Pictures of Days Gone By

Chomping on a toy before his two teeth arrived...

Mommy & Daddy on her 31st birthday!

Sweet Cameron in her soccer jersey

Cuddly bear Rhys Man

Easter Sunday with all the girls at Grammy's house

Happy to be out egg hunting in the warm weather!

My silly dinner date

Fun with Hattie & Ainslee

From Waiting to Whirlwind

Cameron,
One of life's important lessons is that God's timing is always better than ours. It seems like nothing happens when you are impatiently waiting, and then all of a sudden, a million things happen at once. We have been so busy and exhausted and stressed, and you have been your sweet self all the while.

First, we packed up almost everything in our house last weekend. Chad was so over-the-top generous to come help your daddy load the heavy things like the washer & dryer, fridge, and big furniture. And then he figured, while he was there, why not just help us pack everything? Dishes, clothes, bed frames, you name it. We were down to the bare minimum for the next few days until we moved out officially on Tuesday night. Good thing we spent Saturday evening at the pool as a nice reward for all that hard work! You were so excited to jump all over Daddy and kept accidentally throwing your head back and into the water. Thankfully you didn't seem too scared, but we decided you have got to have swim lessons next summer to reign in all that energy!

Sunday evening, your Uncle Jordan and Savtah arrived for his week at a diabetic kids' camp. Not exactly the best timing for them to have a relaxing week, but they have been a great help in keeping you entertained and cleaning the house. Savtah did squeeze in some time for herself at the spa - something she never does!

Tuesday evening was a bit stressful as we booked ourselves a hotel room and had to have everything out of the old house. I think Daddy was still a little sentimental about leaving so many good memories behind, but I told him I would much rather leave good ones than because of bad ones! We finally made it to the hotel around 9:00 and you were still awake but sleepy at the pool. You wanted to roll around and play in our big giant bed rather than go to sleep. But the next morning, with only a 10 minute drive to daycare, you did great!

Of course, our "two closing appointments in the same day" didn't go as planned. Our 9:00 got pushed to 10:00, and our 12:00 got moved to 2:30 and then was more like 4:00. Lots of waiting, but we knew that we absolutely had to move in that day! The seller's were gracious enough to sign a temporary lease, meaning that even if we didn't fund that day, we could still move in. Thank the Lord that we had so many good friends there to help us! They were amazing. People from church and Bo's softball team were so incredibly fast at moving everything. When I got there after leaving the title company, picking up you at daycare, and picking up drinks at a convenience store, we arrived to the house and saw just how much had already been done!

The entire storage container, one trailer, and two vehicles had already been unloaded. Furniture was in place, beds were assembled with sheets on them, and people seemed to be working in every room unpacking boxes! It was such a tremendous help and made everything seem totally manageable.

We still have a bit more organizing and decorating to do this weekend, but I am so thankful to be in our new home and get settled into the neighborhood. The drive this morning was gloriously short, and I said a prayer of thankfulness as I arrived at my office right on time. No more stressful drives through endless traffic!

More big news is on the way today... Mrs. Cara should be having Baby Hattie very soon!

One Thing at a Time

Hi Cameron,
Toes! That is your new word. And I think yesterday you tried to say Ainslee and Cara too. I think I am going to be one of those moms that hears a practically untelligible sound and goes, "Did you hear that? She said nutcracker! I swear!" When I told your Grammy on the phone, she said your next word should definitely be Grammy. Especially since she (and Rachael and Ryan and Emerson) are coming this weekend to see you!

We are so excited that the weekend is finally coming because we (minus the babies) are going to see "The Lion King" at the Majestic Theatre. So sorry that you won't get to come, but I have a feeling that the two hour show would completely bore you. I have heard that the costumes are amazing, so I am really looking forward to it. Don't worry, I promise to take you to see fun shows when you are bigger!

So of course, tonight is when Mommy will frantically clean the whole house that we have been ignoring all week long. And Daddy is off at his work Christmas party where he gets to see some old trainer friends and enjoy a beer with the surgeons they work with. Think you are up for learning how to use the real vacuum yet?

And since you only have a few days left of staying with Mrs. Cara, I think we might have a dinner date tonight. We are in the mood to eat anything that we didn't cook ourselves. Speaking of those last few days, Daddy and I are working on a super special Christmas present we can give to Mrs. Cara to say how much we love and appreciate everything she has done for us (fine, mostly you.) After Tuesday, she is officially off of double baby duty!

