Parenting Check-In (11/3)

Jazibel · November 2014

Good Morning Everyone!

How was your weekend? Any new successes, challenges or milestones to report?

QOTD: If you were observed over a weekend with your LO, what would people say about your parenting philosophy, strengths & weaknesses (and that of your SO).

Parenting Roster:

(Please let me know if you would like to be added)

@2brides – G & C born 5/18/06, other Mom is L

@Themommymonster – C (DS) born 2/18/09

@Mystjava – Little Bear (LB) born 3/31/10, other Mummum is Shawn

@winstan1 – J (DS) born 9/10 (currently 3.5 years old)

@Trisholio and @trisholiosboi – Proud foster parents to M born 2/6/12 and K born 8/22/13; baby Adalyn born 8/29/14

@jazibel – Kaden born 7/13/12 and Owen born 5/2/14, other parent (Aya) is EV

@newmompeanut – N (DD) born 2/12/13, other Momma is B

@CageyMack – W born 3/16/13

@JGY – Gabe born 3/24/13, other Mama is S.

@Stringy813 – M born May 2013

@Clairmeij – Alarico born 6/28/13, other mama is V

@Wallace323 – J and L born 8/8/13, surviving triplets born at 31 weeks

@Jrtmom – Henry born 8/15/13, other mama is L

@ATXmommas – Sebastian (“Ash”) born 11/21/13, other Momma is Z

@mwagner25 – Oliver born 11/27/13, other parent is L

@herbabymama‌ – C (DD) born 12/10/13, other Mama is K

@Sarahtrpt – C born February 2014

@AmandaG47 – Twin girls born 2/22/14, other Mommy is J

@Mamosey‌ & @Karlamo‌ – R born 2/25/14

@shameless370087‌ - Anthony and Sati, born 3/9/2014, Other mom is S

@Filmfanatic82 – Charley born 3/15/14

@2momsinCA‌ - B & O born 5/27/14

@KH826 – Will born 6/4/14

@redrockmama – M born 6/19/14, other Mama is J

@ball.and.chain – B born 6/28/14

@Flygirl1228 – Twins 7/25/14

@KLeigh1‌ - S born 7/25/14

@shelly2314 - Elise and Olivia, born 8/19/14, wife is M

@2MamazInSeattle‌ - S born 8/21/14

@rkbo‌ - Amelia born 9/22/14

2brides · November 2014

Halloween was fun, but our neighborhood was pretty dead. The kids were done by 8.

I can't believe we only have a few years left of ToTing (we aren't' going to let them go ToTing when they are teens...) Maybe we'll host a party for their friends.

QOTD: Honestly, it depends on when they catch me.

I would say most of the time - polite, affectionate, engaged....but there are times when I am frustrated by behavior and more stern...though when I am upset with the kids in public, I speak very quietly to them. We never yell or get loud with them when we are out and about. L is much more a stickler for manners - I am too, but will do stuff for them without them saying 'please' - L is much more strict about it.

But I am also the parent who is sitting on the park bench on my phone while the kids run around the playground/park. Yes, there are times when I am out there with them, but more often they are running around playing without me/us.

We are very affectionate with the boys and will often be holding their hands (their choice), kissing the tops of their heads, etc. Right now they still love it - though I am sure the day is coming near when they won't want us to do it in public.

Karlamo · November 2014

Good Monday Morning

I posted on Friday that we are in the midst of seperation anxiety. It ebbs and flows. Some days he's ok with mamosey and other times not so much. For a split second I was wondering if she should carry again because of this. Then I realized how much I want to be pregnant. We will weather this storm.

My supply has definately dropped off as of late. I have only 2 weeks left of breast feeding. I know I am still in denial that it will end. It's temporary I know but still so sad for me. I worked so hard to do induced lactation and it worked. There are times when mamosey looks at me and we just amazed that I've been able to braest feed for 8 months with out every being prego!! I know how lucky I am to have been able to do this. I just need to remember that while I'm weaning, R is not. This may be the perfect time for him to get attached to mamosey as she takes over the bf duties.

I really hope our FET works this first time. Life is so crazy right now that I just don't want to deal with dissapointment on top of everything else we're handling.

QOTW: That's a good one. I'm still figuring out my parenting style. It is evolving as I am growing as a mother. Before R I thought I would do things one way but now that parenting is real and not an abstract concept I noticed I've changed my stance on things. So I guess my style is flexible. I take it one day at a time

@sarahtrpt: What a cutie!!

