Cam's First Birthday

This weekend was our son's first birthday. It's so hard to believe we have a one-year-old now! It really was the fastest year of my entire life! Now I know what my parents mean when they tell me that time goes by too quickly with your kids.

I can't wait to see how he develops, who he becomes, and (almost hesitantly) what kinds of questions he asks us. :)

Above you can see a month-by-month picture banner for Cam's first year of life. I will eventually write a DIY post about how I made it, but I'll have to figure out how to do that since the grandparents and aunts and uncles all claimed them to take home after the party so I'm banner-less right now. Hah.

We decided to not go with a strict theme, but to be able to incorporate balloons and lots of red, yellow, and blue colors! We bought pails, books and bubbles for the kids (which were a BIG hit) from the dollar section at Target. Just so you moms out there know, you don't have to buy the biggest and most expensive things for your party.

Nor do you have to buy everything. Those cupcake stands you see? $3.50 each at Kroger on clearance! Yup! I made all of the food at the party (with the exception of some strawberries a family friend made). All of it was from scratch, except some frozen meatballs. C'mon now, I have a toddler. I don't have that kind of time.

I have to admit that most of my food ideas came from Annie's Eats. She has such great ideas and I was so excited to be able to incorporate all of them into the party. All we knew was that we wanted to entertain and tend to Cam 100% of the time so we did all finger-food. I am SO grateful that we chose to go that route and it was SUCH an easy clean-up, too.

Before the party, my mother, mother-in-law and Cam's aunts all helped to get the party food warmed up and ready to go while they let me get ready. The birthday boy slept almost the first hour of his party so I woke him up to come see everyone. Most people hadn't seen him since he was born. Many since he was only a few months old. I think he was a little shocked at first, but he didn't seem to mind the crowd.

The above picture is one of my favorites from the party. Aunt Rachael always brags about her (obviously) gorgeous nephew and she just LOVED on him during the party!

Uncle Shawn came, too and he had a lot of fun with Cam. Shawn, I know you're going to have so much "fun" with him when he's older and you can teach him to shoot nerf balls at mommy. :/

After going to a few birthday parties, showers, and other gatherings in the past few years, I've learned one lesson: open presents FAST. I just know it can be daunting. After watching Camden open a few presents, I decided to put the camera down and help open gifts. He had so many it took quite a while so I'm glad I did that. We absolutely loved everyting he got and we definitely won't be needing toys any time soon.

Grandma Jones was a HUGE help and I was so grateful to have her in the kitchen with me the night before frosting his cake (twice) and dozens upon dozens of cupcakes.

After presents, it was getting to that crucial 2-hour point, so we decided to go do cake.

We sang happy birthday and then Cam got to dig in...

"Is this all really for me?"

He did great with his smash cake, even getting some on my brand-new shirt. :)

He had such a great birthday and we couldn't have been happier with the outcome!

Now usually I'm not one to give advice (haha yeah right), but this is one crucial piece I would suggest for any mom: Put your child in their swimmy diaper and swim suit to eat their smash cake. It was so easy to just plop him right down in the kiddie pool. I'm so glad he was born in the summer time so we are able to do that!

We cannot thank everyone enough for coming, helping, celebrating, and visiting Cam on his first birthday! I know there are a few people we missed, but it was such a great time and we can't wait for #2! (Birthday that is...)

Strawberry Pickin'

Every year I always want to go to Spencers Farm and pick strawberries. I usually never get around to it because the season goes by quickly. This year I was determined to go because I wanted Camden to be able to experience it. We had so much fun, as you can see, and we got a ton of strawberries (that quickly were eaten).

Camden kept eating the strawberries we put in the bucket, but somehow we managed to distract him and pick enough to weigh.

I love this picture (above) of him picking his own strawberry! He knew exactly what to do and we all had a great time! I'll also be going back this week for more since we are out and I want more to freeze, too. Plus I have more recipes to try and no more strawberries. 0:)

The main difference (if they're even comparable) between fresh-off-the-farm strawberries and the store-bought kind is the taste. The fresher they are, the juicier, sweeter, softer, and smaller. Trust me, though, we got some huge ones off the vines, but the baseball-sized strawberries where you get 5 in a tin at the grocery isn't what I think of when I think fresh; or delicious for that matter.  If you've never been picking, I highly recommend it!! It's fun for the entire family and the best part is, they encourage tasting them. Although, I'm surprised they didn't want to weigh Camden before and after. ;)

Here were our pickings! We weighed about 7 1/2 pounds and it was only $14.00!!! I can't wait to go back this week!

