All about Cameron!

I love my Cammy and I feel like, aside from the past couple of potty training posts, I rarely get to give him a post all about him!  So that's what today is!  He's my most favorite boy in the whole wide world and he just makes me laugh ALL DAY LONG!  I need to start writing down his Cammeron-isms for a later post!  I think you'd laugh at  them, too! And isn't he just the cutest little goober, ever?  I thought so!  ( I know, I know, I'm his mom!) 
So today I decided to ask him a few questions during dinner.  And here's what I got:

Whats your name: Cam Lightbody

How old are you:  3 months (or 2yrs 10mos)

What's your mom's name: Ummmmm (very long um)...Stacey

What's your dad's name: Mookie (Mark's childhood nickname)

What's your sisters name: Avery Cate

Whats your favorite TV show: Cailou (I HATE Cailou! Practically band from our house!)

What's your favorite toy: All my trains

What's your favorite thing to do: Fish (Really? Gone, like once!)

Favorite animal: Tiger (hmm..)

Favorite food: Mac and Cheese (what he was eating right then)

Who's your best friend: Ashlyn

How old is Ashlyn: 3 months

Favorite snack: Cereal bar

Favorite drink: Gatorade

How many teeth do you have: 5 teeth (nope, probably 25!)

Favorite song: "Happy Birthday"

Favorite movie: UTube train videos

Favorite sport: Tennis in Papa's barn (Aka: Ping Pong)

Favorite color: red

Lucky number: 4

What do you want to be when you grow up: A conductor

Favorite stuffie: George that lives upstairs (My Grammies Curious George that he sleeps with)

Favorite book: The Charlie Brown Christmas Book that sings

I think I need to broaden his horizons and gear him away from the trains a bit!  lol!  I'll try it again in a few months and see what he says then!  I love my boy, swoon...

Santa Parade!

We finished up our oh-so-interesting potty training weekend with our besties, The Kenney's, and there kids, who are our kids besties, for as long as we have a say in it at least!

We went to a Chirstmas parade in their town.  We wore the little Littles and the big kids got to ride in the wagon.  I don't know how great the parade was, but we had a blast watching the kids have fun!! After Cam warmed up to the idea (which always takes him a few minutes) he was running around picking up all the candy that was being thrown out of the floats and such.

Here are some pics of the day:

Me and my bestie, Steph and all our babies

 Snug as a bug, or a bear!

 Firetrucks are loud!

 He liked being up high!

 The Fam

 Justin, Ashlyn (stink eye!), Steph, and Bryce

Waving meant candy got thrown to them

And then there was this guy, the Rat Man.  He spent the whole parade walking back and forth behind us with these gross rats hanging off his neck.  Mark took a million pictures cause we were all that grossed out by him.  He even went into a pizza shop! I hope they kicked him out! Who does that?  Yuck!!

Day Three and Chippy Returned

First things first, Day Three of potty training went pretty damn well!  He had no accidents, not even a drip!  I think he peed 4 or 5 times in the potty and did number 2 once.  We even went out to a parade and he was fine.  We are sooo proud of him.  No way is this process done, but I think he is on the right track to be trained sooner then later.  One weird part of the day was he has better bladder control then anyone I know!!  He went from about 1-6:30 without needing to go!  He made it through 2 car rides, visiting friends, going to a parade and a bath )with running water!) with out going!  But when he finally needed to go, we went.  Weird boy, but at least he didn't have an accident.  This whole weekend he didn't really have any actually, nothing on the carpet or a couch.  pretty decent.  

When Cameron woke up this morning, he ran downstairs and asked Mark, "where is the the guy in the box?" and started to look around all over the house and finally found him hanging out on the wreath above our mantel.  He kind of had a breakdown, though, cause he soooo wanted to touch him.  I felt bad for him, but the Elf looses his magic if a child touches him.  He needs to follow the rules, right?! We mentioned him alot today and hopefully he'll continue to want to keep Chippy happy. Someday we'll teach him how to keep Christ happy, but he won't understand that yet!  

Day 2 & The Elf Arrives!!

Ok, to start, I think day two went pretty good, so to speak.  He totally knows what's up and didn't have any sort of full out accident all day.  Like yesterday, he got a drop in his little undies, held it, then finished in the potty.  He got upset when this happened, cause he didn't catch it before it happened.  He did, however, tell us three times today BEFORE he started.  Twice at home, then once when we broke the rules and went to my parents house.  We probably broke the rules even more by letting him go outside, behind the barn at my parents house.  This I was most proud of!!  He was such a big boy!  And my hubby, dad and brother were in the barn so he got a praising from them and he was super proud of himself! I think it helped alot and he didn't have any accidents in his car seat (which was a 20 minute car ride both to and from the house) and going to get snacks at a farm nearby. I thought this was an improvement from yesterday.  Even if it takes more then three days, its definitely a start and he is on the right track, for sure.  He told me, "Mama, I don't wear diapers anymore...or pants, right?"  No honey, we still have to wear pants!  