Jazibel · November 2014

Kaden is 2 years (27 months)

Owen is 6 months

I was up waaaaay too early. Kaden decided 5am is the new 7am. I'm wondering how we're going to make it until after Preschool for a nap.

We had a great low key weekend. I was still recovering for an annoying cold. We spent Halloween night watching a silly kids movie. Saturday the boys and I ran errands while EV did homework. I've been cranking up the heat at night because Owen's room gets so cold (as in at least 10+ degrees colder than the rest of the house). The landlords are slowly looking into the problem with the HVAC not emitting hot air. I bought curtains for the kids rooms and installed Owens on Saturday. Let me just saying using power tools around a nearly scooting/crawling infant and a toddler is nerve wracking. I couldn't keep them far away enough. Sunday I took the boys to the park, and went grocery shopping in the evening (without kids!!!). I actually purchased everything on my list since I wasn't distracted by picking things up off the floor that Kaden threw out of the cart, or putting things back that he grabbed. We've been so busy every weekend and most weekdays that it was really relaxing to have a weekend with no plans :-)

The biggest milestone is our little mobile Owen. He's so close to crawling (so it seems to us at least). He's getting up on his knees and can crawl forward a step of two. He crawls and scoots backwards and sideways more easily. It's changed the dynamic overnight. Our house is fairly baby proofed which is great, but it's odd to leave him on the playroom floor and come back to find him 5 feet away. Owen also had his 6 month birthday yesterday. I just bought bananas with the hopes to give him a little banana at dinner tonight. We'll mostly do baby led weaning, but I'd like his first food to be something super benign. EV's resistant to starting him on solids. We waited until 7+ months to regularly offer solids to Kaden, so I'm fine with waiting a bit longer to ensure his gut is fully closed. But.. I'd love to see what he'd do with a little food. I also found that I loooove making purees for the little girl I used to babysit. Kaden couldn't just watch her eat every day so he had them too and loved them. I'll probably making some purees and "smoothies" for Owen in the coming months too.

Kaden is outside riding his bicycle and tricycle around. He's been so affectionate the past couple of days doling out kisses and hugs. He also understands so much. Not only the words we say to him, but the conversations EV and I have, and especially our emotions/expressions embedded in our communication. We've decided to use this to our advantage and use our dialogues to reinforce "rules", etc. For instance I threw a wet paper towel to EV so she could wipe down the table. So EV said "Wait Mama there's no throwing in the house, if you throw something again then you'll have to have a time out". LOL I of course apologized and said I wouldn't do it again, and repeated the rule. Kaden watched the whole time. It's nice for him to see what we all mostly follow the same rules. Later when I got back from the grocery store Kaden met me at the door to tell me he put himself in time out for throwing his hat. EV explained he apologized to Owen and to the hat after his time out all on his own. EV and I use this technique to talk about "gentle touch" and patience, etc. Him seeing how we feel about something and how we do things seems to be a better teacher than telling him 1,000 times :-) But we'll see how it lasts.

QOTD: As @2brides said it would depend on the moment. There are moments that people would say "wow she's barely holding it together here". Mostly they'd see me giving the kids lots of space. My philosophy is that experiential learning at this age is best. I give Kaden (and soon Owen) lots of room to explore his "safe" environment. He can play outside or in the house with minimal supervision. I talk a lot describing what I'm doing (for Owen), and trying to engage Kaden in activities (cooking, cleaning, etc.) I do try to find fun shared activities to do several times a week, like the kind you find on Pinterest. But really those activities currently hold Kaden's attention for mere minutes. Whereas following me around the garage while I organized will busy him for an hour. So... I've been spotted at the playground checking my phone ;-) And Kaden might be watching TV right now so I can type this quickly. I guess I'm a "laid back" parent. I had a lot of ideas when Kaden was first conceived. I thought we'd only have wooden toys, and rarely use a computer in front of him. Well I've adjusted my expectations now I'm striving for balance. My goal is to introduce Kaden and Owen to as many life experiences as possible.

*Edited to add ages

KH826 · November 2014

William will be 5 months tomorrow. AHHH - how did this happen?!?!

This weekend was good. Will HATED his Halloween costume, so he was in it for all of about 3 mins. Friday night just turned into a hang out at home night. I was going to cook, but I just didn't -- woops. So we ended up with take-out. We haven't done that in a long time.

Saturday we hung around in the morning and just had some lazy family time. Then we went to the grocery store, and then came home and did some chores around the house.

