everyone has to have one of these

The mandatory crying on Santa’s lap photo.

It’s not as dramatic as it seems. The line took about an hour to get through, so Chris patiently waited in line with his iPhone while Cam and I went up and down the escalator more times than I can count. When it was Cam’s turn to sit in Santa’s lap he really wanted to see Daddy. That’s who he is reaching for off camera. Hence, tears and screams. 

Just another photo to go along with another memory.

(P.S. - Is there a non-creepy Santa out there?)

holidays + sickness = no posts

It’s been a crazy month in the Shatto household. The holidays always bring more obligations and tasks than the rest of the year. Most of them are fun, but it does cut into the downtime I have to blog.

Cam caught the roseola virus in mid-November. Honestly, we’re very lucky since this was his first major illness. But with the virus came four days of a fever between 102 and 104º which wasn’t very responsive to fever reducers. It also brought wakeful nights and fatigued days. But we got through it, and now everyone is healthy and happy.

While Cam’s vocabulary is growing, it’s not his first instinct to use them when he wants something. We often remind him to use his words. I’ve been trying to compile a mental list of the words he uses, and I’m sure I will forget some, but here is a good start: Dada, Mama, hot, up, down, cup, eat, hi, bye, waffle, apple, baby, puppy, Jackson, pizza, muffin and juice. There’s a ton more, but my tired brain cannot remember any.

Finally, ‘tis the season to put up decorations that are awfully intriguing to little boys. We weren’t sure how Cam would react to a tree full of ornaments well within reach but we hung the “unbreakables” at the bottom just in case. Cam was struck with wonder at the sight of the tree, but we asked him not to touch. He interpreted our request to mean that the tree was hot and stayed away. He since has been allowed to touch but not grab, and has been great leaving everything alone. We’re very excited to open gifts this year, now that he is more aware.

More later, but here’s a preview of our beautiful tree!

treat time

A couple weeks ago I listed some of my favorite things, one of them being treat time for Pip. Both Cameron and Pip are very excited to come home from work for the daily treat. 

Poor Chris has to wait for his greeting until it’s over. Treats wait for no one.

french doors are fun

We spent our Saturday sitting on the stairs, enjoying this.

It’s great to be greeted so enthusiastically!

h-a-double L-o-w-double E-n spells HALLOWEEN!

It seems that Halloween always has several events, which is nice since we can wear the costume several times.

 

First up is the CheckMark Pet Parade, where all pets and toddlers are invited.

Cam went as a robot and Pip as a punk rocker.

sullen robot

CHEESE!

Parading the wrong direction.

GROUP SHOT!

Next up was Halloween night. We took it easy and went to three houses, and then played outside while other kids came up and collected candy.

 

Will you fill up my pumpkin?

Cam and favorite neighborhood buddies, Joe and Nick

Still empty?!?

We had a nice time, and our candy was quickly gone. Too bad I couldn’t teach Cam “Beep-bop-beep” before the night was over.

who likes spaghetti?

This messy boy does!

Conquering the toddler smile

You know how every little boy decides that smiling is when you tighten every face muscle you have?

Cam has somehow learned it recently.

Take out a camera, say smile, and this is the face you get.

It’s a face only a mother can love. :)

And Daddy!

list of favorites

With the speed of my little boy growing up, I feel like I need to document some of my favorite things he does that make me giggle every single time.

• With fall comes long sleeves and Cam is a fan. When we put on a new shirt, I ask where his hand is and he pushes it through by raising his hands way above his head until his hand pops out. And his face is full of accomplishment when it happens!
• When you ask Cam to say puppy or point out a puppy, he will say puppy and immediately scrunch up his face and make a panting noise. It’s his puppy impression.
• Cam thinks he’s sneaky. He will try to put his cup in his lap, and when I tell him it belongs on the table he’ll slowly bring it back up all while watching my reaction. Then he’ll slowly bring it back down to his lap with a big grin. Never-ending fun!
• Light switches are FASCINATING!
• So are any buttons that make noises when pressed. We learned how to lock laundry machines, fridge water dispensers and dish washers quickly.
• Cam loves his woobie. He starts shouting for it when it comes into view. Not that it’s the cleanest thing in the house since he enjoys walking around with it hanging from his mouth. Yummy woobie!
• When I get home from work, it’s treat time for Pip. Now when I walk in the back door Cam and Pip both run to the jar and beg. Pip stands on his hind legs staring at it, and Cam points and shouts for it. I always give it to Cam to give to Pip. When Pip takes it to the other room, Cam chases after him to watch him eat it.
• He knows how to wake up my iPhone and starts hitting every single button to get it to do something.

There’s so much more, but this is a start!

where do you bring a pumpkin?

to the pumpkin patch!

standing up and taking off

And laughing the entire way...

Cam vs. Zany Zoo

Cam has spent more time walking, which meant he was bound to have more injuries.

Tuesday he decided to stand up, but fell quickly upon his favorite toy, the Zany Zoo.

He hit it on the corner between his upper lip and nose.

You can imagine how tragic this can be to a one year old.

Luckily we recovered quickly, since this is the first of many falls to come!

another step closer

Cam has spent a lot of time walking, but always holding onto our hands or short distances between Chris and I. He has great balance, but not the confidence to venture out on his own. Tonight, that changed.

His confidence is growing!

everlasting project

Chris was a concert junkie as a teen. And with that came many concert tees. After many wears and washes, they were tucked away into a rubbermaid bin and forgotten about. When Chris started talking about making the basement into a hockey haven, I thought it would be a perfect chance to pull those t-shirts out of storage and create a quilt with them. The original plan was to make a queen size for a guest bed, but when Chris changed the layout of the basement we decided on two throws.

This was Christmas of 2009, when I found directions and got to work. But soon, life got in the way. We were soon preoccupied with bathroom renovations, preparing a nursery, preparing US for a baby, and on and on. Meanwhile, the t-shirts sat underneath a guest bed waiting for me to revisit them.

Lately I have found the time and motivation to continue with my quilting quest. I recently finished ironing the fusable interfacing on the back of the 36(!) selected shirts. Now, onto trimming and picking out the denim material I want to use for sashing and the border. To be continued…and finished.

i created a reader!

I have been reading to Cam before he could hold his head up and through the days where chewing on pages was more exciting than looking at them. As I would struggle to turn the slobber-soaked pages I wondered if he was really absorbing much. But everyone says to keep at it, so keep at it I did. 

All of a sudden Cam wants to read all day. The same books. Here are some of his favorites.

One of my favorites from when I was a kid.

Every time he through our office, he grabs this book.

Cute photos, great rhymes by Rachel Hale.

 Lots to touch and feel, even more to pull and tug.

Great rhythmic reading.

This has to be his favorite. It’s a must before each bedtime, and is often repeated five times. Cam loves it when I point out his fingers and toes along with the book.

Good thing I enjoy reading, and enjoy these books. I know there is a lot more of them in my future.