Camden - 4 + years

Camden -

It’s been a really, really, really long time since my last letter to you…1.5yrs – WAY TO LONG!  I am so sorry! Where did the time go? I’m going to squeeze everything in and promise to start writing you more often!
Where do I begin? I’m sitting here looking at you and am amazed how much you’ve grown and changed over the past year (and a half). You completed preschool in August, you are now in Pre-K with Ms. Grace and you love it! Anytime you meet someone new you tell them your age, your “grade” and you show them your shoes. Funny!

We recently celebrated your 4^th birthday (okay so it was 4 months ago). You had a “James” themed party this year. Why a James and not a simple Thomas the Train party? Because James is red like Lightening McQueen and since you had a Cars themed 3^rd birthday party you couldn’t have a Cars themed 4^th birthday. Not my choice – your choice. I offered and you said no.

You obviously still love trains and cars, but you’re slowly moving into the super hero phase. You were Spiderman for Halloween this year (adorable) and we just bought you Spiderman shoes. You are anxiously awaiting Christmas and your Christmas list is getting longer and longer. The cute thing is that you always say,  “and one for Ethan”.  I’m not sure if you’re saying this because you really want him to have one or if it’s because you don’t want to share yours J

Your Christmas list consists of a Jake and the Neverland Pirates bath toy, Cars 2 airplane, Batman Cave, a black racecar for Ethan, a fishing pole for Mommy, “Where the Wild Thing’s Are” book, more trains, cars, racetracks, ninja turtles and power rangers.

We’re starting some new traditions this Christmas and so far you are really enjoying them. First, we’re doing an advent calendar that’s full of fun family activities. Second, Buddy the Elf has come to visit.

You recently started a basketball class with your buddy, Andrew. You’re so excited about this class and have such a great jump shot already! Basketball has always been one of your favorite sports. Your daddy and I really enjoyed watching you at your first session. At one point, you wanted me to come out and help you. After about five minutes, you looked up and said “Can Daddy come back out and help me?”.  Guess you don’t like my coaching skills!

You’ve been fully potty trained for about a year now – Although we’re still working on the wiping thing…. You are so good about getting up in the middle of the night and going potty. Until about two months ago, you used to wake us up to tell us you had to go. We finally told you, you didn’t need permission and now you just go on your own...Nice!

I love hearing about your day and what you have learned. Most of the time when we ask you what you did at school you respond by saying, “I played”, but we’re typically able to pry some additional information from you over dinner.

You’re all boy – sports, cars, trains, wrestling, jumping, dirt etc. You have an adorable personality and you’re so full of love. You’re also an amazing big brother and I can tell that you care for your little brother even though you two fight most of the time! You always get a big grin on your face when he walks into your classroom and you always yell “Ethan” and show him off to your friends. At home, you two are still learning how to play together. Hopefully this improves as Ethan get older! 

Well big guy, you continue to amaze me every day. I love watching you learn and grow. Although some phases are more enjoyable than others, I would not trade any moments we spend together. I am looking forward to the Fabulous Fives though…Ha! Love you!

 

Love - Mommy

 

4 Year Old Interview:

Favorite Color – Red
Favorite Toy – Lightening McQueen
Favorite Show – Spiderman
Favorite Sport- Basketball
Favorite thing about your brother – Playing with him
Favorite Animal  at the Zoo – Monkey
Favorite Song  - Life is a Highway
Favorite thing to sleep with – Baby Monkey and lots of blankets
What do you want to be when you grow up – Basketball player
Favorite Book – Fly Guy – The football one.
Favorite Fruit – Blueberries
Favorite Holiday – Christmas
Favorite thing to do outside – Play with my race cars

Camden - 2.5 yrs

Camden J –

Oh where to begin - You have grown up so much over the past few months. The biggest news – you’ve outgrown your allergies! This has opened up a whole new world of food for you and has made cooking and eating out a lot easier for us. However, it’s still an adjustment… Things I thought you would love, you don’t. For instance, corndogs…you refuse to eat the breading. Pudding, you still prefer soy pudding. And milk…you’ll drink it but only if we bribe you. You still prefer to drink almond or soy milk.

