STM check in 7/6

[Deleted]

How are LO's siblings adjusting this week?

Any funny things they have said about the new baby?

Randoms?
Questions for everybody?

[Deleted]

I saw such improvement this week w DS behavior. When I need to feed the baby or baby wear her around the house he isn't getting upset as much or throwing a tantrum instead he plays more independently w toys or just observes what we are doing and talk to us. It's such a relief to know things are getting better!

When I was putting DS to bed last night this was our conversation
Me: do you like your baby sister?
DS: uh huh
Me: what does Ali do during the day?
DS: owlie poops a lot, sleeps a lot and drinks milk from boobies all day

randoms. Dh and I don't even attempt going to restaurants w DS for dinner.. Breakfast maybe because he is in a better mood in the morning. Now that we have the baby I can't imagine going to dinner as a family for years. Does anyone else attempt this successfully?

We do have a fun weekly family outing where every Thursday evening we take the train to a local farmers market. They have a orchestra style band that plays and local food trucks. It's all outdoors so DS loves it

[silv3rlining]

Jul 6, 2015 7:12:24 GMT -5 @poppyc8 said:

I saw such improvement this week w DS behavior. When I need to feed the baby or baby wear her around the house he isn't getting upset as much or throwing a tantrum instead he plays more independently w toys or just observes what we are doing and talk to us. It's such a relief to know things are getting better!

When I was putting DS to bed last night this was our conversation
Me: do you like your baby sister?
DS: uh huh
Me: what does Ali do during the day?
DS: owlie poops a lot, sleeps a lot and drinks milk from boobies all day

randoms. Dh and I don't even attempt going to restaurants w DS for dinner.. Breakfast maybe because he is in a better mood in the morning. Now that we have the baby I can't imagine going to dinner as a family for years. Does anyone else attempt this successfully?

We do have a fun weekly family outing where every Thursday evening we take the train to a local farmers market. They have a orchestra style band that plays and local food trucks. It's all outdoors so DS loves it

We went out to lunch on father's day with some friends of ours and their 2 year old. I didn't even give it a second thought. However DS (almost 2) goes out with us all the time. We've also gone out to lunch after DSs tumbling class. It's a bit harder with LO bc she isn't a great nursery when I use a cover, but I won't not use a cover of come sort in public.

[tulips114]

We're doing pretty good. We've seen an increase in tantrums in DD2 (almost 2 1/2), but I think they are more related to her age than they are the baby. The hard thing for us is that they love him so much and they constantly want to give hugs and kisses, they are practically smothering him. But I just keep trying to involve them in what I can and wear him when I think he needs some space. The girls are playing really well together most of the time, so that is good.

DD2 says, I lub you baby brudder. It's the cutest thing ever.

[tulips114]

@poppyc8 we never eat out, I mean except on the very rare occasion that we are out at a meal time and have to....like the last time is when we bought our car in March, we were an hour away from home at dinner time. It's just so much easier to eat at home. Not to mention cheaper, healthier, etc.

[Widget123]

Well DD has been a lot sweeter to LO (and me too), giving him lots of kisses, and the tantrums have died down somewhat... And then she'll kick him in the head or punch him in the stomach, ugh. DH and I are having trouble responding to her actions. I want to talk to her rationally about it but it seems like she is still too young for that. She understands rewards for good behavior but isn't quite there with punishments for bad behavior. Thoughts?

DH is such a bad influence and tells DD that I'm sleeping with the baby every time in not around even though that isn't true and I bet she has been telling her teachers at daycare that. Not really funny things she saying other than thinking I'm always sleeping and feeding the baby.

ETA we've gone out in public quite a bit as a family but not for a meal yet as a foursome.

[tatersalad]

I need to work on activities for our toddler while I'm on leave from the gym because he misses kids club and is on summer break from pre-school. He is so bored that he went and got the dust buster out and is vacuuming his face while I type this. Other than being bored and mommy being tired, the adjustment is going really well. Tripp has been a super sweet big brother and I was expecting the transition to be much rougher than it has been so far.

