My little sickie

This poor little pumpkin had her first "sick visit" at the doctor's office yesterday. :(

She's been battling a runny/congested nose for 4 or 5 days, and I'm hoping that is what has been affecting her sleep...she hasn't slept more than 3 hours at a time this week... I feel like we have a newborn again. The past 2 mornings, she has woken up with yucky eyes that stayed watery all day. Yesterday I decided it was time to take her in. She felt warm, and even though I knew there was nothing they could do about a cold, I was worried about ears and throat and just wanted to be sure everything was ok. 

Of course Dr. K wasn't in the office yesterday, but we saw another sweet doctor who told me several times how "delightful" Camryn was. :) 

She did prescribe drops for Cami's eyes, but as far as the cold, there's not much we can do other than suction. 

Hoping this little princess is feeling better soon! 

Siblings??

People ask all of the time if I think Camryn and Colby look alike. When I saw Camryn for the first time, I felt like I was seeing baby Colby all over again. They looked SO similar at birth. 

Since then, I really think that she has changed so much and definitely has her own look. I think Colby has alot of Travis in him, and I'm seeing more and more of me in Camryn the older she gets. 

Today I was looking through old blog posts of when Colby was about Camryn's age so that I could try to remember more of what to expect at this age (as far as eating and sleeping). 

I came across this picture......HELLO! Yes, they still have major differences, but they are CLEARLY siblings!!! :)

(top picture is Colby at about 4 months and bottom is Camryn at about 3 months)

3 months of pink!

3 months! Everyone says this is a turning point, and I have to agree. Camryn is just a little easier and more fun than she was before. She soothes herself to sleep a little better, stays asleep a little longer (sometimes), is happier when she's awake, and just overall a little less fussy.

• When she cries it's either because she's hungry or sleepy. 
• She still hates her carseat and loves bath time
• She's still sleeping in her swing for the most part. (I tried to put her in her crib 2 nights this week and she did better than I anticipated! She slept 4-5 hours at a time....but I put her back in the swing last night and got 8 1/2 out of her)
• She's growing out of her 3 month outfits and wearing more 3-6 month clothes. She's wearing size 2 diapers. 
• Still eating about 4 oz every 3 hours during the day (I've been trying to add some rice cereal, but it's hard to get the consistency right. I either don't put enough in or put too much in every time.) We have also been adding pear juice to a few bottles each day to help prevent constipation. 
• She has sat up in the Bumbo seat a few times, and although she hated it the first couple of times, she loved it the last time! (yes, I realize there is a recall....but I think we're safe on the carpet with mommy close)

 Ready for Emily's baby shower for baby Quinn

 I know these 2 will have their moments, but for now it's pretty sweet!!!

 such a big girl!!!

School starts next week. I have been trying to get up to KP as much as possible to prepare my classroom for kids. I've been cleaning out, decorating, copying papers, planning lessons, etc. I'm SO THANKFUL that I will be able to stay home a few extra weeks to soak up this sweetness. I know my mom will get my new group of 2nd graders ready for me by October. :) 

First trip to Target

Yesterday morning, Cami and I went to a baby shower at my moms house and then made a quick trip to Target before picking Colby up from Nona's. I was afraid I might regret this decision, but I think Camryn loves Target!!! She was smiling the entire time we were there. I guess we'll have to go more often :) (she fell asleep in the parking lot)

Frosty Cones

I have been promising Colby a snow cone all summer!! Every time we plan to go get one something has come up or they've been closed. Friday was finally the day! I was determined to make it happen and it was sooo worth the wait- yum!!!! (In case you're craving a super soft snow cone- you must try the place next to Summer Fun Waterpark... You will not be disappointed!!)

Splash Pad

On Thursday night, Travis got home at a reasonable hour, so we took advantage of the family time and went to the splash pad in Belton to play for a little bit before dinner. I think it's safe to say that Colby enjoyed playing with daddy. :)

Cami girl- 12 weeks!!

12 weeks! Whew! Life with 2 babies is getting a tiny bit easier and more and more fun each day. Being a mommy for the first time 3 years ago was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life, and being the mommy of 2 definitely tops that times 10. It's hard to keep everyone happy and fed and rested and entertained all day long. It never fails that they both need to be fed at the same time or they both need to be put down for a nap at the same time or wake up cranky at the same time, but somehow we have all survived and still love each other. :)

Since Travis is doing his orthopedic surgery rotation at Scott & White this month we have enjoyed seeing him from time to time, but honestly he works SO MUCH that we don't see much of him. Many times he works for up to 36 or 37 hours at a time and then, as you can imagine, is EXHAUSTED when he gets home. We are just thankful that we get to see him at all though. Next month will be another rough one, so we're trying to be thankful for what we get! (He'll be home early tonight, so we will have a full night of family time- yay!!)

