May with Cambria

Little Miss keeps growing and growing and growing and growing!  We can't believe how big she has gotten!  You always hear that time goes even faster when you are a parent and I totally get that now.  Every day Cambria is learning something new and it is so fun for us to feel like we can see the wheels turning in her head as she puts things together.  We love being her parents!

In some ways, I am not ready for her to grow up so quickly!  Like on May 3 when I finally bit the bullet and moved Cambria to her crib.  I had been talking about it forever but always found an excuse not to let her go to her nursery.  First, I wanted her to be able to suck on her finger so that she could soothe herself at night if she woke up.  Then Cambria had a cold and I wanted her close by so I could keep an eye on her breathing. But the truth is: Cambria was ready; I wasn't.

I think I mentioned something on Facebook about getting ready to move Cambria and all of the sudden I was accountable for it.  Ready or not (Mommy), Cambria was going to her crib Saturday night so that I wouldn't get called out on it in Church the next day.

I rocked Cambria that night for a really long time.  I sang her songs and read her stories.  And the tears were just pouring down my face.  Cambria was fine--she was just ready to go to bed and probably couldn't figure out what the hold up was.

Andrew came in to check on us (me).  He was so sweet about it.  I finally was ready and so I put her down in her crib, closed the door and left Cambria alone.

For all of fifteen minutes.

I felt the need to periodically (read: compulsively) "check" on her.  She did great!  She slept for almost 8 1/2 hours without so much as moving her head to one side or the other.

But I had such a hard time.  I just cried and cried and prayed that she would be okay.  I was surprised that this was so difficult for me!  I think I may have even asked Andrew for a blessing.  I was giving myself quite the anxiety attack over something as simple as moving Cambria from the Pack & Play to her nursery crib.

Andrew said something that is actually quite profound: "Whether she is five feet from you or across the house, she doesn't know the difference.  You'll hear her if she needs you.  And she knows you will be there for her."

I love him.

More Cambria milestones...

Her activity mat is still her favorite thing to play with.  She loves it!

We went to a fun Cinco de Mayo (um...technically a Tres de Mayo) party thrown by our good friends, the Wights.  Jared said he counted over 80 people in attendance.  The food was phenomenal!  We had a pinata for the kids and a pinata for the grown ups--which was just as awesome as you would imagine it would be!  Andrew and I like to joke about how Carter Wight (three months older than Cambria) has a crush on her.  I don't think we've told Jared and Jennifer about this joke.  If one of them reads our blog, I guess they will find out.

Here is Cambria earlier that day, trying to work on her cute laugh.  She is adorable!

 Cambria likes to stuff her blanket in her mouth and chew on it.  Silly, silly girl.

Working it out.  Like Cambria does.  All the time.  Looks like Little Miss is going to be as ladylike as her Mama.  Although this video does make me a little sad because about five minutes after I took this video, her gas pains really escalated and Cambria started crying a lot.

Cambria is so curious about the world around her that in early May, she started becoming distracted very easily while nursing.  She can't seem to focus and get the job done anymore!

I also started pumping so that Cambria could try a bottle.  I hate all the effort, time and clean up that goes into pumping but it will give me an occasional break to have her take a bottle with Daddy.  We gave that a shot May 9.  Unsuccessful.  Tried again the next day and it looked like she took three-quarters of an ounce.  But then Andrew admitted that he could have been eyeing the line incorrectly.

It wasn't until several failed attempts in a row that we learned generally you have to get a baby on a bottle within the first six weeks or they may not ever take one.  Oops.  I had read several books on breastfeeding and they all stressed not giving a baby a bottle so that "nipple confusion" would be avoided and the baby could develop a "proper latch.  Not once did they say, but do try to give them a bottle eventually or you will be stuck with a baby that hates taking a bottle.  Grrr.

The second weekend of May, Andrew finished his final exams for his first year of Physical Therapy school and my dad drove through town on his way home from his last CES area meeting ever.

We had such a great visit with Boompa.  He set up this great stroller for Cambria while he was in town and we put it to use immediately with a walk along the Blackwater Creek Trail (our favorite!)

 My first Mother's Day was May 11.  Andrew spoiled me rotten the entire weekend.  He cooked, cleaned, ran errands, watched Cambria while I took a long nap...it was awesome.  The best Mother's Day I could ask for!  I am so grateful that having Cambria has made me a mom but I am even more grateful for Andrew because he has helped me to fulfill and magnify my dreams of motherhood.  I love our family so much!

 Here are a series of photos I found on Andrew's phone.  I love when I discover a bunch of photos that he has taken of the two of them together.

I have lofty ambitions to take Cambria out on a walk every morning but I am failing miserably at my goal.  It's so hot and sticky and humid around here that I hate to do it.  Plus there are lots of hills and no sidewalks anywhere.  These are all excuses, I know.  I need to get moving!  On the "once in a blue moon" walks I do end up going on with Cambria, I get some cute photos:

Cambria started to have a lot of trouble sleeping at night in mid-May.  On the night of May 15, she woke up every hour throughout the night.  We thought she might have an ear infection and so we took her to the doctor the morning of May 16.  Turns out everything was fine, she was just being super fussy.  But she had us worried!

One last thing from May before we left on our Great American Road Trip 2014.  Cambria faked us out with her attempts to roll over.  We fell for it.  Looks like we will have to be patient a little longer before she rolls over.