A milestone for Mama

On Wednesday we reached a major milestone - although it wasn't for Cameron. I (Kristin) played hockey again, for the first time since I found out that I was pregnant!! The last game I played in was probably sometime at the end of February, so it has been ten months since then. I played in our Wednesday night pick up game. It was very fun but I definitely felt a bit out of shape and slow. I am hoping to start playing on my team again in January though.

We are in Massachusetts right now for Christmas. Cameron is really enjoying spending time with all of his Walker relatives. Tomorrow will be an exciting day for him too, he gets to meet his cousins Ella and Jack. I'm sure we will have tons of cute pictures to share soon!

Cute Cameron Pictures

Just a quick post with a few cute pictures of Cameron from the past couple of days. This weekend we (finally) decorated our Christmas tree. It looks great. We are hoping to get a family picture in front of it soon, which we will post when we get it. The big excitement for Cam this weekend was that he had a fun evening with Uncle Matt while Mom and Dad went to a Christmas party. According to reports from the front, Cameron spent most of the time fussing, but he ate like a good boy. Hopefully Uncle Matt will want to babysit again!! And now, the pictures....

Daddy and Cameron taking a nap together

Cameron's new trick - balancing on Daddy's hand (also, check out his cute Christmas outfit!)

Peeking over Daddy's shoulder

Mama and Cameron snuggling on the couch

Photo Shoot

This past weekend, Jeff, Jaime and Bridgette came to Syracuse to visit us... okay, really it was to meet Cameron, not to visit Tim and I. :-P They brought their studio lights, backdrop stand, backgrounds and even some props. Combined with our studio lights and some props, we got some great shots of Bridgette and Cameron. Cameron aspires to be as photogenic as Bridgette some day; she is a fantastic model. Here is one of the pictures from the photo shoot - check out the gallery to see the rest (album Cameron/Photo Shoots/Cameron and Bridgette ... or just click on the link: Photo Shoot).

Tuesday Triumph

In the past, pre-baby, a triumph would be a really great day at work, or maybe getting an awesome price on a trip, or winning a hockey game, or something like that. So what exactly is considered a triumph these days?? A giant booger... oh, how times have changed!

Yesterday, Cameron was really stuffed up, to the point where he was having trouble eating because he couldn't breathe out of his nose. He was pretty miserable and was crying the whole time he was eating. We tried using the nasal aspirator (aka the booger sucker) but there was nothing in there to suck out. We put him in the bathroom and ran the shower, in the hopes that the warm mist would loosen up some of the stuff in the nose. It sort of worked and he was breathing better for a little while. He was still pretty miserable though. The next time he ate, he stopped to sneeze and when he did, I could see a little booger hanging out of his nose. Now that I am a mom, I have no qualms about picking a booger out of his nose, so I grabbed that little booger, thinking it might help him out. Well, out came a GIGANTIC booger. We are talking about a booger the size of a Jelly Belly jellybean. If you think that isn't all that large, think about how tiny his little nostrils are. He was breathing free and clear after that. Poor little guy!!

So that was the great excitement of last night - picking a giant booger out of Cameron's nose. I repeat... oh, how times have changed! :-P

Photo Gallery Updated!

We updated our photo gallery with lots of pictures from the past five weeks. We also have pictures from our weekly photo shoots - a picture of Cameron every Sunday, so we can watch him grow. Check out the pictures: http://www.travelingwalkers.com/gallery2/main.php

Cam and I went out to lunch with Bonnie today, and we went to Wegman's for the first time. Before today, Tim or I went grocery shopping alone, while the other one (or Mom) stayed home with Cameron. I figured I should just bite the bullet and do it, so today after lunch he was sleeping in his car seat and we went. He was very good and slept the whole time. Having him in the cart in his car seat made it more difficult to maneuver, but we did alright.

One month old!

I have been quite remiss about writing a post lately... sorry about that! Over the weekend, Cameron had his one month birthday. Tim and I can't believe it, a month has gone by so fast, but at the same time it seems like Cam has always been with us. All three of us are getting into a pretty good routine. Cameron is eating at around the same time (well, more or less) every night so that is making it a bit easier for us. Okay, easier for me. Tim doesn't really have too much to do at night, unless I ask him to change Cameron's diaper before I start feeding him or if Cameron is fussing.

