Recalls and recklessness

Eliza joins me in front of the keyboard as she is screaming everywhere else we try to put her.
Her crib, made by the Jardine company, has been recalled, a second time, so we sent in the parts and received a voucher for a new crib. Check for your recalled baby items here. the first recall was due to brain dead parents assembling the front gate upside down, even though there is a big plate marked "PUSH" on the front. I guess they never noticed the letters upside down. We skipped that "recall" and just confirmed that we had in fact assembled the crib properly. This most recent recall involved the wood slats breaking and injuring 4 children. No deaths, just 4 kids got scratched. So we went to get Eliza's new crib yesterday and I assembled it this morning so Kim and I could get our room back. Eliza is not a fan of sitting still and cries as soon as we sit down. Kim just took the crying child to eat, but she has yet to settle down.

A friend of ours mentioned on her blog a guest on the Oprah show who left their daughter, unknowingly, in the car on a hot day while she went to work. Temperatures outside reached over 100 degrees, meaning inside the car was easily 150 degrees. A horrible way to die and a reminder to slow down. With all the confusion people are adding to their lives today, we all need to remember to slow down. Less activities, less work, less school. I am not immune to hurrying at times. More than once I have arrived at a destination only to find I neglected to completely secure one of my children in their car seats. It happens. But completely forgetting your child is in the car is inexcusable.
Friends have told me stories of forgetting who had what child and quickly realizing what had happened but there are people out there who can't even read simple letters on a crib to see if it is installed properly.
In the Air Force they have giant REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT tags on the planes. If your schedule can not be altered to see if your child is indeed in the car try adding your own type of REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT tag. Moms: Place your purse next to the car seat regardless of whether you have the child in the car or not. Each time you get in or out you will be required to look at or past where your child will be to retrieve your items. Dads, get in the habit of putting your bag or briefcase in the same place. Don't carry a bag? Place your wallet and phone where the car seat goes. If these simple tips seem too difficult to follow or you don't have "time" to do them, you need to seriously rethink your priorities.
The extra 5 minutes waiting in line at Starbucks in the mornings can be better spent checking to see if you have a human being with you or not.
Dropping Jr off at the daycare, Grandma's, a friend's...take the time to ensure you have the child and if not, find out who does.
I hate to sound overly preachy about this but the increasingly busy schedules and activities I hear families undertaking will only lead to more confusion. Buffer more time into your day or take less responsibilities into your day. I would love for Kim to return to work full time, but her salary would be eaten up by daycare and someone else would be raising our children. And I only work 9 days a month. I can't imagine the chaos that comes from both parents gone all day every day.
And I'll pass along a quick story that sums up why I can't get too mad when Eliza freaks out and won't stop crying.
Back in Mission Viejo at my father's promotion ceremony to Captain, a Chief stood at the podium trying to say a few words. The fire house apparatus floor was full of young families with a number of children and babies crying. I remember wanting them all to be quiet and we could barely hear the Chief. He said very calmly, "You know some of you may be upset about all this noise but I've learned something over the years as I'm sure most of these men have as well. A crying baby is a breathing baby. When you walked into the room on that call, that baby was silent and all you wanted to hear was that baby crying." I remember that like it was this morning and I continue to believe every word of it.
Eliza is most certainly breathing.