Takings Pics like a Pro

 Like a week before my due date, Chris and I were doing a late night Target run for some essentials when we passed the electronics section.  As soon as I saw the digital cameras, my impulsive self decided that we needed to buy one right then and there. I mean we needed to have a better camera than our iPhones' to document our new babe's life. We picked up one that had wifi and looked really nice and decided to go with the Nikon S9500. Needless to say we had NO idea what we were doing with this camera so $400 and like 5 hours worth of tears later we finally got some he hang of it.. I think:

 

Weekend Love 4/5

 This weekend was my 24th birthday. And that carrot cake right there was the most delicious thing I've ever tasted, thanks Mama!

 I will never look graceful blowing out candles, it's just not in the cards for me.

 My boo boos

I told myself that I'd learn how to use our digital camera & that I'd take a LOT more pictures this year. We'll see how that goes :)

5 Months

That monthly picture is the best I'm going to get from here on out; kicking and flailing her little arms is like her favorite exercise.

The other picture was taken for her aunt Allison's birthday, and I LOVE IT: her face, those little peace sign jammies & that Target notepad.

March brought some warmer days which was awesome because we could finally cure our cabin fever.

 

Bow: Lucy's Headbands

THIS happened. Our doctor told us at her 4 month appointment that if she seems ready, she can try solids at 5 months. She would literally lick her lips while she watched Chris and I eat, so there's that.  We'll probably wait until she's 6 months to incorporate solids into everyday.

 

Bow: Eola Ella

She celebrated her first St. Patty's day. Ugh, there is just something about babies in t-shirts and leggings.

  

Bows: Lucy's Headbands

Okay these headbands I have to rave about.  The fabric is awesome, I got to pick out which headbands I wanted for each bow, and there are a TON of options. Not to mention that she has awesome prices and customer service.

Diet: Still nursing 5-6 times. 

Sleep: So we haven't gotten past the sleeping in our bed barrier yet BUT we've gotten the napping in her crib down, YAY!  She'll usually take 2 naps each day in there lasting anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours.  If we have an off day and she doesn't fall asleep in her crib after like 30 minutes, we'll just stick her in her swing and that always does the trick.  

We're trying to work on making her bedtime earlier, like 8 PM rather than 10 PM with us, and along with that trying to get her to wake up earlier, like 8 AM rather than 11 AM (queue Emoji embarrassed face).

Milestones: She grabs her tootsies! and she loves them, anytime we lay her down she'll instantly reach for them.

Tried bananas

Will finally sleep on her belly without any complaints, I think she finally realized it's the most comfy way to sleep

She made a full circle around her Bright Starts exersaucer

She can kindaaaa sit up on her own for like 5 seconds then falls right over stiff as a board.

SHE GIGGLED! I was starting to think she wasn't born with a sense of humor... ;)

She wriggle worms her way around. Now if she could just figure out how to get up on her hands and knees she'll be golden.

Favs: Being nakey

Still loves the baby carrier, she can literally be in it for 2 hours and still be content..I tried it..at Home Goods.

Aiyley and Cayden (her 3 1/2 year old aunt and uncle) she LOVES to watch them play.

Chewing on everything. Other than the extreme fussiness she shows every sign of teething.

Falling asleep sitting upright while Daddy holds her like so:

 

Not so Favs: Still not a huge fan of tummy time, but she's getting better at realizing that she can easily flip herself back over.

She's starting to not like her Vitamin D supplement, I don't blame her.

Laying on the same play mat or sitting in the same exersaucer for more than 20 minutes.

The One Face of Camdyn Grace

I'm not sure what it is about life that freaks Cam out but 99.9% of the time her face looks exactly like that Emoji icon, you know the one with the wide eyes and red cheeks that everybody overuses because it's just so funny.

Case in point:

Freaked out since day one. I love this babe and her face.

What to Keep in Mind for Our Next Bambino

During Camdyn's first 4 1/2 months of life we have been through about 1,349 different baby products.  Out of those 1,349 different products, Cam and I have decided that we love about 10.  We're still going through trial and error of different products and methods that make Cam, Chris and I all happy but here's a bunch of things that we totally need to remember for when we have another newbie:

1. Zippers, zippers, zippers : We absolutely loathe button sleepers, outfits, pants, you name it.  After having a newborn who needs to be changed just about every 20 minutes and then having a 4 month old who kicks nonstop while your trying to get her dressed, I'm sure you will too.  I will admit that she has quite a few jammies and outfits that have buttons just because I couldn't resist their cuteness, but I know on those day I will be the only one changing Cam's diaper because when Chris has to deal with buttons this is what happens :

2.  H&M onesies : These onesies are the bomb. Cam hates when we struggle to get onesies over her head, which happens with just about any other brand that we own, but H&M's organic cottons are just so stretchy and go on with such ease. And because they're made from organic cotton they are the softest most huggable material ever. AND they come in awesome colors including black and baby blue which I couldn't find like anywhere else.

3. Reusable nursing pads : The first month home when I was all emotional and nursing was a serious trainwreck the last things I wanted to deal with were the uncomfortable disposable nursing pads that I had to change out every couple hours.  I bought these and they are the comfiest.

