snippets

Maybe today was a little more like what an average day is going to look like.

Let’s start with a 5 year old who went to bed too late and woke up too early. And let’s just say that this particular 5 year old’s behavior is very much dictated by a) sleep and b) blood sugar.

Let’s add in a 3 year old with a bit of a tummy issue, which means I was not only changing Camryn the Poop Machine, but also cleaning up an “oops, I thought I was going to pee and poop accidentally came out” mess. And that happened twice.

At 10:30, Logan found me in Camryn’s room, arms loaded with Nutella, bread, and peanut butter, and he requested a sandwich. I sent him back to the kitchen with it, and 30 seconds later, he appeared again with Nutella all over his mouth. “I had a taste” he informed me. I chuckled and sent him back again. I finished the diaper change, walked into the kitchen and found him with his tongue in the Nutella jar, having one more taste. Next time use a spoon, buddy…

During one of Cam’s feedings, Connor wanted a snack. I told him to go ahead and find himself something. He asked for Cheetos and Chex Mix. Not the healthiest of snacks, but I didn’t have it in me to fight that battle. I see him walk through the living room (yet another battle I didn’t want to fight…sure, go ahead and eat your snack in my room while watching tv.) He was carefully balancing two heaping bowls, one filled with Cheetos and one filled with Chex Mix. It was at that point I remembered it wasn’t just any Chex Mix. It was chocolate Chex Mix. And there went Connor’s dinner…

Just a few little snippets of our day.

Pictures are from this morning, before the mayhem.

I’m glad we have plans to swim with friends tomorrow.  I might lose my mind if I had another day like today.  Never a dull moment, that’s for sure!

waking up

Camaroon/Cama-lama-ding-dong/Cami J. Blige is starting to be a little more awake. Instead of sleeping 22 hours a day, she is only sleeping 19 or 20. Not that I am complaining even a bit. Her sleeping habits have helped my first two days on my own go very smoothly. But I do love her awake hours. I know she is only 17 days old, but she is already cooing and smiling some. They aren’t even gas smiles. She looks right at me, talks, and grins. So sweet! I have tried to get it on camera, but no such luck so far. In fact, Derek hasn’t even seen it. I am pretty sure he thinks that I am making it up. But the boys will vouch for me! I actually think I saw her first smile a few days ago, but I wasn’t totally convinced until it kept happening.
Here’s my wide awake girl.

This blog has become the Camryn blog lately. I need to blog about C and L, too. They are doing really well adjusting to our new family dynamic. Logan is such a little love bug lately, being super sweet and affectionate to both Camryn and I. He is also testing all the boundaries, which I suppose is to be expected from a 3 year old. He is still crazy, fearless Logan. He runs “as fast as the Flash”, and lives life with such happiness and joy. He sure makes us all smile.

Connor is….well, Connor. He spends the bulk of his days in Connor-Land where he is the star of his own imagination. His creativity amazes me, and he is so much fun to talk to. One of these days, I need to blog about the big tread inside of him and all of the arrows that are controlled by the tread. And there are certain amusement park rides that make his tread move way too fast, and also being hungry can break his tread. He is such a character, that’s for sure!

I am feeling so incredibly blessed lately. Life is so sweet!

To whomever finds her umbilicus

I apologize if you are the lucky (or unlucky…) person to find my daughters umbilical cord. When we left for church this morning, her cord was still attached. Upon arriving home, I discovered that it was gone. The only clue is a tiny little black mark on the inside of her dress when it must have hung on before falling to the ground. Or onto my friend Karyn who held her the entire morning. I know I would be pretty grossed out to find an umbilical cord.

Other things about Camryn that I have learned/want to remember…
-she likes to be swaddled with her arms out. She gets quite pissy if her arms are not free while she sleeps.
-she is a good little sleeper, typically with one 4-5 hour stretch at night plus lots and lots of naps during the day.
-she is a super efficient eater, just like the boys. She is serious about eatin’ time!
-she is cuddly and really loves to be held (I suppose that’s probably true for most newborns.)
-she likes to be held up on my shoulder.
-she complains when she has a dirty diaper. The boys never cared about sitting in their poop, but Camryn will actually get fussy about a dirty diaper. What a little princess!
-she can sleep through anything. I mean anything. Slamming doors, the dog barking, the boys fighting…she has yet to be startled awake from the noise level in our house.
-I still can’t decide if she looks more like Connor or Logan. When she cries, it’s all Logan. But when she sleeps, she gets this little furrowed brow that is totally Connor. I think she has more of Derek/Logan’s eyes, and more of my/Connor’s mouth. Not sure about the nose yet.

And just because posts are better with pictures, here is one. Thurman, party of 5…

Need More?

Cindi has some of my maternity pictures and newborn pictures of Cam on her blog. I just can’t believe how amazing they are. I can’t wait to have them up on the walls! Thanks again so much, Cindi!

