Family Funnies

The other night, while showering, I felt a small bump on the bottom of my belly, past the point where I can see.  I looked at it in a mirror when I got out and it looked like a small tic... Frantic, I yelled for Mike to come take a closer look... He had me lay back on the bed so he could see the spot in better light... While he was looking really close, The Bean kicked... HARD... startling Mike and making him jump about 10 feet in the air and let some interesting vocab escape his mouth.... And that was what set off my laughing jag for the evening... ;-)

(It wasn't a tic, thank God!)

*****

Over the weekend, Kayden happened upon Mike and me while he was giving me a hug:

Kayden: I want in!

(Kayden proceeds to try to wedge herself between us while Mike does his best to keep her out and I try not to laugh at her plight...)

Finally, Mike lets go and steps back, and she gives me a hug... she then turns her back to me and opens her arms for Mike to hug her between us.

Mike: It's a sandwich!

Kayden: Yeah, and I'm the ham!

And yet another giggle fest for Mama... ;-)

*****

I'm large... very large... I am past the weight I was when I went to the hospital to deliver Kayden... and I have 10 weeks to go.... I actually split one of my 2 pairs of maternity dress pants today.... Had to break out the sewing machine to fix them....

This pregnancy has been much tougher on me than Kayden was... I can tell I'm older but I'm trying my hardest to enjoy it...

30 weeks as of yesterday....

18 Months Missing

My mother pointed out that there really wasn't an introduction of my husband... so for those readers who don't actually know me personally (not sure why you're here, but welcome!), here is a synopsis of the last 18 months:

I completed my first half marathon in October 2012... my goal was 3 hours... I did it in 3:15... I'm not disappointed with that...

I got engaged to Mike in December 2012... On my Nani's birthday, December 19th, to be exact... he was sweet and nervous and romantic...

We got married on January 26th, 2013... it was a small wedding with only family and VERY close friends... 

We honeymooned on a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise... it was a great time but it was the longest I had ever been away from Kayden, so I was ready to come home...

We bought a house in June 2013... it was a very stressful, yet exciting endeavor...

(HA! But seriously, I can't find a pic of our actual house right now, so the doll house is what ya get...)
In August, I finally got hired on at an ENT practice I had been secretly stalking for several years... It's close to home and my fellow employees are great!

Fall 2013 was blissfully uneventful... except for Kayden being introduced to roller skating, with which she is now obsessed... Oh, and she started taking Tae Kwon Do...

We had a great Christmas... New Year's Eve was spent apart for the 2nd year in a row due to Mike's job.... Kayden & I had our own mini celebration at the house...

We celebrated our 1st anniversary with a weekend in St. Louis...

We learned we were expecting "The Bean" the week before our anniversary... we waited to share the news until we had a confirmed heartbeat... I'm older so the risks are higher... Kayden is super excited to be a big sister...

The late winter/early spring of 2014 has been fairly quiet... Kayden got her first pair of new skates and is so excited she could burst...

And that brings us up to today... Happy, Mom? ;-)

**********
15 weeks today...

Where's The Bean?

So, if you don't already know, Kayden is going to be a big sister. When we told her, she was sweet and inquizative... She asked how I knew there was a baby in my tummy... Then, when it was coming out...

We've been calling the baby "The Bean" for lack of something better... We don't plan to find out what the gender is, so, until a better nickname catches our fancy, "The Bean" it is.... 

In an attempt to make her more independent prior to "The Bean's" arrival, I've been encouraging Kayden do things I know she knows how to do with little or no help: dress herself, put on her shoes and socks, comb her hair, brush her teeth, etc. She would rather have Mommy help her do most of it but she's going to have to learn to do it all sooner or later... May as well be sooner... 

The other day, I was sitting on the couch. I had asked her to get her shoes on so we could leave the house... She plopped down on the floor in front of me asking me to put her shoes on for her... I made the excuse that "The Bean" was in my way & I couldn't bend over to reach her... It worked, shoes were applied, we exited the house on time to get where ever we needed to be....

Tonight, she was sitting at the table eating her dinner while I was straightening up the kitchen.... I bent over from a standing position to pick up something off the floor... Out of the blue, Kayden, clearly hesitant, yet concerned, asks, "Did The Bean come out or something?" 

Huh?!?!

"I thought you couldn't bend to reach the floor..."

