Lots of women have shoe obsessions, but my current one has me dreaming about shoes much too small for my own feet. I’m obsessed about finding proper shoes for Camille, because I’m convinced it’s important for her growth, and because it’s apparently a measure of my commitment as a mother.
Karen recently made her first trip to the baby shoe store in the mall, and shared with me her sticker shock over the fact that good baby shoes cost fifty dollars. That seemed like an awful lot to me, especially since babies this age grow out of their shoes every 3 months or so.
Over the next couple of days, when I shared my disbelief with others, I soon learned that my priorities were all wrong. They were quick to point out that feet are a child’s foundation, and good shoes are worth the investment. I’ve just always been a bargain hunter, and I’m having a hard time believing I can’t bargain-shop this one.
But what they said made sense. One of them even had to buy special shoes for her son that were $198 each. That made me look like a little whiner.
So I was determined this weekend to have Camille’s feet sized, and “make the investment.”
Lee, Cami and I headed to the store, and I began browsing the rows of cute shoes. The little brown ones with a pink stripe. Some cuties with a little flower on top. We tried on several pair, but they just looked so big and the rigid soles made it difficult for Camille to maneuver. The salesperson didn’t seem so sure about the foot measurements she’d made, and called in a coworker to help.
That coworker said no to all the shoes we’d picked out, and said Camille really needed to be in shoes with laces. I was shooting for the velcro because they seemed easier and all the cute styles were velcro. But she said the laces were essential to a good fit. But if that were true, why was there only one style of laced shoes in her phase of footwear? And why did that one style have to be so ugly?
As Camille toddled around the store in them, I felt conflicted. The shoes were NOT cute. But the way the saleslady put it, I felt like I’d be a bad mother if I got anything other than the pair of shoes with laces. Ugly though they were, we paid our 50 dollars and left.
The more I thought about it, the more unsure I was that we’d made the right choice. Maybe she just wanted to get rid of that style, and that’s why she pushed those shoes on me?
If laces really are that important, then fine. I’ll pay 50 dollars to put ugly shoes on Camille if it will ensure her podiatric health. But before I throw away that receipt, I’m going to do some research and find out if I got scammed into buying ugly shoes. A few more barefoot days won’t hurt in the meantime.
My sweet angel. I just left your bedroom after giving you some more medicine, taking your temperature (although I knew you had a fever the moment I touched you), and wiping your forehead with a cool cloth. You’ve been asleep for a couple of hours, but you started talking and tossing in your sleep and I knew you weren’t resting well. I hope the medicine will help your fever come down soon so you can sleep peacefully.
I’m sorry you’re sick. I’m sorry I can’t just magically fix it. Thank you for all the sweet laughs, hugs, smiles and kisses you’ve given us these past two days despite your discomfort. You are a wonderful soul, and it shines through even on your difficult days.
It started Friday morning. You starting mumbling and fussing at 7 a.m. as usual, but when I opened your bedroom door you weren’t in your typical spot. You are almost always standing at the foot of your crib, on top of your bumper, gripping the rail and looking at the door. Waiting for me.
But you were still lying down, wiggling and mumbling, and looked as though you weren’t sure if you really wanted to open your eyes. I patted your back and could feel your heat through your clothes.
I was almost certain you had strep throat, because we’d been around another baby earlier in the week who was later diagnosed with strep. I got you dressed, fed you breakfast (which you ate remarkably well!), and headed to the doctor’s office.
They confirmed the strep, but I was surprised to find out you also have a double ear infection. Again. We had seen a specialist on Wednesday who said your ears looked great. How, less than 48 hours later, could they be so infected and filled with fluid that the doctor said they were red and bulging? I felt so sorry for you, with so many aches and pains. And they gave you another one of those awful antibiotic shots, made even worse by the fact that you were sleeping when the nurse injected it (even though we tried to wake you) and you woke up howling.
But at least I felt the worst was over. The last time you got that shot, you rebounded quickly. So I had some decisions to make. You and I had planned a little adventure. We were booked on a flight leaving later that day for Atlanta, headed to Uncle Jeff and Aunt Michelle’s baby shower, which was very important to both of us. And I had been so looking forward to our trip because I knew you’d have fun people-watching in the airport, swimming in the hotel, shopping, and getting spoiled by your grandparents.
