bathtime...revisited

I was holding him in my arms at bedtime when I realized the whole day had slipped by and I had not snapped one single picture of my little man. We were so busy having fun that I completely forgot about my camera. Highly unusual occurrence, not the fun part, just the missing pictures part. So I have added a picture from earlier this week because what fun would a day in blogland be without a picture of Cam...

With that said, today was a big day in crazytown. It was the day that Cam finally decided bath time was fun! As you know from my earlier post about bathtime, prior to today it was a complete torture session for all parties involved. The whole big boy tub was a fail and we were doing the sponge bathing hanging off the side of the sink thing. Well enough was enough of that so I searched around for something I thought might make bathtime once again more pleasant for him.

What could possibly go better with bathtime then a rubber duck, right? My thoughts exactly. So we got him this awesome giant inflatable rubber ducky tub. It is totally sweet. And of course, what do you know, he hated it. Full on tears, screaming and crying hated it. Great. But we were not giving up on the duck so easily. Oh, no. Next attempt was a foot spa instead of a full on bath, just to get him used to it. He sat on the edge of the duck and splashed his toes around, played with some toys and fully inspected that duck. Overall it went well.

The next day I let Cam check out the tub on dry ground and have a little look see at the duck's face and maybe make friends with him. He batted at it's bill and bopped it in the face a few times but he did not back away and he did not cry. All good signs.

Earlier this week on bath day we tried again and this time Cam actually sat in the tub! Gingerly sat in it, but sat in it none the less. He wasn't super thrilled about it but he tolerated it and let me scrub him up quickly without crying. Good enough for me.

Today was an all together different experience. Today he squealed with delight when he saw the duck hanging out on the countertop. Interesting. As I was filling it up he was hopping up and down in my arms trying to get at it. Peculiar. Well then once I got him in there he looked up at me with that famous grin of his and that was that. Party on. I threw in a few tub toys and a book and he was having ball. Splashing and laughing and everything! Even reaching back for his new friend the duck as bathtime was over I took him out. Unbelievable.

If I could have juggled a slippery baby, a giant rubber ducky, a soapy washcloth and a camera I would really have some great shots coming up. But that is a recipe for disaster so you will have to use your imagination here.

Giant Rubber Duck

+

Cam

= Bathtime Fun with Cutest Baby in ALL the Land!!!

pic of the day

what up peeps.

belly check

fortress of pillows

Everyday starts out with one. I build it in my bed for us so no one falls out and the little guy and I settle into it. Here is where we spend our early mornings. Cam snuggles up to me and eats breakfast, then we both close our eyes and get a little more sleep. He is tucked in next to me, fingers all wrapped around mine and his legs hidden cozily under my blanket. I lay my head down on a piece of the fortress next to him, getting myself in position to nuzzle and kiss his little head. He is the most peaceful and content little guy in the world right here. When I look down and see him like that, it is truly one of those moments I wish I could snap a picture of but it's no place for a camera or a flash. It's just one of those privileged mommy moments I'll have to hold on to in my mind forever.

When the little fingers start pulling my hair and poking at my face I know its time to open my eyes. Cam always greets me with that huge gummy smile of his. So pleased with himself that he got me fully awake. Now is when the fortress gets good... He is always in a great mood right about now. We make funny faces at each other and laugh. He is perched on my lap and playing with the pillows and the blankets and my water bottle if he can get his hands on it. Some days I turn on Sesame Street and he enjoys watching Elmo and chomping on the remote. I sneak in a few tickles here and there because they usually get me a belly laugh. He does some wiggling and flipping around now which gets him hanging upside down like a monkey from his pillow perch. From this angle he gets a good look at the ceiling fan, which he loves, and starts chattering away to himself and to the fan and throwing in a few screams and giggles here and there for good measure.

Lately Cam has really been huggy and kissy (which I LOVE). He's just understanding how to do it and how to show you that he can. So in between all of this fun stuff he reaches out for a hug whenever he can get one. And now he also wants to give me kisses too! Cam's idea of kisses involve his little open mouth somewhere on my face, lots of drool, hands squeezing my cheeks and lots of giggling of course. IT IS THE BEST.

Somewhere in all of this, the drool overtakes us and it's time to seek out dry clothes (and coffee for mom). At this point we depart the fortress of pillows and enter the real world for the day, knowing it will be there waiting for us again tomorrow.

cauliflower-don't mind if I do...

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little things

Shots like this are the best. This one is great because it has his tiny fingers in it of course. But also because of the cute little sweatshirt, the toy rattle and the buzzing bees on his swaddling blanket. They are the sweet little bits in the background of everyday. I love every little thing about him and our lives these days and I don't want to forget any of it. So sometimes I try remember to focus on these little bits just for a second before they are gone...

cuteness of the day

master of disaster

See this face. This is not the face of an ordinary baby. No-no. This is the face of a master of disaster. A true demolition expert.


Here he sits plotting his next take down. Watch as he analyzes the target structure carefully to find it's weakest point.


Notice how he studies its physical make-up in great detail. Is the structure made of all cups or perhaps cups with a few blocks mixed in? Will it take a gentle poke of the finger to fall?



Or is a full fist necessary for it's demise?




Or maybe it requires the use of a wrecking ball, or in this case a wrecking giraffe...


No pile of toys is to big or too small for this guy. He spent most of his day today working at his craft. Meticulously studying each structure mommy built in front of him like he's never done before.



And after a long day toiling at the job. He settled in to get a real taste of his work...



So the next time you've got a huge pile of blocks to take out, you know just the baby for the job...

feed me

my favorite pic of the weekend. I could just eat those cheeks...

Family Weekend

Cam spent a nice long weekend hanging out with his Nana and GrandPap. Since they live a bit far from crazytown it was especially nice for him to get their undivided attention for three whole days. What fun we all had!

Cam shared his rattle with Nana but not his Sophie...


He got some tips from GrandPap on using the remote...


He read them a story...


Enjoyed some lunch together...




And just had a good old time!

There is nothing like the love and affection of your grandparents. Cam spent the past few days just soaking that all in. Lucky guy. He is finding out at an early age that grandparents are the best!!!

7

Of the best months ever. Spent snuggling, hugging, kissing, playing, rocking, singing, soothing, crying, laughing, loving, enjoying every minute. Gone by so quickly...

I ask him everyday to stay little for me and be my baby forever. I love him so...
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extreme cuteness

pic of the day

i big fat puffy heart him to pieces

In the midst of playing toys on the floor today, the little guy leaned over to me with his arms stretched out and gave me gigantic slobbery hug. As far as I'm concerned the ability to reach out and give a hug when you need one is a milestone in a baby's life.

The amount of squooshy hugs given in this house is going to increase exponentially starting today. I mean, wouldn't you hug this guy a jillion times a day if you could?

weekend fun with dad

pinchy mcgee

I love his fingers. So tiny and so cute. I'm totally obsessed and there's no denying it. And he discovers new ways to use them everyday. You should see him with his toy remote control. His little thumb working the buttons. He pushes the same one like a zillion times in a row and I could watch that thumb go for hours. It's like the size of a popcorn kernel-yep that small. tiny. And did I mention cute??? Baby hands move fast and they are oh so illusive to photograph. Every now and then I can snap a pic of one. Here's a shot from a few weeks ago-


Told you they were cute. Imagine my surprise when he used these adorable little digits to inflict an enormous amount of pain to the thin skin on the back of my arm today. My boy totally learned how to pinch.

And he was not to happy when I repeated the word NO each time he practiced his new trick...


