Happy Birthday Cameron!

Where has this year gone? My baby boy is already a year old. Cameron started walking the week of his birthday & he is definitely on the move now. We celebrated with a birthday breakfast at Vandergriff Park/playground. Cameron loves to swing & watch the other kids playing at the park.
We had a great time--he was not interested at all in his cupcake--he plopped it off his tray onto the ground. I think one of his favorite activities was opening the drink cooler & eating ice. He really wasn't that interested in opening his presents until he noticed all his cousins opening the gifts for him. He got some great stuff--everyone was too generous! I can't take credit for these great photos--I had to hire a professional.

Our 1st Family Vacation

We spent a week in Panama City, Florida for our 1st annual family vacation. Cameron was really great on the ride there & back. It's amazing how eating grapes & watching The Wonder Pets on the portable DVD player can entertain such a wee one. I will have to say that this beach vacation was much different than my usual vacation weeks on the beach--let's just say I didn't read one book while I was there. It was different but so much fun.We stayed at a condo called "Splash" which was extremely family friendly with kiddie pools & slides. Cameron loves the water & was not scared of the ocean one bit. Our demise of the beach was his fascination with eating sand & then rubbing his eyes!! Thank goodness for the saline drops I had in the beach bag for such occasions. I will say that I imagine trying to put sunscreen on an 11-month old is very similar to wrestling an alligator.

Tim & I took turns playing with him in the pool. We tired out much faster than Cameron. He loved standing on the side & jumping in the water. Tim would float with him in the lazy river & throw him up in the air. All I could hear was Cameron's squeals of delight. Cameron & I also spent a lot of time indoors. He entertained himself by emptying all the cabinets in the condo. We also loved sitting out on the balcony listening to the ocean & eating goldfish crackers. We visited the new Pier Park at night & Cameron loved people watching. We did have a crazy experience at Capt. Anderson's on my birthday. Let's just say it involved Cameron choking, projectile vomit, & a quick exodus!! There's never a dull moment with an eleven month old.

10 month Tornado

Cameron is mobile! He crawls all over the house--fast. He's scooting everywhere in his walker--fast. He tumbles & falls in the blink of an eye. I don't thing we've made it one week during our 10th month that we haven't had a major bump, bruise, or black eye. This little man thinks he's invincible--no fear for him only for me. He's still cutting teeth--we now have 2 bottom ones & almost one top tooth. At his last checkup, he weighed 20 lbs. & measured 28 3/4 inches long. He loves to eat fruit right now--blueberries, grapes, cantalope, & watermelon being his current favorites. Cheetos & Goldfish are some of his favorite snacks.

He had his first haircut from a professional or someone other than his dad & his clippers! I guess this went remarkably well--in order to get his hair trimmed I ended up sitting in the barber chair with Cameron in my lap with his juice. Tim was running a hair dryer back & forth over Cameron's feet to keep him calm.

Easter was fun--he actually made it 25 minutes through church before I had to sneak down the balcony stairs. He wanted down to crawl around & visit with everybody. He always enjoys seeing his cousins. Mom fixed lunch & Brock & Tyler hunted for Easter eggs at Nana & Pooh's house. Cameron's still too small to grasp the hunt for eggs concept instead we roll them around on the floor & chase them.

Tim & I took Cameron to the Chattanooga Zoo on Good Friday. He stayed awake through about half of the exhibits but was asleep by the time we got to the petting zoo.

We also had our first taste of "dirt & mulch" this month. Cameron loves being outside & really loves investigating my flower pots. The other day we were outside on the driveway & I was washing out the patio furniture. I turned around and Cameron had a mouthful of my cilantro & even more dirt falling out of his mouth. I debated on whether to take a picture first before I cleaned him up but decided against it. Raking the dirt out of his mouth took precedence over my Kodak moment!!

Babies are always more trouble than you thought. . .and more WONDERFUL. Charles Osgood

Cameron is Crawling

Cameron officially crawled for the first time on March 1st. He had been scooting backwards for about two weeks but now we have forward motion. I kept noticing for a few days before he actually started crawling that I would put him down on one part of a blanket & come back to find him somewhere else. I guess it's time to baby-proof my house. He's also started pulling up on most things. He can also stand unassisted for a few moments at a time. It probably won't be long before he's running through the house!!

We visited the Aquarium on Saturday & Cameron seemed to enjoy it as long as he didn't have to ride in his stroller. I think he did more people watching than anything. It looks like we tired him out but this last only lasted about 20 minutes.

Generations

Cameron recently met his Great grandmother Pierce. We went to visit her at the assisted-living facility in Collegedale. She was sitting in the lobby when we got there. When Tim & Cameron sat down beside her, Cameron just kept reaching to touch her arm. Since people are waiting longer to have children, I know it's pretty unusual but Cameron actually has 2 great grandmothers still living--my maternal grandmother & Tim's paternal grandmother.

We also met Cameron's newest cousin while we were there--Lily Grace. Ruston & Amy Pierce had a baby girl about two weeks after Cameron was born. The picture is of Tim & Ruston with the two newest additions to the Pierce clan.

Bad, Bad Momma Blogger

Okay, I realize it's been quite a while since I've added anything to the blog. I really enjoy working on it but it seems like the last two months have been too crazy to find the time. Here's a summary of Cameron's 7 to 8 month old antics.

• He had his first haircut courtesy of Dad--in the garage--while Mom was at work
• First words "Gog, Gog" sound a little like "good job" Cameron can apply this phrase to anything
• He is rolling over & trying to crawl backwards & can sit up quite well
• He loves watching WonderPets, Backyardigans, or Yo Gabba Gabba
• He's mastered his car walker & can get through doorways with ease
• He loves being outside even if it's freezing cold
  He's fascinated by necklaces & if you're wearing one he attacks your neck like a vampire to get to your necklace
• He loves to have his teeth brushed but hates having to wear clothes/socks of any kind
• Bath time seems to be one of his favorie activities of the day
• He already has favorite books that you can read to him over & over
  He's eating some soft table food--mashed potatoes, fresh blueberries, buttered toast, & cheetos are his favorites.
• He has an infectious laugh & is a joy to be around
• Cameron has two bottom teeth
• He likes to stick his tongue out & make all kinds of noises--some of them courtesy of POOH's influence
• A certain kind of cotton blanket is his "best friend" especially around bedtime

Christmas Catchup

Christmas 2008 was a magical time celebrated with family & friends. It's so different experiencing the holidays with your own little one. Here are some pictures of some of mine & hopefully Cameron's favorite Christmas moments. Recently I read somewhere that "A baby has a special way of adding joy to every day"--I think this is probably especially true during the holidays.

Christmas with the Clouds

Christmas w/the Crawford clan

Christmas Eve Cajun Shrimp Boil at our house

Christmas Day