Two Months!

I know it's been awhile, but we have been busy at the Helf household. I feel like I wake up at 5:00 a.m. and don't slow down until about 10:00 at night, but I often don't get to sleep until as late as midnight. I pretty much go to school, come home, and take care of Camden as much as possible - I even use my conference period and time before and after school to pump for him! I have loved every moment that I've gotten to spend with him over the last month, though! Here are a few highlights:
One of the coolest things that Camden has started doing is smiling and laughing. He responds to Neal and I making faces and talking to him, and he has really become a happy boy! He still loves nursing, and that is one of the things he really smiles for - it's adorable! Even though, he is very happy, he still has his fussy moments - Mondays are still the toughest day for him, because he has to adjust to the fact that I'm not with him for about nine hours. But, he is getting better.

We also tried out the bumbo chair - I think he would have liked it for longer if he had been wearing pants. His bare legs kept rubbing against the rubber, and he ended up doing this:

Don't worry, we only took a few pictures of him crying in his bumbo before we took him out! :)
How can you resist that face, though? The doctor even commented on how his lower lip curls out when he's crying and sad, and she said that he is definitely going to use that to his advantage later on! My dad calls it the "poochy lip" and apparently I mastered it as a baby! So, Camden comes by it honestly.

We have also kept up with tummy time - although he definitely loves being on his back. Gotta love that smile! Oh, and notice the drool on the side of his mouth - that has been another new development over the last month. We have to keep burp cloths and bibs nearby at all times. I have been "slimed" many times recently when I have forgotten to put his bib on. I now understand why moms often have white spots on their shirts!

He still loves going with us on walks, but with the cooler weather, we've found that the Moby wrap works really well for keeping him warm. By the end of the walk, he's usually sound asleep and a little sweaty from being wrapped up. I love this pouty face and his hat that is slightly big on him! He was a little fussy at the time, because we had put him in his stroller to put our shoes on for our walk, and he decided that the stroller was not the place for him, so I had to get out the wrap while Neal held him. By the way, he went to right to sleep in his wrap, and I got an extra workout from carrying a few extra pounds. Neal says that the wrap reminds him of how I used to look when I was pregnant! I'm so relieved that I'm not pregnant anymore!

Neal and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary with a dinner for two at Truluck's in Southlake - we loved it! I will admit that it was hard to leave our little guy behind, but it was nice to go out and not worry about bringing the car seat and diaper bag with us. Camden's Aunt Kendyll came over and babysat for us. By the way, I love Camden's expression in this picture - maybe, he was trying to tell us that he was not happy with us leaving him behind!

We also visited Neal's family for Thanksgiving, and Camden's outfit only lasted for the drive there. When we arrived, I fed him and he peed so much (I think he decided to hold it while he was in the car) that his diaper leaked and his clothes were wet. So, we took the obligatory pictures in his cute outfit and then changed into something clean before dinner. It was great to spend the extra time with family and not have to worry about pumping at all over the break! Camden seemed much more relaxed and happy, too.

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, we put up our Christmas tree and decorated the house for Christmas. Camden is fascinated by the lights on the tree. This has come in handy on more than one occasion to calm him down. So far, I love getting to experience the holidays with him!

We decided to pose by the decorated Christmas tree for his official two month picture! I am so proud of how much he has grown, and I love that his personality is starting to emerge.

Thanksgiving and decorating for Christmas really wore us out, so he and I took a nap the evening before I had to go back to school.

On Thursday last week, we went to the pediatrician's office for Camden's two month check-up. He spent a lot of time hanging out in his diaper while we waited to see the doctor. So, we decided to get out the camera and take a few photos. He's also become quite a ham for the camera! The appointment went well - we learned that Camden weighs 12 pounds, 8 ounces, is 24 inches long, and his head circumference is 40 centimeters. The doctor was so impressed with how much he has grown, and while we had a rough start with visits to her office, I was impressed with how she talked to him and spent plenty of time with us - even though, we had to wait awhile for her to come back and see us. Camden started to get hungry toward the end of the appointment, so he was really upset when I had to set him down on the exam table for her to check him out and to get his shots. Let's just say the entire office got to experience his screams! He is getting much louder and has quite a lung capacity! Even with the fussing, the doctor said that everything looks great and she continued to be very supportive of how we are feeding him. Oh, and she changed his diaper, too - I was not expecting that, because she did not change his diaper when he was wet at one of his first appointments. Maybe she has been hanging out with the doctor we had at the hospital who even changed a poopy diaper!

I love this picture of my happy boy after his bath - look at those gorgeous long eyelashes!

We also went to church for the first time on Saturday night, and Camden did so well! He slept through all of the singing and even though he was awake during the entire sermon, he only cooed a couple of times, but never cried. We did have to feed him after the service, because we were going to run a few errands after church and it would have been too long to wait until we made it back to the house. I'm so proud of how well he did! On Sunday morning, we went to the dog park - Neal and I have felt bad that we have kind of neglected them recently. They thoroughly enjoyed running, playing, and marking all of the trees at the park. Camden just snuggled next to me and slept in his wrap. Maybe next time he will be big enough to watch all of the dogs play! So, that afternoon we all rested on the couch, and I thought this picture was priceless - Camden sleeping on my lap while Penny snuggles up to his Boppy pillow.

Now, I am just counting down the days until Christmas break - and trying to stay patient with my junior high students who are also counting down the days until Christmas break! And, I am spending all of my free time cuddling with my little guy!

One Month (two weeks late)!

I have been very busy enjoying every last minute of maternity leave before I have to return to school tomorrow - I am not looking forward to it, but at least I just have 11 school days before Thanksgiving break! We had our one month check up and Camden weighed in at 10 pounds! It makes me so happy to know that he is growing so big and that he has remained healthy! He also had his second hepatitis B shot, and he barely cried - he's such a tough little guy! My parents came to visit a few weeks ago and we visited a pumpkin patch while they were here to take a few pictures. Fall is my favorite season, and since Camden is a fall baby, we just had to get a few pictures of him enjoying this weather! By the way, babies love the fresh air, and it is just fine to have them outside!
I just love cuddling with this little guy! The expression on his face is priceless!

More cuddling with Mommy - I can't get enough!

Posing with his very own little pumpkin that Grammy picked up at the hardware store.

My little pumpkin with all of the little pumpkins!

This is his new bouncer that my mom found for him - this one vibrates, so we like it much more than the girly pink one that does not vibrate. Plus, we can plug in our iphones and ipod to play music for him, if we want.

Wrapped up in his blanket before getting weighed at the pediatrician's office.

Fussing at his one month photo shoot, because I tried to do this before feeding him. Big mistake!

One of the few good shots we were able to get before this happened:

Maybe we will get better about this before two month pictures!

Camden also had his first big boy bath, and he loved it! He only cried when we put him on the towel to dry off before getting dressed - he does not like to wait to get dressed when his bath is over!

He has also spent a lot of time in the sling! Camden has gone on two shopping trips and a few walks in his wrap. I love getting to have him so close to me, and it keeps both of us warm. :)

Camden also went with us to his first Halloween party, and he met our small group. Neal and I went as characters from the TV show Mad Men, and he wore his pumpkin outfit. He was a little bit fussy, but he did spend some time sleeping.

He even took a nap on our friend Kylie - I think she loved it even more than he did!

I got some much needed girl time with the wives from small group. It was great to catch up with everyone!

Camden even did the claw to cheer for the Rangers - even though they lost the World Series, he's still a fan! I have taken a few outings out of the house on my own while Neal stayed home with our little guy and gave him a bottle. Camden did very well, even though, he still needs some practice, and he still wanted me when I came home. Tomorrow, I will go back to school, and Neal will be home with him and in charge of at least 3 (maybe 4) bottles during the day while I am at school. Pray that Neal has patience and success tomorrow! I'm praying that the day goes by very quickly, so I can get home to my favorite guys!

Visitors and Outings

I can't believe that it has almost been four weeks! Camden is still eating well (very well!) and growing, we are still tired most of the time, but we are enjoying this special time with our little guy! Two weeks ago, our very good friends Brantley and Adrienne came to visit us from Nashville, and this time, Camden met his future girlfriend, Ainsley (the last time we saw her, he was still growing in my belly). Here is a picture from their very first date:
Camden actually slept through the entire evening, but it was a delicious meal at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, Fresco's, and I was so grateful that he did very well at his first meal out! We mostly spent the weekend at the house playing games and hanging out, but we did take a few outings to some of our favorite places to eat. Camden even visited Southlake where it was nice to enjoy lunch and walk around. We broke in our strollers while our friends were visiting! I did have a panic moment in Southlake when Camden started crying in the middle of lunch, but it turns out that he just needed a diaper change, and then he went right back to sleep. I think it was harder on me than it was on him. I never really understood when women said that it is physically painful when their babies cry until now. It is true - I guess that is what keeps us from just letting our babies lay their and cry - there is actually a physical need to comfort them. Here a shot of Camden and Ainsley enjoying some play time - I think it looks like Camden is trying to touch Ainsley - too cute!

