Parenting Check-in (August 31)

[kh826]

Good Morning Parents!

Congratulation to karlamo on the newest addition to her family! We can't wait to hear more about your adventures of parenting 2 under 2!

Here is our roster for this check-in:

Parenting
healz413
Manada
kevinandjesse
foodislove
megd893
calsurb
andstilltrying
jazibel
kh826
karlamo
jgy
sherminator
mahler5
wittyandwaiting
kona
strings
mrsnorris
2mrsks (mrs&mrsk)
jennicole
amberreva

*If you would like to be added to the list, just let us know!

Also, if the group thinks it would be helpful to add a name/initial and/or birthdate for children to the roster, just let me know. I would be happy to add that.

So, tell us about your parenting experiences this past week? Any new milestones? Anything exciting in your house?

QOTW: What is the future parenting moment that you are most worried about/dreading? What is the future parenting moment that you are most excited for?

Bonus QOTW: Tell us about a parenting fail you experienced recently. NOTE: This is a judgment free zone (like Planet Fitness, but less cardio), so please share freely!

[kh826]

William will be 15 months on Friday (how is that possible?!?!)!

The fun stuff:
He is running around like crazy!
We are working on identifying colors, and he now says blue, green and purple, and can point to the right color for each. Yesterday we were at a playground and there were sections of blue turf and sections of green turf. He pointed to the blue turf and said "blue" and then pointed to the green turf and said "green." Yay!
He is rocking it with puzzles too. He loves them. I think we need to get a few new ones that are a little more challenging soon, because he puts them together so fast at this point that it often seems like he just has them memorized.
We are still reading the same books 25,000 times a day - HAHA!
J often says it is time for a book to "go out of circulation for a while." That means she is going to hide it behind a cabinet for a week or two so she can have a break from reading it!
He is obsessed with his tunnel that we bought him. We fold it away and open it several times a day (it is too big and cumbersome to leave it out when he isn't using it).
We are working on encouraging him to start using a spoon to feed himself. He has been doing really well feeding himself at the table with his hands, but the spoon is still a challenge. Not much food actually makes it into his mouth!
He has started mimicking the hand motions for "itsy bitsy spider" when we sing it for him, which is super cute.
There are certain words we have to spell now, because if we say them he wants whatever it is at that very moment (i.e. if we say "bath" or "tub" he runs to bathroom yelling bath and clapping his hands and expects to get in the tub at that very moment. So now I say to J "Let me know what time you want to do B-A-T-H?")...
He has more energy than any other human I know. He does not like to sit still EVER.
He loves playing ball of any kind.
He is really ticklish under his chin and on the side of his tummy and will give big belly laughs if you tickle him there.
Literally every time I say "Oh No!" or "Oh Dear!" he repeats it and laughs.
He and J are best friends and it is fantastic. They have so much fun together and it is so awesome to watch.
I think Reese is finally warming up to William more! Now that he is really into playing fetch with her, and will get her toys for her when she can't quite get to them, etc., she seems to see much more value in having him around HAHA. I am hoping it only gets better from here. I really wanted to have kids and a dog that totally love each other. William is fascinated by her, the feeling is just not always mutual!

Challenges:
* He has started wetting through at night again. It had been a few months since that had happened, but the last week it has been almost every night. He is in size 4 diapers during the day, and we put him in size 5 overnight (Pampers Overnight Baby Dry) diapers. It had been doing to trick for a while, but suddenly not so much. Any pointers from anyone?
* This boy has developed quite the stubborn streak, and we are having to work extra hard to redirect him away from things we don't want him to do (i.e. throwing toys over the baby gate from one room to another; going near the oven when it is on; being too rough with a toy or Reese, etc.). We try not to use "No" too much, but we definitely use it plenty. Trouble is, it has ZERO impact. So, redirecting seems to be the only viable option, and he really, really makes us work for it.
* This kiddo seems to have NO fear. Of anything. He will not hesitate to run head-on into any situation or any actual thing at full speed. From trying to run up the slides at the playground, to running over to other kiddos that are 3 times his size and trying to play ball with them, to going near the oven when it is on saying "hot, hot, hot" the whole time and trying to touch it, to trying to climb up on top of everything he possibly can... I find myself saying "Be careful, Buddy" a million times a day. J is MUCH more laid back and often tells me to chill out. Which I am sure I need to do. But I am the worrier parent, and she is the cool as a cucumber parent. We mostly balance each other out, which is good, but this kiddo is going to give me grey hairs!

Question for those with two young LOs:
We checked out double strollers on Saturday. Just to browse. There are two we are considering, but we wanted to see them in person, so we went to a local store that carries a floor model of each. Unfortunately, I don't think J and I agree on our favorite, but we still have time. If anyone here has any tips or tidbits about tandem double strollers, I am all ears!

QOTW:
I am most worried about having kids who I struggle to relate to or who I don't seem to have a naturally easy relationship with as they get older. I see this in my own family. My mother has an easier time relating to certain kids much more so than others. The teenage years were a struggle with some, but easy, breezy with others. I know this is somewhat "normal" and to be expected, but I worry about having kids that I have a hard time connecting with as they get older.

I am most dreading "the birds and the bees" talks...

Most immediately, I am most excited about when William can talk in full sentences and we can have actual conversations! Longer term, I am most excited about seeing what activities my kids enjoy and excel at. Will we have a ballerina? A star baseball player? A chess player? A singer? A trumpet player? A track star? An artist? I hope at least some of our kids have a love of the performing arts, but I am most excited to just see what they gravitate towards and do well with!

Bonus QOTW:
Last week, William locked himself in the downstairs bathroom. I think I posted about this in another thread, but it is worth mentioning again b/c ... holy parenting fail! Also, totally dodged a bullet, because it could have been much worse. It is literally the only door in the house that locks, and it locks from the inside only, and it is horribly NOT baby proofed since William is never in there unless he is in the tub. It was a wake-up call for sure!

[healz413]

First time in the parenting check in!
Ellis is 13 days old. She was born at 37 weeks so she's not yet to her due date which apparently also factors in to things.
It's been a big week. We learned on Wednesday (at 8 days) that E wasn't gaining weight. So midwife started us on an intensive feeding plan (wake Ellis every 2-3 hours from start of feed to start of feed except for one longer stretch at night; feed her from one breast for 20 min; manada feed her 1-2oz of expressed breast milk; healz413 pump both breasts for 20 min). We did that for 72 hrs and then midwife came back to weigh her again. She'd gained 6oz in 3 days! Up to 6lb15oz. Midwife was happy and so were we.
Next goal was to get her sucking harder so she will be more efficient at the breast. So midwife suggested feeding her every 2.5-3 hrs (we'd been going mainly 2 hours) and cutting the supplementation to 1oz (we'd always offered 2 and she'd usually drink 1.5-2) so that she'd have more energy and incentive to suck hard at the breast. And we have a tube for using to supplement her at the breast for at least some of the feedings so that she gets more reward for sucking.

So we've been trying this new version since Saturday. We've found that 1oz isn't enough to keep her satisfied so we are doing 1.5oz or 2oz but still going with the 2.5-3 hours between feedings.

My supply isn't keeping up with the demand. Thankfully we have a stash of frozen breast milk that was donated by someone from our queer prenatal class. Im taking supplements (blessed thistle and fenugreek) to try to increase my supply and domperidone and pumping. It seems to be working a bit. I have good days and bad days. I'm trying to take it one day at a time, but that's sometimes easier said than done.

Other than that, we are trying to figure out how to parent a newborn. The last day and a half Ellis has been having awake periods where she isn't eating (and doesn't seem to be hungry) and also seems uninterested in sleeping. Obviously we know that babies are awake sometimes, but we aren't sure what to do with/for her during these times. She's generally fussy during these times and we aren't sure what she needs or wants. Should we be trying to soothe her to sleep? Engage her?

QOTW: this question is too big for me right now! I'm trying to be in the moment and not get ahead of myself (because I tend to get anxious when I do). I will say that I'm looking forward to getting out and about with Ellis while I'm on parental leave. Right now that prospect still feels pretty overwhelming

[Stringy]

So nice to see you here healz413,!!

As for what to do with her when she's awake, talk to her! Sing to her! Hold her and smile at her and make faces. She most loves looking at your faces right now. Its never too early to start doing all that stuff, even if it seems like she's not engaging - she can't really engage at her age. But she's observing.

M started preschool today. Well, daycare at a place that is also a preschool. It was just orientation so we didn't have to leave her - so I'm sure it went fine (it was my wife's day to go, I do tomorrow). At some point tomorrow morning I'm supposed to leave for a bit. I'm sure it will NOT go well. She is very shy and timid around strangers and has never been left somewhere before (that isn't a grandparent's house). I fully believe she'll adjust, but I don't see her taking it well for a while.

[2brides]

We officially separated the kids' rooms last night. For the first time ever, they are in different bedrooms. It was super late (well, 8:30 - past their bedtime!) by the time we finished building G's new bunk bed so there was little fanfare and they both crawled into bed and fell asleep immediately. Both rooms both need a lot of work to make them 'their' room - paint, new wall art, etc - but for now they have beds and a place to put their clothes.

