Three Months Old!

Cami turned 3 months old yesterday. We spent the day visiting with my cousin, Matt, and his wife Emily at the Botanical Gardens. They have a ten-month old daughter named Caroline who just took her first steps this weekend. Mady really loves visiting with Caroline.

Cameron is growing so quickly. She has become much more vocal in the last week or so. When she is in a good mood, she is a very jabbery baby. She is also focusing on us much better now and can follow objets with her eyes. It is also getting much easier to get her to smile, which is a lot of fun.

Cloth Diapers

We finally made the jump to cloth diapers. For any Baby Boomers out there following this blog, let me be the first to tell you that cloth diapering has evolved. These ain't yo mama's cloth diapers. In fact, it is a good thing that Carrie has a PhD, because she spent two solid weeks researching diapers. There are dozens of diapering systems, and scores of manufacturers. Diapers come in cotton, synthetic fiber, fleece,
wool, hemp, and bamboo fiber, just to name a few. Each of these materials has pros and cons. Some are more absorbent, some are better at "wicking"
the moisture away from baby, some don't stink as much as others, some are less bulky than others. There are pocket diapers, pre-fold diapers, and insert diapers. Some come with Velcro, some come with snaps, and some use a little stretchy claw device called a "snappi" which as eliminated the need
for safety pins. Some diapers are sized, and some are adjustable to fit from
birth to potty training.

In addition to all of the diapering systems to choose from, there are a whole array of diapering accessories that are needed to do this right. There are special detergents forwashing diapers to avoid rashes and maximize absorbency. We had to get a new
diaper pail with liner and a travel bag for storing soiled diapers. We also
picked up a rack for our changing table to store all of these products.

We have been doing this for about three days now, and it seems to be working pretty well. There
was a little rash issue at first, but we made some adjustments to our detergent
situation, and the rash has cleared up. The cloth diapers are doing a very good
job containing everything so far. We did have the occasional diaper breach with
disposables, and we're hoping those days are behind us. We are still using
disposables for night-time, but within a week, we should be ready to convert
fully to cloth. In the long run, this should save us money, and it is a more
environmentally friendly way to go. The biggest draw backs so far are that we
have to do laundry more often and some of her outfits don't fit as nicely
around the additional bulk.

Thanksgiving 2011

Grandma Beyer came to visit for a week in the middle of November. I was in Grand Rapids at a
conference, so she took the Mega Bus to Cleveland to help Carrie with the
girls. Then my folks were both out here again last week for Thanksgiving. Steve
and Krista hosted the dinner with her family and ours. They did a really nice
job preparing a very fancy pants dinner. Unfortunately, Mady had gotten sick
that day, so Carrie stayed back with the girls. There was plenty of leftovers
to bring home to them, but hopefully we'll all be together for the meal next
year.

On Saturday, we had a big Beyer family gathering which was a lot of fun.
Cami got to meet most of my relatives for the first time. Mady and I were busy
cheering the Wolverines on as the beat OSU for the first time in seven years.
Someone slipped Cami into an OSU cheerleader outfit while I wasn't looking, which made her a littel cranky. All in all, it was an awesome holiday weekend and it was wonderful to be able to spend so much time with family.

2 months old

It has been a while since our last update. We have decided to get by without a computer in our apartment for the time being, but we will try stay on top of the blogging.

Cameron turned 2 months on 11/17. She has nearly doubled in weight since her birth. At her two month check up she was 11lbs 10 oz. She eats really well and sleeps really well. She is also a pretty regurlar napper, so it has been pretty easy to get her on a routine for the day. Most days, Carrie, Mady, and Cami have an outting or activity in the morning. I come home for lunch as often as possible. The girls (all three of them) nap together in the afternoon. We have a little bit of play time before and after dinner, then we have the bedtime routine. If we stick to the routine, we usually have a pretty good day. We are getting more smiles and happy coos out of Cami now, which is really fun. By 5 weeks the smiles were a pretty daily occurance.

