Santa Baby!

Here's a preview of our little Santa Baby!

(Look at that smirk - how could you resist?!)


(Santa Baby on the move....sooo adorable!)

We hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season as much as we are. We couldn't be more blessed to have our little Cambria here with us this Christmas!

With my whole heart

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!

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.)

(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!!!)

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!

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!

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!

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?!)

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..."

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!!

38 Weeks...

Dear Cambria,

As of today I am 38 weeks and 6 days pregnant with you. It is hard to believe that tomorrow I will be 39 weeks pregnant! Obviously since I am writing this letter, you are still hanging out and enjoying your cozy and tight space inside of Mommy. Mommy is SOOO ready to meet you though and I even get emotional just thinking about seeing you, getting to know you and kissing your soft cheeks in a few short days!!

Yesterday I went to the Doctor and she was shocked to see me still pregnant. She told me that I am now a solid 3 centimeters dilated and about 90% effaced. She explained, again, that my exam was very favorable for me to go into labor on my own. Unfortunately because you are a BIG girl, the Doctor's don't want me to wait past Thursday to deliver you. So - if you don't decide to come either today or tomorrow on your own then we're going to the hospital on Thursday morning to get things moving and help you along on your journey out!

Everything seems a little surreal. Mommy and Daddy have waited for 9 LONG months to meet you. Over the past 9 months Daddy and I have prayed every day together for you to stay safe and cozy inside Mommy and to grow to be big and strong so that you can join us in October. When I now think about the fact that you are fully developed, lungs and all, and are all ready to come out and meet us I start to tear up. What a miracle you are and what a miracle God has blessed Daddy and I with!

Over the next few days Daddy and I will continue to pray. We will pray that Mommy has an easy labor with no complications and that you are delivered quickly and absolutely perfect and healthy so that we can begin the next chapter of our lives together. I can only imagine that first time Daddy and I lay eyes on you in a few short days. I think you can rest assured that there will not be a dry eye in the room. We are SOOOOOO anxious to meet you!

Enjoy your last few hours/days cramped up in Mommy's tummy. Times are about to change and we promise to make your world a WONDERFUL place!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

P.S. - The picture is the last finishing touches to your nursery. We finally found the perfect wall letters to hang above your crib. There is now NO doubt whose room it is. Now we just need you here so that you can sleep cozily in your room that Daddy spent so much time getting ready!!

Maternity Leave, Here I Come!!

It's official - my desk is empty and clean and my round table in my office is filled with my sub plans for my first week out. I am officially on maternity leave!! I will be honest in saying that I'm a little nervous about being away from work for SO long. The longest I have been away from that building in the last 4 years was during summer breaks when I was gone for four or five weeks at a time. This will be weird being gone for an entire 9 weeks and knowing that while I'm gone, the show must go on. I know my kids are in good hands though.

Now I can rest, relax and impatiently wait for our little Cambria to arrive now that all of my work at work is finished until I return in December or January (I'm not really sure when I'm going back yet...my bank account tells me one thing but my heart tells me another. The saying is to always follow your heart, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say I'll end up taking as much time as I possibly can to stay home with my daughter and the bank account will have to suffer.) The burning question is - will she wait until Thursday when I am scheduled to be induced or will she decide she wants to come on her own time before that? Whenever she decides, Mommy is definitely on maternity leave now and ready to be a Mommy full time for a few months!!!

Final Eviction Notice Served!

Okay Cambria, your eviction noticed has been served to you. The Doctor has set an induction date of October 15th due to your size unless you decide to arrive before then.

According to the Dr. she seemed to think that it would be surprising if I made it to October 15th without having you before then. I don't trust that though - they said the same thing last week and we're still hanging in there together. I feel better at least now knowing that if you don't decide to come on your own in the next week that you will be evicted whether you like it or not!

Come on, Daddy and I really are good people and we promise to make your world a REALLY cozy and wonderful place! Please come......PLEASEEEEEE! I'm begging you. I can't wait to meet my angel!

37 Weeks...

Dear Cambria,

I am now 37 and a half weeks pregnant with you and waiting gets more difficult by the day. Last Thursday we had our first trip to Labor and Delivery. I called the Doctor because I was having some pretty common signs of pregnancy - including regular contractions and nausea. The Doctor told me to go to Labor and Delivery and get checked to see what was going on. We found out that you looked great - you had a heart rate of 125. We also found out that Mommy is having regular contractions - every few minutes. Although I am having constant contractions, nothing had changed with my progress so they sent me home to continue with the early labor. I was just happy that everything was okay with you and that I was allowed to go home and continue on with my normal daily routines until you get here.

