Best 18 months of our lives

Hi everyone!! I hope you are all keeping cool this weekend - man it is toasty outside! Today marks a big day for little Cameron. Today he is officially 18 months old! I can't believe it as I'm writing this!! Over the past 18 months, our lives have totally changed in so many ways. Cameron has taught us to put others first, patience, compromise and to love unconditionally. I have never been in love like this before and can't imagine my life without this little boy. Quitting my full time job was extremely scary but after 18 months, it was the best decision I have ever made. I'm so thankful that I get to be with Cameron everyday and watch him learn and grow. I'd like to think that I'm responsible for teaching him everything he knows but I know he is a very observant and smart little guy. This month, Cammers has grown not only physically but developmentally as well. He goes in to his new doctor tomorrow for his 18 month check up, so I'll post his stats after the appointment. I personally feel that he is a lot longer than he was a month ago. He can now reach up and try to open doors (SCARY!) and can grab things from the kitchen table with ease. Developmentally he is excelling with his communication skills and problem solving abilities. His favorite activities this month are swimming in his little pool in the backyard, My Gym, building "trophies" with his building blocks, going for nightly walks, and organizing! We are noticing that he is beginning to understand like colors and tends to group them together - it's amazing to watch his face while he is trying to work it out. He points to everything and wants me to tell him how to say whatever he is pointing at. His vocabulary has increasing what seems like overnight. He can now say, "Ball" "Mama" "Dada" "Baby" "Papa" "Nonna" "Elmo (which means uncle!)" "Rock" "Car" "Dog" "WaWa" "More (sign and verbal)" "Milk (sign)" "Uh oh" "That" "Bus" "Pease" "Bubbles" and more - I'm totally spacing. He is still rocking at animal noises too. When asked, he can tell you what these animals say: Bear, Wolf, Dog, Kitty, Elephant (he uses his arm too!!), Bird, Snake, Pig, Bunny, Rooster, Sheep, Lion and more! He also says "CHOO CHOO" for a train, I'm so proud of him! He can't put sentences together yet but he carries on speaking "Cameron" with the cutest little face. He tries to explain himself and ask questions. Throughout the day, I constantly talk to him about what I am doing. I like that he tries to help me with the dishes (unloading the dishwasher), closing doors, the laundry (he helps put clothes into the dryer from the washer, feeding the girls, mowing the lawn, etc. He is always moving and busy but is hardly ever mischievous. One of the cutest things that he loves is secrets. We tell him, "Cameron! Come here, I have to tell you a secret!" He races over to one of us, leans in and gives us his ear. We whisper a secret to him like, "go kiss mama" or "go tickle daddy" and he runs over and does it! It is so cool to be able to communicate with him. He loves to dance and sing often and usually entertains anyone who is around him. He is still in love with Bob the Builder, Thomas and Friends, Trains, Sticks, Cars and his Papa. Another big adventure that we have decided to start this month was the beginning stages of potty training! I took him to target and let him pick out a potty of his choice - he picked a blue and green one with a crown that plays fancy music when he potties into it. We set it up in the downstairs powder room and since I have to pee every 3 minutes, I have him go in a we talk about the potty. He sits on it then immediately gets up to see if he went. He has gone potty several times already and his face is PRICELESS! When he hears the song playing, his mouth opens and he claps! I'm excited to see him progress in the near future. We are beyond proud of this little boy. He has brought so much joy to our lives and I can't wait to see what he is like to have a sibling. He is such a caring and compassionate boy! We love you Cammie!! On baby girl news, she is growing like a weed! I have my 29 week OBGYN appointment on Friday and everything looks wonderful. Apparently she is in the 83rd percentile for weight already! My OBGYN keeps offering to induce me at 39 weeks but I still feel that I want to go naturally like I did with Cameron. In my opinion, babies should pick their own birthdays. I was absolutely blown away by the generosity of two people this month, Coni Bergmann and Krystal Jackson. Krys was sweet enough to give me all of her maternity clothes! I'm so glad because she had a lot of tanks and cute tops. Coni spoiled baby girl by giving her all of the baby clothes that she has accumulated over the past years. Baby girl has all the clothes she is going to need from newborn to 9 months! I couldn't believe it! I love you ladies!! Her room is slowly starting to come together and Ryan's parents bought her a new crib (Thanks Cindee and Marc!) and my mom has been putting together adorable little touches for the walls (I love you mama!). I'm super excited to meet this little lady and welcome her into this amazing family that we have. Next week, the outstanding Zon and Kate team will be taking our family/maternity/Cameron's 18 month pictures. As always, we are truly blessed by you two and we are looking forward to it. To finish up this entry, here are a ton of Cameron/Baby girl pictures! Stay cool my friends!