Monday, December 24, 2007

Sleep On Buddy! - Week of Dec. 17th

It was quite a busy week for Cameron! He had his 4-month checkup at the doctor's office on Wednesday. Jane and Grandma Mary Ellen both took Cam for the occasion. The big boy weighed in at 12.5 lbs, 22.5 inches long. His doctor was very pleased with his growth! Unfortunately for Cameron, he had to have some immunization shots, but the nurse completed them very quickly and covered them with cute snoopy soccer band aids. Then, on Thursday, the home health nurse arrived for his RSV vaccine shot. He was such a trooper and Chris and Jane were very proud.

Cameron's latest achievement is his smile:) He's been smiling quite a bit.

On Saturday, Chris, Jane and Cam had a big evening. Steve & Andrea Ringler stopped over to babysit Cameron while Chris and Jane had a night out for dinner! It proved to be a perfect night for all. Not only did Chris and Jane have a scrumptious dinner and Cam got to know his extended family, but on this night, Cameron slept the most ever in his crib! Thanks so much to Steve & Andrea for this most wonderful Christmas present, in more ways than one!!

Sunday night continued the sleeping trend, so Cam may have reached a turning point. The doctor told Jane that Cameron should be sleeping at least 6 hours straight through each night based on his weight. Jane told the doctor that Cam didn't get the memo on that one. But, it looks like he just received it a little late. Whatever the case, Cameron's parents are most grateful.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Mom on Biz Trip - Week of Dec. 10th


It was a challenging week at the Weatherford household (at least the first half). Jane flew to Florida early Monday morning for a business conference. Luckily for Chris (and Cameron), Grandma Mary Ellen came into town to watch little Cam. It really wasn't as bad as Chris' nightmares would have lead him to believe. Jane was back by Wednesday to restore the much needed stability to the household....Cam was very happy to see her again.

Aunty Amanda stopped in to visit Cameron on Wednesday. She had not seen the little man since he was in the hospital. Cam has come a long way since those first days. She could not believe how big he was now.

Jane took a much needed vacation day on Thursday to make up some quality time with Cameron.

Cameron has been growing like a weed lately. He has been sleeping a lot longer now too. He still isn't sleeping through the night yet but hopefully this will change soon.

Ronda stopped by Sunday evening (right now matter fact) to try to get our family Christmas pictures. Cam isn't really cooperating but hopefully we can get some good pictures to send out to everyone.

(Thanks again to Mary Ellen for all your help this week. We couldn't have done it without you!)

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Don't Go Mom! - Week of Dec. 3rd

It's been another busy week at the Weatherford household. Cameron seems to be changing every day.... except for his sleeping habits:)

This week, Cam had another visit from the Early On program. The program is designed to track his development progress, since he was born a little early. Shannon, his occupational therapist, views Cam's development as if he was born on his actual due date, Oct. 25th. So, according to Shannon, Cameron is only about 7 weeks old developmentally and well ahead of the game!

On Thursday, Cam had a visit from 'Big Sis' Lauren who relayed the exciting news about being accepted into Colorado State University. Congrats Lauren- Jane, Chris & Cam are so proud of you!!

Chris had a big weekend attending the Lions game on Sunday with Cam's godfather, Chris Alford and friends. It was a great game, except for that unfortunate score at the end. Cam's dad hopes to take his son to a game one day when they can watch the Lions win together. Hopefully, this isn't too much to wish for. While the boys were at the game, Cam had a visit from his godmother, Joanne. She brought over lunch for Jane and stayed to hang out with her godson.

Jane will be gone for 3 days next week for a business conference- it will be her first time far away from her boys. Thank goodness for Grandma Mary Ellen who will be staying with Cam and Chris. More to come next week...

Monday, December 3, 2007

Nocturnal Baby - Week of Nov. 26th

After careful consideration, Chris and Jane have decided that Cameron is nocturnal. He has been sleeping for about three hours at a time but when he does wake up he thinks he has to stay up for the rest of the night. His parents have hidden the books about owls, bats and possums but somehow he has still managed to learn their secrets.

This week, Cam's cousin Anne has begun watching him during the day while Jane works out of the house. Anne's parents, Aunt Joyce and Uncle Joe, are a little jealous knowing that Anne is watching his daily development.

Speaking of development, Cameron is getting much stronger. He has learned to push himself off of his parents' chest, thereby looking like he is going to perform a backflip. The trick is to catch him before he has a chance to nail this quadruple inverted backflip.

Cameron wants everyone to know it was his Grandma Mary Ellen's birthday this last Saturday, Dec. 1st. Happy birthday Grandma!

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Thanksgiving - Week of Nov. 19th

Cameron celebrated his very first Thanksgiving this week with his Grandma Mary Ellen and Grandpa Bill. Although he didn't devour any turkey (directly), he joined in the festivities with his family. Cam and his Dad watched their first annual Thanksgiving Day Lions game.

Besides these milestones, Cameron also had his first RSV vaccine injection on Wednesday. (Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia among infants and children under 1 year of age.)
This is administered monthly by a nurse who visits Cam at his home so that he doesn't have to go out in the cold winter weather. So, before the injection, the nurse had to weigh him...the big boy weighed in at 10 lbs, 3 oz!! We are in double digits!!

Grandma Mary Ellen stayed with Cam and his parents Thursday and Friday night so that Chris and Jane could have dinner out and do some Christmas shopping. Poor Chris had never ventured out on Black Friday. Much to his surprise, Kohl's had a line at least a hundred people long (seriously!). Needless to say, Chris and Jane did not join in the lengthy process. Many thanks to Grandma again for taking such good care of her grandson.

On Sunday, Chris & Jane decorated the Christmas tree. Cameron is mesmerized by the lights and reflective ornaments and Stella thinks it is her new fort.
Let the festivities begin!!

Monday, November 19, 2007

Qtr Year Old - Week of Nov 12th

Another great week for Cameron as he quickly passes a quarter of a year old! Cam's personallity is really starting to show now (for better or worse) . He is definitely awake a lot more and always looking around with his eyes wide open just taking it all in. Looking back it is so hard to believe the he has come so far in such a short amount of time. Chris and Jane are so excited about his progress.

His latest accomplishments include propping his bottle with his hands (this was a one-time show, but gave his parents a break!) and watching everyone's facial expressions. He even seems to mimic people by trying to stick out his tongue out if you sticks yours out first. His head and neck are growing stronger every day as he notices his surroundings more and more.

On Sunday, Chris, Jane & Cameron took a car ride up north so that Cam could meet a few of his cousins that hadn't seen him yet. It was a great day full of sunshine and Cameron was passed around the family and was completely happy to see everyone.


We hope you and your family have a wonderful (and restful) Thanksgiving holiday.

Chris, Jane & Cameron have so very much to be thankful for this year!! Love to you all...

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Rockin and Rollin - Week of Nov. 5th




Cameron seems to be changing right before his Mom & Dad's eyes! Not only is he growing every week, but he is also grasping things more and focusing in on objects. This week he rolled "a 180!" That is, he rolled over from his stomach to his back. It was quite exciting to see! It's funny how Mom & Dad never thought they'd be so thrilled with these little accomplishments. Every small thing that Cam does seems so unbelievable. His parents now realize why other parents are so overjoyed by these seemingly silly things.

****Big news of the week****Cameron is now 9.05 pounds (as of Saturday). Obviously he isn't having any problems eating and packing on the weight. At this rate he will be well over 10 pounds by the end of the year. Probably just have to give him a little turkey with extra gravy on Thanksgiving just to make sure.

