PSA on carseats

Before my little PSA, here's a fun picture comparison. Here were my two boys in their carseats on the day we brought Parker home:


And here they were about a month ago on the last day Parker used the infant carseat:


How quickly these babies grow!

Now I'm going to get up on my soapbox for a moment, which is something I try not to do...

A few people have asked me. "When are you turning Parker around in his carseat? He is one now, you know." Many people believe that once your child is one year old and at least 20 pounds, you should turn him around. Well, you can (by law), but you should not. The American Academy of Pediatrics now officially agrees; they released a recommendation that parents NOT turn children around until they are age 2 or have reached the rear-facing limits of the carseat (this varies slightly by carseat and not all carseats CAN rear face). The AAP cites research that indicates children are up to five times safer when rear facing in a carseat until two years old.

I knew this when Thomas was a baby, that it was safer. We kept him rear facing until he was about 18 months, but we had his seat forward facing in Trey's car and he got used to that and started whining in my car. We won't do that this time around. Because while I knew it was safer to not turn him around, I had not seen real proof as to why. Then I stumbled across some links on YouTube that changed my mind.

In this video, my greatest interest is in the part that starts at about 1:44 into it where it compares identical crash tests on rear- and front-facing carseats. It's startling. Here's the link if you don't see the video below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8


There are also websites and videos I've found about real children who have been horribly injured (neck injuries) in accidents where they were forward facing in a carseat before age two.

While this is the decision that is right for me, I also recognize that we all make the decision that is best for our child and our family and I won't look funny at any one for choosing something other than me (just as I would hope others would do for me!). I just think that often times people do not know, so I thought I would share.

A few other tips and rules you may not know.... When rear facing, the straps should be at or below a child's shoulders. When forward facing, straps should be at or above. Always use the strap level closest to the shoulder. And the chest clip (as I always have to remind my husband!), is a "chest clip" not a "belly clip." It should be at chest level with the top of it at the armpit. And straps should be snug enough that you cannot pinch the strap with any excess material.

There is also much research out there about the importance of a five-point harness carseat, and it is why Thomas will not be in a booster until he is closer to age 5 (if I can help it), but that's a story for another post. :)

This concludes my PSA. :)

Memorial Day fun

We drove up to my parents' house on Memorial Day for a delicious hamburger lunch. My brother, his wife and my niece were also there. As soon as Parker saw Eliza come in the room, his entire face lit up. I think he was happy to have someone his size to play with for a change. Someone who wouldn't try to drag him around and knock him down at every turn. Someone willing to play a little game of peek-a-boo!


Eliza is growing so much!


After lunch, I tried (unsuccessfully) to get Parker to take a nap and Thomas & Eliza prepared to go down to the beach for a little water time. Mother Nature had other plans. It was quite a downpour, so once Parker decided not to nap, we all just hung out on the porch for a while until the rain cleared. Nannie was happy to have her three SC grandkids around her:




And Thomas was busy being Thomas (he's getting a haircut tomorrow!)...


When the weather improved we ventured down to the lake and Parker tested out the water (it was VERY cold!):


He decided he'd rather look, not touch...


Then he decided he liked the view from Daddy's arms best of all...


Thomas, on the other hand, did his best to play Papa's Assistant on the dock as he was trying to fix the ropes for "Jimmy's boat," as Thomas says (we can't seem to get him to use the Mr. & Mrs. titles for the Barrys. He loves "Jimmy & Brenda!").

It was a great Memorial Day with family. Good food! Good times!

Two little waterbugs

My friend Emily and her family were spending the week at Kiawah last week and asked us to come out and play. I took the boys on Friday and we ended up meeting them at the pool. For me managing the boys by myself, I think this turned out to be a much better option than going to the beach. I was glad it all worked out for the best, and the boys had a ball!



This was Thomas' first time in a pool since two summers ago. With Parker being a newborn last summer, we went the beach a few times, but never a pool. It was his first experience with swimmies and he did fine. He didn't, however, have much interest in venturing off the steps though. We were there for about four hours, and other than a few minutes of bravery and a little time out to have lunch, he spent the entire time on the steps. He didn't seem to mind one bit!



That's Thomas & Emily's youngest son Ben. Parker spent some time in the pool in a little shaded float (it's on the left edge of the picture above), but as he did not take a nap on the way out there as I had hoped, he was a little cranky unless being held, so I never got a picture of him in the pool. For a short time he watched from the side:


Parker loved being in the water though. I would hold him out and he would float up on his belly and kick his feet behind him. He was quite the little waterbug...far more adventurous that his big brother! And the rest of the time, I just held him and he semi-napped with his head laying on my chest while I held half of him in the water.

Eventually it was time to go and Thomas pretty much immediately asked if we could come back.


And the best part about it was, it wasn't long before the trip home became very quiet.


Thomas fell asleep almost immediately, and Parker didn't fight it for too long. You can kind of see him in the mirror above, but here's a closer look:


And when we got home I managed to unpack the car and do a few other things and they were still sound asleep in their seats:


I carried Thomas upstairs and he went right back to sleep (this rarely happens) and then did the same with Parker too. They were conked out! Thanks to Emily and your family for allowing us to share a fun pool day with you!