You’ve become so independent over the past couple of months and seem to be enjoying your new room and the new found freedom that comes with it. We moved your trains and some toys in there and now you love to hang out and play in YOUR room. You especially like to do this during naptime. Yep – weekend naps are a struggle now. It appears you have no trouble taking a nap at daycare, but on the weekends you get up and start playing as soon as we close your door. When we open the door to check on you, you drop whatever toy/book is in your hand and run to your bed. One time, we found you “painting” the walls with diaper cream! Most recently, you’ve started emptying your dresser drawers. Every weekend, I have to refold and put your clothes away. I’m going to be getting locks for your drawers soon if you don’t stop.

This past Monday, your Daddy put you down for a nap, heard a noise and found that you managed to open your bedroom door (also new) and you where spraying our room, your room, Ethan’s nursery and the hallway with Downey Spray. You were so proud of yourself too. When I got home, you went around and pointed to everything you sprayed! Cute, but now there is a safety knob on your door so you can’t get out when you’re supposed to be napping!

You’ve also learned how to open the refrigerator door recently. At first, I was very excited about this. You would ask for something to drink and we would tell you to go get your sippy out of the fridge. Now, you’ve realize you can get other things out...not so good. Just please don’t mess with the eggs! I've heard stories about your daddy doing this when he was little!

Swim lessons. You were so excited about swim lessons the first few weeks and really seemed to love the water. Even going under water didn’t seem to bother you too much. However, things changed once your instructor tried to put a noodle around you. You freaked out and tried your hardest to get out of the pool. Daddy tried calming you and you wanted nothing to do with him, the pool or the noodle. After lessons, when I was putting you to bed, I asked you about the noodle and you said, “I scared”. I asked you why and you looked at me like you were trying to figure it out. I then told you Mommy and Daddy would never let anything hurt you. You responded by saying, ”I try again next time”. This was our first really conversation about feelings. I left the room almost in tears. One because I don’t want you to be scared and two because you’re growing up so fast!

It’s big boy potty time! January 17, 2011. That’s the date you first used the “big boy potty”. You sat on your little potty, peed, stood up and said “I did it!”. It was a wonderful moment. Your Daddy and I were jumping up and down and you were so proud. We haven’t really started potty training though. There are days when we ask you if you want to use the potty and you want nothing to do with it. Then there are days when you say okay, sit there, get up without going and say, “I try again later”. We don’t want to pressure you into using the potty just yet. You have so many other changes going on…

Which brings me to this coming week….We’re gearing up for your little brother’s arrival. If he doesn’t come on his own this weekend, I’ve decided to be induced on March 2nd. I’m so excited to see you and your brother together… And I’m anxious to see how your adjust once we bring him home. Tonight before bed, you wanted to read your Big Brother book. Hopefully that’s a good sign.

Daddy and I love you so much, Camden. I hope you never forget or doubt that.

Love,
Mommy

Other things to remember –
1. Your new favorite show is Dinosaur Train.
2. You’ve pretty much given up the need to sleep with Baby Monkey, George and Mickey. Now it’s just Baby Monkey.
3. You’re not too excited about wearing pull-ups. You prefer a diaper.
4. You love using blue markers at daycare. You keep using one that doesn’t come off! I swear it’s not a washable marker even though it says it is!
5. You still love basketball and golf. You love going to the driving range with Daddy.
6. You’re very independent. If we try to help with things you say,” No, I do it”.
7. You still miss your buddy Griswald (we do too). You ask about him every now and then. It breaks my heart when you try to get Winston to play and he doesn’t. Hopefully that will change soon.

Camden - 28 months...

Camden -

You have got to be the most precious little guy ever! You have grown so much over the past few months. Your speech and the words you say just blow your daddy and I away.

Things you love at this point – basketball, golf, Mickey Mouse, trains and race cars! Oh, how you love race cars. When we’re driving down the road you say, “Mommy faster”, or “Mommy go/stop”. It makes your daddy and I laugh. And when you play with your race cars you love to crash them into each other. I keep reminding you that you are not allowed to be a racecar driver – It’s too dangerous.

One of the funniest moments recently occurred at the dinner table. The three of us were sitting there and all of a sudden your daddy and I heard something. We looked at you and you said, “I burped”. It was funny, because you didn’t actually burp, you had gas….loud gas! The three of us sat there laughing for a good five minutes.

