As the month winds down, there are a few odds and ends that I wanted to record. This blog tends to revolve around Cambria but so much is happening for the other members of our family!
Andrew continues to be successful in school. This semester is not as academically rigorous as the last semester but there are infinitely more projects which leaves little time for test preparation. He usually has three or four projects going at once!
This month, he helped the Scouts with their rock climbing merit badge. I know it has been fun for him to dig up and dust off the old gear. We both definitely have the itch for some more outdoors in the near future--let's hope the weather is sunny and dry one of these weekends!
Andrew is finalizing his internship year this next month. He begins at the end of May at a balance clinic in Las Vegas where his good friend, Josh Curtis, is a Physical Therapist. After two months in Nevada he will return to Lynchburg for 8 weeks of classes (and a new baby!). October and November will be at an orthopedic clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. The big mystery now is where we will be for four months starting in January 2016. I believe Andrew has it narrowed down to two choices: Indian Health Services in New Mexico or an orthopedic internship in Charlottesville, Virginia. Either of these two choices has the potential for opportunities post-graduation and so we continue to ponder where Heavenly Father would have our family be. We also ask that our friends and family keep us in your prayers that Andrew will be successful as he interviews for these two positions.
I am staying busy with my day-to-day routine with Cambria. There is always grocery shopping, errands, dinner prep, cleaning up after Cambria non-stop, outings to think up for Cambria's entertainment...I always have a list of things to do! If Cambria brings me a book when I am in the middle of folding laundry or washing dishes, I am trying to be better about stopping and sitting down to spend time with her. It gives me a break and helps me to reevaluate my priorities.
I really enjoy my Fridays at Peaksview Dental. I was so resistant to returning to work--the thought of it always triggered inexplicable, hormonal, emotional, Mommy heart, separation anxiety tears for me--but it has been so refreshing! I love having a day to myself to be a grown up and keep up the skills that I worked so hard to acquire. I think it will be hard for me to go on maternity leave this time around.
Speaking of maternity leave, my morning sickness has really settled down (thank heavens!). I don't take the phenergan anymore and switched to Unisom at night to help me sleep as I have entered the tossing and turning phase of pregnancy. Occasionally I need a zofran in the mornings but not very often. The baby is becoming more consistently active and has hiccups several times a day. Andrew was able to feel the baby during one of those episodes of hiccups the evening of March 29. That's always a neat milestone because it's something Andrew can connect with.
I love that there are so many of our friends that are pregnant right now as well. It seems that a handful of us are all due within a week or two of each other: Marietta Paxson (twins!), Caitlin Sweeney, Allie Cunningham...I am having so much fun sharing the pregnancy excitement with all of them!
This pregnancy definitely showed sooner than when I was pregnant with Cambria. It was hard enough to keep it under wraps for 12 weeks! I find that I am cheating a great deal when I tell people how far along I am ("halfway there," "about five months," "due this summer!"). The other night I told Andrew that we were having twins: a BABY baby and a food baby. I feel so huge for only being at the halfway point! With Cambria, I took photos frequently to document every step of the way. With this one, it's hard to find the time and, truthfully, I'd rather avoid the camera at this point. Yikes!
In Miss Cambria news...
On March 1, Cambria and I started playing a little game. I pointed to her and said "Cambria" and she pointed back to me and said "Mama!"
Cambria has started to "sing." Her vocal talents are most often on display on Sundays. She begins during the prelude for sacrament meeting and runs towards Sister Peterson playing the organ up on the rostrum. She opens her mouth as wide as she can and bellows a long, low, loud "Baaaaaaaaaaa!" I notice her intently watching Andrew and I as we sing congregational hymns and then mimicking us. It cracks us up! She loves Primary and we would let her hang out down in the Primary room with me if she didn't insist on running around the front of the room when Sister McNaughton is conducting Singing Time. Now that Cambria is mobile, the Church block involves a lot of time in the hallway trying to keep her from disrupting the meetings. When she hears music coming from one of the classrooms, she makes a beeline for it. With three wards meeting in our cramped building, there is plenty of musical entertainment for Cambria to scurry around to.
I am working with Cambria on identifying the parts of her face. She is good about her eyes and can do her nose and ears most of the time.
Many days, we read 20 or more books to Cambria. She is always bringing us one for her to read or sitting in her bedroom looking at them by herself. She likes to point her finger and help me "count" with her counting books. Her BabyLit Pride & Prejudice has a dog on the "two rich gentleman" page that she loves to look at. Sometimes, the book even comes with us when we run errands!
Cambria is selectively adding the most unusual words to her vocabulary. She still won't say "hi" or "bye" but is now saying "banana," "thank you," "alphabet," and "water bottle." I think she isn't saying some words because when we first prompted her to say "hi" or "bye" she learned to wave or blow kisses and that elicited a positive response from us. So I believe anything she has an action for, she doesn't bother with the actual word.
On March 22, her lower left primary molar began erupting followed by her lower right primary canine the next day. Cambria's teeth don't just pop through in a day or two but take weeks and weeks to make their way slowly through the gums. Poor girl!
Some of the cute things that she does right now include taking her "baba" for a walk. She has two strollers and she likes to load them up with that day's favorite toys (it changes regularly) and push them around the house:
Cambria sets up shop with her toys on a "shelf" to watch me while I cook in the kitchen. We are constantly trying to find ways to barricade this girl from getting into that room:
Tickle wars with Mama:
Andrew brought Cambria by my office during his Spring Break for a visit and my co-worker, Anne Dudley, let her take home two birthday balloons we had floating around the office. Cambria loved the balloons! When I was doing dishes in the kitchen behind the bar area that overlooks our dining room, Cambria would walk around with the balloon and I could only see the balloon bobbing by. It was so funny!
Cambria is giving me a crash course in disgusting things that toddlers do. She snuck into our kitchen after breakfast one morning and was digging scrambled eggs out of the trash can to eat. But this story from a visit to my OB at the end of the month really takes the cake. Oh the horror!
March definitely came in like a lion this year. Spring teased us a bit here and there with glimpses of sunshine before deciding to stick around the last week of March, allowing the month to leave like a lamb.
Andrew continues to be successful in school. This semester is not as academically rigorous as the last semester but there are infinitely more projects which leaves little time for test preparation. He usually has three or four projects going at once!
This month, he helped the Scouts with their rock climbing merit badge. I know it has been fun for him to dig up and dust off the old gear. We both definitely have the itch for some more outdoors in the near future--let's hope the weather is sunny and dry one of these weekends!
Andrew is finalizing his internship year this next month. He begins at the end of May at a balance clinic in Las Vegas where his good friend, Josh Curtis, is a Physical Therapist. After two months in Nevada he will return to Lynchburg for 8 weeks of classes (and a new baby!). October and November will be at an orthopedic clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. The big mystery now is where we will be for four months starting in January 2016. I believe Andrew has it narrowed down to two choices: Indian Health Services in New Mexico or an orthopedic internship in Charlottesville, Virginia. Either of these two choices has the potential for opportunities post-graduation and so we continue to ponder where Heavenly Father would have our family be. We also ask that our friends and family keep us in your prayers that Andrew will be successful as he interviews for these two positions.
I am staying busy with my day-to-day routine with Cambria. There is always grocery shopping, errands, dinner prep, cleaning up after Cambria non-stop, outings to think up for Cambria's entertainment...I always have a list of things to do! If Cambria brings me a book when I am in the middle of folding laundry or washing dishes, I am trying to be better about stopping and sitting down to spend time with her. It gives me a break and helps me to reevaluate my priorities.
I really enjoy my Fridays at Peaksview Dental. I was so resistant to returning to work--the thought of it always triggered inexplicable, hormonal, emotional, Mommy heart, separation anxiety tears for me--but it has been so refreshing! I love having a day to myself to be a grown up and keep up the skills that I worked so hard to acquire. I think it will be hard for me to go on maternity leave this time around.
 |
| The only "baby bump" profile photo I have taken! |
I love that there are so many of our friends that are pregnant right now as well. It seems that a handful of us are all due within a week or two of each other: Marietta Paxson (twins!), Caitlin Sweeney, Allie Cunningham...I am having so much fun sharing the pregnancy excitement with all of them!
This pregnancy definitely showed sooner than when I was pregnant with Cambria. It was hard enough to keep it under wraps for 12 weeks! I find that I am cheating a great deal when I tell people how far along I am ("halfway there," "about five months," "due this summer!"). The other night I told Andrew that we were having twins: a BABY baby and a food baby. I feel so huge for only being at the halfway point! With Cambria, I took photos frequently to document every step of the way. With this one, it's hard to find the time and, truthfully, I'd rather avoid the camera at this point. Yikes!
In Miss Cambria news...
On March 1, Cambria and I started playing a little game. I pointed to her and said "Cambria" and she pointed back to me and said "Mama!"
Cambria has started to "sing." Her vocal talents are most often on display on Sundays. She begins during the prelude for sacrament meeting and runs towards Sister Peterson playing the organ up on the rostrum. She opens her mouth as wide as she can and bellows a long, low, loud "Baaaaaaaaaaa!" I notice her intently watching Andrew and I as we sing congregational hymns and then mimicking us. It cracks us up! She loves Primary and we would let her hang out down in the Primary room with me if she didn't insist on running around the front of the room when Sister McNaughton is conducting Singing Time. Now that Cambria is mobile, the Church block involves a lot of time in the hallway trying to keep her from disrupting the meetings. When she hears music coming from one of the classrooms, she makes a beeline for it. With three wards meeting in our cramped building, there is plenty of musical entertainment for Cambria to scurry around to.
I am working with Cambria on identifying the parts of her face. She is good about her eyes and can do her nose and ears most of the time.
Many days, we read 20 or more books to Cambria. She is always bringing us one for her to read or sitting in her bedroom looking at them by herself. She likes to point her finger and help me "count" with her counting books. Her BabyLit Pride & Prejudice has a dog on the "two rich gentleman" page that she loves to look at. Sometimes, the book even comes with us when we run errands!
On March 22, her lower left primary molar began erupting followed by her lower right primary canine the next day. Cambria's teeth don't just pop through in a day or two but take weeks and weeks to make their way slowly through the gums. Poor girl!
Some of the cute things that she does right now include taking her "baba" for a walk. She has two strollers and she likes to load them up with that day's favorite toys (it changes regularly) and push them around the house:
The other day I mentioned something about "Aunt Sarah" to Cambria and when C heard her name, she started doing what we call "The Aunt Sarah Reaction." I sent Sarah a video of it and she sent me one back.
During our walk one day, Cambria reached down and picked her first "flower." I wanted to save it for when Andrew got home but it magically disappeared when I turned my back for a minute. My guess is she also tasted her first flower that day. At least it's edible!
