Water Safety and Swim Essentials

I'm sure most of you out there have read articles about Secondary Drowning that are floating around Facebook.  IT. IS. SCARY.  I knew about this Secondary Drowning before this particular article went viral.  I've been terrified ever since.  I would already consider myself an over protective mom....this just makes me one notch crazier when it comes to water safety (which in my opinion is great)!!!

So, as a nurse and an extra cautious mommy I decided I had to do a post on Water Safety!  Here are a few interested facts!

MAY was National Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Month

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death in children ages 1-14 .  Yep, it beats cancer big time.  46% of children die from trauma and 11% of cancer. 

In 2013 there were 82 deaths in Texas from drowning, 23 were in the Greater Houston Area.

Children are at risk in ANY body of water (pools, oceans, bathtubs, splash pads with puddles of standing water).  

Promote water safety by creating layers of protection around water.  1) Have a 5 ft fence that separates the pool from house  2) Have gates that close and latch automatically  3) Wear life jackets whenever near open water 5) Use door locks to keep children out of the bathroom (I always close bathroom doors and make sure lid is down on toilet)  5) install alarms on all windows and doors that lead to the pool

Have a Water Watcher- this is an adult that is on duty for 20-30 minutes.  They should not text, talk on phone, drink alcohol or socialize with others while on watch. 

+ Enroll children in swim lessons at an early age 
+ Always have phone near by in case of emergency  
+ All parents /caregivers should learn CPR  
+ Keep a first aid kit near the water  
+ Throw rescue equipment to the victim before jumping in the water to save the child

RESOURCES:
TCH Injury Prevention Department 832-824-3485
Safe Kids Greater Houston at www.safekidsgreaterhouston.org
Bi-lingual Material at Pool Safety Campaign www.cpsc.gov
Water Safety Tip Sheets at Texas Drowning Prevention Alliance www.txdpa.com

I've heard over and over that drowning is silent.  It's not like the movies.  Just the other day, while swimming with friends, William gave me a scare.  Thank God I was watching him EVERY minute.  He had his floaty on and was playing in 6 inches of water.  He toppled over and went face down.  I watched for him to push himself up....and he didn't.  I don't know if he was in shock or if he just couldn't because the floaty on his chest was in the way.  Regardless, he didn't get up.  I ran over and scooped him up immediately.  He didn't cough or cry so I knew he hadn't sucked in much water, if any.  You can't be too careful.  It can happen to anyone.  Teach your babies to swim and don't take your eye off them for even a minute.

SWIM ESSENTIALS

As scary as swimming with little ones can be....it can be SO much fun.  Our little guy is quickly becoming a little fish.  He is loving this summer pool time and we can't wait for swim lessons to start in a week.

Here are a few of our summer swim essentials!

1- This Speedo floaty is what we originally bought.  We quickly learned that William is too young for this type of float.  It may make him float but if he falls forward in the water he is face down and hasn't figured out how to flip himself over.  He's like a top heavy turtle.  I do love how comfortable he is while he's wearing it (he never complains).  It will be perfect in a year or two when he's stronger and more coordinated.
2- The Puddle Jumper is just right for a two year old.  It helps keep them upright!  Just what a toddler needs. 3- Swim Diapers.  You gotta have them.  This one from The Honest Company is not only adorable but so cute and ego friendly since it's re-usable!  We love ours.  The are made for kids 11-49 lbs and are only $14.
4- We use our kickboard to help William with swimming 101.  We put his belly down in the water and have him hold onto the kickboard and then tell him, "Kick, kick kick!"  It's also a great way to get them comfortable with floating on their back.  It'll be great for the lake and beach too.  Lots of fun for only $5.
5- Arbonne is the sunscreen that we use for baby boy.  It has worked great for us so far....no sun burns and no skin reaction.

 Speedo Swim Coach |  Puddle Jumper  |  Arbonne Sun Screen | Kickboard |

Honest Company Swim Diaper

Happy swimming everyone!!

Annual Family Lake Trip

This past weekend we headed to the lake for my family's 3rd annual Labor Day lake vacation.  The first two years we went to PK Lake but this year decided to change it up a bit and visit Canyon Lake.  The drive for us was much shorter than going all the way north of Dallas so that was a plus.  It was a beautiful lake with crystal clear water that was the perfect temperature.  The lake reminded me more of an ocean!  The only down side to Canyon Lake was there weren't any docks.  There was only one dock for all the boats/jet skis needing to get onto or off of the lake.  So, we had to pick a time each day to go out riding around.  We spent Saturday just lounging around, playing in the pool and eating lots of yummy food.  Gordon, Skye, and Dustin played 9 holes of golf on Sunday morning and then we spent the rest of the day riding around on the boat.  William is definitely a lake baby.  He napped, snacked on cheese and crackers, took a swim in the cool water, watched the other kids jump off the boat and just lounged around taking the beautiful scenery in.  My parents watched William for a few hours while Gordon and I got some much needed adult time on the lake.  xoxo
The reason I love the lake so much is....I don't ever have to get dressed up!  Everyone just lounges around, visits, swims, and naps.  It's always a restful and relaxing weekend!  

