Camden Ivey | 21 Months

Cam turned 21 months on October 17th. It is so hard for me to believe that he will be 2 so very soon. He seems to be learning new things every single day and I can really see him starting to mature. He is learning boundaries and is definitely testing the limit in some cases. He is a strong willed boy that keeps us on our toes but we are loving every single minute. He is really starting to talk and it's so fun to try and figure out what he is saying.

Weight

 

Camden weighs 27.5 pounds now. Craw mentioned the other day that he can tell he is getting solid and he sure is getting heavy to lift.

 

Eat

 

Our child still LOVES to snack. Its funny because every time he goes to my parents house, he walks straight through their door and straight to the table. Mimi's muffins are his favorite and she usually has one waiting for him. He is a decent eater for the most part and he does a great job with fruits and veggies. He loves to dip food in sauce with ketchup and ranch being his favorites. He tried my sweet tea for the first time a couple months ago and he would drink the whole cup if I let him. Another thing he loves is black olives. We found that you can buy them in travel cups and he will eat the entire cup in one sitting.

 

Sleep

 

We definitely lucked out with a great sleeper. Cam loves his sleep and we do very little when it comes to bedtime. In fact, we usually say "time to go night night" and he walks straight to his crib. He has a nightly ritual of giving Hank love (hugs), then mama, then dada and its the cutest thing ever. He also does great with naps and we can usually get a 2.5 hour nap out of him on the weekends. He still sleeps with a paci and we will try breaking that habit come January so I am going to soak up these last few months of him having it. The time change has kicked our tales and he has been waking up between 5-6 for the past week. Hoping he will start sleeping a little later.

 

Milestones

 

We have noticed a BIG difference in his vocabulary the past few months. He is saying a lot of words and we've noticed he is starting to string some words together. A few of his current phrases are "come here" (usually at hank), "I get down", "light on", "mmm good", and "love you".  Some of the words he says all the time are lexa (alexa), mimi, pappy, lulu, papa, big pa, avery, no, peese (please), light, hank, snack, goldfish, shark, etc. I need to do a better job of writing down the funny words he says. One funny moment is that he associates Church with Pappy because he always sees Pappy when he goes to church. My parents have a magnet picture of our church on their fridge and he carries that magnet all over their house pointing to it and saying pappy. He has learned what Time Out means and will walk straight to the corner when he is in trouble. Sometimes I think he likes getting in time out. Another big milestone in October was he peed in the potty for the first time. He has done it several times and I can tell he knows how to make himself go. However, he is still has a while before he is going to use it on his own without me prompting it so we are not pushing him.

 

Likes

 

His doggy is his number one like/love. He doesn't do anything without his doggy in tow and its the cutest thing ever. Doggy is starting to look rough because he's been so well loved. He also has a dog we have named Patrick Henry because Mimi and Pappy got it from Williamsburg. That dog is another favorite but doggy will always be #1. He still loves being outside and its a knock down, drag out meltdown when we make him come inside. I've really noticed him playing more with his friends and he will even call a few of them by name. He still loves to watch LooLoo Kids/Baby Bum but he has started to take interest in PJ Mask, Bubble Guppies, and Paw Patrol. Disney+ was released this month and he is loving watching Lion King and many other classics.

 

Dislikes

 

He hates having his face/nose cleaned and will do his best to squirm away. We took him trick or treating and he seemed to be scared of dress up characters so Christmas is going to be interesting this year. He still hates being confined and restaurants have become tough because he doesn't like to sit still. 

 

Clothes

 

He is wearing mostly 2T now. We have to make sure we get the adjustable waist pants but 18 months is too short on him now.  He is still wearing a size 6 shoe.

Camden Ivey, you sure are FUN! You make me laugh every single day with your facial expressions and the words you have picked up on already. You are a feisty little thing and have started to let some attitude show when you don't get your way. Your dad says you are just like me in that regard. Thankfully, a little time out seems to do the trick. My favorite thing you are doing right now is running up to me every morning when I wake up and saying mama and giving me the biggest hug. Your face lights up when you see me and it melts my heart. We love you so much little bub and I can't wait to celebrate the holidays with you this year.

 

Camden Ivey | 18 Months

This has been a crazy fast summer. I have so many things to catch up on but I wanted to get his 18 month post published before he turns 19 months. (LOL)

 

I have to say...18 months has been my FAVORITE age so far. I feel like he grew up over night and while I miss the baby stage so much, I love the fact he can talk to me and wrap his little arms around my neck for a hug. His personality and love for life is infectious and his smile instantly brightens my day.

 

Weight

 

He probably weighs close to 26 pounds now. He will get his 18 month shots next week but we had to take him to the doctor last month and he was so close to 26 pounds. I am interested to see what his height is because he is really shooting up.

 

Eat

 

Camden loves to snack and would snack all day if we let him. His favorite snacks are goldfish, apple sauce, and powder donuts. He would eat donuts every day if we let him so we try to only let him have them as a reward. He loves to drink as well so we try to give him mostly water but will let him have some juice every now and then. He has become a little picky with certain foods and he currently does not like rice, sweet potato, or chocolate. His dislike for chocolate caught us by surprise but he will instantly spit out a cookie if it has chocolate in it. I'm hoping he will outgrow this.

 

Sleep

 

Our boy loves to sleep and we are blessed! The only time he wakes up in the middle of the night is if he is sick with a fever which is completely understandable. When he gets tired at night, he will go and find his doggy and paci and walk to his crib holding up his arms because he is ready for us to lay him down. He also does great with naps. At daycare, he takes one nap a day from 12-2:30. On the weekends, we struggle keeping him up until 12 so we let him lead when he gets tired. He will take one long nap but occasionally will take 2 shorter naps if he is really tired. He is still an early riser and will usually wake up between 6-6:30. We leave him in his crib for a while but we have to watch him carefully because he will take his pants and diaper off.

 

Side note: He climbed out of his crib last week for the first time ever. We still had a crib wedge under his mattress because it helped when he was a baby and I think that is how he was able to do it. I have taken the crib wedge out but he still tries to climb up. We are monitoring him closely because I am NOT ready to change him to his toddler bed yet. If he continues to climb, we will be laying his mattress on the floor inside of the crib and see if that helps.

 

Milestones

 

Cam loves to talk. We have really noticed a big difference in his talking the last month. Most of the time, it is hard to figure out what he is saying but we are slowly figuring out his lingo. He does a great job at repeating words after us so I have a feeling he will be stringing words together very soon. He also loves animals and does a great job at making the correct animal sounds. His favorite sounds to make are lion, dog, cat, duck, elephant, lizard, and monkey. He has become much more independent in the last few months and he often times boycotts his high chair. He likes to sit at the table with us but refuses to sit on the seat cushion so he always throws them on floor before he climbs in the seat. Lastly, he has started sleeping with a pillow. We tried it one day for his nap because he was obsessed with laying on our pillows and he will not go to sleep without his pillow now.  

 

Likes

 

He LOVES Hank! In fact, he loves all dogs and gets so excited when he sees one. He is still obsessed with balls and I know for a fact he is going to be an amazing athlete one day. He even watches golf with his daddy and loves to take his plastic golf clubs and pretend to swing them like the pros do. He loves riding the lawn mower with daddy and swimming is still his favorite. In fact, we have to watch him carefully when he is outside because that little booger is fast and will go jump in his kiddie pool fully clothed when we are not looking. He's done that several times and thinks its hilarious. He loves any type of sing-a-long tv show and gets mad when we try to turn on something that doesn't sing.

 

Dislikes

 

He still hates having his diaper changed/getting dressed. It is a constant battle. He also gets mad any time we take something from him. Usually he will throw his head back and jump up and down throwing a temper tantrum but we just laugh and let him be because he gets over it super fast.

 

Clothes

 

Our skinny boy is growing. He is in mostly 18 month pants now and wearing 2T shirts. He is also in a size 6 shoe and I just bought him 3 new pairs of shoes this weekend. He is still in a size 4 diaper but I think we will be moving up to size 5 very soon.

 

Camden Ivey, you are something special. I tell your daddy every single day that we are so blessed that God chose you to be our son. I have started asking you how much your mama and daddy love you and you respond by holding out your arms and saying "this big." I want you to grow up knowing how special you are to us and know that we love you THIS BIG! Every morning you run in to our room to wake me up (because you know your mama is NOT a morning person)and you smile and say "MAMA" and it is the joy of a lifetime to hear you say that word. You are precious to me, sweet boy.

 

 

Camden Ivey | 15 Months

I wanted to do a quick 15 month update on Camden because so much has changed since his 12 month update. This little space is pretty much his baby book even though I highly doubt he will one day read these posts. #wishfulthinking

 

 The one thing I've noticed is life is getting more fun with each new phase he enters. He is becoming much more independent and his personality is a highlight of my day. The only downside is the tantrums have presented themselves and they are no fun but I will talk about those in a second.

 

Weight

 

He currently weighs 24.4 pounds. He's picked up two pounds in the last 3 months and he definitely feels heavier when we hold him.

 

Eat

 

We have noticed his taste buds are starting to change. He used to love broccoli but now he spits it out every time we give it to him. Carbs are his favorite and he has started dipping EVERYTHING in sauce (he is SOOO my child). He loves ketchup the most and would eat fistfuls of it if we let him. He is completely off all bottles but will occasionally get a sippy cup of milk before bed depending on how much dinner he eats. The good thing is he doesn't require it to go to sleep. He still loves applesauce and yogurt pouches.

 

Sleep

 

We are blessed to have a great sleeper. Very rarely does he wake up in the middle of the night and usually it's only if he is sick. He usually wakes up around 6:30ish but will lay in his crib and play until we are ready to go get him. He is down to one nap a day at daycare and he does great sleeping on the little cot. We will occasionally do two naps on Saturday if he acts like he needs it and it does not mess up the rest of the week. He still sleeps with his doggy and paci. In fact, he will not go to sleep at home without his doggy but he does okay at daycare. He might do okay without a paci but I'm not quite ready to try it yet. I feel like the paci means he's still my little baby.

 

Milestones

 

I think the biggest milestone is him being able to respond to most commands. He knows how to cleanup his toys when we ask, he will pick something up and throw it in the trash, he loves to sign "more" when he wants something else to eat, he will clasp his hands when we tell him to "say his prayers", and he walks straight to his crib when we say "night night." His words consist of dada, mama, ball, bye bye, and duck. He understands so many things but doesn't quite repeat after us yet. He is super fast and is practically running. I feel like he took off from the moment he started walking.

 

Likes

 

Being outside is still his favorite. In fact, he goes into meltdown mode the minute we start walking towards the door. He is obsessed with the lawn mower and usually takes off running to the back of the house the second we get him out of the car. He also loves to play in our cars and pretend like he is driving the steering wheel. We have been taking advantage of warmer weather by going to the park and he LOVES it. He does great sliding down the slide and he loves to swing. I'd say the newest thing he loves is the iPad. He was never one to watch TV but we found Little Baby Bum on Netflix and he is OBSESSED with it. We are trying to find the balance in letting him watch something he loves for a little while and knowing when it's time to cut it off. He usually melts down when we cut it off. Lastly, he is still obsessed with balls. In fact, there was a basketball in the room where we did the Easter egg hunt and he skipped over 2,000 eggs and went straight to the ball.

 

Dislikes

 

He hates getting in his car seat. He does okay once he is buckled in and the car starts moving but he screams bloody murder when we try to put him in. He is still rear facing so it has been a major challenge. The last couples of weeks have been a little better but March was BRUTAL when it came to buckling him in.

 

Clothes

 

My little skinny man is still in 12 month pants/shorts. His waist is SO SKINNY so it's tough for him to fit in 18 months. He does wear 18 month shirts and pajamas. He also wears a size 5 shoe.

 

Camden Ivey, where has the time gone? I look at pictures of you and no longer see a baby. You are definitely a toddler now. You are ALL BOY and we love that. In fact, you ate a handful of dirt last night and looked at me and laughed. Your personality is my favorite and your rambunctiousness keeps me on my toes. I miss you so much during the day when I'm at work but find myself exhausted by the time we put you to bed because we play hard when we get home. You love your mama and it brings pure joy to my soul that you light up when you see me. That one dimple smile gets me every single time. I love you so much sweet boy and life is just getting better and better.

 

 

 

Camden Ivey | Twelve Months



ONE YEAR! 12 months! 365 days!

It blows my mind that Camden is 12 months old now. Time had a way of moving fast before Camden but time truly does speed up when you have a baby. This was a big month for Camden. I'm also secretly happy that I no longer have to take these weekly pictures. That started at the request of Craw and to begin with wasn't bad but it definitely got harder to remember. I'm happy to be retiring from taking those but I'm happy I did it.

Weight

He weighs 22.2 pounds. He hasn't gained any weight since his 9 month appointment and the doctor said that is very typical for a baby when they become active. He is 30.5 inches so he did get taller but he is definitely a lean little thing.

Eat

He eats everything now and we have switched him over to whole milk. Switching from formula to whole milk was not an issue. We also didn't have any issues giving him his milk in a sippy cup. The hard part is going to be cutting out that nighttime milk. He is a creature of habit and he expects milk first thing when he gets up and right before he goes to sleep. We may have to gradually get to that point. He still loves bananas and go-go applesauce.

Sleep

Because Camden is a creature of habit, he sleeps so good as long as we keep him on his routine. He goes to bed at 8 and he loves going to sleep. I love that he loves his crib so much. He is consistently sleeping from 8-6 and we sometimes get lucky and he sleeps till 6:30-7. The biggest thing we noticed this month is he is content to lay in his crib for a while after he wakes up. If he wakes up at 6, he will lay in his crib talking to himself until we go get him around 6:30-6:45. That has been a major plus for our morning routine. He has been taking 2 naps a day but starting this week, he will transition to 1 nap a day. I'm interested to see how this works and I know it will take some time but he will adapt eventually.

Milestones

Our boy is walking! He took his first consistent steps on January 4th. He had been taking a couple of steps for about a month but nothing consistent and he wouldn't do it on command. Craw and I were at home that night playing with him in the living room and he walked all the way across the living room. We freaked out and then he did it again and again. Since that night, he has gotten so much faster but he still looks like Frankenstin with his arms out straight. He celebrated his first Christmas, first New Years, and first birthday all in one month. It was a crazy big month. He also got 2 of his top molars in and those things were rough. My 2 favorites this month were watching him blow kisses and wave bye-bye. He's been waving for a while now but now he says "da da" when he waves. I can tell he is trying so hard to say bye bye but he can't quite get the 'b' sound so he says "da da."

Likes

He LOVES his stuffed animal doggy. He doesn't go to sleep without it. It's actually so cute to see him connected to something. He has two stuffed animals dogs but only one that we refer to as "doggy" and he can tell the difference. He loves waving bye to everyone he sees. He also loves to point and he usually has his finger pointing at something. He will sometimes say "dat" for that and its pretty cute. He still loves his baths and that boy would live in water if we let him. His new favorite thing is to drink his bath water which I think is pretty disgusting.

Dislikes

He HATES having his face touched. Shew! I have never met a child that screamed before a person even touches them. He knows the minute he sees a baby wipe that something is about to happen and he hates it. He has also started to dislike having his diaper changed. When we start walking towards his room, he starts whining and when I put him on the changing table, he really starts crying. Once I start changing him, he usually stops but getting to that point is tough.

Clothes

He is in all 12 month clothes now and even wearing a couple of 12-18 month pieces. He will probably be in 12 month for a while because the pants fit his length but they are usually big in the waist. He is constantly sagging.

Camden Ivey, how are you now a toddler? I feel like you grew up over night. You are no longer our little baby. I love watching your personality develop and watching that one dimple of yours grow big when you see me walk in to the room. I also love how I can smile at you across the room and you will just throw your head back and laugh. You are so precious to me. It's hard to remember what life was like before you because you bring so much joy to everyone around you. I pray you always stay this loving. You are going to do big things one day. I love you with all my heart. More than all the toys in Walmart.



Camden Ivey | Eleven Months

The last month was the fastest one yet. My baby is changing every single day and it blows my mind. I don't think he looks like a baby anymore as he favors more of a toddler. Time flies...that is for sure. I am a little late getting this post up but we have been busy doing all of the Christmas things.

Weight

He hasn't gained any weight since last month. We took him to the doctor last week and he was 22.5 pounds so he has definitely slowed down. We didn't get his length but I'm pretty sure that is where he has grown. He seems so tall to me.

Eat

This boy loves to eat. He is such a good eater and is eating most foods now. We still haven't given him steak but he could probably handle it as he has 8 teeth and another one about to break through. His favorite food is still bread and bananas. He had sweets for the first time this month and I think it's safe to say he LOVES a cookie or a piece of cake. I can't wait to see what he does with his smash cake.

Sleep

His sleep is going well.  He goes to bed around 8 pm and usually sleeps until 6 or 7. It really just depends but most days he will wake up after 6. He still gets 2 naps a day.


Milestones


I really thought I would be saying that he is officially walking but he's not quite there.  He has taken about 5 steps in a row without holding on to anyone but he won't do it again. He does stand up on his own without holding anything so he is sooooo close. He celebrated his first Thanksgiving this month and enjoyed his first mini vacation to Williamsburg. He loved meeting Santa for the first time and was a champ with the travelling. He will now mimic anything we do. For example, he claps when we clap and he is now waving bye. He experienced his first legit snow this month. I say legit because I'm pretty sure we had a little dusting when he was a few weeks old but he actually saw the snow this time. It didn't stick around long but that's pretty normal for our area.


Likes


He loves to do the motions to Patti-cake and Wheels on the Bus. It is so cute watching him clap his hands and roll them around. He loves music and loves to dance. His favorite thing to do is to explore EVERYTHING. He is most happy when we let him go where he wants to go.


Dislikes


He doesn't like to be confined. Lulu got him a playpen this month and it has been so helpful for us when we need to do something but need him to be in a safe place. He does okay in it by himself but he LOVES when we get in there with him.


Clothes


He is in mostly 12 month now. I have been slowly moving all of his 9 month stuff to a bin because its getting to short or too tight.


Camden Ivey, you are our JOY. You are such a happy baby and your smile melts me. It's still hard to believe that you are ours and have been for eleven whole months. You said mama and dada so many times this month and you have no idea how much we love hearing those two words. We love you sweet boy.