B-17 Bombers & Brotherly Love (aka War & Peace)

We have been busy enjoying the beautiful summer weather.  A few highlights of our month include cheering on our friends Ben and Abby as they raced their bikes in the Kiddie Classic bike race in downtown Waukesha, attending Wings Over Waukesha (a display of aircraft at the Waukesha airport) and having lunch in downtown Milwaukee a couple times (once with Aunt Kali and then with mom's coworkers).  We also took daddy to brunch and the golf range for Father's Day.  We are very blessed to have such a great daddy.  Here are some more updates from each of us:

CAMERON

Wings Over Waukesha was one of my favorite things this month.  The coolest plane was the B-17 Bomber.  I love airplanes so seeing them up close and personal was very neat.  To top it off, on our way home from the grocery store later that day, the B-17 was preparing to take off so we parked near the airport and watched it take off.

I now have 12 teeth, including 3 molars, with at least 2 more teeth on their way in. I also have a new bed.  It's really just my mattress with the box spring added.  No bed frame yet, but I imagine soon enough.  However, I'm not a huge fan of the new bed because it's harder to get out of to get my toys and books.  As a result, I have voiced my displeasure a few nights this week.  Though mom did enjoy that I called out "mama" the other night instead of just screaming.

I am still quite the daddy's boy and like to emulate him.  Here is a video of me helping him sweep the garage.  I also love figuring out how things work and my latest thing is buckles.  I will latch the buckles in Nathan's car seat when he is not in it.  I also will buckle myself in to the shopping cart if mommy doesn't do it fast enough.


Finally, I am a proud big brother, though I can't wait until I can actually play with Nathan.  Overall, Nathan is pretty cool, but I'm still very curious about him and don't realize he is much smaller than me. I try to pick him up once in a while much to mom and dad's chagrin. And when I give him his pacifier back, mom says I'm too rough (I hear that a lot too when I'm playing with the dog).  I did come close to stepping on him one day too.  Mom did not like that at all and now doesn't let me walk anywhere near him when he is on the floor getting changed.  But most of the time I am good around him and do my best to entertain him.  Here is a video of me dancing to mom's favorite band, REM.  I'm pretty sure this got a smile out of Nate!

NATHAN

I have discovered my hands!  I love sucking on them and now use my pacifier less as a result.  I also am starting to grab and swat at things as seen in this video.  I am also growing nicely and have outgrown a lot of my clothes already.  Mom has me mostly in 3 month and 3-6 month outfits now.  I also enjoy baths much more now.  In fact, the other night I didn't cry at all during my bath.

I still sleep well.  Most days I will catnap in the morning, usually in my car seat as we take a walk and/or run errands.  Some days though I will sleep in my crib if we don't have other plans.  Then I take a longer (about 3 hours) afternoon nap in my crib.  It usually coincides with Cameron's nap so mommy and daddy get a little down time during the day.  My bedtime is typically around 7:45, which also coincides with Cameron, but lately I have wanted to stay up until 9:30 on some nights.  At least I am quiet when I am up late.

I had my first fever two weeks ago and then had another one last week.  Fortunately it didn't last long and I wasn't bothered by it.  In fact, mommy only took my temperature based on a gut feeling (I spit up a bit more than usual that day) otherwise we probably would have never known I had a fever.

Finally, my highlight of the month is watching my big brother who I absolutely adore.  I am constantly watching him when he is near.  In fact, there are times where I am a bit fussy and then Cameron comes around and it calms me down.  When he is upset, I often will cry too. As he walks by or stops to say hi, I smile back at him.  Here is a video of me smiling at my big brother as he "plays" with me.  I am very fortunate to have such a cute, entertaining, sweet brother.

Love,
Cameron & Nathan

Terrible Twos?

CAMERON

Mom and dad think I'm starting my terrible twos.  Perhaps it's because I am extra whiny lately and like to throw my toys when I get frustrated.  However, I attribute my recent cranky behavior to all the teeth that are coming in.  I now have 3 molars and at least 3 more teeth that have cut through the gums, but are not yet erupted through all the way.  I also wake up one or more times many nights a week.  Again, I blame the teeth.  Mom and dad aren't sure if it's the teeth or possibly some nightmares.