Daddy and I continue to wait patiently and wonder when you will decide to grace us with your presence. Mommy is VERY uncomfortable and ready to have you out with us. Doctor Hodges said that if you aren't here by my appointment this Tuesday that we will discuss induction since you are already a little chunk. :-) All I want in the end is a happy and healthy baby, so I will do whatever the Doctor thinks is necessary to make sure you're delivered safe and sound.

That's about it for this week. I hope that you will arrive before I have to write a 38 week letter, but only time will tell. The picture above was taken this morning of Mommy. I am a little embarassed because it's not the greatest picture of me, but it sure does show off how big you are! Come join us soon - we're all waiting!!!

Love,
Mom and Dad

Burgeoning Belly = Difficult Times

Although I have LOVED being pregnant (really, I have!) I am now ready to call it quits and meet our little girl. Just in the past week I have been noticing all of the ways that my ever growing belly causes things to be difficult for me. I have decided to make an informal list of ways that my burgeoning belly can be troublesome and frustrating lately.

*WARNING*: Some of the things on the list may be more information than you want to know - so read with caution (there's nothing TOO bad on here though...I am tasteful).

1. Sitting on the couch. Yes folks, sitting on the couch has become troublesome and difficult. It usually takes me about 2-3 minutes once I sit down to get into a position where my belly is comfortable and thus the rest of my body can finally rest comfortably.

2. Standing up after being in a sitting/laying position for any period of time. Really, you should see me try to stand up after sitting on the couch for a while, or better yet after laying down, it is truly a show. It's almost like watching Shamu hoist himself out of the water. People might be willing to pay money to watch me struggle with this usually simple task.

3. Putting pants on/taking pants off. This is one on the list that is one of the most frustrating things for me. Sometimes it takes me 2 or 3 times to lift my leg in hopes that it will fall into the leg of my pants. Usually when I do finally get my leg into/out of my pants it is out of pure luck. Imagine this: Meghan makes determined face, quickly lifts her leg while making a face as though she's performing a very grueling phyiscal activity, Meghan quickly shakes her pants out in front of her in hopes that the leg of the pants will meet the ever so slightly elevated leg of her humongously pregnant body, repeat process until a success occurs. FRUSTRATING!!!

4. Showering. I admit, showering is no simple task anymore. All I will say about this one is that reaching all areas of the body to clean is quite difficult. Enough said!

5. Shaving my legs. I guess 4 & 5 go together, but shaving is so difficult in itself that it deserves it's own number on my list. Thank goodness for the seat in my shower, but even with the seat I have much difficulty. When you have a belly that sticks out as far as mine currently does it is VERY difficult, whatever position you try, to carefully use a razor on your legs. I have found myself multiple times rocking back and forth to try and gain momentum before attempting to reach my ankles with the razor. Not only is this a difficult task lately but it can become dangerous if I'm not careful. I have given myself a few minor cuts on many occasions over the past couple weeks.

6. Sitting on the floor. Game over: I am sitting on the floor no more. Once I get down, I literally can't get up anymore.

7. Using the restroom. Okay, so using the restroom isn't the problem...it's finishing the deed that is difficult. Have you ever tried wiping with a HUGE stomach!? I never thought I would have a problem with this, but it's definitely not easy to get around the belly to finish this task that most people take for granted on a daily basis!

8. Giving a urine sample. This is one that REALLY frustrates me. If you have ever been pregnant you will know that each time you go to the OBGYN's office they make you give them a urine sample. Until about 2 months ago I didn't think anything of it. Now everytime I go in for my Doctor's appointments, I say a little prayer that when I go to give my sample that the urine actually makes it into the cup and not all over my hand since I can't see ANYTHING past my stomach. So far so good in my case, but it takes a lot of practice and patience. I'm sure there are plenty of other pregnant women out there that haven't had the same luck as I have so far with this task: It's HARD!

9. Sleeping. Sleeping is just plain HARD these days. I usually sleep well for the first two hours and then it all goes downhill. I have to turn over every couple hours because my hips will start to hurt. This doesn't sound so awful, but the catch is that in order to turn over these days I have to sit all the way up first and then make the turn. Sitting up from a laying down position is not simple, as described in #2 above. By the time I turn over then I'm wide awake and usually so is the baby.

10. Teaching. Yes, it's true that teaching is NEVER easy for anyone, pregnant or not. Being this pregnant though makes it SO much more difficult than it even is normally. One day I was teaching a lesson and I needed to make a chart with the students to hang in the room. As the students told me their ideas, I added them to the chart. I quickly found out that leaning across my body to write on the chart paper wasn't happening. I couldn't quite make it all the way across my burgeoning belly to successfully write my students ideas on the chart. The students seemed to understand but I'm sure I looked ridiculous. My coteachers were probably giggling inside - I just wanted to crawl in a hole and hide!

So there you have it - there's my top 10 things that are the most difficult for me to do these days in random order. I'm sure if you check back next week I will have more to add to the list. For now I will continue to try to master these until little Miss Cambria decides to make her debut. Please Cami, sooner rather than later so Mommy can get back to feeling like a normal human being again.

36 Weeks!!

Dear Cambria,

Here is a new picture of your tiny little hand telling us everything is A-Okay at 36 weeks! This picture was taken of you on Monday, September 21, 2009 when Mommy went in for another ultrasound to see how big you are. You were weighing in at an estimated 6 lbs 11 oz. already and everything looked great. Your arms and legs were moving around and apparently, just based on your thumbs up picture, you are doing quite well and wanted all of us to know that you're happy too!!

Mommy found out on Tuesday, the day after we saw you on ultrasound, that I am already 2 centimeters dilated and more than 50% effaced. The Doctor assured me that if you were to be born now that everything would be just fine based on how far along I am and your estimated weight too. She did tell me though that she wanted me to take off work for the rest of the week and stay home and relax to try and keep you cooking for another week if possible. It's best for you to stay safe in there until you're considered full term at 37 weeks next week.

For the past 3 days we have been following the Doctor's orders. I am home from work and Gus, you and I have been doing a lot of relaxing, watching TV, reading magazines and just plain RESTING. Although I am starting to go crazy with just sitting here and thinking about going into labor, I know that these few days of rest are necessary to make sure that I deliver a happy and healthy little girl.

Your Aunt Brittany brought up a good point last night. She said that she thinks you already love being the center of attention - you must know you have EVERYONE on pins and needles waiting for your debut - especially now with all of this early labor business. I hope this is no indication that you will give your Mommy and Daddy a difficult time raising you. I like to think that you are just SO anxious to get here and meet your family and that is the real reason for this early labor.

Well Cami, that's all for today. Do your best to try and stay safe in there for at least another few days. We are just as anxious to meet you as you are to meet us, but I'd prefer if you obeyed your parents and stayed put at least until next Wednesday, September 30th so you'll be considered full term. We love you so much and with ALL of our hearts!!

XOXOXOXO,
Mommy and Daddy

Bed Rest!

So after my appointment yesterday afternoon I have been put on bedrest for the remainder of the week due to already being 2 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced. I was shocked - definitely wasn't expecting to be dilated at all - none the less 2 centimeters.

I have tried to embrace the next 5 days of rest per the Doctor's request the best that I can. Here are a few pictures of my favorite places while I'm being ordered to 'rest'. As you can see in the second picture - Gus has really embraced the Doctor's orders too. He seems to really like this bed rest deal! Let's hope the Doctor's orders work. Hang in there for at least another week Cambria!

Nursery Decor

I know that I have not been so great at keeping up with posting as regularly on my blog as I once did. Part of it is due to my long list of things 'to do' before Cami arrives that is taking up all of my free time, part of it is due to being insanely busy at work and part of it is just due to being pure lazy when I do have any free time.

With that being said, we are still patiently awaiting Cambria and each day we wait a little less patiently. Recently we have finished Cambria's nursery and so I want to share some pictures with you of some new 'decor' additions to the room. We are thrilled with how it looks!!

Cami - you can be proud to know that you have the ONLY bedroom in the house with curtains. Obviously we know who rules this roost already!

Here is our new glider. I am thrilled with how it looks and fits and I can't wait to get my little girl here so we can glide together many a nights in this chair!

Although it is hard to see - the sign above the closet says "Thank Heaven For Little Girls". Jon picked this sign out and it goes PERFECTLY!! The picture in the frame to the left is a print of a little girl taking a bubble bath and there is a boxer dog in the tub with her. This is just perfect too because obviously we are having a little girl and as you all know, Gus (our dog) is a boxer and was our first baby.

Lastly - here is Gus snoozing up a storm. He has been doing an awful lot of really cozy sleeping lately. I am convinced he is resting up for the many sleepless nights he will be up pacing with me once the baby is born. I KNOW he will be super protective of Cami once she is here - he's resting up for his big brother duties that will take over in a few short weeks, and who could blame him?!? Rest up buddy - your world is about to be ROCKED!!!

YIKES!!!

I think the title of this post, "YIKES", perfectly describes the two pictures below!

If you have ever thought you had cankles (a combined calf/ankle) don't worry - none come CLOSE to the cankles I experience on a daily basis these days! This is DISGUSTING!! I swear there is a separate foot, ankle and calf in there somewhere. YIKESSSS!!!!

On a happier note, look at this 34 week self portrait belly photo I just took. Please excuse how exhausted I look - I took this after a LONG day of work. Look at how much little Cambria is growing. I guess this belly makes the above photo well worth it, right? She's getting HUGE though - YIKESSSS!!!

34 Weeks

Dear Cambria,

This week I have done a lot of wondering in regards to you. I do a lot of my 'wondering' when I'm driving to/from work and also when I'm at work and can't focus on what I should (I know, I know, I'm a bad teacher lately).

