The Camster

Camden hit the big one month mark! It is amazing how fast a month goes now that I'm not pregnant. :) We sure are in love with this little guy. 


Some things to remember about Camden at 1 month:

• We call him grunts. He is always grunting. It's so darn cute. I know he's awake at night when I hear his grunting. But if the grunting fails, then he'll let out a good cry.
• He has started smiling!!! I love it so much. And he even has started to coo a little with the smiles.
• He does not like getting dressed.
• He has bad baby acne. :( I know it's vain, but it makes me sad to see his soft, perfect skin covered with bumps. Sigh. It will go away- yeah, yeah I know.
• He is getting blessed this weekend. Hearing my baby's blessing is such a tender thing- to hear all that this little tiny person is capable of becoming and blessed with is so special.
• He has lighter and less hair up top, so he has old man hair from a distance. 
• He has a stork bite on his left eye lid and on the back of his neck.
• He would eat all the time if he could.
• He's not the biggest fan of being squeezed and jostled by his big sisters. But he sure is loved by them!
• He has really big hands and long toes.
• Lately, he wants to be held all day long and only takes a few short naps throughout the day. But he goes to sleep great at night.
• He inherited my cowlicks just like all of our kids. Sorry buddy.
• He really likes tummy time with his daddy.

I love his face in these pictures.

This picture cracks me up. This is a pretty accurate picture of life around here at times. 

 He loves bath time

My mom came for a visit and they both fell asleep watching t.v. 

Love, love, love this little Cam! 

There's nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby

My Little Helper

The first night home after Camden was born, I was up in the middle of the night or maybe early morning (it's all such a blur by morning) and Makenna heard him cry when I was changing his diaper. She got up and was so excited- it was like Christmas to have her baby brother home. I told her to go back to bed, but she just wanted to be with her brother. So, she helped me change his diaper and then sat with me while I fed him. I was so tired and I think my little Makenna sensed it, so she talked to me and cuddled up at my feet. And the cutest part was that if I would start to doze off, she would lightly tap me and say "Stay awake Mommy." And so she kept me company until he was done eating. At this point, I was still having to supplement with formula after the feeding until my milk came in. So, she wanted to give him the bottle. I went to the bathroom and got a drink. And when I came back, he had finished eating and both he and Makenna were asleep. It was such a tender moment.

And sweet Makenna has been so wonderful since Camden was born. She still gets up if she hears him in the middle of the night just to give him a kiss and then goes back to bed. She is constantly helping with Hadley, including getting her dressed and helping her clean up her bajillion messes. She helps pour cereal or make sandwiches. She has learned to rinse the dishes and put them in the dishwasher and even unloads the dishwasher. She has been such a blessing as I seem to be constantly busy holding, feeding, rocking, changing, bathing, etc. It has been so nice to have her home for 2 weeks during harvest break to help out while I figure out this newborn thing with two other kids while basically being a single mom while Travis works his long 14 hour days driving potato truck. Thank goodness for my little angel, Makenna!

Soccer Time

Makenna started playing soccer this fall. And she is really liking it. We wanted her to experience being on a team and learning a new sport. But it's Makenna and you never know with this girl. We were a little worried that she would be timid or decide she didn't want to play. But she gets out there and has a lot of fun. She's not the most aggressive player but she goes after the ball and her favorite is being goalie!?! Travis is helping to coach when he can, which Makenna loves. It has been so fun to get out and watch the soccer games. They really are entertaining. The first time they played, all of the kids started running towards their goalie so all the coaches ran out and were all yelling go the other way. I was laughing so hard. And they don't really get the concept to spread out, so it reminds me of watching a herd of sheep. It makes me chuckle.

Two Weeks

Our baby Camden is already two weeks old. As of today, he weighs 9 lbs. 2 oz. and is 22 inches long! He is in the 95th percentile for his height, so maybe he will end up getting some height genes from our dads' sides of the family- here's to hoping! He is such a great baby and we are loving every minute of this little guy. I realized that I had forgotten a lot about having a baby, like how many hours are spent nursing, or how much laundry there is to do, or how little else I seem to accomplish. But I also had forgotten how incredibly fulfilling it is to just hold him, or how much joy a baby brings, or how complete our lives feel now that he's here with us. We are loving it all...


Here is a smorgasbord of pictures from the last two weeks:

                    Camden's long toes
            and long, skinny feet

                                                                                                             3 days old

4 Days Old

Camden and I woke up the girls (who take off their pj's during the night)

6 Days Old

This picture shows how long he is

The girls and I love his fuzzy little bear bum in this sleeper

One Week Old

 8 Days Old

13 Days Old 

He gets held plenty between the four of us

How cute is it that Camden is "smiling"?

