Car Seat Success?!

This was the soundtrack playing in my car this morning on the way to the gym:
“Mommy, I’m holding my RJ’s hand!”
“Mommy, I’m not holding RJ’s hand anymore.”
“Mommy, I’m holding my RJ’s hand!”
“Mommy, I’m not holding RJ’s hand anymore.”

And she repeated these two phrases over and over and over again all the way to Brick Bodies. I knew that she would be excited to be sitting next to her brother, and I was hopeful that the new seating arrangements would work out well for everyone. Fortunately, the excitement wore off by the car ride home from the gym and my two very tired babies were relaxed and ready to nap.

All was quiet for my ride home. Both kids fell asleep. It wasn’t until I was in the driveway that I turned around to look at the kids – and what I saw brought tears to my eyes. They were both asleep – and had fallen asleep holding hands.

So yes, the new location of Rosie’s car seat is a definite success…the image isn’t the best, since I took it from the front seat of my car – but you can see Rosie’s little hand holding RJ’s little hand. (You can also see the oh-so-fabulous Cowmooflage car seat pattern…)

This is My RJ

Our family of three had a very smooth transition into a family of four. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for our good fortune. I am beyond grateful that Rosie, who was more than a month shy of her second birthday when we brought RJ home from the hospital, truly enjoys being a big sister. Her natural assumption of the role has been a marvel to me for over eight months now. I have the true pleasure of being able to enjoy her interactions with RJ.

She has always been a helper to me. She is quick to try and comfort RJ whenever he is upset, share toys and teach him the ways of her world. Last week I overheard her trying to teach him colors. If he is fussing in his crib, she will run in there, talk to him and hold his hand until we pick him up. At some point “Baby RJ” became “my RJ” – and I think it is the most adorable thing in the world.

We visited the mall today and then did dinner by the fountain at the Avenue in White Marsh. In our travels we met many strangers who stopped to talk to Rosie. She was looking particularly cute and girly today – curly ribbons that coordinated with her outfit accented her pigtails – so she attracted a fair amount of stranger attention. Most comments were “what a pretty little girl” or “I love your pigtails.” The first two or three times it happened, Rosie just said “Thank you.” After that her response became “thank you – this is my RJ.” After a lengthy conversation with a woman in Hallmark I realized that she was deliberately bringing attention to her brother any time she had attention for herself.

I thought about it on the ride home from the mall – Rosie is just very concerned that RJ be included in everything. Whenever an activity is presented to her she responds with “and RJ too?”

Rich tells everyone that having two kids is WAY more than twice the work. Well, it is. I sleep much less…I worry much more. I have less time to do things like clean my bathrooms and write thank you cards. However, our days are filled with WAY more than twice the joy as well. There will be a time for clean houses and thank you cards and sleep…right now Rich and I have front row seats for the most amazing, touching and heartwarming show – the Rosie & RJ show. And we wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Installing the Car Seats…

When we first installed the infant carrier in the car back in October we put Rosie behind the driver’s seat and RJ behind the passenger seat. We deliberately kept them separate in fear that an over-zealous toddler might reach out and touch her brother a little too hard. Rosie has never been particularly aware of her own strength, but is getting better and understand the cause and effect relationship of her actions. So, when she asked me if she could sit next to RJ in the car, I thought it might be worth a try.

I installed her car seat in the middle and RJ’s on the passenger side. She rode in her new seat tonight – but only time will tell if this arrangement will last or if we will need to separate them again!

New Car Seats...

We went out today and picked up a new car seat. RJ has officially outgrown the infant carrier and is ready to move into a big-boy car seat. After shopping around, we decided to purchase a bigger seat for Rosie and put RJ in her seat. So, with much research and a little sadness that my baby is getting big, Rich and I went to Babies R Us and purchased the Britax Roundabout 50. We found it right away and was instantly disappointed. The Britax Roundabout 50 is so new that it only comes in one pattern – the less than attractive Cowmooflage. It is black…with an interesting cow print running down the center. Yuck.

We bought it anyway – because we needed it and it was the only thing available. But I think I will be headed to JoAnn fabrics next weekend to buy fabric to make a different cover!

Feelings

This morning started out as any regular morning in our house. I was up with RJ at around 6:15. Rich got up at around 7:15 and hit the shower. I woke Rosie and got both R&R dressed and ready to head to the gym. Once my three Rs are ready to face the day, I take a few minutes to get myself ready upstairs. Usually just 15-20 minutes of alone time, this time is always the calm before my personal, frenzied storm. Typically, Rich just gets to play with the kids until I come down and we head out to the car. This morning, however, he got to share a moment with Rosie that will have me chuckling for quite some time.

Their moment went something like this:
Rosie: Daddy – I have feelings.
Daddy: What kind of feelings?
Rosie: Feelings. Just feelings.
(there is a pause here…as Rich tries to figure out what she is trying to say…)
Rosie: I need to go potty.

R1 & R2 head into the potty where Rosie proceeds to poop for a magazine-worthy amount of time. Once all of the bathroom business was finished up and hands were washed, Rosie turns to her father and says “Guess what, Daddy – I don’t have feelings anymore! They are all gone!”