Saturday, May 31, 2008

Cameron Elizabeth: 1 month old.

Dear Cameron,

I'm not sure where the last month went - it seemed to be made up of many long nights, yet it passed by in the blink of an eye. We are still getting to know each other, you and me, but I think we are off on the right foot. You are very sweet, and you show very well. What I mean by this is that you typically save your ever powerful wails for home, or even better, the car. In public, especially if I have you in my trusty hotsling, you are the model baby. Seriously, people stop me on the street and comment on how beautiful you are, what an amazing full head of hair you have, and how sweet you look. I thank them, then ask them to come over around midnight when you are screaming for yet MORE BOOBY, and you will surely be telling terrible tales about how I never feed you.

You will tell anyone who will listen about how you are starving, which really isn't accurate. I mean, at your 3 week appointment you had gained almost a whole pound in the previous 2 weeks, weighing in at 8 lbs, 4 ounces. Also, you grew 1.5 inches and measured in at 21.5 inches in length and have grown out of all your newborn sleepers already. You don't grow like that when you are starving. Your doctor even suggested that I *gasp* not feed you on demand and I make you wait 3 hours between feedings. Clearly he has not yet been blessed with the full force of your lusty wail.I don't want it to seem like all you do is cry, because for the most part - 90% of the time, you are very happy and cuddly. You love to be held, you love to sleep nuzzled up to me or your dad. You are starting to look around and notice your world. I like to think that your adamant cries are really just you being assertive and ensuring that you get what you need, and that we are all clear on what your want. Hmmmm...wonder where you got that from, eh?


You are the apple of my eye, and you have a very big fan club (many Facebook admirers). Your dad loves to cuddle you, all of your grandparents adore you, and your numerous aunts and uncles love you to pieces. Your brother Max is a bit jealous, and is not enjoying sharing me and your dad with you, but I think he'll come around eventually. Until he does, we'll play it cool, okay? He really is a nice boy when you get to know him.

I am trying to take in each day and enjoy it, and not let it slip by. You are growing like a weed and becoming more alert every day. I am looking forward to when your gassy smiles turn into full fledged grins, but don't get there too fast, okay? You are probably my last baby, so I am want to soak it all up. Before I know it you'll be big like your brother!

love,
Mom

Sunday, May 18, 2008

The 2 Week Feeding Frenzy.

My gawd this girl can eat. The last few weeks have been a blur, what with the feeding, the feeding, and more feeding. If Cameron had her way, I would never get dressed, I would just hang out with my top off all day so she could have a snack whenever she pleases. Unfortunately for her, I am not much of a nudist, equal rights or not, and I prefer to hoist the sisters up into one of my super sexy nursing bras and go about my day. The good news is that this time around I am much better at breastfeeding, and we have not had to spend countless hours at the breastfeeding clinic or call in our wonderful lactation consultant Attie.
Max seems nonplussed by his little sis. He looks at her every once in a while as if to say "You're still here?". Yesterday he examined her toes - they seemed to meet his approval. He hates it when she cries - it makes him cry, which is kind of heartbreaking because his lower lip starts to tremble and these huge tears well up in his eyes. Apparently he does this at daycare when other kids cry as well. What a kid. We have been doing our best to keep his routine the same, and he has been getting a lot of attention from his grandparents. I bought him a trampoline this week (pics to come) and the jungle gym we all bought him for his birthday present is going to be set up this week. He loves playing outside, so we are hoping this is a big hit with him. He also loves his laptop (as you can see, his future girlfriend Charlotte also has a bit of a geek-streak going).
Two kids is definitely a challenge. We are using the divide and conquer strategy. It seems to work, but you always have a kid hanging off you. Not much time to go to the bathroom in peace or sit and have a cup of coffee...in peace. But hey, I'm not complaining, just commenting. I love these little monkeys.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Introducing Cameron Elizabeth: The best birthday present ever.

Cameron Elizabeth formally introduced herself at 4:58pm on April 30th, 2008. She weighed in at 7 lbs, 7.5 ounces and meausured a respectable 20 inches in length. Also, she was born on my birthday. How awesome is that? An interesting sidenote - my son Max was born on my husband Scott's birthday - April 23rd. So, not only do we have 4 birthday's within a week, we have 4 Taureans under one roof. I'm not sure whether or not to laugh or cry, but it sure makes for a good story.

This little girl is a sweety pie, the apple of our eyes. Her middle name is a tribute to my mom and my great grandmother. She is still very sleepy and is a "warm baby" so we have to be careful not to over swaddle her. Most of the time she hangs out in just a onesie and a blanket. Makes for great access to her feet, which are tiny, yet long and slender. She has a full head of dark brown hair and dark blue eyes which look like they are going to turn brown like her dad's. According to my mom, she is a tiny replica of what I looked like as a baby, except I had reddish hair. I think her face changes every day, so I guess time will tell.
I gotta say, baby number two is nice from the standpoint that you actually have a clue as to what to expect and what to do with the little creature. Breastfeeding has been a snap compared to the saga I went through with Max, and both Scott and I are so much more relaxed...it's no wonder that first borns are overachievers and subsequent kids are more chilled out.

The day of Cameron's birth I had been up pretty much all night with cramping which turned into fairly intense contractions by 6am. They weren't falling into any kind of pattern though, so I wasn't sure if it was the real deal. Since my doctor was on call at the hospital that day, we decided to drop Max off at the daycare and head over to the hospital to get me checked out. Once my doctor examined me she decided to break my water to get things going and by 10:30am my contractions were 2 to 3 minutes apart. My 11:15am I requested (that's a nice way to put it) an epidural and by noon when one of my closest friends, Christine appeared, I was blissfully relaxed and smiling through the contractions.
Since my mom was on the way from Vancouver while all of this was going on, Christine texted her so that she would know to come straight to the hospital once she landed. By 4:30pm I was ready to push, we just needed my doctor to arrive so we could start. Since I only pushed for 3 minutes with Max, I wanted to wait in case this baby came out equally fast. My doctor appeared at 4:45pm and I got ready to push. After the first push, my doctor told me that the baby was face up and for a minute I thought she was going to tell me I would have to have a c-section. Not so, I would just need to push a lot harder, and my doctor would have to try to turn her like a corkscrew to get her face down. With Scott and Christine by my side, I pushed like I have never pushed before. I swear, after each set of contractions I had nothing left, and I was a bit worried about how long I could keep it up for. Luckily, it only took 4 sets of contractions (10 minutes), and out she came. After she got an initial wipe down and Scott cut the cord, she was placed on my chest for me to examine her. What a beauty. I immediately fell in love with her.
My mom arrived a few hours later and Scott went out to get us all some dinner. I lucked into a private room as well, so this hospital stay was a lot more restful than my stay with Max. We went home the next night and it has been a blur of visitors and sleeping and feeding ever since. My milk came in very quickly this time, and she is eating like a champ. Max is not sure what to think of the new arrival in our house, but I think he is slowly getting used to her.

I'll post another update later - for now I need to go get some rest. This baby thing is tiring! Thanks to everyone for the good wishes and kind words. We will start making calls in the next few days as we settle in.