Nutrition, shmutrition

Today, Cameron and I were eating lunch in the cafe after his tumbling class. I had packed his lunch -- turkey on wheat, a low-fat yogurt and a banana. Now, Cameron does eat some junk food and is still obsessively plotting his next selection from his Halloween stash, but we try to teach him healthy habits. I observed curiously as several parents purchased lunch for their child at the cafe, most selecting chocolate milk or Pepsi for their preschooler. But this conversation, at the table next to us, took the cake (pardon the pun!).

Mom: Finish your Cheetos.
Preschooler: I don't want any more Cheetos.
Mom: Fine. Then you have to finish your cookies.

SERIOUSLY! Cameron dreams of me telling him to finish his cookies, for goodness sake!

Harry Potter and the Bathtub of Bubbles

As I've mentioned in previous posts, Cameron and I listen to Harry Potter on CD while driving to and from his school. Cameron picks up bits and pieces, but is often distracted by planning what news to share with his class that day or by telling hilarious jokes such as "What is a bee's favorite color?" Answer: "Purple! HA!" (Don't ask me . . . I didn't make it up!) Despite missing some major plot turns, Cameron is still enthusiastic about the idea of Harry Potter. And, finally, I can use it to my advantage!

Cameron is not a fan of having his hair washed, and often insists it is already clean despite evidence to the contrary. This evening, however, Cameron enthusiastically submitted to a thorough hairwashing once I had prepared a top-secret Destinkifying potion. The Aquaphorius charm also worked like, well, a charm in the application of post-bath ointment. Now to come up with a charm for room cleaning . . .

Stacy's Thanksgiving photos

Thanks to Stacy, here are photos from our first Thanksgiving celebration. The highlight, without a doubt, was being able to introduce Matthew to so many family members!

Here is Morgan looking a little unsure about this whole holding a baby thing. Matthew, sensing her discomfort, wears a look of distress. "Uh, hello? Is anyone ELSE concerned here?" But Morgan proved herself proficient!

Now on to cousin Chase, whose fish face impression appears to have Matthew befuddled. "I don't get it. What kind of reaction is this kid looking for here?"

Alleah and Jessica compare hair. Clearly, Matthew was excluded from this competition as he has an unfair advantage. At 3 months, he has more hair than many a 3 year old!

Despite being passed from relative to relative, Matthew still got some Mommy and Daddy time.

And here is the quintessential Matthew -- those big, big eyes and tasty fingers. Who needs turkey?
This mystery writer thinks Matthew is on to something -- forget the turkey, give us something sweet!

Read the label, people

Matthew got an early Christmas present from Grandma Linda - a BebePod seat. He loves it and looks like such a big boy sitting up! The BebePod is essentially the same as a Bumbo seat, but it's tough to find a Bumbo anywhere these days. Why? Well, it has been recalled. I know, I know . . . all these recalls! Lead paint, GHB . . . it is absolutely terrifying.

So, what horrible contaminant led to the recall of the beloved Bumbo? Seems it is plain ole lack of common sense. The back of the seat was labeled as follows, “WARNING – Never use on a raised surface. Never use as a car seat or bath seat. Designed for floor level use only. Never leave your baby unattended as the seat is not designed to be totally restrictive and may not prevent release of your baby in the event of vigorous movement.” I guess this was too vague, as the product was recalled after children fell from seats placed on elevated surfaces. I mean that subjective, confusing "Never use on a raised surface" should obviously have been written, "Seriously. Don't EVER EVER use of a raised surface. Really."

Honestly, this sounds like a conversation with Cameron to me. "But Mommy, when you said 'never' I thought you meant 'not unless you really want to!'"

Doubly thankful

"Why just have ONE Thanksgiving??? Don't we deserve more than just ONE day of gluttony?" If you've felt like this before, I have a simple solution for you. Have TWO Thanksgivings!

We spent the official holiday with David's family (awaiting great photos from Stacy to post here!). Cameron had a fantastic time playing with his cousins, who were very good-natured about entertaining a much younger child. Matthew never touched the ground as he was passed from admiring relative to admiring relative. "Well," we thought, "that was nice! Shall we do it again tomorrow?"

So, the next day we celebrated with my family! Cameron found an intellectual and emotional equal in his Uncle Zack.

