www.mattandcamille.com

WE ARE NOW AT A NEW LOCATION

www.mattandcamille.com

TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS!

TELL ALL YOUR FAMILY!

TELL ALL YOUR COWORKERS!

TELL EVERYONE!

a new talent

molly has been working on a new talent.  smiling.  she has been practicing a lot and is getting really good at it. 

1 month

diapers, laundry, exhaustion, diapers, joy, crying (Molly), fun, spit up, laundry (darks, whites & now pinks), confusion, 2am feedings, pacifiers, despair, adoration, laundry, baby wipes, happiness, car seats, 3pm feedings, spit up, tiny toes, excitement, diapers, love, fear, crying (daddy & mommy), 4am feedings, amazement, crying, tiny buttons, worrying, diapers, tiny fingers, contentment 

all for this precious, perfect baby. 

it's worth it. 

an adventure

a few days ago Molly and I decided to go for a walk. I was excited to get outside and enjoy the beautiful fall day. The views from our neighborhood are incredible so taking a walk is always enjoyable.  Molly however was not excited and decided to cry most of the time. (I guess she didn't know we were having fun).  We walked down to the mailbox, looked at the three new houses being build on that street, then feeling ambitious I thought it would be fun to walk up to one of the nearby playgrounds. The sunflowers were everywhere and smelled wonderful.  However I did learn some things about going for a walk with a baby:

- inclines that you hardly notice in a car are actually very steep when you are pushing a baby stroller

- bring water when you are pushing a stroller and it's 80+ degree's outside

- bring an ipod to at least blend in with the crying

molly

a message from Molly

Matt had to go to Florida on a business trip and as you can see Molly has been devastated ever since. She tries to hide it but I know she just really really misses him. 

We both miss Matt so much but are very happy he has this opportunity. WE LOVE YOU!!!!!

Oktoberfest!

We had our first real family outing yesterday. We went up to Snowbird to celebrate bratworst at the German Oktoberfest. Molly was really good, and we got to testdrive the new baby sling thingy that Camille got for her birthday.

Check out the bottom left picture...this is Molly's new trick. I took this right after she landed a back flip from a laying down position. This is how excited she was as soon as we got home from the trip.

Molly-mania!

Here are some more pictures of little Molly! Camille is always taking the pictures, so we don't have any of Camille and Molly. I'm going to have to try a little harder now. Enjoy! :)

Magic

There are certain occasions in my life when inability to express myself through writing feels like a real handicap. It seems like these experiences have been happening more and more lately. It all started 9 months and 9 days ago when I married the mother of my children. I don't know if the words exist to explain how I felt that day, but I do know that I didn't have them. I love my wife more than I even understand, but somehow, that experience still pales in comparison to the the last 30 hours.

We got to the hospital yesterday around 10:30 am. I still couldn't believe it was happening. I wasn't able to shake the possibility of nothing happening, even with the inducement, and having to go home baby-less. About 2 pm they broke Camille's water...and then it all started to sink in. I knew that we weren't leaving the hospital without a baby...no matter what we had to do to get her out.

The next 14 hours were pretty uneventful. We hung out with Kathy and Tonya most of that time...chatting about politics, our families...and playing Phase 10...while we waited for Camille to dilate to a 10 so she could start pushing...so we waited...and waited...and waited...

At about 1:30 the nurse finally told us Camille was fully dilated but the doctor wanted us to wait for an hour to let the contractions push Molly down before the hard part really started...so we thought. Despite the epidural that Camille received about 5 hours early, the pain and pressure started to intensify. So, at about 2:15, we called the nurse in and told her it was time to push.

This is where it gets very difficult to express my emotions. Within about 30 minutes I had a clear view of the top of Molly's head and Camille seemed to be doing fine. Molly was stubborn though...and she was stuck. Things started getting worse and worse and I got a small taste of what it would have been like for fathers before modern medicine as Camille screamed in agony, begging for more medication...and there was nothing I could do. I tried to help her get more comfortable, but that was just not possible. Camille tried so hard to keep pushing, but the pain wouldn't let her. I can't believe women had more than one child before epidurals...but I am 100% sure that women are divinely designed to tolerate pain that most men would never voluntarily subject themselves to...even if it was to create life. I have never felt love like I felt watching Camille suffer so much for the sake of our child. And after all of that, 9 months of discomfort and 3 hours of the worst pain of her life, she still considers this child as both of ours. I feel like I have done nothing up to this point. I owe my deepest capacity to feel and the most love I have ever experienced all to my lovely Camille.

At 5:09 am Saturday August 30th Camille was finally done delivering our first child. Camille was out of it, I was a zombie...but I was torn down the middle with the desire to stare at our baby and comfort Camille. The baby won. I had to watch our daughter. I had to watch her turn from purple to pink as she took her first breaths. I had to see that first yawn, and see the first little sneeze. I had to watch her eyes scan the room, stopping at each person hanging over her to investigate. I know babies can't see well, but the doctors said they can see blurry shapes...and I know she was looking at the people consciously. I know she was aware.

