For the record and Mom of the Year

For the record- I really hope the car seat post didn't come off as condesending or rude. I really really feel passionately about car seats- ask anyone who knows me or my high school friends who called me Susie Safety b/c I wouldn't let anyone in my car without a seat belt on before I put the car in drive. :) It just happens to be something I feel strongly about- some people are all about organic foods, strict schedules, or no vaccinations- those are not so much my thing (esp. the sleep schedule, but I wish it were!), just carseats. Maybe b/c I am kind of a control freak, and it is one thing I can do b/c accidents are kind of out of my hands (see the rest of the post!). Who knows? Some of the people I look up to the most in the parenting department forward face their children too early or put them in a booster at 3. It's not exactly a barometer for how you are as a parent, know what I mean?! And I certainly don't think that!

Anway, I have been thinking about writing that for a while now b/c it is awkward to tell friends to move their chest clips up in person, and I know most of my friends read my blog. (Although they are probably just read it and laughed at my neuroticness!) John Henry just happened to fall asleep at 8 the other night, so I got to write it. And I had been looking for the new Britax covers to see which one Macey will get and it reminded me. :) Hope I didn't offend anyone. I certainly wasn't trying to! No one ever tells you anything about car seats, like they do about every other aspect of parenting. You are just let to figure it out, kind of crazy! I think I am going to become a car seat tech so I can give unsolicited advice and not feel bad about it....

And speaking of safety-

Today John Henry woke up at 5:45. I thought I was going to die of exhaustion until about 11. We are more like 8:30-9:00 kind of people over here. So we all took a nap, which was great!

When John Henry woke up, and I carried him downstairs. On the way down the stairs, my pjs pants got caught under my foot and I slipped. I fell to the left since I was holding John Henry on my left side. I only fell a few steps, but his head hit the bottom of the banister very hard. He immediately started crying. He didn't have any symptoms of a concussion, but I called the doc to see what I needed to look for.

While I was waiting for the nurse to call back, I talked to a few friends that said you are supposed to go ahead and go to the doc for head injuries b/c it is better safe than sorry. I called Kurt, who I knew would totally freak out on me. He stayed so calm. I was very thankful; sometimes he panics in situations like that. He called his doc and we went to him so we wouldn't have to drive all the way to Birmingham.

By that time John Henry was telling me that his tummy hurt. I just knew he was going to start throwing up, but he didn't. When we were getting in the car to go, he told me that his head was tipping over and he couldn't walk down the garage stairs. I was so scared, but the doc said he was fine. There was no swelling or signs of anything at all. There isn't even a bump on his head. He was definitely active and normal acting until 11:30 tonight when he went to bed! (See why he doesn't nap anymore?)

They did tell me that symptoms may not show up until tomorrow, so I am going to wake him up a few times tonight just to make sure. And say extra prayers that I don't get puked on.

Oh, and right before we left John Henry said, "Mommy, you smashed me like a piece of paper." When I asked him what he was talking about, he said, "yeah, like this," and started hitting his head. Thankfully, the doctor is a friend of ours so he didn't think I beat my child!!





I am so thankful that I wasn't holding Macey as well. I always carry both of them at the same time. I won't be doing that anymore!





I felt like the worst mom in the world today! Poor John Henry. I carried him up the stairs to the bath tonight, and he said, "Mommy, please don't try to fall again." :( I am so thankful that John Henry was okay. It made me realize how quickly something could happen and how precious my kids are to me.

Car Seat PSA

This is for all 3 people who read my blog. :-) I am lucky enough to have a friend that is a car seat tech and once she told me to watch some You Tube videos on car seat safety, I have been a car seat nut!

It makes me sad to see kids in car seats that are installed wrong or straps not tight, etc., but I know most people don't know much about car seats. The only reason I know anything is b/c of my car seat tech friend and the fact that I spend too much time on the internet. :-)

Rear Facing
Newborns are rear faced for a reason- b/c it is the safest way to ride in the car. The law in Alabama is 20 lbs and 1 year of age to forward face, but that doesn't mean it is safe to turn your child at 1 year. People do it because it is legal, but it is legal to smoke. Doesn't mean it is safe or good for you!