[lunalovegood]

How are LO's siblings adjusting this week? I have older kids so I don't have the tantrums and acting out like some of you ladies, but I remember that all too well from several years ago. My "big kids" are doing pretty good. DD#1 (9yo) is constantly in LO's face and wanting to kiss her and be with her. Sometimes I have to tell her that LO and I both need some space. She is so excited to have a sister though after being the only girl with 3 brothers.
Although she and DS#1 have been fighting like crazy lately. I don't know if it has anything to do with LO, but they are driving me crazy with their constant picking at eachother.

Any funny things they have said about the new baby?
DS#3 (6yo) is so cute with LO, he hates to see her cry and will ask if "baby sister needs a hug from big brother." I think he likes not being the baby of the family.

Randoms? Total AW - LO has slept through the night for the past three nights!! She will go down around 9-10 and sleep until about 6:30. I know I am being totally spoiled right now and I will probably get hit with a bunch of MOTN wake ups soon, but I will take it for now!

[Deleted]

Widget123 if DS starts throwing things or if he hits one of the dogs DH or I takes him to his room and tells him what he did wrong. We too are in a similar situation where I think it's just to early for him to understand what he did wrong. I do find his bad behavior is worse if he hasn't eaten a snack in a while ( low blood sugar??) or if he needs a nap. So we are really structured w his naps

[Deleted]

tatersalad Such a cute picture!!!

[tiffbot]

Hi!

DS seemed to just accept the baby was now in his life the day we brought her home. She's just over a month old now and the only real changes are he's even more comfortable with her, so sometimes forgets and is more rough touching her than he should be. But he still loves kissing her and petting her hair. Yesterday I was standing beside him holding her (he was sitting down) and he pulled on my arm to see her like he normally does, and shortly after she started crying so I told him I can take her again (he's not good at holding her yet, I just hold her on his lap and he holds her hand or head), and he said no and pulled her closer and put his hand on her tummy and started stroking her hair and putting his face near hers like he was trying to settle her. It was too cute.  Another big milestone is his vocabulary started really expanding in the last week, so he finally started saying his version of her name instead of just 'baby' (her name is Louisa, he calls her Geeda, or baby Geeda..lol! Getting there!)

It was DS's 2nd birthday yesterday too which was nice in the sense we could make sure we had a special weekend focused around him. He loved having his family and friends over on Saturday and he thought it was cool all the gifts were special for him, as he's been helping me open gifts for DD the last month.  

I asked him yesterday if I could take a picture of them dressed up for the game and for his birthday and he climbed up on the couch and he held her hand when I held her in front

[billyhorrible]

@poppyc8, We go out to dinner all the time, both before and after baby. We went to dinner with friends when BH was 4 days old. And we went out last night. I think most of parenting is all about managing expectations. We don't expect LBB to sit nicely at the table and partake in adult conversation, so we plan accordingly. When he was younger, we'd go to the restaurant early, sometimes looking up the menu before hand so we could order quickly. One of us would then take LBB "for a walk" to look at pictures on the wall, play outside, etc. until food arrives. Now that he's older, crayons for coloring are usually entertaining enough, but we still order his food fairly soon after we sit. We also go to really kid-friendly places. The place we went when BH was 4 days old has a kid's area with toys and a chalkboard for kids to play in. And the baby is super easy to eat out with. DH or I wear the baby in a carrier and he pretty much sleeps the entire time. I can nurse in the carrier or we can walk him around if he gets fussy. This is from when we went out for breakfast on Father's Day (but same idea for dinners):


Widget123, I'm a big fan of natural consequences and I've always talked to LBB using rationalization.  So in your situation I'd talk about not hurting others.  I'm sure she's heard that before in general, it also applies to her new baby.  And if she can't play nicely with her new baby, just like any other friend, she doesn't get to be near/touch/play with the new baby.  And then continue with the positive reinforcement when you see her behaving well: "It makes me so happy when you're sweet to your little brother." or "What a fantastic big sister you are!"

How are LO's siblings adjusting this week? Still the same.  LBB always wants to hold BH, kiss and hug him, give him toys.  He did exceptionally well with going to school last week.  I thought he'd give me a hard time and want to stay home, but he didn't fight me at all. 

Any funny things they have said about the new baby?  LBB always asks "whose baby is that?" or "Is that my baby?"  even though he knows the answer.  If I joke and tell him that it's a random baby I found on the street he gets really upset and says "don't say that!"

