Who says video games aren't educational?

Thanks to Wii boxing Adeline at 21 months can count to 10. Quite clearly I might add.

Who needs Sesame Street when you have Wii??

Rear-facing car seats till 2???

Just read this on the Baby 411 blog. I HATE this idea! I can't imagine still having Adeline rear-facing. Where is she supposed to put her feet?? I suppose if the guidelines change we'll all have to conform, but is this really necessary??

When is the right time for your child to go from rear-facing to forward-facing in his convertible car seat? The current recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics (which dates back to 2002) is after your child weighs 20 lbs and after his first birthday.

However, newer studies suggest that kids are actually safer to be rear-facing until TWO years of age. Rear-facing seats provide better support to the back, head, neck, and pelvis. Many parents worry that a child may have a leg injury if a car accident occurs when he is rear-facing. This is more a perception than a reality, based on actual crash evidence. And, leg injuries are much less serious than one to the head, neck, or spinal cord.

While the official AAP recommendations have not changed (revised policy statements take quite some time), the President of the AAP, Dr Dave Tayloe, comments that pediatricians should, “encourage parents to keep their children in rear-facing car seats as long as they do not exceed the size limits of the car seats.”

FYI: We review the latest convertible car seats in our book, BABY BARGAINS (http://www.babybargains.com). If you want to keep your baby rear-facing to age 2, be sure to pick a seat with a higher rear-facing limit (35 pounds is a good). Unfortunately, not all seats work to 35 pounds rear-facing!

[http://baby411.typepad.com/baby_411_blog/]

ABCs, 123s, and Working with Daddy

Mommie wanted me to share with you how well I'm doing on my ABCs lately. I recognize at least a half a dozen letters just by looking at them, and I know that:

• A is for Adeline (I find A's everywhere!)
• B is for Baby (I point to Mommie's tummy)
• C is for Cookie (just like Cookie Monster!)
• D is for Doug (my lovey :)
• Y is for Yo-yo (upside down this one looks like an A, so Mommie taught me what it really is)

I also know how to count to three! But sometimes I get a little confused when I get to two and say "Trojans! do do do do do do..." instead. Mommie says that's okay :).

In other news, sometimes I like to help out Daddy at work. I do some work at the computer...

and I answer the phone...

And here's a little picture of my curly bed head. When I wake up from my afternoon snooze my hair is almost always super curly! This was after a 3-hour marathon snooze today!

Mommie has some things she'd like to say, too, so I'm going to let her type now. Mommie says...

For those of you wanting the baby update, obviously there's no news to share yet :). We are two weeks and 3 days from our due date, but of course I'm still hoping for April. I learned this week at my midwife appointment that the hospital where I was planning on birthing has some policies that don't thrill me (kind of anti-natural childbirth) so we're pursuing the Alternative Birthing Center once again. I have to see if they'll let me birth there without having gone through their orientation process. Hopefully since I've done this before - natural childbirth and everything - they'll let it slide.

I've been having rhythmic contractions several times a day for 60-90 minutes at a time, about 15 minutes apart. Here's hoping they're actually doing something. They are getting fairly uncomfortable, so I'm hoping this means real labor is not far away. Next midwife appointment is Tuesday, if I don't have a baby by then (wishful thinking!). Alan's preaching on Sunday morning, so those are the only two hours or so in the next few weeks that being in the throws of active labor would be a bad thing!

Stay tuned...

More Easter Pictures

Beckie has posted her pictures from Easter in Michigan in a Picasa album too! Enjoy!

Adeline LOVED playing with her cousins, Sophie and Abby, yesterday. They chased each other around and played with their Easter gifts together. It was so fun to watch Adeline interact with older girls. I think all three of them were just eating each other up :).

We headed over to Holland from church and were there by about 2pm. Some friends from Mom and Dad's church, Mark and Trisha, joined our family for a lamb, mashed potato and green bean feast (and Jello eggs!! :). After dinner Peter, Sophie and Abby came over and we just all played and enjoyed one another's company. We're a loud bunch, but we love it and each other and wouldn't have it any other way :). Not too long from now one more will be joining the craziness!

Today Amma, Beckie, Adeline and I went on a little adventure in and around Holland while Alan and Papa stayed home and got some work done. We drove all the way up to Grand Haven (while Adeline snoozed in the car) so Beckie could see Lake Michigan. Then we came back downtown for some lunch at 8th Street Grille and visited Amma's friends at Moynihan Gallery. We got home to Amma's just in time to head back home. Our visits together are never long enough but I guess that makes us enjoy them all the more :).

I hope you had a wonderful Easter celebration with your family and/or friends, too!

Easter Pictures

Family Easter pictures can be seen here. Am I on top of things, or what!?! :)

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

Just an update to let you all know we are all well in the Conrow Household once again. It's so nice to have my little girl back :). She's really fun.

There's still some snow outside, but the temp is climbing so hopefully the piles will disappear soon.

Tomorrow (Friday) we get to see Amma again and maybe even Papa! Saturday Aunt Beckie is coming to town and we're going to dye Easter eggs together. Sunday morning we're all going to church where I am singing an offertory solo. After church we're heading west to Holland to spend the day/night at Amma and Papa's house, and Uncle Rob will be there too :). Uncle Peter, Sophie and Abby are also coming to visit for a few hours. Then on Monday Aunt Beckie will head back down to Indiana and we'll head back home too. We're all looking forward to a fun, eventful, family weekend :). Oh, and we'll be full term on Easter Sunday!! (still 3 weeks till the "due date", but the kiddo is considered fully 'cooked' ;-)

It is my sincere hope and prayer that you have been able to fully identify with the misery of your human condition during this contemplative season of Lent, that you have entered into Christ's death which we remember tomorrow, so that you may fully enjoy and celebrate the resurrection of Christ with an abundance of joy on Easter Sunday morning!

I'm Dreaming of a White Chr... er, Easter???

No these are not old winter photos that I'm just now getting around to posting. These were taken this morning. I have no words...