miscelleneaous and 2 year stats

We ended up rescheduling Cameron's 2 year check up 2 times. First it was because I had a big meeting. Then it was because of a massive thunderstorm/tornado/hail incident that resulted in power loss at the doctor's office. Apparently third time is the charm because I just dropped Cameron off at school. The best part? No shots!

Yes, for the next two years Cameron is up to date on her immunizations (flu shot will still be a must) which makes doctor's visits so much more enjoyable for both of us. It turns out she has an ear infection and might have either viral pink eye or a sinus infection. So I'm off to the store to pick up her prescription in a bit. I'm just glad the pink eye won't require eye drops. Cameron has been such a pain in the butt that those battles would break me, I'm sure.

Cameron is 33 1/2 inches long (45%)
Her weight is 25.6 pounds (35%)
And her head is 48 cms (55%)

Unfortunately she is still in 18 month pants and I refuse (refuse!) to buy her shorts in that size. So I'll have to buy pants and shorts with the built in adjuster and pick up a belt too. Plus some dresses because those are easy.

Two other quick notes. Yes, I'm blogging in the middle of the day. How is that possible? My new job moved me off of a restricted server and I can now access blog sites again. Woo hoo! Hopefully that means I will be blogging more regularly although my new job is keeping me busy. The other item of note is that BigFinance has removed our ability to purchase through Amazon. Noooooooooooo! How on earth am I going to be able to get my Christmas shopping done? Or any other shopping for that matter? Apparently Amazon introduced a web storage capability that isn't completely secure and could result in compromising data. The site design does not allow for blocking this feature. Here's hoping that enough people complain directly to Amazon so they do something to fix it. We are 300K employees strong...unite!

My first 5K race

I'm marking it in my milestone book. Friday, April 8, 2011 is the date of my first ever race. And a 5K race to boot!

It was a great evening for a run. Not too much of it required running into the sun and there was a nice breeze. It was a little warmer than I expected for early April so I ended up sweating quite a bit. We were kind of a mess when we went to Loco Lime for dinner after. My two friends, KT and Amanda ran with me.

My official race time was 40:56 and I was happy to beat the 41 minute mark. I didn't run the entire 5K (although I did run about 90% of it) which was OK with me. My goal for the next 5K is to run the whole thing, not matter how slow I am jogging and I'll try to shave a minute off my time.

We are already planning our next 5K. Amanda suggest a trail run at the Carolinas White Water Center in July and the Weight Watchers 5K is in late May.

Dear Cameron: Two Years Old

Dear Cameron,

Today you are two years old. I will try not to wax too nostalgic but your daddy and I cannot believe how quickly these two years have passed. Wasn’t it just yesterday that you took your first steps into my arms? And now you are jumping and learning how to do somersaults. Where did my baby go?

You are a funny, loving, stubborn, whiny, adorable little girl. Your personality has grown so much in the past few months and we take great delight in seeing your mind work as you process new things. You are very particular about things and will happily insist on singing the ABCs 4 thousand times in a row. You are obsessed with “outside” and having us push you in your little car around the neighborhood. . You are finally understanding how to walk up and down stairs rather than crawling or having us carry you. My back thanks you for that!

Your vocabulary expands every day and you are now regularly putting 2-3 word sentences together. When you ask what something is and we tell you your eyes get even bigger and you say, “Yeah” like you totally understand what we are saying. If you can start saying “yes” instead of “yeah” your mommy would be happier.

You boss Charlie around like an older sister but also love to give him hugs and kisses. You like to tell mommy and daddy what to do while playing. You come by your bossiness naturally but I won’t tell you from which side of the family. You have started to really play with your friends. There is still a lot of “MINE” coming out of your mouth and a decided lack of sharing but your tantrums over it tend to pass quickly. You also love to whine and whine and whine when you don’t get your way or mommy and daddy can’t understand what you are saying. I’m sure it’s perfectly obvious to you what you said but “blahareya” really doesn’t mean anything to us.

You are obsessed with muffins and would eat them every meal if you could. You are a terribly picky eater and we are resigned to the “introduce a food 14-20 times” timeline to get you to try new foods. Just recently we removed the high chair and you now eat at the kitchen table which you love.

