Twenty Months and Counting

Miss Cameron,
The months are going by way too fast. You are turning into such a grownup girl, so opinionated and determined to do it all by yourself. You refuse to let us help you with most things, especially eating! You seem to be developing nice manners, always saying thank you ("dit you!") and usually saying please when we prompt you to. You are quite the DJ in the car, immediately demanding "my shongs" so that we put in your CDs of Veggie Tales or the songs with your name in them that you got as a birthday present.

You are growing and getting to be so active. You have the cutest little wobbly run, and you love to get tossed up in the air and wrestle with Daddy. We have been swimming a few times this summer and you loved getting to splash and swim with him. You look so cute in the lifevest that Jordan passed down to you. I think next summer we will head for swim lessons at our new neighborhood pool!

I can already see such a sweet and gentle spirit in you. You love to hold hands with your friends and are quick to give them toys or books to share. You have even given me a few tender moments of snuggle time when I let you watch your Elmo DVDs on occasion. You have really enjoyed getting to spend lots of time with Ainslee, and I hope that you both will adjust quickly since they are moving to Kerrville in just a few short weeks. We will definitely be spending lots of weekends with them, but I know our weeknight dinners will be few and far between. The good news is that she won't be too far away, and I have a feeling we will eventually spring for a second bed in your big girl room to come!

But you will be so much closer to some other friends once we move. No more long hours spent in the car stuck in traffic everyday! It will be such a short drive home from the Pattesons and the Mowreys! And to top it all off, the Pattesons are bringing home their boy Abenezer from Ethiopia as I type this. I can't wait for you to meet him and become his dear friend.

I am sure that moving will be a little confusing to you. We will have to paint your room quickly and try to make it feel like home. But I know that you will grow and have fun and learn to love our new house. Our family will be blessed there because you will be there! And you are the most important thing that makes it a home. You are all that I can ask for, everything I could dream of. A beautiful, smart, funny girl that is growing up right before our eyes.

Love,
Mommy

House Update

Camo,
I've been a very bad mommy blogger this month because we have been so busy. Mommy and Daddy were very excited to get an offer on our house and have had to start juggling appointments and requirements for that. We had the inspection done and have to do a few things to make everything is in perfect working order, like having our well checked over and maybe having the septic tank pumped. All doable, just time consuming and more money to pay. We are hoping things go smoothly so that we can be officially under contract and start shopping for our next place!

So much to consider - good schools for you, room for Joe Dog to play, plenty of space for entertaining and guests. We are willing to update some things, but I don't want to have to live with a hideous kitchen for 5 years. Wallpaper, fine. Ugly paint, fine. Carpet needs replacing, fine. But I can't deal with a complete overhaul!

We have a list going of places we are interested in, but have really only seen them online or by driving through the neighborhoods. Our realtor didn't want to schedule a bunch of showings until we were ready to buy. It just seems like we are just going to have to go from zero to sixty!

But the most important thing is that we will be together as a family for a new start. Away from all this traffic and congestion and stress. I can't wait to start the next chapter with you and Daddy!

I Love You Too

I have been trying to get Cameron to say I love you. I even bought the DVD "Elmo Loves You" because it explains what love is and shows ways to express love, like hugging or making cards or doing sign language.

So the first complete failure was last week when I did the signs one morning as she was leaving with Daddy. I said, "I love you" and she looked at me and smiled, and said "I love Daddy." Yes, I know!

Then last night, we had the Gilbreaths over for pizza and pedicures. Cara can pretty much no longer reach her toes anyway, and they are headed to the beach this weekend. Gotta have nice toes! So I did hers and mine and Ainslee's too. Cameron missed out because of her early bed time.

So just before she hit the sack, Bo brings her over to say goodnight to everyone. I say, "I love you" and she smiles and does the signs and says "I love you." But she points to Cara! Oh yeah, it hurt a little bit. First person to really get the love was Mrs. Cara.

But Ainslee was sitting next to me and looks at me and goes, "I love you" and points right to me. So we laughed and did it back and forth a bunch of times. To which Cara replies, "She has never said I love you to me!"

Apparently we have to swap children to get any love around here. And maybe it helps to bribe them with a Barbie pink pedicure. :)

Finally, Some R&R!

