20 Months Old....SO hard to believe!!!

C and her daddy...as happy as can be :)

     My beautiful baby girl is 20 months old today.....I can't believe how fast time is flying!!!!  Chris and I are definitely enjoying this stage in Cammie's life!  She is at such a fun age...we love to hear that big, wonderful laugh she lets out multiple times a day!  We love to watch her mind process, discover and figure out how things work.  We love hearing her sing along in the car (the Hot Dog song is permanently on repeat in my car :), to the t.v. or to the Itunes that are playing from someone's phone, despite not knowing the words nor ever hearing that particular song before. :)  We love the way she squeezes us tight, offers a kiss and gives us a rushed "love you"at the most needed moments in the day.  


Here are a few other things she loves or does at this age:

• COLORING....she is obsessed!  From the minute she wakes up in the morning she is ready to color and will pat the floor for you to sit beside and color along with her.  I secretly love to watch her spread all her materials on the floor, lay on her belly and go to town in her book.  I have noticed her switching the hands she uses to color as she is discovering "what feels right."  She is primarily right-handed, but likes to explore with her left hand (even though you can always tell she is thinking, "this doesn't feel right" when she uses that hand to try and color).
• Playing Outside:  We could play outside with this little girl 24 hours a day.  She loves being outside, but absolutely hates grass (go figure...).  When she plays outside she still absolutely loves her pink car!  She has also developed an interest in mowing the grass (with her lawnmower), blowing bubbles, swinging (on the big swings, not the baby swings), dominating any park or playground and playing at or on the baseball field.  She could be on that field for hours (wonder who she gets that from????)
• Babies:  This is a new interest that has started very recently.  I am sure the upcoming arrival of Baby Ellie is the root of this new interest. :) Unfortunately, we are still not moved into our new house (37 more days from today I think. :)  We usually spend at least one day a week at Nick and Chrissie's house and C is very interested in Baby E's room.  I am not sure if this is because she misses her own room so much, there are so many interesting and new items in that room or a combination of the two.  Cammie hears quite a bit of talk about "the baby" and really seems to have an interest...She will pick up a pack of Ellie's diapers or wipes and say, "baby."  She will try to put a baby in the bouncer (which is better than what she was doing...trying to climb in it :), she wants to feed the baby whatever she is eating and will hold the baby and pat her in the sweetest way!  This will definitely melt your heart! :)  She now has a bathtub baby and seems to notice babies anywhere we go!
• Talking: Cammie is starting to say more two and three syllable words and even some two and three word phrases.  Her most popular phrase she says is "There you go!"  You will also hear things like "Come on, ______, where are you? (when she's looking for something) swing, bubbles, chicky (chicken nuggets), hot dog, ketchup, biscuits (her bottom :) and blankey.  I have noticed that she is really picking up on saying names.  She will try to say EVERYONE'S name..... a few new names we have added are Lulu, Riley, Maggie (a more clear version), Zoey, Shelby (one of my mom's dogs...sounds like Belby) and Tammy (Mammy). She is definitely making sure everyone is always accountable for. :)
• Imaginary Play (in it's earliest form):  I LOVE to watch her begin to have fun with make believe!  Cammie has started to "talk" on the phone and have pretend conversations.....you will hear some realistic pieces of phone conversation such as "hello, mmm hmmm, and bye."  She also likes to pretend with food. Cammie likes to get a plate and pretend to eat something from the plate with a fork or spoon.  She will also feed you the pretend food as well. :)  
• Discovering her Independence:  Although this can be so tough on mommy and daddy, it is so crazy to think how big she is getting.  We have definitely started the phrase of "I do it."  She likes to buckle herself in her car seat (not always successful, but she must always try), push the stroller or pink car (rather than sit in it), eat (with a fork or spoon....we can't help her at all), walk down the sidewalk and tries to do the street (without holding a hand....she will often sit down in the middle of the road when you are trying to squeeze onto her hand...so stubborn!)                            

