like sands through the hourglass, these are the days of our lives...

Right now, Brian is out galavanting somewhere on his "boys night out" doing who knows what. And meanwhile, I'm here with time on my hands, which is why I've posted like 4 blog posts in the last hour. I probably should be cleaning up the house, or even better, sleeping! But instead, here I am putting up cute photos and videos of my little man. :)

But there's much more to our lives these days than smiling at Cam's cuteness (although that does take up a good chunk of our time). Most of our days are spent coordinating the last part of our move, selling stuff on craiglist, scheduling our carpet cleaning, finding a food bank to pick up stuff from our pantry that we never used, organizing the rest of our crap to donate somewhere, closing up our utilities and other bills...the list is endless! We're living out of our suitcases and we have like 5 forks, 5 spoons and 4 plates in the kitchen. And oh yeah, there's that small thing of taking care of a 3-month old and still getting up at 1am and 6am for feedings.

It's definitely a stressful time. Add in our emotions around leaving Seattle and the result is heightened emotions all around. Brian and I have been arguing more these days mainly because we're both stressed and are handling the move in different ways. Just today I started to get sad about leaving. It's only a week away and it finally seems real. Don't get me wrong, there are positives to moving home and I'm excited about it, but I'm going to miss my friends up here as well as our house and the lifestyle we've become accustomed to.

All the while, Cam continues to grow and learn new things! He LOVES to stand up. That's his number one favorite thing. He kicks and stretches his legs out, fusses a bit and then when you stand him up, voila! All smiles. His second favorite thing is to roll over. And recently, I've noticed he's much more interested in colors and patterns. He stares at his burp cloth that has red, blue, and yellow cars on it. He also likes to look at the pictures on the fridge. And just in the last couple of days, I've started to try and sing him to sleep (both for naps and before putting him down) and he just loves it! I used to sing to him when he was younger and he wasn't so into it. The white noise worked better. But now, he just looks at me, calms down and eventually shuts his eyes and goes to sleep. How I love that.

I try my best to spend just as much time interacting with him as I have in the past, but being so busy, it's been tough. I think we're doing a pretty good job but I'm sure he must feel some of the stress from us. Then I feel guilty about that which stresses me out more! Not to mention my anxiety around having a 3-month old on a 5 1/2 hour flight to Hawaii. Please oh please let Camden handle the flight okay. I just envision him overtired and screaming his head off for half the flight. But that will be what it will be, so we just have to wait and see.

Anyway, that's a glimpse into our lives these days. Moving with a 3-month old. I don't recommend it.

happy 3-month day!

Woops. I forgot to post Cam's 3-month pic. Mind you, his 3-month day fell on the day the movers came so we couldn't spend too much time trying to get this pic taken. Needless to say, Cam didn't feel like sitting still and we didn't have enough time to keep trying.

rollin', rollin', rollin' on a river

Nowadays when we put Camden on his tummy, he immediately rolls over. Either he got too big of a "good job!" reaction from us so he thinks this is what he's supposed to do, or more likely, his head is so heavy that rolling onto his back just makes good sense.

cam's first christmas

Camden's first Christmas sort of just came and went. With the stress of moving and a house 3/4 empty by the the time Christmas rolled around, we just did what we could to have some holiday cheer and took comfort in the fact that Cam won't remember this Christmas anyway.

Sad to say, Brian and I didn't even buy Camden a Christmas present. But again, not like he knows the difference. To make sure we don't seem like the worst parents in the world, we didn't get each other Christmas presents either. In fact, I still need to get presents for a few people back home but still haven't gotten around to it! I guess that just makes us bad Christmas celebrators?

We did have Christmas dinner here at the house though and it was yummy. Cam also go to open his very first present! Well, sort of. He enjoyed it as much as a 3-month old could.

Now, on to New Years! I expect it to be much of the same: some celebration amidst moving stress. Holidays? More like Movingdays. But here's some pics to prove that we didn't completely ignore good 'ole Dec. 25.

Christmas lights in bellevue

The xmas dinner gang

one of my many presents

yes, i opened it (with the help of mommy)

of course the paper is the best part!

camden's first laugh!

He's laughing! He's laughing! A few days ago, I was playing pat-a-cake with Camden and for some reason he thought it was just hilarious! I've played it with him before and usually get smiles out of it, but this was the first time he's found it funny. Luckily, we had a camera around and caught it all on tape. Camden's very first laugh! It really is the cutest thing ever.

my little singer

Maybe he's singing along? I like to think so!

holiday madness

This holiday season is hectic. With an almost 3-month old, packing, selling some of our stuff before the move, coordinating the move, plus all the holiday festivities, it's a bit crazy. Not to mention Christmas shopping and wrapping. I'm more behind than ever and needless to say, many of you will be getting gift cards because there is just no time! But, we're trying our best to get through it all and have some fun while we're at it.

On Friday, we went to Brian's work holiday kiddie gathering. They have it every year but this is the first year we've gone. Didn't interest us before having Camden. There are a TON of office babies now, kids running all over the place! Camden was totally chill and subdued through it all. He got fussy just when we leaving but that's it. He went to Santa, no problem and really could care less about it all. What a good boy. :)



On Sunday, it was our 3rd annual cookie day! The girls bake, the boys hang out and it's always a blast. Unfortunately, I forgot how much work it is. I usually make a holiday cocktail for the girls to enjoy while baking and I like to have a nice set up with a holiday feel. But this year, none of that really came together. With Camden, things were more haphazard. I was only able to make 2 out of my 4 planned cookies (Kainoa helped to get a 3rd one done -- thanks, Kainoa!), my cocktail took FOREVER to make cause I didn't read the directions close enough, plus it needed more bubbly which I didn't have. The punch turned out just okay.

