Our baby girl is 6 months old!

While I still can't believe it, yes... our baby girl is 6 months old already! I thought time flew by too quickly with only one child, but I often find myself wondering where the time actually goes! It seems to fly by much quicker with having a toddler and a baby! The days, weeks, and months seem to disappear right in front of our eyes. If nothing else, it is a good reminder that we need to live every day to its fullest and cherish every second because they truly do go by too fast!

Our little Jenna is doing really well. At her 6 month check-up last week, she weighed in at 15 lbs. and was 25.4" long. She's definitely growing! She was always on the shorter side of the spectrum and is now finally making her way up the growth chart... slowly, but surely. This puts her at the 50%ile for height and weight, so she's doing great. Up until this point, she was either not on the growth chart, at the 10%ile or the 25%ile for height, so she's steadily growing! Must be all of those healthy vegetables she's eating!!

Jenna is such a happy little girl. We don't really hear her cry unless she needs something... and then, you can hear her next door, I'm sure! She definitely has a good set of lungs on her! She has the biggest, toothless grin... I love it! She loves to giggle and has an adorable little laugh, especially when she's being tickled. She loves to cuddle, be held, and snuggle! Of course, this is one of my favorite times of the day... when it's just Jenna and Mommy, cuddling and reading stories, singing songs, or just talking! She is one observant little girl! One of her favorite things to do is sit and watch... everything! She loves to watch Colby play and just giggles when he tries to make her laugh. It's so cute to watch them interact! He is such a great brother and we are blessed he is so gentle and caring (usually). He enjoys getting her toys, helping me feed Jenna, reading stories to her, and playing with her on the floor. She is very close to sitting up independently, but isn't there quite yet. She will be soon though, I'm sure. She loves to roll over! As soon as she's put on her back, she instantly rolls onto her tummy. She enjoys being on her tummy too, so maybe she'll be crawling soon too?!? She loves to stand up and jump, too! She absolutely loves her Jumperoo! It's pretty cute to see her jumping like crazy in it! Jenna also enjoys being outside and going for walks in the stroller. She hasn't been a fan of her car seat since birth, but really enjoys sitting up in the stroller and looking around. We are very fortunate that she is a good sleeper, too! She usually naps three times a day and her early afternoon nap is slowly increasing in length, which is great. And she is still sleeping great at night, too. Jenna has been sleeping through the night since she was about 8 weeks old and she's still doing well at night. She usually sleeps for about 11-12 hours. She must know how much her mommy loves to sleep, right?!

We're working on the solids now... honestly, she's not a great eater of solid foods. She is not a huge fan of the cereals, but is doing much better with the vegetables, so that's good news. I hope it continues to get a bit better everyday. While I truly love newborns, I am really enjoying her being a bit older now and being more interactive. Although, I always say that every stage is my favorite stage! It's great to see her holding onto objects, chewing on absolutely everything!, playing with toys, discovering things (like finding her feet!) and learning so much about her environment everyday.

Sadly, Jenna has already been a patient of the Stollery Children's Hospital. Last Monday morning, I was concerned with her in-drawing and crackly chest as she breathed. Luckily, she had her regular check-up that morning. Long story short, our doctor sent us to the Stony Hospital where she was treated for shortness of breath and what we would eventually find out was RSV and Bronchialitis. She was treated with several medications, but her oxygen level wasn't staying up high enough without the support of oxygen. We were taken by ambulance to the Stollery where she was seen in the ER there. She was doing much better by this time and only required one more dose of Ventilin that night. She was admitted for observation overnight to monitor her oxygen level. Thankfully, she did great and was discharged the next day. Whew... now that both of our kids have been there, I hope we don't have to go back again! We are very fortunate to have such a fabulous facility in Edmonton. All of the nurses and doctors there are truly wonderful!

Being a mom is definitely the best job in the entire world. While it's also a difficult job, I wouldn't trade it for the world. We have amazing kids who we love to pieces! What would we do without children? I think we would all have a whole lot more time on our hands!! LOL!

Love,

Gerry, Lesley, Colby and Jenna

xoxo

Dear Grandma...

First off, let me say, I love you, Grandma.
May your days ahead be filled with love and
joy as you are re-united with Grandpa and other
loved ones again.

This is a very difficult blog, as it has been a rough week. On Sunday morning, we awoke to a phone call from my mom saying that my grandma has passed away overnight. It was completely unexpected and shocking, to say the least. She was such a gentle woman who was so proud of her family and life history. Even though we heard her stories (many) times due to Alzheimer's, they never got old. One of my favorite sayings of hers was when she'd look all around, seeing her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and say, "Just think... all of this because of me" or "I never imagined all of this." She kept her promise to come to Canada after her first husband was killed in World War II. As she and my Auntie Ann (who was 3 at the time) travelled west to Alberta, she met and married my Grandpa. And the rest is history... 10 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild was due in a few months.

As I sit here this evening, I am still finding it difficult to believe that she's gone. Even though it's been a week of planning, extended family arriving from out-of-town, I still feel like it's a dream. Tomorrow is Grandma's funeral and it's going to be a very long and tiring day. She was my last remaining grandparent and it's difficult to say good-bye, especially because it was so sudden. To quote a poem written by a friend of my sister's for her funeral tomorrow...

Dear Grandma,

Fond memories flood us
As we cry,
We were not ready
To say good-bye.
Though we knew
Your time would come,
You are our Grandma,
Friend and Mom.
We'll miss your smile,
Your selfless way,
We have so much
We'd like to say.
You walked this earth
With love and grace,
And in our hearts
You'll hold your place.
If you could have spoken
Before you died,
These are the words
You would have replied.
This life for me
Has truly passed,
I've loved you all
'Til the very last.
Weep not for me
But courage take,
And love one another
For my sake.

We love you, Grandma. I am proud to call you my Grandma. You lived an amazing 92 years and had a very successful life filled with loved ones, joy, laughter, and many memories. Rest in peace.

Love and hugs,
Gerry, Lesley, Colby and Jenna xoxo

Is it that time already?!

Yes, it is nearly April, which, in the education world, means it's "time to start thinking about next year's assignment" time! When I was granted my maternity leave, the paperwork indicated I had to let the school division know my intentions for next year by April 30th. Turns out, they're wanting to get a "jump start" on staffing, so they've been calling me wanting my letter. After putting off the decision and many, many discussions, we finally made a very tough decision... I will be returning to work full-time at the end of August for the coming school year. I was considering the option of working part-time, about 0.8 FTE or so, but financially, it didn't even make sense with the cost of full-time childcare. So, back to full-time work in too few of months!

I really do love being home with my kids and I can't believe how quickly life flies by, especially when you have two children. I do enjoy my job though (as much work as it is and the many extra hours I put in) and I'm confident everything will work out. Hopefully this year is much more positive on the childcare front... let's not go there!! LOL! It's all about finding a good balance for the family and yourself. I've always worked full-time in the past, so I am fully aware that it's going to be hard. Thank goodness I have an amazing husband who helps out and does so much around the house! If only the school day was shorter so I could be home earlier... hmmmm.... :)

We have had a difficult couple of weeks. Colby broke out with some sort of terribly itchy face, resulting in major scratching and marks on his face that wouldn't clear up with medication or ointments. Still not sure what it is... but now he is on oral antibiotics and it seems to be helping greatly. Very strange, but it has improved tremendously, so hopefully it's gone for good soon! He also came down with a pretty bad cold last weekend. He was running a fever, had a bad cough, runny nose, and wasn't able to get much rest due to the cough. Thank goodness he was napping in the afternoons and I think he is almost back to himself. The only problem now? Jenna has a cough and runny nose.... grrr!! When it's in the house, it's inevitable that both kids will get it, right?! So frustrating! Hopefully it is a mild one for her and she'll be back to normal quickly too. She's still her happy, content little self, just a stuffed up, coughing little girl now. :(

We are in between sessions of Preschool and Tick Tock Time now, so it has been great having a rather low-key week. Besides Colby being sick, it was truly really nice to not have plans everyday and running out every morning. It's great to stay home and just PLAY!! Tonight was Colby's last swimming lesson of this session and he passed the "Duck" level. Good job, buddy! :) He got a check mark for each one of the skills/activities and will go to "Sea Turtle" next when he turns 3. I registered him in gymnastics beginning the middle of April. It's a Parent and Tot class that we will attend on Saturday mornings. I think it will be a great outlet of energy for our very energetic little man!

We have a busy weekend ahead with Gerry playing in another bonspiel tomorrow afternoon. We also have Jenna's 6 month pictures on Sunday morning, followed by a date with some friends, Joe and Tara, at Jubilations Sunday evening. I hope Colby and Jenna will be good for their first "non-grandparent" babysitting night. Chantel will be great, I know it!

Have a great weekend everyone and Welcome Spring!!

The Cameron Family
xoxo

I LOVE Being a Mom!

A few things I love about being a mom:

- Hearing the word "Mommy", even if it is a million times a day
- Hearing "I wuv you, Mommy" everyday
- Hugs and kisses! (To and from the kids... can't get enough!!)
- Turning on Jenna's light in the morning, greeting her with "Good morning beautiful", and getting a huge smile in return
- Hearing Jenna "find her voice" with her squeals of all tones in one octave!
- Seeing Colby give Jenna kisses and hugs
- Hearing Colby explain toys to Jenna and playing with her
- Seeing their big, beautiful, blue eyes
- Snuggles on the couch
- Reading books, books, and more books to our kids
- Listening to Colby 'read' books to me
- Capturing a great moment with photos
- Scrapbooking my favorite photos of the kids
- Taking our kids different places to expose them to many wonderful things in our world
- Having quite sophisticated (and funny!) conversations with our 2 year old little man
- Laughing!
- wondering where Colby comes up with some of his sayings
- Playing! Playing cars, trucks, and trains with Colby before the sun is even up!
- Seeing them smile, cheer ("Yay!"), and clap!
- Seeing a great imagination at work
- Witnessing learning happening... connections being made, puzzles fitting together, etc.
- Baking! Decorating cookies is a lot of fun with a 2 year old helping.
- Seeing the excitement and magic of every holiday through the eyes of a child.
- Explaining the magic of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny
- Shopping for kids' clothes and dressing them in adorable outfits... kids' clothes are the cutest!!
- Hearing from others, "She really looks like you!"
- Having a living room and a basement full of toys for play, exploration, and discovery
- Going shopping and only buying things for the kids
- Looking at Colby and Jenna and knowing that my wonderful husband and I created these two beautiful children!

Colby and Jenna, you are more loved than you'll ever know!
xoxo Mommy

* I could keep going, but here are just a few of my favorite things!