Carving his first pumpkin!!

Looking Back

On the 4th Cameron will be home 8 months. I really can't believe it has been that long. I was looking at some video we took on our pick-up trip and when we got home. The first one is from our pick-up trip in Guatemala. This was the first time he gave me a kiss. Most of you know my son is VERY affectionate. He will love on almost anyone he meets.

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The second video is his first time walking. He only gave me two days after coming home before walking. I wish I wouldn't have missed those few months of seeing him crawl. All well. I love him bunches anyway!!

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Mamaw & Papaw!

Dan's mom wanted a special name for Cameron to call her. All the other grandkids just call them grandma & grandpa. We decided to see what Cameron comes up with. It is now officially Mamaw & Papaw. He says it all the time now with all the other names he says. Dada, mama, bubba, nanna, mamaw, papaw, sammy, boo boo, loo loo, riri, kitty, pooh, tigger, elmo and mickey. I hear them all day every day but it is so cute. Here is a short video with him saying it. It was also his first time with ketchup!! Yeah! LOL!!!

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Mommy's birthday, Disney on Ice & wedding shots!

What a week!

Sorry it has been awhile but for the first time ever little man was sick. Saturday we went to Disney on Ice. Cameron cried at first when he saw Mickey & Minnie. We were the 3rd row and probably a little too close for him. He finally settled down and just had that Ah look on his face. I cried of course. I love seeing that look when he discovers new things. Of course I wanted to get him a souvenir but they are so over priced. We are going to Disney next week and we would rather spend our money there. We left at intermission and headed to the wedding reception. Dan didn't think we would make it but we did with like 15 minutes to spare. Cameron had fun but wanted to continue running around the dance floor while there were a lot of drunk people out there. I think we did a little too much that day because the next day he was so sick. He had a really bad cold and is just now getting better. And thank God, I don't know if I can handle anymore of the snotty nose. We bought a new car last week and I am so excited since we are taking that to Florida. It is fully loaded but we saved a ton of money. It will be nice to turn on the DVD player for Cameron when he is awake. He loves riding in that car. Not much else going on around here. Just getting ready for our trip. This is our first full week vacation as a family. I know I am over packing just like I did for Guatemala but I am always over prepared. Who knew?! LOL!!! Cameron now says Papaw & Mamaw which is what he now calls Dan's parents. It is so cute hearing him say everyone's names all day. Sadly I am actually almost done with his Christmas shopping. We decided to start early to spread it out a bit. I just wish I would have started everyone else first. I know it will be hard not to keep buying him things. When we get home from Florida the tree is going up. Last year I was going to boycott Christmas because he wasn't home yet but the week before I decided to go with it. This year is going to be the best b/c he is home. I am getting so excited already. I have spent a lot of time today thinking of his birth mother. I would love to be in contact with her somehow. Unfortunately my agency says go through them but it has been 8 months and I still haven't gotten any pictures of his foster family yet. I think the best thing may be to go straight to her. Just to send her pictures & updates on Cameron. I would love her to know how he doing and how grateful we are to her for letting us raise him. I am so happy to say he is our son. It is hard though to wonder how different her life is in Guatemala. We have decided to hold out and wait & see if Guat opens up next year. Both our hearts are still in Guatemala and I would love to have that Mayan princess that already lives in my heart. I leave you with pictures of Cameron at the pumpkin patch from a few weeks ago. We went with Dan's parents and his sister and her family. It was the first time he has really just got to play with his two cousins. It was actually 90 degrees and very humid. I really wanted to do the hay ride but Cameron was in a mood and the heat didn't help at all. Evan & him really had fun being boys!!! Friday night after trick-or-treat we leave for Florida. Yeah!!!!

Happy 31st Birthday!

I turn 31 today and this is the best birthday ever because I get to spend it with my son. We tend to make the whole weekend our birthday weekend around here. I love doing that. Tonight we are just going to play with toys at a new store that opened and then out to dinner. Tomorrow we are going to Disney on Ice although we won't get to see all of the show. We have to go to the wedding reception right after. Then Sunday I think we will either go to COSI in Columbus or the Children's Museum in Cincinnati. I know what about what I want to do but seeing a big smile on my son's face just makes my birthday wishes come true. (I had my first girl's night out last Friday night. It was fun to take a break from everything. Thanks for watching Cam daddy.)

Here is the e-mail I got this morning from my son: (I cried for a minute)

Happy B-Day Mommy!

Daddy and I want to take you to the Montgomery Inn tonight after we check out my Christmas gift options. I’m going to be very good today for you.

Love,

Cameron
xoxo

Cameron fix!

He was throwing a fit b/c I took off his vest & tie.

