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

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Has anyone else read Neal Pollack's piece in salon.com about having his son circumcised? Made me mad—the way he capitulated to the demands of his horrible, horrible family. I mean, if he and his wife felt strongly about it, fine, but the way it played out—ugh.
They're going to have trouble with his family sooner or later. May as well bring it on.

― Beth Parker, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 19:47 (seventeen years ago) link

Neal Pollack is a shitty excuse for a parent. If that article was the only example, that would be a harsh thing to say. But I remember the one article he did for Salon where he complained about how inconvenient having a child around was, and his daycare center should accept the boy even though he had repeatedly assaulted other children .

― Nicole, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 20:33 (seventeen years ago) link

Beth - I read his book! If that issue ever comes up for me, I have my arguments ready.

― tokyo rosemary, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 20:35 (seventeen years ago) link

I guess this is a good a thread as any? What's an appropriate christening gift? I was thinking check (but how much??) and illustrated children's Bible (maybe signed by the illustrator).

― tokyo rosemary, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 20:38 (seventeen years ago) link

I was thinking check (but how much??) and illustrated children's Bible (maybe signed by the illustrator).

The bible sounds like a very good idea, but I'm not sure about the check amount -- the christenings I've attended were for nieces and nephews and the children of very close friends, so I guess it would depend on how well acquainted you were with the family.

― Nicole, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 21:08 (seventeen years ago) link

Wait a minute. Where did kevin's cheeky comment go?

I knew he was being cheeky since his comment was patently false.

― Pleasant Plains, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 21:11 (seventeen years ago) link

They grow up so fast! I just found this one of my two boys from summer 2002.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/420363729_c85b4e0465.jpg

Mr Collander Head is now a fluent reader!

― onimo, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 21:18 (seventeen years ago) link

Aw. His big brother is obviously privy to the ancient 'sieve on the head' method of encouraging young readers.

More Alice on beach:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/179/420263696_f3620df11a.jpg?v=0

(Note classic parent pose in the background - holding orphan shoe which has been wriggled out of for the tenth time that day...)

10lb 13oz at weigh-in today, and final farewell to the Brighton health visitors before we move away next week. Eek!

― Archel, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 21:45 (seventeen years ago) link

Great pics of Alice.

How come shoes never stay on, no matter what kind you get and how well they fit?

― onimo, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 22:09 (seventeen years ago) link

We are closing in on Teething Time, M (6 months old today! Blimey!) is beginning to have grumpy spells.

She's also getting a bit clingy with Mrs O, which is bad news as she's thinking about going back to work in a couple of months.

― onimo, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 13:44 (seventeen years ago) link

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/416372736_29d4328358.jpg?v=0

helping out in the shop. oh yes, she has discovered the ring cases.

― nathalie, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 14:24 (seventeen years ago) link

O so cute!

― Beth Parker, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 23:05 (seventeen years ago) link

i think i am a bit in love with alice. that last pic with the squirmy can't-help-myself smile and the laughing new-moon eyes made me exclaim out loud.

― emsk, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 23:51 (seventeen years ago) link

All the babies are so squeezable.

― Beth Parker, Thursday, 15 March 2007 00:09 (seventeen years ago) link

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/132/423123103_9efde5404e.jpg?v=0

BabyMkII! We calculated the right date. *It* Iz 8 Weekz old! Expected delivery date: two days before my birthday! 26th of Oktoberfest! Hoera!

― nathalie, Friday, 16 March 2007 15:21 (seventeen years ago) link

Awwwwww.

― luna, Friday, 16 March 2007 15:59 (seventeen years ago) link

Congrats!

― schwantz, Friday, 16 March 2007 16:11 (seventeen years ago) link

Woo! Two is better than one, honestly - despite all my moaning.