Hi Little Love,
We had the most relaxing weekend with friends and family for Memorial Day. Friday was a rough day at work, but your Grammy came to visit that evening and we had a great time. Your daddy even got to hang out with some of his buddies for dinner and a movie. The next day we all headed to Wimberly for some fun shopping, and then you got to go to the Walls' house for the evening while we headed to La Fogata, a San Antonio tradition. Grammy and I loved the pina coladas! We even headed to have a glass of wine with the Mowreys before we came to pick you up. We were quite amused to see that your pack-n-play had been set up in the Walls' upstairs bathroom so that you could snooze in peace. You were totally passed out!

Then Sunday, we all went to church together, enjoyed lunch with lots of friends, and then Grammy and I snuck away for a pedicure while you went home to nap. Our pedicure was wonderful, your nap was a bit more difficult. Daddy said you wanted to stand up and jump so much that you made yourself sick! Too much milk! Fortunately, after a quick change of jammies and sheets, you crashed for a pretty good while. We wanted you to be in a good mood since we were having friends over for dinner!

We had an easy barbecue with sausage and hot dogs and got to enjoy sitting and talking to everyone. Jennifer Z came over, who is pregnant with twins, and we all took turns suggesting baby names for her. My favorites are Averleigh (her own creation) and Aiden. Cute, right?

You and Ainslee played in the backyard with the sprinkler while Braden ran himself silly chasing your little pink soccer ball. You were so exhausted, but managed to stay up until nine - super late for you! We loved having the Gilbreaths over and Cara's sister Lauren. They were our last to leave because we were enjoying some good laughs on the back porch. Your Daddy said that nights like that make him think that maybe we should stay at our house a little longer.

Not going to work on Monday was such a special treat. We slept in, had a nice breakfast, and got a phone call that there was a showing scheduled for 11:00! Of course we still had things to clean up from the night before, but we managed to leave everything nice and neat when we headed out. Grammy and Bruce had to make the long trip home, so we were sorry to see them go. We spent a few hours at Elizabel's house for her 3rd birthday party. (You got her a cute outfit and a fabulous book about a little girl in love with her mommy's grown up shoes!) You had a great time even though you were a little sleepy before we even got there. You did fall in love with Lizzy's Radio Flyer tricycle, which Daddy has now said we have to get for you. Then you crashed in the car as soon as we left.

Daddy is still working on a little home improvement project for me in your bathroom. I had been thinking that a bright coral mirror would be so cute to match your new shower curtain. In a fit of frugalness, your Grammy suggested we just buy molding and frame out the mirror that was already in there. Turns out, it will probably be only slightly cheaper (I picked out nice molding) and did cause some tension between Daddy and I over how exactly it was going to get completed to my satisfaction. But hopefully we will get it finished and hung up tonight!

I love you so much and had a great time watching you play and act like a busy toddler. You are such a grown up girl! I will try to post some pictures of our fun weekend soon!

Love,
Mama

When Life Gets Away From You

Cameron,
Mommy is sorry. Sorry that I let things run away with me sometimes. That I let work drain my fuel tank, and then I feel terrible that I don't seem to have anything left for you and Daddy other than a short fuse. I am very ashamed of some of the things that I said this weekend. I feel like I say things out of anger and frustration and later can't believe that I did.

And this morning, I get to work and see my memory verse notepad turned to Ephesians 4:2. "Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love." And that is definitely not what I have been doing.

There is no excuse for my behavior. I am going to work hard this week to show you and Daddy that I love you and know how important you are. That no amount of stress or sleepiness or moodiness should allow me to be ugly. Because you are so full of joy and sweetness and laughter that it just runs over.

Sometimes I truly see our garden as a metaphor for life. You have to be deliberate with the things that you allow to take root and which ones you need to pull up. It takes dedication to keep watering the blooms and pruning things in the right shape so that they grow the right way. And when you let things run away without supervision, you turn around and are overtaken by weeds. That's how I feel this morning. It's time to put on my gloves and get dirty again. I want this garden to produce only things that are lovely and enjoyable to everyone.

And I am hoping that Daddy will read this and take the last part of my memory verse to heart too. I could sure use some of his love to make allowance for my faults. And I think this means he is getting a really awesome Father's Day gift.

All my love,
Mama

Eighteen Months, Brilliant!

 

Hi Sweet Girl,
Mommy got to take you to your 18 month checkup this week and you are growing so perfectly! Everyone that got to see you went out of their way to say how smart you are. They were so impressed with how you listened and whispered to me what you wanted. You even said "doctor baby" when our real doctor, Dr. Beatty, came to check you out!

