Dear Macey (9 months)

Macey Jean,

You're 9 months old! Wow-- we're marching right along towards your first birthday, aren't we? I'm enjoying every minute of watching the little person you're becoming. You are full of life and personality these days; in fact, your Nan thinks you're going to be a little clown. If that is the case, that will be a nice complement to your brother's more cautious, observant personality (which he gets from his mama). So far, you seem to be taking on much more of your daddy's personality characteristics-- laid back, easygoing, friendly, funny-- even though you look like a little clone of me.

So here's you, sweet girl, at 9 months old:

• You weigh around 15 lbs, 5 oz. Yep-- you're a peanut. I imagine you'll always be petite like me.
• You nurse every 3-4 hours during the day and still comfort nurse at night. I'll work on that once it's time to wean you at a year old.
• You take 2 naps a day, averaging around 1.5-2 hours each.
• You babble: mamama, dadada, bababa, yayaya.
• You pull up to stand and have begun to cruise around furniture.
• You crawl like a champ. You're very fast. I don't think there's an area of the house that you haven't explored yet.
• You've started to mimic a bit-- sometimes if I stick my tongue out, you will too. Or if I sneeze, you'll fake a sneeze immediately afterwards.
• You dance! This is new-- it just started in the past couple of days. Your daddy can always get you to dance by singing and dancing with you.
• You eat solids 3 times a day, but usually no more than 2 oz. of purees at a time. You are eating some finger foods now too, like mac and cheese (only your Nan's baked mac & cheese though- you're a selective girl), bread, graham crackers, peas, puffs, Cheerios, and Arrowroot cookies.
• You put EVERYTHING in your mouth. Everything. This is new territory for me; Camden was never interested in putting anything other than food into his mouth. This is also new territory for me because your brother has a lot of small toys. While we've moved his choking hazard toys up to his bedroom, I'm always on the lookout for any stray toys-- or pieces of food, fuzz, whatever-- on the floor. Because if it's there, you will find it. And promptly stick it in your mouth.
• You're still totally toothless and pretty darn bald. But hey- it looks good on you.
• You have the slightest bit of stranger anxiety but nothing extreme. We'll see how you do at your 9 month check up in a few weeks.
• You do the cutest crinkled-nose smile now. Makes me laugh every time I see it, and you know this, so you often do it for a reaction. You'll crinkle your nose and sniff while smiling and then you'll quickly look around to see who's watching your show.
• Your favorite place to be is in your brother's room (supervised closely by me, of course, due to the aforementioned choking hazard toys).
• You love bath time and take a bath with Camden now (while sitting in your bath seat).
• You love to go for wagon rides with your brother.

I'm loving everything about you at this age, Macey. You're so fun, so sweet, and so loving. The whole family is pretty crazy about you. You truly are the perfect addition; you make our family feel complete. We all love you so very much.

Love,
Mommy

Boat riding...

 

 

She adores her brother and vice versa.

 

Climbing me as per usual.

 

Helping Mommy with dinner.

Memorial Day Celebration

First thing's first: To those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to this nation, we thank you. Happy Memorial Day.

***

We spent our Memorial Day weekend at my parents' lake house. It was an opportunity to visit that house one last time before they pack it up and move across the lake. We'll miss the house, of course, but look forward to making many more memories in their new lake house (complete with a little beach area and shallower waters-- translation: much more kid friendly).

This was Macey's second trip to the lake house, but her first time out on the boat. Since she was born at the very end of summer last year, the boat was put away for the winter shortly after her birth and was just now taken out again. There's not much that Macey doesn't love and the boat was no exception. Much like her brother, Macey was right at home out on the water-- smiling, laughing, and even crawling around the boat.

It was my dad's birthday as well, so my sister and her family, and my little brother also joined us at the lake house. I love it when Camden gets to play with all of his cousins. He typically gets a lot of Will time every week, but since Jacob and Alex are in school, he sees them much more sporadically. When we got home from the lake, I asked Camden what his favorite part was, totally anticipating him to answer something like, "the boat ride" or "swinging on the green swing". Instead, he considered my question for a moment and then responded, "Playing with Jacob and Alex."

I did learn a little lesson, though: day trips are a bit much for (almost) 9 month olds. Macey slept the entire car ride to the lake; her eyes were closed before we even left our neighborhood. She took a good afternoon nap at the lake house, and after dinner time, we got back on the road to head home. My normally excellent car rider was not having it; two long car rides in one day? She wasn't interested in that at all. She started screaming about 10 minutes into our drive home, which resulted in me having to climb into the back seat and sit completely smashed between two large car seats for the rest of the way home. Oh, the things we do for our kids. Next time, we'll spend the night.

Dear Camden (3.5 years old!)

Dear Camden,


My sweet boy, you are 3-and-a-half years old! When I told you this, you asked, "So I'm not 3 anymore?!" You were a little confused but decided to be okay with this sudden change when I told you that it means that your fourth birthday party is getting closer.