Being Big

     I feel like in the blink of an eye my little C Monster has completely turned from baby to toddler.  We have started the independent stage.....as exciting as it is to see her take charge I know many moms can understand the frustration it brings as well! :) I can no longer put her in her car seat and go...I have to wait and let her try to buckle the top straps.  If I try to take over or rush her in any way I get a very prominent, "NO!" in her adorable high pitched voice. :)  We are currently battling a hand holding phase....Little Miss thinks that she should be able to walk on her own...EVERYWHERE!  We are really trying to teach her the difference in sidewalks and streets and when she must hold a hand to be safe.  Steps are another battle we face...she is a stair master!  Basement, concrete, you name it she can and will do it all.by.herself!  She makes me a nervous wreck at my mom and dad's house, because she insists on going up and DOWN the big concrete steps on her own like a big person.  No more crawling up..she stands and maneuvers them like a pro!  Last night I was sitting and playing with her and some toys downstairs.  She has a picnic basket that she can sort the different blocks that are shaped liked food.  Not only was she sorting the heart, circle, triangle and square in the correct holes, but she was also matching the colors on the picnic blanket with the shapes as well.  It blew my mind that she was matching the yellow block to the yellow shape on the blanket, the red block to the red shape on the blanket, etc.  Where did she learn to do that?  We have been talking a lot about colors and their names, but I was just amazed at how those little wheels were turning!  She is getting, so, so big!  
   

Easter 2012

    Wow! What a wonderful, fabulous, busy, fun day!  Easter for the Kane family actually started Friday night.  Northside does a Friday service for Easter which is fabulous and necessary for our family this time of year.  Chris had a double header Saturday against Borden and then Chrissie, Nick, Chris and I had tickets to the Reds for opening weekend.  Sunday is SO crazy for us...we start early so church on Sunday isn't an option either.  After a wonderful message from George, Chrissie and Nick headed back to mom and dad's with us for pizza...(we still make sure we have Pizza Friday as often as we can even though things are crazy :) 
    Easter morning actually started about 8:15 when Camryn woke up in a great mood and was ready to jump down and find the dogs (the same way she starts every day :).  Cammie woke up and we gave her all of her Easter goodies.

C's Easter Basket (filled with rain boots, animal crackers, books, hair clips, Crayola Color Wonder (she is love with coloring) and  big girl panties for this summer (I am determined she will be potty-trained before I go back to work :)

And the best present of all.....the Cozy Coupe (I just used Easter as an excuse to buy the toy she absolutely loves!)

One of the first things she did...put her crayons in it....of course in 20 minutes the car had crayon marks....drives my Type A personality crazy :)

Coloring inside the Cozy Coupe (combining her 2 favorite things)

Our princess :)

     We had to quickly get showered and dressed to be on the road by 9:40.  We went to visit Aunt Bug, Uncle Richard, Xav. and the rest of the Vogel family for a few extra hugs, laughs, pictures and fun before going to Chris' grandparent's house for Easter.  I wish they lived a little closer...we just don't get to see them enough. :( C absolutely loves their farm!  

Cautiously looking at the baby goats...she actually was very timid and scared around them

Aunt Bug and Bonnie trying super hard to get C to pet them...she was having none of it

The famous Xavier :)

The snapping turtle Xav caught last week....it's a monster!

Lovin' on Cleo...C wanted to pet the big goats, just not the babies????

Giving Skittle the Raccoon high-fives....I know it seems crazy, but they have had the raccoon since it was a baby.....it's crazy how soft their hands are :)

Leading dad back to the goats :)

Lookin' at the goats....She loves it there!

Calling Cleo and trying to get as close to them as possible :)

     Next, we headed to Chris' grandparent's for lunch.  Chris' dad's side of the family is very large.  We typically don't see everyone, but a few times per year.  It is so nice to visit and catch up with everyone.  After lunch C headed to the park with her cousins and Aunt Carmel, while Bug tried to teach me how to use my high-tech camera.  There is SO much to learn.  I am just going to have to bear down and take a class.  I want to be able to catch the best of every single memory. :)  (Of course I had my camera out trying to learn how to use it, but didn't take any pictures....just silly!)  Around 3:30 C had had about all she could take and we headed towards home.  She was asleep before we hit the main highway in North Vernon. :)
     Easter just happened to fall on the same day as my Aunt Tammy's birthday.  Tammy and C are super close so we met her, Granny, mom, dad, Nick and my cousin for dinner at Mike Linnings in Louisville.  I hate going there because I eat terrible, but they have some of the best fried fish!  It was a cool afternoon, but we had a great time celebrating her special day.  Mammy (as Camryn calls her) took C to the playground before we even got our food.  If you have kept up with us at all you know C is in love with playgrounds these days.  She actually returned to the table without too much of a fight and ate a decent dinner.  We headed right back after she ate so she could swing and enjoy the last of the nice afternoons we were scheduled to have for a few days.

Uncle Walt (Nick) pushing her on the swings

Her new favorite pastime :)

So big and so much fun!

<3 love this face...."wheee!!!"