There's not much that scares me so far, except for thunderstorms.  My poor babysitter Emily was with me the last time we had a thunderstorm and since it was only the second one of the year, mom and dad didn't know for sure that I was so terrified of them.  I especially don't like the lightning and prefer to stay up in my room with the blinds drawn, fan and radio on, and an adult hanging out with me.  If I'm downstairs, I keep pointing out the windows, want to be held and will get upset until it stops.  I also associate heavy rain with storms so sometimes now I get a little upset when it's raining hard.  Or perhaps that's because I can't go outside and play, my favorite thing to do.

When the weather is nice, we spend a lot of time outside.  As you can tell from the picture to the left, I enjoy helping daddy plant trees and bushes.  I also enjoy the nature walks mommy takes me on.  It's simply us (and Nathan in the baby carrier) walking up and down our street looking at the trees, birds, ants, and other things that catch my eye.  I usually come home with a souvenir from our nature walks.  Leaves are my favorite, but sticks and stones are also interesting.

I'm still a little peanut, but am finally in 18 month clothes, except for long pants.  Despite my size, I'm still a big boy according to mom and dad.  That means I now take a bath in the regular bathtub and don't use the plastic bath anymore.  That's for Nathan.  I also sit on my potty seat on the toilet though I don't actually use it to go yet.  However I still let mom and dad know when my diaper needs to be changed by grabbing or patting my wet diaper.

My vocabulary keeps expanding.  Aunt Kali visited us from Seattle this past weekend and taught me how to say her name, her dog's name (Harley) and Uncle Tom's name. I also will say people's names when I see pictures of them.  For example, when I saw the picture of Aunt Kali and Nathan included in this posting, I said "Kali".  Not bad considering I just learned her name this weekend while! Here I am saying some (not all so don't feel slighted if you are not mentioned) of my favorite foods and people (and sorry - haven't figured out how to edit videos yet so the talking doesn't start until about 30 seconds in.)

My diet is also expanding.  Mom was making a homemade tomato sauce the other night and not knowing what it was, I begged for some of the raw onion she had cut up.  I liked it enough to come back several times asking for more.  I also had asparagus for the first time last week.  Mom pureed it and made a pesto sauce out of it for our pasta.  She is trying to get me to eat more vegetables and that trick actually worked.  She put small pieces of spinach in my peanut butter sandwich the other day and I ate most of it too, but found some pieces and picked them out.

One of mom's favorite moments from last week happened when we got to the gym for her water aerobics class.  We got out of the car and as soon as I realized where I was, I started to get excited and kept saying "play" because I get to play with all the cool toys at the day care.  I'm still not much for playing with the other kids, but I do keep an eye on Nathan to make sure he is having fun too.  This is quite the change from pre-Nathan when I would scream when mom dropped me off, but then would be fine as soon as she was out of sight.  Because I'm doing better and mom would like me to continue building my social skills, she may enroll me into a daycare or preschool group for one morning a week this fall or winter.

One of daddy's favorite things I do right now is how I say "please" and rub my belly (my version of the sign for please) whenever I want something.  Usually it's food I want, but sometimes it's to go down in the basement and play (daddy and I's favorite place to hang out together) or to read a book or something else fun.  But it's hard for dad or mom to resist my cuteness when I say please.  I've got them wrapped around my finger!

Finally, my highlight of the past few weeks included visits from friends and family, trips to the park where I enjoy going down the enclosed tube slide the best, and lots of outside time.  One of my favorite activities was watching my friends Ben and Eli play their first coach-pitch baseball game last weekend.  They both played really well, had lots of fun playing and their team won on top of it all!   Here is a video of me practicing my cheers for Ben & Eli.  I can't wait until I'm old enough to play too.

Love,
Cameron

NATHAN

I am definitely a growing boy!  At my two month doctor's appointment last Tuesday, I was 11 lb 8 oz (50%) and 23 in (75%) long.  I am quickly growing out of my clothes and wear 3-month clothes now.


As you can see from my pictures, I'm quite a happy little boy.  Although I tend to get a little crankier in the evening, especially if I didn't nap well during the day, I am full of smiles.  I love watching the toys hanging from my bouncy seat and will sometimes accidentally swat at them.  I also do good with tummy time, but prefer to be upright rather than on my back or stomach.  Maybe that's because I'm still a gassy guy.

For a while, I was napping at the same time as my big brother which I think my mommy appreciated.  However, this past week I have not been so cooperative with naps.  In fact, I have been very stubborn about taking any sort of nap.  I will fall asleep in the car, but then I wake up once we stop and won't go back to sleep.  Or, if mommy puts me down for a proper nap in my crib, I stay awake and complain until I get moved into her arms or into my bouncy chair or car seat or baby carrier.  I've also been stubborn about going to bed the past few nights too.  But once I'm asleep, I have been going until 4:30 or 5:30am most nights.


I have managed to stay healthy except for a visit to the ER almost two weeks ago.  My car seat and I took a spill off the kitchen table after the seat tipped over while mommy was putting me in it.  I am fine, but it was scary for mommy.


Mommy calls me the mellow one (except for when I'm refusing to sleep, or during my super cranky period tonight).  Yesterday when mommy, Aunt Kali, Cameron and I were out to eat, I spent the whole meal just peacefully sitting in my car seat.  I did the same at dinner too.  The waitress didn't even know I was there until we were getting ready to leave and mommy was buckling me back in.


Love,
Nathan

Clean Teeth and Sleepy Eyes

Just a few updates on some big accomplishments this week:

CAMERON

My big news is I had my first dentist appointment Monday.  Mom prepared me by having me practice my smile and saying "ahh".  I have been brushing my teeth for almost a year now so I wasn't too worried about having cavities or anything, but I wasn't sure what to expect with the exam.  Thanks to the Buries recommendation, we visited Dr. Kirsten Davies.  I was fascinated with the fish in the waiting room which was good for mom as it gave her time to fill out all the paperwork and soothe Nathan who woke up for a little bit.  As for the exam itself, I sat on mom's lap and then leaned back and laid in the lap of Dr. Kirsten.  I never cried or whined and was very cooperative.  I kept my mouth open the whole time while she counted my teeth (I have both my upper 1-year molars, one of my bottom 1-year molars is visible through the gum line though hasn't broke through yet, and 4 top teeth and 3 bottom teeth).  Then she scraped what little plaque I had (no tartar, gingivitis or cavities), cleaned my teeth with the brush that makes noise and applied flouride.  Mom picked a cherry flavor for me which I liked.  The worst part of it all was I wasn't allowed to eat or drink for 30 minutes after to allow the flouride to set.  Dr. Kirsten said I was very well behaved and she had never had a kid as young as me not cry at some point.  Mom was very proud of me and I got to pick out two toys so I selected a lion finger puppet and a mini frisbee.  I also got lots of stickers, a tattoo, and a new toothbrush.  Thank you Aunt Kali for helping me pick out my first toothbrush and toothpaste to get me started on healthy dental care early!  Though mom couldn't get a picture of my actual dentist visit, she did take one of me showing off my clean teeth.

Other than my dentist visit, not too much else is new.  I got to go swimming in our backyard Sunday.  Unfortunately it was too humid yesterday for mom to let me outside Monday and Tuesday, but Wednesday Nathan and I got to go to mom and dad's softball team so that was fun.  Still talking up a storm.  My favorite new word is ant.  I love pointing them out and saying the word. 

I love taking care of Dolly the way mom and dad take care of Nathan as you can see in my picture above.

As you can tell, I love the great outdoors!  This is the tree daddy planted recently and me doing my own planting.

