The new rolling ILX parenting thread, since the other one was getting unwieldy

(post the flamingo picture!)

Beeps, Beeps, you are the cutest pacifist! Ava and Lulu have their pans ready for banging and have requested to join you on future crawls/marches. They've been practising the call and response technique. "What do we want? Chocolate milk! When do we want it? Now!"

Poor Adrian's busted arm, hope he's getting a little more comfortable as he gets used to it. I await our first broken bone with trepidation, but I'm reasonably sure it's going to happen, and probably earlier rather than later for at least one of our girl daredevils. The frenzied way Ava trampolines on the sofa to Kraftwerk, the naive way Lulu doesn't realise the dog on wheels will certainly roll when she's using it to stand up, it gives me the Fear. You want to protect them all the time but sometimes they just crash before you see it coming.

As Mike says, the toilet training with Ava is going surprisingly well. She spends most of the day nekkid as a jaybird which is her fave outfit anyway. Three days of doing this has taught me that if I use the pull-up pants she'll just use them like a nappy and ignore the potty. I did put some cotton pants on her a couple of times today but she just forgets to pull them down before she sits on the potty, ha!

I swore when I started that I wasn't going to use food as a reward when the girl done good but that went out the window on day one - we play with sticker books pretty often and she's just not wowed out enough by stickers for that to be a real incentive. So it's the forbidden tiny handful of chocolate buttons or jelly beans that's doing the trick, with an end-of-day toy car (50p at sainsbury's!) for an overall successful day (which is basically using the potty as intended instead of a hat for the majority of the day). if anybody else is conquering/has conquered this whole messy toilet thing already and has some tips, I'm all ears!

I took the girls to Chester Zoo when we were at Mike's mum's last week. I know we've exceeded our babe image quota for the day but here are the flamingos for koogs and a leopardtastic Lulu shot so she doesn't feel left out when she's reading the archives in a few years:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1351/1387455361_b2999caee5.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1179/1388177658_5e46182b86.jpg

hey nathalie, you any closer to birthing o's sister yet? I know you're not actually in the hospital yet because you've been pummelling the husbeau at scrabble, but here's hoping there's some action soon!

wow @ leopard lulu! what gorgeous pictures.

The frenzied way Ava trampolines on the sofa to Kraftwerk

Awesome (but not for the danger part, obv).

(Thanks for the well-wishing, everyone.)

Andy, man, I don't know how I'd react. I have TEH FEAR as well, but realize that, as much as I try to protect her, she's bound to fall down or even break an arm/leg. That said, she's surprisingly cautious: She could walk early on, but decided to hold on to my hand for the longest time. (As I type this, she bangs the door shut with an enormous thud. Cautious? Maybe not as much as I'd like.)

As always, the mini-ILXORs are too cute for words. :-)

hey nathalie, you any closer to birthing o's sister yet? I know you're not actually in the hospital yet because you've been pummelling the husbeau at scrabble, but here's hoping there's some action soon!

No, I'm still more than a month off. I feel exceptionally tired, though, as I can't sleep at night. Our employee, who has a caesarian on the 8th, apparently had 3 minute contractions! They were just in time to suppress them. Now she's at home taking pills every two hours and lying down as much as possible. I do have to say that the latter, having a rest, sounds very appealing. Although I hate it, my husband has managed to convince me: I take naps during the day, as I tend to be awake during the night. *sigh* I shouldn't complain though, I am pregnant. :-)

Ah yes, I did pummel him for one game, but boy are you two beating me now! :-) I might sneak in the laptop when I deliver next month. :-) Hello, I'm Nathalie, I'm a scrabaholic! :-)

The frenzied way Ava trampolines on the sofa to Kraftwerk

The Robots is still her favourite but she now has a soft-spot for Elektro Kardiogramm, especially one particular panning, swooshing noise that she imitates and then collapses in giggles - "Here comes the sound!"..."What's that noise, Daddy?" She's decided it sounds like elevator doors closing. I hope we've initiated a lifetime of musical appreciation based entirely on cool synth FX.

