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17 months and walking

TTG turned 17 months on the 1st of this year and is walking more than he crawls now.  He took his first steps the day before he hit 14 months, and he’s taken his time to get into full on toddling.  TBB was the opposite.  At 13 months he figured out he could walk between DP and I and that was that, he was off.  Such different personalities!

Speaking of differences TTG is a pretty easy to parent toddler.  He tidies up after himself!  He does things for me when I ask!  He listens!  He doesn’t say a whole lot though I do usually know what he’s talking about (usually “bird”) but his comprehension is amazing.  He understands so much.  And he’s pretty co-operative too.  He was helping TBB pack a toy up this morning.  He likes to give things to people and pets with a “heeya”.  Truly he is a delight.

I’m still wearing him daily though he’s developed an aversion to backwrapping.  He runs (well, walks or crawls) away if I bring out a wrap.  He’s happy in a MT or SSC though.  I think he’s grown a lot recently too.  He’s always had puny little legs, but they’re longer and chunkier now.  By my-mother’s-maiden-name standards (they are a long’n'lanky people) he’s a right fatty   He’s got more hair now too and it’s quite blonde, sun-bleached.  I haven’t yet snipped off some to keep as there isn’t yet enough for that but it’s the same colour as the sample we have of TBB’s hair.   It’s straight on the top but gets kicky curls at the sides.  He’s had a mouthful of teeth (16) for so long that I’ve almost forgotten that there will be more some time, and that time probably won’t be far away.

Breastfeeding is pretty easy now that he’s so much bigger.  He feeds a few times during the day and is pretty clear about asking.  Sometimes he will sign milk, other times he pulls at my top or pushes his head into my chest.  He feeds a bit over night but I’m never coherent enough to count how many times.  It’s just roll over, feed, wake up later with a rotten back/neck/arm/shoulder pain because I’ve gone back to sleep awkwardly.

He’s been on a potty strike for a while but is still very aware of his bodily functions.  We have had a couple of breakthroughs in the last week though.  I walked into the loungeroom and it appeared he’d done a wee on the potty.  His pants were wet, there was a bit of wee in the potty and on the floor as he was tipping the potty over.  Cool!  And yesterday he pood in the potty.  He seemed pretty puzzled that there was poo in the potty, but then he does tend to do a lot of pointing at and exclaiming about poo anyway.  We really haven’t used nappies in months and I’ve had a bit of a chance to sew lately so I’ve made some more trainers finally.

He’s in the process of giving up his day nap.  It used to be 2 hours and he’d go to sleep around 11am to midday but it’s been creeping later.  Plus he’s had a couple of days with no nap at all.  I am mean and wake him up if he’s napping at a later time because I know I get short of patience in the evenings and NEED the children to be asleep at a reasonable hour.

Speaking of sleep, TBB’s is going a lot better.  I have finally started reading this book and so much of it describes him.  I’ve started sticking to a rythm of waking him consistently at 7am (or starting to prod him lol).  He then gets booted outside to play either before or after breakfast to get some sunshine and reset his body clock.  I make sure he gets more physical activity and sunshine in the late afternoon/early evening and I allow an hour between bed time and sleep time.  Once it’s bedtime he can have “quiet play” in his room and a snack if he needs one.  Ideally I then feed TTG to sleep, then I go see TBB and play with him for 5 minutes, though he usually prefers 6 minutes.  Then we read a book sitting in bed, then we ready this book laying down.  He can then either lie down by himself to go to sleep and I will check on him in 5 minutes, or have DP or I lie with him for a while.  We’ve ended up with both kids asleep by 9pm quite a bit, and sometimes even 8pm!  Fun

TTG goes to sleep on the breast the majority of the time, and that fixes night waking for him too with very little effort.  He’s taken to needing a short walk down the street in a carrier again in order to wind down a bit.  Which is fine, I can collect gum branches for the cockat.oo and ga.lah on the way home.  Sometimes he falls asleep in a carrier, and occasionally in the car.  He will usually transfer from car to house ok which is good.

He’s started cuddling too which is adorable.  He’ll cuddle me almost anytime I ask, DP less so, and he’s a bit hesitant with his brother.  That said, they were adorable playing trains together recently.  TBB gets great satisfaction out of having taught his little brother something, and TTG was just so cute.

He is such a darling child, he truly is.  And very, very cute.

I’m tired

The kids are sick. They were coughing a bit last night, and then at midnight it started. TBB was thrashing around in his sleep, kicking and moaning and crying. This went on for oooh 6 or 7 hours. The slight breaks in between were filled with TTG crying. Yeah, way to tagteam it. So I’ve been a bit cranky today. I don’t do tiredness well. And I don’t drink coffee so that doesn’t really leave me with anywhere to “go”.

I also need to get off my bum and start an unschooling record/blog thingy.  I’ll most likely use w0rdpre$$ and I’ll be passwording all entries as I’ll probably use real names and pics.

Do not feed my child

Seriously, fucking do NOT.  Especially when you know full well he has food intolerances.  Especially right after you’ve asked me if the strawberry jam would be a problem and I’ve said YES.  Not to mention margarine which has goodness knows what in it (there is only 1 brand that is ok) and the fact that almost all bread contains icky preservatives.

I went over to TBB to check on him and saw a tell-tale breadcrust in front of him (he doesn’t currently eat crusts).  I asked where it came from and he told me he’d had some jam sandwich.  I left it at that at the time, and today asked him how he obtained said sandwich.  He said he asked T if he could have one, she said yes, so he took one and ate it.  Fucking awesome.

Bear in mind also that I had brought along several different things that he CAN eat, with plenty for everybody, as I always do.  Unfortunately at 5, TBB doesn’t yet get that he can’t eat certain things even if he wants to.  He knows he shouldn’t have it, but the drive to eat it is greater than his knowing not to.

He has been an absolute turd today.  Completely argumentative and silly.  We left basketball 1/2 way through because he decided he didn’t want to play anymore and would rather muck around with one of the kids’ younger brothers.  His response to my every request has been either “no” or “why”.  I should’ve dropped him off at T’s this morning.

I hope he sleeps tonight.

2nd FETiversary

Today is 2 years since I had the little frozen 6 day old blast transferred that became TTG. It seems so far away but at the same time I can’t believe it’s been 2 years already. Weird.  I’m so very glad he’s here.

Mother of the Year Award coming my way

Damn I suck.  We recently bought the boys (well, TBB mostly for now) a trampoline as an early Christmas present.  TBB gets some trampoline instruction in some of the classesthat he does, and it’s a great excess energy burner.

TTG has enjoyed crawling on it, and sitting on it with me while we get a very gentle bounce going.  Both kids were having a crawl on it a couple of hours ago.  They were also playing with clothespegs, have a lovely time. 

TBB decided to get down.  TTG was flat on his tummy near the edge, looking over.  I was right there.  Right fucking there.  Next thing I knew, in slow motion TTG went forward in a somersault, over the edge, and landed on the ground (on a piece of the box actually). 

He cried.  I cried.  I picked him up carefully (yes I know about spinal injuries, he needed to be moved away from the dogs).  I called DP.  Then I called an ambulance.  I couldn’t remain calm.  My actions were calm, but my voice was not, oh no, it was not.  I could barely get the words out.

By the time the ambulance arrived TTG and I had both calmed down.  I realised he still had a grip on his clothespeg.  He seemed fine.  The paramedics checked him over in the driveway and agreed that he seemed fine.  We could go to hospital if we wanted to, but they didn’t deem it necessary, nor did I.  They went over what to watch out for (with a climber we have been there many times before), then retired to their vehicle to do paperwork.

They came back inside about 15 minutes later and re-checked TTG.  He had already been climbing on a chair in the meantime.  He’s fine.  Me, not so much.  I’ve been dosing both of us with homeopathic arnica (for injury and shock).

He was just about to go for a nap when it all happened, and I’ve had to keep him awake.  The excitement was enough for a while, but he’s just had a BF and a bit of a nap.  Now to wake him up………

Communication

In the last few days TTG has started shaking his head “no” and it’s adorable!  We don’t generally say “no” to him, preferring to use words that give him a little more information such as “yucky” or “not for babies” or “hot” or whatever.  He’s shaking his head if offered food or a toy that he doesn’t want, and he’ll point to the food/toy that he does want.  Just so cute.  He also does it if he’s touching something he knows he shouldn’t, like the tv cabinet.

He’s made up his own sign for “tired” – he pats his head.  He’s been doing this for maybe a month.  I’ve always stroked his head/hair as he’s gone to sleep so I’m guessing this is where it’s come from.  He hasn’t used any “real” signs yet.

The day he started walking he also started stacking blocks too.  I remember reading about Mrs Spock’s boy doing the same a while ago and thinking it would never happen.

And it looks like we may be slowly on our way out of a potty pause, which is nice!  He’s still BFing a heap, and still being worn daily as well, really getting into backwrapping now and loving it.

Walking!!!

TBB walked at 13 months.  It would have been only days after he turned 13 months.  He was always impatient though, he would get annoyed in his sleep because he was trying to crawl and couldn’t yet.  TTG is a bit cruisier in this regard.  He’d been standing alone occasionally, and could walk along while pushing a thing on wheels, and loved standing up then hurling himself at me, or at the lounge, or down the slippery dip.  No interest in walking alone though.

Until tonight, the day before he turns 14 months.  He was standing up holding the coffee table when all of a sudden he just walked off.  Crazy!  He went a few steps then crashed, but it was so cool to see.  He did it a bit more (with camera of course), then got tired and cranky.

He’s been tired and cranky a bit lately, more teeth, separation anxiety again, and now he’s sick as well. 

I remember TBB having a very very long bout of separation anxiety, but TTG seems to be having a couple of shorter bouts.  I’m not expecting much sleep tonight given that he’s sick, and am on the watch for croup.

Why do bad things happen?

I found out yesterday that one of my beautiful MAers had her baby boy, too soon for him to survive.    I’ve known J for a few years now, and she’s been through so much, losses, surgery, a very difficult pg & birth, and now she’s lost her baby boy.  It just isn’t fair.

Profile

I love TTG’s profile.  I always kiss the bridge of his nose – it still looks just as it did on ultrasound.