I’m not a baby, I’m a boy!

I’m not a baby, I’m a boy! That’s what our little guy often tells us, whenever we try to cuddle with him, and express our love and affection by calling him our “baby”. Today he turns three, so technically he’s right. He’s not a baby anymore. Not a toddler anymore either. But he’s also realistic and describes himself as a “little boy”, in comparison to his older brother (by only 19 months) who’s a “big boy”.

A few days ago, I read an online article from a new mom, who gets irritated by the unsolicited advice she receives from other parents. One piece of advice they often give her is, “Enjoy your kids while they’re little. They grow up fast.” Her reaction? Duh, of course they grow up, the clock never goes backwards. I can only guess this mom is still very new at her role. For those of us who have been parents for a while, we know that time goes by way faster than we could ever have imagined. The kids’ birthdays come and go, and then come again, taking us by surprise every time.

Three years ago, I held my youngest in my arms in a hospital room for the first time. Boy, he looked so mellow and happy. Compared to his brother who had to train me as a first-time breastfeeding mom, only took 45-minute naps, and suffered from GERD for many months, our second baby was so easy to take care of. He ate well, slept well, walked at nine months – his infant days were a breeze.

The only concern I had for him was that he barely spoke any words until he was almost two years old. Thank god for sign language! But then it happened. About one month before his second birthday, he started talking, in full sentences. His vocabulary widened and his sentences lengthened over the next year. Today he lectures me when I use the simpler term “T Rex” instead of the more accurate “Tyrannosaurus Rex.” Actually, I can’t complain. His fascination for dinosaurs has given me the opportunity to learn more dinosaur names and recognize more dinosaur pictures than I’ve ever thought I would.

This little chatterbox now competes with his babbling brother to see who will run out of breath first. I love to watch my two boys discuss imaginary play scenarios together, and then carry them out. Sometimes I stand outside of their bedroom after I turn off their light at night, just to listen to them chatting about everything and anything until they fall asleep.

So yes, our baby has turned into quite a grown-up, and it will be so much fun to watch him grow over the years. But in the end, he’ll always be my baby, no matter what.

Happy 3rd birthday, my boy! Enjoy your dinosaur birthday party tomorrow.

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B.O.B. single and double strollers recalled due to strangulation hazard

Overall the quality of B.O.B. strollers is excellent and you’ll see the recall below is easily fixable. But if you or someone you know owns a B.O.B. stroller, you’ll want to take care of this before you take your kids out on their next ride.

Name of Product: B.O.B.® single and double strollers
Units: About 337,000 in the US and 20,000 in Canada
Hazard: A drawstring on the stroller can get wrapped around a child’s neck, posing a strangulation hazard.
Injuries/Incidents: There has been one report of an 11-month-old girl who got entangled at the neck by the stroller’s drawstring. The child was freed by her mother.
Description: This recall involves 11 models of B.O.B. single and double strollers. All of the recalled strollers have a yellow/orange drawstring at the rear of the canopy which is used to gather loose fabric when the canopy is pulled back.

Read the full recall notice for B.O.B. strollers on the U.S.C.P.S.C. website, including the serial numbers being recalled.

B.O.B. single and double strollers recalled due to strangulation hazard

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My “Every day I see a cow” blog is being showcased on WordPress!

In early January 2011, I took the WordPress challenge to post every day of 2011 on my “Every day I see a cow” blog (I would never attempt such a challenge for this blog!). I figured it would be a great motivator, especially since my goal is to report my personal daily sightings of cow.

Today I almost fell off my chair when I saw on the WordPress daily update that my “Every day I see a cow” blog was featured in the “10 WordPress theme blogs that rock“! All I can say is, HOLY COW! (no pun intended).

I’m glad to see that other people think that cows rock and it’s nice to have visitors stop by and learn about my daily cow sighting experiment. As a parent, I feel we have so many responsibilities resting on our shoulders every single day of our busy lives. It’s nice to find a way to do something out of our range of daily chores and activities. My kids have been having a lot of fun pointing out “Mama’s cow of the day” since I’ve started this challenge. It’s been a daily family fun activity for several weeks, and now they have even come up with “Papa’s pig of the day”, since their dad is convinced we see pigs every day. I actually think he’s got something going with this…

Oh, if you think you don’t see a cow every day, here’s one for you, just to remove any doubt you may have!

Every day you see a cow

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Save 25% on Britax car seats and 10% on Graco strollers at Amazon

If you or someone you know is in the market for a car seat or a stroller, Amazon is having some greats deals on Britax car seats and Graco strollers for a limited-time. And with free shipping on those products, it’s a win-win situation! Feel free to pass this post along to parents who may benefit from the savings.

Britax Marathon convertible car seat

1) 25% off on select models of Britax convertible car seats and car boosters including:

– Britax Roundabout convertible car seat
– Britax Boulevard convertible car seat
– Britax Advocate convertible car seat
– Britax Chaperone infant carrier seat
– Britax Frontier booster car seat
– Britax Parkway booster car seat

I can’t recommend the Britax convertible car seats enough. We’ve owned two of them for 3 and 4 years respectively, and they still look like new. Our models were made in the USA and have done well with our kids growing into them. My oldest is 4 & 1/2 and he still uses his Britax Roundabout, even though he’s getting on the tall side. He’s not 40 pounds yet and I feel he’ll be safer if I can keep him in that seat for a little longer. However, I’m definitely taking advantage of this sale to buy both kids their booster seats ahead of time.

Graco Quattro stroller

2) 10% off or more select models of Graco stollers and car seats, including:

– Graco Literider stroller
– Graco Quattro Tour stroller
– Graco Spree travel system
– Graco Alano Flip It travel system
– Graco Mosaic stroller
– Graco Metrolite stroller
– Graco Snugride infant car seat

We bought a Graco travel system for our first child and got to use also it for our second. When I sold it to a resale store, they were impressed with the great condition the stroller was in. I’m impressed too, because we used and abused that stroller almost every day for about 4 years, without any breakage or rip.

Unlike some of the baby gear I’ve recommended parents do research on before spending precious dollars, in my case I can say that both my Britax and Graco purchases have been worth every penny. Do you agree? What are some of your favorite brands of car seats and strollers, and why?

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