the whole time. She was teaching them dance moves in the water yesterday.

Napping... Oh man, I'd just go for any kind of consistent nap schedule! I never know what to expect from Greta. Some days she takes two longer naps, some days it's 4 short naps, or 1 long nap followed by 2 short naps... I don't complain too much though, it means her schedule is pretty flexible and she adapts well if we're out and about. Her morning nap is getting pushed back later and later though, so I really think she's going to push that to after lunch and drop that afternoon nap/s eventually.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Stubbornness Oh yes this is an age thing that I think can be intensified by personality. I try not to suggest anything I don't want to hear a no to. I try more guiding with hands or actions rather than words, putting stuff out to eat before she realizes she's hungry that kind of thing. She gets choices of course just not on anything I'm not prepared to give up on or need to happen a certain way or at a certain time.

Sleeping: Oh goodness if my kids could give me a full night I would be grateful. They keep waking me for something or another and then waking each other ugh! soooo tired.

Sue: So glad your husband is home for you soon. Go take a nice long break away by yourself.

Starling: Wow that is a score I sold my 4yr old single for 300 when Dee was born. Planning on selling this one for about 500. E's haircut is cute.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

As an aside question How do I ask someone to stop helping? My mother is continuously doing the laundry which would be great except that she folds things that shouldn't be, it's not sorted, it's all over my coffee table and couch when I get home from work forcing me to put it away, there is never a laundry basket with dirty laundry to be found or an empty one for that matter so laundry is always piled on the ground. I don't want to look at laundry when I get home from work. I don't want to have to empty a basket to pick the dirty stuff up off the floor. She washes and folds it and yes this is nice that I do not have to do that but I think the downsides and stress of it is outweighing the benefits of it for me. GAaaaaah! Ok vent over. Hopefully I can stop stewing about it now.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

LOL Nilla - Maybe buy an extra laundry basket and hide it so you always have an empty one to use? ;-) Otherwise, tell her you really appreciate the effort and thoughtfulness but explain to her that you are stressed out bc you have to deal with it when you get home.

Sue: So excited your DH is coming home to you tomorrow! I agree w/Nilla - I hope you get to take some glorious time to yourself. Get a pedicure or something indulgent!

Starling: I loved the blog post. Well I love all your blog posts. But it was well said and E looks adorable as ever. I'm glad she is so thrilled with the change. And you're not bad at cutting hair!!

Cindy


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Thanks on all the lovely comments about E's hair ... she really is delighted with it!

Sue ... TODAY IS PAPA DAY! Whoot! Whoot! I bet you three girls are SO EXCITED! Fish for dinner?

Nilla ... tell her the following, with your biggest Boss Woman demeanor, and don't think too much about it before you do, or else you will think it to death. Next time you see her, just launch into it.: "You are so helpful, MIL, I can hardly believe what you get accomplished everyday! I cannot tell you how much we appreciate everything you do around here. I'd love for you to do just one less thing though. I am so anal about laundry that I don't even let DH or the kids touch it. I'm really quite weird about it. It's my one little domestic ritual that I like to keep to myself. It stresses me out when other people do it, and I really *love* doing it myself, so would you mind if I kept that chore for myself? Thanks! You rock, woman!"


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Nilla - Oh that's awkward.. Have you braved telling her yet?

Sue - I'm assuming your hubby is finally home!! Yay 

Mal - That's great that Owyn is loving swimming! R starts on Thursday. My mom took him to the pool today and he loved it! Hopefully this will go better than soccer.

Starling - Wow, that is an awesome score! As for the one nap a day, I remember with R I just kept pushing his morning nap later and later until it was after lunch and became an early afternoon nap (instead of the morning and late afternoon naps he was having before).

Erin - Oh dear, 3 year olds can be so stubborn. It's frustrating. R is also so full of attitude and it drives me nuts. He is so sure of himself sometimes and talks to me like I'm an idiot. Makes me nervous about how he'll be as a teenager!

Kate - Hope you're enjoying the summer and not studying too much 

AFM - I've been working and slowly getting through my summer course. I feel like the summer is slipping by and I haven't enjoyed it enough. I've been out biking a lot but nothing super fun. It's the Canada Day long weekend here though and tomorrow we're off to visit a friend who's moved into a new place and needs help unpacking and organizing and then Monday we're meeting up with some of my school friends for a zoo trip. I haven't seen them all since the last exam so it'll be nice! I also want to take R camping at some point. Next weekend one of my best friends is getting married. Bus guy is coming as my date  Things are back on track with him, I made him have a 'feelings' conversation with me that went really well. So I'm feeling pretty happy with things right now


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: I thought they didn't drop down to 1 nap/day until after a year old? It's all a bit fuzzy though. LOL. Good luck!

Everr: Glad things are going well! You sound busy, but happy!

Haha, M just ran in the room and told me she is going to eat fruit when her baby sister gets here. I wish! She also says she's going to sleep in her own room. I don't see either happening. ;-)

We're having a nice weekend. Went into the city to meet some of DH's friends that are in town and went to the HUGE farmers market on the water. Came back home and then went to fly a kite and check out a park we don't usually go to. Then went on a little roadtrip to a steakhouse - my request. LOL.

We're off to Indiana on Wed. thru the end of the week to visit my inlaws. My MIL sent me the weather forecast - 94 degrees. Gah. My SIL (who we will be staying with) will be 37 weeks pregnant. So I doubt we'll be doing a whole lot, other than testing out their new pool!

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Starling - that is a score! My double trailer was a gift from my dad (a Burly) and I use it all the time. Though I must say pulling two of them uphill is getting to be quite the workout.

Cindy - stay cool! It's been many years since I've been in temperatures that hot, and if it's up to me, I'll happily keep it that way forever.

Everr - glad you're working things out with bus guy

Mal - she sounds like an awesome swimmer! I can't imagine K wanting to jump off a diving board.

Sue - hope you're enjoying having DH home again. How's it going with F's food restrictions? Seeing improvement? Finding it easier to figure out foods?

Nilla - I'm lucky my MIL is more careful with my laundry than I am (she does it occasionally). Though I keep telling her it is utterly pointless to fold the kids clothes, since L will toss them all out of the drawer at least twice before they can be worn.

Naps: L usually goes down for her single nap at around 11 or 11:30AM, and sleeps for an hour or two. At night, she sleeps around 8PM to 7AM (if I'm lucky, 6AM if I'm not). It seems odd that it's skewed so early, but that's what works for her. I think K's single nap was closer to 12:30PM, but I think he also slept later in the morning. I don't recall doing anything specific to switch her, other than that I stopped letting her fall asleep in the late afternoon when it was keeping her up too late at night. I was never super regular with naps for either kid until the one-nap stage, really. Before then, they often napped while being worn, whenever/wherever.

AFM: Finally finished the first draft of my book! Now I have the rest of the summer to panic about editing it.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Erin ... Great news about finishing the first draft! I just finished one too, but now I'm going back and revising like a madwoman. I like the editing part!

Naps ... E found her own rhythm, for sure. She was at two for a long while, then one by about 15 months, if I recall. With H, who is so much busier than E ever was, I wanted to put him on one asap, so that we could have more of the day to be out and about. So we did fun things to keep him awake and stayed home, so that he wouldn't fall asleep in the carrier or in the car, and now I'm putting him down around 1130-noon and he'll sleep for about two hours, if I nurse him back down after initially waking after about 45 mins. It's been awesome! He's ready for bed when E is (7pm), which is what I was aiming for, because I do bedtimes by myself 5 nights a week. I really wanted him solidly on one nap a day for when/if I go back to the ambulance. That way, dp and my mom only have to wrangle him to twice a day (nap and bedtime), instead of three time. I nurse him down, so they'll be on their own figuring out another way. Plus, that means E only has to be quiet for one chunk of time, even though it's about the same length over all.

Ever ... Glad to hear that thing with the Bus Guy are all good!

Sue ... How is it with DH being home? Honeymoon? Or more challenging? When my stepdad went away to work (pulp mills) it was always a little tricky working him back into the routine that we'd cinched up in his absence. I bet the girls were thrilled to see him! Even if it was a day late!

Mal ... E loves, loves, loves the water and we go swimming about two times a week, but she refuses to put her head in. She says she'll do it when she's five. Which is also when she's planning to sleep in her own room. Sounds like O is a natural wee fishy!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

The girls and I were thrilled to get DH home. Fiona did not stop talking for at least 3 hours after picking him up. Then she crashed on the couch! LOL! Maeve was all smiles and cuddles. It was pretty cute. Fiona used to wait a couple of hours to go to him when she was a baby but Maeve had no hesitation. We had a nice weekend together although yes there is a bit of "reentry" as we call it. Sort of a, "what the hell are you doing, this has been working fine this way" sort of thing and, "no you don't have a right to annoyed by the clutter on the dining room table". Overall great to have him home of course but that is how it always goes for us.

We have been doing well with Fiona's food and seeing improvements. Then the other day when DH didn't come home the day I though he was we got take out. Technically of course the food I got her was fine for her but there is lots of contamination. SHe has a rash on her cheek and has been sleeping poorly. So there is the proof I needed that I can't cheat. Vacation should be interesting. Living here one of the things we really forward to is going out to eat when we are down south. I think Fiona will be hanging out with the grandparents and cousins while we eat out.

We have been talking up the "Nu nu fairy" around here. She is going to come in a few days... wish me luck! I'm actually really excited to wean her. I feel like she's ready now and 3 and a half years is a pretty good stretch! We have a few little things to give her over several days and then a beautiful waldorf doll for the grand finale! She's adorable and I want one too! 

Hope you are all well- got to run and get us all dressed and out the door to our little music group.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Cindy enjoy the heat. It's cool and rainy here.

Sue glad to hear your hubby is home and you are finding a rhythm. Yes trips are a little difficult but perhaps you can find a dedicated gf cafe or some such thing to take her too. When we were in Victoria we found lots of places that were safe to eat which was awesome. Although we have less limitations than you do. We do simple if all else fails. For example we got steamed crab as a treat because it was still in the shell and no chance of contamination. I pack a rubbermaid full of food so I always have something to substitute when we are on trips like rice pasta etc. Good luck with the Nu Nu fairy.

Anyone have any suggestions for kids that are just 'beyond' and how to manage them? Like the crying, screaming, thrashing repeatedly saying the same thing over and over, unable to listen kind of 'beyond'? I find that this is when I have no tools in the parenting kit and resort to raising my voice and taking privileges away. I need some more arsenal here.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Nilla ...


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Nilla - I long while ago I taught R what it means to be 'frustrated', so now if he's freaking out, I'll get down on his level and ask him if he is frustrated and if he needs a hug. Sometimes I have to ask a couple times, sometimes I will hold him and ask gently in his ear. But almost always he stops immediately and says "yes I'm frustrated, I need a hug". I'll hold him for a minute, maybe explain why we can't do whatever he was upset about or try and distract him/offer things we can do instead. This seems so simple so I'm not sure why it works so well for him.

Other times I tell him that he's acting like a tired cranky boy and that means he must need to go to bed. Threatening with bed time works when the other doesn't. It depends on the situation which method I use..


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Re: "Frustrated."

E told me that her imaginary friend was making waffles.

I didn't respond fast enough, so she told me again, this time louder.

As I was just about to say something, E hollered at me, "WHY AREN'T YOU TALKING TO ME? I SAAAAAAID, ZAZA IS MAKING WAFFLES!"

To which I said in a very clipped tone, "Ouch, that hurt my ears. I was just about to say something, but then you yelled at me."

E had this to say, "Well, mama, I am a superhero, and when superheros get frustrated they need to yell. It helps them fly. Didn't you know that?"

Sigh.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

sometimes they are so cute you totally forgive their transgressions, and I think Esme hit the mark on that one.

I am going to talk to June's dr about speech therapy, the girls and I are about the only ones who can understand her and even then their is a large amount we can't understand, she's getting more and more words too which is making it harder because so many words sound the same as other words. Most of what I figure out is because of context, so if she comes up to me with something not related to anything that's going on I am pretty clueless.

Also I am super annoyed with Hubs because I went to pay bills only to find out what he has been paying is past due amounts and not the current stuff, so everything is so far behind and I am trying to play catch up but with owing $1700 in bills and him just bringing in $600 a week and needing $200 or so to travel to the job it's just not cutting it, all this and I get the "joy" of being a parent by myself to 4 kids. After 2 weeks alone I told him I wanted to go to Joann's by myself (and by myself I mean with the 3 month old because I'm not leaving a 3 month old) and he said yes, but then I looked at his account and realized I can't in good conscience go spend $50.00 even if it is for supplies to make diaper covers to sell. Especially when his old boots finally gave out and he HAS to get new boots. I'm just super frustrated with the whole damn thing. Be caus eof Jo-anns, because they could come shut off a utility, because I told him to buy boots when we actually had a bit of money we could get away with not spending on bills and he didn't listen. I am so tired of being broke and alone, I'm a damn country song and it sucks.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Oh Courtney, I totally hear you when it comes to being broke all the time. It gets really old and very tiresome. We've definitely had our share of money troubles. I hope everything works out for you guys.

Owyn is having a pretty hard time right now. DH has been working a ton of overtime. He works for the electric department and something huge broke on the generator at work, so they've been working pretty much around the clock to get it fixed. It started the last few days of June and they are finally at a point where they can send the part off and won't have anymore overtime until he comes back in a couple of weeks. The timing for this was actually perfect. We found out just days before that I need a root canal and a crown, so we really do need the money right now. And I'm off work, so it's really okay for me to have the girls all the time, but it's been a strain. We're all used to Daddy coming home in the afternoon and he spends a lot of time with Owyn in the evenings. She's really missing him and it's coming out in her behavior and attitude. We've had a few days now of her arguing with everything I say, even when I'm telling her something she wants to hear. She's just in an argumentative mood and there's no breaking it. This morning, she refused to eat breakfast after begging me to make her something. So, I told her she couldn't watch any Backyardigans until her food was all gone. So, what does she do? Dumps the entire bowl of cereal out of the table and then announces that her food is all gone now. Ahhh! So, the tv is gone for the day. I usually let her watch tv while Greta naps so that it keeps her quiet, so it's been a challenge keeping the volume down for naps. I am also hosting a book club meeting here tonight, so I really could have used some tv time to get stuff done myself, but we're sticking to it. She's mostly over it now and is actually playing with her toys in her room.

Greta's doing well though. In the last week she has mastered army crawling, got two new teeth, learned to sit up from laying down, and has started attempting to pull up to things. Thankfully the pulling up to things has not been successful yet, but she's trying. This girl is just doing everything at once and I see full mobility in the near future!

With DH's overtime, things have slowed down on the house, which sucks. I really wanted it on the market before school starts, but I don't know if we'll make it in time. He was in a good mood after working yesterday, so we went out to lunch and went to pick out paint for the walls. I figure if he can't get any of the more time consuming stuff done, I can at least work on repainting the walls and something can get done! We are going to look at two houses this Saturday, one of which we're both equally excited about, which never happens! DH even said he could see choosing to live in that house over building a house if we can get it for the right price.

My summer is just flying by. We leave for vacation in 2.5 weeks and I return to work the day after we get back. I'm really enjoying the summer off, but I'm not really dreading going back to work. It will be nice to get into that routine again and have some time out of the house. Owyn starts preschool a couple of weeks after I go back to work and she seems to be getting a little nervous about it. Especially since she recently figured out that her best friend is not going to the same school as her. I think she'll do great though!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Hi Mamas! Things are busy around here as we prep to leave town for 3 weeks. I'm getting excited to head into some warm weather. It has been in he 50's here!

Coutney: Money problems are so stressful. I'm sorry things are so tight for you guys. And not having your DH around is so so hard! I hope things get better for you soon.

Fiona is weaned! I kind of thought I'd never say that. We are on day 4. She hasn't asked to nurse at bed time but is pretty whiney in the morning. The weaning fairy brought her a beautiful Waldorf doll which was a big hit! As were the hershey kisses! Hopefully in a couple of weeks our mornings will be smoother too. It always seems to take a while for major changes to sink in for her but so far it has been really good overall. Sigh... a little bittersweet too.

Maeve is happy and mellow. She has mastered pulling to standing is beginning to cruise the couch in little wobbly steps. She crawls on hands and knees now too. She says Papa but only says Mama when she's crying. I think she is calling Fiona Yaya.  She is such a little love and puts up with a lot of rough love from her sister!  Fiona was trying to carry her yesterday! Yikes!

I had been thinking about extending my trip south but have realized 3 weeks with my mother is enough! DH will be leaving on the boat but our sitter is back in town. I think he'll be gone for a week starting the day after we get back.

Fiona starting to meltdown- have to run!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Mal- try this activity for nap time, it kept June busy for over an hour!!

Plus setting up an embroidery hoop with some loose weave fabric, blunt tip needles and embroidery floss is good for a decent stretch of time, you just have to change out the thread for them. The key is to not have the floss longer than their arm, then it gets tangled.

Can't believe Greta is getting so big! It can totally be hard for them to adjust to dad being gone, my girls had a rough time the first week but we have settle into somewhat of a routine. The house not being ready sucks, boy do I know about that, I so badly want a third bedroom again, it's only been like 4 years or something asinine like that.(I know your trying to get ready to sell as opposed to just have enough room, but it's sort of the same)

Sue- wow, cool that Fiona is weaned now and that she is taking it nicely. Funny that Fiona tries to carry Maeve, those little sisters really do have to be tough. Today I caught Juniper holding Coraline!!

The money thing will be okay I think I have figured out that if Chris gets paid what he says he's getting aid I can have the bills paid off by the 17th. Then we just have to figure out how to come up with $1300 to fix my van...and maybe find some money so the backroom can be worked on again. I feel more peaceful knowing that things will be paid off soon.

So I started a facebook page for local moms to help plan get togethers since kids always play longer when other kids are around, it seems to be running beautifully so far. Even as a source if outing ideas you wouldn't normally know about, especially since Tampa is a fair size town and has lots of free events for kids and families.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Courtney: I'm glad you're feeling better! I hear you on the money front! I just got $750 in bills for my 20 week ultrasound and NT ultrasound!!!! I had no idea I'd be paying out of pocket for them. But apparently they go toward my deductible. Anyway, that was money we so needed to pay the midwife. Argh. I'd still be interested in ordering a diaper cover. I don't mind paying you in advance so you can buy materials, if you need. Let me know. I'm mostly just looking for newborn size. I have a bunch of newborn fitteds. But most of my bigger baby stash are AIOs. I've never actually used fleece or wool covers yet! I'm excited to try.

Sue: Congrats on the weaning! I'm betting it is bittersweet no matter when it happens.

I just cannot believe how big all your tiny babies are getting! It goes so fast! Probably much faster for me bc I'm not the one taking care of them every day. ;-)

Mal: Makenna started w/preschool anxiety yesterday. After we got home from the airport she started asking when I'm going to pick her up from school and how long I'd be gone and ended up totally crying! But when I went to hug her and pick her up she said she was tired. So I think she got overwhelmed thinking about it after a long day of travel and needing to go to bed. It was still on her mind today though bc she asked if she had to go to school today. I said no and she kept saying "but what about the day after this day?" I definitely think it's going to be a big adjustment on our end bc she has gotten so clingy lately!

AFM: We got back from Indiana last night. I had a nice time visiting with the inlaws. But we didn't do much. It was 105 and just miserably hot out. Too hot to do anything. So we sat inside and did nothing. But M played SOOOO well with her 4 yr old and 2 yr old cousins. She really just let me sit and relax while they entertained themselves. She was crying today bc she missed them so much already. M is ready to move there! Oh we also swam a lot - that was the only way I could tolerate being outside. Was lovely to visit with my SIL who is due with #3 in less than 3 weeks! I'm so happy to be home in the cooler weather and my own bed now though. I am DONE traveling until after baby and I am just happy to hunker down and get to nesting.

Anyone have any thoughts on how to reduce the clinginess??? Do you think I should get a babysitter once/week for a few hours or something? I just have not really been away from M at all since January (except for maybe an hour or 2/week that she stays home w/DH while I do yoga or something) and I think since then she has forgotten how to be ok without me by her side constantly.

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Cindy- clinginess- i think if you can getting someone to be with her for a little bit would be a great idea, especially if you start out with them being at the house while you are still there and then maybe transitioning to you or them being gone. it would e a gentle reminder that she can have fun even when you aren't there. As for the covers, are there colors you want? I have that striped fabric, yellow, black, green, maybe enough pink to do the waistbands and leg bands of one diaper and a sort of grayish blue. I am also going to run to the store and pick up some more fleece because it's on sale right now. I'll let you know what i get. I love the fleece and wool covers as the other part of my diapering system. I use pockets the other times.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Courtney: I loved the fabric you used for the one you made. And pink on the edges sounds great! I'm not super picky. Colorful sounds nice though.  What are your thoughts on fleece vs. wool? They both accomplish the same thing, right?

Hmm. I think I might talk to DH about getting the babysitter we've used on and off since M was almost 2 to come for a couple hours/week. I would love to get to an extra yoga class or to go swim at the gym (and M cries at the childcare there at the big gym now so we haven't been going). Plus I just think it might be good for her. I'm not sure we should be spending the money though.

M is all screwed up from the time change. Before we left she was going to bed around 9 and getting up between 8 and 10! Last night she went to be at almost 9 and got up at 6:30 today. Blah. Yesterday she got up at 7:30 and was so crabby and throwing herself on the ground over nothing all day. Today should be fun. LOL.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Cindy - no great ideas on the clingyness. If she had so much fun with her cousins, maybe a playdate where you leave her with a couple good friends would be a good thing to work towards?

Courtney - I'm glad you're feeling more at peace with the money stuff. Having to count every penny is really hard. Our income is super variable as it's all freelance and consulting stuff, but we've been lucky the last few years to have set ourselves up in a life with almost no regular bills, so we can afford that variability. I hope the speech therapy works out. I imagine it must be super frustrating for Junes to only be able to talk to family.

Sue - Congratulations on the weaning. I hope you have fun in the warm weather. And better everyone else than me. I hate heat, and left to my own devices, will probably NEVER leave Alaska in the summer. Summer is too nice here, and too hot everywhere else. (I'm happy to go Outside at other times, though - especially November). The other day, I realized K is so used to long-sleeved shirts that he finds the short-sleeved ones too strange-feeling and refuses to wear them ever, even if it is warm.

Mal - K always gets crazy and argumentative when dad is gone too.

Starling - I love the crazy explanations they give for everything at this age. Even when it is exasperating. I wish I could stop K from repeating every "important" comment in a super high-pitched whining yell over and over and over again.

AFM: Just got back from a few days backpacking and packrafting, which was awesome. Paddled to some islands with neat sea caves to explore, then climbed a beautiful trail over a mountain with great views, alpine tundra, and marmots, and then paddled back home. Katmai did the entire trail himself, which was somewhere between 5 and 6 miles yesterday, with about 1400 feet of elevation gain (plus another several miles and 1700 feet of elevation the day before). He loved finding cairns and running between them, and we were really proud of how much he managed to do by himself. Lituya wished she could, but mostly is still riding on my back. I love our expeditions, but I've gotten so used to planning large-scale adventures in difficult seasons and super remote places, it's really a fun change of pace to do backpacking that's just easy for a change. A nice summer vacation.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Erin - Wow! That sounds awesome  I wish I could do a big camping trip, I never seem to have the time. I want to take R camping this summer but that will just be car camping for a night 

Cindy - Definitely get yourself a babysitter! I don't know if it will help her be less clingy when she's with you, but at least you'll get some breaks from all the contact. R always wants to snuggle. He's in daycare full time so mostly I don't mind it when we're together (although, sometimes I still just want to be alone!)

Courtney - I'm glad your money stuff is looking ok. I don't stress too much about my money issues. I know it's only until I start working next summer in my real career. For now we just make do. I guess it also helps that I know we'll always have a place to live and food to eat. The important things 

Sue - Aww, weaning is so bittersweet.. R hasn't nursed in a few months now. I think it was early April when he last nursed. I think about it sometimes, when we're snuggling down to bed, it's so strange that he doesn't even ask for num-num. Although he will still pull my shirt collar down and rest his head on my chest 

Mal - Poor Owyn! R is very similar (I've actually had him throw food in the garbage so that it will be 'all done'.. So angering!!) My summer is also flying be. More than half over now! I wish I had more time/energy/money to do fun things with R. Actually I have Friday off so maybe I'll keep him home for a mommy and R day. Do something fun 

AFM - Things are busy. Between work and my course all my free time seems to vanish. I want to take R to the beach, and this local reptile zoo, and go camping, and visit some friends.. I guess that's it. Some days I miss being home with R and all the free time we had together. Life is so busy now. But it's the right choice, I know. I just wish I could have some time off with my baby


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Erin Wow! That's so awesome my 6 yr old whines when we do our little hikes and Dee still rides in the pack with absolutely no effort to walk or climb I wish we could go camping just have no time lately. Dh and I are gearing up for a big hike of Berg lake in August but we aren't bringing the kids.

Courtney glad you feel like the money thing is sorted out a bit. We are stretched pretty tight right now with me making 1/2 what I normally do but at least I know that's temporary.

Cindy definitely get a babysitter this is probably your last chance for a bit of freedom before the other little darling arrives.

Sue congrats on the easy weaning. Is it still going smoothly or has she asked again?

Ever I've tried a version of your technique for the times when they are crazy. I just hold them until it all slows down and then I talk. I think my kids might need some more physical connection to 'know where they are in the world'. I've always kind of thought that perhaps if I held them they would think it was ok to act like little crazies and scream and yell. But I'm slowly letting go of that and things are improving.

Dee is having more trouble with her ear and seems to have some lasting hearing loss so off to the Doctor we shall go and get a referral to the audiology clinic. It's kind of weird not really like ear infections but more like just pain and then she gets very tired and nauseous and sleeps it off and is fine in the morning and it only happens sporadically. I have a friend who has Celiac and also has an inner ear thing called Meniere's and I'm truly hoping it's not that.... The treatments are severe and the outcomes for her hearing are not great.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Nilla: That is scary - I hope that isn't the cause of Dee's ear problems! No fun either way!

Everr: Did you end up keeping R home on Friday? Do anything fun? And btw, you look AMAZING in your pics on Facebook!! I 2nd Starling's comment - I want your stomach!! Maybe in a yr. 

Erin: What an amazing trip!!

AFM: Well even DH thinks we need to do something about how clung to me M is. I left her with him on Friday and did a swim class and she cried when I left - even though she's usually happy to be with Daddy. He thinks I should leave her for drop off playdates with her friends - but I can't really ask her friend's moms to keep her right now - they all have 2nd children and also they have no time or desire to do a swap bc their kids are in preschool already or they have a sitter a couple times/week. I hate to spend the money on the sitter, but my friend gave me the name of a highschool girl from her church that she used recently who charges less than $10. And yes, it would be SO nice to have some free time before baby comes!!! DH has been working a ton lately and is often home late and I don't see it getting any better in the near term. I'm also thinking maybe I should just make her do the childcare at the Y that she hates? I just feel bad bc she ends up crying lately. But I so want to work out and I am feeling yuck bc I'm not getting much chance to.

Cindy


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Thanks Cindy  And I did keep him home and we went to the beach (the pics are from that day). It was really nice. I'm going to keep him home a day next week too. Maybe do another beach day!

How are things with the clingyness? I think I would vote for some tough love in this case.. I would leave her at the Y, she'll get used to it. R cried when he first started going to daycare but then he adjusted and now he loves it. I think it will be good for her in the long run and she's plenty old enough to understand that you haven't vanished completely and that you'll be back. Plus, it will be so much easier to do it now then try and do it when the new baby arrives. Try not to make a big deal of it, just say "mommy needs to go exercise for a little bit and then I'll be back to get you, have fun and I'll see you soon" Then leave. In my experience the longer you draw out the goodbye the harder it is for them and for you. Just my 2 cents 

Nilla - I'm sorry about Dee's ear problems. That is so hard to see your baby suffering. I really hope it is something that can be easily treated. Keep us updated. *hugs*

AFM - So R needs to learn some RESPECT. It is driving me nuts. He is sooo sassy and argumentative. I don't know what to do about it but he is so disrespectful. He will roll his eyes at me and say "Mama! Stop talking!" (when I'm just having a normal conversation with him/my mom/etc.), I've also gotten "Mama, I told you to be quiet!!", or just "Shhhh!", he rarely ever listens when asked to do something/stop doing something, and if I get mad he will just stick his tongue out at me and then laugh and run off. He also argues with EVERYTHING, when is exhausting. I don't know.. Any ideas?? I try and treat him with respect as much as possible (modeling how he should act in return), but there are times I have to tell him to stop talking, be quiet, or shhh..) That's where he gets it from I'm sure. I'm feeling so worn out with him lately!

And finally, just a funny story: Last night R was telling me about this new game he played at daycare, he was going on and on and on about how tricky the game was and how he didn't win.. The game? Ghost town - the teacher says ghost town and they have to stop talking. I can totally see how that would be incredibly tricky for R and why he would never win LOL!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Everr - Funny about the "ghost town" game. 

Not sure there's any magic solutions for argumentative kids. K isn't "sassy" so much, but wants to reason/argue about everything. "Put some pants on" "Why?" "Because it's cold outside." "But I want to be cold" "OK. And people don't want to see you naked in town" "Why don't they want to see me naked in town?" "Because it's not polite." "Why? What's 'polite' mean?" etc... It never ends. I do sometimes tell him I'm on a "why break"

Cindy - hope the babysitter works out for you. At least if it's the same one every time, I'm sure M will get used to her.

Nilla - I hope you figure out what's wrong with Dee's ears and that it's something you can treat easily.

AFM - Taking off Saturday morning for a week and a half in Denali Park (which I've actually never been to). We've been invited to give a series of talks in a lodge there, so it should be fairly plush! But hopefully plenty of time for hiking around during the days. We're bringing my MIL as babysitter, and it should be a fun family trip. If my husband ever finishes the work he needs to get done. He's self employed, and we have enough money right now, but he always signs up for way too much. The projects are all important and interesting, but he gets stressed out about finishing them all, and I think it affects all of us a little (and shifts some of the burden of household stuff my way).


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Erin: Your trip sounds fun! I hear you about burden of household stuff being shifted. DH has been working really late lately. So I'm doing everything. I can hardly complain though after knowing Everr does it all on her own, every day and Sue had her DH leave for a month! I guess I just get a bit more annoyed bc I'm so pooped out lately. Makenna can't understand why she has to wear clothes in public either. She always wants to take her bathing suit off and go nude at the splash pad or public pool. Personally, I don't care, but I don't usually let her do it bc no one else is nude and a lot of people honestly do not get letting your kid run around naked. Plus I suppose there could be a perve around. But mostly it's the whole societal standard thing I have trouble explaining it to her bc I don't really want her to adopt the way of thinking that our bodies are shameful and need to be covered up.

Everr: So funny about the game. LOL!

So Makenna says she actually WANTS our old baby sitter to come watch her. The high school girl isn't going to work bc my friend sent me the email that has her schedule in it and it doesn't fit anything I'd want to do. So perhaps I will have our old sitter come. I did make her go to the Y childwatch on Monday. I let her pick out cookies at the store that she could eat there as a bribe. She totally cried when I left. But my DH went and picked her up about 1/2 hour after I left so she didn't have to stay the entire hour+. I had to go back and get DH's keys when I was done bc we swapped cars (car seat). The lady told me she only cried for 2 minutes then played nicely. So at least she didn't cry long. I may bring her there again tomorrow if DH doesn't get home in time for my class - which I doubt he will. I also took her swimming there on Tuesday and didn't make her go to childwatch - tried to keep it all fun and happy and let her know that if she wanted to keep doing the fun things she likes there, we could only keep going if mommy gets to do the things I like too. In any case, M told me she doesn't like childwatch bc she doesn't want other kids to be there. I don't think she would cry or mind if I left her there and she was the only one there. Today we went to a farm and she wanted to play at the park part. But she didn't want to go on the climbing sturcture without me. I refused bc I felt dizzy and not well. So she chose not to play on it bc there were a couple other kids. I find that so frustrating! I keep explaining there will always be other people at places where we go, etc. That she doesn't have to play with the kids but she needs to not be bothered by them.

29 weeks today. 

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Hey ladies. I feel like I haven't been here in forever. We have been so busy I can't think straight. Last week, I re-painted our dining room. DH is still working tons of overtime, so the girls and I have still been pretty much on our own. This week, he shouldn't be working any extra hours so he'll be around to help us get ready for our vacation. We leave Friday morning! I was hoping to get both the living and dining rooms painted before we leave, but I'm not going to have time. That kind of sucks, because I'll be going back to work as soon as we get back so I'm not sure when I'll have time. I'll have to wait until our schedule gets into a routine.

This past weekend, we took a trip to the lake. Owyn got to go riding on a tube behind the boat for the first time. I rode with her and she loved it! She kept shouting "Faster, faster!!" I even took her out for a veeerrrryyyy slow ride on the jet ski with me. She loved that even more and kept telling me to go faster. She is super excited for our beach trip now that she had a weekend at the lake. We're leaving early in the morning and stopping for the night in Memphis. We should get there early enough for the kids to have time to swim in the pool and go out to dinner someplace that night. Then, we'll be up early to get to Gulf Shores that afternoon. Greta had such a great time at the lake too. She loves the water! And she even took a 2 hour nap right on the shore, so we didn't have to make a trip back to the hotel. I was glad the girls did so well for the weekend, it makes me less nervous for the week-long trip. Greta had never traveled overnight before and she did great! She was so worn out, she slept better than she does at home.

When we got back, I got the news that the principal at my school passed away. His funeral was this morning, so that was hard to come back to. I had the girls with me, so I didn't get a chance to talk to the other faculty to find out if the school board is hiring anyone else or what is going on... I guess I'll find out when I head back to work.

DH and I are still slowly, but surely getting this house ready to sell. We looked at 3 houses last weekend with no luck. The one we were really excited about had a lot of issues. The foundation was bad, every room needed a makeover.. it was bad. We loved one of the houses, but it was way out of our price range. Our agent is selling his house and wanted some fresh eyes to look at it. Of course, that's the one we loved! But it was a style of house we didn't think we'd like, so I think it really opened our eyes to what would work for us. We're going to look at a house tonight when DH gets off work. It is the perfect price, sits on 5 acres and has a huge 4 car garage for DH to put his workshop in. And the pics look really nice, all updated and new. DH isn't too sure about it. It's outside of town a little ways and he likes being this close to work. He rides his moped to work a lot in nice weather and wouldn't be able to do that anymore. Plus, it's really close to the school district line and we aren't sure if the girls would be able to go to school here, so that is certainly something to ask about. Wish us luck!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Mal - Hope the house search is going well

Cindy - Not too long now, I guess! Have you asked M what bothers her about other kids being around? Maybe there's some strategy she can use to deal with them better.

Just got back from my week of vacation/work in Denali Park, which was awesome. Training K up to hike longer distances in preparation for our next big trip next spring, and excited to see he might be able to carry himself. Only problem was that the voles ate my broccoli while I was gone. My husband is gone for a few weeks for work now, but my mom just showed up, so I should have 2 grandmas and and an aunt around - which ought to be enough to let me have time to edit my book draft?

Couldn't resist a few cute Denali photos.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Beautiful pics Erin!! Lituya is turning into such a little girl now! So crazy - where does time go???

Makenna is so not a walker out in nature. But today we went to a redwood forest and she did the 2 mile loop without being carried at all and without complaining. But only bc she was having so much fun with her 7 yr old cousin. When it's just her and I or DH, she would complain her feet hurt or have daddy carry her on his shoulders.

My brother and his eleven kids have been here for a few days. They leave tomorrow. Makenna has been having SO much fun with them. She cries every night when we haul her off to bed at 10:30 bc she doesn't want to stop playing. She hasn't had a moment of shyness around them or a bit of territoriality about sharing her toys. I've been impressed! She is going to be so sad when they go home. I always notice that after she spends time playing with older kids, her manner of play evolves! Last night the cousins (who range in age from 4.5 to 19) were all out exploring the city and Makenna insisted DH come back down stairs and snuggle mommy while she played alone with her toys. She seems to learn new ways of playing and gets so much more focused after watching the bigger kids play. Maybe I don't do enough modeling of play? I've never modeled how to play with toys - though I know some of my friends do.

I hit 31 weeks today. 6 weeks until term! Makenna came at 38 weeks exactly. Crazy to think this little girl could be here in 7 weeks. Getting through this big family visit was one of the last big things on my list. Next week we are ripping out our bedroom closet and fixing a leak and doing mold remediation. That will be the last big thing to get through. And the adjustment of M starting preschool in a month. But that's not really a big task on my part. I've finished buying all we need (which really wasn't much), ordered and received all my breastfeeding meds and herbs and even have a stockpile of donor milk in my freezer already. All I really have left to do is wash clothes and dipes and the put them away and find the car seat in the attic. 

How is everyone? Busy, I suppose! Our little thread has been so quiet these days. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying summer!!

Cindy

PS: Starling - I'm going to PM you about the lactaids one of these days. I'd still LOVE to have them, if you are still up for passing them on.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Oh, Erin! Such beautiful children in such beautiful country. Swoon!

Cindy ... Of course! Let me know where to send them and I will. I have six, I think, plus a couple rolls of 4oz bags. I won't chuck in the dom, being that it's going across the border, unless you're in a bind for it?

We're having a great summer! Outside a lot and getting into such a nice rhythm as a family, just in time for being going back to work in less than 60 days. Argh. Anyone have any bright ideas on how to become independently wealthy? My EI ran out this month, so we'll find out what living on one income feels like until October.

Hello everyone else! xoxo


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Hi Everyone! Just back from 3 weeks in Washington. We had a lovely family reunion! I also loved seeing Fiona with her cousins. It was really great. She had way fewer tantrums then I expected and seemed to really thrive in the sun, beach and farm. Makes my heart ache for our farm even more. I loved seeing her grab the goats by the collar to help her Auntie move them to the new barn and curling into her lap to help milk the cow. It was great to see ALL of my siblings together too. Loved it. DH and I rented a cabin for a week of our stay too which turned out to be perfect. Forced quiet time to start and end the day really helped us all but Fiona especially. I am very happy to be home but it was a great trip. I even survived flying home solo with the girls. Fiona went to bed with a fever and woke up still so hot. I didn't know if I should just try to reschedule or fly anyway but its such a pain to reschedule and I knew we would be looking at terrible layovers and such so I just went for it. She threw up twice in the 2 hours it took to get to the airport but then seemed to get better- thank god! i was so worried she was going to throw up on the flight. By evening she was just over it and was back to herself. Phew!

Maeve is really changing a lot. Little bits of balancing while standing although she's not really interested in cruising the furniture too much yet. She got 2 teeth while we were gone with another on the way which will put her at 7. Before the trip she could sort of take or leave food but now she's really into it. She thought it was awesome having an Auntie who runs a produce stand! We all loved that! She was babtized while we were there and screamed through the entire thing because she was so tired and couldn't understand why she couldn't just nurse to sleep. Poor girl.

Saddly, our old dog died while we were away. I feel such guilt that we weren't with her. And feel so terrible for our high school friend who was house sitting for us. She held her in her lap while she died. I'm so grateful for that. I had a big cry when I got home last night and only one dog came to greet me. I will miss her so much. My Willie girl was our first baby really. I'm glad that she is no longer sick and hurting though. I hope Fiona will remember her when she is older.

Erin: Love those gorgeous pictures!!

Cindy: Sounds like a great visit! Getting so excited for you and that new baby! 

Mal: Hope the house prep keeps ticking along.

Missed you ladies and glad to be back!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: Just PMed you. If you figure out how to become independently wealthy, please let us know! Living on 1 income is TIGHT! I hope you enjoy your 60 days - but I know you'll do great when you go back, as you did last time around. Just a couple days/week, right? I'm loving all the outdoor, squishy H pics on Facebook these days!

Sue: Welcome home! I had read about your dog on facebook, but reading about it again just now totally made me cry. I guess I'm hormonal. I'm so attached to my pets though. I'm sorry. What a lovely friend you have to stay with her and be so gentle to her while she passed. Do you think you guys will get another dog to keep your 1 dog company? I hope you got some great pics of F helping milk the cow! How fun! That's one thing I really want to take M to do. She is often afraid to get close to the cows at the farm but she claims she really wants to milk one (the little farm near us doesn't do it).

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Hi all, just got back from our vacation. Wow, that was a loooooong drive! We took 2 days to get there and 2 days to get back. Stopped in Memphis on the way down and stopped in St. Louis on the way back. We were able to stay with our St. Louis friends and spent most of the day with them before heading home today. We had a really great time. The beach was just a short walk from the house. Owyn had a blast playing in the sand all week and enjoying the pool we had at the house. We went out one day for mini-golf, go karts and kiddie rides. She is still talking about the go karts, she just loved that! She gave us a good scare on our second day when she made her way down to the pool by herself and fell in. I had just had her in the pool the day before practicing swimming under water on her own. Thank God that was fresh in her mind, she was able to get to the side and get out of the pool. My niece found her sitting beside the pool, crying. I had left her in the upstairs duplex with DH and he thought she had walked downstairs to find me... apparently the pool distracted her. Needless to say, the pool gate was locked the rest of the week.

Now, I need a week of Mommy-only vacation to recover from all this travel! I do have to say, though, the girls were awesome in the car. Greta had a few moments, but usually when she was fighting sleep and not for too long. It took us 13.5 hours to get to St. Louis yesterday with only 2 stops and they did so great! It's really great to be home now though. Back to real life. Back-to-school meetings start in the morning.

I'll come back later to do personals, girls are needy...


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Wow Mal that's crazy! So glad she's ok and the rest of your vacation was good.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Oh Mal! I'm so glad that she was ok. That is so scary!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Terrifying! Oh, to think ... makes me shudder. I'm so glad that she knew what to do! One of my biggest fears is that one of us thinks that the other has E or H and doesn't.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I agree - I think it's pretty amazing she knew what to do!!! That is nothing short of a miracle! So glad she was ok Mal.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Wow Mal. That's amazing. I'm so glad she's OK. I know K wouldn't have been able to do that.

Between multiple grandmas and other folks around, and letting the kids play outside, I swear it's nearly every other day I have a moment of "wait, I thought you had that kid?" "No, I thought you did?". Luckily, our piece of land lacks open water, is bordered by difficult-for-small-child brush, and is far from the busy road. There are bears, but the dog will usually warn us, and they're exceedingly unlikely to cause trouble. Always gets my heart pounding just a little, though.

Cindy - 11 kids visiting sounds crazy. I'm glad she had fun. I never model how to play with toys either, and K has no interest in other kids, so I'm sure he's lagging on some of those skills. I figure it's OK, they'll all figure it out when they're interested.

Sue - Sorry about your dog. Funny that M has 7 teeth already. L only has 8, and she's 19 months old!

Starling - No idea about how to become independently wealthy, but I've gotten pretty good at the cheapskate part of the game. Cities are harder for that, though.

It's been chilly here lately, and starting to get dark again (as in the sun sets at 10PM, and if you wake up in the middle of the night you actually need to turn a light on). Feels like summer is over already...


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Last night laying in bed I thought, "wow I haven't talked to June's ddc for awhile, I wonder how they are?" Lots of traveling happening among us all. I am currently in North Carolina with my twin sister who is due to have her baby (she's due in 1-5 weeks) soon, I am super excited, plus I have missed her like crazy, not overly fond of living far away from her. I sat down over 2 hours ago to write this and got distracted, now I forget what I was going to say to everyone. Let me refresh myself. (scrolls up and rereads)

Mal, that is super scary, I am 100% that June would not have made it out of an encounter like that, truly a miracle.

Cindy, is your house a bit quieter? I warned my sister over and over before we came that my four kids would be shocking. To go from childless to four very rambunctious kids in your orderly house is a lot to deal with, they are actually doing (they my sister and BIL) way better than I thought.

Sue- sorry about your dog, the loss of a beloved pet is so hard, how wonderful that your friend was able to hold her though.

Erin- I LOVE those photos, so beautiful!!

gah- I know there is more but I need to wrangle my kids into cleaning. I'll be back


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Hello ladies,

Again Mal nothing short of a miracle neither of my kids can swim. My 6 year old is on his way to learning but nowhere near there yet. Both would panic I'm sure. Thank you for sharing swim lessons will be the next thing I book.

Thursday sounds so great for you to be with your sister do you get to stay after the birth for a bit?

Starling I am loving following your story on fb and the blog. Your kids are just so beautifully squishy

Erin your photos are breath taking I envy your cheapskate lifestyle.

Cindy I'm so glad that Makenna enjoyed her cousin time. My SIL was here for 5 days and ds informed her that he wants cousins by the time he is 9. My kids do not have any cousins yet other than 2nd and 3rd cousins. So they will be much older when they do. My brother might be the first to have kids and they are just getting married in Sept. both my dh and I are the oldest and we had our kids young in the scheme of things these days.

AFU: No vacation yet. One mini overnight camp which the kids loved and was way to short. We did that instead of me studying for my exam  Turned out ok though I got 94% Thank heavens for multiple choice and a great memory. Dh and I are headed out on an overnight hike at Berg lake this weekend. I am terrified as I've never done anything like this. I am now in what I think is pretty good shape but we haven't practiced really other than some short hikes in which I hauled Cordelia in a pack. My classes are done and my coop is almost done. I am looking forward to a fuller bank account that's for sure. I am staying on in IT though so I can be a part of some of the cool projects. I have a report due to my boss this am that I am totally not ready to share but he wants to work on it together so I've got to get moving. I will check in later. I'm glad to see this group chatting again. I miss you ladies.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Nilla - have fun on the hike!

Both my husband and I are oldests, and my kids have no cousins either, and no prospects for them any time soon (siblings all single, with one still in college). I had such a good relationship with my cousin who was 6 months older than me, so I kind of miss that for them. At least my 2 are close enough in age to play, I hope.

Starling - I saw that picture E did on your blog. And even with help - wow! K still holds his pens all wrong and rarely ever makes anything other than random scribbles and an occasional very misshapen letter. Which is fine of course, but makes me wonder about my parental failings for not doing either crafts or music with my kids much. (I love photography, and used to really enjoy oil painting, but it's hard for me to remember to bother with markers and kid paint).

Speaking of that... I've been wondering, at what age do you think kids start to develop their own interests - more separate from the stuff their family does? Within the stuff we regularly do, K certainly has favorite activities, and ones he doesn't care much about. But I feel like he couldn't possibly develop a sudden interest in basketball or dancing or horses or something, because he just doesn't have the opportunity to realize the full spectrum of things he might be interested in. (He also realizes very little of the full spectrum of things he might beg us to buy him or feed him, which I am eternally grateful for). When does that happen? Or am I wrong that it does? Does it require school/peer interactions?


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

nilla, enjoy the hike, it sounds like fun.

Erin- my kid started after she went to school, but i guess it wasn't until the second year maybe. she was 4.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

mckittre - I try and introduce R to different things and I figure at some point down the road he will want to focus on something specific (and hope he does because I think it's really important to find something you can excel at). His dad was a pro golfer so he might have that in him and I have taken him to the driving range and will continue with that. I'll probably have him try different sports, also music/dance. I think too as he gets older I'll be able to tell what areas he might find more interesting. This fall I would like to do something with music/dance but it's hard to find stuff. I really want him to learn an instrument at some point too. Sports (and he can focus on a specific one) will likely be his main interest.. But we'll see!

RE Family - R doesn't really have any first cousins.. Well there's 3 on my ex's side but they are older and we don't see them much (last time was Christmas). My 2 cousins live nearby and have young kids so those are R's 'cousins' (2nd cousins technically, I think?) I worry sometimes about R's lack of immediately family. Most of the time it's just the 2 of us and it seems like such a boring childhood. No dad, no siblings. Just us. I feel bad about that :/

Courtney - I've seen your NC pics and it looks like you're enjoying yourself! I think you are right near where I lived when I was there (Davidson, on Lake Norman). I loved that area 

Mal - Oh wow, I'm so glad she knew what to do. How scary! R can't swim yet. And actually he's somewhat afraid of the water (swimming lessons have been tough) so I doubt he would even go near enough to fall in. You never know though. Scary...

AFM - Life's been busy. I have my final exam for my summer course on Monday. And I've just been having a hard time with life in general. I'm feeling a bit depressed. Oh well :/


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Thanks ladies. I had to just make myself not think about the what-ifs after she fell in. I had a mini-panic attack that afternoon thinking about it, but had to just let it go, learn from it and move on. Just very thankful she was okay. It definitely made me re-think how great it would be to have a house with a pool though!

RE family: That is definitely an area where we are so lucky. Owyn has several cousins that were born the same year as her and is super close to all of them, as well as some of her older and younger cousins. Greta is the youngest of the grandkids, she has one cousin that is 6 months older than her. But he lives in a different town. However, our group of friends is like another family to us and there are two other baby girls that were born within 6 months of Greta, so she will always have them.

Different activities: I would imagine it would come with the start of school. Owyn's friend was taking dance class last year, just an 8 week intro thing for toddlers. She invited Owyn to take a friend night, which is what made Owyn fall in love with it. She starts in her class in a couple of weeks. Dance is the first and only thing she has taken an interest in herself.

Art: I saw Starling's post too. I keep waiting for Owyn to start drawing things, she hasn't yet. She likes to trace. She has some stencils she uses and asks me to write people's names so she can trace them. With coloring books, she does a great job coloring in the lines. She hates when she gets out of the lines and has to start over with a new picture when she does. But if it's just blank paper and crayons/markers, she still just scribbles.

Courtney: Do you get to stay with your sister for the birth? What a special time! I'm sure she is glad to have your expertise on her side!

Been going to meetings all week and getting my classroom ready. We've already made two trips to the city... one to get Owyn new shoes for the school year, try on dance shoes, and find a new outfit for her first day of school. Another to get supplies for my classroom. Back-to-school shopping for the both of us is taking forever! We just got her school supply list in the mail and it made me a little teary to think I'm school supply shopping for my baby girl! The next couple of weeks are so busy between open house at my school, open house at her school, open house at the gym for her dance class, back-to-school picnics for everyone. I guess this is just the beginning!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Starling - Wow! Just saw the post with E's painting. Very impressive! R mostly just scribbles, he doesn't colour in the lines, he can draw some shapes.. Here is an example of the best thing R has drawn ('people' on our chalkboard wall - he was trying to copy something I had done where I'd traced his body on the wall and then added the face )


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Nilla ... Exciting about the hike! And great news about your exam result. Rock it, Mama! And GOOD FOR YOU for being in shape. That's a big goal of mine. I miss my trail-running/kickboxing days. I took H out of the carrier the other day and thought about how heavy he is at 25 lbs or so, and then it hit me that I need to lose that, at least. I need to lose the same weight as he is. That sure put it into perspective.

Mal ... Heck, I've had a panic attack about O's pool incident and I've never even properly met you! Nice to hear that you're enjoying your back to school activities and that you're excited about the coming year.

Cindy ... I forgot about the LAs! I'll send them today! Sorry!

Courtney ... You do look like you're having a wonderful time! Remind us, how long are you staying?

Erin ... Failings as a parent? Gah! Ridiculous! I look at your life and wonder why we don't live rurally and what my children are missing out because of it!

Ever ... Yay for your course nearly being finished! How're things in the love life department?

As for cousins, our children have two that they have relationships with, but they are much older. Like, 8 & 17yrs old. So not close, really. And they live in Ontario. I do have a brother who has a couple of children, but I haven't spoken to him in nearly a decade, and those children are older too. The girls from the same batch of embryos are cousin-like and live closer. When we see them, I'm reminded of my relationships with my cousins. Easy to pick up where you left off, and age doesn't matter too much if the gap isn't too big. They play so well together. I hope to nurture that relationship more.

As for the blog and all it's sparkly wonderfulness ... please do keep in mind that it is very contrived and doesn't depict my daily life beyond the snippet it represents. I don't like that blogs make women question their parenting or lifestyle. That's a big reason why I never wanted to do a blog in the first place. But here we are, on a mission from my publisher, and so I'm doing it as well as I can, which means trying to make it as appealing and luscious as possible with the hopes of making some money from it. I don't like thinking of my life as potential blog posts at all. I resent it. And I resent that I'm writing for FREE. Not my thing.

As for art, specifically, Esmé has never had colouring books, mostly because the couple of times she's tried them at friend's she gets very frustrated when she can't stay in the lines. So we don't have them at home. She is very artistic and makes art every day, usually on her own. She's always had good fine motor skills and can hold her pen properly now. But this is the child who could not climb a ladder or incline of any kind at the playground until this summer. These kids are all over the map with skills and interests.

As for interests (almost forgot about that one) ... I think about this a lot. I don't want to overschedule us AT ALL, so she won't be getting a lot of classes to try out things. I'm hoping she'll see things at events or hear about them from friends and then express and interest that she can then pursue. She loves the funky rebel neighbourhood marching band, for example and seeks them out at all local events. So that's something I'd help her connect with when her bedtime moves a little later. They've invited her to their rehearsals, but they start at 8 and she's asleep by then. Until she starts asking, I guess her interests are extensions of mine. Art? Writing? Reading? Hahahaha!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: No rush! This kiddo better not be needing the LAs any time soon!

Everr: Your ex is a pro golfer? Makes me think of Tiger Woods and all his discretions. I'm sorry you are down! Good luck on your final!

Art. Makenna LOVES art. We do TONS of projects (mostly ideas I steal off blogs) and have tons of art tools fully accessible. She does it daily too and I too rarely have given her coloring books. But she still mostly scribbles and does not draw people/faces, etc. I too was floored by E's painting. You definitely have a budding artist on your hands Starling! 

Makenna has been requesting gymnastics and dance classes lately. I've been reluctant to sign her up though bc she is so clingy around other kids. Timing is not good anyway with new sessions starting about when baby is due. So I think we will focus on getting her acclimated to preschool next month and then revisit the lesson idea in January. Perhaps being around other kids at school will change her opinion about being in a class with other kids.

Cousins. You all know Makenna has a ton - mostly thanks to my brother. She has 14 cousins between my brother and sister and 3 more on DH's side. Probably half are young enough for her to enjoy playing with. But none of them live anywhere near us. So she has a fantastic time when she sees them and then tells me daily how much she misses them. She has 2 distant cousins that live 1/2 hour away (their grandpa is my MIL's cousin). She has been begging to see them despite them being 8 and 11. So we are having them over for dinner this weekend.

Ok gotta run. Mold remediation people will be arriving momentarily to rip open my master closet and a plumber is arriving too to fix a leak in the basement and then whatever we find in the closet (shares a wall w/bathroom). Yay!

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Hi Friends! Feels like fall here! Can't believe its getting dark when I go to bed now- 10ish. I baked pumpkin spice cake twice this week!

Nilla: your hike sounds awesome. I'm way out of shape. I told DH that when he gets back from his last trip to sea I'm going to excercise by myself 2 x a week. My back and hips are really bothering me. The only time I'm pain free is when I do yoga regularly so it has to happen.

Cousins: My girls have tons but we don't live near them. That is part of why I loved this last vacation. They have 14 cousins on my side ranging in age from 26 to 2. All but one was with us on vacation. It was really fun to see all the kids together. I really hope we can move closer soon.

Art: Fiona draws people as giant circles with lines coming out for arms and legs. Sometimes with added feet or hands. Circle for eyes, lines for a mouth. It's pretty cool to see her drawing progress. She drew one picture of "papa crying" with tears coming down because he had to go home first and missed us when we were playing with sidewalk chalk one day. We haven't pulled off a project like E's though yet. I loved how that turned out! She is beginning to write letters now too and is very interested in letter sounds. I don't really do many projects with an end in mind yet. Mostly free for all and it ends up with her painting her whole body or getting as messy as possible. I don't mind that- I think she needs that sensory stuff more then others sometimes. With that in mind, I think I'll set her up with some colored vinegar and baking soda and a dropper this afternoon!

Interests: I do think her interests are mostly based on ours for now. She loves to read the fish ID book for example! Very into specifics such as what type of rock fish- just calling it a rock fish will not do. But some things seem more her own. When we listen to music she notices when violins are playing for example. Neither of us play any kind of instrument although we do have shakers and a hand drum here for toys. She REALLY want to learn to play. I hope we can find someone to teach her since we learned the one lead was a loser. I'm also very cautious of over scheduling so we will see what activities we get involved in as the years go by.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue: I can't believe you're saying it feels like fall! The idea of fall is kinda freaking me out bc that means baby time!! Joanne's Fabric has had fall/thanksgiving stuff out for like a month now! I absolutely love autumn though. I love candles that are scented like spice and pumpkins. I love all the cutesy pumpkin decor, scare crows, sunflowers, etc. But right now it's still summer.  Mind sharing your pumpkin spice cake recipe? Sounds yummy!

So the plumbing and mold remediation went really well and was way less intensive than I feared! Turns out there was no leak behind the wall. There was a small amount of mold that they got rid of - don't know why it was there. But it turns out our plumbing is in great shape, other than the small leak we had in the basement. So that is a huge relief! Only crappy part is that they had to leave the huge air purifier and dehumidifier running for 3 days. It's way too loud to sleep in there! So Makenna and I are sleeping on the futon in the basement. I'm already miserable in my soft bed - not anticipating good sleep the next few nights!

I'm excited...our area has an email list serve that goes out to 10s of thousands of parents. There is a marketplace email, advice email, reccomendations and announcements. The announcements email always has a section for playgroups and connections. I was lucky to find my mom's group on there when M was 2 months old. We met regularly until the little ones were about 2. But I still see 4 of the moms on a regular basis - they are my good friends and their daughters are M's best friends. I just posted an ad today trying to start a 2nd time moms group. I'd love to have something like that for the new baby - for her to have her own friends to grow with. It seems lots of 2nd kids don't end up with many of their own friends bc mom is so busy w/#1. I know it's going to be hard to coordinate all these women with varying preschool and nap schedules, etc. But I really hope I can make it work. I've received 10 emails already in the few hours since the email went out. 2 moms have 3.5 yr olds who will be doing afternoon preschool too (like M) and are due within 2 weeks of me.

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Sue-- I'm so ready for it to feel like fall. I'm in the middle of the country, so right in the thick of this massive heat wave we've had going all summer. It made it really hard to get out and do everything I wanted to do with the girls this summer. We didn't get to go swimming nearly as much as I'd like, not enough trips to the park, etc. I had intentions of walking every morning with the girls, which we did the first few weeks, but once the heat started it was just miserable to get out in it. I am SO ready for some cooler weather and some rain!

Cindy-- Your mom's group sounds like fun! It's a really great idea. Greta has always just gone with our plans for Owyn. Luckily she has those two babies her age around.

Registration was last night at work and I'm currently sitting at 4 kids in my class. Not enough. The school board was waiting it out through registration, hoping we'd get more sign up, which hasn't happened yet. So, I will probably be having a meeting with them soon to figure out what we're going to do. We chatted a little earlier this week about it and threw some ideas around, so we'll see what happens. There is a new learning center opening in town, so I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of families are trying them out this year. I did get a chance to chat with some of my new co-workers though, so that was nice. Last year, I was the baby of the bunch with most of the other teachers being near retirement age. This year our staff is mostly around the same age, so it's nice to have something in common with them.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

cindy- that's very cool about the email group. we often struggle with the four girls finding a balance with each ones friends. Sometimes one girls friend's dominate the scene, only later to have that same girls friends entirely absent. Having the 9 year to newborn spread means sometimes it's just big kids and sometimes just little kids and sometimes kids in between, I try to start get together's that include all their friends but it often doesn't work out.

cousins- my girls have 5 cousins they rarely see, they live in New York and are from 16-5 I believe. My newest niece will be born soon, and this from my twin and they will live an 11 hour drive away, which means they won't see each other often. It's this cousin that isn't around that makes me sad.

Art- Juniper enjoys art and often tells me she needs to do art, mostly it is not led by me although I will often introduce a new medium for her to work with. I also keep supplies available. As for introducing them to the sport or activity they will love, I don't think you can at this age, you can offer a variety but you just can't know what they will like, and it's more about exposing them to a variety, even if it's them watching something, and then finding out what they have an interest in. I really want my girls to have something gthey are passionate about, something they can focus on as preteens and teens to help keep them from undesirable activities. I have not yet found something for my 9 year old despite her being in a variety of different activities when she was younger (3-6 years) and I am much more concerned about that than with Juniper not having something.

North Carolina- I am not sure how much longer I will be here. A week after My Niece Quinn is born. She is in the window starting Tuesday I believe and I hope she has the baby sooner so I can get back home with my kids and husband. School starts the 20th and the big girls will all be going back with him (and Junie is included in the big girls) she is having a really hard time being away from home and adjusting to her new sister (who is 4 months and this is generally the age trouble beings with a new sibling.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Count me in as ready for fall! We're having a bit of cool weather here and I love it - high of 20oC, cloudy and rainy  I'm also looking forward to going back to school. Although I still need to enjoy my 3 weeks between the end of the summer course and the new classes!

I wish I had more mom friends. I've moved around too much  And it's so much harder to connect at this age (especially because I'm not home with him anymore and we're busy). R gets enough socializing at daycare though and I have lots of babysitters around so I can take a weekend to go see my regular old friends (none of them live in the same city either though..)

Cindy - That's good your problem was a quick fix. That stuff can be pricey! And yeah my ex and Tiger had a couple things in common  He quit right before I found out I was pregnant and we moved back to Canada. It's a very tough sport to make it in so it didn't work out for him.

Starling - I love reading about your adventures on your blog  As for my love life it sucks. Bus guy and I broke up again. He's going through major work stress and it was ruining our time together. He was a bit emotionally unavailable too.. Which was getting annoying. I'm so tired of being alone. It seems I rarely meet anyone worth dating. Oh well. Maybe when I'm back in school :/


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Everr: Totally sucks. I'm sorry things didn't work out.

Here to share a deal.... If you join the Squirmie worm you can get in on co-op/group buy deals. They have a group buy going for Mama Made Them right now which has some awesome stuff. Prices are really good- 40% off most items and 25% for the bigger things like garage, kitchen, nativity... I just ordered some stuff for Christmas. We got some things last year too and they are great quality and a lot of fun. Fiona spends a ton of time playing with the 3 billy goats gruff story set. I ordered goldilocks for this year!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

everr- sorry about bus guy. It is totally hard to find a decent guy.

I met a bunch of my mom friends through LLL and some through the local neighborhoods playgroup.

Cindy- glad there wasn't much mold, it was a nightmare when we found it, we lost half of two walls, beams and everything.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Ever - sorry things didn't work out. I think it sucks that it's so much harder to meet people once you get out into adult life (compared to just-out-of-high-school no-responsibilities college students). I have a number of friends with the same problem.

Mal - what will you do if there aren't enough kids for the class?

Starling - I hear you about the blog thing. I enjoy doing mine, but it's much more sporadic, and I can write when I feel like it, about expeditions and things I feel I really want to share - hopefully nothing to make folks feel bad.

Fall approaching: I am not ready! I have been furiously picking berries, but want to do a lot more, want to go camping, backpacking, preserve the excess from the garden, etc.. Also want my husband to be back for at least a little more summer (he'll be here maybe the 18th)

Another odd question: How do you play with your kids? More and more I realize that I really don't know how. I engage K, but I never really play. It's a lot more of "Would you like to help me water the garden? (pick berries, make dinner, etc..)" or him playing sort of around me while I do my own puttering/chores while chatting with him "Oh, you caught a blue whale on your fishing pole? How big is it? What are you going to do with that? etc..." I really don't know what else to do. Should I grab a pretend fishing pole too? Are there other games and things I should initiate? Sometimes if he's building with legos or something I try to do it too, but it doesn't seem to improve his enjoyment of the legos at all, so it seems so much more sensible to do something else nearby. But maybe if I had a better idea of how to play it would work better.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I don't "play" with my kids when it is there kid games. I play jenga, and memory, and hi ho cherry-o with her. I cook with her. I talk with her and sometimes do art or sewing with her. I talk about things she is interested in, but no I don't play blocks or lalaloopsies or baby doll or dress up with her. I did sometimes with Jewel when she was little but she also didn't have sisters and just a few friends.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Thursday: I remember when you guys discovered all of that mold. What a nightmare! Looks like you are having a great trip. Hope baby comes soon!

Play: DH plays with Fiona a lot more then I do. They dress up like dragons and roar and "fly" through the house. We dressed up like queens the other day but I was doing dishes while I did! I mostly am just around while she plays and sometimes start building towers or legos or playdough and then let her finish on her own. Sometimes we color along side each other too. She is really into real work though so we cook and bake, garden, feed the dog and such together. I think you are doing just fine and your kids are lucky to have such a wonderful life!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

We are the same here. I will build towers or train tracks with her and love to have her help me clean and cook. I set up art projects and sit with her while she does them or if they are involved, I will help walk her through the steps. But I don't find myself playing make believe with her or really getting down on the floor a whole lot. I've felt bad about it. DH definitely plays differently. They make a lot of forts or he'll sit on her level more - but then sometimes he'll just sit there and fall asleep leaning against the front of the couch while she plays. LOL. They rough house a lot - she loves to climb all over him like a jungle gym. I really can't stand when she does that to me - especially now that I'm pregnant. I think a lot of what makes her happy is showing me things she is doing/has done or involving me in play by bringing me her play food, etc.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

I don't play pretend with her often either. Greta likes when I'm on the floor, so I'm often sitting with them, just available when I have some downtime. Usually Greta is climbing all over me while Owyn plays near us. She is trying to teach Greta to play with her, but Greta often doesn't go along with things like Owyn would like. She pretends to be the mom and Greta is her daughter. Greta just enjoys the attention from her. More often, Owyn is telling me all about her pretend adventures and I'm just listening or asking questions. The more exposure she has to other kids, the more creative she gets in her own play.

Courtney: I hope the baby comes as soon as she can! How fun to be there for the birth!

Well, school starts for me in 2 days. I think I'll be ready. Tomorrow I'll be in my classroom most of the day getting last minute things ready and cleaning up. I still only have 4 enrolled officially, with 2-4 maybes on my list. No one is saying anything so far about changing things up, so I'm going with it. I worry about my position for next year if things don't fill up this year. I already have a contract with them for this year, so I don't think there is a whole lot they can do about my position at the moment. I think I'll end up just fine. I had a few join my class through the school year last year.

DH and I are still trucking along with the house and house hunt. Slowly but surely... We looked at a house yesterday that had absolutely everything on our wishlist, but the neighborhood was crappy. It was really hard to walk away from it since it was so perfect, but it was the only decent house in the whole neighborhood with no real hope of things turning around in that area... more likely it would get worse in the coming years. We had all but thrown up our hands on hunting for now since there isn't a whole lot for sale around here, which we're fine with. We still have the plan to sell our place and stay with my parents for a while, it'd just be nice to not have to move all those times. Anyway, our real estate agent wants us to look at a house tonight. He seems really excited about it for us. It's an earth sheltered home, which DH and I both think is pretty cool. It sits on 8 acres and has plenty of space. It's a foreclosure thought, so it needs some serious TLC... Wish us luck, this could be the last house we look at for a while!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Mal: Good luck! Sounds like you guys could turn it into an amazing place. Is there a real estate listing we could peak at?! And I hope your class fills up. It must be stressful to think about what will happen in the coming year. At least you have this years contract. I hope they don't shift you into a position doing something else.

We went to a music class today for the first time in months. We really love it and Fiona has been going since she was about 10 months old. Nap schedules and travel has kept us from it for a while though. We went today though and learned our beloved teacher is moving on and a new woman is taking over. She did ok today but it just isn't the same. We want Miss Tania back! Plus the day of the class is moving. We typically meet up with other families for outdoor playdates on the new day so I don't know how often we will be able to go anymore. Sort of bummed about that.

Yesterday we made it to the pool though. Both girls loved it. We have vowed to make it to the pool every week for family swim on Sunday afternoons. Which means I have vowed to shave my legs once a week this fall and winter- me shaving in the fall/winter is pretty unheard of! LOL!

DH leaves on Wednesday for a week at sea. The last trip! I'm so glad. Hopefully the week is going to fly by. It's times like these that I really wish my kid could eat anything and we could rely on take out at least a couple of times. Ah well. And speaking of food- I think we need to take corn out of her diet too. Blargh! We are trying a 2 week corn free trial. I've really noticed that her sleep is shit (like waking up crying 2-3 times a night) on days when she's eaten it a lot. Corn is in a lot of food.

Really missing Kate too! I could really use her input. I was discussing some of the tissues with melt downs and behavior that Fiona has been having (or really had since toddlerhood) with a friend. How she can't handle too many kids around, fades out quickly in playdates, can't do gym time because of the chaos, melts down if her blanket is lumpy and not flat, stacking too much into our day is sure fire melt down, etc.... ALso how she never just paints the paper- she loves to paint her entire arm and hands, When she plays in the rice bin she takes of her socks and climbs into the whole thing, loves loves loves water play. She thought I should look into OT for sensory issues. I was like- OMG, Yes! It makes a lot of sense. The more I've read the more I think she's onto something. So I am going to write an email to our family dr/friend and ask her for a referral. Makes me feel crappy that I didn't realize this sooner. I'm hoping it will help bring some peace into this house. Because I would say that it for sure is something that affects our day to day lives. sigh.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue: Bummer about music class being cancelled! We used to go to a facilitated playgroup and the sensory issues therapist would come every few weeks and bring cool things and just chat w/moms to see if they needed any advice. She is who I got the bean bin idea from. I loved her - there was actually a photo of her in the very last issue of mothering mag holding her baby boy in the birth tub right after he was born. Anyway, Makenna loves to climb in too and has been known to melt down over a blanket not being folded right - i'm sure some of that is just normal 3 yr old behavior. But you know your child best! Ugh to the corn! My old roommate was allergic to corn - she was always getting sabotaged and having to take benodryl. I actually used to buy things with corn in them on purpose so she would stop eating my food (bc she usually did read the ingredient label first).

Mal: I hope this house is it! I used to love the excitement of seeing a new house and then talking to DH about all the things we'd dream up to do to it. 

Courtney: I loved the pic of your sis and Coraline on facebook today. At first I was like "what?" - bc of course at first I thought it was you in the pic. Your sis is so lucky to have you there for the birth and to help after!!

My midwife was just here. We scheduled the 36 week birth team visit for less than a month from now. Crazy!

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Just for you, Sue.







http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/10885-Barb-Rd_Corder_MO_64021_M77939-91844 Our agent thinks it's overpriced and considering it's a foreclosure, he thinks we could bring the price down quite a bit. Especially considering it is an earth home, which apparently is difficult to sell. Leaving to go look at it in about an hour, fingers crossed!

RE: sensory issues... I think you're really onto something there. It really does make sense, especially thinking about everything you have shared with us about her. I really hope you can get some tools to help your day-to-day life!

Cindy: How in the world has your pregnancy flown by so quickly?! I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as I sit here and watch Greta starting to cruise around the furniture. Time flies!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

woo wee, that is purple bathroom! Looks like a great place.I love the window off of the kitchen and the great fireplace! I'm in total shock that a 3 bedroom home on 8 acres is overpriced at $149,500! We have a 2 bed with no acreage- no garage even, it was converted to storage/mudroom that was recently appraised for (are you ready...) $240,000! We need to move!

Cindy! That baby will be here so soon! I can't remember- have you picked a name?


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Ha - you think it's bad where you are Sue? We have a 2 bedroom that technically has 950 sq ft. We do have an third bedroom and about 400 more sq feet down in the basement that don't legally get counted. Postage stamp yard. And it's worth about 600k now! WE need to move! LOL!

Mal: The house def needs updating - but the land looks amazing!! What did you think?

No name yet. Definitely the middle name will be Rose. I think I would do Rose as a 1st name, but DH doesn't like it enough. I told you guys we both liked Gemma as the first name. I just don't know if I'm sold on it. DH isn't putting any effort into thinking about it bc we do agree on that name - but I don't think he's sold on it either. I'm also tossing around Tea (tay-ah) - but the lack of an accent over the "e" bugs me. i have no idea how to do one on the computer? I think Starling told me once. Also Althea - then Tea could be a nickname. I like Elyse a lot but DH doesn't.

My friend had her baby a month ago and she and her DH STILL can't agree! It would drive me NUTSO!!!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Cindy: I actually really like Althea, I'd use the nickname "Thea" (thee-uh) though. Thea was on my list when we had Greta.







I still really love Gemma though. DH and I were the same way with that name. We agreed on it, but neither of us was sold on it.

House price, yes we are lucky where we are. Some people around this part of the state think my town is even an overpriced area if that tells you anything. We went to see it and it's a contender, for sure. We're both mulling it over. It's a little out of town, which the country is nice, but it's not as convenient. The space and the layout is fantastic, the acreage is so awesome. It's a little hilly with a little treed area. It's south facing, so even though it's an earth home, it gets good light. It's well-built, no major issues. It does need a lot TLC, but we could do it, it's mostly cosmetic. I think we just need to sit down and write out the pros and cons, figure out exactly which projects we'd need to do right away and what that would cost. We're both pretty excited about it. I was picturing how we would place things and where we'd put the Christmas tree. The fireplace is AMAZING! Best one we've seen, by far and functional for heating the house! So, yeah, it's a big maybe.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Mal - that sounds exciting. Hope it works out for you guys. I love living rurally, but I do have a community around also.

Cindy - Gemma is nice, but I like Althea/Thea also. I know a little kid in K's head start who goes by that nickname (well, it's pronounced Tay-uh anyway, I've never seen it written, so don't know how she spells it). Has anyone noticed how many little girls' names end in that "a" sound? Even lots of the unsual ones like my Lituya and her friend Duna, and actually most of the under 5 girls I know around here (Nevaeh, Helena, Hannah, etc...). And of course several of our kids in this group.

Sue - too bad about the music class. And that's interesting about the sensory idea. I think K is exactly the opposite - taking after his dad in seeming to never notice physical discomfort or wanting to bother to change clothes despite being way too hot or cold, etc... I wish my kids liked music. Neither my DH or I are musical, and I feel like the fact that the kids have never shown an interest is probably our fault for not singing to them or whatever it is we're supposed to do to get them exposed. Even at 3.5, K cannot sing a single actual song.

Playing: Thank you all for making me feel better about my not playing.  I think I was feeling a little guilty after watching the kids' grandmas (they have two around right now) do so much more playing with them. But hearing people talk about playful daddies makes me wonder if doing more "playing" is something that tends to happen more with people who aren't around them so much? As a fun way to connect. I do engage with them all day long, and do do a lot of conversational engagement with K's adventures, even if I don't actually pretend to fish in the salmonberry bushes. Also, I see the two of them playing more and more now that L is getting older.

House Values: The entire property valuation of the 3 acres we share with my MIL is about $75,000.  That's with one small house, two yurts (which may not count for much since they can be moved), a guest shed, a storage shed, a washhouse, a view of an ocean and three picturesque volcanoes, and some awesome gardens and berry bushes. Of course, there's only running water in the washhouse, no septic or sewer anywhere, and we're 15 miles beyond the end of the North American highway system (I see that last one as a plus). We split a property tax bill of around $350 for the year, and none of us has a mortgage, which makes living here more or less free.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Cindy: LOVE the name Téa ... if you're on a Mac, you do alt+e to get the accent and the type e again to get it over an e. I also love the name Althea. It's the name of a lovely character in one of my books. I don't advise using an accent if you can avoid it though. It's a beaurocratic nightmare!

Housing prices ... I have you all beat! The place we lived in before this is up for sale again. 1100 square feet BASEMENT condo. $635,000!!! For eff's sake, folks! How are we supposed to have a diverse city with prices like that?!?!

Sensory issues ... I agree, Sue. From everything that you've talked about over the years (I can't believe that we've known each other so long!) I think you're definitely on the right track. I say this as a mom whose children have less than zero sensory issues so far. So I do notice when they come up in children in our community ... and it seems to be fairly common from what I see and hear from other mamas? I hope some resources and supports help smooth things out.

Music ... E is signed up for classes at the Vancouver Symphony Music Academy! It's hard to get a spot, but we did! It's an early music appreciation program, with an aim to lead to learning an instrument, which I hope will be violin. I hope E has a great time with it. I'm sorry that yours isn't working out, Sue. I hope something awesome crops up!

Playing ... I don't either. I'll read her as many books as I can stand, or put on some fun music or an audiobook, or make some new playdough (oh, blog post idea!), or do a fun chore (we need to paint our outside bench ... another blog post idea!) or just putz around while she does her own thing or joins me in household stuff (laundry, washing the floor, etc). I'd be more than happy to play dolls with her, but she doesn't want to. We do a lot of making up stories, which is no surprise. I love that about hanging out with kids.

More later. Should be editing. Love you all! And I miss Kate too!


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## aHikaru (Apr 12, 2011)

dropping in and introducing myself  DD was born Feb 24 '09, 2 days before her due date, which happened to be my birthday... good luck to everyone!


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Just typed a long response and it was eaten! Gah!

Sorry I've been MIA. I've def been thinking about you ladies, wondering how you all are doing. I survived the bar exam at the end of July, but won't have results until mid- to late October. Which gives me two more months to avoid thinking about it. In a way it would be easier to fail, because then I can think about just getting a job instead of trying to decide whether I should start my own small practice. I know I should, but I'm scared. And not sure I want to put the energy into it. But mostly just intimidated.

Seems like this was the fastest summer ever--the girls are growing so quickly that I can barely keep up. Aubrey is back to preschool only two mornings a week, and we just finished the gauntlet of having her speech evaluated by the school system. She is "delayed" in her articulation so she'll be eligible for speech therapy at the local elementary school. No word yet on when or what that will involve. I'm anxious for her to get help so that she won't be so frustrated in her communication. She gets really upset when I can't understand her, and sometimes its impossible without context. The rest of the days I'm trying to keep full for her with library time and "helping" type activities. Yesterday we hunted hornworms for an hour. I tried not to let her see me wretch. All in all she's doing pretty well--we're trying hard to be gentle with baby sister but man is it hard.

Mallory is my huge sweet girl. She's definitely my reward for letting Aubs live! She's 17 lb. 7 oz. now (4 mos. as of Monday). I can't believe she's so old already. It's hard, because I don't think there will be any more babies for me. But I guess time will tell.

Speaking of babies, Cindy, how many weeks are you now?! I can't believe your little one will be here so soon. I like Gemma a lot still. What were the other names that you considered for M?

Ever, so sorry about the bus guy. Wish I could be there to take you out for a drink.

There's so much more I need to say but I know Aubs will be awake from her nap soon. Wanted to share a pic. I really don't like these dresses but my mom's friend bought them for the girls and I felt obligated to take some pictures. It really shows how orange their hair is. Back soon to catch up!!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Ahikaru: Welcome!

Kate: Yay - so happy to hear from you! That is fantastic you want to start your own practice. I can see how it would be a ton of work and daunting, even with 2 little ones. But so awesome to actually accomplish it!! I hope you give it a go. I bet you are SOOO relieved to have the bar exam out of the way. I am 33 weeks today! 5 weeks from when M came. The only name we are considering from when I was prego w/Makenna is Tea. We both liked the name last time but I couldn't figure out a spelling I liked or the accent issue - same as now. LOL.

Makenna and I just visited the Berkeley Rose Gardens today. That's where I opened the envelope to find out this baby is a girl. Today I really like the name Rose as a first name. Not sure I could get DH to agree with it.

Starling: We got the package yesterday! I can't thank you enough!!! And Makenna enjoyed the stickers. 

Cindy


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Cindy - I really like Rose and Elyse. I like Tea too, but I feel like it would constantly be mispronounced and that might be annoying..

Kate - Congrats on finishing the exam! I think opening your own practice would be great - do it! (I say that as someone who knows nothing about opening a practice, but it sounds like a great idea ) I love the pic of your girls, they are gorgeous! And it's funny they are looking in opposite directions, they look like they have better things to do then get their pic taken 

Starling - That music program sounds awesome! I really think R would love a music class. I'm probably going to be sticking with city-run programs for this year though and the selection isn't great.. Next year I should be able to budget for something private (and he'll be that much older so it'll seem more worth it)

Erin - I hate playing with R. It's boring and I have a million other things to do/I'd rather be doing. I do like to DO things with him, but I'd rather have him help me with a chore or take him out somewhere (zoo, out for ice cream, shopping - which he likes to do, thankfully!) He likes to snuggle up and watch a movie together or read a few books (which we don't do enough..) He doesn't really ask me to play much. He likes to be with me 90% of the time, but he's happy just to keep me company while I do whatever it is I'm doing.

Mal - I hope things work out with the house hunt! I love looking at houses, it's so exciting! I've only owned once, right after R was born we moved to a small town and decided to buy. But because the town was far away I didn't want to travel with R and so my ex did all the searching. I didn't even see the place until after we'd purchased! My ex did a good job though  I'm renting now but would like to buy once I get settled into my career. The prices here aren't too bad so hopefully I'll find something nice with my single income. Or hopefully by then I'll have someone to share the house with (other than R.. lol) 

AFM - We are going camping this weekend! R is soooo excited. I am too


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

So good to hear from you, *Kate*! The girls looks so grown up! What is happening? Where are our squishy first babies, let alone our second?

*Erin* ... how about surprising us with a third? Come on ... you know you want to haul another baby over glaciers and up mountains, right?









*Cindy* ... So glad that the package showed up! I'm glad that the Lact Aids are going to you and wee Althea-Rose-Elyse.

Hi everyone else!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Kate - Great to hear from you, and congrats on finishing the exam. I think setting it aside for a couple months is probably a good thing - come back with a fresh perspective on what you want to do. I hope the speech therapy works out for Aubs. That must be so frustrating for her. Even Lituya gets annoyed when we don't understand her, and she's only 19 months.

Starling - Yeah, my squishy second baby is running, climbing, and talking in sentences. But no way I'm having another! I've just figured that next spring, when we're planning a 3 month-ish expedition, we might just be able to do it with K walking, L on my back, husband with most of the stuff, and me with a few dangling bags and a fanny pack. Nowhere to put anyone else.  Really, we're quite happy as a family of 4. Now that I've gotten over the little bit of sadness at never making another brand-new person, I realize I don't have any desire for another actual child. I like that mine are close together in age also.

Everr - Have fun camping.

Cindy - The only Rose I know is a wonderful woman who works as the postmistress here, and is one of the kindest people I know. So I have only good feelings for the name.

Now I really should also be editing.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

I love the name Rose! And Althea- when I was pregnant with Fiona my brother "gave" me that name. As in - he loved it but didn't end up using it with either of his girls so thought I should! LOL! I think Althea Rose would be beautiful.

DH is gone for the week. Last trip for the season! Thank god- I'm ready to have him around. We've had lots of talks lately about keeping our sanity and working on our relationship. It needs work. In an odd way I think part of what will help is me getting out without the kids. Once he's back I'm going to do yoga 2 days a week and take an hour or so each weekend to do something alone. With nobody needing me. Right now I'm picturing meeting a friend at the coffee shop with my knitting. The other thing weare planning is getting a sitter for F once a month and going on a date (with Maeve, LOL!). I'm not good at leaving my babies with non-family members so she'll come along for now. I'm also working on an earlier bed time for he girls. Maeve has a hard time staying asleep until I'm in bed though. A little time in the evening s to just hang out will be good for us.

I've got a referral to the occupational therapist lined up and left her a message yesterday. Hoping we can get in with her sooner rather then later.

Hoping you are all well! So glad to hear from you Kate! Opening your own practice sounds exciting! Good luck with your decision.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Should I be worried about this? Fiona has been peeing so much lately. In the last week its like she has to go all the time- no real increase in lyquid, she has always been a big water drinker. Last night I had to take her in the middle of the night for the first time of her life and the other night she had to get out of the tub 3 times to pee! (probably in there about an hour- the girl loves a long soak). Earlier this summer we had her tested for a UTI because she complained of it hurting when she peed. Her vulva was red and irritated- this happens quite a bit. They thought yeast but the yeast cream did not clear anything up. We went back to just using diaper cream and things got better. She is not complaining of pain now and she pees a fair amount each time. Ugh- one more thing to add to my list of worries about this girl. How is diabetes tested for? I know that sudden increase in urine can be a sign.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I really don't know Sue - but diabetes def. popped into my mind. I think w/a UTI you feel like you need to go often but there isn't a lot of urine? I hope it's nothing!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Sue - Has she been eating a lot of fruit or berries lately? I know K has with all of them ripe here right now, and it makes him have to pee ALL the time.


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Sue, we're really on the same page. I was sitting here thinking about giving DH some sort of ultimatum when he gets home today, and decided to come here instead. We need lots of work on our relationship right now. I don't know what to do, specifically, because when it comes down to it I think he's just become really self-absorbed. And it feels like the more I try to improve my behavior in the relationship, the worse it gets. I don't think he would do counseling. Bleh. For example: this morning Malley was up at 6:00, so I took her downstairs and we fell back asleep on the couch. Aubs wakes him up at 7:00, and he sends her downstairs to me. Apparently I wasn't awake, so she went back up and got back in bed with him. So he gets up and gets a shower, and they come down...then he's all bitchy with me because he didn't get to sleep in on the weekend. Yeah, "all bitchy" is pretty much the only way to describe it. He makes his breakfast, finishes making coffee that I started, and then sits on the couch looking at his phone until he decides to go play. So of course I tell him what I think--that he's selfish and thoughtless, etc. That it would be nice for him to offer to keep an eye on both girls so that I can use the toilet alone, or take a shower, or whatever. I'm so sick of it. He asked if I would have "a plan" for the day when he got back and I told him that he ought to be thinking about whether we'll be here when he gets back. Which is one of the things I need to work on....

