Naples trip....eager for spring!

David, Matthew and I were able to get away last weekend to visit Naples, FL, where David grew up. It was so nice to escape this cold snowy Virginia place we call home. It was nice to not have to bundle up ourselves and Matthew to go places....it makes me so excited for spring! Praise God for the promise of warmer times, green leaves, flowers, and new life! Reminds me of an old Nichole Nordeman song, "Every Season".
Here are some of the lyrics....

And everything in time and under heaven
Finally falls asleep
Wrapped in blankets white, all creation
Shivers underneath
And still I notice you
When branches crack
And in my breath on frosted glass
Even now in death, You open doors for life to enter
You are winter

And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breathe
What was frozen through is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with You
And how You make me new
With every season’s change
And so it will be
As You are re-creating me
Summer, autumn, winter, spring


I'm thankful that he does make us new through Christ, just as soon we'll have signs of new life with spring!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!


Two things I learned on our trip:
1) Strollers are awesome for traveling! I didn't have to carry a thing! The only hassle was unloading everything for the security checkpoint. That included waking Matthew up to get him out of his car seat, but he was trooper.

2) Remember, you won't be able to do anything at night while traveling with a little one.....We got to our hotel room about 7:30 the first day and it was Matthew's bedtime. Just then I realized, we couldn't go anywhere and our hotel room needed to be quiet and dark. Thankfully we were 20 feet from an outdoor gazebo and had our baby monitor so we could at least see our dinner (David went and got take-out). At least it made me go to bed earlier than I ever do when I'm home! We tried to watch the Olympics the other evenings, on mute in low-def, as David pointed out!


I had so much fun seeing where David grew up! We went to his old houses, his high school, the beach, and we even went to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (a nature walk where they often went). We enjoyed seeing Matthew's reaction to the beach and the sand (he loved to pick it up and of course tried to eat it!). We went on a long beach walk and he was so cute, just talking and laughing at the wind and the birds! Naples is a retirement town so it was so funny because every other grandma stopped us so they could steal a peek or tickle from the little guy.

It was so great to have some family time and it made me so thankful for the family God has blessed me with. I have such a wonderful husband who is so much fun and Matthew is so adorable! Who would have thought 3 years ago this is where God would lead me. In a month it will have been 3 years ago that David and I met!

Winter Wonderland

It's about time I posted something about the record snowfalls we've had this winter. I wish Matthew were older just so he could have enjoyed playing in it, though I'm sad I've gotten "that old" that going out to play in the snow doesn't sound fun anymore! We did take a walk in it and it looked like a ski town. I have to admit that getting snowed in was sort of fun because it was nice to spend time together (it was over a week before I got in my car to go anywhere....I can't believe I wasn't more stir-crazy). I think we've had over 50 inches this year! I was thankful I wasn't in the mix for commuting this past week. There is still a ton of snow out there!

Learning

   This morning after I fed Matthew I was hoping he'd go back to sleep so I could sleep a little more. But, alas, no sleep for the weary. We went into the other room and just "played". I've come to enjoy this kind of exploratory playing. At this age, they are constantly looking around to see if they can find something new and it is fun to watch what amazes them. Little Guy was fixated on they way the light came through the blinds this morning and it allowed me to get in some much-detested tummy time with him.
   Another fascinating thing for me to watch as a mother is the way he learns. I watched as his arms were magnetically drawn to the pacifier in his mouth to pull it out, in hopes to put it back in again by himself. He would knock it out, sometimes successfully maintaining a grip on it, and then he would erratically move his hand in the direction of his mouth to try to put it back in. At this stage, that part wasn't going so smoothly. He would drop it or only be able to put the back of the pacifier on his mouth.







   As I sat there, helping him more than not, I was in awe of the way God creates. He creates us so helpless, and then gradually we gain more independence as we learn, often by doing things over and over. (I have to say that I can't wait until Little Guy gets this one down, because then I will no longer be called in to find the pacifier he spit out). Our brain is such an intricately designed gift and since I had the opportunity to study it in physical therapy school, I am probably more aware than most that this is true. You know, the more you know, the more you know you don't know! It was fascinating to me to see the complexity of how God fashions us. I always said I didn't know how people could not believe there was a God if they studied the human body.
   Back to Matthew. He's now enjoying trying to eat his feet.....sort of a rite of passage for any infant, right? Crazy thing is, he already has 2 teeth coming in! That would explain the constant drooling. This kid is going to be one active boy. His legs are so strong...he loves to push up to standing and act like he's taking steps, or he's constantly kicking around. Makes me nervous I won't be able to keep up.

      
Psalm 139  
 13 For You formed my inward parts;
         You covered me in my mother’s womb.
 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
         Marvelous are Your works,
         And that my soul knows very well.
 15 My frame was not hidden from You,
         When I was made in secret,
         And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
         And in Your book they all were written,
         The days fashioned for me,
         When as yet there were none of them. 

