Cheers to 2010!

We officially survived the holidays! Ahhh, time to relax! Christmas was wonderful, just spent time with Bert and Camryn, and had our friend Patrick over for dinner. We all got lots of goodies. My favorite being the hot stone massage that I plan on cashing in this weekend. Our main gift to each other is bicycles, but we are going to wait until the weather warms up to go pick them out. Camryn got some clothes and toys, and I think her favorite is this blanky/bear that she likes to "talk to" and chew on!
The day after Christmas Grandma Jennine and Grandpa Jim came up and spent some quality time with us. They got to watch Camryn's first time in her Jumper. She loves all of the toys and buttons and music on it, but she hasn't quite figured out the "jumping" part of it yet.

After their visit we drove down to Tallahassee for New Year's with the Dietz family! When I get with Amanda I have a tendency to forget I'm not in college anymore, so staying up till 4AM drinking champagne and chitchatting may not be the best idea! It was so much fun, and great to meet her little boy, Matty! I would have to say that Camryn was checking him out, but he's still so little, he barely gave her the time of day :-)

Now we are back to the daily grind, and I am glad to get back into some type of routine. Camryn had her four month doctors appointment. She is very healthy! 14lbs, 10 oz (70%) and 25.5 inches (87%). To quote Dr. Khan, "she's just perfect!" She got two shots today. I hate, hate, hate that part of the visit. She just wails and looks at me like "you traitor!" Ugh. Heartbreaking! I asked the doctor about starting her on solid food and she pretty much said no need to rush, so I am gonna wait another month and see if she's ready.

The biggest changes I am noticing now is that she's really starting to pay attention to things. She'll entertain herself with her toys for a little while. She'll sit there and look at the pages if I read to her. I can prop her up on my bed with a children's program on and take a WHOLE SHOWER without a single cry. Sometimes even blow dry my hair too. When she was born there were days I couldn't even squeeze a shower in, so this is major progress. She also figured out the joys of splashing around in her little tub!

Well lately I think every age for Camryn is my "favorite age", but I can honestly say four months has been a lot of fun, and I'm torn because while part of me wants her to stay my little peanut forever, I really love watching her grow and learn new things!

A lot to say...

15 weeks!! Already??

I get emails every now and again from a website that tells you about where your baby should be, what they should be doing, etc. at their age. When I got my email yesterday it said "your baby at 15 weeks" and I thought they sent me the wrong week. I had to count backwards on my calendar about five times until I actually believed that Camryn is 15 weeks old! She is wonderful and I love her more than I ever even knew was possible. She had her first cold/fever the other day and I was so worried I actually cried! I just felt so bad for her, her cries were so pitiful and they can't really tell you what's wrong! She is much better now, no fever since Wednesday, and she is in much better spirits.

We celebrated Chanukah by making potato latkes and lighting the menorah. In the future I'd like to get Camryn a gift for each night, but this year we just did one. Bert picked out a beautiful music box and had it engraved with her Hebrew name. He didn't even tell me about it, so it was a surprise for me too! I got Bert Super Mario for Wii, and I got an I.O.U! Ha! He says he has something in the works!

We are eagerly awaiting Christmas together next week. We are looking forward to spending time together, cooking and eating, and just enjoying ourselves! On the day after Christmas Grandma Jennine and Grandpa Jim are coming up for a few days to visit! Fun! Then we are off to Tally for New Years! Even though this time of year can be hectic and overwhelming, it's also lots of fun.

Camryn is growing like a weed and is just shy of 14lbs. She is starting to wear her "six month" clothes and is starting to wear size 2 diapers. She "talks" to us, which is so cute. I have a video of this that I need to post. She is just an all around happy baby, and we are so grateful to have her in our lives!

Tis the season to be busy...

Wow I have been horrible about keeping my blog updated lately. It's so hard to get "quiet time" sometimes- and when I do, I usually want to veg and read my celebrity gossip or catch up on my DVRs!

Things are going great in the Gary household. We recently enjoyed our first extended trip to Asheville with the baby for Thanksgiving. We met my mom, Frank, Jay, Rebecca and the Staum family in a beautiful seven bedroom luxury home on Black Mountain. We went to the Biltmore House, walked around downtown Asheville, and went to a temple and got Camryn her hebrew name. It's Kayla Yochana. She was so good and sweet during her naming it was adorable. Then the 15 of us went to lunch and out little Kayla Yochana had her first restaurant meltdown. She screamed and screamed while I tried to hide with her in the bathroom. Still don't know what she was so mad about.

Camryn is still smiling away and you can just tell by looking at her how alert she is. She is rolling on her side and sometimes in the morning she is completely turned around in her crib. She is holding items, but we mostly have to place them in her hands. And speakng of hands, she always has them in her mouth and is covered in drool. She also set her own personal record by sleeping 12 1/2 hours straight last night. I hope she keeps that up!

We are getting geared up for the holidays, and are 95% decorated. We just have to finish putting ornaments on the tree and we will be all set. I am excited to celebrate Christmas and Chanukah this year since Chanukah usually gets the shaft. I am happy that Camryn will be celebrating both holidays, just like I did when I was little!

Here are a few recent pics.

My little stuffed turkey.

At the Biltmore House, thanks for babysitting Grandma!

Uncle Jay and Aunt Rebecca

Shake, Rattle and Roll

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Why I love mornings...