The 2's are here early. Help!!! I know he will throw tantrums but now he is screaming. AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS!!! It is really a ear deathing screech. Everyone stares and can't believe it is such a little boy making such an awful noise. I have been taking him away from the situation and talking to him on his level but now he has also decided to push mommy down. I really hope this doesn't last forever!!

This was just too easy!

Monday I was so excited about getting Elmo that I didn't sleep well. My phone decided to beep at 5:00 am b/c it was dying. Great now the alarm won't go off. I got up and set the alarm clock, fell back asleep and my phone alarm did go off at 5:45 am. I got ready and woke Cameron up at 7:30 am. He was smiling & so happy. He is always too awake for me. We pulled into Target's parking lot at 8:00 am. Are you serious?! Maybe they really don't open until 9:00 am. There were hardly any cars in the parking lot. This can't be this easy. We walked in and went straight to the toys. We saw a much older couple with 2 of them. Okay they are here! Please have some left. I kept telling Cameron to cross his fingers and say "Yeah Elmo!" We went around the corner and there was one left. There was someone in front of us heading straight for it. Oh no! Why else would someone be in Target at 8:00 am. I watched slowly in anticipation. He walked right by. Yeah it's mine. We picked up that last Elmo and screamed with joy. We walked around a few minutes and walked by the display again. There was two more. Should I grab them to sell on Ebay or Craigslist. I just couldn't. Then there was another older couple picking one up for the grandchild. The man said "I don't think that is it." I looked at him & said "Yes, that's it." I called Dan and told him we got it. He asked me to grab another to sell on Ebay but I just couldn't. I can't stand people who do that when there are limited supplies. We drove around a bit and ate breakfast. I decided to stop at Wal-mart b/c Dan's comment was eating at me. I went in and there were a lot of them. They were even on the tops of the toy shelves. So of course I had to grab one more. No one else was there for them at all. So I guess it is going up on Ebay. I think I might wait awhile b/c I just checked & there are lots of them. Some people are selling them for $500 a piece. I will not be that bad but making a little money to help out with Christmas money won't hurt.


Melmo in the flesh!!

This is for all the Guat tots and their moms!!

I have to admit I am not that into Crocs. Especially on me. But then I ran across Candy's blog at http://guateawonderfulworld.blogspot.com/ and saw how cute they looked on Kya Blu. On little feet they are adorable and Cameron loves them. Dan not so much since they are kinda pricey. I finally found some at Meijer that can hold the Jibbitz (the little charms for all who don't know). Well, I went on Jibbitz.com looking for Disney ones for our trip and came across the best ones I have ever seen. They are going in his Christmas stocking.

Aren't the Guatemala flag ones just awesome!!!



Ready for Disney!!

Am I the only crazy mom?!

I am getting up at the butt crack of dawn. (I am not a morning person at all.) I will be one of those freaks who is at the door of Target when they open at 8:00 a.m. to get the Elmo Live. I looked and looked and never reserved one in time. I tried to from Fisher Price but they are on back order now and it may not make it here by Christmas. I have to have it for Cameron's 1st Christmas home. Wish me luck!!!

What do I do?

I am such an idiot. I bought Disney on Ice tickets for next weekend. I was so excited and decided this is what I wanted to do for my birthday. I checked every show and found the Saturday night show to be the one with the best seats. Well, guess what? Dumb, dumb me forgot we have a wedding to go to on Saturday night. Do you think I can just switch shows? Is that even allowed? I want to go so badly to this show. Just seeing Cameron's smile will make me the happiest mom ever!!!

FYI: At the bottom of the blog there is a slide show. This is Cameron's outfit I got for his Christmas pictures. The shoes & vest I got at Crazy 8 and the tie came from Children's Place. There is a hat that matches the vest but they didn't have his size so I have to order it off the internet. He will be wearing a white button down shirt instead of the t-shirt. He is just like his parents and loves clothes. He whistled (Cameron style) when he saw himself in the mirror. We had to do a photo shoot today b/c I entered him into a modeling contest. Stay tuned to see if Cameron becomes a finalist.

Daddy's back!

Last Thursday Dan went on his annual golf trip to Cumberland. He didn't get back until Sunday night. Let's just say both Cameron & I were wore out. His sleep schedule was a little out of whack b/c Dan was gone. He is a daddy's boy most of the time. We ran around and did anything I could think of to keep him busy. I got all excited Friday night & decided we would drive to Columbus and go to COSI. I love COSI and now can go with my baby boy. I got up early got ready. Got Cameron ready. He was fighting me about everything. I guess he wanted to be the dirty boy with no face washing or teeth brushing. By the time we got out of here, went to Starbuck's (I NEEDED my pick me up), got money and got gas it was 12:30. He was whiny in the car and I didn't know if I could handle an hour and a half drive by myself. If he did fall asleep would he be whiny at COSI? So I got off the highway and decided to just go to a farm and do the pumpkin patch thing. I knew there were two on OH 48 but what was the address? I drove one way turned around and drove the other way. After an hour and getting lost I decided forget it we are going to Toys R Us. We finally made it to Toys R Us and got Cameron the Fisher Price Ride in Coupe and looked at ideas for Christmas. We went & got his outfit for Christmas pictures. I know really early but Dan & I decided this was the outfit and I didn't want it to be gone. I only got part of it at Crazy 8 b/c they had sold out of some things already. Look for pictures soon. Let's just say Sunday night all 3 of us crashed. We both missed him very much!

