Prayers

My friend Natalie gave me a link to this family's blog, and I felt compelled to share it on ours.  

http://www.smoterfamily.blogspot.com/

The Smoters are in need of some prayers as they are in the midst of finding out if their son has a chromosome abnormality.  In reading their blog and seeing words that are so similar to what I put on ours last year for Bailey, it just took me right back to what it felt like to hear that information for the first time.  It sounds like they will be cared for at Texas Children's, which was the best place we could be with Bailey.  Please think of them and show them some love on their blog; they need it right now.

Nighttime Progress

Last night we had a glimmer of hope.  Cami went to bed around 7:45pm after eating at 7:30.  She had a pretty big day at the doctor's office (diaper on/off about four times, which she hates, PKU heel stick, which she hates [of course], poked and prodded while her onesie was off so she was cold, which she hates), so she went down pretty easily.  Poor little doodlebug was tired.  She slept ALL THE WAY until 11:30pm.  James fed her then and she chowed down like we've never fed her in her life.  When we've had a long stretch like that before (never that long though), it seems she wakes up every hour and a half to two hours to make up for it.  But, she slept ALL THE WAY until 2:45 (ok, confession....she was perhaps not asleep, but not fussing loudly until that time).  We had TWO long stretches of sleep.  She also drank 4 oz. for the first time last night.  She was ready to eat at 4:45 and 6:45 after that, but I feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel.  Maybe, just maybe, she'll start sleeping a wee bit longer on a regular basis.

Education

What I have learned over the past few days:

While I don't function well, I can get a remarkable amount done on very little sleep.

Cami loves to snuggle and be held.

Cami hates to be cold.

Cami loves to make funny faces and is already working on her smile.

Cami hates being changed because it makes her cold.

Cami has to eat in only her diaper or she snuggles up so much that she falls asleep mid-feeding.

Cami loves her swing, but the verdict is still out on tummy time.

Cami likes to straighten her legs and do flutter kicks when she's on her back.

I already knew this, but James is AMAZING.

I already knew this too, but I love my family.

Cami's Birthday - 11.29.11

It has taken a little while to get this updated, b/c we are TIRED.  Tired in a way that I've never been tired before.  But, Cami is being so, so cute and adorable that I can't complain.  Here's her birthday story:

We were supposed to head to the hospital at 6:30am on Tuesday morning, but at 4:15am I got a call that between scheduled c-sections and inductions and all the women that randomly went into labor Monday night, there wasn't any room for me.  They asked me to call back at 8:30.  So, needless to say, I didn't go back to sleep and it was a long wait until 8:30.  I called back and they said, nope, still no room, call back around ten.  At ten, they asked me to call back at noon.  Finally, at noon they asked us how fast we could get to the hospital, and if we could get there before one, we would get things started.  We got our stuff in the car and headed off to St. Luke's.

When I arrived, they were still shifting around moms that had already delivered, so I started in L&D triage.  My (awesome) doctor came in to break my water (and checked me....there was absolutely NO progress since my doctor's appointment the week before so I was glad I was being induced), and then we sat around to wait for a bit.  We were texting with friends and family while Cami's greeting part (i.e. grandparents) gathered in the waiting room.  They moved us to a room around 4 and started my Pitocin at 4:30pm.  I made a little progress, got an epidural, and then almost passed out.  Yep.  Almost passed out.  My epidural made my blood pressure drop in a serious way so I got a little epinephrine shot and we were back in business.

I got checked around 8:30 and I was fully dilated.  My nurse told me not to push (um, ok) and paged my doctor.  My doctor showed up about fifteen minutes later and started cracking me up (she really is AWESOME) which totally relaxed me and made me less nervous.  James was right by my head and kept telling me how awesome I was doing and a few pushes through two contractions later Cameron Elizabeth Galloway was born at 8:54pm.

They handed her straight to me so I could see her and give her a little cuddle, but then took her over to the warmer b/c she had a lot of fluid in her airway.  James followed her over and kept smiling the biggest proud daddy smile ever and watched her while she got her big "I'm here" cry going.  I just couldn't stop staring.  Once they got me all taken care of and Cami warm, they brought her back to me and she nursed like a pro right away and then we brought everyone in to meet her. 

Cami immediately had everyone wrapped around her little finger and she made her little faces.  Everyone watched as she got her first bath (she LOVED getting her hair washed in the warm water, go figure) and then we got her dressed and swaddled.  She was so good the first night, but I barely slept at all because I just kept watching her and listening to all her little noises.  She had so many visitors her first full day and everyone got to show her some love.  Night two was fairly rough; Cami was so congested we were worried about her (apparently a lot of babies are super congested when they're born, but it sounded like she couldn't breathe to us) so they checked her out in the nursery (I burst into tears as they took her out of the room) to make sure she was getting enough oxygen.  She was (phew), but then our nurse told us that she would keep Cami in the nursery for a bit so we could get some sleep.  I had only gotten about two hours in the prior 36 so I was game for the suggestion (even though I teared up again when she left), and James and I got five glorious hours of sleep. 

When they brought Cami back to us in the morning, she had had all of her screening tests done, including her heel stick for jaundice.  Her "bili" levels were pretty high, so we had to put her through a pretty rough day.  She was a serious trooper though.  She had to be mostly naked under blue lights to work her bilirubin levels down.  And she had to wear goggles to cover her little eyes.  We could take her out to feed her and change her, but then immediately had to put her back under the lights.  We felt so bad every time we recovered her little eyes with the goggles!!  But, if we didn't put her right back under, that would only mean that she potentially would have to do the treatment even longer, so we tried to be really good about it.  Luckily, her bili levels dropped to low risk throughout the day and we were told we could go home and didn't have to stay another night. 

We brought Cami home and showed her her room and her crib and her changing table.  Then we set up the pack and play in our room.  After weeks of my big talk of her staying in her own room right from the start, we are having her sleep in our room.  We have the slight excuse of her jaundice and congestion and wanting to check on her, but really I'm just a wuss. 

We've had so much help from family the past few days that it's made the transition of having Cami home as easy as it could possibly be (even though we're still exhausted).  She is just a little cuddly, beautiful baby and we are so in love with her. 

Getting Even Closer.....

Well, Cami wasn't a Thanksgiving present.  But, she'll be here on Tuesday!  Woohoo!!!  At first we were going to go in tomorrow morning to be induced, but they had to move us back a day, so now we'll head to the hospital early Tuesday morning.  Please be praying for us that things go smoothly (that my epidural doesn't wear off....) and that Cami arrives safe, healthy, and happy.  Thanks!!!!!

Getting Closer....

Just a quick update for the week....I'm having contractions a little more often, but not enough to make us wonder if we should dash off to the hospital (just enough to make sure we're relatively close by).  James didn't get his wish that my water would break before Breaking Dawn and cause us to miss it.  I'm anticipating that she comes this week though...I said bye to my students on Friday (and got a few "where are you going?" questions...sigh).  Maybe she'll be a Thanksgiving present! :)

Almost There!!!

I am 37.5 weeks along.  And I am READY for Cami to get here.  Oh, I'm sure there's something we don't have that we'll figure out we need, and I'm probably not really ready to go without sleep for nights on end, but still, I'm READY.  As in, let's do this.  Today.


Cami doesn't seem to agree (hopefully this won't be a trend) because she seems all cozy and not ready to come along at a nice early, yet safe, date like 38 weeks (or today).  In the meantime, I am waddling through the day at school and going through food faster than a heavyweight boxer.  I'm hungry all the time, which in the past has gone along with a growth spurt from Cami.  Let's save the rest of these growth spurts until you are on the outside, my dear.

The good news is things do seem to be getting started, however slowly.  Last Tuesday I had a weekly checkup and was 2cm dilated and 25% effaced.  This was better than the week before where I was 1.5 and 0%.  But, I don't feel very many contractions, so I'm not super optimistic that this Tuesday will bring about a huge change.

We've had a TON of love shown to Cami in the past two weeks.  I've had showers with coworkers, friends and family and have been given so many beautiful things for our daughter.  Everyone has been so generous, we keep joking that she's going to be spoiled and never have to wear an outfit twice.  She'll be a pretty fashionable little baby.

This is just a sampling from a shower from my coworkers!

Cami also got to "attend" her first Texans game.  She wiggled and kicked her way through the day (which may have had something to do with the brownies at the tailgate...) and that was the one day I didn't want to go into labor, so it was nice that I didn't start having contractions in the middle of Reliant Park. 

Here's a little picture of our Halloween pumpkin as well.  I felt like a pumpkin on Halloween.....will I still feel like one for Thanksgiving? :)

By the way, two AWESOME pieces of news.....two of our friends have recently had their little ones and we are so excited for them.  Becky (see "Large and in Charge") had her little girl, Zellee (Cami's future BFF), this past Friday (11.11.11!!) and Natalie and James, our friends through TX Children's, had their little boy, Kaleb.  I can't wait for Cami to meet her friends!