Last week my 22 month old little girl got her first black eye. Now every time I look at her I feel the guilt of not being there to catch her every time she falls. I was in the shower and I heard a crash and a scream. Immediately I jumped out of the shower and ran to Lexi’s room. I picked her up and could see the bruising and swelling around her eye already appearing. I got some ice on her eye and surveyed her room. I could see her baby doll up on the changing table and her hippo on wheels close by. It looks like she was trying to change her doll’s diaper by standing on her rolling hippo.  It is my own fault that she tried this, because when I am changing her little brother I will let Lexi stand next to me on her hippo so she can see too. She only cried for a little bit and Mommy cried a lot longer than that. I was so nervous I called the pediatrician and after the nurse heard all the details she said that Lexi should be fine and calmed me down. It is so hard to be a parent and know that you are not going to be able to protect your child from absolutely everything no matter how hard you try! But in the mean time learn from my mistake, here is a tip for all you parents out there with climbing toddlers… make sure the rolling toys and stools are put away when you are in the shower!

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My little boy is just growing so fast and it amazes me. I bought him his Winnie the Pooh Halloween costume in September (about a month after he was born). I bought a 0-3 month size thinking it would fit perfectly by Halloween. Boy was I wrong. About 2 weeks before Halloween I tried it on him and there was no way it was going to work. So, I went back to the store to get a 3-6 month costume, only to find that they were sold out of that size. A lady at the store was helping me and she found a 6-9 month costume and told me I could go try it on my lil’ guy. So, off to the changing room we went. I couldn’t believe that my two and a half month old was fitting in a 6-9 month Halloween costume, but he was and he was filling it up pretty good too! Hunter is such a BIG lil’ stud and he is growing so fast! He is wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes right now and they are starting to get a little snug. I was at Gymboree yesterday looking for Christmas clothes and I am figuring I will have to start buying the 6-12 month size for him. Wow! Then there is the diaper size issue… Hunter is already wearing size 2! (My almost 22 month old wears 3’s!) I have a bunch of size 1 diapers left that I have been trying to use on him, but they just don’t get the job done. I love my big baby boy and I feel so lucky that he is so healthy and growing so fast. My 22 month old daughter loves to hold her baby brother, but he is catching up to her size quick. As I am typing this I am watching my daughter Lexi play and I am noticing her pants are getting a little short, they look more like floods today! Guess Hunters fast growing pace is rubbing off on her! Looks like it’s time to go shopping!

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It’s that time of year again… time to get your flu shot! My pediatrician is big on flu shots for kids and their parents. His office always throws a flu shot party where all of his patients and their parents can come get their shots. Our flu shot party is tonight, so my hubby and I and our little ones will all be getting shots tonight. (Well, Hunter won’t be getting his flu shot yet because he is only 2 months. Babies have to wait until they are 6 months for flu shots and they usually get them in 2 doses after that.) I got my first flu shot last year at our pediatricians flu shot party and I didn’t regret it. I hate shots, but it is worth a little pinch to keep me and my children healthy. Anyway, I thought I would throw out a friendly reminder to everyone to go and get those flu shots!

Another Reminder: Get out there and vote today!!!

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Halloween is such a fun time for the kids to get all dressed up in their costumes and go trick-or-treating. However there are a lot of things that can make such a fun occasion go sour real quick. Make sure you are watching out for your kids, and make sure to keep them out of harm’s way. To avoid the many dangers children face while trick or treating, use common sense. Be aware of potential Halloween hazards and take precautions to eliminate them. Consider heading for an indoor Halloween party and bypass any chaos or danger.

One thing that is gaining in popularity is trunk-or-treating. This is where a bunch of people meet at a central location, usually with a big parking lot, and hand out candy from the trunks of their car. This eliminates the risk of drivers not seeing your children as they walk around the neighborhoods. Also, it eliminates the risk of going to a house that has people that can harm your children.

One idea I have heard and will use with my children is to feed them before they go Trick-or-Treating. By doing this they will not be tempted to sneak some candy while they are out knocking on doors. That way we can inspect all of the candy before any of it is consumed.

I have compiled a list of things we can do to make sure our kids are safe this halloween. If I have missed anything please leave us a comment and let us know any additional safety tips you have.

