milestones

[houseelf]

Let's give updates on what are kiddos are up to.

I'll start.

My first baby will be 5 next month :| I think I figured out why he continues to wet the bed. He sleeps like the living dead. Last night the baby was crying in their shared room for 30 minutes and he didn't even stir. On a positive note, his reading is really taking off all the sudden and he "gets" Spanish. Currently we are "de-grandparenting" him after 10 days of spoiling at their homes.

Baby girl is still not sleeping through the night. At four months, she is on the verge of sitting up and grasps at everything. I think that she is ready to start foods because while I was eating a graham cracker, she pulled my hand over and put the cracker in her mouth. She has survived all of her big brother's mischief so far.

What is going on with your kids?
BTW, how many posts have I had today? I must pull myself off this computer.

Kelly

[BonBon]

I've noticed you've started many a thread today. :chat:

I can't believe DS is going to be 5! Where did the time go?!

My big G is up and about - as long as he is hanging onto something. He let go the other day and as soon as he realized it, fell backwards on his bum. Won't be long now before he starts walking unaided. He'll be a year in 2.5 weeks. And speaking of the little devil, he has just woken from his nap.

He's completely on table foods now, and insists on feeding himself. He gets angry if I try to help.

[SueC]

Maya just turned 5 and seems so grown upall of a sudden. In addition to completely dressing herself, getting her and her sister snacks, and picking up her toys by herself, she has taken to making her own bed in the morning! I feel like we've entered such an easy age with her and I'm just enjoying the heck out of it until parenting a "school-aged" child gets hard again.
Sydney at 3.5 years is as spunky as ever, and her speech is making small improvements. I understand 95% of what she says and everybody else understands probably 60%. We'll keep working on it, and if by Spring it hasn't improved much we'll pursue Speech Therapy. I think her preschool experience will be much better next year if she can express herself better. She's my "huggy" child and is a sweetheart, but she is also the one who really knows how to push my buttons. Lately when I ask her to do something she responds "if you say so"--I can't imagine what her teenage years will be like.
Mitchell is 8 months old and is a squirrely little guy. He sits up and is starting to crawl a little--not a direct line from point A to point B but he goes from hands and knees, moves forward a little, back to bottom, etc, until he is about 5 feet from where he started. He eats like food is going out of style and is eating more and more table food. He only has 2 teeth, but I give him whatever as long as it isn't a choking hazard. This kid has my number--he used to sleep through the night but a recent illness has us back to square one. Last night I put him down at 9, he slept until 1:30 when I got up to nurse him. He was wide awake so I put him in my bed where he squirreled around and wouldn't settle down. So I put him back in his bed, and he wailed there for about an hour (that is about when dh decided he couldn't take it anymore and moved downstairs), I finally put him back in my bed and the second his head hit my mattress he stuck his thumb in his mouth, shut his eyes, and went to sleep. He's pulling to stand and stood for about 2 seconds the other day, though I think that was a fluke.

SueC,
I wanted to give you some support on your 5 year bed-wetter. My son continued to have night problems and just mastered it this year prior to his 8th birthday!! It seemed that we tried everything and we only comforted by the stats that 10% of kids have this problem (that is if stats can be comforting!). What finally working was a combination of cutting off beverages at 8 p.m. (he goes to bed at 9:30) and physically taking him to the bathroom between 11 pm and midnight (he too slept like the living dead-so we tried to actually wake him and make him walk himself to the bathroom). It finally working and now he is very pleased with himself and is no longer paniced about sleepovers. Now if I could just get my 3 1/2 year old potty-trained!!

[mommax3]

This is fun!

Luke, 9, is getting more and more responsible and organized with his schoolwork, which is GREAT news. He is on a basketball team and is still kind of a "beginner" compared to some of the other kids, but he loves it (he's pretty tall for his age) and is becoming more confident when he actually gets the ball. He is loving the Nintendo DS that his grandparents got him for Christmas, and also his K'Nex kits......but he can't keep his brothers out of his room when he is building, so that is frustrating.

Joel, 6, is in kind of a whiny stage and we have had some show-downs about it in the past few days. He is the calm oasis between my type-A oldest and youngest boys, and that is a hard row to hoe for him sometimes. He has learned so much so far in first grade! He is really reading now, rather than sounding out everything. He loves his DS, too, but mostly he loves the fact that he was considered "big" enough to get one! He loves all animals, especially dogs, and loves to watch Animal Planet on tv.

