"A Coase!"

I have to share a funny story. Yesterday morning Wilder took a bath while I had some Mommy Pamper Time in our bathroom. It was so fun getting to do my nails, microderm, etc. while my little dude soaked and splashed in the detox bath soak that filled the room with the most incredibly relaxing aroma.

Wilder, as usual, asked for "tee-tee" -which, for those of you who do not speak Wildese, means toothbrush with toothpaste on it. I told him, "Please? Say, 'Toothpaste please.'" To which he replied, "Pehhhz. Pehhhhz." I giggled with glee and gave him my toothbrush with a tiny dab of toothpaste. This is a big deal -he's NEVER said please before. Ever. Handing it to him I said, "Thank you? Say, 'Thank you, Mommy!'" And he replied, "Tinks."

"Of course! Of COURSE!" I cooed in response. A first that he followed my lead in saying thank you! Then Wilder the parrot said, "A Coase! A Coase!"

HAHAHAHHAHAHA!

He asked again for toothpaste, said his "pehhhz" and when I handed it back to him asking him to say "thank you" you replied, "A coase! A coase!"

Hm... so not quite down with which nice words go where, but HECK he said three new words in the course of 2 minutes. And they were NICE! I'm impressed.

Doctor Says...

I had a routine OB/GYN appointment this morning, 35 1/2 weeks down the pregnancy road. Here's the skinny on Waverley Jane. She's a tad over 6 lbs, with a big head and long, thin legs. Fluids are great (yeah, maybe too much info there,) I'm very effaced (TMI, but it means my cervix is very thin,) and I'm 1 1/2 cm dilated (not a big deal.) Doc says that when I do go in to labor it will be rather fast since I'm already so effaced. And -the big news- she expects Waverley to arrive in a week or two. Holy Cow!

I registered at the hospital after my appointment and decided there are just a few projects around the house that would be great to get out of the way. I came home and cleaned the inside of the car while Wilder jumped in mud puddles in our cul-de-sac. I set up the bassinet next to my side of the bed -oh, how it warmed my heart imagining Waverley sleeping next to me! And I will reorganize the pantry sometime this afternoon. I think a baby blanket will be sewn tonight or tomorrow and I'm pre-washing her little newborn clothes.

I put Wilder down for his nap with a flashlight, a present from Santa, and that was a bad call. He's blowing raspberries and squawking away (and banging things against the wall) so it's time to rescue the flashlight and hopefully put a spell on Wilder so he'll finally take a nap. "You're feeling very sleeeeepyyyy, sleeeeeeeppppyyyyy, sleeeeeeeeeeppyyyyyy......"

Tomorrow MiMa and Boppa are picking Wilder and Savannah up to give Brian and I a few days without dependents. Though part of me already misses my little pipsqueak, I am so thankful for the mini-honeymoon Brian and I will get to have. During my first pregnancy I read in several publications that "experts" recommend couples take a little vacation together before the baby arrives to rekindle and reconnect. I thought that was rather over the top before, but now I am in full agreement. A little peace, a little quiet, a little romance before life becomes very, very real. Oh, thank you, Betty and Barry, for the break!

Wishing you all a very happy New Year's Eve and New Year's Day! Enjoy!

The Real Chop Chop

Tada! Starting off the New Year with a bang! Thankfully I was welcomed at the door with very positive feedback from Brian -not sure what I would do (other than flat out shave my head) if he hated it. It's fun, spunky and the shortest it's been in over 10 years. Yes, it's been shorter (let's not do that again...) Getting used to having, um, no hair. It's funny how your attitude changes with a hairstyle. It's party time!

Chop Chop

Last night I got an itch to make some serious changes with my hair. I feverishly flipped through several hairstyle magazines searching for my new look. Consulting with Brian, we decided it was time to take drastic measures. I called and made an appointment for a haircut this afternoon (leaving in T-30 min) but my fingers were itching to do something -that night!
Brian and I had a haircut party. He christened my hair by lobbing off about 5 inches and I went to town doing a little styling while he shaved his head (normal maintenance for his "style.") Oh, what a blast we had! I am thankful for the past 16 or so hours of this transitional haircut; much less traumatic than going in for a full chop-chop and returning home in tears. I've had more time to look over style ideas and Brian has been a helpful voice in figuring out where to go next. I'm rather nervous, but excited. Note to self: hair grows back. Phew!

