6 Weeks and Counting

CAMERON
I am still a helpful, proud big brother even now that the novelty has worn off.  However, one of the ways I like to help the most mom doesn't find so helpful - I like to try and pick Nathan up when he is laying on the changing pad or is in his bouncy chair getting ready for his bath.  Mom says I'm not strong enough, but I'm a whole whopping 22.5 lbs (or at least that's their best guess).  I appear to be getting taller too as I can take stuff off the kitchen table and bathroom counters and even off the kitchen counter.

Some of my newest words include belly, milk, please, cracker (used for both graham crackers and rice cakes), more, and bye bye.  I will even use words without prompting if I really want something, especially food.

I just got a fun new toy this weekend - it's a ride-on trike with a long handle so mom and dad can push me until I'm tall enough to pedal myself.  We took it for a spin around the block yesterday and it was lots of fun.  I'm not that great at steering yet though.  I also helped dad plant flowers this past weekend and last night we planted a tree since the weather is pretty nice.  I'm also daddy's handyman helper.  If a toy is broken, I bring it to him and go stand in front of the closet where one of his screwdrivers is stored and then help him fix it. 

Another favorite activity is to push buttons (and not just mommy and daddy's).  I know how to turn the TV on both using the TV and also using the remote.  I can turn my CD player on, flip light switches on and off, and when given the opportunity like to dial phone numbers (I once called my Aunt Kali from mom's phone).  I'm just a busy guy with a lot of curiosity.




NATHAN
I am 6 weeks old today - boy did that go fast!  I'm still a real good sleeper most nights.  I usually go for about 5-6 hours and then after my middle of the night feeding, I usually go another 3 or so hours. Sometimes I will get up at after my 5:30/6 am feeding, but most nights I will go back to bed for another hour.

Many people have commented on my long fingers and toes and think I will be taller than my big brother.  Only time will tell.  I am already around 10 lbs according to mom's best guestimate and a weigh-in here at home on our less accurate scale.

I did have my first real cranky spell Sunday night.  Nothing was consoling me so daddy took me for a car ride so mommy and Cameron could finish dinner.  I was quiet the whole time even though I stayed awake.  I was fairly calm the rest of the night.  I do tend to spit up a lot after some feedings and am pretty gassy at times which can cause me to get cranky, but fussy but usually I'm a mellow guy, especially in the mornings.  Although I am definitely awake more during the day and much like Cameron (though not yet to the same extreme), I like to be in motion when awake.  As a result, Mommy doesn't get much down time during the day anymore and daddy doesn't get much when he gets home as I am usually awake and vocal in the evening.

My current likes include eating my hands, my pacifier, eating, being swaddled or held (I won't sleep for very long unless I'm swaddled, in my car seat or being held), grocery shopping, being outside, and watching people's faces.  My current dislikes include having gas, having skin exposed, getting changed (clothes or diapers - it's the whole skin exposure thing), and baths.

Finally, I saved the most exciting news for last.  I now smile and it's not just when I'm gassy.  Some mornings I smile at mommy several times and even gave her a huge grin one night.  My smiles are still few and far between (just ask daddy), but I am starting to be even more social and show my happiness.  Maybe one of these days mommy or daddy will actually get a picture as proof!

Love,
Cameron & Nathan

Stormy Weather and Simple Needs

Well mom is finally tired enough from sleep deprivation that she has given us back control of our blog. So here are our updates.



CAMERON
My vocabulary is rapidly expanding, though I still only say most words (other than dada, mama, hi, and bye) only when prompted. My newest words include up, baby, truck, book, more, Jesse, woof, meow, and car. I am very helpful with Nathan. I bring mommy diapers when she goes to change him. I also find his socks and hat and give them to mommy, whether she needs them or not. I also help mommy with other things around the house including the laundry (she hands me wet clothes and I put them in the dryer), cleaning (I like to pick up dog hair, fuzz or other things off the ground and put them in the garbage), and the dishes (I take the dishes out of the bottom rack and then check and re-check and check yet again to make sure there is enough vinegar in the rinse aid compartment).

