Alyssa's Homecoming

 Those last several days in the NICU were torturous, Alyssa was off oxygen, eating well, and in doing great. However, they wouldn't release her because they wanted to monitor her. She had been having a few brief Brady-Cardic episodes where her heart rate dropped below 100 and she would desat. These were self-recovered, and the nurses weren't doing anything for her, but just needed to watch her as a precaution (they kept telling me that there was nothing wrong with her heart, and that this is normal behavior for preemies). This was the breaking point for me. I felt like I had been very patient during this process, but I was becoming desperate for her to come home. One morning as I was rushing to get Kennan off to school, the girls to a friends house, and up to the hospital in time for her 8 am feeding, Kennan said to me, "I just want life to get back to normal." This broke my heart as it sank in how much this situation had disrupted normal life for my children. I cried every morning as I dropped off my kids at 7:30 am at one of my girlfriend's houses, praying that they would be taken care of. I was so grateful that I had wonderful friends whom I trusted would not only keep my children alive that day, but would also make them feel loved and happy. During that last week at the hospital the days began to drag and I was emotionally on edge. Several times I had nurses put their arms around me and offer me words of comfort and hope. But it was hard. I felt like Alyssa was never going to come home. I was constantly on edge watching the monitors all day, knowing that if she had another Brady-desat, it would re-start the clock and she would have to stay another 5-7 days for monitoring. My worst nightmare came true when they said she could finally come home, then she had another Brady. I was so angry and frustrated that I literally threw a bottle across the room. The Doctor was very sweet and empathetic and talked me through it, helping me come to terms with the situation. Luckily the Doctor only made us stay another 48 hours for observation because it wasn't a true Brady, as it only lasted a second.That night I went home sobbing and screaming. It felt hopeless. Derrick was so sweet and calm and really helped comfort me. That night he gathered the children and taught them about Fasting. Since they were too little to go without food for 24 hours, he explained to them that Fasting is about making a sacrifice for the Lord so we can be worthy to receive his blessings. They talked about what they as children could give up for a day in order to receive the Lord's blessing of bringing the baby home. They decided to give up TV and media. As we joined together in a family Fast I could feel strength and love from our merciful Father in Heaven pouring upon us. Miraculously Alyssa was released from the hospital the day after our Fast, on her one-month birthday, April 6th. She arrived home at 11am, just in time for General Conference to begin. We were so glad to finally be home for the first time together as a family of 6.

Alyssa is the perfect baby. She is so sweet and never cries. Because she was so scheduled in the NICU, I though she would maintain that same 3-hour feeding schedule at home. However, the minute I brought her home she decided to make her own schedule. She never lasts three hours between eating. But I don't mind. I was worried she wouldn't nurse well because the last two seeks in the hospital I had stopped direct-breast feeding her because it was causing her to desat more during feeds. It is much easier for premature babies to suck from a bottle and it is less work for them than the breast. So I just pumped my milk and give it to her through a bottle. This was a good idea, because soon after I started doing this they were able to remove the NG tube and she was able to take all her feeds by mouth. This was a hard decision to make because I am such a breast-feeding advocate, and I missed that personal time with her, but I was willing to do anything to speed up her hospital stay. I felt like switching her back and forth so much was confusing her. So once we got home I was worried about her refusing the breast, but was thrilled to find that she had no problem switching directly to the breast. Within a couple days of coming home, I was able to completely stop pumping and stop supplementing with bottlels. She is a great eater and continues to gain weight well.

The following pictures were taken on her due date, April 15th about a week and a half after coming home from the hospital. She is laying on the beautiful blanket that her Great-Grandma Betty lovingly made for her.

These are the first pictures ever taken of our clan of 6.

The Newborn Intensive Care Unit

Upon delivery Alyssa was immediately intubated.  When she was born she did quietly cry out a couple times, but it was obvious she was struggling to get air to her lungs and was in respiratory distress. She was soon diagnosed with "Lung Disease". I hate that term because it sounds like a condition an old man who smokes should have, not a sweet little baby. When her first x-ray was taken her lungs were clearly cloudy. They administered a medication into her tube that went straight to her lungs, and  a few days later another x-ray revealed her lungs were clearing up.

