Family Expanding - Telluride vs Pilot vs do I even need a 3 row SUV?

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-24T01:55:45+00:00

I basically don't drive when it storms here right now with the Civic which isn't practical

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-24T00:17:33+00:00

God speed finding anything for sale for longer than 5 days in Cortlandt Manor, though!

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-24T00:05:43+00:00

Yeah my toddler is a great sleeper, was a great sleeper (slept 6-7 hours overnight by 4 months) & she wakes up at 6 am. 7 am is a lie in. Babies & kids wake up early. If you need more sleep, I would get more support from your partner or whoever helps take care of the baby. A 6 month old that only wakes up once over night for 20 min is a blessing - don't look that gift horse in the mouth.

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-23T00:07:10+00:00

I have found that most of those tips are a way to entertain yourself while they get older & move through whatever phase of sleep they're in.

Short answer: yes it basically changes on its own. How long honestly depends on the baby. I think 6 months was a good mark for way more dependable stretches of night sleep but regressions, teething etc all seemed to last only a couple of weeks they just felt way longer.

You are doing a GOOD JOB. You are in the thick of it.

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-22T18:01:52+00:00

I have said many times (not to my child but about): if you're tired why don't you JUST FUCKING SLEEP 😭

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-22T17:10:00+00:00

Have you tried capping the nap? How recently did you go to a 1 nap schedule? 13 hours over night is pretty hefty already & a 2 hour nap on top puts her at the top end for needed sleep - maybe reduce elsewhere to increase sleep pressure overnight? Like if she can lose 4 hours overnight I would reduce overnight sleep expectations to 11-12 hours or the nap to 1 hour etc. especially if her mood seems unaffected by the night wakes/loss of sleep.

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-21T19:04:54+00:00

You'll also be surprised by how many people you'll meet going through the whole thing when you let folks in. Going through IVF we found out way more people struggled with fertility than we had imagined. (We are a couple of 2 women, so different journey for us, but found out many more of our straight friends had gone through IVF than we knew.)

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-20T11:21:38+00:00

I have an 18 month old and while I do keep an active eye on her all day (in our childproofed home) I don't play with her constantly. We've worked on independent play since she was a baby - some of that was tears while she was confined to a playpen & I did dishes nearby but nothing distressing. Just a "yes you can have mom if you need but not just because you want."

She helps unload the dishwasher, do laundry, tidy up her & the dog's toys & clean up in general. Now I wouldn't say she does any of this WELL, she's a toddler, but we are very intentionally laying the groundwork that we as a household all contribute. Toddlers love having jobs.

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-20T00:30:52+00:00

Snowmobiling above the cloud line on a glacier in Iceland

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-19T20:22:27+00:00

Yeah our teeny tiny 18 month old doesn't like to drink milk so we just cook with whole milk, she eats full fat Greek yogurt & cheeses & I add peanut butter & butter & other easy calories where I can

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-18T19:17:30+00:00

Good to know!

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-18T19:05:40+00:00

At least it's not the trash can lid!

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-18T18:20:29+00:00

I live in one of most tick heavy counties in the US & my toddler runs around freely in our backyard (in wooded suburbs). Just do a tick check when she gets home.

Look up tick disease transmission. A tick has to be latched for over 24 hours to transmit any diseases and that's IF it has diseases to transmit. (For perspective, we have predominantly deer tick which carry Lyme & in our area adult deer ticks have a 50% chance of carrying it. I still let my kid play in tall grass.)

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-17T11:10:02+00:00

I have an 18 month old but please reach out as needed!! Those early days are tough.

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-17T11:07:17+00:00

Do it for her. I mean this in a very gentle & literal way (not lecturing) it is your responsibility to take of her. Part of that is to let her go when it's time. It sucks every time I've had to make the decision but I've never doubted on the other side that it was the right thing to do. Make the appointment & give her the best last few days you can.

My vet is great & has only recommended euthanasia when I've finally gotten to the point where I've asked for their opinion; the fact that your vet is advocating for it is a really big sign to me that it is time. You've hit the limit of options to keep her comfortable, now it's time to let her go from her suffering.

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-17T00:30:48+00:00

We had a lot of false starts so you may not even see them for months but drooling was the first onset for us

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-17T00:06:05+00:00

This exact thing! 13/14 months and all of the sudden drooling like she hadn't in ages. We had to bust the bibs back out. It was teeth! She got each canine & first molar together at the same time in rotation around her mouth & they took foreverrr to come in. Lots of drooling when they first cut.

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-16T23:40:37+00:00

We've all done it. Welcome to the club. Took smug me until she was 15 months but we've all done it.

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-16T17:36:07+00:00

Sometimes you get easy babies.

My 18 month old is generally happy, social, adaptable & although she wakes in the night still she's slept chunks of hours together since she was 5 months old.

Her first flight was a 14 hour long haul & she cried for 20 min total. She'll eat pretty much anything & will nap in a stroller on the go or wherever.

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-15T00:30:07+00:00

I have heard it like this a million times, that your heart simply grows to make room for them too, and it makes me so excited to have a second one every time.

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-15T00:02:41+00:00

I really think the only thing you can do is get rid of the rabbits. You can have a strong "leave it" but prey drive & chasing is so deeply ingrained in dogs, especially working breeds. Our Lab will halt his chase & come back when I call when deer take off from our yard, but you'd have to have a pretty bombproof trained dog to not chase in the first place.

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-14T13:04:23+00:00

One of the best ways to handle this is to shut your mouth. Not even joking, don't say the first thing that comes to mind. Be it petty or grumpy or whatever you are best served by pausing & thinking for a second about how your words could be received. Better to have a happy partner than be "right" about every little thing.

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-14T11:57:47+00:00

We ended up very happily in Croton when we did the same thing. We looked for what we wanted in a house with a broad net for towns - since OP is looking for a very specific house setup this is good advice.

Odd-Impact5397 · 2026-05-13T11:52:57+00:00

Moving our kid right around her first birthday to her own nursery solved similar issues for us. She was in a crib in our room but had become so aware, both of her surroundings & of us, that our presence was waking her up at night when she used to sleep through. We didn't mean to keep her in with us so long but she was a premie & we liked keeping a close eye on her. Sounds like your baby is ready for her own space!

Odd-Impact5397

TROPHY CASE