Next time I write a birthday letter to you, you will be FOUR. And in preschool. I write those words now, but they haven't sunk in yet. I don't think they'll fully sink in until I'm watching you walk away from me into your classroom in September. These years are flying by, but I  make a conscious effort to soak it all in-- every phase, every milestone, every joy, every challenge-- so that I don't look back one day and wonder how your childhood passed me by.

How to describe you at this age? You're sweet, thoughtful, loving, and kind. You're also serious, intense, smart, and funny. You're everything--wrapped up into a perfect little blonde-haired, blue-eyed package.

You run. Incredibly fast. We wonder if you'll be an athlete one day.

You love to read books. We get a new stack at the library every few weeks and you can always recite them by heart when it's time to return them.

You're an awesome big brother. You told me a few days ago that Macey is your best friend. Hearing that? Well, it pretty much melted my heart. When Macey naps, you ask me how much longer it will be until she wakes up. When she's awake, you're hugging her, sitting on the floor playing next to her, or crawling around the house with her. When I was pregnant, I wondered (okay, worried) how you'd do with a sibling. You and I had such a special, tight bond and I worried that you'd have a tough time "sharing" me with someone else. I was wrong to ever worry. It's clear to me every day how thankful you are to have a sibling.

You love your cousin, Will. That's nothing new. He'll be in your preschool class in the fall, which will make the transition easier for both of you. You play with Will at least a few times a week, and always are sad to see him leave. When you're not with Will, you like to know what he's doing every second of every day. You seem to think I have x-ray vision (and I haven't corrected you; I'll let you think I'm a superhero for as long as you'll believe it) because you ask questions like, "Is Will flushing his potty right now?" or "Is Will sitting in his rocking chair eating fruit snacks right now?" You ask these questions (which I always answer affirmatively) because you want to make sure you're doing the exact same thing as your best friend.

You're a gardener. No, really. You have developed quite the green thumb. Daddy has a garden out back and you ask several times a day if you can go check on it. You also water it, talk to the plants to help them grow, and show it off to anyone and everyone.

You still love Mickey Mouse, Jungle Junction, Imagination Movers, and Curious George, but you're starting to get into superheroes now too. Spiderman is your current favorite. I'm sure this fascination will only grow with age.

Your favorite toys right now are your Angry Birds, Mickey Mouse camper, Squinkies, and Hot Wheels.

I think you're left handed-- you typically eat and write with your left hand. I'll be excited if you are. Your middle name, Miller, was your great-grandpa's middle name, and you also have some facial characteristics that resemble "Papa". Papa passed away when I was pregnant with you, and Papa was a lefty. (Your grandfather and aunt Lauren are also lefties, so you have a decent shot of being one too, I think!)

You're a smart kid. You're very articulate. Your memory is impeccable. You'll recall minor details about toys and/or events that we haven't talked about in months. You know all of your shapes, colors, letters, and a lot of numbers. I'm excited to see what you learn in school!

You love to hear stories. Not just of the book variety, but you like me to tell you stories. Your favorite stories to hear are "boo boo" stories. You listen with concern when I recall getting stiches as a kid, or breaking my finger in middle school. Then you ask to hear the story again. And again.

My favorite recent Camden-isims:

When you were sick a few weeks ago, you said, "I don't feel good" a lot. After you got better, you kept saying it- when something didn't go your way. Then it morphed into, "I just don't feel good about this." So, when I tell you that you have to take a few bites of your peas at dinnertime, you'll sigh deeply and proclaim, "I just don't feel good about this."

The other day, I was buckling Macey into her car seat (you were already sitting in yours) and the wind blew, prompting me to yell "Oh!" You looked at me with concern and asked what was wrong. I told you that the wind blew my dress up a little bit and that I didn't want to show the neighbors my private parts (we've been having the 'private parts' discussion a lot lately, usually when I'm explaining to you why you can't run down the street stark naked). You looked thoughtful while you let my explanation sink in and then you nodded your head in understanding. "Yeah, you don't want to show the neighbors your privates. Because then they might come over and take them off." Umm...okay?!

So, that's you, my sweet boy. I'm so proud of the person you are. I couldn't ask for a better son. You made me a mom 3.5 years ago, and there's not a day when I haven't been thankful that I was given this job. You're so loved.

Love,
Mommy

 

Naps are a rarity these days, but I like to catch them when they happen because you still look so much like a baby when you sleep.

Checking out a baseball field with Macey.

 

A little afternoon nude water painting.

I love your little head peeking in from the background on this one.

 

My current favorite picture.

Interview with Camden

This interview with Camden was totally impromptu-- we were sitting on the couch just chatting & I thought I should totally take out my phone and record this conversation. Thus, the reasons why my questions aren't well thought out and some of them are repeats from our last interview (which is fine-- I'll probably always do a few repeat questions just to see how his answers change over time). Anyway, a few questions into our interview, I was thinking I'd probably scrap it and try again once I had some more original questions but then some of his answers were so gosh darn hilarious that I had to keep going. His favorite food surprised me so much that I couldn't help but laugh during filming. He also asked me to put the camera away at one point. Oh, life with a 3-year-old: never a dull moment.

