The Ring Bearer

rabby wedding

By polular demand, here are some images from our friends wedding last weekend. Cameron was the ring bearer. He did a bang up jog and was the talk of the wedding. Enjoy some pictures.

Me Going Fishing with GRAMPA

Last weekend was the first trip to the cabin for the summer...more pix to come, but I thought I could tease you with this great video of what Cameron was looking forward to...

so much language!

Cameron's language and general learning is astounding these days. He now understands "mine" and "yours." He knows all his shapes, several letters, and can count accurately. He has moved to full sentence conversations instead of just one word (Sometimes I can't understand him, but he's trying). One of his cutest new habits is talking on behalf of his stuffed animals with a different voice. He's figured out how to talk in low tones, and it's pretty funny.

So, there's lots of video here to show you all his new tricks. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

I thought you would want an early Christmas gift- lots of fun videos and pics of Cameron. He loves Christmas music and Christmas decorations. Hope these bring a smile to your face!

Happy Birthday Cameron

 
Today he spent the morning at the children's museum with his friend Jack's family (Jen's our friend who watches him a few days a week). He learned how to milk a cow there, ahh Wisconsin.
Camoeron's first birthday where he could tell us what he wanted for his birthday meal. "Peet-za Time!" So we went down to our favorite pizza place, Roman Candle! Mmmm.
Then when we got home we skyped the whole spencer clan, Lindsey in Pennsylvania, Grandpa in Seattle, and Jessie at Erika, Carlos and Sienna's.
Check out the Cameron hat from when he was born...it almost fit's baby's head
 

Never at a loss for words

We have had a lot of fun the last few months. Cameron is never at a loss for words. His favorite phrase these days is, "Cameron do it." In fact, he even declared that in a full sentence, as he got in the car saying, "No, no, let Cameron do it." He will not be at a loss for determination, I hope won't be at a loss for patience.

It's amazing to watch his language develop- both in speaking and in understanding. A few weeks ago, on a Saturday, we were saying bedtime prayers. As I was thanking God for things, he said "Daddy" because I hadn't mentioned him yet (Cameron also added "football" to the list of things to be thankful for). I've never had such a running commentary on my life.

We have also taken some first steps towards potty training. Cameron loves to have his "baby" sit on the potty, and also likes to sit there himself to read a book, wipe, and flush. Now he just has to get the actual potty part. He did go "tinkle" for the first time a few days ago, but Kirk said it didn't seem like he realized that he did it. It will come with time.

Well, we have a few pics and videos this time, including Cameron watching a bobcat, meeting a flamingo on stilts, and having a blast on the swings. Enjoy!

Steph

Cameron is back!

I know I have been a slacker this summer with the blogposts. But, we've been having so much fun with Cameron, it's been hard to find the time to post.

Finally, here is our evidence of a fun summer. Lots of new words and new experiences.

One of his new favorite words is "boat." Every time he sees water, he hopes Grandpa and his boat aren't far behind. We were even reading a book yesterday, and "boat" was the only word on his lips after he saw the picture of water.

He loves to sing- you'll see one video with evidence of that. He's also learning shapes, colors, and counting. His new trick is counting to 3 in espanol.

There are lots of pictures and videos- from Madison, from Sjoquist's cabin, from Minneapolis, and from Schaufhauser's cabin. Like I said, it's been a fun summer. Enjoy!

I love to be outside!

Wow, is Cameron happy it's summer! One of the first things he says in the morning is "ou-bi" (translation= "outside"). He blows bubbles, throws balls and frisbees, and generally just loves exploring the yard.

We're giving you 3 videos this time, so it may take you a bit to load it all.

Enjoy!

A Year and a Half... Time Goes Fast

Happy Birthday Cameron!

In celebration of a year and a half, I thought you might want to see some pictures of Cameron from friends. There are bunch from his time at Jen's house (where he goes to daycare 2 days a week). There are also some from Carmen and Tucker from when the babysat last week.

He's a cutie, as always.

Pulling his own weight

 
Well last weekend was our first great weather weekend. Cameron could not help but want to be out every moment of the weekend...so we put him to work cleaning up the yard with the wheelbarrow.

Nice work son!

Everyday Cameron

cause we know you all want more pictures...

A few more steps and a lot more words

Cameron is walking a little more every day, but still a little timid to take off. He does it more independantly now, but often still from one piece of furniture to another.

His words, on the other hand, are coming quickly. It feels like he's a parrot repeating after many words that we say. He is also saying lots of words independantly now too. Here are some: mama, dada, grandpa(papa), grandma(ma), banana(nana), Jessie, Lindsey, up, down, ball, book, bubbles (he just learned that one- you'll see why in a video link below), help, more, done, milk, juice, cracker, apple, puppy, hot, and bye-bye.

I think there are more words than this list, but it's hard to tell if he's just saying them in repetition, or if he knows what they are. He clearly understands a lot of what we say now. It's fun to watch him develop his communication skills.

Enjoy the pics and videos!

Our Camera is up and working...and our Cameron is up and walking (almost)

Well I cought it on video for y'all. Cameron has been pushing himself to standing for a couple of days, and here you go... (This is a new attempt since the last one didn't work- you will have to click below and get to the web album for the video to work).

cameron the communicator

Cameron was not feeling so well this weekend. His appetite now returned. After eating several tide me over snacks including chips, crackers ' cheese. I was holding him and he made a sign for apple and looked at me and said ap, ap, ap. i'm so proud.

Aloha!

At long last, Hawaii pictures! Our videos were too big to post- you'll have to ask to seem them another time. Cameron had a wonderful time, and was a great sport about all the travel.

He's sure learning a lot right now- taking some steps and absorbing lots of new words. It's fun to see him grow!

Lots of new learnings

Sorry for the delay in posts- our camera died.

Cameron's language is developing quickly. He is picking up lots of baby sign, including cookie, banana, and bath- all of which he was motivated to learn after seeing it only once or twice. He also loves to make animal sounds for pig, cow, and duck, and is trying to learn more. He points to new things often to learn what they are called. He is also getting better at using mama and dada correctly.

He is getting closer to walking, but hasn't quite let go yet. He does laps around our house with his push toys.

One of his new favorite things to do is empty things out. Thankfully, he also likes to put those things back in. Check out the video to see how cute he was with sorting his duplos.

Sorry there aren't more pics- we're still getting used to the new camera.

more pictures to come

sorry for the long wait...the wait is now over. Our camera finally bit the dust and we had to replace it...you can expect updates soon kirk...
To add even more excitement, my phone can post to the blog....expect some random blog posts now!

Our New Year's Resolution- Make a Blog Post

Done!- That was the quickest I've ever fulfilled a New Year's Resolution!

Here are Cameron's New Year's Resolutions:
- Wean from his bottle (So far he's gone a week without one! He got a head start).
- Learn to use a spoon by himself (See the slideshow for a picture of how that's going so far!)
- Stand and walk without holding on to anything (He's getting closer every day)
- Make my family smile and laugh with all the cute things I do (He's a natural at that one!)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It's a sign!

A few days ago, when I was changing Cameron's diaper, and he clearly raised his hand, and squeezed his fingers together- the sign for milk. I wasn't sure if he did it on purpose until he pushed my arm out of the way, looked me in the eye, put his hand in my face, and did it again. I guess he's a clear communicator!

Yesterday, he took signs to the next step, and put his hands together to request more. This time, it was for cheese- I guess he's a daddy's boy.

Now that he's catching on, we'll start to add even more signs to his repetoire- like bath and banana- two of his favorites.

Since no post is complete without pictures, here are some from the last few days. You'll notice one pic of Cameron going down a slide by himself- I couldn't believe he was able to stay in the right position. (He had fun until he decided to flip over on the way down and hit his head- bet he won't make that mistake again!)

Steph

PS one is a video so you need to double-click to enjoy!!!

At long last- Birthday pictures

Cameron's Birthday and Halloween

Sorry for the delay in pictures. It has been a busy week! Hope they were worth the wait. Cameron had a very fun birthday. Thanks to everyone who came to his party!

Steph

It's my 1st Birthday!

Can you believe I used to fit in this hat? It was even a little big for me. What a difference a year makes! I visited some of my old nurses at the NICU tonight. They were all impressed with how I have grown and how happy I am. I didn't mind being the center of their attention, either :) I can't wait to see family and friends at my party on Saturday. Maybe I'll be even bigger then.

Cameron Dice Hola

Hola mom and dad!
I thought I'd write you about my travels in Minneapolis! I've been having the best time here with my aunties! Yesterday I went to the park with my aunt and cousins, they are so much fun to play with! Then Auntie Jessie picked me up and we went swimming in this really warm pool. I was having such a great time splashing and kicking and watching the other kids! But I was so exhausted afterwards, I even slept through the whole night. My aunt told me there was a HUGE storm, but I didn't even hear it. Then this morning I played a lot with this crazy cat that bounces off everything in the room. Auntie Jessie gave me the best present!
I love bouncing on it and sucking on its ear! I think that you guys should find an awesome present for her for being such a great aunt to me. By the way, do you know where Risa went? I haven't seen her in a couple days.

Love you!
Cameron

Your comments have been rewarded....

Thanks for all the positive comments. They seemed worthy of being rewarded. In this photo album is perhaps the cutest picture of Cameron yet. You decide which one it is...

Cameron the Badger Fan

No Post Today...

Where is the Love? so the only comments that we have gotten from y'all recently was complaints about not enough pictures...so we've got you hooked, eh? Well, all this negativism has gotten cameron down, so we say...no new pictures until we get some positive feedback...
Ha, ha, we've got you right where we want you!

Cameron is awake

Grandma pointed out that every time she came to the blog, Cameron was asleep. We are overdue for a post. But, your reward for the wait is several pictures, and 2 videos. Cameron is finally starting to crawl for longer distances. (It's a bit more of an army crawl than a traditional crawl, but it gets him from place to place). He's pretty excited to be exploring the world. Enjoy the pics!

Cameron pictures and videos

Cameron is 10 months old!

 

I can't believe how old Cameron is getting! He was getting such a kick out of himself walking around while holding my hands today.

He also had a great time in his jumper, and decided to celebrate his 10 month birthday with a few firsts. The picture shows the first time he's ever fallen asleep in the jumper. Doesn't look too comfortable to me, but he had just finished a very excited jumping session. So, he looked so cute that I decided to try to take him out and snuggle with him for a little while. But after getting him out, I noticed something didn't feel quite right... he had his first diaper blow out. It came from his leg, and as you can imagine, made it in many different places through the jumping. It was quite the clean up. Oh well, it was pretty good to make it to 10 months before that happened.

We'll keep you updated with any more "firsts"!

All of Cameron's Monkey Business

At long last, it is another blog post. Cameron has been quite the little monkey lately. He's trying to scoot around everywhere (He still isn't crawling, just rolling and stretching). He is trying hard to pull himself up on things, but he still needs some help with that. He loves to stand by our coffee table. That usually involves pounding his hands, too.

Maybe his monkey business at home is what made him feel so at home with the monkey at the zoo. He had a very funny interaction with a little Tamarin monkey. They were trying to swat each other's hands through the glass, smell each other, and just generally have some good play time. It was very cute.

Cameron is 9 months old

A visit from a friend and a visit to the lake

Crazy as it may seem, Cameron is already 9 months old! And he had a busy week to celebrate. The week started with a visit from my friend Katie and her daughter Evelyn. We had a pretty normal week after that. But then we had a great weekend- celebrating Kirk's birthday at our friends the Schaufhauser's cabin. It was very fun, as you can see on all the pics.

Now for the details... Cameron has dropped a little on his length percentile, stayed at the same percentile for weight, and once again gained percentile in head size. Overall, his growth is definitely on the right track. He is doing great.
Length- 26 inches (1%)
Weight- 16 pounds 8 oz (3%)
Head- 45 cm (45%)
At least his head doesn't look that disproportional!

Cameron Goes on a Trip

I have to apologize- again. Sorry that we have become so sporadic on posting. Life, whatcha gonna do?

Cameron is quite active these days. He really wants to crawl, but we are okay that it's taking a little while. He is a pretty strong sitter now. He can also have some great giggle fits.

Here are some great pictures over the last few weeks, including Cameron's first trip to Shoal Lake (the cabin of the Sjoquists, some Spencer family friends) and first visit with cousin Eli. Enjoy!

Cameron- At Home, At Shoal Lake, and At His Cousins' House

Cameron Takes a Swim

Cameron Takes a Swim

With the heat last week, we decided it would be a good idea to buy a little pool for Cameron. At first, he wasn't sure what he thought about it. But, then we tried putting his Bumpo seat in the pool, which helps him sit securely. Once he felt safe, he had a ball.

I know we're biased, but there were so many cute pictures, that we just couldn't pick (You'll have to look for the one where he shows that he hasn't broken his bad habit of inappropriately using a certain finger). So, we decided to post an entire album. I guess we've become "those parents" who can't wait to show you pictures of our kid :)

Cameron's First Tooth

Another big milestone has come... Cameron cut his first tooth! Kirk noticed on Thursday night that Cameron's usual behavior of biting on Kirk's finger suddenly hurt more. We knew he had been teething because of his obsession with gumming anything in sight and his constant stream of drool. But, we were actually a little suprised to see the tooth outside the gum. Why? Because he didn't have diarrhea, fever, or unusual grumpiness. He was a little more needy on Friday than usual, but still not bad. We're proud of Cameron for handling this so well!
(The new tooth is a little hard to see in this picture. But, if you look closely you can see some white on his lower gum, to the right of center).

Stop the hatemail... here comes another post!

Cameron with family, and Cameron as himself

Sorry that it has been so long between posts. I know you are all mad at us for that. But, it has been a crazy month, to say the least.

To make up for it, we're posting a whole album full of pictures again. Hope you like them! Cameron is getting so big.

Cameron's First Flight

As promised, here are some details from Cameron's first flight. Overall, he did really well. He cried some on the plane, and of course broke down in the middle of the wedding. But, he is a baby, so we can give him some grace on that :) We had fun hanging out with friends and even doing a little traveling. Enjoy the pictures!

Cameron's First Flight

And the eye color is...

Cameron appears to be getting his eye color. And the verdict is...

Hazel!

It looks like Cameron is going to continue looking more and more like dad. I hope you can see the pretty gold flecks around his pupils in this picture.

We're off to another wedding this weekend. Keep looking for some new pics :)

Cameron hits some milestones

Cameron had his six month check up on Monday. He weighed 14 lbs 2 oz and was almost 25" long. Those sizes were enough to land him on the chart with his birth age peers! He was only in the 3rd percentile for both, but it was the first time he made the chart. His head size made it for the second time- he is in the 20th percentile for that :)

He has also been doing great with rice cereal. So, tonight we tried another food for the first time- sweet potatoes. We missed a great shot of his first taste. He couldn't figure out what we were putting in his mouth. But, then he realized he liked it and ate a bunch. I don't think he'll have any problems with new foods. We'll try not to miss the initial reaction next time.

Cameron is 6 Months Old!

It's hard to believe that our little guy has been around for a half a year already. He is getting so big! This weekend we went to the wedding of our friends Jeremy and Emily Hutchison. While we were there, Cameron went swimming for the first time. He seemed to be pretty content in the water. He also looked quite handsome in his sweater vest at the wedding. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure :)

Cameron at Hutchison's Wedding

Happy Birthday Cameron!

A regular week of Cameron

Cameron makes little strides every week. This week, he has moved from sucking on his entire hand, to exploring putting his fingers in his mouth. He has also started to sleep better (yeah!), making it for 6-8 hour stretches almost every night.

It was a good week! Here are some pictures, and even a little video for your viewing enjoyment :)

Cameron for a Week

Cameorn Rolls Over!

Last night was a big night for Cameron- he rolled over for the first time!

I think it was an accident, but it probably won't take him long to figure out what he did. He was having some "tummy time," and actually enjoying it for once. He was experimenting with how much stronger he is now than he used to be, and pushing his head up pretty far with his arms. Well, he lost his balance and fell to one side with his arm underneath him. Kirk and I could see his little wheels turning in his head trying to figure out what to do. He was moving his hips and almost rolling over, but not quite. So, I got up so that he would have to turn his head up to look at me. That's all it took- over he went on to his back.

I don't think he understood why we were being so encouraging afterwards, but I think it made him want to do it again :)

Cameron is a "Big Baby"

The weather has been so much nicer lately that we were able to take the cover off the car seat. As I was walking through Target on Friday, a mom pointed out to her toddler that there was a baby in the cart up ahead. As they passed me, the mom said, "Look, it's a big baby!" It was the first time I've ever heard anyone who didn't see him when he was born call him big now. I think that was a more of a milestone for me than for Cameron :)

We confirmed that Cameron is getting big when we tried adding rice cereal to his diet for the first time this weekend. He didn't seem to thrown by it- maybe because the medicine he takes twice a day has prepared him for multiple tastes and multiple ways to eat. But, I still couldn't tell you how much he actually ate. It's still in the experiential phase, not nutritional phase, of trying some solid foods.

He really is becoming a big baby!

5 Months of Cameron

Cameron is 5 Days Old.
Cameron is 1 month old.
Cameron is 2 months old.


Cameron is 3 months old.
Cameron is 4 months old.
Cameron is 5 months old.

Happy Birthday Cameron!

Cameron is One Cool Dude

 

It has been bright lately, and I was wondering whether I should buy Cameron some baby sunglasses. The decision was made when I put them on him at the store and he immediately started smiling.

Then, later that day, Kirk wanted to see them. Cameron was grumpy, so I was hesitant to put them on. But, I did. Almost immediately, Cameron relaxed and fell asleep.

Who knew that sunglasses could hold such power?

Cameron the Teddy Bear

 

The warmer weather allowed us to take Cameron on his first walk in our jogging stroller. That meant he got a fun new view of the world- instead of just looking up in his carseat, he got to look everywhere. But, it meant we also had to bundle him up. That was actually part of the joy. Have you ever seen a cuter teddy bear?

Cameron and His Pig

 

So, I guess Fisher Price knows what they're doing. When I saw the pig and sheep rattles on Cameron's bouncy seat, I thought they were some of the ugliest toys I had ever seen. But, he loves them- especially the pig. When we put him in his bouncy seat, he talks and coos and giggles with that pig like it's his best friend in the world. I think it might be the bold eyes- there's a good amount of high contrast on this toy.

So, I guess this pig might be his first good friend!