Nathan, 3, is getting closer and closer to being potty trained.....he is pooping on the potty with some regularity now! He is extremely verbal and talkative, and quite bossy, too, which is funny since he is the youngest. He is pretty high-strung and demanding, but not as busy as my oldest was at the same age. I have been enjoying our one-on-one time in the mornings on the days he doesn't have preschool. He thrives on routine, which is good, but woe to you if you try to change things! He is still a very picky eater and doesn't eat meat at all (the rest of us eat it regularly) but is off the top of the growth charts, so I try not to worry about it.

They are all three aware of the impending move and have expressed some angst about it in their own ways. Joel is HIGHLY insulted that Indiana recently passed a law that kids have to be in car seats until they are 8. He will turn 7 just before we move, and hasn't been in a carseat for a while, and can't bear the thought that he will have to go back in. I know it is safer, but I find it a little irritating myself! Nathan asks me regularly if his toys will be at our house in Indiana, and Luke is naturally concerned about making friends and going to a new school. They enjoy their lives here (because they don't know anything different) but I hope that the new opportunities they will have once we move will make up for the hard stuff.

Sally

and by the way, DH and I are the only ones at our house who stay dry at night! Luke is starting to show some progress if we walk him to the bathroom when we go to bed.....we could never do this before because it would spark night terrors in him, but he seems to have outgrown those. He is NOT awake when we take him, but apparently aware enough to get the job done. He says the funniest things and the other night tried to climb in bed with Nathan after he was done. We usually get him back into bed and then go in our room and die laughing because of something he said during the process. I am really encouraged with the progress that is being made......it is SO frustrating!!!

[Meenah]

I miss little ones!!!!

Caroline left last week for Boulder,Co. Classes start Jan 17th. Today she called me on her way to the slopes.

Amy went to look at an apartment yesterday (took me with her). I'm really feeling the empty nest thing here. At least she will be just 15 miles away.

Alex (stepson) is at University of Florida, a freshman.

Rachel (stepdaughter) graduated from Harvard in June and is now in Scotland in graduate school. She was here this week and left yesterday.
Luanne

[PrincessFiona]

Great updates...I love reading things like this!!!

Andrew is 10....TEN, I tell you! He is my sensitive/compassionate child and as such he takes such great care of his baby brother. He's having a rough year in school because he's so akward...still can't tie his shoes but can wrap his brain around a good math problem. He has decided to join Just for Kix (dance group ) with his sister on a new 'hip hop boys' team. I'm trying to decide whether or not I should worry about that

Amanda is 8 1/2 and the only thing I can say right now to sum up her behavior is SASS! We've had some good talks about it and I realize that it is coming from her frustration at school and with me. I am trying to be more sensitive. I can hardly believe she is going to be 9 soon...my baby girl....gosh! She is becoming so grown up and organized (so much more than I ever will be probably)....and she's still a vegetarian.

Alex is going to be 6 in a month....which I just can't believe. He's halfway through kindergarten. I've considered him my baby for so long and now...he's just getting so grown up. He's very easy-going and loving and it is impossible to get or stay upset with him. He gets away with a lot because he has such a gentle personality (when he's not running around the playground with Cade screaming 'shitball' at the other kids! Sorry about that Kelly! Will you ever forgive me? )

Aidan is already 14 months old...how did THAT happen? He is so independent...he doesn't want to sit at the highchair anymore...he wants to be standing on a chair at the table...he won't let you feed him (he has to feed himself with his fork and spoon) (messorama!) . He's just a little peanut and I wish he would just stop growing up soooo fast!

Where are these years going guys??? Where????? I stood last night looking at some of our pics from a few years ago realizing that I don't even remember Andrew and Amanda being so little except for the pictures! :| I want those days back....I don't want them to keep growing up so fast.

kris

Drew turned 5 today. He also made the announcement in the car on the way to school that since he was 5, he was probably to big for hugs and kisses at his school now.... :| . He helps in the kitchen and LOVES to have his hands on anything to be made. He is so very excited about going to Kindergarten in the fall, because there will be so many new kids! He is very outgowing and always talking to anyone about anything- which can be embarassing at times with the wonderful things he shares. We took a swim on New Year's Day in our pool.....the water was 48 degrees!! He has also jumped in for the last four days too! He is a water-rat.

Colton will be 22 months this month. He is rapidly approaching a run, since he got the walking thing down. He is still going to Physical Therapy once a week and we are going to be evaluated by OT and Speech later in the month. He tries so hard because his cognitive skills are age appropriate, but his poor little body just doesn't want to do what he wants most times. It is frustrating for him and for us, but he is persistant. He, like his brother, is a social butterfly, and can make friends with anyone....many days they have melted hearts of the retirement community at Wal-Mart by just taking the time to say 'Hi' and talk a little bit.

I am very proud of them both, as hard as it is from day to day.