Bob the Builder live show

Last Wednesday, as I've mentioned, I took the boys to see Bob the Builder (and I forced Nannie to come along too...she was easy to convince) in the live show of "Spud's Big Mess." I was pretty sure Thomas would enjoy it and I was most happy to see that he did. Though at the end, I must say, it was evident that we had missed naptime, but it was worth it.


I brought Thomas' toolbelt and hat with us (and was so glad I did since they sold similar items for $20 each there! The set he had from Target was about $12 for everything!). But when we first got there, I asked him if he wanted to put them on and he said no. Then we walked in and he saw another boy wearing his gear and immediately he was ready to don his own.



Thomas was extremely eager for the curtain to rise and once it did, he was not disappointed. He was so excited to see Bob the Builder and his friends singing and dancing.


In attendance were Lofty, Dizzy, Scoop, Spud & Bob...


Mayor Bentley, Scrambler & Wendy, too.


And because all children's programs seem to have one politically correct message or another, the team's project was building a windmill-powered recycling center. Ha ha.

No matter the message, the kids were mesmerized and completely entertained.



Among the pricey items for sale (like a plastic mug for $15 and the aforementioned hat for $20), was this silly little lighted windmill thing, also for $20. I initially balked at buying such an overpriced toy that will probably break within a month, but once the show started and Thomas saw all of the other kids playing with theirs, I couldn't help it. During the intermission I made a quick trip the lobby to get one for Thomas. I'm a sucker for my kids sometimes. :)


All in all, it was a great show and well worth the price we paid. Thomas and Parker both enjoyed it so much. Thank you Nannie for coming along with us and making it a much easier outing for me! Can I say again how much I am loving your retirement? :)

Week in review

Whew! What a week! We made it through the first week with no school, but it sure was busy! Let's see... For a recap:

Monday: can't even remember Monday; seems like an eon ago
Tuesday: Aquarium and met Bob the Builder
Wednesday: went to the live Bob the Builder show at the Performing Arts Center
Thursday: Dinner downtown with friends to see a band in which their friends play...kids had a ball!
Friday: Took the boys to Kiawah to spend the day at the pool with a friend and her boys
Saturday: Trip to the pediatric ER for Thomas (canceled plans for Spoleto Children's Festival; he's fine now, btw)
Sunday: We all rested. Boys both slept in (past 8:00!!!) for a very welcome change.

And along the way Thomas thought it would be fun to try to prove me wrong. He decided he is not too big for the Jumperoo!


Parker decided that food belongs in his hair, but he does enjoy semolina pastina:


Food. He wears it well, and often.


Thomas got caught red handed...or more like blue and green handed...


And I've decided that life would be so easy if I could get the boys to always just stay put in the laundry basket:


More details on some of the week's events to come soon...

Thomas meets a "superstar"

Thomas met a superstar today...at least as far as he is concerned. We went to the aquarium today to meet some friends and we had a great time. We had not been out the house in a few days and today was our first Tuesday without school, so it was great! A few of Thomas' school friends were there along with some other friends. It was perfect! And to top it all off, I knew there was a possibility he would meet a (preschooler's) superstar...and he did!



I forgot my camera, so all I had was my cellphone, but it worked well enough. That's Thomas and his friend Eli along with Bob the Builder! Thomas was so excited and completely in awe. He just kept looking up at Bob and followed him wherever he went. It was great.

The aquarium folks were staging this picture of Bob surrounded by kids, but it was not good from a lighting perspective. Still you can see Thomas looking up at Bob...


There is a live Bob show in Charleston tomorrow and we will be there. I bought tickets before they even officially went on sale as a birthday gift for Thomas. He saw a little commercial on a video once of "Bob dancing" (it was a recording of the live show) and he loved it. He asked me to play "Bob dancing" over and over and over again. And even though he's not as into Bob as he once was, I know he's going to love the show tomorrow.

The Aquarium sent out a notice last Friday about a special members only event with Bob today at the aquarium to meet him and build a wooden sailboat. I called right after I got the email (about three hours after it was sent out) and the event was already booked up. I didn't realize until after I got home today that our names were on the waiting list (didn't know there was one!), but it was okay. I think all Thomas wanted to do was meet Bob and we accomplished that. We already had today's trip planned when I found out Bob would be there and I figured maybe if we hung around long enough he'd show up and he did. It was great.



Thomas didn't want to let Bob go. He just wanted to keep hanging out with him. Though he did ask me, "Why is Bob not talking?" :) I told him that Bob is going to sing and dance tomorrow and he needs to save his voice so he can sing for all the children.



I look forward to tomorrow and seeing how much Thomas (and Parker) enjoy the show. I know we won't be able to get up close and personal with Bob tomorrow so I'm so happy he had this little treat today!

Limbo video

Thought I'd share a little video from the class party. I took it during the game of Limbo. Notice that I had to stop recording to go rescue Parker (who seemed to want to take his own turn. I told him it wasn't fair since he could naturally get much lower than the other kids.). :)



Kids are cute. Though I realize this video is not really all that interesting. It was much more fun being there and watching the little kids try this game.