Sweet Carolina Chronicles

Feeling Fortunate

2012-02-12T18:09:00.001-05:00

Fortunately, February has been less dramatic on the health front for us starting with a clean bill of health for Camille on February 1st. It seems that the unexplained bruising was a combination of factors: amoxicillin allergy, Vitamin K deficiency (temporary it seems) and a string of relatively minor illnesses (stomach bug, a persistent cold and an ear infection). We were so grateful to be able to leave the appointment with the hematologist WITHOUT having to make a follow up appointment. We then headed downstairs to the second floor of Duke Children's for Camille's annual appointment with the Cleft Palate Clinic Team appointment. More good news! We didn't really need to have the team tell us that Camille was developing fine but, it's always nice to hear compliments!

Here's the little punkin' testing out Ethan's teething toy.

It's February, already? February brought the three month mark for Ethan but no well check so we don't know his stats. That said, he is weighing around 16 pounds and wearing mostly 3-6 and 6 month clothes so he's growing fine. He is at day care two days a week until I go back to work full time, around late March. Fortunately, I have been able to divide my maternity leave up. So, I'm learning the positives and challenges of working part-time. More on that later...

I wonder how many requests I'll get for this picture!

Sporting the hair-up-glasses-on-hole-in-shirt look a lot lately, but it was nice to be reminded recently to have pictures taken of yourself with the little ones. So true.

First she chooses my socks, then she gives me all of these toys?

Months of the "Ear"

2012-01-22T14:01:00.001-05:00

Arriving home sometimes brings the cutest little jingles!

Days of the week

2012-01-22T14:00:00.001-05:00

Clearly Ethan loves his teacher already!

A few more gray hairs

2012-01-22T11:22:00.006-05:00

Ironically, over the three days (yes, it takes about 3 days to accomplish small tasks lately) I had been hoping to find time to cover my gray hairs (mid-highlight treatments, you know), I probably doubled the number of silver strands on my head. It was a weekend of: stomach virus hits mommy first, then Camille. Camille starts breaking out in an unexplained rash that gets worse along with bruising. Late Sunday night, Eric takes Camille to Urgent Care, texts me that Camille has an amoxicillin allergy and Eric promptly faints after pressing "SEND." Ethan and I drive to Urgent Care to pick up the ill pair (not feeling all that great myself). So, now just as I am recovering from the ickiest part of the stomach virus, Eric (who valiantly washed every speck of laundry we own practically) gets hit. Ethan, thank goodness, was spared all of the experience. Back home we trot, I put everyone to bed (praying they all stay there) and I have something like cereal for dinner.

So, we got Camille's rash figured out but we still don't know what was causing the bruising. The initial round of blood work came back totally normal, for which we are very grateful (believe me, sleep deprivation and health scares such as those that require blood word do not mix well). We have an appointment with a hematologist in a few weeks and hopefully this drama will end! Fortunately, the stomach bug is G-O-N-E!

(Insert picture of green Hexdalls here...on second thought, let's not). Here's a shot of the healthy boy (with baby, placed by his big sister!)

A few days later, I celebrated my 37th (!) birthday by cleaning bathrooms (yeah, not all that birthday-ish but the deep clean did feel good, nothing like cleaning the bejabbers out of a toilet bowl until it sparkles to make you feel good again! Die stomach virus, die!!). Maybe it is the fact that I haven't been able to "nest" with Ethan due to our "we're-moving-no-we're-not-we're-moving-no-we're-not-we-'re-waiting-until-we-find-the-third-time's-a-charm-house-please-come-soon" phase of life that cleaning and organizing has become a passion. I digress...the birthday ended brilliantly with lots of warm wishes via postal and email and phone and sweet comments from our now recovering little girl. "Happy Birthday, mommy!" has got to be one of the best phrases to come out of an almost three-year-old's mouth. Eric and Camille cooked a delicious meal topping it off with my favorite, creme brulee. Sure, it's not going to help that baby weight (which is much less now thanks to that stomach bug! What's that saying, you're just one stomach virus away from your goal weight! Gross.) but boy, it is heavenly. So here is a funny picture of me and the darlings, and the dessert.

I wish I had written this

2012-01-05T12:47:00.002-05:00

http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/04/2011-lesson-2-dont-carpe-diem/#respond

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T19:48:00.011-05:00

Our Christmas break was delightful, peaceful and cozy. We missed seeing family for sure but it was memorable to be a family of four for the first time. For New Year's Eve, we had our close friends Anne and Dave and their darling duo, Soren (36 hours older than Camille) and Simone
(9 months), over for pizza, conversation and chaos (two toddlers in a confined area made smaller by holiday decorations and gifts). 2012 is off to a good start and will certainly be a busy year -- Camille turning 3 (!), an infant changing daily, a house hunt, likely changes in child care (with change in house) and hopefully lots of visits from family and friends! Here are a few images of the past few weeks. Happy New Year everyone!

December 1st actually...

Camille's "big" gift was a kitchen, that we put, well, in the kitchen. No bow or anything (Eric and I were on our last legs wrapping and putting out presents around 11:00...Santa doesn't do well deprived of lots of sleep), just as is. In retrospect, that may have been why we got the, "you-want-me-to-start-cooking-AND-stay-in-bed? look" on Christmas morning!

Do we have any Caillou fans out there?

Beloved siblings!

And...New Year's...

Every photographer needs an assistant!

And the 2 month-old...

One Day...

2011-12-23T20:31:00.006-05:00

I started this post when Eric and I were going through some trying toddler behavior, especially around sleep (nap and night). As I put the finishing touches on this list, we've been fortunate to have a string of good days. When I began the post, it was really about looking forward to happier, less stressful days. But then I started thinking more about each of the difficult issues, realizing I am fortunate to have these challenging issues in my life. Having it dawn on me (possibly at dawn) that this too shall pass, I began writing the caveat for each challenge. Thus, one day...

One day our daughter will not cry herself to sleep. One day our daughter will not want us reading to her before going to sleep.

One day I will have regular showers. One day I will wish I didn't have to see the muck in the shower on a daily basis, knowing I need to clean.

One day I will not put piece of a candy cane in our daughter's morning "car ride" snack thinking, "ooo! minty fresh breath, that counts as brushing her teeth, right?" One day I won't have conversations about the lake that is dirty on the way to school with our daughter.

One day I will not look at our couch and wonder what bodily fluid still remains embedded in the fabric. One day I will ... hmmm....not sure I will miss this one! Yep, pretty sure.

One day Mabel's jingle jangle of her collar at 3:00 AM will not startle me or the baby so much to rouse us from a slumber. One day I will not have the companionship of Mabel's soft fur and deep brown eyes in the middle of the night, providing reassurance that only a four-legged friend can.

One day I will see a movie again, experiencing the feeling of total escape from reality. One day I will go to a movie and think to myself, "why did I waste my time on that?"

One day I will be able to go to the bathroom by myself. One day I will wish the people helping me in the bathroom were cute, little and told stories about the towels and toothpaste. (I'm hoping I grow weary and old with loved ones caring for me but I'm sure there is some actuary who will tell me something different!)

One day I will get more than 2 hours of sleep in a row each night. One day I will really miss hearing Ethan's mumbles, coughs, coos and snorts beside me, and Camille's need to be covered up again that seem to be timed exactly when Ethan is back in the pack-n-play and I have just put my head on the pillow.

One day I will not feel clausterphobic in our home, as I trip over a space station, a dog (real) and furniture (which serves to remind me of said bodily fluids - see above). One day I will miss Camille saying, "Shall coss WAY!" each time we turn onto our street.