All of my sister, Rebekah's, babies were born a month early, with similar birth weights as Alyssa, but none of them had any problems with their lungs. Rebekah drinks a lot of caffeine during pregnancy and has a theory that drinking caffeine is what caused her babies lungs to be fully developed, even though all four of them were premature at birth. I actually asked a NICU nurse about that and they said my sister's theory is "absolutely correct" and that they give premies in the NICU caffeine to help their lungs mature. However, she said caffeine would not have helped my baby. The reason her Lung Disease was so extensive is because of the low amniotic fluid she was in for so long. Drinking amniotic fluid during gestation is what helps their lungs develop. *I had to clarify this so I don't get the "I told you so" from my caffeine-pushing sisters.

Alyssa was born at 7:31 am, and I didn't get to see her until later that afternoon. I was so anxious to see her, but too exhausted to push the issue. Anyone that knows me, knows I don't function well on no sleep. I wasn't emotional at all about things. I just felt complete peace and comfort. Even though I hadn't spoken to the doctor yet about her prognosis, I just knew things would be fine. I'm not a worrier, I leave that to Derrick.

A few hours after her birth the Neonatologist came to talk to us. She explained that Alyssa had pretty severe Lung Disease. They were also ordering a head ultrasound to check for a brain bleed. The panic was written all over Derrick's face as he tried to fight back the tears. The doctor explained that she wasn't as active at first as they thought she should be. I didn't quite understand their concern, because newborns just sleep a lot. But the doctor said she still should be responding more when they poke her, or change her, etc. What the Dr didn't know is that Alyssa comes from a long line of heavy sleepers, and that all my babies have been pretty calm, so I still wasn't worried. Also I figured she was just exhausted from a traumatic birth. However, Derrick was a wreck. We began immediately praying and pleading with God for our sweet daughter to be okay. The next morning her ultrasound was preformed and they saw that her brain was perfectly normal. What a relief we felt. We were so thankful our Father in Heaven had answered our prayers.

I have the most thoughtful and sweet friends. First, Kim Paulos came to see me, with an arsenal of gifts. She brought me preemie diapers, several outfits, a big bouquet of beautiful yellow sunny flowers and my favorite treats: peanut butter cups, and cadburry eggs, which I immediately devoured. Later that night Jodi Peterson and Page Otto came also bearing gifts: personalized onsies, a hairbow, a blanket, and lotions. I was so grateful to have friends who care about me. Jodi also brought her nursing pillow for me to borrow, which I immediately took up to the NICU and used it at every feeding and holding. I was enormously thankful for presents and their presence.

After a couple days at the hospital, I was discharged. But thankfully they allowed me to stay in the "Family Room" in the newborn nursery, but said I could only stay one night. That night my mom came up and pulled an all-nighter sitting by Alyssa's bed. I went and laid down in the parent room on the couch and every couple of hours my mom came to wake me to feed Alyssa. As exhausting as it was it paid off because for the first time she got a good latch and nursed for 20 minutes. I was so excited. The doctor had told me that it was at 34 weeks gestation that babies begin to learn to suck, and to not get frustrated if she couldn't get the hang of it initially. Prior to that nursing she had just feed through a feeding tube. As precious as that time was with my sweet baby, by the next morning I knew I could not do it again. I was beyond fatigued and my body was aching as it was trying to heal and recover.

The next evening I begrudgingly went to pack up my stuff out of the "Family Room". I didn't want to leave but could see no other option. As I was packing a nurse came and asked why I was leaving. I told her I was told I could only stay one night. She left to look in to why I couldn't stay. A few minutes later she came back to report she had called the Director  personally at home and had acquired permission for me to stay a few more nights. On top of that she brought me a box of food. I hadn't cried throughout this entire process, but I was so touched by her kindness that I sobbed. I truly believe that God sends people into our lives in the exact moment when we most need them.

I spent the next three nights sleeping in the family room at night and spending all day in the NICU with my baby. At one point I became really frustrated and had a bit of a breakdown. Derrick gave me a Priesthood blessing and in it he promised me that I would get my time with her, but that I just needed to be patient. I had to remind myself of those words constantly and I clung to that promise during this process. Mothering a NICU baby is completely different from what I am used to. Their rigid schedules felt so foreign to me. the "feed on demand" and "no bottles, no binkies" approach I had always taken was not how things were done. I hated that I had to ask before holding my own baby, and that we were a slave to the monitors, and endless cords and tubing that dangled from her feet, arms and face. I hated that I couldn't nurse her when I wanted, they had her on a 3 oral feedings a day schedule, and feedings only occurred every three hours. This meant that I was tethered to the electric breast pump for hours each day desperately trying to build a good milk supply. I was terrified that if I couldn't keep up she would be resigned to formula. I was just so thankful that this was happening with my fourth baby, not my first, because I had faith in my body's ability to produce. And I wasn't frustrated the first couple of days, when I was only producing 5ccs.  I knew it would come. Within a couple of days the breast milk started coming in plentifully, and I was feeling pretty good. I had forgotten how great it feels to not be pregnant. Even though my body was still recovering and it hurt to sit for long periods of time, I felt awesome and energetic.

