Family Friday: Aug 30

51 Weeks Old

Only one more week left!  I can’t believe our baby is almost a year old.  This year flew by but also lasted forever all at the same time.  It was not easy and I feel that it’s almost taken the whole year to really recover, first physically and then mentally.  I will be celebrating Cameron turning one year old and also celebrating the fact that I survived the first year of motherhood 🙂

Tonight begins three weeks of houseguests.  My mother arrived tonight and will stay for just under two weeks.  Johnnie’s parents and sister arrive next weekend arrive next weekend and will stay for just over two weeks.  They overlap for about a week – it will be interesting fun 🙂  I’m really excited about having live-in babysitters guests for the next three weeks.  The last time family was here, Cameron was very young and I was still breastfeeding so I only had short periods of free time.  Now there is no limit.  I have been making a list of things I want to do and I’m going to cram as much in as possible!

We cleaned the house today in preparation for our houseguests.  Cameron and Dulce had fun playing on a pile of blankets before they got tossed in the washing machine.  To clarify… the blankets went into the wash, not the kids 🙂

This week Cameron started successfully eating from a plate!  I tried a plate when we first started finger foods but she was more interested in banging the plate on the table than eating the food on it.  Now she focuses on the food and leaves the plate alone.

I started making things for lunch that I can share with her.  This forces me to eat healthy whole foods so it is a win-win situation 🙂  For example, one lunch we had this week was salmon and green beans.  I’m avoiding salt because salt is not good for babies so we experimented with curry seasoning and garlic powder on the salmon – it was actually quite tasty and Cameron loved it!

We still go outside every evening and play on the driveway.  This week I pulled out some toy beach shovels and buckets.  I filled one bucket with water and she loved dipping the shovels in it!

Next weekend is Cameron’s birthday and she has gotten a few gifts in the mail already.  We opened one gift already from our good friend, Linda, who insisted we do so.  Twist our arms… 🙂

Before learning about RIE parenting, I would have opened the toy and played with it along with Cameron – showing her all of the features, what all the parts do, and how to ride it.  But I do know about RIE and the power of the magic word… WAIT.  You must read this article on Janet Lansbury’s website – The Parenting Magic Word and 10 Ways to Use It.  I have taken this information to heart for raising Cameron and it’s amazing to see what she is capable of.

I opened Cameron’s new toy, inserted some batteries, set it on the floor, and waited.  I sat back and soaked in the excitement that Cameron exuded each time she discovered something new.  She pushed the car forwards and backwards, tried pulling it sideways, pressed all of the buttons, and even discovered the hidden compartment under the seat… all on her own.  I know she felt proud of herself, something she wouldn’t have felt if I simply did it all for her.