Bumbo

Arianna loves to sit up so I pulled out the Bumbo. She loves it!


Unfortunately Cam got a little jealous and wanted to sit in it. He hated it when he was little but of course he loves it now! Cameron was so much bigger than Arianna is at the same age! Though her head is so much bigger. Actually I think her head is bigger than his is now!

Then (about 3mths old):

Now:

Merry Christmas!

Christmas was so much fun this year. We had planned on getting Cam a train table, but out of the blue Cam had asked Santa for a "red bike" and of course Santa always gets little boys and girls what they want!

Of course the train table didn't get put together until 9 on Christmas Eve. It took about 2hrs and only got partially put together. Luckily Papa saved the day and fixed it later.

Cam woke up bright and early at 5:15am. I got up, turned the tree lights on and the lights in the living room so he could see the train table. I opted to video tape his reaction so unfortunately I don't have very many pictures. He loved the table.

We had to lure him into the other room where he immediately went to his bike.

His other favorite gift was a tractor book that had a button you push that made tractor sounds. He wasn't a big fan of the potty that Santa left him!
Little Miss Arianna slept until 8. Then she got her presents.


When we were driving home I realized yet again, we did not get a family picture. I have hardly any pictures of me with the kids since I'm always the one behind the camera. So I asked Steve to take a picture of us. This is the best we could do. Cam is on his bike and being held back in the picture by his fathers foot, Arianna is in her own world, I need a month at the fat farm!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Cookies for Santa

This morning Cameron woke up bright and early at 6:15. I figured since he was up and Arianna was still sleeping we might as well make cookies for Santa. Then he could go spend some time at Nana's house! YEY!

I was going to roll out the dough and let him cut out some shapes with cookie cutters but it was way too early for that. So he had to deal with the plain 'ole round cookies. He didn't seem to mind. I had some chocolate jimmies, mini M&M's, red (well pink), green and white frosting as well as green and blue gel frosting stuff for him to decorate with. Right away he ate the M&Ms so there wasn't many left to decorate with!


Over all it was a success! No meltdowns and there wasn't much of a mess at all. He didn't eat any cookies just M&Ms and some frosting. Not bad!

Let it snow!

After being stuck in the house all day yesterday Cameron woke up bright and early this morning wanting to go play in the snow. We got him dressed and out the door he went with Daddy.

First he helped Daddy shovel the stairs.



Then daddy took him for a ride around the neighborhood on his sled!

All while Mommy took pictures from inside where it was warm!

Happy Birthday Max and Ruby!

Since we were house bound due to the snow and Cam was going stir crazy I decide to make some cupcakes or "cakecakes" as Cam called them.

He is such a great little helper around the house. He loves helping me do the laundry though he has a long way to go with folding and he's the best duster! I've never baked with him though. I thought this would be a great practice run for baking cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. When I told him we were going to make cupcakes he said "cake for Elijah, Lucy, and Ava's birthday?" I said. "ok!" Well as we were making the cupcakes he wanted to sing happy birthday. I asked him who's birthday it was? Elijah? Lucy? or Ava? He said "Max and Ruby". I said "Max and Ruby? It's not one of your friends birthdays?" "Nope, Max and Ruby." So we had to sing Happy Birthday to Max and Ruby. A few times...


He did really well helping me. He put the liners in the pan, poured the water and oil into the bowl, helped me crack the eggs. He did not like the electric mixer though. It was "too loud!" Everything seems to be too loud since his surgery.

He didn't seem to mind licking the beaters or the bowl though!


At one point when my back was turned, he decided to stick his face into the bowl. You can see here he got batter all in his hair.

Randomness

and my favorite picture of our Princess. For some reason this picture reminds me of her namesake (her Great-Nana. It seems my mother has forgotten that).

Edaville!

On Sunday we took Cam to Edaville Railroad. We went last year but he was a little young to really get the whole thing. I was so excited for this year. He was too. He could not wait to ride the train with his friends. We lucked out because the weather was perfect. It wasn't too cold at all.

We got there around 4:30 right when Carla and family was too. Since there was no line for the train and everyone else was still on their way we decided to hop on the train.

It's a good thing since Cam wouldn't go back on it when all his friends got there. He did go on a caterpillar ride with Elijah though!





We all had a great time and next year Arianna will enjoy it also!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Yesterday we went and picked out our Christmas tree. We decided to forgo the Christmas tree farm and just go down the street. SO much easier! Since it was snowing we asked my parents to come over and watch Arianna. Cam had a great time running around in between all the trees. He absolutely loved the snow.

