Randomness

It's really felt like a ghost town in our neighborhood since our neighbors across the alley the D's moved with their 3 girls, J, M & L. It's weird how 1 family leaving can change a neighborhood, but it's been lonely here without them. I felt sad for Campbell when she had forgotten they moved & she started running toward their house super excited to tell M about some new toy. Thinking back, we'd interact with them at least daily. Campbell would catch sight of them coming or going or playing outside & run to the door to say hi and often it'd turn into a impromptu play date. So I don't know if it's just that or what, but it seems like we don't have much going on during the week lately, which I should appreciate because school starts soon. I know it's just twice a week for a few hours, but my baby is going to school. School! I even have a list of school supplies to get. It's my first time 'back to school' shopping since I was in school which is getting to be a while ago! Then Blake & I have ECFE once a week while Campbell goes to sibling care. I'm looking forward to some quality one on one time with Mr. Blake.

We're going from an unscheduled summer filled with impromptu beach and park trips to 3 mornings a week being scheduled. I understand this isn't even close to a rigid schedule, but we won't be lounging in our pajamas as much as we have been!

Here is a bunch of randomness that I'm feeling the need to document...

• Campbell walked (while I pushed Blake in the stroller) all the way to B park for the first time the other day. It was a S.L.O.W walk, but she kept it interesting with conversation about the most random things - ducks, llamas, pumas, etc, etc, etc. While at the park, the day care kids from Z church where Campbell went as a baby where there. I kind of recognized a girl that was in Campbell's class and heard someone call her name, so we introduced ourselves to her. I have Campbell Amundson and this girl's name is Campbell B - what are the odds of 2 Campbell's in the same class of like 11 babies? Plus that they have last names Amundson & B is pretty funny. Campbell B asked my Campbell if her Mama's name was S, too. I thought that was pretty cute how she was trying to comprehend how someone could have the same name as her. They really hit it off and spent the rest of the time running around the park together. I wonder if they have any level of remembering each other from when they were babies?
• Campbell's new thing is asking me, "have you ever heard of" questions. I hear questions such as, "Have you ever heard of eating water?" or "Have you ever heard of a dog meowing?" about a thousand times a day. 
• The other day Campbell wanted some help finding something. I looked and couldn't find it and she said, "But Mama! You're the best! You're the best!"
• Campbell was having trouble getting her pants on and said: "Oh bummer, this is getting ree-dic-ee-ous!" (ridiculous)
• Campbell was eating breakfast & I said I was going to go downstairs to do some laundry. She wanted me to wait for her so she said: "Have an apple to take your mind off it."
• Campbell was thinking of what Blake's Halloween costume should be and came up with this one: "Maybe we can get him a costume of me because my brother really loves me. He hugs me, he kisses me. Or (he could dress up as) a ball. Or a truck because he likes those."
• Campbell correctly pronounces most words, but there are a couple that she consistently says wrong which I think are pretty cute. 
• When she is balancing (usually on the toilet seat), she says: "I'm doing my bouncing" (balancing).
• She calls fairies, "fairs". As in this recent quote: "Pink the fair is awesome."

• Blake has found some books he LOVES - these peekaboo books where the page flips open to find another picture. He's actually bringing these books to me and wanting me to read them instead of running away as fast as he can or ripping it out of my hand. He signs 'more' 'more' 'more' and really gets a kick out of them. There is a Bedtime Peekaboo book and he says "ssshhh" to the sleeping stuffed animals and waves to them (I think he's doing the goodnight sign that I do with him, but that's the only time I've seen him do it). 
• Blake continues to be a super sleeper. He still needs 2 naps - as much as 5 hours of napping during the day and then a solid 12 hours at night. Very different than Campbell who went down to 1 nap at 1 year, wanted nothing to do with naps at 2 years, and who still has a semi-hard time falling asleep at night.
• Blake's tooth count: 4 top, 3 bottom & I've caught sight of 1 molar. There could be more, I just can't get a good look.
• He says the following words: 'Teetee' (dirty)..this is especially helpful when I'm trying to stop him from eating dirt/rocks or reaching into the toilet, 'Each' (peach), 'Nana' (banana), 'Dozer' (bulldozer), 'Uck' (truck), "Tee-Too" (thank you), Ah Dah (all done) and I can't remember the others. Papa gets him to say a ton of new words every time Blake is with him. 
• Waves arms to sign 'all done'
• A while ago, I was trying to find Blake's shirt and talking aloud about it. Blake grabbed his tummy. Then went to our closet and pointed at Gabe's shirt and said something like: dada trt" (daddy's shirt) 
• He's put a few other words together: "Ma nack" (more snack) and "Mama wa-wa" (Mom, get my bottle). He always calls his bottle "wa-wa". I don't know where that comes from. He definitely does NOT mean water because if you try to give him water instead of his rice milk he gets very upset. I know he's supposed to be using a sippy cup by this point, but it's the only way I can get him to drink his milk, so I'm going with it. Although I'm a bit nervous about how attached he is to it - he demands his "wa-wa" as soon as he wakes up.
• Blake's new tricks: 
• Falls down on purpose and thinks he is quite hilarious. Like he's not falling down enough on accident?!?
• Blows kisses, but keeps his little hand on his mouth and just makes the kissing sound so basically he's giving himself a kiss. 
• He is quite the solid bye-bye waver. 
• Whenever he sees a dog in real life or in person he makes a panting sound and sticks out his tongue. He doesn't bark or say woof, just this very exaggerated panting.  
• The other day I was reading a Barney book to him and he pointed out the duck, cow, fish, and of course, a dog when I asked him where they were.