In Gratitude and Rememberance

Eleven months.

Today marks 11 months since Becky joined and left our family at the same instant, without a breath or a cry.

It's almost a year. It's been a long 11 months. It's been a HARD 11 months. But in that time, I have seen some of the purpose in Becky's life being so short; I have learned a lot from her.

It's the time of year for Christmas music. Last year Annie Lennox released a new Christmas album. Becky LOVED it. It was her very favorite thing to listen to (though she also liked Doctor Horrible's Sing Along Blog, and the Wiggles, this was the number one dance album for her.) This was one of her favorite songs on the album. It's a cool video too, so I'd like to share it with you as I remember her.

Becky left me with a lot of happy memories of the time I had with her, even if it was all in-utero (well, at least most of it. I know she has been with me since then too, but... in different ways.)

She also saved my life, and possibly her sisters'. You see, if I had never been pregnant with her, or had miscarried early on, we would still have been driving our Corolla when we were in our crash. And if she had lived, she would have been in the second row, and me in front on that trip. As it was, we all survived with minor injuries (well, except Maggie, who was completely uninjured becasue she was rear-facing and was protected by that.)

I believe so strongly that she knew what had to happen, and that she made this choice. The only time we could have known exactly what was wrong was during our follow-up high-level ultrasound with Dr. Devore. She was active before and after the ultrasound. During, she took a nap. The knot in her cord was behind her. They poked and prodded and tried to get her to move so they could see the back of the cord, but she just wouldn't. She just didn't move. In the end, they concluded that something was "off" a bit with the cord flow, but since she was growing (she'd jumped from the 15th to the 60th percentile), they were thinking it was okay. If she had moved away, if they had seen the knot behind her, she would have been born by scheduled c-section or emergency c-section if I went into labor. I'd have been upset by that, sure, but I'd have had time to come to terms with it and she would have almost certainly been born healthy. But because of her choice, her actions- it didn't happen that way. And so, because she stayed still when she needed to and did that flip that tightened the knot when she had to, she died just as she was born, and saved me.

Why would she do this? I can only guess that it's because it was necessary for me to stay here. I have work to do. Part of that work is advocating for child passenger safety. I'm a Child Passenger Safety Technician, and have been for about two and a half years now; I'm also currently on the board of Safety Belt Safe USA, an organization which provides education for techs and parents as well as advocating on the state and federal level for improvements in standards, laws, and policies regarding child passenger safety and occupant protection, and advocating for proper use in the media.

I have felt called to this work since I kind of "fell into" it. I have felt like I've found the work I'm meant to do, at least in part. And I feel that Becky's sacrifice for us was in part so that I can continue it- so that, through continued advocacy, spreading the lessons our crash story can teach, and the work I can do to help Safety Belt Safe in their mission, other mamas' babies will be saved.

So in that spirit I'd like to ask three things of you in the next month if you are reading this and care to, to commemorate Becky's life and help me express my gratitude for her gift to us of how she joined our family. They are:

1. Please make sure the children in your care, or those you care for who are in the care of those you can reach with this message (family, friends) are riding as safely as possible in the car. (Let me know if you need information on what that means or how to accomplish it!)

2. Please share my crash story in the link above (there's a brochure ready to print) with at least one person who has a child 12 or under riding in his or her car on a regular basis. This can be via Facebook, email, or by printing out the brochure and handing it to someone.

3. I know budgets are tight, especially this time of year, so this one's the hard one to ask for. If you have a few dollars to spare, even $1, and would like to make a donation in Becky's memory, please consider making a (tax-deductible) donation to Safety Belt Safe. If you go to their website there is a button that says "Make a Donation." Click and a button will pop up. Enter the amount you wish to donate and click "Update Total." Then log in to your paypal account. On the next page, click the button that says "add additional instructions." If you'd like to make your donation in honor of Becky, please write "In memory of " (or "in honor of") "Becky Hamilton." These donations, as a group, will be acknowledged and a little blurb placed in her honor in the January issue of the Safety Belt Safe newsletter. You can also make a donation by check or money order by sending to
SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A., Box 553, Altadena, CA 91003 with a note stating that it is in honor of Becky.