You are more interested in books that TV which surprises your TV-aholic mother. The one show you will watch is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and occasionally Thomas The Train. You are still a champion sleeper and your tired parents thank you for that. You are obsessed with animals, especially “woof woofs” that you see on the street and have no fear of them. You love school and playing with all your friends there all day and learning. Daddy loves when you see him at the end of the school day and run into his arms screaming, “Daddy!”

You say, “I love you” to mommy and daddy regularly and it warms our hearts. We love asking for hugs and kisses and you are figuring out how to give really good hugs. Snuggle time before bed is one of my favorite times of day. Less appealing? The PSTD you seem to have acquired during bath time.

Every day your daddy and I talk about how amazing and wonderful you are. We love you and can’t wait to see what you will do next.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

April 2010

May 2010

June 2010

July 2010

August 2010

September 2010

October 2010

November 2010

December 2010

January 2011

February 2011

March 2011

Starting our potty training journey

I’ve written before about not being ready for the potty training to commence in our household. Unfortunately my disinterest did not communicate itself to Cameron. It is with a medium level of enthusiasm (and it’s that high only because Cameron is so excited about it) that we start our journey towards a diaper free future.

I had been planning to wait until Cameron transitioned to the Twos room (T-minus 1 month!) and let daycare take the lead as I do for so many other things. Cameron had other ideas. We’ve had a potty in our ½ bath downstairs for about 2 months. Every once in a while she would ask for a “diaper change” which was her code phrase for using the potty. I would strip her down and hand her a book while she sat on the toilet. She would always insist that I sit on the toilet next to her which is freaking adorable but grew old quickly.

Cameron also loves to give “diaper change” to her “babies”. I picked up a Circo set for her and we spend far too much time performing diaper changes on a monkey, creepy Little Pony doll and some kind of fairy doll. Sometimes her Santa doll (there’s a story there, and I’ll tell it one day) even gets into the act. The cheap Circo set is no longer available from Target but here is a link to a similar one.

When we were out two weeks ago I came across an Elmo potty insert (to be used on a regular toilet). I thought that Cameron would respond well to it so I picked it up and took it home to be used in my bathroom. Side note: I use the “guest” bathroom in our house because the master bath has a shower so small it is impossible to shave in. Essentially Cameron and I share a bathroom. It is fairly small so I didn’t want to add a potty. I need that space for my scale because I still have 2.5 pounds to lose! Another reason is that Cameron wants to do whatever I do. Which means she doesn’t want her own potty, she wants to sit on the regular toilet.

Picking up that $12 toilet insert was what really kick started the process. Cameron wanted to sit on it right away. And then she started asking regularly for a “diaper change.” On Saturday afternoon after nap she peed on the potty for the first time. DH and I made a big deal out of it (of course) and she repeated the feat before bedtime. Sunday morning she wanted to get on the toilet right away and again we had success. That was followed by 2 more successful (pee only) events.

Monday during my day off (I love a BigFinance holiday while daycare is open!) I bought some training underwear (Target only had the boy ones in her size) and some regular underwear. We have now incorporated potty trips for first thing in the morning, after school and before bed. Cameron still gets the order of the code phrase wrong. Sometimes she says “diaper change” after she pees/poops but about 50% the time she gets it right. Another advance is that when she poops in her diaper she now wants to be changed immediately and walks funny to keep the poop away from her skin.

Cameron has yet to have any success using the potty at daycare (they ask, she says no) but it’s only been 3 days. I’m sure peer pressure in the Twos room will accelerate the training. In the meantime I am happy that we still use diapers (for ease) and I haven’t had to go to pull ups yet for daycare. Those things are freaking expensive. Now, since I’ve done little/no research, what else should I be doing? Please keep in mind that I’m not ready to do cold turkey training, or anything like that.

By request

So many of you asked for pictures after Cameron's hair had dried, who am I to say no? I have to warn you, they look exactly like the wet ones except for one thing. Cameron let me put a barrette in her hair. Woo hoo! I ran out today and stocked up on them with the hope it will become a regular occurrence.

If you look closely in this picture, you can see the bruise on Cameron's right eye. She got it trying to chase after me when I dropped her off at the gym daycare. What did I do? Kept walking out the door. Hey, I had a spinning class to make!