With the potty training aside, our big thing of the day was the arrival of "The Elf on a Shelf"!  We have had this for awhile, but decided not to take it out until after Thanksgiving.  Then we heard that they were airing a show Friday night about it, and of course Cam was asleep by 8:30, when it aired so we DVR'd it.  To tonight, "Santa" made a call to Cam to go out to the front porch because he had left an early present there for him and Avery (who was asleep).  He was psyched!  

He went out and found a box with a bow on it and a card attached. We read the card, which was from Santa and told him to watch the show before he opened the gift.  So we did. 

He got the show pretty well, and the book even better.  Of course, since we had just watched the show, he had to name his own Elf, Chippy, which was the name of the main Elf on the show.  Oh well. He tried naming him Avery, and that wasn't happening.  

He LOVES his new Elf.  He even drew him a picture of Santa to bring back to him tonight to show that he was being a good boy.  We shall see if the idea of the Elf watching him at all times will be a help for our parenting toddler (Ugh!!)  Maybe even for the potty training! 

So Christmas has started!  Maybe we'll even get the tree up tomorrow! I've got to get the Fall stuff down first!!

Day One: Tired, but still Sane!

So, the potty training has started.  Slowly.  If you could call it that. Ugh.  Well, we decided to use the 3 Day potty training technique that I have heard great things about, that tends to get a great outcome!  We chose this weekend because I have Mark home all weekend, no parties, no appointments and nothing scheduled.  We started out (per the technique) by having Cameron help us throw out all the diapers in the house.  I almost cried.  Then the "Big Boy" undies went on. Thomas, to be exact.  The plan is to have him go about his day with someone (mainly me) in arms reach, or at least in view of him at all times.  The point being to catch him either in the act, or showing his cues of about to go.  They suggest using positive reinforcement by telling him things like, "wow, what a big boy!  Your undies are still dry!" and be to constantly reminding him to tell us when he needs to go, instead of asking him if he needs to go.  Why?  I'm not exactly sure, but they say that it makes the toddler feel like they have more control over the situation.  Whatevs, right?

So I do think the day went ok.  I tried to keep him busy.  We played Monkey Preschool on the Nook (he's a genius!), assembled TONS of train tracks, made cookies and did many loads of laundry.  As you can see, I didn't get dressed today, although they are clean pj's!  But anyway, most of the day consisted of him starting in his undies, scooping him up and running to the bathroom, where he finished on the potty.  Half a success.  At least he was realizing he was going and telling us right away.  There were no huge puddles on the floor, only little drips, and he was pretty proud of himself.  By the end of the day, he seemed to be done with it, but still had no accidents.  Could have been because he didn't nap, ALL DAY!  That was 6:30-8!  Kind of unheard of at our house!  Hopefully tomorrow will be more of a success, but at least it's in his head that this needs to happen and diapers are not an answer!  Ever again!!  Fingers crossed!  Oh and there were no poopies today.  Sounds like a disaster for tomorrow, huh? Grrreeeaat!

Don't judge, I was potty training my toddler! And look how cute he is!!

 Look at that toosh??

 Home made reward that he made for himself!

Things I'm Thankful For:

Well, the day has come and is almost gone.  We had great food, great family and great times.  With all the running around from house to house and chasing kids and everything else that goes with any sort of holiday, you forget to appreciate what is the true meaning behind all the holidays we celebrate.  

So in lou of Thanksgiving, I thought I should write some of the things that I am most thankful for:

My husband, without his love and support I have no idea where I would be!!

My Cameron and his compassion and unconditional love that just oozes out of him!

My Avery. Just looking at her makes any day turn into a great one!

The rest of my family.  Mom, dad, brothers, sisters, brother-in-laws, nephew and niece.  My most favorite people in the world!!  

My faith

My health.  You may be laughing at this, but I'm still here, right? Many, many things could be worse!

The house over our head, the food on our plates, our heat, our cars, our clothes...All the things that are out of reach for many, that we take for granted every day.

My friends and the support system that comes with them.

There are many, many more things that I am thankful for, but my brain is starting to shut down for the night, so that's what is getting in this post!!  I have to go to sleep early tonight.  We are starting "3 Day Potty Training" tomorrow!  Wish us luck!! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

9 Month Photos

Not professional, of course, but I do what I can with what I have :)  And good lighting was not something I had this day!!  Oh well, external flash anyone?? :)

Cute as can be

 Teething, again.

