Will it really be OK?

I've been a wreck for the past 24 hours. Cameron and I went to her daycare to meet the teacher and get all the paperwork for her start date of 6/22. And I almost cried several times while there not to mention once I got home. I am not feeling good about leaving her in daycare. The place was a zoo when I got there. Granted, it was lunch time so there were subs for the breaks teachers were taking and the director was out of the office.

I was very disturbed at the site of all the infants on the playmat. Can I really be sending Cameron into that group to basically fend for herself? 7 other infants is a lot when you see them spread out on the floor. Some were crying, some were falling asleep in swings or bumpos. And I could only picture my sweet baby not getting enough attention. Or sleep.

I didn't get a great vibe from the head teacher so I think I need to go back. Because frankly we don't have many options at this point. I came home and started calling other daycares but they are all basically the same in terms of number of infants. Not to mention the wait lists. Years of wait lists. The teacher didn't really come over to interact with Cameron which I didn't like. And I asked about swaddling and she reluctantly agreed to swaddle Cameron.

I'm looking for a little reassurance from the blogging world about this. I was up for hours last night worrying about how daycare could affect Cameron. So please share your stories about daycare and relieve some of my stress!

I swear I was watching her grow

Cameron has decided to ignore conventional wisdom and embark on a growth spurt in her 11th week. This is her first growth spurt that I've noticed and I'm exhausted! She is feeding about every 2 hours (starting at 4 AM) and I have to supplement because I'm not producing enough. Or rather, I'm not producing it fast enough for the little glutton.

I got her up for her playdate we hosted and I swear she was bigger than when I put her down. Her clothes are definitely stretching to the limit which means next week we are moving into the 3-6 month stuff. Has anyone else experienced what I have in seeing their children physically grow? Or am I going crazy?

Cameron is a sweetheart while Grammy and Bumpa are in town Cameron's affection for her toy presages her growth spurt.

At least I can blame her one day

DH was trying to be nice. A couple of weeks ago I came to him with a strand of hair in between my fingers and asked, "Is this a gray hair?" DH is an expert on gray hair having started turning gray at age 18. He glanced at it and responded, "No, it's blond." I was relieved and went on with my day.

But my suspicions grew as I started seeing an odd sparkle when I looked in the mirror. Blond doesn't sparkle. And I was forced to admit it, without DH's help. I had a gray hair. Actually two gray hairs. Do they come in pairs normally? The weird thing is they are coming out of my widow's peak. So there is no way I can "hide" them behind other hair. But I'm not willing to start dying my hair yet, so they will stay for now.

I am already plotting about how to use this to my advantage when Cameron is older and acting out. Yes, I know that it's heredity that determines when we start going gray but the timing is too good to pass up. For consideration:
"Every gray hair on this head is because of you!"
"I never had gray hair until you were born!"
"Do you want to give me more gray hair!?!"

How about the rest of you? When did you start going gray? How quickly can I expect my two hairs to multiply? What other good one-liners can I use?

A fun weekend with the grandparents

Grammy and Bumpa flew into Charlotte on Thursday afternoon for a long weekend visit with Cameron. DH and I are just along for the ride :-) Unlike past visits we had absolutely nothing project-wise for them to do so Bumpa has managed to squeeze in a couple of naps.

Their visit coincided with Taste of Charlotte so we hopped into the car and headed into the city to battle the crowds for a couple of hours. The weather was actually perfect (last year it was pushing 100 degrees!) and we had a chance to sample some of the local restaurants' wares. Cameron was absolutely wonderful. She slept for about 20 minutes and then people watched the rest of the time. She didn't even get cranky despite an abnormally short nap.

Cameron is enthralled by Grammy. She is wonderful at singing songs and playing games with Cameron.

This weekend also saw the first real laughs from Cameron. Adorable! Bumpa is a soft touch and even let Cameron fall asleep on him once for a nap. DH and I realized that we have been remiss in letting Cameron hang out in just a diaper so we rectified that this weekend.

What's that I hear?