We had our first big thunderstorm of the year tonight. I don't really remember last summer's thunderstorms, but now that I'm old enough to really notice them, I don't like them. There was so much lightning and no matter where I looked, I kept seeing it so I got scared. I was better once mom and grandma took me upstairs to my room where the blinds were closed and mom turned on my music and ceiling fan to drown out the thunder noise. Fortunately the major part of the storm passed before I finished getting ready for bed so I was less freaked out.

Grandma Linda has been here since May 19th and I sure have had fun spending time with her. I also saw Grandpa Brian last weekend and both of them will be back next Friday. I'm very fortunate to have four wonderful grandparents who are so much fun to play with.



NATHAN
I'm a simple guy with simple needs - I like to eat every 2-4 hours (more frequently during the day and less frequently during the night which I think mom and dad appreciate) and to sleep most of the time, though I am starting to have longer awake periods and am much more aware of my surroundings. In fact, I usually have 1-3 lengthy (anywhere from 90 mins-3 hours) awake periods each day. I have only had two nights where I wanted to be awake at night. One night last week I was up for about an hour around 1:30am and then Wednesday night, well actually Thursday morning, I decided to get mom up around 3am and kept her up the rest of the day. In my defense, I did go back to sleep around 5 or 5:30am, but by then I think mom was wide awake.

I am gaining weight at a healthy pace. In fact, from my 2-week doctor's appointment last week Thursday to my weigh-in Wednesday up at the hospital, I gained 10 oz so now I am at 8 lbs, 2 oz. I eat 3-4 oz at each feeding which explains how I'm gaining as much weight as I do.

The past few days I have become more vocal and have shown a fondness for movement. However, I do not need to be in constant motion; I simply like seeing new sites once in a while so I appreciate a short stroll through the house. I can also be soothed by the pacifier, especially if I'm a bit fussy and I recently ate. I will also take the bottle fairly well if mom is not around so her and dad have been able to play softball (their season started in mid-April) and even have a date night while grandma and grandpa watched me and Cameron.

We are enjoying the beautiful spring weather we have had the past few days and hope it stays as we both love the great outdoors.

Love,
Cameron & Nathan

Nathan's First 10 Days

Here is an update on the boys. Mom still is the guest writer as Cameron takes a break from his blog to acclimate to being a big brother...


NATHAN
Nathan continues to do well. He is back to his birth weight and is on the high end of eating (took 3 oz in the other day when we were up at the hospital and could weigh him before and after feeding). He is finally and thankfully off of the phototherapy treatment. It is so nice to be able to walk around the house with him rather than being "stuck" wherever he was plugged in. Nathan is also a decent sleeper so far. He goes about 3-4 hours at night and has been very good about going back to sleep after (or sometimes during) nursing. A lot of the time I think I fall asleep too as he is a good eater and so far no challenges there. Makes it a lot more relaxing and therefore easier to doze off so I feel much more rested this time around. During the day Nathan is awake 1-3 times a day for 1 1/2-3 hours at a time. We love seeing his eyes and he is a very quiet, alert baby when he is awake. Unless he is hungry or cold (during diaper changes), then he is vocal. So far Nathan's likes include eating, being held, being swaddled, sleeping, and being in his car seat. Quite a simple life! I took the boys out for Nathan's first shopping trip when he was a week old. He did very well considering we got close to his lunch time. Having both the boys with me is good for the budget - there' s not much room in the shopping cart when you have Cameron in the front seat and Nathan in his car seat in the cart!


