Monday Randoms Here

[littlesthobo]

Sept 12, 2016 11:06:22 GMT -5 sarcaztic10 said:

Sept 12, 2016 10:55:59 GMT -5 melody330 said:

Good luck! I teach first grade so let me know if you need anything. When did they start school? It seems awfully early to have the "I'm concerned about your kids progress" meeting.

He started school about 5 weeks ago. He can do addition and subtraction at home but he seems to be struggling with it in the classroom. I am not sure what his deal is in regards to that.

Really it's all the other stuff I am concerned with. They are expecting him to be able to write out full sentences, that make sense, with the beginning letter capitalized and a period at the end already. Is that what 1st graders are supposed to be able to do 4 weeks in? It seems like a lot.

We are trying to work with him on everything on top of the homework she assigns every day that lasts about 1-1.5 hours but it's hard! 1-1.5 hours of homework everyday for a 6.5 year old seems excessive as well.

Also agree that five weeks is wayyyy too early. Some students take until Christmas to settle into the classroom routines!

I have experience teaching both Grade 1 and 2, and I can tell you that capitals and periods are something that my second graders often need to be reminded to do!

And that homework seems excessive. I'm in Canada, so it's probably a little different, but the ministry here says that kids should be getting 10 mins per grade per night. So 10 minutes of homework for grade 1. I only sent leveled home reading books with activities that you could choose to complete.

Ask how the addition/subtraction is being taught. I had a girl struggling once and it turned out mom was doing it one way, and school was doing it differently. Once we figured that out, she caught on!

One thing that helps my students with writing is having an editing checklist that they refer to before handing anything in. Capitals? Check! Periods? Check! Can be as small as those two things and written on a sticky note, easy.

Definitely ask about the current expectations and next steps (where they are headed with the curriculum). To me it sounds like the teacher's expectations are extremely high. Good luck!

[Ray]

Sept 12, 2016 10:55:59 GMT -5 melody330 said:

Sept 12, 2016 10:18:20 GMT -5 sarcaztic10 said:

I have to call an eye Dr today for a vision test for L. I also have an appt with L's teacher on his progress. She says he is behind where a starting 1st grader should be. I am not sure that L is focusing or trying in school just from some of the things I have seen come home. It's all stressing me out.

Good luck! I teach first grade so let me know if you need anything. When did they start school? It seems awfully early to have the "I'm concerned about your kids progress" meeting.

Also a teacher, also side-eyeing this. Let us know!

[littlesthobo]

Sept 12, 2016 14:57:29 GMT -5 tootsie said:

Sept 12, 2016 13:59:36 GMT -5 katelou said:

That is what I'm afraid of! And my kid is a relentless beggar, so as her mom it's just easier to not start something than to have to say no to it 65,000 times.

Also I am so glad you are getting help for PPD. I hope you start to feel better quick.

Stay strong on this one! The best thing that ever happened was our iPad breaking (well, it was stolen and broken, but whatevs). My DD is also a relentless beggar and was basically obsessed with the iPad. Her behavior is so much better without that thing present in our house and she really gets only a tiny sliver of screen time now. I'm definitely not anti screen time, it just does horrible things to DD so making it rare really works for us.

DS1 is also obsessed with the iPad! It's great if I need him to be occupied, but he will play for hours on it. And then there's a fight when it's time to turn it off. I keep it hidden and only bring it out if necessary.

[mcktymck]

I just got back from getting the Mirena put in. I was so nervous leading up to it but feel so much better now. DNW any siblings for Sam until he can ask for them himself haha

[Ray]

Had a good day today! Even though I had a shitty nights sleep lol (but going out to the movies with mom friends was worth screwing up his bedtime routine lol)

DH made a delicious quiche and an asparagus salad for dinner. Now we're just chilling watching TV.