Yesterday we met my in-laws at the mall and had a great day. My Father-in-law had it in his head that he needed to "buy stuff for his little man" ... he definitely went overboard and Will was spoiled rotten with new winter clothes. It was lots of fun though, and Will was in a fantastic mood all day. Laughing and smiling. He and my FIL kept disappearing while we were shopping, and my FIL would be found a few mins later just walking him back and forth in the stroller out in the mall having a conversation with him. It was really cute. It was a long day though -- we were gone from 10am-5:30pm. When we got home we did a little tummy time, and then Will napped on me for about 1.5 hours before bedtime. He was just beat!

Overall, he is showing more and more personality everyday. It is pretty crazy. I never knew a baby this young could have such a strong personality, but he totally does. He is going to be such a fun toddler, I think. I also think we will likely have our hands full.

Developmentally, he is rolling all over the place whenever he is on the floor now. When he stays on his tummy for a bit, he now lifts himself way up and rocks back and forth on his knees. I feel like he may well be scooting by Thanksgiving! He is sitting *almost* unassisted... We just basically give him two fingers of support "just in case"... but he doesn't really need it. He still gets tired quickly when sitting, so he will flop over, so we don't leave him sitting without one of us right behind him to catch him if he topples. He is super vocal, and discovers new sounds everyday. He still loves bath time. Still rockin it in the STTN department. He has even more interest in Reese (our doggie) lately. He likes to lunge at her when they are both on the floor. She usually gets scared and runs away. He is about twice the size of her now LOL.

Honestly, he is just such a joy. I don't mean to gush every week, but I can't help it. Being his mom is seriously the best thing I have ever experienced in my life. It is amazing and overwhelming (in the best way possible).

QOTW: Hmmm... this is hard to answer. I don't know why...

I am the more serious parent, and J is the sillier one. I am the comforter, the one who loves lots of affection and could snuggle in the glider for hours. I love to rock him and sing to him -- we have 1:1 time every night where I rock him in the glider in the dark and sing to him and talk to him. J is usually in the other room just taking a little bit of a break. That time is special to me.

J is the super mom that has the diaper bag packed and ready to go in a minute flat before I can even think about it when we are getting ready to go out. She is the one who scoops him up and changes his messy diaper in any location in a second flat. She is the lady with tricks in her bag for every possible occasion.

I am a bit more slow and thoughtful... I am the doting mom, the worrier, the consoler...

J is the logistical coordinator, the constant laugh-a-minute fun parent, the super smart on the ball SAHM that knows what she wants for her kid and won't blink to make sure he gets it!

ball.and.chain · November 2014

B is 4m and change.

I love reading @KH826's updates on Will because they are like a little preview of what we can expect in the next month or two.

Daycare called me Friday morning to report that B's temp was a bit elevated, had refused a bottle, and was coughing. Hand, Foot and Mouth and Croup are cropping up at daycare so I was expecting a miserable weekend. In fact, things were not too bad. He had a low fever on Saturday night and was a little fussy throughout the weekend, but I think he just has a cold and not a bad one at that.

This weekend he:
1. Held his bottle by himself while eating -- he can only do it for a few seconds;
2. Rolled from back to tummy -- we think it was an accident;
3. Pressed one of the buttons for music on his musical jumpy seat thing -- I'm pretty sure this was also an accident;
4. Drooled like crazy.

QOTW: I am way more laid back than I thought I would be, but since I have an anxiety disorder, I thought I would be a super anxious parent. So I'm not sure that I would appear laid back to others -- I'm just laid back compared to what I expected from myself! I honestly have no idea how people see me as a parent. Hopefully competent -- at 4m I'm happy with that.

ATXmommas · November 2014

As his 11 months!

We had a pretty good weekend! We didn't do anything for Halloween. We just put his costume on long enough to take photos, then went back to our usual routine. We went for a run on Saturday morning. My first cooler-weather run of the year and it was awesome! We ran 6 miles (my furthest distance in a LONG time). We bundled Ash up in the stroller. He did pretty well, but got a little fussy around mile 4. We gave him a little mandarin and ened up making it back without a meltdown.

We went to birthday party for a friend Saturday night while Ash's old teacher babysat. It's nice to get away and I love being able to help this teacher out with occasional babysitting money - but it is so expensive! We gave her $50 for about 4.5 hours. At that rate, we can't afford to go out too much.

The time change kicked our booty on Sunday. Ash didn't get the memo and was up at around 4:45. We were especially tired because we were up later than usual on Saturday. So, we were all dragging yesterday.

Not much new - Ash is walking more and more, though he still resorts to crawling sometimes. I need to buy him some shoes, but I'm trying to hold off until he has a couple more weeks to practice his walking. Plus, buying his first pair of real shoes at one year seems momentous to me. Plus, a little trim in the back. I swear he has a little mini-mullet!

Transition to soy is going well. On Saturday night we left a bottle with just soy and he took it just fine at bedtime. We are offering some milk in a sippy at other times to get him used to drinking milk from something other than a bottle. I want to work on bottle-weaning in the not too distant future.

QOTW: I don't really adhere to any particular philosophy other than just good ole down to earth parenting. I think people would observe that I am affectionate, relaxed, and have realistic expectations of myself and my child. I think our parenting styles/philosophies will really start to emerge and change as we begin to parent a toddler.

JGY · November 2014

Gabe is 19 months

Sorry I've been so absent lately. Work has been kicking my butt. I don't see it changing too much in the immediate future, but perhaps I'll try to check in more from home than I have in the past.

We really had a pretty fantastic weekend. As with any weekend, there were frustrating moments, but all in all I felt so lucky.

Friday G got to wear his costume to daycare (he was a Minion - from Despicable Me, but really from the comic short film with the banana). S and I were bananas. I wore my costume to my work potluck, S did not. On Friday evening we went to visit some friends who have a very active and fun block for Halloween activities. They had a bonfire and we trick or treated to just a few houses. G refused to say thank you, but did blow kisses followed up with a "Buh-Byeeeeeee" to each one. It was hilarious.

On Saturday S had to work (what else is new?) but G and I went to his first Tumbling class!!!! It was just as ridiculous as you might imagine. He was hesitant for about 3 minutes, then jumped right in. Oh my god, if you could all see him running like a demon down the tumbling track, then jumping into the crash mats. Hilarious (and nerve wracking, but mostly hilarious). He also walked across the high beam BY HIMSELF. He refused to hold my hand. What on earth am I in for?

Anyway, the rest of the day was pretty calm. In the evening I actually took G to the grocery store with me (typically not a chance I take) and he was AMAZING. He'd been kinda acting like a pill at home, so I don't know what happened but we made it through unscathed. We'd been working on adjusting bedtime for daylight savings, so it culminated with a pretty late night on Saturday. But all went well. Then S and actually watched a movie (amazing) and went to bed.

Sunday S didn't have to work at all (!!!!) so we had a family leaf-raking party in the morning. We cooked the week's meals and then napped in the afternoon, because after a quick trip to the park, G went to our friends' house and we met other friends for dinner and then the James Taylor concert!!! It was awesome, but seriously people? An 8pm concert on Sunday night ON daylight savings day???? Yikes. What were we thinking?

Anyway, back at it again today and looking down a long week here. Lots of work to do.

1 other small thing happened this weekend ... we finally made the decision that we WILL go forward and TTC again. You know, minor stuff ...

Hope everyone has a great week!!

QOTW: Oh yikes, I think this would vary minute by minute. I think the most noticeable thing would be that S and I balance each other out a LOT. If I'm stressed, she's calm and vice versa. One consistent difference between us though, is that I tend to let G explore and play on his own in playgrounds or the Children's Museum. S likes to interact with him more during that play and likes to "Show" him everything, whereas I tend to like to watch him discover it on his own. Neither of us is "Right" and I think the balance of both approaches is pretty good for him.

ATXmommas · November 2014

@JGY‌ - you thought you could just sneak your news in there? That's wonderful! Congrats on making the decision and best wishes TTC #2!

JGY · November 2014

@atxmommas - Tee hee!

Special bonus PIP since I missed the Halloween PIP thread:

KH826 · November 2014

@JGY - ahhhhh! Another little JGY!!!! I now must go stalk the TTC thread for details! So.excited.

