Saturday, December 31, 2011
5-step test... passed.
Holy crap, I can't believe it! Erin passed the 5-step test in Thak's truck. What is the 5-step test, you may wonder?
Click here
Basically, it's a really easy way to figure out if your kid is ready to ride without a booster or not. Boosters are meant to help the seatbelt fit correctly on a kid who is too short to have it fit right on its own. This test establishes 5 basic criteria for being able to go without a booster. Yesterday, Erin passed this test in Thak's truck. She still has a ways to go before she passes it in my car, which is what we drive more than 90% of the time, but it is still a big step that she is now without booster in the truck.
Texas state law states that kids have to ride in a booster until they are 8 years old, or 4'9", whichever is sooner. Erin, as we know, turned 8 this past summer. One of the things we contended with when that happened was that everyone was telling her she didn't have to use a booster anymore, because it's some big celebration to most people. Yay! No more booster! My kid is 8! As if they magically pass the 5-step test and can ride safely without a booster just because it's their 8th birthday. So we had to be the ones telling Erin that no, she would not get rid of her boosters just because she turned 8, that she had to wait until she was big enough to ride safely without them. This is where carseat safety and society collide, the kid who's old enough to know that none of their friends use a carseat, and that they still do.
It's weird to see the backseat of the truck with just the two seats for the boys back there. Erin's black booster is now stored away for Orren to use in a few years. I have a feeling the red one will follow within the next 18 months. Wow.
Click here
Basically, it's a really easy way to figure out if your kid is ready to ride without a booster or not. Boosters are meant to help the seatbelt fit correctly on a kid who is too short to have it fit right on its own. This test establishes 5 basic criteria for being able to go without a booster. Yesterday, Erin passed this test in Thak's truck. She still has a ways to go before she passes it in my car, which is what we drive more than 90% of the time, but it is still a big step that she is now without booster in the truck.
Texas state law states that kids have to ride in a booster until they are 8 years old, or 4'9", whichever is sooner. Erin, as we know, turned 8 this past summer. One of the things we contended with when that happened was that everyone was telling her she didn't have to use a booster anymore, because it's some big celebration to most people. Yay! No more booster! My kid is 8! As if they magically pass the 5-step test and can ride safely without a booster just because it's their 8th birthday. So we had to be the ones telling Erin that no, she would not get rid of her boosters just because she turned 8, that she had to wait until she was big enough to ride safely without them. This is where carseat safety and society collide, the kid who's old enough to know that none of their friends use a carseat, and that they still do.
It's weird to see the backseat of the truck with just the two seats for the boys back there. Erin's black booster is now stored away for Orren to use in a few years. I have a feeling the red one will follow within the next 18 months. Wow.
Friday, December 30, 2011
This is why I will vote for Ron Paul... again.
He is saying what I have been saying since the beginning.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Nurse-In
Recently, a mom in Houston was harassed in a Target store for breastfeeding her baby. Target's corporate policy does support breastfeeding, but is horribly worded, so employees misunderstood it to mean that women must breastfeed in the fitting rooms. They also erroneously told this mom that she could be arrested for indecent exposure. Texas law forbids that, so these employees were just grossly misinformed.
In response to this, a series of nurse-ins took place at Target stores nationwide. Along with some friends, I helped organize the one here, and as you can see from the photo below, we had a great turn-out.
When this very photo hit Facebook, there were a few comments that showed exactly why we are doing this. Check these gems out:
"lol....right next to the front door? whats the point of this? Does Target not allow nursing? you could always nurse in the car. Thats what I did"
"The story said she didnt cover up. i dont mind women breastfeeding where ever but be respectful and cover up. and if a store dont allow it then they dont allow it so go to the car.. and to answer ur question of (do you like eating in a car?) well do you go and suck on someones tit to eat? honestly if i had the option even if a store allowed breastfeeding i'd still pick the privacy of my own car."
First off, the woman in Houston was using a nursing cover, but that is not the point. The point is that these people think it is ok to relegate breastfeeding to the car, or demand that it be covered up by a blanket. I have never used a nursing cover, and I do not want to. This is also the case for most of the other nursing moms I know. The law backs me up on my right to do that, but more important than that, it bothers me that the US is the only society in the world that sees breastfeeding this way. Nowhere else in the world would these suggestions be made. For example, a friend who was stationed in Germany when her oldest was born, said that when she would sit down on a park bench to nurse him, people would come up and look in her wrap style baby carrier to see the baby, see that he was nursing, and not care a bit, just remark on how cute he was. Germans, like most people in the world, do not seem put off at all by breastfeeding. Yet somehow, here in the US, it is seen as perfectly acceptable to tell a mom to nurse in the car, or in the bathroom, or to cover up with a blanket even if it's a million degrees outside.
Our society's attitude toward breastfeeding is the reason I got involved with this nurse-in. I really have no beef with the Target corporation. I love shopping at Target, and won't be stopping that anytime soon. My presence there was because I believe that the only way people will see breastfeeding for what it is, the normal way to feed a human baby, is to see it regularly. When you see something all the time, you stop giving it any thought. That's what needs to happen with breastfeeding. People need to see it happening until they no longer notice it. I havev noticed among my own group of friends, the moms who did not breastfeed, or the women who do not have kids, do become very desensitized to breastfeeding the more they're around me and Chai. They see breastfeeding over and over again, and they realize it's normal. Society will be the same way, but it will take a lot of effort, and the willingness of all nursing moms to go ahead and nurse in public, however they want, greet the dirty looks with a smile, the snide comments with a reminder that the law protects your right to feed your baby this way. Change will happen. It won't be quick, and it won't be seamless, but it will happen here, as it has in other countries. Today, nursing moms from all over the country stood together, and made one confident step in the right direction.
The local news also came to see us at the location my friends and I were at. I'll post a link to the video when it comes up.
In response to this, a series of nurse-ins took place at Target stores nationwide. Along with some friends, I helped organize the one here, and as you can see from the photo below, we had a great turn-out.
When this very photo hit Facebook, there were a few comments that showed exactly why we are doing this. Check these gems out:
"lol....right next to the front door? whats the point of this? Does Target not allow nursing? you could always nurse in the car. Thats what I did"
"The story said she didnt cover up. i dont mind women breastfeeding where ever but be respectful and cover up. and if a store dont allow it then they dont allow it so go to the car.. and to answer ur question of (do you like eating in a car?) well do you go and suck on someones tit to eat? honestly if i had the option even if a store allowed breastfeeding i'd still pick the privacy of my own car."
First off, the woman in Houston was using a nursing cover, but that is not the point. The point is that these people think it is ok to relegate breastfeeding to the car, or demand that it be covered up by a blanket. I have never used a nursing cover, and I do not want to. This is also the case for most of the other nursing moms I know. The law backs me up on my right to do that, but more important than that, it bothers me that the US is the only society in the world that sees breastfeeding this way. Nowhere else in the world would these suggestions be made. For example, a friend who was stationed in Germany when her oldest was born, said that when she would sit down on a park bench to nurse him, people would come up and look in her wrap style baby carrier to see the baby, see that he was nursing, and not care a bit, just remark on how cute he was. Germans, like most people in the world, do not seem put off at all by breastfeeding. Yet somehow, here in the US, it is seen as perfectly acceptable to tell a mom to nurse in the car, or in the bathroom, or to cover up with a blanket even if it's a million degrees outside.
Our society's attitude toward breastfeeding is the reason I got involved with this nurse-in. I really have no beef with the Target corporation. I love shopping at Target, and won't be stopping that anytime soon. My presence there was because I believe that the only way people will see breastfeeding for what it is, the normal way to feed a human baby, is to see it regularly. When you see something all the time, you stop giving it any thought. That's what needs to happen with breastfeeding. People need to see it happening until they no longer notice it. I havev noticed among my own group of friends, the moms who did not breastfeed, or the women who do not have kids, do become very desensitized to breastfeeding the more they're around me and Chai. They see breastfeeding over and over again, and they realize it's normal. Society will be the same way, but it will take a lot of effort, and the willingness of all nursing moms to go ahead and nurse in public, however they want, greet the dirty looks with a smile, the snide comments with a reminder that the law protects your right to feed your baby this way. Change will happen. It won't be quick, and it won't be seamless, but it will happen here, as it has in other countries. Today, nursing moms from all over the country stood together, and made one confident step in the right direction.