― Michael Jones, Friday, 16 March 2007 16:24 (seventeen years ago) link

Aw, Nathalie - it's amazing how that makes me want to be pregnant again, even though the stitches haven't yet healed from this one! (and I spent a lot of my labour chanting in my head, "I am NEVER doing this again")

― Meg Busset, Saturday, 17 March 2007 08:45 (seventeen years ago) link

I wonder if ILX will still be here when we're withered and gray, and we'll be posting pics of the great-grands. I hope so. At the very least I want to be here when these babies have their first compulsory brushes with the law.

― Beth Parker, Saturday, 17 March 2007 13:38 (seventeen years ago) link

Yay nath! It truly is a rolling parenting thread - I wonder who the next ilxor to get pregnant will be?

― Archel, Saturday, 17 March 2007 14:14 (seventeen years ago) link

My wife, as it happens. Though she's not technically an ilxor. So it looks like I may be hanging around this thread a bit.

― Matt, Saturday, 17 March 2007 14:36 (seventeen years ago) link

!!!
Congratulations! So happy for you both :)

― Archel, Saturday, 17 March 2007 15:53 (seventeen years ago) link

Congratulations!

― luna, Saturday, 17 March 2007 15:58 (seventeen years ago) link

matt, tell us more! How (heheh), when,...

― nathalie, Saturday, 17 March 2007 16:04 (seventeen years ago) link

Thanks!

Sometime towards the end of january I think. It wasn't really a surprise as we'd started trying (well, in a half-hearted if it happens it happens sort of a sense) in the vague expectation of pregnancy occurring at some point this year. Within two weeks came as a bit of a surprise, though.

― Matt, Saturday, 17 March 2007 16:34 (seventeen years ago) link

The boys, after a particularly draining (hehe) feeding:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/146/424186895_44074e1d2d.jpg

― schwantz, Saturday, 17 March 2007 20:54 (seventeen years ago) link

I wonder if ILX will still be here when we're withered and gray...

That's a shorter stretch for some of us than for others. The gray is advancing by leaps and bounds, but the witheredness is still holding back, thank goodness.

― Aimless, Saturday, 17 March 2007 21:00 (seventeen years ago) link

Ava, with a nice bit of lens flare, waiting for a bus earlier today:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/184/424565717_c93142b2ae.jpg

― Michael Jones, Saturday, 17 March 2007 23:36 (seventeen years ago) link

:-)

Fun bunch of photos and stories on here, I have to say (again, I'm sure). While for a variety of reasons I suspect kids aren't in my future (stranger has happened, though), I enjoy the living vicariously as much as I do with my OC friends and relatives. I admit I'm glad I don't have to worry about all the actual child-rearing, mind you, as I am a lazy and selfish bastard. So you all get credit for that alone!

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 17 March 2007 23:42 (seventeen years ago) link

That's a really lovely picture of Ava.

― luna, Saturday, 17 March 2007 23:52 (seventeen years ago) link

It really is. My god Mike, I don't know how you even manage to walk down the street with her without being mobbed by adoring hordes.

Also loving the picture of the super contented twins :)

It wasn't really a surprise as we'd started trying (well, in a half-hearted if it happens it happens sort of a sense) in the vague expectation of pregnancy occurring at some point this year. Within two weeks came as a bit of a surprise, though.

Exactly what happened with us... people called Matt are obviously very fertile!

― Archel, Sunday, 18 March 2007 08:44 (seventeen years ago) link

Stupid cleft-related comment of the week:

Old woman at child health clinic: aw, don't worry, they can operate on that these days you know.

OH REALLY? Thanks for the info TOTAL STRANGER.

:(

― Archel, Sunday, 18 March 2007 08:49 (seventeen years ago) link

I don't know why people can be so cruel. I know they would (correctly) reply that they only want to help, but in return you just want to tear their head off and let your dog chew on it. My husband has a congenital dysfunction in his eyes which has given him terrible eyesight. He's lucky because many with the dysfunction are blind. The times that people have recommended he use glasses or have an operation are just... I just want to scream:"Bloody idiot, don't you think we would if it would help?" So Archel, I feel your pain a little.