We spent Thanksgiving Day at your Great Aunt Charlotte’s house. You had so much fun playing with your cousins. You were the youngest one, but that didn’t stop you from wrestling with them. I should mention that your daddy and I have been very hesitant when it comes to you wrestling, because you’ve been getting into trouble at daycare for tackling and pushing, but since it was a holiday and you were having so much fun we decided it was okay.

Your Aunt Maya, Uncle Pat, Zane and Jude arrived in Decatur Friday afternoon. I was a little nervous as to how you would react to Baby Jude, but was pleasantly surprised when you didn’t mind me holding or feeding him. And was even more surprised when you shared your Monkey and Mickey Mouse with him…

You and Zane had so much fun playing together and running around the “circle” at Grandma and Grandpa L’s house. You guys ran around it for a good half hour while we watched. At one point your Uncle Pat started hiding and scaring you guys. You loved it!

You came away from the weekend looking like you were in a boxing match. First, on Thanksgiving night, you were doing something you weren’t supposed to be doing. When your daddy caught you, you ran away from him laughing and fell into a small TV, bruising and scratching your cheek. Then on Friday, you and Zane were chasing each other and you fell right into the corner of a wall which gave you a horrible black eye. I think I was more upset than you were. When I ran over to you, you cried for about two minutes and then wanted down to play. All I wanted to do is hold you! We do have some memorable pics from the weekend!

Major changes are heading your way after the holidays. First, you’re moving up to a new class at daycare - Hello potty training and hello big boy cups!!! Either before or after that, when you’re your big boy room is done , you’ll be moving in to a new room and into a big boy bed. I’m a little nervous about the big boy bed for two reasons. One you love you your crib and two it’s so easy. We just put you in there and you go to sleep. You’ve never attempted to climb out…yet. When you move over, I have a feeling you’re not going to stay in bed. Instead, you’re going to want to play or something. I guess we’ll see what happens soon enough.

Camden, just know that with all the changes heading you’re way, I love you and we’ll get through them together!

Love,

Mommy

18 months...

There are amazing little moments that happen everyday. I try to take a mental snapshot of each of them because it's these little moments that I don't want to forget. Last night for instance - you and daddy were sitting on the couch and you gave him a kiss and my heart just melted. And today you gave me the perfect ending to a crazy day. You not only let me rock you to sleep, but you looked up at me, said mom and gave me a kiss. It was wonderful. Mom is the best word - I've been looking foward to you saying that word since even before you were born and now you're saying it! Life can be crazy so I have to constantly remind myself to just relax and enjoy our time together. Thank you for helping me to do that.

So this week you are transitioning to the Toddler 1 class at daycare! I can't believe you're a toddler! There are big changes coming your way - You'll now be taking naps on a cot, sitting at a table for lunch and drinking from a big boy cup! I can't wait to see how you adjust. I'm sure you'll do great!

You've grown so much over the past year and a half. You just had your 18 month check-up and the doctor said you're doing great. You're 33 inches tall (90th percentile) and weigh 25 pounds (50th percentile). You're talking more and more each day. Your two favorite words are snacks and ball but you also say mom, socks, shoes, basketball, golf, yes and a few other words. You can sign eat, more, please, all done, milk and thank you. You give kisses and hugs and love to climb on the kitchen chairs.

We've recently started to let you watch a little TV. Two shows actually - Chuggington and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. You only sit in one place for about five minutes but you seem to enjoy them for those five minutes. Another cute thing you're doing...

Basketball and golf are your two favorite sports. Although... you do love OSU football! We can point to anything OSU and raise your arms like your saying touchdown! You also have a special dance you do when you make a basket...It's adorable!!!

You continue to love music and dancing and seem to really enjoy you're WeJoySing classes. It's been fun for your daddy and I to watch you grow and learn during these classes.

I'm looking foward teaching you new things and to learning new things from you.

I love you more than words can say.

15 Months...

You're now 15 months. You weigh 24 pounds and you're 33 inches tall. I thought my letters to you would occur less frequently since you turned one but you're growing and changing so much these days I want to make sure I remember these little milestones.



So what has changed this past month?....Everything. You're learning so many new things - You can quack like a duck, bark like a dog and say hoohoo like a monkey (and can point to them in a book). Your vocabulary is expanding. You can say ball, bubbles, fish and golf. You say DaDa sometimes - Still no Mommy but I think you're close. You've learned how to run, raise your arms when we say touchdown and sign help and drink. You're catching on to thing so quickly. One of my favorite new things you do is give kisses. Tonight before bed I asked you to give daddy a kiss so you walked right over to him and gave him one. My heart just melted.

