07.30.2006 | 10:18 pm | Daily Life, Gray Matters
Ahhh…G’s swim classes are finally over. It’s been a hectic summer working the classes into our schedule, but the payoff is that he learned to swim!
This week ended with the big finale—the jump off the diving board. Granted, not a single one of the age 3 & under pupils jumped off on their own will. The coach’s daughter had to “help” them—basically, she threw them in. 
Grayson went kicking and screaming, but he swam beautifully once he hit the water, with the coach guiding him. He’s completely swimming on his own now. 
The coach says he’s become a good basic swimmer. Next year we bring him back and he’ll learn more technique.
We brought the camera and caught it on video. If you want to look, go here:
http://www.deathway.com/grayson
and click on the very LAST video link (the one from 7/28).
Don’t be fooled by his crying; he was thrilled with himself afterwards and he keeps talking about how he dove off and swam. He’s just scared when the actual moment comes (I would be, too!). All the other 3 & unders cried—though Grayson always cries the loudest of any of his peers. He was blessed with healthy lungs. LOL.
Afterwards, we joined his nana & papa and went to visit Aunt Leslie at her house. We had wings for dinner, and G got a special treat—ice cream! He ate it joyfully while telling everyone how he was a “big boy” and jumped off the diving board. 
He spent the rest of the evening entertaining everyone with his silliness and he also enjoyed harrassing Leslie’s cats.
I’m proud that he came so far in swim class. The first week, he couldn’t even hold his breath under water. Now, he’s jumping into 8 feet of water and swimming. I can’t wait to see what he does next year.
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07.28.2006 | 2:00 pm | Memes
Appetizer
What’s the funniest dream you can remember having?
Recently I dreamed we were out test-driving booster seats for Gray, and we had him buckled into the driver’s seat, and HE was the one doing the driving, from his booster seat! 
It all seemed so totally normal.
Soup
If you were a dog, what breed would you be, and why?
A German Shepherd Dog. They’re my favorite because they’re smart, loyal, extremely protective, and hard workers.
Salad
Continue this sentence: “I get confused when…”
I have to do math, especially percentages and/or fractions. I can’t do that kind of math for anything! It boggles my mind.
Main Course
Name two things that need to be done, but you are procrastinating in completing.
Uploading the last two months’ worth of pictures onto Flickr, and
calling Dillard’s in New Orleans to tell them I need my Prescriptives foundation re-mixed.
Dessert
When was the last time you tried something new, and what was it?
This may be TMI for some readers, so consider skipping it if you don’t want to know my personal hygeine habits…
A couple of months ago, I started using cloth pads (instead of store-bought feminine products). I LOVE them and can’t believe it took me so long to try it. The best thing about them, other than that they cost nothing to use, is that with them there is NO funky smell!
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07.24.2006 | 2:22 pm | Uncategorized, Daily Life, Gray Matters, Philip
I know I already posted this morning, but I have more to say. I was an idiot today and I need to write about it to make myself feel better.
I was out running errands with Gray in tow, and we’d just come out of Dollar tree. It was blazing hot, so I opened the car and let him climb into his carseat, while I started up the car to get the a/c running before going back to get him all buckled in.
Our car has an auto-lock feature which locks all the doors a few seconds after the car is started. I was aware of that and made sure I left my driver’s side door standing open while I went to the back to buckle G into his carseat (I should’ve just manually unlocked the doors, but alas…I didn’t). Unfortunately, while I was leaned into the back seat to do this, the wind, which was blowing hard, blew the driver’s side door closed. I knew it had happened but I didn’t think about the doors being locked. So after I got G buckled, I stepped out of the car and closed his door. Womp-womp-wommmmp…
Immediately, I realized my mistake, but it was too late. All the doors were closed and locked. My bag was sitting on the front seat, which contained my spare set of keys (the ones I always carry, in case I do lock myself out), and my cell phone, which we only own for emergencies such as these, was sitting on the front seat as well. Everything was locked inside, including my precious baby boy.
I stood there for a minute, panicking and trying to think of what I should do. Meanwhile, the car was running and G was sitting inside, oblivious to his predicament. I knew I had to call Philip, who luckily was at home working, only a few miles away. But how? I was parked a long way from the store entrance, so I didn’t want to leave G in the car to go inside and use the phone. Not being able to see him would be too much of a risk. I looked around to see if there was anyone nearby who looked like they might have a cell phone, but I didn’t see anyone at all in the parking lot.