Anyway. I definitely think OT is a good option. It seems like F is more sensory-avoiding, while Aubs is really sensory-seeking. Same issue, opposite manifestations. Have you looked at the book Sensational Kids? I got it when Aubs was younger but it is more geared toward the 3 and up crowd.

Now Aubs is melting down because we are out of paper for her to cut to bits. Back later, hopefully in a better mood.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Sue ... Is she also more thirsty? That usually comes hand in hand with diabetes. Along with copious and frequent urination, dry mouth, weight loss, increased hunger and fatigue. Hope it abates and you don't need to worry at all! Up the probiotics and yogurt and cranberry goodness for now? (ps. I'll come have coffee with you and bring my knitting!)

Kate: Have you reread the book? Do you still think a lot of it applies to Aubs?

Relationships: I hope things ease up for the mamas dealing with this. Always a roller coaster, isn't it?

Courtney ... Is DH there yet, speaking of Other Halves?

Again, brief. Off to edit. This is my "office time," which I have each morning for an hour and a half. I get up, walk the dog, make breakfast for the kids and then DP comes down with them and I have my office time, during which I'm supposed to be writing/editing. Better get back to it! S'pose this could count as writing, right?


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Relationships: My husband (when he's around) is super helpful with the kids, watches them a lot since he works from home, does chores etc... BUT, he does not often think of helping out spontaneously. I either have to nag him (which I hate), or we have to have a system. So we often have a schedule for some of the time we're all at home, for who's responsible for the kids at which general time (I take early mornings, he takes late mornings, etc...). For other things, we just have designated jobs (I always do laundry, he gives the kids their baths, etc..). I find this works MUCH better for both of us than just sort of expecting him to read my mind and take over when I need him to and then feeling resentful if he doesn't. We both find that having some alone time without either of the kids helps us out.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

She is eating lots of fruit and berries- hmm. Also super thirsty. Like she wanted to drink 3 glasses of water this morning. Crap, i don't know. I will call on Monday to make an appointment. If anything to ease my mind. Can't this kid catch a break?! The dr we saw that suspected yeast (although didn't swab at all) said to keep an eye because frequent yeast infections can also be a sign of diabetes.

Relationships: I know that part of my problem is that I'm constantly taking care of the kids. All day, all night with out a single minute to myself. (especially so this summer) So when they finally fall asleep the last thing I want is to be "needed" by someone else- But our relationship has to be part of the equation too. Another thing is that I'm realizing that I need to let go of my idea of a third baby for now. Brining another child into this already rocky, stressful situation would break us. I want to remain married to my husband more then I want a third baby. Sucks to have to come to that but there you go. Maybe things will be different in a few years but for now I have to let it go which makes me sad and slightly resentful to be honest. DH would also not be interested in counseling at this point. He is making a big effort to be more calm and gentle with his approach to dealing with Fiona though. He still has a lot of work to do there but at least he is making an effort now.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Sue diabetes would be a blood test. They could also dip her urine for a preliminary test but it's up to the doctor. I know that Dee pees frequently when she is having an allergy flareup. Perhaps F has developed a sensitivity to the berries or something else? With kids with lots of allergies it is not unusual to develop more. That is what I thought of first. I see you are corn free now? Did the peeing start after you stopped the corn? Sometimes symptoms get worse when eliminating an allergen for a while before they get better.

Sensory issues, I think your instincts are right go with it. My kids both have sensory issues and so do I but not so much that it prevents them from living life so I've left it (not had them evaluated). I wonder though if I might have learned some coping mechanisms if I had had some OT. Makes me wonder about it for my kids.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

We went out to go camping today with a bunch of friends, and had a good hike, but the driving blowing rain made everyone less intent on the camping part of it, so we all came home and had a fun impromptu potluck in the yurt with kids and adults and drying out by the stove and all our chairs and upturned buckets and good conversation... Then everyone left, I put the kids to bed, and opened my computer to an email from my husband's boss titled "Helicopter down". I nearly had a heart attack. Everyone's OK, but it turned out the engine completely died, just thump gone, but they were only 50 feet up from where they were planning to land, so it wasn't even much of a bump. But terrifying. And he's been flying in one for this job for hours and hours a day for weeks on end, and I didn't want him to go in the first place.

He gets to come home now, but it'll probably be a couple days.

I miss him.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

mal - that earth house sounds cool and 8 acres! While house hunting I would hope for just cosmetic stuff b/c we'd certainly never get a move in ready.

Sue- isn't that last trip for awhile always so exciting, to know that once again you'll all get to be together. Sucks about the music classes and I totally know what you mean about certain teachers. I can't stand for my little girls to be in the free baby/toddler spanish class b/c that teacher compared to my older girls spanish teach is horrible. As for the allergies, I can't even imagine, that would be so hard.

Cindy - I still LOVE Gemma aand really wanted to use Jemma (it was my consolation since Hubs wouldn't agree to Jemima) but people said having A jewel and a Jemma was too much. J/Gemma is such a sweet name and I can picture a rosy cheeked sweet girl. Rose is very nice, it's one of Juniper's middle names.

Erin-

Quote:


> makes me wonder if doing more "playing" is something that tends to happen more with people who aren't around them so much? As a fun way to connect. I do engage with them all day long, and do do a lot of conversational engagement with K's adventures, even if I don't actually pretend to fish in the salmonberry bushes. Also, I see the two of them playing more and more now that L is getting older.


Exactly! The people who play with my kids most are people that aren't main caregivers, I even play with other people's kids sometimes (and my own at the same time, but still rarely imagination games, unless my kids specifically ask me to participate in something).

starling- very cool about the symphony program!

Kate- we are having a problem with speech with Juniper as well. I can't understand everything she says without context and even then I'm unsure sometimes. Other people understand even less. I am going to try to get her dr to give us a referral, I tried to get one from them before but all that stupid dr would talk to me about was vaccinations, it really pissed me off, we don't go to the practice on the day he works anymore. She is also super frustrated by it and the thing is she has so much to say, she knows exactly what she is saying and can really get into a discussion about anything intelligently, if only we could understand MORE of what she was saying. It's also nice to see you back on and your girls look so cute!!

Everr- have fun camping, I wish Hubs had been in North Carolina longer (he was here less than 24 hours) so we could have camped. when we went hiking ( 4 miles round trip up a mountain) it smelled so fabulous.

When we went up the mountain I found Hubs to be extremely attractive and impressive since he carried Juniper up the whole dang mountain and most of the way down. At times he also carried Josie (who is 6) then I would take Juniper and then he didn't like that I was holding two kids. It was so fabulous to be with my family again, all of us together, there was a peace inside me. This summer has sucked with him being out of town. Now he has gone back to Florida with the big girls and things are quiet. I'm actually enjoying just having the baby, but there are moments of wow, this doesn't feel right, and I know this whole break thing will be nice for only about 3 days.I freaking LOVE my family.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

relationships- we have had our rocky times, it's super hard to balance everything, kids, life, work, etc. Like Erin I have found that he used to not know how to help and always figured that I had it covered, I seemed to be doing fine so why would I need help?? Now we have certain jobs that belong to one or the other of us, I always try to tell him when I need or want help and he has realized (or we just have four kids so it's more obvious that) I need help. Being away and being with other families helps to make us realize how fond of our situation we are. But yeah, that whole constantly with kids thing can sure take it out of you.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Erin! SO GLAD TO HEAR THAT HE'S OKAY! Goodness me, I have shivers as I type. That must've been bone-chilling to read. I'm so glad that they are all okay!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

helicopter down- holy crap what a bad way to open a conversation were everyone is fine, so glad he's okay.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

oh Erin! I'm so glad he is ok and on his way home. How terrifying. I always worry about DH when he is away on the boat.

Nilla: that is interesting about symptoms getting worse when an allergen is taken away. The timing is the same- this started right when we took the corn out. Her skin is slowly improving too so we may be on to something with the corn. ugh! She slept really well last night, thank god! The night before was a doozy with Maeve being up a million times since she is sick and Fiona up as well. I'm still recovering.

Courtney- Hope the time goes quickly and you are all home under one roof soon! Enjoy your time with your sister!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Erin, how terrifying! So glad he is okay and coming home to you and the kids! I can't even imagine getting an email like that...

Kate, so glad to hear from you!! The girls are so big and so pretty! I just love their red hair.

Sue, the peeing... It's something that I would keep an eye on, but not really worry about unless it's paired with other symptoms or going on for an extended period of time.

Relationships, oh they are so fun to work on aren't they?! I've been very patient with DH the last couple of months. I know work has been very stressful for him and he is really exhausted. But he is getting on my nerves. He is working all the time and not at all present when he is home. Today, he had to work a full day of overtime, but didn't need to go in until 9. So, asked if he could get up with me and help get the girls ready for church so I wasn't totally on my own there. Nope, he did nothing. I went to take a shower and came up to find him sitting in front of the computer with a sandwich. I had asked him to start a bath for the girls and I would get breakfast ready after my shower. So, I got pissed off and practically threw Greta's breakfast at him and told him to feed her if nothing else. And that if he forgot to take out the trash one more time I would scream. At him. Over the phone.

I know a lot of this isn't his fault, it's just bad timing. I just started back at work. The beginning of the school year is just crazy busy for me. Owyn is starting school this week and I've been on my own trying to get everything ready for that. She is also melting down all over the place. I'm trying not to play into it. I know she has a lot happening. We took a big trip and I went straight back to work when we got home. She is starting school and dance class, that I'm sure is causing her to be anxious. But it is manifesting as her being hateful and mean to everyone around her. She has been very trying, very argumentative. And she's just never like this, I don't know how to respond. I think going to school is going to be very good for her, especially since I know and love the school so much. I know her teachers and they are exactly what she needs right now.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Erin - Gah! What a bad way to start an email. I'm so glad he's ok.

As for relationship issues, mine are a whole other department lol! Being alone sucks. But I also wouldn't want to be in a relationship with someone who didn't pull their weight and help with family responsibilities. I guess I'm a bit bitter about the whole thing so maybe I shouldn't even chime in here.. But I see these couples where the woman puts up with so much crap (mostly laziness) just because she's in love. I think too many men get babied by their mothers and expect their wife to continue to take care of them. I'm very cautious about 'falling in love' because I know those hormones can really make a person put up with a lot more than they normally would. We'll see what happens. Hopefully I can find a guy worth falling in love 

We had fun camping this weekend! I wish I'd taken an extra day off work, the trip was so quick. Maybe next year we can go for longer. R had a blast! I'm probably going to keep him home Thursday to do something fun. There's a nature park nearby that is full of caves so we may do that


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

glad you had fun camping.

as for the in love thing, sometimes I think My hubs being in love with me makes him put up with more than he should, but sometimes it's opposite, we sort of balance each other out. (I'm the lazier one though)


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Erin, geez, heck of a way to open an email! So glad everything is alright. When stuff like that happens it makes the little relationship stuff seem unimportant. I definitely have the problem of expecting DH to read my mind. Or at least notice that I could use some help. The problem is me--I wait until I'm pissed to ask for help, and then it comes across really bitchy. Hmm.

Ever, ITA that too many men get babied by their mamas and then don't have reasonable expectations about contributing to a household. Geez I'm going to strangle Aubs. Back later....


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

I forgot I wanted to vent about R lol! Probably because he wasn't with me and now he's home again  So after spending the whole weekend with him I realized his meltdowns are ridiculously out of hand. He flips out over so many little things and I feel like I'm constantly threatening or bribing him. I wish I had a better way to get him to stop freaking out. I wish he wouldn't freak out in the first place! Example from last night: I went to the park with my cousin and his 3 year old, the boys played for a long time, had lots of fun. Then we decided it was time to go. My cousin told his 3 year old to come along to the car, he followed immediately, no problems. I say "come on R we're leaving too, let's go". Well I get immediate screaming, crying, arguing. I told him we were leaving and started walking to the car (he had also had 10 minute, 5 minute, and 1 minute warnings). He did follow me (thankfully) but he screamed and cried the entire way to the car, while I buckled him in, the entire drive home. OMG!! I seriously wanted to strangle him. Especially as I watched my cousin's 3 year old happily head to the car and not say a peep. I know there is a big personality difference between the two of them but it's hard not to compare when R is always the difficult, loud, bossy, opinionated, tantrum-throwing one :/ I also had him at a family reunion a couple weeks ago and people were commenting on how much energy he had and how I must be exhausted all the time. Uh, yeah! I don't know. I guess a lot of it is just who he is and his age. But sometimes I just wish it could be a bit easier!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Everr: We are right there with you when it comes to the meltdowns. We went to Owyn's preschool orientation last night, then stopped by my mom's to pick up Greta on the way home. I don't even know what set her off, she wanted to go home, at least until we were headed out the door. She screamed all the way to the car, then stood at the top of the hill refusing to come down and get into the car. Greta had been sleeping until Owyn started screaming, so I was more than a little frustrated with her. She had the same sort of meltdown at my Grandma's after church on Sunday. I had to wrestle her into her car seat while she raged like a tiny wild animal. No advice here, just commiseration.









About the house... looks like we are going to have to pass on it. We took a drive out there on our own and looked a little closer at the outside of the house. DH really thought the roof could wait while we got all the other projects done, but upon closer inspection he could tell it needs a new roof immediately. We might have been able to afford the couple of doors and windows it needed, as well as all the new flooring and we were pricing skylights to see if we could swing it. But throwing the roof on top of all that puts it out of our price range. Just too many things need to be done right off the bat. *sigh* Oh well, I guess we just wait for now. There isn't anything else for sale in our town that we want to look at for the moment, so back to focusing on just getting our house sold.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Mal: Do you think you could negotiate the cost of a new roof off the price? Can't hurt to ask if you really like the place. Did O start preschool yesterday??? If so, how'd it go?

Everr: Maybe you just aren't seeing the tantrums of the other little boy? Right now M is a total drama queen. Any tiny scratch or boo boo - even if it's from 3 days ago and she just all the sudden remembers it's there will elicit crying and whining about it for LOOOOONG stretches of time. Like yesterday - she remembered 2 boo boos on her toes from 2 days ago and cried pretty much all afternoon and evening about them. Except when she would forget and was dancing on them and laughing - so yeah, I don't even think they hurt her anymore. It drove me nuts. And I woke up to more of the same this morning, except it was her butt that hurt from sleeping in a wet cloth pullup all night. So she laid in my bed next to me and whined for about 15 minutes until the cat distracted her. And we do a playdate at her best friend's house every Monday - recently she she has started crying and and getting really upset when it's time to go - even after the warnings. She didn't used to get upset. It all goes in phases.

Preschool starts for us 2 weeks from today. I'm feeling more sad about it than I anticipated. I know it's a good thing - she is constantly wanting to be with her friends now, every day. And most of her friends are in preschool a few days/week. Her best friend will be going to the same school on 2 of the 3 days she is there. I think she is going to have so much fun! And of course it will give me a little time w/the new baby (or to nap before baby!). But at the same time I'm sad to be losing having her with me all the time. Not that 10 hours/week away is all that much time. I'm probably just hormonal right now. LOL. I'm anticipating an adjustment period for sure since she is so attached these days!

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

My husband got home last night, and K and I cooked him a dinner of roasted beets and cabbage/snap pea salad from the garden, and salmonberry pie from the berries on our driveway. K was especially fond of pulling beets. It's so nice to have him home. But it's also kind of "Hi Dear, nice to see you, now can you watch the kids for me so I can edit my book?" I hate this September deadline. Last time was the middle of winter, and I liked it better.

Meltdowns: I'm sure they all have them. K is not too bad though, he is usually still trickable with a suggestion of something he can do. (i.e. "No, you can't unstuff all the sleeping bags and repack them all by yourself right now, but maybe you can carry this one all the way up to the car for me. It's pretty heavy! Do you think you can do it?") Soon, I suspect he will outsmart my redirection tricks.

School: Head Start begins here in 2 weeks also. Same deal as last year, but I'm most worried about the logistics of Lituya's nap. We always used to bring her to pickup, which she liked, but she's always napping then (12:30). I guess she can be left with the at-home parent, but by splitting the kids up like that there will be no work time for either one of us. I don't really want her to outgrow naps as soon as K did, but I do find naps logistically a pain in the butt.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

No preschool here but I did order some sandpaper letters and numbers today from an etsy site!

Tantrums- yes! We have them a lot. I'm too tired to contribute more to that topic. 

I've called the OT twice. Maybe she is out of town or something. I just want to get on with it and get her in there to see what she thinks.

DH is home! He called this morning. They are busy unloading gear so we won't see him until tonight but I'm so glad! No more field work (well day trips, but nothing overnight anymore!). Phew! We made it. Not to look ahead too much but he was told to expect twice the amount of sea days next summer. Good grief.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Yay for husbands being home!! Last night should have been DH's last night of overtime for the foreseeable future... for now anyway. Hooray! He didn't get home until 10, so he didn't get to see the girls and he missed Owyn's preschool orientation. But no more for now!

Cindy-- She just had her orientation last night, she starts for real in the morning! I just love her school so much. Every time I'm there, I don't want to leave. Is it horrible that I'm a little jealous of the fact that Owyn gets to go there 4 days a week and I don't? Seriously though, we are so lucky to have such a fantastic school in this tiny town. I want to teach there so badly. I'm actually headed from here to email the teacher about helping out with their first fundraiser. No joke, every teacher there started out as an involved parent. That's my plan of action! Owyn also adored the school. The co-teacher gave the kids a demonstration and she was just glued to the teacher the whole time. I think she will do wonderful there. I've always thought she is a Montessori kid to a T. She loved the fish in their aquarium and the bird that lives there. She didn't want to leave, so I take that as a good sign! I have a feeling I'll be a little teary in the morning. I didn't think I would be, but now it's here and I just can't believe it.

House-- We've already been subtracting big projects from the asking price. It's doubtful we'd get the price as low as it needs to be. Especially considering it's a foreclosure. The house comes as-is in that situation. If we subtract the cost of the roof with everything else, we're looking at putting in an offer over $60k less than the asking price. The odds are not in our favor there. DH is also stuck on the lack of a basement. He said he didn't think it would bother him as much as it did. We would build a garage/shop/storage area, but with everything else that needs to be done it's hard to tell when we could afford that in the future. I'm bummed about it. We were so excited when we first looked at it, but once we started looking at the details, the work and the headache that comes with buying a foreclosure... well, it'd just be better to wait for something else.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

oh all these kids going off to school. It makes me a bit sad Junie isn't going to school, she'd so like to but the girls school doesn't have a 3 year old class right now, although they think by January they will. I REALLY need them to because I have applied to the community college in town hoping to go in January and I seriously doubt I'll be able to work out daycare for 2 kids. I was going to try and sign her up for head start but I think I might be too late now. Of course I'll look further into that as well as talking to the girls school to see if they will have the 3 year old class in January.

Mal, walking away front hat house seems like the better option. It's easy to let emotions take over but it's best to make these decisions with logic...after letting your emotions lead you to possibilities.

So glad your husbands came home!

tantrums- June is the Queen of them.







They are epic.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Mal: Yeah I hear you. We put offers on a few houses that we didn't get and I'm pretty thankful we didn't! They needed a lot of work and a lot of time and money! I too wish I could go to preschool. LOL. They are such fun, magical places. Makenna got a card in the mail today that looks like a Christmas card but it has pics of her 4 teachers on it. Next week is a meet the teachers day and another chance to play with all the toys there. We're both looking forward to it. Thankfully there have been a lot of chances where the school has had parties, etc and invited everyone to come play, so she has some familiarity with it already and memories of doing fun things there. I hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow for Owyn! Sounds like she is going to do fantastic!

Courtney: How are you doing without your older 3 girls? I'd imagine it must feel really wierd! What classes are you hoping to take?

Erin: M's best friend is going to the same preschool and has a little brother L's age. He mom is super stressed about how she is going to manage drop off (at 1pm) and her littler one's nap. I suppose I won't have to worry about that for a while since newborns are portable.

Glad the the hubbies are home!! My DH is starting to not work quite as late since he got some other people hired. Though tonight is still a later night. I think in a couple weeks I'm going to have him start working from home in the afternoons. His commute home in rush hour can easily be 2 hours. And I'm a little bit afraid I might end up with a 2 hour labor and he could miss it!

Cindy


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

So exciting all the little ones heading to preschool  R has been in daycare full time for a year now (his daycare is very much like a preschool). It does seem strange how much time he spends there. On days I work he's there from 7:30am until 4pm. And when I don't work it's usually 9am-4pm (sometimes I keep him home instead). It makes me a bit sad when I think about how much time we used to spend together when I was home with him. We were together 24/7! Lately I find when I do have him with me for a day it's a disaster. He drives me nuts and I yell at him more than I should. I have a lot of guilt about how much time he spends in daycare. And how crappy I am when I do have a day with him. When I was home with him I had so much more patience and energy to do fun things. I feel constantly worn out now which makes me suck as a parent.

I'm glad to hear I'm not alone with the meltdowns. It's so frustrating.

And I'm awake typing this at 4am because I can't sleep. I'm stressing over stupid little things. I have to get up early for work tomorrow too so that will be fun


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

I have a lot of days where I feel like Aubs is better off at daycare/preschool than home with me. Its really hard to keep her happy without constantly having some new activity for her to do. And all of the not-fun stuff has to get done around the house, too, which she finds incredibly frustrating. She's back down to two mornings per week--DH takes her at 7:00 on his way to work and I pick her up around 12:30. Its great for me, but she would like more. Unfortunately I can see spending any more money to send her.

Aubrey still takes a long nap every afternoon--sometimes 2.5 hours on school days--and then still goes to sleep at 8:00! She needs it because she does everything with such intensity when she's awake. Unfortunately it seems like Mallory needs a long nap in the morning and then two shorter ones in the afternoon, so someone is always in need of a nap. I try to just let her nap in the wrap while I do things around the house, but its less than she needs.

Tantrums are constant here. I'm still trying to just ignore them. We do the 1-2-3 thing, and although she doesn't always go along with the program she definitely knows what to expect. I also give her 5 and 1 minute warnings any time a fun activity is about to end. Then when she's throwing her fit I try to ignore it and pretend like she's complying. Thank her for doing X and Y well, talking about what we're going to do later, telling her that when she swings her arms it is hard for Mommy to get them in the seat belt. Not that she cares, but sometimes telling her these things with a calm(ish) voice helps me avoid screaming at her. It sucks. Three is definitely harder than two.

Courtney, have you thought about going through the school board for June's speech evaluation? Three year olds are entitled to free services if they're needed. We sort of started through the pediatrician and through the school board, and got the process completely done before the developmental pediatrician could even schedule her for an eval. It was a lot of meetings, but overall not too bad. And her therapy will be at the local elementary school, which is only a mile away from us. Aubs struggles with maybe 1/3 of the letter sounds, but the only ones they said she should be able to say and can't are /m/ and /b/. L, K, P, R, S, T, V...those I think are not expected quite yet. But regardless, she qualified for services, so hopefully it will help.

Erin and Sue, glad the hubs are home! I know its a relief.

Mallie has a low fever for the third day in a row, so we won't be doing much today. Tomorrow is DH's birthday, so we're going to think about birthday stuff for him. We aren't doing anything special, but I did order a butterfinger blizzard cake from Dairy Queen. Maybe I can get Aubs to make decorations.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

i'l check the local school, i can literally see it from my front porch, so that would be handy, and now that you mentioned it I remember that my friends daughter tok speech at the school when she was 3 or 4.

school for me- the pre-req's to get into the community college's nursing program so eventually i can become a cnm so eventually i can midwife.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Courtney ... school for you! That's exciting! I think you would make an AWESOME midwife, mama! I'd hire you in an instant!

Mal ... Definitely listen to your DP when it comes to the basement/workshop. I bet it's even a bigger deal than he's letting on. Both my stepfather and my father have had garages and basements and I think their lives are all the better for it.

Cindy ... I saw your belly pic on FB. You look gorgeous! And you're getting so close! Remind me what your due date is? And did you go early with M?

Sue ... I hope you hear back from the OT soon, mama. Hang in there!

Kate ... Hope Mallie feels better soon! H has been feverish on and off while he works on cutting his four upper teeth at the front. Wee bairns.

Erin ... I want to come for leftovers! That dinner sounds scrumptious. I have to laugh that your kids pick berries in the wild and mine pick them from the brambles in the alley behind the shops. Not what I had envisioned for my children, but I'm trying to embrace it!

Preschool ... Not for us, but sounds awesome for the kids that are going! I love the postcard in the mail idea, so sweet and helpful.

Meltdowns ... We're fairly lucky when it comes to meltdowns. I can count on one hand the number of doozies she's had. Sometimes I think we're in for it with Hawksley as a cosmic payback for how easy E is, but then he's a lot like her so maybe we'll skirt that big deal and get hammered later on with something else. Who knows?

Glad that everyone's partners are back home again or more!

AFM: I can't stop worrying about going back to work. I actually think I might go to the employee counsellor and talk about it there. I think I've got some PTSD from years of trauma calls. I can't stop thinking about the worst possible calls and obsessing about how much I'd rather not go back. But the only other thing I'm really qualified for is more front-line work (transition house, crisis centres, homeless shelters, ect) which is also huge on burn out. Meh. I feel like I'm sabotaging my license, by leaving my annual upkeep requirements to the last minute and ignoring what I need to do. My EI ran out last month, so we're getting a taste of what it would be like to live just on DP's income. We could do it. But we'd rather not. And I want to keep my license in case anything ever happens to DP and she's unable to work. Meh. I'm so scared that I'm going to get a terrible call that will scare me for life, more than any before.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: Big hugs! The counselor is a good idea. I can't imagine showing up at some of the scenes you must be faced with!! Don't suppose they'd provide some sort of disability for being traumatized by it?? That would be nice. You'll just have to crank out more novels! Thanks for the compliments on the photo. I'll be 34 weeks tomorrow. Due 10/5. Makenna was born at 38 weeks exactly. So I'm totally preparing for this baby to come early - though my midwife has warned me I could still go late. However, I think my midwife is preparing for me to go early too. LOL.

Ok, off for a busy day. Morning at Fairyland with M's best friend and then rushing home to play with another one of her good friends. I'm totally anticipating an over tired and cranky kid at the end of this. But at least she'll have fun until then!

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Starling: I can completely understand your hesitations with your job. For me, that would be a wonderful job before I had kids. The people you get to help, the adrenaline rushes. I would have loved it. But since having kids, my heart and my mind can't handle those kind of scares like they used to. I hear about tragedies or have a close call, and it keeps me up at night worrying. I didn't used to be that way, but I guess when I have more in my life that is precious to me, more to lose... it changes a person's perspective.

Cindy: You are SO close! I can't wait to see pics of your new little one!

Courtney: Good luck with school! How exciting! You will be a fantastic midwife, I just know it. I still have dreams of being a doula someday. I also have dreams of Montessori certification. I also have dreams of having my own learning center one day. I'm starting to think my 40s will be a perfect time to focus on my hopes and dreams when it comes to my career.

Kate: Hope Miss Mallory feels better soon. Greta has been doing the same thing the last few days. Very low grade fever, a little fussy and a little clingy. Nothing too worrisome, but she never runs a fever. And she is always upbeat and on the go. So, it's rough seeing that she doesn't feel well and knowing I still have to go to work since she isn't bad enough to stay home. I wish I could stay and snuggle with her.

Well, I took Owyn to school this morning. Bittersweet. I've dreamt of her attending there since before she was born and now she begins. She was SO excited. She was up and dressed with her back pack ready long before it was time to go. She went right with her teacher and never looked back. I feel like she just went and grew up on me when I wasn't looking.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Aww,first day of school! I hope she loved it Mal! Sounds like you made the right decision on the house. I know how it is though when you start to picture being in the new place.

Starling: What is the plan for childcare for your kids? Do you have to go back full time? It sounds so hard. I would be having a really hard time too. Good luck Mama!

Courtney: Going back to school! So cool. You are going to rock as a midwife!!

Cindy: Looking forward to "meeting" baby Rose! 

Kate: I'm glad Aubs loves preschool so much! Hope the babe is feeling better.

Everr: You have a lot on your plate Mama. When are you back to classes? Will your job continue or is this just a summer gig?

We are glad to have DH home. Maeve kept crying when he left the room last night which was pretty cute. She didn't want him out of sight. She also wouldn't go to bed until 11:30, little stinker! She just kept crawling all over him and cuddling with him. Pretty awesome. Fiona was also thrilled and had lots of questions for him about life on the boat. "was there a potty on there Papa?"  I'm tired from solo duty but that was the end! I would like to book myself a lovely hotel room so I can take a bubble bath and a really long nap though. Wouldn't that be amazing?! With wine and good food that I didn't cook too...

DH and I plan to do some major cooking this weekend to feed the freezer. I feel like I'm constantly cooking and cleaning the kitchen all day. DH does dinner and we eat late and have no time for anything else. We are hoping that if we have freezer meals to pull out a few times a week it will ease the burden a bit. I'm thinking of trying to prep and freeze some crockpot meals too so I can just dump it in and let it go. Any favorite foods that freeze well?


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue: I've been pondering the freezer lately too. I didn't freeze a thing before M was born. But we lived in the city then, with 6 restaurants within 2 blocks of us and DH and I ate out tons and didn't really cook nice meals at home then. Now we are used to having home cooked meals most nights and we can't afford to be eating out all the time! I got a book from the library called "don't panic dinner's in the freezer". Also there is a cool website that has menus for a month of recipes that freeze well:

http://onceamonthmom.com/

I'm freezing soups (pea soup, lentil soup, etc), chili, some lentil dishes. I plan to do lasagna. I also plan to make up some crockpot ready things - brown the meat and chop the veggies and freeze so I can just dump in the crockpot. Beef stew for sure. My DH despises eating leftovers so I have to be really careful what I freeze or he won't eat it. Soup always tastes good once it sits and def I like the idea of crockpot ready bc you still get a freshly cooked meal without the trouble. I'm also doing muffins and the healthy oatmeal pancakes I make for M so I won't have to deal w/cooking breakfast all the time.

I'd love to see more ideas!

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

starling, i think talking to the counselor is a great idea. What do you have to do to keep your license? Can you just take the classes and stay off the road?


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Starling - that does sound so hard. I know I'm more sensitive to stories of tragedy after having kids.

Courtney - awesome. How long do you think it'll take to get all the way certified as a midwife?

Sue - so nice to have families all together again. L was skeptical of DH when he first got home, but warmed up quickly. K would have kept hugging him for an hour.

Mal - glad she did well on her first day!

Kate - nap schedules are so annoying. Though I must say I envy Aubs' nap a little. K hasn't napped in a year and a half!

Freezing food: My chest freezer is currently stuffed almost full - but 90% is just the harvest. Salmon, berries, garden veggies and pesto, no real meals. But that's OK. I actually love cooking dinner. And don't cook much for other meals, just toast or oatmeal for breakfast, snacks or leftovers of various kinds for lunch. This summer I've had such an awesome setup! My sister in law is currently living on the compound with us, my mom has been visiting for the last month or so, and we've had a steady stream of summer guests. (10+ people for dinner many days) So basically, I can harvest food and cook an awesome meal nearly every night, but have all the child care and dishes help I want, to make it stress free and easy. It'll be a shock when they all leave.

Preschool: Our preschool here is a good opportunity for K, I think. Though I am a little sad to lose the free form outside all day days of summer (which I suppose we'd lose anyway from weather). It's the idea of real, full day, sit-in-desks-school that frightens me. Luckily I have a couple years before I have to decide about that.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Cindy- thanks for that link! Looks awesome.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Hi all ... Thanks for all the kind words about my worries about going back to work. I am going to connect with the EAP counsellor through work, but I don't hold out a lot of hope for it helping. I've had many talk therapists over the years, and I've never enjoyed them. But I'm going to try to go with an open mind and see what he or she has to say.

AFM: I just spent two nights at my parents house. You all know how I feel about my parents and their toxic relationship, but I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned how toxic my stepdad is. He's getting worse. He hates children. He drinks to falling down drunk nightly. He's a grumpy, curmudgeonly, arrogant, selfish prick ... and he's going senile on top of it, which is making it all worse. He was so disrespectful and offensive to the kids and I that I had to bite my tongue more than once and my mom begged me to let it go and not call him on it and not make her choose between him and us.

Well. I've had enough.

I came home so upset that I wrote her an email saying that I love her, but that we will not be visiting her house again so long as he's there, and that he's not welcome at our home either. It breaks my heart to have to make that boundary, but I fear that my partner will not be as tolerant as I am and she would blow up at him and we'd leave after a confrontation, which is worse. I don't want E and H to think that his behaviour is acceptable or that they have to put up with being so disrespected and offended. My mom texted me that she needs to think about my email before responding, so now I'm waiting on that. I think it'd be best for her to leave him, but she's always said that she won't.

I had DP buy me a big bottle of Rescue Remedy on her way home last night. Sigh.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Oh Starling, that is so horrible. I'm sorry you had to make that choice. But you made the right choice, imo. Your mother can still come visit but you don't have to expose them to your step dad. Hug Mama!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Starling - I think you made the right decision, even if it is a tough one. *hugs* I'm sorry  I hope things go ok with the work counsellor. I totally understand your concerns. Parenting has made me so much more sensitive about some things.

Cindy - Thanks for the links! I love the idea of filling a freezer with chopped ready-to-go meat/veggies to add to recipes. I don't have room for much but for just R and I it wouldn't be too hard to have a couple weeks of chopped stuff. Plus I often end up throwing stuff out because it goes bad before I use it.

Mal - I'm glad Owyn enjoyed her first day! It's so nice when you love the teacher/school. I feel that way with R's daycare, I feel so comfortable with him going there.

AFM - I'm still feeling stressed for no specific reason. I guess just school coming up and I've been busy with work and trying to squeeze in summer-fun with R on my days off. Last night I had crazy dreams and woke up with a horrible headache. I think I'll actually feel less stressed once my classes start and I have a better sense of what they will be like.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Starling so sorry you had to make that choice and that you had to experience it.

I also bought a big bottle of rescue remedy. I had a big blowout with my mom. She is manic right now and she said some really hurtful things through email. I spent the night in full blown anxiety/chest squeezing nausea and the morning after in hysterical tears. She often gets mean when she's manic. I've finally realized that the relationship is unhealthy and a cycle of emotional abuse for me. I am going to see a therapist about it and my relationship with my stepfather. I've switched the kids back to my cousin's I don't feel right with all the issues that I felt rise in me after this leaving them with her to be exposed to the same thing. The problem is now that I have asked her to leave she is making all nice and doesn't seem to want to go anywhere fast. I'm totally stressed over it and still very angry but I'm trying to keep the peace because my brother is getting married in a week and I don't want to start anything. I don't know if she is even looking for a place. In a moment of weakness I told her she could take her time and now I don't know how/if I can take it back. We can't afford childcare with school and without her rent we are financially strapped. To top it all off the university screwed up and didn't drop me from a class and now it's on my transcript and affecting my GPA and I just applied for scholarships  I'm at my breaking point I think.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

h Starling that's tough, I totally think you did the right thing. Hopefully your Mom will respect what you have to say and come visit you without him and still be involved with you and the kids. I had to stop going to my MIL's house, these are such tough calls.

AFM my sister had her baby, she did amazing, the baby is super cute, her fiance was a champ labor companion and now I get to go see my babies in a week. Cross your fingers that Hurricane Isaac stays away from them. I think they are just supposed to get storms and not the hurricane, still our house isn't in great shape and partially open to the outside.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Oh NIlla, I'm so sorry, that's another tough crappy situation.

freezer meals, I just pinned a new freezer crockpot post on pinterest and I am looking forward to checking it out when I get home.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Courtney! Congratulations, Auntie! That's wonderful news! Tell us more about the birth and the baby?

Ever ... Go get some Rescue Remedy for you too! This is a crazy time of year when schedules and work and school all seems to be ramping up while the natural world is slowing down. It's a conundrum, for sure, and hard for us humans to navigate.

Sue ... Have you heard back from the powers that be yet?

Cindy ... Are you getting excited? Do you feel like you have all your ducks in a row?

Nilla ... Oh, honey, how I feel for you! And she's living with you? Stress factor x 10. Suck back that Rescue Remedy! Family dynamics are so hard, especially when free childcare is wrapped up in it too. Could you have a live-in nanny instead? Room & board in exchange for childcare and small stipend? Is the university doing anything to rectify their withdrawal mistake? I hope so! There is no good time for making difficult boundaries with your parents, is there? I totally understand wanting to keep the peace leading up to the wedding. So hard. I'm sorry that you have to deal with this. You have my utmost sympathy. I'm here to commiserate too.

AFM: Thank you, everyone, for your support. It means a lot to me. My mom emailed me back to say that she's very upset, but not angry. She says she will not 'abandon' him, so is going to stay in the marriage. She understands my need for the boundary and will respect it. I'm so sad that my children have no grandfather at all. My stepdad is a kid-hating drunk whose getting senile, my dad is an a-hole who is out of the picture, and my partner's dad is estranged from his family. My grandpa was such an important figure in my life. He was gentle and strong and kind and loving, and that's what I want for my children. My sister just started dating a lovely man after being with women for fifteen years, so I hope he's a keeper and can be a good male influence for our children. I'm sad, too, that my kids won't know the experience of going to grandma's house. It was so fun for me. But that just isn't the case for us. I'm glad that I made the boundary, and I will be keeping it. Most definitely. My mom wants me not to cut him out entirely, but being that my children and dp and I are a package, I can't see how that would work.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Starling - That sounds so hard! Good for sticking up for your kids though. They don't need that sort of grandpa influence, even though it's sad they don't get the better kind.

Nilla - Wow, I can't imagine trying to deal with all that and living with her too. Is there any sort of informal child care swap you could do, or something not your mom? Find another roommate? It sounds awful, but more awful that you don't really have the financial choice to get out of the situation.

Stress: Compared to everyone here, I have a very benign reason to feel stressed, which is that my book manuscript is due in 2 weeks - the point at which I think "Ah, now I understand all my horrible failings as a writer but don't have time to fix them." And I want to be outside to enjoy the rest of the summer, and to put away the harvest. Nothing to complain about, really, but I'll be glad when things calm down here.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Stress abounds, for sure! I like the way you put it, Starling, and you're right. It's unnatural to be so busy at this time of year.

I came here to complain about my own MIL, but after reading I'm feeling like it's a first-world problem for sure and doesn't even compare... but I'm gonna whine a little anyway. My mil is a big time runner. She does marathons and stuff. She also helps plan a fundraising walk/run every year during our local country fair. So, when Owyn's school says they are doing their first annual 5k this year as a fundraising event, I thought "yay! my MIL can definitely help me with this and it's something we'll be able to do together!" (we've never been very close. far from a mother/daughter type of relationship, but we're cordial with each other) So, last year the Dept of Transportation donated a ton of orange cones to use to block off roads. It's not a huge thing, but I mentioned to her that maybe we could use those. She got all weird about it and said she's pretty particular about who she lends them out to. I'm a little insulted about the way she put it. I mean, I'm her daughter-in-law and they're being used for a fundraiser at her granddaughter's preschool, but she's going to be particular about who she is loaning them too. Especially considering they were donated to her in the first place. Pay it forward? So, anyway, I let that comment go. Then, yesterday she mentions offhand that she's putting her stand-up mixer on her church's garage sale... fully knowing that I've always wanted a stand-up mixer and don't have one. DH was standing there for that one and was also offended by that one. He said something to her about it too. Like, really? Why are selling it on a garage sale when you know we'd totally love to have it? I mean, it's not a huge deal, but things like that make me feel like she doesn't consider me family.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Nilla, You are certainly in a tough spot with your mom living with you. I hope you are able to figure out childcare soon.

Mal: That would bug me too. How lame!

I've called the occupational therapist 3 times and haven't heard back from her. Today her message was changed to say that she is taking some time off and won't be able to see patients until the end of September. I did ask her to please call me so I can at least get on her calendar for the end of next month or ask her who else I could bring Fiona too. So we shall see... another month is going to kill us but it would have been nice if she could have returned my calls.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

That is so disappointing, Sue. I hope you at least get onto her calendar soon! That's a big deal for an OT to be taking time off just as everyone else is gearing up for fall programs and resources.

Nilla ... How are you doing today?


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Starling - So what's your fb status all about? New part time job? I hope things are going ok with your mom. I think you're right to stand your ground, even though I'm sure it's hard.

Sue - That's very frustrating. Hopefully she gets back to you..

Mal - Yeah that would be really bother me too. It's strange why she acts that way. In-laws can be frustrating to deal with :/

Erin - Hope all the book editing is going well!

Nilla - What a load of stress. I'm sorry. And I hope everything gets straightened out with school. I know those little things can really be stressful even if you know it will eventually get fixed.

AFM - I start class on Tuesday. I'm excited about that. And R gets moved up to the senior room at his daycare next week which is for age 3.5 - 4.5, so he'll be there until he starts jk next September. I hope he does ok changing to the new class with new teachers. I think he knows the teachers from seeing them around the daycare so it should be ok.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Mal - that does sound a little rude. And really, what does she expect to happen to traffic cones? hardly a delicate item.

Sue - Really, she should have called back and let you know right away. Is there anyone else there, or is she the only one in town?

Everr - Hope classes go well.

AFM - book editing is going well enough, and I'll be so sick of it by the 10th, I might as well send it off. I'll have another chance after the publisher has at it.

It's fall here. Grey, rainy, and starting to get cold enough to start up the stove again. Starting to gear up to harvest and preserve all my veggies. Learning how to make kimchi and saurkraut, since the cabbage crop did great this year.

Katmai starts Head Start again on Tuesday. I think he's excited. Some of his younger peers are coming this year too, so he won't be the youngest anymore. He has approximately 2 pairs of pants that fit him anymore. Growth spurt catching me by surprise.

And the strangest news of all - we have a documentary crew showing up here in a week and a half, from England. Which I'm having second thoughts we said yes to. I don't mind interviews, but a TV crew isn't exactly an interview... They seem nice though. We'll make sure to drag them out into the woods, so at least they'll hopefully have something interesting enough to show without trying to make things up or getting too silly.


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Big hugs to everyone with parent/IL issues. They suck. Starling, of course you made the right decision. Its strange how good decisions can still be painful, but they are. I didn't have any grandfather-types in my life, and while I see the girls enjoy my dad, sometimes none is better than a lousy one. Mal, your MIL sounds nutty. Actually, she sounds a lot like my mom. The sort of hurtful nuttiness just drives you crazy. Nilla, deep breaths!

Erin, a TV crew?! Very fun. You'll have to show them a good time!

Courtney, congrats to M! I'd love to hear her birth story if she wants to share it. Cora looks huge next to Q, of course! But how great that they'll be so close in age. Your sis is very fortunate to have you. And as for starting classes, congrats! You'll be an awesome midwife; I would totally have you at my birth. In hindsight, I should have bribed you to come up for Mallie-pie's birth...was it only 3 weeks after Coraline? Geez time is flying by.

AFM, feeling really flakey this week. I don't know why. I'm trying to get it together... Trying to make some mama friends nearby for me (and for Aubs) to have playgroup time. I think I need to start taking vitamins again consistently or something.

Ever, seems like you'll feel better once you're back in the routine of school. Back-to-school time is stressful for everyone. I hope you feel better soon!

Speaking of back to school, I just found out that there is free pre-k at the local elementary school, and that kids get in on a lottery system. Too late to enter the lottery, but I was thinking I should call the principal and see if we can be on a waitlist or something, in case someone drops out. But then who knows what is going to happen with me working, or not working...that feels like a bit of a weight hanging over my head. Aubs wouldn't be able to go to pre-k there if I have a real job elsewhere. I guess I need to just chill out and wait until mid-October when we'll know what's up with the bar. As in, will I be able to take some part time work to have an income or will I need to get a FT job. DH keeps telling me to just enjoy my time off, but for some reason I can't help but think about it.

Right now EVERYONE is napping--DH and Aubs in the bed, Mallie on me in the wrap...so I guess I should try to accomplish something. Hmm. I hardly know what to do with myself when this happens!

Oh one other thing I wanted to ask--is there any reason not to freeze veggies from the garden? Specifically peppers--do I need to do anything in particular to them, or just throw them in a bag? After slacking all summer they've suddenly decided to go crazy and there are waaay too many for us to eat.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Kate - Most veggies need to be blanched (dipped in boiling water briefly) before being frozen. Never done peppers, but it works for most things. Bring water to a boil, throw in veggies (I usually leave them just until it starts boiling again), then put them in ice water to cool quickly, then put in bags or jars to freeze. I do this with all kinds of garden veggies. You could google peppers specifically, if you want.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

ForGive my lack of posting and typos. My computer died last week and Im using my iPad. Hate typing on this thing! I ordered a keyboard for it but it's not here yet. Hopefully will get new computer soon too! Thankfully I didn't lose any files.

Anyway, just had to share...makenna started preschool today! She's been so clingy lately that I thought she would cry or have an adjustment period. She had a meet the teachers last week and cried when it was time to leave..she had so much fun and made new friends. So she was really excited today. I stayed the first half hour while she did play dough and then they did circle time. She says her name now when they do the names song. She never ever used to at the little coop school we had putntogetherb last yr. then she chose to sit and paint. I told her i was going to leave. She asked if her teachers would stay. I said yes and pointed out where they were. Then I told her I was leaving and said goodbye. She just said "ok mom". Never batted an eyelash.

She did great. Never cried all day. When I picked her up she said she didn't want me to take her home. I told her she could go back in 2 days and she asked why she can't go everyday! I said " don't you want some days to be home with mama?" and she said no! Lol. She she had a great time. I am relieved! And getting her adjusted to preschool was the last big thing on my list before baby!

I think I'm about ready for baby. Except she has to stay in at least 9 more days so I can have my home birth! Though I'd like her to stay in a couple weeks past that so she is healthy. I generally feel like crap now. Nausea is back and im so achy. If I spend any time on my feet I get tons of Braxton hicks. I def feel less active this time around. Still can't really grasp that I could have a newborn so soon! It all still feels surreal.

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

So glad Makenna's first day went so well! And Cindy! You are so close!!!

Fall is here in full force. Darker and cooler. We've had some lovely crisp clear days. I really love fall. I think I would love it more if I had an actual summer before it though!

I'm shopping for a winter coat for Fiona for the first time ever. She has always had wonderful, warm hand me down jackets. The well ran dry in that department! Ha! I'm actually having some fun picking out something nice and knowing Maeve will get it later makes me not feel bad about the price tag.

Maeve has a wicked cough. I think ever since getting croup when she was tiny every cold goes right to her chest. But amazingly Fiona has not gotten sick. In fact she hasn't been sick in a long time- even with 2 colds in the house! Her body is healing!! She has an immune system again!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Cindy!! I can't wait to see pics of that new baby and hear about the birth. She'll be in your arms so soon!

Sue, you can send some fall weather this way. I'm ready for comfy sweaters, bonfires and crisp, cool air. Today is supposed to be the last HOT day for a while. Who knows if it'll be for good or if the heat will return for a while. We have some rain moving in tonight and highs only in the 70s this weekend. I am ready! I've also been shopping around for coats. I have always found Owyn's coats on ebay for awesome prices, but I'm having a hard time finding anything. I was outbid at the last minute on an awesome wool coat for her, I was so bummed about that one. Unfortunately, Owyn's first winter coat was white and is not in good shape for Greta to use. It was a hand-me-down, so at least I didn't spend anything on it. I need to find something for her too.

All the darn dental work I've needed has made it hard for us to budget for the girls' fall/winter clothes. So, I'm trying to find deals anywhere I can. I sold a lot of Owyn's old winter clothes, thinking Greta would be in a different size since they were born in different seasons. Now, I can see she probably could have worn some of those clothes and kicking myself for getting rid of them. Oh well, lesson learned. I have all her bigger stuff, so next year Greta should be set for the most part.

Owyn has her last "first" for this year coming up. She'll join the preschool Sunday School class this weekend at church. I sure hope her teacher has the patience of a saint... she's going to have all the little cousins from our family in one class!

Been trying to figure out something fun to do for DH's upcoming birthday this year. He kind of got ignored for his 30th last year since I was very pregnant at the time. I think we're going to take the girls with a group of friends to the Renaissance Festival in the city. I loved going as a kid and can't wait for the girls to go!

Okay, Owyn is torturing Greta, better go!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Hi,

I've been MIA for a bit, so an update on the mother situation. She moved out. We can't afford it but I needed to ask her to leave. It's been hard on Dee she cried a lot about it but she seems to be adjusting slowly with bouts of tears. Em was a little sad at first but he quickly moved on. It's definitely better I felt a huge weight lift when she left.

My brother got married, it was beautiful, there were a few hiccups with some drunken debauchery and nakedness on the part of the groomsmen. A few other little things that caused some drama but nothing major. I made the cake and it came out perfectly (other than the hotel staff smashing the topper). My kids did wonderfully and played their part. Dee danced her little butt off at the reception and says "at my wedding we are going to party first and have the wedding after!"

School finally fixed their error yesterday. Somebody dropped the ball there and I am thinking of submitting a formal complaint.

Preschool: Dee had her first day and she loved it. Totally ready for it. She was vibrating with excitement about it. Only glitch was some other kid must have put their cookie in her backpack on top of her lunch kit because she went to daycare with a cookie and I had no cookies. My cousin who is providing daycare right now asked for the recipe and I was very confused since I didn't send one. I asked Dee if she picked it up she said No that I sent it for her and it was on top of her lunch kit. Luckily she only took one bite and didn't like it. Em started grade one and he says it's way better than kindergarten his only complaint is that he hasn't gotten any homework yet  What a kid!

Well I gotta go we have dance and hockey this weekend and I am flying solo back for personals later.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Nilla - glad you have a calmer household now. I'm sure it's hard financially, but somehow things will work out -and it sounds like they'll work out for the better.

Fall - This is the first fall in 3 years I haven't been off on an expedition. Kind of a nice change to get to harvest all the last things from the garden, and enjoy long sunset dinner picnics in the chilling air (but hang out inside when it's pouring or storming!). We'll be off in the spring instead.

Preschool - Glad all the school-going kids seem happy with it. When I ask K what he did at school, he either says "I won't tell you!" or "Everything!" But he seems to be enjoying it and is excited to go, so that's all good. This year there are 7 kids in his class, which is a lot for here. And he's right in the middle age-wise, where he was the youngest last year. Hoping that might spur him to join in a bit more socially - which has always been his weak point.

AFM - I just sent off the manuscript of my book (two days early), which is a weight off my shoulders. Hard to believe that with all the publishers' pieces and editing and such it still won't be out for another year. Our compound is a whirlwind of activity, as it has been all summer. We start out with the 4 of us and my MIL, and now my SIL has moved back, and her boyfriend is often around, and my mother has been visiting for the past month... And today two of our good friends showed up - they're staying for a month and we're hiring them to help us with construction projects. And the TV producers are in town (not their cameras yet) and they came to dinner, as well as a couple of the neighbors, which brought us up to 14 for dinner, which doesn't seem as strange as it used to. And my garden can feed all of us!!! (pretty proud of it this year)

Also, how are everyone's younger kids doing? I'm shocked to find that L is suddenly all grown up. Talking in long sentences, going up and down the slides at the playground and swinging from the bar at the top, cracking eggs into the mixing bowl, and just generally doing whatever I've assumed she's too small for.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Hi ladies!

Nilla, glad things worked out on the mom front. Sounds like it was difficult but the best for everyone in the long run.

Erin, yay on getting your manuscript done! What a load off!

We found a house! It is seriously just behind our house, we can see it from our backyard. They were having an auction there on Saturday, so DH and I walked up there just out of curiosity. We didn't think it'd be a good fit because it's a little small, but it is really a great house. It is a little smaller than we had hoped for, but it's a good use of space. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms just like we need. Plenty of closets and storage in the house. The main living area is just meh... but can be opened up which we'll do. It has a brand new composite deck on it, huge driveway with extra deep garage. All the trim and siding was just repainted this year, new a/c unit put in last year, fairly recent roof. And the basement, wow! It's unfinished, but it's HUGE and we will definitely finish part of it and put a bigger family room down there. The price is perfect too. Actually, it's quite a bit less than we had planned on. DH says it's the perfect compromise. Buying this house will give us just enough space and keep us on track to build later.

Since it was on an auction, we're assuming we're not the only people that looked at it and quite possibly not the only people interested in it. So, we have to move quickly. We're hoping to have an offer in on it by the end of today. Of course, all this week DH is doing a training program for work. He will be home in the evenings, but only that. Normally his work schedule would be flexible and he'd be able to be around to sign papers and go talk to the bank, etc. So, I'm kind of doing this on my own and just bringing him papers to sign. That makes me a little nervous. We were just dating when he bought our current house, so I wasn't really involved with the buying process. So, I have no idea what I'm doing! My mom said she'd be around to help me if I have any questions. Now, we also have to get our house on the market. Of course, we haven't gotten the floors refinished like we would have liked. DH thinks he can get the kitchen finished before we move. He just hates to waste all the money and time he's already put into the new cabinets and wants to get it in so at least someone can enjoy it. It's all built and put together, just needs to be sanded, stained and installed. Ahhh! Wish us luck, I'm going to be a stressed out mess by the end of the week!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Nilla- Sounds like the right thing was done with having your mom move out. I'm sure its still hard though.

Erin- Sounds like a busy season for sure. So great that your garden produced so much this year! Nice work! And woo hoo! You got the manuscript off.

Mal_ Crossing fingers for you! That is so awesome. I can't wait to see pics! 

AFU- First frost today. DH finally replaced the bedroom windows on our house yesterday. The windows have only been in our garage for a year! So glad to have that done! The kids are both sick. Maeve is a week in and the cough and snot will not let up. Fiona just started coughing. We have not been sleeping well and I'm wondering if by some miracle we might all be able to nap today.

2 weeks in a row of getting out by myself without the kids. It feels really good. Next weekend we are going to bite the bullet and leave both kids with a sitter for a couple of hours. A little nervous about leaving Maeve since she has only ever been with DH or my sister (once during vacation). DH and I really need time together though so we are going to go out to breakfast and a long walk somewhere. I know Maeve will be fine and our relationship really needs this.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: Are you out there? Can you remind me what your early, prodromal labor was like with H? I know it dragged on forever. I am getting tons of braxton hicks these days and now each night (like after I am trying to sleep) I get painful contractions. I didn't have any of this with M. I know it's more normal for 2nd time moms. But it's sucking. I'm not quite ready for her to come (I'll be 37 weeks tomorrow). And the painful contractions are kinda freaking me out by reminding me of whats to come in true labor. Just feeling like I wanna hear your birth story. 

Nothing exciting here other than what I listed above. I don't quite feel ready for her to come yet so hoping I'll stay pregnant for another week or 2, despite feeling like crap most of the day now. Makenna is loving preschool and keeps saying she wants to go every day. Sorry kid, mama is definitely not ready to give up that much time with you!!!

Cindy


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Hi Cindy! That is exciting!

My prodromal labour went on and off for about two weeks, and then stayed pretty regular for about a week, with contractions between 10-30 mins, with a steady but not increasing pain. And on the Wednesday before his birth I was in labour earnestly enough that they were talking about labour cocktails and breaking my waters, but had other mom's in the throws of labour so they didn't want to potentially induce me when they were so busy. They came daily until Saturday and did nothing until I was in pre-labour, when they approved the cocktail and then about twelve hours later broke my waters. About twelve more hours of labouring at home, and then our hospital transfer. That's what I remember, anyway!

I hope she stays put for another week ... but she will come when she's ready!

Mal ... Exciting news about a potential house! Keep us posted!

Erin ... We want to move onto your compound and eat from your garden too! We can bring our own yurt!

Nilla ... It sounds like asking your mom to leave was a very wise decision. Plans for a tenant or live-in nanny?

Sue ... So glad to hear that you and DH are reconnecting! Have a wonderful date!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

ooh Cindy! Exciting! Keep us posted! I hope she stays in for another week!  Lots of heathy labor vibes coming your way lady!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Thanks for sharing Starling! I remembered it went on for a long time - 3 weeks? Wow! There is no regularity, even to the painful ones, right now. The painful ones have started happening during the day as of today, but mostly it's still just tons and tons of not painful ones during the day - and painful ones at night when I get up to pee. I'm sort of glad to know this can go on for weeks. LOL. I'd love for her to bake aother couple weeks. I don't care how I feel - I just want a healthy baby! And one who is awake to nurse. Makenna was so sleepy at first.

Loved the blog post today Starling!

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Cindy, you are definitely gearing up, how exciting! Fingers crossed she stays in just a little bit longer!

Sue, so happy to hear you have had some "you" time. It really does help! And yay for a date with the hubby! DH and I should do the same, it's been a while for us too...

Well, we didn't get the house. They received three offers on the house, one of which was a cash offer. We just can't compete with a cash offer. I was a little annoyed with the process though. The family counter offered... they were willing to sell us the house for less money, but didn't want to wait for our house to sell. So, we accepted their offer contingent on us getting financing. Less than 24 hours later, they pulled their offer and took the cash instead. I just don't know why they even tried to negotiate with us if they weren't going to give us a chance. So, oh well, it wasn't meant to be. Our house is officially up for sale now. I'm crossing my fingers that it sells pretty quickly. It would be nice to have it sold while we are looking, and maybe it'll give us a chance to save some more money.

Owyn is walking in our local youth parade this afternoon with her preschool. The theme is nursery rhymes and fairy tales, and her class chose The Shoemaker and the Elves so she is dressing up as an elf for it. Their fundraiser 5k is also coming up and she got a special prize at school yesterday for registering the most people for the run! Of course, she has no clue why she got the prize, but I'm proud! I got to peek at her dance class last night and oh my goodness! A 3/4 year old dance class has got to be the most adorable thing I've ever seen. And she seemed to be having a great time!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Mal: Sory about the house! Such a bummer! We put offers of 8 different houses before we ended up in one! Some we walked from but others with got out bid or something. It's so frustrating! But in the end, looking back, we ended up in the perfect house for us. So perhaps that house isn't the one for you! You did say it was a little smaller than you wanted. I know the perfect house will find you. Very cute about the parade. M's preschool marched in a parade this weekend too, but we skipped out bc I didn't feel like doing the long walk.

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I think I posted recent;y but not sure.

Mal- sorry about the house.

Cindy, thinking of you and my friend Judy bean all the time. Of course I want your little girl to cook (her's is past due now) but I just love seeing new babies.

sue a date, how nice!

My ten year anniversary is coming up, I really wanted a party, I have been planning on having one for about 6 years now but it isn't possible. It's cars running on gas fumes and payment arrangements for bills. Fun times.

After Kate shared about the school district doing speech evals I called ours and they had an evaluation coming up in a week and I go tin, it was today. Her speech articulation was understood 10% and it should be 60%, she says she needs to get into therapy asap and I will be called in 4-6 weeks. Her language (the understanding of it) was fabulous and her overall development was ahead of her age. I imagine she should be able to go to speech therapy at the school I can see from my front door, which would be ideal.

baby crying TTYL


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

So glad you got the eval Courtney!

I've been cooped up with sick kids for 2 weeks. I'm going batty! They are finally on the mend though. We are heading to a babywearing meeting this morning. I am very much look forward to it. I can't wait to see and talk to other adults! LOL!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Hi Mamas. I finally found out the original occupational therapist I called for Fiona had some major health issue and can't practice for a while. So we found someone else here in town. She is awesome! Fiona had her evaluation yesterday. The lady knows her stuff and has an incredible therapy room. Fiona loved it! She indeed has sensory issues. I'm feeling really relieved to have some help with this. We will start going to therapy one time a week. I'm really hoping this is something that will help her be a little more at peace in her own body. And if it helped her sleep? Well then I might just have to have a party!  The woman is just really gentle and calm and Fiona took to her right away. DH was able to come to the appointment too which I was grateful for. He can't come every week but it is good for him to know what Fiona will be doing each week. Feeling really really good about this!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue: I'm so glad that you found someone and that you like her. It's great your DH came along so he understands as well - I know you have some frustration with how he deals with her. I'm curious what types of things they will be doing in the therapy sessions - keep us posted as it goes! Did you have your date night yet?

Courtney: Wow, so glad you pushed for the eval. I hope she can indeed do therapy so close to home! Must be so frustrating for her to want to articulate her thoughts and not be understood!!

AFM: Home all day with a coughing child. Still pregnant. Not feeling like she is going to come all that soon anymore. LOL. If I went into labor tonight it would be exactly the same timing as with Makenna. My midwife has some huge surprise dinner/party for her husband on Sunday - so watch that be when I have her.

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Sue: So glad you finally got in with someone. I know it's been heavy on your mind. Also, so great that your DH was able to come. Hopefully this will help him with his approach as well.

Cindy: Fingers crossed you get to meet that baby girl soon!

Nothing much happening here lately, just more of the same. We did officially get our house for sale, so we've been busy trying to keep it up in case someone wants to see it. I'm hoping it sells before the end of the year. DH is back on the building bandwagon. He works with someone building a house right now and has been getting lots of info from him. He has it in his head we could afford it, even though his work buddy is spending about 30k more on his house than we had planned for right now, so I'm not sure how he thinks that will work. I'm just keeping an eye on what's coming up for sale and hoping our house sells!

This weekend is the 5k for Owyn's school. I signed up to walk and got my mom to sign up too, now she has hurt her foot and doesn't think she'll be able to walk. I'm kind of dreading doing it on my own, so I'm hoping I can just help out at one of the tables instead. Next weekend, we have friends coming in from out of town, so we're going to celebrate DH's birthday while they are here. My ILs have offered to keep both girls overnight! Woo hoo! We probably won't get another overnight until the holidays and we will probably try to do one more weekend away before our trip to Jamaica. Owyn does great with the ILs, but I want to make sure Greta is comfortable staying at their house before we go.

Hope everyone is doing well!


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Cindy, I'm so anxious for your little one to arrive! Of course she will come at just the right time. Is M excited? I feel like Aubrey has already forgotten what life was like before Mallory was born. She remembers that my belly was big, and that she brought me breakfast in bed, but it seems like the other stuff is lost. Maybe for the better.

Mal, that sucks about the house. I would be pretty unhappy about them withdrawing their counteroffer. Seems kind of crappy. Who cares if its cash or financing? Grr.

Erin, very jealous of your lifestyle, as always. Need to think about what I can do to move us in a more free/sustainable/self sufficient life direction. I guess it will be after Paul retires though; no way to manage until that time comes. 10 years should be enough time to plan!

Starling, how did I miss out on the blog? I'm going to PM you my name b/c I don't think we're FB friends for some reason. I'm sure your blog is inspiring. You're one of my muses, you know!

Sue, WHAT A RELIEF about OT. I was really impressed with the space when Aubrey went for her eval--looks like fun! She's doing her pushing thing again, so I'm tempted to try to get her a developmental evaluation, but its such a process with our insurance...the last time I looked into it they couldn't see her until December, and it seemed like such a PITA. I'm interested to hear what works for her.

Nilla, I'm sorry that your mom had to go. Sounds like it was for the best. Hopefully the kiddos aren't taking it too hard.

Ever, how are you mama? Back in the swing of it with school?

Courtney I meant to ask you, what did you figure out with Cora arching her back out of the wrap? I'm having the same problem with Mallory. If she gets her arms out--or even one arm up, she will arch her back and try to flip out (front cross carry, front wrap cross carry). She really could get out, if I didn't catch her. And she only does it when she's tired, which is when she needs to be worn.... But of course I'm afraid to put her on my back like that. Anxious to hear what they do at speech therapy for Junes. Aubs is going only once/week for 25 minutes. So far the therapist just says we need to "desensitize" the back of her tongue so that she'll use it more. I think K and G are the two sounds they're most concerned about? They want me to brush the back sides of her tongue when we brush her teeth. Not sure that its going to help, but I'm doing it.

Being at the elementary school for speech is sort of overwhelming. There are kids everywhere, and it makes me sad to think of my baby being one of these big kids. And Mallory doesn't want to be a baby at all...already mooching my food and wanting to crawl. Of course this is how life goes, but I'm letting myself be a little sad today. Growing up really is bittersweet.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Hey! This will be quick, I'm trying to keep up with everyone's updates but it's hard to find time to post something myself! I'm feeling overwhelmed and stressed with school but I know I'll get through it. We actually have a reading week after Thanksgiving so that's in only 2 weeks. And then after that is all the midterms and assignments :/ I also have a distance ed class which is a lot of work, lots of discussions and more of a sociology-type class which is so not my thing. I'm more of a math and science person 

R is doing well. I've moved his bedtime up to 7:30 because he doesn't nap anymore. We start getting ready at 7, and all is done and I leave the room by 7:30. I just started this week but it's going really well. I'm thinking about giving him his first hair cut.. My mom thinks I should leave it, because he does have very nice curls. But, his hair is so fine and prone to frizziness that I think it needs to be done before the winter when he'll have a toque on all the time messing it up.

In other exciting news 3 of my closest friends are all pregnant and due in May! I'm so excited for them! Unfortunately they are all spread across Ontario so they won't really get to enjoy things together too much. But it's still very cool  I'll be going to the birth of one of them, the others are a bit too far away. And I passed on all my books and maternity clothes.. I have a bunch of baby stuff too that can go to whoever is having a boy. The one is already starting to show and there are twins in her family (her dad is a twin) so I'm anxious to see about that! She has her midwife appt in a couple weeks 

My love life is sort of boring-ish. I still have bus guy in my life, but we aren't dating anymore, just sort of friends with benefits..  And I'm meeting another guy on Saturday that has some potential so we'll see... I think I might finally be ready for a real relationship. Maybe. Sometimes I feel like I just need to embrace the single life :/

Hope all is well with everyone!! Cindy, I keep checking up on you to see if the baby has come  So exciting!!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Cindy - add me to your stalkers. Though I try hard to be a no-pressure stalker, having experienced far too many "Have you had the baby yet?" with a 15 days late kid.

Everr - You'll get through even sociology, I'm sure.  I was so happy when K dropped his nap for an earlier bedtime (over a year ago now), and moved to the "tuck-in-read-book" style of falling asleep (half a year ago or so). Of course, I do often forget to get him to bed early enough. I biked home early from a party tonight, and still didn't get the kids to sleep until 9. Doesn't help that most of K's friends do still nap, so they're at parties later and I forget that I need to get my two home.

Kate - But there's so much fun about them getting big! I guess I just look at my two and see K running off to hunt mushrooms with his aunt, climbing trees higher than I can reach, figuring out how to open packages with scissors, searching for "pig boots" on google images... And then I see L clinging to my leg whenever anyone comes near and spending good portions of the day yelling "Nurse! Nurse always! Nurse on nipple!"... And I think getting big isn't so bad after all.

Mal - Too bad about the house. And I hope yours sells soon - I'd find it impossible to keep mine looking nice all the time.

Sue - That's awesome about the therapy. I hope it helps her!

Courtney - Hope the speech therapy can be close, that sounds easy. And can't you have a cheap potluck party at least? Those are the best anyway (in my opinion).

AFM - The film crew (all 5 of them) headed back to England last night. It was an interesting experience having my life filmed like that! Nothing at all like a newspaper interview type thing (which I've done before). Much more of the "pause that thought while we move the camera angle" "could you pick up that carrot again" "now walk over there like you're just about to set up the tent"... Filming things we really were doing, but making the doing of them much slower and more complicated. Interesting, but kind of overwhelming at times. And then we overwhelmed them in return by taking them on a 3 day glacier hike/packraft in a storm.  My own kids were completely unfazed by the hike or the storm, and Katmai in particular had a total blast backpacking. I'm so glad he loves it. I hope that lasts.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

OMG, I TOTALLY WANT TO SEE WHAT THEY PUT TOGETHER eRIN!!

sorry, caps

party- hubs doesn't want to do a potluck, i think he thinks it makes us look cheap or something, he doesn't like to do things unless he has money. Even if you can totally do it for free or cheap.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Erin: Do you have any idea when they will have the video done? I'd be very interested in seeing it!

Courtney: I think a pot luck would be lots of fun! That's how we always do parties around here though. Birthdays, anniversaries... any occasion for a party is always a pot luck. We will usually provide the meat or entree and ask friends/family to bring sides or desserts. I don't think it makes you look cheap at all... at least I hope not since we do it so often!

Owyn's 5k was last weekend and it went so well! It was inspiring to see how much support they had. It was their biggest fundraiser to date and they were able to donate a huge portion to a good cause. It got me thinking about my own classroom and what my plans are for my career. I just love Owyn's school so much and have always dreamed of working there if they ever expand. But I went to a Parent Teacher League meeting last night at work and it dawned on me... I already have my own classroom, I have this wonderful supportive community with the parents and the church congregation. They have always been open to my ideas and support the direction I want to take the class. So, last night at the meeting, I brought up the idea of throwing my own fundraiser with the help of the PTL to restock my classroom. When they formed my class, I essentially had to take the materials that were already in the kindergarten room. They are hand-me-down toys that really show their age and serve no purpose other than to play. Play is great and it's important, but I would like to be able to choose the materials they are playing with. I'd like everything in the classroom to be serving a purpose, supporting specific areas of development, teaching them to interact with the world around them. I know what things I need, I just don't have the funds to get them. The PTL was excited about it! They were all over the idea of throwing a preschool 3 fundraiser and allowing me to use the profits to stock my classroom, and even threw out the idea of doing that every year, choosing a different classroom each year. I am so excited! The president mentioned doing some kind of church dinner, which does go over well with their congregation. But I caught up with her after the meeting and suggested doing something bigger and branching out of just the congregation and getting out into the community as a whole. Also something we could get the kids involved with so they can see that their work has helped make our classroom even better. She loved the idea! Now, I just need to think of something awesome to do... The more I think about it, the more I'm like "Hey, I don't need to go work at one of the much-desired programs in town... I need to make my program one of the much-desired programs in town!"

Oh and they are also letting me choose my own conference to attend this year. I've already had my eye on one for a while and got the okay to go! I'm getting very excited about what my future holds at the school!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Mal, that's awesome, i love that you are taking the bull by the horns and making it happen. It's totally people like you who make those sought after programs what they are!

potluck- all the parties we go to are potluck parties, so I don't know what's up with him. Maybe he thinks it's different because it's an anniversary, maybe because we'd still have to get plates, napkins, cutlery, drinks etc. I don't know. I'll bring it up again.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Mal: that is awesome! Sounds fabulous! We need more people like you in our school!!

Courtney: My parents 50th wedding anniversary was a huge party and a huge success. It was a potluck!

OT for Fiona today. She is stoked!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Mal - that's awesome. I love your idea of putting the vision and energy in to make your own program one of the most sought-after! That's how all of them started, I'm sure. We all slept in and forgot to send K in to preschool today. Scheduling is the thing I like least about it!

AFM - Very methodical, logical, and stubborn child + English phonetics = pain for everyone.

Katmai likes to type messages to people (especially while Skyping grandparents). So he types "book". We read it as "book". He insists that it should be pronounced with an oo sound like "pool" I say, "Oh yes, it looks like that, but in some words oo makes the sound in book or good." He yells in indignation that it's not true, and insists that one should type book as "buk". I say OK, sure, you could also pronounce that as "book", even if we usually spell it differently. No problem. He spends the next 1/2 hour insisting that he's right, and trying to create more phonetic spellings for other words.

I could care less if he spells things right, or if he reads or spells anything at all at this age. But he insists on spending time spelling or decoding words, loves to do things like Google Image search, which is somewhat spelling-dependent, and REFUSES to accept any tips from me about words that are pronounced or spelled differently than he thinks. English is just not logical enough for him.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Erin, that's impressive (if annoying) I found myself questioming if he was in my 6 year olds DDC even though I KNOW he isn't.

I'm super mad at my husband or maybe at life. I had to try on a bridesmaids dress and the 12 was too small and I needed a 14, i didn't even try it on since I was going to order a size smaller anyway. Then, of course it's not new, we're broke and I'm sick of it and then we tried to sell my old van, they offered us $200.00 and then I started yelling at hubs and asking him why he doesn't do something to make things better for our family. That I'm going to go to school so we make more money and I'm going to use a loan to get me a car and he hasn't done anything and it was just really mean and nasty and had me wondering "are we even going to make it to our ten year anniversary b/c I am so sick of the S.O.S. and I don't want to live like this anymore and I have so much anger at him for insisting on running his own company, being gone ALL the time and still being broke. and I just want it to be over with already. ..not my marriage the situation but then sometimes I hate him so much for how things are


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Erin- have to laugh at L's cries for the nipple!  And K is right- the English language doesn't always make sense! I think this is one of those "awesome skill to have but difficult to parent" situations! Totally want to see the documentary!

Starling: Just read your blog post. Good luck heading back to work. It is awesome that you have your mom one day a week. i like what you said about slowing down and saying no to fun things. We need to do that to. Not because of our work situation but I think it is easy to over fill our days and there is a lot to be said for having a day at home. There are cookies to be baked after all!

Courtney: Hugs Mama! I have honestly thought so many times in the past year "are we going to make it?" We are on the up swing now and really working hard at it! it sounds like you guys are in a pretty tough situation. Is there any middle ground? Work for someone else while he tries to get his own business off the ground?

Cindy: Thinking of you Mama! Soon!

Fiona had her first OT session on Tuesday. (after the initial assesment). It went really well and she loved it. She's doing a music program that is digitally altered so there are highs and lows and different decibals and what not. (Sorry, not versed in the technical language!) She wears special headphones that allow her to hear the music but also us and any other sounds in the room. It is supposed to help her learn to be ok with different levels of sounds while also helping her learn to filter things out to hear what is important. She also taught me how to do a brushing technique- brush her arms and back and then apply pressure to her joints. F really likes it but won't always let me do it. They did some other stuff too- spent an hour there. She asked all week- "How many sleeps till we go back to Amy's?" I'm glad she loves it.

The next day we went to a program at the local wildlife refuge. I took a deep breath when we walked in because it was PACKED! They also had a parachute tunnel thing set up which had the kids amped up. Then the project they did was turned into a sword by tons of the kids so they were running around hacking at each other! All of this normally sends her into a panic and freaks her out. She backed away from the parachute on her own to come stand by me when the kids all started shrieking in there. Then she sat and colored the extra coloring sheets while the mayhem went on around her. She stayed calm! Then we got home and I did the brushing technique on her. She continued to be calm and happy! We baked together and really just had the best day we've had in a long time! DH picked her up after work and took her to the brewery. She ate her snack, played with her shleich animals and let DH chat with friends. I am just so excited about this and so happy that we can take her once a week.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

that's awesome that she did so good. and yeah for techniques.

and after my tyraid at him (and for the first time in almost ten years I told him to sleep on the couch and he did and then I was like "why didn't you sleep in bed?" )we talked today and we are good. He pretty much knew that I was just upset about stuff, he said he could tell by my face when they offered us $200.00 for the van. I have, as usual, turned that energy and upset at life into improving our life and the living room is nor reorganized and I really like how it's going to be once all the decluttering boxes of stuff are sold at the garage sale.

Erin- I am reading your book right now, it's my activity while Coraline nurses.

and cindy, man I should really activate my facebook so I can facebook stalk you, but I really don't want to, so someone is going to have to post when she has her baby and a picture would be nice too


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Haha Courtney! I'll post on here too, i'm sure.  I'm sorry you are having such frustration but I'm glad you and your DH are cool again.

Sue: Glad the therapy is not only fun but helping already! That is so awesome!!

Everr: Thinking of you and hoping things are going ok with school. I know you will do awesome again this semester!

AFM: 39 weeks today! I had contractions coming every 10 minutes last night. I noticed their regularity at around 3am and of course couldn't sleep after that. They weren't painful at all though. I got up around 6ish and had breakfast and they were still coming. Usually my contractions from the night are gone by morning. kept DH home from work and went back to bed around 7...and they went away! Annoying. Midwife thinks they'll be back tonight, stronger. We'll see. I bet they will but I'm not so sure they will lead to active labor tonight either.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Cindy, Cindy, Cindy! So soon! I cannot WAIT to 'meet' your little one! Easy labour vibes to you, when the time is right.









Courtney ... That's a rough rollercoaster ride you and hubs went on. Down, down, down, then up! I'm glad to hear that things are feeling better right now.

Erin ... E is frustrated about a couple of the rules, but mostly she goes along with whatever I say about it. She's particularly miffed about the 'g' (guh) versus 'g' (juh). She's delighted about what 'oo' sounds like. That's one of her favourites. And 'sh'. Someone posted a good chart over on the homeschool forum. I'll see if I can link it for you. I want to see the movie too!

Sue ... I am so pleased that F is enjoying her OT! That is just awesome. And I'm glad that you and DH are in a good place these days.

Mal ... O's school is SO LUCK TO HAVE YOU! House news?

Nilla? How are you?

JustKate? You?

Everr ... Tell us more about this new date? Did you get together yet?

AFM: SO SAD about going back to work. We could probably live on DP's income, but we'd just scrape by. Not sure that we're prepared to do that just yet. I'm scared about screwing up at work, being that I've been gone for 15 months and haven't been offered any kind of "back to work" support. Just, "Here are the keys and your radio, off you go!"

SLOWING DOWN: Like I said on the blog, we need to do this. There are just so many cool things to do! But I know that we have to take it down a notch. Especially considering E's personality. She's exactly like me; loves being social and getting out and doing things, but ABSOLUTELY NEEDS down time and quiet to recharge. This is a downside of co-op living ... I know she just wants to be outside by herself, but that never happens. There are always other kids in the play area. I just wish that we had a backyard. We still talk about moving, probably every single day. DP's restaurant is opening new locations in Ottawa, Winnipeg and Halifax, and it'd be so much cheaper to live in any of those places. But we have such a strong community here, it'd be hard to leave. Saturday, for example, we have music class, a birthday party, and then there is a festival celebrating the moon at one of the ravines nearby. So we won't be going to the festival, which sucks. But way too much to pack into one day. I'm still considering skipping the BD party, even though it's for one of the children of my closest mama friend. I know we do best when we do one activity a day, and sometimes none at all.

THIS AGE IS DRIVING ME A BIT MENTAL: I've decided that 3.5-4yrs is not my *favourite* age. I find that E gets what she's supposed to do/not do, but is testing the limits for the sake of a reaction and to see how far she can go. She's also nearly a year younger than most of her friends, and so her 'behaviours' stick out more because they are that much more able to control their impulses. She's so verbal that she can verbally joust any adult, and I'm strugging to not pull out the old adages of my parents: "If you do ____, then you won't get ____!" I sound like a *itch. I don't like it. E is happy and thriving and carrying on, but DP and I are trying to figure out how NOT to turn into our parents and how NOT to parent with threats of taking away fun stuff and how to encourage E to want to make the right choices intrinsically. I see that she's struggling with the nuances of social rules and expectations, especially around giving people space and knowing when the 'game' is over, in whatever context.

DP and I have been talking about the person that E is in the world ... and we realize that she is very anxious, and can get consumed by her own thoughts and imagination, to the point where she is paralyzed by fears or worries. She has several behaviours that make me wonder about future OCD, although I am not at all considering labelling her at this point. Handwashing, for one. She's regressed at bedtime lately, and cannot fall asleep without one of us in the room. For a few nights, we were trying to leave as per usual, but she became so upset. We decided to stay with her, because we have never let her CIO, and I don't think her being 3.5yrs old is any reason to start. But it's hard to maintain boundaries and such when we're appearing to 'let' her 'get away with it' ... and I tell you, there is a lot of social support for AP'ing babies, but when you're "still" AP'ing your older children, let the eye rolling begin! We are very firm on three aspects of life and are not going to 'let her get away with' anything that harms herself, harms others or is unkind.

We're totally good with the 'harms others' and 'unkind' one and so E is very considerate and gentle and polite and thoughtful, for the most part. The one I wonder about is 'harming herself.' We want to make sure that we're supporting her to become stronger and more confident, and I find myself wondering if we're doing the opposite, sometimes. Does that make sense? We downplay her worries and fears as much as we can, but still ... I just hope that we're helping her to become more resilient, and not less.

Anyway. There's the novel. Something for you all to read while we're waiting to hear from *CIndy*!

Oh! And I am TRYING to sell our X-Trail so that we can buy a VW van so that we can toodle from festival to festival and not have to set up camp at each one! Let's see if I can pull it off!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Cindy - I hope it's soon now. Exciting! And I suppose your body's getting ready either way, whenever the big day comes.

Courtney - Glad you guys are doing better. I wish I was so constructive as to always turn my upsets into something like room reorganization (rather than, say, eating chocolate). And I hope you like the book. My publisher has finally started reading my next one, and likes it so far. Crossing my fingers the editors will think so too.

Sue - Glad the OT is helping F so much. That seems amazingly quick results, I'd be super excited about it too.

Starling - I hope work goes OK. Hopefully, you'll settle back into the rhythm soon. And if not, I hope you figure out a way not to need that $.

I wonder how much E having older friends colors your frustrations? I say that because most of K's (really my friends' kids) are younger by 4-6 months, and I have somewhat the opposite sense of the age. On the one hand I have L being clingy and difficult, then I see one of K's little friends have a melt down tantrum, and I turn and look at K and he seems positively mature! Of course, we have lots of trouble with asking for things in a nice voice, not screaming or whining if you don't get something immediately, and dealing with little sister intrusions in a gentle fashion, rather than bodily yanking her away by the hair. Probably didn't help that K launched into a lengthy argument about how "babies should never be allowed inside because they always do the wrong thing, so we should put L outside and never let her come in" and we all just laughed at him. K isn't obsessive, but can be very sensitive compared to other kids I know, freaked out by any rough play, and bursting into tears when he thinks he's done something wrong unintentionally (like picking the wrong berry)

Oh, and I'd love to see your phonics chart if you send me a link.

AFM: I'm curious to see the movie too, I'll let you know when I know.

K's not actually reading, as in reading books, or even more than a word or two at a time, but simply loves phonics for his own inscrutable reasons. He spends lots of time writing or typing nonsense words like "saodirek", stopping after each letter to slowly sound out the resulting creation. To him, I think words that break phonics rules ruin a lot of the fun in sounding out words - it's more a code/game than a search for meaning.

Harvested a 7 pound cabbage today. I'm curious to see how long before things freeze, and how much of the year we can eat out of the garden (for veggies, we buy other stuff).


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Wow finally finished catching up

Cindy waiting for babe to appear like everyone else. I'm a little baby hungry these days but then I do something like yesterday where I take my two 'older' kids to the movies and realize that if we have another that's over again for at least 2.5yrs or I have to find a sitter and it gets a whole lot more expensive. Sigh.... so torn so I will live vicariously through you.

Starling I get you about the worrying about screwing up at work. I was off at my IT job for 4 months and then came back to dialysis and was terrified I was going to spray blood all over someone. I didn't do that but I did forget a few things that's for sure. Since there are a bunch of newbies on the job right now I am often the most senior there and so they are looking to me for support and guidance and I am just keeping my head above water ugh!

Sue so glad to hear about Fiona's experience with OT. Dee doesn't like crowds or loud places and sometimes can't filter stimulation. If I hold her she is fine so she is asking to be picked up alot which can be difficult since she is now so big. But I realize she needs the connection. I'm trying to find an alternative to always picking her up. I also took her out of her dance class she was crying and terrified and refusing to go in and just putting herself into a tizzy over it. She loves preschool and goes there happily without a parent even got on the bus which was frightening for her but dance is a different story. I was trying to bribe her to go and then I realized it was me wanting it not her so we dropped it. Like everyone is saying need to slow down and 'do' less.

Erin can't wait to see the film. I can't believe K (and E) is frustrated over the same phonics that my 6yr old is. With my ds if it comes from me he doesn't believe it. I have to show him an outside source of truth. Maybe a website that goes over the phonics and is self correcting so you don't have to be involved?

Courtney glad things are ironing out with your hubby. We are struggling financially right now because of my school and I have been frustrated with my dh because he has not gotten a raise in several years but he wouldn't ask his boss because the organization was not doing well. Now that things are turning for the org (because of him) his boss has offered him one and told him to put together what he wants. So it's working out, just not fast enough for my impatient soul.

Everr hope that school and everything else is well for you.

AFM just school and work and no time for anything else. Really hoping I get a scholarship this month since it's the month they announce. Then I can work less which means my head might not feel like it's exploding. I'm still on the fitness kick mostly for stress reduction but the body changes are a lovely benefit. Wish I could find stress reduction in cleaning my house ugh soooo dirty.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Nilla ... I hear you on being the senior one at work! On my first day back, I could be paired with someone with one day of seniority. God help us! I need to get back on the fitness kick too ... For my mental health as much as my physical health. Fingers crossed for a scholarship!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

ooooh just saw on fb Cindy had her babe last night.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Cindy - Congrats again!! She is absolutely precious! Can't wait to hear about the birth  What does M think??

