Easton officially turns one tomorrow (sniff, sniff! Where has the time gone?), but we celebrated last week. Easton threw up the day before his party and the day after, so I don't think he was feeling his best on his special day. You'll see for yourself how thrilled he was at the whole thing, especially the cake.
Easton will grandma, waiting for the festivities to start. He looks so excited right?
Pile of presents and other random bits of interesting things left from Camden.
Opening presents with Camden's help. Easton loves to tear paper, but we never let him, so I think he was a little shocked that we actually encouraged him to do so.
Finally getting into it and having fun.
One of my students bought Eastie this hat. I loved it so much that I made him wear it for the rest of his presents.
Easton with his favorite gift of the event.
The cake! We call Easton our sunshine because he is such a happy, smiley boy, so we felt it was only appropriate his cake be a sun. Mark and I had a lot of fun making and decorating this cake.
Easton was less than enamored with the whole cake thing.
Easton didn't understand what he should do with the whole cake thing, so Daddy stepped in to help.
Easton didn't like the feel of the frosting on his fingers, so he thought throwing it on the dog was a great option.
Cutting the cake into pieces didn't make it any better.
I tried to feed him bites of cake, thinking that would get him interested, but you can see how well that turned out (and I don't know why the flash decided to stop working here).
Yeah, that whole eating cake thing didn't turn out so well. Neither of my boys have eaten their cakes on their birthday. I promise it is good cake really! In his defense, he got sick the next morning, so that may have been why we got such great first birthday cake pictures.
Sometimes being a mother can break your heart. Not long after my last post about Camden, I received a phone call from his preschool that shattered my world. His preschool teacher called me to pick him up because he was behaving in an awful way. I talked to Camden about it when I got home from work that day and could tell he felt terrible about it. Because she had mentioned that he had a bad day before, I called her to find out what was going on. As his mother, I want to be informed of what is going on so that I can deal with any behaviors or issues at home. What she told me left me stunned and broken hearted for my little boy. I learned the little boy I so love and adore at home is completely different in a larger group. More than that, he’s the kid all teachers dread and nobody wants in a classroom.
The preschool teacher told me Camden is very immature for his age. Although a very intelligent little boy, she said he is socially and behaviorally immature. I was told he takes toys from other kids, pushes, hits, kicks, and crowds in line. He knocks over towers that other kids build and bullies them. He throws fits when he doesn’t get his way or if he doesn’t get to go first at something. He doesn’t listen to instructions and won’t help clean up toys. When put in time out, he hits, screams, and kicks either the teacher or the wall. I was told he will do anything to have the attention on him and it’s usually in negative ways. He’ll get out of time out just to get a toy to throw it or he’ll hit the wall and laugh at her as she adds more time to the clock. The focus becomes on him and she can’t do her lessons or help the other children.
Needless to say, I broke down after I got off the phone. Sure we see bits and pieces of this behavior at home. He is three after all, and the first born in the house. But we know how to deal with him and rarely see him as out of control as was described to me. It broke my heart to hear the problems he is having and the problems he creates for others. In small groups and at home, he is well behaved, helpful, and fun. I’ve talked to my friends who watch my child occasionally and was told they rarely, if ever, see this side of him. Unfortunately, this was the final piece of a puzzle I’ve been trying to figure out for months. We’ve gotten similar reports from both the gym daycare and our church nursery (although not as extreme) and have wondered how Camden really behaves and acts when we are not around.
I’m not sure what to think about it all. I feel like the worst parent in the world who is failing their child. I feel like I must not see him clearly or that there is a side to him that only comes out when a parent is not around. After talking to some friends, they gave me some perspective. Most feel it is related to the sensory issues I have mentioned before. Because of that, we’ve set up an appointment for him to be evaluated at our local preschool. A part of me has felt like I have needed to do this for him for a long time, but I have brushed it off because we can deal with his sensory issues at home and in small groups. Seeing how they appear in large groups, however, has made me realize there may be more going on with my son that I want to admit. I’m very hopeful that our evaluation will be able to help my son and help him learn critical social and behavioral skills he needs for school.
It’s a hard thing to accept that my son has some issues that need to be addressed. It’s even harder because I am an educator and know what it is like to have those students in a classroom. It breaks my heart for my little boy, that so many see him as a behavior problem, instead of seeing his sweet heart and spirit. It’s hard to watch him struggle so much as a three year old to deal with these sensory issues. I feel like I don't know how to teach or discipline my own child in a way that works for him and his issues. It’s hard to watch him be so smart, but yet so affected by so many noises, fears, anxieties, and situations out of mine or his control. He’s a beautiful boy with a good heart. He’s got so much to offer. I just wish that side of him could be seen more than the problems.
