Changes!

I'm not sure how many people actually read this, since I rarely update it..but I'm more so doing this for myself so I can look back later. Wow, we have had some major changes in our lives over the past few weeks/months. First of all we now have a daughter! Kaylee Mae Bookout was born on July 12th. I was once again induced, which was rather nice being able to somewhat plan things with having another child (who spent his first night away from me while I was in the hospital). He was in great hands with my parents, who are also the other people in his life whom he is most familiar and comfortable with. I have to admit I was ready to bust out of that room though and have our family all back together again.Kaylee's delivery was a breeze! She was born at 1:27pm and weighed 6lbs 12oz and was 20.5 inches long. At one point I remember telling my nurse that I felt ALOT of pressure...she decided to go ahead and check me and could see Kaylee's head. She called my Dr. right away and I basically had to wait for him to get there before pushing. It took about 3 pushes before she was here. She is perfect. We had/still have issues with her going number 2 on her own (I pump once a day and give her some miralax to help out with that). We made several trips to Children's hospital for xrays and blood work. Turns out they didn't find anything anatomically wrong (praise God). We also had our issues with nursing again---as I did with Cameron but have worked through each of those obstacles as well and she is doing great now!

Cameron turned two! I guess that means I no longer refer to his age in months but in years! He is a wild man. He is my little buddy and I love him to the core. At his two year checkup he was in the 25th% for his weight and 75th% for his height. He is tall and skinny. He still doesn't use many words but excels in his mobility! I feel confident he could scale any mountain. He had a toy story birthday party and his cake didn't quite turn out as I had hoped (I guess that's to be expected when you have a newborn strapped to your chest and boxes thrown around your house..atleast that's my excuse...I might not be on Ace of Cakes).


We sold our home of the past 6 years in Leeds. When our seller backed out 2 weeks before closing we took the FSBO sign out of our yard so we wouldn't have the stress of selling our home and welcoming a new baby at the same time. Well God had other plans and a lady who had seen our sign earlier was still interested and wanted to come take a look at our house. Long story short she made an offer and bought our house. We started the packing process (again)


We were NOT expecting that to happen but are really thankful to God and his higher plans. I will really miss this house though.

We found a great home off Valleydale road that is closer to everything for us. It already has a homey feel even without our pictures on the walls. Cameron's highlight is our new home has stairs (gates must be installed asap...however I'm worried he will only climb over them making for a more devastating spill). It only takes Jason 11 min. now to get to work and he can even come home on his lunch break.

This is short and I'd like to write a lot more but have a feeling my sleeping angel will wake any moment...and Cameron is crawling all over me.

I'll leave you with this:

Excited to hold his sister:

A little scared that mommy would actually let him hold me!

21 months

(Daddy thought the ipod might help for #2--hasn't happened yet)

May 4th Cameron turned 21 months! Getting closer and closer to two which is REALLY hard for me to believe! Our big news with 21 months is that over this past week Cameron has started pointing to his diaper when he needs to go pee pee! I am so so proud of him and tell him this over and over when he lets me know. Most of the time it has been in the morning and before bed (a few times during the day). We have even had a few nights where he didn't go in his overnight diaper. Could this be an early gift he is giving me...that he might actually be potty trained or close to it before he turns two and his sister is here. That would be great to only have to be buying diapers for one if he is in big boy underwear then. Part of me thinks it still might be a long road ahead...but we are making ground that's for sure! We are using a potty seat that goes on top of our regular potty (for his little bottom) as well as his potty that sits on the floor. He does great with the potty on the floor except for the fact that he loves to dump the pee pee into the big potty and will do that and then go ahead four more times...just doing a little each time so he can have more opportunities to dump it out. Last night was our first time using a "public restroom" since we were at Braxton's baseball game....I can see how when you are out the diaper is WAY more convenient...but really I suppose I can't not take him when he tells me no matter where we are.

Chocolate bunny he picked out after going potty yesterday! We are making that Easter candy stretch!

(another potty treat!)

He is also starting to say "mama" again...for the MOST part he still calls me Dad...and everybody else Dad (such as the man sitting at the table next to us at chick-fil-a today). The fact that he is even muttering the words mama though again makes me smile! He also started going up in the chick-fil-a playground on his own. My big belly is making it almost impossible for me to get up there these days. He normally insists I go up there with him but actually went up several times on his own today (it helped there was a bigger 5 year old boy up there..since he likes the big kids much better than ones his age I believe).

