~lucky number 27~

Not only is your birthday on December 27th but Daddy’s is March 27th, Grandma Jackson is May 27th & cousin Alexis is August 27th. Now that is one special number!

This past Friday was Daddy’s 30th birthday. Even if we count all your fingers & toes that wouldn’t reach the number 30. So this was a very special, very BIG birthday for Daddy.

When we started dating we talked about kids. Not necessarily with each other but what we wanted in our future . Daddy wanted to be trying or have a baby by the time he was 30. Well little did he know at the time we would get married, I would get pregnant & you were be here to celebrate! See, you were thought of & loved way before you were born.

Daddy loved the present you picked out for him. He can’t wait to watch Madagascar: Escape to Africa with you. What’s your favorite animal? The giraffe with his long neck? Or how about the penguins? Do you like the way they walk?

Before we headed out for dinner I tried to get a quick picture. You decided your profile needed some attention.
After our delicious dinner the waiter brought a brownie with whip cream & a sparkler to celebrate. As soon as you saw the sparkler you didn’t look away until the flame went out. I think you’re going to like the 4th of July. Everyone carries a sparkler to celebrate.

After desert I tried again to take a daddy & son picture. You were a little more willing.

Not only did we celebrate daddy’s birthday but Grandma Jackson & Steve came down to visit & celebrate with us.

You loved all the attention Grandma Jackson gave you. She couldn’t believe how big you’ve gotten in 3 short months. On Monday you spent the full day with Grandma Jackson while Daddy & I went to work. She said you were a very good baby. You let out a very loud hiccup toward the end of the day. It was so loud you scared yourself & got upset. Poor baby.

But throughout the morning & day you smiled, told Grandma Jackson stories & showed her how hard you can kick. How fun! She even brought you some goodies during her visit. A dancing singing bunny for Easter, a couple of new outfits & a Bumbo!

We tried the Bumbo out but you’re not quite ready to sit up on your own. That’s ok, you had just as much fun sitting up with Grandma Jackson’s help.

Now, that's a happy baby!

The weekend low: Daddy is still sick. He can’t wait until he’s all better so he can kiss you all over!

The weekend high: Watching your reaction to the dancing bunny. I’ll have to take a picture next time. You looked so surprised it was singing & dancing just for you!

~blog changes~

Hello Cameron's fan club :)
Just a little heads up. I've decided to write the same way I did in my pregnancy journal. I plan to one day print out Cameron's blog & want it to be directed toward him. Thanks for being interested in our days & leaving love comments. It's nice to see just how many fans Mr. Cameron has. ;)

xoxoxo
Brandy

You spy with your little eye.

I keep saying I’m going to post about our weekend & time just keeps slipping away. But I want to recap while it’s still fresh in my memory so, better late than never.

On Friday after work you & I made a stop into Kohl’s. Silly as it sounds mommy gets nervous taking you out in public. I don’t want to stay feeling this way so a trip out shopping was in order. You're outgrowing all your clothes faster than we can replace them. I asked which outfit you liked the best but you weren’t interested. Instead you stared, cooed & smiled at the kids running through the aisle. You’re so aware of your surroundings now. I love it.

Soon we headed off to the frame department. I saw & held up a frog growth chart. Not thinking much of whether you would take an interest just that it matched your frog & turtle bathroom. But as soon as you saw the bright colors & big friendly frog prints you cooed & grabbed at it. No need to say more, mommy bought it for you.

The next day, Saturday you woke up with an eye infection. Poor baby. We don't know how you got an infection but Dr. Chiles prescribed you some drops. A few days later it healed up nicely. Besides the occasional goop you would never know anything was wrong. You were a happy baby, goop & all.

On Sunday you gave Daddy an early birthday gift.

You laughed.

We’ve heard you giggle. The giggles usually lead to hiccups but this past Sunday you laughed your little heart out. I was talking, playing & kissing you when all of a sudden you burst out laughing. It was the cutest laugh! Daddy kept asking me to make you laugh some more. We were having so much fun that we didn't even think to grab the camcorder & record you. We'll have to keep that in mind for next time. Great Aunt Roma has already put a special request.

To make sure your eye infection was healing properly we went to visit Dr. Chiles on Tuesday. The nurse weighed & measured you. You weigh 12 lbs & 1 oz. And, you measure 24 & a quarter inches. Good thing you picked out the froggie growth chart. Looks like we're going to start using it very soon!

As we waited you thought I should see how hard you can kick. You're getting really good! Daddy & I have noticed that if we don't pay attention you'll push your lips out & kick really, really hard! So I made sure to pay extra close attention & watch those little legs in action.

Dr. Chiles talked to you for a little bit & checked your eyes, nose & mouth. He said you looked great. Your eye was healing fine & you were getting to be a big boy!

Today's low: Daddy wasn't able to visit you during his lunchtime. He woke up with a cold & went home early. :( Hopefully he feels better tomorrow it's his 30th birthday!

Todays high: When I walked into the infant room you heard my voice & looked for me. When you saw my face you smiled. I felt so special. I think you missed me almost as much as I missed you!

I love you chunka cheese.

Love Mommy

Big hugs & kisses

My swaddle baby

As new parents one of the very first lessons we received was how to swaddle.

Paul was definitely the swaddle pro. He made it so tight that Cameron (rarely) escaped. I on the other hand was not crowned swaddle champ. Cameron was so insistent on moving when I would swaddle with the receiving blanket. My little Houdini would quickly escape which led to flailing arms & ear piercing screams. It was so sad. Since he didn’t have complete control over his nervous system it was hard for him to keep those little arms down & stay asleep.

In fact I almost, ok I did, squeal with excitement after buying the kiddopotamus swaddle. The pre velcro tabs were heaven sent. Since purchasing a few & using them religiously Cameron's been able to not only stay asleep for naps but even through the whole night (!!!). Sometimes he squirms & pushes his little hand out to suck but for the most part he’s swaddled pretty tight.

Well last night I heard him moving about & grunting (no poop) in his bassinet. I turned to see what he was up to & somehow (ok, I swaddled) he got out of the kiddopotamus. He was trying to break a hand free but ended up with both arms out. He stretched them over his head, wiggled around for a bit then fell right back to sleep.

I anxiously waited for him to start flailing his arms & cry out for help. But seconds that led to minutes passed & he was still sound asleep.

It was a bittersweet moment. I was happy that he wasn’t upset but at the same time it hit me.

My love, my little baby boy wasn’t my twitching, crying newborn anymore. It so surreal to know that my baby (who is a week shy of 3 months) is learning & growing everyday. Quick as quick can be he's figuring out the world & growing up too darn fast.

Some things never change.

Picture Taken: January 28, 2009
Picture Taken: March 19, 2009

Growing baby!

After a quick nap Cameron had fun with Daddy. I almost missed these moments on film (forgot our camera at work) but quickly retrieved our old school camera out of storage. There’s a horrible delay but as you can see he loves his daddy.

In Cameron’s journal he (Miss Ruth) said that he loved tummy time on the Boppy! We knew his neck was getting stronger so we decided to see our little guy in action.

Good job love bug!

Pictures Taken: Marth 17, 2009

New jammies day!

Since Cameron’s jammies were a bit snug we decided to make a quick stop to Target last night. Paul picked out a new car buddy for Cameron on Sunday. Cameron kept grabbing at him so I took him off the car seat & guess what? Cameron held onto him! He even moved the toy into his mouth. I’m telling you he’s getting smarter as each day passes.

As we looked through the jammies I pulled out a 6 month size. It was huge! So huge that I really hesitated to buy them. Paul said the length looked about right. So I convinced myself that ok the length might be right but there was no way my little baby boy would fill them out.

Well guess what?

Aaaa!! 6 months! The size is 6 months. He's barely going to be 3 months on the 27th! Where did the time go? I feel as though we just came home from the hospital & I was too scared to put his head through his shirts (yes, his soft spot freaked me out).

Picture Taken: January 2, 2009

All Other Pictures Taken: March 16, 2009

My growing chunka cheese

Cameron surprised us last week by going to bed early & sleeping the whole night! Wednesday he fell asleep a little before 8. Since he didn’t take a nap when we arrived home I figured I would let him sleep then give him a bath when he woke up. He didn’t wake up until 6 the next morning! It was a pleasant surprise but I couldn’t sleep. I kept checking on him just to make sure he was ok. I guess daycare really tuckered him out.

He slept good the next couple of nights & then Friday arrived. We went out to dinner w/some co-workers. Cameron was taking a nap but woke up, was a bit fussy, ate & then went back to sleep. When we got home we took him a bath & I fed him thinking he would fall right to sleep like he had been. But no. He would cry. It was a horrible pain cry. The minute I would stop feeding him he would start screaming. On top of that when he would finally stay asleep he woke up several times. Then on top of that he hadn’t pooped since Thursday. I’ve heard/read that was normal for a breastfeed baby but I was scared he was in pain.

He was still cranky on Saturday. Plus no sign of poop. Poor guy. I took him on a walk in his Moby Wrap with Oscar & Sadie. After about 10 mins he knocked out. We knew he really liked the bouncer at daycare so Paul went out that day & bought one. What a nice Daddy. Since Cameron wasn’t in a good mood we didn’t test it out until Sunday.

He caught on fast!

He would hit the lion & watch it come toward his face. :)

Mommy I figured out what to do. Next toy please.

Nosey Sadie. ;)

Look what I can do.

Happy Baby!

Sunday was a good day & guess what else? Cameron pooped not once but twice! It’s not every day you get excited for a dirty diaper. Later that night Paul noticed Cameron was almost as long as his tub. Then when I went to put his jammies on they didn’t fit! The arms were too short & his legs were longer! Poor baby was in pain/hungry throughout the night because he was going through a growth spurt! He even went back to sleeping through the night (YES!!!).

