Valentines Babies, 2013!

[SierraJourney]

Awww dragon that stinks! He should have let you keep the pool---- they would have loved it!!!!

Sorry about the glucose test. hopefully the next results are better!

 

[DragonflyWing]

Guess who just peed on the potty?! Gunnar!!

We set up the little potty a few days ago because they were showing signs of being ready (telling us when they pee/poop, being really interested in the toilet and watching us to go the bathroom lol). We started just letting them sit on it whenever they asked. I figured it would be a while before they actually understood what it was for and then getting the timing right. This morning, Gunnar ran to the bathroom door saying "potty! potty!" so DH put him on it...and he peed!

Of course, we made a huge deal about it and clapped and danced around the bathroom haha. He was so proud of himself!

For all I know, it was a fluke and he won't do it again for months, but I'm super psyched! Now we'll see if Lily will do it!

 

[Kellen]

Dragon - That is a bummer. The twins would have had a great time in the pool. It would have been a great opportunity to teach them about water safety too. I'm sorry about the glucose test. Hopefully the three hour one will come back negative.

The only "symptom" perse is extreme exhaustion. But that could be tied to many things: really hot weather, long hours, chasing a toddler, etc. With Teagen I never really had any symptoms beyond tiredness until we reached around 8 weeks. As things stand we are in the TWW.

To be completely honest I don't want another child right now. We cannot afford another child and Teagen takes up so much of my mental energy that I don't think I could give another baby the attention it would need. We are also still nursing and although I know tandem nursing is possible as well as nursing through pregnancy it isn't something I'm keen to try out. I would also like to have Teagen fully potty trained. If I had it my way we wouldn't ever try for another one, but we will because DH really wants at least one more. I had a very happy childhood as an only and don't understand the sibling thing. But if we are I will love the baby with my whole heart and I'm sure I will become excited.

 

[Kellen]

Congrats, Dragon! That is amazing!

 

[wamommy]

Yay for Gunnar going peepee!! That's GREAT. Even if it was a fluke, it shows that he's comfortable with the whole potty thing and will have a much easier time learning. Max grabs his diaper when he pees, lol... but no sign of interest in the potty at all.

Dragon, I'm sorry to hear about the glucose test. I failed mine last time too... just barely... and had to do the 3 hour. It's NO fun, but maybe a chance to bring a good book and get 3 hours to yourself?

Boo about the pool! We should really get one here, but our little yard doesn't have much of a fence and it drops off literally 20 feet at the edge. I'm worried Max (or the girls!) would get excited and fly off of the edge, lol. The water table sounds super fun, too. There are little spray parks around our house but I worry about Max (who tends to face-plant a lot) falling on the slippery cement. Have you guys tried/liked those parks?

Kellen, with my first 3 the only really symptom I had was exhaustion too. Luca was the only pregnancy that cause massive nausea right off the bat. I agree that it could be the heat, or stress, or a number of different things, and it sounds like you're hoping for a negative test? I can completely understand, since you have so much going on right now that even if you do have another one it probably isn't the best time. That said, sometimes the most inconvenient things can turn out to be the most amazing! I already can't imagine life without Luca, even though his arrival has made an already-stressful household completely chaotic. Sometimes I heartily wish we'd stopped at 2!! Oh well... We're given what we can handle, right?

 

[DragonflyWing]

Lily followed right behind her brother and decided to outdo him...she peed and pooped on the potty! I'm so proud of them

I can finally feel the baby kicking from the outside now...my anterior placenta had really been muffling things, but he seems to be big enough now to kick around it

I don't think we have any spray parks around us, but I'll have to check that out. I'd be afraid of Gunnar scraping up his knees on the cement, too. He never watches where he's going!

 

[Kellen]

Dragon - Congrats on the twins using the potty and on being able to feel the baby kick.

We will find out Friday if AF shows up.

In other news Teagen has almost completely potty trained herself over the past 5 days. Right now if she doesn't wear any underwear or pants (dresses are awesome!) she will sign potty and run to her potty chair and sit down and use it. However, if we put underwear on she will have an accident. But! If she is wearing pull ups she will tell us and let us help her pull them down so she can potty. The only accident she had today was during nap time.