I can't get anything past this kid....

Zoo Party

I just ordered the cake for Kayden's birthday party this weekend... she is super excited about her party at the Zoo... according to one of her teachers, when she talks about it, her face lights up and she talks all fast and excited... :-)

I did a big party for her first and a small family party for her second... this year we're doing another big one... I don't think I could handle a big one every year...

We got portraits taken recently:




My little booger is growing up so fast....

New Love?

Shortly after I filed for divorce, I requested several friends on Facebook who I had previously removed or denied out of respect for my husband...

With the ones who accepted, I exchanged the typical pleasantries and complements on their children, etc and then they faded into the FB background, only to pop up sporadically with random updates and/or pictures.

One of those friends was Mike... It just so happened that he was in the middle of some legal issues, too, so we vented our legal frustrations to each other and renewed a friendship that had been dormant since we were 14 years old...

As time passed, it was clear that our feelings for each other were starting to deepen past the friendship point. My divorce was not yet final so I made it very clear to him that if at any point before the judge signed the papers my husband had a change of heart and chose to do the things necessary to repair our broken marriage, our friendship would have to end as my priority was to my family first. He was very understanding and incredibly supportive... he chose to stick it out, knowing that the possibility of never speaking to me again was there...

The divorce did go through and he was there to comfort me and help me heal in any way I needed... we talked for hours about our past relationships and things we liked and didn't like... we discussed our mistakes and short-comings and talked about how we would do things differently if we were put in the same position again... we talked about our plans and dreams for the future and about our goals and things we'd like to see happen for our children (he has a daughter as well)...

And it just keeps getting better... He has become my best friend... there are no secrets or hidden feelings... we never argue, but discuss our differences of opinion with open-minded respect... we can agree to disagree and still respect each other when we don't see eye to eye... We are a real team when it comes to anything, from making dinner, to cleaning up after... He'll play with Kayden or read her a book so I can chat with a friend and she just adores him... I think his daughter, Kelsey, is great, and he happily steps back and lets me help with the teenage girly things with her...

It's funny how life plays out sometimes... I never, in a million years, thought I'd be dating my 8th grade boyfriend again... but I am excited and optimistic about what the future has in store for us...

Goals & Healing

I am an on/off smoker... I smoked through part of college and grad school and quit about a year after I got married... I would bum the occational one while out with friends but quit doing that about 3 months before we started trying for Kayden...

I started again last June when my husband and I separated... when he moved back in, I quit again... and started up again in December when I filed for divorce...

This is a year of healing for me... Part of that healing involves completing a goal of mine from several years ago... which happened to require me to quit smoking at the beginning of April when I started training...

I am currently training for a half marathon that is taking place on October 20... I know I can do it as I've walked further than that before... but I really want to get back into running and I figure the only way to keep myself motivated is to aim high.

I am training on a walk 1/run 2-3 minute schedule as of now... some days are better than others but I know I'm improving... and while I'd like to run the whole distance, I am realistic and know it may be a walk/run interval kind of day...

I'm totally going to ROCK that 13.1 sticker on the back of my car, though ;-)

Mouths Of Babes

When I get frustrated with a whiney, uncooperative Kayden (almost 3), I tend to say things like "I'm gonna put you on the porch!" or "I'm gonna throw you out the window!" and then turn and walk away... It's not anything I'd EVER do, only a way to blow off steam...

Last night, we were having a hard time... Kayden was upset that her bandaid got wet but didn't want another one, then said she had to go potty but refused to walk to the bathroom because it would mess up her bandaid even more...

Mommy: I'm gonna throw you out the window!
(Paused, then tried to pick her up to carry her to the bathroom so she could go potty.)
Kayden: NO! Don't throw me out the window!!!
Mommy: (I burst out laughing) Baby, I'd never really throw you out the window!
Kayden: (Laughed, too, because Mommy was laughing so hard)

********************

A few weeks ago, we were riding in the car when we came to a stop light. I reached back and grabbed her foot...

Mommy: I love you, Toes!
Kayden: Mommy! Don't touch my toes! They're DANGEROUS!

(Where does she get this stuff?!?!)

Where Have I Been?

It's been several months since my last post... and looking over my history the past couple years, it seems I take a break during the fall/winter months...

Sorry, a lot is going on in our little family...