Cam had many visitors again this week. Sweet Andrea and Big Sis Lauren stopped in on Friday to see how much he was growing. He gave them quite a show focusing in and displaying his tummy time skills. His godmother Joanne gave him a snuggle or two Friday eve and of course Grandma Mary Ellen sees her adorable grandson every week.

Now all we need to do is convince Cam he is big enough to sleep through the night!

Monday, November 5, 2007

Halloween - Week of Oct. 29th

This was quite an exciting week for Cameron as he celebrated his 1st Halloween!! On Wednesday, Jane dressed him up in an orange sleeper that was adorned with a black cat, pumpkin and a big 'boo'! Cam also had a Pooh pumpkin hat. Chris works at FTC&H (Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber) and his company has desk-to-desk trick-or-treating for all of the families so that the kids don't have to go out in the cold. Cameron met just about everyone at FTC&H as his proud papa strolled him around the company.

Cameron continues to surprise his parents. He's holding up his head more and seems to focus in on things. He can follow an object with his eyes. Most importantly, he appears to love watching football with his dad!!

This week, Cam's Grandma Mary Ellen came to see him twice! He is such a lucky boy. His grandma tells him all kinds of stories and loves to hold her precious grandson.

Stay tuned next week for an update on Cameron's weight!!


Sunday, October 28, 2007

10 Weeks Old - Week of Oct. 22nd

This was the week of Cam's original due date. Jane's doctor said that he would have been due on Oct. 25th. So, Jane & Cam's Grandma Mary Ellen went to have him weighed on Thursday. On that day, Cameron weighed in at..... 8 lbs, .04 oz!!! Chris and Jane were so very excited!

Cameron's first 10 weeks have gone by quickly. Chris and Jane are learning all kinds of things as new parents. For example, it's extremely important to "protect" yourself when changing a boy's diaper or 'Old Faithful' will spray away.

Many of you know that since Cam was born, Jane has been pumping breastmilk for him. Cameron's doctor told Jane that she can nurse Cam a couple of times a day and for the rest of his feedings, a fortifier is added to his mom's milk containing extra vitamins. Much to Chris and Jane's surprise, they quickly ran out of freezer space. So then, Cam's parents went out and bought a deep freezer thinking they would 'never' fill it up. Well, as you can see, the freezer is quite full. The good news- Cameron is drinking about 3 oz every 3 hours, so he's been keeping up with the fresh supply and the freezer supply has already been tapped a few times.

Another notable event this week is that Cameron received his first personal greeting card in the mail. His new godparents, Chris & Jo sent Cam his first Halloween card! Thanks so much to them both. Soon enough, Cameron will be trick-or-treating and his parents will be picking out their favorite candy bars from his bag.


Happy Halloween to you all!! Love, Chris, Jane & Cameron

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Dr Appt Again? - Week of Oct. 15th

Cameron had to get used to the idea of his mom working again. Although she 'actually' started back last Friday this was her first full week back to work. Luckily for Cameron, his new friend Maureen is taking care of him while Jane is working. Luckily for Jane, she is able to work from home so Cam is only a few steps away if she needs to see him.

Wednesday was a big day for Cameron. He went to see the doctor again. This doctor's appointment was his two month checkup. She said that everything is progressing well and he is looking very strong. He weighed in at a whole 7 pounds 7 ounces! Everyone was surprised at this, especially his parents. Cam also had to have three immunization shots. He wasn't very happy about these but did get two very cool hotwheels band-aids. He will not see the doctor again until mid-December. His grandma Mary Ellen was here today and was such a big help.

Cameron is holding his head up more and is starting to squirm around a lot more. He has had more tummy time this week and Maureen said he almost rolled over.

The weather was so nice this weekend Chris and Jane decided to take Cam for a little walk. Cameron really seemed to enjoy this and quickly fell asleep in his stroller. In fact, after they returned he continued to snooze in his comfy stroller for over an hour.

