Cayman's Room

Cayman's bedroom was the first room in our house that I painted after we moved in. I had been thinking about my baby's nursery long before I was even pregnant. I was full of ideas and very eager to get started. I had been hit by the "nesting" bug for a long time and it felt great to finally make a space of our own!

I love the way Cayman's room turned out!

If I had to choose my favorite part of Cayman's room, it would be her crib quilt and bumper. It's from Pottery Barn that I found on Ebay. I immediately fell in love with it. The seller's "Buy It Now" price was more than I could afford nor willing to pay for such an item no matter how beautiful it is! The seller and I negotiated back and forth for about a week and finally the seller worked her price down to my comfort zone and I bought it!

Also on Ebay, I found these watercolor paintings a very talented lady does to match the Pottery Barn's quilts (seller: lorilynnayres). These flowers are a replica of the ones found on the crib quilt I bought.


We did not have enough money in our budget to update the green carpeting in Cayman's room. My solution to that was this rug. I found it online and fell in love! But again, came across the same issue as the crib quilt...it was too expensive. But before I gave up hope, I called a carpet outlet store that is near one of Cayman's doctor's offices. My parents have always had great luck finding quality flooring there for a fraction of the cost. So I called the outlet store, gave them the name and designer of this rug and asked if they could order it for me. It was and it was $150 cheaper than the online price plus without having to pay the shipping cost. What a deal! Now the outdated green carpeting doesn't bother me nearly as bad!

I painted the dresser and trunk knobs pink, just to add a little extra girly touch!


This quote is so fitting, wouldn't you say?
The white vinyl letters were not showing up well over top of the light yellow walls, so I bought a poster frame and a piece of foam board. I painted the foam board pink (the same pink as the dresser knobs), and then stuck the quote to the foam board. I cut the board down to the size of the frame. Whaala!

This sentimental decor was a gift from two ladies Mike works with, Janet and Beth. For Cayman's birthday, they gave her money and requested it be put towards something girly and fun for her room. This beautiful framed wall quote hangs on Cayman's wall because of those two generous ladies. "Thank you Janet and Beth!"

That is one very useful bookcase.

Just a little bit of extra storage to keep the organized me happy.

I love those little tiny hands and feet. These were Cayman's prints when she was just a few days old.

Little Miss Mischief

Every mom has stories that they can tell about what their child did when the mom wasn't looking.

Here's mine...

I folded the laundry.

Then I left the room briefly. It seriously could not have been more than 30 seconds. When I returned Cayman was surrounded by messy piles of clothes.

Look at that ornery grin.

Cayman is a fantastic roller but seriously, I am amazed at how quickly she accomplished dismantling my folded laundry. She was clear on the other side of the room playing with her toys when I left.

Do you have a good story to tell? I would love to know what mischievous things your child did when you weren't looking. This will be fun to hear!

Cayman Combs Her Hair

After Cayman's bath, our routine is:

Cayman sits in her BeBe Pod with the toy mirror in front of her. I then gently comb out all the tangles in her hair. After I am finish I always hand Cayman the comb and say, "It's your turn to brush your hair."

Last week, for the first time, Cayman put the comb up in the air and made a sweeping action across her hair!
Mike and I were ecstatic!!

While speaking about hair, check out Cayman's curls...

Dreaming...

of a dining room table

to fill my

empty dining room.

When I found THE dining table that I wanted, I took note of its measurements, cut strands of yarn and laid them down on the floor, outlining where the table would go. Since our dining room is a pass through room, meaning you walk through it to get to another room, the yarn layout was to measure how much walking space around the table there would be. But I confess, I mainly did it to dream about it sitting in that empty space. If I saw anyone headed toward the dining room, I cheerfully called out, "Don't walk on my table!"

The table Mike and I have shared our meals around since we got married is very old but very dear. It use to be in my parents' house when I was growing up. They bought it at an auction. That table has provided many family meals for generations. All the marks and scuffs on it reveal the activity it has had in its life. Those scratches are a tangible reminder of all the wonderful memories we have had around that table.

I don't have to dream about having a dining room set of my own for too much longer. This past Saturday, Mike bought me one for my birthday! It arrives on the 27th!

