We are officially.....

NOT moving to Birmingham. In case you were wondering, that's what that last post was about. Looks like we're home to stay. It's bittersweet, but its the right decision for our family. Oh and sorry, I don't have any pictures of Lucy right now. BUT her one year pictures we had taken will be in soon, so you have that to look forward to :)

Here's what we've been up to lately...

It's been a very busy and very stressful couple of weeks for the Campbell household. Mark and I are in the middle of making some very big decisions for our family, and with those decisions will come many changes. I like structure, routine, and really am not a big fan of change. Mark loves change. He would rearrange all the furniture in our house once a month if it didn't make me so crazy. But I'm learning that change can be good, and in the midst of it all, God is good. Whether this next big step in our life is difficult or easy, God is still good. Mark has been such an encouragement to me, constantly reminding me that God is good, even if our circumstances aren't. Keep us in your prayers these next few weeks.

Life goes on, and we are immensely blessed. I cry so many times thinking about how truly blessed we are. Lucy is beautiful, growing, healthy, and so smart. So many people never get to experience parenthood, and I don't know why the Lord chose us to raise this feisty girl but we are loving every minute of it. She's 15 months old now!! That sounds so strange. She is like an educational sponge. Seriously. She learns SO fast now. New words, new motions, and she just loves to mimic Mommy and Daddy.

Here are a few thing she's doing at 15 months:

- running. yes, RUNNING.

- moving from two naps a day down to one. I think it's going to be a weaning process. She definitely does well with just one nap, but there are some days that she still needs two. (like today)

- is really into whining and letting us know when she's not happy. She does not hide her emotions well at all (wonder where she got that from??) We're working on the whining and learning the ignoring it is usually the best approach for her, as she loves attention

- she is quick to anger. This has probably when one of the hardest things for me to handle, because I am very quick to anger. Or rather, my selfish reaction is to be quick to anger. This has been a constant struggle in my life, and is something I have to work on every day. It's hard to see it in her, because I know she got that from me. We are really trying to discipline her heart and not just her head. Lucy and I are learning this together :)

- she LOVES music and loves to sing and dance. She does almost all the motions to Itsy Bitsy Spider

- despite what I said above about her attitude and whining, she really is very obedient for being so young. People are often surprised at how well she obeys.

- she has four teeth on top and two on the bottom. And still has VERY little hair :)

- she continues to be a great eater, although she is definitely starting to slow down on the amount she eats at each meal. So far, I can't think of a food she won't eat.

- she LOVES Heidi. Like seriously, annoyingly, LOVES her.

- she said "boo boo" the other day! She fell and busted her chin open the other day and was fighting me to put a bandaid on, so I explained to her that the bandaid was to help her boo boo, and she pointed to her chin and said, "boo boo". The bandaid lasted a whole hour.

- she is obessed with Elmo, or "la la"

- she is still using sign language for "more" (which has really turned into "please" or when she wants something), "milk" (though she can say this too), "eat" or "hungry" and "all done". Her verbal skills are great, but I've found that the words she can sign she rarely says. Is that weird?

Here are a some pictures from the past few weeks.

doing Itsy Bitsy spider. She will sign "more" and then do this if she wants you to sing it.

Lilly came to play one morning. This is them watching Sesame Street.

Best Buds

Having a snack after naptime

Lovin on her Heidi

Mark and I both had to work on Halloween, so we didn't get to do any trick or treating or dressing up, but the weekend before Halloween, Lucy's BFF Lilly turned one, and her party was a costume party! So Lucy got to put her Halloween costume to good use...

Lilly loved her cake!

Lilly and her pretty mama.

Our best attempt at a picture.

I'm sure there will be more exciting updates to come! Stay tuned!

Christmas Idea

I shared this with my sister in laws the other day...thought it was a great idea for a nice, simple Christmas. You make a list for something you want, something you need, something you wear, and something you read. Love it.

http://dandeedesigns.blogspot.com/2008/10/want-need-wear-read.html

I love grilled cheese!!

Lucy enjoying one of her favorite things to have for lunch...

Translation

Lucy is quite the little chatter box these days. I, being the gloating parent, think she is VERY advanced in her verbal ability for her age. But don't all parents say that?

Here are the words Lucy says with perfect clarity:

Mama (my personal fave)

Dada

Book

Duck

Ball

Dog (with a very southern drawl I might add)

Hi

Bye Bye

Uh oh

Dee Dee (my mom's super hip grandma name)

And here are some words that are still lost in translation:

hyeeeee!! - Heidi

La la - Elmo

Eee (with a little note change in between the ees) - Ear

Mih mih - Milk

Biba - Bible (not to be confused with "bye bye" or bubbles)

Bibbub - Bubbles

Bye Bye, Bubbles, and Bible all sound very alike, but she says them perfectly in context, and I can pick out the subtle difference.

And whenever I ask her to say something she can't pronounce yet (like, "yes ma'am" or "thank you") she simply says...."Na na....aahh!!" and then starts cracking up laughing. I wish I knew what was going on in that little head of hers.

Hmmm....

This is what I found when I went to open up a new tube of toothpaste this morning...

I wonder how long that's been there :)

Mr. Frog

Lucy has never had any sort of attachment or "security" item. I took the paci away from her when she was 2 months old (I know...I'm so cruel!), she's never showed any interest in a blankie or a stuffed animal. I just always thought, well, that's a bit strange, but figured she would attach to something if she needed. Enter Frog.

This cute little purple and green frog that matches Lucy's room so well has been sitting on top of her crib for decoration since before she was born. Lucy never paid much attention to it. Mark and I noticed a few weeks ago that whenever we would go in to get her up from a nap, Lucy would stand up, go and grab the frog, kiss it, and THEN would let you get her out of the crib. Not before. That turned into her pulling the frog down into the crib with her, but still keeping it a safe distance away, no snuggling or kissing involved. She just wanted it IN the crib with her. Now, all of a sudden, she loves that stupid frog. She kisses it, cuddles it, snuggles with it, and sweetly tucks it under her arm when she sleeps. Its the cutest stinkin thing I think either of us has ever seen.

Don't get me wrong. She does not drag this frog everywhere with her and scream when it is taken away. We don't have to worry about the frog being covered in food, dirt, and whatever else she manages to get into for the day. Frog stays in the crib. Period. However, she was being SO cute and lovey with it the other day after her nap I had to snap a few pictures.

So sweet. She just walked around her room hugging it like this.

Snuggling during naptime.

It's so funny to see little things like this that show us how much Lucy is growing up. What a sweet, precious girl we have. I thank the Lord every day for allowing me to be her mom.