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...

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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...

Continue reading "Skip To My Lou, My Darlin’"

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...

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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...

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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....

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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...

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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...

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Yesterday, while Bethany and I were driving to meet Dustin for lunch after church, Bethany started singing a song about him. I tried to get her to sing it for him later, to no avail. And my attempts to sing it for him in her place were unimpressive, to say the least. Today, she picked up her Pop Tunes...

Continue reading "The Prodigy Strikes Again"

Bethany had fun on Halloween this year. Her favorite part was the costume. When I finished making her skirt, bow and tail, she wanted to wear them right away. And she wanted to put them back on after her bath that evening. Over her purple jammies. She wore the ears each day until Halloween. I finally...

Continue reading "Introducing…Minnie Mouse"

Team Campbell spent the first two weeks of November visiting family and friends in Ohio and Chicagoland . I can’t think of a better way to express our thankfulness to have awesome family and friends than to post highlights of our trip here! The beginning of the grand tour was spent with my family...

Continue reading "November 2009 Grand Tour Highlights: Part 1"

Our MOPS group planned an outing to the South 47 Farm in Redmond, WA. I’d heard of it, but hadn’t checked it out yet. In spite of a little rain and mud (or maybe because of it), we had a good time. The Farm Tots program gave Bethany the opportunity to: Pet a chicken. This particular hen is...

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Many of you know of Bethany’s love of music. She sings, dances and has very strong opinions about her bedtime listening selections. She sings her favorite Sesame Street songs frequently. She even runs around the house singing into the doop-dee-doo whenever I finish a roll of paper towels. But she especially delights in Dustin’s guitar playing and calls it “Daddy music.” You’re probably expecting that Bethany’s reaction to hearing me play trombone would be a positive one.

It wasn’t.

I finally dusted off my horn last week in anticipation of joining the Bellevue Community Band. Now, granted, it had been a while since I played anything that required good tone, accurate intonation or any endurance whatsoever. Nearly two years, in fact. My last gig was playing in the pit for a Bedford Community Players production of Annie while 6 months pregnant. As I fought to breathe around the baby who was using my diaphragm as a trampoline during that show, I daydreamed that the little person I carried would someday share my enjoyment of playing the trombone (or at least a brass instrument).

Wrong.

Instead of requesting more “Mommy music,” Bethany’s eyes opened wide in terror. Her little face scrunched up to show that tears were imminent. “No, no,” she whined. “All done, Mommy.” I offered for her to touch the shiny metal horn. When that didn’t work, I backpedaled to the mouthpiece. Surely the funny little sound it made would placate her. But no. She protested until I finally took the horn downstairs to finish playing. By the end of a very short practice session, I was left with prickly, swollen chops and a sorely bruised ego.

After hearing the story, Dustin had a good chuckle. Then he helped. He sang the ABC song and pretended to think it was the greatest thing ever when I played along. After a couple of times, Bethany approved. “Again!”

But it didn’t stop there.

The next day, I offered her the mouthpiece again. After after trying to put it in her mouth a few times, Bethany made an elephant sound on the mouthpiece! Later, we put the mouthpiece on the horn, and she sat on my lap. We took turns playing sounds on the trombone. (“Mommy bom-bone. Beffie bom-bone. Ephant sound. Again.”)

As it turns out, Bethany is a natural. To my relief, she enjoys my favorite instrument. And she hasn’t spontaneously sung “Tomorrow” even once.

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We finally have video of Bethany walking. Enjoy!...

Continue reading "Got It!"

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Continue reading "When Bethany Skips Her Naptime..."

Bethany keeps growing and learning. It’s amazing to see. She has a very strong little personality, giving hugs and kisses freely when she’s content and expressing her increasingly stronger opinions when she has them. She’s very attached to her blanket, and always makes little question...

Continue reading "Bethany Turns Fifteen…Months, That Is"

You be the judge....

Continue reading "Pebbles or Bam-Bam?"

Look out world! Bethany can crawl! That’s right, folks. She’s mobile. She’d been able to roll in both directions and sit up on her own for a few weeks. She could even spin herself end for end during tummy time. Then all of a sudden, she managed to scoot backwards. It wasn’t quite...

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Shortly after we arrived in Washington, it was time for Bethany to try solid foods. We started with baby rice cereal . In spite of my worries that she wasn’t ready, everything went well. As it turns out, Bethany is… wait for it… a spoon prodigy . Very quickly, she managed to swallow...

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I can’t believe it! Bethany is six months old. Every parent I know tells me to enjoy the first year, that it goes by so quickly. I always nod in agreement, but it never seems to sink in. Until now… I knew she would grow quickly, but I never thought she’d be noticeably taller this week...

Continue reading "And a Happy Half Birthday To You!"

On Sunday, May 11, we will be participating in the baby dedication at CedarCreek Church . During the 12:30 service, Dustin and I will stand in front of the congregation to promise to raise Bethany to know God and to ask for guidance in our duties as parents. The pastor will pray for us and each of the...

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Grandma and Grandpa Campbell (and Maggie, too) come to visit Bethany on a regular basis. On these visits, we do all sorts of fun things, like going out to dinner and mending fences. In between activities, there's lots of time for cuddling. And Bethany is looking forward to the day when she's big enough...

Continue reading "Meeting the Family: The Campbells"

Last night, Bethany and I were playing our normal game of sticking our tongues out at each other. It's a very satisfying game that requires very little effort on my part and, amusingly, lots of effort on hers. However, this time Bethany was distracted. You see, our furry, little, gray friend Foster was...

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During recent travels, Bethany has spent more time with her relatives on the Courtney side of the family. These visits were definitely exciting days. Let the pictures speak for themselves. Meeting Grandma Courtney for the first time A picture from Christmas with Aunt Jen, Uncle Tony and cousins Megan...

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Beth has been growing and developing at an amazing rate. At her two month doctor visit, she weighed 9 lbs. 12 oz. and was 21 inches tall. We're not sure what her stats are now, but we know she's been busy growing. She's nearly outgrowing her size 1 diapers and 0-3 month clothes. More importantly to us...

Continue reading "It's a Person!"

Bethany enjoys visiting her extended family. Recently, she traveled to Dayton for Aunt Becky's baby shower. That weekend, she met lots of Haller relatives. She tolerated everyone's desire to play "pass the baby" very well and can't wait to go back to see everyone again. Bethany with Mommy,...

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When Bethany first came home from the hospital, we weren't supposed to allow her umbilical cord stump to get wet. Consequently, she only received bird baths until her stump healed. Bath time caused a lot of squawking, probably because she was cold. The exception was shampooing. Bethany loved having her...

Continue reading ""Rubber Duckie, You're the One...""

This week has been an exciting one for Beth. She went to the pediatrician on Thursday for her one-month well visit. Now she weighs 7 lbs. 3 oz. and is 19 1/2 in. tall! I guess all of the effort she and I have been putting into feedings is paying off. This week has given her some new experiences as well...

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Introducing ... Bethany Anne Campbell Born : Sunday, December 9, 2007 at 10:40 am Weight : 5 lbs. 11 oz. Length : 19 1/4 in. Interests : eating, sleeping, yawning, clean diapers, bathtime and MST3K Beth's entry to the outside world was a bit of a surprise for us. She was five weeks early, so we weren...

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