Fastfoward

Some how a whole year has gone by since I've posted anything. I'm not sure how that really happened. I love to blog. I've meant to keep up but life just got in the way so here I am fastfowarding just in case anyone is still checking this silly little blog.

Madison

(picture courtesy of Viki Reed Photography)

Some how I ended up with a real live grade schooler in my house. We're not talking kindergarten anymore here people she is going to be starting first grade in September! She is officially a reading, math problem solving, bike riding, tooth loosing kid! Best of all I really like this kid! As a mom I'm pretty sure I'm contractually obligated to love her but that doesn't necessarily mean I have to like her as a person. Lucky for me she is funny, outgoing and usually pretty easy to be around. She has also learned to recently whip my butt in Mario Bros 3 which I find pretty amazing because I was playing the game long before she was ever around. Even so whipping my butt is exaclty what she does!

Stella

(picture courtesy of Viki Reed Photography)

My baby is turing 3 in just two short weeks! She is such a little kid now. No more crib (although she tells me on a daily basis that the man can come take her bunk bed away at any day now and bring back her crib), no more diapers and that means for the first time in 6 years I am actually carrying a purse instead of a diaper bag!!! Stella has such a strong personality. She has opinions on just about everything and has no problem sharing them with anybody. Her vocabulary also blows me away just about every day. Some of her favorite things to say are "Well, actually (followed by her opinion)" or "Tell me about your day. Was it stressfull" or "Mom I think I've aggravated Madison".

As for me I'm about to begin my fourth and final semester of nursing school this September. The thought of being finished with this leg of school so soon is super exciting. Unfortunately the thought of the long nights of studying and all the time away from my family tends to make me dread the upcoming semester.

Sadly last October our sweet Newfi Kai that we had adopted the prevoius June became very ill. The vet diagnosed her with kidney failure due to a genetic issue that was undetectable until it was too late. By the following morning she had passed away. We missed having a giant hairy beast in our family and not long after adopted Max. He is a 3 year old landseer Newfoundland that instantly worked his way into all of our hearts and overnight became one of the family!

I have grand intentions of posting daily and hope to stick to it. If anyne reading knows myself or my family in real life you know we are always seeking out different ways to enjoy life that inevitably leave a great story to tell. I can't wait to start telling those stories here again!

My Baby Turned Two!

Wow, wow, wow! I can't beleive how long it has been since I've blogged (6 months, 19 days to be exact). So many times ideas have popped into my head or the girls have done/said something that I thought "I need to share" but just never got around to doing it.

I'm going to do my best to fast foward through all the big stuff from the last six months....

Nursing School- Yep I started, it has kicked my behind and I am loving every minute of it! Second semester starts September 7th and I am expected to graduate in December 2012.

Madison - Her nose is still healing but looking better and we are all still healing from the psychological effects of the dog bite. Amazingly she seems to be the most healed and I'm by far the least. She has absolutely zero fear of dogs (her anxiety manifested in other ways) while I am pretty much terrified but we have taken steps to resolve that issue (more to come on that topic). Ms. Madison also graduated from preschool and is super excited to start kindergarten where she won't have to take naps. You know 'cause that is what is most important about going to kindergarten!

Stella- Can you beleive it she just turned two! Okay maybe not a big deal for you but it is HUGE for me. My baby is becoming such a big girl! She is such a little spit fire who is always making us laugh.

Kai- What is a Kai you ask. Well in Hawain it means ocean but in our house it is the name of our latest addition. Kai is our adopted 3 1/2 year old newfoundland. At first I was completely against ever having another dog (besides Tucker) but after much begging and pleading by the hubs I caved. She has been AMAZING! Kai is the sweetest, calmest most lovable dog we have ever had. She has helped this family heal more than any amount of therapy ever could have!

Now for the pics (you didn't think I would leave them out did you?)....

Madison Update and Holiday Review

I can't believe I let a week go by without updating on Madison's status. Her nose is healing very well. Thankfully there has been no sign of infection. The sutures will be coming out next week and for the next year we will be focusing on minimizing the scar.

During the day she seems to be the same carefree, lovable kid but there have been quite a few nightmares at bedtime. She has also seen a few dogs that she has known this past week. She has had no problem petting them or being near them unless they start getting playful. Twice she began to cry in situations that would have never bothered her before. When I pick her up from school today I will be talking to the directors to see if they can recommend anyone for her to talk to.

I just realized that I don't have any updated pictures of her and she is at school right now so I will have to post them later.In spite of the dog bite we had a very nice holiday season. Christmas Eve was spent at Justin's grandparent's house with lots of extended family. Christmas day started at exactly 5:05 am. It was so much fun experiencing childhood through Stella and Madison's eyes! We spent the rest of the day with my parents. New Years Eve was spent with our friends Jess and Kal but somehow I forgot my camera. I'm blaming it on the "incident" 'cause I've kind of been out of it ever since it happened. Here are some of my favorite pics. Enjoy

"But I Don't Want To Wear This Stupid Bow"

Take Two

Christmas MorningA New baby doll and a pork roll sammy. Does Life get any better?Madison with our Christmas guest. Thankfully we found him a home other than ours.Daddy and Stella Christmas day.Tired and Tubbied (is that a word? It is in our house.)

How Many More Days 'TIl Christmas?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Christmas Checklist

It is December 9th. Some how over a month has gone by since my last blog. More on reasons for that at another time. My current checklist looks something like this....

• Put lights on the house
• Cut down and decorate tree
• order Christmas cards
• Shop for Christmas Presents
• Play outside with no jackets on in 65 F weather

Yep that's correct it is spring like weather here in NJ just 2 1/2 weeks shy of Christmas. Not that I am complaining or anything (well maybe a little since it was too warm to kill off any bugs in our Christmas tree and now I am convinced we need to fumigate the house). I mean seriously how often do you get to have fun like this in NJ this close the Christmas?

Looks like we'll just have to save Christmas cookie baking for another day!

Summer Wrap Up

Wow what a summer! Now that fall is officially here, my brother's wedding is over, Madison is back in school and I am officially unemployed (but looking) I've decided to take the time to edit our 700+ photos. Doing so has made me realize just how much fun we have had this summer as a family and given me proof that there has been good reason for my blog neglect. We have thrown a bridal shower, celebrated a very special first birthday, gone on the best vacation ever to Lake Powell, Utah, taught a certain someone learn to ride a two wheeler (with training wheels but they'll be off soon), gone fishing, to the circus and so much more! Here are just a few of my favorites that I wanted to share with you. Enjoy!

Next up for this very busy family of four? Apple picking in upstate New York, finally getting to meet new baby Jude and training for a marathon (yeah seriously a marathon and no that isn't a metaphor for something else). Stay tuned!

"Not Me" Monday!

It has been quite awhile since I have done a Not Me Monday! Heck, it has been a long time since I have posted. More to come on what has been going on at a later time and date. As the third week of summer vacation rolls around I've decided to write a Not Me post on all of the inappropriate activities that my two perfect little angls would never do. It is a good thing they don't do these things too 'cause if they did I might be just the slightest bit frazzled and completely sure that I am finished procreating!

• In a raving lunatic, crazy women tantrum Stella did not throw her LeapFrog drum out of the playpen so hard that I thought she somehow flipped herself out.
• Madison at 4 1/2 years old does not continue to sneak into our bed every night. This is not acceptable and if it were to ever happen I would most certainly bring her back to her own bed!
• Stella would never lean over the dog bowl and lap up water as if she were a dog. If she were to do this I would absolutely stop her and never just let keep up the bizarre behavior.
• Madison does not dig her finger into her belly button and then proudly announce "It smells like cheese! Wanna smell it!". That would be gross!
• Stella does not throw her food over the side of her high chair just to watch the dog come and eat it.
• Madison does not climb every tent, awning or other various polls that she finds and then swing from them like a stripper monkey leading people to comment on her unusually natural talent.
• Stella does not climb every obstacle she comes across and is always satisfied to just chill at ground level.
• Both girls ALWAYS nap for 3 hours stright at the same time to give me time to clean blog!

Oh yeah I'm so glad my kids are so perfect and do none of these things!

Happy 9 Months Stella!

This was actually a post I meant to do 2 days ago but I've been kind of tied up. Read more about that in tomorrow's post.










Height= 28 1/2 inches Weight = 18 lbs. 4 oz.





This month Stella has started:

• Crawling



• Lifting herself to her knees



• Lifting herself to standing



• She cut her first 2 teeth



• Waving goodbye



• Lifting her arms in response to "How Big is Stella?"



• Signing spider when she wants to hear "Itsy Bitsy Spider"



• Picking up items with her thumb and forefinger



• Feeding herself finger foods



• Eating some "real food" teething biscuits, diced chicken, rice and beans

I know I say it every month but I can't beleive how fast time is flying!

