Sunday: Cuddles with Auntie Ting at Sunday breakfast. We can now pull up on the dog... First ever whale-spout!!! Monday: Trying on her 12mo swimsuit to make sure it still fits (since it's never been worn!). Ruby Lou Who. Planning out some quilts for my friend expecting twins. Tuesday: Stair climbing is her favorite activity, game over. We went to the spray park, and it was completely terrifying. Making huge messes are her 2nd favorite activity.
Wednesday: A new favorite napping position - booty in the air. Getting soaked out at the water table. Thursday: I thought this sidewalk chalked misspelling was so cute (Mr. G didn't, because he thought an adult wrote it, not a child, in which case, I see his point). Parade watching. Celebrating her own independence by making a mess. Friday: One little monkey, jumping on the bed. So tired, she fell asleep eating her dinner (and I don't blame her, I was so tired I was taking a nap when this happened; Mr. G took this pic with his phone). Saturday: Sippigrips = best invention ever. Hangin' out with her big concrete turtle friend.
I hope everyone out there in the internet had a wonderful Fourth! Ours ended up being quite pleasant indeed!
It's hard for me to believe that this was just one year ago:
Ruby spent most of her first Fourth being a crank-pot, but this year was much different! We started off the morning by sleeping in (yes!), then chowing down on some red velvet pancakes with whipped cream and blueberries. Turns out, my kid is weird and doesn't really like whipped cream (the dog, on the other hand, comes running whenever she hears the sound of it)!
After breakfast, we donned our red, white, and blue, and headed into town for the parade and Heritage Day festivities. There were a ton of people there, but we miraculously found both a good parking spot, and a good place to watch the parade.
Waiting for the parade to start.
Here they come!
"Where are they going?"
The parade was mostly dressed up kids and dogs. Which was actually pretty awesome. =) The town mayor rolled by, and some local businesses handed out coupons and things. My favorite part of the parade was the swag from Booginhead, whose headquarters are located in our town. They were handing out Sippigrips! I've been meaning to buy one of those forever now (we had, and loved the Pacigrip), so I was super excited to try that puppy right out. It held onto Ruby's red and blue sippy like a champ. Love it!
Sammy the Salmon
Also in the parade, was Sammy the Salmon. Our town has a big salmon spawning creek and fish hatchery, so salmon are a big deal (we have a huge "Salmon Days" festival in the fall). Sammy made Mr. G and I both have the urge to do the Salmon Dance...
Additionally, the parade was a veritable rainstorm of candy. Seriously, the kids on the sidelines made out like bandits. We even let Ruby have her first taste. Yes, me, the mom who tries to buy only organic and avoids processed foods for my girl, let her have a bright neon blue raspberry Dum-Dum.
She liked it, of course, and sucked on it for a good while while watching the parade. Then handed it off to Mr. G and was done with it. Barely any was gone. I was secretly happy, but hey, it was a holiday, gotta let the kid live a little, right?
So many doggies, Ruby was in heaven!
Mr. G has decided Ruby will be getting one of these for her next birthday...
She did a great job waving her grand ol' flag. Ok, so maybe she wanted to wave it in her daddy's face...
He showed her how it was done.
And soon, the parade was over. I could tell Ruby was pretty tired (we skipped nap, since the parade started at 11), but she was hanging in there. We wanted to check out what was going on in the park before we left.
"I need my nap, Mommy."
It was kind of nuts, tons of people in a little park. I didn't take pics of this, but there were booths, free pony rides (the line was insane!), and supposedly a slug race (?) and pie eating contest. We didn't see either of those, but we did stop by a food truck to grab some pulled pork sliders and smoked potato salad for lunch. While we ate, Ruby kicked her feet in time to the music of a local band. She was still pretty tired, so after that, we headed back home for her nap.
After nap, the sun was out! This is HUGE for us Washingtonians. There's a standing joke around here that summer starts on July 5th. I had more rained-out 4ths growing up than not. So a warm, sunny, Fourth of July? Amazing. Ruby's had two in a row. She better not get used to it!
I cleaned up the water table (whose idea was it to not provide a cover for these things?), and the little one went to town with her ducks.
She also requested that I blow bubbles for her, and I was happy to oblige. The girlie had so much fun splashing, that she eventually soaked herself, so we traded romper for swim suit.
And of course, once properly attired, left the water table completely to go make a mess in her tent.
Why, yes, she did steal the dog's toy...
The rest of the evening was spent eating BBQ chicken and corn on the cob. Lets just say, Ruby is a huge fan of BBQ sauce... (translation, it ended up all in her hair). We also took a walk around our oddly quiet neighborhood, before washing the aforementioned sauce, and attempting to put the wee one to bed.
I say attempting, because, well, she didn't exactly go to bed. Between cutting a lot of teeth and some really killer separation anxiety, Ruby's had some nights here and there where even the mention of "ninights" makes her completely lose it. So she spent a couple of teary hours with me in my bed, before finally passing out for the night. Which meant I didn't get to see any fireworks (sad). They're illegal here, but certain 'hoods are allowed to do them over the lakes, which you can usually see out our window. Of course, we had some law-breaking neighbors, but luckily, thanks to being curled up next to me, Ruby didn't seem to mind them at all. She slept like a baby until 7:30am. Oh, and she didn't mind that I appeased myself by watching the Walking Dead marathon, either!
All in all, not too shabby a 4th at all. We're already looking forward to next year. We'll definitely be doing the hometown parade again, and Ruby should be old enough to see the rocket's red glare!
Hmm... So I wrote this post days ago, and forgot to publish! How's that for bad blogger? ;)
June 23-29
Sunday: We drove out into the country to go to a couple of open houses (we loved the area, but were disappointed in the homes). Ruby can reach the bubbles on this table, and will go get them and bring them to you - especially if it's raining out... Monday: My mom and niece came over so we could have "cousin lunchies". This girl pulls up on anything anywhere. Baby matches the car seat on our quick run to Target (Oshkosh makes a lovely "snowberry" colored onesie!). Ruby pulled out all of the Magic Bullet cups, then put one of her magnet letters in each one - creative! Tuesday: I decided to see if the Pinterest trick of growing green onions works (spoiler: it does, they're a good 6" tall already!). Playing with the toys on 4-Blue. A really rough night led to a small one cuddled up with me in bed.
Wednesday: Ruby gets into our drawers and plays dress-up. Cheesin' in her big girl seat! SO excited to find a pair of jams with BEARS on them in our boxes of hand-me-downs! Thursday: Waiting on a very late friend led to silliness in the car. Somebody fell asleep on our walk (Also note, left legwarmer pulled down. She always pulls just the left one down. Always.). Friday: She was supposed to be napping, but instead was playing with her doggie, saying, "Rowr rowr rowr." Um, someone can deftly climb the stairs now. Crap. Saturday: We went to a good friend's baby shower, and of course, I didn't take pics. Cheesing it up while I was making dinner. After bath, she crawled away naked and got her family photo book. Mr. G went to Vegas for the weekend to play in the World Series of Poker, and she kept finding his picture and saying "Dada" over and over while he was gone.
I'm a bad blogger. Maybe it's just not in me? I love having the posts I do make to be able to look back on (and I have when I've wanted to remember things, several times), but I often wonder if I didn't do my weekly iPhone pic round ups, if the blog would just fade away...
*Mr. G went out of town two weekends in a row. Ugh.
*I'm really bad about picking up my real camera. I wish that would stop!
*Ruby cut three teeth in 10 days, but two of them were back to back. This has led to much clinginess, and some sleepless nights.
Just found this pic on my phone. The last ride in the Keyfit.
*We still have no plans for the 4th at this point. I really want to take Ruby to a parade, but I also don't want to fight tons of traffic, pay for parking, etc. Which really limits my options around here in such a densely populated area.
*I also really want to take R to a spray park. This one looks cool, no?
I wonder if she'd have fun, even though she isn't walking yet. Hmm...
*Speaking of spray parks, summer finally came to Washington. It's been around 90 degrees, which means it's also been about that hot inside my house. Most homes here do not have a/c, because we usually don't need it. But, man. My sweat is sweating. I'm parked in front of a fan, but fans really dry my contacts out. I just can't win.
*I also seem to have no shorts that fit. Ew.
