Laura, Luis, Camilo & Ellie

Ellie Milan

2011-05-19T17:55:00.009-04:00

Ellie is finally here! She was a big 9lb-er, with lots of hair! She's been a sweet girl, sleeping and eating well, but with a hint of diva who must be held during the day, preferably by mama.

Camilo loves his baby Ellie.

I'm not so sure these two will look alike afterall... Camilo has my long forehead, but Ellie doesn't. Maybe Ellie will keep her dark hair? Only time will tell! The top photo is Camilo (in blue), the bottom Ellie, obviously.

Ellie

2011-02-26T14:15:00.008-05:00

Here's to our first post starring baby Ellie... We had a 3D ultrasound today to see our little girl, and here are a couple of shots from that session.

In the bottom right, she's giving us a thumbs up... Well actually she appeared to be trying to suck on any part of her hand/arm she could. I'm hypothesizing that we'll have another thumb sucker.

Here's Camilo at a few days old, I think Ellie is going to look just like he did! The ultrasound also showed lots of hair on that little head, already. Hmm, wonder what ~8wks of more hair growth is going to look like?!

And, finally, we got confirmation that she really is a girl. Finally. So, now to debut the more feminine version of Camilo's old room...

Camilo seems mostly excited about his new baby sister and tells those who inquire about Ellie "Not yet!".

I'll be lucky if I can continue to feel as good as I do for another 8 weeks, or however long Ellie decides to keep baking. But, we sure are anxious to meet her!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T17:58:00.009-05:00

Christmas was a lot of fun this year because Camilo understood the concept of Santa and Baby Jesus. He learned several Christmas songs at school which was very amusing. He's a little shy about singing, but would randomly sing songs with the radio or just because. He told us over and over about giving his racecar to baby Jesus- a toy drive program they had at school, and he'd been asking for a garbage truck from Santa for about a month. He got his wish and more, and as it turns out Buzz Lightyear was also a big hit.

Here's a shot of baby girl, a little more than half baked. Camilo's really getting used to the idea of a baby sister and seems excited. I think he'll be a great big brother and hopefully a little helpful at times!

Happy new year!! We're excited for the what the new year holds as we become a family of four!

San Fran

2010-12-14T16:58:00.011-05:00

We recently went on a mini-vaca to San Fran. It was cold and rainy the whole time, but we saw a lot and had a great time. The boys managed to have some type of 24-hr illness, but they were up for all the tourism anyway! We even got to see some friends, but didn't take many pictures during those excursions!

Japanese Tea Garden @ Golden Gate Park.

Lombard Street!

The cable car museum. Camilo loved riding all his favorite transportation modes-- plane, train, boat, bus, taxi, and cable car!

Watching the sea lions at Pier 39.

Alcatraz!

Waiting for the ferry to Alcatraz!

'Tis the Season

2010-12-08T21:23:00.003-05:00

Camilo has really gotten into this Christmas season. He is always on the look-out for 'mismas yights', he sent a 'yetter' to santa asking for a garbage truck, and occassionally proclaims "ho ho ho, merry mismas!" This year, we put a tree in his room, which he seems to really love.

Dancing around in front of the tree. I don't know how many times I've had to insist that he stop pulling ornaments off the tree!

Showing lovey his very own tree in his room.

More 'mismas' pics to come as we visit santa and I find the pics from the Christmas celebration at his school from a week or so ago. Also, stay tuned for pics from our San Fran adventure!

Dewberry Farm

2010-10-17T17:01:00.004-04:00

Yeah, I haven't posted in a while... I haven't felt like it, how's that for an excuse. We haven't been very good about taking pictures, but we did take some when we went to a pumpkin farm recently. It's hard to get into the fall spirit when it's still 90+ degrees. No apple cider or hot chocolate 'round here. We had snowcones and 10 bottles of water instead to manage the heat-- hence the poor guy dripping in sweat in every picture.

Here's a random one of the little Picasso.

More pictures to come this fall, promise.

Beach Baby

2010-07-31T12:31:00.005-04:00

Last week was our annual beach voyage. This year we went to Destin, FL. For the last couple month's we've worried that we'd be swimming in black/brown goo, but there was no oil-- lots of clean up crews, but I saw no oil or tar balls. Good news, for our beach baby. C loves the beach now (and has always loved the pool) and is really improving at swimming. He'll let go of the wall, put his head in and kick and squirm. It's really an insult to put swimmies on the kid. We only took about 20 pics and most are terrible, but here are a couple...

:

N & R's Wedding

2010-07-03T13:40:00.004-04:00

Last week we went to Atlanta to a beautiful wedding of great friends. While there, we got to see some other family and friends in the area. Michele spoiled Camilo with a new toy...

This is the bride, Reena, at the wedding reception. Beautiful!!

I thought C would like the dancing at the garba and reception, as he's been a crazy dancer in the past, but to my disappointment he just kept asking "ready to go, mommy?"

C is very cute these days and will often proclaim "i'm happy!", or say "mommy, i missed you", or beg for a nap "i want nigh-night". He has some other favorites like "ayudame!" (help me) or "i want hartoons!" we're trying to get a video of his singing. he's still shy about singing, but we've gotten him to sing about dora and boots, soccer balls, and choo choo trains. it's so funny!

Where's Camilo?

2010-05-24T22:11:00.003-04:00

I know it's been almost 2 months since I posted anything on the blog, but it's peak season to enjoy the outdoors 'round these parts. Another couple weeks, and it'll be too hot to go out, so I'll be back on the blog! These days, our comedian never fails to get some laughs.

Playing hide and seek (and seriously thinking this was a good spot)...

Camilo quotes of the week:

I not yike it bath.

I want swimming agua.

no sank. (no thanks)

agua in my nose. (at the pool)

porfleece (por favor/please)

i want ice cweam (about 10 times a day)

song pwease.

i want nigh nigh. (yes, this kid asks to take his daily nap- how'd we get so lucky?)

fi fighta (any truck with lights)

hartoons?

and yes, he's still calling trucks fucks

Here comes peter cottontail.....

2010-04-03T12:33:00.005-04:00

Today was the annual easter egg hunt in the n'hood. Camilo scored lots of loot, half of which I think he ate during the hunt.

Giving the easter bunny candy, how kind.

Camilo's 2nd Birthday

2010-03-30T22:47:00.004-04:00

Over the weekend we celebrated Camilo's 2nd birthday, which was actually Monday. We had a moonwalk and invited the neighborhood kids over. Luckily, the moonwalk arrived a day early so we got it ALL weekend! What a great weekend! At 2 yrs., our big boy is 28lbs and 37in.

Here he is trying not to smile! But, he loves his new bike!

At first, he was more excited about the balloons than the moonwalk!
We've had about three days of sugar overload.

Camilo is such a sweet and calm little boy, and we're so lucky to have the privilege of having him in our lives. Happy Birthday, Camilo!

Almost two!

2010-03-07T22:00:00.005-05:00

Camilo's only a few weeks from being two. We've certainly been busy as he is very independent and curious. He will get in the pantry and pull out snacks, open the fridge, open the door and let himself outside, get in all cabinets and drawers and imitate what we do with whatever he finds (lock up the scissors, razors and knives!!)

His vocabulary is expanding daily. We've long since lost count of his words, and he's moved up to short phrases like 'help me please' and 'i want coke' (he's not necessarily successful with such requests). A few favorites: "firefuck", not to be confused with fire truck. "Honey", what he calls his friend, Caroline (her twin brother is Kenny and Honey = his attempt at Kenny, but he has their names confused). "Muk" = milk. "Apane" = airplane. "kak kak" = Duck. Many more.

