. . . you enter your baby in the county fair baby contest. And that is exactly what Adam did last night! Much to my dismay - we were there to cheer for Nathaniel as he competed in the Diaper Derby and Daddy's pride got the best of him as he looked around at the other baby contest entrants and the next thing I know Campbell is entry #10 in the 6-12 month age group! (Thanks, too, to Aunt Gina for pushing Adam - not that he needed much convincing!)
I wasn't sure about the whole baby contest thing for several reasons not the least of which being a very real fear that I might get up there and not be able to contain myself is she didn't win. So, since it was his bright idea Daddy took her up on stage and the two hams in the family had their 15 seconds of fame. As it was she finished second out of 18 - not bad. (There is no way the baby that won is cuter than my kid but, WHATEVER!) Not too shabby really when you consider that all the other babies were decked out in frilly dresses and bows and those goofy headband things. I think Campbell was the only one without her ears pierced (my biggest baby pet peeve, by the way!) She was there straight from daycare with lunch still on her shirt and in her hair.
It was her beautiful personality that put her over the top and out shone all those tiny little fake diamond earrings. She got up there and waved and smiled and all the judges went "Aw" at the same time. Atta girl! This will be her one and only beauty pageant appearance because I am determined that she will not skate by on her good looks and I will not teach her that being pretty or "hot" is all there is to being a girl. So, if she had to be in the contest I'm glad it was her adorable, magnetic spirit that won over the judges. Incidentally, speaking of personality - Nathaniel also finished second in his contest. He would have won the Diaper Derby but for his pause at the beginning to stop and smile and flirt with the judges before crawling.
After their unofficial awards photo shoot we took the winners on a victory lap around the carousel. Campbell loved it! Nathaniel wasn't so sure but seemed to enjoy it, too.
Campbell even did the daredevil one-handed move - maybe she has some of my reckless streak in her after all. It's hard to tell - I think Daddy's cautious side and Mama's devil may care attitude battle it out inside her a lot. Her tentative crawling is a score for Daddy's caution. The back flips and hanging upside down tricks and love of speed are scores for Mama. If I can get her walking and show her she can make herself go fast I may make a hurdler out of her yet . . .