Halloween Safety Check List:

• Wear flame retardant costumes.
• Make sure your Halloween costume is colorfast so the color doesn’t run onto your other clothes if it rains.
• Try on costumes before Halloween to allow time for altering.
• Hem your costumes so you don’t trip and fall.
• Apply reflective tape to your Halloween costumes.
• Avoid cumbersome masks. Use make-up instead.
• Make-up should be hypoallergenic and non-toxic.
• Wear comfortable, practical shoes.
• Double tie your shoelaces so you don’t trip.
• Keep your costume and wig away from candles.
• Don’t carry fake swords, guns, knives or similar accessories that look authentic. Make sure they’re flexible and cannot harm anyone.
• Carry a flashlight with fresh batteries after dark.
• Take along money for a phone call.
• Wear identification that’s easy to read.
• Always trick or treat in groups, accompanied by an adult.
• Follow a curfew and take a watch with a backlight.
• Plan your route ahead of time.
• Stay on the sidewalks and out of the streets. Cross only at intersections and designated crosswalks.
• Walk. No running.
• Don’t trample through flower beds and gardens.
• Watch out for open flames in jack-o-Lanterns.
• Trick or treat in familiar neighborhoods.
• Walk with your head up and be aware of your surroundings.
• Only visit well lit houses. Don’t stop at dark houses.
• Don’t enter any houses unless you know the people.
• Carry a spare Halloween bag — in case yours breaks or you fill your original one.
• Don’t approach unfamiliar pets and animals.
• Don’t cut across yards and stay out of back yards.
• Follow traffic signals and don’t jaywalk.
• Always watch for cars backing up or turning.
• Review the “stop, drop and roll” procedure in case your costume catches on fire.
• Never accept rides from strangers.
• Respect other people and their property.
• Be polite and say “thank you.”
• Don’t eat any candy until it’s inspected for tampering under bright lights.
• Avoid candy that has loose wrappings, is unwrapped, has puncture holes, or is homemade.
• Small children should not be allowed hard candy they may choke on.
• Report any suspicious or criminal activity to an adult or the police.
• Consider having a party instead of Trick or Treating.

Also, there has been a candy recall of “Pirate Chocolate Coins”. Here is the link:
http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/coins.asp

With Halloween upon us you can’t be too careful!

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Our family is in the process of buying a house! It is so much fun and we are so excited! But, I do need some help with ideas on decorating. My sister-in-law is an interior designer, so I know we will get a bunch of good ideas from her. (And Kristen if you are reading, be ready because we are going to want lots of help from our favorite designer!) But, I want anyone who has a cute idea for my 20 month old little girl’s room to please share their thoughts. I love the color pink and so a lot of her stuff is pink and I would like to keep with the pink theme but add some stuff. She is way into all of the Disney Princess characters, so I have thought of going with that? I gave my husband our little baby boys room to decorate, since I get to decorate most of the other rooms in our house. He really has done better than me in this area, he knows exactly what he wants to do in our 2 month old baby’s room. Our baby’s name is Hunter and so he is going with a camo theme and then he is going to do a big mural of a baby cougar (Yep! Big BYU fans here!). I just can’t seem to make up my mind? Any ideas?

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So, the other night we were playing at home and all of the sudden our 20 month old little girl, Lexi, ran to the stairs and started saying “pooh, pooh, pooh!”. Lexi came and grabbed my hand and led me upstairs to the bathroom. At her 18 month old check up her pediatrician recommended that I go get a little kid potty and put it in the bathroom next to our toilet. He said that I should not push her at all and not make her sit on it or anything like that. He said to just start talking to her more about the potty and one day she would decide she was ready. Well, once again my wise pediatrician was right. Once Lexi and I were in the bathroom she picked up her toilet seat off her little potty and put it on the toilet. (The type of potty I bought has a seat that you can take off and set on a real toilet so your child can sit on the toilet without falling in.) Somehow Lexi knew that she could put her seat on the big potty? I took her diaper off and sat her on the toilet. Then she went poop in the potty and her Mommy and Daddy cheered like crazy! It is so funny how parents can get so excited about their baby’s poop! Now, since that night Lexi has not gone again in the potty but whenever she poops she comes and tells me. I think we are ready to potty train this little girl, but I am wondering if she is still a little young to really get it. So tell me what you think? How old was your child when you potty trained them and how did you potty train them?

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I received an email featuring a Christmas product today. I work in advertising and I understand Q4 is the busiest time of year, but we aren’t going to start promoting our products until after Halloween. Should we start moving our time-line up to compete with other companies? In the companies defense, the email was for a Disney Christmas decoration so it does warrant an early season promotion. I know my wife and kids would love it, but Christmas in October? I do my Christmas shopping right around December 24, so this would not be beneficial for me at all.

For those that need to know, here is the product they were promoting:

The Wonderful World of Disney Christmas Tree

What do the Baby Specialist women think? When do you start your Christmas shopping?

