Updates!

I have been very busy this afternoon! Be sure to check out the five new posts below! If you want to go in order, start with "Catching Up" and read back from there. Here is a photo montage of Camden with his friend Ainsley at a bookstore and coffee shop in Roanoke. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. :)

Don't forget to check out the five new posts below! Happy Reading!

Summer Fun!

Wow! This has been a marathon afternoon of blog updating! Can you tell that my little guy has taken a nice long nap today? We have had a blast together this summer! I don't want to think about it coming to an end soon, but I know that the start of school is near. In fact, today I started my one cent shopping trips for folders and other classroom supplies. I'm not going to think about it, though. Instead, here is what we've been up to! Camden and I have gone swimming at a friend's pool with some girls from small group, and he is a huge fan of the water. He loves to splash and kick, and he has even tried a few mouthfuls of pool water - we're trying to break him of that habit! Here are some pictures of us at the pool:

First time in the water

Still just checking it out, but I know he's laughing and smiling on the inside.

With our friends Stephanie and Gordon - he did still need the paci his first few times in the water.

In his super cool floatie - thanks, Natalie and June, for lending this to us! This is Camden's favorite way to swim!

For the past couple of weeks, we have been going to a Mommy and Me swim class at our neighborhood pool. Even though it is very early in the morning, and we are the only ones in the class, Camden and I have enjoyed this time. We've been learning how to kick, splash, blow bubbles, push off of the wall, and dunk his head under the water. He really likes it - especially since he does not have to share any attention with any other babies. Next summer, he will get to do even more in his swim class! I'm really hoping that he will always love the water!

We have also had so much fun playing together during the day! Here is my sweet boy watching Sesame Street and holding on to his beloved triangle. He is crawling all over our house now! He also likes to crawl to one spot and pull himself up to sitting, play for a little while, and then crawl some more. And, he will pull himself up to stand next to any chair or couch where I am sitting. He also loves to climb up our stairs! Yesterday, he climbed up to the very top of our staircase - all by himself (I was following behind him)! When he got to the top, he just wanted to crawl around our game room and check out his old toys that are stored up there.

Oh, and his other favorite place to crawl - the dog bowls! He loves to splash in the water - maybe he thinks it's a very small pool or bathtub? And, he tries to take handfuls of the dog food. I've only caught him with it in his mouth once, and my mom caught him with it in his mouth, too. When I caught him, he was trying to chew it and eat it. Yuck! Needless to say, he is quick!

Last week, our good friends Brantley and Adrienne, and their daughter Ainsley, came to visit us! We enjoyed lots of yummy food in Roanoke, great shopping in Southlake, and some down time at the house while watching our little ones play.

We met Brantley's parents, Kenneth and Patty, in Roanoke for dinner at Cowboy Chow, and they loved the little ones so much that they wanted a picture with them. I love Camden's expression. I think it says, "I'm refusing to smile, because I have no idea who these people are." Such a silly kid!

The whole crew - I should have taken a picture of Neal and Brantley's meals - they ordered a chicken pot pie and fancy mashed potato bowl, but the way they were served was so cute! We loved our meals in Roanoke. We also visited the Twisted Root and Mi Familia while the Pearce's were in town.

Camden also shared his toys with Ainsley. They definitely noticed each other more, but didn't always interact with each other as much as they will in a few years.

So sweet in their pj's! This was first thing in the morning, so excuse the bed head! Also, Neal, Camden, and I had runny noses this week, so we weren't as fun, and poor little Ainsley had a fever and just wasn't herself. I felt so bad for Adrienne, because I know that it is very stressful to be out of town with a sick little one. I know that they are glad to have her back at home!

Today, Camden went to the doctor for his nine month check-up. He weighs 20 pounds (25-50th percentile), is 30 inches tall (90-95th percentile), and his head is 46 centimeters around (50-75th percentile). I told Neal that he is a lean, mean machine! I'm pretty sure his weight is a good indicator of just how active he is! He is burning off those calories faster than we can get them in him! And, he is helping me to burn those calories off - I only have five more pounds of baby weight left to go! Here are some pics from his nine month photo shoot:

With his "lovie"

Showing off his crawling skills!