Little stinker.

cute.

sign of spring

cruisin down the street

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baby in the window

The little man and I had some errands to attend to on this beautifully warm and sunny afternoon. In order to make the trip more enjoyable for Cam I hooked him up lovely. First he went sock free with his toes hanging out in the breeze and second he got a deluxe ride up close to me as I wore him in the baby carrier as opposed to his usual digs in the stroller. I have noticed that since I have started wearing Cam more often when we go out that I get a lot of strange looks from people. Like they don't know what to make of it. Baby just hanging all out in front like that, wiggling toes and such. I'm thinking maybe Cam has been picking up on these strange looks and decided he did not in fact appreciate the awkward stares or diverting eyes. I'm not really sure what happened. At any rate he has quickly become an enormous flirt when he's hanging out like this. Maybe to generate some more positive attention. Well whatever he's doing seems to be working as I spent a good portion of our trip today making introductions for him to the many ladies that he flashed his adorably gummy smile to. A cashier in one store we shopped actually told me that he had completely made her day! I mean I know that he is insanely adorable and charming (did you see his onesie on st. patty's day)but it seems that lately he is a regular chick magnet.

I miss these day-making smiles when he is forward facing the world, dangling out in front of me. Although I do get to give him lots of smooches and get my nose into that sweet smelling baby hair. That smell alone is enough to make anyone's day... Anyway, I digress, I have actually spent most of this post digressing... Sooo after Cam made the cashier's day and we left to go onto the next place we walked by a large vacant store. As we passed I stopped for a minute in front of an empty window to catch a glimpse of his smile in our reflection. It always takes a minute but as soon as Cam sees our reflection he gets all crazy excited. Like I said earlier, it was beautiful today and since we had the afternoon to ourselves and Cam clearly loves the game of baby in the mirror, we played the game stopping at each window to check ourselves out and laugh. Even though Cam and I must have looked crazy, him hanging off of me and me hopping back and forth in front of windows I could have cared less what was going on in the world around us. We were having fun. But as we approached our destination, a lady who was outside enjoying her break in the sun looked at me and said-"I love the way you took the time to make him laugh like that". I just smiled and we went on our way.

Making him laugh makes my day.

pic of the day

GREAT SHOT.

love this smile

Another new face captured in print for the first time today.

happy st. patrick's day

buds on bushes

We have been spending a lot of time outside during the past two days as the weather has been BEAUTIFUL here in crazytown. I am loving it. Cam is loving it. The winter was way too long and snowy for us.

I have been showing him the signs of spring all around. The daffodils and hyacinths that I planted last year are shooting up in the beds and I let Cam take a swipe at them to feel the leaves on his fingers. We listened to the birds and watched the squirrels run all around. We enjoyed the sun on our faces and the quiet of our neighborhood in the early afternoon. We explored the trees and bushes looking at the buds starting to appear. It was funny to watch Cam reach out and try to touch them. We stopped to get a closer look at one of the bushes by our front door and hang out in the sun. The branches on this bush are tiny so he was really focusing on them. He would reach out his fingers and just gently pinch at them. Surprisingly enough he didn't do his usual grab handful and insert into mouth. He just kept reaching out and touching the branches with his finger tips, as if he knew they were something delicate. It was so sweet and so unlike my normally thrashing, screaming, howling little guy... And all the while he was making these little chirping noises, talking away to himself or the bush and occasionally looking back at me and smiling. Totally content and relaxed, clearly enjoying himself. Who knew shrubs were so interesting! Well interesting until he saw our reflection in the glass of the front door...

This afternoon we were coming home from the store and walking by the bush. I saw that as we passed he was reaching out his little foot from his carrier and letting his toes touch it. When I looked down at him, he was grinning like crazy... As if to let me know that was his bush-and he didn't forget about it. Could he get any cuter????

I can push the cart!

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new things learned

Everyday it really is something new. Recently Cam has learned that toys are more than just useful for shoving into his mouth and chewing on. Also gone are the days of pick up toy, transfer toy to other hand and drop toy on floor. Now he can hold a toy, rattle a toy, shake a toy, squeeze a toy and even push buttons on a toy! Well this opens up a whole new realm of fun for not only Cam but for Mommy and Daddy as well! Playing with toys rocks! And I think I mentioned the other day about how the hubs and I spent his birthday shopping around in Toys r Us... Trouble with a capital T. But the boy will have some toys.

Anyway- onto Cam's fav new toy. Laugh & Learn Shape Surprise Cookie Jar-so much fun! It's a shape sorting, singing, counting type thing and I have been teaching Cam how to fit all of the different cookie shapes into the jar. I get them into position and grab his little hand to give them a shove until they fall in. So he pretty much thinks he's doing it. He's getting the idea though, he moves his hand to the pieces on his own but I still have to guide him to give them a push. Then we laugh and clap and cheer and Cam thinks it's the best thing ever. You can see the little wheels spinning in his head as he smiles, like he doesn't quite know what he did that was so great but he's pretty darn excited about the smiles and the clapping. It's great. He also loves to dump the cookies back out-which he does by wildy grabbing at the jar and shaking it like crazy until mom jumps in and turns it over spilling out the contents... This is fun too. Not to mention the singing, counting, "eating" of the cookies, and of course chewing on the lid to the jar.

For your viewing pleasure. Cam playing with the cookie jar, watch around the 39 second mark as he practices another one of his newest skills...

my boy

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cuteness

Out shopping

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Foot spa

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playing toys

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conversation from yesterday

I really like the look you put together for me today Mom!



The airplane onesie is fierce...



And my fox sox are the coolest EVER...

Jeans that make my butt look cute...



But what's up with my hair? Seriously a combover???? Terrible for my image.



Don't worry. I know I'm still the cutest baby on the block!!!

He's right of course...

you lookin at me?

new tub

Cam has never been one of those babies who loved getting a bath. Right from the beginning he just wasn't into it. In order to make bathtime more pleasurable for the little guy I decided that a sauna effect might be soothing for him. At bathtime there would be a hot shower running creating lots of warm steam while he hung out in his little tub on the bathroom counter. This seemed to make him happy, so we went with it. In addition, Cam has this adorable little rain forest themed baby tub complete with a hammock type thing to lounge in while he's getting clean. He kicks back with a little cushion behind his head, puts up his feet and relaxes. Well these days Cam is pushing the 18lb mark... And the hammock is no longer able to hold up to the kind of baby chub that he is packing so his little coolie is now touching the bottom of the tub. Soooo no more cute hammock type thing and no kicking back and lounging in the bath. But no problem because the hammock comes out. Cam can now happily splash about in the tub while practicing sitting up like a big boy!
Or not. Last weekend we unsuccessfully attempted the big boy tub. Cam was ok for a second and then there was screaming and crying and that was that. Bathtime was done.

Today I thought we should give it another shot. Well this time around was even worse. As soon as his coolie touched the bottom of the tub his face turned all red and he froze into that scream face (don't worry, water temp was lukewarm-my boy has sensitive skin). And then he cried, I mean cried, real scaredy tears. So what could I do but take him out. Now I'm standing there holding him, all soaking wet and grinning at me as he's dripping all over my bathroom floor. OK-no more tears, but he still needs a bath. So it was on to Plan B. I filled the sink with water and since Big Boy can't very well fit in there-what else could we do but sit on the edge and dip our feet in. Oh yeah-that's what we did. And yep-he loved it. So there he sat. On the edge of the sink, little coolie on a folded towel, mommy's arm wrapped around him, his little feet dangling and splashing in the sink while I washed him all up. Happy as a clam. I mean happy,smiling at me in the mirror, trying to turn the water on and drooling all over his toes happy. I could have died right there from all of the cuteness.

jm fan

We hop in the car and Cam starts to whine. Turn on some John Mayer and look at him now. My boy.
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nibblicious.

cuteness

It was gloriously warm and sunny here today. Cam had a bit of spring fever and so he was seen sporting a short sleeved onesie this afternoon showing off his chubby little guns. Love them.

I have a serious weakness for those little wrists of his that look like they have been swallowed up by his forearm...

And check out the chub wrinkle in his right forearm. love.

Cam had his 6 month well visit with the pedi today and it made me realize just how quickly the time is going by. So I spent the rest of my day staring at my boy, contemplating his infinite cuteness and marveling at all of his many accomplishments in his first half year of life (new this morning, he sang me this song that was just like he was practicing all of his vowel sounds-soo freaking cute!!!!!!!!!).


Wouldn't you love to spend your afternoon looking into these eyes? Thought so.

Another one of the many reasons I love being Cam's mom...

utterly adorable.