Mady is also continuing to adjust to her new role. She really loves being a big sister. In fact, she usually insists that we address her as "big sister" and will tell people that is her name. She has been prone to little bouts of jealousy, particularly when it comes to having pictures taken. She really has no patience for pictures that aren't of her. She also insists that her teddy bear is her other little sister and that we should treat it as such. All in all, she is a very helpful big sister. She especially likes to assist with diaper changes. Mady is in charge of putting the used diaper in the can.

Too Cute for Words

Halloween!

This was our first "real" trick or treat experience with our kids (Last year we took Mady to the mall). Aunt Krista invited us out to her place for Halloween to go trick or treating in her neighborhood. She also made us a wonderful dinner and baked up some spooky cupcakes, which we used to celebrate Grandma Linda's birthday. Mady had been looking forward to this for a long time (thought I still don't know if she or Aunt Krista was more excited about it).

Mady decided to be a pirate this year, and Carrie had a matching costume. We found a cute pea-pod outfit for Cami, so I decided to be a farmer to match her. I didn't put too much thought into my costume. I figured jeans and a flannel would suffice. At one house some lady asked where my costume was, and I explained that I was a farmer, and she replied, "well, the important thing is that you are out with your kids." Thanks a lot.

Cami stayed back at the homefront and helped Grandma and Grandpa pass out candy while Mady took Aunt Krista, Mommy, and me trick or treating. She had a great haul. We even had to come back once to unload the basket to make room for more candy.

I have a newfound appreciation for Halloween now that I am on the receiving end of Mommy-Daddy candy tax!

Baptism

On October 30th, we had Cameron baptized at Royal Redeemer Lutheran Church. It took us a while to find a church that felt like a good fit in the area. This one is a thirty minute drive, but we think it will be well worth it. The baptism was only our third visit to the church, so it felt a little strange to be standing in front of a crowd of strangers to have our daughter baptized, but hopefully they won't fee like strangers for much longer. Cami's Grandmothers are her God-Parents.

The timing worked well because it was right at the end of my mom's month long visit to Clevland. My dad drove out for the weekend. Carrie's parents came up from Kansas to stay for a week. They also brought a trailer full of our things that they had been storing for us for the last eight years. This was Lee's first time meeting his newest Granddaughter, so it was very nice to have some time with them. My grandparents and several of my aunts and uncles were able to join us, as well as my brother and his wife. Afterwards we went out for brunch at a local restaurant where we were able to get a private room. It was a very nice day.

Field Trip!

Last week we took Cami and Mady out to an orchard with Grandma Beyer and Uncle Steve and Aunt Krista. There were plenty of attractions there for them. We went on a hay ride, Mady jumped in a bounce house, Uncle Steve and I got lost in a corn maze, and we picked up some pumpkins. Near the end of our visit, it was clear that Mady was getting a little bit of a cold, and since she had missed her nap, the trip ended with some fussiness.

On Wednesday, Carrie's folks drove out here to stay with us for a week. This was Grandpa Mittelstedter's first time meeting his new granddaughter, which was very exciting. They brought out a lot of our stuff that we had been storing at their house, including our bed. After eight and a half years of marriage, we are finally sleeping in our own bed! They picked this week to visit because Cami's baptism will be this Sunday.

The Greanya family drove down from Michigan to visit with us today since they aren't able to be here on Sunday for the baptism. We were excited to get to see them again.

Cami continues to do very well. She eats well and poops very little. The doctor suggested that she has a very efficient digetive system. She is generally a very even-tempered baby. Best of all, she continues to sleep well at night. We can usually count on at least 5 hours of good sleep each night.

Mady is still doing well as a big sister. She has recently started getting jealous when we take pictures of Cami, so we are careful to also take pictures of her. Even so, it is sometimes challenging to keeping her from inserting herself between Cami and the camera every time we take it out.

Tomorrow is the baptism, then Monday is Halloween and Grandma's birthday, so we will have more to share soon!

1 month old!

Wow. It already feels like time is zipping right by. Today is Cameron's one month birthday. She is doing really well. The ooziness in her eye and belly button has completely cleared up. She is gaining weight really nicely. She had a checkup today and is up to nine pounds, which is very average for her age (literally the 50th percentile). She graduated to the size 1 diapers last week. She sleeps really well, generally only waking to eat twice each night (not every night, but most nights). She also doesn't have the long bouts of inconsolable crying that Mady had when she was a newborn, and we are very grateful for that.