Can't wait to share the final product -stay tuned!

Christmas Slideshow

Christmas Morning!

Merry Christmas! Wilder was elated to find a stack of presents Santa left by the fireplace.
Amazing how fascinating the trimmings can be.
Papa at work unleashing the Elmo doll that blows kisses.
Hm, what could this be?
Block?! Just what I always wanted!!
Here, Mom. A little help, please?
Yesssss! A mess of blocks.
Reveling in his heap of pieces.
"Look, Ba! Blocks!! Oh, I love blocks. I love you, Ba. I love Christmas!"

The construction crew.

The tower of Babel. Yep, it fell shortly after.
Argh! A man and his fire. It's a beautiful thing.
Merry Christmas!

3rd Annual Cameron BakeFest

Wilder and I went to Houston last weekend for our 3rd annual Cameron BakeFest. Grandma Anne has recipes for sugar cookies, fudge and divinity that she's been making for decades and it's a delicious tradition we've loved being a part of since we moved to Texas. I also got to do a few portraits with my Aunt Carol and her family, as well as Grandma and Grandpa. I love living near my family!





Our Saturday morning began at the breakfast table. It is such a comfort getting to be around my dad's parents -seeing Grandpa reading the paper, Grandma zipping around the kitchen preparing breakfast. I see glimpses of my father in his parents and siblings all the time and it warms my soul.
Grandpa and Wilder working hard on construction.
Grandma and Grandpa were up late making fudge Friday night for me to take home while I tried to get Wilder to go to bed. I finally had to pack him in the car; we drove around listening to Christmas music and viewing the neighborhood light displays. He just really wanted to get in the car for some reason -so much so that he even lugged my huge purse to my feet and dragged me to the front door. Well, whatever works! Though it was not in my plans to take an evening drive, it turned out to be such a fun memory and I'm glad we did it. And it was so sweet of my grandparents to whip up that fudge.
Grandma and I made a batch of divinity while Wilder watched Mary Poppins and jumped on their bed. Thankfully Grandpa didn't mind in the least being the babysitter while we girls tore it up in the kitchen.
Uncle Russ the baby charmer. How he got Wilder to plop in his lap for playtime and later for movie watching is beyond me; congratulations! Wilder has certainly been gravitating more towards men lately and relishes his guy time. I'm not sure if he senses a change in the air (well, I bet he does) but isn't it amazing how just as I am about to have my hands full with a new little one, Wilder craves Daddy and guy time? Last night I battled feeling rebuffed as Wilder was decidedly sweet and chummy with Brian and only screamed and threw things at me. He's definitely Daddy's little dude now and I am so thankful for their bond.
When Aunt Carol and her crew arrived we whipped up another batch of divinity. Man, I LOVE this time as a family! Plus the goodies we get ladened with are delicious! Divinity is my favorite Christmas candy, especially the way the Camerons make it.
Bailey, Rem and Carol sifting threw magazines trying to locate an article about a family friend. This was a rather comical episode in our visit -but we were rewarded by finally finding the blurb and photo!

We were getting ready to load up the car, but Wilder was desperate for a nap. He had begged to have his monkey backpack strapped on so he could go on a walk outside and refused to let me take it off, so here he is plumb asleep embraced by a monkey and snuggling Ba. It was too cute for words.

I am so glad we got to have our special Christmas time as a family (even though I was certain I was going to have this baby in Houston -steady contractions from noon to midnight on Friday.) Thankfully Waverley is still safely baking and we are still enjoying the delights of the season we got to cook up with Grandma Anne. We love you all! Thank you for such a wonderful visit!

What to see the full set of photos? Check this out!

Christmas Eve at Celebration Church

Yesterday I got to be a photographer for the 2pm Christmas Eve service at Celebration Church. I wanted to share a few of my favorite shots -plus give you a look at what our new church is like; pretty rockin'. I got to do some voice over work for them (which was used during the service) this past week after I did the Maldonado Family shoot. This was a challenging assignment -shooting in the low light and in the hallways before and after with so much activity. I'm still learning to manipulate my camera to maximize it's capabilities and fortunately I was able to get a few good photos out of the bagillion I took!

I love this one! Those three couples with the guys wrapping their arm around their significant other.
Pastor Joe Champion.