Butterfly Kisses

Travis' office does the coolest thing - they have a Halloween party for the kiddos! The kids dress up in costume and parade through the office, they give out candy and snacks, they were painting faces and doing stick-on tattoos, it was very cute. So below you will read Campbell's account of our day and her first Halloween party at Daddy's office. The title is inspired by a super sweet country song about the relationship between a daddy and his little girl which seemed quite fitting for these pictures of my two faves. And also has a little to do with her costume... Enjoy this preview to Halloween 2009 as told by Campbell!!

Today started with my sassy Halloween outfit from my Gangy - I felt so grown up! Spent the morning at church and played hard.

After a good nap, Mommy and I headed down to where all those tall buildings are. We waited in this fancy lobby and Mommy put this funny suit on me! I didn't mind at all...

Until she put the hood up! Who cares about antennae, this feels weird, and everyone is staring and pointing at me!

DADDY! What are you doing here?? (Notice I'm clapping, I just love this guy, even when he makes me wear antennae).

We went upstairs to Dad's office. There were LOTS of people so I pulled the shy act for a few minutes. This is actually my signature pose.

But after a few minutes, with Daddy's encouragement, I was happy again and ready to show off my cool costume.

Some lady called me a Love Bug. Aaaah, now THAT would explain all the hearts all over my wings. I kept telling Mom this was a weird-looking butterfly but she didn't listen.

SHEW! It was 75 degrees today in Charlotte. I shed the costume and took a break to check out the floor of Daddy's office. I wanted to hop in the trash can but of course...they stopped me.

So this is where Daddy sits when he's at work missing me.

Mommy is always mumbling about Daddy needing to manage his calendar better. So I decided to organize a few things for him...

As soon as I get these faxed over to a client, I gotta hop on a quick conference call and then...

FIVE O'CLOCK! We're outta here, people. Thanks to PricewaterhouseCoopers for hosting such a cool Halloween party today. I'm sure I'll enjoy it even more next year when they might actually let me eat a piece of candy!!!!

The Tupperware Cabinet, Such a Cliche

I feel like all parents say how their babies just love to play with the tupperware. Yeah, yeah, what a cliche. Or climb in the dishwasher. Again, another cliche. That's like when I walk Lexi and she pees on the fire hydrant. I'm like, can't you come up with something more original than that?? But back to Campbell, I realized my baby wasn't yet into tupperware or dishwashers! Probably because I've been too nervous to let her play in the non-carpeted areas of the house!! Well...she's mobile. Yesterday I counted 25 consecutive steps, and today...32 steps. On her own. She's definitely mobile! Wobbly....but mobile. She's 10 1/2 months old. It's time to explore, Campbell! So I led her into the kitchen, and watched her face light up as I opened the magical doors to...the tupperware cabinet!!!

And then, I attempted to empty the dishwasher while she played, knowing she'd probably be curious and come check it out. The issue is that Campbell didn't decide to climb in the dishwasher or go for the silverware like most kids might. Oh no, my baby IS original! She decided to gnaw on the door. That's right, she leaned all the way over, and started biting the door. The first picture is pre-bite. The second is post-bite. No more eating the dishwasher, Campbell. (If you had any doubt at all that Campbell's hair is red, check out the second picture).

So maybe we're not ready for the dishwasher yet. But I think the tupperware cabinet is going to add hours of fun in our near future. And who cares if all the other kids are doing it too! There's a reason why they do...because it's fun and a lot cheaper than running to Target for a new toy that lights and blinks and sings annoying songs!

And speaking of being original, who says girls don't love power tools? Campbell is at Hunter's house, showing him she knows how to operate the Cookie Monster drill press and the Elmo circular saw. These two are so cute together!!

After a long day of playing with power tools and tupperware, Campbell enjoys her formula from her sippy cup, one of her latest tricks!

Playdates Galore!

This past week, Travis was working in New York. We dropped him off at the airport Sunday night (sniff sniff) and didn't get to pick him back up until Friday night! My hat goes off to all the single parents out there. My job as a mommy is so much harder when I don't have a daddy here with me. It's just the little things, like tackling bathtime with the two of us, keeping her occupied while I straighten up or make a meal. On top of missing Travis as my helper, I missed him as my companion! He could've caught a ride home from the airport with a co-worker on Friday night, but Campbell and I couldn't stand one more minute without him. So we put on our pj's and went down there Friday night to welcome him with open arms! I think it just about killed him to be away from his little angel all week. He typically doesn't travel much at all, but unfortunately will have to go out of town a few times this fall. We'll survive, but we sure did miss you, Daddy!