The entire time, I felt so disorganized and pulled in too many directions. I wanted to bake my cookies, be a good host and have a good time like I have years prior, but I had one eye and ear on Camden the whole time. Even if Brian was "manning" the baby, I felt the need to make sure he was okay. Part of that is just mommy guilt, another part was of course wanting to be with Camden, and yet another part was mommy wanting daddy to do things the way mommy does it. This is a constant struggle! I need to let Brian parent his way, but it's so hard sometimes. Brian's a great dad, but men in general let babies cry longer and don't anticipate as much as women, I think. So, I end up trying to think a step ahead -- he's gonna be hungry soon, or need a nap, etc -- trying to meet Cam's needs before he becomes OVER tired and has a fit.

So, I had a mini meltdown with Brian upstairs and then had to have a couple cocktails to take the edge off. But even with that, it's impossible for me to let myself loose with Cam around. I just can't do it. I made an effort though and did have some champagne punch to try and retrieve some part of holiday cheer. I'd say I was somewhat successful.

In the end, cookie day turned out alright. Everyone seemed to have a good time, although it's hard to tell what the boys thought through their cloud of drunkeness! I'm still not quite clear on how cookie day became "drinking day" for the boys. Haha.

Anyway, here's some pics from the festivities:


the beginning of the end...lol


bake, bake, bake!


daddy duty


the final products


I'm gonna miss cookie day with you girls!

way. too. adorable.

I love this picture. I just have to say it, Camden is TOO CUTE!

stroller vs. the mall

I've taken Cam to the mall twice now. The first time I tried out this light "snap-and-go" stroller a friend let me borrow. It seemed so easy and convenient in theory. It's basically just a frame that you snap your car seat in. I thought it would be heaven! Not so much. I decided against switching out our Chicco car seat and instead just used the Graco seat just as a stroller infant seat. Bad move and admittedly, not the stroller's fault. Cam frequently falls asleep in the car so waking him during transfer from car seat to infant seat aint so smart. That was the day he had his crying fit partly due to being overtired. Lesson learned!

But while this stroller is light, my big qualm about it is that there's no other convenience factor other than it being light. Once the infant seat is in, it's difficult to fit anything in the basket underneath, i.e. your diaper bag, shopping bags, jackets, blankets etc. Not a great design for mall shopping. Stroller vs. mall fight #1, mall wins.

The second trip, I stuck with my Chicco stroller. I've been resisting the urge to snap the car seat into the stroller (which you can do) for fear that Cam will get a flat head. "They" say that these new convenient snap-the-car-seat-in strollers contribute to the increase in babies with flat heads cause basically the baby doesn't leave the seat, sometimes for hours. Brian and I are constantly worried about flat head! All the time Camden spends sleeping on his back plus any time we put him down...we feel like we're just asking for flat head syndrome! That's why I try to carry Cam during naps until he has better head control and can sit up more. But I digress.

I've realized that if I ever want to go out and have somewhat of a normal life, snapping that car seat in is inevitable. So, I did just that and he slept through my shopping! Just two hours there and back so he wasn't in there too long. The other upside of the snap-in method is that the baby faces you. Good for baby if he's awake and good for mommy to know what baby's up to at all times. The Chicco stroller is bigger, which is both good and bad. Bigger means more convenient features -- a cup holder, adjustable handle, easy access basket underneath. But it's also heavier and my biggest complaint about it is that it doesn't turn easily. The front wheels get stuck and you have to tilt the stroller up a bit to make a sharp turn.

Then there are two other things I noticed about being at the mall with a stroller:

1) Opening and getting through doors is extremely challenging. The major department stores have handicap doors where you push a button and it opens. That rocks. But all the other doors (at Alderwood there's an outside part of the mall with doors to every store) you have to hold open, then figure out how to use your butt or your leg or something to hold it open and then pull/push/wish your stroller through the door. Point for the mall.

2) Why oh why do department stores insist on putting their children's sections on the 2nd floor? How much sense does this make? I had to search for an elevator at Macy's to get up there with my stroller along with two other moms and their strollers. How annoying! Another point for the mall.

But, with the Chicco stroller I did successfully get some Christmas shopping done. So all in all, the stroller held up well against the mall. Stroller vs. mall fight #2, stroller wins!

where did the itsy bitsy spider go? UP!

Weeks ago I started singing Itsy Bitsy Spider to Camden. (I'm on a constant search for new songs and nursery rhymes to sing. Ideas are welcome). He always seemed to like the song, probably because there are hand motions that go along with it. But the other day, he started tracking my hands up during certain parts! Unbelievably cute, in my unbiased opinion, of course. My boy is growing and learning so fast! He's a genius, I tell you. Genius. ;)

i want that bear!

Camden's new thing for this week is holding his head up! Until now, tummy time has been him lifting his head for a few seconds, getting frustrated and that's about it. But all of sudden yesterday he did this! Boy, does he want to get to that bear. :)

oh. my. goodness.

I just had my first experience with baby screaming his head off in public. And I mean SCREAMING. In my effort to take Cam out more often, I met my friend Rae and her daughter Addy at Alderwood mall this morning. I fed Camden at about 9:45am and got him ready to get to the mall by about 10:30. He usually naps somewhere between 9am and 11am, but with all the moving around (from house to car seat to the stroller I borrowed and wanted to try out) he ended up finally falling asleep around 11 or so at the mall. He slept while we shopped and got up around 12:20ish when we got to Claimjumper.

