Car Seat Shopping

So it's Saturday night, Philip's in bed, and Phil is at work. What's a girl to do? Well, research car seats, of course!

And you thought your life was glamorous!

Philip is currently riding in style in his Graco SafeSeat infant seat. Despite the fact that he's decided to become a baby bodybuilder and is pushing 20 pounds of solid baby muscle mass, we're still lugging him around in his infant seat. We've been talking about moving him into a convertible seat, and I had finally settled on the popular, pricey Britax Marathon when I found this:



The Graco My Ride 65 Car Seat. It can rear-face with infants up to 40 pounds! 40 pounds! That's the highest rear-facing weight capacity of any car seat manufactured in the US. It can then be used forward-facing for children up to 65 pounds. And, at $150, it's $130 less than the Marathon I had settled on. Sold!

So, yes, a 40 pound child is hardly an infant anymore, but it's recommended by the AAP to rear-face as long as possible. And, because I'm a safety freak, Philip will be rear-facing well into his toddler years. Not to mention the fact that he'll then be in a booster car seat until he's pretty much in high school. LOL. Yes, I'm that mom!

Here's some helpful info on extended rear-facing for anyone who might be interested in learning more: http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

Philip's New Favorite Thing To Do

A Day in the Life of an 8 Month Old

Fun with Peaches

Playing "So Big!"

Swingin'

Since getting his first tooth, he's always sucking on his lower lip

Good tooth shot!

"Cool shades, Daddy!"

My First Mother's Day

It seems to me that, no matter what the weather may have been doing the day (or weeks) before, Mother's Day is almost always beautiful, and today was no exception! Sunny skies, high 70s, and not a bit of humidity in sight; the weather was perfect. Last year we went to brunch at the Lake of the Woods Clubhouse for Mother's Day and I was honored as a mom-to-be. At the time I was 5 months pregnant. How different things are just 12 months later!

We spent the day visiting with my mom, Stacia, Natalie, and Michael, and later went out to dinner at Red Robin in Massaponnax. Philip was exceptionally sweet and adorable for us today, playing with toys at Grandma's house and taking a nice long nap in the afternoon. Later, he had a ball pounding on the table at Red Robin and generally hamming it up.

Phil got me a beautiful sterling silver heart-shaped locket with the word "Mom" engraved on the front of it to commemorate the special day. How wonderful a gift it is to be a mother! I feel so fortunate to have joined the ranks of this special group of people!

Because his laugh is the funniest thing. Ever.

Some day, when he's a teenager I'm sure, he'll probably think I'm the lamest person alive, but at least I will be able to look back at these days and remember that at one point in time he found me absolutely hilarious.

Eight Months Old!

So many changes in the past month! He's self-propelled as of a couple of weeks ago and on his way to turning the house completely upside down! In fact, he just figured out how to go from his tummy into a sitting position. We're definitely in trouble now!

He loves to play "Patty Cake" and is learning how to clap his hands together. One of his favorite things to do is make funny sounds and have you imitate him in a game of Copy Cat. He loves playing with his blocks and thinks throwing things on the floor from his high chair tray is absolutely hilarious.

It seems every day he learns a new skill or ability. It's a blast watching him learn and grow!

Belly Laughs