I just have to keep reminding myself to tackle one thing at a time! We made a list of chores around the house (some big, some little projects) that we need to get done prior to listing it for sale. And as soon as we cross one off, another gets added. Just last night, your daddy was fixing a shelf in the pantry, and was touching up some paint when he asked if there was any trim that needed painting while he had it out (which he immediately regretted). I busted out the painter's tape and we touched up all the baseboards in the guest bathroom, the hallway and part of the living room! So much nicer. We just know that the weeks are going to pass so quickly and we want the house to look wonderful so we can hurry up and get out of it!

And one more thing to be excited about - my cousin Brittney will be having her first baby in May, and next week is when we all get to find out if it is a boy or girl. Hooray for a new cousin! We love her and Chad and can't wait to help welcome their baby.

Hurry up Christmas!

Minding Mommy's Manners

How rude of me not to mention one of your most special birthday gifts... Check out Mrs. Cara's blog that has the most adorable picture of you wearing the sweet dress that she made for you.

Please ignore the absolutely true description of how Mommy took you to get shots on your birthday while Mrs. Cara took you to a fabulous indoor playground. Lesson learned, never doing shots on your birthday again...

Thank goodness somebody knows how to treat a birthday girl right! :)

Ten Months is Terrific

Growing Girl,
I can't believe you are already ten months old. That just sounds way too close to a whole year! You are starting to look like a little girl rather than my baby! With all the teeth and the expressive faces, and especially the way that you prefer to stand up and walk around holding onto things... It is almost enough to make my little mommy heart sigh with longing. Good thing I got it out of my system holding Baby Morgan and Baby Rex this week!

So here's your latest and greatest:
The Lovey. Oh, the lovey. You have really started to get attached to having some kind of soft toy to sleep with, and we have one in your crib and one in the play pen you sleep in at Mrs. Cara's. The moment you hold one, you immediate snuggle it up to your face and suck your thumb. It has occured to me that I am just encouraging a future obsession that could backfire, but hey, you seem to really like it and be happy. So we bought another one to have laying around the house, just in case we lose one. I have heard stories of parents that frantically search for a duplicate of a favorite toy, so we plan on just having enough of said-item that you don't get attached to just one.

Shoes! Mommy can't stop buying you shoes. I have even started sending some with your outfits for the day to Cara. (I don't think I have profusely thanked her that she allows Cameron to show up in her jammies everyday and gets her dressed whenever they get around to it. It serves as a back up outfit and allows me to leave the house with her still sleepy and comfy.) So far, I have bought some hot pink ones, chocolate brown (with ruffles, people!), and she most often wears the silver glittered converse shoes that Gigi bought. I just can't seem to bring myself to make you wear socks when it is still so hot! Eventually, we won't be able to help it anymore. But I know you will be bummed. You just seem to love being barefoot, even though it seemed weird when I set your feet in our awkward patch of grass in the backyard.

Sign language! This week you signed your first word back to us - Finished! It is really the only one that we are consistent with, but I hear that once you get going, it starts to come more naturally. I was so excited when you put your hands up in the air and waved them to tell me you were ready to get down from your high chair. It's so cute. I think the ones we will work on next will most likely be eat, drink, and Daddy. :)

Road Trip! We are heading to Abilene this weekend to meet up with all the family and some friends. Very much looking forward to a barbecue at Brittney's fabulous house on Sunday. Who knows what kind of trouble we can get into with a three day weekend! Hooray for Labor Day!

Well, other than your total crankypants episode yesterday (two hours of refusing to take a nap even when you were exhausted), you are still my best girl. How much fun was it to go shopping with Mommy at Kohl's? If only we had a coupon, it would have been perfect. Here's to another incredible month of watching you change and grow, and being on the downward slide to one year!

(Holy cow, I just realized that I am super behind on your baby book and wanted to have it complete so people could see it at your birthday party. Ugh. Mommy guilt sets in. Well, surely I can knock it out in two months time, right?)

Nine Months, No Turning Back

Little Princess,
Today you turn nine months old! Holy cow! I can't get over how much you have changed in this past month. Maybe it's the teeth, that you don't look like a tiny baby anymore. Your temperment has changed too - you are starting to take less naps throughout the day and you aren't shy about telling us when you aren't happy about something. Last night, you were so tired when we got home at 6:30 that I really wanted to make you take a nap so that you would be in a better mood. My thinking was that you would be able to snooze for about 30 minutes and then eat dinner and enjoy the rest of the evening. But you decided that made you really mad, and so I fed you dinner as you fussed, immediately gave you a bath, and you were in bed before 8:00. We just seem to have so little time with you in the evenings!