Nilla - I'm right there with you with school and work and nothing else. It's exhausting and I feel like R is a bit neglected. Although we've had some one on one time last night and tonight so we watched movies and hung out 

Erin - Wow, K's understanding of letters and phonics is so impressive! I love the things/questions that 3 year olds come up with. R has some weird dilemmas about things some days, it's funny though!

Starling - I'm sure you will do fine back at work. I'm sorry it's not your choice to go back but I'm sure it will all work out. And if you ever end up in Ottawa we will have to meet up! It's only a few hours from here  I also agree with you about this age. There are definitely parts of it I love, but I would not say it's my favourite all the time! Lots of challenges for sure.. Attitude is a big one, I have one sassy kid on my hands here. As for your bedtime dilemma, with R he doesn't have a choice "it's bedtime, I need to do school work in the kitchen, I'll leave the hall light on and the door open, if you are being loud I will shut the door, if you leave the room I will shut the door" (he really doesn't want the door shut). So he actually listens to that, and I feel it's a natural consequence. It also helps that he's not napping anymore so he's usually exhausted anyway.

Courtney - I'm sorry about the money and home stress. It is a frustrating situation. I hope you can get some breaks soon. Hugs!

AK - That's great that F is loving the OT! R does pretty well in busy crazy settings. He can be a bit slow to join but mostly he's pretty social.

Mal - Your ideas for your school sound awesome! They are lucky to have you and I have no doubt you can do some great things there 

AFM - Time is flying by crazy fast. I can't believe September is just about over. I'm in constant school mode it seems. And still working 1-2 short shifts a week, which is nice for the extra cash but it is a bit stressful. I have one week left until my reading week though so that's good. So I met that guy last weekend and there's no potential there, he's a nice enough guy but we just don't fit together. BUT, I've recently started chatting with the very first guy I dated (after my ex) way back in early 2011. I'm sure I talked about him here at the time. So we reconnected online and sent some emails in the summer. He works near where I go to school so we met for lunch a couple weeks ago. Then we emailed some more and met again this past week. I really like him... I'm not sure what will come of it. Time will tell I guess  He's away for work for 3 weeks but said he wanted to meet up again when he gets back.

Forgot to mention - I gave R his first haircut  Just a bit of a trim, the curls make it easy to do myself  I trimmed all the back to his lower neck but it all curls up, and then I trimmed the sides around his ears. There's pics on fb


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Ever ... I saw the pics! I wondered if that was a haircut! He looks ADORABLE!

Cindy ... Happy babymoon, Mama! I cannot wait to hear all about the birth! At home! In the tub! You ROCK!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Cindy - congratulations! I saw the pic on FB, and she's beautiful.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Cindy, can't wait to hear from you and get the scoop about the birth. She looks just beautiful and healthy! I am just so happy for you and your family. You have worked SO hard to bring Miss Aria into the world and now the day has come!! Enjoy every single moment with her right now, mama. (and I LOVE the name!!)

Starling, it has to be so hard to go back to work. How lucky to have had this much time with the little ones though! I know that probably isn't very comforting at the moment, but you really are so fortunate. Going back when Greta was only 2 months old was so hard. I'm sure it will take a minute to get back into the routine, but you are a rock star. I know you'll start kicking ass at work in no time.

Nilla, I don't know how you do it! With work and school and the kids... I'd be a mess for sure! And baby fever?! You are nuts, lady! I work part time and just have the two girls, I cannot imagine adding another into the mix!!

AFU: Yesterday we took the girls to the Renaissance Festival... and I FORGOT my camera! I was so bummed! But we still had a fantastic time. Owyn has been obsessed with ribbon dancers because of some movie she's obsessed with right now. We found a ribbon dancer there and she was ecstatic. Of course she had to have it. She got it out while we were watching a pirate band perform and was dancing and twirling it around, I was impressed she really figured out how to use it correctly! She also got to ride on a real, live elephant. That just made her day. We saved it for the end of the day and she was talking about it all. day. long. She was beyond excited by the time we finally made it to the elephant. She also met a "king and queen", who told she was the most beautiful little girl they'd seen all day. She looked like she was meeting real celebrities she was so stunned when they talked to her. We watched some jousting and just had a really wonderful day. The weather was perfect, the girls were both in wonderful moods. Greta just people-watched all day and never made a fuss. I had my tarot cards read, which I'd never done before but have always wanted to. We will definitely be going back next year.

After our big day, the girls went to spend the night with my ILs while DH and I got out with some friends to celebrate his birthday. It's not for a couple more weeks, but we had friends in from out of town, so we took the opportunity to celebrate with them. I feel like we showed our age. I don't even know if we made it until midnight before we were passing out on the couch. Oh well, we had fun while we could and enjoyed a full night's sleep!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Don't have long to type. Makenna did awesome at the birth! She baked and decorated a b-day cake with the doula for a lot of it. She loved helping set up the tub and get things ready. The last hour of labor was super intense. I had been laughing and chatting between contractions before that - having a good time hanging out with all the midwives. My DD and everyone sat there near me for the entire last hour. She held my hand during contractions and ran over to watch as the baby came out. I was on my knees in the tub, hanging over the edge. She actually got in the tub with me and baby after she was out. It was super sweet. She thinks baby is so little and cute and has been doing great. My brother in law just moved to town and has spent a lot of time playing with her while DH took care of me.

Birth was good but fast and crazy intense! From bloody show to birth was 4.5 hours. But from when contractions organized into a pattern and started getting uncomfortable it was more like 3.5 hours. I was 6 cm when the midwife came to check me, right when the contractions got uncomfortable! I had thought maybe it was going to happen that day bc I had been crampy and felt soooo much pressure. I was in target doing some last minute shopping just hours before she was here. LOL. Anyway, the last hour is when the contractions came really close and hurt really bad. I was in the water but really didn't feel the relief I got last time. Last time it slowed my ctx to 5 min apart and I got a nice break while pushing. This time they were fast and furious and overwhelming. I pushed about 20 minutes. Thankfully I did not tear. I did hemmorage a bit after though! Got some herbs then a shot of pitocin and then a few doses of another drug to stop the bleeding. That kinda scared me a bit but the midwives were always calm and they still felt fine leaving me 5 hours later. I felt like I got run over bc a truck yesterday. Weak and light headed. Couldn't be alone and couldn't even go to the bathroom alone. So glad my brother in law was here! but I feel a lot better today - just the normal afterbirth pains and sore nipples.

Gotta run...


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Cindy so good to hear from you. Aria is gorgeous! That is a fast labour! So awesome that Makenna was so into it all.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

cindy, congrats! Aria is so pretty, and holy wow that is a fast labor! Super cute about mckenna. I hope you are getting plenty of rest and recovering nicely.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Welcome, welcome, welcome, Miss Aria Rose! And what a wonderful birth story!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Yeah Cindy! Welcome to the world Aria Rose! What a wonderful birth story! I love that Makenna got in the tub with you! Makes me all weepy and happy thinking about it!

Starling: This age has been really hard for us too! Woosh! Can they test and push buttons. Slowing down and doing less has actually helped quite a bit. A friend of mine wants to do a weekly play date on Fridays. I'm realizing that by the end of the week we are all wiped out! I'm going to aim for a couple of times a month instead. It's a good time of year to hunker down and start a slower weekly rhythm. I'm aiming for painting, play dough, fizzy fun, or washing dishes or playsilks or something each afternoon. Baking, Library story time, music time or similar in the mornings. Also a daily walk unless its raining sideways. I just ordered a small size broom and will have F help with a chore a day as well. Time to bundle up for our walk now- it's cold here. We even got snow this weekend!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Cindy - I'm so glad to hear that things went so well! It's always so wonderfully surreal when you finally have your baby in your arms. And it's great that M got to be there  Can't wait to see more pics!

AK - Snow! Wow.. I'm enjoying the cooler weather but not quite ready for snow. I just like the cool crisp fall weather  Although this week it's supposed to be a bit warmer.

Mal - That fair sounds so fun! And that's awesome you and your hubby got a night off. Those are definitely needed! I think I'm R-free next weekend.. My ex's family have offered to take him for the weekend 

AFM - I have a head cold.. Not fun  I went to work this morning but I'm feeling totally worn out now. I think I might skip class tomorrow.. I have a midterm on Wednesday and a quiz Thursday that I need to study for anyway. And then R and I can sleep in a bit tomorrow.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Does anyone here have either the Leapfrog LeapPad Explorer or the VTech Innotab? I was thinking of recommending this as a xmas gift for my mom to get for R.. I'm sort of leaning towards the Innotab but wanted to see if anyone here has used these.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Cindy - Aria Rose is a beautiful name. I'm glad things went so well, and hope you get a chance to rest up and enjoy her.

Sue - we had the snow here also. And a couple hard freezes. I pulled my peas, have been piling kelp on the garden, and am slowly putting it to bed for the year, piece by piece.

Mal - that fair sounds like great fun! I've never had a night away from my kids yet (unless you count the night I gave birth to L). It's funny, since my MIL lives right next door. But also, it would just seem kind of odd to send them up the driveway when their beds are right here a few hundred yards away, and I'm not even sure where we'd go, or what we'd do that we can't just do once they're asleep.

Question - Do your kids do rough (wrestling style) play with other little kids? Most of the other little kids K's age (most of his agemates are boys) do, and K seems to find the whole concept rather frightening and wants nothing to do with it. I'm OK with that, mostly, but wonder if I should maybe try wrestling with him to make him more comfortable with it, and more able to relate to the other kids?

AFM - I guess we're the odd ones out in the slowing down front, and have actually been doing more activities lately. Summer is always so busy, it seems like the winding down is when regularly scheduled stuff can happen. K is going to Head Start 4 mornings a week, and on Fridays we're doing a weekly family hike day that we've opened up to other families in town, so it might end up as sort of an outdoor hiking playgroup type thing. And I'm planning to teach aikido (non-competitive Japanese martial art) an afternoon a week to whoever in town is interested. Partly this is because my SIL and one of my good friends are both have "activity coordinator" sort of jobs in town now, and I find myself drawn into joining or providing some of the activities... 

Left to my own devices, I have no rhythm at all, and tend to just try to bring the kids along into whatever I feel like doing that seems kid friendly, so we end up doing lots of outdoor exploration, gardening, gathering, and cooking. And they play a lot on their own, of course. I guess K gets the other types of activities from preschool, if he needs them.

We got the roof on the woodshed today! With the help of a spontaneously random adventurer from France who wandered up the driveway and stayed for dinner and is now staying in our tent in the backyard.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Cindy-- So good to hear from you. I hope you are all enjoying that sweet girl and getting lots of snuggles in. Can't wait to see more pics!

Everr-- We thought about getting the LeapPad for Owyn this Christmas... until I remember I already got her a rather large dollhouse with accessories on a garage sale earlier this year. She only needs one big item for Christmas! So, we might get it for her birthday. I hadn't looked into the InnoTab. Now I'll have to compare!

Erin: We don't really slow down this time of year either. Every week is just flying by it seems. I knew things would speed up once school started, but it still seems like we just got back from vacation. That was 2 months ago, how did that happen! Between my work schedule, Owyn's school schedule and her extras (dance class once a week and Sunday school on the weekend), we don't really slow down. We try to plan an evening out of the house or having friends over about once a week, but we're taking a break this week. It's actually pretty nice having a reliable routine even if it does keep us pretty busy.

Well, I gave my classroom wishlist to the PTL president yesterday. I attached it to a rather long email wherein I just laid it all on her. All my hopes and goals for the classroom. My thoughts on how to modernize things a little. I found out recently that my class is the most expensive part-time program in town and I have to be honest, the classroom just does not measure up to that. I heard back from her and she was excited that I had so many ideas and glad to hear they have someone passionate about what they do in the classroom. She assured me the needs of my classroom wouldn't be put on the back-burner. So, I feel like I've done what I can at the moment... I have sent it out into the universe, I just have to wait and see what happens from here. I'm hoping for positive changes!

Owyn's preschool teacher pulled me aside this morning just to let me know that Owyn is finally coming out of her shell at school. I had a feeling she was being rather shy, but she is always excited to go and always has good things to say about her day so I wasn't too worried. I knew she would open up eventually and now she finally is!

If you can believe it, Miss Greta is 11 months old today! She took two steps last week, then didn't do it again until this weekend. Sunday night she was taking 2-3 steps over and over again. But she won't do it again!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

SNOW BRISK WEATHER!!!

I'm jealous. It's still hot here. The kids complain it's too hot to go outside.

Mal- of course she loved it! the fair does sound great.

Erin- In your book you just got the pizza dropped to you out of the plane. I am totally loving it, the way you two decided to have kids was awesome.

wrestling- no, my kids don't wrestle, well once they did, but they do other dare devil things.

Everr, Junie has the leapster, she likes it a lot, it was before the tablet like ones ever came out. we once had a v tech game system that hooked to the tv and it broke after awhile, plus i hated the princess game.

we've been slowing down mostly because I don't have a car to drive and the kids are no longer in any activities. They are also on fall break right now, so no school for a week. I do wish we could go to a museum or something but I'm trying to make the best of it. We've done a bunch of stuff at home already, I'd like to go on walks but honestly the kids are right it's so hot it doesn't feel nice to go walking.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

H is one year old today! It's been bittersweet. We went out for breakfast, and then to the beach and a quick stop at the aquarium because a certain older sister is in a foul mood today and so we decided to cut the day short and come home. I got booked for my first shift back tomorrow, at one of the busiest stations in the province, if not THE busiest. Throw me to the lions! I've been going over my protocols and communications and treatment guidelines and trauma destinations like crazy and cramming notes onto my phone for quick reference.

Wrestling ... E doesn't do that. Not at all. And I rather she wouldn't.

Mal ... WAY TO GO!

Courtney ... School break? Already? Do they have a shorter winter holiday or spring break then?

AFU: We're pining for privacy. And a yard. And peace and quiet. And a million dollars.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

can't believe H is already 1.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Fiona would freak out if another kid tried to wrestle with her! Her sister and Papa are fun to wrestle with though!

Pining for a move and a million dollars too! And a farm and a waldorfy homeschool community. Sigh!

We spent the morning in the woods with another family. We all love it. The kids splashed in puddles, played billy goats gruff, put out imaginary fires and rode dragons (fallen logs) to faraway lands. Home for lunch and then to OT for Fiona. She fell asleep the second we walked in the door. I need to ake her now so she goes to bed before midnight but I'm enjoying some tea and the peace and quiet in the house.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Happy birthday, H! I really cannot believe these babies are growing so fast!

Forgot to reply about the wrestling... Owyn is not very physical in her play. She has cousins that play-wrestle. She likes a little bit, like when it first gets started, but she quickly backs off when it gets too rough for her. I really don't think it's something that needs to be encouraged. I have nephews that do little league wrestling though, so it's something Owyn gets a little bit of exposure to.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Happy birthday Hawkskey! Good luck tomorrow Starling!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Good luck tomorrow Starling! I hate that nervy feeling the first few shifts back. I wish you an uneventful shift, boring even. Happy Birthday bouncy Hawksley!

Ever we had a leapster but it broke. No tablet here. Ds has a ds and I would say that a 4 year old could manage one and it would grow with him. I let the kids play with my Ipod though and I find that suffices and since it's mine I can take it away with no fight. Whereas if the toy is there I have a harder time setting limits.

Wrestling we are in the minority here. My kids will have rolling, wrestling matches. They aren't allowed to be physical to hurt and if someone says 'uncle' you stop. I do believe that certain amount of physical wrestling helps them connect in a way. I know ds does at school to the amount that they allow it. They aren't allowed at preschool so Dee doesn't there but she does with her cousin.

Sue that sounds like a lovely morning. Glad you are getting relief with OT.

Courtney I can't imagine it being hot in October. We had snow too this am. Fall break? How many school breaks do your girls get?


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

starling- thinking of you today!

oh yeah, the ds, my older girls each have one and Junie likes to play on it.

Sue a morning in the woods sounds fabulous!

nilla- they have 5 breaks. fall break is a week long, thanksgiving holiday is 3 days. holiday break is 2 weeks long, winter break is 1 week. spring break is 1 week. It used to have me worried until i realized they get more done than public schools do and now i treasure the time with the kids, the break from having to be somewhere and the breaks from having to clean the school.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Starling - Happy birth-day to you and H, and hope the first shift went well. I can't believe how fast these younger kids are growing. L will be two in January, and most people assume she's two now.

Courtney - Thanks! The pizza from the plane is one of my favorite hiking stories, because it's just what anyone who's ever been hiking daydreams of, but seems so clearly impossible.

Sue - days in the woods are so great! I think my biggest regret about sending K to preschool is not quite as much outside time as before.

Wrestling - I guess not all other kids do it, then. I will continue to follow K's lead, which is what I'd been doing. Even if it does mean he's sometimes a little scared of the other small boys.

Digital devices - we're so old-school here that all we have is laptops and a crummy old cell phone (one between the two of us) that doesn't do pictures or texts. K does like typing on the laptops, though.

AFM - Spent a couple hours picking cranberries in the rain with just K today. I don't get enough time with him alone. And I should be saying that because it's for his sake, but sadly, I think I'm really saying it for my own. Sometimes, it's just so much more restful to do something without the little one who's whining constantly to be up, down, up, down, nurse, run, fall, cry, up, nurse, sit in a puddle and cry about her wet pants, ask for the impossible, etc... I love both my kids, but I do find 3.5 an easier age. So much more of the direction and conversation can be verbal, as opposed to constantly stopping to pick someone up, K has the attention span for me to actually do something while he either joins in or plays with my distracted verbal participation, and there's just so much less clinging. And L can talk quite well, so I think it's more about immature emotions than an actual lack of communication.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Erin- of course you love them both, I love all of mine, but seriously there are ages that are just easier and ages that are harder and that constantly shifts and changes. Someone once asked me if I do have a favorite and I said "yeah, but it will change in two months or in two hours depending on how they are acting and what developmental stage they are at." yet overall they fill up my heart to bursting and I have to go kiss them all in their sleep, sometimes getting out of bed to do so.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Phew, survived my first shift!

It involved copious amounts of vomited blood, MRSA super bugs, car crashes, clandestine meth labs, a dying teenaged boy, a heroin OD, a dying grandma, and no time at all to get a coffee.

I also managed to avoid overtime, which is a coup! I raced home, still in my uniform, and got to see the kids for a few minutes before we put them to bed. That part sucks a lot.

As for the kids, they and DP had a great day together. H is truly a very easy-going baby! As for E, we continue to wonder if we should be doing something or getting help with her anxiety. Not sure what to do with that.

I was so beat, that I went to bed with the kids at 8pm and slept very, very hard.

I do wonder if working is "worth" it ... still not sure. It was nice to be needed in a very different way. I did mess up a very important IV start (dying grandma), but other than that, it all came back to me. I had a retired old fart for a partner, so neither of us were in a hurry to trip over ourselves. He drove, which was nice. He also stepped all over my calls, but whatever.

Erin ... When we have one-on-one time with either child if feels so easy and special. It does not happen often enough.

Courtney ... That's a lot of breaks! How wonderfully civilized and fair.

Cindy ... Thinking of you! How is nursing going?

Nilla ... Didn't manage to be a boring shift, but it was okay! I was sucking back the Rescue Remedy, that's for sure.

Sue ... We're heading to meet up with our Forest Nursery group today! We love days in the forest. Children are so well-adjusted and happy when they're outside!

Everr ... I'd go for a tablet, I think. E sometimes uses ours. Then you can change up the apps whenever you'd like, and for a whole lot cheaper than games, I imagine?


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: Sounds like a not too bad start to back to work. I hope it keeps getting better. From your blog posts, E sounds pretty self assured and outgoing these days. What kind of anxiety issues does she have? I hope the change of you working isn't too hard on her!

As for nursing. Not quite sure yet. My milk is in and I'm taking tons of herbs/dom. Baby has been a frustration. She is SO sleepy. The other day it was 90 degrees here and she basically slept from 11;30am to 11pm. I would wake her to nurse but she'd pretty much just fall right back asleep at the boob. A couple feeds were total disasters as she just didn't even want to suck. I had gotten a hospital grade pump the day before, thank goodness. So that day, instead of pumping after feeds, I was pumping to replace some feeds! I was giving her the milk I pumped via lactaid or finger feeding and she had 9 dirty dipes so I know she was getting enough milk and that wasn't why she was sleepy. She is just sleepier than M was. And now that it cooled off yesterday she is awake more. But still not a whole lot. Anyway, I had the most amazing lactation consultant come yesterday. She has been a homebirth midwife and LC for 40 yrs. I was feeling pretty defeated the day before and she gave me a lot of hope. Worked with me for 2.5 hours and was just incredible. She truly showed me how to fix latch - baby has been chewing my nipples. It feels SO much better already. No one ever taught me this with M! Still a work in progress getting baby latched on that way but we're getting there. She also showed me ways of doing breast compressions that make my flow so much stronger and helps keep baby awake at the breast. We are starting out with the lactaid right away on my super slow flow side and not using it at all on the other side. Only doing 1 side per feed and then pumping for 15 minutes after. My breasts were so lumpy when she came and she really got me draining them, which of course helps make milk! I can pump about 2 ounces after feeds right now. I was really down about that but she said at this point I am doing really well. She estimated baby needs about 2 oz/per feed right now. So right now, with the extra milk I pump, I am only supplementing with my own milk. She is going to keep working with me. She thinks I may not need to supplement but that it will be a decision to make bc it would mean nursing more frequently and baby not sleeping as long at night, etc. But really we have to see what my supply ends up at in a couple weeks once it's no longer transitional milk and I'm no longer pumping. I will keep up the pumping as long as DH is home and then while his mom is here - but not after that. So that is about another week and a half. Oh and she lost 8 ounces but gained back an ounce and a half so far.

Sorry for the novel. Gotta run...


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

starling- is that a typical sort of a day? Glad you got through it and the kids got through it, and honestly a nice hard sleep like that is nice every once in awhile.

Cindy- so glad you have a fabulous lactation consultant!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Cindy - A good LC can make such a huge difference! I am SO thankful to two that helped me when R was born.

Starling - WOW! That sounds sooo busy! I'm glad you survived it and the rest of the family did well 

Re wrestling - That wouldn't be allowed at daycare and the only kid his age he plays with is his sweet sensitive cousin who I can't imagine wrestling. But, R LOVES to wrestle with his older cousins (who initiate it). And also my friend's husband wrestles with him all the time and he loves that too. He doesn't ever try and wrestle with me though, he likes to be chased but that's about it.

Re tablet toys - Well after reading the reviews I was feeling like it might not be worth the money.. Lots of complaints about expensive games and batteries being used up in a day. But I did go buy myself a tablet.. Which I really don't need but it was such a good deal and I can get free apps for R that he'll love plus it can be charged instead of paying for batteries. It was actually only $50 more than the Leappad so I think it's a better deal.

Re nature - It sounds like some of you get so much time out in nature! I'm jealous! We NEVER do.. There's just no time.. But I'm off now for a week (it's Thanksgiving in Canada this weekend) so I think I'm going to take R to a conservation area. There's one nearby with caves. And the leaves are all gorgeous right now so I want to get out before they all fall off 

AND - Things are going well with my new guy  We will be going on a 'real' date when he is back from work (so far it's just been lunch and coffee). He wants to take things slow because of what happened last time.. But I really have a good feeling about him..


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Cindy-- I'm glad nursing is going as well as it is. You sound very realistic about everything. I know it was very hard for you with M, but good that you were prepared this time! I have a close friend who just gave birth a couple of weeks ago... her second son. She was never able to nurse her first. She also had a breast augmentation and always blamed that the first time around. She is pretty determined this time, but realistic. She mentioned one of her midwives told her it often isn't the breast augmentation itself that causes the issue, just the fact that the breast tissue wasn't there to begin with (which would be why she got the augmentation in the first place). So, it likely would have been an issue either way. I thought of you when she told me that. Have you heard that before?


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Mal: I actually had quite nice boobs before my implants. I was a C cup! I was just greedy and dated this guy for 5 yrs that was in love with the playboy model look and that is what I wanted. But the LC even said I have a lot of breast tissue and she was really encouraged by that - bc if I did have tiny boobs before and then had damage, the outlook wouldn't be as good.In my case, my incision was around the nipple so it caused a lot of nerve damage.

So nursing has still been super frustrating bc she will latch on but not suck! I got so frustrated last night and gave up on the crossover hold the LC had me doing and just nursed her lying down - and she nursed! The midwife and LC both told me she was asynclitic - that means she was inside me and came down the birth canal with her head bent over to the side. You can tell by the way her head is molded. The LC (who is also a midwife) said I could have ended up w/a c-section bc of it if she were my first baby. but the LC agreed with me when I called her this morning that is probably why she isn't suckig in the other hold. So the cranial sacral therapist/chiro is coming tomorrow to work on her. And I' nursing lying down as much as possible - its just hard to get a deep latch that way.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Starling - Was that intended as a description of a hard, easy, or average shift? Because it sounds ridiculously intense to me. Good luck!

What kind of anxiety issues does E have?

Cindy - K was asynclitic too. And had the craziest spiral conehead for quite awhile. I didn't need a c-section, but pushing with him did take 3 or 4 hours, I think. Oddly, he nursed fine. I'm glad you're having some success this time around, at least with the lying down.

Everr - exciting! keep us updated on this new guy. And have fun in the caves. I do take my kids into nature all the time, which really is just much easier where we live (can be there in 1 min). But it's also a deliberate training regime, if we expect them to be out on an expedition April-June!

AFM - Friday is our weekly hike day, and we got a bunch of kids today, out exploring the roads and streams washed out by floods a few weeks ago. Impressive power in a flood like that! The road to Red Mountain (a popular recreation spot) is completely gone. Ten foot cliffs in the road bed, scoured to bedrock in some places, culverts shredded... Impressive to see, but all of us in town are rather unhopeful that we'll ever get that road back (it's been maintained on a volunteer basis for years).


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Cindy ... I'm so glad that you have a fabulous LC! And isn't it just that much easier having some experience from the first time? I'm sending you milky, latchy vibes, hon!







And why, not, that is not a smiley of two emoticon faces ... it's a milky boob comforting a not-so-milky boob. Or, my left boob comforting my right, for example.

Erin ... I saw the picture on FB. The road looks like a wicked mess! When we lived in the mountains a road and bridge to a hot spring washed out and almost a decade later, it still hasn't been replaced. When the logging company has reason to go back in there, it will be. But until then, nope. Yay for getting outside with friends!

Everr ... New Old Guy sounds really promising! When does he get back? And good choice going for a tablet.

AFM:

My first shift back is typical for that station. And I'm back there tomorrow, so will expect another day like that. I actually love that station. It's in a nasty part of a nasty city (Surrey, if any of you know of it) and because of that and the insane population boom over there (it's very close to Vancouver, part of the metro area, so people are moving there in droves to get away from the bizarro real estate prices here) there is NEVER a dull moment. Seriously, I was only able to pee twice in a twelve hour shift, and that's when I hand-expressed too. My boobs were complaining for sure! But I'd rather be on the move and doing stuff that sitting at the station and trying to read a book while the guys watch soccer or bass fishing on TV.

E's anxiety: I talked about my concerns with some of my mama friends who assure me that it's normal for the age, which I do think is partially true. I really don't want to pathologize her at all, but I do want to make sure that we're on the right track to support her. Hand-washing, for example, she is very adamant about when and how to wash them and will not be dissuaded. It's not necessarily when they're dirty, like from playing outside, but when certain liquids get on them. She has a ritual that she does whenever anyone goes upstairs without her, and she claims that she's allergic to people being up there without her. There seems to be very few moments in the day when she is not Thinking Very Hard about something. I can say that the only time she truly relaxes and is at ease is when we're reading stories or she's watching a show. The rest of the time she seems very gripped by her thoughts. They often interfere with her play.

But again, I wonder if this is developmentally normal? Paired with her personality? One of the reasons we're watching it closely is because her siblings and donor have some significant anxiety issues.

More later ... having my office hours at the moment, so need to get writing/editing/corresponding accordingly.

xoxox to you all, and especially the mamas I left out today!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Starling a suggestion for E- sensory tubs of liquids that seem to bother her or some such thing while you are reading to her or she's listening to an audio book? For my ds who is very 'inside the mind' and has anxiety issues as well as sensory issues (all undiagnosed) we suggest a lot of drawing and puzzles. I did a lot of sensory tubs when he was littler and took him places with sand and mud to play in. We did a lot of gardening, sat in leaves, just generally exposed him to things that bothered his senses in a calm way and talked him through it. He's much better now although he still hates to have certain parts of him touched at all and can't stand certain kinds of materials for clothes.

Surrey? isn't that a little far from you? How big is the area of stations you cover?

Cindy glad you have a good LC and that at least one side is flowing freely. Wishing you milk making mojo!

Erin time with one kid is definitely a breath of fresh air. Although right now i am finding 3.5 easier than 6.5!

Mal that's great that you are so driven to make yours the go to program! You can do it!


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Cindy, congrats! Aria is beautiful. Can't wait for more pics. Sounds like you have a great support team--and you're doing an awesome job. I suspect things will go better, overall, this time around!

Starling, congrats to you for surviving that shift! And your first one back, no less. Although I have to say I envy the adventure, in a way.

Ever, details about the new guy? Or did I miss them upthread?

Grr, little screamers....


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Everr- i loved the pictures.

and Erin i am browsing through yours. facebook annoys me b/c it doesn't give me the updates for the people i want.

Starling- that is a crazy busy day. But I get the busy over not being busy thing.

had a garage sale today, made $200, that will get us a little ways in that back room. I just so want my master bedroom, i don't even care if it doesn't have the bathroom for 2 years, i just want the bedroom part.

so what's going on with everyone for halloween?? Junie has changed her mind about 50 times...and I don't feel like making anything, maybe that will come later.

Did I say it's still hot here? I am so jealous of those with crisp cool autumn weather. Near the end of the sale it was so hot and humid I felt like I was going to pass out (and maybe partially b/c I hadn't really eaten)


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Kate - I've reconnected with the guy I first dated after my ex.. Early 2011, we dated for only a month. We both fell for each other really quick and it got too intense and then everything got messed up. So this time we're taking things slower. We reconnected in July and emailed a bit at the time. He works really close to where I got to school so in September we met up for lunch, then another day we met for tea, now we've been texting and are going to go on a real date  I'm excited 

Courtney - I have R's new winter coat on him in the pics! It was chilly here today! I understand your jealousy, I love all the changing seasons we get here  Hot sunny days are nice too though!

Oh, and on fb you can list people in a specific group and then just get their updates. I have different lists for family and friends. You can also pick people as 'close friends' and then you'll get a notification if they post anything.

Re Halloween - R has an Iron Man costume and a dinosaur costume (from last year, it still fits). He says he's going as Iron Man and I'm sure he will. Super Heroes are so cool right now in the daycare world


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Courtney: Not bad for a garage sale! The heat had to make it suck. It seems every time I have a garage sale it ends up being the hottest. day. ever.

Halloween: Greta is going as a tie-dye teddy bear (think Grateful Dead dancing bear) and Owyn is going as a hippie.

Everr: Things sound promising with the new guy!

Owyn seems hellbent on torturing her sister lately. She has never had issues with jealousy until just recently. Anytime she sees Greta coming my way, she runs to me before Greta can get to me and says "She my mama first!" We've had a lot of talks about how I'm a mama to both her and Greta. She also has no tolerance for Greta trying to play with her. Which is the only thing Greta wants to do, she follows Owyn all over the house. It sucks, especially since Owyn has always just adored Greta. I'm not sure what brought on the change...


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Mal: Once M got good at crawling and getting into stuff we noticed a shift too! Still more love then jealousy but she's annoyed by her now when she never was before. She is close to walking so that ought to be interesting.

Starling: Thinking a lot about E and her anxiety. Poor thing being "Allergic" to being separated. One thing that has been helpful with Fiona is a mind jar. It's a jar with water and food coloring (we did blue) and a tube of glitter glue squirted in. Use hot water when you make it to melt the glue. And you want to use glitter glue instead of just glitter so it takes longer to settle. We shake it and take deep breathes while we watch the glitter settle back to the bottom of the jar. Might be a good tool to use when she is in those deep thinking moments. I do think its good to keep an eye on the anxiety now to give her some tools to work with. Do her bio siblings parents have any suggestions for you?

Cindy: Glad you have a great LC working with you!

AFU: Maeve is one today! F is out running errands with DH and then she and I will bake a cake. Some friends will join us for dinner tonight. I told Fiona after baking and lunch we will decorate for the party. She's thrilled! Maeve is getting some nesting bowls from us and a tiny little cup. I got a little whistle thing (bird warbler) to give F as a big sister thing. I'm sort of wondering if I'm setting myself up for trouble in the years to come! I guess we will treat it like a party favor. 

I've been enjoying looking at birth pictures and reading the birth story today. Hard to believe a year has gone by!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Sue: I saw your pics of maeve's birthday. Looks like she had a great first birthday! I still just cannot believe these babies are turning 1 already. Greta is next and I'm missing her as a baby already!

Owyn has her first school pictures today! I even got a little weepy getting her ready this morning. My first ever baby is so grown up! I am actually excited to see them. A parent at the school is a local photographer and she does pictures for them. So they are not your typical school pics. They have fun with them. I heard the director talking about photo ideas she got on pinterest so I am looking forward to some cute pics. And it saves me from worrying about getting professional pics for family members.

We recently took Owyn out of training pants at night and I think we have finally made it out of the woods on that front. The first week, she wet the bed almost every night. The second week she wet the bed every other night. We almost put the training pants back on. But it has been 10 days since her last accident! Yay!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Happy first (belated) birthday Maeve!

Sibling stuff - For us, K didn't mind L at all until she started crawling and really getting into his stuff. Then they were TERRIBLE for awhile. They've been getting better and better since then as she's more capable of actually playing with him and also obeying rules herself (rather than just being a bundle of adorable destruction). Though he does still often tell us "She's doing the wrong thing! Lituya must go outside and NEVER come in this yurt!"

K has been sick with a stomach bug that's gotten half the kids in town. On the mend now I hope.

Beautiful fall weather here. Just picked the last of our highbush cranberries, and am heading to make syrup.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Here is the link to our newborn shoot:

http://deborahjeanphotography.zenfolio.com/p965547044

Ok so we finally figured out the nursing issue! She had a posterior tongue tie! We got it clipped on friday and she has been nursing normally ever since! Thank god! I am going to hug the lactation consultant that discovered it when I see her again on Wednesday!! My supply has jumped since she has been nursing normally. I got a scale to track her weight and see how much she is getting per feed. She can drink 2.5 ounces and then I can still pump 2 ounces right after. Or she just drank 1.5 ounces and I pumped 3 ounces after. So I think I might actually end up with a full milk supply this time! I am still pumping after some feeds to maximize my supply, but thankfully I am not pumping every 3 hours bc she wasn't draining my breasts. Not sure when I'll stop pumping. I didn't pump much last night and it was so nice to get some sleep. Baby is 3 ounces over birth weight so we no longer have to wake her to eat - she wakes herself. And the LC said it's ok to let her have longer stretches at night. So she gives me 3-4 hour stretches. It's nice! Oh and I've stopped supplementing her with my pumped milk - I am just nursing her. So that is really ncie! And I'm actually putting milk in the freezer. I never ever thought I would be able to have milk to freeze!!

Makenna is still doing well. But she is missing some mommy cuddle time. I have yet to hand baby off and have 1 on 1 time with Makenna. I need to start doing that. Hopefully now that I'm not pumping quite as much, I'll be more able. My mother in law is here until Wed morning, then I'm on my own w/the 2 for a few days. My mom will be here next week. I think we'll be fine. This baby is so mellow and it is jsut so different having a 2nd kid versus the anxiety of having your first. We've already gone out to dinner and spent the entire day out at a harvest festival/getting pumpkins on saturday.

Sorry no personals - I'm so behind!

Starling: You have been in my thoughts! I am so sorry for your loss of your dear friend. I really did cry for her 3 girls when i read the news. They are lucky to have you in their lives.

Cindy


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Cindy ... that's wonderful! I'm so thrilled that you have more milk this time too. Pure awesome-sauce.

Mal ... How's Owyn doing at night? Great that she's been doing so well at staying dry!

Erin ... sibling stuff: They're having way more fun with each other now. Although E also says things like, "You can't have that EVER again and if you get it, I will take it away and you can't EVER play with it!" And that's with something that H got in the first place. Doh.

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts about my best friend. It was very hard to say goodbye. She died around noon, when I was actually talking about her to my sister (aka Other Best Friend). My ex, the kids and I rushed over to be with the girls and her mom. E and I sat with her and held her hand and kissed her and told her how much we love her. Now E is pretending to be dead a lot, and has many questions about death and dying. She likes to lie on the couch with a playsilk up to her chin and be dead and have me come and say goodbye. I have not brought up anything about any kind of afterlife or God or 'better place' because we are not religious and don't believe in either, but I'm sure she'll have a bunch of questions after K's service because she was very spiritual. I have talked about her 'soul,' but so far E hasn't asked where it has gone, or wondered if it might be separate from her body. I'm not sure what I'd say to that, because I'm not sure what I think about that, to be honest. Being a paramedic has changed my perspective about death and dying a lot.

Her husband is barely coping, and is being quite odd, which is understandable, I suppose. She always wanted to be cremated, but he's having her buried. The girls want a service at the beach, but he's booked a nightclub-turned-church. It's hard to watch. I tried to discuss all of this with both K and him in the summer, but that's when he got so angry and hasn't talked to me since. We took the girls out for brunch the day after she died, and made sure that they know that we're here for them, emotionally, logistically, and financially. I was doing okay while we were there, but now that I'm home and anyone asks me how I'm doing, I lose it a little.

Also, two children in our outdoor playgroup found freshly used IV needles in the garden and got significant needlestick injuries, so our little community has been devastated by that too. I took my kids to the safe injection site, if you can believe it. We went to collect all the paraphernalia associated with IV drug use (including needles) so that I can do a demo for our playgroup and one for our neighbourhood. E actually saw someone shooting up on the sidewalk outside the safe site. Our area of the city is pretty rough around the edges, so this is not as shocking to us as it might be to some.

So, between me going back to work, a beloved auntie's death, and the scary needlestick injury and drug talk, it's been a very heavy time for little E's heart and mind. She needs to be with one of us at all times, even if we're just going upstairs. She wants to be cuddled to sleep too. Hard times for such a thoughtful and intense little girl. I've been having her in the carrier more too, which seems to help.

In much lighter news, dp and I are off ON OUR OWN to go collect my new-to-us VW Eurovan on Thursday! We're flying there (1 hr) and driving back (5 hrs). That's the first time that we've been away at the same time! Just a day trip, but we're super stoked! We're going to try out the bed on the way, because that's likely to be the one and only time we'll ever be in it alone together.







Unless we go to Burning Man sometime. E and H will be with my mom for the morning and my sister for the afternoon. E is very excited to get a camper van!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Holy Crap! A Eurovan is my dream car! Have a fun road trip home!  Sounds awesome!!

We are heading to Ohio in the morning. Well, a day in Anchorage so we can fly out the next day at the crack of dawn. Bracing myself for interactions with my MIL. Ugh- she can be very difficult. But overall, I'm really excited to be getting out of here and looking forward to seeing Dh's siblings. They are a wild bunch. We parent WAY differently then any of them and DH is all pumped to show them his happy AP kids!  Hoping the weather is clear in the morning and we get off the rock as planned!

Cindy: so glad about the milk supply!!!

Starling: Oh goodness. A lot for a little person to take in. E is in my thoughts. I think its really hard to explain death to a little person. Fiona still talks about our dog from time to time as if she were still alive and coming home. Other times she seems to get it. I think its probably a normal way for a 3 year old to process it.

Take care Mamas! I'll check in when we are home in a couple of weeks.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Starling: What a rough go you guys have had. I can't imagine what could be going through E's mind right now. It's no wonder she needs some extra snuggles right now. Owyn hasn't really had any exposure to death/dying that I can think of... we haven't lost any pets or loved ones since her birth. She went to a funeral with me a few months ago, but it was no one she knew and she thought it was just another reason to play with her cousins. And the woman who passed away was cremated, so she didn't see a casket or burial or anything. She never had any questions for us.... Yay about the EuroVan though! How exciting to get a whole day with your DP!

Sue: Have fun in Ohio! MILs can be so fun







But I hope you get to have a great time with your ILs! Do Fiona and Maeve have many cousins on that side?

Owyn is still staying dry at night, woo hoo! Her cold is also getting better, but she has passed it on to me.







Greta is getting over yet another ear infection. She hadn't been sleeping well for well over a week, but she's getting teeth and learning to walk, so we had chalked it up to that. She finally started running a fever shortly after she got to the sitter on Friday last week. And this is a baby who never runs fevers, as opposed to Owyn who runs a high fever at the drop of a hat. Greta ran a fever all day and all night Friday, even after being dosed with Tylenol. I feel so bad that she was likely not feeling well for so long before we knew what was going on. It just kills me when they can't say what's wrong with them.

So, thanks to this crappy cold, I'm getting crappy sleep even though the baby is finally sleeping better. I did manage to go shopping for her birthday gifts over the weekend, I can't believe that is coming up so quickly! It is a short week at work though, so that helps. I have parent-teacher conferences all evening Thursday, then we're off Friday. So, our playgroup is making a trip to a pumpkin patch with all the kiddos. Our last trip there was just a couple of weeks before Greta was born, how fast time flies! DH and I are going on a date to a local winery this Saturday and I can't wait! Then, next week we have our first parent-teacher conference for Owyn. I'm excited to hear how she is doing at school, she seems so shy when I drop her off. She also has her first field trip next week! They are going to the university in a neighboring town for a play followed by lunch out at a pizza place. She is so excited about riding on a school bus! Of course, it's on a day I have to work. I so wish I could go with her! If Greta hadn't gotten sick last week, I would take off and go with her, but I feel bad taking off work too often so I'll have to sit this one out.

Oh, Cindy, I LOVE the pics, so adorable. Especially the ones of both the girls, precious!!

Better run, we're off for a playdate...


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Starling your E sounds so much like my oldest.... Big thoughts all. the. time. Which in turn means they cannot be carefree (are slightly anxious) because they think about EVERYTHING. He doesn't like being on a separate floor either. Our bathroom is upstairs and he won't bathe unless one of us is up there. I do give him rescue remedy. He is a rule follower and the most logical soul I know which makes him have some repetitive behaviours and things he HAS to do. He is so articulate and can out explain some adults I know. It's a hard one. We had 3 deaths in the last couple years, with the most recent of my dh's grandmother being the hardest because Em knew her well. I got a lot of hard spiritual questions from him and had to deal with the religion thing because it was a catholic ceremony and the whole what is god, where do we go when we die. I explained that no one really knows and that there are a lot of different groups of people that believe different things. My mother kept mentioning heaven to him because she thought it would soothe him but it bothered me for some reason. Although Em decided on his own that he believes in reincarnation. I have a book on how to talk to kids about spirituality but I have yet to read it. Dee well she feels her way through it so there was a lot of tears and some outbursts. She would break into tears at the table over nothing and say it was because her grandma was dead, and she couldn't understand that when we were going to say goodbye we wouldn't see grandma. Conceptually she just couldn't get it but Em could at that age. I think the feeling is easier to parent than the thinking in this situation (not in others though).

Yay Owyn, hope you are getting more sleep and healing Mal, happy birthday Greta!

Cindy Gorgeous!

Sue have fun at the in laws

Halloween: A clown and harry potter


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Starling - That sounds so hard for everyone. I can see how coming to terms with death would be tough for a deep-thinker kid like E. It's tough for adults! No one K knows has died in his lifetime (except for a couple of sick great grandparents he met once). Glad you're finally getting the camper van. My mom has one, and loves it.

Cindy - Glad the nursing is going so much better this time.

Sue - hope you're all having fun on the trip!

Mal - sounds busy! Both of our kids were sick with a stomach bug recently, L a few days after K. I felt awful because she kept asking and asking for food, and I wouldn't give her any (because she kept puking it up), and she just couldn't understand why K and I were eating and I was cruelly denying her. Luckily she was over it in a day.

Nilla - K is very logical and articulate in that same way. We've been lucky so far that his only thoughts of death are people killing animals, and animals eating other animals.

Halloween - K didn't know what Halloween was, but when it was explained to him that he could get chocolate, he decided to be an owl (my MIL is making him a costume). I'll put L in a Salvation Army pumpkin one I have lying around.

AFM - We have winter now! Woke up the other day to 5 inches of snow, which soon became 9 inches. It's down to 7 now, but at this point in the year, I'm not sure if it'll melt all the way or not (our usual first snow is around Halloween). Have been breaking out the snowboots and the parkas and sleds and making snowmen (and hurriedly harvesting my last 13 pounds of carrots...)

K has been so fun to be around lately - really in a good stage, learning all kinds of things... I'm starting to wonder about how worthwhile all the logistics are to send him to preschool 4 mornings a week, though I do love the woman who runs it. And I'm becoming more convinced that I probably won't bother to do real school when he's too old for preschool.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Starling - I'm so sorry about the loss of your friend. What a heartbreaking loss for everyone. R has had a few deaths, but no one that was a regular part of our life (3 of his great grandparents, and my foster brother). The hardest was my foster brother last December. He still will randomly ask about him, but he knows he died, unfortunately he also overheard my mom say something about how he died (fire) and so sometimes he will say that. My mom and aunt are very religious and he goes to a christian daycare so he does say things about going to heaven and being with Jesus. I'm an atheist so I don't encourage that, but I also don't say "no that's not true", because at this point he's too young to really get it anyway. I'm also sorry that the final arrangements weren't what your friend would have wanted. My brother's bio-parents arranged everything and it was so not what he would have wanted. It was such a complicated situation. Losing him is the hardest loss I've ever had as well. I try not to talk about it too much. Anyway, hopefully E will process everything well enough, I'm sure she will continue asking questions and talking about it for a long time.

I've been feeling overwhelmed with life lately, kinda down I guess.. Talking about my brother hasn't helped so I'll have to respond to the rest of you another time.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

We got snow yesterday too. Winter is here! The kids are excited about it but it was just a dusting. Should have 5-10cm by tommorow though.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Starling- so sorry about your friend, and E sure does have a lot to process, it's great that you are letting her have the extra closeness she craves.

Sue or Mal (sorry it was on the last page and i can't scroll back and after reading everything else I forget who) is the school picture back in yet? I'd love to see it.

kids up now..I'll be back later


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Courtney: I was just coming here to post about her pics! I shared a couple of them on my Facebook, but can't figure out how to share them on here... Anyway, here's a link to all of them http://virginiawilson.zenfolio.com/montessori2012ps/h485F12C8#h485e0984 One of her poses is on the first page. A few pages later there's an outdoor pose as well. I think they came out pretty cute, although I can tell in them that she was being pretty shy.

Her first field trip was yesterday and she had a great time! Apparently there was a little confusion. I couldn't go with her, so my cousin (whose daughter is in the same class) volunteered to take her and then bring her back to my sister's after they got back into town. I guess Owyn thought that meant she should be in my cousin's group and when she found out she was in another group (who she sat with on the bus, during the play and at the restaurant), she was pretty upset. I asked her if she cried and she said no. And she talks as if she had a really great time, so I guess she must have gotten over it. Oh well. It wasn't until the day of the field trip that I got a little nervous about transportation. I guess that's just something I'll have to get used to. I'm pretty hardcore about car seat safety, so to put her on a school bus that doesn't even have seatbelts, knowing they are getting on a highway and driving about 30 miles... it made me nervous! Owyn loved it though. The school bus and the pizza place seemed to be her favorite parts of the whole day!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Mal - those pictures need a login from the link, but I saw one you put on FB. Cute. I'm glad she had such a good time on the trip. I'm sure my kids will be just thrilled to see things like buses when we go to the big city here in a couple weeks. L hasn't ever left Alaska, and K hasn't since he was 1 year old or so.

AFM - still winter here. Actually we've had an incredible stretch of gorgeous sunny clear cold weather. Beautiful light, beautiful frost. It's like we skipped right over fall and early winter and have landed straight into March.

Just starting to figure out our plans for the next big expedition this spring/summer. 800 miles, probably about 4 months, and we expect K to basically walk the walking parts (some will be packrafting), resupplies to figure out for the whole second half where there are no communities. Not leaving until March, but we'd better get started. It's exciting and daunting at the same time.


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Starling, so sorry for the loss of your dear friend. Her daughters are fortunate to have your family. It does sound like E has a lot on her plate, but it also sounds like she's coping normally and processing things...I have trouble giving Aubrey credit for as much as she understands, but I think it is better to get some of this stuff out of the way early...sort of as it arises, in the natural course of things. Right now we're working on disabilities and mental illness. Big hugs for you and your loved ones right now.

Erin, I hear ya on the school thing. I can't help but wonder what I'm going to do about it. I'm sort of hoping that something appears out of the blue and makes the decision for me. Good luck with the harvest. I'm excited about your upcoming trip! I can't imagine doing all of that with kids. Of course I wouldn't go without them, so I guess that's why we just don't have adventures. Hmm. Need to work on that maybe.

Nilla, the idea of a big kid terrifies me. I like that I have all of the answers still. Or mostly at least. Spirituality is a tough one. My parents are very traditional Catholic, and DH's parents are evangelical christians. Neither is open to intellectual discussion about it, even just historical aspects. Religion, for me, is a struggle--I would like to be more religious in general, but I have so many questions that just don't get answered...and I'm not sure they need to be, but they're there nonetheless. So I've tried the "fake it till you make it" approach, but it doesn't really for me. I should probably make an effort to at least expose the girls to more spiritual events/concepts/considerations.

Ever, I'm sorry you're feeling down. Hopefully things are looking up now? You have so much on your plate, it would be hard not to feel down sometimes. Stay strong, mama.

Boo to the snow talk. BOO.

Halloween--family theme. We're dorks. Aubrey is Tinkerbell, Mallory is Wendy, I'm Peter Pan (couldn't get DH to wear the tights), and DH is John (the oldest brother).


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Hi ladies! Just checking in to say hello, it's been quiet here lately! We had a fun Halloween. Greta was a Grateful Dead dancing bear and Owyn was a flower child. I entered them in the costume contest here on MDC, go over and vote for them! http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1366791/show-off-your-spooky-style-enter-the-mothering-halloween-costume-contest-sponsored-by-barefoot-books/60#post_17160620

We're super busy today. Yesterday was Greta's birthday and today is her big party with all our friends and family. I've been baking all morning, now I'm in the middle of getting chili ready for the party. Really hoping I have time to get dressed before people start arriving... Hope you're all doing well!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Happy birthday Greta!

We had a good Halloween here too. Katmai was an owl (in an awesome costume my MIL made, with a few real feathers he found himself) and Lituya was a thrift store pumpkin. We managed to distribute most of the candy to adults, luckily. Had a great early birthday party here for my husband last night, big potluck inside, fire outside, lots of new and old families to town, great food and kids running around everywhere. I passed on tips about getting kids into the woods, and shared in the excitement of our new residents. I love helping recruit people to this wonderful place.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Dee was a clown & Emmett was harry potter. He managed to eat some candy with soy in it even though he knew better and is still suffering the consequences. He was therefore a mess on Halloween. We only did a couple streets due to freezing rain. I am currently at a conference that starts in an hour in Vancouver. One of the presentations is on bed sharing in infancy from a nurse practitioner so I am interested in that one. Got to spend the day doing lunch and shopping with a friend and then had some great dumplings and noodles for dinner. Slept like crap in the hotel bed though. The kids and the dh were supposed to come with but the weather caused a change of heart. Got myself some cute running shorts so that made me happy. I always said if I ran the 5k I would reward myself with some lulu shorts but I never wanted to order online.

I hope everyone is well here.

Oh and a tip don't watch a movie like we bought a zoo where the mom is dead before you leave on a flight. Gave me all sorts of anxiety and I'm usually a good flyer.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

hey all.

Happy birthday to Greta and to hig!

Mal- I voted for you. the school bus has no seatbelts? That's crazy, my girls school bus (for fieldtrips onlys) has seatbelts, but the little kids always get transported in parents cars.

school- I will be signing Junie up for daycare at the college, she will go part time to start with. I think they do school stuff, I really need to go visit them and see. Maybe today because I need to head to the college and sign up for orientation. ( I missed the one i was signed up for, partly my fault. Told Chris he would have to watch the kids and he said he couldn't he was going out of town, then i forgot to call and reschedule. ) PLUS I need to find out when I can get my student loan so I can get a laptop for school and the rest of the money is to finish fixing up the house. I think I have picked my classes now I just have to wait until the 13th when enrollment opens for new students.

baby crying back later


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

hmm- Had a long post with personals here last week and it didn't post. Grrr...

Hope everyone is doing well. We are getting lots of dark these days and find ourselves hunkering down a bit more. I like it but have to be sure to get out with the kids regularly so I don't go crazy. Finding that balance of staying home and being out and about is so important! THis past week was hard with Fiona. I wish I could say it was because of xyz. I don't really know what is going on. Just a lot more meltdowns and terrible sleep. I'm wiped out. She has OT today and I'll see if her tharapist has any new ideas for me. In general though things are improving with her sleep and behavior. Hoping this past week is a fluke. SHe has been getting really into drawing lately which is fun to watch. She likes to "write letters" to friends and family. The other day she drew this awesome picture of our friend Mike to thank him for bringing us some ling cod. Mike is now showing all the guests that come to their house! She did a great job on his beard!  She's delighted when people have some of the same letters in their name as she does. Exciting stuff!

Maeve is also sleeping very restlessly which isn't helping my mood. She's on the verge of walking though so I think this is why. She took 5 steps friday night and hasn't taken anymore since! Silly baby! The girls continue to adore each other and even play together a bit. More like FIona builds a tower and Maeve knocks them down but as long as she is "building them for Maeve" then she is happy. We do give her time and space to build Maeve free! 

DH and I are brainstorming a home based business to help with the budget. I don't want to do childcare again but we think we have a good idea in the works. Hoping to help the travel budget. Starting to just think about staying here and heading south 2-3 times a year instead. We will still keep an eye ont he job boards but so much of what we see listed are term positions. Can't move the family for a 12 month gig. Gov't is lacking money to list the positions for longer. I do like Kodiak but so dearly miss having regular connections with my family. We'll see!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I've been wanting to post but not had time to sit and type. I read on my phone while pumping.

I've been busy with nursing issues. Aria just had her tongue tie clipped for the 3rd time today!! She also had her lip tie fixed today. I think this might FINALLY do the trick! Even after the 2nd time she still wasn't draining my breasts - was finishing the feed with the lactaid and then I was still pumping after every feed to get the rest of the milk out. 6+ weeks of pumping after every feed! Hopefully I can stop pumping in a few days after we know if this did the trick. Well even if it didn't, I'm stopping - but then I may have to supplement with donor milk instead of my own. But at least I'd get some more of my life back.

Makenna has been great. She is such a trooper with mommy nursing for sooo long and then pumping. She entertains Aria while I pump. She is still doing awesome. She was missing some mommy time but now we are taking baths together for special time. We also finally got a king bed!! She now she is full time back in our bed and back in the middle so she gets more snuggles with me - though she still mostly snuggles daddy. We sidecarred the crib so Aria is on my other side (though not actually in the crib - but at least i can put her on the edge and not worry about her falling off).

Are your kids super into their friends these days? Every day she needs to see a friend. And if she only sees one, she is still sad. She is constantly using their names in her make believe play and making art projects for them (though she never actually gives them to them). It's really cute and fascinating. Oh and when she does see her friends at school she hugs them and holds hands into the classroom.

Today makenna told me about a dream she remembered last night about a friendly monster. I thought it was super cool she finally remembered a dream!

Aria is becoming more of a little person. She loves to look at things and focuses on things. She coos and smiles a lot now. So neat. 

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Courtney - how many classes will you be taking?

Nilla - how was the conference?

Sue - I hope you find a solution that works. Can your family visit you in Kodiak more also? We end up with my parents visiting more than I visit them - easier/cheaper/less impact to move one or two of them than all four of us.

Cindy - wow, that sounds like a lot of work, I hope the tongue clip fixes it!

buses and seatbelts - I thought that buses generally don't have them because studies showed they don't have the same effects as in cars? Not as helpful there?

friends and kids - I've been waiting for K to show any interest at all in other children, but he doesn't much. In groups of kids, he seems to observe them with the same sort of attitude he uses for wildlife observations, asking me questions about their behavior "Mom, why did X crash his sled into the trees again? Why did Y say that?" He plays with his sister some, and if he finds himself alone with a single other kid his age (which is rare, it's usually groups), he'll play OK, but he doesn't seem to ask for it, emphasize it, or miss it at all when it doesn't happen.

AFM - I'm in the BIG city for almost a month now, visiting family and friends in Seattle, and showing the kids the city stuff. First time out of state in over 2 years. I've been able to do aikido some at my old dojo, which is really the city thing I miss most. I've been taking advantage also by doing some shopping that's more convenient, but it's kind of overwhelming. I feel like in rural and wilderness settings, I get tuned to notice more stuff, and in an urban setting I really need to re-learn to ignore most of it - there is so much stimulus from so many directions!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Conference was good and inspiring. A much needed rejuvenation in the world of nursing doing what I do.

Cindy I hope the nursing settles out. How come they clip so many times? Does it heal back together?

Erin I feel like that when I am in Vancouver. Too much stimulus for sure.

Sue do you guys have an idea about what type of business or is that what you are brainstorming about? I hope that Fiona is just going through a phase. When my ds was learning to read and right before Kindie he had some severe behaviour and sleep issues. Hopefully it's just a developmental passing phase.

AFM: I signed up to do a tough mudder race in the early summer. I convinced dh to do it too. It's a team event and a bunch of our friends are doing it. It's a 10-13 mile race with about 25 obstacles designed by army and navy vets. It's a pretty intense race, with some scary obstacles ie. icy water baths, high heights etc. and requires a high level of fitness to do it. I signed up to keep myself motivated to push myself physically. Although I do have some reservations about some of the obstacles.

I also think we decided we are done having kids. I've been able to focus a lot more on myself and on my dh these last months and I am truly enjoying the new found freedom and connection to myself and him. Plus all the financial freedom it would afford us. Not going to do anything permanent about it just yet since we just made the decision. But it feels permanent. I thought I would be sad about not having another baby but I'm really not. I think I was feeling the desire because we always said we wanted more and didn't want just two.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Nilla: Wow, that's a huge decision! I know you had been waiting until the time was right to have another. I can totally get it though! And wow on the tough mudder! My BIL does them. In fact he's at some elite tough mudder this weekend that you have to be invited to. It's 24 hours - you do as many laps as you can. Each lap is 10 miles and 40 obstacles. His team got invited bc they did well a another tough mudder - that one included crossing a body of water and getting electrocuted in it! It knocked people out, in the water, albeit breifly. I'd never want to do that!!!

Cindy


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Hi everyone!

Courtney ... AWESOME about school. What happens for childcare? How does that work?

Cindy ... Sounds like you have got the nursing drama sorted out. Why oh why can't it be easier? I have a hard time reading about breastfeeding challenges. It was such a hard time. But it is a short time. And it IS easier the second time around, even if the only difference is knowledge. But it does sound like you have more milk, which is ever so awesome.

As for being into friends ... not so much. E doesn't ask for them, but when she sees them, she enjoys their company. She is really into her brother though. They are so cute together!

Ever ... How goes the love life, woman?

Mal ... It is not possible that Greta is ONE! Happy belated birth day, Mama!

Kate ... Congrats on the bar!

Nilla ... That IS huge! I wonder if that's a forever decision? Sounds like you and DH are in a great place, which is a perfect time to make those kind of decisions.

Sue ... Excited to hear about your business plan! I hope Fi settles in the next while. E had a time like that very recently and then her reading and writing exploded. Like, literally exploded. I wish you'd move closer. But if you don't, we'll come see you! We can set up our tent in your backyard?

Erin ... I should've gotten myself organized to come see you in Seattle when we were in WA this week! Drat! When do you leave?

AFM:

I've felt off-kilter since my best friend died. I thought I'd been doing okay, but really, I feel jittery and overwhelmed and very sad. And, while K was in the throws of death, I decided that I NEEDED a VW van so that I could get my kids out of the city to see the world, because LIFE IS SHORT. So I bought a $17,000 van. Only to realize that I cannot get the carseats in to my liking and the seatbelt configurations are all WRONG and so now I'm trying to sell it. No one's buying. So, $17,000 albatross that I won't put my kids into. Plus work, and writing, and so much gadgetry and internet and social networking (my life was SO MUCH BETTER WITHOUT IT) ... add it all together and I feel like I'm losing it. To top it all off, I got into a car accident the other day. No injuries, but the car is wrecked.

I took the kids and stayed in a yurt in a park in WA over the weekend, to unplug and relax, and now that I'm home again, I'm jittery and anxious again. It was nice being away. Not nice to come back and have to go back to work, keep writing, juggle finances, deal with the wrecked car, and navigate the quagmire of daily life, when all I want to do is hang out with my family and have no obligations. Cue the holiday season.

Sigh.

Nevermind me, the kids are awesome. My heart bursts several times a day with the hugeness of love that I have for my family. They rock. H is hilarious and easy going and so happy. E is so bright and curious and funny and loving. And DP is all of those things, plus, plus, plus. That part of life is excellent!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Hi everyone! So good to see updates!

Sue: I want to hear more about this business, how exciting!!

Cindy: I really hope the last clip did the trick. Good to hear you are getting plenty of milk though, I know how hard that was with M for you. I hope you are enjoying that sweet baby aside from the nursing issues.

Nilla: Yay for making good decisions! I've always thought the time to make that kind of decision is not when you are pregnant or have an infant. It sounds like you're in a good mental space to be making that kind of decision. Exciting to be moving on thinking about your next phase of life! I wish I could be so decisive about it. I still waffle back and forth.

starling: I'm so bummed that the van isn't going to work out, you were so excited about it! It sounds like that weekend trip was much needed, even if it wasn't quite long enough. I can't imagine how I would feel if I lost one of my good friends. It would definitely throw me for a loop. Heck, it throws me for a loop when I hear of people my parents' age passing away. I'm not ready for that kind of loss, although I don't think anyone ever is. Hugs to you, mama.

Courtney: So excited for you to be starting school!!

AFU: Things here are going well. We had a couple come look at our house, twice. What I'm gathering between our agent and theirs is it sounds like they really like ours, but they want to be sure they're not missing out on anything else. So, they came back here, took lots of measurements but are still looking. Their agent says they want to be closing on something around the end of the year, so they should be making a decision soon. I'm not getting my hopes up too much, but keeping my fingers crossed anyway!

No teaching all week this week! It's our Thanksgiving break. I have an inservice meeting today. I'm really okay with that. No teaching and a day with only adults, sounds like a day off to me!

Owyn is still loving school and her dance class. She asks for her friends all the time. Every day she wants to know who is going to come see her or who is she going to see. She does see at least one friend almost daily though, so I understand why she asks all the time. She is missing her best pal, the girl I used to baby sit. Owyn has school in the morning, L has school in the afternoon. On the day Owyn doesn't have school, I have to work. So, it's hard to find the time to get them together. They are in dance together, but I get the feeling Owyn wants more play time with her. She says her teacher won't let her sit by L and she wants to go to L's house to play with her. We got them together last week, but we didn't have much time so it was a short play date...

Greta is doing well. She turned one and decided to grow up on us. She is now walking all over the place. She also miraculously started sleeping through the night the week of her birthday and has continued to do so! Owyn did the same around this age and I'm shocked it happened again for us. I will take it though! The girls are both waking up SO early every morning lately, but if I get to sleep strait through the rest of the night, I won't complain! Greta is also starting to pick up more words, which is so fun! Owyn is doing a great job teaching her to argue







Mostly they adore each other, but they are sisters so of course there is some arguing over their toys and their space. They share a bedroom now and Owyn has a hard time with the idea that it's not only her room anymore. I'll be glad when we get out of this house and they will each have their own space.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Hey everyone! I haven't posted here in a while, life has been busy and I've been stressed.

Mal - I hope you get an offer soon! I hate the stress of that. It sounds like things are going well, sleeping through the night is always awesome 

Starling - That is so disappointing about the van. And you have so much going on right now. Big hugs Mama! Will you get some down time over Christmas?

Nilla - That's a big decision, it sounds like you're happy with it though  I would love for R to have a sibling. But if I don't meet someone soon I think I'll give up on that idea. I'm not sure about starting all over from scratch once R is older.. There are definitely pros to being 'done'. Good luck with the tough mudder! I need more motivation to work out, I have no time or energy!

Erin - I hope you enjoy your visit to the city! I go to school in downtown Toronto and live in a much smaller city, I find even spending the day there for school leaves me feeling so anxious. I could never live there.

RE friends: R is very social when he's with kids but he doesn't ever say he misses friends or wants to see friends. He is in daycare full time so he does seem them A LOT. The only people he ever says he misses/wants to see are my adult friends or family members.

Cindy - Good to hear your nursing issues are getting better! I hope this tongue clip does the trick! Pumping is such a pain. I only did it for a couple weeks with R and I hated it! I still have R in my bed and I love it. I'm so busy during the day and I rarely see him at all through the week so we both need those night time snuggles.

Courtney - Good for you for going back to school! How exciting! It's for nursing? (I think I saw that on fb?) It's a lot of work but it's worth it! And if you're taking things you're interested in it makes it so much easier 

Sue - I want to hear more about your business ideas!

And I realize I haven't checked in since before Halloween, wow, so busy! I don't even have a pic.. I had to stay in Toronto for school that night. I think my mom took pics so I'll have to get some from her. R couldn't decide between 2 costumes so he did both  He was a dinosaur at daycare and then Iron Man for trick or treating. He doesn't have much of a sweet tooth so most of his candy went in the garbage, he'd take one bite, say "I don't like this" and then toss it and any others like it.

R is mostly doing well I think. He misses me, I hate that and feel so guilty. But he's generally happy, CONSTANTLY talking, so incredibly loving and cuddly, hilarious as always, and so so smart. He's awesome as usual  Today he is home sick with me and I'm studying for an exam Wednesday.

AFM - Just stressing about school as usual. I don't know why I do this to myself.. Well, I sort of do. I'm too competitive when it comes to this stuff. I have received nothing but A's and I want to keep it that way. I want to maintain my CGPA. I want to be in the top 10 for the class. It's totally insane!! Why do I care?!?! It does matter a little, the job I want is competitive and they do ask your grade average at interviews. But seriously. I'm a single mom. I should be happy with more 'average' marks. But I only have 2 weeks of class left, then exams, then I have an ENTIRE MONTH OFF! I am so unbelievably excited about that. I can keep R out of daycare too and hopefully make up for how crazy this semester has been. Hopefully next semester I can take more time to breath. I'm going to quit my job after Christmas so that will give me a bit more time. *sigh* One more semester. I'll be all finished in April.

Love life sucks as usual. I'm still dating the bus guy actually. But he's got issues. It's like he doesn't understand what it means to be a boyfriend. It's not really commitment issues.. It's more that he's been on his own for so long that he has no concept of the sacrifice involved in being a 'partner'. He says one thing but his actions don't really show it.. But it's more like he just doesn't even get that he's 'supposed' to act a certain way. I guess he's just a bit inconsiderate/selfish.. But sort of in a clueless way rather than a malicious way, you know? And I should probably move on because he's older and unlikely to change. But I really like him, he's a really great person in so many other ways, I don't want to not have him in my life...

And the other guy I'd mentioned, that I dated a long time ago and reconnected with, he sort of stopped texting and said he is out of the country til December.. I doubt I'll hear from him again.

Just had to come add one more thing. While snuggling with R today I noticed he has the faintest little freckles on his nose. So cute!! I had freckles as a kid and it looks like he will too


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

So excited to log on and see some action on here. I've missed everyone!

Lots of snow here this morning. We are loving it. The first big snowfall always makes everything look so pretty. Tested out my new to me kindercoat and Maeve was snug as a bug. Loving that used purchase! The neighbor saw me shoveling the driveway with her on my back and Fiona "helping". He drove over with his 4 wheeler and made short work of that!  Awesome- made more time for playing!

Nilla- interesting to read of your decision about more babies. I think that we are with you. Not ready to make anything permanent but I'm also feeling like we are finally in a better place. Have room for each other and not just the intensity of the kids. It's been a tough year! I'm getting more personal time these days too. An hour here or there and 2 hours every saturday to do yoga! bliss!

Erin- Are you going to do the zoo? Fiona loves to hit the zoo when we are there!

Cindy- Sure hope this clip does the trick! Fun to hear about M's love of friends. F asks now and then and is excited when we make plans to see some of them. She's just as content to be with just us though it seems.

Starling- So bummed to hear about your VW and your car wreck! Yikes! You do have a lot going on. Wish I could come by to share a cup of tea with you!

Everr- Awesome about the month long break! You deserve it! I get the grades thing. Hard to "just get a b' even though its also a great mark! You are awesome!

Interesting to read other kids going through tough phases before reading/writing. Fiona is taking off with her letter recognition. Loves to write out peoples names and when we are reading stories we often have this- "did she remember that from before or just read that?" moment. Pretty cool! At any rate- been a better week though sleep is just ok (but not terrible!) 2 nights of fairly solid sleep though! I'm also making sure to give her LOTS of outdoor time. We've been on walks every day and I give her lots of time to play with sensory tubs or painting during the week.

Business idea- I want to sell wooden toys and woolies locally. We have a holiday bazaar almost every weekend from the end of october through mid December. I would sell there as well as out of my house (rather then have a store front). I also want to do toy parties in line with what people do for pampered chef and the like. Get parents together to check out the toys and hopefully buy them! I'd do a combo of in stock items and preorder type of stuff. People also are always asking about the girls ruskovilla woolies so I want to look into carrying them as well. Amber necklaces, cool baskets, cloth dolls, stockmar art supplies, play silks, wooden toys... Sort of a waldorf inspired toy shop. We have a local toy shop but they don't carry these types of items. SOme hurdles to work through are the cost of shipping to kodiak and storage of items in my own house. We won't have the extra money to start up until summer (when DH is at sea and racks up the overtime). We'll see- I think it could be great but also am nervous about it.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Quick shout out to *CINDY* ...

Tell me everything you know about croup! We ended up in the ER last night with Hawksley. They gave him a dose of steroids. We tried all the usual things; outdoors, shower mist, Ibuprofen, to no avail. It was so scary watching him struggle to breath! Now I know what my patients are going through when we show up. Terrifying!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Aww poor Hawksley! croup us so scary! Basically my biggest advice is to get a prescription for the steroid to keep at home just in case. We haven't gone to the ER at all since we got that. Now when M wakes up with croup we give it to her and then go sit outside until she can breathe. The shower never worked for us but outside air does seem to help. It is so awful watching your little one struggle! I got it a lot as a child and ended up in an oxygen tent before a yr old. I was told M gets it so often bc she has small airways and should grow out of it by age 6! I hope this is just a rare occurance for you. Hopefully your paramedic training helps you keep a cool head - not sure if that goes out the window when it's your own child?


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

How is he doing Starling? Hope he's on the mend! Maeve has had croup a couple of times- though never bad enough to send us to the ER. Cold outside air helped the most.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

so scary, keep us updated.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Starling - I hope Hawksley is all better now! What a scary thing to go through 

I just had a trip down memory lane with our old threads. A friend asked me something about R from when he was younger and I couldn't remember (she asked if he ever banged his head on purpose if he didn't get his way). I don't think he ever did this. Anyway, I said "I wish I'd kept a journal of all this stuff because it's hard to remember", and then I realized I could probably look it up here! I found no posts mentioning him banging his head so I don't think he did that. But then of course I got drawn into the old threads and was reading all sorts of things. I wish I could get a printer-friendly version and print it all out. There's so many great little stories and little facts from R's baby years that I would love to have!

I'm also feeling really sentimental about all of you and how important you have been to me over the years (YEARS!) My whole life changed first from having a baby, then losing my marriage, then all the challenges of single parenting. It's been so amazing having this little support group along the way. I'm getting all emotional now, but I want to thank you all 

Anyway, not much new for me to report. I'm finished classes and start my exams this week. I've done a horrible job at studying.. But I'll do my best. First exam is Tuesday and in 10 days it will all be over!

Oh, I guess I have dating news, sort of. I ended things for good with bus guy. Just realized I didn't want to be with him. A week later I heard from the other guy that I didn't think I'd hear from. Turns out he really did have a legitimate reason and we met for lunch this past week. But he doesn't have time to date (his work requires a lot of travel, he's gone more than he's home). He said it would only end up being hard on both of us to get emotionally involved right now but he hopes we can be friends and have lunch when he's around. He is the most amazing guy I've ever known so this really sucks. He's made all these efforts to meet up with me for lunch/coffee and I don't really know why... Just to be friends? He says things that make me know that if it weren't for his work schedule he would definitely want to be in a relationship with me. But he won't go on a date with me because he doesn't want me waiting around alone when he's away. He wants me to date someone else who's more available.. I'm hoping he'll reconsider.. Although I know he's sort of right.. It would be so hard on both of us to see so little of each other. I'm not going to worry about it for now though. I don't have anyone else I'm interested in dating so I'll just be single for a while.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: I feel really lucky to have had all of you ladies to share everything with the past few years. Crazy that we've been chatting away for over 4 years!!! My DDC for Aria never really got going and is already pretty fizzled out. Very disappointing! Anyway, I've enjoyed going back and reading through old threads and reading what I wrote while pregnant with makenna. Crazy! Good luck on Tuesday - I know you'll rock it.

We've been immersed in Christmas stuff this weekend. Put up and decorated the tree. Decorated a ginger bread house and made gingerbread cookies today. DH did a lot of it. That man almost never loses his cool w/M or loses his patience. But after doing a lot of the things this weekend and really taking care of the house today (he put dinner in the crockpot, did laundry while I took the kids to a party, watched Aria while M and I got pedicures and then did cookies with M). But wow, I could hear the frustration in his voice by the end of the day. So I know that my being more frustrated w/M is partially bc I am with her wayyyy more than him.

Doing any fun crafts lately? I really like the ornaments we made. Got empty plastic ornament balls and filled them with colored epsom salt, fake snow and lots of little things like bells and fake lights, etc. They look awesome on the tree (though the salt ones are too heavy to hang). I stole the idea from a blog. We're also going to make baking soda clay ornaments when I can find the time.

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Everr: I do that from time-to-time as well. It really is crazy that we've all just be chatting with each other for so long. I think the craziest thing to me is that none of us have ever met. We all came together because of our babies, who are now kids! And they don't even know each other! One day I hope I can meet you guys! I sometimes mention my "internet friends" to people IRL and they look at me like I'm crazy. But I've been in touch with you ladies longer than some of my IRL friends. I still chat a little with my DDC from Greta, but haven't ever felt as close with them so I don't check in as often.

Christmas is in full swing here too! I just had my ladies shopping trip last weekend and made good headway on my gift list. Did I mention I got an iPad finally?! DH surprised me by telling me to go get one when Walmart had their Black Friday special (or Thursday rather). So, I went and stood in line forever with one of my friends and we both got one for Christmas. My husband rocks! Anyway, the girls are all done, I just need to dye the silks I ordered for their stockings. We've had the same set since before Owyn was born and they are getting a little worn! If I had thought about it enough, I would have wrapped their presents in them, but I didn't order enough silks for that. Maybe I'll wrap their other stocking stuffers with them. Our decorations are up and we're going to get our tree this weekend.

Owyn is SO into Christmas this year! She has all kinds of theories about Santa already, it cracks me up. DH got out all the decorations one day while we were out, so when Owyn walked into the house and saw our tree skirt (which is red with white trim), she exclaimed "Mommy, Santa left his coat here!" We missed breakfast with Santa last weekend because I was gone, but our town usually does a train stop with Santa each year. I think Owyn will love that this year. She keeps insisting she has to go see him. She also tells me all kinds of things that happened last Christmas. It amazes me how much she remembers now. Of course, after I got all done shopping for her presents, she started telling me she wants a pink airplane for Christmas. Now, it's all she can talk about. Anytime anyone asks she what she wants for Christmas, it's a pink airplane. I think I'll let my ILs get it for her...


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I too visit old threads in my DDC's. I think I have gotten lucky b/c I still talk to people from Josie's ddc (dec 06), this one (feb 09) and from Coraline's (april 12). I have even met some of the people in the dec 06 and april 12 clubs.

Hawksley update?

so who has letters to santa? Junie wrote one with me and 1 or 2 with her sisters.

Quote:


> Dear Santa,
> 
> Thank you for getting us all the toys. Me can do school together with my friend Erin. And halloween is fun. Me can go trick or treating with my family and you. Love forever. Me had a big talk with you and me want a pretend lalaloopsy that can move her hands and talk. and love and love and love forever. a big love.
> 
> p.s. me want more leggins and skirt-es.


so I got a new car which is awesome b/c now my 9 year old can sit in the back again, I am feeling much safer about that, plus it gets better gas mileage and it's pretty awesome. Car payments are new and I can't say I like them but I do think it was needed, we couldn't just keep buying crappy cars that only lasted us 3 years.





Christmas stuff- I haven't really started. I am feeling like there is a lot going on right now (researching schools b/c I am pretty positive we are changing the girls school and we have to check out all the different public school options), and okay that's all but for some reason life seems like a lot, it may just be the four kids and husband always working. That seems lame. I need to start making some presents. I am feeling a bit 'um stressed b/c we are off food stamps now but things are still super tight, plus we have a million bills due that we don't usually have so it might all be making me feel just a teensy bit depressed.plus the girls are all having separate birthdays this year b/c 1 and 10 are big deal birthdays in our family so there will be no combined birthday. For the record I am happy and glad we are off food stamps, I hated being on them I just don't like running out of vegetables and I need to restock my pantry/baking stuff. overall I feel like we are making progress and that we are further than we have been in a long time and I know this patch is temporary.

Speech therapy is going well for Juniper, they've only started on 2 letters but between that and me trying to work on her pronunciation quite a few people have mentioned how much more of what she says they can understand.

oh and a family shot of us


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Ever ... Interesting love life update! My gut tells me that there is more with that guy. The right guy, that is. Not bus man. Keep us posted!

Courtney ... A new school? Aren't you all in love with their school? What's going on with that?

I love that we're all still in touch years later too ... how can we make a meet-up happen? Ideas? Thoughts? Impossible? Let's TRY!

AFM: H is much better, thanks! It's more than a week and a half later, and he still sounds like he's drowning sometimes. My gut tells me that his choking incident in the summer has something to do with his increased chest colds and respiratory stuff. Not sure how, but that's what my mama guts says.

Christmas ... We don't do much. At all. And we've got a moratorium on having any family over and we're not going anywhere, so it's going to be really low key. We'll do stockings and a gift each from Santa, and gifts to and from the kids to each other, and one from us. That's it. H is getting a broom from E (He ADORES brooms!). H will give E a pocket knife, if I can find one that's not too sharp. We're giving her a camera. And H a wooden toy car. Santa is bringing E the Madagascar 3 movie, and H some magnetic wooden blocks, if I can find them. Tomorrow my best friend's parents are coming to town and doing an 'early' Christmas, so the kids will get gifts tomorrow too.

Hi everyone else! I have to go to sleep. Will try to go back and read and do more personals tomorrow.

xoxoxox


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I love to hear what everyone is doing in the stockings and gifts!

Coutney: I thought you guys loved the school too? Congrats on the car! Very nice! And yay for no more food stamps. I think you have such a beautiful amazing family. And I loved your facebook status last night about when your husband disappears and leaves you with cranky kids and won't answer the phone - mine does that sometimes - you hit the nail on the head so well with the not knowing when relief will come part! Ha!

We're having a very low key holiday too. We are staying home and not going to Indiana. Would be fun since my inlaws also have a new baby but I don't feel up to traveling with Aria yet. My mom has decided not to come up as she likes to do when we stay home. So it'll just be us. We'll go to some extended relatives house on xmas eve, but that's it. I'm sort of looking forward to a quiet day. So far I've bought M a stuffed t-rex (she was very specific about wanting this), a tape dispenser that has 10 rolls of colored tape (she LOVES to tape things these days and can go through entire rolls of scotch or masking tape easily).http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CBWWHG/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3

I am pondering a bike and helmet and:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008BFZH/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_5?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I know DH will want to shop for things that he picks out. So most likely the bike would be for birthday instead. I love the camera idea! I found a nice hearty digital one for kids on amazon for under $30 once you mentioned it.

Not sure about Aria. A teething necklace, a mirror to look in and some stackable cups.

Gotta run...


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

we do love the school BUT it's just not so doable anymore. I am starting school in January and now Chris is probably going to go back to get his BA because he has Florida prepaid and if he doesn't use it soon it will be gone. he will have to do night school and if he is cleaning the school in the evening that won't work. plus Juniper isn't being offered a spot because we don't have anything else/more time to offer. Every Sunday is dominated by having to be at the school, if I go with Chris than about an hour in June starts crying that she wants to go home and when her sisters want to go home I can say "well we are here so you can go to school" June has to be there and gets nothing out of it. Plus my oldest's class went on a trip this year to key west, Jewel could not go b/c we didn't have $500. so she watched all her friends go on the trip and trying to make ME feel better she said "well at least I don't have to ride on the bus for 6 hours". next year the plan is for her class to go to Costa Rica, the year after Europe. Those trips are not happening for her. PLUS she is very into performing arts, Josie likes dance, current;y we can not afford to put the girls in those programs. dance we will eventually be able to do. They also want to learn instruments, another thing we can't afford. public schools offer those things. They are intelligent and with motivation they can excel academically anywhere, they can't get those other things at their school or in their life without public school. It's sad to be taking them from an amazing school but the middle school we toured today was great, now we just need to win the spot in the lottery. 2000 kids applying for 200 spots. cross your fingers for us.

Christmas- a lalaloopsy, some action figures, and a mushroom tent for them to share. that's all we have so far. if we can't get anything else it's still decent. I know Junie wants a video camera or camera. I've had bad luck with those cheapy kids ones so I might get a cheapy grown up one. or find one on craigslist used or something.

my kids used that snap set at a science museum and loved it, i think i want to add it to the wish list


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Courtney - Sounds like a tough choice. But that would be so hard to be the one kid that doesn't get to go on the trips. Don't they do school fundraisers to help out the kids who can't afford it? I'll cross my fingers for your lottery.

Starling - Glad H is feeling somewhat better. That did sound terrifying.

Everr - Maybe something will work out with that guy (not bus guy, the other one) eventually. Or maybe he'll just be a good friend and you'll stumble on someone perfect any day now.

Holidays - haven't even thought about it yet, since I'm still totally caught up in the whirlwind of visiting friends and family in the big city here (Seattle), and won't be home until Monday. But we'll be as low key as DH's family (who live right by us) allow. I've been trying to train grandparents not to give too much junk, my kids don't know about the Santa thing, and we don't really do official presents for the kids (not on holidays anyway - we get them stuff sometimes, of course. L just got a balance bike last week, which she's thrilled with). I like the tree decorating/craft making/baking parts of Christmas, so we'll probably do some of that. And L's birthday is New Years, so that's kind of all rolled right into the same crazy mess.

I'm also super glad to have had you guys to chat with for all these YEARS. Amazing! I feel like I know all of you, and the kids, despite never meeting.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

BTW, I have no idea how to make a meetup happen, but that would be amazingly cool!!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

I would happily splurge on plane tickets somewhere for a meet up  There's some great options for destinations amongst us! Something in the summer would be nice. It would be really awesome if we could make this happen. Would anyone be interested in being the destination spot? Maybe somewhere we could camp would be fun?

Courtney - That's too bad about the school but it does make sense. I think your girls will excel no matter where they are  It has been a lot of work going back to school and I know R doesn't get as much of my time/energy that he could, there are sacrifices, that's life. But, he is happy and doing fine and I know in the end I'm doing what's best for our family and that feels awesome.

Starling - I'm glad H is feeling better 

RE Christmas: R is so into it this year, very excited!! He wants: A camera and a broom and a watch. Same list he's had since the summer. My mom got him a little kids camera, I got him a super cute Swatch watch, and Santa is bringing him a broom as well as a big tool set for his workbench. His stocking is going to have some dollar store stuff (book, play doh, chocolate), also I might get him an electric toothbrush (he saw them the other day and wanted one, the little kids ones) and some sunglasses if I can find some I like. I have a couple other small things for under the tree, an avengers puzzle book and this little game I got for $3. Umm, I think that's it..

Ok, I just asked him to tell me what to write to Santa in a letter.. I don't think he really get's it, I had to help him. I asked him what he wants to say to Santa in his letter and he said: "Merry Christmas! Have a good trip!" and then I said he needs to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas, and he said "I want a present" and then I said what present, and he said "A camera, and a broom, and a watch" And then I said, you should use your manners, so he said "Please Santa, Thank you." And then I asked if we could finish with "Love Royce" and he agreed. 