Matt, I think *something* was in the water in January because I know, besides you and I, two more couple who got lucky the first try! :-D

― nathalie, Sunday, 18 March 2007 09:27 (seventeen years ago) link

Ava is being touched by the Reading Rainbow!

― aimurchie, Sunday, 18 March 2007 10:38 (seventeen years ago) link

Lovely smile from Alice. And schwantz's boys continue to cause melting in the Jerry-Bones household.

We finally got the nursery into a state where we could move Ava into it over the weekend. She loves her new room and she likes, er, resting on the bed. But sleeping? No way. So we moved the cot in and she's back in that for now. Good God, the screaming out of her when I put her to bed nowadays - it's like she's possessed. But five minutes after I leave her, the wailing ceases, she's cuddled up with kangaroo and is out like a light.

Here she is, expressing misleading enthusiasm for her new sleeping arrangement:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/174/424560218_d8501a554a.jpg

― Michael Jones, Monday, 19 March 2007 10:11 (seventeen years ago) link

Ophelia doesn't like the daycare at all. I think as a result of my husband leaving her there, she cries whenever he leaves the room now. Or maybe it's just separation anxiety for my husband. I really should not be typing about this,because then I have the urge to go pick her up. :-(((( The problem (for me) is that it's not necessary, I could leave her here, but then again I am now able to work more (so why am I on ILX huh?). Also, I think for her the problem is that she only goes twice a week so it'll probably take a longer time to adapt to the new situation? :-( Poor baby.

I love Ava's room! It looks great! To make you lament the night time routine even more, Michael: Yesterday Ophelia went to bed before I could say:"So let's go to sleep!" She turned around and went to sleep! While I was walking out of the room she kept saying:"Dada dada!" (Here it's colloquial for saying bye bye.) WHAT THE FUCK! My husband had already noticed that when I went out the room, while he started to read/show the picture book, she would say "dada" to me and also wave but now I could hear it clearly. Freaked me out completely.

That said, she wakes up a lot, but usually goes to sleep again. Her damn cold and cough are still not gone after a couple of weeks. :-( Mine neither but I can live with that. Poor thing doesn't realize what she has. Also, her bloody mother always wants to peel the little crusts off her nose which she doesn't like at all. ;-)

― stevienixed, Monday, 19 March 2007 10:20 (seventeen years ago) link

We have not had brilliant sleep the last few nights. H has started making these REALLY loud snorting, coughing and snoring noises when we put him in his crib at night - usually they don't go on for too long (until he wakes for his next feed) but last night he was at it from his 2.30am feed until I gave up trying to get him to settle at 7am and got up with him. (I managed to get some sleep from 2.30 - 5ish but my husband was kept awake all night.) It doesn't sound like he's particularly distressed - he doesn't work his way up to crying unless he actually needs feeding or changing - but it is very loud and I can't help listening out for the next breath to make sure he's OK. Let's hope it's just a phase...

― Meg Busset, Monday, 19 March 2007 11:26 (seventeen years ago) link

Ah Meg, been there as well! Ophelia made these noises as well, and also these sort of clicking noises with her nose as well. The pharmacy gave me some spray which cleared up her nose a little bit.

― nathalie, Monday, 19 March 2007 11:39 (seventeen years ago) link

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/186/426697630_f56c5612d8.jpg

hey, look at my sleeping kid! I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but a bunch of the sleeping issues seem to be behind us...I took Lou to a chiropractor and she made a couple of adjustments and now he sleeps much much better. I was totally dubious but the proof is in the pudding!

― teeny, Monday, 19 March 2007 13:40 (seventeen years ago) link

That's a wonderful photo.

― Michael Jones, Monday, 19 March 2007 14:35 (seventeen years ago) link

Megan has totally sussed rolling over. It's great when kids hit developmental milestones.

― onimo, Monday, 19 March 2007 19:24 (seventeen years ago) link

Just gorgeous, teens.

