This being my first blog post, I thought I would devote it to a very important topic: what a great mother Mandy is to our son. You'll have to indulge me and let me brag about my wife a little. I had always thought she would be a great mom; she's funny and silly and very compassionate. She's also very patient. I've never seen her lose her cool, even when Camden is at his fussiest. She's flown by herself with him several times and she's had 3 hour layovers in Chicago and Denver. She's always well prepared for these trips, with toys and books packed to keep Camden occupied. She and Camden breeze through airport security better than most business travelers. She keeps this blog updated and uploads pictures to CVS, so that our parents in NC can pick them up at the store. She takes him to all of his doctor's appointments and has gotten him on a nap and eating schedule. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.
Camden and I are both very fortunate to have such a wonderful woman as a wife and mother. Mandy, we both love you very much and are very proud of you.
Ryan and Camden
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Camden and I just returned from a trip back to Omaha...and those changes in latitudes introduced Camden to cold weather and multiple layers of clothes. There really wasn't a change in attitude...I still don't like the cold. I was relieved when we landed in Dallas last night and it was 78 degrees! :o)
We went back to visit friends and to have Camden's pictures made by the same fabulous photographer that did his newborn shots. The church we used to attend was having their Thanksgiving dinner the night we arrived so we were able to see and reconnect with lots of people. I hardly saw Camden the entire evening. He kept getting passed from one person to another all night. Fortunately, he's just on this side of having "stranger anxiety" so he was okay with not being in my arms...but he made certain he could still see me no matter where he was in the room. I did manage to escape for a moment and go to the restroom...only to return and find him licking chocolate icing off the fingers of "Uncle Brian" - I would have been concerned except for the fact that "Uncle Brian" is the doctor that delivered him and was his doctor for the first few months of his life...so I guess if the doctor doesn't think it'll hurt him then it probably won't. Although, since Brian became a grandpa this summer, I am quite sure that he had slipped out of the "doctor" role and into his newly acquired "grandpa" role for a moment...
Camden and I had lunch with friends on Monday, stopped by my old school and see everyone and go out to lunch with a friend from there on Tuesday, swung by a friend's house and visit with her and two of her kids Tuesday afternoon and then I was able to go Jazzercise by myself (thanks Emma!) at my old - and greatly missed - class and then out with the gals from class for dinner. Between friends at church, lunches and working out, it was a great trip and it made me miss the friends I have there...but I still don't like the cold weather. :o)
While we were there, we stayed out on the hobby farm of our friends Roger and Denise Friesen. This is the family that always kept Millie when Ryan and I would have to travel. They also opened their home to us while we were in the transition stage and had closed on the sale of our home in Omaha but weren't yet able to head to Dallas. When we stayed with them back at the end of June, they had just had some baby chickens hatch and we took Camden's picture with one of the baby chicks. While we were there this weekend, Camden and the chicken were reunited and we took more pictures of them together...it's kinda cute...
They've both grown quite a bit in the last few months!!!
On a side note...I am flying alone with Camden in December because we've already laid those plans...but that may be my last solo trip with him. He's entering that stage between being a baby and being a toddler...I've heard it called "destructo-phase" and I am starting to agree. Luckily I had empty seats next to me on three of our four flights this time...but that last leg last night was rough. I exhausted every item in my "bag of tricks" and we tore through half a Sky Mall magazine and a banana but it still wasn't enough to keep the screaming at bay. I'm either going to need Ryan's help or pack a few doses of Benadryl in my bag of tricks next time. :o)
We went back to visit friends and to have Camden's pictures made by the same fabulous photographer that did his newborn shots. The church we used to attend was having their Thanksgiving dinner the night we arrived so we were able to see and reconnect with lots of people. I hardly saw Camden the entire evening. He kept getting passed from one person to another all night. Fortunately, he's just on this side of having "stranger anxiety" so he was okay with not being in my arms...but he made certain he could still see me no matter where he was in the room. I did manage to escape for a moment and go to the restroom...only to return and find him licking chocolate icing off the fingers of "Uncle Brian" - I would have been concerned except for the fact that "Uncle Brian" is the doctor that delivered him and was his doctor for the first few months of his life...so I guess if the doctor doesn't think it'll hurt him then it probably won't. Although, since Brian became a grandpa this summer, I am quite sure that he had slipped out of the "doctor" role and into his newly acquired "grandpa" role for a moment...
Camden and I had lunch with friends on Monday, stopped by my old school and see everyone and go out to lunch with a friend from there on Tuesday, swung by a friend's house and visit with her and two of her kids Tuesday afternoon and then I was able to go Jazzercise by myself (thanks Emma!) at my old - and greatly missed - class and then out with the gals from class for dinner. Between friends at church, lunches and working out, it was a great trip and it made me miss the friends I have there...but I still don't like the cold weather. :o)
While we were there, we stayed out on the hobby farm of our friends Roger and Denise Friesen. This is the family that always kept Millie when Ryan and I would have to travel. They also opened their home to us while we were in the transition stage and had closed on the sale of our home in Omaha but weren't yet able to head to Dallas. When we stayed with them back at the end of June, they had just had some baby chickens hatch and we took Camden's picture with one of the baby chicks. While we were there this weekend, Camden and the chicken were reunited and we took more pictures of them together...it's kinda cute...
They've both grown quite a bit in the last few months!!!
On a side note...I am flying alone with Camden in December because we've already laid those plans...but that may be my last solo trip with him. He's entering that stage between being a baby and being a toddler...I've heard it called "destructo-phase" and I am starting to agree. Luckily I had empty seats next to me on three of our four flights this time...but that last leg last night was rough. I exhausted every item in my "bag of tricks" and we tore through half a Sky Mall magazine and a banana but it still wasn't enough to keep the screaming at bay. I'm either going to need Ryan's help or pack a few doses of Benadryl in my bag of tricks next time. :o)
Friday, November 7, 2008
A new spin on an old fairy tale
So you've all heard the story about Little Red Riding Hood and how she met up with the big bad wolf with his big ears, his big beady eyes, and his big sharp teeth. Well, this is our new version...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Once upon a time there was a "not so little 'cause she still needed to lose a good bit of that baby weight, red-headed (not hooded) princess" named Mommy for short. She lived in an enchanted apartment covered with a fine layer of dog hair with her handsome Prince Ryan. Every morning she would get up to spend her day caring for the really big, but not-so-bad, monkey (see pictures from Halloween post if you don't know why he's a monkey) that slept in the bedroom down the hall.
Each morning she would enter the room where the monkey was sleeping and as she would peer over the side of the crib, the monkey would greet her with the biggest smile you can ever imagine...what a great way to start each day.
And, every morning, Mommy would say to the monkey, "My, what big ears you have...you must have gotten those from the Wagoners." The monkey would just keep smiling back at her and think, "Better to hear you and obey you when you ask or tell me to do something every time, every day my entire life long, my dear". (Hey, this is my fairy tale...I can write it with a wishful heart...)
Then Mommy would say, "My, what big, beautiful blue eyes you have!" The monkey would smile again and think, "Better to bat at you when I don't do everything you ask or tell me to do so that I can get away with it, my dear." (Wishful, yes...but I am in touch with reality too...)
And that's usually where the story would end...with a diaper change, outfit for the day, and they'd be on their way...
But this morning, when Mommy looked at those smiles, she saw something she'd never seen before. This morning, Mommy said, "My, what big TEETH you have!" The Monkey just smiled back at Mommy and thought, "Great, bring on the sirloin...that runny baby food crap is disgusting, my dear!"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Yep, you read it right, Camden has teeth. He's been really cranky the last couple of days and whenever I'd touch his gums to check, he'd pitch a fit so I knew they were sore and that it would only be a matter of time... They are just barely through so, unfortunately for him, the sirloin is still a long time coming. And because they are just barely in and because he won't hold still long enough for me to get a good look, they are too hard to get a picture of. However, I can definitely feel them when he bites me. :o) And even with just a little bit through, it makes him look like a different baby.
