Woof!

It's March and daddy's 35th birthday!! Unfortunately, Jeff is working in MO still so we weren't able to celebrate with him today. He will be home on Wednesday night and I am taking Friday and Monday off so we are going to do a little spring break here in MN. Just spending time together will be a treat!!
Over the weekend, Cam and I had an extra house guest...Jason and Milissia's dog, Max. Jeff has mentioned in the past that we need to get another dog so Cooper has someone to play with. I wasn't totally opposed to the idea but after this weekend, that idea has been blown to pieces. Separately, Coop and Max are well trained dogs (ok, most of the time). But together, they are how we all acted when we got together with our cousins and caused havoc!! Needless to say, I've been a little worked up this weekend trying to clean up messes of things they've decided would be fun to chew up and then cleaning up the puke because obviously they weren't supposed to eat it!! Oh well, the house is now quiet and all is well.
I'm not sure if it was the extra dog around or what, but tonight when I was reading with Cam I was pointing a picture of a dog out and said woof and she said woof right back. It was so cute! She did it a couple times but of course when jason came to pick up Max she wouldn't do it. She is imitating a lot of sounds lately...something that sounds somewhat like thank you...such a well mannered little girl!!

Electrifying!!

We were all getting a good laugh at Cam's hair. Jeff had put her on the couch to put her coat on and started laughing and told me to get the camera. just a titch of static electricity!

Baby Steps

Cam is on her way to the next milestone...walking! For the last week or two she has been walking with her little push cart and this weekend she was able to take a couple of steps on her own. When I picked her up today at daycare Bethany asked me if I knew Cam could walk. Her definition of walking was a bit liberal but she too was excited to see Camryn take those first little steps. So maybe by the time daddy comes home next week, Cam will be completely mobile...even if she seems too much of a little peanut!! Fun, fun!

This is Cam's serious face!

It seems I've taken a hiatus from blogging this month. And I also realized I haven't taken any new pictures since Christmas. So I took some snapshots this weekend to make sure I'd have record of what she looks like as a 10 month old =) Now that March is just around the corner, I'm in awe of how fast this year has gone with Camryn. I started filling out her baby book last night and looking at pictures from when she was born. I already feel like I forgot what it was like to hold that tiny little angel, she isn't much of a cuddler anymore as she pushes me away to get on the ground and get moving. I suppose that is why people have a second child! =)

Cam is getting to be a big girl as she now wants people food. Bethany is much more adventurous at daycare with real food. I think it's because i'm afraid she'll choke on things or making sure she'll get enough "good" food but i suppose that comes with being a first time mom. She is now walking along the coffee table and couch and walks with us when we hold her hands. She can stand on her own for about 5 seconds before she plops down oh so gracefully. She enjoys pulling all of her toys and books off the window bench...some day we'll teach her how to put her toys away but don't think that is in her developmental milestones anytime soon! Her bottom two teeth are now coming in so she'll have some to match her top. She is definitely working on her vocabulary. No mama yet, although when she was eating today it kindof sounded like it but i think she was just enjoying her food. Bethany says at daycare that she often times tries to mimic her when she calls out to one of the other kids and Nana said that she made some sounds that could have passed for Cooper.

With Jeff being gone quite a bit, Cam and I get into our routine and we do pretty well. I do give single mom's so much credit. I also have the help of my family too so I can't feel too sorry for myself. I feel blessed to have my in-laws minutes away who are always willing to help out and now with my parents in town, we have been spending time with them as well.

Jeff will be home next weekend and I am so looking forward to our date on Friday night!!

In a matter of days...

our life has become a little more hectic! Since I posted a mere week and a half ago, Camryn is full on crawling, constantly wanting to pull up on furniture, her parents and Cooper! And her two top teeth are almost in...which they say usually comes after the bottom two but I guess our peanut likes to do things her own way. Let's just hope she has those bottom teeth. I am happy to report that her ear infections have not come back. We do have a follow up on Tuesday just to make sure she doesn't have any lingering fluid. I am thankful for a happy baby as I am going to be a single mom for most of the winter.
Jeff left on Wednesday for Springfield, MO. He will be working there 3 weeks out of the month as the weather is a bit warmer than MN and so getting on people's roofs to check out storm damage is a little more safe. We miss him but things are going well for him already so that makes it ok! So far, so good with having to drop off and pick up from daycare. I've been lucky to be able to take a shower while Cam contently talks and hangs out in her crib. Thursday morning I walked in and she was standing up smiling waiting for me and today she was sitting up and when I walked in and started clapping...what a great way to start a day!! When Cam is hanging out playing in our bedroom while I finish getting ready for work makes me have a flashback to when I would sit on my mom's bed while she sat at her vanity putting on her makeup in the morning. It's sometimes still hard to believe I'm the mom now!!
Something else some of you may or may not know, my parents are going to be moving to Minneapolis (yes, the big city!) in a mere two weeks!! We are very excited to have them so close and are excited for the adventure they are embarking on! They will be caretakers for a condo downtown...two buildings from the Guthrie, and the Mississippi in their backyard. Pretty cool!
Lots of changes and a wonderful start to 2009!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

A New Kind of Holiday

As the Christmas celebrations (I emphasize this because we had many!) come to an end, I am more aware than ever how much a child changes your life. Gone are the days of actually being able to have a conversation with relatives you haven’t seen in ages, don’t even think about trying to take a nap after you’ve stuffed your face with holiday goodies and the pile of gifts under the tree no longer have your name on them. But I wouldn’t have it any other way after experiencing the pure happiness Camryn brought to our family this Christmas!! Even though she was fighting her first double ear infection and had bouts of fussiness and sleepless nights, she was for the most part the happy baby we’ve been spoiled with for the last nine months. And speaking of spoiled, both sides of the family succeeded in going above and beyond making sure she had plenty of cute clothes to wear, cuddly pajamas to sleep in and fun toys to keep her entertained! The octopus from Nana and the bongos from Erik and Wendy seem to be her favorite at the moment. She was very interested in opening the pretty packages even though the paper went right into her mouth, which is the norm for anything she picks up!
Camryn is 9 months today and she is becoming more and more mobile. I don’t think you can call if crawling yet. It seems she really wants to go and she starts to crawl and then it seems she thinks, nah, I’ll scoot back and stay on my butt! Over the last few days at my parents she was getting closer and closer. She’s beginning to pull herself up on things as well. She is still toothless so our teething excuse we’ve been using for the last 5 months when she is fussy or drooly or anything that isn’t normal may have to end! She’ll probably get them all at the same time and then we’ll really have some fun! She is enjoying feeding herself her little flavored puffs and it’s entertaining to watch as she grabs several at a time and stuffs them in. Let’s hope she didn’t learn that from watching me eat. Her new thing now is when she hears If You’re Happy and You Know It or Pat-a-cake, she starts clapping…it’s so cute! She continues to babble da da a lot and likes to imitate sounds.
We went to the Dr. today for her check-up and she is going for the waif model body type...long and skinny! She is 17 ½ lbs. (28th percentile) and 28 inches long (82nd percentile). She still has fluid in her ears and we have a prescription for more antibiotics but her disposition is back to normal and her smile is bigger than ever so the Dr. said to wait and start them only if she starts having symptoms again. Although when I introduced meat into her diet tonight she was NOT smiling. So, we’ll keep trying on that one.
And as for New Years Eve tomorrow, we will be at home with a couple of movies. My goal will be to stay awake until midnight but I’m sure Jeff is not counting on giving his wife a New Years kiss. So, as we look toward the New Year, we look forward to getting back on a routine (for both Camryn and us!), anticipating all the new things Camryn will discover as she turns one! and enjoying family and dear friends!