11 months old

I think I've finally stumbled upon the trend. Cameron likes things that roll as demonstrated by the fact that he particularly likes balls of all sizes, cars he can push, his train, the circle shaped block from both of his shape sets. These are the things he deems worthy of semi-crawling/shuffling after. However, he will cruise along the furniture for just about anything that looks new and interesting.

I'm starting to hit the best part of motherhood just in time to go back to work. I'm just getting to the really, really fun part of Cameron's development where he's curious about everything, moving around, interactive and so easily amused. It's a shame I'm going to miss so many things during the weekdays. I'm cherishing my final 2 weeks of leave.

Time Flies

Apparently I've neglected the blog since November. Oops. Time flies when you're breaking your back walking your kid around the house.

Cameron has discovered the joys of walking and running. He doesn`t have his balance yet though, so he requires a finger from each hand of a grown up to walk him around the house all day long. He`s pretty proud of himself that he can walk, always smiling and sticking his tongue out as he walks. He likes to run after soccer balls and dogs in particular. Quite cute.

The countdown has begun to when I have to return to work. The party is over, only 5 weeks left. :( I`ll miss my little munchkin. He`s been my little sidekick for so long, it`s going to be hard to leave him.

Get Outta my Face

Funniest baby pictures ever? Perhaps. Cameron has graced me with some funny photo opportunities lately.

Tooth #5 and #6 emerged last Saturday. It seems a little early for so many teeth. Teething is not so fun for Cameron, so I hope I get happy Cam (and a regular sleep schedule) back soon.

Get out of my face, paparazzi!

Wrestling a teddy bear

Cowboy boot...delicious!

Getting cheeky at bath time

Santa lost a reindeer

Countdown to Christmas

I'm officially starting to get into the Christmas spirit. It's a tad early, but I'm contemplating decorating already. I bought Cameron a copy of "The Night Before Christmas" today. Every child needs a copy of that book. It's a tradition I'm enforcing at my house. That book must be read every Christmas Eve before the kiddies go to bed.

October passed quite quickly. Cameron was somewhat oblivious, but I'm going to say he enjoyed his first Halloween. He didn't really put up a fight when I dressed him in his Donald Duck costume.

Cameron is growing up pretty fast now. 7 months old already. He has 4 teeth, which he occasionally bites me with, and his new trick is standing at the coffee table and bath tub (when he watches me run his bath water).

Happy Thanksgiving

We have much to be thankful for this year. Cameron being one of the most notable. He really is such a joy, even on the fussy days.

Dave had a commentary running this morning as I was preparing the turkey (flying solo in turkey prep for the first time!), which was humorous, and it went something like: "In this corner, from Lilydale Farms, weighing in at 14.7 pounds we have the thanksgiving turkey, and in this corner from the Mulyk independent gym, weighing in at 15.4 pounds we have Cameron 'the Crusher' ..."

Pumpkin Patch Kid

I admit that my chief objective for going to Prairie Gardens for the haunted pumpkin festival was to pose Cameron amidst the pumpkins. That said, we had a lot of family fun exploring all the other activities they have there: corn maze, haunted house, hay bale maze, pumpkin cannon, petting zoo...

Cameron's Big Day

There was loads of excitement at our house today. Lots of big changes for Cameron. He got his first tooth today. The bottom front right tooth. Three months of teething have finally come to fruition.

AND...Cameron is sitting up consistently for longer periods of time (i.e., until he tries to look behind him or reach out to the side to get a toy). He can pass a toy from one hand to the other too.

I'm so proud of my little boy. Sears portrait studio roped us in for an unplanned photo session as we were walking through Sears. Cameron was almost ready for a nap so I certainly didn't have any expectations for decent photos. But Cameron surprised me. He was nothing but giggles and huge smiles the whole time. Every picture that was taken was absolutely awesome. I simply couldn't choose (they were all that good), so I had to buy them all! We get the photos back Oct. 29, and I can't wait to see them in print.

