Team Campbell

My Favorite Sounds

Katie — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 05:33:00 GMT

Recently, I shared a little “secret” with Bethany. I told her my two favorite sounds.

The first? Bethany’s singing. But you’ve heard that before.

The second? Olivia’s laugh. And it’s about time to present that one to the world.

So why did Bethany make the goofy bear noises in the first place? I honestly don’t remember, but the outcome was fantastic. Oh—and if you look closely, you’ll see that Olivia is rocking a baby mullet. Could it be time for a first haircut already? Say it isn’t so!

Skip To My Lou, My Darlin’

Katie — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 20:58:00 GMT

This spring, Bethany started her first dance class. She takes Creative Movement at Gotta Dance studio. The class has a pre-ballet focus. The dancers learn many ballet steps and poses but only a little terminology, and their teacher keeps them moving a lot during class. At times, they dance with teddy bears, wave magic wands, blow bubbles and imitate animals. Bethany loves to arabesque! She is also the free spirit in the class, wearing her sparkling red tutu when the other girls prefer pink.

The end-of-the-year dance recital was this weekend. Wearing her recital costume for the first time was exciting. It was the perfect first costume, hot pink and black with more tulle than one little girl should be allowed to have. It was perfect for:

An arabesque…

“Sunshine arms…”

or a leap.

Bethany’s class danced to “Skip To My Lou.” It was quite the experience, and she really stole the show.

Bethany dances to “Skip To My Lou.”

When Bethany watched the video the next morning, I asked her a question.

Mommy: Why did you turn around and run to the back of the stage?

Bethany: Because I wanted to see what was making the shadows.

OK. I guess that makes sense. Later, while I was editing the video to share, she told me, “I want to have my dance recital again.” And that, folks, is exactly how I hoped she’d feel after taking classes and performing.

Preview of Coming Attractions

Katie — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 20:44:00 GMT

I just transferred all of the data from my camera to the computer in preparation for our trip to the Midwest tomorrow. I couldn’t resist putting this up as a preview of what our families are in for over the next week and a half.

About a week ago, Bethany discovered that she can play with her little sister. I’m still not sure if Bethany considers Olivia to be a budding playmate or a new toy, but either way, she now considers the role of Big Sister to be much more important than before. And Olivia seems to be remarkably tolerant of the whole situation. Enjoy!

Bethany puts pieces of her Halloween costume on Olivia

This Is Serious!

Katie — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 23:51:00 GMT

Halloween was a lot of fun for us this year. It was the first time that Bethany has really cared about wearing a costume, trick-or-treating or decorating. Maybe it was because she’s a little older and understands more. Or maybe it was because Dustin started regular viewings of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Garfield’s Halloween Adventure on October 1. Either way, she was excited.

Bethany picked out a ghost decoration to put in our yard. Dustin carved a jack-o-lantern for her, which they later named Steve. Daddy and daughter also found directions to decorate cupcakes to look like a ghost, Frankenstein’s monster, and a witch. I dutifully helped Bethany make the cupcakes one day.

Bethany likes helping in the kitchen, so we enjoyed ourselves.

Bethany puts marshmallow ghosts on cupcakes.

But, as the evidence suggests, there was LOTS of tasting going on. I was afraid we would run out of toppings and have naked leftover cupcakes.

The end product was fun. Even if the sugar rush from eating one that evening made a certain little girl be wide awake until about 10 p.m.

I had debated whether I should make Bethany’s Halloween costume this year. We moved at the end of September, and I couldn’t even guarantee that I would even make it to Halloween before the new baby arrived. (Little did I know that I’d be less than a week from my due date with no signs of labor this time.) Making a Halloween costume would be crazy, right? But Bethany’s obsession with the Wonder Pets grew to dynamic proportions during September and October, with her requesting to be called Ming-Ming the Duck on a regular basis. Dustin was dubbed Tuck the Turtle, and I defaulted to Linny the Guinea Pig. I couldn’t help it. I just had to. And my work paid off.

First, Bethany inspected the costume in the mirror…

She thought she was hot stuff!

“This is serious!”

Bethany had been walking around the house for days as I sewed, singing songs from Wonder Pets. She was so excited by trick-or-treat that we had to coax her into performing for the camera, but we finally succeeded. Just pretend that you can’t hear mommy and daddy cracking up so close to the microphone on the camera. Professional videographer, I’m not.

Bethany sings selections from Wonder Pets.

The Itsy-Bitsy Spider-Man

Katie — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:58:00 GMT

I think we may have to put this one in the show-to-future-prom-date vault. Enjoy!

Bethany sings “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider” with her Spider-Man action figure.

Camping at Kalaloch

Katie — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 20:26:00 GMT

Over the winter, Dustin and I decided that this summer would be a good time for us to take Bethany camping for the first time. He started some research and found a Kalaloch, a campground on the Pacific coast that takes reservations. Six months later, we loaded our car to the bursting point, and embarked on an adventure!

We slept reasonably well in the tent, I didn’t ruin any meals on the campfire, and Dustin hit upon the genius idea to heat water over the fire for washing our hair. So, all in all, the trip turned out to be a great experience. The weather was cool, foggy and damp (I guess that’s what happens at a campground sandwiched between an ocean and a rainforest). Even so, the scenery was beautiful.

Bethany and I had our first experience at the Pacific Ocean! Bethany was completely enamored with it. She got to wade in the water…

Dig in the sand…

And climb on driftwood…

Back at the campsite, we encountered some indigenous wildlife, including Slugworth, the banana slug (I’ll spare you that picture!), and a rather cute little inchworm,which captivated Bethany for quite some time.

I have to admit that the visiting humans were much scarier than the critters. Apparently, being so near to near to Forks, WA has made the area a haven to Twilight fans who are making the pilgrimage to seek out vampires and werewolves.

But don’t believe a word of what Dustin says. I didn’t trick him into going there because of the books. He picked the campground all on his own. I didn’t even know how close it was until I started researching the location of the nearest grocery store.

Regardless, the campground was clean and well-maintained. Our site (A43 if you’re curious) had a nice little wooded alcove for the tent that made us feel like we had some privacy from the other sites. We’d definitely return. That is, if we could fit our gear into the car with a second car seat installed. I sense a minivan in our future. *sigh*

If you’re interested in seeing more pictures, you can go to Team Campbell Pictures, my Shutterfly share site, to view them. You’ll find a lot more pictures of the landscape, especially the beach, and all of the pictures are at their full resolution.

A Sneak Peek

Katie — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:59:00 GMT

We had a small scare about the pregnancy last month. My OB’s office called to say that my doctor wanted me to have a high resolution ultrasound of a few areas of the baby. It was probably nothing to be concerned about, but she wanted a better look.

Everything is fine. The baby and I are both healthy, and the pregnancy is progressing normally. It leaves me feeling very reassured and counting my blessings.

The unforeseen benefit of the situation, though, is that the office where I went for the follow-up ultrasound gives families digital 3D images of baby at no extra charge. So I get to share a sneak peek of Baby Girl Campbell.

Now we just need to choose a name for her. Any suggestions?

The Big-Girl Bed

Katie — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:05:00 GMT

I had intended to let Bethany continue sleeping in a crib until she learned how to climb over the rail. I just didn’t think she’d do it before she hit 2 1/2. I mean, the girl didn’t decide to walk until she was 15 months old. Was expecting her to be content to learn to climb slowly too much to ask? Apparently so. Recently, Bethany became part monkey. I watched with horror (and a little pride) as she started climbing ladders at the park and scaling furniture at home without the slightest bit of fear.

Then it happened. It went something like this:

OK. So the first time involved a big thunk and a few tears of surprise. Luckily Bethany didn’t hurt herself. Unfortunately, instead of using her experience as a lesson to stay in bed, she accepted the challenge and figured out how to climb out without falling.

So we had to move her to a big-girl bed. We went to the mattress store and then to Target for new bedding, where she found a big blanket exactly like the small crib blankets she’s used since she was a baby. I didn’t even notice them on the shelf, but I had to stop because she called out, “Hey! My blanket!” from the cart. The result was pure excitement about having a big-girl bed.

Bethany is very proud to be a big girl who sleeps in a big-girl bed! She loves the freedom of being able to get in and out of bed whenever she wants. She was Boomerang Bethany the first night. We had to put her back into bed about 8 times. Finally, I realized that I had forgotten to plug in the nightlight after rearranging the furniture in her room. She went to sleep after I turned it on. Most nights since then she goes to sleep with no problems. Quiet times, however, are another story. We’re still working on those, but we are proud of our big girl.

I’m Not Fat. I’m…

Katie — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:57:00 GMT

Yup. That’s right. Team Campbell is growing. We are expecting a baby this fall. Officially, my due date is November 18. However, if Bethany’s birth story could be an indication of how things will go this time, you should book your plane flights for July.

I did see the doctor at the end of April. So far, everything is going well, and Baby and I are healthy. She did an ultrasound, and I was surprised to see that I could make out Baby’s head, torso and arm buds. (The first ultrasound with Bethany was earlier on, and she just looked like a jelly bean.) We also had the pleasure of seeing Baby dance around, to the point of interfering with the doctor’s measurements. Why do I have the feeling I’m in for a challenge with this one?

Is Bethany excited?

I think so, but I’m not sure she really understands yet. We have a few friends who are pregnant, and she knows that their bumps are homes for their respective babies. And she’s fascinated whenever she sees real babies at church and in the grocery store. She did try to tickle and hug the baby in mommy’s tummy last week, so she’s starting to process something, at least.

How am I feeling?

Pretty good. My biggest problem so far with the pregnancy is exhaustion. I napped when I was carrying Bethany. A lot. But since she doesn’t nap anymore, I don’t have a chance to rest during the day. I haven’t had much nausea, but when it happens, it seems to be around dinnertime. Apparently, cooking odors and being at a very tired time of day are a bad combination. I’m hoping my energy levels will improve in a week or two after I hit the 2nd trimester mark.

I’ve officially hit the one-too-many-trips-to-the-buffet stage of pregnancy. I’ve grown just enough that my clothes are tight, but not enough to fit maternity. I definitely look different, but not different enough for friends to ask if I’m expecting a baby or just putting on a little weight. I’m looking forward to that phase ending soon, too.

Will we find out the gender this time?

We haven’t decided yet. Last time, we didn’t find out until Bethany was born. If it were all about me, I’d wait until baby’s birthday to find out. Honestly, I like the anticipation of the “It’s a girl!” moment. I am considering that it may be helpful for Bethany if we can name Baby ahead of time, though. Dustin said he doesn’t have a strong preference this time. Either way, we have a couple of months before we have to decide. We’ll let you know.

But which kind do we want?

Dustin likes having a girl. Even though I’ve tried to convince him that he’ll change his mind about that in about ten years or so (I was a girl, after, all. I know how they are…), he officially prefers to have another pink one. I’m still hoping that I really can handle two, regardless of gender.

Good News. You CAN Help!

Katie — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:02:00 GMT

OK…So nearly every post on this blog relates to how much we love our daughter and want to share her antics with our friends and families. This one is a little different.

We recently learned about yet another situation in which families have been affected by the Haitian earthquake: adoptions. Many American families were in the process of adopting orphaned children from Haiti before the earthquake hit. Those adoption proceedings have stalled due to the destruction of “the system.” Adoptive children have to remain in Haiti while safe, loving homes wait for them here in the U.S. In fact, one mother we’ve heard about was in Haiti visiting her future son when the quake struck. She and her biological child who was travelling with her made it home, but they were not allowed to bring their Haitian son with them! I can’t even begin to imagine the anguish and helplessness these adoptive parents must feel.

Fortunately, there is a way to help them. Our government can grant Humanitarian Parole during emergencies such as the earthquake. If granted, children will be allowed to enter the U.S. to join their adoptive families until the time when their adoptions can be finalized formally.

Join me in contacting our congressional representatives and our President to express our support for these measures.We don’t have to send money. We just need to write letters. A friend even prepared a form letter that you can use. Copy it. Fill in the name of your Representative or Senator. Sign it. Send it. Help to make a difference in just a few minutes.

Go to Contacting the Congress to find the links to email your elected officials. You can also go to www.whitehouse.gov to contact President’s Obama’s administration.
Fill in the relevant information.
Copy and paste the sample letter below into the message box.

Dear (insert name of elected leader),
I write to request that you support and/or sponsor a political effort to extend Humanitarian Parole and all other available remedies to Haitian adoptive children who are caught in stalled proceedings due to the recent earthquake.
According to the U.S. citizenship and Immigration Services website, Humanitarian Parole may be extended "for admission into the United States based on urgent humanitarian reasons...
[f]or a period of time that corresponds with the length of the emergency or humanitarian situation." As President Obama has repeatedly acknowledged the gravity of the humanitarian crisis in Haiti, it follows that Humanitarian Parole should be available to prevent Haitian adoptive children and their U.S. families from being needlessly separated pending stalled adoption proceedings.
Thank you for your service and for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
(insert your name)

Fill in the name of your Representative or Senator.
Type your “signature.”
Click Send.
Say a prayer. God listens, even if we haven’t talked to Him recently.

It’s that easy. Let’s stop looking at this disaster and wondering what we can do about it. Let’s help some children come home!