Camilo is pretty well potty trained, just wearing a diaper at night. Of course we do have accidents from time to time, but of course we're quite pleased to be done with diapers before the 2yr mark.

He loves playdoh and coloring (especially with markers, the messier the better, right?) He loves reading books and is often flipping through books when I pick him up from school. He loves Dora and Diego, Special Agent Oso, Mickey Mouse, and anything and everything trucks, airplanes, cars and trains. He hates having his teeth brushed and going to bed.

On to the pictures... still haven't been taking many lately. Here are a couple from the rodeo, didn't get many good ones:

Last year, he loved petting all the animals, but this year was very scared and insisted that I hold him...

Funny guy with his combover:

Loves his daddy and doing whatever daddy is doing:

Big boy.

2010-02-18T21:14:00.007-05:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it's been a while. I could make a million excuses, but I'll refrain. I really haven't taken any pictures in a while. That could warrant some more excuses, but again, I'll refrain.

We all passed around pneumonia, but once we were all emphysema free, we spent a couple weekends working on a new room for our big boy. We don't really love furniture shopping, but are glad to have a room C can grow into. I even painted four pictures to go over his bed. Yes, ME, I did art. For all you who think I'm just the analytical, nerdy engineer type, think again!

See my art??

Camilo loves his room, but is on bedtime boycott. When we tell him good night he promptly pleas "eat, eat? pee pee? poot poot!?" (poot = poop) He pulls out all his excuses to stall bedtime. I think it's pretty sharp for a little guy. But, mom and pops know better.

We are enjoying the trials of toddlerhood. We are making solid progress on potty training. Last weekend he did 100% of all his duties (the solid and liquid variety) in the toilet. He'll even stay dry through the night sometimes. We also have occasional tantrums, and below, see both. Underoos and a tantrum.

Colombia Part III: Family

2010-01-04T21:08:00.007-05:00

Now for the real reason we went to Colombia, family....

Abuela and Camilo playing with his new train.

Abuelo singing Hotel California as cousins display their instrumental skills!

Camilo's favorite activity in Colombia was playing in Abuelo's truck.

In Bogota with Lufy, JuanK, and Andreita.

Luis' 10 yr high school reunion.

Abuelo's sisters and families...

This is the final edition of the Colombia series! Until next time.....

Colombia Part II: Random Shots

2010-01-04T17:38:00.017-05:00

Warning: This section is random.

This is the airport. The mountains are amazing. Correction: This is an active volcano, not just any old mountain! It erupted the day we arrived back in the US!

This is a funeral crossing the highway.

Photos don't do these enormous mountains justice.

Move over tickle me elmo, chiva buses were the hot toy this year!

These crazy, poor children pull a rope across the road to make you stop your car and then swarm the car begging for money.

In celebration of the new year, people burn dolls (ano viejos) to say good bye to the past year's regrets. A little wierd, maybe worrisome to see burning bodies up and down the streets?! The neighbors look on in satisfaction...

Camilo riding the train at Happy City.

Parts of the floats for the Carnival parade and celebration. We left before the Carnival...

Who needs a baby bjorn when you have a pillow case. Ok that's mean, but just a fun shot of the natives (no really, like native indians) going to Las Lajas.

Adorned llamas.

This is my National Geographic masterpiece. Just some random kids on the countryside. Seriously, click on this photo to expand it, it's awesome!

More Happy City.

Colombia Part I: Tourist Adventures

2010-01-04T17:07:00.012-05:00

We went on a few day trips while in Colombia. Here's a peek...

This is La Cocha, a lake, pretty scenery, and the city's water reservoir and local trout source.

We went down to the lake and had fresh trout for lunch at a little restaurant in the village.

Another day we went to Ecuador and a historic church, Las Lajas, near the Ecuador border.

The border city in Ecuador- Tulcan... just before the car broke down. Yep, hours from home in a very poor little town, and the car broke down. But, Lucho Libre saved the day and found a mechanic to work some magic while we dined in the not so lovely Tulcan.

The market in Tulcan.

This is Las Lajas. Miracles are believed to happen for visitors of this church. It's a miracle I made it back up the mtn at almost 9000ft and no oxygen.

This is from the lookout, far above the site. No, of course we didn't hike from here. Lufy and Lucho came with us. Fun times.

Baptism

2010-01-03T22:42:00.007-05:00

Camilo was baptized Dec 26, while we were in Colombia. Luis' mom arranged a fabulous party, and the whole event turned out great!

He slept through the service. Poor guy can't miss a nap.

Abuelo and Godfather Lucho held him for the baptism. He didn't mind the water.

Here's some of the group who attended.

Here's Camilo watching the band at the post-baptism party...

The photos don't do it justice. It was a great party!!

He had a great time dancing, as usual...
He enjoyed socializing with the other little ones at the kids table.

Thanks Abuela, what a great celebration of Camilo's baptism!

Ho Ho Ho!

2010-01-03T22:27:00.005-05:00

Somehow Santa knew to come to two places on two different days. What a smart guy.
When Camilo sees a santa he says ho ho ho.

Here's Christmas #1 in Houston:

Cars were definitely the theme this year, and his favorite things these days...

Here's Christmas #2 in Colombia:

The Zoo

2009-12-21T16:37:00.005-05:00

We went to the zoo today with all our cul de sac neighbors... Camilo loved it and was very interested in looking at the animals. He walked most of the day, and did very well running along from exhibit to exhibit!

Look mom! Giraffes!

I don't remember what exhibit this was, but obviously it was very intriguing!

Always copying the big boys...

All the buddies. Of course we couldn't actually get them to sit there and pose for the picture. That would be too much to ask.

The T-giving Wrap-up

2009-11-29T22:37:00.005-05:00

We got to share a great Thanksgiving with Abuelo! Thanks for coming to visit! Lots of eating, shopping and hanging out with family and friends! Not the best picture, but the best we got!

I think he's looking so old these days! Maybe it's the preppy digs...

Reading and looking at pictures with abuelo!

We went with friends to do our holiday photos. We had a good time, and I'm thinking they're gonna come out great! Here's a sneak preview. Such the little model...

Also, Camilo got a new big boy bed this weekend... no toddler bed, but a really real bed! Last night he wasn't so sure about it... keeping my fingers crossed for a better night tonight since he's been in a toddler bed with no prob for a while. He's a little confused about the positioning--his way is head under the covers, feet on the pillow.

Camilo's Jibberish

2009-11-08T21:01:00.004-05:00

Camilo's really been spitting out a lot of new words in the last couple weeks...
Here's some of the vocab:
outside
bubbles
go
shoes
baby
me (while pointing at himself)
unry (hungry)
eat
dee (read)
ball
oh no
agua
cookie
ma (mas or more)
ot (hot)
out
nay (snack)
uh oh
mama
wuvey (lovey, his dear sweet little blanket)
bee bee (beep beep, while making a hand motion to beep a horn!)
dog
tee-tee (choo choo, what he calls a train)
elmo
hi
bye

I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can think of... I'm wondering when he'll figure out that Luis and I are not both mama. He even points at a daddy in a book and says mama. I say daddy and he responds mama. He stands at the top of the stairs (with me nearby) after baths and yells mama! waiting for Luis to come give him a kiss. hmm, how are we going to fix that...