I pretty much set up an obstacle course in the living room this week. Drug all the toys in there from the playroom, strategically placed the baby gates, moved the ottomans, and set up a place where she could safely play. This allowed me a little more freedom to do stuff in the kitchen and still be able to see her. Oh...and she may have been allowed to watch a little more TV than usual. Above, one of her favorite shows, The Notekins!

The days of sitting down and playing with a toy are long gone. She's on the move! She walks from toy to toy, from the couch to me, she balances for long periods of time, and is up to about 7 or 8 steps on her own. It won't be long before she's running through this house!

Because we were on our own, Campbell and I made sure we had plans everyday last week. On Monday we had to run into my office and run a work-related errand. From that point on, it was Playdates Galore!!

On Tuesday, my friend Mary and her 5-week old daughter, Helen, came over to "play." OK, so Helen doesn't really play yet. But Campbell sure does! Mary and I talked and ate and watched sweet Helen nap and "be cute", and Campbell worked on her walking skills. Later in the day we took a long walk around the 'hood because the weather was bordering on perfect. Shame on me, I didn't take a single picture. Now Mary's blog and my blog have no fun pictures to share from our playdate.

On Wednesday, Travis' mom and Nanny came down for the day. They arrived around lunchtime and then stayed through the afternoon. Gangy had recently had some quality time with Campbell on our trip to the wedding. But Nanny rarely gets to see Campbell in her own element. She was SO excited to see Campbell playing with her toys, taking all sorts of steps as she stumbles all over the room, and babbling up a storm. Campbell and I really enjoyed family time. Gangy was amazed to see how well Campbell is walking when she wasn't able to do that just a couple of weekends ago. Once again, shame on me, I didn't take a single picture.

Thursday rolled around and Campbell and I headed to Oasis in the morning. By afternoon, it was another picture perfect fall day here in sunny Carolina. We headed down the street to Thirsty Thursday with the neighborhood kiddos and moms. This was a huge turning point for Campbell - this is the first playdate where Campbell was actually in on the action. She played! She really, really played! I was in heaven. I was squealing and laughing the whole time, so excited to see my baby girl hanging with the big kids. She's the baby of the group in the neighborhood, and all the older kids loved seeing the "baby" play with them. For the first time, I got to sit with the moms and chat, rather than be seated on the ground with Campbell trying to entertain her. She was playing with her friends, and I was absolutely delighted! Campbell had a ball...you should've seen her face. She thought she was hot stuff playing with the big kids. Once again, I didn't take a single picture. But...my friend Meg came to the rescue with these cute pictures. Thirsty Thursdays rock!

So Ryan, come here often?

Totally in on the action

Brendan, my man...how has your week been? I haven't seen you around the neighborhood lately! We should get together...

OK, sorry for the cheesy captions. Quite the opposite, Campbell is actually proving to be quite shy! Not really with other kids, but with adults. It is adorable. Whenever anyone speaks to her or looks at her in public, it's like her ear is glued to her shoulder. She tilts her head and tries to look away...and always gets a big "awwwww" from whoever is speaking to her. I don't want to encourage shyness, but it's oh-so-cute and I think harmless at this point in the game. I guess that's just one more way Campbell is like her Daddy. We all know that doesn't come from me!

Friday was a blah day - I wasn't feeling good at all and we had to cancel a playdate with Hunter and his mom, Dana. We are hoping to reschedule for this week before Hunter becomes a big brother!! Once I was feeling a little better that afternoon, Campbell and I ran out and got her some new walking shoes! I'm so used to just letting her hang out in a pair of socks or barefoot. But as it gets colder outside, and as she is perfecting her walking skills, she needs a good pair of kicks. I took her to some fancy schmancy baby boutique and got her the "it" shoes for new walkers. She is doing really well in them so far! Friday night Daddy came home and the Justice family was thrilled to be together again. :)

Unfortunately the Panthers had a home game this weekend so Travis had to work Saturday afternoon and again all day today. (It is also unfortunate that the Panthers played an absolutely embarrassing game today. Ouch.) When Travis left for the stadium Saturday afternoon, Campbell and I went to her friend Julianna's first birthday party. Below are a few pictures from Campbell's first party as well a couple of Campbell dressed up for church this morning. Please note the funky tights...love it!