NATHAN

I also have big news - for two nights this week, I slept through the night.  Granted Sunday night I didn't go to bed until 10:30pm as I slept most of the day in anticipation of the Lost finale, but I at least slept until 5:30am.  Then Monday night I went to bed around 8:45pm and slept until 5:15am.  Mommy and daddy seem happy with my current sleep patterns even though I reverted back to my usual one waking around 3am and another around 5:30am before getting up around 7:30am. 

I am also smiling a little more and still doing well with tummy time.  One of my favorite things is to look out our front window from the sofa.  I also love being outside.  In fact, when I get a bit fussy at night, mommy or daddy take me outside and I immediately calm down.  It's a good thing I like the great outdoors as my big brother is a huge fan and constantly asks to go outside.

Love,
Cameron & Nathan

 Here is Jesse helping us get into the baseball spirit.

6 Weeks and Counting

CAMERON
I am still a helpful, proud big brother even now that the novelty has worn off.  However, one of the ways I like to help the most mom doesn't find so helpful - I like to try and pick Nathan up when he is laying on the changing pad or is in his bouncy chair getting ready for his bath.  Mom says I'm not strong enough, but I'm a whole whopping 22.5 lbs (or at least that's their best guess).  I appear to be getting taller too as I can take stuff off the kitchen table and bathroom counters and even off the kitchen counter.

Some of my newest words include belly, milk, please, cracker (used for both graham crackers and rice cakes), more, and bye bye.  I will even use words without prompting if I really want something, especially food.

I just got a fun new toy this weekend - it's a ride-on trike with a long handle so mom and dad can push me until I'm tall enough to pedal myself.  We took it for a spin around the block yesterday and it was lots of fun.  I'm not that great at steering yet though.  I also helped dad plant flowers this past weekend and last night we planted a tree since the weather is pretty nice.  I'm also daddy's handyman helper.  If a toy is broken, I bring it to him and go stand in front of the closet where one of his screwdrivers is stored and then help him fix it. 

Another favorite activity is to push buttons (and not just mommy and daddy's).  I know how to turn the TV on both using the TV and also using the remote.  I can turn my CD player on, flip light switches on and off, and when given the opportunity like to dial phone numbers (I once called my Aunt Kali from mom's phone).  I'm just a busy guy with a lot of curiosity.




NATHAN
I am 6 weeks old today - boy did that go fast!  I'm still a real good sleeper most nights.  I usually go for about 5-6 hours and then after my middle of the night feeding, I usually go another 3 or so hours. Sometimes I will get up at after my 5:30/6 am feeding, but most nights I will go back to bed for another hour.

Many people have commented on my long fingers and toes and think I will be taller than my big brother.  Only time will tell.  I am already around 10 lbs according to mom's best guestimate and a weigh-in here at home on our less accurate scale.

I did have my first real cranky spell Sunday night.  Nothing was consoling me so daddy took me for a car ride so mommy and Cameron could finish dinner.  I was quiet the whole time even though I stayed awake.  I was fairly calm the rest of the night.  I do tend to spit up a lot after some feedings and am pretty gassy at times which can cause me to get cranky, but fussy but usually I'm a mellow guy, especially in the mornings.  Although I am definitely awake more during the day and much like Cameron (though not yet to the same extreme), I like to be in motion when awake.  As a result, Mommy doesn't get much down time during the day anymore and daddy doesn't get much when he gets home as I am usually awake and vocal in the evening.

My current likes include eating my hands, my pacifier, eating, being swaddled or held (I won't sleep for very long unless I'm swaddled, in my car seat or being held), grocery shopping, being outside, and watching people's faces.  My current dislikes include having gas, having skin exposed, getting changed (clothes or diapers - it's the whole skin exposure thing), and baths.

Finally, I saved the most exciting news for last.  I now smile and it's not just when I'm gassy.  Some mornings I smile at mommy several times and even gave her a huge grin one night.  My smiles are still few and far between (just ask daddy), but I am starting to be even more social and show my happiness.  Maybe one of these days mommy or daddy will actually get a picture as proof!