DH is super excited because me, being OH SO Brilliant stated that I would not have another child until Teagen was fully potty trained. Now he is champing at the bit for #2 to be in the works. Can I amend my statement and say until she is able to communicate in whole spoken sentences?

 

[DragonflyWing]

Wow that's great! Way to go Teagen! Mine are not going on the potty every time yet, but they've been consistently using it at least once a day, so I'm happy!

I kinda want to punch DH in the throat sometimes. Mosquitos seem to be insanely attracted to the twins, so I have a bottle of bug spray with DEET in the diaper bag. I asked DH to apply it if they go outside for any length of time. They came home yesterday after walking to the library, and Gunnar's face was covered in bites. I asked DH if he'd used the bug spray, and he said he didn't because he didn't think it was healthy for them. WTF, I wouldn't have given it to you to use if I hadn't researched it and found that it was safe. Do you think being covered in giant red itchy welts (Gunnar reacts really strongly to the bites) is better? Poor little guy looks like he was beaten. Lily has a bunch too, but hers aren't as angry and red.

He has also been being really impatient with them and yelling all the time. They're just being kids (yelling, taking laundry out of the basket, putting their bottles down and forgetting where they are, throwing food on the floor, etc.), but DH gets SO mad. He doesn't know how to choose his battles...every little thing is a huge war. If one of the kids is whining, instead of trying to figure out what's wrong, he just yells at them to stop. If they don't, he puts them in time-out. He's constantly saying things like "Ugh! I can't stand any more of your whining! Go away!" and even tells them to shut up.

I don't know if it has anything to do with his prior head injury, but it seems like he has absolutely zero patience. I tried to talk to him about it, but didn't get anywhere.

 

[Kellen]

Dragon, sorry to hear that DH is having trouble. Odd as this May sound it seems like he might be suffering from a bit of post-partum depression. It can occur in men especially if they play a huge care-taking role. I know that constant whining can really get on ones nerves and the constant help can also be a drain. Maybe suggest that he put himself in time out when he becomes frustrated. Just take a minute and walk away.

I am almost convinced there is a baby on the way. AF should have arrived on Thurs. but there is no sign. I am insanely tired after having smelted a solid ten hours and the need to pee has arrived. DH and I have agreed to wait until We'd to test just to give AF time to show up.

 

[wamommy]

Dragon, I'm so sorry your DH is having a hard time. I agree that a time-out for himself is probably the best remedy. I know that's not always possible, but once in a while can make a huge difference. I know I've been struggling a LOT with this very same thing. I constantly have a baby on me or in my arms, and it's exhausting. DH purposely makes Luca cry when I make him hold the baby (growls at him, startles him, etc) and then says, "see, he doesn't like me! You take him" when he starts to scream. As soon as Luca falls asleep he hands me Max... sigh. Sometimes I snap at the girls way more than I should or yell at them when they wake the baby, etc. I know they're just being kids and I feel awful, but I'm just stressed to the max with no outlet. I would give ANYTHING for a daily time out.

Kellen, eep!! I'm excited for you!! DH must be over the moon. I can't wait until Wednesday!

As for the genius potty using babies, omg you rock! Max hasn't looked twice at the potty, except to try to throw a toy into it. What's the secret??

 

[helena]

Oh I am so amazed some of the babies are potty training!! I didn't even think about it yet. I found Kiara with our potty the other day.. She was trying it on like a shoe...

But I might try it after reading about your angels!!

My boys didn't get it until 2.5-3.. Bleurgh.

Just back from uk. Mum seemed a little worse. We had a big cry together. Am so emotionally drained, heart broken. But Kiara did her job and made mum and dad smile, charging about their garden wielding the garden hose and playing in a pink paddling pool. Very cute.
But emotionally I am a bit of a mess, it's like it all only just hit home....feeling time isn't on our side. Hope I am wrong.

 

[DragonflyWing]

wamommy, that's so sad that your DH makes Luca cry just so he doesn't have to hold him. I felt like crying when I read that...I'm sorry you are so super stressed.

 

[Kellen]

Helena - I am glad you got to visit your mom, but I'm sorry that things aren't looking up. I hope that things get better for you. Kiara sounds like she is a firecracker and would be super fun!

