Hi, ladies!
It's been a really long time since I was on here and I've missed all of you! September was super busy with work and a trip to MD and then I got a cold at the beginning of October that turned into an upper respiratory infection and then a lower respiratory infection that, all told, lasted FOUR WEEKS. I am finally on the mend and back at work, but it was a long ride.
Miki and Mum - glad to hear your scans went well and your little ones look good. I can't believe you're both 1/2 way through already!
Wish - your boys sound like a handful right now, but also cute. I think it's true that they are super adorable at times in order to keep us from giving them away
Miki - glad to see that Kai is doing well and that you were able to successfully advocate for his developmental (and fun) needs with DH. It sounds stressful, but I'm so happy to hear that you're making progress with DH's anxiety.
TTC - potty training does not sound fun. Some people are trying to pressure us to begin potty training now with M, but I'm just not ready yet at 18 mo to tackle that. I hope that all the praise she got for sitting on the potty naked will make her want to keep doing that!
Welcome to the new ladies. Baby dust to you and I hope you all get your BFPs soon! This is a great thread with lots of supportive ladies.
Lee, Rain, and Taurus - it's so nice to see you stop by and update us on your little ones. Time really does fly!
AFM - whooo... where to begin? So much has happened in a couple of months, but not necessarily earth-shattering stuff. Let's see... Miriam turned 18 months about 10 days ago and started walking a week before that (finally!). She's now walking like a champ, but still holds her arms up in the air a lot, so it looks like she's cheering for herself
Her 18 mo check-up was good and she finally weighs over 20 lbs (though it feels like it'll be 100 years before we can get rid of the infant positioner in her carseat at 22 lbs!) and is 31 inches tall. She is still in PT and OT and now they've added speech therapy because she isn't saying many words yet. However, the pediatrician felt her language could explode at any minute because of how good her comprehension is. We shall see. This kid has a busier schedule than I do, with all of her therapies!
At 18 mo, Miriam is starting to use the word "no" to us and also get frustrated when she can't do what she wants, whether it's because of inability or us stopping her. No total meltdowns yet, but definitely some whiny, angry, frustrated sounds and pouting from time to time.
We have started working more consistently with her on limits and expectations for behavior and she seems to be responding. I get the sense that there are times when she knows she isn't supposed to be doing something, but either can't control the impulse or wants to test the limit (example: banging toys on the wall or pulling on the floor lamp). In the last week, we started asking her to help clean up her toys before bed and she's been really great about it. The only issue is making sure she doesn't immediately take them back out after everything is put away! Generally, this kid is a happy girl and really easy to manage, but I can see the toddlerhood challenges coming down the pike.
The poor thing currently has an ear infection, but I'm pretty pleased that this is her first illness since birth, other than a minor cold that was so mild that we didn't know she had it until the pediatrician told us during a well-child visit. Honestly, we almost missed the ear infection this time because she seemed so normal and not sick, other than sleeping way more than usual and being kind of puny when she was awake. I called the nurse line to ask if that was normal during teething and she felt that it could be an ear infection. So a quick trip to the doctor the next day and now we have antibiotics and a much happier kiddo today.
On the MIL front, things are definitely getting worse with her memory. DW was there for a week in October to help MIL get a cat and take care of a few items of business. Well, getting the cat completely overwhelmed her and MIL broke down crying because she felt so unsure of herself. She is now aware that she has memory problems, but has no sense of how bad they are and how impaired she is. We are pretty worried about her and she has sounded super confused since DW returned home. So there will be some difficult decisions in the near future, such as driving privileges and living arrangements/level of care. For now, we ended up with the cat, bringing our nose count back up to 4. The baby couldn't be more thrilled to have another "kee-ey" (kitty) in the house, though!
I personally am feeling a little overwhelmed/worried about M's development and the delays she is still experiencing. Everyone seems certain she will "catch up" to her actual age by 2 yrs old, but that's looming so near now that I worry about what happens if she doesn't. But we're going to think positively and plan to start preschool in the fall 2 days a week to help with socialization, which may help her learn quickly from the other kids. I'm also worried about DW and MIL, as that is a stressful situation. Oh, and DW is having hip replacement surgery in January so that will be a big deal for all of us. I'm excited for her to feel better, but it's major surgery and a 3-month recovery period. Eek!
I think that covers most of the major stuff that's happened. I'm so glad that you all are still here and the thread is going strong!