Making Some Progress

I have shared several times now that Cameron is still not walking on his own yet. It is actually quite frustrating because we know that he can do it but either he is scared or just lazy (can't figure out which one yet). He walks around all the time with his little push toy and he can hold on to you with one finger but he will NOT let go. I know it is nothing to worry about but I would love to be able to go outside and not have to carry him all the time (I mean look at him, he is not a small baby!) We will keep practicing. He starts school this week so maybe he will be chasing the little girls around real soon. Here are a few shots of him practicing with Jante' on the way to the restaurant. He made it all the way from the car inside and almost completely back to the car before he started putting up a fight. If he could talk I am sure he would have said, "Okay, that's enough of that, just pick me up now!" LOL!

Funny Moments

Everyday we notice that Cameron is becoming more and more like a little adult! It's so funny to see him because he does some of the funniest things. Unfortunately I haven't been able to catch these funny moments on camera but I am going to keep trying so that I can show you. For example, pretty much everybody knows that I LOVE "Matlock". Yes, Andy Griffith playing Ben Matlock - the Atlanta Lawyer. And because I watch it everyday with Cameron he now loves watching it too! From the minute he hears the theme song he is laughing and clapping like he is at a concert. It is TOO funny. Or to see him take his toothbrush and try to give it to Prince so that he can brush his dog teeth is out of control (btw, yes we change toothbrushes if it actually touches Prince). But it is hilarious to watch. Or how about him looking at himself naked in the mirror! He is very interested in his body parts (if you know what I mean). I tell him all the time he is pure entertainment. I promise everyday is an adventure with this little one. What a joy he is to our lives!

I promise to try to catch these moments to show them to you but until then enjoy a few shots from the week.

Back in Business

Well well, Mr. Cameron is about to be back in business. Let me tell you, having him at home while I am trying to work and Jante trying to get things finalized on the business has been hard work (I don't see how stay at home Mom's do it!) This baby is QUITE active. I would try to take breaks regularly to give Jante a 10 or 15 minute break but it has still been a challenge. But we are back in business with the school. As I mentioned in the previous blog we have been on our school tours and while it was fun it really is stressful because you want to find the right place to help your child grow and develop. Because we were so happy with Creme in Cinci I thought it would be hard to find a place here. As I mentioned we picked 3 of the top rated private day cares in the Atlanta area (Discovery - #6, Creme - #2 and Suzuki #1) and did the tours. Because Discovery and Creme are both Franchises I wasn't for sure how different things would be from location to location. We started with Discovery and honestly it was "okay" but it was something about it that I wasn't feeling. It could have been the high teacher to student ratio's or the fact that ALL the teachers looked like the just graduated from High School. Whatever it was I had pretty much scratched it off the list after we left. Then we were on to Creme'. Honestly I didn't think it could get any better than the Creme' in Cinci but I was SO wrong! There are 3 locations in Atlanta and they are all similar but different. There are 2 that used to be other day cares (Creme' bought them out) so they don't look like the Creme' Cam went to in Cinci. But the one in Sugarloaf (where he would go) is brand new and will only take 120 students! If you know anything about a day care - 120 students is a VERY small #, especially for the size of this facility. They have tennis, basketball, and swimming. They even offer lessons for your child once they reach the age of 2! We were extremely excited, one catch - the cost is out of control. We really thought we would be getting off cheaper here but not so (but you know when it comes to your kids, $ is no object!) Last was Suzuki. They are rated #1 in the Atlanta metro area. This school is based on a Japanese teaching philosophy and very similar to a Montessori School. They really focus on "teaching" which I love. My only issue with them was their student to teacher ratio is 5:1 for the 10-15months and 6:1 for 16-36 months. The other issue for me is the multi-age groupings. In normal Montessori's the multi-age classes range from 1-6 months but at Suzuki the toddler class are kids age 16-36 months. This range is too wide in my opinion. I understand the positives of the younger kids learning from the older kids but I think at that age they should be with kids closer to their own age. Maybe we will try Suzuki when he is older because I do like the Montessori and the focus on teaching.

13 Months Cameron turned 13 months old on Saturday. Cameron is progressing well with his "attempting to walk". Still not walking on his own but he can with a little hand assistance from Mommy and Daddy. I told him I will give him 1 more month and then he needs to be running through the house!

To celebrate Nana and I took Cameron to the local Rail Road festival. We had a great time, eating and shopping.

What a Mother's Day

This was officially my 2nd Mothers Day but really my first full Mothers Day (Cam was only 3 weeks old last year). And what a great day it was. I have to say nothing in my entire life has been more gratifying than being a mother. Jante' and I talk about this all the time - we ask ourselves - WHY did we wait so long to have kids. I do know though that it's all been God's plan. We enjoyed 9 great years of marriage without kids - traveling, moving, spending, building our careers, etc but now it is time to put that attention to our sweet baby boy! While I don't think I could ever be a "Stay at Home Mom" I am so thankful to God that I now have a schedule that is flexible enough to allow me to spend time with him and expose him to things that most kids don't have an opportunity to enjoy. I also pray every day that I am the best mother in the world to him and that he sees the love I have in everything I do.

I want to say Thanks to my great husband and sweet son (and even Prince) for making this a great day, I will never forget it!

Getting Settled

It has been almost 3 weeks since I have added a post - PLEASE forgive me. We have been extremely busy, moving to Atlanta (really outside of Atlanta) and getting moved into the new house is a tough job. It's all paid off, we LOVE the community and Cameron and Prince are adjusting well to the new digs! When I say Cameron is in HOG heaven - it is an understatement. He has seen his Nana everyday (we were staying with her until we could everything finished up with the house). He has enjoyed his daily walks in the country and now it is time to find a new school. The great benefit to being back at home is he will only be in school part time. We went back and forth about him staying with Nana the entire time but not having the interaction with other kids right now is not an option. Plus Nana has had a full time job for almost 30 years - she deserves a break. Addionally we believe as he gets older it is important that he is "learning" as much as he possibly can from a trained/certified teacher. How else will he become the next child prodigy? LOL!

Our school tour starts with the Creme' that's located here in Atlanta. My only concern is that we know (like with most franchisees - not all locations are created equally). While we know the curriculum is one of the best in the Day Care industry it is truly all about the teachers! Our plan B is Discovery Point - they are also on the top 10 list for Atlanta (surely one of them will be available). We also have an appointment to tour a place called Suzuki. They are the #1 rated in the Atlanta metro area. Obviously there is a wait list so our plan is to have him attend Creme' or Discovery Point until we can get into Suzuki. We will keep our fingers crossed.

We haven't been able to take many new pictures lately but here are a few from the past 2 weeks. Once we are out of the boxes I will be able to post more often. Until then, Enjoy!

Mommy and Cam at Nana's

Mommy and Cam at New House

Future Piano Player

Birthday Bash #2

Our sweet baby was able to have 2 Birthday Parties to celebrate the BIG ONE! The big Carnival Bash that we had in Atlanta and the Birthday Bash that he had with his friends from Creme'. There are 3 babies born one day apart in his class. Cameron was born on the 15th, Charlotte on the 16th and Addison on the 17th of April. The 3 sets of parents have been talking about doing a party for these sweeties for the past 5 months! We didn't want to exclude any of the other kids in the class next to them so we decided to do one big party. As you can see we had tons of fun and tons of food!

Mommy Making Cupcakes

Fabulous Finished Product

The Party

Fun at Nana's!!

So as most of you may know by now we are moving back to GEORGIA! We are extremely excited, not only will Cameron get to be around family more often but it will be an opportunity for us to spend more time with friends and family and get back to the great Southern weather! We enjoyed our time in Cinci but really we could not be happier about this move. And I know what you are saying, Is this it?....the answer is YES! I promise no more moves (at least for some time). Jante' will be starting a business and so he said THIS IS IT, NO more moves!

We needed to find a house so we are currently on our House Hunt. While here Cameron has been having the time of his life!!! I have mentioned this before but this baby LOVES the outdoors! Jante' and I both were raised in small cities so being at "Nana's House" and allowing Cameron to spend a great deal of time outside has been fun to watch. Here are a few shots of him while here.