Giving Julianna a pat on the back for being one year old

Playing with a pink hippo she picked out from the pinata

Campbell is in bed early tonight after a long and fun week of playing hard. I'm off to pour a hot cup of hazelnut decaf, make a small bowl of light cookies and cream ice cream, and cuddle up with my book and wait for Travis to come home!

Hold On For One More Day

I was a blogging fool last week. And in all my blogging, I never got around to telling the stories from our weekend in Wallace, North Carolina! So here goes...

Shannon and Scott got married last weekend in Wallace, which is a teeny tiny town about 40 miles outside of Wilmington. Just in case you are unfamiliar with NC geography...that's East. And I'm not joking about teeny tiny. We really didn't see much other than the gorgeous golf course community where the wedding was held, but cell phones didn't even work here. It was SMALL! :) Shannon is a sorority sister of mine from college. We have remained close despite living in different cities, and I was one of TEN bridesmaids! I'm telling you, this girl has so many friends it's ridiculous!

In order to make the weekend work, we invited Travis' parents to join us. They graciously accompanied us to Wallace. Which means they first drove from Marion to Charlotte on Thursday night and spent the night with us. Then, they went with us to Wallace, leaving at 6 a.m. on Friday morning so I could be there in time for a luncheon. Travis had to be back Sunday morning for a Panthers game...so they got up and left with us at 5 a.m. on Sunday morning. And Butch drove so we could sleep!!! And then they unpacked the car for me...and even offered to watch Campbell while I took a nap! I'm getting off track. But I just wanted to set the scene and show how much traveling they did for us, and what a tremendous blessing it was to have them come along. Campbell was thrilled to get so much quality time with her grandparents, too!

We took Campbell to the rehearsal dinner on Friday night. On the way to the dinner, Travis said that she said "Daddy" in the car multiple times, and said it TO him, as opposed to the da da da da babbling she's been doing for a while now. I wasn't there to witness it, but our friend Bill was present and swears it happened. So that made Travis' night! (I've since heard her do it. And as a sidenote, she's definitely called me "Mama" too in the last week. So exciting!) After the rehearsal dinner we put her to bed in our hotel room, Travis' parents sat with her while she slept, and we went next door to the karaoke bar where all my friends were. Shannon and Scott make a great couple. One reason is because they are both CRAZY! Case in point, they sang karaoke Hold On by Wilson Phillips together. Not too crazy right? Well...Scott was singing lead...in a perfect falcetto voice, and Shannon sang back-up. It was absolutely hilarious. And just thinking about that night puts that great song back in my head, hence the title. Thanks, Scott!

The wedding was beautiful. I won't go on and on about details other than to say that Shannon definitely looked like a princess. She put a lot of thought and love into the gifts she got all of us bridesmaids and we were all really touched. The morning of the wedding, I drew the short straw and was assigned the 8 a.m. hair appointment. I was not thrilled about having my hair done that early before a 5 p.m. wedding. Nor was I crazy about getting up and showering at 6:30 a.m. and leaving Campbell and Travis for the entire day! But I did...only to find out that the hair stylist overslept and was running THREE hours late! She started my hair, the first appointment, at about 10:30. Needless to say, that was pretty stressful for all ten of us bridesmaids and of course the bride! But she did a great job, even though she was late. It's not often that I like my "wedding hairstyles", and I did, so I forgave her. :) I had a blast with my girlfriends and Travis and I enjoyed a night out without the baby. (Can I still call her a baby, please?? She's just getting so big and grown up...but she's still my baby).

Here are a few pictures from the wedding! And by the way, every time I step outside in this unseasonably cold October weather, I think of Shannon and Scott laying poolside in Antigua right now and I get terribly jealous... Congratulations, my friends! We are really happy for them, and kind of sad that all my friends are married now. What excuse are we all going to have to get together next year??

Pig Pickin' Rehearsal Dinner...it was SO HOT outside that night!

Mr. and Mrs. May!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Justice!!!

My girls Michele and Gina

One Small Step for Campbell...

...one giant leap for mankind!!

Yesterday, October 13, 2009, Campbell took her first steps!

On October 3, Campbell took one step. Travis and I both witnessed it. She let go of the furniture she was holding onto, balanced, and stepped forward with one foot. Then she fell, so we didn't count that. To "walk", we think it has to at least be one foot after the other. Since then, she has done one step one numerous occasions.

Yesterday, she and I were playing in the playroom. She took THREE steps to me! I screamed and cheered and kissed and hugged and giggled. She was SO proud of herself. I wanted to make sure it wasn't a fluke, so I had her doing it over and over again.

