Happy 3 months old!

This past month has brought so many changes in this Little Girl (at 11lbs & 23in)! Let's start with all of the best stuff...Camren Grace is such a smiley girl. She loves to flirt with anyone who'll give her attention--looking sideways, batting her eyelashes and then the eyes light up and a big 'ole gummy cheeser follows! Cam is also quiet the talker. She spends a lot of her day cooing and grabbing at various toys that Jax brings to her. The girl is strong and is able to control her head well enough that she's spending time in the beloved Bumbo chair everyday. But by far the best news of the month is that she is working on her giggle and sense of humor! She is super ticklish (under the chin and tops of the thighs especially). I probably spend too much of my day torturing-I mean tickling- her coaxing out that baby giggle that makes me tear up every time!

On the good but not as good as all that other stuff side...Camren is still battling with reflux and allergies. We are lucky enough to have met with a pediatric GI specialist this week who has confirmed that she needs more medication that she was currently on (YAY!) and had many suggestions to help with pain management. Let me tell you people-we have one tough little girl on our hands! Camren displays what is called Sandifer's symptoms (or syndrome) which is repeated body movements to help cope and alleviate pain. It kills me to know that she's so uncomfortable that she's had to develop those skills but at the same time I marvel at her survival skills! This should all go away once we get her meds and formula all evened out which could take up to 6 weeks. :( In the mean time we are taking it day by day and trying to stay positive!

Here are some pics of our favorite girl!

I can't get Jax to sit still for HIS Red Chair pictures but can't get him out of the way for Camren's! sheesh

First go round in the Bumbo seat!

woo hoo....we have thigh rolls! Yes I did have to take a picture of her chubs. I've been so obsessed with her weight gain...these little chubbers are proof that she's gaining and thriving!

Never Say Never...

Not so long ago my best friend Tiffany and I (who's boys are almost 2 and 4) had a humorous conversation about all of the things we swore we would never do as parents.

As in...I will never let my young children eat candy.

(Jax' first experience with Pop rocks)

Or play in those horrid, germ infested, crowded with god only knows what kind of kid, indoor mall play areas

(Not only playing at the mall but doing so bare foot *sigh*)

And I am positive that the list of "Nevers" will continue to shorten while the "Do what you gotta do" list will lengthen. If there's anything that I am learning (yes...the hard way as usual) from parenting it's that flexibility is key and sometimes--ok alot of the time--you just gotta fly by the seat of your pants, hold on for dear life and hope you can regain control tomorrow! ;-)

And just for good measure a picture of Littles (as she's been going by) cause she's too cute to leave out! I hope you enjoy the benefit of being #2 Sis cause we are working out the kinks in our game plan with your Brother!

New Year, New Blog Name, New Mission...

Happy New Year! I hope that you all rang in the New Year just like you wanted too(and are hopefully not regretting the ringing!)...I was sound asleep in bed, as were the kiddos, which is exactly what I had wanted!

You may or may not have noticed that I've not only changed the style/background effects of my blog, but the title as well. After a short (solo) morning in which I had changed 3 dirty diapers in the span of less than 3 hours and hadn't yet had any caffeine to combat the haze I realized that while I am on an "Adventure" right now I am just too darn tired to appreciate it as such! Diaper Daze is a much better description of where I am at.

With the change of name has also come a change in purpose of this page. For those of you who've been with me from the beginning (Jax' pregnancy updates) this blog was started for You. To keep our loved ones close to us and in the "loop" with the coming of a grandchild/nephew/favorite boy (etc). And since Jaxon's arrival I have enjoyed keeping you all up to date on his latest as well as the newest happ's with our girl Camren. But I've had a change of heart? A realization? Mid-Mommy Crisis? Whatever you want to call it...but I've decided this blog is no longer specifically for YOU. It is now all about creating a Memory Keeper for my children. I am admittedly horrible about keeping up their baby books (boo I know...) but I truly love blogging about them. I feel like it gives all of us (yes you included) a much better picture of WHO they are...so much better than any baby book could.

So--I will still post and hopefully more often. But my goal is to no longer wait for a fun outing or milestone and start recording the chaos- I mean awesomeness- of our family! I hope you will continue to stick with us and enjoy reading as you have in the past. And well...if not please take my (and probably your) Mother's advice...if you don't have anything nice to say______...I'm sure you know the rest!

