any other over 35 first time mums?

[AngelUK]

Hello my lovely ladies!
Thank you all for your advice and kind words! You are wonderful and I don't know what I would do without you any more.
You all made great and valid points and of course I am going to just let this go and never mention it to Andrea at all.
My mum also suggested that if one wants something so badly and cannot have it then the only way to deal with it when other ppl get it, is to not acknowledge that it really is all that great. So in other words, Andrea, while no doubt happy for me in a way, would find it too painful to have to acknowledge that not only have I two babies but that they are lovely to boot. And the fact that she did say that Sebastian was cute might be cause at least he is her godson. Made sense to me.
What hurt me was more that she is a very intelligent, thoughtful and quite sensitive person, even when she is ill and she is on the whole very loving, especially towards me. So I cannot really credit her comment with thoughtlessness. She always asks about the boys and how they are doing. But rest assured, I never rave about them or mention how beautiful I find them or how sweetly they cuddle or anything like that other than the facts on progress, sleep and activities etc, in case I hurt her. So when all those months she never said anything complimentary about them, I accepted this as it being a step too much and just too painful for her. Which is why I said, I wish she had not said anything about Sebastian, if she meant to indicate that Dominic is not also cute.
I am very willing to let everything possible pass and never mention things that hurt me as I do love her very much and feel dreadfully sorry for her. I make every allowance because of her illness and always have, even when her typical Leo behaviour steamrollered over my Pisces sensibilities (I don't really believe in astrology but in this case the personalities have an uncanny fit!). But I cannot help be hurt at times, and never more than when I feel a slight towards my boys and then I need to vent a bit. Thank you all so much for listening and being so kind!

I don't have time to answer the rest of the posts now but will hopefully be able to tomorrow morning after getting the boys up, as usual.
Hope all are well

 

[SabrinaKat]

got bloods back and everything 'normal' -scream loudly and cry a bit - LOL - my thyroid is within 'normal range' but slightly less than back in December...and the first appointment I can get (early morning) is on the 22nd, so when I rang the doctor, he suggested it was better I come in sooner rather than later as I am getting another sore throat and have loads of aches and pains. GRUMBLE! It might just be a virus that I can't shake, but it's so frustrating (and I do take multi-vitamins)... back in 2011 when we were doing pre-IVF stuff, the consultant said that one of my ovaries wasn't functioning properly -- perhaps that's the problem, e.g. miss a month? GRUMBLE, again....

having a cross day. I sold some stuff on ebay and will make 4 euros (GROWL!)
LO wouldn't take an afternoon nap - aargh....

that is all....

aargh!

ps. on a positive, though -- no bitings in creche!

 

[Storm1jet2]

Angel you are a very sensible lady and a wonderful friend! Andrea is blessed to have you in her life

Sk how utterly frustrating! I've never had thyroid issues or skippeda period (unless pregnant) and I am sure you would like some answers!

I feel rough as, but still alive... The bloat is ridiculous, I honestly look 5 months gone by the end of the day.. its depressing and clothes that fit in the morning don't fit by bed time on the upside I'm off work for a week so planning to take L away for a few days.

I'm so tired ladies...

 

[AngelUK]

Good morning ladies.

Charlie we got our Annabel Karmel ice lolly holder yesterday and I sent OH out to see what fruits or berries he could get for ices. He only got mango as I had told him that you used that and that clio liked that too. Ah well, good way of starting. Will try and make some today. Thanks for the tip
Is Sophia still grumpy? I think you are right and it could be developmental. If she is frustrated with not being able to crawl as she wants, this might well add to it. I hope you get your smiling girl back soon though!

Sabrina how strange (but good in a way of course) that your blood-work came back ok. So all these symptoms you were experiencing are just a mystery? When you say you have an appointment on the 22nd, is this to recheck your blood at a later date or for something else?
Btw I don't think that multi vitamin pills help against viruses. Sure they can boost your whole system etc but I think their effectiveness is probably a bit exaggerated in the fighting off of such illnesses. I read somewhere that for example contrary to popular belief vitamin C helps not at all in the prevention or treatment of the common cold As for your ovary not working properly, I know ppl who only have one but they still get AF every month as the other ovary takes over that workload. That said, I am not an expert of course and who knows what may or may not be the cause. But I would be frustrated too in your place. It is nice to have an answer and a possible solution. I hope you either find out what it was or that it goes away and you get back to normal xx

Storm Sorry you are feeling so rough! I do remember the bloat, it was uncomfy as well as not pretty. Did you take bump shots every week with L? And/or will you with this bean? My pregnant friends on BnB do and I love seeing their progress. I wish I had done weekly shots myself but felt too disgusting at the time. I regret that now, especially as it is difficult to remember just how vast I was by the end lol.
Hope you got some good sleep last night.

Borboleta I hope you had a lovely 4th of July. I am sorry your DH felt down again but also that he hasn't found a job still. I hope he can find something in another city that you both like. Won't it be sad for him to move away from his family though? And what about your studio? But I guess you could open this at another place as well. I am glad the thought excited him though. I am sure a boost like that must be welcome.

Clio my mum is going to be 72 this year so yeah pretty much the same age as yours. Sounds like your mum does overestimate her abilities out of kindness. My mum really only plays with the boys and again, since there are two of them and they can entertain themselves, we can take breaks and have a coffee in the kitchen and we can chat etc. She does occasionally iron a few things for me and this time mended a pillow case as well. She is so good at sowing! But that is all I let her do really. It might also help that she doesn't stay with us and that I drop her off at her hotel in the evening and OH and I get about an hour or so to ourselves before bedtime. Otherwise I might find it tiring too. I adore my mother but she pushes my buttons like no one else (or possibly only my brother) can. Every time I tell myself, I will not react or only react calmly and not get het up but I usually fail at that after the first two or three days. What astonishes me is that after 40+ years she still hasn't learnt that certain things will get me steamed up and that we will argue. But I take the blame totally onto myself. My mum isn't perfect but she is a lot closer to it than me!
And yes my brother has three children. A girl who is going to be 6 in September and twin boys who are almost 3. They live in the next "village" to my mum and she goes and sees them all the time when she is home. But maybe cause they are not her own daughter's children, she was never able to feed them and change them and all the things she could do with mine. But the boys were preemies too due to SIL pre-eclampsia, so that played a part too. So she is enjoying that added closeness that she is allowed here Also, my SIL has a "nanny" for each child wacko (they are from Romania and are sometimes relatives of hers. But they change every 3 months as that is as long as they may stay on a visa. It is so hard to keep track of them all. But no wonder my brother is struggling so much with money, poor guy!) and they tend to hover about, so that it makes for awkward visits at times. But there is no doubt that my mum adores those children as much as mine. They are very sweet too
Thanks for the advice re teeth. Seems Dominic has got his right fang out too. I cannot see any signs of the next molars on the right or the right second incisor but the fang on that side is definitely poking through. Odd huh? But his bottom is a lot better this morning thankfully.
Sounds like your new neighbours will be a great asset and how sweet of the 5 year old to ask to play with J! Your comment about them hardly having any grass makes me determined to re-turf our tiny backyard. We have two gardeners coming in to clear the wilderness next week and they suggested [link removed at websites companies request] but it is kind of expensive and I would never get the delicious smell of freshly cut lawn. But hm... I am not very good with keeping on top of things like mowing lawns etc. So maybe... I have time to think about it as there is enough work to be getting on with.

