And So It Begins...

I am getting to the point in this pregnancy where I'm ready to be done being pregnant. Only this time it poses a small problem. I'm not ready to have this child come out! I'm not ready to be a mother to two little boys. I'm not ready to buy and change double the diapers. I'm not ready to pay twice as much for daycare. I'm not ready to live on little to no sleep. I'm not ready for those post pregnancy blues. I'm just not ready!

But one random trip to target got me a little closer to being ready. I saw lots of baby items, including diapers,on sale and couldn't pass it up. I have kept all these things in a bag on my table until today. As I was cleaning up and putting these new baby items away I started getting excited. There is something about getting excited that freaks me out! It's like I can't let myself be happy because this came as a surprise. But at the same time I love surprises, so why not love this one!!!
I've been thinking a lot about how life will be when this new guy arrives. I'm hopeful Camden will fall in love with him and being a big brother. I know we will make only having two bedrooms work. The sleepless nights won't last FOREVER. There are so many good things that outweigh the bad and scary thoughts.

I never understood when I heard mothers pregnant with their second child, question if they could love the second as much as the first. This is starting to make more sense. Having Camden has been the most extreme roller coaster ride for me. One minute I am so overwhelmed with the love I have for him, and the next I wonder how he's made it this far without me killing him. Yes, I can guarantee I will love this second child. I already do! But before I had Camden I never knew a love so great. So I guess having two brings a whole new dimension to that love. Camden will always be special for making me a mom. But this second child will forever be special because he made Camden a brother.

18 Months Plus

I'm a little behind on blogging about Camden turning 18 months, so now lets discuss him being 18 months...plus a little.

He weighs in at 25.10lbs(25-50%), we were happy to finally see him gain a little weight. At 33in(50-75%) he is still growing tall like his dad. And is big ol' noggin won't stop growing either, it is a whopping 48.9cm(75-90%).

Camden is such a piece of work but we love him more everyday. I love how much he is comprehending and love it even more when he listens. Dan told me the other day when the phone rang, Camden went and grabbed it and brought it to Dan to answer. For the most part when you ask him to clean up his toys or books he will start singing, "clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere...." and really put them away.
He loves playing outside and being social with other kids. He has mastered opening not only the back door but the front as well. Now that he has tubes in his ears and can finally hear, he is talking up a storm. His favorite words lately are:

"Chew"(chewie, the dog)

"dawg"(he is obsessed with dogs)

bike(mostly in a whining tone)

"Sef"(his buddy Seth)

"Sa"(his girlfriend Tessa)

"peeees"(please)

"bay"(his new favorite toy...yes folks a cabbage patch doll)

"chee"(cheese, when he smiles)

"shhhew"(shoe)

Whenever we go someplace and I tell him it's time to go "ba-bye", he insists he says bye to everything; the tree, the ground, the car, the person, EVERYTHING! He stills LOVES talking on the phone and cries if you do it and he can't.

He is age appropriately learning how to take his clothes off(I say that with all the patience I can muster). As I was finishing getting myself ready for church on Sunday, I found him getting himself "un-ready" by taking off his pants and diaper and smearing "the mess" all over himself. It was such a proud parent moment for me as I'm sure you can imagine! And the best part about that moment was me finding a smear of "the mess" on my wall not until TWO DAYS later!

He is definitely all boy and that makes his daddy proud. He loves to wrestle, hit, yell, make huge messes and run around. But his soft side can also be spotted on a good day. As I was sitting on the couch just the other day having a good cry(don't ask...I'm pregnant and hormonal), Camden crawled up on my lap, gave me a kiss, patted my back, and get this...wiped my tears(yes that made me cry even harder). He will also sit in his room and get in his bucket of books and read for a good 10-15 minutes. Those are times when I wish the world stood still!

He brings our house lots of love and we are excited to see him as a big brother!

The One Word Thing

I've never been big on making, keeping, or even remembering New Year's Resolutions. I've heard of a few people who pick a word or phrase to focus on for the year, and I think I can make, keep, and remember one word. So here's to trying something new for the year!



The word I chose for this year is:

now(nou). adverb

1. At once; immediately

2. At the present time

3. In these circumstances; as things are

4. At this point in the series of events

I'm not sure I should admit this but I will. Often times I think life will be easier or better(not that's its bad now) in the future. When I have a bigger house. When I'm not working full time. Once Camden is in school. When I have more money. When I'm skinny. The list could go on for days. But I've thought hard about this the past few weeks, and I am determined to not live this next year of my life wishing away my today's for empty tomorrows. Afer all, today determines the significance of our tomorrows.

I found an article by Elder Marvin J. Ashton that goes perfectly with what I want to focus this next year on. I have read it a million times this past week and I'm in love with this:

"Remember, tomorrow is connected with today, and what we do with today determines the tomorrow...........The best of life is not just around the corner, when I go on a mission, after marriage, after the house is paid for, after the recession is over, or after the children are raised. The best of life is now. Today is the time to really start living. Today is the time to get a head start on tomorrow...."