Introducing Camden Patrick...

Camden Patrick Pincock

September 1, 2011

8 lbs. 5 oz.

21 inches

Here is our little guy's birth story...

We had to check in to the hospital at 4:30 a.m. Yes, you heard me right. We left our house at 3:30am. Shouldn't one of the perks of a scheduled c-section be not having to get up in the middle of the night? But, it was nice to get up and not have any time to think about things. And the drive there was so quiet and peaceful... in the dark.

Once there, I got prepped for surgery, including the horrible IV. They always hurt me so bad- something about my veins. It really was the worst part of the c-section. After being poked 3 times with blood all over, I just looked at Travis and cried. Call me a baby, but it hurt. But after that, it was smooth sailing.

We rolled into the operating room (at the brand new hospital) at 6:30am- right on schedule. The spinal was pretty painless and everyone in the operating room was so much fun and were determined to help us pick out a name by the time he was born. 

(Don't worry, I blurred out his manly region.)

And so, the amazing and miraculous moment of our son entering the world came at 6:56am and he was PERFECT. As they cut down to the placenta and were ready to push him out, Travis and a few nurses said he was good sized. So the doctor had to do a little extra pushing and pulling (don't worry, I didn't feel a thing) to get him out of the little incision. They lowered the operating sheet as they pushed him out so that I could see it all and I immediately saw how beautiful and healthy he was. And we were relieved to see that he was in fact a boy (you never know). He let out a little cry when he first came out. But, then nothing. I asked "Is he okay? I don't hear a lot of crying." And they said, "he's fine, he just isn't crying". What? Don't all babies let out a good wail? So when the nurse was doing all of the newborn stuff, she said "You have a really chill baby. He just doesn't want to cry." He was just looking around, trying to figure out what was going on. So, they gave him a little oxygen to pink him up since a good cry would have done the same thing. And he weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds, 5 ounces and measured 21 inches (much bigger than the doctor thought he'd be). And he was so perfect from the beginning. And just as I had pictured, he looked like a little Travis to me. And Travis and I just cried (we seem to get more weepy with each child- I think we just understand more what he'll be to us and what a gift from God he is). I was just so relieved to see a healthy, handsome baby boy. A big weight was lifted off my shoulders (literally, ha ha) in that moment. 

Then he was carried over to me and I let him know I was still here. No words can describe what that moment feels like when you get to touch your baby and you can see the relief he felt as he heard my voice. It's amazing how much you can love such a tiny thing. The birth of a child is such a spiritual experience- I feel like it's one of the few opportunities that I get to assist God in a miracle. And we were just so glad to have our little miracle here with us. 

Then Travis took him to do the bath and everything else while I requested the "happy juice" from the anesthesiologist (one of the perks of a c-section) and I immediately relaxed and rested through the rest of the surgery and recovery.

Camden's glucose was low, so Travis got to have a few quiet moments with just he and his new son while he fed him. His glucose went right up, so there was nothing to worry about there- he was just hungry. That's a boy for you- needing food right from the beginning. The kind nurse snapped this adorable picture and I'm totally in love. 

Once out of the recovery room, my new little son and I were reunited (after 9 months together). He was worth it all- the uncomfortable nights of sleep, the burning ribs, the heartburn, the IV's, the catheter, my new incision... everything. I was just so grateful to have him here to be part of our family. 

Travis announced that while rocking him, he had decided that he looked like a Camden (more than our other three names we liked) and plus he knew I loved that name. And so it was-  Camden Patrick. Camden means "from the valley of the camps", which is appropriate for us and Patrick is a 4th generation name-my great, great-grandfather, my dad, my brother, and now Camden.

And the girls finally got to meet their baby brother. It was so tender. They were so excited and just wanted to hold and look at him. They were amazed with him.

Camden was born on an already special day- my mom's birthday. So, they have a special bond of sharing their birthday. My mom and my sister Morgan were so amazing. They both took time off work to be there for the birth and to take care of the girls. They even stayed at a hotel the first night, which the girls LOVED.  My mom also cooked delicious meals for us the entire time, cleaned, and did laundry. It helped us out so much.

Good morning to my boys!

Our first picture as a family of five.

(Yay for being unhooked from everything and up and moving!)

Camden in his hospital attire. Travis thinks the security bracelets look like he's on house arrest, which I guess he kind of was.  I love his drowsy look.

GOING HOME!

My mom was armed with the camera when we walked in the door. The girls ran out to greet us in the garage as soon as we pulled, well more to greet their baby brother.