Ewww....

This was discovered on our deck. If it comes into my house, I will scream bloody murder.

So In Love

There is no question how much Ben loves his baby brother...


As soon as I put Alex down on the boppy to take his photo, Ben had to be right there, trying to get as close to him as possible, asking me to take their picture. He's such a good big brother!

Alex is starting to show some signs of reflux, something that both Andy and I find frightening, since Jake also had reflux, and if may have had something to do with when he stopped breathing. The last two nights there have been stretches where Alex has just cried nonstop, and nothing either of us does is able to assuage it. If I nurse him he will stop crying, but it only seems to make the situation worse afterward. He hasn't been able to sleep in his crib, either. As soon as I lay him down on his back he spits up and starts crying. The funny thing is, he has no trouble during the day. I'm hoping that the last two nights have something to do with something I ate and it just happened to hit him at night. His next doctor's appointment is next Monday, so hopefully we can get some expert advice on easing his discomfort.

Brush Up Your Shakespeare!

I auditioned for "Kiss Me Kate" Wednesday night, the second night of auditions. I felt very confident with my audition. The lead role is Lilli/Katherine (it's a show about a bunch of actors putting on a musical version of "The Taming of the Shrew" -- her role is the actress who plays Katherine). LCP had it's monthly business meeting Thursday night. The group's president is directing, and I arrived at the meeting hoping for news. Tim waited until the very end of the night, when he turned to me and said, "We're going to need to get you a wig; your hair is too short to play Katherine." I was ecstatic. It will be good to be back on stage again -- I've been going through theatre withdrawal, and doing to radio show in March really didn't help that at all. It's also nice to know that being cast in a leading role for "Beauty and the Beast" wasn't a fluke. I will certainly admit that I didn't have a lot of competition for the role, but it's still nice to be cast in a lead. The show goes up Nov. 7, 8 & 9. Our read through is tomorrow -- can't wait!

The Birthday Bash!

Well, Ben's third birthday has come and gone, with all the pomp and circumstance. Nearly all of Ben's friends were able to make it, and they all had a great time, as did the adults! One of Andy's friend's cousin's (yeah, one of those round about deals) owns a company that rents out those giant inflatables, and he donated two to us for the day -- a huge slide and a "bouncy house." Ben and his buddies had a blast. I imagine that all the kids slept well that night -- I know Ben did! We adults got our fair share of bouncy fun, as well. Ben got his John Deere Gator, and he LOVES it. He hopped right in and took it for a drive. He ran the battery down that first night.

Thanks to everyone who came and made Ben's birthday so special. As I have said so many times, our friends and family mean so much to us, and we can't thank you enough.

Alex relaxes as the "big kids" play.

Ben bounces in the "bouncy house"

Ben and Maci

Katerina had to check things out first, then decided it was fun to play

Jackson on the slide

Ben on the slide

Ben contemplates hitting the pinata (when it finally broke, he was a little upset that the tractor was ruined!)

Max has an amazing arm for a 14 month old!

Maci takes a swing.

Tyra at bat.

Ben sure loved getting his gator!!!

The JD Tractor cake!!

Ben and Katerina on the gator: "She thinks my tractor's sexy!"

This is how we found Ben an hour after we put him to bed -- laying in the exact position he was laid down in. That NEVER happens! He sure was tired after his big day. :)

Some New Photos

Ben admires the proliferation of flowers on our hibiscus.

Ben in Daddy's hoodie = Jedi?

Ben and Katerina were being really cute, but then they were caught in the act, so they stopped. Well, they kept playing, but the cute moment, which I can't even remember now, was lost.

Alex dealt with some jaundice when he was about a week old, so he got to spend some time in the sun. It was kind of stressful for me, trying to make sure he ate every two hours (or more) and fighting to keep him awake for this feedings. He kept falling asleep while nursing and only nursing for a few minutes at a time, when he needed to be nursing for at least 15 minutes at a stretch. By the end of the weekend he was doing much better (he gained 4 ounces in that weekend alone!).