You've mastered the stairs and you're actually trying to walk up and down them instead of crawling. When I say trying, I mean you look at me and act like you're going to until I tell you no.

One thing you love to do is play outside. Everyday when we arrive home you grab your basketball and head to the door. One afternoon daddy started throwing the ball up on the roof and now it's one of your favorite things to do. He lifts you up high, you throw the ball up and laugh when it falls to the ground. You also love playing golf and riding your bike.


A small issue we're having is separation anxiety. All you want is mommy. I have to admit 80% of me loves this... the other 20% not so much. You do pretty well in the nursery at church and at daycare but the gym...no way. Daddy and I dropped you off there the other day and you cried the entire time. Heartbreaking. Everyone keeps telling me that you'll get used to it but it's hard to leave you. It's going to be harder once you actually yell mommy.

I'm looking forward to the holidays this year. We're going to cut down our tree in a few weeks. I wonder what you will think of it. You make the holidays so much more fun!

We love you!

14 months...

It still amazes me how much a baby changes in just one short year. Your daddy and I just look at each other at times and say “How did this happen? He’s a little boy. He’s a little person.”

I have to admit, I miss the cuddle time and rocking you to sleep, but this stage…this stage is my favorite so far. The thing I like most is that you’re starting to communicate with us. You’re not only signing (finally after 8mths of daddy and me signing to you, you’re signing – more and eat!) but you can tell us what you want and you know what we’re talking about when we ask you to do something. You also know when you are doing something you’re not suppose to which has been funny at times (we try not to laugh) but also means that we’ve had to start time-outs. We haven’t had to do many and you honestly have no idea what we’re doing but it’s a start. The main reason for time-outs…hitting Griswald! Anyway, it is so amazing to me because a couple of months ago you weren't walking or communicating and now your walking, playing Ring-Around-the-Rosie, dancing, riding your bike, throwing balls for the pups, climbing up and down the stairs, blowing kisses and TALKING!

Yes, you’re starting to talk. Most people are not going to believe this but your first word was…GOLF! Sure you’ve said DA DA DA and a couple of months ago we were sure your 1^st word was going to me dog but no…it was golf. Daddy is so proud! Since saying golf you’ve started to say fish (there are fish at your daycare), DADA (you’re actually looking at him while saying it), and uh-oh. Okay, so I don't know if uh-oh counts as a word but you say it every time you drop something and it’s adorable so I’m counting it. I think you say "that” and “yes” too but they’re not clear. Still no MAMA or Mom or Mommy….Come on already!

We’re starting to wean you from the paci which means no paci during playtime. You love your paci and it breaks my heart when you walk over and point to the shelf we keep it on. I must say, you’re handling it better than I expected. I think the hardest part is going to be when we take it away at naptime and bedtime. Although you still have your tiger blankie, football blankie and George…Yes all three! The first thing you want to do when we get home each day is go up to your room and get them. You love them!

Mealtime has become more difficult, not only because of your allergies but because you’ve become one of those picky toddlers I always read about. You refuse to eat veggies which used to be a favorite of yours. At times, I can get you to eat carrots if they’re dipped in ketchup. You love ketchup. You’d eat it as a side dish if we’d let you. It’s also difficult because you love to throw things – your food, your sippy, your spoon etc. Oh! And you want to feed yourself which is adorable. You dip your spoon into your food and bring it to your month. Problem – there’s no food on the actual spoon. It’s cute because you’re so proud of yourself. I’ve learned a trick - you have a spoon and I have a spoon…or two.

You’ve started brushing your teeth on your own (okay so we still help a little) but you sit on the bathroom floor with me and we brush our teeth together. You love it and I love that you love it. You have 12 teeth and I want to make sure they stay cavity free!

As for toys, you love your golf clubs. Every ball is a golf ball. You even called the pumpkins at the pumpkin patch – golf. Another favorite of yours recently is your blocks. I love watching you try to stack them. And you love the laundry basket. You climb in and we use it as a race car. You scream with laughter as we race room to room.

A favorite time of day for me is when I go to pick you up from daycare. I quietly open the door and just stand there until you notice me. I do this because I love to see you play with other children and to see your personality without me there. It only takes about 15 seconds for you to realize I’m there but it’s enough. It’s enough for me to take it all in and for me to see that you are truly your own little person. You, Camden, are an amazing little boy!

Other things you love/Cute things you do:

- Reading books. I find you in your room, flipping through books and making noises like you’re reading.

- Going for walks. You’re starting to want to actually walk instead of riding in the stroller.

- Playing with the pups.

- Balloons

- Every time daddy starts the car – you wave bye-bye. Even if we’re just waiting for him to pull out of the garage.

- You walk to your chair when I ask if you want a snack.

- Dancing – we love to dance together. Sometimes when I’m driving I look in the mirror and see you moving to the music. You’re so cute!

Camden - One Year...

Better late than never -

It's been one year since I saw your adorable little face for the first time. It's so hard to believe that you've gone from this precious little newborn that was so helpless and so dependent on me, to this wonderful little boy who is growing increasingly more independent every day.

You step right into your 1st year…literally. You took your first steps on your birthday and what’s even better is they were right to me. Thank you, Camden!

You’ve been walking around furniture for a while now but this month you've also started pushing your toys around and even started standing on your own. The stairs are no match for you…well going up anyway. We still need to work on climbing back down.

Another big change occurred this month – You are officially off the bottle…Sort of. We replaced the nipple on your bottle with a sippy converter. You’ll drink water out of other sippy cups but you want your formula out of the bottle. I hope this changes once we completely phase out formula.

As for your ears, you had tubes put in this month (July 15th) and you handled it a lot better than I did. Although you currently have an ear infection, you seem to be doing a lot better.

This month, you started interacting with the pups more. You try to wrestle with them when there playing and I’ve caught you feeding them several times. Before you would throw them food, now you let them eat right out of your hand. You also have a new friend you can't sleep without, George... as in Curious George. You love him! You carry him around and we've even had to take him to daycare a few time.

You love going outside and swinging on your swing. Every time we open the backdoor to let the pups out you get all excited. When we close the door and you realize we're not going outside you start crying. It's actually pretty adorable.

Your bedtime as been moved back a half hour. This doesn’t seem like much but this gives us extra time to play after dinner and has allowed us to started taking our family walks again. I swear you’re trying to say dog. Every time we see a dog you point to it and say “du”. I wonder if this will be your official 1st word.

Grandma Ziegman flew in from Arizona this past month and stayed with us. Instead of going to daycare, you spent quality time with your Grandma. She took you to the park and spoiled you the entire time. While she was here, we headed up to Cleveland for our family reunion where you met some of your family for the first time. Everyone just adored you.

Camden - Mommy and Daddy love you more than words can say. You are the greatest gift and we are so blessed to have such an amazing little boy. We've enjoyed watching you grow and change over this past year and are eagerly looking forward to what this next year will bring. I just ask that you take it easy on us. We're still trying to figure out this whole parenting thing!

We love you!

Other exciting things that happened this month: 1. Your friend Colin Matthew Stefango was born. 2. Grandpa showed you how to put breaks on a car.
3. Your 1st trip to the Columbus Art Museum. 4. You earned a degree from OSU! "Bachelors of Infancy" Mommy and Daddy are so proud! 5. Your 1st Birthday Party!

11 Months...

It's been a crazy month. I've tried so hard to post your monthly letters as close to the 8th as possible because you change so much day to day but this month just got away from me. Why this you ask...? Well, you're keeping me busy!

You're now 11 months old. You're 21 pounds 8 ounces and approximately 32 inches long. The big news this month...You have to get tubes and your allergic to milk and eggs. Everyone says you're just like your daddy and you're proving them right!

Mobility Status - Not only have you started crawling, (Yes, an actually hands and knees crawl) you're also pulling up on furniture and even trying to walk while holding on to it. Because of this we finally installed gates around the house and finished putting locks on the cabinet doors... All except for one that is. I reorganized the kitchen and made a cabinet specifically for you. It's full tupperware for you to take out and play with while your daddy and I cook. You seem to like it.

You've also started helping me "clean" your room. I put the books on the shelf and you reorganize them. You helped so much the one day that I eventually had to put you in your crib so I could organize them the way I wanted to.