AFM - exam today went well, next one is Thursday  Can't wait to be done! I'm actually enjoying being home now, even though I have to study, it's nice just being around more.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

So grateful for the YEARS of love and support from you guys. A meet up would be amazing! Camping sounds awesome!

Fiona is also excited about Christmas this year. Very into the lights, looking forward to getting a tree, doing an advent calendar this year... it's fun! I went overboard on their gifts as usual. Sometimes I really can't help myself. This fall I bought a used doll house which has been hiding out at DH's work. I also got them some really cute dolls to go with it off of etsy. The g-parents bought some doll house furniture. That is a shared gift. F is also getting this rocker board, some art supplies, and little kid snowshoes. Maeve is giving her a plan toys concertina. Maeve is getting this cool piano, a small baby doll, and a wave puzzle. Fiona is giving her a little rolling hedgehog toy. A lot! I've been buying it over the last several months...

Holy cow, that tape dispenser is amamzing!!

Courtney: crossing fingers you get the lotto! I totally get that reason for the change. It will be great to get your weekends back too. Awesome that you guys will be going back to school yourselves! Sounds like a lot but all good changes! Read that a spot opened up for Juniper on the campus too. 

The kids are doing pretty well. Not sleeping all that much and I'm always tired but they will be in college someday I suppose! I don't even know what it would feel like to sleep 4 straight hours let alone through the night!

Erin: Someone was telling me about some sort of yoga retreat deal in Seldovia? What is this?!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

I've also mentioned my internet friends and had people look at me like I'm crazy but I sometimes 'talk' to you ladies about things I never talk about with IRL friends.

News: My dh and ds were in a car accident on Saturday. Both are alive and whole, just very banged up, bruised, whiplashed etc. Em had his feet up on dh's seat so his foot and hips are very sore. He was in a booster so the seatbelt bruised his lower ab muscles and pelvis. Emotionally they are both having a hard time with it. The car is totalled so we are in a terrible rental. I'm still having trouble with it too. The thought of losing them, the sight of the totalled car, the phone call that they were in the ER.... I am taking lots of rescue remedy to say the least. The other guy accepted 100% responsibility (turning left into oncoming traffic from a side road, no light, on the highway, slipped on the gas pedal and punched it). My poor husband keeps crying.... I don't know how to help him. I think it's a bit of PTSD, he's going to the doctor on Thursday. In laws have offered us their old van, which I don't really want but will take and appreciate while we decide on what to do about a vehicle.

Christmas: I've bought an outfit for each, a lego set for each, binoculars for Em, a headlamp for Dee, a lego head sorter for Em, a video game for each, and Jenga for Dee. Christmas will be big this year as we are supposed to head to Chilliwack and all the siblings are going and none have kids so they all want to buy toys for mine. I saw this post on fb on what the f* not to buy my kids and I wish I had sent out a more politically correct, tactful version. I have not started decorating or baking my house is a bomb.... sigh one parent down makes this part of life hard.

Croup: Terrible, terrible virus. I've had to resort to coca cola with Em to open the airways one night. We also sleep him under a window open a crack.

Exams: One more assignment and I am done for the semester.

Meetup: Tell me when and where and I'll be there.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Nilla - Oh wow, I can't imagine. I'm so glad everyone is ok. Just thinking about it all makes me nauseous. I remember seeing the totalled car from an accident my ex was in before we got married. He walked away with just some scratches, but seeing that car... It was horrible. Try not to 'what if' things too much. *hugs*


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Oh Nilla! So glad that they are ok! Big hugs Mama!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Nilla-- How terrifying! I'm so glad they are both okay. I'm sure it will take them a while to process that. I rear-ended a car with my then-2 year old niece in the back seat with me before I had kids. We were both okay, but the car was totalled and we were bruised up pretty good. It took her months to not cry when she was around me. It was really heart-breaking. The bright side, it made me super diligent with car seats now. Hers was a good seat, but we didn't use the latch system, thinking the seatbelt would be enough. Her seatbelt didn't catch, allowing her to come forward and hit the back of the seat in front of her. That's where most of her bruising came from. Important lesson learned! Still today, I get a lot of anxiety if I'm not driving.

Christmas, again... I always go overboard too, Sue! We've been pretty good this year about keeping to our budget, which is always hard for me to do! Owyn is getting the dollhouse from Santa. Greta is getting a little piano from Santa (the Melissa and Doug one). I tried sticking to the 4 gifts rule aside from Santa.

So Owyn's:

Want-- a flashlight

Need-- a sleeping bag

Play With-- a new doll (the American Girl knock-off one from Target)

Read-- two new books

Greta's:

Want-- a flashlight

Need-- a storage container for bath toys

Play With-- an alligator pull toy

Read-- two new books

They will both also get Christmas PJs and an ornament on Christmas Eve, plus their stocking stuffers (a movie each, crayons, coloring books, playsilks, toothbrush/toothpaste). It still seems to add up to too much stuff! I do it to myself every year...


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Hi ladies. Caught up reading and wanted to check in...I don't know why I've been so absent--no excuse really, I just struggle to get me-time on the computer and I don't really like posting from tapatalk on my phone. I can FB on my phone more easily, so I end up there.... Anyway!

FIRST: Ever, CONGRATS on being finished with school for a little while! You deserve the break. A month off, right? As for bus guy, probably better to let that go. Sounds like the other guy is a genuinely good guy, but the whole situation sort of sucks. But then life has a way of surprising us, so who knows what may happen in the future?

Nilla and Starling, how terrifying about the car accidents! They are really one of my worst fears. I'm glad everyone is okay. Nilla, I felt like your husband after my accident years ago, and that was just with my grandmother and dog. I had flashbacks to that moment of impact for a couple of years. Thankfully it does fade away. I hope E is feeling better. So awful. But a tough mudder--whoa. That's impressive. I love the idea of it but I'm waaay too lazy. I hate overexerting my respiratory system, and that seems like the key to being fit. Ah well. I'll accept my limitations for now.

Starling, hope H is staying well. And I'm glad that you're enforcing the moratorium--I think your Christmas will be much more pleasant that way. I saw E's letter to Santa on FB--very impressive! She seems so advanced. I know its not a race, of course, but geez! You may have a little genius on your hands.







I'm still thinking of your dear friend who passed away. I don't have the right words to say, I know, but I would imagine that the grieving could go on a long time. When someone has a big place in your heart, her loss is going to leave a big hole, you know? And adding the other stressors on top....I know you've got the right outlook on it, but I want to give you a big hug anyway.

Sue, I love the idea of an at-home waldorf-y shop. There is a woman a couple of miles away from me that has a natural parenting home business, and she just got a local business grant from the county to update her website. All of her sales are either online or out of her home. Here's her site if you're interested: http://www.formomandkeiki.com/ Not quite the same as what you're thinking, I know, but I think it is very do-able. How are things going with Fiona's allergies and the OT?

Courtney, is that the volvo? I LOVE it. So many changes for you guys. Too bad there's no way for Chris to transfer his prepaid to you so that there wouldn't be a rush for him to do it. And as for the girls' school--it will be easier to have them all in one place, and it would be hard to have your big girl missing out on activities. But seriously, what is there for 10 year olds in Key West?! Hope Josie isn't too upset about her leg. Yikes these things happen at the worst times. What happened? Glad speech therapy is going well for Junie. Not so much here--the speech therapist seems to think she has a behavior problem rather than an articulation problem, and that she is just being "willful" and will say the words when she's ready. It annoys me, but at least she's working with Aubrey anyway. As far as I can tell the letters sounds she struggles with aren't getting any better, but the rest of her language is improving, so she's becoming easier to understand overall. I think right now they're working on /k/ and /g/. And we're only getting 25 min/week, which doesn't seem like enough time to accomplish anything. Ah well. I honestly think everything will resolve in its own time, but I was hoping to help her along a little. Not sure if we're going to continue after the winter break or not. Aubs really doesn't like going so its a headache getting her there. I can't believe how mobile Cora is! Mallory looks like such a slug by comparison. She just sort of scoots around, dragging her big belly and her legs like she's paralyzed or something. Honestly I don't think she can hold her own weight--she's about 21 lbs. already.

Cindy, you are a rockstar pumping nursing machine. I really hope this third clip does the trick for Aria. She's so lucky to have a committed mama.

Need to take a break, will come back for more soon!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Oh I think I forgot to update you guys on the nursing? I stopped pumping over a week ago and stopped supplementing 2 weeks ago and she has kept on gaining about an ounce/day from nursing alone! So yes, the 3rd tongue tie revision did the trick! That she can nurse normally is such a miracle to me! Now we are dealign with Torticollis. She was asynclitic when she was born and was probably hanging out inside of me with her head turned for quite some time since she dropped about 3 weeks before she was born. Now she always wants to look to the right - and her head is starting to get misshapen a bit. So she starts physical therapy for the neck muscle that is tight next week and we are doing cranial sacral therapy weekly. And Makenna starts PT for her toe walking next week too. Busy busy. Poor Aria has had so much to deal with in her 2 months already. But she is a super happy baby!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Cindy that's so great about the nursing!

Starling - how goes it with selling the VW van? My husband's uncle would LOVE it. But they don't have the funds right now.

Courtney - I hope things are looking up for you.

Ever - I hope your last exam went well. I am procrastinating on my last paper. I should just write it and get it over with so I can focus on other things.

Mal - I like that rule but I could never stick to it lol. Though I have stopped at way less this year than most. Having to pack it up and bring it makes it less appealing.

Kate - so good to hear from you. The speech therapy really doesn't seem like much time at all but I'm glad to hear she is getting easier to understand.

Sue - LOVE the gifts your girls are getting! I think I need to get Dee a microphone. She got a toy one the other day that reverberates? Just a cheap plastic thing but she is going around interviewing and singing, she's got enough stuff so maybe for her birthday.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Nilla, wow that is scary, I am so glad they are okay!

Kate- it's the chrysler pacifica.

My girls really wanted the lego heartland stable, the stupid thing is$60!! so I got 200 tyco lego rip off blocks off ebay for $15 in the pink/aqua/lime green colors instead. I'm hoping before Christmas to get each of the girls a video game ( poptropica, a fashion design game and something for Juniper, not sure what yet)and maybe if things turn really lucky a dvd each but i'll probably save it for their birthdays. (avengers, rapunzel, odd life of timothy green) and I haven't got Coraline anything at all. she doesn't need anything besides another diaper cover, I think I want to get her a wool one. I feel like she should have more than one present, but I might just wrap up a box of tissue paper and not get her a stocking so I don't have to buy a bunch of little silly things for a 9 month old. she has all the clothes she could need, bunches of toys, actually she's not walking yet and i thought she would be so a walker would be nice, one that has toys on it or turns into a stroller or something. I don't know. I am totally stressing about Christmas mixed with ignoring it coming.

mal- we have the boon frog pod and i LOVE that thing!

i want to get my niece a cute little bug onesie from a shop down the street and a wooden iphone5 to gnaw on.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Nilla! THANK GOODNESS they are (mostly) okay! How traumatizing for all of you! And if your in-law wants it, I swear, it's such a good van and we're willing to entertain offers! I just want to be rid of the thing now. Such a stupid move..

That is an awesome nursing update, Cindy! Great to hear that it's going so well! I have waaaaaaaay more milk this time. H is in the 98th percentile, whereas E was in the 3rd percentile.

AFU: I just want to put a shout out to the universe for our healthy children, and say thank you to the powers-that-be! A friend from the Queer Parenting tribe just lost her son at one day old to meningitis. So tragic. So sad.
On a brighter note, e went to look at tent trailers today ... With furnaces so that we can camp all year. I think that'll be the way to go for now. Just have to sell the van. Wish I was sloppier about car seat safety, because it is such an awesome van. But I can unknow what I know, you know?

Xoxox to everyone. Hold your children close ...


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Starling, I think your friend is on another board that I'm on. Either that or that same tragedy has struck two different people in the online world in the last couple of days. So, so sad... no one should have to experience that kind of loss. I haven't been able to get it out of my head. It really makes me realize how incredibly fortunate I am. Holding my babies a little tighter for sure...

Owyn is sick today, which stinks. We had a lot planned for today and it didn't work out. And the poor girl still had to be out and about while feeling like crud. She woke up with a fever in the middle of the night, but went right back to sleep. Woke up this morning, still fever, won't eat, complaining her throat hurts, won't talk much at all. So, we went all over the world today looking for an urgent care to get her into. The poor kid really just wanted to be in her bed. But, she finally got seen... an ear infection and likely strep throat (they didn't test since her ear was obviously infected, said the antibiotics would treat both anyway). Weird, she's never had an ear infection before.

Yesterday, the girls were with a different sitter, a good friend of mine. When I picked them up, my friend said she was concerned about Owyn's hearing and had I ever had her hearing checked. I have actually gone back and forth trying to decide if she has a hearing problem or if she just doesn't pay attention. Lately, though she has been asking for tv or music to be turned up really loud, saying she can't hear it. When I'm talking to her, she has frequently asked me to talk louder, she can't hear me. But a lot of the time, she just seems so wrapped up in what she's doing that she just isn't listening close enough. People in her life have always described her as living in her own little world. I know she can hear, but I have to wonder how well she is hearing. I asked the ped that saw her today what he thought about it. He said based on what I was telling him, he would probably consider referring her to an ENT to get it formally checked out, but since he's not her regular doctor he didn't feel like he could really make that call. What do you ladies think? Should I get her checked out? Is it worth making an appt now or should I just wait until her 4 year check up... I can't decide what to do.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Mal - Poor Owyn! I hope she recovers quickly. How is her language? If it's something you're going to worry about it might be good to make the appointment just to be sure. I think it would concern me more if it seemed like her hearing was getting worse, I'd want to know why.

Starling - That is so very sad. I can't even imagine. My public health studies have made me so paranoid about all these horrible things that can happen (rarely, but they do). It's heartbreaking hearing of things like this happening.

I hope you get your van sold! How bad are the carseat issues? I would probably be willing to ease up on the safety a bit in that case.. Mainly because it's so large that it's not going to have the same level of damage in an accident, right? Like being on a bus - you don't need seatbelts. Anyway, I know you said you've explored all the options and it's just not possible, but I was just curious  A tent trailer would be awesome, I want to buy one as soon as I can afford it! Maybe not next summer but the one after.

Cindy and Starling - Yay for nursing going well!!!

Kate - Good to hear from you! That's too bad about the speech therapy. I would be irked if someone said it was just my child being 'willful'. Maybe a different teacher would be a better fit?

And yes I get a MONTH off starting Wednesday at 12pm. Just 2 exams left Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Woohoo!

Oh, and Starling, I agree with Kate, I'm SO SO impressed with E's writing! Wow! R can sort of write his name, but he needs help with even that (forgets the order of the letters or what the letters look like and it's hard to read it). He doesn't recognize all the letters in the alphabet and has no clue about phonics (despite many efforts by me, he just doesn't get it). It's actually very frustrating for me. I know he's still young, but I just don't get how he can't even recognize the letters! Like I'll point to a K and say what letter is this and he just guesses, he has no clue. The only letters he recognizes are the ones in his name. I'm trying really hard not to become a flash-card mommy... But man I really really want to start doing that just so he can at least recognize letters!

Not much else new for me. Just studying as much as I can. R makes that incredibly difficult, more so than last spring and last winter. He is so much busier, talks constantly, is always talking to me and asking questions. Tomorrow he's in daycare so I can hopefully have a really productive day. Then my mom is keeping him Tuesday night so I can do some final review for my Wednesday morning exam.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

I guess I would say it seems like her hearing is getting worse. It's been in the last 6 months or so that she has started asking for the volume to be turned up or to talk louder. I spoke with my sister a little about it yesterday. My nephew did the same thing at around this age. He's 13 now, so I had totally forgotten about his issues. He always wanted to volume up really loud too, and he spoke really loud. She took him to an ENT for a totally unrelated issue and they discovered lots of fluid built up in his ears. He'd never had an ear infection, but the fluid had apparently been building up over a long period of time. He ended up getting tubes in and his hearing issues got a lot better. Her description of what he was doing sounds so much like Owyn. Her language is okay. I've always felt like it's a little behind her peers, but not too noticeably. I've never had anyone tell me they have problems understanding her, although she does mumble a lot. I asked her teachers at our conference if they have noticed anything with her hearing (it really has been on my mind for a while...) and they just kind of shrugged and said possibly, she definitely seems to live in her own little world. But they also said it could just be normal 3 year old behavior. Ugh, the more I think about it the more I think there's an issue... I think once the holidays are over and she's totally healthy again, we'll see about getting her in to ask about it. Lucky us, she's now throwing up today! Looks like no school or daycare for her tomorrow...

Starling, also totally impressed with the writing! Owyn can write her name pretty well, but that's about it. She has started recognizing quite a few letters and always wants to know what letter everyone's name starts with. She is always very proud to tell everyone "I start with O!" and says that O is her favorite letter. She'll often ask me to write the names of her friends and then she will either trace them or try to copy it on her own. So cool to see them doing such grown up things!

Everr, enjoy your time off!! Will R be out of daycare too? I'm really missing that time off at this time of year!

Things at work are overly busy right now with the holidays coming. The kids are crazy and our schedule is totally thrown off. They are participating in the school-wide Christmas program, so we've been practicing for that a lot. But only two more weeks and I'm off for almost 2 weeks. I'm not even planning much for that last week because I know their focus is going to be totally out the window, plus we have practice everyday that week with the whole school for their program. Our last day is an early out and we'll pretty much only have our Christmas party. Owyn doesn't have school that day, so I'm thinking of taking her to work with me for our party. So much to look forward to!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Mal- I'd probably just get it checked out, it can't hurt, but yeah after the holidays b/c the holidays are crazy.

Cindy- glad the third clip worked, that's awesome.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Mal- I'd look to get it checked out after the holidays as well. I ope you have a restful break and hope Owyn is on the mend soon.

Everr: Rock your exams! Then rock your break! 

Courtney: Love your family photo!

Cindy: such great news on the nursing front!

Kate: Good to hear from you. OT is really helping a lot here. Sorry that speech is so short. Can you ask for longer/more sessions?

Starling: Hope the van sells soon! I've wanted one of those vans forever...but never looked at how car seats would fit. We would love a small camper or tent trailer if we move south. 
So sad to hear of your friends loss. I can't imagine. I've been having a lot of anxiety about our vaccine decisions lately. I think we have a mix of not vaxing to selective to all on here? part of me is considering some for the girls... I don't know.

The letter to santa was awesome! Fiona can pretty clearly write her name and loves to write letters to friends and cousins. She draws pictures, writes her name, and asks for help writing their name. I don't really push any letter recognition but have been following her lead on it. When she asks about letters we've always given there sound rather then there name. She knows the sounds of pretty much all of the alphabet can isn't writing all the letters on her own. It's fun to watch it all come together for her though. I probably won't do any formal letter/reading work with her until she's older though.

I had sort of an icky situation here with a friend. We had been doing regular playdates but certain things she would say to the kids kept really bothering me. Also her daughter loves to chase Fiona and Fiona can NOT handle being chased. Daughter would ignore F's pleas to stop. The mom would never step in- it just sort of sucked. I wrote her an email and siad we needed a break from playdates and laid out why as nicely as possible. I have the social awkwardness of living in this small town though and will see her 1-2 times a week at things like library story time. Good times! But it was obviously way more important for me to stick up for my daughter. Fiona does like the girl but every.single.time we get together she ends up getting really stressed out. The last straw for me was when Fiona asked the girl to stop while at a kid event and the mom told F that her daughter could chase if she wanted and not to tell her what to do. Yeah, that isn't going to happen!

otherwise doing well here. Tree is up! Lots of fun with holiday projects. Coffee filter snowflakes! We might have made a few...


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

FYI the amazon.com deal of the day is the entire DVD collection of the Magic School Bus show (52 episodes) for $26.99 and it qualifies for super saver shipping. I think its only today. I just bought for F's birthday!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

sue, holy crap! I'd do the same thing of a mom said that to my kid about her standing up for herself.

so i ave sort of stopped stressing/ i didn't even have 1 present for each kid and soon i will so now that i know they will each have a santa present and then Chris and I got them a mushroom tent to share. so phew. I was so majorly stressed b/c I didn't know if we'd be able to get the 2 little girls something, but my sister saved the day. I'm unsure if they will get anything beyond that and I have made peace with it.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Courtney: I'm glad things are looking up and you are feeling more at peace. Christmas doesn't have to be about the gifts anyway. Christmas movies, homemade ornaments, singing, hot cocoa... lots of fun to be had there!

I recently came across this idea which I think I'm going to try to do for Fiona- trying to decide if I want to do them as "story stones" or to make up a weather station. I think they'd be fun in a stocking... http://pinterest.com/queenmetz/story-stones/


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Courtney - Glad you're feeling less stressed about the whole Christmas thing.

Nilla - That accident sounds so scary! Glad everyone is OK.

Mal - I'd get that hearing checked out too. Asking for stuff to be loud seems like more of a flag than just ignoring people.

Kate - Good to hear from you! Sorry the speech isn't helping much. Can you ask to work with someone different?

Everr - Enjoy your break!

Sue - Sounds like stopping those playdates is for the best. Hopefully it won't be as awkward if it's phrased as a kid personality thing, rather than you not liking what the mom's doing. I feel a little awkward sometimes with my mom friends here, because K really doesn't give a crap about other kids. Which means it's harder for me to reciprocate babysitting and such because their kids aren't terribly interested in playing with a kid that doesn't want to play with them. I really wish it was L that was old enough to go to preschool occasionally. She would love it.

Starling - I too am very impressed with E's writing. Very impressive motor coordination. Katmai knows letters, and all the basic phonics, and can read or type simple words when he feels like it (hasn't been too interested lately). But I think he's still physically incapable of writing or drawing anything recognizable. The few times he's tried to write by hand it's been totally incomprehensible, which he got around by saying "this is what the letters look like in Japanese"

It sounds like most of the kids aren't writing much, but how good are your kids' drawings? Could they form letters if they knew them? I do wonder that Katmai's stuff is still very abstract. Even when he says he's drawing a dinosaur or something, all the parts he says he's drawing are just lines or blobs added in seemingly random places.

Christmas: All this talk of Christmas makes me feel like a scrooge. If it wouldn't make my extended family sad, I probably would just skip Christmas altogether. Except for the tree. I like decorating the tree. And making cookies. I haven't been able to force myself to do the whole Santa thing (and K doesn't see enough santa stuff to be curious about it yet), but I did, for the first time ever actually buy him a few things (art supplies).

AFM: We finally got home Monday night after being down south for a month. And in the course of unpacking, I rearranged half of the furniture in our house, trying to make a better spot for the kids to play and do projects in (so I don't trip over their toys so often). We have a brand new cargo bike I'm super excited to try out (can fit both kids on back with no trailer), but I'm waiting for a slightly less icy day.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Erin - I just asked R to draw a picture of a person and a dinosaur and write his name. Here's the result (2 people with "crazy hair" and a dinosaur/alligator with lots of "crazy hair") This is the best I've ever seen him write his name 



I wrote my last exam today!! I'm DONE for a whole month  Movie night with R tonight


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: That's great work by R! And good job on your part too. Enjoy your hard earned vacation! It's movie night here too.

DH took the day off and we went into SF and picked out special ornaments and new stockings. This is the 2nd yr we've done the ornament thing. DH took M ice skating - she liked it but it was basiaclly just him holding her up and pulling her around. Didn't last long. We forgot to let her see santa at Macy's - er I remembered but thought DH wanted to avoid it. So we get back to the car and she freaks out about not seeing him (I used Starlings explanation about it not being real santa, etc). So we came back to our town and had an early dinner then went up to the hills where the old merry go round is super decked out for the holidays and opens in the evenings. We killed time waiting for it to open - then it turned out santa doesn't come out for aother hour! So we had to convince her to let us take her another day. But we came home and are watching Polar Express. Or they are and I am on here. Ha.

Makenna doesn't write all of her name yet. I've been a bit lax on working on those things with her lately thanks to baby, other than her natural learning, which is fine. She does recognize most letters and knows most of their sounds. Is starting to sound some things out but doesn't really read at all yet. But she is completely numbers obsessed. Constantly adding and subtracting numbers on her fingers for the fun of it. I find it pretty amazing. Maybe she is going to be a numbers girls instead of a letters girl.  My husband is an engineer, I was a financial analyst and DH's mom was a math teacher.

Sorry for not much personals right now...I feel like I should get back to the movie..


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Everr: Yay for being done!!

Drawing: Owyn just recently started drawing people. More like a circle with eyes, hair and four lines coming off of it (arms and legs). It slightly resembles a person. She always, always chooses some kind of painting work at school and it has been really fascinating to watch how her skills have progressed in such a short amount of time. It is Montessori so the work is very focused on certain skills. I think that has a lot to do with it. I don't know that her dinosaurs would even remotely resemble a dinosaur.

Owyn's teacher told me last week that Owyn raised her hand during their meeting, stood up in front of everyone and told them all about her cousin's Christmas tree. That is so huge for her! She had never, ever spoken in front of the group before. Her teacher was so excited for her.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

F's pictures are coming together though they often need some explanation. I'll have to find one to share here. She can form about half of the letters on her own. I'll write someone's name on a scrap of paper and she'll do it on her own paper. Certain letters are harder for her.

Cargo bike?! I want to see a picture Erin! Glad you are home and in your own space!

yeah Owyn! So cool to see the growing!

Polar Express- i was thinking about watching this with F. Any intense or scary parts? She's pretty sensitive to that. I want a movie to watch as a family on Solstice though...


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I didn't pay attention to the entire movie but we picked it bc it didn't have any scary monsters. She was a bit unsure at the beginning when the loud train came to the boy's house and also the conductor scared her a bit by being very stern in one part. But overall I think she was much less bothered by it than by most movies. Most movies seem to have something that scares her. DH had wanted to watch Grinch but he showed her the preview and she freaked out and ran away as soon as she saw the Grinch come on the screen.

Mal: That's great Owyn shared about the tree! I don't think M would ever raise her hand and volunteer to share in circle but they do sharing week when the kids get to bring something in each day (doll, etc) and they take turns going in front of the circle and talking about what they brought - usually answering questions from the teacher or other kids. M loves doing that. And I love going early to watch her. I am truly surprised by how well she handles it for having been SOOO shy.

M starts physical therapy for her toe walking today. She had so much trouble ice skating bc she doesn't ever not point her toes these days.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Owyn has watched Polar Express, but there are a couple of parts that make her nervous. The loud train in the beginning, the guy on the top of the train and the "lost toys" train car. She also gets scared pretty easily. Most Disney movies (Lady and the Tramp, The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, etc) she won't watch because there is always a part that scares her. She did watch The Grinch, but the old original one. I don't think she'd watch the newer one. We've been watching the specials that come on TV and I never realized some of those old claymation or puppet ones have some pretty scary parts for little ones. She's been watching them and liking them though. I'm surprised by that!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Hi all!

*Erin*, I want to see a pic of the cargo bike! A Bakfiets has been a dream of mine for years, but likely won't come to fruition. You got one with the extended back, right? Not the one with the big box at the front? Swoon. Super jealous. Glad you made it home safe and sound!

*Mal*, that is great about O speaking up! E used to be so very shy, but not anymore. I've actually been thinking about looking into acting for her. She's super outgoing (with adults ... children, whole 'nother topic) and is really interested in making movies.

*Cindy* ... When you put M's feet into the skates, doesn't it force them into the right position? How do they do OT for that? Are there issues down the line that make it important to get OT now? Once of my friends in highschool toe-walked ... I remember the bounce in his step! One of E's little friends does it too, but her mother is very laissez-faire about it. I wonder if she should be more concerned?

*Ever* ... Congrats on being done! That must feel AWESOME! And what a great picture from R!

*Sue* ... Solstice is coming up! What movie are you going to choose? That's a lovely tradition.

*Courtney* ... I'm so thrilled to hear that Christmas is sorted out. How is your mastitis?

*Nilla* ... How's everyone post-crash? Doing okay? I've been thinking about you. So scary.

*Movies* ... E loves being scared. She's seen Brave, Bambi, How to Train Your Dragon, Secret of Nimh, Dark Crystal, Bolt (her favourite movie of all time!) Tangled, Beauty & the Beast, Wizard of Oz, etc, which are all pretty scary at parts, I suppose. That might be my fault. I love the tension and excitement of being frightened by a good story, and then the relief that follows after. She also listens to audiobooks that have about the same scare-factor, if not more. And she loves those. Interesting, because she is anxious in so many ways, but she loves, loves, loves to be frightened by a good story.

*Drawing & writing* ... E is very good at drawing and writing, as you mamas have seen on the blog and FB, I'm sure. It's not going to be her challenge, that's for sure. Which is my way of saying loud and clear to you fellow Feb '09 mamas that she definitely has her challenges. Just not those ones. I am absolutely confident that all your children are right on track! E's drawing and writing are on par with her 6 yo friend, who is in grade one and at the top of his class in that regard. I don't want to itemize her limitations, but you all know that she has her struggles. And you know that the blog is deceptive, because I'm not going to blog about her challenges in any meaningful way. You all know that, right?

*AFM*

Trying to make sense of the tragedy in Connecticut. I was driving the ambulance when I heard it on the news and I had to pull over while I sobbed. My partner poked his head through from the back and was bewildered and my tears.

I can't imagine those children's final moments.

So terrifying.

So painful.

Such loss and grief for their families.

Incomprehensible.

My mom and I are taking the kids to a cabin at state park in WA for three nights over the solstice. I'm looking forward to getting away. This time of year is so crazy for so many people. I stay away from the malls and roads as much as I can, but I see it on the ambulance, so I can't check out entirely, which is what I'd like to do this time of the year.

I got the last few things for the kids: camera & telescope for E. Broom and a biggish schleich elephant for H. And stocking stuffers (tattoos, stickers, cars, jingle bells, smaller Scheichs, crayons).


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Toe walking: I did it as a kid too. I read that when toe walking is idiopathic - meaning no other cause such as sensory issues - then it has a huge genetic component. Anyway, no one ever did anything about it for me and I stopped doing it with no lasting impact, so i had been pretty laissez faire about it too. But thanks to that, she now has limited range of motion in her ankles! Her left ankle they can get to 5 degrees past neutral, but her right ankle is 5 degrees away from neutral - so she can't get it to neutral anymore! This is a change since the beginning of the yr. I think the big dif with her is that she ONLY walks on her toes. She never doesn't do it. She squats on her toes and I noticed the other day that even when she is sitting on the floor, her feet are pointed like if she were standing on her toes. So we are doing PT and have a TON of stretching to do at home. But honestly, everyone we have seen recently (orthopedic surgeon, motion specialist doc and physical therapist) are all pushing serial casting. They put walking casts on and change them every Monday to bend her foot further back each time with the goal of getting to 10 degrees past neutral. To restore her range of motion. It might teach her to walk flat foot or she might go right back to toe walking after - but we would have her was removable braces for a few hours/day to maintian the range of motion. I was initially really resistant to the idea - but they think it would only be for 3 weeks so I sadly think we may end up going that route. Hoping PT can have an impact but not too optimistic about it. She doesn't cry when I do the stretching but she did when DH did it last night. Bc he is much stronger than me. I sure hope she isn't doing this in highschool!!!

I can't stop staring at M since hearing about the CT shooting. It's hard to fathom kids as young as a yr older than her being shot! Not that it's ok at any age! I just keep thinking about christmas presents unopened, etc.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Everr - cute picture! I'm most impressed that he drew what you asked him to, actually.  K would never do that.

Cindy - Hope the stretching works, but 3 weeks in a walking cast doesn't sound too terrible if it comes to that.

Starling - We got a Yuba Mundo, which is one of the long-tail varieties where the kids go on the back. L is in a kid seat, and K can hold onto the handlebars on the adult's seat post. We don't have a weather cover for them now, but might make one at some point. I'll have to take a picture! So far it's been mostly my husband riding them around though, because I've been stuck in the yurt finishing up the edits on a manuscript I have to turn in Monday. You've written enough books now - does this part ever get less crazy?

Mal - Yay for public speaking! Both my husband and I had the experience of being terribly terrified public speakers in school. But as adults - after many many opportunities to practice - we now both love giving public presentations. I don't even get nervous anymore. I've seriously debated whether there's some way to include the kids in our public presentations from a young age to see if I can prevent them from ever getting that fear and then needing to overcome it.

Drawing and writing: Starling, I know we shouldn't compare! Really, I just wanted to do a quick check to see if K had some major fine motor deficits, or was just normal. I think normal. He does draw things that he says he knows what they are, and do appear to have the correct number of legs or wheels, and has started to color in shapes sometimes, so I think he's OK. He's completely resistant to the idea of drawing a person or writing any kind of words (including his name) on his pictures though, so I don't think he's ever done either. In fact, when he goes to preschool, and all the other kids sign in by tracing their names on a laminated card, he draws a slug instead. 

AFM: I've been in a furious editing bubble here, which should be done, finally, by Monday (with only one copy editing step later, but that should be easy). But with the news and the season, I'm actually really grateful to be back in my own little middle-of-nowhere bubble, where winter, even the holidays, really is a laid back hunker-down-against-the-darkness season.

Cutest kid word of the month: "fatherize" As in "fatherized" and "unfatherized" eggs. It was so perfect I didn't have the heart to correct him to "fertilized".


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

I'm also feeling so heartbroken over the deaths in Connecticut. It's haunting me and I need to stop reading the news updates. I think about how scared those children must have been. And the parents finding out. It's hard not to relate it to R and think about the terrifying what ifs.. Sometimes we have such rushed mornings and I'm not always as pleasant to him as I should be. But I drop him off and think oh well I'll make it up to him when I pick him up. I can't even imagine the pain of having your baby gone so suddenly like that. The constant reminders would be unbearable. I need to stop thinking about this.

Erin - Good luck finishing your editing  R is pretty agreeable most of the time, he has his moments though. And I love K's thoughts on fatherized eggs, so cute!!

Cindy - That does sound like a pain but I agree that 3 weeks isn't a big deal. Especially at this age. Hopefully it is just a minor issue with a quick fix 

Starling - Yes they all have their challenges for sure! I do love reading your blog and seeing your pics  I'm not worrying anymore about R's lack of understanding about letters. I can understand how it is a difficult concept to understand. I'm going to make note of those movies, R also LOVES movies and I need some new ones. Enjoy your trip! It sounds so nice and relaxing, I think I could use a trip like that!

Mal - Yay for Owyn!! That's awesome  R's teachers never give me any input as to what he's like at daycare, I should ask I guess. I am very curious. He's never had any problems or challenges reported to me. The only thing I hear from them is about funny things he said that day. So I guess he makes the teachers laugh a lot 

R and I are having a date today  We are going for lunch in a minute and then going to see a Red Riding Hood panto play. I think R is going to love it so it should be a fun date!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Another one here haunted by what happened. I had just laid down my preschoolers for nap time when I checked the news and found out. We'd had a rough week together. With the holiday coming, the kids have been bouncing off the walls. It's been hard to keep them contained as the days go by. Then, I found out and I just wanted to scoop them all up and hug them tight. Instead, I sat in my silent room, alone with 6 sleeping kids terrifying myself with thoughts, wondering what I would do, where would I take the kids, how would I keep them safe, how would I keep them from being terrified? I've had trouble sleeping. I just can't get it out of my mind. It's heartbreaking as a parent, definitely. But as a teacher in a small town much like theirs, it's just terrifying.

Took Owyn to see Santa on Friday night. I wasn't sure if the little house in town would be open and it was going to rain soon, so I didn't tell her where we were going just in case it didn't work out. So, she was so surprised when we got there! Of course she told him she wants something she's never before asked for... and all her gifts are bought, wrapped and under the tree already! She asked for a Pete the Cat buttons book. I've seen it, but I didn't get it for her. I did get her a Pete the Cat Christmas book though. Close enough?


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

I've found myself lost in the what ifs as well. Simply terrifying and unbearable to think about. I had a horrible dream last night that I couldn't find Maeve anywhere and woke up feeling so upset and thinking about all of those families. Of course she was with me, glued to my side in fact, where she always sleeps. And I feel so blessed and lucky to have these girls.

I could use all of your good thoughts, vibes, crossed fingers- whatever you've got! Dh is applying to 2 different jobs that just came up in Oregon! He's off now working on his apps. I'm trying not to get too excited in case it doesn't work out. One of them he thiks he's not really qualified for but is applying anyway. It's in Corvallis which is where I lived for college. I really like the area and would be thrilled to live in that area. The other is in Roseburg. I don't know much about that area but internet searching gives me a good vibe as well. We'll see. I hope one of these will work out for us and be a good fit for our family.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

It is haunting. I imagine more so for you, Mal. It must touch so close to home as you sit in your classroom and look at your charges.

I'm staying away from the news. It's the only way that I can keep my anxiety at bay.

And yes, I'd say any Pete the Cat gift would do! It's so late in the game. E has been asking for the Madagascar movie for months, and then today asked if she could have a cowboy. I told her Santa already had everything packed and sorted and ready to go.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I am completely avoiding the news media now that the victims identities have been released. Putting a face to it is just too much!

I was totally afraid M would ask for something random from Santa. Every letter we've written she has asked for some random thing she has never even wanted before that - like a stuffed bunny with a brush. She already has a stuffed bunny. Anyway, we still haven't made it see Santa and I think she's forgotten so I doubt we will. But yeah, any Pete the Cat book works for me! 

Sue: Very exciting! I hope he gets one of them. Then I will come visit you. We've been wanting to check out Oregon for a while! Maybe we could all meet up in Oregon!

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Mal - Wow. I'm sure I wouldn't be able to help thinking about it either, in that situation.

Sue - Really, I can't understand why anyone would ever want to leave Alaska.  But I have my fingers crossed for you anyway! You should at least hop on the ferry and come visit (I think it goes straight from there to here now) before you move.

Movies - Am I somehow depriving K by never having shown him a movie in his life? I don't have a problem with the concept. It's just that our only Netflix watching time has always been an adult thing after the kids are asleep, and I've never made an effort to figure out how to work it into our regular life.

Santa - Sigh... I wasn't going to tell K about Santa at all. But when I brought up the idea of Santa (so he wouldn't be scared by the guy dressed as Santa in the school Christmas program), he insisted Santa was real (something he probably learned at preschool). I'm fine with him believing, and I didn't try to argue with him. But do I really have to make a whole charade of it? I hate that kind of thing - it's just really not my style - and he didn't actually ask for anything from Santa. He seemed kind of disturbed by the whole conversation, really. I'm more inclined to say "sure Santa's real" but go ahead with just having a few presents from family under the tree like always and not take it any further. Or is that just mean and even more confusing?


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Erin: It's not mean. I would maybe ask his teachers to what extent they talked about Santa if you are truly worried about disappointing the guy. But I grew up in a jewish home and was always inundated with santa stuff at school. But he never came to my house! I even hung a stocking up one yr, hoping he would. But I'm not traumatized or anything. I do have to say, sometimes it's kind of annoying when they talk something up at school that parents don't plan to participate in. Like for us, they had the kids practice christmas carols and totally talked up going caroling on a saturday. We couldn't make it to take M that day - and she was super upset that she couldn't go. I just wish they hadn't made such a big deal out of it to them. My friend was upset that they did that about a halloween party she couldn't take her daughter to that wasn't during their school time.

Baby crying...


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Sue - Good luck to your hubby!

Erin - I agree, not mean. I'm having a hard time getting into the whole Santa thing too. But I'm trying. We went to see Santa at the mall today, R seemed interested and told him what he wants. R has been a bit difficult, wanting a new toy every time we go to the store, and being sooo whiney when I say no. It's driving me nuts. I have in the past occasionally let him pick something out just for fun, but now he's acting like such a spoiled monster! There's so much focus on new toys and everyone asks him what he wants for christmas. I think it is taking away from the whole thing. It would be nice if he could just have a few new things and not all this over the top build up.

And as for movies I don't think they are necessary. I love them because it gives me an hour or two where I don't hear a peep from him. It's the only way I get a break when he's home. He does get whine if I don't let him watch one, he always wants to watch one. That part is annoying.

AFM - I lost R at a huge grocery store today and there was a Code Adam announcement. So that was a huge terrifying and embarrassing failure. He was right ahead of me and wanted to find the toys, he ran ahead and then he was gone. We were only one aisle away from the toys but I guess he missed them and kept going. I thought maybe he was hiding somewhere because there were clothing racks nearby. Then they made the announcement and everyone was looking for him. I stayed where I'd last seen him and was just yelling out for him. Mother of the year, right here  And you might remember I lost him at a grocery store last year too. So that's twice so far. I'm really not that neglectful. I gave him a big talk after we were reunited about how he could have been danger and how it is very important that he stays where he can see me. He was crying and I felt bad but I needed him to understand how important this is and how scared I was.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Ever: I lost Owyn at Walmart over the weekend. Luckily ours is not a super center so it is relatively small. And it was only for a minute. I was headed up front to have them announce something when I spotted her. She'd been walking behind me when I went to the next aisle over. I told her to come with me and could hear her footsteps following me. She must have gotten distracted and not seen which direction I went. When I found her she was on the verge of tears and said "I was looking for you and I was so scared." I just gave her the biggest hug and told I was looking for her and I was scared too, but we found each other and it's okay now. When we got to the car we had a talk about how important it is to stay with me when we are out and about.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

sue- crossing my fingers, hope he gets one of them!!

everr- I have lost my kids before. never in a store, always at parks. Once I lost Josephine (she was in the first half of being 3) for gosh 15 minutes or so. Jewel finally spotted her, she was being led away from the park by a police officer, boy did I ever high tail it across that park. it's super scary but in no way makes you a bad mom.

erin- editing is done, yay. as for the santa thing, I'd just continue on like you have. I'd love to get rid of Santa in our house but Hubs isn't on board. (he'd like to get rid of the easter bunny but I won't let him if we are keeping Santa)

conneticut- It's too much to deal with so i just block it out, when I start to think about it I am just in tears.

nursing baby, hard to type. reading.


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Ever, that is scary. I haven't lost Aubs yet, but she ran away from me once when I was hugely pg and it scared the crap out of me. We both cried when I caught her. I've been lucky so far. Hooray for being finished with exams! And I love that R's people and dinos are hairy. A's drawing of me is on FB---she's only recently been interested in drawing anything, and most everything is a circle with sticks coming out of it, but I figure she knows what it means so that's good enough for me. She's also only recently starting putting colors next to each other. Three months ago it was just a little color here, another little color there, and done. Now everything is a rainbow.

Starling, of course we all have challenges--but I love to see E's successes. I need to focus on A's strong points more.

Erin, writing is not a strong point here. Aubs does okay with the straight strokes and circles, but letters with a combination of the two are difficult--like lower case a and e. She's not very interested in practicing, so we don't do much. She did like tracing letters for a while--I would write words with a highlighter and she would trace them with a marker. I don't think you're traumatizing K by not showing movies--Aubs has only seen maybe three movies, ever, and its been fine so far. (Tinkerbell, Winnie the Pooh, Curious George) I would like her to see some of the Christmas movies I love, like the grinch and the claymation rudolph, but there's time for that. I worry that I'm setting her up for trauma by not exposing her to the computer. I mean, she knows what a keyboard and trackpad are because that's what we use for the TV, but that's the extent of it. I don't think you need to "do santa" if you don't want to. Just explain that people have different traditions, holidays, etc.

Sue, good luck to your hubby! I hope something works out that's right for your family.

Cindy, not sure if I said it already, but hooray for trouble-free nursing! I hope this is the end of your challenges. You've been such a trooper. Loved seeing A's smiles. Its so incredible to think about the journey that brought her here. I can't help but think of her as a tiny miracle. Re. the toe-walking, I'd probably get it addressed now. Do you think she'll mind wearing casts or braces?

Re. Newtown, CT--I've been letting this one get to me. Of course babies die around the world every day, and it isn't the first one--the Oklahoma City bombing killed a bunch of babies in a daycare--but man is this one bothering me. Enough that I'm thinking about taking A out of pre-school. I mean, there are other reasons I'm thinking of taking her out, but this was a trigger to get me serious about it. But then at the same time I don't think its healthy to let fear change the way you live. I'm not sure. I mean, what can you do? DH and I were talking about it, and we got as far as thinking that fire extinguishers are commonly available and could be used as a weapon, but that's about it.... I've thought about this in the kidnapping context, too. If someone wanted to take one of my girls when we are out walking, it would be pretty hard to stop them. Maybe Krav Maga instruction is in order?

Nilla, how is everyone feeling?

A meet-up. I like the idea, but it would be hard for us. DH's older sister lives in Keno, OR, so we may be able to coordinate something with a visit to her. We've been once in nine years. 

As for us--thankfully not much going on, although we all have colds today. No big deal, as we don't have anything in particular to do. Speech for Aubs is done until next year, although I still haven't decided if we're going to stick with it. One weird thing--Mallory's breath is awful. Like sour milk--but she doesn't seem reflux-y. I've brushed her gums/tongue with baby toothpaste and it doesn't seem to help. Any thoughts?


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Kate-- Any other symptoms from the baby? Greta has strep throat with almost no symptoms. She was a little crabbier than normal, clingy too. But, no fever, eating and drinking well, etc. She did have super stinky breath though. I took her to the doc at my sitter's insistence, she just had a really off day. Good thing too since her strep screen was positive. Anyway, the doc said stinky breath in a baby can be a symptom of strep. I'd never heard that before...

AFU-- We're taking it pretty easy today since Greta is sick. I'm just glad we caught it before the holiday. So, I'm off work when I really shouldn't be. I mean, I should since she's sick. But this was our last full day before Christmas break and our final rehearsal for the kids' Christmas program tonight. Just bad timing... I left some fun crafts for them to do today and I'll be there tonight for the program, so I hope they still had a great day. Friday, I'm taking in a Christmas movie and some popcorn, then we're having our class party and that's it. Ya know, as long as the world doesn't end.  Owyn's school is having a holiday open house this afternoon. We're going to stop by so she can show me their tree and give her gifts to her teachers. Tomorrow she has a pajama party at school that she is psyched about. She also gets to wear her pajamas to dance class and they are doing a little Christmas dance for the parents to watch. Of course, they all request Christmas pajamas. But her Christmas PJs are wrapped and under the tree to be opened on Christmas Eve. We found hers from last year... they'll be a little snug but they'll have to work!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

*Losing kids:* Haven't done it yet, though there were several times K almost impatiently took off past security when we were waiting in line in the airport on our trip down south. I don't want to know what would happen if he'd done it! It's not really relevant in town here (everyone knows every kid, buildings are small) - but I do try to be careful about it on trails/in the woods.

*Preschool:* We're probably going to pull K out of Head Start after this week (over winter break). Definitely not because of school shootings, and not because of the program itself, really. The woman who runs it is wonderful, and doesn't push the kids into anything, and they spend their time playing with all kinds of interesting things. But coming back after a month out of town, I'm just reminded, again, of how much of a hassle it is. We really value our freedom and flexibility and outdoor time as a family, and adding a big block of schedule (4 hours a day, 4 mornings a week) just seems to make everything more difficult. Part of it, I'm sure, is that I live 3 miles up a hill from the school without a car, and am not really willing to change either of those factors. And K doesn't wake up early enough on his own and sometimes doesn't want to go, L's nap schedule almost always conflicts with pickup, and I'm a crankier mom the more "getting everybody rounded up and dressed up" transitions I have to do in a day. And to top it off, he doesn't really seem to care to socialize with groups of kids, and we're planning to homeschool him anyway, so it seems like we might as well start now.

My only hesitation is that I really don't want to make the teacher or the other parents feel bad - like we don't value what they do!


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Ugh, Mal, not what I wanted to hear. She does have a cold--but we all do. I really don't feel like taking her in to the doc today; I'm sure it will be super busy. Maybe I'll take her to urgent care tomorrow. Its closer, faster, and covered if the doc is closed.... Coincidentally, Aubrey was sick for her first Christmas too.

Still no decision on preschool. Yesterday (Thurs) was her last day before a week off for Christmas, so we took in donuts. I was going to do little gifts, but didn't get around to it, so they got donuts instead. They seemed okay with that. When I got there, the front door was locked (for the second day in a row), and there was a new doorbell installed. Apparently they've decided to keep the doors locked and require people to be buzzed in. I guess its sort of reassuring to know that they're taking some security measures, but at the same time I know it doesn't guarantee anything. I talked to Aubs about whether she wants to stay home or go to school, and she was adamant that she wanted to go to school. So I'm going to go along with that for a little while. And who knows, if I can't get some work going it may not be financially possible to continue sending her. So we'll see.

No plans for the weekend, thankfully. Yesterday Aubrey watched Elmo Saves Christmas while I made bread pudding. My parents and Grandma are coming down for Christmas day, so I need to figure out what I'm making for dinner. I think a ham, a squash-apple bake, and a sweet potato pie. I should probably have something green. Not sure if I should try to squeeze something Christmas-y in or not. Maybe we'll drive around and look at lights.

Cargo bike--I remember reading an article about a mother of 6 that biked her kids around somewhere in the northwest--portland area maybe? I think she had a compartment on the front for ~3 of them and then two behind, and one on her own bike...it was pretty impressive. Here's the article: http://bikeportland.org/2012/06/28/with-six-kids-and-no-car-this-mom-does-it-all-by-bike-73731


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Losing kids: Nope. Makenna did used to run away at age 2ish but I was always chasing after her at that age. Now she gets mad at me if I walk 5 feet from the cart at the grocery store - she isn't going anywhere without me. And if a store has a cart I almost always have her in it still - like at Target. Just easier to keep track that way.

Preschool: Ours is always locked. It has a code so parents can get in to come in early to watch the closing circle or something. But if you get there too early they have another lock locked so the keypad doesn't even work. I guess I feel like she is pretty safe there, but you never know.

We have a sicky here too. M woke up w/croup AGAIN. Thankfully we have the medicine. It was the last dose though so I have to hunt down a refill before she goes to bed tonight. PRAYING the baby does not catch this! I don't know if the croup part is contagious or just the underlying bug (DH has a cough/cold) that went into croup in her little body, just like every little sniffle seems to do.

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

sorry for the sick babies, we are also starting to get a mild cold, starting with Coraline and I.

Schools- the place where June has been going to speech has changed some of their rules, I think it is silly, it's not measures that would actually do ANYTHING, just things to make grown ups feel better, like "hey, hey look we are doing something!". I just feel like locking our kids up isn't going to protect them and is going to hinder the wonderful freedom of childhood. Yes, things can be scary but fear driven responses that aren't logical is not the answer. (although I am not against a buzzer or password to get into the school, just some of the other stuff I've seen)


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

So how was everyone's Christmas?? The last few days have been so busy for us! But fun  Royce had a blast, he was so excited Christmas eve and had so much fun Christmas day. He did have a meltdown Christmas morning and I was really frustrated with him. He was being so whiney and crying that he wanted more presents. He said he didn't like one thing that I got him and threw it :/ So I lost it at him and then he started crying. I took him to his room so I could calm down. I realized he was just overexcited and he doesn't understand. So I went and had a talk with him about things and then he calmed down and was really great the rest of the day.

He's home with me now until January 14th! I hope we can have lots of fun and not get sick of each other


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Christmas was lovely here. I didn't get out of my PJs all day. Only left the house to drive my mom to and from church. It rained all day and we had a fire and were nice and cozy. My mom was here for a short visit and she didn't stress me out at all this time - was a very nice visit and I was sad when she left this morning. Makenna got WAY too many presents. She almost wanted to stop opening and take a break but ended up sticking with it. She has been super occupied playing with all her new activities. Was fun to watch her. She was pretty whiny by the end of the day from all the excitement. We spent xmas eve at DH's cousins and had a big family dinner - nice to have a quiet day on the actual day. Now I am trying to figure out what to do with all this new stuff and wondering if I can purge some old stuff but feeling like I should keep it all for Aria.

Loving the fact that DH will be home for another 4 day weekend over NY. Doubting I will manage to stay up to ring in the new yr this yr.

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Our Christmas was pretty great. Owyn was so excited the whole day. She has not stopped playing with her new toys (especially her dollhouse!!!) since she got them. Greta was not at all into opening presents, but she is enjoying her new toys. She got a cabbage patch doll from her godfather and has been carrying it around with her everywhere. We had 4 days in a row of big family gatherings, so the last 2 days have been super lazy around here. We have all been hanging out in our PJs, doing very little all day. It helps that the girls are occupied with their new toys. I am also wondering where we will put it all, but I think we can purge some of our things. I'll save some for Greta but not all of it... There's just too much!

DH is off the rest of this week. He took me out tonight to celebrate my birthday (tomorrow). Just dinner and a movie, but it was nice to have some alone time. He works Monday, then is off again Tuesday for New Year's Day. We are inviting our friends over with the kiddos and ringing in the new year early Monday night. I am enjoying my time off. I have been off since last Tuesday and don't go back until next Friday. It is a wonderful break! Now we just need to get some more snow!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

My whole family got the flu! The girls were mostly over it by Christmas but DH and I were not. We somehow managed topull it off though! Phew! Pretty lazy days for us as we recoup and try to put our disaster of a house back together. The laundry mountain is looking more like rolling hills so I guess we are making progress. I can't remember being that sick though- I lost 12 pounds. Pretty awful. And having to take care of the kids on top of it was pretty intense. Honestly, still a little weak.

The girls were thrilled with their gifts though. They got a dollhouse too which has been a huge hit! Fiona got some new art supplies too so we have been enjoying those.

We recently put up a new shelf in our dining room for homeschool supplies. She's very into it. She'll tell people "I'm a homeschool kid!". The other day I was commenting to her about how well she was cutting along the lines when she was cutting something out. Me: Wow Fiona, you are doing great with your cutting! When did you get so good at that? Fiona: Mama, I'm a school girl now!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Glad to hear that most people had a relaxed Christmas.

We went to Chilliwack for Christmas. It was good but jam packed with visits we went a different place every day. The drive there was icy and long, the drive back the roads were much better. Although this young guy (maybe 19) slid off the road in front of us into the ditch. I helped dig and push him out. Lucky for him I carry sandbags and a shovel. He was in his PJ's and runners  It's the dead of winter here! The drive was a bit hard on my husband and his back. He is still having a lot of pain although mobility wise he seems better. He needs to lie down for a couple hours every day though so he's worried about going back to work on the 2nd. Em is still having a lot of pain in his hip and down his leg. She seems to think it's just a bruised bone that will heal. I'm frustrated with the lack of imaging and diagnostics they do post crash. How are you supposed to know what to do or not to do or how to get better if you don't know what is going on? I just want my husband back. He's trying to keep his spirits up but he's grumpier than usual and he feels guilty because he knows I'm dog tired trying to keep up with all the physical labour he does plus all the rest of it. Hats off to single parents because I'm limping along. We just got another huge dump of snow so now I've got to go shovel plus put everything away from the trip. Ok whine over, chin up, this too shall pass. I just need a good sweaty workout and I will feel less doom and gloom.

Dee was so much fun at Christmas she was all about the holidays and seeing family. Em had his meltdowns but on the day of he was great. We got them an electric piano and microphone so they did little concerts for us. So cute!

Happy Birthday Mal!

Talents/Challenges - Dee recognizes some letters, can write a few, can recognize a few words, right on target I think. Esme is about where Em was last year at the end of Kindie so yeah light years ahead of her age. Dee can pick up a tune on a song on the radio and belt it out exactly as she heard it, that I think will be her talent. Em is a really articulate kid but I think math and spatial relations might be his talent. Give him a physics game or a complex structure to build and he can puzzle it out all on his own in a short time.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

It's so nice to hear about everyone's Christmas! Sue ... so awful that you and your hubby were suffering, but you'd never know it from the lovely pics on FB!

Nilla ... I sometimes think that soft-tissue or non-fracture injuries are the worst because they get treated so casually. They can be devastating and life-changing. I really hope your DP starts to feel better, and E too.

Happy Birthday, Mal! What a crazy time of year to have a birthday! Glad you carved out some date time!

Cindy ... So glad that your mom was on her best behaviour. I just couldn't do it this year. Props to you, mama!

Ever ... Enjoy your time off! Sounds dreamy! How much more school do you have to do?

I held my boundaries and had a drama-free Christmas! No parents, phew. We stayed home and had a mellow day, hanging out in our pj's until we went down the block to my sister's house for a buffet dinner, and then home early. So nice. We did gluten-free scones and Devonshire cream and strawberry jam for Christmas breakfast, and my sister and her partner came for that.

Not surprising to me, but nonetheless curious, E had zero interest in any of her gifts except for two things. One was a live bug that my DP brought home on Christmas Eve after finding it in the salad greens at work, and the other was a bag of little seashells I grabbed last minute for her stocking because she spotted them at the dollar store and was counting her change to see if she had enough. Other than that, she hasn't touched a thing. So much so that I took away a few that were untouched and put them away for another year. Seriously. To hear of all the kids playing with their toys ... not happening for her.

H on the other hand loves his broom and spinning top and new stepstool. They are such different kids!

My mom came on the 26th and ladled out a bit of guilt about not being there, but I didn't bite.

I went to work on the 27th and had a middle-aged patient that reminded me about how fleeting life can be. We picked her up with some left sided paralysis, still chatting with us about her lovely family Christmas, and she was dead four hours later from an inoperable bleed. Makes me so very thankful for my healthy family, dysfunction and all.

I'm sick today, with a bug that I've been fighting since Christmas. The flu, I think. Sucks. I've been flattened by it, and just hope no one else gets it!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

We had a white and dark Christmas. White, because we got around 42 inches of snow (on top of basically nothing - we needed it) on the 23rd and 24th. Dark, because the power went out at around 6AM on the 24th, and didn't come on again until 10PM on the 27th! Candlelight is kind of neat for awhile, and was fine on Christmas, but entertaining the kids on long dark mornings got old by the 3rd and 4th time. Luckily we have wood heat, and can cook on the wood stove too, though it's not as convenient.

Katmai got a couple of "antique" metal trucks (a steam shovel and a grader) that my MIL and SIL bought online somewhere, because they were so disappointed in how quickly the new plastic ones from last year fell apart. I always love seeing old well-loved playthings get more use. And both kids got some awesome handmade wooden toys (a boat and a "biggledy bug" with a propeller and wheels) from my FIL. Other than that, it was a few books and a bunch of "supplies". K has been loving his new supplies - art stuff, tape, wire, styrofoam balls, little pliers, yarn, etc... I didn't get the kids much (K got paint and a puzzle, L got pipe cleaners and scotch tape), but they just have so many grandparents (4 separate households) and great grandparents (4 households) - that it's hard to stomp it down to an entirely reasonable level, even with a 1 present per kid per holiday rule.

It doesn't help at all that Lituya's birthday is on New Year's, so we have a little pile of unopened presents for her too.

We had our Friday kid hike (now snowshoe) today, and got a record 21 people (kids and adults) to start out with us, though only a few made it the whole way. The 5 and 6 year old kids had a blast - they're good hikers but usually can't come because of school.

Tomorrow is L's birthday party with the neighbor kids. Out of 7 kids on our block, 3 have birthdays on the 1st and 2nd of January. How crazy is that?


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

I can't believe that it's almost Lituya's birthday again! How does that happen! I meant to say that you're reasons for keeping Katmai at home make a lot of sense. Even with your fabulous new cargo bike! Still jealous. And I can tell by K's supplies that you've been reading Project Based Homelearning too. Love that book.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I've deactivated my FB accounts. I'm still going to do the blog, but I need to pare down the on-line stuff a bit, and so I've kiboshed it.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Happy birthday Lituya and Mal!

Starling: I'll have to book mark your blog - I've always followed the facebook links but really like following you on there. I can understand deactivating your FB account.

I'm so happy - DH made the basement 3rd bedroom into more of a playroom yesterday. We had bought some ikea storage bins and had them stacked - they hold all of the tons of artsy stuff that we have. But we unstacked them and they make a great work space on top - just the right height for M. DH hung up a mirror at her level so she can face paint and we hung up all of her dress up clothes on hooks on the wall. We also moved her legos downstairs (we had a TON already and then MIL sent all of DH's from when he was young!). She's been down there working most of her waking time since we changed it around. I think DH had been dragging his feet bc he wanted it as his man room - but I think he felt just as overwhelmed as I had been by all the mess in our main living space - especially with all the art projects out in our dining room. Now we've moved a lot of the mess downstairs where it's out of view! And hopefully we can keep all the small things down there and in M's room once Aria is mobile.

Happy new year ladies! Anyone making any resolutions? I'm kicking off my get serious about losing the baby weight thing. I've been eating whatever - and TONS of junk. So I'm basically just planning to eat healthy and cut out all the junk except 1 square of dark chocolate/day and 1 indulgent dessert/week. I think that alone will having me losing weight while nursing. I am still 6 lbs from pre-preg weight. While nursing M I got to 13 lbs below that weight wihtout trying - not happening this time - I think bc I am eating so much junk. I'm also going to start going to the Daily Method. It's an hour toning class and they have childcare. I'll go while M is at preschool. I feel better abotu leaving Aria in a small place's childcare than at the big Y - as far as germs go. I'm afraid of exposing her to too much during flu season at our huge Y - so many kids go through there every day!

We actually booked a vacation!! We're going to Kaui for a week at the end of February. The idea of being in a bathing suit for a week oughta motivate me!!!

Anyone thinking about b-day party ideas yet? M wants to invite about 7 or 8 kids - more than is comfortable in our small house when their parents are included. So we may rent out the kindergym at the Y - it is indoors and has a huge jumpy house and climbing structures and life sized blocks. Not sure. We are going to rent a ski house in Tahoe w/2 families from my mom's group the weekend after her b-day - 2 of her best friends will be with us. Would be nice to just celebrate up there but I'm not sure she is going to go for that since she's been listing all her friends she wants to invite for SO long now! But I'm not sure we want to spend $200 on renting a space!! Maybe instead of presents. She really doesn't need anymore stuff anyway!

Cindy


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

That space sounds awesome, Cindy! Pics?

Birthdays ... Funny you should mention it today, because this morning I booked us two nights at Whistler, and a horse-drawn sleigh ride in the snow, which is what E wanted instead of a party.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Ok I need help from you experienced mamas! I can't seem to nurse Aria down and be able to get up and have a life or relationship with my husband! I tried for over an hour tonight to remove my boob from her mouth and if I get it out, she stirs moments later. I often do move her to the side carred crib but after we've both been asleep for a bit and she is more ok if I am still near her. I broke down and got out a pacifier tonight and DH in there trying to bounce her to sleep on the yoga ball. It's gotten ridiculous. I've spent about 15 minutes alone with DH after she's gone to bed since she was born. I want my evenings back!!!!! Advice???

And here is a pic of the downstairs room. There is also a futon/couch and a desk in the room.



There are bins for: stickers, paper, pens/markers/stampers. reusable sticker books, letter/number workbooks, things to glue on (sequins, pom poms, etc), beads & jewelry stuff (she is SO into beads right now!), ribbons/string/glitter glues/regular glues, different kinds of pastas to make necklaces with, face paints, her scrapbooking stuff, modeling clay and a few random bins of projects. Her easel is set up right outside this room. The clothes are hung up high bc the hooks were already there - but she can reach them by standing on the shelves. The shelves are about waist high for her so perfect for working on and she likes to sit on them and draw. You can see the crazy tape dispenser on them - but she actually hasn't used it much yet. Harder for her to rip it herself than I thought it would be.

Off to check on DH...


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Happy New Year ladies! We had some friends over last night with their kids. I made dinner and they brought desserts/snacks. I had the girls take a late nap so they could stay up later. We're in the midwest, so we watched the Times Square ball drop at 11:00 our time, then everyone headed home to take the kiddos to bed. We made it later than I thought we would. It's not often we get the little ones to cooperate much later than 9:00! DH was up in the middle of the night, sick. He thinks it was the shrimp cocktail someone brought. I didn't eat any of it and I feel fine, same with the girls. A couple of friends who were here aren't feeling too well this morning either... they also ate the shrimp. I just hope it's not an actual stomach bug starting up. That has been spreading around town like wildfire the last couple of weeks. We have pretty much been holed up at home since Christmas, hoping not to get it. DH went back to work yesterday though...

Birthdays... Owyn has been saying for at least a couple of months now that she wants a Cinderella birthday party. Last year, she wanted Strawberry Shortcake and I was able to pull that off without any actual characters. Just the colors and lots of strawberries. I'm not sure how I can throw a Cinderella party without actual characters. I really just want it to be tasteful and not Cinderella in your face... I have a good friend who makes gorgeous dress up clothes and Halloween costumes (Pecan Sandies on Etsy if you want to check her out!), and she has a beautiful Cinderella dress available right now. It's way too expensive for me, but she might let Owyn borrow it for her party. I hadn't planned on doing a big party this year though. I thought I'd have her pick a few friends and do a small tea party for them. They can all wear their princess dresses. It'll probably end up being something like 4 girls, plus Owyn. Then, my family always gets together once a month to celebrate any birthdays that month. So, we'll celebrate with the whole family then, maybe with cupcakes or something simple.

Cindy: I love the playspace! I threw a kids' Christmas party here on Friday last week and it was SO crowded in my living room! I do it every year and it's amazing to see how much we've multiplied year to year. Greta was a newborn last year and my friends have added two more babies since then. It made me really hopeful to find a house this year and next year we can have the party in a much bigger space! Hopefully a finished basement!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Well DH failed at putting Aria to bed too. I went up after I wrote and he was lying in bed with her next to him kicking away. LOL. Then she was all awake and happy and cooing loudly until we all finally fell asleep at quarter till 12. So we all missed midnight. Didn't even open our champagne. I must get this figured out!!

We got the birthday party thing figured out last night. M and her friends are really into fairies right now. We found up on our refridgerator last night a cupcake decoration set that M got last Christmas from my MIL. Has 4 different fairies on toothpicks to stick in cupcakes and some cute cupcake wrappers. That brought up the idea of a fairy party. I'd seen a really cute one written up on a blog I follow earlier this yr. So we pulled up that blog entry and got some ideas and M is VERY excited about having a fairy party. She agreed she'd rather have fewer kids and do that than have lots of kids at the YMCA. She is now obsessed with looking up craft and gift bag ideas and watching youtube videos about it. We let her watch 1 youtube video about making clothespin fairies while we ate our chocolate fondue last night and now she keeps asking to see more. So I think I will do a make your own wand craft and make clothespin fairies. Maybe a pin the wings on the fairy game or some other game. And for favor bags we'll make pink sparkly playdough and put it in a cute container and also make fairy dust out of talc and shimmery glitter and put it in a cute bottle w/a cork. I thought I might have them do that themselves but it sounds too messy to do with a bunch of kids and likely indoors. That can be a project for me and M to do beforehand. I some really cute ideas other people had pinned on pinterest just by googling. I'm not on pinterest - but it's neat that i can access someone else's ideas. 

Mal: I hope your DH feels better soon! Your party idea for Owyn sounds cute. I would be scared about borrowing a dress though and having to not get cake on it!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Happy New Year, and Happy 2nd Birthday to Lituya! We had the party with the neighbors and friends the other day, but will probably have a little cake and open her handful of presents sometime today. Or maybe we should do chocolate fondue. She'd probably love it.

*Birthdays* - Other than my kid who's birthday is today, I haven't thought about it at all. All your ideas sound neat, but I admit I'm somewhat glad theme parties aren't really a thing here. Katmai says he wants to have sushi, a strawberry cake, and go bobbing for apples. We'll probably invite everyone over for a simple party. My kids don't know that a party is anything other than people + food + maybe sledding or the beach or a fire, depending on season.

*Cindy* - Wish I had some help for you. Both of my kids have gone through phases where I couldn't sneak away from them after nursing down, but they were at least short phases. That playroom looks great! I have nothing close, but am very proud of the 10' x 8' ish space I've carved out and arranged for the kids play and projects.

*Mal* - Hope the sickness turns out to be nothing. Everyone here and in town has had a persistent cold for weeks.

*Starling* - Yes, I have been reading project-based home schooling. And it's awesome. Just the little bit I've managed to integrate in the past few weeks seems to be having some fairly amazing results. And the knowledge that I don't have to go back to being all scheduled with preschool after break is a big relief in my life.

What's the direct link to your blog? I've only followed the FB links, so don't know the address.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

I've got to get that book! It's been on my list for a while. Once we recover financially from Christmas and buying a 1/3 of a buffalo I can buy it. Our freezer is full though- just not our bank account! It's a lot of money upfront but actually costs less then half of what we get buffalo burger for in the store. And F can eat it (she can't eat beef or pork) which is of course the biggest plus. Local, grass fed...win!

Love the play space Cindy! We recently put up a "homeschool" shelf in our dining room to house all of our art supplies and things. Fiona is loving having the easy access!

*Birthday:* this is the first year F has talked about wanting a party. I'm not sure what we ill do yet. If I could count on decent weather I would ask families to join us for a hike in the woods and then come back here for hot cocoa and cupcakes. She'd love a fairy party! I'd love to see a link to that blog Cindy! When I was little we made soft pretzels at all of my birthday parties. My mom had dough ready and everybody got to shape thier own. Then we played games while the baked and we got to eat them! I think that I could manage a recipe F could eat with her allergies but several of her friends also have multiple allergies and I don't think I could accomomodate all of them. I figure I'll make Fiona friendly cupcakes and the other allergy kids can bring their own because that is what we do when we go to any bday party. I do need to come up with some sort of plan though.

*Moving: *We learned Roseburg is out. Still waiting to hear about the Corvallis job. Another position opened up in Newport. Its temporary though- not to exceed 4 years. Dh is digging around trying to get more details on it. It's actually his same position he has here but for the NW division rather then the AK group. Erin, I know you say you'd never leave AK and I do worry a bit about it. We have no family here though (only in SE Alaska). I want my kids to know their grandparents, Aunties, uncles, cousins...not just see some of them once a year. And my Dad is turning 80 this year so its time for us to make the move. I just hope the right thing comes up for us soon. It's hard to be in limbo. Do we order a new batch of chickens this year, should I be planning our garden? Kodiak has been a really good place for us but from the moment we moved here it never felt like home to me either. SE Alaska will always have my heart but not Kodiak. Not to say we won't miss it but I hope you get what I mean.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Mal - Even some foodborne illnesses can be spread person to person, so make sure there's lots of good handwashing going on! Hope he feels better 

Cindy - Great playspace! R would have that destroyed in seconds. Crafts are not his thing :/ And it took a very very long time for R to be able to stay alone in the evening. It sucked and I never really found a solution.

Sue - I hope you get an answer on something soon. I've been in limbo for what feels like my entire life. Even now, I don't know for sure if I'll get a placement even within driving distance of here. Which would really suck. I hate the idea of changing R's daycare, and moving, just for a temporary placement :/

Re Birthdays - I took R to a party place today to pick something out. Unfortuantely it's all incredibly tacky themes but I let him choose. He chose Star Wars, which I'm not sure he's even seen but he says he watched at my cousin's house. He's also into super heroes, so I thought he'd pick the Avengers or Spiderman, but he wanted Star Wars. He only has 4 close friends at daycare so it'll be a small party. Just a playdate basically with snacks and cake


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I love the playdate with snacks and cake - that is what we did last yr plus 1 craft/game and letting them put all sorts of sprinkles on their cupcakes. I'm hoping this year won't be TOO different.

Here is the link. I love this blog. I think we will have the kids make the clothespin fairies she hung for decoration. And copy a bunch of her other ideas.

http://www.theimaginationtree.com/2011/09/fairy-birthday-party.html

Cindy


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

That's a lovely space, Cindy! And what a gorgeous blog!

Sue ... I really hope you end up in the Pacific Northwest. Not only for your sake, but so that we can hang out! Just be sure to have a place with a driveway where we can set up our tent trailer (that I'm hoping to get).

Ever ... I wonder if you set up something like that that R would trash it for a while, and then leave it be and see it's worth after the novelty had worn off? He likely doesn't wreck havoc at daycare, right? I have similar thoughts about screen time for E. I wonder if I removed the novelty if she'd police herself? Just thinking as I type ...

Mal ... Did anyone else get sick? I was the only one in our house. I probably picked it up at the hospital.

*MOVING*: Just popped in quickly to tell you mamas that we're thinking of moving too. Back to the mountains! We're heading up there today to make sure that we're still in love with the place, and to check out a couple of properties. I know that we're in an amazing community right now, in a very home-schooling friendly neighbourhood, and in a co-op that is second to none.

However, here's our thinking: We want to be out of the city, back to the forest and rivers and mountains. We want the kids to be able to go outside and play and have it not be to the same local playground every day. We want them to experience space and wild and small-town-ness. And DP can transfer or get another well paying chef job in Whistler. And I can transfer back to my old station. There is a new community centre there, but no pool and no ice rink. But the lake freezes for skating, and there are several swimmable lakes nearby. It's about three hours drive to Vancouver. My mom said she'd come up for a week or so each month so that she could look after the kids while I did a bunch of shifts on the ambulance, and I can also be on call while DP is home.

BUT: It's another move, and we're not sure that we'd want our children to be teens there. It's hard to say what kind of kids they'll be. I worry a bit that there won't be a lot of other homeschoolers, but then they can make friends with other kids anyway. I wonder if we'd move again in five years? But I really want our children to have that backyard experience, in a friendly small town. And the wilderness is literally at our back door there! Hotsprings, forestry camp sites, hiking, etc!

Talk to me, mamas. What are your thoughts? I really value your opinions!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Starling - I think you should do what feels right for now, and not worry about whether it will still work when they are teenagers. I agree that small towns and access to nature is awesome! And I think it would still be awesome for teens. They will leave for university at 18 and have many years to experience larger cities if that's what they want. And I'm sure there will still be lots of opportunity for developing friendships. When I start working and can actually buy a house I definitely want to be outside of town (and my town is a small city, not even close to Vancouver!) I loved growing up in the country and miss having that for Royce. Hopefully when he's 5 we'll be settled somewhere we can explore more  And get a dog. He's already started asking constantly if we can get a puppy.

I've actually spent this morning coming up with a list of places to look into for finding a practicum placement for this summer. Hopefully I'll get to stay where I am but I needed to prepare some back up plans.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: i'm even jealous of your day trip up to check it out! It sounds amazing. I know it is a tough decision. I love nature and all the myriad of things it has to offer. But I know how important your community is to you as well. I think you ought to go for it. The kids are very portable right now and if you do decide to move in 5 yrs, then hopefully you had 5 yrs of amazing memories made and then you move on to something that fits your family better in the moment. My biggest concern about moving 5 yrs down the road would be switching schools and making new friends - but that won't be such an issue if you are homeschooling. Let us know what you figured out today!! Would love to see pics of the properties you're checking out so I can travel vicariously!

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

*Starling* - I'm probably the one who's in the most similar situation to what you're thinking, so lets see if I can make my reasoning somewhat coherent.

*Wilderness* - I can't overstate the value of having wilderness for a neighbor. I would prioritize wilderness expeditions no matter where we lived, but the day to day of tracking rabbits and voles in the snow, tidepooling at the beach, snowshoeing over a frozen lake, berry picking, etc... would not happen nearly so often if there were more logistics involved. I also found when we visited the city for awhile that I am far more interested in toddler-speed walks in the wilderness than I am with playground visits and similarly-slow walks in the city. I think it's easier in nature for the whole family's interests to overlap.

*Community* - I love having a small and supportive community around us, and I think the kids benefit from the multi-age friendships that are inevitable in a small town. From a mom's perspective, I think it's great that all the adults in the community know the kids, and think it makes it easier to let them have more freedom. (teenagers may not think that's so cool). Our community puts lots of effort into making interesting activities happen for all ages, so even though we lack many of the formal classes and resources of a larger place, there doesn't seem to be a shortage of things to do.

*School -* Most of K and L's peers will probably go to school. I don't think it will be a problem, though it does put it on me to make sure they do get a chance to know the kids their age (which they do already, since many of their parents are my friends). In smaller communities, the kids have fewer scheduled commitments, so seeing them outside school hours is probably easier. There are a few homeschooling families in town, and I don't think they're ostracized. I know at least the older homeschoolers often do it through an official school district program so they can participate in sports, etc... at the school. That's so far in the future I'm not worrying about it at all.

*Teenhood* - I can see how a teen might find a place like this somewhat isolating, especially socially (for those kids who don't fit in well with the few other kids their age). My husband struggled with this somewhat as a teen. But I think many teens have some amount of struggle anywhere, and he thinks he probably would have had some social struggles in any setting. In the end, what calms my anxieties is the looking at community adults who grew up here, left for education/years in the big wide world, and came back voluntarily. My husband, and his sister included. I see these people who value this community and place enough to come back with their kids, and figure their teen years can't have been so bad!

hope that novel helps!

*Sue* - I know what you mean. And I'm in a very different place, family wise, with half our extended family here, and most of the rest of them fairly mobile (single, no kids, can come visit us). Maybe you can end up back in SE AK someday if you love it there. Or maybe you'll find somewhere else that just feels like home. That feeling is powerful, and I feel very lucky to have found it where we are now.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Starling: I vote for your move! Let me know if they have a fisheries job and we'll move next door. Homeschool support group! Seriously, it sounds like it is where your heart is. I think you should make the move. Let us know when you decide.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Starling - I really wouldn't worry about the teen years there you've got at least 10 years before that is a consideration. We live in Northern BC partly for the outdoors living that is so close to us. The river and the forest are a close walk. I really value this. The lakes, the outdoor rinks it's all accessible and we take advantage. I'm a far cry from Erin but I see the value of having that wilderness right near by. I find it calming and ground and I believe E might too? I think of all the amenities of the city and they are awesome when I go on vacation but not for the every day... Just my two cents.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Well, we had a wonderful time up in the mountains, and we love this house to bits, but we just can't make the math work. Childcare is the crux. In the city, I get paid for full shifts, but rurally I'd have to go back to holding a pager, for $2/hour. I can't fathom paying a babysitter $15/hour to be with the kids while I hold the ambulance pager (that may or may not go off) for $2/hour. Up there you only get paid when you get a callout.

If DP could take her salary with her, we could scrape by, but we'd be in the same position that we were in when we left ... working our butts off and not having any time or money leftover to enjoy what the area has to offer.

DP really wants to make it happen, so perhaps we'll move and rent?

Disappointing. I wish the math was more on our side!

On the positive side, we had a lovely impromptu road trip and a great night in the lodge up there, swimming in the heated outdoor pool in the dark with the stars twinkling overhead and the snowy forest all around.

We ran into at least a dozen people that we know, and all of them asked when we were coming back. We miss that town!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: That is a beautiful house! Nice yard and on a cul de sac. Would you guys consider something smaller? Nothing wrong with renting for a while too! I hope you guys can make it work, if that is what you have decided is best for you guys.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Absolutely, we'd love something smaller. In that town, houses don't come any smaller. So we'd be into a condo, or apartment, which would be fine, but they're about the same monthly payment as having a house with a suite that brings in rental income. We're in <1000 sq ft now, and it feels too big. We'd love a small house. But everything up there is Super Size Chalet-style!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

*Starling* - Nothing wrong with renting. Or seeing if someone will lease you space on their land to put up a yurt.  If being on call averages more than $15 an hour (with shifts you're called and ones you're not), paying a babysitter could be fine. If calls are too infrequent, maybe it would make sense to only be on call when DP is around? or to pay less money for a young teen to hang out and play with your kids for that time, knowing that it'll only be rarely that she'll be watching them totally on her own?

If you can find a way to work it out, being somewhere you love is wonderful. But being stressed about money all the time is not wonderful at all. We swing the rural thing pretty well, but we have a very cheap life here. I can see how it's a tough call! Glad you had a good weekend, either way.

*Nilla* - Our expeditions are rather more epic, but our backyard wilderness is just that. Woods, little creeks, ocean beaches, little lakes, a few meandering trails through them. Probably not much different than yours. When we moved here, I wondered if all my travel over larger and more impressive glaciers, volcanoes, etc... would ruin me for appreciating the close-in more ordinary wilderness. But I find I love it more than ever.


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Starling, have I told you that you make me laugh? I can't remember why, specifically, but you are such an effective writer. But of course you don't need me telling you that! As for the house, I love it love it love it. DH would drool over it too.... I love the openness of it. Tons of possibilities. Have you thought about asking the seller whether s/he would be interested in renting it? Then you could sort of try it on for size. We are renting here, and its not bad. I like that it keeps me from spending money on the house. I hate the faucets, among other things, and if we owned i would be changing them. Here, I just deal with it and put it out of my mind. As for permanency, I think a five-year plan is permanent enough. Its hard to anticipate what the kids' (or your) needs will be in five years, so if you think you'll be happy there at least until H is school-aged, I'd say go for it.

Nilla, ITA with Starling about soft tissue damage. Its hard having your partner less than 100%, especially when he's feeling badly about it. Fingers crossed that things improve for him and Em soon.

Ever, enjoying your time off with R? Are you guys having adventures or staying in? Your pictures are beautiful, by the way.

Cindy, I'm having a similar problem getting Mallory to sleep. Aubrey's bed is in our room still, and I like her there. But, this means I can't nurse Mallory down in our bed, because they will keep each other awake and Aubs would not be able to resist the urge to cuddle with Mallie. So Mallie ends up falling asleep on my boob in the rocking chair, which means I'm trapped. When I pop her off, she wakes 80% of the time. If I try to lay her down, she screams. I've had some luck nursing her down on the couch and sneaking away, but it never lasts long. My long term plan is to move Aubs into her own room when the weather gets warmer, and then start nursing M down in our bed. Something I tried with Aubs was the "Pantley pop off" from No Cry Sleep Solution--basically you pop the baby off your boob when she's asleep, and if she cries, give it back, then pop her off again...and keep doing it until she stops resisting. I mean, there was more to it but that's the part I remember. Basically the key was to do everything gradually. The rest of the book was pretty much crap, but I should reread it in case something might work for Mallie. I guess that wasn't very helpful, but I wanted to commiserate.

Mal, I have the Cinderella dress that I made for Aubs to wear on Halloween when she was two...I may be able to change it a little so that Owyn could wear it if you'd like. What size is she wearing? I was thinking I could cut up the back and put ties on so that it would be adjustable--only problem might be the arms. If she's about a size 4 then I could try to get it to fit Aubs and then send it to you--there's no way M will ever wear it because she's so much bigger than Aubrey was.



Birthdays. This is the first year that Aubs gets what Birthdays are about, probably because she's been to a couple of parties now.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

I'm ready to go back to school. I'm bored and R is driving me nuts. Just this week left though and R goes back to daycare this Friday. We did some visiting just before Christmas and over New Years but we've also had lots of down time at home which is nice. Although the past week since we got back we've been sick, first him then me. So that wasn't good. And today we were both feeling better and I was going to take him skating but had to run a couple errands first and he was SO miserable, throwing massive tantrums because I wouldn't buy him something. So we went home and now he's sleeping. I'll be so glad when his birthday is over and we can forget about the whole 'gift' thing because he's been a greedy monster since before Christmas.

I've sent out some resumes and need to make some phone calls but I don't have any time too. Probably Friday when R's in daycare and I don't have to worry about him interrupting. And I updated my will today. Not much else is new and exciting.

I tried the Pantley pull off with R, but he would not give up the boob until he was asleep. I had to be super sneaky to get away and even then it wouldn't last long. He's still like that while he's falling asleep although now once he's asleep he's out for the night and nothing will wake him. He still likes to snuggle, be in physical contact with me. He even still asks about 'num num' and it's been almost a year (in April)! R is a super sweet kid in a lot of ways but he definitely is quite needy sometimes. I'm not used to it so this month home with him has been testing my patience. I've lost my temper a few times I'll admit. It's just a lot combined with the tantrums. Gah. I need to go back to class.


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## Dana May (Jan 5, 2013)

I know the feeling of having your patients tested I have 3 little girls and let me tell you these past couple of weeks have been full of challenges. Your not the only one to lose your temper there will be a lot of that to come. Us mommy's are full time workers with no breaks a lot of the time its funny how we consider school or our jobs if we have them a place to get away. Well hang in there kids could be difficult but your doing the right things.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: I lose my temper more than I care to admit. I'm glad you guys had a nice long break together. M was supposed to go back to school today after 2 weeks off and I was thinking she had pink eye today and kept her home. She was upset about not seeing friends and I was looking forward to doing some stuff out of the house without her. But it turned out ok.

Kate: That is a cute dress - so nice of you to offer to fix it and send it to O!

Starling: That is frustrating that you can't find anything smaller!

Glad to know I'm not the only one with nursing down issues. Doesn't make it any better though. ;-) I had some success the past couple ngihts. I nursed her to sleep and then removed nipple and laid there for a bit. Then, instead of getting up, I sat next to her and crocheted for a while until she was really really asleep. Then I got up. It worked both nights. Of course by that point last night I decided I'd just get ready for bed and go back to bed. But at least I am getting time for crocheting! I started a wool soaker for Aria months ago and I'm still not done. Sometimes I get like 10 stitches done and then I have to shelve my project again.

