The Great Car Seat Shake up of 2015

Ah, that time again... complacency will not be tolerated. As previously mentioned I've been reevaluating our car seat status. I had two high back boosters that expired over a year ago.  Two convertible car seats are scheduled to expire, the first June 2016 and the second Feb. 2017, and a harness to booster seat will expire Aug 2016. Originally, I had planned on continuing the use of all the seats till expiration and shift kids about at that time. However, plans have changed.

While doing a some research in the current seats available, I learned that two of my seats, both Recaro Proride, had a recall issued back in September, three months ago! Despite living in the exact same house and with the same landline that I registered with the company, I've not received a repair kit, nor have I been informed of the recall. Look, Recaro, you just lost a customer! I need to replaced seats next year and I'm taking my business elsewhere. It's not that the seat might have a safety issue, I get it, recalls happen, but that you haven't even contacted me, a registered customer yet, is unacceptable. I'm just suppose to "look it up." Really? Any confidence I had in the company to do the right thing, is gone.

However, even more concerning is that Consumer Reports found a 75% harness failure rate for children riding forward facing at 35lbs. They recommend against use of this seat in forward facing mode. Well, since my 4.5 year old child is 41lbs, he can no longer use this seat rear facing, and if the seat broke in a crash I'm not comforted by the prospects of him suffering from a head injury should he slam into the seat in front of him. So today, Christmas Eve, I reorganized our car seats and removed our forward facing Recaro Proride.

Since Consumer Reports found the Proride to be safe in rear facing mode, our 2 year 10month old will continue to use the newest Proride till it expires (or I replace it). Being on the 20% in height, he has room to grow.

My 90th% 7 month old has been advanced into a new carseat, the Britax Boulevard Click-tight. Which is so easy to install, we can move it to dad's car when needed, and can accommodate any of my four youngest children. So far, I really like this seat. (I found the best price on Amazon).

My 90th% 4 year old will move into the Recaro Prosport harness/ booster till it expires or I find something better. I like the Britax click tight Frontier, however, it's a bit wider than our current harness/ booster, and has some critical reviews that concern me (mainly the flimsy head rest).

Meanwhile, the 60th% 6yo will ride in our new booster, as long as she can prove she can be a "big girl" and stay upright in her seat. I purchased the Britax Parkway mostly because it's narrow enough to squeeze between larger bulky carseats (which we have a few of) and the because I think the Secure Guard Clip will give me piece of mind by keeping the lap belt from riding up... which for my children with probable splenomegaly (enlarged spleens) I'm most cognizant about. Abdominal rupture can silently kill a child if undetected in time. The SGL model also includes latch hooks to help hold the seat into the car when there's no occupant. I very much appreciate not having to worry about a booster seat flying into anyone during an accident, especially since it would more than likely hit my little folks in the front row square in the face. Latch is good since it's likely a 6yo might not remember to buckle her seat into the car when she gets out.

Finally, the 50th% 10yo, has been told it's okay if she's in a backless booster now. We have a few of those still in working order (including a Bubble Bum booster in dad's car).

Thankfully, my oldest two have graduated from requiring a booster seat... being taller than mom, they just need to remember not to slouch... oh what am I saying!?!?! Not much more I can do for them, but ensure they have a headrest, buckle up, and be glad our van has airbags all the way around.

I was on time...

No actually, today was mostly good. Had an easy time waking up... and actually woke before the alarm... squeezed in the cardio with weights (not to sound impressive as it's only 3s and 5lb) before the kids had a chance to assault my kitchen for breakfast. I thought I was doing really good! Then I noticed the cell phone wasn't connected to the wifi... memories of last month's data overage charges fresh on my mind, resulted in spending the next hour one my cell phone with Verizon when I finally figured out the internet wasn't the only thing not working this morning. Though having the land line go down is actually somewhat of a relief. The only folks who call my house are usually scammers or have no intention of actually talking anyhow.

Still... we had a great day! Like things just went smooth... mostly. I never go around to folding the daily dose of laundry, so that's backed up, as is prone to happen if I don't wash, fold and put away ever. single. day. even. Sunday.

Still... good speech and OT session.

What I'm noticing though... life is hectic, and it just is what it is, and I'm okay with it. But the sight of us, even in our most perfect of hours, can still overwhelm other folks. I don't know what I can do about that. I'm sorry it worries or upsets them, but there's nothing I can't think of to remedy that for them.

I'm not sure what to make of an assertion a friend posted several weeks ago. It was suggested that "young" moms who refuse help are denying other's works of charity... or something like that. I've tried to wrap my head around it, but can't help but feel entrenched on the side of the young mom who prefers to take her herculean task on by herself rather than accept help... especially if they're strangers. And as chance would have it, since this came up, I've had two happenstances... only two mind you where a stranger verbally offered to help me, but I wasn't in need of help.

The first was last week as I was rushing the gaggle of kids out of the van, I'd managed to score a parking spot with a vacancy next to the sliding door. Just as I'm loading my 2yo onto my back in my soft structured carrier (SSC), a woman turned her car into the open spot, where I was standing. Being mid mount I can't really get out of her way... and she stopped, asking out of her window in all earnest, "do you need help with that carrier?" All I wanted her to do was not hit me with her car. The last thing I "needed" was someone to try and help. I've trained my big kids to check me, and usually ask them to "tug the top" of the SSC body if I sense it's not all the way up. So I really, honestly, and truly do not "need" help from a stranger. Am I being uncharitable? Selfish? Really? I can't quite figure out what I can do about it... being a bit busy trying to ensure we get out and back without incidents, I guess selfish and self centered is how I am.

Today, I made an extra effort to sound grateful, but sincere when a woman dashed across the lot (mind you she still had her arms filled with her own bags) to ask if I needed help loading my stroller into the van. With the above posting in mind I told her, "No, (paused with smile) I've got this, as I collapsed the stroller in 2 seconds (cause it's really one of the easiest on the market), and "I promise, this isn't too hard, but thank you so much!"

Besides, if I don't put it in "just so" it won't fit in the space behind the seat... even my husband can't always remember the exact way it goes and he'll resort to removing the top seat to make it fit. So, honestly, it really is easier and faster if I just do it myself. 

But I've noticed a distancing from folks... and I guess it could be me, or them. Whether I'm inadvertently putting off distancing vibes even though I don't mean to, but bringing myself to cinch in these trailing relationships, that seem so far away now... well I'm not sure I know how, and doubts of whether they even want to be that close linger. Upon real honest contemplation I think I might just be too busy and caught up in my own little world (that of my activities of daily living)... when I think about what I have time to do to improve upon the friendships I regret there's very little time and capital.... and yes, sometimes I do feel like it's a lack of $ or status that might also be a hindrance too... and well, not much I'm going to be able to do about that at the moment... though it doesn't stop me from thinking about it none the less.

I've trying to read, Different... Not Less, a compilation of stories written by older adults on the Autism Spectrum. To be honest, I've finding it challenging because it makes me wonder if there's a difference between the "Spectrum" and having introverted tendencies... and if being introverted is just another rung on the "Spectrum" ladder... because I can relate to some of these folks... somewhat. I started reading the book to try and understand my son's diagnosis, but now I just feel, for lack of a better word, unsettled.

Since changing our therapy day, our new time slot exposes us to other children on the "Spectrum" who are more profoundly affected. Today I watched a pre-teen crawling around on the floor repeatedly punch keys on his augmented communication device. He's non-verbal. Having heard stories of folks with severe autism breaking the communication barrier to alert the world that they do in fact think and have awareness, I couldn't help but feel a little distressed whenever he punched the buttons for the words "help, eat, and stop." Was he really in pain, or something... or just stemming? I wondered how his care givers could tell... Inside wondering what it must be like for him to go unable to really communicate with others. Also I wondered how ought I respond? Should I pretend I don't notice him, or smile? Say something should he look my way? I can see other, more out going sorts, who just have a natural ability to engage folks in conversation or in this case, one sided communication. I don't think I have that gift.

My son can speak, formulate sentences, and even writes. His spelling is actually pretty good, but it's clear that there's more in his head than he can find the words for.... and quite frankly, I feel the same very often as well. I've often struggled with trying to formulate my thoughts into words, and in a way that is conveyed in a way I'd intend...sometimes there's a misconnect, and I know how uncomfortable that can be.

But today was a full, and blessed day... honestly and truly.

Contact Dermatitis

For over a week I've been doing my best to not scratch an itch... or many itches. Sometimes I just can't help it, and have indulged in episodes of frantic scratching, leaving my skin rough, red, and a little broken up. Meanwhile, I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what I've been exposed to that has started this episode of contact dermatitis.
Was it the new shampoo or the olive oil soap I'd tried? My beloved wool shirts, socks, and jackets? Something I ate? Something in the water?

Rash on my arm next
 to the new uniform.

Then as I was hanging my husband's new uniform on my indoor clothes line, a label caught my attention, and gave me another suspect to consider. Had I washed my clothes with these insecticide laced uniforms? Generally, I don't separate his uniforms from the rest of the laundry, but I will now.

Honestly, my husband isn't trekking through mosquito infested jungles. Lacing Permethrin into his uniform worn in an office building environment seems ridiculous. This is one instance where I feel a class A uniform would be much better suited for what he's actually doing.  Fighting beltway traffic, and preparing morning briefs at 0-dark hundred does not require protection from disease carrying insects! And I don't need these chemicals seeping into my household environment neither.

The label also stated, and I hope this is true, that dry cleaning will remove the chemicals. So I've asked him to dry clean them. I have no way to testing this for sure, and don't care to subject myself to a trial for science sake. I just want whatever I'm reacting to gone... along with the itching to stop. So the olive oil soap, new shampoo are gone. And I'm giving wool shirts and coats a rest too, though the socks don't seem to be the problem, so I'm thinking perhaps my wool shirts are just adding salt to the already inflamed skin and might not actually be the cause... and they're not new... so that decreases my suspicion of a wool allergy.