One day I will not have to scrape encrusted raisins off the seats of my car (those were raisins, right?) One day I will be in someone's immaculate vehicle that shimmers and shines and I will think, "how boring!"

One day I will be able to find the bed under all the laundry that has literally quadrupled in volume since Ethan was born. One day I will pass some baby clothes in Target and long for the day of endless washing.

One day I will eat a meal without rushing through it for fear of not eating (a nursing mother HAS to eat!) before a) the baby cries, b) the toddler walks in the kitchen seeing me eating my secret chocolate stash, or c) I have been sitting long enough at the kitchen table to see black bean juice encrusted (why do things have to get encrusted?).

One day I will miss these ages, this home, this part of a wonderful life. But I wouldn't mind having a maid!

Camille meets Ethan

2011-12-13T13:18:00.000-05:00

Not in chronological order...this was when Camille fell in love, er, met Ethan! Perhaps when he takes her toys, we'll show her this video and remind her that early on she was infatuated.

6 weeks!

2011-12-13T12:02:00.000-05:00

Finally I think I have figured out this video into blog thing. Geesh...only took me 2 1/2 years!

Baby Ethan's Arrival

2011-11-10T20:16:00.004-05:00

Perfect. Adorable. Cute. Good sleeper (just hasn't learned when sleeping is desired, like at night as opposed to the day). Insatiable appetite. Fan club president (for now): Camille, older sister. That's our little guy! He came into the world at 11:17 AM on 11/1/11. Truth be told, I did look at the clock, at 10:40 and thought, oh, it really could be 11:11 on11/1/11! But, I let go of that trivia and just proceeded with no other agenda but meeting this little guy. He weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long and came out screaming! Each time he screamed, Eric and I used that opportunity to look for that good ol' uvula! While we did not see it, his sucking reflex was proof indeed of its presence.

We are in that getting-to-know you, getting-to-know-us phase of early life, with lots of joyful moments and then those moments when you remember what sleep deprivation feels like. But, it's all worth it for this cutie pie!

So sweet, a proud sister indeed

Camille loves rubbing noses!

With Gran, also so sweet! Thank you mom for everything!

Here is Ethan at his first pediatrician's visit...

And here is Camille...siblings for sure!

And here are pictures from the hospital. Camille was so cute, she walked in tip-toeing saying, "oh is that my baby Ethan?" Later, when I was holding him and he was looking up at me, she said, "Awww, Mommy, he likes you!" And yes, 48 hours later, she inquired, "Can we put him back in your tummy?" But, all and all, we are pretty sure Camille approves.

More cuteness to come! Thanks for all your positive thoughts and well wishes!

The countdown begins!

2011-10-31T16:35:00.006-04:00

Will it be a Halloween baby? Probably not...I went in for the non-stress test (prior to induction, scheduled tomorrow at 8:00pm...well, I have to get there at 8:00pm...who knows when everything will start) and sonogram this afternoon and the baby boy Hexdall is still kicking. In fact, he kept moving so much that the fetal monitor slipped and it took a while to get a consistent read! Small but fairly regular contractions were registering (by me and the monitor), which is reassuring. I'm 4-5 cm dilated so once this all kicks in, he should be welcomed into the world pretty quickly. We are so excited to meet him!

And we must not forget, our little Ladybug Girl is ready for some trick-or-treating! The weather is hardly a treat..cold and raining. This presents a good opportunity for me to hand out candy and count contractions while Daddy and Gran take Camille on her brief trick-or-treating rounds.

Treat!!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Not "popping" yet

2011-10-20T12:16:00.003-04:00

Still here...with amusing conversations from the soon-to-be older sister:

Camille: "Mommy, you are huge and heavy and big and that is why you can't pick me up. But when baby Ethan comes, you will be small and you can, you are supposed to pick me up."

Mommy: "You're right, I am big and when baby Ethan is born, I will be able to carry you a lot more. What do you think he will look like?"

Camille: "A crying baby."

Mommy: "Hmmm...you're probably right. When do you think he will come?"

Camille: "He will POP out soon, Mommy."

Mommy: "Oh good, I'm looking forward to meeting him."

Camille: "Me too."

Later that evening...Camille refused to pick up dish towels that she had thrown on the floor.

Mommy: "Camille, it's time to pick up the towels, how about if I do one and you do the other."

Camille: "No." (repeat several times)..."I am huge and heavy and big and cannot pick up the dish towels, not until baby Ethan is born, then I can pick them up."

Are we about to have fun or what?!

"You should pack your camera now" but still waiting...

2011-10-12T21:22:00.000-04:00

So a week ago, my OB (one of them) said that we should pack our camera and a bag now due to the fact I was 3 cm dilated, 80-90% effaced and the baby was at -1 station. Translation: get ready. But, that was a week ago (maybe I could be "here" a while?). I am fine with waiting as I still have major things to wrap up at work, there is precious little time left to savor Camille as an only child (sniff sniff!), and little time left to savor my last pregnancy. Oh, and there is this minor thing about us being in the midst of moving. That status is that we are under contract but we need to find renters in order to actually get the house, which we've been told will not be difficult but until we actually have a signed rental agreement, we won't be celebrating. My patience has grown over the years but even this time in life is putting my mindfulness skills to the test.

But...these sweet smiling faces allow for breathing easy and being grateful for so much right now. This was taken at a brunch we went to with Eric's Dad and Jan a few weeks ago, when they kindly came to visit us. When the time came to pay the bill, Camille said, "I will give it to him (the $) and he will say 'thank you' and I will say you're welcome." Well, good to know manners are somehow sinking in, even if a bedtime routine isn't.

Rocky Mountain High

2011-08-07T20:23:00.006-04:00

And the summer of let's-get-outta-here-and-cram-in-as-much-"family-of-three"-time-before-we're-four continues! We spent a wonderful week in Colorado seeing my parents, sister and sister's family (we missed you Aurora and Cristal!) as well as Aunt Cindy, Uncle Matt and cousin Austin (and apparently Uncle Steve -- Austin's friend who Camille thought was another Uncle). Colorado provided a much-needed reprieve from this blistering heat. Our first stop was Vail then on to Denver (where we also saw my cousin Katie and her son Zander!). What a wonderful vacation...now we're home for a looooong time, ready to prep for baby (who at the moment is making himself known as he appears to be creating a mild but painful case of sciatica -- not pleasant) and prepping to put our house on the market. Let the good times begin!

By the stream in Vail...

Cousin Eva posing with her pal Al

Camille, with her beloved backpack

At the sandbox with Gran (who was so kind to pack a ton of fun sand toys -- thanks, Mom!)

Camille & Eva, just chatting...

Wonderful Gran and Granddad

Two family portraits in one summer! Apparently Camille wasn't too thrilled....

An attempt at a larger family shot...

In Denver...Camille mooning over new pal Zander

So fun!

At the Aquarium in Denver!

Coloring with Aunt Cindy's fabulous art supplies -- thanks Cindy!

Ahhh...just chillin' in the Colorado sun...

Hope to go back very soon! And yes, we did not get any pictures of Camille with Aunt Cindy, Uncle Matt or Austin...what were we thinking?! We'll just have to go back.

