Mommy Fail and Mommy Success

Just when I think I'm becoming more confident in being a Mommy....failure strikes.  This time it was no big deal, I only made my child freak out that she was going to choke.  Ha.  

Cami loves her peas.  So, after watching her mash up the (easily dissolving) Gerber puffs and MumMums and have success with a couple carrot chunks, I thought I'd give her some real peas.  She loves peas, so of course she'd love eating the real thing, right?

I boiled my fancy peas (HEB Central Market Organic, only the best, of course....we'll ignore the fact that hardly anything else she's eaten has been organic), and made sure they were nice and soft and had cooled off.  Cami had eaten the rest of her dinner, so I decided to just try a couple.  I gave her one.  She took it and began to chew.  Success!  I got her to smile to see that it was mostly gone and gave her another.  She began to chew.  I'm amazing, I thought.  Cami continues to chew...and chew...and chew.  The outside of the pea is still in her mouth.  She starts to look a little upset.  I can see it written on her face:  Mommy, why is this not dissolving into nothingness?????  She starts to fuss and I start to panic that she's going to breathe in and get the external pea portion lodged in her throat.  I try and get her to stick out her tongue.  I show her how to say "Ahhhhhh".  No luck.  I try to open her mouth.  She jerks away and fusses more.  Pea still in mouth.  I don't want to just force my finger in her mouth and push it down further (I'm a trained First Responder after all...that's a no no for choking....they just never taught us how to handle pea shells).  So, I do the only other thing I can think of.  I call my mom.

I doubt my mom was expecting "Cami has part of a pea stuck in her mouth and she's getting upset and I can't get it out and I don't know what to do!" when she answered the phone.  However, despite probably rolling her eyes (don't deny it, Mom), she patiently told me to give Cami some water.  "They're still there!!!!!  And she's not drinking it because they're still there!!!!!"  So she patiently instructs me to sweep it out with a hook motion (oh yeah, I think they taught us that in First Responder class....) and alternate giving some water.  I successfully removed the pea casings.  Crisis averted (although Cami was shooting me dirty looks).  Mommy fail of the day.

Now, Mommy Success is a little bit of a misnomer.  Every part of this Cami would do instinctively whether or not I was ever around.  However, she has become quite the active little crawler.  I would put a video up, but my phone is in the midst of dying a slow death and not cooperating.  She giggles while she crawls when she picks up speed and is pretty much loving every aspect of being mobile.  Especially the fact that she can examine dirt, stairs, electrical outlets...all the good stuff (I've also had a little success with "No-no" but that I'm sure will end up being a fail when Cami gets better at throwing a fit).  I love all the giggles and smiles and romping around the living room and front hall and it makes me feel like I'm doing an okay job.  And then, my active little overachiever, did TWO new things in one day!  She has been eying things above her the past couple days and this morning started pulling a LOT on her crib rails.  I thought her figuring it out would take a few days.  Nope.  30 minutes into her 2nd nap she woke up (Sigh, I thought) and began pulling on the rails and in about five minutes was standing up and looking around her room.  Lucky for me, she fell over and went back to sleep, but geez, quick learner.  She also waved bye-bye today.  She's swung her arm around a couple times in a manner which may or may not have been a coincidence, but today she pretty clearly waved.  Ah-mazing.  

 And, tomorrow, she'll be asking for a cell phone.  Or something like that.

Who's Baby is This??

It's been awhile since I updated anything on the blog, because it's summer, and grad school is over and I don't typically have to be near a computer unless I'm on Facebook.  Cami is now seven months and one week old (crazy!) and she is most definitely becoming her own little person.  It seems like in the past month more than any other, she has begun making her likes and dislikes known and is like an entirely different, more social, baby.  So, of course, since she can't politely say "Mommy, I'd rather not do that right now, please," (because, of course, she'll speak that way) she yells at me.  Full volume.  It's an interesting cross between a fussing cry and a mad yell.  Cami prefers for me to never move her arms for her (I can totally hear her saying, "I can do this myself!!!!"), so you can imagine getting dressed and putting her in her car seat is occasionally a battle.  And, as she's getting stronger, she'll try and move her arm away.  She also is going through a streak where she prefers for me not to leave the room (too bad, I'm leaving the room if I need some water....that's why the living room is safe).  So she'll yell at me until I return.  This has included naps for the past three weeks.  I always kiss her forehead twice before I leave the room and on kiss #2, like clockwork, these pathetic, noisy sobs would start.  So, that was fun.  However, I don't want to jinx myself, but that didn't happen yesterday (and one nap was at our friend's house where we were celebrating the 4th), and it didn't happen this morning.  I can only hope that little phase is coming to an end. :)
Like I said, Cami is also expressing likes (this isn't all negative) and has started a full on giggle that is HILARIOUS!  She loves to be tickled and loves to be held up high in the air, and still loves the pool.  It's so much fun to do something to make her laugh.  She also loves Minnie, Elmo, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (the songs anyway, we're not quite at watching the story unfold yet).  She loves holding her books and turning the pages like a big girl, and has just learned how to turn out the light.  She also has a face we refer to as her Bulldog Face where she scrunches her nose up and blows out like she's blowing boogers.  She thinks it's hilarious and does it ALL THE TIME since we think it's pretty funny and do it back to her.  Although, she's started doing it while we're walking around in the stroller....people might wonder if there is something amiss....
That's all for now....we may have more adventures as the summer progresses.  I'm about to call KinderMusik and see if their summer session still has openings.  Heehee, that could be pretty cute.

