Fun Firsts

We have had a great Memorial Day weekend! I'm totally dreading Travis going back to work tomorrow. It's so much more fun (and easier) when both of us are around. We've had a lot of "firsts" this weekend. Our grocery cart cover and restaurant high chair cover came in the mail...so Campbell rode in the grocery cart like a big girl and also sat in a high chair at a restaurant! It's really padded and gives her enough support to sit up very easily on her own and she's well-supported. Might not sound exciting to you, but trust me, it is. I'm SO happy to shop now without having to pile groceries on the baby. Or to have to lug that big baby seat into restaurants. She thought she was something else sitting up at a table in a restaurant - and there was a TV overhead - she was in heaven! We were having dinner with her Uncle Alex, Aunt Sonia and cousins Emerson and Peyton. The cousins LOVED seeing Campbell eat baby bananas and get them all over her face! As we were leaving, a nice man jokingly says, "Wow, did he eat a steak all by himself?" hahahaha This time I wasn't offended and just laughed. I mean, not only did he call my child a boy, he was also pointing out how big she is. But hey, she's big, and she's absolutely adorable, and she was wearing green so I won't get mad. :) Campbell also got a new high chair and stroller this weekend. So at home she eats in a big, cozy high chair now. And the stroller is an umbrella stroller - no infant seat needed anymore!

Campbell went to her first storytime. Saturday morning we took her to storytime at Barnes and Noble. We didn't know what to expect, but it was an excuse to go do something as a family - and it's FREE! Campbell seemed really interested - not so much in the book, but she absolutely loves being around other kids. She was grinning ear to ear watching the other kids. Storytime lasted less than 10 minutes! By the time Travis got his Starbucks and came to the children's area, the lady was on the last page! Now we know that maybe we won't make a special trip to the store just for storytime - but it'd be nice to plan a shopping errand so we could stop in for a quick story. Very cute, and we agree that it's REALLY important for her to be around other kids as much as possible. Since she's at home with me most of the time, we want to make sure she grows up in a social environment and learns how to play well with other kiddies.

Campbell tried a new vegetable this weekend - peas! Another first! She has liked everything we've given her. She now gobbles up peas, bananas, sweet potatoes and applesauce, along with rice cereal and baby oatmeal. We're working our way through all of the stage one baby foods and she is doing really well with it all. (Big shocker there...)

This is not a "first" but important to note that Campbell is dangerously close to sitting on her own! In fact, she does it for short periods of time. Of course she's on the floor with our hands inches from her back, ready to catch a spill. But she is really figuring out how to balance. And in all seriousness, it can't be easy to balance and hold yourself up with a big ole baby belly like the one she's got! She rolls over really easily from back to front now.

We spent Sunday afternoon in Greensboro visiting our friends Bob and Melissa. They have a little girl, Peyton, who is almost 15 months old. Peyton came to our wedding when she was only 10 days old. Wow. I have told Travis on numerous occasions - now those are true friends right there. I know now how hard it is to get out of the house with a baby. And I'm talking about a baby who is a few months old. They traveled to Asheville for our wedding with a 10-day old! We were very touched. Now Peyton is walking around and adorable...and seems to like her new baby brother too! That's right, she has a precious little brother who is almost a month old now named Evan. It was great to see their growing family and fun to hold a new baby again. I forgot how tiny they are!

Now...for the most fun "first" of the weekend - the pool!!!!!!!!!! My mom likes to tell stories about how when I was a kid, it didn't matter what the weather was doing, I HAD to swim on Memorial Day weekend when the pool opened. She tells me she remembers sitting at the Elks' Club pool in a sweatshirt on a cool May day while I swam, probably freezing to death, but happy as could be. I LOVED the pool, still do actually. I just love water in general. I was also quite strong-willed and nothing was going to stop me from the much-anticipated opening day at the pool! Not a lot has changed...I was still itching to get out there all weekend. We have had an overcast and drizzly weekend but I was still determined. Finally, around 1pm today, the clouds parted long enough for us to take Campbell to the baby pool in our neighborhood!!! I had thought we needed a one-piece for her girlish figure, but I think you'll agree she looks fierce in her red bikini! The baby pool was ridiculously cold - cooler than a polar bear's toenails. So we didn't stay but for just a few minutes. We held her and dipped her in up to her waist and let her stand on the bottom. She wasn't mad, but she wasn't really super happy either. She was just kind of indifferent! The water was so ice cold and she didn't cry, so I'd say it was a really good sign that she'll enjoy it when it's actually warm. Soon after we got her in, it started to pour down rain so we raced home. I'm very excited to get back on a nice day when the water is warm. I also can't wait to take her in the big pool and pull her around. I just know she'll be a little fish like her Daddy and I are.