 Cam made her cry, don't know what happened!

 Standing, almost on her own!

She's the smallest 9 month I've ever met!

My sweet little Avery turned 9 months this week!!  I can't believe that its been that long!  This was me last year at this time with her nice and snug in my little belly:

I can't even believe that that was only one year ago, almost to the date!  Wow, this year has certainly flown by! 

I brought her to her 9 month wellness appointment.  I was psyched cause there were no shots today, but I wasn't expecting blood work!  But before that, we went in and got all her measurements done.  She's teeny, in the range of averageness: She weighs 14lbs 6 oz, which puts her in the .93% and 27 inches, which is in the 31%.  She's dropped in the weight curve, from the 10%, which she's been in since birth.  So, although the doctor didn't seem to concerned about it, she did want some blood work done to rule out some things, like a thyroid disorder or ceyliac.  She doesn't think it is any of these things, but just that 1) she started out little and is going to stay little and 2) she doesn't really love eating alot cause she's a bound up little thing, making wanting to eat more, not so appealing to her.  She suggested a powder to add to her formula to help this, then start adding some more food and see how that goes.  Very well I hope!  Weight check in one month, so cross your fingers that she's back on the charts!

She did great at the appointment, until the blood drawing came!  Ugh!  They needed 4 viles, and of course they couldn't find her little veins.  They got 2 from one arm, then had to switch to get the final two.  She screamed the whole time, which was like 15 minutes!  Poor thing.  She got a bottle immediately after!!  

Ok, so that stuff aside, I feel like she's doing great!  She's working really hard on the crawling!  She can get up on her hands and knees and reach for things, but most of the time she either grabs the thing she was reaching for and goes back to her sitting position or plops down on her belly.  She's working though and I don't think it will be that long from now.  She can pull up to a standing position using something like her play tables or toy box, or of course our fingers.  She a strong little thing, just needs to practice a little more.  Oh she started waving when you say "hi" and "bye" to her and it's the cutest thing!  She babels in her tiny little voice and belly laughs when you kiss her, tickle her or pretend to eat her.  She loves banging on things and taking anything Cameron is playing with.  Any time he is near her, she's happy, whether he's paying attention to her or not.  You can tell already, she loooooves him!!  


So no pics today, but they will come soon enough!!  9 months and a week is practically the same thing!!

That time a year again!

Well, let me start by saying today was awesome weather!!  It was in the 60's and bright, sunny and dry!  It couldn't have been a more perfect Fall day!  After doing some stuff around the house, like taking a nap, cleaning, laundry (you know, good stuff to do on a perfect day!!) we decided to go to my parents house.  The kids were both sleeping in the car, so we pulled in, asked if they wanted to go for a coffee break, and pulled right back out and went to a local apple farm/bakery for some treats.  

After our snack, we went back to the house and Cam had some fun playing soccer with his Uncle PJ.  Hopefully one day he will want to pick up soccer, or some other sport.  At this point, he likes anything that involves running around, so it's definately a possibility.   

Now on to the obsession.  For the past 7 or 8 years, our family has been a bit obsessed with snowmobiling.  We started out with rinky dink sleds and went locally, when we had enough snow.  Then we got better sleds and went up to Maine and stayed in hotels to try out the trails.  We decided we loved the Rangely, Maine area and the trails up there and rented a house for two years in a row so we could go up anytime and could stay as long as we wanted.  We stopped renting this house when my brother started college and had to ship out to sea for most of the winter and instead just rented houses when we had the time, which was still often.  We all upgraded our sleds, but then of course, one winter I was pregnant, then I had an infant, then I was pregnant again, so as my dad and brothers kept upgrading and going, I couldn't.  The last time I went up was when Cameron was almost one.  We'll see about this year, once I find the date of my surgery.

So anyway, this past week, my brother PJ bought a new sled and of course we had to go over and see it.  Cam is getting over his fear of sitting on the sleds, and now loves pretending he's driving them and keeps asking for one for Christmas (yeah, in a few years, little guy!) Although I didn't go last year, I still get the bug this time of the year to want to go!!  I see my sled, all dirty and sad looking and want to clean her up and make her look nice, like my brothers.  I want to put new gear on my Christmas list and plan for our annual New Years trip up to Rangely with my family and the Kenney's.  But then I realize, this probably isn't going to happen for awhile.  Maybe we can take the 6 hour drive up to go to hit the trails once or twice, while Mimi watches the kids back at the cabin.  But then there will be staples in my skull in a few months and maybe a baby in my belly next winter.  But soon enough the kids will be big enough to ride with us, then on their own.  It's a family tradition that I never want to give up, even if it has be put on hold for a few years.  It seriously is the most fun our family has together.  You never see anything so beautiful as the snow covered trees from the top of the Maine mountain ranges! You feel so free, flying through the trails and over ice covered lakes.  It's one of the only times that I crave snowfall and it NEVER gets old!!