I wonder what/who you will look like. Will you have china eyes like I did when I was born or will you be round and plump like your Daddy? Will you have dark hair, light hair, or even red hair (like Daddy's beard)? I hope you look more like your Daddy, but he hopes that you look more like Mommy.

I wonder what your personality will be like. Will you be a laid back baby or will you be very cranky and constantly screaming? As you grow into your own little person, will you be shy and keep to yourself like Mommy or will you be outgoing and very friendly like your Daddy? Once again, I hope you're more like your Daddy in this regard. He is a definite people person!

I wonder when you will decide to grace us with your presence. Will you come in the late hours of the night or will you show up early/mid day and be ready to party all night? Will you keep Mommy in labor for a long time or will you be a little girl who likes to get things done and arrive very quickly? (Pst, Mom prefers to speedy arrival, please.) Will you come before, on or after your due date?

There are just so many things that you have me wondering about and you're not even here yet. I can only imagine the wondering and day dreaming that I will do once you are here with us. I guess that's one of the MANY side effects of being a mother - I think for the rest of my life I will constantly be wondering and thinking about you. According to the pregnancy books I read, you are about 5 pounds now. I can't even believe that a 5 pound person that I have never seen (except via ultrasound) has already captured my heart the way you have.

I wonder, will you love me half as much as I already love you?

Love,
Mommy

33 Weeks

Dear Cambria,

I know, I know, I have been slacking on posting this past week and I apologize for it. Officially I am 33 weeks pregnant with you now (although I'm closer to 34 because my letter is late this week). We have had a jam packed week and a half since my last letter!! Mommy has been very busy at work and you continue to keep me busy as well with all the new ailments and symptoms you are causing me lately too!

We started out last week with a little bit of a scare. I had just not been feeling very well since about Sunday night. I was tired, my stomach was hurting and I just felt like something was wrong. After barely sleeping at all on Sunday or Monday night I decided (with some coaxing from your Daddy) to call the Doctor on Tuesday morning. After describing my symptoms to them over the phone, they decided they wanted me in right away that day to make sure you weren't trying to make an early escape! When we got to the Dr. we were very thankful to find out that although I was having contractions, they weren't because I was in labor. Apparently you sitting on my bladder constantly gave me an infection and the infection was causing some contractions. The Dr. reassured me that you were safe and sound in there with no signs of any early escape on your part. I happily took the prescription for the antibiotics to begin feeling better and left with peace of mind that you were (and still are) comfortable, safe, sound and perfectly growing. I am now on my 5th day of the antibiotics and am feeling MUCH better (no more contractions, so that's always good).

I will say that another lovely symptom you have been giving to me (your Mommy) lately is a severe case of cankles. I came home from work on Friday night and as soon as I pulled up my jeans to look at my ankles I gasped out loud. Your Daddy came quickly over to see what was going on and when he too saw my feet, ankles and calves he said, "Wow - you have NO ankles anymore". The weird thing is that my right leg is ALWAYS swollen way worse than my left leg too. I am not sure the reason for this, and I will ask the Dr. when I go next, but for now I'm chalking it up to the fact that you're always hanging out in the right side of my belly so you're probably pushing on something on that side that's causing my right foot, ankle and calf to swell that much more. My feet/ankles look the best in the morning and by about noon they have just gone severely downhill. I just pray that this is just a normal part of pregnancy and that when I go to the Dr. next they don't tell me they want me home on bed rest until you're born. I REALLY don't want that, so please cooperate little girl!!!

This weekend is Labor Day weekend so Daddy and I have been lucky enough to have a nice 3 day weekend to stay home and relax. I took a nap yesterday afternoon for over 2 hours and I'm pretty sure I will take a nap this afternoon and possibly tomorrow afternoon too. Weekends are so wonderful because I get to catch up on just relaxing and making sure that you and I are both happy, healthy and rested. Daddy is so understanding too when Mommy needs to rest (whether it be for a nap or going to bed at 8:30) because he wants his girls healthy and safe. God love him!!

As much as I have loved being pregnant with you Cambria, I think I am about ready to meet you. A lot of people have been asking me lately if I'm nervous about labor and delivery and my immediate answer is "Oddly, No!" I think I am just so ready to meet you and have you here with us that I don't even care about the multiple hours (and probably days based on my Mom's experiences) of pain and labor that I will first have to go through. I might change my mind while I'm experiencing this pain, but for now it doesn't make me nervous or anxious at all. I guess I just have my eye on the prize - a beautiful and healthy baby girl! We can't wait to meet you - until then, stay safe and cozy (oh, and please stop poking me in the ribs so I can breathe). I love you!!

Love,
Mommy

Strollin' and Stylin'

I can't believe that I have forgotten to make a post about our latest purchase for Cambria. Here is her brand new stroller and car seat. My personal favorite picture is the last one I posted - it's the Mommy Cam View of what I see while I'm pushing the stroller. (**Notice the cool car seat strap covers too - they're made by my awesome sister-in-law and they go PERFECTLY with her pink/white headrest**)

Jon and I are thrilled with our choice and we know Cami will be the most stylin' baby on the block (or in the mall, park or wherever else we take her). The nice thing is that we didn't have to pay one dime out of our own pockets for this lovely stroller/car seat combo. We had so much money with gift cards and gift returns (due to duplicate gifts) that we had more than enough money to get this without breaking our bank account even further than we already have. I LOVE free baby purchases!

Needless to say, although Cami hasn't made her debut yet, and hopefully she won't for at least another month, her stroller has already gone on numerous 'strolls'. We haven't taken it outside in the neighborhood for fear that our neighbors will think we're lunatics for walking an empty stroller, but we have taken many 'strolls' around our living room and kitchen. Each time one of us is 'strolling' around the house the other typically has a big grin on their face with a cute little remark such as 'it's very fitting on you' or 'you're a natural'. I guess you can say we're just a little bit excited to become parents.

Cami has NO idea how stylin' she'll be with all of her cool gadgets when she arrives. What a lucky little girl! Next on our 'to do' list: Have the base to the car seat installed in our car and then we'll REALLY be ready for her arrival! I can't wait!!!

Peaceful!

This afternoon I did something that was new to me. I washed all of Cambria's 0-3 months sized clothes in preparation for really getting her drawers and closet in her nursery organized. Usually I HATE doing to the laundry. Today was the exact opposite.

As I was folding her clothes (and some receiving blankets, little mittens, etc.) I found myself off in my own world and in complete peace! I found myself smiling as I picked up little onesies. It so suddenly didn't matter that today is Sunday and I have to go back to work tomorrow. Washing and folding her clothes made it that much more real that in less than 8 weeks our little Princess will be here.

After I folded all of her clothes I carefully carried them upstairs and spent a good half hour by myself in her nursery just loving life. I put her clothes away and organized some things and all the while I was in total bliss. I still feel like I need to pinch myself and remind myself every now and then that this is real. Maybe I just need to do baby laundry more often, especially on Sunday's, so it helps put things into perspective for me going into the work week. Who knew laundry could bring someone so much peace and bliss?

32 Week Letter

Dear Cambria,

Another week has come and gone and as always, it's so hard to believe! This week I have been very busy at work and you have just been along for the ride. I have been getting many more comments lately too from students and coworkers about the size of you (and my belly), so obviously they are all noticing how much you've grown lately. I'm glad I'm not the only one who's noticing how big you're getting, but at the same time I'm not sure how I feel about some of the comments that I get either. I do know that I love the fact that each day that passes brings me one day closer to meeting your beautiful face!!

This week your Daddy bought a baby carrier for you from someone at work. He is a little nervous about how he's going to carry you anywhere (to walk the dog, go inside Best Buy, go to the mall, etc.). Not only is he worried about the functionality of carrying you - but you know your Daddy, and he's definitely worried about carrying you in style too! The sling that Mommy got for you is too 'girly' according to your Daddy and so he needed something a little more 'manly' that he would be comfortable carrying you in. Tonight we both tried on the new carrier he purchased and we were getting so excited just thinking of having you inside it so we can go places as a family!

I also want to thank you for something this week. I want to thank you for allowing me to get a little bit more sleep than you have been in the past few weeks. For a while you were a little ninja at night and you would just beat me up all night long, thus keeping me wide awake. This past week you have been more calm at night and so I have been able to sleep in longer stretches (at least until my bladder wakes me up from your little head pushing on it). Last night I slept from 9:30 PM - 2:00 AM without waking up once and it was GLORIOUS! I pray that you continue to cooperate a little in this department so that when you do decide to make your arrival into this world I am a little bit rested for the many sleepless nights that lie ahead of me!

As you continue to grow your Daddy and I continue to patiently wait for your arrival in 8 short weeks (or less possibly - your GMa predicts you'll be born on October 17th). I will admit that the closer we get to your due date the more impatiently we wait, but we know that you need to continue to bake for a while longer so that you will come out as strong and healthy as possible. All I ask is that you don't weigh as much as your Daddy when he was born. Having a 9 pound baby scares me! One thing is for sure though; we will (and already do) love you with everything that we have!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Little Pumpkin...

When my Mom and I were shopping this weekend we came across this most adorable pumpkin costume for a newborn. It only seems fitting that Cami dress up as a pumpkin for her first Halloween since that's what she's making her Mommy look like lately.

I swear that my stomach has grown a ton overnight. Today at work I was so uncomfortable and even sitting didn't help to make me feel better. In fact, whenever I sat down today I felt as though someone was squeezing my chest and restricting me from breathing. Oh wait - that's right, someone (someone we plan to name Cambria) is pushing up on my chest and making it difficult to breathe!

Then there's the awful heartburn that has been making an ugly appearance lately. Usually I can deal pretty well with the heartburn but lately it's been an all day and all night affair and it is NOT fun or doable much longer. This morning as I was getting ready for work I dropped my brush on the floor. As I bent over to pick it up, which was a show in itself, I experienced the most burning sensation in my chest that I have ever had to deal with. For a minute I panicked that something was seriously wrong with me until it settled in that I am 32 weeks pregnant and that it's totally normal under these circumstances. Tums will remain my best friend for the next 8 weeks, that's for sure!

Okay - so back to the pumpkin. Our little pumpkin continues to grow each day and based on my belly size I am SURE of that! I guess I don't mind her making me look more and more like a pumpkin for the next 2 months under ONE condition: She must make her exit in time for Halloween so that the roles can be reversed.

Cambria, on Halloween night you better be born and ready to get dressed up as Mommy's Little Pumpkin. Your costume is adorable, ready and waiting! I can't wait to see you and I know neither can the rest of your family!!

Extreme Exhaustion!

Lately the exhaustion has hit me, and it's hit me HARD! I have heard from people that this exhaustion comes back with a vengence in the third trimester but I was convinced for a few weeks that I had escaped that awful end of pregnancy symptom - until now.

Over the past 2 weeks I have become increasingly more and more tired. It has almost gotten as bad as it was when I was first pregnant. The other day (Saturday) I woke up after sleeping a good long while and after being awake for only 2 hours I was ready to head back upstairs and climb into bed for a 2 hour nap. I guess it's just my body's way of telling me that I need to slow down and relax now while I can.

I have come to the conclusion that this tiredness would not be such a big problem if I didn't have to work full time when being this pregnant. By the time I get to work in the mornings now I am ready for a nap. The problem with that is - once I get to work I just run myself ragged for 8 straight hours before I can head home to do any type of relaxing. I guess I just have to keep looking at that 3D picture of Cambria that's sitting on my desk to remind myself that everything is worth it. Hard to believe in 8 short weeks she'll be here with me - and not to mention that I will get a nice long break from work to be home with her for a few months! :-)

Okay, exhaustion, I will somehow deal with you for a little while longer just so I can get my prize at the end of this 40 week journey!

31 Week Letter

Dear Little Miss Cambria,

I apologize for not writing a 30 week letter to you last week. Things were just too crazy in my life and I didn't get around to it. Now I am back in the swing of things and ready to write to you again.

As of today I am officially 31 weeks pregnant with you. Wow - it almost scares me to say that. 31 weeks seems so far along in my pregnancy and SO close to meeting you!! You are running out of room in my stomach and I'm a little curious as to how you'll even be living in there in another few weeks. Every time you make ANY type of movement now I not only feel it but I can see it from the outside too. Even a little girl at work today claimed she knew I was having a baby because she "saw my belly move" when she was standing next to me. Apparently I'm not the only one that sees you moving around a lot!

I love that you're growing and I love that each day my stomach seems as though it has doubled in size from the previous day. The picture above is a beautiful picture your Daddy took on the morning of Mammy's funeral. I was getting ready and he snapped the picture without me knowing. Your Daddy is fascinated lately at how big you are becoming too. I absolutely love how excited he is now that my belly is so big. Every day he kisses you numerous times and tells you how much he loves you. He has even given my stomach a new nickname: torpedo belly.

What a miracle it is to be pregnant with you and to have new life growing inside of me! As I've mentioned before, when I was little I always dreamed of the day I would find my Prince Charming, get married and be pregnant with a baby. Now that I am actually living that dream, pregnancy is nothing and everything that I expected it to be all rolled into one. Feeling you move inside me is NOTHING what I had imagined it to be - I don't know why and I can't explain it, it just isn't. On the same note, feeling you move inside of me is by far way more cool than I ever expected it to be as well! I will NEVER be able to verbally express the intense motherly bond that I share with you right now. I must admit - although I'm SO excited to meet you in 2 months I am also a little sad to see my pregnancy end. Once you're out in the wide open world that means I have to share you with other people. Rest assured too that there are PLENTY of people who will be pestering me constantly to spend LOTS of quality time with you - your Daddy being #1 on the list. :-) I guess I don't mind sharing with him, especially since he helped make you!

Stay safe, grow stronger, longer and more beautiful every single day. Soon enough you'll be making your departure into the real world to help Daddy and I figure out our next journey in life together: Parenthood! We love you with all of our hearts!!!

Love,
Mommy

Absence...

I realize that I have not posted anything on here in over a week. It seems that the title of my post, absence, is the theme that has taken over my life in the last week. First and foremost I have suffered a great deal of absence in my life recently. I have also suffered absence from my blog and from work as a by product.

Last Wednesday morning around 5:00 AM Jon and I got the call we have dreaded for so long. Jon's Grandmother, Mammy, had passed away in her sleep that evening. Immediately our hearts ached and our lives felt empty and the absence took over and caused much sadness. So many thoughts rushed through our minds: how fast can we get down there to be with his family, how is his grandfather going to handle this, how are we going to handle this, how is his mother going to handle this (she was in Scotland at the time of her passing) and jut the shock in knowing that our lives will never be the same without her here.

Mammy was a WONDERFUL woman. Jon has always looked up to her as a second mother. He grew up only a few streets over from his Grandparents when he was little and they took care of him every day before and after school. I remember when Jon and I started dating and I got to spend more and more time with his Grandparents how blessed I was. I saw the intense love and devotion they had for their grandchildren (they only have two: Jon and his brother) and the intense love they had for each other. I could not have been more blessed when I officially became part of their family and they began to think of me as one of their grandchildren too.

In all of the sorrow and sadness that I have had in the past week, I am now at peace with Mammy's passing. She was in a lot of pain before her death and she fought the pain and suffering for over 2 years. She was a definite fighter! She is now no longer in pain and she is looking down on all of us and watching over us all. She's also probably enjoying a cigarette (or should I say a few packs of them) since she gave them up years and years ago (long before I knew her) and she would often talk about how much she missed them.

One more reason that I am at total peace with Mammy's passing now is because I now know she saw her 4th great grandchild. On Monday afternoon Jon's Grandfather, Grandaddy, brought the computer downstairs and showed Mammy all of Cambria's 4D pictures AND the over sixteen minute video of our ultrasound that we had. She always talked about how great a father Jon would be and we wanted her to share in our experience. We know she's looking down on us, and Cambria, from heaven with a huge smile across her face. I am thankful that she will always be up there to be Cambria's guardian angel!

WE LOVE YOU MAMMY!!!

Kids and Babies

Since starting back to school last week I have made some realizations in regards to school aged kids and their fascination with babies (especially babies still in the womb). They are absolutely OBSESSED! They seem to want to do nothing but touch my belly (with or without permission) and give me 'advice' and ask me questions about babies.

One student (mind you, he does have special needs) looked over at me while his teacher was teaching a lesson, a very important one about playground rules, and started laughing. When I calmly tried to redirect his attention back to the teacher with some nonverbal prompts he continued to laugh even harder than before. When I very calmly in my teacher voice said, "Is there something that's distracting you?" he replied back very loudly, "You have a very fat belly". THANK YOU CAPTAIN OBVIOUS!!!!

Then there was another time, actually this happened yesterday, when I was down at duty helping to make sure kids go home with the right adults. I was standing in the hallway doing my job when a little kindergartner came up to me and put her hand on my belly and said, "Why do you have a baby?" I was a little baffled by this question and so I quickly responded, "I don't know, I just do" and then I proceeded to turn away from her and pretend to be busy so she would not ask anymore questions regarding this matter. She then came back over to me, placed her hand on my stomach again and began lecturing me on how I should drink more water because everything I eat the baby eats. She even lifted her shirt up, pointed to her belly button and said, "Do you know this is how the baby gets food?" She also informed me that when I am nine (I think she meant nine months) my baby will be big and they will cut my stomach open at the hospital and take her out. Oh my....this whole situation made me very uncomfortable.

How do little kids know so much?!?! When I was little I just remember thinking that any married adult woman was supposed to be pregnant and I didn't question it or ponder any part of it when they were. It was just normal!

Why aren't kids that same way today? I have come to the conclusion that I am part of the problem. I, along with all of my other teacher colleagues, teach every child I come in contact with throughout the school day to be inquisitive in everything they do. We teach them that thinking about things and asking questions to learn how things work is good. I guess I should partially blame myself for the baby obsession - after all, they are just curious little ones asking lots of questions and trying to make sense of the whole baby phenomena that is pretty unfamiliar to them. I guess I just wish they would stop making me feel uncomfortable in their learning process.

Presenting Cambria in 3D!

Today we had our big 3D/4D ultrasound done. My Mom, my Dad, my sister (Brittany) and of course Jon were all present. It was a great experience and we definitely learned a lot about Cami.

The first thing we learned is that she is DEFINITELY a girl and there is no mistaking it. Jon breathed a sigh of relief when they told him that since our house has been overtaken with pink! She continues to have a strong heartbeat too - today it was 141 beats per minute.

The second thing we learned is that she is stubborn beyond belief. Her head is still down (on the left side) and she is facing my back. This did not make for great pictures of her face since the back of her head is what was facing up towards the camera. The Dr. that did the ultrasound poked, prodded, had me turn on my side multiple times, had me cough and make noises and all to no avail. She stayed stubborn and remained cozied up (face first into it actually) next to the placenta as if it were her personal body pillow. Honestly, who could blame her? I like to sleep with a body pillow lately and I am DEFINITELY the queen of coziness. I am beginning to think she will be more and more like her Momma! We did manage to get some pictures but they aren't the clearest photos since they had to be VERY clever about the angle they got them from and a lot of the pictures the sound waves had to go through the placenta to capture any of her facial features.

The third thing we learned about her is that she is BEAUTIFUL and smart. She has the cutest little nose and mouth, although we are undecided who they belong to (I think they're a combination of Jon and I). She's smart because every time the umbilical cord passed by her face she opened her mouth as if she was ready to eat. Also, by the end of our ultrasound she was trying to suck on her toes. How cute is that?!

Anyways - here are a few of the better pictures we got of our little Princess. I can hardly contain myself to see her in real life within the next 10 weeks. I can't believe the time will be here so soon! Grow little Cami, grow!!!

Stay Tuned...

Stay tuned for a post later today after our 3D/4D ultrasound of our little girl. Hopefully we will have some GREAT photos to share with you! I am SOO excited. Is it 1:00 yet?

29 Week Letter...

Dear Cambria,

This has been a crazy busy week with the start of the new school year. You and I have been going nonstop daily from about 5 a.m. until about 9:30 p.m. I think you like going to school with me, as I feel you moving around constantly while I'm at work. It's so nice to know that you are so safe and snug in there while I'm working away to help my kiddos learn everything they can this year! Whenever things get hectic during the school day I keep reminding myself that in a few short months I will be able to take some time off to be with you. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Another exciting thing that has happened this week is that we scheduled a 3D/4D ultrasound to see you! We go on Saturday, thanks to your GMa and GPa, to see you again! I can't wait to see how much you have grown and to see some of your facial features (if you cooperate). Your Daddy is a little bit nervous about this because some 3D ultrasound pictures can look a little scary. We know that you will be beautiful but I guess getting the first good look at you is nerve wrecking for him (and I admit, me a little too). I pray every night that you look like your Daddy and that you have his personality too. Daddy on the other hand prays that you look just like your Mommy as a baby. Daddy calls me the little china baby because my eyes were so small and he claims that I looked Chinese when I was born. He wants you to have those same eyes when you're born. Time will tell who you will look like. Maybe you will be a good combination of us both. Whoever you look like, we love you to pieces already and couldn't be happier with the little healthy baby you're growing into!

That's about it for this week's update. It's so hard for me to believe that in 8 short weeks you will be considered full term and ready to come out if you are ready. I would greatly appreciate it though if you stay safely in my belly until VERY close to your due date of October 21st. I continue to love you more with each passing day and I am continued to be comforted in knowing that you are getting bigger and stronger with each new day that goes by. Before we know it you will be here with us - I can only imagine the day when I first lay eyes on you!!! I love you SO much!

Love,
Mommy

First Day of School

Today was the first day of the new school year with the kids. I definitely felt differently about the start to this school year. Last night I did not get the jitters as I normally do and today while I was experiencing the 'first day of school' I felt as though I was experiencing it through a new perspective - the perspective of a mother.

All I could think about today was Cambria. As I watched all of the parents bring their babies into their first day of Kindergarten I kept having these visions of taking Cami to her first day of Kindergarten. I felt more of a connection with the parents and the love they have for their children. Don't get me wrong, I have ALWAYS thought cute little Kindergarteners coming into the building for their first day of school is adorable but this year I think I felt more of what the parents were feeling.

I got teary eyed when I saw one Mom and Dad walk their child in and take multiple photos of their son standing in the hallway with his backpack on while giving a thumbs up. Then as their son walked away from them down the hallway with confidence, while periodically turning around to wave to them with a big smile on his face, the Mom and Dad stood and embraced in the hallway while watching their baby reach another milestone (and a big one at that!) in his childhood. Ahhh - it just gets to me. I could just feel the love that those parents were feeling along with the overwhelming sense of accomplishment to have gotten their 'baby' this far through their hard work, dedication and love.

As I continued my day I continuously found myself looking at all of the children I came in contact with through the eyes of a Mom rather than a Teacher. At the end of the day as I was driving home I was reflecting upon my experiences of today's 'first day' versus the other 'first days' I have experienced. I came to the conclusion that becoming a Mother is probably the best thing I could have done for not only my personal life but also my professional life. I know that these motherly instincts, thoughts and feelings will make me a much more effective teacher. To put it simply; there is nothing better than being able to look at each and every child in my school through the perspective of a Mother. Thank you Cambria, thank you for giving me the opportunity to to not only be your Mother but to now be able to look at all children with the love and passion that a Mother can only feel and understand.