Baby's First Christmas

Christmas finally kicked off at 9am. Cameron was very excited and first woke up at 5am, but Mom and Dad insisted that she could not open presents until the sun was up. So she had to play upstairs for a for a few hours and finally fell back asleep at 7am. After a few more hours asleep she finally got to go downstairs to open presents. She started off with a small present from mommy. It was a pair of Uggs that looked like mommy's but were pink.


PJ, who also had to wait went straight for his pile of goodies. He knew there was good stuff in his stocking as soon as it squeaked. With a little help he discovered a big bone, squeak ball, rope toy, and lots of treats. He really didn't know what to grab first.


Daddy went straight for his stocking. This actually ruined his big present because all of the accessories were in the stocking. Besides his slim jims, which he finished before we even finished with presents, he got a new phone. He had been wanting the SLVR for awhile so Cameron talked Mommy into getting it for him.


Cameron had so much fun opening all of the presents. By the time she was done, there were boxes and paper everywhere and a big pile of toys. She played with her Leap Frog toys she got from her aunts and Caitlin in New Orleans for awhile because every time she touched them they sang to her. She got several new teddy bears including a Steiff from grandma and grandpa in Illonois.



Once Cameron opened all of her presents she gave mommy and daddy presents she made in school. She painted mommy a pair of red and blue socks, and for daddy a pair of blue and yellow socks. She immediately insisted on mommy putting the socks on and wearing them for the rest of the day.


Cameron played with all of her toys until she was completely exhausted. PJ also was exchausted. He had eaten lots of snacks,nearly destroyed his rope toy (I give it one more day tops), and chased his two new balls (one with a squeaker and one with a bell). PJ, Daddy, and Cameron had breakfast and then took a long morning nap.



In the afternoon, Cameron got dressed in her Christmas dress and headed off to Grandma Cindy's house. There she looked at pictures from Daddy's first Christmas and played with the same toy stacker that Daddy enjoyed when he was her age. It was neat to see his baby pictures and now we know where she got that crooked smile from. Jeff was very happy to finally see the resemblance.


Cameron also got to meet (and taste) all the Nutcrackers. She even stood next to the largest one to compare herself to it. Turns out she was taller but not by much.



Cameron played with her big gift from Grandma Cindy which was a giant dinosaur that lit up and played music when the rolley balls were put in the slots. This toy was a lot of fun, although Cameron isn't quite sure how to work it all by herself yet.


Uncle Greg and Aunt Juliet joined us at Grandma's house for dinner. It was nice to hear about their road trip and we all enjoyed a traditional German dinner with Goulash and Spatze.



Cameron didn't get to have any of the dinner but she was excited to see the cake. She hasn't ever had cake, but somehow she knew that it was a good thing and wanted it. Despite mommy's attempts to keep her away from it, she did manage to get the icing on her fingers.

Christmas Eve

It is a record year for christmas cards. We're thinking everyone loved Cameron's card so much they just had to respond. I love getting all the Christmas cards each year so I was very excited.


Today we had to do some last minute shopping and that meant finding the perfect Christmas gift for me. Jeff and I found an IRobot Scooba and bought it. Our neighbor had just told us how well it worked on the tile floors so I had already been thinking about it. I hate, hate, hate mopping floors, and Jeff really hates having the floors dirty, so we agreed this was a great gift for me.



I immediately went home and plugged it in to charge. Jeff, PJ, and Cameron went out for a hike while I finished wrapping up gifts and when they got home the Scooba was doing its thing. PJ didn't really mind it and Cameron was amazed. Mommy and Daddy were also amazed because the floor turned out great.



We finished the night watching "Its a Wonderful Life" and having hot coco. I sang Christmas songs to Cameron and she loved it. Her favorite was "Deck the Halls" and she giggled and jumped up and down during "Fa La La La". Its going to be a good Christmas.

Santa Baby

Cameron had a very good week at school. She started it off my playing Santa Claus for all of her teachers. She gave each of the teachers a hand-made scarf (compliments of mom) and smelly bubble bath, lotion, and show gel. Since they take such good care of Cameron, she wanted to make sure they were also taking good care of themselves.


