The Bun is Out of the Oven

Here’s our little treak-or-treater last night:

And last year:

And, the year before:

Such good memories!  Hope you all had a blast yesterday.  We did! 

Rewinding back the past 3 years…

2009:

2008:

2007:

Hope everyone has a fun & safe Halloween!  I’ll post costume / trick-or-treating pics later tonight!

One month ago, Cameron started wearing her “big girl” panties and is doing very well using the “big girl” potty.  She will brag, “No more diapers!” and “I did it… poo poo in the potty!”  It has been such a blessing to be rid of the diapers.  It really does lighten the load around here (pun intended.)  She’ll still have some pee pee accidents, but usually catches them in time to make it to the potty.

Cameron also had her first stay away from both Mommy & Daddy around 2 weeks ago.  She went to stay with Grandma Schmelzer while Hal & I had a much needed mental & emotional break.  She did amazing & had so much fun with Grandma.  She has since asked to go back to Grandma’s!

Just before Cameron left for Grandma’s, we laid some carpet in her room & took the sofa out to make more room for her to keep more of her things in there & actually use it as a play space.  It freed up some space/clutter in our living area and gave her her own “special place”…. we called it her “Big Girl Room.”  She loved it immediately and kept saying, “Cameron’s room!”

Well, I think all this “Big Girl” talk has gone to her head because now she doesn’t want to sleep in her crib anymore.  Since Sunday, she keeps asking to sleep on the floor in her room.  We’ve let her & she’s actually slept great.. hasn’t tried to come out of her room or anything.  We see her laying there staring up at her ceiling fan.  She has never tried to climb out of the crib, so we weren’t in a rush to move her out of it, but it’s as if she’s telling us, “I’m a big girl now.   No more crib.”, so I guess we’ll keep her on the little floor pallette and start looking toward a toddler bed.

I don’t know why, but this transition in particular has made me sad!  It’s like the last sign that she is NOT a baby (or even a toddler)  anymore.  Didn’t I get the memo?  She’s a BIG KID now!  I get it Cameron, loud and clear.  She has done everything according to her own schedule, I just didn’t expect her to prompt this change, but I will follow her lead… that’s our job, right?

Monday was Cameron’s first day back at Mother’s Day Out.  It went well and she took her nap (without her lovies) and was happy when I came to get her in the afternoon.  I think she’s going to have a great time this year!

New things the past couple weeks:  somersaults, doing the splits, walking Simon on dog walks, gave up her booster seat for a …. drumroll… “big girl” chair, started to express interest and have fun helping Mommy cook/bake, loves to pretend to clip finger/toenails, learned her last name and started telling us “I’m the boss!”

The last month or so, I find Hal and I  repeatedly saying, “What happened to our baby?  She is such a little girl now!”  It leaves me to wonder if we’ll be saying this they day we hand her the keys to our car.  I feel like such an old fart every time I say it, but really, the time just seems to pass so quickly.  Cameron turned 27 months about 10 days ago.  And I never quite know how to respond when people ask how old she is now… but, we are now quickly approaching 2.5!  I wanted to take a few minutes and jot down some highlights of our little Cameron, before I forget!

