70% of Child of Safety Seats Not Properly Installed!

I heard this statistic on a radio commercial recently, and was very concerned. The website http://www.seatcheck.org/ lets you locate an inspection location in your area. They will inspect the car seat to make sure that it is installed correctly. I believe that it is free. It is my understanding that they may also do this at the hospital when you take your baby home for the first time.

Links for Parents on the Spectrum

I have added a section of links (at the bottom of the page) related to parenting for autistic individuals. I was pleased to find a couple of websites! Please post a comment and let me know if you know of any others. I will add more as I find them.

Here are the links I added:

C.A.P. - Celebrating Autistic Parents

Neurodiversity.com - Autistic Parents and Parenting

Baby Shower Thank-You Notes: How-To

I just had a baby shower given for me. I then realized that I have no idea how to write a proper baby shower thank-you note! I did some web searching and have found some resources that really helped me when writing my notes. Another tip that I came up with is to buy a pack of thank-you notes with a few more than the number you’ll need. It’s usually less expensive to buy in bulk, and it’s good to have a few extras in case you get a couple more gifts after the shower.

Here’s one question that I still have: do you send thank-you notes to immediate family? I don’t usually send thank-you notes to these people for birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, etc., so are they usually sent for baby shower gifts? Let me know what you think!

Here are the links to the resources:

How to Write Baby Shower Thank You Notes (eHow.com): http://www.ehow.com/how_2050407_write-baby-shower-thank-notes.html?ref=fuel

Baby Shower Thank You Notes (Squidoo): http://www.squidoo.com/baby_shower_thank_you

Sample Baby Shower Thank You Notes (about.com): http://entertaining.about.com/cs/etiquette/a/thankyou_5.htm

An Autistic Parent Success Story from ASA

The Autism Society of America has a new website, and I saw this article written by a parent on the spectrum. It doesn't go into a lot of details about parenting, but it was nice to see such as positive story on the ASA website. Thank you ASA!

Here is an excerpt from the article:

Ruth's Story

“I was born with profound autism before it was known as a disorder. Nonverbal, I identified with Midnight, a Persian cat, until a neighbor insisted that I drink from a glass like a child, not lap milk from a saucer. Easily distracting myself with glittering lights and sparkling prisms, I spun myself through early childhood. A school principal, nurse, psychologist and the Girl Scouts helped me learn to talk, read and become socially appropriate, to save me from being sent to the institution for the mentally ill recommended by our doctor. I graduated college magna cum laude, earning a Phi Beta Kappa key. I became a clothing buyer, interior designer and talented dress designer, receiving awards for my clothing...I serve as the Midwest board director for ASA and am married. I love being a grandmother.”

Here is the link to the whole article:
http://www.autism-society.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10044

Easy Recipies Needed

Since I will be taking some time off of work to stay home with our baby, I thought I'd try to cook more at home. However, I am a terrible cook! If anyone has suggestions for fast and easy cookbooks or recipies, I would love to know about them.

Keep in mind that I regularly overflow pans on the stove, explode food in the microwave, and burn myself when toasting bagels! That should give you an idea of my cooking abilities! I'll be sure to post about my cooking experiences on the blog.


P.S. Don't forget to visit the links at the bottom of this page!