At the checkout counter the salesman asked if we would like to purchase the 5 year warranty with it. If any dings and scratches were to occur, the purchase of the warranty would cover the cost of repairing them.

I begged Mike to not purchase it. I told him that in years to come, I want my table to show that there has been many gatherings around it. The dings and scratches will joyfully remind us of all the meals, games, and conversations we had around that table.

Mike smiled at me and replied, "You're so right!"

It's My Birthday!!

My birthday date always stands out to me when I see it. On a wall clock, the calendar, or the expiration date on a milk carton. It doesn't matter where it's printed, July 11 jumps out at me as if it was printed in bold letters! It's been like that for me since I was a little girl.

In the morning, I reach for the clock on my nightstand and I see it reads July 11...I know it's going to be a good day!!

It's no surprise to me that my Birthday is a day that makes me happy. In my house birthdays were a day of big celebration. It was an extraordinary day filled with balloons, streamers, decorative tableclothes, gifts, and cake! There was also a little plastic teddy bear holding a a blue star that (if I remember correctly) said "You are special". He was made to sit on the edge of a plate! So on my special day, when mom set the dinner table, that little bear adorned my plate. Mom did that for each one of us kids on our special day (and for Dad too). That little simple, plastic bear made me feel extraordinary on my birthday!

I'm 28 years old today, and I know when I go to my parents' house for my birthday dinner, that little bear will be sitting there on my plate and I will feel like I'm 6 years old again!! I love it!!

What's even better than being 6, is being 28. My life at this point is exactly what I hoped it would be...

a loving husband, a perfect baby, a house of our own, living near our families, loyal friends...the list goes on and on.

Laugh

Get Yo Laugh On

Shopping

Life's Learned Lessons:

Don't go grocery shopping on an empty stomach.

If you do, you may find yourself climbing the shelves.

Shopping Carts

Cayman's diagnosis was discovered when I was just 20 weeks pregnant. The advantage of knowing early on that our child would have developmental delays allowed us time for planning.

One of the ways we planned was in buying this stroller carseat system:
We knew things like head control and sitting up would be a challenge for Cayman. The stroller carseat combo would make our outings more practical and the system would be able to accommodate Cayman as she grows.

For example, when grocery shopping, where do you put a one year old when they can't sit up? Not in the shopping cart. The best solution we decided on was to invest in a stroller carseat system.

I cannot imagine our outings without it.

It has made the long treks across U of M hospital, trips to the grocery store, or other errands easier.

This past February we tried something different. We put Cayman in the seat of a shopping cart for a test run.


It did not go well. I used my fluffy winter coat and blankets for padding and support but it was still not enough to keep Cayman out of a slouch position. She could tolerate it only for a few minutes before she began to fuss.

During those few minutes though, Mike and I had fun pushing Cayman around and snapping pictures.

Four and half months later, we got to have that fun again!!

We have discovered that not every shopping cart is suitable for Cayman though. The back rest and lap belt have to be just right in order to provide the support that she can't completely do for herself yet. So we still get great use out of the carseat stroller system but I immensely look forward to when Cayman can sit up in every shopping cart. That will make outings even better!

In this photo, I think it looks like Cayman is doing the Little Rascal's High sign.

X-Rays

Last week Cayman had x-rays taken of her spine and hips. This was to check for any vertebral malformations that could possibly be hindering her ability to sit unsupported. To review that full story click here.

Mike models the smiley face lead apron with great masculinity.

We are happy to report, everything looks great!

So the mystery continues "why is Cayman so uncomfortable."

I have been trying therapeutic massage treatments on her back, hips, and legs to loosen any tight muscles and also make her more aware of that area of her body. In addition to that, I am exploring the chiropractic modality to see if that will make a difference for Cayman. I will let you know how that goes.

I leave you with this video of how Cayman stays entertained at the Doctor's office...

Cayman Gets Stronger

In this post I wrote about how Cayman needs a lot of assistance, holding herself up in a crawling position.

This was her a little over a month ago...

And this is her now...