Even Avery's starting to like it!

There are five in there now, mine is the black one, third from the front.  Doesn't it look sad? :)

PS: The Patriots are winning!!

My Little Lovies...sigh :)

I've said it before, of course, but my Littles are the best little kids I have ever created!!  They are both at an age, although different ages, where they just make me laugh all day long!  I can't get enough of them!  I loved my life before I had them, but I LOOOOVE my life now that they are here!  Being a stay at home mom is more then a full time job, for sure.  But I never miss a cute little smile, any of there firsts, cuddling and the hilarious Cameron-isms that make me just die laughing!  

Here are some photos of the past week or so just being Cam and Ave:

Avery watching Cam and I playing soccer/football with a Volleyball, lol!

The "Train Man"

Cam took this one, gross, but I had to add it.

Cam imitating my silly face.  I like his much better!

Swinging on his belly

She wiggled her way under her play table!

Loving her Wubanub

Cam showing his love for Sissy with his tickling!  I wish I got this on video because her laughing was hysterical!!  Becoming besties already!

No kids night! First time ever!

Well, the first night in our house without the kids.  I've been without out them while I stayed in the hospital this summer a few times, but this was the first night that we choose to have them stay somewhere else, while we stayed at our house.  Alone.  Now, don't think was for some amazing, kid free night.  No this wasn't this case, although that would be fun!!  Instead, it was because I had an outpatient test in Boston that I had to arrive at the hospital at 5:45 for!  Sooo, we figured to ship the kids off the night before would be a better choice, for us, for them, and for the people watching them all day on Thursday!  We brought Avery to my parents and Cameron went to Mark's parents.  It just made it easier in the long run for them to only have one kid over night and then for the whole next day.  Not to mention it was raining, boo.  I thought I would be a mess laying in bed without either of my kids tucked nice and warm in there own bed in the rooms next to ours, but I wasn't really.  I don't know why.  Maybe it was because we dropped them off pretty late (late like 6:30! ha).  Maybe it was because I was nervous about the next day.  Or maybe it was because I took a Tylenol PM to get me through the night.  Regardless, I survived the first night without my babies in my own home for the first time in 2yrs and 9mos!  Not that I want to get use to that at all, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad to try a date or two every now and then.  Maybe next time it won't be for a medical reason, either! 

In regards to that, I had a WADA test that I had to do.  Its a fairly invasive test that they do in an operating room.  They are essentially inducing a stroke, one side at a time, without long term side effects. They do this by going in an artery in your upper right leg and inject a dye, take some pictures of your brain, then insert some medication through a blood vessel to turn off one side of your brain at a time to test which side of the brain houses your language and memory.  While each side is off they ask you questions, show you pictures and objects and ask you what they are.  With me, they did the left side first.  As they put the medicine in, they had me hold my arms up and count.  When I got to, say 10, my left arm dropped, my vision in that eye got blurry and my language was slurred, to the point of hardly understanding.  When they asked me questions, I could understand them, but could not get words out, or maybe i could but very slllloooowly!  I doubt they could understand me.  Also, when they showed me pictures, I couldn't remember what they were.  After they turned that side back on, my speech came back and I could remember all of the things that they showed me.  When they turned the right side off, my right arm flopped down.  They showed me three things at a time and asked me to tell them which one they had showed me when my left side was turned off.  I told them which one, with 100% confidence.  I felt fine and spoke fine and when they were down I even asked them, "Aren't you going to turn this side off?"  I didn't even think it had been done yet.  

So anyway, I don't know the detailed results yet, but the results that I took from the test was what I thought it would show: That most of my memory and language is house on the left hemisphere of the brain, like 95% of right handed people.  Since I had EEG leeds on during this test, the doctors will be able to see much more closely where this speech and language is firing from when being used.  This way, when surgery comes they'll know more closely what not to remove.  

Sounds like a fun day, huh? I was in the hospital until about 4 and was told I couldn't do anything today, with no lifting so that the hole in the artery could heal.  Boring day!!  But at least I had my hubby and kids home :)

Here I was before the procedure (Since this was not a fun post, at least this should make you laugh!!  I look like a zombie!): 

    

My projects. My many, many projects!