So like I said above, I thought M had pink eye and kept her home. Now I'm not sure. I think I'll probably send her to school tomrorow. Her eye isn't gunky today and isn't watery anymore so maybe it was just irritated. She was bummed to not go back to school today. But DH ended up working from home so we went out and did some things as a family and I'm glad she was home with us. I am washing my hands like a mad woman - I am terrified of getting goop eye myself! I already have a junky cough.

Did I tell you guys we booked a trip to Kaui??? End of February. We haven't been on a true vacation in ages! We plan to rent a 1 bedroom condo. DH and I have spent HOURS trying to decide on a place. Seriously, it's ridiuclous and I want to kill my husband at this point. LOL. I think we finally found one we agree on though. I am so excited!! I did a bikram yoga retreat in Kauai before I met DH and it was amazing. He has never been to Hawaii. I so can't wait to go eat my way through their farmer's markets again! Makenna's favorite song has always been "Puff the Magic Dragon" and I can't wait to show her where Puff lived (in Hanalei, which is where we are likely staying, the hillside is shaped like a dragon). Perhaps we are crazy going on vacation with 2 littles. But Hawaii is pretty low key. Just plan to go to the markets, the beach, swim in the pool and hopefully each strap on a kid and do some hiking and waterfall finding.

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I did not realize Hanalei was a real place. That vacation sounds fabulous.

Starling- I would so move if I could. Numbers don't work out for us either so we are staying in the city, but someday we'll be in the country. As soon as it is possible.

okay, I will fully admit that I completely forgot about this group, not that you guys existed or anything but I don't know. I wanted to come tell you that June started school yesterday and when I took her today she cried and cried and it was so hard. I tried to find you on facebook. D'oh. That's when I realized how long it has been, the time seemed to fly.Things have been massively crazy here. Christmas, then New Years eve and new years is Jo's birthday, I started planning the party but there was just no money and her foot is still broken so that's postponed. Then I started school and June started school and we are so broke and Junes birthday is coming up and we have planned NOTHING. The stress is crazy but I am so happy to be in school and it makes me have this inner peace because I know that someday I will make it so things won't be like this.

Christmas- was great we hung around the house all day and Josie still believes in Santa thanks to kind people who donated money and presents. Juniper had a good Christmas and was not fussy or anything the day of.

I have read through all 31 posts since the last time I came to mothering, that's something.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Courtney - Life does sound busy for you! I think it's awesome that you've gone back to school. It flies by! I'm done in April, crazy!! I've started applying for jobs now. I'm sooo looking forward to actually making some money. And I also want to get a house in the country once I'm working 

Cindy - I'm so jealous of your trip!! I'm trying to figure something out for my birthday which is the Thursday before Easter weekend. So I thought I could give myself a little getaway. Problem is I have no one to come with me. I could go to the Bahamas and just sit on a beach by myself for 3 days. I might end up doing that.

I'm still friends with the same two guys but nothing serious is happening with either. The one is always travelling for work and says he just can't do anything with me but be friends because it would be too hard emotionally to have anything more. The other I think may have some depression, I don't know, he's never really acted 'in love' with me which is annoying. But they both still contact me and seem to want me around. I really hate men sometimes.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Oh my gosh it's been a while since I've been here. Illnesses have been spreading like wildfire in our house since the first of the year. The girls got over their strep, DH got over his stomach bug, I got the stomach flu a few days later and had to miss my first day back at work and our class Christmas party, DH got bronchitis the same day I got the stomach flu, now both girls have ear infections. I'm just gonna go ahead and say it... I hate winter!!

I'm probably going to miss a lot of personals because I am so behind....

Kate: Oh my goodness I love that Cinderella dress! I remember when you posted pics of it when Aubrey wore it. Owyn says she loves it too! She does wear a 4t/4 in just about everything, she runs a little petite because she is so skinny. If you think you can rig the dress up to fit her, I would be forever grateful! I've been looking at buying a Cinderella dress and they are all either way more money than I want to spend or really cheap looking. And I can always send it back to you if you think your girls would want to have it. Thank you so much for offering this to us!

Everr: I totally understand how you feel! I had 3 weeks at home with the girls between all the illnesses, snow days and holidays. I was SO ready to go back this week! Although, it has been a little rough on Greta since I went back. She really got used to all of us being home together.

Baby crying, gotta run!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

double post


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

I took R for his first real haircut today. He looks so grown up! I can't believe he's almost 4 (on Friday!) He's having a little birthday party next Saturday and has invited 4 friends, so far 2 can come I haven't heard from the other parents yet. Hopefully they can come too. I start back to class on Monday and have to make the commute 5 days a week this semester. It's going to be exhausting, but it's the last one so that helps.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

R is our first four-year-old! Exciting! I can't believe it, really!

Hope everyone in your house is feeling better, Mal!

We're still trying to decide what to do. My DP is really wanting a career change, or at least a change of employers. Not sure what will happen or where we'll be this time next year. We're considering apartments in Pemberton, and have shelved the house idea. We can't afford it. We're also considering taking off for a while, and letting DP have some time to think about what she wants to do next. She's having a hard time deciding what she wants to do!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Happy birthday R!

*Everr* - They are all so grown up now, aren't they? Good luck on your last semester, it'll be good to be finally done, I'm sure.

*Starling* - does your DP want to work in a different field, or just a different restaurant? Taking off sounds exciting - where would you go?

*Mal* - I like winter, but agree with you on all the illnesses. I fell like I never used to get sick, but now I feel so run down since before Christmas, and I get sick so much more often now (is it the kids? getting old?)

*Courtney* - That all does sound so stressful. I hope Juniper feels better about school soon. And I'm glad you see the light at the end of the tunnel.

*Cindy* - I've always wanted to go to Kaui. But the combination of cost, logistics, and carbon-footprint guilt keeps us closer to home most of the time. Our trip to Seattle in the fall was my first trip out of state in over 2 years. (Alaska has enough room to wander in though, so I don't really have much need to go anywhere)

*AFM* - I'm really enjoying how well my two are playing together these days. K never cared much about L when she was a baby. But now that she's a big talking kid, they're so sweet together. Lately, he's been "reading" her stories in the morning, when she brings him a book he's already got memorized. They laugh together over silly rhymes, she finds things for him, and he helps her with things she can't yet manage. They pretend together. I was never close with either of my brothers, partly because we're farther apart in age (nearly 4 years, and 13.5 years younger than me), partly because our personalities are different, and partially because we spent our whole lives in different schools and activities. I've always hoped to see my kids be closer.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Been a little out of it lately. having lots of sleep issues here and I'm exhausted. I'm seriously up 8-10 times a night between the 2 kids. I'm at my breaking point. Told DH he had to do something to help. We are transitioning Fiona (and Papa) to another room. She did one night this weekend. We'll do the whole upcoming weekend and add days slowly until she is there most/all nights. She still wakes up 1-5 times a night. I can't deal anymore. Maeve has been teething molars and canines for weeks. Hoping that is why she is waking every hour to hour and a half and this is not the new normal. Shit I'm tired.

Looking like we are going to invite about 4 friends over for a fairy party. The kids will make wands, eat some snacks and cupcakes, run amock and head home...


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Has it gotten any better, Sue?

I hope so!

Hello to everyone ... I'd sure love to have a cup of tea with you all and hammer out all my Big Life Questions these days. DP is still thinking about leaving her job, we're still thinking about moving, I'm thinking on an on-line business idea so that we could have mobile income and I could stop working as a paramedic ... basically we're a flux soup right now. It's good that I like that sort of thing!

Thinking of you all ...

xoxox


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Oh starling, I so agree with you on that cup of tea. We're going through "big life decisions" right now too and it is so stressful. And it's not like in your face all the time heavy kind of stress, but the kind that stays in the back of your mind at all times and sneaks up on you when you least expect it. The house is still for sale with no lookers since before the holidays. We extended our contract with our realtor that will get us through the summer. On one hand, we're fine with it still being for sale. We've had unexpected expenses come up recently and moving would actually be kind of difficult right now. We still have an open invitation to stay with my parents if the house does sell, but the thought of living out of storage and being always prepared to move again is not very enticing. Our plan right now... we've allotted weekend time for DH to FINALLY finish these kitchen cabinets and install them, then we will FINALLY finish the painting we started over the summer. After all that is complete, we will have an open house and hopefully get some more eyes in here. I want to do the open house right when the market starts to turn again, early spring. Hopefully right after Owyn's birthday, that's the goal anyway. We're going to look at a house tonight, but it's probably not going to work out. DH thinks the house has foundation issues, but wants to get inside to see if the current owners have fixed it.

I also put in a request to go full time at my job next school year. It's not looking very promising, but I laid it all out on the table for them and basically said if I can't get a full time salary here, then I need to find something full time. DH and I have been bouncing ideas around for where I could look for a job if they do not offer me a full time contract. I gave them all my ideas for combining the preschool classes, offering different full time/part time options for families, updated the classroom and curriculum (more like get rid of the curriculum, not sure if they'll like that or not), etc. We'll see what happens. In the meantime, I still have my resume in with that work-from-home job where my friend currently works, but they are still waiting to hear whether or not they will get their grant extension. Not sure how long that will take considering all this "fiscal cliff" BS. I thought about looking into Parents as Teachers, but a lot of those programs have been cut from schools. If I could find a nearby school that still has it, I could actually do that and keep the job I have now since both are part time positions. There's a new early childhood center in town that I could look into. Not sure about that one either... not sure if they could pay me very well, not sure how well the place is run (they moved from another location and I know things were shady with them in the past). Basically, I a lot needs to change and at this point, I don't have a whole lot of control over what direction I go. Either I get offered a full time contract or I score an interview with the work-from-home option... ideally, one of those two things will work out. Worst case scenario, neither works out and I have until the end of the summer to find something before we are financially screwed.

Aside from all that, things with the girls are well. Everyone is finally healthy and fingers crossed will stay that way. The girls have moments of sweet sibling love and affection, followed by screaming and pushing and slamming doors on each other. I have a feeling their teenage years will give me many, many gray hairs. Owyn is doing a talent show with her preschool class next weekend and I have to dress her up as a snake. How in the world do I dress her up as a snake?? Greta has decided recently that naps are for losers and she no longer needs one, but will happily play in her crib when she is supposed to be napping. Owyn's bday party is coming together. MIL has actually been hunting for some actual tea sets for herself and when she heard I wanted to do a princess tea party for Owyn, she jumped all over it. She's going to find some tea cups and saucers (real stuff, no plastic or anything). We're going to make some honey tea and pink lemonade, along with some "big girl" snacks. Has anyone here ever made scones? I've never even eaten one, but I think I might try them out for the party. Owyn will love it! No big plans for her gift yet. She got so much for Christmas and really doesn't need anymore toys. We're thinking a new book, a pair of shoes, a new outfit for dance class and maybe something to go with her dollhouse.

Sue: Hope you are finally getting more sleep! Sleep deprivation has to be the hardest part of having young ones. It's most of the reason DH doesn't want anymore babies!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Scones! Yes! I have a great and easy buttermilk scone recipe, which we make gluten-free. We have them all the time with soup, and on Christmas mornings we have them with devonshire cream and strawberry jam ... the quintessential high tea!

Mal ... I hope everything shifts in exactly the right way for you. So many balls up in the air. So much juggling! So much life to be lived. Exhilarating and exhausting, truly. So glad for our health too!

Buttermilk scones

2 C. flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

1/2 C. cold butter (or margarine)

1 C. buttermilk (or sour milk aka. a bit of lemon juice or vinegar mixed into milk)

Mix dry ingredients.

Cut butter in.

Add milk.

Knead a few times on a floured board.

Pat into a flattened circle (about 1 1/2 inches high).

Cut into triangles. Or flattened a bit more and cut rounds.

Bake for 10 mins at 450 degrees. Makes about a dozen.

(If you used regular flour, you could roll them out, I imagine. But GF all-purpose flours are usually crumblier. These are best right out of the oven. We add shredded cheese for savoury. For sweet, you can roll them with sugar, although if you're adding jam and/or cream, then they are spectacular just the way they are.)


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Now I want scones!

Sleep: not much better. I don't know what to do about it anymore. I really thought that by 4 she would be sleeping better. I did give Maeve ibuprofin the last couple of nights. She's slept much better. Glad to know this teething is the cause of her poor sleep.

Yes, let us all sit down to tea! (and scones please!) So much change. Starling- what kind of business are you looking into? And Mal- sure hope you get some nibbles on the house. I sure hope everyone gets some answers and decisions made soon!

I'm thinking that the girls and I will be at my folks house for much of the summer. Starling- come camping on Whidbey! Dh's at sea time has been extended by a week for each trip. At least he makes a lot of extra money but it is so hard to do the solo parent thing for the summer. Staying with my folks has its challenges but I think it will be better then being here 100% on my own. I might buy a ticket for the first trip for a niece to come here and then go south for the 2nd trip too... still hashing it out. Whidbey is awesome in the summer though! I do love that! If we do a longer trip we will bring the dog and all! 

Also- its looking like Maeve also is dealing with allergies. Boo! Will have to find the time to get her up to Anchorage for testing. Then we can do followup care here. Was hoping she wouldn't also have the allergy thing to deal with.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Sue ... We absolutely would come see you on Whidbey! Now that I've got the hang of being on the road with the kids, it's all I want to do! We'd love to take off for an extended amount of travel. A year, even!

As for the business, I want to write, record and sell quality audio stories for children on a dedicated website that would also host my mama-blog stuff. I need to separate my writerly stuff from the mama stuff, and I think selling quality audio stories for a reasonable price might be the ticket to freeing myself from the ambulance and turning the mama blog thing into a business. I could host ads from the likes of yourself (silks, etc) and other friends of mine who have goods to sell (cloth pads, etc). I'm excited about it, but need time and money and some new knowledge to get it going.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Scones! Yum. I like to put wild black currants (frozen) in mine. Which makes me want to make some for snacks for our kid hike tomorrow now...

*Sue* - That must be so hard! I can't imagine still being stuck in sleep deprivation mode after so many years. L has been sleeping poorly for the past week or so (also teeth, I think), and I've been grumbling about not getting to sleep through the night anymore! (will stop, and feel ashamed now).

Whidbey Island sounds like a fun place to spend the summer. I don't like being all on my own with the kids for any length of time either, though I find it easier in summer than winter. Having extended family around is nice, and I feel very blessed with our little "compound" at the moment, with a great MIL and SIL a stone's throw away.

*Starling* - Flux soup is a great word for it. That business idea sounds exciting! It is always hard to get those things started, though, especially if you want to count on them for money right away - it seems like most folks I know who've pulled it off started out more as a labor of love, leaning on other income until they could get going. Hard to carve out time that way, though.

*Mal* - that's enough potential life paths to make anyone dizzy. I hope the right ones open up for you.

*AFM* - Realizing that I've been in slow mode with getting things done since I finished editing my book last month, but that our expedition (late March) is coming up rather soon after all, and that I really need to get my butt in gear to start planning equipment, logistics, etc... All the unfun that precedes the part I actually want to do. But if I call hikes with the kids "training", then they are preparation too, right? So, clearly, I just volunteered to take the lead on a community garden grant to plant berry bushes all over the town parks. Such a neat idea, though, I couldn't resist.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Sue, that sleep thing sounds rough. Hopefully splitting the kids up will help. I agree in the solo parenting. Chris being out of town was why I was willing to go stay with my sister so long last summer.

Starling- I'll have to make those scones, my kids love scones (and shortbread). What kind of business are you thinking? My sister is thinking of doing a business, a little cafe that is mom friendly with little play sets and play areas for the kids. Not on-line, but it's neat, and sort of funny since I just recently got invited to go to a little cafe like that near me. Tea wold be nice, all of us together talking things over, just the thought relaxes me.

Mal- glad your MIL is excited about the party, wasn't she the one who wouldn't let you borrow the cones?

snake costume- get green stretchy fabric (I'm thinking jersey). sew it in a tube that will be snug against her body and decorate it with diamonds or some thing along her back. It will have to have material that comes over her head for the snake head, stuff it with cotton, it will also need a tail, so the tube will stop on the front right above her feet (a slit) then on the back it will continue out and be stuffed so the tail will drag behind. Since it is stretchy she will still be able to walk easily. I have drawn a rough sketch and will post it to facebook. and here 

I will be crossing my fingers that one of those job options works out and the open house is a smashing success.

Erin- sweet about the kids. My kids go through stages of being awesome together and they are in one right now. (not always jewel and Josie together) but with the little sisters they are both fabulous.

I am loving school!! we devised a new drop off plan for June at school, I take her first (part of the problem was the ride from her sisters school to hers) and her sisters can walk in with her. the CDC (child development center) is letting her have an extra 30-45 minutes everyday, unpaid, because it makes it easier on her. Her school is so fabulous! We have only done it one day and it worked great, hopefully it keeps working great. In birthday news she has picked a theme for her party, firetrucks. It turns out the firetruck playground is her favorite because "it's cool" and " I like firetrucks". Not sure what I am doing with it yet, but I think I am combining her birthday with her older sister Josie's. Coraline doesn't feel well and I am not sure if she can hear. I have a referral to the audiologist from her pediatrician and I am just waiting on them to call me back.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Starling: LOVE the audio book idea! We'd be customers!!!

Sleep- last night was much better. Hoping for successful "camp out" this weekend. Last weekends camp out went well. We figure we'd ease her into it over time. I really think moving her sleeping space will help. (help me that is! Not DH so much but I don't really care- ha!) Went to pull out the futon for storage though and discovered it was covered in mold. Major suck. So we have to save up a bit to buy a new mattress.

Courtney: I hope you get some answers soon about Coraline's hearing. Hoping it goes well!


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Wanted to quickly say--Mal, i pulled out the dress and will mess with it either Today or Tues when we get back from my mom's house so that I can let you know. What date will the party be?

Sickies here--all but me, thankfully. Flu x 3 plus DH ended up with pneumonia. I swear we can't escape it. Off to make some emergen-c before the girls wake from napping! Back sooner this time.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

justkate: Ooo scary pneumonia! I hope everyone is well again! My girls both had pink eye last week and I think I had bronchitis - i finally broke down and got an abx on wed and I *think* I am on the mend.

Erin: I'm excited for your expedition! I can only imagine the prep that goes into it. I've already got a list going for out trip to Kauai next month and we'll be staying in a condo with access to the grocery store. LOL.

Courtney: I hope all is well w/Coraline's hearing! That reminds me that I need to do the hearing test for Aria. I'm glad Juniper is loving school and that they are willing to work with you on the drop-off.

A cup of tea would be so lovely with you ladies! High tea is my thing with my mom. We got to tea almost every time she comes to visit as this adorable tea shop in a quaint part of San Francisco full of victorians. I made tea at home last time she was here bc of the baby. I have half a bottle of leftover devonshire cream so perhaps I ought to make scones. Though part of me is grappling with the idea of giving up grains for a bit and seeing how I feel and if I lose the last few baby lbs.

Nothing big over here. Just getting over illnesses here. We are about to go to a playdate with a new friend from M's preschool. Our kids don't play together a ton at school but the mom and I always chat. She has twins that are a couple months older than Aria. M is very excited to go to his house though.

I was never so happy to drop m at preschool as I was yesterday. She annoyed the crap out of me all day. I wish I wasn't so annoyed by her but I was. She refused to eat anything i made, whined and threw fits all day and the topper was the trip to the dentist where she completely flipped out and actually ran away from the dentist, back to the reception area! I have no idea where that came from - this was our 4th trip to the dentist and she did awesome at the 1st 3. They couldn't even clean her teeth. She refused to lay back in the chair or on my lap. She refused to lay flat for eye drops last week too - perhaps it feels too vulnerable to her lately for some reason?

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

When is E's birthday?! I know she is a January too! Happy birthday to you sweet girl!!!

Can't really believe our babies are turning 4! Thanks for the friendship over these many years Mamas!!!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Makenna's b-day party was yesterday. I think it was a success. They loved decorating the wands. They liked making clothespin fairies but the glue didn't want to stick too well (I had made my sample with a glue gun). They still liked it though. This was the first yr I did not explicitly say no gifts on the invite. Can you believe one of her gifts was a box of kellog's disney princess fruit chews?! I'm still wierded out by it. Especially knowing the mom. She is a good friend. My guess is a regift and that she thought we were doing no gifts so they jsut brought something as a token? Who knows. It was weird. Is it sad that I was dissapointed for her in the gift dept? Another odd gift was a set of schleigh animals - but they are little tiny birds. Also a regift, I'm guessing. Anyway, not the point.  She was happy enough.

M's real birthday is tomorrow. I plan to make choc chip pancakes and she is looking forward to going to the bead store and picking out beads. She has school tomorrow and doesn't want to miss it. But she didn't want to do the birthday celebration at school - probably too much attention on her. We didn't get much for gifts. Too much for xmas. So we got a wooden castle doll house for $20 at Michaels. It needs to be painted (or not) - but that can be a project for her to do with her daddy. And we got her a camera. That's it. Oh and a phonics workbook.

I think of you all often and keep meaning to come write and then forget. So I'm glad Sue posted! Aria is 4 mos today. Where does the time go? Feels like just yesterday that I gave birth to Makenna. They both have check ups on wed - looking forward to seeing how big they both are. And I'm afraid M might need her tonsils out! She snores so bad all the sudden lately - and she is not stuffy at all during the day. Her tonsils are huge. But not painful.

Cindy


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

E's birthday is on Thursday. Happy birthday to M tomorow! And happy Birth Day to you, Cindy!

I cannot believe that it is nearly four years ago that we were having our babies. Amazing.

We're heading to Whistler for a couple of nights for her birthday. She asked for a horse-drawn sleigh ride, so that's what we're doing on her actual birthday. We got her a scooter, and a rubber snake that she's had her eye on for a long time, and some beading supplies.

I took her to the ped last week to talk about her anxiety/OCD stuff, so that's officially on the radar now. We also got her a necklace that's meant for babies to play with/chew while nursing or in arms, in hopes that she'll chew on that instead of her fingers, her shirt, her stuffed animals, blankets, and the gum she is always asking for. We've been letting her have unlimited Spry gum, but it's getting out of hand. The ped (who I adore) is very laid back, so he recommeded a couple of books and said we'll keep an eye on it and when/if her rituals/OCD stuff ever interfere with her daily life, we'll revisit it then.

H is awesome. So loving and funny, and curious about everything. He is such a great kid to have around.

My audio stories venture for kids is moving forward ... met with the web designer, a composer (for intro music ditty), researching mics and interfaces for recording, and talking up people for advertising swaps, etc. Fun!

Thinking of you all!

xo


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Happy birthday to all our 4 year olds! I can't believe they are turning 4. I believe Owyn has the last birthday in the bunch, so I am enjoying hearing about your celebrations. It also helps motivate me to get owyn's party planned.

Kate, we got the dress today and it is beautiful!! It fits Owyn great too! She was so excited to try it on, and once she did she said "is this dress for my toy story party?!" Oh no, this girl has asked for a cinderella party for almost 3 months, and a cinderella party is what she will get!

Owyn has a well child check tomorrow. We got her in early to start the conversation about her hearing. It has gotten worse in the last several months and now she's had 2 ear infections in the last few weeks, after never having an ear infection before in her life. It will be interesting to get her doc's opinion on it. He is pretty laid back about most things.

We made an offer on a house tonight! Still working on selling ours so it's contingent on that. We're cautiously optimistic about it. On the iPad now, so it's hard to link, but when I get on the desktop I will show you guys some pics!

Missing you ladies lately. Holidays and birthdays and illnesses are keeping us busy here, but you're all in my thoughts!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Happy Birthday to all the 4 year olds! They're all getting so grown up.

K's not until Valentine's day, but he's very excited, and has been telling us forever he wants to bob for apples on his birthday (not that he's ever done it, and I think I'll have to modify that to apple slices for little mouths)

*Mal* - Hope the hearing check goes OK. Is that the kind of thing they can put in tubes for? Exciting about the house, too. I hope it works out, you guys have been trying so long.

*Starling* - Exciting about the audio stories - that sounds like a great project. And I hope the necklace helps E.

*Cindy* - Hope the tonsils are OK. My husband was supposed to have his out as a child, but they didn't have the money, so he never did. He seems fine with them now.

*AFM* - We are thoroughly entrenched in little-boy-dinosaur obsession these days. Which, is actually kind of fun. I've learned quite a bit myself about the evolutionary pathways that led to dinosaurs and all the other bizarre prehistoric critters from reading each library book as many times as it takes for him to memorize it (and these ones are so long!). And I do prefer it to the other budding obsession with pretending to "shoot" or "explode" things with any available projectile-like object.

L is a happy boisterous willful little just-turned 2 year old, seemingly determined to be much older. She talks in paragraphs, runs and jumps and climbs and pretends with all the other kids - I swear the competition with K has met her hit every single milestone sooner. Any time she tells us her age even, she makes sure to say "I'm 2! And on my next birthday I'll be 3!"

We've been struggling a little bit with how to juggle our family's schedule to make sure everyone's needs are met. We have infinite flexibility, with everyone working/learning at home, but sometimes it seems like that can make things even more of a puzzle.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1907-Willow-St_Higginsville_MO_64037_M81693-98677

Okay, there is the house! I'll probably come back at a later time and delete that link since the address is on the website, but I wanted to show you ladies. Compared to our house now, it is just so BIG! The bedrooms are big, the kitchen is huge, the basement is massive. DH already has plans for building a bar in the basement, of course. I love how everything is laid out. The girls rooms are right with ours. And big enough for them to still share if they want to, which we may do and just use the other bedroom as a toy room on the main floor. I don't think I can convince them to play on their own in the basement quite yet, maybe when they're a little older. We don't love that the living space is separate from the kitchen/dining, but we've been brainstorming how we can change that. The basement steps are between those two rooms, so it would be a little tricky to open it up. We'll figure that out later. The nice thing is that nothing needs to be done to the house right away. We'll change some things, but they're projects that can wait a beat. I love that the yard is fenced in, something that DH will never pay to have done! Oh and my sister lives right next door, which is a pro for me and a con for DH, but one of his good friends from work lives across the street so that helps.  Wish us luck, I can't wait to hear back from the sellers!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Great House Mal! Fingers crossed. Oh to have that much space!!

Happy Birthday to Makenna and Esmé! Our babies are getting big!

So excited about the audio stories Starling! I'll be among the first in line to buy! So very cool! I hope its a total hit and you can begin working from home.

Fiona began taking violin lessons last week. She is in love!! Practices all the time- can't wait to go to lessons again. I'm thrilled! So great! Her birthday is Friday. DH got the day off so we can spend the day as a family. Saturday is her party. We are decorating paper birthday crowns and making fairy wands. Cindy, I'd love to see what you guys made. Pics?

Starling- Fiona does a lot of chewing on fingers and clothes too. We have a whole slew of chewies for her now. It has really helped. She really likes these... http://www.amazon.com/Chewy-Tubes-Ps-and-Qs/dp/B0018C0HTI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359494325&sr=8-1&keywords=ps+and+qs


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue: I didn't take a ton of pics but I'll see what we managed to get before my camera battery died. Basically, I bought super glittery card stock and cut out stars. We bought sticks at the craft store and painted them with glitter paint and then I hot glue gunned on the stars. We bought some pink stick on jewels and a big thing of various shape and color sequins and a thing of butterfly sequins and they glued that stuff on. Fun to see how each girls did it and they were each so proud when they were done. I'll try and upload pics now before baby wakes up.

Mal: Great house! I hope they accept your offer and your house gets a nibble soon!

Starling: I am SO impressed with the speed at which you are making this project happen! Awesome!! I would LOVE to buy one too. So special.

Happy birthday to all the littles with special days this week!

Today is M's b-day and she is at school now. They made her a birthday crown and a birthday book and will sing but she didn't want to do the whole celebration - so another girl is doing it today and she will get to eat a popsicle from her so I'm sure she will be happy enough. We had a lovely morning of choc chip pancakes and presents. She adored both the camera and the castle doll house and was super busy playing with them all morning. We went to the bead store and got $40 worth of special beads - and she promptly came home and played with them - transfering them from here to there and back again. Daddy is trying to get home in time to pick her up from school. She requested mac and cheese for dinner so I best go buy some soon! Nice day. And probably the first time I am not wistful thinking back to her birth - I think bc I had he privelege of experiencing Aria's birth since M's last birthday.

Can you believe my husband is actually entertaining the idea of a 3rd child? I seriously doubt it would ever come to be between finances and our lack of fertility. But it's a nice thought.

Cindy


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Ok not the greatest pic but you can see a couple finished wands and a couple clothespin fairies lying on the table. We had extra wands so I think I will have M decorate some and mail them to her cousins.


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Happy Birthday to the big girls!

Cindy, love the fairy wands. Aubrey loves making things (mostly pictures) for her cousins and putting them in the mail. The mail is such a magical thing for some reason. Didn't you get married in Hawaii? I'm remembering you in a dress, with your DH, somewhere beautiful....? I would be secretly thrilled if DH were considering a 3rd child. But it will never happen. I'm trying to convince him to get a V so that I'll know we're done.

Sue, thanks for the bump on the Swap. I traded my wrap for this guy: Natibaby Butterflies 4 I've never had a size 4 so I hope I like it. I can't believe Fiona is into violin. I mean, it would have been awesome for me at that age, because I was that sort of kid, but Aubs would destroy a violin in about 2 minutes. And refuse to practice. So neat how developed their little personalities are already! Really lousy about Maeve possibly having allergies. We're dealing with a sensitivity to some food with Mallory as well. I'm not going to say allergy, but when I let her "try" (i mean even lick) certain things, she gets a rash around her mouth, gags, and vomits violently. So far its happened with a Dairy Queen cake (seriously, I just let her have maybe two licks!), raisin pumpkin bread (again, just a taste), and most recently one piece of corn Chex with milk on it. Not that she should really be eating any of this stuff, but Aubrey never had a reaction like this. I'm suspecting she's sensitive to either milk (but she's been okay with yogurt?), wheat, or corn/corn syrup. We're mostly just avoiding anything that could contain those for now. Fortunately she's not very interested in food yet.

Speaking of not interested in food, she wants to eat before napping.... back later.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Happy Birthday to Esme, Makenna, and Fiona!!! FOUR YEAR OLDS EVERYWHERE! Hope everyone is having great celebrations 

I've been so busy it's ridiculous. I'm not doing so well personally. I'm depressed, stressed, and I feel like I'm falling apart. I'm not sure what to do. I'm trying to just focus on one day at a time but I get so down sometimes it's hard to see the light.

Anyway, I still like to check in here and see what everyone's up to, but I don't always have the energy to respond. Sorry


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Ugh... Our offer was rejected. I was surprised by that. I really thought they would at least counter-offer. They want a written letter of pre-approval from our bank and they want to see a contract on our house before negotiating any more. The pre-approval is no big deal. We've submitted the paperwork, just need to set a price to get pre-approved for. We were holding off until they answered because we don't want them running our credit more than necessary. Not knowing how long this process could take makes things a little tricky there. But we'll get the letter. As far as the house, not much else we can do there. DH is finishing up a couple of projects that should be done by the end of this month, then we're planning to have an open house. If we don't get any nibbles from the open house, we'll lower the price a little. I get their concerns, but we were hopeful anyway. Their house has been on the market since August 2011 and hasn't been shown since last March. We hoped they would be excited enough about getting any offer after that much time that they would be willing to negotiate a little more. DH was bummed too. He gets much less motivated when he's disappointed, so I hope he doesn't slow down on his projects now. I definitely intend to put in another offer once things start moving on this house. I just need to keep the fire lit under him to get these things done!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Mal: such a bummer about the house offer. I hope you guys get all of your projects finished and have a wonderful open house!

Kate: Gorgeous wrap! I have a size 4 linen natibaby and love it. Of course Maeve is less and less into being wrapped these days. Sometimes she yells at me when i wrap her... "Stuck! Stuck!"

Erin: Loved your blog post about K's project. I just finished that book and loved it! So inspiring. Do you guys think you'll homeschool the kids? I know you have gone back and forth a bit on this. As we begin to dip our toes into here, I'm more and more excited about it. Fiona too!

Fiona had a nice birthday and a sweet little party. All the kids she invited were able to come which was really nice. Wand making was a total hit!

Baby calls- I'll be back later with more.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

*Mal* - too bad they didn't take the offer, hope they reconsider later

*Kate* - hopefully she'll grow out of allergies if she has them, she's still so little. And you may have a while of wrapping yet - L is still wrapped for hikes almost daily, and she's 2.

I know what you mean about all their different personalities. If I gave K a violin, he'd immediately pick it up upside down or some such, then insist that he was going to teach me how to play it his way.

*Sue* - Thanks. I love the Project-Based Homeschooling book. Even after a fairly short time trying to implement some of what's in it (not all, and not perfectly!) I've been amazed at what K's been doing. There's a forum that's quite good too, and the author responds very nicely and thoroughly to anyone's questions.

We're pretty set on the homeschool path now. The more I read, learn, and think about it, the more it makes sense for so many reasons. The biggest ones being the opportunity for child-led learning and the freedom it gives the kids. It seems hypocritical to set up a life for the adults in the family based on flexibility, pursuing our passions, and being able to be out in nature - then not giving the same to the kids.

Also, my experience with preschool has led me to think that school logistics are a time-suck for parents, not a time saver. I think the Head Start teacher probably has the impression that the reason we've gone from regular attendees to occasional drop-ins is that I'm too lazy to wake up early and to bike into town every day.

*Cindy -* Those fairy wands are great.

Happy birthday to Makenna, Esme, and Fiona!

*AFM* - I was thinking K's birthday party would be a fairly simple kids+snacks+cake and hang out affair. However, he has other plans, and is insisting on a "Plant-eating Dinosaurs Bobbing for Apples Party", which he's super excited about. I still have yet to figure out quite what he has in mind for it, though, other than that he will make himself a dinosaur costume, and the yurt will somehow be decorated as a place that dinosaurs would like, and the dinosaurs will all bob for apples. I don't want to take over, so I'm curious to see what he comes up with.

He also really wants to paddle across the bay and camp out to look for clam fossils, so we'll probably do that early next week when the tides are better.


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Erin, I like the idea of plant eaters bobbing for apples. Why not, right? Makes me think of Jurassic Park..."veggie-saurus, veggie-saurus!" I'm really impressed with the project, maybe should add that book to my list. I agree, commuting and shuttling kids around is a drain on life. Wish I had a community that was more like-minded. I have trouble getting the girls across the street to play regularly--everyone is so *busy* but I'm not sure what we're actually accomplishing.

Sue, can you believe I don't love the Nati 4? I'm finding that the 20% bamboo is just too stretchy. Or slippery, or something. And I'm honestly disappointed that the pink spots we discussed before I bought it are as obvious numerous as they are. She sort of underestimated them, but I should have asked for more pics. Oh well. I think I'm going to sell everything i have and buy one wrap and one SSC and try to be okay with that. Mallory has been getting pissy when I try to wrap her. Not sure what's up with this child. She's usually so sweet and calm that the fussiness sort of freaks me out.

So yesterday I gave Mallie some Gerber cheeto things that a neighbor had, and she ate six. Then her face swelled, got red and blotchy, and she vomited all over me. So now I'm suspecting either corn or whey from dairy. Good thing she's still not all that in to regular food.

Ever, wish I could give you a big hug! Is the winter harder for you? I know it is for me. I don't know the just-right thing to say, but I hope you start feeling better. 'Course if there's anything I can do....

Mal have you had O's hearing checked? Just wondering how that works with this age group. Aubrey still has her tubes in from when she was 18 mos. old, believe it or not.

Courtney, weren't you worried about Cora's hearing too? Not sure about her hearing, but there's definitely nothing wrong with that child's legs. Can't believe she got to the top of the ladder! Mallie can't even stand up yet! And thank goodness. I can wait!

Nilla, how've you been mama? Its birthday time so I'm thinking of cakes and wondering what you've got up your sleeve. I'm making a Lalaloopsy one this year. Should be interesting.

Starling, anything new with you?

New stuff here--Mallory is much more verbal than Aubrey, despite her general laziness and happy-to-just-be-a-baby attitude. She's 10 mos and saying Dada, Mama, Aubee, uh-oh, hey you, ah yuv you, and cat. No idea why, as we don't have a cat, but whatever. Crawling everywhere, no fear at all. Aubrey is taking a break from gymnastics for the summer and doing swimming lessons at the Y, which are going pretty well. Also probably doing whiffle ball in the summer because its only $15 for 8 weeks. Hopefully that will be enough to keep her busy. And now she's waking from her nap...can you believe she still naps for 2 hours every day? My terrible no good very bad sleeper from 2 years ago?! Sometimes I forget how awful it was.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Kate: I had to show you a pic of Owyn in the dress! This one is going on the invites to her birthday party. I'll have to post more after her party, of her all dolled up!



Hearing: We had her appointment last week. It was just her well-child check with her regular doctor, but we started the conversation. He did say it was a little concerning especially now that she's verbalizing the fact that she can't hear. A lot of her behaviors are hard to read though. Could just be normal 4 year old stuff. He took a look at her ears and blew a little puff of air on each ear drum. He said they didn't move, which means there is likely a build-up of fluid behind the ear drums. However, we were only a week out after finishing antibiotics for an ear infection, so he said it's not too alarming to see fluid still hanging out for several weeks after an ear infection. He didn't feel like we should check it out further right now or do a hearing test because it would be hard to tell if it's really her normal hearing or if it's just from the ear infection. He suggested we wait it out through the winter and talk about this again after she's been healthy for a while.

Erin: Love the Plant-eating Dinosaurs party! It's so fun to see them coming up with their own ideas this year. Owyn was so set on this Cinderella party and she's never gotten so into it before!

Everr: How are you doing lately, I miss hearing from you! I'm sure you've got your eye on the prize right now. You are almost done, Mama! You should be proud!

Not much happening here this week. Owyn was sick earlier this week. That's the second week in a row she has run a high fever with no other symptoms. Weird. House stuff is still moving along. We had someone come look at our place this week. Our agent called and told us there was no offer, but he had a long chat with the agent who is selling the house we want. Basically, everything about our offer was good except the contingency on our house. So, she is kind of teaming up with our agent to get our house sold. Obviously, she's thinking she can get two commissions if she sells our house. But I really don't care how it happens, as long as we sell! She more or less told our agent, if we can get our house sold we will get the other house.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Thanks for the thoughts ladies. I think the winter does make it harder. Combined with school stress and job application stress. The career I really want after this requires a practicum placement but there's only about 25 placements for 100 students. It's very very stressful. And while I'm probably in about the top 15 for marks, I wasn't able to get relevant work experience last summer. Some of the students moved around across the province to do little summer jobs, but of course I couldn't do that because of R. I applied to about 8 different places (every place where I could afford daycare) and 5 have already made calls for interviews and I didn't get one. So there's only 3 left, 1 being my home town so I have a slight advantage (in theory) here. I had an interview last year but then that manager retired and the new manager isn't from here, so he may not care that I'm from here. I'm so worried about what I'm going to do if I don't get a placement. The job market is so tough.

And on top of that my personal life just sucks. I'm so unbelievably sick of being alone. I have two guys sort of 'in my life' but I'm not dating either. One has major commitment issues but we're pretty close friends and the other is a workaholic who is never around but wants to meet up for lunch when he is. I wish I could just find someone normal who actually wanted to be with me. I get so frustrated and resentful that I have to do this alone. I don't even get an every other weekend break or child support or anything. All I do is go to school or parent. That's it. And by 'parent' I mean the bare minimum to keep R alive and busy so that I can get school work done. I keep trying to tell myself that everything will be better when I have a job but I'm not convinced. I thought everything would be better when I was in school but it's not. I feel like I'm constantly putting up with misery for some future better life that I'll never reach.

Anyway, that's my vent..

Mal - Owyn is sooo cute!! I hope everything is a quick fix with the hearing. I just want to caution that most ear infections are actually viral, not bacterial, so antibiotics would do absolutely nothing to fix. Good luck with all the house drama! That's such a stress :/

Kate - R will still nap sometimes on the weekends too! It's a nice break although usually I'd prefer to keep him up and send him to bed early. I usually have him in bed, lights out by 7:30. He goes to sleep very well and sleeps right through til probably 7:30ish. He was such a horrible sleeper as a baby/young toddler. And I always would lay down with him when he was younger. So it's nice that the transition to going to bed on his own has worked out so well. One catch: I have to promise to carry him into my bed when I go to sleep or let him go to sleep (on his own) in my bed. Which I do as long as he goes right to sleep. I'm going to wean off that soon I think though. He's getting really annoying to sleep with.

Erin - Love the party idea! K sounds like such a fun imaginative boy  I really need to get R outside more and do more adventures. He's not really into the winter though and he gets so whiny if we walk anywhere..

As for R: He is doing well. His verbal skills amaze me sometimes. I love talking to him and listening to him express his thoughts and it amazes me that this is the same little person that was once my sweet little newborn. He's in swimming now and loves it. And he is going to T-ball this summer and he says he wants to do soccer again too.. Last year I had to bribe him to go to every soccer game after the first couple. I really don't want to go through that again.. Maybe it'll be better with him being that much older. Oh and I realized I need to get him registered for kindergarten! Wow..


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Ever ... Hugs mama, I really hope things ease up for you on all fronts! Love, life, work, home ... all of it. It's been a long time to be chugging uphill. Kindergarten? Do you mean pre-K? Junior K? Or are ON cut-offs different?

Erin ... That party sounds great!

Kate ... E is a miserable mess if she has anything even remotely resembling a nap. Even if she falls asleep in the car for five minutes.

Sleep ... I feel like we're coasting. E says she'll stay in our bed until she's seven now. It used to be four. Hahaha. H is a pretty good sleeper. I'm working on limiting the night nursing. Aiming for no nursing between 12-5am. Mostly works, except when he's teething or sick.

Mal ... What a cutie! I hope your housing works out! That's been a long chug uphill too!

Cindy ... How's it with two kids now that you're moving out of the newborn fog? And yes, those wands are awesome!

Sue ... How's the potential move coming? We're going to be in Whitehorse in April. How far away is that from you? We're going to rent an RV for a while. Wonder if we could make it to you?

Courtney? Where are you, mama? How are things?

Sounds like several of us are in flux right now. I wonder if there is something to that in the stars?

AFU: DP quit her job. So we're having fun thinking of all kinds of things we could do. Stay put, move, open a restaurant in a small town, move back to the island, travel for a bit. The timing is tough, being that I'm about to drop all our savings on my new online venture, but exciting times, nonetheless! The kids are great. We're having so much fun with them.

Our neighbours have had the same foster child since she was born two weeks after H, and now she's coming up for adoption, and I think DP and I will step forward and see if we can adopt her. Trying not to get too excited or hopeful about that! But it reduces me to tears to think of her going to a strange family where they might not love her like we do.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

And Ever ... I'm going to be in TO in May. How far is that from you?

And Cindy ... We're heading down your way soon! DP's last day is Feb 18th, so the next day we're heading south on a Cali-bound roadtrip! We should try to get together! We might camp at Santa Cruz.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Starling! Really thinking about you guys and crossing fingers on the adoption front. You guys are amazing!!! Whitehorse is far! We will be on Whidbey for the whole month of July though. Potentially part of May/June too although I'm not sure about that yet.

Everr: Big hugs mama. You have so much on your plate! I really hope life eases up for you. Crossing fingers the local position is the one for you!

Mal: Sure hope the hearing thing gets sorted soon. I'm sure its heavy on your mind. Does she seem to feel better from the ear infection? Do you think tubes would help with the fluid issue if that is not related to her recent illness? I admit, I know nothing about this. We've not dealt with ear infections here.

Erin: Love K's party plan!

Kate: Bummer about the food allergies!! I'm pretty sure Maeve is dealing with some intolerances too. I think we will go through allergy testing given F's long list.

AFU: We are doing pretty well. Winter is a bit rough on me and I think I've been dealing with some depression but with returning light have been getting out solo after DH gets home from work. It has been really helpful to get to walk the dog- alone, briskly! DH and I have had a few rough patches but overall feel more connected and on the same page. I'm so grateful for that! He applied for 2 jobs in Oregon which he didn't get. Still looking. Most federal agencies are listing positions as term due to budget constraints. Sucks!!!

Until we can move we plan to try to get to Whidbey 2-3 times a year. DH is going to buy a used car from a colleague in Seattle so we have a vehicle at my parents. (will pay for itself after 2 trips really since we need to get a rental car otherwise). Then we will be able to do road trips from there too. Excited to not have to ask my mom if I can borrow her car like I'm 17!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Starling - Adoption - wow! How exciting would that be?? I'm thinking of you guys and I hope the adoption process goes smoothly!! I have dreams of some day fostering, once my life is more together. My parents always fostered growing up, and my brother that passed away was a foster brother. I think because of him my main thoughts are on fostering pre-teen/teen boys, once I'm a bit older and can handle something like that. Maybe when R is around that age.

And I would LOVE to see you in May!!! Toronto isn't too far, that's where I got to school  We could do something touristy together, museum, zoo.. There's an aquarium opening up too, but not til the summer I think.. Anyway, just let me know when and where 

I didn't realize BC was different for kindergarten.. We have JK and SK here, so JK starts at age 3 or 4 (all kids born 2009 start this September). The school I was planning on sending him doesn't have full day kindergarten yet, so I'm going to go with a different one. I just don't see the point in going every other day when the other days he'll have to be in daycare anyway (less $$ for me!)

Sue - I'm sorry you've been having a rough time *hugs*. I hope your hubby gets a position in Oregon soon. It's not fun to wait 

AFM: I really want to get a dog.. I've wanted to for a long time actually, but the timing has never been right. My life is always too busy. I always thought I would get one when R turned 5 but I think I might move that up a bit. In reality I probably won't get one until the fall.. I'm nervous about the extra commitment and responsibility and wondering if that will be the tipping point for my stress load.. But I also think it would be really great, and fun, and make my little family feel more like a 'real family', if that makes sense.. I think it would be really great for R too, especially because he doesn't have any siblings. A dog could be his playmate in a way. So, maybe soonish.. I was also thinking about this spring. It would be easier then for the adjustment - taking it out for walks, house training, and all that. It's exciting to think about


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: Wow, how cool would it be if you really do get to adopt that little girl? So surprising to hear but so awesome! I hope all works out. Yay to your DP for up and quitting a job she doesn't like. Sounds like you guys are going to enjoy some travel for a while before settling down again. I would love love love to see you guys!! I'm jealous - I want to camp.

Everr: Hang in there mama - there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I do think you will be feeling so much better when you are done with school. Prayers for a job you want! I think a dog is a great idea. But I would wait until you are done with school and have some more time to focus on it. Would you get a puppy or adopt an older dog that needs a home?

Sue: I'm glad you are getting out for walks at least! I am not even doing that these days.

Mal: Fingers crossed your house sells quickly! Must be so frustrating to be in a holding pattern like that.

AFM: I guess we are in a bit of flux around here too. DH spends about 3 hours/day in the car driving to and from work. And when he gets there he hates his job. A position opened up 10 minutes from our house and he interviewed there last week. But now the guy might not need someone full time. So he is meeting with his old boss from another company who is also somewhere new to see about splitting time with him and the job near our house. Not only would he have a short commute and we'd get to see him more, it would be a lot more money. We all have our hope up way too high, I'm sure. But even if he doesn't get this, he has to get something - he won't stay where he is. His boss knows this and is at least trying to move him to a different client - one where he worked for 7 yrs before taking this job and where the culture is way more laid back. So we'll see.

Life has settled down a bit now that Aria is 4 mos. She is pretty easy most of the time. Just a happy little person. It's makenna that gives me a run for my money these days. DH got home at like 7 or 8 most of last week and one night worked until midnight. I was pretty worn out from dealing with M last week. I am off to call the doc right now bc her tonsils are huge and I think they need to come out asap. She snores and woke up on Friday night freaking out that she couldn't breathe. She is also having some episodes where she says she uinhaled whatever she is eating - but I think really it's just getting stuck on her tonsils bc it is happening sort of frequently. We did see the pediatrician a week ago and she said they were big but just by looking she wasn't overly concerned. But she referred us to the specialist. The big tonsils coupled with her smaller than normal airways are not a good combo. So I am worried every night when I listen to her breathing. I just hope it can wait until after our trip to Kauai in 12 days. I'm pretty sure it can. Anyway, part of me wonders if M's disposition isn't made more crabby at times bc she is not getting restful sleep anymore. I keep reading that big tonsils can effect sleep and mood and even bed wetting (she still sleeps in a diaper).

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Starling: Big,big news all the way around! I am so excited for your new changes. Also hoping for the best with the adoption. She would be one lucky little girl to find such an amazing family to be a part of. As long as you're traveling, you should just swoop on down to the Midwest and visit us!!









Ever: Good to hear from you! I think a dog is a great idea, of course that might just be because I want one! I have always told DH I would not get a dog while we live in our current home, small yard, no fence, small house. And I like big dogs, so it just wouldn't work. But with a new house hopefully on the horizon... More space, large fenced-in yard... Maybe a puppy for Christmas next year! DH wants a Bassett Hound, and since he isn't too keen on the idea of getting a dog I figured he could at least choose what kind.

Cindy: Good luck with the tonsils. I have had so many people ask me about Owyn's tonsils since her hearing issues started. So many people I have talked to have had issues with fluid and tonsils hand-in-hand. Weird. She has started snoring recently, but she has also had at least a bit of a cold most of the winter. We'll see if it continues once the winter cold season is gone. So jealous of your upcoming trip!!

Our house is being shown again today. Fingers crossed. It's the second showing in one week, which is more than we've ever had! This weekend, we are taking the girls to visit friends in St. Louis and a friend is coming to paint our living room while we are gone. DH is pitting hardware on our new kitchen cabinets and then they will be installed!! Once that is done, we're going to lower our price and hold an open house. One way or another, we will sell this house!!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Good luck, Mal! Sending you very lucky sellable thoughts!

*Dogs*: Mamas, I am here to tell you to wait. Wait until your child is at least six years old. This coming from a dog-lovin' mama who has never been without a dog. They are tonnes of work, and will never ever be able to do more for themselves. The idea of a dog is so much less work and money and hassle than a real dog.

I love our dog. And I've loved each dog that came before her. And if she died tomorrow, we'd get another one. And I'm sorry to be the one to pee in the cereal here, but someone's got to be the downer on this one. And if you go ahead and get a dog, I'll be the first to squeal with delight and give my two cents regarding a name, etc.

I'd encourage fostering first, so you get a sense of the commitment.

Ever ... are you in an apartment? Even more of a hassle.

*Ever* ... Spring is around the corner! The light is coming back! I hope it brings some joy and ease with it. This might sound corny, but have you ever done a visualization/positive manifestation ritual of any kind? As in, have you asked the universe/god/collective unconscious for *exactly* what you want? As in, written down, to the point?

It can't hurt! We do this. We have a special salt lamp that is in E's room, and when we want something, or are hoping things will go a certain way, we write it down and tuck it under the lamp. *Mal* ... This have worked for each of our house sales/purchases!

*Sue* ... Dang, was hoping that we could point our rental RV your way and end up at yours! We'll DEFINITELY come see you down in Whidby. Wouldn't miss it! I can't wait until you spend more time down here. We'll be following you around!

*Cindy* ... Good to hear that life with Aria is settling into a rhythm. I'm all for folks quitting jobs that they don't love!

As for our olders, I have a feeling that our four-years-olds are going to be the ones who give us a run for our money in general this year. Big emotions. Big ideas. Big hopes. Big disapointments. Big growth. For those of you with *boys* ... I've been told by a few people that the concentration of testosterone is highest for our males in their fourth year. That's a lot to deal with!

We're already getting too excited about the adoption possibility. The foster family is excited too. Making the call tomorrow! Wondering how being an AP family wlll affect the homestudy ... ie. bedsharing, homeschooling, etc.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Seeing the specialist tomorrow. Thank goodness bc after my last post she had another freak out about not being able to breathe. Basically she IS having some trouble but then it spurs a panic attack about it. I feel so bad for her. It actually started bc we were talking about going to the doc tomorrow and possibly having her tonsils out and she got so upset and then started having trouble breathing or swallowing bc she was so upset. Spoke to her ped this morning after that and she said to have her breathe into a paper bag to calm down or to run the shower and make it seem like I am doing something to fix it. She said the specialist could also prescribe meds to shrink the tonsils for our trip.

Starling: I'll be curious to know how AP practices influence a home study too! And how would the new little one fit into the bed sharing mix? I don't see M leaving our bed until Aria is ready to go with her. I met a lady at M's preschool who nursed her older son until he was 5 and he slept in her bed until he was 10 and only left bc mom was having another baby. I sure hope no 10 yr olds are still in my bed full time!;-)

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Cindy: So sorry to hear about the tonsils and the breathing and panic attacks! Poor thing!

Starling: I am thinking about you guys and all the changes you have ahead of you. I think that anyone can see how much love is in your family. Thinking good thoughts as you move forward on this!

Everr: I just talked to my Dr today about my depression. She took a bunch of blood to look at anemia, thyroid, etc... Also gave me some tips for next year. A SAD light- start using it around Septemberish for 15-20 minutes each morning. I take 10,000 iu's of vitamin D as well. And I suck at it but more physical exercise. Now that we have light after work I'm trying to walk the dog alone (so I can walk faster and have a mental break from kids). I'm also self medicating with chocolate! 

Dogs: I have to say- I'm with Starling on this one. So so so much work! I love my dog with all of my heart and we dearly miss the one that died last summer. They need a lot of time though and I'd wait until you know that you have the time. Fostering is a great idea to test the waters! We won't be getting another dog until we are in a different house and Maeve is at least 3.

Fiona had a well child visit today. My petite never on the growth chart girl is 50% for weight and height! Amazing what getting all of her food allergies out of her diet has done for her growth!

She is loving audio books these days. Current favorites are Pippi Longstocking, Magic Tree House, and Ramona. Have any others to add to our list?


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue: Wow, that's so awesome that F had a huge jump up in the growth charts!! She is bigger than M. I think she was around 40% for both.

Saw the specialist today. They didn't give me a clear answer either way. her tonsils are big and she is a good candidate to have them out, they said. But sort of left it up to me. I really hate when docs do that. The snoring and apnea started up after we all got sick a month+ ago. So we are going to talk again in a couple weeks and see if it is any better. She actually did not snore last night so maybe it will go away. But if not, we are going to schedule the surgery for probably a month after we talk. And they want to measure her airway if they do the surgery to see if she has narrowing of the airways. We were originally referred there bc she gets croup so often - the tonsils issue just came up before I made the appointment. So they said she could be getting croup so often bc her airways are narrow. Most likely it's bc she was born that way but it could be something else and they would likely just keep an eye on it but if it is really bad they can dilate the airways. Oh and they also said it's possible her adenoids (which she had taken out at 2) grew back! My mom actually had her tonsils out twice bc hers grew back. Crazy! I so do not want M to go through having her tonsils out but if she is having apnea from them then they have to go. And perhaps she will be able to breathe easily for the first time ever! BC the doc wanted to take the tonsils out when he took the adenoids and we didn't let him. I still don't regret that though - 2 is too young for that kind of pain.

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

it's 1 am and I am loopy with tiredness, excuse typos and funny comments.

Cindy, my friends son had his tonsils out and she saw all sorts of improve,ments in him when he was actually getting sleep!

starling- exciting about possible adoption. crossing my fingers. Also I am so happy she quit, I love that you guys just switch it up. i wish my Husband would just change what he does when he was unhappy.

Mal, that house looked great hope someone buys yours soon. Also fi looks great in that cinderella costume

everr- i can just imagine how you;re feeling that's a lot to tackle on your own. Also I imagine the change has a lot to do with it, changes can do that.

hearing- yeah I was worried about cora's. haven't heard back from the dr yet. I'll need to call them back but first i need to find the paperwork.

afm- I have been busy with school and kids. June was sick for her birthday and now we are planning her party which will be with her sisters.



that's her invite, I made one for each girl with their "theme" on it. (june's was pineapples and she really likes rainbows)

she is gogin througha tough time. she started school and moved back in bed with us and now that she is four we moved her back into her own bed. she's clingy about it, but that also b/c she is sick.

okay, I'm too tired to do this, my head is swimming now., Night


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

*Starling* - Wow! What a huge amount of (exciting) change in your lives! One job gone, a self-created job in the works, and now maybe another kid too? I wish you the best of luck in the whole adoption process - what is involved with that? Is the homestudy a process of checking out your house?

*Cindy* - I think getting stuck in an unpleasant and unfulfilling job that sucks the life out of you every day is one of the worst things that adults regularly do to themselves. One way or another, I hope your DH finds a way out!

*Sue* - Amazing how much she's grown! K has been at the bottom of the growth charts his whole life and I suspect he still is - since he's smaller than kids we know who are 4 and 6 months younger than him. Truthfully, I've been too lazy to take either kid for any kind of checkup this year.

Sorry about the job search issues. Is there some other place (not Oregon) that you guys would be happy in long-term? Or maybe go to Whidbey for a few months every winter instead of 2-3 times/year (just thinking of the transit costs for 4 people from AK to WA that many times in a year - Ouch!)

And I find getting outside every day in the daylight is HUGE in the winter (I often do it with kids, though).

Audiobooks - How does F listen? On an iPod or something? I find it hugely distracting if anyone talks while I'm trying to listen to a podcast or something, and can't imagine quieting the whole house down to play one for the kids.

*Ever -* I can't imagine how hard it would be to be trying to make a whole family by yourself, every day. You do amazingly well. I don't know if a dog would help or hurt, but reaching for a life that you want seems like a good idea. Especially if you can foster a dog first. We have half a dog here (my MIL's dog on the same property), and it's incredibly easy to have a dog here (can roam free, come in for meals and to sleep), but the training part is obviously hard whenever it happens. My kids aren't bonded to the dog at all though, I think it would need to come in as a puppy (and be more work) to get them actually bonded to it.

*Mal -* Crossing my fingers for your house sale!

*AFM* - Went on an overnight camping trip the other day - paddled across the bay and camped out on a spit by a beautiful lagoon where there are clam fossils in the rocks (we'd been promising K we'd take him to real fossils for weeks). In many ways, it was awesome - tidepooling at night in the snow, waking up to a gorgeous sunrise on the beach, playing, fossil hunting, paddling through arches and into little caves in the rocks. But L was still getting over a cold and very tired (at least I think that was the excuse), and it was a chilly morning, and she spent a great deal of time crying and then sleeping on my lap on the beach. I guess it was a shakedown of sorts, reminding me we have only 6 short weeks until we leave on our big expedition, and how much I have left to do, and how many uncertainties I still have about how it will go... I know it's worth it, but I hate this nervous planning part.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

oh yeah, we are looking all over the place. We were checking out some spots in Montana last night. A couple of jobs that DH could probably get quite easily but the pay rate is significantly less. We are already a one income family so that wouldn't be good!

Multiple trips because to Whidbey because we know for sure that DH is gone for months at a time in the summer. So one month there. Then we want to get the heck out of here in the winter- another trip there! DH can't leave work for months so we wouldn't want to just go and not be with him. More likely go in the winter as a family and the girls and I stay for a bit longer. Then if we can swing it- someplace fun as a family...


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

More birthday wishes out to Juniper, Aubrey, and Katmai! Hopefully I'm keeping up!!

Audio books- we listed though the stereo (ipod hooked up) or computer. They would all be on the ipod if I could find the cord- Maeve ran off with it!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

No time for personals but I've finally caught up on reading. There was no activity for a while so I forgot to check and then boom.

Be Back later.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

I think I would be ok to add a dog. Depending where I end up working. I had a dog until my ex moved out, he took her. I always enjoyed having one and don't mind the daily walks. And we never had a place with a fenced yard but it wasn't a big deal. I would want to get a puppy, something non-shedding. We'll see.

I had my first job interview this morning by phone. Very intense.. I have another on Tuesday so I really have to make sure I'm 100% prepared for that.

Happy Birthday to Juniper, Aubrey, and Katmai!!!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Ever, then let me put a plug in for the breed we have ... Cockapoo! Non shedding and FABULOUS with children. What that dog will let my kids get away with is amazing! And she's been a great apartment dog. The kids throw the ball for her inside and she rips around with them, and so by the time we take her out, she's already pooped. She's a great dog. Highly recommend the breed/mix. She's a little smaller than I would've hope for, being that she was the runt of a puppy-mill litter, but she's been a great fit for our family. She is so devoted to the kids ... and get squirrelly and anxious when one or both of them isn't home. We got her when E was about 8 months old.


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Read through but don't have time to respond, hopefully later. My MIL is in town for two weeks. Dh took her to Walmart to buy underwear because she forgot hers and doesn't want to borrow mine. I'm having a drink. Yes, it is 2:00 p.m. I may have jelly beans next.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

justKate ...


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

oh kate...i hope the 2 weeks goes fast lol


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Kate - good luck with the MIL!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Kate, I have a feeling the next two weeks will involve lots of wine? I know mine would! Haha. My MIL lives only a block away from me, so I see her frequently, but not for extended periods of time like that.

We got home last night from a long weekend in St. Louis with the kids. They had a great time of course. We took them both to the children's museum there, The Magic House. Of course they loved every minute and probably would have stayed hours longer if we could have. My friend and I took Owyn to the City Museum on day two, which is probably my favorite place in St. Louis. If you haven't been there, you should if you ever go to STL. It's a huge building with all kinds of places to climb... caves, tunnels, trees, metal... tons of different materials and areas. All made from recycled materials found in the city of STL. Owyn LOVED it. She wasn't sure what to do at first, but once we started climbing she was like "Ok, now you guys follow me!" My body hurts now from all the climbing, but it was fun!

I love visiting our friends there, but they are kidless and I kind of get the feeling lately that they feel a little inconvenienced by our kids. This was the first time we've done an extended weekend with them and both the girls. Usually it's a quick trip, or they come here and stay with family and we see them for a few hours a day. I think we wore them out. On the other hand, we've been lifelong friends with these people and it kind of annoys me when they don't accept and love my kids as they do me. Just needed to vent a little there...

So, my job situation is coming along. Tomorrow is the board meeting at my school, they are supposed to be deciding on contracts for next year at this meeting. They typically put them out around Easter, but I'm hoping to get some answers before then. The other job I was waiting to hear about, the work-from-home job that was waiting on their grant to come through? Well, their grant finally came through last week! My good friend has been putting in a good word for me and it sounds like they want to hire someone very soon. I am supposed to be getting a phone call sometime today for an interview. Right now it's kind of up in the air when they would want me to start if I did get hired. They are expanding their program and need to get more families signed up for it. So, on one hand they need to hire someone to get families signed up, on the other hand it's hard to hire someone when you don't have the families signed up yet. So, my friend through out the idea that I would likely be willing to start out with part time hours, get families signed up, then move onto full time. Which would actually be ideal for me since I would have to finish out the school year anyway at my current job. Her boss hadn't thought of that, but really liked that idea. All this is coming from my friend who works there currently, so I don't know anything official yet. It's still pretty exciting though! If (and that's a big IF) my current job were to offer me the full time position... it would probably come down to income. Right now, I'm betting the work-from-home job is going to pay more. Wish me luck!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Oh MAL! That sounds *so* promising!

Fingers and toes and eyes crossed for you!

Work. Meh.

I am tired of being a paramedic.

I really want the story website to take off and replace that income, but the costs at the front end are scary. I have a meeting in half an hour with the web developer/graphic designer, and I have a cheque in my wallet ready to be filled out with the initial payment of $6k. That's half the cost.

Phew. Scary.

Good news is that I sold the van! Bad news is that I lost money on it. Good news is that we have the cash to pay for the website! Bad news is that DP is unemployed as of today. Good news is that she has a working interview at a Zagat-rated restaurant this afternoon! Bad news is that it'd likely be part time and lower pay. Good news is that she'd have a blast and learn tons! Bad news is that I want to quit the ambulance. Good news is that we're flying to San Diego on Sunday for almost two weeks! Bad news is that we won't be anywhere near San Fran being that we're not driving, so we won't get to see you this time, Cindy! Good news is that I have tons of story ideas for the website! Bad news is that I still need to pay for voice coaching and studio set-up and likely a new computer too.

I'm actually at the library right now, printing off the zillion pages included in the application to adopt. It sounds like a total long shot, but I'm good at those (see website endeavour, adopting embryos, etc). We've written a compelling cover letter and are going to submit the application before we leave. Just need to get the contact info for the social worker from the foster family. I spoke with a provincial adoption coordinator and she poo pooed the whole idea until I explained that we've know her since birth and that our children play with her all. the. time. and we were at her birthday and she was at H's, etc. Apparently they're not going to like their closeness in age, but we're spinning that as a positive. And they're not going to like that we live ten feet from the foster family, but again, spinning that as a positive. It takes a village, right?

Hello to everyone!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Awww, so bummed you won't be coming this way Starling!! You know I'm from San Diego, right? If I weren't heading to Hawaii this weekend, I would be super jealous. I have been craving to go home and visit. I probably won't make it home until summer bc we're going to go back to Indiana and visit DH's family before we head to SD. I would kill for some yummy mexican food right now! It's impossible to find acceptable mexican food in northern CA. Wish I knew you were going - I signed up for some free preschool annual pass to seaworld recently. Seaworld is fun but SO expensive. The zoo there is huge and amazing but I've been wanting to check out the wild animal park - haven't been since I was a kid. If you want any tips on beaches or fun things to do or great places to get mexican food, just let me know.

Hey starling question for you. When you stopped taking the domperidone but kept nursing, did you start losing weight? With Makenna I lost all the baby weight before I started taking dom. And then I lost 13 lbs more while on it. But this time I can't even get the baby weight off - which I think is the more normal situation. I'm cool with being a little extra fluffy if it means being able to exclusively breastfeed! But I do plan to wean off the dom when Aria is a yr old, like I did with M. M kept nursing just fine even though my supply tanked. I'm just wondering if maybe the weight will come off easily when I stop the dom but keep nursing? Or maybe it won't. Probably it won't. LOL.

Nothing like preparing for a trip to hawaii by eating ice cream sundaes and valentines chocolates!  I bought a new bathing suit this weekend - one that covers the giant nursing boobs (or should i say BOOB bc one is WAY bigger than the other LOL) - that was an eye opening experience!

It's raining and M is sick. Cozy day.

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Is second baby weight just harder to get rid of? I'm going with that because I'm still holding onto some of mine too! I started working out a few weeks ago and have been trying to be better about portion control and my snacking habit. Not sure if I've lost any, but I feel good. I also have a mirena and wonder if that has made it a little harder to lose the weight this time.

Starling, everything sounds so exciting for you right now! I live for that kind of stuff and can't wait to see where things fall for you. You strike me as someone who makes great choices, even when they're bold, so I know it'll all come together!

Winter storm headed our way later tomorrow. I'm hoping for snow days!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

2nd baby weight has to be harder! I mean I know I am taking meds that make it hard to lose and make some people gain - but I totally lost weight on it last time. And I had mirena last time too. I had it put in 7 weeks after M was born. No BC this time. That same med also prevents ovulation so I now know I won't ovulate again until I start to wean off of it.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

*Mal* - Good luck! Which job would you rather have (if the money were the same)?

*Starling* - Sounds like a lovely kind of chaos, mostly. Hopefully more exciting than unnerving?

A 4-year-old parenting question here:

*Cleaning*: Do you get your kids to clean up after themselves? When? How? I try to get K to clean up his stuff, but with little luck and a lot of whining and crying and stalling most of the time. I have this sense that if there was some sort of consistent routine to it, that it would be easier, but I suck at those (and kind of suck at keeping a neat house myself), and just don't know how to make one work. My method of "ignore things until I can't stand it anymore then insist they clean up" isn't working too well. There aren't any natural transition times when we're at home, because they're always playing in the only room, so they're never obviously "done" and ready to put it all away. It would make sense to clean before we left the house, but getting them out the door is hard enough as it is -- I worry it would never happen if I made them clean first, and certainly never on a deadline. Or before dinner, but I'm cooking dinner, and can't enforce anything then... I feel like K has to be nagged constantly to put away each toy - he will be distracted by playing with something he's picked up along the way approximately every 3 seconds. (truthfully, I was like this as a kid too - took me all day to clean my room). And as I'm focusing on him, L will be getting out more toys, rendering the whole thing a net negative. Please tell me there's a better option than just always doing it after they're asleep. It took me until well into adulthood to decide that it was more worthwhile to clean up my stuff than to live in constant mess, and I'm still on the messy end of things. But we live in too small a space for me to let the kids be so chaotic.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Erin - This is an issue here too.. He has a lot of baskets/bins in his room for toys to go into so that simplifies it a little bit for him. And I've helped him clean enough that he knows the process. My pet peeve is when his toys start spreading into the rest of the house, which is fine if he's playing with them but I hate when they get left in the kitchen, bathroom, hallway, etc. Like you said, cleaning up before heading out is just an added stress. Before bed seems to work as part of a routine (and if he cleans up quickly we'll have time for a story or 2 stories instead of 1.. Some incentive!) And if there's a toy somewhere in the house it shouldn't be I'll give it to him and tell he needs to put it away. I even threatened once that if I had to clean up his mess it would be donated to some other boy or girl. And he said "Ok, you clean it up and you can give it away!" He didn't even care at all :/ Although I'm guessing he would have cared if his toys actually went missing.. It's hit or miss with him. Sometimes he's so eager to please and other times he's so ridiculously stubborn.

Cindy - I'm so jealous of your upcoming trip!! I would love to escape winter for a little while. Or permanently. I have dreams of moving to the Caribbean and working there 

Mal - Good luck with the job stuff! It's stressful being in limbo! I had an interview last Friday and another one yesterday. Both figured they'd make a decision by Friday. The one I had yesterday would be amazing and I'm so hoping I get it.

Starling - Wow, so much going on for you! I hope the adoption goes smoothly. I don't understand why they would have a problem with close ages and knowing the foster family. Those sound like good things? She'd go to a family she knows, that sounds like the best transition. Fingers crossed for you! And good luck with all the job changes for you and your dp, it's scary but exciting!! 

AFM: I'm on my reading week and have lots of reviewing to do. As well as stressing about if I've got a job. I hate the post interview stress. I keep analysing all the things I said, worrying about whether I said enough, or said the right things. Gah! I hate it.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Thanks for all the words of support, mamas! It's scary times, a bit. DP had a stage interview last night at a Zagat-rated place and she had a great time, but no job came of it. They loved her, but told her to come back in May. That's a bit too far away.

Cindy ... I've heard that dom speeds up the motility of food passing through your body (it's official use is as a digestive aid) so that you are more hungry more often when taking domperidone. This has been true for me, but I haven't enjoyed the flip side of it when getting off the dom. I never lost any weight. But I'm fluffy to begin with and my partner is a chef, so I'm fighting a battle anyway. I do have several friends who lost weight as soon as they stopped the dom. I feel like I gained less this time around by NOT being on dom for very long, if that counts. I was insatiably hungry when I took dom.

Erin ...

I chimed in on a thread in Childhood Years that might be an interesting read on this subject. It's here.  It's about how to 'expect' kids to do something, or 'not give them a choice' and I appreciated it for the conversations around the 'waiting for the bus' theory. Most of the conversation is around tasks like getting dressed, ready to go, etc, but I do think it applies to helping around the house too.

I won't reiterate the whole thing here, but the gist is that if it's as expected and inevitable as the bus coming, it will happen. This works for us, mostly.

Clean-up time for us is after lunch/before nap, and after dinner/before bed.

Most times, because it is so predictable, E is happy to help without prompting. I might say to her, "Will you put away the books or the blocks?" and she'll choose, but mostly she jumps in and grabs something to put away. With H, I direct him to something and tell him to put it away. He likes to put away the flashlights (popular toy here), his babies, and library books. He also likes to be the designated garbageman. He loves putting trash into the garbage.

I expect them to help clean, just like I expect them to go to bed at night, or wear a seatbelt. We don't do rewards or anything, but I do a lot of 'waiting for the bus.'

Say it, then wait and know that it will happen. I don't engage in a debate, just carry on with my part of the task, and then sit back and wait and don't move on until they've done their part (I help with H sometimes). If it goes on for long, I'll say something that scales back the choreness of it and narrows her focus from 'clean up' to a more specific task, "We'll go up for quiet time when you've put away that red block and that blue blanket."

I really do lean on the Continuum Concept for this kind of thing. I expect my kids to be capable and contributing members of our tribe, as much as their developmental stages allow.

Both kids know when clean-up time is. It's never a number on the clock, but it is a predictable place within the rhythm of the day.

That being said:

- we don't have a lot of toys, etc, and our living space on the main floor is less than 400 sq ft, so we *have* to have it tidy. My kids will not play anywhere other than the living room, even though there are two perfectly good and kid-friendly rooms on the second floor.

- I can't function in chaos or clutter. So I've invested in this big-time, because if I don't, I get really cranky and fairly unbearable to be around.

- I also believe that it's part of my job as a homelearning parent to do the lion's share of cleaning up. If the kids were at daycare or school, the staff would do a lot of cleaning and tidying up behind the kids (the kids would help too, of course) after having set up a craft or had a play time. I keep this in the back of my mind when it occurs to me how much cleaning up after them I do. Secretly though, I like cleaning. That helps.

I could go on and on about this subject, but I've got to go an do some edits.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Everr - Hope you get one of those jobs!

*Cleaning*: Starling - I do get the "expect it and wait, and it will happen" thing in many cases. I expect that K will walk places by himself, go to bed, let me get him ready to go, etc... And mostly it happens. But it really breaks down when I have to expect some specific action from him that he deems boring and not worth doing for himself. ( I think L dresses and undresses herself better than he does). If we're hiking somewhere, and he decides not to walk, we're just stuck there until he does - waiting works. If it's bedtime, and he doesn't want to climb to bed, I can lift him up (hasn't ever been necessary). If I sit down and wait for him to do his part of the cleaning, he'll be distracted by one of the things that he's supposed to clean up, and start playing with it, and never do it. How do you make your kids care to "move on" to the next thing? (unless the next thing is a bowl of ice cream, or some other bribe, which I don't like doing). I suppose I could get L dressed and head out of the house without him, but that will backfire quickly if he decides he really does want to stay home alone!

I'm sure the whole "rhythm" thing is part of it. But middle-of-the-day rhythm does not work for our family at all. We have breakfast, then morning project time (usually), then chaos (either leaving the house all day starting in late morning, or random playtime with an afternoon outing thrown in, midday meals are usually a series of snacks), then dinner prep, dinner, hang out with aunt and grandma after dinner (they eat with us and we all hang out), then bed. I wonder if clean-up time could work if it wasn't at the same time every day?


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Ever and Mal, fingers crossed for happy job news! Ever--Key West maybe?

Cindy, I'm jealous. Never been to Hawaii...probably will be a good long time before we get there.

Cleaning--we pick up at transitions. So when she's done with markers at the table, we put them away before she starts the next thing. It takes some encouragement, but usually she's ready for the next thing, like lunch...if she needs persuasion I remind her she can help make lunch if she finishes putting things away. But I see where it could be harder in your situation Erin.

I have calmed down somewhat about my MIL being here. Also been thinking about another baby. But that's crazy talk, right? AF isn't even back. DH needs to hurry up and get a V.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mckittre*
> 
> *Mal* - Good luck! Which job would you rather have (if the money were the same)?
> 
> ...


I'm struggling with this problem too. soon I hope to make checklists. Stuff we do before school, stuff we do after school and stuff we do before bed. (now I just need time to make checklists) I cover the paper in contact paper or put it in a clear sleeve so we can mark with a dry erase marker. They, I have found, enjoy the responsibility of doing it and marking it off. Plus if you say, "okay it's time for our checklists, let's go look" they take it better then YOU telling them "you need to pick up this and this"


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Mal- that museum sounds like loads of fun. Also I would have been a bit miffed, sometimes I got the sense that my sisters would get overwhelmed by my kids. I then try to remember that I get overwhelemed by other peoples kids sometimes. Also that childless people are in such a different place it really can be overwhelming even when brimming with love.

Kate- another kid, that'd be fun. I NEED to get on birth control before I think that's a good idea. J/K I am so not ready for another kid anytime soon, but I haven't ruled it out completely.

Erin- I saw the birthday pics, looks so fun, especially loved the one of him bobbing for the apple.

Okay back to my homework I'll catch up some more ;later.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

2nd baby weight- I lost it quicker; but I was also walking a lot more than with any of the others b/c my car didn't fit both babies and if I was going anywhere I was walking. I still have Coraline baby weight, 10.5 months latyer


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mckittre*
> 
> Everr - Hope you get one of those jobs!
> 
> ...


Yeah, I'm with you on not having bribes at all. I think that'd backfire with most kids. I think our rhythm mostly works because we've been doing for so long, and it 'feels' right to E and so she goes along with it. So perhaps it's a matter of 'faking it' for now? Put on a timer and an excellent song and clean up for just three minutes? The song works for us when we've run out of steam. I also don't clean up *before* meals in case any of us are wallowing in low blood sugar (usually me!).


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mckittre*
> 
> *Mal* *- Good luck! Which job would you rather have (if the money were the same)?*


That's the big question, right? Honestly, the money at the work-from-home job would be fantastic, but it's not really necessary. It's much more than we need for me to go full-time. That is a good thing, yes, but it's not necessarily the career I would choose. It would be a means to an end. If the school I work for were to offer me a full-time position and listen to my ideas on how to restructure the classroom and shift from traditional teaching style to a more modernized center-based teaching style (personally, I'm invisioning something like a mix between Reggio and Montessori) and support those ideas... I would choose to stay where I am. I mean, ultimately that would mean I get to run my own preschool program, which would be a dream job for me! And, actually, I had a meeting this week with the kindergarten teacher and the principal to discuss some of this, and I am getting a lot more support than I expected! The principal has set up a meeting with the board and wants us to attend, but it's the same day I leave for a conference. So, he was going to call in a favor with the board president and see if she would meet with the 3 of us to get my input and be able to communicate that to the board for me. The principal more or less told me if we can get the numbers to work (we're playing with enrollment numbers and tuition right now), he thinks the board will go for it. Very exciting!! I also just got a call for an interview at the other job. So, holy crap, stuff is happening!

Everr: Good luck on your job hunting and keep us posted!

Cleaning: If you ladies ever figure this one out, let me know would you? Right now, we try to do it at transition times. Before lunch, before Greta's nap, before bed. I end up doing most of it though. We have organizers and bins in her room and she knows where things go, but doesn't like to do it by herself. The only motivation I have found so far that works is that she has some toys she doesn't want Greta to get ahold of. So, she'll put those away to keep them away from her sister. I like the idea of putting things into separate piles for her. I may try that one.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

So much change going on! New potential jobs, babies (or bigger babies!), school, businesses, houses. Spring is in the air! Sending love and luck out to each and everyone of you!

Clean up- I clean up with them and we do it in the afternoon after naps and rest time and then move onto some kind of project like paining. That way there is something to look forward to when the work is done. We aren't perfect by any means- our house looks very lived in! LOL! But they know where things go which is a big part of it.

I mentioned opening a home business here in the past. We have decided to go for it! I'm really excited. Thanks to tax return $ we have our start up. I'm falling short on coming up with a good name though. I will start by selling Grimms brand toys, amber necklaces, and possibly bolga baskets. Hope to add stockmar art supplies and Ruskovilla woollies. Some of which will be done by preoder. I'll just have samples of the wool things from Ruskovilla (in my kids sizes!) to show people and then can order the size they need.That is if I hear back from Rusko- but the others are already in the works. I would love some ideas on names!!! Seriously, my ideas are really bad!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

So exciting in here lately!!

Sue: yay, way to go starting up your home business! That is awesome!! Sounds like a fun business.

Kate: Wow, I almost missed the thing about a 3rd baby!! I had to go back and reread. What's crazy is that we could be on 3rd babies around here and we are still chatting away from our first!  I don't think it's too crazy. Maybe a bit crazy. I think about a 3rd all the time. Though sometimes I think it's an insane idea. But it's much less likely to ever become a reality for us with the need to do IVF, etc. Thank god I'm not fertile myrtle over here or we'd have too many! LOL.

Starling: Happy travels! Give my family a hug from me!

AFM: DH interviewed with his old co this week. They have since been bought by a large multi-national company. They might need him in Portland or San Diego. We aren't looking to move and the idea makes me sad - even if it were to SD. But if he did have a good opp in SD I think we might seriously consider taking it, since my family and good friends are there. The position wouldn't be temp but I would only want to move for a few yrs. I do love it up here where we are. But I think DH still much prefers to find something up here. And his old co may even need him up here. We are still waiting to hear from the job he interviewed for 2 weeks ago that would be 10 minutes from home - I'm very much still hoping he gets that one!

I am almost 100% packed and ready for Hawaii! Still feels unreal that we are going. I'm a bit worried about the flights. M has been sick this week and got Aria a bit sick. Hopefully their congestion doesn't do a number on their ears!

Cindy


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Well I didn't get either of the jobs I interviewed for  It's so competitive it's ridiculous. I was so prepared for both, but it's all a checklist sytem. You have to say enough of the right key words they want you to say. Frustrating. The position in my hometown still hasn't called about interviews but hopefully I'll get an interview there. And now that I've had some practice and understand how it works I'll hopefully get it. I just have to sit there and keep talking for as long as possible 

Good luck to everyone else with the job stuff/new business, very exciting!

Cindy - Have fun in Hawaii! Soooo jealous!

I have 4 midterms this week, not fun.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Everr- sorry about the jobs. and holy wow, 4 midterms! Are they at least on different days? I just had one midterm this semester since my math class has 3 tests instead of two and my english class has us turn in multiple essays. I'm struggling to get all the college stuff done and take care of the kids and now it's science fair time AND girl scout cookie time. Hubs works way too much, wo while he is super helpful when he's around he isn't often around.

Cindy- can't wait to see pics, I'm sure the girls will do great on the plane.

Sue- what are your thoughts on names, maybe we can work from there?

Mal- I wish you could teach my kids.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

*Everr* - sorry about the jobs. It must be so nerve racking to be in such a competitive field! Fingers crossed for the next interview.

*Courtney* - Sounds crazy busy at your house. Hopefully at least the fair and the cookies are somewhat fun.

*Cindy* - Fingers crossed for the close-to-home job for your DH. Having to move for a job can be so disruptive to a sense of community and being settled when you find somewhere you like. Hope you can stay put. And have fun in Hawaii.

*Mal* - I hope you do get to run your own preschool program! That's exciting that they'd consider giving you that much control. Would you teach your own kids, if you did have that control? Or would you rather separate those parts of your life?

*Sue* - Exciting about the business. And sorry, I can't help with names. I hate titling things (my least favorite part of being an author, really).

*Cleaning*: I've been attempting to stick to getting them to get everything off the floor at least once a day, and haven't had quite as much resistance the past few days as I did before. So maybe this "fake it till you make it" approach will work, as frustrating as it can be sometimes.

*AFM*: Getting into crazy busy mode here. We're leaving on a 4-month expedition in less than a month! So I'm scrambling to order and/or make all the gear we need, trying to figure out what we'll be eating, how we'll get the food to the places we need it, contacts, etc... Meanwhile, I also need to finish the copyediting on my book in the next couple days, do all the taxes/paperwork stuff that needs to be done between now and July, renew the kids' health insurance, take the pieces of the non-profit that we usually do and assign them to other folks while we're gone, and probably a bunch more I'm forgetting. And it seems like all the kids in town have been sick all winter. I keep thinking Katmai's getting better and he keeps getting a little sick again, and now Lituya's really under the weather with whatever it is.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Mal: I hope things go well with the preschool. Sounds like it could be pretty amazing!

Cindy: Have fun on your trip! I'd love to be heading to Hawaii right now! I too would have trouble with a bathing suit though. Maeve pretty much refuses to nurse on my right side so I have one big boob and one itty bitty boob. Lovely! Especially since if she is anything like her sisiter we have years of nursing ahead of us!

Everr: Crossing fingers on the hometown job! And your midterms! Stressful! Thinking about you Mama!

Erin: Good luck on all the prep! Your list had my brain spinning!

Starling: I hope you are enjoying some sunshine in Cali! I'll be thinking about your family and hoping the adoption goes through!

Business name- I'm getting closer. Thinking about something with Little Bird in it. Has meaning for our family and is simple and easy to remember and can make a nice logo. But Little Bird Toys and Gifts? Little BIrd Naturals? Little Bird Natural Toys? I won't be just selling toys though...


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I like little bird naturals since you will be selling things besides just toys. plus little bird toys had a facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Bird-Toys/247052062068772


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

I have decided on Little Bird Naturals. Excited!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Sue, that one was my favorite from your options, love it!

Happy birthday to my Owyn!! I think she rounds out the birthdays for our group! She opened her presents from DH and I this morning. I was all set to make her a big breakfast (she loves bacon and eggs!), but she said no. All she wanted was toast and chocolate milk. Easy for me! Her party is tomorrow, so I've been cleaning like mad all morning trying to get my house ready for it. Oh, yes it's another snow day here, so I actually get to spend the day with her, unexpected surprise!

We actually haven't had school since Monday this week. The country roads are a disaster here and the wind keeps blowing, which just drifts the snow back across the roads. And I had a job interview yesterday! It was likely the longest job interview of my life (over 2 hours!), but I thought it went well. They'll let me know in the next couple of weeks. I think I was their first interview, so they have some to get through first. As of right now, they are still waiting on some funding to come through so the position is officially part time instead of full time, at least for now. They couldn't say when it would go full time, so that is something to think about... I'm supposed to be meeting with the principal and board president Monday evening, so hopefully I'll get an idea of what the school is thinking...


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Happy Birthday Owyn! A 2 hour job interview! Holy Mack! I bet you nailed it!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Happy Birthday Owyn! And good luck on all the job stuff Mal. Sounds exciting.

*Sue* - I like Little Bird Naturals. It has a nice feel to it, but is pretty flexible with what you can sell and still have the name make sense.

*Socialization*: Here's a question for you all. How social are your kids? K plays with his little sister quite a bit, and other kids occasionally, but really could care less about friends most of the time. He's not shy at all, just not kid-oriented. Happy to talk to adults, happy to do his own thing, happy to play with other kids' toys, but pretty uninterested in the kids themselves. I've wondered about this, now that we've pulled him out of preschool. He still sees other kids regularly, but I'm not going out of my way to give him social time he's not asking for. He can visit preschool as a guest if he wants, which he usually doesn't, and when he does, he plays with the toys and enjoys the special activities (like swimming) while ignoring the group stuff the other kids are doing. The preschool teacher kind of implied it was a shame to take him out when he was just starting to interact with other kids -- as if I should make sure he has MORE time with them if he's "behind" in that way. Mostly, I feel the same way about socialization as I do about academics -- if I wouldn't push him to read before he's ready, why should I push him to have friends before he's ready?

That said, these kids, for better or worse, are his social group. I do worry that by the time he cares about them, they'll all be tightly knit together and he'll have a harder time making friends.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Happy Birthday to Owyn!!!

And that's awesome about the interview! I hope you get it 

I'm still waiting to hear from the job I applied for in my hometown. The closing date was last Friday. They said they'd let me know either way though.

Sue - I love the name!

Erin - I wouldn't worry about it. Everyone's different and some people are just more introverted. Nothing wrong with that! If he seemed unhappy or like he really wanted to participate with other kids but was shy/didn't know what to say etc. Then I would intervene and help. But it seems like he's happy with doing his own thing. With Royce I also find myself over-analyzing areas where he's different/behind other kids. It's hard not to worry sometimes!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

I haven't read everything I just wanted to reply to Erin while my thoughts were fresh.

My ds was not really into other kids at this age either. He would rather hang with the adults. He was articulate like K. I believe it may have been because he could hold longer more interactive conversations with the adults and sop up that knowledge. Even last year in Kindie he had friends but he wasn't one to run off with them when we dropped him off. He still isn't. However I know that when we leave he interacts with his peers because he tells me all about it. It seems to be painful for him a lot of the time and he struggles to process it sometimes. I wouldn't change anything I did in the earlier years though. That's who he is. Now he would rather be with the kids because the conversations are more interesting there than with the adults. It may be this way for K as well in a few years. If he ran screaming from the other kids or was violent or mean then I would worry. We have intellectual little souls and they will go where the learning and best conversation is IMO.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

My fingers are crossed that everyone gets the jobs they are hoping for.

Anyone have any ideas on how to get a 6 almost 7 year old to get. out. the. door. for well... just about anything. He just sits on the couch doesn't move or if propelled to the door stands there head against the wall whining away about being cold or hungry or whatever. It's happening every morning, even weekends when the thing to get out the door for is hockey which he loves. I've tried the natural consequences of if he doesn't make it out the door without a fuss we don't do what he wants like a friends party or whatever weekend thing is planned for him. But that doesn't work either. He's too big to carry to the van and he often makes everyone late in the mornings which makes me angry and resent him (bad mother moment). I've tried the make it a game thing and race him. No go there. I've tried the logical explanations. I've tried taking things away (not my favourite tactic). I need some ideas.

Birthday- Dee got a giant sliver in her foot that weekend and we spent the morning in the ER having it sliced out. Not fun since she could feel it even though they used topical and local anaesthetic. Poor Dr. was so rattled at her screaming "Stop cutting me!" She then needed stitches which I had to remove because they got infected (how the heck do you keep a 4 yr olds foot clean and dry at all times?), she is now on antibiotics because nothing I tried was working and it wasn't healing. So we just went to the movies for her birthday. The restaurant we could get GF fish and chips at closed  so her birthday dinner was tacos like she requested. The presents she got some movies, lots of doll clothes and from my mom geesh this little things that you pull out and they spin and look like animals oh and a puppy with little babies inside of it. I wanted to make her a doll house out of dresser like this one but never got there.

AFM: I am in my last IT coop. I am interviewing people for their requirements for an electronic record system. It's interesting but I feel like it's a bit of a make work project because the choices are already made. Not sure if I'm going to stay casual there after this or not. I think I might need a break from all this complex writing I am doing here. A part time home care job was posted which is 3 days a week 830-415. That is just enough hours for me. But I would need to lease another vehicle. I could write it off but it's a payment for the year that we would have to deal with. Plus then I couldn't make my commitments to the clinics I have hours booked in over the summer. I would like to try some different nursing like home care but I suppose I could try and get hired casual and then I could choose my hours and balance them between the other places.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Sue ... LOVE the name! Perfect, perfect. I've been struggling with what to name my new story website ... and a lot of it is dependent on the web address being available. I'm so stuck! I don't want to commit and then not love it. Sigh. LOVE your name.

Nilla ... That is a tough one. I'm going to think on it. Six is such a different age than four or two. Hmm. I'm not usually one for charts, but for an older kid, I think I might do one. A schedule, sort of. With stickers. So have the steps broken down into do-able parts, and once he's done the task, you or he puts the sticker in the right place. So, say:

- wake up (an easy sticker)

- get dressed

- eat breakfast

- tidy dishes

- brush teeth

- shoes, jacket, backpack

- sitting in car with seatbelt on

A week of completed daily tasks gets him something coveted, but not too big or splashy? Hockey cards? Pack of gum? DVD rental? Date with dad?

I think I'd be more likely to do something like that for a short-term strategy to get him into the groove. Set it up that you can do this for a week, with the expectation that he'll keep on doing it once he gets the hang of it and sees how much smoother and happier life is. Not sure what I'd do if you did it and then he still dug in his heels.

Erin ... E is exactly the same way. Don't worry about it. And don't let the teacher pressure you into thinking that there is anything wrong with him whatsoever. She's working from a totally different paradigm than you. I worry about E's quirks enough as it is without introducing anyone else's opinion. E never asks for a playdate, never asks after her 'friends,' never flocks to them at the park or outings, would rather talk to the adults or do her own thing. I think it's fine. H is totally different, even at 17 months. He's a natural and charismatic leader. At the park, the other kids follow his lead and want to do what he's doing. He likes to play with everyone's toys and talk to all the kids and get them to join him in his play.

I figure if both kids can be so different, it's not a matter of what we're going as parents, per se, but is more about individual personalities. We are all about fostering the individual, right? I know that having a kid like E makes me doubt myself, sometimes, but mostly I love that she's so unique and blatantly herself.

Hello to everyone else!

We're in sunny and hot San Diego having a blast.

We have a meeting with the adoption recruitment coordinator when we get home ... exciting!

xo

c


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Oh! And I meant to also send good wishes to all the mamas with career changes/opportunities on the horizon ... myself included! Exciting times!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

hey, I'm trying to win my friend a baby sleep hammock, she's having twins and I figure any little bit can help. My photos are on page 3.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Voted for all your pics! And they were on page 7, not 3


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr and Mal: Good luck with the jobs!

Sue: I love the name! 

Starling: I hope you are enjoying lots of yummy mexican food for me!!

Erin: M is very very shy but is SO into her friends. It's not a good day if she doesn't get to see lots of friends. She does run to them at school and often goes into the classroom hand in hand with one or two of them. I think it's really the girls that do that though. At the parent teacher conf they talked with me a lot about how her social skills are just developing - like she is slow to mix in with the other kids after circle, preferring to go to the art table first. No surprise to me. Anyway, we are doing some playdates with kids from school outside of school to help her (and the other kids) feel more comfortable. But I wouldn't be concerned at all. Different personalities and also I think a gender difference.

AFM: Hawaii was wonderful! About as relaxing as a trip with 2 small kids could be.  Aria did great on the flights. M cried at 2 landings bc her ears hurt. Thankfully M's tonsils didn't bother her while we were there.

Today M got casts put on her feet to return flexibility to her ankles from the toe waking and hopefully to retrain her brain to walk flat footed. She got a purple and a pink. She cried when they put it on bc it heated up as it dried and she didn't like that. But she has taken them in stride otherwise. I am quite proud of her! I took her to one of those places where you can paint your own plates, etc after as something special to do. That was a lot of fun. She still wanted to go to school today. I stayed for circle time and explained to all the kids that she doesn't have broken feet or any boo boos in there, how it's to help her walk on her flat feet and that she can still walk and play. The teachers asked if any of the kids had a question and so many raised their hands. They were sooo adorable! Mostly just saying they liked the colors and one girl said she really loved them and one boy just raised his hand to say he is 4.5 yrs old. LOL. They certainly made me smile!! So precious. Oh and one boy had his own explanation of how they would help her walk flat footed - talking about traction and everything! Anyway, hopefully they won't be on longer than 4 weeks. She gets them changed every monday. And I have NO clue how I will manage to wash her hair when she already fights me on lookig up when she is sitting in the bathtub normally! Ha!

And Aria is napping in her crib for the first time ever as I write this! 

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Cindy, can you get the waterproof material for the lining of the cast? That's what Jo had when she broke her foot. It's great they can get in any water, tub, pool, etc.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Wow, Courtney - I had no idea they made that! Is that the type of cast they put on? Bc they definitely didn't offer that to us and when I asked about bathing they suggested sponge bath.

Poor M was up crying half the night bc her feet were bothering her. She said they hurt - I'm not sure if it was the cast feeling funny, not being able to get comofortable, maybe her feet fell asleep inside or if she was just sore from them stretching her all day. She was fine all day. DH spent the entire night on the couch with her crying and walking around every little bit. She came back to my bed this morning about 6 when DH got ready for work and she woke about 4 more times in the next 2.5 hours before Aria demanded we get up. It's 9 and she is still sleeping. She is so exhausted - DH said she finally would just cry and fall right back asleep bc she was so worn out from crying all night. I sure hope every night is not like this!!! If it is, this is not doable for a month! I should call today and ask them...

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

*Cindy* - That sounds awful! Did she sleep any better the next night?

*Nilla* - Hmm... No great ideas for you. Is there a time where you could safely leave him behind when he dawdles? (when another adult is at home to watch him) And then maybe take Dee to do something extra fun?

*Starling* - I know you can search for web domain availability. But yeah, once you pick a name and get a website and then actually get a few people to go there, you're kind of stuck with it! I've wondered at times if we should have chosen something different for our nonprofit, but I don't have any other brilliant ideas, and changing is hard.

*Socialization*: OK, I feel a bit better about it now -- that I'm not stunting my kid by letting him be his adult-focused self at this age.

*AFM*: We are leaving, for 4 month, in 2 to 3 weeks. Everything is crazy here -- boxes all over the house, lists of gear on the white boards, etc... I'll be happy when this part is done and we're actually walking, even as I have my moments of dread about how hard it will be to move camp every day with both kids.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

I'm home sick today  I was planning on skipping class today because I have two midterms tomorrow morning. But I've accomplished zero studying so I'll be skipping those.. I was feeling off yesterday but thought it was just stress and also AF is due. But then last night I was really ill. I'm better today but I'm tired, weak, and my stomach hurts. It's just one thing after another. All the time.

And I'm having some stress from the job hunt. A friend of mine got called Monday for an interview at the job in my hometown. I didn't. She lives 2 hours away and has no better work experience than me. Plus my grades are higher. Plus I actually edited her resume for her because english isn't her first language. My friend wouldn't even take it if she got it because it's too far, but she needs the practice for an interview in her city the following week. (My friend is a really nice person and I'm not saying she doesn't deserve an interview, but I'm just shocked that she would get one when I didn't, you know?) It seems like everyone else in my program at least got an interview in their hometown/city. It's a really specific program and the only one in my province so I know who I'm up against. I don't understand it. How could they not even give me a chance to interview? The woman I usually speak with there hasn't returned my call. I emailed her today and another HR woman I know there through my mom. Just to see if I can be considered. I know for a fact I'm the only local person that applied. It's really a slap in the face that I'm not even getting a chance to interview...

Oh just got a reply.. A simple "you weren't selected". That's it. Wow.

I need to go cry now


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Flipped on the TV last night (PBS) after the kids were in bed. Guess who I saw?! Our very own Erin. Caught it in time to DVR it but only saw the last 10 minutes or so last night. Loved seeing you on your hands and knees as you walked to the hospital to have Katmai! Made my night! Can't wait to actually watch the whole movie tonight!

Everr:- so sorry Mama. Job hunting sucks big time. Hugs to you!

Cindy- Was M's night any better last night? Poor girl! I loved your description of circle time though!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Erin you are my hero!! I can't imagine packing up camp and setting it up again every single day with 2 kids in tow! Or meal planning for 4 months!! It's hard enough to get out of the house sometimes. I'm feeling all frazzled today and we just went to the cast room at the hospital and to a play space. Not sure why I'm so stressed today. Probably M's attitude.

Everr: Hugs! I'm so sorry you have all this stress on top of being sick! I hope the perfect job comes along for you! I hate interviewing. I once went through 2 rounds of interviews at a company with something like 10 people and in the end I didn't get the job and one of the guys I interviewed with asked me out on a date (after I didn't get it)! So bizarre. Feel better soon mama!

AFM: So M had another rough night. Not quite as horrid as the night before but still waking up crying every hour or so. I took her back into the casting room at the hospital today. The man who did her cast is a grandpa and so nice. So he cut her cast open so it was basically a top and bottom and then rewrapped it so it was still in the same position but looser. He pressed on her toe nails and they weren't going to white and then pink quite like they should so it likely was too tight. So fingers crossed that she is better tonight! BC she really cannot deal with any boo boos or anything bothering her these days. It's meltdown/freakout city! Like hyperventiallting freakout. It all started when her tonsils were bothering her. Her tonsils seem to be a bit better btw. No snoring or apnea right now. They still look big but she isn't having trouble swallowing anymore either. So I am going to try to hold off on having them out.

Cindy


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Everr hugs to you. I hope this means that a much more fabulous opportunity is opening up for you. I hope you feel better.

Erin I can't wait to hear about your adventures

Cindy I hope M sleeps well tonight and that her anxiety settles.

Well with Em we did actually do a checklist of sorts but it was after an all out blow out in which he threw toys around the room and proceeded to lose them all. If toys fly in our house they are gone. So he had a checklist of behaviours and chores to get them back slowly. It's working. I actually think some of the behaviour might be another allergy, possibly to corn. He's had some gut issues when eating corn lately and won't finish it saying his stomach hurts. We are cutting it out and will try 2 weeks off and then test it. He's very willing he was so sick the other night when we had cornmeal coated chicken.

Dee's foot with the splinter in it I think might have a piece still in it. There is a hard lump under where it was cut out. It also might just be scar tissue but she says it hurts. Might need another visit to the Dr.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Everr: So sorry about the job! I can't believe they wouldn't even give you an interview, weird. I just know something will come together for you. It's just tough not knowing what's going to happen... I'm with you on that one!

Sue: So jealous! I checked into my local PBS to see if I could find the movie online somewhere... looks like it just played in Alaska from what I can see. I should probably just buy it since I've wanted to see it for so long!

Cindy: Poor M! I hope she had a better night after they made her casts more loose. I don't blame you for wanting to hold off on the tonsils, sounds like she has enough going on for now!

Erin: You've probably said this already and I just don't remember, but how long will you be gone this time? You are like a warrior woman in my mind, no way could I handle all of that with two little ones in tow!! You came up with my kindgarteners the other day! We were talking about different kinds of houses people live in and I showed a bunch of different pictures of all the different kinds of homes people can have (this was a social studies lesson). We talked about you when we talked about living in a yurt, they were fascinated! It led to a whole discussion about life in Alaska and the longer days/longer nights, etc. The loved it!

Nilla: Poor Dee! I can't even imagine a splinter bad enough for an ER visit. I probably couldn't have handled it. Things like splinters and loose teeth just really squick me out.

Starling: Hope you are having (had? are you back, can't remember) a fabulous time in California!

AFM: The girls are doing well. Owyn celebrated her birthday at school the other day and that was the one that almost brought me to tears. I remember working there when I was in college and their birthday celebration is really special and meaningful and I've always looked forward to when my own kids got to do that. Of course, Owyn loved it and it was great to see how much she has grown and become comfortable in the classroom with her teachers and classmates.

I'm leaving tonight for my conference for work. I'm really looking forward to it. I convinced a close friend of mine to come with me since she works in the field too and no one from my school was going, so I would have been on my own. We're making a girls trip out of it and I can't wait for the break and the learning opportunity!

Work is still going along. We met with the president of the school board, but of course she couldn't really give us any answers yet. The rest of the board meets tonight, but I'm not sure if we'll get any answers even tonight. They invited the kindergarten teacher to come share her thoughts and speak for me since I will be gone for the conference already, but then she'll be dismissed when they discuss it as a board. So, could be another couple of weeks before I know anything for sure. Contracts will go out around Easter, so they'll have to decide something quick! Keep the positive thoughts coming my way!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

cindy waterproof cast liner link that stuff is awesome. One of the other problems with the traditional liner is that sweat soaks into it and the material starts to break down. Not all insurance companies will pay for the liner, and some will only pay partially for it.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Courtney: That's really cool! Turns out they have things that go over the cast too so I bought some last night. Haven't tried them out yet - but they should allow us to shower her.

So last night was better - only woke 2x. But she is still complaining about various things and I just had to pick her up at school an hour early bc she was complaining and sad. This is going to be a long few weeks! I feel bad for her but I know there is no other option. Hopefully we can remedy all of her complaints when she gets the 2nd set on monday.

Cindy


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I'm beginning to think maybe M has some sensory processing disorder with touch going on. This past week with the casts was horrid. SO much crying and complaining about the casts and about cuts on the bottoms of her toes (she got these alot from being up on her toes and the skin getting stretched). She wigs out over any boo boo. She won't wear jeans, she undresses if she gets a tiny bit of water on her clothes, she won't eat entire food groups (no fruit ever unless it's in a smoothie or juice) and the toe walking. I am going to talk to our pediatrician about it.

Got new casts today - tried to avoid all the things causing complaints last week. We shall see.

Have husband job news but baby is crying...


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Everr - hugs! Job searching sounds so hard. Not to mention trying to study and being sick at the same time. What's your next step?

Cindy - Poor girl. Probably good to get possible sensitivities checked out, but I think having casts bending both my feet might drive me nuts too. It just sounds kind of hard all around.

Mal - crossing fingers for good news from the school board for you. And I'm glad the yurt/Alaska discussion was interesting to the kids. In fact, I suspect mine would be as fascinated by the concept of an apartment building. 

Sue - Cool that you saw it. I don't have a TV, but keep running into other people who saw it, which has been oddly amusing. I was checking out at the grocery store the other day and the woman at the counter says "Wow, your hair has gotten so much longer!" And I'm staring at her thinking, really? Since I shopped here last week? until she follows up by telling me she was watching the movie the night before. 

AFM - Our time frame on this expedition is vaguer than usual, since it depends on how far K can really walk in a day. But it's about 800 miles around Cook Inlet, will be a mix of rafting and beach walking, and we think it'll take roughly 4 months: Late March through sometime mid-late July. Some of that time will be off days in towns, or for weather. One of our goals on this trip is to visit with and interview people in every community along the way, and we'll carry a field-communication device that can send emergency signals and hopefully text messages, so we won't be totally out of touch. Probably won't make it here though, so you'll have to check in on my blog/FB or wait until we get back.

The weather's been so beautiful and with such gorgeous spring light and mountain sunsets lately, that I'm starting to get really excited about going. Which is a nice addition to feeling stressed out about everything we have left to do! K has been really enjoying sledding lately, and I've been learning to ski, so we've been getting a bunch of little ski/sled outings in to help both of us burn off some energy and calm down.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Cindy-- Some of that does sound a little concerning, but Erin's right too. She does have a lot going on with the casts. I imagine that would make me feel extra sensitive too. I can't even imagine Owyn keeping something like that on. She would hate every minute of it. Maybe see if things improve after she gets the casts off? Owyn also does some of the things you talked about too. She will take all her clothes off if she gets even a little wet. If she gets a little pee in her panties even, she'll change her whole outfit, whether she needs to or not. She also has food quirks, certain textures will completely turn her off. Watermelon is one that she likes the flavor so she always thinks she wants it, but the texture is too much for her. Same with strawberries and some other types of berries. I see that as pretty normal for this age. Hopefully it's all a variation of normal but I'm sure it seems like a lot at the moment with the casts and her tonsils...

Well, I did not get offered the job that I interviewed for. They offered it to someone who had more experience doing home visits. And the board made a counter-proposal. They want to support the center-based learning and want to give parents of 4-year-old children parttime/fulltime option. But they do not want to give me the full time position. They want to keep me part time and put the part time kids in my class, full time kids in the other class. I imagine if things go well and we have a good response to the center-based program, it could become full time in the future. So, I'm trying to figure out what I'll do. I really don't want to walk away from it if they are going to let me change up the program and fund all of that. So, DH and I had a long talk about it and decided it would be best for my career if I stay at the school and see this through, but I have to find a way to supplement my income. So, I'm going to put out the word with parents at the school that I will baby sit a few school-age kids this summer and just bank everything I make from that. That would buy us several months once I go back to work. I'm trying to find something I could do Tues/Thurs during the school year that won't also cost me in daycare. So, I went into a local daycare today to check the place out and see if they had any openings. They might, but I'll have to pay for daycare, there's no discount for employees. If I baby sit this summer, I'm hoping maybe that would lead to keeping a couple of them during the school year. Would it be weird if I baby sat kids that in my class on the other days? I don't know. I'm going to run that by the school before advertising it, just to make sure there's no conflict of interest.

Oh, and someone is coming to see our house this weekend, fingers crossed!!


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Sue, I love Little Bird Naturals. I will buy an amber necklace from you! Link to your site when you get things going. How is Fiona liking violin lessons?

Cindy, big hugs to M. I think the casting is probably aggravating the other sensitivities...fingers crossed that she can relax a bit once this process is over. HOW did you get A napping in her crib?! I really need to know, because I can't put Mallie down without her waking.

Ever, so sorry about the job interview. That really is crappy. Maybe the HR person you know through your mom could give you a hint as to what happened?

Mal, I'm so anxious for your job stress to be over--can't imagine how stressful it must be. Fingers crossed that someone loves your house this weekend! Glad F had a great birthday. The photos on FB were really cute.

Nilla, I like Starling's idea...the only other thing I could think of would be to have a "treasure box" and let him earn "points" by "helping." So if when he helps by going along with the program he gets a point, and X points he gets to pick from the treasure box....I dunno though. Aubrey struggles to get moving in the morning too, even though she WANTS to go to school and screams if she thinks Daddy is going to leave without her. Sometimes I feel disagreeable too, but geez.

Starling hope you had fun on your trip. Can't wait to hear of your adventures. And OMG for the adoption meeting. That is too awesome.

Erin, ITA with Nilla about K's socialization. I was always that way--spoke early, understood a lot, and found other kids dull. I feel like I've been 30-something my entire life.

Random thoughts here--I had a filling this morning, so I'm slurping down coffee late and dribbling it all over Mallie, who is sleeping in the wrap. Of course, because she will only sleep if she is in contact with me. Which is not so good, as she is huge.

I don't feel like I've been the super mommy I know i can be this week. Or for the last few weeks, actually. Aubrey's behavior is getting under my skin, and Mallie's sleep routine is killing any me time I might have if I were a normal person. DH is talking vas, and I think I'm ready to just know for sure whether we're done with kids. I don't know why that's suddenly important to me. This first year is hard, though. Bleh. Maybe I'm just ready for the sunshine?

Need to get some advice on behaivor and sleep and whatnot, but I don't have the energy at the moment to type out all of the little things that are bugging me. Ho hum.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

M is doing much better this week with her new set of casts. I had them do things differently so I think it helped. She is actually sleeping again! Perhaps it was the casts making everything worse - but these are behaviors that have always sort of been there too. I've just started reading "Raising your spirited child". She always been a very dramatic girl. DH thinks she may grow up to be an actress. LOL. She refused to go to preschool on Tuesday. I suppose I could have pushed the issue, but I didn't. I felt bad. But she will be going today. We pay too much money for her to decide she isn't going. I think she was upset bc on Monday no one put her socks on her so she couldn't play in the sand box. I told her I will do that before I leave and she seemed much more of with the idea of going. She likes to go but she doesn't want me to leave these days.

Aria is going to sleep on her own in her crib now at night! I am still in the room but I think I will be able to put her down and leave fairly soon!!! I read the book "secrets of the baby whisperer" and also her ebook on sleep. You put the baby down and if they cry you pick them up and sooth them, then put back down. Repeat until baby goes to sleep. Can be 150 times at first. Bedtime started out taking about an hour at first! But by now (night 5) I only had to pick her up one time and put her back down then she laid there peacefully until she fell asleep. I also started out keeping my hand on her tummy or rubbing her tummy while she was in the crib (we have the crib sidecarred which makes it easier on me to be near her) - but I didn't do that last night. That is the trick I used to get her sleeping in her crib for nap time. Though I must admit, I stopped working on getting her to nap in her crib bc everything with M has just been too much to deal with. And M didn't like me being up in the room with A while she was downstairs alone. She told me to just put the baby in the swing or in the ergo. LOL. So baby has been napping in the swing again. But I'm hoping that since she is doing so well at night w/her crib that naps won't be too hard once I can focus on them again. Anyway, this going to sleep on her own is revolutionary to me! I have my nights back! And M never ever got the hang of this. DH still lays down with her every night.

Baby awake..


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Cindy-- Amazing how different these second babies are! We have reached the point where both girls lay down awake on their own and go to sleep on their own. It is AMAZING! Greta started at about a year old and now won't even let me put her to sleep, although I would like to sometimes. I had to put her to sleep when we took our trip last month because she would. not. lay down on her own in an unfamiliar house. She hated every second of me rocking her to sleep. Now, when I take her to bed, she practically lunges for it before I can even get a hug in. She likes her sleep!

Well, Owyn is definitely 4 now. We have had a nice, peaceful few months here with her up until now. She's been a pretty easy-going kid and doesn't fight us on too many things, but I feel like ever since her birthday she is pushing every boundary with us. Particularly with DH. He has always been a little more strict than I am and she's always listened to him better than she does me, but lately she is pushing all his buttons and it's driving him nutty. Oh what fun this year will be!

Greta and I were out all morning running errands and when I got back, had a message to show our house TODAY! So, I've been scrambling around like mad. I thought I'd have the rest of today and part of tomorrow to get the house in order before showing it Saturday. And I still have to pack for our weekend away this weekend, we're leaving tomorrow! And I've been working on my counter-proposal for the board since they are meeting next week. And trying to keep up with my teaching this week, trying to implement some new things I picked up at my conference last week. Oh, and Owyn's school is having a fundraiser this weekend that I volunteered to help for before we leave, since we won't be there for it. I feel like my brain is going to explode! This weekend, we'll be with all of our closest friends pretending to be 21 again for St. Patty's Day. I SOOOOO need this break! I told DH if he hears me talking about work, make me drink a beer. I must stop thinking!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Hey ladies!

Hope everyone is doing well.

I just had a quick question about imaginary friends.. Does anyone else's kids have one? Royce has talked about (and talked to) 'Kooda' for as long as I can remember. It was one of his first words. And I remember not knowing what he meant by it when he was very little (I think I remember him saying Kooda before he was even 2). Now, Kooda is a regular presence.. R describes him as looking like a dinosaur with big eyes. It's so weird!!

AFM - I'm busy finishing up my semester. I'll be so relieved when it's done! I have a job interview Wednesday in my hometown, but not for a practicum, just a summer position  I'm really disappointed that I wasn't able to get a practicum. It's really doing to delay my career.. Oh well.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Everr - sorry about the job stuff. Hopefully they'll see how awesome you are over the summer, and then hire you on for good next time.

imaginary friends - K has an imaginary friend called "John Robertson." He's apparently an adult, who has one house here and one in Seattle and one in Hawaii. He doesn't talk TO him, really, but often tells us about all the wonderful things he's done "with John Robertson" Who knew my kid had climbed Denali, and found a dinosaur fossil, and built a real space ship, and.... ?

AFM - our departure got delayed a bit because we think we can hitch a ride to the start point on a fishing boat Tuesday (really the middle of Monday night). Wake the kids up at 4AM, get everything on the boat, steam out for a few hours, then all climb off into the packrafts in the pre-dawn light. A little nervous about how it'll all go, but also very excited!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Fiona's imaginary friend is Weedee. She's sometimes very naughty!

So funny story. I finally decided to go get birth control and not count on infertility as my birth control anymore. Because, you know- you hear those stories. Waiting for the Doc to come in while I was waiting in the room. Here some whispering in the hall and the nurse say- holy crap! I knew right then. The prerequisite pregnancy test- positive! This was just yesterday and it feels so surreal. Like I'm talking about someone else's life. But really- its me. And I'm going to have another baby! We haven't told a soul. So mums the word on fb. But I needed to share with someone! OMG! And Dh was so great about hearing the news. Huge hugs, excitement. More later- got to run.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Wow Sue - So exciting! I remember that whirlwind of emotions... L was a total surprise for me, I found out at 11 weeks pregnant when I went in for a routine annual exam (and thought I had an IUD at the time). Though in hindsight, I think I had a niggling inkling of something that made me schedule that appointment, even though it wasn't conscious at all. Think there was some subconscious suspicion that sent you in to get birth control at just this time? It sounds like you're happy about it? L was definitely the best surprise I've ever had.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue!!!!!!! Omg!!!! Congratulations!!! That is so exciting! How so you feel about it? I'm so glad your dh had a good reaction. Do you know how far along you are? When are you due? December? Crazy how a the sudden fertile you are. And my mom found out she was pregnant with my sister when she went in to get a prescription for birth control pills. Lol.

No imaginary friend here but I know my niece had an imaginary sister at this age.

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

SUE!!! OMG!!! What a huge shock! I don't think I'd know how to respond if I got that news right now. Sounds like you two are happy about it though, and wow! With all the trouble you had conceiving the girls, what a blessing this is! (although, I'm thinking, better you than me! haha!) I know you guys have been putting a lot of thought into your husband's job and possibly moving, will this change things? Either way, a big congratulations!

No imaginary friends here either. This girl has so many friends IRL, I don't think she'd know what to do with an imaginary one! I remember having imaginary friends as a kid though. Come to think of it, I sometimes refer to this group here as my imaginary internet friends, so I guess in a way I still have my imaginary friends!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Sue - Wow!!! So exciting!! Congratulations  That would be quite a surprise! I have an IUD, but I still get paranoid every month  I would love to have another one, but I'm definitely not in the place for that at the moment. How far along are you??

Erin - Good luck with the big trip! I'll have to check your blog for updates!!

AFM - I'm having relationship issues as always. I wish I could meet someone normal. I feel like my expectations for men are gradually getting lower and lower. I don't know what to put up with and what's genuinely a dealbreaker. It's frustrating and discouraging. I'm turning 30 on Thursday. I've been alone for over 3 years now


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Thanks Mamas! Yes- We are really happy about it. Though admittadly I cursed a bit and cried in the office when they told me. I don't know when I'm due but guessing late Nov? I never got a pp period even! I said I'd call back to schedule another appointment and do a dating u/s. I was too in shock to deal at the moment. It still feels a bit like I'm discussing someone elses life. DH is going to approach his boss to see if he can transfer to Seattle. Over half of his group, including his boss, work out of the Seattle office. If they go for it we'll move to Whidbey and he'd commute/telecommute. We'll see. The universe certainly has change in store for us! I'm dying to share with my mom and sisters but I want to at least know how far along I am first. Can't wait to tell the girls! Fiona asked me three days before I found out if I was sure there wasn't a baby in my belly- weird!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Wow. Sue!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
And so awesome that the move might happen sooner than later!
So exciting!!!!

Ever ... Boo to relationship troubles. You need a cosmic break!

Imaginary friends .... Oh yes. A gaggle of babies. Who often die, get left behind, smoke cigarettes, are terminally ill, swear, eat candy etc. I think she uses them to process some difficult things.

Erin, good luck on your epic adventure!

Have to run ... Back later!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Yes, Erin - good luck mama!! Can't wait to hear the tales when you return. May everything go smoothly and may you all be safe and happy on your journey!

Mal: LOL about us being your imaginery internet friends! We need to finally meet someday so that we become "real". 

Sue: I'm glad you are happy! I can only imagine the shock when you were going to make sure this didn't happen. I'm a wee bit hoping I end up in your shoes. I'm hoping maybe having a 2nd baby cured me of my secondary infertility and maybe we'll get lucky and have a surprise third. I still always wonder if the mirena I got after M was born isn't what caused my infertility issues (well that and DH's low sperm count!). Mirena even says 10% of women who get it still won't be able to get pregnant a year after getting it out. It's being pulled off the market and the co is putting out a different version with a dif name. Class action lawsuits, etc. (which I am now part of bc my mom signed me up). In any case, I think we are both open to a surprise third but I doubt we'd go through IVF ever again unless DH took a job that covered IVF. In any case, the domperidone I take for nursing is like birth control so there def won't be any surprised before Aria is a yr old bc I plan to stay on it until then. I have taken a couple tests though bc I have been getting nausea lately - but I think it's my body's way of responding to too much caffeine.

Everr: Hugs! I know you will find someone and have more kiddos when the time is right. It's just so hard waiting for that time! Good luck with the job!

Starling: I loved your most recent blog post. You stayed in Mission Beach, right? I basically grew up in La Jolla and spent oodles of time in high school running around PB and MB and OB.  I can;t wait to hear more about your trip.

AFM: I don't think I updated the job news over here. Forgive me if I did! LOL. DH is just waiting for them to work out the final details. He got the job 4 miles from home!!! So he will no longer spend 3-4 hours/day in the car!! Plus it's a lot more money. And for the first 1-4 mos it might actually only be 32 hours/week instead of 40 - but they are going to pay him even more per hour during that time to make up for it! So he will be spending TONS more time with us!! He will be able to start running again in the evenings and I will be able to get to some yoga classes in the evenings. They are just working out the final details of his pay. We will have to get our own health insurance bc he will be an independant contractor - which means we will once again have a PPO and we get to switch back to the pediatrician that I loved and used up until a yr and a half ago. Hooray!

Makenna gets her last set of casts on tomorrow. Last week they casted her left foot past neutral and the right almost at neutral (it started at 10-15 degrees away from neutral). So she is def making progress! Tomorrow they are going to make molds of her feet so that her braces will be ready when she is done with the casts. She has done so much better the last 2 weeks compared to the first week! Thank goodness! They don't slow her down much anymore - she is still running and jumping and dancing.

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Sad news. I lost the baby. Complete emotional roller coaster this week. I'm feeling so so sad right now.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Oh Sue, I'm so sorry!!! Emotional roller coaster is right. Hugs!! Nothing much one can say to make this right. You will be in my thoughts!!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Oh Sue, so sorry, mama. I wish I could fold you in my arms and weep with you.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Sue - I'm so very sorry.. Thinking of you *hugs*


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Oh, Sue... I am so, so sorry. You're in my thoughts.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

sue, I'm so sorry. The love comes quickly and it doesn't take long to adjust to a sweet life. I'll be thinking of you and the sweet babe.

no imaginary friends here. Well not for June. Jewel used to have the little Jewely's, who were very small, like 1 inch tall. There were a whole bunch of them.

cindy- glad the casts are making a difference and that she has settled into them more. June has been having some issues with preschool as well. In one morning she can go from not wanting to go to wanting to be dropped off before her sisters. That's awesome about the job too.

I'm so sorry I don't get on much. Life has been so busy and I am just not keeping up. With facebook i can mess around from my phone while I'm nursing (since Cora refuses to let me read my textbooks-she tries to rip them).

We weren't sure what we were doing about school next year, but I've decided to keep the big girls where they are and Junie will join them next year. It's going to be so insane. Hubs is supposed to start school in the Fall and I'll be in school, and the four kids, and he'll work and we will also be working at the school MORE so Junie can go to. It feels kind of ass face crazy. (yes, I just made that up)I hardly see him as it is, I actually miss him and we live together, but just don't see each other much. Most nights it's chaos of kids when he comes home and then once they are asleep he passes out. Someday we will get to hang out again. hopefully soon, b/c I miss him.

I will be in Colorado for the next month with the two younger girls. not sure what affect it will have on my time. anyone near Denver??


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue: Thinking of you!

Courtney: Wow, a whole month? Exciting! Are you doing school work while there? I know what you mean about missing your husband even though you live together. My DH leaves before we get up, gets home at like 7:30 - in time to help with bed. Then he often goes to sleep for the night with Makenna since he usually snuggles her to sleep. I'm looking forward to that all changing now that he will get off at 5 and be home in like 30 minutes. Would be shorter if he had a car and drove but he'll be taking a free shuttle to the bart train and then taking bart 3 stops. We live 2 blocks from the bart station. Or he may run home since it's shorter than his typical 4 miles run - so he will be commuting home and getting his run in at the same time. That would probably take the same amount of time as taking bart. Maybe less.

So DH's job is official. He gave 2 weeks notice at his old job on Monday. He is taking a week off in between jobs and we decided to say what the heck and go back to Hawaii! We are going to Maui this time - we went to Kaui last time. Seems SO indulgent! But tickets weren't much more than to fly down to San Diego and DH has no idea when he will be able to take a full week off again. So we're just doing it! I am so excited. Not really thrilled about a 5.5 hr plane ride again but at least it's direct. The kids did pretty well on the flights last time but it's just so boring to be on a long flight when no one lets you read or listen to music or watch the movie.

Makenna got her last set of casts on yesterday. They fitted her for braces before they put them on. Those *hopefully* will be in next week when this set is ready to come off. Her feet look good. Def back to neutral! She will have to wear the braces for 3 mos to continue retrainign her to walk flat footed. She got to pick out cute designs for all the different parts. They have to be less cumbersome than casts and at least they come off! I think swimming in the ocean, soaking in the hot tub and enjoying the lazy river where we are staying will be a great reward for having casts on for 5 weeks! For all of us.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Thanks for the love and support Mamas. I'm hanging in there. Such a roller coaster of emotions.

Cindy- yeah for the new job! Love that you are heading back to Hawaii! Fun fun! And so great to hear the casts are doing there job!

Courtney- have a great trip! Life does sound crazy but I know you will do great! Probably feels good to at least have the school decision made. Crazy to think of our kids in school to be honest!

We are still hoping to get ourselves to Washington. DH is going to talk to his boss at his performance review. We don't know if they would transfer his position to the Seattle office but we are hoping so. Also, want to let the powers that be know that if anything opens up DH would like to fill it. Crossing fingers that something works out for us. Also, we were so sure that we were done with 2 kids until the surprise pregnancy. Then we knew in an instant that we wanted a third. My original appointment was scheduled for the 1st of April. It needed to be rescheduled because my Dr was out of town. I opted to switch providers and do an earlier appointment rather then put off getting the IUD another 2 weeks. Which means, I would not have even known I was pregnant in the first place and would have thought that the miscarriage was just my period. I think the universe does things for a reason. And we were meant to know so that we would know to let ourselves be open to a third child. Now, here's hoping my body cooperates. And if not, we may go the clomid route again as we get closer to Maeve's 2nd birthday.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Sue so sorry for your loss! Sounds like you are processing it well though.

Cindy Yay for no more casts and sleeping babies and jobs that have husbands home more

Courtney You and your big heart can rock anything

Mal I have my fingers crossed for your home selling soon and you getting what you want for your career

Ever life will swing up, it will

Starling I haven't seen the latest blog post did they stop showing up on fb?

Imaginary friends Yes she has one Johnny Mare who is a very bad teenager who does everything she is not allowed to do.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Nilla: Hi!! How are you?

Sue: I am so sorry that you had to go through losing a baby. But it's really cool that is made you and your DH realize that you do indeed want a third child! I was wondering if you were going to choose to go ahead and get the birth control or to try again. I am excited for you. I hope that it is as easy for you to conceive again and that you get your sticky baby! I can't stop thinking about a third baby. I know I really should not. I've gotten rid of most of my maternity clothes and given away all of the tiny baby clothes already. And I highly doubt we would ever do IVF again - but that desire for another baby is still there. Of course maybe once Aria starts sassing me like her big sister and running away at parks, etc. I will think differently. LOL.

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

We are selling the house!! Woo hoo!! We accepted an offer yesterday and just got done signing all the papers to put in an offer for the other house.









DH is now in freak-out mode because we close on the house on May 15 and we have to pack ALL THE THINGS now! And we'll close on the house a mere 4 days before school ends, 5 days before we leave for Jamaica and we have eleventy-million things happening between now and then! But we're moving, so YAY!!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Woo Hoo! Mal that is such great news. Keep your eye on the prize while packing. Starling- pop in with some packing tips. Lord knows you have done it a million times since we've known you!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Mal: Awesome news!! And yikes, that sounds so stressful! But if you survive your move, you get to go to Jamaica! So wonderful to have that to look forward to! Are the kids going with you? Let us know when you hear about the house you are putting an offer on!

AFM: Makenna gets her casts off on Thursday. Was supposed to be yesterday but the braces weren't done in time. They still probably won't be in then so they are having to come up with another solution. She has to get them off though bc we leave for Maui on Monday! I have a fun bath planned for her on Thursday and I'm taking her for a pedicure this weekend. I promised her I would when she got them off. Today is her last time at preschool in them. Yay!! I might be more excited to be done with this than she is even. As for the braces, she is supposed to wear them 24 hours/day for 3 months. But they come off and she can bathe and swim without them. And play in the sandbox and at the water table as much as she wants without wearing her daddy's socks! They will help keep her from going up on her toes. She got to pick out lots of cool patterns and colors.

My husband has 3 more days left of his crap commute. I am soooo happy to have that over with!!!

Cindy


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Sue ... SO EXCITING about wanting a third baby! We would totally go for a third ... even as we emerge from the fog of infancy for a second time and are now able to be more mobile and focus on things beyond the care and feeding of babies. But, a third just isn't in the books. Or so it seems right now.

Mal! At long last, mama! Congratulations! Jamaica! Whoohoo! Have a great time!

Cindy ... two more sleeps until cast-off! And awesome about Hawaii. Have a great time. We're looking at booking a month (Feb 2014) in a rental home in Sayulita, Mexico. Sounds like a pretty funky little town.

Nilla ... I'm not on FB anymore. But the blog posts are at my website. myname.come

Courtney ... Wow! That's a long haul with only half of your babies. Exciting times for your family!

Hi Kate ... How are you?

xoxoxo to you all

AFM: I very much want to quit the ambulance. Trying to decide if we're bold enough to make the plunge for me to focus on my writing (the audio story site is in the works right now!) and parenting and homeschooling, or if we need to hold onto the security of a 'real' job.

Packing ... My best tip is to take this opportunity to touch each and every one of your belongings and quickly assess if it still has a part in your household.

Make your decision is less than five seconds.

If you haven't touched it in a year, get rid of it.

If you're not sure that you love it, get rid of it.

If it's broken and you haven't gotten around to fixing in within three months, get rid of it.

If you have duplicates, get rid of one.

If it doesn't fit or you don't feel good in it, get rid of it.

If you never unpacked it from the last time, get rid of it.

With every move, I aim to get rid of 50% of our belongings, and we usually do get rid of about 25%.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

so Junie saw snow for the first (second really but she was a little baby the first time and was still groggy from a nap) time:



her face when she first went outside and saw it:



and Coraline:



This si also the same ages my first two were when they saw snow for the first time. That was 6 years ago and my husbands first time in snow.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Courtney: Love those snow pictures!

Cindy: Awesome news on the casts coming off soon. I've never even had a pedicure! Lucky girl M! She totally deserves it!

Starling: I hope you get some clarity about the ambulance. Great to hear the audio site is in the works. I'm sorry to hear a third isn't going to work out for your family. I know you were really hoping the adoption would work out.

Great advise on getting rid of stuff. We have sooo much stuff! And fingers crossed we too will be making a move soon and will. A couple of things in the works here... first- an awesome job in Newport, Oregon has opened up. DH is in the process of applying for it. Second, if that doesn't work out DH's boss is gong out to sea with him this summer. He is going to talk to him about the possibility of transferring to the Seattle office. Most of his group is in Seattle, including his boss. So we'll see. If he gets the transfer then we would live on Whidbey where my parents and sister live and commute /telecommute. He is heading to Seattle on Monday for a week of training. He is going to test the commute out- well at least to the ferry dock. He's not planning to visit my parents because he's a dork! I'm sort of torn on what my first choice would be- only because of the commute time. They do have flexible work schedules though and it may only need to happen 3 days a week. The Oregon coast is pretty awesome though! And within a day of my family. Both options sound pretty good to me!

Back a little to the imaginary friend discussion. In addition to her friend, Fiona talks to herself all the time. Like plays out different scenes and changes her voice to be different characters in her scenes. Often she crawls under the table and does this. Sometimes holding dolls but mostly not. Any other kids talking to themselves?!

She's really having fun with letters and numbers these days. She's figured out writing our names and pointing out certain letters in books. She "reads" books she has memorized to Maeve a lot too which is pretty sweet. It's really fun to watch this unfolding because we have not "taught" her. Love how their brains work! She's also doing ok with violin. She likes it but we aren't very disciplined about practicing every day. Oh well- no pressure, still fun, and she's learning. She also started horseback riding lessons last week. So cool! We aren't dong OT anymore and I find this is filling that role for her. She's in love with "her" horse!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Sue - R talks to himself ALL the time, there's always some sort of situation going on, lots of make believe with toys/imaginary friends, it's constant.

I hope something with your DH's job works out. It would be so nice for you to be near family.

Courtney - So cute!! Are you still in school all summer or do you take a break?

Starling - I feel for you being frustrated with the ambulance stuff.. Is there a cheaper area you could relocate to?

Oh, and are you guys still going to be in Toronto this spring? Let me know! 

Cindy and Mal - Soooo jealous of your trips! We are getting a big snowstorm tomorrow, then freezing rain.. We haven't even had a taste of warmth yet. It's depressing 

Mal - Congrats on selling the house!!!! Woohoo!! What a relief that must be (even though it means you have to quickly pack and move). It'll all work out in the end 

Nilla - Good to hear from you! What's new??

AFM - Well, I've got a summer job, so I'm excited about that! Not the practicum I needed, but something that will be great experience. And it's in town, so I will have a 5 minute commute  And hopefully the practicum will come in the fall.

And boy trouble as always. I decided to try online dating. Which is ok I guess. I met a guy who seemed amazing.. But it turns out he was just playing me and I'm a gullible idiot. So that's annoying. Why do men lie so much?? It's amazing to me how many different ways men can be jerks. Or I just have horrible luck. Oh well.

As for Royce - he's doing well, he's exhausting but wonderful. He's so freakin' smart and so chatty, so many questions, problems, arguments, ideas... It never ends. But he is also probably the sweetest person I've ever known. Sometimes it amazes me that he is such a sweet good person, I feel like how did I make this? He's too perfect (and I am far from a perfect mom). I hope that he stays that way.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

sorry I couldn't write more earlier I was in the middle of helping my sister. (I'm in Colorado to help take care of her after her surgery. ) It's hard with her, the two girls (not a lot of toys, can't just send them outside, she sort of freaks if her house is messy so i can't just ignore the mess in favor of homework, Junes was in daycare which made homework easier and Hubs isn't around to take crying babies from me or do dishes). Everr- I am taking two classes in the summer. IN class, this time. I am super excited about that.

Mal- yay on the house selling. the idea of a new place is exciting.Loved Starling's packing ideas.

Cindy, glad her casts are coming off. Have fun on your vacation, and once again hooray for the loss of his commute.

starling- I know you guys will make a great choice and will totally work whatever you do.

Talking to themselves in play- yes, and the ten year old still does it even. Hell I talk to myself sometimes (a lot).

June is having a super hard time out here. She does not like being gone from home. Every day she wants to go home or go see her Dad. It is starting to get a bit annoying. This is the same thing that happened when we went to my other sisters in North Carolina.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Starling: Fantastic packing tips, thank you! We have slowly been preparing for this the last couple of years. We knew we would be moving shortly after Greta was born, just a matter of when. So, I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff we don't use or need already. The only stuff I really need to go through in that way is clothes and kitchen stuff. Everything else just needs to be moved.

Sue: So exciting about the different job opportunities. How awesome it would be if you could be closer to family! All of our family is local to us or within just a 30 minute drive. We are incredibly blessed in that way, although it can also just cause more drama for us sometimes. Owyn talks to herself all. the. time. Sometimes it's with her dolls or dollhouse. If she doesn't have toys or dolls or play out her elaborate scenes for her, she will just pretend her fingers are people and animals. Pretty much anything can be personified in her world right now. I love watching and secretly listening, really gives me a glimpse into her mind and how she is processing things.

Ever: Yay on the job! Boo on the men woes. They really do suck sometimes, huh?

Courtney: love the pics! And tell coraline she must stop growing! How is she so big already??

Well it seems we didn't get the house we wanted. The sellers turned out to be very stubborn on their price after leading us to believe they would negotiate the last time we made an offer, saying they just wanted us to get our house sold. They barely budged on their asking price. We even agreed to the price they wanted if they would cover most of the closing costs and they wouldn't do it, so we bowed out. Our realtor seems to think they may have been just seeing how far we would go and possibly we will hear from them again, but I'm not expecting anything. DH and I are going to look at another house tonight, but neither of us are thrilled with some of the details we know about it. It's worth a look though, especially since it is literally the only house in our price range we haven't already looked at. Likely, we will be living with my parents for a while until we can find something.

Last night was take your parents to school night at Owyn's school. She got to take us through a shortened version of her school day and chose a few "works" to show us. I was so very impressed to see how far she has come since school started! Some of the work she did had so many steps involved with the process. Parents were instructed to only watch and only help when our child asked for help. She is such a capable person! She had sponge work, then cleaned every tool she had used, including the tray her work was on, placed everything back just the way she found it. She even made us a snack all on her own, using their classroom toaster oven and spread our jelly for us, then did the dishes when we finished. It was so fun and she was obviously so proud of herself the whole time and excited to show us all she could do. It was a 30 minute session, but we were there over an hour because she never wanted to leave. I love that she loves her school so much. And I walked away with a few ideas for my own classroom!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

mal, that sounds like such a nice school. Sorry you didn't get the house you wanted.

Everr- that description reminds me of my Josie. she is still the sweetest person but her stories can be exhausting. Congrats on the job.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Just popping in to say hello! It's been pretty quiet here this week. Hopefully some of you are getting out enjoying some warm, spring weather. Not so much here. We've been getting nice weekends, but cold, rainy, dreary weeks. Ugh...

Not much happening here... just slowly, but surely, moving stuff out of the house. We are planning to move us out on May 4, then take the next week to finish clearing out our main living spaces. We're all feeling a little bittersweet about the move, I think. We're having all our friends over this weekend for a final shin dig at our house. Living with my parents, it's hard to tell when I'll be able to host parties again with our friends, which really stinks since we are the ones that most commonly host/put together get-togethers. My mom is already driving me a little crazy with some expectations while we're living with her. I had planned on taking on a few daycare kids for the summer to save up some money to make up for the fact that I did not get a full time job. My mom isn't too thrilled about this happening in her house while she's off for the summer. I don't know if she thinks she'll get roped into helping me or what, but she's complaining. Then, she makes mention of taking on a baby to watch herself and did I want to just go in on that with her so she can have two days a week off, and we could just collectively share the daycare income we bring in. Which would, in turn, actually mean I'm bringing in less daycare income than if I just did it on my own like I would be doing in my own house. I told her I really need this income to pay for my student loans, so that we can afford to buy a house in the price range we're shooting for. I don't think she gets just how much we are depending on that income right now. Also, it seems a little unfair for her to take on a baby sitting job of her own and expect me to take it over for her two days a week, even if I am getting paid for it. I told her I didn't mind filling in for her if she needs to make appointments or has something going on, but that I really don't want to commit myself to doing that every week. Especially once school starts. Tuesday and Thursday are my days off, also days I use for planning and preparing for school. The kids I have already agreed to watch on those days are older, less dependent, and pretty much have a solid schedule during the day that would still allow me to do the things I need to do and give us to the freedom to get out of the house on those days. She's talking about watching a newborn baby and that just really limits what we can do on those days. Ugh... Anyway, just venting here, totally understand if you didn't read all of that! Needless to say, I am extremely anxious to find a house this summer!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

living with family is hard. Melding two different lifestyles is stressful. I'll cross my fingers that you find something soon. I don't know about the daycare thing. It seems kind of silly to say no you can't have your daycare kids but hey share this daycare kid with me. I mean I guess I kind of get it a baby isn't quite so rambunctious as older kids and is sort of less IN the house. In any case good luck living through it. I am going sort of crazy at my sisters. We are both annoying each other and I think she (a life long childless person, although she relishes her role as aunt) is having trouble with how kids take over a place. I just want my home, my husband and my two older girls.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Oh Mal! Good luck with the house search. I always have a hard time when we are with my parents. I mean I love it, but also very much miss my own house and space. We typically spend 3-4 weeks with them each summer.

Courtney- How much longer until you head home? You are an amazing sister!

So DH put in an application this morning for a job in Oregon and another goes in tonight for a job in Washington. First choice is the WA job. We'd be in the Bellingham/Mt Vernon area which is about 1.5-2 hours away from my family. (and pretty darn close to Starling too!  ) Just have to wait and see how it all goes. A little nervous! These jobs seem like a better fit for DH then the previous ones he applied to. I really think he has a shot with them. Crossing fingers. Wish I knew how long we have to wait to hear back!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Mal - I hope you can find your own place quickly, living with family would be so hard! Not sure I could do it! My parents are divorced and both have their own lives so living with them was never an option even when my marriage first ended. My mom does a lot of babysitting for me but she has this way of making me feel like it's such a huge favour which makes me feel guilty. Now that my classes are over it will hopefully be better. Anyway, that's just my little vent about parents 

Sue - I hope your DH gets one of those jobs!! Fingers crossed 

AFM - My job at the health unit was changed to a practicum!!! This is pretty huge for me, it means I can complete my certification in October instead of waiting until next April. I'll be eligible for a 'real' position in November. I'm so happy about this! And I have a full month off until it starts. Today is my first day off, I wrote my last exam yesterday. I found out this week that my identity was stolen so I have a bunch of stuff to do for that, which is such a huge pain. I'm worried that it could be my ex.. But I'm not sure.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Oh sue, I am really hoping something comes through with the jobs!! I know how long you have wanted to get closer to family. Fingers crossed!

Ever: great news about the job! That really speeds things up for you. Hoping this is a sign of more good things to come! Your mom is good at the guilt too, huh? It drives me nuts. My mom will baby sit and help too, but it comes with a heaping side of guilt trip. She has always been that way. So, we just rarely ask her for anything. She stopped by yesterday and I probably hurt her feelings but it had to be said. She apparently believes DH and I should do nothing but pack and have no life until we have moved out of the house. She is constantly making snide comments about the fact that I already started baby sitting on my days off. We planned on hosting a final shin dig at our house tomorrow night, after we pack up the basement all day. She also thinks I shouldn't go to the bachelorette party being held the week after we move out, the bride whose wedding we're going to in Jamaica. Pretty much anything that doesn't have to do with packing or moving is extravagance to her and she makes it known every time I see her. So, I told her she was getting on my nerves and to please stop. It's making me feel like I'm 17 again. My sister takes these comments from her, internalizes all her frustrations, then goes weeks without speaking to my mom instead of just confronting the issue. So I said "I won't be Jenny and stop speaking to you, but I am telling you these comments are getting on my nerves and I am asking you to please keep them to yourself from now on." She looked a little stunned, but I just can't listen to it anymore. And I refuse to move into her house with that over our heads. I feel like I have to assert myself as an adult who makes decisions on my own/with DH before it gets out of control when we're living with her.

Okay, mom vent ending now!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Hello from the Yukon!

Sue, I think I can see your house from here. Totally kidding.

My fingers are SO CROSSED for Mt. Vernon! You'd be SOOOOooo close.

Mal ... I really hope you don't have to be living with your parents for long. It does NOT sound ideal. I hope you find your perfect home soon!

Everr ... Ooooh dear. Identity theft is no good! And how low if it's your ex. Creepy. And SO AWESOME that your job turned into a practicum. Whoo hoo!

Courtney ... When do you go home? It's so hard being in someone else's space. Even if it's beloved family. I can be anywhere, but if I have to share close quarters with anyone other than my partner and kids, it's never long before I start to get squirrelly.

I'm in Whitehorse right now, with my mom along to babysit the kids while I do writerly things. We've been here since Monday and are going home tomorrow. I can't wait! It's been awesome, but not relaxing in the least, what with having my littles and mom along.

I love the north ... we saw trumpeter swans along a river the other day!

And the people are very excellent too.

Love to you all! And Kate and Erin and Nilla too!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Sue, my fingers are crossed for the job in WA (gosh I wish I could move to WA)

Everr- that's awesome about the practicum! Sorry about the identity theft, I wish people wouldn't be assholes.

Mal- way to assert yourself, sometimes you just have to tell moms that you are no longer a child. My mom doesn't live in the same state as me any more but man could she be overbearing sometimes. I wonder if we'll all be chatting in twenty years saying " you know she told me she's not a kid anymore!!"--can we please still be talking in twenty years?

Starling- yes, my husband and my kids. It's just so comfortable and perfect.

My husband and my kids come tomorrow! Then we will spend a week here and then we all go home. He's going to a wedding on Wednesday, but they are leaving Tuesday so I won't actually really see him maybe. The plan was that I was supposed to drive up Thursday to hang out with everyone from the wedding and Hubs BUT it is supposed to snow on Wednesday and I don't like driving anyway, I hate driving in the snow (just did it for the first time and the car slipped out, and I wasn't in the mountains and it was a 4wd. I'll be driving in the mountains (for the first time, in the snow, in a 2wd vehicle). Hubs wants to rent a hotel room and have us all go up on Tuesday. I mostly want to. Mostly because I want to be with him. sort not because there was some confusion about the wedding. Hubs told the groom (who was in our wedding party) that he was going to the wedding even if he wasn't invited. Groom said, if you can get to Colorado you can go. So then when I needed to take care of my sister shortly before their wedding we were like cool we'll all go but then it turns out bride doesn't want that many extra people. Cool, I get that, it's a small wedding, we alone would equal 1/4 of the current guests. but now I feel weird, tacky that we were all going to crash the wedding, weird that I'll be in estes park while it's happening. I'm afraid it will make the bride uncomfortable. My sister is best friends with the groom and they will be there and my other sister (the one who had the surgery) is officiating. She doesn't want me to go because then there is no one to take care of her dog. Hubs found a hotel room up there that takes dogs and we offered but she says her dog will freak out in a hotel room she doesn't know. I don't know, I don't want to leave my husband once I see him. I don't particularly want to drive on snowy mountains, Hubs has more experience with it. Hubs thinks it's a waste of money if I'm not with him ( "Why'd we spend all this money so we could vacation separate, that's stupid?)

urrgh, I don't know what to do. Thoughts? (also I think we are not the only ones who are crashing the wedding My sister, (the officiant) thinks that another couple and a single guy friend of ours are also crashing it. In a loving, hey we want to share this because we are close like that sort of way.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Courtney - I loved seeing your pics on fb!! Looks like you all enjoyed the snow! It does get annoying quickly though  We are finally having summer-like weather here and I love it!

Starling - Hope your travels are going/went well!! Don't forget to let me know if you come to Ontario!!

Mal - I totally get the need to vent! How did the move go?

Sue - Any word on the jobs??

Cindy - How was the trip to Hawaii part 2? 

AFM - All is well, exams are over and I'm enjoying my time off. Relaxing and enjoying the sun! I have a question: We live in a nice family-friendly neighbourhood and R is finally old enough this year that's he's biking on the sidewalk up and down the street and meeting friends.. Which is great, I'm just not sure where to draw the line between being an overprotective parent and perhaps a negligent parent  One boy asked him to come into his house and I said it was ok if it was ok with his mom. Not sure if I should go meet the mom, or just let it be.. This is a new world for me!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

I agree Everr. Owyn had her first play date without me a few weeks ago. As in, went home from school with a friend and I picked her up a few hours later. I even asked the mom if I was supposed to come over with her because that's what we had always down. She usually has play dates with my friends' kids, so we use it as an excuse to get together ourselves. It is all new territory!!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Hi mamas!

Dropping in for a little bit of shameless self promotion:

Our family is in the Boba contest, if anyone cares to go over and like our post. Much appreciated!  One can always use another carrier!

We're #41, I think.

Playdates:

E just started doing this recently. She has gone to a friend's down the block, and stayed by herself once I've dropped her off.

She also goes to the neighbour's and he comes here. We're in the same co-op, so they often run back and forth between the houses and the fenced-in play area.

There isn't anywhere else I'd let you go at this point. I trust both parents, but I've also known them for many years.

If it were a random neighbourhood kid, I'd say no, or have them here.

I still have trouble with other adults wiping my child's bum, for example, and E still needs help with that.

Everr ... I'm coming east this week, but with a chock-a-block full schedule. I will be doing school visits in Durham and Pickering, I think. And Whitdby. Are you near any of those? PM me?


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

They can play at people's houses without me if I know the parents.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

No solo playdates here. I don't trust other people to understand her allergies- even when I pack her own food. I pretty much don't leave them with anyone besides DH or my mom and sister on the rare occasion she is here or we are there.

No word on jobs yet. In a way it is a good sign- they didn't throw out his app right away. It has been over 2 weeks since the closing dates on both gigs. Crossing fingers and waiting, waiting, waiting!

And I wanted to share this with you guys... http://www.breannapeterson.com/2013/05/12/6898/


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Wow, Sue. WOW.

G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!!!

I tweeted the link. I hope that's okay. I also tweeted the link to your FB page for Little Bird. Looks lovely!

We should do a giveaway on my blog!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I've never left her for a playdate either except at 2 of my friends houses that I've known and spent time with on a weekly basis since M was 2 months old. I def wouldn't feel comfortable leaving her alone with anyone from preschool or anything like that, even thoough I see those parents every single time I drop off/pick up at school. We have done preschool playdates but I always stay.

Ugh I have bronchitis. I feel like total crud. Just got back from doc and got a scrip for an abx. Can't wait for DH to get home so I can get it! Aria has fever and cough too - hopefully it doesn't go itno bronchitis for her!! I've been sick for 5 days now. I am so ready to feel normal again.

Sue: Beautiful pics!! I still am amazed by F holing the chickens. I just see the sharp claws. LOL. I'm afraid of picking my own up. Will continue thinking good thoughts about the jobs!

Life jsut feels like a dream since DH switched jobs. He is home by 5 each day and he runs home from work. Running the 3.6 miles home takes about the same amount of time as taking public transportation home. So he gets his exercise in in the time he'd spend commuting anyway.

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Cindy, that is such an awesome switch. (I'm a little jealous, but maybe our awesome set up will come some day).

Sue, love the photos!!

oh playdates- I have to not just know the parents but feel totally comfortable with the parents. June has had sleep-overs but it was at her best friends house. They have known each other since infancy, we have nursed each others kids, so it's sort of a special situation. She did sleep over at another friends house (the girls down the street) those girls are both older but it was all three of the big girls that were sleeping over. Junie slept curled up with her sister. Big sisters sort of change things a little.

Another semester is started and Coraline is now in daycare. Today is her first day. I'm anxious. I know they will take good care of her though. I earned three A's last semester.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Great job Courtney! You should be so proud! Running a household with 4 littles and you still did an amazing job!!!

It's amazing what 2 doses of abx will do. I am feeling more human today!!

Cindy


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Cindy - Glad you're feeling better! And that's awesome that you're hubby's new job is working out so well for everyone! Yay!

Courtney - Congrats on the A's! It's hard work but worth it! You're doing amazing 

Sue - Fingers crossed about the jobs, I hope something works out soon! It's so hard waiting and wondering :/

AFM - I got to meet Starling and little Hawksley yesterday! Starling - R loved H and has been talking about visiting you guys, I told him you live far away and we'd have to take a plane, and he suggested my friend (who flies little 4 seater planes) could take us  I think it would be so awesome to meet everyone else here. Hopefully some day 

I'm currently visiting a friend who has a brand new 2 week old girl. I'm loving the newborn snuggles. Last week I went to support another friend for the birth of her little girl and that was an amazing experience. I love having new babies in my life


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

It was SO COOL to meet you in real life, Ever! And R is absolutely charming and was so sweet with H. Sure, pile on into that little puddle jumper and make your way westward (with fuel stops it'd take you ages!). H asked about R on the way back to TO. It sounded like he was pleading for 'fish," but the translation was definitely R's name. He started by hollering his name, then chanting it, then whispering it, then he fell asleep. Very cute!

I wish we could all meet up!

Courtney ... You ROCK, mama! Nail that grade point average to the wall, woman! Whoo hoo!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Way cool that someone finally got to meet someone else from this amazing group! I am jealous!! One day, we shall all meet!

Ahhh, I am finally feeling human again. Enjoying the sun and being outside planting. I've coveted spring mix seeds for ages and we never had space to plant them. We finally found some big areas so we are working on that today. And planting an herb garden, cherry tomatoes and snap peas. Makenna recently decided that she is in love with snap peas. She tried them at school and asked me to buy them. Finally school paid off in the getting her to try something new dept. I got her to taste a grape the other day and she wretched and gagged and it came right back out! I guess the not eating any fruit is indeed a texture thing!

Poor M still had a fever over 100 yesterday. Fever seems to be gone today. Baby seems to be feeling better too, even though she's still coughing. I'm so over sickness!

We've booked a trip to Indiana for early June to visit my in-laws. Makenna just adores her cousins - they are just turned 5, just turned 3 and 9 mos (though we have yet to meet the baby). Being sick, the idea of travel sounds no fun! But I know everyone will have fun visiting. Need to find time to get down to san deigo!

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Hi all. Don't have much time to do much online, but I have a few days in Anchorage here on our way around Cook Inlet, so wanted to stop in and say hi. It's been an amazing trip so far, and Katmai has done awesome. He's learned a lot, really enjoyed all the time outside and meeting new people, and can walk around 7 miles in a day. I think we're about halfway through, and am both excited and nervous to get to the more bear-rich areas ahead (we've taken all the precautions, but still, it makes a mom a little antsy). More about what we've been up to the Blog, and some pictures, if folks are interested.

I too wish I could meet you all in person. We will be going on some kind of road trip/book tour this fall when my second book comes out that'll bring us through parts of AK and and down to the Pacific Northwest. So Starling and Sue, maybe we'll get a chance.

Starling -- The Yukon sounds fun. You guys need to make your way to Alaska sometime.

Cindy - I'm missing gardening this year. One of the difficult balances of expedition life is that I really love summers at home too.

Courtney - congrats! I can't imagine trying to still be in school, and I only have 2 little ones.

Everr - enjoy your summer. And I think biking around on his own is great.

Mal - good luck with the move, and with getting along living with family.

Playdates -- I'd leave K with any of his friends in our little town -- I know all their families quite well. That said, it would really be a babysitting request from me more than a playdate for K -- he's not nearly interested enough in friends at this point to want to do anything of the sort. We've stayed with families with kids sometimes on this trip, and while L gravitates to them immediately, K will ignore them completely in favor of their toys or the adults.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Glad to hear that things are going well Erin! I'm so amazed by Katmai's hiking abilities!! 7 miles is awesome!

So cool that Starling and Everr got to meet up! Yeah! Do we get to see any pictures?

Courtney- So awesome on your grades. I am so impressed with you mama's that balance school and family life. Really- you are amazing!

Cindy- so much travel! Hope you are feeling better by the trip to see the IL's.

AFU- waiting waiting waiting. DH did get an interview for the Newport, OR job. It isn't for another 2.5 weeks though! Wouldn't want to rush these things!! WE are still hoping that we will hear about the job in WA. It's our first choice of course. The fact that he hasn't gotten a "yeah no thanks not you" letter is a good sign. Gov't positions take forever to fill... waiting, waiting, waiting.

the kids are doing well. Lots of outside time these days which is great. It's not particularly warm- but warmer. LOL! We'll take it. Fiona has been doing horseback riding every week and LOVES it! Amazing to me that she has no fear or hesitation about getting up on that huge animal! She has also really come out of her shell lately. I would no longer describe her as shy. She goes up to kids and introduces herself quite often. She always introduces Maeve too which is quite cute. She is still not a fan of a large rowdy crowd but does great with small groups and one on one.

My newest obsession is essential oils. I have used them for years but started to use DoTerra oils for different ailments lately and love how they work so I"m becoming a consultant for them. My version of selling tupperware! LOL!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

nak

sue - i'm interested in learning more about the oils! lol about your version of tupperware.

and yeah - do we get to see pics??

erin- so lovely to hear from you! i too am way impressed by 7 miles!!!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

So good to see some updates here! I am SO jealous that Everr and starling got to meet! When is the meet up for the whole group??

Last day of school was today and I am so excited to be done!! Packages have been arriving at the school the last couple of weeks, all the new stuff for my classroom. It's like Christmas!

DH and I are leaving tomorrow for our Jamaica trip and I cannot wait! It was a little sad putting the girls to bed tonight, knowing it will be 8 nights before I do that again. A whole week on the beach with all our favorite people does sound pretty nice though. And we have big plans for spicing things up in the bedroom while we're away. We SO need this trip!

I want to do more personals, but gotta get back to my packing. Talk to you ladies when I get back!!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Have a fantastic trip Mal!

The job in WA just got canceled due to budget cuts. Thank you sequestration! Hoping the interview goes well for the job in Newport, OR. 2 weeks away.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Sue-my fingers are crossed for the oregon job!

a meet-up, so cool. i totally want to see pictures too. I have loved meeting some of the moms from my other DDC's.

Mal, have fun in jamaica!

Erin, I've been following your trip on facebook.

Cindy, you;ll have to share pics of your garden as you get it going.

so I was interviewed for an article on free range parenting because I left my three oldest (which includes Juniper) at a park on take your kids to the park....and leave them day. Now the park was 3 houses from a friend's house and I showed them were it was and the friends who live at the house were at the park with them, but it was hard. Now, I don't know if it will be published, she was going to pitch it to her editor. I'll let you know if it does. Hopefully I don't come off looking like a crazy person.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Unfortunately we didn't get any pics when we met :/ Oh well, just means we need to meet up again!

Mal - I hope you're enjoying the beach!

Sue - That sucks about the job  I hope the other one works out! It's such a frustrating thing.

Courtney - I'm sure the article will be great! I love hearing about your kids and seeing the pics on fb 

AFM - I start my job tomorrow! I'm excited and nervous. I don't know what to wear or how to do my hair


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Everr: Hope the first couple of days have gone well with the new job!

Mal; It sounds like you are on the way home from a fab vacation! I honestly would not know what to do with myself being away from the kids that long! I hope you come home rested!

DH is applying for another job in Coeur d'Lane, Idaho. He also has his interview for the OR job next week. Hoping something comes of one of these! It's a little hard being so in flux with life right now! I like planning and not knowing if we will be in Kodiak or not is pretty hard!

Hope everyone else is doing well! I think about you all often!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

New rule, when there is a meet up cameras are mandatory!

Sue, fingers crossed for you guys!

We made it home late last night. After 9 whole nights away from my girls, I finally got them back this morning! Greta hasn't left my side for more than a few seconds at a time, so I'd say she missed her mama. Owyn wanted to see all our pics and hear about the beach and the wedding. We have to go back to STL in a couple of weeks for the USA reception. We had planned on bringing the girls, but after partying with this group of people for a whole week, we're questioning how kid friendly the party will be... We'll see. Anyway, the trip was AMAZING. Far exceeded our expectations. It's a 4 diamond resort and the whole wedding party was in the Preferred (VIP) part of the resort. I have never been so spoiled in my life! And DH partied like we never had before and had the best time ever!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Ok ladies, where are you? I need to dish about something that happened on our trip, but I'm not going to do it and be embarrassed if the crickets are chirping here. I can't really talk about it IRL, but I'm bursting and need to tell someone!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I'm here. Been meaning to post. Mal I just cannot even fathom 9 nights away from the kids with the husband - relaxing and partying! I hope you had the best time ever! Dish away. ;-)

Sue: I'll keep everything crossed that something pans out for you with one of the jobs. I hate when things are up in the air like that! I felt like that over DH's job application process recently and it didn't involve a move for us!

Everr: How is the job so far??

AFM: Nothing exciting here really. Off to visit the inlaws in indiana next week for 5 days and I will see my sister and her kids while we are there too. Makenna has 2 weeks left until summer vacation. I've signed her up for a music class all summer that uses real instruments, only tiny. She has been wanting an entire drum set and they have a few that she will get to play. Sounds fun. She has been doing ballet class and actually participates. She has been walking totally flat foot and doing awesome there! She starts physical therapy in a couple weeks and has a few weeks left of wearing braces at night but that's it. We went out to dinner tonight and had to wait to be seated - she and DH just ran back and for up and down 2 blocks over and over. We were shocked how much she ran considering she always complains after walking like a block (I cannot even comprehend a 4 yr old walking 7 miles like Katmai!). Anyway, I think DH might actually take her to a track to run - she loves running (and DH used to be way into racing).

Cindy


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

I'm here too! Just keep lurking, and meaning to post. Can't stand posting from my phone.

Mal ... 9 DAYS! Holy crap, woman! Wow! Did you manage to not worry about your girls? And yes, dish away!

Sue ... IDAHO? NOoooooooooooooooo! I know it's not that far, but I selfishly want you to be on the West Coast. Idaho is not the West Coast. But good luck to him for the Idahoan job anyway! You'd be so much closer! We'd come see you for sure!

Ever ... I cannot believe that we didn't take a single picture! It felt so much like hanging out with an old friend that it didn't even occur to me. Definitely need photos next time!

Cindy ... Sounds like a happily full life you've got going. Delightful! And so wonderful that M's feet are being so agreeable.

Erin ... I've been following along on your blog. The trip looks awesome! I also saw that video on K & L's site. Excellent example of Project-based Homelearning!

Courtney ... Did the article come out yet? I'd love to see a link! Go free range mamas!

AFM: I think I'm done with the ambulance. I don't want to do it any more, and I'm having panic attacks whenever they call, and leaving sick when I do take a shift. We need the money, but I'd rather take my chances with leaning on my writing more, and the new audio story website (up soon!) and enjoy being home with my kids at the moment. I might go back to doing frontline crisis work, instead. Shorter shifts, and far less likely to get brains on my pants.

E is thriving ... reading and writing more confidently every day. Playing hard with her dear friends in the co-op. Still quite anxious, but managing well. We've scaled back all activities, and so our only obligation is her weekly art and literature class, which she enjoys. Other than that, we're keeping life low key, as it seems to suit her.

H is one of the sweetest natured kids I've ever met. He is so dreamy. He is in *love* with the little neighbour baby and wants to hold him and caress his face. He hauls around his baby doll in the kid-sized Ergo, and sits him up at the table to eat with us. He's obsessed with machines and parts that fit together and putting things into other things and volume and space. And he can already ride a scoot bike and scooter, whereas E has just gotten the hang of her bike this past year, and her scooter not at all yet. However, she was more verbal at his age, so go figure.

We've got plans to do some camping this summer, plus a couple of music festivals, and then a homeschool family music camp at the end of the summer. Then into the fall and gearing up to spend Fen 2014 in Mexico!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

We actually managed quite well being away that long. It helps a ton knowing the girls love and adore our family here. They had a great time getting spoiled by grandparents. We really are lucky to have so many people that love our kids.

Soooo, anyway... Remember how I said DH and I had big plans for spicing things up while we were away? Well, we did... And it involved another couple. And it was lots and lots of fun!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Mal - OMG!! That's pretty fun!! They are friends of yours?? I have a guy (fwb) who would love for a girl to join us some time, which I think would be fun. Another couple would also be fun... Hmm... My best friend and her hubby are pretty kinky but I'm not sure if it would be weird for it to be close friends. Anyway, I'm glad you had such a fun trip 

Starling - That does sound like such a stressful job. I think it's great for you to step back from it and focus on other things  I'm sure the financial stuff will work out. It sounds like you have some awesome summer plans! I wish I could say the same!

Cindy - Glad to hear things are going so well with M's feet! I can't wait to get R into music lessons, the best I could find here starts at 5.

AFM - I love the job! And my coworkers are all awesome and so helpful. I have to tag along as much as possible the next couple weeks so that I can start doing things on my own. I really really hope they are able to hire me on permanently after my practicum. It's not for sure that their will be a spot available so I just have to wait and see.

AFR - He is doing well, this week has been exhausting, working a full time schedule then picking him up and doing all the evening stuff. I'm worn out. I guess I'll have to get used to it because this will be life from now on  I'm trying to get him going to sleep in his own bed, but he still ends up in my bed at some point throughout the night - and he always thinks I've carried him and I don't wake up at all when he comes in. So he must be sleepwalking very quietly without waking me  I have him signed up for swimming, T-ball, and Tennis right now until the end of June. And then just T-ball for July. Oh and we went to his kindergarten orientation last night! Got to meet the 3 possible teachers and see the classrooms. I think he's excited


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Mal: Holy crap! Like just in the same room or actually swapping partners? There is a big dif there. Definitely some spice! LOL.

I forgot to mention M is sleeping in her own bed, in her own room. But poor DH is up like 1-3 times every night. Sometimes he walks down there and she has fallen back asleep (after screaming bloody murder for him) and sometimes he has to lay with her and falls asleep in this twin sized ikea loft bed for 3 hours (and he's a big man!). He still snuggles her to sleep in the bed. She's actually been there for a few weeks. This past night DH must have been too tired from the nights before bc he brought her to our bed at 2am. It was nice to have her there. but it is also nice not to bc I have more space to sneak away from the baby when she comes off the boob and sleep on my tummy. M has been earning toys for sleeping on her own without Daddy. So far a flying disc thing (like a soft gigantic frisbee) and a tea set for the bath tub. Next up is a pop up book. I'm not keeping track very well though.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Um it was a swap... And I've never done anything with a girl before, but we tried it and that was lots of fun too. We've met them a few times before but they are friends of the bride and groom. I like that we know them well enough to be comfortable with them, but we don't see them all that often. And the door is open to do it again someday. Lots of fun ladies, lots of fun.









Oh everr, we also did it with a girl only another night. Yes, it was a very crazy week. That was fun too, but DH felt a little left out. I think we decided we preferred the couple.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Wow, Mal! That is spicing it up mucho caliente! You go, girl! That's awesome that you had such a great time. No weird emotional aftershocks? That can sometimes happen when you play outside of your usual comfort zone. What fun!

Ever ... For some reason I read your post thinking you were Cindy, and when it got to the kinky bits, I was a bit surprised that Cindy would have a fwb! And then I realized it was you. I say rock the threesome!

So glad that you're enjoying your job. And so great that R was into his orientation. They're growing so fast! I can't believe he's going into JK!!!

For all y'all established or budding kinksters ... be sure to listen to Dan Savage;s "Savage Love" podcast. Hugely informative and very entertaining.

Love to you all. Only, not in *that* way. 'Cause that'd be weird.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *starling&diesel*
> 
> Wow, Mal! That is spicing it up mucho caliente! You go, girl! That's awesome that you had such a great time. No weird emotional aftershocks? That can sometimes happen when you play outside of your usual comfort zone. What fun!
> 
> ...


Lol! Oh Starling, you always make me laugh!! No emotional stuff so far. It came up another time before the threesome, with the first couple and DH wasn't up for it and acted annoyed that I was. We talked about it the next day though and he assured me it really wasn't anything to do with what happened, just that he wasn't feeling well and just wanted to go to bed. He is up for it happening again, so he must be feeling okay with it. He's just the kind of person that likes to just do things and not hash it out with lots of conversations. I like to talk about it. After the whole week was over, DH and I were talking and I told him I have always wondered if I might be bisexual and now that I've had this experience I really think I might be. I was all worried that he would be weirded out, I really didn't know what he would say to that. He said he's always suspected that and is glad that I made the realization, finally. I really do love that man, he knows me so well.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

LOL Starling

Mal - way to spice things up in here too! LOL! I too was wondering if there was any emotional wierdness. I'm glad there isn't. And that's awesome that you found something new about yourself out and your DH knew it before you and supports you. I've had some interesting experiences in my past. I don't really want to say too much on here bc who knows who is reading this thing. But I'll just suffice to say that I don't think I'd ever feel ok going there in my marriage. Nor would DH. But I am not judging you for doing it and enjoying it. I'm glad that you and your DH are at a strong enough point to be able to just have fun with it. Gah my sex life is almost non existent these days and could use some spice of some sort or another. or maybe I just need a baby that sleeps for more than 30 minutes after being put down for the night. Such is life of a mom, right? By the time we get both kids put down, all I want to do it go to sleep.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Mal- sounds fun. I wish I could talk my hubs into something..maybe. More like, I'd just like to do things with girls, but I'm not sure I could handle him doing things with other people and I know he can't handle me doing things with other people so the whole issue is null and void. My friends swing and it works well for them.

Starling- no article yet. Maybe the editor didn't take the pitch. You guys can totally make it work financially without the ambulance stuff. it's not worth your mental health.

Everr- glad you are enjoying the new job.

Sue crossing my fingers for his job.

Cindy- I'll join you in the non existent sex life club. I may dislike my husband too much right now to do it but the waking kids has a lot to do with it as well.

Juniper got pulled from her daycare program (no money to pay for it) but she did visit her school she's going to next year and she loved it.

so what kind of job can one get at night while the kids sleep and have no experience? Could I even work all night, go to school at least half time and do most of the child rearing? How do things like this work out? I'm kind of thinking of leaving my husband but I don't even know how to go about it. I still love him but I am just so over it. I feel like he doesn't listen to me and take into consideration what I say. He's gone so much (working) but not making enough to pay the bills. Our car got repossesed, we did get it back but that same day we got it back the electricity was shut off. Every bill is late, we have borrowed money to get gas in the cars, to pay the electric (we still owe more money on the electric), to pay for daycare. I can't drive anymore then needed and even then I don't always have enough gas. I am so stressed and have no idea how the finances are going to work out and then on top of it I feel completely invisible at home. The kids hardly listen to me, Hubs doesn't listen to me. It's not like if I left him I'd even be able to leave, where do you go when there is NO MONEY? Hubs won't have a conversation with me, but maybe because I have said cruel things to him, maybe because he doesn't like to talk about things. Mostly, I am just sifting through my options in this post. But the whole situation has me stressed so I am snapping at the kids and I just can't center myself. I don't know how my life got so screwed up and I became such a loser.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Courtney ... you are NOT a loser. You are under water, maybe. You are overwhelmed. You're worried. You're stretched thin. But you are NOT a loser.

You are a spectacular mama! You are creative and loving and kind and funny and smart.

I hope this is just a down swing for you and your husband, but if you are serious about leaving, know that you don't have to do anything in a rush!

Take a breath, take a bath, take a break (even just to walk around the block and clear your head). Once all the girls are in school, you might have more time to sit quietly with yourself and figure things out. Is there anyone who could come stay with the girls for a night or two so that you and your hubby could go camping and get away? To strategize, plan, dream?

Thinking about you, mama. You are a goddess ... with or without money, with or without time, with or without stress.

Your girls are so lucky to have you!

xoxox


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Oh Courtney, I can feel the exasperation in your post. I so wish I could come over and give you some time off right now. Or at least a big hug and a long chat. You have so much on your plate right now, but I want you to know from what I can see, you are rocking it. You are kicking ass in school, your girls seem like such happy, well-rounded people who are so lucky to have you as their mom. You are SO not a loser! You're an inspiration to me as a mother. I hope this is just a down time for you, I know you will pull through because you always do! I know school is probably making things seem even more overwhelming right now, but it will be so worth it in the end! Hugs, mama.

I had a dream last night that we were having a meet-up, all of us! We were all going to everr's house for a visit, but she lived in Kansas in my dream. Weird. I was disappointed to wake up and realize it wasn't true! One of these days, right?


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Oh how I would love a meet up! Lots going on here Mama's!

Mal- Way to spice it up for sure! Glad you had fun! 

Courtney- Oh Mama. So so hard. You are such an awesome Mama. Really and truly. SO sorry things are so rough right now. I like the idea of you and DH getting away for a night. Do you think you could pull that off? Or even and afternoon to go hiking somewhere? I think a quiet place with just the two of you would be good. Thinking a lot about you Mama.

