I was thinking about posting a shameless plug for my sister, Jenny Meyerhoff, whose first children's book, Third Grade Baby, comes out in just one short month.... But, I happened to check out her highlarious blog today, and so I just had to provide a link to a very cute story about my three year old nephew's commentary about a birthday gift.
http://www.thepurpledesk.blogspot.com/
My nephew Noah is one funny kid. He recently offered to be the Babish's jumping coach, since everyone else seemed to some sort of coach and he wanted in on the action.
The Babish still has a limited vocabulary - so I'm still waiting for some funny-isms. I've only had one. While I was trying to prompt the little guy to say "whee" or "slide" while looking at a picture of a boy going down a slide, the Z-man was not having any of it. But he kept saying Tuzzy, Tuzzy every time I said "slide." Thinking my kid was really confused, I just politely kept saying, yes that is a slide. Finally he looked at me point blank and almost yelled the word, "Tuzzy." Duh - it clicked for dumb Momish- he was trying to tell me that the boy was going down on his Tushy...[and it served as a wake-up call that he does understand a lot more that I think, including when I caution him to go on his tushy every time he's about to go down his slide head first...]
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Save the Stroller Drama for Your Mama!
I've often hesitated to post about strollers for fear that I would offend someone. You see, I've often thought of strollers like cars - they depreciate so quickly, so it's not worth the big splurge. All you need to do is ask any of my friends and they can cite my diatribe against the Bugaboo verbatim. [A) Way overpriced - save $300-$500 bucks and put the money in a 529 savings account; B) if your kid has a trust fund and you want to drop a grand on a stroller, at least get something more unique (heck, I'll even tell you which strollers to import from Europe if you let me); and C) no matter what you say - you will end up getting at least two strollers anyway (so don't tell me it will be your only stroller). Now, to cut some slack, just a few years ago, there weren't many other options (so I won't look down on the Bug drivers whose kids will turn at least 2 in 2008 :). However, it seems like there is a new model out every month and many offer great features. My biggest advice is to shop around and test drive. Lift those strollers up, check out how tall/long the seat is and how wide the base is. And if you really want my admiration - buy your stroller on sale! If you want a jazzy stroller (with bassinet, etc.) - look for floor model sales from local boutiques (even some websites offer floor model sales). If you are more of a basics, with no shock absorption kind of mama, then remember, like cars, traditional stroller manufacturers offer new models every year - so don't turn your nose up at last year's model. Many go on sale from late fall through early winter.
OK, OK - but there is finally a new stroller that has really piqued my interest, so I must give a shout out. Before we go any further, in the interest of disclosure I will divulge my wheels. We currently drive an Infinity Rock Star Baby Stroller. Yes, the Tico Torres and Jon Bon Jovi "inspired" stroller. I also keep the Maclaren Volo in my car (purchased for us as a gift - but at $89 instead of $109 because I registered for the older model). I found the RSB stroller at a Warehouse Sale of a high-end children's boutique in the area. At the time it retailed for $499 - however, we got it for $325 in cash - it was a floor model, but it was still in the box wrapped in plastic. I wanted a stroller that had a bassinet, car seat adapter and rode front and rear facing. I got all of that in the base price, plus some nice extras, like a rain cover, adjustible handle and large and plush bassinet that my 95% son was able to use for almost 4 months! (I'd imagine an avergae baby might fit in the bassinet for 6 months). My one complaint is that on a recent trip, American Airlines managed to rip the foam handle cover and my seat canopy corners. [Note to readers: buy the stroller carrying case- universal ones are far cheaper than the ones that match your stroller and they can spare you from my mistakes.]
But fret not, the parent company - Hauck - has already shipped me a new foam wrapper and seat cover (because that also ripped) at no charge. My stroller is already past the one year warranty and they are still sending me all of this. Which leads me to the new stroller that I am so coveting, from the same parent company, so not only does it look great, but trust me, you know you'll have great customer service too.
Introducing, the I'coo Targo stroller. Weighing in at only 22 pounds, there are many similarities between this stroller and my beloved Rock Star. Basically, it looks like they took the Infinity base (which sold in Europe and was marketed here as the Rock Star and occasionally found without a bassinet as Infinity at BRU) and added a few new features. The coolest one is the ability to raise the seat along the frame - in a Stokke Explory kind of way (good for baby's view and Stokke's claim was also air quality). Another feature is the ability to fold the stroller with the seat on. I can fold my RSB with the seat when it is rear facing, but apparently this stroller folds both ways...
It was originally priced at $699, but now I've seen it for $599 (remember this price includes the car seat adaptor and rain/UV cover which those two things alone could cost you a hundo for some other brands)...And maybe you'll get lucky and find a floor model somewhere...
OK, OK - but there is finally a new stroller that has really piqued my interest, so I must give a shout out. Before we go any further, in the interest of disclosure I will divulge my wheels. We currently drive an Infinity Rock Star Baby Stroller. Yes, the Tico Torres and Jon Bon Jovi "inspired" stroller. I also keep the Maclaren Volo in my car (purchased for us as a gift - but at $89 instead of $109 because I registered for the older model). I found the RSB stroller at a Warehouse Sale of a high-end children's boutique in the area. At the time it retailed for $499 - however, we got it for $325 in cash - it was a floor model, but it was still in the box wrapped in plastic. I wanted a stroller that had a bassinet, car seat adapter and rode front and rear facing. I got all of that in the base price, plus some nice extras, like a rain cover, adjustible handle and large and plush bassinet that my 95% son was able to use for almost 4 months! (I'd imagine an avergae baby might fit in the bassinet for 6 months). My one complaint is that on a recent trip, American Airlines managed to rip the foam handle cover and my seat canopy corners. [Note to readers: buy the stroller carrying case- universal ones are far cheaper than the ones that match your stroller and they can spare you from my mistakes.]
But fret not, the parent company - Hauck - has already shipped me a new foam wrapper and seat cover (because that also ripped) at no charge. My stroller is already past the one year warranty and they are still sending me all of this. Which leads me to the new stroller that I am so coveting, from the same parent company, so not only does it look great, but trust me, you know you'll have great customer service too.
Introducing, the I'coo Targo stroller. Weighing in at only 22 pounds, there are many similarities between this stroller and my beloved Rock Star. Basically, it looks like they took the Infinity base (which sold in Europe and was marketed here as the Rock Star and occasionally found without a bassinet as Infinity at BRU) and added a few new features. The coolest one is the ability to raise the seat along the frame - in a Stokke Explory kind of way (good for baby's view and Stokke's claim was also air quality). Another feature is the ability to fold the stroller with the seat on. I can fold my RSB with the seat when it is rear facing, but apparently this stroller folds both ways...
It was originally priced at $699, but now I've seen it for $599 (remember this price includes the car seat adaptor and rain/UV cover which those two things alone could cost you a hundo for some other brands)...And maybe you'll get lucky and find a floor model somewhere...
Apologies, Apologies
As you can tell, it's been a little while. Well, in the past six months, we moved to the burbs and I quit my job. So I've had a few other things on my mind (like getting my first semi-darker shade of pale skin tan in about 10 years! I will try to post more often, but please forgive me if I instead choose to spend my son's naptime vegging on the couch with Oprah.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Baby Cooks?
So if you have read what the Mommish says, you know how passionate I am about homecooked (or as close of an approximation to it as possible) baby food. So you can imagine my intrigue when I came across a new product in the Williams Sonoma catalog that not only purees, but also steams, blends and warms fruits and veggies into delicious concoctions for the wee ones. It's called the Beaba Babycook and it looks pretty cool. That being said, the $139 price tag is a little steep for the Mommish, and if you already are the proud owner of a veggie steamer (or microwave or even a good old fashion oven for that matter) and either a blender or a food processor - then you already have all the tools you need. But if you are looking for easier clean-up and keeping everything in one place, it does look like a pretty sweet contraption.
Since it is sold through Williams Sonoma - maybe it would be best on a wedding registry - instead of a steamer and blender - just get the Babycook!
It happened...