[Ray]

Sept 12, 2016 16:21:49 GMT -5 littlesthobo said:

Sept 12, 2016 14:57:29 GMT -5 tootsie said:

Stay strong on this one! The best thing that ever happened was our iPad breaking (well, it was stolen and broken, but whatevs). My DD is also a relentless beggar and was basically obsessed with the iPad. Her behavior is so much better without that thing present in our house and she really gets only a tiny sliver of screen time now. I'm definitely not anti screen time, it just does horrible things to DD so making it rare really works for us.

DS1 is also obsessed with the iPad! It's great if I need him to be occupied, but he will play for hours on it. And then there's a fight when it's time to turn it off. I keep it hidden and only bring it out if necessary.

SS2 (9) is *actually* addicted to screens. He has a hard time relating to anything in real life. For example, one time e was trying to ask me "what's the furthest you've ever walked?" And he said "what's your walking high score?" It's sad. His eyes are absolutely destroyed.

The joys of co-parenting.

[rungirlrun]

Sept 12, 2016 12:22:27 GMT -5 tootsie said:

I'm back! We just spent a week in Minnesota for my dad's wedding. It was a blast, but holy shit, flying two kids across the country requires so much crap. I dropped DD1 off at her first day at her new daycare and now I'm trying to tackle a mountain of laundry. I missed y'all!

I hear ya. We are flying CA to NY for Thanksgiving. Kill me now.

Glad you had a good time!

[littlesthobo]

Went for a play date with my friend and her two kids, and we ended up out for lunch. I had to change L so I took him and DS1 to the bathroom together. It was a fiasco.

DS1 carried the diaper and change mat. I didn't bring wipes because I was 100% certain L had not pooped.

L had pooped. I used wet toilet paper to the best of my ability.

Asked DS1 for the clean diaper. He refused to hand it over and ran to the opposite side of the washroom.

While I'm fighting with DS1 for the diaper, L pees all over the change table and mat. (I have no wipes!)

I finally get the diaper and DS1 starts hitting me out of frustration. I'm trying to dodge the hits while diapering L and keep him out of the puddle of urine.

I try to mop up the pee with paper towel while holding L and yelling at DS1. Decide to say fuck it and throw the change mat in the garbage.

Somehow manage to calm DS1 down by having him wash his hands, and wash mine as well.

Leave the bathroom looking like a happy little unit.

[littlesthobo]

Sept 12, 2016 16:28:22 GMT -5 Ray said:

Sept 12, 2016 16:21:49 GMT -5 littlesthobo said:

DS1 is also obsessed with the iPad! It's great if I need him to be occupied, but he will play for hours on it. And then there's a fight when it's time to turn it off. I keep it hidden and only bring it out if necessary.

SS2 (9) is *actually* addicted to screens. He has a hard time relating to anything in real life. For example, one time e was trying to ask me "what's the furthest you've ever walked?" And he said "what's your walking high score?" It's sad. His eyes are absolutely destroyed.

The joys of co-parenting.

that's sad!

[tootsie]

Sept 12, 2016 16:30:16 GMT -5 rungirlrun said:

Sept 12, 2016 12:22:27 GMT -5 tootsie said:

I'm back! We just spent a week in Minnesota for my dad's wedding. It was a blast, but holy shit, flying two kids across the country requires so much crap. I dropped DD1 off at her first day at her new daycare and now I'm trying to tackle a mountain of laundry. I missed y'all!

I hear ya. We are flying CA to NY for Thanksgiving. Kill me now.

Glad you had a good time!

Good luck! Besides all of the crap, it really went smoothly. I think we'll be flying from TX to CA for thanksgiving, so we can commiserate on what a PITA is is to fly during a high volume week.

[mcktymck]

We're flying from OR to CT next Thursday and I'm a little nervous about the flight. Sam hates sitting or doing the same thing for very long, I'm afraid he's going to scream the whole time and cause a scene. I know I shouldn't worry about the people around us getting annoyed but I am. My social anxiety is making me panic. Any tips for those that have flown with kids before?

ETA words, because butter fingers.

[sarcaztic10]

melody330, littlesthobo, and Ray thank you all for your feedback! It's so helpful!

