Most people tell me that whenever I do anything, I do it with my whole heart. I never really understood this fully until becoming a mother. I can honestly say that everything I do as a mother, I do with my whole heart.
I could not love my daughter more - it's simply not possible.
I wake up every morning happy to hear her crying/whining to get up and start her day. As I feed her throughout the day I stare into her eyes in total awe that she is mine and that she's as perfect as she is. When I change her stinky diapers I laugh and find myself happy to be doing this very disgusting task. There really is nothing about becoming a mother that I don't love.
I often thank God for not only providing me with the most beautiful gift in the world, a child, but also for allowing me to tackle motherhood with my whole heart.
I love you Cambria Leigh!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
A Journey
The reason I have not posted lately is because we have been on one CRAZY journey - a journey that I NEVER want to go on again!
Cambria decided to give us all quite the scare two weeks ago. On Sunday November 15th, 2009 I called the Pediatrician emergency line because I had noticed that since Friday evening Cambria wasn't acting herself. Our little angel was sleeping constantly, not waking up to eat and even refusing to eat when I would wake her. The Doctor on call said he would take her to the emergency room just to be tested to make sure she didn't have an infection of some sort. Off to the emergency room we went thinking all they would do is draw blood and send us on our merry way. NOT THE CASE!!
When we go to the ER they called us back to take Cambria's vitals and from there everything feels like a blur. As soon as the nurse took her vitals she called another nurse to retake them. I started to get worried because I wasn't sure why she needed someone else to take her vitals too. The second nurse took her vitals and then said we needed to start her on oxygen. As soon as they put the oxygen mask on her face I knew that something wasn't right.
Shortly after that there were Doctors are nurses running around freaking out about my daughter. Apparently Cambria's heart rate was in the 280's when a normal heart rate for a baby is in the 120's. After trying everything they could to get her heart rate down (oxygen, IV fluids, ice on her face, etc.) they decided they needed to administer a medication via IV that would basically reset her heart in hopes that they could get it down that way. When they did this I was scared to death. I felt like we were in an episode of "ER". As soon as they administered the medication I was terrified. I felt as though time stood still. Everyone in the room stood and was staring at the heart rate monitor to see if her heart rate would go down. About 30 seconds after administering the medication her heart rate began to rapidly drop back to normal. THANK GOD!
Once they got her stable the Doctor explained to me what was going on and she informed me that they wanted to transfer her via helicopter to Fairfax Hospital where they have a Pediatric Cardiology Unit to figure out why her heart was beating so fast. I was hysterical. Just hearing them tell me that my daughter was in such a serious condition that she needed to be airlifted to Fairfax was devastating and so frigtening. Thankfully about 30 minutes later they decided she was okay to go by ambulance because she had been able to regulate her heart rate in a normal range since administering the medication. So - Mommy climbed into the ambulance with my little Cami and off we were.
Once we arrived at Fairfax Hospital we were welcomed with open arms and lots of caring nurses and Doctors. I immediately felt at ease and although I was still terrified and hysterically crying I just knew that she was in good hands. We got little Cami settled in and after talking to multiple Doctors and nurses we decided to try and get a little rest until the Cardiologist came to see us in the morning. I slept maybe 45 minutes that night. I didn't want to take my eyes off of my beautiful little Cami in fear that something awful would go wrong again.
In the morning, after Cami stayed stable and regulated her heart rate fine overnight, the Cardiologist came in to see us. After EKG's and Echocardiograms it was determined that Cami had no structural defects and she was diagnosed with SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia) which is an electrical circuit problem in the heart. The Doctor explained that 95-98% of babies diagnosed with this condition outgrow it by one year of age. That helped us to breathe a little easier. He explained everything, told us he wanted to start her on a medication to lower her heart rate and prevent future episodes and he would check back in with us the following day.
After day 2 in the hospital Cami had another SVT episode which the Doctors and nurses got under control by applying ice to her face. Although I felt like having another episode was a set back in her recovery, I am so thankful it happened while we were still in the hospital under the best care she could possibly be. Due to this episode we were required to stay for another 24 hours. The Dr. didn't feel comfortable letting her go home until she could go 24 hours without any episodes.
