My Beautiful Boy

A few days ago, Matt, my talented sister, and I drove an exhausted Camden to a nearby park for his 18 month photo shoot. Though he'd had a busy day (and a very short nap), Camden was excited to be wearing his "daddy shirt" (because it has buttons and a collar) and was even more excited that he was getting to play outside.

Let me say this: photographing an 18 month old who is a constant whirlwind of activity is no easy task. We mostly saw the back of Camden's head as he ran full speed in the opposite direction of the camera. Having said that, I am thrilled with the outcome of the photo shoot. My sister, Lauren, did a great job of capturing Camden-- a child who, according to my Dad, has a million different expressions.

18 month letter to Camden

Camden,

Here is a glimpse of who you are at 18 months old:

Weight:
A whopping 22 lbs! Which means (drumroll, please) you've moved up to the 6th percentile. You've very reliably followed your own growth curve since you were 9 months old. I credit the tiny percentile boost to an eating rampage you went on a few days ago, when you ate anything & everything in sight during your waking hours (even combining pudding with green beans at one point!).

Height:
33 inches. Predictably, you're in the 70th percentile for height. Dr. Wonderful says the same thing at every appointment (he needs some new material): "You're going to be built just like your Daddy. You won't be one of those round kids!"

(For the record, your head circumference is 48.5 inches. This means nothing to me, except that your head is very likely large. Dr. Wonderful didn't tell me this, but you come from a family of Big Heads so it's to be expected. Don't you worry, though. It's for that big brain of yours. That's what they used to tell me, anyway.)

Speech:
Currently, you say: mama, dada, bye bye, bubble, yeah, ball, and you sign "more". Dr. Wonderful's take on your language development? That since you point, sign, & try very hard to communicate, you're on the verge of a language breakthrough. He predicts you'll be talking up a storm by the time you're two.

Your current faves:

• Shaking your head "no" when we ask you a question. It's your response of choice.
• Mickey Mouse.
• Playing outside. You'd stay outdoors all day if I'd let you.
• The neighborhood pool.
• Running at full speed everywhere.
• Cars, trucks, planes & trains.
• Music, dancing, & clapping.
• Being chased by Daddy.
• Pizza, avocado, pancakes, & yogurt. Not at the same time. Thankfully.
• Signing to communicate. You've started signing "more" by slamming your fist into your outstretched palm, which looks like both a request and a threat.

Your current dislikes:

• Bedtime. Well, you love your bedtime routine, but the actual going to sleep part? Not your favorite.
• Being restrained. This includes being strapped in your booster seat to eat, riding in the car, having your diaper changed, and being held. You are independent and active and prefer to be running around 100% of the time.
• Strangers.
• The doctor's office.
• Trying new foods. You've very hesitant with new tastes & textures at first and will clamp your lips shut while shaking your head as hard as you can if I dare try to get you to taste something new.

You've been a part of our lives for a year and a half now. In a way, it's hard to believe it's been that long because I still so clearly remember cradling your tiny body for the first time on November 21, 2009 at 2:29pm. In many ways, though, it's hard to believe it's only been 18 months because I feel like I've known you my whole life.

Back when I was feeling you turn flips in my growing belly, I used to dream about the kind of child you would be. You are, without a doubt, everything I hoped for back then-- and so much more. I love watching you change and grow and learn every single day. You're such a gift to your Daddy and me, and I hope you'll always know how much you're loved.

Love,
Mommy

Friday Favorites

In no particular order, my Favorite Camden Moments this week include:

No means Yes.

Camden loves answering a question by nodding his head (often accompanied with a "yeah, yeah, yeah") or shaking his head vehemently, depending on the question posed to him. Recently, I've started asking, "Camden do you love Mommy?" or "Do you love Daddy?" The response is always the same: his initial reaction is to begin an enthusiastic nod but then he halts himself mid-nod and shakes his head no as hard as he can. Why doesn't this hurt my feelings, you ask? Because his poker face needs work. All the while he's denying his love for us, he's grinning as big as he can.

Sing-A-Ma-Cam.

Surely, by now, you're familiar with Sing-a-ma-jigs. If not, take a gander at these adorable little beings that can sing independently but sound their best when singing in harmony (they're pretty much the stuffed version of Boyz II Men).

Camden has 2 Sing-a-ma-jigs and he's always loved them. He often brings them to me and smiles when I make them sing in harmony. Last night, he brought both toys to me and signed "more". I pushed their bellies while they belted out a little tune. Instead of laughing, though, Camden started singing. In harmony. Along with the Sing-a-ma-jigs. I looked back at Matt to make sure he realized what was going on; he did. And then I laughed so hard that tears streamed down my cheeks as Camden sang "Ahhh", "Awww!", "Ooohh", in various pitches, completely in sync with his toys.

Naked Finger Painting.

Yesterday, I was bored out of my mind. Which meant that Camden was also bored out of his mind. Much of our time is spent outdoors these days, but yesterday was gloomy and cool-- an indoor kind of day. We played with his toys, read books, made lunch, colored, cleaned, and napped. And then it was 4pm and I was racking my brain for activities to entertain a busy toddler.

On a whim, I got out a couple containers of pudding, stripped Camden down to his diaper, and set him in the tub. I handed him the containers of pudding and let him go wild. Nude finger painting isn't something I'd want to incorporate into our daily schedule (read: I'm still finding globs of pudding around the tub) but it was different, and the novelty made it fun.

"No thanks, Mommy. I don't need pudding in the tub."

"On second thought, maybe I'll keep this pudding after all." (And yes, I'm aware that it looks suspiciously like he's playing with vomit in the tub. Gross. I swear it was pudding.)

"I love being a nude artist!"

"Oh, hi. I'm cute."

Happy Mother's Day

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide to forever have your heart go walking around outside your body."

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."

"When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child."

"If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been."

"The tie which links mother and child is of such pure and immaculate strength as to be never violated. "

"God could not be everywhere so He created mothers"

Say What?!

Okay, can I just say how much I am loving Camden's ability to communicate these days? No, he hasn't had that "explosion of vocabulary" that I keep hearing about quite yet. But he finds new ways to communicate with us every day. Having an insight as to what's going on in that little blonde head of his has been fun, encouraging, and often just downright entertaining.

"I'd like to wear this, please."
Yesterday morning, Camden brought a shirt to me and signed "more". (In Camden-Land, the sign for "more" translates simply to "I want". Not exactly what "more" was intended for, but it works for us!) I asked, "Camden, would you like to wear this shirt?" He nodded his head enthusiastically while saying "Yeah, yeah, yeah." (It's never just one "yeah"-- he says it at least 2 or 3 times to make his point.) His choice was a Washington Capitals jersey. They'd just eliminated themselves from the play-offs the previous night, but I couldn't deny Camden his very first self-selected wardrobe choice. No one can accuse him of being a fairweather fan!

"Let's get out of here."
Yesterday, we were at my sister's house and Camden was ready to leave (he loves being at his cousins' house but he loves being outside even more and he was anxious to get outside to play). He looked at me and his Nan, pointed to the door, said "Bye bye" and signed "more". Nan started laughing and said, "Well, I got that message loud and clear."

"I can take a hint."
This morning, my sister, Lauren, was sitting in her car in our driveway getting ready to leave. Camden was sitting next to the driveway in his wagon, waiting impatiently to be pulled as Lauren and I chatted. Finally, deciding he'd had enough of this chit-chat stuff, he reached over, shut Lauren's car door and said, "Bye bye!"  as the door slammed shut. Lauren and I looked at each other through her window and all we could do was laugh. "I can take a hint," she yelled as she backed out of the driveway.