Week 3 - A Week of Firsts....

Week 3 with our little man has been a week of firsts.

It was his first bath....

Unfortunately, he was freaked out a little bit, but loved being wrapped up in the towel at the end.



The good news is the Bath #2 was MUCH better and he didn't cry at all.
Thank Michael for the considerate cropping of the photo so Cameron isn't embarrassed when he gets older.




We introduced a bottle....

Cameron took the bottle like a champ. We have previously said he is a good eater, so the doctor said she had no problem introducing a bottle a bit early since I will be going back to work.



Ruby is getting more and more used to Cameron being around....she still is a bit timid, but I know they will be great friends at some point.



At my baby shower, my friends made Cameron onesies to wear - here is their favorite:
"If you think I'm cute you should see my mom's sorority sisters"



I tried to put him in one of his snow suits....I think it might be a bit too big...



Just some other cute shots of the little man.....

Week 2 FLEW by....

So our little man is now over 2 weeks old!

We went in for our 2-week doctor check-up and Cameron is a healthy little boy.

Weight: 8 pounds 7 ounces (when we left the hospital he weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces, so he gained almost a pound and a half in 11 days!) He is in the 53rd percentile for weight.

Height: 20 1/2 inches (he has already grown an inch and a half) He is in the 40th percentile for length, which we find odd since both of us are so tall.

The funniest thing I found out from the doctor was that he is in the 80th percentile for head circumference - we are going to have a smart little guy!

Cameron is still in the "converter" stage as my dad calls it - eats and converts it into a dirty diaper, sleeps and the process starts over again. He is becoming more and more alert everyday, and absolutely loves staring at the lights on the Christmas tree.

Grumpy Face Doing the Michael pose

Too cute!

Our first outing was Thanksgiving and we had complete success!

He slept for the first three hours and let us enjoy all the food then was the entertainment for the rest of the night. It definitely gave us a bit more confidence that we can take him out in public more often.

Cameron's turkey outfit!

Cameron did get all decked out for his first watching of the FSU vs UF game. Fortunately, he slept through most of it and did not witness the terrible game. Let's hope next season is better!

Go gators!

Onto Week 3.....

Week 1 with our little man

So we made it a week and are still doing great!

Cameron has been a great baby so far - sleeps in 3 to 4 hour stretches, which is giving us plenty of sleep at night, he loves to eat, and is becoming more and more alert everyday.

He LOVES to look at lights. We plan on putting up our Christmas tree this weekend which is sure to blow his mind.

The one thing he doesn't enjoy is diaper changes, but he is getting better. I think he just doesn't like the cold wipe on his backside, and once the new diaper is on, no problems at all!

Taking a nap.

He really isn't too sure about the bouncy chair yet.

I already have made him a gator fan. Michael likes to call this "milk drunk"

Hanging with mom and dad.

We took our first walk!

One of my favorite pictures so far - so cute!

We are looking forward to his first adventure outside the house for Thanksgiving on Thursday. I think he will do great!

He's here....he's here!

So after 41 and 1/2 weeks of pregnancy, our wonderful little boy was "forced" to join us!

On Sunday, November 13th at 11:39am Cameron James Tully was born weighing 7lbs 10 ounces and was 19 inches long.




The official weigh-in - I only saw the 9.6 and thought he was 9lbs!


So peaceful

Cameron had lots of visitors once he decided to join the world!


Grandpa Richard and Grandma Helen with Michael and Cameron.


Grandma Tina with Cameron


Grandpa Frank with Cameron.


Aunt Jenn and Uncle Scott!


And who could forget one of my favorite little people, my 22-month old niece Harper! She is just learning how to put sentences together so as soon as she saw Cameron, she put her arms out straight and said "Harper Hold?" We put the boppy around her and set him down - she pet him for about 30 seconds and then was on her way, but a minute later she was back - "Harper Hold?"

We stayed in the hospital for 2 days and then got to go home!


Cameron's going home outfit made by his grandma

We are happy and healthy at home with our little man. He is such a blessing and we are so excited to get this new chapter of our lives started!