I filed for divorce... Someday I'll tell the whole story, but for now, it's just not worth the drama... My heart is broken yet the overwhelming feeling of relief is refreshing after the last year of stress and worry and anxiety... I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest...

We are both currently staying in the house, but with his work and activity schedule, he's only there when he sleeps or is spending time with Kayden so we avoid each other most of the time.

Despite being sad that my marriage is over, I am very much at peace with my decision and am looking forward to what the future holds. I know God has a plan for me and I am excited to learn what that plan is.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Out of the Mouths of Babes...

Shopping at Walmart is a regular occurrence for our family... when we go as a family, my husband and I tag-team keeping Kayden entertained and occupied... but when it's just me and the kiddo, I have to get creative...

So when I take on the challenge of shopping alone with a toddler in tow, I usually let her pick a toy to play with while we're there... every once in a while, I actually get the toy, but not often, so she's used to saying "bye, (insert toy name here), see you next time..."

On one trip in particular, she had picked up 2 different baby dolls... I repeated to her throughout the trip that if she was good, we would get to take one home with us... when we got to the line to pay, I told her she could keep 1... she said "want" hugging them both... I said "pick one" and she replied "twins!"

How the &%$# did she come up with that?!?!?! She was about 18 months old at the time... I am in so much trouble....

Pass It On

This morning, I ate a $12.50 breakfast from McDonald's and I enjoyed every bite....

I frequently stop for breakfast at McDonald's... it's right on the corner on the way to the sitter's and it's easier than trying to get up early enough to fix myself breakfast along with getting myself and my child ready for our day...

Several months ago, I decided to do something nice and I paid for the order of the car behind me as well as my own... it was only a couple dollars and I figured it might really make that person's day... I told the cashier to tell the driver behind me "God bless you and pass it on." I never thought about it again.

This morning my husband was watching the munchkin... I was heading a different direction to work but I hadn't had any breakfast yet... I stopped at a different McDonald's drive-thru... I ordered my usual meal and was told my total was $4.75... I thanked the voice inside the box and pulled through to pay.

When I got to the window to pay, the cashier informed me that the car in front of me had paid for my meal... I was touched... this person, who didn't know me from Adam, blindly bought my breakfast... they had no idea how much it would mean to me or if it would make an impression at all... I was so touched, I told the cashier I wanted to pay for the car behind me... She told me the total was $12.50 and asked if I was sure... I said "yes" and handed her the money...

As I pulled forward, I could see the people in the truck behind me... it appeared to be a middle-aged dad and his 2 teen aged sons... the teens looked perplexed and I saw the dad hand the cashier money and get a receipt... My guess is he paid for the car behind him as well... (What great teaching opportunity for that family... I hope they used it...)

It made me wonder if the same had happened to the car in front of me... How many people paid for a strangers breakfast this morning? How many people before me and after me kept the kindness going? And would the person who started it ever know the cascade of generosity they triggered?

And how sad it would have been if one of those people just said, "cool, thanks!" and didn't pass it on?

I will choose to believe that the chain reaction continued until it got to a car with a parent who really couldn't afford it for whatever reason... and although that parent was prepared to make a personal sacrifice so their child could get McDonald's, they wouldn't have to now, because of the kindness of a stranger who passed it on....

Sibbling Rivalry

OMDrama!

For whatever reason lately, both my girls (human & canine) have been a mess for my attention. And it's always at the same time.

Kayden is still nursing. We have a spot on the couch where we cuddle while we nurse. Bailey used to just come up and lay next to us... now she wants to be on top of us... and neither Kayden nor I are happy about that. She will "pop-off" of me and whine and push Bailey away. If I try to move Bailey from the ON position to the NEXT TO spot, Kayden will still whine and try to push her further away. This is only concerning to me because Kayden used to smile really big (without popping-off) whenever she felt Bailey at her feet or under her shoulders... so what's changed?

It happens the other way around, too... if I am giving Bailey some one-on-one attention, Kayden abandons whatever "project" she was working on and will ask for a cookie or to be picked up and carried around.... WHAT GIVES!?!?!?

They do play well together... at times, they can each be a little rough, but both take correction well... in general, they play really well as a couple and independently. They chase each other around and Kayden will throw the ball for Bailey to chase. They wrestle and lick and roll around on the floor together... it's wonderful to watch!