I met with his teacher and expressed my concerns that the expectations are too much for 5 weeks in and that maybe he just needed more time to adjust.

She showed me his work compared to his peers and he is behind some others in his class. He really struggles with writing and spelling words phonetically. He also can't put together a sentence yet but Once I told her he had never worked on that before she understood better why he was struggling. She has him in early intervention groups for all of these things and says that the is referring him to an OT that comes to work on his pencil grip and fine motor skills.

She agreed that math wasn't as much of a problem as she made it out to be on the assessment.

She also agrees that he may just need more time to adjust since his kindergarten classroom was a much smaller more loosly structured classroom.

She wants to meet again in a month to discuss his progress.

[rungirlrun]

mcktymck honestly flying at this age isn't too bad. I flew with my older son at 3 months, and he basically nursed and slept the whole time. The plane engine is like white noise. The only rough part was when he had an explosive diaper about 30 seconds after we left the gate. So you know it would be forever until the fasten seat belt light went off. I just changed his diaper on my lap.

Advice: pack a change of clothes for him and you (at least a shirt for you). Put a few diapers/wipes/spare clothes in a large ziplock so if you have to change him in the plane bathroom, you don't have to bring a whole big bag with you. Nurse him on takeoff and landing so his ears aren't bothered. Bring a carrier so you can wear him.

Good luck! If he cries, he cries. 90% of people I've sat near while flying with my son were really nice and understanding. And he always did better than I thought he'd do. I'm just dreading our Thanksgiving trip bc it will be crowded, we'll have 2 kids so twice as likely to have a meltdown, we are doing a red eye so the kids will probably be cranky bc it will be way past bedtime, I swear 75% of times I fly my flight is delayed or canceled (never travel with me!), and I don't even know how we will get all of our stuff from the car to the airport. But you'll be fine!

[melody330]

sarcaztic10 that sounds much more reasonable. I'm glad he is in the early intervention programs, hopefully they will help a lot!

[icaughtfire]

Sept 12, 2016 14:57:29 GMT -5 tootsie said:

Sept 12, 2016 13:59:36 GMT -5 katelou said:

That is what I'm afraid of! And my kid is a relentless beggar, so as her mom it's just easier to not start something than to have to say no to it 65,000 times.

Also I am so glad you are getting help for PPD. I hope you start to feel better quick.

Stay strong on this one! The best thing that ever happened was our iPad breaking (well, it was stolen and broken, but whatevs). My DD is also a relentless beggar and was basically obsessed with the iPad. Her behavior is so much better without that thing present in our house and she really gets only a tiny sliver of screen time now. I'm definitely not anti screen time, it just does horrible things to DD so making it rare really works for us.

OMG yes, stay strong. If given the opportunity, DD would play on the tablet from sun up to sun down. The minute she walks in the door from school "can I play on the tablet?" We try to set limits but sometimes I need to keep her occupied while I deal with the baby or something. If you tell her no she asks over&over&over&over. I liked it in the beginning, it was something fun for her to do on her own. I've watched it become a problem as time goes on. Breaking the habit & cutting back now is the worst.

[Ray]

Sept 12, 2016 16:34:53 GMT -5 littlesthobo said:

Sept 12, 2016 16:28:22 GMT -5 Ray said:

SS2 (9) is *actually* addicted to screens. He has a hard time relating to anything in real life. For example, one time e was trying to ask me "what's the furthest you've ever walked?" And he said "what's your walking high score?" It's sad. His eyes are absolutely destroyed.

The joys of co-parenting.

that's sad!

It really is. It's a hard cycle to break too. He's very uncoordinated and not very athletic so he's not a huge fan of being outside/playing sports and doesn't go out very often which means he stays uncoordinated...so he doesn't want to go out....