I'm behind on uploading photos, but here are some videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSONDSb1KK4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExVHvqssgOg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h86mrY95XAM

Fabulous Fall

2009-10-25T22:13:00.006-04:00

We recently visited a pumpkin patch. Camilo really enjoyed it, though getting good pictures was a challenge!

Camilo still loves playing in the backyard. Luckily the weather's been great for playing outdoors!

We went to an outdoor concert recently with friends/neighbors. The babies had fun wandering in the grass!

Outdoorsman

2009-09-20T15:28:00.003-04:00

It's been a while, so here's the update... Camilo is really enjoying school these days and is typically not sad about being left at school. He's learning a lot there! My favorite Camilo trick these days is blowing kisses. He's saying quite a few words now like: hi, bye bye, up, outside, agua, mas, more, dog, go, and a few others. He will repeat many more, but probably not with understanding of what the word is. He understands a lot of what we say- in fact he understands more things than he doesn't. I guess we'll have to start spelling things we don't want him to hear!

They are doing potty training at school with him since he is very interested in it. Progress is mediocre, but I guess that's to be expected at 17mo. He is still very much an outdoors kid, spending most of his time at home outside-- luckily it's starting to cool off! Another favorite is reading books-- he gets so excited when I ask him if he wants to read-- hard for me to believe being the literature hater that I am.

Here's blondie, blonder than ever, coming in for a drink!

Our latest backyard attraction, one of our craigslist steals!

Oops..

2009-09-18T23:54:00.001-04:00

I guess it's been a while, huh? Well, not only have I not updated the blog, but I've also not really taken many pictures lately which would make for a boring update. BUT, we have a great video that I'm waiting for luis to load...

stay tuned....

Sunset Beach 09

2009-08-10T21:35:00.004-04:00

We just got back from an awesome beach vacation with the fam. Cam's favorite beach activity was for someone to hold him while standing in the waves (he didn't really want to be in the water but liked watching the waves). His second fav activity was throwing sand... we gotta work on that.

This is him rattling the gate begging to get on the swings ride at the amusement park.

I'm sure he's plotting his next sand attack....
Thanks aunt Kath and co. for inviting us. We had a great time!

Lots of firsts!

2009-07-19T10:22:00.003-04:00

Camilo got to go to his first baseball game this month when some wonderful friends came to visit from VA! Cam would clap everytime the crowd clapped or cheered!

Thanks for coming, guys!

Unfortunately, Cam was sick for the first time recently (in the middle of summer??). Poor thing. However on a better note, he will be attending school for the first time this week! Yay! Daddy got a job, so Cam is off to the world of academia! Since it's montessori, the adjustment might be interesting-- from standing-up diaper changes, to drinking from a cup (the non-sippy variety), to napping on a mat, this boy's got a lot to adjust to!

He has no idea what's coming this week... The sweet boy enjoying being prince of the compound. I wish those teachers luck!

4th of July 2009

2009-07-10T07:42:00.006-04:00

4th of July

Camilo got to enjoy his first 4th of July parade with us. Thanks to Laura who found a parade and a carnival with a petting zoo, moon walks, snow-cones, watermelon, hot dogs, and cheeseburgers, Camilo enjoyed the morning to the fullest. In the evening we went to Katy Mills (Katy is a suburb in the West side - Katy Mills is a shopping mall/shopping area) and enjoyed some fireworks. This was Camilo's second time experiencing fireworks, but I think it was his first time actually enjoying the bright colors and the spectacle of the night.

Before the parade started.

Camilo was so excited to be an American!

The fam with a Houston Fire Truck.
(Thanks for taking the picture Mr. Fireman)

Camilo dancing to some TX country tunes!

Trying to feed the Pony some candy

Really tired after the parade.

Fireworks
Camilo and Skylar were so excited to see the fireworks show in Katy, TX

He's now learned how to get on and off his stroller.

This was his reaction to the fireworks, at one point he had his mouth wide open and you could tell he was in awe!

Camilo and Daddy's trip to Colombia

2009-07-07T14:58:00.004-04:00

This is a short video about how much Camilo is loved in South America.
He was treated like a true rock-star.
Enjoy!

1.25 yrs old!

2009-06-30T21:07:00.009-04:00

I think I'll switch from monthly updates to quarterly, seeing as it's been about three months since I did one. Lil fella is now 15 months old, 34in tall, 22lbs. That would be super tall and pretty skinny. He can eat with a fork all by himself, says mommy, daddy, and dog. He has a few other words, but they aren't clear. He loves to play hide and seek, and especially loves it just after his bath while still naked. He also loves to dance, run wild outside, climb at the playground, flip through books, and 'swim' in the pool. He will get a book and then plop down in my lap for me to read the book. Just melts my heart! He also comes running for a hug when I come home from work. 15 months is such a great age!

Here's our little tarzan. If he never came inside, he wouldn't mind.

Luis and Camilo went to Colombia in June. Cam's first international escapade....

(the fam)

Luis' childhood friends...

Camilo with his great-grandmother (and semi-uncle, Lufy)...

As the only grandchild, I'm sure he wasn't spoiled at all....

Isn't he just precious?

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T11:39:00.005-04:00

Camilo wanted to say this, but couldn't get it out... Thanks, Daddy, for all you do for me. I love you.

Thanks for being such a great dad to our son! I love you!

A boy and his dog

2009-05-29T21:26:00.005-04:00

Wanna play?

Ready? Set.Go!

Time for dinner, let's go in...

Daddy Turns 28 - part deux

2009-05-28T11:25:00.002-04:00

My birthday crew!
Thanks for Coming out.... and Thanks to my lovely wife for planning dinner with my friends.

One of my favorite foods in the world!

The one and only... "El dienton"

Daddy Turns 28

2009-05-28T11:07:00.004-04:00

Ted and Ileana came out!

Sean and Sarah also came out!

Rattan bought me some Creme Brule

Laura bought me some Sake!

And also made me look very good! Thank you love (Laura)

More Randoms

2009-05-24T00:07:00.004-04:00

Ok, this is the last of my random posts for the day.

Uncle Lufy is visiting, and the fellas enjoyed TX bbq on Fri.

This is one of my favorite expressions. Raised eyebrows as if he's asking "what?!?"
"So I felt like wearing mardi gras beads while i eat my ice cream sandwich, got a problem with that??"

Marvelous May!

2009-05-23T23:39:00.007-04:00

I've been really lazy on the posts, but finally transferred photos. So here are some randoms...

Cam's figured out how to traverse the baby gate.

1. Push the gate over.

2. Climb it like a ladder

3. Giggle.

4. Climb Forrest, climb!

(not sure where his shorts are??)

A recent trip to the pool.

Ted being that guy trying to ruin the photo.

Loves the jets.

Our next door neighbors' kid, Riley, turned 3 and invited Camilo to the party. Here's his first pinata experience. Notice the bully in the blue crocs pointing and laughing at my poor baby. Cam, don't worry, in like two years you'll be able to take him.

Table Manners

2009-05-23T23:26:00.004-04:00

Camilo's recently gotten really picky about how he eats-- who feeds him, with a fork or without, etc. Tonight was one of those nights when he was determined to feed himself with a fork. I'm actually pretty impressed that he can do it, he just needs assistance getting the food on the fork, then he takes over...

Still as messy as ever....

Trying so hard to do it by himself!

Camilo's Birthday Cupcake eating skills and more!

2009-05-15T19:53:00.005-04:00

Camilo on his 1st Birthday, riding his car, and testing daddy's strength!