Wham... Thud.... Waaaahaaaahaaaah.... Every mother's nightmare. It all started innocently enough. A little game of peekabo. Only the Mommish did not realize that this week that the Babish decided running was a contact sport and his only mode of transportation. So you can imagine the guilt I am feeling from his head on corner collision as he was running to surprise me. The bruise is so linear - that even my brother-in-law immediately looked at the Babish and commented, "someone hit a corner." Well, now the bruise is linear... we started out with the classic progression from a Klingon (bruise with egg lump underneath in the center of his forehead), to Harry Potter (zigzag line in his forehead, black eyes instead of trademark glasses) to now what resembles a Bindi. [ed. note. the Hubbish's characterization of this progression was more of a unicorn into someone who celebrated Ash Wednesday, but I digress.]
A wise pediatrician [sorry, drawing a blank on whether it was Sears, Spock or Brazelton - hey, maybe I'll suggest Leach too and it has to be one of them...] once wrote that if your toddler does NOT have any bumps and bruises, then you are hovering too closely. It's a fine line to draw, because what parent wants to see their child get hurt. And as if there aren't enough things to feel guilty over as a mother. And of course there is the worry about taking him out in public (will other mothers judge me and think I can't watch my kid - or worse - will they think I hurt him...). Thankfully on day 2 of the horrible, terrible, no good black lump of coal on my son's forehead an older woman commented what a beautiful baby I had upon seeing the Babish in his shopping cart. Now, I'm assuming her eyesight wasn't perfect - but still, it made me feel much better!
I guess all we can do is stock up on arnica gel (you may want to double check with your own pediatrician on its safety - but everything I've read indicates that it's fine for toddlers) and hope that the bruises fade quickly. Everything is a learning experience for the Mommish and the Babish! (and as you will see above, the bruise is finally fading... but sunglasses were needed to protect the innocent :)
Friday, April 4, 2008
To Flip or Not to Flip?
I've been getting some flack lately from the mommy brigade. You see, (GASP) even though the Toddlish is a) now a toddler (duh) and b) fit the forward facing weight requirements when he was a wee five months old, we still have not flipped his car seat around so that he is forward facing. Why you ask? Believe me, I ask myself the same question. Part of it is laziness, part of it is fear that he will no longer easily fall asleep in the car if we need him to. But, truth be told, the biggest reason is safety. So go ahead and tattoo DORK on my forehead.
Now I know how excited every parent gets when they can flip their child around. We all saw the Britney Spears and Sean Preston 'razzi shots of him forward facing too early. I was even in a Mommy and Me class last week where the mother of a 10 month old gleefully announced that the pediatrician said "flip her," because her child was 22 lbs. [She also mentioned that this pediatrician was her pediatrician when she was a kid, so let's hope he's more up-to-date on medical advancements in the last 20 years than he is on the laws of our country]. I was the only room with a kid over 12 months, so everyone immediately looked at me to see how my son enjoys being forward facing and how much it has changed my life. Well... by the time I had explained that the Internet research I did on the subject revealed that size and age really don't matter - but a baby's bones haven't ossified enough to withstand a rear car accident (yes, I know, I was talking ossification) and might not until age 3 or 4... all the mommies were giving me the death stare and had changed the subject.
So today, when I happened to come across an article on car seat safety in "The Costco Connection," (yes, in addition to Kosher hot dogs, cruises, contact lenses and bulk groceries, you can get safety tips from Costco), I just had to share the info with all 10 of my devoted readers. The article mentions that children one year of age and at least 20 pounds CAN ride forward facing. It goes on to say that it is BEST to ride rear facing for as long as possible. What is as long as possible? Well, most experts (i.e. the American Association of Pediatrics) point to the height and weight requirements for an individual convertible seat. In our Britax Decathlon (have I mentioned how much we love our Britax?), this means the Babish can ride backwards until he reaches 35 pounds! and until his head is one inch below the top. Most convertible seats have a rear-facing limit of around 30 pounds (even if the forward facing limit is, say, 45 pounds).
Now I don't know if we'll keep him backwards that long... even now, with shoes on he does kick my nice leather. But - studies by the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration have shown that rear facing seats are four times safer than forward facing seats. And that while there have been numerous cases where a spinal or head injury could have been prevented by a child facing rear, there have been no documented cases of children with broken legs from a crash where they were rear-facing (see the cite below).