Ben spent some time in the sun with Alex.

Ben was getting "a little bit rest;" climbing up on the couch, squeezing his eyes shut, and getting down to play again, stating, "okay, I'm awake!" Then a couple minutes later he'd declare that he needed more rest and do it all over again.

One Year Later...

Jake and Ben on 8/4/07

It's hard to believe an entire year has come and gone since we lost Jake. This past week was trying at times, but far and away not nearly as difficult as it might have been if current circumstances were different. Wednesday the 13th was the hardest for me, since that's the day Jake stopped breathing, but marking the day of his actual passing and the funeral was hard as well. Luckily, there was plenty to keep us distracted...

Alex
What a precious gift to us at this time of year. We all have enjoyed our time together so far. Alex is such a good baby. He doesn't even mind having sponge baths, something both Ben and Jake would cry through the entire time (until their cords fell off and they could have a "real" bath). He just lays there calmly taking everything in. Last night he slept from just before 11pm until nearly 4:30! Then after he was done nursing he went right back to sleep and I woke him up at 8am. He has truly been a blessing for us.

Ben
Everyone knows how amazing Ben has been throughout the last year, both distracting us from the pain of Jake's loss and reminding us just how much he loved his first little brother. Sunday morning Ben told me he had a dream about Jake. "Jake was a big boy, and he was riding a tricycle." He sometimes gets confused about Alex and Jake, because he still remembers his dear baby brother, and having a new baby is understandably confusing. Though it can be painful when Ben asks about Jake, clearly still not understanding the permanence of Jake's passing, it is also comforting to know that in some way he remembers Jake and cherishes him still.

Beckham
In the torment of losing Jake, there was a silver lining that helped us keep everything in perspective. By donating Jake's heart we knew that some part of him would live on and another family could benefit from this terrible loss we suffered. So many people have told us what a brave and selfless thing it was to donate Jake's heart, but we needed it as much as the recipient did -- it gave sense and purpose to something inexplicable in our lives. Months ago Andy found a blog belonging to a family that lives in Iowa. The baby boy received a heart transplant on August 16th at two weeks old. We knew a two week old boy in Iowa received Jake's heart, and the date was right, too. We had it confirmed through the donor organization, and have been able to silently watch Beckham's journey from the sidelines. He turned one on August 1st, and despite some ups and downs and illnesses (not related to his heart), our Jake's heart continues to beat within this child, who is so well loved by his family and truly a miracle. What a comfort to us to know that Beckham is cherished and loved just as Jake was by us, and in return this family loves Jake as we did. And we love Beckham. Andy and I intend to write to them and send Beckham a first birthday gift, but the right time hasn't arrived yet. For now it is enough to know that they Beckham is thriving, he is loved, and Jake is remembered.

So thus we are thrice blessed on this one year anniversary, by three unique boys who comfort us in unique ways. This is to say nothing of the other comforts we have: the new house, providing us with a new surrounding, lacking the painful memories of last year; our friends and family, who have helped us, comforted us, and kept our minds off the pain (a special thanks to Sara, Todd, Lois and their children, who spent Wednesday evening with us and kept us from dwelling on the things we were doing at the same time a year before); the wonderful doctors and members of the donor organization who have remembered us in correspondence this month; and the doctors, midwives and nurses who helped bring Alex safely into this world.

Alex and Ben on 8/18/08

Alexander Rhys has arrived!

The four of us!!

After a long and harrowing ordeal (okay, that is possibly slightly exaggerated -- you be the judge), we have our little Alex happily settled at home.