I decided to walk to the entrance of the store, open the door, and while keeping G in view, ask the store clerk to come to the door so I could explain my situation and ask her to call home for me. Walking a long distance away from the car with my baby inside was surprisingly difficult! I got to the door, opened it, looked at the checkout area, and saw that it was super-busy. The clerk wouldn’t be able to help me, and besides, I didn’t want to announce to the entire crowd that my baby was locked in the car. So I nixed that idea and started back toward the car, feeling more and more panicked.
I got to the car and saw that G was happily sitting in his carseat, kicking his feet and playing with his helicopter he’d brought along. I was glad to know that at least he was happy and in air conditioning, but I was scared because I didn’t know how long the car would idle with the a/c on full blast, without overheating in such hot weather. I felt a fresh wave of panic come over me, but I stopped and prayed, “God, help me figure out what to do…I need to call Philip but I don’t know how to get to a phone without leaving Gray.”
Immediately (thank you, God!), I looked up and saw a Blazer pull into the row of spaces behind my car. A woman and two kids got out and were stood by their vehicle for a moment. I decided this was my answer to prayer, so I walked over to her and asked if she had a cell phone. Thankfully, she said yes, and turned back to her truck to go get it. I explained that I needed to call my husband because I’d just locked my son in the car, and he was buckled in his carseat with the car running. She said, “Oh no!” and gave me the phone. I called Philip, who happened to be right by the phone (another prayer answered), told him where I was & what I’d done, and he said he’d be right there.
I thanked the woman several times and then went back to the car to wait for Philip. G was still sitting happily, kicking and smiling at me when I reappeared. I talked to him through the window and told him Daddy was on his way and we were waiting for him. He had no idea he was locked in, nor how upset I was. I stood there in the heat, drenched in sweat, watching the cars approach on the highway and hoping to see Philip any moment. The woman and her kids had been waiting on someone to meet them, and that person showed up. I heard one of the kids, a girl, telling the new person,
“That girl over there locked her baby in the car!”
LOL! I was completely mortified and embarrassed, but looking on the bright side, I couldn’t help but notice that she referred to me as a girl! Woohoo! When you’re 33, you get excited by little details like that—especially when a child refers to you as a girl rather than a woman. I’m one of those people who cringes when kids call me “ma’am”.
Philip arrived not too long after that; it had only taken him five minutes to get there. I was so relieved to see him. In true Philip style, he said not a word about me locking myself out. No anger, no making fun, no complaining at all. He just smiled and handed me the key, waited for me to unlock the door, and then told me he had to get going because he was in the middle of a huge rush project. I love him!
After I got home, I told him thanks for not being mad at me (I would’ve likely been annoyed at him if the role was reversed), and he said, “Why would I be mad? You didn’t do it on purpose.” Once again, my husband embodies the meaning of love as described in 1Cor.13:13. I wish I could be so kind and patient!
I wish I could thank the woman in the parking lot again. She saved the day for sure. I was dreading having to ask someone to use their phone because I doubted anyone would be willing, or if they were, I expected them to be annoyed by the inconvenience. She surprised me! Thank you, nice blonde woman with the two kids! Your kindness to a stranger will be remembered, both by me and (I’m sure) by God.
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07.24.2006 | 9:22 am | Memes
1. I won’t eat past _____o’clock in the evening.
6:30. I usually eat dinner around 6pm, and go for my walk at 7 pm. After that I don’t eat anything!
2. My favorite subject for photographing is _____.
My son, Gray.
3. I use _____ most often to edit my photographs.
Photoshop…is there anything else? 
4. If I’m having trouble sleeping, I usually _____.
Do one of two things: I usually pray, and that helps me to drift to sleep because being in conversation with God is just so peaceful. But sometimes I lie there and think up characters and story lines for the stories I’m never going to have the guts to try & publish.
5. When I’m hungry for a snack, I usually eat _____.
A banana. Not by choice, but by necessity if I don’t want to get fat again. If I’ve done well with my calories so far that day, sometimes I’ll have a very small bowl of cereal or some animal crackers.
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07.21.2006 | 9:43 am | Memes
Friday, July 21, 2006
Feast One Hundred and Three
Appetizer
Fill in the blanks: I ____________ when I _____________.
I gag when I see loose hair. You know, like when you’re in the shower and find a hair in your washcloth, or when you find a hair in the sink full of dishes, or in your food, etc. The shower drain is my most feared spot in the house. 
Soup
Name something you use to make your home smell good.
Candles. I have several in different scents, but my favorite is my Yankee candle in pumpkin pie. YUM.
Salad
If you could receive a coupon in the mail for 50% off any product, what would you want it to be for?
Whatever outrageously-priced booster seat we’re going to end up having to buy for G. 
Main Course
Besides sleeping, what do you spend the majority of the hours of your typical day doing?
It’s pretty much divided equally between household duties (cleaning, cooking-and I use that term loosely-:D, running things) and mothering duties (playing with G, feeding him & keeping him clean, teaching, nuturing).
Dessert
What can you hear right now while answering these questions?
Sesame Street. Specifically, a bunch of kids counting up to 14. Oh, right after I wrote that, I heard the garbage truck approaching, followed by G screaming, “OPE!! OPE DOOR!” as he jumped up & ran to the door. The two most exciting moments of his week are Tuesday & Friday mornings, when the garbage truck comes.
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07.16.2006 | 9:38 am | Daily Life, Gray Matters
We have a big dilemma. What to do with a toddler who exceeds the growth charts by 10% in his height? That is, his height actually plots at 10% OVER the 100th percentile for his age. Meaning? He is outrageously tall!
G’s height is 39.5 inches.
His pediatrician says he’s one of the tallest 2-year-olds she’s seen. She compared his height to other ages and told us that he is at 75th percentile on the 3-year-old growth charts, and he’s at 50th percentile on the 4-year-old growth charts. This means that height-wise, my 2-year old is the size of an average 4-year old. His weight (35 lbs) is just under the 100th percentile for his age, so he’s a big boy all around.
This recent picture shows how he compares to me (I’m just under 5′5″) :
So, am I bragging? Hardly. I mean, it’s not a bad thing; I’m glad he’s healthy and thriving*, but the problem is that it presents many issues. Most of them are only inconveniences, but right now we’re being faced with something more serious.
He’s about to outgrow his carseat. His carseat’s height limit is 40 inches, which is typical. The next step up is a booster seat. Well, that’s usually a logical next step for a 3 or 4-year old, the typical age for outgrowing the carseat and moving up to a booster. But it’s not feasible for a 2-year old. A booster seat utilizes a car’s shoulder straps to keep a child restrained, rather than a 5-point harness. This is inappropriate for a 2 year old! He needs to be in a 5-point harness for a long time to come.
The problem is that there are not many booster seats that come with both options—that is, the option to use it with a 5-point harness and then later, with a shoulder belt only. They do exist, but guess what? On almost every one, the height limit for the harness is typically 42 inches…not much room to grow, in G’s case. Add to that the weight limit in the harness is typically 40 lbs, which he’s not far from, either. He would likely outgrow those way before he’s mature enough to move to a shoulder belt only set-up.
So I’ve searched and searched for boosters that allow more height/weight within the harness. I’ve found a couple! The problem is, they’re made by high-end companies and the price tags are over $200. WAY beyond our budget.
Well I got all excited the other night because I found that there is one new booster on the market (the Cosco Apex) that has the option to harness a child to 52 inches and 65 lbs, and it’s the “reasonable” price of $120. I was ready to jump on that one, as it seemed like the perfect option! And it is, in every way but ONE. When I read the details, I found that it lacks EPS foam around the head and shoulders. So it’s a no-go.
EPS foam is the same material in bike helmets; it absorbs crash forces, protecting the head, should that ever be needed. Surprisingly, most carseats/boosters do NOT contain it! However, that’s one thing I insist on having. In the case of a side impact, it can save a child’s life. With EPS foam, their head is protected by energy-absorbing foam, which is the best protection available, rather than plastic alone, which offers virtually no protection. I made sure we chose his current carseat because it was one of the more affordable ones that contained EPS foam. I can’t believe it’s not a standard requirement on ALL carseats/boosters.
So the one booster seat on the market that has the features we need, but can still afford, does not offer adequate protection in a side-impact crash. I could scream!