Another Page From Cami's Diary

6:45am:  *Sigh and stretch*  Yay, Mommy!  You're here!  I'm so happy to see you!  Oh, look, Daddy, too!  Bye, Daddy!  Have a great day at work!

6:50am:  I think I'm going to test out this new whining noise I've learned how to do.  Yeah, that's it.  That sounds great!  I love this noise!  Let me try squnching up my face with it too.  Haha, look at Mommy.  She keeps singing at me and trying to get me to laugh.  That must mean she likes it too.  I think I'll do it for her ALL DAY.

6:55am:  Mmmmmmmm.....food.

7:05am:  Huummmmmhhhhhhhh, push, push, push.  There we go.  Mommy?  Clean up, aisle four!

7:30am:  Hey, Mommy, my legs are sore from my shots yesterday.  And, hmmm, yeah, I'm kind of hot too.  It's uncomfortable.  And my gums hurt.  And my legs hurt.  Oh, I already told you that?  Well, they do.

7:45am:  Yuck, yuck, yuck!  My Apple Blueberry doesn't taste right!  What did you put in it??  Are you trying to give me that nasty Tylenol again?  I suppose I won't throw up on you because I am awfully hot now.  Did I tell you it's uncomfortable?  Maybe I should tell you in my whining voice?  Yeah, that sounds good.

7:46am: Yay for my Baby Einstein piano!!!  Love it!  Well, no, I'm bored with it now.

7:47am:  Yay for my bouncy ball dinosaur!  Love it!  Well, no, I'm bored with it now.

7:48am:  Yay for my Exersaucer!  Love it!  Well, no, I'm bored with it now.

7:49am:  Yay for my ice teether!  Love it!  Well, no, I'm bored with it now.

7:50am:  Yay for Mickey Mouse Club on the couch!  This is cool, we don't do this very much.  I think I'll let it distract me for a whole five minutes.

7:55am:  Mommy, dancing and singing is so fun!  I love it!  Can we do it all morning long?

8:00am:  Why did you put me down, Mommy?

8:02am:  PICK ME UP, MOMMY!

8:04am:  Mommy, dancing and singing is so fun!  I love it!  Can we do it all morning long?

8:15am:  Well, honestly, that's not making me happy anymore either.  Did I mention that I'm hot?  And my legs and gums hurt?  Did I tell you that?

8:30am: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

9:30am:  Hey, Mommy!  I'm awake! 

9:45am:  Mmmmm...fo...nah, I don't feel like eating right now.  Thanks, though.

10:30am:  Mommy, will you get me some ice for my gums?  They hurt.  Did you know that?  Oh, you did?  Well, how about that ice?  Thanks!  Oh, this will be funny.  While Mommy's downstairs grabbing that ice I'm going to thump really loudly on the floor and then put my head down and lay here totally still like I hurt myself when she comes back.  HILARIOUS.

10:30.36am:  HAHAHAHA, Mommy, you look so worried.  I'm fine.  No, my pupils aren't dilated.  What are pupils? 

10:40-11:15am:  I love this whining noise I can make.  It really gets my point across.

11:30am: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

1:30pm:  Hey, Mommy!  I'm awake and I'm HUNGRY!  I guess I should have eaten more earlier.  Oh well.  You'll make a bottle really quickly now right?  By the way, now I'm really hot.  You might want to do something about that.

1:35pm:  Mmmmmmmmmm.....food.

2:00pm:  Mommy, stop watching Ellen and pay attention to me.  I'm having a tough day, you know.  I don't feel quite as hot now.  I think you must have tricked me into more medicine somewhere while I was eating.  But, now my gums are REALLY bothering me.  I know I usually like it when you rub them, but not today.  Don't touch my mouth.  I know how to use these two new teeth.

3:15pm:  NO, I don't want to go to sleep again!  No, no, no!  Don't make m..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

4:15pm:  AHHHHHHHH!  Why am I all sweaty?  Gross!!!  Come help me, Mommy!!!!!!!

4:20pm:  Mmmmmmmm.....food.