How is everyone else spending their summer?

Walkers, Moving and Easter, oh my!

 

"I'm sexy and I know it..."

That cutie patootie you see above is 9 1/2 months old! I can hardly believe he is that old already, but it's time to start planning his first birthday party. I cannot wait and have had a Pinterest board for just such a time when I needed to start planning. I already know what the guest cake is going to be and I'm about 80% sure on a theme (nothing too intricate) so from there it should be a breeze. I'm sure I'll stress over it, put my sweat and tears into it, and nobody will notice if something goes awry.

Cam is so close to walking! He will stand up with his walker all by himself (and anything else for that matter) and walk with it across the room until he hits a wall or the couch! I am so incredibly proud of him and am excited and nervous for him to start walking. Luckily we haven't had to put the baby gates up for two main reasons: 1, he doesn't really have a desire to climb the stairs (although he most certainly can), and 2, there is still so much clutter from moving that we have to follow him around wherever he goes anyways.

First Easter together and first holiday at the new house!

I can't wait to have everyone over for his birthday! Brad suggested renting a tent for out back since our house isn't too big and plus it'll be nice and hot at the end of June. I think that's a great idea, but trying to rent a tent on a Saturday in June; I can imagine we're going to have to fight some brides to get it. 0:)

All is well in other areas, mostly. I'll have to set time aside another day to talk about my job situation (or lack-thereof).

First trip to the park

We have been extremely busy lately (you will find out why here in a few days) but have been making time to take Camden for walks with the nice weather. A week or so ago we wanted to see how he did at the playground and as luck would have it, there was nobody else there when we went so we had the place to ourselves!

We decided to take Cam in his new wagon that Grandma Laura (my mom) gave him for Christmas. He loved the wagon ride and we might even take him to the zoo with it, since it has a canopy for shade and the seats lay flat so we could lay him down to sleep in it.

Well he absolutely loved the park!

Daddy loved pushing him on the swings and as you can see, he loved it, too! I'd like to think I'm getting a little better at taking pictures since having my first photography workshop back in February.

This was Cam's first trip down the slide. He wasn't quite sure what to think but as long as he was on our laps getting ma-ma and da-da hugs, he didn't really care that much.

These two just melt my heart! Since the weather has been cooperative, we have been walking every day either before or after dinner and also have been spending more time outside (grilling!) This has also been a positive motivator for me to get exercising again and continue losing some of this baby weight.

Peas and Carrots

You know that saying, ".. like peas and carrots"? Well, for Camden it's not a walk in the park.

Earlier in the week I tried to give him peas in a desperate attempt to clear his bowels and give him more vegetables. He was okay with them, but his body totally rejected it. He kept throwing up pea-colored green whenever he did tummy time or was wiggling around the floor. This happened two days in a row.

So, no more peas for a while.

Yesterday I tried to give him some carrots. Don't worry, I bought the organic kind. He absolutely despised them. I was so shocked! Carrots must be an acquired taste (like avocado once was for me). It was the first food he wouldn't open his mouth for and would even push the spoon away.

Side note: The pictures I took of him after he ate the carrots made it look like he had red around his eyes and his face. He was coughing quite a bit more than usual (not choking or anything) so I'm wondering if that was a very mild allergic reaction. Hmm.

Finally I decided to trick him and mix avocado in with it and he reluctantly ate most of it. I just hope he's not going to be as picky of an eater as his mom and dad. Dad won't eat any green vegetables except for very buttered/salted green beans and the occasional iceberg salad (aka non-nutritious foods). Mom is more open now, but used to never eat any meat besides chicken and the occasional burger. Trust me, I'll eat almost anything nowadays .. darn breastfeeding appetite!

One barrier with the baby is the list of foods he can't or shouldn't have right away, especially since he is constipated and NOTHING is helping! Also, I need more ideas of vegetables and other foods to make for him. One new food I thought of tonight was broccoli. I love broccoli so that should be fun to make. I'm definitely getting a lot more use out of my steamer nowadays.

My Two Front Teeth

My sweet, little baby I brought home from the hospital just last week (or so it seems) has his two front bottom teeth! He is such a big boy!!

I am just excited to see the next phase of his life. Crawling? Pulling up? More teeth? Ohmygosh please no more teeth for a while... Teething is a horible experience and I have so much more respect for my mother (mainly that I'm still alive) for raising two girls.

Time flies with a kid, so hopefully Cam and I can bunker down for this cold winter (30 degrees above normal a few days ago and 20 below now.. Indiana..) and then summer will be here before we know it.

First Hair Cut

Wild man's hair has been cut for the very first time! I can't believe we actually waited until he was 6 months to do it, but it was long overdue. We just trimmed it about a week ago and he almost needs it done again!

His hair was in his eyes, almost to the tip of his nose, and covering his poor ears!

Before

After

Yes, my son is a certified hunk. :)

Anyways, I called around to my hair stylist (who never called me back. thanks a lot Kristi.) and Cookie Cutters, which is a local place that is a kids-only cutting salon. It's quite popular around here. They took their sweet time calling me back, too, so I decided that since he just needed a trim around the edges that I would go ahead and do it. I actually used to cut my own bangs so I had the proper scissors to do so.

I started by laying him down on the floor so that he didn't move his head around too much. I made sure to not ever point the end of the scissors towards his face and voila! Hair cut for baby! I don't think I got it exactly straight, but as much as he was moving around, I probably did just as good as anyone else would've. So my baby is growing up and is now a big boy. A big boy with lots of hair!

First Santa Visit

We saw Santa last weekend and told him that we (and Cam) want his two front teeth to come in. :) He was freaked out by all the old women and Santa's Helper who were all in his face and oo-ing at the "baby" in the room. We went to our local fire department since they were doing free pictures (well, for donation) and we could take our own! I can totally understand how a giant bearded stranger in a big hat and bright red suit would be scary.

[And Santa's Helper asked if I was pregnant... with a 5-month-old... ugh]

The scene quickly went from this ..

.. to this ..

.. and then we left. :)

Overall he did well, but he just is at that age where if he is in a place he doesn't recognize or around people he doesn't see every day, he sort of freaks out.

Side note: Young or old, if you don't have kids (or don't remember), please DO NOT run up to a child under the age of two going "OOOO" and "AHHH" because I can guarantee you're going to freak the kid out. Family or not, if you don't see the child daily, then JUST KEEP YOUR DISTANCE. It's nothing against you, but let the baby have his personal space; trust me, he's going to need it.

Man, that felt good to get off my chest, although I'm sure the people that need to be reading this, aren't.

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.

First Holidays

Camden's first "big" holiday is coming up. Yeah, he was with us on the 4th of July but he was a mere 4 days old at that time. Labor Day came and went but it wasn't anything huge. Halloween is going to be awesome though. I am so excited that he will be old enough to at least interact with family during the upcoming holiday season. I can't wait to make wonderful memories with him this first year (wow that didn't sound cliche at all..).

Earlier in the summer my husband decided that this Halloween we would grow our own pumpkins. He got a great head start on the garden in which the huge leaves quickly overtook the area. We made the mistake of planting it in the absolute sunniest part of our yard so we got only one tiny pumpkin. I'm so proud of Brad for growing Cam's first pumpkin.

It was really supposed to be Brad's pumpkin but I'm donating it on his behalf to Camden. I'm sure he won't mind.

We did have two but the other was smashed somehow and shriveled up. Since Cam was the only one with a pumpkin, we decided (per tradition as well) that a visit to the local pumpkin patch was definitely in the works!

My mom bought Camden one giant pumpkin so we just needed one more since there are three of us. We ended up getting a medium-sized one and a pie pumpkin as well. I'm going to perfect that homemade pumpkin pie recipe I failed at so many years ago if it kills me.

First we visited the store where they had lots of delicious goodies. Camden and Brad thought this cup was funny looking so we had to get a picture with it of course.

Camden went on his first hay ride and loved it! He didn't fuss or squirm the whole time and on the way back from the pumpkin patch he actually fell asleep.

We found a great pumpkin and got some pictures. The caramel apples were calling our name so we got one to split at home later. It was heavenly.

Bad Doggie!!

When my dad and his wife came to visit the other day, I let our dog Cato outside to sun bathe. It was a nice day and he would much rather be outside any day of the week (unless it's raining). Well, apparently we left him outside a little too long and he needed a cool spot. So instead of laying in any of the shaded areas on the side of our house or underneath any of our FOUR trees, he decides to do this:

Yup. Our perfect little pooch dug himself a nice, muddy hole in the ground to lay in. You can pretty much guess what happened next:

"mom, save me"

What a little stinker! He has never done anything like this before and he has never dug anything in his life! Maybe he could help dig the rest of those weeds up for us to plant grass (that's the plan anyways). Mommy's little gardener! Who knew.



More "firsts"

This past week has been pretty fun watching Camden go though a lot more first experiences.

He had his first real bath, submerged (and loved it):

Then we bought him a Baby Einstein Exersaucer toy:

Pictures can be deceiving. He really actually hated it so he only sat in there for a few minutes. This is a more accurate rendition of what happened:

And finally he had his first rice cereal in the bottle. We aren't spoon feeding him yet. We are going to try that around Halloween. This is just to help with reflux. Poor kid is SO miserable with it.

First stroller ride!

The other day we decided Brad coerced me into walking Camden in the stroller. It's that time of year when it's freezing in the morning but by 5pm it's quite pleasant (nevermind the mosquitos). I was being lazy, but Brad insisted we walk. I'm so glad he did because we got to let Camden ride in his stroller the way it was always meant to be ridden in!

Yes, mom made him wear the silly hat so his little face or head didn't get burnt. 

I'm not a huge fan of the stroller/travel system though. Maybe I'll do a product review post later and get Brad's input as well.

I'm not sure if he liked it but I know he enjoyed at least being able to see more things outside. He absolutely loves to sit on the front porch. Too bad it'll be snowing by the time he can actually sit up on his own. Eh oh well at least he'll learn to love snow. ;) Haha.

Paci Pop

It seems like Camden does something new every day. Since he is only 12 weeks old, it's not uncommon I suppose.

We were having a wonderfully romatic lunch (sarcasm) at Red Robin this afternoon and he put his pacifier in his mouth. Twice in a row! I was so excited that he could do it himself. I'm so proud! Although he rarely uses it nowadays.

First Play Date

Camden had his first play date yesterday. My good friend Jaime brough her 14-week-old daughter over for a play date. It was kinda late in the evening and close to both of their bed times so it didn't go over so well. Plus, they are both still so young all they do is look around mostly (if at all).

They are so cute together! I love that Brooke is so small still. She is just about 1.5 lbs less than Cam and barely shorter. Cam does have HUGE feet though. He probably has bigger feet by a good centimeter at least. Yeah, he's going to be VERY tall. :) Of course, my nephew was as tall as me (at 5'9") at only 11 years old!

Daddy's first solo

Yesterday I went back to work officially. Because when I say "work" I mean PRN (aka two days a month), I'm still desperately looking for a full-time job. I'd prefer to find one that I can settle into for a long time using my exercise science degree, but for now I'll take just about anything.

Since I work the weekends and my hubby is off, he took Camden solo yesterday. From 7am-4pm he was all by himself with our baby for the first time (for that long of a time period anyways). He sent me lots of texts and pictures although I'm sure he didn't want to. I sort of kept texting throughout the day. I missed my baby!

Sometimes he takes the silliest pictures but I'm incredibly surprised to say that he took the absolute best picture of Cam that I've ever seen! Isn't it beautiful!??!?!? He looks so grown up! And the dimples (that Brad gave him)... oh my. This boy is going to be irresistable, although we've already had the talk that mommy will always be the #1 lady in his life. ;)

GO COLTS!

This is Cam's first Colts game/season! Ten years ago today, who knew what a beautiful family I'd have.