Halloween preview

For you Melanie...

I love fall

I love fall because it allows for the use of cute, warmer jump suits. This Tigger suit has ears and a tail...need I say more. It makes spending time outside that much more enjoyable.

Solid foods

I was planning to hold out until Cameron turned 6 months, but Dave wanted to let Cameron play with his spoon in his high chair while we ate, so I just decided he might as well eat some rice cereal if he's playing with the spoon. So here's my big boy's first taste of (semi) solid food (and surprisingly it was Dave who thought to capture it in picture, not me).
The rice cereal doesn't taste half bad either, in my opinion. Cameron doesn't seem to mind it, but then again he's never eaten anything else so he has no idea what he's been missing.

Little white riding hood

Trust me, I'm loving the fall season. It opens infinitely more adorable clothing possibilities...like hoodies.

Off to church

Doesn't he look grown up? Here's little prince charming on his way to church.

The colours of fall

How could I possibly pass up the opportunity to pose Cameron in a pile of beautifully colourful leaves? Unfortunately, despite my calling his name and begging for smiles, he didn't feel like looking at me because the leaves were so much more interesting. And when he did look at me, it was with a mouth full of leaves.

The catalogue continues...

From his winter collection, here is Cameron modelling his fleece toque...

And this hoodie/khahki combo is great for lounge wear...

Stripes and overalls are very "in" this season, and double great as active wear...

And collared onsies are essential for going from day wear straight to evening...
At meal time it is increasingly fashionable to show support for the local sports teams.

I'm a little poser

Catalogues, here I come...
Cameron loves to smile as soon as I point the camera at him. Such a little show off.

Winner of Best Dressed in Town

We went to another wedding on the long weekend, and dressed Cameron up in his little suit. I thought it might still be too big, but it turns out it fits just right. Everyone thought Cameron was adorable in his suit, and he was definitely the best dressed there.

Vacation 2008

It wasn't as exotic as some our recent trips to Europe, Australia...but we had fun none the less (minus a few stressful times while Cameron was adjusting to the long hours of travel in his car seat).

We did a road trip to spend time with family. The first leg of the journey took us to Fairmont, BC to spend time with Dave's family and enjoy the golfing and hot springs.

Fairmont was Cameron's first swimming experience. After showing polite indifference early on, he started to enjoy the water.
From Fairmont, we proceeded to Idaho and eventually on to Spokane to visit Grandpa P. and swim in Grandpa's pool.

We then travelled to Kelowna to visit Gram, Gigi and some of my old friends.

The best way to wake up in the morning

I usually don't get up in the morning until I hear little noises coming from Cameron's room. I get up and go to check if he's awake. I walk into his room and peek over the crib. He turns to look at me, and erupts into a huge smile. It melts my heart. I love my life.

Jump Around

Cameron is now figuring out how to really get going like a little monkey in the Jolly Jumper. I should have held the camera the other way...or maybe there is some way to rotate video clips? For now, you'll have to tilt your head.

Peek a boo

We went for a picnic on Sunday with Uncle James and Auntie Adrienne. It was great weather and we had a fun first picnic with Cameron. Cameron was trying on Uncle James' hat. I think it's still a bit big.

It has been a bit of a rough week for Cameron. I think there's a bit of teething going on, which may have initiated the "nursing strike" and increased fussiness of week 14. There was some concern whether or not he was getting enough milk to stay hydrated, but he still gained 5 ounces last week, so I guess he was doing okay. I think we're through that unfortunate episode now. He seems to be sleeping/tired a bit more than usual, so maybe he's heading into a growth spurt too.

3 Months

Master Cameron is three months old today. Yay!

And to celebrate, we had a jolly jumping party.

Jolly Jumping

I put Cameron in the jolly jumper for the first time the other day. He loved it. And the more he starts to figure out how to use it, the more fun he seems to have.

