RV to the Rescue!

Last weekend, we traveled to a destination wedding in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. As we prepared for our trip, Cutie Pie tried to sabotage our plans by developing yet another nasty cold. The night before we were set to leave on our marathon car ride, Cutie was stayed up coughing and crying. It soon became apparent that traveling was not in the cards.

At eight months of age it is not developmentally appropriate to take an eight hour car trip. Any parent who disagrees with me is crazy. That's right, I said it. Cutie Pie is an active little guy. He wants to be crawling and practicing his walking skills at every waking moment. He can hardly sit still to eat! We knew that trying to strap him in a car seat for a long period of time was going to be hell on wheels. When Cutie Pie added the illness to the equation, we decided the trip just wasn't meant to be.

Then Cutie Pie's Papa offered to let us use his RV for the trip. Sure gas would be expensive, but seeing our friend get married in the mountains would be priceless. Taking the RV was the perfect solution. Cutie Pie was able to interact with everyone during the trip, which meant he stayed entertained and happy, mostly.

Cutie Pie seemed to enjoy his first big road trip. It was really neat to watch him stare out at the mountains for the first time and play in the creek where I once played as a child. The wedding was great and the bride was beautiful. What a great weekend!

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

Not so fast, Mommy!

Every now and then I feel a glimmer of hope that I just might be OK at this whole Mom thing. Just when I start to gain a little confidence and walk a little straighter, Cutie Pie says "Not so fast, Mommy!" BAM! He reminds me who is really in charge of our household.

This morning, Cutie Pie woke up earlier than usual. No worries. That just gave me more time to spend with him before school. He played while I got ready for work and I enjoyed playing peek a boo in between brushing my teeth and looking for my shoes. It was so easy, I felt like I had conquered motherhood.

In my blissfully confident state, I left Cutie Pie to play with his toys in the living room while I quickly ran to the other room to pack my files into my bag. I heard some banging but I figured he was just playing with his favorite stacking toys again. I walked back into the living room after leaving him alone for maybe thirty seconds. In that short time, he had made a bee-line for the dog bowls. In my unrealistic and downright cocky state, I had neglected to remove them from reach. Cutie Pie had poured water all over the kitchen and was in the process of sprinkling dog food into the puddle he had created. I grabbed the broom and swept up the soggy dog food while Cutie Pie splashed on the kitchen floor. When he saw me pick up the food in the dust pan, he cried like I had ruined his day.

Cutie Pie became Mr. Crankypants when I changed him into dry clothes and I realized that my early riser was already in need of a nap. He fell asleep five minutes before it was time to walk out the door. I decided it was better to be a little late than to awaken the Master of the House so I let him rest for a bit while I enjoyed the great luxury of packing the car in peace.

Just when I thought I was getting control over my life again, Cutie Pie let me know who's boss.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com

Bye Bye Baby Seat

Today marks a milestone for my Cutie Pie. He has officially outgrown his infant carrier carseat. We brought him home from the hospital in that seat. He's gone on long car trips, run errands, sat in restaurants and gone for long walks at the park in that seat. Now at almost six months old, he's too big to fit in the seat that was supposed to last a year. It felt bittersweet to see my baby boy's chair cast aside on the garage floor to make room for the giant big boy seat that we bought to replace it.


Choosing a new car seat was quite an undertaking. I read the baby books and consulted numerous web pages. I visited baby stores. I looked at charts comparing every aspect of dozens of seats. I read that I needed a convertible car seat but I wasn't sure why. Does it have a moon roof? I felt like I was cramming for a test on a foriegn language I had never heard before!

Do you want a seat with a cow or zebra pattern? Stylish parents might prefer a special couture fabric edition. Traveling parents might want a seat with wheels at the bottom so they can cart their kid around the airport like he's riding on a dolly. (Isn't this why they make strollers?) How about a snack tray? For only $400, your baby's seat can have it's own airbags! I was surprised I didn't find one with iPod attachments.

In my research, I found that Britax seats are considered the safest on the market. When I read a review from another parent about how a Britax seat saved their child's life I knew that was the one I wanted. They might not have all the cutest patterns but if my Cutie Pie was in an accident, I wouldn't want to regret not buying him a better seat.

You would think that would be the end. My decision is made, I will buy a Britax seat. Oh no! There are six different kinds of Britax seats available for babies like my Cutie Pie. Each seat is different and none of them are really better than the others. Every seat had something I wanted that the others didn't have. The seat with the airbags sounded intriguing but very expensive. I think my Cutie Pie should be comfortable in his seat so we should probably get one with the comfort pillows. I don't have a van or an SUV so I needed one that would fit in my normal sized car. I read a bunch of reviews that said some seats don't have adjustable crotch straps and their little boys were uncomfortable because their wee wees hurt. Well that was it! The deciding factor. I don't want to have to drive all over town with a baby crying because his wee wee hurts!

I finally decided on the Britax Decathlon and found a good deal shopping around on the internet. It fits perfectly in my mom-mobile and I can hardly wait to run errands with Cutie Pie so he can sit in it. I'm going to miss the seat that carried my sweet baby boy but I'm looking forward to countless car trips with the new seat. I just better not hear any complaints about that crotch strap!