Love,
Cameron & Nathan

Stormy Weather and Simple Needs

Well mom is finally tired enough from sleep deprivation that she has given us back control of our blog. So here are our updates.



CAMERON
My vocabulary is rapidly expanding, though I still only say most words (other than dada, mama, hi, and bye) only when prompted. My newest words include up, baby, truck, book, more, Jesse, woof, meow, and car. I am very helpful with Nathan. I bring mommy diapers when she goes to change him. I also find his socks and hat and give them to mommy, whether she needs them or not. I also help mommy with other things around the house including the laundry (she hands me wet clothes and I put them in the dryer), cleaning (I like to pick up dog hair, fuzz or other things off the ground and put them in the garbage), and the dishes (I take the dishes out of the bottom rack and then check and re-check and check yet again to make sure there is enough vinegar in the rinse aid compartment).

We had our first big thunderstorm of the year tonight. I don't really remember last summer's thunderstorms, but now that I'm old enough to really notice them, I don't like them. There was so much lightning and no matter where I looked, I kept seeing it so I got scared. I was better once mom and grandma took me upstairs to my room where the blinds were closed and mom turned on my music and ceiling fan to drown out the thunder noise. Fortunately the major part of the storm passed before I finished getting ready for bed so I was less freaked out.

Grandma Linda has been here since May 19th and I sure have had fun spending time with her. I also saw Grandpa Brian last weekend and both of them will be back next Friday. I'm very fortunate to have four wonderful grandparents who are so much fun to play with.



NATHAN
I'm a simple guy with simple needs - I like to eat every 2-4 hours (more frequently during the day and less frequently during the night which I think mom and dad appreciate) and to sleep most of the time, though I am starting to have longer awake periods and am much more aware of my surroundings. In fact, I usually have 1-3 lengthy (anywhere from 90 mins-3 hours) awake periods each day. I have only had two nights where I wanted to be awake at night. One night last week I was up for about an hour around 1:30am and then Wednesday night, well actually Thursday morning, I decided to get mom up around 3am and kept her up the rest of the day. In my defense, I did go back to sleep around 5 or 5:30am, but by then I think mom was wide awake.

I am gaining weight at a healthy pace. In fact, from my 2-week doctor's appointment last week Thursday to my weigh-in Wednesday up at the hospital, I gained 10 oz so now I am at 8 lbs, 2 oz. I eat 3-4 oz at each feeding which explains how I'm gaining as much weight as I do.

The past few days I have become more vocal and have shown a fondness for movement. However, I do not need to be in constant motion; I simply like seeing new sites once in a while so I appreciate a short stroll through the house. I can also be soothed by the pacifier, especially if I'm a bit fussy and I recently ate. I will also take the bottle fairly well if mom is not around so her and dad have been able to play softball (their season started in mid-April) and even have a date night while grandma and grandpa watched me and Cameron.

We are enjoying the beautiful spring weather we have had the past few days and hope it stays as we both love the great outdoors.

Love,
Cameron & Nathan

Nathan's First 10 Days

Here is an update on the boys. Mom still is the guest writer as Cameron takes a break from his blog to acclimate to being a big brother...


NATHAN
Nathan continues to do well. He is back to his birth weight and is on the high end of eating (took 3 oz in the other day when we were up at the hospital and could weigh him before and after feeding). He is finally and thankfully off of the phototherapy treatment. It is so nice to be able to walk around the house with him rather than being "stuck" wherever he was plugged in. Nathan is also a decent sleeper so far. He goes about 3-4 hours at night and has been very good about going back to sleep after (or sometimes during) nursing. A lot of the time I think I fall asleep too as he is a good eater and so far no challenges there. Makes it a lot more relaxing and therefore easier to doze off so I feel much more rested this time around. During the day Nathan is awake 1-3 times a day for 1 1/2-3 hours at a time. We love seeing his eyes and he is a very quiet, alert baby when he is awake. Unless he is hungry or cold (during diaper changes), then he is vocal. So far Nathan's likes include eating, being held, being swaddled, sleeping, and being in his car seat. Quite a simple life! I took the boys out for Nathan's first shopping trip when he was a week old. He did very well considering we got close to his lunch time. Having both the boys with me is good for the budget - there' s not much room in the shopping cart when you have Cameron in the front seat and Nathan in his car seat in the cart!