We really strictly limit screen time here, and encourage him to build with his Legos, draw, etc. And although he's not a fan of it generally we'll encourage him him to go out and play with his brother and the neighbours

[Ray]

My boobs feel like someone went at them with a potato masher. Owee

[prvc678]

Today was hellish with the toddler. She was at a level 11 all day, and refused to nap (shocking, since she was up 3x last night, and was also trying to get up at 5am.., oh hell no!). The baby did great this morning, taking two long'ish naps in the RNP, but also didn't want to nap this afternoon. Then she fussed all evening before having a huge poop. Hopefully my children are going to cooperate tonight, DH and I are exhausted. 😴

[rungirlrun]

Dear FIL - Yes I known E just ate. He's always eating. He's breastfed. There is no schedule. If I think he needs to eat, don't tell me he's not hungry.

I need to play that message on repeat.

[melody330]

Please God do not let this be an indicator of how tonight is going to go. B is just screaming in our faces. Doesn't want boobs, doesn't want snuggles, doesn't want me or H, can't be held but won't be put down. Won't take pacifier either.

Go the hell to sleep and you will feel better dude. I promise.

[littlesthobo]

melody330 hopefully he just needs a good fart or poop! Fingers crossed for a good night!

[comicSans]

Gonna be a long night here. Baby has forgotten all the progress he's made.

I put him down because I was uncomfortable. Nope. Woke right up. Figured I'd take the opportunity to feed him and try to go to bed. Nope he's asleep in my arms. He hasn't eaten in 4 hours, but is too tired to eat? But not too tired to wake up if he's not being held? Argh

[tootsie]

Sept 12, 2016 17:20:38 GMT -5 mcktymck said:

We're flying from OR to CT next Thursday and I'm a little nervous about the flight. Sam hates sitting or doing the same thing for very long, I'm afraid he's going to scream the whole time and cause a scene. I know I shouldn't worry about the people around us getting annoyed but I am. My social anxiety is making me panic. Any tips for those that have flown with kids before?

ETA words, because butter fingers.

You are going to be fine, Sam will do great! We've flown a ton with DD1 and this age is BY FAR the easiest, I swear. The white noise of the engine is perfect for knocking out tiny babies, both of my girls have slept 95% of the flight at under 2 months.
Ditto pretty much everything rungirlrun said about taking extra outfits. Shirt for you, outfit or two for baby, and a few more diapers than you think you need. My best method for getting through the airport is to take the baby in the car seat snapped into a stroller. That way I can put my crap in the stroller and not have to lug the car seat all the way. I always gate check both stroller and car seat. I know that is somewhat controversial, but I do it because it's by far most convenient for me. I always bring a wrap/carrier too, but rarely use it. You have to take baby out of it to get through security, which is so dumb and annoying.
I have definitely had a few flights where Dd1 screamed her lungs out, but I always remind myself that I will most likely never see these people again, so oh well, we can all make it through a couple hours. If he cries, he cries, but most people are really nice and understanding.

[tootsie]

Oh yeah, apparently when you carry the baby through the metal detector at airport security you get your hands swabbed with the little explosive detector wipes now. Maybe it's always been like that, but I don't remember it happening before. Anyway, on the way home my hands tested positive! What the fuck! I don't recall handling any bombs recently, so I have no idea how that happened. Lucky me got the full search and pat down, and I then realized what a miserable existence it must be to be a TSA officer. Next time H can carry the baby, I am not doing that shit again, ever.

[comicSans]

tootsie and mcktymck I've never had to take DD out of a carrier to go through airport security. I always wore her in the ergo, until the last time we flew when she was almost 2 and just wasn't having it. You do have to take baby out for takeoff and landing.

We always gate check the car seat just in case there are extra seats on the plane. If there are extra seats they'll usually let you bring it on board as that's the safest way for baby to fly.

Don't forget the birth certificate. Some airlines don't check, but others do. Southwest uses it to issue a separate boarding pass for baby.

I always found light, 1 piece sleepers great for travel - the fewer piece to deal with the better.

You should be fine at this age, but letting go of schedules and routine and just going with the flow is key to happy travels. Babies are adaptable and you'll be fine on the other end if naps don't happen when they normally do or your routine gets thrown off a bit.