But that's okay. He was up through our lunch at Pike's and was just fine. Uh, not so much this time.

He didn't want to stay in the stroller so I took him out and held him in my lap. He liked that. I got his bottle out cause I figured he'd be hungry soon. He usually eats every 2-3 hours in the daytime. He looked around at all the people, Rae held him. I took him to the bathroom to change his diaper (first time for that too!). All was okay.

We order and the food comes. Time to eat so I see if Cam will sit back in the stroller while I eat. He sat there and was fine for the first 10 minutes. Rae and I chatted, I started my salad, then Cam started fussing so I figured he wanted out and wanted to eat.

Took him out and tried to feed him his bottle. OH MY!! He started to suck, made a weird face and then began to scream his head off! He's been doing that recently sometimes, but only with breastmilk. It's weird. Sometimes the milk is too cold so we warm it and then he takes it down. So, Rae helps out and asks the waiter to bring me a cup of hot water. In the meantime, Cam is crying. REALLY crying. Tears streaming down his face crying! I walk him around the restaurant, trying to calm him down. No such luck! He's reached a point of no return, apparently.

Maybe he needs another diaper change? Worth a shot. So I grab my diaper bag and head to bathroom again. Baby still screaming, arching his back, red-faced with tears pouring down his little face. Oh, not to mention everyone in the restaurant is staring at me with my baby whom I can't seem to calm down. Nice.

Get to the bathroom and once I lay him down on the changing table he stops crying. I change him and he's a little wet but nothing major. He's sat calmly through much worse diapers than that.

But then right after I put his pants back on, he starts crying again! WTH is wrong?

I walk him back to the table (again...people staring, baby screaming) and take his bottle to the back of the restaurant where there are less people and it's a bit queiter. He still aint having it. I try holding him outwards. Nada. Cradling him. Oh, that's worse. So, I have him with his head over my shoulder, patting his back walking around the restaurant. Movement usually helps to calm him but he was long gone at this point.

I take him to the entrance of the restaurant where there's a little enclosed sitting area. As I pass by a huge table of people, who do I run into but Kau`i, my hula sister! She gets up to talk to me and see Camden (she hadn't met him yet) but I have to tell her I'll come back cause he's gonna have a fit. Kind of rude, I know. But that's the life of mommy! I continue on my way to the front of the restaurant. It's much quieter there and cooler. He calms down for a bit as I pace back and forth in this small boxed in section. People are walking in and out. They have to pass through what I've now designated the "baby crying" section to enter and exit the restaurant, and here I am pacing with Camden. This is getting comical, really.

When he's somewhat calm, I try to feed him again. He takes the bottle and starts sucking. He swallows about half an ounce and starts crying again. Huh?? Back to pacing. I open the door to the outside hoping the shock of cool air will calm him. That works wonders! Back inside and try again. He takes down maybe another ounce, then boom! Scream!! Okay, maybe you're NOT hungry. But I swear, you are. I think the breastmilk must taste funny or something cause this isn't the first time he's reacted like this to breastmilk. Not sure what the problem is though. Maybe it's the nipple? He gets breastmilk in a different bottle than his formula now. Or maybe it IS the temperature of the milk? Or maybe it's just what I eat sometimes that makes it taste different? Who knows, but he wasn't having it!

Finally, after he takes down about 2 ounces, I give up. I pace with him and he's calm. Kau`i comes through as she's leaving and talks with me. I'm so consumed with thinking about whether or not he'll scream again and how to get him home with the least amount of drama that I barely recall what we talked about. Sorry, Kau`i!

Get back to the table and Rae's gone. She's miraculously taken Addy, her stroller, her diaper bag, my stroller, my diaper bag and even my leftover salad to the back of the restaurant and is sitting breastfeeding Addy. She has got this down!

At this point, Cam is tuckered out. I think he cried him self sleepy. I cradle him and he falls asleep. Put him back in the stroller, he sleeps through the walk from Claimjumper to car and I get him home in one piece.

When we get home, he's still fussy so I feed him the last 2 oz from THE SAME BOTTLE and he takes it down, no problem. He even wants more. Crazy child. Here's Cam after I fed him at home just happy as a clam!



Still not sure what his problem was. Combination of overstimulation, overtired, breastmilk not to his liking? Who knows. Rae says after a few outings like this though, you just get used to people looking at you and don't care. Boy, I sure hope so! But, I just need to keep taking him out and hopefully these kinds of fits will be few and far between.

On Saturday, Camden had his first really big day out. We took him to Pike Place Market. It was crowded and chilly, as we knew it would be, and Cam loved every minute! This kid likes being out. I feel bad sometimes cause I don't take him out as much as I probably should. Being in our house has got to get boring and I think the older he gets, the more boring it becomes.

Brian carried Cam in the ergo carrier the whole time so he'd stay warm and also somewhat protected from all the people/germs. Cam was up for the first couple of hours and just looked around at all the people, flowers, fish, art, etc. He just took it all in! He didn't seem to mind the cold at all and only fussed once when we ran into some people we knew and were standing still too long. He hates being idle and stopped fussing once we started moving again. We ate lunch at Lowell's and gave him a bottle at the restaurant. He sat in our laps and really seemed to enjoy looking at all the people. I tried to walk him to the window to look outside at the water and cars but he kept turning his head back to the people in the restaurant.

Then it was back in the ergo and we walked the rest of Pike's. He fell asleep for the last hour or so in the ergo. No whining or crying, just fell asleep. Slept through all the noise of Pike's and was such a good baby!

Brian and I are so proud of our little man. And proud of ourselves for a successful trip out! I hope to take him out more from now on. He really seems to enjoy it.

