ILX Parenting 5: I'm a big kid now

Well, don't have two because then you can't kill yourself if something bad does happen to the first one.

In case anyone wondered how much parents needlessly worry about their kids...

I have gone down that horrifying mental corridor, yes. :(

What how's life described is 100% how I feel sometimes about my younger siblings. I know it's not the same.. but oh the gut punches and watery eyed pride I have suffered watching these children grow (into little bastards :/)

Been super emotional this month when it comes to August. I seriously sobbed (irrationally) last night when I realized there was no photo of me with August in her cute Christmas dress or any photo of us together that wasn't dark or blurry. She wore the dress for several hours and I took pics of her in it and with J. Loved how it looked in her $1 vintage dress that looked like it was never used. She had a fit when I put it on her, screamed and wailed for five minutes then forgot all about it. She'll never wear it again. I don't know why I had that episode or any of the others all month. Cried when I saw all her toys under the tree...ugh

*Sorry, meant to say I loved hoe the $1 dress looked on her

SLEEP REGRESSION IS NOT A MYTH

Aaahaahhahhhhhhhgggggghhhhh

K's sleep schedule got all kinds of messed up recently, so H had a great idea -- no nap today. It worked.

So we've had this part-time nanny for about six months now and we still feel slightly off about her. The thing is, there are a lot of positives: she's responsible, she's on-time always, she seems like a decent and nice person, she seems to genuinely like K, etc. At the same time, somehow K just doesn't respond to her in the most positive way. She still usually protests when the nanny comes, and when both H and the nanny happen to be home she pretty much refuses to be with the nanny. I know this might not be a fair comparison, but tonight my brother and his girlfriend came over, and K has only met them like twice, but she had no problem hanging out in the bedroom alone with them for like 20 minutes. I just don't see her doing that with the nanny while we're home. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that we telegraph our feelings about the nanny and about my brother to her, IDK. Not sure what to do -- on one hand we *think* she's safe with the nanny and generally taken care of, otoh it's hard to think she's spending like 25 hrs a week with someone she doesn't feel that good with, if that's the case.

plus letting her go means finding someone else and risking worse. At least with this person we feel like nothing terrible is going to happen.

I kind of remember now how when I was a kid there were certain babysitters I *liked* and certain babysitters I felt vaguely uneasy and unhappy with even though there was nothing wrong.

IANAP but maybe she associates the nanny with your and your wife's absence, which is why she isn't super stoked around her when you're present? idk i worked in a childcare center many many years ago, lots of the kids would scream blue murder for the parents when they were being picked up or dropped off, but were perfectly lovely and responsive with the care workers otherwise.

I have noticed that August doesn't respond well to people I am uneasy or vague about. I guess she picks up on the vibes or something. I don't think I am being obvious, hope not. Once I get comfortable, she does too. Maybe K is picking up on your feelings?

SLEEP REGRESSION IS NOT A MYTH

our lovely little fellow presently has a thing where he gets up at one and hollers, clicks, hoots, and shouts for about an hour. he doesn't reach angry-crying levels of come-get-me and at the end of the hour he goes back to sleep. it is an awesome mind control trick by the toddler, because that hour between one and two, if lost, will rob the sleep on either side of it of its value. I personally don't give much a shit however because I LOVE HIM SO MUUUUUUUCH

parentz, how many holly hunter in raising arizona moments do you have? i have had a few full blown sobbing fits this year.

― rhyme heals all goons (m bison), Sunday, December 22, 2013 8:32 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Almost 7 years on and this still happens to me on the reg

Snot sucker achievement unlocked. When she's snorting like a stuffed up elephant it is super satisfying to get up in there and get those boogers. Even better when I put her in her bouncy seat in the bathroom while I shower first. She totally zens out with the Nose Frieda, like just gets still and stares into space until I'm done.

Also that vibrating bouncy seat is like a baby hypnotizing machine.

We went to the zoo with friends on Sunday and found out today that their daughter, who was riding around in a wagon with Evie the whole time, has chicken pox.

nooooooooooooooooo

oh god.

