Life in Lewisville: A lengthy 9 Months, 10 Weeks, & 5 Days update

Hi all! I have lots to update on and it's all getting lumped into one big post.

First, our NINE MONTH OLD! I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, but big changes this month included 4 new teeth---one or two or which were juuuust starting to show at 8 months---along with a lot more wiggling around especially in his crib---not crawling though!

**I have yet to take 9 mth pics and get some good shots of his teeth...that's on my to do list for later!**

"Help! I'm stuck!"

Top left: Cameron has started waving a little this month. Sometimes he does it without being prompted, like when we're walking upstairs and pass a picture of Dave and me. He also took us by surprise and made a random woman at the airport very happy with his unsolicited waves and flirty smiles. Top right: Cam's always happy to ~~chew on~~ play with the remote these days. It's a good distraction when I need him to entertain himself for a few minutes! Bottom left: He also enjoys playing with the container of wipes before, during, or after a diaper change...it's no surprise that any household object is way more fun than an actual toy! Bottom right: The paci is still a good friend to Cameron always during naps and bedtime and most often in the car as well.

A couple other fun things this month:

This video cracks me up and if you haven't laughed today, I hope this will remedy that! For whatever reason, the noise I made was hilarious to Cam...oh, the things you'll do to make a kid laugh :)

Ground turkey, black beans, string cheese...num num! His taste buds are having fun with new textures and flavors and I'm having fun feeding him more table food.

Beginner book worm, we hope!

Next up on the update list: After a TEN WEEK work stint in Virginia, Dave/daddy is back home for good, we hope! Fortunately he was able to come home most of the weekends while he was away, but it was still a huge adjustment for me and the time without him home was not without its challenges: First, our AC went out just as we began to have some 80 and 90 degree weather, then Cameron and I got sick at the same time, there was a break-in in our neighborhood which put an already high-alert mamma on even higher alert (I'm not ashamed to say I slept with a stun-gun and heavy duty blinding flashlight next to me in bed), and then it seemed like just when we thought Dave's project would be coming to an end we'd find out he needed to go back the next week...and the next...and the next. Then, after we really really thought he was done, he got sent back again and he FIIIINALLLY came home this Monday night. Hallelujah. I was especially ready for him at this point because Cameron and I ended up getting sick at the same time again--he with an ear infection that wasn't too bad but is now in the both ears; and I with an assortment of aches and pains that have worked their way out of my system, thank the Lord. There were a lot of ups and downs the past couple months and I think I learned a thing or two from the experience of being a "single mom" during those weeks. God was kind in providing great friends and family who were there for me when I needed a walk, a dinner, a babysitter, or just a listening ear. I did my fair share of complaining and Dave, not surprisingly, had a good attitude--or at least he held his tongue. We're truly blessed that he has a great job that he enjoys and I feel especially grateful to have such a hardworking husband who provides for Cameron and myself. Even after working long hours and driving back and forth on the weekends and coming home to chores that needed to be done and a wife and baby needy for love and attention, my man stayed solid as a rock. One of the many reasons I love you, D!

Daddy and baby reunited! This was right before Cameron's bedtime one night and he was SO thrilled when Dave appeared. He kept clawing at his face and touching his beard. It was like he didn't know what to do with all his excitement! Precious.

Tackling the jungle that had grown while Dave was away. This was at about 8pm on Monday night after coming home from a day's work, a 2.5 hour drive, and having to replace his car battery. Don't worry, I forced him to sit down and watch the ~~Trashlorette~~ Bachelorette with me after he was done ;)

Speaking of a beautiful yard, my talented and hardworking MIL and her equally hardworking husband planted an assortment of LOVELY flowers as an anniversary gift to us. The hydrangeas came out in full bloom to compliment the rest of what they planted. Here's a couple of my favs:

Last but not least, I've got to document the fantastic five day trip that we took to Illinois two weeks ago. We were going for the annual June birthday bash which has been going on since I can remember. It's always been a great tradition and the perfect excuse to see my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins midway through the year. The birthday boys and girls are: my cousin Gregory, Uncle Greg, Aunt Carol, myself, and Grandpa. This year was extra special as we were celebrating Grandpa's 85th at Arlington Racetrack.

The day of our flight to Chi-town brought uncertainty as Cameron woke up with a fever. He was more tired than usual so I knew I couldn't count on his schedule that I had hoped for which centered around nap time on the plane. I had to wake him up from a heavy sleep early in the afternoon so we could leave and all I could do was hope that he'd be tired enough to sleep again in a couple of hours at takeoff. He fussed for the first 15-20 minutes of the flight and Dave and I pulled out every trick we could think of to try and make him and the passengers around us happy. Thankfully, he eventually settled to sleep in my lap only to be awaken after 30 minutes by the pilots announcement that we'd be encountering some turbulence...needless to say, the nap ended there but we had less than 45 minutes left in the air and Cameron had gotten just enough of a cat nap to keep him happy the rest of the way. I breathed a deep sigh of relief when we landed. Cameron fell asleep on the way to Oma and Opa's...I was proud of my sick little trooper!

We had a rough couple of hours trying to get him to sleep that night, between his fever and the unfamiliar people and surroundings, but that all got better in the days following. There were so many great moments throughout the weekend and I think I'm going to have to let the pictures do the talking again from here on out--seeing as I'm trying to finish this post before Cameron's nap ends!