Eight months

My baby boy is eight. months. old.  I'm sure I'll be just as shocked when I say eighteen months, eight years, and eighteen years.  Much has happened this past month and I had to start a running list of Cameron's new tricks and some old ones that he's mastered:

• In general, Cam has become a lot more vocally expressive this month--squealing, grunting, screeching, whining a bit, and babbling.  The most exciting part of all this is that he can babble "dadadadadadada" :)  It's only a matter of time until he connects those sounds with "daddy" and is calling Dave by name!

• Cameron learned that his tongue can do funny things and his mouth can be used to make some pretty entertaining noises (for both of us!)

• At the beginning of May he mastered the art of rolling by completing about a half dozen rolls in a row, with a little help from me positioning him on his belly.  He no longer gets upset when he wants to move from belly to back.  He still prefers rolling to the right rather than the left.  Aaaand, he surprised me by rolling from back to belly for the first time while we were FaceTiming with Nana.  He was motivated to get the TV remote--big surprise ;)

• On a recent trip to Target, I bought some Puffs to see if Cameron would be interested in self-feeding and was surprised to see how quickly he "picked up" this skill.

• I've been making some of Cameron's food (though not as much as I thought I would be) and he has been adventurous to try new tastes and a bit thicker textures this month.  He enjoys many combinations of these fruits: peaches, prunes, pears, bananas, apricots, apples, blueberries, mangos, avacado (weird that that's a fruit) and hasn't turned down any of the veggies I've offered: green beans, peas, carrots, squash, sweet potato.  He has also started eating meat (pureed, of course), so we can add turkey and chicken to that list!  

• Little man has been working extra hard to grow some new teeth--at least two from what I can tell!  His right front tooth has popped through and another one on top (the one next to the front left tooth) is just starting to show.  I can't tell if there's a third one or not, but the poor guy has a big purple bruise on his gums from all his hardcore teething.  Cameron seems to be handling it well and the new pearly whites haven't caused much irritability or trouble sleeping.  He has been a little more clingy at times but hasn't needed ibuprofen during the day and only a handful of times at night.  Sometimes I don't think there's going to be anything left of his poor fingers because of how much he chews on them!   

(It's come through even more since I took that picture a week or so ago.)  

Here are a few other moments I captured this past month:

  

 As always, we are looking forward to what the next month has in store for us and our growing guy!

Loving a little rebellious soul

Who, Cameron??  Yep, I'm talking about my sweet little boy and have had this post on my heart and mind for a few weeks now as Dave and I prepared to dedicate him at church this past Mother's Day Sunday.  As hard as it is to imagine and admit with Cameron being just shy of 8 months old, the sobering fact remains that our seemingly innocent son was born with a rebellious heart, not inclined towards the awesome God who created and loves him unconditionally, but rather towards himself and all the things that this world has to offer.  By dedicating him in front of some of our family as well as our church family, we were simply acknowledging what has been a truth for Dave and I since we knew we wanted to have children and found out we were pregnant with Cam: that is, he is a gift entrusted to us in order that we may help him grow up to know the greatness of God and the saving power that Jesus alone offers.

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord granted me what I asked of Him.  So now I give him to the Lord.  For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord." 1 Samuel 1:27-28

After hearing a convicting sermon about the apostle Paul being on trial and his steadfast faithfulness to the truth in the midst of accusations (Acts 24), my hopes that Cameron will grow up to be a man of unwavering faith were amplified all the more.  At the end of the service that morning Pastor Horner said something to the effect of "What greater gift could a mother receive, especially on Mother's day, than to know that her child (or anyone in her family, for that matter) has trusted Christ with their life?" Amen to that!  I earnestly pray that Cameron's heart will be softened to the Gospel as he grows up, learns about his sinful nature, and sees Dave and I making mistakes, asking for forgiveness, and turning from our own selfish ways.  I hope he clearly sees our reliance on and thankfulness for God's grace through all of what life brings.

"Enough pictures already, mom!"

It was truly a special morning and I am excited about the opportunities to explain more of what this means to my baby as he grows up into a little boy.  I know we'll face challenges as Cameron learns about obedience and what is right and wrong according to God's word, but watching him grow and learn from his failures and mistakes is sure to be rewarding.  And thankfully, we can trust in a sovereign God to do the work in changing our little rebel into a true worshipper.  I love this quote by A.W. Tozer and want to record it here as a reminder to myself, Dave, Cameron, and any other kids we hope to be blessed with someday: "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."  (The Knowledge of the Holy)  

On a lighter note, be looking forward to a fun-filled post with all the things Cameron has surprised and entertained us with this past month--coming soon!