STM+ Check-in: October

shamrocandroll · October 2019

EDD/Weeks + Days:

How old is/are your other kid(s)?

How is/are your kiddo(s) doing?

Any questions/concerns?

How did/will you tell your LO(s) about the baby?

mainefiddler89 · October 2019

Hi!

DD is almost 19 months old.

She is doing ok, but we've started having a lot more tantrums lately. 🙄

No major concerns or questions yet other than I hope my DD takes the transition from only child to sibling well.

We have told her she will be a big sister, but I'm pretty sure she has idea we are talking about right now.

shamrocandroll · October 2019

EDD/Weeks + Days: May 7 / 8+5

How old is/are your other kid(s)? He'll be 3 next month.

How is/are your kiddo(s) doing? We're going through a rough phase. He is testing every limit right now, and everything is a power struggle. It's really hard not to just give in and make the crying stop, but I know that will only create a bigger monster. It doesn't help he has also decided to banish nap time, and I am 100% exhausted at the end of the day when he is over-tired and grouchy. It's been a challenge for sure! This morning he woke up almost an hour early. 😴

Any questions/concerns? Not really!

How did/will you tell your LO(s) about the baby? Well we can't tell him yet because he will tell everyone. We'll probably tell him around 12-13 weeks and then let him tell everyone else because I don't want to.

ruby696 · October 2019

@shamrocandroll DD hates taking naps but she's such a pill by bedtime, I feel like she still needs them. I've become that mom that lays down with my kid to get her to sleep. It's pathetic.

EDD/Weeks + Days: 7+5_May 14th

How old is/are your other kid(s)? DS is almost 5 and DD is 3

How is/are your kiddo(s) doing? They're doing great! DS is doing so well at his language immersion school and I'm so proud of him. He's really blossomed in TK. DD is adorable but a terror. She has so much attitude, I don't know if I should laugh or cry. Hoping she grows out of it soon.

Any questions/concerns? Not today.

How did/will you tell your LO(s) about the baby? We haven't yet, because they'll tell everyone. We'll probably tell then after the NT.

shamrocandroll · October 2019

@ruby696 This morning he woke up before 6am, and I went into his room and tried to convince him to go back to sleep, but he was crying about a truck or something, so I ended up bringing him back to my bed with me to try and get an extra half hour of rest (I haven't been doing my walks lately because I've been so tired and it's pitch black out in the mornings now). As I was doing it, I said to myself "This is a terrible idea and he's going to want to do this every morning now." But it was too late. So I laid down with him and he quietly kicked me in the ribs for about a half hour. 🙄

ETA MH was sleeping in the guest room because I kicked him out at 3am for breathing his meat breath on me.

ruby696 · October 2019

@shamrocandroll Meat breath... *shudders* I feel terrible because whenever DD gets sick, she ends up in our bed. And every time, I'm like "this is a terrible idea." And then she'll be in our bed the next three nights. Breathing her sick germs all over us and pushing us to the ends of the bed.

thepretzelchick · October 2019

EDD/Weeks + Days: May 25. 6+1

How old is/are your other kid(s)? 7 and 5.5

How is/are your kiddo(s) doing? They're great. They're both doing well in school and are excited for fall break and vacation next week.

Any questions/concerns? Not really. I had more concerns when I was pregnant with my daughter because my son was literally still a baby and I thought I was ruining his life, but those two are attached at the hip and they'll be fine when this one comes. I actually feel a bit bad that this one won't have a sibling close to it, since the gap will be 6 years and almost 8 years, but I'm not having a fourth, lol.

How did/will you tell your LO(s) about the baby? My son kind of already figured out, so while I was probing around to see what he knew, he guessed and was surprised that he was right. My daughter keeps drawing pictures of me with a baby, so finally we told her there really was a baby. We hadn't planned on telling them yet, but they're old enough to understand and be interested.

m6agua · October 2019

EDD/Weeks + Days: May 14 / 7+5

How old is/are your other kid(s)? 2, She will be 3 at the end of November

How is/are your kiddo(s) doing? She is doing great, just a busy little girl. She is loving her "babies" lately, which are actual dolls and then her stuffed animals. It is so cute.

Any questions/concerns? Nope

How did/will you tell your LO(s) about the baby? We haven't told her yet, and we will wait to tell her at her birthday, which is when we will tell all of our close friends and family. I'm sure there will be more conversations after that until she understands. We have been asking her if she wants a baby brother or sister, as we've seen friends with smaller babies lately. Her answer always changes.

mdfarmchick · October 2019

EDD/Weeks + Days:
16 May / 7 + 3

How old is/are your other kid(s)?
4 and 1.5

How is/are your kiddo(s) doing?
They are good. Four is settling out a little and #2 is just a kid that pushes the limits.