"Vacay" part 2

2011-07-17T20:13:00.008-04:00

We're home now, back to reality. It is really nice to be sleeping in our own beds and feeling like the house is a mansion but we miss the ocean waves and lazy days of vacation. Speaking of beds, while in Nags Head, the only bed option for Camille was on the floor (on a comfy mattress-like mat with lots of pillows surrounding her) so we just decided to take the plunge and transition her from her crib lifestyle. There were many rough nights and early mornings but overall, it went pretty well. We weren't able to change her crib to a toddler bed last night due to exhaustion and lack of screws needed (go figure!) and lo and behold, she finally accomplished actually getting out of the crib. [At 13 months, she learned to do this but never quite succeeded due to a handy thing called a crib tent (bless the person who invented this). Then, about 2 months ago, the tent broke (thanks to some fancy gymnastics move by Camille). So, we just really enforced staying in her crib. It worked for as long as we needed it. And, with baby boy on his way, we knew this move had to happen soon.]

So, today, with a trip to Lowe's (for screws) and a trip to Target (for new bed gear), we have a toddler bed! Nap time was difficult (90 minutes work for a 60 minute nap) but bedtime tonight seems to be a success! An hour's work and we've heard the sweet sound of silence for 30 minutes now. It's only night two but we'll take it. I do have sympathy for our sweet pea as the number of transitions that have occurred in her life lately would probably put an adult through the wringer of stress -- a lot of her friends are transitioning to preschool so new friends at school (same wonderful teacher thankfully), potty training, baby on the way, vacation and all smack dab in the middle of toddlerville where independence rules but Mom and Dad rule too. Ugh. It's a lot. She's a trooper. Here is how we wrapped up our delightful "vacay!"

"Vacay"

2011-07-14T15:10:00.005-04:00

Ahhh...the beach. Nothing quite says vacation than ocean waves, sun, sand and naps. We are in Nags Head on the Outer Banks, staying in a bungalow called Henry's Hut with Eric's college roommate, Mark, and his family. Mark and Joan have two daughters, Jennifer (12) and Jacquelyn (10) and they have provided welcome entertainment for the youngest of the group! Aside from being with her cousins, Camille has never been "fought" over for playtime as much as she has this week. Some pics thus far...

Footprints on the beach

A visit to the aquarium

Jacquelyn feeding Camille a goldfish (cracker)

A morning walk on the beach, making "Cs"

Eric and Mark on their dive to the wreck, the Zane Gray

Not letting go of her fingers...

A beach vacation wouldn't be complete without a round of mini golf! Even if we do use our hands to put the ball in the hole.

Back to relaxing (and ice cream...and...walks...and...)

It's A...

2011-05-26T20:09:00.007-04:00

!!

It was a chaotic day full of anticipation and now we can sit back and relax and take in this wonderful news. Camille got a stomach bug this morning, which meant it would be a day of multitasking. An attempt to have a babysitter come stay with her while Eric and I went to the appointment failed twice (do I have our 80 year-old neighbor come watch her? No...Gini probably couldn't lift Camille out of the crib...bad plan. Sandie, our trusted babysitter who also happens to be our dog sitter? Nope. She's busy walking half a dozen dogs - not all at once). So, can we reschedule? Nope - the anatomy scan has to be completed in a certain window...nice. All right, plan C. Can I take Camille? She's in a good nap, fever down, was pretty active and happy before nap...yes, that's the plan. Appointment at noon. Try to rouse Camille around 11:30, hmmm...feels a little hotter...103 temp. Eeek. Not looking so good. She wakes up (now I'm feeling guilty for awaking her from a good nap) and the dreaded vomit hits. Poor baby.

Plan C is definitely nixed. Quickly call appointment line and try (beg) to move the appointment to later. Good, got it at 1:30. Quickly text Eric..."will not meet you behind work, please come home now." Clean what I can, get cold washcloth and head back into Camille's room to just rock her...in front of fan. Eric home - yey! Camille is sacked out on my lap (good, sleeping is good). Drive to appointment...a welcome phone call from a best friend soothes my nerves. Arrive at appointment with video camera in hand. Not much waiting, thankfully. Me: "Can I video tape this so my husband can view it when I get home?" Ultrasound Tech: "No but we can give you a CD." OK...that will do. "Also, we do want to know the sex of the baby but please don't tell me, write it on a piece of paper so my husband and I can find out at the same time." Request granted (so I think). Scan...scan...scan...everything looks great! (Ahhh...good news welcomed on this hectic day). ... Drive home...

Camille is up and around, good. "Let's see the baby!" We all huddle around my laptop, insert the CD and "ooo, ahhh, oh...look at that cute arm and leg!" The anticipation is killing me...wasn't he going to write what it was? OK he said he would indicate on the ultrasound pictures but also put it in the envelope. Let's look in the envelope. OK, there are two pictures in it...yeah, that kind of looks like it but...where does it say, BOY?! It's only 4:30, I'm sure there are still people in the office. So we call the office...finally get the nice Dr. Boyd on the phone..."are you ready?" Ha! Ready? "It's a boy!" comes through loud and clear on speaker. Yey!

Now, Camille is sound asleep, fever reducer on board and we're off to dream of blue.

My diet of late

2011-04-21T20:13:00.014-04:00

Never have I craved these and if I have had a hankering, one or two bites is typically enough. In the last few weeks, one or two bites just haven't cut it.

When these make up the majority of your meals, the majority of the days, you splurge on organic.

And yes, "candy" that I swear works wonders.

Ta-Da!

Due to arrive October 26th! I am 13 weeks (these scans were a couple of weeks ago) and we'll find out within a month or so if Camille will have a baby sister or a baby brother! When we broached the subject with Camille, she handed me a book and said, "read this one." I'm sure that will change.

For our Facebook friends, we probably won't announce this for a few weeks so we'll keep it hush-hush for now. =) Thanks!

It's not over, 'til it's over

2011-04-18T09:28:00.003-04:00

Apparently, I remembered the important things about living through tornadoes in Kansas like: grab a flashlight (or two in case your toddler wants to play with one), crack the windows open a bit (confirmed by Eric's text from Asheville where he was visiting his Dad and Jan after another Hollywood stint...more on that later), stay away from said windows, and remember that things are just things. As Camille was soundly sleeping (and I got a few winks), my ever-vigilant mom texted me letting me know the severe thunderstorm warning had now turned into a tornado warning. I had known this as I was glued to the television trying to find the most legitimate weather forecast. All of them concurred: take shelter now. First task: wake Camille. Check (she did great through the whole ordeal). Second: crank volume of TV up loud so I can hear any new announcements while in the bathroom (mind you, this bathroom is tiny). Third: Coax dog to go into the bathroom (no problem there, she came very willingly). Fourth: Hunker down! Log on to YouTube on the trusty Droid and search "Elmo." Hallelujah! Lots of choices - Elmo and Adam Sandler even - perfect for Camille AND me. So, in this position we sat - dog on floor curled as tightly as a golden retriever can curl literally on my feet and Camille sitting on my lap laughing to Elmo and Adam Sandler. (In the background I can hear the piercing blare of the warning sound on the TV and rain on the windows while the lights flickered on and off). In the midst of the Elmo videos, texts from my mom: "I'm reading about a large tornado on the ground in north raleigh. Do you hear anything?" ... "la la la la, la la la la, Elmo's song!" "Ok? Tornado in ground north Raleigh." (We live in Northwest Raleigh). What a wonderful mother I have...I can only imagine how awful it must have been on the other end. We both agreed that we would have gone crazy without texting.

