Stuffing!

I don't have a ton of time to blog tonight- one reason being that we are all sharing one computer... which is practically a national tragedy. So, I'm "stuffing" everything into one post. We made it to Oklahoma once again this year for the BMX races. The ride was interesting now that we have Camden- he did very well but when he got hungry or bored you knew it! We had to pull over so I could feed him twice, I did try once to lean over and feed him, which worked a little but made my back hurt and frustrated him. What is normally a 5 hour drive if we stop for dinner and gas took 7 hours this year. So far I am having an ok time- but I really miss Chan who stayed back in Texas. I guess because of Camden and my new routine I feel really weird being away from home in a hotel with a baby. Plus, I really wanted to be with as much family as possible this year and have a memorable first Thanksgiving for Camden. Don't get me wrong this is fun and I've enjoyed it the last few years but I think the novelty has worn off, so I am not sure what next year holds.... It is Chloe's first year to race and Hunter has kinda lost interest so I am wishing her, Jon, and Hayden good luck! I will definitely keep everyone posted. So funny- last year, Chloe and I had fun walking around the venue in our new sweaters and scarves just chillin' and people watching. We saw a lady with a newborn and I mentioned to Chloe how crazy that woman was to have a new baby in a dusty arena and to have to bunk in a hotel for 5 days. Gee, what a difference a year makes! Here I am hanging out with Hunter and Camden- people watching, bunking in a hotel but also stopping to rock, nurse and soothe a 10 week old baby while my Chloe girl races. Weirdness...
Anyway- we stopped for Thanksgiving lunch at Ruby Tuesday where I had a traditional turkey dinner and my family ate buffalo wings... dorks! Now, we are hanging in our hotel room watching Horton Hears a Who and snacking on junk- squeeze cheese on Ritz, pecan pie and birthday cake. That's right- my Hayden is 8!! Happy Birthday Hayden! Thank goodness we did a party at Trail Dust last weekend or I would have felt that he was cheated on his birthday. But really is he? I mean- road trip, junk food, BMX'ing etc? I'm sure he's having a ball! Anywho, I am off to watch the tube. I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving!

snacks!


Hayden and his mini birthday cake in our hotel



me and Hayden at Traildust last weekend


Hayden and his cake at Traildust


taking a bath in the hotel sink


Thanksgiving outfit

They're back to where they once belonged...

So... in case you were wondering, I got me a new nursing bra! Woo Hoo, I am sooo happy! I went to Nordstrom on the advice of my sisters and got fitted. Now, I won't lie, it was awkward to have the fitter lady tell me to take off my top... and then have to stand there more nekkid than I am used to under fluorescent lighting. She measured me and came in with a few bras and nada, too small. I felt like I was being squeezed by a boa constrictor. She left and came in with another and as soon as I slipped it on I could hear the angels singing. Honestly, I had forgotten what the girls looked like that close! So, I told her I would take it and she went to the register, put it in a fancy Nordstrom shopping bag, and rang me up. $74 dollars later, I am still a happy woman. It wasn't until I got home that I opened the bag and looked at my new bra and all it's fancy glory. It is silky and beige and oh so lacy and pretty, but very sturdy. The hook on the cups is even fancy- a silk loop! The back hooks look like metal- I am sure they are platinum or something... the brand of the bra is embroidered in cursive on the side and the straps are padded and soft. I am seriously afraid to wear it- ya know spit up, milk etc. I looked at the size AFTER I got home. I won't tell you what it was but I'll give you two hints: it's how old I'll be in 3 years and the 8th letter of the alphabet. Now, I'll leave you alone while you count on your fingers....

Youngest and Oldest

It's hard to believe that my baby Chan is a Senior in high school and it's even harder to believe that I have a new baby boy, Camden to round out our family. So, to preserve the memories forever and to celebrate two such amazing things- a graduation from high school and a new sweet baby- I had a great photographer take pics of the boys for me. Missy Saunders, who is not only a very talented chick, she is also an awesome friend to my sister Kelli. Anyway- I think she did an amazing job as always. She took our Christmas pics last year as well and if I could afford it, I would have her over all the time just to take pics. So, without further ado, I will show you the pics now. She captured a ton of good ones, but I am only posting three each of the boys, simply because Blogger can be slow and I have to pack for our Thanksgiving trip. Here they are:








P.S. Missy's photography site

Camden Cooing!

