My new best friend

My Roomba has now been replaced by a new best friend- the swaddle blanket!! Camille LOVES this thing and will sleep for hours in it. I am enjoying her wonderful sleeping habits now since I know it can (and most likely will) change at anytime.
At night, I am starting to put her down in her crib at bedtime (7pm) in the swaddle blanket where she will sleep until about 11pm or so. After that, she is in our bed but she still only wakes up every 4 hrs or so and that's just to eat. Trust me- I am not bragging nor do I think it's a sign of of a great sleeper in the making- I know it's probably a fluke. In a month, my blog posts might be all about my lack of sleep!

Babymoon

I am so in love with this little girl. She is so sweet and just loves being held. Right now, she is asleep on my chest (very hard to type this way) and holding on to a clump of my hair to ensure that I don't go anywhere. :) I don't think she has slept in her crib for more than 20 minutes so far (which is fine by me and part of our plan anyway). Just looking at Julia and Bella makes me realize how quickly they grow up and that they do eventually move out of our bed someday- why the rush now??

With so much help from family and friends this time, I have been able to truly enjoy every minute with Camille. We are SO lucky to have such wonderful friends and family to help us! My MOMS Club friends have been providing meals for us (a tradition for new moms) and so far, they have been quite lavish! Thanks girls! Angie and Joe (sister and brother in law) and Chet's mom Jackie have also made us meals. Yummy! AND my mom returns on Sunday to help for another 1-2 weeks and she is always a huge help! She was still working full time when I had Julia and Bella so I am grateful and happy to have her help this time. We couldn't be any luckier- we feel a little spoiled right now. Chet may soon realize that I am not the best cook (in comparison) but oh well.

The girls have also enjoyed this week. I think they are both a bit thrown off by my absence and occasional crabbiness. but they have enjoyed their Spring Break with daddy. Today, they are at the Phoenix Childrens' Museum- I am envious since I love that place but happy to be at home holding Camille in my PJs.

One random funny from Bella. This morning, as they were ready to leave for the museum, Camille was acting a little fussy so I jokingly said "Are you leaving me here with Queen Crabby?" In all seriousness, Bella quickly responded "No, Daddy is coming with us." She wasn't trying to be funny- she truly thought that Daddy was Queen Crabby.
The look on Chet's face was priceless! :)

Our newest addition!

Camille Kelly arrived on Friday morning, March 13th, at 9:27am! She is a big girl weighing a whopping 9 lbs 11 oz!! When I first saw her, I said "She is so little!". Maybe I am used to huge babies (Julia was 9 lbs 13 oz) or the c-section meds were kicking in. I was shocked to find out that she was so big!

Everything has been wonderful so far. The girls are in love with her. Bella keeps telling her "Its ok, your big sister is here." Julia is being very maternal with her and wants to hold her all the time. I can already tell that Julia will be an awesome big sister and is at a great age. Julia has also been concerned with me and the surgery- she has loved walking the halls with me (necessary for c-section healing) and being my companion.

Since she is so big, we have had some issues with her blood sugar levels and weight loss. It's all normal stuff for big babies but I have to work on nursing her more than usual to prevent being forced to supplement.

I feel like I am on a high. I have had very little sleep but feel so good. Right now, Chet is asleep with her and I should be too. She is a great sleeper at night- its a miracle what a nursing session and a good swaddle will do for this baby! I love just looking at her. I think its part of the reason that I enjoy the hospital stay so much- you have nothing else to do but focus on the baby. I find myself just staring at her in the middle of the night.

Until Friday, we had not chosen a name yet. We were planning on meeting her before deciding on which name- Olivia or Claire. I have ALWAYS loved the name Camille- even before Bella was born- but Chet never loved it. This time around, I constantly asked (ok, more like begged) to name her Camille with no luck. A while ago, I had given up hope of the name, moved on and was ok with the final choices. So, right after she was born, Chet took her to the nursery for her bath and brought her to the recovery room in the bassinet- on the side of the bassinet was the little card that said "Camille Kelly." It was a total surprise (bring on the tears!) and such a sweet gesture that I will always remember. Thank you Chet....

March 13th was also the birthday of Chet's late grandfather, Keith Kelly, who passed away before Chet was born so we honored him by Camille's middle name.

Passing the time

I sit here on my due date (with no signs of labor- at all!) thinking ahead to summer. Yes, I am crazy but I love summers. I hate the heat but love all the fun kid stuff we get to do. Plus, I will get to spend more time with Julia. She and I are really feeling the effects of me working 3 nights and Saturdays. I feel like I never get to see her. That will soon change with my maternity leave and summer months ahead. Yeah!

I know I will be a little home bound for the next few weeks so here are all the fun things I look forward to come June.

Harkins Summer Movies!
This will be our 3rd year and I love it. We already bought our tickets for this summer! I love seeing all of our friends at the theater. Summer movies are such a good deal- $7 for all 10 movies!

Flip flops!
I admittedly wear my black Reef flip flops all year. I like when warmer weather starts and I can buy flip flops for the kids again- so inexpensive, cute and EASY to put on and get out the door. My girls have been sporting these cute blue ones for a few weeks now.

Swimming!
Now that both girls can swim on their own, I look forward to lots of swimming and more swim lessons (love Gilbert Parks and Rec!) and to watch them improve. Even though we have a pool, I love swimming at the awesome community pool of Power Ranch and Seville. Thankfully, I have friends in both neighborhoods and can "invite" myself at any time. :)

Laid back attitude
I can be a little type A at times- trying to stick to a schedule and checking off my mental checklist all day long. Luckily, summer time tends to bring out the relaxed side of me (much needed with a newborn who knows nothing of schedules).

Official Chauffeur
Summer time also brings the neat programs for the kids. I have always loved driving around to our different activities (probably because I only have 2 kids and a few activities for each). I am already looking into theater camps (Chandler has a neat Disney based one!) and Vacation Bible School. The best part is is that both girls will be able to participate together since Bella has reached that magical age of 4!

I know this post makes me sounds a little off and way too much into planning ahead. But I do it because I like looking forward to the little things. I promise, I am not that Type A that I start planning ahead in March!