Whether you do any of these things or not, I appreciate your love and support. It would mean a lot to me if you are willing to do any or all of these things for me in memory of Becky, though. Thank you for your friendship.

Wow.

It's been a while hasn't it? I didn't realize how long it's been since I blogged...

I've been busy. Busy, busy, busy, seems like we've been DOING for two months straight. April is always super-busy for us and with Bridey's broken leg was more so this year. We spent several weeks at my mom's house, then came home just in time to get ready for Easter and birthdays and... Yeah. While at my mom's house we had lots of help, which is good as for 2 weeks I could not lift and Bridey could not bear weight. The Relief Society stepped up and I also had help from family, friends, and even my family's friends-- my sisters' friend's mom came and helped us several days (and gained the girls' undying love by making cupcakes with them and making them princess outfits out of tissue paper and ribbon and tape...)

Right before the end of tax season (which was 3 days late this year) I worked a check at the Petersen Auto Museum with SafetyBeltSafe, and we got a "Safety Belt Saved" award. The coolest part of this for me was my button. I keep it on my purse. It's teh awesome.

Here is a picture of the girls in their Easter dresses, as is tradition all matchy and adorable:

And wearing their hats, yes, hats are also tradition, bonnets until 2 or 3 and then hats thereafter:

Then there was May. My brother was confirmed a member of the Catholic church (he converted) and had his First Communion; we attended to support him in his desire to renounce evil and turn to God. We had a family birthday party for me and the girls the same day.

Bridey got her cast off, and after a slight snafu (we realized the next week or so that she still seemed to have a stitch in; we had my dad remove what turned out to be TWO, and thereafter her limping and complaining of pain stopped) she's doing great.

We got a new van! It's a 2005 Odyssey-- after we were protected so well by our 2002, buying anything else was kinda out of the question for us. We love it. We went out to Corona and found out that it will be a cinch for us to get swivel screens added in the back rows so rear-facers can watch the DVD player! That will be kinda super-cool as the older two tell me they want to rear-face again to feel safe, and we're going to oblige them with Swedish seats...

I had a few private seat checks in there too-- including one for a friend whom I think I know now better than I did when we were in high school, but either way, I'm glad to know her. And so glad she cares to keep her sweet kids as safe as possible. :)

My uncle who has ALS has been in the hospital; we downloaded Audacity and recorded a CD for him. It has some hymns from me, a song with all of us singing, Emma reading a story, us telling jokes, Ems and Mags singing songs with me (Bridget was not in the mood, lol, typical), and I hear it was a hit. The kids and Jeff learned a new song for it-- the "Alleluia/Praise Ye the Lord" caller/response song-- and it was very amusing to me that Jeff couldn't remember his part on his own. So after Emma learning the whole "Alleluia" tune with me, she had to switch to his side to lead him in "Praise Ye the Lord" because he couldn't remember the notes without a strong singer leading him! LOL! Note to self, if we ever sing a group thing as a family, put Emma with Jeff...

I had a birthday. It was kind of a hard day, being 5 months anniversary of Becky's birthday. I crashed a bit hard the day after. The day of though, my aunt watched the girls and we went to a movie. Then we had dinner with my dad. The day before we had dinner with my friends Melina and Leslie and their mom Celia at their house (I also consider Celia my friend, actually.) We have known each other since Meli and I were in Brownies together... We go way back. They're pretty much family at this point. Isn't it great how your family can grow to include people who you love even if they weren't born into your family? I have a lot of friends like that. Some I've met online, some IRL, but all are now family. Love that.

Anyway, in between ALL that business-- we've been sick over. and over. and over. Ick. It seems like when we're not busy, I'm sick, and when I'm not busy or sick, I have a hard grief day. I'd say I'm ready for a break but, um... I don't know that there's one in the foreseeable future coming up... I'm looking forward to stuff like flying to Ohio to help with a friend's son's birthday party, getting together with local-ish online friends, a trip to Reno, etc. But still.

That's ok. I'd rather be busy doing good things, making happy memories for my kids, and helping and supporting others. I mean, that's life, you know? Even with some grief and illness mixed in-- it's good. And I'm glad I get to experience it.

The Doxology

I grew up singing the Doxology (aka "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow") weekly. It always meant something to me, but I don't know that I had ever felt as Colin did in The Secret Garden, when he wanted to sing it because he was so happy to be getting healthier and walking. Until last Friday night.

Friday night, we were in a horrific car crash. (Warning: really. It's horrific. And there are pics.) The kind that my first responder friends tell me they expect fatalaties when they see, especially when they know kids are inside.

We all sustained no more than fairly minor injuries. The worst was Bridey's broken leg and deep cut on her foot, and my very cut-up and scraped-up arm, which required a lot of stitches. We'll be better, all of us, completely, in less than 2 months. From an accident that could easily have been fatal.

Before our trip I had some promptings that I didn't understand but followed. I re-packed the luggage to make sure the heavy stuff was compartmentalized. I wasn't comfortable with the idea of Emma falling asleep and falling out of her booster, so even though I'd wavered over the idea of just watching her and poking her if she fell asleep, I put in a harnessed seat for her at the last minute, and sat in the back since she now couldn't reach back to pass snacks. There were other things too, but those were the two major ones.

And so when I realized we had crashed, and we were hanging upside down, and I heard that my family was all alive, and that I could wiggle my fingers and toes (and so was not paralyzed), and that the worst of the car's damage seemed to be on my side, not where my kids were-- I rejoiced. And over and over in my head, as I hung for 10 minutes waiting to be extracted (they had to cut off the door, stablize my neck, unbuckle me and then strap me to the board to pull me out), through fending off the bystander that wanted to cut me out and talking to my husband to make sure the kids were okay, I sang over and over in my head. And without a thought of what my words should be, my soul sang those well-known words over and over, the words that have embodied the joy of knowing that God has blessed us for so many over so many years:

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

And I understood the joy that Colin felt in that book, the joy of being alive-- both the euphoria ("I'm going to live forever and ever and ever!") and the deep, deep gratitude.

I begin to understand, I think, a teeny tiny part of the plan that God had when he sent Becky to live in our family for such a short time. She saved my life; she also enabled me to spread this message of car safety farther than I've ever been able to reach before. And I know that she had a choice in it. She did it for me. For her sisters. And for all those other mamas' babies whose lives she may yet save through the spread of this message.

But more than that, I feel just such gratitude. I can't think "why did this happen to me" because I know. If I hadn't been me, whosever children they were might not be alive. And I know my children need to live, because their missions in this life are far from over. Intuitively, I know that. And I know that God loves all children, and wants them protected tenderly, and that many parents need more information on how to do that, when it comes to travelling in the car. (After all, that's why I became a CPST to begin with.) And I know that my Father stepped in to shield me from the worse things that could have happened. And I'm so grateful. And so once again I will praise Him, and as I thank Him for my children every day, I will also thank Him for the good He is doing through us for others' children.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow!

P.S.-- please join me in doing this work. Spread the story linked in any way you feel you can-- email, facebook, blogs, anything. May it do much good for those who read it. :)

Gosh, it's been a long time...

...since I posted. About 1/3 of a year.

I keep meaning to, and then not...

What's up?

We've moved. To a house. We are loving it. Lost a pool but gained a backyard, extra bedroom (used as playroom/tv room/guestroom) and washer/dryer. Plus clothesline. Totally worth it.

