omg, labby--you should totally tell your dh that you're pregnant. Hilarious payback.

TDG, that would be awesome to manage some hotsprings. My husband and I have talked about that very thing before, but we would have to buy property--the one we looked at cost $1.2 million! Haha. Pipe dream! Hope you're feeling better.

I bought an easter basket and crayon case from labby's etsy store. P saw the pictures labby posted online, and was sitting on my lap while I scrolled past them. She got all excited and said she wanted "those things." I told her to look at the names, and she was like, "P for Piper. Me?" I still don't really think she understands those items were for her, but it's nice that she actually does want them! She won't get the crayon case till her birthday, but she's really going to love that.

labby, I can't believe Olivia actually crashed out on the floor. She must have been so tired!

Bron, glad you had a nice vacation. Good luck with the school interview.

We had a great time on our little hotsprings trip. The hotsprings were diverted into these galvanized tubs--super, super clean and no minerals (which is weird for hotsprings) so no smell, and P even got in and had a good time--I was super proud of her for trying because she doesn't even like her baths warm. No one else was there, so it was even more awesome. P did trip and fall into the only friggin' cactus on one of our hikes--poor thing, but she was fine after a few minutes of shrieking. She got cactus across a swath of her leg, stomach and side.

Alibaby, was it you that mentioned Ty is gaining weight without eating much? P barely ate from 15 month-2yrs, but somehow remained almost off the growth charts (for gigantor size). Like, seriously, she probably ate no more than 1/2 a cup of food all day. She was still nursing a bit, and drank a ton of cow milk, so I guess she had that going for her. She still doesn't eat very much but it's clear that it's her normal...and she still gets calories from milk. Ty must be getting his calories from something--I think toddlers must pull nutrition from the air!

Yes, DG he does like his milk! And French fries if I let him! DH and I eat healthy salads and veggies and then Ty eats french fries and chicken nuggets. Ugh.

DG, I saw the pic of the basket for Piper. I thought... Well, odds are good I know which little Piper that's for! I was thinking I'd get one for each kid if she is still doing them next year, or place an order once we settle on a name for Little G (which may not be finalized or at least public till birth). That's a heads up Labby! They are super cute!

Things are good here. At such a potty training plateau and not sure what to try next... or if I should even really "try" anything besides encouraging, praising, pants-free time at home, etc.

It is so amazing to listen to the language development these days! Little things, like the other day I said I didn't want something ( can't remember what it was), and she said "I don't want that too" ... Paused, then repeated herself but said "either" instead of "too." It was this little glimpse into her learning, like watching the gears turn and the lightbulb come on. So cool.

Haha, thanks, MW! I do plan on making them for next year. I'm all finished for this year since I can't really get any more made and mailed out in time for Easter. I'm also now out of the fabric I was using and on my last trip to Joann's over the weekend they were out too and I highly doubt they will get more in. I plan to go after Easter and see if they have any on clearance. My plan was to get some pre-made as far as I can before putting the names on so there isn't such a big rush like I had now but I guess that won't happen if I don't have the fabric! I could also just use generic pastel colored fabric. We'll have to see.

I guess we got really lucky in the potty training department. One day it just seemed to click for Olivia and she's been doing great now and hasn't worn a diaper during the day since around Thanksgiving. We still use a pullup if we will be going on a long car ride, but even those she usually won't pee in. Now if only I could get her to wake up a little drier in the mornings. It will be a long while before she's anywhere near ready to try going diaperless at night. I guess her easy potty training makes up for the crappy sleeping.

Speaking of sleeping, I don't know what is in the air tonight but it sucks! Neither child will go to sleep and stay asleep! Bedtime was a 3 1/2 hour affair tonight! It really makes me scared for when DH will be away for a few days in the beginning of May. I have no idea how I will handle bedtimes like this on my own, and I know they will be a disaster since Olivia will be wanting and missing him. Both have been quiet for about 45 minutes now, so do I dare go to bed? I'm afraid that as soon as I lay down one/both of them will be up so part of me says I'm better off just staying up! One day they will learn the beauty of sleep!

MW, I'm with you on the language thing. Every day Olivia amazes me by some of the things she says and the connections she makes. Today it was a bit rainy/stormy so we didn't get to go outside. She was playing with a blanket and I said to her let's make a fort. So I pulled a few things together and draped the blanket over them. The whole time she stood there staring at me saying "What doing, mommy?" I kept saying that I was making a fort for her to play in. After I finished arranging the blanket I lifted the edge and told her to climb in to her fort. She looked at me and said "No, mommy, it's a tent." and climbed and and started playing! I had no idea she even knew what a tent was because we don't have any sort of play tent or anything and we camp with a big camper, not a tent. Every time I referred to it as a fort she corrected me saying it was a tent! Her latest thing is responding with "Morrow" (as in tomorrow) whenever you ask her if she wants to do something. If I ask her to clean up she will tell me "I do it morrow." Every day she gives me some good chuckles!