Since we don't have a ton of room we got a small tree. It's definitely the smallest tree Steve and I have ever had! But it's cute and perfect for the spot. I had great plans for decorating. We'd have some hot chocolate, listen to some Christmas music and have a wonderful family night. Well, Cam was afraid of the Santa ornaments for some reason. I had to wait until he was out of the room to put them on the tree. He, being 100% boy, wanted to throw all the ball ornaments into the tree and watch them fall down through the tree to the bottom. Since the tree was so little the branches were very flimsy and all the heavier ornaments weighed down the branches. So we couldn't put the hand print ornaments that Cam has made up. There's always next year!

Cam got bored very fast so we sent him in the other room to do his favorite past time...watch Max and Ruby. Steve and I, well, I finished the tree.


I had to torture Arianna a bit too since it is her first Christmas! She was wearing her "Baby's First Christmas" outfit and I put her in the Santa hat Cam had from his first Christmas. Yes, the hat Cam wore at 7 months fit Arianna at 3 months...


I cannot wait, Christmas is going to be so much fun this year!

Mom's Nite Out!

Last nite I went out with Dianna and Carla. Dianna is headed off to Florida for the holidays in a few weeks so we wanted to get together without the kids. It is so nice to be able to sit, chat, and actually eat a hot meal!

We've known each other for 2 1/2 years now. Ever since Cam was a few months old. It's hard to believe since it seems like so much longer than that. I am so lucky to have met such awesome ladies who accept me as a person and as a Mom. They offer their advice and support so much with out judgment. For that I am forever thankful.

As I was driving home last nite I realized that we do not have one single picture of us. We're always taking pictures of the kids but no one has ever thought to take one of us Moms. That will have to change. Maybe next week at Edaville!

We survived!

Cam was a trooper!

We arrived right at the hospital right on schedule which never happens! We checked in and were taking to our holding area right away. We were right next to the toy room so it was great. Steve took Cam in there and there was a cube w/beads. He sat there for a few minutes until he saw a car.

He was in that thing so fast! Steve spent the rest of the time driving him around while I answered questions. We let him have his "B" today since we knew it was going to be tough. He did not take that damn thing out of his mouth once! Cameron did not want his temperature or oxygen sats. taken at all. I wasn't surprised. I kept telling them he was a fighter! The anesthesiologist, nurses, and doctor all talked to us about the procedure and assured us it was nothing like his other surgery. When it was time to go to the OR Steve drove him in the car. It was perfect there was no screaming or crying whatsoever!

Steve said he fought like hell when they tried to get the mask on and it took about 4 or 5 wiffs of the gas before he went out. Once he was out they lifted him onto the table and Steve came back to get me and Arianna and we went to the waiting room. The surgery literally took 20min. Cameron went right in at 7:30 and the doc came out to get us at 7:50ish. When we went back into recovery we could hear him crying, how sad! I was hoping he would still be asleep when we got back there and he'd wake up with us there. But the nurse had him on her lap in the rocking chair so that was nice atleast he wasn't by himself in the bed. The nurse said if they go to sleep crying they usually wake up crying. He had his "B" when he went into the OR and Steve had taken it. He left it in his scrubs so he had to go find the scrubs and get it...Once Cam had it he calmed right down. It was such a different experience from the first time. He was aware of what was going on in minutes and he didn't need any oxygen. The nurse gave him some juice and an orange pop. Once he was done and we got our instructions we left! It was the first time we left a hospital with Cameron and did not spend the night!!! We were home by 9. Of course we stopped by Dunkin Donuts so he could have some Munchkins!

I have to put drops in his ears for the next 3 days which will not be fun but the worst is over. Everyone keeps telling me how great tubes are. Hopefully this is the last of his ear infections!

Tomorrow's the day

Cam's surgery is tomorrow. Tonight will be a long night of tossing and turning. I talked with a nurse yesterday who went over the procedure and what to expect after. She said he will not be intubated like he was for his first surgery. It will just be a little bit of gas. She said the "strong" parent should be the one to sit by him as he goes under since it can be hard. I'm not sure either one of us wants to watch that. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. Steve will be the one to go with him since he is such a Daddy's boy. Plus I'm the one who has to endure each doctor's visit where we have to restrain him to look in his ears or give him a shot. The nurse is going to put Cam's chart in her "problem folder" since his past history of Croup in Feb '08 and last month and also his horrible with the anesthesia the last time. She said to make sure we mention everything to the nurses and anesthesiologist. She doesn't think it will be a big deal since it's a quick procedure but they need to be aware of it.

