1000 Apologies

I have soooo many things to tell you about - videos to post, pictures to share, stories to tell - the list goes on and on...

Unfortunately, we won't have Internet at our new house until February 5th so I can't write all that I have to share until then. I'm only able to send this quick message b/c my mom is in town and can keep Camden out of Millie's water bowl long enough for me to send this!

I promise, as soon as they connect me with the outside world, I will send all my updates on my crawling, Cheerio eating, pulling up and trying to walk adorable child...until then, 1000 apologies for the lack of info.

Just FYI

Because the grandparents and other "extended family" are always curious, here are Camden's vitals from his 9 month check up today.

Length - 29 3/4 inches (90th percentile)
Weight - 22 pounds, 13 ounces (75th-90th percentile)
Head Circumference - 18 cm (50th percentile)

So despite thighs that feel like a "stress ball" when you squeeze them - thanks, Oma :o) - he really is right on for his weight. And the pediatrician has assured me that between now and 20-24 months, his height will shoot up and his weight will only increase slightly. That is, of course, unless I give in and give him "more" every time he grins and me and signs it. At some point, he's going to have to learn the sign for "all done" too!!! :o)

Ch-ch-changes

Time to face the strain...ch-ch-changes. So much has happened and changed since my last post I don't even know where to begin. I guess Julie Andrews said it best...let's start at the beginning, a very good place to start...

Camden and I flew to NC on the 14th for an extra week of grandparent lovin' before Ryan joined us on the 21st and we got busy with the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Camden's first Christmas was great - he loves ripping paper so he's a natural born pro at unwrapping gifts - and still far more interested in the paper once the gift is unwrapped. We sat him in the middle of the mountain of gift wrap after we were done opening presents at Oma and Papa's house and you'd have thought he was a kid in a candy store - he was soooo excited. Even though I suggested his grandparents just wrap empty boxes (yeah, right) we still had five boxes that had to be shipped back to TX after the festivities were over. From blocks to books to toys that will play various songs to get stuck in my head...it looked like Toys R Us had thrown up in the living room floor at Granna's house.

While we were home Camden watched his cousin Jay (who's 20 days older) very intently trying to figure out how he was getting those knees and arms to work in sync to get across the room on his own. He didn't quite get the hang of it until we got back to Texas, but he did figure out how to go from being on his belly to sitting up all by himself while we were enjoying our 4 hour layover in Chicago. The layover was scheduled so we knew what we were getting into on the journey home...in fact, all of our flights, luggage arrival, package shipping, etc. was on time and uneventful going and coming. Camden especially got into looking out the window on the flight back to Texas from Chicago. He sat like this for a good 15-20 minutes - relief was felt by Ryan and me both...along with every other person on the plane.

Since we've been back our days have been filled with more boxes...not for shipping gifts though. These boxes are for moving. Yep, that's right, we're moving...again. We have purchased a home here in Dallas and will be moving in just a week. We're excited to be in "our own space" again and Millie is ecstatic about having a backyard again.

Because of all this packing and moving, I just haven't had time to sort through and upload the Christmas photos or edit the amazingly cute video we took of Jay and Camden in the bath, but I promise I will get to that as soon as I can and have that on here for you to see.

For the time being, we hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and we pray God's blessings for you in the year ahead.

I learned something today...

I learn something new about being a mommy just about every day. Today I learned that if your child is on an antibiotic that makes him have diarrhea, no matter how much he wants to, the jumperoo is just not a good idea. Combine poop that is quick and abundant in its arrival with all of that jumping in the harness...it doesn't matter how quickly you react, that stuff is everywhere in a matter of seconds. Just thought I'd let you know what I did this afternoon. :o)

Family Traditions

First, I have to say thanks to Ryan for that sweet post on 11/25. I am eternally grateful to have the opportunity to stay home with Camden and I so appreciate his willingness to work hard and to make those little sacrifices to give me the chance to do so. Having come from a job where I had formal observations on a semi-regular basis, it's been a change for me to be in a "job" where I may not know the results of my performance for many, many years. Hearing from him that I am "at or above expectations" was very gratifying...so thanks.

Thanks for indulging me...now, for my post.

Every family has their holiday traditions. You know, those things that you have to do during the holidays. For my family growing up, it was White Christmas. Every Christmas Eve we would all sit down and watch the movie together - reciting many of the lines as the movie played and of course, my parents would always sing the "Mandy" song to me and Maria and I would always sing the "Sister" song - it just wasn't Christmas until we had seen it.

When it comes to being sentimental, I am not a "things" person. Perhaps it comes from living in an apartment where space is a highly valued commodity, but I am not into tchotchkes, I don't really collect things, I read magazines and newspapers ASAP so I can get the clutter out of my house (that I come by honestly from my Granny Wagoner) and I don't need a trinket from every place I travel to remind me that I went there...that's just how I am.

In the last few months (i.e. since Camden's arrival) I have been slightly more sentimental...but only slightly. I still don't want Precious Moments figurines scattered all over the house, but I am keeping a few things to put in his scrapbook and I've decided that if it's sentimental and it can serve a purpose - not just sit around and help me earn my "professional dust collector" title - then it can stay.

Another thing I have learned about traditions is that when you have a baby, traditions have to be flexible because they have to change. Since Camden isn't really old enough to remember all of it this year, we've decided to go to NC one last time for the big day. Next year, we'll stay home and do Christmas morning and the whole Santa thing at our home and then head to NC after the holidays. While it's exciting to start thinking about what we'll do as our family traditions, it did just dawn on me that next Christmas will be the first one in my then 32 years on this earth that I have not seen White Christmas with my family on Christmas Eve. I know my parents will be flexible and that even though they'll still watch it on Christmas Eve, they'll watch it again with us when we get there. It is a little sad...but at the same time I am excited about what will be our family traditions.

One tradtition that has been ours for the last few years is Rudolph. I don't know why that choppy, clamation story has been so important to me, but if I don't see it...it's just not Christmas. And for some reason, even though I have it on DVD, I still have to see it on TV with all the commercials. Ryan found out when it was coming on a few weeks ago and it's been on the calendar as a night that he couldn't work late...he too knows the significance of this night.

So last night, we sat down as a family and started what will be one of our family traditions. We watched Rudolph together. Okay...I mostly watched Camden watch Rudolph...but still, you get the picture.

In the years ahead, I am looking forward to watching Camden perform in the children's program at church, waking up at the crack of dawn to see what Santa has brought and eating Christmas tree shaped pancakes on Christmas morning...but I don't want to hurry those things...right now, I just want to enjoy my baby's first Christmas - which can officially happen now that we've seen Rudolph. :o)

Merry Christmas to all of you and whatever it is that "makes it Christmas" for you, enjoy it. Enjoy also the time you'll have with friends and family as we celebrate what "makes it Christmas" for all of us...the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!!!

A Tribute To A Wonderful Mother

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

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)