I haven't talked much about my Camdenator lately, so I decided he needed his own post. This little guy is so much fun! He has developed quite the imagination and loves to tell me stories full of giants, trolls, dragons, pirates, families, and more. It's fun to watch his brain work.
I've discovered what an audio learner Camden is. I've known this for awhile, but it's become even more clear to me since he started preschool. If you repeat something to Camden a few times, he can repeat it back to you, especially if it's in song. He recently learned our phone number this way. The other day while eating dinner, Camden started reciting the "Pledge of Allegiance." To my surprise, he was able to say it word for word correctly. Apparently they say the pledge in preschool once a week and he memorized it. I know if I read books out loud to him, after a few times, he'll be able to repeat it back to me. I love knowing this fact so that I know how to teach my child as he gets older. Put it to song, repeat it out loud, and he'll learn it quickly. He has learned all his alphabet sounds this way and will tell you what sound each letter makes.
I love to listen to Camden talk, especially when he mispronounces a word. I love his "hambabanger," his "tricycple", his "banna". He's convinced that the song "We're not Gonna Take it" really says "We are not Naked" and he'll sing these lyrics loudly.
Camden still loves books. He loves to look at books, to be read books, and to hear stories. We recently got him a subscription our church magazine "The Friend" and he loves to look at "his magazine." He is active as can be! Rarely does he sit still for long. He loves to run, play, and especially jump. He loves trains. He almost always chooses a train as a reward when he earns a big reward. He also still loves animals. It doesn't matter the shape or the size, he loves animals.Camden is very sweet and sensitive. He doesn't understand when others are being mean to him. He tries to teach others to share and be nice. He is especially protective of his younger brother. Of course he can be rough with Easton, but for the most part, he wants to cuddle Easton and wants him included in everything. If I'm not being nice to Easton (or as nice as Cam thinks I should be), he'll tell me. He'll also tell others not to say words like "shut up" or "stupid" because they're "not nice."
Camden is sometimes too sensitive in that he has a lot of fears and anxieties. These have been with him since he was a baby. We're learning how to work with him on these issues, but sometimes it doesn't help. We've had to remove him from a few child care situations because they weren't willing to learn what caused some of his actions (when he is afraid, all bets are off) or how to deal with it. We've learned to steel ourselves for doctor appointments, hair cuts, and many other things. He is very sensitive to noise. We've learned that if there is a lot of noise, his behavior will get worse. The hardest part is not dealing with his behavior when he is in a situation where he is scared, but to deal with the judgment we get from others. Camden teaches me to be tougher, to have thicker armour when it comes to what others think of him and of our parenting, and to put his needs first over the looks from others.
I have to admit, parenting Camden can be challenging. He's stubborn to a fault. He's obstinate and he doesn't always listen well. Dealing with his sensory issues take patience and sometimes I don't have a lot of it. But I am so glad he is mine. Recently I told Camden the story of how he came to our family. Now every night before bed he requests that I tell him "the story of me." I tell him how much we wanted a baby, how much we prayed for a baby, and how sad I was when it didn't happen. I tell him how happy we were when we found out he was coming. Then I tell him of his birth and how overjoyed that made his father and I. Finally I tell him how much I still love him, how I will always love him, and how happy I am that he is my son. And that is true. In spite of the difficulties in parenting sometimes, I am so glad to have Camden in my life. He made me a mom and I am forever grateful for the blessing he is.
Because you just might get it.
I LOVE the mints at our local Pizza Hut. They are cinnamon and delicious and I covet them. I always grab huge handfuls when I go there. If Mark goes and I don't, I make him pick up these mints for me and then I eat them all. I always tell him how much I love these mints. So Mark decided to purchase me a box to surprise me. He thought it would be a small box.
It's a 30 lb box! What am I going to do with 30 lbs of Cinnamon mints? Anybody want some mints?
Camden loves playing dress up. So with Halloween coming, we bought some cheap costumes and made a dress up box. He has so much fun playing and I love watching his imagination blossom. It's our new favorite activity in our house. (And is it just me, or is Camden looking way too much like a bigger boy these days? He's lost his toddler look!)