Owen trying on his Halloween turtle costume:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1193/1426613862_9deff62709.jpg

Both of 'em at the SF Ukelele Fest:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1228/1348633244_9ccd3a5f94.jpg

A piece for four filthy hands:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1390/1426616082_f55903f759.jpg

That turtle costume is fantastic.

Charlotte this weekend....

http://homepage.mac.com/alexinnyc/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2007-09-23%2016.17.37%20-0700/Image-58CD51806A2911DC.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/alexinnyc/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2007-09-23%2016.17.37%20-0700/Image-58CE3EEC6A2911DC.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/alexinnyc/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2007-09-23%2016.17.37%20-0700/Image-58CF43BD6A2911DC.jpg

COVER CONNECTIONS...

<i>Naptime</i> vs. <i>NightTime</i>
http://vassifer.blogs.com/alexinnyc/images/2007/09/21/img_6011_2.jpg http://vassifer.blogs.com/alexinnyc/images/2007/09/21/s11402.jpg

so great

Still my favorite ILXer.

The 2nd link on this page ("Home birth heard over phone") is an audio clip of a home birth 999 call. I heard it yesterday on the radio and it's simply amazing (though not if you're a bit squeamish I suppose).

http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?scope=all&tab=av&recipe=all&q=%22home+birth%22&x=0&y=0

I think the first link is a news video about the same story but I can't watch it at work to check.

The transcript of the same call (probably? I haven't listened to check) was in the Guardian last week - it was one of their journalists it happened to. Eek!

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/family/story/0,,2169286,00.html

prediction: esme and jessie will never have children

Ooooooooooooookay, I'm not sure I wanted to read this before the arrival of the second baby, but I did anyway.

I gained SIX kilos in the last month which seems partly due to water retention. Harumph. And probably too many french fries. :-( But everything else is ffffine. Head turned down, good placenta and so on and so on. The countdown has begun. Eeek! I had a slight panic attack when I got a phone call from employee's husband saying his wife had delivered. She was due around the same time as I am.

what is your due date again, nath?

25th of October. My husband hopes it'll be earlier, as otherwise it's so close to my birthday and he knows how much he'll have to endure the last weeks/days: me moaning and groaning. :-)

Ophelia probably has throat infection. :-( Poor thing. If it doesn't change after today, we'll go to the doc. But she's such a good girl, even though she wakes up and yells for us, she still doesn't cry.

Aidan spent some time with his grandma this weekend:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1227/1434151336_073d509258.jpg
I think the look of trepidation is the thought of impending colic, which has been wracking him for the last few days :(

Aw he's looking great. Elbow dimple! Hope the colic doesn't last long, for all your sakes...

Is it just me or does Aidan look a whole lot like Tom Brady's new baby?

In other news Nath just took my number one spot for "Best Mother" on facebook:

Who would make a better mother
Rankings in your inner friend circle.

1 Stev1e N1xed Wins 5(83%)

2 K4th4r1ne B Wins 4 (100%)

I think we've got a Lil' Louis on our hands: Tallulah (aged 10 3/4 months) now weighs in at 23lbs; Ava (aged 2 years 7 months) weighs in at 26lbs. (!) How long until Lulu closes that gap completely? And how long until Ava gets several months' of beatings revisited upon her?

Here's Ava enjoying her freedom while she still can, getting soaked in the water features in Sydenham's Wells Park:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1215/1414952288_a67d0bef8c.jpg

And a brief break from jumping on the couch:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1232/1429351061_e23b71c01a.jpg

That's my quota for the week, so Big Bertha will have to wait...

beautiful!!

speaking of lil louis, beeps weighed in at 19lbs/2ft3 at her 6 month check up.

