Family of 4 - Natalie Quinn has arrived!

Hi friends and family! We are officially a family of 4! Miss Natalie joined our family on September 4th! Before getting into the arrival of little miss, I want to make sure I continue to write my blog the way I have been in the past (family activities, upcoming events and of course CAM!!) Because I had a feeling Natalie was going to be coming early, my family decided to have my birthday dinner before my actual birthday so I could enjoy myself (Thank you Heathy for putting it together!) We met at the Tap House in Bellevue for dinner (which was fun and delish) then ended up outside in the water feature of course. Cameron dragged everyone by the hand through the water squealing and laughing. We all had a wonderful time and I'm so thankful for my loving family - Thanks guys!! The day before my birthday dinner with the fam, Ryan and I went to the opening Husky game!! I was so determined to make it to the game, even though I was days away from giving birth. Ryan, Katherine and Dustin took great care to make sure I was comfortable and happy (THANK YOU!) We tailgated for a while then walked 15 minutes to the stadium then walked all the way to our seats (section 325) I was so proud and winded! I had a lot of people staring at me wondering why this super pregnant girl was at a football game in the heat - I dont blame them! We had such a good time and I'm so glad we made it there. After the game, we went back to my parents house (Cammie was having a sleepover) and my mom rubbed my feet - I'm so spoiled! September has gone by in a flash because of the lack of sleep. We didn't get out very much in the last 3 weeks but did manage to make it out to Poulsbo for the family September birthday party. It was a lot of fun for everyone - my uncle's place is right on the beach so Cam played by the water all day. This was the first time all of my family was able to meet Natalie. She was passed around like a hot potato and slept the whole time! The drive was a nice getaway because of how tired we were. Ryan was able to take some time off of work after Natalie was born. He took Cam to MyGym two weeks in a row while I got to stay home with Natalie. My mom was also a huge help and came down a couple days to clean, help with the kids and offer me much needed mommy support. I don't know what I would do without my mama. She always makes me feel confident, happy and comforted. Cammie has been such an angel this month. This has been a huge transition for him and though he has regressed some, he has been a trooper. The biggest change in his behavior is his clingyness to me. He wants to have my full attention all the time and is having trouble waiting patiently for things. He also has started to pull people that are holding Natalie. He wants them to pay attention to him, not her. I'm actually really surprised that he has little to no interest in Natalie because he was interested in Noli. When asked to give Nat a kiss, he would blow a kiss (now he will kiss her) but that is about it. He is a big help when I need a diaper or wipes. He has been so good that I decided to take him to Target and let him pick out a present for good behavior. He chose Thomas bubble bath and a little police car. After that, I took him to Starbuck and they made him a little sample size vanilla frapp for being the best big brother. Everyone has been super nice and understands that Cam is noticing a big change - when they come over, they greet him first and make him feel special. Cameron is continuing to excel with his vocabulary and is really starting to experience the world around him. He recently began showing interest in puzzles, so we decided to get a couple toddler apps for the ipad for him. He can easily do shape puzzles, matching puzzles, car puzzles, etc with no trouble. He is becoming quite an expert with the ipad and it's funny to watch him navigate to his own folder. Cam is still obsessed with cars and loves his new present from his sister. Natalie gave her big brother a set of hotwheel cars on her birthday to show him how special he is. He was beside himself and had to hold all 5 at once. Every Thursday, Cammie runs to the front door when he hears the garbage man (he thinks its Bob the builder) and watches him intently. The last two weeks, "Bob" has brought him hotwheel cars!!! He has to eat with the new car by his plate, nap with it and carry it around for the rest of the day. ADORABLE! Cammie is now officially in his big boy bed (transitioned himself 1 week before I gave birth, of course) and is doing very well. Some nights he plays around and gets out but usually stays in bed and sleeps through the night. He also is completely out of his highchair and is eating at his own little table. It was bittersweet for me because I hated how he would throw food in the highchair when he wanted out but sad he isn't my little baby anymore. September has been considerably cooler and has brought a lot of rain as well. Cam has been out in it a lot and loves to put on his rubber boots and rain jacket and stomp puddles outside. It is so cute to see him try to lift those heavy boots and stomp around. Yesterday I packed up all of his summer clothes and brought out an adorable fall wardrobe for him (craigslist/consignment!) I can't wait to see him in some new digs! October is going to be fun with Cammie. Uncle Ryan and Auntie Heather want to take him to the pumpkin patch, Halloween is coming and cool weather to take long walks is here. I still plan on taking him (and Nat) to MyGym every week and try to maintain his normal schedule. Cameron is extremely patient and sweet. He has made having another baby a little easier, even though I have a lot of guilt sometimes when he flashes me a sad face. I love my baby boy so much and we couldn't be prouder of him. He is always smiling and making us laugh. Not a day goes by where I don't count my blessings. Natalie Quinn was born at 11:15 in the morning on September 4th at Swedish First Hill after a short 2 hour labor and delivery. She was 9 days early and I couldn't have been happier! I will try my best to put in words her birth story. On September 4th, I had my 38 week OBGYN appointment at 10:30 and Ryan was going to come with because of how far along I was and we had Cam with us. After waking up and getting out of bed, I noticed I was feeling crampy and uncomfortable but didn't think anything of it because I was like that for a couple days. After getting myself ready, I really didn't feel right and thought I might be going into labor. I told Ryan and he started preparing Cameron for the car ride to the appointment and I called the OBGYN on call to let her know how I was feeling. She told me to go to my regular office visit at 10:30 but if I started to have contractions, go to the triage center instead. We packed Cammie up in the car, kissed the girls goodbye and we were off (7:50). On our way to Swedish (stuck in traffic by the way) I began to have a couple contractions. The contractions were uncomfortable but consistent. After about 3 contractions, I decided to start timing them. After tracking them for about 20 minutes, we came to the conclusion that I was going into labor and triage was the place to be. I called my parents to come to the hospital (I needed my mom for me and Cammie needed Papa ASAP!!)and Ryan called his parents. We arrived at triage at 8:45 and my contractions were starting to get more uncomfortable but I was still talking through them and making jokes (you know me!) At 9:05, my parents arrived just in time, and my dad took Cammie in the waiting room. The nurse hooked me up to the monitor and noticed my contractions were 5 minutes apart and were huge. She checked me and said that I was 3 cm dilated. I was now in a ton of pain and began focusing on one thing to get through them. After about 30 minutes of monitoring, the nurse instructed me to get up and walk around for an hour or two and come back at 11:30. I was in a lot of pain but got myself up and walked to the bathroom. My mom told the nurse that I went fast with my first baby, but the nurse didn't seem to care or listen. After walking out of the bathroom towards my bay in triage, my contractions were on top of each other and I wasn't getting a break in between. I told the nurse and she decided to page my OB to see if they could admit me. At 10:40, they finally decided to admit me and had me walk down the hallway to my L&D suite. When I got to the bed, I could barely walk and was in a lot of pain. Ryan was massaging my back while my mom was holding up my focal point - a picture of Cammie and my Gramps. I stared intensely at that picture and told myself I was going to have another little lovie and that my Gramps was watching over me. I wanted an epidural so badly at this point and they called the DR to come. I sat in so much pain on the edge of the bed waiting for them to prep me for the epidural. I told the nurse that I had to push and started to. She was yelling at me to focus and NOT PUSH!! My body was saying otherwise and was pushing on its own. Finally, they decided not to do the epidural and try an pain med instead. They told me to lay down and checked me again (only for the 2nd time!) and the nurse yelled that I was complete and ready to deliver! Just then, my OB ran into the room and told me to start pushing (FINALLY!!) After 3 or 4 contractions/pushing, Natalie Quinn Thody was born at 11:15am. She was so beautiful and had a chunky little face. She weighed 7 pounds 10 ounces and was 18.5 inches long. She was perfect. I couldn't believe she was here and how quickly it all went. I was so happy that we had another healthy baby with no complications for either of us. Both of our families were in the waiting room and came in shortly after she was born. The first night in the hospital was ok but we wanted to go home. Ryan and Heather drove Cameron home the next day. Cameron wasn't interested at all but was excited to see Mama and Dada. Natalie is a lot different than Cameron. She is a lot fussier and demands to be cuddled, held or swaddled. She goes hours without nursing then eats like a little piggy. Breastfeeding has again been a huge struggle for me. Once again, I started off with severe trauma, pain and a lot of tears. With Cameron, I ended up exclusively pumping for almost 6 months and never had the opportunity to successfully latch him (he was a biter, scratcher, never opened his mouth up enough and would graze). I was more determined than ever to make this work for me. Without getting into too much detail, I can say that after letting myself heal (pumping without latching) I have successfully begun breastfeeding Natalie on one side with no pain. I am still pumping the left side and giving it more time before latching. This has been a blessing in disguise because I have been able to freeze 160 ounces of milk for Natalie. We aren't out of the woods yet, but I feel confident that we will be experts at this breastfeeding thing soon. A struggle like this only brings me peace knowing that I'm doing everything I can for my children and hopefully I will be able to help another mother who is facing the same struggles. Natalie is extremely patient with me and only gets fussy when she is hungry. I'm very lucky because she only eats every 3-4 hours and eats so quickly! I know breastfeeding isn't for everyone but I wanted to so badly. My mama never did, but I can say that she has been such a huge support to me through all of this. She herself now knows all the breastfeeding terms, positions and how its supposed to be. THANK YOU MAMA!! Life is starting to get a little more routine and I feel like shortly I will be pretty good at taking care of two kids. I can't wait for the upcoming months and the holidays with my little family. Thank you to everyone who has called, visited, texted, emailed and facebooked us. We appreciate all the love and support from you. To finish up this blog entry, here are some pictures of Cammie and Natalie! Enjoy!!