Sunday evening, Chris and Joanne came over for dinner and to see Cam. After a wonderful dinner Chris and Jane asked them if they would be Cameron's godparents. Chris and Joanne said they would be honored. Thanks Jo and Chris for being unbelievably supportive every step of the way, starting with the night Jane went into labor!

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Back to Work Mom - Week of Oct 8th

Another week has come and gone. Another week for Cameron to keep growing bigger and stronger. It was a pretty quiet week for the little man.

The week started off with Cam's Grandma Mary Ellen coming to spend Monday with him. She is such a big help when she is here. She was able to feed Cameron a couple times.

Wednesday started off with some excellent news from Cam's doc. They got the results back from his heart monitor and he had no major alarms. The doctor said he didn't need to be on the monitor any more so we were able to take this off him and free him of this tether.

On Thursday, Cameron's nurse from Spectrum stopped by to check on his progress. She said everything looked great and he weighed in over 6.5 pounds! Excellent!!! At this rate he will not just catch but accelerate well past the growth charts.

Unfortunately, Jane had to return to work on Friday. She wasn't too excited about this but Cam's new friend Maureen showed up to help Jane watch over him while she was busy. Fortunately for Jane she is able to work at home so it's not too bad. In the afternoon, Aunt Joyce, Uncle Joe and Annie stopped by on their way out of town. They were going out to Baltimore where Megan and Joey were running a full marathon (26 miles). Dirk and Lisa also ran a half marathon where Dirk finished one of the top runners. Congrats to them all!

The weekend was uneventful. Chris and Cameron just sat and watched football all weekend. Cam has taken to hanging out during the day downstairs with his parents. He is now drinking about 2.5 ounces of milk every feeding.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Over Six Pounds - Week of Oct 1st

Chris and Jane are finally settling down into a routine....somewhat. Chris took the week off work so he could stay home and help Jane with Cameron. Even with the extra help the little guy was still a handful.

The week started off normal enough. Jane tried a little 'tummy-time' with Cameron on Monday. His parents put him on his tummy surfboard mat (thanks Grandma) so he can learn to lift his head and strengthen his muscles.

Tuesday was a little more exciting. A visiting nurse from Spectrum stopped in to check on Cameron. She weighed him and he was up to 5 lbs 13 oz. She said he was right on schedule and everything looked great (besides a little rash on his bottom.....sorry Cam).

On Wednesday, Cam's parents took him to see the doctor for his "two week checkup". They weighed Cameron in here and according to their scale (which is definitely the gold standard) he was over SIX POUNDS!!!! His parents were never so proud of their little boy. The doc looked him over and said everything else looked good.

Thursday was a quiet day, Cam and his family just hung out at home (and caught up on some Heroes).

Friday was the busiest day of the week. The day started off early when a technician stopped by to download the information off Cameron's heart monitor. We should get the results from this next week but don't really think there are any issues here. After this Chris ran off to Spectrum hospital to straighten out the billing for Cameron's stay. While Chris was away, Jane had a special visit from her close cousin Kate and her daughter Ellie as well as Kate's mom, Aunt Betsy. Kate visited with Jane and Cam while Aunt Betsy and Ellie drove off to gather some groceries for Chris and Jane (thank you again). This was a very special visit because Kate lives in Vermont. Kate, her husband Seth and daughter will be leaving for a trip to Vietnam next week. They will not return until Christmas. Kate was so happy to be able to meet Cameron before she left.

Later Friday evening, Joanne drove over after work to see Cameron for the first time since he came home. Aunt Joanne visited Cam so many times in the hospital (we appreciate all your support). Chris, Jane and Jo had dinner together and hung out with Cam.

Saturday brought more visitors. Grandma Mary Ellen and Grandpa Bill came over for dinner. Grandma fed Cam his dinner before the rest of the family sat down to dinner themselves. Jane brought Cameron down to the dinner table so he could hang out with everyone too.

