Hello Everyone, I am 3 weeks old!!!!

Hello Everyone!

We model together

Mommy and I take lots of pictures together. She takes lots of pictures of me too!

Mommy makes me model..

and I model....

What do you think? Is this a smile or just gas? Somehow I found myself in a pile of stuffed animals!

and I model!

I think mommy really likes to take photos of me. She is always setting me up in different situations and trying to make me smile even though I won't smile spontaneously until 4-6 weeks!

My first bottle!

This was very hard for my mommy to do. She was scared that I would get confused between bottle nipples and hers. But, I seem to be fairing just fine. I have gained about 1.5 pounds and it looks like even more since this picture. Daddy enjoys feeding me at night and mommy enjoys watching us!

Lay and Play

I like to lay on my tummy-time mat and discover my face in the mirror.

Daddy sleeps with me!

This is what daddy and I do best!

Mommy reads to me!

We are reading a pop-up book about spring. This is our favorite book right now!

Nana Kathy

Nana Rox

Grandaddy Hutch

Calem's First Easter

How do I look? Quite handsome, huh!

Tangible Blessings!!!

Enough said.

Words Cannot Express!

The picture says it all!

I love you so much!

How can you explain the love mommies and daddies feels for their children? It is not possible! Could we be more blessed?!

Calem Lounging

Well, well, well...lookey here. I see a very precious face. How could you not just stare at him all day long.

Calem has been a very calm baby thus far. He, of course, sleeps a majority of the day and is hard to wake up to nurse. WE ARE SO BLESSED!

Calem's Birth Story!

Ok here is Calem’s birth story.
It starts with my doctor’s appointment the day before. I was so discouraged after this appointment. My doctor checked my cervix. I had not dilated at all and my cervix was hard. My doctor told me there was no way I would go into labor within the week. Calem hadn't even dropped either. Needless to say, I was distraught. I thought I was going to have to give birth to a six year old (even though my due date was 2 weeks away). That night I asked Rob to take me out on a date to get some Mexican food. I really needed some comfort food and instant gratification.

Well, that night I could not sleep. So, I was lying in bed praying that morning when I felt some light cramping (menstrual like) at 4am. I shook it off as nothing as I only felt the pain intermittently. When I got up at 6am, it was still going on, nothing to talk about though. I contemplated going into work, but decided this was not labor and if I stayed home, it would stop. Rob helped me make this decision. He said, “Honey, sounds like you really don’t want to go to work, so if you want to then stay home.” like I was playing hookey or something. I immediately called my mom and dad (5am their time) to ask what mom’s thoughts were. She also shook off the cramps as nothing. Especially given the prognosis I had the day before. A bit furious that nobody else thought I may be in early labor, I packed the car with my labor bag just in case. I eventually began to believe that these signs were nothing to get worked up about. To be safe, I called my doctor on the way to work (cramps about 6 minutes apart) and told her about the cramps and she suggested I go into the hospital. I argued with her because I figured with the results of the internal the day before, how could this be labor. (I was also scared that they might admit me and try to start pitocin or something to advance this if it was really labor) So, she agreed with me and told me to come into her office instead. I made a 9am appointment and continued on to work.

I arrived at work at 7:30 and my menstrual like cramps (contractions) had started to come consistently every 5 minutes. I told some of the ladies I work with (they did not have children so they were not concerned either as they didn’t know what early labor signs are) After being at the school for about 45 minutes, the girls took notice to the consistency of my contractions and asked a lady down the hall what she thought. She came by to see me and saw the way I was carrying myself and immediately suggested I get to the doctor's office just in case. I drove myself to the hospital and the pains were getting increasingly stronger. In fact, as soon as I made it out of Houston traffic and into the doctor's office, I could not stand up. When the nurse saw me she asked how far apart the cramps were. I told her every three minutes. She freaked! She literally freaked. She said, "we have to go to the hospital now." She could not even take the time to get a wheel chair to wheel me over there. I panicked at this point and decided I should probably call my husband. Then it got really hard to stand up and I began to get very sweaty. I had to sit for a minute and I asked the nurse to call my husband. At this point it was hard to even talk. I could not concentrate. Well, wouldn't you know…. He did not answer his phone. So I demanded that the nurse hold my phone and keep dialing my husband until he finally answered. (7 calls later)

We walked from the professional building to the hospital stopping every 2 minutes for me to rest through the contraction. By the time I made it up to Labor and delivery, I came to the realization that I was really in labor. As soon as I arrived they threw me into a room and I stripped down not caring about the nurse whom I hadn’t even introduced myself to or that the door was open. I knew I needed to get into the bed and begin my relaxation techniques (stuff for natural labor, I wanted to have this baby naturally). After about 3 minutes, I felt a really strong contraction and my water broke. It was the best feeling! The nurse came back a few minutes after that and I calmly said, "my water broke" She was floored. So, she checked me to see how far along I was. When I came in, I was at 3 cm and within 20 minutes, I had progressed to 6 cm. I was very calm from 3-6cm. I stayed in the bed on my side like I was sleeping. I did not make a noise and I was able to make it through each contraction without much pain this way. My nurses and doctors were in awe. One nurse asked me if this was my 2nd or 3rd child. When I told her my first, she was amazed!