Cam's 1st thanksgiving

The Matsi's had a great Thanksgiving holiday. Not only did mommy LOVE having daddy around all the time, aunty Melissa came to visit too! We cooked up a storm with the Kamikakus at our house (they're remodeling their kitchen) and had way too much food, as usual.

Check out our spread!



Cam fell asleep without having any turducken. ;) (which was great, btw)



I heart the holidays. Happy Thanksgiving!!

does your thumb taste like fruit punch?

That's what I remember my uncle saying to me when I was little. I sucked my thumb until I was pretty old, maybe 5. My mom says as I got older, I knew it wasn't okay to suck my thumb in public at that age so I'd only do it once in awhile in the comfort of my own home (aka, watching Sesame Street) or with close family. Since the habit stuck with me for awhile, I think the fruit punch comment was a ploy to try and make me quit.

Well, if my thumb tasted like fruit punch, Cam's must taste like milk! He's trying really hard to suck his thumb. He has the fisted thumb position down and everything. It's only a matter of time...

happy 2-month day!

I'm 2 months old! Look how huge my head is!
Happy 2-month day to me!!

my three things

I have come to realize that there are three essentials things that make me a better mommy. Incidentally, in this order:

1) Sleep. The amount of sleep I get directly correlates to how good of a mommy I am the next day. Period.


2) Working out. You would think that working out would just make me more tired and then see #1 above. But it's the exact opposite, really! Running, yoga, step class...I may hate it while I'm doing it (especially running on the boring treadmill!) but afterward I feel energized. I think because it makes me feel good about me while also giving me a break from baby and then of course, there are those good 'ole endorphins! My wonderful friend, Joanne, has kindly agreed to watch Cam every Tuesday for a couple hours so I can get a workout in. Jo, Camden and mommy thank you!


3) And finally, time with my girlfriends. Although guilt usually sets in (guilt of being away from baby, guilt of wanting time to be Allison with the girls, guilt, guilt, guilt!) a lunch here, a pedicure there, makes a HUGE difference in how good of a mommy I am. Mommies need breaks and need to have time to just be themselves. There's a distinct difference between "mommy to Camden" and "Allison." It's difficult to understand unless you've lived it, but it's definitely true. Your identity is tested and can sometimes feel lost. It's important to have time to find pieces of it now and again!

talk, talk, talk!

Cam makes lots of noises. New ones every day! Maybe he'll be a big talker?

big head, short legs part 2

True to his ultrasound estimates, we went to his 2 month check up yesterday (He took his vaccinations like a big boy, btw!) and found out he's 22 inches long now, weighs 11 lbs 3 oz and his head is, well...it's big. The doc gave us the stats and said he's under 25% in length, about 50% in weight and more than 50% in head size. LOL.

Big head, short legs! It's official. Cam is definitely Brian's kid. Ha.

to put him down, or not to put him down. that is the question.

Camden has a pretty good schedule going. I suppose somewhat by our doing (I think it's MUCH easier to get baby on a schedule when bottle feeding) but we're also following his cues as well. His day goes something like this:

• Wake up around 7:30am. Change, feed, put in day clothes and go downstairs to start the day.
  
• Mom now has to pump for 20 minutes. So, I usually put him down on his play gym with his friend, the penguin. This is where the guilt sets in. I feel bad putting him down but I also need to keep my milk up. The one thing I can't do when pumping is hold him. So he's on that mat for 20-30 minutes. I check in on him every few minutes and I also make and eat breakfast while pumping. Then wash all the pumping stuff (I'm SO sick of washing bottles!).
  
• After that, I do some tummy time with him. I've been trying to do this with him more recently cause I don't think I've done it enough. Poor guy, his head is so big and heavy he can't lift it up! He hates tummy time. I'm hoping the more we do it, the more he'll like it.
• Then I either hold him for awhile or put him on a pillow in front of me and talk with him. He's quite the talker these days!
  
• By this time, he's been up for a couple hours and wants a nap. Sometimes I hold him during this nap or if we're going out or something, I put him down in his swing so I can get ready or do what I need to. Another guilt point if I put him down. I know what you're thinking -- why don't you pump when he's sleeping? Well, cause I pump AFTER feeding him and getting ready to come downstairs so at this point not enough time has gone by since I last pumped. :(
  
• When he wakes up, usually around 10am, he's ready to eat again. Change and feed.
• And then here we go again. I need to pump soon. Usually I hold him, play with him, do tummy time again, for about an hour and then put him down so I can pump. Tack on another guilt point.
• At this point, he usually wants another short nap. So, I try to put him in the sling so he can nap on me but I can still be hands free to do things. Today, it worked and here I am blogging! Why not wait til he's sleeping and then pump, you ask again? 1) Timing. 2) He sleeps better with me (a bit longer) than when I put him down. Sometimes, if I put him down too much for naps he gets way over tired. So, I try to balance out holding him and putting him down for naps.
  
• He gets up around 12:30-1pm to eat again. Change, feed. Then he's usually up for awhile during this part of the day. So, I put him down at some point again to pump. Boo.
  
• He then eats around 3pm and then is usually tired somewhere between 3-5pm. At this point, I try to put him down for his nap (in his swing or recently in his pack and play) but only if he's had good naps and hasn't been put down too much earlier in the day. If he hasn't, it's holding time for part of this.
• Then from 5-7pm he's usually up. Good days are when Brian gets home at 5. Then he can take Cam and do tummy time again and keep him entertained while I finish dinner or do laundry or other things. Hard days are when he gets home at 6:30pm and I need to do it all plus get his bath ready on my own (like last night!)
• 6:45ish, he gets a bath or a wipe down.
  
• 7:00pm, if he's up we read him a couple books. If he seems really tired, he just gets fed and put down early.
  
• 7:30pm -- the bedtime we shoot for every night. Feed, swaddle and off to bed!
• Cam then sleeps a good 6-7 hours these days. It's been pretty consistent for the last week almost. He sleeps until about 1 or 2am. Change, feed.
  
• He gets up again around 5am. Change, feed.
• Finally, gets up around 7:30am and it starts all over!

So that's his day in a nutshell. I feel so bad when I put him down. Like I'm neglecting him. And I feel like he doesn't get enough stimulation when I put him down. I also worry that he's getting a flat head from putting him down too much. Not that his head looks really flat or anything but that doesn't stop me from worrying about it. But I'm not sure what else I can do. I have to pump and sometimes I just need to put him down anyway (mommy's need breaks!).

To put him down or not. That's my daily dilemma.

introducing the pacifier!

The other week I took Camden to a restaurant for the first time. As my "security blanket" for taking him out in public, I brought along a pacifier. I've never given Cam a pacifier before and am trying to avoid giving it to him too much cause I don't want him to get attached to it. My plan (though we'll see how it works out) is to only give him a paci when we're out and about if he needs it. I just see myself with a screaming baby in a mall or something or in a situation where I can't try 10 different ways to soothe him so a paci sounds like a great thing to have around.

Aunty Jo and I took him to Boston's Pizza. Cam always falls asleep in his car seat so he was snoring when we got there. Took him out in his seat and plopped him next to me in the booth. So far, so good. Maybe he'll sleep through lunch! No such luck. He woke up about 10 minutes in but was really calm. I put the blanket over his seat hoping he'd go back to sleep -- and he did, for another 15-20 minutes. Then he was up and started to fuss. It wasn't time to feed him yet so I decided to try the pacifier to see what happens. Popped it in his mouth and he instantly stopped fussing. Wow. After a minute, I decided to see what would happen if I took it out. Waaahhh!!! Okay, back in.

He really seemed to love that pacifier! Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. :/ I haven't given it to him again since, but then I haven't been out with him too much either. Hoping to keep it as a go-to item in case of emergency only. Maybe I should put it in a glass case to break for dramatic effect.

update...

...total ruse. It is 1:30am. He got up at 1am to feed after putting him down at about 7:45pm. We're going in the wrong direction here. Oh well. At least it's not a measly 3 hours or something. Camden's doing pretty well, considering. :)

7 hours. ruse or routine?

Last night Cam slept for 7 hours straight! Put him down around 8pm expecting he'd do his usual 4-5 hour stretch and get up for a feeding around midnight. Imagine our surprise when he finally woke us up at 2:45am! (Unfortunately, Brian and I didn't go to sleep until 10pm so we only got 5 hours of sleep. But hey, that's not bad!)

He then got up again at 6:30am to eat and didn't really want to go back to sleep after that. He was yawning but was totally wide-eyed. Momny wasn't really having that though. He needed to sleep a little longer so I could get a few things done -- eat breakfast, get ready to go out (we had to get our swine flu shot today), make coffee, etc. So, I rocked him and tried my hardest to get him back down and he finally fell back asleep at around 8am and slept until 9:30.

Figuring out this whole sleeping thing is such a challenge. I must admit, B and I were both a bit worried that he slept so long. I mean, he's not supposed to sleep "through the night" quite yet, right? From what I hear though, babies tend do this around week 7-8. They sleep a long stretch for a few nights but then go right back to the 4-5 hour deal. So we shall see what Camden does. But if by some miracle he keeps this up and even lengthens his sleeping more, I'll be ecstatic! (knock on wood, knock on wood)

hit the penguin!

Camden loves staring at the penguin that hangs from the top of his play mat. He really does. He could care less about the other animals and rattles around him, all he cares about is that tuxedo.

His penguin is low enough that he can touch it. The other day, I brought his hand up to it to show him he could touch the rings at the bottom if he wanted. He seemed intrigued and very happy about that. I showed him again. Then I noticed that he seemed to be trying to touch it on his own! And after a few minutes of trying, he got it! I reinforced this amazing behavior (I can't help it, I think he's such a smart little guy) and since then he always hits the penguin when he lies on the mat.

I taped him today doing his thing. Towards the end of the video, he gives it a good hit and looks like he really means it. Then he seems extremely please with himself! I know some of you may say he's just flailing his arms around, but to me it really does seem intentional. My little genius. ;)

really, maclaren?

I just saw this recall report on the evening news. A recall on ALL Maclaren strollers from 1999-2009? How is that even possible?! And how is it that this recall took 10 years to go into effect?

The fact that they use the term "amputated fingertips" as the reason for this massive recall is very unsettling. And if these hinge caps fix the problem, why didn't you install them on your strollers after the first report of an "amputated fingertip" was reported to you, Maclaren? I'm sure that had to have happened earlier than 2009 if you're recalling all your strollers. Ugh.

We have this stroller for when baby is 6+months. It's still in the box. Return it or get these stupid hinge caps?

date night!

Brian and I had our first official night out! With the grandparents in town, we took advantage of free babysitting and went out to an early anniversary dinner celebration. Brian and I make four years on Nov. 19 so this was our "Yay, we're still married!" + "Omg, we haven't been out to dinner in 7 weeks," treat.

Getting ready for, and going out to dinner post-baby was noticeably different than pre-baby. Pre-baby, you just got ready. You take your time, change outfits once or twice, try on different kinds of jewelry and you're out the door!

Post-baby was a whole different story. It went down like this:

1. Stand in closet for 10 minutes to find something nice to wear that covers my post-baby belly.
2. Try on 4 different heels to match chosen belly-hiding outfit that used to fit me perfectly and are now either crazy tight or do not go on at all. Decide to endure the pain and stuff my feet into now tight black heels.
   
3. Put Camden down for a nap in his swing and take a shower.
4. Get out of shower and start makeup. Hear Cam downstairs fussing a little. Know that Brian has him and continue with eyeliner.
5. Eyeliner on and Camden's crying has turned into wailing! Go downstairs to see what the fuss is about. Notice Cam's red-faced, I'm-so-upset cry. :( Ask B if he's checked his diaper...nope. (That's what happens when dads are woken up from naps by a crying baby. Instinct is just try to calm, but thinking of next steps takes a little while longer)
   
6. Take Cam, check his diaper and yup, poop it is! Change him and look at the clock. It's been 2 hours since he ate and his last feeding was a small one. Hungry baby. Ask Brian to make Cam a bottle and feed him while I finish getting ready.
7. Think about how I need to pump before we go, and strap on bionic woman pumping stuff. Might as well kill two birds with one stone! Head back upstairs to finish my makeup.
8. Makeup done, hair done and pumping done. Rush downstairs to store the milk and wash the pumping equipment. Then back upstairs to change into my dress and add jewelry. Jewelry!
   
9. Now that I'm ready, take Cam from Brian so daddy can get dressed.
10. Camden seems tired. Cradle him and watch him fall asleep pretty much instantly. Hold him and smile.
    
11. Brian comes downstairs. It's now 4:45pm and our reservations are at 5. Woops. Oh well! Insist that we still kodak moment this outing. Grandparents snap photos of us before we head out the door.
12. Get in car and comment on how NICE it is to go out.
13. Arrive at restaurant and feel like our old selves, sort of.
14. Sit at table, happy to be on a date but think about what Cam is doing...is he crying, is he sleeping, is he being good for the grandparents?
15. Have dinner and glass of wine! Try really hard to talk about anything other than Camden or something related to Camden.
    
16. Enjoy being together as a couple without the baby but miss baby every second we're away.
17. Arrive home at 8:30pm to our perfect little boy. :)
    

Life with a kid will never be the same. But in a good way. Everyone says date nights are important but I've now realized just how important they really are. Sounds silly but the night out rejuvenated me and, I think, helps both of us be better parents. It was HUGE to be able to get dressed up, go out together and enjoy being a couple for a few hours. We loved spending alone time together but the nice thing was that we missed Camden together as well. Going out made me very happy and happy parents make for happy babies!




ready for our night out!


mmmm mmmm, king crab.


happy anniversary and welcome to parenthood!

impressive peeing

The last couple nights (or wee hours of morning is more like it) Cam has done some impressive "fire hose" peeing. During the first of two "pee oops" changes yesterday, his stream of pee went so high I swear it almost touched the ceiling. Camden wasn't wet at all -- not on his body, his clothes, around him -- and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out where his pee landed at first. I had to call Brian in to investigate while I finished changing Camden's diaper. B looked around and found a spot waaay above Cam's head on the changing pad (thank goodness!) where the pee made a huge wet spot. Some splashes got on the carpet too but most of it landed on the pad. Wow.

The next change, he peed yet again! This time it went to the left in a strong stream and landed smack dab in the middle of the room. It missed the rocking chair ottoman by inches. After finishing changing Cam and then feeding him, I attempted to soak up the pee with a towel. But I think I let the pee sit too long and now looking at the carpet, it's like the white carpet is even whiter in the spots where his pee landed. Almost florescent looking. Does that even come out?

Boys will be boys, I guess. I wonder if Cam is secretly pleased with himself. I must admit, it was quite impressive.

addy and cam

More baby buddies! Adelyn and Camden's due dates were five days apart (Addy was going to be 5 days older) but Addy was born early and Cam was born late. So, now Addy is 3 weeks older.

It's been great to have another new first-time mom to chat with. Rae and I have already done the midnight phone call, have many vent sessions, and try to get out together as much as possible. I'm going to miss you guys!!

mommy olympics

I think of random things as I go through my mommy day. Today I wondered how well I'd rank amongst other mommies doing mommy tasks? ALL mommies should get medals for all their hard work but if we had to compete, what would the events be?

On that note, I give you the Mommy Olympics!

Event #1: Speed eating.
How fast can you make and eat something semi-nutritious before baby a) wakes up or b) gets so fussy that you are unable to finish your meal.

Event #2: Chores with baby in arms.
How many different chores -- i.e., washing dishes; doing laundry; washing bottles; putting jackets, clothes, dishes, you name it away; cooking; emailing friends; texting -- can you successfully complete with baby in arms. Separate events for moms carrying baby in arms and moms with baby in a sling/carrier.

Event #3: Picking things up with your toes.
How many items can you pick up with your toes because you a) are holding the baby b) your legs are so sore from constantly bending/squatting to put baby down and pick him back up. Extra points for being able to toss things to appropriate places/levels (the couch, a chair, etc.) with your foot.

Event #4: Calming baby.
How quickly can you find the right position, tone of voice, movement to calm your fussy newborn. Extra points for keeping baby calm for more than 5 minutes.

Event #5: Swaddling.
Rating includes: how fast you can swaddle, how tight the swaddle is, how neat the swaddle is, whether or not there is space between the material near the baby's neck, and how long it takes for your child to bust out of said swaddle.

More events to be added as they come to mind. Suggestions welcome.

smart move, stella. smart move.

I'm not sure why this excites me, but it does! I'm not a fashionista by any means, and don't own a shred of designer anything (not that I wouldn't like to!), but Stella McCartney gap kids clothes??

LOVE IT!

Unfortunately, the baby boy stuff isn't so hot. But the toddler boy? Way too cute! I hope the line lasts. I see Cam in some Stella clothes in the future...

seriously, kid...how much can you eat?!

Camden looooves to eat. Not directly from the boob, clearly, but he sure does like his milk. Bottle feeding causes the milk to flow faster and easier so they say you can overfeed your baby with the bottle. Kind of how if we eat too fast, our bodies don't quite know we're full until we give it a few minutes for our brains to catch up to our stomachs.

The rule of thumb is to feed your child 2.5-2.7 oz per pound he weighs. Right now, Camden weighs 9 lbs 11 oz. So according to this rule and assuming he gets 8 feedings a day, he should get about 3 oz per feeding. Uh, not so much.

I try my best to keep his feedings to 3 oz but he just wants more! This last week, we've upped it to 3.5 per feeding (I alternate between 3 and 3.5 depending on how long he's gone in between a feeding) and even with that sometimes he still seems hungry. If he fusses, I try to give him a few minutes (the whole brain catch up to stomach thing) but if he reeeeally fusses, I sometimes give him another ounce and he seems good. Other times when I do that, he spits it back up. Hm.

Then there are times (mostly at night) when he takes in 4-5 oz after he's done a longer stretch of sleep. Like just now....he ate at around 7:45pm, finally fell asleep around 8:45pm and slept until 1am. When he got up to feed, I tried giving him 3.5 oz of breastmilk and leave it a that. He SO was not having it. He cried a hungry cry and tongued like crazy. I fed him another ounce. He seemed better but still looked like he wanted more. So, I gave him another half ounce which puts him at 5 in one feeding!! He then seemed content and fell back asleep.

They say you can't really overfeed a baby. That he'll just spit it back up if you've given him too much. But I wonder sometimes! I suppose it's better that he's gaining weight than not. And some kids do just eat more than others. That doesn't stop me from somewhat worrying about it though.

But I guess if he's anything like his daddy, he'll be a good eater for life! ;)

i officially hate breastfeeding.

I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. Actually, Cam hates it and therefore I hate it. Bad latch, sore nipples, not enough milk so he's WAY more fussy. Our routine has totally been thrown off and I'm so done. The lactation consultant came again today (different lady though and she was more of a purist and kind of a bitch) and it was awful. I should have known. When I talked to her on the phone I already got a bad vibe from her -- a very breastfeeding purist, judgmental vibe -- but I wanted help sooner rather than later so she came over. Bad move. Camden was fussier than ever screaming at the top of his lungs every time we tried to get him to the boob. Worse than he's been the last few days. She made things worse being the way she is even if she tried to sugar coat it with fake niceness. I started crying cause I was already overwhelmed from this breastfeeding week of hell.

It really has been a rough week. This sudden effort to breastfeed has thrown a huge wrench into things. One day I'd be optimistic about it cause he'd have a good feed and be content. But most days, he was just fussier and it was much harder. He seemed unhappy and I felt horrible cause he was crying more.

I told myself I'd give it a solid week and see if it got better. Clearly, that is not the case! I've decided it really isn't worth it. We were doing just fine with pumping and formula. He was happier and I was happier.

Breastfeeding just isn't for some babies. And Camden is definitely one of them!

do you believe in magic?

Unbelievable. They say to keep trying, he'll eventually get it...blah, blah, blah. After all my breastfeeding woes, Camden had now been fed pretty much solely by the boob for the last day and half. Last Friday, the day after his 1-month bday, he seemed interested in the boob when I was cradling him so I offered it up and BAM! Latch.

The next night, same thing. He seemed interested, I offered it and he latched again! So weird. Sunday, same thing. He latched once but when I tried to offer it at other times during the day, he wasn't having it.

Yesterday, it was seriously like magic. I have no other explanation for it! I decided to try and get him on the boob for his morning feeding and he took it! It was a little hard cause he didn't seem to be getting enough milk with each feeding (he falls asleep and doesn't always latch well so I have to take him off and put him back on) so he'd fuss and I pretty much fed him from 10am-4pm straight. It sure felt like it anyway! He'd feed, then sleep for 20 minutes, then fuss. He'd feed, be content for 15 minutes then fuss. This went on for hours! At one point I gave him 2 oz of formula from the bottle cause he just didn't seem satisfied. Finally at 4pm, he went to sleep for 2-3 hours. Right when Brian got home! Lucky daddy.

Then I needed a break so I went to yoga at 7:30pm. Brian stayed home with Camden, gave him a bath and put him down. When I got home a little before 9pm, Cam was fussing. He had been bottle fed at 7pm and seemed hungry. So, I took him into his room and offered up the boob. Success, yet again! He then went to sleep. He woke up at 11pm and I breastfed him again. He took the left AND right, no problem! Amazing. He even had too much cause he spit some up at the end of his feeding. Then he went down and slept until 3:45am! Almost 5 hours!

I've pretty much been breastfeeding him at every feeding now. He got one bottle at 7am just because I was too tired to try and my nipples are starting to hurt (yes, TMI. sorry).

It's tough though because I think he's still figuring it out. Same fussiness today -- I pretty much fed him every hour since 9:30am. He FINALLY seemed content at about 1:30pm and has been sleeping since about 2:30pm.