Grandma Beyer has been with us for the last two weeks, and she has been a big help. She has really given Mady a lot of attention, which has allowed Carrie to focus on Cami. Grandpa Beyer came into town last weekend, and we got to celebrate their birthdays. They had an impromptu cake and ice cream party at my Grandpa's house, and since we live in town, we were able to load the girls into the van and take them over for the party. This was Cami's first opportunity to meet her Great Grandfather.

The other excitment this week is that we finally found a new church home. It is a very large church with lots of young families and small children. The downside is that it is a 25 mile drive to get there, but it was important to us to find a church where we would have opportunities to connect with people at a similar place in life as us. Every church we visited in Cleveland had few, if any, young families, and almost no children's programs. The church is called Royal Redeemer, and it is located in North Royalton, OH. We are planning on having Cami baptized there on 10/30. If you are in the area and want to join us, we'd love to see you there.

Two Weeks Old!

Today is Cameron's two-week birthday and what an exciting two weeks it's been! Grandma Mittelstedter had been staying with us for a few weeks to help us out. She returned home to Kansas on Wednesday. I was able to take the rest of the week off of work to help out at home. Grandma B is coming in to town tonight and will be staying with us for a few weeks as well. It won't be until the middle of October that we finally have to figure out how we're going to get by with two little girls while I'm working full time. We've already discovered how difficult it is to get everyone out the door now. Between last minute feedings, potty trips, and diaper changes, it could take up to an hour to get going. Hopefully we'll figure this out with practice.


Cami had her two week check-up yesterday. She is up to 8 lbs now, so she is eating and gaining weight really nicely. She is fighting a little cold, but it isn't too bad. It is just causing her some congestion. Her left eye is a little goopey, but it seems to be clearing up. Her belly-button is also oozing a bit. Her doctor put a little silver nitrate on it, so hopefully that will dry things out. She sleeps a lot during the day while someone is holding her, but isn't a great sleeper during the night. Quality sleep is elluding us for now, but that is all part of life with a newborn.

Last week we celebrated Cami's one week birthday. Grandma and Grandpa Beyer drove out from Wisconsin to meet their new granddaughter. It was a beautfiul day, so we spent the morning at a Lake Erie beach with Grandma M, and Grandma and Grandpa B. We had a very full house for the afternoon when the LaVignes (6 of them) came to visit. In the evening, we celebrated with a cheesecake. It was a very full weekend!

Mady is doing really well as a big sister. She likes to give Cami lots of hugs and kisses. She also likes to be involved in diaper changes. When Cami is crying, Mady will try to comfort her by saying "big sister is here." If we try calling Mady "babe," or "baby" she will set us straight: "I'm not a baby, I'm a big sister." Thanks to our friends Jen and Tim, she even has the shirt to prove it.

Hello Cameron Lee!

Cameron Lee Beyer was born at 4:23pm on Saturday, September 17th, 2011 at University Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. She was 6 lbs., 14oz, and 20" long. Labor started gently at 11:00pm on the 16th and Carrie stayed home until the contractions became very strong and close together around noon on the 17th. We were only at the hospital for about 4 hours before Cameron arrived. Pushing only lasted about fifteen minutes. Carrie wanted to deliver without any anesthesia this time. It was pretty painful near the end, but she pushed through and did it.

Grandma Mittelstedter was with us to watch Mady while the baby was born. Mady, Grandma, and Uncle Steve all came to visit us at the hospital just after Cami was born. Cami was in perfect health and was very alert. We stayed at the hospital until noon on Monday the 19th. Neither of us got much sleep while we were there. Cami never stayed asleep long unless she was being held, and there was a pretty steady parade of nurses coming in the room to check on Carrie and Cami, regardless of the hour. We are back home now and Grandma will be with us until next week to help us get settled in.

Mady is very excited to be a big sister. She insists that she has two little sisters now (one of them is a teddy bear, who she likes to nurse). She is very affectionate with her new baby sister. She likes to hold Cameron(with help from Mom or Dad, of course) and gives her lots of kisses.