Kaylee's room is really coming along now...I'm just waiting on a bedskirt and would love to find an inexpensive white rocking chair to put in her room. Then I believe it will be complete! For now it still serves as her room/playroom for Cameron...I think he is very intrigued by what is happening to that room. He takes his little Cameron stool and steps on it to look over the top of the crib. Even though he can be a jealous boy I think he is going to be a big helper when HIS baby sister is here. Right now he helps with all the household chores...his favorite is laundry. He sits on top of the machine and pours in the soap and has learned from watching me that afterwards I rinse out the little cup on the water a few times. Neat to see him pick up on things like that. He rinses it out each time and I hand him each particle of clothing to throw in---boy is it a bonus when we get to throw in one of those little tide stain release tablets!--which is a messy boy that happens quite often!

Atlanta Trip

A couple of weeks ago Cameron and I got to tag along with daddy on a work trip to Atlanta. He was staying walking distance from Centennial Park, The Aquarium and the Children's Museum so Cameron and I had plenty to do during the day. We only used the hotel for a place to nap each afternoon! We were on the go. Like I've said before I am really enjoying the one-on-one time I have with Cameron right now and love being able to give him my full attention for a few more weeks. We used our new stroller from Grandmommy and Grandaddy alot! Hopefully he will like it since we will HAVE to be using a stroller more than we do right now.At the Atlanta Aquarium

At Centennial Park


Cooking up something yummy at the Children's Museum

He loved the drums at the Children's Museum! He could watch himself on a screen playing with other people in the background.

He can "roar" like a Lion!

and he got to pet the goats at Zoo Atlanta...we were learning to be "gentle"

we got to see Daddy when he finished with his work stuff each day and enjoy some of the park with him too!

and of course we enjoyed eating out! it's nice to get away and not worry about laundry or cooking and cleaning for a few days :)

20 months

I'm super late on this one but have kept up with atleast something to write about each month so I didn't want to miss this one. Cameron is SO much fun right now. He LOVES being outside and most of all he LOVES playing with the hose while he is there. He is still a tall skinny little guy. He is starting to cooperate so much better now on things such as riding in his stroller or shopping cart while we are out and about--this used to be a struggle. Mom and Dad just got us this super functional single/double stroller so I'm glad he is liking it more since it will be a necessity once his sister is here! He still communicates mostly by pointing and nodding his head yes or no, although lately he has been throwing out some new words "wake up"(once), "leaf", "green". He loves for us to copy the things he does and picks up on the things we do so quickly and will mimick them. He has gone to church with us the past 3 times and sat throughout the entire sermon without an issue at all. He sure does love that praise music and bounces in my arms the whole time. He also has some pretty good dance moves these days! We are soaking up all our one-on-one time with Cameron right now.

With Jason's new job we get to visit him on occasion during his lunch break. Cameron loves to go to Daddy's work and feed the fish, geese, and turtle that are in the lake behind his building. He was completely fine with waving "bye bye" to the Leeds park the other day so that we could go feed the fish.

Life is Good!12 weeks and counting until we have a family of four!

loving life

I have had alot of moments lately where I have just paused and thought about how thankful I am for "these days". I know my "just mommy and Cameron" afternoons are coming to an end once we welcome our new baby girl into our family, and I'm just cherishing the one-on-one time I am getting to spend with him right now. Life just keeps getting sweeter.

The day I married my best friend October 21st, 2006 (going on 5 years ago) brought on many new adventures and a whole new chapter in life. I mean I'm not just saying that to sound clique that I married my best friend....I really did. I can remember the first moment that I met Jason at Auburn Christian Fellowship my freshman year at Auburn and can even remember our conversation...there are very few people who I remember my first encounter with and even fewer the first words we shared with one another. There was something special about this guy and even though it would take me a few years to realize just what God had put right before me..he did open my eyes..eventually. I'm just grateful for the patience that Jason had. He is a Godly man and I love him from the deepest part of my heart. He encourages me in my daily job, reminds me to forgive and forget and makes me want to be a better giver. I am grateful for the days of "just Jason and I" and our family of two. We got to experience new things and go places together for the first time and just enjoy married life.

