My Friend Elmo- Week of Nov. 16th

Cameron received Elmo as a gift last Christmas. He seemed to like him...from a distance. Now that Cam's older, though, Elmo really does appear to have become a friend. Not only is he trying to "talk" back to Elmo, but he also likes to grab his nose!

The whole family is very excited that Annie, Cam's nanny, will be moving to Grand Rapids next weekend!! She'll be closer to Cameron and will have a very short commute to work. A big treat for Cam this week was to have Annie give him a bath. He sure does love that water...

Walking with his braces has been getting a bit easier and with Cameron, if you make anything fun, he's usually game. So, Chris came up with the idea of having Cam go through the curtain to see what was behind it in our basement. As you watch the video below, remember that he is working ever so diligently to walk in his new braces, yet the little boy can't help but smile and laugh all the way!

Tearing up the Treadmill- Week of Nov. 9th

Cam's social calendar was pretty busy this week! Neighbor and good friend, Patti, stopped by on Monday to spend some time with Jane & Cameron. He was showing off his cool airplane, showing her how the door opened and closed and how all the people worked.

Cam had fun, as always, with his Grandma. He never disappoints when it comes to making people smile and laugh:)

After Grandma's visit, the big boy had quite the hair cut with friend, Mandy. This was the first time she had to use the clippers on Cam since his hair has really grown so fast. He wasn't too sure about the whole thing, but after it was all over, he enjoyed a tasty sucker.

With the beautiful weather still holding, Chris & Jane took Cameron over to Cascade Park where they enjoyed some time on the swings and the slides. The family is hoping there still may be another park trip yet!

Cameron has to walk every day in his walker and he's still getting used to those leg braces. Annie, Chris, Jane & Grandma work with him to help the big boy through this transition.

For some added exercise, Chris took Cam on the treadmill and the boy really seemed to like it!

Now, maybe that will entice his parents to jump back on the exercise machine themselves on a daily basis:)

Piggyback Rides & Cool Legs- Week of Nov. 2nd

Cameron's been working very hard, getting used to his new leg braces. He will be wearing them all day, except for during sleep, to help correct the way he walks.

It's been a tough transistion for him, but like every other challenge, he will conquer it.

The biggest challenge for Chris and Jane was finding shoes to fit over the braces... since Cam's regular shoe is a 4w, his new shoes are 7 extra wide- thanks to Sears for being one of the only places to carry the unique size.

Another accomplishment for Cameron this week was saying goodbye to his last bottle.

He was still drinking a night bottle before bedtime, but now he has his evening milk in a cup with a straw. He handled that change like a champ!

With all of Cam's hard work, he had playtime as well. 'Horsing' around is a favorite activity for Cameron & his Dad and piggyback rides have now been added to the list!

Happy Halloween!- Week of Oct. 26th

Each week seems to bring about a new adventure for Cameron in some way...this week he practiced walking with his new leg braces. They look similar to soccer shins in that there is clear plastic all around. It is a big challenge for Cam because he was accustomed to walking without the braces, but we know he will persevere, just like every other obstacle he's faced... look for the cool leg braces pics in next week's blog.

Halloween is always a fun time of year for the Weatherford family, because of the pumpkin carving creativity! This year, Cameron picked out a white pumpkin, which Chris happily carved up for him. Actually, Chris carved all 3 pumpkins this year and as you can see, one of them had an unfortunate accident with a stake and a glow stick. Cam is still wondering how this happened...

Cameron was a skeleton this year and his parents tried (not so successfully) to spike his hair for a scarier appeal. He loved seeing all of his friends across the street and had quite a few bites of tasty Halloween chocolate! After all that excitement, our little treater was pretty wiped out!

Chris surprised Jane with a beautiful bouquet of roses for Halloween. Cameron still prefers the chocolate, though, and with lots of it leftover, he's in for a tasty treat every day next week!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween...