Forward facing has little to do with weight and mostly with the strength of the neck bones. At one year your child's neck bones are not strong enough to withstand an accident and could result in a broken neck. I recently read a story about an 18 month old that weighed 33 lbs that was forward facing. His mom hit a tree going 35 mph, and he broke his neck and is paralyzed. http://www.joelsjourney.org The pictures are heartbreaking!

John Henry rear faced until he was over 2 1/2 years. I think we just think our kids want to turn forward facing, but if they have never sat that way, they don't know a difference. I just put JH's DVD on the back of the seat and he would watch that. It was really easier b/c whatever toys or pacis I gave him stayed in his seat, rather than falling onto the floor.

A lot of people think that when their legs get too long and hit the back of the seat that they have to turn their children because their legs will break in an accident. My car seat tech friend told me that there has never been a documented case of a child breaking their legs due to rear facing too long, but there have been plenty of cases of a child breaking their neck because of forward facing too early. Here are common rear facing myths- http://www.carseat.se/rear-facing-myths/

Check out this video:




There are lots more videos I wanted to post, but you can just go to you tube and search "forward facing vs rear facing." Scary stuff!

Also, when your children are rear facing, the straps should be at or below their shoulders. The chest clip should always be at armpit level. It won't work if it is down by the crotch strap! Straps should always be pulled tight- only 2 of your fingers should fit between the baby's chest and the straps. Your child has outgrown rear facing in height when his head is within 1" of the top of the shell of the seat. Leg length doesn't matter!

Just remember- rear facing is ALWAYS safest (as long as your child fits the seat requirements, most are 35 lbs) no matter what your mom, friend, or pediatrician says!! Do your own research! The American Academy of Pediatrics actually recommends that children are rear faced for 2 years now.

Adding one more article- http://www.carseat.se/rear-facing-to-age-4-making-the-news/

If you don't want to read it, here is an excerpt- "The facts are still that rear facing is 500% safer compared to forward facing until age two."

If you are wondering why the kids in the picture don't have chest straps, it is b/c Sweden doesn't have them. They have to be able to get the kids out in one motion in case of an accident I think. Our car seats are designed for chest chips though, so you still have to put yours up at armpit level.

5 pt harness

Just like rear facing is safer than forward facing, 5 pt. harness is much safer than a booster seat. Many people put their child in a booster seat at age 3 or 4 because it is legal, but it's not safe.





This is the shortest video I could find of 5 pt harness vs. booster seat, but there are tons of children who died because they were in boosters too early. :( The seatbelt isn't enough for a child in a car accident.

Most car seats have a 5 point harness until 40 lbs, but many more are starting to harness to a higher weight, like 65-80 lbs. It is so important to harness your child until at least 5 years old!

For forward facing, the straps must be at or above the shoulders (opposite of rear facing. JH had to skip a level when he switched), straps must be really tight, and the ears have to be below or even with the top of the seat shell.

I know y'all think I am nuts, but I just see so many kids in car seats incorrectly in blogs. It makes me sad, so I decided to give y'all a Public Service Annoucement. :)

Meeting Aubie!

Tonight we went to the Cullman Auburn Club to meet Aubie. John Henry was so excited about going. He said he was going to show Aubie how to play with the new punch balloons he got today and let Aubie sit next to him at dinner. I guess he didn't realize there were going to be 800 people packed into a gym to meet Aubie and listen to Gene Chizik.

John Henry also got a football signed by Aubie. He was happy about it until Kurt told him he couldn't throw that one because it was signed. Then he told me he didn't want it to be signed anymore. :)

John Henry was thrilled. I have no idea why he has crazy eyes in this picture.

