6 months old

How is it that our sweet little baby is already half a year old??  What??  It's happening too fast.  Stop growing up, Cameron!  I think every day lately James and I have looked at it each other while playing with or being with Cameron and said "this is the best age!"  Seriously this timeframe until 18 months is my absolute favorite.  He's so cute and fun...and he can't talk back to us yet.  :)

Here are the fun developments at 6 months:

*Unfortunately a week before he turned 6 months, Cameron had his first major sickness.  He had the stomach flu for a little over a week!  Apparently the stomach flu can last up to 14 days!?!? He was throwing up all the time and just didn't seem himself.  It was awful.  Thankfully it's over now.
*He is a definite mover.  We'll put him down on his back, his quickly flip to his stomach and push up on his arms and sometimes even his knees a little bit.  I'll leave the room for a few minutes and come back and he'll be in a completely different place.  He can't crawl yet, but he worms his way to wherever he wants to go--it's crazy!  He's gonna be an early crawler I think.
*He's not officially sitting up yet, but we're working on it.  He's getting longer and longer at it, but still loses his balance.
*For toys, Cameron loves anything that lights up or that feels good to chew on.  He seems like he's teething but so far no teeth have come in.  And he still loves his bouncy chair--he bounces so fast now!
*We noticed that lately he's had more separation anxiety where he realizes we've left the room or where he just wants to be held and be with us more.  This has caused a little more sleep disruption lately too.
*The big milestone the doctor wanted to make sure he can do at this age is switch objects from one hand to the next.  Luckily he passed that test when we were at his 6 month check-up.
*Cameron is the best to cuddle with.  He's so happy and gives such a huge grin when we go to pick him up or spend time with him.  He is the best thing to come home to after a long day at work.
*He loves books--especially anything with bright colors or fun characters in them.  We do the same nighttime routine with him that we've done with Nathan all this time.  He feeds, gets into pjs, then we read 1-2 books, sing to him, pray and say goodnight.  I love the bedtime routines with the kids--my favorite time of day.
*We started solids!  We've only done it a couple times so he's still trying to get the hang of it.  So far he's tried carrots and sweet potatoes.  I think he liked them pretty well--hard to tell though since he was getting used to the texture and process of eating from a spoon.

Happy 6 months Cameron!

Blessed and exhausted

Life feels like a constant dichotomy right now.  

On the one side I feel so utterly blessed and that life is so full and rich.  So many dreams have come true--amazing husband and happy marriage, two wonderful, healthy kids, living in a comfy home in a beautiful area, great jobs that provide well and satisy us, surrounded by amazing family and friends, awesome church community, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.  I could go on for a long time.  

And on the other end of the spectrum (and I know I can speak for James on this too) we feel utterly exhausted.  I'm getting an average about 5.5 to 6 hours of sleep a night.  We each commute about 1.5-2 hours total every day.  We are ALWAYS late.  We barely have any time for each other at night after getting the kids to bed and getting things ready for the next day.  If one kid doesn't need something, the other does and then when those needs are met, the other kid needs something.  And in the middle of that we need to keep up with the house and general life responsibilities.  By the end of the work week, I feel like a zombie.  Weekends are filled with grocery trips, errands, swimming lessons, family/friend events, church, yardwork, etc.  And sometimes it all just feels like one giant rat race that I have myself wondering what's it all for?

It's funny how you always want what you don't have.  About 10 years ago I would have killed for the life I have now.  I was so insecure in my 20's--didn't know what I wanted, up and down relationships, unsatisfied, away from home, etc.  And now I would give anything to have 1 week to be ALONE back in my apartment in Missouri--no one needing me, tons of free time, barely any responsiblities. Every day I find myself longing to go to a cafe and have a cup of coffee with a good book, get a pedicure, take a nap, go on a day trip with James, cook a fancier meal, exercise, and just feel more balanced. 

And then I start to think well maybe I need to make some changes in my life--somehow find a job closer to home to cut down the commute, do better time management so there's more "me" time in the day, figure out a part-time job situation, and on and on.  But as I think more about it, I don't really want anything major about our life to change right now.  When I step back, things are really truly good.  Could I be better about balance and creating more "me" time?  Yes, probably.  Is it super overwhelming to have 2 little kids right now?  Yes.  Will it always be this way?  No.  Will someday they be grown and I'll feel like I would kill to be in the position I'm in now when they're little and just love being with us?  Yes, probably.  And let's be honest...if I had the chance to go back to that Missouri apartment to be alone, probably two days would go by and I would severely miss James and the kids and want to be back in my current life. 

So the words I hear God whispering over and over again in my head is "Contentment.  Be present. Be grateful."  I'm trying my best to be there.  It's a daily thing I need to work at.  Some days I'm better at it than others.  But it's my personal development work going forward--no matter what stage in life I want these words to echo in my mind and heart.  Life is too good and I just don't want to miss any of it.  

**Side note--HUGE shout out to my sweet husband.  He knows me so well and saw how overwhelmed I was feeling so for Christmas he got us a house cleaning service!!  They come every other week and honestly it's been such a saving grace.  Thank you honey!!!  

5 Months Old

Cameron is way past month 5 by now, but I didn't want to miss capturing that timeframe on here.  So much happens in this first year and I love to track the development because each month is so different.  It feels like he changes week by week!

It is so fun to have Cameron as part of our family.  It really feels like he completes us even though that sounds so cheesy.  But it really is true how your love can grow for another child and how as time goes by you start to wonder what life ever looked like before he entered our family.

Here are the fun things happenings at 5 months:

*This month Cameron started to grasp on to objects and hold them for longer periods of time.  He's now very into playing with rattles, rings, soft blocks, etc.
*He's finally back to sleeping well again.  He goes to bed around 8pm, wakes around 1am to nurse and then I wake him in the morning around 6am to get ready for the day.  Sometimes in developmental periods or in random weeks, he'll wake up needing to be soothed or helped back to sleep.  But for the most part he is a good sleeper.
*Cameron rolls over all the time now.  And he likes being on his tummy for long periods of time.  Nathan really never liked being on his tummy.  But Cameron prefers it I think.  Sometimes after awhile he fusses and we have to help him roll back over to his back.  But then he rolls back to his stomach again!  Maybe he just likes the sensation of rolling over.
*Cameron is enamored with his brother more and more and it's been fun to watch the brotherly bonding occur more often.  They love being in each other's company...at least for now.  :)
*We pulled out our bouncy chair this month and Cameron loves it!  He took to the technique pretty quickly and bounces all the time.  His favorite activities are his bouncy chair, his floor gym, rocking in the swing, and playing with toys.  He's comforted by a blanket and his little struffed giraffe.
*Cameron is thriving at school and really loves it.  He's always happy when I drop him off.  And we already have several art projects that he's done at school--amazing what they do with those kids.

We love you, Cameron!

One of my favorites!