White Christmas

So there is another HUGE snowfall today! Yesterday it snowed about an inch, and today there is already 4 inches on the ground and it is still falling! Good thing I got to the store early this morning before it started! It's definitely making for a legit winter here...a true white Christmas this year. I hope it slows down before Monday morning so Jared's parents can fly in without delay!

Here is a video I took today of the snow!

Here are some more pictures I just couldn't resist posting and a video from our "play time" yesterday....Camden punching the pup!

December?

How is it December already...and the 14th! It is funny how you lose track of the date when you are at home with a newborn!

It's been 2 weeks already since my last post. Camden has been a lot more fussy during the day...hence me not updating you all as much. It's crazy how much he changes every week. Not only in size and what he can do now (grabbing fingers, blankets, toys, etc., holding his head up off my shoulder for 4-5 seconds, and smiling!) but also in how he handles himself during the day and night. He has been sleeping for longer stretches at night (one 4 hour and one 3 31/2 if we are lucky!), but during the day we have been having to use a lot more calming and soothing techniques to get him to fall asleep for naps. He is still most alert during the morning after he wakes up from "night time." (sometime between 7-9) He has a good 20-30 min play time before he gets upset and needs to go back to sleep.

He is now 10 pounds!! (1 pound in 2 weeks people) so I think that is why we have to try so much harder to sooth him bc he is figuring our techniques out and can fight us now when we try to swaddle him! We thought he fought us in the beginning...oh no...does this mean he will be even stronger in 2 more weeks?? I think this may just continue to escalate through adolescence. Haha! We will see! He has also stretched out most of his feedings to every 3 hours (which is amazing when you look back to the beginning to every 1 1/2-2 hours). Crazy how fast you forget how far you've come and how much more sleep you are getting now...although you still always want more! It is so nice to get all this out on "paper" bc I think I don't give him the benefit of the doubt sometimes...ie...he is only 6 weeks into his life in this world and he isn't going to soothe himself or sleep through the night yet! hehe!

We also went on 2 big adventures this weekend. He had his first public feeding at Whole Foods this weekend which was a big deal for mom before hand, but not at all once we got the hang of it! We walked about 2 miles there and back and took a stroll to the Tweed Shop to exchange a jacket that Nana and Papa got him for Christmas. We also walked through Hyde Park. It was a beautiful day and we were out for over 4 hours. We got taco makings at Whole Foods for the next day which was delicious!

Sunday we decided to go to church which was an adventure. He did really well on the way there asleep in his pram, but after he ate at 7:30 (almost made it through the entire service) he got a little fussy (his evening fussy time) and we couldn't stay bc the heat wasn't on in the main room, only the room we had service in, so it was way to cold for one of us to stay out with him. It was good to see everyone for a bit at least! Not sure if I will try that again for a while. It is tough taking him out in the evening bc that is when he is most fussy. Maybe after the holidays!

Other than getting upset sometimes during the day, we just think he is the cutest little buddy that ever lived...and even then sometimes he has a cute cry face...although mama had to get some ear plugs to save her hearing! I would like to still be able to play my instrument and have some hearing left for that! Here are some of the new pictures we have taken recently. They include some of the first smiles on film!

Chillin' in my big boy chair! He loves to sit up and watch me get my lunch in the kitchen or hang out in the living room! He especially likes the sound of the hair dryer and the water noise of the shower! Puts him right to sleep (while they are on anyway...)
Pushing out a "big job" as Nana calls it!
Smile Smile
My favorite Camden face yet
Smile again! I seriously can't get enough of this!
Melts my heart! Chubby little buddy cheeks!

Staring down his friends! I think he is looking at Bryan...yes I named them...there is also Martin and Tony..eh eh Tony...
Is he rooting or upset? So hard to remember! We call this his karate outfit! Looks more silly in person!
Loves bath time!
So soothed! We always have a bath during the evening fussy hours!

Congratulations if you made it through this post! I will try and keep you updated more often...but there is no guarantee with this little dude!

Jared's parents get here in a week which I am really excited about! I can nap during the day when they are here! Wooohoo! I am also excited to see them and that they will be here with us for Christmas!

Side note...having a baby boy makes you see the Christmas story in a whole new way! It is amazing to think of what Mary and Joseph went through in the beginning! I don't believe the line "no crying he makes" from Away in a Manger, but that's just me! Jesus experienced everything we do on earth right!??

Snow and a 1 month old baby!

So 2 things I can't believe!