Seriously, I have soooo many ideas!  Yet my life right now is lacking in time and, oh yeah, motivation!!  A wonderfully rambunctious toddler and an oh-so-lovely-that-I-don't-want-to-take-my-eyes-off-of-her infant tend to take up all of my time, and when they are finally in bed, I have time for a shower (sometimes) and then filling myself in on all the Internet things that I missed all day.  Did I forget to tell you that my kids, even my little 8 month old, don't really nap anymore?  Ugh. 

ANYWAY, I figured maybe if I write these projects down, I'll will guilt/motivate myself into doing these things and finally getting them done, or at least started!  

Ok, so here are some things that I want or need done soon, in no particular order:

Potty Train Cameron.  I had started working on this back in December and January, while I was very pregnant.  Things were going pretty well.  But then came Avery and his pooping and peeing in the potty inevitably went on the back burner.  We start up again here and there, but then things come up (hospitalization, vacation, etc.) and he is still hardly trained.  He's a very smart boy and knows what he needs to do, but his mommy needs the time and devotion to be able to do it.  So I bought the ebook: Three Day Potty Training, which I have heard awesome things of.  So I need to try this out.  Soon!!!

Get Cam to stay all night in his Big Boy Bed.  He comes in to our bed around 3am every morning.  We are awful parents by letting him do this, but it's just soooo easy!  He goes right back to sleep, doesn't wake Avery and I don't loose sleep over it.  We just need him out, or we are going to need a king!!  Can you Ferberize a 2.5 year old?

Paint our kitchen cabinets and walls.  It's an ugly kitchen and needs a face lift, pronto!!

Re-do our play room.  I will talk more about his later, but being on the first floor it looks way more like a play room, rather then a nice room, with toys stored in it.  Does that make sense?  I want it to match the rest of the floor.  

Organize our new laundry/craft/office space upstairs.  There are tons of projects to be done up there; to many to list!!  But one that I have all of the materials for, but haven't started yet is re-painting this adorable kiddie table and chair set with a fun color and using chalk-board paint on the table top.  

Making an art arrangement for Cameron's bedroom.  I found a million examples of this on Pinterest using canvas and scrapbook paper in a 3x3 set up.  I have all the materials for this one, too!

Work on the fleece blankets I started for my babies.  Again, have all the materials for these!! (I think I like shopping!)

Put things up on my walls!!  Six years guys, and we have like one picture up on our walls!!

Find a new home for my beagle.  Love him to death, but come surgery time, its just not going to happen.  At least while I'm re-couping.  We'll see what happens with that.  

Get my husband to do about a million things around the house to make it what I thought it would look like when we bought it 6 years ago.  Lol.  Tons have been done to it, but things come up and of course, you get settled in and comfortable with how it is.  I just have a bunch of things I would like done to make it feel more complete.  More on that one, too! 

Giving this blog a face lift.  I think it's looking, and always has, a bit plain!!  Needs to be snazed up!

Oh and I REALLY need to read the 50-ish books I have regarding photography and practice, practice, practice!  Being a hobbyist with photography, I feel like I have waaaay digressed and need to get back into it.  The books I have are awesome, but I need to dust them off and read, or re-read, these books and get back into what I have a bit of a small passion for, even if I'm not that good at it.  Also, in this category, learn Photoshop Elements, which I got for Christmas, last year!!  

So, that's a few of the things I want to get working on!  Maybe now that I have a list, or a start of one at least (It's late and I know I'm forgetting a few) I will get started on some.  Keep yelling at me, and maybe I'll get one done every week, or at least every other.  And I'll try and keep you updated!  First things first I think:  Getting Cam to stay in his bed.  Please, anyone have advice???  Trust me, Avery will NOT be co-sleeping with us!!

(sorry so long, and not interesting!)

Slideshow Time!

Ok, I don't know if this will work, but we'll see!!

So a few weekends ago, my family got our first professional pictures taken!!  We have never got them done before, but I wanted some done with me actually IN them!! While looking for a photographer, a friend of mine suggested SueK Photography, who did photo's for one of her co-workers.  She suggested we go to Elm Park in Wellesley, MA.  We had been there before and thought it was a great idea. 

So I had the photographer set, know was the challenge of get matching, but not "matching" outfits for the four of us.  After a few, no ALOT, of shopping trips, I finally got some that I thought would look good, and I think they did.  

So here is the slide show that Sue came up with (Here), before we decide on the prints that we wanted to get, a sort of "sneak peak"  I am really happy with how they came out!  To me, my kids could not be any cuter (I know, all parents think that of there kids!) and to finally have a nice picture of all of us together is awesome!  Now, which ones to buy...