Campbell is not "walking." But she is certainly taking steps. She can balance well enough to stand on her own and clap. She got behind her little push toy yesterday and was walking all over the room behind it. She couldn't do that, like...days ago! I'm telling you, she is growing up SO FAST!!!!! I've now got the video camera glued to my hand trying to capture it on film. I got a short video on my phone that shows one step and a clap. The problem is that she sees the camera and doesn't want to perform, she wants to eat the camera. :)

If there is something you want to happen, but you don't think it will, just let me know and I'll blog about it. Then it will happen! First I said that she'd never crawl. In days, she was crawling. Then in my 10 month post I said that she was far from walking, even though she'd taken one step. Later that day - she takes several steps, again and again. So apparently my blog has secret powers to make the unexpected happen!! We are super excited that she is getting more mobile. Campbell, you are simply amazing!

Ten Months Old!!!

Campbell couldn't even face the camera. Mommy, we need to tell the truth! We are taking these pictures a day late, on the 12th!

I'm actually 10 months old...and 1 day!!

Yeah!!!! Much better. Now we can celebrate.

I will definitely clap for double digits!

Where has time gone? We're only two months away from the big one year celebration!!!!! Campbell is changing at the speed of light. She babbles constantly now. Mostly ba-ba-ba-ba, but now we're getting a lot of da-da-da-da's, and they are sometimes directed at Travis. He loves it! She can also say daddy, sometimes for Travis, and sometimes just to hear herself talk. (She IS like me!!!) I'm still working on Mommy.

She is crawling EVERYWHERE. We bought a little baby fence this month to keep her in one spot while I cook dinner, answer the phone, or even just go to the bathroom! I'm telling you, this little monkey takes off and there's no stopping her. We spend a ton of time in the playroom and Campbell loves her toys, especially anything she can bang together. I bought her a little drum set before our trip this weekend (I know her grandparents appreciated that - ha!). She pulls up on EVERYTHING and cruises. She is getting really strong at walking while holding onto the furniture, the wall, her toys, our hands...just about anything she can use. Campbell also lets go and is able to stand on her own for quite a long time. She is perfecting going from standing to sitting without just crashing to the floor. Slowly but surely she's learning how to ease herself down. On a few occasions, she's been standing and taken one unassisted step. We think it may take some time before she's able to follow with a second step...but then again, we also thought she'd never crawl! With this new independence comes bruises, bruises, bruises! Poor thing falls down all the time. I struggle with this because I can't stand to let her fall. But I know she has to learn how to pull up and walk, and in doing that, is bound to bonk her head more than a time or two. Luckily, so far all the falls have been minor and a good kiss from Mom or Dad makes it all better.

Campbell definitely understands things we tell her now. She knows what is coming when we say it's time to change your diaper, take a bath, take a nap, get some good foodies, Daddy's home, etc. It's truly amazing to watch her learn and soak up the world. This past weekend while we were out of town for the wedding, her Gangy taught her how to clap! I've been working on this for WEEKS to no avail. I leave her alone with her grandparents for a day, and next thing I know, she's clapping!! It's adorable and the past few days have been filled with clapping and giggling.

As usual, Campbell is eating like a champ. She's getting much better at a sippy cup now that we've switched to a straw cup. Her little fingers are very nimble and she feeds herself pretty easily now. Next step - to master the spoon...but I think that will be quite a while from now. She's wearing all 18 month clothing and getting taller and taller. She's still got a nice bit of extra padding, but is definitely starting to thin out now that she's mobile.

This past month Campbell really tested us when it came to sleeping. She went from sleeping 11-12 hours at night, uninterrupted...to keeping us up all night. I caved under the pressure at first and spent a good week or two in her room most of the night, rocking her, rubbing her back, etc. With Travis' encouragement, we toughed it out a night or two and let her cry it out. It worked!! She's sleeping again and doing well. If she wakes up, we check on her, lay her back down and leave...and she puts herself back to sleep. Sweet!! She also goes down for her naps now while she's still awake, as opposed to me rocking her to sleep. Much better. I was afraid we were starting some VERY bad habits, so I am proud of Travis and I for taking charge and getting nighttime and naptime back in check!

Shew! A lot has gone on this month! Every day with Campbell is so special and so precious. Happy ten months, Campbell!