1. Camden is already 4 weeks and 4 days old! He is sleeping very well at night. He has been sleeping 3 hours, then 2 1/2, then 2 at night. I am very thankful that he has his nights figured out and during the day he is really enjoying play time with his toys. Sometimes he doesn't want to nap during the day and cry instead, but I think he is just trying to figure out how to be awake during the day and not be upset! Today he did have 2 solid 2 hour naps and mom got a nap too! Hallelujah! At night he gets a little fussy between 9-12, but a little cuddle time with Dad always seems to help calm him down! Even if Dad is up for 2 hours trying to calm him down so mom can get some rest!! (Best Dad ever!) :)

2. It really snowed a couple of nights ago and stuck to the ground! And it is still snowing and still looks like this outside! The only downside to snow is that I don't want to take Camden outside...which means mommy doesn't get to go outside very much! It is like 25 degrees outside. Brrr! Colder than anywhere I have lived. But, tomorrow when Dad is home, I am going to escape for a bit and go on a mom adventure...maybe even build a snowman, even if it is only for an hour or two!

Camden's photo shoot with dad last Saturday...Here are some pictures:I didn't know one kid could have so many expressions! He is full of new ones every day! I also didn't know that I could love such a tiny person so much. He is truly a gift from God and we are so blessed to have him in our lives now! Now if it would just warm up a little bit so we can go for rides in the pram during the day!

3 weeks old

Can't believe that Camden is already 3 weeks old! He is doing so much more than he was even a week ago. He has begun to stretch out himself on his play blanket and move his arms and legs when you play music or sing to him. He also loves looking at himself in the mirror as mommy sings his favorite song she made up... "who's that baby in the mirror"... it teaches scales in thirds and we sing it in all different keys! Yes we have to start him early on his musical training! Here are a few pics we have taken this week!

Camden and Mommy enjoying the new rocker Grandmummy bought us! Camden loves to rock!
Semi-staged photo bc we realised we didn't have one of the 3 of us since the birth!

Nana and Paw Paw (names still undecided) are here for Thanksgiving and we are having a great time! They just went out to pick up our Whole Foods pre made Thanksgiving! We are making green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie!

Nana made him sit up while he was sleeping off his milk coma! He looks like a little man!

I think Camden got Nana and Mommy's eyes!

So sweet in Paw Paw's arms!

I am trying to savor this week with all of the amazing help I have here and not think about what it will be like when they are gone! I will be able to manage, but it is just so nice having people around to give you a break to eat and take a shower! I will never take that for granted again!

Happy Thanksgiving early Everyone!

Don't have much to say. Just thought I'd share some more picks of our precious boy! We had an appointment at the midwife clinic today and he is officially jaundice free. They were also shocked to find that while most babies gain an average og 25 grams a day in the first few weeks, Camden was going at about 39g a day! This led to Daddy coining yet another nickname: "Beefcake Buddy". He is now at around 7 lbs, 9 oz... Still a pretty tiny little buddy.

His first ride in the pram, on his way to the clinic.

comfy in his baby Uggs. Thanks Aunt Katie!

Daddy posing with Camden

Sound asleep

Staring down the pup

Pictures from outside

Here are a couple shots from my first outing with Camden. We walked down the street and couldn't find the sun so we came back inside...

Unreal

So I finally have a moment to sit down and reflect on the past 11 days! I can't believe my actual due date was yesterday.

Side note...Everyone was over the due date on the contest, so no winner in that category, but Bri guessed the closest to his weight without going over...I am going to have to figure out a special prize for you to use in South Africa!...Also, they didn't take his length at the hospital, so we are just going to have to do that some other time!

I can't believe we have had this little guy in our lives for almost 2 weeks now. We finally feel like we are getting the hang of the sleep 2-3 hours at a time thing, although it is still very odd to me to sleep during the day. His day time when he sleeps less at a time is around 11 am-11 pm, then during his "night" he sleeps more like 3 hours at a time (which is a huge blessing for mommy and daddy!)
God has shown us sooooo much grace through difficult situations since the onset of labour on Sun, October 31st at 1:30 am! There are way too many stories to even get in to on this blog, so you will just have to ask me the next time you see me. I don't think everyone wants all of the details! Hahaha!

I have today and Sunday with Jared here, and then he goes back to work Monday. Me and baby Camden are going to miss him so much. The really cool thing though is my mom gets here Wednesday, and my Dad Friday. This is the trip they had scheduled for Thanksgiving assuming baby boy might not even be here yet! Oops! Well, now they will get to see him a little older!

Today we had our first walk down the street. I can't believe I hadn't left the house in a week. It went by so fast! We are still trying to get him some sun, although it is not cooperating very well here in London, because he is a bit jaundice still. It is getting better, so any thoughts and prayers we would really appreciate! It will be a relief when it is completely gone.

Hope everyone is having a great November so far and I will post more pictures soon!

Camden James Brient has arrived!

Hello World,

This is Jared guest posting again as Robin is busy feeding our sweet little boy. Thought I'd add some pics here to cover all our bases on getting the word out with proof of his arrival.

Camden James Brient

- Born on the 2nd of November 2010 at 5:13pm (GMT)

- Weighed in at a perfect 3.115 Kg (or for those stateside, 6.8673995 lbs)

- Came with curly red hair that has since turned light brown/blonde

- Robin pushed him out with the assistance of suctioning from a doctor which is the cause of the swollen/squished tuft of hair/skin on the top of his head giving him a ready made yam-aka. The doctors said it should heal completely withing 2-3 days.

- He was mimicking my facial gestures (sticking his tongue out) within 5-10 minutes of being born!

-He was cooing along with Robin's mom when she was humming to him

-The cutest baby I have ever seen...

All in all, a gifted child to be sure! We are ecstatic to say the least, and are so thankful for Jesus pulling us through each difficult part of the birth process. We can't wait for you all to meet him!

Fresh baby!

Baby and Mum

Yawwwwn

1 day old!

2 days old!

We really do appreciate all the emails and facebook messages from everyone saying how beautiful he is. We are inclined to agree. We are still adjusting to our new home life and hope to catch up with everyone soon.

-J

Contest

It is time for the first contest I have ever had on my blog!

As most of you know, I will be 38 weeks pregnant this Friday! Time is flying!

We are going to play guess when Robin will have the baby, baby's weight, and length. The person closest without going over (Price is Right stlye) will win a prize!

Things you might want to keep in mind...
My due date is Nov. 12th
There is a full moon on Nov. 6th
This is my first baby, duh!
He is in the head down position, but has been for 8 weeks now
I walk a lot
I was almost 2 weeks overdue when I was born

Please post a comment with your guess! Include baby's weight in kg and length in cm, bc that's how they measure here!

Can't wait to read everyone's guesses! If you want to include any explanations on why you guessed a certain way, that would be fun! :)

Weekend in the country

So Here are some pics from our weekend in the countryside with Jared's parents. It was an adventure to drive in the English countryside on the opposite side of the road with a manual transmission, but my 35 1/2 week belly made it...bumps and all. I think the little guy was frustrated with me, but when we got back to London he chilled out!

Had to go see Stonehenge on the way out! Very cool...dreary morning though!

35 1/2 week belly! All of the sudden I had a growth spurt last week and gained 3 inches around! Hope this boy isn't too big when he comes out!

Trying to pretend I don't have a huge belly! Haha!

Cool graveyard in the church by the bed and breakfast.

This is my favorite photo Jared took the entire trip. I think it should be on a postcard. Note the spire which is 2 1/2 feet off from being straight!

After the Evensong service at Sailsbury Cathedral.

Belly in Bath Circus!

Jared's parents on a bench in Bath Circus.

Church in Bath

Jared and I outside a gorgeous park in Bath.

Outside of Wells Cathedral. This was my favorite one of the trip! Not to mention it was gorgeous outside the last two days of the trip!

Jared's mom walking down the corridor in the cathedral

Entrance to the Bishop's House next to Wells Cathedral. I want a moat around my house!

Very cool car outside Wells Cathedral.

Prom pose outside the bed and breakfast (I can barely feel Jared's hand on my stomach! That's how hard my belly is!). The Cricketfield House in Salisbury is a great place to stay if you ever find yourself stranded in the English countryside!

Jared strolling in the park in Salisbury. I took this one, but Jared really got a lot of use out of his camera on the trip and has already learned a lot about it in a short period of time!

There are Autumn trees here!!!

Our last stop was Castle Combe. Unfortunately there was not a castle there, but it was probably the oldest, most quaint town I have ever seen!
The little church in Castle Combe. This was a very unique trip because we got to see some parts of the countryside that we would not normally have been able to see without a car. Overall a very fun trip...even if I was uncomfortable for a bit!

On another note, I only have 4 weeks until my due date! I can't believe the time has gone by so fast. I am thankful for grocery delivery, but I am really bad at taking it easy sometimes because in my mind I am not 39 inches around!

I got accepted to the birth center, which was a relief, and we are going to a short class on their procedures in a week. I do feel prepared to give birth, though, which is something that I was always reaaalllly afraid of...I think because our culture doesn't like to talk about what really happens (and any portrayal of it in TV or film is very inaccurate). I could get on a soapbox here, but I won't! Jared is also really excited about being my coach, too! (We have been reading a lot about the Bradley method).

Jared and I are just relishing in the last moments of being a duo, but can't wait to be a trio! We have been so blessed already just through the pregnancy and know that God has so much more in store for us to learn and grow through as we learn how to love and support another person in our lives. We have everything that we need for our baby boy and are so grateful for the generosity of friends and family who have contributed!

Be watching soon for a birthday guessing contest!