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Post by curmudgeon on Nov 1, 2019 13:05:06 GMT -6
Hope everyone had a great Halloween! Anyone dealing with sugar hangovers today?
School smartly had an in service day so DS1 and I saw Maleficent, where I may have whisper-yelled at some 8-9 year olds. I did not want to see this but I enjoyed it. Now I want to see the first one.
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Post by duskymonkey on Nov 1, 2019 15:34:03 GMT -6
No sugar hangover yet! I'll have to steal away some of the kids plunder bit by bit though. Also can't believe how much our kiddos have grown! I was having trouble with my vision post-op so I decided to just take a break from screens and see if there would be improvement. I am relieved it has improved but not enough for me to be able to work for long hours. I am otherwise fine, a little fatigued. Anyways we had a great Halloween. DS had a class party yesterday and had half of his anglerfish teeth knocked out! which I expected so I quickly repaired them when he got home. This is a design flaw I will need to remedy for v.2.0 Lil fella refused to put on his costume too until the neighbor kid same age as him came over and he so happened to be Yoda which was so cute so both tots were SW characters. I managed to walk to a few homes with the boys yesterday but couldn't keep up with them so I went home and sat outside handing out treats and serving hot cocoa with marshmallows and whip cream to the kids delight since it was about 30˚. I was actually surprised most of the kids wanted a cup...thought they cared more for treats. In fact several kids actually just asked for hot cocoa and wanted no treats. It was actually nice that some of the kids recognize me from the playground and knew who my boys are. CoachTsWife we had 2 snow storms in the past week and the 2nd which was on Tuesday, dumped several inches. Temps dipped into 2˚and it's been absolutely frigid. I love your little dude's Hammer! I hope everyone had a great Halloween. Looks like lots of chatter this past week, I need to catch up later. Taitai are you having a Halloween party this year?
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Post by August Blooms on Nov 2, 2019 16:46:35 GMT -6
A belated Halloween picture... kids had so much fun. DD2 was determined to keep up with DD1 and the neighbors kids. She dragged her candy home when it got too heavy. Pic was before we bundled up to fight the rain, which briefly stopped enough for us to do our street. Tomorrow we are having my family over for DD2’s birthday. I’m making prime rib and we are having cake. I’m very excited for the delish meal.
Poof
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cythe
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Post by cythe on Nov 2, 2019 18:18:11 GMT -6
We were super boring and didnt do a halloween costume this year. The weather was garbage and maybe I'm projecting and grumpy but without walking, its kind of a PITA.
But, we did pop over to the neighbors house and saw their dog all dressed up as a lifeguard (E loves the dog) and got to have an entire kit kat this year. Last year she just gummed a Milky Way, inside the wrapper. Kit kat - much like the birthday cake - was a huge success haha.
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Nov 3, 2019 8:21:30 GMT -6
Helloooooo and happy November everyone! We had 41 people at our house yesterday for our annual Halloween party, so I’ve been kind of occupied with planning/cleaning up after that. The party was great...but having 18 kids (all 4 and under) in your house is like 😱.
Everyone had a fantastic time though, and trick or treating was a blast! DS1 was an astronaut, and DS2 decided to be a spooky skeleton at the last minute (instead of the Doctor costume he was supposed to wear). We hit every unit in our complex, and the kids got SO MUCH CANDY.
I’m going to have to slowly give it away, because there is no way the kids can eat all of it. We still have a whole bag from last year!
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Nov 3, 2019 8:23:51 GMT -6
duskymonkey What a good idea to give out hot chocolate! I remember it being cold while trick or treating while I was a kid, and I wish someone had offered me hot cocoa too! I would have taken that over candy for sure. Here it’s always super hot trick or treating....I need to make sure the kids’ costumes aren’t too hot and they stay well hydrated. Such a different experience we have over here. Hope you keep feeling better post-op! Rest up and try not to over do it!
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Post by curmudgeon on Nov 3, 2019 8:55:16 GMT -6
Oh wow Taitai that’s lots of people but it sounds like a fun party!!