4:25pm:  Daddy!!!!!  You're home!!!!  I'm SO, SO, SO excited to see you!!!!  I haven't smiled at Mommy since I woke up, but I sure am excited to see you!

4:30pm:  I know I said I was excited to see you, Daddy, but now can I tell you about my tough day?  I can do it in a whining voice.

4:45pm:  Hey, Grandma and Grandpa.  Can I tell you about my tough day too?  I'd prefer to do it while Mommy or Daddy is holding me.  They can eat dinner later, right?

5:30pm:  BATHTIME!!!!  I LOVE MY BATH!!!  This is so great.  I mean, really, so great.  Who else has a whale tub to take a bath in?  I'm sure no one.  This is so awesome.

5:40pm:  Um, hello?  Did you hear me when I said I loved my bath?  Why are you taking me out of it?  I'd really prefer to be in it.  Well, y'all are being kind of funny right now...ok, ok, I'll smile.  But, just a bit.

6:10pm:  Mmmmmmmm.....food.

6:20pm:  Fuss.  That's all, just fuss.

6:30pm:  Ohhhhh, story time!  Love it!!!!!!

6:35pm:  Story time is over?  What???

6:45pm:  I know I'm usually happy during my bedtime routine, but not tonight, guys, not tonight.

6:50pm:  Night, night Mommy and Daddy!  I love you!!!!!

Good grief.

Splish Splash

Today we went to join our good friends, Brennan and Lindsay, for some delicious Memorial Day food and much needed hang out time.  It should be noted that the last time we got to hang out just the four of us (not counting the kids) was the week before Cami was born.  So I was pretty excited to pack up for the day (or to move in?) all of Cami's "needed" things and head to Kingwood.  

The day could not have gone better (well, Cami did cry almost the whole way there, but we'll forget that part)....all FOUR children were down for naps at the same time.  Fifteen minutes after we arrived, Cami went down in her pack n play, in a new place, wide awake.....and fell asleep without a sound.  I have to brag on her just a bit, because, other than the week we brought her home, she's only slept in the pack n play once, and I rocked her all the way to sleep for that one.  She even woke up, rolled around, and went back to sleep....again without a PEEP.  And, when I went and got her, she had sat up all on her own!!!!  Craziness!  But, anyway, I digress.  All four children were asleep and we had a full hour of adult hangout time.  Amazing.  I also have to brag on my friend Lindsay (because I think she deserves it, even though when she reads this she'll probably say "no, I don't"), because she has three girls, one of whom is three months old (and all are adorable and sweet).  Her house is tidy and she had a delicious homemade meal AND dessert ready for us when we arrived.  I have one child and my house is a wreck and we eat Stoffer's most of the time.  She is an amazing mom.  

After all the kids woke up, we fed the babies and put on swimsuits and hopped in the pool.  I was excited to get Cami in because this was her first time in a real pool.  She loves her blow up baby pool, but I didn't know how she would handle being completely in the water.  She LOVED it.  She smiled as I pulled her around the pool and laughed as I threw her in the air and let her splash down in the water.  She put her legs out behind her and kicked like she knew what she was doing.  She grinned when she splashed water in her face and kept leaning down to investigate by dipping her chin in.  She watched the big girls intently like she would be able to do what they were doing just from seeing it done.  It was so fun to see Cami enjoy something I enjoy so much. 

All in all, it was a fabulous day and I think I know what Cami and I might be up to this summer......

Ohhhhh, is someone taking pictures of me?  Well, then, let me show my cuteness, because you know I look adorable in this suit/hat combo, right?  Did you know my cheek double as floatation devices?

All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth

....well, bottom front.  Yes, last weekend Cami's first tooth decided to make it's appearance after almost three months of teething.  It was followed quickly by the second tooth, which is on it's way up as well (slightly crooked from the first, but we'll ignore that for the time being...).  I have immediately put my own finger on "emergency only" teething status as I discovered yesterday that this new little tooth is SHARP and I almost jumped out of my chair when Cami went from chewing on my hand in a gummy location to stabbing me with her brand new tooth.  

Last weekend was a big weekend for Cami; she had some very special visitors.  James surprised me with my amazing friend Becky, and her daughter Zellee (three weeks older than Cami, future BFF), waiting for me at home when I got home from work.  It was an AMAZING weekend in which we dragged our poor, exhausted girls all over The Woodlands from one fun activity to the next (we did give them one day where we just stayed home).  They swam together, got professional pics taken together, fought over toys like sisters, and stared at each other in that adorable "what is going on here?" baby way.  And somehow, the whole weekend went pretty smoothly (well, except for that whole trying to get to the mall during the Ironman fiasco...can't win them all...).  The girls were nice enough to nap and eat at similar times so Becky and I could hang out (make funny videos?) while they slept.  AND, we got a Mommy night to go to the movies sans babies and act like the nineteen year olds we still like to pretend we are from time to time.