3 of my favorite people :)

Of course we can't leave out climbing up and down stairs :)

     At 7:30 we were finally headed home for the day.  The three of us including Camryn were pretty tuckered, but Nana insisted that C have the opportunity to hunt Easter eggs.  (She always loved that when Nick and I were little. :)  While C was downstairs playing she hid the eggs around the upstairs living room.  After spotting an egg she was very inquisitive about this process.  She was very excited to open them and find M & M's (her favorite candy inside).  After a few treats and a little prompting she successfully found all of the eggs.

A little help from the dogs....Brohdi and Josie are always in the middle of whatever is going on

Showing Nana the eggs she found :)

Hunting Eggs

Animal Sounds

     Camryn has always had a special place in her heart for the dogs.  She absolutely adores them.  Her love for animals has started to grow, as she has become interested in animals at the zoo, on walks with grandma or in books.  She has started to memorize the sounds animals make and has mastered:

1. cow: "moo"
2. dog:"arf, arf" (she changes her voice and makes it very high pitched when she does the dog sound :)
3. cat: "meow"
4. rooster: "cock-a-doodle-doo"
5. pig: "oink, oink:
6. duck: "quack, quack"
7. horse: "neigh"
8. tiger & lion: "roar"

When you ask her the sounds for each animal we also add:
9. What does Pop/Grandma say? "No, no, no" (and she shakes her finger)
10.  What does Mr. Dos (from Special Agent Oso) say? She puts her hand up to her mouth (like she is talking into the watch that Oso talks to Mr. Dos on and mumbles into it.  (Mr. Dos has a robotic voice).  She often laughs halfway through this and it is too funny! Check her out!

A Rough Mommy Day

     Today was not my best day. :(  Work has been ToUgH!  Tough as in I ask myself how will I ever continue this craziness for the rest of my life.  My kids are driving me CRAZY at school.  It's been an interesting year to say the least, but I have had three move-ins in the last 3 weeks which brings my total up to 28.  This is the largest class I have ever had.  I also have the special ed. cluster of 7, which makes things even a little hairier.  (I am including all these details so one day I can hopefully think of this year as just one of those years...)  I feel like my kids are running me over...every...single...day!  I am not sure if it is all the factors going on in life right now (baseball (as everyone knows my husband leaves 2-3 mornings a week for batting practice at 6 a.m., doesn't return until after 8 p.m. and plays 5-6 days per week....I get to be a very single mommy :(, the lack of having our own house, the stress of buying, furnishing, thinking about our new house, school (+30) and work), but for the last few weeks it has just felt like too much (and we just had spring break!).  Today I had a very bad end to my day (second day in a row it was a rough day) and Camryn had not taken a very good afternoon nap.  She was so cranky.  I already had no patience and well....our evening just wasn't as enjoyable as I would have liked.  I was so short with her.  :(  When Chris came in he could tell I needed a break and took her to rock (One of my favorite things we do at night).  Then I felt bad. :( My precious girl, who I always complain that I don't ever spend enough time with and I couldn't wait for a moment to myself. I was so frustrated with her cries, her stubbornness, her neediness.  I was frustrated because that is what I deal with every day x 28.  Definitely feeling guilty..... and wondering if it's worth it. :/

Gymnastics

     A few weeks ago Camryn started gymnastics at SIGS.  She and I participate in a parent-tot class along with our friends Danielle and Luciana.  This is our first attempt at organized activity for Miss. C.  She is very used to getting what she wants, when she wants it ALL of the time.  She is the center of everyone's world, therefore I thought it would be a great idea to try when Danielle mentioned it to me.  It is also a wonderful excuse to get these girls together and get out of the house.  So far Cammie seems to like the balance beam, trampoline, crawling over and under objects and play time of course.  She is NOT a fan of the bars or doing front or back flips. :) We actually had quite the tantrum last week when Chrissie went with us to take a few pictures.  She wanted to go with the big kids, rather than stay with her class.  She also wanted to play in the house they allowed them to play in the week before spring break, while class was going on.  It took a minute to get her calmed down, but once we did she was back in action!  I am hoping she will continue to grow, love it and be a pro like her friend Luci by the time the next class rolls around.  Here are a few shots of her performing. :)

Waiting for directions with her best friend (and soon-to-be next door neighbor :) LuLu

Rotten!

LOVES to jump!

Preparing to jump again :)

Practicing :)

Luci practicing her up and overs...she is like a pro in this class :)

Camryn's FAVORITE part of gymnastics: playing "How Many Monkeys"  (She walks around the house shaking her finger and doing her interpretation of "No more monkeys jumping on the bed."  We think it's adorable :)