Finally after 4 days in the hospital we were released. Cambria is FINALLY at home! She is taking 2 medications twice a day to lower her heart rate and prevent future episodes. Jon and I have to check her heart rate multiple times a day with a stethascope to catch any episodes she may have. So far she has had 2 episodes since leaving the hospital but luckily we have been able to control both at home so as to avoid the ER and hospital again. We will continue to watch little Miss Cambria and hope and pray that she grows out of this condition soon.
Today is day 6 with no episodes - the longest stretch she has gone since being admitted to the hospital. This gives me HIGH hopes that things are looking up and getting better. I know that Cambria is such a tough cookie and that she will pull through this just fine.
Below are some pictures from our 'journey'. Please continue to hope and pray that we never have to go through another 'journey' like this one with our little Cambria EVER again!!
(Exhausted after a long day in the ER and then going by ambulance to Fairfax Hospital. Finally relaxing in Daddy's arms.)
(She's one tough cookie, that's for sure!)
(Dreaming of home...)
("I want to go home!")
Cambria decided to give us all quite the scare two weeks ago. On Sunday November 15th, 2009 I called the Pediatrician emergency line because I had noticed that since Friday evening Cambria wasn't acting herself. Our little angel was sleeping constantly, not waking up to eat and even refusing to eat when I would wake her. The Doctor on call said he would take her to the emergency room just to be tested to make sure she didn't have an infection of some sort. Off to the emergency room we went thinking all they would do is draw blood and send us on our merry way. NOT THE CASE!!
When we go to the ER they called us back to take Cambria's vitals and from there everything feels like a blur. As soon as the nurse took her vitals she called another nurse to retake them. I started to get worried because I wasn't sure why she needed someone else to take her vitals too. The second nurse took her vitals and then said we needed to start her on oxygen. As soon as they put the oxygen mask on her face I knew that something wasn't right.
Shortly after that there were Doctors are nurses running around freaking out about my daughter. Apparently Cambria's heart rate was in the 280's when a normal heart rate for a baby is in the 120's. After trying everything they could to get her heart rate down (oxygen, IV fluids, ice on her face, etc.) they decided they needed to administer a medication via IV that would basically reset her heart in hopes that they could get it down that way. When they did this I was scared to death. I felt like we were in an episode of "ER". As soon as they administered the medication I was terrified. I felt as though time stood still. Everyone in the room stood and was staring at the heart rate monitor to see if her heart rate would go down. About 30 seconds after administering the medication her heart rate began to rapidly drop back to normal. THANK GOD!
Once they got her stable the Doctor explained to me what was going on and she informed me that they wanted to transfer her via helicopter to Fairfax Hospital where they have a Pediatric Cardiology Unit to figure out why her heart was beating so fast. I was hysterical. Just hearing them tell me that my daughter was in such a serious condition that she needed to be airlifted to Fairfax was devastating and so frigtening. Thankfully about 30 minutes later they decided she was okay to go by ambulance because she had been able to regulate her heart rate in a normal range since administering the medication. So - Mommy climbed into the ambulance with my little Cami and off we were.
Once we arrived at Fairfax Hospital we were welcomed with open arms and lots of caring nurses and Doctors. I immediately felt at ease and although I was still terrified and hysterically crying I just knew that she was in good hands. We got little Cami settled in and after talking to multiple Doctors and nurses we decided to try and get a little rest until the Cardiologist came to see us in the morning. I slept maybe 45 minutes that night. I didn't want to take my eyes off of my beautiful little Cami in fear that something awful would go wrong again.
In the morning, after Cami stayed stable and regulated her heart rate fine overnight, the Cardiologist came in to see us. After EKG's and Echocardiograms it was determined that Cami had no structural defects and she was diagnosed with SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia) which is an electrical circuit problem in the heart. The Doctor explained that 95-98% of babies diagnosed with this condition outgrow it by one year of age. That helped us to breathe a little easier. He explained everything, told us he wanted to start her on a medication to lower her heart rate and prevent future episodes and he would check back in with us the following day.