And when they are occupied with each other or by themselves, I am able to get a few things done, like laundry folded/put away, bathroom cleaned, fire started or stoked, etc.

So why, all of a sudden, does Bailey ALWAYS want her cold, wet nose on my arm (or in my lap) while I'm nursing and why is Kayden so opposed to it? And why does Kayden seem to interrupt whenever I try to play with Bailey & give her the attention SHE needs?

Maybe it's the cabin fever... Spring, where are you!?!?!?

Someone posted the other day that in our area, the average temp in 3 weeks will be 50+ degrees... in 3 short weeks, spring will be upon us!

For now, though, we are on our 3rd day of single digit temps in a row....

I'm Baaaaack!

In the last several months, my world has been a crazy busy typical life of a working mama....

Then there has been some recent upheaval....

But before I get into that, here is a recent pic of my little sunshine:



Kayden Kaetana is 16 months old, 27 inches tall, and 25 lbs....

Where I Rant...

I hate when people make assumptions about a group of people or a way of life because they "heard" that's what they do or what they believe.... and they just believe it... they don't even bother to educate themselves and find out the truth and/or form their own opinions.

For example, I heard that La Leche League (LLL) was a bunch of "breastfeeding Nazi's" from a girlfriend who attended a meeting, was turned off by it, but still nursed her daughter for almost 12 months... She is a fairly good friend and while I value her opinion, I still chose to attend a meeting when Kayden was born and form my own opinion... And now I am not only a member, but I am a Leader Applicant working on becoming a LLL Leader.

It's sad that there are people out there who choose to think of LLL (or any other group) that way because someone told them their opinion... and then they don't even take the chance to check it out and form their own opinion...

So if someone says something like that, I ask them if they have ever been to a meeting or if they have ever participated in an activity with that group... if they haven't, I ask them "Then how do you know?" and tell them "Don't knock it til you try it" (not necessarily those word but that's the gist...)

There are so many things about me that changed once Kayden arrived... I was "never" going to co-sleep, I would "let her cry it out and learn to effectively self-sooth" and I would not "spoil her" by carrying her around all the time...

Now I am proud to say that I am a co-sleeping, baby-wearing, rocking-to-sleep FOOL!!!! :-)

It's a parent's job to educate themselves about all the options and make an informed decision about what's right for their family and individual child... it's sad that not all parents actually do their job....

Updates...

So it's only been 2 months... life and work are unbelievably busy... but as Kayden grows, I'll be able to do more on here, I promise...

As for now, Kayden is 10 1/2 months old. She weighs about 23 lbs and is crawling all over the place... she started "cruising" on the furniture this week and, out of the blue, last weekend, started waving bye-bye...

She verbally says "da-da" & "ma-ma" and signs "milk" but seems to use the sign for all food and drink... she sometimes claps for "more".

She's growing so fast... plans are in the works for her 1st birthday party....

Bailey is doing well... despite lots of attention, she always seems to be under foot or in our faces... she steals food out of Kayden's hand when she's in the highchair but Kayden seems to think it's the funniest thing ever when she does... They are good friends and Bailey is very tolerant of the little pats and tugs Kayden dishes out...

We are one big happy, yet busy, family!

Looking forward to cooler weather so we can all visit the dog park again...

Unsolicited Advice

As I go along on this crazy parenthood ride, I've decided to share with you things that work for me... somethings I will have learned during my many years as a nanny and others I will learn as I go along...

In regards to kiddos of all ages, but especially those in the peak tantrum toddler years, I have found the more control you give them over their everyday lives, the more likely they are to do what you want when you want them to.

Examples:

Do you want the blue or the green plate?

Do you want Sofie the Giraffe or your stuffed octopus to play with in the car?

Do you want to brush your teeth or take a bath first? (Noticed I said FIRST.)

I have done this with MANY toddlers as a nanny over the years and am doing it with Kayden already. I actually started when she was very young with her diapers... the one she looked at was the one I assumed was her choice. Now that she's older, she'll grab the one she wants.

We will still have tantrums from time to time but the frequency and intensity will be greatly diminished. She will more easily accept the phrase "it's not a choice" (like holding my hand in the parking lot) and she'll learn that her choices have consequences (if she chooses the blue plate, someone else may get the green plate) very early on.