Tired baby on a boat makes for the perfect nap time!

As you can see William had a blast riding around on his fire truck!  

• The boys played a lot of pool.
• Daddy pushing baby boy around. 
• William learned to play cards. :)
• The water was amazing so we did some swimming.
• I'm on a boat!

Pretty view from the balcony

Sweet Moments

I so love their blue eyes!

On our drive to the lake the new Blake Shelton song, "Mine Would Be You", came on.  Part of the lyrics say, "What's the greatest chapter in your book?"  I ask G what his was and he said, "I'm living it right now."  LOVE THAT MAN.  He may not be the most romantic man on the planet but he is the sweetest and kindest.  I adore his calm personality, the way he loves and takes care of William and me and his loyalty to his family.  I am a happy girl. 

Gordon and I (and the rest of our family) are loving this stage with William.  His little personality is really starting to show.  He's talking, walking, feeding himself, sleeping better at night (well, at least compared to a year ago) and laughing up a storm.  Like Gordon said....this chapter of our life is awesome.  We are thankful for our health, our supportive families and just having each other.  There's nothing better than spending time with my boys.
 
CHEERS to many more lake trips!!  What is your favorite lake to visit?  We need some suggestions for next year!! 
 

Official First Steps

It's finally official....baby boy is walking!  Well, he's at least taken the plunge and taken some steps on his own.  He's been walking while holding onto our hands since sometime in March.  He pulls up on everything and can stand up without holding onto anything.  He can even bend over and pick up a full bottle of water while standing up.  His balance is great....he just hasn't taken a step completely on his own until today.  One of his teachers said he just stood up out of her lap and took 10 steps like it was no big deal.  When I got to school to pick him up I caught him taking 2 steps and then Gordon got a little preview when we got home (before the fussy bedtime stuff started).  Things are about to get crazy around here.  :)  He's already able to move so quickly....it's hard to imagine him moving faster!!  Luckily, I knew to appreciate the baby stage when they just lay there.  Showering was so much easier.  But, this stage is adorable so we have no complaints. 

• The top two pictures are from school today.  They have "Splash Day" every Tuesday.  Baby boy loves playing in the water! 
• The bottom pictures are THEN AND NOW.  The pictures on the left was taken the day we left Rosemary Beach (his 3 month birthday, 7/19/2012).  The picture on the right was taken tonight.  I still find it hard to believe that time has gone by so quickly. 

As most of you probably know, Prince William and his beautiful wife, Kate, had their baby boy (also known as His Royal Highness the Prince of Cambridge) yesterday afternoon.  Today they took him home!  I just thought I'd post a little something since I think the three of them are adorable.  It's kinda neat to see Prince William, who's the same age as G and me, taking his own son home.  Such a special time in every parent's life. 

Party Weekend

Another fun weekend has come and gone!  Yesterday we did our normal Saturday breakfast at Barnaby's and the grocery store.  Instead of sticking around the house we decided to head out to Katy to swim with the Wilsons!  Swimming is such a good way to wear a baby out!!  When we got home Gordon headed out to go golfing and we napped....and napped.  Since William slept so long during nap time we were able to keep him up late for dinner at Memorial Park once G was done with golf.  We got to have dinner with the Barteaus who are expecting their first baby in 2014!   We can't wait for another friend.  :)
After church and Home Depot we got to have more fun in the sun at Eli's first birthday party at The Houstonian.  Everything was super cute and we all had a blast swimming.  William and I are so lucky to have these sweet friends!

• Sippy cups for everyone!  Such a great idea.
• Adorable and yummy cake from Whole Foods.
• Wearing a birthday hat like a good boy.
• William loved the balloons.
• The gang!
• Telling me how he loved the water slide.
• Showing me how over the picture taking he was.

Fun In The Sun

 

This picture pretty much sums up our weekend in Midland!  William loved the pool!  My parents had turned on the heater but it was still a little chilly....baby boy was the only one it didn't phase.  I'm so happy that he enjoyed swimming since we're starting swim class this Sunday.