Alyssa has the most wonderful nurses and doctors. After a few nights sleeping in the "Family Room" I decided I needed to go home to see my other children. I knew they had been having fun with Grandma Wouden, but that they missed me. I had full trust in the wonderful team of medical professionals. As hard a as it was to walk out of the hospital without my baby, it felt liberating to breath fresh air and feel the sunshine on my face. This was the beginning of  several weeks of long days at the hospital. My mom spent 10 days at my house caring for my children and running my household. We thought for sure Alyssa would be home by before she left. But as the day approached it was obvious that would not be the case. So we called Grandma Cahill, my mom's mom. She was so wonderfully willing to come out and help. Her trip was scheduled to last 12 days, which we were sure the baby would be long home before Grandma had to leave. However, here we are just a few days before Grandma is to go home and we are still in the NICU. Alyssa made such fast and great progress at first, and at one point they even took her off the oxygen for a day, and she did great. But that night she became fatigued and started desting. She is now only on room air and just has 0.5 of flow going up her nose. She is doing great except she occasionally desats while feeding. This has been a frustrating roller coaster ride.

The first week and a half she was here I was driving myself crazy starring at the monitors and panicking every time she desated. Then I realized that I wasn't doing her or myself any favors, and no amount of worrying would get her out sooner. So I started  pretending I was on vacation. I realized how lucky I was that I was able to just spend every day sitting and holding her, reading books, and watching Netflix on the Ipad while she rested snugly on the nursing pillow on my lap. I knew once she is released I am going to be thrown in to motherhood of 4, and the busy lifestyle that it brings, especially with a two year old at home. So I began cherishing my time in the NICU Where I had nothing to do but snuggle with my sweet baby. It looks like it will be another week or so until we get to go home. I feel so blessed to have this sweet little spirit in our family. I have had nurses tell me she is the "calmest baby in the NICU". I can't wait until I get to have all my children together for the first time. But until then, we are just enjoying the ride.

 Derrick didn't get to hold her for the first week and a half of her life. When she was born he only got two  days off work. He couldn't hold her during that time because she was still intubated. After that he was able to sneak over during work and see her, but he never held her because he was always in his scrubs which had been contaminated from being in the VA hospital. He was so excited when he was finally able to hold her. Apparently the anticipation wore him out.....

 Above is Alyssa's first bath. Below is her second bath. She loved it and didn't cry or squirm at all.

 This is me feeding her through the tube in her nose. She is a good eater, but it wears her out, so some of the feedings they give her through the NG tube.

 They decided to fortify my breast milk with Neosure to add calories to her feeds. It added a whole two calories to each feeding. I was meeting with the lactation consultant to try to help her learn to breath while she nurses, and I told her they were doing this. She took a sample of my breast milk and tested it for nutritional content. Above are the results and they said my breast milk is substantial and perfect in content (listed are the values per ounce). The lactation consultant showed the findings to the doctor, and they stopped fortifying my milk. Alyssa is doing a good job with gaining weight and  she is already almost 6 lbs (she weighed 5lbs 1oz at birth).

 This is the cute bassinet Jodi brought over for me to borrow. Behind it is a "NICU survival kit" complete with books, a journal, candy, fruit, magazines, cards, and other goodies. I have the sweetest friends.

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Alyssa Rae Allred

 

It all began on Tuesday, March 5^th.  It was a busy morning  because I had to get  the kids and myself all bathed and out the door by 7:30. I took Brynlee to Page’s house for Joy School,  and dropped off Kennan at kindergarten. I had an OB appointment that morning but was determined to get the grocery shopping done before that because we couldn’t live one more second without milk (my kids guzzle 4 gallons a week).  I was excited for the rare opportunity to grocery shop with just Cami. After shopping I rushed home to put away the groceries. Before leaving, I took the time to scarf down some leftover chicken ala King. I knew eating would make a bit late, but I didn’t care because it was 9 am, and in pregnancy world that means it was time for my second breakfast. Little did I know that would be my last meal before having a baby, and then I rushed out the door to my doctor appointment.

