Tonight, I wrote my Senators. If you haven't heard about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, check out the Handmade Toy Alliance website. In a nutshell, the CPSIA was enacted in response to the consumer wrath over all of the recent recalls of children's toys found to have unacceptably high levels of lead. Among other things, it requires third-party testing of all goods aimed at children under the age of 12 for chemicals such as lead and phlalates. Sounds good, right? I'm against my kids being exposed to lead and phlatates (I'm also against Bisphenol A, but that's another post), who wouldn't be?

The problem is that the act does not provide any provisions or exemptions for small businesses and crafters and, as currently stated, requires testing of each item produced. I read one blog (I can't find the darn link now) that said one work at home mom got estimates on testing the onesies she embroiders and it was something like $600 per onesie. What does this mean? It means all that cool kids stuff you've been eyeballing at Etsy will disappear. Work at home moms who produce things like baby carriers, cloth diapers, and baby blankets will have to close up shop, or only sell within state lines (bye, bye internet sales!). What about small US toy makers that produce, and have produced for years, toys that are produced using natural, non-toxic materials? Too bad, they also have to submit to the prohibitely expensive testing.

As you will see in my letter, I'm not against the testing and protecting kids, just the way the CPSIA requires that the testing be done. Read on!

Dear Senator Murray,

I am writing in regards to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). As a consumer and soon-to-be mom, I was thrilled to see congress take action to protect the nation's children from dangerous chemicals and substances found in toys, clothes, and other consumer goods aimed at children.

Unfortunately, the consequences of the CPSIA's third-party testing requirement on small businesses are devastating, unacceptable, and unnecessary. Requiring unit-based testing and labeling unfairly favors large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each toy and will have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and update their molds to include batch labels. The cost of testing for small businesses will be prohibitively expensive and has lead to many to refer to February 10th, 2009, the date by which manufacturers must be in compliance, as National Bankruptcy Day. By driving these small crafters and companies out of business, not only does the CPSIA strike another blow in an already fragile US economy, it serves to decrease consumer choice and inhibit free enterprise. The irony of this law should be clear: those large manufacturer's, many of whom outsourced manufacturing to countries with fewer regulations and controls such as China, whose products and practices the CPSIA was meant to address, will benefit from decreased competition. Meanwhile, many small companies who have long upheld and surpassed consumer safety and environmental standards, while keeping jobs in the US, will be crushed under the weight of this legislation. There has to be a better way-- and there is.

As a registered voter in Washington state, I expect you to take action to ensure that appropriate changes and exemptions are made to the CPSIA that protect small businesses, while continuing to protect children. Suggestions, include allowing materials-based certification instead of unit-based certification, which would make it possible for crafters and small businesses to rely on certifications from their materials suppliers instead of repeating tests multiple times for each product made from those materials. The National Association of Manufacturers has presented a petition to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, proposing changes to the CPSIA, including the above, that are endorsed by organizations such as The Handmade Toy Alliance. I urge you to review and support the petition.

Finally, I would like to be clear that the above letter is not a canned letter taken from some advocacy site. This issue is one that I, as a private citizen and consumer, have taken the time to research and write you, as well as Senator Cantwell, about. I know that generally, emails are not as highly regarded as physical letters, in this case I chose to send this letter by email not out of convenience, but because this is a pressing issue requiring a timely response.

Thank you for your time and attention to this issue.

Sincerely,
(my name here)

As an aside, already at least one European toy maker has announced intentions to pull out of the US toy market due to cost concerns and because the of US regulations. They are already in compliance with the European standards and the costs for separate testing for the US would make the toys too expnsive to be competitive in the market.

After a low of 46 degrees in the house this morning, the lovely repairman came, replaced a part, performed the maintenance that should have been performed back in June (part of the deal to buy the house included the former owner's getting the furnace and water heater serviced before closing-- apparently whoever serviced it in June barely did more than slap a sticker on it). Anyway, we are now up to a balmy 55 degrees and rising!

We slept on the aerobed in front of the gas fireplace-- which the furnace guy said is just an "insert" and provides minimal radiant heat while actually sucking heat from the house. Good to know. Anyway, the usual problem with aerobeds is that, because they are filled with air, they offer minimal insulation and are often cold to sleep on. While that is fine for the summer, we remedied that issue by putting one down comforter underneath us and then blankets and another down comforter on top. This, along with each wearing two layers and a hat, kept us warm throughout the night.

There is a problem with our furnace. As in, it is not turning on. Just in time for what will probably end up being the snowiest day in Seattle this year in the midst of the coldest weather Seattle has seen in many years.

I was home all day. When I got up this AM, I turned up the thermostat and heard the furnace come on and do it's thing... but I don't think it turned on after that. When I came downstairs around 3:30pm, the thermostat said it was 60 degrees (when I had manually turned it up to 70 earlier). I wanted to rule out thermostat issues before issuing the "Crisis! Come home now!" alert to DH. Virtually any other day of the year, this would not have been a "crisis," but I knew trying to get someone out here to repair the furnace would be virtually impossible because of the weather, road conditions, and the time. Our big fear here is frozen pipes. We have a gas fireplace and plenty of ways to keep warm (heck, we could walk to a hotel if it came to that), but the small amount of heat from the fireplace isn't going to stop our pipes from freezing. Anyway, DH got home around 4:30 and confirmed my suspicion that it wasn't the thermostat, but the furnace. I just walked all the way to the nearest hardware store (uphill both ways in the snow ) to buy new furnace filters (in case that was the problem) and a space heater (which, DH just tried to plug-in and it doesn't work-- AWESOME), while DH stayed home trying desperately to get someone ANYONE who knows about furnace repair to come to our house. No one can come until tomorrow morning and changing the furnace filter didn't fix the problem.

While writing this self-pitying blog about me and my whiny little house problems, I got an email from one of my best friends. I knew she was being deployed to Iraq soon, but apparently her plane leaves tonight. Nothing like a swift kick in the butt from Perspective. I was going to ask for prayers that our pipes don't freeze, but I'd rather any prayers go toward her safety.

I can't believe that I haven't worked in almost a year-- and, yet, I haven't. And it has been an adjustment. I was used to having my own money and not having to negotiate very much about what was done with it. Now, it seems, everything is a negotiation. I'm not complaining, as I know DH and I are still very fortunate, but I understand better now how money becomes a problem in a relationship. I, for my part, am working on compromising more and insisting less. I have been shopping craigslist for baby stuff and found the exact changing table I had been looking at in the store (3 of them, actually) and got it for a third the price (and felt good about reusing instead of buying new). I'll probably also get a glider off of craigslist. We did finally manage to come to a decision on living room furniture and may actually have a couch come January! Baby steps, right?

In other news, I think I may have to make the leap to maternity pants soon. I went to Target today and bought two pairs of pants- one of which seems to fit me okay now (with a bit of room to stretch) and the other is a bit loose. I can still get away with normal pants + rubber band + bella band, but it's getting less and less comfortable with each passing day. I've been able to feel the baby for the past ~2 weeks and the movement is becoming more consistent. I have to say, it feels really weird when he stretches himself out (at least, that is what it feels like he is doing).

I don't know, maybe I should wait and make JenniferZ and teaforfifty submit their guesses before I reveal the sex.

The question is, will Tabitha die from curiosity in the time it takes those two to respond ?

To answer Tabitha's other inquiry (about pictures), I haven't put any pictures up for 2 reasons 1) We lost the battery recharger for our camera in the move (months later, having given up finding it, DH is supposed to be working on buying a replacement) and 2) I haven't gained any weight yet, I'm still in my regular pants, and I don't look pregnant. And actually #2 combined with the fact that I'm not really feeling a ton of movement (as in, I can think of twice so far that I felt something that I knew was the baby), were worrying me a little bit. BUT, today, the baby was measuring right on for dates, so yay!!!

Okay... I'll stop torturing Tabitha now-- there were two arms, two legs, two feet, two hands, a four-chambered heart, an intact spine, and...

(check the comments)

Assuming cooperation from The Fetus (or "Chewbacca," as DH insists on calling the baby), we will find out weather it is a he or a she on Monday. Soooo... what do you think it is?

Me? I have no idea. Really. Not a clue. And I am notoriously bad at guessing the sex of other people's babies, too-- so don't feel bad if you are wrong.

DH thinks it's a boy.

Record turnout.

The election of the first black president.

I am proud to be an American tonight.

(And I have a headache from crying through Obama's acceptance speech.)

Just got back from voting. This is the last year that Washington state will have polling places, starting next year we will "pull an Oregon" and go to all absentee ballots. With all of the long lines and voter registration problems in other states, maybe this is the right way to go-- but there is something nice about the ceremony and ritual of going to the polls to cast your vote. I will miss it.

DH is Rh negative, also. Yay! No Rhogam for me!

We had our 16 week appointment with our midwife today. Everything seems to be on target-- uterus can be palpated just below my belly button, heart rate was in the 150s. Because I lost ~15 pounds in the first few months, my clothes are still fitting fine so I haven't yet had to explore the daunting world of maternity fashion. I did find out my blood type today and much to my surprise, I am Rh negative. DH, who has donated blood fairly frequently, says that he doesn't remember what his blood type is but thinks he has a card somewhere where the info was written down for him. I've only ever half-heartedly read anything about Rhogam, so I guess I actually need to go back and read about whether to skip the 28 week shot and just have the postpartum shot if the baby is Rh+ or have both or what. Hopefully DH will be negative, too, and I won't have to worry about it.

In other news, the in-laws are coming into town on Friday. It'll be nice to see them, but it means I need to whip the house into shape-- which, sadly, does not involve standing around cracking a whip while things magically clean themselves and put themselves away.