Camo Laughing

Camo has the cutest laugh. T and I have been trying to get him to laugh for days by now and as soon as our friend N comes over all of a sudden he decides to laugh for her.

Date Night

I forgot to add this story to the blog that I just wrote. This truly shows how busy J is. J called me up last night and asked me if I would like to go for a twenty minute drive to pick up a printer. I immediately jumped on the idea considering I never see him. This would be the perfect opportunity to catch up and chat in the car. When we got home J said, "How did you like our date?"
I just laughed. This is the extent of our dates nowadays. Taking a twenty minute drive to Camas, Washington to pick up a printer. Then a quick stop at Sonic to enjoy a nice cherry limeade. I have to admit it was a nice ride. I think we need to start going on a few more dates.

Cutie

I just had to post these pictures of Camo. He is about 3 1/2 months in these pictures. I can't get enough of his adorable face. I am not trying to brag but honestly, can he get any cuter?

Also I hate to admit this, but doesn't Camo look exactly like J in the picture of him and J.I think he was about to cry in that picture so that's why he looks scared. I know deep down I wished he looked even a little bit like me, but I will just have to face the facts that he is all J. Let's hope as he gets older he will start looking a little more like me too. I mean, I did give birth to him.

3 Months Old and Recent Happenings

I was thinking of just updating about Camo again, but then decided you all might want to know what J and I have been up to. So sorry if you don't really care to know what's going on with us. We know that Camo is the popular one now.

J is still in school. They just changed it to The University of Western States which means that you can get masters degrees as well as a Doctorate of Chiropractic. J decided that he wanted to get his masters in Exercise and Sports Medicine while he is getting his doctorate. It sounds great and all, but not for Camo and I. It makes for lots of days without a husband or dad. That's okay though because we know it will all pay off in the end. We just have to stick it out until next December.

I am just enjoying being a mother to my beautiful Camo. He is such a fun, cute, extremely well behaved baby. I also work part time as a personal trainer at Bally Total Fitness. I absolutely love it. It is so nice to be able to set my own hours. I love all my clients and they are so willing to adapt to my schedule. I have also picked up cooking a little bit more. I really like trying new recipes. I usually look at different food blogs to find new ideas.

Now for the little boy that you all want to hear about most. Camo is doing so well. He is now three months old. He is doing great on his tummy. The other day he rolled over. I couldn't believe it. He hasn't done it since though. I am sure it won't be too long before he rolls over more and more. He also really likes to suck on his fingers. He is not quite reaching for toys yet but he will stare and stare at them. He loves loves to talk. It is so cute if you say something he will coo back at you. He also smiles whenever J or I talk to him. We just love him so much and are so grateful to be his parents.

J and I at the Tulip festival

Someone Knows Where He Gets His Food...

2 months old

Camo is two months old already. I can't believe how fast he is growing. J and I often talk about how we want him to stay little. We also can't wait until he gets big enough to walk, talk and play with us. He has the cutest little personality and is such a good baby. Camo has been sleeping about 8 hours a night. It is wonderful not having to wake up to feed him in the night. Let's hope it stays that way. He is also a really good eater which explains why he is growing so fast. He still doesn't like his vitamins. He loves playing with daddy. It is so cute how he recognizes us now. He will stare for hours at us and then if we start talking to him he will coo back. It is so cute at night when J puts him to bed. He hums to him and Camo falls right asleep.

Camo is sportin some Nike shoes that his Aunt gave to him in that last picture. J really hopes he likes the Oregon Ducks someday.

We also just recently bought him a bumbo. I am not sure if he likes it quite yet because I think sometimes he gets lazy and doesn't want to hold his head up. In that picture he is watching the Portland, Trailblazers basketball game. Sorry Grandpa Metcalf, he may not be a San Antonio, Spurs fan. I think if he takes after his daddy he will become a fan of the Blazers.

Camo also celebrated his first Easter. If it was up to J, Camo would not have gotten an Easter basket. I was determined that he should get one so at least we could get some cute pictures. I can't wait until he gets old enough to understand and get excited about holidays.

Oh yea one more thing. Camo had his two month check up. He was 11 pounds 9 ounces and was 22 1/2 inches long. I guess the doctor said he was average in height and weight. We were hoping for a tall boy. I guess average is okay. He also had his shots. It was so sad watching them give them to him. He was totally calm and then all of a sudden he started crying. He calmed down pretty quick after because I fed him. I just love my little boy. He is so adorable.

That's all for now.

My New Hero

I told T I was going to write this blog after witnessing what she went through during the labor process. I was very busy with school after Camo was born so I never had the time. Now that I'm out of school for two weeks I'd like to relate to you what I experienced during the labor.

I'm not sure how many of you have ever witnessed a natural birth before. Natural meaning, no drugs...period! Not ever Advil or Tylenol. I'd never seen a live delivery before let alone a natural one.

I was in for a treat!

When T and I got married she would often talk about her fear of labor and delivery. She would tell me that she couldn't handle pain very well and would describe how pain she had felt in the past would make her almost pass out. I believed her and was surprised when she told me she wanted to do a natural birth. I was all for doing whatever she wanted and if that was the course she was going to take and was going to encourage her to keep that goal even during the worst of labor pain. I also prepared myself for a long day of having my hand squeezed off and my head chewed off during the labor. If there was no drugs for T, I was sure I would need some for myself.

Then labor hit.

T was having a rough night trying to sleep and I had an exam the next day so I told her I was going to go sleep on the couch to make sure I got enough sleep before my exam. In the morning when my alarm went off at 6 AM I opened my eyes and saw her standing right in front of me. "I think I'm in labor." she said calmly and relaxed. My response, "No you're not." (stupid, I know) She went on to explain that she was up all night with her mom on the phone and had been timing her contractions. As she continued to explain the situation I began to realize that this was it, we were most likely going to have a baby by the end of the day. But then my own anxiety had snuck up on me knowing what we were about to face...without any drugs.

By the time we had arrived at the hospital the contractions were coming on harder and faster. When T got hooked up to all the monitors there was no doubt that she was in labor. I thought to myself, "I better saddle up because it was about to to get bad."

And it did, but not nearly as bad as I thought. T was a champion, you could tell each contraction was painful but with each approaching one T took it on and breathed through it. It was remarkable to watch her in action. I have never seen as much strength, as much determination, or as much perseverance in my entire life. And from the person who in our entire marriage told me she was not good at dealing with pain. If that was the case, then T became a different women then she was previous to the labor; she had become someone able to cope. She had become inspired and in the process inspired everyone else in the room.

After it was all over I promised her I was going to treat her like the inspiring women she had become. As you can probably guess I have already fallen short...many time over. It's funny how quickly your mind can forget the things that take your breath away. Maybe that is why I have not been able to write this blog until now. It has given me the desperate reminder I needed. Though sometimes my actions don't always show it, I will never forget what I saw and felt during the labor and delivery of our son. T is the most incredible women I know and my respect for all women has increased. I hope she never forgets how much I love her and what she means to this family. Without her, Camo and I wouldn't be the men we are.