The doctor seemed less concerned about you traveling with strep, and more concerned about you flying with infected ears because it could be painful. Your Daddy and I talked about it, and as disappointing as it was, we decided you should not go. But Grammie was able to come into town to help care for you, so we decided I would take the trip anyway. It was a hard decision arrived at after many tears and with much accompanying guilt. I didn’t want to leave you, but I didn’t want to miss the baby shower, and I knew your Daddy and Grammie would spoil you well while I was gone.
All the way to the airport you snacked on goldfish and drank water and seemed like a pretty happy baby. But as I got out of the car and leaned over to kiss your head, it felt warm to me. But surely that was to be expected? Nothing a little tylenol wouldn’t fix?
Your silly, silly Mama forgot to charge her cell phone or bring her charger and her battery was low, so I couldn’t call to check on you every 6 minutes like I wanted to. But as I sat on the plane and buckled my seatbelt, I called your Daddy once more before I left to be sure you were okay. You were still on your way home after running a couple of errands, and you seemed sleepy but fine.
After a short flight, I landed in Atlanta and as soon as I could, turned on my cell phone. I called your Daddy.
“Hi sweetie, we just landed. How’s our girl?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Yes – please tell me, what’s wrong?”
My heart jumped into my throat. And then my cell phone died. I felt trapped on that plane, knowing something was wrong, but not sure what it was. I wanted to demand the pilots turn the plane around and take me home. I tried to use the airplane phone mounted in the seat back, but it wasn’t functional.
So I sat on the tarmac and waited, thinking of all the different, terrifying scenarios that might be unfolding at home. When I finally got off the plane, I called your Daddy collect from the first payphone I saw.
Your fever had jumped to 104.5. Your Daddy was trying to decide if you needed to go to the emergency room. And I felt so far away, and so terrible for not being there.
I raced to baggage claim where your Nana and Granddaddy were waiting for me. It was so great to see familiar faces. We talked about the situation, and I checked with a ticketing clerk to find out if I had any options. Thanks to the nice man with Delta, they transferred my return flight to the next one out at no additional charge.
So I never even left the airport, just gave your grands a quick hug and several apologies, and then took my place in line at the security checkpoint.
It felt like a long flight, but at least I was on my way back to you. You were getting ready for bed when I walked in the door, and you started blowing kisses to me from across the room. It felt so good to hold you.
I know your Daddy and Grammie would’ve taken good care of you. They didn’t need me there, and I couldn’t do anything to help that they couldn’t do. But I needed to be there for me, so I could hold you and watch you breathe.
Saturday morning, I heard you stirring through the baby monitor and I waited to see if you were really waking up. Then suddenly, clear as could be, you said, “Mama.” At that moment, I was so glad I was there and could answer your call.
Your fever has been up and down, although not as high as 104.5 again so far, thank goodness. Sometimes you perk up and seem like yourself again. At other times I know you don’t feel well.
I hope you feel better soon, and I hope you’ll forgive me for leaving you at your sickest. If I’d known the antibiotic wouldn’t work as quickly on the strep, I wouldn’t have left.
Sleep soundly sweet angel, and if you need me, just call my name. I love you.
At least for a few days, we could step outside on the deck to watch and listen as the waves battered the shore. We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with good friends. We had silly adventures and shared lots of laughs.
Nikki, Andrew, Nia and Nate rented a beach house on Tybee for a week, and we were able to join them for the holiday weekend. I had been looking forward to this get-together for so long – not just because I love being near the ocean, but because I needed to spend time with my great friends again.
And it’s a good thing we all get along, because the weather didn’t cooperate at first and kept us cooped up inside. Friday night a terrible storm arrived and sat on top of us for 2 days. The rain pelted the windows like a hammer all night, accompanied by loud and angry thunder and lightening. Saturday morning Camille rose bright and early as usual, and I was surprised to find Nikki and Andrew already awake, busy arranging pots beneath the various leaks in the roof.
Between the families, we’d brought plenty of toys, and stayed busy keeping the children out of the pots of dirty rainwater. It’s apparently quite tempting to them when you place big pots on the floor.
It poured and poured, and emergency messages kept flashing on the television warning us that the southern end of Tybee Island was flooding. Which is exactly where we were. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see animals lining up by twos outside.
But the great thing is, it didn’t stop us from having fun. I LOVED watching Camille playing with Nia and Nate and their cousin Ella. She seemed like such a big girl, walking all around the beach house. Nia was especially sweet, telling Camille over and over that she thought she was cute, sweet, and that she loved her. If Camille could have talked, I think she would’ve said the same things back to Nia. Instead, she gave her hugs.