[A small disclaimer: I filmed this video before I knew anything about Sponge Bob-- other than that he was a seemingly cute little square fellow. After sitting through an entire episode and hearing "idiot" and a few other choice words, I realized this show isn't at all preschool-aged friendly. Yikes! Live and learn, right?]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs8Y55t5YJU


Speaking of what life's like with a 3-year-old, I tried to take one simple picture of Camden after our interview. I realized that I have way more pictures of Macey than Camden lately (it's much easier to photograph a captive audience, although now that she's crawling I'm sure she'll become more challenging to catch too) and I just wanted one cute shot of him sitting still and looking at the camera. I'll admit it: I bribed him. With a cookie. And still-- this is what I got. He couldn't, for the life of him, sit still. Well, he could sit still, but not without lifting his chin up, or smiling with an I'm-about-to-throw-up expression on his face, or sticking his hands in his mouth or moving his face about half an inch away from the camera. Yep-- that's what it's like to photograph a three-year-old.

 

The cheesin' grin.

 

Chin up.

 

I'll smile, but not AT the camera.

 

Cute smile, but in motion.

Happy Mother's Day

Growing up, I had the kind of mom that made my friends always say things like, "You have the best mom." And I did. And I still do. My mom and I have always just clicked; even as a teenager, I never went through one of those angst-filled I can't stand my mom! stages. Today, she's still the person I call when Macey has a fever; when Camden says something ridiculously sweet; when I'm wandering aimlessly through the grocery store looking for a particular ingredient; when I've been up all night and feel like I might not ever sleep again; when Macey meets a new milestone; when Camden challenges me; when I need to know what temperature to set the oven on to cook [insert random meal here]; when I absolutely must recount how fantastic my kids are; and sometimes, when I just need to hear her voice. I'm lucky. I know it and I've never, not even for a day, taken it for granted.

When you're the product of a fantastic mother, it sets the bar really high when you become a mother yourself. I work every day to ensure that, 25 years from now, I'll be the one Camden calls when he's ready to propose to his girlfriend. I love my kids the best way I know how-- the way I was (and am)loved-- so that Macey will want to call me a millisecond after she sees that second line on a home pregnancy test (sure, she can share the news with her husband first-- I just request to be the second call).

This job I'm doing now? The one that is 'round the clock, 7 days per week, with no days off? The one that sometimes begins at the crack of dawn and lasts all throughout the night? The one that allows me no sick days, no (solo) vacation time, minimal free time, and no monetary compensation? This job is the most important job I will ever have in my life, and it also brings me the most joy, the most fulfillment, and the most profound kind of love I've ever known.

Happy Mother's Day to the woman who, by her selfless example, taught me all about the kind of mom that I want to be (and that I am hopefully becoming).

And to Camden and Macey: I am so grateful to be your mom every single day of the year. I am the lucky one.

 

 

This week

It's been a busy week, hence my lack of blogging. Here's a quick photo documentation of the week that passed by in a flash:

This week, we:

Watched as Macey graduated to complete mobility. Yep-- she's a crawler. She doesn't crawl long distances yet, and her crawling is choppy & robotic right now (just how I remember Camden's being in his early crawling days), but still-- she's mobile. And she loves it. And I'm remembering just how much it changes life to have a mobile infant. Not only is she mobile, she's pulling up too. I managed to catch her first successful pull-up on video. Gotta love having an iPhone handy at all times.

 

Now that she's a crawler, she will hunt me down-- anywhere, anytime. I look down, and she's sure to be crawling up my leg.

Were pretty cooped up indoors this week, which is such a bummer in May. For the majority of the week, it was cold (cold is relative, I know, but rainy weather in the 50s in the south? That constitutes cold in my book). So when the sun finally decided to show itself again and weather returned to the low 80s? We were outside. A lot. Despite my disdain for pollen (and my inability to take any effective meds while breastfeeding), we stomped in leftover puddles, played in water in the backyard, and went on lots of long walks.

This hat came off about 25 times while I was trying to take this picture. I love the hat. Macey doesn't share that sentiment with me.

 

This is what you get when you try to get 3 small kids to look at you & smile all at once. I pick my battles.

These two are so much like brothers. They fight hard and they love hard.

Lots of playing outside= impromptu couch nap.

Recorded this adorable rendition of the Itsy Bitsy spider. This has to be my most favorite version of that song ever. Plus, the coming-in-for-smooches at the end of the video makes me smile every single time I see it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWs7w9iUPcA&feature=youtu.be


So, there's our week-- lots of milestones for Macey, lots of playing for Camden, and lots of school preparation for me.

I'm looking forward to a relaxing, low-key Mother's Day weekend with the two sweet kids who made me a mom.