As for us: Dominic is getting really good at finger walking with just one finger to steady him! He is also standing unsupported for longer and longer periods of time. (only a few seconds really but it is a start) He is so proud and since we go Yay and clap when he does it for a good amount of time, he starts clapping too when he sits down. So sweet!
We have been practising face and body parts and Dominic is doing very well with that. Sebastian has to be in the right mood but knows them all too. Yesterday I taught them belly but Dominic pats his chest when asked to show belly to me. So cute!
And he finally also manages to do the "A-lie-lee" hand movement. If you remember, that is part of a Greek nursery/children's rhyme where you hold your hand straight up and turn your wrist, as if screwing in a bulb or like a belly dancer. For ages he used to just wave instead but now he does it with both hands and is so happy lol.
We had a beautiful day here yesterday so we went to the park with the boys again. They were dressed in shorts and short sleeved t-shirts even! And since it had been nice and sunny all day, we decided that the lawn at the palace was probably dry enough. So we let the boys out of their buggy. Sebastian zoomed off across the lawn after some pigeons with a huge happy smile and Dominic started investigating dead leaves for edibility. lol
But today Sebastian is very snotty (but clear stuff) so I wonder if perhaps the grass was still a bit too damp or if he just got Dominic's cold. Dominic is still coughing but still not badly and only sporadically, as in maybe a few times an hour and not hacking or anything. But I never know how to dress these boys. Lately I have had them in just their clothes around the house without a body/vest under and just bare feet, sometimes socks in the morning. And yesterday, as I said, they were in short things and no vest under that either. Now I wonder if that rule of "Always One Layer More than You" still applies to them at their age? I didn't think so, at least not in the nice warm weather (anyway, I tend to always wear layers in order to hide my fat self ) and also, Dominic used to sweat when I put a vest under his clothes. He is a hotter baby than Sebastian and always was. What do you ladies dress your LOs in when the temperatures are about 24C (75F)?
My eyes are worse again and really puffy! Isn't it typical, that my allergy is hardly visible when I go to the doctors but flares up right after?! I look as if I were Rocky after a round against Mr T So ugly! And we are meant to meet my friend Beau this afternoon too. It is hard to leave one's sunglasses on all the time. But I have warned him, so I hope he won't recoil when I forget myself and take them off

Right, got to go feed breakfast to my boys, who woke me at 5:40 this morning Hope all are well. Sending lots of to all!

 

[SabrinaKat]

angel - we dress LO in sleeveless vests, t-shirts and shorts in this warm weather, but no socks or shoes proper (we have little boat- type canvas shoes for the stroller, but bare feet at home (for running!); he wears rompers/one-pieces without feet for sleep (and we have a light-weight sleeping bag for summer.

I was pretty bad last night -chills and aches -- all I wanted was an electric blanket after a muscle soak bath and to sleep, fortunately LO slept most of the night, so didn't have to get up too much or too early. I went back to bed for a little while this morning, but feel tired (but not as achey) -- maybe I just have a virus I can't shake? (vitamins - it was more that at least I'm not anaemic, which I do have a tendency towards!)....

hugs to all....

bye!

 

[Claireyb1]

Hello ladies, just another quick post due to the lovely weather and the fact that by the time I read all the post I have no time to reply!!!!
Just wanted to say I'm still here and loving reading everything
All is good with Lucy and we gave 2 teeth broken through the gum at the bottom ) at last!
We went to a funeral of a neighbour of my mums yesterday and funerals go it was lovely- Lucy enjoyed meeting all the people and charming the pants off them. I'm sad to say though, that society really makes me sick at times- whilst the family and neighbours were out at the funeral some sicko broke into the house of the widow!!! How low can you get. We don't know if they got much, but that's not the point!! So mad and angry for her!
Angel- about Andrea. My best friend acted in a similar fashion when I was pregnant with Lucy. We were both pregnant at the same time( I was 3 months further along) but she had a mc at 12 weeks( after that she could hardly even speak to me.......really killed me inside, but I knew why she did it.
Thankfully scheduled is now 22 weeks pregnant so it's all good. But boy is it tough when you feel hurt like that (
Right, must dash again! Rush,rush, rush ;-)
Love and hugs to all.
Xxx

 

[clio]

Angel--oooooh does my mother know how to press my buttons, too! But I do blame her for it, unlike you. My family's last name should be "Button-Presser."

