Happy Halloween!

Camden's 1st Halloween! One day Camden will understand the true meaning of this day meant for tooth decay. But for now, it's fun to dress him in cute clothes. Camden chose to be a lion this year. Okay, okay...he didn't actually choose. The Halloween Gods chose for him since it was the last 0-3 month sized costume left at Babies 'R Us. There was a Tigger costume that he really wanted, but unfortunately it was too big for him. His parents were very happy with the choice he made anyway. Here are the pictures from Camden's very 1st Halloween! Our little lion cub :)

All Nude...Tastefully Done

Grandma Sindt loves setting up makeshift photo shoots. She may be able to make a career of it. Below are a few of her latest glamor shots.

The pictures reminded me of a commercial for ESPN the Magazine from awhile back that starred my favorite active NBA player, Kevin Garnett, "All nude...Tastefully Done." It was the first thing I thought of when Kim showed me the pictures. I found the commercial on YouTube. Check out the video, then check out the pictures. (For those viewing this from your place of employment, if you don't see the video below, your employer maybe blocking content from YouTube. Check it out when you get home.)

Daddy's Fall Trip

Daddy was able to get some sleep this week :) I had a conference in Orlando the first part of last week, so I had to leave little Camden behind. I was very apprehensive about doing so, but Kim insisted that she would be fine. And what happens when daddy leaves? Mommy breaks out the Iowa State Cyclone gear. I must admit he looks damn cute in that gold Cyclone onesie.

Camden also made his debut a few weeks back at the local Ohio State Alumni Chapter. Max, pictured to the right and not an alum, took quite a liking to Camden. Max has grown so much since the time we first met him back in the early 2000s. Max was so inquisitive and asking all kinds of questions about Camden. His dad told us how much Max loves babies and is always drawn to them. It's always fun to watch how children interact with Camden.

Camden went to his very first dinner party last night. Avid blog readers may recall when we had Mike and Susan Farmer over to visit Camden. Well, stupid mommy and daddy forgot to get a picture of them with Camden while they were here. It was their dinner party we were going to so we made sure to get some pictures with them this time. That's Camden wearing the outfit that the Farmer's got for him (Daddy's going to look back at this picture one day and think, "What's going on with my hair?" I already am thinking that).

It was such a great time. They had invited people of all different ethnicities and it was an international potluck style dinner. Camden was quite the charmer as he always is. He got passed between all the ladies.

We asked Camden to be on his best behavior so that we could use this night as a babysitting recruiting tool. And it worked :) We have a few good candidates that have stepped up.

Don't Wake Me, I'll Wake You

Camden is six weeks old this week continues to bless us every day in so many ways!! He has a onsie that sums up his night time schedule "Don't Wake Me, I'll Wake You".

For only being six weeks old, he's really quick to know what he likes and what he doesn't like so much. For instance, he prefers his crib (own room) over the bassinet. This mommy thought he would have a tough time moving to the crib, which we planned to do around 8-10 weeks. However, his nightime sleeping was digressing so we decided to try the crib. And what do you know....he really liked it!

He was still up every two hours to eat but he seemed to sleep better "sprawled" in his crib. As for the "Don't Wake Me" part of his mantra, we find it difficult to keep him awake during the day at times. He seems to enjoy his deepest sleep in the middle of the afternoon.

We continue to work on his circadian rhythms and slowly but surely we're seeing progress. Camden is starting to smile his toothless grins which we surely enjoy. However, with these smiles, we're also getting many other facial expressions! It's pretty impressive how expressive this boy of ours is. We'll have to work at capturing his pouty lip, his angry face and of course his smiles. We've seen them all and will continue to be patient as he continues to grow and express himself.

Mr. and Mrs. T-Bone

This past Sunday, Mr. and Mrs. T-Bone (aka. Mike and Sheila Trymucha) stopped by. They left their 14 month old daughter, Lauren, with her grandparents so that they could give their undivided attention to Camden.

Like most people that have visited, they wanted to see what all the hype was about with the Wii. I demonstrated my Wii Bowling prowess while holding Camden in one hand and the Wii remote in the other. Camden, however, doesn't come with a safety strap like the Wii remote does. Many have heard of Wii remotes flying into expensive TVs. Let's hope you don't hear about Camden flying into ours.

Camden still hasn't figured out how to sleep during the night. Not that we expect him to sleep all the way through, but a little longer between feedings would be nice. We're doing our best to make it difficult for him to sleep by turning all the lights up in the house, vacuuming, blasting the stereo, and talking to him loudly. The kid sleeps through all of it.

As a result, he's up at about midnight, 2am, 4am, and 6am pretty consistently. He's eating just fine. We can tell he's growing. Our non-scientific weighing method (weigh ourself holding Camden - weight not holding Camden = Camden's weight) has him at about 9.5 lbs. We've got him taking a bottle about once a day now. I think Mommy's was a little jealous of the bottle, but it's necessary.

The Duke and The Return of the 'Nak

Dugan and Mrnak came over to meet the newest member and we enjoyed introducing Camden to the guys. It's fun to watch the demeanor of men around babies. Some guys, like Mrnak, are very hands on and have no qualms about holding a baby. Dugan falls into another camp who aren't quite sure what they want to do. He's thinking, "Babies are cute and cuddly, but is he going to poop on me?" Then there's the last group of guys that thinks, "No way, dude. I'm not going to be responsible for dropping that thing."

I think I used to be in the same camp as Dugan. That's all changed now. I'm converted into a baby kissin' politician. Love 'em!

Camden goes to work -- Again!

Camden continued his road show the next day with a visit to Mommy's work! My co workers all gathered for pizza and cake and gave us a great little baby shower. My team was all very generous and we received a lot of useful baby gear. Camden can hardly wait to get into the Baby Einstein Activity Gym. I love the "My Mommy Rocks" onsie as well.

A big thanks to Jan Norwine as I know she spearheaded the effort. After being gone for so many weeks, it was certainly nice to see everyone again. Camden had been in that conference room many times when he was on the inside, but I think it was his first team meeting on the "outside". :-) What a great team!! My team mates will certainly make it easier to head back to work in 6 weeks. The first six weeks went so fast.... I hope the second six weeks don't speed by too fast!!!

Camden Goes to Work

Camden has been a popular guy lately. Lots of visitors, but today Camden took his show on the road. He visited daddy's work for the first time today. Requests had been coming for weeks to bring the little guy in, and we decided it was time. An email went out late last week announcing Camden's visit.

Some of my coworkers were even thoughtful enough to rearrange their calendars in order to accommodate his arrival. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about bringing him in. Were we exposing him to too many germs too early? Was he going to be fussy and have a big meltdown? He did great! He was calm, quiet, and adorable. He made it very easy on his mommy and daddy.

Camden EASILY charmed all of my coworkers. It was nice to be able to introduce him to my teammates and help them make a connection to our little bundle of joy. Now they've met him and can follow his growth right along with us.

For those at my work reading this and weren't able to visit with Camden, rest assured that he'll be back in the next time the cafe has Sizzling Fajita Salads. Mommy loves that (and more adult conversation)!


Sue and Camden


Joann and Camden


Barb and Camden


Heather and Camden


Pablo and Camden

Lots to Catch Up On

So much to catch everyone up on. When we last left you, Auntie Paige had just arrived and we were awaiting the rest of the Sindt cavalry. Well, they arrived save and sound on Friday evening, by ground. Grandma and Grandpa Sindt arrived early Friday evening, while Uncle Tony and Aunt Lisa arrived late Friday evening. All, of course, excited to see the main attraction, Mr. Camden Kyle Nguyen.

We were very excited to have all the Aunts and Uncle in town. We had been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to introduce Camden to them. Like everyone else, they just ate him right up. Uncle Tony is going to love corrupting him and causing Camden's parents much angst as he introduces Camden to the perils of danger. That's okay, mommy and daddy will need someone to help expose Camden's "wild" side a little bit.

The leaves are turning here in Minneapolis, and we already have lots of leaves on the ground. It makes for a beautiful scene. Our neighbors have a beautiful maple tree with wonderful color. Grandma Sindt thought it was a perfect back drop for some family photos. That's all of us underneath it. In case you're wondering, no we didn't take the time to rake our neighbor's yard. In fact, he would probably be upset if we did (QUICK TANGENT...Last winter I thought I would help him by shoveling his sidewalk. He was thankful that I did it, but mildly disappointed because he wanted the exercise). Check out Camden's Photo Gallery for more seasonal of these seasonal pictures.

Here are some more favorites from this past weekend.


This is a fun position, Grandma!


Camden introduces himself to Aunt Lisa.


Grandpa, Daddy, Uncle Tony, and Camden.


Like O.J. said, "What happens at Grandma's stays at Grandma's!"


Camden loves his team! GO BUCKEYES! (Incidently, for you Iowa State Cyclone fans waiting to see him in cardinal and gold, that day will come. It's just that he doesn't fit into any of his ISU gear yet. Maybe basketball season where there's a LITTLE more hope.)


"Take all the pictures you want. I'm going to snooze."


This time of year, every baby is required to have their picture taken with a pumpkin.


Pround grandparents!

Happy One Month Birthday, Camden!

Camden at 1-month

Today marks Camden's one month birthday! It's been the most wonderful month of our lives. It's such a cliche, but it truly has gone by so fast. Just a month ago we had everyone on pins and needles wondering, "What's this kid going to look like?" and "I hope he's healthy," and the question for many "What will his name be?"

"I'm gonna get you daddy!"

Even after a month, Camden still hasn't quite figured out his days and nights. He's not fussy at night, just wide awake. A couple of nights ago he and daddy were up for about an hour and half from 3am-430am. He just stares at me and it looks like he's thinking, "Look at me! Don't go to sleep you weakling! I'm going to break your will!" And in the picture to the right, it looks like he's pounding his right fist into his left hand as if to say, "Don't fall asleep on me daddy, or else..."

"Camden's time in the tanning bed is paying off."

Also this past week, Camden got a new friend, Alexander Austin Franson. Alex was born to our friends Chris and Shannon on September 27th. When we all found out that we were pregnant at the same time with the Fransons, we decided to enroll in our baby class together. We joked at the time that since our estimated due dates were so close together, that we could have been at the hospital at the same time. Turns out, had we had Camden on his original due date, we would have been at the hospital at same time.

Shannon is from Texas, hence the middle name Austin. It prompted my friend and I to come up with some other possible names for Alex. Such as, Alexander Lubbock. Or Alexander Waco. And, my personal favorite, Alexander Paso (Al Paso for short). I'm guessing none of those made the final cut.

To help celebrate Camden's one month birthday, his Auntie Paige flew up from Phoenix. She's so good with him and Camden is instantly soothed when she's around. Auntie Paige, however, isn't into soothing when Camden needs a diaper change. In order to be a "favorite Auntie" she's gotta start changing diapers.

The competition for that title heats up later this weekend when Aunt Lisa arrives with Uncle Tony. Grandma and Grandpa Sindt just couldn't stay away any longer so they made the trip up from Iowa to be with all the kids. Stay tuned for more family pictures....


(left to right) Camden, Kim, Chris, and Alex


The humidity here was cause for Camden to take his top off.

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As a reminder, remember to click the "Camden's Photo Gallery" link on the left. We constantly update that album with the latest and greatest pictures of Camden.
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More Visitors

Camden had a couple more visitors come by last week. The almost newlyweds, Jeff and Sara stopped over to say hi. Jeff, like many guys including me before Camden, is not a baby holder. Sara, however, was a natural.

Camden's been doing well lately. We'd still like for him to sleep a little longer between feedings at night. He's getting up every hour and a half to two hours. Mommy has been such a trooper with him at nights barely waking me unless she's absolutely exhausted. I'm sure that will change once she returns to work.

Mommy learned a new trick that seems to keep him pretty content. We've been propping him up in the boppy and that seems to help him with his gassyness. I'm not sure if gassyness is a word, but Camden's got it. Plus, as you can see from the picture, he's extremely comfortable.