I just want to jump in here with two comments.

First, I am the parent who felt "somehow obligated to give her money towards buying" the replacement computer. The circumstances behind the incident were more than my child "accidentally" bumped her. We did what we did because when we thought about the situation outside of the classroom, say same events occurring at your house, we would have wanted to make restitution in some way to you. I am not saying that everyone should do the same thing or that it was an easy decision for us to come to, and certainly not saying that the teacher should have had her computer out (though she was leaving the classroom to go home at the time), but I have no regrets about how my husband and I handled the incident.

Now that I have that off my chest, my second comment is that despite this incident, I have been very happy with how my child has grown and learned through our 2+ years with the Y. All of the staff (from Program Director to the Maintenance Crew), know my child by name and care about how our family is doing (or they all do a darn good job pretending). In the classes my child has been in, we have had an issue with one teacher, but have been overwhelmingly happy with the 5 other teachers (the room are co-taught with 2-3 teachers, so even if you have an issue with one of the teachers, there is someone else you can talk to about your child). I have gotten calls about bumped heads and paper cuts, so I know that for the preschool program (the camp has different staff seasonal staff) they are diligent about keeping me informed about anything that could be an injury. And I know they love to get the kids outside when the weather permits - but even if they can't get outside, they have a gym where they can run off all of that energy. My child will be back next year (December baby), and my baby will be enrolling next January.

So, I sort of rambled here towards the end, but I just wanted to give a firsthand vote for the Y.

I have noticed that if I leave it in the door and not on a shelf, it goes bad faster. I try and freeze it if it is going to be in the fridge longer that 24 hours.

My vacuum cleaner just died. Can anyone recommend a vacuum cleaner that is good on thick carpet and pet hair?

I delivered at Alexandria INOVA back in December and I loved it - except for the food but I think that is any hospital frankly. My mom and husband were in the delivery room with me but we had sent my in-laws and dad home to sleep b/c it was 2am - but I was pushing an hour later so we had them all come back. The nurse from the desk called the room to say everyone had arrived and was it ok for them to come back, but I told my nurse no, that we would see them when we were done - and that was that. If you tell them what you want, they are there to help you and they do - good luck!

My husband and I are off to AC for they weekend without the DS. We are leaving from Downtown (16th and M) - does anyone have any traffic avoiding suggestions for us?

My DS has this rash from drool as well - he also has very sensitive skin. Our Ped told us to pat the area dry as opposed to wiping - the wiping can worsen the irritation.

My 5 1/2 month old DS has 2 new teeth on the bottom, which have just come in in the past 2 weeks. He is EBF and I have had no issues with supply or pain until now. The feedings that I have been giving him at night and on the weekends have become increasingly painful (he gets EBM at the nanny-share during the week). I want to continue for as long as I can breastfeeding him but I am afraid that once he gets top teeth it will get worse. Any tips or advice that worked for you?

I had heard that part of the reason for no bumpers was that they don't allow air to circulate through the crib, leading to a lack of fresh oxygen, which could be a contributing factor to SIDS. That being said, my 5 month old DS is so squirmy and gets his feet caught in the slats of his crib so we have purchased a breathable bumper to help solve this problem.

Do you have more information about this class? I am looking for something similiar for my 5 month old DS.

My DS has totally changed his speeling habits in the past week as he approaches the 5 month mark - before this he was waking between 7-7:30, out the door to the nanny-share by 8:10, maybe he might fall asleep in the 20 minute car ride, maybe not. He does not have a set nap schedule during the day, but on the weekends he tends to fall asleep around 10 for about an hour and again at about 2 for another hour if we are at home - if we are out, all bets are off since the stroller and the car put him to sleep so well. Our nighttime routine is much more structured. He gets a bath around 8-8:30 (when I notice that he is rubbing his eyes), we read a book, he nurses and then goes right down. He was sleeping until 3-4 am but now he is up at 12 and again at 4. From what I understand from my other mother friends is that this can be a growth spurt or he could be uncomfortable from teething (which I believe to be the culprit) - hopefully it will pass soon!

I just started using it with my son who is 4 1/2 months - he loves it and it gives him options other than lying back in the swing our bouncy seat. I believe they say when your child can hold their head steady, they can use the bumbo.

We have the "Summer" video monitor like the PP - I love it. It has 3 channels so that if something (wireless service, phones, ect.) are interfering on one channel you can switch - I highly recommend it.

At 4 weeks we put my DS on Zantac on the recommendation of our Ped - she said that it has been given for years to premies because their stomach muscles are not fully formed and this helped with their reflux issues. My DS, whose issues started at 2 weeks, changed within days of starting him on the medication - before he would arch his back and scream for an hour after feeding - he could not be put down and was spitting up everywhere. After the medication, we still propped him up to sleep (we put towels under his moses basket and then under the mattress in his cradle) - now at 3 1/2 months he is still a happy eater and a good sleeper. Zantac worked for us and though I feel strongly about overmedicating children, I can't imagine what it would have been like without it.