CAMERON
Cameron has been adjusting very well in my opinion. It must be hard to going from top dog to sharing our attention - just ask Jesse! Cameron has had several new experiences in the past week other than becoming a big brother. He added a new word to his vocabulary on Thursday while watching the Brewers game with me. He now says "go", the first time in response to one of the Brewers getting a hit and running hard. Thursday and Friday he also worked on (and is now very good at) crawling down the stairs so I don't have to carry him. Too bad we didn't master this while I was still pregnant! He also grabs his diaper when it needs changing. Guess that's another step towards potty training, but I'm certainly not ready for that yet! My favorite development though was a spontaneous one yesterday. At breakfast, Cameron got his bib out of the cabinet, put it on (backwards, but still...) and then when I put him in his high chair, he helped buckle himself into the chair. He definitely knows what's what around the house.

Some of Cameron's new favorites include Kashi cereal with milk at breakfast. He especially enjoys drinking the milk out of his bowl. He definitely did not learn that from me or Greg as I hate milk in my cereal and Greg doesn't eat cereal. He also enjoys checking on his lil brother whenever Nathan makes noise. He even understands which blankies are his and which are Nathan's (Cameron uses cloth diapers that we use as burp cloths as his blankie so now with Nathan spitting up on occasion we have those same cloth diaper/burp cloths on hand for Nathan). If he's not sure who's blankie it is, he will smell it and/or look at us for clarification. If we tell him it's Nathan's, he puts it down and looks for his.

Finally, Cameron has been taking advantage of some nice weather and enjoying the great outdoors. He loves being outside and pointing out bugs, especially ants, and picking grass, sticks and rocks. Because he has been pretty helpful and I feel guilty for not spending as much time with him, I made an unplanned stop at the Pewaukee Lake beach last weekend with Cameron. He wanted to walk right into the lake which made for a messy walk back to the car through the sandy beach. But it was worth the smile on his face to explore somewhere new. One of these days when it is warm out again, we'll have to make a family trip to the beach and spend more time there so Cameron can play in the sand with his new sand toys (thanks Buries!) and explore the water more.

It has been a pretty smooth first 10 days with Nathan so hope I can report the same in another 10 days!

Love,
Kristi & the boys

And Then There Were Two

Cameron has kindly given me the editorial reins for this posting since he was not present for the birth of his little brother. Nathan James Kruepke was born on Tuesday, April 6th at 12:20pm. He weighed in at 6 lbs 15 oz (3 oz more than Cameron) and was 20 inches long (compared to Cameron's 19 inches).

**Note: I have divided this blog into two sections: labor & delivery and meet Nathan in case you do not care to read about the labor portion.

LABOR & DELIVERY

Nathan's delivery was also much easier than Cameron's. On Monday night, my contractions were already 8 mins apart, but they weren't very strong so I went to bed hoping to make it to my 8:30am doctor's appointment. Around 1am, I woke up and the contractions were now 5 mins apart. My doctor had advised to go to the hospital if they were 5-10 mins apart so I was already pushing it. But I still waited until 3 am before deciding to go in partly because they weren't strong so I didn't want to get sent home and also because I didn't want to have to get Cameron up unless I really had to, but by 3 am, I was a bit anxious and called the doctor who advised me to go in to be safe. I was officially admitted at 5 am after they determined it was active labor and not false labor (they had me walk around for an hour and then checked to see if that led to any progress and since it did, they admitted me). Cameron's Grandpa Jim and Grandma Barb came down and picked him up around 5am and took him back to West Bend where he stayed until Wednesday evening.