We head to the doctor for your nine month checkup on Friday and we will have to discuss your clogged tear duct again. I think it is better, but you still have some wicked eye boogers every once in a while. We will most likely have to have an opthamologist probe the tear duct and get it working perfectly. Your doctor will probably be pleased that you are meeting all your milestones and growing so much. In fact, I need to ask her how much food vs. bottles we should be giving you. Mrs. Cara says that every day at lunch, you now eat two tubs of baby food! You are definitely not wasting away, so I don't want to overfeed you, but at the same time, if you are that hungry then I don't want to starve you either! I need a baby nutritionist, please!

It is funny how you have reached a stage where you are so aware of everything. You are starting to show signs of seperation anxiety, where Daddy is holding you and I walk out of the room and you cry. Fortunately, you never cry when I drop you off with Mrs. Cara (more like diving out of my arms to see her and have breakfast!) and you don't seem to mind the church nursery too much either. But you do really light up when you see someone you know, especially when Daddy comes home from work. He loves to make you laugh! We like to say all your little babbles back to you. The other morning you were wide awake at 6:15 and Daddy just brought you to our bed in hopes you would sleep longer. You were crawling all over us going, "da da da da da..." and Daddy finally rolled over and said "SHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" really loud. In the cutest little high-pitched voice, you kept right at it, going "da da da da" like if it was sweeter sounding then we wouldn't mind!

I was reminded of how blessed we are when I read Baby Stellan's nine month birthday blog. He is currently waiting to fly to Boston to have another heart procedure, which at this point looks like will lead to him getting a pacemaker put in. He would be dependent on it the rest of his life. To have you here as a healthy and (mostly) happy baby is something I will not take for granted. We love you more and more every day and are thankful for the time that God allows us to be your parents.

So here is the amazingly appropriate portrait of you at nine months, looking like you are up to some serious mischief! It's just too much to ask that you hold still for more than two seconds...


Love,
Mama

Field Trips!

You have had a busy week, my sweet girl! Since Jason is off from school and home helping with you and Ainslee, Mrs. Cara has been feeling awfully adventurous when it comes to taking you places. Target and Costco are regular outings, but now you are enjoying full-on field trips!

I think it was last week when you went to a giant kids play center, and Cara got possibly the cutest action shot of you ever. Check it out here! And just yesterday you went to story time at a local library, designed for active toddlers. They read and sing songs and apparently have a wonderful playground. She said you loved watching all the older kids and even paid attention to the story (as best as a baby can!)

So yesterday, your mommy had a fabulous idea... Maybe Jason could do us a favor and pick up the mulch we need for the backyard and just leave it in your daddy's truck for us! We can't ever seem to get there before they close, so I just gave him the keys to our truck and he is going to go on a field trip for us! Hooray! Daddy was thrilled to have another chore to do in the evening...

But we definitely want it to be finished soon because company is on the way! Your Grandpa and Gigi and Uncle Tanner are visiting A&M to get him all settled for school next fall and are stopping by here on the way home for some fun. And we are also having our annual 3rd of July party! Anyone know some really fun water balloon games? I think it is gonna be a scorcher...

Update: The truckload of mulch was insanely cheap and looks great. Bad news is that it didn't even cover half of our back garden. Looks like we will head back for another load on Saturday. Daddy is beyond excited...

Happy Half Birthday!

My Little Girl,
I cannot believe how fast six months has gone by! You are sitting up, eating real baby food, chuckling at your daddy and constantly trying everything out by shoving it in your mouth. You are so beautiful and happy and easygoing. You are such a blessing, even on the days when you have poopy diaper blowouts and refuse to take a nap.

We survived our weekend without Daddy, but we were both so excited to have him home again. I think the time right after a trip for either of us is the best - we are always more thoughtful, more romantic, more appreciative of each other. Daddy said he missed you very much and was so thankful that we let him have the weekend to play. Now he says he needs to play golf all the time!

