First Word? - Week of July 20th

Newsflash...Cameron said the word "Ma-Mom" twice on Friday! Chris and Jane both heard it very clearly and Grandma had heard it earlier in the day- way to go Cam!! Of course, there has now been quite a bit of time spent repeating the word "Da-Dad."

What a fun week- Chris has been diligently working on deck building and Cam has been taking in all of the activity.

When Grandma came into watch Cameron, she and Cam ended up being color-coordinated that day!

Grandma even played some songs on the new piano and Jane & Grandma sang to Cam.

A new activity for the big boy is to kneel in front of a cushion for playtime. He seems to enjoy it and Annie joined in the fun. Cam and his shoes are definitely getting a good workout being in the walker every day.

Over the weekend, Cam hung out with his cousins and had a little beach time on Sunday watching Chris play some beach volleyball. He can't wait to join in the game!

Sick Again - Week of July 13th

It was a tough week for Cam as he battled a nasty cold, complete with sneezing, coughing, runny nose, and for some reason- lack of sleep!

Despite all of the sickness, though, he still managed to make the best of it...

Before he was became ill, Mandy from Design 1, did a great job cutting Cameron's hair, even though he was pretty squirmy in that chair. He just had to see what Mandy's scissors were doing all of the time.

On Friday, Cam started to feel better and walked in his walker back and forth on the driveway with Grandma three separate times- way to go!

The weekend included a family visit to celebrate cousin Steff's birthday and Chris' with yummy cake and ice cream. Cameron certainly does like a bit of tasty cake and was thankful that his Dad decided to part with a bit of his own.

A special birthday wish to Cam's godmother, Joanne, who celebrated her bday on Monday!

By Sunday, Cameron finally settled back in to his regular sleeping routine, taking a long afternoon nap and resting peacefully through the night...sweet dreams everyone...

Happy BDay Dad - Week of July 6th

A big Happy Bday to Chris who celebrated his birthday on Friday this week! Cam was very excited to cheer his Dad on for his special day.

This week, Cam tried yummy Jet's pizza and loved it- how could he not? And he likes to imitate the "blowing" sound made to cool off food before he eats it.

Jane & Cameron headed up to the family cottage for the weekend, while Chris had a boys' weekend with friends.

As always, the family cottage area was filled with activities.

Cam spent some time with lots of his cousins and played on the beach again.

'Auntie' Meg expertly taught Cameron how to pour water on his mom and place cold, wet sand on her leg!

This time he didn't eat quite as much sand, since it appears he may have decided that although the crunching sound is fun, sand definitely lacks some flavor.

At the end of Cam's beach time, it appeared to Grandma and Jane that Cam had a good part of the beach stuck to his body- it's a good thing the boy loves to take baths!

What a beautiful summer Michigan weekend...

Eating Sand - Week of June 29th

This week began with Anne and Cam having a good time after working diligently on Cameron's walking!

Like most weeks, the big boy had some new experiences captured in photos...

Since Chris and Jane both had Friday off, the family ventured up to the cottage where the weekend forecast looked very promising.

'Auntie' Amanda and Datus joined us for a weekend filled with good food, good times and fun in the sun.

Cameron had spent some time on the beach last summer and a little bit earlier this summer, but hadn't quite gotten into the whole idea of how much fun sand is... or apparently, how good it tastes.

What you cannot see here (but can definitely imagine) is the gritting noise that all of the sand made in Cam's mouth!

The best part was... he loved it! Laughed and smiled the entire time.

Although the water was too chilly for Cameron to swim, that didn't stop Chris and Datus from testing it out with a quick dive.

Cam's reaction after having his toes dipped into Lake Michigan definitely indicated he's willing to wait for warmer water.

Cameron heard some fireworks over the weekend, but they didn't seem to bother him and they didn't wake him up- yeah!!

Hope everyone had a Great 4th of July weekend!!

Heat Wave - Week of June 22nd

With the heat wave that hit this week, it was tough for Cameron to get lots of playtime outside. He ended up spiking a little fever near the end of the week, but bounced back after a day.

The weekend was spent at the family cottage on Lake Michigan. Cameron always loves to visit with Grandma and Grandpa. He had a good time playing cars with Grandpa after he finished eating.

Sunday was very special since Cam had the opportunity to meet his newest cousin, Charlie, at a family gathering. Charlie is almost 7 months old and as you can see, he and Cameron had a fun time getting to know each other.

Looking at the two of them together, Charlie looks almost as big as Cam... but he did have a head-start since he started out as a 10 lb, 8oz baby.

Charlies' mom, Kate and Jane sure wished they lived closer because the two boys had a great time!

Walking in Walker - Week of June 15th

Cameron has been making great strides lately... literally! His friend, Julie, who sees him almost every week, brought a very cool walker for Cam to use to practice walking. (Thanks so much Julie!)

Since there is a bit too much carpet in the house, Chris and Jane have opted to clear out the garage so that Cameron has full use of the space. As you can see, he works very hard, and Chris and Jane are so very proud of their big boy!

Chris had a great Father's Day since Cam and Jane let him know that he is the best Dad ever!

Cameron wanted to be around his dad every minute and liked watching him take apart the backyard deck in preparation to build a new one. Cam knows he has a very talented Dad and hopes that one day he can learn how to do all of the cool stuff that Chris does.

Hope all of the Dads out there had a great Father's Day too!

Happy BDay Mom - Week of June 8th

Cameron & Chris did a great job making this 'decade' birthday the most memorable for Jane!

Monday night on the eve of Jane's bday, Chris & Cam gave her such a big present- a digital piano!! Jane was so overwhelmed and has missed playing the piano. Now, Cameron can join in the fun and his parents hope that Grandma will give him lessons...

On Tuesday, Cam, Chris & Jane traveled to Muskegon for a wonderful birthday dinner at Docker's with Jane's family. Cameron really loved the cake and almost got his hands on it before it was even cut! Thanks Grandma for ordering the yummy cakes from Rykes!

Wednesday was a huge surprise as Chris (and Joanne!) planned a perfect surprise party for Jane. She couldn't believe it! Cam was a very good boy and decided it was ok to stay at home with Andrea, his babysitter, since it was such a late night for his parents.

The weekend included a trip to the cottage, hanging out with the cousins, aunts and uncles and having a great time with the Cronk family on Sunday.

All that fun sure does wear a guy out! Many, many thanks from Jane for all the birthday wishes, great times and unforgettable memories.

My Buddy Will - Week of June 1st

Cameron definitely exhibits many characteristics of being a boy... take for instance the day this week when Chris wanted him to play with pudding. He's thoroughly enjoying the whole experience!

Chris and Jane had some leftover bubbles from a wedding last weekend and Cam tried to catch them as they floated down. Stella was a little more cautious and keeping a distance from Cam since he has taken a few chunks of fur from her heavily coated mane.

Grandma had a great time pretending she was a jungle gym that Cameron could climb over.

Sunday was a very special day when the family ventured out to visit with the Alfords. Will is a year younger than Cam and although he was happy to let Cam play with his toys, Will does seem a little surprised by the whole experience here.

Many thanks to Annie for spending the week with us and helping out so much.

And a very special, heartfelt thanks to the Alfords-

Jo, Chris, Will and Jeanne for surprising Jane

with an extra special early bday celebration and providing our families more memories, great food and good times!!

Cameron seems to think he definitely needs one of these chairs:)