Camper

The Full Monty

PARENTAL ADVISORY WARNING: Some of the images below may not be suitable for young eyes.

Well, our vacation is coming to an end and I am very sad to say so. It has been a wonderful week. With the exception of some rain this morning it has been picture perfect beach weather. Speaking of the beach . . . we took our last trip to the beach this afternoon and got some great shots of Campbell playing in the sand and took a video of her swimming (that will be posted when we get home as we (insert Adam) forgot the computer cord).  It was a memorable trip to the beach - to put it mildly.

To give a little context we are staying at Kiawah Island off the coast of Charleston, SC.  For those not familiar with Kiawah it is a private community where my family has been coming for vacation for years.  One of our favorite past times while here is riding bikes or walking the beaches to marvel at the ENORMOUS homes all over the island.  Each vacation is a visit to Ritzville and a chance to see how the other half - or to be more accurate the other two percent - lives. All of that to say that the beach at Kiawah is not where you expect to get flashed and yet . . .

There we were taking pictures of our sweet baby girl in her sweet little pink daisy swimsuit when Adam gasps and says "I was not expecting that!"  I turn to get an eye full of boobs and, yes, the full monty (thankfully not on the same body).

 

I am just hoping Campbell is looking at the stick beside her and not the crew in the upper left of the screen.

That is Adam's shot of my reaction to the unexpected vajayjay.

So, now that I have dispensed with the shock value segment of this post we will commense with the aw value . . . A few more shots of Little Miss.

Gotta love those thighs! I keep telling her to enjoy it now because this is the only time in her life when thighs that fat are so darn cute!

Hang Ten Baby!

We made it!  I can feel myself rejuvenating already. I needed this vacation! It has been a success so far . . . We have ridden bikes - Campbell likes her little buggy behind Daddy's bike. We've been to Cindy's (the best fried shrimp and tuna salad on earth - the key lime pie is pretty awesome, too). And we've been to the beach.  The weather today was perfect!

Campbell saved up all her energy for the vacation itself. And it's a good thing because vacationing is apparently hard work. She slept 10 straight hours last night, had a 2.5 hour nap this morning and an hour on the beach - normally so much sleeping is totally unheard of.  But she loved the beach. Even after getting a little wave in the face, she laughed it off and splashed some more.  Her immediate love of the beach and water made the surfer swim suit a fitting choice (even if it didn't fit so well as it was hard to get over her rather large head and doesn't cover her rather large belly).

The water is warm enough to swim which was a nice surprise. Adam and I have been in swimming and had a blast.  It was while swimming that Adam said the catchphrase of the trip so far:

"Dude! We totally need a bogey board!"

Big Weekend

Campbell was as busy as a beaver - or well, in her case an otter - this weekend.  Friday she went to the Newport Aquarium with Mama, Grannydots and Grandpa.  She was as good as gold and loved watching everything - mostly the other kids.  Her favorite exhibit was the otter habitat.  Camper sat on Grandpa's knee and clapped and watched the otters for ages.  The picture below is of Campbell checking to see how tall she is outside the shark exhibit.

As if the aquarium wasn't enough excitement for one weekend for a little girl, Saturday she started cutting her first tooth.  So far she hasn't been too bad.  She's had a few spontaneous crying spells and has been a little clingier than usual but compared to the stories I've heard from other parents - including my own - we have lucked out so far. (My fingers are crossed and I am knocking on wood as I type.)

And as if the aquarium and a new tooth weren't enough excitement for one weekend for a little girl, Sunday, of course, was Easter.  Campbell had a bath and got all dressed up in her Easter dress and then fell asleep on the way to church.  She slept on my lap through the entire service up until the last hymn.  The first time the organ played she jumped a little but didn't wake up.  Once she did wake up she stopped traffic after church as pretty as a picture in her little dress.

After lunch she got her Easter baskets and seemed to think it was Christmas all over again. She got some eggs filled with O's and a new book, a new music cd and a few stuffed toys.  But the big winner of the day was the AFLAC duck Grandpa brought home from the office.  As  you can see she loved that little duck and was still hugging tight to it this morning. Let's just hope she doesn't learn to say AFLAAAAAAAC as her first word!

"I Can't Put My Arms Down"

Adam has been wishing for several winters now that Kentucky would provide a snow reminiscent of his winters at West Point.  Well, five inches might be light by New York standards but the state of KY all but shut down for the day yesterday. Indeed the local NBC affiliate felt it necessary to cancel all regularly scheduled shows in order to report on the snow ALL MORNING LONG.

The excitement was just as palpable at our house.  Adam decided we needed some pictures and video of Campbell experiencing - or in his words "playing in" - her first real snow fall. As you'll see in the video, playing is an exaggeration.

We got out the pink snow suit Adam's Mom snagged for her last winter at a sale. Despite being labeled 6-9 months the suit was a little big still.  Campbell's feet and arms only extended about half-way down the legs and sleeves.  And since she's about three feet tall and the suit was nearly that thick, the resemblance to a classic A Christmas Story moment was uncanny.

So, now for your viewing pleasure . . .

Snow Day from Adam Johnson on Vimeo.

I'm Not the Only One

Most days Adam is the one who has daycare duty - since I leave at o'dark thirty in the morning and get home at o'dark fifteen at night.  Tuesday, however, I was home sick.  I needed some extra sleep and rest and time to veg in my drug induced stupor while watching horrible daytime television without worrying that the daughters cussing out their mothers for sleeping with their boyfriends would somehow permeate Campbell's little subconscious and warp her idea of what our relationship should be. (Okay, I'm still taking cold meds.)