One of the cutest things about your new skills is that although you can pull yourself up you haven't yet figured out how to sit back down. Sure you sometimes just fall over on accident but if you don't, you stand there and cry until we help you down. For instance, earlier in the month when you first started standing, we put you to bed for the night and a few minutes later we heard you crying. After a few more minutes your cry started getting louder so I peaked in to find you standing in your crib looking down trying to figure out how to lay back down. It was hilarious. Here's a picture of you from the first morning daddy and I walked in your room to find you standing there waiting for us.

I'd have to say your two favorite activities this month are opening and closing doors and golfing. Yes, you've made your daddy one proud papa. Daddy asks you to find your golf club and after you do, you hit the golfball, then crawl over to it and hit it again. I love seeing your daddy's face when the two of you are playing. He's so proud.

We headed to the lake this past month for a long relaxing weekend with Will and Mandy. Your daddy and I have been looking forward to taking you on your first boat ride and for your first swim. Although you love taking a bath and swimming in your pool, we were a little worried that you wouldn't like the lake. I was afraid it was going to be too cold for you but you seemed to love it.

We headed up north for Father's Day weekend. Your Grandpa and Great Grandma Adams watched you while I went to a reception. Your grandpa loves you so much. The two of you played for hours and he layed on the bed next to your pack-n-play until you fell asleep for the night. Father's Day morning, we woke up and took Grandpa Adams out to breakfast then headed back home so you could spend the rest of the day with your daddy.

We're trying to explore the parks around Columbus. Our favorite so far is Liberty Park in Powell. Although it doesn't have baby swings (your favorite) it does have something most parks don't... a Splash Park!!! Your daddy and I took you there Sunday afternoon then headed over to Rita's for some italian ice (sorry, no ice cream for you).

Well, Camden...The invitations have been sent and the planning is done. The next letter I write will be for your one year birthday. Although I'm looking forward to this milestone, when I think about the actual day, my eyes fill with tears. I can't belive that in just a few short weeks my little guy will technically be considered a toddler! I hope you know that no matter how old you get, you will always be my precious baby boy. I love you.

Other exciting things that happened this month:

1. You had your 1st pool party - You and Cole....

2. 1st time at Chuck-E-Cheese

3. 1st train ride at the zoo

10 months...

*Maya Laurent Photography

Camden J – It’s hard to believe that in just two short months you’re going to be a year old. I look at your new friend Aiden and I can’t believe the difference ten months makes. You’ve grown and changed so much.

You now have a total of eight teeth: four top teeth and four bottom teeth! Two more popped through this month. And with teeth comes biting. You actually left a mark on my arm today.

*Maya Laurent Photography

During your 9 month checkup, your pediatrician said that he didn’t think you were going to crawl. Well he was wrong…sort of. You don’t actually lift your belly off the ground and crawl. Instead, you’ve invented your very own style of crawling. It started off as a typical arm crawl, now it’s more of an army crawl with knees. Whatever it is, it gets you where you want to go. There’s no stopping you now.

As for sitting up on your own…you can do that too. I actually saw you do this for the 1st time about a week ago. I peeked into your room to see if you were awake. You were playing with Monkey while waiting patiently for me to come in and get you. I was about to walk in when all of a sudden I saw you trying to sit up. I stood there for a few more seconds and all of a sudden you did it. You sat up all on your own! I walked in clapping; you looked at me and let out a little giggle. Later that afternoon daddy and I finally lowered your crib!

You have a few new favorite activities. You like playing “drop the ball”. Yep, all I have to do is drop a ball and you laugh. It’s great. After I drop the ball, you hold it up and drop it. It’s actually quite fun. You also have a new love of mirrors. You take the mirror and bring it right up to your face. It’s like you finally realize that it’s you in the mirror. Very cute! I pulled your activities tables out this month and you love them. Daddy and I’ve holding you up so you can play with them but over the past couple of days you’ve started to try to pull yourself up. Another milestone about to happen…

Putting toys away is another favorite. Well, you like to put them in things and then take them back out. For example, you love to put toys on the bottom of the exersaucer and then take them out. Or put them in the toy bin and take them back out. Daddy says that you and Griswald had fun playing this game yesterday. You kept putting one of Griwald's toys on the bottom of the exersaucer and Griswald kept taking it back out. I’m glad you two are bonding.