Big "Days"

We also celebrated our first real Father's Day and Mother's Day. On Mother's Day, we went to church, took some pictures in the backyard (see below), went downtown to eat lunch at the Love Shack and dessert at Sweet Sammies, and hung out with my brother and mom that night. We had planned on going to the zoo, but it was super hot during lunch, so we decided to try that another time when the weather is better - maybe a fall trip to the zoo? Right now, it is just too hot outside!

With my sweet boy who may or may not be making a face :)

I love giving him sweet sweet kisses!

First time in a restaurant high chair (we learned to remember the high chair pad - he lasts much longer with the padding) while eating barbecue with my mom and brother that night.

Hanging out with Uncle Mike. Unfortunately I did not get a picture with Camden, me, and my mom on Mother's Day. So, I am not always on top of things like taking pictures of important events. I guess we will have to settle for the memories instead.

Neal also celebrated his birthday during the same week as Father's Day. I had professional development at my district office, so Neal's mom was in town to help out with Camden. She made a sheet cake for Neal and treated us to dinner at a Japanese steak house near our house.

Neal had Camden "help" blow out his candles. Apparently, this is practice for his birthday. He still needs some practice.

So, Neal blew them out by himself! On the following Sunday, we went to church, ate lunch at Taco Bueno (this is where Camden threw up his asparagus - gross!), and took Neal for a round of gold at Iron Horse.

Camden is learning the game at a very young age!

Neal loves his little guy!

I also let Camden get down and crawl on the grass. He wasn't too sure about how it felt on his knees, but he definitely liked it on his toes. He had fun, but since it was so very hot outside, we could not stay for a full eighteen holes. Did I mention that we are in the middle of a drought and record high temps for June and July? I am so grateful that I am not pregnant this summer! We thoroughly enjoyed our special days!

Eating Solids!

"I'm eating solids!" shouts Camden, proudly. He started solids a little over six months old, and he hasn't looked back since! He loves to eat peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas (both pureed and bite-sized pieces), pears, apples, zucchini, squash, rice and oatmeal cereal, puffs, yogurt melts, and wheat teething biscuits. He was not a huge fan of asparagus (he threw it all up from making himself gag over it), avocado (I should have pureed it), and cauliflower (I'm so glad we finally finished those pesky cauliflower containers!). Next up, we will try cherries and more bite-sized table food. I love getting to try out all of the recipes from my Cooking for Baby cookbook. And, if you think making baby food is hard, you are wrong. It is so easy! Most of the time, I just steam, roast, or boil his food, let it cool, and puree it up for him! Then, it gets poured into small freezer containers and stacked in the freezer. He absolutely loves it - I think he knows that it means he is a big boy, and I am comforted in knowing exactly what is in his food. No artificial sweeteners, no high fructose corn syrup, no genetically modified ingredients. Just plain fruits and veggies! And, this teaches him to like the tastes of the foods themselves and not the flavors of all of the additives! Also, he likes to sit in his bumbo chair and watch me make his food, so he even participates in the preparation!

After a really great meal of green peas - sometimes he likes to wear his food!

Proof of the battle we had over cauliflower - I'm not sure how much he actually ate during this meal. The funny thing about cauliflower is that the recipe book actually suggested serving whipped cauliflower to the rest of the family as a healthy substitute to mashed potatoes. I think that we will not be trying that after our experiences with trying to feed it to Camden.

Again, Camden: 1, Cauliflower: 0. We were actually counting down the number of cauliflower containers in our freezer, and Neal and I would have to take shifts while feeding it to him. I would do the first half of the container, and Neal would take over for the second half of the container. Camden also decided that he liked it best warmed up. He still was not very fond of it! He would actually close up his mouth, and shake his head no when we tried to give this to him! What a silly, smart little boy!

Camden is also figuring out that we are usually eating something good whenever Neal and I sit down for a meal. He stares at us and watches our mouths! He even tried to stand up in his high chair at a restaurant and steal food from Neal's plate! He can't wait to be a big boy! So, now, we always try to make sure that he has bites of food to enjoy while we are eating, so he can practice eating with the rest of us. I am so proud of how he is learning to eat! However, he still loves to nurse, and I make sure to nurse him first, so he gets the majority of his nutrients and protein before his baby food meals - just in case he decides he is full before the meal is over!

First Rangers Game and Easter

For some reason, my pictures are backwards, but at least they are here! Camden enjoyed his first Ranger's game with during a visit from my parents in April, and he loved it! He did very well (even during the fireworks for each home run), and I was impressed with how well he ate in his sling while I was standing up in the women's restroom! We did leave a little early, because the Rangers were clearly going to win, and we were all very tired! That same weekend, we celebrated Easter! Here are some pictures to highlight the events! You may want to start from the bottom and scroll up.

My two favorite guys! So handsome! We also enjoyed a very yummy Easter brunch at Kassandra's in Keller. If you have not tried their banana caramel French toast, I would highly recommend it!

I just love that sweet little face!

Isn't that the most adorable Easter outfit?

Classic Camden face - he has become such a ham for the camera!

Easter picture with Mommy - I love my little man!

Checking out the Easter bunny's nose - he has become very curious about many things in the last few months!

Meeting the Easter bunny (our friend Dave) at a church event for kids and families in Lake Como, Fort Worth. Our small group was in charge of manning a bounce house. We had fun, and Camden was not at all scared of the Easter bunny - next year could be a different story. :)

Opening Easter presents from Grammy and Paw before the Rangers game! He still likes to listen to his Easter card song - he tries to figure out where the music comes from!

Enjoying his Easter chick! He loved his Easter goodies!

It was a Friday night, so there were lots of people at the game! Camden spent most of the game on my lap. I was definitely not as excited about ballpark food with the little guy in tow. I had to eat fast, so that others could get a break to eat, too. He had fun, though!

Watching the game with Daddy - Neal and my stepdad were sitting on the row above us, and so we had to pass Camden up to them a few times. Later on, a couple who sat quite a few rows above us, stopped us and commented on how cute our little guy was, and they asked what happened to his hat. It turns out that they were watching him more than the game!

Watching the game with his Grammy - he was passed around quite a bit during the game. There was also a lady sitting next to my mom who kept wanting to touch his fingers, and Mom did her best to keep her away. I know he's cute, but that doesn't mean I want everybody to touch him!

Camden accepted his certificate celebrating his first ever Rangers game - such a cute idea!

Group picture after the game - he never fussed once! We had so much fun!

Catching Up

Even though it's three months later (I have a young child - that's my excuse!), here are the six month stats I promised: weight 17 pounds (50-75th percentile), height 28 inches (90-95th percentile), and head circumference 43.5 centimeters (25-50th percentile). And, he did still cry during his shots, but, in general, he did very well at his check-up. His pediatrician was still very supportive of how we are feeding him, etc. Ok, so now I have this down for my records!

After Camden's six month check-up, Neal started his new job (which is going very well! We love his company, and he is so happy there!), I finished the school year, and we began hosting the grandmothers (they swapped every other week) to help take care of the little man. I am so grateful for their help and enthusiasm (sometimes a little too much :) ), but I am so, so, so very happy to be home with the C-man! I know it was a very special time for Camden's Nana and Grammy, but it was often a very stressful and anxious time for me. It was often hard to leave him at home to go hang out with junior high kids. In the fall, Camden will start preschool, and again, I know it will be great for him, but so very hard for me. I just can't believe how fast he is growing up!

So, the best way to update you all is to post some pictures from the last few months. Check out what we have been up to!

Well, blogger won't let me put captions under my pictures, so from top to bottom, here we go: We met Neal's sister and mom for breakfast at the Ol' South Pancake House - yum! This was right after Neal started work, and he showed me his office that morning. I'm so proud of him! Camden also likes to wear Neal's hats and practice standing, and of course all of that playing makes him take really good naps. This was one of the last pictures of him sleeping in his bassinet. :( Now, my big boy is sleeping in his crib upstairs! Make sure you read the next few posts to see what else we have been up to this spring!

Spring Break, etc.