For those of you family members that are reading this, I am sure by the time we get home for the holidays they'll be easy to see and will probably accompanied by a few more, but if they are in to the point that I can get a good picture between now and then, I'll make sure to post one (and if I can get said picture, I'll send one to each of the grandparents as soon as I have a chance ...no need to remind me).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
So Mommy spent her day giving the really big, but not-so-bad monkey frozen washcloths to chew on a little Orajel to sooth the pain...and they lived happily ever after.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Once upon a time there was a "not so little 'cause she still needed to lose a good bit of that baby weight, red-headed (not hooded) princess" named Mommy for short. She lived in an enchanted apartment covered with a fine layer of dog hair with her handsome Prince Ryan. Every morning she would get up to spend her day caring for the really big, but not-so-bad, monkey (see pictures from Halloween post if you don't know why he's a monkey) that slept in the bedroom down the hall.
Each morning she would enter the room where the monkey was sleeping and as she would peer over the side of the crib, the monkey would greet her with the biggest smile you can ever imagine...what a great way to start each day.
And, every morning, Mommy would say to the monkey, "My, what big ears you have...you must have gotten those from the Wagoners." The monkey would just keep smiling back at her and think, "Better to hear you and obey you when you ask or tell me to do something every time, every day my entire life long, my dear". (Hey, this is my fairy tale...I can write it with a wishful heart...)
Then Mommy would say, "My, what big, beautiful blue eyes you have!" The monkey would smile again and think, "Better to bat at you when I don't do everything you ask or tell me to do so that I can get away with it, my dear." (Wishful, yes...but I am in touch with reality too...)
And that's usually where the story would end...with a diaper change, outfit for the day, and they'd be on their way...
But this morning, when Mommy looked at those smiles, she saw something she'd never seen before. This morning, Mommy said, "My, what big TEETH you have!" The Monkey just smiled back at Mommy and thought, "Great, bring on the sirloin...that runny baby food crap is disgusting, my dear!"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Yep, you read it right, Camden has teeth. He's been really cranky the last couple of days and whenever I'd touch his gums to check, he'd pitch a fit so I knew they were sore and that it would only be a matter of time... They are just barely through so, unfortunately for him, the sirloin is still a long time coming. And because they are just barely in and because he won't hold still long enough for me to get a good look, they are too hard to get a picture of. However, I can definitely feel them when he bites me. :o) And even with just a little bit through, it makes him look like a different baby.
For those of you family members that are reading this, I am sure by the time we get home for the holidays they'll be easy to see and will probably accompanied by a few more, but if they are in to the point that I can get a good picture between now and then, I'll make sure to post one (and if I can get said picture, I'll send one to each of the grandparents as soon as I have a chance ...no need to remind me).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
So Mommy spent her day giving the really big, but not-so-bad monkey frozen washcloths to chew on a little Orajel to sooth the pain...and they lived happily ever after.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Little Man
I just wanted to share a couple of pics of the most adorable kid on the planet. I know, I know...all my mommy friends just took the defensive knowing that their kid is more adorable...but you have to check out these pics before you make your final decision. :o)
We joined a church here in Dallas today and since we knew that we'd be presented for membership to the church body, we made sure to dress in our Sunday finest this morning. I don't know why we even try anymore...Ryan and I could have been wearing potato sacks as we stood up there today...with a kid this cute, no one even noticed us. And I can guarantee everyone will be asking us our names again for weeks to come, but everyone knows Camden for sure. Wait, they won't need to know our names...we're just "Camden's mom and dad"...we don't have names anymore! :o)
Our Little Man...
We joined a church here in Dallas today and since we knew that we'd be presented for membership to the church body, we made sure to dress in our Sunday finest this morning. I don't know why we even try anymore...Ryan and I could have been wearing potato sacks as we stood up there today...with a kid this cute, no one even noticed us. And I can guarantee everyone will be asking us our names again for weeks to come, but everyone knows Camden for sure. Wait, they won't need to know our names...we're just "Camden's mom and dad"...we don't have names anymore! :o)
Our Little Man...
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