We are just about to head back home after five days of visiting family and friends. It’s been a fun trip, and I think I am equal parts nervous about Derek going back to work and us being on our own, but I am also excited to officially begin our adventure as a family of five. I sure am going to miss my mom, though. There is just something about giving birth and having a newborn that makes me appreciate my mom a million times more than normal. She’s been with us (either at our house or hers) for 2 weeks, and I am really going to miss having her around every day. I am so incredibly thankful that my mom and I made the switch to friends when I grew up.

(Derek thinks I am going to have a breakdown when we leave, and I keep telling him I won’t and that I will be fine. But thinking about my mom and how much she has helped and how much I love and appreciate her is making me think that D might be right! I hate when my husband knows me better than I know myself…)

more pictures

I’m sure eventually I will blog something besides pictures, but not yet. I took these pictures last week, and I just have to share. (my sister-in-law Noel made the quilt in the pictures-it is so cute!)

I call this one “Contemplative Camryn”

Can’t you just see her on stage someday? She is performing already.

Here she is perfecting her “bend and snap.” Elle Woods would be proud!

Every model reaches her breaking point.

She reminds me of a baby bird in this one. A chicken-legged baby bird.

She is my sweet girl.

Workin’ her magic

I know I am completely and totally biased, but oh my word, isn’t she just the sweetest thing??

Cindi is amazing, and if you need a photographer in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, I obviously highly recommend her!

i cannot think of a title but i hate to leave it blank.

The other day, I was looking at the pictures Cindi took of Camryn’s birth, trying to find one of me and my sweet girl for the blog. So you know how they hook up an i.v. and give you fluid while in labor? I think I had about 3 bags of fluid, and I would estimate that 2 of them settled right in my face. The chins in my pictures are ridiculous! I mean, I know I was 9 months pregnant and swollen, but really, the pictures are so unflattering. And I am a little emotionally tender right now (thanks a bunch, hormones), so I’m not ready to put those on the blog quite yet. I do really like this one, though.

I know there will come a day when don’t care that I look like a beached whale in the pictures, but that day is not today

The other day, Camryn was taking a little nap (the girl naps all the time…I forgot how sleepy newborns are! She must sleep at least 20 hours a day. No complaining about that from me, that’s for sure!). Anyway, she was sleeping, and I noticed that Logan kept running in and out of my room (another thing about Cam-she can sleep through anything. Which is good since chaos is all around her all the time.) I went to investigate and found Logan “sharing” his toys and books with her. What a sweet big brother!

Logan specifically gave her Wonder Woman. He told me that was her favorite superhero.  Our girl will know all about superheros with two obsessed big brothers.

Connor and Camryn.  I got a bunch of sweet pictures of them together the other day.  Watching Connor and Logan with Camryn makes me want 10 more kids.  Okay, not really, but it is just so sweet!

I wish so much the focus was on their hands on this picture.  Look at how Camryn is holding Connor’s thumb!

Yesterday, at 5 days old, Camryn went to her first movie.  Such is the life of a third baby.  We saw Space Chimps, and she did great.  She slept in the front carrier the whole time.

Everyone happy (and silly) after the movie.  (If you will, please notice my ankles.  It’s so nice to see them again!  There is an actual shape from my knee down instead of just on thick trunk.)

That’s about it for now.  Everything is going really well so far.  Of course, my mom is still here which makes a huge difference.  My laundry is magically getting done, the dishwasher runs itself, and somehow the toys all get picked up and the kitchen stays clean.  Not to mention the boys have a Wii partner, a lego builder, and a story reader at their service.  My mom is amazing!

Sister, I See You

On Sunday afternoon, the boys came up to the hospital to meet their baby sister. Their reactions were so them. Logan came in with a big grin on his face. With no hesitation at all, he climbed up on the bed and immediately wanted to touch every part of Camryn and hold her, and he had a million questions about her. The funniest part was when he asked to see her butt. First of all, butt is not a word we like for the boys to say, but anyway, he asked to see her butt. So Derek unwrapped her a little and showed her little diaper. But that wasn’t good enough for Logan. “No, daddy. I want to see her butt. Take her diaper off and turn her upside down. I want to touch her butt.” Um, what is that about?? It cracked us up!

Connor walked into the room and you could see on his face that he wasn’t too sure about this. In any new situation, Connor stands back and takes it all in. He just wants to look and process it all. He didn’t want want to hold her or touch her, he just wanted to look. But you could see how proud he was to be the biggest brother-it was really, really sweet.

Last night, Connor wanted to hold Camryn for the first time. He was so sweet, just staring at her little face, taking it all in. At bedtime last night, both boys wanted Cam to lay in bed with them. I love that the three of them are already starting their little sibling bond. There really is nothing like the relationship between brothers and sisters, and I cannot wait to see it with Connor, Logan, and Camryn.

I like details

I am so completely overwhelmed right now.
I just can’t believe that yesterday Camryn was still in my belly, and now she is here. The whole thing is just such a miracle. God is so good!

