I Hate Shots - Week of Feb. 11th

This was a special week for Cameron because his Grandma Mary Ellen stayed 3 whole days to take care of him while Chris and Jane were working. Grandma and Cam had lots of fun reading, playing with toys, practicing rolling over, and tummy time. When Grandma Mary Ellen told Cameron she had to leave, he literally seemed to pout!

Cam had his RSV vaccine shot and weighed in on Thursday. The big boy was a whopping 14 lbs!! After Cam's shot, he let out a big scream, but calmed down right away after Jane held him. The nurse told Cam that he is one of her bravest patients. Way to go Cam!

Valentine's Day was very special for Chris and Jane this year. They met 10 years ago on this day and can't believe how quickly time has passed. Chris also proposed to Jane on this day just 5 years ago. For V-day, Chris brought Jane the most beautiful bouquet of flowers. The calla lilies were a part of Chris & Jane's beach wedding.
On Saturday, Cameron had a special visit from one of his favorite nurses, Deb. She hadn't seen Cam since he was in intermediate care in the hospital! Chris and Jane are so thankful for the friends they met in the hospital and how much they cared for Cameron. He is such a lucky boy!!
On Sunday, Cam celebrated his 6-month birthday!!! Time has gone by much too quickly...

Home Again - Week of Feb. 4th

Cameron, Jane and Chris came home from Ringlers on Wed. eve. They all had so much fun staying with Lauren and the pets!
Cameron's parents were a little nervous that Cam's sleeping habits wouldn't continue. However, Cam had a restful 6 straight hours of sleep that evening!

Cameron had some visitors on Thursday, his Aunt Joyce and Uncle Joe. Uncle Joe explained more baseball jargon to Cameron, who really seemed to take it all in. Aunt Joyce watched Cam as she realized he discovered he likes to suck on his hand, and laughed when he tried to fit both hands in his mouth.

Cam's Grandma Mary Ellen was here on Friday and couldn't believe how much Cameron had changed since she hadn't seen him for 2 weeks (due to our lovely Michigan weather!). Cam was very happy to see his Grandma again.

Cameron saw his buddy, Maureen, on Saturday when she came to babysit Cam for a few hours while Chris and Jane ran some errands and met Cam's godparents for a bite to eat. The rest of the weekend was spent staying cozy and warm, and that's very easy to do when there's a cozy, warm Cameron to cuddle with!

Superbowl! - Week of Jan. 28th

Maybe Cameron needed a change of scenery, or just wanted to hang out with 'Big Sis' Lauren for awhile, or maybe Cam decided that his parents had too many bags under their eyes. Whatever the reason, on Tuesday, Jan. 29th, Cameron slept an entire 6 hours!! (Hallelujah-- imagine singing here...) The trend continued through the week and Chris and Jane could not be happier.

Cameron's cousin, Maya, who lives in Virginia, was having some trouble sleeping through the night as well. Maya's parents are convinced that Cam called her when Chris and Jane weren't looking to tell her how cool this new sleeping thing is-- way to go Maya! And happy sleeping, Dirk & Lisa.

Cameron has had lots of fun at the Ringlers. He's been noticing his toys more and trying to grasp things (including his parents skin!) and appears more alert to his surroundings every day.

For Superbowl Sunday, Cam sported a football outfit to cheer on the teams. Chris & Jane weren't exactly sure who he was rooting for, but Cam looked wide-eyed when Eli made that touchdown pass with less than 2 minutes left in the game. Congrats Giants!! And Congrats to Cameron for finally discovering uninterrupted slumber...

Good Night:)

Doggie? - Week of Jan. 21st

This week Cameron officially tried his first taste of formula bottles- he really seems to like it! Cam is back to his full bottles now and Jane & Chris couldn't be happier.

Friday was a big day for Cameron. On this day, Chris and Jane brought Cam (and all of his 'gear') over to the Ringler's where they are staying with Lauren and pets until Feb. 6th. Cameron's parents were so proud of how well he adjusted to a different crib and new surroundings. In fact, Chris and Jane think the change of scenery has been very good for him.

Cam also met Ringler's dog, Ajax. This was the first time Cameron ever saw a dog (and maybe the first time Ajax was this close to a baby) and they both seemed to thoroughly enjoy the new experience.

Cam's parent experienced two whole nights of 4-hour periods of uninterrupted sleep - this was a first and hopefully the sign of many more to come!

(apologies for the late posting this week- Chris & Jane were enjoying their new found sleep!)