Christmas memories

We had such a great time seeing our families last week. Megan came for a visit from China and we loved hearing her stories. Matthew was a little fussier the past 2 days and I think it is because he was used to being held all the time in SC....all his aunts and grandmas (and uncles and grandpas). It is amazing to see him learn new things daily. In the past week he has found his hands and feet and is now reaching for things.
One memory from the trip was the three of us playing roles at David's Mom's church (her husband is the pastor there). Matthew was Jesus, I was Mary and David was Joseph. Of course my sisters were in the front row and were like paparazzi (somehow they didn't see the line in the bulletin that said not to take pictures during the service). I asked David if he was having the same thoughts as me...."why did I say I'd do this?", "I cannot look over at my sisters or I'm going to crack up", "I hate being the center of attention", etc. David instead was super-spiritual....he said he was thinking, "wow! This is what it would have been like to be the father of the Savior of the world..to have all these people come visit your son, etc." I felt bad I didn't use the situation more to praise God for the gift of His Son.
Below is the picture of Matthew as Jesus in the manger. He did so well!

Let it Snow!!!

Well it has been over a year since I've posted a blog, and my friend Julie encouraged me to use blogging as almost a scrapbook as Matthew grows up. I thought that was a good idea, since who knows when I'd ever get to making one for him! So, here begins my blogging life (well, I'll try to keep up with it!) What better opportunity to begin than a documentary about our road trip to SC in the 2009 blizzard!

First, let me go back to say that we have been so blessed to have such a healthy, beautiful son who has already brought us so much joy! Matthew Kemp Campbell was born on September 30, 2009 and he was 9 lbs. 13 oz.....2 more pounds than the doctors thought....and 22 inches. He's now between 14-15 lbs and he's not quite 3 months old. He LOVES movement, as evidenced by his enjoyment of the swing, being rocked, swung in his car seat, and car rides (praise Jesus for that one on our 16 1/2 hr trip!).

So, David and I don't like missing out on something fun, so when we heard that it was going to snow we decided that we would still try to make the Kemp's party on Friday night and then we'd leave to drive through the night to South Carolina to visit our folks, instead of leaving Saturday morning like we intended. We frantically packed in record time, then left to pick up Katie on the way to the Kemp's. We left for SC right after I fed Matthew at the Kemp's, at about 9:45 pm. We knew it might be a treacherous journey when we saw cars sliding and spinning on the on-ramp from the Dulles toll road to 495. We came out okay and then traffic was moving pretty well until we got on 95 South.

We had no idea at the time the gravity of our decision to enter the most traveled road on the east coast, (right?). First of all, I must have heard 100 times or so (from David) how all of VDOT must have had the night off because nobody was plowing 95. Oh, I take that back. We passed one snowplow and, though it had its plow down, it was missing most of the snow for some reason (I mean, how do you tell the snow plow guy that all his efforts are in vain....he can't see he is of no use because he can't see the trail of snow behind him). Back to my point about the decision to get on 95 being so huge.....you see, we had no idea that once we got on the freeway, we would not be able to EVER get off until we got out of the snowstorm.....which was at about the NC border. ALL the exit ramps were nightmarish in that the cars that attempted to exit 95 ended up fishtailing and turning sideways and blocking the exit, or in a ditch. We began to see that we wouldn't be able to stop at a hotel for some sleep even if we wanted to (unless we bailed on the side of the road and walked to the hotels like some others did). Not only that, but we wouldn't be able to stop for food for us or to feed Matthew, nor the typical bathroom or rest breaks (more to come on those stories). We didn't want to pull over because the snow was piling up and it would be difficult not to get stuck. We saw probably 100 cars who had slid off and were stuck in the deeper snow on the shoulder. Scary, to be stranded all night in your car in a blizzard, so David was driving so carefully and slowly. We were going between 0 and 35 miles per hour the whole way to Richmond. All told, it took NINE hours to get through Richmond (normally less than 2!) and therefore, we knew we were in for an all-nighter to get to the promised land of non-icy roads. Who knew that there would be parking lot traffic at 4 a.m.! All of northern VA was trying to leave before the storm too!

I know that God was giving us a little grace by having Matthew be AMAZINGLY good all night. It was good that we left right in time for him to go to bed, because he slept while our stress levels were the highest. He woke up to eat and the first round I felt so prepared because I had put some bottles with water and formula in the diaper bag, so we could feed him in his car seat. By the second round, I decided I NEEDED to feed him because my shirt was so soaked from leaking breastmilk since I was not able to pump (note to self for next blizzard.....make sure breast pads are accessible on a road trip and make sure I have BOTH parts of the manual pump). Since we happened to be at a standstill in traffic at the time, I decided to take him out of his carseat to feed him. The NEXT round (I was beginning to feel more and more like Brittany Spears) I pulled him out to feed him while we were driving (do I get worst mother of the year?) and then proceeded to change a very dirty diaper (with Katie's help) while sitting next to him on the back seat (victory! Nothing on the seat.....just on his clothes).