CAMERON
Cameron has been adjusting very well in my opinion. It must be hard to going from top dog to sharing our attention - just ask Jesse! Cameron has had several new experiences in the past week other than becoming a big brother. He added a new word to his vocabulary on Thursday while watching the Brewers game with me. He now says "go", the first time in response to one of the Brewers getting a hit and running hard. Thursday and Friday he also worked on (and is now very good at) crawling down the stairs so I don't have to carry him. Too bad we didn't master this while I was still pregnant! He also grabs his diaper when it needs changing. Guess that's another step towards potty training, but I'm certainly not ready for that yet! My favorite development though was a spontaneous one yesterday. At breakfast, Cameron got his bib out of the cabinet, put it on (backwards, but still...) and then when I put him in his high chair, he helped buckle himself into the chair. He definitely knows what's what around the house.

Some of Cameron's new favorites include Kashi cereal with milk at breakfast. He especially enjoys drinking the milk out of his bowl. He definitely did not learn that from me or Greg as I hate milk in my cereal and Greg doesn't eat cereal. He also enjoys checking on his lil brother whenever Nathan makes noise. He even understands which blankies are his and which are Nathan's (Cameron uses cloth diapers that we use as burp cloths as his blankie so now with Nathan spitting up on occasion we have those same cloth diaper/burp cloths on hand for Nathan). If he's not sure who's blankie it is, he will smell it and/or look at us for clarification. If we tell him it's Nathan's, he puts it down and looks for his.

Finally, Cameron has been taking advantage of some nice weather and enjoying the great outdoors. He loves being outside and pointing out bugs, especially ants, and picking grass, sticks and rocks. Because he has been pretty helpful and I feel guilty for not spending as much time with him, I made an unplanned stop at the Pewaukee Lake beach last weekend with Cameron. He wanted to walk right into the lake which made for a messy walk back to the car through the sandy beach. But it was worth the smile on his face to explore somewhere new. One of these days when it is warm out again, we'll have to make a family trip to the beach and spend more time there so Cameron can play in the sand with his new sand toys (thanks Buries!) and explore the water more.

It has been a pretty smooth first 10 days with Nathan so hope I can report the same in another 10 days!

Love,
Kristi & the boys

And Then There Were Two

Cameron has kindly given me the editorial reins for this posting since he was not present for the birth of his little brother. Nathan James Kruepke was born on Tuesday, April 6th at 12:20pm. He weighed in at 6 lbs 15 oz (3 oz more than Cameron) and was 20 inches long (compared to Cameron's 19 inches).

**Note: I have divided this blog into two sections: labor & delivery and meet Nathan in case you do not care to read about the labor portion.

LABOR & DELIVERY

Nathan's delivery was also much easier than Cameron's. On Monday night, my contractions were already 8 mins apart, but they weren't very strong so I went to bed hoping to make it to my 8:30am doctor's appointment. Around 1am, I woke up and the contractions were now 5 mins apart. My doctor had advised to go to the hospital if they were 5-10 mins apart so I was already pushing it. But I still waited until 3 am before deciding to go in partly because they weren't strong so I didn't want to get sent home and also because I didn't want to have to get Cameron up unless I really had to, but by 3 am, I was a bit anxious and called the doctor who advised me to go in to be safe. I was officially admitted at 5 am after they determined it was active labor and not false labor (they had me walk around for an hour and then checked to see if that led to any progress and since it did, they admitted me). Cameron's Grandpa Jim and Grandma Barb came down and picked him up around 5am and took him back to West Bend where he stayed until Wednesday evening.

My doctor was on vacation this whole week so I had a different doctor, Dr. Taylor, in on the delivery. I really liked how laid back yet to the point he was as it fit my style well so I wasn't concerned about having a different doctor. I nicknamed him the Danny Gokey of doctors because he had really stylish eyeglasses and wore a different pair the day he delivered Nathan and the day he discharged me.

Because they had to break my water and that typically leads to stronger contractions and because I remember how painful my contractions were with Cameron, I ended up getting the epidural even though I wasn't experiencing any pain at the time. I'm glad I did because after they broke my water, I had to get pitocin since my progress had stalled and the pitocin is what really created the unbearable contractions with Cameron. Although I probably could have made it through without the epidural, for the sake of all in the room, I decided not to chance it knowing how low my pain tolerance is. I was not nervous or anxious at all about the labor or delivery process except for the epidural. I think because I didn't have any other anxieties and also because I wasn't in any pain when I got it (compared to Cameron's delivery where I was keeling over in pain by the time the anesthesiologist arrived), I really felt the epidural process and did not care for that.

The dose was perfect because I could still feel what was going on, but did not feel any pain through the entire process. In fact, a little after noon I told the nurse that I felt the need to push and sure enough I was fully dilated and ready to push. A few contractions and pushes late (and about 10 mins total time), Nathan was born. I had a slight tear, but nothing as painful as last time. In fact, I didn't feel any pain in the recovery process. The nurses kept asking if I wanted anything for pain, but I kept refusing since I didn't have any. The one exception was I had a headache (likely due to lack of sleep) Tuesday night. Other than that, I felt pretty darn good. I was walking the halls of the hospital the next day. The only challenge is that since I did feel so good, I think I have pushed myself a little too much these past few days. Without the pain, I easily forget that I am still recovering.

MEET NATHAN JAMES

Our little Nathan has quite the appetite, eating every 1 1/2-3 hours, depending on how tired he is. And he sleeps ALOT! Even when he is awake, he is pretty laid back yet still quite alert. We'll see if this is his true personality or just a result of his jaundice. Because his bilirubin levels were high, he has been on phototherapy since Friday. This entails him having a rubber pad up his shirt so it is against his back. The pad is attached to a hose of fiber optics that carry the special light that helps break down the bilirubin. Fortunately his levels are finally dropping after plateauing yesterday. We have had to go to the hospital every day since coming home to get blood draws to test his bilirubin levels. The brave little guy has been such a trooper and hardly makes a peep during the process. Hopefully tomorrow will be our last trip to the hospital for quite a while!

Cameron got to meet his new little brother on Wednesday evening and so far has adjusted pretty darn well. Thursday was a little trying as we came home from the hospital and Cameron didn't nap very well so that all added up to a needy, cranky Cameron. Since then, he has been a proud big brother, checking on Nathan when he makes noise, bringing me Nathan's hat to make sure his head stays warm, blowing kisses and saying "hi". We have been trying hard to make sure Cameron still gets some one-on-one time with each of us, but it has been a juggling act to do so. Fortunately he has had good one-on-one time with his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and his sitter to help supplement the smaller chunks of time he gets with us. I did take him to the beach at Pewaukee Lake yesterday for a short excursion since I was feeling extremely guilty about not being able to spend time with him. Though my recovery is going well, I'm trying to limit how much I carry Cameron, especially up and down stairs, so I have not been his primary caregiver these past several days and have not been able to do as much with him as I would like. That will change in a week or so when I can resume pretty much all day-to-day activities. Plus, with Nathan attached to his phototherapy machine 24/7, I can't really go places with the kids so we're stuck at home for at least another day or two.

We think Nathan looks more like his daddy. Cameron looked more like me than Nathan does. It will be interesting to see how his features develop and if he does continue to resemble Greg as he gets older. So that is our Nathan in a nutshell. Now Cameron seems so big (never thought I would say that about our first peanut) compared to Nathan. We are very blessed to have two healthy, wonderful boys and look forward to them growing up together.

Love,
Kristi, Greg, Cameron, Nathan & Jesse

Last Solo?

This may be my last solo blog entry as mom has informed me that I will have to share blog duties with my sibling soon. Only 3 more weeks to go (take or leave a couple weeks) before my life gets turned upside down and I'm no longer the center of attention in our house. So I'm going to milk it as much as I can. I think mom is starting to get a little wistful that it is our last few days together just the two of us (on her days off that is) as we have been going to the park, playing outside, reading lots and eating my favorite foods. And as if that wasn't spoiling me enough, daddy is home all of this week and he is my favorite person to spend time with these days. Don't get me wrong, mommy is fun and all, but daddy can do so much more with me like wrestling, playing chase, lifting me high, carrying me for long periods of time, and other things that I love so much.

Speaking of daddy, I want to wish a very special Happy Birthday to my favorite Daddy! He and I hung out this morning before going to mommy's work to say hi to her coworkers and then the three of us went to lunch at the Honeypie Cafe. Daddy has wanted to try this place (they are known for their smothered fries which I didn't care for, but mommy and daddy sure liked - hand cut fries with BBQ pork, Gruyere cheese sauce, pickled jalapenos and bacon on top, but they had to have the bacon on the side since mommy gave it up for Lent). After lunch we went and picked up a special birthday cake for daddy. Since it was daddy's birthday, I got to have a little cake too. Except I wanted nothing to do with the cake and only wanted the strawberry-pineapple filling. I enjoyed daddy's birthday and hope he did too even though it was low key. It was nice though having some good family time just the 3 of us.

I definitely have developed quite the personality. I can be such a ham, especially during my post-dinner burst of energy. Saturday night I was thoroughly entertaining Grandpa Jim and Grandma Barb (and they were thoroughly entertaining me with blankie hide-and-seek and other fun games). I would spin in circles, run around, squeal, and just have fits of laughter. Many nights after dinner this is how I am.

I am also very curious and love helping daddy fix things, or in the case of one of the pictures I posted, take things apart, like a VHS tape. As for the other pictures, one is of me goofing around with my Mr. Potato Head Santa beard. Another is me sleeping peacefully with my hands behind my head. And then you can see me hard at work on a complex math problem - just another example of how I like to imitate my daddy.

Did I mention how much I LOVE being outside? Thursday I hung out in our backyard with Jesse, mommy and daddy and just enjoyed every bit of it. I played in the dirt, picked grass, played fetch with Jess, and watched daddy grill. Unfortunately it got cold again Friday and I expressed my frustration with having to stay inside. Mom did compromise and had the window open for a little bit so I could at least hear and smell the great outdoors.

Other highlights of my month so far include more teeth. I have two upper molars that have now come through and finally have another bottom tooth to go with my two bottom teeth. I have been teething for the past several weeks which means lots of extra drool, crankiness, fussy eating, restless nights (I stopped sleeping through the night when the teething started and just last week started sleeping through the night again much to mom and dad's appreciation). My eating habits have been kind of wacky lately. I no longer eat the crust on my bread, I request jarred baby food a lot these days instead of finger foods, and I love chewing on my sippy cup if I don't have a teething ring available. When my first 6 teeth came in, I wanted nothing to do with teething rings, but this time around I really like them, cold or not.

I had a first on Saturday - my first poop in the bathtub. Guess this has been the month of poop milestones. Fortunately for daddy, it didn't upset me so he was able to clean me and the bathtub up rather easily. Unfortunately, mommy wasn't home at the time to help so it was all him. Hopefully I won't do that again anytime soon. And as an update from my last entry, I have shown no further interest in using the toilet myself. I certainly know the routine when mommy or daddy use it, but do not like my potty seat and am content with just observing for now. But there is no rush from mommy or daddy to get me potty trained so it's no big deal.

I am also picking up more signs (which is helpful since I still don't really talk). I now know the signs for dirty, dog, please, and thank you (kind of - I forget to move my hand down from my chin). I also am good about covering my mouth when I cough, but if I sneeze, watch out as I still do not cover my mouth then. Why would I want to get my germs all over my hands???

My room is almost completely set up. My first piece of artwork is hanging on the wall, daddy put together my new toy storage rack on Sunday, the rocking chair was also moved out so all that is left is to move the changing table into the nursery and maybe then mommy will bring my table and chair set up to my room instead of having it in the basement where I rarely get to go.

Although I am looking forward to introducing you to my sibling (most people think I'm going to have a little sister so we'll see if they are right), I am a little sad that I will have to share all of my friends and family with my sibling. Oh yeah, and my toys. But I'm sure I will get over it quickly when I realize that having a sibling means I have a built-in playmate!

Love,
Cameron

Poopy in the Potty

Today was a big milestone. I went poop in the potty! Now let me put it in some perspective. For the past couple weeks, I have been following mommy and sometimes daddy into the bathroom when they use it and have shown a lot of interest in what they are doing. I know the order of events, including when to use toilet paper and when to wash hands, etc. I sometimes even let mom and dad know when I need my diaper changed by grabbing the front of my pants (wet diaper) or going to the gate to go upstairs. I don't always let them know, but I have done it once or twice a day for the last several days. So today I let mom know I wet my diaper (about 10 minutes after she had changed it) but since it was just changed and I wasn't stinky, she didn't change me right away. So a few minutes later, I went into the bathroom on my own and when she followed me in, I pointed to the toilet. She took my pants and diaper off and held me onto the toilet seat and I let a little poop drop into the toilet. However, at the point I got a little freaked out by the experience and possibly by the size of the toilet seat (my own toilet seat was just ordered earlier in the week and hasn't arrived yet) so I didn't finish the job. But mommy and daddy were proud of me nonetheless since I let them know my needs and I even gave it a try. I know they won't pressure me to keep using the toilet, but will let me use it when I request it. Maybe once I have my own seat, I might be less scared of the whole process, but it was a pretty cool moment for all of us. Probably more information than you ever wanted to know, but that's probably true for a lot of my milestone moments!

On a less personal note, a few other highlights of this week. I am now sleeping on a twin mattress on the floor of my room. So no more crib or crib mattress in my room - they are now in the baby's room. Mommy also got out the baby swing yesterday so I could get used to having some of baby's stuff in my play area. I put my dolly in the swing and give her pushes since I'm too big to sit in the swing myself.

I also went mall walking for the first time this week. Mommy and I went to the mall before the stores opened and got to walk (or in my case, run) around the wide open space. There were other people there, but not too many so I had a lot of freedom to go my own pace which was a lot of fun. Then Friday mommy took me to a playgroup at the library. There were so many toys for me to play with, I loved it. Plus there were several other kids around my age so it was fun watching them play and once in a while, I even tried to play with them (aka steal their toy). I made friends with Lilliana's daddy (he was the only daddy there this week but hopefully next time my friends Ben, Abby & Lorelei will be there with their daddy since he is off every other Friday and maybe my daddy can come in March when he is off of work for a week) and a few of the mommies. I still gravitate and socialize more with adults and older kids, but I was really good about being social with the kids my age this week which made mommy proud.

So those were the highlights of my week. Given the nature of today's primary topic, no pictures to post, but at least you are now up-to-date!

18 Months Already

Yes, hard to believe that I am already 18 months old. To celebrate this milestone, I have had quite a few adventures this week. First, I got a new plush rocking chair in just my size. I enjoy reading in it but I also figured out that if I push it towards the sofa, I can climb onto my chair and then climb onto the sofa. But I only do this if mom
and dad aren't watching because they do not let me do it. Unfortunately one of the times I tried it while mom was in the kitchen, I didn't have the chair quite close enough to the sofa and I tipped it over and fell into the sofa and bit my lip and bumped my head. I am ok, but maybe I won't try that again anytime soon.

Because I'm so curious, active, and don't always pay attention to where I'm going, I've been more prone to bumps and bruises lately. In fact Sunday night I gave mom and dad quite the scare. I was running through the kitchen (yes, I know I shouldn't run in the house but I had an after dinner second wind despite not napping that day) and fell into the corner of the refrigerator. There was an indentation in my forehead where I hit the fridge and it instantly turned black and blue. I think the indentation scared mommy and daddy more than the bruising. After a few minutes it was no longer indented and just swollen but they called the doctor anyway to make sure they didn't need to take me to the ER. Fortunately the doctor wasn't overly concerned as I didn't have any signs of a head trauma and I settled down fairly quickly after the initial shock and pain of the accident. Though I was not a fan of the ice applied to my forehead. Within 20 minutes I was running through the kitchen again much to mom and dad's chagrin. But it's hard to slow me down as I'm pretty strong willed. Unfortunately for everyone, mom and dad had to wake me up a couple hours after I went to bed (doctor's orders). I was not pleased so to express my displeasure, I woke them up every couple hours the rest of the night to see how they liked it. Needless to say, they did not like it. I'm better now, except for a slight indentation and some bruising.

On a cheerier note, I also moved out of my crib almost two weeks ago and am sleeping on my crib mattress on the floor. The first nap I was out of the crib, I climbed off the mattress and started playing with my toys so mom put me back into bed and I have stayed put at naps and at night. Until Sunday that is. Although I was in my bed when mom came in to my room, I had a trail of evidence that I was out of bed, including a bunch of different toys that I brought into my bed while I was playing instead of napping. Oops - busted! But at least I played quietly enough that there were fooled for a while.

Some other milestones in the last month include my return to swim lessons. I'm pretty good about going underwater without getting too upset. Though this week I wasn't as cooperative in class as usual since my mouth was bugging me. Yep, I'm cutting molars. My gums were black and blue last week and mom saw one molar peeking through the other day, but they haven't actually come through yet though my gums are swollen and mom says you can see the teeth through the side of the gums. Most likely because of the molars, I have not been very good about sleeping through the entire night. For the last several weeks, I have woken up about once a night and then request (ok, demand) my music get turned on before I go back to sleep.

I am fascinated with toe lint and love taking my socks off at night to pick the lint out of my toes. I also enjoy drawing on my Magnadoodle though I am still not too big on crayons and paper. And another favorite activity is weighing myself on the scale. I don't care how much I weigh (for the record it's 20lbs 2 oz and I'm still only about 30 1/2-31 inches long so still a peanut); it's just fun watching the numbers appear. But my favorite activity these days is watching mom and dad cook. Sometimes they even let me help. I got to help daddy chop onions (using an onion chopper, not a knife) and mommy let me stir the pancake batter one morning and the crisp mix for rhubarb crisp another day. The best part is when the food is done and I get to eat it. Though I'm still picky and prefer to eat fruit, cheese, bread, pasta, or peanut butter over anything else.

So those are my favorites. One of my least favorite things is running bath water or showers. In fact, I scream when we go into the locker room after swimming because I know the shower is in there. I also will sometimes refuse to take a bath if I see the bathtub water running. Mom tried to help me conquer this fear by giving Jesse a bath and letting me watch. I didn't come near the bathroom when she had the bath running, but when she turned on the hand held shower head, I showed cautious curiosity and would come in to the bathroom for a little bit and watch before running back to the safety of my room. Maybe someday I will get over this fear, but for now this is probably my biggest fear.

And finally, I have now officially earned the title of "ringer" for mom and dad's trivia team. Tonight was the third time I've gone to trivia with them and their team won all 3 times. Guess that means I will have to keep going! It's the one night a month that I get to stay out late (until 8pm) and it is usually pretty fun. Tonight I got to run around the hallways of the hotel it is at so mom and dad had to take turns chasing after me in between rounds.

Well that's me at 18 months in a nutshell. Active, super smiley, social, dog-loving, food monger, peanut, strong-willed, attached to my blankie, and overall a pretty easy going guy. Much to mom's delight, I'm also starting to show a greater interest in other kids, including babies. I play at day care now instead of cuddling with the adults. I also ask mommy to read me her Parenting magazine so I can look at all the pictures of the babies and say hi to them. Mom and dad are hoping I stay this interested and engaged with babies once my baby sibling is here. We'll see. Depends on how cute and interesting the little critter is.

Love,
Cameron