Updates, Thanksgiving, and Camden

Updates:

Camden has started to sit on his own, but only for a few seconds. He is really great at his front/back balance and not toppling over that way. He's still, however, working on the side to side balance. It's getting better with each day, though. I imagine by Christmas he'll be totally ready to sit up on his own.

I introduced him to our table decoration fake Christmas tree. He loved it and kept reaching for it. And I can't begin to tell you how excited I am for Christmas with this little guy even if he won't remember anything.

And as usual he is always getting better at tummy time. He likes to spin around on the floor and "army crawl" on his knees.

Thanksgiving went okay. We didn't get any pictures because I forgot the dag'gon camera!!! I was so upset with myself for doing that! Some relatives got a couple photos, but they didn't turn out unfortunately. Not a single one. :(

We also were planning on staying with Brad's mother, but the accommodations would have either kept Camden up all night, us, or both. We ended up driving back home the long, 2-hour drive back to Indianapolis. It was completely worth it to sleep in our own bed anyways. Surprisingly, when we got home, I took Cam out of the car seat (luckily he was already in his PJ's) and he went straight to bed. And then he slept until 9:30am. Amazing kid, we have. Just amazing.

Weight Check - Week 20

I haven't been doing weight checks for the past month or so because Camden actually stopped gaining (and lost a little) recently. Unfortunately, the pediatrician was concerned so we started supplementing with one bottle of fortified breastmilk (breastmilk with a scoop of formula)  per day. We did that a few days and then found out he'd started gaining .. and made up for lost time. Since he gained more than he needed to, we stopped doing that as much. We now just give him two small 1.5oz bottles of the fortified milk each day. That seems to be just enough to get him back on track with his weight. We also have started cereal, which isn't very caloric but it'll lead to more foods that are.

For the past month he's been right around 14lbs 1oz. This past Monday he was 14lbs 8.1oz!!! GO BIG BOY!

He's so full of giggles here lately and definitely more active/mobile. I feel like it won't be that long until he can sit up on his own and is really crawling around.

Santa's comin' to town

SANTA'S COMING!?!?

SOLIDS!

The past few weeks with Camden's weight have been a roller coaster ride.

First, we took him to the pediatrician because he wasn't gaining any weight (for like a month) and we found out he'd actually LOST 2 whole ounces! That is not very good at this young age so he asked me about starting "solids" and I told him if there was anything else I could try, let's do that first. I've been trying to wait on solids due to the AAP recommendations (along with every other organization) and the fact that the earlier you start, the more likely food allergies are to arise.

So we started giving him a fortified bottle of breastmilk every day. I had to have him explain what that was. Basically he's losing weight because he's burning more calories in a day than he takes in. Therefore, we have to give him an extra bottle with a scoop of formula in it. That way, he gets 3x more calories than with regular BM (breastmilk).

We did that for two days and he gained several ounces and is back on track where he should be. Now, I don't want to do this more than I have to so we decided to just go ahead with starting solids. Plus, he's waking earlier to eat and eating more often so the LC (lactation consultant) said he was ready.

Boy, was he ever.

It only took him once or twice to get the hang of it. He ended up grabbing the spoon a couple of times and feeding himself; or at least attempting to. He also swallowed a bunch of it, which is abnormal. I was told it would mostly end up on the bib and their face, but he actually ate quite a bit despite what the above picture may show.

It was a huge success and he loved the cereal!!! I think we'll try this every other day for a few weeks and then introduce oatmeal for a few weeks and finally end up with veggies/fruit by the end of the year.

Milestones - November 2011

I haven't updated on Cam's weight recently because, well, there hasn't been any change. I'm taking him to see the pediatrician tomorrow and see if there is anything we need to do on our part. He isn't hungry, my supply is great, he sleeps through the night, and is hitting his milestones early or on time. There is really no reason I need to take him other than not gaining weight. Sometimes I think it'd be easier to just not weigh him each week at the BFing group...

Speaking of milestones..

Camden has started grabbing his feet, which is the most adorable thing ever (besides his laugh, of course)! He is also rolling completely on his own whenever he wants to do so. Just today, he started "scooching" on his belly. He actually gets his knees curled up underneath his belly and kicks/propels himself forward! It's so amazing to watch him grow up although it does go by quickly.

First Flurry - November - UGH

Click to enlarge

Why did it snow a few days ago (after it was in the 60's)?! This was the very end of the flurries that were pretty heavy for a while up here in central Indiana. TECHNICALLY this was Cam's first snow. I bundled him up, took him outside and let the snowflakes fall on his face. He didn't seem to mind at all, but nobody was home to take a picture .. so this is what you get. When it really snows heavy, we'll get lots of fun pictures!!

Fall pictures

A good friend of mine had a beautiful baby girl a few weeks before Camden was born. When they were both a few months old, we each decided to get a new camera (dSlr) in order to capture those wonderful once-in-a-lifetime moments. We had our first photo shoot this afternoon at a park near our houses (we live walking distance). We missed the gorgeous fall colors by just a week or so probably, but the weather couldn't have been better and the leaves made for a great backdrop. We took each other's pictures and it was an amazing time!

I just love fall!! I can't wait to see what Camden does when he sees and touches his first snow! Not that I'm in any kind of hurry for that.

Camden updates

Someone got an adorable robe in the mail from one of his (three) grandma's...

Mommy's cute little puppy!

And it's all business in the exersaucer..

He's actually starting to stand up in it, which is so incredibly awesome!

Oh and I almost forgot to mention that I am now officially a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM)!! YAY! I took a position with a company I saw a lot of promise in and the job itself didn't work out. I do still work an occasional weekend day here and there at the hospital. I love that job and am not leaving it any time soon. I'll go into more detail about the old job soon.