As for ourselves, well that's a funny story. Katie had to go to the bathroom first and I thought, how perfect, she can use a diaper! I mean WHAT WOULD YOU DO, if you were stranded on an interstate and REALLY had to go? She tried but just couldn't get past the thought that she might pee all over her clothes in the process and she would be stuck like that for many, many hours. She somehow managed to hold it for another 2 hours. I, on the other hand, soon had to relieve myself too, and I opted to prove to her the diaper method works. And let me tell you, it's perfect! I can't believe I'm admitting that on here, but again, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Later we happened to be stopped behind another accident under an overpass and Katie managed to walk up the concrete angled slab (in my shoes....did I tell you she had her high-heeled boots on for the blizzard trip? Man were we prepared!) to get up to the top and go behind a bush to be out of view. David, with the iron bladder he has, easily waited until we stopped in the promised land.

David was a saint because, not only did he drive 13 of the 16 1/2 hrs, but he endured all the back seat driving from Katie and I. David saw the drive as a challenge, trying to find the best lane with the most traction and least amount of risk. We were all fairly nervous/fearful as we drove on the ice and snow, and we'd be telling David, "Get behind that truck!", "Move into those tracks!", "Get in that lane!" to "help" him navigate the treacherous roads. An additional challenge was the ice and snow that caked on the windshield wipers, limiting visibility. We had to try to knock off the ice and snow off the windshield wipers while driving occasionally. We actually DID have an ice scraper and brush....we weren't totally unprepared, but we only managed to stop under an overpass once to use it. Had not our friends (Allie and Amy K) helped us get ready for our blizzard drive before our departure, we would not have had any snacks or drinks the whole way (since we couldn't stop). Thanks girls for planning ahead for us! We kept track of the temperature as it kept inching up to above freezing and finally at about 5:30 a.m. the snow turned to freezing rain and the roads weren't as icy, praise God! By the time we got into South Carolina, the snow/sleet had stopped and the roads were just slushy....and further on we had dry roads!!! Yay! After we stopped for breakfast it became a mission for David to make it with only that one stop, since we were not far off. We finally made it to my parents' house at 2:20 p.m., over 16 1/2 hours later.

We end the year with an eventful drive to visit family and are thankful to God we made it safely. We are excited for the week we will spend here......Merry Christmas to all!

Guys night In

So webbie and I were having a bit of brew-ha-ha upstairs here. He was a man eager for the feast - went through a few iterations of the bottle and now chilling with his legs out. Wow it is a miracle all that guy needs to survive is supplied by the air and his Mom. His feet are so tiny - so amazing. I look at him and immediately know there is a God who loves him so much.


     We learned he definitely responds to high voices - someone said that the other day but it was proven today statistically when Becky was experimenting at a time when he needed feeding. He was bawling, but when she would talk in a high-pitch voice to him calmer times were had.

      Did I say what a great time our family had yesterday? It was perfect, Matthew ate just before and after the hike. It was nice to give Amy some time away from taking care of him, and we were able to refresh our thoughts and outlook for the next 2 weeks. Amy's just a really awesome Mom, she loves the little guy so much and takes care of him so amazingly!

     As for me, did I say I needed to drop a few pounds? Amy definitely is beating me on the weight loss bet. This is what I've come to below:

Looking Glass

The imagination is quite amazing, don't you think? The great thing about books is that 1000 people could read them and each would imagine different physical features of the objects in the book.

      Well my (David) perception of what a delivery room would look like was probably based on TV shows. Where you have the see thru glass as everyone is watching the baby be delivered, and the Papa is inside holding his (hopefully) wife's hand while she's having contractions and pushing, and is in lots of pain and sweating, all in all like a controlled laboratory environment.

      When we walked into the delivery room on Wednesday, it was exactly not what I had thought. A bed with a drip machine on one side and monitors on another. A TV in the back middle and 2 lights on top. A curtain in front of door as it opens. A sink a bit from the bed (where the laptop would rest) and a chair on the other side of the room (a place to sit for the queasy no doubt). Where was the looking glass so we could examine the subject?

      It was a lot cozier than I thought! We had Dr. Gopal, 2 nurses, Amy,myself,Katie, and 2 other nurses at times. Amy was in a bit of pain (before the Epideral) but afterwords she wasn't cringing at all, until she was pushing. Considering how big Matthew was she didn't show the pain as much I had imagined she would. And, contrary to many stories I've heard from folks, she wasn't yelling at me defiantly "This is your fault" and the like.

      It was exactly not how I thought it would be. But looking back now it's exactly as I wish it were.