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It is getting colder, and I am worried about keeping our kids warm as the temperature drops at night. Our 2 month old is fine, we bundle him up and he stays warm all night. Our 20 month old is a different story. We put blankets on her, and she always manages to kick them off while she is sleeping. She is like her Mommy in that she is very mobile during the night. Many times I will go in there early in the morning and she has kicked her covers off and she is cold. I always put the covers back on, but I have no idea when she kicked them off and how long she has been laying in her crib without the warmth of the blankets.

It is not feasible to watch her all night obviously to make sure she keeps her blankets on, and I think she is still too young to pull them back on if she wakes up cold. So, we are turning to the more experienced Baby Specialists of the site and asking for suggestions. What do you do to keep your kids warm at night? I think the best solution would be to wake up every couple of hours to check on her, but that doesn’t seem like the right thing to do.

Please help us keep our children warm at night! Leave a comment and let us know what you have done that has worked for your children.

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Today I got to go to lunch with two of my very best friends! After the morning I had I almost nixed the whole thing, but my pediatricians wise words kept ringing in my head “Don’t let having kids change your life completely, still do all the things you love just take the kids along!”. So even after the morning of:3 (YES 3!) blowout diapers, 2 non-stop crying babies, 1 pancake breakfast thrown on the floor to clean up,  2 loads of laundry, and 1 shower interrupted by a toddler who decided to put the whole roll of toilet paper in the toilet… I somehow still managed to get all three of us dressed and loaded in the car. My friends wanted to meet at Chili’s, a sit-down restaurant which lately my husband and I try to avoid taking the kids to, because our little Lexi doesn’t “sit”. By the time I got to Chili’s my two kids were both exhausted from our very eventful morning! They had both fallen asleep in the car. I debated on getting the 2-seater stroller out, but I wouldn’t be able to lay Lexi’s seat down, so she could sleep, with Hunter’s infant seat behind her. So, picture me walking in to Chili’s carrying Hunter’s infant seat in one arm, Lexi in my other arm, and my diaper bag and a purse over my shoulder. As I walked in I was thinking to myself that this was a HUGE mistake and I should have stayed home so the kids could nap. People were looking at me like I was crazy, but I was determined and we made it to the table. By now Lexi was waking up and I was sure that she was going to be a nightmare. But, a smart waitress had already set a coloring page and crayons at our table. Lexi reached for the crayons and I was able to set her in the booster seat and she sat and colored like an angel. Hunter stayed asleep the whole lunch, he is such a good baby!

One of my friends had brought her little 3 month old baby girl, Lindsey. I was shocked when I saw her, because my 7 week old baby boy was bigger than her. I knew that Hunter was a big baby, but seeing Lindsey really made me see just how big he is! My husband is probably right, I think Hunter is going to be a middle line-backer for some great football team someday. What a stud! He is the best baby ever, and I think that him being so big has a lot to do with it. He sleeps, eats, poops, and smiles! Hunter sleeps a lot more than Lexi ever did and I think it is because he is growing so much. Last night he went 7 hours without waking up. (Now if I could just get Lexi to sleep that long!) I am so lucky to have such a good little (BIG) guy! Yay for big babies and for the good babies that they are!

Remember Mommy’s: “Don’t let having kids change your life completely, still do all the things you love just take the kids along!” After today I realize how hard it can be to cart your kids and all their gear along just so you can go to lunch with your friends, but it was worth it! Thanks Doctor Pete!!

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I am a huge football fan, and I have had the opportunity to teach Brandi a lot about football in our short marriage. One thing that I have taught her is the love for the college gameday atmosphere. We love going to games on Saturday, and we have a blast watching our favorite team play. We have been able to take both of our children to football games over the past 2 years, and it has been fun to see them get excited about all of the commotion. It is not always easy having children at the games, but it is worth it when I see how excited they get at the games. Hunter is still very young, and he has been to 2 games already. He may not know what is going on, but there is no doubt he is very alert during the game. It is a blast, and I recommend taking your kids to a game if you have not already done so.

Last week we attended a game, and afterwards we went out to eat. While we were at dinner I noticed a brown spot on Brandi’s pants. I asked her what it was, and she told me Hunter had a blow out during the game and it got on her pants. For anyone that knows Brandi this was out of the ordinary for her. I was shocked at how calm she was while telling me about it. Brandi is always very clean, and her appearance is always top notch. So for her to not be worried about having a poop stain on her pants all day was pretty remarkable. She is doing such a good job taking care of our kids. She has certainly put our children first, and I am so grateful that I am married to such a Baby Specialist!

I promise all of my posts will not be about such messy subjects.

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