I’m so glad that Derek was updating the blog while everything was happening, or I for sure would not remember. It all feels like such a blur! In typical Derek fashion, he was quick and to the point with his posts…but we all know that I like to talk, so here’s the whole story…(and if you don’t want to hear about my cervix, placenta, or blood, you should probably just skip this post and tune in later for more picture and stories of the boys meeting their sister.)

Let’s start with Friday night. I contracted for about 9 hours straight on Friday afternoon/evening. I really thought that maybe this was it (again.) I was really disappointed when I woke up on Saturday morning with no contractions. You can just ask my mom and Derek what kind of mood I was in for most of Saturday! At around 2:00, my mom and I headed out to do some shopping. It would be a good way to get my mind off everything, plus there were a few last minute baby things we needed. Our first stop was Babies R Us, then Kohl’s, and finally Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart already has their school supplies and lists out, so we decided to go ahead and get all Connor’s school supplies. (Sidenote…I really can’t believe he will start kindergarten in six weeks!) We were meandering around, and I was having a few crampy contractions, but they were nothing major at all. I just figured that they were from walking around for almost two hours. We were headed to the baby section, but first I wanted to check out their Wii games. We were walking past the Playstation games, and suddenly I felt a little gush. I stopped in my tracks, I am sure with a stricken look on my face. “Um, I think my water just broke…” My mom and I watched as fluid ran down my leg onto the floor. I carefully hobbled around the corner, out of anyones way, and my mom went to get some paper towels, just in case I was going to leave a trail. I called Derek at this point to tell him what happened and asked him to get the rest of the stuff ready at home and get the boys ready to go to our friend’s house. I made it to the bathroom (without leaving a trail of amniotic fluid, thank goodness!) and my mom came back with some pads. I checked out (I wasn’t going to leave all those carefully selected school supplies in the cart! Plus I had to pay for the pads we opened in the store.) My mom pulled the car up front, and we headed home. It was about this point I realized that it was for sure my water breaking, and not pee like what happened with Logan. The fluid just kept coming and coming-it’s really one of the weirdest/grossest feelings! I think it was about 5:00 when my mom and I got back home. We took the boys to our friend’s house, stopped to get a bit of food, and arrived at the hospital a little after 6:00 p.m. I was having contractions (but not very painful ones) about every 3 minutes (and I was still leaking like crazy!)

They started the pitocin to get my contractions a little stronger and closer together. By about 9:30 I was ready for my epidural…ah, sweet relief! I was checked again about 10:00 p.m., and my nurse was a little perplexed by what she felt. So she called in two other nurses to find out what was going on. At first, one nurse said I was 9 cm, very soft, but the baby was still way high. Another said I was maybe 7 cm. soft, and the baby was high. And the third nurse said I was 6-7 cm, and the baby was high. And they all agreed that I had something called a forebag or waters, which is basically when there is an unruptured part of the bag that gets in between the cervix and the baby’s head. My “forebag” was unusual because it was very thick, and I was still leaking copious amounts of fluid. But his was why Camryn’s head was still so high.

The next few hours are kind of a blur. I know that at a little after midnight, I was still 7 cm dilated, my nurse was a little nervous about my contraction pattern (which was still not very regular) and Camryn’s heart rate was doing some funky things. I think it was at this point I passed a pretty good sized blood clot, and my doctor came in. Even though I was only 7 cm, she had me push while she was checking me and was basically able to move my cervix behind Camryn’s head and get me to 10 cm. Isn’t that crazy? I didn’t even know doctors could do something like that! (My nurse told me later that only worked because this was my third baby, and that with a first time mom, the cervix would have likely torn.)

Everyone quickly got ready for the pushing part. I started pushing at 12:27 a.m. I could tell that I wasn’t getting the job done during that first contraction. I remember quite a bit of hubbub and feeling like I needed to do everything in my power to get Camryn out as quickly as possible. In all, I pushed through 3 contractions for 8 minutes total. She went from a -2 station to born in only 8 minutes. (-5 is floating, 0 station is when they are engaged in the pelvis, and +5 is crowning) It was intense to say the least!

When she came out, there was another gush of amniotic fluid-only this time it wasn’t clear, it was bloody. The clot I had passed earlier was a red flag that the placenta had started to tear away from the uterus, and all the bloody fluid confirmed that suspicion. Sure enough, when my doctor delivered the placenta, she found a partial abruption. I am so thankful that Camryn came out quickly and healthy! She was crying right away and scored 8 and then 9 on her apgar.

I just can’t believe that Derek and I have a daughter! It all feels so surreal still. She is perfect and beautiful, and we are so blessed. What a perfect miracle!

Camryn is born!

Hello World

Camryn Jane Thurman was born at 12:35 am. She is 21.5 inches long and weighs 7 pounds 11.4 ounces. She’s perfect.

Megan delivered her in about 8 minutes. There were a few tense moments as the placenta was about 15% abrupted. However, the doctor helped get her out safe and we are all happy.

Camryn roars

Daddy's Little Girl already