5 month update - lots of firsts

YUP - COUNT THOSE FINGERS.. FIVE!!

HAHAHA I'M 5 MONTHS OLD TODAY!

We've had alot of changes over the last month.  It seems like everyday Kamden is learning something new!  Ken and I are getting the biggest kick out of watching him change daily and literally grow up right before our eyes.  He still is a truly happy baby - always smiling and laughing.  He's a true joy to be around.

FOOD:  

This month Kamden started showing a ton of interest in our food, watching us eat and then he would try and grab our food and put it in his mouth so we decided to start Kamden on solid foods.  We started with a little rice cereal in his bottle before bed (hoping that would help him sleep through the night - boy were we wrong - more on that later).  Then we tried avocado.  Kam was thrilled with his avocado. Since then we've also tried oatmeal, sweet potatoes, squash, and bananas.  We've been trying to make our own baby food - so far so good but we'll see how long we have time for that!  Sweet potatoes are definitely Kam's fav!   Here are a few photos from our adventures in solid food.    Oh and one bad thing about Kam eating big kid food is his big kid poops!   I sure do miss those breastfeed diapers.  These new ones STINK and make me literally GAG.  haha

 

VISITORS
Grandma Kathy came out for a week at the end of January.   She came to help out for a few days while Ken had to travel out of town on business. We had a great time and she couldn't believe how much Kamden had changed since Christmas.   While she was here we took Kam on his first trip to the zoo.  Although he was too little to know what exactly was going on, he seemed to appreciate the pretty scenery.    I wore him in a carrier most of the day and he was very alert and interested in his surroundings.   Grandma Kathy bought us zoo passes so I have a feeling we will be there alot more now!     We also took a trip to the beach one day while Grandma was here and enjoyed a trip to the Little Italy farmers market followed by lunch at the Prado in Balboa park.  Kam is such a good little traveler was well behaved on all of our trips!

Our Cool SoCal Kid at the zoo

Here are a few snap shots from our adventures while Grandma visited:

in front of the zebras - my favorite at the zoo!

KAM LUNCHING AT THE PRADO.

Kam also had his first play date with his friend Immi.     Immi is my co-worker Nikki and her husband Adam's baby.  She was born in November and is only 10 weeks old.  She's teenie tiny compared to Kam but that didn't stop Kam from loving on her and pulling on her thick hair.

How cute are these two:

SLEEP
Around Christmas time our good little sleeper left the house.  Kam has been doing well at night but between the time change and then teething Kamden's sleep schedule had been all across the boards.  After a while we realized he was just waking up at habit - and now that I'm back at work I couldn't afford to be up every 3 hours.    We decided to attempt sleep training/night weening and boy did it work!   It only took 3 nights and Kam has been sleeping like a champ ever since!  Mom and I started it while  Ken was out of town.   A glass of wine to calm my nerves before bed and a couple of set of ear plugs and we were on our way.   We used a modified 'Cry it out' approach where we would let him cry for one minute and then go in and give him his passie and pat him for a minute and then walk out.    If he continued to cry then we wait to go back in after 3 minutes and do the same thing,  pat and passie for one minute and leave.   Each time we walked  out we would increase the waiting time by two minutes, so  5 mins, 7 mins, etc.   The first night it took about an hour get him to go back to sleep on his own.    The second night it only took about 20/25 minutes but he was up 2 different times.  Mom and I would alternate going in but it was so nice to have reenforcement!  By night 3 when Ken returned home Kam only woke up once and when right back down on his own.  By night 4 he was sleeping through the night!   He's been sleeping from 7pm to 4:30 or 5 every night since.   I feed him at 5 and then put him back down until 7:00 most days.   It makes for a much happier, well rested mommy and daddy!  We will see what happens when he starts teething starts up again but fingers crossed it won't throw us for too much of a loop.