There were lots of packages that arrived this week from all of Cameron's aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends. There was a really big box from her cousin Caitlin. We didn't allow her to open the wrapped gift, but we let Cameron play with the box it came in for awhile. This turned out to be loads of fun. She was making such a racket that PJ had to come and investigate to make sure he wasn't missing anything.


Besides receiving her first UPS package, Cameron had a few other firsts. The most exciting for Mommy and Daddy was her first tooth. She started cutting it early in the week and by the end of the week she had a nice sharp (poor mommy!) front bottom tooth poking out. The most exciting for Cameron was her first time in the big girl swing at the park in the neighborhood. After a hike on the trail near the Guadalupe river we stopped at the park to try out the swing. Cameron loved it.


The hike was a great way to start off our holiday. Its been awhile since Mommy, Daddy, Cameron, and PJ took a hike together. PJ was very excited to be out of the house. Since it gets dark early and Mommy and Daddy have been so busy with work, he hasn't been getting his normal amount of family time. We were very glad to have such a great family day.


Even though it was sunny, it was very cold outside. Its been cold all week. We bundled Cameron up in a pink bear suit. Daddy said she reminded him of the poor kid on "A Christmas Story." I agreed, but Cameron didn't seem to mind that much.


Finally at the end of the day, PJ and Cameron hung out by the Christmas tree, anxiously waiting until it was time to open the presents.


er

First Christmas Tree

We finally went out and got our christmas tree. I almost caved in and got a fake tree just because i thought it would save us time in the future. I'm really glad that Jeff talked some sense into me. I don't want Cameron to miss the experience of finding the perfect tree.



Speaking of the perfect tree, Jeff definitely has strong opinions. First the tree must pass the height requirement. This tree didn't have a chance at all. Our perfect tree this year was an 8ft grand noble. We soaked it for a few days, brought it inside, and after a few more days got around to decorating it before our party. Cameron really likes the lights and did a great job of helping me put on the decorations.


After we finished decorating the house we invited our neighbors over to celebrate the holidays before everyone left town. We had a potlucked where we enjoyed Sonya's awesome pumpkin soup, David's yummy twice baked potatoes, Tim's cheesecake, and Jeff's turkey.


We also did a gift exchange where Cameron got to open her first Christmas presents. She loved loved loved getting to rip the paper. First she got an amazing pop-up book from Sonya and David. Its a Robert Sabuda and is a little too fancy to let her play with it by herself, but she did like the house that lights up. (Did I mention this was an amazing book?) This is going to be a great book that she can enjoy every year.



Tim and Tim gave Cameron a really fun Lamaze musical toy. It is appropriately shaped as a group of smiling flowers (Tim is an avid gardener). There are three modes, first each flower lights up and makes chime when you tap it, the second mode will play a part of a song and you have to tap it to hear the next part, and the third mode plays one of two songs each time its tapped. Cameron really enjoys this toy and has played with it everyday.

Balancing Act

Cameron returned to school and started playing a new game with her teachers. What's really funny is that I'm always trying to balance new things on my head. Its nice to see that Cameron enjoys that too. She started with the bunny and then moved on to the musical instruments. She is very good at this game.


I tried balancing cameron. She loved being up so high and now thinks this is a really fun game too. Its all good until she starts drooling.


Of course PJ, not wanting to be showed up, he started showing off his balancing skills. He can balance lots of cookies, but drool is a problem here too.


Cameron skipped the balance part of PJ's trick and went straight to the yummy part.

Getting ready for Christmas

PJ is ready.


Cameron and Teddy are dressed for it.



Daddy is putting up the lights.



And Mommy is making cookies.

First Class Baby!!!!

Cameron took her first trip on an airplane this week. We all went to New Orleans to celebrate Thanksgiving with all of mommy's family. Jeff took it upon himself to make sure that the airplane trip was great for Cameron. He really wanted her to love flying as much as he does. So daddy got us all upgraded to first class. Cameron even had her own seat and she did great. We were a little worried since she had a cold, but it really only showed on the quick descents into New Orleans and San Francisco. But even that was quickly over when we would put the pacifier into her mouth so she could pop her ears.


Jeff explained to Cameron what was happening and made sure she got some United wings from the Captain. He let her look out the window at the mountains and clouds. It was funny because when she tried to look down she bumped her head on the first window not realizing there were two panes. She got lots of attention from the stewardesses who just gushed at what a good baby she was.


It was a great visit. Cameron got to meet and hang out with grandma, her aunts, uncles, counsins, second cousins, and even a quick visit with some third cousins. We tried to do as much as we could. We visited the Audubon zoo with Aunt Yvonne, and cousins Ricky and Caitlin. She got to meet mommy's friend Dave who treated us to the zoo visit. It was nice to see so many of the animals. Dave says they didn't lose any of the animals during the Katrina disaster unlike the aquarium which lost most of its fish. Cameron went to the petting zoo, but her favorite was the discovery walk where she got to touch a turtle.


Dave also treated us to see Celebration in the Oaks. The park was flooded during the disaster so they have had to do a lot to get it recovered. This year only the Botanical gardens and Storyland were decorated in lights but not as many lights as in previous years because most didn't survive being underwater. Cameron took pictures with a cajun Santa Claus (see xmas album). It was good to see they still had the Cajun Christmas display, and Mr Bingle.


Cameron didn't get any turkey this year, but she did watch Maw-Maw make cookies with her cousins and really wanted to get her hands into the frosting. Maw-Maw promises that in a few years she will definitely get her own cookies to bake and decorate.


Because maw, maw only lives a block from the river we all went for a hike up on the levee with Maw-Maw's dogs, Tori, and the new puppy Missy (unfortunately PJ was not with us, but he was happily back in California enjoying doggie camp).


From the levee we had a great view of downtown and we saw a choo-choo train moving the train cars around. Next to the Perry Street Wharf, which is where we were hiking is the old train car ferry. Its gone now, but there is a placard in its place.


In addition to all of the outings, Cameron also got to participate in the most important Sunday event at the New Orleans homestead..... Football. For a house full of girls this place knows how to celebrate football. There was lots of food and lots of yelling for the Saints. It was a fantastic game and of course the Saints won. Cameron was a little surprised at all the yelling and was unsure really what was happening, but as usual she took it in stride.


Cameron got held a lot but she didn't get spoiled. She took this time to also further her baby skills. Cameron learned how to drink out of a water bottle (loves this!!) and out of a cup. She also got to sit in her first high-chair when we all went out to lunch. She got much better with her sitting up and we started teaching her some signs (we are going to teach Cameron sign language so we started with mommy, daddy, and milk).


There was a lot of playing and a lot of fun to be had. I'm so glad we got to take this trip even if it was short. We are looking forward to more trips for Cameron to have the opportunity to play with her cousins.



And of course Maw-Maw wants to have Cameron back as often as possible. Cameron loved getting to see Maw-Maw again and was sad to say goodbye, but of couse she will continue to call Maw-Maw often so that she can hear her voice.

Turkey's are for eating!!!

On Saturday we went to the mall to meet Cookie and have lunch. While waiting for Cookie to arrive we went to the store Children's Place. In the store, Parent's magazine was sponsering a book signing with Cindy Post Senning, co-author of Emily's Everyday Manners.


Cameron got a signed book by the author and a Certificate of Achievement for learning the "Top Ten Table Manners for Children". And she had the distinct honor of being the youngest recipient to receive such an honor that day.


Cameron was excited to see Cookie. Elisabeth played patty-cake with Cameron while we waited (and waited) for a table for lunch. After lunch we all went shopping where Cookie picked out a new outfit for Cameron. Before you even ask, yes it was purple.


On Sunday we had brunch with Grandma Cindy. Cameron totally forgot about her Table Manners when she fell asleep while we were all having breakfast. It was a good visit and Cameron wished Grandma Cindy a Happy Thanksgiving since we will be in New Orleans next week.


We have been trying to teach Cameron about Thanksgiving. This photo was taken when we told her that we were supposed to eat turkey on Thanksgiving. I think she is ready for Turkey day!