It was just a routine 34 week OB appointment.  I figured I would just pee on a stick, they would listen to the baby’s heartbeat, and I would be home in time to get Brynlee from preschool. I was just about done with my appointment when the Dr. asked if I had any questions. I hesitantly told him that for the past couple of weeks I had been feeling occasionally wet “down there.” But I was pretty sure it was just loss of bladder control. It was only a few drops, and wasn’t constant. The only reason I brought this up was because of Derrick’s insistence to just get it checked out. So the doctor said, “It probably is just urine from the baby pushing on your bladder, but let’s just check.” So he swabbed me and announced that it was amniotic fluid I was leaking. He called the University Hospital and told them I was coming. I dropped off Cami to Page’s house, fully expecting to be back in a couple hours. When I got to the hospital I was tested and they performed an ultra sound, which concluded that I had indeed ruptured my membranes, and the amniotic fluid around the baby was very low. A normal level is between 5-20, and my fluid level was a 4. They said it was way more risky for my baby in low amniotic fluids than it would be to deliver her at 34 weeks.  The leaking had actually started at 32 weeks, but I had stubbornly ignored Derrick’s insistence to get it checked out .   They said I was lucky I hadn’t contracted an infection, and if I had come in at 32 weeks they would have hospitalized me for a few weeks. But since I was already 34 weeks now, the protocol was to induce me.

I called my sweet mother who literally hopped on the next flight out of Utah and to my relief was here in just a few hours to attend to my other children. Page had been so sweet and had watched them all day and even picked Kennan up from school. When it was bed time, Alyson Lloyd came over and watched them until my mom arrived. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such amazing, thoughtful and wonderful friends. Word spread quickly and I was soon receiving mass amounts of texts and calls from wonderful friends offering all sorts of help.  I was so touched ay the outpouring of support.

Soon I found myself being hooked up to an IV and Pitocin was started. I was checked and they determined that I was starting this adventure dilated to a 2 and 50% effaced.  Soon the anesthesiologist came in to administer my epidural. Apparently he is used to as he put it, “Texas-sized women,” because he couldn’t get the needle in my back in the right place. It was an extremely intense 30 minutes of trying to hold a very unnatural and difficult position while he poked my back 4 times trying to get it to go in. He said the problem was that I am “small” and the space he needed it to go in was closer together than most women he had done epidural on.  I had had three epidurals in the past, and I know there is a bit of poking pain during the administration, but I never expected it to be this painful and uncomfortable.  Once he got it in, I could immediately tell that it was only making one side numb, but at that point I didn’t want that guy to be messing with my back anymore. So, I just ignored it and figured I would call him back if the pain became too unbearable.  During the labor I could feel every painful contraction on my right side, but nothing on my left side. They asked if I wanted him to come back and fix it, but I kept putting it off.  The labor started uneventfully, and I was making slow, but good progress dilating. During the last month of my other pregnancies, my body always prepares for delivery with lots of Braxton Hicks “practice” contractions. And I feel my body gearing up for delivery.  But since I didn’t have that final month of pregnancy, I could feel that my body wasn’t prepared for the process.  So the progress continued slowly.  I dialed to a 6 with no problems. But then it became tricky. Every time I was contracting the baby’s heart rate would drop. She wasn’t tolerating the Pitocin at all. They said it was probably because she had no fluid around her and every time I contracted it was pushing against the umbilical cord. The Pitocin was making the contractions much stronger, and therefore dropping her heart rate, so they took me off the Pitocin. Without it, I would continue to contract, but they weren’t strong enough to change my cervix and make me dilate. So they spent the next several hours starting and stopping, increasing and decreasing the Pitocin while closely monitoring her heartbeat.  The contractions were intense and very painful (on my right side) but I was so caught up in worrying about the baby that I never did call back the anesthesiologist.  Managing my pain didn’t seem as critical as watching the baby. And I liked that I could feel exactly how hard each contraction was because I could see the correlation between that and the baby’s heartbeat. 

