Well hello once again from dry, sunny Cary, NC. I say that with a bit of a cheeky grin because we've actually gotten some rain of late, but only enough to keep our deficit in the single digit inches.
So many updates, so little time.
We'll start with the kiddies.
Master David continues to become his own little man. Sometimes the things he says just knock us off our chairs. The other day as I took a corner, his new bike - in the back of the van - fell over. David really loves his new bike and even though he was strapped in his safety seat he had his hands on the bike as I rounded the corner. Suspecting that he had contributed to the bike's tipping over I asked him if he had knocked it over to which he replied, "It fell over when you turned. That's not my problem." I had to laugh. While there is essentially a zero tolerance policy for backtalk in the Preis household, I evaluated what he said and, well, it was said with respect and he was right. There's never a day that goes by that we don't thank God for all that David is and is becoming. This is not to say that David doesn't present his share of challenges, but we know how much he loves us and he's intimately aware of how much we love him.
We are not fishing for gifts at all but we know - and deeply appreciate - that there are lots of friends and family that read this and if anyone is looking for a birthday gift idea anything associated with WordWorld would be an instant hit. David has developed a penchant for letters and words that can only be described as a fetish. He assembles words in the playroom, in the bathroom, in his bedroom and for all we know his dreams. If you wanna know what Word World is click here. Far be it for Karen or I to stand in the way of mastery of the English (or any other) language.
So much of what I've typed about David so far is from the perspective of David as our son but we can state with certainty that if we think he's an outstanding son, he's an even better brother. He's loves Camden to a fault and paternal instincts are strong with David. This doesn't mean that on occasion he doesn't lay on his little brother and scare the bejesus out of his mother and I, but David on occasion wakes Camden with a greeting of, "Good morning little brother", and sends him off to sleep each night with an exchange of kisses blown to and returned by his little brother.
Camden is following in his big brother's footsteps as far as continually exceeding our expectations as well. So what's Camden doing these days? Some big milestones for Camden are coming to pass here soon. Camden is getting up on his knees in both the crawl mode but more frequently he's using his newly acquired kneeling skills to get up on the side of toy boxes and tip them in the name of getting to their contents - TOYS!!! He's doing a great job of parroting which is a great skill to encourage because so many of the fundamentals we learn through observation and imitation. His articulated vocabulary is still pretty much limited to "David", "Dah Dah" and "uM Mah Ma" but there are absolutely great signs beyond the vocabulary. He clearly comprehends requests for specific physical actions like...
-"Show me clap-clap-clap!" and Camden will clap on demand and celebrate with a smile.
-If Karen or I say, "Sooooo Big!" Camden will put his hands over his head.
-If we ask Camden to blow person X a kiss, he does so crisply and with no hesitation.
How wonderful this last one is! This will hold his mother and I until he can tell us in his own voice the same. All in good time.
Camden continues to be perpetually happy with the noted exceptions of when he is ill or when he's teething. With that said, I know of few who celebrate either of those experiences!
Camden has three major therapies a week: developmental, physical and speech/feeding. All therapies continue to produce results and we couldn't be happier with his therapists. For example, one of Camden's weaknesses is his upper body strength. But the robustness of his crawl has increased dramatically leading up to the development of the kneeling talent I mentioned earlier.
I can count on two hands the number of things I am certain of in this life, but rest assured that one of those things is that our family would not be complete without our little man Camden. He drips of love in giving and receiving and he's a determined fighter. He is a blessing we never knew we'd have and our lives are improved because of him. This doesn't mean that there aren't times of challenge, reflection and sadness; there are. But love in this family is deep and unconditional and when the source of all that that love is a peaceful God, then we are outfitted amply to deal with the challenges that lie ahead.
I'd love to type more but it's late and it's been a long day. I'll try and get a Karen and Jim update out here after we get back from our 5 year anniversary celebration this weekend.
Thanks for checking in and don't be a stranger. Call. Write. Or just come see us.