The local news also came to see us at the location my friends and I were at. I'll post a link to the video when it comes up.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
What does a baby need?
Babies are expensive, right? I was asked today, "What does a baby need? What did you get the most use out of?" So basically, here are my must-haves:
A GOOD carrier.
By "good", I mean NOT the crap you buy at Walmart. Ergo, Beco, Boba, Babyhawk Mei Tai, Girasol woven wrap, Maya ring sling, even a Moby wrap for the first couple months... These are good carriers! Personally, I'm a Ergo girl. I love my Ergo so much I've pretty much given up strollers for it, and not a day goes by that I don't use it. Babywearing is so much more convenient than using a stroller since you don't have to look for ramps, don't have that cumbersome moment where you can't quite open the door to someplace and simultaneously maneuver the stroller through it, and there's no concern about if it will fit in the car. Babywearing is awesome. Why did it take me until my third child to figure this out? Because I didn't have a good carrier before this. When I got my Ergo, I began to love babywearing. Coincidence? I think not.
Two awesome boobs. I have fed formula in the past. It scared the crap out of me to do it, because formula is pretty bad stuff compared to the real thing. Only 3% of women in the world physically cannot breastfeed. Even if every person you know has failed at it, at least try. Come to a La Leche League meeting, too. We have such an awesome group here in El Paso.
Also under the topic of feeding, you need great nursing bras. I like Hot Milk nursing bras. They are so pretty, good quality, and fit nicely. They're expensive if you pay full price, but you can get them on sale for about $30 apiece, which isn't bad for what they are.
I also have found my breastpump to be worth its weight in gold, and then some. I have a Medela Pump In Style. Yes, it is worth every penny. When you consider that organic GMO-free baby formula costs upward of $200 a month (trust me on this one), a $300 breastpump seems downright reasonable.
Obviously every baby needs a good carseat. Sure, you can buy an infant seat, which they'll outgrow in a few months, and then you'll have to buy a convertible seat after that. Plus, if you babywear, you won't even use the infant seat as part of a travel system. For my buck, a good convertible carseat is where it's at. I like the Sunshine Kids Radian XTSL, or the Diono Radian RXT. Again, this is another $300 purchase if you can't find one on sale. It is worth it, though. This is one of the few convertible carseats on the US market that actually fits from birth. Not to mention it's got the highest rear-facing weight limit, and a tall enough shell to go along with it. It forward-faces to 80 pounds (again, nice tall shell helps), and has an 8 year (for the XTSL) or 10 year (for the RXT) life before expiration. You get a lot more for your money with this seat than any of the cheaper ones. We love our Radians.
Some manner of cosleeper is great to have, too. We used a pack-and-play with a bassinet attachment, but it's even better to have an Arm's Reach Cosleeper. The mattress is better than that of the pack-and-play, and it sidecars to the bed more easily, too. Breastfeeding and cosleeping go hand in hand for us.
At least 2 dozen cloth diapers. There are so many kinds, I can't tell you what you'll like best. Every baby is different. My boys are complete opposites. Orren was great in pocket diapers. Chai is horrible in pocket diapers. We use pretty much just prefolds with Chai, whereas we used almost nothing but pocket diapers with Orren. All I can tell you is to try stuff, and see what works. Although I will tell you that prefolds are the most versatile. I don't know a single baby who can't use prefolds. The fact that they're so cheap is just an added bonus. You want at least two dozen diapers so you can wash every other day. My stash is way bigger than that, but I have diapered with as few as a dozen before, and can tell you it can be done with a small stash. At least two dozen is best, though.
Clothes, toys, blankies....
That's really it. Also, for those on a budget, you can actually limit this even further. Just the diapers, a sling, some clothes, some blankies, a few toys, and a carseat will do totally fine.
A GOOD carrier.
By "good", I mean NOT the crap you buy at Walmart. Ergo, Beco, Boba, Babyhawk Mei Tai, Girasol woven wrap, Maya ring sling, even a Moby wrap for the first couple months... These are good carriers! Personally, I'm a Ergo girl. I love my Ergo so much I've pretty much given up strollers for it, and not a day goes by that I don't use it. Babywearing is so much more convenient than using a stroller since you don't have to look for ramps, don't have that cumbersome moment where you can't quite open the door to someplace and simultaneously maneuver the stroller through it, and there's no concern about if it will fit in the car. Babywearing is awesome. Why did it take me until my third child to figure this out? Because I didn't have a good carrier before this. When I got my Ergo, I began to love babywearing. Coincidence? I think not.
Two awesome boobs. I have fed formula in the past. It scared the crap out of me to do it, because formula is pretty bad stuff compared to the real thing. Only 3% of women in the world physically cannot breastfeed. Even if every person you know has failed at it, at least try. Come to a La Leche League meeting, too. We have such an awesome group here in El Paso.
Also under the topic of feeding, you need great nursing bras. I like Hot Milk nursing bras. They are so pretty, good quality, and fit nicely. They're expensive if you pay full price, but you can get them on sale for about $30 apiece, which isn't bad for what they are.
I also have found my breastpump to be worth its weight in gold, and then some. I have a Medela Pump In Style. Yes, it is worth every penny. When you consider that organic GMO-free baby formula costs upward of $200 a month (trust me on this one), a $300 breastpump seems downright reasonable.
Obviously every baby needs a good carseat. Sure, you can buy an infant seat, which they'll outgrow in a few months, and then you'll have to buy a convertible seat after that. Plus, if you babywear, you won't even use the infant seat as part of a travel system. For my buck, a good convertible carseat is where it's at. I like the Sunshine Kids Radian XTSL, or the Diono Radian RXT. Again, this is another $300 purchase if you can't find one on sale. It is worth it, though. This is one of the few convertible carseats on the US market that actually fits from birth. Not to mention it's got the highest rear-facing weight limit, and a tall enough shell to go along with it. It forward-faces to 80 pounds (again, nice tall shell helps), and has an 8 year (for the XTSL) or 10 year (for the RXT) life before expiration. You get a lot more for your money with this seat than any of the cheaper ones. We love our Radians.
Some manner of cosleeper is great to have, too. We used a pack-and-play with a bassinet attachment, but it's even better to have an Arm's Reach Cosleeper. The mattress is better than that of the pack-and-play, and it sidecars to the bed more easily, too. Breastfeeding and cosleeping go hand in hand for us.
At least 2 dozen cloth diapers. There are so many kinds, I can't tell you what you'll like best. Every baby is different. My boys are complete opposites. Orren was great in pocket diapers. Chai is horrible in pocket diapers. We use pretty much just prefolds with Chai, whereas we used almost nothing but pocket diapers with Orren. All I can tell you is to try stuff, and see what works. Although I will tell you that prefolds are the most versatile. I don't know a single baby who can't use prefolds. The fact that they're so cheap is just an added bonus. You want at least two dozen diapers so you can wash every other day. My stash is way bigger than that, but I have diapered with as few as a dozen before, and can tell you it can be done with a small stash. At least two dozen is best, though.
Clothes, toys, blankies....
That's really it. Also, for those on a budget, you can actually limit this even further. Just the diapers, a sling, some clothes, some blankies, a few toys, and a carseat will do totally fine.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Bebe Chai has a stocking
This was the only Christmas morning pic that turned out anywhere near ok. I should have known. Thak was taking pics, and he doesn't usually come up with a lot. My camera's batteries were dead, and well, I didn't get my iPhone until about 15 minutes after this was taken. So basically, this is a pic that was really messed up, with really irritating lighting, that I edited half to death in Picasa, and this is what we ended up with. It is the only pic of Bebe Chai opening his stocking on his first Christmas. Why yes, that is a John Deere stocking.
You can't handle the cute.
Here are Erin, Orren, and Bebe Chai in their awesome alpaca jackets that grandma and grandad got them in Argentina. They love them, and look so cute in them, too! You can't see it in this pic, but Bebe Chai is wearing his new shoes, Robeez that look like lions, from those same grandparents. Too too too cute! These kids have had a great Christmas so far, and will be celebrating Orren's birthday with cake and more presents as soon as the food comes off the grill.
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