Jazibel · November 2014

@JGY - congrats!! Awesome news :-)

trisholio · November 2014

Hey everyone, I feel like I haven't done a check in forever!!
M is 2.5 and a handful. We went a whole week potty training with no accidents. Then my mom had her for one afternoon and she had an accident, then they had a visit with bio mom and she had an accident, then she pooped in her pull up when she was supposed to be sleeping.... So some minor set backs, but we are going to start again tomorrow.
K is 14 months and so animated. She is talking more and understands so much! She is getting molars and the only reason we know is when she screams (a new thing when she doesn't get her way) I can see them coming in.
Adalyn is 9 weeks and just had her two month check up. She is 11 lbs 3oz (finally double digits!) and 22.5 inches long. She is growing good and right around 50th percentile in all areas.
We are taking things day by day around here. Things are rough most days, but it's our new normal. I only take all three girls out when I have help or wherever I'm going someone will be there to help. I haven't figured out how to breast feed while wearing Adalyn in the moby, so I have to sit down and that's not easy worth two other little ones. When at home I pretty much have Adalyn's feeding schedule synced with k's napping schedule because she gets into everything when I'm trying to nurse Adalyn.
Qotd: My parenting style, hmm. I thought I would be more strict, but it's so hard with toddlers. I try to redirect as much as possible, but I'm also hands off alot and let them figure things out. I can't be hands off at the park or play areas just yet, but I'm waiting for the day

My wife is def the fun playful one, but she will discipline them too. I am the one in charge of scheduling, errands and day to day stuff, but she helps out a ton. When the girls are hurt they want me, but they interact more with her and play around.
Sorry for being mia, the day just gets away from me most days and I'm exhausted by the time the kiddos are in bed. I read the posts when I can and hope to have more time to respond one day.

YBnormal85 · November 2014

We had a nice weekend,but very busy! We threw my mom a surprise 50th bday party,and then the next day had my grandfather's 70th bday party. Lots of time in the car which is Lennon's least fav activity ...but we made it through.Linda wasn't able to attend the parties with us as she was studying for a big exam for a work certification. I know both Lennon and Linda enjoyed hanging out as they really only get time together on the weekends.

We are exploring good a bit more, going the BLW route for now at least.So far she has tried carrots ,peas,peppers,banana,apple and avocado. She's loving it,but it makes me a little nervous.

QOTD: We mostly follow an attatment parenting style. My little side kick hangs out with me almost constantly,either somewhere in the same room playing or i wear her in a carrier and she LOVES it. It's awesome seeing her soak up everything I'm doing,she's so interested in the world around her and is very engaged with her surroundings. My wife is also starting to wear her,and although she jokes around that she's the strict one I know she is no more strict than I am. Linda is certainly the one who can make Lennon laugh like no other,where as I am the more comforting one. I'd say my downfall in parenting so far is making time for my wife. But generally she's just as tired as I am once the baby falls asleep so we are normally asleep by 9.super lame ;-)

redrockmama · November 2014

M is 4 1/2 months old.

Sometimes I have a hard time checking in on Mondays because I'm at home with M. It's so much easier while pumping, or taking a work break.

M has really discovered his hands lately and wants them in his mouth all the time. It's so confusing because I always think he's hungry, but I guess he is just exploring his hands

He almost rolled from back to belly this weekend, he stopped as soon as I grabbed the camera, silly baby. I am 100% sure he can do it, he just doesn't want to. Still hates tummy time and either rolls to his back immediately or cries until we pick him up, which isn't long. He still loves standing up, looking at himself in the mirror and recently started liking peek a boo.

Yesterday M and I walked to the grocery store together, we haven't done it before but it's only a mile away and one of our cars is still in the shop so we gave it a go. He loves being outside and fell asleep when we got to the store and slept in the carrier until we got home. I don't know what we are going to do with our nature lover when it gets really cold out

QOTW: Another attachment parenter here. I am pretty sure most people think I am spoiling him and creating bad habits. I know J's mom has said I breastfeed him too much and our friends think we are really weird for bed sharing, not implementing a schedule for him, and bringing him with us everywhere. I think people can tell that I absolutely adore my son though.

I think it's mostly the same with J. I think I know him better and she is still learning him. I try not to tell her things I know and let her figure it out on her own (unless he is really upset). That being said, I think people can tell that she defers to me a lot and is maybe a little less sure of herself as a parent. She is really cute with him though and sings and talks to him all the time, it's hilarious how she narrates her and his experiences. She will definitely be the "fun" parent. She is goofy and carefree most of the time.

ball.and.chain · November 2014

redrockmama said:

I am pretty sure most people think I am spoiling him and creating bad habits. I know J's mom has said I breastfeed him too much and our friends think we are really weird for bed sharing, not implementing a schedule for him, and bringing him with us everywhere.

I hate the mom judgments! We are decidedly not practicing attachment parenting and I still think my MIL thinks/though I hold B too much. I'm glad you will keep doing what you feel is best for your family regardless of what others think!

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