About 12 hours after this process had begun. They became really worried about the baby not tolerating labor anymore, so they came in and announced they were going to check me, and if I wasn’t fully dilated they needed to do a c-section. They checked me and said I was a 9, but they wouldn’t wait any longer and needed to get the baby out, so they left to make preparations for the c-section. I was totally freaked out and angry at myself. I felt like I had made it so far, and was mad that they were going to stop me so close to the goal. That is when I decided, “No, I going to finish what I had started.”  So I prayed for divine intervention and with sheer will determined to finish the job. I rolled over on my numb legs, got on my hands and knees and beared down determined to finish dilating through the power of positive energy and determination.  Within a couple of minutes the anesthesiologist was in the room and I was out of time. He was there to prep me for surgery.  He adjusted my epidural and administered more drugs to make me completely numb for my c-section.  Then he left and the Dr rushed in to take me off to surgery. I begged that one more time she would check me. She did and announced I was a 10. She still wanted to do the c-section, but I said “I can do this. “ She agreed to let me try one push to see if I could get her to move. The problem was now I was totally numb and couldn’t feel anything I was doing, and it was obvious she just agreed to let me try so I would know I couldn’t do it. I hadn’t realized that the dose they give for surgery is different from what they give to a laboring woman.  Even with epidurals I have always been able to feel how to push. This was completely different. But with the first push she did move down in the birth canal. Pushing her out was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. She was face- up which complicated process and made it much more difficult.  It had been almost 24 hours since I had last eaten or slept so I was totally exhausted, but I just kept pushing, telling myself I could do it. She was getting really close, but  I was completely spent, so I asked them to use the forceps because I felt like I couldn’t do it anymore.  Even with the forceps it was a struggle to get her out.  But finally she came. 

They immediately had to intubate her and rush her away from me and took her up to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. Meanwhile I just laid there with my eyes shut. I had never been that tired in my life. I didn’t even realize that they were down stitching me up due to a tear caused by the forceps.

So here she is: Alyssa Rae Allred. Born March 6th at 7:31 am. She was 5 lbs. 1 oz.

 

She is really bruised on the head from the forceps.  She was having a hard time breathing due to lung immaturity and have since had to intubate her again after failing to breathe on her own. Her lungs were hazy on the x-ray so they give her surfactant to help them open up.  She has multiple lines for monitoring purposes, but has been able to move around and open her eyes.  She will probably be in the NICU for several more days, but they are very optimistic about her prognosis.  They believe she will be just fine with no long term ill effects of her early arrival. She is absolutely beautiful and perfectly formed. We can’t wait to get her home with us. We are very grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who has helped us so much through this whole process.

 P.S. I had asked the nurse if they deliver very many babies this early and she said, “actually, it isn’t uncommon, in fact two weeks ago we had every bed on the floor filled with pre-term deliveries of women just like you that came because of the same reason: ruptured membranes.”  I asked her what she thinks causes it. I had been wondering because I had no clue how I got a tear in my bag of water. I have been very careful, taking it easy during this pregnancy and hadn’t done anything that would have caused it. She said they don’t know, but some of the doctor had been talking about how they believe it could be because of a change in the barometric pressure with all the recent weather changes.  Interestingly my leak had started the same time as all these other women: two weeks ago.

P.S.S.  A few hours after the delivery an anesthesiologist came in to check on me and remove the tubing from my spine. She asked what had happened and I told her about how he drugged me up for surgery, then I ended up delivering her vaginally. She was shocked. She said she had never seen a patient deliver vaginally after getting doped up for surgery. She said usually once they give those meds, it’s final, they have to have a c-section. Then she checked my charts and said, “Wow, they even gave you the full dose, that is a lot, and you should be extremely proud of pushing out a baby like that.”

We are a Happy Family

Derrick and I are going on 9 years of blissful marriage, and we couldn't be happier. Parenting with Derrick is so much fun. He is a natural with the children, and is the perfect provider, patriarch, and disciplinarian. The kids really love and respect him. He supports me in every way and gives me wings to fly. Even though he is very busy, he always makes the children and I his number one priority. He truly treats me like a princess, and he spoils me rotten. We are both so excited for the birth of our 4th child and the adventure that will bring.

Derrick is now in his second year of residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center. He is excelling in his work and has even earned the nick name of "Dr. Cutie" by some of his patients. He has also become the favorite resident of many of the nurses. He is a Captain in the Texas National Guard, and drills once a month on weekends with them. In our ward he serves as the Scout Master. Of all these hats, the one calling Derrick takes most pride in is that of Father. Being with his family and playing with his children is his favorite and only hobby. He is such a wonderful father and the children enjoy every minute they get with him.

Being a mother truly is my greatest joy in life. However, it is no secret that I hate everything about pregnancy. If it didn't produce such beautiful and amazing children I would never do it again. While being pregnant is the hardest thing I've ever had to do, it has brought forth the greatest blessings. What a wonderful opportunity it is to take part in the miracle of life. In these pictures I am 6 months pregnant. This is my 4th pregnancy (well technically my 6th since I've had two miscarriages). This pregnancy has been much easier than my last, which is why I was so convinced it would be a boy. I about fell off the table when the ultrasound tech announced it is a girl. I kept saying "Are you sure?' though it was obvious since this baby wasn't at all being shy. This pregnancy has caused my legs to sprout unsightly and painful varicose veins, which I am just praying will disappear after she is born. 

 Kennan is 6 years old and in Kindergarten. H loves school and is excelling at it. At his recent Parent-Teacher Conference Ms. Rodrigues said, "I wish all my students were like Kennan". He is a bit of a perfectionist at his work and gets a little frustrated if he can't do well with it. He always tries his hardest to do the best job he can in everything he does. We have always said he is the perfect first child, and it's true. He is very responsible and obedient. He is very observant and will offer to help me without being asked. For example, recently he saw me gathering up some laundry and he ran up to me and said, "Let me do that for you, Mom." He has really been helpful during my pregnancy, and I chuckle when he sees me sick and will say, "Mom, I know how hard it is to be pregnant." Kennan takes pride in keeping his room clean and organized. He doesn't like it when the house gets too messy. He is a great help when it comes to cleaning it up and will do it without complaint  He is awesome at unloading the dishwasher, vacuuming  and sorting the laundry. He is such a good example to his sisters. Derrick and I always tell him it is his job to protect them and that is a responsibility he doesn't take lightly. More than once he has saved their lives by running to me in another room and telling me that the baby (Cami) climbed onto the table again, or that she put money in her mouth. Kennan loves to dance, and has some good break-dance type moves. He also loves sports and is a boy through-and-through. He says when he gets older that he wants to be a Veterinarian. He loves animals and loves learning about them on " Wild Krats". However, he gets nervous around real ones, especially dogs. Kennan is very competitive and loves to race his sisters or even his Dad. He has always been a picky eater and although it has gotten somewhat better as he has grown, he still refuses most meals I cook for him. Kennan loves Primary and is quickly learning the gospel. He had all 13 Articles of Faith memorized when he was only 5 years old. He has a good memory and is eager to learn. He will make a wonderful missionary someday. We are so happy to have Kennan in our family.

Brynlee is 4 years old and is our little princess. She loves everything pink. She has an imagination the size of Texas and loves to pretend. Her favorite thing to do is make pretend parties, especially birthday parties. She is very artistic and creative and loves to make artwork and paint (it's a good thing we can buy a ream of paper with 500 sheets for only $3, cause she goes through it like water). Brynlee is very independent and a good problem-solver. She is very intelligent and could recognize all the letters of the alphabet before she turned two-years old. She has an affinity for books and will spend hours looking at books, even if they don't have any pictures. She currently attends a joy-school with some kids form the ward, but can't wait to attend Pre-k at Kennan's school next year. Brynlee loves her brother and is always excited when he comes home from school. They generally get along and play together well. Brynlee is learning to be obedient and becoming a good helper around the house and taking care of Cami. Bryn is much more free-spirited than her brother. Kennan gets bugged with her when she eats next to him with her messy face and hands. While he is such a clean-freak, Bryn has no problem with getting her hands dirty. She is very inquisitive and asks a lot of questions, as she is trying to figure out the world around her. Brynlee is a delight to have around and is usually very happy and pleasant. We love and cherish every moment we get to spend with our little princess.

If you are wondering why there is a durth of pictures of Cami, it's because she was asleep most of the time in the car while we were taking pictures. And when we woke her up she was not very cooperative. Kim's purse full of succors did help a bit. Cami just turned two years old and is beginning to act like it. :) Her cute personality is starting to really emerge. Her vocabulary is exploding and everyday she surprises us with new words. She is the most appreciative child I've ever had. She says "Thank you Mom" all the time, which always melts my heart. She is loving and is constantly giving hugs and kisses. She especially likes to cuddle with her daddy. She loves to dance, especially with Kennan. And like her brother, she is also a bit of a picky eater. Cambria is our little Angel.