Ok, so I'm really really tired... understatement. Camden had a massive belly ache last night (can you say refried beans?). So, I am just gonna add a link to Youtube for you to click on so you can see Camden and me chatting away. Enjoy!

Camden cooing take 1


Camden cooing take 2

Camden cooing take 3

Do your boobs hang low?

Ok, so I need HELP! It's no secret to anyone that I am currently breastfeeding Camden. But, I have a problem- Elsie* and Daisy* are sagging BAD. And, if I want to remain attractive and keep my breasties from falling out of the bottom and armholes of my shirts I need bra advice NOW! Where in the world can I get a good supportive nursing bra? I currently own 7 and I have purchased them from Motherhood, Target, and JC Penney's. They all stink and they do not work for me at all! Pretty please give me opinions, advice etc.

*formerly Bertha and Martha* They will go back to their previous names when the milk factory closes.

A name and a blessing

Last Sunday was Camden's blessing. I would have done it MUCH sooner but I've been so busy, imagine that! It turned out nice. Of course he fussed a bit during and we almost didn't make it on time. It is hard to get 7 people out the door by 8:30!! Of course I blubbered like a baby myself during the whole service and especially during the blessing. Afterwards we went to a local park so the kids could play and I had brought muffins, donuts, juices, milk, water etc. It was fun to chat and eat and be with family. The only downfall was the morning was cold and windy, but we still had a nice morning together as a family. I am so very blessed to have such a great family and am so thankful for Cam and that Heavenly Father sent such a sweet Spirit to us. What a great day! And, thanks to everyone for coming and participating and to Lois for snapping some pics for us. We love y'all!

Some of the highlights of Camden's blessing:

* you are blessed with a positive attitude and an obedient spirit

* you are blessed to be born into a loving family with older siblings who will help you

* you will be a blessing and a light to your parents as they raise you in wisdom

* you will have a blessing of education both in public school and throughout life

* you have the blessing that one day you will be able to support a family

* you are blessed with strength, health, and happiness

* you are blessed once again to be a great support to your family

Camden's 2 month check-up

I CANNOT believe Camden is already 2 months old! Holy Cow! Where in the world does the time go? I took him for his check-up and shots yesterday and that wasn't at all pleasant. The visit itself was fine, if you ignore the fact that I had to wait in a germ infested waiting room and he got painful shots in each chubby thigh and yes they are chubby! He weighs 12 lbs 6 oz and is already 24 and 3/4 inches long, which means he has gained 4 pounds and almost 3 inches!! I am amazed at his growth- he is in the 95th percentile for height and 50th for weight. He is a big strong boy, probably because he nurses ALOT. He's not really fat just a healthy size. We are pretty sure he does have reflux which is causing all the spitting up. I have an RX for Zantac to pick up- $51.00 for 2.5 oz! It better work. Anyway, I really think he nurses so much because he so often spits up whole feedings. We change clothes alot, me and him. Thank goodness my milk is free, otherwise we'd be spending a fortune on formula! In other Camden news, he is rolling over front to back, smiling all the time, sleeping from 12 to 6 every night and my favorite- cooing and kicking his fat legs! He is much more social now and loves to be outside on a blanket soaking up the rays (not direct sunlight of course). I think his favorite thing of all besides nursing is taking a bath. He will sit in there and grin and splash his heart out, which I hope to get a video of soon.
I felt so bad for him when he got his shots. He cried for several hours in pain but would keep spitting up his Tylenol. I got Feverall suppositories, but thankfully didn't need them. After a warm bath and a cuddle he slept all night and is loads better today. Anyway, he is just a cool kid and I am head over heels. I could sit, cuddle and "chat" with him all the live long day! He was blessed this past weekend and I will be putting some photos on here soon. I got one of our family but none of him in his outfit... dang it.

smile! click for a dimple shot, can you see it??


extreme closeup!


cooing....


mid conversation

Titty Baby

Man, who knew a sweet little innocent baby could turn an entire household upside down and all around? We are all absolutely smitten with Camden, but he can be a stinker. Mainly for me, his primary caregiver and then it's all downhill from there. He is not a bad baby at all, he just knows when I am doing something other than pay attention to him. It goes like this: the split second I get to do something he cries. He has that little alarm in his head that only he can hear. It's the "Mommy is eating, peeing, bathing so I'm gonna scream my head off alarm." This week has been particularly rough. I have been wanting to get out more and I want to go alone. So usually a couple of nights each week after the kids are fed and bathed I will head to Target or Walgreens or maybe stay home for a swim in the tub and all HELL breaks loose. There are two reasons why- Camden wants booby 24/7 and Jon isn't so skilled at keeping him quiet when he's STARVING TO DEATH! So he gets anxious, the big kids get annoyed and I get a million phone calls or a screaming baby plopped in the bouncer and next to my bubbly bath. The second reason- he wants to eat so often that I literally have a boob out all day. I strongly suspect he may have reflux. Simply because he gulps down an entire feeding, barfs it up, has insanely bad hiccups and then it starts all over again. Thankfully he's gaining weight and I will be questioning his doctor for advice at his checkup Thursday. I guess other than it being 1 step forward, 2 steps back every day around here it wouldn't be so bad but it's trying alot of the time. It doesn't help that I have close to no patience when I have stuff I need to do, like bathe. I am quickly learning to ignore my hairy legs, dust bunnies and baskets of clothes in favor of showers and regular meals. I wish he would get better at sucking his thumb or would take a pacifier or something! Or, it's gonna be nutty around here til he's old enough for solid food. Heaven help me....

thumbsucker!

Out of the first four kiddos Chandler and Chloe were the only ones who would suck on something to self soothe. Chan had a binky til 18 months and Chloe sucked her two middle fingers until she was 4, stopping only after she accidentally shut her fingers in a dresser drawer. Well, now The Camster is sucking his thumb! I know most moms would freak out about this but I think it's adorable! I will cross the Buck Tooth Bridge when we come to it. I am just glad he wants to use something besides myself for a pacifier. So, I took a few pics of him. He is so CUTE! As soon as I laid him on his new playmat that Shannon made he laid there looking at the beautiful patterns, sucking his thumb content as could be for about 30 minutes, which is awesome. He still has a pretty short attention span and gets cranky or bored after too long. Anyway- I just thought it deserved a blog post. Oh and I threw in two random photos because I felt like it.

thumb and index finger sucker



thumbsucker



me and the Chlomeister



red hair

priceless... baby and kitty edition

Fisher Price whale bathtub- $24.99
Johnson & Johnson baby bath- $5.99
family pet from SPCA- $75.00
having a friend hang out and chat while you bathe- priceless



















Let it be known that:
A. That I have discovered that I am not an animal lover, merely a tolerater
B. We have NEVER had a pet when my kids were babies, until now
C. Our cat is NUTS. Case in point- he walks around with a high heel shoe in his mouth every night lately.... I am not sure if he is going out sluttin' it up or what...
D. I DO NOT like when he's around the baby but this time it was way too cute.

Pedro jumped in when I was settling Cam down for his bath this morning and stayed until the baby got excited and splashed, then he ran for dear life.

Happy Halloween

hot dogs- check
friends- check
kids in cute costumes- check
big boys at a party- check
trick or treating- check
baby's first Halloween- check
too much candy- check
TIRED- check
pictures- double check!!!

Hope everyone had a fun, safe, tummy ache and swine flu free Halloween!

my sweet sleeping Tootsie Roll


there's a Tootsie Roll in my living room


sleeping candy Cam- look at those fingers...


staring at his new mobile


Chloe as Octomom


Octomom- again


hangin' out with our pumpkin


in the bumbo, looking at the fan


Hayden as Ironman


and again...