Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Whewh! I have lots to talk about today. I will go ahead and tell you that this is going to be a LONG post.

First, car seats. Specifically convertible car seats. So, as you all know, up until about a week ago we were still using Morgan Kate's infant carrier. However, we decided it was time for a change. MK was beginning to scream each time we put her in the car seat and there just wasn't enough room. We purchased this car seat.

I was so excited because she seemed to really like it and I was dreaming of the day when she would finally be forward facing. I thought this would happen fairly soon. Like as soon as she gained three pounds. However, after doing some research and reading everyone's comments I realize that maybe that won't be happening anytime. We may actually have another year of rear facing. Matter of fact, according to one article I read (click on link above) if you have already turned your child forward and they are not two years of age, then you need to turn them back around to rear facing. Oh my! Of course I will do whatever needs to be done to ensure that Morgan Kate is safe, but I was so looking forward to turning her car seat around. Oh well.

I know many parents right now that are about to purchase a new car seat and I also know they would love any advice or help on making this decision. If you have recently purchased one or if you just love one in particular will you leave the name of the car seat, why you like it and where you purchased it in the comments section of this post. I will say that we love our new seat. It's really comfy, great neutral colors, converts to a forward facing seat and then a booster and Morgan Kate seems to really like it. However, it is really large and probably wouldn't fit well in a smaller car. It's also more difficult to move from car to car.

On to the second item of discussion.

We had our second speech session today and it was great. I love speech and I love our SLPs (speech language pathologists)! Not only is Morgan Kate learning so much, but I am as well. Today we worked some with the cup. Our SLP showed us three different cups and they are fabulous. Matter of fact, after seeing these cups today and using them I have a whole new thinking about sippy cups. I think sippy cups are silly. Just my opinion. And that opinion could change next week. I also probably feel that way because they aren't working for us.

The first cup we tried was the "Honey Bear Cup". It is shaped just like a honey bear and has a straw. The straw is adjustable, meaning you can make it longer or shorter. Anyway, this was my favorite cup because it worked so well and because it works in two different ways. The child can suck on the straw just like any other straw or the parent can press the honey bear and liquid will come out of the straw into the child's mouth. The sucking on the straw concept won't work for MK right now because she doesn't know how to suck on a straw. However, she loves for you to press the bear and drink that way. Yes, it requires more work on my part, but it's okay - she's actually drinking from something other than her bottle. Oh, and she was super excited and motivated!


I also loved the "recessed lid" cup. It's a cup that has handles and different lids. The lids have different size holes - smaller for slow flow, larger for faster flow. Anyway, you attach the lids which are recessed and the child drinks from this cup much like a regular cup - so it makes for a great transition. Morgan Kate and I both loved this cup. It was a bit messier, but again, it worked. She was drinking from it and didn't have to try so hard.
The third cup was called the "Nosey Cup". It is shaped much like a regular drinking cup, but has a part cut out for your nose. Basically the child can use this cup without tilting their head back. It's designed for children that are a little bit older and more comfortable drinking. It looked really neat and I am sure it would also work, but we didn't try it today.

The two cups we did try worked really well and we were both super excited. Of course you can't buy them at Wal-Mart or Target, but you can order them online. So, I will be doing that a little later tonight. If you are interested in the links for them just let me know.

And on to the last topic. Sorry for such a long post. So much to say and if I don't say it now I just may forget. Ha!

Morgan Kate is going to be a bumblebee for Halloween. She needs a tutu for her costume and I wanted to try and make one rather than buying one. I went to Wal-Mart looking for black tule, but only found pink. I decided to go ahead and purchase the pink just to test my skills. If it worked then I would look for black. Well, it worked and I loved it. I am not a "fru-fru" person at all (remember I wasn't even sure I liked bows), but I just think these little tutus are too cute. After I put the tutu on I realized she needed something on her head. Again, I'm not a "fru-fru" person, but I grabbed some extra tule off the spool, tied it around her head and it worked. Here are some pics from our photo shoot today.


11 comments:

Kelly Lee said...

I love reading your post even when the info does not pertain to me, although it's very interesting and I'm sure will come in handy one day. Good luck with the cups, nothing wrong with having an assortment:)I love the tu-tu and great pics, just saw them on FB. Give her hugs and kisses. Love you guys, KL

Newman Family said...

Can you please send me the links for the cups you mentioned? Brandon is still having a hard time drinking out of a sippy cup so I would love to try them.

Our pediatrician told us to turn Brandon to forward facing at 20 pounds and 1 year so I think it all depends on who you talk to or what you read. We just turned Brandon forward facing this weekend and he is almost 15 months actual, 12 months adjusted. I love our carseat but it is only forward facing. It does convert to a booster and then a backless booster so Brandon will not need another carseat. It is the graco nautilus.

The Bridges said...

these pictures are priceless! she is so beautiful heather!

Martha Compton said...

We're delaying turning Campbell forward facing as well (despite my husband's constant complaints about it). She still has weak core muscles and I just don't trust how her body would react if we were rear-ended. I finally told my husband we'd think about turning her when she turns 2 (4 short months!).

Elizabeth Graham said...

Thank u for sharing these cups with us. I would love to have the links! I heard they regular sippy cups are the reason some kids have a speech delay and that using a straw strengthens the tongue and mouth in general. I've been trying out a sippy with a straw with J.

I am so glad that u r rethinking forward facing so soon! We rear faced Noah until he was 2 and will still turn him around during big trips. I have a great video that I may post on my blog about the benefits of rearfacing. It had me sold!

You did such an amazing job on the tutu! Wow! I'm itching to make one for Juliana.

Allie said...

Black toole is at ac Moore:). I do lots of black tutus:)

Brent and Kristen said...

Asher is also 17 lbs. but I still carry him in his carrier into restaurants or if I have a quick stop. In a restaurant, we start our dinner with him in his seat so that if he starts to get fussy, we get a high chair and all is well again (after we clear his half of the table of course).
We have been researching convertible car seats also and I know quite a few people who have recommended the Alpha Omega Elite at Babies R Us. I've even run into A O Elite owners in the store who had positive feedback.
One last thing, I haven't heard about the rear facing until 2. I've been planning on turning Asher before then so I'm pretty bummed. I'll have to do more research. Hope all goes well! Keep me posted on your new seat!

jan kessler said...

Black toole has been at Joann's Fabrics in the past. She looks adorable. She is the cutest bumble bee ever. Give her lots of hugs and kisses for MaMa and me.

Love Aunt J

Liz Mitchum said...

Heather - I love the fact that MK is older than Neeley - you do great research on things so when it is time for Neeley to get a bigger car seat - we already have great options.....
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Mk's TUTU - I am proud of you for making it - I am going to do that soon - She looks so sweet in the pictures....She is a beautiful baby girl....

Ashleigh Turner said...

So happy that speech is going well!! Love the cup options y'all are working on!

Isn't making tutus so much fun?! I made one for Caroline before her 1 year pictures, and I had a great time.

We have the Britax Marathon car seat and I love it. It's pretty big, so it may not be the best for small cars. It is rear and forward facing and can be used from 5 lbs up to 45 lbs (I think).

Kimberly (Anthony's Mom) said...

we have the same car seat and i love it!!! I had the graco comfortsport and I hated it!!! But the 3 in 1 is awesome!

kim