When You Don't Have Anything To Blog About...

CREATE SOME DRAMA!
In reality that is the last thing that I wanted to do at 7:00 am this morning and I had plenty of other topics to blog about but Stella changed all that.

We were snuggling in bed together when I clumsily knocked over my JUMBO cup of water. It was headed straight for the laptop (GASP!!!!) so I jumped up and started cleaning the mess. The whole time my high was touching the bed but my eyes were not on the little squirmer. Can you guess what happened?
Yep she fell from our super high bed face down right onto our hard wood floors just inches from where I was standing. It was so unbelievably loud that my first thought was that Madison had placed one of my free weights on the bed again and it just fell off. Of course when I looked back and saw my little girl laying on the floor my heart instantly leaped into my throat.
She immediately starting crying which I knew was a good sign but it took for what seemed like forever to find the phone. I debated between calling 911 or my mom to watch Madison so I could go to the ER. Stella stayed conscious the whole time and her eyes seemed to be reacting well to light. I decided on my Mom 'cause we are only about 4 minutes from the hospital and it would probably take longer just to get an ambulance to the house. Once I found the phone it took what seemed like forever to call my mom 'cause I couldn't remember the number. This is the phone number I had my whole life until moving out on my own. How could I not remember it? Anyway mom ran over and decided to drive us 'cause had I driven I would have had to park the car and walk a pretty far distance to get to the ER. By having mom drive she could just drop us off. Halfway there Stella was laughing at Madison and dancing to the song Madison was singing. I had feeling everything was going to be fine but I still wanted her checked out just in case.
We saw the doc almost instantly. She was awesome and reassured me that I am not a complete moron and that she in fact had this happen to not one of her children but both! One of the nurses said that this was a really common theme over the weekend too. Stella seemed fine but the egg on her forehead and the bump by her eye made the doc order a CAT scan. She doesn't know it but I would not have left without one even if she did not think it was necessary. When the tech came to get us she was a little unsure about how the scan would go because Stella was squirming all over. She was tired and cranky because she didn't get her breakfast, I wasn't allowed to give her the bottle that she was more than ready for and it was her nap time. The tech mentioned that we would probably have to sedate her. This was not at all something I was interested in doing but I knew ultimately we would if need be. someone was definitely watching out 'cause within the 2 minutes that the tech went to find our pediatrician and discuss sedation Stella lulled herself to sleep and stayed sound asleep just long enough for the CAT scan to be completed!

The scan came back negative and we were released by 10 am. Stella seems perfectly fine although we do have to follow up with our pediatrician tomorrow and keep a close eye on her for the next day. I've been a complete wreck. I can't even imagine being a parent whose child has a major injury or illness! As soon as me came home I lowered her crib as far down as it goes (just in case) and there will be no more big bed for her anytime soon!

Oh yeah and for those who are counting

• Stella's ER trips = 2 Funky colds that require mucho meds = 1
• Madison's ER trips = 0 Funky colds that require mucho meds = 0 (never even antibiotics)

I hope that this trend does not continue and that there are no more accidents for either one but I have a feeling I know who our accident prone child is going to be!

Happy 8 Months Stella!

Eight months already! I really don't know where the past year has gone. Stella is doing so much and has her own personality! It is so hard not compare her to Madison especially since they are sooooooooo different!

Stella is very, very vocal. She is already saying Da Da Da repeatedly (especially when she is angry) along with a few other consonant/vowel blends. She also loves to squeal at the top of her lungs and blow raspberries until she is dripping with drool. She tends to get louder when she is angry or frustrated. She has got quite a temper and it has been coming out more and more lately because she just wants to get down and go but hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet. Madison was a very quiet baby and did not speak her first word until 16 months. Such a difference.

Stella has gone from a stationary spud this past month to a rolling fool. She does a combo roll/scoot on her butt thing to get to anywhere she wants. Several times in the past day or two she has also gotten up on all fours and rocked back and forth so I think it is only a matte of time before she crawls. No attempts to pull herself up yet but I'm sure that is just around the corner. Another difference from M. 'cause she crawled at 6 1/2 months and walked at 9!

Stella loves, loves, loves food! We haven't found anything that she doesn't really like although she prefers her fruit. I'm pretty sure that is most babies though. She has also started with her sippy cup this month. Still working out which end is up but it is a start. Are you tired of comparisons yet? Madison couldn't be bothered eating. Besides having a milk allergy she always seemed to busy to be bothered.