Maggie has started reacting to soy through breastmilk (yes I'm still nursing her) as well as in her regular diet. So she and I are both 100% soy-free. Thankfully I've found more soy-free foods-- even tater tots, and fast food, when we want junk. ;) Also graham crackers, saltines, etc.

Jeff's work is going GREAT. He even gets home before 10 most nights even though it's tax season. And he gets along SO WELL with his boss. He's realized that his boss being from the South makes a difference-- he "gets" Jeff's attitude (which is kind of more laid-back and externally calm than most people out here are used to.)

I'm doing a lot more CPST work. USA Baby in Burbank has my cards and I get a lot of calls and occasional e-mails. I also do the occasional presentation/lecture/Q&A session there. Loving it. Sometimes since we're in tax season I do checks in our garage (oh yes, we also have a 2 car garage, though currently 1 car's worth is full of, um, stuff we haven't unpacked and my car seat collection) and that is great for me, adult interaction is wonderful.

We keep getting sick but I think we're finally on the upswing. Dratted colds.

I got a new stroller, Mountain Buggy Urban Double. After a period of panic even though I got it at a great price because it wasn't love at first push, I've begun to really appreciate it. We can still walk to the park and store when we want to and even down to Arnie's Cafe or my dad's. It's great to have a really easy-to-push stroller for that kind of stuff. I do recommend it if you're in the market for an all-terrain stroller; it has it's downfalls but it really does push like a dream. Definitely one to consider.

Emma has booster-trained, though she sometimes still wants to ride in a harness. She and Bridey have both passed 40 lbs. now and we still haven't had the money to get a Radian 80SL or XTSL so they have to forward-face. Maggie is 36 lbs. and rear-facing. As she approaches 40 we WILL find the money for a higher-weight rear-facing seat, because I will NOT turn her so young!

Emma got 3 teeth extracted. Her permanent teeth are coming in behind instead of below, and so won't push the baby teeth out, but the baby teeth get in the way. So they have to be pulled. Jeff had the same thing. She also lost a front tooth naturally. So now she's all gappy and impish-looking. It's cute and strange at the same time. Definitely makes her look older.

I've been on the compy a lot less because there is so much more to keep up with! But, the house is staying in reasonable condition. So much so in fact, that we are hosting Easter dinner and egg hunt this year, for my mom's family and some of our friends. Lots to plan, followed by 2 birthday parties (a "Ladybugs' Picnic" and a "Luau." Fun!)

Emma is reading really well. About second-grade level stuff now. We've pulled back on writing for now. Once she's an independent reader at a 2nd or 3rd grade level, we'll focus on writing. Then math. I aim to have no more than 15 minutes of sit-down "work" a day right now, and lots of outside running around and playing. Since we moved here our grocery bill has about tripled because the children EAT ALL THE TIME. They have also grown like weeds. I'm counting this as a good thing.

As you can see I still have a weird sleep schedule. Sometimes I can sleep, sometimes I can't... It's usually better but every once in a while I have one of these weird nights when I'm just not able to sleep no matter how exhausted.

So, that's it. And hopefully I'll come back to blogging in the next few months, I think it's nice to get everything spit out on the screen. Cathartic, kind of. ;)

The Safety 1st Complete Air Convertible Review (or, how I got 3 rear-facing car seats in our Corolla)

Most of you reading this probably know that I'm a CPST. Most of you have probably also heard that rear-facing is the safest way to ride. If you haven't, check out this video:

Rear Facing is Safer

While EVERYONE is safer rear-facing, evidence (real life statistics as well as crash tests) shows a significant decrease in injuries and deaths when children under the age of 4 are properly secured rear-facing rather than forward-facing. Nor is 4 the limit; the benefit just becomes less and less significant after that-- but it's still there, and still the safest way to ride as long as the child is within the limits of the seat (in the US that means has one inch of shell above the head in most seats, though in some it's even with the shell, and is under the rear-facing weight limit.) The American Academy of Pediatricians has recommended since 2002 that all children should ride rear-facing to the limits of the convertible seat, and also recommended that manufacturers make seats large enough to accomodate the average 4 year old (40-45 lbs.) Seats are just starting to be released that can actually do this in the U.S. (If friends in Europe are reading this, in Sweden seats are available that rear-face even longer by weight, though about the same length of time by height-- since Swedish seats can typically be used rear-facing until the ears are even with the top of the shell. These seats are approved for use anywhere in the EU. If you'd like more information on them, please check out this site: carseat.se.)