Anyway... shortly after this stint in the bathroom (at which point, Camille started feeding Mabel piece by piece of her food - so cute!), we all needed to escape. Wanting to see what it was like outside (the sun was peaking out, clouds breaking and blue sky emerging), we geared up in the stroller and got Mabes leashed up. It was sprinkly but clearing. Ha! Apparently the thing I forgot was to wait until it really is over. We got halfway up the street and it started raining a bit more. Then a huge clap of thunder and the rain came. And then, the pea sized hail came. And then I started looking for cover but I was SO close to home I thought just running faster would be better. (I can now see how this fallacy gets people in trouble). Finally, we made it into our garage and all was well. We ALL (I think even Mabel) took a deep breath and said, "whoa!" We were absolutely drenched. We changed clothes and Camille enjoyed just being in a diaper and bloomies. I made a unilateral decision to have a "nibble tray" for dinner -- not exactly in the mood for cooking anything -- we munched on cherry tomatoes, hummus & crackers, pickles, cheese, black beans and yogurt. Delicious. Rehashing the entire afternoon in part for my own sanity and not wanting Camille to have traumatic memories associated with rain, we talked about how wet we got and admittedly a bit scared. "Mommy got wet! Tameel got wet! It not rainin' any moah." Thankfully, Camille, it is not raining anymore. Here is the link of one of our local news stations that shows the path of (all) the storms.

Birthday Girl

2011-03-25T20:18:00.003-04:00

Pictures from the celebration!

Happy Birthday, Camille!!

2011-03-22T12:27:00.003-04:00

Here's the working mom - at work - typing a blog entry that's not really an entry but rather a notification. If Camille looks back at this blog one day (heck, if anyone looks back at this blog one day!), I don't want her birthday to go unmentioned! At 1:56 pm this afternoon, she will officially be 2 years old (as Camille says it, "2 yeahs OLD!" with emphasis on the OLD). In various journals (some official, some not...did you know grocery lists make for great places to write various milestones down?) I've noted the cute phrases the sweetie has uttered ("goin' to the STOUH - store - need BANAS!" "I don't like dat." "I DO like dat." "Dat tilly"). We're still working on "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk" but we're almost ready for video. Pictures of today's main event coming soon.

October Recap

2010-11-13T15:29:00.004-05:00

The fall has brought lots of fun to our family -- a sudden love for the "mooo" (moon), to which we have to say "nigh-nigh" to every night, feeding Mabel and sometimes overfeeding her, eating new delights and anticipating the excitement of the coming holidays! Camille "decided" to be the moon for Halloween but as you can see, she changed her mind quite suddenly. So, we opted for dressing in mostly black (I'm sure I wouldn't get the mother-of-the year award for costume safety but hey...) and carrying around a cardboard moon (made by Daddy). This year's Halloween brought with it a love for chocolate. Oh the joy!

Third (fourth?) attempt at the costume...clearly a no-go.

But, we salvaged the evening with trick-or-treating, which was a huge hit. It was so cute to see Camille get so excited to walk up to the door and get candy! She did her traditional "thank you" sign, which in sign language is the hand "taking a bow" from the chin (?). Camille interprets it as a real bow and dips her head and bends her knees while saying "ahhhh." It's the cutest thing ever and I have yet to get a good video of it. Rats. Still trying...

In the afternoons, Camille, Mabel and I go on a walk (well, a few steps here, then there, then up the hill, then back to the driveway...Mabel is pleased to get her business done but hasn't gotten to sniff much of the neighborhood lately) and soak up this gorgeous fall weather. Camille has found delight in separating out the white rocks from the red ones in our neighbor's yard and, pointing to the moon.

Pre-walk...warming up Travolta style...

Last weekend, we also discovered the source of the yummiest pastries in the area at Guglhupf Bakery (I know I should make this a hyperlink but I'm on borrowed time - aka nap) in Durham. At nearly every local coffee shop I've visited in the Durham/Chapel Hill area, they always carry Guglhupf baked goods -- perfect with a latte. Little did I know, they had an actual restaurant! This will be a place we frequent, well, frequently! Camille loved the little sugar cookies that are hidden under the coffee mugs (clever) -- as soon as she saw it, her little hands reached over and... snatch! Yum!

We're still here!

2010-10-07T12:04:00.000-04:00

Updates coming soon but just in case you were wondering, we are still alive! =)

Fun in the Sun!

2010-06-23T20:53:00.011-04:00

A few highlights from the start of this already sweltering summer! And it's only June!

Hello Mr. Manatee! (For anyone who hasn't swam with the manatees, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Eric and I had the pleasure two summers ago. They are the most gentle creatures -- it's like swimming with cows!)

I look GOOD in these glasses!

And back home...literally 48 hours after leaving Florida...good-bye cast!

Can't I have a normal pool like other kids? (this looks so redneck!)

If Dr. Seuss lives on your bookshelf...
(Goat and...) Goo Goo Goggles!

Let's Book a Playdate!

2010-06-21T21:26:00.009-04:00

What do you say, Ruby, sometime this fall? Late summer? We can't wait to give you a big hug and welcome you to the Girls Club!

Almost...

So close...we'll call it good!

Love,
Your three giggling gal pals, Camille, Addie & Sam

AD and Scott, we can't wait to give you guys big hugs too!

Go Team!

2010-05-21T22:03:00.002-04:00

It seems this entire blog is dedicated to our little Camille (ok, it doesn't seem that way, it is that way) but I want to shift the focus on another little babe about to come into this world on Monday (or sooner?). Here's a cheer for you, Baby McVeigh -- we're looking forward to hearing of your safe arrival! We love you AD & Scott!

Hump day, not BUMP day!

2010-05-19T21:43:00.001-04:00

We had a day, as folks like to say.

We had such a day that began with a tumble,
That landed us in the doctor's office with a grumble.
A bump on the head and an arm that hurt,
We saw a nice doctor and nurse named Gert (seriously).
After an urging from Dad,
We had a few X-rays that made us quite mad.
The tech smelled like smoke, this must be a joke!
We ended with a nice little cast that's bound not to last
'Cause the way that I chew it's no longer new.
Oh we had a day, as folks like to say.
A day we'd rather not repeat.
Thankfully we ended it with a special treat.

The jury's still out apparently on whether or not we actually like ice cream...

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T09:17:00.007-04:00

To all the wonderful mothers out there (even those to four-legged creatures), you are so appreciated and loved! Thank you for all you do! And to my mom, even from afar you help out tremendously and I know I wouldn't be half the mother I am without your love and guidance. I am very grateful. I love you!

Our sweet little Camille surprised us this past week after multiple tries of cruising, standing up, falling, realizing crawling was much faster, waddling, etc., she is now walking! (Videos soon)

Was this really Camille one year ago?!

And today...

Take it Outside

2010-05-02T11:32:00.001-04:00

Finally whatever technical difficulties I've been having have resolved themselves (I'm sure some sleep had something to do with it!) We've been soaking up that sunshine! The weather here has been wonderful lately, hints of a humid summer but for the most part, a delightful spring. One of Camille's absolute favorite activities is to go outside -- she actually starts laughing as the door to the porch is opened, it's very cute. Can't you just hear the laughter?!

Shuh-wiiiiing!

Let's dig in the mud!

5th time a charm?

2010-04-21T21:13:00.002-04:00

YES!!

Well...one is better than none...anyone else having these problems? Too large of a file? I'll keep trying...

And, we're back!

2010-04-11T08:22:00.005-04:00

At long last...putting it mildly, it's been a busy spring but we're back on track and ready to roll! After Camille's surgery, Eric needed a little knee repair and that coupled with a round of norovirus for everyone and now Bell's Palsy for Eric (hoping it goes away soon), blogging has been a the bottom of the list. Never to be deterred from rising to the occasion...onward! =) These are just a variety of pictures of the last few months, including a very special birthday! Also included are some pictures of Camille's first beach trip! We had a nice opportunity to go to Manteo (for my work, decided to make a combo 24 hour vacation out of it!) on Friday so away we went! While I worked, Camille and Eric ate some BBQ at Pigman's -- apparently a local favorite.