I went in for the induction around 8am on Thursday, and they had me hooked up to pitocin by 9am. I started having regular contractions more or less right away, but when the doctor check my progress around 2:30 he determined that I wasn't making any progress. So he took me off pitocin and gave me cervidil in the hopes that I would start dilating. By 10pm I was really had made a tiny bit of progress and he considered breaking my water, but he did an ultrasound and found that Alex had his arm up by his head -- no good. At 7am he had me get up and walk to see if that would help get Alex to change positions, and I could only walk for half an hour because I was in such immense pain. At 8am there was a shift change, and the new doctor checked me and said, "Well, I really only think you're about 3 centimeters, but I'm going to break your water anyway." Again, this was 8 o'clock. Alex was born at 9:11. In just about an hour I went from uncomfortable, having lots of regular contractions, so they gave me something to help me sleep and deal with the pain. Overnight I felt like things changed, that I must be making some progress toward active labor, but still nothing was happening. At 6:30 the doctor determined I three centimeters to having my baby in my arms. Nearly that entire hour was the worst pain I have EVER endured, but by the time I could push I was calmer, focused, ready to get things done, and I think I only pushed for about ten minutes. No epidural, again. I tried to have one this time, but they tried to do it after my water broke and there was not enough time between contractions at that point. I went from 7 cms at the time they attempted the epidural to pushing in less than 5 minutes.

Alex weighed in at 7 pounds, 4.9 ounces, and 19 and 3/4 inches long. I got to hold him immediately, and didn't have to let go for half an hour or more -- it was wonderful. And then Ben came in. The look on his face is impossible to describe. He was so thrilled to have his baby finally. He appeared to be completely in awe of Alex. He has been fantastic ever since. He doesn't want to leave his side. Some quotes from the last few days:
"He's my favorite."
"I'll take care of him."
"I'll rock him."
"I like Alex so much."
"Alex is my favorite kind of baby."
"Alex is so cute."
"He has tiny, tiny ears."
Saturday evening Ben was at home with my mom, with no intention of coming back to the hospital that evening. At dinner he asked, "Can we go so I can say good night to Alex?"
He kisses him all the time, hugs him, asks to hold or carry him ("carrying" = "helping" someone else carry Alex), and can't stand to be away from him. It's wonderful.

And now a few photos...

Alex with Mommy - his first photo!

I don't know if he'll ever know how special he is to us.

Oh, the humanity!

Ben gets to see his brother for the first time!!

Ben holding Alex for the first time.

Look at those 3 Campbell boys!

My dad surprised us by coming down on Saturday unannounced!

Me and the world's greatest big brother

Alex is all ready to go home

Now this is what life is all about.

Alex gets his first bath - only minor screaming ensued.

He actually found and managed to suck on his thumb already!

Final Pre-Alex Blog

A couple of funny things from Ben...

~ I just went out to see what he was up to in the backyard. I asked him what he was doing. He replied, "I'm getting my tricycle situated." Yes, situated. Direct quote.

~ Took a ride in the Barracuda last week to Eldridge park. Upon arrival, Ben didn't want to get out. He asked, "Daddy, may I please sit in the Barracuda for awhile?" "Why do you want to do that?" "Because I do." Pause. Very matter-of-fact, "There's nothing better."

~ Earlier today Andy was assembling a new nightstand. The backing had little pock marks where the nails had to be placed, and Ben was handing nails to Andy as he went. Then he started placing the nails in these pockmarks, without prompting. Ultimately he helped Andy hammer some in, and he was so thrilled. He was so proud of himself.

Finally, I close with a photo of Ben and I reading. Note his hand resting on his brother (aka my belly).

Coming soon to a theatre near you

This week will mark the premier of "Another Addition to the Campbell Family." The premier is scheduled for Thursday at the Arnot Ogden Medical Center in Elmira, NY. Due to scheduling conflicts for the star, Alexander Rhys Campbell, the premier could be moved up several days, but is expected to take place sometime following an induction ceremony Thursday, August 7th. The debut of this young man should be a blockbuster -- sources say he weighed in around 7 pounds a week ago, and it is thought he has quite a head of hair. Keep checking in for further updates.