Life got even sweeter when I saw those two lines on my pregnancy test after trying for months and months. Our world changed and life would never be the same..it would be better. Nights of just Jason and I laying in bed at night talking about our future turned to having a wiggle worm in between us sipping on his bedtime water and eating gerber puffs by the handful as if he were at the movies enjoying his popcorn. Praise Baby, Toy Story, and Bugs Life became our new selection of movie on Friday nights instead of a PG-13 romantic comedy or action movie (though there are some pretty darn funny lines in Toy Story and Bugs Life too). I am so thankful to be at home with Cameron and even more humbled that God has entrusted me with him. We spend our days eating popsicles in the sun, playing in the sand and throwing rocks in the river at the end of our street. He reminds me that it's the little things in life that can really make you smile if you just slow down (though Cameron is anything but slow) he finds joy in the simple things.


As I have rocked him to sleep for his naps each day I look at his face and then glance up at his tiny footprints I had made on a heart-shaped keepsake in his room from his birth. He has grown so much and is turning into a little boy. I love him with every fiber of my being and feel like he is the closest I can get to tangibly feeling God's love. I love these days with him....no agenda no set schedule other than meals and naptime....just care-free days of enjoying life together.

We have known from the beginning we wanted Cameron to have a sibling. We were so excited when those pink lines popped up again. Shortly after before that baby had a heartbeat we lost him/her. God saw something wasn't right. To our amazement only a few weeks later we had another growing baby with a strong heartbeat. A baby girl! Life is about to get even sweeter. Hard to imagine but I know it will. Don't get me wrong I am positive there will be days of tears and frustration and major transition (especially for little guy who gets all the attention right now). Our family of four is sure to be one of double diapers, double boo-boos, double tears, but also double smiles, laughs and giggles and happy moments. "God life is so Good!" moments.

I know this season in life won't last forever but today I am thankful for where I am right now!

Cowboy Cameron

My cowboy!

(had to do a little cropping since we were in the process of changing his diaper and he was commando at this point...I had to grab my camera because it was just too cute to miss)

Cameron does not like to wear hats. I caught this picture (below) of him when he was about 8 months old..this is him taking the hat off. One of my favorite pictures.
So I was suprised the other day when he grabbed his cowboy hat (a party favor from a friends birthday party) put it on his head and proceeded to vacuum the house. He is such a big helper!

looks a little familiar to the pic above to me (Cameron at 19 1/2 months)

the hat also works as an excellent scooper for diapers!

19 months and counting

This little booger of mine is 19 months old now! We are getting closer and closer to the point where you don't count by months anymore, but refer to your child by years...I like the months better that keeps him little (I have atleast until he is two this summer).

Cameron is as active as ever and ALL BOY that is for sure! He may not be ahead with his speech but he is quite the talented climber and runner.

He spends very little time on the 2-5 year old playground...he would much rather go down the gigantic tunnel slides on the big playground (and no he doesn't need me for that..he prefers to go down by himself..and head first on his tummy if I can't catch him in time).

He is non-stop all day unless one of his movies is on. He loves to just pull out all of his dvd cases and examine each of his movies. I joke with Jason and tell him he is going to be the next big Disney/Pixar movie producer. He is still a good eater and enjoys snacking with his pregnant mommy (also known as "dad") throughout the day. I still hold him like a baby in my arms and just walk around the house each afternoon to put him down for his nap. His hand of course is down my shirt (that's where it goes when he is tired). He is a good napper still and sleeps most days for about 2 hours. He is however a late night owl and stays up later than most 19 month olds probably do...but it works out for me since we often sleep in until 7:30 or 8:00 together. Those days of sleeping in are quickly coming to an end as I am going on 22 weeks of my pregnancy now! Oh how our lives will change with two!

(first pink clothes I've washed! Mom picked me up these gowns at our church consignment sale..I just had to take a picture of baby girls clothes hanging up with Cameron's as I did wash for our soon to be family of four!)

Other than that not too much new except for the fact that Jason is getting accustomed to his new job and we put our house up for sale and are looking around for a potential future home. It's been busy..but all good!

While Jason has to travel some with his new job this little guy fills his shoes: