A New Niece

It's Monday...again! The weekends really go by way to fast over here. I am going to try this new thing on the blog...every Monday I am going to blog about our happenings the week before. I have noticed lately that I have only been blogging about Camden's Monthly updates and nothing else! So, this is my new goal :) I hope to be committed to it and keep it going. So, lets bounce back to last Monday...It was Labor Day and though I would like to say we did a ton, we didn't. Yard work mostly and getting some things ready for fall. We got a fence put it and decided to rip some grass out in our front yard for a flower bed. John was dead by the time we went to a family bbq that night. 

The Weather was perfect and Camden enjoyed eating dirt! SUCH.A.BOY 

 

We were all MOST excited for Tuesday though. My Brother and Sister-in-law welcomed home a brand new baby girl they adopted. When I say brand new, I mean she was born on August 30th. They got to meet her that day and decided to name her Jacee. They had to stay and get paperwork taken care of through the holiday, so they finally got to bring her home on Tuesday and we of course drove up to meet her. It was a late night, but so worth all the cute little snuggles I got. Isn't she a dream...

 

 Camden meeting his new cousin for the first time. He was more interested in her bow, but I am sure these two will be best buds as soon as Baby Jacee gets a little older. 

 

 New family of {6} 

 

 I am so happy for my brother and his family. After their family suffered from more than eight miscarriages and finally decided there wasn't anymore kids in the future for them, this little baby girl came along. The Lord truly provided a way to bring this little girl into their family. I.LOVE.HER! My sister-in-law is cherishing every moment with her, because she knows just how fast it goes. Baby Jacee has helped heal a lot of broken hearts and really...how couldn't she with that sweet sweet face!? 

 The rest of the week consisted of crafting, getting ready for baby Jacee's shower, and really just lounging around with my baby boy. John had a retreat for work at the end of the week and didn't get home until really late most nights, so Camden and I got to spend a lot of quality time together, but he sure missed his dad a ton! 

Yes...My Fall decor has been going up! 

  

Baby Jacee's shower was a success! She was showered with a lot of cute baby girl clothes and lots of love. Me and Jacee...we have a bond :) When I talk to her, she'll open her eyes and look at me. MELTS MY HEART!

Most of the weekend we staying in our Pj's...especially on Sunday. It felt like fall outside! I even thought about poring myself a hot cocoa and turning on the fire. Slow down Randi.... :)

 

We Hung out and laughed at cartoons...

and one night Camden was so tired he actually fell asleep while I was changing his diaper!

 

Here's to another great week! 

Camden {9} Months Old

This is probably the hardest update to write (thus far). I'm not sure why...maybe it's because this past month Camden has grown and changed so much! I may or may not be crying as I write this :( We love watching Camden learn new things and grow and interact with us, but oh my I sure miss my little baby boy. As you can tell from his {9} month photos, he doesn't hold still much anymore. In fact to get him to hold still, you usually have to bribe him with something really cool...like your car keys, a treat, or some random item that he thinks is great ha ha :) He also decided the sticker on his shirt was overrated. After I was done taking pictures it was ripped into a million pieces and all over the floor! We won't be re-using these I guess.

{Height and Weight}

Camden's {9} Month Stats

• Height: 29 inches/

• Weight: 21lbs/

• Head Circumference:19in/

 Camden is currently wearing 6-12 and 9-12 month clothes. These are all summer clothes and they are starting to get small. I am trying to hold off buying anything else for summer because Fall is just around the corner. This past month we went and bought him a bunch of new church clothes (12-18 months) and we have been purchasing fall and winter clothes since last season (12-18), so we are pretty much set, just waiting for the weather to change. 

We are still struggling in the shoe department, but I think I am just going to have to splurg and buy him some baby Toms. He is currently wearing a size 4. We laugh at his big toe all the time, because if it wasn't so long, he would probably fit in smaller shoes. We have hopes he'll grow into though.  He is also still wearing a size 3 in diapers. I thought he would have grown out of that size by now, but the 4's were still a little too big for him.

{Health}

Just before Camden turned {9} months, we (as in all three of us) got the dreadful summer cold  that had been going around! Luckily it only hung around for two days, but we did have to miss the Bear Lake family reunion. I blame it on the teeth :)

{Sleeping}

We had a few good weeks of sleep this past month and a few rough spots. Camden finally had a tooth break through, so for a week sleep was hard. It was like having a newborn again. He was up tossing and turning all night long. The rest of the month he has slept his normal 12 hours a night! He is such a good sleeper and we are so grateful for that. He definitely spoils us :)

Naps have changed a bit this past month. He can't decide if he needs two naps a day or one long one. If he doesn't take a nap around 11:00, he'll usually take a longer nap in the afternoon for about two- three hours. The kid likes his sleep and it's great for mom too because I can get a lot of things done in that time. He is still going down at about 8:30pm, waking up for a feeding anytime between 5:00- 7:00am, and going back down until about 9:00am. He still hangs out a ton in his crib before he falls asleep and has been standing up in his crib yelling "DA" when it's bedtime. I think it's because he knows dad is a push over :) It's the cutest thing ever.

Still our favorite thing to do is sneak in his room in the morning when he wakes up, the smiles we get are THE BEST! Plus he is still so snuggly in the mornings.

{Eating}

Camden loves food! This past month he decided it's much cooler to feed himself then for mom to do it. We bought him a sippy cup and it wasn't too long after that he wanted to hold his own bottle. We also set him in his high chair and let him go to town on his food pouches, or really anything we eat chopped up into small enough pieces. he has even been eating fresh banana's and loves them! There really isn't anything he doesn't like! We've cut back a little on bottle feedings, and have tried to give him more juice and water with his solids. His pediatrician said once he hits one year old he can have whole milk and to ditch the bottle and stick with a sippy cup. AH! He's growing up so fast!

He loves otter pops at grandma and grandpa's and will basically suck all the juice out and leave the rest. He also learned this month to drink out of a straw. The first time he did this he was in complete shock and couldn't believe what happened. He would drink and then gasp in amazement. Now every time he see's a straw hew knows exactly what to do.

{Likes}

Some new/old likes this past month...

• Camden likes to play by and under the in table in our living room...scares mom and dad because of the corners, but there is no way of keeping him from over there.
• He loves remotes! Soon he'll be picking his own channels to watch
• He loves Baby Einstein videos
• He loves to be naked
• He still can't get enough of the dog food. He's getting better at listening to us when we say no, but i'm not going to lie and say he didn't eat any this past month
• He likes to drop and feed Charlie food
• Camden loves to be thrown in the air by dad
• He loves to go outside and look for airplanes. He'll even point up in the sky and say "EWWWW"
• He loves to stand up next to furniture. in fact it's very rare this little boy sits anymore.

{Dislikes}

Some new/old dislikes this past month...

• Camden still hates to hold still when getting a diaper on or getting changed...he's got places to go and people to see :)
• He dislikes getting his face wiped off, especially when he has a cold!
• Camden doesn't like hats anymore. He'll pull them right off once he realized there is something there.
• He's not a fan of loud noises and cheering

{Firsts/ Holidays/ Etc.)

•  Camden celebrated his first 24th of July/ Pioneer Day
• He started standing by himself
• He learned to clap his hands
• He has said "DADDY" and couple of times
• Camden finally got a big boy carseat. He finally seems to be enjoying car rides a lot more. 
• Learned to hold his bottle on his own.
• HE GOT HIS VERY FIRST TOOTH on July 28!!

Well buddy, another month has gone and passed. I look at you everyday and still can't believe how fast nine months has gone. I am amazed by how fast you learn things and how smart my little boy is. Your pediatrician said you are definitely ahead in most categories and right on in others. You are such a beautiful baby boy and mom and dad love you so much! You are the best and biggest blessing we could ever ask for and we feel so honored to be your parents. Your personality is just beaming all the time. You are such a happy baby that likes to smile all the time, even at complete strangers. You're not shy at all! I think you've got moms personality, but dads smarts :) 

We think you'll be walking soon! You love to explore and man we have to keep a close eye on you! I have a feeling as soon as you discover those kitchen cabinets can open, you'll be into everything. We definitely have a lot more baby proofing to do. Happy {9} months baby boy!

 

Our summer fun in an "Insta"nt

Camden {8} months old

My baby (not so much baby) is {8} months old! This kid is so full of spunk and has the biggest personality. He knows how to work mom and dad to get whatever he wants and uses this to his advantage (he's starting early), but who really could resist this face!

