Something in the air...

Last night Camden slept for 8 1/2 hours! YES! Maybe it was because he went to his 8 week appointment yesterday and decided he was a big boy after getting his first set of shots! One can only dream! LOL! It was nice though, I'm not gonna lie! But I am still exhausted...waking up at 5:30am is not my idea of "fun"! LOL! But, I'm not complaining!

So he is now 12lbs 3oz. and 22 3/4" long and these are both in the 50th percentile...his noggin is just like his daddy & brother's...BIG! It is in the 75th percentile...he'll grow into it! LOL! Take some cuteness:

Easter has come and gone

So we spent Easter with Bob's side this year...it was fun and the food was good too! Decovin & Camden were spoiled rotten (*sigh*) and came home with an extensive amount of candy (which I choose not to eat due to my diet and needing to fit into a bridesmaid dress by June 21st) and Easter baskets...like seriously I think between the 2 of them they came home with 8 baskets of some sort. YIKES! We need to set some limits!!! OY! It was like Christmas in March!

Onto a different subject:

Bob & I went rental house shopping in Emporia on the Saturday before Easter with little to no luck. The price range that we were trying to stay under (and what we thought would have been reasonable considering the area we were looking in) was apparently the "ghetto" listings...the first home we viewed we pulled up and I didn't even want to go in...Bob said not to judge a book by its cover so we went in and then almost immediately turned back after the smell and size of the place...our King Size mattress would have had to go in storage b/c it wouldn't have even fit in the living room! Onto the house #2...it was O.K. but very outdated and needed some work...next! House #3...all I need to say here is cockroach infestation....NEXT!!!!!!!

House #4, near "gang park"...MOVING ON!!!! House #5, in a nearby town, was doable but it was also really old and outdated and needed some patchwork here and there on the walls and not to mention there was only one bathroom and you had to SQUEEZE between a small wall and the sink to get to the tub...it was even hard for ME to get through there! I had to turn sideways! Plus it had a weird access door from the stairs to get to it...awkward! House #6, the guy showing us around apparently doesn't have the keys to it but was hoping they "left it open"...WHAT???!!! Next...House #7, quote from the agent: "The owners are actually trying to sell this place but I bet they would rent it out"...OH. MY. WORD.! House #8, home-fry tells us, "I don't have the keys to this place either but it was in the paper and the owner used to be a pharmacist so it should be cute inside"...WHAT THE F***?!?!? See ya later weird real estate agent man, who reminded us of Harry Carey by the way! OY!

So then I remembered there was a house on the outskirts of town that another agent told us about but at the time I thought was too high in rent...so Bob suggested we go look anyway...the guy told us it was an old schoolhouse converted to a house and they owners built on an addition and turned it into a duplex...so we go in and it is clean at least, it is weird though b/c it was an old schoolhouse there is a "stage" and that is where the kitchen/dining room are...the carpet is old school (hehe) and a different color for every room, but it would work, plus the basement is HUGE and has LOTS of storage...so this is our best option of all the ones we looked at for the day.

Then we drove down to Burlington to see if there were POSSIBLY anything available there for rent (there is an outage going on right now so a lot of them our being rented out currently to the outage workers...figures!). So a real estate agent was nice enough to give us a tour of the town and we find some brand new apartments for rent but they weren't open so I gave them a call on Monday to see if Bob could view them on Tuesday (since he had his physical then, which he passed) and come to find out AFTER Bob waits on the lady for 2 hours to return from her lunch break that they are low income housing!!!!! Thanks for letting me know that when I was on the phone with you STUPID WOMAN! Last chance is this Sunday, we are going to view a house that a local narcotics cop is renting out...he is currently "fixing it up" and says it looks terrible from the outside but that we are more than welcome to come and see it...so cross your fingers that it is livable b/c it would be ideal to live IN Burlington so Bob doesn't have to drive an hour round trip everyday on top of working a 12 hour shift.

Ok, I'm done...

Crossing Fingers...

We have two appointments coming to view our house today and tomorrow! Let's hope we get an offer! Wouldn't that be nice?!

Doctor anyone?

These are just cute:

Decovin after a chocolate chip cookie:

Camden wearing G'ma Long's crocheted hat:

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So I have been in and out of doctor's offices since Friday trying to get all my last minute stuff taken care of...Friday was the dentist...no cavities...whoo hoo! Monday was my 6 week post baby check up, everything is fine! Monday afternoon was my eye appointment, no change but my glasses were a bit old (~5 years) and they had scratches on the lenses and my sunglasses were just as bad if not worse. So I bought new ones on Tuesday after my regular doctor appointment on base for my peeling fingers that I haven't been able to get control of since about mid-November! She called it some kind of dermatitus and I am to put on a steroid ointment first followed by lanolin (the stuff you are supposed to put on your nipples while breast feeding) and then white gloves and I am to minimize my exposure to water...which to her means only washing my hands twice a day if possible. (GROSS!) So I had to buy latex gloves to change the boys' diapers and to use when I use the bathroom also. Gloves are also required for dishes, etc. *sigh* Fun times.

Anyway...enjoy my new glasses:

Our House on MLS

http://ginger.reeceandnichols.com/Public/Listing/ListingDetail.aspx?Search=10399383-404f-4e42-8b72-7e5334486fd9&Listing=29444345&Image=1&First=1&Last=10&pagesize=10&Sort=6&SearchType=&ListingDistrictTypeID=&FirstLetter=&Cookies=

A Rush of Sadness

So the real estate agent dropped by yesterday and we signed paperwork to get our house on the market to sell...she took pictures and said it should be on the market by sometime today??? We shall see, I will send out the link as soon as I know.

Today, after all the cleaning has been done and all the stress to get to this point is over, I finally relaxed a bit. Then I realized, this is the first home my boys have ever known and Decovin has been here long enough to know where things are...like silly things such as the silverware drawer...he knows where I need to go to get him a "poon"...he knows where HIS bedroom is, where the bathroom is, where everything is! *sniff*...just thinking too much I think. I never thought I would be so sentimental about a home.

Man, my girls HURT!

So I've decided to start the weening process off of breastfeeding and man are my boobs BIG and painful! I figured I should do this now so that by Saturday I am able to bowl with ease...hehe! I don't need 3 bowling balls, thank you very much! So I just have to get over this hump and soon be back to normal! But until then, OY!

Also, our Real Estate Agent is coming over Wednesday afternoon to take pictures of the house and we still aren't ready! I still have to fully clean the extra bathroom and vaccuum all the floors + stairs and clean the kitchen floors and the landings at the base of the stairs! All the while keeping the other rooms that we have cleaned clean! This is really tough with a toddler! My kitchen, I think, is the hardest to keep clean b/c it is used SOOO often. Anyway...I have a lot to do today so I better get off of here and hop to!

The only way to get sleep...

Is to put Camden in bed with us. *sigh* He will actually sleep longer than 2-3 hour stints...hmmm

More about me...

• I love the smell of my babies heads...I just want to sniff it all in and eat it!
• I love gummy smiles from a newborn...the way their lips concave and make such a cute dimple...why can't it be that cute when we lose them later in life?
• I love little button noses and little ears.
• I love the little fingers and little toes.
• I really love watching Decovin run from the changing room to the bathtub...his little tush makes me laugh.
• I love that we gave Decovin a playmate, too bad he doesn't play with him yet. hehe!
• I mostly love that I don't have to be pregnant ever again! I wish I could say I enjoyed being pregnant but really, it was just painful and uncomfortable...
• I love that we named our children after people in our family...it seems so traditional, yet we were still able to make them unique.
• I love sleeping babies, just wish it was for longer periods of time. :-)
• I still love butt paste
• I love change but fear it at the same time.
• I love that family is so close and am scared to lose that.
• I love TV and hate it at the same time...
• I love Spring and wish it would get here sooner than later.
• I love to shop but wish I had more money to shop with. :-)
• I love having plans for the weekend.--this weekend should be a blast!
• I love that we had a mini family reunion at my house last weekend
• I also love that no one mentioned how dirty my house was to my face. :-)

That's some more about me...thought I would try to keep it on the positive side today. Today is going much better than yesterday. :-)

Still not sleeping well...

Except for Decovin we are all up in the middle of the night! Bob is nice enough to help me out and swap with me occassionally throughout the night. We are still not seeing a good sleep pattern yet, but are hopeful in the next few weeks he will start to sleep better as he gains weight. Currently it is still only a maximum of 3 hours of sleep. The 5 hour sleep only happened one time!
He confuses me, he will be well fed (will have just eaten 5 oz.) and diaper is dry but still cries a lot...I wouldn't call it colicky but it is really hard to have him "awake and happy." I can remember with Decovin we could put him anywhere and he would generally be happy and alert and carefree. Not the case with Camden. We can't hold him all the time so sometimes we get to listen to Decovin yelling over the baby crying while Bob and I are trying to have our own conversation! It can get really loud in here at times and really stressful! My lack of sleep gets the better of me sometimes and I am one cranky individual. And before you say it, I know that every baby is different and can present different obstacles, but I just want to vent.
On a fun note, Camden is starting to smile a bit if you tickle his lips, it is really cute and he is focusing on objects more. I've noticed over the past couple of weeks his intensity staring at the mobile in his swing. He is getting better and better at following it.
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Decovin is now in his "naked phase," he strips every chance he gets...so this is usually when I am in the computer room and he is watching cartoons...I will get up to check on him and he will be stark naked running around! *sigh* What's a girl to do? He is not ready to potty train, this is obvious b/c he still will sit in his poop until we notice it...he won't tell us and he is still waking up from his naps with really wet diapers...we have a ways yet. So I guess we have to deal with the strip downs! It is kind of funny to walk into a room with a naked baby! LOL!
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As for Bob, he has several interviews set up over the next month or so! They are all over the U.S. as we are keeping our options open, we would ultimately like to stay in the Midwest of course, but we have to take what we can get. Keep your fingers crossed for the ones around here to go well and offer enough money so we can stay! :-)

Bathroom Makeover

So I have begun to "stage" my house for potential buyers and for our pictures for the MLS website...I went to Walmart tonight and decided I needed a new guest bathroom look...this is what I went for...what do you think?

Butt Paste ROCKS!

This stuff rocks! Camden has had a butt rash pretty much since the day we brought him home. The doctor prescribed hydrocotosone...that did nothing...Amanda prescribed something else, it helped a BUNCH but I couldn't get it to completely go away...my sister-in-law told me about this butt paste and so I said..."why not?!" Within 24 hours his butt was completely healed...I'm not even kidding! It was amazing! I would be pissy too if I had a butt rash for 4 weeks straight...poor buddy...he is better now! WHOO HOO!

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Today was our girls day out of beauty! It was so much fun! Grandma, my mom, Ruthie, Melodie, Christy, Lauren, & myself all went to my hair dresser's place and got our hair and nails done! Grandma got a perm and it looks really nice. Ruthie & Melodie got the works-hair color/cut , pedicure, & manicure. My mom got her hair cut and a mani and pedi. I got my hair colored/cut & a pedi. Christy got her hair colored/cut and a mani and Lauren got a manicure! We took pictures (my mom will surely share them!) It was 4 generations of ladies getting dolled up together. Fun times.

Afterwards we came back to my house and ordered pizza and the kids played outside b/c the weather was AWESOME! A good time was had by all I think!

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Our next order of business is getting our house spic & span and set up for potential buyers to come and view. *sigh* I am going to hate having to have to keep things tidy ALL the time. Oh well, if it helps sell it, I will do it and like it! LOL!

Anyways...that all I got!

Busy weekend and busy week to come...

Friday night Amanda came over for a visit and we had a good time. She brought the wine! (Thanks again for that lady!) The next morning we got up and got ready and were out the door early to meet up with my parents at Chris Cakes Kitchen in Leawood, Decovin loved watching the pancakes getting flipped. Then it was up to Babies R Us to buy a double stroller (thanks for pitching in on that one mom & dad!). I also swung by and picked up my bridesmaid dress for the wedding I am to be in in June. I have a lot of weight to lose if I am going to wear that thing...(cross your fingers for me that I can do it!). Then we had a quick stop at Target so I could exchange an outfit that was the wrong size for the season for Camden and got both boys a new outfit/shirt for pictures that we are going to have taken this week and I bought a new purse too. :-) Then home...

Got home and Bob decided to take us out to dinner at Mazzio's Pizza place and we had a good meal (not good for my figure of course) but whatever...lol. Then the sleet and snow came.

I got up Sunday and took my time getting around and ready before I headed down to LaCygne for a baby shower I was invited to. Made it in time to eat lunch, change the boys' diapers and head out for the shower. Got back from the shower and visited for a couple more hours and then left right after Camden was done eating (and pooping of course!)...

It was a busy weekend and I am really tired and my week is just starting...Bob will be working late today & tomorrow so I am left with taking care of the boys in the evenings as well...makes for super long days. Then Wednesday Ruthie is coming and we will pack up the car and head down to LaCygne for bunco! :-) WHOO HOO! I will be staying until Thursday or Friday and then heading back this way...I think Ruthie is staying until Saturday and then riding back up with Christy, Mom, & G'ma to here so we can go and have a day of beauty! We are all getting our hair done and nails (whether it be toenails or fingernails). Should be a fun day!

I feel like a first time mom again!

How long is it ok to let a baby cry for?

I feel like we are constantly holding or picking up Camden whenever he starts crying really badly...He has a hard time "going to sleep" on his own w/o some kind of comfort...such as Bob holding him for 30 minutes or so and then putting him down or sitting in the bouncy chair with the vibrator thing on...this is starting to become a routine and I don't like it. I liked just putting Decovin down in bed wide awake and letting him put himself to sleep...it's becoming really frustrating because I have yet to just set him in bed awake and walk away knowing he will fall asleep. HELP!?! Any suggestions?

I've tried swaddling him and that sometimes works, I've tried music, we even elevated his bed to mimic the feeling of the bouncy chair angle, I'm running out of ideas!

I'm tired...

Today was day two alone with the boys and it went fine, nothing too big to fuss about. But later I have the obstacle of baths...both the boys need one and I haven't given Decovin a bath in FOREVER b/c Bob has been doing this for me since I got to big to bend over! LOL! But tonight, Bob has to work late, so lucky me gets to do it all. :-) I just hope the baby doesn't wake up and want to eat while we are in the bathroom bathing. :-) Anyway...

I feel like Decovin is still on his schedule, nothing has really changed there but I can't get Camden on one to save a life. The only thing he routinely does is eat every 3 hours and poop every 30 minutes. It's no wonder I can't get his butt to heal. We are still tackling a wee bit of a diaper rash that won't go away due to the constant pooping this boy does. SERIOUSLY! I have never ever seen an infant poop so much! It's a bit disturbing really. Anyway...off to tackle bath #1!

Feeling good...

So tomorrow is D-Day...the first day alone with the boys. I'm thinking it will be fine and go ok. I fully expect a small break down from Decovin when I can't be at his beck & call right when he wants a "nack" (snack) or when he wants me to play with him or whatever while I am feeding Camden. I'm ready for that. I just keep taking deep breaths and know it will be fine...millions of women in the past and present have done this and they all lived. I also keep trying to tell myself that no one has ever died from crying too much so if all 3 of us cry tomorrow, it's ok. :-)

I'm feeling really good though. It's like I get spurts of energy and I am feeling more and more back to normal. I am already in some of my pre-pregnancy clothes and will continue to try to get into my pre-pre pregnancy clothes from before Decovin was born. I was getting awful close right before I found out I was pregnant again. But I have motivation. I have to fit into a bridesmaid dress by June that is equivalent to a size 14...so here's hoping I can do it! :-) I plan on going back on Weight Watchers again real soon. I think I am waiting to get down to my pre-pregnancy weight before I join back up again. I am doing good so far. I only have like 10 pounds to go to get to that weight and then I will be off and running. Once the weather gets nicer I will be able to start walking again with the boys during the day, etc.

So anyway, I am feeling very positive right now and am looking forward to the future.

Well, I need to go make lunch. Love you all and thanks so much for your words of wisdom and believing in us. :-)

I knew we had it good...

With Decovin that is...he slept well for us from the start and we never had to rock him to sleep or bounce him or reschedule his sleep clock...


Camden, however, is a different issue all together. For every good night we have we have at least 2 bad ones that follow. This is how it usually plays out: 9:30pm we are fed and full (at least I assume) then one hour later he is screaming for more! So Bob will feed him formula or reserved breast milk and he will usually eat an additional ounce at this point! Which is a lot for a 2 week old seeing as how he just ate one hour prior off both of my breasts!! So, then he will go to sleep around 11:30 or so and sleep until 3am or so...I get up with him and feed him off both breasts for about 15-20 minutes each and then the cycle starts all over again...he won't lay down in the crib for longer than 5 minutes before the wailing begins and then it will be an hour later from the time I started feeding and he is acting hungry all over again! OY! I assume then, I am not making enough milk...so I have been pumping every 3 hours during the day regardless of whether he is ready to eat or not...to make sure I am keeping my milk supply up. And each time I pump, I am getting 3 oz. per breast...so I am full! LOL! So I have NO IDEA what is going on! I am listening for him to swallow and I hear him swallowing and he will burp and there will be milk drueling out of his little mouth when he is done so I know he is getting something! But why isn't he getting full?! (Oh and diaper changes go on throughout this process also, I check that often due to his bad diaper rash he had.)


So "What the February" is going on?! Decovin would eat and sleep no problem and even if he was awake he didn't mind being in bed awake...Camden starts freaking out if you put him in the crib before he is ready. I am worried I am going to have the kid I have to rock to sleep just to get him to sleep so I can sleep! I'm exhausted thinking about it because Bob goes back to work next week and I won't be able to take a nap like I have been doing...I will be working double time. I'm a wee bit anxious about this whole thing and I hope I can hold up, I am the first to admit I need my sleep in order to be a nice person. I would like to think I could function fine on 3 hours of sleep but that is just not the way my body works. I need solid sleep...good uninterrupted sleep. What is a girl to do.


Thanks for letting me vent, I'm done now...I will be ok, I promise.

Dentist

So Decovin went to the dentist for the first time yesterday and can you believe I forgot my camera?!?! Oh well, it was nothing to be exciting about except I wish I could describe to you how this particular dentist looked. He was an older man, probably aproaching 60 if not already there and his teeth looked like they came straight out of a comic book and he had a lot of extra saliva floating around when he talked and all I could think was "slurp it in buddy!" It was kinda gross...his teeth were really white, but too much saliva...OY!

Anyway, he just did a well baby check up and made sure his teeth and gums looked ok just from a visual...he said he was cutting some new molars (which could explain SOME of his temper tantrums he has been throwing lately) and that we should keep a toothbrush in the kitchen for him to use after snacks and meals...so whatever...it was an experience.

Then we decided to have lunch with Amanda since the dentist office was literally 2 miles from her house and we met at Applebee's for lunch at 10:30am! LOL! It was good and it was nice to be OUT of the house for a bit. Then we decided, hey, since we are already up here, we might as well see if Tabitha (Bob's sister) and hubby were home so we could see their new addition to their family. So we called them and they were actually on their way out the door for a doctor appointment for baby Abby so we decided to go visit his grandma Lawson down in Gardner first then come back up to see them later in the afternoon. So it was a full day of visiting and being in the car.

Camden doesn't seem to be as good in the car as Decovin was, or at least what I remember of it. I had to constantly dig for the pacifier (cuz he still can't hold it in there real well) but once he had it and the car was going he seemed fine...it was weird...we will see what my first time out and about by myself is like seeing as how I won't be able to dig for things while driving very easily...haha!

I take Camden to the doctor tomorrow and I will go alone...we shall see how that goes. Bob and Decovin will stay here. Wish us luck!

A better comparison

Camden David is here!

And the winner is....Brad Barnes (Bob's cousin) guessing January 31st at 9:35pm...Camden David actually arrived at 9:51pm...so there ya go...thanks for participating in the fun!

So as I said, he is here, YAY! I'm no longer pregnant and I hope to never be again (knock on wood!) hehe! Our family is complete. Camden arrived January 31st at 9:51pm weighing in at 8 lbs even and 20 inches long. Everything went pretty smoothly...I went to the doctor that morning for my weekly check up and I had made it to 4 cm and 50% effaced. She "stripped my membranes" (whatever that is) and sent me home to eat lunch and walk around to get things going! Well, whatever she did worked b/c after I left the doctors office w/in the hour I started getting really strong contractions and they started to get pretty regular w/in the next hour or so. I hung out at home until 2:30ish I think before we decided to go to the hospital. Luckily it was Amanda's day off and she came down to watch Decovin for us while we went.

When I got there they stuck me in the "check-in" rooms to make sure I was indeed in labor and they had to keep me there for quite awhile b/c all the labor and delivery rooms were full! They finally got a room cleared out and I got in and got my epidural shortly after that! I don't remember much but being really groggy (they gave me a pain medicine via IV earlier) and nauseous. I have NO idea how long I was in the room before the show began. I barely remember pushing b/c I was so out of it...I finally threw up and after that I was aware of my surroundings! Weird huh? I think I only pushed for a little over an hour and out he came! It was a lot easier this time b/c my epidural didn't wear off towards the end like with Decovin, so when she said to stop pushing, I actually could stop pushing! LOL!

We are home now and for the most part I am back to normal, except now I have the worst case of hemorrhoids EVER! It is making things very difficult in the sitting department, which is why it took so long for me to post...I am hoping that they start to "go away" w/in the next week or so, but it is not looking promising, hoping I don't have to have them removed, but if it would make me feel better, I would be down for it at this point. Sorry if this is an over-share, but hey, that's what having a baby does to ya...gotta be honest. :-)

Decovin seems to not mind Camden so far. He loves to hold him and kiss him and say "Babee, Babee!" when he sees him...We will see how his opinion changes once daddy goes back to work and he doesn't have a 24/7 distraction...I am crossing my fingers that he stays the same. Wish us luck!

Hope you all enjoyed the pictures! I am going to put a few on here and one of Decovin when he was born to show you the similarities!

This is Decovin:

This is Camden, see the similarities?!?!

These are my boys: