Mid-August Testers

[InHisHands]

Thanks guys. We could try to resell it, but it would only go for around half of what we paid and I couldn't buy something different with that. *sighs* We are going to try to make it work since all of Dexter's toys will be in a different room thus all there will be is a bed, dresser (which can fit in the closet if need be), and a bookcase for books.

Hubby is trying to fix it up, but I'm not sure if his attempts are helping or not just yet.

Bex... I really hope you can get that BFP this month.
Nic - can you send us a pic of F new room?
Snow - you are right... 10X12 is small... that is what Dexter's room is now. His new room will be 10X14.

Everyone - How are your kiddos doing will toys? What are their favorites right now?

 

[snowflakes120]

Hands - I hope hubby's attempts fixes it all up for you guys!

Nic - Sorry your measuring behind as well. I agree that I do not enjoy the too full feeling too. I go for my growth ultrasound on Thursday. Hope she and I measure good.

Tim is in Michigan. He left today. He is scheduled to be gone for 3 weeks and supposed to return on 9/26. We had it written in that he has to come back no later than that date - they wanted 10/3. However, there still is a chance he could come sooner but I'm not counting on it. So far Day 1 went ok with Kellan. He was overtired and cranky and clingy tonight.

Tubes were recommended for Kellan. ENT said he was a poster child for them. Given the 10 ear infections in 1 years time plus some other factors. He has hearing loss currently in the Mild to Moderate range due to fluid - the ear infection he has did not go away despite 10 days on a strong antibiotic so we are continuing it for another week to try to rid him of it. Dr. said we would leave the adenoids alone. He is scheduled for the tubes on 9/26 - which is the day Tim is supposed to get home. Again, not great timing but the only other day was the day in this particular hospital was the day before my C-section which was a big fat no. We were also told that his ears could def be contributing to his lack of talking and speech.

Physical Therapist said Kellan's gross motor skills are good for his age. However, said that our hands concerns are out of the ordinary for his age and usually presents itself with tonal issues. She said he has no tonal issues and no neurological issues. However, she would still like an Occupational Therapist to look at him as they deal with more fine motor skills. So we are waiting for them to call and get that evaluation. I was given some hand massage techniques to do daily to try in the mean time.

Speech evaluation was less than stellar. We are recommended to go once a week to work on it. Also said he is behind on some developmental things as well. Such as not knowing 3 body parts - he knows 2. Not knowing animal noises - he knows 0. And a few other things that I can't really remember at the moment. He has good attention though and good imitation. I am to start trying baby sign language as well.

I'm a bit overwhelmed with the info but will work hard on getting him up to par. Worried if I will be able to do it all with a newborn as well.

And holy crap we are having baby girl in exactly 1 month from today. Crazy!

 

[NotNic]

Snow - it probably doesn't feel like it but you had some great appointments there. I'm so glad you went for the ENT appointment as I had a gut feeling that's what they would say. Developmentally he is not behind. How could he identify an animal noise if he can't hear them? Finlay wasn't great at animal noises and learnt them after he already had close to 50 words. You'll be amazed how quickly they will come and K's still only 15mths. Most toddler's get a speech explosion after 18mths and some after 2. Finlay was about 21mths. By fixing his hearing now he'll catch up with everyone else. Appointment wise I agree its going to be tricky to take him with a newborn, but you'll find you end up being indoors much more so that will give you an opportunity to read with him and baby. We got flash cards which made a huge difference. Finlay's vocab massively improved in 2 short weeks. We also do lots of singing. Teaching Kellan to dance to 'Head, shoulders, knees and toes' is a fun way to learn body parts. Children with mild hearing problems adapt really well. He's already probably a good lip reader and that's why he's a good imitator. In a few short months I'm sure he'll have improved so much.

Hands - we still have furniture to assemble but we'll post pics when we've done it

 

[InHisHands]

awww congrats snow... I know you are so excited to see her.

Try to not put too much stalk into what kids should know. Dexter is 26 months and still doesn't make any animal noises, and can only count to 2. He's too busy playing to focus on educational stuff right now and when I try to teach him stuff he just says ya.. and runs off. No interest what so ever.

Whenever mommy gets into play and starts describing things with numbers, colors, sounds, or shapes he just runs off because I "ruined" it.. LOL

It will come in time. I fully believe by the time dexter hits 3.5 yrs he will settle, but if he doesn't, I can always hold him a year before sending him to kindergarten.

It's okay if Kellan has some developmental concerns. He's getting the help he needs. Just remember to focus on his strengths and let the others work on the weaknesses. His weaknesses won't define him. I promise.

 

[Srbjbex]

Hi ladies...lots of updates from you guys, I love it and always brightens my day to hear from you all!

Snow- I think kellans appointments sound great and he is ckearly got lots of professionals looking out for him. Elliots speech explosion was after our Spain holiday so 20 -22 months. Nic recommend flash cards to me too I remember and elliot was great with them. He has come on leaps and bounds in the last couple of months...he confidently counts to 10 and can recognise the numbers too, plus he knows shapes and is starting to recognise some letters. Its like his brain has just exploded with information in the last few months!

Hands - im sure dexters room will get sorted. I stay stick with what you have but make it different. Get some really good bed linen, some wall stickers and it will soon look fab I'm sure! Elliot is into role play type things at the moment....particularly involving his soft toys. Yesterday when it wad snack time, iggle piggle had to sit down and have a snack too!

Nic - can't believe how quickly everything is coming round! Ive probably asked you this before but how long do you have until you finish work? Neil's Singapore trip is definitely off so no trip to London this time.....would love to meet at some point though!

So BDing has gone ok this month (thanks for asking snow hehe!). FF says I ov'd on saturday which I agree with. Bd pattern was Wednesday night, thursday night & saturday morning so happy with that but nothing since which really isn't ideal. We really should have tried to slot in a sunday night but we were both far too shattered! Waiting game begins again!

Also...great news on the new royal baby! Assume you heard the news is the US too?

 

[NotNic]

That's a shame Bex, but hopefully we can make it happen soon. I have less than a week left of work. Woohoo! Next Tuesday is my last day in the office and I'm half way through my mat cover handover. When are you leaving Snow?

I'm glad the cards helped Bex. I couldnt remember who else I recommended them to. F definitely has room from improvement. His diction isn't great, but he so wants to communicate. He speaks a mile a minute (like me!) and is so enthusiastic but it makes it harder for others to follow. Apart from star, I don't think he knows any shapes at all. He can count to 12 now but will always miss at least one number out. He'll also sing the alphabet song but I doubt he knows any letters to look at. He is the colour king though! He's got a full repertoire from red through to silver and loves to tell you what colour everything is. He can also say hello, goodbye, thank you, my water, 'hasta mañana' and 'night' in Spanish. As long as its something he's interested in then he learns really well, but no interest then he won't. I bought him a couple of beginner work books for 3yo to go in his stocking to try to encourage him with counting and letters as he does like to know stuff. He just gets bored quickly.

Playing - Finlay is loving trains (we go to the train station most days), dinosaurs and trucks. He also likes puzzles and loves Duplo right now. He's also fascinated by planes, helicopters and motorbikes. Christmas shopping is easy for us for him this year!

 

[InHisHands]

I've noticed that Dexter "knows" what things are before he'll say them. Like he knows most of his colors when I ask him to get me the "blue" train and etc... but he won't say the colors just yet. He only says blue and pink.

He knows what animals are. We can ask him to pick out the animal that makes the "oink sound" and he does... but he won't say pig or the animal sound just yet.

He's talkative in other ways though.

I'm just hoping he isn't going to have an auditory processing disorder like me where he knows it ,but can't find the right words for things. Time will tell. He's a boy and language has never been a strong suit.

On the other hand.... we went to a hotel this past week that had over 200 rooms... and we took him to the pool. When we were done, we let him walk... and ran a head of us, and stopped right at our door.... which wasn't anywhere near the pool. His sense of direction and problem solving is out of this world.

 

[snowflakes120]

That is great Hands! Did you guys make a decision on the furniture?

Bex - Nice raise today! I am thrilled for William and Kate! Hope she starts to feel better soon.

Nic - So jealous of your last week so soon. My last day is Oct. 3.

My appt went OK. I am still measuring behind. The ultrasound showed baby girl is measuring a good bit behind. Like 3 weeks behind. My OBGYN had me go right to the High Risk Dr. for a BPP. Basically, they are just saying she is going to be petite and small. And not to expect another 7 lb'er like Kellan - I am just hoping for her to even be 6lbs at this point when she is born. She is estimated at weighing 4-4.5lbs currently. It sucks. Oh but she is head down - not that it really matter all that much with being a RCS. Also in the BPP, she was practicing breathing good, my fluid looks good and the umbilical looks good. So all that very important stuff checked out well. I am going to try drinking an Ensure or Boost everyday for added calories - one can has like 340 calories - so hopefully it will help baby girl beef up a bit.

Tomorrow friends are throwing me a "sprinkle" - it should be nice.

I miss Tim and his help alot. Kellans been so cranky at night. 2 weeks left to go!

 

[InHisHands]

awww Snow.. I'm sure she'll be a feisty little thing. Small but mighty!!! Kellan better watch out!! hahaha

No decision on the furniture yet. I'm gonna let hubby refinish and coat it and see what I decide from there. It takes him about a week to do each piece. So I don't expect it to be finished until closer to Halloween.

On other news... I get to go to a military ball tonight and I'm excited about that. Yesterday I smashed my head pretty hard while at a park with Dexter. Ended up in the ER with a concussion. Thankfully CT showed no other damage besides some bruising. I'm taking it slow today but there is no way I'm canceling the ball. hahahaha.

BTW nic Dexter's favorite toys right now are is train set and kinex set. That boy sure can build.

 

[NotNic]

Hope you had a fantastic night Hands. How on earth did you get concussion? Hope you're not feeling too sore today!

Snow - while that sounds little she's still got a few more weeks to grow, and she sounds like everything else is well. It's a shame they can't keep her cooking a bit longer before the csection. Hope you e joyed your sprinkle. xx

Bex - good direction on your chart. Fingers crossed for good things. The thread needs a BFP - no pressure!

AFM - I'm starting to get uncomfortable. My skin feels bruised and I've had a couple of painful Braxton hicks - but nowhere like last time. Haven't packed my hospital bag and I'm feeling pretty disorganised! Hoping to purchase a few more things tomorrow if I can convince oh to head to an industrial estate 30mins away. There's two massive baby item superstores there. Hoping I will be inspired into buying what I need. I'm drawing a blank without the shelves inspiring me!

 

[InHisHands]

Nic - how exciting to buy baby things again!!!! Let me know what you come up with.

Snow - I do agree that with a c section that they should be willing to wait a bit longer.

Any closer on a name you two?

Bex - It would be absolutely fabulous if you got a BFP this month. May/June birthdays are great and that way you, nic, and snow could all have May and October babies! whoohooo!

Not sure if anyone else has noticed that. Most kiddos on this thread were born either in May or October Those just must be our months to shine!

The ball was absolutely fabulous and I enjoyed myself. Yesterday was great but im back to hurting again today.

I hit my head on a hard plastic pole while coming down a steep tunnel slide with dexter. The pole that went through the top edging of the tunnel slide. Had no clue that it was there because it was part of an indoor play place and the slide was in a "dark cave". There was no height requirements mentioned and adults were welcomed to play... so why did they have a pole run through a slide? *shrugs* No worries. My hubby said it was just a freak accident about how my body was angled but he agreed that they shouldn't have any part of the tunnel that is lower than the next... even if it was only by 2 inches. It was just slow enough that it cliffed my head at the hair line which knocked me back and hit my head on the bottom of the slide as well. My brain is like scrambled eggs LOL

 

[Srbjbex]

Thanks hands, I hope so too! No one in my family has a summer baby so it would nice be nice to be the first! If I'm honest though I'm really not feeling it this cycle. Got a good rise today but looking back at last month I got my good raise at this point too. ...this cycle so far feels identical to the last which is why I'm not holding out too much hope!

Hands, that sounds very painful! Ouch. Play equipment injuries are always the worst!

Only 2 weeks until our holiday. ..cant wait!

 

[InHisHands]

BTW here are some pictures of the grand canyon trip.

 

[NotNic]

Wow Dexter looks grown up. Sooo blonde! Lots of blondie boys we have any news on a move date? What's the latest on your SD?

No girls names yet. I did like Fabia, but that's the name of a car here. As soon as I realised its put me off. Boys names I like are Rafferty, Sebastian and Barnaby. Rafferty is my favourite but oh is still routing for Sebastian. I didn't end up shopping on Sunday as we saw Finlay's GGP. I will try to convince OH to come with me this weekend instead. It's my last day at work today and its making me feel anxious. So much to do! Well I say there's much to do. It's a case that I just need to get on and do things! If I put my mind to it, I easily could pack my hospital bag tomorrow, but it just makes it all too real!

 

[InHisHands]

Nic - Congrats on it being your last day!!! I'm sure you and hubby will have a great time next next weekend and your boy names sound grand!

Our household goods get packed Dec 9-11th and we leave here Dec 17th.

As far as SD goes. It just looks bleak. She has ran away twice in the past two weeks and got caught having sex and shoplifting. She isn't going to school, nor coming home when she needs to. She's physically hurting those around her. We are trying to get her in an institution before it's too late. She's dangerous.

 

[Srbjbex]

Dexter looks sooooooo much like you Hands!

Sorry things haven't improved with your SD..hopefully it will get sorted soon and she can be safe in what will be the best place for her.

Nic...congrats on your last day! Exciting times! And I love all your boy name suggestions. I think boys are easier! I'm with you on Fabia....maybe naming your girl after a skoda not the best! Name I came across recently that liked (and hubby hated) was Isla. I also like Ella but couldn't ever go with that as too close to Elliot

 

[NotNic]

It probably wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't a skoda!

 

[Srbjbex]

CD1 again. ......I give up

 

[NotNic]

Bex

 

[InHisHands]

awwwww

My heart breaks for you bex. The feeling is all too familiar. Have yourself a day or two. It's so frustrating when you want a baby so badly but have to wait so long to get pregnant, while others have Oops babies all the time. It just doesn't seem fair. Just remember, even when correct timing, position, and etc are applied, there still is only a 1 in 20 chance of getting pregnant each month.

We are here for you.