I wanted to post pictures, finally, showing off the hat that Kawaii knitted. Here they are:

DG-Piper is soo adorable! I can't believe how big she is! The hat is super cute too (nice job Kawaii!).

Labby-Nice job! 12lbs at 2 mos is impressive! Joseph goes back on the 10th (he'll be 7 weeks). I am hoping for the 11-12lb range since he was already at 9lbs 7oz at 3 1/2 weeks!

Sorry to hear about the crummy sleep. Seems so typical-either it's a great night or a crappy night. Not like it could just be ONE of them having sleep issues.

Bron-welcome back from vacay! Sounds like you guys had a nice time!

MW-Yeah, pretty amazing how quickly they pick things up. Next thing you know they are using phrases like "No, I'm not capable" or "It can't be true!". Amazing how quick they pick things up!

Doing fine here. James and I saw our homeopath today to hopefully get our immune systems back on track! I am fed-up w/ being sick all the time! Ventured to Target w/ both rugrats yesterday for the first time...yeah...what an experience! I felt like I was scrubbing in for surgery w/ all the antibac wiping I did. Then, my simple trip turned out to be over an hour just because I was so distracted by both kids!! Would much prefer to do that w/ just the baby!

So-BFing question for everyone (yes, I realize the infant thread is a better place for this-but seems like this page is more often visited-so I'll start here).

Overactive/forceful letdown, anyone? Joseph loves to nurse, but what I thought might be something that tasted bad in my milk seems to be something else. He latches great until letdown, then he starts choking and sputtering. He pulls of and on clicks/gasps a lot. When I am particularly full, he usually pukes most of it back up (I think because he swallows SO much air during that time). In the evening when my breasts are softer, he nurses mostly w/o trouble and rarely pukes (he also cluster feeds every night from aroud 5-8). When I am really full earlier in the day, there are times when he pulls off and I am spraying all over him (though not everytime). He does not have the green stools or any other issues described by most resources (though he does have VERY wet diapers and frequent stools), so I don't think there is an imbalance of foremilk to hindmilk.

I have stopped taking Fenugreek (preemptive measure considering my VERY poor supply w/ James) but I would like to keep pumping once a day to build a supply for later (which is yeilding about 6 oz-not fully draining, just softening both breasts).

So the question is, did anyone deal w/ this? Did it resolve itself? It's not horrible, I just want to make sure I am dealing w/ any issues promptly. Honestly, the thought of having another really challenging nursing relationship is TERRIFYING, so I am hyper aware of any changes. Seems crazy-but I am actually nervous that he has stopped his morning cluster feeding routine in favor of more evenly spaced feedings! Yeah...I know...crazy :-)

HWG I had this both times, Alex never minded much but Wes had the same thing with the choking. I'd unlatch him and let it spray into a towel/washcloth for minute until it'd died down a little.

Wow!! DG- She really is huge! Long legs! What a cutie! The hotsprings sound so nice! Glad the poo issue is no more for now! or ever...

Kawaii- the hat is adorable! I looked and looked for the dog shampoo and it seems to be a UK product. I have to take one of our dogs to the vet tomorrow to have a pin removed from her leg (October accident ) and I am going to ask him what we can do for her as she also has allergies to fleas and I am nervous about washing her so often that the frontline will not stand up to it! )

HWG- I had a MEGA forceful letdown with Noah, it was bad! I could feel it and he did the same thing you say, choked, pulled off and normally resulted in him being sprayed in the face... I knew to just have a burp cloth handy, wait for the letdown and pull of and apply the cloth for a few seconds and put him back on OR with Kinley I learned to grab a spare pumping bottle and use that! Either way.. it works and helps with the choking. Kinley did the clicking noise you talk about as well, almost like a funky latch. She got over it after a while, but I thought she was going to have latch issues with it.

Labby- lol..... That is a funny story! I agree with the totally faking a pregnancy! Do you have any pregnant girlfriends to POAS for you?

Got N's official Diagnoses in the mail for the allergist:
1. Allergic rhinitis
2. Reactive airway disease
3. Acute sinusitis
4. Status post acute urticaria/angeodema

He has the Zyrtec and breathing machine as per needed for his allergies and his Nasacort daily to keep inflamation down in his nose.

