My Little Photographer!

I gave Cam my old camera because he was trying to "take pictures like Mommy" with my Nikon. I tried to show him how to hold it but nope, "Cam do it." Gotta love the 3yr old independence. I love how he's mimicking how I hold my camera!

Playdate

Yesterday Cameron had a playdate with Eliza. It had been awhile since he saw her and he was very shy when she first got here. Though when he saw she had Munchkins he became her best friend! They played really well together. They shared and took turns with the toys it was great. When they started to get bored I got out the crayons and paper.Eliza has some mad coloring skills! It was great to catch up with Jade too. Thank you Jade and Eliza for coming over. We had fun!

A Friendly Reminder

A few of you know that lately Cam has been trying to climb up his dresser. He thinks that there is a binky in the top drawer. We have been telling him no, but well, he's 2 1/2 and 'no' is a joke. We were actually going to put the harness on the back of the dresser so it wouldn't tip over on him today. Unfortunately we didn't do it fast enough.

I was in Arianna's room putting away clothes (yes, I was actually putting away clean laundry!). Cam went into his room to get some clothes to wear or so he said. The next thing I know there was a huge *CRASH*. I knew exactly what it was when I heard it. I went running in there and his dresser along with all the drawers were tipped over on the floor, with him underneath. I screamed, "CAMERON". All the horror stories you hear of children being crushed went through my head. He was crying but he seemed to be ok thank God. Luckily it only landed on his legs. I'm guessing he used the bottom drawers as stairs and the bottom drawer saved him.

So all you Moms use this as a reminder to install the harness that came with their furniture! Our outcome could have been a lot worse.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Am I crazy?

Arianna's first birthday is 7 months away but I have her party all planned out. Thanks to Dianna I already have her "cake" pan. The practicing has begun, at least I have lots of time to perfect it!

I know what I'm going to do for favors, activities, decorations, and what she's going to wear...I spend more time than I'm going to admit searching for cute ideas. I have it all planned out in my head. In there it's fabulous! I hope it turns out half is good in real life!

So...am I crazy? Probably a little bit!

I hope everyone likes cupcakes!

Bye Bye Crib!

Today is the day that Cameron's crib went away. I had been preparing him all week that "baby's sleep in cribs, big boy's sleep in bed's." I told him that Papa was going to come over and fix Cam's big boy bed and take down the crib. He wanted to help Papa so I told him that he could definitely help! We went to Walmart to pick out some sheets that he liked (Thomas). They didn't have a blanket or anything else to match the sheets so we just got him a Cars blanket. We had been planning on getting him an ice cream after but a temper tantrum in the middle of the mall unfortunately put an end to that. He did really well while the crib was coming down. We moved his bed in to the same position as his crib. He was excited to show Arianna and have her lay on his bed. GREAT!!! During the day he kept wanting to go upstairs to see his bed and lay on it. PERFECT!!!

He went down fairly well for the night. Steve laid with him until he fell asleep. He slept through the whole night! Let's pray it continues! I need to figure out what I'm going to do for curtains in his room because the windows look so bare. I also didn't want to hang the pennants that we have over his bed because I'm afraid he'll pull them off. He seems to like his room though!

Playdate in Andover

Today we drove up to Andover (well, Lawrence actually!) to meet up with Francesca and her kids Sophia and Nicholas and Shannon and her son Liam. I met Francesca way back in '98 or so when I worked at Putnam. She's always been a great friend and I wish I saw her more. Her kids are adorable. Sophia is 4 1/2 and Nicholas is 18 months. Shannon and I went to Merrimack together. Liam is almost 11 months. We went to a play place in Lawrence. It was really cute. Cam had a blast. Unfortunately it took us way too long to get home.I really miss living in Andover so it was great to get back up there and to visit. We'll have to do it again soon! Here are some pics of the kids that Shannon took.

It Could Have Been Worse

Well, he woke up a few times during the night. The first being at 1am. Steve went in and laid with him until he fell back to sleep. He fussed a little at 6 and I went in and covered him back up. He went right back to sleep and slept until 7:30ish. Steve stayed home so we all got up and off to school Cam went. We were hoping that he would come home and nap. No such luck. It wasn't so bad because Steve was here to keep him entertained while I tried to keep Arianna on her schedule.

He was in bed by 7:30 and Steve stayed with him until he fell asleep. We'll just continue to do that until he's used to being in the bed. Once he's used to it we'll tackle Arianna's bed time. She will not go to sleep without being in the swing. I refuse to go to bed at 9 which is when she wants to go upstairs. Will they ever go to bed on their own? It doesn't feel like it right now.

It's D-Day in the Bliss Household

First, Happy 5 Month Birthday to Miss Arianna! We've come along way baby!

We are on day 3 of no naps with Cam. It is pure hell. We thought it was because he went down so late on Saturday but he seems to be boycotting all naps. Yesterday we put him down at 3:30 and he fell asleep at 4. We woke him up after an hour. Today is a different story. His playdate got canceled because Samuel is sick again. That poor little guy is taking a beating this winter! Since it was so nice out I got Cam dressed and sent him outside. He came in telling me he wanted lunch then a nap. Well he didn't want either. So, outside we all went. We were out for about 2 hours. He had a blast. I thought for sure he'd come in and crash. Nope.

When Steve got home we ate (Cam's also boycotting meals) and Steve gave him a bath and got him ready for bed. He read Cam his books then put him in the crib. He climbed out twice. We put him in his bed. He got up twice. I was exhausted by this point. Steve laid down with him and he was asleep by 8:10. We'll see what the night brings!

I'm Much Too Young To Feel So Damn Old...

Well I don't actually 'feel' old but this song came on the radio yesterday when I was driving and it sorta hit too close to home. Yesterday I drove all the way to Framingham to have my wedding rings sized. During my pregnancy my fingers got too swollen so I had to take them off. I was hoping that they would return to normal after I gave birth but they haven't. Steve is tired of me wearing his grandmother's diamond band so I went to have them sized, reluctantly went, I should say.

I'm 33 years old, mentally I don’t feel like I’m 33. I still feel like I'm in my 20's. But my body is beginning to show its age. My hands are really freaking me out. Not only do I have fat fingers but the veins are starting to stick out in my hands. The tendons are becoming more prominent too. In other words, my hands look like old lady hands. I look down and all I can see are my Nana's hands. I love and miss my Nana more than anything but I can do without having her hands right now.

If I don't color my hair every 4 weeks it's a disaster. I have a huge patch of gray in the front that is way too visible. I'd say I'm about 30-40% gray. Thank God for color. Knowing that my Aunts were 100% gray by the time they were 40 does not help.

I spent all my college years and after thinking I was fat. I wasn't. I was *tiny* when I got married. Tiny. I wish I could be that size again. I gained a lot of weight before I got pregnant with Arianna. Some of it was due to meds but some of it was pure laziness. What I weighed then was what I weighed in my 8th month of pregnancy with Cam. That’s disgusting.

The pregnancy with her did a number on my body too. I was the heaviest I'd ever been and I retained a lot of fluid. I was not a "cute" pregnant person, by far. I kept hoping the weight would just fall off like it did after Cam. It hasn't. I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight but nothing is the same. My jeans don't fit like they used to. It has been 5 months so I didn't "just have a baby." Maybe it was because of the c-section or maybe it's because I'm that much older. Either way it sucks. Nothing is the same as it used to be. My boobs and butt, which were 2 of my better qualities pre-babies, are disgusting. Gone are the days of perfectly perky boobs. Now they’re deflated and flat even though all attempts at breastfeeding failed. My butt looks like a container of cottage cheese.

Will I ever be happy with the way I look? In college I liked the way I looked but I always wanted to lose weight. Maybe that was the result of having a boyfriend who was a nutbag...But I digress...Now I seem to have no desire to make myself look good. I hardly ever wear makeup. My wardrobe consists of a pair of jeans, long sleeved t's, yoga pants, t's, or a sweat shirt all with UGGS. I wouldn't be caught dead in these clothes back then. I've turned into a total "Mom." All I need is a pair of "Mom jeans." I've turned into the person I swore up and down I would never become. I couldn't tell you what the latest fashions are. But I don't think spit up stained shirts are in. I need a makeover. Is it bad if I call Stacey and Clinton on myself?

Is there such a thing as "growing old gracefully?" Will I ever accept the way I look? I feel like all I have to look forward to are more wrinkles, mammograms and colonoscopys. That gravity thing sure is a bitch.