Happy 1st Birthday, Charlotte!

One year ago today...

I had been contracting for weeks.  But this day was different.  I drove around Madison, picking up some hand-me-down clothes and a bjorn Chad bought on Ebay.  Man.  Things were pretty easy with just one kid, then!  I called Chad and he came home in the afternoon.  Our neighbor listened for Cameron while he was napping so Chad and I could walk around the neighborhood to get things moving.  Our neighbors ended up going out to dinner and were trying to hurry back to be able to watch Cameron while we went to the hospital.  I still remember the look on Cameron's face as we drove away.  He was so sad!  But he did fine that night.

My blood pressure was really high when we got to the hospital, so I stayed in triage for a few hours.  I tried so hard to go naturally, but because of my blood pressure, they wouldn't let me get out of bed (I was hooked up to a monitor).  I hadn't planned on being in bed during labor and I knew my body was too tense to be able to handle the pain.  So I said I would get an epidural.  Holy Moly!  Why did I even want to try it naturally?!?!?!  That was the best epidural ever (you know, I've had two!).  I was so relaxed and warm.  From the time we got to the hospital until Charlotte was born, it had been about 6 hours-- about half the amount of time it took for Cameron to be born.  So let's hope our next kid will be even faster!  Charlotte was born at 11:47ish pm(I think!) and weighed 7 pounds, 15 oz.

Charlotte is 1!

Charlotte is such a different kid from Cameron.  It's amazing how different two kids can be.  Charlotte is much more intense and dramatic.  But she's also a ton of fun.  Katie said it perfectly when she described Charlotte as "spunky."  She's so vocal already and copies things that I do.  It seemed to take Cameron a while to do certain things that Charlotte already does.  So she surprises me every day.

I don't have her stats yet-- she has a doc apt. on Tuesday.  But I know she weighs 20 pounds!  She has 2 teeth, with another 3 or 4 either poking through or trying to poke through on the top.  Charlotte can crawl like a maniac (usually with one knee and one foot on the ground) and can pull up to standing without holding onto things.  She can walk along the couch and has even taken a few steps by herself.  We're working on walking.  She LOVES the water and isn't afraid of putting her face in the tub... and even the nasty lake!  So we're excited for the beach!  Charlotte is really curious about everything and wants to do exactly what her brother does.  It's so fun to watch her imitate him!

Like with Cameron, it's hard to remember what it was like before Charlotte came along.  We love her fun personality and craziness.  We also love how much she and Cameron love each other.

Happy Birthday, baby girl!

What we've been up to...

Working in the garden...

Going to the Temple...

This was last month...

This was two years ago...

(I decided NOT to include the pics of me from two years ago (you might be able to see me a little above) -I had gotten down to my pre-pregnancy weight after working my butt off and I was dang proud of the way I looked.  This time around, I haven't worked so hard, mostly due to some ongoing, mysterious health issues-- don't worry, I've had lots of tests done and I'll let you know what I find out when I find them out--so looking at the old pics made me depressed.  Let's focus on the kids, shall we?)

Getting ready for church...  

And laying on the floor?  Out of boredom?  Guess I take a while to get ready in the morning.  Chad, you're not allowed to comment on that.

Picking out Cameron's fro...

  Cameron laughed for a while when he saw himself in the mirror.

Going to Bratfest...

hanging out, eating hot dogs, listening to the bands, playing in the kid area while dad worked behind the scenes.  Thanks, dad!

And having a really BIG BBQ

for Memorial Day with old friends and neighbors.

We're excited summer is here!

Bath time and Mother's Day

And Chad's greatest Mother's Day gift to me of all time?!

Awww yeah.  No more mustache May!!!

What can I say about Cameron?

Well, for one thing,  

he's 3! 

(Well, he'll be 3 around 2:30ish-- I think-- tomorrow.  My memory is fading and I can't remember the exact time he was born.  I'm a bad mom.)

Here are some pictures of Cameron from the years (there are so many, I just picked some of my favorites).

 One of his first bath experiences... didn't seem like he enjoyed it too much.

But I think he learned to like them!

'

Another drunky one.

Cameron was always a happy, chill baby.

Just a cute face here.

He sure does love that thumb.

And walking in other people's shoes (including my church shoes, but I don't have a pic of that).

He's also had a variety of hairstyles.

From the uber long...

To the barely there...

To incredibly curly.

Sometimes he doesn't like to listen...

And he's often afraid of the unknown.

But he adores his Daddy.

He's growing up so fast.  I can't believe it's been 3 years since he joined our family.  He's grown up so much in the last year.  He's in preschool and has learned a ton.  He loves drinking Daddy's root beer (any soda is root beer to him).  He loves being around other kids and playing outside.  He loves loves loves his sister, Charlotte and is really good with her.  He knows his ABC's, his numbers up to about 20, I think (although he usually skips 14 and 15 for some reason), he knows a lot of animals, colors, shapes, and loves "structions"-- construction vehicles like cherry pickers and rubber-tired backhoes and dump trucks.  He loves to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and asks me to say, "Yay" after he sings it if I happen to fail to do that!  He also loves to sing "Happy Birthday." I have no idea how much he weighs or how tall he is.  He was supposed to have his check up tomorrow, but I had to reschedule.  And I'm sure he won't mind not getting shots on his birthday!

Some of his favorite sayings are:

"What are you talkin' 'bout?"
 Me: "Cameron, why did you pee in your underpants?"  Cameron: "Because it's wet."  Uh, what?
"Why?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?"
"I need a hug."
He told my mom before we left VA, "I'm going to miss you."  I think that just about made her year.
"I love you."

Cameron was a really chill, mellow, happy baby.  He's always been very sweet-natured and kind.  He's also very compassionate to me and Chad and his sister as well as other kids.  He's kind of shy when he first meets you, but he warms up pretty quickly and loves to have fun.

We're so grateful Heavenly Father sent Cameron to our family.  He's a great example to us and he's a lot of fun to be around.

We love you Cameron!  

Happy Birthday, Buddy!