Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful, amazingly hands-on baby daddy, Ryan. 

I love...

-you for all that you do for our family. 

-that you come up with cute nicknames for Cameran that no one understands the origin of but you and me.

-that you study Cameran's face, waiting for her to smile, and then break out your own perfect Daddy-smile that shows the only person you are focused on in that moment is your "Best Good P".

-you for sticking close after learning of Cameran's extra needs instead of doing to unthinkable, which I unfortunately know that some men do.

-that over the years you have taken jobs that you loathed in order to contribute to our household.

-that you have an insatiable drive for physical fitness and health even when it makes me nutty that you wake up at 4:50 to go to the gym.

-that you search You Tube for cartoon theme songs to play for Cameran and me.

-that you search iTunes for more theme songs, most recently the Phineas and Ferb soundtrack that has been downloaded and played in its entirety.

-are a kid at heart, and have loved Toys R Us trips even before we had Cameran even though I pretend that it is annoying.

-that the crook of your arm is where Cameran is most comfortable and is almost a guaranteed "sleep spot".

-that even though you profess to dislike changing diapers and giving bottles, you have given more than a lion's share.

-that you play Disney movies and snuggle Peanut on the sofa until you both fall asleep.

-that you always know what kind of card/gift to give that means the most at any given time.

-that you regard life on "Gerber time" as I call it, knowing that when something is truly important, you'll be there.

-that you have a quiet confidence.

-your witty sarcasm and dry sense of humor.

-that somehow God put us in each other's lives in order to create this most perfectly wonderful life.

Happy Father's Day.  I love you.

And to my own Dad.  Thank you for being who you are.  If it was not for you and your quiet wisdom, I might not be who I am today.  You are the Wind Beneath My Wings. I love you too.

Chunky Monkey!

My sweet sweet Peanut is turning into a Piglet.

Apparently when you are 15 months old being only 18 lb 5 oz puts you in the percentile of nada. However, pump some steroids into baby girl and wala--2 lbs of chunk in a week. Twenty lbs is more around the 25th percentile. Yay to being back on the "typical" chart.

Sweet, sweet summertime

I love everything about summer.  And not in the "I teach just to have time off 2 1/2 months a year" kinda way.  (Although it is a undeniable perk of the job.) 


To show my deepest appreciation to this blessed season here is my...

"Ways That Summer Rocks ..." List

Sleeping in (kinda-thanks Cameran). 

Staying up late(r).

Watermelon

Corn on the cob

Steamed crabs

Ice cream truck

Snowballs from Mason Dixon Farmers Market

Fireflies at night

Swimming with Cami in the kiddie pool

Sitting on the deck

Refreshing margaritas on the deck of a restaurant

The beach

Swimming in the ocean

Beach towels

Suntan lotion smell

Ice pops

Summer re-runs

Summer Blockbusters

Reading

Reading on the deck

Morning coffee that I can make at my house and not rush to drink

Homemade Iced Tea

Going to Illinois

Taking walks

Going to the park

The library

Not thinking about work

Relaxation

No agenda

Spontaneity

Concerts

Ball games

Cooking out

Cooking out with friends

Cooking out at my parents' house

Veggies on the grill

Taking pictures

Window shopping

Real shopping

Being with Cameran

Being with Ryan

Sprinklers

Watching the dogs play in the hose

Watching Cameran play outside

More daylight

Nature's sounds

Frozen mochas (who am I kidding--this is a year-round thing)

Thunderstorms in the distance

Lightning

Rainbows after a storm

Scent of fresh rain
Lake Michigan
Navy Pier
Cellular Field (White Sox)
Wrigley Field
Field Museum
Michigan Avenue

Honeysuckle

Tiger lilies

Hydrangeas

Gerbera daisies

In-law's pool

Natural tans achieved from being outside and not from trying to tan

Fall television show teasers

Watching corn grow
Chincoteague Island, Va

(This year only) Cameran finishing her seizure meds

Watching the dogs chase the bunnies that make their nest under our deck and not being able to get them
Tom's Cove Campground
Mister Whippy's Ice Cream

Finding the perfect groove in the sand to lie on

Getting as close to the water as possible and discovering the tide is coming in and needing to move back

Finding conch shells in the ocean with my toes with Mom

Pods of dolphins swimming near the sandbar

Not wearing makeup

Wearing bum clothes all day long

Lighthouses
Wild ponies of Assateague
Petting the Chincoteague ponies in the corral at McDonald's
Flip flops
Pedicures
Badminton
Sherry's Ice Cream
Sunbleached hair
Drives just because
Yard Sales
Discovering awesome new "driving songs" to belt out with no one else in the car
New playground equipment at Cousler Park


Doing as many of the above as possible or none of the above on any given day

 

The list goes on I am sure.  This will have to do for now.  Happy summer!

Catching up...an introduction

Where to start??  Maybe since it is summertime in the world of NMS teachers I will now actually blog on a semi-regular basis.  It does make a quite tumultuous task trying to play catch-up with everything I actually want to write about Cameran and her development seeing as though I pretty much did little to know actually baby book writing.  This blog is supposed to be her pseudo-baby book.  Sorry Cami.  Mommy teaches English and Reading, but apparently doesn't take time to do much writing herself. (It isn't weird if you write in third person assuming your little one will someday be reading this...)

So here are some of the things in a stream of conscious list that I need to catch up blogging about:
1. Cameran's seizure activity progress
2. Cameran's interventions/therapies
3. Cameran's new firsts
4. Good books
5. Summertime
6. Our 6 year anniversary
7. Father's Day

And I am sure a bunch of other things will pop up, but for now this will have to suffice.  Since starting these shots 7 days ago Cameran has become quite the big eater/non-napper and so I am off to shovel food in her face and prep her shot (Yuck!) and pray she falls asleep before 9:30 unlike last night.

Ah, the joys of motherhood...

Determinded to be productive during this 3-day weekend, I woke up, took the baby with me downstairs, fed her, and then left her with a pile 'o toys while I began cleaning the kitchen.

Fast forward to 12:30.  Still not showered, and wanting to hit up the park with Ryan and Cameran, we trekked upstairs to take baths.  I thought it would be a wonderful idea to get Cami interested in her bath toys if I hopped in with her before taking my own shower.  All was well until the end (and might I preface by adding that overall this was her longest and otherwise most successful bath) when she began wailing.  I called Ryan to come and take her, which he did.  As I drained the tub I began reminiscing of my own days playing in the bathtub.  I would pretend I was Cinderella, and would wash the walls with my rags washcloth.  I am thinking that my mother encouraged this because it helped her clean the tub and not because she was proud of my imagination.  In any case, I was scooping up Cameran's bathtoys--cute little crocodiles and fish and sea horses and poop.  What?!?  What was that?  Did I just write the word poop?? Yes.  Yes I did.  Unbeknownst to me my darling little one decided to drop her kids off at the public pool.  Too bad I was in it.

Thanks Cameran.  You're the best.

:) Happy Memorial Weekend.