And Grandpa Frank helped us out tremendously in achieving our goal of another trip to Urgent Care by encouraging a preschooler to stick things in his nose. Have we forgotten the unfortunate Googly Eye Incident, Grandpa?
We also enjoyed the company of our good friends Jess and Pat. (Hi Ellie! This photo is for you!)
One of the highlights of the evening was watching an old video of Zack and Andy performing an impressive dance/synchronized swimming routine. They were lookin' good in their fluorescent 80's swimwear. Zack had some rockin' moves and Andy made the most of his stylin' mullet, whipping his wet hair around after a particularly spectacular underwater flip. Here's Andy now, with a slightly updated look, playing Guitar Hero.

And everyone enjoyed boxing with the Wii, although I am appalled that my own father would cheer after knocking me out. Here, Nick takes on Tara.

So, today, we recover from the excessive pie consumption . . . times two.

Touring in 2025

The boy band Rocket Racer Sled announced on Monday that it will be touring nationwide in Summer 2025. Ticketmaster predicts that tickets will sell out in seconds. Rocket Racer Sled burst onto the music scene recently, and have quickly won over fans and critics alike with their eclectic freestyle drumming.

Time flies

So, logically I realize that Matthew has grown. I mean, he's too big for the bassinet, he's moved on to 3-6 month clothes, he's heavier to lug around. But, WOW, when I looked at this photo I could hardly believe it! Was this just a few months ago???
And here's the big boy now! No longer does he just stare at that red plastic doggie -- he hits it, he pulls it, he squeals at it. Before I know it he'll be sitting, then crawling, then walking and then *sniff* next thing you know he'll be heading off to college!So, we'll have our fun until he's old enough to be embarassed by us!
We know how quickly they grow up because Cameron, who I swear was a sweet droopy-cheeked baby just the other day, is all big boy now. This morning we met up with Cameron's buddy, Pat. Cameron humors us and allows us to think that Pat is our friend, too. Pat and Cameron played a game of checkers and, well, Pat stinks at the game. He kept repeatedly moving his checkers right where Cameron could jump them! Silly Pat . . .
And in the afternoon, Cameron was a big help in raking up the leaves.
Well, I'm off to see if Cameron's finished making our dinner!

Yay Adoption!

Happy National Adoption Day! We have several friends who have adopted and several more who are in the process. Most importantly, of course, we have our sweet little Matthew thanks to adoption! So we'll celebrate today and we'll think of all the birth parents, adoptive parents and adoptees out there!

She's a cutie pie!

Matthew has fantastic hair -- long, soft, curly, wild, beautiful hair. Such pretty hair that I am frequently told how cute "she" is! Now, as anyone with lots of hair will tell you, there is such a thing as a bad hair day. This picture of Matthew had my mother and me in hysterics. (Note to the future teenage Matthew: I am sorry for sharing such an embarassing photo with the masses. But, seriously, it was just too funny not to share! Please forgive me.)
Today Matthew and I made a quick trip to the mall. I figured it'd take 10 minutes to run in and out. Instead, I stopped every few feet to say, "Yes, thanks, but he's a boy!" The cashier was particularly taken with Matthew. After admiring him for quite some time she ventured a guess: "Is he adopted?" When I said yes, she quite sincerely told me how she has always wanted to adopt. She asked me a few questions about the process and I was thinking what a nice conversation this was when she said, still quite seriously, "Yes, I figure I'll have 10 kids of my own and then adopt 10. And then we'll move to Kenya and live like one big tribe." Uhhh-huhhh. I smiled, wished her the best and headed off with my purchases thinking, "First off, best wishes to your poor uterus should you succeed in this plan. Second, let's check back in after, say, kid number 2 and see if you'd still like another 18! And third, I wonder what airfare would be like to move yourself and your 20 children to Kenya!" And since it is National Adoption Awareness Month, let's just throw in this little bit of education on positive adoption language: Adopted or not, Matthew is "my own" kid! And he's also my "real" kid. What he is not is my biological kid! stepping off soapbox and heading to bed . . .

There's been a misunderstanding . . .

Yesterday afternoon, Cameron was being, well, less than a perfect little angel. Despite my vast parenting knowledge, I could not seem to get him to behave. After a few warnings and a repeat offense, I said, "OK, you have lost your midnight snack for tonight." (Aside: I don't know how it evolved, but the traditional bedtime snack is referred to as a "midnight snack" in our house.) This consequence brought a particularly anguished wail from Cameron. "OOOOOHHHH NOOOOOOO!" he sobbed. "But Mommy, I was only acting that way because I thought I ALREADY lost my midnight snack!" Lovely.

On a more positive note, we believe strongly in learning through doing so here is Cameron fulfilling his dream of recreating the Tropicana carton version of orange juice. Sadly, I must report that you can not actually just poke a straw in an orange and drink the juice right out of it. I think Cameron will just have to ask for one of those "Only $19.95 per month plus S&H" juicers for Christmas.