 

 We seem to get the best giggles out of him at night time or when we have guests over at our house. He likes to be the center of attention and knows when all eyes are on him. Camden lights up any room he is in and people can't resist those beautiful blue eyes and those adorable chunky thighs. He flirts with all the ladies when we are out and about, by giving them his cutest bashful smile. He isn't shy at all! He'll go right to people without any hesitation. His smile melts our hearts and I'm sure it'll be even cuter when those teeth decide to come in.

{Height and Weight}

Since we don't have a wellness appointment until next month I am going to guess that Camden weighs about 21- 22 lbs. The boy is heavy! We have stopped lugging him around in his car seat because really my arms would be dead! We have to take turns when we carry him anywhere. He usually ends up on dads shoulders :) I'm not quite sure what his height would be now, but I'm going to say 28-29 inches. He has definitely grown more because his long Jammie's are starting to become shorter and shorter.

He is currently wearing 6-12 and 9-12 month clothes, but we will be grown out of these by the end of summer, which is totally fine because then it's time to go shopping for fall and winter clothes. He even fit in a sweatshirt I bought him for fall that is 12-18 months! This can't be! It must run small :) 

His fat little feet still do not fit in any shoes. Most the time we have to go without...but once he starts walking we will need to find something to cover those little chubs! He is still currently wearing size three diapers but once they are gone, he'll be in size four. We will also need to buy a new car seat soon that he can grow with. His little feet hang off the end, so I'm sure he'd be happy with something a little more comfortable.

{Health}

No sicknesses this past month! We have a healthy little boy and I am so grateful for that.

{Sleeping}

This past month has Camden slept so great! He had a tough time adjusting the first couple of days we were in our new home, but we also think it could have been a result of his teeth moving. The rest of this past month he has been averaging about 12-13 hours at night, with one feeding in between. He is going down between 8:30- 10:00 (depending on his nap schedule during the day) and wakes up for a feeding around 7:00am and goes back down until about 10:00am.

His naps have even become pretty predictable. He usually takes a nap around 12:00 and a nap around 4:00. These have been nice for me because I am able to get any house cleaning or other projects done that I need to. His naps usually last around 1-2 hours. 

Camden does take a little longer to go to bed at night lately. This past month he discovered that he can stand up in his crib, so when we lay him down in there, he is up within a matter of seconds talking and babbling to himself. Finally, he'll usually sit down and fall right to sleep. We like to spy on him and sometimes he'll see us and we get the biggest smiles. This then usually results in him reaching his arms out for us to pick him up...and we give in sometimes. most of the time. We also enjoy going to pick him up first thing in the morning when we wakes up. He is so happy to see us and we love some morning snuggles. :)

{Eating}

Camden loves food! We have continued to introduce him to all sorts of new things. His favorite little snack by far though is Gerber's little crunchies. They are like Cheetos that melt in your mouth. He also likes puffs and yogurt melts. Sweet potatoes are probably his favorite veggie, but really he'll eat anything. We finally got him a high chair this past month and it has been a life saver. We had been holding off on buying one until we moved into our new home and man, it has been great! I can put him in his chair and let him go to town with his food. He even has started to eat all by himself with his food pouches. These things are his favorite, and I love them because he is getting a good mix of fruits and vegetables. We've sort of cut back on bottles and hope to only have him taking a bottle 2-3 times a day in the next couple of months. He is great at munching foods with his gums and once those darn teeth come in he can start to have some meats and other things that need to be chewed.

{Likes}

Some new likes this past month...

• Camden loves to get in the dog food! YUCK! He has eaten a few pieces, so we are trying to teach him this is not okay!
• He loves to play with Charlie and crawl around and chase him
• He loves to feed himself
• Camden loves to pull himself up on furniture
• He loves to climb up us when we are sitting on the ground
• He loves Otter Pops
• He likes to stand up and play in his crib before bedtime
• Camden likes to drop food on the ground for Charlie to eat

{Dislikes}

Some new/old dislikes this past month...

• Camden does not like to get dressed or get his diaper changed...this hasn't changed. in fact it's got worse!
• He doesn't like to get things taken away from him
• He hates when we leave the room and will usually cry and say the words "mama" and "baba"
• He still, and I am sure he will never like the word NO.
• He doesn't like getting his face wiped off. 
• He doesn't like sitting on our laps at church...the kid would rather crawl around!
• He doesn't like to hold still   

{Firsts/ Holidays/ Etc.)

•  Camden moved into his new home
• He learned to crawl even faster than he was before
• He learned to pull himself up to furniture
• He tried standing by himself for a whole 5 seconds
• He celebrated his first 4th of July and LOVED the fireworks!

Camden, buddy, you are growing up so fast! Can you believe we will be having your 1st birthday party in just four short months?! It's crazy to watch the improvements you made this past month and all the crazy things you are learning. You are way ahead for your age and I am sure you'll be walking in the next two months for sure! We already have our hands full with the little explorer you are while crawling...I can only imagine how it will be when your walking :) We love you so much, Camden and everyday we thank our Heavenly Father for sending you to us. 

Tonight at dinner you were pulling the funniest faces while eating in your highchair. Of course mom couldn't get a picture fast enough because you never hold still, but you would pucker your lips all big and pull your chin up. Dad and I couldn't stop laughing at how cute you were being. Every once in a while you'd crack a smile back at us. I love these little moments and will remember them forever. You truly are a blessing and we are so grateful for you. 

Don't grow up too fast! Happy 8 months little boy!

 

Camden's {6} Month Photoshoot

Prepare yourself for cuteness! You are about to see the world's most adorable baby boy! Who knows...maybe I am bias, but gosh darn I love this little man so much. 

You've been warned...

 

And there you have it! I can't believe my baby boy is growing up so fast! He is almost 8 months now and it's hard to believe that in about three short months I'll be taking him in for his {1} year pictures. Time flies when you're having fun!...they weren't kidding :)

Camden {7} months old

{7} months already! I tell you...I have no idea where the time goes. Really. Camden is doing new things everyday and we have really enjoyed watching him change so much over this past month. The snuggles don't happen as often anymore because the kid is always on the go, but when we do get to snuggle,  we cherish every moment of it :) 

I am happy to report that during this past month Camden learned to sit on his own and also to crawl. It was like one day he stopped doing the tri pod stand while sitting and stopped doing the army crawl on the ground. He lifted those ever so cute chubby legs up and discovered he can get anywhere he wants now. Our baby is growing up. We love it! (and hate it all at the same time)

Camden's personality has really come out this past month. He smiles all the time! He gets bashful around strangers and shows excitement when we walk into the room. We also discovered he is a very ticklish baby. When we tickle him, we get the best laughs.

{Height and Weight}

Camden doesn't have another wellness appointment until he is nine months old, so I am going to guess he is about 20 lbs. And probably about the same height as last month, 27 Inches. He's a big kid! His rolls kill me and his chunky little knees are the most adorable thing we have ever seen. The doctor thinks his height will start to slow down in the next couple of month because generally around nine months is when genetic growth kicks in. 

He is still currently wearing size three diapers and is also still wearing 6-12 and 9-12 month baby clothes. It really depends on the brand. His feet aren't getting any less chunky, so we are going to be sticking with flip flops for the summer. 

{Health}

I must have jinxed us from the last update because this past month we suffered from the worst cold, and possibly even a little bit of flu like symptoms. First Camden got it, and it was brutal. He wouldn't sleep in his crib because we could not breath his nose was so stuffy. So, we props him up with pillows in the bed and I slept with him. It took about three nights for him to finally start feeling better. After he was done with it, John and I got it and it was even worse. Mom's should not be allowed to get sick...they just shouldn't. I am just glad Camden didn't have it for as long as we did. He's got a good little immune system and it fought that stuffy nose off pretty quick.

{Sleeping}

This past month has been a little rough with sleeping. Camden started to climb up and squish his crib bumper at night, so we had to remove it. Once he discovered he could sit up in his crib, it was time to take it out. He has been having a rough time adjusting to this. We usually find him with an arm or a foot through the rails at night. He also tosses and turns a lot, so for the first couple of nights he would hit his head and wake up crying. 

Sleep was also rough this past month because he was sick and also because his teeth have been moving a lot. He hasn't had any break through yet, but you can tell they are bugging him. He is still loving to sleep on his side and his tummy and sometimes he will stick his bum up in the air. I have stopped turning him over at night. I have excepted the fact he will sleep how he wants and stay asleep if he is more comfortable, which means more sleep for mom and dad.His Angel Care monitor has had a lot of false alarms because the positions he chooses to sleep in. Towards the end of this month, we decided we will probably need to pull out the plain old monitor and put this one away for the next baby. The false alarms beeping that goes off at two in the morning isn't pleasant for any of us, but I am very grateful that it eased a lot of my worries for the past seven months.

