Tall Ships Festival

Tall Ships Festival – 09-Jul-2010

Aunt Susie’s been talking about the tall ships for weeks now, so we’ve been looking forward to this afternoon at the Tall Ships Festival. The event took  place at Cleveland Harbor, behind the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the football stadium, and the highlight of the day was the HMS Bounty,  built in 1962 for the movie “Mutiny on the Bounty” by MGM Studios in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to tell the story of the famous maritime mutiny that occurred in the South Pacific in 1789.

By the time we arrived, the thunderclouds had cleared away for us stowaways to sneak aboard the Bounty, Niagara, Roald Amundsen, and Pride of Baltimore II. Yes, we’d recommend it, since the lines weren’t too bad, and if you had some way of connecting to the ships’ history beforehand, making the hands-on experience more enjoyable, or if you took the the time to talk to any of the crew and volunteers, who you could tell by their enthusiasm that they loved the ships.

David did wonder why the ships weren’t sailing. We promised him next time, we’d go aboard a moving ship.

More Photos

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Tall Ships Festival – 09-Jul-2010	Tall Ships Festival – 09-Jul-2010

Tall Ships Festival – 09-Jul-2010

Promotional copy: “In honor of it’s 100th anniversary, the Rotary Club of Cleveland, with the support of the Port of Cleveland and other partners, brings the Tall Ships to our city. Close to a dozen Tall Ships will sail into Cleveland’s harbor to participate in this 4-day festival. Visitors can board the vessels, meet the crew, and experience the heritage these ships symbolize.”

Site: clevelandtallships.com

– 07-Jun-2008

Lakewood Park holds an annual event where various city vehicles are parked in the lot and children can climb aboard and talk to the people who drive them. As soon as Aunt Susie told us about it, we knew we had Saturday morning plans. The lines were longest for David’s favorite, “A DIGGER!” But fortunately, Susie and family friend Laurie held our place in line — to be able to sit in the front seat — while David dashed around, climbed on the tires, sat in the shovel, inspecting it with quiet amazement.

We also visited a fire truck (seen above), Cushman scooter, garbage truck, ambulance, dump truck, and saw many more.

– 07-Jun-2008	– 07-Jun-2008	– 07-Jun-2008
– 07-Jun-2008	– 07-Jun-2008	– 07-Jun-2008
– 07-Jun-2008	– 07-Jun-2008	– 07-Jun-2008
– 07-Jun-2008	– 07-Jun-2008	– 07-Jun-2008

But Wait, There’s More!

With the help of new Cleveland resident Uncle Jon, Daddy put the final touches on David’s new and improved sandbox during the last of May. But the story gets better when the three of us drove off in search of new sand. We stopped briefly at a local rental and repair place that Joe frequents, and when Jon stepped back out of the store indicating they didn’t have any sand, we thought we were off to the next possible stop.

But David spied the back lot, filled with Bobcat-sized diggers, mini-loaders and other rentals, and insisted we get out of the car. Absolutely! David’s smile went from ear to ear, as he gazed upon and touched the various equipment. However, the owner of the store saw the look on David’s face, and insisted he get on the digger. I’m not sure who was more gleeful, David sitting in the seat, or Jon and Daddy watching him.

But then, the owner went one step further and said, “Well, I guess we’ll just have to turn the key on!” Holy moley! “Just move this lever here, which will move the arm up and down, and make sure you don’t touch the other one, which will move it from side to side. And don’t worry, he can’t hurt it any more than any of my customers.”

View the movie below, captured on Daddy’s cell phone, for actual footage of the event. Don’t worry, that’s Uncle Jon, partially hidden by the digger, standing next to David and watching carefully.

With a wink in his eye, Jon asked how much a daily rental would cost, say, for a birthday party. Upon hearing the reply, Jon remarked, “That has to be better than a clown!”

– 31-May-2008

From Cleveland Plain Dealer, Staff and wire reports

As drug makers rushed to pull cold medicines for babies off the market across the nation Thursday, Dr. Haitham Haddad at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland echoed a rising chorus of concerns about the safety of such medicines.

“Cold medicine doesn’t work on children under the age of 2,” Haddad said. “By giving cold medicine you’re asking for side effects.”

One serious side effect: The children could stop breathing, Haddad said.

“We don’t know what’s the right doses for the first years of life, and the concern is that if it doesn’t work, the parent will tend to give more of it and more frequently.”

The drug maker’s move Thursday represented a pre-emptive strike by the over-the-counter drug industry – a week before government advisers were to debate the medicines’ fate. But it doesn’t end concern about the safety of these remedies for youngsters.

Thursday’s withdrawal includes medicines aimed at children under age 2, after the Food and Drug Administration and other health groups reported deaths linked to the remedies in recent years, primarily from unintentional overdoses.

Haddad, a pediatrician and attending physician at Rainbow’s emergency room, said it is routine for the hospital to see young children who have overdosed on the medicine. The kids, more often than not, are very sleepy. Sometimes the child must be kept at the hospital and watched, he said.

“The huge concern is giving it during the first six months of age,” Haddad said. “That’s when it could be really lethal.”

Nationally, there are also questions about whether children under 6 should ever take these nonprescription drugs.
Baltimore city officials filed a petition with the FDA – joined by the American Academy of Pediatrics and prominent pediatricians – arguing that oral cough and cold medicines don’t work in children so young.

The challenge, said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore’s health commissioner and a pediatrician, will be to persuade parents to try old-fashioned methods, like suctioning out infants’ noses or using salt-water nose drops.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association announced Thursday that manufacturers were voluntarily ending sales of over-the-counter oral cough and cold products aimed at infants. The list includes infant drops sold under the leading brand names Dimetapp, Pediacare, Robitussin, Triaminic, Little Colds, and versions of Tylenol that contain cough and cold ingredients.

CVS Caremark Corp. added that it would also end sales of CVS-brand equivalents.
The FDA is bringing its scientific advisers together next Thursday and Friday to debate the issues, but its own preliminary review concluded that very young children shouldn’t take some of these commonly used medicines. And while the FDA’s main focus is on children under 6, it also will ask if there’s evidence that these drugs work in children up to age 12.

FDA praised the drug makers’ withdrawals Thursday as important for protecting babies.
For other youngsters, parents should understand that cold remedies treat only symptoms, they don’t make viruses go away any faster, stressed FDA pediatrician Dr. Dianne Murphy.

Plain Dealer Sarah Jane Tribble and the Associated Press contributed to this story.

Relatives and other holiday shoppers have been asking about David’s size. To help clear up the confusion, here’s a sizing guide for clothes and shoes, originally from the Baby Alexandra website.

As of this writing, David weighs 23 pounds, 9 ounces, and is 33 3/4″ tall. So for the winter, his sizes are the following:

• Pants: 18 to 24 months (not 2T)
• Shirts: 24 months
• Overalls:  24 months

What is a toddler size anyway? Just when you thought you understood European shoe sizing, you are introduced to the baby world of infant sizing and toddler sizing. Here is a guide to understanding how to shop for your future protégé!

Infant sizing is month sizes and can alter somewhat by manufacturer. For the most part you will find:
1M (meaning 1 month or up to 8 pounds)
3M
6M
12M
18M
24M

Occasionally, you will find manufacturers who produce 9 month clothing or those that make a range of sizing meaning 0-3 months. When there is a range of sizing, the highest size is the ‘maximum’ size. However, you will always find that your baby may not exactly fit into these pre-determined sizes. Just like adults, babies come in all shapes and sizes. You will also see a variation between manufacturers. While daunting, purchasing clothing will become easier over time once you understand how your little one is growing. When in doubt, please call or email our boutique for advice, or go one size larger than normal.

Toddler Sizes
2T (2 toddler; meaning age 2)
3T
4T

So, what is the difference between 24 months and 2T? Well, the 2T will be slightly wider and longer. The 2T size refers to when the child is older than 24 months and can last longer in the closet. It is not unusual for smaller children to run a size behind or larger children to run a size ahead of their age.

Girl/Boy Sizes
4
5
6
6X (girl only)
7

This size refer to age. A 4 will be slightly wider and longer than a 4 toddler. A 6x is made for girls only and is also slightly wider and longer. It is also common for European manufacturers to place an A or Y after the size (to represent Anos or Year).

Shoe Sizing
This is what we find the most difficult since some babies feet are wider than others and babies feet grow so quickly. As a general rule of thumb, you can use the following guide. Also, it is wise to check for 1-3 year olds every other month to see if they need a larger size.

European sizing varies by manufacturing, so please use this grid as a reference point.