My doctor was on vacation this whole week so I had a different doctor, Dr. Taylor, in on the delivery. I really liked how laid back yet to the point he was as it fit my style well so I wasn't concerned about having a different doctor. I nicknamed him the Danny Gokey of doctors because he had really stylish eyeglasses and wore a different pair the day he delivered Nathan and the day he discharged me.

Because they had to break my water and that typically leads to stronger contractions and because I remember how painful my contractions were with Cameron, I ended up getting the epidural even though I wasn't experiencing any pain at the time. I'm glad I did because after they broke my water, I had to get pitocin since my progress had stalled and the pitocin is what really created the unbearable contractions with Cameron. Although I probably could have made it through without the epidural, for the sake of all in the room, I decided not to chance it knowing how low my pain tolerance is. I was not nervous or anxious at all about the labor or delivery process except for the epidural. I think because I didn't have any other anxieties and also because I wasn't in any pain when I got it (compared to Cameron's delivery where I was keeling over in pain by the time the anesthesiologist arrived), I really felt the epidural process and did not care for that.

The dose was perfect because I could still feel what was going on, but did not feel any pain through the entire process. In fact, a little after noon I told the nurse that I felt the need to push and sure enough I was fully dilated and ready to push. A few contractions and pushes late (and about 10 mins total time), Nathan was born. I had a slight tear, but nothing as painful as last time. In fact, I didn't feel any pain in the recovery process. The nurses kept asking if I wanted anything for pain, but I kept refusing since I didn't have any. The one exception was I had a headache (likely due to lack of sleep) Tuesday night. Other than that, I felt pretty darn good. I was walking the halls of the hospital the next day. The only challenge is that since I did feel so good, I think I have pushed myself a little too much these past few days. Without the pain, I easily forget that I am still recovering.

MEET NATHAN JAMES

Our little Nathan has quite the appetite, eating every 1 1/2-3 hours, depending on how tired he is. And he sleeps ALOT! Even when he is awake, he is pretty laid back yet still quite alert. We'll see if this is his true personality or just a result of his jaundice. Because his bilirubin levels were high, he has been on phototherapy since Friday. This entails him having a rubber pad up his shirt so it is against his back. The pad is attached to a hose of fiber optics that carry the special light that helps break down the bilirubin. Fortunately his levels are finally dropping after plateauing yesterday. We have had to go to the hospital every day since coming home to get blood draws to test his bilirubin levels. The brave little guy has been such a trooper and hardly makes a peep during the process. Hopefully tomorrow will be our last trip to the hospital for quite a while!

Cameron got to meet his new little brother on Wednesday evening and so far has adjusted pretty darn well. Thursday was a little trying as we came home from the hospital and Cameron didn't nap very well so that all added up to a needy, cranky Cameron. Since then, he has been a proud big brother, checking on Nathan when he makes noise, bringing me Nathan's hat to make sure his head stays warm, blowing kisses and saying "hi". We have been trying hard to make sure Cameron still gets some one-on-one time with each of us, but it has been a juggling act to do so. Fortunately he has had good one-on-one time with his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and his sitter to help supplement the smaller chunks of time he gets with us. I did take him to the beach at Pewaukee Lake yesterday for a short excursion since I was feeling extremely guilty about not being able to spend time with him. Though my recovery is going well, I'm trying to limit how much I carry Cameron, especially up and down stairs, so I have not been his primary caregiver these past several days and have not been able to do as much with him as I would like. That will change in a week or so when I can resume pretty much all day-to-day activities. Plus, with Nathan attached to his phototherapy machine 24/7, I can't really go places with the kids so we're stuck at home for at least another day or two.

We think Nathan looks more like his daddy. Cameron looked more like me than Nathan does. It will be interesting to see how his features develop and if he does continue to resemble Greg as he gets older. So that is our Nathan in a nutshell. Now Cameron seems so big (never thought I would say that about our first peanut) compared to Nathan. We are very blessed to have two healthy, wonderful boys and look forward to them growing up together.

Love,
Kristi, Greg, Cameron, Nathan & Jesse