Any questions/concerns?
Nope.

How did/will you tell your LO(s) about the baby?
The four year old knows. He apparently remembers how sick I was with #2 so he put two and two together. We explained that it’s a secret and so far he has done well with that. At the end of the day we live 2400 miles away from our families anyway. The 18 month old doesn’t have a clue and I won’t try to talk to him about it until I have an actual bump. It’s a long time until May so he will get it eventually.

mamaqdubu · October 2019

EDD/Weeks + Days: May23 / 6+3

How old is/are your other kid(s)? 3YO, and almost 2

How is/are your kiddo(s) doing? pretty good. DS1 is learning a lot about his emotions which is a good thing. Having freak outs, and then later when we talk about it saying "mommy I didn't mean it. I'm sorry I did XYZ". This is a big change over 6 months ago when he would have hour+ tantrums, and not be able to control his emotions at all. I feel like as soon as DS1 is out of this stage, it will be time for DS2 to start.

Any questions/concerns? No.

How did/will you tell your LO(s) about the baby? at 3YO, I don't want to confuse him. I'm just going to straight up tell him mommy is going to have a baby, and he will have another brother or sister in X months. DS2 will probably understand once I have a belly, and if we watch some TV shows or other things about it, but I don't think he'll grasp it when I tell him.

soprano19 · October 2019

EDD/Weeks + Days: Currently May 13, but I have a feeling that will change after our appointment today because I ovulated pretty late

How old is/are your other kid(s)? DD will be 2 a week from today!

How is/are your kiddo(s) doing? She’s doing well. We’re in sort of an “everything is dramatic” stage, but she is advanced enough with language that we can usually get her to tell us what’s wrong. Also, yesterday she came home from daycare and went into her room, shut the door, and played quietly by herself while H and I were cooking. I even went in to see what she was doing and she went, “Mommy, bye.” I said, “Do you need some privacy?” and she said, “Yeah, need some privacy.” 😂

Any questions/concerns? I’m planning to start kicking her binky habit after she turns 2. Any recommendations for the best way to do it?

How did/will you tell your LO(s) about the baby? My SIL just had a baby last week, and DD knew that auntie had a baby in her tummy and has now met and held her new cousin. So we’ll probably tell her that Mommy has a baby in her tummy just like auntie did and that she will be able to meet and hold the baby just like she did with her new cousin.

rachelg777 · October 2019

@shamrocandroll I'm sorry about the early morning wake up call. We are still working on our wake up time... he has started getting up regularly between 5-6 AM and I need to do something to fix this because I end up bringing him back to bed with me as well which I know doesn't help.

@soprano19 Your DD needing privacy is cracking me up.

EDD/Weeks + Days: 5/14, 7+5

How old is/are your other kid(s)? 17 months

How is/are your kiddo(s) doing? He's great and so fun. He is definitely starting to push the limits though.

Any questions/concerns? This is dumb but how do I get DS to stop throwing food off his high chair. Like I thought it would just be a phase but this just keeps going. I am a broken record at meal times but he just looks at me, stops for a minute, and then continues on his way. I give him small portions usually and if he eats it all I add more.

How did/will you tell your LO(s) about the baby? Yeah he is clueless but we do have a baby doll so I'm trying to introduce the concept of baby. Also I'm just trying to get him to say "baby" but he said it once and won't repeat it.

shamrocandroll · October 2019

@rachelg777 Ugh that's the thing. He's normally a great night sleeper, and now I'm afraid I've initiated a bad habit. In regard to the food thing, I stopped acknowledging it and he lost interest. Sometimes ignoring it is the best thing because even a negative reaction is fun to them. Giving small bits at a time is a good place to start, too.

thepretzelchick · October 2019

@soprano19 Cut holes in the binkies. It becomes incredibly unsatisfying to suck on with holes in it. It's worked for every kid I've ever tried it with, and it becomes their decision and their big kid step, which helps with the little bits of independence they so desperately crave at that age.

shamrocandroll · October 2019

thepretzelchick said:

@soprano19 Cut holes in the binkies. It becomes incredibly unsatisfying to suck on with holes in it. It's worked for every kid I've ever tried it with, and it becomes their decision and their big kid step, which helps with the little bits of independence they so desperately crave at that age.

I tried that and it didn't work. He mostly just kept it in his mouth for comfort and didn't suck on it much, so the holes didn't bother him. I also then became paranoid he was going to bite off pieces and swallow them because the holes gave him a starting point to chew on.

ETA quote

rachelg777 · October 2019

@shamrocandroll Hopefully since it's just once things will go back to normal! I have definitely initiated a bad habit. But I figure we will have to break it the hard way anyway when I wean and MH has to go in to get him in the mornings. Re food -that's a good idea, maybe I'll just go back to ignoring it. I started out with that but now he is a little older and it is definitely more for attention.

chewie5990 · October 2019

EDD/Weeks + Days: May 20 - almost 7W

How old is/are your other kid(s)? I have a 3 year old son (D15 baby)

How is/are your kiddo(s) doing? My son is an amazing sweet boy or an absolute terror. Right now he is giving us a lot of trouble at night..he's all of sudden scared every night and wants water but won't touch the water cup...then when we attempt to hold the cup, water spills down his shirt and he freaks out and on it goes on and on... last night it took almost an hour to get him to sleep! It's frustrating because there was the great period where we thought we were finally "good" at the night time routine and the whole thing only took about 15-20 minutes..hoping it's just another "phase"

Any questions/concerns? are you trying to limit picking up your toddlers? I always seem to read conflicting advice..my son is about 35 pounds, but since I carry him all the time I feel like it would fall under "normal activity"

How did/will you tell your LO(s) about the baby? There have been 3 babies born this year in our family and DS has been absolutely dying for a sibling - he asks about it constantly. We know he is going to be over the moon excited. We are definitely waiting until after the first appointment - I'll be 10 weeks at that point. If the appointment goes well, then we will tell him after.

mamaqdubu · October 2019

@soprano19 i second what @thepretzelchick said! Cut off the end off all the binkys you can find in the house (still leave them there/give them to her). It worked amazingly well for both my kids and was recommended by their pediatric dentist (DS1 was developing a binky bite, which fixed itself within 3 months of giving up the binky). She said if they still want to suck on it, just keep on cutting off little bits of the binky until there's nothing left for them to grab onto anymore. fortunately for us, they hated it from the initial snip and gave it up that exact night.

ruby696 · October 2019

@chewie5990 I still pick up DS and he's 39 lbs. I just can't say no to him, especially since he doesn't know why yet. 8 just make sure I lift carefully/ correctly, and don't carry him for too long. Or I'll give him a piggy back. As I get bigger and he knows I'm pregnant, I'll probably tell him I can't.

mdfarmchick · October 2019

@soprano19 that has got to be one of those mom bittersweet moments—like so proud that she’s playing independently and just a little sad that she doesn’t need you.

@rachelg777 have you considered an okay to wake clock? I know 17 months is early but i have friends who introduce it at this age and have decent luck building the habit slowly. @shamrocandroll it’s actually perfect for your son. We didn’t personally do it because I told my oldest that if the sun is still sleeping, he needs to be sleeping and he’s done well with that.

Also, @rachelg777 we did baby led weaning with both kids and have dogs... if you throw food, I clear your tray. I’ll offer some bites with me helping by holding it but usually my youngest doesn’t take it. And so then I clean him up and consider dinner over. I try to remember that toddlers usually only eat one big meal a day and for us, it’s ususlly lunch.

shamrocandroll · October 2019

@mdfarmchick Yeah, I've seen those and if this continues to be an issue, we'll get him one. I'm hoping this wa s aone-off. I like that it doubles as a nightlight, too.

rachelg777 · October 2019

@mdfarmchick So I've also considered this, the only thing I've run into with "stopping dinner" afterward is that he wakes up super early because he's hungry - like 4:30- and obviously he can't associate yet that the fact he is hungry early is because his tray was cleared because he threw food the night before. I guess I could stick with it for a few days until he gets the point of no more food if any ends up on the ground and then eventually the morning thing would be a non issue. I just really need sleep right now

. The Okay to wake clock may be a good idea.

mdfarmchick · October 2019

@rachg777 have you considered cleaning up from dinner, doing bath and then before you do the rest of the bedtime routine, offering a snack like peanut butter toast or yogurt or something? We used to do that but I know some people don’t like to do food/milk/liquids before bed.

ruby696 · October 2019

@rachelg777 We did what @mdfarmchick said. We cleared his tray (after he was given multiple chances) and then offered a banana or yogurt before it was time to brush teeth. Or I'd clear his tray and he'd think dinner was over, but I really just wrapped it up and would let him finish his dinner later as long as he didn't throw food.

mdfarmchick · October 2019

@rachelg777 oh and is he teething?

@chewie5990 I don’t. I normally pick him up when he needs it or I need to so I won’t stop until I physically just can’t. We do piggyback rides some to be easier on me.

rachelg777 · October 2019

@mdfarmchick @ruby696 That's a really good idea about the snack, I don't know why I didn't think of that! Thank you! It's possible he's teething, I haven't felt anything but he could be.

mdfarmchick · October 2019

@rachelg777 my oldest didn’t like solids very much if he was working on a tooth. So we we would do lots of smoothies and pouches to help him through it.

lfritos · October 2019

@chewie5990 Oh my gosh, I hadn't even thought of this... are we not supposed to pick them up? Also, I'm also having a terrible time with bed times right now. She just fights me tooth and nail, sometimes literally... its the absolute worst part of my day.

@shamrocandroll I'm sorry about the bedtime trials, good luck.

EDD/Weeks + Days: May 29

How old is/are your other kid(s)? DD is 3 years old

How is/are your kiddo(s) doing? She is mostly amazing! She just started at a new school and is really thriving there. I'm so happy about it. Also, I'm in the same boat as @chewie5990, bedtimes are basically a disaster. As soon as we finish reading, she starts thrashing and yelling about how she doesn't want to go to bed. We usually wind up just walking out and letting her cry for a few mintues otherwise she never calms down. Any ideas?

Any questions/concerns? Any ideas with how to make bedtime go smoother are welcome.

How did/will you tell your LO(s) about the baby? Haven't told her yet, she will tell everyone! Funny story, for fathers day, she drew a little picture in the card, and I was going to give it to DH the next day, and the second he walked into the room she smiled and said "I drew you a picture in your card!" So we need to keep it from her until we are ready for everyone to know. haha.

mdfarmchick · October 2019

@lfritos if you’ve been picking her up all along and you don’t feel uncomfortable I don’t see any reason to stop. We had a rough time with sleep around 3 years old. I hope it gets better for you.

darkrose88 · October 2019

EDD/Weeks + Days: 5/29 - 5+5

How old is/are your other kid(s)? DS is 21 months

How is/are your kiddo(s) doing? DS has been a bit more challenging lately. He constantly needs entertainment and has been throwing a lot of temper tantrums.

Any questions/concerns? No.

How did/will you tell your LO(s) about the baby? I've mentioned to DS mommy has a baby in her belly but I don't think he has quite understood that concept yet. I'm thinking about getting him a big brother or big sibling book to help get the news across more.

rachelg777 · October 2019

@mdfarmchick just checked his mouth after I picked him today 3 new teeth poking through. 🤦‍♀️ This explains a lot.

mdfarmchick · October 2019

@rachelg777 ugh. I’m sorry. But now you know. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Also, watch out. Mine bite. 😐

soprano19 · October 2019

@thepretzelchick @mamaqdubu I had heard that tip about cutting holes before. That’s probably the first thing I will try, since it makes it seem to her like she’s making the decision to give it up rather than me not giving it to her when she asks. Thanks for the advice!

@rachelg777 @mdfarmchick it was hilarious! I walked out of her room and closed the door behind me and told H, “I’m glad she can entertain herself, but I don’t know what to do with my hands!” 😂

ruby696 · October 2019

@rachelg777 I swear, my kids' daycare provider had to point out every time they had a new tooth coming in. I felt like the worst, most unobservant parent. It explained so much! Every. Single. Time. 🤦‍♀️

Eta: autocorrect

rachelg777 · October 2019

@ruby696 yes exactly, now everything is coming together.... I try to avoid sticking my finger in there because well, I like my finger but yeah -now I know. 😂

sbishop426 · October 2019

EDD/Weeks + Days: 9+2

How old is/are your other kid(s)? 3 and 20 months, both boys

How is/are your kiddo(s) doing? Trying to potty train, fun times. The 3 yr old is not quite fully potty trained during the day and is scared of public toilets. My 20 month old has been showing interest so I started with him. Hoping to have at least one fully potty trained before this baby gets here

Any questions/concerns? Way more crampy this time around which I understand more pregnancies equals more aches/pains but still makes me a little uneasy

How did/will you tell your LO(s) about the baby? The 3 yr old understands and it’s so sweet. He kisses my stomach and says it’s a baby girl- we don’t know yet so we’ll see!

m6agua · October 2019

@chewie5990 At my intake appointment they weren't concerned about me picking up my LO yet. She said later on I will have to avoid that. DD is 27 lbs.

