This is the day.

I woke up this morning to make Swedish pancakes. I got the eggs out of the refrigerator, opened them and saw this beautiful verse on the carton, a reminder from God to be thankful for each and every day, no matter the challenge.

I have so much to be thankful for! Last year on Mother's Day, I woke up particularly early that morning after tossing and turning all night. I had a feeling, or intuition rather, that I might be pregnant. I figured it would be far too early to test, but I did anyway and 2 minutes later I learned that I was pregnant with this little girl:

I feel so incredibly blessed to have these babies in my life! They are who I am, and they make me want to better myself so I can be the best mom for them. I love them with every breath I have.Watching Mickey Mouse after waking up in the morning. Clearly I was in the way.

I hope to receive many more handmade cards like the one I got this year. Nothing is better!

A Cameron overload and a few thoughts on toddlerhood.

It's been a long time since I've posted anything about Cameron- and since I don't do the monthly updates anymore, I figure it's time to post some pictures! I also wanted to jot down a few of my thoughts about his little life after his first birthday. I know there are several of my blog friends who are new moms, and moms to be, so maybe you'll benefit from my note-taking. =)


A little about Cameron at 14 months:
It was so much easier to feed Cameron a few months ago. Purees were such a breeze. I took pride in the fact that he would eat anything and everything, including veggies- which now he will only eat if the veggie is disguised in cheese. Yes, his favorite foods these days are grilled cheese, mac n' cheese, cheese pizza, shredded cheese, broccoli and cheese... you get the trend. Definitely not lacking Calcium!He loves to read!

Cameron sleeps from 8pm- 7:30/8am, with about a 2.5-3 hour nap in the afternoons.


I don't know if I have mentioned it, but Cameron is quite a ladies man. At Panera the other day, he was flirting and laughing with some pretty girls at the table next to us the whole entire time we were there. I'm pretty sure they didn't even get a conversation in between themselves, because Cameron made sure he was he center of their attention. He also flirts with every waitress we have- including one the other day, whose skirt was a little too short- so he made sure to let her know that by glancing up it every time she returned to our table.

9 times out of 10, if Cameron is missing in action, he can be found playing in the toilet.

Cameron loves to walk around with a pen and pad of paper in hand, scribbling and drawing "pictures" (ha!). I hope he loves to color when he gets a bit older, because I still enjoy it and would love to color in books with him!
When Cameron was born, he looked a lot like me. His dark brown eyes and brown skin tone definitely proved he was my son! But as he gets older, one of the first things people say is how much he looks like his dad. Fine by me, I think his dad is the most handsome man I know!

Developmentally, he seems to be right on track. He "talks" up a storm, can answer a question with a "ya" or "no", can make a lot of animal sounds (thanks to our fridge farm!), can throw and kick a ball, and can climb pretty much anything- including our bar-height dining chairs! He's wearing mostly 18month-2T shirts, and 18 month pants.
A little about my thoughts on the toddler stage:
Each month I always say "this is the funnest age!" But really, this is such a fun age. I love that he understands most of what we say. He is full of energy and life, and is a constant source of entertainment. I feel like he is fairly obedient right now- we have been firm at establishing some boundaries, but I also feel like he's able to be a toddler too. I wish I could say that it would always be this easy!

There was a discussion on The Nest forums the other day about the changes you go through when you have a new baby; how hard things can be and how emotionally and physically exhausting it all is to adjust to your new life. My comment was a nod in agreement, but I also mentioned that it never really gets any easier per se- it just gets different. You get into a routine, so in that respect, things flow smoother, and you seem to get your life back when you can catch an amazing 6-7 hours of solid sleeping. Things got easier for awhile- but here recently I feel like I spend a majority of the day sweeping up food chunks and crushed crackers off the floor, picking up toys (again and again) wiping his nose (and wiping my jeans off because he wiped his nose on my them), putting tupperware back into the drawer, chasing after him... it's downright exhausting. And he's a great kid- we're not even into the terrible two's yet.
Despite that it's a tough job being a parent to a toddler parent in general, I cannot even put into words the joy and blessing he brings to us on a daily basis. Our lives have been enriched tenfold. It's difficult to hear about the things you will sacrifice when you do become a parent. 'Cause lets be honest- giving up your blissful sleep and all your free time for the next, oh, 18 years hardly sounds appealing- that is until you see firsthand all the joys that far outweigh it. There's nothing I wouldn't sacrifice to be my son's mom. Nothing.
I just love him, and think he is the cutest kid (obviously, like most parents think of their own children)!

I'm becoming one of "those" moms.

Y'know... those moms.
The type of mom who I used to give a huge eye roll to when they would do something that I swore I would never do when I became a mom. You know the type. And if you don't have kids, you're probably guilty of mumbling a form of the following statement: "I'll never do that when I become a mom!"
The backstory:
The year was 2005. I wasn't married yet and I didn't have any children. I did, however, work in a nice department store selling men's and kids shoes. It was a great job- I made good money and I often fed my hard earned dollar right back to the store where I worked. Anyway, one of the biggest pet peeves I had from working there came from "those" moms who shopped with their kids there. Most would buy their kids a pair of shoes, and I wouldn't see them again for a few months. And that's how I liked it, thank you. But there were a select few (what I call "those" moms) who would shop the clearance table for cheap off-season shoes that their kids could wear the following year. And our conversation would go something like this:
That mom: "Excuse me, Miss?? What size will my child wear next winter?"
Me: "Um, yeah... I couldn't really tell you that for sure."
That mom: "Well, he's 3 feet 5 inches, 8 years old, and will be in 3rd grade in the fall!"
Me "Oh, well then! Let me pull out my handy magic calculator and plug that info right in!"

In case you're wondering, I usually left out that last part. But you can imagine why I told myself I would NOT be one of those moms who would buy their kids shoes several seasons in advance to save a few dollars. Those moms were annoying and hardly contributed to the commission on my check. (Yikes! That's harsh.)
I ate my words today. You see, Target is having a stellar sale on kids clothes right now. Actually, Target is having a stellar sale on just about everything right now. I bought Cameron a pair of snowboots for $3.75 (regularly $14.99!) yesterday. I got home and realized that it would be really nice if I could get him a pair for next year, too. A quick google search tells me the approximate size for 2 year olds, and I rush back to the store for another pair.
And just like that, I'm one of those moms I said I'd never be. I fear it's only the beginning.
So what about you? Are you one of "those" moms? Or are you the type that says "I'll never be one of those moms!" (who will most likely eat their words)?

A few things I've learned, part 2.

Cameron is 6 months old today! As usual, I look back and wonder how that time has flown by us so quickly. Instead of injecting this post with pictures of Cameron like I do every other post, I thought I'd take a sec to share some thoughts and things I've learned/realized in my 6 months of motherhood. Here goes:

If you missed part one or need a refresher course, click here!  

I've become such a paranoid driver. I feel as if every car is out to side swipe me. I think that in the last 6 months I've probably laid on the horn and screamed at more idiot drivers than I have in all my 10 years of driving. So the lesson here is that precious cargo = very defensive driving.

Sometimes my t-shirt is just one, giant napkin. By the days end, it's covered in drool, spit up, pureed green bean splatters, and UIC's (unidentified chunks). Often times I just give up trying to keep it clean and proceed to wipe my own dirty hands all over it. It works.

Things that would have never affected me, now affect me. On 2 recent occasions I've had tears in my eyes: On the season finale of 90210 (yes, I watch trashy television), Adrianna, the pregnant teen, had her baby and gave it up for adoption. I bawled as she handed her newborn daughter over to the adoptive parents, unable to fathom how I could ever give my child up. I never realized until I had my own child how hard a situation like that could be. And just the other day, upon hearing of Mike Tyson's daughter's tragic death, it truly hit me that life is definitely not promised, and each and everyday is such a blessing. 

Little things make me so happy. I love Cameron's big, slobbery kisses. I can't get enough of them! And I love checking on him before I turn in at night, only to find his bum sticking straight up in the air, and peacefully asleep. 

I've thought on multiple occasions, that I should teach Cameron to play with electrical outlets, power cords, cell phones, and other things he shouldn't get into. Maybe then he'd be interested in the things he should be playing with- you know, bright toys, rattles, and teething rings. Do you think this type of reverse psychology works on babies?

I learned not to leave Cameron on the changing table- even for 3 nano seconds. In that short time I took my hands off of him, he flipped over, fell off and screamed like never before. I still feel like crap and I'll never forget it.

When we were at birthing class many months ago, the teacher said we should go ahead and baby proof our homes before the baby came. I looked at her like she had 6 eyeballs. Why the heck would I baby proof for my unborn child? The correct answer: when your child becomes mobile, it happens overnight. You think you have time, but then you catch your kid's hand on an electrical outlet, and can't seem to put those annoying plastic covers on fast enough. Seems she knew what she was talking about, I guess. 

And... I changed my mind about the no picture thing. =) Just one...er, two.