Mama Pajama

Cameron's Wildlife Party

Well the weather was great this past Sunday, and we were able to have Cameron's party at the Wildlife Park. Here he is riding a pony all by himself. We let the pony guide walk him around the little trail and he never knew that Cameron even had any physical limitations. That was a cool feeling. 

We went on a tram ride to see animals such as emus, ostriches, llamas, and an ox.  We saw something called a "zonkey" (donkey/zebra) as well as kangaroos, giraffes, and even an alligator.

Cameron had a great time, and the rest of the family did too. This was his first big party with more than just immediate family. I'm glad we finally gave him a little adventure for a change!

Ready for Cameron's Party

We're having Cameron's birthday party tomorrow. We had to postpone it due to the flooding rains we had last weekend.  It will be at a local animal wildlife park, so I think he'll really enjoy it.  Here he is in his new LSU vest that his Great Grandmother made for him. Geaux Tigers!

Need a Painter?

  Cameron's physical therapist told me that climbing a stepstool is a great activity for Cameron. As you can see, he likes it. 

Muscle Man

   

Cameron has been taking steps on his own!  He can usually take around 4 steps each time, maybe three to five times a day.  Of course, he has to WANT to take steps. He's not very inclined to do it when everyone is watching, or making a big fuss over him.

As you can see, we're still weighting him down (feet, wrists, waist, walker, etc.) My mom made him a weighted vest that holds about 2.5 pounds of well distributed weight.  All of this is helping to strengthen his legs and core. 

We are very proud of him.  His legs are finally showing real muscle tone.

Look Who's Standing Up!

  

Cameron has been on the brink of independent standing for quite a while.  Today during his Physical Therapy session we just let go and he had it!  He's in a Bambi-like pose, with his legs spread out a bit and his knees bent.  But this is a great start!

He did it for about three 20 second intervals.  I couldn't even believe my eyes.  One reason I think he's finally ready is that his new foot braces keeep him from locking his knees back (so he must bend his knees slightly in a more natural stance). Also, he has been standing in the windows, climbing the stairs, and using his walker for the past six months - all leg strengthening activities. All of that effort is finally paying off!

(In case you're wondering, those are weights on his feet.) His PT also brought a weighted four pound belt for him to wear, wrist weights, and we've weighted his walker down with cans from the pantry.  All of that weight will just help him get stronger.  Then, on top of all the weight, he's also wearing his body brace underneath his clothes. 

Thank goodness he is a good sport about all of it. I think he knows how proud we are of him.

Cameron Update

  Cameron has really figured out how to move in his new scoliosis brace. At first, it seemed to hinder his desire to climb the stairs, etc.  But now he's scaling the stairs (even stepping down holding on to the rails!) and walking across the bridge holding on to the bars. 

His biggest motivation is chasing down Buster. As you can see, he never gets a break.

Asleep in Time Out

  Here's Cam with his best pal in the dreaded time out chair. As you can see, it really isn't so bad.  Maybe we should change the time out location to somewhere a little less cozy. 

Texas Snow!

 

You would never know it by looking at today's weather (it's 80 degrees) that just a few days ago we had snow.  This was Cameron's first taste of it, and you can probably tell from this picture that he really liked it. He caught some in his hand and crunched it around. Then he looked at me as if to say, "What is this stuff?" 

Since we live near the coast, snow is such a rarity.  We woke up to a white Christmas in 2005, when I was pregnant with Cameron.  But since then, nothing.  Before that Christmas I can't recall getting a true snow that accumulated on the ground ever.  At any rate, we think it is fun and would appreciate a little more. 

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

I just can't seem to get tired of this website. It is so fun to see which celebrities we all resemble. Check out Cameron morphing into Kenny Chesney...

MyHeritage: Celebrity Morph - Dynasty - Family tree search

Smith Look-alike Meter

I figured that Cameron might resemble Chris more than me...but in some shots I think that I would win.

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

Isn't this fun? If you want to see which celebrities you resemble, all you have to do is upload a picture of yourself (or someone you know) and the software will do the rest. I've always told Chris that he resembled Jeff Gordon, and now I have scientific proof...well, sort of.