So, mid-afternoon rolled around and I went to pick up Campbell.  She stays with an amazing lady who deserves a medal for not losing her mind living in the chaos that is the world of a sitter's home.  Campbell loves Miss Gretchen and Gretchen is fabulous with Camper.  Over the course of the few times I have done the dropping off or picking up at Gretchen's, I have already picked a favorite daycare buddy of Campbell's.  She is a little girl - Hailey - with adorable, unruly red curls all over her head.  I love her because she always greets you - usually by saying "I know who you are! You're Campbell's mama."  Clearly this statement is offered as proof of how super smart she is even when it is the 25th time she's said it.

Tuesday, Hailey secured her place in the daycare hall of fame by backing up my belief that Campbell is the best.

Hailey: You're Campbell's mama.

Me: Yup.

Hailey: Campbell is right here. (She points to Campbell sitting in the exersaucer right next to her and about two feet from me just in case Campbell's Mom happens to be blind and hasn't yet spotted her baby.)

Me: Thank you.

Hailey: I'm going to Florida. Gonna fly there.  I ain't skeered.

Me: Very cool.  When are  you going?

Hailey: Don't know. But know what?

Me: What?

Hailey: Campbell is my favorite baby.  I like her better than Addie (her sister). We can trade.

Me: I'm glad you like Campbell but Addie is pretty cool, too so we better keep our own babies.

Hailey: Oh, alright.

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

It’s good to be home. I needed to get back to day care and a dozen screaming kids to take a vacation from all of my vacations. It’s a good thing Momma and Daddy had me, because any other kid would have imploded ages ago – first Oklahoma, then Georgia and then  Pennsylvania. I’m beat!

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving. Daddy told me some story about remembering the Pilgrims and Indians but I have it all figured out. Thanksgiving is really about the two “f’s” – food and football! There was so much food and I was still stuck with nothing but milk. I’ve tried to shanghai the contents of Momma’s fork and glass a couple times but no luck so far. I’m developing a new plan of attack though so maybe I’ll have more luck next time I try.

I did watch a TON of football. Unfortunately the  UK  game didn’t end like we wanted it to. I was beginning to think it would never end! I finally couldn’t take it anymore and conked out.

Thanksgiving at Grandmum’s house was crazy. It felt a little like daycare because my cousins Samantha and Jay were there running around. They can do some cool stuff that I can’t wait to figure out. Between them and the really loud TV and twenty people talking all at once it was a noisy place. I think we overwhelmed Grandmum and Gpa-Paul – they both just kind of sat there as if to say “What have we gotten ourselves into?” I think Grandmum was happy to have all of her kids and all but one grandchild and all great-grandchildren there though.

Of course, with that many people around we had to have a photo shoot. At one point there were four different cameras pointing at me – I now share Jennifer Aniston’s pain.

The long drive to  Pennsylvania wasn’t too bad. It could have been worse but I have Momma, Daddy and Grannydots trained to sit next to me with their finger in my mouth so all I have to do is chew and suck away. I don’t even have to hold in a pacifier! I am getting better at holding my toys though. I like to shake my rings around to make noise – Daddy calls them “angry rings” but I’m not angry.

Momma and Daddy did make the most of the long trip.  We went to visit The Hands - Daddy's buddy, Eric's family.  They were all very nice to me.  I got an awesome new cloth book with a bunch of snaps and buttons and zippers and stuff that Momma promised to teach me how to use one day when I'm bigger.  My "uncle" Eric was lots of fun to play with. 

Plus, all of my attempts to steal food did pay off a little. I got to suck on a lemon slice a couple of times. The cold squishy lemon felt good on my gums, even if it was a little sour. It’s not turkey and mashed potatoes but it’s a start, I guess. All in all it was a good trip but hopefully my next Thanksgiving will have more of the first “f” involved!

Cutie Pa-tutie - that's me!

I’m back! Not a whole lot has happened in my life in the two days since I last posted. I am learning to giggle and am into karate kicking with my feet. I still have my cough – which is annoying. But Mama keeps saying I’m cute even when I cough so at least I have that going for me. I need something going for me because as long as I have this junk in my head Mama is going to keep chasing me around with the nose sucker and that’s no fun!

But, allergies or head cold or whatever this is aside, I’m still looking pretty good these days. Grannydots got me a new hat Wednesday, and last night I modeled it for Aunt Debbie and she declared me “the cutest thing in the world.” So, I thought I’d share a picture of me in it. Easy boys, Mama says I’m too young to date.

Mama picks my boogies

Mama shared some pictures from Trick-or-Treat with you guys earlier but I didn’t think they painted a complete picture of the evening. So I wanted to share this one – our happy family photo. Notice I don’t look so happy . . . This was about the time I decided I’d had enough of my bear costume (though I know I looked really cute in it).

Now, Halloween wasn’t all bad. I got to visit all sorts of friends. I got to watch the ceiling fan at Aunt Debbie’s house. I love all ceiling fans but Aunt Debbie’s is the coolest one ever! And Mama ate a bunch of cookies and candy so my bedtime snack was nice and sweet. But my costume was hot and a little too big. And getting in and out of that car seat a dozen times wasn’t fun. Hopefully, next year I’ll get more say in what I dress up as.

There is one more Halloween night story I need to share. After Trick-or-Treat I was chilling on the couch in my jammers and Mama started picking my nose. She does this all the time – she’s obsessed with me not having what she calls “boogies” hanging out of it. I’m not a big fan of her picking my nose but I can’t really stop her – yet. But last night she dropped the boogie in my mouth on accident. She and Daddy thought that was really funny. They laughed for ever and ever. I don’t know about you but I think they need to get out more if me being fed boogies without my consent is entertainment!

Mama may think she gets to embarrass me and I won’t return the favor but that’s just silly. So, I’ll try to keep sharing funny parenting moments with you – the ones Mama and Daddy won’t share.