Bridget is under 4, so there is a clear benefit to her rear-facing. While the benefit is not as clear for Emma, she really really really wanted to. And it is safer, though not as measurably so (part of that is that we don't have much data on rear-facing past the age of 4, as it's an age when even Swedish seats are often outgrown.) When one of my Radians' rear-facing limits was retroactively raised to 40 lbs. (applies to all Radians manufactured 9/08 or later) I turned Bridget back rear-facing. Emma got very jealous. She said it was "so comfy" (I let her ride in it one day) and "so safe" and she cried every time she had to get in forward facing.

Now, I'm not advocating giving in to a child's tears ( ;) ) but it's safer; we had the means to get a Complete Air (used the 20% trade in deal at Babies R Us to recycle a near-expired, unknown history seat we had been given and Jeff had a big check) and, well, it made my life easier... Emma loves being rear-facing, is "comfy", takes naps in the car again (which she had quit when forward-facing, for the most part), and loves the expanded view she has out the rear as well as the side windows.

The Complete Air is currently a Babies R Us exclusive (though also available at some Toys R Us stores that have a Babies R Us section.) We got the "Harvest" cover, which is an awesome orange and brown (the other cover currently available is a rather meh grey.)

I put the Complete Air behind the driver's seat in our Corolla. It was not very easy to get all three in and independently tight, and they have a slight tilt from the retractor I used to lock the belts (but not enough that it bothers my kids or that I worry about it.) The Complete Air needed a chunk of pool noodle under it in order to get even the maximum upright allowed angle of 30 degrees from vertical. (I didn't mind, I keep pool noodle chunks with me... And I rather expect that of most seats in our Corolla-- an '03, by the way. Be aware that newer models have prohibitions on car seats, or anything else, touching the back of the front seat.) I had to pull the cover up to access the belt path in order to tighten adequately, and it was difficult to get it back down. I scraped my knuckles a bit too (not uncommon with Dorel seats, unfortunately.) But the end result was that it was in, and all seats were independently tight (less than one inch of movement at the belt path if you remove the seats next to them and tug where the belt goes through.)

Emma, at 5 1/2 years old, has tons of room to grow by height (the Complete Air allows use until the head reaches the top of the headwings-- which go two inches higher than the shell!) She is on the third of five sets of harness slots rear-facing (straps come from at or below the shoulders rear-facing, at or above forward-facing.) She is above the stated height "maximum" of 40 inches. However, manufacturers put a height maximum on because they have to, not because there really is one. Every child will fit a seat differently at the same standing height. That is why these "maximums" are really more guidelines than set in stone-- and while the company will, for liability reasons, stand behind them, well, they're not really important, safety-wise. (Weight limits, on the other hand, should be followed exactly.) Where the head and shoulders hit is the important thing, and by those guidelines, she has a ton of room to grow. (Dorel is ALSO well-known for their idiotic height maximums which really have nothing to do with reality of how a child will fit the seat.) As a technician and as a mother, I am very comfortable using her in this seat to the maximum weight limit despite her being over the "maximum" height guideline. She currently has about 2 lbs. to gain before she will outgrow it by weight (well before height.) This is an excellent choice of seat for tall and skinny kids!