So what keeps our little sweetie entertained these days? She LOVES to eat -- I don't know if the contrast is so great from when she wasn't able to eat much or if she is just a born eater but she is adventurous and savors every bite of veggies, fruit (strawberries and bananas are favs), bread (Trader Joe's mini whole wheat bagels are a staple around here) and she's ventured into some meat. Camille seems to invent games wherever she goes: we have furniture rearranged daily (I think she sees furniture as "walkers" and uses any chair/table that moves to assist in walking, which she is not yet doing independently...fine with me!), removing cushions from chairs to climb into them (a game that lasts and lasts), and the ever-popular, let's race to the stairs and start climbing before Mom can find me! Camille is such a sweetheart -- she hugs every animal before going to bed and then hands it to you to give a hug as well. And the most adorable thing is a little chuckle when she is about to do something she loves, whether it be eat strawberries or go outside to pop bubbles. Life should be so simple.

Having technical difficulties and can't post photos...will post soon but had to at least get this up before another 3 months passed!!

Baby Camille Version 2.0

2010-01-29T17:03:00.002-05:00

We're home after Camille's big day yesterday -- surgery to fix her cleft palate and to put tubes in her ears (despite not having ANY ear infections to date...more as a precautionary measure and to drain fluid). She did beautifully and required no packing at the surgery site, just a few stitches. So far, we've already heard a few new sounds and she enjoyed a few bites of yogurt and applesauce, with Ta-Da!...NO reflux!! So far, she's handled the "restraints" (they look like "flat floaties" at her elbows) very well and still manages to crawl/scoot and cruise. With the exception of a some fussiness (understandably!), she's our cheery and bright Camille! Of course we LOVE whatever version she presents to us but I have a feeling 2.0 will get even more rave reviews! Pictures to come soon --

New Year, New Joys

2010-01-03T15:11:00.005-05:00

Camille has been delighted with a new musical walker (well, she has to do the walking, which she's not quite yet doing, thankfully, but cruises, crawls, pulls up and occasionally falls down) she received from her Grandma & Grandpa. Thank you!

And the game we could play for hours...

Holidaze in Review

2010-01-03T13:48:00.014-05:00

As my last post suggested, life got a little crazy back in November and December but on the heels of 2 weeks "off" I'm slowing catching up. We've had more visitors, more milestones and more adventures in Kansas. Sadly, we weren't able to make it to see some very important people but we'll just have to look forward to seeing them in 2010! Ellen, Camille missed you! Aunt Caroline, we missed your delicious Christmas meal! Betsy, we missed seeing Minnie and I especially missed seeing Camille with another pooch, more her size. On the bright side, we had a great time in Lawrence with Gran and Granddad with all his toys! Eric and I even managed to make it to Yellow Sub -- yummy as ever. Thanks to everyone for making our holiday spirits bright!

As I type this, Eric is valiantly trying to give Camille bites of peas and after 2 spoonfuls, it's "ACHOOO!" And out come the peas. The behaviorist in me is saying, "we don't want to make this an aversive experience so maybe we should just wait until after the surgery (which by the way, has been scheduled for January 28th!) to increase the chance we'll have it be a positive experience!" The mom in me is saying, "how cute, he really is able to keep her face clean!" By her smiles and sqeals, she seems to be enjoying herself.

The following are a smorgasbord of fun!

From Grandma & Grandpa's visit in November:

Fun with Daddy at the Wheelers for Thanksgiving -- thanks again for such a great time!

Let's Go!

'Tis the Season! (Well, 'twas)

Happy Birthday, Zach!! We had so much fun at your party! (sorry the beer bottle was left in the picture!)

Daddy, the Jungle Gym

Time!

2009-12-14T11:43:00.001-05:00

I need more of it...

8 Months!

2009-11-22T19:10:00.005-05:00

Already?! Camille is on the move...all of the time. She has been crawling for a while now and has learned a few other tricks along the way. Babyproofing/eyes-on supervision has begun and will likely be taken up a notch soon. Lately we've enjoyed visits from Gran (Grandad will come again soon) and Grandma and Grandpa (thanks for coming everyone!). We'll be in North Carolina this year for Thanksgiving and are putting travel plans for Christmas on hold until we know when Camille's cleft surgery will be. Fortunately we found out this last Wednesday that we might be able to schedule it for December! It will be so nice to have the day come when she can drink a bottle of milk without it coming out of her nose not to mention having her get back into the solids that she so enjoyed. She handles it all with such sweetness, sometimes a cry or two but for the most part, she just wipes her nose like it itches a bunch. What a trooper!

Waving to Mommy...

A light snack...

As I was saying...

Moving to higher ground...uh oh...

A little fun with Mommy (sorry it's so dark...the sound is the most important anyway)

Time for bed (with the bug-turned-teether) also, thank you to the person who invented the snuggly, flannel onesie with a zipper! Oh, we've done buttons and snaps all right but nothing is faster than zip!

Makin' it Fresh!

2009-11-21T21:37:00.002-05:00

Trying out some new looks...

Sometimes it's best to call in a professional

2009-11-04T20:10:00.003-05:00

http://www.kathleenhunterphotography.com/Hexdall/album

Now, which ones to choose...

Boo!

2009-10-31T15:46:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Happy Birthday, Ann!

2009-10-19T19:15:00.002-04:00

We hope you had a wonderful day, Ann! We hope to see you soon!

So Long, Farewell, auf Wiedersehen, Goodnight

2009-10-03T17:01:00.005-04:00

It's been real, boring, painful (and real boring and real painful), tedious, amazing and productive and I do think I'll actually miss you, Mr. (or Ms.) Medela. Hopefully, I'll see you again sometime in the future. Yes, I'm officially packing away the pump. It's strange how I reminisce about the tedium of it all: washing the pump parts, sterilizing them in the handy-dandy microwave bags, hooking up and watching every infomercial known to man from "Your 6-month-old CAN read!" to "Sham-WOW!) in the wee hours of the morning. It just finally came time to put sleep ahead of breastmilk. And it finally dawned on me that there's SO much more to being a mom than the milk.

Happy Half-Birthday!

2009-09-22T05:40:00.005-04:00

Say it isn't so! I suppose I could put this phrase on "repeat"as it will be said time and time again: I can't believe how fast it has gone! Admittedly, those first six (12?) weeks crept slowly as we had only a vague recollection of what slumbering meant. But, since then each milestone, little and large, has come upon us with haste. As we strive to do so in all areas of our lives, I guess this just means we need to savor the sweet moments a little more.

From Sunday in one of her new outfits from Terrific AND Great Aunt Susan

Here she is today in the other cute outfit!

And here we all are after one of those crazy days (today) when I forgot my cell phone at work, was nearly late to the pediatrician's office, had to walk/run in the pouring rain into the peds office (what's best: Baby in car seat in snap-n-go with blanket draped over car seat with Mommy holding jeans jacket over head running or baby-in-arms with blanket draped over both Mommy and Baby looking like ghosts running into the office? Either one leads to a soaking wet and stressed Mommy and sad Baby...thank goodness we love our nice pediatrician and would stomp through the rain for an appointment with her), and had to drive home in yet another deluge with less than brilliant drivers. Ahhhh to be home again!

Ahhhh weekends

2009-09-20T21:57:00.003-04:00

They just can't be beat! Last weekend was perfect for lounging...

and Apricot Pancakes made by Chef Eric! They were phenomenal complete with dried apricots mixed in and warm apricot jelly drizzled on top. Mouth watering yet? We have a lot of banana pancakes around here but these may become a new weekend regular.