 

We had so much fun swimming, lounging around, getting some sun, watching William in the sandbox, and drinking some homemade strawberry margaritas courtesy of my parents new fancy margarita machine.  That night we had tickets to go see the Duck Dynasty crew for their Dynasty of Faith talk.  Since it was past W's bedtime my sweet grandparents came over to watch William for us!  I can not tell you how much I enjoyed the Dynasty of Faith talk.  If you have the opportunity, GO.  I love how honest they are about their life and the mistakes they've made.  They don't try to pretend that they're perfect.  Marriage is hard and it takes work but having an intact, happy, healthy family is so worth it.  I believe, as do they, that it takes faith and God to keep a relationship together.  Whenever we visit Midland all I can do is think about moving back.  The talk really helped me to remember that God has a plan for my family.  He will do what's best for us.  I just have to trust!!

After church on Sunday we had lunch at Outback and then we were back to the pool.  William is such a boys boy.  He loves being outside, dirt and sticks.  He just played and played....and refused to take a nap.  One of Gordon's buddies (and my childhood friend) came over to join in on the fun too. 

I am so thankful for the time we get with my family!  Thankfully William does great on the flight so getting to Midland is easy.  :)  

 

Look at those adorable polo flip flops!  Doesn't get any cuter than that. 
William loves all the puppies.  He even got brave enough to start petting them.

Mother's Day

For Mother's Day this year I decided getting out of town is just what we needed!  We had a credit at the Hyatt Hill Country in San Antonio so on Saturday morning Gordon and I packed up William and headed west.  It was a super quick trip but it was so great to get away from the everyday stuff.  We got to just hang out and not worry about doing laundry, cooking dinner, vacuuming and, best of all, cleaning up after Gus!  The hotel has a nanny that they recommend using so we took advantage (let me know if you need her name!).  They have her full background check on file and have used her for 7 years.  She was great!!!  William went right to her when she got to our room.  He tends to be kinda shy so this made us feel at ease.  She watched William for 3 hours while we lounged by the pool, had some fruity drinks, yummy burgers and relaxed on the lazy river.  I was so excited to get some sun on my pale body!!  The sitter text messaged us every 30 minutes on how William was doing. :)  When we got back to the room we got William ready for some pool time on the "beach"!  I wasn't sure how he would like the sand since I hated those kinds of textures when I was his age.  HE LOVED EVERY MINUTE.  He just played and played.  Everyone that passed by us made a comment on how good he was.  Such a sweet baby boy! 
After the pool we headed back to the room for bath time and a night night bottle.  William fell right to sleep after his long day of new adventures.  Gordon and I sat outside on the balcony and watched the sun set and just talked.  love.  there. is. nothing. better!  We ordered room service for dinner and then headed inside to watch a movie before calling it a night. 

• Playing in the sand
• Can you tell we love each other?!?
• A little mommy/daddy time
• Sleeping like a baby...look at all that hair he's getting!
• Testing out the sand with his dad
• Pasta, wine, bread pudding and no dishes had to be washed.  Can't beat that
• Sunset
• The last time I wore this cover-up we were at the JW Marriott hotel in San Antonio and I was 7 weeks pregnant.  It's still so hard to believe we have this precious baby now! 

We were up at 7am Sunday morning so we were obviously in need of coffee!!!  We had the yummiest breakfast and then went on a long walk around the nature trail.  We were back in Houston in time for a burger at the park, music class and dinner with the moms!  William and Teddy were so cute at dinner.  They were laughing and talking to each other like they were having a real conversation.  It was adorable.  We ended the night cuddled on the couch watching my all time favorite....Iron Chef Tournament!
I am just so blessed to be William's mommy.  There is truly no better job in this entire world.  I've said it a million times before and I'll say it again....he makes me better, he makes me smile, he makes everything sparkle in my world.  I can not fathom life without him.  If it wasn't for Gordon I wouldn't have my precious blue eyed baby so, I have to thank him. :)  I'm so happy we got to have a mini family vacation.  Just the three of us.....it doesn't get better than that!

• You might think William's thinking, "Man, that food looks good."  That's not the case.  He's really wanting that fork!!!
• Daddy and son
• Going for a walk
• At one of our favorite lunch spots for a burger
• Mother's Day last year, in the NICU, after going to see The Avengers for a quick "date".

I also have to thank my mom and MIL for being so wonderful. They are both fabulous women who give us so much love and support. They are great mothers and excellent grandmothers!! My mom is my best friend. She listens to me (everyday I might add) and loves me on my happy days and my sad days. I hope she's around for a very long time because our world wouldn't be the same without her!!!

I hope all my mommy friends out there had an excellent day as well.  :)