Night training..... I am going to start reading up on it and hope to start soon! Ahhh

HWG - I have a very forceful letdown and did with Olivia too. Caitlin will also sometimes choke and puke it all back up and I end up spraying everywhere. If you look around the house you will find little white dots everywhere that I missed wiping up, lol! I talked to the lactation consultant at the ped's office with both of them and she gave me the same tips each time. One was to nurse in a reclined position so that gravity helps keep it from coming out too forcefully. We didn't have a recliner until last weekend so I never really got to try it until then and still haven't tried it because quite honestly, I've gotten so used to it that I kind of forget, lol! The other thing she told me was to nurse two times from the same side before switching to the other. So if you nurse at noon on the left, then nurse again on the left at the next feeding and then switch to the right and do it on the right 2 times in a row. She said to do it for a few days and it should slow things down, but I never really found that to work. I often do what Myste said and pull her off when I feel the letdown coming and let it spray the most forcefully into a towel or burp cloth or something before putting her back on. If I'm really full (like on the few nights she has actually slept through the night) I will try to pump a bit before feeding her to take off some of the pressure so it's a bit easier for her.

DG (and Kawaii) - that hat is super cute! And Piper really is long, although everyone says that about Olivia too. She towers over all of the 3 year olds that we know.

Ugh, I have more to contribute but motherhood is calling. I'll be back later when the kids (hoepfully) are in bed!

Kawaii--nice work! That hat is way too cute!!

Desert--shes such a cutie! Love her style! haha

Labby--They will go to bed alone, in their bed, and sleep all night...someday. It cant last forever! lol. Chant that to yourself on those horrible nights! :P

MW--It is soo amazing to watch them learn and develop. Im in awe of something my kids learn or say every day. Today W learned to climb off the BACK of the couch. Not the average 14 month old thing and not the best thing Ive seen him learn but neat anyways. lol.

Bron--good luck tomorrow(er maybe today your time)!!

HWG--I also had that prob with B, and I did like others suggested..hand spray a little into a burp rag first. I dont remember it ever really balancing out but eventually he got more efficiant and didnt choke. My boobs learned to do their job a little better with E and W. haha.

Ash--IDK what all that diagnosis means but hopefully all that stuff helps him!

Nada new here. W has an appt tomorrow. Im nervous about taking him because i cant stop ralfing. Should be fun! haha.

Well I never made it back last night. Bed time has become disastrous here. While Caitlin is much better during the day and doesn't scream all day long she isn't sleeping so good at night anymore. Last night I was getting to the point where I felt like I shouldn't even try to go to bed because every time I finally started drifting off she would wake. I think I'd rather have her scream all day and give me a break at night, lol! My mom thinks that she's teething but I don't think that's it. As soon as she latches on after waking she starts falling asleep again. At least Olivia didn't give us a huge fight going to bed and she slept all night (and soaked her sheets AGAIN. I really wish she would let me put cloth on, or at least a cover over the disposable to help keep her sheets dry).

Ugh, labby. Do you think she slept so well BECAUSE she was screaming all day? Now that she is happier (and less stressed) she is probably less tired. Or, could be impending developmental milestone, growth spurt, etc. Does she want to nurse everytime she wakes? I know what you mean about not wanting to go to sleep-I function much better in these situations if I just stay up. If I am drowsy from sleep I loose patience quickly and I feel really grumpy in the morning. Will contribute more in the infant thread.

Ash-SOO sorry to hear about N's allergy problems. Did the doc say if any environmental changes could help? Not that you would want to move-but I know in the valley where I live there are all kinds of allergy/asthma problems but most people find relief by moving to a higher elevation. Anyways-I hope the meds give him some relief!

Thanks for all of the replies on the forceful letdown! I am 90% sure that is what it is at this point. Poor guy gets so gassy and hiccups after nursing on a full breast. I am just going to try to make sure I pump first thing in the morning so it is more managable for him. I never realized that having such a strong sensation during letdown was indicative of too much too fast. Geeze-all of this after not being able to make enough for James (although under a very different set of circumstances)!!

Good to hear that P is better, DG.

Congratulations, Bryony! Awww, Rowan is so cute!

DG Piper is very cute and I just LOVE the hat!!!

Bryony no way is Rowan going to school this year! How is that possible? I still clearly remember you getting your BFP!?!?

DG I also had problems with Kirima choking and also fed her while I was lyging down sometimes as well as expressing a bit before feeding so the let down had calmed down by the time she attached.

Labby sorry you are having a rough time with sleep - Kirima is waking endless times at night now too just like her sister did and its tough with less sleep. Hopefully you'll be able to synchronise your sleep better soon.

TDG hope your pregnancy improves and that no one gets sick anymore - and that applies to all of you! We are heading into winter here now and really hoping we won't have a winter like the lot of you seem to have had - we have been relatively illness free thank goodness.