A HAPPY BABY AFTER A FULL NIGHTS SLEEP

Another "sleep" development in the past month is the way Kamden likes to move all over in his crib.  We will put him in the crib with his head facing one way and then when we wake up his head will be on the other side of the crib.  He also has decided he likes to sleep sideways in his cribs most nights.    I watched him on the monitor one night to see how he moves around so much and I was impressed by his technique.   First he kicks his feet over so he can roll onto his side then he pushes off the bars on the crib until he twists 90 degrees in the other direction!      Today I was watching him on the monitor while he was trying to fall asleep for his nap and he actually flipped over from his back to him stomach.   He was really proud of himself so I went in and snapped this photo of him.  Now every time we put him down for bed or a nap he flips at least once before falling asleep  What an active sleeper we have!

WHAT YOU MEAN I'M SUPPOSED TO BE NAPPING MOMMY?

LAUGH
Ken's been obsessed with getting Kam to belly laugh and finally this weekend he got a big ol' belly laugh out of Kam.  He was jumping in his jumperoo (which he still loves) and Ken was trying to surprise him by saying boo.  Kam let out a big belly laugh and thought it was too funny.    I was in the shower so Ken grabbed his phone to capture the moment.  Thanks goodness he did because it was pretty darn cute.  We've heard him laugh a few times since but are looking forward to hearing it much more!

Video fo Kam laughing

SIT, PLAY, SWIM
Kam now sits up on his own for extended periods of time without toppling over.   I have a video of it but for some reason it won't upload.  I'll have to try it again later and if I can get it attached I'll send out the update.    He's not super stable but he can sit for a few minutes or so and play with his toys.  He's especially intrigued by his new ball popper toy.  He watches the balls very intently and tries to grab for them as the pop up.     Kamden also had his first ride in a swing at the park today.  Al put in him a swing and he of course loved it.  He really thinks he's a big boy in this swing   Kam also attended his first super bowl party  check out this picture of him relaxing in his football jersey!

 

We had a 80 degree sunny day today so we decided to take Kamden for his first swim.   He seemed to not mind being in the water but even though the pool was heated I think he was still a little cold.  He didn't really cry but he didn't "love" it either.  I think he'll really enjoy it more this summer when he is a bit bigger and the water is even warmer.  Mommy and Daddy were just happy to get out in the sun!

We can't wait to see what the next month brings for us and our ever changing big boy!

4 Month Update... Back To Work I Go

Well, I did it, I finished my first two weeks back at work.  It wasn't as bad as I thought but I being back at works makes me think boy did I love my 'baby vacation' aka maternity leave.    I'm thankful I only am working 4 days a week, with Fridays off and I'm very grateful for our Nanny Al.    She makes it easier to leave Kamden in the mornings.   Kamden loves when she arrives to the house in the morning and she sends me pictures and updates throughout the day.  It helps the day go by fast.  Then Kam greets me with a great big smile when I come home from work, so that in itself makes it all worth while.    This week I was even able to see Kam twice during the day.   One day I came home for lunch and on Thursday Kamden came into visit me at work because he was a baby model for our Personal Creations baby lines.    He was such a good model and looked super cute in all the outfits - I can't wait to see what the photos look like.

This Friday Kamden had his 4 month Dr. appointment.   He is 15 lbs 6 oz and 26.5 inches.  He is in the 75 percentile for his weight and the 90th percentile for his height!   Such a big boy.   The Doctor commented again on his long eyelashes and was telling us he should be a Baby Gap model.  Little did she know that he is modeling for the Personal Creations website later that week!   Kamden was a CHAMP for the shots he had to get.  He didn't even flinch for the first shot and just cried a little bit for the second one.   I picked him up off the table right away and then he looked the nurse dead in the eye and smiled.    Who smiles at the nurse that just stuck them with a needle??  Kamden apparently!  haha.



As mentioned in my last blog, Kamden has 2 teeth now.  He has started to discover his teeth with his tongue so now he constantly has his tongue hanging out his mouth.  Cute but just make for even more slobber - if that's even possible!   I swear there is a constant stream of slobber running down his chin at all times.   He has also learned how to smack his lips together and it's completely adorable!  It totally melts my heart!

Last Friday we took Kamden's 4 month photos.  It's getting harder and hard as he doesn't want to sit still and the slobber adds a new element of challenge! 

YES THIS IS THE SLOBBER STREAM I WAS TALKING ABOUT DRIPPING OFF HIS CHIN!

Here are a few other pictures from our 4 month photo shoot this really demonstrates  all his new tricks - 

trying to sit up on his own

Grabbing his toes!

Chewing on his fingers

Grabbing both his toes at the same time!

This weekend we got together with Jill, Jeremy and Mila.   It was the first time we have gotten together with them and were actually able to hang out and talk.  The babies napped a bit and then were very content to be held or sit in the bumbos.  The mommies were able to chat and have a glass or two of wine - just like the old days!   We're looking forward to many more 'play dates' with the Biancardis!

The Hectic Holidays

I'm writing you on my last day of maternity leave....  *tear.   These 4 months have flown by I can't believe my baby boy will be 4 months old in one week.   He's changed so much and brought us so much joy already!     The past month has brought us the most changes.     Kam has become VERY vocal while he discovers his voice.    He also giggles and smiles all the time.   He is reaching for his knees and toes and while laying down he will push up on his feet and arch his back.  He also picks up his legs as high as he can and then drop his legs to the floor with a loud thump.   We've been swaddling him alot looser lately so that he can get his arms out at night.  This way he can soothe himself in the middle of the night by putting his hands in his mouth.  He is also moving all over in his crib - yesterday I woke up to find him turned 90 degrees  sideways from his starting position.     He is still only rolling over from tummy to back but is getting close to rolling from his back to stomach, another reason to let his arms out at night!.  Kam's squeal is also a new development.  He is discovering his voice by letting out a very loud, high pitched squeal when he's happy, when he's mad, or when he just wants some attention.   It's quite the sound that's for sure.    Kamden received a jumperoo for Christmas from Grandma Rodeen and he loves it.  He jumps and squeals with glee when he is in it.   check out this video  of Kam jumping and squealing:

Other firsts that have happened in the last month are:

KAM'S FIRST THANKSGIVING

 Kamden experienced his first Thanksgiving!   He loved every second of it. Mostly because it was the first chance for him to meet his aunt Nattie too!  Natalie came out to visit over her Thanksgiving break and it was love at first sight.  Kam and Nat spent a lot of time bonding and getting to know each other, taking naps together, and of course taking photos together!   Natalie captured some great photos, including the photos for our Christmas cards.  My favorite photos is the one I captured of Kam and Nat napping together!   

KAM TURNED 3 MONTHS

 Our big boy turned 3 months on December 11th.  He's got his big smile down pat since his 2 month photoshoot.  Here are a couple of my favorite snap shots!

WE FOUND A NANNY:

We hired an AMAZING Nanny in the first part of December.  Her name is Allison (Al) and she is GREAT with Kam.  He gives her the biggest smiles when she comes in the mornings and they seem to have alot of fun together.  She has gotten him on a great schedule - he naps well for her and even falls asleep in his crib on his own.  What a big boy!  They even do fun art projects together!   We are so blessed to have found someone who loves Kam just as much as we do.   We feel so comfortable with her that we even left Kam with her so we could go on a date night.    She did a great job entertaining him and doing his bedtime routine and he went to sleep for her like a pro!     We even came home to a little art project they had made while we were out- our first presents from Kam!  how cute!! ( i can't figure out how to rotate the picture, darn)  

KAMDEN'S FIRST CHRISTMAS:

Ken and I had our own little family Christmas celebration in San Diego before we came back to IL.  Here's a picture Kam sitting on his big present - his Jumperoo!