Macey fell asleep after screaming (imagine that). Thankfully it was really loud in there!

Macey loves to be held up in the air. She smiles so big!

She fell asleep tonight while she was in the Bumbo watching me cook. Too funny!

Annual Apel Family Beach Trip

Every year we go to the Kurt's parents' beach house at Rosemary Beach with Kurt's parents and brother's family for Memorial Day. We had lots of fun! John Henry thought playing with his cousins, Gracie, Tucker, and Brant was the best thing ever. He has really missed them since we have been home.

I didn't get any pictures of crab hunting, which was John Henry's favorite part. It was too hard to hold the big camera and Macey in the Baby Bjorn. We got lots of big blue crabs and little sand crabs. John Henry even caught a few himself! He gets so excited about catching "monster crabs!" He sounds like a little English boy when he says monster. :)

The beach water was gorgeous! I didn't get a good picture of it, but it was perfectly clear and waist deep very far out. I hope that it is like that in a few weeks when we go back. I am afraid the oil will ruin the beach for a long time. Stingrays were migrating and swam in schools all around. They would look like they were swimming right up to people, but at the last minute they would change course and only get about 3 feet from people. It was so cool.

John Henry was not a fan of the ocean. He would go down to the shore and run back to the sand if the water got anywhere close to him. The last day Kurt asked him if he wanted to go in the ocean and he just said, "Ok" like he had been going all along. The stingrays got really close to them, and John Henry loved it. I think our relaxing time on the beach with John Henry just playing in the sand is over; now he is going to want to get in the water all the time.

Pop and John Henry playing the night we got to the beach.

Macey and John Henry. I was really trying to get a picture of their matching swimsuits, but we didn't get John Henry's suit in the picture.

John Henry wore Kurt's sunglasses to see the planes that were flying.

Tucker and John Henry taking a bath together. When they got out there was tons of sand at the bottom of the tub.









Gracie got Macey to sleep several times for me!

Pop, Ri, and Brant.

Macey and her Uncle Hank.

The fam hanging out in bed watching Phineas and Ferb, John Henry's new favorite show.

Tucker and his cousins. Gracie and Tucker took turns riding in the car with us when we went to eat. On the way home from dinner one night, John Henry said, "Tucker is my friend." Tucker said, "John Henry, we are also cousins, and that is better than friends. Did you know that?" It was so sweet!

Kurt and Macey hanging out in the kitchen.

Ri, John Henry, and Macey

Ri read a Dr. Suess book to John Henry. She said it was very entertaining to read to him because he was so into it.

A picture of them actually looking at me!

Macey and John Henry in cute matching swimsuits.

John Henry would play with Quincy and Artex for hours on the beach. He was "feeding" them sand.

This is what Macey did on the beach.

Julie and Brant on the beach.

Our attempt at a family picture. I look horrid and my hair is wet. The only reason I am posting this is because 1. it is the only family picture we got and 2. I don't really think I look like that. If I thought I looked like that I wouldn't post it! :)

Julie caught these baby crabs and sand flea. They were so tiny! This picture was taken after the tiniest one took a fall through the porch cracks courtesy of John Henry. The bigger blue crab in here was about 3/4 of an inch long. There is also a hermit crab that was about 1/2" and a little sand flea. The shells you see open were diggers that the baby crabs cracked open to eat. It was so interesting to watch the little ecosystem on our porch. Pop saved all the animals in the bucket by letting them go after all the kids went home.

This is the bigger crab in Tucker's hand. Tucker is only 6 so you can see how small the crab was.

John Henry holding the baby crab. He thought the tiny one was the baby and the slightly larger one was the mommy.

His face after he went and got the baby crab out of the bucket, which I had told him not to do, and dropped it through the cracks of the porch. He was so upset. He burst into tears right after this and cried because he was worried about what would happen when the mommy crab couldn't find her baby. Tucker and I tried to explain that mommy and baby crabs dont' stay together, but I think that just made him feel worse.