Wamommy - So we have a 5 bedroom house now... Come on down! But don't bother bringing DH.

So no idea if we are positive or negative on the whole pregnancy thing. I thought AF started yesterday, but today there is barely anything when I wipe. We have decided to give AF until the end of the week to really show or not.

Had a bit of a setback on the potty thing. Love my grandmother to pieces, but she is really negative and really upset DH while we were moving our stuff. In turn it impacted Teagen and now I can barely get to her to sit on a potty whereas before she was super excited.

But business is picking up. For some reason Saturday is our slowest day, but we are working on that. Next Saturday we are having our Grand Opening and I've ready sent press releases and PSA's out to all the newspaper and radio stations. My goal this week is to call the local TV stations and see if they want to send someone out to cover part of the event.

We FINALLY have eye-teeth coming down. For the longest time Teagen has had a gap between here front four teeth and her molars. Just yesterday we finally saw them poking down and up, respectively.

So we are leaving the crib at the shop for naps and the occasional time that Teagen needs to be sequestered. This left us with the quandary of where shall Teagen sleep at the new house? Well, DH and my dad found a toddler bed hanging in the barn so my mom and I went to Wal-Mart and picked up a new mattress. So last night Teagen slept in a big girl bed and did great. She didn't fall out or wiggle as much as she does in the crib. Of course she kicked off all the covers by morning, but all in all it was a good sleep.

I don't know if I posted it here or if I was telling someone else... but I found out that a year has been taken off my doctorate program. I was looking over my pre-scheduled classes and sent a note to advising asking for some specific elective courses and found out that while I was in my master's course I had taken doctorate level courses so they transferred. This save $3,675 per course... a savings of over $10,000! I also get to begin writing my dissertation next October. I am pretty excited.

Teagen's new favorite thing to do is spin in circles and say "dzzzy" until she falls down and begins giggling. Super cute.

 

[DragonflyWing]

I don't know how you haven't tested yet, I would have tested like 87 times already ...you have a strong will!

Gunnar got his eyeteeth this month, too, but Lily still has the gaps. That's great that Teagen slept in a big girl bed! I think mine would fall out within 15 minutes...they are pretty wiggly when they sleep.

Wow, fantastic news on the course savings! That's pretty exciting that you get to start your dissertation so soon!

We had a dramatic moment last night. Lily was sitting on my lap, and she got frustrated when I told her we couldn't watch Curious George (George is the love of her life right now, but she had already watched an hour of it earlier). She screamed and then hit me in the face as hard as she could. It really hurt! I was so stunned that I just reacted and smacked her back, not hard at all, but enough that she stopped in her tracks with this shocked look on her face. Then she dissolved in tears and threw herself into my arms, kissing my face and wailing "Mama, sorry! Love!"

I felt bad for reacting that way, but I think it made her realize she had hurt me, because she seemed so sorry. Poor little thing. Do you ladies have any ideas on how to teach them to express their anger in non-violent ways? DH tends to expect them to bottle up their feelings and just stop whatever they're doing, but I want them to know that it's ok to feel sad, mad, angry, etc, but that it's not ok to hit people or break things.

 

[Kellen]

Dragon - You have my complete sympathy with being smacked across the face and also a similar issue with DH's. I have finally convinced my DH that Teagen cannot control herself sometimes. Now he will calmly talk to her and let her cry and "encourage" her to scream louder if she is throwing a fit. LOL the reverse reaction confuses her and she normally stops. Because we are also in a hitting phase we have begun to encourage "High-5's". This gives her a positive outlet.

My method of discipline when Teagen hits me is to sit her firmly down on the ground and stop whatever we are doing. I then make her look at me (which can take some doing) and then explain what she did wrong. Then I leave her there until she is sorry and we make up.

So AF is here in full-swing. No testing needed. I am very relieved to be honest. We cannot financially support another child at this precise moment in time. I would like to be in business for at least a year with insurance. As for my strong will I am a strange dichotomy - I am a practical dreamer. Even with Teagen I tested once, got a positive and that was enough for me. I never worried about lines getting darker or lighter. I was either pregnant or I wasn't. I guess using a POAS just doesn't hold a great deal of appeal to me and I would rather give my body time to communicate with me.