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Post by curmudgeon on Nov 3, 2019 8:57:18 GMT -6
DS1 is sick. Fever yesterday and now puking. H loves to say every little thing is the flu 🙄 but I think it’s just head congestion and that’s making his stomach upset. Kid still wants to play and run around.
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danvers
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Post by danvers on Nov 3, 2019 9:41:16 GMT -6
We did trick or treating last night - chilly but no rain or snow so that was nice! It was H’s first time coming with the girls since in the past he was coaching. I think he is very happy he decided to take a break from coaching for awhile and get to do these things with the girls while they’re still little. We had two little Elsas last night. It was DD1’s third year in a row being Elsa 🤷♀️
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Post by thechickencoop on Nov 3, 2019 12:12:28 GMT -6
Taitai your parties out there always amaze me. I love them for you 🤣
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Nov 4, 2019 8:27:36 GMT -6
Taitai your parties out there always amaze me. I love them for you 🤣 I’ve always loved having parties at my house - even before kids! Ugly Christmas sweater parties, Karaoke get togethers, sushi making parties, summer grilling with board games - I’m just a fan for having people over at my house I guess 🤣😂. I’m also really tidy and OCD a bit, but the fun is worth the mess/clean-up.
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Nov 4, 2019 8:29:57 GMT -6
curmudgeon How is your DS1 doing? I hope the pukes have gone away!! danvers I think it’s great that your H got to take the girls trick or treating this year. These are such precious years, and it’s nice he’s able to take a coaching break for a bit. Before we know it, the kids will be so busy with their own lives and extra-curricular activities, that they won’t have time for us!
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Post by curmudgeon on Nov 4, 2019 10:07:20 GMT -6
Taitai the pukes are still persisting unfortunately. And he likes to get up and come tell me when he’s puking, which results in splatters of nastiness every few feet. You’re welcome for that visual. Never been more thankful for wood and tile floors and Lysol wipes. I told H I give up. I have been scrubbing since 7am. 😫
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Nov 6, 2019 7:32:13 GMT -6
curmudgeon Oh no!!!!! 😱😱. That sounds like my nightmare - a kid coming up to me, saying, “mom, I think I have to....brahhhhh...” I just know it’s going to happen next week, now that I said that 🤣. I hope everyone is back to better by now and that the sickness didn’t spread. Poor you!
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Nov 6, 2019 7:36:27 GMT -6
Now that all of the O17 babies are officially 2, is anyone thinking of transitioning to a toddler bed? I’m thinking about doing it after the new year for DS2, but I don’t trust him at all to stay in a toddler bed without coming to get me MOTN. He sleeps pretty well now, so I’m terrified of screwing it up.
With DS1, we had that last minute move to a temporary apartment due to the bug infestation (where we lost all the furniture in DS1’s old bedroom), so we just put him in a queen mattress on the floor at the temp apartment and went from there. And I think we started potty training at the same time. And I was on strict bed rest for DS2, so I am really really clueless on the whole crib to big boy bed transition. That time of my life is kind of a blur.
What are you all thinking?
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Post by CoachTsWife on Nov 6, 2019 8:33:26 GMT -6
Taitai We were planning on transitioning DS2 to a twin bed after football season, but then DH hurt his back again. (He takes over the sleep shenanigans with this transition.) IDK what we're going to do now. We transitioned DS1 at 22 months because we didn't want to buy another crib and he did exceptionally well. He's our 'easy' child, though. DS2 is still waking up most nights at least once and I have to go in and ask him to lay down and pat him for a couple minutes. But last night he was up twice and the second time I messed with him for 2 hours before I could get him back to sleep. TL/DR I still don't have a good sleeper and it is hard to know if a big boy bed would help or hurt.
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Post by bootsorhearts1 on Nov 6, 2019 11:23:26 GMT -6
Taitai we waited until almost 3 for DS to transition to a big boy bed, my friend just transitioned her 4 year old to a bed! I think we will wait until at least 3 with DD.
