Man time is flying by.....probably time to update life in the blogosphere. I left you with a tribute to Cam's one year birthday, but I never did post pictures of his actual day. It was pretty low key. We elected to bypass the formal birthday party, as it seemed like more work than I was willing to do for someone who doesn't know what's going on, and there will be PLENTY of birthdays where he will be fully aware of the situation and will require a party. I'm taking it easy while I can. Needless to say we (or, I should say the grandparents) gave him some presents and we let him eat chocolate cake. He was slightly interested by the presents and VERY interested in the cake.
He got some really cool shoes fresh from Italy. He loves them and wears them all the time now.
The celebration was done the week after his birthday, so these two pics were taken on the actual day.
The weekend after his birthday, we took a trip up to Washington and visited a bunch of friends. The main deal was a girls' night out with all my old high school cronies. What a lovely group of ladies and what a fun night. I miss them all and had a wonderful time catching up.
My brother and his girlfriend Heidi were in WA that weekend as well, so we all gathered for a day at the folks' house.
So, then it was off to Coos Bay for Thanksgiving. A pretty low key weekend, which was strong on eating and socializing, but pretty weak on the adventure front - no midnight mussel gathering or crabbing in the torrential rain and winds. In fact no crabbing at all, if you can believe it. It started out a very rainy weekend, but we ended it with some very sunny days. We were able to do the normal cliff walk with some moderately impressive wave crashing and a great day out at the dunes. Fun in the backyard. This kid is going to be an adrenaline junkie. We'll take him bungee jumping next year.
Gracie can't get enough of the dunes. She reverts to puppydom while there.
Cam couldn't get enough of them either. He cried so hard when we had to leave.
At the bay down the road. What a gorgeous day.
The week after Thanksgiving, we took off again, this time to Colorado. Carl's family-in-law had a week at a condo in Steamboat Springs (aka fancy ski resort) that they could not use and was going to expire, so he and Tory generously invited the Bauer clan to use it with them. So we ventured once again to the skies with a young one. This time a walking, much more active kid. We were leery about the trip (the getting there and home part), but excited for some potential Colorado powder and time with the fam.
We had a ridiculously early flight out of Portland, so we stayed the night with a friend who lives close to the airport. Everything went smoothly. We were hoping with the early flight, Cam would crash once on the plane, but not so. He was awake and way too alert for way too long. Thank God for food and books as distractions. He only had a few grouchy moments and only got a couple annoyed looks from surrounding passengers, but eventually did sleep a bit.
On the way to the baggage claim in Denver, he had his first moving walkway experience:
We met up with my brother, sister-in-law, and mom on route to Colorado Springs (about 3 hours away from Boulder and Denver), and caravaned the rest of the way. Paul and Heidi showed up later that night driving all the way from Utah. The condo was great. Spacious and cozy at the same time and literally in the back yard of the slopes. The bummer part was the weather. It hadn't snowed in a while, and the hills were void of practically anything but man-made snow. Of the 30 or so lifts only 4 were open and of the 300 or so runs only 30 were open (I have no idea the real numbers, but it was pathetically barren). Needless to say we did not ski - just couldn't fork out that kind of money for ice packed slopes. Also, this was the week the entire Western half of the country was in a wicked cold snap. So while it was in the 20's back home, it was in the 0's and 10's here in Colorado. Crazy cold.
Outside the condo:
We made the most of it, and while we missed out on some of the grander adventures that my brothers and their girls went on, we still got out. It was a challenge with Cam and the cold. Babies don't exactly like mittens nor can they tell you if they are cold, so you spend a lot of time bundling to go out, and most of your time out fretting if baby is cold or not, then a lot of time consoling when the baby breaks down at the end of the outing.
He got better with each outing, but never loved the snow like we thought he might. At first he wouldn't even stand up out in it. He just crumpled, losing all muscle tone as his feet hit the snow. This was a nice, but brief moment of happiness.
Kids are a great source of entertainment.
Eating is always nice.
In video, a recap of the weekend at the condo:
The day before we were scheduled to leave and drive straight to the airport, we were checking the weather and saw many dire warnings about a massive storm about to hit and potentially close all roads out of the area for a day or so. So, we packed up and headed out a day early and crashed at Carl and Tory's place in Boulder. We left the babe with grandma for a while and took a nice day hike in the snowy hills on the edge of Boulder known as the Flatirons (same place we went in the summer). Another bone chillingly cold day, but a beautiful hike.
The rest of December, we laid low around home. Had a quiet Christmas at home with a couple potluck meals - one at Merv and Carolyn's and another at Melody and Dwayne's Eugene home. We were pretty skimpy on the whole Christmas Day celebration for Cam - again, he doesn't know any better. We gave him two simple gifts - the more expensive one he could care less about. Of course.
Our Christmas Card photo:
Would have been a great photo if it wasn't quite so bright.
Loves his books and blocks.
And his bus. A great find from Grandma.
Corrine and the kids have moved to the East side of the mountains so we hardly ever get to see them anymore. They did pay us a nice visit just before Christmas. I know I say this every time, but I can't believe how big her kids are getting!
For New Years we went out to the John and Jenn's place on the coast again. We've done this for the past three years. John was down in Pasadena this year though watching and photographing the Ducks in the Rosebowl, so they did not join us. We were ready for a weekend away, so we we went ahead without them. There were record high tides this particular weekend, as was evident by the roads as we approached Florence along the Siuslaw River.
It was mostly rainy, but we had some nice breaks from it and a few nice outings. Cam as usual, loved the times down at the beach and in the dunes.
The rain and tides left some crazy foam. And a broken ladder.
And since then, we've been carrying on with life. Work for me has been mostly good with only the occasional crisis. I've been able to get off early quite a bit lately which, as always, is good for tucking Cam in at night but bad on the paycheck. Keith and Pat have stayed busy with a couple substantial projects. Busy enough to warrant putting Cam back in daycare twice a week. We had to change daycare centers as our old one is no longer willing to work with flexible schedules. With Melody and Dwayne up here each week watching him on Tues and Wed, we only need two half days a week at daycare for now. We like our new place - the building is more spacious with better play areas for the kids, but man, dropping him off is the pits. Everyone assures me he does fine all day and Keith says he is perfectly happy when he picks him up, and get this - he naps longer there than he does at home! But man he cries when I let go of him and hand him over. It's that frantic, horrible I-can't-breathe cry that just breaks my heart each time. Granted, sometimes he stops crying before I can even get to the door. But still. I want to be the one that picks him up! Do kids ever get used to that and not cry when you leave?
Meanwhile, I've been able to get this blog posted and my house clean and my laundry done and a full night's of uninterrupted sleep because my sweet husband took my sweet boy to the coast with John and Bea for the weekend. I have had two days of quiet. I haven't changed a diaper in 24 hours. And I spent last evening sharing a bottle of wine with Jenn while we cooked, chatted and watched a movie. And I miss my boys and am ready for them to be home. Life's funny, isn't it?
A couple random pics from January. Until next time!
What a sweet face.
Oh the puddles!
Gracie is at her happiest when Camden is eating.
He is very proud of himself when he makes his way up onto the chair. Luckily he hasn't been tempted to climb up on anything else yet, and can get himself safely down.
Reading in his chair. He is such a talker now. He will try to imitate almost any word you say. His latest words are apple, mama (finally!), and boots.
A letter to my son on his first birthday. I've seen others do this on their blogs and thought it was such a good idea, I had to copy it.
My Dear, Sweet Camden,
It is so hard to believe that one year ago you had just arrived in our lives. After nine months of a relatively uncomplicated pregnancy, you made a rough and rather explosive arrival into this world. I knew our lives would change, but I had no idea they would change this much or that I would be able to love a human being as much as I love you. My friends all told me, but there is no way to describe it. It has been a roller coaster ride this past year with moments of utter frustration and moments of complete wonder.
You have grown into such a big, beautiful and smart boy. It is amazing to see how much growing you have done in just one year. No wonder you're always so hungry!
You now let me sleep until about 5:00 AM before needing some more milk (yes I'm still breast feeding you, but we're tapering down....you'll have to learn to like that cow's milk here soon buddy!). It's hard to believe there was a time I was up with you every 2-3 hours to feed you. What a blur those first two months were. You were a pretty good baby overall - only crying to eat or if you were tired. I just never knew I would be so tired. You made good improvements in your sleep ability, but we can't say you officially "slept through the night" until you were about 10 1/2 months old. As much as we hated it, we had to just let you cry because you didn't know that you could put yourself to sleep without some milk or cuddling. As with everything else, you were a fast learner.
You came out bald, and now you still have a peculiar hair line, but at least you have hair. It's not thick, but it is blond as can be and smooth as silk with a funny little curl forming at the bottom. You've been in cloth diapers all you life so you look like you have a big butt, but really you've been growing along at a fast clip and in a very propotional manner - holding steady in the 75th percentile. At your one year visit you were 25 pounds and 30 inches tall.
You eat with fervor. I honestly don't know if you would stop eating as you never appear full. Sometimes you start playing with your food and throw some on the floor, so I take that as a cue that you might be done. I do not know where you pack all that food away. I'm happy that you have not been a picky eater so far - I'm sure that will change, but for now, you eat broccoli, lentil beans, avocado and anything else I put in front of you. But you do have some favorites - you are very partial to cottage cheese and bread products. If you see either of these on the plate, you will throw a fit until they are all gone, refusing everything else.
Over the last couple months you have learned so many things and are able to show us that you know these things. We have been pretty lazy with the baby signing, but in the last few weeks you have really picked up on some. You recently starting signing 'more' while eating and thank God for that as before it was a bunch of screaming in between bites, as we couldn't shovel the food in fast enough. Now, it's just a cute banging of one fist on the other open palm - you're own unique version of the sign, but we'll take it. You can sign 'sleep', 'round and round' when you see a fan or wheel) and 'fish'. But more impressively, your verbal skills continue to amaze us. You say truck, clock and sock (they all sound the same: "guck"), but you clearly know the difference. Your first word was doggee, and now it comes out as dogggg..........geee. You make your own unique sounds for duck, bear, cat, monkey, dog, and bird. When we say, "A cat goes....", you respond with the appropriate sound. When we tell you to sit down or stand up, you do so. When we tell you to go get your monkey or bear, you toddle off and go find it and bring it back. And the list goes on. It just continues to amaze us how much you comprehend and how many new things you learn each day.
You love your books. We leave a bunch out on a shelf within your reach and you pull them down one by one and sit in a messy pile of books, reading through each one of them. You've been turning pages for months now, and often times prefer to flip through big people books with the thin pages. When you really want a specific book, you pick it up and reach it out to us and start giggling deliriously until we start reading it to you.
You have the sweetest laugh, and it comes easily. A little game of peek-a-boo, the mention or sight of food, a game of tug-o-war, or the proposition of a book being read to you all gets you laughing. It has always been one of our greatest joys to hear you laugh - even though you seem to be amused at the strangest and simplest of things. I hope you always stay this lighthearted.
You started walking when you were ten months old, and haven't slowed down since. You zoom on down the sidewalk, trail or around and around the house. You rarely look up while you're walking and sometimes swing your left arm is strong determination. The only thing that slows you down is a big ol truck with big ol wheels. You love your doggie and wander on down the hallway each morning looking for her first before all things. Gracie has been very tolerant of you and really only disliked the stage where you would grab her hair in your tight little palms and pull. Now she is still more interested in food than anything else, but doesn't mind as you pet her gently and climb over the top of her.
You consume our lives. There are times I can't wait to put you down for a nap so that I can have some quiet time, and then 30 minutes after you've been asleep, I become restless and wonder when you are going to wake up. I love the first moments after you wake up. You are so cuddly, and wrap your arms around my neck and nestle your head onto my shoulder. I can never get to work in time because I fret for every last second as I try to get out the door either saying good bye to you over and over or making sure whoever is taking care of you knows exactly when you napped and what you've eaten and what you should eat for lunch (because of course no one else could figure any of that out). As my work day ends, I am so anxious to get home especially if I know you're still awake and I might get one last hug before bed. As you sleep soundly in your crib, your father and I often stand together and stare at you and marvel at how incredibly cute you are and how lucky we are to have you in our lives. I often cringe when I first hear your cry at 5:00 AM, but once I have you in my arms and you start drinking, I forgive you all over again.
I try to check myself when I start to get frustrated, or exhausted or get feelings of wondering when I may have more than 30 minutes to myself that I can spend on something other than dishes, laundry or bills and remind myself how fast this time is going by and it will all be a blur someday. As I rock you to sleep at night I find myself hugging you tighter and not wanting to put you down, cherishing this time in our lives together. There will come a day when you will become independent and may treat me with indifference, whereas now, you have an unconditional love for me and your father. You lunge for us when you're upset, you give me the widest grin when I walk in the door from work, and you feel safe in our arms when you're feeling tired, sad or scared.