Brant giving Macey some love.

These fish entertained John Henry the entire trip. John Henry named his Quincy (after the Little Einsteins) and Tucker named his Artex.

Hanging out on the porch. We did this each morning.

Tucker loved to hold Macey as well. He and Gracie took turns. They were both a big help!

Tucker and John Henry holding hands on the way to The Sugar Shak.

Tucker, John Henry, and Gracie at The Sugar Shak. That is a popular place! It is always packed.

At John Henry's favorite place in Rosemary Beach- Gigi's! It is a kids' clothing and toy store. He is still talking about it.

Gracie holding Macey one last time before they had to leave. I was sad! Gracie was a huge help to me.

Pop holding Macey and John Henry. Look at my poor pale kids!

Playing with Ben, Bec, and Kate

We go to Laudan's house to play with Ben, Rebecca, and Kate at least once a week (when the kids aren't sick, which they all have been lately!), but I never take pictures of the kids playing.

The morning we left for the beach, we went to Nene's house to play. Laudan and I finally got a picture of most of the kids. Ben didn't really want his picture taken, so he isn't in these.

Macey is 3 months old!

Macey's 3 month pictures are a few days late. But we have been at the beach, then back to Birmingham, so we are finally home to take her pics.


This month has been a big one for us! Macey started sleeping 8.5-10.5 hours a night! The least she sleeps is 6 hours a time. I am choosing to ignore the last 2 nights, where she has woken up at 4:30 to eat. {She is on compounded Prilosec for her acid reflux; it only lasts a certain amount of weeks and I think her batch now has lost it potency. We will definitely getting a new batch on Monday.} Her sleeping habits have been such a blessing. I know Kurt and I have thanked God for the miracle blanket many times. I really don't think John Henry has ever slept 10.5 hours without waking up.


Macey isn't a good napper; she likes to be swaddled for naps as well. If she isn't, she will only sleep about 30 minutes. The good thing is that as soon as she is swaddled, I can usually put her in her swing and she will at least lie there calmly even if she doesn't go to sleep. But if Macey keeps up the great nighttime sleeping, I will happily deal with the bad napping during the day!

She rolled over from her stomach to her back as well. I put her down on the floor one night while I was putting John Henry in his pjs, and she just flipped right over. I called Kurt in to watch and she did it again. Then we videoed it. She hasn't done it since, but it is on video so I know we aren't crazy!



Macey laughs now. Not a real giggle, but she sucks in and makes a noise when she is smiling at us. She wiggles her whole body when she smiles and laughs.



She had her first trip to the beach. The car ride could have been better, but we only had about 15 min of real screaming at the end of the trip each way. I am going to post pictures later, but I am dreading uploading and organizing all those pictures in blogger!

Each month, I try to take her pictures in my favorite outfit from that month. The first month it was a Pixie Lily gown that my mom got as soon as we found out I was having a girl. I love that gown. It is so sweet and soft.

Her 2 month pictures were taken in a gown with a smocked lamb that I just thought was cute.

Her 3 month pictures were taken in a Kissy Kissy bubble that Pop and Ri bought Macey at the beach last weekend. It is so cute and smocked with the sweetest flowers. Macey had the gown version of it, but I loved it so much that I had to get the bubble when I saw it. Buying girl clothes is so much fun. Really, who am I kidding, y'all know I like to buy any children's clothes. :)

The description of her outfits reminds me of a wedding announcement in the Birmingham News. :)

Macey is such a blessing to us. I love her so much!

She looks so big in these pictures! At her GI appt a few weeks ago, she weighed 11 1/2 lbs.

I laid her down like this to see if she would roll over and to show y'all her mullet! I think she will be getting a haircut this month.

A few seconds later she was like this. You can see the drool in a semi circle. :)

John Henry wanted to hold Macey, but she wasn't happy about it!

And a picture of her crib just because I love it. I have got to take pictures of our house to do a before and after post!