9 month update-Camilla

After a month of standing at the foot of stairs crying, she figured out how to get up the stairs. She also loves to shake her head No at me. She has gotten pretty picky about the foods she likes. She would eat frozen peas before, but now has decided they just aren't her thing and will stick her tongue out of her mouth to keep one from going in. We finally made it to full nights of sleep with no interruptions. What a relief. She loves making messes already--papers on the nightstand, movies on the movie stand, baskets of CDs, you name it.
Adorable as she is, she's the runt of the litter. At her 9 month well check she was just over 16 lbs, so she's still wearing 3-6 month clothes and her head circumference isn't even on the charts for percentiles, and has no teeth whatsoever. She likes to bop along to the songs when we sing as a family. Too cute.

Preschool and Emma

Remember my charity entry? Well, I'm going to add teaching co-op preschool on there. I love the kids, and at the end of the 3 hr craziness I can even admit that it's really not that bad. But, I have to share something from this last Friday.

As background, Abri is part of a 10 child co-op group. (Yes, we're a bit optimistic having that many kids in the group, but it just worked out that way given a few factors related to which kids/families were participating this year.) We had 3 weeks of teaching for each child we had participating in the co-op, two days each week. I just finished my 3 week assignment last Friday. Emma stayed home from school that day.

(As a side note--she had complained that morning before school that her tummy was hurting. It was similar to a time we had had with her two weeks earlier where she stayed home for the same reason but never got sick, so I figured it was the same thing, that she wasn't contagious, and that it's got to be related to allergies/digestion issues that we are working out with her--to reassure any of my friends reading this whose kids came over that day and wondered why she was there at all.)

It was actually pretty great having Emma there to help. She is such a great eldest child--always looking for ways to help. (On the down side, she is quite the little mom already in her reprimands of the little girls, but she really does mean well.) She was quick to think of things to do, even suggesting that we do a W activity where we say sentences to the kids and they have to say which word(s) start with W. She basically gave me that extra pair of hands that really comes in handy when you have so many kids asking for help with glueing, opening lunch items, washing hands, etc.

Well, after all the kids had gone home, Emma asked me, "Mom, are they always that loud?"
Me: "Yep."
Emma, smiling: "Wow, I feel bad for you. . .[then reflectively] I wonder if they are louder than we are."
Me: "Your class?"
Emma: "Yeah. We get pretty loud. I don't know how Mrs Key does it everyday."

Me either. Kudos to teachers. Make a point to thank those teachers in your kids lives. They are awesome.

Exasperation

I was getting out of the shower the other day when I heard a knock on the bathroom door. "Mama!" came Abri's voice.
"Yes?"
"Cami!"
Without even opening up the door to see: "Abri, did you pick her up? You can put her down. I can't get her right now."
Then in exasperation, "I can't take care of her all the time. She'll start crying if I put her down."

Of all the girls, Abri is the one still obsessed with Camilla. She loves picking her up and giving her kisses but she hates when Camilla cries and often picks her up when I am not as responsive as she thinks I should be. Kayla tolerates her. Emma helps with her when I ask but doesn't generally volunteer.

8 months? 8 months! Camilla's update

I truly can't believe it. She wants to be a big girl already, whether it's eating, playing, going upstairs, or talking (except taking a bath, she HATES baths). She has wanted very much to get up the stairs on her own this month. She's spent an inordinate amount of time standing against the bottom step crying because she hasn't figured out yet how to climb up them like the big girls. She has been pulling up on furniture a lot but isn't surfing it yet, so walking isn't in the imminent future at least. (As of 2/30/10 she is now surfing and pulling whatever she can off tables, night stands, movie racks, you name it. . .)



She most adamantly wants food like the other girls. She'll grab anything on the table within reach. (That meant quite an unpleasant evening for Leanne who spent the evening soaked from ice water Camilla had spilled on her when they went out to celebrate Todd's birthday yesterday.)
Her Loves:

• peaches, peas (from frozen-she screams to high heaven when I tried the baby food stuff), applesauce, and little puffs.
• blowing bubbles
• making noises in Sunday school (albeit happy ones) to disturb everyone else.

I get almost as many comments about what a happy baby she is as I do about how pretty she is. She's a sweetheart and we are grateful to have her.

Charity Is. . .

• Wiping spit up off your child's skin before you wipe it off of yours
• Disciplining with love when you're actually pretty upset that there is glue spilled all over the carpet
• Playing Barbies again, and again, and again
• Reading books to your kids when you really want to be taking a nap
• Sharing your favorite dessert
• Potty Training
• throwing birthday parties and all their associated stress to make it a special day for your kids

I'm still working on this list. . .feel free to add any that strike you. . .

Marketing works

Kayla brought a DVD to me 2 days ago. It was a Toppers Club DVD for Farmers, with the picture of a Top Hat and the Farmers Logo. She kept saying something about it, holding it out to me, and I couldn't figure it out. I thought she was saying off (something) so I guessed outfits? dress-up? with the assumption that she was looking at the hat on the DVD. She said No, shook her head, then repeated what she was saying, this time pointing at the Farmers logo on the DVD. I said Office? and she nodded excitedly, "Uh-huh!" and returned it to the shelf. I had to laugh--of course, she figured out the association of the logo with Daddy's office.



Two days later, she brought me yet another object from our plethora of Farmers labeled items--a red can opener grip, then said, "Farm, Todd," and, after getting my customary acknowledgement of what she said, then went back to whatever she was doing with it. I didn't realize even Kayla would have picked up on the Farmers logo, but then again, I should have realized--as images of Dora and Barney are just two obvious proofs of that.

Have Fun

Todd dropped Abri off at a birthday party today. Abri before leaving the car said to Todd, "I'll have fun. . ."

Note to self: stop telling my kids to have fun and change to something more constructive, like the "remember who you are." Then again, is it so bad to remind them to have fun? Hmm. . .