With Love,
The Mama
Monday, January 31, 2011
Bad Hair Day??
With Love,
The Mama
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Reading, Reading. Reading. All we want to do lately...
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Kirra and Baili are in love with reading. Here are some pics from tonight. Baili still is VERY afraid to sit on the chair at their table. I think it is a gravity thing. All her therapists talk to me about it... I still have been trying every night for a little bit. She eventually stops crying she seems to be so afraid of falling. Like she doesn't know the length of the fall if she were to fall? She eventually is comfy but not for long. Poor girl... Kirra will hug and kiss and her and say, "sissy okay?" Over and over and over again. :) Then Kirra goes back to her seat.
Kirra starts Preschool Thursday two days a week. Mommy is very scared for her!!!
With Love,
The Mama :-)
Baii and Kirra in December 2010 and January 2011... Love them!!
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Some of these pictures I took the other weekend with their friend Peyton. My friend Autum has a daughter about 3 months older than mine. Or six months older if you count when my girls were suppose to be born. Either way they have fun hanging out together. And Autum and I can enjoy some drinks and food and adult time. They do put us in the corner with three two year olds in the restaurant. We are a waiters dream!
Also some pictures I stole from their Aunt Megan took in Seattle. She took during Christmas. Baili looks so cute!!!
Last picture is from my best friend Charisse's bday on Jan 15. Charisse is the one in the middle with a beer.
Love,
The Mama =)
Friday, January 21, 2011
Baili's Hospital day.
Baili before surgery.
Baili after surgery.
Baili enjoying ice cream at the hospital.
Baili told me afterward she wanted to go to Hawaii.
Love,
The Mama
BTW - We are okay. She is came out of it tired with some pain but home now.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Car Seat Safety.
I read this on a blog I follow. Her name is Amy - a Mom of twins as well and she is the one who has prompt me about sitting (backwards or rearfacing). Baili is still backwards until forever if possible and Kirra if there is room in the car. My car it is impossible or I can't get in but she sits rear as well in most vehicles.
Amy got this info from a friend I think... Either way, if you're a Mom you may want to read this.
"Everyone asks why the babies are still rear facing and when we are going to turn them?" I get this question with Baili CONSTANTLY!!!! The answer is never. Then people look at me and laugh and joke. But seriously I say as long as humanly possible. Especially since Baili is TINY!! Only 21 pounds on a good day.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing for as long as possible for the best protection. This means that children should rear-face to the maximum limits of a convertible carseat...which is 30-35 lbs. (depending on the seat) OR when his/her head is 1-inch from the top of the carseat shell. The rule that most parents know is that children must rear-face to at least 1 year AND 20 lbs. (the child must be BOTH 1 year and 20 lbs., not either or). What is not well known is that 1 year AND 20 lbs. is the bare minimum and it is strongly recommended that they be kept rear-facing for much longer.
When a child is forward-facing, there is a lot of stress put on his/her neck in a crash. The weight of a child's head in a crash causes the spinal column to stretch...the spinal cord, however, is NOT meant to stretch! The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches but the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps, which means paralysis or even death. This is referred to as "internal decapitation"...the child's head would be slumped forward and it would look as though he/she was sleeping. It doesn't matter if the child has great head control...that means nothing. Data is showing that a forward-facing child is 4 times more likely to be seriously injured or killed than a rear-facing child of the same age.
Rear-facing seats do such a great job of protecting children because the back of the carseat absorbs the crash forces. The child's head, neck, and spine are kept in alignment, allowing the carseat to absorb the forces. The child's head is also kept contained in the carseat, decreasing the risk of coming into contact with projectiles.
Something I hear often is "His legs are scrunched up, he must be uncomfortable" or "Won't his legs be injured that way?". There has NEVER been a single reported case of hip/leg/foot injury from extended rear-facing. Even if there were...a broken leg is much better than a broken neck.
Children are much more flexible than adults, so what may be uncomfortable for us, is not for a child. If you watch a child playing, you will notice that they choose to fold their legs up...they don't sit with them straight out or hanging over the edge of the couch. My boys fold their legs up in the stroller and squat or sit with their legs underneath them when playing quite often. They have never once complained about being uncomfortable in their carseats...never...the just fold their legs, hang them over the sides, or prop them up on the seatback. That is comfortable to a child.
Just the other day, when we got into the car, my 3 year old got in his brother's seat (rear-facing) and refused to get out. I asked him several times if he was sure he wanted to ride that way and he said yes. After being forward-facing for almost 3 months, he chose to sit rear-facing again and didn't complain once. He's hovering around the rear-facing weight limit though, so I did turn his seat back around forward-facing today.
As far as being harnessed as long as possible, think race car drivers. They wear 5 pt. harnesses, not just seatbelts. A 5 pt harness is much safer in side-impacts and rollovers, which tend to be very serious/deadly crashes. Most children outgrow their carseats (most go to 40 lbs.) before they are truly ready for a booster. The bare minimum for a booster is 4 years and 40 lbs...a child should be in a 5 pt. harness until then and even longer if possible.
Even at 4 years and 40 lbs, a child should only be moved to a booster if he or she can sit in it properly for the entire trip, every trip. It is extremely important for the belt to fit properly and stay in place (lap belt as low as possible, touching thighs, and shoulder belt between neck and shoulder).
The 5-Step Test.
1. Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
If the answer is no to ANY of those questions, the child needs a booster seat. A 4-8 year old child in a booster seat is 59% less likely to be injured in a crash than a child of the same age wearing a seatbelt alone. On a side note, a booster must always be used with a lap/shoulder belt and it is also important than any person riding in just a seatbelt wear a lap/shoulder belt, not a lap belt only.
Her information really makes me think. Next person who asks me again, well they should do some research. I can't imagine being the person who didn't save my kids lives, just in case someone hits us or I hit them.
Love,
The Mommy
Amy got this info from a friend I think... Either way, if you're a Mom you may want to read this.
"Everyone asks why the babies are still rear facing and when we are going to turn them?" I get this question with Baili CONSTANTLY!!!! The answer is never. Then people look at me and laugh and joke. But seriously I say as long as humanly possible. Especially since Baili is TINY!! Only 21 pounds on a good day.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing for as long as possible for the best protection. This means that children should rear-face to the maximum limits of a convertible carseat...which is 30-35 lbs. (depending on the seat) OR when his/her head is 1-inch from the top of the carseat shell. The rule that most parents know is that children must rear-face to at least 1 year AND 20 lbs. (the child must be BOTH 1 year and 20 lbs., not either or). What is not well known is that 1 year AND 20 lbs. is the bare minimum and it is strongly recommended that they be kept rear-facing for much longer.
When a child is forward-facing, there is a lot of stress put on his/her neck in a crash. The weight of a child's head in a crash causes the spinal column to stretch...the spinal cord, however, is NOT meant to stretch! The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches but the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps, which means paralysis or even death. This is referred to as "internal decapitation"...the child's head would be slumped forward and it would look as though he/she was sleeping. It doesn't matter if the child has great head control...that means nothing. Data is showing that a forward-facing child is 4 times more likely to be seriously injured or killed than a rear-facing child of the same age.
Rear-facing seats do such a great job of protecting children because the back of the carseat absorbs the crash forces. The child's head, neck, and spine are kept in alignment, allowing the carseat to absorb the forces. The child's head is also kept contained in the carseat, decreasing the risk of coming into contact with projectiles.
Something I hear often is "His legs are scrunched up, he must be uncomfortable" or "Won't his legs be injured that way?". There has NEVER been a single reported case of hip/leg/foot injury from extended rear-facing. Even if there were...a broken leg is much better than a broken neck.
Children are much more flexible than adults, so what may be uncomfortable for us, is not for a child. If you watch a child playing, you will notice that they choose to fold their legs up...they don't sit with them straight out or hanging over the edge of the couch. My boys fold their legs up in the stroller and squat or sit with their legs underneath them when playing quite often. They have never once complained about being uncomfortable in their carseats...never...the just fold their legs, hang them over the sides, or prop them up on the seatback. That is comfortable to a child.
Just the other day, when we got into the car, my 3 year old got in his brother's seat (rear-facing) and refused to get out. I asked him several times if he was sure he wanted to ride that way and he said yes. After being forward-facing for almost 3 months, he chose to sit rear-facing again and didn't complain once. He's hovering around the rear-facing weight limit though, so I did turn his seat back around forward-facing today.
As far as being harnessed as long as possible, think race car drivers. They wear 5 pt. harnesses, not just seatbelts. A 5 pt harness is much safer in side-impacts and rollovers, which tend to be very serious/deadly crashes. Most children outgrow their carseats (most go to 40 lbs.) before they are truly ready for a booster. The bare minimum for a booster is 4 years and 40 lbs...a child should be in a 5 pt. harness until then and even longer if possible.
Even at 4 years and 40 lbs, a child should only be moved to a booster if he or she can sit in it properly for the entire trip, every trip. It is extremely important for the belt to fit properly and stay in place (lap belt as low as possible, touching thighs, and shoulder belt between neck and shoulder).
The 5-Step Test.
1. Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
If the answer is no to ANY of those questions, the child needs a booster seat. A 4-8 year old child in a booster seat is 59% less likely to be injured in a crash than a child of the same age wearing a seatbelt alone. On a side note, a booster must always be used with a lap/shoulder belt and it is also important than any person riding in just a seatbelt wear a lap/shoulder belt, not a lap belt only.
Her information really makes me think. Next person who asks me again, well they should do some research. I can't imagine being the person who didn't save my kids lives, just in case someone hits us or I hit them.
Love,
The Mommy
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Kirra saying hello and brushing her teeth on 1/13/11.
Kirra brushing her teeth with Mommy and saying hello to her family in AZ and WA.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Playing baby...
Love,
The Mama
The Potty Life...
She loves her potty and yes she is wiping herself with toilet paper just like Mommy. LOL. Probably her favorite part of the whole potty thing. She says, "Kirra's potty!!!!" She says this over and over and over again..... Screams when I take her off. She could play and sit on it all day long! Cool thing the potty becomes a stool to brush teeth and it connects on the toilet for a little older. I started all this because she literally asks me to use the potty and rips her diapers off and says, "NO!" So I was like, I guess I better start this stuff.... (sighhhhh)
The potty scares me.
I can deal with tubes, NG tubes, G tubes, NICU, therapies, feeding issues, hospital stays, doctors giving me information I don't want to hear. I can go on roller coaster rides with doctors, nurses, hospitals, therapists, etc. I can take almost everything and take it with a grain of salt and say to myself lets see how it is with me. Basically I don't believe what I hear (especially with hospitals and parents that have been through this or that). I see how it goes with me and my life.
But potty training scares me. Maybe because I have to sit there and wait for her to go. Maybe because of all the horror stories I have heard about how hard it is to do. Maybe I want her to be a baby? Anyhow I got her a potty today (Kirra) and she LOVES it! She went the first few minutes on it!!! Kirra isn't a pro of any means but I think this won't be as hard as I thought. Just hard working full time and trying to potty train. I am not saying this whole deal will work a lot of parents tell me to do it at 3. Well I will see how this goes. It would be nice to potty train her since she shows me all the signs she is. I am NOT pushing it at all just want her to START to get the idea? She does it at her Dad's too.
Maybe only one baby in diapers would be nice? But I am not pushing it at all that's where I hear it becomes a problem. But Miss K does love her Pink Potty that sings songs when she goes!
Love,
The Mama
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
READ, READ, READ!!
All my kids want to do is READ, READ, READ.... They won't watch TV, nor movies, no Sesame Street, notta. I have tried --not a care in the world. Everyone says (including the Pediatrician that is a great thing). Only thing is Mommy doesn't get a break. But I am SO GLAD they hate movies and TV so far. All they want to do is play, play, play, play, play, and READ, READ, READ, READ.... And they love toys, all toys. Not my remote but real kid toys. Even at play dates the kids are all watching a movie or show. Mine are in the other room and have nothing to do with it. The kids are my kids age and younger. All kids are different but I do like this no TV thing. Maybe it's because my house has two really old TV's and toys are much cooler.
Love,
The Mama
Sunday, January 2, 2011
New Year's Resolutions 2011.
I am sitting down thinking of making some New Years Resolutions/Goals for 2011... I am making some for me and some for my girls. I want to make some that are "reachable" just like we do with Baili's therapists. We do goals for Baili every six months and we try to ask ourselves are these realistic? Too challenging or achievable for Baili? Most resolutions don't get achieved because they are too hard to accomplish. This year mine are more practical and reachable goals I hope. To be honest, I don't usually make them but this year I will give it a shot.
First, I am starting off with me. Which is a first, ever since I have been pregnant, me, myself, and I have been last priority. My girls have been first. My babies doctors, nurses, therapists, food therapy, clothes, toys, beds, blankets, milk, pedisure, books, bottles, bills, you get the picture... All my kids, all the time, always first priority, over everything, or everybody. For me, I am challenging myself to take time for me. Such as, go skiing more often because I enjoy it so much. Try to do stuff I enjoy for me and to not think about my kids not being there with me. This will be a challenge for me.
My goals for me and my girls between me and my girls.
Katie:
1. Lose weight - yes this is a big one for me. I would like to be at my pre-baby weight, which is actually 25 pounds less than I am now. This is my biggest goal this year. I have strict plans to achieve this goal. My kids are two now. It is time to lose the weight.
2. Do things for me. If it's take a nap instead of clean. Go buy a shirt for me or go to the gym. Something for me at least once a month. This will be a challenge since all I ever want to do is care and buy for my girls. A healthy mom (who takes care of herself) has healthy kids. It is a circle that makes all healthy. Save more, spend less, and enjoy what I have every day.