Happy BDay Annie! - Week of Jan. 14th

Cameron has been busy this week, keeping active with rolling over, smiling, and trying to communicate through strange noises (also known as "cooing" but sounding nothing like it). He loves to roll over from his tummy to back both to the right and left sides. He hasn't mastered rolling from his back to his stomach, though his leg arches up trying to do so.

On Thursday, Cam had his monthly "in-home" RSV vaccine shot- ow!! He held onto Jane's finger very tightly, but was so brave.

Cameron's caregivers, Annie & Grandma Mary Ellen, worked extra hard this week to get Cam used to his bottles again. On Friday, it was Annie's birthday- Happy BDay!!

Saturday was a very special day. Cameron's first babysitter, Maureen, came to spend the evening with him so that Chris & Jane could go out on a date. Cam's parents had a wonderful dinner at Bonefish Grill and then topped off their evening with chocolate fondue dessert at the Melting Pot (yes, their diet starts tomorrow!). Maureen couldn't believe how much Cameron had grown!

Well, Cameron wants to watch the end of the football game, so it's time to sign off....
Have a great week!

Wow, 13 lbs - Week of Jan. 7th

This was a big week for Cameron. On Tuesday, Chris and Jane brought him to Spectrum for his first Progress Clinic. The Clinic is to chart the progress of premature infants cared for by Spectrum hospital. Cam was weighed and measured (13 lbs, 3 oz and 22 inches long!) and wasn't very happy about being undressed for the whole ordeal... Cam's parents didn't think he would be too agreeable with the doctor. However, Cameron had his own ideas. He proceeded to be a complete show-off! Cam's parents watched with pride as he smiled, cooed, and even tried to roll over. The doc told Chris and Jane that she gave their son an A+!!

The remainder of the week was spent working with Cameron on his new objectives- bat at toys in front of him, roll over from tummy to back in both directions, and be a generally happy baby.

Cameron's Grandma Mary Ellen discovered that he likes to watch the snow fall outside. She said he seemed to be fascinated by all of the snowflakes. Since this is a common event in Michigan, it's fairly safe to say he'll see a lot more!

Happy New Years! - Week of Dec. 31st

Welcome to 2008!! Chris, Jane & Cameron spent a quiet New Year's Eve together at home thinking up New Year's resolutions. Cameron's resolution is try his best to sleep through the night for his parents. Chris & Jane certainly hope this resolution comes true!! January 1st was spent watching the Michigan bowl game and yeah for the big win!! (We know Cam's godfather was very relieved!)

Cameron has a few new tricks in this first week of 2008. While laying on his tummy, he can roll over to his back. Cam's very cute when he performs this trick as he appears to look surprised every time it happens. Cameron is also smiling a lot more and is perfecting his "pouty" face when things aren't going his way!

Chris and Jane finally took down the Christmas tree. Cameron will miss the bright sparkling lights and ornaments, but Stella will miss her "tree fort" the most...

Chris, Jane & Cameron wish all of you the very best for 2008!!

Merry Christmas - Week of Dec. 24th

This was a very special Christmas for Chris and Jane as it was the first one celebrated with Cameron! Although the little guy wasn't quite aware of the reason for the season, his favorite part of the holiday was definitely staring at those Christmas tree lights.

On Christmas day, Cameron's grandparents, Mary Ellen and Bill, drove from Muskegon to spend the day with Chris, Jane & Cam. Cameron's favorite present was from his grandparents- a new play mat that is black, white, and red- all of the colors that Cameron can recognize at his young age. He really seems to enjoy looking at the patterns whether he's on his back or on his tummy.

Stella joined in the fun as well since she acquired a few more toys herself for Christmas. She has one in every room of the house so she's ready to play wherever she is.

Jane had saved up some vacation time from work and was on vacation from Dec. 20 - Jan. 1st. It was a very nice time for mother and son to hang out together all week.

The next big event was Sat. Dec. 29th when Chris, Jane & Cameron drove up north to attend their first big family outing- the Jellema Family Christmas party! Everyone was a little nervous about exposing Cameron to any sniffles, sickness, etc. so all of the extended family was very respectful of keeping their distance if they'd been in contact with anyone who'd been sick. What a wonderful time Cam had! He even saw Santa Claus for the first time!! Many of his cousins had only seen pictures of him or hadn't seen him since he'd been in the hospital- boy, were they surprised!! Needless to say, it was a big day and we were all pretty tuckered out...

Hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas holiday!!