Headed into the pool for the first time - the only few minutes of sunshine we've had all weekend!

Daddy is telling me all about the pool and how much I'm going to love it. Whatever you say, Dad!

You people think this is fun??? This is NOTHING like bathtime!

OK, so I'll admit this IS kinda fun.

Rumor has it that Sports Illustrated wants Campbell for the next swimsuit edition. What a sweet bikini body she has! We love it so much!

Who says redheads shouldn't wear red??

Bathing Beauty

Time to go home and slip into some dry clothes! I'll be back at this pool next weekend for sure...

Happy Chaos

I guess I will take a quick few minutes this morning (that I don't have!) to document the last week or so! It's been pretty chaotic, but in a good way. Lots going on at the Justice house! First of all, I'm VERY happy to report that Campbell is back to her old schedule. AMEN! After four days of restlessness, she went back to sleeping through the night. Shew! Her congestion is almost gone, and I don't see any new teeth. So maybe it was just a tiny cold after all, or a growth spurt? At this point, I don't care, I'm just happy she's comfortable and we're all well-rested again.

This past Saturday, I co-hosted a baby shower for my bestest friend in the whole world, Kim, at my house. Kim and I met at age three, and by the end of elementary school we were inseparable. We went to college together, both ended up as accountants, and both eventually ended up in Charlotte. She is expecting a baby boy at the end of June. I cannot WAIT to meet Campbell's future boyfriend (ha!) or for Kim to experience mommyhood. The shower was a huge success, my bff is beautiful and glowing, and it's just so exciting to wait for another precious baby to arrive! I don't have a single picture because I guess I was too busy playing hostess and mommy and chatting to think about taking pictures. But take my word, Kim looked great and we all had an awesome time.

Campbell is now rolling over quite frequently from back to front. It's so cute! The problem is she can't seem to remember how to get back to her back!! She has done this once in her crib during naptime, and then screamed like it was the end of the world. I'm glad - because she isn't supposed to sleep on her tummy. But it could get interesting if that keeps happening... Her hair is all of a sudden growing like crazy too. Travis and I are both noticing on a daily basis how many new little hairs are popping up on her head. Maybe that will help with the whole gender identification problem all the people in public seem to have!!!

And last but not least, I haven't written much this past week because I've been so busy with work! That's right - WORK! And I don't mean diapers either. My real estate business seems to really be picking up which I am thrilled about. It's not easy...but I love it. It's a good kind of chaos. I'm so lucky to work with friends who don't mind when I come to take pictures of their house with a baby strapped to the front of me in a baby carrier. :) She is such a good assistant! Although right now she is sitting on my lap and not too happy about sitting in front of the computer, so off we go to get going this morning. I've got so much more to say (shocker, right?) but so little time this morning...so I'll chat more and hopefully post some cute pictures later this week. We are hoping to get Campbell in the water when our pool opens this weekend!

Schedule, Smedule

Just when we thought we had it all figured out...Campbell had other plans for us! The past three nights have been a little rough. Last night was the worst - I got to see Campbell every hour on the hour, all night long! She was crying in her sleep. Not really waking up, her eyes were closed - but she obviously needed something because she was screaming. I guess I could have tried to ignore it, but at that point Travis and I were already awake. So...I'd do exactly what all the books would probably advise against. I'd run in her room, give her a paci, and return to bed. If I've learned anything, I've learned to read the books, take what advice works for us, and then trust my instinct to do what's best for my baby. Baby needed her paci! :) She just needed some comfort to help rouse her out of whatever sleep-crying fit she was having. Poor Campbell. She is SO congested...so she has trouble breathing through her nose while she's trying to suck on her paci, yet she insists on the paci. And what's with all this nighttime crying?

Well, we have several theories. One could be a growth spurt. That would explain why I've had to feed her the last three mornings at about 5 a.m., which is three hours early! Once I've fed her, she's gone back to sleep peacefully. But what about last night, she certainly wasn't hungry at 11 p.m. when she started crying in her sleep! Theory number two - teething. She has her bottom two teeth. They are about halfway up. Maybe they are hurting as they grow taller, or maybe she has other teeth about to come in up top. This would explain the fussiness and the congestion that is often associated with teething. Or theory number three - maybe she just has a cold? After last weekend in Roanoke, my niece had a fever and a runny nose and cough on Monday. Campbell only has the nose issue, but maybe she just doesn't feel that well? Or could it be theory number four - we have rocked the boat by introducing more solid foods? We started some sweet potatoes on Monday. We've been experimenting with maybe adding a second feeding of solid foods during the day. Maybe changing her diet has made her change her schedule.

I guess I have to just go with the flow, let Campbell work out her issues, try to make her as happy and comfortable as possible, and relax. This is one of the hardest lessons I'm trying to learn as a parent. Notice I say trying. I just want to figure it out, fix it, and move on. I'd like to jump right back into the perfect routine we had down pat! But then how do I do that? These changes could be caused by any number of factors! So which theory is right? Or is it a combination of several theories? God only knows. My money is on teething. I'm trying to tolerate our schedule being turned upside down. It's hard for me because I was SO excited to finally have consistent sleep at night, a regular feeding schedule all day that seemed foolproof, and a fuss-free baby. But hopefully a few days of discomfort is all she'll have and we'll slip back into Scheduled Bliss in no time.

Enjoy a few pictures below of Campbell's first experience with sweet potatoes. It was a success - although there are orange spots on all her clothes now! :( Today we went with applesauce...much less messy and I think she liked it too.

Sweet Potatoes - yum yum!

A full baby is a happy baby!!

A funny close up of a messy face and Campbell's two front teeth!!!!!!!

Our precious little ladybug. Btw, she got called "buddy" again yesterday in THIS outfit!! It's red, but seriously, would you put your son in this???? :)

Five Months Old!

Campbell is five months old today! Unbelievable. Where has the time gone?? I'd like to update her list of tricks. Last month, Campbell learned how to roll over from her stomach to her back. She did it a bunch of times in the first two weeks, then she quit. Since then, she's probably only done it once or twice! I guess she's decided it's not that fun, or it's too much work. Last week she rolled from back to front which I have heard is much harder for babies. I don't think it was on purpose, and it took her a good 3-4 minutes to get all the way over and situated, but she did it! She now has two teeth that are racing to grow all the way in. I tried to get a picture of them but that's pretty much an impossible feat. Campbell has now been to the park twice for playdates. She loves watching the other kids play. She has riden through Target and the grocery store in the baby carrier facing forward rather than in her infant seat. Makes it easier on Mommy to shop because there's more room in the cart. Plus we get lots of attention because she's so darn cute in that thing! She eats a whole cup of rice cereal every morning, and is even big enough to do so in a booster seat with a tray rather than reclined in her bouncy seat. She isn't able to really sit on her own yet, but with barely any support can hold her body and head upright really well. I don't think it'll be long before she's sitting on her own. She loves to bounce on our knees while we sing silly songs. She cracks up and "sings" along. She usually has a finger, two fingers, or a whole fist in her mouth. She can easily grasp small toys now and they also head straight for her mouth. She doesn't like to sit, rather she usually stands on our legs. She is very strong! She's riding in the jogging stroller without the infant seat and seems to enjoy facing forward and seeing the world before her. She sleeps through the night and naps really well in her crib now. She goes to the nursery at church and does really well in there too. They always tell us what a happy baby she is when we pick her up - big surprise there!?!? She has never cried in the bathtub but always had kind of a deer in headlights look. Now, she's starting to enjoy it and will smile. She doesn't mind water poured over her head or down her face which is great since Travis and I hope she loves the water as much as we do! She actually plays in her Exersaucer now rather than just sitting there. She can spin around in it (slowly) and is able to push the buttons to make the sounds. While laying on her tummy, her little legs are usually kicking back and forth in a crawling motion. Maybe that won't be too long either - yikes! Although, she is still not a fan of being on her tummy for long periods of time. I know she looks really bald in her pictures but her hair is filling in. It looks to be a light brown with some red tint on the top. Mommy can't wait for the day when she's ready for a hairbow!!! But we've still got quite a while for that... She coos and squeals and laughs and smiles most of the time she is awake. We love her so much. I keep thinking it can't get any better and each day is better than the last. Happy Five Months, Campbell!