Her sleeping pattern is also pretty good and close to on schedule. She usually takes a three hour nap from 8:30-11:30 am (although this is more typical of when she is with my mom) and then a brief 20-30 minute snooze in the afternoon. Bedtime is around 8:00 and the most exciting thing is that she now falls asleep on her own in her crib!!! You have no idea how big this is for me since I gave into cosleeping with Madison which I feel still negatively affects her sleep routine. Madison still needs someone to snuggle in bed until she falls asleep and every night she still finds her way into our bed because she CANNOT sleep alone. I know there are advocates of cosleeping out there but is just not for me. Stella had been getting into a cosleeping habit for awhile which resulted in a kiddo on either side of me. This made for one sleepless, cranky mom. I couldn't take it so we used the cry it out method with Stella . It was hard to hear her cry the first few times but soooooo worth the results. I feel like she gets a sounder, more complete sleep compared to Madison. She also sleeps through to usually 7:00 am. AWESOME!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

I'm here! I'm here!

No I didn't fall off the face of the Earth. I'm still here! Life has just seemed to be non stop lately and by the time I get the girls to bed I fall sound asleep very soon after. Okay I'll admit I usually fall asleep while putting one of them down!

Word of advice for anyone who has their own business... Don't let the paperwork pile up until tax time!!!! This is so unlike me but just about every sales slip since Stella was born has been piled high on my desk for 6 1/2 months now. Unfortunately tax time is here and I need to muddle my way through my mess in order to visit the accountant. Every spare minute without the girls has been spent trying to get things in order and tonight I'm finally starting to see the end! Whoo Hoo!!!! Now if only I could find my mileage log for 2008. Did the dog eat it?

Anyway enough about that boring stuff. The girls are great and Stella FINALLY got to experience her first snow last week. She was outside long enough to snap a few pics and then back inside with Mema so Madison and I could have some big girl play time before the snow disappeared as quickly as it came. I love nice weather and I'm totally not complaining for 60 on Sunday, snow on Tuesday and then another 60 Sunday to follow is just plain weird. Gotta love Jersey!

Not too much else going on around here just a sudden overabundance of invites to bridal showers, baby showers, and kiddy birthday parties in what was supposed to be a quiet rest of the winter and early spring. Seriously does anyone else notice that these things come in waves? It has been months since I've had to go to any and then BAM!!!! more than I can count and a few of which occur on the same day. So tough to choose so we just go by the first invite to be received deal. Well I guess that is enough pointless rambling for now so goodnight all!

Happy Half Birthday!

Half a year old! I feel like you just entered this world and at the same time it seems as though you have always been a part of our family!

You are now 26 3/4 inches and weigh 15lbs 15 oz. You love your Jumperoo, Mommy's off key singing, watching your nutty big sister and sweet potatoes!

You have been sleeping through the night for over 3 months, are just about to sit up all by yourself, babble and squeal constantly and just started passing toys between hands.

You are still not a fan of belly time although you tolerate more and more, don't roll over regularly and have yet to cut the teeth that Mommy swore were breaking through two months ago.

We love you so much but can you please stop growing so fast? Just be a baby a little while longer!

Almost There!

She's Up!

And She's Back Down!
Now Can Someone Please Teach Her How To Roll Over?

Getting Back To Normal

All better baby!

Brothers wrestling

Madison and Brody

Madison and Tucker

I'm very happy to announce that we are getting back to normal here. Whatever that may be! Madison is back to her fun loving, ever on the go self. I swear if you look hard enough you can see the gears turning in her head thinking up what to do next! Stella is much, much better. We never took a trip to the E.R. because after her econd neb. treatment I could definately see an improvement. She still has to use the neb. until Friday than it is check up time at the ped.'s office.

The puppies are home and have been named. Originally ours was Kingston but Madison kept calling him Pig Skin so we opted for Tucker. As long as Stella can pronounce her T's when she gets older we will be good to go! My parents chose Brody which was my first choice for our dog but it's all good! Both dogs are adjustin really well and house breaking is much easier with them than any other dog we have had so far. Hope that doesn't change! Here is a few pics of them for now. I don't really have many of Brody cause we kept them apart for the first couple of days in order to adjust to their new seperate homes. I'm working on a neb picture for Stella but it is not as easy as it sounds. maybe for Wordless Wednesday. Off to bed. Good night all!

****STELLA UPDATE****

We are back from the doctor's office. Stella is finally sleeping in my mom's arms (although very restless) and I am about to give Madison her bath. She has bronchiolitis which the doctor said is very common in babies her age. She is wheezing but not to severely (according to the doc) and has been put on nebulizer treatments 3 times a day for a week. Back for a check up in a week.

Unfortunatelt we were seen by the one doctor in the practice that I don't particularly love today and I'm not 100% sold on her diagonosis. The docotr thought Stella sounded much better after her first neb treatment in the office and said she couldn't hear any wheezing. kind of strange 'cause I could clearly hear it without a stethoscope. I also thought it was weird that we do not have to revisit the doc for a whole week because a lot could change in that long of a period of time. the doc also looked at me like I had 3 heads when I said the baby's urine output wasn't as much as usual even though she has been drinking plenty of fluids. I also mentioned that her urine was amber in color and strong smelling. Not even a look in her diaper! the doc's response was "She seems well hydrated and I highly doubt she has a UTI on top of everything else." If there is no change for the better with the pee pee making or breathing by later this afternoon it looks like we'll be off to the E.R. Why couldn't one of the 10 other docs that I love be on call today?
well I thinked I mentioned everything. For now everything seems some what okay but we will just have to play wait and see. Oh and only 5 more hours to puppy time. What the H. E. double hockey sticks was I thinking?

Off to the doctors

Madison is finally feeling so much better. Unfortunately Stella has gotten progressively sicker since last night. I stayed up holding her all night waiting for the slightest change that would be the deciding factor in goin to the E.R. By 6:00 am I was on the phone with our ped's answering service. We have an 8:45 appt. I'm no expert but her breathing seems labored and I can feel hert chest rattling. Letters like R.S.V. and the nasty word pneumonia keep swirling in my head. I'm praying that it won't but I will not be suprosed if we are off to the hospital. I feel like a first time mom treading this new territory. Madison has never been this sick and never even got a cold until she was a year old. So off we go. Keep you posted.

And yes the dogs are still set to arrive tonight. We'll deal with that when the time comes!

P.S. Did I forget? Happy New Year!

A Christmas Update Through Pictures

This time of year is always so crazy but ours has been topped with Madison getting by far the worst cold she has ever had and then sharing it with Stella and I. I guess I can't complain 'cause I'm always telling her she needs to share. Anyway I'm trying desperately to get our home in order and back into a routine (which includes blogging).

Christmas was great despite the fevers, coughing and runny noses. Madison was the only one under the weather Christmas Eve but she seemed to rally so me made the decision to go to Justin's grandparents with the rest of the family. Christmas Day was spent with my parents hanging out in sweatpants and eating way more than any human being should. It was really nice having a low key day complete with an afternoon nap 'cause I think we all needed that. We have been hanging home ever since trying to make everyone better. It is nice but so strange because I think the last time I have ever been home for so many days straight was when I gave birth to Madison! Justin originally had a week vacation but since we can't do any of the fun activities planned and he is not sick he opted to go to work. We miss having him home but since he is technically getting paid for two weeks (vacation and work) this week I can't complain. Here is a recap of the past week in pictures. Enjoy!

Stella's favorite new spot to hang.

Visions Of Sugar Plums Danced Through Their Heads!Christmas Eve. Somehow the only pic of them together. Didn;t even get a family photo :<Madison and cousin Kayla

Whoa! Santa came!

Trying to wait patiently for Stella to wake up.

The only Christmas pic of the girls and I!Poppy (my dad) and Stella

Stella and baby cousin Mackenzie (please ignore the red eyes)

Stella Update

Stella was checked out by her pediatrician after the incident on Friday and she is fine. In the meantime we have begun cereal with her. She has taken to it like a champ and after just a couple of feedings is already opening her mouth and lunging towards the spoon. This is completely different from Madison who was such a tough baby to feed. That has all changed now 'cause the kid will even eat sushi (no raw fish) and seaweed salad!

I didn't really get into the details of how the restaurant handled the situation the other day because ultimately none of that matters but for inquiring minds.... All of the wait staff immediately rushed over to see if Stella was okay. At that point I couldn't even tell you what the waiter looked like because I was too preoccupied with the baby. My mother noticed the guy making pizzas behind the counter looking over but he never stopped to see if Stella was hurt. After the initial shock the waiter came back several times to offer his heartfelt apologies and to even offer any personal information that we may need from him in case something was wrong with the baby. At the time I just wanted to scream get the F%^$ out of my face! Now I feel for him because accidents do happen and being the mother I should have never placed Stella into a situation where she could potentially get hurt. No manager or owner EVER came over willingly! Justin stopped the hostess and demanded to speak to the owner or a manger. She explained that her husband owned the restaurant and she went to go get him. Turns out it was the guy making pizza! He lied through his teeth and said he didn't know anything had happened and his wife said she came over to check on the baby but she seemed fine. I'm not sure if she did or not because I was in complete shock. Now we are not the suing type but as a business owner don;'t you think it is in your best interest to make sure no one is hurt and to demand a doctor be seen to CYA? I'm just saying. All the guy kept saying is dinner is on us! We didn;t care about who was paying for dinner. We just wanted someone to acknowledge what had just happened. As we were leaving the owner finally got out an accident report and filled it out once we told him we were going to the emergency room. Again all he kept saying is the bill is on me. Okay buddy we got it. The accident itself would not have stopped me from going there again after all it was an accident. The owner's behavior however has made us decide to completely write off this restaurant (If you need a name I'll be happy to email it to you). It is not like decent
Italian restaurants in NJ are hard to find!

My blogging has been scarce to say the least but we are neck deep in Christmas here. All the gifts are bought and wrapped, the house is decorated and Madison is wired! If we could only harness her energy I'm sure we could solve the world's energy crisis! I've even attempted to bake a few Christmas cookies although it doesn't seem like there will be any to give out this year. The first two batches were eaten almost instantly on Sunday and I either forgot to add flour or oats to the third 'cause the results were not pretty. If the weather isn't too bad today we are off to the mall for pictures with Santa. I'll admit I'm completely exhausted doing all that is Christmas with two kiddos but I remember how special my mom made Christmas for my brother and I and I want to do the same for my girls! Thank goodness the breast feeding has stopped because I am surviving on Rock Stars at this point (yes I know waaaaaaaay unhealthy)!

Don't forget today is the last day to enter my Beaded Bling giveaway. I'll be posting a new awesome giveaway either today or tomorrow so keep checking back!

My Most Important Post Ever... Please Pass Along!!!

With presents to buy, cards to send, cookies to bake and decorations to hang it is easy to get lost in everything that is commercially Christmas. I'm not going to lie I've been guilty of it myself. Consumed with what has to be done before the big day as if the world might stop if it doesn't. Ultimately none of these things really matter. The only thing that truly does matter during this time of the year as well as every other day of the year is that your loved ones are happy and HEALTHY.

This reality check hit me last night while we were out to dinner. My parents, Justin the girls and I all went to one of our favorite little Italian restaurants. There was no booth large enough to accomodate all of us so one of the restaurant employees turned a high chair upside down and a placed Stella (who was sound asleep) and her carseat on top. No big deal. I've done it dozens of times before and have seen hundreds of other parents do the same thing. We all munched on bread, ate salad and were waited for our entrees when CRASH! A waiter knocked into the high chair holding Stella and her car seat. the chair fell over and the car seat fell floward, upside down with her in it. Before it was even settled on the ground Justin and I had it picked up and were checking out our little girl. She was slowly waking up with a look on her face like what the heck happened and why is everyone in my face? Not a single tear. Thankfully everything seemed to be fine but we wanted her checked out just in case. After all she did fall to the floor upside down in her car seat!

We took her to the hospital where we were quickly greeted by a rather gruff doctor. He diagnosed her as fine even before looking at her because she had been strapped securely in her car seat. He examined her quicklky (I think just to appease me) and we were released. In and out of the ER in under 1/2 and hour. She seems completely fine, not even a scratch but I'm taking her to the pediatrician tomorrow to put my own mind at ease. (Yes Danielle for the first time ever I am overreacting. Probably).

Although I beleive in God I don't tend to be very religious, I'm not the best at getting up and going to church every Sunday or even remembering to say my prayers. I know though that God was looking down on us and kept our baby safe from harm. This situation could have had such a tragically different ending. If her seat had hit the table or if she hadn't been strapped in I can honestly say I don't know if she would be with is right now. I'm sure that we are not the only family that this has happened to but it is not something that is ever really discussed or addressed. I know that there are car seat slings that can be used at restaurants but they could have been knocked over just as easily. There has got to be a better, safer way to hold car seats and as parents it is up to us to demand something. If you could please share my story with other mothers or maybe even link this post to your site I would really appreciate it. People need to be made aware so that this does not happen to them!