Our love to you all!

4 Christmases

Merry Belated Christmas!

Jaxon and Camren are lucky enough to have 4 sets of Grandparents that wanted to spoil and love on for Christmas. Unfortunately none of you live near us...so Justin and I packed the Tahoe to the gills with presents, kids, kid stuff and dogs and hit the road! (btw..."road trips" are not as spontaneous or dare I say fun when you've got 2 little ones! Those guys need a lotta stuff!!)

We started off our week long Christmas tour in the Bay area at Papa Bob and Nana's house. Saturday night Jaxon, Camren, Justin and I got fancied up to make an appearance at the company Christmas Party. Jax and Cam were such a hit that I am pretty sure no one even knew Justin and I were there! ;-) But it was a Great opportunity to get our first (yes first) official Family of Four picture!

Look hard...Camren's there somewhere under the bow!

Brand new cousins...Wyatt and Camren had partied themselves right out!

Sunday night was our first Christmas of the year (sounds funny doesn't it?) and it was a Simmons' Christmas! Jaxon became quite the pro at opening gifts...any gift...his or not! Hearing his "OH WOW!" and watching his feet stomp in excitement was an experience unlike any other. I was so enthralled by my son that I totally forgot to open any of the rest of the gifts we'd been given. Camren conked out for the present portion of the evening this year but watching Jax gave me a sneak peak at where my girl will be this time next year!

The Simmons' Clan

Our next stop on our Tour de Christmas was Thursday night in Merced at my Mom's house for her annual Christmas get-together. This year family, friends, and good neighbors were in attendance. It was nice to catch up with family we haven't seen in a while. Jaxon was running around all crazy like with his cousin Elijah and buddies Garrett and Gannon for most of the night and Camren (again) slept in various arms around the room. I didn't realize that I would enjoy watching other's love my children as much as I do...but I did.

Jax, Aunt B and Daddy snacking on appetizers under the table. He thought this was AWESOME.

Our annual family picture, which took a break from being a pic in our pj's to give Santa Hats a try...next year back to pj's, right Mom?? ;-)

G-ma and her grandbabies...Elijah, Jaxon, Camren and Lillian

Next stop?? Plainsburg for Christmas Eve with my Dad and Kristi. The night was full of traditions- Christmas Story on the tv, gravy, biscuits and hashbrowns for dinner, stockings and gifts. This year Kristi shared one of her families traditions with us and made (forgive me!) Pleter(?)=Swedish pancakes with berry jams. It was pretty yummy and I enjoyed them much more than mince meat pie! (sorry dad!) In that past we have also decorated a stocking but this year with the kiddos running on empty, the stockings were put on hold. We're thinking Christmas in July party this year!

Grandpa Doc and the boys doing stockings

Woah...Tractors!! And these were seriously the most difficult tractors to get out of the packaging...it took knives, fire, saws, the jaws-of-life...it was tough stuff!

My intention was to spend Christmas morning at the Fire Station with Justin and our children. Unfortunately, between my memory (forgetting Cam's meds in Merced) and the weather (awful fog) we decided it best for Jax, Cam and I to stay in Merced. We missed our Daddy dearly but were able to skype with him through out the day. So instead we started our morning at G-ma's house with stockings on Aunt B's bed! (no one sleeps in when the Simmons' are around!)

Jaxon getting into his stocking

Camren and her stocking

The last of our Christmases came on Monday with a visit from Gramz and Bob-o. It was so nice to have part of the Christmas celebration take place in our own house! True to form Camren slept through most of the visit but did get some good snuggle time with Gramz while Jax napped. Jaxon had a blast playing with his new stuff and by this time was an old pro at tearing through the gift wrap and diving right in!

Jaxon and Gramz getting their creative flow going.

Showing off his gift wrap destruction skills

Jax loves his new ride...it's the first thing he goes to every morning!

So here we are about to ring in the New Year and are feeling, no more than feeling, knowing that we are infinitely blessed with friends and family. Thank you for being a part of that!

Miss Camren turns 2 months old!

Can't turn 2 months without a picture in the Red Chair

2 months have gone by in such a blur! The past month has been one of the most challenging. This little peanut (and she is still very little...only 10lbs 3oz!) has been through the ringer. Since birth Camren has been enjoying a diet of milk (mommy and formula)--on second thought--no she hasn't enjoyed it at all, which is where the challenges have come from! Long story short, in the past 2 months Camren had become more and more difficult to feed and we saw a change in her personality from a happy baby to one who was in pain and crying--a lot! We'd been told that it was my diet, the taste of formula, its her temperament etc. But we knew different! This past week we went to her pediatricians--again and were demanding answers. (there are 3 at our practice...this was the only one we hadn't seen yet.) Dr. Mary instantly agreed that we have issues (including little to no weight gain). We sat down and worked out a plan of action. The end result is that Camren is now on a specialty formula for babies with soy/milk intolerance. If she continues with her previous symptoms our next step is to try Reflux medications. Since Friday we have seen a huge change. She is no longer crying from pain/discomfort/hunger. Camren Grace is the happy cooing baby we knew her to be. And while we still struggle from time to time (now it's probably a bottle aversion...and no wonder! That guy's been hurting her for the past 6 weeks!) our household is much more calm and enjoyable! We go back to the pediatrician's Tuesday for a weight check and to ensure this is the best course of action. Keep your fingers crossed and prayers coming that this is the answer we've been looking for!

Working on her CHEESE for G-ma

Sweet Girl...HAPPY *gasp* after a full tummy!

Jax and Cam playing on the mat...he loves her nose!

***Just a little MSPI info for those interested***

MSPI (milk/soy protein intolerance) is the intolerance or allergy to the proteins in soy or milk. Of the children that have an intolerance or allergy to one, 50% of those will have issue with both. A large majority of these infants go on to have zero issues with either as toddlers/adults. We will more than likely be taking the road to solids very slow as an intolerance to one food can lead to others. As of right now we are not sure which of the two (or both) Camren's struggling with, but she doesn't seem to have a severe case. At some point in time we will introduce a soy-based formula to help determine the level and cause of her intolerance...but I'm not rushing it! MSPI in infants can be genetically linked to parents/family members who have an allergy or lactose intolerance. MSPI and reflux often go hand in hand so it will not be surprising if she ends up needing the hypoallergenic formula and reflux meds.

Christmas Parade with Daddy

Last night Justin was working at a station in the near by (30min) community of Kerman. Every year this small little town has a Christmas parade that the Fire Department participates in. Jax and I were lucky enough that 1. Justin was driving the truck and his Captain agreed to let us ride along AND 2.G-ma was in town visiting and was willing to stay home with Camren! So with all of the cards falling easily into place, Jax and I bundled up (so not needed), loaded up and took off for Kerman!

Now we all know by now that this boy loves 2 things more than most...Fire Trucks and his Daddy. And for both of them to happen at the same time just about put this kid into shock! He was literally vibrating in my lap as the fire truck roared to life. I could see his smile from behind his head, his cheeks were so cheesy!

Jax cheesin' it up. He loves the head sets and was caught chewing on the mic a couple of times...ooopps..Sorry Captain!

Jax and I. This is the first time that I have ridden with Justin while he's been on shift. (the rig at the ranch doesn't count!) So this was a treat for both of us!

My Firemen...yes Jax is wearing a turn out coat!

This little Ham had a blast hanging out the window and waving (sometimes yelling!) at the people along the parade route! I'm not sure which was more amusing, watching Jax wave or the very confused/envious looks on the faces of the children waving back! ;-)

There is NO doubt that Jaxon is a Daddy's boy!

Leaves, Leaves and yes...more leaves!

The wonderful shade trees in our front yard have finally changed color (my favorite time of year!!) and are now decorating our front yard. Jaxon was introduced to the great fun of playing in the leaves by his Gma and Aunt B this year. He absolutely loves to run around in the yard, scooping up handfuls of leaves and counting 1-2-3! before tossing them up in the air. As soon as those leaves hit the air, Jax begins to shake his head and use his hands to make sure all of the leaves get out of his hair! It's really too funny to watch and it's another great avenue to let this kiddo exhaust some energy. On the downside, between the kid and the dogs I figure there are almost as many of those beautiful leaves Inside my house as Outside! Go figure!