One fun Christmas

What a fun Christmas! Mason was a very good boy and very patient with opening gifts. His first gift was a set of trains and tracks, so all he wanted to do after that was play with those. Everyone else opened a few gifts while waiting. Mason was very polite when he opened boxes with clothes ("Those are some very nice clothes for me."). By this point Camryn was ready for a nap, so we took a break to make waffles on Kevin's new waffle-maker from Nana and Paw-paw (his favorite gift).


Mason loving his new roundhouse with turntable from Nana and Paw-paw. We have so much new train stuff!


Uncle Chris having a good time, too :)


Kevin loves, loves, loves his new waffle-maker!


We're not sure that a 4-month-old baby needs as many gifts as she got, but everyone's thoughtfullness is very appreciated. This elephant from the grandparents is so cute! Uncle Gary and Aunt Susan got her a Baby's First doll (very cute), a picture frame, and clothes. Great-Grandma got her a car play gym, which will be so great since Camryn cries every time she's in the car unless she has toys.


Mason got a lot of wonderful gifts including trains and tracks from Mama and Dada and Uncle Chris and a great set of dinosaurs from Great-Grandma. Uncle Gary and Aunt Susan got Mason a roaring triceratops, clothes, and Disney Cars card games. Nana and Paw-paw got Mason a lot of great interactive learning games/toys including a set of bath-time whistles, building blocks, and bubble makers.


The cutest babies!

Happy Holidays

Greetings from Tucson

The gorgeous women.

Big brother loves his baby sister!

Mason also loves his Uncle Chris. And we also love Uncle Chris, he has been so helpful with Kevin being injured. It'll be a nice Christmas celebrating with Kevin's family.

Busy, busy, busy

We've been quite busy. Erika went to Columbus for a short visit to introduce Camryn to the uncles and Great-Grandma. It was wonderful sharing Camryn with everyone, but the trip was too short. Fortunately Nana returned to Tucson with Erika, so she could visit for another week. Except Mason dominates so much of her time she barely got to see Camryn. Kevin's leg is improving, but he's still limping around.


They went on a three-generation women's hike in the Santa Catalinas. Everyone did great! We're so happy Camryn loves hiking.


Nana helped us to make gingerbread cookies. This was the introduction to 3-D cookies! Mason had the first one and said "Mmmm!" Since that day, Mason has probably eaten most of the cookies, the rest of us have gotten very few. Though somehow with these cookies, you never feel like you get enough.


Great-Grandma did great holding Camryn. It's too bad we don't live in Columbus, because that was great physical therapy for her! We can't wait for you to go home, GG.


Uncle Loren was there to visit with the family also. We celebrated Nana's birthday. Camryn just took to anyone who wanted to hold her.


That is because she is the happiest baby there is. And probably the cutest!

Our Thanksgiving

It's been a rough week following a rough Thanksgiving. Emotionally we've had to deal with Erika's grandmother going into rehab and her Uncle Gary having brain surgery. Last Wednesday Kevin ruptured part of his gastrocnemius (calf) muscle while bowling. He can't bear weight on it, nor should he. He's been in a splint on crutches and not enjoying himself. Fortunately we have help since his brother moved in with us on November 18. Chris has been wonderful and very helpful and we'd be lost without him since Erika would have had to stay home. Camryn had a cold, she was just miserable for a few days, but she seems to be getting better, though having a (hopefully) brief period of not sleeping well. Erika caught Camryn's cold and has been under stress at work, so also not enjoying herself. Mason is the only one not doing too badly, though he's always partially neglected now because of Camryn, so he might disagree with that.


Mason passed out on the couch while watching TV one day when he was sick and hadn't had a nap. This is the first time he's ever done that, the boy never runs out of energy.


Tummy time, enjoying a Pooh book.


First time in her exersaucer. She seems to have her mouth open more often than not.


Starting them young.

Mason's riding a tricycle

After just one year of trying with him, Mason has finally mastered his tricycle. And as you can see in the video, cannot stop riding!

Baby gym

Babies actually like those elaborate "gyms" that they play with on the floor. It has a star that has lights and music and a smile that she loves. She's watching it while playing with the rattle.

Having fun

We had a fun, busy weekend (Erika wouldn't have it any other way, though every now and they the parents long for lazy days without kids and of lying in bed all day).


We hiked part of the Super Trail to Mt Wrightson in Madera Canyon (Santa Rita Mts). Mason walked the whole way, about an hour and a half. It's nice not carrying him, but the pace is slower.

Fall colors in Tucson!

Working on that fist. Hasn't found the thumb yet.

Mason was a train conductor for Halloween. He was excited about the costume, but instantly wanted to take the hat and bandanna off. He went trick-or-treating, but was afraid of the cars and maybe the dark, he wanted to go home pretty quickly. But once he was home he said, "That was fun trick-or-treating and getting candy. Who knows....

This is what Camryn does after she has had a bath. Cold? Probably, but this photo was taken after we warmed her towel up in the dryer.

Mason and Camryn had their first bath together, they loved it. Mason helped wash her hair, but mostly just played with his toys.

She loves this pink bunny, it's so soft, she smiles when it touches her.

Camryn's room

In case you were curious what Camryn's room looks like. It's not much different than what Mason's was, we used the same bedding. But the walls and curtains are purple.

Sweet relief

Great news! Camryn has become a non colicky, beautiful, charming baby girl. She naps in a bed (3 1/2 hours today) and is sometimes even very easy to put to sleep. If she wakes during the nap (which does happen 2-3 times), we just have to give her back her pacifier and she goes back to sleep. We looked back at her worst times and figured it was after Erika ate something with soy. However, dairy is still a major problem also. Camryn smiles a lot now and enjoys looking at her mobile (which is actually the one Uncle Don bought Mason).


She loves her baths, but hates being cold and wet afterwards; she does scream bloody murder while we try to get her dressed.


The angel is asleep in our bed. When she was colicky we were so desperate for her to sleep, and for sleep ourselves, that Erika and her slept in bed together, and we haven't tried to break the habit. For Camryn's safety Kevin sleeps in the guest bedroom. Camryn sleeps so well in that bed we just decided to keep her there for naps also. She likes to fall asleep on your chest or while nursing, and you can't really do that in a crib. Soon we'll see if she'll sleep in the crib at night and maybe still nap in our bed.

And not to forget about Mason, he's still a wonderful big brother. He's mindful to be quiet when we're putting Camryn to sleep. He's had a fever and runny nose for three days now, we suspect he has the H1N1 flu (it's going around like crazy here in Tucson), but his energy is great so we're not worried. His fever actually broke today. We've tried to keep him separated from Camryn and we all wash our hands a lot.

A nice weekend with the family

Sometimes a relaxing weekend is nice. Yesterday Erika took both kids and Woody to the dog park. Camryn slept in the Moby while Mason played by himself (a nice change from needing our constant attention and/or wanting held). However he had two pee-pee accidents. Erika spent most of yesterday and today carrying Camryn in the Moby, during which time she also vacuumed, picked up the kids' rooms, did laundry, read her book, and wrote this blog. Kevin watched football and cooked dinner while taking care of Mason, who spent the weekend playing with toilet paper. He played football and built towers. Did you know a roll of TP could be a helmet?


So we also went to the zoo today (even when relaxing it's nice to get out of the house). And the way we figure it, we have to carry Camryn anyways, we might as well be walking somewhere enjoyable instead of doing laps around the house. Camryn slept the entire time in the car seat/stroller! She even stayed asleep in the car and a little while after we got home. That is the first time she's slept so well not being held. We'll try not to get our hopes up.


Camryn had her first smiles this weekend! She woke up yesterday in a great mood and was grinning like crazy after eating. Mama called Dada in and he said "Hi" to her and she flashed him a great big grin! When we're exhausted because she's not sleeping well, those are the moments that keep us going.

Bad with the good

Mason is peeing in the potty! He's had only one accident that was really his fault, but otherwise he's been potty trained for peeing for three days now. So far he had one #2 on the floor, nothing the next day, and we're following him like hawks today to get that poop into the potty. He's so excited and has great control, so it's been quite easy thanks to Nana's help and great suggestions like using Cheerios in the toilet for "target practice."


Camryn is still beautiful, we love watching her watch the world. Unfortunately she's still been VERY fussy. The anti-gas drops have helped. The doctor hasn't diagnosed her with colic, but suggested a food intolerance in the breast milk. Erika has cut dairy from her diet which also may be helping. But still the only thing that keeps her from crying (and I mean screaming bloody murder) is motion - car rides, stroller rides, rocking chair, and being carried in the Moby wrap. Unfortunately not all are equally as effective, and when using the Moby she won't let us sit down. After almost exactly five minutes of us sitting, she begins screaming again. But walking with her is worth it to have a happy baby. She'll have several good awake periods during which she can play as long as she's had some sleep.


