Family

Today we went to Birmingham to visit some of Shane's family. His Aunt Shirley was visiting with her two daughters, Tamara and Miriam, as well as Tamara's two children, Kate and Matthew. So Camden got to meet more of his family today!

Matthew, Kasey, Camden and Kate

Miriam, Ronya, Tamara and Shane (cousins)

Pictures

Last Saturday we took Camden to the President's Mansion on campus where a friend of mine from work took some pictures of him. He fell asleep on the way there, so started out a little cranky, but after he woke up good, he didn't mind the picture taking at all.

Shane trying to cheer him up

Bless that little bald head

One of my favorites

So sweet

He was talking during this picture

Love this one too!

Fifth Percentile - Yet Again!!

Today Shane and I took Camden for his weight check, and to be honest I had felt like he was looking like he had put on some weight, so was eager to see how the numbers panned out. Well, he weighed 12 pounds 14 ounces and was 25 3/4" long. So he is up to the 50th percentile for height, but is still 5th percentile for weight. UGH!!! So she yet again is increasing his calories. Now, we are to mix his formula so that he gets 24 calories per ounce instead of the 22 calories per ounce we were doing. I asked her about his feeding regimen and she said that we can start feeding him cereal twice a day for a week or so and then add in Stage 1 fruits or vegetables, which ever we would like to try first. So I say, bring on the calories!! Right now he only eats about 6 to 6 1/2 ounces every four hours or sooner if he is hungry and she would like him to get closer to 30 ounces a day. We were feeding him every 3 hours, but he got to where he would not eat that soon and would play with the nipple or spit out the milk, so we lengthened the time. When we told Dr. McGiffert that, her first question was if he was still sleeping well at night. We told her we had no problems in that category, and were still very blessed that he sleeps anywhere between 11 and 12 hours a night. I think she was surprised!

Here are a few pictures of what Camden has been up to this week.

Playing with his toys

Watching baseball - which he has done LOTS of this week

Hanging out with me!

Father's Day 2010

As I have mentioned before, Camden and I are very lucky to have Shane in our lives. As I just typed that sentence, it dawned on me that Shane says there is no such thing as luck - it is all part of God's plan. So let me rephrase that first sentence and say that we are very blessed to have him in our lives! During pregnancy I saw a soft side of Shane that I liked and appreciated. But after Camden's birth, I saw a side of him that still leaves me in awe. Shane was and is a great father. He has helped me in ways that I never expected. When Camden was a newborn and was eating every 3 hours, Shane was so good to stay awake with Camden till one or two in the morning while I got a cat nap, even though he was to get up around 5:30 am to get ready to go do his student teaching. When he got home from school, he would entertain Camden while I did a few odds and ends around the house. After he finished his student teaching, Shane became a full time stay at home dad, and let me just say, he is an AWESOME one!! Camden has turned into a Daddy's boy. He absolutely LOVES Shane and they know each other inside and out. Shane has Camden trained and Camden has Shane trained - they are really amazing to watch. I know the experts say that children should not watch TV until they are two, but can I tell you, those two watching sports together is one of the cutest things. You would think that Camden knows exactly what is going on when he is watching baseball, soccer, basketball or tennis. Now he does get a little startled when Shane yells at the TV, but he is just in training for football season!! Shane's mom tells me that Shane started watching baseball on TV when he was 3 months old, so I have a feeling Camden is just following in his daddy's footsteps.

Sleeping like his daddy

Watching sports with his daddy

Something that amazes me is the way that Camden already does things that are just like Shane. For instance, when he falls asleep with his hands behind his head, or the certain way he does things with his feet and toes just like his daddy. He gives some of the same type of looks that Shane does, like looking out of the top of his eyes at you. I can only pray that he also ends up with some of the awesome qualities that Shane possesses.

And while I am talking about dad's, can I say that I have a great one myself. I always say that I am an engineer's daughter, and really, that sums up a lot. My dad has instilled some great qualities in me that I am very grateful for. I always viewed him as a bit on the stern side growing up, but now I find him very humorous and loving. I absolutely love the relationship that I have with my parents as I age. I can still look to my dad for advice and think of him as one of the smartest people I know. He is also a wonderful grandfather and I can not wait for us to move to Texas so that he and my mom can be a bigger part of our lives!

Sometimes you never understand why you have to go through certain things in life to get where you are, but I can assure you, I know exactly why God put me through some of the unpleasant things in my life. I can truly appreciate the great father that not only my dad is, but also the one Shane is.

Feet!!!

Last Friday Camden finally found his feet! I have been waiting for this for quiet sometime because I think it is just precious when infants start sucking their toes. Camden apparently is not flexible enough to get his feet to his mouth just yet, but he is almost there!

Notice how his toes are curled - just love that!

Candlelight Dinner

As I was driving home from work this evening, the skies were not pretty at all. Sure enough, after being home about 5 minutes, the bottom fell out. I was thankful for the rain, because God does a much better job of watering my grass than I do, but I am just not a fan of thunderstorms. Camden and I had plans to cook supper, but after being home 15 or 20 minutes the power went out, and stayed out for awhile. So to entertain him, I just sang to him. It was a bit "pitchy" but he didn't seem to mind. I decided we would forgo the cereal since we make a big enough mess in the light, much less in candlelight. But of course, he had to eat. So tonight, Camden and I had our first candlelight dinner!! I tried to get Shane to capture it on camera, but as you can tell, it looks like the lights are on. I can assure you they are not, and Camden didn't seem to mind at all.

Good News

If you recall from a few months ago, my neurologist wanted to do an MRI with contrast of my brain and spine whenever I quit breast feeding to make sure no lesions were found. Last Thursday I called his office to set that appointment up, which they scheduled for Friday. I must say I was shocked that I was at the Radiology Clinic for an hour and forty-five minutes, and most of that time was actually in the MRI tube! Anyway, today at work Dr. Hogan, my neurologist, called me personally to tell me that no lesions showed up on the scan, so no evidence of multiple sclerosis!! Thank the Lord!!!