Re: clothes in hot weather--J wears (and you should probably write this down; it's pretty complicated): shorts and a t-shirt, sandals or bare feet, or Robeeze before he could walk. If these things are not clean, then he wears light cotton pants and a light cotton long sleeve shirt. This also helps with sunburn and mosquitoes. So, he doesn't wear much at all. I think now the thing to look out for is overheating, though I might be wrong.

It sounds like a lovely day, though!

From what I know of colds (and Charlie, please correct me on this if I'm wrong), you can't catch them and then develop them in one day. There's a germination period for the virus, so it sounds like it's Dominic's cold. And I'm pretty sure you can't catch one from being in wet grass, either. So, I think Sebastian had a great time with no ill consequences!

Re: body parts--I know I'm always suggesting books, but some of them I love so much... Anyway, this is our new favourite, and I just sent it to my sister (Amazon Prime ), and her little one adores it, too:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0547366205/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's only about fingers and toes, but J loves the illustrations of the babies in the pictures so much that the first time he wouldn't let me get through the second pair of babies. He just stared at the pictures forever, and I found the book in his bed the next morning, open to the same page. The next time he let me get through it, but now he insists that he drink his bedtime bottle after we read the book, instead of before, which is unheard of.

The other really good one for body parts is "I Love You Through and Through:"
https://www.amazon.ca/I-Love-You-Th...r=1-1&keywords=i+love+you+through+and+through
It's another bedtime book for us, and lately J has been choosing specific pages (like the "ears" page) to get me to tickle that body part.

I'm sorry about your eye flaring up again! Did you use the cortisone cream (or the "fix things fast" cream, as I like to call it)? Is it working? I'm sure that your friend won't care and will feel only concern. Would you care if he had something like this? I suspect that your friends are as kind as you.

Huh. Artificial grass...I'd certainly miss the smell of newly cut grass! Is sod more expensive? Can you post a pic of your back yard? I'd love to see it, even without grass!

SK--how odd. I'm sorry you don't have answers yet! I agree with Angel about one ovary not affecting it; your uterus would still have prepared for the egg even if none were coming, and built up a lining. Have you checked out PCOS as a possibility? But I'm really sorry about how you're feeling! I hope you start to feel better soon!

Storm--

Borboleta--it must be so hard on your OH. Does he tell you he's down again, or can you just tell? I can't remember what he does again. Is it a trade? If the oil field comes to your area, can he get a job through them? I know that we're having a population boom again, and tons of new houses going up because the oil sands industry just North of us is going wild again. They are hiring anyone with a trade here. In fact, Alberta is scouring the entire country for people who have any trade skills.

Claire--there you are! Though I know what you mean about having so much to read, and then no time to post! Yay for L's teeth! Are these really her first?

My love to Leeze, Kitty, Rowan and Jules! If you read this, I hope you and the new babies are doing well!

As for us: J is becoming ever more social. He says "hi" and "bye" to every single man, woman or child he meets and goes tearing off towards any dog he sees. And not surprisingly, every one of them has gone into a barking frenzy when they see this toddler rushing towards them. Does this deter J? No. I think he thinks that this is their way of saying "why, hello there!" Luckily, I always catch him in time.

Otherwise, I think he is getting bored. He often stands at the window and just stares out blankly. I can't get OH to take him places anymore, even though he used to go every afternoon to the zoo, or the old historic Fort, or the nature centre. It's not that OH is particularly busy since school's out, he's just not doing it anymore. It doesn't have to be every afternoon, but even twice a week would be nice... I go for walks with J in the morning, and he plays outside all day, but still, at high noon, when we have to be indoors, you can just tell J's itching to go somewhere. Luckily, this is an Oma day, but if OH doesn't start doing something soon, then I will, even with this joint.

I'll be glad when the new neighbours are back. I think J's boredom problem will go away then.

Okay, I'm going to brave it through some laundry while J is napping. I can't believe I'm infirm at 40. Okay, 41 at the end of this month.

 

[Borboleta]

Hello lovely ladies,

Claire: so good to hear from you !! And yeah for 2 more teeth !!! So now she has 6 teeth? And I can't believe someone robbed your neighbors house while they where having a funeral!!! . Sounds like something that would happen in Brasil!! Bad people everywhere these days I guess.

