Toys, toys, toys

We're thinking a lot about toys lately, largely because we know we're about to receive an onslaught of them for Aaron's first birthday. The following article showed up in my Google Reader this morning, and it's one of the best I've read on non-toxic toy options. I hope it's informative for all you parents out there (and for those who are about to purchase birthday gifts ;-)

Jaque le Snail, as we call him, is one of Aaron's very favorite toys (made by Plan Toys); a gift from Grammy

As a parent your house is filled with them, you are constantly buying or receiving them as gifts and you are likely tripping over them on a daily basis. Toys are a huge part of you and your children’s lives, so it’s a great place to start thinking more green and benefit your families’ health as well as the health of the planet. Here are four quick questions you can ask yourself when considering bringing a toy into your home.

1. What is it made of? Avoid plastic toys when possible, since they are made from non-renewable fossil fuels. If you are choosing plastic, make sure it is PVC-free. PVC can contain phthalates and heavy metals which are toxic, something you especially don’t want in toys that are going to end up in your child’s mouth. Consider choosing wood or fabric toys. Make sure wood toys are painted in non-toxic paint and preferably from wood that was sustainable harvested. One of my favorite toy companies is Plan Toys. They manufacture their toys in Thailand and have a genuine commitment to the environment. All their toys are made from organic discarded rubber wood trees. They use non-toxic glue, water-based dyes and soy- and water-based ink. Under the Nile is one company that manufactures fabric toys from organic cotton.


2. Where did it travel from? Although 80-90% of toys in the US are imported from China, it has become much easier to find toys manufactured in the US due to the internet and the recent recalls of Made-in-China toys. Buying a toy made in the U.S. often means fewer carbon emissions, because the toy need not be brought over from a foreign country. (The relative costs of shipping versus the resource-intensive "last mile" of the trucking industry can make this a bit more complicated.) An guaranteed-to-be-greener option is to purchase secondhand toys from consignment stores, garage sales or websites like craigslist or eBay. Giving toys a second life keeps them out of the landfill and your child will have a new toy without any resources used.


3. How durable is it? Many people hesitate to buy wood toys because of the price tag. Instead of buying many cheap toys, I opt for buying fewer toys, but spending the extra money to buy well-made toys. In the end I find that it is worth it to spend the extra money to buy a toy that will last through multiple children, maybe even multiple generations, instead of landing in the trash after a month’s worth of play.


4. Does it require batteries? Avoiding toys that need batteries takes away your need to buy and dispose of batteries, which are toxic and need to be disposed of properly. It also takes away the worry that your child might end up handling the batteries.

As you take steps to green your children’s toys, use the opportunity to teach your child about issues about the environment and how even their choice of toys can make a difference for the planet.

Learning, Exploring, Growing

We've been putting it off for a few weeks, but we finally got an opportunity to visit a nearby park to take Aaron's 11 month portraits. It certainly was an ideal evening, weather-wise, but it had been a terrible day for napping. Aaron was in a bad mood. Most of the photos we got looked like this...



or this...

...and I went home frustrated and certain that I didn't have what I wanted. But my little supermodel always pulls through. Here's the final product...


It's been quite a month for Aaron. A few of the highlights:

• Learning to walk - he's really taking off, now!
• We haven't pureed his food in some time. He's just more interested in feeding himself, which is fine with me. :-) As I type, he's next to me in the highchair feeding himself carrots. Yum!
• He's beginning to use sign language consistently (he's now telling me he wants more carrots!). Words he can sign include all done, dog, and more. There are a handful more that he understands, and we're working on expanding his vocabulary.
  

Go, Go, Go!

Walking has become Aaron's favorite sport, especially since we received a previously loved walking toy from Emma, Ellie, and Edie. When Daddy comes home from work, he takes Aaron outside to "walk the neighborhood." Aaron only wants to walk on the sidewalk (not the driveway or the grass), and gets very upset if he's picked up or otherwise interrupted. Since he's a lover of concrete, Mommy thought it was time for some shoes to protect his little toes, and found a very comfy pair of Robeez. "No wonder he's walking early," the shoe saleslady said, "he's got such big feet!" He does, indeed. These Robeez are sized 12-18 months, and his shoe size is already a 5.

Bradley Beach Day

Time for another get-together with our Bradley friends! We love watching our little ones play together, and just can't believe that it's been a whole year of baby fun and friendship.

Addison cuddles close to mommy.

Ivy is the oldest of the babies, and celebrated her first birthday already.

Jakey is Daddy's boy.

Check out this smile. Too cute!

Our very own Baywatch hunks (and their hunk-letts) :-)

Wednesday Walking!!!

It was just the teeniest of steps, and had I not been on the floor playing with with him, I would have missed it, but I think what I saw counts as a first step. He pulled himself up onto the entertainment center (one of his favorite toys!), and turned around to smile at me, then one at a time picked those little feet up and moved them forward. I squealed with glee (which he promptly mimicked), and we laughed and hugged. Just a fleeting moment, and one no one else but Aaron and I shared in, but one that I'll remember for a long, long time. Everyday brings something new, and it's such joy to watch.

Michigan Adventures

It's been a busy week for us Sharps. We've worked, vacationed, and worked some more! Here's the recap of our crazy adventure:

First, we traveled to Grand Rapids, MI, to photograph the Cooper wedding. Luke and Melissa had a beautiful outdoor ceremony, and I LOVED catching up with the Cooper clan. Best of all was hugging one-time Calvin roommate (and adopted sister) Gretchen, along with her husband, R.C., and little Jude. I love that our friendship has transcended time and distance, and that we're always able to pick up just where we left off. We don't see them nearly enough, but those few short hours on that Saturday afternoon were a wonderful gift to our friendship. The visit was too short, for sure, but I don't think any amount of time would be enough with the Coopers, Copelands, and Griffins. :-)

The wedding festivities wrapped up late in the evening, and Mike and I packed our sleeping baby into our rented SUV and trudged northward again. It was a very late night (I should say early morning) when we arrived in Grayling, MI for a quick nap at a local hotel. Eager to reach our final destination, we didn't waste much time in getting back on the road the next morning. We were headed to FAMILY CAMP!!!

Our family camp experience was... um... challenging. Cedar Campus is one of my very favorite places on planet Earth, and the folks who share the week with us, from my home church in Cincinnati, are among my favorites, too. Had it not been for those two factors, we surely would have packed it in early and headed home. Aaron just wouldn't sleep at night. He'd go to bed just fine, but would wake up between 10-11pm, and refuse to sleep again until around 2am. This pattern continued night after night, and none of my tricks would get him to sleep. It was so frustrating that I actually got up and packed our suitcases at 1am on a particularly difficult night. But we persevered (my stubborn side decided that my 10-month-old was not going to ruin the one vacation we were going to get this year), and stuck it out one day at a time. Aaron's poor sleep made for a grumpy set of parents, but we had a lot of support and willing babysitters who let us nap during the day. A big clue to his poor sleep came when I stuck my fingers in his mouth on Friday morning and found that his two top teeth had poked through! I think the teething, new surroundings, having to share a room with mom and dad again, and lots of daytime activity all contributed to the sleep problems.

The good news is that now that we're back at home, he's like a different baby. Maybe we just exhausted him, or maybe he's just pushed me past the point of being gentle with a sleep shaping program, but he's slept very well since our return home on Saturday night. There has been some crying at bedtime (frankly, we don't know how long it's lasted, since we're so exhausted that we fall asleep before he settles himself :-), but there have been very few night wakings. The biggest change happened just this morning, when he fell asleep in his crib at nap time (he's NEVER slept in his crib during the day, so this is a big milestone!!!).

Despite our sleep challenges, our week at Cedar Campus was full of wonderful family memories. We hiked together on White Fish Point, enjoying the scenic views of Lake Huron. We ate watermelon at Sandy Cove, and watched Aaron splash around on the beach. Mike played in a beach volleyball tournament while Aaron and I cheered him on. There were sailboat rides, kayak trips, sunsets that took your breath away, and the wonder of creation on every side. Who can ask for more?

Aaron's first sailboat ride on the Dawn Treader.

Aaron and Daddy walk the boardwalk.


With the Wood Family, some of Aaron's biggest fans.


On our international night, when our family represented Canada.


Our Sandy Cove picnic. Aaron had a great time in the water, despite its cold temps.

Our official family portrait.


The whole group on our international night. Many families did a fantastic job creating costumes, and it was fun to hear about all the different countries. Later in the week, we held an Olympics of sorts (picture grown men doing synchronized diving off the dock, dancing in rhythmic gymnastics, and an all-camp tug-o-war).


Sunset on our final night at camp. Just beautiful. Another signpost pointing us to the creator of all things beautiful.

10 month portraits

This boy sure is growing! I weighed him last week during our regular chiropractic visit, and he topped the scales at 18 pounds, 5 ounces. That's a big jump from early July, so all the extra meals and snacks must be working.

I know we're a few weeks behind on the official monthly portrait, but it's been a busy summer. And he's getting harder to photograph by myself, which means waiting for a weekend when Mike is home, or, as was the case today, having a friend come over to baby wrangle for me (thanks, LeAnn!). He's just too mobile to sit still for long. :-) Today we witnessed the longest independent stand-up he's done so far. He just let go of the toy box and stood there for a good long while. I wonder if his first steps will happen before next month's official portrait does.

This little airplane was mine as a kid, and Aaron has re-purposed it as a walker. He'll stand next to the propeller and push the wings, making the airplane go backwards as he walks forward. He'll zoom back and fourth across the living room, crying for someone to turn him the other way when he hits the wall or chair. We tried to get a picture of him standing that way, but he just wanted to push the plane, and got mad when we wouldn't let it move.


And, of course, I really wanted to show off his new walking skills. He'll be letting go of my fingers really soon (too soon!).