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danvers
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Post by danvers on Nov 6, 2019 19:25:55 GMT -6
Taitai I think we’ll be keeping DD2 in the crib much longer than DD1. We did the same as you and moved out DD1 before little sister was born and it was an easy and seamless transition. DD1 still doesn’t leave her bed at 4.5 without permission, ever! DD2... is not like her sister. Honestly we will probably wait for summer just because H and I have summers off and can deal with however DD2 handles the transition.
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danvers
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Post by danvers on Nov 6, 2019 19:30:44 GMT -6
DD2 has been waking up at 1:30 for the past 4 days. Some days she settles quickly, others take much (much) longer. DD1 has also randomly been calling out for us randomly now too. We can’t quite figure out why for either of them but going from uninterrupted sleep to interrupted sleep has required more caffeine for me than usual lately.
Go back to sleep children! We are supposed to be over all this 2+ years out!!!
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Post by doodlemommy on Nov 6, 2019 21:15:55 GMT -6
Taitai I think we’ll be keeping DD2 in the crib much longer than DD1. We did the same as you and moved out DD1 before little sister was born and it was an easy and seamless transition. DD1 still doesn’t leave her bed at 4.5 without permission, ever! DD2... is not like her sister. Honestly we will probably wait for summer just because H and I have summers off and can deal with however DD2 handles the transition. This is us exactly! DD turned 5 in September and still asks us “can I wake up” every morning and quiet time. DS...I fear will attempt to leave the room if he wakes up no matter what the time. We are planning on keeping DS in the crib until DS2 needs it so we have 6 months
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Nov 6, 2019 23:43:55 GMT -6
Thanks for the responses in crib to bed stuff everyone! I’m thinking we’ll give it a go after the new year by taking one side of DS2’s crib off and making it a toddler bed. I can see him rolling out a few times - but I’m hoping he will do well with it. We’ll put a mat and a cushy rug on that side of the crib to soften the falls 🤣.
I also should put an ok to wake clock in his room and start teaching him about “bedtime manners.”
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Nov 8, 2019 7:57:10 GMT -6
Well - I have some not good news to report. PDQ.
TW***birth defect/health complications
Remember my friend who was the horrible house guest and came to stay with us for a long time because she found out she was pregnant unexpectedly?
She had the baby a few weeks ago back in the states, and the baby was born with 2 gene errors, plus a pretty significant digestive birth defect - none of which was detected during the prenatal genetic testing, bloodwork, or anatomy scans that my friend had while pregnant. It was totally unexpected.
The baby needed to have surgery within the first 24 hours due to the birth defect and was in the NICU for a few weeks. Now, baby is home, but my friend found out that the gene errors will likely cause lifelong cognitive and physical developmental disorders. Her baby probably won’t be able to ever live independently, and the gene errors are so rare that nobody really has any idea what they should expect.
My heart has been breaking for my friend, and I just can’t imagine what she must be going through right now. They’re so far away that I can’t go and visit, but we’ve been video chatting and giving her as much support as we can from far away. It’s just hard news, and I also feel bad now for complaining about her so much while she was staying with us. She’s a really strong person and I know she will manage - they already have a lot of support and services arranged through the hospital, but still - how life changing.
If anyone has any ideas on how I can support her from afar - please let me know! I’ll definitely be visiting her in the summer when we are back in the USA, but I want to be there for her now. It’s just hard being so far away.
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Post by CoachTsWife on Nov 8, 2019 8:45:39 GMT -6
Oh goodness Taitai, that is so hard. I can't imagine how they must be feeling. Do they live near family? I feel like I never know the right thing to do. I'd probably send the same baby gift as I would under normal circumstances. And then maybe include a gift card for restaurants that deliver near them or grocery stores that do pickup/delivery. Gas cards if their dr/hospital are not close by? I can't remember, how old is big brother? How is he doing? Is he still struggling with eating and sleep habits?