Wow, that's pretty hefty too! Lulu is pretty much exactly 5x her birth weight - Ava probably won't hit that mark (30lbs in her case) until she's well past her 3rd birthday at this rate. I mean, they're both still within those upper and lower centile curves, but they couldn't be more different.

Oh my god she's absolutely gorgeous and you're an amazing photographer MJ!

The second one was by Pam!

hey you guys just reminded me to weigh him! 33.5 lbs by the bathroom scale at 21 mos...his rate of weight gain has slowed down and he's getting taller too, so he's starting to look more like a little boy and less like a chunky baby. He's also started the "I don't feel like eating ever" thing, which I thought came later.

That second photo is simply great, MJ.

In other news Nath just took my number one spot for "Best Mother" on facebook:

I definitely need all the help I can get. :-( Ophelia had a cold. Then we realized she was getting her molars. THEN the infection went from the ears'n'throat to her stomach and... pfff diarrhea today. There's nothing like changing five diapers in a row. One was on, pfff, another one needed. Ophelia also decided to test my muscle strength (because she was probably having painful bowelmovement) by kicking and flexing her muscles. Especially when you're also suffering from sleep deprivation and back pain, this tests your weaknesses. She also did a half dozen projectile vomits today (and yesterday). It freaked me out seeing it splatter all over. :-( Poor thing. We made the horrible mistake of giving her some OJ which we KNEW resulted in vomiting but it was the only thing she liked. Today she ate a banana. YAY, solid food. It's been a couple of days of milk and no solid food at all.

I hope the baby waits a few more weeks so I can catch up on zzzzzs. :-( I feel extremely CRAP. I am beginning to realize that two kids is a lot more than one. :-) BUt hey seeing Ophelia smile and clap her hands when watching Miffy warms my hart. I feel so sorry for her, having to suffer so much. Poor poor thing.

Oh yeah her weight was 13 kilos (28 pounds?) a week or so again. Probably less now but that doesn't mean anything.

Poor O! I hope she feels better soon.

Beeps went to bed last night with a 100.7F temp and woke up this morning with a 102F temp. I took her to the doc who took a chest x-ray and blood. Turns out she has pneumonia. Poor beeps. She's in surprisingly good spirits though and eating/drinking like a fiend. Today she weighed in at almost 20lbs. A pound up from 4 weeks ago.

Here is the sad kitten waiting for the doc:

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/5732/pnuemoniabeatsiu4.jpg

Here are a couple of new videos. The nutcases were in rare form today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9vq_zkw3s4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1memr8SB0LE

Great jumping - I love the hang at the end. And is that Flight of the Conchords playing in the background?

awww, poor Beeps! Is she on antibiotics? Hope she's feeling better soon.

I'm on antibiotics again and these ones are going right through him poor little lamb. And as if that wasn't enough he's got his first jabs in an hour.

Nat, is Ophelia better? Hope you're managing to get plenty of sleep in, and aren't feeling too uncomfortable

Oh poor Vicky! I really feel for you and have been thinking of you often. :-(

I'm doing relatively okay. The projectile vomiting and diarrhea are gone, but it could very well be that the viral infection was passed on to my mum and husband. :-( She's feeling slightly better but still needs to recover. She ate a lot the other day, but decided that she couldn't walk anymore. hah! Testing our patience, oh yeah! Today however she's a lot better. And eating. After not eating much for about a week, it really warmed our hearts. She did drink a lot the other week so we didn't worry *that* much. That said, it's so sad to see your child sick.

I'm now officially full term so counting the day. I have back pain, but, cross my fingers it won't change, not much pelvic pain! Yay! Sleeping is difficult though, and I always wake up with a massive headache. :-(

Slaps self to stop complaining. :-)

Positive news: Ophelia has started forming sentences! For example: "Papa, rolls!" and points to the door. (She loves those rolls from the bakery, oh yes, she does.)

Ava looks just like her mom!

I've got some great pics of Esther and Abby. Esther just started preschool this month and LOVES it. Abby likes having those two mornings a week to play with toys unencumbered by worrying about boundary issues.

It IS Flight of the Conchords (thanks, Chaki!).

"I don't feel like eating ever" thing, which I thought came later.

No, that's right on schedule. 21-month-old Abby's been going through just that phase for the past couple of months. Strangely enough, it mostly manifests itself at breakfast time: she won't eat anything besides a few Cheerios and turns away all offers of yogurt, waffles, etc. But she'll eagerly eat yogurt at lunch.

lil miss pneumonia:

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/3125/pnuemoniagirlug2.jpg

Ava's eyes!!

My big sis has those pale blue with a dark blue rim eyes and I have always been jealous of them.

The stubborn fase has arrived in our household. Perfect timing really as a new kid will arrive pretty soon. hah! Ophelia stayed up until 2 AM. Around taht time she had a major fit. I had already taken her in our bed and around said time she finally, after lots of crying, she fell asleep. This morning she woke up screaming again. She has decided that she prefers rolls over bread. Sadly, we didn't agree with this. I don't have a really big problem with her crying, I can easily switch off my "hearing" which means that it doesn't have any effect. I learned to do this some time ago: when I notice it's for attention or influencing my decisions, I just don't hear the crying. She has to learn taht sometimes she doesn't get her way. But damn it is is "interesting". hah

Oh, I hear you on this. My 6 six year old is really going through a hissy fit phase but I can totally blank it out esp. when it's "I need more chocolate, where is my chocolate, WON'T ANYBODY LISTEN TO ME!!!!" sadly, other people don't seem as adept, especially when as I lead her (calmly) away from the sweets aisle she shouts "Stop hurting me - you're squeezing my arm to death!!!" Oh joy.

Anyway, good luck Nathalie, I keep expecting to see that you've taken leave of ilx for a few days! Keep us updated.

I'm tempted to order the ipod touch so I can report "live" from the delivery room.

"BABY IS COMING COMING! AAAAAAGGGRRRGRGRGRGRGHHHHH"

hah!

schwantz, that is one supercool turtle costume. what is ben going to be for halloween? not that many folks I know in london embrace halloween with the enthusiasm we had when we were kids, so we're forcing the holiday on the neighbourhood posse by having lulu's 1st birthday party a few days early and making it a halloween shindig. I don't know what the girls are gonna dress up as yet. mike is refusing to don so much as a hastily pencilled-in zipper scar or dame-edna-style drag outfit, the killjoy.

I love that second picture of charlotte against the big wall o' graffiti face!

I so wish I was able to block out that hissy-fit screaming, it still really goes through me, even when I know I'm totally justified in refusing ava and lulu access to the aisle of chocolate/toys/powertools/etc. whenever ava throws herself on the floor at the grocery store howling like she's being tortured, about ten mothers I know walk by with their well-behaved smily happy children, it never fails.

good luck, ophelia! my sister birthed us a new niece (ella) yesterday. she was in hard labour for less than 45 minutes this time, a 15-minute increase over her last labour. I'll ask her to send you some of that florida water she's been drinking.

hope beeps is on the mend!

doyee, good luck NATHALIE and hope you're feeling better OPHELIA that should've been. I was working on the subtitles for 'frankenstein' last night, I think my brain got corrupted in the process.

Esther getting ready for first day of preschool:
<img src="http://www.appelstein.com/esther.jpg";>

Abby attempting to use a fork:
<img src="http://www.appelstein.com/abby.jpg";>

argh! I give up.

here:

http://www.appelstein.com/esther.jpg

http://www.appelstein.com/abby.jpg

OMG THAT BLUE DRESS!!

craft: We are going to TRY and get Ben to wear this chicken costume:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1090/1426611744_dd85c86783.jpg

However, he started freaking out when we tried to close the chin-strap, so he may go sans-chicken-head hat.