 

[DragonflyWing]

I like the idea of letting them scream to let out their frustration, but DH can't stand it. He's always had sensitive hearing, and loud noises hurt his ears, so when the kids yell or scream, he doesn't tolerate it at all (although it doesn't seem to stop him from yelling at them). Even when they get loud while playing (they get shrieky when they're excited), he yells at them to be quiet.

When I'm with them and they get upset, I try to put a name to what they're feeling, and let them know I understand. E.g. "Are you feeling angry because I said you can't climb on the table? It's ok to be frustrated when you don't get what you want, but climbing on the table is dangerous. Why don't we set up the couch cushions to climb on?"

DH on the other hand, would just be like "NO!!! I'VE TOLD YOU A MILLION TIMES NOT TO CLIMB ON THE TABLE!!!" then grab them and put them in time-out. If they cried, he'd yell at them to be quiet. If they continued to cry or whine, he'd put them in the playpen in the other room, which is a sort of "level 2 time-out." At that point, they don't get to come back in until they are quiet. Sometimes that takes up to 20 minutes, because they hate that playpen (obviously, since it's always a punishment), and scream their lungs out as soon as they see it.

Now, I don't have a problem using time-outs if it's warranted. However, I really don't like using it as a first resort, and I really hate that DH constantly yells at the kids. All three of them often seem really stressed out when I get home from work, because it's a constant power struggle. When I am alone with them, I almost never need to use time-out, and most of the time simple distraction and redirection solves the majority of behavioral issues.

Agh! I'm trying to find some parenting classes in our area...DH might be more receptive if advice comes from someone else rather than me.

 

[helena]

If Kiara has been mean I also just say no firmly and put her down on the ground, telling her that hitting me (or wherever) wasnt nice. She usually will then scream and cry but I think that it's sinking in then. I would rather her be upset about it than not bothered. I find ignoring naughty behavior works just as well as telling them off half the time. Being ignored is horrid for kids. After all, they just want attention all the time. It's the best punishment a lot of the time.

I forgot to say what a pain Kiara was on thr flight to England last week. She just wanted to wiggle and get down, so was as constantly struggling to get off my lap, so kicking the chair in front. The poor man there was trying to sleep....I could see he was getting a bit annoyed so I put her down in the walkway. She then walked along and grabbed his arm. He woke again. Five minuets later she threw her comforter duck and it landed flat on top of his balding head. Oh I did laugh to myself while saying "oh sorry, it just gets worse doesn't it!" To him. I think he could see the funny side but did move to another seat for a while...ops. Kiara also spotted something under my chair that interested her. It was only as she made a grab for it that I realized it was the beautiful gold sandals of the lady in the seat behind who was sleeping. Unfortunately the sandals were still on her feet so ewe had another awoken passenger, oops! Luckily i was sitting ting next to a lovely couple who were flying without their 2.5 year old daughter for the first time and they thought it all highly amusing!! Doh

 

[DragonflyWing]

Quiet thread lately! Busy time of year for all of us, I guess!

Potty training continues...both babies have been using the potty at least once a day, sometimes many times in a day!

We've only had two accidents...Lily said she was done, stood up to go wash her hands, and peed all over the floor . Yesterday, Gunnar said he was all done, washed his hands, and walked out into the living room to get a new diaper on. On the way, he stopped to look at the TV, so I picked him up to get him to the changing table. As I set him down, I realized his legs and feet and my hands were covered in poop! I looked over to see a big pile right in front of the TV

The worst part of that was that I started gagging while cleaning it up and threw up the dinner I'd just eaten. Argh.

On Friday, I'm taking the twins to NY to see my family. It will be their first plane trip and I'm completely terrified. My sister and her boyfriend are coming along, so I'll have help (DH is staying home), but I'm still freaking out about packing everything, getting it through the airport and security, then dealing with the kids on the plane. I'm hoping it's not as stressful as I've been imagining.

 

[wamommy]

Well done with the potty training!! I'm super impressed. Both of my girls didn't go diaper-free until almost 3 years old... Hopefully the boys will be faster! Max says, "I'm wet" when his diaper fails and he's already covered in pee, but other than that he seems totally uninterested in all things potty.

Kellen, I'm so happy to hear about your doctorate program! That's great news. How are you liking the new house? I love the "dzzzy" game. So cute.

Helena, I'm sorry your Mom isn't doing too well. I can't imagine how tough it is and I'm amazed at how together you seem about it all. I'm sure she was so happy to see you guys! I smiled thinking of your plane trip! I'm so afraid of flying that I get SUPER stressed out. I haven't got up the nerve to fly with kids yet. Car trips are tedious though... If you can survive that plane trip I have no excuse!

Dragonfly, discipline is tough for us here right now, so I'm totally not the one to ask. Luckily Max has only smacked me one time, and I acted like it REALLY hurt... like full-on sobbed and looked completely insulted. He froze and started to wail. Then he hugged me and has never hit me again, lol. We DO run into the issue of not listening when I tell him not to turn the TV off/on/off/on or not to throw his sippy across the room. I suppose it's really minor things with Max and I haven't had an issue with discipline YET. My 4-year-old daughter, on the other hand, is a whole other story. I am completely at a loss with her lately. She is a dreamer. She's imaginative, brilliant, artistic and sweet. She also lives in her own world and is often oblivious and doesn't listen. I don't think it's malicious, but it's certainly infuriating. I don't like to "punish" her (time outs, loss of privileges etc) but I don't know what else to do. DH spanks, and I HATE that, so I've been trying everything else to curb her behavior so that she doesn't get in that kind of trouble.

We just got back from a camping trip at Mt. Rainier. We actually stayed in a little cabin right at the base of the mountain and then drove up to "Paradise" viewing area the next morning. The girls loved it! We made Smores and roasted hot dogs in the fire place at the cabin and Luca's pack n play still smells like campfire! It was a fun trip, and I hope the girls will have good memories of it. I often worry that DH and I are ruining their childhood with our arguments (read: HIS arguments) and so much negativity at home. I suppose I've become kind of numb to it. Sigh... tomorrow is another day! Nothing changes if nothing changes, I suppose.

Here's the mountain! (and my girls)

 

[Kellen]

Wamommy - It looks like your family had a great time on your mini-vacation.

Dragon - Good luck with the trip and the twins. I'm glad that you will have time to visit your family. Maybe a short time away from the twins will revitalize your DH and he will be a little more rested.

Helena - My heart just goes out to you.

So business is going really, really well. Of course we have our hiccups, but so far all the bills have been paid and people are extremely happy. I'm sure you all remember the frantic job search that I did for DH and the filling out of over 260 applications. Well... DH has had four job offers in the past week. At this time we have an add out for another groomer because two of the jobs are too good to pass over.

DH only needs 90 days at sea to sit for license. One of the jobs offers 1 1/2 days of sea time per working day. It is a two weeks out, one week at home rotation. This would actually work well as DH would still be able to groom part of the time and keep tabs on the business. However, it would put me at the business from open to close EVERYDAY. But it would be worth it. Once he passes license this company said they wouldn't mind hiring him on as a Mate. Their mate's typically start at $700/day. I'm rather okay with that.

Yesterday Teagen took a 4 HOUR NAP! And it was amazing. Today she fell asleep while we are playing on the computer so I laid her down. She also ate an entire hotdog and an entire hamburger for dinner. That was on top of the grapes, tomatoes and blueberries that she had been snacking on prior to dinner. Since she ate so well I have her a treat in the form of a small bowl of ice cream.

She has more words everyday and it is so much fun to have full conversations with her. The other night I woke up because she sat up in bed and stated: "Gotta go get Dadda, Pup-Pup." And then purposefully slid out of bed. However, she fell asleep before she made it to the door. I tucked her back in and she went back to sleep.

Potty training is going well. Yesterday we only had one accident! She has actually been wearing underwear and not using them as a diaper. When she does have an accident she gets really upset. We try to keep it light when she does so that way she isn't hesitant to tell us.

Well, I am almost ready to contemplate another baby. That is huge for me because I am really happy with just one. However, I think we will wait to see what DH's employment status is. If he gets on with this company we will wait until the 6 month mark. That way he will be eligible for FMLA when #2 comes around. That way Teagen would be 2 1/2 or even 3 by the time a sibling would arrive. She would be able to go to the local Christian preschool for a few days a week and our business here would be established as well.