After day 2 in the hospital Cami had another SVT episode which the Doctors and nurses got under control by applying ice to her face. Although I felt like having another episode was a set back in her recovery, I am so thankful it happened while we were still in the hospital under the best care she could possibly be. Due to this episode we were required to stay for another 24 hours. The Dr. didn't feel comfortable letting her go home until she could go 24 hours without any episodes.
Finally after 4 days in the hospital we were released. Cambria is FINALLY at home! She is taking 2 medications twice a day to lower her heart rate and prevent future episodes. Jon and I have to check her heart rate multiple times a day with a stethascope to catch any episodes she may have. So far she has had 2 episodes since leaving the hospital but luckily we have been able to control both at home so as to avoid the ER and hospital again. We will continue to watch little Miss Cambria and hope and pray that she grows out of this condition soon.
Today is day 6 with no episodes - the longest stretch she has gone since being admitted to the hospital. This gives me HIGH hopes that things are looking up and getting better. I know that Cambria is such a tough cookie and that she will pull through this just fine.
Below are some pictures from our 'journey'. Please continue to hope and pray that we never have to go through another 'journey' like this one with our little Cambria EVER again!!
(Exhausted after a long day in the ER and then going by ambulance to Fairfax Hospital. Finally relaxing in Daddy's arms.)
(Look at that pathetic crib...it was like she was in prison for babies)
(She's one tough cookie, that's for sure!)
(Dreaming of home...)
("I want to go home!")
(Going home at last!!!)
(Finally - back where she belongs!!!)
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Sleeping Beauty
Cambria is becoming quite the sleeping beauty lately. I am not sure whether to attribute this to the fact that this new formula we switched her to is working really well, if she's just starting to get her days/nights straightened out or if she's just like her Mommy and loves some good sleep! Whatever the reason, Mommy and Daddy are LOVING it!
Usually Cambria eats last between 10 and 11 at night. She's generally pretty good about falling asleep right after finishing her last bottle. As soon as she falls asleep, Mommy swaddles her up in two blankets so she can't break free and then I scoop her up and take her upstairs and put her in her bassinet for the night.
(Jon and I call her our little burrito when she's all swaddled up...what a cutie!)
Once she's in her bassinet, she's out! The past four nights she has slept ALL night long. The first night she slept from 10-4:30 and I kept waking up to check on her because she was sleeping so long. The second night I didn't wake to check on her, instead I took advantage of the SWEET SWEET sleep! The second night she slept from 10:45 - 5:45...GLORIOUS! The third night she slept from 11:45 - 7:00 and last night was 11:30 - 5:45.
I think I have landed the DREAM baby! Keep up the good sleeping little angel!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tummy Time!
Cambria has started her daily tummy time routine. Usually a couple times throughout the day I lay her on her tummy in order to give her that 'exercise' she needs to strengthen her head and neck muscles.
At first I was unsure of how Cami would react to tummy time, but she seems to quite like it. When I first lay her down she usually goes to town and she lifts her head, turns her head from side to side and looks all around.
She usually is on the floor anywhere between 5 - 10 minutes before she finally gives up. The below picture is one of my favorites. During this particular tummy time session, Cambria was working so hard at holding her head up and she finally put it down for maybe 15 seconds. After getting down on my hands and knees to encourage her to continue to work hard at lifting that head up I realized she was FAST asleep. Poor little thing - she fell asleep on the job!
The good news is that there's always tomorrow when Cambria can rest assured that there will be more opportunities for tummy time!
At first I was unsure of how Cami would react to tummy time, but she seems to quite like it. When I first lay her down she usually goes to town and she lifts her head, turns her head from side to side and looks all around.
She usually is on the floor anywhere between 5 - 10 minutes before she finally gives up. The below picture is one of my favorites. During this particular tummy time session, Cambria was working so hard at holding her head up and she finally put it down for maybe 15 seconds. After getting down on my hands and knees to encourage her to continue to work hard at lifting that head up I realized she was FAST asleep. Poor little thing - she fell asleep on the job!
The good news is that there's always tomorrow when Cambria can rest assured that there will be more opportunities for tummy time!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Brotherly Love
Gus is adjusting just fine to his role as Big Brother.
He loves Cambria and tries to sneak snuggles and kisses with her whenever Mommy and Daddy will allow him to.
Sometimes he still thinks that he is the one and only baby and at times he even thinks that Cami's 'gear' is really for him.
Gus has also taken his role of 'Cambria's Protector' very seriously. He dutifully guards her and all of her belongings to make sure that no one messes with his little sister.
We love you Gus - and we know your little sister loves you too.
I can't wait for Cami to be old enough to really interact with Gus - they are going to be the BEST of friends...I just know!
He loves Cambria and tries to sneak snuggles and kisses with her whenever Mommy and Daddy will allow him to.
Sometimes he still thinks that he is the one and only baby and at times he even thinks that Cami's 'gear' is really for him.
Gus has also taken his role of 'Cambria's Protector' very seriously. He dutifully guards her and all of her belongings to make sure that no one messes with his little sister.
We love you Gus - and we know your little sister loves you too.
I can't wait for Cami to be old enough to really interact with Gus - they are going to be the BEST of friends...I just know!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
A Day In The Life Of Cambria's Mommy...
Being a Mom is everything and nothing that I imagined that it would be. I am more in love with my daughter than I ever thought I would be and yet I am way more stressed and overwhelmed at all of the 'duties' that Motherhood brings than I ever thought I would be as well.
What does a day in the life of Cambria's Mommy look like? Let me share with you...
Each day there are a couple things that are CERTAIN to happen. The first thing is that I will wake up, get Cami up, change her, feed her and then once she's asleep I clean and make bottles. Who ever knew that cleaning bottles and making new bottles for future feedings would be so time consuming? Some days it feels like I am in the kitchen nonstop doing nothing but dealing with bottles. It's so worth it though - our little girl LOVES her food!
Another thing that is CERTAIN to happen each day is that Mommy will find 5 minutes somewhere (sometimes I really have to search for those 5 minutes) to make a pot of coffee in the morning. If I did not make my pot of coffee for the day I am not sure I would survive. I missed my coffee so much while I was pregnant and now that Cambria is bottle feeding I can now resume my coffee intake....ahhhh!!! There's something special about sipping a cup of hot coffee while watching an adorable baby play, sleep or even cry. Heaven on earth!!
Another thing CERTAIN to happen each day is at least one load of laundry. Although this is not something that I really enjoy, it needs to be done. Some days it's baby laundry, some days it's adult laundry and some days it's both. It does seem that the laundry has doubled when little Cambria arrived though. Who knew an 8 pound human being could be so messy?!
The last thing that is CERTAIN to happen in the daily routine of Cambria's Mommy is LOTS and LOTS of snuggle time with Cambria. I sneak in as many snuggles, kisses and quiet moments with Cambria as I possibly can. This could also be one of the main reasons why not much else gets accomplished all day long (except those things mentioned above). I keep telling myself that I must take advantage of my maternity leave and my time home with my daughter and that every moment snuggling and playing with her is probably the most productive way that I could be spending my time. I MUST cherish these moments!!
There you have it - A day in the life of Cambria's Mommy! It doesn't appear that much goes on each day, but boy on boy - being a Mommy is the most difficult yet rewarding job EVER!!!
(*Please note how I did not write that one thing I do daily is take a shower. As ashamed as I am to say this, there are SOME days where I never make it to the shower. I know that eventually I will be able to pull it together to get back to my daily showers, but for now I'm okay with being a little stinky - especially when I don't have to leave the house. Some days I would just much rather snuggle with Cambria than put her down and hop into the shower...can you blame me?!)
What does a day in the life of Cambria's Mommy look like? Let me share with you...
Each day there are a couple things that are CERTAIN to happen. The first thing is that I will wake up, get Cami up, change her, feed her and then once she's asleep I clean and make bottles. Who ever knew that cleaning bottles and making new bottles for future feedings would be so time consuming? Some days it feels like I am in the kitchen nonstop doing nothing but dealing with bottles. It's so worth it though - our little girl LOVES her food!
Another thing that is CERTAIN to happen each day is that Mommy will find 5 minutes somewhere (sometimes I really have to search for those 5 minutes) to make a pot of coffee in the morning. If I did not make my pot of coffee for the day I am not sure I would survive. I missed my coffee so much while I was pregnant and now that Cambria is bottle feeding I can now resume my coffee intake....ahhhh!!! There's something special about sipping a cup of hot coffee while watching an adorable baby play, sleep or even cry. Heaven on earth!!
Another thing CERTAIN to happen each day is at least one load of laundry. Although this is not something that I really enjoy, it needs to be done. Some days it's baby laundry, some days it's adult laundry and some days it's both. It does seem that the laundry has doubled when little Cambria arrived though. Who knew an 8 pound human being could be so messy?!
The last thing that is CERTAIN to happen in the daily routine of Cambria's Mommy is LOTS and LOTS of snuggle time with Cambria. I sneak in as many snuggles, kisses and quiet moments with Cambria as I possibly can. This could also be one of the main reasons why not much else gets accomplished all day long (except those things mentioned above). I keep telling myself that I must take advantage of my maternity leave and my time home with my daughter and that every moment snuggling and playing with her is probably the most productive way that I could be spending my time. I MUST cherish these moments!!
There you have it - A day in the life of Cambria's Mommy! It doesn't appear that much goes on each day, but boy on boy - being a Mommy is the most difficult yet rewarding job EVER!!!
(*Please note how I did not write that one thing I do daily is take a shower. As ashamed as I am to say this, there are SOME days where I never make it to the shower. I know that eventually I will be able to pull it together to get back to my daily showers, but for now I'm okay with being a little stinky - especially when I don't have to leave the house. Some days I would just much rather snuggle with Cambria than put her down and hop into the shower...can you blame me?!)
Friday, November 6, 2009
A Day In The Life Of Cambria...
Here is what a typical day in the life of Cambria looks like.
Cambria usually wakes up for the day anywhere between 8:00 AM and 9:30 AM. This morning it was 8:00 AM unfortunately. Once she's awake she immediately wants to eat her breakfast, so she does.
Once she has a full belly she is ready for some play time. She usually kicks around on her playmat for a good 15-20 minutes looking at all of the pretty things and listening to the butterfly sing to her.
After playing, Cami usually gets VERY sleepy. She eventually falls asleep and takes a nap. She enjoys napping in her swing, bouncy seat or Mommy's arms. Mommy tries not to hold her too much (although it's hard) because I know it's not good for her to get used to being held all the time.
Eventually when Cami is fast asleep, Mommy takes her from her napping spot and puts her into the sling. Once Cami is safely and snuggly in her swing, we go for a walk around the block in order to take Gus out. Sometimes Cami LOVES her swing and sometimes she doesn't love it so much. It has DEFINITELY been a lifesaver though in order to make Mommy's life easier when Gus boy needs to go potty.
Once we are finished walking Gus, Mommy returns Cami very carefully back to her napping spot. This must be done VERY carefully so as to not wake Cami up. Usually once she is back in her napping spot Mommy has about 30 minutes - 1 hour to spare before she wakes up and wants to repeat the above routine all over again.
I would say we repeat this routine about 5 or 6 times during any given day. Oh the life of baby Cambria!
(*Disclaimer: Cami DOES get her diaper changed multiple times during the above routine too, I just neglected to add it in. Usually the diaper change happens between the feeding and the playtime.)
Stay tuned for another sequel post to this one coming soon titled "A Day In The Life of Cambria's Mommy..."
Cambria usually wakes up for the day anywhere between 8:00 AM and 9:30 AM. This morning it was 8:00 AM unfortunately. Once she's awake she immediately wants to eat her breakfast, so she does.
Once she has a full belly she is ready for some play time. She usually kicks around on her playmat for a good 15-20 minutes looking at all of the pretty things and listening to the butterfly sing to her.
After playing, Cami usually gets VERY sleepy. She eventually falls asleep and takes a nap. She enjoys napping in her swing, bouncy seat or Mommy's arms. Mommy tries not to hold her too much (although it's hard) because I know it's not good for her to get used to being held all the time.
Eventually when Cami is fast asleep, Mommy takes her from her napping spot and puts her into the sling. Once Cami is safely and snuggly in her swing, we go for a walk around the block in order to take Gus out. Sometimes Cami LOVES her swing and sometimes she doesn't love it so much. It has DEFINITELY been a lifesaver though in order to make Mommy's life easier when Gus boy needs to go potty.
Once we are finished walking Gus, Mommy returns Cami very carefully back to her napping spot. This must be done VERY carefully so as to not wake Cami up. Usually once she is back in her napping spot Mommy has about 30 minutes - 1 hour to spare before she wakes up and wants to repeat the above routine all over again.
I would say we repeat this routine about 5 or 6 times during any given day. Oh the life of baby Cambria!
(*Disclaimer: Cami DOES get her diaper changed multiple times during the above routine too, I just neglected to add it in. Usually the diaper change happens between the feeding and the playtime.)
Stay tuned for another sequel post to this one coming soon titled "A Day In The Life of Cambria's Mommy..."
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
SHE'S HERE!!!
Okay - so I am well aware that I am REALLY delayed in posting that our baby girl has arrived. Motherhood has been no easy task, but I am determined to keep up with my blog (notice the change in blog title from "Patiently Waiting For Cambria" to "Patiently Raising Cambria").
Cambria Leigh Sakshaug was born on October 15th at 5:11 PM and she weighed in at 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 20 inches long. I was induced at 6:30 AM on October 15th and after waiting it out and going 'natural' as far as I could, I graciously took the epidural around noon and it was smooth sailing from there. I pushed for about an hour before our precious baby girl was born. I can't even begin to describe the love, joy and overwhelming feeling that overtook me as soon as I laid eyes on her. I think my exact quote on the phone to my mother was, "She is the most perfect little girl in the entire world"...I still stick by that quote!!
The past two and a half weeks have FLOWN by and I can't believe that our baby girl will be 3 weeks old in two more days. Becoming a mother has been the most difficult yet rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. I can't count the number of times that I just look at my daughter and cry out of pure love. I love her beyond words and just looking at her and knowing that my husband and I made this perfect little miracle is the most amazing thing that I have ever experienced.
Here is a picture of Cambria at 2 weeks old. I find it hard to believe how much she has grown already. Unfortunately I know there's nothing I can do to stop her from growing so quickly, so instead I will just have to make sure that I have the camera ready at all times to capture all of her precious baby moments the best that I can.
Stay tuned for LOTS of Cambria updates!!
Cambria Leigh Sakshaug was born on October 15th at 5:11 PM and she weighed in at 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 20 inches long. I was induced at 6:30 AM on October 15th and after waiting it out and going 'natural' as far as I could, I graciously took the epidural around noon and it was smooth sailing from there. I pushed for about an hour before our precious baby girl was born. I can't even begin to describe the love, joy and overwhelming feeling that overtook me as soon as I laid eyes on her. I think my exact quote on the phone to my mother was, "She is the most perfect little girl in the entire world"...I still stick by that quote!!
The past two and a half weeks have FLOWN by and I can't believe that our baby girl will be 3 weeks old in two more days. Becoming a mother has been the most difficult yet rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. I can't count the number of times that I just look at my daughter and cry out of pure love. I love her beyond words and just looking at her and knowing that my husband and I made this perfect little miracle is the most amazing thing that I have ever experienced.
Here is a picture of Cambria at 2 weeks old. I find it hard to believe how much she has grown already. Unfortunately I know there's nothing I can do to stop her from growing so quickly, so instead I will just have to make sure that I have the camera ready at all times to capture all of her precious baby moments the best that I can.
Stay tuned for LOTS of Cambria updates!!
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