Sunday Swim

2009-04-26T17:46:00.003-04:00

Just a lazy Sunday afternoon...

Here's Cam after hugging Skylar, who'd been snoozing poolside. Sky didn't want anything to do with the pool. One of these days I'll get a picture of him actually giving someone a hug- it's adorable!

Our friends Lorena and Piettro gave Cam this pool for his birthday. He loves it!

Whatchu lookin at?

Galveston Beach

2009-04-26T11:46:00.009-04:00

Since we haven't posted in a while, this one will be a random compilation of things!

This past weekend, while Camilo's aunt Michele was here, we went to the beach in Galveston. No white sands or clear water, but Camilo LOVED it. It was his first beach experience, so we took plenty of pictures:

Cam has learned a lot of new things lately and is mimicing us a lot more. He can repeat some things we say, like 'no', 'lovey' (more like owie), and 'daddy'. He's learned to turn on music on his 'boombox' toy and then dance, and he also flips open flip-phones and babbles.

Doing a little cooking in his kitchen and chatting on his phone...
Standing on his 'car', sitting is boring...

Camilo's First Birthday!

2009-03-31T22:47:00.015-04:00

I'm a firm believer that first birthdays are all about moms and dads, not so much the baby/toddler, seeing as they don't really get it anyway. So, while I thought a LOT all week about where we were a year earlier (seriously, like a play by play "what was I doing now, a year ago"), we decided to keep it low key. It was perfect. I'm truly thankful that at 1 year we have such a beautiful, happy, thriving toddler!

Camilo, since you won't remember your first birthday, I'll tell you a little about it...

Daddy and I made these cupcakes with lots of love (and they were really good-- I'd know seeing as I ate at least ten)

In the morning we went to the park to play, which is currently one of your favorite things to do.

And we took some pictures, which is not your favorite thing to do...

But you were a good sport...

You ate your cupcake with such manners, for a baby, you really did.
You played with your new birthday toys, including your wagon from Aunt K, Uncle S, M & S, that you've already had a little time to break in...

And your new airplane and basketball from me and daddy...

You even got a bubble bath instead of the usual boring bath. Geez, mom sure does know how to make a birthday fun, huh?! Ha!

So here are the baby book stats for one year. Cam has 8 whole teeth and parts of two premolars sticking through. This past week we said good bye to bottles and formula. Cam walks more often now and is gaining confidence in walking! He makes these crazy noises like I'd imagine a terradactyl (picture below, in case you don't remember) would, thus I call him my little terradactyl. He's also expanding his consonant sounds and has been saying dada a lot, but I'm still not convinced he associates it with Luis. He eats all regular food, no more baby food- not even the gerber grads-- he isn't havin it! He's out growing his size 5 shoes, still in 9mo. shorts (poor skinny baby), 24mo onesies for length! I think he's about 33in, 21lbs (I'll update those numbers tomorrow after the dr. appt).

Farm Reunion II

2009-03-25T22:44:00.013-04:00

We had an increadible time with everyone at the annual reunion. We even had a b-day party for Cam. Thanks to the babies for hanging in there for a little party action! Here are some pics of Cam playing with all his new friends:

Waving bye as they leave for Kroger, according to K.

This face pretty much describes the weekend (that would be his biggest grin)!

Silly daddy.

Little buddy eating his first cupcake at his 'party'.

His party 'guests' minus Baby R and K. It's amazingly difficult to keep 5 babies and a 3yr old on a blanket for even 3 seconds!

Checking out Todd's fish!

All the babies (and big boy)! It's been a busy year!

Giving H a ride!

1 second of sharing? Cam's favorite activity of the weekend was stealing the babies' pacifiers (and just holding them- since he doesn't use them).

Teaching Baby A 'Simon Says'

Just chatting about the weather...

Ready to party!

That's the group! Sadly we were missing a couple of our favorite girls who couldn't make it.

New Tricks

2009-03-15T16:47:00.003-04:00

Camilo now walks unassisted and claps.

Yee Haw

2009-03-15T15:37:00.008-04:00

While I'm not a fan of rodeos or country music, we did go to the rodeo this week for Camilo to see the livestock. Plus, being new to the area I felt like it was our duty to give one of the area's top events a chance! We did have a good time and dodged hoof and mouth disease ;)

Just a walk in the park....

2009-03-15T15:14:00.006-04:00

Camilo loves the park, and as he gets more and more mobile and steady on his feet, he gets more daring. Here's a look at some recent park play.

11 Months!

2009-03-01T22:29:00.006-05:00

I'm sad thinking about the fact that our little prince will be turning a year old this month. Of course we are thrilled that he is a growing, learning, thriving little boy, but I miss and will miss the quiet, still little infant I'd gaze at as he slept in my arms.... So anyway....

Here he is at 11 months!

Doesn't that look uncomfortable? That's how he plays most of the time!

So in the last month, he's learned a couple new tricks that are pretty annoying. He's figured out that when he doesn't like a food that's in his mouth, he can put his hand in and pull out whatever it is (and throw it on the floor). Of course, half the time, it's stuff that he DID like a couple days ago. Annoying trick #2 reminds me that we are definitely headed toward toddlerhood. When we take something away or tell him no, he first tries to grab it back (with an attitude) and then throws himself on the floor and squeals the loudest, most high pitched squeal you could imagine. All we need is kicking feet and we will have a full blown 2yr old temper tantrum (see below, however these pictures don't do it justice-- the sound effects are crucial).

On the other hand, he does have a few fun tricks, too. He can pucker his lips and kiss, making kissing noises. He can also walk while holding someone's hand. I don't know when he'll decide to walk on his own. I thought he would have by now since he's crawled for over 5 months now, but I guess when he's ready.... Still 8 teeth, about 21lbs, 32in. He loves riding in his new wagon, swimming (yes kicking his legs and arms) in the tub, and playing in the dirt and grass outside.

Clemson fans only.

2009-03-01T22:19:00.002-05:00

Luis surprised me with this last week, which of course I thought was awesome. Most houses in the city have their number marked on the curb, but ours was worn to the point it was illegible. Many of our neighbors have their unique (or not so unique) UT longhorns logo, TX flag, etc. I think this is the first Clemson marker. Woohoo!

Everyday stuff...

2009-02-16T22:23:00.005-05:00

Here are some recent pictures that I thought were cute, just usual everyday happenin's...

Reunion!

2009-02-16T22:05:00.006-05:00

We had a wonderful time with the fam this past weekend. I'm still honored that they came half way across the country to see us! I actually made sure to get pictures with everyone.

Meeting Mr. Sam Houston:

They were sooo generous and gave Camilo this awesome wagon for his birthday, a little early, but aunt k got to take him for his first ride, which he slept through. Guess that means he loves it!

All the cousins!
The crew, minus a few animals in NC!

Thank you again for coming, we had a great time! See ya'll soon!

Laura gets kicked by Camilo

2009-02-11T11:14:00.008-05:00

Camilo has a blast kicking Mami in the face!
The whole shot took 1.5 seconds

Our new camera rocks. Here is Laura swinging Camilo and getting kicked in the face.

Camilo stands!

2009-02-01T22:28:00.003-05:00

Today, I finally got a picture of Camilo standing. Clearly he inherited my nerdy tendancies, since he was thrilled to get to hold my engineering calculator and ruler.

This is one of our first shots with the new camera, it's amazingly better than our previous. Lots more new and improved photos to come!

10 Months!

2009-01-29T22:11:00.006-05:00

The 29th marks another month passed... 10 months old today. Camilo is getting into more and more trouble every day. He has now learned how to step on things to reach table tops and such. Tonight he stepped on the trash can he'd turned over to reach Luis' computer on the desk. Camilo is also cruising freely and crossing gaps in furniture. He will stand alone without support, but is still somewhat nervous to do so. I really thought he'd walk by now since he's crawled for over 4 months now, but I guess he's content on all 4. Here he is after sneaking under the chair to get in skylar's bed... every day he does this and giggles-- and then smells like a stinky dog.

He's regularly eating what we eat for dinner. I didn't expect him to be a big fan of chicken, steak, pork, etc- but he eats all that better than anything else we give him. Really, he's not too picky. I'm excited to move away from formula in 2 months! (Here are the fellas riding the train at the Kemah boardwalk-- this whole place was under water during Ike)

Camilo has learned a few new tricks like snorting, coughing, and other noises. He's maybe getting close to clapping, but he actually gets mad if we try to clap his hands. He has started intentionally puting things in places (yeah, I know that requires explanation). He will put his toys in a basket after his bath if I hold the basket for him. Or, he'll carefully place toys on shelves or ledges with intention (in the recent past he just threw things everywhere and never noticed where he left them). Perhaps that's one of those less obvious milestones that only a parent in this stage would notice! I got him this kitchen at a yard sale for a few bucks. Who says kitchens are for girls?!

He's still got 7.02 teeth... maybe the 8th will fully appear soon. He screams the same piercing scream as getting shots when I brush his teeth. It's totally ridiculous, but I know I'm not hurting him because he starts it before the toothbrush ever touches him.... Man we are in for trouble with dental hygiene with this kid.

This month, Camilo got to visit with his abuelo. We had a great visit with him and are so thankful he made it out to see us.

Camilo's first ride

2009-01-18T13:19:00.004-05:00

Camilo enjoyed the awesome Texas 'winter' weather and rode his bike. Thanks Morgan and Sophie for sharing your bike with Camilo.

Mr. Mischevious

2009-01-13T19:08:00.005-05:00

A friend was over and I wasn't really paying Camilo attention because I could hear him from 10 ft. away and knew he couldn't get into too much... I returned to this-- actually even more toilet paper, Lorena had already started picking it up!

In his adorable bear hat!

Look what I found!

2009-01-11T11:50:00.000-05:00

A long time ago Vivek Patel sent me these pics.

3/4 the way to a year!

2008-12-29T23:11:00.005-05:00

The 29th marks yet another month passed. Camilo is nine months old today. We went to the dr. for the first time here in TX today. He's 31in long and 19lbs-- super extraordinarily tall (who'd have guessed?), and really skinny. We're proud to report a happy, healthy baby!
So in the last month, Camilo's gotten more teeth to bring us to a grand total of 5.02 teeth. He's moved on to finger foods-- like tonight he had beef chunks (tiny of course), peas, carrot chunks, apple, and bread. He's a HUGE fan of cheerios. He learned to wave bye-bye, learned to stand without support, and blabbers all the time. For Christmas he got a toy that he can walk behind and push, that he's now mastered (video below was an early attempt!) We think this month he will walk.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T16:39:00.006-05:00

Camilo gives Christmas an enthusiastic thumbs up!

The first few pictures in the slide show are from a party we went to on Christmas Eve. It was a great party and we really enjoyed ourselves--and didn't get home until 3:30AM. It's been a while since we've stayed out that late! The rest of the pictures are from Christmas morning. Camilo may not know who Santa is or why he has a lot of new toys, but he KNOWS new toys. He has smiled, giggled, and moved from toy to toy playing all day. It's been a super day and I'm really looking forward to all our Christmases to come with Camilo.

Waiting for Santa...

2008-12-23T12:38:00.015-05:00

Here are a couple weeks in review...

Camilo loved the cake and candles for my birthday.

We had a water pipe break in the house, and had to shut off the water, so Camilo bathed in a tote one night... one of those times that parents find really annoying, but kids think is fantastic because it's something new and fun.......

Camilo met a new friend who is just a few months older. I love watching babies play together!We had a friendly cookie decorating competition. Next year Camilo can join us.The santa was one of mine, the rainbow flag stocking- Luis.Camilo's abuela sent some money for Christmas gifts, one of which was these new kicks. It's seriously 75-80 degrees some days... so we can still play outside in shorts.
Luis and I just went on our first real date since March without Camilo. Long overdue, right? Well, we've been so busy with moving, and we had to scope out the babysitter prospects! Our next door neighbor babysat, he's great!
And when we got home, he was snoozing. Whew! A successful night out!
Just a little midday modeling...

Bye Bye

2008-12-11T22:52:00.003-05:00

Camilo did his first bye bye wave for me at lunch today. I was sooo proud. Now he will do it on command at any time, like... at dinner:We went to a kids' winter festival tonight. The live reindeer, real snow, and other attractions were entertaining to Luis and I, but Camilo's really too little to enjoy it! His coat from aunt kathy is nothing short of handsome. (looking at the kids throwing snow balls)

Skylar: "What is it doing? Please tell it to leave me alone."

Movin on up...

2008-12-06T23:52:00.009-05:00

Camilo took his last ride in his infant car seat today. His shoulders are about two inches above the highest shoulder strap settings, so we are moving on up to the big boy car seat. Now, just a few more months and he can face forward!

Camilo's taking on some new big boy chores too... Arranging shoes: ...vacuuming:
...laundry:
Yes, I set him up for pictures in the back yard again. I had to take advantage of Camilo in his Christmas outfit (we went to see a different santa that allowed sky to join the fun).

8 (months) is great!

2008-11-30T00:31:00.009-05:00

Camilo turned 8 months old this week. 7 months has been a really fun age, full of firsts. Camilo now has 4 teeth (middle two on top and bottom). He's been experimenting with biting and teeth grinding. He's now cruising a little, but is still cautious. He's kinda boycotting his toys and is more interested in everything electronic and shoes (he's worse than a dog about chewing on shoes). He's practicing his language skills more, saying mamamama a lot. Of course I'm convinced that he is purposely calling for me. This week he got to go see his first fireworks at the Christmas lights lighting at the Galleria (he was asleep long before them on July 4). He went to the zoo for the first time and experienced his first Thanksgiving. He has his first neighborhood playmate (Riley, next door) who has named him Do-Do (like doe doe)-- he's 2 and can't say Camilo. How he got Do-Do, I'm not sure. Finally, Cami's 19lbs and 30in. Maybe this month he'll learn to walk??

Doing his best mummy impression:

Cami's first thanksgiving dinner. It was such a great day, and we enjoyed all the food too!

Here's the little ankle bitter on the end table.

He was so thrilled about the monkeys at the zoo that he didn't want to smile for the picture.

Showing off his 4 pearlies. Abuela says she is paying $20 each... move over tooth fairy, there's a new gig in town.

This face is the face of, "I'm grinding my new fancy teeth". Also notice his lovey (that our friend Amy gave him) which he has become VERY attached to. We've been pretty successful at limiting lovey to naps and night time-- hopefully it stays that way!
Look at my sweet, once-cuddley baby who sometimes rejects my affection. Notice his hands pushing with all his strength... I'll try not to be that embarrassing mom who wants a kiss or hug while peers are around :)

Daddy's little kitchen helper

2008-11-25T22:55:00.008-05:00

Ok, ok, truth be told, Luis does all the dishes and a lot of the cooking too.... But he'll have lots of help soon. Camilo loves to be in the kitchen. He's discovered the joy of banging on pots and bowls with wooden spoons...

Apparently, he thought we needed the collander for something...
A little spelling quiz on the refrigerator...
Daddy, you rinse, I'll load...

And when a boy can't take anymore, why not just nap in the kitchen?

No means no

2008-11-25T22:41:00.007-05:00

Recall the last photo from a past post, but now the progression (it's better than a video). Just recently Camilo has learned what "no" means. When we tell him no or take something away from him, this is what happens..........

Ho Ho Ho

2008-11-12T19:38:00.003-05:00

I know it's kinda early, but Camilo really wanted to make sure he got on Santa's list. I was thinking he might have a stranger anxiety episode, but no. He couldn't have been more indifferent about the affair.

La Casa Chamorro

2008-11-12T17:57:00.011-05:00

As requested, here are pictures of the house. I didn't get all the rooms, but here are the most popular rooms in the house! Our master bedroom is much bigger than we had before, but now for Christmas, I'm hoping santa will bring some new bedding :)

Cami has a huge room, and my favorite part is that the attached bathroom has a vanity area seperate from the sinks that is perfect for the diaper changing pad (you can kinda see it in the first picture).

The other side of Cami's room. I'm going to ground him if he doesn't start cleaning up his toys ;)

The playroom.

The breakfast room (and lunch and dinner room).

The kitchen is much smaller than we've had before, but so far it's working out for us and everything is new and clean!

The yard is the perfect size for Sky and Cami to play and for Luis to grill.

After a couple of weeks, we've finally got all the speakers hooked up and tv mounted. It was a huge chore.

You have to come visit to see the rest.

Camis First Video in Houston

2008-11-09T13:28:00.004-05:00

This is Camilo being a monkey in every single shot.

We film him every day doing something different, it's fun to see how he grows and has fun doing his thing. Too bad ivideos doesn't have spell check... you can count on me (the "english as a first language" one) to spell monkeys wrong. Otherwise, Luis takes credit for this video, editing and post!

Cami-boy

2008-11-08T21:52:00.008-05:00

How is it that Camilo is so cute when he's mad? I can't help but laugh when I see this face. Amazingly you can't see his 3, yes three, teeth. We think a 4th tooth will make an appearance within the week.

Here are the fellas in front of the house. More pictures of the house to come, promise.

I don't like paying hundreds for professional pictures, so here's a look at MY 7 month photography session in the front yard. I think I need a fancier camera.

Stay tuned for house pictures and Cami's first picture with Santa (we went today-- highly recommend going now to avoid the lines at T-giving and in Dec!!!)

7 months and finally some internet!

2008-10-29T21:57:00.011-04:00

Not only did Camilo turn 7 months old today, but we finally got internet and cable. It feels like it's been months! Now, I finally feel settled! Well, sort of... in the next few days my office is moving to a new building. Will I ever escape the chaos of moving?! Luis is going to continue to stay at home with Camilo at least through the end of the year, so that's helping with the stress of getting settled a lot! So... on to the 7 month update...

Here are the boys with the pumpkin daddy carved at a carving get-together we attended Friday. I'm impressed, it came out well. Despite Skylar's expression, he is LOVING the new house and his yard!

Camilo is quite a precocious little boy. He is climbing all over everything, trying to stand everywhere (including the bathtub and changing table) and is a fast crawler (today the cable guy yelled out to me that Cami was coming out the door behind him, oops).

Here's Cami trying to pull Sophie's video game away from her. We're raising such a savage beast, not even a "please".

This is Cami's new playroom on move in day. Of course, now it has furniture and LOTS more toys. He will play in here by himself for about an hour at a time (shorter increments as the day goes on). It's great to have a place that's totally baby proofed-- well, unless he figures out how to open those windows.

Cami squeals, giggles, and babbles all day long. It just makes us laugh. If only we really knew what was on his mind! He likes crawling in the bottom of his exersaucer as much as he likes standing in it!

So studious! No, actually he prefers to chew on books. He's working on his top two teeth. Sometime this month, I think they'll come in. Then he'll have a bite to go with his squeal.Here he is looking for trouble in his bedroom. He's discovered the nightlight.

So much for putting drinks or books or anything but toys on the coffee table!

So, Cami pulls up and stands now, but doesn't cruise (for the non-parents of babies, that would be walking assisted by furniture, walls etc). I think in month 7 he will cruise, since he's getting more and more confident with his standing, and now swings his arms around almost as to say "look at me, one hand!". Right now he is hilarious in the bath tub. He flops around, lays on his belly, kicks his legs, then sits back up, flops back down. I'm gonna get a video up soon!

Howdy from H-town

2008-10-20T16:24:00.003-04:00

We still don't have internet at the house... another week and a half for that. AT&T is using Hurricane Ike as an excuse to take three weeks before installing cable. Updates to come, when we have internet. In the meantime, here's Cami's latest trick. He's been doing this for a week or two, so he's pretty good at it. He's found that these window sills are the perfect height for pulling up. He also likes to crawl onto the bottom shelf of the end tables and coffee table.

Updates and more updates...

2008-09-27T23:36:00.008-04:00

Here's our (almost) 6 month old. I swear I did not pose him like this. He's just a natural model, what can I say.

Time for my monthly update!! In the last month he:

-Got his second tooth

-Learned to sit himself up from laying down

-Learned to crawl (he's pretty clumsy and slow, but he's crawling!)

-Learned to hold his bottle by himself

-Told us he does not like asparagus at all, but loves fruits, squash and broccoli

Here's Cami showing off his crawl (he's so proud of himself!):

What kid doesn't love to swing?!

Cami's a good eater... He's slow eating vegetables, but he will eat them. Luis has now mastered the art of homemade baby food! Pretty soon Cami will be moving to formula. I've met my 6 month nursing goal and with 2 out-of-state trips per week for work and the pending move, I'm losing supply and my mind! I'm gonna miss the interesting looks from TSA at the airport when I tell them I have breastmilk in my bag.

So far, all of my predictions for the next month have been complete under estimates of my baby boy's capabilities! However, I really don't think he will learn to pull up this month... maybe just perfect his crawl and increase his top speed?!

On to the next update... We have a sales contract on our Roswell house, due diligence period is over, passed inspection, etc, so we are scheduled for an Oct. 15 close (though I actually close whenever I want to before then with the relocation company... long story). We found a house over the weekend in Houston, made an offer, and officially have a contract set for close Oct.15. Inspections are this week, but since the house has been totally remodeled, I'm not expecting any issues. The house was built in 1980, is 4bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, new kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, paint, roof, AC, etc-- everything new. The neighborhood is old and established with huge mature trees, neighborhood pool, tennis, playground, etc. I love that it's at the end of a horseshoe, so our little boy can learn to ride his bike and play with his friends free from traffic! Also, it's less than 3 miles from my office, ~12 miles from downtown, and blocks from shopping, dining, etc. The moving truck is loading everything up on the 10th and we will officially be on our way to TX! Less than two weeks! I can't believe we made an offer and scheduled to move in less than two weeks time!

The frog needs a fresh diaper!

2008-09-25T09:05:00.003-04:00

Months ago it was so easy to change a diaper. Camilo would lay there and look at you while you changed his full diaper. Now it's a completely different story, I have to twist, turn, wrestle, move his head, grab his arm so he doesn't get poop all over his hand, make jokes, funny noises, etc etc etc.... Sometimes it's a long funny task.

Here are a few Pics I took this morning as we got back from dropping Laura off at the train station. Notice he loves to be naked, also check out the frog we have acquired in the past 2 weeks.

Camilo Rocks the House

2008-09-22T15:00:00.004-04:00

This is what happens when mommy Laura leaves us boys for a few days!

We Rock the house to the sounds of Nickleback and the flavors of Pears and Apples.

The Hurricane Ike Experience.

2008-09-15T17:00:00.002-04:00

So as many of you know, we were headed to Houston last week to house hunt, since we will be homeless in Atlanta Oct 15. We weighed the entire scenario and decided to go ahead with our trip despite Ike’s pending arrival (the decision was left mostly to me, and I’m now managing the guilt for having potentially led my family into danger, but that’s another story). We arrived in Houston on Thursday to beautiful weather and determination to find our home. We were very productive Thursday and Friday and we really narrowed down the areas we liked, shortened our list of potential homes, and got much more familiar with west Houston. We braved the grocery stores and Target for bottled water, food, and flash lights in preparation for the storm…. I always thought that South Carolinians and Georgians went crazy shopping when expecting snow, but this was far crazier. The anxiety of the coming storm really brought out the worst in people—there was so much aggressive and dangerous driving!! We made our way back to the hotel by Friday evening around 6PM to eat our last hot meal before Ike, showered, etc, realizing that we may be without utilities and resources for days. From that point on, the skies darkened, the winds strengthened, and the rain increased. The worst of it came at 3-4AM. The wind was so loud, I couldn’t possibly describe it. We awoke every hour or so to check things out. We had water leak around the window in our room within about a 5ft radius of the window, and other parts of the hotel also took on water, but remained structurally sound in every way. Around 3-4AM the power went out which reduced water pressure significantly because a primary pumping station was without power. Luckily, I’d filled the bathtub with water, so we had water for flushing the toilet, washing hands, etc. Around 7AM, we headed to the hotel lobby for the breakfast buffet… Hampton Inn never disappoints, they were serving b’fast just like always- just in the dark! Hotel guests were hovered around a TV they were powering with the hotel van’s battery. Many guests seemed to be evacuees from coastal areas, where mandatory evacuations had been ordered. It was so unreal to watch the reports of all the destruction that had occurred just 20-50 miles away. By 10AM, the winds and rain were gone. So of course, the show must go on and we had house hunting to do!!! We went out and saw sooo many trees, fences, light posts, and power lines down. Flooding was minimal, but wind destruction was vast. We knew that we wouldn’t be able to go out with our agent again since the power outages were so widespread, so we then worked on getting home. Delta put us on a tentative flight for Monday, but that was tentative. We went to the Hampton Inn front desk to ask to extend our time in the hotel and I think my jaw literally dropped open when we were told that the hotel was vacating and closing down the next day. That meant we had nowhere to stay and no flight out of town. They recommended that we go to San Antonio—about 200 miles away. So….we decided to get in our rental car and drive home. I couldn’t believe we were leaving at 8:30PM, and would be driving 12hours through the night, but we didn’t think we had any better options. Driving I-10 through downtown Houston, east Houston and the coastal Baytown area, was very humbling. There was so much destruction. There were 6ft high piles of debris lining the sides of the interstate and bulldozers still working to clear lanes. There were caravans of national guardsmen, utility and construction envoys headed to the city and police blocking access of all the exit ramps in the area—many of them completely flooded. One of the creepiest parts of the drive was passing through New Orleans and the Super Dome…. Something about it is just eerie, feels deserted and tainted. I couldn’t help but be overwhelmingly thankful that we were merely inconvenienced by the storm, but otherwise completely unscathed. Camilo was a good sport throughout and slept the whole way home… 12 long hours. He even slept through the entire hurricane. On a positive note, we were able to assess the west Houston area and determine what areas flood. We still haven’t decided on a home, so I’m headed back next week to finish the search. Here's a picture Luis took (this is what every block looked like). It's such a shame to see all those old beautiful trees go.....

Cami's growing up too fast!

2008-08-30T00:18:00.006-04:00

Cami is ready to get movin! Hopefully, we will be out of this house before he actually crawls. We have tooooo many stairs... but the good news is that we got an offer on the house today!!

Call the tooth fairy! We've got a tooth! (It's there, I promise, it's just not easy to get a picture)

Labor Day...

2008-08-29T23:59:00.003-04:00

For this Labor Day, I have to give special thanks to Luis for dedicating himself to the most important full time job there is... loving, teaching, and playing with Camilo all day! We are so fortunate to be able to have Camilo at home with constant one on one attention, and I'm so grateful for Luis's hard work. Thanks for all you do for both of us! I love you!

Just a usual weekday morning...

Last week's field trip...

The Five Month Update!

2008-08-28T11:21:00.010-04:00

I feel like I just did the 4 month update, but Camilo is now just one day shy of 5 months! So, if you recall, my predictions were that he'd be rolling both ways, sitting, but no teeth and not eating solids. I guess I was half right... Sitting and rolling, yes! But he DOES have about a fifth of a tooth and is eating solids (they're hardly solid). He's also been squealing and growling (a modified growl, just for the sake of making noise), and slapping things with his right hand (he's a righty for sure). He has also started sleeping 10-12hrs at night again, after a 3 week hiatus... Thanks, Camilo. We really appreciate that.

Five month old Cami!

I decided to get some pictures of Camilo on a day when we actually dressed him (seeing as in lots of my blog posts he is naked or in the same onesie).... and now Luis is half naked!! Seriously, I give up on trying to prove that we do know what clothing is and how to use it.

More on food: Carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, peaches, and cereal are currently on the menu. We'll be adding avocado, apples, asparagus and maybe a few others soon! I've been having a good time with the food processor and Cami has LOVED food-- he has yet to turn down anything and squeals for more. I'll admit, I'm one of those crazy moms who insists on making baby food myself. Move over Gerber, I've got a stellar process. AND, with the addition of solid foods, I'm feeling better about quitting breastfeeding at the 6 month mark. Hallelujah!! I have hated it, a breast pump is a thing of the devil! 31 days to go-- I feel like a kid counting down to Christmas.

Some other excitement in the last couple weeks (pictures below!):
- Meeting Abuelo Lucho for the first time!
- Visiting the botanical gardens with Daddy
- Meeting Kerry & Kristen (my friend from hs), no photo :(
- Meeting Diana (Luis's friend from hs in Pasto) and dining with Mapi and Sis!

So now for my predictions for this month... I think by the six month mark he will have two teeth, be eating about 20 foods, and sitting in a more sturdy fashion-- he still falls often and gets frustrated. I don't think he will crawl yet, even though he can lift himself to all four-- he just doesn't know what to do after that! Maybe by 7 months?!

For those keeping up with our move, or lack thereof... the house is still not sold. We are aiming to be in Houston by Nov 1, but I'm not holding my breath. Still Atlanta for now!!

Happy labor day to all!

In case there's any question...

2008-08-17T22:21:00.004-04:00

Wondering who Camilo looks like? Wonder no more....

From the iphone files...

2008-08-17T21:46:00.005-04:00

Luis takes a lot of pictures on his iphone. I don't love the quality, but for a phone camera some of them do turn out pretty cute. Here are a few of the more recent.

Night with the Buitragos!