Here's a little bit of what we were up to this week....

On Friday morning, we went to the Schneider's house for a playdate (I think we woke Rhett up....and it was 10:30 in the morning!! Hope their baby girl is a late sleeper too!!) Rhett was excited to hold Camryn....he's going to be a super big brother in December!!

Friday night we went to the Rosenbaum's for dinner and Cami wore this adorable little outfit that Lindsay's parents gave her

Saturday afternoon after naptime, we went to Powerhouse gym for Clara's "tumbling in tutus" 1st birthday party. Abigail and Camryn's outfits were almost identical other than the color. They were precious and very well behaved. (I think they were entertained watching the daddies jumping on the trampolines!)

Sunday morning Camryn finally made her debut at Temple Bible Church. She wore this sweet dress that my mom smocked for her while I was pregnant. :)

She did about as well as I expected her to do. Mom fed her and rocked her during the worship songs for the first 20 minutes or so, but then Camryn got a little fussy because she was so sleepy. I took her out in the lobby where we ran into Sally and Abigail :) 

I rocked Camryn to sleep and we went back into the sanctuary for the last 15 minutes or so. She'll definitely be allowed to come back in the future. Maybe she'll just get better and better as the weeks go by. (I do want to start taking her to the church nursery earlier than I did with Colby, but I think she's still a little young for that....maybe in a few months)

She is really into sucking on her dresses, burp cloths, blankies and hands....not so much her paci....I think she's going to be a blankie girl like her mommy was 

 I stripped the dress off so that she wouldn't mess it up....her little faces just crack me up

 On Tuesday I decided to be brave and try to take both kids on a day trip to Waco to visit the children's museum. One thing I've learned with a three year old is that you MUST get out of the house at least once every day (even if it's just to play in the sandbox outside or walk down to the mailbox) Colby gets major cabin fever and we all want to hurt each other by the end of the day if we just stay inside. (This kills me because I am perfectly content staying in bed in my pajamas watching tv and napping all day.)

 One of the hardest things this summer has been finding cool activities in the air conditioning since it's so hot. Camryn gets SO hot and fussy if we spend too much time outside, so it's just not worth it. 

We had a great time at the museum! I fed Camryn as soon as we got there while Colby was mesmorized with the train exhibit. Then we walked around to the different hands-on play rooms and Colby had a blast while I held Camryn and pushed her in the stroller. She even fell asleep for 30 minutes or so which was nice. 

 One of Colby's favorite things (other than the trains) was making a tornado!

 This morning while Camryn was taking a morning nap (for 2 hours!!), Colby and I had some water fun outside. He really wanted to wash my car for me to make it "sparkling clean". 

 Then we found a plastic pool that we had never even used before- score!!

 Cami has been doing great!! We still have a rough hour or so before bedtime where nothing seems to make her happy, but I can deal with that now that I'm getting a little more sleep. She typically sleeps from about 9 or 10pm until about 5 or 6am. Sometimes she has a rough night and wakes up at midnight or 2am, but she's also had some great mornings where she has slept until almost 7! (yes, still in her swing....I think we've gone through at least 24 D batteries....and they're not cheap)

This morning I put her on her tummy and she was actually HAPPY for a few minutes! :)

We also tried the Bumbo seat this week. She sits up pretty well and also stands when you hold her hands- such a strong little girl. She was not a fan of the Bumbo yet though. She'd rather lay down and kick her toys. :) That's fine with me! 

Happy 12 weeks Cami girl- we love you!!!!

11 weeks and a check-up

Happy 11 weeks little girl!

Yesterday I was looking back at blog posts from when Colby was a baby. It's so cool (and helpful) to look back and see him at this exact age and see what he was doing and what my worries were with him. It's like I'm a first-time parent all over again, because I just don't remember anything from when Colby was born! The first three months are such a blur....they were with Colby and they have been with Camryn too. 

Here are some of the things she has been up to lately (so that I don't forget)...

PLAY TIME

Usually after she eats, she will lay on the floor and play for 30 minutes or so. I'm trying to be diligent about tummy time, but she hates it, so it's usually just for a minute or two. She LOVES to lay on her back and kick her toys, and she especially loves for someone to sit and talk to her and make funny faces while she plays. This is her happy time. There is nothing better than baby smiles, coos and giggles. She totally melts all of our hearts. (even Colby's)

FEEDING TIME

Sometimes this little one puzzles me. In theory she eats 4oz every 3 hours, but sometimes she will not drink her whole bottle and sometimes she seems hungry again after an hour or two. We're still going with the flow on this one, but I'm really hoping for a more predictable eating schedule soon.