Today's photo shoot included a big spit up right in the middle. And then she took a dive to the side and laid on her belly instead. It's a little harder to photograph a baby in motion!

My First Mother's Day

We spent Mother's Day weekend in Roanoke with my family. My sister and her family came down too. My Mom was on a Grandma high all weekend she said, having her two daughters at home, with their two daughters and our wonderful husbands. We had a blast. Campbell kept the family cracking up with those big grins. No one can get over just how happy our little baby is! She seriously cannot quit smiling. It's so fun to have a baby that is just happy pretty much all the time. Her cousin Taylor LOVED her. Oh my gosh, cutest thing ever. We all wondered if she'd be interested in the baby, gentle with her, etc. Taylor was so sweet and sooooooooo obsessed with Baby Campbell. She wanted to be with her the whole weekend. She was just so excited about Baby Campbell that all she could ever say was, "There's Baby Campbell! Hi Baby Campbell!" Over and over again. And she'd say it in this high-pitched, sweet voice and she'd start giggling while she said it. She was so gentle and so loving - wanted to kiss her, rub her head and help Aunt Sara. It was so fun to watch them together. They are going to have so much fun together through the years, I just know it.

Travis and my brother-in-law got to play golf with my Dad on Saturday. Travis shot the best round of his life, so he was happy about that. The weather held out so we were glad that got to do a fun boys only activity. Us girls went to the Transportation Museum. Roanoke was built around the railroad, and my mom's family is a railroad family. So it was fun to take the girls there and let them see the big trains. My Grandma came over for dinner on Saturday night. Taylor performed her dances to all of her favorite Wiggles songs. Campbell slept like a champ in a pack-n-play with a LOT of background noise from her dear cousin. :) Didn't seem to bother her at all which was nice. Then we all went to church for Mother's Day. Campbell got passed down both pews that my whole family took up. She didn't mind a bit and just smiled through the whole service without really making a peep. What a good baby!!! She slept the entire ride home to North Carolina yesterday too which was quite nice.

My sweet husband and daughter got me the most special Mother's Day gift. First I got cards from all my babies (Harley, Lexi and Campbell) and one from Travis. I was impressed with that - I always tease Travis for not being really into the whole card thing, so I thought that was it. Wrong. He brings out a small box. Inside was a beautiful bracelet with blue topaz stones in it, which is Campbell's birthstone. I'm getting choked up just typing it! What a thoughtful gift and it is so special to me. I don't know how I found this guy or what I did to deserve him, but I sure am blessed in the Husband Department. He is so good to me. He and Campbell did a great job of making me so happy on my first Mother's Day! And my bracelet is gorgeous. Wow! And here I was impressed with just the cards!

To top it all off, I had a snake-free weekend which was definitely what I needed. :) Campbell turns 5 months old today (WOW) so I'll do another post later today or tomorrow with her pictures and an update on all her "tricks." For now, enjoy these pictures from our weekend in Roanoke!

Me and my baby with my Mommy! Happy Mother's Day to us!

Cousin Taylor - in one of the rare moments of the weekend that she wasn't sitting with Baby Campbell.

"There's Baby Campbell! Hi Baby Campbell! What's Baby Campbell dooo-ning? I love Baby Campbell."

Campbell and Aunt Jen hanging on the porch before church. We had to keep an eye on Aunt Jen - she kept saying she wanted to squeeze Baby Campbell and could just eat her up. No squeezing or eating my baby! :)

ANOTHER snake...seriously???

I don't know what I've done to deserve this, but we have had not one, but TWO, snakes at our house in the last month. I found them both. What luck! My absolute biggest fear in life, no wait, my biggest PHOBIA, and I stumble upon them. This fear is debillitating! (I used that word yesterday and Travis was really impressed. My only issue with using it here is I'm not sure how to spell it. hahaha) The only redeeming thing is that they were both dead. But I really don't care, I still find it nasty. I found one on our front sidewalk, right where I walk to get into Travis' car. The other I found yesterday afternoon out back on the steps leading to our garage. I was headed out with the baby and the dog to grab the jogging stroller out of the garage and go for a walk, and there it was. Thank goodness my brave husband remedies these horrible situations. I would not be able to do snake removal. But seriously, why me??? It makes me sick to my stomach and upset. The one yesterday? Headless! Oh my gosh, even more gross! I am so worried that maybe Lexi had something to do with that! SICK!!!!!!!

Let me just set the scene here. We have less than 0.2 acres. In our neighborhood, the houses are VERY close together with tiny yards. I can wrap my hands around the biggest tree we have. We back up to a paved alley that is lined with all the detached garages. My point is this - we do not live on a lot that backs up to woods, has a lot a natural areas, etc. We live in a house on a tiny lot with a very manicured yard. And it's apparently snake-infested! Of all things!!!!!!!

I have calmed down a bit - if you can believe that this is calm...and I'm happy to be getting the heck outta dodge and heading to Roanoke for the weekend! My sister and her family are coming down too. I'm really excited to spend Mother's Day with mom, my grandma, my sister, my niece!!! (And of course my dad and brother-in law and husband too...I was just focusing on the moms). I cannot WAIT for them to see how much Campbell has grown and how fun she is these days. If this snake thing continues, I told my mom that we are moving into the basement. I'm sure there are no snakes in Virginia, right?

Cruising like a Big Girl!

I'm back to my happy self again (after going out and buying Campbell several new PINK outfits, no lie). It's early Sunday morning and I'm up, waiting for Campbell to get up! Travis is competing in another triathlon this morning. In about an hour he'll take off to swim a half mile, bike 14 miles, and then run a 5K. Each of those events individually sounds so difficult to me, I can't even fathom doing all three in a row! He's excited and ready to go and we hope he does well and is pleased with himself. Once again we're sad to not be there - but this race is four hours away so it just didn't work out. :( Next race is here in town, so Campbell and I will be at the finish line cheering her Daddy on! Good luck today Travis, we're so proud of you!!!

At about 5 a.m. today, Campbell woke me up on the monitor squealing and making all sorts of noise. Lucky for her, she fell back asleep. I wasn't so lucky! It really is hard to get irritated though. She will be laying in her crib laughing and squealing, completely entertained to just kick her little legs and make funny noises. It's adorable to hear on the monitor.

This past week Campbell went to the park for the first time. She was long overdue for a nap by the time we got there, but was mesmerized by all the sights and sounds. She fought a nap for a good 45 minutes before giving in, watching all the big kids run around. I could tell she so wanted to jump up and join in the fun. Babies just love seeing other kids! Then we had a playdate on Friday with her friend Hunter who is nine months old. Again, she is just fascinated by him! I think she sees him crawl and pull himself up and she is like, whoa how did he DO that?? He likes her too - his favorite thing to do is whack her on the face. But he means well...he just wants to touch her!

Another update - Campbell has another tooth coming in! The one tooth is definitely in and visible. It's coming in a little more each day. And now I can see its next door neighbor too. I can't tell if it's broken the surface yet or not, but there is definitely a white spot where the next tooth is coming in. I can't believe it! Almost two teeth and she hasn't even hit the five month mark yet!!

Below is a picture of Campbell on our walk yesterday morning. We decided to let her try to ride in the BOB stroller without the infant seat. The harness is roller-coaster worthy, so we definitely weren't concerned about her falling out! She is very secure and obviously very happy to be riding like a big girl. She looks so tiny in there out of her infant seat! We are considering ditching the infant seat soon and graduating to the next set of gear, so this was a good trial run. She seemed to enjoy being able to see the world in front of her - she squealed a little bit (happy squeals), clutching her giraffe. By the end of the walk, she was snoozing and enjoying the breeze. The last time I posted about our BOB stroller, the marketing people from BOB e-mailed me and asked to post my blog on their blog! Ha! Very cool. I hope they find us again to see their cutest spokesmodel!