We have to be there at 6:30am, his surgery is scheduled at 7:30. We plan on waking him up at 6ish and just throwing him in the car. We aren't even going to change his diaper b/c we're afraid he's going to ask for something to eat. We'll wait until we get to the hospital to worry about changing him. I'm going to pack his backpack with his puppy, Tasha, truck book, blanket and a change of clothes (just in case...I swear every time we go to the hospital we end up spending the night). The nurse said once he's under the surgery itself is about 15 minutes tops. When he's done we'll be able to go into recovery with him as he wakes up. Once he's able to drink and keep down liquids we can go home. She said her daughter had tubes and never had another ear infection. She also said that her ears were very sensitive to sounds after. The nurse said she would wince if the tv, radio or kids were too loud. That is something we'll have to watch for.

I cannot wait until this is over. Please keep Cameron in your prayers. This poor little guy can't seem to catch a break!

Arianna is 3 months old!

Finally!

Finally....Arianna slept in her crib in her own room last night! We tried on Friday night but she woke up after I put her in so we nixed it for that night. She fell asleep around 11:30 on my chest (I think it will be awhile before she breaks that habit) then I moved her into her crib. I only heard her twice but I didn't get up once! I moved the monitor so that I could see it from my bed. Gotta love the AngelCare Monitor!

Finally...Steve's very good friend Jayme will be heading home from Iraq on December 11. He is over there flying in his second tour. We're very excited for him to come home. Before he went over he was living in Virginia so we haven't seen him very much. We can't wait for him to meet Arianna and to see how much Cam has grown. He has been such a great "uncle" to the kids. He has sent them each birthday card and gifts from Iraq. Much more than their real uncles have done!

We're hoping he'll come home to Canton. But Steve thinks he'll go back to Virgina and finish out his last 3 years of service in the military down there. Please pray that he makes it home safely!

***I did have a picture of Jayme and Steve on our wedding day but I know Steve would KILL ME since the blog isn't private any more. So I deleted it. If you saw it, you aren't going crazy now that it's gone!***

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a day...

Well, my 33rd year started off just like any other day, hectic. My Mom and I brought the kids to have their pictures taken. What a disaster. Cameron would not sit still and it being Christmas time the place was a zoo. Two hours and $130 later I walked out of there with a migraine. I look at the pictures now and think, I could have done that! Oh well. My next item to obsess over is Christmas cards!

Cam's surgery

So, Cam's surgery is scheduled for Friday, December 5th at 6:30am. At first Steve and I were like holy crap! But it's better that it is so early since he cannot eat. We figure we will wake him up 10 minutes before we have to leave so we can change his diaper and then just put him in the car, pj's and all! I have a phone call with the Anesthesiologist the Wednesday before. Hopefully there will be no repeat of what happened the last time.

Please keep Cam in your thoughts and prayers! I cannot believe he's going to have another surgery.

Cam's appointment with the ENT

Today Cam went to the ENT for his chronic ear infections. We starting prepping him yesterday for the visit. He of course said "it hurts." The poor thing. He hates having his ears checked. We tried bribing him with Munchkins after. We pulled into the parking lot and he started to cry. We got him into the office and he was fine. He did great while the doctor looked in his ears. We only had to restrain him a little bit. The doctor said our two options were tubes or continue with the antibiotics and hope they work. Since Cam has adverse reactions to the meds (diaper rash, yeast infections) and has to continually take them he recommends tubes. He said his hearing may be decreased which could be causing his speech delay. So he ordered a hearing test. Steve went in with him. The audiologist took pictures of the insides of his ears, he was not a fan of that. She said that his right ear wasn't "moving" the way it should when air was blown into it. He passed the hearing test but she thinks one ear (most likely his left) is better than the other. Since they can't test each individual ear its hard to tell exactly.

The doctor called tonight and said that he does have some fluid in his ear but it is not infected. He passed the hearing test. We are going to go ahead with the tubes. The office will call with a date. Our little guy is going to have yet another surgery. Please keep him in your prayers. We don't think he'll have the same problem he did the last time with the anesthesia but you just never know.

Cam's 1st Train Ride!

Since Cam didn't have daycare today we decided it would be fun to take Cam on the train and visit Daddy at work. Why I was feeling so adventurous is beyond me. The morning began fairly well. Only one meltdown! Cameron was very excited to get on the train. I brought the double stroller, Cam in the front and Arianna laying down underneath. The thing is heavy! It was hard getting the stroller over the little hole between the platform and train but I did it. The conductor watched me, he never offered to help. Whatever.