31 Flavors, Where Should We Start??

Campbell and I need to make a trip to Baskin Robbins and work our way through all 31 flavors because...apparently she is not allergic to dairy!! HALLELUJAH! Thursday afternoon, we got the call from the allergist that her allergy tests for dairy, peaches and wheat were all negative! (We suspected dairy and peach, and wanted to test for wheat because of a few whacky incidents). Woohoo!!! We took her to the allergist on Tuesday of last week and were totally relieved when the doctor said he could perform a very accurate test by pricking her finger rather than doing the scratch test on her back. I was so excited at the news of her results, and then totally baffled and a little frustrated. The call from the nurse went something like this:

Nurse: I'm calling with the results for Campbell Justice's allergy testing. Are you his mother?
Me: Her. Her mother. Yes, I am.
Nurse: OK. His results are as follows. He is not allergic to dairy, peach, or wheat.
Me: That's wonderful news!
Nurse: Please avoid giving any foods that make him splotchy on his face, and if you find specific foods create a reaction, come back in six months for more testing.
Me: OK. We have not given HER dairy for four months because it made HER splotchy. I assume now that you're telling me SHE is not allergic to dairy, we can reintroduce it into HER diet in small amounts and see how SHE does?
Nurse: I wouldn't. I'd just avoid it.
Me: OK, but if she's not allergic to it, why should she not have dairy in her diet?

We went back and forth for a few minutes, with the nurse continually repeating her script, not answering my questions, and not making any sense. Sidenote - would you name a boy Campbell?? Anyway...I got frustrated and said thank you for your time and goodbye, and I've left a message for the doctor this morning. I look at it like this - I was allergic to cats, I got Harley, had a couple of sneezy weeks...and now I'm not allergic to cats anymore! Campbell obviously has some sort of sensitivity to dairy. It was very obvious before that the splotches and rash came immediately after dairy exposure. We are not crazy, and our doctors agreed that something was going on. However, if an allergist can now tell me from bloodwork she has no allergy so I don't have to worry about a little rash, my instinct would be to slowly introduce her to dairy. If the rash is not an indication of any serious reaction to come, I don't see why we'd continue to avoid dairy! Come on, Campbell, let's go get a waffle cone!!!!!

OK...maybe not a waffle cone just yet. But I sure would love to give her a bite of cheese or yogurt. Meal planning over the past few months has been a little challenging to avoid dairy! Thank goodness my girl loves her veggies! I look forward to speaking to a different nurse today, or maybe even the doctor, and getting a more clear response on our plan of action.

Travis and I, while a little confused, are totally relieved. It's still strange that she has no allergy when we know she's had reactions. But hopefully the mild reactions she's had will continue to be manageable and even go away! And when her first birthday rolls around in TWO SHORT MONTHS, I won't have to make a vegan cake for her!!!!!

Speaking of her upcoming birthday...Campbell turned ten months old yesterday!!!! We were in Wallace, North Carolina this weekend for Shannon and Scott's wedding. We left at 5 a.m. yesterday to drive home so Travis could get back in time to work at the Panthers game. Talk about exhausted!! Needless to say, Mommy didn't have the energy to stage a photo shoot yesterday after all that traveling, partying, and bridesmaid duties over the weekend! Nor do I have a clue which suitcase contains the camera. Today I will send out a search party for the camera and get some great pictures of this little munchkin who is growing and changing like crazy!! And either later today or later this week, I'll share stories and pictures from my dear friend Shannon's wedding!

Off to make grilled cheese sandwiches with a side of yogurt followed by an ice cream sundae for Campbell. Or........probably just wait by the phone to hear back from the allergist. :)

Goats and Llamas and Chickens...Oh My!

This past Friday, Campbell and I went on an adventure to an animal farm about 45 minutes outside of town. This farm sits on 40 acres and has a ton of animals to look at and feed (if you're brave enough!). My friend organized this outing for a few of us and our kids, so we met early Friday morning and drove up there together.

I realized on this trip that I am truly a city girl. Don't get me wrong, I love doing activities with Campbell that are a little different. It was a gorgeous drive through the country on a nice fall morning. But I am just not too keen on the fresh smell of cow manure in the morning, all the flies, and the dirty animals! I knew I'd sound like a total snob when I typed that out, and I see that I do. But really, it's the truth! I bought two bags of feed, thinking I'd be brave enough to feed the animals. Ha! I didn't have it in me to fill my hand with feed and let the animals eat out of my hand. I know, total wimp. So instead, my strategy was to launch big handfuls of feed into the pins and let the animals run and get it. Hey, it worked for me. :) And I blame my fear on Travis. He told me that there was a little girl in the news who lost a finger to a zebra at a petting zoo, and I've been freaked out ever since!

