Sunday, April 20, 2014

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Candid Cameron - Part I

Well, we've officially entered the years of ya-never-know-what's-gonna-come-out-of-her-mouth.  CK keeps us on our toes and laughing constantly... her imagination, wit, and sense of humor are endless!  And inspired by my sister, an incredible mama and blogger over at Doc Momma, I've decided to document some of the hilarity that comes out of my mini-me's mouth.  Here is what I'm thinking will probably only be Part I of many parts of CANDID CAMERON.

Man at a restaurant:  "I like your pigtails!  Where'd you get them?"
CK, looking at him like he had two heads, then answering matter-of-factly and with a hint of sarcasm:  "Ummm... my house."

As T sang CK songs one night before her bedtime, he started to sing a little quieter to help her wind down... to which she demanded, "TURN IT UP, Daddy!"

Whenever she gets an injury, CK immediately asks for "icing in a baggie."  Not sure if she means ice, or if she already knows that icing really does make everything better.  Anyway, one day she came up to me crying and said, "Mommy, I need some icing... I hurt my feelings!"

A new friend at gymnastics class:  "What's your name?"
CK:  "Cameron.  I was almost named Caroline!"  -- Haha, I guess she overheard me telling someone that one day!  They are ALWAYS listening!

Every night before dinner we sing the blessing, "God our Father."  To this day, CK STILL thinks the line is, "We give Banks" instead of "We give thanks."  (Banks is her cousin's name.)  So one night she sang, "God our Father, We give Banks!  And Raleigh!"  She couldn't leave out her other cousin!

"Mommy's big!  And I'm little.  But I'm gonna be big in just a minute."  Not if I have anything to say about it!

When I complained of being cold one day... "Mama if you're cold, say 'No cold!  Don't get on me cold!'"

After I came back into town one day:  "Mommy, where did you go?"
"I went to a wedding shower for Aunt Shelby and Uncle Jason."
"Did your hair get wet?"

One morning when I was feeling and looking rough, I went in to get CK out of her crib:  "Mommy, you look like Halloween!"  Haha the truth hurts!

As I was packing CK''s bookbag for the church nursery:  "Mommy, why are you putting diapers in there?"
"In case you need a diaper change."
"Is Jesus gonna change my diaper?"
Clearly, we have a lot to learn.

Let the fun continue!!

Thursday, April 10, 2014

two point five

Two and a half years.

Thirty months.

Nine hundred and twelve-ish days.

That's how long I've been able to be your mama here in this beautiful world.  And it has been my greatest joy watching you turn into the little girl you are today.

My sweet Cameron Kate, I keep telling you that I want you to stay little forever, which you think is hilarious.  Truth is, I'm not sure I do.  You see, I absolutely loved who you were yesterday, who you are today, and can't WAIT to see what life is like with you tomorrow.  It just keeps getting better.  And while sometimes I feel sad that so many days have passed since you entered our world, I know I am treasuring our time together, and also so excited to see how our relationship grows and changes in the years to come.

You've adjusted so well to our new town in Georgia.  In fact, when we moved into our new house you didn't skip a beat.  You love your new room and playroom, and have already made so many friends at Kindermusik and gymnastics and library story time.

Speaking of "ba-nastics," it's your absolute fave.  We took the last couple months off because we were going to have to miss a bunch of classes, and I think you asked me every day when you could go back to ba-nastics.  We returned yesterday, finally, and you were in heaven.

You also love to sing, and will often be heard making up songs with made-up words, too.  I think you take after your G Gram!

Your favorite things to do right now are to play with your baby dolls, being very motherly and changing their diapers and putting them down for naps and getting them dressed...  And also, you have this weird obsession with toy balls.  Any and every size, you don't discriminate.  You will often name them and kick them around the house, calling them "honey" and putting them in time-out when they don't listen.  It's hilarious!

You have imaginary friends, kind of.  Doot-Doo and Baa-Baa were the originals.  And now we have Gaddy and Bussy.  You referred to Doot-Doo and Baa-Baa all the time, and then one day, they started taking on different forms.  For example, two of your toys balls might all of a sudden be named Doot-Doo and Baa-Baa.  Or, even funnier, your feet.  You'll be sitting at the dinner table, and you'll put one of your feet on the table and say, "No maa'm, Gaddy!  Get off that table!"  Or when I'm putting your shoes on you'll say, "Bussy, get in that shoe!"  Oh, your imagination is amazing and I love watching the day as it unfolds according to you.

You literally talk from the moment you wake up until the moment you give up at night and finally fall asleep.  All.day.long.  And your new favorite question is, of course, "Why?"  At first it was cute, and I tried to answer in detail and honestly so that your inquisitive nature would be encouraged.  Now, though, I may all-too-often answer with "Because I said so," or "I DON'T KNOW."  But usually only when you won't take my answer as the final answer... like the time we drove to Charleston and it took me twenty minutes to explain to you why you had a right foot and a left foot.

Your appetite comes and goes, as the pediatrician told us it would throughout this year.  You always, always have room for sweets though, just like your mama. :)

Ellie, or "Ella" (in Spanish) as you call him, is still your sidekick.  You have to have him to fall asleep, you always bring him out of the crib with you in the morning, and you immediately cry for him if you're scared or hurt.

You love coloring, and PlayDoh, and Doc McStuffins, and Hello Kitty, and bubbles, and being outside, and playgrounds, and lemonade.  You do not like to nap.  In fact, as I type this, you're jumping up and down in your crib screaming, "MAMA!  MOMMY!  I'M ALL DONE NAPPING TODAY!"

We haven't been to the doctor in awhile (knock on wood!), but I believe you're about 31 pounds and a little over three feet tall.  People are always shocked to find out that you're only two and a half!