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celeb

Thanksgiving

Cameron had a great Thanksgiving this year. He spent most of the day exploring MeMe's house in his new walker.  This one takes a lot more balance and stability than his old one.  It is also a lot easier to maneuver around corners.  Here he is with his MawMaw (great grandmother).  She tried her best to keep up with him!

Playing With Toys

Cameron has so many toys. He usually picks one and plays with it exclusively for months at a time. Lately, his favorite thing is this ball ramp.  Unfortunately, we've lost two of the five balls. So we have to be careful to keep track of the remaining three.  I've told everyone not to buy too many more toys for Christmas because he has quite a few toys that he hasn't ever shown interest in.  When the ball ramp gets old, I am planning to bring out old toys that he will think are new. 

Halloween 2006

I just couldn't resist posting a picture of Cameron in his cowboy outfit from two years ago. He has come such a long way since then.  I can't wait to see how much further he'll come in the next two years. We are really hoping that he'll be able to walk by the time he is five years old.

Halloween

Here's a shot of Cameron in his astronaut costume on Halloween at Meme's house.  He had a lot of fun with his cousin Emily (who dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz).  He even wore his hat a lot longer than we expected.  Fun stuff.

Sugar...

Here's a shot of Cameron giving me a big smooch.  When he's not mad at me and pulling my hair, he can sure be a sweetheart.  I hope this phase lasts.

How Much Does Mommy Love You?

Unfortunately, the wall is blocking his left hand. But, you can still see Cameron doing his latest trick. All you have to do is ask him,  "How much does insert name here  love you?"   Then you'll get this response.  Fun stuff.

Great Day to Play

I have to say that our weather (since Hurricane Ike!) has been wonderful.  It has made everyone's  clean up efforts a lot easier.

We've been able to go outside almost every single day, and Cameron loves it. Yesterday he walked all the way down the street in his walker and didn't break a sweat. 

One minute Mother Nature drops a bomb on you, and the next she gives you a well deserved break!

Another Classic

I've opened a can of worms. Now I can't stop looking at all the old pictures I have stored on the computer.   I remember taking this one.  He finally had enough strength to hold a prop sitting position.  We were so excited. Small victories.

Sweet Angel Pumpkin

Given the fact that Cameron's new favorite things to do include: biting, slapping, and pulling hair, it's fun to look back on sweet little pictures like this one.  This was taken in November of 2005 after his very first PT session.  He was completely wiped out. He's come a long way since then!

King Cameron

  Cam's PT brought out these cool steps this week.  As you can see, he loves them!  He immediately climbed up after walking on his parallel bars behind it.  He even figured out that if he spins around, he can go down backwards.   It's so great when we can help him work out on something he loves!

To Infinity...and Beyond!

We put this decal of Buzz Lightyear up after we moved in the new house.  Since we gave his room a space theme, we thought it would be fun.  But yesterday was the first time he was able to stand up to the wall on his own and really "see" it.  I think he's wondering who the heck this guy is.  We should probably buy him the Toy Story DVD. 

His cousin, who is almost two, saw it the other day, and nonchalantly told him, "Hey Buzz." 

Look at Me Climb!

I just realized that I haven't shown any pictures of Cameron climbing over his "steps" on his parallel bars. What started out as a difficult task, is now pretty easy for him.  In fact, now he can climb up to the bars and climb over without any assistance.  He's just a little proud of himself, can you tell?

Cameron's New Move

I wish I had captured it with the camera....Cameron just stood up to the flat surface of the refrigerator, and then he did the same thing against the wall.  This is definitely a first!  He's been pulling up to standing for quite a while, but not up to a flat surface. He usually stands up using furniture, a window ledge, etc.  I'm so proud of him! 

Catch Me If You Can...

I am so proud of Cameron. He is going up the stairs all by himself at least five times a day now!  He can go really fast, and he's even stepping up versus crawling most of the time. All of this is going to help his legs and arms get even stronger.  He's also been doing lots of new stuff with his physical therapist. I need to take some pictures this week so that I can post them!