• First and foremost, she is a HAM!  Loves to laugh, tickle, be tickled, play jokes and generally be silly.
• She loves to sing and dance and will ask us to join in with her (or sometimes to be quiet and let her sing!)
• Her favorites songs are:  Poker Face and Just Dance by Lady Gaga & All the Single Ladies by Beyonce.. and she even got excited when Rapper’s Delight came on in the car one day!
• Her favorite kid songs are:  Itsey Bitsey Spider, Row Row Row Your Boat, Ring Around The Rosey, Wheels on the Bus and Monkeys on the Bed.
• Cameron loves nature and all animals.  She can name and make the sound of nearly any animal.  We often play a game when she wakes up from nap.  I stand outside her door and make an animal noise and she says, “What’s that?  It’s a … bear/etc.”  This sometimes goes on for 15 animals or so.
• Simon has also finally really eased up to Cameron and doesn’t get as nervous around her.  He often sits next to her for a cuddle.  And her and Duke are still best buds ever.
• Cameron had her first “hair cut” around a month ago (by Momma); that really turned her into a little lady.
• She is really seeking her independence:  will not wear a bib, won’t sit in a high chair (booster only), likes to do things herself.
• She loves to help with any kind of chores:  bringing in the trash cans, throwing her trash away, laundry transfer and emptying the dishwasher.
• She has exploded in her language the last few months.  She is now speaking in sentences and will remember things after hearing them just once.
• She can sing her ABC’s, count to 11, grasp quantity (not just counting from memorization), recognizes several shapes (loves to draw circles) and colors (pink or orange are her favorite!)
• We are still working on the pottying.  She progresses and sometimes loses interest.  I finally made the connection that she likes to do it like we do (i.e. on the big potty!)
• Lately, she’s loving Special Agent Oso, Dora and ELMO.  Do not get in between this girl and Oso when she wakes up.
• It’s the same routine every night at bedtime.  I tuck Cameron in, kiss her on lips, give Dora a kiss and then a final kiss on the cheek (she points and asks for this one.)  And then she waves and says, “Night, Night” and we blow each other a kiss.
• Her favorite foods are:  bananas (she must peel and hold it herself), any kind of berry, shelled edamame beans which we call “Dora Beans”, chicken nuggets, Mexican food, pizza & pasta. Oh, and ice cream!
• As as much as possible for a 2 yr. old, she’s very sensitive to others.  She says: “Be Careful!”, “OK, Momma, Daddy?”, “Is it good, Momma/Daddy?” about our food and “Don’t worry.”
• She LOVES kids of all ages and will get right in the mix pretty  much anywhere we go.
• She has just started to express when she misses someone/something.  She’ll start getting all squirmy and sad looking and say, “Grandma?”  or “Daddy?”

More silliness, brought to you by Daddy & Cameron:

Cameron woke up this morning with a cold…. congested and a mild fever.  I’m pretty certain she picked it up at the gym childcare center.   We headed out to get some Sinupret at CVS and came right back home.  I pulled in the garage, got out and went to get Cameron out.  After I unbuckled her, she climbed over to the other side of her seat… where I could barely reach her.  I should also note that I’m feeling pretty rotten from mold allergies and that the garage is about 115 degrees!  I asked her to scoot over so I could get her out, but she wouldn’t budge.  This is one of her new fun toddler games (written with sarcasm, of course.)  I  picked up the newspaper and set my purse and the bag in the entryway and came back to try and coax her out again.  Still, she wouldn’t move and was giving me that smug grin, like “Ha, I gotcha!”.   I told her I knew that she didn’t feel that great, but I didn’t either and that she needed to get out now.   I finally had to wrangle her out of there, kicking and screaming.  I came in and set her down on the rug in the entry, still kicking and screaming.  I walked away and went into the kitchen.  About 3-4 minutes later, Cameron comes up to me and says, “I was sad Momma.  I sorry.  Hot in car.  I sorry.  I was sad.”  And then she immediately got happy and gave me a hug.  Lately I tell her, “It’s OK to be sad sometimes, but then we can be happy, right?”  Anywho, she just has a such a sweet, sensitive heart and is very in tune with her emotions and those around her.   A tantrum can really take a lot out of you as a parent, so when it ends well like this morning I’m thankful and think of it as a learning experience for us both!

We really had a full, fun day celebrating our Independence yesterday!  We enjoyed all the festivities and it was neat to see Cameron get excited about everything.  We got up early to take part in our neighborhood 4th of July Parade.

Little Lady Liberty & Captain America:

Momma & Cameron:

Heading to the Parade starting point:

First ones out there, waiting for the Parade to start:

Off we GO:

Almost at the Pool… where some cold watermelon awaits!

Before heading out to see fireworks:

Our good friend Lori invited us to the 31st floor of the Frost building (which is vacant) to watch the fireworks with her & Zac.  It was so neat to see the skyline & not have to deal with the huge crowd at Auditorium Shores.  We knew we’d be pushing it to keep Cameron up that long, but she had a BLAST!  She started to get tuckered out toward the end, but it was so worth it.  She loved seeing the fireworks!

Watching the sunset… so beautiful!

Cameron loved running around the empty space!  She just wanted to keep doing loops around.

The Girls!

FIREWORKS!!!

Hope everyone had a fun & safe 4th of July.  We had a blast! 

This video says it all… why I love you so much and think you are the most rockin’ Daddy around. You take the best care of me and always love to be silly with me! I’m so thankful for you, Daddy! Hope you have the best Father’s Day ever. Kisses & Hugs, Cameron

Dear Cameron,

You are now a vibrant 2-year old girl.  Where has my baby gone?  You will always be my baby… as I love to call you.  And lately, you sometimes call me that back.  I have been bad about keeping up with things on your blog the last 6 months or so.  Momma has been through a few rough months… and things just move so QUICKLY now that you are growing up so fast.  Everyday you do something new.

Some of my favorite memories of this stage in your life are:  singing together, enjoying nature, watching you learning to verbalize all the pleasantries (“Please”, “Sorry Momma”, “Love you Momma”, “Excuse Me”, Etc), you occasionally letting us cuddle with you, playing house under the covers, watching you be so proud of a pee pee or poo poo in your potty,  experiencing your love for animals, watching you learn to express your emotions (“happy” and “sad”), watching you put yourself in timeout (cracks me up every time), pointing out boo-boos and kissing them all better, going through all the animals and their noises together, recounting the names of all your family members and you stroking my face as I tuck you in at night.  You are such a caring little girl and so sensitive to others’ emotions around you.

Yesterday you came home from MDO with a paper bouquet for Mother’s Day.  It made me so happy.   I am so honored to be called your Mother.  Nothing brings a smile to my face more than hearing you call for me from another room or when you wake up.  As you seek more indepedence and test your boundaries (as I hope you would) we do have some challenging days.  But, everyday is worth it.  Although Momma sometimes has to remind you of the boundaries, I strive to always be patient and understanding with you.  I want nothing more than for you to remain a spirited, confident child and to preserve your childlike innocence.  I would go to the ends of the earth for you.  As another Mother’s Day is upon us, I am reminded of how grateful I am to be your Mother.  You bring out the best in me, Cameron Saville.   And, I thank God for you… every single day.

Hugs and Kisses,

Momma

Cameron’s been saying Dada  FOREVER.  She has said Momma a handful of times out of sheer desperation (usually because she wants something.)  I could even point to Hal in a picture and she’d say, “Dada!” and then I’d point to me and say “Who’s that?” and she’d say, “Dada!”  I know, so not right.  Well, finally, at 21 months, she’s calling me Momma!  Not all the time, but if I’m in another room, she’ll call for me.  Or, if she wants to jump on the bed she calls me.  Ahhhh!  She has me wrapped around her finger now, because if she does address me as “Momma” I’m usually pretty happy and accommodating to her needs!

We also started giving Cameron time outs within the last week.  Up to now, we’ve pretty much just corrected her verbally and tried to redirect her, but it’s time… for time out.  I saw her teacher put a kid in time out at MDO and I was shocked that the kid stayed there.  When I asked her about it she told me all the kids have gotten a time out and they usually stay put.  So, now I’ve been giving her one warning and then she gets a time out for a minute.  I set the timer on the microwave.  Once it beeps I tell her what was wrong and ask her to say sorry.  She usually comes to me right away with open arms to give a hug, so I know she gets it.

Cameron now has her own potty chair and we’ve been talking  a lot about poop/tinkle lately!  I don’t think she’s quite ready to be potty trained just yet, but we’re getting there.  I’m just trying to get her familiar with everything:  when she’s clean/not clean, if she went in her pants, where the poo poo goes and giving her time to practice on the potty at times when I know she normally poops.  She’s gone in there once & I made a super big deal about it to get her excited.  Anywho, we’ll see when we’re ready to move on with full-on potty training.  Probably on a long weekend when we have no plans.