I took Cameron to the gym again today and as we were walking through the halls to the car she got so many compliments on her little exercise outfit. It's never too early to start good habits! Maybe Cameron will be more athletic than me and DH. Or at least look like she is.

The first cut is always the deepest

I would be a terrible wife if I didn't post a picture that DH took this morning before I dive into the real topic of this blog post. I was in my bathroom (hall bathroom vs. master bath that has a tiny shower stall and hence unusable for me) and DH ran past the door mumbling something about 9 beers. Or so I thought. It turns out he was brushing his teeth and was really saying "There are 9 deer in the yard!" Picture proof of a few of them below.

Today I hosted a play date for our working moms play group. It was the first time in a while so I made a fruit salad and had buffalo chicken salad and pita pockets to accompany them. The kids got Pirate's Booty. Don't you want to join my group just for that yummy food?

While at the play date I told the other moms that I was planning to cut Cameron's hair. The other two moms there have sons so they have been dealing with hair cutting for quite some time. I told them I was going to try it myself and they both had as well, before admitting defeat and heading to a kid's haircut place.

Much like my sister A., I have had it with the long hair. Tangles were becoming far too common, as were food getting caught in it. Not to mention Cameron has not allowed me to put barrettes in her hair for over 8 months. Tiny top ponytails were about all I could get her to wear and 99% of the time she pulled them out at daycare.

Here is a picture of Cameron (before). As my great-grandmother would say, "You have such a pretty face so get that hair out of it!"

Below are the piles of hair that resulted from Cameron's first hair cut. I did it although DH volunteered. Yes, I'll admit it, the haircut is a bit shorter than I was planning but I think it turned out rather well. I will miss the curls but knew they were transient.

So what do you think? A success or should I just bide my time until it grows out and have a professional tackle it the next time?

Language explosion

My sister, Mommy, Esq., predicted that Cameron would go through a language explosion soon when we saw her on our family vacation. Well, she was right! Cameron rarely says words spontaneously but she can parrot, very clearly, a ton of new words. These include*:

Ball
Mirror
Bag
Picture
Milk
Melba (her teacher)
More
That's Izzy (which is what we say when we see the neighbors' dog so Cameron thinks it's his full name, freaking adorable)
That
Book
Diaper

Some of these words I just shake my head over. Did DH really have to teach her picture and mirror? How about some useful words instead? I'm working on teaching Cameron to say "up" but it's not going to well. She prefers throwing herself at me and whining instead of saying "up". Good times.

Cameron will be 17 months next week (sniff, she's growing up far too fast!) so I'm glad her language is on track. I'm sure the doctor will ask us about it during her 18 month appointment. Good thing I write this stuff in my blog or I'd never remember on the spot! So, now when can I expect her to start saying things without prompting regularly? And is there another common age for another language or perhaps grammar (sentences) explosion to be on the lookout for?

*I'm probably forgetting a few others but you get the idea.

15 month stats

We had Cameron's 15 month doctor's appointment this morning. She took her shots like a champ and charmed the doctor and other parents in the waiting room. Here are the numbers:

Weight: 21 pounds, 12 ounces (29%)
Height: 31 inches (62%) - maybe she won't be a shortie like her mama!
Head: 47 cm? (78%) - I'm assuming this measurement is in cm because a 47 inch head would be ginormous!

We are looking forward to a nice long weekend with fun in the sun, lots of errands and a BBQ. I hope everyone reading this is able to knock off work early and enjoy your holiday weekend! I promise lots of pictures and a picture post to come in a few days.

That really bites

DH had a late meeting yesterday so I was the one to pick Cameron up from school. It was kind of crazy when I got there as they had just consolidated two classrooms (waddler and infant) and it seemed like every single baby was crying. Per usual Cameron had decided that her Pebble's ponytail wasn't for her and removed the band creating a major bouffant. If she had a little gel she would have been channeling Elvis.

The teacher told me that there had been an incident so I had to sign the report form. I didn't immediately pick up on the use of the word "incident" vs. "accident". I pulled out the report with Cameron in my arms attempting to grab at the paper. I glanced down and saw the words "fight" and "bite". Immediately I started laughing. I said to the teacher, "So, Cameron got her first bite today, huh." The teacher was impressed I took it so well but I knew that biting was only a matter of time. I'm just glad it wasn't Cameron doing the biting! One of the mom's in my play group told me about a phone call she got when her son was bit 4 times (!) in the same day. Cameron had two little teeth marks on her left arm but they were gone by this morning.