4. SWING : I know this is like a "DUH" purchase but it had to be included because it was seriously the best when Cam was a newbie.  We got the Fisher Price Little Snugapuppy and she slept in this thing all the time. Even now when I can't get her to nap in her crib I just stick her in there and she's out. The only downside of our swing is the giant size, I'll keep in mind for our next bambino to get a small, easily portable swing, that way if I'm downstairs I can have the baby down there with me and if I'm upstairs the same. This one is so cute and gender neutral which is perfect to pass down from babe to babe.

5. Multiple exersaucers and play mats : Now I know this isn't exactly practical but I've found that Cam gets bored and she gets bored QUICK.  Luckily, we were gifted two exersaucers and two play mats so whenever I notice the chick getting a little fussy, I'll just move her to the next play area and it's like she resets..for a good 5 minutes and then we start the process all over :)  Another easier, and more practical, option is just to switch out the toys that are hanging from the play mat or sitting on the exersaucer, that works just as well.

6. Co-sleeper : One thing I learned when becoming a momma is that whatever you said you were or were not going to do with your baby, before you actually had the baby, all gets tossed out the window. Never would I imagine that I would be sharing our bed with Cam, but we are; it was easier for us, it was easier for her and we all were able to (occasionally) get a good night's sleep in those first couple months.  Anyway, I just recently received a co-sleeper from an awesome mom who didn't need hers anymore and I'll admit I wish I had splurged on one of these from the get-go. What's awesome about the Arm's Reach Cosleeper is that once you're over the whole co-sleeping thing, you can switch it into a regular bassinet, and if you get the extreme version it can also turn into a play yard!

7. A fan (or some type of white noise) : Seriously, this is a must if you want to do anything while you're baby is sleeping. Since we live in a townhouse any noises happening downstairs can be heard upstairs and that can be an issue when I want to basically do anything in the kitchen while Camdyn is napping. They make a ton of different white noise machines for babies, even some that are hidden in cute little sheep

Love this little fam of mine :)

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4 Months

This month has been my favorite yet.  Now that Cam is getting out of that newborn stage things are getting so much more fun, and seeing her reach new milestones is the best. Thank goodness this is the last month of being cooped up inside (hopefully) thanks to the unbelievably freezing cold winter we've had.  I have to admit having a newborn baby and being stuck inside all day erryday leads to some serious cabin fever.  I cannot wait for this girl to finally see the sun.

As you can tell we are SO ready for warm weather :) OH and this bathing suit is a 9 month bathing suit ... uh......

I am SO happy that my girl doesn't mind these bows on her head.  I love buying her bows off of Etsy, those moms on there have so much creativity, so much props to them.  These two bows are from MissRubyLocks and her moccasins are from Babylupo.

One thing that has not been fun this month is THIS. I blame myself for being too much of a softy and not being able to handle the whole letting her cry herself to sleep thing, but I'm working on it and I've gotten her to fall asleep in there for naps a few times!

Weight: At her 4 month appointment she weighed in at 12.5 lbs she's petite and the doctor says she's growing perfectly!

Height: 23 1/2 inches

Diet: Still nursing about 5-6 times a day.

Sleep: I'm sure most moms can relate but this has been my biggest stress inducer.  Some nights she'll do awesome and others she'll wake up every hour.  On a good night she'll be asleep by 10 and wake up around 1 or 2 then sleep again until 6 and ultimately wake up around 8:30-9.

I'm hoping once she gets in her crib she'll do a little better, since her doctor told me that she could be sleeping 6 hours at a time now. FINGERS CROSSED.

Her naps on the other hand have been very consistent and pretty awesome actually.  She takes her morning nap in her swing around 10-10:30 and will nap until around noon.  She'll take a second nap around 2-3 in her swing, or if I'm feeling ballsy we'll try her crib, and this nap usually only lasts about 45 minutes to an hour.  Sometimes she'll take an even later nap, which would be the shortest only about a half hour - 45 minutes.  I'm so thankful that she's a good napper.

Milestones: She can definitely roll onto her belly no problem, but we're still working on her getting back over.  Sometimes she can do it but most of the time she'll just lay on her stomach and scream until we roll her back over. 

She learned how to blow raspberries and gets so focused while doing it, so funny.

She has definitely been working out her vocal chords, I think she's just started to realize that she can make all different kinds of noises and she loves it.

She can finally sit in her exersaucers!! I'm so happy about this because this can occupy her for like a half hour.

She grabs things all the time now, and her favorite thing to grab is my face when I'm real close to her. LOVE.

Favs: Loving bath time more and more especially now that she's learned how to splash.

Being in the baby carrier, knocks the girl right out.

When me and her daddy are both right next to her.

Her THREE different playmats. Yes we have three.

When I sing to her.

THIS:

Not so Favs: Sad to see this move from the favs category but, diaper changes, she is constantly trying to wiggle away whenever we change her diaper

Onesies that have to go over her head.  Next baby I may only buy front snap onesies, so much easier.

Being in one spot for too long, she definitely gets bored VERY quick.

The Bumbo seat :(

When her grandpa talks to her :(:( I think his baby pitched voice freaks her out.

I love my besty :)