Angel: I loved the picture of the boys in the park. You can just see that they were having so much fun. And I agree with Clio and I think seb got his cold from Dom. And we dress thiago in muscle shirts and shorts . Sandals when he is outside. And he sleeps in a two piece pajamas and no socks. Sometimes I put him in a long sleeves pajamas because the a/c runs a lot if it is too hot outside and it can get kind of cold in the house.

Clio: I am going to tell OH about what you heard in the job market. He is having two interviews this week so that is good.
And J sounds just like thiago. Sometimes you can just tell they are sooo bored !! Like take me outside please !!! But it is so hot that the only choice is an inside place. Why do you think your OH stopped taking him places? Thiago loves when we tell him that we are going on a bike ride in the morning. He runs to us so we can pick him up and go outside. Maybe if you tell you OH that you are going to take him out he will get the message and do it himself again.

Sabrina: hope you can shake your sickness away. So strange. Maybe is like Clio said and it is related to PCOS . So Finn runs now . Good exercising isn't it.

Little t woke up. Time to go to the pool.oh, by the way the fireworks were awesome!!! We found a wonderful spot at a parking lot and there were not a lot of people there so we had fun. Little T liked it too. Kept pointing at it. Thought of you Sabrina.

 

[charlie15]

Good morning ladies, wow what a lovely weekend here! Yey and I am cooking a roast, must be nuts, but mum is coming over to watch the men's final, so roast it is as she loves them! Oh and my mum totally pushes my buttons! My OH is a great buffer! As ever Londoners have gone crazy and there are loads of people doing all sorts in the park ( I look over a park, which I love and it makes great entertainment, especially in tennis season!!).

Well we still have no teeth but we have a roller, Sophia successfully managed to get from one side of the room to the other with lots of pretty fast rolling! she hasn't quite given up on crawling though but for the moment rolling is fast and gets her places so that's the thing to do! Borboleta, I think you may be right about Sophia's teeth, very slow! Claire, how old was Lucy when she got her first tooth? I shouldn't complain as it makes breast feeding less painful I would imagine!

SK how strange about your bloods being normal, I was sure it was your thyroid. When do you see the doctor?

Clio, poor J being all bored looking out the window why has your OH stopped taking him? I do think J will love having the new neighbours. Our neighbours have an 8 and 5 year on one side and on the other is a lovely 4 year old boy and a 4 month old baby, then next door to them is a 1 year old girl. Hopefully lots of future play mates here too when Sophia is a little older.

Angel I love those photos on FB, and yey for more finger walking for Dominic! I can't wait to teach Sophia about body parts!

Claire nice to hear from you again, yey for teeth! What a shocker about that burglary! That type of thing disgusts me. Hope they get the *******s, that's the lowest of the low

Oh and a question for all you literary ladies, I too love reading and would love Sophia too as well. What age were your LO's when you started being able to read to them? At the moment Sophia gets very upset if I hold the book at all, she wants to hold it and invariably chew it or throw it. I just go with it with her to be honest but wondering when I may be able to expect to read to her on some level or even look at pictures?? She's quite an independent monkey so likes to do things herself oh and we're 8 months old now, time goes so fast with these little ones

Anyway happy Sunday to all, enjoy the sunshine UK peeps

 

[Claireyb1]

Hi Charlie- Lucy was about 8-9 months when her 1st broke. We have been stuck on 4 for months and months, so it was about time some more popped through!
I still can't actually sit and read a book to Lucy. She sits and lets me look at the book with her and i have to point and name everything, but she doesn't have the patience to let me read her a story! ;-)

Right, off for a family lunch to remember my bil's dad who passed away last month.
Have a great day ladies.
Xxx

 

[SabrinaKat]

So Finn runs now . Good exercising isn't it.