********************

Her first word is officially "milk." She signs it with gusto when she sees her sitters with the bottle... it's not consistent enough with me yet, but that may be because I sign "mama's milk" before I feed her so I add an extra step.

The Circus

If you every have the chance to see the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus, PLEASE do so!

It is an old fashion circus that actually takes place under a big top tent. They had acts with unicycles, trapeze, rope dancer, a girl balancing on a rolling board, a clown, an act with birds, a juggler.... it was so much fun!

Outside the big top tent, they had a large inflatable slide and a pony ride...

Kayden's favorite thing was the snow cones...

Kayden's First Circus was probably more fun for us but I think she had a good time too...

Busy Busy Busy

Again, I promised I haven't died. Life has just been very busy.

Tomorrow, my chunky monkey will be 8 months old. In a nutshell, here is what's been going on:

Right at 7 months Kayden learned to clap and was sitting up pretty stably. She also got her first 2 teeth within a week of each other. She was pretty tough though.... she just started acting fussy about 12 hours before the first one broke through and the only sign of discomfort with the other was a few nights with added feedings.

The last week of April we started Infant Swimming Resource (ISR), a class which teaches self water rescue to infants and young children.

In early May, Kayden went to her first circus. It was an old fashion kind with a big top tent and everything.

The first couple weeks of May, Kayden has really honed her movement. Although she is still not crawling, she scoots very well and has just started to figure out that the scooting can get her from one place to the other. Her sitter said she pulled herself up on a basket but was back down on her bottom before she could grab her camera and she never did it again.

I am considering taking on a volunteer position which may lead to a new career path. Since having Kayden, I have discovered a passion for a field I never would have thought of. It's a long road but I am starting on the reading requirements in the few spare minutes I have.

We've been dealing with cable TV issues for 3 weeks now and it's still not right. I don't know who is more frustrated: Me or my husband...

We lost power during a big storm a few nights ago and had to break out a generator to save the fish tank... we were blessed with deep freeze space at Kayden's sitter's house so we didn't lose any food thank God...

I have started to rebuild my stash of frozen milk. I am pretty sure I've worked out all the kinks and should be successful this time around.

Kayden kissed a boy for the first time last week.... My poor husband isn't gonna know what hit him....

Kayden is growing fast. She weighs 20 lbs and wears 12 and 18 month bottoms, partially because of her personal fluff and partly because of the added fluff of the cloth diapers. I am pretty sure she will slim down substantially once she starts moving around more.

I will go into further details on some of the above events in upcoming posts... hopefully the pics will tide you over til I can post again.

Lesser Of Two Evils

Which is worse: 1) driving in crappy, snowy weather with a 6-month-old on the front seat of a truck with no car seat OR 2) leaving said 6-month-old at home alone in her crib for 10-15 minutes?

"Let me splain"*

Last night was Kayden's Baby Dedication at church. Proof that God has a sense of humor, it had been snowing since the night before (that's right... SNOW on the first day of Spring!)

After the Dedication, the whole family (minus my husband, who was working one job then heading to another) went out to eat. It was still snowing but the roads weren't too bad. After dinner, however, they were horrid...

On our way home, we got stuck. There is a really bad hill on our street that is next to impossible to get up in crappy weather unless you have 4-wheel-drive or chains. And you can't even get a running start at it because there is another hill followed by a curve right before it. So about half way up, my car stopped, then began to slide backwards. I tried to back down the hill but I kept sliding toward the ditch on the side of the road. Only by the GRACE OF GOD did I manage to back it into a driveway at the bottom of the hill.

So there we sat. I called my husband who, also by the Grace of God, happened to be home (because he wasn't supposed to be) and he came to get us. Now, I figured we would hop in the truck and I would just hold Kayden on my lap for the 200-300 yard trip home. The house where my car sat is a summer/weekender so I knew no one was home and I could just walk down and get it the next day when the snow had melted a bit and the roads were cleared.

But my husband insisted we try to get my car out of that driveway and home and he was in a hurry because he STILL HAD TO WORK after he got us home. I told him I wanted to take Kayden home first... I did not want her riding in the truck (with OR without a car seat as the case was) any more than absolutely necessary. So we took her home... he was in such a hurry, he told me to just LEAVE HER IN THE CRIB and we would be back within 15 minutes. He waited in the truck while I ran her inside and I bought time to frantically call a neighbor by changing into snow boots... the neighbor said he was on his way so I got back in the truck where my husband was impatiently waiting and we went back to get my car...