While the babies napped, Nikki and I stared off the porch at the big waves, and couldn’t take it anymore. Like giddy little kids, we put on our swimsuits and ran down to the beach despite the rain in our faces (thankfully the lightening had stopped). The water was warm and the waves were incredible, by usually-placid Tybee standards anyway. We laughed and dove and played, getting smacked around by the waves and feeling like 12 year olds.
Back at the house, the babies woke up and had a snack, and then suddenly – miraculously – the rain ceased. The clouds lingered and the day still looked gloomy, but dry. We suited up the kids, loaded them up in the wagon and headed across the dunes.
We staked out our spot on the sand (lots of other people were arriving too to take advantage of the storm’s intermission) and as soon as Camille’s feet hit the beach, she was ecstatic. She started laughing and walking around with this expression plastered on her face:
Andrew’s parents were visiting as well, and his dad had the fabulous idea of digging out a pool near the ocean in the sand. It filled with water and gave the little ones a place to play without getting chased by the waves. Camille loved wading in and out of the water, smacking the puddle with her shovel, and frustrating the other babies by emptying their buckets of sand.
I was proud of her, watching her interact with the big kids, seeing how beautifully she is growing into a little girl. But she still loves her Mama and Daddy too, for which I am so grateful.
Lee took her into the water to help her jump the waves. I played with her in the sand and helped her dig holes. And my reward was great. Every now and then, she’d stop playing and walk over to me with her arms outstretched. She’d fall into mine, and wrap her arms around my neck in a gigantic hug. In this picture I look like I might eat her, and I think I would have if I could have.
I was also proud of her for the way she handled sleeping and napping. Despite all the excitement, despite new surroundings and not having her crib, she napped beautifully. One afternoon, I laid her down in the pack-n-play, covered her with a blanket, handed her a stuffed puppy, rubbed her forehead and walked away. Moments earlier she’d been laughing and playing, not seeming very sleepy, although I knew she needed to nap. I was prepared for some protest, but heard none. I stood outside the door for a moment, and decided to inch it open to peek inside. I could see her lying there, underneath her blanket, her eyelids growing heavy as she looked at the ceiling, probably thinking about all that fun sand and water. I quietly closed the door and had to stand there a moment to compose myself and keep from crying. It’s hard to explain. She just seemed so … big. So grown up. So un-baby. And while I love Baby Camille, I’m also proud of her un-baby moments too.
One thing that hasn’t changed is her desire to eat sand. She ate so many handfuls of it, most of the time making an awful face, but always going back for more.
Sunday, more rain, but we found plenty of ways to entertain the kids and each other. Monday’s weather couldn’t have been more different – intense blue skies and sunshine. We took Camille to the beach twice, grilled hamburgers, visited with Karen, Brian and Andrew, too, and enjoyed all 3 of the house’s decks. As I stood on one of them, admiring the sun shimmering on the water, I saw a news vehicle from my old station drive by. I remembered how depressing it could be to work on a holiday, doing a story about how much fun everyone else was having. I’d watch the people playing on the beach and wish it were me. And this time, it was. That was a good feeling.
Tuesday morning, we had to get up early to get ready for work and daycare. It was so hard to leave – to say goodbye to the beach, the house, and most of all, the friends. My heart wasn’t in my work that day. I think it was still on vacation.
I realized in looking through my photos, I didn’t get any of the entire Valles family. I wish I had, but at least I have plenty of pictures in my mental memory bank. I miss them already, but I will always treasure the Tybee time we shared.
I’m so excited! Baby Elliot is here!
Anna and Jason’s baby girl arrived early this morning. The whole time she was in labor I practically had to sit on my hands to keep from calling and texting them endlessly, but I was just SO EXCITED! I am really looking forward to sharing motherhood with Anna. I’m looking forward to future family vacations and watching our girls play. I’m looking forward to seeing how Elliot changes and enhances their lives.
I wish we lived close enough for me to go see her, to give her the hug I so badly want to give her. To hold Miss Elliot and say hello.
But at least she’s here, and everyone is healthy. A huge blessing!
I’m a sugar junkie, so I’ve tried to postpone introducing sweets to Camille in the hopes that she won’t follow in my footsteps. But I’m afraid she may have inherited her Mama’s sweet tooth.
At baby school, whenever a baby has a birthday, the parents usually bring in cupcakes for the class to enjoy. The cupcakes work well because at this age, only the birthday boy or girl can have icing. The other babies just get the cake. Here’s Camille smothered in icing during her baby school birthday party.
