My Unique Baby + A Tale Of A Dog

This post is written by me and sponsored by Store Brand Formula. They invited me to share a special memory about my unique baby (and boy, she is unique!). They are hosting a sweepstakes where you can also share your own unique baby stories or memories ... details at the end of the post!

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Our baby Camille is now sixteen months old, and this baby is one spitfire of a little lady. She has a BIG personality, and she's not afraid to show it. I think this is what makes people genuinely like her -- she is unique and truly FUN.

When thinking back about some of my favorite memories of Camille, I think about photographs that I cherish. Photographs that I can't wait to share with her when she is older. A lot of these special memories center around Drake, our beloved husky that we sadly said goodbye to this past February.

  

  

Camille and Drake had nine months together to try to figure each other out, and witnessing that was an awesome experience. Before we brought her home from the hospital, my husband ran over to the house from the hospital with a baby blanket that Camille had been wrapped in, and he placed it on Drake's bed. This way, it gave Drake a day to sniff around the blanket and get used to her smell before she was actually home. Bringing her home was a wonderful memory and I will always remember him gently sniffing around her baby carrier and getting used to this new family addition.

Over the next several months, Drake's health was worsening and Camille was getting more mobile -- rolling over, sitting up, clapping her hands, scooting, and then full-fledged crawling. We (along with our vet) were nervous that, due to his declining health and age (15), Drake would accidentally snap at her or growl at her. This fortunately never happened -- instead he maintained a careful distance but was definitely interested in this smiling, happy, cooing baby. He was truly a gentle giant around her, even as her presence in the house got bigger, louder, and a little wilder!

Saying goodbye to Drake was one of the hardest times of my life, but I know that we ensured in their nine months together that Camille and Drake had some very special times together. I will always remember the big smile that would come to her round face as I stroked her little hand through his thick, silvery-white fur.

And thank goodness for photographs! I have some pretty magnificent memories that may have otherwise been lost in the haze of sleep-deprived newborn days thanks to us remembering to pick up the camera or phone and snap a quick moment.

We have photos of Drake all around the house, and Camille loves pointing to the pictures and yelling out "DOG DOG!" loudly. I always find myself wondering what it would be like if we could have had another year with him ... he would have seen her walking, babbling all day, and becoming more and more interested in her furry friends. Maybe when she is a little older we will think about adding another pup to our family, but for now I just love reminiscing on his sweet presence in our family and how much joy he brought to Camille! I feel like her love of animals is definitely due in part to the times she spent with Drake.

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Thank you again to Store Brand Formula for sponsoring this post. You know I have always been an advocate for feeding a baby in whatever way works best for each family ... AND scouting out great deals! Store Brand Formula is available through 68 retailers nationwide at one of 40,000 store locations for up to 50% less than name brand formula. Store Brand Formula is launching a “Unique Baby” Photo Sweepstakes in which the winner will receive $5,000 AND a year supply of Store Brand Formula. Every baby is unique, and they want you to show how your baby is unique. They’re looking for funny, silly, odd, crazy, unique baby photos. To enter the Store Brand Formula Unique Baby Sweepstakes, simply visit StoreBrandFormula.com and follow the photo submission guidelines and the on-screen instructions to complete the online entry form. All entries must be submitted during September 28, 2015 – November 5, 2015.

  

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Now for a BlogHer sweepstakes! Here is a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card. Tell me in the comments below about a special memory you have of a unique baby in your life. Whether it is your baby, a niece/nephew, grandkid ... what sweet story do you like to tell about them?

  

Entry Instructions:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 9/29/2015 – 10/31/2015
Be sure to visit Perrigo’s brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!