*Over the weekend, I went to a baby shower for my good friend Sara. She's having twins, a boy and a girl, at the end of the summer. I am SO excited for her! For her gift, I wanted to include handmade things, because she loves handmade, and also some favorites from when Ruby was little. So I got a little basket that had a note from Ruby that said, "Dear Auntie Sara, Here are some of my favorite things from when I was new..." Then each thing was wrapped, with a clue, like, "...for wearing" "...for playing" "...for a change". It was adorable, and I took not one single picture of it. So sad.
How freaking cute is that? I got it at the Kate Quinn warehouse sale for $5. I want it bad for Ruby, but I am not willing to pay $38 to order it in her size!
Better do the last one, before the next one sneaks up on me!
June 16-22
Sunday: Father's Day snuggles with Dada. Mr. G took the babe for some Daddy-Daughter time, so I made a little hat for a friend. Monday: Stalking the UPS man! Sidewalk chalk has become a HUGE hit around here. Riding to Daddy's softball game in the new Foonf! Tuesday: Ruby chasing Patty (at the end of the hall way down there with a yoga ball), yelling "Ball! Ball!". Look Ma, no hands. Wednesday: Ruby & I went in search of solid colored onesies and ended up having a little shopping spree (under $40, we got a 3pc jammie set, a 2pc jammie set, 2 skirts, a shirt, three onesies, and 8 hair clips). The small one gets super needy, right when it's time for me to make dinner. =(
Thursday: Trying to tell me that her mouth hurts. While picking up some dog food, we found the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen... Little Miss No Hands. She gets up like this and just starts dancing! Friday: Ruby "asked" to get in the Jumperoo, then proceeded to eat the animals. Yay, the park re-opened, so we can swing again! They put in this toy fire engine thingy that Ruby was pretty into. Saturday: We were super busy (so of course, I didn't take many pics). Rehydrating at the Kate Quinn Organics warehouse sale. Reading One Fish, Two Fish to me. First injury. Mr. G was out of town for the night, and before he left, I joked that we'd probably end up having our first ER visit while he was gone. This obviously didn't need the ER, but sure enough, she pinched her finger in the laundry room door!
There's something you should know about me. I am an obsessive researcher. I like to think it's because I like to learn, but when I want to know more about something or need help making a choice in something that I am interested in, I dive in. WAY in.
Which means that I have spent literally months researching which convertible car seat to get for Ruby.
And finally (finally!) it is here!!! (p.s. sorry for the crappy iPhone pics... and for Ruby's grump-face, poor kid was in teething hell that day)
Pale-baby says, "Open that box, Mama!"
We ended up choosing the Clek Foonf for her, and I am pretty much in love with it. I'm pretty sure Ruby is too!
But why did it take me months to make a choice?
Well, for one thing, I am really indecisive. Especially when it comes to the safety of my girl! And for another, well, there's no one "best" car seat out there, and on the contrary, there are actually a lot of great seats. Which means, even though I love the Foonf, that doesn't mean it's the best seat for anyone else necessarily.
So, how did we end up deciding to drop a boatload of cash on this pretty little seat? I started with my list of criteria:
1.) Will allow Ruby to rear-face for a long, long time.
2.) Will fit Ruby well and install nicely in my car.
3.) User friendly for Mr. G.
"Grandma, I want to get IN this thing!!!"
It was a short list! At first. Number two on that list was a given. The "best" car seat is one that fits your child/car, and that you can use correctly every time you drive. Which kind of leads to #3. Mr. G is not great at using car seats. I pretty much check his harnessing job every time I can, and often have to correct it. And that's in our Chicco Keyfit, which is one of the most user-friendly seats out there! So I knew I needed a seat that I could feel comfortable with his ability to use. Because (and this is such a scary statistic) 80% of car seats are used incorrectly.
That means that if you are reading this, chances are great that your car seat is being used incorrectly, whether it's the install, how your child is harnessed, expired/outgrown, or aftermarket products being used in your car/with your seat that have not been crash tested.
This is the part where I BEG you, I IMPLORE you to please please please please please make an appointment to have your seat checked by a certified child passenger safety technician. And do so every time you get a new seat or car. I had Ruby's infant seat checked, and have an appointment to get her Foonf checked this weekend, too. Every mama & daddy out there wants their child to be safe. Unfortunately, we don't know what we don't know. And the only way we can find out, is to seek out the experts who do know. If you're not sure where to get a seat check, click here to find a tech near you. Our hospital puts on free car seat clinics, so that may be an option for you.
Also of note: Many people have heard to go to your local fire or police station for a check. This is only ok if they have a tech, and the tech is the person who checks! Often they will want to help you (since they're so used to helping people in general), but have no idea what they're doing really. I know this firsthand because Mr. G was a firefighter for a long time, and as I mentioned above, he really has no clue about car seats!
"Whoa, check out the view up here!"
Finally, I need to mention #1 on my list of criteria. You will notice that even though Ruby is over one year (and likely now over 20lbs.), she is still rear-facing in her seat. And actually, my goal is to have her facing that way until four years of age. Not mainstream, I know. But 500% safer than facing forward. I for sure want my baby girl 500% safer! I could go on and on about extended rear facing (ERF), but instead, I'm going to let this video speak for me. Please watch it. It could save your child's life.
Isn't the difference in the crash tests incredible???
I had a mama friend ask me about ERF, so I showed her the video. Just like with me, that really stuck with her. Her son will now be rear-facing for a long time. =)
Now, lucky for me, there are a lot of seats that met my initial list of criteria. But, of course, as I delved deeper into the world of car seat safety (I now have the car-seat.org app, and am totally addicted), I discovered I wanted/needed to add to my list.
This here's my other baby:
Full of Swedish goodness and safety, but it turns out, can sometimes not play nice with car seats! Because of advanced air bags, and a whiplash protection system, I cannot have a child restraint (or anything actually) touching the front seats. Which meant that I needed to find a seat that would rear-face with enough room to not touch the seats in front.
I also discovered that I really wanted some sort of rebound control in my seat. Rebound control increases the "ride down" time in a crash, which basically means less of the crash forces are going to be absorbed by her little body. Good.
Except, usually this means the seats use a rear tether for rebound control. Which is great, unless you have my car! Apparently, Volvo does not even want a tether touching the front seats (which is usually where you anchor one). Which meant that I needed a seat that had either an anti-rebound bar, bolsters, or shape. Which led me to either the Clek Foonf, Chicco Nextfit, Graco Myride, The First Years True Fit Premier or the Peg Perego convertible.
All great seats. What tipped me in favor of the Foonf was it's ability to meet ALL of my criteria, plus extras like the "green" factor (Greenguard certified fabrics, and total recyclability), it's narrowness for if/when we have another child(ren), it's awesome technology as a forward facing seat when that time comes (it has crumple zones much like a car), made in North America, Clek's good reputation, and most minorly, aesthetics. Because once all the safety stuff is covered, who doesn't like a good looking seat? ;) You can read more about it on Clek's website here (and Clek didn't pay me for a review or anything, I just like the seat). It is sadly a very expensive seat, but thanks to a well-timed bonus for Mr. G, we were able to afford it, and I feel really good about Ruby's new ride!
Phew. You'd think I'd be exhausted after all that research, right?
I'm not though. In fact, I'm kind of dreaming up ways to convince Mr. G we need a different seat for his car, too. I think I might be car seat obsessed. Hey, I told you I dive WAY in, right? ;) Maybe I should become a tech...
Anyway, we've had several drives in the seat now, and I love it just as much (or more) than I thought I would. It sits up high on a base for rear facing, which means Ruby can see out the windows now! She loves that! It is SUPER easy to use, was a piece of cake to install with the seat belt in the center of my car (no LATCH there), she doesn't get all sweaty in it like she did in her Chicco, and the best part? Ruby doesn't cry in the car anymore. Ok, so I'm sure she will again at some point, but she's gone from a baby who always cries in her car seat, to a contented girl. Which makes a contented mama.
Kinda kicking myself for not getting it sooner! Oh, well!
I'm Jenny. New to my 30's and new to mommyhood. Diehard Buckeye fan and Pacific Northwest resident. Wife to Keith, mama to sweet baby Ruby, and dog-mommy to Braidy.
