I can’t believe Nia is 5 years old. Five just sounds so… big! Last weekend, we went to Winder to visit with the Valleses and celebrate Nia’s 5th birthday. Nia is such a special girl – so smart, so caring, always quick to laugh, and she gives great hugs. I’d love Nia even if I’d only just met her, but she’ll always be extra special to me because I had the privilege of witnessing her arrival.
She was amazing to me then, and is still amazing to me now. She’s always been a sweetie, and I have enjoyed watching her grow. Being around Nia helped give me the confidence I needed to believe we might be able to raise a child of our own. And now, to watch my little girl play with Nia is a great reward.
Things were so busy during her birthday party that I didn’t get many pictures, and I’m kicking myself for that. I did snag this one of Camille and her buddy Nate playing with the fishing poles – the water games were Camille’s favorite event. And she loved anything that she could do alongside Nia or Nate (except the bounce house – more on that another day).
So to make up for my lack of recent photos, I’ll take a little trip down memory lane to see some of my old favorite Nia photos.
Secretly, I think I’ve wanted Camille to have a “lovie.” I had a favorite blanket as a child, and was so attached to it my parents had to cut it into smaller and smaller pieces until there was nothing left for me to drag around (still in therapy over that).
I don’t know why I wanted that same sort of addiction for Camille, because I know it could be a pain to have to bring a specific toy along all the time. But there is something really cute to me about a child clinging to a soft and sweet lovie.
I’ve put various blankets and stuffed animals in her crib over time to see if she favors any of them. She seems to like having them in there, but it doesn’t seem to matter which one she has. Right now, she’s digging the stuffed puppy her Granddaddy brought her – it’s name is DAT! as she reminds me every night when I hand it to her.
But the closest thing we have to a lovie (other than her pacifier), seems to be … a swimsuit. Any time she sees one of her 2 swimsuits, she nearly hyperventilates while frantically grabbing at it, saying, “Sim-suit! Sim-suit! Sim-suit!” She’ll carry it around like a blanket, clutching it in her fist. The other day, we took her swimsuit along to Target because she didn’t want to leave it in the car. Tonight, as we were getting her ready for bed, she spotted it in her bedroom and dropped whatever other toy she had and lunged for the swimsuit.
So, maybe it’s not the furry animal or satiny blanket I’d imagined, but she’s still pretty darn cute with her sim-suit lovie.
Hi sweet girl! I hope you are dreaming sweet dreams right now about all your favorite things, like playgrounds, running in the grass, naked baby dolls, and strawberries. You are 21 months old today, and that sounds really close to 24 months old, better-known-as two years old! I know I tell you all the time that you’re such a big girl, and you are. For example, today on the playground for the first time you were able to tell me why you were crying. You’d taken a tumble off a metal duck, and I asked you if something hurt. You said, “Mouth. Duck!” While I was very sorry you hit your mouth on the duck, I was ecstatic that you could tell me about it!
Your vocabulary has really grown in the last few days and weeks, both in the words you say and the words you will attempt. You now often repeat one random word out of many of our sentences, like the other day when I said, “Camille, I love all your new words.” And you happily shouted, “Words!” This is cute, but also dangerous, because I hit my foot the other day and said, “Dangit!” (I give myself some credit for not saying anything worse), and you followed up with a “Dangit!” or two of your own.
You’ve done very well learning the names of your body parts, but we are having a little difficulty with “elbow.” You refuse to say that word, instead sticking out your elbows like you’re doing the chicken and stating confidently, “ELMO!” I’ll say, “El-Bow” with great emphasis on the “b,” and you’ll laugh at me like I told a funny joke. Then you’ll repeat, “ELMO!” It works in reverse too – sometimes when the Elmo song comes on, you’ll stick out your elbows.
You have also begun stringing together a few more words, like “read it!” You really like to say this one when you’re looking at books in the car, which is unfortunate because I can’t follow through while I’m driving. Your requests can come across rather bossy, so I’ve been working with you on the word “please.” I was thrilled today as I was fixing you a grilled cheese at lunch, and you tugged at my leg and said, “Cheese toast please.”
You are adorable. Did you know that? Well you are.
You’ve also decided to start calling me Mommy instead of Mama. It was a surprise to me at first, because you’ve always called me Mama without exception. Then one day, you looked at me and said, “Mom-eeeeeeeeeee,” with a grin, and since then that’s what you call me most of the time. I think it’s cute, especially since you decided on it yourself. That makes it more authentic.
Well, your Mommy is very excited about spending two extra days at home with you during the week. I’m planning to take you to story time at the library, to the pool and to the beach, to Oatland Island to see the animals, to the museum, and whatever else we can think of. I feel very, very lucky to have this opportunity, and I’m very grateful that your Daddy is so supportive too.
Another place you love to go is to baseball games. Last week, while the Valleses were visisting, we went to our first Sand Gnats game of the season. The weather was absolutely perfect, and you loved watching all the people and cheering whenever the crowd cheered.
You also liked the food – dippin’ dots ice cream was a big hit. Andrew gave you your first taste of popcorn, and you definitely liked it. It was all I could do to keep you from picking up the stray pieces off the ground and eating them.
You love the Valleses too. From the second they left you’ve been asking about them every day. “Nate? Ikki? Nah-nee? Ah-drew?” I’m always amazed at how sharp your memory is. When we drive by the ball field, you’ll point to it and ask “Gnat?” (for the Sand Gnats mascot), and then you’ll ask about each of the Valleses. When we drive by the playground, you’ll say “Play! Elsie! Hart!” naming the two friends we sometimes meet there for playdates.
We had a great playdate with Elsie the other day at the Strawberry festival in Bloomingdale. The two of you got to pick strawberries and put them in your buckets, and you were such a hard worker! The only thing I had to fuss at your for was filling your bucket full of sand. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but we paid for the strawberries by the weight of the bucket, and I didn’t want to buy the sand.
A couple of days later, you were eating some strawberry yogurt, and I pointed to the picture of the strawberry on the container and asked you what it was. You paused for a minute, and then triumphantly said, “Elsie!” I’m glad strawberries bring up good memories for you.
You have a good memory about not-so-fun things too. Several weeks ago, you fell in the park and skinned your knees. As I was washing them, I called them boo-boos, and you haven’t forgotten. Even though they’ve healed, at least once a day you’ll suddenly point to your knees, get a sad look on your face, and say, “Boo boo! Kiss it!” And I do, because you’re so dang cute.
You still like your baby dolls to be naked, that’s for sure. When we flew to visit Aunt Erin and Uncle Dave a couple of weeks ago, you took naked Baby Rose along for the flight.
You’d been carrying her around the Fort Lauderdale airport, and suddenly we heard this over the loudspeaker:
“If someone has lost a baby doll, we have a naked baby doll at gate B3.”
We knew right away it must be yours, and sure enough, they had poor naked Rose seated in a chair by the gate. I think if you had it your way, you’d be naked too, because no matter what I put on you, you always say, “Tight!” I put a too-tight shirt on you once, and now it is your mantra. I could put a paper sack over your head, and you’d still tell me it was tight.
You are quite a little diva, too. You LOVE to have your feet rubbed, and demand massages on a regular basis. It’s Nana’s fault, because she started rubbing your feet one day in the car, and you didn’t want her to stop. Now, you’ll often pick up my hand and place it gingerly on top of your foot. If I don’t start massaging them right away, you’ll say, “More.” If I do rub your feet and then pull my hand away, you’ll bring it back. “More.”
My princess, you are so funny, and if rubbing your feet makes you feel good, then I’ll be happy to oblige now and then.
Thank you for another great month sweet peanut. I look forward to seeing what you’ll do next, and hearing what you’ll say next. Thank you for all the hugs and smiles, all the kisses, and all the “love you”s. Mama – or should I say Mommy – loves you very much.
Wednesday morning, my first official day at Heideldesign, we found a parking spot on the second floor of the parking deck just across the street from our building. Lee got out of the car and asked, “I wonder if you can see our office window from here?” I looked, and saw this.
What a nice way to start my new job, with a sweet welcome sign from my loving husband for all of City Market to see.
It was great working with him and being downtown. We took a break and walked to Johnson square to sit on the benches and chat. I can open my office window and hear the church bells ringing at noon. And best yet is the company policy on inner-office romance: mandatory.
And today, I got to be mom full-time, and I enjoyed taking care of my sweet girl (even though she only napped for 30 minutes. Argh….). Camille and I met another mom and daughter for a playdate at the beach to soak up some sun. I know every week won’t be the same, but I think I could get used to this.
I don’t feel that different yet. Maybe it’ll sink in tomorrow when Lee and I ride together to our office. Or Friday when I don’t take Camille to daycare, and don’t have to feel guilty about it.
But things are different. When I walked out of my office building today, I walked away from my job and into a new chapter of my life.
As of tomorrow, the Heideldesign staff is doubling as I come on board. Lee’s business has been growing so quickly, and for quite some time we’ve been talking about bringing another staff member on board. At the same time, several of his clients began needing some PR work, and we realized I might be a good fit for the company as a PR Consultant. And the company seems like a good fit for me.
And it’s funny how things fell into place from there. I hope it’s divine intervention, because that would mean I’m on the right path!
I’m excited about the work we can do together, and the opportunity for continued growth of the company. I’ll have a chance to do PR work, some photography and editing, and I’ll get to develop web content (something I have really come to enjoy!). Lee and I will also have a chance to be creative together and come up with new ways to branch out our business.
I’m also excited because I’ll be working part-time, giving me two extra precious days to spend at home with Camille during the week. Even though she seems ok about going to daycare, I still struggle with the idea of leaving her there all day, 5 days a week. She’s old enough now that I think she benefits from some amount of daycare, but I’ve long wanted to tip the scales so that she spends more days at home than at school – at least while she’s still so little. And now, thanks to my husband’s booming business and his willingness to support my decision to join him on a part-time basis, we can reduce her number of days in childcare.
Of course I’m nervous. I had a great, cozy government job where I felt valued and appreciated – but the opportunity to work with Lee, to grow along with his company, and to spend more time with Camille were undeniable draws. I believe we will be successful, but I know self-employment can be a risk. So I’m praying we make good choices and that the right things happen along this path, and I’m getting more excited every minute about waking up tomorrow and starting this new chapter.
From the day we brought Camille home from the hospital, she has liked her pacifier. In the past few months, I feel that her affection for “pass” (as she calls it) has grown, or maybe she’s just better able to communicate to us that she needs/wants it. Either way, I’ve begun to wonder if it could become a problem. I’ve heard different theories on what age you should wean a child from a pacifier, and I don’t think we’ve done any damage yet. But I worry the longer we wait to begin phasing it out, the harder it will be.
Lee and I have been talking about weaning her off the paci for a few months, but it just never seemed like the right time. Either we were traveling and didn’t want to pick a fight, or she was sick and I couldn’t bear to take away such a comfort.
But now seems like as good a time as any. This afternoon, I offhandedly asked Lee, “So, when do you think we should start working on her paci?” And he said, “Right now.” I agreed, and that was that.
We’re not planning a trip for the next two weeks, and (knocking on wood) we’re all healthy at the moment. I’m not going to ask her to quit cold turkey, but we are going to restrict her pacifier to bedtime, naptime, and car rides for now. Then eventually we’ll phase it out altogether. Or at least that’s the plan, right? I’ve learned never to say never…
So, this afternoon she looked at me and asked, “pass?”
I told her paci had gone night-night.
She said, “Shhhhhhhh…”
I said, “Yes, paci is sleeping, and you’ll see it when you go night-night too.”
And miraculously, that seemed ok. In the past when I’ve just told her “no,” she’s cried and begged. But apparently the idea that paci went night-night was more acceptable. It probably helped that Nia and Nate were here to play with her and distract her, but it was a nice beginning to what I know could be a long battle. She asked for it several times again, but seemed to accept my answer for now.
I’m not sorry we let her have a pacifier. When we brought her home from the hospital and she had to lie all night in the bili-bed because of her jaundice, I was willing to give her anything for comfort. So I didn’t object when the grandmothers slipped in a pacifier. Pacifiers are supposed to reduce the risk of SIDS, and I also use it as a sort of germ-blocker from time to time. In the doctor’s office, I make sure she has a paci in her mouth so she doesn’t put germy hands or toys in there instead. And I was a serious thumb-sucker back in the day, and I would imagine pacifiers are easier to phase out than thumbs.
We shall soon see…
How excited am I about Erin and Dave’s baby-to-be?
Ummmm… is there even a word for it? Super-duper excited. Mega-excited. Excited times infinity.
I’m excited for Erin and Dave, and very excited to meet Baby Jones and hold him and kiss his baby feet. And I’m also excited for us. Just like with the arrival of my brother’s baby Stella, I’m looking forward to sharing this parenting thing together with Erin and Dave, and I know Camille will enjoy having Jones to grow up with.
Last weekend we went to MIami to throw a baby shower for Mr. Jones. It was great, and we even got to spend time with Dave’s folks from California who flew in for the party. I hadn’t seen them since Dave and Erin’s wedding. We shared a condo right on the beach, and this was the view from our balcony. Not too shabby, huh?
Camille did really well on the trip. The only thing she seemed to have a hard time with was waiting patiently to eat one of the cool cupcakes at the baby shower. She spotted them almost immediately from across the room, and started pointing and saying “UP-CAKES! UP-CAKES!” (Not really sure where she learned that word… baby school?)
I wanted her to wait until it was cupcake time, and she reached deep within her well of patience and managed to survive until we finally handed her one. And then we really tested her by asking her to take it to her Aunt Erin. And what a sweetie – even though she finally had the long-awaited cupcake in her hand, she walked over and gave it to Aunt E, the guest of honor.
Then finally, it was her turn. Bon appetit!
Erin and Dave got a lot of great stuff, and the baby’s room is looking wonderful. And now, it has a very special touch – this awesome bedding Boo made. Erin picked out the two fabrics, and Boo made the bumpers, quilt, skirt and a pillow. Too cute.
Now we just have to exercise our own patience while we wait for Baby Jones to arrive. Is it June yet?
I hadn’t realized until recently the extent to which quality music had become absent from my life. I love love love the news and talk programs on NPR, so I’d say 80% of the time I spend in the car, I’m listening to public radio. Another 15% is spent listening to one of Camille’s 2 CDs (mostly the Elmo and Wonder Pets songs). The last 5% is spent listening to popular songs – albeit not often “quality” songs – on my few music radio stations I tune to when I need a rare NPR break. Even on my occasional work-related road trips, I’m catching up on podcasts, not listening to music.
But this past week, I’ve been reminded how exciting it can be to hear good music. The Savannah Music Festival is going on right now, and some friends invited us to a concert last Thursday featuring The Red Stick Ramblers. They’re a group from Louisiana, and their music is a mix of Cajun, jazz, swing and blues. It’s been a while since I’ve listened to live music, and I’d forgotten how energizing it can be.
Then Friday, I had to drive to Atlanta and back for a meeting. I loaded plenty of podcasts on my ipod, but after hours and hours of driving I got weary of listening to people talk and wanted some music for a change. Playing favorite songs off my ipod was like seeing old friends again. I got all misty-eyed listening to “Southland in the Springtime” by the Indigo Girls, sang Fiona Apple’s “Paper Bag” at the top of my lungs, cranked up “Black” by Pearl Jam, and quietly marveled at the odd, creepy, yet fascinating songs of Neutral Milk Hotel.
Then last night we had tickets to another music festival concert (a nice perk because Lee did the music festival’s website!) and saw Angelique Kidjo perform. She’s from West Africa, and her songs combine African beats with a bit of funky jazz, and her on-stage energy is palpable. By the encore, not a person was sitting down.
We’ve got tickets to one more show next week, which I’m looking forward to. But most of all, I’m glad to have been reminded that once in a while, I should turn down my beloved NPR and turn up some good music. I think it’s good for me.
Quick – somebody go hide some eggs, because this child loves to hunt.
Miss Camille has very much enjoyed this Easter season, as have I. One day I will teach her about the greater meaning of Easter, but for now she thinks the bunnies, candy, eggs and hunts are pretty cool.
Our Easter festivities kicked off with an Easter egg hunt at our church the weekend before last. There was a special area for the little ones, and the eggs were mostly scattered across the ground so there wasn’t much “hunting” involved. But that’s fine, because Camille is more of a “gatherer” at this stage.
She had a wonderful time walking around and picking up all the brightly colored eggs and bringing them back to her beloved basket, all to the cheers of an adoring crowd of onlookers (who lovingly call her “The Princess”). I’m not surprised she enjoyed herself, because when we’re at the park, she likes to collect small objects on the ground and bring them to me. Daffin Park would be free of all leaves and acorns if I let her have her way.
Friday, I took her to the mall to meet up with our friends Anne and Hart and to check out the chick hatchery. Camille wasn’t too sure about these yellow fuzzy creatures at first, and insisted that they were “ducks” instead of chicks. I can see why. She finally got brave enough to touch one, but didn’t really pet it. It was more of a poke, and I don’t think the chick approved. Camille preferred watching them run around the incubator.
Saturday we traveled to Boo’s house where Camille reached a very important milestone – she ate her first Peep. I LOVE these marshmallowy bunnies and chicks, and they have long been my favorite Easter treat. I try not to give Camille too many sweets, but Peeps are just that important. The verdict?
Yummy.
Then we dyed Easter eggs, and my little artist got to color all the eggs before we slipped them into the dye cups. She only smashed a couple and her drawings were quite nice, so I say it was a success.
She just looks so big to me. When did she get so big?
Sunday, we loaded up some food and the all-important Easter eggs and headed for Grandma Lou’s house in Moultrie for lunch and the annual family Easter egg hunt. Camille really enjoyed her time there. She wanted to be outside every possible minute, and several times took off running down the long driveway. I think she enjoyed having so much space to sprint uninhibited.
And of course, she loved the Easter egg hunt with her Boo. After lunch, she went back to the area where we had the hunt and started looking around and asking, “Eggs? Eggs?” So we had to hide some more for her.
We got some good pics, but I like this video Lee took of Camille mid-hunt. Notice that she LOVES her pink egg. Once she found it, she refused to put it in the basket and clutched it almost continuously as she hunted for other eggs.
Easter from Lee on Vimeo.
I was looking back at my Easter entry from last year and remembered that Easter weekend was the first time she crawled! My how things have changed.
Maybe it was the burst of pink from all the azalea bushes in the park near our house. Maybe it was the thought of Sand Gnats baseball games starting up again. Maybe it was warmer weather beckoning us out to stroll along the sidewalks and explore. Or maybe St. Joseph was working his mojo. But whatever the catalyst, we’ve decided to stay put, and to fall in love with our house and our neighborhood again.
We’ve been wrestling with the decision for a while, not sure if we should renew the contract with our realtor when it expired a couple of weeks ago. Having the house on the market for 8 months has been a royal pain, and we’re tired of spending our Saturdays scrambling to get the house show-ready, then driving around town with the dog in the back while Camille naps in her carseat. And it feels like we’ve been in limbo forever, putting off decisions on so many things because our living situation seemed so tenuous. I need to feel settled and stable again.
We extended the contract for a couple of weeks, because we had a potential buyer interested in the house. But like every other potential buyer before, things didn’t pan out and we were disappointed. The contract was set to expire this week, and we finally decided to tell the realtor we’re done. She took it well. The sign is still in the yard, but she’s planning to come by and get it and the lock box soon.
And I’m ok with it. No, our house isn’t perfect, but few houses are. Our backyard needs a LOT of work to be the kind of yard we all could enjoy, but we’ll just have to start budgeting for some improvements. We were feeling cramped when we put it on the market, but Lee has since moved his work stuff into his downtown office, and that has really helped. And the house does have a lot going for it – we still like the style, we have a brand new kitchen we designed ourselves, and we’ve already done a lot of cosmetic work to put our stamp on the place.
And then there’s the neighborhood. No, it still doesn’t feel like the kind of neighborhood where you let the kids run around and ride their bikes up and down the streets. But we still have a few years before that’s an issue, and we can always re-evaluate then when the market may be better. In the meantime, I’m beginning to see that it is actually a great place for a toddler. We’re less than a block from two parks – one being fabulous Daffin Park with it’s two playgrounds, pond, greenspace, Sand Gnats stadium, and lots of local festivals. And we have a ton of other, smaller parks scattered throughout our neighborhood. Tonight, we hung out in this park, just a half block from our house in the other direction.
Camille loves being outside, and will often ask, “Grass? Grass?” and run to the door hoping we’ll go play in the grass. Tonight she enjoyed running through the grass and stopping to smell the flowers (don’t tell her they’re weeds, she still likes them very much).
And she had a good time playing with her chalk on the sidewalk, watching two older neighborhood girls chasing each other around the park.
All the things that attracted us to this house and this neighborhood are still here. True, our lives are a bit different now and our priorities have changed, but there are plenty of reasons to love Ardsley Park and our place in it for now.
