I know it's been awhile, but we have been busy at the Helf household. I feel like I wake up at 5:00 a.m. and don't slow down until about 10:00 at night, but I often don't get to sleep until as late as midnight. I pretty much go to school, come home, and take care of Camden as much as possible - I even use my conference period and time before and after school to pump for him! I have loved every moment that I've gotten to spend with him over the last month, though! Here are a few highlights:
One of the coolest things that Camden has started doing is smiling and laughing. He responds to Neal and I making faces and talking to him, and he has really become a happy boy! He still loves nursing, and that is one of the things he really smiles for - it's adorable! Even though, he is very happy, he still has his fussy moments - Mondays are still the toughest day for him, because he has to adjust to the fact that I'm not with him for about nine hours. But, he is getting better.
We also tried out the bumbo chair - I think he would have liked it for longer if he had been wearing pants. His bare legs kept rubbing against the rubber, and he ended up doing this:
Don't worry, we only took a few pictures of him crying in his bumbo before we took him out! :)How can you resist that face, though? The doctor even commented on how his lower lip curls out when he's crying and sad, and she said that he is definitely going to use that to his advantage later on! My dad calls it the "poochy lip" and apparently I mastered it as a baby! So, Camden comes by it honestly.
We have also kept up with tummy time - although he definitely loves being on his back. Gotta love that smile! Oh, and notice the drool on the side of his mouth - that has been another new development over the last month. We have to keep burp cloths and bibs nearby at all times. I have been "slimed" many times recently when I have forgotten to put his bib on. I now understand why moms often have white spots on their shirts!
He still loves going with us on walks, but with the cooler weather, we've found that the Moby wrap works really well for keeping him warm. By the end of the walk, he's usually sound asleep and a little sweaty from being wrapped up. I love this pouty face and his hat that is slightly big on him! He was a little fussy at the time, because we had put him in his stroller to put our shoes on for our walk, and he decided that the stroller was not the place for him, so I had to get out the wrap while Neal held him. By the way, he went to right to sleep in his wrap, and I got an extra workout from carrying a few extra pounds. Neal says that the wrap reminds him of how I used to look when I was pregnant! I'm so relieved that I'm not pregnant anymore!
Neal and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary with a dinner for two at Truluck's in Southlake - we loved it! I will admit that it was hard to leave our little guy behind, but it was nice to go out and not worry about bringing the car seat and diaper bag with us. Camden's Aunt Kendyll came over and babysat for us. By the way, I love Camden's expression in this picture - maybe, he was trying to tell us that he was not happy with us leaving him behind!
We also visited Neal's family for Thanksgiving, and Camden's outfit only lasted for the drive there. When we arrived, I fed him and he peed so much (I think he decided to hold it while he was in the car) that his diaper leaked and his clothes were wet. So, we took the obligatory pictures in his cute outfit and then changed into something clean before dinner. It was great to spend the extra time with family and not have to worry about pumping at all over the break! Camden seemed much more relaxed and happy, too.
On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, we put up our Christmas tree and decorated the house for Christmas. Camden is fascinated by the lights on the tree. This has come in handy on more than one occasion to calm him down. So far, I love getting to experience the holidays with him!
We decided to pose by the decorated Christmas tree for his official two month picture! I am so proud of how much he has grown, and I love that his personality is starting to emerge.
Thanksgiving and decorating for Christmas really wore us out, so he and I took a nap the evening before I had to go back to school.
On Thursday last week, we went to the pediatrician's office for Camden's two month check-up. He spent a lot of time hanging out in his diaper while we waited to see the doctor. So, we decided to get out the camera and take a few photos. He's also become quite a ham for the camera! The appointment went well - we learned that Camden weighs 12 pounds, 8 ounces, is 24 inches long, and his head circumference is 40 centimeters. The doctor was so impressed with how much he has grown, and while we had a rough start with visits to her office, I was impressed with how she talked to him and spent plenty of time with us - even though, we had to wait awhile for her to come back and see us. Camden started to get hungry toward the end of the appointment, so he was really upset when I had to set him down on the exam table for her to check him out and to get his shots. Let's just say the entire office got to experience his screams! He is getting much louder and has quite a lung capacity! Even with the fussing, the doctor said that everything looks great and she continued to be very supportive of how we are feeding him. Oh, and she changed his diaper, too - I was not expecting that, because she did not change his diaper when he was wet at one of his first appointments. Maybe she has been hanging out with the doctor we had at the hospital who even changed a poopy diaper!
I love this picture of my happy boy after his bath - look at those gorgeous long eyelashes!
We also went to church for the first time on Saturday night, and Camden did so well! He slept through all of the singing and even though he was awake during the entire sermon, he only cooed a couple of times, but never cried. We did have to feed him after the service, because we were going to run a few errands after church and it would have been too long to wait until we made it back to the house. I'm so proud of how well he did! On Sunday morning, we went to the dog park - Neal and I have felt bad that we have kind of neglected them recently. They thoroughly enjoyed running, playing, and marking all of the trees at the park. Camden just snuggled next to me and slept in his wrap. Maybe next time he will be big enough to watch all of the dogs play! So, that afternoon we all rested on the couch, and I thought this picture was priceless - Camden sleeping on my lap while Penny snuggles up to his Boppy pillow. Now, I am just counting down the days until Christmas break - and trying to stay patient with my junior high students who are also counting down the days until Christmas break! And, I am spending all of my free time cuddling with my little guy!