I'm hoping it will just take this week for us both to get used to this new routine (and I'm crossing my fingers that I don't have any additional breastfeeding issues!) and then maybe he'll solely be a breastfed baby moving forward? Ah! I don't wanna jinx it! But Brian and I are just in awe. We have no idea how this happened. Maybe he just needed time to mature and get his sucking organized? I have no clue.

It's magic I tell you, magic.

happy 1-month day!

Last Thursday, Camden turned one month old! After his bath he was nice and subdued, so we propped him up on the couch for this picture. It took us many tries to take one that got him semi-looking at the camera and not making crazy eyes or furrowing his brow (his favorite thing to do!). This is as close as we got.

Mommy and daddy sang him happy one-month day! And then proceeded to gobble down the carrot cake that was almost as big as his head.

lilah and camden

This past Wednesday, I ventured all the way out to Kirkland by myself with baby. This was an accomplishment for me as the furthest I've gone alone (not counting his circ downtown which was a necessity), has been within a 7 mile radius of my house. I'm slowly building up the courage to take the baby out more. This trip, we visited Shaana and Lilah. Lilah is almost 6 months and was very interested in Camden! These two could easily be buddies. :)

random latching

Both last night and tonight, Camden seemed interested in the boob. So, I gave him the opportunity to latch on the left and he did! He fed for about 15 minutes last night (then was given the bottle cause I'm sure he's not getting all he needs from me. Plus, he was half falling asleep throughout the 15 minutes) and tonight we gave him a bottle and he still seemed hungry so I offered him the boob and he went another 10 minutes. SO RANDOM. No fussing, no fighting, just boom! Latch to the boob.

Both nights after the left feeding, I tried the right side to see what he'd do. He tries to get on it but can't. Partly maybe because he's full, but also I think he just really does not like the right boob. It's harder for him to latch to the right (always has been) so I'm pumping the right side at the moment to even it out. I'm not complaining though cause at least he's going to left once in awhile!

I still don't think he'll solely breastfeed. But I might start offering the boob again at every feeding and see how he reacts. Crazy kid.

hotslings, I think i love you.

A few days ago, Jo gave me this baby carrier sling. Yesterday, I needed to get ready to take Cam out to visit a friend. So, I put him in this sling and did my makeup with him attached to me. Wow, convenient.

Today, he wasn't having the sling for the early part of the day. Rats! Maybe this isn't as great as I thought. But then around 4:30pm I really wanted to cook dinner. He was relatively calm so I tried it again. In he went and what's this? He's pretty content! Started dinner and about a half hour into it, he fell asleep in the sling. Nice.

I cooked an entire dinner with Camden attached to me! I must say, I'm quite pleased with myself and with him. It was an easy meal (stove top chicken...baking so not anything that could splash on the stove), but exponentially more difficult with baby attached to me. But still, I made dinner!

Hostlings, I think I love you.

nope, no sleeping!

Last night, I decided to try something new. While Camden is still too young to "sleep through the night" (apparently, 5 hours straight can be considered sleeping through!) I wanted to see if we could start guiding his schedule a bit. Cam's on a pretty regular 2-3 hour eating schedule but whether or not he sleeps in between those feedings vary. Recently, he's awake more in the day and has been going back to sleep pretty easy after feedings at night. Well, he has for the last 3 nights anyway! (knock on wood)

Consistently though, he wants to sleep after his 6pm feeding and is up after his 9ish. This means we have to stay up with him until around 11pm or so. However, we're tired by 9:30pm so I thought I'd try and break this habit. After I fed him at 6:30 tonight, I decided to keep Camden up. He fussed a little but I kept telling him, "I don't care if you cry. Go ahead! You have to stay up!" And interestingly, that kept him from crying. I sat in front of the computer and played him songs off of itunes. I sang along with them so he could be more engaged to keep him awake.

Then when Brian came home, he got in on the action. Here's a little Temptations in an attempt to keep Camden awake from 7-8pm!



Then, at 8pm we gave Cam a bath. In his sleeper after that, 8:30pm feeding, and off to bed! This kid was dead tired by that time. He fussed a little after feeding but then was out like a light. He woke up to eat again at about 11:30pm and seemed a bit extra fussy with his pre-feed diaper change. Hm. But then went down pretty quick after his feeding.

He then slept from midnight until 3:45am. Still, pretty normal...maybe stretching it a little longer but not too much. Again, more fussy with diaper change but then after feeding went down quick again.

I'll have to see how he is tomorrow. I'm hoping he continues to stay up more during the day and really gets to know day from night. Hopefully this will help him get on a good sleep schedule in the next couple of months! Stay tuned...

tummy time!

Cam has a love/hate relationship with tummy time. But his neck's getting stronger and he's trying to roll over! (Doesn't that just make him sound like a dog?)

water conservation? bah! i prefer a calm baby.

Early on, I noticed that Camden likes his "white noise." This is common for many newborns who are so used to the wooshing and shushing they hear in the womb. When they get out, they're literally like, "What is all this quiet about?"

After certain feedings (the 2am one is his favorite!) Cam tends to be a little fussy. His diaper's been changed, he just ate and he's swaddled yet he's crying about something! I think he's tired but is fighting going to sleep. Why do I think this? Cause I take him in to the bathroom, turn on the faucet and within 30 seconds this kid is OUT. He instantly calms down, closes his eyes and goes to sleep. Whether or not he stays asleep after I turn the water off and leave the bathroom is anyone's guess, but more often than not the water at least will calm him down.

Our water bill this month is going to sky rocket! Sometimes I feel so bad running the water for a couple of minutes -- like I'm ruining the planet or something by wasting water. Then I remember, it's not a waste because it keeps Camden and mommy happy. Conservation smonservation!