Dinner Possible: How Camille Does Solids Part I

2009-09-19T20:11:00.005-04:00

For the past few weeks we've been experimenting with solids (well, purees). Squash, sweet potatoes, peas and bananas have been favorites -- clearly Camille got my sweet tooth! Pears were also good but too runny and just not good with rice cereal. She's been doing very well with mastering the spoon. The only hurdle now is figuring out how she can keep the food from going up her nose -- a cleft issue that we all will be glad to resolve!

First came the interest. Who can resist a PB&J?

Then came a taste of banana (after she nearly grabbed it out of my hand!) in the closest thing to a baby spoon we could find.

Then came reading the labels...

Let's try some peas!

Yep, I like peas!

Mabel: Be kind to your mother, Camille.
Camille: Will she be joining us every night for dinner?

Ahhh...let's get back to the bottle...that eating stuff is tough work.

The Lost Posts

2009-09-13T12:03:00.012-04:00

I wonder if fellow bloggers can relate...you take a picture and think, "That gives me a good idea and I'll post that to the blog." Of course I will! After I write that report, fold that laundry (ha! that happens about 50% of the time...our dressers are often plastic bins called laundry baskets), think about what we'll have for dinner this week (let alone what Camille will eat!), write that note, dust bust that floor, pump, etc. etc. etc. Hence this post. These are a variety of pictures I've had ready and waiting and only now do I have a vague recollection of what I was going to say. So, here is a completely random collection of pictures and ideas that one day may have been clever, but now are mere reporting of events since past.

Camille's first trip to Wal-mart! An occasion that would have been nice to put off for as long as possible but, there had to be a first.

Early literacy...so far, Camille just likes to chew on books but in this family, that is bound to change quickly.

Jayhawks gather in North Carolina! Coincidentally, the chair of the Central Regional KU Alumni Chapter lives a few houses down from us and has been encouraging us to join the fun for a long time. Finally in late August, we met for a family BBQ picnic. It was so fun seeing so many fellow Jayhawks!

Did I mention Camille is in to eating books AND nametags apparently?

A few weeks ago, Camille got to meet sweet Lily (and Kristin, Michael, Carrie & Dore), which was so fun! We hope to see them again soon!

Firsts!

2009-08-31T21:43:00.003-04:00

First plane flight to see family in Kansas (we miss you tons! and it was a bittersweet visit because we realized how much we miss you!) and first cold. More posting to come but for now, thank you Aunt Susan, Aunt Caroline and Aunt Laura for making the trip delightful in so many ways.

More fabulous friends from afar!

2009-08-09T21:28:00.004-04:00

Our good friends AD & Scott and Michelle & Kevin visited us a few weekends ago and we enjoyed good food and great company! Thanks guys and gals for the visit, it was great to see you! Looking forward to seeing you again in October!

Which is better: KC BBQ or NC BBQ?

2009-08-09T21:10:00.003-04:00

This could spark a fierce debate but when we can't have Gates, we'll settle for Smokeys! We actually happened upon this place on the way back from an afternoon cookout that was, well, a bust quite honestly. We were anticipating great food, good music and fun but got no food, no music and not-so-much fun.

"Really, Mom and Dad? We need to blow this joint as Granddad likes to say."

Not deterred, we explored Cary, NC and found Smokeys! Our little fry even tried to grab one of mine! (Even more evidence that real food is not far away). Quite satisfied, we went home with full bellies.

Two happy customers...

At least Camille got to try her new shades!

Her First Wetsuit!

2009-08-09T19:27:00.003-04:00

A few weekends ago, we had a great time swimming at some friends' pool. Camille was not quite so sure about the water (she wore her, "I'm reserving judgment on this experience, Mom and Dad, but appreciate the opportunity" expression the whole time) but she sure looked cute!

Rookie Blogger Goof

2009-07-27T22:09:00.001-04:00

Just FYI...the dates on the next three posts are all out of whack. Apparently the posts go up according to the date you start writing, not when you finish! Oh, well. My critics are pretty nice =).

My Third Job

2009-07-26T21:44:00.005-04:00

Pumping. To any and all women who have hooked themselves up to this I-don't-know-if-I-should-praise-or-curse-the-Medela-God-breastpump, you deserve a hundred thousand gold stars in my book. I've been at it for 4 months now, 5-8 times a day (I went down to 5 after the pediatrician looked at me like I had lost my mind when I was waking up in the middle of the night every 3 hours even when Camille was sleeping 6-8 hours). So, the day begins at 4:45 AM and ends at approximately 10:00 PM, and every 4-5 hours, I sit and win pigs. You what, you ask? If you've ever heard a breastpump in action, you'll never forget its distinctive "uh-wooga, uh-wooga." Well, one early morning during the early weeks after Camille was born (obviously, when else would I hook myself up to this machine?), I must have been so sleep deprived that I swear I heard the machine say, "Win-A-Pig, Win-A-Pig." So ever since that night/morning, I've been winning pigs. Now, there have been other phrases that I've "heard" such as "We need help" (I'll say!), "Wake Up!" "Heave Ho!" and "Win a goat!" but win-a-pig just stuck. Now the caveat to all this is that I feel lucky the technology exists to be able to provide breastmilk to our daughter and that I'm in a position to pump at work and pump at all! So of course it's not all bad. But...increasing the amount of formula Camille gets is looking mighty attractive!

Hail to the pump parts!

Bottlepalooza!

The beautiful result...

The happy customer who makes it all worth it...

Happy Floorth of July!

2009-07-26T20:36:00.009-04:00

Eric is a man of many talents, many of which I learn about unexpectedly! On July 3rd, we both had the day off (yey! for great jobs that provide days off before holidays!) and we had run into a particularly bad carpet day. I had spilled coffee (I could dedicate an entire post to my praise for the coffee bean but will stay on target for now) in my rush to get outside one day and the dogs had been given treats that were akin to nacho cheese Doritos -- and they didn't use a napkin! So, needless to say, we had to do something. (I'm a brave woman for posting this on a blog for millions...ok, maybe a few dozen to see! I promise the house is cleaner than this picture might suggest but I would love a maid!)

ICK!

So...Eric declares, "I'm going to Lowes to do something about this carpet." Great! I'm thinking he'll come back with a steam cleaner or some fancy spray. Nope. 3 hours later, I call him, "is everything ok?" He replies, I'm on my way home with a car full of laminate flooring! All righty then! When Eric puts his mind to something, it gets done -- and it was! It looks great, honey!

Construction begins...

And continues...

with help from the littlest helper...

who stops to remind us that it is a holiday, after all.

And the finished product...

Is it that obvious...

2009-07-25T19:46:00.010-04:00

...that I've gone back to work full time? I wish it weren't so but blogging definitely takes a back seat! We've had a busy household lately complete with construction on all different levels -- the home improvement kind and the brain kind. Camille has changed so much and learns to do new things every day. It's fascinating to see how within each stage, there is a hint of the next stage to come. She's learned to roll over but once a little boredom sets in, she starts to push with her legs as if she wants to crawl! We'll encourage her to hold off on that as we have done nothing about baby proofing! Camille has also beem eying up what we eat and drink so we may be experimenting with solids soon. Maybe we'll embark on that adventure when we see cousin Ellen! Can't wait for our trip to Kansas, which is coming up soon. We're taking any and all suggestions for happy plane travels because it's sure to be anything but plain! Here are several pictures from the last few weeks, and posts that are just a tad bit late.