Speaking of bonding - Griswald and Winston love you, especially now that you feed them. Over the past month your meals went from being about 80% pureed foods to about 90% table/finger foods. This was going great until this past week when you decided that after just a few short weeks of eating meat you’d rather be a vegetarian. Now every time we put a piece of meat on your tray, you drop it on the floor for the pups. You’ve also started moving your hand across your tray and shoving everything onto the floor and throwing your bottle/sippy cup when you’re done. OH – you’re also not a big fan of macaroni & cheese.

This past month something big happened. I spent my first night away from you. Your daddy and I took a trip to Atlanta for a friends’ wedding and you stayed with your Grandma and Grandpa Laurent. I have to admit, I handled it better than I expected. I missed you of course but it was nice to get away, to spend some time with your daddy and to see some old friends. Plus, it was easy since I knew you were being spoiled during your vacation away from me and Daddy.

As for your ears, they’re not getting any better. In fact, you had to have a total of four shots this month. They seem to be the only thing that helps. It looks like you’re going to have to get tubes. Your doctor referred us to an ENT so we’ll know more towards then end of this month. I just hope you don’t get another ear infection before your appointment. By the way, your daddy says he’s sorry. You evidently inherited his ears.

Daddy wanted me to add that your favorite thing to say is da da da da (although I say you have no idea what it means and the pediatrician agrees with me). It’s something that we hear on a regular basis. Camden, I love hearing you talk no matter what you say but come on already – MA MA MA MA!!





Other exciting things that happened this month:
1. Took a trip to Indy to visit Zane, Aunt Maya and Uncle Pat.
2.Went to the zoo with Laurel, Jason and Cole. You love the monkeys.
3. Went to the zoo with Hannah and took your 1st train ride
4. Had a picnic with Keira, Brandon and Aiden
5. Played in your pool for the 1st time

9 months...

So you're nine months now! You weigh 20pds 8oz and you're 30.5 inches long. Your funny and happy and absolutely adorable. I truly can't imagine my life without you.

This month started off with us celebrating your first Easter. Grandma and Grandpa Laurent even came over to help us celebrate. Sunday morning we woke up and after about an hour, I realized I had forgotten to give you your Easter basket. I promise to do better next year! Oh...And I'm sorry about the bunny ears. I couldn't resist. At least they're blue! So cute!!!

You spent most of this month teething and fighting ear infections. Every time you cut teeth you seem to get an ear infection. Your doctor says they're not related but I'm not so sure. The good news is you now have four top teeth which are absolutely adorable!

My work schedule changed this month so now I drop you off at daycare instead of daddy. I have to admit I cried the first time I had to drop you off this month. It's getting easier but I still hate leaving you! You had your 1st incident report a few weeks back. Your foot somehow got caught under the rocking chair when you were playing. Luckily you were okay. It didn't even leave a mark.

You're still not crawling. In fact, you seem to have no interest in it. Your pediatrician seems to think you are going to skip this stage and go straight to walking. I say, take your time to do both. Right now, rolling seems to be getting you where you want to go! You wiggle and roll until you reach the toy you want. You're favorite toys this month are your basketball hoop and your drum sticks. You made your first basket this past month! Do we have a future NBA star on our hands?



DA DA DA DA seems to be your favorite thing to say and "No Camden" seems to be the funniest words I can say. I just keep picturing you at 16 laughing at me when I say no to you taking the car. Hopefully by that time I'm able to overlook your adorable smile and not laugh myself. OH... I don't mind you saying DA DA as long as you start saying MA MA soon!

You've started helping me walk Winston this month. You reach your little arm out of your stroller, grab his leash and hold on tight.

Bath time is still a favorite of both of ours. You're now able to sit in the "big boy" tub and you love to splash water all over the bathroom.

Not only did you attend your first lacrosse game this month, you met Tim for the first time. He lives in Michigan so we don't get to see him very often. Don't worry, he lives in Michigan but he's an OSU fan!!!

Other exciting things that happened this month:
1. Grandpa Adams and Great Grandma Adams came to visit.

2. Aiden Lynn McGlone was born on May 5th. A new friend for you to grow up with!
3. We started Pancake Saturdays. You seem to love them!
4. Daddy started going to music class with us.