Smiles and Kisses!

Sorry it's taken me so long to post again....we're knee deep (literally) in a landscaping project. Nothing like taking a few vacation days from work to do back-breaking labor at home.

In any case, everything went well at Cameron's appointment. She weighed in at 8 lbs 6 oz and 20.5 inches. She's in the 25% percentile for both weight and length, just the same as when she was born.

It's starting to get really fun because Cameron has started smiling at both Sara and me. Sara was holding her over her shoulder the other day when I came home from work and as soon as she heard my voice, she turned her and looked at me with huge eyes and an even bigger - non gas induced - smile! She's only been doing this for the last few days so we still get excited every time...it's like Christmas!! She's even started reaching up to give us kisses. Here's a few new pictures - Sleeping on Auntie Kristen's lap and just waking up from a nap. Also, here's a video of her lifting her chin to get some good Daddy lovin'. I dare you to say that you've ever seen anything cuter. I know I'm biased, but still.

Jesse

Cameron's First National Holiday

Cameron had a great first Memorial Day as we spent Saturday at home, Sunday in Longview where she got to meet Jesse's extended family for the first time, and in true Memorial Day fashion, we spent Monday BBQing at the Morkerts'.

Sara and I learned a good parenting lesson on Sunday. No matter how cool it is when your new baby sleeps for 6 hours straight, don't let her do it when it's from 6pm to midnight! Cameron did that and when she woke up at 12:30 to eat, she didn't want to go back to bed. What started as a quiet Sunday night turned into a very fussy and sleep deprived (for Mom and Dad) Monday morning. Lesson learned.

As requested, here's some new pictures.... (clockwise from top left) Cameron and Sara after bathtime, Cameron getting her usual fresh diaper kiss from Daddy, Reese (Snow White) and Colin (Spiderman) holding Cameron, Jesse's Aunt Barb with Cameron, (She swears that she reads this every morning so we'll see how long it takes her to leave a comment!) and holding hands.

Tomorrow is the one month Dr. appointment so I'll post her new weight and length tomorrow.

Jesse

routines are good

Well, it's been over 3 weeks now and it's safe to say that we're officially ruled by routines. Cameron is eating like crazy, gets a little fussy between 6-10pm, and instantly falls asleep in the car. We're getting brave enough to head out of the house now - last weekend we went to Home Depot and Lowes, but didn't have enough time for Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It was still a nice, little Saturday - extra points to those of you that get the movie reference! We even met up with some friends on Sunday at Emerald Downs. I guess it's never to early to teach Cameron how to bet on the ponies.

Sara's first Mother's Day was nice. Cameron got her some gift cards to spend on a post-maternity clothes shopping spree. Sara was very excited and said it was a very thoughtful gift. I'm proud of Cameron for thinking of it.

Cameron is really starting to sleep well at night, but that hasn't stopped me or Sara from having crazy Cameron-related dreams. The other day I had a dream that Cameron somehow ended up inside our duvet cover! I woke up and realized that I was standing next to the bed, running my hands gently over the comforter trying to find a baby-sized lump so I could get her out. I kept feeling and feeling and feeling because I was sure she was in there but I finally woke up enough after a few minutes to think to check her bassinet and sure enough - she was there. I've even woken up in the middle of the night to Sara sitting up in bed with her arms shaped like she's holding a baby, only there's no baby. We're officially baby crazy!!

1st day back to the real world!

Today was my first day back to work and it was really strange to think about something other than when Cameron ate last, when Cameron last had her diaper changed, and when I last washed a load of clothes! Everyone at work was pretty anxious to hear all about her so even though I was at work, I still ended up talking about my baby girl for most of the day - not a bad day's work.

Sara is feeling really good - just about back to normal - and is taking advantage of the decent weather with daily walks around the neighborhood. She even took a few minutes to brush her teeth today. No shower though, we'll have to fit that into Cameron's schedule later. :)

Cameron had her 10 day appointment last Tuesday and she hadn't gained any weight since she left the hospital. The Doctor said that wasn't a huge deal, but that she should be back to her birth weight by the two week mark so they wanted her to come back today just to be weighed. Cameron was apparently up to the challenge because she gained 7 ounces last week (10% of her body weight) to get back to her birth weight and everything looks good. It's completely normal for a newborn to gain weight that quickly, but to put it into perspective, it's like an average sized man gaining 18 pounds in a week. Yikes! That breastmilk must be pretty potent stuff.

Thanks to everyone for the food, cards, and comments that you've sent our way. It's much appreciated!

Jesse

Cameron's Hiccups

Cameron used to get the hiccups all the time when Sara was pregnant and apparently nothing has changed....

First Family Picture

Yesterday was one of the few really nice days so far this spring so we decided to take advantage of it and get out of the house! It was Cameron's first trip to Pt. Defiance so we decided to take our first family picture. Sara's feeling much better every day so we might even go for a nice walk today, if the weather holds out. Cameron is a week old today and it's pretty amazing how much she's changing. From her looks to her facial expressions to her eyes and her cries, she's constantly changing and growing - very exciting!

Here's a few pictures for comparison... our family picture, Cameron yesterday, and Cameron on her first day.

Even the bad times are really good times

Well, we're 5 days into now and both Sara and I have pretty much experienced the entire giant emotional circle that comes with bringing home a newborn person. Everything from helplessness to anxiety to exhaustion to joy to hunger to fear all, in the end, lead to absolute love. Even when we wake up at 2 and don't get back to bed until 5 because she has really bad gas, keeps burning through diapers, and won't stay asleep in her bassinet, it's still really good.

Things are getting easier day by day as we learn all the noises that she makes and what makes her happy. Today we were able, for the first time, to really sleep when Cameron sleeps and it's made a big difference. We're both feeling a ton better, both emotionally and physically, and we're ready to tackle another day.

It's amazing how much different she looks today than she did when she was born. She's growing every day and it's fun to watch. I remember before she was born, we used to say, "I can't wait to see what she looks like!" Now I can't wait for her to smile, or follow us with her eyes, or roll over, or any of the hundreds of things that she'll learn to do. I guess there will always be things to look forward to and I can't wait for any of them!

Here's a few more pictures (clockwise from top left): We got a visit from the Morkerts - Reese and Colin love their new friend, Cameron passed out after a good meal, Brennen and Rudy came with their 7 week old son, Beckett, and Cameron wide awake with Grandma Lesley.

Jesse