KAMDEN'S FIRST AIRPLANE RIDE

Kam took his first airplane ride.     Going back to Illinois for Christmas required taking Kam on his first airplane ride.  We were originally supposed to leave on Thursday but the weather was not looking very good so we decided to leave a day early to avoid any complications.  Thanks goodness we did as all flights on Thursday were cancelled.  We flew bright and early (6am) on Wed morning and Kamden was a great flier.  He didn't cry once.   On the flight home we flew back on 7pm flight and Kamden did even better - sleeping the entire flight!    We were so proud of him!   Here are a few pictures from his flights!  What a traveler we have!!

Kam getting comfy on the plane: 

 We made it!  Waiting for our bags at Midway!

OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS IN ILLINOIS 

Our trip to Illinois was a hectic one that involved 4 family Christmas's, family photos, a wedding, and a baptism.   It was exhausting but worth every minute and it was wonderful to see everyone.  

While we were there Kam met Santa for the first time!  Santa came to visit on Christmas Eve at my Aunt Beckys.   All the kiddos loved him!

 Working with Daddy while we were at Grandma and Grandpa Laws.

 The Cousin's hanging out!  We finally got to meet cousin Lucas.  The boys are only 10 weeks apart but Kamden looks like a peanut next to his cousin Lucas!  Can't wait to watch the boys grow up together!  How blessed we are! 

KAMDEN GETS BATPIZED:

While we were home we were lucky enough to have Kamden baptized at the same time as his cousin Lucas in my childhood church.   Both Kam and Lucas did great through the service and we were so happy to share such a special day with all our family and friends, including Kamden's beloved Godparents Chris Nicholson and Natalie Rubino who both made the trip down to Paxton for Kam's big day.   Here are a few of my favorite photos from that day:

MOMMY AND DADDY'S FIRST NIGHT AWAY:

Also while we were in Illinois we had our first full night away from Kamden!  Our friend Erica was married and I was in the wedding so I left Kam for a full 24 hours.  Ken and I were both away from him over night.  Grandma and Grandpa Law took excellent care of our little guy.   It sounds like they had lots of fun without us.   It was nice to have a full nights sleep but we were eager to get home and see our little guy after our night away!  

KAMDEN GETS TWO TEETH:

While we were back in IL Kamden started teething.  Oh Joy.  In fact we had a couple of rough nights.  The worst being New Years Eve.  Poor Grandma Rodeen was a trooper.  She watched him for a few hours while Ken and I went out.  He was in so much pain he cried for 3 hours and didn't smile at her once - not like Kam at all.  That night after Ken and I came home (at 10 we didn't even make it to midnight) Kamden was up every hour on the hour.   The good news is his TWO teeth finally broke through.   Now he's a slobbering mess.    He loves to chew on anything he can fit in his mouth and he goes through about 5 bibs a day.  Below is a picture of Kam's first teething toy.  He loves it.  This is how I set him up in the mornings in the bathroom when I get ready.  He seems pretty content! :-)

There were alot of firsts this month and I'm sure there are many more to come next month!   

Kamden's 2 months old!

Believe it or not, our little man is 2 months old!   He is changing and growing right before our eyes!  Some recent changes are that he has started to try and grab his feet, rub his eyes, and loves to 'stand'   In fact he doesn't like to sit much at all, he'd rather stand in your lap.  He has such strong legs!   He is really laughing, babbling and smiling alot too.  He is the most smiley in the mornings.   His smile lights up our world!   Ken and I love to bring him into bed in the mornings on the weekend and just watch him smile at laugh.  It makes 6 am not seem so awful :-)

His head is much more stable these days and he really can lift it up high during tummy time and looks all around from side to side.  He also love to sit and bounce on your knee - I call it the Cosby bounce because I always remember that move from the Cobsy show.    Here are a few photos of Kamden discovering his hands and feet by trying to grab his feet and sucking on his fists along with a video of him babbling.  

Kam had his 2 month check up on Friday.  He is weighs 12.5 lbs and is 24 inches long (both in the 75% for his age).  The Dr. did notice he prefers his right side over his left and told us to keep encouraging tummy time and to prop a towel under his back at night to help force him to the left.  He got his 2 month shots.  I was nervous about them so I asked Ken to come along for moral support.  It turns out Ken was more nervous than I was!   He kept saying it's not too late to turn around and he was really sweating in the waiting room, he was like "I just feel so bad for him"  ha.  Thanks for the support buddy - I think I'll go alone for the next round.   Kamden cried when he got the shots of course but passed out on the way home and was just a little fussy when he woke up in the afternoon/evening.   That night he slept 9 hours though!   So happy we have those shots out of the way.  Kamden's jumping for joy that he survived his shots 

The Doctor kept commenting on how cute he was (I'm sure she does that with all the babies) but she was impressed with how long his eyelashes were.  He does have some pretty fabulous eyelashes.   I'm jealous of them.  I just imagine him batting those lovely eyes at the ladies in a few years.  What a heartbreaker!     Can't see his eyelashes here but love this picture of our SoCal baby.

In nerd news, Dr. Gee Lew was also very impressed with my baby tracking app on my phone.   She asked what date Kam had had his shots in the hospital and I whipped out my app to look it up and she was amazed.   I showed her all his charts for eating and sleeping and she thought it was the coolest thing ever.  She actually called in several nurses to come check it out.   ha.  Ken and I are a bit anal and track everything (eat, sleep, BM's, baths, medications, etc) so we were geeked out that the Doctor appreciated it.     

I took this photo of Kamden on Sunday and it's just too cute not to post.   Ken and I took Kam on a 5 mile run but it was a little chilly out so we decided he needed a hat.  He looks thrilled to be wearing this puppy dog hat that Michelle got him in his matching puppy dog PJ's and of course he is 'standing'

 Last Saturday was opening day for Pheasant hunting season so in honor of that we put Kamden in his Camo Gear that Uncle Marky gave him.     Grandpa Rodeen would be proud!  Also here is a video of daddy and Kamden making faces at each other.  Pretty cute how Kam mimics daddy!

 This is one of my favorite pictures of Daddy making Kamden laugh.  Kam loves to watch Ken's silly faces and really giggles when Daddy's being extra goofy!

As I mentioned earlier Kam loves to 'stand' just this week he started trying to take steps while he stands.  This is he and Daddy's favorite activity together lately.   He had been doing this for quite a while before I got it on video so he was tired but the time I finally got my camera out but you get to see a step or two - with assistance of course! funny how they just know how to put one foot in front of the other, right?

We also have quite the Houdini on our hands.  He sleeps well when he's swaddled but he fights it when we first swaddle him and then always finds a way to poke on an arm or two out.   A few weeks ago I woke up to find him like this - completely busted out of his velcro swaddle.    Impressive.  Look how proud of himself he is.  

Along came a Spider....

This week Kam experienced his first Halloween!   We went over to Jill and Jeremy's house to have a small Halloween get togther with the Burhams, Sheahans, Biancardis and the babies!   Kam was a spider, mom was little miss muffet, and dad was Billy the exterminator.  Kam loves when I sing the itsy bitsy spider song to him so his costume was very appropriate!   We think he's the worlds cutest little spider but we may be partial. :)

Kam's continuing to grow.  He's over 23 1/2 inches long and close to 12 lbs.   He really has discovered his hands and is always putting his fists in his mouth and has even started to rub his eyes.  It's sooo cute.  My favorite is when he wakes up he puts his hands in little fists and stretches his arms out over his head.  It's sooo cute and it's the same thing I do when I wake up! ha.  Kam's enjoying tummy time a little bit more now.  We try to do it 3 times a day for 5 minutes each some days we are more successful than other.  Here's a video of Kam's tummy time.  He has rolled over a total of 6 times now and is beginning to jabber a lot more as you can see from the video!  

Last weekend Kellie and Sean Meister came to visit us.  Landon and Kamden finally got to meet.  Landon is 3 weeks older than Kam - although Kamden is definitely bigger than him.  We had a great time catching up with the Meisters and watching the boys 'play' together while watching the Bears pull off a last minute victory!  yay Bears!!  I got a cute video of them together.

 Kam is sleeping like a champ the past few days.   He slept 8 hours,  7 hours and then 10 hours last night!  Mom and Dad are very happy campers.  I think he's going through a growth spurt.  He is definitely a growing boy.  He's pretty much in 0-3 month clothes now (at 7 weeks).  In fact this morning I put away most of his newborn clothes (*tear).  

Kamden Rolls Over!

I know I just posted yesterday but this morning we finally got a video of Kamden rolling over (after missing getting it on video 3 times!)    Here is our 5 week old rolling over!   Way to go Kam!

Also I wanted to include this family photo from last week as well.       Happy Sunday Everyone!

Our Sweet One Month Old

I can't believe our baby boy is one month old already!   He's changed so much in the past few weeks.    He's starting to sleep very well for us.  We are getting 6 and 7 hour stretches at a time - thank you Kam!  He also is starting to smile, laugh and coo.  It's so sweet and definitely warms my heart to see his face light up and that little dimple on his left side come out!  I haven't figured out what makes him laugh or smile just yet but he seems to be the happiest in the mornings.     Here is a video of his cooing and laughing

He also surprised all of us when he rolled over for the first time at on Oct 27th  at only 26 days old!     He was on the floor playing on his mat and Ken flipped him over for some tummy time.   He was really fighting it and squirming and I said oh my goodness he's about to roll over and then he did.   He flipped from his tummy to his back.   Mom, Ken and I all saw it but we couldn't believe our eyes so we flipped him back to his tummy and he did it again!     He's such a strong little guy!

We also had our first peeing incident.  I had him on the changing table in this room and I turned my head for one second to grab a wipe and when I turned back around he was peeing all over the dresser and onto the wall!  I screamed and his eyes got REALLY big and he just had a little smirk on his face.  What a bugger!   I was so flustered I knocked off the dirty diaper off behind the dresser.  I texted Ken to tell him his son had peed on the wall and that he would be fishing out the dirty diaper from behind the dresser when he got home! He thought it was pretty hysterical.   Below is a picture I LOVE of my two boys -  Kamden getting some good daddy time after an exhausting day!

We had the last of our visitors leave this week.  My mom left on Monday after being here almost a month.   We were sad to see her go but knew we had to get started on our own routine.  I've been enjoying spending the days with Kam and have been taking lots of long walks (sometimes to the mall - opps :-)).   Before Mom left we took a day trip to Orange County to visit a flower nursery that had a beautiful fall display of pumpkins.  We couldn't resist taking pictures of our 'pumpkin' with the pumpkins.   On the way home we stopped in San Clemente and had lunch on the pier.   It was a beautiful day and Kam was an angel - sleeping most of the day.   Below are a few pictures from that trip

Uncle Justin and Aunt Laura also came out to visit this week for their mini moon.  I was so happy to see them especially since I had to miss the wedding.  They were thrilled to meet Kam.   We were able to have them over for dinner twice and we really enjoyed having them around.   They gave Kamden lots of love too!    Here are a few pictures of their first visit with Kam!   

I had a one month photo shoot with kam for his one month birthday yesterday.    He loves the camera.  Kamden now weighs 10 and 3/4th lbs and is 23 inches long.    Here are a few pictures from our shoot.  His favorite toy of the moment is his musical giraffe (pictured below).    He also loves to lay on his play mat and look at himself in the mirror.  He could stare at himself for hours - he must get that from his daddy :-)   Lastly we have started Kam on a strict workout regiment and it must be working since he's already rolling over!  hehe