Little t woke up. Time to go to the pool.oh, by the way the fireworks were awesome!!! We found a wonderful spot at a parking lot and there were not a lot of people there so we had fun. Little T liked it too. Kept pointing at it. Thought of you Sabrina.

as for the running...hahahaha - it's great exercise watching him....

fireworks....sob!

 

[SabrinaKat]

books- I've been showing them to LO from the beginning, but it's only since he was about 9 months+ that he was interested in them; now, he loves to take all his books out and arrange them and look through them (touch and feel books, This is my kitten, etc), but they are all heavy duty cardboard, so easily chewable, but not so easily eatable!

another grumble about ebay! One of my buyers is complaining about the postage (it's 7.50 to post two items, plus I had to buy a larger envelope so another 1.50, and she's complained that I added one euro!, but she got the two items for 2.74 and after paypel and ebay take their 10% each, I will make 1 euro - that's all). What a waste of my time and lack of money. GRUMBLE!

nothing much here - feeling more normal, but did sleep for ages last night, which was great. Fortunately, we get a bit of a breeze here, so the warm weather isn't too warm (about 25 C)....

hugs to all! bye!

 

[clio]

Charlie--re: reading, Sophia sounds a lot like J. I was pretty worried about it from around 6 months to the same time as you and beyond (and all the women here know all about it, too). All he wanted to do was chew the books, nothing else. He used to grab books from our hands before we were finished. Once, he took a book, slammed it shut and pushed it under the couch!

But suddenly, at one, he became obsessed with books. We had to read the same old books over and over again, so I ended up asking here for book suggestions, and the vast, vast majority of the books J loved. Now, we are reading to him constantly. And he's even started pretending to read books himself now. Here he is just this morning, reading his ultimate favourite book right now. Upside down.

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2842/9228343301_2c1d9241b2_n.jpg

If you're worried about language development, don't be. J talked early without books. But one of the first books J started to repeat early on was the Dr. Seuss book "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?" Turns out it's a favourite first book among many of my friends' babies, too. Leeze and Rowan also suggested to start with the "That's not my..." series (not my kitten, not my teddy bear, not my monster...).

Oh dear, I have to put J down for a nap. I'll post and continue later...

 

[Kitty_love]

Morning ladies!

Well, tomorrow morning is my obgyn appt. I thought AF would be here by now and I could cancel, but no.

Clio - love that latest pic of J reading! So cute! So he likes those books with "real" pictures and then just the word beneath it? I think I've seen that book, but didn't pick it up yet as I thought they'd like short stories more than just pictures. How do you "read" it with him? Do you point to a picture and say this is an elephant or something? I have so much to learn! And I'll probably say this over and over again, but I SO appreciate all the book recommendations!!! Which of the "this is not my" books was J's favorite?

 

[Kitty_love]

Storm - your wedding pic is gorgeous! You, your dress, and the snow, all gorgeous!!! How is puppy doing?

Angel - been thinking about what your friend Andrea said...so sorry you were hurt. I would've been, too. Only thing I can think of that hasn't been said here already, and please disregard if it couldn't be the case, I was just thinking of how or why I would say something like that to a close friend. Perhaps just at the moment of your conversation, she temporarily forgot Dominic's name? Tiny brain lapse or her medication? I can imagine myself saying nothing and being embarrassed if I was temp lost for a name, but obviously knew I should know? If that makes sense? Idk? Just trying to think of a way it was totally unintentional, seems like you two really love each other, so maybe she feels bad about it too. I agree with what others have said, she's lucky to have you, I hope it was only a misunderstanding.

About your eye, reading what you posted sounded so familiar. I have allergies - dust, mold, pollen, grass, dogs, cats, etc, but they stay under control with meds, Zyrtec, Singulair. They're not too bad as I've worked for veterinarians in high school and college, and I've owned cats most of my life. . Once, as a teenager, my mom took me to an allergy specialist who suggested we get rid of our cat. I immediately said that would NEVER EVER happen, so let's move on to option #2, the dr laughed at me so hard, and then always asked how my kitty was.