Starling- Hope you can get off the ambulance soon. It does sound like it's time to let that go. I'm glad to hear that other things are going well. Love Dan Savage! I used to read the Stranger every week when I was supposed to be doing community service for my religion class in high school. I did my community service during the weekend so I sat at a coffee shop near my school during the alloted open period! 

Cindy- have a great trip! Do you get a long well with your IL's? Will there be cousins for the girls to play with? Fun that you get to see your sister too. I think she has littles too right?

Everr- Kindergarten orientation?! Craziness!! So glad you are loving the job!

AFU- Tomorrow is the interview! Our guess is that the phone interviews will help them narrow it down to a smaller pool and that the smaller pool would be interviewed in OR. We shall see. It has been gray and rainy here and I'm just so ready to GTFO! (get the fuck out!) And I can buy tickets for our typical summer trip because I don't know if we will be moving soon. Lots up in the air. I want to take a trip to the area too before he accepts to really feel things out but I don't know how to make all of those trips happen.

Kids are crazy and doing well. Fiona refuses to wear anything but dresses- sometimes 2 or 3 at once or dresses and overalls which makes for some fun outfits! I love her spunkiness. She is a climbing fool these days. Our fence, trees, the climbing wall in the backyard. It is all she wants to do these days. And she is getting really good at it! People sometimes freak out and try to help her but I always say if she can get up she can get down. And she slowly but surely finds her way down from the big tree or whatever it was she was climbing.

Maeve is hilarious. Pretty happy most of the time. Loves her Papa and is suck like glue to him when he is home. So nice after having the opposite from Fiona! She loves being outside and digging in the garden and tromping around the yard. She is not a baby anymore- won't let me wear her hardly at all these days. Busy busy keeping up with big sis!

Still hoping for another baby. It's hard to explain how I'm feeling. Before the surprise pregnancy I was perfectly content to have 2. Then after all that and the miscarriage it was like I was cheated and now I know that I really want a third but its not that easy for me to even get pregnant in the first place. I sort of can't bear the thought of another loss and I can't bear the thought of a ton of fertility treatments again. So I don't know what will happen. I trust my body to get pregnant again on its own so we have to decide if we are going to go the clomid route again and how much effort we are willing to put into that. Wish it weren't so complicated.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Courtney - Huge hugs! I agree with everything Starling and Mal said. You are sooo NOT a loser, you are an amazing mother. Anyone would feel the way you do with the stresses you have. Definitely use this place to let out all your thoughts, sometimes it helps just to acknowledge how you're feeling. To answer your more practical questions, a night job along with daytime school and parenting would be too much in my opinion... Unless you were to cut school down to maybe just one course at a time? Or leave school completely until Coraline is in JK. Is it not possible to get daycare subsidies where you are? It's hard for me to give advice because I don't know how things work in the US.. Is there a different education plan that might get you into a good job quicker? I know there are some jobs that you can train for in less than a year (a friend of mine is a medical secretary making decent money and it was only an 8 month program). Then you can consider your bigger educational plans when you're kids are older. This would also be a benefit to help you be financially independent, which I think is always a good thing married or not. Also, I must say that there is nothing wrong with doing the bare minimum to get by. My dinner plan could best be described as 'scavenging', whatever is around, it's food, we're good  And I rarely ever take R to a park or play with him or do any super involved parenting (he still has fun, he hangs out with me, plays on his own). I go through phases of having more or less energy (usually less..) and R is still thriving. Maybe you can give yourself a break for a bit?

Anyway, I'm just throwing out my thoughts. Life can be a real struggle sometimes, so I understand how you're feeling right now.

Mal - That would be awesome for everyone to come visit me!!!! And I'd gladly make a trip for a group meet, that would be such a fun time


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Thanks Ladies, for listening. I can't take time off school, I got student loans and I can't pay them yet. I just need to stay in school, take care of the kids and move forward. A year until I can apply for the nursing program, which is two years, then I can get a job. then work while I get another degree. Then after that we'll have to move to Gainesville so I can go to the midwifery/nurse practitioner program. I just need my husband to do something different from what he is doing. He needs to make a plan and make something happen. The work he is doing is not working out and I don't think it ever will. I told him, nicely, a little about how I feel and he has been responsive. He has until I become a nurse to figure out what the heck he is doing. If he stays doing the same stuff as now, working his ass off while still leaving us in the situation we are in I'll leave. I can't respect someone that won't change his trajectory in order to take care of his family. Even if whatever he chooses next doesn't work, I just need him to TRY! Everything in his life, work wise, has fallen in his lap. He became a golf caddy b/c he had a friend, he became a plumber when a friend got him hooked up with a plumbing company during the summer while golf was slow. He got into solar because the opportunity fell in his lap. I need him to grab life by the horns and make whatever it is he wants to happen happen,

A group meet would be awesome. Someday we'll go back up to seattle-area to see my in laws.

Sue, that's funny about the dresses. jewel used to wear layers and layers of clothes. She'd look like a linebacker.

alright, I better go do homework and study for this test tonight.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

That sounds really hopeful, Courtney!

How are things this week ... ?

Cindy ... Do you still have any LAs by any chance? I have a mothering acquaintance on the hunt. Yours are probably long gone, but I thought I'd check. Yay for more supply the second time around! Whoo hoo!

AFM: Still studiously ignoring the fact that I'm a paramedic, but reluctant to do the deed and resign. Think it's coming soon. Busy with lots of creative stuff, writing, illustrating, etc. Getting close to finishing the audiostory website!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: PM me. I still have everything. All the LAs you sent plus the ones I already had. I'm not ready to part with all of them yet but definitely would be able to send a few to someone else. I still have a fear that I'll need them - mostly bc Aria doesn't really take a bottle and if she ever needs extra fluids it would likely need to be at the breast.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Hello! How is everyone doing?? Things are good here! Work is sooo busy but I love the job. Still not sure if they'll be keeping me and my contract ends mid August. But I love the work and I'm sure I'll find a position somewhere once I'm certified. I'm finding myself seriously lacking time to do anything. Technically I have an hour or two in the evening once Royce is asleep, but by then I'm physically and mentally exhausted. I have to have 2 reports written (on my own time) by mid August for my certification and it's hard to find the energy to do them. Blah, anyway, it'll get done I'm sure.

R is doing well. He's busy as always. And challenging :/ He is so sassy and he'll just scream at me if I don't agree to whatever it is he wants. It's so frustrating! Nothing works with him. Well, other than bribery. But I can't always be offering him treats just to behave how he should be. He also will do/say bad things and then say it was his imaginary friend that made him say/do whatever it was. And father's day was a bit rough/heartbreaking. I don't know how to answer his questions  I actually have been thinking of getting him in to see a therapist. Maybe I'm overreacting. I don't know.

How about everyone else??


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Everr: Glad to hear work is going so well! It makes it so much easier when you live what you do! I live my job, but I have to say I am so glad I am off right now! The last few months of the school year were so incredibly stressful, I have needed this break so badly!

Things here are going well. I am glad to be home with the girls, but spending the whole summer with them makes me appreciate my job so much more! We're just all out of our routine which leads to more power struggles. I don't have it in my to even try to establish new routines. I know by the time we got a new routine well established, it would be time to go back to work and change it all again. I also have a house full of other people's kids here on random days throughout the week, so that makes it even harder to have our own routine. Taking on some daycare kids this summer has only validated even more that I am so glad I decide to get a job outside the home rather than continuing with the daycare thing full time. I'm just not enjoying it very much and feel like I am missing up on my "break" and not able to do as much with my girls as I would like. I know I have to do it though, I really don't have a choice. Everything I bring in is hoping us get closer to our new house, so it worth it.

I can't believe it's almost the end of June already! This summer is flying by. I knew it would. We had our trip, then a couple weeks of normal before we were heads back to St. Louis for their USA reception. It was fun as always and I'm glad we went, but it's always hard to get back to normal. Now, we've been invited on a float trip about a dozen times. At first we said no, we probably shouldn't spend the money. But to be honest, I will gladly take any break I can get from being at my parents house. My mom is driving me batty and I am really missing our independence. DH loves it here. We're saving money, the girls are loving their time with their grandparents, etc. Those are good things, yes, but my mom has trouble with boundaries and feels the need to comment on anything we/I do that she doesn't agree with, especially when it comes to my parenting decisions. Ugh... We're on track to make a new offer on the house we want by August. It can't come soon enough!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Hi Mamas! I need your help. Your good thoughts, good vibes, prayers... whatever you've got. I just got a BFP (!!!!) and I just need this to be a sticky baby. I actually have already felt some symptoms which I will take as a good sign. With the miscarriage I just didn't feel anything. But a few moments of queezy here and there, noticing I didn't want to finish a beer, coffee cups left undrunk, falling asleep at 8:00 with the kids a couple nights in a row... Made me decide to test. I was only 11dpo yesterday but got a faint line mid day. This morning tested again with a digital. No doubt! Crossing fingers Mamas! It will be quite a few weeks before we are ready to share the news but I wanted to tell you ladies and get the good vibes coming my way! Love you guys!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue:!!!! Yay!!!! Many congrats! Maybe you should have your progesterone levels tested? Clomid often fixes any progesterone issues before they start and since this babe and the one you lost were conceived without clomid, perhaps you could use some extra progesterone? Or not - hopefully everything is absolutely normal. I'll be praying for you! I am so happy for you!!!

The 3rd child issue is on my mind so much these days but I often waffle on what my choice is. LOL. DH doesn't seem to be 100% sure either way either. He started riding his bike to and from work and said something about it hurting him - "good thing we are *probably* done have kids". LOL. I kinda feel like chatting with my IVF doc and getting his thoughts. I think my big issue though is I like this big spacing between kids and we would have to have them closer together bc time is DEF not on my side.

We are good around here. M is on summer break. She has summer school next week and the last week in July. Our trip to Indiana was fast but really nice. There are 3 cousins at my inlaws - 10 mos, 3 and 5. So she played with the 3 and 5 yr old a lot. My sister visited with her girls for an afternoon. Her girls are 6,9 and 14. We'll go down to San Diego towards the end of August. My brother has 11 kids over there - the 7 yr old is Makenna's favorite. We'll do seaworld, wild animal park and the beach.

Makenna now refers to herself as "the nenna". It's so funny. She has always called herself Nenna instead of Makenna. But now she uses the 3rd person instead of the 1st. And she has added "the". So she'll say "the nenna is thirsty". It totally cracks us up. Not sure how long this 3rd person phase is gonna last. Anyone else's kids do this?

Cindy


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Sue - Congrats!! Thinking of you sending a TON of sticky vibes 

Cindy - lol, that's hilarious!! R says the weirdest things sometimes. He has called me 'brother' a couple times (the slang/best buddy type of brother...) I have no idea where he got that from but it was so funny.

Mal - I understand your desire to get out and back into your own place. I would too! Saving money is great, but so is privacy 

All this 3rd baby talk makes my heart ache to have a 2nd. I think I'd only be open to that if it happens within the next few years. After that I'm not sure I'll want to restart from scratch when R is so much older. I have only one guy with any potential right now. My fwb (and the bus guy, if you remember that)  It's a very weird relationship. But I kind of like what we have and I could see us having a fun life together if it came to that. Time will tell I guess. I'm open to dating other people but that just has never happened.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

SUE!!! So exciting!

Do go get your progesterone levels checked. Maybe a bunch of weeks with twat pills (progesterone suppositories) would do the trick?

Here are some sticky, sticky vibes! Stick to the pole, baby!!!










And helped along with some fairygodmother dust from my sparkly wand!









And because it's tradition in the Queer Conceptions board whenever anyone gets a BFP ... a parade of dancing veggies!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

SUE!!!! I am SO excited for you!! Stick, baby, stick! I was also wondering about checking your progesterone. Oh, I am just so happy for you right now!

Re: Third baby. Nope. No. Not right now. No thank you. It's weird because all my life, I always wanted to have babies. Even when I was growing up, it was all about when I was at the point to be ready to have babies. I wanted Owyn so very badly. I wanted my second baby immediately after having the first. we tried hard for Greta. I had that strong baby urge all my adult life. Now, I don't have that even a smidgen. Now, I am still open to the idea that my feelings may change over time. I still every now and then think to myself " When we have the next baby..." But, seriously. Not right now.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

LOL Mal! 

Everr: Bus guy is still in the picture? Whoah!  I hope that a 2nd baby happens for you bc I know that ache of wanting one! You never know though - you may write off the idea bc it's taking too long and then eventually get married again and revisit the idea. You still have time!

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

I need some positive vibes coming my way, ladies! DH and I decided to contact a new real estate agent since our contract with the other expired. So we got in touch with the agent that is working on the house we really want. The one we've made several offers on already. We figured if she is looking at getting the full commission on the sale then maybe she'd be more motivated and be able to work some magic. Plus the fact that she is known in town for being a very aggressive agent and getting the job done. So, we contacted her yesterday and she is very excited about it. She was going to contact the sellers last night and see what she could do. We could wait and have the money to meet them where they are at by the end of the summer, but we'd obviously rather pay less for the house if we can. And it'd be so great if we could get out of my parents house sooner rather than later!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Thanks Mamas! We are so excited. It is still sinking in. We will wait several weeks to share with the girls I think. Although , I could do it. SHe sometimes I think I might burst with the news. Fiona talked about the baby in my belly the day before I even tested. Sort of weird. I also talked to my Dr today about progesterone. She said if I wanted it she could do it. IF I wanted to get tested today that she could get me in. My first appointment is July 1st. I decided to just go with that. She and I both think I'm not nececarily in need of it and it is one of those things that is a bit unproven as to weather it helps prevent miscarriage or not. More often used for IVF patients or someone with recurrent miscariages. My gut tells me everything is fine. She said that is the best sign! Along with the falling asleep at 7:30pm and morning sickness that has started before even hitting 4 weeks! She left it up to me and I have decided to just trust that it will be ok.

Mal: FIngers crossed you get into a new house soon. I could not live with my Mother!

Forgive my typos. Having major computer issues around here!

.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Sue- so exciting, I am thinking sticky, sticky thoughts!!

Mal- crossing my fingers for the house. Switching real estate agents seems promising.

Adding another child- I sent Coraline to daycare and just hung at the house with the big girls one day and it solidifieid the fact that i don't want to deal with little babies anymore. I am just ready to move onto other things. I am waiting on a call from the gyn to schedule the insertion of one of those t-shaped things which i know what it is called but I am totally blanking, you know mirena..oh yeah IUD.

Us- we are still so freaking broke it's insane.But we aren't as desperate as we were, i feel like there is hope now; before I was afraid we were goign to lose everything. I'm selling that awesome co-sleeper I won b/c we just NEED money, I'm thinking of selling that stokke I picked up for $5 but June is resistant. Nothing has been turned off again thanks to my sister paying my electric bill but now on top of the other bills that are due we owe so many people money. I'm really thinking I might need to get a job or something. But I can't imagine school, kids, and an overnight job. I know it's crazy but I just feel like we need to do SOMETHING! I think I am also going to cancel my cellphone, that would save $50.00. a month. other than that, the school year is over and I am loving just hanging with the girls, I only have one class so I feel like I have so much free time. juniper is hilarious. She correctly used shall in a sentence. ( We shall do this at my birthday party. yes, she is planning her birthday party.) okay, Coraline needs me.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I applied for a night position at the starbucks down the street from me. And hey if I get the job one of the perks is a pound of coffee every week and if I'm working nights I could sure use it. LOL.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Nights, like late? Or is it 24 hours?

I've heard that Starbucks is a really good employer. Or, that's the word around here, anyway.

Good luck!

Sue ... How's our wee bairn?

Mal ... Housing update?


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

My nephew worked at Starbucks for a while. He loved it! Good luck!!

I'm doing well! A little sick and really tired. Yeah! I'll take it. I have an appointment next week and then we are going to tell the kiddos. I want to tell them before DH goes out to sea on the 12th. I'm sort of bursting at the seems a bit. it's hard to not share the news! I don't want to tell DH's family until after he is back from sea because I just can't deal with his mother calling to "check on me." I really can't! My gut tells me everything is fine with the babe though. Really feeling so happy about this. 

Today is our 8 year anniversary. I'm going to go clean the house as my gift to DH and make him a card. Then we are making pizza for the kids (allergy friendly) and getting take out pizza and apps for us from the yummy place in town.

Fiona has spent the last 5 nights sleeping in her own room! So awesome! She just decided on her own to start and told me she is going to do it for 100 nights! DH is on retucking duty when her blankies aren't right. Which is often since she is such a restless sleeper. But this is huge progress and I love that it is all coming from her. Once I know that this new routine is firmly planted I'm going to work on moving Maeve to the sidecarred twin bed in our room. Likely it will just start as part of the night which is how it was with F and hopefully by the time baby arrives she is there till morning. We shall see what she thinks of this plan though!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Oh, Sue ... SO GREAT to hear that your mama-instincts are ticking along smoothly.

And WOW about Maeve being in her own room! Of her own accord! That is AWESOME!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Courtney, hope the job goes well! You rock, mama!

Sue: So glad to hear things are going well so far. I am so bad at keeping that stuff a secret, I would be bursting too!! And yay for Fiona!

No house update so far. We sent over the official offer Monday night. The agent made it sound like it's in the bag and was ready to go ahead and schedule an inspection for this week and everything. We were hoping to get a response yesterday, but nothing yet. The sellers have until noon today to give us their answer. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high, since we've been so close to getting this house so many times now and it didn't happen. We will see what happens today...


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Mal: I'd be a wreck waiting to hear over there! I was such a nervous wreck whenever we were waiting on offers (on all 8 houses we put offers on! though I didn't care as much about some as I did others). I hope you get it!!! Let us know please!!

Sue: I am so glad you have a good feeling this time. I know what you mean. I just sort of had a bad feeling about things when I had my miscarriage. I never had that feeling when I was pregnant with Aria, I think I did know inside that everything would be ok (though I def had a hard time believeing myself). I wonder what Fiona's reaction will be since she is older this time and also knows what it means to have a baby around. Hooray for sleeping in her own room and on her own terms.

So Makenna pitched a fit about still wearing diapers to bed. DH is all concerned about it too, even though our pediatrician said it's more common for kids to still sleep in diapers at this age than not. Not sure if that is correct? Last night was night #2. DH took her to pee at 11:30 both nights. Night #1 was a good one. Last night she peed the bed 2 hours afte DH took her. At least it's her own bed! I sure hope I'm not washing bedding every single day for very long though! Anyone have any tips? She is such a sound sleeper that she just never wakes to have to pee. I don't know how to get around that? And of course DH refuses to limit her fluids in the evening and lets her drink a ton of water before bed.

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

We got the house!! At least that's what I'm told anyway. I haven't seen it ith my own eyes yet, so I'm not sure I can believe it. But the agent texted earlier and said the sellers are sending the contract over and they are accepting! They have a renter's agreement that says they have to give their renters 60 days, so we will close on August 26. The only downside is that DH and I have a trip planned and paid for over Labor Day weekend, just days after we close. My cousin is actually the one renting the house, so I'm thinking about telling her they can take the long weekend to move out and we'll move in the next week... I am so excited!!!! We finally have a house and it's the one we have wanted all along!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Yay Mal!!! Congrats!!! And what a small world that it's your cousin renting it!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

yeah Mal! Such great news.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Mal, that's awesome news! And Sue how nice that Fiona moved out on her own.

The starbucks is 24 hours so i said I was avaliable from 9 pm to 5 am but I just applied part time. I really hope they hire me but I haven't heard back yet. I don't want to have to go work at mcdonalds or anything but I need a middle of the night job so Chris will be home with the kids.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Congrats Mal, that's exciting news!!

Courtney - I hope you get the job!

Cindy - Oh still peeing in diapers would be frustrating. I know it is completely normal though. I was super lucky with R, he was fully out of diapers at 2 (day and night). I have a friend who has an 8 year old who still wets the bed almost every night  My only suggestion is limiting fluids.. Why does your dh oppose that idea?

Sue - Congrats again!!! I wish I could get R to easily sleep on his own. It involves a tantrum almost every night, tears, bribery, threats. It's not pleasant :/

AFM - Well, I'm not having a great day. Remember my ex who had an affair and ran off with a teenager? Well they are still together and just had a baby. I just found out last night and almost threw up. There should be a law against people having babies when they don't even take care of the one they already have. Plus it just makes me so angry. It's like he has absolutely no consequences for anything. He just abandons his family and moves on without looking back. Meanwhile I have to live an exhausting life parenting 100% on my own. I would love more time to date, have time to myself. I would love to have the energy and support to parent the way I imagined I would, instead of always being exhausted and doing the bare minimum. I would love to not be alone, to maybe even have another baby with someone I love. I don't see any of that happening though and my whole life sometimes seems so hopeless.

Anyway, that's my pathetic vent


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Oh Everr! That is just so so shitty. I don't know any other way to put it. I"m so sorry he is such a terrible person. I really don't understand how someone can walk away from their family. Really I don't. You are an amazingly strong Mama! Take care of yourself too, OK. Even just little bits here and there. I wish I could give you a big hug.

I'm in the full swing of exhaustion and morning sickness. Ugh. Grateful for symptoms of course but also hard to deal with life feeling like this. No puking, just that feeling of blah that carries with me most of the day. Forcing myself to eat helps a bit. Really starting to panic about DH leaving town soon. He leaves on the 12th of July for 3.5 weeks. Ugh. I have a sitter coming one day a week while he is gone for a few hours. Maeve probably won't let me leave but I'm hoping I can at least get some things done around the house without kids underfoot. I think this is going to be a bare minimum operation while he is gone.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

everr, what an ass. so sorry.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Thanks ladies. I'm fine about the whole thing now. I think it just was really shocking (and it is annoying) and I wanted to vent. My life really isn't that bad, I mostly enjoy it  Unfortunately my favourite parts are when I'm away from R.. I probably shouldn't admit that, but it's true :/


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Everrgreen*
> 
> Thanks ladies. I'm fine about the whole thing now. I think it just was really shocking (and it is annoying) and I wanted to vent. My life really isn't that bad, I mostly enjoy it
> 
> ...


I think that comes an goes, especially as they get older. My friend and I were just talking about this tonight... DH and I are typically very, very rarely away from the girls. Like a baby sitter for the evening is very rare. But we've made more time for each other and adult time recently and we're really enjoying it. I am glad the girls are so easy going spit makes it easy to get time away from them without the mommy guilt.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: That would make me feel sick too! I am sorry he is such an *ss!! I just dont' get how he could just move on from R either. I am glad you are feeling better about it now, but you have every right to feel how you did!! I go through some phases too when the things I enjoy the most on some level are things I do for myself. Probably bc I so rarely do anything that is just for me. I know that doesn't mean I don't think the world of my kids and thank my lucky stars for them.Mamas shouldn't*have* to lose themselves in this whole motherhood process. And we unfortunately often do.

Mal: It's great you guys are making more time to have adult time. I know the time will come for us when Aria is a little older. And time sure if flying by already.

Oh Sue - 3.5 weeks without your DH while feeling sick and tired is going to be a challenge for sure! Do you think you can find more help than just 1 day/week? I'd come watch your girls, if I could!

Nothing big and exciting here. I have taken up running. I started it as the most convenient way to get some exercise. And it's become a really fun mental challenge. I've been doing the couch to 5k program. I only have 2 runs left of the program. I am running my first 5k this weekend. It's around a lake nearby. We are borrowing my friend's double jogging stroller and DH will push the girls and run with me (DH runs way faster than me so it'll be easy enough for him to catch up if he needs to stop). He's going to let Makenna out to run the last bit. I'm torn between running my best time and crossing with M. I am finally feeling pretty good about my body atfer having A. The weight definitely did not come off like it did with Makenna!

Oh M started music class last week. It's a bunch of real instruments only tiny sized. Full drum kits, cellos, french horns, keyboards, guitars, violins. She played drums, keyboard, cello and french horn. It ended up being a private lesson bc the others didn't show up. It was really cute and fun and he did a great job on starting to teach her the notes on the keyboard.

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Hello out there, ladies! It's been so quiet here....

We're doing well here. Lots of swimming and playing outside, taking advantage of the summer! We've had some brutally hot days, but mostly we've been pretty lucky with the weather this year. Last year we had a god-awful never-ending drought and heat wave. So glad this year has been better.

I finally got a referral to get Owyn's hearing checked. They wanted her to go 6 weeks without an ear infection before doing it. She goes next week, so we'll see.

Otherwise, still baby sitting. Waiting to close on our house, so we've been busy with bank stuff and home inspection, appraisal, etc. All that fun stuff. I can't wait to move in! DH and I love to entertain and I am really, really missing that this summer. We usually have company over once a week or so to BBQ to have apps and drinks. Since we're always the ones that plan and host, it seems like we've hardly seen our friends this summer. DH has already started building the bar for the family room in our basement so he can install it right away and we can start hosting parties again. Hoping to start off with a housewarming party around his birthday this year!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Hi Mamas!

Mal, how's the move?

Sue, how's the baby?

Cindy ... admire you're running. I need to get back to it. Sigh.

Ever ... Your ex is a jerk. Do you think there's any plan (on his end) to make R a part of the baby's life?

Courtney ... how goes the juggling, mama?

Erin? How goes the treck?

Nilla? How's your summer?

Kate? What are your plans for the fall?

AFM: Working hard on the new story site. Hoping to have it launch in September. Kids are great. Camping lots. Dealing with seriously lack of moolah, but the weather is nice and we can hang out at parks for free, right? Yay for city spray parks! Whoohoo! The folk fest is coming up next week, and we're off camping again tomorrow. Life is GOOD!

Also, come over to the babywearing thread and vote for Courtney and me. My fave of mine is #126. Courtney ... which one of yours is your fave? I like the one with you and the girls climbing behind you.

xo


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

And *Sue* ... Are you coming to WA? We WILL meet up this year! I'm DETERMINED! I'll come camp near you.

xo


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

We are ok. DH left yesterday for 3.5 weeks. We are staying put this year due to so much uncertainty and the fact that we will be going to WA for my Dad's birthday in October. 80! I have morning sickness and feel like ass. The timing of DH leaving kind of sucks but it is what it is. Today I'm feeling especially sick... ugh. The kids are doing well though. I'm already showing and I'm only 7 weeks!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Oh, *Sue*, bummer that you're not going to come down in the summer. How long do you think you'll be in WA for your dad's birthday? Come down early and go to this!

Whatcom County Skill Share Fair

I hope everything goes really smoothly while your DH is away!

And I think everyone should go vote for #100 on the babywearing contest ... that's the one of *Courtney's* that I love the best!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I have to look through again to find my favorite, there are a lot of really good ones. I'm having trouble finding photos that belong to me that are quality photos with a nice composition. That's the trouble when I am the family's photographer. I loved your photos.

camping, how fun! It's much too hot here to camp right now and the mosquitos are insane this year. For fun, free activities also check out your library, they might have things like story times, puppet shows, drum circles, etc. See if the symphony ever does free pops in the park concerts, check the city to see if they offer any concert series or "festivals". If you have one of those local free papers that tell what is happening around town. Also if it comes to wanting to put the kids in sports or activities on the cheap check to see what programs the city offers, their programs are so much cheaper than private facilities. (that's my being broke tip for the day)

Mal, how exciting to move into a new house. I so want to move. This is the longest I've ever been in a house in my entire life.

juggling- 'eh, still happening. I'm so sick of being worried about having utilities shut off. I want this to be over with. Starbucks never called about my application (I HAVE been out of the workforce for over 7 years), so after my next exam I am going to put some applications in at a few more places. I don't really want a job but I feel like we really need some other income.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

I just put a photo in to the contest too...page 8. I love the photos you guys put in!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I voted for all of y'all. Thanks for posting the link Starling! I sort of want to post a pic of me wearing my cat in a sling. LOL. But it's on my backup drive which is on the fritz a bit and hard to copy from. Perhaps I'll try tomorrow.

Sue: I think it's so awesome you are showing already! So fun! I just got rid of more of my maternity clothes. They are almost gone. Anyway, good luck single parenting! Sounds so rough while sick!

Starling: Can't wait to check out your site when it is up and running! Do you have less money bc you stopped working the ambulance? I hope that is why = that is a good reason to be broke. 

Mal: Good luck w/Owyn's appt. Keep us posted.

Courtney: Still sending good energy your way for you to catch a break! I can't imagine working with all you have on your plate! You are already superwoman!

AFM: Makenna is doing summer camp through my friend's church this week every day from 9-12. It's not very bible-y at all for the preschool set. My husband def would not be on board if it were. I spent a day at it with M last yr and they did art, playdough, made whipped cream, played at the neighboring park and told 1 bible story and sang songs. Anyway, it's free and she is good friends with a lot of the kids that are going so she'll have a blast. And this mama gets a nice little break!

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Hello everyone! Missed you guys. I just wanted to pop in to say that we're back from our expedition.

We left this place buried in snow at the end of March, and flew back into a jungle-like profusion of green, which I have been spending the last two days trimming and weeding, and am nowhere close to done (my MIL gardens with me on our joint property, and was kind enough to plant all the gardens, but has been overwhelmed with all the work on her own). It was 800 miles, 3.5 months of journeying, and no civilization from mid-May to the end. Lots of brown bears, lots of sea cliffs, lots of views of gorgeous volcanoes. We probably paddled over half of it, but K definitely walked hundreds of miles on his own (L was mostly riding, and did her running around during breaks). The kids did great through all of it. The mud-skating and whale watching and fossil hunting and tidepooling, and also the blizzards and blowing rain and big waves and bear sightings, and just getting up and moving every day. I have several hundred pages of notes I'd love to turn into another book, but first I guess I have to work on marketing the one that's coming out in a month. The trip was just amazing, and getting home to putter in my gardens and make pizza and hang with the kids as they rediscover toys and paints and bicycles is really fun too. Both parts of my life make me very happy.

I'll come back to read and catch up with what you guys have been up to soon!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Erin, saw the posts this morning on ground truth's page. Showed the kids and my husband. We always love seeing your pictures. I am super excited about your new book coming out and will get the one you write about the trip you just finished.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Erin: Welcome back! What an amazing journey!! Your children are so blessed to have such incredible adventures. And nothing beats the joy of coming home to your own bed and toys - they must be new again after being gone for a few months. Way to go K! SOOOOO majorly impressed that he can walk as much as he does.

Cindy


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Erin, welcome back!!

Owyn's audiologist appt was this morning. Neither of her ear drums are moving at all, so my mommy instinct was right. The kid can't hear! When they did the whole play some tones and see when she can hear it thing? They would have to go up 3-4 levels every time before she heard it. She did hear higher tones better than lower tones. They said it's just lots of fluid built up behind her ear drum. Tonsils and adenoids are also very swollen which is probably causing the fluid to stay put rather than drain the way it should. Ears don't appear infected, but they are trying a strong antibiotic first to see if that works. We go back in a couple of weeks to see if the antibiotic helped. If it doesn't then we'll be talking about tubes and removing her adenoids.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Mal - Oh that's not good! I'm glad you've confirmed this though and now you can get it fixed. Poor Owyn, I hope she doesn't need surgery! 

Erin - Welcome back!! I love seeing your pictures on fb. Such an incredible adventure for all of you, I can't even imagine doing it!

Courtney - I'm sorry the Starbucks job didn't work out  Any new plans?

Starling - I can't wait to see your website!!!

Sue - Hope the solo parenting is going well 

AFM - Life is busy busy busy. Work is awesome but still no idea if my contract will continue past August.. It's just a wait and see thing :/ I'm lazing in bed this morning though (it's 10am here and I'm still in bed, R is fending for himself). Tonight I'm off to Niagara Falls with bus guy.. Things are going well with him, I still have my concerns but we'll see what happens. I met his parents by accident and now apparently his mom keeps asking about me and is on his case about marriage


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I used to go to Niagara Falls all the time when I was a kid; I am so looking forward to taking my kids someday. That's funny about his mom bugging him about marriage. As for lazing in bed , sometime it is totally needed. Cora currently does not let me do that but someday it will happen again.

Jobs- I was told the local newspaper is hiring paper delivery people and it starts at 3am and finishes at like 6-7 am which could be doable. Hubs might have a lead on a management position at a hotel: this through personal recommendation. So cross your fingers for that. If he does that I won't have to go to work. (which I don't want to do)

Erin, I have been loving you photos on facebook.

Mal- good momma senses!! Glad things are moving along to get the issue addressed.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Pretty quiet here lately. Hope everyone is enjoying a happy and busy summer! I'm in the thick of solo parenting. Dh gets home on the 7th only to turn around again about a week later to get back on a boat for a week. I won't lie. It's been really hard. I'm dealing with a lot more morning sickness this time around. Really looking forward to 2nd trimester when I will hopefully feel better and have more energy.

We have had so much sunshine this summer its quite strange. The garden and kids are loving it. Maeve's hair is so bleach blonde from all of the sun.

We just acquired 2 pet bunnies. Pretty exciting. They are house bunnies and are litter box trained. we let them out to hop around the playroom every day for a bit. It's pretty fun. They are the softest things I have ever felt. The girls love them! Some friends moved to Juneau and can't take them. Officially we are care taking in case they find a way to bring them there after all. The mom will be in and out of Kodiak still for work. Their little boy is having a hard time calling this permanent so that is what we are saying for now. I told Fiona we will babysit for a few months... she is already totally attached and its only been a few days.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Not busy or exciting here, just nothing exciting to add to the conversation lately. I'm feeling very blah. I think it's my impatience to get into our house. 3.5 weeks, woo hoo! Back to work in a couple of weeks and I'm ready to go back. I need something to focus on. This summer has been one big stuck-in-limbo season for me and I don't like it. I need to feel grounded and settled again, and being in between homes makes that pretty much impossible.

We go back to the audiologist for Owyn on Monday next week. I'm interested to see how that goes. I'm not really seeing a difference from her being on the antibiotic. Of course, I find myself comparing her to others her age now that I'm totally aware of what's going on and I'm noticing a difference in her speech. Maybe it's just me over thinking it now, but she mumbles so much I can't understand her at least half the time. I am constantly asking her to repeat herself because she is mumbling so much. I baby sit two girls her age and they both speak so clear compared to her. I really want to get this issue taken care of ASAP. How clear are your 4 year olds speaking?


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Mal: I hope they have a pretty easy solution. M had her adenoids out - think you mentioned that maybe being part of the issue? That was a fairly easy surgery. As far as speech - I'm sure the hearing is impacting it! But hopefully it will normalize once her hearing is regulated. M's speech is pretty clear and has been for a while. But not all of her friends from pre-school are totally clear.

Nothing earth shattering going on over here either. DH is building M an amazing playhouse. It's up on a waist high platform and the sand box will go under it and it has a slide to get down from the front porch. Since it's raised, M calls it her treehouse. I'm quite impressed w/DH's handy work! I'll def post pics when it's done. DH still has to do the porch railing, the permanent stairs and to paint and attach the trim and then shingle the roof. Makenna helped him paint the outside of the house yellow and the inside pink. The trim will be purple. DH is going to build a little play kitchen (very simple) that is built in and she has requested a table and chairs (ikea) and a couch. Not sure what to do about the couch - it will surely get dirty and nasty. I'm guessing we may get one of cheapy fold out couches from toys r us. DH is also considering building in a little bench that we can put a cushion on. I think I like that idea.

DH almost cut his thumb off with the skill saw last week! Had to take him to the ER so he could get 7 stitches. That was exciting. Poor guy. I guess he'll never forget working on this playhouse!

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Mal - I hope they can get her hearing taken care of soon. I imagine that would make it hard to speak clearly. K is quite clear, but he's been a chatterbox for a long time.

Cindy - The playhouse sounds awesome. Building things scares me (and I'm awful at it), so I'm always very impressed by people who manage to put together things like that.

Sue - I remember having a bunny at that age. So much fun. Unfortunately mine "ran away" (got eaten by the neighbor's dog which my parents never told me). Hope you feel better soon. Solo parenting is hard at the best of times.

AFM - Summer harvest time! We have the same crazy sunshine here that Sue has, and it's been ridiculously hot (for Alaska - in the 70s). Usually the berries are only now starting to ripen, but I already have over 10 gallons in the freezer. Things have been a good kind of crazy around here lately. The short intense Alaska summer kind of crazy. All tidepooling and hiking and berry picking and salmon filleting and picking tons of salad and veggies from the garden and barefoot kids running up and down the driveway visiting grandmas. My MIL always lives next door, my SIL is here about half the time and often with her boyfriend, mother is here for the summer, and we often have guests. So I'm generally making dinner for 7-10 people, and sometimes I feel like I hardly see the kids, since they leave me for some other grownup as soon as I start being boring.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Hi everyone!
Sue ... I wish I could come give you a hand! How're the prospects for moving south? Don't forget about Rescue Remedy, if that sort of thing works for you.
Mal ... E's speech is very clear, but like K she was verbal early and with a vengeance. I'm excited for you to get into your house! I'd love to see the listing if you want to PM it. I am a complete real estate junkie, it's true. Sounds like it's been a hard spell of limbo.
Cindy ... That playhouse sounds AWESOME! We need a new one in our co-op's play area, but it's not on the books at the moment.
Ever ... How was your weekend away with Bus Guy? Job news?
Erin ... Your description of summer at your house makes me weep with longing for something less urban than what we have now. I know what you mean about being tossed aside for more interesting prospects. E spent the whole week glued to the lovely friends' we were camping with.
Courtney ... Job news for you? Are things levelling out in your household?
Kate ... How are you, my dear?
Nilla ... What's up with you these days?
AFM: Just got back from more camping again. Wishing we could move. Resenting paying for two bedrooms that we don't use. I know we will use them eventually, but I bet the kids will be in with us for another few years. Plus, I'm overdue for a move, right? Perusing RV listings on CL and wishfully thinking of being on the road more. And out of this city. We had a beachfront campsite this week. Our friends' booked it months ago in a very popular site, so we just squatted on their site.
Meanwhile, learning to be even more frugal than before. Listing stuff on CL, saving abandoned breakfast fruit for smoothies, cutting our hair at home, CD'ing even while,travelling, but still happy to have quit the ambulance. DP is a bit stressed about it, but that's her way. She wants to make more money. And she will. All in good time.
All that said, we still managed to buy tickets to Mexico for Feb, and put a deposit on a small casita in Sayulita. We'll be there for a month!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Starling: So you did quit! Yay! Good for you! If it's something you need, it's so worth being frugal for. And being home with your littles is so worth that. We are so blessed that DH's pay has gone up a lot since I quit my job (knock on wood) - but when M was a baby, I didn't even feel ok about buying a cup of coffee out of the house. That was a huge luxury to me! I wouldn't trade those times for a million bucks though! BTW, I love reading your blog. Just read about your camping trip that got cut short - sorry E was feeling so sick! I hope this more recent trip made up for it.  And way to go booking for Mexico!! I think we may be going back to Hawaii next year. Big Island this time. DH has decided to do a half ironman competition there! Good excuse to go, right? Only this time we are hoping to bring his mom along to help watch the kids a bit here and there.

Erin: Your description sounds like heaven to me too! LOL about it being crazy hot at 70 degrees. 

Mal: I was wondering too if you ever shared this house with us? Curious to see it!

Cindy


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Cindy that playhouse sounds awesome, the ER trip for the sliced digit not so much yikes.

Starling I need to take a page out of your book and do the frugal thing. Things are going to be tight this year with the car payment and tuition

Mal When Dee's ears were plugged/infected her speech was muffled and she couldn't hear. It took a while for it to resolve and steroid drops were needed.

Erin your summer sounds awesome. We went saskatoon berry picking this week. The kids love them raw but not cooked

Sue I hope your feeling better soon and your week with your dh is excellent.

Courtney I hope your husband gets the position. My fingers are crossed that all your school plans fall in line.

Ever I hope your contract gets extended and things with bus guy are going well

AFM: Starting my thesis proposal but feeling a little lost and confused. Writing always starts this way for me so hopefully I can push through. We are having a smoking hot summer here as well. My step father (the only real father I knew) and his wife (my mom and him are divorced) came through town yesterday. They were supposed to stay over at our house. I missed the call when they got in but they had already booked a room and went to dinner when I got it at 545. He didn't attempt to call my cell. They've never come up in the 10 years we've lived here. This time was only because they were passing through to Smithers. This is about par for the course with him but I was still disappointed ya know?

Vacations: We did the tough mudder in June and stayed in Whistler for a few days. This month we are going back down to Chilliwack for a family golf tournament and then camping.

Jobs: I have applied for several part time positions in home care, public health and in IT so we'll see if anything pans out.

Kids are good. Trying to teach them to swim so spending lots of time in the water.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

So good to hear from you, Nilla!

That absolutely sucks about your stepdad. Mine would do the same, were he not still married to my mom. He's the only dad I've really known too.

Exciting about applying for jobs! All north-ish, or are you coming down?

As for frugal, I am amazed that when needs dictate, we can cut down even more than before. We've always considered ourselves to be very frugal, mostly so that we can travel, but now that we're really cash-strapped, we're getting even better at it. For example: ran out of wipes, didn't have any money, so cut up an old towel and got my sister to serge the edges. Voila! Plus we used to use sposies at night. Not anymore. I consigned some kids clothes and bought bamboo doublers with my store credit and that's doing the trick. I got a swag bag at the blogger thingy a while back and it had a $10 coupon for a local toy store, so the kids got silly putty and stickers, essentially for free. Yay!

Selling my waldorf birthday ring this weekend on CL. We're just not waldorf-y, I guess. That's another few bucks in the bucket!

As it happens, the silly putty seems to be working wonders for E. I haven't mentioned it much, but she has a few ticks, and one of them is that when she's at rest (listening to audiostories, being read to, watching a movie,) she rubs each side of her nose with her index knuckle, until it's nearly raw. Or she chews on her fingers. We got her a silicone chew ring necklace, but that didn't capture her interest or redirect the behaviour. But she will sit with her silly putty for hours, squeezing and pulling and stretching and chewing on it. I know it's not great for her to chew on, but ah well. Gum works for the chewing too (xylitol, which will hopefully prevent tooth decay, according to some).


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

I need to take some notes regarding frugality... Our mortgage is going to nearly double in the new house. 

I'm keeping the baby sitting gig through the school year and at least through next summer to offset the cost. Basically, me baby sitting will pay for our own girls to have a baby sitter on the days that I work, which essentially covers the difference in our mortgage. It means this school year I am going to be stretched thin as far as work goes, but we'll survive. The new house is a great set up for child care. Which will help a ton.

ETA: tried getting a link to the house, but it's been removed. :/ I will definitely post pics once we're in!


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Hi Mamas! DH will be home in 4 more sleeps! I'll be so glad to get him home. The kids woke up sick today. Fiona with a high fever (104) and Maeve with the runs. Good grief. These last few weeks have been a real test!

DH has agreed to meet with the midwife when he gets home to do a consult. He's still so freaked out about a home birth but has promised to really learn the facts about how its done and what she can and can't do. I explained that it wasn't fair to make this judgement based on his caveman notion of what a home birth is. So crossing fingers she and I can sway him.

My garden is also growing like crazy this year! It's awesome but it would be better if DH were here to help and I had felt like eating more! I think I've turned the corner on the morning sicness though and the worst is behind me. 10 weeks. Heard babies heartbeat yesterday too for the first time! 

Glad to hear from everyone! Wonderful to here the silly putty is working for E! And I do hope O's hearing improves soon. DH would love to build a playhouse for the girls! We need to be where we are going to be first. This house is feeling really small for 3 kids! (2 bedroom/1 bath 900 sq ft). No job offers yet... They wanted to interview him for the Idaho job but the interview date was while he was at sea and they weren't willing to change the interview date. Sucked. So I don't know. Part of me is scared of leaving AK. We did it once and missed it so much. I've been putting a bug in his ear about moving back to SE Alaska. It would be cheaper and faster to visit family from there and I have one brother in Craig. Who knows.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Hey everyone! Nice to see all the updates 

Sue - Yay for hearing the heartbeat!! So exciting!! I hope your DH comes around for the homebirth, I'm sure he will.

Mal - Good luck heading back to school! The school year doesn't start til the beginning of September here. I think September 9 or 10 is R's first day. I hope you can find some answers and solutions for Owyn. R is very verbal for his age (despite being a late to start with words), it's very clear and similar to how any older kid would speak. But he's one of the more verbal in his class of 4-5 year olds, so there's still lots of variation at that age.

Starling - That's awesome you've quit your job! Good for you! I probably should be more frugal than I am as well, but we seem to get by (no extra money for trips unfortunately.. Some day I'm sure!)

Nilla - It's good to hear from you! I'm sorry about the disappointment with your step dad  Good luck with the thesis and job hunt, that's always so stressful. I'm the same as you with reports/essays, it takes me forever to get going on it. I had to do 2 written reports as part of my certification and I just finished them last week, such a huge relief!!

Erin - I would be exhausted doing dinner for 7-10 regularly! I love hearing about your life, I desperately want to be out in the country. Can't do it until I'm ready to buy though...

Cindy - The playhouse sounds awesome! Yet another reason I want to be in the country, I want a yard with fun stuff for R.

AFM - R is with his aunt for a few nights!! I drove to her place Friday night with the intent of visiting for 2 nights then going home, but she offered to keep R for a week! I'm not sure he'll actually last that long, he's already pretty sad and it's only been 1 night. But we'll see. This is my ex's sister so it's nice for R to spend some time with that side of the family (we hadn't seen them since Christmas)

Work is going really well, my manager is on vacation for 2 weeks and will be back when I only have 2 weeks left in my contract. I'm not optimistic about it being extended... But we'll see :/

And things with bus guy are still going well. Not much exciting to report there..


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Sue -- hearing the heartbeat is exciting. And I hope you can convince your DH. I kind of wish it had been possible to have a homebirth here.

Starling -- Yay for stepping out of the box! There is so much we can do with less money when we need to. Glad you guys are figuring it out OK. Though I must admit, even though food and power are more expensive here, frugality is way way easier in a rural area with nearly zero housing costs. My friends are working on finding a place to live in San Francisco, and I was shocked by the rents!

Everr - Hope the job does get extended for you. And glad the bus guy thing is still working out.

Mal -- So close to having the new house! Definitely send pictures when you can.

Nilla -- My husband has the same problem with writing. He's actually not bad at it, but has a huge mental block to getting started. (I often help him out). What's a saskatoon berry?

AFM -- I have blueberries coming out my ears (15 gallons in the freezer, and more on the bushes). And the really exciting thing is that we just met a really awesome Swiss family with 4 kids. They're sailing around the world on a global climate expedition, climbing all the highest mountains (not bringing the little ones for the high peaks though), all by sail power and human power. http://www.toptotop.org/who/index.php They're definitely kindred spirits to us, and one of the only families we've ever met that really adventures with their kids. We've been hanging out for a few days, and they're coming over to hike and do dinner with us this afternoon. Not that I know how I'm going to fit the 9 people from their boat, plus the 9-10 people who were already planning to eat here in the yurt! Luckily, the garden and freezer are full enough to provide the ingredients.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

A saskatoon berry is kind of like a blueberry and huckleberry mixed together I guess. They are bigger and grow on trees and taste more fermented I guess. They are in abundance right now.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Quote:


> *AKislandgirl*
> 
> wow, litter box trained. That's cool. We had a bunny for awhile and totally loved it, but that thing pooped EVERYWHERE!! Hope your morning sickness goes away soon. I started accepting in pregnancy that the kids would just have to entertain themselves for the first trimester b/c I was pretty much useless.


Quote:


> *Mal85*
> Wanting to get in your own place is so understandable. You just can't do the things you want to do in someone else's place. As for the hearing/speaking. June has a speech problem so she can be hard to understand at times, although it is getting better.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Vegan Princess*
> 
> cindy, that playhouse sounds awesome, can't wait to see pictures. Sucks about your dh getting hurt.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mckittre*
> 
> I am so impressed with your gardening yields. I have decided I just suck at gardening.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *starling&diesel*
> 
> so glad you left the ambulance. Scrimping becomes second nature after awhile.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Vegan Princess*
> 
> Cindy- I always thought the best way to travel would be to bring someone who could help watch the kids.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nillarilla*
> crossing my fingers you get one of the positions. I find family can be quite disappointing...and every once in awhile a little surprising.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *starling&diesel*
> 
> Glad you found something that works. I , in the past, made a chew necklace for Josie because she kept chewing hole sin her shirts. It helped along with a code word that we used so we could remind her without anyone else knowing that she was chewing and she should stop.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mal85*
> 
> Can't wait to see pics of the house!!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AKislandgirl*
> 
> Hi Mamas! DH will be home in 4 more sleeps! I'll be so glad to get him home. The kids woke up sick today. Fiona with a high fever (104) and Maeve with the runs. Good grief. These last few weeks have been a real test!
> 
> ...


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Everrgreen*
> 
> That's cool that his aunt is taking him and still involved in his life. I'll cross my fingers your job gets extended.


Erin- my husband wants to know how you get into being an adventurer for a living like you guys and that family that is sailing and hiking the mountains.

AFM- things are bad. Nothing on the job, I'll need to apply at some other places,. Still waiting to hear from the jobs Chris has applied to. We hear tell that he probably has the first on , it's a non profit assisted living facility. He made it to the second round on two others. Currently the water has been shut off and we can't do anything about it. past due bills total almost $2000 with new ones coming in. No prospects for getting the money and the electric bill is coming up due again. they will not work with us at all. They will turn it off the day after the bill is due. I have an appointment with metropolitan ministries on the 20th. (two days after the electric and almost 2.5 weeks after the water was shut off. ) I've contacted two other charities and I am going to talk to the church around the corner and see if they have any help to offer. No one even had toilet paper to give us, and while we've used cloth wipes in the past it's not the best solution right now since there is no water and possibly might not be water for quite some time. I keep feeling like I am going to vomit. The only thing that gets me through is I KNOW that we can survive anything; and I know someday we will both have good jobs and we won't be in such a miserable position. My sister owes us some money (and we owe a couple of people almost $600) but she is saving it so we can use it for gasoline to get to my sisters wedding. How dumb in desperate times to drive 600 miles to a wedding when that money could go towards getting the water on or keeping the electric on. But they just say "you and the girls are in the wedding, more than anyone Meredith wants you there." and I know it's true...but logically it's dumb. Technically the money owed back is from plane tickets I got for the girls to go to colorado. My sister said she would cover them which is why we all went to colorado. So really it is money she shouldn't HAVE to pay back. but still water would be cool. Although I will admit given the choice between having water or electricity, I would totally take electricity. Especially with how hot it is here.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I seem to have rather killed the thread.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

It's impossible to kill this thread!
I do wish everything was sparkly and abundant at your house, Courtney.
I really hope Chris's job happens. And soon!
What a hard situation for your family to be in ... I am sending you heaps of hopeful vibes!
I'd bring you all lasagna and cookies if I could!
Much love, hon.
xo


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

You def didn't kill the thread Courtney! We are all just busy running around. I would like to help you some how. How much do you need for your water to be turned back on? Sending lots of hugs your way and hoping things get straightened out asap! Praying for your hubby to get a job that he wants!!

Cindy


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Courtney - Huge huge hugs. I'm so sorry things are a struggle right now. It's just not fun and not fair. I always try and tell myself that things will work out, they always do. It doesn't always seem like it though, but it's how I keep going. Life seems to have a lot of challenging experiences. You just have to keep moving forward and doing what you can. I'm thinking of you!! *hugs*


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

sorry, that killing the thread comment was rather dramatic of me. I just keep getting all anxious and I sort of feel like vomiting or having a panic attack. I know, I KNOW we will get through this. I know things will get easier. I just don't know what we are going to lose in the process. I really think this is the worst it has ever been. Cindy, the water company told me it was $550 to turn it back on, but according to the new bill I got and the fees they specified it should only be $500. (They paid part of it with the deposit we made previously.)

Everr- that photo of you that R took is fabulous!! You are SO BEAUTIFUL. it's sort of amazing that one person should get to be so pretty.

Cindy- that playhouse is fabulous. I love it.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I apologize. I thought that was a photo of mummified bodies.


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## Viola (Feb 1, 2002)

What is the source of that photo and the reason for posting it? It's rather disturbing, was there something you wanted to say about it?


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Oh Man, Courtney. Sorry things are so rough. You are one of the strongest Mama's I know. Sorry you have to be.

It is so nice having DH home. Life is just smoother. Dinner/bedtimes/chores, etc... And of course its just good to have our family together. We are trying to plan our trip south. Looking like we'll take 3 weeks. 2 weeks with my family then a week to camp or stay in a cabin someplace. Just to do something since this is our one trip off the island for the year. We will also be mini van shopping while there- we can't fit 3 car seats in our current car. I'm a little worried about $ as well and just trying to pinch pennies where I can. Along with the car we have to put a new roof on. And the tickets south are $$. But its my dad's 80th birthday and we can't miss it.

Consult with the midwife was awesome. DH has really calmed down a lot and is feeling better about that option. Big question is weather or not insurance will cover a home birth. I need to make some calls this week. we can't afford to pay cash ($4000!) and we do know that our insurance will pay 100% of our hospital birth. that will really piss me off if it comes to that- let me tell you. So we will see.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Sorry you are going through a tough time Courtney, you are strong, courageous, creative and intelligent. You will get through this!

Sue glad that your DH is home for you even if it is just for a short visit.

I didn't get any of those part times. Looks like there is an internal shuffle going on in public health and home care. I applied for the fulltimes that came up. Not ideal as I would rather not work FT but may not have an option until something PT comes up. FT money would be nice.... The bank account seems to be draining faster than I can fill it.

Are everyone else's 4yr olds incredibly bossy?


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Nilla ... SO BOSSY. I tell myself that it it's wonderful that I'm raising a smart, strong-willed, self-assured, opinionated girl who is going to become a smart, strong-willed, self-assured, opinionated woman. And that is awesome. Right? RIGHT?

Sue ... Check out the cabin with the bathroom at Bay View State Park, near Everett / Anacortes. It is awesome! The estuary there is really lovely, especially at low tide. There is also a free interpretive centre. The cabin is small, but cozy. No kitchen, but a covered deck, porch swing, fire ring, a big bed, and a set of bunks, a table and two chairs. My mom and the kids and I went there for last solstice. Here's the blog link. 

Courtney ... Sending you hugs, my dear.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

She is super bossy, she tells her older sisters what to do a lot.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Owyn isn't too bossy, but she surrounded by bossy girls her age. She tends to go with the flow a lot, but that's always been her personality. It frustrates her friends that she won't always do as they say. Mostly, she doesn't argue, just goes off on her own and does her own thing. She's like me that way. I don't put up a fight either, but I will do what I want regardless of what others say. Drives DH crazy, ha!

She has been hitting a lot lately though and it's driving me batty. Greta picked it up a few months ago and has been smacking a lot (mostly me), and now Owyn is doing it. We talk about what she should do if someone is doing something she doesn't like (first try using her words and telling the person she doesn't like that, and if that doesn't work find me or her teacher or whoever the adult in charge is), and never put your hands in other people. She knows the steps, she will tell me what she was supposed to do when I ask her, but she doesn't do it. Turn taking is difficult for her right now, too. I think it will be good for her when she gets back to school. Next week!! And once we get settled into the new house. She needs some structure, something we've been lacking all summer.

Her surgery is scheduled for September 3. I haven't told her what's happening yet. When should I do that?

Courtney, I love you and I am so sorry things are so hard for you right now. You deserve such good things and it seems like life just keeps throwing more and more at you. But you are doing something about it. You are in school which will make your lives so much better in the long run. Your girls see that. You are setting such a good example for them. Your are strong, intelligent and resilient, so I know that you will come through this. In the meantime, how can we help? I don't have much money, but I want to help somehow. Do your girls need anything? Are they set for school? Do they need any clothes, shoes, etc? Any books or toys they have been yearning for that might brighten their day? Please, please tell me what I can do.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Mal ... E gets frustrated with H now that he has his own opinions and ideas. She wants him to do things her way because he has up until now. We've been working on 'making rainbows' when she gets worked up and I think she will lash out at him in frustration. She gets the idea (big deep slow breath, arms up with the inhale, arms down with the exhale), but she won't do it when she's worked up. She's too tunnel-vision in the moment.
It's such a hard age for knowing what's right but not being able to fully control impulses. I know that this phase will pass ... But I want everyone's empathy and integrity to be intact when it does.
We've never done punishments or rewards, but we revisited those ideas recently ... And ultimately decided to keep doing what we've been doing, which is celebrating their good choices, ignore the bad, unless someone is being hurt or the power dynamic is not okay. But then I'm left wondering how much to intervene when they're 'working it out themselves.' We just don't see the connection between Behaviour A and Punishment H, if that makes sense? Natural consequences, okay ... But that's murky too. I've been encouraging E to take space for herself, but that's the LAST thing she wants. She wants to be with her people at all times and gets very anxious otherwise. When I was her age I loved solitude, so I have a hard time understanding why she'd rather be in the thick of it as opposed to being in a quiet, calm space. Introvert vs extrovert, or at least that's what I'm thinking about lately.
My big brother beat the crap out of me regularly ... And I see that as assault. Perhaps this is a bit of a trigger for me.
Courtney and Nilla ... Any advice as parents of older kids?


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I'm glad the surgery is set and things will be worked out. I am not sure about when to tell her. I might do it a couple of days before, but maybe even before that read some books about kids having surgeries just to open up the concept.

so my FIL (who is normally such an ass) came up with a temporary solution. He came over with six 55 gallon drums of water and a pump. He and Chris hooked it up to the house, so we have running water for now. It's not potable but we have jugs of water for cooking and drinking. Chris thinks that we should turn this into something more permanent with a rainwater collection unit. His idea is to cut the top of just one of the barrel's and secure a screen over top but to hook that barrel up to the others. Eventually we would need to add gutters to the house so we can collect even more water. We won't be able to go off city water completely (they'll put a plug in the drain if you aren't a city customer and they keep getting drain water from your house, so even if someone has a well they still need to pay the city) since the city paym,ent covers drainage, and tash and recycles pick up, and because it doesn't rain a lot in the winter,

Mal- the only thing I can think of off hand is shoes for Cora. She dropped hers in the trashcan and a bag was put in over it and I CAN NOT get rid of the trash smell from her shoes so the ones she is wearing are a mite too small or a bit too big. (She's a size 5). The girls have all the clothes they could need and more thanks to hand me downs. They have lots of toys, lots of books. The only thing they keep asking for is to go out for ice cream. Apparently having ice cream at home is not the same.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Courtney, I have some size 5s Greta has outgrown. If you wanna pm me your address, I will ship some out to you.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Oh, Mal ... Meant to chime in on your surgery question. I'd tell E that at some point she will need surgery to make her ears work better. That way you could talk about what will happen, and what she can expect. Read books, watch a video ... Whatever works for her. Then I'd tell E the day of, to minimize her anxiety leading up to it and in case her surgery gets bumped. And I'd totally downplay the whole thing, but remain honest.
ie.
E: Will they cut me open?
Me: yes, but after give you special medicine that stops the pain. You won't feel it at all. Like when the doctor cut me open to get H.. You might feel sore after, but we can help with that.
E: I'm scared.
Me: I was too. But not any more. And just think, you'll be able hear so much better after!

Maybe have a post-surgery Ear Party? Ear cookies, ear worms (gummy worms), ear wax (gum), ear cake., ear piñata. It might be helpful to have something to look forward to that's related to the surgery?


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Courtney--You guys are all so tough, making it through all that. I'm glad you have a temporary water solution anyway. And I wish I could send you some of our currently abundant rain.

K is quite bossy, but luckily not physical about it. He likes to be in charge of everything everyone is doing, and frequently hollers at me when it doesn't happen: "L said something I don't like!" Luckily, he doesn't take it beyond the yelling, and usually they play very nicely together. L idolizes him in many ways and copies all his interests, but she doesn't usually listen to him in those cases. He still has approximately zero interest in other kids, so it's not an issue there. And adults can usually deal well with a bossy 4 year old.

Sue--Glad your DH is home, and it's exciting to be planning a trip. I need to be planning my fall book tour/trip too.

AFM--My husband is out in the field, doing geology. And everything was great, and the kids and I were picking berries a lot. And then all of a sudden over the weekend I got some huge swollen painful gland of some kind under my neck. So now I'm kind of miserable, and the doctor in town thinks I should take the boat or plane across to the larger town to get a CT scan. And pay for that. And then possibly pay for surgery afterwards. Ugh. At least I do have my mom here to watch the kids for me.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Erin Can the Dr. not do an X-ray to see if a CT is warranted? Seems a little extreme to go straight to a CT and possibly surgery for a swollen gland.

Courtney glad the water is temporarily figured out for you.

Mal: I would tell her soon about it but not the date and then tell her what to expect the day of (not the night before because she may not sleep).

Starling: Oh the sibling fights. I do not interfere unless it gets violent. Usually the tears of the hurt child make the other remorseful but for a while there Em was smacking Dee. The natural consequences were not working so it I did offer punishment in that he would lose his tv priviledges for the week if there was hitting but this was recently.

Glad to hear other kids are bossy at this stage too. I too try to remember this is something that will be helpful in adulthood but also try to instill manners sigh... Not really succeeding with the manners.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

the funny thing about manners is that if they are taught they tend to pull them out for other people but not for you.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

update on the first most promising job. It is currently not their priority to hire for that position. She just started working so maybe she will hire someone later, maybe she will just keep the person who currently holds the position. On the upside, yesterday Chris got a cold call from someone the next county up who owns a solar water heating company and he is looking for help. he found Chris through an internet search. He is meeting with him on Saturday. Not sure what it will be, a stop gap for this guy who is slammed and needs some extra help or a permanent position. I'm hoping for stop gap that will help out both parties until Chris gets a job closer to home that won't cost a fortune in gas. Cross your fingers.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Starling I was reading your blog. You have done quite a bit of camping haven't you. We never got out with the kids last year which was a shame. Any tips, tricks you can share? We are going next week.


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## Viola (Feb 1, 2002)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Thursday Girl*
> 
> I apologize. I thought that was a photo of mummified bodies.


Oh wow, really? That's kind of interesting then.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Viola*
> 
> Oh wow, really? That's kind of interesting then.


I THOUGHT it was, but I think it might not have been. Someone pointed out that they think it was living people. I am haunted now by the photo and heartbroken that this kind of starvation is happening in our world where tons of food is thrown away. Where there are people that buy filet mignons for dogs at restuarants (saw that on the news).

Nilla have fun camping! I love camping and wish that we went more.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

(Viola ... perhaps a conversation via PM would be more appropriate? Image was removed. Moving on.)

*Nilla* ...

Awesome that you're going camping! I'm sure that Erin would have much more by way of tips, and I'd love to hear them, but as for me and car camping, I have a few tips that work for my kids:

- spare shoes

- cozy indoor/outdoor slippers, touques, sweaters, fleece pants for cool mornings/evenings

- rain pants for if the mornings will be damp (full rain suits are too hot)

- limit trashy camping food to avoid big blood sugar swings but do bring a few special treats (for us, Veggie Sticks, cookies, tinned fruit)

- a box of wipes (SO HANDY)

- I've got my camping kitchen organized into a set of 4 plastic drawers that I park right beside the picnic table.

- don't bring toys (we do bring basic art supplies)

- do bring adventurer/explorer things like bug boxes, binoculars, tweezers, scissors, magnifying glasses, flashlights

- I use this wacky thing and a plastic jug for mid-night pees for E and I. LIFESAVER when I'm on my own with the kids.

- bring *just* enough clothes and a bit of spare, so that you're not hauling lots of clothes when you guys are only likely to wear the same thing for a few days

- spare swimsuits if you have them, so you can wear one while the other dries

- a 'no shoe' rule for the tent

- stick to your normal daily rhythm, but not so much that it's a drag (nap around nap time, dinner around dinner time)

- make it tech free if you can

- make light of outhouses, so littles don't get grossed out

Maybe I'll do a blog post of camping tips!

We're off on Monday for a week at family music camp. Full of homeschoolers and unschoolers and generally crunchy awesome folk jamming and singing and hanging out. Weeeeeeee! Best part is that it's ten minutes from my mom's house so I can do a load of diapers and clothes mid week. And we can sleep there if it gets gross.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

That's a great list.

Our water is back on, the local church paid the bill. So relieved. i want a nice shower now.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Oh Courtney I am SOOO happy for you!!

Cindy


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Courtney - Thanks for the compliment! It's a flattering photo, maybe R has a future in photography  I'm glad things worked out with the water! Yay! I hope everything else works out quickly for you. I'm thinking of you *hugs*

Mal - I agree with the others, give her a heads up now and then just let her know it's the day when it comes. I would be a horrible stress case if R had to have anything done.

Erin - Oh no, that's not good  I hope it's nothing and goes away quickly!

Starling - Thanks for the camping tips! R and I are going just for 1 night, just the two of us, this weekend. I bought a pop up tent to simplify and we'll probably buy easy ready to eat foods. Mostly I want to relax and enjoy with him so I'm trying to keep it simple!

RE kid challenges - R can be bossy, he is a huge pain in the butt a lot of the time. And I suck at parenting him a lot of the time as well. He cries and whines so so so much. It's ridiculous. Everything causes a melt down. It's hard not to lose it most of the time. So... Maybe camping won't be relaxing and enjoyable... We'll see


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

*Courtney*--You deserve a super long shower! I'm glad things are at least temporarily easier, and hope that stop gap job works out.

*Starling*--Sounds like fun. I envy all your festivaling and music-ing. Partly because neither my husband or I were ever much good at music stuff, and I do feel we may be failing to give our own children the chance through lack of exposure. Playing internet radio at bedtime and occasionally singing the alphabet song or "sing a song of sixpence" for L is probably not enough. I also envy those festival stories of the kids happily running off and playing with other kids, probably because K is still persistently un-social. I give him so many opportunities to run around and play outdoors with groups of wonderful kids, and he ALWAYS ignores them to glom onto an adult.

*Camping Tips*--Truthfully, Starling's are probably much more useful. Much of what I know is how to make things work assuming you're also carrying everything and a kid on your back, are also needing to packraft, might be away from all vestiges of civilization for a week, and have some brown bears and Alaska weather to boot. So car camping, not so much. A few things I can think of, though.

--Kids pick up on your judgements. So if you act like the rain or the bugs or whatever else is crummy, they'll think so too. If you think some hike is too difficult for them, they'll think so too. Absent that, they're way more adaptable and resilient than big people.

--Food that can be carried around and eaten easily while walking around is good, especially if that same food doesn't crumble too much and isn't sticky (so won't pick up too much dirt if dropped and then recovered). On my end, that does mean my kids eat too many granola bars while camping, but it's hard to find anything easier. If I'm just prepping for a day or two, I'm sometimes organized enough to bake pocket bread things with fillings.

--If it might be cold, fleece clothes are good.

--The only kid raingear that works and lasts long enough to outgrow it is the heavy duty fishing kind.

*AFM*--I am poorer now, but better. The doctor in town successfully scared me into basically doing what he recommended by pointing out that the massive swelling that had grown so quickly could close off my airway if it swelled much more. So I did get the scan, and got the abcess drained, and got some hard core antibiotics. And now I can actually eat again and am not in terrible pain, so I guess all is good. Still no idea why on earth that happened though.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Erin: Scary that you don't know what caused that! Glad you are feeling better and can eat again.

Mal: When M had her adenoids out, they actually had a person that you can take your child to beforehand and they sort of explain things and get them acclimated to where they will be, etc. You should see if your children's hospital has something similar. So we did tell M in advance and her ENT gave us children's pamphlets to read with her about a kid having surgery and how he would feel after and how he would hear better, etc - but totally on their level. And she was not even 2.5 and it seemed to make her understand - though I wonder how much her NOT understanding may have helped the situation. Anyway, the guy we met with in advance also suggested getting a doctor's play kit for her to act things out after that she may not be able to express. So she got that as a present when she got home from the hospital (my parents always gave sick presents anyway so it was sort of keeping in my family tradition). Having been through this, I definitely think you should tell her ahead of time and help her prepare as much as possible. I think I would do that if M needs her tonsils out. I just think it's cruel to not tell them and then all the sudden drag them into something like that. The hardest part of the experience was being in the hospital with the gown on and having all the vitals checked and waiting before we went to the ER - she was really scared of the whole place, etc. I think it would have been even worse if she weren't prepared for what she would see and what would happen. Then once they gave her the happy meds (versed), she was fine to actually go into the ER and go to sleep.

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Erin, glad everything is taken care of and you are feeling better.

I have the first day of school picture. Juniper started today. She's in school for real now



Her she is with her teachers



with attitude



and one more; with her sisters


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

She looks so grown up Courtney! Is she starting kindegarten or bridge K or just doing real preschool there? Exciting!

How did our babies get to be such big kids??? I keep looking at M lately and marveling at how much she looks like a big kid. And the conversations are so witty and incredible these days. Blows my mind!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

It's just called Early childhood, when they come out of it they are in Lower School A which is, for the most part, equivalent to 1st grade. I don't know yet if she will spend 1 or 2 or 3 years in early childhood; it depends entirely on her and how she does. My other two girls spent 2 years in early childhood, but other kids have gone through in 3 years and their might have even been one that stayed 4 years while another little boy that started with Jewel went through in 1 year.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Hi guys! I've been a little quiet. Busy and sick kids and DH. Everyone is on the mend now.

F is a huge challenge to me right now. Bossy and doesn't ever listen to me. It's so hard to remain calm in the moment when I just want to scream. I'm not really sure how to handle her right now. We have started to do time outs which is new for our family. But if she is going to hit me- she needs to get to a place by herself so that I can calm down let alone her. When she is really worked up we do a thing of holding up our fingers and she has to blow the candles out in big deep breaths. It does really help. But I would like to avoid the behavior in the first place. She is also insisting on needing help in the bathroom which is driving me crazy. She used to do this fine but no longer will. Oh and right this moment because I told her to stop climbing on her sister she ran into her room and is repeatedly slamming the door. SO now I get to go deal with that. I'm at my wits end.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

After my frustrating post from yesterday I totally regrouped and made some changes to my interactions with Fiona. I'm realizing being tired and hormonal has me reacting in ways I don't like. So I nipped it in the bud and went back to our old way- noticing the good, thank you for helping, using humor to get her out of her funks... We had a much better afternoon. We curled up on the couch for a bit during Maeve's nap and "told stories from your heart" which is one of her favorite things ever. And she just was so much more agreeable and cooperative for the rest of the day. I just had to stop fighting with her. We also put together our schedule board again today so we can plan out the days in the AM- Maeve had destroyed it a few weeks back so it will be good to be back in the routine of doing that. Fiona seems to really need that. Over all feeling better today!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Glad you're feeling better about things sue! This is just a really difficult age for me with Owyn. She is demanding and bossy and just does not take no for an answer right now. She was in my room at 6:30 this morning, after waking her sister up, demanding I go find her a certain toy that she lost in her room. Well, I knew Greta would go back to sleep if left alone, so I said no and invited her to lay down with me. Nope, she threw a massive fit about wanting to go back into her room. It was a lovely thing to wake up to today. Now, she's super crabby because she woke up too early.

School started for me on Monday and although no one at the school seems to know what's going on schedule wise, my class time is going well so far. I'm struggling with my work environment right now though. I'm realizing just how different my beliefs are than the people I work for/with and when you work for a Christian school, that's hard to get away from. It didn't used to be this bad. But we have had 5 meetings in the last couple of weeks and topics such as evolution and homosexuality have come up at every meeting. I left our meeting yesterday seething. I wanted to get up and walk out during the meeting, but instead I said nothing and did nothing and walked away feeling like a huge piece of crap because I feel like my silence is perpetuating their message. I love my classroom time though and am thankful these are not topics that come up with my age group, not specifically anyway. It's just difficult to reconcile the fact that I love that part of my job so much with the fact that I so vehemently disagree with the belief system I'm caught in. /vent over.

We just got word we are closing on the house at 5 tomorrow!! Whoop whoop!!!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

R is so frustrating right now too. So so frustrating. He threw a fit at the store yesterday because he didn't like the toaster I was buying. And that's typical, anything he can cry about, he will.

So, no advice on that issue :/

My job has been extended until mid-October, right up until I write my certification exam. Then I'll just need to find a regular job, which I've already started looking for.

Not much else is knew, I'm sort of just surviving right now.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Sue - glad you're feeling better

Mal - exciting about the house!!

I think kids are often a little frustrating at this age? K does a lot of "But I NEED X RIGHT NOW!!! I'M TELLING THE TRUTH!! I REALLY NEED IT!" Whether it's "tasting sugar" as I'm making dinner, going to visit grandma 5 minutes before bedtime, me helping him with paper airplanes as I'm scrambling to get everyone out the door...

AFM - finally got around today to watching a UK show that was made about my family last fall. A bit odd to watch myself like that, and kind of overdramatized and somewhat inaccurate (as all these kind of things are), but overall not too bad. I worried they'd make us out to be total crazy people, and they really didn't do too bad a job.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

haven't read since dinners ready, just wanted to share the article.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Erin - So cool!! It's so neat seeing the kids and you guys and your place. I've said it before, your life is awesome! Not sure I could do it though (I don't have the knowledge/skills for that!)

Courtney - That's great!! It doesn't make you sound crazy at all (you said you were worried about that  ) I've let R go up the street to see if a neighbour is home, same quiet street just about 6 houses away and sometimes I feel like I shouldn't do that... He is so independent though, he always wants to go outside and find someone to talk to, even our adult neighbours, he loves socializing. Which is great I guess, but I'm not sure where to draw the line. I'm so much more of an introvert!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Courtney, I love the article!!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Sue, it's amazing how our approach to life can make such a difference, although sometimes it is hard to get the energy going when you are in a funk. Once it is going I find it often builds on itself and spreads all around. (whatever mood, good or bad, that you have going.

Mal- saw the house, congrats!! and uggh, those conversations would be hard. That crap makes me angry.

Everr- yeah on the job extension!!

June has been up my butt, always hanging on me, grabbing my leg, pulling, whining. I know she's adjusting to going to school and that all the kids have had a rough time of it with everything the family has been going through. We (Chris and I) really need to set up one on one time with the kids, we both know it will help all of them so much, it's just hard to do right now.

Erin. I am going to go watch it now.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Erin, love seeing your home in video. The view is AMAZING!!! And it was so funny when the reporter said "but with kids?" going to finish it now.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Erin, that was awesome, can't wait to show Chris.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Oh! Can't wait to watch and read about my beloved friends!
Just got back from a week at family jam camp, where we had a blast messing around with mandolins and violins and ukuleles and drums and singing our hearts out with a forest full of other (mostly) homeschool families. Sue ... If you could ever coordinate a trip down so that you could join in, you'd LOVE it! E basically stumbled out of the tent in the morning and spent the whole day mucking around in the woods and playing/singing and only came back to me for food and water until she collapsed back into the tent at 10pm and crashed. SO FUN! Gonna get me a mandolin! I'm stoked!

I wanted to drop in and say how reassuring it is to hear how all of our 4.5 yr olds are flexing their might! I've had three post-its on the inside of the front door since E was a toddler: "speak kindly," "gentle touch," & "be mindful." I find they're more for ME lately, as I work to hold onto my parenting equilibrium.

Back later, after reading & viewing!

xoxox


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Thanks for the camping tips. It was not the best camping trip ever. The site was noisy which was fine but then there were people annoyed with the noise (general chatter and laughing and children) at night and were yelling at them to shut up which was loud and disturbing. There was also a dog barking at all hours for long lengths of time. But the kids did have fun. Em made a friend with our camping neighbours who played with beebee and pellet guns. I was less than thrilled with this but they were not loaded. Then at the end of the trip as we were having our last breakfast the kids stepped in a wasp nest and got swarmed and stung. Totally awful! Em's legs are still red and swollen.

Big News: So I was late this trip with AF and thought it was just travel stress plus I've been having longer cycles. Well when day 8 rolled around yesterday I thought I'd better test just to be sure. Well it's positive. Here comes baby number 3. I'm taking big deep breaths and went to Yoga to find my zen today. I was late last month too and thought I might be because we DTD around the right time last month but then got AF and was slightly disappointed. So we were opening up to the possibility of a third but were not there yet. So weird. I guess I told the universe it was ok? But not knowing and not trying meant I indulged in wine over our vacation. Someone please reassure me that I haven't pickled this baby.

Attitudes of our 4 year olds. Everyone's stories of their littles sound like exactly what we are experiencing. I am trying to find some parenting zen and establish some boundaries.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Nilla!!!!
WOW!!! CONGRATS!!!!
Yay for babies!!!!
Who HOO!!!!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Nilla: !!!! Yay!! Congrats!!! No more wanting but waiting. So happy for you!! 

I've been down in San Diego visiting family. Looking forward to reading the article about Courtney later, when I have time. We had a nice visit, albeit very fast. Had fun imagining moving down there, even though I don't think either of us truly wants to leave where we are. We love Berkeley. When we got off the freeway in Berkeley on the way home from the airport, we saw two crazy looking guys in major bell bottoms trying to hitch a ride to Burning Man and drove past a lesbain couple pushing their baby in a stroller. We just love the eclectic variety here. Not so sure we want to trade that in for suburbia, even if it means the beach is 5 minutes away.

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Nilla - Congratulations!!!

Courtney - I liked the article, they didn't make you seem crazy at all. I'm always shocked by how little most kids these days are allowed to do even compared to my own childhood. And I don't feel that old!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I enjoyed the article too. I like the idea of free range kids but I don't think I could ever really be comfortable with it with little ones. I just remember walking to the strip mall grocery store with my neighbor when I was growing up (probably 10 or so?). It was probably 1/2 mile or 1 mile away and in the middle of suburbia. And I remember being followed by a car and having to run to some condo and knock and the door and ask to use their phone and call my mom. I also got followed around the mall once. Maybe the dangers weren't real and I just perceived them to be? But it scared the crap out of me enough to not want my child in that situation. I grew up in total suburbia, strip malls and houses that all look the same. But now I live in a much more urban area and it just def is NOT ok for kids to be walking around alone. I was at a baby wearing meetup last weekend at a super busy park. My friend let her 15 month old just go off and do whatever and barely glanced at her every 15 minutes to find her. She was fine, but the idea just made me SO nervous for her little one. I guess I am too uptight for free range - or just not ok with my situation. I even feel a little funny w/M playing in the backyard all by herself since our house isn't set up so that i can just peek out a window from what I am doing and see her.

Did I miss the link to Erin's video? Was there a link?

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Great article Coutney! Love it!!

Nilla!!! Yeah for babies! So excited for you guys!  Nice to have a fellow preggo Mama in the group!!

Can't wait to watch the video Erin!!

Starling- The camp sounds fantastic! One year I'll make it happen! A mandolin sounds like such fun to learn to play!

Mal- So hard to be in that position at work!! Are you still trying to find a way to get into O's school? So excited about your new house!!

Cindy- glad you had a good visit. Coming home and loving it has great value, imo!

AFU- So DH as you recall was freaked out about doing a homebirth. We did a consult with the midwife and he has come around! Still nervous but he realizes she is not a risk taker, has awesome training, etc... and that I have my heart set on it. Well, then we figured out our insurance would not cover it- so we are talking $4000 out of pocket and that just isn't happening. Hospital birth will be $0! We don't have the $$. So I was soo bummed and explained our situation to the mw. She called me back- she needs child care for her homeschooled 6 year old. 3-4 mornings a week- what did I think about trading?! Hell yeah!!! So, We started today. F has played with the little girl several times already and they are fast friends. I'm so happy this is working out! Screw the system- we'll do it our way!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Here's the link again: New Lives in the Wild 2of4 -Alaska -

Cindy -- I can see your point. It's quite straightforward to be free range here where everyone knows everyone else. And I had one terrible experience walking in the city when I was a teenager myself. But still, strange humans are just such a statistically unlikely hazard (compared to cars, boats, alcohol, stupidity, well-known humans, or any number of other things) that I wouldn't base anything on that. I would worry more about city car traffic, though!

Sue -- Awesome. It always makes me happy to see barter situations alive in our modern world -- a little piece of community. Now I just need to find something to trade some of my 25 gallons of blueberries for...


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Erin: Thanks for the link! Can't wait to watch it.  And Berkeley is known for being high on the "strange" factor. LOL. Though I still like to think that most people here have that friendly, hippie vibe. But there are also a lot of homeless and mentally unstable around here bc our city makes it so friendly for them. Take the park 2 blocks from my house. I know there are at least 2 cars with people living in them and the people hang out in the park during the day. And this is the nice part of town.

Sue: Hooray for homebirth!! And for bartering to make it happen. I partially paid my doula with eggs from our chickens since we had too many.  I used a brand new midwife (who was a student at M's birth) and that kept the cost down to 3k. But a midwife with 20 yr experience was her 2nd midwife at the birth - so I knew I wasn't just getting a new midwife for my birth.

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Erin I watched the video yesterday! Loved it! And just did my preorder for your new book! So excited to read it!!! I have to admit I have a lot of mis- giving about leaving Alaska if it comes down to it. If only we had more money to get down to family more often. Or if they would suck it up and ever visit us!!! I asked my mom if she thought my dad might come up for a visit this year. "Well, if you were going to be there long term then maybe but traveling is hard for him" Long term? Define that please- We have lived in Kodiak for 9 years, and Alaska for 11 since our last departure south and move back!!!! Drives me insane!!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

My dad never comes to visit either. He came twice when M was under 2, sort of close together. Hasn't been up since. When I saw him this week he said he was embarassed that he hadn't come up and I said he should be. He says he's going to try to come up. But he always has some excuse - work is too busy, he is remodeling his house, his wife, etc. Annoying. It's much easier for him to hop on a plane up than for me to drag 2 kids down! And he is a seasoned pro at traveling - he spent months and months and months out of every yr abroad when I was in high school/college.

Cindy


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nillarilla*
> 
> That camping trip for sure has some not fun points to it. and woo-hoo for #3!!! How exciting!


Quote:


> Cindy-- eclectic neighborhoods rock.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AKislandgirl*
> 
> Sue, that's awesome! We traded with our midwife for baby #2 We also trade for the girls school and we traded for our wedding band...among other things. I love barter.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mckittre*
> 
> Now I just need to find something to trade some of my 25 gallons of blueberries for... Erin, wish I could trade for blueberries. My kids eat them at an insane rate.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

visiting parents--- My mom (north carolina) doesn't have the money to visit. My Dad comes down pretty regularly (a couple of times a year) and is three hours away. My in-laws (Chris's dad and step mom from Seattle) come down every couple of years or in the past (when we had less kids) flew us up twice. My in-laws (mother and step father who live 40 minutes away) have not yet met Coraline and met Juniper only once when we took her to them.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Hey ladies, just popping in to ask for some prayers/good thoughts/ whatever you believe in.... My mom was diagnosed with metastatic cancer today. Completely unexpected, so I'm feeling pretty blindsided right now. Heading to the hospital with her now. We are hoping to find out where it originated and get a treatment plan in the next couple of days.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Oh Mal, I'm sorry. That's really hard. My mom is going through chemo right now for an aggressive lymphoma, she was diagnosed in May. It's really hard seeing her how she is right now, the chemo is really hard on her. So far it seems to be doing what it's supposed to do though. It's a long road though, my thoughts are with you and your mom. *hugs*


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Oh Mal! No! I am so sorry. I will definitely send some prayer/good thoughts out into the universe for your mom and family! My mom and dad have both had cancer (breast and prostate). I pray that she beats it and has many many happy years left to watch her grandbabies grow!!

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Oh Mal, that sounds so hard! Cancer is such a terrifying thing. I definitely have her (and you) in my thoughts.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Oh Mal so frightening, my thoughts are with you and yours at this time.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Prayers Mal! So many thoughts and prayers for you!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

What upsetting and terrifying news, Mal! A bushel of prayerful thoughts and healing vibes to your mom. I'm so sorry that you're going through this. So devastating.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

praying for you and for her and your whole family.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Do you know any more now Mal?

I just need to vent ladies. I am very sad. I found out that midwives in BC are not allowed to do VBA2C. Since my family physician would never agree to one either. I am out of options I have to have a third c-section. I'm terrified and have been scaring myself with reading all the risks associated with 2 or more c-sections.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Hugs to you nilla. That has to feel so defeating.

News on my mom... They found a large mass in her brain, as well as a few smaller masses. A large mass on her colon and some cells around some of the lymphnodes in her abdomen. Last week, they did surgery to remove the larger mass from the brain since it had already started to affect her mobility. That was successful and they were able to get it all. They are going to treat the rest of the brain with radiation. But for now, she is at a rehab facility doing occupational, speech and physical therapy to get her strength back. They are 95% sure it started in the colon. But we still don't have a prognosis or treatment plan. We know there will be radiation to treat the tumors, then chemo. That's all we know. It's bad. It's stage 4. It's terminal. We just don't know yet if we have months to looks forward to or years. Those are answers we're hoping to get soon.

I'm not doing very well. Kind of feeling like I've lost my center and it's brought a bunch of other issues to the forefront for me. Things that were beginning to surface anyway and now have been amplified by everything. I'm kind of screwing everything up and fear I'm going to ruin my family with my bad choices. I'm trying to find out right now if my insurance will cover any counseling. For now, I have one friend I have been confiding in and she has been helpful but I'm still not making good decisions right now.