Here is the report:
Cameron and her friends were playing on the playground happily. Suddenly Cameron and the other child argued over the toy and the other child bit her on the left arm. We washed the area and applied lots of TLC.

Like most daycares, ours has a policy that you don't share the name of the child doing the biting with the bitee. To date, Cameron hasn't been much of a biter. She likes to pinch me sometimes (and always the boob like she knows that's the worst spot) but aside from some quasi kisses that don't quite go the right way, she keeps her fangs barred. Neither DH or I involve any mock biting with our play so I'm sure that helps. I'm also sure that Cameron will be the biter at some point. I just hope it won't become a regular occurrence.

Any funny stories about biting that you want to share?

And now, for a change of pace

In talking about Cameron's progress with walking I equated it more to a gradual progress rather than a leap towards freedom. No longer. Take a look at these two videos taken 4, yes 4 days apart.

This video was taken on Sunday night after bath time. Hence why Cameron's hair looks tamed. The most she walked in a row was 10 or 11 steps.

This video was taken last night. For the first time ever Cameron walked laps around the first floor and didn't need anything besides herself to pull up into a walking position. Looks like it's time to really, really baby proof!

One small step for us, one giant step for Cameron

I rushed home a bit early yesterday because I had to do some work later in the evening and wasn't about to give up my precious play time with Miss Cameron. DH had already left to pick her up so I puttered around the house for about 15 minutes, changed my clothes, put out my outfit for the next day (totally anal but completely worth it to not be rushed in the morning) and brought in the trash barrels. It's amazing what one can get done in 15 uninterrupted minutes.

I was booting up my computer when I heard Charlie whining, a sure sign that DH and Cameron were pulling into the driveway. As I logged in Cameron and DH walked into the kitchen. I was in the other room but I knew they were in the house because as soon as Cameron sees Charlie she does this adorable screech/giggle. She has definitely warmed up to Charlie a lot over the past month and I'm not sure he likes it.

I walked over and Cameron laughed again at seeing me. I reached out to give her a hug and a kiss. "Guess, what happened today?" DH asked me. "She actually had her morning nap for a change?" I responded. "Nope, Miss Melba told me that she walked on her own for the first time." DH told me proudly.

Of course I made a big deal out of it to Cameron as DH bounded upstairs to check his email. But I did feel a twinge of regret. I wanted us to be the first people that saw Cameron walking. True, she spends a lot more time at daycare during the week than with us but couldn't her teacher have just hinted at it rather than baldly saying she walked? She could have said, "You should try walking with Cameron today, I think she's really close to walking on her own." I would have interpreted that to mean that she had already walked for her teacher but at least I could have lied to myself a little if I got her to walk for me that night.

I immediately put Cameron down to try and make her walk for me. At first she wanted to keep holding on to my hands and the girl has a super strong grip. After walking around the room together a few times I managed to extricate myself and as Cameron stood, swaying slightly, I exhorted her to walk towards me. All by herself. She took one, two, three steps forward before falling forward into my waiting hands. It was so exciting! I will try to get it on film this weekend but considering Cameron only took 3 steps and then wouldn't do it again all night it could take a while to capture it for posterity.

Meanwhile I still have that little twinge that Cameron walked first at daycare but I knew that was the risk we took in putting her in daycare. Plus, I'm a way better mom as a working mom. So it is all for the best. Anyone else have a similar experience with significant milestones for your kids?

That wasn't the kind of precociousness I was hoping for...

Cameron had her 12 month well appointment this morning. Her stats:
Length: 29 inches (50%)
Weight: 19 lbs 15.4 ozs (35%)
Head: 45 cms (65%)

As her doctor predicted at the 9 month appointment, Cameron has fallen into the toddler trap of increasing activity and a minor eating slump. She has definitely lost her big belly but only grew 1/2 an inch in the past 3 months.

