thumbsucker blues: sandbox parenting thead

Here's something great about having two kids: they play together. Sometimes this devolves into fighting (at our house they even fight about imaginary things), but sometimes they play together so nicely and it's really great.

I'm wondering about a health issue. Cyrus, now 1.75, likes to carry around a bottle - it's his comfort item. It's time we should make him switch to a cup, but we haven't had the fortitude to deal with the crying. My real question is not so much about that, but about the volume of liquids he drinks. I know it's best not to give a kid that age more than a measly 4 oz. of juice. We only give him 100% juice and we water his bottles down so much that he only has a bit of juice. But he wants to have a bottle of milk or juice all the time. He wakes up in the middle of the night asking for a bottle a few times a night. Last night he drank 4 bottles during the night. He wakes up with his diaper soaked through. He cries and cries for it. He's also had sort of chronically loose poop, which makes me think he needs the liquid.

I know the answer already -- we have to be tough and just limit his bottles. But I'm wondering if maybe he's got some digestive/intestinal thing going on that makes him thirsty all the time.

I find it hard about daycare but I know that it'll be a good thing. In march OPhelia will go two days a week. A friendn said that she'll make big jumps as they are stimulated* a lot. My mom and best friend however are adamant that keeping a baby as long as possible is much better. Hmm, I think I'll contact the daycare and see if I can still reserve a place. It's quite difficult.

Maria, can you ask a doctor about the intestinal/digestive question? Because that has got to be really hard on your son's teeth. One possible compromise to make the transition easier: switching to water only bottles at night. Then he still has the bottle but at least it's not anything that is going to cause dental caries.

oh and regarding gestation, pregnancy lasts 40 weeks from date of last period, 38 weeks from fertilization.

We have discussed whether there might be a no.2 one day, but we're going to see how we get along with one - right now I'm really not convinced I could go through pregnancy again (and I haven't even done childbirth yet). Mind you, I was doing fine until I went overdue - it's just this past week I have been somewhat miserable.

Our kid's going to daycare at six weeks. I sure hope you don't feel guilty about sending a one-year old to daycare!

It seems like so many people I know are pregnant now, and I'm finding that I really really really want another one. Clearly not going to happen, and come on, I'll be 35 this summer, I'm already at the "advanced maternal age" period of my life, but wow, I WANT ONE.

Learning to live with "yeah, probably not gonna have any more" is sort of sad and a little hard.

As the dad of two kids 21 months apart, this rings so many bells with me it's practically a campanologists' convention.

It's very tough at the moment; I'm not sure we'd have coped so far without the network of neighbourhood mums (people Pam met at the weekly drop-in centre when Ava was very young) who helped us out when Pam was in hospital and occasionally give her a break by taking Ava for an afternoon. Ava loves her sister very much but has a tendency to express it in a slightly unrestrained manner - the other day she almost gouged Tallulah's eyes out in her enthusiasm. I look forward to when the dynamic of their relationship is a bit different to the constantly dangerous scenario of the rambunctious 2-y-o running wild vs helpless 3-m-o tot who gurgles happily even when 2-y-o is dragging her off the couch to "play" with her.

Free time just vanishes when you have two, I find. One child might seem draining of your time and energy but you will pine for those days of just one kiddie. And, as Jaq says, the logistics of looking after/transporting/doing anything social with two is massively complicated vs one child.

No one should ever give you grief for relying on daycare or other outside help even if you have just the one child. Whatever helps you get by, whether financially or emotionally. Parenting seems to be this continuous balancing act between what you need to do to just to cope and what the prevailing expert opinion on any specific topic is telling you to do (whether feeding, sleep routine, weaning, toilet training, etc).

It's all worth it, though. I think.

I'll be 35 this summer

Hell, I'll be 34 when the second will be born. Do I care? Hell no, I wanted two and that's what I'll have. Hopefully. :-)