We are amazed at all of the new things that Cameron is doing every day. He has become so much more alert and is showing definitely preferences - of course, his favorite thing is still the same (the all-you-can-eat milk bar) but he also loves mirrors, toys that rattle and being sung too. He also really likes baths - he calms right down when we put him in the water and just sits there enjoying it. He likes to lie on his back on his play mat and stare up at his toys (especially the mirror!). He likes to cuddle in our arms, and to look at Christmas lights. He is also doing great with holding his head up and looking around. He is such a cutie; Tim and I can sit and look at him forever.

Tim and Cameron had some quality manly bonding time last weekend - they went to Home Depot together! It is Tim's favorite store and so he wants to get Cameron started on it early. Cameron liked it so much, he slept the whole time. They also watch the Patriots game together every weekend. Again, Tim wants to make sure that Cameron starts early on his love of sports.

A few pictures of Cameron:

Sticking his tongue out

Check out the awesome spit up picture I captured!!

Getting ready for his bath

Enjoying tub time!!

Spending some time with Daddy

This is pretty close to a smile, isn't it??

First Thanksgiving and First Road Trip

Cameron enjoyed his first Thanksgiving, where he got to meet lots of cousins, aunts and uncles that he hadn't met yet (well, technically they were first cousins once removed, great aunts and great uncles... but that is just too complicated). We spent Thanksgiving day with the Kinsellas in Syracuse - great food, lots of fun and a wee dram or two. Cam loved having tons of people to hold him, including his Great Aunt Jill.
The next day we went to Rochester for the weekend - Cameron's first road trip. For the most part, he was very good in the car. He slept most of the way and only woke up and cried a few times. We stayed until Sunday and Cameron met lots more family and friends. Tim and I were amazed at how much stuff we had to bring for just being there three days - Cameron certainly adds a lot to our luggage! Usually one small bag and the camera bag are more than enough... now we had a separate bag just for Cameron's stuff, along with the diaper bag and the bouncer. The only reason we didn't have more was because we borrowed a pack and play from my aunt for him to sleep in.

Cameron was spoiled rotten the whole weekend - constantly being held by one grandparent, aunt, uncle or cousin. He loved it! Overall he did pretty well, although he was up all night one night, wide awake and not wanting to sleep.

Cameron surround by cousins Nicholas, Amanda and Jason, who loved him!
Omi set up the changing area on a dresser with a mirror, and Cameron just loved that other baby he saw. He thought that other baby was the cutest baby he had ever seen!

Cameron got to spend a lot of time with his great grandparents, Omi and Opa.

A request from Auntie Cathy

Cathy asked that we post a shot of Cameron and the two aunties from their visit. We definitely do take requests, so here is a cute shot of Auntie Cathy, Cameron, and Auntie Kim.

Cam's first babysitters and a photo shoot

On Sunday, Cameron had his very first babysitters. Tim and I went out to a quick dinner while Grandma and Grandpa Kinsella watched Cam. He was a good boy and didn't even realize we were gone. Tim and I went to Garcia's (we figured Mexican would be quickest) and were gone for about an hour. It was nice to have some time with just the two of us.

Also on Sunday night, Cam was in a great mood so we had a photo shoot with him. Here are a bunch of the pictures that we took. He was being so cute and wide awake, so it was really fun to take pictures with him.

First real bath and a visit from the Aunties

Today Cameron got his first real bath. His umbilical cord fell off Tuesday, so before that he only had sponge baths. So far he is not too big of a fan of the bath but we are sure that will change. Here is a picture of the bathing adventure.



The other big thing today is Cameron finally got to meet his Aunties! He has been loving all the attention and being held all the time.

Cameron's first public apperance

Cameron made his first public apperance today. Dad had a party to celebrate the successful completion of a project at work today at Megan MacMurphy's. Cam enjoyed charming everyone there. Here is a picture of him and Mom:

Cam's first walk

Today was a big day for Cam. He had his two week check-up and he went for his first walk.

His doctors visit was at 1:15 so dad came home from work early for lunch and all three of us went out for Cam's first walk. He seemed to enjoy it even though he slept the whole way. Mom really enjoyed getting out of the house and getting a little fresh air. Unfortunately this was probably the last nice warm day we will have in Syracuse so we won't get many more outdoor walks in this year. Here is a picture from his walk:


At Cam's doctors appointment he did not disappoint. Two visits so far and both times he has peed all over the exam room. He stepped it up a notch this time as even though both Mom and Dad were ready for it he managed to get both of them. He was pronounced in very good health.

Vital Stats:
Weight: 8lbs 1oz (50 percentile)
Length: 20" (50 percentile)
Head: 36 cm (25 percentile)

Cameron had 2 solid hours of awake "eyeball" time from 4 pm - 6pm today. Dad had to rush home after talking to Mom at 4:45 to make sure he got to enjoy some of the quality time. Here is a picture from the quality time:

Cam in skates

Everything is going pretty well here. Last night was a bit of a rough night, as Cameron has a little cold and isn't sleeping as well. He wanted to eat every hour for a while, then couldn't get comfortable and sleep. I don't think either Tim or I got more than a few hours of sleep total! We have had more good nights than bad though, so we're doing alright. It is funny that two or three hours of sleep in a row can feel so good. We used to like to sleep for ten hours in a row.

Tim got some new skates, so of course Cam had to try them on. They don't quite fit yet, so we will have to get him his own soon. Walk first, skate second - or is it the other way around?

What's in a name?

Cameron Thomas - where did his name come from?

Well, honestly, we first thought of his name when we were discussing hockey players (is it weird that I can remember exactly where we were - leaving Irondequoit getting on to Route 104 to head home - when we first talked about his name?). One of Tim's favorite hockey players is Cam Neely. We both thought that was a good name for a boy, and once we determined that it was also of Scottish origin we were set. So our first name for a boy was decided a long time ago.

For the middle name, it was really important to Tim that it have meaning, not just be another name. We went through a whole bunch of names but once we thought of Thomas, we decided it was perfect too. Tim's dad's name is Thomas, and my uncle/godfather's name is Thomas. Thomas is also my youngest brother's middle name. So lots of Tom's all over the family. Plus, it sounds good with Cameron!

One Week Old

It's hard to believe that Cameron has been with us for a whole week!! He has already brought so much joy to our lives (and also a lot less sleep!). We are having fun watching him discover the world around him. This week his favorite thing is definitely the all-you-can-eat milk buffet. No surprise there. He also really enjoys looking at the bears on his changing table and being cuddled. It is amazing how strong he is getting already. He does a very good job picking up his head to look around. Cameron does not like being wet or getting his clothes changed (although that might have something to do with how slow mommy and daddy are with changing them.)

Today we had a good 45 minutes+ of awake and alert happy time. Daddy decided that this was the perfect time to take hundreds of pictures. There are a few of them below.

On Wednesday Cameron had his first doctor visit. His weight dropped a little, to 7lbs 9oz, although his head got bigger (or at least less cone-like and therefore larger in circumference). The doctor said that he was really healthy and looked good. And the big excitement was Cameron's first pee fountain, all over the exam table.

Here are some pictures from his one week birthday:

Due Date

Today was Cameron's due date - it is amazing that he has been here for almost a week now! We have been doing pretty well, getting into some kind of routine. Well, maybe not so much as a routine, but we can usually figure out what he wants and get it for him! The choices tend to be food, snuggles or a diaper change, though, so it hasn't been too tough. I have all of these grand plans to write tons of posts (in fact, I write them in my head while I am sitting there feeding Cameron), unfortunately I don't have quite as much computer time as I thought I might.

And now, what you really came here for - more pictures!

Welcome Home Cameron

Cameron's first two days on Earth were pretty cushy - he had all of the nurses in the Birthplace waiting on his every need. First is a picture of him in his going home outfit, all buckled into his car seat. Below is a picture of Mommy and Cameron getting discharged from the hospital, along with nurse Noreen. Cameron's first trip in the outside world was pretty uneventful; Mom rode in the back seat to keep an eye on him. Other than being a little startled every time we had to start or stop, he did great.







































When we got home the house was nicely decorated to welcome him home (Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Kinsella!). Unfortunately it was a little overcast by the time I thought of taking pictures of it and then the wind took down one of the signs today. The first picture up top is on our door though, and we are going to put up the other one again tomorrow. Then we can take some pictures of it.

Here is Cameron's first step into the house. It is so nice having him home!













Both sets of grandparents were here to welcome him home too.

It's a Boy!!!!

Hello everyone!!

Introducing....

Cameron Thomas Walker

Birth Date: November 2nd 2007

Time 10:43 AM

Weight: 8lbs 5oz

Length: 20 in

Head: 34 cm

Here's a few pictures to get you started. Take a look at all that hair!

We are in the hospital for one more night (Cameron is still learning now to nurse, so he isn't quite ready to go home yet). When we get home tomorrow we will have lots more to post!
Love, Kristin & Tim

The original date

Today was my original due date - October 30th. It is around 8:30pm right now and no sign of Peanut, so it looks like the change in due date was right! The doctors changed it because of the size that Peanut was measuring in an early ultrasound, which is apparently much more accurate than just calculating the due date. We will just have to wait and see if Peanut decides to make his/her appearance closer to the first due date or the new one!

Weekend Ramblings

We got a lot done this weekend, although Peanut's room isn't quite ready yet. Of course, if Peanut decided to show up a bit early, we are ready for him/her, but the finishing touches aren't quite there yet. We will post pictures of the room once it is all set. We spent quite a lot of time (and money!) and Babies R Us this weekend, finishing up getting stuff off our registry that we wanted for the room. There are only a few things left to get.

We also did a lot around the house, and I did about a million loads of laundry. I am used to doing two loads of laundry a weekend - one for our lights and one for our darks. Sometimes I have to do a third load of one or the other, especially in the winter when Tim wears big heavy sweaters. I have the feeling that once Peanut comes, I will be doing a TON more laundry. I have already done about four of five loads of baby stuff - clothes, sheets, blankets, etc. Folding baby stuff is crazy, it is so tiny, I can't figure out a good way to have it fold and stack nicely in the drawer. I know I'll figure something out that works the best for us, but for now I have onesies folded about four different ways in same drawer!

This week is my last week of work. I am planning on working until Friday. We get two weeks off, paid, before the due date if we want, and then six weeks paid after the baby is born. I can take up to twelve weeks total off under the Family Medical Leave Act and still retain my job (although I am not worried about not keeping my job if I take more than that). My plan right now is to go back to work at the start of February. That will give me about three months off. Hopefully it will be the right amount of time for me. It is weird to think that this week is my last week of work for the year though!

Catch-up Post #3 - Baby Shower

I posted pictures from our baby shower over at the Traveling Walkers Gallery - check them out! The URL for the gallery is http://www.travelingwalkers.com/gallery2/main.php.

The baby shower was wonderful! We got so much great (and cute!!) stuff, the nursery and our house is pretty much all set. I want to thank everyone for coming, it was great to see you (even if just for a couple hours). And special thanks to Mom, who planned and put together such a nice day for me. The food was great, the dessert was great and it was so fun!

This weekend we have a couple more things to get ready in Peanut's room, and then we will take pictures and post them. The nursery is turning out great, it looks so cute. We even had Owen, who is 10 months, over the other day and he LOVED it. Hopefully Peanut will too. :-)

Two more things

Well, I am not going to get to my next catch-up post (nursery or baby shower) because it is already late and I need to get into bed. Instead, two little tidbits:
1) I had a doctor's appointment today (I am into the weekly ones now) and all is looking good. Peanut is facing head-down and appears to be in the correct position. My belly measures at just the right size, so Peanut is growing well but shouldn't be too big.
2) I have two more things to add to the list of "Top Ten Worst Things About Being Pregnant". The first is swollen feet and ankles - I can barely wear shoes anymore, my feet are so big. It is crazy!! The second is a very itchy belly. It has only developed in the last week or so, but let me tell you, it is insanely irritating. I wake up in the middle of the night scratching in my sleep!

That's all I have time for - I have to get into bed (to get my feet up!) and cover myself in lotion (a valiant but mainly useless attempt to stop the itchiness).

Catch-up Post #2 - 3D Ultrasound

As promised, I am doing my catch up posts here... one at a time. This is from the second attempt at a 3D Ultrasound that we had. This one was better, although as you can see the quality isn't as good as it is in the ads. The optimal time to have the ultrasound is at 30 weeks, this one was at around 32. Also, there wasn't a lot of fluid around the baby's face at the time of the ultrasound so the pictures are not as sharp. Can you tell what each picture is??

First, our favorite:
You have a straight on view of the face, although the top part of the head is obscured. In the middle of the picture is the nose, right below is the mouth. To either side of the mouth are two little fists - apparently Peanut is going to be a boxer!

In this picture you can see a view of the top of the head. The bottom of the head (part of nose, all of mouth and chin) are covered up.


This picture is pretty hard to see, but it is so cute because the baby is sucking on his/her finger (or maybe just tucking his/her hand underneath his/her chin).
The last one is traditional 2D ultrasound image. It is a profile picture, with Peanut looking up and towards the left top of the picture. You can see the eye socket, the nose and the slightly-parted lips.
We have about 30 total pictures, but most of them are variations on the ones we have up here. There is a whole series of 2D shots where Peanut was opening and closing his/her mouth. Super cute! All in all, we were happy with the 3D ultrasound. I will be interested when Peanut makes his/her appearance, to see how much like the ultrasound pictures he/she looks!

Catch-up Post #1 - 37 week picture

Well I am going to wimp out tonight and start with the easiest catch-up post! I was at work for a long time today, so I don't feel like spending a lot of time on the computer tonight, and this one is easy. Here is a picture of me, 37 weeks pregnant. You can see it is a big difference from the last picture I posted, five weeks ago. Peanut is definitely getting ready to make his/her appearance. Also, please notice that I am wearing shorts and a tank top - it was close to 80 degrees here yesterday. I have no clue what is going on with Fall!!

Where did the last month go?

I had such high hopes to post a bunch of stuff this weekend... as you can see, that didn't happen. 3D ultrasound #2 went much better than the first try and we have a couple neat pictures. I am hoping to post those. I am also now 37.5 weeks, and I wanted to post a picture from our weekly photo shoot. My belly is MUCH bigger than it was. And a third post was going to be all about the nursery, which is coming together quite nicely. We have a dresser in there now, as well as a glider rocking chair that is so nice. Last weekend was my baby shower, so I wanted to write a post about that too, since we got so much amazing stuff. Instead, all you get for now is this little blurb that I am typing out when I really should be getting ready for bed. I'll try to be better tomorrow and write a post for at least one of the four things that I was hoping to put up this weekend!!

32 weeks

Here I am, at 32 weeks (well, technically 31 weeks and 4 days!).

3D ultrasound, The Second Try, is tomorrow. Tim and I are not expecting too much out of it except maybe a few more cute glimpses. We figure that Peanut is about as stubborn as his/her father and will most likely be looking away from us again. Tomorrow's appointment is after lunch, so maybe I will eat something really sugary to try and get the baby jumping a bit.

3D No Go

The 3D ultrasound on Thursday didn't go quite as we had planned - the baby decided to be stubborn and stay pretty much facing my back the whole time. We got a few glimpses of a profile, but other than that, he/she wasn't in the mood for a show! We did see that the baby has a little bit of hair (see as white tufts on the ultrasound machine) and huge cheeks. Even though we didn't get the pictures we were hoping for, it was still really awesome to see. We could see all four chambers of the heart pumping blood through arteries and we could see the baby "practice breathing". The baby had his/her little hand tucked up next to his/her cheek for a while. Very, very cool. We only got two pictures - one of a profile and one of a little foot. We will try to scan them and post them soon.

We do get another try, next Tuesday, so hopefully Peanut will be in the mood to be a movie star next week!

Childbirth class

We had our first Childbirth class last night. It was really interesting, we both learned a lot. Some of it was stuff we remembered learning in Biology class, other stuff was things that we had heard, and some of it was brand new information. There sure is a lot to think about, remember and make decisions on! One thing that made us happy was the instructor kept making comments about the place where we are having the baby (the Birthplace at St. Joe's hospital) as being the best, most relaxed, most able to do what we want, etc. It made us happy with the choice that we made a few months back to switch doctors in order to have the Birthplace as the place where the baby is born. We have only more class next week, and then we are all set. It is nice because the class size is small (three couples) so we can go through information much faster. All of the courses given at the local hospitals were at least four or five weeks long - we don't have that many free weeknights!

Tomorrow morning we are getting a 3D sonogram done. Hopefully it will come out really awesome and we can share some great pictures of Peanut with everyone.

P.S. To the Top Ten

I was just thinking about a new Top Ten when I realized that I had left something out of the last one that I did. So the Top Ten Worst Things about Being Pregnant list is now the Top Eleven...

11. Heartburn!! It is awful - no matter what I eat, when I eat, if I drink water... I still get awful heartburn when I lie down to go to bed. Very frustrating and painful. I can't even imagine what Tim and his mom go through all the time, it hurts so much!

31 week update

Oh goodness, we got lazy, didn't we? Well, mainly busy, but probably a bit lazy too. I didn't realize so much time had gone by since the last post!

Here I am, at 31 weeks - getting bigger (every day, it seems likes). I am starting to get a bit uncomfortable, especially towards later in the day. So far, I am still sleeping okay, but I think Tim is sleeping worse! I get up a couple times a night to go to the bathroom, plus I toss and turn back and forth all night. Poor Tim!

The baby has been kicking and moving and squirming around a lot, especially at night. Right when we get into bed to go to sleep for the night, it is almost always party time for the baby - moving, kicking, one night even punching repeatedly (or something) for about a half hour. It is very cute though.

We are hoping to get our online photo album updated soon. We have lots of good pictures to share - starting way back with the Dominican Republic, which we still haven't put up! Soon, hopefully.

Tonight is the first of our childbirth classes, and then Thursday we have a 3D sonogram. Hopefully we will have some great pictures of the baby to share after that! And we promise to try and post more often. :)