Party hopping

Last weekend, we were invited to a series of family parties that we would normally attend. That's not to say that we decided not to go because of the baby, we just had to decide if we wanted to expose the baby to so much, so soon. We seem to forget that the little one is barely 6 weeks old! We're just so excited that she's here with us and we're used to being around other kids who are already out & about. Plus we often hear people guessing her age, and they usually ask if she's around 3 months old. Huh? We know she's got some size to her, but damn!

The three parties were all fun, and Mak was able to take the whole day in stride. From a housewarming, to a 7 year birthday party, and finally to a family party at grandma's, the little one got worn out! Grandma couldn't get enough of her little granddaughter's visit & proceeded to show off her little star! By the time we got home, Mak was exhausted and even let us catch a four hour nap! We're counting the days until she sleeps the whole night through!!

And the growth doesn't stop...

Yesterday, Makenna had a follow up appointment regarding her acid-reflux. Her doctor determined that it was causing her some discomfort, which in turn, was making her a bit fussy. As of late, she hadn't been eating as much as usual, and we thought she would've lost some weight. But of course, she proved that theory wrong, and weighed in at a healthy 11 pounds 4 ounces! What a heavyweight we've got on our hands!

Nevertheless, she's taking some meds to help her deal with her acid-reflux. Although it'll take some time for her to get over it, we immediately noticed some relief upon her first dose. After eating, she was able to fall asleep quickly, and remain that way for upwards of three hours. She was headed in that direction before, but once this issue came up, we would be lucky if she'd stay asleep for 30 minutes at a time! We'll keep our fingers crossed and see how things progress.

Happy Easter!

Yesterday was full of firsts for our little Makenna. Easter was her first official holiday, she attended her first mass, and she got to wear her first dress. We had the family over our place to celebrate Easter, so Makenna had a very full and exhausting day!

Big girls don't cry?

Yesterday we took the little one to visit the doctor for specific concerns we were having regarding her jaundice and possible acid reflux. As the nurse instructed us to remove the baby's clothing for her routine weigh-in, we were both surprised how much she's grown in the last couple of weeks. Makenna is now at a healthy weight of 10 pounds 13 ounces! We knew she was growing, but to hear that she's close to 11 pounds & she's barely a month old was a pleasant surprise! What a big girl we have!

Needless to say, all is well with the "little" one. Her bilirubin level has gone down to a very acceptable level-most infants range from 1-10 and her's has gone down to 10.1. The doctor also gave us some tips regarding what to do to help with her spitting up. Hey, we're all still learning here! I think we're both just relieved that our concerns were fairly minor. WHEW!

Fatherhood

It's times like this that make me love being a dad...

Just a fun pic

Our little one is growing so quickly before our eyes. She's rapidly approaching the 1 month mark and we're amazed at how quickly she's developing. Of course every parent probably thinks the same way, but hey, we're equally as proud of our little Makenna. Here's a shot of her just minding her own business. What a little ham!

Baby's first bath

This past weekend, Makenna had the pleasure of experiencing her very first "real" bath. Up until recently, we were still sponge bathing her because her umbilical cord was still attached. Of course it did end up falling off when I changed her, and I'm sure Enz was pretty jazzed about that-the whole cord falling off thing kinda grossed her out! Knowing that it was going to be a little bit of a shock, I decided to get Makenna prepared by giving her a little pep talk.
After phsyching her up, I handed her off to Enz, who took charge of the whole "bath project." Auntie Sarah was there playing the papparazzi role, while I stood by with both towel & video camera in hand. Once Makenna's but touched the water, she started crying. We all knew she wouldn't like it, but we also knew that she needed to get through it. So Enz pressed on regardless of the cries.

It only took a couple of minutes, but once Makenna got used to the water, she immediately calmed down and stopped crying. It was almost as if someone hit the mute button, because she did a complete 180! I still think she went pee-pee in the bath, but there's no real proof. Whatever it was, she really started to enjoy herself!

Talking with her hands

Makenna is keeping us very entertained as we watch her grow. It's interesting to see how alert she is, and it seems like she has recently discovered the lamp. Lately she's been fixated on one of the lamps in our family room, and no matter what we do to try to distract her, she always finds her way back to staring at the lamp.

