Toby

Yesterday was a tough day. Our sweet Toby had to be put down after 15.5 years with us. Mom and dad surprised us with Toby on Christmas morning 15 years ago. He was our first family dog and was an answer to my sister's prayers. She had been begging for a dog for a while so she was completely surprised. I can still remember the look on her face when she realized she got to keep him. He was such a good dog and very protective over his family. He would get super excited when we would get home and would jump up and down...we called it the "stupid dance". We will greatly miss him but I'm so thankful he no longer has to suffer. He had lost his hearing and had recently started having seizures which were terrible to watch.

We love you Toby and will never forget you, sweet boy.


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Memorial Day Weekend 2018

We spent Memorial Day weekend with friends and family and we had the absolute best time. We kicked the weekend off with a spontaneous dinner date with the Pipkins and it was so fun to watch Eva play with Cam. We miss seeing her every day so it was the perfect Friday night.
We woke up Saturday and headed to Edenton for the day. Craw's Aunt and Uncle have a gorgeous house right on the water. We grilled burgers and hotdogs and enjoyed spending time with his cousins and their baby. Yorke is one year older than Cam so it was so fun watching her and knowing that Cam will be doing some of the same things next year. The water table was a HIT so we will definitely be getting him one next summer. After Cam's nap, we changed him in to his bathing suit and he had his first swimming experience with daddy. It was so cute to watch him and he LOVED the water.

We also had our first swim diaper blow out experience.  Let's just say...NOT FUN! Casey found out what happens when you lift a baby in the air after he just ate and let's just say he won't make that mistake again. We left Edenton around 6 and Cam slept most of the way home. Craw and I were exhausted and had no issues going to sleep after a long day in the sun.

Sunday was an exciting day as it was the day we were finding out if we were having a niece or nephew. We've been waiting for 4 months to find out if Cam was getting a boy or girl cousin. We both guessed boy and...
WE WERE BOTH WRONG!
We are getting a niece and are beyond thrilled for Casey and Danielle. I'm excited to get to buy bows and all the cute girl clothes. It's going to be so fun to watch Cam and their baby girl grow up together. In fact, it makes me want to cry tears of joy thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas this year with 2 babies in tow.
Monday was a lazy day for me and I just hung out with Cam all day while Craw played golf. My parents got home from the beach and we enjoyed a nice dinner together since we hadn't seen them all weekend.
It was a great weekend and I'd be lying if I didn't say that I was happy tired at the end. So very thankful for all the men and women that sacrifice their lives for our freedom. They are the reason we celebrate.
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Camden Ivey | First Beach Experience

Finally getting around to blogging about Camden's first beach experience last weekend. We took a trip to the beach about 2 months ago but did not see the ocean because it was too cold. Taking our boy to see the ocean for the first time has been a dream of mine since the day we got him. I knew I wanted him to see it with both Craw and I present the first time so we made it happen.

We both got off work at 12 on Friday so we were at the beach by 4:00. It was so nice to beat the rush and get to enjoy dinner in Emerald Isle. We decided to eat at a sports bar and enjoyed wings and burgers for dinner. Camden did so great at the restaurant. I know there will probably come a day when meals will be stressful but he is such a happy baby so he loves to sit and stare. We ended the night with a golf cart ride. Hank was in heaven (his fave thing to do) and Camden enjoyed taking in all the sights.

Saturday morning was a lazy morning. We watched the royal wedding and just enjoyed not having a single thing to do. We weren't sure about the weather so we decided to go ahead and head to the beach. First mom fail was me not trying on his bathing suit before we left. WAY TOO BIG! Luckily it was too cold for him to get in the water. Camden was MESMORIZED by the sand. I thought he would be interested in the ocean because of the sounds but the ocean didn't even phase him. However, he was fixated on the sand. It was so cute! We spent about 30 minutes on the beach because it was high tide and overcast and we didn't want him to get any sun.

We will be back down for an extended stay in a few weeks and I have a beach tent that we can put up. I can't wait to take him back as I know he is going to love it just as much as I do. The rest of the day we relaxed at the house. It was so nice to just be together as a family with no distractions. We decided to go to Swansboro for dinner and eat at the Icehouse. Craw and I split steak/shrimp and it was delicious. We ended the night with a ride to Jacksonville to get Krispy Kreme.

Sunday morning we woke up and ate breakfast before packing up to head home. We wanted to get home early enough to tackle some cleaning before the work week started. We had the absolute best weekend and I cant wait to go back soon.











Beach naps are the best naps!
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Camden Ivey | Four Months

I think I am in denial that my baby is already 4 months old. I find myself thinking back to 4 months ago today, sitting at work, having no idea that by the end of the day I would have a son lying in a hospital in Florida. Our story still blows my mind and I love to close my eyes and relive those moments. It was the happiest, yet slightly scariest, day of my life.


