An Important Lesson Was Learned

Okay we've all heard the dangers of putting car seats on top of grocery carts right?  And I will fully admit we were guilty of this as well until recently.  Well this morning we learned an important lesson that car seats should not go on ANY elevated surface.  Walker and I were both rushing around this morning in the usual chaos that is our morning routine.  I was in the bedroom finishing getting dressed and Walker was in the family room getting the girls ready to go.  He put Lucy in her car seat but did not buckle her in and put the car seat up on our counter-height table.  A minute later, I hear a thud, Sadie bark, Walker curse, and Lucy cry.  I ran out and found the car seat on the floor (upright) and Walker holding a crying Lucy.  I said, "What the hell happened?" (please excuse my language).  Well Walker didn't see what happened either but obviously, the car seat had fallen off the table and taken Lucy with it!  Thank God (seriously, praise Jesus!) she didn't seem to be seriously injured.  She calmed down within a few minutes.  But as I was leaving the neighborhood I thought, maybe I should get this checked out (and this was confirmed after talking to my sitter).  So off to convenient care.  They referred us to the pediatrician on call.  The pediatrician didn't think she was seriously hurt but he wanted to x-ray her ribs just to make sure because she got upset every time he put pressure on them.  So we go over to radiology.  When they finally called us, we went into this room and the radiologists said for me to put my things on the table.  I was a little confused because I wondered why they would want my things on the table if that's where Lucy was going to be.  Oh wait, Lucy wasn't going to lay on the table.  No, no, no.....they have a little contraption to x-ray babies ribs.  This is what my precious little child was put into:

Now imagine your child in there (screaming his/her head off) and tell me you wouldn't start crying!   They asked me to go behind a wall (for safety obviously) and there was a little window in the wall so that if I wanted to watch I could.  Let me tell you, I was not about to look at Lucy in that horrible thing anymore than I had to!  It physically hurt me to see her in it.  I was SO happy to get her out of it (and she was happy to be out!).
Thankfully, x-ray came back clean.  Lucy is doing very well- she's been a happy baby the rest of the day.  But to reiterate- DO NOT PLACE YOUR CHILD ON AN ELEVATED SURFACE IN ANY SORT OF CARRIER OR CHAIR UNLESS IT IS STRAPPED TO THAT SURFACE!  Seriously folks, I don't want any momma (or daddy) to go through what I went through this morning, or go through something even worse!!

I Heart Faces Challenge

This is my first time entering a challenge for I Heart Faces but I've been following their blog for several months (I believe I found them through Pinterest!).  Anyway, this week's challenge is "Let Them Be Little."  Here is my photo entry:

I took this photo of my husband and our second daughter Lucy about 2 hours after giving birth (yes I was still in the hospital bed when I took this!).  I love this photo because it captures how quiet the room was and how at that moment, nothing else mattered in the world but this new little life.

If you're interested in following I Heart Faces or participating in their weekly challenges, click on the button below!

Boo at the Zoo!

Yesterday we all went to our first Boo at the Zoo at Scoville Zoo in Decatur.  It did not start until 5:30 so I figured if we left the house at 5, we'd get there in plenty of time.  But of course, we did not leave the house at 5 and then we had to get gas, and put some air in the tires (side rant: since when does air cost $1.00??).  So by the time we got on the road, it was already 5:30.  Then of course neither Walker nor I got directions before we left so we missed the exit for the zoo (why isn't that marked on 72?  It should be!) and we had to navigate through Decatur.  We probably didn't get there until 6:15 so it was already pretty dark.  I was kind of bummed because we couldn't really see any of the animals.  We did see some owls and some wolves because their cages were lit up.  Taylor was greatly entertained by the wolf pacing back and forth in front of the fence.  I was less amused as it was clear the wolf was hell-bent on escaping!
Taylor was of course shy with all the people running the stations.  She liked carrying her tickets, but did not want to give them up.   Lucy was just content to be held the entire time.  The girls got tons of compliments on their matching costumes.  I can't believe I found them at OneWeekBoutique in the right sizes- what are the odds?  (Bonus, they weren't ever worn because the tags were still on- and they were only $9 each!).  Oh I'm starting to ramble.....anyway, the girls had a great time.  I think next time we'll try and go when the zoo offers more daytime hours so we can see some of the animals as well. 
I only got 2 half decent pictures because I had to make sure Taylor didn't escape us and I will fully admit, I really don't know how to use my camera to get good nighttime pictures.  Time to revisit my camera manual!