All By Myself

This morning I couldn't find Cameron. Then I looked up and I saw him smiling down at me from upstairs.  We really need to put up a gate!  If someone had told me, even a few months ago, that Cameron would be climbing up the stairs in July, I would have told them they were crazy. But I love when he proves us wrong! 

Enough with the Camera!

I think Cameron is finally tired of having his picture taken.  Here he was looking a little disgusted with me.  I could back off, but then what would I have to post about on my blog?

Beating the Heat

It has been ridiculously hot here.  We need rain, and lots of it.  I would love to let Cameron climb and play on this Little Tikes Climber, but it has been much too hot and humid.  Oh well, I guess it will seem new to him when and if fall ever rolls around.

My Boys

Cameron isn't really sure what's going on with his dog. He keeps going near the kitchen to watch Buster.  We are obviously keeping them apart for a while.  Cameron is fairly gentle with him, considering he's a three year old boy, but you never know. I would hate for Cameron to accidentally hit him where it hurts. 

Look at Me!

I think I already mentioned  how Cameron has finally figured out how to use this toy. But, now he's really using it all day. It feels so good to see him playing with "in" toys now. He has a bunch of them, but this one is the hardest. He can even do it while standing on his parallel bars (squatting down to pick up the balls).

Here he is, showing off his new skill for Maw Maw (his great-grandmother).  Meme, MawMaw, Mama, and Daddy  were all very impressed (as usual!).

Fun at Granny and PawPaw's

Cameron had a really fun weekend at Granny and PawPaw's. We brought him over on Sunday and he came home on Tuesday afternoon.  He fed crackers to the ducks, rode the riding lawn mower, and played with all of the cool toys at their house - enjoying every minute of it.  Can you tell?

Wordless Wednesday

Time to Trick Mommy...

Cameron's PT brought out these parallel bars about two months ago. Since then, he loves to walk back and forth across them several times a day.  He especially likes it when there are two people (one on each side) to cheer when he makes it across. But, when it's just the two of us, I have to crawl back and forth to catch him (which he finds hilarious).  You can see him playing his little game with me.  He starts coming one way and then decides to turn around and go the other way to "trick mommy".  Little Stinker. 

Naps are Good for Everyone

I've been meaning to post this picture of Cam that I took the other day. He likes to hug something when he falls asleep (like this ball, his train, or a book).  This particular ball is tricky because it plays music and moves by itself. So as soon as his eyes closed, I had to hurry up and turn it off without waking him up. It worked the second time. 

Got Sunscreen?

My sister-in-law is giving me a hard time because of this picture.  Yes, my child is covered in sunscreen.  And yes, the water is cloudy because of it.  But, I just don't want him to burn!  His skin is just like mine...so he's just going to have to be slathered up every time he's in the sun!

This is the Life...

We finally brought out the pool this year (it also makes a great toy box in the house).  As you can see, Cameron really liked it.  For some reason we didn't pull it out last year, but two years ago he wasn't really sure about it. He thought it was an outside bath or something. It's funny to see how much he has changed in two years!

Remember Me?

While I was just looking through some old pictures of Cameron, I came across this one.  I remember this day so clearly. It was two years ago, and it was the first time he pushed up on his arms like this.  It just made me realize how far he has come. 

Cameron has finally started "letting go" to try and stand independently.  He has stood completely by himself for four second stints about five times.  It is so exciting for all of us.  I can't wait to tell his PT tomorrow!

Wordless Wednesday

 

Bicycle Boy

Chris bought Cameron a really cool child bicycle seat that fits in between the adult seat and the handle bars.  It's really cool because it allows the child to sit in the front. Cameron loves it, of course!  He wears his horse riding helmet, and loves every minute of speeding through the neighborhood with Chris and I.  But, his favorite thing is when we park (on the bike) near the busy road by our house.  He absolutely loves watching all the cars, trucks, and if we're lucky, motorcycles go by.  There's only one problem with taking him for bicycle rides...they must come to an end at some point!  As soon as we turn into our driveway, the tears start rolling.  But, I think the fun of riding on the bike outweighs the sadness of when it's time to get off. 

Cameron's New Move

Cameron spent Saturday with his MeMe.  When he returned home that evening, he was ready to show us something new.  If you ask him to "shake n bake" now he'll stick out his fist for a knuckle shake.  This is really surprising, since he doesn't really do a lot with his hands yet. We're still working on waving "bye bye" etc.  But I guess he thinks this is cool.  Whatever the reason, it is something different and fun to do with him.  It's also a great distraction when he's fighting me while I'm trying to feed him. 

Any Motorcycles?

This is Cameron's favorite place.  He absolutely loves watching cars, trucks, school buses, but especially motorcycles!   The noisier they are, the better.  If it wasn't so hot, he'd spend the entire day outside.  Chris even bought us an electric fan that you can attach to the water hose. It shoots out a cool mist.  Thanks Dad. Now I will be able to stay outside a little bit longer.

Fun Stuff

Cameron loves cardboard boxes! Recently, I was changing out some of his toys and putting some away in boxes.  He loved playing with the boxes more than his "new" toys.  But, I know this is how most kids are. My husband's grandmother told me that Chris used to love frozen orange juice cans more than his own toys.  Like father like son. 

Here's a shot of Cameron just waking up from his nap.  I don't think I could get his hair to do that again if I tried. He likes to play a little game, pretending to still be asleep. But, as you can see, his smile makes it pretty obvious that he's really awake. 

Playing Outside

Cameron and I have really been enjoying the beautiful spring weather.  He loves his new climber that he received from his grandparents (especially the lookout telescope)!  He has started scaling down the side of it and getting on the slide head first. 

Here he is just enjoying the breezy weather and watching Buster chase the mockingbirds out of the yard - as usual.

Cameron Update

Cameron had a major workout this morning with his new PT. She is just wonderful.  I wanted to take a shot of him in his newly modified walker (no more forearm troughs!) but he is too tired out for that at the moment.  He walked a few houses down in the street with it and didn't mind that it was much more difficult.  I'm so proud of him!

Cameron's Latest Obsession

Cameron does not really enjoy brushing his teeth. He generally fights the whole process. He knows that if he keeps coughing, Mommy will stop so that he won't throw up.  But, if I can distract him with a song I can usually get in his mouth pretty well.  Last night "B-I-N-G-O" was a real hit.  He loves the whole song.  It's working to settle him down with everything from brushing his teeth to eating.  But it's funny, when I try to change the lyrics to "Buster" or "Cameron was his Name-O" he looks at me with disgust. Let's stick to the real thing Mom...

New Therapist

Well, we met Cameron's new PT last week, and she'll be starting working with him on Friday.  We are sad to have lost our other therapists, but we're also exciting to get to work with someone new.  She'll be making home visits, so we're really thrilled about that.  At three years old Cameron is now eligible for the public school preschool program for children with disabilities, but we are not ready to send him to school yet.  In a few years we might change our minds.

Who's in Charge Here?

Cameron is three years old, and has simultaneously reached his "Terrible Twos".  Yesterday he wouldn't even let me feed him. He batted at his spoon and practically dumped out his bowls all over the floor.  But when his Granny tried to feed him, he opened up like a little bird.   I think there is a word for this....manipulation!  I can only imagine what will be in store for me today.....

Cameron is Turning Three

I can't believe Cameron is already three years old.  He's getting so strong, and exceeding all his doctors' expectations.  He goes all over the house in his walker, and is feeling much more independent because of it. He truly is our miracle boy.

Here he is with my mom.  I just love this picture, even though it's a little dark.  He certainly loves his MeMe! 

Play Doh Rocks!

Cameron loves Play Doh now.  I don't know why we never thought about buying him any before.  Just one whiff of the stuff and it takes you right back to being a four year old.  Honestly, I'm having fun with it too.  My biggest problem is keeping Cameron from trying to feed it to Buster.