Halloween and Fall Festivities!

I know it has been ages since we have updated the blog and we have lots to share about Cameron. He is now 20 weeks old (4 1/2 months) and a whopping 15.5 lbs! Cam is an absolute joy and Cory and I could not imagine life without him. We recently started solid foods after his 4 month doctor's appointment. Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, and Green Beans have all gotten a thumbs up while he didn't like the Squash and Peas so much. He is getting better each day at eating off of a spoon. He has also discovered that he loves to suck on and chew his fingers. We can really see his personality starting to show. He loves to smile and babble and has started to belly laugh when he thinks something is funny. We have been working on building up his back and stomach muscles and he wants to sit up so bad and is almost there. The longest he has sat up by himself has been for about 45 seconds. His doctor told us he is right on track developmentally.

For Halloween, Cameron dressed up as a monkey! Mommy and Daddy thought this was the perfect costume for him since we always call him our little monkey. He was so good while in his costume. We went trick or treating to some family members houses and a few friends. He did not fuss once! We thought for sure that getting him in and out of the car seat so many times that he would get fed up with it but he didn't which made it easier for us since it was raining the entire time. Cameron got lots of goodies including a few outfits, baby food, onesies, and even a couple dollars for his piggy bank. He loved getting to see so many different people in one night. We were very relieved that the night went without a hitch.

Cameron also started daycare since I am now working. He LOVES daycare. Cory and I love it as well. The lady who runs it is amazing and Cameron gets good reports sent home every day. We got our first piece of artwork last week. It was little ghosts paint with Cameron's feet! It is currently hanging on the fridge and will be going in the baby book!

We are hopefully closing on our house this week and will be moving in in a couple of weeks. We have to finish some hardwood floors and take down some wallpaper and paint and then we should be good to go. We can't wait to have a home to call our own and raise Cameron in a great location! I have posted a few recent pictures including one from Halloween. Hope you enjoy and I will try to post more often.

C&C&C


Spending some time outside on a beautiful fall day!


Cameron in his monkey costume. We were trick or treating and Grandma and Grandpa O'Brien's house in this picture.

12 Week Update!

Maggie and Cameron playing on the bed!


I know, I know it has been weeks since I have updated but we have been busy/sick and it was the last thing on my mind! Tomorrow Cameron will be 12 weeks old! I can't believe how much he has grown! As of today, he is exactly 11lbs! He is the light of our life and he makes us smile more than we could ever have imagined. Everyday, Cam is improving on so many skills and surpassing a lot of milestones we thought he may be behind on because of his early birth and low birthweight.

In the past couple of weeks, Cameron has started smiling and laughing a lot more. It seems like he always has a smile on his face. He has also become much more observant. He loves looking at new object and whenever we go to a new place he looks around at all the new things. His new favorite activity is looking into the bathroom mirror! I think he would do it for hours if I would stand there and hold him for that long.

My aunt Amy has watched Cameron a couple times in the past couple of weeks due to me having dentist appointments and job interviews. She was a pediatric physical therapist before becoming a stay at home mom and has worked with him on a lot of muscle strengthening exercises and taught me some new things to do with him. His head control has improved dramatically and he only struggles to hold it up when he is really tired. He is rolling over from his belly to back and loves to sit in his bumbo chair.

This past weekend we had our first bought with being sick. Cameron had a pretty nasty cold that included a stuffy nose and coughing. Although he still has the stuffy nose, he seems to be doing much better than he was earlier in the week. Unfortunately, I also got sick so I think that prolonged him from getting better sooner. He also has thrush and is taking medication for that for the next week.

I have gotten to be an expert on going out alone with the baby. We go all sorts of places now and he is usually great when we leave the house. Lately, we have been going to a few of my cousins' volleyball games. It has been nice to get that extra time with family. Grandma Sally also came to visit last weekend and Cameron just loved having her to cuddle with!

Hopefully I will be a bit better in the weeks to come about posting more often. I've added some pics. Hope you enjoy our growing boy!

Napping on mommy's shoulder!




He loves bathtime! Cory and I have fun with it too and cover him with bubbles!

He loves to smile and laugh!

Colt's camp and milestones!

Cameron and I at Colt's training camp!!!!!


Last week we took Cameron to his first Colt's training camp practice! He was really good even though it was hot outside. He stayed awake for maybe 15 minutes then passed out! We were able to stay for about 45 minutes. Once the sun started beating down harder we decided to get him out of the heat! He seemed to like being outside in the fresh air though and all the people kept mentioning how cute he is! Lately Cameron has been rolling over quite a bit. Usually he does it a couple times every time we do tummy time now. We think he gets so mad that he pushes himself over. Tummy time is not fun time in our house! He is also holding his head up very well! He still does some face dives and gets wobbly, especially when he is tired but for the most part he is doing great! We expect that in the next few weeks he will have a lot better head control! He also keeps trying to stand. He loves putting pressure on his legs and pushing himself up when we hold him in our laps!

Last Friday Cam went for his two month Well Baby visit and to get his first set of shots. He weighed in at a whopping 7lbs 11oz. I think that I was more nervous about his shots than anything but he was a trooper and only cried for about 5 seconds when he got poked. Then I picked him up and he fell asleep! The doctor said that everything looks great with him and that he is hitting all of his milestones even though he was 3 weeks early! Later that day, Grandma Freihaut came to visit and she brought goodies from Aunt Tonya and Uncle Derek! They went to a Carter's outlet and got him some cute new outfits and a baby scale! I am in love with the baby scale. Now I can keep up on his weight gain without having to weight to go to the doctor. Today he was 8lbs 3 oz!

On Saturday, Cory and I decided that we were finally going to go do something for our one year anniversary that was on July 19th. Grandma and Grandpa O'Brien were hired to babysit for a few hours! We went to see Harry Potter and halfway through the movie I asked Cory if we could go home because I missed Cameron! I think I was suffering from separation anxiety! lol.. Needless to say, I made it through the movie and Cameron had a wonderful time with grandma and grandpa. On Sunday we relaxed because Cory had to go back to work the next day. This week has went really well with just me and Cam home alone during the day. I must say that I absolutely love staying home and being with him right now. I can't imagine how I am going to feel when I go back to work and have to hand him off to someone else to watch for the day. I am miserable just thinking about it. Cory has come home every day saying how much he missed Cam during the day. Luckily they get to play together all evening!

Last night Cameron went to my cousin Natalie's volleyball game. He is so good whenever we go out of the house. He was passed around a lot between my parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousin and he just loved it! We don't have any plans for this weekend. I think we are going to try and clean the house really well and just spend some quality time with Cameron. I've added some pictures of Cam. Enjoy the cuteness!!

C&C&C



Playing with his toys!


I think he is a bit too small for his Bumbo! Plus he hated it haha


Daddy and Cam!


Mommy and her handsome boy! Love him!

Cameron Update!!!

First off, I apologize for not updating this blog sooner! It has been the last thing on my mind lately and I spaced out and forgot to update!

On Monday, Cameron had another weight check and had gained 1.2 lbs in two weeks! He now weighs 6lbs 11 oz and is definitely starting to chub up! The doctor was very happy with his weight gain and said we can now let him sleep between 4-6 hour stretches during the night. We did have one 5 1/2 hour stretch the other night but usually it is about 3-4 hours in between night time feedings. Cory and I have definitely been getting a lot more sleep these last couple of weeks. We have worked out our nighttime routine and everything is going great.

Last Friday we went over to my sisters apartment for a cookout for her birthday! Cameron had a great time and was a trooper out in the heat. He got to visit with his Aunt Whitney, Grandma and Grandpa O'Brien, Great-Grandma and Grandpa Spittler, my Aunt Amy and Uncle Brian and their kids Natalie and Valerie, and Marilyn and Bob! While everyone played with Cam, mommy and daddy got a break and played some cornhole! Overall we had a great time and it was nice to get out of the house for a bit and interact with people. We also made a trip to the mall to walk Cam around in his stroller. He was an angel the entire time. He seems to do really well when we go out which makes things a lot easier on us. We just have to make sure we plan on going places around his feedings which is a little difficult sometimes.

On Tuesday, Cameron and I went with Cory to help set up his classroom (he goes back to school on the 17th). Cam slept most of the time we were there which allowed me to help Cory get some stuff organized. All of the ladies at Cory's office loved seeing Cam!

Yesterday we went to Danville to pick up Cameron's birth certificate. He was awake the entire ride there and didn't make a peep. That was probably because Cory read to him from his Sports Illustrated! Cameron loves to be talked to and read to. We sit in the glider and read him a few books every day! He also really enjoyed his lullaby CD that his Aunt Whitty got him. I have pretty much memorized all of the songs now that we have listened to it so much and even without the CD if I start singing one of the lullabies he calms down immediately.

Next Friday, Cameron gets his 2 month shots. I am a little nervous about them and know that I am going to be a wreck when he starts crying. The doctor told us we can give him a little baby tylenol to help with pain and try to prevent a fever. I'm hoping that everything goes smoothly and that his weight gain is still going good.

I have added some pictures from the past couple of weeks. I will try to update after Cameron's doctor's appointment next week!

C&C&C




Cameron with Aunt Whitney


Cameron is very alert for most of the day now!


Taking a nap on mommy!!!


Playdate with Andrew (6/2) and Blake (6/29)!!!!

Taking a break on mom!

One Month Old Today!

I'm so sorry I have been horrible about posting the past two weeks. We are still in an adjustment period and I am trying to figure out how to budget my time on certain things with a baby around!

Cameron is one month old today and is definitely developing his own little personality! As of Monday (July 20th) he weighs 5lb 9.5oz! He gained 9.5oz in one week which the doctor said is a great weight gain! He is awake and alert a good amount of time now, especially in the afternoon and evenings! He loves to be talked to and looking at our faces! He also likes to dance! (This involves mommy and daddy moving his arms and legs around). Lately he has also been smiling more. I have yet been able to get a good one in a picture!

Due to his impressive weight gain in the past two weeks, he is now out of his preemie clothing and diapers and into the newborn size! This means that mommy got to go shopping.. woohoo!! Today I picked up the pictures we had taken when he was 2 weeks old. They turned out pretty good even though he slept through them. We couldn't get him to wake up for the life of us.

Tomorrow will be Cameron's first long day trip. I have my follow up appt. with my OB in Avon and Cory and Cameron will be joining me. We are also going to one of my friend's houses in Brownsburg to visit with her and another friends newborns! Cameron will be meeting his new friends, Andrew and Blake, for the first time! Andrew was born to my friend Sarah on June 2nd and Blake was born to Nicole on June 29th! It will be interesting to see the boys next to each other because last I hear, Andrew was over 10lbs now and Blake was 8lb when he was born and is probably up around 10lbs. Cam is going to look like a shrimp compared to them! It should be a great time and I can't wait to visit with everyone.

I have added some pictures from the past two weeks for everyone to see. You can definitely tell that he is bright eyed and ready to take on the world!

Mommy's little monkey!!!


He loves playing with his fingers!


We are a big fan of naps in this house!!!!


"Dad.. you need to wake up and play with me!"


Grandma Sally bought this book for Cameron and it is bigger than he is!!!


C&C&C

Week 2!

Cameron is 2 weeks old today! In the past week, he has because much more active and alert. We had two weight checks. On Wednesday, he weighed in at 4lb 8oz which was only one ounce less than his birth weight. Today when we went for his 2 week Well Baby appt. he weighed 4lb 11oz! The doctor was very happy with how he is developing and growing and expects him to be 5lbs or more when we go back next Monday for another weight check!

Cam and I are getting much better at the whole nursing thing. He is latching much better and my meetings with the lactation consultant at his pediatrician's office have been very helpful. The past day he has been wanting to eat more often and is now up to about 2oz per feeding. I think he is going through a growth spurt which I am very excited about.

Also during the past week he has spent quite a bit more time awake. His eyes are focusing much better and he loves to be talked to. He will just look at you when you talk to him and make little noises like he is trying to respond. I have been trying to introduce him to different sensations as well. He loves the feel of silk and gets excited when you blow lightly in his face.

This Wednesday, Cameron is getting his first professional photographs taken. I want to get them done while he is still so tiny! Other than that, we don't have a lot planned for this week. I have added some pictures below of our handsome little boy! We are so in love with the little guy and can't wait to watch him grow!

Busy Weekend!

Today, Cam is one week old! He is the most precious little thing and Cory and I couldn't be happier!

Cameron has been a very good baby so far and rarely cries. He does cry when you undress him and change his diaper and is a little fussy when he gets hungry but other than that he is a very happy baby!

The one thing Cory and I have noticed the most about him is how he uses his arms and hands. His arms are almost always happily moving around and he does the craziest things with his hands. He even sleeps with his hands up at his face.

We have been taking lots of pictures of Cameron and plan to set up an online photo album to share with everyone. He loves being in his swing! But is absolute favorite place to sleep (besides in someone's arms) is in his car seat. We think it makes him feel secure with how surrounded he is. Maybe it reminds him of his Halo Sleepsack Swaddle from the hospital which we ordered offline and just recieved in the mail today!! Yay!! He is going to be so happy when he gets swaddled tonight to go to bed!

On Friday, Cameron went to the doctor for his first Well Baby Visit. He weighed in at 4lb 5oz, which is the same as when he left the hospital. The doctor said that everything looked great and they did another bili test to check for jaundice and he was in the normal range. We went back to the doctor today for a weight check. He was still 4lb 5oz but the doctor said that he should start gaining the next couple of days and wants us to go back on Wednesday for another weight check.

He has been eating pretty well. Last week he was eating about 1/2 oz - 1oz per feeding and he is now averaging 1-1 1/2 oz per feeding. We are slowing getting the hang of the whole breastfeeding thing. I met with a lactation specialist while at the doctor on Friday and today and she has been so helpful in making me feel comfortable with breastfeeding and I finally feel like I am doing it right. Cameron seems to notice the change to and is doing a lot better than he was. We have made progress but still have a bit to go before we are experts!

Cameron had a lot of visitors this weekend! On Saturday, Cory's brother Derek, sister-in-law Tonya, and our niece Adalyn came to visit. Addy is Cam's only cousin right now!

This is a picture of Tonya, Addy, and Cameron!

My friend Holly, her mom, and sister also came to see him. Later that afternoon, Cory's friend Cody, Zack, and Caleb came to see Cameron. All three of the guys were terrified of holding him but were troopers and did! Cameron looked so tiny compared to them. I don't think they moved a
muscle the entire time he was in their arms! Monica also came to visit Saturday night.

On Sunday, Grandpa Freihaut came to see Cameron! He bought us lunch and visited with us and we then went to my parents house where Cameron was the center of attention! My parents dogs were not happy that this little critter had invaded their territory! Cory's dad has a 4th of July party every year that we will have to miss this weekend. We promised to bring Cameron next year to see the fireworks show!





The last picture is of Cameron's first bath! He was not too excited to be getting "sponged off". He was very happy when it was time to be wrapped up in his hooded froggy towel!

I will try to update at least once a week from now on. Most likely it will be on Sundays or Monday to recap the previous week! When I set up the online photo album I will also post the link so everyone can see all of the pictures we have taken of our little man!

Cory and I would like to thank everyone who has sent us congratulatory message and gifts for Cameron. We are so blessed to have such wonderful families, friends, and support!

C&C&C