Cam loved the train. He kept saying it was loud and he loved when the train "said choo choo." When we would go in a tunnel "mommy it's dark AGAIN (as he banged his hands down against his seat)." I guess he didn't like it! When we were getting off people let me go in front of them. The same conductor was on the platform and I tried to just push the stroller while I lifted it a little bit hoping it would clear the gap. Nope. The damn front wheel came completely off. Not only did it come off but it fell down the hole. I thought it was gone forever. The conductor got pissed, like I wanted the wheel to come off! Maybe if he had helped...So we had to wait for everyone to get off (while I held the front of the stroller up) then a guy climbed down and got it. The conductor "maybe you should lock the wheel." Wow, why didn't I think of that? Me, "It was locked." I don't know why it came off. Just another reason to not like the stroller!

Daddy met us there and walked us over to his building. We visited for a little bit then went back on the train. Cam cried when we got off. I promised him another train ride...

What I'm thankful for

My friend Helena is going to try and blog about 30 things she's thankful for this month. I don't think I can do it each day so I'm going to narrow it down to 5.

1. I'm thankful that even though Arianna has colic, she is healthy. That both my babies are healthy. It could be a lot worse.

2. I'm thankful that Steve still has a job! With the economy as bad as it is we are very lucky. I could be sticking both Ari and Cam in daycare and heading to work everyday.

3. I'm thankful that Steve is an amazing Dad. He was up with Ari until 2am this morning while I slept. Then he was up with Cam at 8.

4. I'm thankful that my Mom and stepdad are amazing Grandparents. I don't know what we would do without them. I do not tell them enough how much we appreciate their help. Cam absolutely loves his Nana and Papa. I think there's going to be lots of competition between Ari and Cam in the years to come. Luckily there's enough love to go around.

5. I'm thankful for Topamax. I cannot wait until the 3 month mark comes around and this extra baby weight will come off. Oh yeah, it does help with my migraines too!

My babies

After Cam woke up from his nap today I put Arianna into the crib with him. She snuggled right up next to him!

Arianna's 2 month appointment

Arianna had her 2 month appointment yesterday. She weighs 9lbs 10ozs and is 22 1/2". She's still a peanut! Her head circumference was 40cm I think. This is bizarre to me because at Cam's 2yr appointment his was 48cm. I knew she had a big head!

She got 3 shots and the oral vaccine for the rotovirus. I wasn't feeling so great about getting her that one but today Dianna reminded me just how bad the rotovirus was. We all got it at the same time last year after one of our playdates. In the 3 shots was a total of 5 vaccines. I did not ask how many were live vaccines and I wish I did. I'm really starting to question all these vaccines. It seems like each year there are more and more. I think I'm going to start researching the delayed schedule. I believe everyone should be vaccinated but I don't believe my 9lb baby should receive the same dose as a 15lb baby.

Showing off her bandaids!



Anyway, Arianna spits up just as much as Cam did. It's not fun. For some reason my kids like to spit. Cam grew out of it around 5mths so we have 3 more to go with Arianna. Her colic is getting a little bit better. She's not as bad as she was. She has her days. Monday was a bad one. She cried nonstop. Dr. Doug said she'll just have to grow out of it. He gave me a prescription for her formula so as soon as she's added to the insurance Dianna can stop supporting us!

Cameron came down with double ear infections and croup this week. If this medicine doesn't work it's off to the ENT for us. Dr. Doug said it's early for him to be starting with the ears. We'll see how that goes.

Arianna has a new boyfriend!!

Jack Thomas was born Monday (11/3). He is absolutely beautiful! I made it up to the hospital last night to meet him and to visit with Tanya. As always she looks great. You never would have guessed she had just given birth. Lucy is going to be a great big sister.

Congrats to the Pimental Family!

"Mommy Ari spilled!"

Cam is a great big brother and let's me know when Ari "spills" aka. spits up! He is also a pro at putting the binkie back in her mouth. What a surprise huh?!

It could be worse

It's been over a week since my last post. I'm sorry to say things haven't gotten much better. Arianna had some blood in her stool last week so off to the doctors we went. He changed her formula to the hypoallergenic stuff. It says it helps with colic but we haven't seen a difference. Today Cam was at the doctor's for an ear infection (the poor thing) and to get his flu shot (poor Mommy). Dr. Doug said it doesn't sound like Arianna has "true" colic because she's fine during the day. He did write her a prescription for Prilosec, which works differently from Zantac. Hopefully that will help some.

Today I was watching my new addiction...The Doctor's and they had a little boy and a little girl on who both had Cerebral Palsy. It was so sad to think that these babies have this horrible illness and will never get better. This blog absolutely breaks my heart each time I read it He Will Carry Me. I wish I had an ounce of her faith. I need to just think to myself that it could be a hell of a lot worse when Arianna is screaming.

Some recent pics: