December Celebrations

This past weekend was a wonderful time for the Howell family of 3! We took our little reindeer to Columbia to visit friends and family.

We enjoyed a couples shower for Kristin McArthur and Eric Simons. Camp got to meet a lot of his mom's high school and college friends.

After the shower, we crashed at the home of the Barretts (and temporarily also the Todds). Camp was delighted (although you couldn't tell it from his fussiness) to meet his birthday twin, Luke! Both boys, sons of Chi O sisters Katie and Katie, were born on 11.11.11. They are our little owlets.

On Sunday, we headed over to Aunt Kit and Uncle Joel's house for the annual Sossamon Family Christmas lunch and gathering. This year was very special because we had one more family member and everyone was able to be there! Camp had a super time being passed around by everyone. We love our family!

Honey with his great-grands

Little cousin Caitlin meeting Camp

Four generations (ages 0, 30, 60, 90)!

Honey with all his grandchildren

The star of the show!

Camp's First Month

Can you believe that Camp has been around for a month now?!?! It has gone by super fast, so I am trying to enjoy every minute of this stage in his life. It can be kind of hard to enjoy when he becomes Mr. Fussy Britches, but I still think he's the most wonderful gift from God.

We are concerned that he may have colic as he cries pretty much every minute he's not eating or sleeping. In those irritable moments, we have tried just about every soothing method we have read or heard about. He will usually calm down with a car ride, stroller ride, when walked/bounced around by mommy or daddy, and when moving around in the Sleepy Wrap. He sometimes responds positively to the 5 S's: swaddling, side or stomach, shushing, shaking (jiggling), and sucking. Camp's favorite place to sleep is his carseat carrier, but he also gets some zzz's in the bassinet and swing. I am a very happy mom when he sleeps, and I try to get some rest alongside him. He does have some great days (more like minutes or hours) and has started smiling a little bit to show he's happy. I am waiting patiently for more of those times. I am often overwhelmed with the love I have for him, and I know it's only just beginning!

Here are some pictures of Camp's firsts.

Getting ready for his first Christmas Parade

Sleeping through the marching band, motorcycles, and fire truck at the Christmas parade

Our family at the Park Circle Christmas Parade

Camp's Statue of Liberty pose

First time meeting "Auntie" Jen :)

First day of Sunday School and Church

Not-so-happy 1 month pic

Making a piratey face in a Santa hat

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

So this post is over a week late, but I was very thankful during Thanksgiving week I promise.

We were major overachievers this year and decided to visit all of Camp's grandparents. On Tuesday before Thanksgiving, we packed up the car with the stroller, bassinet, and several Thanksgiving outfits. We waited for Camp to eat and headed out for Greenville. The trip was amazingly easy, and we made it all the way there without stopping. Camp slept the entire way, and we were very happy parents. Mom's photographer friend, Jack, set up his studio to take some professional pictures of Camp. I guess the kid slept all he was going to sleep on the ride, because he was wide awake and very unhappy for his photo session. You may get to see the resulting pictures one day! For now, you'll have to deal with our best attempts at photography.

We celebrated Thanksgiving Eve Eve with my mom and brother by eating mom's famous spaghetti. Camp experienced his first trip to Broadway Bagels on Wednesday, and he was a perfect angel.  Thank you, Nonna, for taking such good care of us!

Wednesday afternoon brought the drive to Gaffney to visit my dad and crew. Coco, SherBear, Aunt Abbie and Uncle Tater were all so glad to see little Camp! He even got to meet his bonus great-grandmother, Crock Crock. It turns out that Camp is a nice turkey frying assistant, too.

After a delicious Thanksgiving meal in Gaffney, we got back in the car and headed on the scenic route to Augusta. We made it about halfway before we had to stop to change and feed Camp. He fell asleep again shortly after that! We stayed in Augusta with Jonathan's parents, Mimi and Grandad, for two nights. Camp got to sleep in the same sweet bassinet that his daddy slept in when he was a baby. Aunt Brooke and Uncle Gary got to visit with us, and Jonathan got to go deer hunting with the men. Our little hunter stayed home but finally got to wear his camo, too!

 

Saturday after Thanksgiving was GAMEDAY, so we drove back home to watch the Carolina/Clemson game. Naturally, Camp geared up in his Gamecock attire. We made a quick stop in Columbia so little Cocky could meet his great-grandfather, Honey. Even though the USC win over Clemson was great, nothing beats seeing two of your favorite people in the world snuggled up together! It was a fantastic end to a wonderful holiday trip. I am so very thankful.