I am here to tell you that Mommy Ears are not a myth. In fact, they could be a super power. I find myself waking up at 12 AM or 1 AM and wondering why I'm awake. Turns out I hear a small stirring sound from Cameron and it's like a marching band in my ear. I jerk awake and lie there for a couple of minutes waiting to see if she needs a pacifier or is falling back to sleep on her own. I even keep the monitor over on DH's side of the bed so I supposedly can't hear as much. Yeah right.

Normally I am a light sleeper but being a mother has taken it to a whole new level. Funny thing is I also find myself waking up even when Cameron doesn't stir. She is usually up around 3 AM for a feeding and if she isn't then I find myself wide awake, staring at the clock and wondering if she is going to sleep all night. And if she does sleep all night will she be up at 5 AM instead of 7 AM and then her whole feeding and napping schedule will be thrown off? Yes, these are the things I think about in the middle of the night.

I wonder, is it just mothers who have super hearing or do dads too? I haven't heard of one yet...but you tell me!

While Cameron has definitely started learning how to reach for things she isn't actually pointing at anything here. I'm sure that will come soon enough.

Daddy dances with his little girl.

Product review: the FURminator

Anyone who had a dog that sheds will tell you it is an uphill battle to tame the dog hair in the house. I think it's even worse in a home with hardwood floors because I can see the clumps of dog hair as a I walk through the house. The hair has a bad habit of accumulating on the stairs and any place I can see while feeding Cameron. I notice it and then forget about it once Cameron is done only to see it all over again at the next feeding. It drives a Type A personality like me nuts!

While having dinner at Amanda's a friend of hers mentioned the FURminator. DH expressed immediate disbelief at the testimony that it is an amazing comb for cats and dogs. Because we live in the Internet age I immediately Googled it (http://www.furminator.com/shedless.cfm) and watched the videos. It looked like the answer to our prayers. Our prayers of laziness by only wanting to brush the dog every once in a while rather than every day during shedding season.

I planned to pick one up last week while getting more dog food but the item is so popular the pet store was out of stock. I asked the clerk if the boasts about the product were true and he said, "I've never seen anything work better." So I made a special trip once they restocked and picked up the most expensive brush I've ever gotten. Charlie is about 60 pounds and I got the medium size brush.

As soon as I got home I cut open the package (why do manufacturers make it so hard to get to the actual item you buy?!?) and took Charlie outside to test it out. And it was AMAZING! If you have a dog or cat that sheds, run, do not walk and spend your hard earned money on this product. It totally works. After about 5 minutes of brushing Charlie I had a mound of dog hair that would normally take about an hour of brushing to get. I would post a picture but I had to clean up the hair before the wind blew it over the yard. Even DH has become a believer although he is holding off on unconditional support until after Charlie's next bath.

I can't wait to see if it really reduces the dog hair in the house but considering how much I got off Charlie today, I'm sure it will. Has anyone else tried this product? Do you like it as much as I do?

Can't she stay this way forever?

Cameron and I had a playdate today. And a lunch with some of my co-workers. So it was no surprise that she didn't nap well. Fortunately I paid attention to my Weissbluth and she was in bed asleep by 7:30 PM with only 20 minutes of crankiness.

At our playdate Cameron got to interact with a 4 month old and two six month olds. And I was amazed at how active the 6 month olds are! One of them zooms around in his walker and is already commando crawling. I am far from ready to deal with a more mobile baby. I love that Cameron is content to stay in her bouncer and coo at her toybar while I'm washing dishes. Or I can start her bath while she is lying on her changing table. Plus she is so snuggly!

While I look forward to seeing Cameron grow and change and learn lots of new things I also am already mourning her infant-hood for how brief it will be. It's kind of like having a puppy. I just want her to stay this small forever! Am I alone in this wish? Is this why people have more kids?

I've given up on tummy time on her playmat and started using the Boppy instead. As you can see, Cameron likes it much better! And this is a great shot to see how blue her eyes are now. Blueberry blue just like her Daddy.

A few people have told me how cute she is while we are out and I respond, "Well, I think so too but I'm biased!" My grandmother says I should just say thank you but I can't help it...