You are a precious little boy and have brought such joy into our lives. You have no idea how much you mean to us and how lucky we feel to have such a perfect little guy. We can't imagine our lives without you in it and I can't wait to see the boy and man you are going to become. We love you Ahgee!
Like my mother, I am a little late on the blog entry, but given it is my first, and I am only 8 months old, I thought you might be forgiving this time around. Back in late June, I took my first major trip and got to go visit my aunt and uncle in Boulder, Colorado. It was a very eventful trip from the eyes of an infant, and a little more mellow for my mom and dad, but I think they had a great time as well. It all started on a Wednesday night. My mom got off work early, so we headed up to Portland well before dark and settled into my Auntie Jenn and Uncle John's loft that they were kind enough to let us use. There were lots of cool new toys there that I got to play with!
Being as there was not a crib there, I got to sleep in the bed with mom and dad. Which is always great, but then they woke me up at 3:40 in the morning! They are always complaining about me not sleeping enough at night, so why in the world did they wake me up? Whatever. They kept me up, mom gave me some milk, then they packed me into the big overnight backpack and we went walking down the city streets for about a mile. Mom was carrying me and my carseat (which was weird) and dad had this huge suitcase and another backpack that he looked like he was struggling with a bit. At any rate, then we loaded onto this thing that was kind of a cross between a bus and a train. I was pretty tired, but this was all so new, I just couldn't fall asleep. This thing (I heard my parents call it a MAX) took us to a HUGE building with so many people and lights where everyone was carrying suitcases like my daddy.
We waited on a long line, then another long line, then I got to play on the floor for a while, then we got on another line and into another strange machine where lots of adults were sitting in chairs all facing the same direction. By this point, I was so exhausted, I just curled up on mommy's chest and fell asleep. After I woke up, I was still in the same place and just got to play on my mom and dad's laps for the next two hours. They kept making all this fuss about what a good kid I was being. We got off the first machine (a lot of people used the word airplane) and onto another one just like it where I got to play on their laps and giggle at kids behind me for another hour or so. When we got off that one, we walked out to where a bunch of cars were and this guy who looked strangely familiar to me picked us up and we drove in the car for a while - I think I slept some of the way.
Finally we got to a house, but it wasn't my house. It was smaller, and really hot. Mom set me on the floor (did I mention I hadn't had a proper nap since 3:00 AM and I've become really attached to mom and dad and I was in all kinds of strange places in one day). I mean she just plopped me on the floor with no warning and all of a sudden these two strange (yet also familiar) faces swooped in on me and gave me big goofy grins. I didn't know what to do, so I cried. Hard. Mom had the sense to pick me back up and get my used to the place first before doing that again.
Later in the day we took a walk to a park which was really fun. I got to swing, play in the grass and daddy even let me play on the big kid toys that are made of metal and rock back and forth. Well, I got so excited, I moved quicker and stronger than dad was expecting and fell flat on my face onto that metal. Man that hurt. I sure got a lot of attention from mom and dad though. There was lots of talk about blood and scars though. So I cried some more. Hey - I'm just a baby.
The next day, I felt a little more like myself finally getting a full night's sleep in a crib. After being given asparagus for breakfast (yuck, what was that all about?) We headed out late in the morning and went for a long dayhike, up in these rally cool mountains called the Flatirons. They are just right outside of Boulder and apparently a very popular area as there were lots of other people and lots of other babies in backpacks like mine. It was a fine hike and I got to spend most of the time on Uncle Carl's back. It's hot there in Colorado. I'm glad I get to ride everywhere I go - those adults sure were sweating a lot. I took a nap towards the top. I know, I can sleep anywhere!
On the way up:
I guess this is why this area got the name Flatirons, although Daddy likes to call them FlatTrons.
After having lunch, we decided we'd better hurry down. Boulder is notorious for it's afternoon thunderstorms, and the skies were getting dark. Daddy carried me this time, and he made good time, but we weren't quite fast enough. Just as we got out of the trees the rain started. And it came down hard. And then it turned to hail. I know I have a nice pack and all, and it has a cover on it, but it doesn't have covers on the sides and the hail was coming in sideways at me. And it hurt and it was cold, and I didn't like it. So I cried. A lot. All I had on were shorts and a short sleeve top! But they got me in the car fast and I felt better pretty soon after that.
Camden "wrote" this about two months ago, and that is where things have stayed. I had some time today to see if I couldn't get things caught up before Cam's first birthday. That's right, I said FIRST birthday. Our little munchkin is almost one year old already if you can believe it. So I'm going to blow through things here and just hit the highlights of the last four months.
The rest of our Boulder trip was great. Paul joined us for the weekend and we all did an amazing overnight hike in an area called Peaceful Valley which is just over an hour outside of Boulder and at the edge of the Rockies. Camden did great (aside from a little trouble in the middle of the night) and the scenery was absolutely stunning.
The Rockies and approaching the meadow where we would set up camp.
My brothers and I in a pretty amazing valley.
Chillin around camp:
We were pretty relaxed for the rest of the trip, just hanging at Carl's. We spent an afternoon at the local river and Carl and Keith took a short inner tube ride down some rapids that were raging a lot higher than average for this time of year. It was an uneventful ride home. Cam did great again and on the MAX back in Portland he was an absolute freak and screamed in joy the whole way home. The other people on the train thought it was amusing at first, then I'm sure it got old. By the time we walked in our door at midnight, Gracie was waiting for us and did her usual "talking". Camden was so tired and disoriented he looked at her and started crying uncontrollably grabbing onto me for dear life. By the morning all was back to normal.
Fourth of July was a nice weekend. We had great weather, lots of the cousins showed up and I felt like I actually had some down time for a change. No crazy adventures or stories to tell. Lots of eating, swimming and playing with the baby.
Camden's first swim in the Smith River.
Are we singing off key?
Breakfast.
July was pretty uneventful. After maternity leave wiped out my PTO, any little vacation I take has to be followed by some solid work to build up a little more time off. Reading through my journal, I noted that this was about the time we decided we had to let Camden cry it out. Up until this point (he is about 8 months old at this time), he was still waking at 12:00, 2:00 and then 5:00 or 6:00. We would coddle him back to sleep for two of those wakings, and I would feed him on the other one. We thought 8 months was enough of that, and decided the only solution was to let him cry. Keith was nice enough to take that on as I give in way too easily. So he sat up with him and after about two or three nights of crying for about 20 minutes, he was sleeping from 8:00 PM until about 5:00 or 6:00AM. I'd feed him at that point, and usually take him back into bed with me for another little snooze.
It was heaven, but it only lasted a couple weeks, then he got sick, then we went up to Gig Harbor, then he got sick again, then we got lazy, and then he got sick again - this time leading to an ear infection (he had a string of colds with a mild case of roseola thrown in there somewhere) and we were pretty much right back where we started. So about two weeks ago, we put the proverbial foot down again, let him work it out on his own, and now he's back to sleeping straight on through until about 6:00 or so. The nice thing about this kid (since I can't seem to get myself to bed before midnight) is that he'll go back to sleep after that early morning feeding allowing me a couple more hours of shut eye at what is always my groggiest time.
So that's the story on sleep. For a while there I was wondering if I'd ever get 6 hours of sleep in a row again let alone 8. There is a light way off there at the end of that tunnel.
Misc summer pics: About 8 months old. Backyard bath.
Just over 9 months and checking out the garden.
What is so funny?
Reading. Yes, that is one of the favorites and we have it memorized.
Just before Bea left for Italy. Mid-August.
In late July I journeyed up to the Seattle area and made it to our annual girls' hike. It was a tradition started about 10 years ago back in Bellingham, WA as a bachelorette 'party' where just the girls went out on an overnight backpack trip. We try to make it happen every year whether we are celebrating an upcoming wedding or not. With babies and busy lives, the group is always a different one, but always a fun one. I hemmed and hawed about going as it was a long drive for me and I was still breastfeeding and everything seems so much harder with a wee one. With Keith's support (my manny), I was able to make it happen. I debated on taking Cam with me on the hike, but decided I had enough milk stored up and packed up my obnoxiously heavy (yet efficient), battery operated breast pump and left the baby with Dad and had some great girl time on the trail.
Camden got to chill with this big kid while the mommies were away. What a doll.
I'm glad I didn't bring Camden as the hike was kind of steep, there were a horrendous amount of mosquitoes and we spent part of our evening in the midst of an impressive thunder and lightening storm. Despite that, it was a gorgeous hike, we had plenty of DEET and the rains didn't hit until right after dinner. It is always great to see those girls and so hard to believe a whole year goes by before I can see most of them again.
The girls. Who are very adept, I must say, at shielding rangers from pumping moms!
The dog.
The view. Cathedral Peak.
Camden did a two week stint of "swim lessons". Should be called "getting your baby used to the water" lessons. He did great, and we lucked out with the weather as it was at an outdoor pool. He wasn't too fond of the water slide though.
In early August (Cam is now almost 9 months) we drove back up to Washington again and gathered at my parents' place with my brothers and their ladies. The weather did not cooperate, but we still had a fine time. We forced ourselves out to the lake for a swim even though the sun didn't come out, played games, and of course stared at and played with the baby. On this trip he started to let go of furniture and hands and would stand temporarily on his own. His other skills at this stage are unpacking things (especially laundry baskets), spinning things, banging things together or on the floor, and playing peek-a-boo. And he LOVES being chased...especially after bath time.
Family at the lake.
Brothers.
Camden exploring mom and dad's back yard.
Cool little canoe trip on the way home.
Somewhere around this time we also started him in daycare. We held off as long as we could, but Keith picked up a couple big projects and it became a necessity and financially made sense to do so. He did surprisingly well - the staff says he is an easy baby and mostly sits around and plays all day. I attribute his increase in illness to being there of course and the only other downfall is he really doesn't nap well there. But overall, we are happy with the place and think it is good for him to have that exposure.
Mid August, John, Jenn and Bea left for Italy for 2 months and my mom came down to house and dog sit for them. Great to have my mom down, sad to have our dear friends gone for so long. It was really nice for my mom to get to spend so much time with Camden - she feels a little badly being so far away, so this was a great chance for her to really bond with him. Keith continued to work full time, so she was the daycare lady most days. About this time, Camden's language skills really started to pick up. His first sign was "round and round". John and Jenn have big ceiling fans that he loves to stare at and he started moving his hand around in a circle every time we would say round and round. He has been saying "dodgee" (dog) for a while but around this time started blowing out his nose and making a grunt every time he saw a dog (his version of a woof or bark).
On September 1 (Cam is 9 1/2 months old), he took his first unaided steps! And we were lucky enough to get it on video.
A couple weeks went by where he didn't do much else besides walk while pushing a walker, or creep along furniture but then by the time he was a little over 10 months old, he was walking with purpose, that being his preferred mode of travel. Now, he is not even a year old yet, and sometimes we have a hard time keeping up with him, and it is scary how fast and how quietly they can move. You can't let your guard down for a second.
September 5-6, Mom, Cam, Keith and I went to bits and pieces of the Eugene Celebration. A weekend of music, arts and food. We heard some good music and got some nice photo ops for Cam.
The Ken Kesey bus!
September 9-15 my Aunt Irene (my one and only aunt) came for a visit from New York. She had a grand ol time hanging out with Camden and probably was the instigator of his now almost obsession with books. Just before she got here, he was really starting to get interested in books and was quickly developing a couple favorites. His behavior was borderline OCD (we tease) because you could never stop reading them to him (or god forbid he would cry) or if you grabbed the wrong book, he'd throw a fit. Aunt Irene mailed him a whole box of beautiful books (some of which are now his favorites) and had no problem reading to him all day long. The two of them got along great and it is a shame she lives so far away.
Breakfast.
While she was here, we spent a weekend out at the coast at John and Jenn's beach house. It was a lovely weekend (despite the fact that my back had just gone out) and the weather was gorgeous. Camden absolutely loved the beach. He was able to play in the sand this time and didn't feel the need to eat it.
I love this one because it looks like mom is about to fall over, and Camden is rock solid.
The last weekend in September, we left Camden with both grandpas for a night while Keith and I and Melody and my mom and Merv went and saw Lewis Black at the Hult Center. Despite a heckler who barely five minutes into the show yelled out, "You suck Black!" which was then followed by everyone in the audience yelling back and forth and Lewis Black standing on the stage with his head in his hands shaking his head at the idiocy of it all, it was a great show. A clever comedian with hilarious delivery.
Which brings us to October, of which today is the last day of.....Happy Halloween! The rains have come, the leaves are all falling off the trees, and it gets dark pretty damn early. Not much happened in October, and I am really quite stunned that tomorrow is November. We went on a nice fall hike with my parents to Blue Hole. Keith and I did this hike while I was pregnant and we missed the blue hole effect as there was too much water, so we had been wanting to go back. A very nice, easy, perfect length hike to take an 11 month old on. He still tolerates the big pack, but would much rather be on the ground walking or up high on someone's shoulders.
Tamolitch Falls/Blue Hole a year ago:
The view this time:
A nice ride.
He flies!
He hikes.
Mom and Dad finished up their housesitting duties as of Oct 24 and on Monday I got to see that big girl Bea and her mom again! What a cutie. It's hard to believe these kids keep on getting cuter (even with those ginormous front teeth!). My dad had left earlier and drove to Utah and took a three day canoe trip down a river in a canoe made out of plywood (of my dad's creation) with my brothers. The take-out on this stretch of river was at a point where you had to walk out about five miles and they didn't want to pack a canoe that far, so they traveled on the river in something they could burn at the end. Yep, that's my family for you. No normal vacations thank you very much.
Grandpa also had some good bonding time with both these yahoos.
Mom left last weekend and we (yes, you too Keith) will miss her dearly. She has been wonderful for him. She gets credit for him saying 'meow meow', for grabbing his ear when you ask him where his ear is and for his love of giraffes. And many other amazing skills I'm sure.
Mom and Cam on Spencer Butte.
In the meantime Melody and Dwayne have been back and forth to Eugene several times and have also been instrumental in watching Cam while we both work to minimize daycare needs. He is becoming quite attached to them and always welcomes Melody with open arms and is finally warming up to Dwayne more after a couple days where Dwayne was the sole care provider for a couple hours. Not sure if he's changed a diaper yet, though. Not sure why I don't have more pictures with them in it!
Camden continues to amaze us every day. Everything he does is pretty normal for his age I am sure, but I am still blown away when he says or recognizes a new word, or does some deliberate new action. I could make a list and brag about all the things he does, but god, that would be boring. Oh, all right.....I'll just mention a few that I think are cute or particularly brilliant.
He recognizes hot things (the fire, something cooking on the stove, a hot cup of tea or coffee) and says "Hot".
You tell him to bring you his shoes and he starts to giggle, looks around, finds both shoes, picks them up, brings them to you, and falls into your lap so you can put them on. Then as you're putting them on he grunts a little, because I used to make grunting sounds with some of the first shoes that were particularly hard to put on. Then he gets up and walks circles around the house until we go outside for our walk.
He looks at the clock and says "clock" (Ok, so it sounds like cok...). He also says "truck" when he sees a truck (and this also sounds like cok or cuk).
He does and recognizes a few signs but only when asked to do them - he hasn't learned to initiate the communication with them yet - some of them are (changing your diaper, bird, round and round).
He giggles and laughs and then cries when you say "milk" or "eat", because yes, he wants that and he wants it NOW. Yes, he is still a fabulous eater. I think cottage cheese and crackers are his two most favorite things. He will stuff about 10 goldfish in his mouth without hesitation.
Giggles when he sees his blanket.
He spit out the binkie months ago and never wanted it again! Yay!
Says "Ahgee, ahgee" all the time. We have no idea what it means, but we love it.
In the morning, we all snuggle in our bed together, and he always reaches up to the headboard and grabs my chapstick and pulls the lid off and plays with it for about 20 minutes. He never fails to do this and he never gets tired of it. Very weird.
OK. That's enough. Clearly you can see that he is a prodigy and will be starting college next year.
Although I suppose I should mention that he has some not so flattering traits starting to rear their ugly head, so maybe we'll hold off on the higher education for now. He is starting to fake cry the nanosecond that something doesn't go his way. He throws temper tantrums by flopping his head down onto the floor and crying. He's been out of daycare now for two months with mom being down here, and he is clearly lacking for baby interaction social skills. Now when we go to social situations with other kids and a kid takes a toy away from him, he looks the kid in the eye and does this loud, horrendous, embarrassing-to-be-his-parent scream. Lovely. And tonight, petite, dainty little girl Bea was over (yes, Camden is now taller and bigger than her) and when Camden wants to get by her, he literally pushes her out of the way, sometimes knocking her over. She takes it like a trooper and just looks more stunned than anything. Geesh. How do you teach a one year old some manners? It is very interesting as these two kids grow up to see the boy/girl differences start to show.
I think I'll leave it there and call myself caught up. Clearly he is still the focus of our lives, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Finally, more pictures.....as always you can see all of them at our Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emkeith/ (The link is now also off to the right on this main page).
