Shipwrecked!: Cam Dates

When Calen started part time preschool at age 3 1/2, something new and strange happened.

I had Camden alone. Completely alone. For the first time.

Sure, he was only 18 months old, and sure, I'd had Calen alone at 18 months (though I was obscenely pregnant and uncomfortable), but this was the first time in Cam's little existence on planet Earth where he had full reign of the house, of the toys, and of my attention.

We made a point of going out once or twice a week for little "Cam Dates" while Calen was at preschool. Usually it was little stuff like Starbucks or the little zoo in Cape May or even Petsmart to look at the fish. 18 month olds are so easy to please. I really enjoyed and cherished this little time with him. Not that I didn't enjoy my time with both boys, or with Calen alone, but the cold hard truth is that older siblings are overbearing and rule over the younger siblings (at least when they're small), especially older siblings named Calen. Camden didn't start talking until he was almost 3, because he didn't have to. And he couldn't get a word in. So getting Cam out, alone, where we could interact with only each other and explore the world together without interruption was magical. You realize that the younger sibling does in fact have his own personality. And it's cute (and in some moments with Cam, treacherous, but mostly, cute).

Throwback Thursday! Our first Cam Date, Sept 2012. Cheeeeks!

So for the last two years we've been continuing the tradition of "Cam Dates". Though now, most of them are in secret, because if Calen caught word of what awesomeness we might be doing in a city full of fun like San Diego, he might start faking having ebola or something so he can stay home and go on adventures with us.

Today was Cam Date day. Per request, we went to the zoo to find some elephants (Cam's favorite). We got right when it opened which also happens to be feeding time, and got to see a gigantic African elephant up close eating some fruit concoction the zookeeper called "elephant metamucil"....in other words, make it poop. Cam sat quietly on the ground, watching and shoving his toy elephant's nose into the dirt telling me "see elephant's 'ungwy". The zookeeper took to Cam and talked to him a lot about elephants. I wish Cam had batted his eyes more or something so that maybe we could you know pet an elephant or something. I guess it's not that kind of zoo. But he was thrilled to be able to control where and what we saw next. Super fun morning.

Photo dump!