New blog to follow :-)

I stumpled across this blog written by a fellow techno-geek father...
It's great for a laugh!
www.thingamababy.com

If you scroll down a bit you'll find an entry pertaining to the "the potty trainer from hell". It's a youtube video of an invention to "help" with potty training. My Word! I would hate to have to learn with that!

Anywho...its good for a laugh or two, especially for my friendly geeky friends out there (with or without kiddies).

And now the world of Car Seats

Out little guy is growing like a weed and getting long and heavy for his current infant bucket car seat/ carrier.  Technically, according to the specs on the carrier, he should be able to be safe in it until 22lbs or 28 inches.  On most babies (50 percentile), this should be about 6-9months.  Fast growing baby Tam, might be out of this sucker within the next couple of months at age 4 or 5months.  So now I have entered . . . 

THE CAR SEAT MAZE

What is something that every child must (by law) have and used?

What is different from model to model as one baby is from another?

What is made only by a handful of manufactures who have a corner on the market?

What should be purchased after trying to see how your baby fits in it and how it fits in your small car... BUT many stores don't carry many models or won't let you try it in your car before you buy?

Yes...car seats!

I've at least figured out that I need the following specs:

Convertible - No, not that it's missing a top, but that it converts between rear-facing and front-facing in the car as the little one ages.

Rear-facing to at least 30lbs - Safest for little guys to be backwards until 1 year at least.

EPP foam protection on sides - Safety for side-crash collisions

Small footprint - Dude, our car is small!  This needs to FIT in the backseat even though our car is not a SUV.

Deep seat - for lower center of gravity, again, for better fit of baby in seat and better safety.

5-point harness - Safety, yet again...BUT I would like the crotch strap to have two separate snaps instead of the two fitting together like a puzzle before snapping. (Just easier to snap).

Removable & washable fabric - Car sickness = 'nuff said.

Wait...did I mention Safety?

Other stuff that may be on a car seat depending on how much you want to spend...

Arm rests - What?  Is kiddo really going to "rest" his arm when his older?

Funky fabrics that cost more - Um, plain is fine and I'll just make sure he's in funky clothes.

Cup holder - Really?  I may just tell him to suck it up if he's thirsty and wait until the next rest stop.  As a kid, we didn't have ANY cup holders in the back seat.

So here's what I'm considering:

First Years True Fit Compass

Pros - Rave reviews, High safety rating, Removable head rest for better fit in small cars (BIG plus), Not too pricey at $180ish and price may drop soon 'cause newer model coming out.

Cons - Newer model to come on market end of March 2009...And I too impatient to wait?  Newer model also costs more than $200.  May be pretty wide in our back seat.

Apparently the Britax brand is very popular too: 

Britax Marathon

But do I want to shell out this money for about the same as the Compass?

And then there is Sunshine Kids 65 or 80:

Sunshine Kids

Good about this one is rave reviews, safe to 65 or 80lbs (depends on model), and it FOLDS UP? What?  Yep, a transformer-like car seat.  This means it has a smaller width in the backseat of the car too.  Cost between the above two at about $216.

But how to decide?  We'll cruise the shops this weekend to see if any these models are in the locals stores to have Tam "try" them :-)

I still totally thought John Lennon :-)

Questions that may never be answered . . .

Here's a list of ramblings that I was thinking about while feeding Tam this morning 'round 6 am. The mind does crazy stuff early in the morning...

• Why do they put functional pockets on baby clothes? It's not like they are putting anything in them.
• Why don't we have a type of pavement that is impervious to potholes? The inventor of this would make millions!
• If someone says "Whoa! That smells horrific...here smell this", why is it that the next person ALWAYS smells it too?
• Why don't humans have wings? It would cut down on airplane prices, but probably up the "terrorist threat."
• Why is it that your finger conveniently fits in up your nostrils? There is nothing up there for them but trouble. Tam has just figured out this great trick.
• Why are there nipples on men? They aren't for milk. Are they only there as a place to put clamps?
• Why does nearly everyone try to eat crayons at some point early in life? Admit it...we've all done this. So now, crayola has this crayon that sits inside a big plastic holder. Supposedly it is easier for small hands to hold this fat crayon holder, but is it preventing the gnawing on crayons as well?
• Not only can you wonder how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, but what kind of dance do they perform? I think it might be the line dance to "Personal Jesus."
• And a friend randomly asked me: "In what shape would you make a device capable of destroying the Earth, and where would you keep it?" I would totally make a stealth device that look convincingly like a cute harmless puppy or maybe make a mind control device that was placed in all Blackberry devices or maybe even a big honking ray gun like Marvin the Martian had and I would keep it on the roof but tell people it was merely a telescope for studying the sun :-)

Tam's first attempt at being a Pirate

Okay . .. He needs to grow into the hat a bit . . . 

And we'll have to get him an uber-sexy eye patch . . .

And as soon as he can eat solids, we'll let him try gigantic turkey legs :-)

Terms of endearment...

So, the baby network I'm linked in gives us topics to blog about randomly.  This week it is "How do you say 'I love you' "?  I guess they are gearing up for valentine's day.  (A highly over-rated holiday that makes you feel guilty if you don't spend money on your significant other or makes you feel awful if you don't have a significant other. Bah-humbug)

Hmmm...Well, I say I love you. Duh.  But maybe that's because I'm not too inventive about this stuff, and neither is Brian.  We tell Tam that he's loved tons of time.  Plus, I know that Tam is so darn kissable that Brian and I are always smooching his cute baby head.  And we get a smile from him and tickled by his hair in return.  

I guess, we tell each other we love you by calling names :-)  I know that we both have pet names for each other and rarely use our proper names.  Currently, I am referred to as Dr. Momma, Hot Momma, Dr. Wifey, My love.  Brian is Daddy-o, Poppa, Lover, My Husband. 

And Tam has many nicknames already, such as Goober, Milk-Junky, Poo-Master, Squeaker, the Baby...etc.  My sister made the comment last weekend that poor Tam may never know his name because we are always calling him something different.  Eh...he'll get over it or go crazy later in life!

 In the end, as I look at Tam sleeping during his afternoon nap, I know that I feel very loved and very thankful...no matter if I put it in words or not.  Life IS GOOD.