So in reality, she was only alone in the house for about 5 minutes... but I should never have left her at all... the alternatives, to me however, were MUCH worse... I didn't want her riding in the truck AT ALL let alone without a car seat and I sure as hell wasn't gonna let her ride in my car as my impatient husband tried to get it home.

So call DCFS if you must... I did what I felt I had to at the time... but if I am put in that situation again, I will probably tell my husband to kiss off...

*Indigo from The Princess Bride

********************

I was pleased to learn of Bailey's behavior through all this when I got home...

The neighbor, who knew Bailey, said when he walked in the door, Bailey barked at him like she was gonna kill him, then ran into the nursery. The neighbor just sat down on the couch and waited... Bailey came out a few minutes later and sniffed him and loved on him... then he was able to check on Kayden...

So her first instinct was to protect... anyone who didn't know her would have been scared enough to leave right then... but after she calmed down and realized she recognized the neighbor's smell, she turned back into her old cuddly self and soaked up the attention :-)

Dog Park Adventure

As I mentioned in the previous post, we took our first trip to the dog park... but our adventure did not end at finally fitting into the car.. oh no...

When we got to the park, Bailey was so excited she could barely contain herself... the last time we were there was July or August of last year... Then I went on modified bed rest, had a baby, and had to recover... by the time I was well enough to go, it was too cold for Kayden to go and my husband's schedule did not allow him to either take Bailey or watch Kayden while I went.

Once I got Kayden in the stroller and covered with a blanket, I got Bailey on the leash and we headed to the gate. Now, as a safety measure, you have to go through 2 gates... it keeps dogs from escaping if they try to slip out when someone else is entering or exiting. A great idea for the dogs... not so much for a jogging stroller... but after a bit of maneuvering, we made it in.

Unfortunately, the way the park is set up, it is almost always a wind tunnel. Even on the warmest days with no wind, there is a cool breeze... which is GREAT for the dogs, not so much for mom and a baby... I forgot about this little quirk and although it was a warm day, it was probably 5-10 degrees cooler at the park... a bit too cool for Kayden. Needless to say, we only stayed about 15 minutes.

Although it was a bit cool, Kayden had a blast! She loved watching the dogs play and thought it was the funniest thing in the world when they came to smell her... The owners seemed mortified that their dogs were smelling her, though... I mean, really... I wouldn't have brought Kayden in a stroller if I was worried about that...

When we left, we had an even harder time getting back into the car. I had to put Bailey in first so she wouldn't escape or pull on her leash while I was getting Kayden in the car. Once I got them both in, I had to get the stroller in... but Bailey had taken back over her spot in the backseat... It was a mess trying to get her in the front seat long enough for me to toss the stroller in the backseat...

So went our first trip to the dog park... I have decided that I will probably just wear Kayden in the Moby Wrap next time we go... it will be easier than wrestling with the stroller, which I don't think is technically allowed anyway...

********************

6 months old today!!! Although she is still not rolling over, she is almost sitting up and, although she HATES tummy time, I have a feeling crawling is not far behind...

And 19lbs... holy crap she's big!!!!

Auto Tetris

We took our first trip to the dog park since Kayden was born. It was a beautiful day and I wanted Bailey and I both to get some exercise.

As I mentioned in the previous post, my car is just a bit too small for us to go anywhere as a family. In order for us to hit the dog park, I had to figure out how to fit Kayden, Bailey, the stroller and myself into the car.

I was driving... Kayden was gonna be in her seat... but where to put Bailey and the stroller????

I tried putting the stroller in my trunk... it just wouldn't go... I tried many approaches from many angles but it just wouldn't fit. I then tried the front seat thinking maybe if I got it in just right it would fit... no-go... so the only place left was the backseat... so there it went...

Now, as sweet as Bailey is, I don't think she would have taken to kindly to being put in the trunk so the only other option was to put her in the front passenger seat... you know, the one that is pushed all the way forward to accommodate Kayden's car seat... the one no one fits in...

Poor Bailey had no idea what was happening. She couldn't lay down (without knocking the car into neutral) or turn around to put her head out the window... her head was up over the dash and almost into the windshield... if we had wrecked, she would have either flown out of the car or been crushed by the airbag...

But we made it... there and back... and in one piece....