What's next?? A get real post!!

These last few weeks my brain has been running 500 mph. I tend to over analyze everything. I want to do this. Well, if I do this what will the outcome be? Is it the right choice for me or my family? Is it the right time right now? I tend to think when I want to do something I have to do it right this minute. I can't wait a few days or weeks. If I see something I want or want for Cameron I have to get it now. What if it sells out then what? Like my life will come to a stop if I don't get that one item. Example: I have been hunting everywhere for winter hats & golves for Cameron. We have none for him & if it gets cold here what am I going to do. Like something will seriously happen if this one time I take my time to find them. Really Mindy. I have really been researching our next step towards child #2. I know Cameron has only been home 7 months tomorrow. But I really want our children to only be 3-3.5 years apart. And the time some countries are taking these days we need to get moving. I want a girl so bad. Every day I have to walk right by the girls clothes or I will buy everything. We really would love to go back to Guatemala for #2 but they are closed right now & who knows when or if they will re-open. When they do I know like us other people are looking into it and there will be a line from here to Guatemala of people waiting for to adopt. I really wanted to do China in the beginning but they are taking up to 4 years now for a referrral. We looked into Korea and were very excited about it but there is only one agency in Ohio that can handle Korean adoptions. (Korea requires the agency you use be located in your state of residence.) We thought about the waiting children for Korea or China. Then I fell in love with Ethiopia and the fact that there is a large chance of getting a child under 6 months. And there is the choice of do we go ahead and try for one of our own again. We only did mild fertility treatments before but seeing the time & money go down the drain after trying for 2 years on our own was just too much stress. And me on hormones--WATCH OUT!!! I really feel like there is something medically wrong with me but no one will listen. Is everything the same every month they ask? Yes, I say but it just isn't normal. Either way I have to figure out what is wrong with me. How does someone produce 5-6 eggs on just Clomid and still can't get pregant with an IUI. Come on. They wouldn't let me do the shots because the results I got from the pills people usually have from the shots. I really want just one of our own and then adopt any others from there on but it is really what path does God have for me. What is next for me? And why do I bother letting it eat me up inside? Why can't I just live my life and see what happens? Because I am me and this is how God made me. Now just show me the way so I know what to do. Please!!!

Celine Dion concert pictures--Finally

Unlike most people I forget to take pictures of just Dan or I or the two of us together when we are out on our dates. Here are pictures from the concert. Dan got me these tickets for Christmas but I was just now able to enjoy them. It was an awesome concert if you love Celine. She is just an very gracious person.

Favorite Foto Friday-Summer Memories

These pictures are from our first weekend vacation as a family. We went to Gatlinburg for a long weekend. Cameron had his first road trip and his first visit to the zoo. If you ever go there go to the Knoxville Zoo. It is so clean and awesome. It was like 99 degrees that day but we still had fun. They even let people go into the elephant exhibit to watch them play. He loved the wax museum which I thought he would be terrified of. He thought it was so neat to touch them. I know the picture with Hef is bad but I just had to. I can't wait until our first big vacation next month. We are off to Grandma's & Grandpa's (Dan's parents) house in Florida. They go down for a month and a half before Christmas, come home in December and then usually go back for 4-5 months. I do miss them terribly when they are away but they love it down there. We usually go every year, drive down (13 hours) with the dogs, hit Disney for a day and just hang out & spend time with them. We didn't go last year b/c I just couldn't do it without Cameron again. I am not looking forward to the 13 hour drive with a toddler and 2 of the 3 dogs but the reward will be awesome. We are going to Disney for 2 days and I can't wait to see the look on his face. Dan isn't sure if he will know what is going on but my boy is so smart that I am sure he will be so excited to see Pooh and Tigger in person. He says their names every day all day along with mama, dada, bubba or sometimes Cameron, Mammy (aka Sammy), Boo (Mariah aka Boo Bear), Loo Loo (aka Louie) and Ri ri (aka Riley). He still can't say Rascal yet but for him to keep 4 of our 5 animals straight is beyond smart. I can't get them right sometimes.