We're still trying to work out a schedule to keep to, but at times it seems like she's got a bigger appetite than her daddy! It's funny how content she acts when she finally gets full. Nothing really seems to bother her when she reaches that point, even a full diaper doesn't seem to phase her! Changing it on the other hand is a different story. The dirty diaper doesn't bother either of us, it's mainly her screaming when the diaper comes off that makes us want to scream back! Makenna is getting better at the whole changing thing, and she doesn't cry every time. But when she does, LOOK OUT!

Here's a great pic of our little one. It's more on the "Italian" side, because she appears to be doing the whole "talking with her hands" bit. It's almost like she's saying, "what do you want from me?" Enjoy!

Happy 2 weeks already?!!

So it's really hard to believe how quickly time has gone for our family. It's been a while since I last posted. As of this posting, our little Makenna is two weeks old! Funny how time flies when you're having fun, right?

It's been a real eye opener since the first day we brought her home. Those of you who have been following our journey already know that Makenna had an elevated level of jaundice which prevented her from coming home when she was supposed to. Of course, the staff at the hospital worked diligently to help bring Makenna's level down, and by the next day, she was able to come home with us.

She's been home with us for the last week and a half, and we're all still getting adjusted to the new schedule. Of course Makenna is oblivious to all the changes we've made to work around her, but that's how life works. From what everyone tells us, things almost always are expected to change once you "think" you get on top of a situation. Oh the joys of being a parent!

As of this post, Makenna has reached the 9 pound mark, and has grown 3/4ths of an inch! I guess since we see her daily it's a little hard to see the changes. But being around her so much, we're able to see her progress and become more in tune with her surroundings! We'll do our best to keep the updates coming, although they may be few & far between. Keep checking back, and hopefully the little one can put a smile on your face with one of her goofy little smirks, or just a story we tell.

MAKENNA REESE CAMERO

Please join us in welcoming the newest addition to the Camero family:

MAKENNA REESE CAMERO

The little peanut finally made her presence known on March 7, 2007 @ 11:48PM. She weighed in at 8 pounds & 8 ounces, and was 19.5 inches long. Not such a little peanut, huh?

As Enza reached her 40th week, we both were eagerly anticipating Makenna's arrival. We started to increase Enza's walking, and she had been off of work two weeks prior. Although many women go 1-2 weeks past their due dates, our doctor didn't want Enza to go far past hers, mainly because Enza was having an extremely hard time eating much, and started to lose weight during the last couple of weeks of the pregnancy. Our final appointment was the day after Makenna's due date of the 4th, and the doctor tried to stimulate Enza's body to go into labor, since she had been stuck @ 1cm for approximately 3 weeks. Once we found that to be unsuccessful, she recommended that Enza have a prostoglandin gel placed near her cervix to help the dilation process move along. A few hours after the gel, Enz started to have some serious cramping, and the contractions started coming more frequently. We went to the hospital at 4:30am on March 7th, where Enza was admitted, and we waited as the contractions became more frequent.

After a few hours, the doctor checked on Enz and found that her cervix was dilating very slowly. She recommended a drug called pitocin to help induce Enza's labor. Once that was administered, it only took a short amount of time for the contractions to become more intense and more frequent. Another measurement came and Enza was up to 3cm. Not much progress, but enough pain for Enz to request the epidural. Originally she wanted to do this without aid of any drugs, but since the pitocin can make the contractions feel much worse than they are, Enz didn't have much of a choice. We kept our spirits up though, because even through all this, we knew we would have our beautiful baby girl with us soon.



Things went on this way pretty much all morning, with Enza's cervix dilating to 5cm by lunchtime. Increases of pitocin were given throughout the day, as well as the epidural, but her cervix stayed firm at 5cm. Later in the afternoon, she got to 6cm, then 7cm, and by nighttime, she was up to 8cm. Enz was pretty exhausted from all the contractions, drugs, and machines she was hooked up to. It wasn't easy sitting beside her, feeling helpless because I couldn't do a damn thing to help ease her pain.



Later that night, around 10pm, we noticed that Enz started to develop a little fever, but that was attributed to all the stuff going on with Enza's body to help get her along. Shortly afterward, we noticed that Makenna's heartrate began a steady climb, and eventually topped out @ around 215bpm. As we sat and watched the heartrate climb, the staff came in to calm us down. The doctor then came in to discuss Enza having a c-section, because now that she had been stuck at 8cm and developed a fever, we were putting a lot of strain on the baby.

We both felt extremely emotional & helpless because we were doing all we could to keep from having a c-section. We almost felt that we had wasted our time trying to keep this natural, and in doing so, Enza had to lie there in pain for close to 21 hours. But that's life, and of course we all know that sometimes things are out of our control.

By 11:48pm, our daughter Makenna Reese was born, and it was such an exhilirating moment. Hearing her cry was such a wonderful and unforgettable sound. Enza was exhausted, and I was relieved. Our baby girl was finally with us!

Peanut at 40 weeks???

How your baby's growing: It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs in at a little over 7 pounds and is about 20 inches long. Your baby will continue to grow with every passing day (her nails and hair will continue to get longer, too). Your baby's skull bones are still separated and they'll stay that way to allow the bones to compress enough to fit through the birth canal during labor (you'll notice soft spots or "fontanels" on your baby's head for a year or more after birth).

So today WAS our little Peanut's due date, and at the time of this post, she has yet to make her appearance! C'mon now little one, the weather has been beautiful this past weekend, what are you waiting for? Obviously Enz & I are still anxiously awaiting her arrival, and we do have another appointment tomorrow. Hopefully the doctor will help all of us out and we can determine exactly when we do expect to have her. Everyone seems to be just as anxious as we are, so please be patient! Just remember, she is half filipino!

That being said, special Congratulations to Nancy & Anthony on the birth of their baby daughter Brianna Isabella! Enz got a message today that Nancy had the baby! We can't wait to see you guys & meet the little one! Glad everything turned out well! Maybe our little peanut will be born the day Brianna was scheduled to be born this week? That would prove to be a strange turn of events now wouldn't it?!

Playing the waiting game...

Well, so far one of our wishes came true-we'll be having a March baby, making us the March family =) Not that big of a deal, but nevertheless, pretty cool.

Still no baby at this time though. We've increased our walks, which I've noticed have started to take their toll on Enz. Who am I fooling? I think I get tired before she does! It's almost like all that cardio didn't help me for $hit! Hehehe... Yesterday was probably the first time I've heard Enz really complain about feeling uncomfortable. The weight of her belly is doing a number on her back, and these past few nights she hasn't really slept well. All the stuff that others have told her to watch out for seemed to have just started a couple of days ago. Go figure!

We're keeping our fingers crossed that something special will happen this weekend. God knows the little peanut wants to come out and play. Besides, we're pretty certain that the inside of Enza's belly is permanently bruised!

Filipino time?

We had our 39 week appointment yesterday and so far it seems like the little peanut loves the warmth of mommy's belly. It's almost like she knows how bad the weather's been lately, and she'd rather wait until daylight savings time to make her grand entrance. So far she's keeping all of us guessing. The doctor mentioned that Enza's belly has dropped, but she's still holding tight at 1 cm, no pun intended.

At this point, the doctor scheduled our next appointment for early next week. If nothing changes by then, we'll probably look at our options to get the ball rolling, as the doctor doesn't want Enz to go more than 1 week past the due date of March 4th. We're hoping for something big this weekend! We also found out that Auntie B will be going out of town on the 7th, and that would be a huge bummer if she missed out on the birth =(

Enz hasn't really started to feel uncomfortable, much like a majority of pregnant women do during their last few weeks. Although yesterday was probably the first time she complained of discomfort, aside from the regular bouts of heartburn. Keep your fingers crossed, and your phones on-we're praying for a miracle this weekend!

Still counting down...

As we enter into the 39th week, a sense of excitement has come over us. We're down to the last few days of the pregnancy, or should I say, the last few days until the due date.

This past weekend, we visited with some friends, and all we could think about was that this would possibly be our last week solely as a couple. Just the very thought that we will soon have our baby with us, and that we will be responsible for her gives us both the chills. Sure, Enz has been carrying around the little one for the last nine months, but things will certainly be different once she's actually & physically here with us. We both feel that we're ready for her, and we're fairly confident that everything in the house is ready for her. We've gone through all the preparations, now all we need is for Enz to have the baby and then we can move onto the next phase.

We've got another appointment coming up this week, and hopefully the doctor will tell us that everything is good. We're still trying to figure out whether or not the baby will be early, on time, or late. I'm shooting for late, just because she's half filipino! As is stands, we have 5 days left until the 4th. We're still counting, even though we know it can be ANY day now...

Peanut at 39 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby's ready to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) Your baby's organs are fully developed and in place, and the outer layers of skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

Yet another appointment...

We had another weekly appointment yesterday, this time with another doctor since ours was on vacation. She's asked for our little peanut to hold out until she returns, and so far, the little one has honored her request.

Everything looked good, and the doctor mentioned that the baby's head was very low which she attributed to the thinning of the cervix. It appears as if our little one is on schedule, so we'll see by next week what the doctor says.

We're just about 8 days away from the due date, and we're still trying to figure out if she'll follow in her Filipino roots & be late, or if she'll do the Italian thing and be early. Isn't Italy 9 hours ahead? =) We're hoping for anytime in March so we can all celebrate being a "March birthday family." Besides, once she's born, my birthday will be forgotten anyway, since it is in the beginning of the month! The spotlight will belong to the peanut!

Latest pic

Here's the most recent picture of Enz in all her pregnant splendor. This is a phone pic, taken on Saturday February 17, 2007. We were entering Babies 'R' Us, so you can tell that Enz has her game face on. Needless to say, the store was fairly empty, so the stress level was low.

Still waiting...

This past weekend was fairly eventful in regards to finalizing all of the baby stuff. Enz & I were able to get all the exchanges done for the duplicate gifts we received, and also completed the missing odds & ends from the registry. I hung up the blinds in the baby room, and Enz got all the crib bedding together and set it all into the crib. Although the baby won't be sleeping in her crib just yet, Enz really wanted to see how it would all come together. I think she made an excellent choice!

Moving into the 38th week, I've noticed that fatigue really sets in early with Enz. She has already started to waddle, and her "nesting" instinct has kicked into high gear. At times this weekend, I wasn't able to keep up with her, and was even a bit worried that she would run herself into the ground. But like a trooper, she kept at it, and didn't stop until she was done with what she was doing. The baby hasn't dropped any more since the last time, at least that's how Enz feels. She has yet to experience the whole "lightening" of her belly, in fact, she's still got a lot of heartburn. I feel bad for her because she can't eat without getting stomach issues, and it's not so much what she eats, or the quantity, it's just that there's no room for anything. It's almost as if she can get heartburn from a half glass of water! UGH!

Now that Enz is home, she can focus on getting her thoughts together for the big day. God knows she's got everything else prepared!!

Peanut at 38 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby has really fattened up. She likely weighs between 6 and 7 1/2 pounds now (boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls), and she's probably between 19 and 20 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test with your pinky! Her organs are fully developed and in place, but her lungs and brain — though developed enough for her to function now — will continue to mature right through childhood. Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If your baby is born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

And on this week...

Not much has happened this past week, just our weekly routine. Although this was Enza's last week at work, I think she realized that there's more work ahead of us on the home front-self inflicted, of course! No complaints though, besides, who'd listen anyway?

Last weekend we had another baby shower for the little one, and needless to say, she was spoiled AGAIN! It's all good, and we wanted to thank everyone for coming and making it yet another fun time! I'd say "let's do it again," but where would we put all her stuff? =)

We also had another weekly appointment this week, and the doctor got to see the little peanut in all her belly deforming action! Its almost like she was playing a game with the doctor because she would push out a body part, and when the doctor would put her hand on it, she'd pull away. Early stages of hide and seek? I think so!

Week 37 is coming to a close and we look forward to continuing our countdown. What is it, something like 15 days left? WOW!

Peanut at 37 weeks

How your baby's growing: Congratulations! Your pregnancy is now considered full term — meaning your baby is developmentally ready to handle life outside the womb. (Babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 weeks are post-term.) Your baby probably weighs a little over 6 pounds at this point and measures between 19 and 20 inches, head to heel. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children are born blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Ready for the world...

So now that Enz is well into her ninth month, we had our first "weekly" appointment with the doctor. She noticed that Enza's belly has started to drop, although Enz still doesn't feel that much different. She checked on the little peanut's heartbeat, which, to this day, still sounds amazing! The doctor also verified that the baby has moved into position. When she finished the exam, she told us that Enz has dilated to 1 cm. As Enz & I looked at each other, I let out a strange laugh. So strange in fact, that the doctor said it sounded like a nervous laugh. I'll admit, it was rather shocking to hear that the process has started, so if I sounded nervous it's because I really was! Afterwards, Enz & I giggled like little kids because we couldn't believe how quickly time has flown!

The little peanut is doing some crazy things up in mama's belly, making it contort into different shapes. It's kind of weird, and at the same time very entertaining! She's still reacting to music, and seems to move a lot during American Idol. Maybe she's got that judging ability and can take over for that drunkard, Paula Abdul? Hehehe, just kidding.

Year of The Golden Pig

For the Chinese this is the Year of the Pig. The Chinese zodiac follows a twelve year cycle following twelve animals - snake, rat, pig, dog, goat, bull, and another six animals. The zodiac is ranked in order of the animals, who came to pay their respects to Buddha when he was sitting under the tree.

Every twelve years, the cycle also starts with the animal current in that year. This year is a new, 12 year cycle beginning with the pig. It is not only the year of the Pig, it is the Year of the Golden Pig. According to Chinese Foklore, this is an event that occurs once in every 600 years and will ensure that a baby born on this year will experience a prosperous and wealthy life.

As in Britain, people in other parts of Europe create their own nativity scenes for Christmas. This also happens in the US where stores and hotels will have a small scene of Mary, baby Jesus, a couple of angels, a cow and lambs etc. Similarly the Chinese in Singapore make their own 'nativity' display to celebrate their festivities of the New Year, but with a difference! This year they have Walt Disney type plastic and rubber pig mannequins wearing proper clothes and shoes and standing on two feet offering prayers or welcoming guests. One wonders how they are going to handle the year of the snake or dog?

Despite these animal capers, the Chinese are very good at the almanac - their lunar and solar calendars are very accurate. The Chinese New Year started on Monday 30th. January 1995 because that is when the new moon was 'born'. In quite a ridicules contrast the Muslim scholars go out to sight the moon for Ramadan. If they don't 'see' the moon then the Ramadan is not cancelled but the moon is as assumed to be there anyway!

Super Bowl XLI

Congratulations to the winners of Super Bowl XLI, The Indianapolis Colts! At least the little peanut will know who won the big game the year she was born...

Peanut at 36 weeks-ALMOST THERE...

How your baby's growing: Your baby is still putting on the pounds — about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is a little less than 19 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the creamy substance that covered and protected her skin during its submersion in amniotic fluid. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, which will stay in her bowels until birth. This blackish mixture, called meconium, will become her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Babies between 37 and 42 weeks are considered full-term; a baby born before 37 weeks is pre-term and after 42 is post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position by now, which is optimal for a smooth delivery, but if she isn't in the next week, your provider may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position manually, by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Random thoughts as we wind it down...

As we end yet another week, it only becomes more evident that the pregnancy is coming to a close. Enz & I talked about it, and of course, we still can't believe it. Watching Enz throughout this experience has been a blast, and she's told me many times how she has truly enjoyed being pregnant. so much so that she even said she's going to miss being pregnant! So what does that tell me? Maybe we'll have a lot more kids? Well, it's a given that we'll try to have at least one more, but who knows what the future has in store? Two more? Three more? Oh, and we can't forget about getting another pup too!

The weeks are coming and going so fast, and while we're almost down to just four weeks left, we're always thinking about how excited we were when we found out. Almost everyone knows that we had been "trying" for a little more than a year, and it got to the point where we were getting discouraged because it wasn't happening for us. Everyone kept saying, "just don't think about it and it'll happen," but when you're so passionate about something, how can you NOT think about it? Well, somehow we stopped thinking about it and we all know where that got us!

So as these posts become less frequent, I just wanted to let everyone know that both Enz & I are very thankful to all of you who have helped guide us through this experience. We've picked up some very useful hints along the way! Once the baby is here, we'll be looking to all of you again for your continued support, because we know that'll be a different experience in itself!

Peanut at 35 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby's getting big. He weighs a tad over 5 pounds and is just over 18 inches long. Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Final bi-weekly appointment

So Enz had her final 2 week appointment, and now she'll begin seeing the doctor on a weekly basis. I've said it before and I'll say it again because everyone knows it's how we feel--this time is flying by SO fast! As much as Enz has enjoyed being pregnant, I can't wait to see how much she'll enjoy being a mom.

Which brings me to my next point: Wow, Enz & I are going to be parents!! How scary yet at the same time exciting is that??

Many thanks to all who attended Enza's baby shower, and a special thanks to the family for planning such a gala event. Enz told me she had a wonderful time with everyone! I was, and still am, in shock at the amount of presents the baby was showered with. Your generosity speaks for itself and has helped in making the coming of our little one much more special! Thank You again!!

Peanut at 34 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is probably almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her central nervous system is still maturing and her lungs are well developed by now. If you've been nervous about going into preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that 99 percent of babies this age can survive outside the womb — and most have no major long-term problems related to prematurity.

Fun with the belly

This weekend, Gina & I finally finished painting the border around the baby's room. Thank you Auntie Gina!





After the border was complete, Enza & Gina decided to have some fun with Enza's belly.

Aren't ladybugs a sign of fertility?

I love flowers!

Gee, your flower smells terrific!

Jer, there's a bee!!!

Peanut at 33 weeks

How your baby's growing:This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and measures 17.2 inches from the top of his head to his heels. His skin is becoming less red and wrinkled, and while most of his bones are hardening, his skull is quite pliable and not completely joined. This will help him ease out of your relatively narrow birth canal.

Another two-week appointment

Enz had another two-week appointment yesterday, and amidst all the chaos in the doctor's world, everything is coming up roses! It appeared that our little peanut has gone through a growth spurt as of late, and that was verified by our doctor. Of course an indication on my end was the fact that Enza's belly has really started to protrude and that she's been more vocal about how heavy it is, but hearing and seeing the measurements from the doctor really cemented it for us.

All is well, and the baby is in a great position at the moment. We've been feeling different body parts moving around and Enz is always having everyone feel whatever it is the little peanut is pushing out against her belly. She's been kicking or punching a lot more lately, but what I've just recently started to feel is the actual movement or shifting she's doing in there. Maybe it's because I haven't been patient enough to keep my hand in one spot for a LONG time, but now that I've felt it, that's all I want to feel. It's like she's doing tai-chi or some basic dance steps. Whatever it is, it's a strange feeling, but in a good way. Not too long now, somewhere around 50+ days and counting...

Enza at 32 weeks

It's hard to believe that Enza has reached the 8 month mark. It seems that she's getting tired earlier, and that she's starting to find that the weight of the baby is becoming more of a chore to carry around. There have been times where she's had problems moving around, or when she's lost her balance, so it's definitely a little different for her. Here's how beautiful she looks at this milestone in her pregnancy, while the "jealous pup" sneaks into the photo and attempts to ham it up!

Peanut at 32 weeks

How your baby's growing: By now, your baby probably weighs almost 4 pounds and is almost 17 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. She has tiny toenails now, and her fingernails have grown in, too. Some babies have a head of hair already; others have only peach fuzz.

Hee-Hee-Haaaaaah.....

Last night we attended the first of three birth preparation classes. We met an interesting mix of couples who were all fairly close to us in regards to due dates. Out of the 15 couples in the class, 9 were expecting girls, 4 were expecting boys, and 2 were unknown.

While we had an idea what this class was about, we had no idea of the immediate effect it would have on us. As we sat through the initial presentation, we felt like it was just an overview of the stuff we've read in books. We went on to break up into two groups; one group was expecting in February, while the other in March. We met a couple whose due date was on the 7th, and even one whose due date was the 22nd. For those of you who know, those are our birthdays! What a small world. There weren't any other babies due on March 4th, making our peanut's due date a little more special, to us at least! Then again, it's not guaranteed that she'll be born her due date anyway.

Once the ice-breaking exercise was over, we watched a couple of preparation videos. As the videos went on explaining the different stages of labor, it seemed like Enz got a bit overwhelmed. Reality seemed to set in, in a big way. Gone were the thoughts of "I can't believe we're pregnant." It was almost as if they were replaced with thoughts of "Oh my god, how big is 10 cm???" Afterwards, we got on the floor and practiced breathing techniques, as the expectant fathers got a taste of being a support system. We were also teased about not really knowing what pain our wives would go through, so our wives were asked to place clothespins on our ears to give us an idea of what it's like to focus through pain. Yeah right, like that's the same!

Nevertheless, we made it through the first class with flying colors. Not only did we meet some nice people, we were left with a strange feeling inside. A feeling that was telling us just how real this experience has become, and that there's literally no turning back now. Hah, like we'd really want to anyway!

Happy New Year

Wow, 2007 is finally upon us and that just brings us closer to our baby's due date. Although we still have a couple of months to go, we can't believe that the day is rapidly approaching, and we constantly find ourselves wondering just where the time went.

It seems like it was yesterday when Enz & I decided to share the good news with everyone, and that was way back in July. While the family was preparing for the arrival of a second grandson, we were so excited to share the news of a third grandchild for the Aveni family, and a first grandchild for the Camero family. 2006 was a very eventful and blessed year!

Much like the days leading up to our wedding, Enz has a countdown leading up to the baby's due date. Believe it or not, the count is already down to 60 days! To this day we're still in a state of shock that we will soon be parents, or that we'll finally have a little one to be responsible for. Our life as we know it, is no longer just about the two of us. That being said, we are more than ready for life's future challenges!

Peanut at 31 weeks

How your baby's growing: This week, your baby measures about 16 inches long. He weighs a little over 3 pounds and is headed for a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and he's beginning to accumulate a layer of fat underneath his skin in preparation for life as a newborn. As a result, his arms, legs, and body are filling out.

We're at a loss for words at the moment. We are in total disbelief at how quickly this time has come and gone. Only around 9 weeks left and we can't wait to meet our little peanut!

Peanut's first 2 week appointment

We had our first 2 week appointment this past Wednesday, so this post is a few days late. It's funny how the holidays can make you lag on things or "re-prioritize" but that's life!

Anyway, the doctor went through her routine checks of Enza's belly, and judging from her reactions, we're right on schedule. Whew! It's always good to know that things are going the way they should. We received our hospital registration packet and that in itself made this experience seem much more real. The doctor went on to verify that our little peanut was in the correct position. She was able to feel where her head was, and she pretty much figured out where the rest of her body was. Of course Enz agreed with the positioning because she gets kicked exactly where the doctor said the baby's legs were!

So our next appointment is in a couple of weeks, and we're both in disbelief as to how much time we have left. At the time of this post we've got something like 65 days left. Wow, it's true that time really does fly!

Thank You for your generosity

It's the day after Christmas and we're sitting at home, staring at a pile of gifts from our wonderful family and friends. While I would love to say that all these gifts are for us, I am not disappointed in the least when I say that none of the gifts were for us! That's because all of these presents were for our little baby Peanut!! We never thought we'd receive gifts for her so early, then again, she'll be with us in no time; and we literally mean NO TIME!!

We just wanted to take this time to express our gratitude to all of you, our dearest family and friends, for being so warm, thoughtful, and generous this Christmas season! You have all been an integral part in making this a very enjoyable experience for our family. We can't wait to share our bundle of joy with each and every one of you!

Thank you again!

Peanut at 30 weeks... WHOA!

How your baby's growing: Your baby's a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and fills out your uterus. Her eyes open and close, she's able to distinguish between light and dark, and she can even follow a light source back and forth. Once she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have a visual acuity of only 20/400 — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. ("Normal" vision in adults is 20/20.)

Wow, talk about fast! We're getting into the home stretch now, and it doesn't seem like we have much time left before our little peanut is here with us. Not to belabor the point, but these are really exciting times for us at home! Merry Christmas to all!

Patty cake or Pat-a-cake... Whatever it's called...

So Peanut's got a new game she plays with me when she's up early in the morning, because that's when she wants to play. When Enz tells me she's kicking or punching, I'll put my hands on her belly and tap back. What she's doing now is answering whenever I tap, which is kinda trippin' me out a little. So now Enz asks her if she wants to play "patty-cake" with her Daddy. Pretty cool!

We also had a new experience this morning. Enz was awake and rolled from her side onto her back. All of a sudden she said "whoa, that was weird." Initially she thought I had placed my hand on her belly, so she was actually reaching for my hand but found that it wasn't there. What she felt was the baby's hand or foot moving across her belly, only this time she said it really felt like a hand or foot. She woke me up and had me watch her stomach, so I immediately started with the whole patty-cake thing, and sure enough, it got the little one going! What a trip!!!

Random pics from the Camero's 3rd Annual...

We were having too much fun to remember to take pictures! We only got to take a few, but the ones we took are priceless. Sorry if we didn't get a picture with everyone, but amidst all the chaos, it's always easy to forget to take pictures! Maybe next year?

Click on the link below to view the pics. Enjoy!!

Camero Holiday Party 2006

3rd Annual Camero Holiday Party

Just a short post to say Thank You to everyone for making it out to our 3rd Annual Christmas Party. We had a great time seeing and spending time with you, and hope to keep this yearly tradition going!

Since this was the last party before the arrival of our little peanut, we decided to host a "Toys for Tots" charity, in honor of our future daughter. A special thank you to everyone for helping to make this a great success. Although we didn't have a specific goal to meet, we did end up with a lot of toys that we will be donating to our church. Your generous contributions will put smiles on the faces of many children this Christmas!

Again, many many thanks to everyone for helping us to start this Christmas season on a good note! We look forward to seeing you again at the 4th annual event!

Peanut at 29 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to accommodate his brain — which is busy developing billions of neurons. With this rapid growth, it's no surprise that your baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester. To keep yourself and him well nourished, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamin C, folic acid, iron, and calcium. (About 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in your baby's skeleton — which is now hardening — every day.)

Special thanks

As we move forward at a steady pace, we're noticing that a lot of people have already started in helping us to "spoil" our little peanut. Whether it be money in her little bank, a cool little "peanut" onesie, one of her stuffed toys, or even one of her little dresses, she's already getting that sense of belonging to such a warm and generous family. We can't even begin to thank everyone for these kind gestures, but hopefully you all know how truly grateful we are! And if our little peanut could talk, we're sure she'd be just as speechless as we are!

Enz is now in her third trimester, in fact, we have our final monthly appointment today. Peanut's movements are as consistent as ever, but now Enz is noticing a lot more of the full body movements as the little one continues to grow and stretch her limbs. The appointments will now move to every two weeks, and with that, we just inch closer and closer to the birth of our little one.

Still pushing forward...

Finally a divisional win! This one's worth mentioning, even though hopes for the post season are pretty much down the toilet. Oh well, nice effort!

Peanut at 28 weeks

How your baby's growing: By this week, your baby weighs a little over 2 pounds and measures about 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can open her eyes — which now sport lashes — and she'll turn her head toward a continuous, bright light from the outside. Her fat layers are beginning to form, too, as she gets ready for life outside the womb.

YIKES! We are now into the THIRD trimester!!!

Another hump day...

Happy Hump Day! UGH, just another day in paradise I guess. Anyway, it feels like the days are flying by faster than ever. I don't know if it's because of the holiday season or if we're just getting older. Nevertheless, there's only 25 days left in 2006.

What's harder to believe is that our little peanut is "scheduled" to arrive in less than 3 months! As much as Enz & I talk about it, we're still in a bit of a state of shock. We've pretty much got the baby's room completed, and the furniture is all set up. We're working with getting the pup to behave more calmly around us, preparing him for the presence of another person in the house. But no matter how much preparation we go through, the mental aspect is one that's out of our control. Everyone gives us advice on what to watch for or what to do when this or that happens. That's all well and good, and while we do understand that there are general things to look for, we also realize that every baby is different. So what worked great for Billy Bob and Anna Mae, might not work at all for our little peanut. It's more of a "learn by doing" kind of thing.

Peanut is becoming more and more attentive in Enza's belly. She's reacting and responding more to both of our voices. We like to think that she's answering us whenever we call on her. Whenever I put my hand on Enza's belly and talk to her, she responds with a little kick-although sometimes not so little according to Enz! It's almost as if she's giving me a little pound! Wut-wut!!

Fire's out...

Oh well, at least the Phins had a nice four-in-a-row streak going. It had to end sometime...

Peanut at 27 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby is really starting to fill up your uterus. This week he weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14.4 inches long with his legs extended. He can now open and close his eyes, and he sleeps and wakes at regular intervals. He may suck his fingers, and although his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with assistance — if he were to be born prematurely. Chalk up any rhythmic movement you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and isn't bothersome to him, so enjoy the tickle. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. Wonder what he's thinking?

Dancing Queen

Happy Friday! Even more so, Happy December! With only 24 days left until Christmas, times should be getting hectic from this point forward. Anyway, last night, our little "Dancing Queen" was at it again, only this time in a BIG way! Not only was she doing her hourly routine of kicks and punches, she had a lot of what Enz calls "stretching" going on. Nothing new, it's just that now she's doing it more consistently, and Enz is always trying to get me to feel every movement.

What's funny is that there's times where she'll immediately respond to me-whether it be my touch or my voice, she'll let me know she's there. Other times it's like we're playing hide and seek, and she'll take more coaxing for me to get a reaction. Already playing games at such a young age, what a trip!

The difference with last night was that she had some serious stretching or moving spurts. One time, Enz actually saw her belly expand and then go back down. I missed that one, but immediately after, we saw her moving again, this time a little slower. To me it was like watching the lava moving in a lava lamp. Makes me wonder what's really going on inside the confines of mama's belly? Hmmmm...