Tomorrow we head to the doctor for another round of shots. You have been so amazingly healthy so far. I don't want to regret saying this later, but you haven't really been sick at all! A runny nose here and there, the daily eye boogers, those things don't really phase me. I am just so thankful that we haven't battled fevers and jaundice and ear infections. Hooray for Mrs. Cara's house that keeps you germ free!

Here's to another six months of bliss! I cannot even imagine how different you will be at your first birthday. I love you so much, Miss Cameron!

Quick Update: You did great at the doctor, even though you were totally amused by shredding the paper on top of the table... Three shots, but they were over quickly and you were calm after just a minute of crying. You now weigh 17 lbs. 4 oz (75th percentile) and are 25 1/2 inches long (50th percentile). Doctor says you are growing just perfectly and that you can work your way through all the stage 1 baby foods!

Someday you will hate this post.

Cameron Darling,
I have no idea what to do with you sometimes. You are definitely a healthy girl, growing so fast that Mommy can't hardly keep you in shorts. But lately you have been doing something that totally mystifies me. I don't know what to think of it, so I am going to share it here in hopes that some other mom will give me advice. And I already know that you will die of embarrasment someday that I ever put this out on the whole stinkin' internet.

Now that I am reading Baby Wise #2, I realized that we will slowly have to transition you to eating more solids during the day. Most evenings you eat cereal at home around 6:30. You seem to act like you are still hungry after just a bottle, so we have upped the size to 6 oz. of formula. But now we have seen a very unfortunate consequence.

You are constantly having major poopy diapers. Like explosions. All over your clothes, your car seat, mommy's arm... Yeah. You were pretty "regular" in having one poopy diaper maybe every other day. Nothing disastrous. So now that this is a frequent occasion, meaning more than once every day, I am starting to wonder if this means we are feeding you too much or if you are not absorbing all the nutrients... Or something. You know how mommies can freak out and worry about every little thing.

But the thought of starting to give you actual baby food just makes me cringe. I hear the diapers only get worse. And right now, I cannot even imagine how that is possible. And Mrs. Cara will be the one to have to deal with you all day long once this starts. Better buy her a present - like a big tub of OxyClean.

Mrs. Cara & The Bubble Suit

No, this isn't about that weird movie where the guy lived in a bubble his entire life. I have been meaning to post this link for a while...

One day last week, I sent an outfit for Cameron to wear that I knew might be a bit big. The tag said 6 - 12 months and Gymboree sometimes runs big. But I was in a hurry and it was going to be a warm day anyway. A one piece outfit has a lot of wiggle room on how it fits.

But here is the evidence on how funny that outfit turned out to be! Go check out the crazy pictures of both Cameron and Ainslee wearing it... Not simultaneously, mind you.

Hot Potato

Sweetheart,
I am so glad that you are the type of girl that rolls with the punches. Yesterday afternoon, Ainslee was not feeling well and Mrs. Cara took her to the doctor. She was running a fever, had a double ear infection, and something yucky called bronchialitis. She even had to get a nebulizer for breathing treatments! The good news is that you were not really around her to potentially get sick, but the bad news is that you can't go stay with her until she is feeling 100% better. So we had to call everyone we know last night to ask if they would mind watching you since both Mommy and Daddy are having majorly crazy times at work. (Daddy's office assistant just got fired and now he is all by himself, meaning he can't be late or leave early to come get you. Big frowns!)

We are so fortunate to have wonderful friends from church! Mrs. Christy is watching you this morning, and she says that you are doing great and that Elizabel is really entertaining you. She is about to welcome her own baby #2 to their family, so this is probably great practice for how Elizabel will be as a big sister. She has somewhere to be this afternoon, so I am running to pick you up at lunch and deliver you over to....

Mr. Kevin! He had the afternoon free and never turns down the chance to hold a cute baby. You have had such a good time with him before, so I know you will be just fine. I am just majorly relieved that I can shuffle you around like a little hot potato rather than me having to take the day off. I would much rather save my sick days for when you are actually sick!

And as for tomorrow, Mrs. April has graciously agreed to let you spend the day with her and Ava (and their sweet puppy, Cherub). She is going to have her baby # 2 later this fall, so there you go again with that big sister practice. Maybe we can start renting you out to parents that want to see how it goes with two kids. Then they would pay us rather than the other way around! You are such a pleasant baby that I think it would be a totally worthwhile investment.

Well, I had better get back to work. See you in just a little while, Angel!

She's Having a Ball

If I ever worried about Cameron during the day (which I honestly don't), this blog makes me love her babysitter even more!