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Post by August Blooms on Nov 8, 2019 13:45:29 GMT -6
Taitai Don’t feel bad about complaining, she was a bad house guest at the time but that is such terrible news. I have no idea what to suggest but I’m sure take out or house cleaning help or something similar would be so helpful. I feel like science has come so far it’s crazy it couldn’t be detected sooner. As for the toddler bed question I’m a firm believer in cribs for life. But we will probably transition when she starts trying to climb out.
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Nov 9, 2019 4:35:15 GMT -6
August Blooms and CoachTsWife Takeout and food delivery gift cards are a good idea! I will go that route - we already gave her baby gifts, and I feel like she doesn’t really need or want anything - she complained to me already about her mom gets her too much stuff. Gift cards are always a good idea - and I’m positive they will be too busy to worry about cooking much of anything for the near future. Thanks for the ideas. CoachTsWife Her other kid is turning 3 this month, and he’s gotten a lot better at eating. He still is rambunctious though - he climbed a ladder that was up against the side of their house a few months ago, and they found him crying on the roof. Like - how does that happen and omg how dangerous!?
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danvers
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Post by danvers on Nov 9, 2019 9:20:03 GMT -6
My coat zipper broke into pieces this morning. I loved this coat - professional looking + warm enough for things recess duty at 20°! My grandma said she can sew a new one on but since she’s 3+ hrs away I’ll have to mail it to her and I have recess duty next week with snow in the forecast. I’m off to see if I can find a cheap replacement today, even just a fleece zip up to get me through. Looking forward to a quiet lunch out on my own too!
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Post by duskymonkey on Nov 9, 2019 16:40:10 GMT -6
Taitai my heart is breaking too reading your post. There really are no words in situations like this. Everyone has good suggestions. Maybe add Door dash or Uber eats for wider options? Amazon GC is always a safe bet IMO. I also recall early on in our BMB when we were still at the old site, there was a mom whom had an older son ( I believe he is the same or close to age as my DS ) who had some sort of digestive disorder too and they spent a lot of time in hospitals but I think he was getting better so they decided to try for the 2nd. This is beyond hard and sounds like they are doing the best. The road ahead will be daunting no doubt. Like August Blooms mentioned, medicine has come so far and everyday they are making discoveries and gene therapy is one of the areas in which they are making tremendous headway. If your friend is on FB, she could try to find groups in a similar situation; they help each other out and share info and it helps to talk about their situation with others with similar experience. The hospitals will have counsellors that may know of like groups. It's really difficult for us to really understand if we aren't in their situation. As much as my sister talks to me, there is very little I can do other than just listen because I don't go through what she's dealing with and I truly can't know. Right now...all baby needs is all the love and care they can provide. I will be thinking of them.
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Post by duskymonkey on Nov 9, 2019 16:48:11 GMT -6
danvers your girls are just too precious! I love how they both have the same hats too and so happy your H was able to go ToT with them. I also totally hate it when zipper's go and it's especially hard on jackets and coats. I have a jacket with a broken zipper sitting in my closet for far too long and I haven't been able to find the right length and type. August Blooms I missed your poof! how are you? This is late but omg! I can't believe you fell on top of everything else going on. Hoping thing will calm down and your H will come around too. Marriage is hard and work, add kids into the mix and well it just makes it harder. Also don't get me started on how little dudes deal with in the family. CoachTsWife how is your H? and how are you holding up? curmudgeon I sure hope all the pukes have stopped and no one else has gotten sick.
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Post by duskymonkey on Nov 9, 2019 16:53:21 GMT -6
Taitai we will be cribbing as long as lil fella can fit or until he tries escaping. He's also still sleeping in our room. We don't have an additional room and DS' room is really small and we'd have to remove his dresser to try to fit a toddler bed which is all that will fit in the room. We really really need to get our basement purged so we can get on with plans to finish it.
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Post by duskymonkey on Nov 9, 2019 17:04:32 GMT -6
So during my no screen time last week, I started a knitting project and I finished it this morning! I just have to sew in all the extra yarn, wash and block it before lil fella puts it on. This is actually the 2nd piece I made, the first I made for DS and hubs put it in the wash so it super shrank and felted and can't fit little fella. Try pulling this off little man!
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