Emma loves the colors of the cover. I like that the seat is easy to wipe clean, though the quality could be better (especially for the price tag!) I prefer a seat that allows rear-facing tethering or has an anti-rebound bar-- this one does not. However I would choose it again anyway, because right now it is our only practical available seat to rear-face behind the driver's seat (the Radian installs too reclined to allow the seat back as far as my husband needs it in our car.) The headwings move with the harness, and are easy to adjust when installed. I have not had problems reaching the tightening mechanism. The tightening mechanism is also very smooth (though I don't have to use it much because of the continual loop routing of the harness strap.)

There are a few drawbacks. The straps tend to twist and need to be untangled every time. The crotch buckle falls under Emma's bottom and has to be fished out. There are no strap covers-- not a problem for her but might be for less narrow kids (if so, you can cut the toes off of baby socks and put them on the harness for neck protection and comfort.) Most significantly, it is not the easiest seat to install, and the bottom harness slots are amazingly high. It shouldn't have been too much trouble to put one more, lower set in. As it is I fear we will see many babies in this seat who have just outgrown a 22 lb. infant seat with a shorter shell, and do not yet fit it by height, especially if installed less reclined (as mine is.) That is something I hope to see remedied in future redesigns (as well as a reconsideration of the idiotic 40 inch height "limit" for rear-facing.) Also, the forward-facing harness weight is only 50 lbs.; while this should be more than adequate if Emma still needs harnessing once outgrowing it rear-facing by weight, a heavier child might reach that weight much earlier. It has tall enough top slots that I would love to see a 60 or 65 lb. weight limit on it.

Overall, though, I'm pleased with the seat, would recommend it, and would buy it again.

Here is our three across.




Our long term (okay, in the next few weeks) plan is to get a new Radian XTSL seat, which will rear-face to 45 lbs., and have that over where Bridget's current seat is (and move hers to the middle for Maggie.) The way Bridey and Emma gain weight, I'm thinking that Emma should be able to rear-face at least until 6-- at which point, provided she demonstrates that she can sit properly, I will be comfortable boostering her (if she wants to use a booster, and as I said if she is behaviorally ready. I'm thinking the Britax Parkway Slide Guard...) For now, we are quite happy with this setup, and the safety and comfort it affords our children.

Summertime, and the livin' is... rainy?

We've been having "June Gloom" here. Not every year, but some years, it happens. It happened 6 years ago (wow, that long) on our wedding day. It rained out my little brother's birthday party many a year.

I kind of like it. (Well, when it doesn't drive my ring ceremony/wedding reception indoors in a tiny living room packed full of 80 people!)

It's a nice break before the heat of July and August. I like the grey skies, a change from the blazing sun we expect much of the year here... I actually love the weather when it's like this, as long as it doesn't ruin my plans!

On to other subjects...

We have a new bishop. So funny because I've been feeling for a few weeks we were going to get a new bishop. When they made the announcement I was out in the foyer with Mags. Later Jeff and I both agreed that as soon as we heard he was to be released, we knew who was going to be called as our new bishop! Funny how that works...

I went to a really fun baby shower Saturday night. I love baby showers. I really do. And afterward, I did a car seat check-- always fun! I found out that the woman whose seat I checked, one of my new best friends in the ward (they just moved in) lives literally a 1 1/2 minute walk (if I walk slowly!) from our apartment complex! She has an 11 month old and is due with her second in August... I think we will be over there quite a bit in the Fall! It's a hard adjustment sometimes to go from 1 kid to 2, I know from experience! And she's having them much closer together than I did, that can make for a hard few months as well, I've heard. I'm so glad to have a friend that lives so close. I don't think we'll ever be quite as close as my "BFF" Rayann and I are (we live halfway across the country from each other but we're close nonetheless) but it's nice to have a real friend in the ward, not just a friendly acquaintance you care about but aren't close to and don't "share" with.

Also, someone on car-seat.org found a company that is still writing liability policies for CPSTs, and I called up and found out that as a volunteer (I never take any money for my services) I can be covered at a discount (50% off the employed rate.) Woo-hoo!

A friend from my childhood found me on Facebook. It's so nice to hear from her. She and her parents are still in the area; I'm hoping some time to get together and meet her kids!

Jeff's little brother left for his mission. He'll be serving in the Washington Tacoma Mission. What's really funny is that Jeff guessed he'd be in Spokane! He was closer than anyone else in the family! We know Kevin is going to be a wonderful missionary. He's a great guy and Tacoma is lucky to have him.

Jeff's first day at his new full-time job today. It's going well, from what I hear so far. I'm really happy he's at a place he likes.

We have a new plan. Since Jeff will be getting home relatively early from the new job, every evening when he gets home we'll be doing a 30 minute cleanup. Everyone (well, not Maggie but everyone else) will clean, together, just for 30 minutes a day. We have some cleaning that needs catching up and seeing as Maggie doesn't let me put her down much right now (teething) and the kids can destroy 3 times as fast as we can pick up, I think putting them in charge of helping undo the damage they've done is a good idea. We'll do it 5 or 6 days a week until the entire place is really in order. (I'll also be de-stuffifying during this time, and try to get rid of 2 or 3 bags of stuff a day.) Then we'll scale back to just 10 minutes a day, and keep that up for, well, forever. We're hoping that this will work!

So, things are... going, here. Hope all my readers are well. :) Let me know if you want to hear more about a certain subject... I sometimes have no clue what to blog about. ;)

New Job And Assorted Other Stuff

Jeff has officially accepted a new job. It's a good one-- good pay, good hours, not too long of a commute, doing something he likes. Yay for Jeff!

He should start next Monday. So we're running around doing anything we need to before he starts!

I have my CPST kit together and have done a few checks (at a safety fair and I also do private checks.) It's a great kit. I'll take pics some time. :D

We've had a crop of babies in our ward, well, will soon is more accurate. So we've had a bunch of baby showers. I love baby showers. There was one a few weeks ago, another in a few weeks, and I've volunteered to throw one for a mom I've made friends with (they're new in the ward.) It's her second boy in rapid succession so we're planning it for the month AFTER the baby is due, as a "meet the baby party." So we can all take her kids and give her a break, and do something nice for her at the same time. (I offered her a shower and she wasn't sure, I brought up that idea and she liked it a lot more.)

So of course I've also been hitting sales and SHOPPING for baby shower gifts. That's my favorite...

Emma is FINALLY getting her dental work done in a few weeks. She is excited-- we found a new dentist that she REALLY REALLY likes (their office is FULL of toys, why would she not?)

I had a good birthday. I guess. Am I really 26?

Anyway, things are pretty good right now. Relatively speaking. I hope they continue to be so.

Life goes on...

...and I am a bit overwhelmed by it sometimes.

I know I haven't posted in a long while. The last day of tax season Jeff (and other employees; like maybe a fifth to a quarter of the total employees) got laid off. So I've been proofreading resumes, etc. as he searches for a new job.

We've been doing all the normal stuff, and trying to catch up on what got left behind during tax season. Tomorrow we are going to drop the kids at my mom's while we go to the laundromat and do scads of laundry.

Bridget has been super-cranky the last few days. I have a sore throat and icky nose, I wonder if she does too?

We are still trying to find a dentist who will work on Emma's teeth. We've been trying for a year. This last open enrollment we switched to a different dental plan, we still can't find someone who will see her sooner than six months from now. One tooth is almost gone it's so decayed (she has very soft teeth. We take good care of them but when her adult teeth come in I'm going to have them sealed. She just has like no enamel for some reason.) We did finally get an appointment for the renal imaging she needs done. I don't know how she's going to do with that, it's a shot and then she has to lay still for at least half an hour while they do multiple five minute series of images. Hmmm. I don't know how they expect a five year old to lie still in a strange place while nervous for that long with no sedation... We'll do our best though.

I did some water aerobics in the spa today. The girls (well Emma and Bridey) were in with me and copied. They thought it was fun. The neighbor kids thought we were insane, but I don't care; they're kind of rude kids a lot of the time anyway...

I got an awesome stroller, carrycot, and European infant seat (which will not be used to transport a child, of course, but is fun for the kids to put their dolls in in the house) last week and it's really nice. And it cost very little-- especially compared to the price I looked up for it!

I am super stoked for my class next week. I think I am just going to have a fantastic time!

We had the girls' birthday party. I'll post an account and pics when I get them off the camera; my mom took the box it was in home with her and we haven't got it yet.

So that's life right now... Hope you reading this are all well. :)

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!

Someone stole one of my Radians! Maggie's! :(

They were drying right outside our door (enclosed, hidden area, behind locked doors in a gated entry building...) I just can't believe that one of my NEIGHBORS did this. :(

I hope they at least find out how to use it correctly. *sigh* (The instructions weren't with it.)

The really sad part is that I have an extra Recaro Como sitting in my living room that I would have given away if a neighbor knocked on my door and asked for a car seat. And instead they violated the trust of our community in this way. It was gone when Jeff got home last night, within about a 2 hour window. I didn't hear anything. I checked all over hoping it got moved but nope.

I also put up a sign (even offering a reward, no questions asked-- also letting them know it was thrown up on...) hoping it would be back this morning. But no. It's gone. :(

This is really upsetting. I think what is most upsetting to me is that it's a seat with a definite learning curve and without the instructions, it's almost certain to be misused.

A week of cleaning car seats...

I feel a song coming on:

Bringing in the seats,
Bringing in the seats,
I shall come rejoicing,
Bringing in the seats;
Bringing in the seats,
Bringing in the seats,
Though washing's not my fav'rite task,
Cleaning the car seats!

Yeah.

Earlier this week (we've all been sick) Bridget threw up in her car seat. And Emma's. And all over the car. So I got to take all 3 seats out (well, Maggie's was dirty too), wash 2 covers (M's just needed a shake-down and a wipe-down with a disinfectant wipe), and while I was at it I did the spare Radian that we'll be putting in my mom's car tomorrow, since the buckle was sticky (again, just a good shake-down and wipe-down.)

Then I also am getting rid of (sold 1, gave away for shipping 2 others) 3 of my "extra" car seats that were just hanging around. (The Scenera, the Cosco HBB, and the SnugRide, if you were wondering...) So I've been wiping/shaking down and washing up those, too.

It's actually kind of cathartic, methodically disassembling, cleaning, drying, reassembling, and checking for errors all these seats...

Plus, I get to put them back in.

I do love a good car seat installation. (And we're having the car detailed in a few weeks so I'll get to do it AGAIN!)

And, it made room for the new ones. Well, I have a Como (actually I have 2; I had 3 but I am trying to get rid of one still, sold one on eBay) and I got one that is not technically a "seat" but a "child restraint." It's a Ride Safer Travel Vest. Emma tried it on and we got it all adjusted today. Tomorrow she gets to ride in Grandma Pam's car in it! She will be in the middle, between Bridey in the Radian and Maggie in the Uptown. I am actually rather stoked because until now if Grandma Pam wanted to take them anywhere we've been switching cars, because she has a Sentra. 3 kids in restraints in the back of a Sentra is REALLY difficult. This is, like, history-making. ;) I think it's really exciting and cool, but now you all probably think I'm really weird...

Hee hee hee, car seat FUN!

I'm so excited! I am now registered for a CPST Certification Course in San Diego May 4-8! I have been wanting to certify for quite a while and I'm so excited.

We will all go down there and the kids will have a vacation with Jeff while I take MY vacation taking the course. It will end at 5 each evening so we can do fun stuff in the evenings together if desired. And at the end of it I will (assuming all goes well) be a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician! I'm really thrilled because we have a real lack of technicians around here and I hope to be able to help a lot of parents. :)