Friday PSA

This is a time of year when many accidents happen and often they involve children. The link below is to an article discussing an apparently growing phenomenon of children dying after they are left or lock themselves in hot cars. Certainly worth a read.

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/children-dying-in-hot-cars/

I read an article awhile ago that reported the story of a couple whose adopted two year old son died after his mother accidentally left him in the car when she went to work one morning... She explained that the entire family had been battling a stomach virus, she was sleep deprived and did not typically take her children to daycare in the morning. At the last minute before she went to work, she and her husband decided their youngest boy was well enough to go to daycare. In his carseat in the back of her car, the child was too short to be seen in her rearview mirror and fell asleep during the drive. She drove herself to work that morning, and went inside - just as she did every day. By the time she realized her son had been left in the car, it was too late. Clearly, this could happen to any of us.

The article suggests putting a purse or briefcase in the backseat of your car so you would see a sleeping child in a carseat. It also suggests keeping a stuffed animal in the carseat and putting it next to you in the front seat if a child is in the car with you so you'll remember they are there. The best advice is: make a habit out of checking your backseat before you walk into work, and always lock your doors when your car is parked in the driveway, etc. so that a child cannot lock himself in.

Why hello there....

As captioned by Frank (the photographer) who dropped Franklin off at school this morning on "Pajama Day" ....

Hugh Hefner would be jealous. "Hello ladies - come join me in the toy grotto. Care for a glass of milk?" Happy Friday!

Sweet Smiles

This sweet little one hands out big gummy grins like candy... and his mommy eats them right up!

Today's Tip

There's a debate in my profession about whether the "ponytail" is professional. As a working mom, I tend to employ the ponytail at least once a week, and think as long as it's kept neat and a little dressier than your typical 16 year old cheerleader, it's ok. I tend to spiff up the look by giving a little height on top, making sure the ends are neat, and by wrapping a section of hair around the elastic that keeps the hair back. Usually by the end of the day though, the wrapped section of hair looks a little messy, despite my best efforts to prevent it from doing so. Enter the "Tonytail:"


I could've made a FORTUNE off this thing. Sold in blonde, light brown, brunette, black, essentially all colors that will perfectly match your hair. It's an elastic with a section of acrylic hair on one side. Genius. Find them at Sephora or at:

http://www.tonytail.com/PonytailWraps.htm#TT

A New Obsession

One day, when I'm all grown up, I want to have rooms that resemble those created by master designer Sarah Richardson of HGTV's "Sarah's House." I am beyond obsessed with that show, and with the rooms that Sarah shows you how to create. Here's just a glimpse into her aesthetic:

All images courtesy of Sarah's website. Find out more at:

http://www.sarahrichardsondesign.com/

Lucky Number 7

This adorable little one is seven months old (and has been for about 2 weeks now)! We have entered a super, super sweet phase, and I absolutely adore this child more than words could ever say. Franklin now gives big hugs and kisses each time I pick him up, and is full of smiles and giggles for his mommy. He's also quite a flirt, with friends, other babies, and people he meets in the grocery store... He even saved a few special kisses for Campbell, as caught in a photo below!

We've discovered this past week that Franklin's dislike of using his arms will probably mean that he's a scooter rather than a crawler, and we've seen him in the beginning stages of "scooting" all over the place! He just would rather be upright and looking around than face down on his belly. We'll just have to remember not to let him "scoot" on wood decks (hello, splinters!). Right now his favorites are Scout, the cups Frank bought him in Fairhope last week, his raspberry, and the yellow crinkly lion. He also favors bananas and apples, but hasn't quite warmed up to the avocado just yet. We'll start a few more fruits this week and move on to veggies this weekend... Happy 7 months lil' man, we love you!