For more research (if you care to read about absorbing the force of a crash or find links to crash videos...), here is a great resource: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx The pictures showing the force of crash are credited to the University of Michigan Child Passenger Protection - so I gotta trust the old alma mater here...
So, if you see me pulled over on the side of the road because, unlike the other mommies, I can't just had the Babish his sippy cup through the seats, now you'll know why. Hopefully you'll at least wave when you give me the evil look...
Now I know how excited every parent gets when they can flip their child around. We all saw the Britney Spears and Sean Preston 'razzi shots of him forward facing too early. I was even in a Mommy and Me class last week where the mother of a 10 month old gleefully announced that the pediatrician said "flip her," because her child was 22 lbs. [She also mentioned that this pediatrician was her pediatrician when she was a kid, so let's hope he's more up-to-date on medical advancements in the last 20 years than he is on the laws of our country]. I was the only room with a kid over 12 months, so everyone immediately looked at me to see how my son enjoys being forward facing and how much it has changed my life. Well... by the time I had explained that the Internet research I did on the subject revealed that size and age really don't matter - but a baby's bones haven't ossified enough to withstand a rear car accident (yes, I know, I was talking ossification) and might not until age 3 or 4... all the mommies were giving me the death stare and had changed the subject.
So today, when I happened to come across an article on car seat safety in "The Costco Connection," (yes, in addition to Kosher hot dogs, cruises, contact lenses and bulk groceries, you can get safety tips from Costco), I just had to share the info with all 10 of my devoted readers. The article mentions that children one year of age and at least 20 pounds CAN ride forward facing. It goes on to say that it is BEST to ride rear facing for as long as possible. What is as long as possible? Well, most experts (i.e. the American Association of Pediatrics) point to the height and weight requirements for an individual convertible seat. In our Britax Decathlon (have I mentioned how much we love our Britax?), this means the Babish can ride backwards until he reaches 35 pounds! and until his head is one inch below the top. Most convertible seats have a rear-facing limit of around 30 pounds (even if the forward facing limit is, say, 45 pounds).
Now I don't know if we'll keep him backwards that long... even now, with shoes on he does kick my nice leather. But - studies by the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration have shown that rear facing seats are four times safer than forward facing seats. And that while there have been numerous cases where a spinal or head injury could have been prevented by a child facing rear, there have been no documented cases of children with broken legs from a crash where they were rear-facing (see the cite below).
For more research (if you care to read about absorbing the force of a crash or find links to crash videos...), here is a great resource: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx The pictures showing the force of crash are credited to the University of Michigan Child Passenger Protection - so I gotta trust the old alma mater here...
So, if you see me pulled over on the side of the road because, unlike the other mommies, I can't just had the Babish his sippy cup through the seats, now you'll know why. Hopefully you'll at least wave when you give me the evil look...
If only this blog had GPS...
I don't know where I'd be without GPS (or google maps on the Iphone for that matter). I do know what I'd be though. I'd be lost (and it's just not as cool without Matthew Fox).
So to spare you the same trouble, I wanted to point out a few features on this little Bloggish here. First, I'd like you to meet my friend "Labels." So when you are awake at 5 am because your dear sweet babish decided to implement his own daylight savings time, all you have to do is veer over to Labels, then click on the Label that reads, "Sleep" or "Sleep-training." [If you are really paying attention, you may even notice I have two tags to Britney Spears and now a third one.] You may also care to check out my friend "Blog Archive," if you are of the chronologic type.
To my friends and family, don't worry, I'll still answer your questions on the phone or in e-mail - I'll just answer them with a - "have you checked the blog yet?"
So to spare you the same trouble, I wanted to point out a few features on this little Bloggish here. First, I'd like you to meet my friend "Labels." So when you are awake at 5 am because your dear sweet babish decided to implement his own daylight savings time, all you have to do is veer over to Labels, then click on the Label that reads, "Sleep" or "Sleep-training." [If you are really paying attention, you may even notice I have two tags to Britney Spears and now a third one.] You may also care to check out my friend "Blog Archive," if you are of the chronologic type.
To my friends and family, don't worry, I'll still answer your questions on the phone or in e-mail - I'll just answer them with a - "have you checked the blog yet?"
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