Anyway, years ago, I worked in a building that had mold issues in the ductwork. As they were trying to remediate the issue, my allergies and asthma got worse, but my right eye went absolutely crazy! Puffy, itchy, red, irritated was only the beginning. I didn't rub it and used eye drops, but the skin around my eye would turn bright red, sometimes bordering on purple all over my upper and lower eyelids, even the temple area. Many days I kind of looked like I had been punched in the eye. It hurt a lot (my eye and even more, the skin around my eye) felt almost like a burn? Skin was all dried out, too. It would come and go, but never really left until I left and got a new job. Dr said it was def an allergy to mold, suggested eye drops, steroid cream, but said to get away from the cause. It stills comes back every once in a while, usually weather-related now (rainy, humid stretches) but if it starts getting bad when I'm in a building I haven't been in before, I can be pretty sure they have mold issue. Patanol eye drops worked the best for me, OTC stuff didn't help a bit! Hope yours clears up soon.

 

[AngelUK]

OMGolly kitty you are describing my eye exactly! The skin being like burnt especially! And we do have an issue with mould with our bedroom window! Will get my window guy in as soon as to get that fixed! Thank you!!
Will post more later! xx

 

[clio]

Charlie--yay for your roller! I think Sebastian was one, too, right Angel? Or was it Finn? Re: teeth--I actually think that slow is good. J's are taking forever to come in, and as a result, we've had barely any teething trouble. He'll feel pain and need meds for a day, and then the teeth seem to give him a break before they start moving again.

Angel--that's fantastic about Dominic's finger walking! Any moment now and you'll officially have a toddler!

Claire--I actually have heard of burglars doing this (unless it's an urban myth...): they look at the obituaries, see when people's funerals are, and then rob the empty house. Sick, isn't it?

Borboleta--good luck to your OH on the job interviews! I really hope one of them works out! Otherwise, there is always Alberta...

Re: OH's non-excursions--I don't really know why he stopped. And if I were to ask him, he'd get defensive, and point out that he took him once last week, or something. He used to take him because he himself was bored, and wanted something to do with J in the afternoons. He has mentioned that he got bored with the places, but I get upset watching J rip apart yet another plant out of his own bored frustration, so I think it's a sacrifice worth making. I'd still be hauling J off to Gymboree if J himself hadn't gotten tired with it. But Borboleta, I am so pulling the "well, I'll do it then," trick. Again. How do you think I got him to cut the grass weekly and water the garden daily?

Maybe I'll take him to the petting zoo at the Zoo. It's right at the entrance, so I wouldn't have to walk far. I've noticed that J has trouble identifying animals in books that he's never seen in person, so I figure this is a good way to introduce him to them properly.

I've also found a great site that sells bathing suits designed entirely for Plus Sized women. So, I'm going to order one and then take J swimming, finally. Sadly, I'm not allowed to swim myself, but I don't think that'll matter much.

Ah, I see others have written since I started this post. Will read and respond...

 

[Borboleta]

Hello everyone,

Charlie: little t has been a book fan from a very young age. His favorite one for a long time was dr. Seuss " oh baby go baby" the baby version of " oh, all the places you'll go". He liked " toes, ears and nose by Marion Dane Bauer", "baby says peekaboo! By DK", hide-and-seek in the jungle and Elmer plays hide and seek by David McKee and some little baby Brazilian books as well. He always let us turn the pages and read to him. He likes sitting in our laps to read. He actually brings the books to us now. They are normally short stories even though he can sit in our lap for about 20 to 30 min reading thru different books. And he pretty much destroyed oh baby go baby and the Elmer book from trying to open the flaps . I found the baby head the other day and try to fix it . But I guess that is what books are for.
As you know I baby sat a lot of babies before and most of them did not enjoy books until they hit certain age. So I wouldn't worry much if Sophia is not very interested yet. You can try one little book and give her something to chew on it while you read it .

Clio: thiago is in love with the same book that J is reading in the picture . The one he has is " the first 100 words". We have to read it to him all the time. And if OH and I are close he looks at both of us to hear the words in Portuguese and English . I should get the other ones from the collection. Oh, and the other one he loves it at the moment is the " little people let's go to the zoo."

Kitty: so no AF yet? Strange. It might be that your hormones are still adjusting.

Sabrina: 25C sounds lovely .

Oh, did I mentioned that thiago is not a huge fan of pools . He likes splash pads more. And if he sees it from a distance something that can rolled and kicked he wants to get out of the pools and play soccer around the pool with that object !!! Crazy I know!!!
And now he is in this fase where he doesn't want to eat much of anything. I am trying not to stress about it but it is hard sometimes. I am not sure if he is just not hungry or those back molars are starting to bother him since lately he is trying to bite me again and sticks anything way back in his mouth on the left side. And I thought I was going to have a good break from teething !!!

 

[Kitty_love]

Clio - forgot to say YAY for your new neighbors! Sounds like you're going to get along well, and the kids can have lots of fun playing outside together!

SK - glad you got AF finally! But sorry the tests didn't explain the cause, that is so frustrating. Thinking I may ask tomorrow to check my thyroid, but I guess I'll see what dr says?

So you're from DC area? Love it there! I love museums and touristy stuff! We used to visit frequently with my parents when I was younger. Cannot wait to be able to take Blake! Dh went to high school there for a few years, but we only went together a few times as adults quite awhile ago.

Blake is doing great, growing like crazy and learning new stuff. He was just under 15 pounds at last check-up, so I bet he's 15 or a bit over by now.

His new thing is high pitched shrieking! Not when he's upset or tired, just for fun. Once I realized he was ok, just learning to make new sounds, I started mimicking him. He shrieks! I shriek! He shrieks! I shriek! Back and forth, over and over again, he thinks it's so fun! He smiles and laughs! I think it's pretty cute, like we're communicating. It's driving Dan crazy! So that makes it even more fun to me He went out to do yard work and said he can hear us shrieking even from outside! Neighbors must love us!

 

[clio]

Morning ladies!

Well, tomorrow morning is my obgyn appt. I thought AF would be here by now and I could cancel, but no.

Clio - love that latest pic of J reading! So cute! So he likes those books with "real" pictures and then just the word beneath it? I think I've seen that book, but didn't pick it up yet as I thought they'd like short stories more than just pictures. How do you "read" it with him? Do you point to a picture and say this is an elephant or something? I have so much to learn! And I'll probably say this over and over again, but I SO appreciate all the book recommendations!!! Which of the "this is not my" books was J's favorite?

To be perfectly honest, J didn't take all that much to the "That's not my..." books (and we had four of them). They're touchy-feely books and I perhaps at one yr, J was too old for them. But I think the rest of the babies on here liked them, and others can tell you their LO's favourite. The picture book(s) I have are wonderful--they're by Roger Priddy--and we just go through and let J identify the pics himself, or we ask him if he can point out a certain object or animals (like "bottle" or "cat"). Or we explain a picture to him. Priddy has shorter ones, too, for younger babies:
https://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_s...-keywords=priddy+books&sprefix=priddy,aps,257

I thought at first that he would like stories, too, but he can get bored with them. Short and sweet is what he wants. "Good Night Moon" is a wonderful one, too, though you wouldn't think so after all these years (it was written in the 40s!) and the rather "dull" pics. But J adores it at bedtime. I guess it's a classic for a reason! I got the Lap Size version of the board book.

Music is the thing J and I did before he got into books. I bought and downloaded the "Blue Moo" and "Philadelphia Chickens" albums from Sandra Boynton, and sang these hilarious songs to him from 3 months old till now. I added some Raffi along the way for more "traditional" kids' songs.

Borboleta--what a smart idea to read the books in English and Portuguese! J's favourite is the 100 Animals one, and even calls it the "Ani-moo Bk." But he also loves to look through "Numbers, Colours, Shapes," especially the shapes pages and the colours pages. The other pictures are great, too, and relate a lot to J's own life.

Okay, J is now up from his nap. That was 2.5 hours. Not bad...