You can see the difference if you note where Jodi, the physical therapist's, hands are placed. In the first photo one hand is helping Cayman keep her arm straight and the other hand is under her chest supporting most of Cayman's weight.

In the second photo, Jodi has her hands at Cayman's sides, barely supporting much weight.

And in this photo you can see how well Cayman is enjoying it...

And for another recent accomplishment:

Cayman held two toys, one in each hand. She's only done it twice, and on the second time I got it on video.

Take a look...

Cayman's 1st Pedicure

Cayman sat in her BeBe Pod very still and quiet, closely watching me paint her toenails. I discovered she has the attention span of 6 painted toenails. The last 4 were quite challenging to paint while her toes were wiggling everywhere. I think her next pedicure will be done while she's asleep.

Happy Independence Day

Wishing you a

Happy Independence Day!

From the Stamm Family

Kisses

Cayman gives kisses.

She doesn't do the smacking sound but she does pucker up her lips. It cracks me up!!

Like this...

She's kind of stingy about who and when she gives her kisses to though, so feel priviledged if you ever get one!

Cayman's First Fireworks

This past Saturday (June 27th) Cayman saw her first fireworks show. Our new hometown shot off their annual 4th of July fireworks. Grandma Sue, Grandpa Mark, and friends Paul and Ester joined us.

What was Cayman's reaction to the fireworks?

Have a look and a listen....

And just in case you didn't catch it, that was Cayman laughing histarically, not crying.

Happy Birthday to Cayman's Uncle Mark!

The Craving to Blog

Grandma Sue has been missing her daily dose of Cayman pictures, videos, and stories so she lent me her laptop until mine gets fixed. I have very little opportunity to use Mike's laptop since it's used for his work. It's been nice having a computer all to myself again but I still miss mine.

My computer is set up perfectly for my blogging style with my photo editing and video editing software, my SD card reader, all my picture files organized by date and event. This computer doesn't have any of that so I have to take a few extra steps in order to get it step up so I can post my pictures.

Here's what I have to do:

• Find which SD card the pictures are on. I have 4 to search through.
• Once I find the picture then I insert the SD card into Mike's computer.
• Then I insert a flash drive.
• Copy the picture files onto the flash drive.
• Take the flash drive out.
• Insert the flash drive into my mother-in-law's computer.
• Upload the pictures onto the computer.
• Then I'm ready to blog!

And I better get busy too, because I have a list of 14 things I want to document!

"Thank you Sue!"

My Computer is still Broken

Today was suppose to be a happy day for my computer, but alas, the problem is far deeper than the repair woman could see. My computer is being passed onto another expert and it appears it will take yet another week before it is fixed.

When I do get it back I will have lots of catching up to do. I have so many new videos and pictures of Cayman I want to post. I've been keeping record of it all the "old school way"...pen and paper. You see, while you might all think I blog just for you (well, of course I do), this blog is really my very detailed "baby book" for Cayman, which I am having it made into a book through this website.

I will see you in about a week!

("Sorry, Aunt Linda. Hang in there!")

Summer Experiences: POPSICLES

Grandma Sue wrapped the Push-Pop in a paper towel to keep little Cayman's hands from getting chilled. She will not touch things if they are cold anyways, so the paper towel worked out perfectly.

Summer Experiences: SWIMMING

I think Cayman liked her swimming experience. At first she was very quiet and expressionless but soon "warmed" up to the water (perhaps literally) and then she gave us some smiles.

Summer Experiences: HAMMOCK

Life always feel a little more divine when chillin' in a hammock.

Summer Experiences: ICE CREAM

Our favorite route for a summer evening stroll takes us right to a little ice cream shop, just a couple blocks from our house. (You didn't think it become our favorite route by chance, did you?)

Cayman loves ice cream. Do you remember her first reaction to ice cream a few months back? If you missed it, click here.

On one of our visits to the ice cream shop, Cayman and I shared a vanilla cone. Apparently that was not enough for her sweet tooth though, for on our way back to our house Cayman kept staring at Daddy's Frozen Limeade slushie.
We'd walk a few steps and then stop to give her a bite...




Happy Birthday to Cayman's Great Grandma Jeanne!