December Photo Dump

I can't believe December is almost over. Our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day recaps have already been posted so be sure to check those out if you missed them. I also have a special year in review coming on Monday. I didn't blog at all during the weeks leading up to Christmas and we packed a lot into those weeks so I wanted to do a photo dump of all things Christmas.

 Santa number 2 at the Botanical Gardens

Camden's first real snow.  The weather has been so funky this month.



Reppin' our Panthers even though it's been a terrible season.

Mama T (Teri) gave Camden his first nativity set. It was the sweetest thing ever and we have loved watching him play with it this month. I can't wait for him to understand the real meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate it. Thank you MAMMY!

 

My mom officially retired this month and we celebrated by riding the Train of Lights. Not sure Camden knew what to think of it but we sure enjoyed it. Happy Retirement MIMI!



Camden is at the point where he no longer wants to be held so we usually have to put him in his crib and let him cry. The crying doesn't even last for 5 minutes before he is fast asleep but if we try to hold him, he squirms so bad and its impossible to hold him. There was one night this month he screamed extra bad so I scooped him up and he actually let me hold him. I took a picture because I know the days of me rocking him are getting fewer and fewer and I love holding my sweet boy.



Our little piggy.



Santa number 3 was at Peace Church. They do a Christmas event every year that Craw and I have always gone to with friends so it was extra special taking our own baby this year.



My three boys.



Daycare pictures make me smile. So thankful he is so loved and we love his teachers. This picture cracks me up because his hair looks like an old man.



He loved opening his presents at the Owens Family Christmas party.

Cam and Aunt Hill



I saw this idea on Pinterest and I loved watching his little eyes light up at the lights.



Santa number 4 at Wee School.



I was cracking up at these pictures daycare sent me. We also loved the precious handmade ornament.



My birthday was last Friday and Craw took me on a wonderful date night with a few friends to celebrate. I love my husband and its so nice to spend quality time with him.

 

This boy made me a mama. Also, I'm a sucker for black & white photos.

The Sunday before Christmas was communion at our church. They let us go up as families to partake in communion and Camden fell asleep during the service. Jenna was also home and it was so fun getting to see her (& the shiny new ring).

Last but not least, Camden's Sunday School teacher made us these precious ornaments. Jennifer is so thoughtful and we love her. Thank you so much for this precious gift.



Camden's First Christmas Day

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve so we crashed hard that night. Camden actually slept until 7 Christmas morning and that was the perfect gift for us. We decided to give Cam his bottle in our bed so that way we could get him situated before we walked to the living room to see what Santa brought.

I tried to set my expectations low for his reaction because an 11 month old is hit or miss. Surprisingly, he was really shocked to see all of his new toys. His reaction was priceless and I'm so glad I got it on video.

We spent the next few hours opening presents and enjoying watching Cam play with all of his toys. My parents came over around 9 to see what Santa brought and we all enjoyed some delicious breakfast casseroles. I got a new coffee pot so it was fun hosting breakfast.

We didn't have to go anywhere until 3 so we enjoyed some family downtime. We then headed to my parents house to enjoy Christmas with them and my sister. We loved watching Camden open his gifts even if he did keep crawling away. My mom cooked a delicious Christmas dinner and it was nice spending quality time with the family. We also took a few family pictures that I will cherish forever. By 8, we were all tired so we came home to get Camden down for bed and then Craw and I crashed.
This was a Christmas to remember.

 



Camden's First Christmas Eve

It's hard to believe Christmas is over and we are about to enter in to a new year. Christmas was really special this year because it was Camden's first Christmas. Experiencing Christmas through a child's eyes is something that is hard to describe. While he definitely doesn't understand what all happened over the last few days, we created memories that will last a lifetime.

We spend Christmas eve with Craw's family. Usually I have to work but I decided to take a vacation day this year so that we could head to his family's house earlier than normal. Craw's mom always cooks a big Christmas eve dinner so it was nice spending the entire afternoon with his parents and younger brother. Camden was in to everything, per usual, so we mostly spent the afternoon chasing him around because he was boycotting his afternoon nap.

Craw's mom, also known as Lulu, goes all out for Christmas. Their yard has several massive blow ups of Santa, Frosty, etc. and it was fun showing Camden the yard. We had a delicious family dinner and then went to their church's Christmas Eve service. I was wondering how Camden would do since he didn't take a nap and he did surprisingly well. He sat still for about 30 minutes before he wanted to get down and play so we slipped out and went back to his parent's house to wait for them.

We ended the night with the entire family gathered around to enjoy Secret Santa and exchange gifts. It was a bit chaotic with 8 adults and 2 babies but it was so much fun. Camden racked up on fun toys from his Lulu, Papa Al, aunts, and uncles. We also dressed Camden and Avery in matching pajamas and it was so cute to see them side by side. Avery is really growing so I can't wait to see what the two of them get in to next year. We couldn't stay long after gifts because Camden was extremely tired by this point but it was so much fun being with family.

As we get older, we realize how important family is in life. Without family, we have nothing and we are so thankful to be so close with both sides of our family. It was a wonderful Christmas eve and we rushed home to get Cam to bed so that we could get ready for Santa to come the next morning. It was a late night but so worth it.



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.