What a six month old looks like next to a two week old!

A close-up of our little guy - I feel like he is already so much bigger than when this picture was taken!

Right before bedtime for both babies - even though Camden was already asleep at this point.

A week later, Neal's Aunt Vicky came all the way from El Salvador to visit, and he slept the entire time she was here.

Enjoying some tummy time on Daddy's tummy. Camden is starting to push himself up with his arms, and he has rolled from his back to his side a few times, too. He loves to roll over to his side/tummy after a good meal!

We also bundled him up for his first walk around the neighborhood. This was a nice long walk that definitely wore out both of us - I'm not sure I was quite ready physically for the three mile hike, but it was so good to get outside and enjoy this weather.

With all of our babies - I think the puppies appreciated the attention and time outside as well.

Dressed up in his baseball outfit to watch the Rangers game (at home with Mommy) - even though they lost. :(

This is still one of his favorite places to sleep - he often falls asleep on my chest after a particularly trying crying fit.

For the past few days, Camden has started having troubles with his tummy starting late in the afternoon and lasting off and on until about midnight when he finally goes to sleep. It has been so tough to watch him scream and cry and try to push out his gas/bowel movements, and all that we can do is try to soothe him with tummy massages, pushing his legs up, hold him on his tummy, rock him, or give him his pacifier. Sometimes we have just had to let him cry until he gets tired. When I get particularly tired, I start to cry as well. Yesterday, I couldn't even put in my contacts, because my eyes were so dry from crying. At least today has been a much better day. I don't know what fixed the problem, but he did not seem to be in pain when he had his bowel movements, and he has slept better this afternoon. I'm hoping that this does not mean we will have a tough night ahead of us! He has figured out that nights are for sleeping, and he has had 5-6 hour stretches of sleep at night. That has made a world of difference for us in the energy department! I also wonder if he sleeps so well, because he is tired from all of his grimaces and crying! Here's hoping that he keeps this up!

I am so grateful that I get to be a mommy to this adorable little boy, and I can't believe that I have to go back to school soon! At least I get to enjoy a couple more weeks with him first! Keep us in your prayers!

Two Weeks Old!

Wow, what a busy, sleepy two weeks it has been! After we arrived home from the hospital, we started to try to get into a routine with Camden, but it has been difficult. He likes to stay up all night and sleep all day, so we have had a hard time getting him to switch to a more normal schedule. Thankfully, my parents and Neal's mom spent the first week with us to help with cleaning, laundry, keeping us fed, and grocery shopping. They pretty much kept our housing looking great for us! We also had great friends who have brought delicious food over to the house to keep us fed for dinner. Neal and I were talking today and we realized that even simple decisions such as what to eat are sometimes overwhelming to us, because we are so tired. I totally appreciate having someone else do the cooking and deciding what we will eat. Since we have been home Camden has spent a lot of time here (in his bassinet):
By the way, my mom thinks that this looks a lot like one of my baby pictures! And Neal and I have done a lot of this:

I think Camden looks so tiny in this picture (especially compared to how much he has grown since then)! I love to snuggle with this baby!

We also love to stare at him - sometimes we still can't believe he's ours!

Camden also met his Gigi (Neal's step grandmother) - she is very proud of her first great grandchild, and I have a feeling we will visit Farmer's Branch much more often, now!

This is Camden's favorite place to sleep right now (although we are trying to break him of this habit):

We also tried out tummy time. Camden has been lifting his head up since the night he was born, so we have tried to give him some opportunities to work on the muscles in his arms, shoulders, and legs. During tummy time, Neal would put his arm against his legs, and he would push off and scoot forward until he would get tired and frustrated that his arms weren't doing anything. He also rolls on his side, but he hasn't rolled over completely yet.

On Monday last week, Camden went to the pediatrician's office for his first visit. We were very tired and worn out from another long night of getting up every 45 minutes to an hour with a fussy boy. We had tried the pacifier, rocking him, walking, Mylicon, etc. and nothing seemed to work. Also, I was frustrated with the pain I was feeling while breastfeeding, so you can imagine that I really did not want to feed him every time he woke up during the night - which is exactly what he wanted to do each time. We figured out that he was trying to use me as a pacifier, and I can tell you from experience that he has a very strong suck reflex, so you can imagine how that contributed to the pain issue! So, needless to say, we were lucky to make it to the appointment, and we were having a very hard time staying awake in the exam room. Remember that Camden weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz. when he was born, and he lost about 7 oz. while he was at the hospital. Over the weekend, my milk came in, so we were hoping that he had gained some weight before our appointment. Unfortunately, he weighed one ounce less than he did when we brought him home, and we were worried that he wasn't pooping very often (yes, these are the things you start thinking about when you have a baby). The doctor expressed concern about this, and she wanted us to continue breastfeeding for the next few days and then come in on Thursday to recheck his weight. If there hadn't been any improvement, she said that we might have to try supplementing with formula. At the time, I was so tired that I didn't really think about what she was saying, but later on that day, I really started stressing out about how I was feeding our son and worrying that I would have to switch to formula (which is not at all what I want to do - ever!). I even started crying while I was feeding him - especially because I was still in pain. Finally, my very concerned husband stepped in and said, we need to call someone to help. We had several options, but we finally decided on the lactation consultant who taught our breastfeeding class at the hospital. Liz came to our house on Tuesday night, watched Camden feed, weighed him before and after he ate (to see how many ounces of milk he was getting), and stayed and talked with us for about an hour. She was wonderful! She even gave us advice on how to help Camden sleep through the night (although our stubborn son still refused to cooperate!). She said that Camden has small lips and a short tongue and that we need to make sure he keeps his bottom lip turned out while he's feeding, but I have a good milk supply and good nipples for breastfeeding - at least we have that going for us! Also, she left the scale at our house for a few days so we could keep weighing him before and after feedings, and we have kept in touch through e-mail, phone calls, and text messages. Anytime I have a question about something, she is easy to get a hold of to get it figured out. Another reason why Camden wasn't gaining weight is that I was feeding him the same way that I fed him in the hospital - making sure he spent equal time on both breasts. He needed to completely empty one side (even if he only ate on that one side during a feeding) in order to make sure he was getting the good fatty milk that comes from the back of the breast. I'm sure I learned that in the breastfeeding class, but I had forgotten that when we brought him home - very easy to do when you are running on very little sleep. So, when we went back to the doctor's office yesterday, I am proud to say that Camden weighed a whopping 8 pounds, 10 ounces - take that, formula! The doctor even asked me if we had supplemented with formula, and I proudly told her that no, we had fed him with all breast milk. I also told her about our lactation consultant, and she was so excited about how well that worked for us that she asked for Liz's information, so she can refer her to other patients who might have trouble with breastfeeding. I am just so happy that he is healthy and growing. He will probably end up being a chubby baby, but that's fine with me! Also, he has grown two inches since we brought him home! Here he is all dressed up and ready to go to Babies R Us for a few things that we realized we needed after having him home for a week. He is probably overdressed, but I do not want him to get cold!

I had to include this next picture of him trying out his swing - just because the expression on his face is hilarious! He looks like he is so over this swing!

For the past few days, our good friends Brantley and Adrienne have been visiting with their 6 month old, Ainsley (don't worry, we have still been taking it easy, and they have been very understanding of our lack of sleep), so I will post about that in a few days. In the meantime, keep us in your prayers! I am also learning that my husband has "baby brain" - I don't know if that's a real thing, but that's what we're calling it. I had pregnancy brain, but he has this sudden forgetfulness/klutziness that he did not have until Camden arrived. I think that you can blame it on lack of sleep, but it can be hilarious and frustrating at times! He also seems to need much more sleep than I do in order to be productive (not to say that I have not had my moments where I have lost it, because I am so exhausted) which can also be frustrating, too. There are not many things that make my husband cranky, but lack of sleep, being too hot (especially when trying to sleep), and being hungry are all things that set him off! This is almost the same list of things that make Camden upset - except that he is also cranky when his diaper is dirty - thankfully, Neal is potty trained, though! The last few nights have been better in the sleep department, so I think that Camden may finally be adjusting to the right schedule. He just needs to get better about going to sleep without me holding him until he falls asleep!

The Story of Camden's Arrival

Now, that I finally have a moment (I totally understand why people never post the birth story of their babies right after having them!), I want to take the time to tell the story of our day on Tuesday! Neal and I drove to the hospital and started things at 7:30 am. It was so nice to know that my bag was packed with more than enough stuff for our hospital stay, Neal was with me (and not in Dallas or Arlington for class), and that we did not have to worry about my water breaking or some other crazy thing happening at home. I will admit that I was nervous about how everything would go, but at least I knew that there were some aspects of the labor and delivery that I could control. When we showed up, I had to change into the hospital gown, provide a urine sample (hopefully, one of the last for awhile), get my vitals checked, and have several vials of blood taken for various tests that are done when they admit you to a hospital. Next, I was hooked up to a blood pressure cuff which monitored my blood pressure every fifteen minutes for the entire day (not fun!) and the Pitocin and fluids iv which gave me continuous fluid and the drugs needed to kick start my labor contractions. This is what I looked like:
Also, this is the last shot that we have of my big, huge pregnant belly! After the drugs were started, my doctor came in and checked my cervix - I was dilated to a three, and broke my water. That is one of the weirdest feelings! Needless to say, I am very happy that this did not happen at school or at home! After that, Neal and I just waited through the contractions. The nurse came to check on me periodically. My doctor came back at lunch to check my cervix - I think I was up to a four or a five at that point. Then, the contractions started to get more painful, so we called in the anethesiologist. Now, don't get me wrong, he was a very nice, calm man, but not on my top ten list of favorite people/doctors. He explained the procedure to us, and with the help of Neal and Connie (our wonderful nurse), he put in the needle and catheter (the catheter is what actually stays in for an epidural, not the needle) for my sweet and glorious pain medications. Unfortunately, the first time he did this, it did not work! Also, this was about the time that my parents and Neal's sister stopped in to say hello for the day. I was in a lot of pain, so I do not remember much about their visit. At that point, we realized the epidural was not working, so Connie found the doctor, who came back to take out the first epidural and put in a new one! Yikes! This time, I sat up instead of laying flat, and he was able to find the correct spot. I could tell that there was some immediate relief.

Unfortunately, he did have to come back to give me more medication, because the right half of my pelvis was not really getting any relief. I could feel all of the contractions on that side, but not on the left side. Once I changed positions and got more medicine, it seemed to get better. I still don't think I was ever fully protected from the pain, because I still felt quite a bit. I think that this helped me to push when I needed to at the end, though. Things did start to get more intense during the afternoon and evening, and I started to feel major contractions in my back. I think I was experienced back labor, which cannot even be helped by an epidural. At about 7:00, I started to feel contractions that made me want to push, but the nurses wouldn't let me - they wanted the doctor to make it up to the hospital, and they wanted Camden to move on his own to the correct station. The doctors at our hospital want babies to be at station 2 (which is about halfway down the cervix, I think), before you start pushing so that women don't have to push for as long. I will say that I am very grateful for that! I don't think I could have pushed for hours like some women do! I became very good at the "He-he-he-who!" breathing, and so did Neal! That is honestly what kept me from pushing when I wasn't supposed to. At this point, I had a new nurse, Sharon (she was a wonderful assistant coach), and the doctor showed up at 8:30 to begin delivery. When I started to feel contractions, they let me push (Camden had moved down), and I watched the progress with a mirror. I didn't think I would want to see that, but in the end, it was a great motivation to get things going! Neal even watched more than I thought he would. He and the nurse each held my legs in position while I pushed. Everyone said I was a great pusher - I think it was just because I just wanted that baby out! I did cry once from the pain and frustration, the nurses gave me oxygen to keep me focused, and the doctor did have to give me an appeasiotemy (spelling?). Literally, two seconds after she finished the cut, I gave one final push and Camden was out! I still can't get that image (it's a happy one) out of my head and the euphoria and relief I felt at that moment was amazing! Here is a shot of Camden right after he came out (he was still attached to the placenta at the time):

This is what Neal did right after he was born (I have never seen my husband cry, by the way):

So sweet! Neal also helped put on his first diaper - you can already see how gentle he is with him. I have to say that this parenting stuff has come pretty naturally to him. He is the best at burping Camden in our house, and he is so good at loving on him.

Our first family photo:

We were very worn out from the day, but so happy with our reward! Camden tried feeding for the first time, the family came in to meet him, and we took tons of pictures! Then, Camden was taken back to the nursery for his first bath while I recovered, changed gowns, and went to the restroom for the first time. I also enjoyed a Whataburger as my first meal - a burger has never tasted that great before! That night, I went to my post partum room, took some painkillers, slept, woke up to feed Camden, and slept some more. I have to say that our lives have definitely started to revolve around his feeding schedule, and we constantly focus on whether he has a good latch, but we are getting into the routine. I am definitely learning lots of patience!

Getting some skin-to-skin time on Wednesday to help with feeding. What a precious boy!

With his very proud Grammy and Paw!

With his equally proud Nana and Pop!

With his Uncle Michael who drove all the way from Longview to meet him!

Meeting Penny and Peyton for the first time - they are incredibly curious, and they cry every time he cries (I think it's sympathy)!

Our very happy, exhausted family - finally at home! The hard stuff has started - we are learning what works to get him to sleep and how to wake him up to feed, but there have been some frustrating moments! Thanks for all of your prayers!