SLEEPING TIME

I think every newborn is still pretty unpredictable when it comes to a sleeping schedule. I am SO THRILLED to say that Camryn has been sleeping between 7 and 9 hours consistently the past few nights! On the other hand, I'm a little embarrassed to say that it has not been in her crib or her pack n play....it's been in her swing....on full speed! haha....I really wish that we didn't still have that transition ahead of us (from swing to crib) but we will just cross that bridge when we get there....I'm sure it will be a bigger deal for me than it will be for her. I'm just scared to try it and see since she's sleeping so well. 

Naps are a different story. Every nap is different and they're never at the same time from one day to the next. Last week I was really striving for a "Babywise" schedule, but I just don't know if that's working for her. I think I was maybe trying to lay her down for a nap too often?? Who knows? Sometimes it takes her forever to fall asleep, sometimes she only naps for 10 or 20 minutes, sometimes it's an hour and sometimes it's a full hour and a half to 2 hours. 

We have been swaddling her for every nap and night since the day she was born in a miracle blanket. It's awesome!!! Thank you Sally for showing me how to swaddle and thank you Kim and Ashley for letting us borrow your pink miracle blankets! Part of me wants to swaddle forever, but the other part of me wonders if I should stop swaddling her only because she loves to snuggle so much with her blankies and she can't do that when she's swaddled. I'll probably wait at least a few more weeks though so that her arms are a little less spastic. 

 Have I mentioned how happy we are to have our daddy home? He has worked LONG days since he's been back this week, but I don't even care. I'm just glad he's home and that we get to see his face before we go to sleep at night. 

 Seriously mom??? 

Check-up with Dr. K
Well, here we are at 11 weeks and we're just now going to Cami's 2 month check-up.....not sure why it was scheduled so late and I probably should have asked about it, but oh well!

 all dressed up and ready to go!

 Our sweet nurse wrote down all of Camryn's stats on a sheet of paper for me, but in the screaming chaos after Camryn's 2 month shots, I somehow forgot the paper. Oops! Sorry 2nd child. :) I DO remember that Camryn weighed in at 11 pounds 11 ounces (and she's 11 weeks old!)

Camryn got 2 thumbs up- I am so thankful for a good and healthy report! 

I did have a few questions to run by Dr. K....

1) of course my first question/concern was about sleeping in the swing. I knew that Dr. K would tell me honestly if he felt strongly against it or not. He told me that of course we want Camryn sleeping in her crib soon, but that it wasn't going to harm her in any way. He told me that his oldest son was very colicky and slept in his swing (on full speed) for months when he was a baby. He's now 14, and although he still has a strong-willed personality, he is smart and healthy. (we talked about how it was funny that you can see so much of a person's personality even at such an early age....I'm going to have my HANDS FULL with my 2 precious kids) I was so relieved that he didn't think it was that big of a deal. I'm going to start with naps in the crib and see how that goes...I'm not willing to chance giving up the 8 hours of sleep at night that we're finally getting!! 

2) I asked what his opinion was on the "cry it out" method. Should we be rocking Camryn to sleep or let her cry/self-soothe?? He said that there's no harm in rocking. People have been rocking their babies to sleep for hundreds of years. However, around 3 months, babies should be able to learn to soothe themselves. I asked how long he would let his baby girl cry if he was letting her "cry it out" and he said 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, check to make sure she's ok, she hasn't thrown up and she has a dry diaper, then try again. 

3) rice cereal?? He said that rice cereal will help some babies sleep better at night, but it doesn't always make a difference. I'm always up for trying something that could help with sleep!! :) 

4) rash? We went in a few weeks ago to check on a few nasty red areas that she had under her neck and under one arm. The Dr. on call told us to put neosporin or anti-fungal cream on it. It did help a little, but the rashes didn't fully go away.

Dr. Kastner said that at this point we should really just be keeping it dry. He said when we bathe her, make sure to clean those areas thoroughly, rinse them thoroughly and then dry them thoroughly (even with a hairdryer on low heat if we need to). Then just pat some baby powder on them. He said that with dry rashes, we want to apply moisture and with moist rashes, we want to apply dryness, so that makes sense. I'm glad I asked. 

After her 3 shots...She doesn't look like she's in too much pain, right? :) I think she especially loves her Daffy Duck band aids.