Park Slide- Week of Oct. 19th

Cameron's week started off with an impromptu trip to Ada Park with both of his parents after work... it was such a beautiful, warm fall day, the family had to take advantage of the great weather.

Cam had a great time playing in the leaves, exploring all of the different colors and textures.

A new adventure he experienced was going down the big slide with his mom. He wasn't scared at all and giggled when they reached the bottom. Chris thought that Cam might want to try a little tree climbing and push-ups on some branches.

Of course, a little "daddy" assistance was needed for this exercise, but Cameron really enjoyed himself.

The rest of week was filled with typical Cameron activities: trying out different foods (melon is his new fav), continuing his daily walking, and of course, playtime.

Saturday and Sunday were a big treat for Cam- Grandma & Grandpa came in Saturday to spend the night and take care of Cameron while Chris & Jane ventured north for a wedding and then back to GR to see 'Big Sis' Lauren.

On Sunday, after Cameron slept in until a little after 10 (!), the entire family went out for brunch at Sundance. Great food and a great big thanks to Grandma & Grandpa for Cam-sitting!!

Pumpkin Patch- Week of Oct. 12th

Cameron split his time this week between his Grandma and Annie while Jane was working. It's obvious how much fun he has with both of them! Many walks outside and practicing puzzles were the hottest agenda items.

Saturday was a busy day as the family ventured over to Bos Greenhouse to pick out their pumpkins!

The sun was shining and it was a beautiful, crisp fall day. After much deliberation, three pumpkins were chosen.

Chris is the master carver and needs time to decide what he & Cam will be designing, so stay tuned for their creations in an upcoming blog...

After Cameron's nap, Chris, Cam & Jane drove up to the cottage to see their cousins and friends in from out of town. It was an evening filled with great food, games, and lots of laughter.

Sunday School rounded out Cam's week and after church, the family stayed at Cascade Fellowship for a wonderful dinner with some new friends. All in all, a great week.

Now, don't you wish you could have a smile on your face like this all day long?

Mega Block Towers- Week of Oct. 5th

With the weather still a little weird this week, we became "regulars" at Centerpointe Mall. Cameron loves to race around and he sure does take great naps after all that exercise! Cam says kisses to Annie for all the help with the extra activity...

Thanks to the Huey family, Cam received a special surprise in the mail...180 mega blocks to build the biggest mega block towers around!! Of course, this is one of the specialities that Cam's Dad excels in. Chris & Cam had lots of fun building towers all week long.

Saturday was filled with activities- Cam and his parents went to cheer on their neighbors, Megan, Sarah, and Jenna in the kid's soccer game. Pictured from left to right is Anna holding Cam, Megan, Jenna, Matthew, Sarah, and Emma.

What an exciting time and the girls won their game- yeah!

In the evening, the family joined their good friends, the Meade family for a yummy pizza dinner and homemade cupcakes.

Cameron still likes to play with his laptop, especially when he's in his highchair, which is like his 'work desk.'

Now, if only he could help out his parents with all of their computer work!

Mall Racing- Week of Sept. 28th

With the crazy weather this week, alternative plans had to be made for Cameron's daily exercise...

Centerpointe Mall proved to be the perfect place for Cam to walk as much as he wanted to in the new electric lime walker. He's almost a blur since he goes by so quickly... Jane told Chris that Cam sure loves to go fast and Chris commented, "Well, every race car driver does!"

When the weather cooperates, our driveway works well too since it has a small incline and the walker includes a feature on the wheels that allows for greater resistance downhill and little resistance uphill. In this particular video, Chris opted to give Cam a break with zero resistance heading down the driveway so that he could really have some fun...

The weekend included a trip up to the family cottage where Chris and Uncle Joe put up some snow fencing in an attempt to spare the beach volleyball court for next summer. Many thanks to Uncle Joe for expert fencing assistance and to Aunt Joyce for spending quality time with Cam! Although it was a bit cool at the lake, Cam had a great time hanging out with his aunt and uncle and of course, his awesome cousins.