Since that weekend, Cami seems to have been inspired.  She literally has done something new EVERY day.  She has gone from slightly lifting her hips up off the ground with one leg to balancing precariously with her hips up and sideways.  She's constantly pulling her knee up like she's thinking about crawling, and one day decided she was tired of leaning back and just kicking her feet in the bathtub, she sat up and splashed her arms (soaked me) throughout the entire bath.  She also has learned the phrase "turn the page" and turns her stories in the right direction.  I kind of think she knows "roll over" too.  During Becky's visit, we noticed that Cami calmed down when we sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star so I've been pulling that out every know and then and it seems to be her new favorite song.  She looks at me with absolute delight when I start singing it (which is saying something because I'm a horrible singer) and nuzzles in like there isn't anything better.  

Even though Cami's had her moments every now and then with the teething and making her wishes known (primarily the one where she wants to veto naptime) where I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle (that's a bit dramatic, I'm just sensitive to her fussing because she really doesn't fuss that much), the minute she puts her hand on my face, looks me in the eye, and smiles, it's like everything is perfect.  This little girl really is a gift from God.

Mother's Day

Even though this is technically my 2nd mother's day, it's my first where I actually have some responsibility of taking care of a little one.  And, as I was driving to the grocery store (because even though it's Mother's Day, Cami still needs food for the week....and so do we...), I reflected a little bit on what I've learned as a mother in the past five and a half months.  First of all, Cami does not do what the book says.  I don't know how many times I called James or my mom the first couple months during maternity leave with something to the effect of "but the book SAYS _______...".  Yes, it's important to know what the heck is going on with a baby, but Cami is most definitely her own little individual self, and I think she rather likes to keep us on our toes from time to time.  Secondly, I had no idea what I was getting in to.  Literally.  When my nieces were babies I saw each of them two or three times during their first year.  When they cried or pooped I handed them back to my sister in law.  And I don't think I ever gave either of them a bottle.  I never babysat and I'm the youngest.  I never even had a dog; I had a cat, and my mom took care of him.  So, I discovered that it really IS true when people tell you you don't have a lot of time to read or watch movies or things of that nature (although we're quite lucky that Cami thrives off of her bedtime around 6:30 or 7:00....clockwork).  There was a steep learning curve in Cami's first couple weeks (that was well-documented), but I think I came through it nicely, despite the fact that I'm a perfectionist, which is something you MUST let go of as a mom.  Thirdly, I had no idea what I was getting in to.  Cami's smile is amazing, and her laugh that she seems to still be working on is one of the best things I've ever heard.  Her ability to work at something and work at something and keep working at it....only to finally give up and faceplant into whatever surface she's on, is hilarious and very much like me.  The way her face lights up sometimes when she hears music and the way she's turning into a snuggler and hugs me around my neck, squeezes my arm when she's uncertain, and reaches to put her hand on my face is fabulous.  I had no idea what I was getting into, but it's an amazing deep end to jump in to.  

By the way, if you havent' seen that Johnson's baby commercial from the POV of the baby; it turns me into a puddle.  

Happy Mother's Day!

On the Move

Since I posted about a million pictures to Facebook over the weekend and am in danger of having people think I'm obsessed with Instagram (I am), I won't post any new pictures on the blog this week.  I took about a million pictures over the weekend because Cami has become SUPER animated over the last week.  She just turned 5 months old and is now rolling around and thinking it's the best thing ever.  We've had to relocate from the living room to the upstairs bonus room so that we don't have to worry about her running into the coffee table, and she thinks it's amazing.  She rolls across the floor and stops at each progress step to look back and smile like "Can you even believe what I'm doing????".  It's hilarious.  One of the funniest pictures I took over the weekend was one in which Cami rolled over to the wall and began examining, quite studiously, the electric outlet.  It was like she knew she couldn't lift her hand to reach it and stick it in, but for future reference, she wanted to know how to get into trouble.  She is loving examining EVERYTHING she comes remotely close to, especially our faces.  Especially when Cami is tired, or if I'm laying on the floor next to her playing, she loves reaching out her hand and putting it on my face and then looking it over.  It's so, so sweet (unless the hand happens to have just come from her mouth and is covered in drool, then it's only slightly less sweet because her hand usually slips and slides down to my chin effectively covering an entire half of my face in drool).  The other night before bed she was sitting on my lap and had one hand on my face when James came over and sat down next to me.  She looked at me, and smiled like "Did you see Daddy is here??  Exciting!" and then looked at James and put her other hand on his face.  Then smiled at him.  It just melted my heart, and she seemed like she was just making sure the entire family was linked together.  I may have the sweetest baby in the world.