Just Pictures.

No big news...we just took it easy all weekend.

Did take a bunch of new pictures this week though...

Chillin:

Pretty blue eyes (thanks Gramps!)

Bathtime with Dad: Asleep with Mr. Moose: Sitting up (with a little help):

Watching TV upside down, haha:

Being silly this morning:
Getting so big!!

Blurry, but too cute not to post:Serious face:

Have a great week!

Camryn's new trick

Hahahaha

A Whole New World!

Miss Camryn has officially discovered the world of TOYS! I cannot explain how much enjoyment I get out of watching her play with them!!! She grabs them now, and everything goes straight to her mouth! Check it out:

She is holding her head up well enough to enjoy her jumperoo...and when we put a pillow under her feet (she is still too short to reach the ground), she jumps around and squeals with excitement. It is adorable...thanks Ms. Abby and Ms. Lauren...love you!

I also got a few cute pictures of her today at lunch when Andy and I took her for a walk:

That's all for now, dinner is ready!

My New Marathon

Being a mom draws so many parallels to running it is eerie. Anecdotes about motherhood were shared with me by friends and family from the time I announced my pregnancy, but only after Camryn’s arrival did I truly begin to understand its enormity. Motherhood is like a marathon. When you train for a race, you can only hope you are prepared for the challenges you will face on race day. Pregnancy is spent preparing in a similar fashion. Endlessly imagining what your life will be like with your new addition, fearing an inability to live up to the demands, and yearning for the elation you will feel when you meet your child for the first time. Once the race begins, questions race through your mind: Will I be able to do this? What difficulties lie on the road ahead? And feelings of excitement engulf you: This is the day I have been waiting for, working so hard for, looking forward to. The daily challenges of motherhood are paralleled in what you experience during the course of any road race. There are uphill climbs and downhill strides. Water stations that so often seem miles and miles ahead. An internal drive to continue moving forward. Best of all, there are always smiling spectators, ready to cheer you on when you most need a boost of confidence. Camryn is three months old now, which places me only inches past the starting line of that coveted 26.2 mile race. I have just started my watch, just begun the journey of a lifetime. Motherhood: My New Marathon!

Back to work!

Today is my first day back to work following my maternity leave. A tough day, but I am trying my best to have a positive attitude about it. I found out this morning that I may be resourced to a study managed by someone I have worked with in the past and who is a friend, so that was a nice surprise. At least it is an easy day as far as the actual work is concerned, just catching up on email and overdue training modules for now.

Andy took last week off, and we spent it at Lake Gaston in honor of our anniversary and my last week of freedom before returning to work. We had several visitors while we were there (Zack and Taylor, Amy and the boys, and Jeff and Jen... and of course Steve and Brenda) and the time FLEW by. One of the highlights of the trip was the 31 lb catfish we caught while jug fishing...a neighborhood record. I must say, it was some GOOD EATIN'!!! Check out this monster:

We hauled the boat up there for the week, so we also spent a fair amount of time out on the water. Camryn was an angel as always. Here are a few pictures from the boat:

Camryn taking a snooze:

Captain Andy:

The ladies:

A remarkably friendly heron:

Zack on the kneeboard:

Taylor wiping out on the wakeboard:

Caleb and Josh on the boat:

Everything else:

Angel baby chillin' on the dock:

Playing cornhole at the Sadler's:

The new neighborhood paddle boat:Shower of champions:Seth and Camryn:
Camryn being silly:


That's all for now. Wish me luck in my first week back :-)

Not to brag, but...

Camryn rolled over yesterday!

Yay Camryn! :-)

Independence Day

What a weekend! Andy had Friday off, which was a great break for him and a great start to our weekend. On Saturday morning, we got up early and headed downtown for my first post-Camryn road race. It was perfect running weather. I had planned on running with Camryn and BOB, but it was pretty crowded at the starting line, and Camryn was in good hands with her Dad, so she and Andy watched together and cheered me on. It was so great to have them there...I felt really good for the whole run, except for the stomach ache I had from the fish-n-chips and beer I had for dinner the night before! Bad decision! I still beat my goal time of 40 minutes (4 mile race...37:41 was my official time), so I was happy. I've got a long way to go to get back to my "old" self, but I am at least moving in the right direction. :-) Here are a couple of pictures:

Pre-race:

During:

Post-race:

Camryn spent the afternoon with her Nana while Andy and I attended the 4th annual Wasdell 4th of July party. Thanks Nana! The party was a blast as always.

We have got to hit the hay as we have belly dancing in the morning. Headed out to Jordan Lake this coming Saturday and then to Lake Gaston for the week next week to celebrate our anniversary and my last week of maternity leave. I will leave you with a few silly pictures:

Busy week!

We have had a busy day and I need to get up early, but so much has been going on I just had to make a new blog entry today.

Camryn and I went to Myrtle Beach this week while Andy was out of town for work. She did great on the drive, and it was nice to get away for a couple of days and relax with family. She took her first dip in the pool... she tolerated it, but I wouldn't say she loved it...hehehe I'm sure by next year it will be hard to keep her out of the pool :-). Here are a couple of pictures from our trip:

Catching some rays:

With Cousin Zack:

And finally, a picture of Camryn in her special outfit from GG Hines:

I have a couple of videos I have been wanting to upload, but I can't get it to work at the moment. I will try again later this weekend when I am not so tired. Camryn, BOB, and I are running a 4 mile road race downtown tomorrow morning...wish us luck. We will post the results here.

HAPPY 4TH!!!