Haha- yes I am "that" mom who is making her child where a long sleeve shirt under her costume and socks and tennis shoes!  lol

Lucy is 7 Months!

Weight: don't know
Height: don't know

I guess maybe I should have attempted to get her measurements before sitting down to write this....eh I'm not going to worry about it.  She is bigger than what she was at 6 months; let's go with that!

Physical Development: Lucy can scoot...backwards.  Or in a circle.  And then she gets stuck somewhere and cries until we come rescue her.  :)  I don't think she'll be crawling anytime soon.  Maybe that's my fault because we don't really give her a lot of tummy time anymore.  She enjoys sitting up and playing or standing in the exersaucer.

Language: Still getting lots of vowel sounds.  She has not added a whole lot of syllables but honestly I'm so focused on Taylor's language these days that I can't worry about Lucy's that much.  I'm pretty sure her language is where it needs to be.  She definitely uses noise to communicate.  I love how excited she gets when she sees her bottle- lots of "oooo"ing and hand flapping!

Cognitive:  I'm trying to work on clapping with her.  She is fascinated by me doing it and I'll even put her hands together to show her how to clap.  Lucy enjoys exploring her toys (aka chewing on them) and she enjoys listening to Walker and I read to her.  She looks at the pictures with great interest and we've been showing her how to touch the books when they have different textures.

Teeth: Still no teeth!  I really thought we'd have one by now.  And I swear her gums were swollen earlier this week but still no tooth.  I'm not complaining; I love her little toothless grin and I will be sad the day it disappears.

Food: Nothing has changed much.  She eats about 20-24 oz of breastmilk and 2 solid meals of cereal and/or fruit and veggies.  She really likes the combination purees I give her.  Oh in case you need to make your baby poop, I recommend the Plum Organics plum and purple carrot puree.  That did wonders for her constipation!  Oh yes we have started yogurt and I think she's still getting used to the texture.  But she does like it.

Sleep: Still a wonderful sleeper!  She goes down around 7-7:30 and sleeps until 6-6:30.  Actually on weekends she usually sleeps until 7:30 or 8.  We have had to do a little bit of CIO with her because she doesn't always fall asleep with her last bottle.  But if she cries when we put her down, it's only for 2-3 minutes and then she usually goes to sleep.  And really I can think of maybe 3 times she has cried so really we're not having any problems.  And during the day her naps vary.  We usually get at least one good hour nap out of her; the rest are usually cat naps.  Actually she may only take one nap at the sitter's but I know it's a long one- 2 hours I think.

And now for some fluff!

Snap Converting Your Cloth Diapers

Any mom who cloth diapers for awhile knows that velcro does not last.   It starts pilling and the closure tabs start curling, or in the case of a few of my diapers, going bald.  The solution is to order a velcro replacement kit and replace the velcro.  However, a sewing machine is an absolute must to do this and so are some sort of sewing skills.  I possess neither.  So I decided to convert the diaper closures to snaps.  It actually wasn't that hard to do and I figured I would share the process on here for anyone who is curious or is looking for the how-to.

Materials: snap pliers, stiletto (no not the shoe), snaps, paper, pencil, something to rip stitches

I purchased the pliers, stiletto, and snaps at JoAnn fabrics.  They have a whole new line called Babyville Boutique.  The pliers and stiletto actually came in a kit along with a small screw driver and different sized snap mounts.  They run about $20 but the cashier found a 50% off coupon for me so I got mine for $10.  The packages of snaps are $8 each. 

Step 1: Remove the velcro from the diaper.  Now I don't have a seam ripper or some fancy sewing tool to rip out stitches (my sewing kit came from the dollar store; what do you expect?) but I found small nail scissors did a pretty good job.  Just be careful not to rip the fabric as you pull out the stitches.  After the velcro is removed, pull out all the little remaining threads.

Also remove the velcro from the closure tabs.  If you choose you can remove the laundry tabs as well but they're really not hurting anything by leaving them on there so I left them.

Before I go any further, I just want to point out that when I got this diaper, it was already very well-loved (code for used) so pardon the worn out quality.
Step 2: Create a template for where the snaps will go on the diaper.  Now, the diaper tutorial I found online suggested tracing the top of the diaper onto paper, cutting it out, and measuring out where you want the snaps and marking it with a pencil.  By all means you can do it this way and the first diaper I converted, I did do it this way; it was kind of hard because I wasn't totally sure how far apart to put the snaps and what-not.  OR you can do what I did for this diaper:  I found a diaper that already had snaps, laid it under the paper, and used a crayon to make a rubbing.  Voila!

I was pretty proud of myself for thinking of that.  After you make the rubbing, go ahead and trace the top of your diaper and cut out the template (by the way, if you want to use this template multiple times,  make it out of card stock so it lasts longer).
After you cut out the template, take your stiletto and poke holes in the template.
Don't forget to make a template for the closure tabs as well!
Step 3: Place the template over your diaper and use a pencil to mark your diaper through the holes.

When you get done doing this, remove the template and you can see exactly where your snaps will go.

Step 4: Use the stiletto to poke holes in the fabric.  Now this is the tricky part because you need to poke through the outer PUL, but NOT the inner liner.  You will probably have to put your hand inside the pocket to spread the fabric apart.  Just be sure not to put a hole in your hand!  The closure tabs are easier since you stick the stiletto through the whole tab.

Step 5: Stick the prong of a snap cap through the hole.

Step 6: Place a socket (the outer socket; it has a bigger diameter than the smaller inner socket) over the prong.

Step 7: Place the snap pliers over the snap setting.  This part is kinda tricky because you have to line it up carefully in order to get the snap centered in the pliers.  Once it's lined up, squeeze the pliers hard.  But be careful- you dont' want to crack the snaps in half (which I did a few times).  I think as long as the snap is centered in the pliers you won't run the risk of breaking the snap.  Remove pliers and you should have something like this:

Step 8: Repeat steps 5-7.

Step 9: Now it's time for the closure tabs.  Stick a prong through the hole making sure the back of the snap is on the outside of the tab. 

Place the other kind of socket (smaller diameter) over the prong and use the snap pliers to press them together.  I found it was much easier to get these snaps centered in the pliers.  Then repeat on the other tab.

Step 10: Sit back and admire your work!

Now the book I looked at in JoAnn's said something about attaching an extra piece of PUL to the inside of the diaper to reinforce the snaps.  And I checked all my snap diapers and they do have this in place.  However, I forgot to do that with both of the diapers I've done so far.  I will attempt to do so on my next diaper.  I think it might be a little tricky for me since I won't be sewing it in.  But I figure I can hold it in place with some safety pins until I get some snaps in place to hold it.

Language, Language

Ahhh the almost 2 year old.... you really have to watch what you say around them because two year olds are like little parrots, repeating everything they hear.  Oh but don't worry...my child won't repeat what you say.  In fact she will hardly say anything at all.
I know in past Taylor updates I've mentioned how her language skills have been a bit behind.  Now she's is more than just a bit behind.  By 2 years old, toddlers should have around 50 words and should have several 2 word phrases.  I'd estimate Taylor has around 20 words.  And 2 word phrases??  The only phrases she has ever uttered are "Hey you" and "Hi Lucy" and honestly, I haven't heard those in quite some time.
I don't know if I've mentioned that we had Taylor screened by Early Intervention of Champaign County.  She came up a little behind, but not enough to qualify for services.  We were told "oh just keep talking to her, read to her, encourage her to use words, and she'll get it"  Guess what folks?  We've been doing all those things since day 1.  She has made a slight improvement from that screening in June but nowhere near what it should be.  People tell me "oh just wait, soon she'll just start exploding with words"  Um I'm still waiting for that explosion.
And it's not only the lack of words, but the fact that words she used to say, she no longer does!  I'd say that right now, if I only count the words she has said on her own in context in the past week; she's got about 8 words?
I've been saying it for months- there is something wrong!!  It's so incredibly frustrating to hear the same comments/advice over and over and over. 
So this Thursday she is being rescreened by Early Intervention.  I don't see how she could not qualify for services this time.  But if she doesn't qualify, I'm not playing the waiting game anymore.  Our next step will be a visit to her pediatrician for a referral to the outpatient speech therapy at Carle.  This has gone on too long and I refuse to sit back and "hope" that she gets better.
(can you tell I'm just a little bit frustrated with this?!?!)