The hyper-aware phase didn't last long. Before it was over, however, I had the first chance to stare into my daughter's eyes and let her take in mine. We stared at each other for what seemed like forever..but was probably only about 45 seconds. But she was looking into me as I cried. I have never in my life imagined that feeling in a way to do it justice. I was holding a child that needs me. She has been given to me for eternity. She is half me.

Camille did a great job breastfeeding for the first time. Molly is sucking on anything that even comes close to her face so she was definitely pre-programed for this. Her eyes closed and haven't really opened much since the first hours. She is crying a lot and we have no idea what to do with her. I did change her diaper for the first time, which was eventful. We have learned to wrap her up like a burrito (thanks to Rikki) which she likes. She is always hungry. She is wiggly. She is beautiful.

She really is beautiful, by the way. She is gorgeous. She has dark hair and olive skin. She has chubby little cheeks and long toes like her mother. She is wonderful.

So, that is it. That is how the most magical and emotional experience of my life happened. Finally, my life has truly begun.

no baby yet......

We are getting so close!! It's crazy that by next week we will have our little girl. At the dr today we talked about inducing me on the 2nd if she hasn't come before then. I can hardly even imagine how much our lives are going to change.
We have been working on her room (maybe that's why she won't come because she knows it's not finished). We weren't going to paint or anything but then a few weeks ago we changed our minds. The project has taken a bit longer than expected but is almost finished. I'll wait to post the pics until the room is finished. We just have to paint the molding again. (The first color ended up being no good). As a side note Matt did a great job using his dad's saw to cut and get the angles for the molding. He is such a good handyman!!

Here is a picture of him building the crib (before we decided to paint)

jack johnson

As you can see we had a great time with Tonya (my sister) and Addison (her friend**) at the Jack Johnson concert last night. Not that we could see Jack at all from our seats on the lawn but at least we could still hear the sweet smooth sounds of his musical genius flowing through the evening summer air. Matt and I have gone to several concerts in the last few months and it's official.....we are getting old!!! Our bodies just can't handle it. This one wasn't bad because we got to sit, but the others we have ended up leaving because our legs just hurt too much from standing through 2 or more bands, there is too much smoke and people (meaning other concert go-ers) talk too much while the musicians are playing. Maybe we should give up the bands in bars scene and head for the opera or something.......alas we will probably still go to concerts that make us exhausted, for the love of the music. Hmm....actually our concert days are numbered for another reason......little baby Hein.


**the topic of Tonya and Addisons relationship is one that comes up in many a family discussion. I won't go into all the details but basically Matt, I and others in the family would say they are dating. They have been boyfriend/girlfriend in the past but state they are only friends at this time. They are not dating even though it appears so to the rest of us :)

another baby shower!! :)

Two Saturdays ago some fabulous friends threw me another baby shower. I was able to see some old friends I hadn't seen in years! We got lots more cute clothes, toys and lots and lots of homemade blankets (which if this little girl is anything like me she will be needing them....I think I might be the only woman who still gets cold when it's August and she is 9 months pregnant) Thanks again to my wonderful hosts Leanne, Patsy and Emilee!!

yep...some wedding pics

it may seem a little odd to be posting some of our wedding pictures a few seasons later, but we just got some more edited shots back from our AMAZING photographer Rich Bliss and thought you'd all enjoy taking a look :)
ps check out more of Rich's work located under the "talents of friends and family website list".....check out all the other websites while you're there
ENJOY!!

Our yard rocks!!!

Did you get the pun?! Man, I am ridiculously clever. Dangerously witty. Watch out.

This is the South side of the yard. We are planning on putting a few large trees along the fence that is now just right of these rocks. Then the rest will be xeriscaped. We are going to have very little grass in our yard...it will be all rocks, plants, a playground, and a garden...and gorgeous.

I am standing in the second level that will be filled with a vegetable garden in planter boxes, with paths around them. You can see the stairs to my right, they are really cool.


This is me sitting on a wall looking like humpty dumpty. I just think this picture is funny. But you can see the walls from the first pic in the background...a little different perspective. Oh, and the stairs.



Here is the view from our upstairs window. You can see the stairs and the levels. The top part, in the bottom right corner, will be trails and xeriscaping, with the stairs leading to the garden. The bottom level is pretty small and we aren't sure what we are going to do with that. Maybe a fire pit or something...who knows.


This is the other corner and you can see the fence is going up. Also, you can see how the rocks in the top right corner create smooth path that flows into all three levels. There will be a tree between the walls on the right side, and two more on top of the rocks as you look towards the bottom right.

This is a RIDICULOUS amount of work that is going to take years to finish...if it ever really is finished. I really think Camille and I will be working on this, little by little, for decades.

Yeah for yards!