Pictures Taken: March 15, 2009

Picture time!

Happy Baby!

Uh, I think picture time is over.

Pictures Taken: March 12, 2009

Peek a boo

When Cameron was a month we noticed his response to mirrors so we bought a fish mirror that lit up & played music when touched. To our surprise Cameron caught on right away & would whack the fish to activate the music & lights. Picture Taken: January 30, 2009

Cameron’s vision has been getting clearer as each day passes.

He’s starting to wonder who this guy is & why he keeps following him around.

Picture Taken: March 11, 2009

Tag a log Lion: Given with Love from Auntie Jenn W.

He even pays attention to Oscar & Sadie. They greet not only Paul & I but will take the time to walk up to Cameron & greet him with wagging tails, wet noses & slobbery kisses filled with love.

Picture Taken: March 9, 2009

The other night I walked out on the balcony with Cameron & he stared into the sky. I explained to him why it was so dark outside, night time meant it was almost bath time & those big beautiful lights in the sky are called stars.

We’ve known since he was very young that he loves the outdoors. Now that his vision is getting better Daddy decided to take him along his walk with the doggies.

You can’t get much more picture perfect than this.

Cameron's journal

When we pick Cameron up from daycare they always have a pre printed slip waiting for us. It lets us know how many times he ate, slept & pooped that day. When we first started to receive the slips I asked Miss Ruth if she could please write a little more about his day. So she began to jot down 15 mins bouncer, 10 mins tummy time in a small box on his slip. When we go to pick up Cameron we always ask how he behaved & was for the heard the same, “he was great!” day after day.

During our ride home I’ll sit in the back with Cameron & read aloud what was jotted down. The first few days it was exciting to see how many mins he spent on the activity gym or poops throughout the day but I was always a little sad. I knew by spending my day with him that there was so much more to be said!

So with the new, set staff for the infant room I approached Ruth, Ellen & Niki. I asked if I brought in a notebook would they be so kind & jot down about their day with Cameron. I wasn’t looking for a novel. I honestly don’t know what I was expecting but I just wanted more than the standard sheet.

When we picked up Cameron last night we had two surprises waiting for us.

Mr. Cameron has a personalized cubby complete with picture!

Miss Ruth got a perfect smile.

Picture (both) Taken: March 9, 2009

As we got into the car & ready to head home I opened up Cameron’s journal. What a wonderful surprise! The ladies wrote as if they were Cameron. It was so cute to read, “When Ashton woke up we played on the activity mat. We had so much fun mommy & daddy!” & “Miss Ruth read me The Great Big Spider, tomorrow she said we’ll read The Big Hungry Bear! I can’t wait!” Entries from each lady melted our heart. Not only did they write in the journal but they made it truly special. Paul was very adamant that out of respect Cameron would know/call each staff member as Miss Ellen, Ruth, Niki & not just Ellen. They kept this small yet special request in mind when writing in his journal & that to me speaks volumes about the new staff.

We're gonna scrub, scrub, scrub

Pictures Taken: February 10, 2009

Bath time has become a favorite part of our night. Our routine began not too long ago during a particularly fussy night. I was texting Jenn & she suggested giving him a bath. She confirmed with Trish that it was key to success. B.B.B. (bath, bottle, bed). Exhausted & not really knowing what else to try Paul & I agreed.

We first discussed where the bath would be set. I wanted the bathroom sink (this part of the story really shows how young/tiny Cameron was at the time) & Paul wanted to put it inside our bath tub.

So onto the sink it went.

We turned the lights down low because according to Jenn this would set the mood.

There I was holding a screaming baby in one hand & collecting cup after cup of warm water & transferring it into the small tub. All in a dim light so I wouldn't disturb the mood.

After about 5 mins of doing this…..water began to trickle off the counter.

You see combined with the low light I was unable to see that the tub wasn’t snapped into place, leaving a gap in the middle, causing the water to spill over.

Cameron was still screaming.

Not wanting to disturb the “calming effect” from the low light (again, Cameron was still screaming) I whispered for Paul to hurry over to the bathroom. When he walked into the bathroom he was greeted with a screaming baby & a vision of me, scooping & pushing the water back onto the counter. He switched on the light & we soon saw that the pull out drawer (that was left slightly open) was overflowing with water as well. At this point we started yelling “What happened?!” & “The tub is broken!” (which again we later found out it locks into place).

At this point Cameron had stopped crying, was sucking on his hand & looking around. He was probably thinking, “How did I end up with these two?”

So much for the low light calming effect.

In the moment this was far from funny but as we laid in bed later that night we had to muffle our laughs to not wake up Cameron.

Who knew...

A simple ride home could be such a fun adventure.

Ahh, my love.

Being adorable is exhausting.

Pictures Taken: March 9, 2009