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! ;)