About an hour after I arrived to the hospital, Rob finally arrived. He helped me labor to 10 in about 3 hours. He was wonderful! But, his breath smelled and I told him that. The nurse called in the team and I pushed while she checked me again. I had pushed at the wrong time and had caused my cervix to swell. This brought me back to 8 cm. VERY DISCOURAGING. Well, I labored for 2 more hours and stayed at 9cm. forever. I did not move and was not showing any signs of progression. I was in severe pain and very irritable. I broke down and contemplated getting an epidural. Rob was given strict orders (months ago) to not let me give in at this point. We were fully aware that I would eventually come to a point where I thought it entirely impossible. Well, I weighed the options and circumstances (no progression in 2 hours, lots of pain, very exhausting, not enjoying my husband) Well, I broke down and got the epidural!!!!! That was the best feeling shot in my back I will ever have. It didn’t even hurt. I could have had 30 of those for one contraction at 9cm.

HALLELELUJAH HALLELUJAH HALLELUJAH!!!! The heavens were rejoicing with Rob after I got the epidural. I was a new woman. I was enjoying the whole experience from here on out. I loved my husband again. I was on the phone with my loved ones and it was so very beautiful. I labored with the epi for about 3 hours (they had to start pit. to intensify the cx to get my cervix to open fully). When it was time to push, I pushed for 2 hours and our little boy was born into this world at 4:55pm. It was so absolutely amazing.

I was so glad to make it to 9 (naturally) AND so glad to have the epi. I would not have had it any other way.

Calme Charles
4-5-06
1655

More Pictures You Say?

We want to post all 68 pictures we took the day Calem was born, but we have diapers to change and a mouth to feed! We thank all of you for your support and love. Please email us at: ttuslphaley@yahoo.com or robertehelmer@yahoo.com to get the sign on and password to our snapfish account. You can view and order all the pictures you would like! We love you guys!

Minutes after!

Yes, I am so very adorable! I am also very healthy (mom did not deprive me of any food in her belly). They thought I was going to weigh 6-6.5 pounds at the most! Boy, I surprised her!

Heeeeere's Calem!!!

Here is our fresh baby boy!! I (Rob) am doing this one b/c we know how much all of you wanted to see him. Calem has been nursing quite well and sleeping well also. The doctors and nurses said that everything is a o.k. and he is a healthy baby boy. Haley is recovering very well and was released from the hospital today 4-7-06 about 1:30pm. It has been a very tiring 2 days b/c the little guy likes to eat every 2-3hrs. In this picture he looks a little angry, but then again you would too after going through whta he just went through. I also must add that he is a remarkabley stunning young lad too(he kind of looks like his dad. Aunt Abby he does have daddy's toes b/c he was hanging on to the umbilical cord with them when he came out. Just kidding!!

Message from AUNT ABBY

Well as some of you might already know, Calem Charles Helmer was born yesterday, April 5th. He popped out of her ripe belly at 4:55, but we are going to go ahead and round that off to 4:56 so we can say he was born on 04/05/06 at 4:56. His stats are as follows 7 pounds 4 ounces, and 21 inches.. It came as a suprise with a cute little story but I will let Haley tell the story. I have never been a good story teller. I don't know about y'all but I am totally excited and can't wait to see him. Hopefully he doesn't have his daddy's toes. Love you Rob. .........Aunt Abby

Cooking him til he's six years old!

Well had a doctor's appointment today. Not much changed! Looks like Calem wants to cook some more. In fact, he may just cook in my tummy until he is 6 years old (the way things are progressing right now). Shoot, mom said it may be better if he just stays in there til he's 21. Alot less blood and tears that way.

Nope....I say we rip him out of here no later than 42 weeks. Doctor will not let me go past 42 and really doesn't want to see me creep past 41. We'll see. So, in celebration of cooking Calem quite a bit longer, Rob took me to have some Mexican food. It was really nice....I had 6 chips and 3 bites of my chesse and poblano smothered chicken breast as Calem's little foot is smashing my stomach and I couldn't fit much in there. Makes for an easy way to watch my caloric intake while pregnant. I call it the Big Foot Diet!

Despite no progress, I experienced some painful (for the first time) contractions last night. As soon as I told Rob he made me lay down. I got up once to get some water and he ushered me back to bed. What he doesn't know is that walking will help to speed up the labor. However, those contractions were not labor contractions, they were just practice!

Stay tuned for more on the (probably late) arrival of Calem Charles Helmer. We will have much to talk about in the next few weeks I am sure!

Sleep?

Is it the time change or is it that Calem won't stop moving around? I cannot sleep tonight. This is very uncharacteristic of my sleeping patterns lately. Usually I am in bed by 8:30 and up by 5am unless it is a full moon (then I am up by 3am). So, tonight I seriously do not feel one wink of tired. I am WIDE awake with nothing to do. Well, I could unload and load the dishwasher, but that would be too noisy for my hubby and the babies sleeping on the floor next to our bed.

My mind has been non-stop Calem thoughts for the past week. I have been praying and praying for patience, an early arrival, more appreciation for these last days of being so beautifully and wonderfully pregnant, love and attention for my husband, and all of the above. My mind thinks constantly about what it will be like, what he will look like, what life will bring us as we do our best to raise this child that we have been so gloriously blessed with.

I have one more week of work left. I am feeling great but slow and tired most of the time. I am sure I could stick it out up until the day of delivery but I don't want to do that. I feel like a week or so of some restful and relaxing time will be good before life changes around here. I wish Rob could do the same with me. I know he could use a week to rest and relax and just veg to prepare for our precious one.

Today we both cleaned out and organized our closets. We hope to have a garage sale next weekend. And, the closets were the last places in the house that needed tidying up before Calem came. I just knew that if I didn't finish that one task before he came, it wouldn't have ever been accomplished otherwise. So, my closet is so "Martha-Stewart-organized" now. I can walk in and invite four friends to join me if I wanted.

Well, not tired yet...I hoped blogging would put my mind to sleep. Maybe I will practice some relaxation to get my brain to settle down. Hopefully the next time I blog it will be to announce to the world that we are in labor! Ta Ta.