You are silly, so silly, reminding me not to take life too seriously.  And you are stubborn.  Often short-tempered, we have to remind you to take a lot of deep breaths.  You are kind, and very shy when you're in new and unfamiliar situations.  You love to be around kids who are a little older than you, looking up at them with a glow in your eye and a skip in your step.  You can't WAIT to be four, because I told you that four-year-olds can chew gum.

You have an endless amount of energy that I wish I could bottle up and sell on the black market.  You are compassionate, which makes my heart so happy.  You love making me and your daddy proud, which pretty much happens all day, everyday.

I feel like I have really, really gotten to know you throughout the past three and a half months since I've been a stay-at-home mama.  Each day is a new gift for us to unwrap, as we open the blinds in the mornings yelling, "Say hello to the new day!"  I will forever be indebted to your daddy for not only supporting me, but urging me to stay home for a little while to just enjoy being your mama.  We're so lucky to have him, you know.

Life with you over the course of the past two-and-a-half years has been full of the best, brightest, happiest, most joyful, most important, most fulfilling moments of my life.  Unfortunately, we've also experienced some of the most difficult, darkest days during that time.  But my sweet girl, those tough times were always easier to navigate because of you.  You don't know it yet, but you helped me keep putting one foot in front of the other, you made me find my smile again, you literally lit the way so that I could find an escape from the darkness.  I will spend the rest of my life making sure that you know that.

Now, and always, I am so grateful God chose me to be your mama.  You truly are my sunshine, my girl, my bug, my greatest gift.

Happy half birthday, Cameron Kate.

Monday, April 7, 2014

Long Time, No See

Oops.

Long time, no see.

I think that is officially the longest blog break I've taken since I started tapping away at the keyboard a little over three years ago.

Sorry for my absence!  I really don't have a good excuse to share, except that, well, things have just been a bit busy.  And while I have quite a few heartfelt blogs in draft mode, I just haven't been moved to "share" them yet.  I never want to write just for the hell of it - I really do write when I'm moved to say something or need some cheap, er, free therapy.  So, it was a much needed blog break, I guess.  But... I'm back.  I'm sure you're all so relieved.  (Is my sarcasm obvious?)

So thanks for your patience in my absence, to those of you who haven't completely abandoned me.  And get ready to be knocked off your seat with some easing-back-into-the-blogging-world-randoms.

*So, let's see... I really have been busy since my last post!  I took a trip to Charleston to meet my beautiful, perfect, new niece Addison.  CK and I spent four days at my brother and sister-in-law's house eating lots of yummy food, hitting up my favorite store Cupcake, being lazy, visiting the aquarium, and, most importantly, snuggling sweet Addy.  It was perfection.

*After returning home, my mother-in-law came for a visit!  We were able to hang out with our Atlanta family and also show her around our sweet little town of Carrollton.  I'm so glad she came to see us and our new GA life!

*And then, my mama came to town!  We also had a great time venturing around our new stomping grounds and spending tons of time soaking up the neighbhorhood sunshine.

*And THEN I traveled to my hometown, Columbia, to help my baby sister register for HER baby (girl!) and attend a wedding shower for my step-sister, who is getting married next month.  So WHEW.  I guess I HAVE been a bit busy, which maybe explains my absence?

*Andplusalso, CK's almost two-ish hour naps have recently taken it upon themselves to shorten significantly.  And since naptime was blogtime, when naptime started to go, blogtime did, too.

*I have GOT to get back on the unpacking and decorating and making this house our home bandwagon.  There is so much left to be done, and for some reason my motivation is completely lacking!

*I think I spend all day, everyday, answering the question, "Why?"  Lord help me.  I came thisclose to turning it into a drinking game, but decided it probably wouldn't pan out too well for my liver.

*After much discussion with T, we decided to enroll CK in two days of preschool this fall.  I got her into what I hear is a GREAT preschool here in town, and I think she'll love getting back into school.

*Oh, Lent.  I decided to give up candy this year, and T decided to give up all drinks other than water.  We are both STRUGGLING.  And no offense to those of you who cheat let yourselves indulge on Friday or Sunday or whatever day of the week you choose, but we decided it was all or nothing.  I cannot WAIT to crack open the Cadbury eggs that are calling my name from the kitchen candy drawer.

*This weekend we have more family coming into town so we can celebrate my nephew's fourth birthday!!  It's gonna be a kid-pizza-making extravaganza, and I can't wait!

*Youguys.  My mom got an iPhone.  And Facebook.  I never thought I'd see the day.  Welcome to the twenty-first century, mama!

*The bipolar weather is driving me crazy.  Sunny and 80s one day, rainy and 50s the next.  MAKE UP YOUR MIND.

*I'm gonna have another niece/nephew in about 18 days!!!!  My older sister is pregnant with #3, and we don't know if it's a he or a she.  I cannot WAIT to snuggle yet another newborn, and if all goes as planned, CK and I will be there for the birth!  I'm so so SO excited.

*I cannot find an Easter dress for CK anywhere.  I'm seriously striking out on all fronts.  I should've had something made, I guess.  But man, the pickins are slim.

*For some reason, I've never watched The Voice until this season.  It is so good!  The talent is much better than that on American Idol, in my professional-reality-television-show-watching opinion.

*I want a playground set for our backyard so bad.  We have the perfect place for it!  I've been searching all kinds of store websites, and Craigslist, with no luck yet.  Any tips on finding a good one without breaking the bank?

Ok, that's as good as it gets for now...  My wild, why-asking, almost-two-and-a-half-year-old (!) is awake ALREADY.  I promise to be back next time with something that attempts to be a little more meaningful and entertaining.  Happy rainy Monday!