Reflections on Pregnancy - Week 40

In HOPEFULLY, my last day(s) of pregnancy, I felt like I should reflect back on the past 10 months (yes, it really is 10 months, not 9)

My last "bump" photo - 40 weeks today!

So some people say they love being pregnant, which is great for them.
I am probably not one of those people, although, I have to say, it has not been as bad as I thought.

The first months go by pretty quick to be honest - also, since you don't find out you are really pregnant from the doctor until 8 weeks (I didn't believe it until then), you have already hit your second trimester in no time. The bad part during the first trimester is you are ALWAYS tired - I could seriously sleep in, take a nap, and then go to bed by 9pm and would still feel tired the next day, but don't worry, it gets better! One small piece of advice, when you are taking pre-natal vitamins, make sure you take them with food or you could mistake it for morning sickness as I did.

Second trimester is great - you start feeling back to your normal self - even if there is a small human growing inside you. You get to feel the first movements, kicks, hiccups AND this is also when you get to find out the sex! My second trimester FLEW by! The bad part is you are just in the middle - the end is getting closer, but just not close enough!

Third trimester is ALL ABOUT THE BABY! I just felt like everything we did had something to do with getting things ready for the little guy - from the nursery to shopping to planning ahead. Plus, if you know me at all, you know I like to be organized and prepared, so of course, I drag Michael to Childbirth Class, Baby CPR, Pre-Registration at the Hospital, and Daddy Boot Camp - but he was great, and didn't complain once. We learned a good amount of information, but honestly, you don't know what the hell is going to happen when everything begins. I just hope it goes smoothly.

The last couple weeks pretty much suck - getting even bigger and even more uncomfortable is not fun, but I think the worst part is the anticipation. You can't really plan to do anything because who knows when he will decide to come out. Plus the doctors aren't mother nature, and have no idea when the baby will come - they can just check to make sure everything "looks good".

My pregnancy experience has been positive and I know that it will all be worth it once I see our little man's face! Pretty pretty please, come out soon!

The Pumpkin Patch

So I have really only gone to pumpkin patches in Florida, which means an open field with a straight line of pumpkins that were picked and moved to the field. Our friends, Dawn and Brandon, decided it would be fun to go to a farm and pick out the pumpkins we were going to carve that evening, so we tagged along.

I could not believe the amount of pumpkins at this farm. You drive in, they hand you directions and a little saw to cut your pumpkin off the vine - I was super excited. There were fields upon fields of pumpkins everywhere - I honestly had never seen that many pumpkins in my life!

Here we are scavenging through one field trying to find the perfect pumpkins.

We of course found 2 of the biggest pumpkins in the field and threw them in the car!

Our next stop on this adventure was the corn maze. The farm had 3 different options, so we chose the middle distance. We first let the dogs lead us around the maze, which in hindsight, was a bad idea. After about 20 minutes of wandering around, we ran into a checkpoint, which made us realize we should probably use the map that was provided, find all the checkpoints in order to find the exit.......so after another 30 minutes of a bit of wandering, we made it to the end.

Ruby loved it as you can tell!

We headed over to a friends house and what would be a party without bobbing for apples - seriously, when is the last time you did that? The person who found the one with the quarter got to have beers brought to them all night - unfortunately, after everyone went, the last apple was the winner, so everyone had to get their own beers.



It was then time to carve pumpkins! Michael already knew what he was doing, and I honestly have no pumpkin carving skills, so I found a lovely stencil of a pirate.

Here are the final products and some other people's thrown in.

The pirate on the right is mine, and Michael went with the Pac-Man theme for his.

Unfortunately, our pumpkins lasted only 1 day. The lovely squirrels in our yard found it entertaining to steal bits and pieces and eat them, ending in complete destruction. We had never heard of this happening, but will guard our pumpkins next year.

Happy Halloween!

Pregnancy Miles....Check!

So as some or most of you know, I set a goal out for myself the day we got the "yes" from the doctor that we were actually pregnant. We planned it out and it was exactly 220 days from that day to November 3rd, 2011, our due date. So I said that I have to walk 220 baby miles before the little man decides to join the world. I got a pedometer and we were ready to walk!

Well, I completed my goal and finished my 220 baby miles!

Michael decided to make me this homemade finish line to celebrate my victory - yes, that is toilet paper, but it is the thought that counts!

Now we are just in a waiting game for the little man to come out and meet us. He has plenty of visitors on their way - Grandma Tina will be arriving next Tuesday (or earlier if needed), and then Grandma Helen and Grandpa Richard arrive on Wednesday. I just hope we aren't all sitting around twiddling our thumbs waiting for him to come out.

Come on little man - we want to meet you!

36 week update by guest blogger Michael Tully

Jenna and I have just returned from the Doctors office for our 36 week check up on junior. Everything went exceedingly well the Dr. is really happy with Jenna, she barely stopped short of high-fiving us as we exited. I can only hope that things go just as smoothly in the coming weeks, months, decades etc.

She predicted that the baby would be somewhere between 7lbs 14oz and 8lbs 2oz which is a bit of a relief (particularly for Jenna) considering that both of us were practically ready to wear adult clothing when we emerged.

As we left the building we both got free flu shots which was nice considering that I feel like there'll be enough hospital excursions coming up. At least I assume they were flu shots. I did type the first draft of this email on the toaster, so who knows.

We're now getting down to crunch time and the baby formerly known as Nordley, has a pretty cozy looking room. Could use a little more decoration, but the furniture, assembled by me (a.k.a. the Allen Wrench Ninja) is all ready to go.

Excitement and nerves are building and we can't wait to meet the new addition to the family.


Either the Baby's face or the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon.


Top of the Baby's head. Braaaiins... braaaiins...


The Baby's arm and shoulder apparently or maybe a butt or something...

2 Milestones in ONE Day

Well......today we have reached two milestones in our lives.

#1 - 4 years of Marriage!

October 6, 2007 was one of the best days of my life - I got to marry the love of my life - someone who understands me, challenges me and makes me want to be a better person. All our friends and family were there to celebrate this exciting occasion, and I could not have imagined a better day. I look back and would not have changed a thing - well maybe I would have put the ring on the correct finger, but it is also something I will never forget.

(Michael had already switched the ring in this pic)

Big things that have happened in the 4 years of marriage:

• We got our first apartment together in Tampa
• We got Michael's Temporary Green Card
• We moved back to Colorado (where we have always wanted to be)
• We got Michael's Permanent Green Card
• We have flown across the Globe 3 times
• We have taken great trips to Costa Rica, Alaska, California, Nevada, Utah, Washington, Georgia, and plenty of times to Florida
• We got a puppy, Ruby
• We got pregnant and will soon be parents

There are definitely TONS of details I could include, but life seems to just be moving along at a quick pace. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful partner to experience it with - I love you Michael James Tully!

#2 - 36 weeks along!

Our little man is almost here! He will be fully cooked next week (37 weeks) and could come anytime.

We have been trying to be as well prepared as possible, but you just never know when it is going to happen - oh the anticipation is going to kill me! We recently just finished our Childbirth Class which definitely opened our eyes a bit that this is definitely going to happen and sooner rather than later.

Funny side story - so last night I went to a Breastfeeding Class. It said when you signed up that partners are optional - me thinking that Michael can't breastfeed, what was the point of him coming, right? Well, I arrive and there are 13 couples and me.....all of the partners attended.....whoops! And to make matters a bit more awkward, I had taken off my wedding rings because they are getting a little tight and uncomfortable. So there I was - all by myself, 36 weeks pregnant, and no wedding rings.....what a sight! So my advice is - if you sign up for a class that has partners optional, bring them along :)

Belly pic at 36 weeks - still on the smaller side, but I feel pretty cramped at times.....

We have an ultrasound next Tuesday, so for those of you who don't get creeped out by the inside the belly pics, we will post what we get and any additional updates that might come along.

Let the day countdown begin........28 days.....