Realizations at the Mall

My mom and her best friend, Pat, visited us this weekend and we had a great time with them! Cameron said of Pat after they left, "At first I didn't know if she would be mean or nice. But she was really nice!" Pat won Cameron over by reading him several long "Magic Schoolbus" books.
The visit also meant that David and I had the rare opportunity to go out. We went and saw "Dan in Real Life," which I would give an enthusiastic two thumbs up. However, you may want to consult a more unbiased source before you buy your tickets. You see, when you only go to a grown up movie about once a year you are very easily amused. "Oooh, moving pictures! Of REAL people! No animation!" I realized it had been too long when I found myself laughing loudly during the pre-movie commercials. Yes, you read that right. Not even the PREVIEWS. I was laughing at the Pepsi commercial! (By the way, a note to other sleep-deprived mommies out there: They are now making a new Pepsi with Ginseng and extra caffeine! I don't even like soda but I found myself thinking, "Hmmm. Extra caffeine! Not a bad idea!")

Well, if I thought the commercials were good, the previews had me in tears from laughing so hard and by the time we reached the amusing parts of the movie I'm sure the people around us were regretting their choice of seats. I can imagine the conversations after the show: "She LOOKED normal! But, I mean, CLEARLY, something was not qite right with that one!"

The other realization I had at the mall was that I am not a teenager anymore. Not even close. And would no longer be mistaken for one. The theater was packed with girls who appeared to be a size -2. All were wearing clothes that must be fashionable but I would never have guessed. Yes, gone are the days when I felt in tune with the young people, now I relate to the middle-aged mom with the bratty kid in tow and the cute Vera Bradley bag.

Stick figure

Cameron has never really had much of an interest in coloring or drawing until very recently. What he HAS had an interest in is the human body and how it works. "Quest to Digest" and "Cell Wars" are two of his favorite books. (Yes, it appears that he inherited the science nerd gene from me!) So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised today when he asked me to label his drawing of what appeared to be a stick figure. Instead of the labels I expected (arms, legs), he explained that this was in fact a drawing only of a person's head and neck complete with a nasal septum, epiglottis, trachea and esophagus!

I have a headache this big . . .

Things I do not enjoy when I have a pounding headache:

10. Getting up at 3 am to feed a crying baby.
9. Getting up again at 6am to feed a crying baby.
8. Getting up at 7am to feed a hungry preschooler.
7. Building a Lincoln Log pirate ship and knocking it down.
6. Building a Lincoln Log house and knocking it down.
5. Singing "5 Little Pumpkins" five times.
4. Bickering over whether 9am is too early for Halloween candy.
3. Bicking over whether 10am is too early for Halloween candy.
2. Answering the question "Why?"
1. Listening to an original composition on a child's electronic keyboard with "Irritating High-Pitched Whistle" selected instead of "Piano" or perhaps "Organ."

Family Photos

The photos are here! The photos are here!

Every day this week I been stalking the mail lady, as I have been so excited to see our family photos. And today -- YAY! -- they arrived! There are many, but here are a sampling of some of my favorites. Watch your mail box for our adoption announcement and Christmas card, as they will certainly feature some of our new photos.

Our photographer is the phenomenal Stephanie Carson. First, here is a family photo Stephanie took when Cameron was 18 months old.

And here is a new family photo! I do think Cameron looked happier when HE was the center of our attention. He loves being a big brother but in this photo he looks rather pensive -- perhaps he is pondering the life-long implications of having a sibling for the first time.

But now he's happy! Hanging out with daddy in the play room.

And now REALLY happy playing on his swing set.

And, of course, the photos of Matthew are all adorable! Not too diminish the importance of Stephanie's skills, but how could a photo of Matthew NOT be adorable???
Everyone tells me how much I look like my mother. When I saw this photo I thought, "Oh my gosh. I do. I look just like my mom!"

Other than ogling the photos, we've been enjoying a beautiful fall weekend here. Cameron and David made a pumpkin pie last night which, to Cameron's immense frustration, was not done before his bedtime. So this morning Cameron enjoyed what was likely the most delicious breakfast he ever had. And now to assuage my mommy guilt: a) pumpkin IS a vegetable b) it was a REALLY small slice c) he also had cereal with milk and bananas. So, really, isn't that a well-balanced diet? Grains, dairy, fruits AND vegetables?!? I mean, when I really think about it, I should be getting some kind of parenting award, not feeling guilty! Right?