Growing TOO Fast!

She LOVES being outside. When Wayne puts her in the walker during the day, she immediately goes to the back doors to look outside. If we open the door to let some fresh air in, she will ram the bottom of the door trying to get outside! :) I doubt we'll have issues dragging her out of bed when she gets big enough to kayak!

Over the past month or so, she has learned to play "peek-a-boo" by covering up her head with a blanket or clothing. She will WAIT for you to say, "Where's Loli" a few times before taking whatever off her head! If you don't say it immediately, though, you can catch a small giggle escape her. It's the CUTEST thing.

Last night, she grabbed her burp cloth off the coffee table (she was in her walker). She began to rub it on her face, a sure sign that she was ready for bed. I took the burp cloth away, and walked over to Wayne for a minute. She went into the kitchen, and I followed her around to see what she was doing. She had pulled the dish towel that we leaving hanging on the over door off, had it over her head, waiting for someone to say, "Where's Camilla?". She was sitting SO VERY still, listening for one of our voices. I got so tickled!

I took her out of her walker and put her on the pallet that we leave down for her, turned around, and the child had pulled herself up on the coffee table!!! She pulled herself up in the playpen the other night. She can pull up and stand almost perfectly, on just about anything that will be still long enough! She's not even 8 months old yet!

This is ONE of my favorite things she has learned to do....blowing bubbles. She will push her face onto my cheek or my arm and blow to make the funny noises; it's HILARIOUS! I am scared, at times, of how smart this lil thing is! She knows when to make you laugh, she knows when to hug you tight and coo, she knows how to do YOGA?

The cutest of things-MAJOR UPDATE

As of yesterday, our wee bit is 7 months old. She is mobile (although not officially crawling; it's more of a scoot, half-walk/crawl, kinda looks like a monkey dancing), knows to "pose for the camera", will laugh with a grunt, and she KNOWS how to play "peek-a-boo"!

She will "stand" on her legs, with her hands on the floor, and try to actually WALK. We keep thinking that she may just pass the stereotypical crawling and start sprinting?!? At her 6mth check-up, she weighed just barely over 16 pounds, but was almost 28" long (which is REALLY tall for her age). We're told she's pretty advanced for 6mth age group....we attribute this to working with her, reading to her, exposing her to EVERYTHING.

Strangely enough, our 10 year wedding anniversary is coming up, and we've decided to do something fun that includes Loli....maybe taking a day trip to one of the local vineyards for a picnic and lots of "road trip" pictures. It sounds straight out of a movie to me, and I absolutely LOVE it! Video camera and digi-camera in bag, picnic basket of goodies, our lil family singing at the top of our lungs, driving down the back roads with the windows down....I cannot think of a better way to spend my 10 year anniversary! (outside of driving down to Dauphin Island and camping on the beach! But I don't think Loli is quite ready for a camp trip.)

I MUST get a video up soon of her playing "peek-a-boo"!



~Ciao

This little girl is MY world!!!!

She's 5 mths old, and rarin' to go!

She's a social butterfly!

We've come to realize that our child is NOT shy! She LOVES people, and it seems that she is even more happy when she can make people smile and laugh...it's her lot in life!


For example....

She makes me sooo happy!

Ped Update 12/21/2009

We went to the pediatrician yesterday afternoon. I wasn't happy, because Camilla had another round of vacs...she wasn't happy either. It broke my heart for her to look up at me with those big eyes and BEG for the pain to stop, not understanding WHY I was letting this woman stab her with needles. I didn't like it ONE bit! Is it necessary to have these shots, or is this just one other step for the government to control us?

I'm considering finding a holistic pediatrician (although that may be hard here in "The Bible Belt"!).

On the good notes:
She weighed in at 13 pounds on the nose & 25" long.
We can start her on yellow fruits and veggies.
She can have cereal 2 times a day, if she wants it.
She is one of the healthiest babies her pediatrician has ever seen (of course, she could just be saying this, but the nurse said it too?)

So, we have to give her ANOTHER round of vacs at 6 mths :( BOO (unless I find a way around this?)....but for now, she's doctor-free!

~~~Merry Christmas everyone~~~~

MAJOR update!

WOW, I didn't realize that it's been a month since my last post on here! BOY do I have updates!

As of this past Friday, Camilla had her 4mth Bday; she has learned to "talk", which means she squeals at the top of her lungs to show joy or anger, this morning Wayne said she was counting her fingers! :) She is also, literally, days away from crawling! She (at the moment) rolls around to get where she's going! And it CRACKS me up....rolling from back to tummy, to back again, until she is in the position and place that she wants to be! She's also learning to squeal when she can't get a toy she wants!

THE BEST though, is that she has learned to do that CUTE thing where she'll wrinkle her nose, and purse her lips and breathe heavily through her nose! I taught her that!!!! I also taught it to my sister when she was a baby. :) It's just the CUTEST thing!!!!!!!!!

Here is a recent pic; I'll post again either tonight or in the morning, because we have a 4 month check-up this afternoon, so we'll have official weight, length and general goodies to share!

Merry Christmas.....

Happy 3 months, Loli

Yesterday was Camilla's 3 months! She's getting so big, and learning SO fast! She has grown fond of Franny's Feet and SpongeBob. She loves watching Sprout channel in the evenings, because of Franny and Chica and the little Pig puppet (I still haven't figured out if she's saying her name is Patty or Pammy?). Her little face contorts into the CUTEST smiles and giggles pop out; it makes me SO happy!

Even though we told her yesterday; Happy 3 months Loli...mommy and dahdah love you VERY much!

Weebles Wobble, but they don't Fall Down!

I had one of these when I was little, and I L O V E D it!


I loved all these guys too....and I believe that I had them all! :

Wayne and I are searching for original Weebles and that Treehouse for Camilla! So if you find them, in good condition for a decent price, P L E A S E let us know!!!!

***I'm also in the process of buy My Little Pony and other toys from our childhood, that I know she will love! We've already started with cartoons, since most of today's cartoons are CGA and other strangeness! heheehee

~Crossover Blog #1

Why am I SO in Love?

Just look at her....who wouldn't be in love with THAT!!!?!!!


Or THIS :)

He says we can't SPOIL her!

Wayne has always said that I am "spoiled". I won't deny this, but I don't feel like I am spoiled in a bad way! Things weren't just given to me; I appreciate everything that I have. I've earned some things that I wanted, growing up. Always, and I mean ALWAYS, I've never taking it for granted!

So, upon having our own, we've worried about her getting spoiled. Not just with people buying her things (clothing, toys, etc.), but by habits that she may develop.

When we first brought her home, I was breastfeeding. The bassinet (thanks B and Megan) was right beside the bed. At first, she had no issues sleeping in it, but about week 2, she wouldn't sleep more than an hour in it. Since I was nursing her, I began letting her sleep in the bed with me. It was just easier to pull out a boob and let her fall back to sleep if she was right beside me. She slept so delicately, that she would almost always wake back up as I laid her in the bassinet. For the sake of my sanity and her getting sleep, she began sleeping with Wayne and me.

It's now 8 weeks later, and she still sleeps in our bed. I can't sleep if she isn't in the bed! We worried about whether this was developing a "bad habit". My baby books all encourage "wearing" your baby and co-sleep/co-bedding with your child, but everyone we know has warned against "letting baby sleep in your bed". Most "mommy blogs" I've found on the net talk about the same thing; they love having their little one in the bed with them.

Camilla sleeping with us hasn't really interfered with anything outside of getting actual sleep on certain nights. Last night, for example, she was SUPER gassy again. Around 4 AM, she began stirring. There was the most ghastly fart I've heard in a while (even for her). She whimpered and started kicking, and ever so pitifully started to cry. I looked over at her, she was still sleeping. So I picked her up and put her on my tummy. I placed a pillow on the right side of us (in case she tried to roll, she wouldn't fall off the bed), and hugged her snugly.

We slept like this until I got up around 715 AM. She would pass gas, whimper and snuggle up to me. I would just hug her and pat her back/rub her back until she stopped wiggling. Several times during the day, we'd given her Mylicon (sp?), but since she didn't truly wake up in the night, I didn't try to give it to her then.

I don't understand why she gets such bad gas at times. It seems like it's one extreme or the other...either non-existent or so bad that she's miserable. Today is 2 month check-up, so I'm going to talk to her ped (again) about this....I'm wondering if Similac formula just doesn't agree with her?

Milk Drunk!

This is the look I get after I pull the bottle out of her mouth....when suckling stops, and the eyelids go droopy, and she just goes limp. About two seconds after this look, I get a little smile, and then she will either jerk herself awake or go to sleep!

What really cracks me up is the little squeal that she gives when you first start feeding her, and pull the bottle out of her mouth for that first burping! It's hilarious. And now, she's starting to arch her back and kick her legs when you try to burp her, throwing her little tantrum to tell you she wants the bottle back!!!!!

Video to follow VERY soon!

She's Dancing!

Over the course of Camilla's existence, I've had a time with her feedings. This began from birth, when her mouth was actually too small to get a good "latch" while I was nursing her! Even after being taught the "proper way" to get her to latch, her little mouth just couldn't hang on the way they told me "it was supposed to be".

Because of jaundice, we had to supplement formula along with the nursing. I would let her nurse for a few minutes, and the we used a tiny syringe filled with warmed formula and let her suck on my finger, while feeding her the formula. This was supposed to last only until my milk came in...but when that happened, well, it SUCKED!

I was sooo excited when I could tell my milk was coming in, this meant sooo much to me (as Camilla had lost almost a pound after bringing her home from the hospital!). That Friday was ok, things were going GREAT! By the time we went to bed, I was feeling a little too full and becoming sore, but I assumed it was normal? By Saturday morning, I was terribly engorged and couldn't stand having clothing on my body!

No matter what I did....something happened, and no milk would come out! I let Camilla nurse, I pumped, I'd try to squeeze it out...nothing. This continued through Sunday evening, and I couldn't take it anymore! We bought more formula, and I began the arduous journey of trying to "dry up". Trust me, it sounds like I gave up on nursing altogether, but I tried VERY hard for that 48 hours, and may have expelled about an ounce of milk. I couldn't let my child starve! :)

So, with the baby being formula-bound, we've had our share of tummy aches and constipation! I think most of her pain has been gassiness! At the last doctor visit, I explained to the pediatrician that Camilla sounded congested; this was met with, "She has acid reflux.", and we were put on a different formula?

I went home, and began to mix bottles with the new formula, transitioning her from old stuff to new stuff. At first, there was no change....outside of the fact that she would finish 4oz of formula and want more. I called the ped office and asked if I should give her 5oz, and they told me no. Then came the spitting up, which we have NEVER had issues with, until this new formula. We were still burping her 2 to 3 times each feeding. But when she became constipated and constantly gassy, I was finished!

The pain that child would express, passing loud gas, and the crying...we decided to let the ped know that this new formula for reflux (which I know she doesn't have), was causing too many problems, and we wanted to give her the original formula again! So we switched back...and for the past few days, we have still dealt with constipation, but the gas has pretty much gone away. No more tummy aches-YAY!

Saturday night, she finally pooped on her own, but it was still somewhat hard and round. Nothing on Sunday or Monday....but when Wayne dropped her off to me yesterday, I forgot to ask if she'd pooped for him (worrying that another suppository might be in our future), so I sent him a text message.

After her 630pm feeding, when I hadn't heard from Wayne, I decided to try to call him. Camilla had drifted off to sleep on my stomach, and when I raised up to grab my phone, I put my hand on her little bottom to brace her, and SQUISH! And then there was the MOST disgusting smell!!!

She woke up a little, and looked up at me and smiled; she stretched and became fully awake. I thought maybe she'd let one, and it was just stinky, but the squishiness of her diaper made me look.

I have NEVER seen that much poop in a diaper! She pooped SOOO much, that it was literally coming out of the top of the back of the diaper! ICK!!!!!!!!!!! I had planned on giving her a bath already, but that sealed the deal, for sure.

After I cleaned her up, before her bath....I put her in her bouncy seat, so that I could grab towels and shampoo, and get her bath ready....and when I came back into the living room, this is what I saw:


She was "dancing" and cooing; the happiest I've seen her, when left alone, in a while! I couldn't stop smiling, and I took several pictures!

Major Update!

So, the last blog I posted (2 months ago) was a doctor visit update? WOW....Ummm, Dr. S was out of town, so I was seeing the other doc in the office. He did the ultrasound to check the baby (she was fine), but to my disappointment, he didn't check to see if I'd dilated any more, or anything! I had my non stress test (hooked up to a fetal monitor) to check for contractions and to monitor the heartbeat of the baby. That all went smoothly.

The last visit with Dr. S, he said that he wanted to see me first thing Monday morning, upon his return, because we were going to discuss the induction again. Well, when I explained this to the nurse, she told me that he was all booked up until Thursday (August 20), and she made my appointment for that time. I was a little hormonal, and cried when I left the office. "WHY?", I thought to myself...couldn't things just go MY way for once!!?!!

On Sunday, August 16th, I was having what I thought was Braxton Hicks, and I felt a little out of whack (more tired than normal), but I blamed it on the heat and work. I went to bed early that night....didn't sleep much!

Monday morning, I woke up feeling sick to my stomach; I wasn't sure if it was something I ate or my sinuses, but I called my boss to tell her I was coming in a little late. I took a Tylenol, drank a big glass of water, and piled back in the bed with my pups. I felt a few contractions that morning, but again, very light and I thought they were BH!

When I woke up, I got dressed, feeling much better and went in to work. YAY, I got a call around lunch time that Dr. S WANTED to see me first thing Tuesday morning, and I even got an apology from the nurse (so I wonder if something was said to her?). I was soooo happy to see Dr. S, I sent texts to my dad and Wayne telling them I didn't have to wait until Thursday! :)

When I got home, I felt so good that I made dinner, and Wayne and I watched a movie. I, again, was feeling contractions, but they were so erratic and didn't feel all that strong. By 7 PM though, I knew they were REAL contractions, because it'd hit me about every 15 to 20 minutes. The wave of nausea that I'd had that morning hit me around 9, and I excused myself upstairs to take a shower, hoping that I could calm down to sleep.

At 10 PM, I laid down in the bed to cuddle with Wayne, and don't you know, I had to pee! It ALWAYS happens when I get comfortable. I got up to go to the bathroom, and (although I won't be as descriptive here) there was bright blood, which SCARED the daylights out of me! I called to Wayne that we needed to go to the hospital because I was bleeding. He (in my opinion) panicked a little; it seemed like he was running all over the place. Luckily, the bags were all packed and sitting by the door. I changed out of my nightgown, put on my slippers, and off we went.

I called my dad to tell him that we were going, but assured him that they would probably send me back home (as this was the story I'd heard SO many times from other first-time moms). Little did I know!!!!

By 11 PM, on August 17th, I was hooked up to a fetal monitor, wearing a diaper, laying in bed leaving messages to work and a few other people....WE were in LABOR!!! I'd love to go into detail about some of the MOST hilarious things I've ever experience in my life....I'm not sure I should? ;) There were times when I wasn't sure if I was having contractions or really bad gas; I was bugging the nurse every 5 seconds that I had to pee, when in reality it was amniotic fluid leaking, and she threatened me to not have Camilla in the toilet (because that would be a whole other set of paperwork for her to fill out!)!

All in all, I had a pleasant birthing experience. Although I swore I'd have a natural birth, after 3 hours of (what I thought were painful) contractions, I was shaking and exhausted....so I asked for an epidural at 4 AM. It was either that, or risk being too tired to have her without c-section, and I WASN'T having a c-section!!! By 9 AM, I was dilated to an 8, and they were prepping me to start pushing....By 11, I was pushing like there was NO tomorrow, and at 12:21 we had a baby! :)


She weighed 5lbs 15oz and was 18" long....and I don't know how my heart didn't explode! Especially when I looked over and one of the delivery nurses handed her to Wayne, and I saw him smile and start crying. My heart still swells even thinking about that sight. I didn't know that I could love him more than I already did....or that I could love ANYTHING more than I love him!

So, I'll skip forward a bit....Camilla weighs a little over 9 lbs now, and she's probably about 22" by now......


She's the most precious thing in our world!

Dr's appointment tomorrow!

I haven't been blogging like I should, mostly because I've been very uncomfortable for the past few weeks, and I've had some "issues" outside of the pregnancy that have distracted me to the point where I just didn't feel like writing much. My poor other blog hasn't seen action since "Earth Day", I think! :)

We go back to the doctor tomorrow, and I won't really know much else until then. People have told me I look like I'm dropping; I've been having a few contractions, but nothing to brag about. Most of my news would be talking about how bad my hips have been aching, and how I cannot get comfy unless I'm lying with a fluffy pillow between my legs in my cushy bed! But alas, I do need to be at work while I can be...so no cushy bed for me (although I did stay at home yesterday to rest)!

Now, if our nosy neighbor would stop bugging Wayne about the baby (and our lives in general), and all else goes well, maybe Camilla will come on her own in the next couple of days. Everything else seems to be falling into place; things are getting done at home, and I have all of my notes and things typed up at work....so I think I'll be able to enjoy my leave! :) Mmmmm, to be able to concentrate solely on that sweet little baby and my husband; life can't get any better!

The End is Near (or if not, I think I may cry)

I haven't updated since the first of the month, well because there isn't much going on, outside of the fact that I feel a little like a blimp! :) I don't really favor ranting about how I'm not getting any sleep, or about how I feel like my stomach is literally lined with lead weights that are ripping my insides out at times. I prefer to remain as lady-like about being pregnant as possible! Mine has been pretty easy on me (thank you Miss Camilla)!

Two weeks ago, when I went to the doctor for our routine check-up, I wasn't measuring where I was supposed to, so they ordered an ultrasound. Camilla (at that time) was measuring around 33 weeks, but I was only measuring at 28 weeks? Last week, the baby is still growing fine; she measured at 35 weeks, weighing 5 pounds 12 oz., but the doctor doesn't think she'll reach over another pound at birth. So, 6 pounds-ish at birth, but he doesn't seem concerned at all: Camilla is very healthy, and another ultrasound this week will confirm as much. Hopefully they're checking to make sure I've dilated (if at all), as he's only been looking at her via ultrasound.

I'm soooo ready! I was worried about making it through the baby showers (and we did), and yes, I have some pics to get posted on here, and a few more "thank yous" to get mailed out! Wayne and I have been blessed to have gotten all the cool stuff for Camilla that we have; she is a very loved child, already!

Bags are packed-check; Camilla's room is ready-check; everything is ready as far as lists of who to call, text, update-check; Camilla is ready to make her first appearance....well, it's a waiting game now! We have basically 2 to 3 weeks, according to the doc! YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.......

I promise to update Friday on the visit!

Oh my heart; the sweetness!

Well, Camilla and prayers came through for me today! We got a full CD, a DVD, and about 30 printed pictures. She shined like a little star today at the 4D! And it was worth EVERY penny....



I'm so in love that I can't breathe! I giggled and laughed while we were doing the ultrasound, but when I called Wayne to tell him she'd done well and showed her face this go 'round, I looked over at the pictures and I cried! The pictures don't do justice to the (real time pics) DVD...she really is beautiful. I know ALL parents say that, but this child is not only our miracle...she's just gorgeous!

Just an Update

I have two reasons for this blog; A) to update everyone and B) because I have been slapped with a pit of exhaustion and can barely hold my eyes open!

I'd thought about just closing my office door, and seeing if a 30 minute nap might help; I'm worried that I may not wake up for HOURS. I'm not sure what's going on...only 2 days ago, I had more energy than I knew what to do! Now I feel like a zombie walking around. And to boot, I think I'm beginning to experience Braxton Hicks contractions (false labor).

If I stand up for more than 10 or 15 minutes, I get these cramps; they go away when I sit down and start to relax. Which SUCKS, because I'm also beginning to experience that whole "nesting" thing, and my house cannot get clean enough! How am I supposed to balance the exhaustion with the cramping, and on top of all that, I have to get the house in order before Camilla gets here. I am a basket case right now!

Last week, Wayne and I went to get our 4D ultrasound done...it didn't work out so well. Camilla may be a shy child, she didn't want to show her face. Instead, she had her FEET in her face! That's right, I said F E E T. For a little over an hour, we tried to coax her into moving, but if she moved her feet, she threw up her little hands. So we go back next week for round 2!

On a side note, I have my check-up this Thursday!

So, I have ALMOST packed our overnight (plus a day) bag for the hospital. I have also packed a diaper bag for Camilla Lily, complete with manicure set, her dress that she'll wear home, shoes, a receiving blanket, and whatever else I decide to throw in there...OH, Auntie Jada bought her the CUTEST night gowns, so there's one of those as well! I'm not sure what to pack for the baby, for the hospital...so that's what I've done. I'm sure I'll research it later, when I finalize everything.

I have also designated 3 friends to contact everyone else, so that I don't have to text/FaceBook too much. I'll send a message when we head to the hospital to FaceBook to let those friends/family know, but after that, I will only text those 3 people to keep in touch with everyone else for me. Please don't be offended if you weren't "the one"; these people have the biggest address books, so I figured it would be easier for them, and this way I feel no one gets left out! ;) I could pin it on Wayne's shoulders, but I want him to enjoy Camilla with me, not be sitting in a corner texting/calling people all day! :) He has a VERY small list of people to call (his parents, my daddy, and my boss *in case I am supposed to work the next day).

Well, there's a lot of other things going on, but I won't bore you with details; maybe next blog! ;) I will leave you with this, the VERY thing that kept me from seeing my beautiful little angel's face...I think she's going to be part monkey!

She's growing.....

This picture was taken a week or 2 ago....I feel like I've doubled in size over that short period of time!

I go in Monday morning, bright and early, for my glucose test, and to make sure that I'm not anemic; fun stuff getting poked by a needle! BUT, I get to schedule our 4D at that time, so it will be worth it! :)

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Camilla's Room

We've pretty much completed the nursery; crib up, bassinet waiting, pictures up....last night, Wayne put the baseboards back in there. We took those off, he sanded and refinished them, and we sealed around the walls while the baseboards were off (so no "creepy crawlies" could get in that way)! The only finishes left are to move in the dresser, and get the outlet covers painted and put back up. It's all done after that.


Here are some chihuahua puppies that I fell in love with. They were part of a calendar that I had, and those little pups were so cute, I had saved the pictures. They do clash a bit with the "frog and dragonfly" theme of her room, but I couldn't resist putting them up! The frames almost match the stain on her crib!


Speaking of the theme, here are the frog paintings that I bought...I love how the colors in the pictures matched the paint (without planning!).


Here are the little dragonflies that live on the other side of the room....


These pictures were taken with my cell, so the colors are a little drab, but I'm sooo happy that things are coming together. Now all I have to worry about is ordering her mobile, and getting her clothes put into her dresser. I spent a day over the weekend washing all of the clothes that people have given me, and folding them up; they are currently resting in her crib, along with a few stuffed animals!

Camilla's (soon to be) Homecoming-Part 1

Here is the dress that little Camilla will be wearing when we bring her home from the hospital :) Wayne picked it out (along with another dress we bought bigger for Easter next year-hey, they were on clearance!) .....and there are little satin mary janes to match!