@lfritos For bedtime I highly suggest a familiar routine if you don't already have one. DD is almost 3, we start by going potty/brushing teeth and bath on bath nights. Then into her room to get changed, she picks out 2 books that we read together on the floor or in the chair. Then she gets into bed and we read one more book to her. She keeps a friend, water bottle, and book in bed. After we read that story she goes potty one more time and then we cuddle for 1-2 minutes. Then back in bed, hugs and kisses and goodnight. She tends to lay awake with her stuffed animal or book for about 30 minutes. We start the routine around 6:50/7:00 pm and are done by 7:30. If it is a bath night we start earlier to be done by 7:30.

@rachelg777 Teething is so tough. I feel like from 1-2.5 was the worst with the molars coming in.

Question for those whose LO's are still currently in the nursery and need to switch rooms. So DD is in the nursery with the front off of the crib. We plan on keeping the nursery for the new baby and moving DD to her own big girl room. At what point should I do that? At first I was thinking by end of April, but then I thought she may think the baby is taking her room so I probably should do it earlier. We have a lot to do in order to move the office out of the room, find a new place for the litter box, paint, and put all of her new bed stuff in there. DH thinks we need to finish the basement (just walls and flooring) for the office before hand. I think we can stick stuff down there without being finished or can put stuff in our living room. I just have to figure out a timeline soon.

mdfarmchick · October 2019

@m6agua all the advice I’ve heard is that you want them to not associate the move with the baby. With DS1, we moved him to a big bed in his room about 6 months before DS2 was born. All he did was switch beds though. We moved the nursery into the other guest bedroom. With DS2, he’s still sleeping in the crib and probably will be when baby is born. But I use a mini crib in our room for the first six months anyway. So we will set the nursery up for baby and use it as the guest room for a while until we need to move baby. The boys share a room now and so I hope to just transition him to a bed with big brother at the right time. If not, the baby can sleep in the mini crib in the nursery for a while. The mini crib is good until age 3 too.

bananapanda · October 2019

@ruby696 I'm also that mom who lays with DD to get her to sleep. I pretty much always have and don't see it stopping anytime soon. It's so frustrating sometimes, but I know it won't last forever and the snuggles aren't that bad

She also still sleeps in our room (at 2) because we have a main floor master and the other bedrooms upstairs, and I guess I'm just too lazy to have to go up there in the middle of the night when she inevitably needs me. Currently we lay in our bed until she's asleep then move her to a toddler bed right by me. About 20% of the time she makes it through the night in her bed but usually she wakes up and gets in bed with us.

EDD/Weeks + Days: 5/13 8+0

How old is/are your other kid(s)? 2

How is/are your kiddo(s) doing? she's been a handful lately when she doesn't get her way, and she has very strong opinions about what exactly what needs to happen. I know it's normal, but we are still trying to figure out how much to let her do what she wants vs lay down the law and when/how to punish her.

Any questions/concerns? like @sbishop426 some more cramping/RLP this time around. Last night I leaned forward on the couch to pick something up off the floor and felt like I pulled a muscle. At first I thought oh just RLP, but it lasted a full minute or two when I thought RLP typically was very quick. This seemed like a muscle spasm and then it felt tight after. It made me very nervous, but then it was gone so hoping all is good.

How did/will you tell your LO(s) about the baby? I've told her she can't jump on me or kick me because there's a baby in my belly. Yesterday she pointed and said "baby, tiny baby in there!" and then later pointed at my belly and said "baby pooped!!" because one of her favorite games is telling me that all of her dolls pooped so we have to change them. And now I'm a little nervous that she's going to go around pointing at my belly saying "baby pooped" in public haha

mamaqdubu · October 2019

@m6agua we moved DS1 into his "big boy room" like 8-10 weeks before DS2 arrived. Granted he was only 13 months old so he didn't really know why, but it was a pretty quick adjustment for him when he saw all his toys/books/familiar items in the big boy room (with a few surprises like a bean bag chair).

shamrocandroll · October 2019

@m6agua I'm in the same dilemma. I was up from like 2am-3am last night needlessly worrying about it. We have A LOT to do to convert the spare room to DS's bedroom. It's basically a storage room for baby stuff right now. It needs 2 new windows installed (hopefully this month), everything in there to be moved out (to who knows where), everything to be painted, carpeting ripped out, new flooring installed, and a new bedroom set purchased. Hopefully before early spring. Gahhhh! I know it will get done, but anxioussss!

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