Bry congrats on the engagement! Really hope you will all be happy together. Rowan is looking like such a cute little girl - no more baby there it seems

We had our interview at the school today and the school itself seems nice and has good management and plenty of opportunities there, but I am still quite worried about a few things - I asked what they did for advanced kids and basically they will let them see someone who will give them extra work - unfortunately a lot of schools do that here - it is not extra work she needs, but actually more play and more challenging work that takes less time. The other problem is money - it is more expensive than I realised and to get two children in there would take most of our salaries - never mind the aftercare fees I would have to pay if I had to work later than the school closes. I have a feeling our decision will be based on money in the end and even that is complicated - there are no public schools worth sending her to and we would have even worse academic issues at those. Apparently the first deposit is due in 2 weeks time so my DH and I must now make a decision about whether to homeschool or send her. Academically she is about three years advanced in reading and two years in math, but her handwriting is only just advanced and so all other language arts that involve writing are at a normal level. Socially she cannot be advanced (certainly not now) as she is possibly not as mature as some children her own age and she is certainly not more than average emotionally. The school did briefly discuss the grade skipping option but I don't think it will work. We will have to think about this more over the next week.

Bry--Congrats on the engagement! Rowan is looking very grown up. Its really crazy isnt it!

Bron--good luck with the decision making. School issues are so stressful because it affects the rest of their lives.

DF ended up taking W to the dr. Im just too sick. Apparently he has a yeast infection. I didnt even know he was rashy becuase I havent changed a diaper in well over a week! I HATE that because df does things half assd n thats why the kids end up with rashes n stupid stuff when hes the primary caregiver. We have 3 damn kids, youd think he could handle it by now! Im not happy with him at all today.

Bry-congrats on the engagement!! Wow, I can't believe Rowan is starting school! That would make me start feeling broody as well!

Bron-I am sorry for the schooling dilema you are facing. It really sounds like a tough decision. It really is a shame that a good education is so cost-prohibative. Don't get me wrong-public schools aren't always great here, but most are at least okay. Good luck!

TDG-Sorry to hear you are so sick (again) and about the thrush! What a PITA!

I know I am missing people since i started this reply like 8 hours ago! Will catch up again later.

Bron, that's so rough about the schooling system. Public schools really suck in India too. Except for one chain of Central Govt schools. Private schools are quite expensive too but fortunately, there are many Catholic schools that are much less so. My school didn't have any forced religious education either. Is there any such option for you there?

We have some new developments. M can sing A-Z (but she garbles some of the letters ahem - LMNOP and Q - ahem). Some rhymes in English and in her father's language, a few words of some French and Spanish songs that she hears at Mother Goose, and is counting from 1-25. Although fifteen is five-teen. And she sometimes cycles back to 8 after 11, because 11 sounds like 7... And speaks in sentences. Full sentences or not is arguable. Is identifying many animals but shapes and colours? Not so much.

As you can imagine, Time Outs are common place here, and she reminds me of Labby's Olivia doing something naughty and sitting in time out without a sign of remorse. Sigh! I should go and finish my shower at least while she's occupied with her Wonder Pets. A new obsession. A duck soft toy is now called "Ming Ming" and is carried around, listened to...

Clever M, confused you must be very proud

Luke still doesn't say ANYTHING. At 16 months I am starting to get a little concerned. I am planning on taking him to see the health visitor next week and see what she has to say.

Holy big girl, Piper! She looks so cute and happy in her way too big hat! Thanks for those pictures, how nice to see her model.

Bryony! What a nice surprise seeing you in here. Congratulations on your engagement! Rowan is looking lovely, I can't believe she is starting school. How bittersweet it must be. I don't think there is anything that could make me broody, but I'll probably eat my words at some point.

Mel, I wouldn't worry too much yet. Does he babble? Understand simple requests? I don't think there is reason for concern until after two. But maybe get his hearing checked out for peace of mind.

Confused, how cute and smart she is!

We are having sleep issues. I think it is a mix of many things, mostly molar(s) and a reaction to being so sick and in hospital. It sucks and I have so much sympathies with DG having to deal on a regular basis.
His thing is that he can't be alone suddenly, so he needs one of us to be there with him for him to sleep. We can't even sneak out of the room once he is asleep, he'll wake up and scream. He is also having trouble getting to sleep even when we are with him. (But at least he won't scream) He wasn't asleep until 11.30 one night!
I know I shouldn't complain, we have it so good in the sleep department. But I can't wait for this phase to pass. I'm not dealing well with only a few hours of sleep every night.

Sorry for all I have missed! SO needs a break from watching H. He has been in bed for over two hours now and is still not sleeping.