Oh man. When do kids get the chicken pox vaccine? Has Evie had it yet?

all children in plastic bubbles

ok imma sound dumb but...ive never heard about chicken pox vaccines. i have heard about "get your kids chicken pox so they can build immunity now and 4eva" which is how me and me brother handled shit IN THE 90S

Yeah, apparently they came up with them too late for me.

Yeah, the NHS don't give the vaccine as routine, only to those with vulnerable family members. I think pox parties are still the preferred method here.

I think it's part of the regular vaccine schedule in the US but I don't remember when it happens.

Pox parties make me rage. It is the dumbest fucking thing. Don't do that to your children.

I mean you're intentionally exposing your child to a disease. The virus stays with you for life, and then you can get shingles when you're older. And then you can have complications if you have a compromised immune system at any point. PLUS chicken poxs really suck for kids. Just get the vaccine.

Chicken pox in adults sucks a hell of a lot more than in kids, believe me.

We think she got the vaccine; it looks like kids normally get it at 12-18 months and we didn't turn down any offered vaccines. But chicken pox has a 2-week incubation period and the vaccine doesn't always work, so we won't be sure for a while.

both of my kids got pox about 2 y o and it was no biggie, they didn't even scratch their huge horrible spots at all (??)

i agree the pox party thing seems kinda crepey but i thought it was settled that it's good for kids to get it? wouldn't a vaccine need constant reupping?

Just two doses: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/varicella/basic-who-needs-vacc.htm

Vaccines that require boosters don't even need constant reupping. Get a flu shot every year and a tdap booster every ten and you're set.

I got a mild/average case of chicken pox in the 1st grade. My brother never got them until the 6th grade and they were horrid! You couldn't see his skin, he was covered, covered, like every single part of his body and my parents were worried he'd be sterile.

I remember I couldn't look at him. I was in the 8th grade and it really aggravated my trypophobia. He had a really bad fever for a few days and was throwing up constantly. My little sister got it at school. She was in the 1st grade and gave it to him.

I am thinking of getting August vaccinated because I wouldn't want her to get chicken pox the way my brother did. Then again, she could get what I got which was a mild fever for a day, a few sores...I remember the whole thing so well. I was happy to be out of school and hanging with my grandparents. I wanted to get them and was so excited when my belly started to itch and saw a sore.

I know they say that that chicken pox doesn't jump species, but I went out to play with my grandfather's baby chicks after he told me not too. They did get pox soon after and all died. Coincidence maybe, but my grandfather said chicks gave it to kids and vice-versa.

Everybody seems to be missing a really good reason for vaccination: protecting immunocompromised people in the community, like kids with cancer or people taking immunosuppressive drugs. Also, if a pregnant woman who doesn't have previous immunity is exposed to chickenpox, it can her fetus up. You're contagious before you start feeling ill and getting spots. 100-150 people a year still die from chickenpox.

*whoops, that death rate was PRIOR to the introduction of the vaccine. Hardly any kids die from cpox anymore, thanks vaccination.

That is a good point, I was just focusing on the painfully obvious ones. Which should be enough reason for anyone.

2bclear, we're getting all vaccinations! i just wasnt aware of the cpox one bc of ~childhood experiences~

Introduced in 1995 per CDC website. You just missed it!

Another good reason to get it is so you don't get shingles later. Shingles suck.

Shingles may suck even more now: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140102165650.htm

wait if you don't get the pox vaccine you can get shingles? or if you don't get the pox you can get shingles?

You can get shingles if you have had chickenpox. The virus lies dormant in your body and essentially reactivates and causes shingles.

It's like the movie sequel that no one wanted. It's like Teen Wolf 2.

I woke up one day in a world with eight planets, no such thing as a brontosaurus and a chicken pox vaccine. I still have trouble adjusting.

There's no such thing as a brontosaurus?

spoiler alert: they're all dead

Bronto now apato.

Jeff, you've got to keep me abreast of these things so I don't look like a dingus in front of our kid.

spoiler alert: they're all dead

lol

Carl, just outsource the STEM education to me. I got this.

The main risk for stroke is in cases of shingles on the face (zoster ophthalmicus). I've seen that in older patients too.

VZV is also the #1 cause of stroke in school-aged kids (a low risk, but it happens).