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)!

A few Invitations

I've mentioned a few times that my friend and old college roommate is tying the knot in just a few short months (yay!!). I created her bridal shower invite, and finished up her wedding invitation some time before Christmas. Though it's been done for awhile, but we just got it back from the printer a few weeks ago- and I've been dying to show it to you guys. This was my first wedding invitation I've ever designed- and I'm really pleased with the outcome. More importantly, she is too! =)


Carly didn't really have anything particular in mind for her invitations- so I could really take this in a lot of directions. She's having a spring outdoor wedding, and her bouquet is going to have yellow calla lilies in it, so I thought it would be a great idea to showcase the botanical aspect of her wedding by bringing the calla lily silhouette into the invitation. The paper has a beautiful shimmer to it- these pictures unfortunately don't do these invitations quite the justice they deserve!

After seeing a few of the invites I've designed and showed you guys, one of my wonderful blog readers, Jen, asked if I could design an invite for a shower she's hosting at the end of the month. She's doing a 1940's vintage housewife theme, and asked if I could incorporate that into an invitation.

My professors in college always stressed that packaging is part of the design process!

This particular assignment required me to do some (fun) homework: researching vintage ads. Surprisingly, as an art major in college I never really did this, but I have a brand new love for vintage advertising. At the risk of sounding cheesy- looking at old ads captivated me so much and I could literally study them for hours. I'm currently on the hunt for a coffee table book on vintage advertising!
Anyway, just wanted to share my passion and hobby with you all. I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's weekend (whether you celebrate or not)! We don't do a whole lot, but I am trying out a new recipe for pasta bolognese sauce. It takes 3 hours to make, so I hope I enjoy the fruits of my labor! Do you have any plans? Are you going out or staying in?

Superbowl, party of 2 1/2.

Last night's festivities got pushed aside due to my 2 sick boys who have been both been whining, hacking and coughing all weekend. We actually had a couple of invitations to some low key get-togethers, and I was really looking forward to enjoying some great food and drinks while watching the game with friends. Since that didn't happen, we all just hung out by ourselves, and in lieu of wings, chili, and dip I made my homemade chicken noodle soup!
I want to share this recipe- because I have yet to find a better chicken noodle soup recipe, and it's wicked easy. And since that little Groundhog saw his shadow the other day, it looks like we're in for 6 more weeks of winter- meaning you'll need some new cold weather recipes!
What's perfect about this recipe is that you can customize it how you like. If you are in a hurry, you can used canned chicken (which is excellent in soups), or you can take a little more time and make your own broth and cook the chicken. The secret, is the Reames Frozen Egg Noodles. My dad always made chicken noodle soup with them, and I still use them because they are so good. You can find them at pretty much any grocer (including Sam's Club, in bulk) in the freezer section.

Chicken Noodle Soup:
5 (10 oz.) cans of Chicken Broth (I use Campbell's)
1-2 broth cans full of water
12 or 16 oz. bag of frozen Reames Homestyle Egg Noodles
12 oz can of Tyson canned chicken or 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1 large carrot, chopped
1 tbs (give or take) dried parsley flakes

salt and pepper to taste
optional additions: celery, onion, or whatever you like in your chicken noodle soup.

Bring the broth and water to a boil. Add the frozen noodles, and bring back to a boil. Add the rest of the ingredients, reduce to a simmer, and continue to simmer according to the noodle package directions, about 25 minutes (more or less depending on how you like your noodles, more firm or soft.)
I like to serve the soup with warm garlic breadsticks to dip into!
The measurements are rough estimates- you can add more chicken, more veggies, or use reduced sodium broth, all according to your diet and how YOU like it! Enjoy!

A "new" camera!

"New" to me, anyway. =)
This old Ihagee Patent Duplex plate camera belonged to my grandpa. He's having to downsize his belongings because he moved into a nursing home- so I became the lucky new owner of this time piece. I haven't been able to exactly pinpoint the year that this camera was made, but based upon the research I have done, it seems as if it was manufactured in Germany sometime in the late 1920's or early 1930's.

A little about it:
Ihagee (founded in 1912) was a company that manufactured cameras out of Dresden, Germany until 1945 when the factory was bombed and destroyed in World War 2.

source

After the war, only a few new cameras were produced by Ihagee, and in the end, the German company couldn't keep up with the technological advances in Japan (who went on to produce cameras like Minolta and Nikon) and the Western World. Foreign ownership also led to Ihagee's demise.

source

I love this vintage camera ad (circa 1938). See the bottom right? That one is mine. =) Researching the origin and history of this camera has been so interesting. I'd really like to learn how it was used, even though it will just be a display piece. It's definitely a prized possession to me and I feel so lucky to have it!

Come on in! (excuse the mess)

We finally moved!

I wanted to give a quick update and tour of the new place while I have a few minutes. We've been buried in boxes since Tuesday when we moved in, and everything is out of order and messy. I made no attempts to pick up for these snapshots- this is how it is right now!

We are loving our new home and it's a complete blank slate as far as decorating goes. I'm excited to get to work!

Master bedroom, Jon's closet

Master bedroom

Master Bath

My closet! The whole thing is MINE! =)

Kylie's room- the only room I have immediate plans for. I'm going to paint it this weekend (see the swatch on the wall- light lavender). This room also has a 10 foot window and faces the west- so we had to tint the windows already in addition to hanging blinds and curtains. It gets really hot in there!

