First Week

Our first week with Camden! We'll start with him :)

Camden:

is pure sweetness and I just love how babies are straight from heaven. He has been the easiest first week of life by FAR out of my babies. He sleeps long stretches at night, only fusses if he wants to eat or be swaddled, and is so sweet to watch when he's alert and awake. This has been the first time I have truly felt like I'd repeat a week of newborn time if I could. I love all my children! But for some reason a better recovery and Camden's sleeping made this week infinitely more manageable than my other two experiences of bringing little humans into the world. Feeling so grateful for that!

Bennett:

has not been as into the baby as I expected -- he's actually been very similar to how Westin was when we brought Bennett home. Sweet to him but pretty much ignores him. He's held him a couple times but only with some coaxing, and he has been playing with Westin a LOT more even in just the last week. I'm glad they have each other! Bennett's obedience has pretty much gone out the window this week though -- I swear kids know that a mom's words have no power when she's nursing a baby. She's not getting up. The threats are empty.

Westin:

was fully aware of what was happening through this pregnancy and going to the hospital to meet Camden. It was fun to see him be excited about the baby coming. He has been playing with Bennett a lot more and has been a little extra negative, but I think that's as much due to summer burnout as bringing home a baby. He just needs routine. Which is coming soon because I'm SO HAPPY that his school transfer went through and we will be able to walk to school instead of drive this year. That's a game changer.

Maddie:

After lots of anxiety about another c-section, I am actually pretty surprised at how much smoother this whole recovery has been than my other two. I think a combination of a bigger age gap and healthier start to my pregnancy, walking lots more in the hospital and days following surgery, a sister who is so extremely good at taking care of me, and a baby who's actually sleeping has made for a much smoother first week home. Feeling so grateful for that! I'm soaking up Camden and trying to have intentional moments with Westin and Bennett each day too, and just slowly easing into life with three boys. Just gotta manage expectations and be ok with slow and steady :)

Michael:

is luckily feeling better after getting sick right during new baby week. He's back to work already while family is here with us but will have some time off in August. Fourth year is busy with lots of new chief responsibilities and he's getting used to that. I think he's the most tired I've ever seen him and I'm excited for him to have a week off next month. He works so hard for us at home and at work. The boys love their daddy so much.

My parents arrived today! And Ali just barely left for the airport. I am always so, so sad when she leaves. I could not have babies without my sister. I couldn't do life without my sister! She does so much for me and always has. I'm so grateful for our families!

Camden, Bennett, Westin

He's Here!

Welcome to our family, sweet boy!

Camden Edward Daetwyler

7.19.19

2:06pm

7lbs 10.5oz

19.5in 

We love you so much!

What a wonderful week! It's so incredible to meet the little person that has spent months growing inside you, and to see your family meet that little baby, too.

Here's what we were up to before the big day this week:

Next level Sunday napping. I woke up to find Westin asleep on our couch and Michael had been called into the hospital.
We all took advantage of that last Sunday without a little one around :)

Bennett loves his towel on his head lately. Such a funny little guy.

And they've recently rediscovered their Santa hats. I'm not sure how that came about.

Santa hat, check. Puppets as socks, check.

Thursday was our last day just the three of us.
I took the boys out for a donut date to start the morning and just watched them love each bite.

Bennett feeling so big!

He jumped for 45 minutes straight at the trampoline park and then rested the last 15 with me on the bench.

Sweet buddies

Westin and Bennett have so much fun with their little friends

We met these ladies at the trampoline park after our donut date for one last fun morning out together before I go into newborn mode! The hardest part of c-sections is not lifting for so long, which makes me feel a little homebound until I can lift that baby in his carseat. So it was fun to meet friends and get out the day before delivery. I do not look like I belong in this picture and that's because I don't... I belong in a hospital and in the no-longer-pregnant club. But it was still really fun :)

Always waking up to this boy and his new magnet creations.

Ali took the boys to story time at the library where they got to pick out their summer reading prize.

And while they were gone, Michael and I took this 9-month bump to the hospital to meet our little man.
Pregnancy is unbelievable! He's just in there, so snug, and hours later in our arms.

Michael got some intense food poisoning this week and spent Wednesday night throwing up. I was a Lysol machine through it all before I knew what he was sick with because I did NOT want that spreading around our house during baby week. He took his first sick day of residency on Thursday while the boys and I went on our donut and trampoline dates. He started feeling mostly better though, and we chalked it up to a bad work potluck lunch experience.

It felt so surreal to just pack up and head to the hospital together. C-sections are a little weird that way -- just pencil in that baby on your calendar and show up! I had a lot of anxiety about the actual procedure and recovery, but I really loved my OB this time. She was so kind and really great. She works with her dad and they both did my c-section together.

The first thing Camden did in this world is pee -- would've hit me straight in the face if there wasn't a curtain between us!
Life with boys.

Spending an hour in recovery before going to our room.

Honestly this was the best hour of my life. Drugs are real.

Camden got his brothers some capes and masks since they're going to be his Super big brothers.
They were pretty excited to meet him but not too into holding him yet :)

He looks a lot like Westin to me.

Ali has taken such good care of us this week. I don't think I could have babies without my sister.

We had a dinner date in the hospital with everyone and it was a litttttle crazy but these boys are the best.

My tiniest guy yet! Ready to head home, exactly 48 hours in the hospital.

Our hospital stay had some hiccups when Michael got sick again. He threw up and went home with the boys and Ali, and then she came back and spent my last night in the hospital with me. I was so sad he wasn't feeling good for such a special time and that we didn't have that time together with our new little baby, but in the end everyone is healthy and I'm just so grateful for my sister who went above and beyond for us. Hospitals are so rough and I'm always anxious to get home! We made it home Sunday afternoon and it felt so good to have everyone home.