But apparently, she’s now on the hunt for icing. When her classmate Caleb turned one, the workers tell me she was seated next to the birthday boy as he was handed his frosted cupcake. But before he could taste it, she’d snatched it from him and crammed it into her mouth. Poor Caleb had to eat an icing-free cupcake while Camille enjoyed his birthday prize.
Today, another baby birthday and another attempt at icing thievery. Yikes! At least I can say my little girl is ambitious and willing to go after what she wants!
I can’t deny it. It’s cool to pull up to the tall downtown building, step out of the car, and hand the keys over to the valet. It’s flattering to have the lady at the front desk know your name and treat you like someone special. They’re perks of being part of the “The Club.”
But it also feels a little strange. Like slipping into some designer clothes that feel yummy, but a bit awkward because you don’t know if you even tied the sash right. You wonder if people can tell that you’re out of your comfort zone.
Lee and I recently joined one of Savannah’s private clubs. We joined it for business reasons. They have a great downtown location that can serve as a virtual office and meeting space for Lee until we can get him a proper office space somewhere. Free wifi, free coffee and snacks. Until now, Lee would meet clients in a coffee shop, which was fine, but meeting at “The Club” seems more professional.
While joining was a business decision (and expense), we might as well take advantage of some of the social perks too. They have excellent food, great service, and we hear they have a kickin’ happy hour. I don’t know how often we’ll use that because it’s not exactly kid-friendly, but I’m sure we’ll go a time or two.
As a “welcome gift,” we get several free meals at The Club during our first month. Last weekend, Grammie came to visit and volunteered to keep Camibear while Lee and I got to dress up and try out one of those free dinners.
It was an excellent evening. Piano music accompanied our meal, and I snapped this picture with Lee’s iphone as the sun began to disappear.
The sky was a deep blue, and the lights were shining from the buildings around us and on the square outside our window. We watched the horse-drawn carriages go by, and felt very “Savannah.”
I picked up little bits of conversation from the table next to us. They spent a good deal of time talking about the various features of their Cadillacs.
I don’t know if we are those kind of people. Were it not for the business advantages, we wouldn’t likely join a club like this. But for now, I’ll enjoy slipping on that upscale persona and trying to figure out which piece of silverware a proper lady would use first.
Every day Camille seems to be taking a few more steps on her own, and today she really started getting around on two legs. She’s still wobbly, like maybe there’s kahlua in that milk, but she’s figuring out this walking business. I’m so proud of her!
I got this video tonight as she multi-tasked: walking while eating an animal cracker.
Cami Walks! from Ginger and Vimeo.
It’s so cute to watch her trying out her legs. She still crawls a lot, especially if she has somewhere to go in a hurry, but she’s walking much more today than even yesterday. My big girl.
I also managed to get a photo of two of her teeth tonight. Unfortunately, she also had her hand up to her ear – WHICH IS INFECTED. AGAIN.
Monday, she didn’t eat well and started running a fever. I felt 99% sure her teeth were the cause (two new ones on the top seem to have cut through today), but decided it was worth my $20 copay to double-check. Turns out I was 99% wrong. One ear is infected, and the other had fluid building up and would be infected shortly. Fingers crossed the oral antibiotics work this time, and we don’t have to get the nasty antibiotic shots again. I feel badly that I didn’t take her to the doctor Monday, but at least we went. Thankfully, today she seems to be feeling much better. And just look at that little curl peeking over her shoulder on the left! Adorable.
When we were at the reading festival yesterday, a photographer from the local paper snapped a few shots of us. Camille, her friend Christina, Christina’s mom and I were sitting at one of the reading stations while two girls read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” I tried to persuade Camille to sit in my lap and listen to the story, but she’s used to having the book right in front of her. She wasn’t interested in listening from afar. So she crawled up to one of the ladies reading and pulled up on the lady’s knees so she could stand with her nose in the book. Since Christina was the only other baby nearby I didn’t worry about Camille blocking the view.
The photographer got our names, but she was taking a lot of pics so I didn’t have high expectations. But when I opened the paper today, this picture was on the front page of the local section along with a story about the festival!
The girls were busy playing together and not listening to the story, but their sheer cuteness was undeniable and obviously worthy of making the news.
Hello sweet-yet-crabby girl. I’m so glad you seem to be sleeping peacefully right now. You’ve had a rough night! Apparently, tooth #4 is working its way into your mouth, and it’s not being very nice about it. You’ve been a little cranky the last 24 hours or so, but tonight, you were absolutely miserable. It reminded your Daddy and me of those times when you were a newborn and you’d be crying, and nothing we did would help. Except at least this time, we were pretty sure we knew the cause of the tears. That darn tooth. All the drooling and biting and biting and drooling were pretty good indicators.
I think you were also fussy because you were tired -after all, we’ve had a very busy weekend! A great weekend, but busy. Yesterday was our friend Jonathan’s birthday, and his party was on the beach at Tybee. The weather was hot but the water was perfect – just cool enough to be refreshing, but warm enough to be inviting. Your Daddy and I took you out past the breaking waves to swim around, and you really seemed to enjoy it. You also liked sitting at the ocean’s edge with your Daddy, watching the waves come wash over you both.
You were such a great baby – the hardest part of the whole trip was trying to keep you from eating sand. You probably ate 6 or 7 fistfuls of sand, both dry and wet. And those are just the fistfuls we saw. Who knows how many you snuck in when your back was to us. You’d think after the first bite you’d decide it wasn’t tasty, but apparently not. I’m just not sure what to think of your decision not to eat any of the vegetables I cook for you. You’ll eat sand, but not broccoli. Hmm.
We’ve had a lot of fun over this last month, and you’ve done a lot of growing. In the past couple of days, you’ve taken even more steps – as many as four at a time. You’re still happy to crawl most places, but I think it won’t be long before you’re running around everywhere.
And that will certainly make you seem like less of a little baby, whether I like it or not. The same is true with getting rid of your bottles. At your 12 month check up, the doctor said we needed to be done with baby bottles by 15 months. That felt like such a tough measure, for me and for you. You seem to still enjoy getting a bottle, and I definitely enjoy giving you one.
We cut out your mid-morning bottle right away without any trouble. Two days ago, we cut out your afternoon bottle. Two down and two to go. But I think these 2 will be the hardest (for me, anyway). I love giving you a bottle when you wake because it seems like a nice, sweet way to start the day. But the nighttime bottle is my favorite. We curl up together on the couch and I stroke your hair and kiss on your forehead and generally smother you in snuggles. I don’t know if you’ll let me do that without a bottle involved. You don’t usually sit still long enough. For your sake, I hope weaning you off these other 2 bottles isn’t tough, but I know it’ll be hard for me. Promise we can still cuddle?
You’ve also begun using a spoon at mealtime, and I couldn’t believe how quickly you caught on. I haven’t let you try loading the spoon yet, but if I put food on it and hand it to you, you have no problem eating off of it every time. The first time we tried the spoon I had mashed potatoes on it. You liked them, but refused to give the empty spoon back. You’d prefer to just chew on it, and you’d cry every time I took it away to reload it with more mashed potatoes. But then – oh then – I put MACARONI AND CHEESE on it. Your eyes widened, and then you immediately handed the spoon back to me for more. That’s when your Daddy got out the video camera.
Cami Spoon from Ginger and Vimeo.
Your Daddy has a cool little digital camera that also does video. It’s usually sitting around the living room, so he regularly has it on hand to get little clips of you doing cute things. He captured this video of you discovering his wallet, and I added a musical touch. Is this a sign of things to come?
Cami Likes Money from Ginger and Vimeo.
But do you know what you like much more than money? Maybe even more than macaroni and cheese? BOOKS. You love books. I always hoped you would like to read, and I hope this early attraction carries on throughout your life. But right now, I think I could safely qualify it as an addiction.
Every day when we’re playing in your room or in the living room, you pick up book after book after book and bring it to one of us. Then you do the cutest thing. As I take the book from you, you climb into my lap. That’s your absolute favorite place to read. You’ll sit there and help flip the pages, pointing and laughing at the good parts. Your favorite book right now is probably “Baby Farm Animals,” given to you on your birthday by Aunt Carol and Uncle Barry. It has a couple of pictures of puppies, and you grow more and more excited as we turn the pages and get closer to the pictures of the puppies. Then when we finally get to them, you’ll often start saying, “Woof! Woof!” TOO CUTE.
I’m so glad you like books, but I have to admit, your Daddy and I have talked about locking them up after a while to give us a moment’s break. Your appetite for reading is insatiable, and we will reread the same book so many times we lose count. But in reality, we’d never take your books away, and we’d never want to discourage you from reading. Besides, it’s so sweet when you crawl up into our laps – so who could say no to you? Not us. Not even if we’ve already read “Baby Farm Animals” 892 times. In the last five minutes.
That’s why I knew today’s event in Daffin Park would be perfect for you. It was a celebration of reading, and featured storybook stations throughout the oak-shaded expanse of grass. There were singers and performers too. We went with Christina, one of your friends from baby school, and I snapped this photo of you crawling around on the astroturf at one of the reading stations.
You and Christina came back to the house to play for a bit. I love watching you play with other children. You are so sweet! You love to give hugs, and I melt every time. Sometimes, you don’t know the strength of your own hug. You tried to give one to a younger baby friend last weekend, and ended up pinning her face-down to the ground. But you meant well! I got this picture when you gave Christina a pat on the head (it was a sweet pat, even though this pic makes it look like more of a beat-down!).
Sweet Camille, I am so proud of the little person you are and the person you seem to be growing into. I just feel honored to be the Mama who gets to watch you blossom. Thank you for another great month – for all the hugs, the kisses, the cuddles and the laughs. Sweet dreams, little angel. Mama loves you.
As much as Lee and I love music, I’m quite pleased that Camille seems to really enjoy music too. To be honest, I don’t know any baby who doesn’t perk up to the sound of a song, but I’m glad all the same.
Some of Camille’s favorite toys are musical. Right now she’s really into percussion (she probably just really likes hitting things, but it sounds better to call it “percussion”). She also got a baby piano for her birthday, and loves to play. And for whatever reason, when she’s really getting into a particular song, she likes to look skyward and raise a little pudgy hand. She reminds me of someone in a church praise band. She stands up, bending over the keys, but with one palm lifted toward the heavens. When she does this, I say she’s “testifying.” Lee caught it on video the other day.
Camille Plays Piano from Ginger and Vimeo.
Her affinity for music was the main reason we chose a rock-n-roll theme for her first birthday party. As a party gift, we gave our guests a CD compilation of Camille’s favorite songs (well, everyone was supposed to get a CD, but we were so wrapped up in the party that I didn’t remember to hand out the CDs until half the guests had already left. I still have several to distribute).
I’ve been listening to the CD in the car quite a bit, and reflecting on some of the songs with special significance. I thought I ought to write it all down before I forget.
There are 3 songs on there from a Rocky Mountain Holiday tape featuring John Denver and The Muppets. We started playing this tape when Camille was a tiny baby, and just fell in love with the fun, upbeat songs and silly lyrics. “Down By the Old Mill Stream” and “Grandma’s Feather Bed” are 2 of our favorites, and they regularly get stuck in my head. But the best is the song that closes out Camille’s compilation CD, “No One Like You.” It’s a sweet lullaby about how much a child is loved, and how the child should feel special because there is no one else like her in the world. When Camille was a newborn, I spent an entire evening with her in the nursery, rewinding the tape over and over until I learned the lyrics. Now, it’s one of the songs I sing to her nearly every night before I put her to bed.
Lots of the songs, like “Pull Shapes,” “Rock-n-Roll Radio,” and “Get Rhythm,” made the cut because they’re upbeat songs from artists Lee and I enjoy listening to. They’re not children’s songs, but Camille hears them a lot anyway and they’re just fun.
“C is for Cookie” made it on there because it’s a fun song, and because “C” also stands for Camille.
“Vega-Tables” is from Brian Wilson’s Smile CD, and while the CD isn’t a kid’s CD, the song seems very much aimed at children. It’s one Lee and Camille listen to regularly while playing together in her room.
“The Wonder Pets!” had to be on there because I’m addicted to the little creatures. I was introduced to the Wonder Pets cartoon when visiting Allen and Missy and the kids in Fayetteville. The chick, turtle, and hamster are so cute, and I just fell in love with them and their zany songs. I find myself singing them all the time.
“I Will” by the Beatles has the sweetest lyrics about loving someone for a lifetime, and seemed very appropriate.
“The Moose Song” is a cute and silly little sing-a-long song that Grammie picked up at one of her 4-H camps. She started singing it one time when she was visiting, and it stuck.
“Squib Cakes” is one of my favorites. It’s a jazz number by Pancho Sanchez. When I was pregnant, Lee and I were cleaning the house one Saturday and we had the radio tuned to a jazz station. We’d been working so hard, and both collapsed onto the sofa for a quick break. When the feisty, fun opening beats of “Squib Cakes” came on, all of the sudden Camille lurched inside my belly. It was the first time Lee and I were able to actually see her movements on my stomach, not just feel them. She danced and danced throughout the song, then quieted again when it was over. We immediately bought it on itunes.
I guess we knew then she was our musical girl. And so far, she still is!