I know it's been awhile, but as usual school and not having any free time have gotten in the way of blogging. But, I'm back! First off, we have really enjoyed taking family walks, and since it has been brighter outside with this warmer weather, Camden has started sporting his sunglasses. I just had to get a shot of Neal and the little guy before they went on a walk. How cute are these two? Neal said that while on their walk, people stopped and honked and waved at the two of them. I sure hope they were paying attention to the road! My spring break was a couple of weeks ago (this shows how far behind I am), and we decided to spend the week visiting Camden's grandparents. First, we travelled to Athens to visit Neal's parents. We mostly just relaxed around the house and played with Camden. Neal's parents had set up his old crib and a changing station for us to use while we were there. They were set up for us to stay for a month if we wanted! Also, Neal's mom had saved every one of his toys, books, and stuffed animals, which I was able to see. Camden played with some of the toys, but I think he may have been a bit overwhelmed with all of the choices, because he wasn't as excited as I thought he would be. I think I understand why Neal is always so eager to clean out our closets and sell or give away anything we aren't using. :) We will probably keep a couple of Camden's important things for grandchildren to play with, but after we stop having children, I would like to donate or sell items to kid's resale shops, so other little ones can enjoy those items instead of paying for a storage site to keep things in boxes for thirty years. I think that Neal and I would like to keep as a goal for ourselves to not ever have so much "stuff" that we have to use a storage facility. But, I also understand how hard it can be to let go of things that have so many important memories attached to them! On Sunday, we went to the church where Neal grew up, and they met Camden for the first time! You would have thought we had a celebrity with us - everyone wanted to meet him! Neal's dad played with Camden during church and let him fall asleep on his shoulder - so sweet. Somebody did wake him up after church, but since Dr. Helf was holding him, no one dared to ask to hold our little guy. I kind of appreciated that, since he is not always happy about being passed around. We also took him to Neal's dad's office to weigh him, and Camden now weighs 17.5 pounds! Today, I am taking him in for his six month check-up - I can't wait to see how tall he is, too! On Monday, we drove to Houston to spend time with my family. While there, we stayed with my mom and stepdad, and we met my dad and his wife for dinner. My little sister Madisson loved getting to see Camden.

She kept trying to touch his eyes, she kept saying, "Baby!" and she really wanted to hug him. We still haven't found out what my dad wants to be called, but I'm going with Grandpa Mike for now. Also, at Christmas, my dad's wife said that she wanted to be Mimi, but I haven't heard if that's what she decided on for sure.

Anyway, it was fun to see my dad enjoying his grandson. Also, Camden played with one of my old toys (he definitely had plenty of toys to choose from at his grandparents houses), which my mom thought she didn't have anymore, but she had recently found in the attic. He absolutely loved the busy box! This was a present that I received for my first Christmas, and honestly, I thought it could have been retired. However, Camden loved it!

So, I couldn't really keep him away from the busy box. He is such a smart boy! I love watching him try to figure stuff out - he gets this very serious look on his face, and he really concentrates on how to do everything. I think he may be an engineer some day. :) Also, Camden loves to play the piano on his activity table, so we let him try out the piano at each of the grandparents houses. Neal's mom tried this with him, and he loved it, so I had my stepdad play with him in Houston.

Maybe one day Paw will be his piano teacher? I found out that my stepdad used to teach piano lessons in college, so he might teach Camden a thing or two when he's older.

Camden also wore his sandals for the first time on St. Patrick's Day, and he looked absolutely adorable in his green!

He loves to smile for the camera now! We also enjoyed many great meals out with our parents over break, but unfortunately, I caught a stomach bug on Thursday night and had to drive home sick on Friday. I was miserable!

Thankfully, my mom and Neal helped out with Camden while I was feeling sick. I pretty much fed him while they took care of giving him a bath, changing diapers, and keeping him entertained. I learned how hard it is to find the extra energy to care for a healthy, busy baby when you are feeling so sick. I guess that's just part of being a mom. I was also worried that I would get so dehydrated that I might run out of milk for Camden, but I never had to supplement once! Somehow, my body still made it work, even though I knew I wasn't making as much as normal. And, he stayed healthy!

Look at that sweet boy reading with his Grammy!

He also enjoyed a new walker from his Aunt Madisson - he managed to find the one baby hook that was left on it from when she had it and pull it off multiple times. I think we are really going to have to baby proof some things in our house! Like I said, he's a smart one!

His new favorite face - I love it!

And in other news, Camden has his first two teeth coming in on the bottom! He didn't really fuss, although he has been chewing a lot more. Neal just sort of stumbled on it while giving him his vitamins. We were so excited, and it reminds me of how fast he's growing up!

This picture is of his first tooth. Now, he has a second one coming in right next door to this first one.

My sweet boys. :) Camden sometimes likes to try on his daddy's hat! Today, Neal is starting his first day at his new job, and we are so excited! I think this is going to be a really good fit for him, and Camden gets to hang out with his aunt and his grandmothers during the day.

Love him! Well, nap time is just about over, and I need to get the little guy ready for his six month appointment. I am loving this day at home - I'm getting a little taste of what the summer will be like! Stay tuned for six month stats!