Catch-up with Cam

Cam told our friend Emily recently, "I'm doing good! ... actually, I'm doing GREAT!"

Cam's word choices make me laugh.
Eating butterscotch pudding, he said, "Isn't this delightful!"

He told Rob he wasn't excited to go back to school after the weekend, but on second thought he said, "Well, I guess I'll get to see my classmates." Classmates? i love him.

Last week, he asked for a hummingbird feeder.


He wants to play the harp, draws "nature" and pandas, in soccer games doesn't want to take the ball away from anyone because it isn't polite... who is this kid? And why are we so lucky to have him?


A few months ago, he said out of the blue, "A lot has changed since Elle died. I'm scared. Bored. Really want to play with friends."

He still wants to be at least on the same floor of the house with someone since Elle's death. He's mentioned a few times how "Elle was just walking along being so happy... and then she died."

More recently I asked him, "Elle, your kindergarten teacher, and now Grandma have died—are you feeling like more people in your life will die soon?" His answer surprised me.

"I feel like I'm going to die."

He went on to explain, "...because I'm the youngest now."

We had a long talk about the natural order of things.

He often rolls himself up in a blanket so you can't see any part of him and just lays there.

He draws a lot and plays pretend.

Cam was pretty excited to find this gnome hiding in our porch geraniums. (Bet he was thinking "how delightful!")

I love how he's crossing his legs. Our prof is an old soul.

Aunt Britt and cousins Emma and Avery have had Cam over for Cama-lama-Wednesdays, where they did cool stuff like make clouds...

Hang at "dizzy" park...

Visit the aquarium...

... and make slime, ghosts, and maracas.

Cam also got to go with Griff and Si's family to City Creek and have parties and make crafts.

Si's got an Elle bear, too, made of the matching dresses she and Elle wore.

Vampire Cam and Griff Dracula

Scary movie night?

St. Patty's rainbow

Hide-and-seek in the closet.

As I write, Cam is taking a tubby, one of maybe three since Elle's accident 16 months ago. Tubbies with Elle were a daily before then. As he climbed in he said, "Baths always remind me of Elle." He's singing to himself and playing with bath toys. M&M and Cy are running around the kitchen laughing, making smoothies, and generally making a ruckus with Justin Bieber's "Die in Your Arms" playing loudly in the background.

One night I sat up til early morning hours looking through Elle's book. When I looked through the sections of each of the kids with her, it was obvious they had since lost part of their identity. Each of them loved playing the part of big sister or big brother to her. They were protective, patient, affectionate, showed her how to do things, and played with her on her level. I also realized they didn't necessarily play that role with anyone else, even though all but Cam had other younger siblings. We all talked about it, and I've noticed the kids making an effort to take on those roles again.

Progress and adjustments.
I, for one, am glad to have a little one who still enjoys a good tubby.