A Little Ham in the Sky

We are back from our week in NY! We had a great time, and kept an action packed schedule. I was proud of Camryn, once again a good little traveler. On the way there she was great on the plane. She didn’t cry and mostly just hammed it up for the other passengers and blew them kisses. When we landed one of the women gave her a gift of a ceramic angel from Puerto Rico! In NY we kept busy by visiting friends and family, going shopping, going to the Museum of Natural History and Central Park, eating more pizza then I care to admit, and of course going to the graduation! My family doted on Camryn and babysat so Bert and I could have some free time. While we were there Camryn learned some new “party tricks”. She learned to pull herself up to stand, point at things, drink from a straw and make that ah-ah-ah sound by pushing her hand up against her mouth. We also found out she loves cheerios! She got some really fashionable summer clothes from a children’s boutique that my mom used to shop for me at, and I can’t wait to dress her up.

On the plane ride back about halfway through Camryn got tired and crabby. She was fighting sleep and finally sleep won and she passed out on my shoulder. I was so uncomfortable but didn’t want to move and wake her up, so Bert suggested today I go get a massage, and of course I took him up on that offer, it was wonderful.

This week Bert starts up his Summer session, so he’ll be really busy over the next eight weeks, which means I have extra baby duty, but as I always say when he’s done it will all be worth it. On the bright side the pool is about to open so when he’s studying on the weekend I can take the munchkin out for some fun in the sun!

Aunt Rebecca with Camryn

Hanging with Ali and Nicole in CT.

An Exhibit at The Museum of Natural History.

She's officially a crawler!

Well I have to say my first Mother’s Day was nice and relaxing! Camryn must have known to be extra nice because she’s not much of a cuddler and we cuddled in bed while Bert made me breakfast. He even got one of those breakfast in bed trays! We spent lots of family time together and then I got some “me time” and enjoyed a mani/pedi. I also got some beautiful tulips from my mom, which was so sweet of her to do.

Also Camryn has hit a huge milestone. She is now crawling forward. She had been taking a few little crawls here and there but last night she really started to get the hang of it and today she is really crawling around! Time to start babyproofing! All I have done so far is stick the outlet covers in the downstairs outlets. She is also pretty much holding her bottle full time, which has been a big time saver, now I can get ready for the gym and she can feed herself at the same time-shaved 10 minutes off my morning routine :-)

For some reason she has been the pickiest eater lately! We got her these melting yogurt bites that I tried, they’re yummy, but when she eats them, she looks like she’s sucking a lemon. I ended up eating her little cheese puffs cause she hated them and I love anything that resembles a cheeto! I was giving her this babyfood that was bananas, apricot and oatmeal (sounds good to me!), she ate a few bites then pursed her lips. I then broke out the green beans, ate the whole jar! I was worried about how’d she would like yogurt and she actually really seems to like it, except she’s been spitting up more, so I may have to stop feeding her one of the foods that she actually likes. I’m pretty sure she’ll grow out of it, and I find it more funny than anything.

Tomorrow we are off to New York for Rebecca’s graduation. I’m so proud of her! It’s so crazy, that my little sister is graduating college. I remember when she was Camryn’s age. Time is really just flying by!

I’m sure we will have a great time on our trip. I’m planning on seeing some old friends and family, and it will be nice to get out of town. I already know that Camryn is going to get spoiled rotten by her family!

Daddy's 34, Camryn's 8 months, and Mommy's Holding Strong at 29!

Last weekend was interesting to say the least! We woke up to thunder and lightening and decided that it wasn't smart to do the march of dimes walk. Then the skies cleared and we decided to do it. We got there and then the skies re-opened and we did the four mile walk in the rain! We had bought a rain cover for the stroller but it was junky and poor Camryn's legs still got wet and she cried the whole last mile! I read that the walk that we did hit their financial goal, so I felt good about that! We also had planned a little block party that we had to cancel so pretty much the weekend was a bust.

This weekend has been much better! Yesterday was Bert's birthday and we had a fun family day! We cashed in his free Provino's dinner, and it was delicious! Camryn was a good girl, and we let her have a bite of daddy's ice cream. We came home and put the baby to bed and listened to Michael Jackson and had some drinks! Bert skyped with Toby and they had some drinks together while both sitting at the own homes. Boy, how times have changed.

Camryn is about to hit the eight month mark tomorrow! She is growing before my eyes. Her hair is getting long and starting to curl! She sits around saying mamama and dadadada and lots of other blabbery words. She likes to sit in her pack and play and play with her toys. We have lowered her crib and she has pulled herself halfway up. Still not crawling forward, but she can get around if she wants something! As far as non babyfood items go, we have let her try grits (like), mashed potatoes (dislike???), and ice cream (like). She loves water out of her sippy cup. She is trying to feed herself her puffs, but she holds them and licks them and they get melty, sticky and gross. She can wave hi/bye-bye, but only does it when the mood strikes. When someone else is holding her and she's had enough she reaches for me, or when I go to pick her up out of the highchair or pack and play she holds her hands up in the air. Looking forward to more milestones. Maybe teeth?? :-)

Baby's First Ball Game

Camryn, Bert and I caught a Braves game this past weekend, and had a fantastic time. We got to Turner Field about an hour early so we had time to walk around. We took Camryn to "Tooner Field" which is the kids section, and they have lots of games for the kids to play. Camryn was too young for it, but she loves to watch the other kiddies. We had decent seats and thankfully a really nice guy next to me. Camryn was sitting in my lap and quietly "petting" him! He was a great sport and laughed it off. We made it to the bottom of the fifth when Camryn started getting really squirmy and decided that was our cue. Later that night we went to a local ice cream shop called "Ice Cream Social" and Camryn had her first taste of ice cream! She liked it, but believe it or not she isn't wild about the sweet stuff. She loves peas, green beans and spinach-anything green! I'm sure that will change eventually. I mean what kid prefers peas over ice cream??

Even though I've been saying this for about four months now Camryn is teething. (Really this time!) I can see the bumps in her gums. I expect to see some teeth very soon, but in the meanwhile I'll savor that sweet gummy smile!

This weekend we are doing the March of Dimes Walk and I am praying for no rain. There is a 60% chance right now and I've been checking the forecast about every two hours! I am going to go rain or shine, but I don't want to bring the baby if its crummy out. Maybe I'll take up auntie Karen on her babysitting offer if the weather isn't on our side!

March for Babies

Bert, Camryn and I will be walking next weekend on the March of Dimes, March for Babies. Please consider sponsoring us as we walk to raise money to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Please click on the link to donate or to learn more about the March for Babies.

http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=3439247&ct=4&w=4328322&u=heathergary

Can the weather just stay like this all year?

This past weekend has been so relaxing and fun, I told Bert I feel like I'm on vacation! We started off the weekend by going to a Greek restaurant and frozen yogurt for dessert on Friday night. Saturday we went shopping, and enjoyed lunch outside in the absolutely perfect weather. We came home and sat outside with Bert while he washed the car. Then Camryn and I had some mommy/daughter time while Bert went to his friend's birthday party.

Today we took a drive up to Dawsonville to Amicalola Falls. We took two short, stroller friendly hikes, spent some time at the falls, and then headed over to the lodge for lunch. When we got there they had a park ranger showing different birds to the crowd. I was afraid Camryn was going to be a vulture's lunch.

Camryn is doing great. She really wants to get around on her own. If I put her down on the hardwoods, she does these half push-ups and slides backwards through the house. If she's on carpet or in her crib she'll get on her hands and knees and rock. I know as soon as she figures it all out I'll be on the chase!

Spring is in the Air

Lots has been going on at the Gary house so I'm just going to try to hit the key points so this won't be the world's longest blog! Last weekend was nice, Grandma Jennine came to visit and we had a great time. The highlight of the trip was hanging out together at the Cherry Blossom festival. We had amazing weather, and just walked around and looked at crafts. Camryn was strapped to Bert in the baby bjorn and was wearing her "single" bib. She got so much attention! The men were saying to Bert, "Single? She better stay that way! Huh, Dad?" Pretty cute!

The other day, Camryn visited the Easter Bunny at the mall, and wasn't scared! She looks more bewildered than anything, but I'm just glad she didn't cry!

Also Camryn is now eating puffs (little star shaped grain snacks) and drinking from her sippy cup! I have to feed her the puffs for now. It's funny, she holds one in each hand, I call them her "treasures" and then I feed them to her! If I try to hold one in front of her for her to take, she moves her whole head toward my hand! As far as the sippy cup goes, if she's in the highchair I have to hold it for her, but if she's in the boppy, laying back, half the time she'll hold it herself.

Tomorrow we are going to the park with the Harrison's and the Mansfield's, and then they are coming back here and I'm making dinner. I am trying to make mostly Passover dishes, and hone my skills for future Passovers! One day Camryn will be my little assistant chef, and Bert can be off the hook!

Also on Sunday we are celebrating Easter. Tonight we dyed eggs and made chocolate dipped peeps! For dinner we are going to grill up some wings, which I don't think is very traditional, but we'll be spending time together so that's what's important!

Also want to thank Grandma Lori for the tons of spring and summer clothes! Camryn definitely has a fabulous wardrobe thanks to her and Frank!