Playing Catch Up

2009-06-26T07:59:00.006-04:00

Here's what we've been busy with the past few weeks!

Happy Father's Day! We had a nice day starting off with homemade blueberry muffins made by yours truly and ending the day with Chicken Tikka Masala made by Eric. It was simply amazing -- our house smelled so good for a couple of days! We missed seeing everyone in Wichita but we're already looking forward to the next one! I hope all the Dads out there had a great day!

How is it that we suddenly have a 3-month-old?!

There have been numerous times when I'm at home with Camille and have to pump. We've established a Mommy-pump-while-entertaining-Camille-while-rocking-the-chair-if-necessary-while-singing-routine. We've gotten quite good at it actually. This is the satisfied Camille, after I sang every song I knew. (I'll save the not-so-happy Camille for later).

And then the laugh...!

Travelers from out west come east!

2009-06-05T21:04:00.005-04:00

Over the past week we have been lucky enough to have family visit us! Cindy (Eric's sister) visited for a few days and delighted Camille with fun stories and games, in addition to delighting us with yummy dinner. Thanks, Cindy! On Wednesday, Laura (Caroline's sister), Ann (Caroline & Eric's niece) and Gran (Caroline's Mom) came to visit. We all had a wonderful time seeing you all and so appreciate you traveling to the "Far East!" Ann, you have made a friend for life -- your cousin! We miss you all and can't wait to see the rest of the aunts, uncles and cousins sometime soon.

8 1/2 hours of sleep!

2009-06-02T12:34:00.001-04:00

That's worthy of it's own post, right?

There are TWO mommies in this house

2009-05-31T14:05:00.004-04:00

One of our dogs, Mabel, has been quite endearing since Camille's arrival. Bowie has been rather indifferent but has gradually warmed up to her. Mabel attempts to give her baths daily, is the first to check on her when we come home from being out and often follows me when I'm carrying Camille and trying to soothe her. Her big brown eyes lighten up when Camille comes down to play "in her world." Here's just one of their bonding sessions (spoiler alert: if you cringe at things less-than-sanitary, skip the next 5 photos!). Mabel asked me to transcribe.

"Hi Camille! You know, I think you smell too much like a fresh daisy!

Yep, definitely a fresh daisy.

I really think you need a bath.

Now, your hair, I know a lot about hair and yours definitely needs a good wash.

Aren't I the best mommy?"

After Mama Mabel's bath comes one that is just slightly cleaner (ok all you sanitary folk, you can look now).

Happy Birthday, Eric!

2009-05-22T15:51:00.004-04:00

Whew! May is the month of birthdays for sure! Happy Birthday, Eric!

And, it's hard to believe but Camille is 2 months old today! It looks like the right hand has it for thumb sucking!

Happy Birthday, Betsy!!

2009-05-21T12:21:00.004-04:00

We hope you're having a great day, Betsy! We love reading your blogs -- what a great photographer! Will you come to North Carolina for a photo shoot? =) Hopefully we'll head your direction soon.

Happy (one day late) Birthday, Granddad!

2009-05-21T11:56:00.003-04:00

We tried getting this on the blog yesterday but to no avail. It's funny how getting 1 thing crossed off the to-do list in a day is an accomplishment suddenly!

Something else to smile about

2009-05-19T22:00:00.002-04:00

For all you Sound of Music Fans, click title of post!

What personality!

2009-05-15T12:44:00.005-04:00

First of all, kudos to all you bloggers who manage to work, Mom (I now believe this is a verb also) AND blog! We've had two wonderful weeks since the last post -- Gran (Caroline's mom) came to visit for one fabulous week and this past week has been quite full. As we get to know Camille, and she gets to know us, we're seeing more and more personality shine through.

Hanging outside with mom...

Growing up a Jayhawk!

With Gran trying to get a burp most likely!

Excited about something!

Now we suddenly love bathtime! It must be the chicky bathrobe afterwards that makes it all worth it.

Hmmmm....now where did that bottle go?

Oh you had it!

Picture This

2009-04-30T16:06:00.004-04:00

Just a few pictures and a video today! A big transition is coming up with Eric going back to work on Monday. We've had the luxury (I know this is a luxury as many fathers do not get any paternity leave) of having Eric home for 6 weeks. It's been wonderful having him here to help with everything (short of pumping, I mean everything) -- what a wonderful husband! He even washed and waxed my car yesterday!

Watchful Mabel...

A little moment in our afternoon...I apologize for the somewhat annoying narration...I'll get better.

Camille is one month (and some change) old!

2009-04-24T12:18:00.005-04:00

It's hard to believe Camille is already 1 month old! We are so lucky to have this sweet baby girl and just love seeing all her expressions. We're still waiting for that smile to be photographed! I'm probably more obsessed with getting a smile than Eric, which makes sense because I'm the one taking all the pictures! (a little obsessed with that too). She had her 1 month check-up yesterday and everything is going (and growing) well -- she's up to 8 pounds, 11 ounces and very proportional, according to her pediatrician. Amazingly, she has established a wonderful sleeping pattern of sleeping at least 5 hours a night and her longest stretch was 7 1/2! What a gal! I know this is very rare and realize it won't always be like this but we'll take it whenever we can.

This week brought us...

Going out...

Sleeping (or waking up)...

Stretching...

Looking...

and cuddling (starting to smile?)

Like Father, Like Daughter

2009-04-18T12:15:00.011-04:00

When Camille was born, Eric noticed she did not have a uvula! Was this a weird occurrence or did she get the memo that her Dad had his removed so she wanted to be just like him? Unfortunately, upon further examination, we found out that in fact she has a bifid uvula and small cleft in her soft palate. This is hardly news a new parent (less than 24 hours old) wants to hear. But, one month later, I'm feeling quite grateful and feel this is a minor glitch in the whole scheme of things. Surgery in about a year will repair the cleft and she'll get that uvula she (and her parents) always wanted. Next scare...when she was 8 days old (after a trip to the ER -- how to stress out a sleep-deprived brand new mom and dad...yep, that'll do it!), she was diagnosed with laryngomalacia (enlarged arytinoids -- pieces of cartilage that rest on the vocal cords), which she'll grow out of probably by age 2 but for now she has to be on acid reflux medication. All this to say, when she eats she has a sweet little chirp towards the end of her meal. We've started calling it the slurp, chirp and burp session. Once we get coordinated enough, we'll provide a clip.

Here are a few pictures from Weeks 3 and 4 and then we'll be caught up!

This is on Easter at Duke Gardens -- look at that Dogwood! Thanks Grandad for the sweet hat!

Here we are with our friends Anne and Dave and their son, Soren Avery, who was born 36 hours before Camille. I don't think I realized I was making Camille's hat look like one of those from a flyaway nun!

Camille, showing off her bifid uvula but Mommy didn't quite capture it right.

Our little monkey!

What a way to wrap up the first 4 weeks -- a successful bath time!

Life with Sweet Camille

2009-04-14T15:29:00.014-04:00

Ain't it grand! It's been abut 3 1/2 weeks with this wonderful, delightful, sweet, alert, etc. baby and I don't know if it feels longer or shorter. Between the feedings, diaper changes, gazes into her eyes, pumpings, cries that break your heart and charming hiccups, time just passes and we haven't really tried to figure out if it is going by slowly or fast. In a few months I'm sure it will be going way too fast. A summary of life so far...

(this was what I started to write on Sunday...)

It's been a wonderful and wonder filled 3 weeks so far! In a way it's hard to believe Camille is already 3 weeks old and some ways it seems like she has always been in our life. She has changed so much already! Camille (aka: Spud Monkey, Sweet Petunia, Sweet Pea, Baby Lady, Sugar Bear...) arrived at 1:56pm on Sunday, March 22nd -- her due date! Wouldn't you know the daughter of a mother who hates running late and a father who is exceedingly punctual would arrive when she was due!

The labor story: On Saturday, I had had a full week off work to get everything prepared and was feeling like I might have to return to work if the baby didn't come. So, Eric and I did a little research and found a variety of things that may bring on labor. #1: Walking -- we went to Lake Lynn (a local walking trail around a pretty lake that is about 2.5 miles around). Here we are pausing (there was a lot of pausing) on the walk.

#2: Eat pineapple (random!) -- off to the grocery for pineapple! We dined on that for dessert after #3: Eat spicy food -- we ate at Dos Taquitos, a wonderful local Mexican restaurant. At dinner, I casually asked Eric, "So, when do you think I will go into labor?" Eric replied, "I think you're going to go into labor tonight." (My husband sure can predict things...read on for an even greater prediction). So after spicy food, pineapple and a walk among other things, 11:00pm rolls around and I start feeling more consistent contraction feelings. Hmmm..."you might have been right, honey!' We go to bed and about every 3 hours I feel twinges of something happening. At 4:45am I wake Eric up as the contractions start feeling even more consistent and painful. Timing starts now. By 6:00, they were between 4 minutes and 3 1/2 minutes apart (the birthing coach said to call the hospital when they were 5 minutes apart...egads!). Off we go to Duke! I remember birds singing as we left, which was nice. Once in the triage unit, I was already 3 cm dilated. Progress! I was in this small room (triage) for about 3 hours waiting for a labor and delivery room. As I muched on a banana, drank OJ and used my meditation techniques for breathing, in rolls a screaming woman, clearly in labor, wailing like the best of them. Bless her heart. (Is that what I'm in for, I thought briefly!) -- she took my room. So we wait a little longer and by 11:30 I was in the room that would be "home" for a couple of days. Fortunately it had a jacuzzi tub, birthing ball and other helpful tools. The tub was awesome -- such relief! The ball was horrible. At this point, I was already 7 cm dilated! Even more progress! Fortunately I was managing the pain reasonably. Soon (sooner than anticipated), I was 9 cm and nearly ready to have a baby (still no pain meds). From 9-10, cries of "I think I might want the epidural now!" came but were not answered as I continued to progress so quickly. Soon it was time to start pushing and thank heavens that only lasted about 40 minutes. Then...sweet cries were heard and Eric said, "it's a girl!" Now, Eric always thought this baby was a girl and he was right! He also had predicted that our friends Anne and Dave would have a boy and sure enough...Soren Avery arrived 36 hours before Camille. Sweet Camille came out with her hand up by her head waving/giving a high 5/already playing "superwoman" which needless to say, caused some added pain for me. Alas...

Here we are at home! Many have asked how Mabel and Bowie have been with Camille and it has been quite an amazing thing to watch. Mabel, who had 2 litters before I adopted her, first sniffed me, then sniffed Camille and it was like she said in her mind, "you've brought my baby home!" Ever since the first day, she's been Mama Mabel and as protective and proud as any Mama would be. It's very sweet.

Week 1 brought grandparents! And our first visit to the pediatrician!

Week 2 brought more grandparents, and...bath time! Camille apparently does not realize yet that her father used to spend the majority of his time in the ocean...that is, with lots of water. Let's hope she changes her mind about the water.

Stay tuned for weeks 3 and 4! Then hopefully I'll get back on track. Thanks everyone for all your sweet emails and phone calls!

Mmmmm belly!

2009-03-20T09:49:00.005-04:00

Here we are at 39 1/2 weeks!

One of the coolest experiences of being pregnant has been feeling feet through my belly. I can't wait to see the tiny toes! It's amazing to think that these little feet may one day grow to be as big as Daddy's feet!

How to make the most of a rainy weekend

2009-03-15T19:02:00.005-04:00

It has been raining here all day Friday, Saturday, today and yep, the prediction is for more rain tomorrow. =( So, what to do? First, add a little sun for breakfast!

Next, bake and cook! Well, bake and have Eric cook his world (well, at least regionally)-famous marinara sauce! Then, freeze for later when baking and cooking will not be quite so easy. Laura sent some yummy cookies as well that are nearly gone but I was able to save a few for later enjoyment!

Some subtle signs of baby making his/her debut but nothing major. Will keep you all posted!

Make Room for Baby (check!)

2009-03-10T19:26:00.005-04:00

Finally it's done! Even though the baby will sleep in the pack-n-play in our room at the beginning, he or she will have a place to hang out during those "non-sleeping" hours (they will exist, right?). Meanwhile, I'm getting down to the homestretch and looking forward to some addiitonal prep time next week as my "last" day at work is this Friday. Hopefully the baby will wait. More (frequent) posts coming soon...I've been a bit of a blah-ger!

Belly and Art! But no belly art...

2009-02-12T20:21:00.008-05:00

The latest belly pic -- 34 weeks! Still feeling good and looking forward to meeting this little bundle of joy!

Last weekend's project was to add a little art to the baby's room -- hand painted by yours truly (but inspired by Papyrus bags from my sister -- thanks, Laura!). These will be placed over the baby's crib more than likely. Eric worked on refurbishing a chest for blankets and such. Being handy and creative, he turned my $5 (purchased at a garage sale) wicker chest from grad school into a lovely paneled creation! It's not totally completed but when it is, there will be pictures.

It's beginning to look like...

2009-01-25T19:19:00.006-05:00

A baby's room! Slowly but surely we're putting this babe's crib (literally) together. Because we don't know if this little one's going to be a Rex or Lex, we're going with neutrals. It will be a little eclectic with decor from many generations and hopefully very comfy for all. Today's task that was accomplished: getting a breast pump! I also couldn't resist the baby-size hangers. As I told my sister Laura today, the more I go into Babies R Us, the less and less the stuff looks like junk. While on our registry visit I did not mind leaving early due to feeling overwhelmed and thinking I would never need all this stuff, today I caught myself saying, "oh, that would be handy!" I'll just have to resist the urge. (And now that I've uploaded the pictures, I look at them and think, "that doesn't look like a baby's room at all!" Stay tuned...more pictures and updates on the room to continue).

Peace and Blessings to Barbara Wells

2009-01-22T19:01:00.001-05:00

We will miss you!

It was pretty while it lasted

2009-01-22T18:45:00.005-05:00

Every now and then in the south, we experience a bit of real winter. On Inauguration Day, around Raleigh we had close to 7 inches of snow! Mabel had a blast in the snow and Bowie was a bit annoyed that we were still going on a walk. Of course, today, it was near 60 so the snow is melting fast and will likely be gone tomorrow. Here's the funny part (for those in KS and CO or anywhere north of here probably), a state of emergency was declared! Yes, in some parts a mere 1 inch of snow fell but I guess the state is simply not prepared for such weather.

Here goes!

2009-01-21T19:33:00.004-05:00

With an uncle, two cousins and a sister (not to mention friends!) all a'blogging, I finally am committed. I tried my hand(s) at this before but to no avail. With baby on the way, and feeling at times like he's/she's going to kick her way out of my belly, it's time to get in a routine so friends and family can keep up with our family! I've got some fabulous mentors in the blogosphere and I will no doubt be asking for their advice (it took me a while to figure out how to change the background color but I was bound and determined not to call you Betsy!). So, be patient with me, give me hints and hollers and keep reading! The belly keeps growing...why not the blog?