Randoms? DH was so worried about me having both kids on my own, but so far it's been nice going out with both boys.  LBB is actually on better behavior (probably because he knows our outings are dependent on him being a good listener).  Plus they're low key (library, coffee shop, etc.  This week we have the children's museum and pedicures on tap.)

[veggiemo]

How are LO's siblings adjusting this week? This last week has been an improvement. Not being quite as aggressive toward LO, but still has his moments. I definitely can't even be across the room from them, I always need to be within arms reach so I can protect the baby if necessary. It makes me sad, but like I said we are seeing small amounts of improvement. Tantrums in general have been few and far between. He's been pretty good lately in that regard.

Any funny things they have said about the new baby? We are always telling DS1 that one day the baby will grow up to be bigger and be able to play with him. The other day, the baby woke up from a long nap and so I said "Hi buddy, you're awake! Are you ready to play with us?" and DS1 spins around to look and says "What?? Him bigger?" Not quite what I meant

Randoms? Overall I can't believe how well DH and I are adjusting to this. It was such a rough time with DS1, that it really made me worry about what to expect. I think what also helps is the fact that it's summer and when things start to get a little hectic, we can just walk to the park or go outside. DS1 was a September baby and here in Michigan there was just a lot of sitting on the couch during the winter months. I went a little crazy.

[theBeeMama]

-DS is doing really well! We've had a few intense moments with his behavior, which normally is not an issue as he is a super great kid, but I have tried to balance discipline with just loving on him extra when he's acting out, because I know that he's just overwhelmed. (DD is still only 9 days old.)

-DS adores the baby and always wants to hold her and kiss her, but the other day I asked him "where does baby sister live?" And he said "the hospital". Haha. I have always heard parents say that it took their older kid(s) a while to realize that the new baby is a permanent member of the household, and I'm thinking maybe DS is still under the impression that she'll go back to the hospital at some point.

-My random is that we are about to go out to eat for the first time with our family of four. I'm not worried at all, but maybe I should be. Haha we'll see!

-I can't think of any questions, but I'll proudly be an AW and share this picture of my two munchkins on the 4th. Lol- DS's face just gets me.

[ladysif]

How are LO's siblings adjusting this week?
Baby L is 2 weeks today and it is the first day I have both boys by myself. I've been a little frazzled but we are managing. DS1 is still completely in love with baby brother, no jealousy and lots of loves. He has been affectionate with all of us, actually. He brought me a rock shaped like a heart yesterday and said "Hearts mean I love you. Here you go, I love you mama!"

Any funny things they have said about the new baby? He is fixated on my nipples. "Baby drinks milk from your nipples, mama?" He has taken to asking several people if baby drinks from their nipples... thankfully only family so far.

Randoms? Like veggiemo, I am thrilled with how DH and I are adjusting so much more easily this time. I think I had PPA with DS1; I am so much calmer and feel so much more in control this time. Also helps to not have the bfing pain.

Questions for everybody? Nope, but glad to have you in case I do sometime!

[Deleted]

How are LO's siblings adjusting this week? He seems to be doing well. We've had company in town pretty much non stop since DS2 was born so he's gotten lots and lots of attention from other people. Everyone is gone now so it's up to us to keep that up. I hope he won't feel over looked.

Any funny things they have said about the new baby? - He keeps saying "He's just so cute!" and "Babies are just so helpless and precious!" over and over again. He's still intimidated by how small and seemingly fragile DS2 is.

Randoms? - Thank goodness for day camp! It's a huge help that DS1 has all day plans three days a week.

Questions for everybody? - I'm too tired to ask questions, even though I'm sure I have them.

[sordidvolition]

DS1 has been atrocious. Ped called today and said that his strep culture came back positive. Maybe some of this behavior is due to not feeling well. I hope so at least. He said that he "didn't want a baby brother" the other day which made me completely lose it. Mad mama guilt over here.

Funny: whenever the baby makes a noise, DS1 always asks "what is he saying?" And yesterday he said "baby brother likes me and I like him" which made me feel better. Slow going I guess.

No questions. Just glad to see that it gets better

[Widget123]

I forget how old your DS1 is sordidvolition, but I feel for you!

[sordidvolition]

Widget123
Thanks! So good to know I'm not the only one. He's 3.5 and the past 6 mos had been an absolute roller coaster