― luna, Monday, 19 March 2007 19:35 (seventeen years ago) link

Ours have figured out how to roll from back-to-front, but not the other way. They do this, and then they get REALLY bummed-out. Tracy told me today that she is only going to let one roll at a time to help keep her sanity. We're hoping they figure out the front-to-back roll very soon, so we can remove the swaddlers at night. We got the Miracle Blankets recently, and they work pretty well for about half the night, but at some point the little Houdinis wriggle their way out. I'm getting close to pulling out a roll of duct tape.

― schwantz, Monday, 19 March 2007 19:56 (seventeen years ago) link

Another member of the sleep problem club over here :(

Alice has recently gone from five feeds in 24 hours with a nice long sleep at night, back up to six or seven and refusing to settle after the night time bottles... plus major crying most of the day. I think it's a combination of growth spurt, teething (v early but two little nubbins visible in the gum today!) and the fact that we have stopped letting her sleep in her rocker chair, which she always preferred to the moses basket but is now too big for. I have never been so tired in my whole life - we are also moving house this week so it's pretty hellish.

Will probably have no internet for a while so bye for now, rolling parents and rolling babies!

― Archel, Monday, 19 March 2007 20:19 (seventeen years ago) link

that's awesome Teeny!

holy shit, we had ELEVEN STRAIGHT DAYS OF SICKNESS in our house, culminating with an ear infection. Classic how the sickness laddered from youngest kid to next youngest to oldest. A miracle happened and I didn't get the virus or whatever it was. We haven't been on a barf bender like that in years.

― Dandy Don Weiner, Monday, 19 March 2007 20:39 (seventeen years ago) link

You have my every sympathy, Archel - to top my sleep deprivation, today I have come down with some kind of sore throat / shivery muscles bug type thing. Hope I don't pass it on to the wee fella - don't think it'd be much fun with both of us ill :(

― Meg Busset, Monday, 19 March 2007 20:41 (seventeen years ago) link

Yay for baby slings! The answer to the baby who will only nap while cuddled up to mum. Tried H in his today and, after a few mins grizzling and wriggling, he promptly fell asleep. That was two hours ago and he's still snoring away happily. It's nice not to be stuck on the sofa with both hands full of sleeping baby, unable to move!

Are there any co-sleepers on this thread? This morning we brought him in with us after his usual 6am refusal to settle, and all three of us dozed happily til 7.30 - after which he even went back in his crib for another 45 mins, which made mum and dad very happy. But it still seems a bit of a taboo thing to do...

― Meg Busset, Thursday, 22 March 2007 14:54 (seventeen years ago) link

I had a baby bjorn - the best in my opinion - and I used it so much when she was a couple of months. I don't think I could have survived without it. I also tried other baby carriers but I threw'em in a corner as the Baby Bjorn is very VERY safe.

I still have a cold and so does Ophelia. :-( I went to the doctor after several people advised me to. I am not a big fan of antibiotics, especially for kids, but I figured I better not feed my guilt (of being a bad mommy and neglecting Ophelia) so I went. Was it necessary? No. But I still have to give a few meds (nasal spray and other *concotions*). Hopefully it'll clear up cause she still sleeps very lightly. Me? I wake up because of my own snoring. Urgh. Morning sickness and old BEGONE.

― nathalie, Thursday, 22 March 2007 15:21 (seventeen years ago) link

I never did get the hand of baby slings, but my husband did. They worked very well for him!

As for co-sleeping, we slept with both our kids. It was a choice we made, but yeah, people won't hesitate to tell you you're making a terrible mistake. We transitioned them into their own beds in our room (Julia is still in hers) after leaving ours. Alex got his own new bed and his own room when he was about 5, I think. Julia still wakes up in the middle of the night and crawls into bed with us, which is fine. (She's 4 1/2). Honestly, with nursing, I don't know how anyone can do it and not co-sleep. It was the only way to get any rest, it seemed.

― Sara R-C, Thursday, 22 March 2007 15:38 (seventeen years ago) link

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