3. No more smoking. Ever. Some of you don't know I sneak them in once in awhile... Since I used to be a smoker when I am around it it's hard for me. My plan is ZERO smoking. Two days down, success.
4. Be at peace with others. Try to make my life more peaceful. If you know what I have been through you know exactly what I am talking about. Try to be at peace with less stress. This is a HUGE goal.
Kirra:
1. Know all of her colors and letters and sounds. She can name letters and colors but she will learn to identify them and know her colors, letters and sounds. Yep- all of them. Big goal. I used to be a teacher, I can do this.
2. Potty Trained. Enough said.
3. Count to ten. Identify numbers 1 to 10.
Baili:
1. Stand by herself with no help or assistance and learn to cruise on furniture.
2. Learn to walk by 12-31-11.
3. Talk a lot more and know at least ten words. She can do this she identifies many things now she just can't say them. She knows and can do it.
4. Try to have less surgeries, gain weight, and see less doctors, in turn be healthy. We are starting with some hospital surgeries on January 21, so I guess not really to a great start. But this is a yearly goal I have for her.
If you know my Baili you know these are quite high goals, but I pray we can achieve them. If you know my Kirra these are high goals but with any help or teaching she can achieve hers as well. When I was a teacher I always had to teach to the majority, not the individual. But the FANTASTIC thing about being a Mommy is I can teach to the individual! I have studied a lot on early childhood and I know what they can achieve at their developmental levels.
My girls are on very different levels but they still teach to each other. So no matter what I am teaching them they are both soaking it ALL in. Such as, Baili's Speech Therapist teaches her sign language and of course Kirra does it all the time. She was never taught but she "watches" the SP therapist doing it to Baili. They are little sponges!
My main New Year's resolution is to be the best Parent I can ever be to my two kids, no matter the challenges along the way.
Love,
The Mama
First, I am starting off with me. Which is a first, ever since I have been pregnant, me, myself, and I have been last priority. My girls have been first. My babies doctors, nurses, therapists, food therapy, clothes, toys, beds, blankets, milk, pedisure, books, bottles, bills, you get the picture... All my kids, all the time, always first priority, over everything, or everybody. For me, I am challenging myself to take time for me. Such as, go skiing more often because I enjoy it so much. Try to do stuff I enjoy for me and to not think about my kids not being there with me. This will be a challenge for me.
My goals for me and my girls between me and my girls.
Katie:
1. Lose weight - yes this is a big one for me. I would like to be at my pre-baby weight, which is actually 25 pounds less than I am now. This is my biggest goal this year. I have strict plans to achieve this goal. My kids are two now. It is time to lose the weight.
2. Do things for me. If it's take a nap instead of clean. Go buy a shirt for me or go to the gym. Something for me at least once a month. This will be a challenge since all I ever want to do is care and buy for my girls. A healthy mom (who takes care of herself) has healthy kids. It is a circle that makes all healthy. Save more, spend less, and enjoy what I have every day.
3. No more smoking. Ever. Some of you don't know I sneak them in once in awhile... Since I used to be a smoker when I am around it it's hard for me. My plan is ZERO smoking. Two days down, success.
4. Be at peace with others. Try to make my life more peaceful. If you know what I have been through you know exactly what I am talking about. Try to be at peace with less stress. This is a HUGE goal.
Kirra:
1. Know all of her colors and letters and sounds. She can name letters and colors but she will learn to identify them and know her colors, letters and sounds. Yep- all of them. Big goal. I used to be a teacher, I can do this.
2. Potty Trained. Enough said.
3. Count to ten. Identify numbers 1 to 10.
Baili:
1. Stand by herself with no help or assistance and learn to cruise on furniture.
2. Learn to walk by 12-31-11.
3. Talk a lot more and know at least ten words. She can do this she identifies many things now she just can't say them. She knows and can do it.
4. Try to have less surgeries, gain weight, and see less doctors, in turn be healthy. We are starting with some hospital surgeries on January 21, so I guess not really to a great start. But this is a yearly goal I have for her.
If you know my Baili you know these are quite high goals, but I pray we can achieve them. If you know my Kirra these are high goals but with any help or teaching she can achieve hers as well. When I was a teacher I always had to teach to the majority, not the individual. But the FANTASTIC thing about being a Mommy is I can teach to the individual! I have studied a lot on early childhood and I know what they can achieve at their developmental levels.
My girls are on very different levels but they still teach to each other. So no matter what I am teaching them they are both soaking it ALL in. Such as, Baili's Speech Therapist teaches her sign language and of course Kirra does it all the time. She was never taught but she "watches" the SP therapist doing it to Baili. They are little sponges!
My main New Year's resolution is to be the best Parent I can ever be to my two kids, no matter the challenges along the way.
Love,
The Mama
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