School started last week (4th) for them and they seem to really be liking their teachers/classmates. L has been working from home and able to pick them up earlier than usual so there has been a buffer between school/after care and starting homework that has been awesome. I hope their excitement and good attitudes stay with us through the school year!

Dreading? the teen years. There is just so much temptation to experiment (drugs, alcohol, $ex, reckless behavior, etc) that is hard to control as parents.

excited about? right now?! I love this age (8-10y) They are somewhat independent, but also still little kids. They can have intelligent and thoughtful conversations and don't have overt teenage drama/angst. I look forward to being able to run out and do an errand and leave them at home (almost there!)

MOTY? Oh, I have screamed. Like REALLY screamed. I haven't done it very often, but it has happened. I always feel like crap after I do it and apologize. I am sure there are a million of these types of situations over the years.

[twotxmommies]

Hello Parents! First time on the parenting check in...

Carter will be 6 weeks old on Wednesday and is a handful and a heart-full of awesomeness.


He is sleeping through the night for the most part. 9:30-4:30 is his usual night schedule. From what we are being told, this is pretty great for a baby his age. During the day he has started to stay awake a tad more which is so sweet. I love our one on one time together.

QOTW: What is the future parenting moment that you are most worried about/dreading? What is the future parenting moment that you are most excited for?
I am fearfully counting down the days until I return to work and Carter starts daycare. We researched daycares as much as we researched donors, but it still makes my heart skip a beat thinking about dropping him off that first day. S and I have decided that this HUGE event will require a team effort, so we will be tag teaming first day drop off! I still have about
We are both cheerfully willing him to smile at us for the first time. We have seem several smiles, but we are still waiting on that first REAL smile!

At 3 weeks old, Carter got a virus (still no clue how) and was admitted to the Children's Hospital here for 4 days. He is MUCH better now and has gained all his weight back. Not sure how he even got the bug but we are SO thankful he is better!! I feel like I failed as a mommy in letting him get so sick







Bonus QOTW: Tell us about a parenting fail you experienced recently.

[mahler5]

Welcome healz413--- C used to live staring at our faces. Black and white patterns are good too. L made her a black and white pattern book that she loved to stare at. And I would read to her. Sometimes even boring grown up books just so she could hear the sound of my voice.

That's awesome she gained so much in 3 days. Sounds like you all are doing an awesome job. Hope you are able to get some sleep.

[mahler5]

kh826-- we have the same challenges with wetting through overnight diapers. We went up a size too and helps. No advice really. "no" also had no affect on C. It's frustrating. If I move her from the situation she gets mad. And often tries again but sometimes doesn't. But " no" is either completely ignored or laughed at. Hope it gets better soon.

QOTW bonus PARENTING FAIL -- so, occasionally I let C watch TV. Probably about 3 times a week for about 20 minutes. I know she is still under 2 and they recommend none, but I'm ok with this when I'm trying to cook or something, and I don't think it's that big of a deal. Well, last week C and I were sick. I hadn't felt that sick in years and seriously think we may have had some sort of flu strain. I could barely take care of her when I was sick so I let her watch a lot of TV, including Frozen. Her new favorite word is "Elsa". She will point at the TV and say "T" and "Elsa" over and over. She likes it way better than any other show. I think she may be Disney princess crazy already. Apparently, I am in for it according to all my mom friends that have daughters.

Anyway, we are doing no TV for awhile.

Not much else to say. We are still trying to decide if I should cut back on shifts and pull her out of daycare or keep her in. I want to but then if we end up doing another round of IVF or even with IUIs it is so nice to always have an option to drop her off. I could get a mom friend to watch her part time but I am apprehensive. I think this woman takes good care of her child, don't get me wrong. But I still feel like daycare is safer than an in home setting in a lot of cases and I don't know if I want to take a risk. But would probably save money.

[shemarie82]

I go here now!!!! The twins are coming home tomorrow!!!!

[mahler5]

Sept 1, 2015 13:43:11 GMT -5 shemarie82 said:

I go here now!!!! The twins are coming home tomorrow!!!!

Congrats!!! So happy it is finally happening.

[wittyandwaiting]

Sept 1, 2015 13:43:11 GMT -5 shemarie82 said:

I go here now!!!! The twins are coming home tomorrow!!!!

Oh my gosh shemarie82!!!!!

I am so excited for you and I think that this deserves it's own thread!

[healz413]

Sept 1, 2015 14:09:50 GMT -5 mahler5 said:

Sept 1, 2015 13:43:11 GMT -5 shemarie82 said:

I go here now!!!! The twins are coming home tomorrow!!!!

Congrats!!! So happy it is finally happening.

Oh my goodness!! Yay!!!!!