Sunday was a tough day because Cameron had to watch the Lions lose. However, he had more visitors today since the neighbor girls could not wait to see him. Cam stared at his four future playmates and their mom Patti. After they left, Chris and Jane gave Cameron a little bath. He was not too excited about this at first but quickly settled down and enjoyed the warm water.

Chris goes back to work again tomorrow so it is time for us to run off to bed. Good night everyone.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Missing Our Nurses - Sept 30th

Chris and Jane were soooo excited to get Cameron home. They thought they would have soooo much more time now that they were not driving up to the hospital every day to visit him. However, they found the opposite to be true. For being such a little guy Cameron already keeps his parents hopping. Our cat, Stella, is curious but appears to guard our newest addition to the family.

This first week, Jane's mom drove over from Muskegon to help Jane and Chris while Cameron settled in. At first his parents thought they wouldn't really need a lot of assistance from Mary Ellen but it quickly became apparent that Chris and Jane definitely needed the help. Grandma was extremely helpful with everything and they really appreciate everything that she has done for the whole family. (We can't believe we didn't take any pictures on our camera with Grandma- next time, promise!)

The week went very quickly. Cameron continued with his regimented feeding schedule every three hours. He is usually awake and ready to eat come feeding time. He is taking down most all his meals like a champ.

On Wednesday, Cameron got to venture outside for the first time since coming home. He made a trip to the doctors office. Everything was great there. He weighed in at a whopping 5 pounds 9 ounces (WOW!!). The doctor looked him over and was very happy with his progress so far. Cameron, however, was not happy to with the exam and let his thoughts be known by peeing all over the doctor and the table. Chris and Jane quickly packed up Cam and rushed out the door before he could get into any more trouble.

At last, on Saturday Grandma had to go home. After all the wonderful meals she cooked and all the help with Cameron, Chris and Jane had become very spoiled and would miss her very much. She has since told them that she will be in once a week to hang out with her grandson.

On Sunday, the Ringler family stopped in for a visit. 'Big Sis' Lauren, Andrea and Steve all were excited to see Cameron and hold him for the first time. (Pictures shown here)

Last, but not least, we have to say how much we miss our nurses from Neo. Not just because they handled his 2:00 & 5:00 am feedings, but more so for the friendships we formed in the short time we were there. Cam's quick progress is largely due to the awesome care that he received while at the hospital. We hope we can stay in touch with all of our new friends. We especially want to thank Tammy, Lora, Deb, Amy, Ann, Jan, Delores and Chad.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Cam is Home!!!! - Sept 24th


Cameron was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon. He is home in his bed now. Whippy!

The adventures begin.....more info to follow.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Poster Boy - Sept 20th & 21st

On Thursday, Chris kinda...maybe....sort of.....overslept a little bit. He actually didn't make it up there in time for Cameron's breakfast. That's okay though because one of Cam's favorite nurses was caring for him today.

Grandma Mary Ellen arrived for a visit. She and Jane went to see Cameron. He drank almost all of his bottles for his mom today...even though it took a long time. Jane was asked to complete their discharge survey today in anticipation of going home soon. She was pretty excited to finally have an opportunity to give accolades to all their favorite nurses and staff. Then we had a big surprise...a woman who handles neonatal relations asked if Jane would consent to have Cameron's picture taken for a new brochure that they are creating (Cam's first modeling contract???). Obviously his parents agreed to this. Now Grandma has something more to brag about.

Friday morning, Chris actually set his alarm so he was up there on time to see Cameron. Everything went good with his morning feeding and the nurse said that he has bottled everything since 2:00 yesterday afternoon....keep it up buddy.

When mom got there for the 11:00 feeding, Cam kept up his strength and finished without a hitch. The nurse told Jane that she would remove his feeding tube (gavage) before his 2:00 pm feeding....no pressure. Cameron was so excited not to have this tube in his nose that he happily drank every last drop from his bottle at 2:00, 5:00 and 8:00 pm.