2008-08-17T21:32:00.008-04:00

We spent the evening with Luis's aunt, uncle, cousins, and other family and family friends. We had such a great time, and Camilo was a sport, letting us stay out until after 1AM. Here he is telling jokes to Pierre, Lorenzo, Andrea, and Cata (and Luna)

Cousin Laura took this photo... her skill and her camera are way better than mine :) This is his 'blue steel' model pose.

Another one of Laura B's:
This is the end of the night. Olivia and Milo sharing some zzzs.

Cousins...

2008-08-17T21:16:00.002-04:00

We were in Charlotte last week, and Camilo got to visit with his aunt, uncle and cousins! I think Camilo is going to outgrow Sophie in about a month!
Here's Camilo sitting in Sophie's "Time Out" chair! I have a feeling he's going to need one of his own! Our big boy can already sit on a bench!

I was slacking on the photography and didn't get a picture with Morgan :( We'll be back in a couple of weeks!

Happy 4 months little man!

2008-08-01T00:01:00.008-04:00

In Camilo's third month, he mastered few tricks... He giggles a lot, he rolls back to front, can fill a diaper in 2.2 seconds, and is a professional at grabbing things and taking them straight to his mouth. Now that he rolls over, this is what we find in the mornings and after naps (squealing, of course):

He has a bit of a drool problem...

Happy, naked boy (we really do dress him, don't know why he's naked in all the pictures)...

Actor in the making? He says "I can't believe it's not butter!"

He is so adorable when we put him in front of a window, he just stares out, so contently. Naked again?! Geeeezz We really do have clothes for him.
So, in month four, I think he will learn to roll front to back (supposedly babies get that at 3 months, but not back to front until 6 months-- Camilo got that one backwards)... I think he's also going to sit, since he will now, but falls over after about 2 or 3 seconds. I don't think he's going to be ready for food... gave up on that one for a while. Don't think we're going to get any teeth yet, either. We'll see, check back in a month on my predictions!

Camilo's first time eating Cereal

2008-07-19T12:26:00.001-04:00

This is messy Camilo hating the taste of Cereal...

Click here

Sorry, it's been a while!

2008-07-17T23:07:00.006-04:00

So it's been a month since we've been on here, but I've been so busy... I've been back at work 4 weeks now, and spending every minute in the evening with the little man. If I ever get a minute to download pictures or videos, I'll do better at posting!! However, thanks to Luis, we have a couple new posts from earlier today! We have the house on the market now, and are preparing for our move to Texas. Need a townhouse in Roswell?? It's on super sale!! I'm already tired of keeping it clean for showings! Check out our listing and cross your fingers for a buyer soon!

Casa de Chamorro

Random Pics

2008-07-17T22:55:00.006-04:00

Our friend Ashley from Santa Monica, CA gave Camilo a

Ramones onesie, Camilo loves rocking out this fine outfit!

Daddy Luis has been working on imitating Camilo's most popular pose

SQUISHIES Time - Camilo LOVES when we do this to him.

1. We say Squishies

2. We do Squishies

3. We let go of Squishies

4. Camilo bursts out laughing

5. Camilo wants more Squishies

Haircut Homemade Style "The Barber's Bumbo"

2008-07-17T22:43:00.008-04:00

Concentration and determination, Laura is in the zone!

Camilo loves his Bumbo haircuts

Our Busy Day...

2008-06-17T23:56:00.004-04:00

We started our day with breakfast in Buckhead with Grandma Yeakle. It was great to see her!

Then we were off to the mall to learn how to manage our videos on the mac at the apple store (and we took a lunch break to play with Camilo)...

Then, if that wasn't enough for the day, we went to the pool for a few hours. It was a great day for the pool!

Camilo says "hmm.... I think I like it"

Camilo telling us about his day...

2008-06-13T16:37:00.005-04:00

Here's our happy boy cooing and smiling for us :)

Roadtrip to Greenville, SC!

2008-06-12T22:35:00.004-04:00

Camilo and I went to visit our friends, the Groggs this week. Baby David is just two days younger than Camilo! Here's big sister Andrea with the boys!

And while we have the Clemson theme going.... here's Camilo snoozing in his normal sleep position (who sleeps like that, really?), dreaming of going to Clemson.

Our first day at the pool!

2008-06-08T15:04:00.004-04:00

He didn't love the cool water on his feet at first, but I think he had a good time!

Life's tough when you're two months old........

2008-06-05T23:40:00.003-04:00

This baby on his belly is like a turtle on its back... you can see he's not a fan of tummy time. So, we do three minute intervals a few times a day. Poor kid will be 5 yrs old before he learns to roll over!

We walk to Target for a few things about once a week... HE didn't seem to mind that it was 95 degrees! I, on the other hand, was not loving the heat!
He's been working out, check out those pecs and abs!

Tummy time!

2008-06-04T22:18:00.003-04:00

Here's one of our initial filming attempts with the new camcorder!

Glamour Shots!

2008-05-31T01:00:00.007-04:00

Ok, so we didn't really go to Glamour Shots, but here are the professional photos.

2 months old!

2008-05-30T00:06:00.003-04:00

We went to get professional pictures of Camilo done today. I'll scan them and upload them soon. It was pretty fun and Camilo was a good sport, especially considering recovering from 5 vaccine shots yesterday! Before we went we did some of our own....

By the end of our outing, this is what we were working with... His smiles expire for the day at about 9PM!

Random pictures I like

2008-05-27T23:00:00.005-04:00

A little afternoon smile time!

Some friends came for the weekend... here's Jaylen having a chat with Camilo.

From the Iphone files... Camilo checking out his new toy, with Skylar supervising.

Happy Birthday, Luis!

2008-05-27T22:52:00.004-04:00

We celebrated Luis's 27th birthday today! Below is uncle dave and the rest of the birthday dinner party! Happy birthday!

2008-05-16T20:01:00.003-04:00

Camilo's been holding his head up really well for a couple weeks, so I put him in his bumbo seat for a little while everyday. I know he's kinda little for the bumbo, but he can control his head, so why not?! He likes to watch the ceiling fan (as he proves in the photo!)

Camilo napped with a friend today.

Our First Roadtrip!

2008-05-14T16:03:00.003-04:00

We went on our first roadtrip this past weekend to Roanoke for Kimberly's baby shower. We had a great time and Camilo was totally spoiled with all the ladies holding him and loving him (and giving me a nice break!). Congrats to Kimberly and all the pregnant ladies!

Pre-Cinco de Mayo

2008-05-04T00:13:00.005-04:00

We went out with friends for a little cinco de mayo fun a couple days early. And below is my new favorite picture of daddy and Camilo. They look so handsome!

Poopy

2008-05-02T21:54:00.006-04:00

We hadn't experienced a single leaky diaper... until today. TWO leaky poopy diapers. Luis had the pleasure of experiencing the first one. Notice the poop on his shirt, his right hand, and spilling out of Camilo's diaper. It was hilarious.

Happy One Month Birthday, Baby!

2008-04-29T22:22:00.004-04:00

The most exciting change of the past few weeks is Camilo's increasing alertness and interaction with us. Here are some of the many faces of sweet baby Camilo. I just can't believe he's already a month old, I feel like we just came home from the hospital a week ago!!

2 Weeks Old

2008-04-18T18:41:00.005-04:00

Camilo at 2 weeks old!

Big daddy and his clone.

Our first family outing to the park...

He wasn't as excited about the park as we were :)

Our sweet baby boy.