Above: Cameron's first jolly jumping experience

Above: 2nd jolly jumping experience - I think he was mid-jump here

Soul-Searcher

Cameron tends to look very intently at people, as though he's searching their soul and taking in every move they make. Some people think he's very serious.

My plot was foiled

It was really unfortunate. The photographer showed up to take some baby pictures of Cameron, and we ended up having to cancel the session. Cameron was great for the first couple pictures (which were quite fantastic actually), and then I think he got scared by the photographer who was maybe rushing him a bit and making noises that maybe scared him a bit. So Cameron had a meltdown (he was doing his scared/in pain cry) and refused to work with the photographer after that. I could calm him down, but as soon as we tried to resume the photo shoot Cameron would fuss again.

I've decided that Cameron doesn't like to be rushed, as when I try to get him out of the house in a hurry he starts to fuss. And I think the glare of the lights (on a hot day no less) and the fact that there was a strange man making weird and startling noises to keep his attention probably had Cameron concerned with what the heck was happening to him.

If we re-schedule the session, I think I'd advise the photographer to just talk to Cameron rather than making weird noises.

Once the photographer left, I had no trouble getting Cameron to pose a bit for my own photo shoot.

He's a happy little guy

Strollercise

Cameron and I decided to try strollercise this week.

Perhaps it was ignorant of me, but I figured this would be an inside activity so we could escape the 30 degree heat and enjoy some air conditioning at the gym. Nope, instead the strollercise in the summer months is running outside (up hills, down hills, with some other strength stuff built in. Good thing I remembered my water bottle because some parts of this 1.5 hour class seemed pretty intense. I must admit, I had to stop and throw up in the bushes during some of the stairs running. It's more a product of my being out of shape and dehydration/overheating than the intensity of the class, so next class I plan to bring 2 bottles of water and eventually I'll get back into better shape.

Cameron had it easy. He just slept through the whole thing.

My Boys are Baptised

Long story, but Dave was never baptised. Cameron's baptism offered the perfect opportunity forDave to be baptised as well. So, Sunday June 22 both of my boys were baptised!


Cameron was a champ and was too busy making faces at his godparents (my brother and his wife) to be concerned with the water being poured over his head. I guess our "practice" sessions in the bath tub paid off. Cameron didn't even cry/fuss during the church service. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Cameron with his godparents:

The whole troup:

The baptised boys:

Our little family:

I made a cake to serve at the luncheon after the service, and I'm fairly proud of it. It's not often you see an electric blue bible, but I had limited food colours for my icing.

So True...

I think the onesie says it all...
More pictures from last weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's house:

Sitting in the Bumbo

My little boy is actually quite strong, so I figured he was ready to sit like a big boy in his Bumbo seat. Using the Bumbo seat presents a whole bunch of other ways I can stage cute pictures of Cameron.

Here he is trying on his new hat
Here he is reading a book

Here he is wearing his cute outfit from Grandma and Grandpa
And here's one of Cameron scowling at me. I'm sure he wishes some days that my camera was broken.

On a roll

Cameron started rolling over intentionally this morning (front to back). He did it 4 times in a row before he tired of my little game. I managed to catch it on video:

A-Goo

Cameron has started talking a lot the last week or so. He seems to be most talkative after his evening bath and during diaper changes. Maybe each of those experiences lend themselves to having lots to say. A-goo (I enjoyed my bath, perhaps tomorrow I'll splash around even more), ga-goo (I'm looking forward to eating now), umm-a-goo (thanks, now my bum feels fresh and clean).

I have a video of him talking...will try to attach it here:

Bibs: not just for when eating

I think I've got it figured out now. Sometimes the motion in the car shakes things loose and causes spit up, so now after we "buckle up for safety" we put the bib on to avoid messes and smelly outfits.

How could anyone say "no" to this face?

Tummy Time!

Such a gentleman

Cameron attended his first wedding last weekend, the wedding of Dave's cousin Charles to Angel.

Cameron wore his new outfit from Grandma and Grandpa, and looked like quite the little gentleman. Of course, he was charming all of the ladies as usual.

Rub a dub dub...

...Cameron in the tub!

He's starting to really like his baths now. I think he'll be a good swimmer. He's like a little frog when I put him on his front to wash his back.

Mr. Fussy Pants

This week has been tough. Yesterday was probably the toughest day I've ever had with Cameron. He was SO overtired. As a result, he was too tired to sleep it seemed. Getting him to sleep wasn't a problem, it was keeping him asleep.

Thankfully, today he seems to be back to his (loose) schedule for daytime naps.

"Put me in Coach..."

"...I'm ready to play."
Right after this nap!

Cameron goes camping, and golfing

Dave's parents have a camp lot at the Seba Beach golf course, so for the long weekend we went camping with them. And Cameron got to do his first round of golf, from the comforts of the golf cart.

It was a little hot on the Saturday (thirty some-odd degrees), so Cameron had to strip down to his shorts and cool off in the air-conditioned trailer.
And Sunday Cameron was wearing his hat for maximum sun protection.

Smile for the camera

Cameron is starting to become much more liberal with his giving of smiles now. He has also exhibited the ability to roll over both from front to back and back to front on occasion. They may still be coincidences though.

Done and Done

Well, the last of my siblings is now officially hitched. Marissa and her Dave tied the knot on May 10. They lucked out and had beautiful weather for their day. Marissa looked fabulous, and I think everyone had a fun time at their wedding.

I must look an awful lot like Marissa because people had no trouble determining that I was the bride's sister.

A rare glimpse of me

There aren't many pictures with Cameron and I together...it's mostly me behind the camera. Here's one of a handful:It's so hard not to laugh at Cameron when he's in the sleep-sack with the bear ears.

One month old already!

Cameron and I aren't sure where the time goes, but it has already been one month since my sweet boy was born.

Cameron's first month-iversary coincided with my first mother's day. After brunch at the Moose Factory, we headed out to Drayton Valley for a joint party for mother's day, Dave's birthday, and BJ's birthday. It gave us an opportunity to spend time with our niece Emily and the rest of the family.

This week in the life of Cameron

Cameron is such a good boy. Knock on wood. He's a little sweetie, and we have lots of fun together. Okay, I have a lot of fun laughing at his facial expressions. This week we started reading a lot together during his alert times. He seems to really like it when I read to him.

I told you I could do it

For those who doubted that I could find the time to make a football helmet cake for my husband's birthday while taking care of a newborn:


And I did it all in one morning. The key to getting things done...buy a baby sling.

Another year gone by

It's hard to believe, but it's been 4 whole years since Dave and I tied the knot. Time flies when you're having fun.

We're pro-stars

Cameron and I are becoming pro-stars at getting things done. I feel like we've actually been productive the last fews days, which is surprising because 'Daddy' went back to work yesterday.

Cameron and I went and got his social insurance number today, finished applying for Employment Insurance and resolving the debacle of obtaining my Record of Employment from the oh-so-inefficient Service Alberta, wrote/mailed some thank you notes, went for an hour walk both days, got 'Daddy's' birthday present...and the list goes on.

Here are a few new pictures I've uploaded:


We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa on Sunday...and Cameron got to meet his cousin Emily.

Look, they're holding hands!

Growing like a Weed!

We got Cameron weighed today at the Public Health Clinic. Not only has he gotten back up to his birth weight in the last 2 weeks, he's gained nearly 5 ounces above his birth weight. So he's now 8 pounds, 7.75 ounces. Apparently the feeding is going quite well. I thought I saw an extra roll under his chin.

Some pictures from the last week:

Who does he look like?

For anyone trying to figure out whether Cameron looks more like me or like Dave, I provide the following as evidence that he takes after my side of the family:

Here I am, circa 1981:


And here is Cameron last week: