TTC, pg with & parent to #1 (thread 5)

[little_fish]

Sam, that sounds really scarey with Koby. I hope he's a lot better tonight I hope your MIL picks up when she's home too. It's miserable being stuck in a hospital with doctors guessing what the problem is.

Deb, great to hear from you. Have you tried making a sound effect when wiping Isaac's nose? it made a huge difference to Nick. I hope you enjoyed your sisters stay.

Well we had a a poopy morning this morning. while we were out Iluka managed to do one that went up to her shoulder blades, no joke. I also must have looked a scene when we went for coffee before that as a complete stranger offered to hold Iluka (who was asking for milk, non too quietly) while I got Nick into the highchair. gosh strangers can be nice sometimes.

Now my brain is feeling mushy. I told work I could start working this week again too. oh well. I guess I'll give it a go.

Hi Julie and Shelle

[Lilium]

Hey Fish - oh, I remember those poohs up to the shoulder blades! Koby was quite good at them, given he only went every 10 days or so. It's nice when strangers help you out, isn't it? It restores my faith in the world a little. Koby had a much better night, a bit of antihistamine seems to dry some of the mucous up so he can at least breath without gasping.

Found out today MIL DIDN'T go home. FIL asked the nurses if they'd checked her calcium and potassium levels and were they ok. Seems they hadn't and they weren't. She is still on a drip and monitoring her unrine output coz of the strain on her kidneys -you'd think they'd also want to monitor her without the drip for a few days first too. It's frightening that they'd overlook both these things. FIL wouldn't have asked a month ago, either, he would have just accepted what nursing staff say as being unquestionable until DH told him he HAS to ask questions. Thank goodness he did.

Good luck with the work Fish, I don't know how you do it this soon. Did you decide what to get Nick for his b'day? We're going with an easle and some more track for his wooden trains. I'm dropping hints to everyone else for craft stuff and puzzles.

Hi Deb, Shelle, Julie, DjF

[little_fish]

Just wrote a whole post but Nick's sitting on my knee... bad move

Sam, that's harsh about your MIL, but good news that Koby's on the mend. To be honest I'm not sure how I'm going to manage the work thing yet either. I think it'll be mostly on the weekends for a while until I can spare some time in the evenings or mornings.

Deb we mostly use the naughty corner if Nick is deliberately misbehaving. Throwing his spoon on the floor when we just asked him not to, or standing or his highchair when we've asked him to sit down. I generally give him three verbal warnings or a count down from 10 to behave, and then stand him in the corner, tell him what he did wrong and why it was wrong, and then leave him, at which point he usually talks to himself saying what it was that he did wrong. I usually only leave him for maybe up to 30 seconds, and then go back and talk it over with him, hug and then forget about it.

[Lilium]

Hey fish, I like your description of how to use the naughty corner, we need to do something like this and keep it consistent.

Koby has a soft toy sheep that he's become quite attached to recently. He says it like this - "see (pause) P" . The P is really announciated, it's so cute!

We had a full nights sleep last night, he's on the mend.

[Lilium]

Fish, you asked how often Koby was going to family daycare but I think I forgot to answer. Just one day from 9 til 2. He didn't go today because he's still so snotty, so now I'm worried that next week will be like starting again. For both of us.

[Jules16]

Hi ladies

There have been so many posts since I last wrote already. Where do the days go??

Sam - really sorry to hear about your MIL. How is DH holding up? Good news that you all got a good night's sleep last night. Sometimes when we have a broken night I think, how did I ever cope in those early days. How did Koby go with the family day care? Hope he's feeling a lot better soon. I am still looking at care options. I looked at one this morning and their toddler room seemed very chaotic. I just don't think Blake is ready for the toddler room just yet though as apparently they all feed themselves, sleep on mats on the floor, are all walking, and are past the sipper cup stage and onto normal drinking cups!! Very clever little toddlers. So I left feeling like Blake was a little behind?? Anyway, I visited another after which was a lot smaller and friendlier and is all brand new with nice, friendly, motivated staff. So will take DH to the open day in a couple of weeks and see what he thinks. It's very music focused apparently too which is appealing.

Fish - I love the picture of Iluka on facebook. She is so so cute. When did you start doing the naughty corner?

Am reading a great book called Toddler Tactics at the moment by Pinky McKay. Interesting. I got it send to me for free with my ABA membership subscription. It's taking forever to find the time to read it though.

[little_fish]

Sam, glad to hear you got some sleep last night. Nick talks like Koby, with pauses in his words. I love it. Especially when he calls me sweedillee (aka sweety). He called out to me from the back door yesterday when I was hanging out the washing "needil a cuddle sweedillee?" The day care sounds good. If I wasn't such a control freak when it comes to my kids, I think I'd go for that option. As it is I'm figuring that sending him to Kindy at the end of next year is soon enough for us.

Thanks Julie. I love that piccy too. I guess we started using the naughty corner when he was about 18 mths? It's only in the last few weeks that we've really needed it much though. I don't think Blake is behind for his age at all, it's just kids learn things so quickly, a few weeks can make a world of difference to their skills. How's Blake's walking coming along? any more steps?

I just built a nappy box parking garage, and I think it's awesome . 4 storeys even.

[Lilium]

Did you take photos, Fish? That sounds great. I should do more stuff like that but i"m not very creative at all. "Sweedilee" - how gorgeous! Koby asks for a 'tuddle' and a 'tiss' when he wants affection. And one of my favourite phrases is "mum, mum, mum, mum, waddis!", trans. "Mum, watch this". Each mum is said with such seriousness, and really quickly, but still with a pause between each. He's also taken to yelling for Corey "Torey" first thing in the morning, if I don't appear to lift him out of his cot asap.

Julie - I don't think Blake is behind at all. But he is too young for the 'toddler' room - I don't think they go into there until they're 18 months +, I know Corey didn't. I don't know ANY 1 year olds who can drip with a normal cup, feed themselves and sleep on mats by themselves. In fact, I don't know that Koby could do all those things well, particularly the sleeping on a mat one! Keep looking til you find something you're happy with, otherwise you'll fret when he's there.

I think I'm getting all the bugs going around, scratchy throat AND I feel like vomiting. Hope it passes really quickly.

[Jules16]

Sam - thanks for that. Yeah I think at this child care place they put the bubs in the toddler room once they are walking. And they kept going on about how 'cos Blake STILL wasn't walking yet he'd be in the baby room. Koby sounds so so cute. Very cuddly too. I hope you are feeling better soon. Being ill and being a Mum isn't much fun.

Fish - you do sound creative!! Well done. Especially with a newborn in the house. And little Nick sounds so cuddly - how sweet!! What is the cut off date for the school year in Brisbane? Will you be sending him to three year old kindy at the end of next year then? The time goes so quickly doesn't it. The cut off here is 30 April so Blake is right on the cusp (sp?) so we are thinking of holding him back a year. It's such a tough decision though but so many people I speak to have chosen to hold back, which means if we don't hold Blake back, he could be up to eighteen months younger at least than some of his classmates.

Deb - yeah you gotta love the comments of friends who don't have kids. In fact my Mum even surprises me with some. Why don't you just let Blake have a nap on the couch!!! Yeah righto. Just go have a nap over there on the couch Blake like a good boy!! I don't think so!!

Hi Shelle!! Hope work isn't too crazy these days.

I don't know if I've talked about ttc recently but anyways, we haven't really ever stopped ttc if you know what I mean. Anyways, my cycle is back now that I'm not b/feeding anymore. Am wondering though whether to go back to the fertility specialist now or wait a bit longer and see how we go. I just don't want to waste too much time with being such an oldie - haha. I want to be pregnant again already!! Although it would help if I had a bit more energy. How did you do it Fish?

[little_fish]

Sam, I forgot to reply to your q about birthday pressies. We've decided on the easle too. We were going to get the ikea one I think. And some little chairs. We bought him an emergecy depot thing for his cars from his uncle too. And as for creativity.. gotta love playschool. great inspiration! You poor thing being sick again. Once your imune system gets down from the first one it can be hard to bounce back. (And I love your type about "drip from a cup" )

Julie, the cut off is end June, so Nick would be the youngest too. The kindy is for the financial year that they turn 4. Then they go to pre-prep, then grade 1. We've decided to send his the year he's meant to go, and then talk to his teacher at the end of the year with the thought in mind that he may need to repeat. I'd prefer to do that. If he he is physically and emotionally up to it, then I'd prefer for him to do it, than be bored, and still the smallest in his class, even though he's a year older. Yey for TTC! We did it by sending DH overseas for a week or two and then being really happy to see each other, at just the right time of month for a girl, and then I got sick with the cold he brought back with him. Basically I never went onto contraception. I had one or two periods that loooked normal to me, and then one (or was it 2?) post baby ones, that were really really heavy. (I'm wondering if that's what I'm going to get from now on?). This time round I wasn't really worried, though. Which I think helped the most. Somehow Nick kept me distracted.

As I was typing the above I could hear Nick doing something he shouldn't in the kitchen, but it didn't sound dangerous, and I was feeding Iluka. then he came in, standing with his hands behind his back, looked at me with big eyes and said "oh no". I asked him what he did. he thought about it for a while then said "mess on the bench". He'd found a packet of rolled oats and torn it open distrubuting them all over the floor. I gave him athe dutspan and brush to clean it up, and he thought he was in heaven.