As a special treat, Cam had his second tub bath before his 8:00 pm feeding tonight. As you can see he really enjoyed it. Many thanks to our nurse Lora for these awesome pics!

Drink It Up - Sept 18th & 19th

Tuesday morning Chris arrived bright and early to get Cameron's day started off strong. He was a little tired when his dad first arrived but he downed his whole bottle. When mom arrived she decided to try to breast feed Cam. He really liked this but could only last about 10 minutes. After that mom gave him his bottle and he finished the whole thing.....awesome!! That must have tired him out quite a bit because he struggled during his next feeding and was unable to finish it all. That's okay though, Cam needs his rest to grow big and strong.

Later Tuesday night, Chris and Jane came up to feed Cameron hid dinner. He chowed this bottle down with no problems at all. Drinking all of his bottles (8 bottles @ 1.5 oz each in 24 hours) is his last major milestone before being discharged. There is a catch though...the little man has to down the bottle in 20 minutes or less. This shows he is strong enough and continuously growing so that when he goes home he will continue to eat like a champ.

On Wednesday, Chris came up early again. Cameron had some trouble finishing all of his bottles through the night but not when dad got there. Cam downed his bottle for his pops really fast. Chris was very proud of him (as always).

When Jane got there she didn't have as much luck with Cameron. He is just not ready to go home quite yet.....once again on his own time table.....and could not finish his next two bottles. However, the nurses keep reminding us that he is a great drinker and paces himself well (doesn't stop breathing while sucking and swallowing).

Wednesday early evening Jane and Chris went out to dinner with Unc Greg and Aunty Jill who were visiting from Florida. After an incredible fondue dinner, we all went up to see Cam. They were so excited to meet him.....as was Cameron to meet the two of them. They said he was pretty darn adorable and were instructed by Greg's mom to take lots of pics (Cam can't wait to meet Vicky and Jeff). Since Cam is so popular, his special 'aunt' and 'uncle' Joanne and Chris came to see the man yet again (pictured here). Joanne brought Cameron a special CD that he can fall asleep with (you're gonna spoil him). Of course Cam showed off for all of his guests and finished his bottle in only 10 minutes.

Monday, September 17, 2007

5 POUNDS!!! - Sept 17th

Cameron's Monday morning started out great. He drank his 2:00 & 5:00 am bottles like a champ and waited for his dad at 8:00. He was so excited to see Chris first thing in the morning that he forgot how to drink from the bottle. He finally remembered...after much coaxing from his dad...at 30 minutes and decided to finish his bottle. Once again proving that he is on his own schedule.

Cam's Grandma Mary Ellen and Jane came to visit but they didn't have as much luck at 11:00. Cameron would not wake up but preferred to snooze instead. But then like a champ he finished all of his 2, 5 and 8 pm bottles!

Our biggest news today though is that Cameron weighed in over the five pound mark!!! His parents were extremely excited to see this. He is so close to coming home now and they can't wait.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Bottling Pro (sort of) - Sept 15th & 16th

The nurses told us that Cameron may be a little out-of-it this weekend due to his circumcision (don't blame you there buddy). On Saturday, Cam devoured almost all of his feedings with a bottle. Just before 2:00 pm, they removed his gavage tube since he was trying to pull it out. It stayed out until 5:00 am the next day. This means that Cameron is close to not needing his feeding tube at all! His mom and dad were so proud of him.

On Sunday, Cam's parents came by in the morning to feed him. The little man drank all of his bottle this morning. However, his 2:00 bottle he just didn't have enough energy to get through the whole bottle. He took it easy on this one and just drank half....saving his strength for the next feedings.

Chris and Jane went to see their good friends Greg and Jill who were visiting from Florida. They are excited to meet Cam later this week.

Cam's parents were back for his nightly feeding. He was still whipped out from the long day (and the circumcision). On top of all this, Cameron got two new cribmates in his room as well. Lots of activity and not a lot of quiet time. Tomorrow is a new day!