Happy 1st Birthday Cameron!

Our little boy is 1 today! I cannot believe how fast the past year has flown by and how much I have loved and learned in that time. We had Cameron's birthday party Saturday and it was a blast! We had a ton of people at our house to celebrate this special milestone. My mom's co-worker and friend, Connie, and her husband brought their three ponies for the kids to ride on. They were a hit. Cameron liked the ponies and we got to take a ride on a cart pulled by a pony.


The theme of the party was frogs and Cameron had a special birthday cake that he loved!



It was nerve-wracking hosting a 1-year-old's birthday party but everything went great. Cameron enjoyed playing in his new sandbox with his cousin Addy and the other kids. We had lots of family and friends come from out of town and it was nice to see everyone. Cameron also received many gifts that have overtaken our house. We can't thank everyone enough for attending the party and making Cameron so happy.


Earlier this month, Cameron and I traveled to Greencastle for a playdate with two of my old co-workers and their boys Andrew and Blake. Cameron had so much fun playing with his friends and it was great to catch up with mine! The boys played together nice and hopefully we will be able to get together again soon!



For Father's day, Cory, Cameron, and I went to my parent's house for lunch. Cameron had his first cheeseburger and loved it. Afterwards, we went to Marilyn's house to go swimming. Cam loves the pool and splashing. He kept trying to drink the water and would get flustered when he dipped his head in the water. It was funny to watch. Cameron got his daddy tickets to the White Sox/Cubs game this weekend at US Cellular field for Father's Day. We are super excited to get out of town for a weekend and take Cameron to his first baseball game! We will be traveling to Cory's brothers house and staying Friday night so we can visit with Derek, Tonya, Adalyn, and his Cam's new baby cousin Carter! Then we will continue on the Chicago for the game.


Cameron is learning or doing something new everyday. He is very close to walking on his own. He has taken one step but still hasn't gotten the courage to take those first few steps. He loves clapping for himself and playing on his new drumset! Papaw Jerry also built Cameron a playset and Cam loves to go in his swing. He has a few words down. Dada is the favorite but he also says Ma, Og (Dog), Hi/Hey, and Bye Bye (sometimes). My absolute favorite thing he does is give hugs and kisses. Everyday when I get home from work he will crawl up me, wrap his arms around my neck, and give me a kiss. It is by far the best part of my day!

Since Cory is home all summer with Cam, I signed them up for a Kindermusik class. They have been two times and Cory says that Cameron really enjoys it! I am hoping to sign him up again for a fall class so I can attend with him. Cam loves anything that has to do with music, dancing, or making sound.

We cannot wait to continue to watch Cameron grow over the next year and will definitely keep everyone updated on his growth and development.

We are officially the parents of a toddler!!!

C&C&C

11 Months Old and Into Everything!

I apologize once again for taking so long to update but it seems like everytime I remind myself to update I forget within ten minutes!

Cameron just turned 11 months old yesterday and wow has time flown by. He currently has his two bottom teeth, weighs about 23 lbs and is a very active little boy. He is a speedy crawler and loves to cruise along furniture. It seems the child is never unhappy (except sometimes at bedtime). He always has a smile on his face and loves to explore every nook and cranny he discovers. Lately, he seems to find everything he isn't supposed to. Once he finds something new he always looks at us to see if we are watching him and gives us his big grin! Our attempts at babyproofing the house have failed miserably. It seems that every time I think we might have it.. Cameron finds something new.

Cam is also a champion eater. We have not found one thing he does not like. Some of his favorites are cantelope, scrambled eggs, meatballs, pancakes, ravioli, and well whatever else we put in front of him! He refuses to eat baby food anymore which is kind of nice since I can just give him whatever we are eating. His favorite desert is Vanilla wafers!

This past weekend we were extremely busy and did lots of activities. Friday night Cory took Cameron to the just opened that day Best Buy in town while I went grocery shopping. They loves going on their boys only "field trips". On Saturday morning we took Cameron to Deming Park to play since it was beautiful out. He loves being outside and had a blast. He swung, played at the rock wall, went down a couple slides with mommy, and even rode on the teeter totter with a little boy who was having his first birthday party at the park that day. We also got to see the geese at the pond. After going home and getting him down for a nap, our friends Nick and Andrea stopped by while in town with another friend of theirs and Cory's. It was nice to catch up with them and afterwards we went out to dinner at Olive Garden before they headed back home to Vincennes.

Today we went to my parent's house for lunch earlier than usual so my Grandma and Grandpa could visit with him more since they are going on vacation this week. I think my dad will have serious Cameron withdrawal symptoms while in Baltimore! After a yummy lunch.. we headed home for Cameron's nap. While he slept.. Cory set up his new pool and we got him for his birthday (only a month early). It was 90 degrees today so the pool was a must! Cory and I also took some of the time to clean out my car and start cleaning out the garage. When Cam woke up, my parents came over to watch Cameron in the pool for the first time. He was a little hesitant at first and I think the cold water kind of shocked him but once mommy and daddy got in the pool with him he was just fine. He had a blast playing with his toys!

Cameron and I just got back home from visiting with my Aunt Amy, Uncle Brian, and Natalie and Valerie. They hadn't seen him in a while so we went to show off his moving and shaing skills!

We are planning to have Cameron's first birthday party on June 19th! So I need to get on top of the invitations so I can send them out next weekend. Grandma Penny got ponies for the party (not my idea at all and I am not cleaning up the pony poop!).


If I don't update next weekend.. feel free to call me and yell!


Mommy, Cameron, and Daddy in the pool!



Daddy and Cameron on the monkey bars at the park!


C&C&C

Re-Entering the Blogosphere!

I know it has been ages since I have updated our blog and I apologize for being a terrible blogger! With the holidays and starting a new job, we have been quite busy! Cameron is not 8 1/2 months old and growing like a weed! He is an absolute joy to be around and is the happiest baby I have ever seen. He always has a smile on his face and is learning so much so fast!

He is getting his first two teeth on the bottom and love to eat everything we give him. His favorite snacks are Baby Mum Mums and graham crackers. He wolfs down every type of baby food we have throw at him. Our dinners tend to be a bit messy but Cameron loves to sit in his highchair and eat. In the past month he has been taking the spoon from our hands and feeding himself which makes it ten times messier but oh so cute!


Cameron eating a graham cracker!

Yesterday, we traveled to Atlanta, IL to visit Cameron's Uncle Derek, Aunt Tonya, and Cousing Adalyn for Addy's 2nd birthday party! Surprisingly, Cameron did fairly well in the car. We only had once incident where he sprayed himself, me, and his carseat with juice. Cameron loved seeing his aunt, uncle, cousin, Grandma Sally, and everyone else at the party. He especially liked meeting the little girl who is about 6 months older than him. We were hoping that seeing the other kids crawling and walking around would inspire him to get the motivation to crawl but no luck so far. He is quite content just sitting there and having things handed to him!



Watching Addy blow out her birthday candle!
Cameron and Addy on Uncle Dereks lap!

We are so excited that the weather is finally starting to warm up. We are looking forward to spending a lot of time with Cameron outside. He hasn't been able to be out in the air very much since being born due to how little he was and then being winter time. Daddy decided that since baseball season is approaching, it was time to break out some White Sox gear for Cameron. Below is Cameron ready for some baseball!


So far Cam hasn't said his first word, but we now it is just a matter of time before he starts. He babbles constantly and there have been a few times we swore he has said "Hi", "Hey", or "mama" but haven't been sure. He is very aware of everything going on around him and loves to watch his big sister Maggie run around the house. Maggie has actually let him start petting her and oftentimes Cameron decides it would be fun to pull her ears. Maggie is very protective of him and doesn't like when people other than mommy, daddy, and our parents get near him.


Cameron and Maggie playing on the floor


We have a lot of exciting things coming up in the next couple of months. We will be celebrating Cameron's first Easter, his first Mother and Father's day, his first birthday, and the birth of his new baby cousin due on June 10th. We are excited that another little boy will be joining the family when our sister-in-law, Tonya, has Addy's new brother!

I hope to start updating the blog more so we can keep everyone up to date on our little boy's life! If I don't, call me and yell at me! Sometimes mommy's need motivation too!

C&C&C

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!