Way Back When-esday: Car Seats!!!

A couple of days ago I shared a picture of the girls in their original car seats, taking one last stretch.  (We just installed new seats this weekend.)

(They thought it was hilarious to "relax" on the driveway!)

I am not sure what prompted me on Monday to rifle through pictures from June 2010...SIX YEARS AGO...but I happened up this little jewel.

(Obviously this was before they smiled somewhat reliably on command...HA!)

We were heading to a local Australian-themed zoo, and I snapped a picture while the Hubs was pumping gas.  Look at those yummy little legs!!!  And those bubble suits were the cutest!!!

My discovery of this picture came just days before Cheryl's Way Back When-esday...so I knew it was kismet for me to share.  :)  You *may* know I c.a.n.n.o.t. resist a good comparison picture!!!

[And I just gasped thinking ahead 20 years...imagine what kind of fun the girls could have recreating pictures from their childhood when they're adults!  Squee!!!]

{Dear A and B: If you're reading this in 2036, please know that would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift!}

Hahaha!!!

Farewell, Old Friend

We said goodbye to a faithful friend this weekend...

...one we purchased when the girls were not quite 10 months old, and began using when they were about 15 months.

One that has seen us through a few leaky diapers and potty training...

...one spilled hot chocolate.

One that made trips as far east as North Carolina, as far west as St. Louis...

...as far north as Chicago, as far south as New Orleans.

One that kept them safely rear-facing until they were more than four (and I'm still pretty proud of that!)...

...and witnessed the AWE of four-year olds viewing the front of the car for the first time.

One that saw us through the first day of preschool, to preschool graduation...

...to the first day of kindergarten, to the end of first grade.

But the time has come to retire these jewels.

So farewell, Faithful Friends.  We thank you for your valiant service!

************************************************************************

We found convertible seats that should last us the duration, ones that will still allow 5-point harnesses until the girls are 57" and/or 65 pounds.  Score!!!  After their first ride, the girls complained that they weren't sitting up as high and that the seats felt "weird".  I guess so...a change after 6 years is a shock to one's system!

Backseat Drivers

When we turned the girls’ car seats to forward-facing in February, it was amazing the things they noticed…things that I wouldn’t remotely think to point out to them.  They were enthralled with all the buttons and lights.  They loved the cardinal directions on the rear-view mirror.  And they were so interested in why the keys were hanging by the steering wheel.  (That would be the ignition.)

Their excitement faded after a month or so, but the non-stop commentary from the backseat is back.  Yes, the girls are full-fledged backseat drivers.

Mommy, what is the speed limit?  Seventy?  Can you please go seventy?

Why are you slowing down?  I like to go fast!

Why can’t we make a u-turn here?

Sirens!  I hear sirens!  Stop, Mommy! 

Why is that truck going faster than we are?

Mommy, why didn’t you use your signal?  The other cars need to know what we’re doing.

Mommy, what was that bump?  They need to take better care of the road here.

Mommy, what is the number on my tire?  What about Sissy’s?  Does Daddy need to air them up?  (Our car is very sensitive to tire pressure changes…it beeps at me all the time to report the pressure, and the girls have picked up on this.)

Mommy, the light is green!  Yay!  We’re so lucky!

Mommy, do you think we’ll make that green light?  Nope…there it’s turning yellow.  We’ll need to wait our turn.

Mommy, I see the light over there turning yellow.  We’re going to get to go soon!

Where are those people going?  They just turned.

Those people must be going farther than we are.  They're not getting off the interstate.

Mommy, is the policeman giving that person a ticket?  Will they go to jail?  Do you get to bring your toys?

And so on…and on…and on.  I actually think it’s really cute, and pretty darn fun.  I just have to ask the girls to pipe down on occasion.  There are times when Mommy needs to concentrate on being the front-seat driver.  I can only handle so many questions from the backseat at a time!

Turn Around, Bright Eyes

It’s been almost a month since we made the switch, and I’m just now writing about it.  Honestly, it was a very bittersweet transition, one I had a really hard time embracing.  Hubby was adamant that it was time, though, and I’ve finally become a little more comfortable with it.

At four years and a little over a month old, we turned the girls’ carseats to face forward.

When the girls were born, the guidelines were consistent for forward-facing…one year old AND twenty pounds.  Our girls didn’t hit the 20 pound mark for quite some time after their first birthday…and by then there was talk about rear-facing until age two.

Before their second birthday, though, I began to read research, much of it cited from other countries, about the benefits of extended rear-facing.  I couldn’t get some particularly graphic images out of my mind, and I vowed to keep the girls rear-facing “as long as possible”.

I didn’t have a specific “goal” in mind, but I knew I’d make the switch before they started kindergarten.

The challenge for our family was that the rear-facing seats didn’t allow the front seats to be adjusted very far back from the dashboard.  That made it extremely uncomfortable – and dangerous – for my husband to drive, and maybe even to ride so close to the airbag.

Our girls are now four.  They’re bigger, and taller, and stronger.  On the growth chart, they are close-to-average, or above, in some cases.  I didn’t give my husband my blessing when he turned their seats around…but I didn’t outright refuse him.

There.  I said it.  And it’s OK.  I know we’ve waited a long time to make this transition, and I’m pretty comfortable with it.

And now I have to share some of the “funny” that’s come with this switch.  The girls were seeing the front of the car for the first time ever…at four years old…and their questions and observations were downright hilarious.

They were fixated on all the buttons, and they had to ask what each of them did.  And then, “Why do you have the keys there?”  They were asking about the ignition!

For a long time, they were focused on the direction indicator on the rear-view mirror.  “Mommy, we’re going north!”  “Mommy, ‘S’ is for south!”  “Mommy, what is ‘NE’?”  “Mommy, why did it change?”

They’ve been very interested in the mirrors, too, wanting to understand why we have mirrors in the car.

And the funniest was when it was raining a couple of weeks ago when we were coming home from school.  I was really alarmed to hear the screech from the back seat: “Mommy!  It’s going FAST!!!!!  Mommy, they’re going to hit each other!!!!!”

My heart dropped as I scanned frantically for an impending accident.

It took me a couple of seconds to realize the girls were just commenting on the windshield wipers.  The rain had hastened, and they sped up to keep pace.

Whew.  Deep breaths…and some laughs…as we embrace this new direction.

It's Fleeting...

My word of the year for 2012 is AWARE. I chose this word, thinking not so much about my girls…but rather as relates to the many other aspects of my every day life

As a general rule, I think I do a good job of practicing AWARENESS as a mother…but still, there are moments every day that strike me, reminding me that – while there will no doubt be new joys tomorrow – the joys of today are fleeting.

One of the tiny little moments I’m really savoring now is loading and unloading my girls from their car seats.

I know it won’t be long before they insist on climbing in and out themselves…that they won’t always delight as I lift them up high and twirl them around. I know that an itty-bitty tickle won’t always yield a great squeal of anticipation. And one day “AIRPLANE!” in the parking lot of the grocery store won’t evoke that contagious belly laugh.

Coupon savings and long lines at the checkout are so easily forgotten when I pause for a second to enjoy the twinkling eyes of my baby girls.

And on the way home from our errand, I find joy, too. Our girls are still rear-facing in their car seats, and there’s something so incredibly dear about reaching back over my shoulder at a traffic light, barely grasping their tiny, sticky hand in mine, feeling them pull against me in a little game…and then hearing Sissy squeal, “Take my hand, Mommy!”

These are such small moments in time…fleeting…but I’m doing my best to be AWARE and savor them while I can.

Mama Loves...Bundling Up!

I've had a lot of fun over the past couple of months, checking out Julia's "Mama Loves" link-up at Pontifications of a Twin Mom. It's great to see tried and true reviews by real mamas, on real gear, books, toys, songs, and games.

As I think about the baby items that have truly stood the test of time at our house, ones I wouldn't have wanted to live without, I can't help but beam about our carrier / stroller blankets.

Before the girls were born, I found the Bundle Me covers for the girls' carriers. They came home from the hospital in these in January, and I don't think I took them off their carriers until late spring.

Here's a picture of the girls at about 10 weeks old, ready for our very first walk!


Bundle Me comes in various sizes and thicknesses. Since we live in a more moderate climate, I bought the Bundle Me Lite.

If it was cold, I could stuff a blanket down in the bottom and zip the girls up (kind of like a sleeping bag). If it was warmer, I could leave the girls in a sleep-and-play and just cover their legs.

We continued to use the Bundle Me with the girls' carriers through their first birthday.

When we invested in a jogging stroller when the girls were nine months old, one of our first purchases was a Bundle Me for it. I again bought a Lite thickness, in an extra large size (knowing the girls can use it for a long time to come).

Here's a picture of the girls on Thanksgiving weekend last year, just shy of two years old. (The Bundle Me was old news, but the mittens were quite the novelty!)


All in all, we've had a pretty warm fall. That, coupled with how often our girls walk hand-in-hand with us (not in the stroller), we've only had our Bundle Me in our stroller for a week or so. I have yet to snap any photos this year...but I'm sure I will soon.

Here's to many more walks with my sweet girlies...cozy and comfy in even the coolest of weather!

Anniversary of a Milestone Week

Hubby’s Spring Break starts today. Can I get a HALLELUJAH?!!!!!!!!!!

We don’t have any big plans, but we’re hoping to do a few fun things in and around town.

I was just thinking back to this week last year, when we had the same game plan…no big plans…but I remember that week as being full of so many fun milestones.

We took the girls shopping for their first pair of shoes.

While we were at the mall, we fed the girls lunch in a restaurant for the first time, off the menu. We were so awkward, carrying their high chairs in with us! I also had a bag of food to supplement what we ordered, including two avocados…can you say messy?!!! The girls were still taking bottles, too, so I had to heat those in cups of hot water.

And when we got home with our shoes, of course we had to take the girls for their first walk in the neighborhood, hand in hand. I remember they were a little freaked out over the feel of grass under their feet, but they were otherwise so proud of themselves, and we of them!

That week we also transitioned the girls from their carriers to full-size [rear-facing] car seats. I know that is so much more comfortable for them, but sometimes I STILL miss the convenience of loading up those carriers in the comfort of my kitchen and swinging them over my arm.

Later that week, we took the girls for their very first taste of ice cream at a local dairy barn. It was met with mixed reviews…I think they wanted to like it, but my guess is that the cold was too much for them.

Time is such a funny creature. In some ways these events seem like eons ago (bottles???)…but in other ways, I can remember like yesterday the girls at once wanting and not wanting that ice cream.

This week, we’ll make our bi-annual shopping trip for new shoes. I’m certain we’ll buy something very similar to the girls’ first two pairs – basic lace-up tennis shoes. At 27 months, Baby A still can’t be trusted with Velcro for more than a moment.

While we’re shopping, we’ll have a nice lunch, but the only “supplement” I’ll be packing is some fresh fruit to round out the girls’ meal.

Weather permitting (PLEEEEEEEEASE!!!), we’ll spend some nice time together outdoors. The grass doesn’t intimidate the girls anymore, though. In fact, they love to RUN on it (especially if there’s a soccer ball in sight!).

We’ll load the girls in their still-rear-facing car seats for an anniversary trip to the dairy barn. They’ve decided they’re rather fond of ice cream (!!!), and I’ll bet they’ll be all about seeing the cows this year.

And what other milestones might we cross this week? Well, we’re planning to shop for a swing set for the backyard!

We’re looking forward to a fun, family-focused week. I can’t begin to imagine what Spring Break will hold for us next year…only time will tell!

Almost Too Much to Handle...

…too much “big kid stuff” for one week, that is!

On Tuesday, we took the girlies shopping for their first pair of shoes! Baby A took off in her new kicks right away, but Baby B planted her little feet and refused to move, cackling the whole time. After a couple of days of practice, though, both girls are once again making tracks.



On Friday, we (reluctantly) used the infant carriers for the last time, as Daddy installed the girls' convertible car seats. They're riding in style now (still facing backwards),but Mommy will miss the convenience of loading and unloading them in the comfort of the kitchen.

On Saturday, we took the girls for their first ice cream cones! They were at once in love with the sweetness and shocked by the cold. They both cried for more, and then winced when we gave it to them. :) The problem was solved when I gave them some of my chocolate-brownie chunk ice cream. A strategically spooned tiny bite of brownie with an even tinier bit of chocolate ice cream...now that was right up their alleys.




And on Saturday night, we laced up the girls’ shoes and took them outside. We walked, hand in hand, around our circle. The girls had a blast, giggling at the newness; and Mommy and Daddy were in awe, looking at our precious little big girls.



We had a lot of fun with the girlies this week, but there were just so many “big kid things” to take in. I think I might need to plan a little better in the future and space out some of these big steps in the interest of maintaining Mommy’s sanity.