{Eating}

The beginning of this past month Camden did great with eating. He really loves his solids and loves to try new things. We discovered that he really loves dill pickles...we obviously just let him suck on these while we hold them. He has pretty much tried every vegetable and fruit available in the baby food section. There isn't many things he doesn't like. Towards the end of the month he wasn't eating too well. We are guessing it was because he was sick and also teething. He wouldn't have a thing to do with solids and wouldn't finish his bottles. We were glad when that was over and our little boy was eating again. 

We decided to introduce yogurt puffs to him this month and also these baby cheezit things. All these things are suppose to be great for babies because they pretty much dissolve in their mouth. Camden hasn't been a fan thus far, but we will certainly keep trying. He tried his first Jamba Juice this month and loved it. He has also been having Popsicles, which he has also enjoyed...what kid doesn't?! 

We have him on a pretty good schedule with solids and formula. He eats solids twice a day, usually for breakfast and dinner and then takes a bottle every 3 hours. 

 

{Likes}

• Camden loves to be tossed up in the air by daddy.
• He has started to like rides in the car...FINALLY! And will usually fall asleep the minute he gets in now.
• He loves to play with moms keys. I don't let him play with them unless it's a last resort :)
• Camden loves dogs! 
• He loves playing in his walker and chasing the dogs.
• He loves his baths ( like always) His favorite toy now is his rubber ducky.
• He likes hats. We aren't sure how long this will last, but he keeps them on his head. 
• Camden loves to play outside. The grass is is favorite! He's definitely a little boy :)
• He loves to play with our faces and give us big juicy kisses.
• He likes to go on walks and loves watching leaves blow on trees.
• Camden loves to sit in high chairs at restaurants and grab anything he can get his hands on
• Speaking of hands...he loves to suck on his hands.
• He likes to pull hair. OUCH!

 

{Dislikes}

• Camden does not like to get dressed or get his diaper changed...it's a battle to get him to hold still.
• He doesn't like to be confined to one area...he likes to explore.
• He doesn't like going to bed without having a bottle first.
• He still, and I am sure he will never like the word NO.
• He hates to get his face wiped off.

{Firsts/ Holidays/ Etc.)

•  Camden went to his first outdoor pool this past month. It was a little scary for him at first, but after a while he got comfortable enough to play around and splash.
• He went to his first splash pad for Fathers Day and Mom's birthday. It was freezing cold water, so he wasn't loving it, but he did like crawling around on it. 
• He saw his first firework show on the season. He thought it was cool! We were kind of far away, so we hope for July 4th he won't be too scared. 
• Camden got his first bump on his noggin. I know there will be many more of these to come, especially with his new found freedom. 
• He said his first words (if you can call them that) this past month... DA DA, BA BA, MA MA. Sometimes when he is tired at night we get to hear them all together :)

 

 

 

Camden, you are such a joy and such a blessing in our life. Seriously, I am not sure how I ever lived without you. We do have rough days (usually when we are both over tired), but these days are also the ones I get the best cuddles. Your little laugh and cute little smirks light up an entire room. We are so glad you are ours forever and can't wait to see what's next. We love you buddy!  

Home update! We're almost there!

Wow its been a long journey to building our new home! Unfortunately it wasn't done in time for my birthday which was on Father's Day, but we get to move in this next week.  Final walk through will take place on Friday and we are super excited!  The home finished just about on schedule, but I'm not going to lie...it feels much longer than three months since they began building.  Maybe its because we live so close that we watched the entire process, maybe its because we have kept the builders on their toes at every step of this building process...all we know is we are so ready to get settled in and make this place ours.

Besides some touch up paint inside, and the front door being painted black, our home will be done. We also found out that we got a cabinet and granite in our half bath for free instead of a pedistal sink! The builders really have been great and have taken our complaining about every tinsy little thing very well :) 

We spent the entire last weekend putting in our front yard. If you have ever laid sod you feel my pain! My butt has never hurt so bad and i have never slept better ha ha It was hectic and it was a pain, but it looks really great and I'm glad we decided to put in the extra work and extra money to make it look nicer. ONE MORE WEEK...LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN! 

{ Putting in the front yard }