Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Camden's Birth Story

I'll try to make a short story even shorter and keep it clean for the men who read my blog LOL...

At 9:30 pm on Monday night November 9th, the last of the kids was off to bed and that is usually when Chris and I go to bed as well (yes we are like old folks LOL, but we both get up EARLY remember!) I was having some contractions that I thought were just Braxton Hicks (had been having them for weeks). They didn't hurt at that point, but I did notice they were coming 3-5 minutes apart. I debated whether to stay up and time them or try to get some sleep and opted to go to bed, figuring they would subside.

Once I was in bed, they just kept getting stronger and closer together. I laid there timing them, not believing that I could possibly be in labor. But by 11:30 they were 2 minutes apart, lasting about a minute, and I had to breathe through them as they were quite painful. So I called my parents to come stay with the sleeping kids so we could head to the hospital to get checked out.

Luckily the hospital is very close (10 minutes) as I was very uncomfortable on the ride there. We checked in through emergency (after hours) at exactly midnight. About 10 minutes later, someone form Labor & Delivery came to get me. I think she could tell by the way I was acting that I was going to be admitted but sent me through triage anyway. Meanwhile, I am begging for my epidural LOL. The triage nurse checked me and said "I may not be able to give you your epidural" so I'm thinking I am not far enough along. Well, I was 7 cm dilated already. On one hand, I was glad all that pain was productive, but on the other, I knew the epidural may not happen and I was MAD. Hannah was an unmedicated delivery and I swore I'd never do THAT again!

They quickly got me from triage into a L & D room, it was maybe 12:45 at this point. They told me they would order the epi, but Chris says they were just humoring me LOL. From there, things went FAST. Camden's heart rate dropped from the 130s into the 90s and so they had me try some different positions to keep his heart rate up. This happened with Madi as well and even though all the doctors and nurses were so calm, I knew it meant possible emergency C-Section if he did not come out of the decels. I was scared at this point and didn't care about the pain, just wanted him out and safe. Meanwhile, out of nowhere, I had a tremendous urge to push. Doctor checked me again and I was complete. About 15 minutes and maybe 10 pushes later, Camden was born at 1:34 am on Tuesday, November 10th. The pushing part took longer than I expected but I had a nice break in between each contraction. His shoulders got stuck and that was the worst part, I tore up pretty badly and felt it since I didn't have any pain meds.

The thing I remember most about the labor (besides the PAIN) is just saying (yelling?) over and over, "This is NOT how I wanted it to go. I wanted an epidural, I wanted a pain free birth". Oh well, as soon as it was over, it did not matter how he got here, just that he was healthy and safe. We waited a long time for our precious boy and cannot imagine not having him in our lives. He is such a blessing!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

He's Here!

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Camden Robert
Born November 10, 2009
1:34 am
8 lbs 6 oz
22" long

Labor was fast and furious, first contrax were at 9:30. Arrived at hospital at midnight. Born at 1:34 with no time for pain meds. Full birth story to follow :)

Friday, November 6, 2009

He's all boy

Evan has been needing some extra attention lately, I think due to the fact that in just a few days he will no longer be the baby in the house. So Chris has been trying to do some fun things with him, just the guys. They have gone hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and camping a few times. Here is a cute pic from a few weekends ago when they went camping at Cane Creek and Evan caught some decent sized fish. The pic was taken with Chris' Blackberry so it is not the best LOL.

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Saturday, October 31, 2009

Trick or Treat!

A few pics of the kids before they headed out tonight!

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Friday, October 30, 2009

38 weeks

Here are a few 38 week belly pics. Please excuse the ratty sweatpants LOL. Not much fits anymore!

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Thursday, October 29, 2009

Praying for Stellan

Please pray for this sweet baby boy, if you are so inclined. It is his first birthday today and he is hospitalized yet again. May almighty God perform a miracle today and help him on the road to healing. He is a fighter but his little body has been through so much, it just breaks my heart :(

http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

Friday, October 23, 2009

Pumpkin Carving

The kids couldn't wait any longer, although I told them it was too early to carve them. We'll see if they make it until Halloween without rotting. But they sure came out cute! Hannah made a cat face, Evan made a "scary face" and Madi made a heart (LOL she has her first crush and carved M + J into her pumpkin!) This was the first year they did it completely on their own, even Evan. The only thing I did was roast the seeds...YUM!

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

Hannah

Hannah is my sweet middle child (well I guess when there are 4 she will no longer be *the* middle child LOL). She loves to be outside, riding her bike or her Ripstick, which she is very good at. I don't know how she stays on that thing, none of us can even stand on it!

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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Thing 3

We got these really cool Thing 1, 2, 3, and 4 tee shirts for the kids (even baby-someday-to-be LOL) when we were at Universal Studios in Orlando last year. Evan is my Thing 3. How is it that one little boy can be so demanding, ornery, and strong willed, yet still manage to be sweet, innocent, and cute as can be??

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Who says life is not about "things"?

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Glimpses of fall

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Monday, October 19, 2009

Tomorrow

I'm so excited! Tomorrow I am going to have a maternity photo shoot with a friend of mine, Kate, who is a super talented photographer. Even though I am way past the "cute" stage of pregnancy, I know she will be able to get some good shots of this big 'ol belly. Pics to follow :)

Sunday, October 18, 2009

It's official....

fall is here in full force. We haven't had to run the air conditioning for a few weeks now and it has been wonderful. The windows have been open and it has been gorgeous, 70's weather. Typical for this time of year. Yesterday and today.....NOTSOMUCH. Like 50 degrees and windy, typical December weather, UGH! It is 63 degrees *inside* my house right now, looks like I'll have to break down and turn the heat on tonight.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Camden's Nursery

Camden's nursery is finally complete! The finishing touch was the green gingham Pottery Barn valances I just bought on ebay. Here are a few pics. Now all we need is the baby :)

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Friday, October 16, 2009

Halloween is coming

We got the kids costumes all picked out this afternoon. Madison is going to be a bat, Hannah is going to be a bumblebee, and Evan will be a hunter. They all look adorable. Pics to come soon! We also chose our big pumpkins to carve. For now they are on the front porch, we won't carve them until the day before Halloween. The kids can't wait!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Allergies!

I had to bring Hannah to the pediatrician today because she has had a wet, mucousy cough for a few days now. No fever, no other symptoms, just a pesky cough. I was thinking it might be bronchitis and when we got there they scared me into thinking it may be flu (the nurse said the swine flu sometimes presents with NO fever, which I did not know). Turns out it is just seasonal allergies. So we are starting on Claritin to see how it works out for her. I hope she gets some relief soon, she has been up at night coughing and is SO tired.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

My girl is growing up!

Madison said to me tonight, out of nowhere, "You know Mom, I would be happy if I never got any more 'stuff' again. I've realized that life is not about 'stuff' " I thought that was pretty profound, especially coming from one of my kids LOL.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Strawberry Fields

Since my life is so boring I am having a very hard time coming up with a new post each day to get me through the 31 for 21 Challenge! I was looking through my photos for ideas and came across these from a strawberry-picking outing in June. Looking back, summer flew by this year. I can't believe it is almost Halloween already!

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Monday, October 12, 2009

Restaurant.com SALE

LAST day to get $25 restaurant gift certificates for just $2. Click HERE. Enter the code FOUR at checkout and hit "Apply". Through midnight tonight. Happy dining!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Fall is here!

It's a perfect cool fall evening so we have a fire going in the backyard and the kids are roasting marshmallows with Dad. And what is Mom doing? Taking pictures of course! LOL

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Saturday, October 10, 2009

Madison's talent

Madison is very good at origami/paper folding. She can see it done one time and gets it. Here is a paper crane and a "ninja star" she made recently She loves to make cranes, from the tiniest of the tiny to super large ones. She just learned to do the ninja stars this week.

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Friday, October 9, 2009

37 Days!?!?!

I looked at the calender today and it is only 37 days until Camden's due date!! I've been saying 5 weeks but for some reason, 37 days sounds closer LOL. The countdown is on and we are ready to meet the little guy!!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

BRR...

Check out my 2 goofballs this morning! It was around 45 degrees when they went to the bus stop, so they insisted on bundling up. Mind you, Evan is wearing shorts because it was in the 70s and sunny later on LOL. You would never know these kids once lived up north!! Please excuse the grumpy faces, they get on the bus at 6:30 am, much too early for everyone's taste!!

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Another pitch for SwagBucks!

Hey I have to fill these 31 days somehow LOL. Please consider clicking HERE to join SwagBucks and start earning cool prizes today. I run just a few searches a day from their website and I have been consistently earning Amazon.com gift cards ($5 every week or so). I have been using them to buy baby stuff. Since Amazon offers free shipping on orders over $25, this is a great way to get FREE stuff! Have fun!!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Banana Crumb Muffins

I love to bake and I love to try new recipes. A few of my favorite websites are:

All Recipes
A Year Of Crockpotting
Our Best Bites
Taste Spotting


Today I am sharing a favorite recipe from All Recipes.

Banana Crumb Muffins:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 mashed bananas
3/4 c white sugar
1 egg
1/3 c oil or melted butter (I use oil)

1/3 c packed brown sugar
2 tbl flour
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tbl butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In large bowl beat together bananas, white sugar, egg, and oil. Add 1 1/2 c flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until moistened.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups, lined with baking cups or greased with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, 2 tbl flour, cinnamon, and 1 tbl butter. I use a small food processer, or you can cut the butter in with a pastry blender or 2 forks. Mixture should resemble course cornmeal. Spoon mixture over muffins.

Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes, unitl a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!!

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Monday, October 5, 2009

That Cat

Quick post tonight because I am tired and headed up to bed. Gotta keep up with this 31 for 21 Challenge!! Here is a picture of Charlie in his favorite sleeping spot, tangled in the wires under the computer desk!

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Sunday, October 4, 2009

Buddy Walk 2009

We walked today with friends in the Down Syndrome Association of Charlotte Buddy Walk in honor of our buddy, Ben. The weather was perfect, maybe 75 and overcast. The park was beautiful and there was plenty for the kids to do. Here are a few pics of our fun day!


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