D1 has had anxiety for many years that has been well controlled with the right medication. She had a great OB and pediatrician when GD was born last year that have checked in with her a lot over this year.
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Your daughter is so fortunate. Others get insomnia, panic and they are compelled to check on the baby’s breathing constantly. It can interfere with breast feeding or pumping. (GEmini suggests 70% have trouble, which is higher than I thought.) they can produce adrenaline rather than oxytocin. This is different from maternal anxiety.
I’m sure you have seen daddies scared to be with their newborns.
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Quick update-- we made an offer and it was accepted. We have the home inspection on Monday so hopefully it goes well and we can keep this process moving.
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You are fortunate to be able to move stuff into your new place and also know what to get rid of. Best wishes on everything working smoothly!
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Received the Target 68-page Christmas toy catalog in the mail last week. I have marked it up and plan to go to target tomorrow and check things out (many items are “only at Target”). With 5 grandkids ages 1 -8, and knowing what they have and what is welcome by the kids and parents (limited room, so smaller items but with good play value). Hope to see fully stocked shelves.
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We just spent four days with our out of town almost 4 year old granddaughter. Both the Amazon and Target toy catalogs came and she spent a lot of time looking through them showing up things she liked. Her parents were great about telling her they would put them on the list of wants but we don’t get everything we want.
My daughter wasn’t sure if she liked the idea of the toy catalog but I told her that when I was a kid we spent hours pouring over the Sears wish book and never expected we would get anything.
We had a great visit and she loved making short videos of her life with her animals and garden for her cousins. Her cousins loved watching them. .
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I enjoyed the one that arrived at my house the other day (Amazon). I don’t buy toys but it was interesting to see how many I remember and how many I had no idea existed.
I, uh, put it in recycling immediately. Before H saw it. We really go by what D wants for kids, especially as they have absolutely no room and fairly particular parameters, but he “just likes to look” and that way be dragons.
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Best time of the year when I was a child!
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I loved the catalogs. TBH, I believe that they - along with tv commercials - helped me understand that I can’t have everything I want. I consider that an essential life lesson.
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Yes, and also that you might not realize what you want or don’t based on the ad. My sister and I begged and begged for the board game “Operation” one year based on the commercials. My parents got it for us and the electric shock thing terrified both of us and we never played it more than that first time.
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Just saw this in a newspaper article and had to laugh. Sharing with all of you who have a child complaining that their toddler can’t stop moving!
“ …lifetime physical activity levels probably peak for most of us at about age 3, research shows, and decline from then on”
It will get better 
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Interesting - need to share that with D, @BunsenBurner. The 3 year old GS moved up to a new room at daycare in August and it didn’t take long for new teachers to tell D & SIL that he liked to engage in risky, physical play. D & SIL are somewhat resigned to the idea that it is just a matter of time before an ER visit.
I agree that ‘Operation’ had limited play value for us as kids.
Accumulating things at home for the grandkids and will figure out before we leave for Christmas what I will gift wrap for the kids’ birthdays (and then store in our daughter’s office at their home), and all the rest for Christmas. They don’t go ‘big’ on birthdays, and the kids are used to having a few items along with doing some family activity/recreational. Sometimes a party with limited group of their friends. Their birthdays are March - Aug.
I got The Original Spirograph (30+ pieces, in the Target craft section) for oldest granddaughter - she will like and use it, and it is enjoyable for kids like her (under $20). Will gift that for her birthday, and she will be excited for it.
Christmas tends to be ‘overwhelming’ for the grandkids and ‘less is better’. Each year I make sure not to have ‘too much’ for them. DD1/SIL obtain one or two major gifts for each of their kids that are ‘wish list’ and reasonable. The grandkids love the surprises. In the past I split a number of things between being from Santa and from us, but this year will do less from Santa. I got caught one year talking about something from us and GD1 made sure that I knew it came from Santa - and I just said I got mixed up.
Will bring some new playing cards; got one 8+ small game that looked fun, ‘Jackpot Roll’ which I can play with the older 3 grandkids (will help the 5-YO boy play it with them). We spend time playing various games they already have.
I found Target’s toy catalog I got in the mail last week quite helpful (68 pages). I like to obtain things when the shelves are full and before getting picked over. Glad to have the major task ‘done’. Sometimes I see something worthwhile and can get it, but most of the shopping is done.
I carefully reviewed the Target catalog, circled and paper clipped various items. I was at the store Monday mid-morning when it was not busy and spent several hours between looking at the toy aisles (for items I saw in the catalog and other things) and also the craft section (by stationary), got familiar with Ap and looking at things on the toys/games section. Ordered several different things online (one item with 25% off circle deal) that was either just available online or wasn’t available in the store I was in (free ship with my Target debit card) - one was a ‘top toy’ (and only available at Target) Toy Story RV Friends 6-pack figure set. The grandkids have a few other larger and smaller Toy Story figurines already (and play with them often), and with 5 young children, this will be welcome (as they love the Toy Story movies). I ordered a book through Amazon Prime that has the whole Toy Story (through movie 5), 176 pages, for reader age 7 -9. I bought a hand puppet set, and 5-piece big dinosaur toys (figures) for toddler online. I have then ordered two age-appropriate dinosaur books from Amazon Prime which will coordinate with the toy dinosaurs. The boys, ages 5 and 7 will still get a kick out of these too I think. Both boys have been crazy about their Batman 11" toys (one is all black and one has some gray) - other grandma later decided to get a Batman figure (a duplicate item) because she wanted ‘in’ after their feedback about their Batman toys so they now have 3. Got each a Spider Man 11" figure (one is blue and red, the other is black with the red spider design). Also, each boy will have a box of 5 Matchbox items (one is ‘off the road’ and the other is ‘MBX Construction VII’). Spider Man and Matchbox are good for each of their birthdays. Bluey Lego for GD1 and GD2 to do together, as well as a reusable sticker book - raised thick ‘stickers’. Got a 10-character Sesame Street neighborhood friends deluxe pack (Only available at Target, age 2+) - they have a whole collection of Sesame Street books already. Disney Princess 5 Friends (smaller figurines, only available at Target).
Bought at other places a few things, and may see a few things between now and travel - but don’t have to stress about any shopping.
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Does anyone have an opinion about Snapology? My GD will be here for a week at Thanksgiving and our local library is offering a two-day Snapology group/session?? From what I gather, it involves building stuff with Legos? Would love to hear if anyone’s grandkids have done it. My GD will be 6 in December.
One of my grandkids has a late December birthday which makes gift giving challenging. We were just with them for 4 nights and one afternoon the almost 4 years old and I spent “organizing” her bedroom. They have a lot of the toys also in a large space in their living room. I attempted to organize that area but I didn’t get as much done as I wanted. My grand has a fondness for putting random items into little pouch bags, purses and backpacks. It drives my daughter crazy but I told her she did the same when she was a kid.
All of mine feel the kids already have too much stuff. It makes gift giving more challenging.
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I gave a bunch of GD’s toys and games to our church for the rummage sale a couple weeks ago. Everything I donated was something that hadn’t been played with in months. GD was here yesterday for the afternoon (1/2 day of school) and what did she look for? Something I had donated … she hadn’t touched it since probably last winter. I had to laugh, because it was a memory game. I told her that her memory is just fine!
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Ravensburger Gravitrax Junior. I had to write that first so I would remember the name of the super cool marble run set I bought for the grandkids to play with!. They are pricey, but after buying one kit on Amazon, I found used sets on EBay for half as much, and bought several so we can build BIG runs. They are super sturdy, modular and all parts can be used with all other junior sets. GKids age 7 and younger really enjoy spending time building with them, and I can see much older kids liking them, too. (Ravensburger also makes a non-junior version for older kids and adults, which is not compatible with the junior sets.)
If you are looking for a toy that will get lots of play, this is a good one.
GD FaceTimed today to let us know she lost her first tooth. She was drinking from her water bottle on the bus ride home from school, and she swallowed the tooth. She wrote a note of explanation to the tooth fairy & put it under her pillow tonight. Her friend pointed out how she could get it back & she decided she wouldn’t be getting it back!
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I just ordered some toddler scissors, lacing cards, and Duplo for GS (age 2+, will be 2.5 when he visits us at TG). I am also considering puzzles and markers. (He loved my highlighters when he was here last weekend but his mom wasn’t keen on the mess.) Any additional suggestions? This is such a great age.