The Manke Family: Baby GIRL!

We found out on September 13 that baby is a GIRL!! We are very excited and incredibly surprised! We both thought that we were having another boy, so we were both excited!! Not that we wouldn't have been excited for a boy, but one of each is great! Thinking of taking care of a girl sounds so weird to me - its going to be an adjustment!

Ryan had to work the day of our ultrasound, so Auntie Jill came with. Ryan did not want us to find out during the ultrasound - so I asked the tech to get a good picture and put it in an envelope. I watched the ultrasound intensely the entire time trying to figure out the gender, but the tech was good and hid it well! After my appointment, Jill and I grabbed breakfast at Key's Cafe - Ryan called me back right as we sat down and couldn't wait, so told me to open it. It was quite fun opening it!!!

I didn't feel well until my 18th week and am so glad that nausea stint is behind me... At least I never got truly sick, but it's so nice being able to enjoy food again! The exhaustion hasn't left, but I chalk it up to a stressful job and a super busy toddler! Also, work for Ryan really picked up the last two months, so it was quite a bit of "single parenting" for me and feeling accomplished just by doing laundry and dishes before I'd crash at 8 or 9 each night.

Cameron is still loving going to Ms Bridget's each day for daycare and his development continues to amaze me. Each night, he asks about each member of Bridget's family, including the dogs. He loves all of them!!

* Moved into his big boy room and bed! The transition went really well, surprisingly, and he does so well with it all. He loves his new race car bed!! Now if only he'd start using the potty...

* He can sing his "ABCs" through the letter G by himself. He hums the rest of the tune and pops in letters here and there as he hums... "P"... "S"... "Z"... "Now I know ABCs... With me! YAY" as he claps because he's so proud of himself!!

* Loves to sing. Row, Row, Row your boat; Wheels on the Bus; Twinkle, Twinkle; Ring around the Rosie's; Freeischaca (or however you spell it...); and the Itsy Bitsy Spider just to name a few... It's so cute when he hums and he knows a few words from each song which makes it even cuter!

* Loves to still kiss Baby Girl on my tummy. Last week when we were reading stories before bedtime, he laid his head on my belly as I read. I was almost in tears he was being so sweet.

* Is quite the big helper - is pretty good at cleaning up his toys (with help of course) as we sing the Clean Up song. Also loves to help unload the dishwasher. The only downfall is that sometimes he'll open the dishwasher when they are dirty and start to pull them out, thinking he's a big help. Also enjoys helping vacuum and using the "boom" - aka: broom.

* Bosses Manson around: Go away Manny or No! No! Manny!! are common phrases he tells him. But then it usually results in an open mouth kiss on Manson - still trying to teach him we pet puppies and they don't need kisses, but it hasn't stuck yet. Oh well, at least they get along well!!

* He is such a lover - gives out LOTS of hugs and kisses to everyone (including the other daycare parents!). The game at night before bed is I ask for a kiss, he says No, but then I tickle him while I "steal" kisses which makes him erupt in his cute toddler giggles. After that, he gives me big hugs and lots of kisses that he initiates.

* His vocabulary just floors us. I think the amount of words he knows has quadrupled over the last two months. He repeats everything you say - including Oh Shoot!! when I forget something or do something wrong. You really have to watch what you say!!! He will also say words out of the blue that I didn't even know he knew, like bicycle or flowers or being able to describe Ryan's truck as "red"! He mostly talks in 2 to 3 word sentences and can carry on a conversation if you can interpret correctly. He still speaks LOTS of cute jibber jab!

* He got ALL the rest of his teeth this summer - thank goodness!! The crankiness started around Memorial Day and his last two top eye teeth finally poked through a couple weeks ago. You can tell he's still getting used to his teeth because he still bites on his tongue and fingers a lot. All that's left is two year molars! I will not miss that intense and loooong teething phase!

Other Summer highlights:

* Going to Como Zoo with Auntie Amber

* Swimming in Auntie Jill and Uncle Patrick's pool

* Sleepovers at Papa and Nama's when Ryan worked overnights on the weekends. Also when I traveled to Chicago for work and Ryan was working

* Running around with just a swim diaper on, splashing around and playing in his crab pool. This was a common thing during the hot evenings when we needed a cool down - he would even help fill the pool!

* Play dates with Liana and Nolan now that the Selly's have moved to Becker!!

* Going for walks with our new neighbor, Becky, and her son Colin. Cameron sees the stroller when we get home from work/daycare and asks "Mommy, I walk Becky?", meaning he wants to go for a walk with Becky :)

* Taking the train downtown with me and going to back up daycare. He did so well on the "choo choo" and did amazing at the new daycare for the two days he was there! I was a nervous wreck wondering how it'd go!! A daddy was dropping off his girl, about the same age as Cameron, and as I was signing him in and he was supposed to be watching the fishes in the fish tank, he walks over to the little girl, says "Hi!" and proceeds to give her a hug and a kiss!! She stepped back and put her arm out. Oh boy, if this is a sign of things to come!!!

* Going to the Sherburne County Fair. His favorite part was the horse barn. "Neigh, Mommy, Neigh!!" he'd say at every horse we passed.

* Going to his first parade! He got really good at getting me candy :)

He still continues to be a crazy, outgoing toddler with TONS of personality but is a curious handful at the same time - I wouldn't want it any other way!!