Three cheers that you didn't have to get any shots, and you are still just the right size. You weigh 26.1 lbs (75th percentile) and are 31.5 inches tall (50th percentile). We had to answer some questions about your development, like if you can take off your shoes and socks or if you are starting to be more creative with toys and blocks. You are just off the charts, Cameron! So smart.

You are really starting to try and repeat everything we say. This week you said "gosh" and "dude" when I didn't really realize I had said them. Guess I will have to be very careful! And you want to do so many things by yourself! We can't help you eat at all which means you tend to make a big mess. Somehow we are going to have to get you to politely tell us you are finised instead of sweeping off everything on your tray to the floor! But you are so playful and funny and beautiful.

Even though these last few weeks have been a little crazy with Mommy's work, I am so thankful that you are such a happy girl and that you love spending time with us at home. Daddy said the other day how much he loved watching you and I play hide-and-seek and how we both laughed and laughed. You are growing up so fast!

No news on the house, so we are just going to enjoy being here as long as we are. I want to still enjoy spending time with you outside (while we still have nice green grass!) and we are definitely going to throw a few parties this summer. I am so looking forward to work slowing down, getting to take a vacation to spend time with family, and letting all our relatives spend time with you. You sure are loved, Little Girl!

Babies Don't

I had to make a list to help myself officially realize that you are becoming a big girl.

1. Babies don't say "bless you" when Daddy sneezes.
2. Babies don't eat spaghetti all by themselves. But they also don't throw it all over the floor when they think they are finished.
3. Babies don't help put away groceries or empty the dishwasher.
4. Babies don't know how to scratch someone else's back (mostly just Daddy) or give a friendly dog a "pat pat."
5. Babies don't know that you make smoochy sounds to try and call your dog.
6. Babies can't take off their shoes and socks in a matter of seconds.
7. Babies don't know their colors or shapes.
8. Babies don't give hugs, kisses, knuckles and high fives.
9. Babies don't play hide and seek.
10. Babies don't make a simple diaper change seem like wresting an alligator.

So you, my sweet darling, are definitely not a little baby anymore!

Happy Mother's Dinner

Cama-Noodle,
Look how sweet and tiny you were last year for my first Mother's Day! I really wanted to get a picture this year of the two of us in our fabulous dresses (Mommy found her's on clearance at Target for $10!) but we forgot before church. And of course, when we got home you were tired and crabby and needed a nap. Maybe we can do a reenactment later this week...

We actually celebrated a little early so we could go out to dinner on Friday night. We had a great time at Stonewerks where we discovered a nice and cheap bottle of Riesling and enjoyed some tasty carrot cake. And then I got the most thoughtful and wonderful present from you! Daddy helped you out just a tiny bit, I think. Mommy got a published version of this blog from beginning to your first birthday! It was so awesome to sit down and see all the pictures and remember the anticipation before you were born and the wonder of those first weeks. How tiny and angelic you were (before you learned to say "No no, stop it!") I will treasure it and hope that someday you will enjoy reading the things that I so long for you know about your childhood.

And I will even toss in this little jewel for free - it is Mother's Day, not Mother's Dinner. Saturday your Daddy had to work most of the day, so we just hung out at home and waited for a super fast visit from your Grandpa and Gigi. They are graciously letting us take one of their Australian Shepherd puppies and auction it off to benefit Mommy's work. Isn't she just adorable?

She is very sweet and feels like a fluffy stuffed animal! She will be nine weeks old, I think, by the auction next Saturday. We were fortunate that she was there to be the entertainment when we were babysitting all of your friends...

You guys had a great time playing with her in the yard and got everyone all tuckered out. We just hope that eventually we will be closer to where our friends live so that we can babysit and not make them drive so far back home late at night!

After all that busyness, you would think that we would take it easy on Mother's Day. But no. We went to church, came home, ate lunch and did yard work. Oh yeah. Daddy needed to mow, so I trimmed some of the bushes and pulled weeds. It was awesome - every mother's fantasy. And just to make everyone even more jealous, we went grocery shopping afterwards. Sorry ladies, your day just can't measure up to that.

Maybe next year, you and I can have a little chat about letting Mommy have a whole day to relax and do what I want, rather than just a few hours of a fabulous dinner. But on further thinking, the book was such a perfect present, I am gonna let this one slide, Missy.

Playing Catchup

Girlfriend,
Mommy is sorry that she has been such a lame blogger for the last month. To be brutally honest, I am trying to focus on a big work event that is one week away, I am starting to get a bit worn down with house showings (and no offers) and it is just a busy month in May.

The past few weekends have been so much fun. We had a great time three weekends ago when your Grandpa and Uncle Tanner came to visit for a fun night out with Daddy. They all went to see Willie Nelson in concert. Seeing as Willie is about 140 years old, everyone says that you should see him while you have the chance. Daddy has seen him twice now, but not me! Let's just say that a concert that doesn't even start until 10 is really not my cup of tea right now. Maybe if it was a big cup of Mountain Dew, I could stay awake. But I was happy to just join them for dinner, and then you and I headed over to Jason and Cara's house to hang out. We are so lucky that you don't seem to mind going to sleep in their pack-n-play so all the grownups can hang out.

Then the next day, we met up with my grandma and your Grammy in Fredericksburg! We had so much fun shopping (mostly browsing) and talking. We found a really cool store with modern furniture and accents that I definitely want to go back to. You were so patient to spend so much time strapped in - 2 hours in the car seat and more time in the stroller. You just wanted to get out and run around sometimes, but we were trying to make sure you didn't break anything too expensive! All Mommy came home with was this cute little bird that now sits on top of our new bookshelf. It was the new addition from our first IKEA trip and I love it! Great deal and totally functional for shoving backpacks, toys and purses away.








Then more work the following week, blah blah blah. The only weekday excitement is Mommy's bible study on the book of Esther. It is always so interesting, so wonderful, so encouraging. The ladies that I get to share those evenings with are a tremendous gift to me.

Two weekends ago, we headed to Abilene for the annual Bilbo Golf Classic, which your Daddy's family is proud to help organize every year to benefit local charities. The past few years they have made substantial donations to New Horizons, which helps support the kids at my mom's school with backpacks and school supplies. Naturally, she wants to help out too! So we spent a little time there on Saturday afternoon and got to see a bunch of friends and family. Thank goodness for your uncles! They were so happy to play with you and keep you entertained in the clubhouse for hours while we waited for Daddy to finish. It was worth it since his team ended up in second place! He and his friend Chad had a great time. But the best part of the whole trip was this...

Sorry sweetie, we left you with Aunt Rachael and all went out for a fabulous dinner at Perini Ranch. We had wonderful steaks and sampled all the desserts they had! It was such a relaxing evening, and we were happy to get to go since we all hadn't eaten there in such a long time. It was one of your Papa's favorite places and I will always think of him there.

We also got to spend lots of time with your cousin Emerson and Aunt Rachael. Our family just can't get enough girl time!

Eighteen Months and Still Growing

Cameroni,
When did you become this busy, independent, very strong-willed toddler? As your eighteen month birthday passed, I couldn't believe how much you are beginning to look and act like a little girl rather than a baby. You are so determined to do things by yourself. Other than holding my hand when you go down stairs, you get pretty frustrated when I try to do too much for you. You want to eat by yourself, put on your own shoes (which never goes well), take off your dirty diapers, and "read" books to yourself. You are starting to be more creative when it comes to playing on your own, and you are pretty into your bristle blocks and Elmo.

You still get so many compliments when we are out in public. People always smile at you and say what pretty hair you have. You are starting to be more friendly toward acquaintances, but you often just need a few minutes to warm up before you will give high fives and "knuckles." But you usually say bye when I remind you, and you are getting better at "thank you."

You say so many words now! We are practicing on shapes and colors and it is so funny to hear your guesses. The color you say most often is black, even though we never ask for that one. And then when we tell you the answer and ask another one, you say the one we just told you. It's funny to watch you get excited when you pronounce them correctly and we clap for you. You also get tons of praise when you use your fork or spoon, since you tend to eat everything with your hands. If we could just get you to stop smushing things all over your tray or throwing them on the floor when you are finished, you might get to eat in public more often!

We have your doctor's checkup scheduled for next week since we missed the first appointment. They make you automatically reschedule if you are more than 15 minutes late, and let's just say that 3:00 in the afternoon is a ridiculous time to try and pick you up from daycare and make it through Stone Oak traffic. We made our next appointment for 8:15 when I know we can get there before things get all off schedule for the day.

I just know that the doctor is going to say that you are growing perfectly, are very smart, and should be nominated for the Nobel Prize of Adorableness. Don't mind chipping in a $35 copay to hear that! Updates on your 18 month stats to come!