Easton is 9 months old and I think it's about time I gave him his own post. Easton is truly my Mr. Sunshine. This boy smiles all the time. He's so happy and easy going.
Easton has been a joy since the day he was born. He's always been easy going and likes sleep like his mommy. I remember when he was 5 weeks old. I had put him to bed at 9:30 the night before. At 5 am, I woke in a panic wondering if he was ok since he hadn't fed all night long. I checked on him and he was just fine and woke about an hour later to feed. That became normal for him - sleeping through the night at a super young age. Since I had to go back to work when he was 6 weeks old, that was great for me! He is still my great sleeper. When he is sick or is teething, you can expect a few wakings, but otherwise, he sleeps 11 hours at night. He is a total tummy sleeper too, something he did all on his own. Once he learned to roll, as soon as he hit the bed, he flipped over on his stomach. I love watching him sleep with his little bum up in the air.
Easton practices new skills all the time. Camden would study and wouldn't do anything until he could do it perfectly. As a result, we have some new experiences with a baby who practices and practices. Easton has been crawling for about a month now. He moves fast and if he sees something he wants, he's after it. He has found the dog food more than once. He also pulls to st
anding on everything. He loves to be in the center of it all.
This is the face I see most of the time. When I come home from work and Easton sees me, he lights up and scrambles as fast as he can to get me. Then he gives me huge, open mouth kisses. When we go to stores, church, or any place public, Easton will stare at somebody until they look at him and then smile big. We get comments all the time on how cute and happy he is. He's a shameless flirt. He'll smile big at any pretty girl, no matter the age. He has all his caretakers wrapped around his finger.
Easton loves to laugh and play. He loves animals and stuffed toys. He loves Little People the most (something Camden never enjoyed). He loves baths, books, and exploring his world. He loves games where he bounces in the air and he loves dancing with the family. Although we try to not let him watch TV, if it's on, he's fascinated by the lights. He especially adores his brother. Nobody can get East laughing like Cam can. Nobody! It doesn't matter what simple thing Camden does, it will get Easton rolling on the floor. He looks up to Camden and follows Cam everywhere. Camden is so patient and gentle with him as well.
Easton is a
champion eater. He loves his solid and table food. He especially loves cheese, noodles, fruits, veggies, and Cheerios. My only complaint about the boy is his liquid diet. Every time he has gotten sick or been teething, he drops a liquid feeding. When he was 4 months old, he got his first cold and refused nursing for weeks on end. He never nursed again, even though I tried. Each cold after that, another feeding dropped. Now he takes one bottle in the morning and one at night. He'll only take a few small sips of liquid during the day from a sippy cup (will not touch a bottle during the day). He's healthy and happy, so his doctor tells me not to worry about it so much. Put anything in front of him in solid form and he'll eat it though, so that's a good thing.
Easton is such a joy. We call him Easter Bug, Easter Bunny, Eastie, and bug most of the time. We tried calling him Eastie Beastie, but since he in no way is a beast, it just doesn't fit. I am so grateful this happy, sunshiney boy is in our lives!
Take one active, curious three year old. Add in two parents busy getting ready for church, plus a spray bottle full of water unnoticed in the toddler's hand. Leave said child unattended while said parents prepare for church. Notice it has become eerily quiet and race downstairs to see said toddler sitting with said water bottle in front of the open laptop computer. What do you have? One toddlerfied computer. Yes Camden, that dear, sweet boy, sprayed water all over the screen of the laptop, which has consequently destroyed the laptop screen. So I am stuck with our old, SLOW PC and may be a bit scarce. If you are here from NCLM, I will be catching up with you soon!
Pictures of my two boys! I absolutely love how this photographer captured my boys and their personalities. If you are out in the Wasatch Front or the Uintah Basin parts of Utah, give her a call. She has reasonable prices and does great work! I scored a free session, but have already booked family pictures for the fall because I loved her work so much.http://www.tinamieraphotography.com/Proofs/Pull down the drop down menu until you see my last name (hint - starts with a D). Hit "enter gallery." Then hit submit. There is no password. I don't know how long the proofs will stay up, so check 'em out when you can.
Easton didn't understand what he should do with the whole cake thing, so Daddy stepped in to help.
Yeah, that whole eating cake thing didn't turn out so well. Neither of my boys have eaten their cakes on their birthday. I promise it is good cake really! In his defense, he got sick the next morning, so that may have been why we got such great first birthday cake pictures.