Campbell was somewhat indifferent about the whole experience. Obviously she's too young to really understand where we were. I pushed her in the stroller and put her right up next to the fence. She gave me a few strange looks, probably realizing that we weren't in the suburbs anymore. I got her out of the stroller for a photo op and also to let her look around. One thing she does love is fresh air! She loves to feel a breeze in her face, it always makes her giggle. I love that about her! I really enjoyed seeing the giraffes and some of the big buffalo-type animals. (I really need to work on my animal identification skills. At one point, I told my friend I thought I saw the elk. Yeah...it was a reindeer. hahaha Apparently elk are a LOT bigger than reindeer. City girl...)

There was a very disappointing aspect to the day. While we all enjoyed seeing the goats, buffalo-thingys, horses, and cows...we were pretty upset to see the environment in which some of the other animals were kept. There were monkeys in tiny, chain-link cages without any room to swing or play. There was a dingo in a cinderblock cage with a cement floor all by himself. There was a baboon who was obviously insane from running circles in his tiny cage. And lastly, a terribly skinny dog all alone who was in desperate need of attention, room to run, and a good meal. We were pretty upset and some of my friends even reported the farm to the proper authorities that day.

In spite of some of the unfortunate conditions, Campbell and I still managed to have a good morning. Will we go back? Probably not. But I'm glad us city girls made an effort to hang out on the farm.

Goats...

And llamas...

And chickens...Oh My!

Campbell is guarding the bag of feed with her foot, since she knows her Mommy is too big of a wuss to feed it to the animals.

This is a reindeer, not an elk, just FYI. :)

Switching gears...

Saturday morning, the Justice family got up at the crack of dawn and headed to Uptown for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure to benefit breast cancer research. This cause is very close to our hearts as Travis' grandmother, Nanny, is a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed several years ago, underwent extensive chemotherapy, and is doing fantastic and living life to its fullest! We also walked in honor of my friend, Emily, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in August. Emily is my age and has two little girls. Thank goodness she was extremely vigilant since her mother is a breast cancer survivor. They found hers very early and her prognosis seems to be good. She's got a long, hard road ahead of her though, and it really hit close to home to have a friend my age diagnosed with this terrible disease. Travis and I both spent most of the morning getting choked up, just overwhelmed at the 15,000 people there to walk in support of this cause...seeing all the survivors in pink t-shirts...thinking about Nanny...thinking about Emily...it was a special morning and we felt great about it. What didn't feel so great was my legs the next day - for some reason we ran half of the 5K! I had no idea I could do that!! I am just now getting back my ability to walk, but I felt great about running and feel pretty motivated to try it out again sometime very soon. Travis and I also agreed that it's very important to continue to take Campbell to things like that. We want her to grow up knowing the importance of community, and reaching out to help people that you don't even know. What a positive message to send to her! I was too short to see the mass of people when we started the race. As we came down a hill, Travis had me turn around and see the people behind us - wow! And there were just as many ahead of us...it was pretty awesome.

Here are some pictures from our morning at the walk.

Just before the start of the Race for the Cure

Campbell had a sign on her stroller that said she was racing in celebration of her Nanny.

All of those little dots in the background are people...15,000 of them...racing for the cure!

Lastly, I want to share a story about a little girl that had a profound impact on me Saturday morning. As we were heading back to the car, a family stopped us and asked how old our little girl was. They commented on how adorable she was (which we of course appreciated). We then asked about their baby girl who was six months old. She was tiny! We're used to Campbell dwarfing other kids because she's so big. But then one of the family members explained that Baby Nicole was a preemie and only 4 pounds 6 ounces at birth. Wow, we told them how great she looked now. After a little chit chat, they told us that Nicole lost her mommy to breast cancer. It was then that I noticed they were all wearing pictures of Nicole's mommy who had recently passed away. Then we understood why Nicole was a preemie, her mommy was too sick. I felt like I'd had the wind knocked out of me. I stumbled through a few polite things, barely able to speak I was so stunned and heartbroken. As soon as we walked away, the tears came. Talk about hitting close to home. To see a baby girl without a mother really and truly broke my heart. Everyone deserves to grow up with a mommy. And so Baby Nicole, that's why we walked that morning. For your mommy, and all the other moms, nannies, sisters, aunts, friends... I really feel like I'll never forget that little girl and her sweet family!