@VeryHappy Yeah, they had planned to when she was born, but new motherhood, then Covid put it on the back burner! There was some talk about waiting until she was older, as there was no benefit at this age, but I am not really sure what the final reason was. Initially, the though was to do so in the event my SIL every took her to the UK without my daughter to make it easier getting into each country.
I believe they will go ahead with it now; there truly isn’t a reason not to!
I mistakenly thought the RSV vaccine was going to be available to young children, having heard about it via short story on Nightly News. Additional use of Google reveals it will be for expectant moms and will provide protection through first 6 months of life. Hopefully, it’s a gateway to a broader based vaccine for all children.
https://www.science.org/content/article/extremely-satisfying-scientists-insight-powers-new-rsv-vaccine-infants
Hoping your GD is feeling better soon, snowball. 
I hope you are feeling stronger each day, SOSConcern.
When GS and GD were diagnosed with RSV this fall, they came home with a nebulizer. I don’t think there was an asthma diagnosis, but those treatments made an incredible difference.
Happy New Year to all of you! 
Enjoy your time with sweet grandchildren. 
Thank you! I have nasal sprays 2X/day due to allergies, and that is really helping dislodge the thick clear mucus that I am blowing out. I still have an occasional cough and still am weak/body aches. I very much sympathize with people with tough chronic illnesses, who wake up feeling bad (or have a lot of physical limitations) daily. Hard to really enjoy life/grandchildren when you feel puny.
We are glad to be home for a while - had a very good ‘fix’ of the grandchildren with 2 full days of full care, then travel break, and right after Christmas 2 days of being among the other adults with their two young female cousins (6 YO and cousin just 2 weeks older than our youngest grandchild/16 months). The oldest two and the youngest 2 played well together, and our 3 YO grandson either tagged along with the older kids or did his own thing. We also played some games with the 3 oldest - but my granddaughter doesn’t like to lose and cries…which we are working on. Some of it in part is with too much stimulation and lots of new/fun things going on. Since we were in a hotel for those last two nights, we were not part of the full house routine/noises and had some quiet time on our own.
D’s little girl will be 3 in March and she is testing her parents with her dictator like behavior right now. They are referring to her as little Mussolini in the last week or so. This morning D went in to get her and she looked D in the eye and said “Don’t talk to me right now.” Hope this phase goes quickly for her parents’ sake.
GD was slow with her speech. She is turning 2 this month, D1 was considering in getting her a speech therapist. In the last few weeks she started to talk up a storm.
Last night when I was FaceTime her, I tried to get her to say “Love you.” Instead she said, “Love me.”
GD1 didn’t fuss about naptime this afternoon, but also did not go to sleep. When I went to check on her and asked if she needed clean pants (No!) or another lullaby (No) or a back rub (no), she finally said quietly, “Just go.” As soon as I left, she resumed talking and singing with her plush Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
My GD just turned 2, and while she says lots of words, she doesn’t put them together. (She does string words together and say them in a conversational tone, but none of us can understand what she’s saying.). D & SIL took her to the ENT yesterday because she has had several ear infections. Turns out she has fluid deep inside her ears, with some conductive hearing loss. She will be getting tubes in early March, which will help drain the fluid & should lead to a reversal of the hearing loss. That may be contributing to her somewhat delayed speech, although the doctors say that it’s not really delayed.
Another post that needs the hug emoji available in our reactions! Hope everything goes well for her, @kelsmom.
GD2 is also getting tubes. 5 ear infections since Labor Day, plus COVID and RSV (5 days in the hospital—very sick). Her speech is slow at 15 months, but all 4 of my kids were delayed and 3 were in speech therapy. I’m not as concerned as my DIL, but GD1 was talking in 3 word sentences at 13 months……
GD (4 1/2) is 14 months older than GS1, and she is very verbal and expressive. GS1 has already had speech therapy and has more to go IMHO; DD1 (their mom) had speech therapy for articulation, then speech morphology; she also has had auditory processing (competing ear) which she had to learn to overcome (no remediation). I myself know I had/have auditory processing issues – there are 3 forms, and mine is with background noise – for example, if I am on the phone, background noises on both ends bother me in capturing the intended phone message. Of course GD is jumping in so much when she is with GS1, including memorized prayers, that GS1 doesn’t have as much opportunity to talk as he should – but he has been talking a lot more. GS2 doesn’t have speech issues – he babbles a lot and sings little bits of what he hears. He is such an easy fella. Baby #4 due mid-June. DH and I are only 100 miles away from DD1/kids, and it helps that we are retired with flexible schedules. SIL is away in Army training, class complete May 1 or so - and we hope he gets selected for another level of training. SIL has had a late start in his career. I feel like it is the calm before the storm as far as activity for DD1 as well as my help. A big year for change as DD1/kids will move to be with SIL as soon as he has his permanent assignment (for rest of his enlistment, through Aug 2025), and DD1 will be SAHM on a tight budget. She will be leaving a well paid career which she excels at - but I suspect down the road she will return to work (as she can do so with the VA Hospital system, as she has more than 5 years in their employment) so they can eventually purchase a home when they finally ‘settle’ at a location for long term.
Based on your recommendations here, I’m about to buy a Tonie Box for my GD. (Fourth birthday on 2/6.) But I’m looking at the reviews on Amazon, and lots of the reviews say it was a bear to set up, even with tech savvy adults. What was your experience?? Did Mom and Dad complain, or was it relatively OK?
Only comments I have ever heard from SIL or from S about the ones they have are that they have to remember to charge it.
4 y.o. granddaughter has a Yoto and loves it. The cards are less expensive than the Tonie “characters”. But I admit, the little characters are appealing to a child.
Son said it was easy. I gave GD2 her own box for Christmas and he set it up quickly. We had to move it higher because she kept taking off the dog, then was sad when nothing played. No complaints about running out of juice.
I ordered it for GD. First I asked son what he thought about all the comments on Amazon about the difficulty of setting it up. He says it’s probably due to “operator error” and doesn’t have any concerns. So, if it’s difficult, that’s on him!
Does anyone have experience making a first birthday cake for the birthday child. My daughter has asked me and sent a couple of recipes she found online but I’m open to suggestions. He hasn’t had sugar and she is looking for something with applesauce sweetened or maybe a bit of maple syrup. One of the cakes she found seems easy enough with banana and applesauce. The frosting is unsweetened whipped cream. The party is at the park so I’m concerned the whipped cream won’t travel well.
For GDs first birthday, her dad made a sprinkle white cake for her. It was the first time she had a cake. She had few bites and was done with it.
First birthday cake? It can be made out of playdoh FWIW. All kiddos just smooshed and squished theirs 
! It was just a play object for them. Made really great videos though. 
ETA: we had a small cake for each kid that got trashed. The guests got a nice cake to eat.
Yes she called it a smash cake. He has an appetite like his dad and I’m sure he’ll eat some of it. Luckily it doesn’t need to be tasty for adults.