It's Going.... TOO well!

Mrs. Cara says that you are an easy baby! She says she thinks having a newborn but skipping over all the hassle of having to pump or breastfeed is actually pretty enjoyable. Today she said that she told Ainslee to give you a hug, and she reached with both arms and hugged you. It must have been so adorable. Cara said she won't even hug her own parents like that on command! You must be pretty easy for her to manage because she loaded you and Ainslee up this afternoon and went to the park for a few minutes. Your mommy has never taken you anywhere fun like that!

After two days at work, I am starting to feel guilty, but not for the reason that everyone anticipates... I kind of like being back at work and feeling like I am good at my job. I have a million things on my to-do list, but I have a sense of control and predictability and accomplishment when I help students learn valuable things for their future. And the truth is that I guess I am not cut out to be a stay-at-home mom. And that's okay! Because I don't worry about you being away from me during the day. I think about you often (especially because I am pumping milk every three hours!) and I am thankful that you have someone so wonderful to watch over you while Mommy is at her job. I have joked that our mortgage made the decision for me to go back to work, but I really do have a peace that God gave me this job for a specific time in my life, and he also gave me the perfect gift of Mrs. Cara to be my friend and your babysitter.

I have to share two things that made me smile. My sweet friend Ashley sent me the most beautiful flowers at work yesterday. She knew that my first day at work might be hard, and wanted me to have something cheerful. There are the most beautiful lavender roses in it and my office smells great! And then tonight, your daddy gave you a new pet name. He loves to tease about things, and after seeing you pop up on your legs with a big grin on your face, he said that you are his little prairie dog. "P.D. Kilpatrick!" What a cutie!

Happy to be Home

Daddy picked you up from Cara's on your first day, and she seemed to think she might take you back tomorrow! She definitely agreed that you are a big fan of being swaddled and said that you liked her swing. (Shocking since you don't sit in yours for more than 5 minutes - maybe you are afraid of owls!) Mommy hurried home to see you and was so excited to hold you and give you lots of kisses. And while we were watching the Texas football game, Daddy gave you a little workout so you could practice kicking him in the chest and standing up. Just look at you, Big Girl!

Thank you for saving some smiles just for Daddy and me.

Fun's Over... Back to Work!

My Angel,
This weekend I was really trying to not stress or worry, just enjoy being home with our family. Grammy came to visit and was such a big help. We cleaned out your closet of newborn things that you have already outgrown, and I was so shocked! There were so many cute things that you have barely worn and I just wanted to make them stretch a bit longer. I have decided that I don't need to buy you any more new clothes because Emerson keeps passing down her things for you. You have tons of things that you need to wear before they are too small.

We went to a baby shower on Saturday for Mommy's friends Christy and Denise. They are both having babies in just about 4 weeks! Denise is having a little boy, but Christy will keep it a surprise for everyone. We can't wait to meet the newest additions to their growing families! Of course, you were not amused by all the noise of all those ladies chattering and interupting your nap, so you got a little fussy and we had to leave. But you were asleep before we even made it to the car! Grammy and I spent a nice quiet evening at home watching Kung Fu Panda and eating chinese food, of course.

Then yesterday, even though it was suddenly very windy and cold, we headed to church. The music is loud and tends to wake you up, so we sat in the lobby until the sermon started. Daddy was nice to save us a seat, but we had only been there for about 5 minutes before you had the worst dirty diaper I have seen yet! I just heard it and knew it was time to go! So after that disaster (it required a change of socks!) we stayed in the cozy little room for nursing moms. It has a TV so you can still watch the service and comfy couches. You were very happy and were even up for an early lunch afterwards.

I told your daddy that today felt like the first day of school for me. I have lists everywhere with reminders and had all of my bags and today's clothes laid out. I was so worried that I was going to forget something important for you! You were asleep when I left you with Mrs. Cara, and I caught myself getting all teary-eyed when I said I was leaving! I know you will have a wonderful time and I can't wait for you and Cara to just fall in love with each other. Ainslee may take some extra time to get used to you hogging her mommy's attention, but you will eventually be great friends. She is going to teach you a lot!

Work is going to be a bit overwhelming. I feel like I have closed off my brain to all things related to my office for the past two months. My only thoughts have been baby, milk, and sleep! So I hope I can gently break myself back in. No time to slack! I have to use my time wisely so I can get out of here when the clock strikes 5:00!