Sorry to mememe all over the place. I've missed you guys.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Oh Mal, such a monumental thing to process in amongst all the other changes in your life. Huge cyber hugs to you. Feel free to mememe all you need. I hope your insurance covers counselling for you. Good for you for realizing you need some help in this time.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

oh Mal! So sorry Mama. So hard to be in that position. I wish you some strength in the time ahead. I really hope you can get the counseling. Sending you hugs Mama!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Mal, I've been at that dangerous place. If you want to PM me about it, we can talk, I am notorious for sinking the ship. Much love. xo


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Hey Mal, So sorry, what a terrible frightening thing to have thrown at your family. I hope for the best for you all, and I hope you're able to get that counseling.

Nilla - That is sad. I do wish there was a better option for you, but I also think that the risks, while real, are probably still very small.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Mal: Hugs mama! The thought of losing your mama is more than enough to uproot your world, at any age! I hope you can get the counseling you are wise enough to realize would help! Lots of deep breaths before speaking/acting. I'll keep you and your family in my prayers!

Nilla: Could you find another doc that would consider a Vba2c? I'm not exactly sure how CA medical system works - or if you HAVE to use the midwives. I'm sorry you had that choice taken from you! You certainly can't be the only c-section mama to want more than 2 kids so hopefully the risks aren't as big as you fear.

Ever: How did JK go for R?

Cindy


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Mal - Huge hugs, I'm so sorry you're going through this. I've also had some dark times, it's an ongoing struggle, I'm here to listen to you. Talk all you need and you can PM me as well. I'm not sure what it's like where you are, but here there's lots of non-profit counselling available that are often just 'pay what you can'.

Nilla - I'm so sorry  Can you try and find another doctor who would agree to it? I would think that because it will be 5 years since the last one that the risks would be really low. I hope you can find someone.

AFM - R had his first day of JK and did soooo well. He was a bit nervous at first but had nothing but good things to say at the end of the day. I'm feeling a little sad about this milestone, but I'm also super proud of him. He's been a huge pain lately and I'm hoping it's just because of this transition and that things will get better. Or maybe he's just 4 and I should accept that :/ I often get called 'stupid mama' or he'll say 'I hate you'. Plus he screams at me whenever I say something he doesn't agree with. He is just pushing all my buttons and I'm yelling a lot


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Hey guys. Thank you for the hugs. Sorry to come here and randomly unload all my crap like that. It was a bad day. Well, a bad couple weeks really. I really am feeling better now than I was that day. I got to go out to lunch with my mom today and she was doing really well, so I'll call it a good day today.

Gillian, how does jk work? Does he go full time? Owyn is starting full time at her school this week and she is so excited! She keeps talking about how excited she is to eat lunch at school.

Oh yeah, Owyn got her tubes put in and her adenoids out a couple of weeks ago. She did pretty well with it. It did slow her down for about three days, but she rarely complained. Her doc said there was a ton of really thick fluid in her ears and her adenoids were huge.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Mal - I'm glad things are a little brighter for you and for your mom. I've been thinking of you! I'm glad everything went well with Owyn's surgery!

JK is just the first year of kindergarten, his class has both JK and SK in it (so some 3 year olds (late bdays), mostly 4 and 5). It's full day every day in most schools in Ontario (it used to be either half day, or every other day, for both JK and SK). He also does the before and after school program so he's there from about 8:15 until 4:45/5:00 every day. He seems to be doing really well though, maybe a bit tired/cranky. He's been in daycare full time for 2 years so he's used to that schedule. It's just he's in a new place with new people now, so I think he's just adjusting to that. I feel like he's had to be such a 'bigger' kid than I ever had to be when I was 4. Just thinking of how awesome he's done makes me both super proud and also makes me feel bad that he's had to. I wish he got to have more down time, fewer rushed mornings, more time with me where I could actually be focused on only him. Oh the mommy guilt 

AFM - I'm going through some baby fever :/ I wish I could find someone to continue my family with. Besides that, my whole life is just working and studying (with a bit of parenting thrown in  ). I have my big oral board certification exam in a month. So I'll be stressed until that's over..

How's everyone else doing?

Oh, my 2 friends had babies in May and so they are 4 months now and they were asking me what R was like at that age (schedule, etc.). And I was able to find a post on our old life with babies thread to answer their question! I love that I can search up stuff like that, because I didn't really write any of it down elsewhere


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Mal, I'm so glad to hear that you're in a better place. If you need an ear, you have many here for you!
Erin ... I mentioned you and included a link to that show you were on, with specific reference to your campstove, of all things. Over at the PBH thread. Here it is. Is that okay? If not, I'll delete it. LOVED THE SHOW, by the way. We watched all of the episodes and it got us so excited about all the nooks and crannies there are to explore on our planet.
More later, loves. Off for a homeschool park play date!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

It's been so quiet here lately. I guess the rest of you must have real lives to attend to, huh? Real life here is confusing right now, but going okay. My mom got to come home from the hospital yesterday, first time since Labor Day! Her radiation treatments start tomorrow. We're taking the girls over to see her tonight since I imagine the radiation is going to wipe her out, she may not be up for visitors later. They have been confused. We spent the whole summer with my mom, then she was diagnosed pretty much as soon as we moved. They don't understand why they haven't seen her and my dad. I'm excited for them to see her tonight.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Mal -- I'm glad things are going a little more smoothly, in what must be a terribly difficult time. I've been thinking of you.

Starling -- I'm totally fine with the link and the mention. Maybe I'll go check out the thread now. I (and especially my husband) have a rather large capacity to geek out about firewood and wood stoves.

Where exactly are you? Not sure, but it's possible I could finagle a book event and meet up while we're traveling in a month and a half or so.

Everr -- I'm glad R is doing so well with school. Kids are so resilient and flexible with whatever their life involves, as long as they're loved and cared for. Its us adults who do all the doubting. I'm sure his schedule doesn't phase him any more than dragging him up a mountain phases K.

AFM -- Just got back from a 2 day trip up the highest local peak with my husband and kids and a friend and her 4 year old daughter. Beautiful sunny fall weather, chilly, beautiful colors in the tundra, lowbush blueberries, gorgeous sunset, happy kids even with the coaxing required... I'm sure our 4 year olds are the youngest kids to ever climb that mountain (and looking at the map I see it's about 5 miles each way, and around 3000 feet elevation gain, with some scrambly bits--probably good we didn't check before we went)

At the end of the week, we're leaving town again, for probably 2 months! Driving/ferrying in my mom's camper van, doing events for my second book that just came out, and visiting folks along the way. Hopefully we'll make it all the way to California to visit some old friends there. Hopefully a long road trip with the kids doesn't end up being harder than a long walking trip.

Right now, I'm scrambling to freeze and root cellar everything from the garden, and package books for the mail, and nail down logistics, and generally feeling kind of stressed about getting ready. I'm sure it'll be fun, but not so sure I feel like leaving home again right now.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Erin - Let me know if you make it to the Bay Area when you're in California! Happy journeys!!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Erin, we're in Vancouver ... Which would love you! But WHISTLER would gobble you up!!!! Contact armchair books there, if it interests you!
We can try to make it o Bellingham if nothing else, AWESOME!!!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Hey everyone! Just had to share some possibly exciting news, I think we're getting a dog tomorrow!! We're driving about 2 hours away to see some puppies that look perfect for us, and if all goes well we'll bring one home with us! So exciting  I feel like I'm probably crazy and might regret this, but I think it will be really awesome for Royce and for me too  R and I are debating names at the moment. I'll have to update you all after tomorrow!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: We are DEFINITELY going to need pictures!! Puppies are tons of work - but once you are past the initial stages, it's so great to have a lovable friend.

Erin: Your book arrived yesterday! I can't wait to read it. I even think my husband might enjoy reading it and he is so anti-book.

Off to a high tea w/Makenna. My friend that also has a 4 yr old invited us to a party her friend is throwing. I am wearing a floor length, kitchy ballgown and some fantastic, pink frilly shoes I bought ages ago. Makenna is wearing one of her pink dress up outfits, princess shoes, tiara and rainbow jewelry. My friend is wearing her wedding gown. Baby is staying home with daddy. I adore high tea! My mom and I go to a tea shop every time she comes to visit. This should be fun. 

Happy fall! Fall is my favorite season. Last year I couldn't wait for fall bc it meant baby would be arriving. Can you believe Aria will be 1 next weekend?! Can't believe 3rd babies are brewing around here. So crazy.

Cindy


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

mal- so glad to read your updates! And glad Owyn's surgery went well!!

Cindy- High Tea and dress up sounds like so much fun!!

Erin- Can we find your book tour schedule somewhere. We are heading to Whidbey Island a week from Tuesday and will be there for a month (with week 2 spent on the OR coast). Maybe our paths will cross! Starling I should get in touch with you too! My kids suck at car travel so we shall see how getting to and from OR goes before I can commit to driving anywhere to meet up though. I have your book in hand! Need to hide it so I can read it on vacation but DH and I both started skimming it. Not sure who will get to read it first!

Everr: The puppy is so cute! Name?

AFU- leaving town for a month soon and trying to get ready for that! Really looking forward to time with my family. My dad's 80th birthday is the cause for celebration and gathering.  Pretty exciting. We are also going to buy a mini van while we are there. Never thought I'd be so excited about that! LOL! Still lots unknown on the job front- currently DH has 3 apps out there. The kids are doing well. Maeve is adorable and silly. Fiona is challenging as always but getting so engrossed in projects and nature journeling and other fun things. Life is pretty good! And by the end of the week we should know if this little one in my belly is a boy or girl! U/S on Friday afternoon!!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

We did tea before, it is so much fun. I'd love to take the girls. Chris took Jewel once. I need to look out for some deals. It is hard to believe that Aria is already going to be one! Where has the time gone??

Everr, that dog is so freaking cute. It makes me want a little dog just like it; also Louis is a fabulous name.

Erin, safe travels. (and I so need to hurry up and buy your book, can't wait to read it. )

Mal, I have also been thinking of you. Sending lots of love to you guys.

AFM- not much, busy with school and kids.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Introducing Louis <3



Our first night is going well so far! I'm excited about him, feeling slightly like 'what have I done'  But mostly excited  Royce had so much fun playing with the puppies and helping choose which one (well, mostly it involved me convincing/telling him that we were getting this one  ) He really wanted a girl for some reason, but he's happy with this little guy.

AK - Oh it's so exciting to be finding out if it's a boy or girl!! This is the same time when I found out R was a boy!

Cindy - I can't believe she's one! Crazy! I hope your tea was fun!

AFM - I have 3 weeks of work left on my contract. And 3 weeks until my big board certification exam. So all my time is spent studying stuff. I'm feeling pretty good about it though. My manager is giving me a mock oral exam on Tuesday so that'll be helpful. And I need to hint/ask if there's any chance of a further extension of my contract.. I'll probably do that tomorrow. I'm applying for regular jobs now too but I'm not fully certified yet so I'm not sure I'll get interviews.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Everr - Louis is so cute! Let us know how it goes. We've been talking about getting a puppy ourselves, maybe in the spring. Not sure it's a good idea, either, but tempting. It would be nice to have a dog to follow the kids around when they get a little older -- keep the bears away.

Sue -- Definitely tell us when you know about the baby!

Good luck getting ready. It was kind of crazy for us too, getting ready to leave for 2 months (which we've done--we're in Homer now), getting the garden put to bed, and everything ready to be snowy and frozen when we return. I have a rough tour schedule on the book page: http://groundtruthtrekking.org/Book-Small-Feet-Big-Land/#schedule

but we're still filling in the later stuff. It might take us too long to get down to WA to catch you though.

Starling, Cindy -- I'll let you know when we have that end of our schedule firmed up (I feel like I'm two steps behind in all my logistics, just getting in touch with everyone I want to on the Kenai Peninsula right now). It would definitely be fun to meet up.

AFM-- We're off on our road trip! Which is a snail-pace sort of road trip that involves an incredible amount of trying to do events, visit schools, talk to the media, meet up with everyone we know in every community. A little crazy. But today, we visited a farm and had a potluck, so it's pretty fun as well.

The selfish author in me has to say... If anyone does read my book, posting a review on Amazon or other such sites is super helpful. And I won't be mad if you're honest.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

ooh, maybe we could pull off the Bellingham one. Maybe Starling too! What bookstore?


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

TOTALLY! LET'S!!! PNW MEET UP!!!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Ah! I'm so jealous. Where are my Midwest mdc ladies? No one?


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

*Bellingham*: Friday, October 25, Village Books, 7PM. Now, theoretically, we arrive in Bellingham that morning on the ferry at 8AM. If we can actually pull this off, I'd love to meet up with you guys a little earlier in the day, since I'd like to talk more than the whirlwind of giving a presentation will allow. Not that I can guarantee the ferry will be on time, but hopefully we'll be there for a good chunk of the day at least.

That would be awesome if you guys could come!


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

In all the craziness with my mom, I don't think I ever updated you guys about the new house! Well, it's awesome and we're finally settling in. DH actually said the other day that it's starting to feel like home and he's getting excited about all the projects we will eventually get to do on the house. The girls made the smoothest transition ever. We went ahead and put them in separate rooms, although Greta's only has her crib in it for now until we get it painted. They had absolutely no issues about being separated. Owyn was a tad nervous about that at first, but a night light solved that.

Owyn also started going to school full time, 8-3 Monday-Friday and she LOVES it! She is such a Montessori kid. I think I'm getting DH convinced to keep her there permanently. He is seeing how great it's been for her especially since she started full time. She is really starting to mature. Bittersweet, for sure. Greta started at a new sitter today. I am so nervous. It's an older woman who has been baby sitting for years and years and generally just has one kid a day. I'm happy we finally got something set in stone for her, especially since she has kind of bounced around from person to person since my mom got sick. Now, she can get settled in one place. I took her over for a visit last night and she didn't want to leave by the end of it. So, I'm sure she's having a great time. This woman is also an angel. She goes to our church and heard about my mom. She is offering us free childcare until my mom is well. Of course, I told her that was too much but she was insistent. DH has an in at city hall though and I think we decided to start anonymously taking care of her utility bill as a way to repay her.

Today is a good day. I still have bad days. The other day, I talked with my mom for a while about changing our address and finding a sitter... Just normal things. I broke down in tears after we got off the phone though because the thought of losing those "normal" conversations with my mom is terrifying to me.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

paying the utility bill is really sweet. A great way to pay it forward! Sounds like your girls are both in great places!

just wanted to check in quickly to report that we had the ultra sound today. Baby wasn't very cooperative in showing the bits until the very end when he finally moved he little foot! A boy! We are so excited!  Not going to put it on fb yet until DH can call his mom this weekend. But I can't keep it in!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Whoo HOO! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Sue - YAY!!! CONGRATULATIONS!! I'm so excited for you 

Mal - I'm glad to hear your move went well! It is so bittersweet seeing our babies growing up and becoming more and more independent. I hope things with your mom continue to go well. There's so many treatments available now. It's hard going through it though, I know.

AFM - Louis is doing well, I'm trying to paper train him and he's doing pretty good, but still improvement needed 

Today is a study day so I gotta go dive into that :/


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

So jealous of those getting to meetup.

Sue, Yay for your little boy. He's going to be so mothered he won't know what to do with two older sisters but he will likely have incredible insight into women . We are debating the minivan purchase because of the third child on the way as well. I don't want one and we just bought our subaru with the thought that we were done having kids and we all fit so we are making payments and likely won't get the same kind of deal.

Everr Yay for puppies. Louis is adorable. I have 2 big dogs and love them furiously. The kids could take them or leave them I think.

Mal: I wonder about putting my kids in separate rooms. Dee has never slept in her own room. She's never slept alone in a room period. Not sure she would accept it. She keeps freaking out thinking she's going to be alone when the baby comes because Em will move upstairs and the baby will be in our room. There is no plans to move rooms until the baby is ready to move into a room with her. She may never have her own room lol.

AFM: I just accepted a job in the cardiac lab. I was a little torn on the position. It's a half time 8 hr weekday shifts beautiful rotation. The work is right in line with what I love to do. It will be a steep but stimulating learning curve. The downside is there is radiation exposure in this job. I did a lot of research and agonizing over the last few days. It was brought up in the interview and not something that had even crossed my mind. This baby is throwing all sorts of loops and twists in my lifeplans Oi!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I'm reading. Miss you guys.

Mal I often think of you and your mom. Much love to you. Glad the new house is feeling homey and everyone is settling in nicely.

jealous of this PNW meet-up. This is my only DDC that Ihaven't met anyone from.

Nilla, congrats on the job.

Sue, so excited for you boy. Also I think you should post more pics on facebook.

Ever, Louis is so cute but I am so glad we didn't get a puppy last time. i totally don't have the patience for all that. I would be a wretched puppy mom. Give me a kitten anyday.

school is going well. I am doing well in all of my classes...well we shall see what's happening in microbiology the lecture. we haven't had our first test yet. and on that note I leave you all to write notes about the upcoming test.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Hey everyone! How are things? I want some updates 

I had my big oral exam yesterday. And I'm no less stressed now than I was before. I have to wait 6 to 8 weeks until I find out if I passed. And I feel like I did ok, but I know the marking can be very specific, so that makes me nervous. Hopefully I passed. It would be so bad if I didn't  My career would be delayed another 6 months, not to mention the financial stress that would cause. Gah. Oh well.

My work contract ended Friday so I'm temporarily unemployed (or, temporarily a stay at home mom, that sounds better ) There will be two positions starting in January so hopefully I'll get one of those. But for now I don't know what to do with myself! I'm volunteering to go along on R's first class trip on Friday! So that will be fun (we're off to a pumpkin patch).

Anyway, I want to hear how everyone else is doing!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

I'm sure you did well on the exam, but wow what a wretchedly long time to wait.

I'm driving people to school, going to school, doing homework. I don't see my friends enough and sometimes I'm not an awesome mom BUT overall I am currently juggling it pretty well. The house isn't a complete disaster, Hubs and I make sure to take time to talk often, and I find time to interact with the kids in a fun way at least a couple of times a week. Also I will be able to apply for honors society now, I just need to get a teacher to write a recommendation. That shouldn't be a problem. I will ask my microbiology professor. I have decided to stick with him for anatomy and physiology 1 and lab since my a & P prof. friend only has a completely online class and a hybrid lab that would make me late to pick up my kids. I have the kids Christmas presents pretty much bought (just need a few stocking stuffers), there is no way I am reliving that whole not having any money to get them Christmas presents like last year.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Sue & Erin: I hope you are having a lovely time on your trips!

Sue: Still so excited for your boy!!

Erin: Where has the tour taken you lately?

Everr: Enjoy being at home while you are with R and your adorable little pup! I hope you rocked your exam. Waiting sucks! I'll keep everything crossed for you. Is bus guy still around?

Nila: Congrats on the job. What did you decide to do in regards to the radiation exposure?

Courtney: You are amazing mama! You handle everything on your plate so well. You should be so so proud of yourself! Yay for having christmas shopping done and off your mind! I need to get to work on that.

AFM: Hmmm. What do I have to add? Aria is now 1. She is almost walking but not quite there. Makenna was just telling me how fun her little sister is. It's really precious to watch them together in their mutual adoration for each other. We are just keeping busy with regular life and finally able to get out and do fun things in the mornings again now that the morning nap is gone. We had a fun outing to the pumpkin patch/old time farm yesterday. Looking forward to all the halloween festivities in the next week and a half. We'll be staying home for the holidays, we decided. My mom may come spend christmas with us but she's not even sure if she can come. I think we'll head back to visit my in-laws in January - much less hectic than x-mas.

Nothing too exciting over here. I think I've decided that our family is complete with 2 kiddos. I'm unloading a ton of baby stuff. It makes me sad but I am so tired waiting on these 2 hand and foot that I can't imagine spreading myself even more thin. I guess I'm feeling exhausted lately. LOL.

Thinking of you all!

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Hi all, Things have been kind of crazy -- traveling around for the last month, but not in the way we normally do! We have a bit of a respite here at my dad and stepmom's house for a bit, in Seattle. Still a ton of events, and some driving, but a home base to come back to for the next couple weeks before heading farther south. (Cindy, where are you in California? We'll be in California around Thanksgiving).

Luckily the kids have been rolling well with all the moving around. Either they're very adaptable, or we've forced them to be. K spends 90% of his time making paper airplanes and lego airplanes these last few months, so was extraordinarily happy to get a chance to go to a flight museum today in Seattle. K wants to carve a Concorde on his pumpkin. L wants a family of people.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Hi all,
I'm reading along too, and thinking of you all. Mal? How's your mom doing?
How are you, my dear?
Erin ... you're kids come by their adaptability honestly. And I bet K was THRILLED about the flight museum! Will this be their first big town Halloween or are you keeping it low key?
Cindy ... Big decision! It's hard to be moving away from all things baby, isn't it? When E was H's age, I was pregnant. It's odd for H to be 2 now with no more babies in sight!
Nilla ... How's the cardiac lab learning curve going?
Sue ... You're back home? How's your pregnancy going? How was your trip?
Kate? You around? xo
Courtney ... Way to go on conquering the holiday tangle! That on top of all your schoolwork and mamawork. You honestly are a rock star!
Ever ... How's the puppy? SUCH a long wait for your exam results. Too long. Meh.









AFU:
We're hunkered down, in a very fall-like fashion. I'm tired of interacting with people, and so are my kids, so we're reeling it all in for a while.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to see Erin or Sue (even though we would've wanted to!). Our car crapped out and we don't have the money to fix it, bummer extraordinaire.
Esmé is really into reading, and viruses. The two fill up her day, mostly, with a lot of mucking about outside. She's very into studying about viruses, with about the same level of passion that's she's applied to bugs.
We also got her into the homeschool dissection class at the aquarium. Did I already mention that? She is super STOKED.
Hawk is out of diapers, much to my amazement. Even at night. This means huge savings for us with time and money. So much so that I don't think I realized what a economic and time drain it really was, what with shlepping them to the co-op coin laundry. I really hope it sticks! We didn't do anything. He just started using the potty on his own. It's been about two weeks now. I'm just about to list out cloth dipes to sell them.
Kind of sad to be out of baby mode now that he's turned two!
He's really into watching contruction sites right now. And riding his pedal bike. Which also amazes me.
He's turned out to be a non-stop talked like E. Everyone in our house has a LOT to say. All. The. Time.
The audiostory site is SO CLOSE! I'll keep you posted. It's a big time suck, so I sure hope there's so money to be had (or at least recouped!)
Must go for now.
xo


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Hey ladies. We must start checking in more often, I miss you!

Ever: yay for being done with your exam, but boo about having to wait so long. Are you still off with R for now? How is that going?
Courtney: You are awesome for having Christmas done already! G's birthday is Saturday and we still haven't gotten her anything or even started on Christmas. Things have just been too hectic around here.
Cindy: Yes, big decision indeed. Pretty sure we're done too, but I've been leaning that way since G was born anyway.
Erin: You sure you can't make a pit stop in the Midwest?! I'm pretty active in my DDC from G and slowly but surely everyone is finally meeting each other. Makes me a little sad that I've never actually met any of you ladies. We should fix that someday...
Starling, good to hear from you too. E sounds like such a fun kid! And I'm so jealous of the potty learning. G wants to sit on the potty all the time, but she never does anything on it. And she is extremely attached to her Mimi (pacifier). I think we're gonna have to go cold turkey on that, but I'm going out of town next week, so it won't be happening yet. I have it in my head that we will do it soon after I get home. It won't be pretty.

AFM: How am I? Well, kind of a mess still. Life just keeps happening even though I keep telling the universe to back off. It's not listening. But I'm dealing. I'm actually in therapy now. I found someone really great and have seen her a few times now. It's helping me feel a little more in control of some pretty intense emotions. My mom...well, she started seeing a new team of doctors in Chicago. By the time she got to them, her cancer had spread significantly more than it was already. And, well, it was already bad. So, they started chemo right away, but she only got one infusion and a week of oral before they said her brain was worse and needs to be treated ASAP. Chemo doesn't treat the brain, so they had to stop the chemo and she's going through 3 weeks of radiation on the brain. In the meantime, the rest of her body isn't being treated, so yeah... If they treat one then the other gets worse. I'm going to Chicago next week to stay with her for a few days, then I'm stopping in STL for a few days to visit some friends. It'll be nice to have some time to myself.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Mal - I'm so sorry that things are hard right now. I really hope that your mom gets a break and all the treatments go smoothly. It's such a difficult process. I'm thinking of you.

Starling - I'm so impressed with Esme! I wish she could have come when I met you last spring, she seems like such a smart kid! I'm not sure what Royce would think of a dissection class.. Likely he'd love it too  I'm always impressed with the things he says and the ideas and questions he comes up with.

And YAY for being done with diapers!! I watched a home video last week of Royce right after he stopped wearing diapers (2 years, 3 months) and I couldn't believe how much of a baby he still was, and yet in the video he stops playing and asks (in his baby-talk) to go potty. Crazy.

Erin - I'm glad your travels are going well! I'm not surprised that you have adaptable kids 

Cindy - I still really want one more. But I try and talk myself into being ok with one just in case. I still technically have some time (I'm 30), but I don't want to put it off for too much longer.. Of course I need a man (well, would like one).. 

Courtney - Good for you for juggling everything. Keep strong, it'll all be worth it  I don't envy you at all, I'm happy to be on this side of the whole 'back to school' process. But I feel really proud of myself and I'm happy with the opportunities I have now. So no regrets!

AFM - I am currently unemployed, I have at least a month before I know if I passed my exam. But I'm applying for jobs and just assuming I passed. Mostly I'm bored out of mind because R is at school during the day. I know I should enjoy it but, gah, I'm bored. And I can't even get a part time job because there is nothing that would allow me to never work nights or weekends. Plus, after how busy the last 2 years have been, I think it's nice for me to actually have the time and energy for R.

Things with the puppy are good, I'm trying to get more serious about house training. I'm kind of lazy though and enjoy just letting him go on paper. But he's slowly figuring it out. He's only 13 weeks so I know it'll be a few months before he's fully trained. He seems like a smart little guy and he sleeps through the night so that's a bonus. He has a really great personality. I'm happy with him 

And, yes bus guy is still around. It's complicated, sort of. My relationship with my ex was so much simpler, we were teenagers, we fell in love, and never worried about anything. With this guy, he is a worrier, plus we're older and life is more complicated. It's been on and off with him since I met him. And we've had a couple big fights lately. But we always end up talking again. I really do love him, he's one of my best friends right now, but he can also really be an idiot sometimes. I think we would both like to eventually be together. I need to get a job first. And if I don't get a job here then I'm not sure things will last for us. I don't know.

Anyway, that's my update


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Everr -- Sometimes, I think it would be nice to be bored...  Though I hope you are soon employed and happily settled with bus guy. I think relationships must get more complicated with age--I was 18 when I met my husband, and we certainly didn't worry about much!

Mal - Sorry things are so tough with your mom. I hope you get a break with your friends. I would like to make it to the midwest sometime. Actually, right now I feel like I wouldn't like to make it anywhere at all, I've been doing so much traveling.  But maybe another year.

Starling - Sorry about the car - it would have been fun, but it's OK. An event isn't necessarily the best place for a chat anyway. Viruses are cool. I've got to say I envy you a little bit on that one. As a former biologist, I like viruses much more than I like WWI airplanes. I think K could read if he cared to (he's been able to sound out words forever) but doesn't seem too interested. He's randomly gotten interested in math though and will ask us for "math questions" in the car. He likes questions like "77+6" or "100+100" but will only do pluses.

AFM -- I actually really like doing presentations, and kind of like interviews, and like meeting people. But I'm getting really tired of logistics, and we still have so far to go! I want to get home and back to writing and adventuring already instead of just talking about it! It will be a little easier when we leave Seattle, since I won't have so many people I need to visit in between the events (and I can't help taking classes at my old aikido dojo)

What are all the kids' favorite things right now? Katmai is into everything airplane and flight related, though he feels that being a pilot in real life would be much too scary. He prefers to fold dozens and dozens of paper airplanes. Some of his paper airplanes are quite creative, and his better ones are easily as good as anything I can make. He has recently decided that his lego airplanes should be WWI dogfighters, so now they're all getting shot down. I was sort of wondering when I'd end up having to deal with the little boy violence-play, but I guess it's here now... I have to work a little harder to be engaged on this project than I did on prehistoric creatures, but the paper airplanes really are quite cool.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Everr ... Knowing about R and his being out of dipes around two is what made me realize that H could do it. He's a big kid, as physically developed as most 3yo kids I
know, so I suppose I should!'t be surprised. Plus, he wants so much to be like E!
Erin, I get exhausted by doing author talks. I do one and need a whole day to recoup! Your itinerary makes me want to crawl into a closet, curl into a fetal position, and vomit. Kudos to you for hanging in there and rockin'
it! And I agree, author talks are not great for chats, so to speak. I'm so sorry i missed you!
Also, Erin ... I hear you on having to rustle up sone genuine excitement about our kids' projects that might be less than thrilling for us.
I am NOT a scientist, and don't have much interest in it.
I am NOT in heavy machinery, either.
Sigh.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Hi All,

We had a last minute trip to Indiana last Thursday. DH got a call the night before that his dad was in the hospital. Then we got woken up at 5am (er we were actually already both awake with the baby that wanted to play) saying that this was it and DH needed to get out there ASAP. We were afraid DH wouldn't even make it in time to say goodbye. We decided to all go. So I had like 3 hours to get the kids up, dressed, fed and to pack for all of us before we left! Miraculously, my FIL's kidneys that had failed actually started to work again by the time we landed! So he managed to pull through. We still ended up spending a full week there bc it was so day to day and also bc DH and his brothers had to figure out where FIL would live and what kind of care he would get now (he was in assisted living bc he has alzeheimers but now he is going to a nursing home). Anyway, we are super thankful that the trip turned out how it did. It was draining being there for so long though. M had fun with her cousins but oddly enough, the one that is 9 mos older than her that she always loved so much did not play as well with her this time and the one a year younger that she never cared much for became her favorite.

Anyway, we got back super late on Wed. I've been busy trying to get things put away and back to normal. We had fun trick or treating with a preschool friend.

Today is one of those days where I'm like "why did I have kids?". I could be getting off work right now, going to take a nap then do a yoga class then out to dinner and drinks with friends. Instead I'm dealing with a b*tchy little girl who tells me she hates everything I give her and that I'm a bad mom bc I give her healthy food and who runs away instead of helping me with something or throws something on the ground instead of handing it to me. She really put me in a horrible mood right before I brought her to school. Then of course, despite her telling me she doesn't like me as a mom, she clings to me and doesn't want me to leave. I think I need a nap or more coffee or something bc I really shouldn't be as bothered by this as I am. I just struggle sometimes bc she really so obviously likes her dad more than me at times and I feel like a lot of it is just sheerly bc I have a 2nd child and just am not as available for fun as I used to be. Not sure how to fix that. Someone does have to manage the not fun parts of life and that is always me.

Mal - I am so sorry for all you are going through! I will keep your mom in my prayers!

Erin - I am in Berkeley, just outside San Francisco.

Favorite things? Unfortunately, disney princesses ranks pretty high up there right now. We avoided princess stuff for a long time then I gave in. Maybe it's just a Berkeley thing but people are really anti here. A woman here even wrote a book (that I have yet to read) called "Cinderella ate my daughter". Anyway. Into that, really into whales and dolphins right now. Collecting treasures is a big favorite passtime lately. And she is really into coloring now. I never pushed coloring books but we've always had a couple and she never liked them. Now she is super into it. Not sure how I feel about that. I usually prefer projects she creates on her own. But I don't think there is anything wrong with coloring books per se. I am glad her attention span has lengthened enough to finish a picture now at least. Still not much interest here in writing or reading and I haven't pushed it. She does know her letters and the sounds and can write some but hates working on it for more than 2 minutes.

Cindy


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Mal - my thoughts are with you and your mom. I'm sending cancer crushing vibes her way.

Erin - I HATE logistics so I feel ya although I've never had to plan for anything like you plan.

Cindy - I think 4 year old girls should come with a warning label that says "Trying out b*tch mode for later in life". Or at least mine should. The tones and words that come out of her mouth Yikes!

Starling - Can't wait for the audio site. I love audio books even children's ones. And viruses wowza for me that would be so easy to be engaged in but I am a science nerd.

Courtney - Your strength amazes me.

JustKate - what's up with you and the gals?

Ever - I know you rocked that exam. My fingers are crossed on the job hunt for you.

AFU: I start my new job in 2 weeks. I am frightened and excited. I'm hoping that getting enough hours above what is scheduled won't be a problem with all the areas I work but we shall see. Pregnancy is going smoothly knock on wood. I'm feeling human, can drink coffee again and I am making myself some mat clothes from thrift store and old stuff in my closet. I am 2 sizes smaller than last time so none of my old stuff fits but I am tailoring and updating so that I don't have to buy anymore. It's rather fun. I think I am going to take next semester off. I need to get my head sorted around this thesis and I really need a break. Plus I just don't have the money to pay for tuition this semester what with mat leave coming up.

Favorite things: Em is into lego as always and reading, he devours books. They are blogging at school so that is what he wants to do a lot of the time. He is playing hockey and likes it when he's on the ice but not so much the getting there.

Dee is still into babies and art and sewing since that is what I am doing right now. I need to make her a sewing board but no time yet so I give her a needle, thread and scraps and she sews a big ball of buttons and scraps.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Mal, hugs momma. I think about you often. i wish there was more i could do.

Starling- diaper free is awesome. I'd so like to get there. E is so cute with her little passions. I am still floored that our babies are almost 5, they are so kid bow and it blows my mind,.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

I have been MIA for longer then I intended. Hope you are all doing well. I think about you often. We south for a month with family which was nice. The girls loved having cousin time! Fiona had a pretty hard time coming home. First sick for a week with high fevers and then lots of behavior problems. Adjustments are hard for her. She was great on the trip and let it all out when we got home. I was in tears a lot. It was pretty rough. Slowly getting back to our home rhythm and settling in for winter. It is snowing now and beautiful. Maeve is doing well. Talking all the time and staying busy. The pregnancy is going well. Baby boy is moving a lot these days and I love that.

Fiona is loving Little House on the Prairie these days. Dh reads it to her every night at bedtime and I get a recap every morning. They are on the third book. I'm so glad there are so many in the series because she can't get enough!! She also is loving sewing projects and has asked for her own sewing kit for Christmas. That will be fun to put together. I am on a quest for the perfect container! We also pulled the plug on the tv about 2 weeks ago. It has been really great for the kids. They are into projects and haven't even asked for it more then a couple of times. Feels good but I admit when I am tired it has been tempting to plug them in a bit. I'm holding strong though!

I hope all of you are well. Mal, thinking a lot about you and your Mama. And everyone else here. Love and light to all of you!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

What's on your Christmas lists?


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I happen to have Makenna's wish list sitting right here. She was way into making lists for everyone. It has: a scooter, roller skates, stuffed shark, toy computer, her own garden, stilts and rainbow colored rocks. I'm sure she'll get a few of those things. I also want to get an underwater flash light for the bath and maybe a tadpole kit to watch it grow into a frog. Not sure about anything else yet really. I plan to go to the local exploratorium for some stocking stuffers. They had lots of fun things in their gift shop when we were there.

I have no clue what to buy Aria. She will be about 15 mos at christmas. I feel like we already have all the toys for that stage! Ideas, anyone?


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Erin - I hope all your travels are going well. When do you get home?

R's favourite things would probably be super heroes/action figures, airplanes and helicopters, and yes, of course, guns... I try and keep things gun free but he still turns everything into a gun. He built one with his lego. Gah.. Oh well.. Just the last few days he's been into making lists and trying to sound out how the words are spelled. It really varies day by day what he's playing with. He's such a perfectionist with his lists, he'll need an entire new piece of paper if he messes up at all. I'm trying to end that but he gets so frustrated :/

Oh and for Christmas, he's getting a leapster gs from Santa plus his stocking. Then from me he's getting 2 national geographic kids books (he loves reading real facts vs stories), a ninja turtle costume, and a little helicopter/dinosaur transformer thing. I got him 2 extra games for the leapster but I'm going to save those for his birthday which is just a few weeks after.

Starling How's the potty learning going? 
As for genuine excitement about kids interests... I don't know if I really get too involved with anything R is doing.. Maybe I should more. I kind of just let him do his thing. But, he is at school all day every day, I guess if we were home schooling I'd have to do more teaching 

Cindy - Oh wow, that does sound like a draining trip. I'm glad things turned out ok. Although, I know that when someone you love has alzheimers it's like you've lost them already. It's so hard 

And I have lots of moments where I feel like R has completely ruined my life. I know that sounds horrible, but I just never planned to be doing this on my own. And he is just so miserable a lot of the time. It's incredibly frustrating. Getting ready to leave in the morning and bedtime are both ridiculous disasters every single time. I have all the time he's in school to myself and I still wish I had more breaks from him. I think a lot of it is because I'm lonely and depressed. He traps me at home at night, I can't go anywhere, and I'm alone all the time. I do have my bus guy, but I only see him maybe one night a week when my mom can babysit. It's not enough. Anyway, that's my whine about that :/

Nilla - How's the new job??

Sue - I'm glad your trip home went well! I can see how that would be a big adjustment for the kids. And R has watched a ton of Little House on the Prairie at my mom's house. She has the complete set of the show  We don't have TV here but we do watch shows on netflix. And I know he's on netflix a lot at my mom's house too. 
Glad everything is going well with the pregnancy! Despite my rant above about R ruining my life, I also have baby fever.. Bus guy and I have talked about the future and living together/having a baby. He's older so I know he wouldn't want to wait too long. The thought of possibly being pregnant in a year is really really exciting 

R is home today with what I think is pink eye. And I think I'm getting it too.. It has been going around his class and yesterday and today his eyes have been slightly pink. And mine feel dry and itchy. I'm going to go crazy if he's home with me all week.

OH, and I should hopefully get my exam results this week! They said 6-8 weeks and it's 6 weeks tomorrow! In previous years the last week of November seems to be when people get their results. I'm nervous but also excited to finally know (assuming that I passed...)


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Cindy how do you come up with ideas like underwater flashlights and tadpole kits? Such great ideas.

Ever - the new job well... yesterday I would have said it was going well. Today though I had a bad day and it made me second guess taking the job. I am overwhelmed with the steep learning curve and the radiation injections make me terribly nervous. It is very difficult to not drip or drop something causing contamination. I dropped and dripped something today and my supervisor sent me home to prevent too high of exposure to the baby. I felt terrible she had to clean it up. I'm just feeling like everything happens so fast and I cannot watch the patient, the machine and do the injections/interventions all at the same time. Ugh! It is such an adjustment to go from an expert to a novice again.

Anyways that's my rant.

Christmas lists- well all Dee wants is doll stuff but I think perhaps a karaoke machine or a new mic for their casio, some lego, a hockey stick and helmet and a face paint kit.

Em - lego, walkie talkies, mindtrap the game, some sort of spy kit (not sure where or what yet), and a watch.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Nilla: We were talking about tadpoles and how I got to watch bullfrog tadpoles grow into frogs when I was little (we had found them while camping and let them go at a pond once they were frogs). I looked online and found a kit. It sounds so fun to watch! And the flashlight I think was on a list of cool toys from a blog I follow.

My FIL did end up passing away about 2 weeks after we got back from our trip! :-( DH flew back without us and stayed for about 5 days. He seems to be doing ok, but he really doesn't share about this stuff with me. He never talked to me about how his dad was doing unless I asked him. Not sure how to help him with this? I am glad he is close to his brothers and they have each other. My BIL will be here this weekend (he lives in SF sometimes - he travels for work and also still has a place in Boston so he isn't here all that much).

I am almost done touring the 4 schools M could end up at next yr for preschool. We pay almost 1/2 % higher property taxes in my town than any of the surrounding towns and it mostly goes to funding the schools. I am so fascinated to see the kids in the dif grades and see how much M will learn in the next few years. It's really exciting and I can hardly believe my baby is about to start school!!! I know she is going to love it. I love the idea of homeschooling but I just don't think I could do it justice and I just know M is going to love going. She begs to go to school on days she doesn't go bc she is so social and adores being around her friends so much.

I have so much more to say but I feel so frazzled right now. Baby has been sick and barely sleeping so I've had no time to catch up on anything I am supposed to get done. Gah.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Fiona's Christmas- ice skates, dress up, some books, a new shirt, and a russian nesting doll. We may also add a tool kit with a hammer, screw driver, and wood scraps. Other ideas that I think will wait for her birthday are a new game, lunch box and a sewing kit. The kids always get new jammies and an ornament from the Solstice Fairy.

Nilla- your job sounds intense! I hope you feel like you are in the flow soon. I'd be nervous about exposure too!

Cindy- sorry to hear about your FIL!

Everr- hoping the pink eye is gone! Not fun!

Happy thanksgiving to the Americans!  Putting cornbread in the oven now for our cornbread stuffing now.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AKislandgirl*
> 
> so jealous of your pulling the plug on tv, I'd so like to do it, but I can't see Hubs getting behind it. Hope things have settlesd down nicely at home. Have you thought of any names yet?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nillarilla*
> 
> What's on your Christmas lists?
> 
> June is getting a bike, a little lalaloopsie, a game, a toothfairy doll with a bag for a tooth (she is obsessed with the tooth fairy, but poor thing probably won't loose a tooth until she is 6 or 7 going by her sisters.) and something from me but I don't remember what. (nice, huh?) on her list she asked for a bike, a toy christmas tree, ballett slippers and a dalek toy.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Vegan Princess*
> 
> I have no clue what to buy Aria. She will be about 15 mos at christmas. I feel like we already have all the toys for that stage! Ideas, anyone? post it sticky tabs. balls.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nillarilla*
> 
> You'll get the hang of it quickly. That not knowing what is goign on feeling sure does suck though, so i empathize with you.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Vegan Princess*
> 
> sorry about your FIL
> 
> How's the school search going?


AFM, I just finished another semester of school and I am so looking forward to the month off. Pretty ready for Christmas. My house is annoying the ever living crap out of me, or maybe just grossing me out. as we are in an epic battle with rats and mice and moths who all think our house is the best place to live. We've begun doing parent kid days since it was becoming obvious that they needed a little more one on one time. I am sort of wondering when Hubs and I will get a date together. I mean it's only been a couple of years. 'um I think that's everything.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Cindy-- I forgot to tell you I'm in California now! In Berkeley, actually, doing a presentation at the Berkeley REI tomorrow night, and the Corte Madera one on Wednesday. I've been off the computer mostly for a week or so, and I'm behind on everything. If you could come to either one I'd love to meet you (and let other folks know if they're interested)

When L was Aria's age, I got her one of those plastic photo cubes and covered it with photos of herself on every side. That was a hit.

Courtney -- ugh! Can you get a cat?

Nilla -- I'm sure you'll get the hang of the new job soon, but I'd find that scary too.

Everr -- I wonder if most little boys like fact books better than stories? K certainly does (fighter planes now, dinosaurs last year, etc...). Feeling trapped must be so hard. Truthfully, I go a little nuts if I don't have places I can with the kids that I also enjoy myself at (wilderness works that way for me). Are there any places you both enjoy? Outdoors?

Christmas: I'm getting K a kite, in keeping with his love of flying things (was so tempted by a remote control helicopter, but I think he's too young). Probably also a board game (Tsuro) for the whole family - K can play and L not quite yet. I'm more stuck on what to get L. She loves babies and mamas and families and animals, so I'd like to find some little animal family toys, but have no idea where/what to get.

AFM: I've been enjoying seeing friends, but I'm homesick, and tired of cities for awhile. I love our friends, but we have such different lives now, and I miss my own life. We have two more slideshows and then are flying back to Alaska on Thursday and I'm so excited! I want snow. And even darkness and cold, and mostly just the freedom to get outside and go somewhere other than a sidewalk or playground.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Erin: You're in Berkeley!!! Yay!! I live pretty close to the REI. Maybe a mile? I would LOVE to come hear you speak! Let me see if I can swing it though. I have preschool related budget and board meetings at bedtime on Wed and Thursday this week - so I need to see if my husband will kill me if I leave him alone for bedtime 3 nights in a row. I'm guessing it's best to leave the kids at home? I can only imagine how homesick you must be! After a week in Indiana w/my relatives, I was so itching to get back to my own life. You've been traveling for so long! And I bet it is a HUGE change here versus AK! Message me if you want any tips on things to hit before you fly out. Thanks for the picture cube idea - I love that idea! I think I'm going to do it!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Alright Erin - DH says no problem for me to go.  He wants the brownie points so he can stay out late in San Francisco after his department Christmas party on Friday. LOL. This works well - I was planning to go to REI this week to grab some stocking stuffers for DH anyway. See you tomorrow!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Have fun, take pictures!

Erin- we have one cat who kills some nice to eat, and the dog sometimes kills rats, but we do need to get another cat. Recently two of ours passed away, one was old and retired but the other was a great mouser.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Yay! I got to meet Erin tonight! Her and Hig's talk was awesome. So much fun to see the photos/videos of their amazing life and travels. And just really wonderful to see Erin in real life after all these years of chatting away. It's always neat to see someone in 3d after have a 2d relationship. LOL. We did take a photo together, but I look HORRID in it. So I'm not sure I want to post it. Ha.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

How wonderful that Erin and Cindy got to meet!
I so wish I'd been able to make it Bellingham.

Erin, do you bring the kids with you to your presentations?
Esmé is just about ready to come with me to my author talks, save for a couple of issues. I talk very frankly about my own highschool years when I go into highschools, and that involves subject matter that's not appropriate for her to hear. But she really would like to come with me on my trips, so I wonder about setting her up at the back of the auditorium with some art supplies and headphones and audiostories, or maybe a movie, even?
Your thoughts?

Everr & Erin ... Boys and fact books. H loves books about excavators, and youtube videos of real diggers. But then E loves books about body science and natural science. Both my kids love story books, but that might just be by default, being that we ready upwards of 100 of them a week.

Cindy ... I'm sorry to hear about your FIL. I find most people get weird around death, and are truly not themselves. I've learned to try not to take anything personally, but some of the fallout has been very hard to manage around my best friend's death and the way her spouse reacted.
Also, how is it determined which school M will go to? And once she's in, do siblings get automatic entry?

(Speaking of, I'm not sure that I ever filled you all in about what eventually happened after my best friend's death. Her husband started drinking, and then doing coke, and was utterly unable to care for my youngest niece or their home, so she is now living with her older sister, as ordered by CPS. What a mess, and so heartbreaking. My best friend would be so disappointed in him.)

Everr ... I hope you're on the upswing now? It's hard when it's dark and cold, and to have a sick kid on top of it. I hope R's pink eye is gone? How's the puppy?
On the subject of having another child, I think it's okay to have kids when the situation is not 100% perfect with the other person. If you think he'd be on board and be supportive, that might be enough to move forward. You know how to be a single mom, so that learning curve is done. I know you'd manage and flourish either way, either having another child or not. I say follow your heart, and let your gut give you directions. xo

Nilla ... How are you feeling about your job now? Have you thought about leaving earlier than planned? PM if you want to know how you can get another ten weeks on top of your 52. If you consider going that route, talk to me before you utter a work of your plans to anyone else. It's a bit tricky to get the additional paid leave, but totally doable. I helped another mama on MCD do it with regards to her construction job. Remind me, how far along are you?
I had the extra 10 weeks with E, for a total of 62 weeks of subsidized leave. Then I blew it with H and was denied.
I can walk you through it, hon.

Courtney ... MOTHS. Our co-op has a moth problem. I just bought a trap of sort yesterday, but it doesn't kill the larvae. It just attracts and traps living males, so that you can gauge how much of a problem you have. I'll take moths over bedbugs and cockroaches, which are also rampant in our part of the city. What about fostering cats? Sometimes the rescue place takes care of food and vet bills, but need a home for the cats until they get adopted.

CHRISTMAS:
I think I mentioned that we're renting a cabin at the beach from Dec 21-24, to celebrate the Solstice and Christmas. I can't wait!
We'll be there four nights, and then come home on Christmas Day.
We're going to build a driftwood tree and decorate it with stuff from the beach. Or we might bring a few off cuts that they give away at the tree lot up the street. Not sure. We'll do our annual solstice fire so we can send our wishes out into the ether via burning them.
As for presents, we saved up and got the family a digital microscope, so we had to scale back on even the few other gifts we might've bought. We did get H a toolbelt and hardhat. And we got folding identifier cards for animal tracks & scat, birds, and bugs for the Pacific Northwest. They're plasticized and compact, and really good. Those will be for both kids. The microscope is for E, officially. From Santa. I kind of want the credit for it, but that's just me being silly.
We're also on the countdown to our trip to Mexico, which is a nice present for all of us! We leave Jan 28th and will be there for one month.
We've done a lot of scrimping to make the trip happen, and we're so looking forward to hanging out together somewhere warm. Whoo hoo!


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Oh Starling, I am so sorry to hear about your best friend's husband! That is so sad for their daughter. :-( My brother lost his first wife when he was 26 and their son was 3. He moved back in with the family (I was still living at home, going to college). My mom found a cut up straw and accused me of doing drugs but I knew it wasn't mine. My brother had messed around with that stuff in highschool and I sort of think maybe he did some when he was in the midst of all the grief. I'll never know. Thankfully he went on to live his life - more kids, new wife, etc.

Schools. The topic angers me. It's narrowed down by zone. So we have 4 schools in our zone. But then it's lottery of sorts. But also if a neighborhood around a school makes up 60% of kids in the zone, all 4 schools need to have 60% from that neighborhood, etc. And yes, siblings get in automatically. Last yr it was almost impossible for new kindegarteners to get into the school 2 blocks from us bc the classes had so many siblings. I am pretty sure we will NOT get to go to the school of our choice, which is 1.5 blocks from our house. It's so lame. I get that we need diversity but there are kids from one neighborhood who want their close school and get sent to the one by my house and the people living near me get sent to the one by the first family's house and neither is happy. When I was in high school, I went to school in the wealthiest part of the city (didn't live there). Half the school was bused in from the poorest part of the city (didn't live there either lol). But the kids being bused in didn't take away spots from the kids that lived near the school! And no one mingled or mixed AT ALL anyway. But that is a whole other topic!

Love the microscope! I remember having one as a child. Not so young though. So excited for your MONTH LONG trip!!! We just booked our next Hawaii trip. We will be spending 11 nights on the Big Island in early June. 11 nights seems CRAZY indulgent!! It's what DH wanted. And he is getting some money from his dad so I am not saying anything. We'll split our trip in Kona where DH is going to do a 1/2 ironman and then 1/2 time in Hilo near the volcano. We are debating whether or not to bring my mother in law to help watch the kids so we can have some date nights or have some quiet time on the beach. The places we rented are both 2 bedrooms. But we would have to buy her plane ticket. I think we will probably do it! 

Cindy


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Checking in to say It's a Girl! Both kids are quite disappointed. They were both hoping for a boy. Not sure what to do about that or whether there is anything I can do. I want them to be excited but it just might not happen I guess.

Courtney there are boxes you can get called rat zappers that electrocute the mice and rats. They work awesome.

Starling I may take you up on that offer. I am 21 weeks now so I would still have another 9 weeks to go. My supervisor would freak though. I got hired pregnant but she didn't know and she is not exactly happy about it.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Yay for baby boys! Your kids will quickly get over it. Tell them they can pretend he's a girl all they want. It'll be so short-lived.
As for your supervisor, she doesn't matter one iota in this equation. And I'll say it again, loudly and proudly announce to all asunder that you plan on working until you are actually labouring. And smile when you say it.
xo

Cindy ... We're putting my mom up for a week in Mexico. Mostly as a thank you for all the free childcare, but we'd love to get a couple of dates out of it too!


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

HOME!!! Got to Homer yesterday, and today decided to just spring the extra $60 for the water taxi instead of waiting for the Sunday ferry. DH has lost his voice and I've almost lost mine from some random bug we picked up along the way in CA (luckily after all the talks), but I have never been so happy to see gritty icy snow and darkness. And my own place and own bed and everything. Also looking forward to having studded tires on the bike (not to the actual switching of them) and getting some exercise.

Cindy -- It was so fun to meet you! Sorry we didn't get more time, and didn't get to have the kids together.

Starling -- We've done different things with kids at presentations. Under 1.5 or so, we just had K up there with us, and my husband would walk out with him if he cried. Now they're just much too talkative and in the way. Especially L. I think K is close to old enough to sit in the back of a presentation, with an electronic gaming device (my mom gave me her old kindle this summer -- I finally caved and put games on it for ferry/car/plane rides and during presentations). L likes devices like that, but will be much too loud and want something somewhere in the middle. Also, the kids are incredibly bored with our presentation by now. Best is if I have someone to watch them right there (my mom was great, but they're cool with a stranger too), playing with them in another room nearby. That way they can say Hi at the beginning. Otherwise, I leave them elsewhere with someone. Maybe when they're older they can participate, but for now, I don't think it's a benefit to anyone to have them come.

Christmas -- I figure if I hold the grandparents to one present per kid per occasion, then I should hold myself to it also. But hearing everyone's lists makes me want to buy my kids more cool stuff! I will probably buy more stuff sometime, just not at a holiday. Need to get us all skis, but that'll take some deal hunting and research and may not be done in time.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

just real quick, but I will type more later

Santa and credit- when my oldest figured it out she kind of marveled and went over everything in her head, you could see her gears turning. Then she looked at me and so sincerely said " Thank you"


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Nilla - Forgot to say, congratulations on the girl!

Cindy -- Ugh. I think school assignments must be like that in all big cities. Certainly were in mine when I was a kid in Seattle. Different rules every few years, fake addresses used to get into closer schools, etc... I went to a district-wide magnet, so was bussed in and it didn't matter, but my brother had to deal with all of it, and my friend who's a teacher still does.

AFM -- Just had to say, as these kids get older, how much FUN it is to watch them learn, and all those little lightbulbs of connection that happen all the time. I was doing paperwork on my computer today, and K was over with a measuring tape and his wooden blocks -- coming to me to say he discovered that 11+11 is 22, and that the diagonal of a block is longer than the sides, and that it's even more different on some shapes of blocks than others. Who knew he was doing geometry in the corner? Not that they haven't been learning all along, of course, but I'm always more caught off guard when K automatically picks up all these things that I used to assume required deliberate teaching.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

*Coraline has started falling. Coraline isn't a child who falls. She fell off our porch swing acquiring a nasty bump and bruise. She fell down stairs twice now. Once yesterday resulting in no injury. Once after a dr's appointment in which I expressed concern about her falling. She fell down the steps cutting her head in the same place she had bruised it from the fall off the swing. Is this ever a thing? new clumsiness? She actually has walked into a wall more than once now that I am thinking about it recently. If she keeps falling and walking into things I am taking her back to MY doctor (we went to a same day appointment so not our usual dr) and demanding that something be done, because it's Coraline and Coraline doesn't fall. The doctor today just attributed it to her being 2, and I told her that's not it. Any experience?*


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

No experience with that Courtney but I say trust your gut!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Courtney, H had a similar spell when he was around 18 months. I was just about to book a second doc appointment when the falls abated.
It was very disconcerting though. He was so
mobile and agile, and so it was worse than had he been a typically clumsy child.
I hope it stops soon for wee Coraline!


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Nilla, congrats on the girl. i LOVE girls! The kids will get over it. Jo was very upset when Coraline was a girl and not boy girl twins but she has forgotten that entirely.

Erin- it is always nice to get back home, always. Like sinking into comfort and breathing.

Starling, how was the beach? Fabulous I am sure. The microscope is super neat. I never really used a microscope until last semester when I was in Microbiology, and even still I hardly used it then.

How was everyone's Christmas? I am kind of reeling that our babies are going to be five. June got a bike (training wheels) and is just zipping around on it and it is kind of hurting my heart that she is so big.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Thursday Girl*
> 
> Nilla, congrats on the girl. i LOVE girls! The kids will get over it. Jo was very upset when Coraline was a girl and not boy girl twins but she has forgotten that entirely.
> 
> ...


Yes BIG! We took Dee cross country skiing this weekend and she kept at it for 2 hrs! So impressive. We tried last year and the year before and she just couldn't manage. What a difference. Although with her body growing her emotions seem to be getting bigger as well if that's even possible with her.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Hello ladies!

I have been reading new posts but haven't responded in a long while. Things have been stressful. I did find out that I passed my exam! So that's exciting  And I have a job interview in 2 weeks which I really hope I get. But it's very stressful being unemployed and now knowing what will happen. And my mom's health isn't good. I'm really worried about her. Just feeling down about a lot of things I guess.

Our Christmas was good though, R liked all his gifts. We didn't go anywhere really, just one trip after Christmas to visit a friend.

And R turns 5 in just 2 weeks. Can't believe it! He's been full of attitude lately and I just feel so exhausted all the time. I'm hoping 5 will be better than 4.. Maybe :/

I'd love to hear some updates from everyone! Hope everyone had a great Christmas


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Everr - sorry you're feeling down. I hope you get the job and get a bit more stability from life soon!

Courtney - hope Coraline is done with falling now?

Our Christmas (and L's 3rd birthday on New Years) were good. And they are so big now! Actually, I'm still reeling that my baby is 3, and am not quite ready for K to be 5 yet. She had chocolate fondue and sushi for her birthday food. Lots of airplane-themed presents for K this year from various relatives, including two 3D wooden airplane puzzles, one of those lego airplane kits with the instructions, a paper airplane book and calendar, a little balsa wood plane, and a kite. All of which he enjoyed, but none of which has surpassed his current obsession with origami. He does lots and lots of origami these days, and has figured out enough of the folds that he can invent both his own paper airplanes, and some recognizable interpretations of simple houses, birds, sailboats, etc... Instructions for that sort of thing (lego, paper airplanes, origami) are basically visual, so he can figure out most of it himself without needing to know how to read. Our kid area is crisscrossed with strings of clothespinned origami creations, and he's gotten my DH and I into it as well, so we've been folding some too. His other current interests are board games and numbers/math stuff.

I keep waiting for him to get more interested in other kids, but so far, no luck. He'll play with his sister sometimes, but mostly ignores other children.

I'm getting a bit tired of the too-warm winter we've been having lately. Not enough snow for a good ski base (OK for snow forts though), and rain and freeze have turned everything to glare ice. Took the kids on a short hike today and it took FOREVER, and they were nearly done before we left the icy road part. L is just really slow (what do I expect of a newly 3 year old in a puffy snowsuit walking on ice?) and K will get bored waiting for her and say he's tired too sometimes.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Hey ladies! Sorry I haven't been around here much, but it seems most of us have been pretty busy. I have a lot of you on Facebook, so most of you already know, but my mom passed away a couple of days ago. So, our holiday pretty much sucked this year. She went into the hospital two days before Christmas, so we spent pretty much everyday there with her. We managed a decent Christmas morning with the girls and they had a good time. We spent the afternoon overtaking a waiting room and stealing my mom away from her room so we could open presents with her. It wasn't ideal, but she was having a good day on Christmas, so it is a good memory. She went downhill pretty quick after that. I'll have to come back another time for personals, but I wanted to pop in and say hello. I miss you ladies!


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Oh Mal so sorry for your loss. That was very quick.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Mal - I'm so sorry you didn't have more time with her. How are you (and the rest of the family) holding up?


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Mal, you continue to be in my thoughts. Love and light to you.


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Mal, I am so sorry that you've lost your mother. My thoughts are with you. Be gentle with your bruised and tired heart, hon.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Love you , Mal. You and your family continue to be in my thoughts.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Hope all is well with everyone. Especially you and yours Mal.

What is everyone getting/doing for birthdays?


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Mal - Thinking about you!!

So my mom moved here! It all fell into place really quickly and she found an apartment down the street from me. I flew down to SD and drove her up a week and a half ago. She is busy getting settled and right now doubting her decision. She spent the last 45 yrs in the same part of San Diego and doesn't take well to change. She thought she loved Berkeley but now that she is here, she is a bit out of her element. Happy to see me often and the girls. I'm hoping she'll feel a lot better once her apartment is settled and she figures out how to get around and gets into a new routine. I'm really excited to have her here. But also feeling a bit of stress trying to help her get settled and wanting her to feel happy/calm.

So tomorrow is M's birthday!! This time 5 yrs ago I was asleep already. Would wake in an hour and find some pink on the tp and notice mild contractions, 4 minutes apart. I labored thru the night and she was born at the birth center, in the tub, at 5:40 am. How it is possible that 5 years has passed, I have no idea!! M is very excited and has been planning and plotting her birthday for the past 6 months. LOL. She had her school b-day celebration on Monday - it was really cute. Tomorrow DH will take the morning off (he hasn't told her though). I think we will go out for pastries and then to an amazing garden that is only ever open during the week and non-holidays so daddy has never been able to go with us. Dinner of her choice tomorrow. Her party is on Saturday at a huge gymnastics place that lets the kids play on a huge built in trampoline, foam pit, trapeze, etc. It will be 10 kids! No way I wanted that in my house. PLus they set up and tear down. We just have to bring food and drink. Should be really fun. We've had a ton of parties to go to this month. I've enjoyed them all - especially one at a bouncy house place last weekend - they let the parents go on everything. Man those bouncy slides are fun!! Parents can do everything except the trampoline at M's party.

Can't believe we've all been chatting away for over 5 years!!!

Hoping everyone is well! I think Starling might be on their month long trip right now?!

Nilla and Sue: Remind me when the babies are due!

Cindy


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Hey everyone!

I haven't been on in a while and hope everyone is doing well 

R had his 5th birthday a couple weeks ago and it was lots of fun. We had it at an indoor play place and he was so happy with it. I was glad I splurged on it even though money is a bit tight right now. I'm still unemployed :/ I didn't get the one job I interviewed for but I have an even better one I'm interviewing for in 2 weeks. So hopefully I'll get it!

I've been incredibly stressed lately with the job stuff and also my mom has been in the hospital since new years eve. She has cancer and is having a lot of complications. They are still treating but I don't know if she's going to pull through this time. R and I will be moving into her house in a couple weeks so I can help her when she comes home (if she does..) I honestly feel like I'm at my limit for stuff I can take. I feel like I'm going to break. I need things to get better so badly


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Oh Everr! My heart just sank when I read about your mom. I am so sorry. I will be praying for her to get well enough to come home and have more time to spend on this earth with you and R. I can't believe you and Mal are both having this happen at the same time. :-( And so hoping you get the even better job!!! Hugs. Just hugs.

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Everr -- I'm so sorry to hear about your mom, and hope very much she'll be able to come home again. I can't imagine all you must be going through, it all sounds so hard. Lots of hugs.

Is your field very competitive? Fingers crossed you'll get the better job soon.

Mal -- thinking of you too.

Cindy -- hope your mom settles in soon.

K's birthday is on the 14th, but we have no big plans. We'll have some kids over, some food, and he has some idea that they'll all throw paper airplanes through a target that sounds kind of complicated and the chances any other kids will play along are low. I think he'll have fun, but ignore all the children as usual, trying to get all the parents to listen to his latest theory/idea/interest. It's kind of funny, L just turned 3, and I can see that she's already making friends! Which is crazy to me, since K still has never really done that.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Everr so sorry to hear about your mom. I hope she pulls through so you can have some more time together. I sincerely hope that life hands you a nice big happy surprise sometime soon you deserve it.

Cindy - Baby is due end of April. That gymnastics party sounds like something Dee would love (and me too). She does gymnastics once a week.

Erin - I think ours will be low key as well but she has her heart set on going swimming. With me being giant and pregnant with no suit that fits this may prove difficult. She also wants a three tier cake. I have no idea who is going to eat all that cake. DH's birthday is 4 days later so maybe I will just freeze a layer.

I'm trying to celebrate and enjoy this last pregnancy but I'm at the 'everything hurts and I feel like I'm dying' stage most days, with at least 12 more weeks to go.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Everr, I am so sorry things are so hard right now. I'll be praying for your mom and for you.

Junie will be five this saturday. For her school we are bringing strawberries and homemade whip cream. she wants pink and purple whip cream. so I will make half with homemade strawberry syrup and half with blueberry. I haven't planned her party, shoot I haven't planned Josie's party yet and she turned 8 on new year's day. Shortage of money and school starting. I'll get around to it....eventually I hope.


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Everr: So sorry to hear about you mom. So much love and light Mama. It has to ease up for you sometime soon. Really!

Mal: How are you doing? I just read about you going nextdoor to your sisters house on fb. It must be wonderful to have each other close by!

Cindy: Big change for your mom! I hope she settles in quickly and is a nice help and support for you guys!

Nilla: I hope you start feeling better soon! Can you get a pregnancy massage?! I had one last week and wish I could afford one every week!

Erin: Is it super mild in your neck of the woods too? We have had almost no snow and barely any winter. I have a poppy plant already coming up and rhubarb too! Must mulch!

Thursday: I have been so impressed with all of your school efforts while raising 4 kids! You are awesome Mama!!

AFM: I have only about 3.5 weeks till my due date. I imagine I might go a few days early as I did with the girls but we will see. Getting everything in place here. Busy days wipe me out (like today, phew!). But we are getting closer! Pretty excited to meet this little guy. Fiona asked if she could get in the tub to catch the baby! I will have her help cut the cord! But the plan is to have both girls watch baby come. We will wake F if it is in the night but Maeve will be left to sleep!! My mom arrives on the 22nd so he can come any time after that!


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## starling&diesel (Nov 24, 2007)

Hi all!
Everr ... I'm so sorry to hear about your mom! How troubling, and hard on the heart and head. I so hope things start looking up. Way up, Mama!
Mal ... I think of you often. And I hope things are starting to feel easier somehow.
Nilla ... I remember that stage of pregnancy well, when the days crawled by by the weeks seemed to go pretty fast. I hope it's the same for you and that you're holding your baby soon, soon, soon! But not too soon.








Sue ... You're baby is almost HERE! So excited for you!
Erin ... If E and K weren't so socially oblivious I bet they'd get on fabulously. Only, they wouldn't really know each other existed. Guess that's a deal breaker, eh? H has good friends already too. Even older kids follow him when he starts a game at the park. Second kid thing?
Courtney ... Joint party time? Would your girls go for that?
Cindy ... That's BIG NEWS! Remind us, is your mom good for babysitting?

We're in Mexico for 5 weeks and loving it!

I spend way too much time looking at real estate listings and trying to figure out how we could move here and run a family-friendly B&B.

We took E horseback riding for her birthday, which she loved. And had ice cream.

It's been so nice to get away from home for awhile, and rediscover each other in a different environment, with everything stripped away.
We don't have any extra money to do much while we're here, so mostly we go to the beach, get groceries and come home. That can take the better part of an entire day! The kids are totally content with long walks and beaches as their sole entertainment, and we're content to putter along at their pace.

E still struggles with anxiety, sensitivity and some major sensory stuff, which is starting to jeopardize the very few friendships she does have. She has a compulsive need to touch *everything* and *everyone* and keep touching them, regardless of their requests that she stop or body language messages. We've been working with the pediatrician about it, but it's been getting worse lately. And it seems every more difficult now that she knows that she's not supposed to do it, but she can't help herself. The ped said there was no point in trying to redirect her tics and sensory stuff, but it's entirely socially unacceptable to *not* address her boundary issues, especially.

DP and I often talk about how impossible it would be for E to be in school, and how lucky she is that we're already on the homeschool/unschool path. She's the kid who would end up being taken out anyway after constant haranguing about her 'issues' and how disruptive they (likely) would be in a traditional classroom.
She is very OCD about many things, and because we know what is very important to her, we can accommodate the big things so that she can practice more approrpiate reactions to the smaller things.

I think I can honestly say here that she is too bright for her own good. Her mind never seems to slow down, and her body never seems to be at rest. I wish she could find a way to settle her mind and calm her body. We've tried so many things, but she is still always turned on.

So yes, great that she's ahead academically, but it's yet another thing that sets her apart from her peers.

H on the other hand, is easy going, and very typical.
He's as un-intense and E is intense.
He's happy, and hilarious, and sweet, and smart, and loving.

Totally different kids ... how does that even happen?
Courtney? Nilla? What's with the totally opposite kids from the same parent thing work?
Do you let the highest-needs kid set the family tone? Do you try to encourage flexibility where there is none?
Seems pretty hard to so often require E to adjust her very base and natural instincts and deeply held beliefs.
This turned into a novel.

Sorry.
Just so worried that she won't be at peace ... ever.







Her mind is on fire. And I know how that feels. Even though we're not biologically related, she's so much like me that way. I've been trying for almost 39 years to learn to relax and be calm and stopping obsessing, and so it's hard to see her go through the same anguish, when that's the last thing I want for her.
I see H is that calm, easy going kid, and so I know it's likely nature (her donor mom is very similar and E's eldest sister suffers GREATLY in this regard too ...)
Anyway, very long ramble to say that it's been SO NICE to be away from home, where these things weigh much heavier on my mind and heart.

We do so great as just our little unit of 4. It's only when the outside world invades that E gets so wobbly.
I'm so glad that we can keep her home.
Even if we did want to send her to school, I am confident that she'd be irrevocably undone by the entire experience, and thoroughly bored to boot.
Again, sorry for the vent. Clearly, it's on my mind.

I love you mamas, for being there for the last five and a half years. I value all of you in my life, and I'm so glad to have you as part of my community.
xo
c


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Everr -- Still thinking of you. How is R doing with your mom's illness?

Sue -- 3.5 weeks is soon! How exciting! I'd say we had no winter, but it showed up in force today. Our weekly Friday kid hike got blizzarded. We didn't make it to the beach, since we couldn't see the road, and didn't want to get the borrowed car stuck. So it was a short walk to the neighbors' instead. Still fun though.

Cindy -- Happy birthday to Junie! And L is a New Year's baby just like Josie. So I have one New Year's, and one Valentine's Day.

Nilla -- hope the 12 weeks passes at just the right speed.

Starling -- Don't apologize! I think all of us want to know what's going on -- it's a privilege to feel part of all these kids' lives.

That does sound like a tough spot for E, and you. But like you said, you can keep her world a little more steady for her--at least for now. And for later, perhaps she'll be able to gain the skills to handle those issues and impulses herself. We all want to spare our kids whatever was hardest for us in life, but I suppose it isn't always possible. I can see some similarities between E and K, especially in some of the focus and academic drive (K was telling me about what numbers could divide into 2, or 3, or 5 this morning), but I don't think K is nearly so intense. Not as out-of-norm academically, and while he's quite out-of-norm socially, it's in a rather cheerfully oblivious fashion, with no attached anxiety or shyness. We have a new regular playdate on Friday, in which a little girl comes over (right between my kids in age), plays hilarious games with L all morning long, while K ignores them to work on his projects alone or with me.

Does E want to engage with the outside world? Does she need the friends right now? I doubt being ahead academically will matter to them at all, really--it seems like kids this age don't have much conception of what people different ages should or shouldn't be able to do--but boundary issues probably will. Maybe she just isn't ready yet?

AFM -- Really hoping to get out K's new skis tomorrow, now that we've finally gotten snow. My mom's visiting right now, and will be here for another week, so we have a cheerful extended family group up at the compound now (MIL, SIL, my mom, and the 4 in my house), and I have both extra disruptions and extra childcare help, so it's kind of a wash. Very very slowly starting to write another book. Unfortunately, one of my best mom friends (and the only other likely homeschooler near my kids' age) just decided to move to Hawaii for a couple years, then to travel internationally. And while I'm happy for them, I'm also sad to lose them, and another piece of our already super tiny community.


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Oh Starling - that sounds hard. My kids are vastly different. Both are intense in their own ways though. Dee it is emotionally. She rides high and falls hard in her emotions multiple times a day. With Em he needs order and control and advance notice or he explodes. Thankfully traditional school gives him what he needs. He is struggling a bit socially right now and I'm not sure how to help him. He's advanced academically but while this makes the academics easy it also makes him bored and frustrated. It also singles him out against his peers. I think you will find it easier to meet both kids needs when they are a bit older. Especially with H. You will be able to put him in sports or activities while E reads her books or does her experiments.

Sue I took your advice and booked a massage. I can't wait. Oh do you know any Waldorf shops in Canada. I'm looking for a rocker board but so far can't find one in Canada.

AFM: I think I might be anemic. I'm so tired and getting very breathless for no reason. I also had an episode of low blood pressure at work the other day while wearing my lead apron where I almost passed out. I got my bloodwork done so I should find out at my midwife appointment this week. I'm hoping this is it and it's fixable. I'm also having many episodes of feeling like doom is impending. Oh and I asked DH for a 'push gift'. I want a tattoo to cover my c-section scar.

Erin - My oldest is just learning division and multiplication. Wowza.

Courtney- Is Josie's full name Josephine? This is one of the names we are considering for this girl.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Nilla -- Ugh, I hope iron fixes the problem. What will the tattoo be?

And I didn't meant that K was actually doing division! Just that even though he will solve something like 7+7 in a slow and error-prone way, he also surprises me with flashes of mathematical insight that seem to come out of nowhere. K: "I realized that every number can divide into (is divisible by) 1!" Me: "Is that true for other numbers, like 2 or 3?" K: "No. But 3 can divide into 3, and 6, and 8." Me: "8?" K: "No... Actually 9. And 10 can divide into 5. That means 20 can divide into 5, and 30, and 40, and 50, and..."


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

Not sure what the tattoo will be of yet but it will be black since I don't like how the colour fades. I have a little one from when I turned 18 and it's all blotchy.

Well I am not anemic. I am not sure what it up other than I think my BP drops if I am on my feet too long and then you add the weight of my lead plus blood to the gut after lunch and boom down it goes. DH thinks I should go off about mid march but I am afraid to go off to early and just sit around and get larger. Another part of me wants to be done work NOW.

We went swimming for Dee's birthday then back to our house for cupcake decorating and present opening. It was low key and it worked well. Only 5 other kids and their parents. She was happy. She crashed hard that night though and had a crying jag about it all being over and not lasting all day. We make birthdays a big deal with presents on the table when they wake up, an activity of their choosing and special dinner and breakfast. Maybe I go overboard?

I miss the chats here. My new DDC for this baby is so different because it's on FB. It's an MDC group but the chatting is on FB and I find it hard to remember who everyone is without the MDC names. Plus it's a bit more about the pictures and sharing articles than it is about sharing the little moments of pregnancy and life.

I hope the birthdays went well for everyone and that those that are grieving are finding some peace.


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## Everrgreen (Feb 27, 2007)

Hi ladies,

I hope everyone is doing well. I'm sorry I can't respond to everyone right now. Just wanted to update on me. I started a new job yesterday, permanent, in my home town, and in my field. So I feel like I won the lottery with it.

But, in other news. Today I found out that my moms treatment isn't working and there is nothing more they can do for her. Even though I knew she was sick I can't seem to accept that she will actually be gone. I'm not really sure what to do.

I just needed to share with you all. I should try and update more often, but life has been so complicated recently.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Everr, I am so sorry the treatment didn't work for your mom. Whenever you need to talk or share go ahead. I wish I could do more.

Congrats on the job though, at least there is a bright spot in your life.

Nilla- yes, her name is Josephine. You'll have to share a picture of the tattoo.

Sue, thinking of you and your baby.

Starling- That sounds like an intense mix.

Birthday- Junes went well (can't remember if I posted about hers) My sister was in town and we actually had he special breakfast, McDonalds (I know, gross) for lunch, and spent time shopping. I still haven't faced the birthday planning. I just keep saying " I'll plan it after my test" then I have another test to get ready for.

I got accepted into the National society of collegiate scholars, and for the induction ceremony my friend watched the kids and Chris and I had a date. we were supposed to eat first but there wasn't enough time and we ended up having Taco Bell ( I know, gross but I actually sort of like it and it has been years since I've had it.) and even though it was a "lame" date I had such a good time just being with him...and it only cost $9 which is kind of sweet.

okay, I have to go study for a test.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

Everr: Congrats on the job - that is awesome! I am so sorry that there is bad news to come along with the good. When I saw that you had posted I was thinking - oh please let her mom be ok!!I hope you can make the most of your time left together. I cannot imagine. Your family is in my thoughts!! I wish there were something we could do.

So my mom moved here in January. And today the movers came and took her stuff back to San Diego. She lasted 1 month. Never really gave it a chance. But she says she learned some valuable lessons. What a bummer! My sister flies in tomorrow night to drive her back to SD on Thursday.Crazy.

Cindy


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Everr -- So sad about your mom. Lots of hugs. Hopefully the job will at least take that aspect of stress out of your life while you spend time with her.

Cindy -- What did your mom hate so much about being near you?

Courtney -- Congratulations on the scholar society! And I think a date can be fun regardless of what you do, sometimes. Usually my DH and I just play board games after the kids are in bed.  There's nowhere to go but the bar, and not worth getting a babysitter so we can go hang out with the bar crowd.

AFM -- I've been full on into learning skiing this winter (at least until today, when it started to rain). We've got a regular 'adult ski day' going on Sunday when we can get way up into the mountains, and we've been getting the little kids skiing at least one afternoon a week. We had them on my little side road yesterday, being towed up behind a truck, then rocketing down the hill practicing their turns. It's such an awesome thing to see! K is doing great with it, despite his cautious personality, and L is willing to do a little. The only thing that bothers me is that we tend to do all the cool stuff for kids during school hours (weekly hikes, ski day, aikido class), and I feel sad about the kids we've lost to kindergarten. I never see them anymore. I'd love to recapture some of them, or not lose more next year, but the scheduling is so hard. Even when it's light enough to start an activity 3:30, that's so late! My kids won't have any energy left by then, and I can't imagine a 5 yr old who's been in school since 8:30 will have much left either. But maybe it would work?


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I think it wasn't so much that she didn't like being close to me. LOL. It's that she didn't like how urban it is. She's used to suburbs where the town centers around the strip mall with a huge parking lot. Easy to park. Low crime. Normal families all around. Plus she is just not the daring type - hates to drive new places, etc. I have no idea why she thought it would be any other way than how it is here - more urban, no parking lots, parking meters, harder to park, everything new to her, more crime, more crazy looking people.She loved seeing me and my girls but it was only part of her day and she says she hated her apartment and cried when she would go home from being with me and she had a life back home and friends and she had the chance to move back into her condo that she left bc the owner has just finished remodeling it and had not rented it yet.I still think it's crazy. But oh well. I feel a tiny bit relieved even though I am so sad she is going bc I did feel guilty a lot when I wasn't with her. Even though she didn't expect me to be with her all the time. I think she forgot how busy a mom of littles is. She didn't realize I was so busy all the time.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

for my internet friends


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

That's lovely Courtney. Congratulations on the honour society.

Cindy sorry your mom didn't last in the city.

Ever Congrats on the job!

Erin is it cross country or downhill?

AFM: 34 weeks tommorow. I'm tired and sore and sick ugh! 2-3 more weeks of work. Trying to fit this new baby into our spaces is proving to be challenging. I bought 2 boosters so far and neither fits with 2 carseats. I can't find an armoire or dresser used to put the babies stuff into. There's no place for a highchair (especially the honking one we have). I'm exhausted from trying to figure out logistics of where to put everyone and their stuff in both the house and the car.

Question: For those with girls and long hair. How do you handle the brushing with no tears?

Went to a Lego event at my son's school last night where the kids display their creations and get a prize if they get picked out of a draw. There were a lot of prizes so about half the kids got some and it took a while to dole them out. Afterwards there were lots of tears of disappointment for those that didn't get a prize. Not sure how I feel about it. I know kids have to learn about disappointment and that there really is no such thing as fair and equal in most of the world. But it seemed to kill the excitement of the event. DH said well if he didn't win we could buy him some lego but that feels wrong to me. I tried to prepare him for it and told him there were no guarantees. He won something small though so he wasn't one in tears but my heart was wrenching for the other kids. Maybe it's just the pg hormones?


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## AKislandgirl (Jun 2, 2008)

Hi~ I haven't posted in ages. Enjoying new baby bliss along with some added chaos. Today is Dh's first day back to work although only a half day. Thankfully he will be doing half days for 2 weeks. I'm not ready for 3 kids solo!! But we are doing well. Cormac is a totally mellow baby. His sisters adore him and are doing well with the new addition. Maeve was full of tantrums for a few days but has really settled down and is back to her old happy self.

I'll have to share my birth story one of these days. I did end up transferring to the hospital which was disappointing. But we were both ok and he was born about an hour after we got there.

Starling: I know you posted a long time ago, but I wanted to ask you if you had thought about OT for E? It was such a help to Fiona. Also, the out of sink child has fun is a great book with lots of ideas. Sorry to hear how heavily these things are weighing on your heart. And I totally get it!

Nilla: Things are super tight here too! Somehow it has worked out. We reconfigured our closet which helped. I just hope we can move before Cormac is too big. I'd love to have a bedroom for M too even if she doesn't use it right away. F is finally in her own room although DH sleeps with her half the time. I don't know, somehow it works out. You are in the home stretch now!!

Everr: Been thinking about you Mama! So sorry about your Mama. Hope you are doing ok.

Cindy: I can't believe your mom moved everything and then moved back!!

Mal: Thinking about you too! How are you? Do you have a spring break coming up?

Erin: Any big adventures on the horizon this spring/summer? Do you ever just want to be home with your garden for the summer or does the adventure pull you?

Courtney: I'm continually impressed with all you have on your plate! Keep up the good work Mama? Will you continue classes in the summer?


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Sue - Glad to hear the new addition is settling in well. And 3 kids solo sounds crazy! We are actually planning to be mostly around this year (no trips longer than a week or two), since I do like being home with the garden and our backyard wilderness too. I think every other year is best for multi-month expeditions.

Nilla - You can fit! (says the one from the one room house). It'll all work out somehow. That Lego thing sounds weird. I guess I could see getting them used to accepting that not everyone wins in an actual competition (on merits), but if prizes are just randomly assigned and not to everyone? That just sounds like making only enough cookies for half the kids at a party. It's downhill skiing here -- not enough flat for cross country (which is what I knew as a kid).

Cindy -- Funny about your mom. I think mine is a little bit the opposite. She comes here and feels like there's too little going on in my tiny town for her taste. I think she'll probably spend summers here and winters traveling for the forseeable future. She's in central America right now.

AFM - Just got a nice mid-March blizzard, which actually kind of made me happy, as it made skiing so much easier. In hindsight, it perhaps wasn't the BEST idea to take a 5yo, 4yo, 3yo, and 2yo (who was carried) hiking up a long uphill trail in the blizzard to ski down, with not-quite-adequate clothing for the rapid temperature drop. But hey, it's Friday, and we always go hiking Fridays. The two older kids did quite well, I had a bunch of cookies for them all, and Lituya looked very cute dressed up in my coat (though she did a fair amount of crying and decided not to ski). But the snow is ending, and we're going camping tomorrow, since we've got a new plan to go camping every full moon.

I've been struggling with my various writing projects lately, and have set them aside to work on a kids' picture book with my artist sister-in-law, which is proving to be a lot of fun. Hope it ends up working out.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

Erin, I am so excited for a kid's picture book from you. I am loving small feet, big land, although I had to make myself stop reading it so I could concentrate more on school. it's on my list of things to do after this semester is over.

Sue, I am loving the Cormac pictures.

nilla- your coming near the end of the pregnancy, how's it going? Brushing hair- detangler spray and conditioner.

speaking of hair, June cut the end off of her braid while I was on the phone today, so now she just got her very first haircut.



Cindy, sorry your mom moved back. sometimes moms are funny.

Everr- how are you doing, I saw a picture of R in a plane...


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

also, does everyone have a facebook now? are you all adverse to making a facebook group that is private where we can talk? Partly for ease of use and partly b/c no one but us could see it. here anyone with a computer can read our conversations


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## Nillarilla (Nov 20, 2007)

I'm up for moving to a secret group in FB. We still have a group but it's a closed group not secret so I think stuff can still show up in news feeds. Plus some of the members haven't chatted here in a long time so we might want to start something new.

End of pregnancy is going well. I am done work so that feels good but I liked the distraction of not thinking about the baby coming and focusing on my uterus. I need to make sure that I get my exercise in though. Work forced me to do that and at home I spend more time crocheting and on fb rather than up and about.


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## Vegan Princess (Jun 20, 2007)

I'm up for facebook.

Sue - still wanting to hear the birth story!

Sorry so short right now...


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

I'm good for a FB group also. Easier in many ways.

Starling-- have you done picture books before? I have a good in with a publisher, but will need to send her my draft very soon (like next week or two) if I want a shot at that, which makes me nervous. I'm used to adult books, where you don't need to send nearly the whole text at first!

Still skiing up here. Amazing to see how the kids have progressed. K is overly cautious and not a natural athlete, but he's so focused and persistent when he's working on something (especially a new trick), that I think he's even starting to pass up some of the wilder kids in skiing skills. And I suppose he's not distracted by hanging out with other kids, since he still doesn't care for that. Yesterday he was doing banked turns on the snow berm, sidestepping up hills, jumping, stopping sharply, etc...

I've also been starting seedlings for the garden, in anticipation of the snow melting sometime soonish (it's a low snow year, so I expect it'll be gone before May).


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