Lions, Tigers and Bears - Oh My!

I have been a busy boy since I last blogged. Last weekend was Mother's Day so daddy and I made mommy pancakes and a fruit smoothie for breakfast in bed. We also brought her the newspaper so she could read while eating. Mommy was sick so I don't think she got to celebrate too much and I didn't see much of her that day as she spent most of it in bed or sleeping on the floor. But I got lots of daddy time so it was a fun day for me.

The day before that we went to a party and there were lots of little kids. I wasn't even the littlest. Ok, maybe in size, but not in age! I got to play with their toys and found that I really enjoy pushing around cars. The very next day, mommy got out a train for me to push around. She also brought out an elephant on wheels that I can pull around. I don't really pull it, but I like eating the rope that would be used to pull it.

I am really getting around these days. I'm not completely crawling, but I can do an "army crawl". I guess I just want to be like my daddy. I can cross the whole room and get into lots of mischief because I move quite well and pretty fast. Especially if I'm chasing a plastic bottle. I'm also opening and closing any door I can. I learned the hard way today that it can be hazardous to play with doors - I pinched my fingers in the coffee table door. Mommy and I didn't realize that it was slightly open so I got my finger stuck and tried to open it more. I'm sure that won't stop me from exploring more.

This past week was extra special as I got to meet my great-grandpa Kenny and great-grandma Allison. They came all the way from eastern Washington on a train. Pretty cool. I sure smiled big for great-grandpa and really enjoyed great-grandma holding me and talking to me. I get to see them again in June so that is something for me to look forward to. After mommy and me dropped them off at the train station on Thursday (they are going on to New York to visit mommy's aunt and uncle), mommy's car died so I spent my Thursday afternoon stuck in an unmoving car. How boring. Fortunately somebody from mommy's work came and jumped us because the person she asked at the train station to help us said no. How rude!

As I mentioned in my last blog, I went to my first Brewers game earlier this month. The game wasn't that good (the Brewers lost), but it was still fun to watch everything. I even stayed for 6 innings - about 3 more than mommy thought I would. I can't wait to go back, but in the meantime I sometimes get to watch the Brewers on TV. Of course I am rooting for Mike Cameron the most!

Swimming has been a challenge. I am very afraid of having to put my head under water so I spend the whole class nervous and cranky. Even though mommy hasn't made me put my head under for a couple weeks now, I still am not liking the pool. Except for when we get to chase the balls. That's fun and sometimes I forget that I'm in the pool. I also like it when Michaela comes over and gives me a hug when I'm scared. I think both mommy and daddy are going to come this week so hopefully having them both there will help make me feel better. At least I still like my baths a lot. I splash away and chase the ducky and eat my washcloth in the bathtub.

Today I went to the zoo for the first time. We saw the elephants (of course!), giraffes, three types of bears, hippos, big cats (I woke up from my nap right outside the cheetah's cage - what a way to wake up!), peacocks, and lots of cows. I liked the animals that were moving the best. The elephants were pretty active so they may have been my faves today. I'm sure that would make mommy proud since those are her favorite animals. And if you look closely at one of the pictures I posted, you will see it is a bear lounging in a hammock. How cute is that!

We were at the zoo as part of the Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides Walk. I don't know much about CF, but I know that my cousins both have CF so I am joining mommy and daddy in supporting this great organization in hopes that their research will help Lauren, Tyler, and all others with CF live longer, healthier lives. For more information, you can visit mommy's CF Great Strides page: http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/KristineKruepke. It's not every day that a 9-month old like me can educate all you adults so I'm excited to have this opportunity.

One last note - in keeping with my tradition, I would like to give a few big shout outs to the May birthdays in my family. First, happy birthday to Aunt Kali and also Uncle Keith. They both celebrated their birthdays since my last post. And next week is Grandma Barb's birthday so in case I don't write between now and then, happy early birthday Grandma - I am looking forward to celebrating with you on Sunday!

Love,
Cameron

As promised, I posted pics from my swim class. Swimming did not go so well today. I cried almost the whole time, most likely because I woke up a bit early and was getting tired. Plus, I think I remembered that swimming = putting my head under the water and I don't like that. The substitute teacher must have taken pity on me as she did not make the class do the head under water activity today. Sucker! The only good things about my swim class today were that I only slightly freaked out when the shower was started and Michaela was there. She gave me a couple hugs and that made me feel better.

Grandma Linda was here visiting last week so that was fun and then this week daddy was off of work so I got to play with him lots. He and I hung out all day Thursday since mom didn't get home from her work meetings until 9pm. I really enjoy playing peek-a-boo using my blankie to cover me and I give high-fives. Daddy got me a really neat toy that has spinning balls which are fun to grab and throw. I also like my new baseball bat - more for eating than hitting.

So what else is new? I can "cruise" along the sofa while holding onto the cushions. I'm especially good at this if there is a remote, cell phone, or book on the other end of the sofa as incentive. I'm starting to pull myself up from the floor to a standing position while holding onto the sofa or I can also do it while holding onto a plastic storage container to use as leverage. I still haven't figured out how to go from laying to sitting, but got close one day on my changing table.

Did I mention I get into everything? And I mean everything! Mom had me at a bookstore and put me down on the floor a little ways away from the shelves. Well it wasn't far enough as next thing she knows, I'm pulling all the books off the shelf. Lesson learned mom - I like books and will stop at nothing to read them. Or eat them. I also like to eat paper so if mom or dad (though mostly mom) isn't quick enough, I will grab the nearest paper item and try to eat it. And I really enjoy closing the cupboard door, pushing and pulling the drawer in the cupboard, and playing with the Tupperware containers and lids. It keeps me entertained while mom is in the kitchen.

It was really warm out about 10 days ago so I got to spend the day outside and went to the park with mommy, daddy and grandma. That was a fun day. I watched Jess run around, saw a helicopter, and picked some grass and tried to eat it. I even got to have a picnic. Mom fed me my cereal and banana and sweet potatoes while we were sitting on the blanket outside. I'm hoping we have more picnics. After all, eating is what I do best! Yet amazingly I'm still a little peanut - only 15 lbs, 12 oz and 27" long. Despite being classified as "underweight" (or off the charts as I like to call it), I still look like I have a baby belly and roly poly legs, but I guess I still have some growing to do. I don't mind as it means I get to eat even more!

Tonight is a big night for me - my first Brewers game. Sports is obviously a big part of my life - look at my parents and you'll see why. I've watched a couple Brewers games with them on TV and last week went to my first NFL draft party. I only protested a few picks.

I better go get ready - we have a potential babysitter coming by today. Apparently mom and dad want to have a pool of neighborhood sitters so they can play softball together this summer and go out once in a while.

What a life I live - sleeping, taking naps, eating, drinking milk, getting held, getting bathed, lots of playing and people constantly making a big fuss out of me. It stays like this forever, right???

Love,
Cameron