Last evening I was treated to the first of what are sure to be many temper tantrums. Cameron was arching her back and screaming while I held her. Upon DH's advice I put her on the ground where she proceeded to kick and scream and roll her way around the room. For 15 minutes. Yes, at the ripe age of one year, one day, my child learned how to throw a stellar temper tantrum. According to our doctor Cameron is starting early. Also early on the development scale? Throwing food on the ground with vigor and verve.

It would have been nice to have Cameron talking or walking to demonstrate her precociousness. Instead she has decided to highlight her stubborn streak. I blame DH.

Cameron: twelve months old

Dear Cameron,

Today you are one year old. Exactly 365 days ago your daddy and I were thrilled to meet you. And in those past twelve months you have grown and learned and filled our hearts more than we ever thought possible.

Lately we are struggling with eliminating bottles, keeping you from throwing food all over the floor and giving you kisses and cuddles when you inevitably fall and bang your head. It's a good thing you got your daddy's thick head!

We thought you might be walking by your birthday but you aren't quite ready to let go of our hands. Or the couch. Or the table. Or the wall. But we know you'll get there soon which is why mommy spent far too much money on your first pair of real shoes this past weekend.

You still love your bath time just as much as you did during your first month of life. Now you can stand up and squirm around. But you love the water and would stay there until your fingers and toes wrinkled.

In month two you spent a lot of time staring at the light. Now you are far too busy to zone out and would much rather prefer climbing all over mommy and daddy.
You discovered your tongue in month 3, forgot about it for a while and are now really into it again. You love to poke it out and wiggle it at Daddy when he is being silly.
Month 4 saw lots of smiles and laughter. Your eyes started to lighten and you became much more of a little person. Mommy returned to work and you started daycare. Aside from Mommy's concerns about your napping (still have that today) you have flourished there.

Month 5 saw the introduction of solid foods. Yum, rice cereal! Now you are mostly eating finger foods and we've started eliminating bottles. You still make this face when I try to get you to eat something other than fruit or Cheerios or gold fish crackers.

In your 6th month we visited your whole family in Massachusetts and Maine. Mommy and Daddy had their first weekend away from you but you and Grammy had a great time.

You really started moving around in your seventh month. And Mommy knew that we would be chasing you for the rest of our lives.

In month 8 we took you to Hilton Head where you loved nothing more than hanging out in the kiddie pool and bit hot tub. Mommy signed you up for swim lessons as soon as we got home! In November you started to realize that rolling was slow and commando crawling was the way to go. It was only this past month that you figured out how much faster crawling on your hands and knees is. Sometimes you go back to commando crawling but overall you'd prefer to walk anyway. We had a small quiet Christmas this past year. While Grammy and Bumpa grumbled you have plenty of time to experience the craziness that is usually our family Christmas. We decided to only get you 2 presents but you got a lot more from friends and family.
In your eleventh month your sauciness really got going. Your Daddy and I experienced the start of a very wide and deep stubborn streak. But how can we resist a face this cute? If this picture is any indication you are thrilled that it's finally Spring and we can get out of the house. It's probably the reason you are working so hard to walk on your own. Don't worry, my little munchkin, you will get there!It has been a wonderful year and we can't wait to see what you do next!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Cameron: eleven months old

Dear Cameron,

Your Daddy and I can't believe how awesome you are. This month has been a big turning point for you and you've handled it with grace and pizazz...keep that in mind when you enter the dreaded puberty years!

In your tenth month you moved from the Infant room to the Waddler room in school. And you have had a ball. It has also forced Mommy and Daddy to finally tackle baby proofing the house. Now you can pull yourself into a sitting position. And onto your knees. And finally up to your feet. You like to hold on to the furniture rather than Mommy or Daddy to walk around the room.

Your vocabulary has expanded although it is much more your listening vocabulary than your talking one. Although I distinctly heard a "Daddy!" while you were looking at him out the window. Lucky guy.


On the not so plus side you have also taken into ignoring us. True, the word "no" is becoming one of the more frequently used ones but so is "love". So I think it balances out. The head shake is back stronger than ever, particularly as it relates to food. You seem to have this aversion to eating for Mommy and Daddy but gobble everything up in school. I would be less insulted if you didn't consistently refuse pasta. Pasta! It's the lynch pin of the dining world so you will learn to love it.

Now that you have made great strides in mobility you would prefer to ignore your dozens of toys in favor of snatching at anything that is not yours. Sigh. I have a feeling that phase is going to last a very long time. You still screech with delight as you commando crawl across the floor. But now you also reward yourself with a scream when you have successfully pulled yourself up. All by yourself.

I can't believe how quickly you grew up in the last month. My little baby is almost a baby no more. We can't wait to see what you will do next.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Cameron: ten months old

Dear Cameron,

Today you are ten months old. You love nothing better than to have Mommy or Daddy sitting on the floor with you while you play.

Whenever you finish a bottle in your room you insist on standing next to the ottoman and rocking it back and forth while cooing and laughing. I would enjoy it more if you finished your bottle regularly first!

This month has also seen you starting to assert your independence. The head shake is back and used primarily for food related requests. Vegetables? Head shake. Cheerios? Hand reaching forward to grab. You have also made your preference for Cheerios known by screeching when Daddy or I walk over to the cabinets to get some food for you. I give in a lot more often than Daddy does. You better be careful...Daddy will definitely be the disciplinarian!

Another new trick is arching your back and trying to scoot off the changing table pad. I can usually distract you with a bottle or shoe to play with while changing you.

I am officially declaring in this blog post that you have said your first word, "Charlie." DH and I knew it would be your first word because it is probably the word we say the most often besides Cameron. While you still lack the language control to say the "ch" Daddy and I can definitely make out what you are saying. Up next? Hopefully Mommy!

You have learned how to fairly gracefully tip yourself over from a sitting position and start crawling. After a lap or two around the room you scoot under the coffee table and poke your head up right next to Mommy's feet. I can't resist scooping you up and giving you a kiss before you squirm away and insist on being stood up on your own two feet. You are already growing up far too quickly.

We can't wait to see what you will do next!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Was it really only 4 days?

I swear that Cameron waited until I left to make some major milestone achievements. Prime example? Her two eye teeth are cutting in. Interestingly she didn't whine and complain about it, waking up every hour while with Daddy. No, she likes to save that for me!

Another big milestone is that Cameron has started pulling herself up. Looks like it's time to lower the crib mattress. Yes, we are spoiled and have been able to leave it up until she was almost 10 months old.

The last milestone is her advancement in language. When I left she was still just doing the babbling of nonsense syllables. Primarily "dada" of course. Last night when I was feeding her some Greek yogurt I asked Cameron where Charlie was. She looked over to him standing in the doorway and said, "burg-hie" or something like that. Clearly not the word Charlie (yet) but two syllables and with the "ie" sound at the end. Then we were playing on the floor and DH came in. She said, "Daddy" in his general direction. We're not clear if she knows that DH is daddy but she's obviously getting closer.

Look at how much Cameron changed in just 4 days!

Cameron: nine months old

Dear Cameron,

For most people today means Christmas Eve. But for me and Daddy today means you are already nine months old. That means you have spent just as much time outside of the womb as in it. And this month has been a bit more challenging than months past. Just so I can point out to you in the future how loving and patient a mother I am let me list the current challenges for you:

Refusing to take any kind of medicine. I say this lovingly but "you, dummy!" The infant medicine couldn't taste any more like candy. And it makes you feel better!

Commando crawling all over the house. Your crawling is very cute since you still can't bring yourself up on your hands and knees. I love how you screech and pant as you crawl even the shortest distances. And lately you have brought your food bag or a toy with you while crawling. There's mama's little multi-tasker! Too bad you also seem to target all plugs and Charlie's water bowl as final destinations.

Eating has also been more challenging for us. Your doctor told us that you would start refusing your bottle and jarred baby food for lack of interest. Apparently you were listening as she said that because the very next day you started blowing raspberries as we approached you with any kind of food.

On the plus side you have started to clap. I can only assume that you picked up that skill in daycare because Daddy and I aren't big clappers. Somehow clapping is now accompanied by pulling Mommy's hair. Hard. I'm not sure if it's because my hair is irresistibly soft or because it's there but it's your "go to" action while eating your bottle.

You've learned that reaching your hands up when Mommy walks by melts my heart and I immediately pick you up. You little con artist!

2009 has been absolutely wonderful because you joined our lives. I have no doubt that 2010 will be just as good. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the most wonderful daughter we could ask for. We can't wait to see what you do next!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy