Happy Birthday Camilla Ann!

We can't believe that 11 days ago, our sweet Camilla Ann was born! She arrived via emergency c-section due to being breach on Monday October 18th at 1:36pm weighing in at 5lbs 7oz and stretching a tall 19.5" long. We simply adore her!

39 weeks!

Leaving home to have one last family of 3 dinner, then to the hospital!

Mommy was scheduled for induction on that Monday 10/18, but because at my last checkup, I was only 1cm dilated and 50% effaced, Dr. Duggar had me check into the hospital Sunday night to start pre-induction by taking Cytotech. However, upon the nurses examining me after getting to the hospital they discovered I'd progressed to 3cm on my own since my last appt! Dr. Duggar was notified and told them to skip the cytotech pill and just start me on pitocin as scheduled at 5am the next morning. Nurses woke Mommy up bright and early so I could get one last shower in and get freshened up for the day - it was fun to think that by the next shower, I'd have Camilla! Part of me got sad, so I cried in the shower (damn hormones), but then as preggie hormones do, I did a 180 and got happy within 25 seconds of shedding tears. Nurses then started pitocin once I was ready and off I went to the happy land of labor!

Somewhere around 9-10am they broke my water (the MOST uncomfortable part) - it reminds you very quickly what it'd be like to not have bladder control. Trust me people, be glad you have bladder control - having your water broken makes you feel like you just peed yourself. Not glamourous in the least. But motherhood rarely is.

Looking happy (thanks to the drugs!)

Around 11-ish I was having really strong contractions reaching into the 100's +....if you don't know how strong that is....it's like your body is resting at 0, then as your contraction strengthens, the numbers climb higher. I was able to tolerate up into the 40-50's, but after that I wanted to punch someone in the face. That's a serious kind of hurting going on to want to do that! I received my epidural and was much happier. I have forgotten to mention that I had med students following my 'case' all day....no worries, I had agreed to it and so I had some fun with them. They were all fun and helped pass the time. As they were all talking about the differences in my contractions, it was interesting to hear them discuss the 'medical' part of it all - it was like my own little science/school lesson. So there I was in major labor, gettin' my learn on. Now THAT's multi-tasking!

Rod was a champ through the entire morning as he arrived when they started pitocin, so I know he was exhausted. Daddy's have a hard time with waiting. And patience. He did good though - no lion pacing back and forth this time around like he had done when Sophia arrived. Although, he did go and treat himself to a yummy looking lunch in the Dr's lounge (thanks to his dad giving him access!). It only made Mommy hungrier! He got lunch, I got more pitocin.

Soon, they checked me and discovered I was fully dilated and ready to push! Delivering Sophia was an absolute breeze, so I was extremely calm when it came time to deliver Camilla. Enter the drama here. My nurse calmly asked me after a few good pushes, "Did your firstborn have lots of hair?" and I replied enthusiastically, "Yes, she had TONS"....I'm not sure if that is a code line used by nurses to notify the Dr. that something might be up, but Dr. Duggar came over (he was prepping the cord blood collection kit) and examined me and discovered Camilla was BREACH. WHAT?! I freaked out. Only a few days earlier, he had examined me and confirmed she was indeed vertex (head first). Oh my God...I knew what this meant: C-section. I was absolutely, undeniably terrified. I simply told Dr. Duggar to do what he needed to do to get her out quickly and safely - as she was already in the birth canal. I knew we were limited on time. Meanwhile, more than me freaking out, I'm pretty sure the med students were freaking out too...however, this was an added 'excitement' factor to their day. All of the sudden nurses, Dr.'s and med students were rushing everywhere getting things ready to go to surgery. Meanwhile I was completely melting down - I just didn't expect this. I couldn't pull myself together - but could anyone blame me? Had I had a planned C-section, this would've been okay.

Into surgery I went and when the drape was pulled up I was more terrified than ever before - but I had an awesome anesthesist who kept me calm & reassured. Before I knew it, he had me so calm the next thing I heard was Dr. Duggar saying "here she is!" and hearing Camilla cry! Then of course I cried and I think Rod teared up too - but that could've been that I finally let up on my death grip too!? Camilla in her barenaked glory was brought around the drape so I could see her and then whisked off to the other side of the room for the first few tests, etc. They then wiped her down and swaddled her and handed her to Rod...he was SO proud! I got to kiss her and I cried some more...it was all finally over!

Happy Birthday Camilla Ann!



Rod followed Camilla and I was all sewn up - listening to Dr. Duggar quiz the med students on what he was doing and why and the methods, etc. Actually kinda interesting to hear...kind of like a book on tape as you ride in the car...except a quick med quiz as you're sewn up! I had to get my kicks where I could....I was just traumatized and elated within a 15min period. I went into recovery where one of the nurses had a Strawberry frapp (or smoothie something) from Starbucks and all I could think of was, "mmm, could I have a sip of that?". I'm crazy. It was nice and quiet there and I just closed my eyes and dreamt of sweet Camilla and how she was going to be worth every bit of what I just endured. I was so right!

I went up to the post-partum ward where my mom, dad & brother were waiting. Rod was still with Camilla in the nursery but would be there soon. No matter how old you are, it's nice to see your mom, dad & brother after major surgery! My brother had taken the day off work for the big event and brought the most beautiful pink flowers (that are just as beautiful 10days later!) an adorable balloon (that is still floating high) and a little gift for Sophia. He's the best!


Soon Daddy arrived with Camilla and I could snuggle her for the first time! I was in heaven! She was so sweet and tiny...like a little baby doll. There I sat, a new mommy all over again, holding the sweet baby that I had prayed so hard for! She is such a little miracle and I then understood how much my heart was capable of overflowing with love for not one little girl, but TWO. I was overcome with joy and I couldn't believe that I had two beautiful children to call my very own!

Later that afternoon/early evening Lopez's, brought Sophia up to meet her new sister and it was LOVE at first sight! Sophia had been waiting, and waiting, and waiting for her sister to be born...and now she could finally kiss Camilla rather than my tummy. She was elated and probably the proudest new big sister I have ever seen! I was thrilled to see that sweet moment between them as now it would be the beginning of a life-long relationship I had always wanted myself - having a sister. I had quick flashes of all the things they'd share together...and even the little spats they'd have. I smiled.




Our hospital stay was great...Camilla was doing well despite a bit of slight jaundice and a few low bloodsugar levels. With formula supplementation, we brought sugar levels back up to where they should be and all is well. She could barely drink an ounce or more, but now she is our resident piggy! She drinks 2oz and nurses on top of that....oink, oink!! She's growing rapidly - at her weight check this past week, she's up to 5lbs 5oz...almost back to her birthweight. I can't wait to see what they say at her 2wk check up this next Monday. She is also a very calm and easy baby....happy to be held, but sleeps and is generally happy. Barely squeaks when you change her diaper....well, she cries, but it's such a small tiny cry. It's almost cute to hear!


Dressed & ready to go home

Sophia with Camilla in a toy cradle great Grandpa Schultz made!



We are simply elated over our little Camilla and can't wait to do more updates! Check in with us often as I am making it a goal to update the blog weekly (if not more). I've discovered being a mommy to two little girls is a BUSY job! Sophia wears me out more than Camilla these days - pray I can survive these first few weeks! HA!

Ol' Smartypants...

These days, being a big pre-schooler and all, Sophia is our resident smartypants. Not only does she THINK she knows everything, she's positive she knows it BETTER than you. Ah, so now I know how it feels to raise a teenager...and for that let me go ahead and apologize to my own parents. I don't think I was ever a pill to deal with, but I'm pretty sure I had my moments. So, for the record Mom and Dad - "You were right". Now I can move on and be privileged to the same parental hell - twice. Make that quadruple. If every toddler has this 'pre-teen' act, then I'll get to experience that twice. Then when they're actually teenagers (gasp!), that'll be a two-time experience as well. So, by the end of it, maybe they'll call me the "Teen Whisperer". One can only dream....

Smartypants, aka Sophia, seems to act like a 15yr old girl trapped in this little 3.5yr olds body. She gives the huffs, the puffs, the facial expressions and gestures (no middle finger yet, thank goodness!). It's almost like the real-life version of those funny commercials (have gone COMPLETELY blank on the product/company!) where the parent is shown talking to the toddler daughter about ready to drive the car, but then at the end of the commercial the audience realizes the 'toddler' is really a legal driving aged teen....the parent just still sees them as toddlers. It's either an insurance or car commercial....they're cute. That's what Rod and I feel like when we're talking to Sophia...she sounds so much older than what she looks like. Her reasoning skills are pretty accute and I'm not sure if that's good or bad! She often surprises us by using big words in the correct context and giving pretty good explanations of things.

Here are some fun tidbits that she's learning in school (just a random rolling list):

• "criss-cross applesauce" is said when she needs to sit indian style
• loves reading the first book she made in school, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" ("what do you see?")
• the cute rhymes she's learning to help her remember how to make her numbers:

--"Straight then down, and then you're done...that's how you make a number ONE"

--"Around & back on the railroad track, TWO, TWO, TWO"

--"Around the tree, around the tree, that's how you make a number THREE"

--"Make a hat, take a dive, make a big round tummy and that's a number FIVE"

• She loves coming home and playing school and pretending to be Mrs. Thomas, her teacher. We must sit in front of her dry-erase board and practice letters and numbers. Sometimes we'll get sent to time out too.

Some other fun things we've been noticing at this age are:

• she loves eating marshmallows (white, pastel, shapes, etc!)
• enjoys making s'mores with mommy
• she's very into playing 'babies' - feeding them, changing their diapers, tucking them in, rocking them, etc.
• adores helping us in the kitchen with whatever little job she can do....she's a really good little muffin maker!
• loves to play "beautyshop" with both mommy & daddy. Complete with brushing, clips and spraying our hair with the spritzer bottle until soaking wet.
• Favorite movies: The Jungle Book, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Little People and random Barbie princess movies that were a hand-me-down from our old neighbor Mackenzie Parker.
• thinks she is "Wendy" from Peter Pan when she wears her blue nightgown
• Favorite Disney shows: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place
• Favorite other shows: Wonder Pets, Dora, and anything music related (if she thinks you aren't watching her, she'll dance and pretend she's performing!)
• Loves singing along to the CD Daddy made for her this summer. Favorite songs include: "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus, "Round & Round" and "You are the Thunder" by Selena Gomez, "Baby" by Justin Bieber and sometimes a Jonas Brothers song or two.
• Favorite Books to read at naps/bedtime: "The Three Little Pigs", "Fancy Nancy" and "Bedtime for Mommy"....all of which she has "memorized" so she can 'read' to us!
• Favorite things to Wear: jean shorts, jeans, jean skirt, pink jeweled flip flops, headbands
• Favorite Foods: boiled peanuts, broccoli, CHEESE, marshmallows, goldfish (we should own stock in Pepperidge Farm), mac & cheese and any food you make into small pieces and put 'party toothpicks' in....it then becomes "party_______". Hilarious. Oh, and LOVES dessert.

Oh, Sophia the Smartypants is a character indeed! She is a crack-up on a daily basis for sure - I'm sure once Camilla is here, she'll be more of a ham to get some attention. That should be interesting!

Sweet Sophia

I'm thankfully nearing the end of my pregnancy with Camilla (37wks this week), but as I look forward to sweet new memories with another very special little girl I get the privilege to call my daughter, I have a renewed sense of just how special my first-born really is....my dear Sweet Sophia.



Sophia is growing so fast and some days I forget to enjoy it - sometimes it's a tad difficult when a 3.5yr old is testing your patience to the max. But then at bedtime when she's reading YOU the bedtime stories in her new big-girl bed, you realize how amazing this little being really has become! She has grown out of her "terrified to go to school" phase that plagued us the beginning of this year, to now LOVING it. So much so that she loves to play 'school' and be her teacher, "Mrs. Thomas". Complete with hand gestures and copied teacher-phrases, Sophia takes on the teacher role pretty darn well. You best mind her, otherwise she WILL put you in time out!



She is busy learning her letters and numbers and is SO proud of herself when she recognizes them among signs, words, names....and everywhere you can imagine. One of her favorite places to give a shout out while in the car is CVS Pharmacy....solely for the fact it has 3 of her favorite letters:



C= Camilla's letter

V= Violet's letter (bff at school)

S= "My letter!"



She associates all of our families with "their" letters (N=Nana, P=Papa, A=Abuelita & Abuelito, etc.) and is very proud to be able to write many of them on her own. I'm not sure if it's preggie hormones or just motherly-pride, but I have cried over how tremendously smart she really is. She has the same voracious appetite for reading, writing and learning in general that I remember having when I was very little too. In kindergarten I used to read lots of books to my class....and I LOVED writing stories (figures that I'd grow up and love to blog too). Both served me well and I hope she continues to love it.



Sophia continues to crack us up with the little gems that seem to fall out of her mouth - whether she intended to be funny or not. Many times we struggle to hide our laughter as it is not the appropriate time nor place....oops. Rod and I are just big kids, so we're not that great at hiding it.



I have to admit that every now and then I have a good little cry over the fact that my sweet 'baby' Sophia is nearing 4 and is acting so grown up. It makes me realize that when Camilla does arrive, I need to relish and cherish every moment with her as she will grow up quickly. I do get sad thinking about in only 12days Sophia will no longer be the center of our universe, but she will be forever changed by this new baby girl. I wonder if she will be able to handle the change and find love in her heart to share with Camilla. Since I'm the youngest, it's an emotion I never dealt with myself. However, I'm desperately hoping she will grow up knowing just how lucky and blessed she is to have a sister - something I wished, prayed and begged my own parents for.



I'm pretty sure that Sophia will make a fantastic big sister, because she made Camilla a bunny just like her own at Build-A-Bear this past Sunday. Sophia even picked out lavender ribbons for Camilla's bunny (since her room is lavender) and Sophia's bunny has pink ribbons (since her room is pink)....Sophia made mommy SO proud:

Picking out Camilla's bunny

Making a special wish for the bunny's heart

Sophia the master stuffer!

Giving Camilla's bunny a 'bath'

Typing up the bunny's birth certificate!

Meet "Molly" - Camilla's new bunny!

I'll blog in another post about all the neat things Sophia is doing/learning at school....she's our resident smarty-pants these days!