So I’ve been on a mission to find a booster that has both high harness heights/weights and EPS foam. There are a couple on the market (Britax makes one), but again, they are WAY out of our price range. If I can’t find one in our price range, then yes, we’ll have to just buck up and buy one of the expensive ones. It makes me sick, but paying an extra 100 dollars is worth it, considering it could very well save my child’s life in a crash. But it won’t come easily for us, if it turns out to be what we have to do.
I just don’t understand why the standard carseat companies don’t make boosters with higher height/weight limits for their harnessing capabilities! And, in the case of Cosco, when they actually DO make one, why in the world do they make it without life-saving EPS foam?
Why should parents of taller than average toddlers have to look to the designer labels to keep their children safer for longer? Especially parents like us, who do not have the cash to throw at these companies, but will likely be forced to because there’s no other choice.
I’ve only got an inch’s worth of growing time to get all this figured out, and to pin down what booster we’ll buy. Most parents of 2-year olds are not having to deal with this! At times like this, I wish he were more average in his height and size. Count your blessings, mommies, if you aren’t having to worry about this!
*Disclaimer: This is not meant to say I think that kids who are average or even below average in size are NOT healthy and/or thriving. I’m referring to my kid specifically, whom I know is healthy and thriving.
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07.14.2006 | 11:09 am | Uncategorized, Memes
I discovered this via one of the other blogs I read, and I’m going to try to participate every week. Basically, it asks five questions and I answer them.
Appetizer
Name one thing nice that you could do for someone else today.
I don’t think I’m going to go anywhere today, but I can still be nice to my family here at home. I can spend time with G above & beyond the norm; he loves every minute I take just for him. I can sit on the bed with him and play trucks for a while, something he LOVES for me to do, but something I often try to get out of, because frankly…it bores me.
Soup
When was the last time you were frightened by the weather?
Last July, when hurricane Dennis hit us. Especially the night before, when it was a category 4 (it went down to “only” a cat 3 before it hit the next day).
Salad
What would you say is the most useful website or blog that you visit?
Useful? Probably Mothering, because I learn a LOT there every day. I’m considering a subscription to the magazine, that is, if we ever have a little extra to spare.
Main Course
Who was your favorite singer/group when you were a child? Oh, too many to list…my childhood revolved around music in a big way. But some of the ones that stand out are: ELO, Olivia Newton-John (I was really into both Xanadu & Grease), Michael Jackson (I know…puke), and Madonna later on.
Dessert
Do you have any rituals? If so, what are they?
YES. And they’re too many to list because I’m slightly OCD. Not a freak or anything, but I have my things that MUST be done.
An example is that very night before bed, there has to be a check that everything is unplugged that needs to be unplugged, doors are locked, every set of keys is accounted for (b/c I fear that we may have left a set outside and someone will get in), and the baby has been checked to be sure he’s breathing (yes, I still do that all the time). I then make sure there’s nothing in my path that will trip me when I get up to potty during the night, I make sure all closet doors and drawers are completely shut, I check my sheets for spiders (b/c two times in my life, there was actually one in there when I checked), and I pop all of my toes. Then I get into bed, but I have to get in on one particular side! Before turning out the lights, P & I pray together and I put on all my random lotions & creams.
I don’t know why, but I’ve done all these things for years! Nothing has to be done in any particular order, but all these things do have to be done, or else I feel weird. I think that I AM weird.
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07.8.2006 | 1:21 am | Daily Life
First post at the new blog. I can’t believe I finally got it up and running. I’ve been working on it for 5 minutes at a time, for the past 6 weeks. This summer has been extremely busy so far! We’ve had something going on almost every day, which is unusual for us. I’m completely beat and can’t wait to go back to our boring life. We have a few more weeks of craziness coming up, so I probably won’t be posting much just yet…but I’m definitely here and will definitely be blogging again soon. I know so many people are thrilled. LOL. I really have missed writing in it, though.
I love all the features on Wordpress. I’m still checking out all the cool little things I can add to my blog. For now, you can do your reading along to a section of my iTunes playlist if you so choose. Doesn’t that sound like fun?
I’ve updated all my links and added a few new ones. I also wrote a new bio (long-winded, of course…what else would you expect from me?), and I even wrote up a disclaimer. I hope no one takes it the wrong way but if they do, then the disclaimer tells them what to do about it. 
More later….Soon, I hope!
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