Weight

16 pounds 7 ounces and 26 1/2 inches long. I think we are going to have a tall baby.

Eat

He is eating 7 ounce every 4 hours and that equates to 5 bottles a day. He is still on Enfamil Infant formula and has moved up to size 3 bottle nipples. This has been great because he can drink a 7 ounce bottle in about 10 minutes where as it was taking him about 20-25 minutes.

Sleep

His sleeping habits were thrown off this month by a nasty cold. In fact, he still isn't 100% over it and has been battling it for 2.5 weeks. He sleeps well for the most part but we did move him to the rock-n-play so that he was elevated while fighting the nasty cough. We have just moved him back to his crib and he does well but his cough will occasionally wake him up and I have to go back in and stick his paci in. We had our first super early morning this month. He woke up at 5:45 AM on a Saturday for a bottle and decided he wanted to stay up and not go back down. This non-morning person was STRUGGLING.

Milestones

HOLY MILESTONES! I think he decided this was the month he wanted to do everything. He did his first belly laugh while at the doctor and I even got it on video. That was exciting since daddy was out of town and could listen to him laugh. He also rolled over for the first time last Wednesday. He was super close to doing it for about a week and last Wednesday I went and laid him on the floor of the church nursery and turned my back for 10 seconds and when I turned around, he was on his tummy. I freaked out and ran and got Craw and now he is rolling over constantly. This weekend he rolled over to his tummy and then flipped himself back over to his back but that is the only time he has done that. He hasn't quite mastered going from tummy to back but it's coming. He also started Wee School this month an that was a huge milestone for him and for mama and daddy. We miss Rebekah but know that this is best for him as she prepared to give birth to sweet Caroline.



Likes

He loves to smile. We have one happy baby and that makes my heart so happy. He will smile at anyone that takes the time to talk to him. He is also starting to babble A LOT! Wee School told us that he talked the entire day yesterday. He still loves being outside and bath time.

Dislikes

We noticed this month that he was starting to crash earlier than normal. Daycare is wearing him out! Because of that, he HATES getting overly tired. The minute we see his eyes starting to get heavy, we better have a paci ready or he is about to scream. He also HATES having his nose cleaned. HOLY TANTRUM when its time to suck his snot.

Clothes

Still in a lot of 3 month but also starting to wear some 6 month.

Camden Ivey, what a month you had! Watching all of your little milestones made me so happy and excited for what is to come. Your smile is my absolute favorite thing about you. You completely light up the minute you see your mama and daddy. I love that you love people and I pray that you stay outgoing but even if you become more of an introvert like your mama, that's okay too. We love you slam to pieces.












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First Mothers Day | 2018


My first Mothers Day was one to remember. Craw and Camden spoiled me big time and it was so nice to spend the weekend with all of my family. I also got some surprises from Wee School and they melted my heart. We decided to celebrate with my mother-in-law on Saturday so that she could get more one-on-one time with Camden. We had a wonderful evening with Craw's family and I got an early Mothers Day gift by Camden falling asleep and snuggling in my arms. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

I learned that the day before Mothers Day is Birth Mothers Day. I had no idea but was so excited to learn that its an actual day for women to be recognized for making very brave choices. I will say it until the day I die...Camden's birth mother is my hero and I loved knowing that there is one day a year that we can publicly celebrate a woman I have never met but owe everything to.

I woke up on Sunday to Hank ferociously barking at something in the kitchen. Craw was already at church so I knew he must have done something. I walked in to breakfast on the table, a handwritten letter, a necklace with Camden's name on it, and a Mothers Day balloon.  The balloon was the source of Hanks barking. I took my time getting ready with Camden and just enjoyed the time spent with just him. After all, he is the reason I was able to celebrate. When we got to church, I was surprised with a beautiful butterfly painting of Camden's feet. We love Mrs. Jennifer!

One thing that I LOVED is when it came time for the mothers to be recognized during the church service, the speaker asked for all women to stand and be recognized. Every woman got a rose and I LOVED that he did that because you never know what someone sitting in the congregation may be going through. It made my heart happy for sure.

After church, we went to Olive Garden to celebrate with my mom. We enjoyed lunch and the time spent with each other. For moms gift, we gave her a weekend away at the beach with just Hillary and I (& Camden). I can't wait to do that this summer.

My one Mothers Day wish was for a long nap and Craw made it happen! It was the best Sunday afternoon nap and Craw even got Camden to sleep so he got to enjoy some down time. After my nap, we took Camden to the park for a little while and enjoyed the rest of the day as a family of 3 (plus Hank). It was very relaxing and the perfect end to a perfect weekend.

My first Mothers Day was spent doing exactly what I wanted with the people that I love most and I will always thank the Lord for making me Camden's mama.


















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