On the way to South Carolina

 Just landed

 Eating lunch out with Granddad and Mimi

 Walking around Palmetto Bluffs..as you can see, Cameron became very sleepy in the stroller

 Some ruins from an old plantation

 Chatting with Mimi on the drive back to their house

 Enjoying the exersaucer that Mimi and Granddad bought for his visit

 He was obsessed with Nathan's dad (Granddad)...he seriously smiled more for him than anyone else

 One morning, Nathan and I went for a bike ride around their neighborhood while Cameron napped

 Still smiling despite an ear infection and fever

 Little cutie in his outfit for family pictures

 Playing with Granddad on the mat they bought for him....Duke had to check him out too

 Already falling asleep on the way to the airport

Landed back at DFW

SOUTH CAROLINA 2013

Our trip to visit Nathan's parents in Hilton Head, SC was a little different this year than in years past....we had a 7 month old baby boy in tow this time!    Nathan and I were pretty much dreading the plane ride there and back but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.   Cameron really only cried for a few minutes on the landing each time.   For the most part, he slept the whole time in the Ergo baby carrier that I brought with us to attach to us specifically for him to nap in on the plane.   We made sure he either had a bottle or a pacifier in his mouth on take-off and landing which definitely helped (the bottle seemed to work a little better).   Thankfully, the Cookseys have a lot of neighbors with grandkids so they were able to have a pack-and-play, a carseat, and lots of toys for us at their house.   If we had to bring any of that stuff with us, I am not sure we could have made the trip....you need a lot of stuff to go on a trip with a baby!    Honestly, I don't think it's worth traveling very often with a kid under the age of 3 because you just have to take too much stuff with you....the only thing that makes it worth it is if you are going to visit family so you don't have to take all of the stuff on your own.    

The night before we left, we took Cameron to the doctor and he was diagnosed with pink eye in both eyes.   :(  He had to be on antibiotic eye drops for 7 days and really after about 1 day worth of drops, his eyes were almost back to normal.    About 2 days after we got there, he started running a fever.   He woke up from his morning nap with a temp of about 102....he was breathing rapidly, wouldn't hold his head up and would not really make much eye contact with us.   Nathan and I got scared and I called to make an appointment with a pediatrician's office.   They couldn't see us for a couple of hours and Nathan thought we should take him to the ER to make sure he was okay.   By the time we got to the ER and waited in a line, it was almost time for the pediatrician's appointment....and since Cameron seemed to be getting a little better after the Motrin we gave him, we decided to take him to the doctor instead of waiting on the ER staff anymore.    The poor little guy was diagnosed with yet another ear infection (he had double ear infections just 3 weeks before and finished 10 days of amoxicillin about 2 weeks before).   The doctor said the fact that he had some congestion and then got on a plane is most likely what caused it.   We were given the second line of antibiotics (augmentin) and went home.   He started feeling a lot better around dinnertime and even gave us a few smiles.   Around midnight the next night, Cameron woke up crying with 103.7 degree fever.    I had been told that around 104, you are supposed to go to the ER so I called the emergency nurse line at our home pediatrician to make sure.   They told us they usually wait until 105 (that's crazy high to me!) but that if his fever didn't go down in a couple of hours, we should take him in.   Fortunately, the Motrin started working and he went back to sleep.     We weren't sure if we were going to be able to make the plane ride home but since he woke up with only 101 degree fever the morning of our flight, we decided we were safe to fly....and we wanted to get the little guy home.   You can always tell when he doesn't feel well because he doesn't give many smiles, becomes very clingy and wants to be held a lot, and isn't all that hungry.      

Despite being sick the whole time, Cameron did amazingly well on the trip.   He still gave plenty of smiles and giggles to Mimi and Granddad and he loved being around them.    He's a very social baby and seems to thrive on being around people and being active.    Next year, the trip should be a little easier in some ways since he will be 1.5 yrs old....but it will also be a tad bit more challenging in that he will most likely not want to sleep in my lap the whole flight.     :)     Even though we didn't do much on our visit, it was still so nice to be at the Cooksey's home.   We cooked dinner at the house each night, watched tv or a movie in the media room each night after Cameron went to bed, and enjoyed the pretty scenery around their neighborhood.    We always love going there to visit!    I really can't thank them enough for getting all of the stuff we needed for Cameron which helped make our trip that much easier on us.    I'm lucky to have such amazing in-laws!  

 All dressed up for picture day at school.   Doesn't he look cute in his little khaki pants and button down shirt?   :)

 I had bought him some baby sunglasses a month ago but he has such a big head that they were not wide enough for him.   I had to buy toddler sunglasses and decided to try them on him.  He wasn't phased...just kept on playing.  The ear pieces are too long but they'll have to work for now.

 Playing in his Summer seat....basically like a Bumbo but with a play tray.

 We went for a walk and Cameron wore his hat and sunglasses for sun protection.  :)

 Our new grill...Weber is the best!

Nathan grilling some skirt steak for beef fajitas...they were delicious!

 Nan, Cameron and me at my parent's house

 My dad (Poppy) and Cameron

 6 month picture next to Bevo

 One of my favorite pictures..I love Nathan's smile in this pic.

 Cameron's daycare sent this to me...he had fallen asleep with the blanket in his mouth

 Happy boy despite the spit up all over him

 About to go for a walk

 Having fun on Easter with his cousins Brynn and Brooke

Trying out his new car seat for the first time...I think he likes it.  :)

6 MONTHS OLD

We can see that our little baby is looking more like a little boy more and more.   He is such a happy baby most of the time and really only cries when there is a specific reason---hunger, pain, and being tired are the biggest reasons.   He has really been giggling a lot....it's funny because he seems to laugh the most at the smallest things that we do.   For example, last night, I was making a funny noise and he thought it was hilarious.   When I picked him up from daycare today, they said he laughed most of the day even during diaper changes.   I hope he will always be a happy boy...it is such a bright spot in the day to see him smile.   :)  

He weighs 18 pounds, 14 ounces which is the 75th percentile for weight; he is 27.5 inches tall and that is the 85th percentile.  His head is 45.5 inches and is the 95th percentile (we knew he has a big head....haha).   He is eating fruit at breakfast, oatmeal at lunch and a vegetable at dinner plus bottles of 7-8 ounces of formula each day and I really think he will be eating a protein in the next month based on his activity.   He is rolling around all over the place and this past week, he has started to scoot backwards a bit.   He hasn't started crawling yet or getting up on all fours but you can see that he isn't far from it.   The doctor told me today that we need to start childproofing the house soon!   Nathan and his dad already put up the baby gates by the stairs so at least we have that done.   Next on our list are the cabinets and plugs.  The Cooksey's tells me that as a baby, Nathan was into everything and was very determined to figure anything and everything out.   I can already tell that Cameron is going to be the same way.   If he sees something, he will find a way to get it and with the toys, he will try to figure out how it works.    His favorite toys right now are the Baby Einstein activity jumper, teething keys, and Fisher Price rings (the ones that stack on a yellow pole thing).   He also seems to like "Yo Gabba Gabba" which we have on Netflix.  He gives us plenty of goo's and gaa's but no "mama" or "dada" yet.   :)

He is a great sleeper (I hope I am not jinxing anything by putting it in writing).  He goes to bed around 7PM and sleeps until about 7AM.   He doesn't usually wake up unless he is uncomfortable...and lately, he has gotten up a few times since he is teething.   He has one tooth on the bottom and a second one is working its way through.  He still isn't a good napper but again, I'll take the nighttime sleep over daytime sleep!   He will take about two naps a day but for the most part, they are only about 45 minutes long.   He seems to nap a little better at home since we finally got blackout curtains for his room (will absolutely get those for baby number 2's room much sooner).  

Each month seems to get better than the one before and everyday, I love being his mom.   It's pretty great and he's pretty cute.  :)

 The little guy was worn out from all of the weekend activities; he fell asleep with the pacifier in his hand

 Getting baptized by Pastor John McKellar at White's Chapel

 Nathan, Cameron and me with John

Ben and Janet aka "Grandad and Mimi" playing with Cameron

CAMERON'S BAPTISM

The Cookseys came into town for about a month at the end of February and so Nathan and I wanted to have Cameron baptized while they were here.   It was very important to us to have Cameron baptized at the same church where we got married and where Nathan grew up.   Fortunately, Nathan's church has had the same pastor for 20 years, which is very unusual for Methodist (growing up Methodist myself, I can say that I think the longest we had the same pastor was about 5 years).   John is very special to the Cookseys as he and his wife are very good friends with Ben and Janet.  It meant a lot to both Nathan and me to have the man who helped Nathan grow closer to God be the man who would introduce our son to his walk with God.   

My parents and grandmother came into town on Saturday afternoon and we all went over to the Cooksey's house for wine.   Saturday night, we ordered pizza and just hung out while Cameron was asleep.    He had thrown up a few times during the day and as a result, I was completely stressed out about how he would do at church the next morning.   Thank goodness God got him through it....he could not have been any better!    Cameron never cried...he was very happy and smiley throughout the whole ceremony!   Nathan and I both got a little teary just being up there and listening to what it meant to be baptized.   It was pretty cool to have our whole family there to witness it.   After church, we all went to the Gaylord for a delicious (but ridiculously expensive) brunch....a big thank you to my dad and Ben for paying the bill!   :)   My parents went back to MP and the rest of us headed back to our own homes....and Cameron threw up again in the afternoon which made me even more thankful that God gave him a break to get baptized.   haha. 

 Getting excited about oatmeal!

 5 month pictures next to Bevo

 Playing with Aunt Megan

 Having lunch with his friend Addison Lewis

 Snuggling with Daddy

 Having fun in the Baby Einstein Exersaucer

 with Aunt Megan

5 MONTHS OLD

I feel like I just posted his 4 month old post...time is really starting to go by fast!   Cameron changes every week and does something more interactive and fun each time.  He is very smiley and happy most of the time.   When he is fussy, it is usually because he is tired or hungry so it makes things a lot easier now that he is more predictable.  He is all about rolling from one side of the room to the other.   I have a video of it somewhere but I have to figure out how to upload it.   He gets very excited when he is rolling and it is so funny.   :)  He makes a lot of coo-ing noises and when you make a facial expression, he tries to mimic it.  Everything he has in his hands goes into his mouth and he drools pretty much nonstop.  We have been saying the words "Ma-Ma" and "Da-da" a lot so he hears them...and in hopes that he will say them in a few months.   He started some vegetables for dinner this weekend....squash has been his first and only one so far.   He seems to like it and is not too picky from what we can tell.   We have moved his oatmeal to lunchtime--he gets about 1 tablespoon of oatmeal mixed with 1 ounce of formula.   He has moved to only 4 bottles a day---7-8 ounces every 4 hours.   He's still sleeping well at night...he goes to bed around 7:15 and sleeps until about 6:45AM.   It is glorious!   I really hope this continues for sure because it has given Nathan and me some alone time to be able to relax a bit before we go to bed.   Cameron still has congestion and a cough so he sometimes wakes up around 3AM from coughing---but he usually goes back to sleep after either he or we reposition him.  I cannot wait until he no longer has congestion...the poor little guy has pretty much had it since the beginning of January.   He loves daycare and really seems to thrive on being social.   We think he prefers to be around a lot of people to just being at home with the two of us.    Like I said, overall, he is a very happy baby...and I hope it will continue!   He is so much fun and everyday, I thank God for choosing us to be his parents.  It's just so cool.