Backyard- I love the view and it has a large, covered deck. I can't wait to sit out there in the evenings!

Basement- we're going to get started finishing it right away- it will have 2 additional rooms, a bathroom and a living room.

Come on in! (excuse the mess)

We finally moved!

I wanted to give a quick update and tour of the new place while I have a few minutes. We've been buried in boxes since Tuesday when we moved in, and everything is out of order and messy. I made no attempts to pick up for these snapshots- this is how it is right now!

We are loving our new home and it's a complete blank slate as far as decorating goes. I'm excited to get to work!

Master bedroom, Jon's closet

Master bedroom

Master Bath

My closet! The whole thing is MINE! =)

Kylie's room- the only room I have immediate plans for. I'm going to paint it this weekend (see the swatch on the wall- light lavender). This room also has a 10 foot window and faces the west- so we had to tint the windows already in addition to hanging blinds and curtains. It gets really hot in there!

Backyard- I love the view and it has a large, covered deck. I can't wait to sit out there in the evenings!

Basement- we're going to get started finishing it right away- it will have 2 additional rooms, a bathroom and a living room.

Curtain Call.

So I'm in the beginning stages of taking Cameron's nursery and updating it to a big boy room. Awhile back, I saw the idea for inexpensive curtains made with canvas drop cloths floating around on the internet; I never saved the picture or bookmarked the link, but I still remember how amazed I was seeing beautiful linen looking curtains made out of this fabric that was found at a hardware store.
I ventured out to Lowe's about a week ago to see if I could find this canvas drop cloth. Sure enough, I spotted it in the paint section. I grabbed a 6'x9' size and was on my way. At just $9.48, I figured I didn't have much to lose if they didn't turn out.
I decided that I wanted to make extra-long panels with grommets (found at Hobby Lobby), and after a few hours of measuring and cutting, and about 30 minutes of sewing, I had 2 custom made canvas drapes. I never hung curtains in Cameron's nursery, but I've had a curtain rod sitting around for awhile that I've been wanting to use. So up it went (with my pink Black and Decker drill, no less), and Cameron's big boy room is now under way!



The price breakdown:
2 canvas drop cloths: $19.00 ($9.48 x 2)
2 packages of grommets $ 12.00 ($10 x 2, with 40% of coupons at Hobby Lobby)
Grand total: $31 bucks! That's pretty darn cheap for 2 extra long panels, considering these canvas panels from Pottery Barn Kids are $59 for ONE panel. Um, no thanks!

And in case you're wondering:
These canvas drop cloths have finished seams on ALL sides. If you measured right, these are virtually ready to hang with no sewing involved. You wouldn't have to use grommets; you could use clips, too.
I have about a Jr. High level of sewing experience. Literally, I took Home Ec in 7th grade and if I recall correctly, passed. I couldn't even remember how to thread the machine (thanks, mom!)- all I did was pressed that pedal and sewed a straight seam to keep the the edges from fraying.
After I cut the first panel, I realized that I'd need to go get another package of canvas for a second panel. Silly me didn't pre-measure Cameron's window or the drop cloth very accurately- so realistically, I probably could have bought 1 larger canvas piece and gotten 2 out of it had I taken more time to measure everything out.
I also washed the canvas before measuring and cutting; it made the fabric softer and less "canvas" smelling.
What do you think? I think I'll definitely be making most of our curtains from now on- the possibilities are endless!

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)?

5 observsations in grocery shopping.

Observation 1: For the past, oh, year or so, Jon and I have been doing the grocery shopping together. I think the family affair took shape when Cameron was born, when I didn't want to go by myself- maneuvering a cart full of groceries and a baby and carseat hardly sounded like a situation I wanted to put myself in. We'd go to the store, spending 200 dollars on food and a package of diapers, only to come home not having anything to eat for dinner that evening.
Observation 2 : Back then, I didn't meal plan, nor did I clip coupons.
Observation 3: The last few months, I get the dreaded "do I have to go?" question- and my answer was always "Yes- unless you keep Cameron while I go!" He did, and I went by myself.
Observation 4: I started making a list containing ingredients for about 10 meals (so we didn't have to go for another 2 weeks), and BOY has our bill dropped. I do get fun items too- but I hardly shop for anything that isn't on the list.
Observation 5: Last night- Jon went to Aldi's (a "discount" grocer- anyone heard of it?) without me, in search of some chicken nuggets. He spent $80 and came home with:

• 3 different types of chicken nuggets- dino shaped for Cameron, 2 bags of regular nuggets, and a bag of popcorn chicken.
• Popcorn shrimp
• Cheese in a can
• A deep dish pizza
• 2 regular frozen pizzas
  
• Pizza pockets
• Peppermint Coffee Creamer that tasted like Listerine
• 2 bags of chips
• some type of frozen "cheese" appetizer in a black bean shell (?)
• Pork rinds

Maybe he forgot he was married to a nutritional label freak? Maybe he thought he could reminisce the days of what his fridge looked like as a bachelor? At any rate, it's clear that he will not be assisting me to the grocery store anymore. It will be better for my sanity our wallets and our waistlines.
How about you? who does the grocery shopping for your household?