Quality tummy time.


Mason taking care of his baby. He's such a great big brother, though he still doesn't understand to be quiet around Camryn. We try not to yell at him too much for being noisy so he doesn't start resenting her, but putting her to sleep can be difficult sometimes. But he's so sweet with her and loves her. We're so proud of our big boy!

Four weeks old

What's new? Camryn is still a wonderful baby with usual baby issues. She's had some bad gas, we're going to try medicine for it. She was very fussy today for some reason (gas?), wouldn't sleep long. She usually sleeps well. In fact, we'd have more photos but you can only take so many pics of a sleeping baby. Nursing could be better. Erika is back at work part time and pretty tired, but managing.


Darn baby acne, ruining a beautiful complexion.


We went for a walk with Camryn in the carrier. She loved being held.


We went to the reptile and amphibian expo and had a blast. Mason got to pet an alligator, monitor lizard, tortoise and snakes. No new pets came home fortunately.

Trying to find a routine

Looking back at being in the hospital (the only time for just relaxing).


Since being home we've been quite busy since we also have a 3-year-old to entertain. Fortunately Camryn is an easy baby to take care of, so we can take her anywhere with us. The only issue we're still dealing with (minor compared to what we could have), is difficulty nursing. She doesn't nurse well, so she has to have a bottle after every feeding. Then Erika pumps. Not easy, fun, or ideal. But we do it to make sure she stays healthy and we go out between feedings.


She sleeps great and hardly ever fusses.


Sleeping on "magic shoulder" Paw-paw.


"Why is that thing always in my face?"


Error in padding positioning = Minnie Mouse.


Mason is still a great big brother. He hates it when she cries and tries to console her. He brought in a medicine dropper and said, "Here, I have medicine for burps." He loves throwing away Camryn's dirty diapers and retrieving new ones.


Go Buckeyes!

Day 4 - Finally Home

We're home from the hospital and doing well. Camryn lost more weight initially than everyone would like due to not eating well (low milk supply in Mama), but we're supplementing with formula and she's eating great. She's a very sleepy baby (yea!). We're so grateful to have Nana's help. Mason has been sweet, tried to feed her a bottle. He's being extra needy towards Mama.


She already has her first Ohio State gift!


We looked at old pictures of Mason and they look so much alike! Except Camryn has a ton of light brown hair. Still loving every minute with her.

Introducing Camryn Trind Huston

No words can describe our pleasure at the birth of Camryn Trind Huston August 25, 2009 at 1:53pm. She is 7 pounds, 15 ounces and 20 inches. She's healthy, eating well, sleeping well (so far) and just adorable! Dada, Nana, and Mason were all present for the birth and all thrilled to be there. Erika had an epidural, had to push for only a few minutes, and felt fine afterward. Much better than last time! On the way home Mason said to Nana "Having Baby Sister was fun." Oh, and Trind means "pure" in Swedish. We're so happy right now. More pictures to follow :)

Dust bunnies beware

103 degree heat and an enlarging belly won't hold us back. We cleaned a lot (as usual), prepared our bedroom for a new baby, packed the hospital bag, and had fun. Even though baby has a month left, Erika's friend just delivered at 33 weeks and made us nervous. So now we're ready. The biggest accomplishment was washing all 84 of the empty wine bottles decorating our kitchen and the shelf they sit on. Whew! That was a job. At least we could stay indoors. Seriously - 103 degrees.


Erika worked hard all week, hasn't been sleeping well, so she barely had the energy to put Mason to bed each night, but she just couldn't say no to a cute little boy that wants to read books in his new big boy bed.


Talk about child imagination. Mason came up with a game that involved making dinosaurs out of his railroad tracks. This one was a "nukasaurus." Mason posed nicely for this picture, saying "cheese!" When he doesn't want his picture taken anymore he turns away and says "no more cheese!"


We went to the pool where Mason was the most daring he's been in a long time. He played with a two-year-old boy who was swimming all over the place! He must have given Mason courage because he swam a lot and was leaping off of the pool sides without fear.