Cameron Scott Thompson

It was Thursday July 9, 2009 and I was working like I normally would on a Thursday. I was sitting in another meeting when I my cell phone vibrated. It was Rebecca. I knew she had gone to see her doctor today; so I stepped out of my meeting to take her call. She said, "Honey, we're going to have a baby today. He wants to induce me at 2 p.m today." My response, "Okay this isn't April Fool's so I guess you're not kidding!!" We talked a bit more and I staggered back to my meeting stunned and said "I think I have to go, I'm having a baby today." Went to my office told my boss what was happening and headed north for home. It was the beginning a a surreal weekend!!!

We got to St. Mark's Hospital in Salt Lake around 2 p.m. and got Rebecca admitted. Got here hooked up to an IV and about 4 or 5 p.m. they started inducing her. Contractions started and a few hours later she go the epidural which took away the pain and seemingly slowed her contractions down. Rebecca also lost all motor functions of her legs; so I had to move them around for her. Rebecca's sister Sarah and Mom had arrived for the evening. Things were going fine and I even caught an hour of shut eye around midnight. We even sent her mom and sister home to sleep when the nurse checked and Rebecca was 9 centimeters dilated and he was crowning.

Rebecca and I prior to all the excitement!!

Well, I got a shot of adrenaline, woke up, called her family back and the hospital called the doctor. About a half an hour later Rebecca was pushing and after ten to fifteen minutes our son Cameron Scott Thompson was born at 1:56 a.m. July 10, 2009 weighing in at 5 lbs. 2 oz and 18 inches long.

Rebecca with Cameron just after he was born.

Since he was early and small he was rushed over the NICU unit. We then had to get Rebecca up to a recovery room which we did and around 3:45 a.m. we both crashed pretty hard. We woke up the next morning going "Did we just have a baby?" We did and he's quite the miracle child and we are blessed to have him in our lives.

Cameron a few hours after being born.

So, our weekend was spent in the hospital seeing Cameron in the NICU every three hours, visiting with family. My parents got in Friday morning from Reno where they now live. We also exchanged hundreds of text messages, emails and phone calls with friends around the country and world. Rebecca got discharged from the hospital on Sunday, but Cameron had to stay as he needs to be eating consistently for us to take him home. He's a strong boy and doing very well. Everything else has checked out fine and he is getting stronger everyday. Rebecca is recovering well and happy to be able to get into her normal clothes again. We're both enjoying being able to sleep regular hours at night, because we both know that once he's home that won't be the case.

Rebecca also had a baby shower planned for last weekend which got cancelled and can hopefully be rescheduled very soon. We greatly appreciated all the flowers, cards, phone calls, warm thoughts and prayers as welcome this new little bundle of joy into our lives.

Another update!

Scott and I went in for an ultrasound yesterday, and Baby Cam seems to be falling further behind. When we discovered the problem at my 27 week ultrasound, his abdominal circumference was in the 15th percentile, but yesterday measured only in the 1st. His overall size was in the 40th percentile, but yesterday was only the 12th. They estimated his weight at 4 lbs, 11 oz., with a possible variance of half a pound either direction. My placenta seems to be failing. The good news is that he is still very active (Scott has decided he's a place kicker) and he has plenty of fluid around him.
I was hoping to get him to at least 6 pounds, but we may not quite make it.
Scott and I attend childbirth classes every week, wondering if each class will be our last. Will we even need the breathing techniques, or will he do a c-section?
And in the end, none of that matters. We just want him here.

Still pregnant..

I saw my dr. today, and he still thinks I'll deliver early. In fact, he said he won't let me go past 38 weeks, which is the week of July 17. It could still be any time between now and then if he sees anything he doesn't like (baby's not active, quits growing, etc.), but at the very most, we'll have a baby in a few weeks! As awful as bedrest has been, it seems to be working.

Here is my 34 week picture:

It's scary, but we're so excited, and the pregnancy hasn't been easy, so it's nice to have the end in sight.

We're going to Bear Lake this weekend, so I can lay on a different couch :) I need the change of scenery, and my family will be up there. Besides, it will be last trip for a while!

Last month we were able to go to Seattle to visit our dear friends Jenn and Paul, and their daughter Isabelle. Isabelle is a pure joy, full of energy and smiles. It was great to spend more than an hour or two with Jenn, since most of our visits over the last few years seem to revolve around a quick lunch.

Now our focus is on this new little addition to our already blessed lives.

Baby Update

We've been watching Baby Cameron's growth carefully over the last month. My 27 wk ultrasound showed he had a small abdominal circumference, a little behind the rest of his growth. I've had 2 ultrasounds since that time, and for some reason he seems to be getting further behind, dropping from the 15th percentile, to less than the 5th.
So as of today, I've been instructed to cut back on my work hours and spend the rest of the time on bed rest. I'll also be starting weekly visits and bi-weekly non-stress tests.
We don't really know what's going on. All of his other measurements are on track. I'm just trying to eat more and gain weight in hopes that he will, too.
We'll keep you posted!

Married for One Month!!! How Time Flys!!

Today, marks the One Month Anniversary of when I married the love of my life, Rebecca. It doesn't seem like it has already been a month and yet so much has happened in the last year and half. We still have so much more ahead of us. When I think about how much my life has changed I'm just amazed. Everything I've always longed for....a loving woman to call my wife, a home and a chance to build a family have all come true in the last 18 months all because I found Rebecca. It's amazing how completely I am in love with her.

We finally got the proofs from out wedding photos and I'll post a few of them with this blog entry. There are a lot of pictures. Nearly 300!!!! We've asked our photographer to post them on-line so those of you out of state have a chance to see them or order copies if you want. They really turned out great. She's in the process of having some work done on her site and once she gets the pictures on there we will let everyone know.

We had a great honeymoon in Cozumel, except for incidents on the day we left that Rebecca has already told you about. We're now settling into life as husband and wife. The house is taking up a lot of our free time right now. Had some work done on the roof and have had new gutters put in. Who knew you could get do excited about new gutters!!! Bought some new furniture from IKEA; though we've discovered Becca finds the store a bit too overwhelming. Now we are trying to get our neglected yard in shape. Becca is busy planting and I've been mowing and now trying to get the sprinklers working. Already discovered one busted pipe and I know there are at least two busted sprinkler heads. Plans are for some painting over the holiday weekend. There always seems to be something to do. Welcome the joys of home ownership!!! I really do enjoy the house and the animals all seem to be adjusting, well almost. We're having a little issue with Isabella the cat using the litter box. Hopefully our latest steps will get that worked out. Emma really enjoys her yard and Olivia, the other cat seems to like the new neighborhood as well. We must also say a big thank you to Rebecca's parents who have given us some of their old patio furniture for the backyard and bought some flowers and shrubs for us to plant.

I wanted to also say a very big "THANK YOU" to our wedding party. On Rebecca's side was her sister Sarah as the Maid of Honor. Sarah also did a tremendous amount of work helping with wedding and words just can't thank her enough. Bridesmaids were sister-in-law Sydney and friends Tiffani and Audrey. On me side was my Best Man, my cousin from Illinois Brad. Groomsmen were Masonic brothers Jeff Brooks and David Brown and my fraternity brother from college Paul Brady. Many of them traveled from far and wide to be there and we greatly appreciate it. Here's a picture of the wedding party in all our glory.

Our wedding day wouldn't have been what it was without everyone who came and shared in our day!! Next up is our baby boy who is scheduled to make his arrival in just a couple of months!!! We can't wait!!!

My sweet tooth...

For the first time in my life, I crave sweets. Lots of them. All the time. I ate a 6 lb bag of gummy bears (not all at once, but still...). The other day Scott and I went for frozen yogurt. I finished that, then we stopped for more on the way home. I ate pie for dinner last night. And cookie dough. I want hot fudge sundaes and caramel sauce.


For those of you who know me, you know this is highly unusual. While I've always enjoyed sweets, I never craved them, and always consumed them moderately. Growing up, my mom would throw away my Halloween candy at Christmas, my Christmas candy at Easter, my Easter candy at Halloween. I never finished it. Now I wish I had saved every piece. mmmmm...

We had another ultrasound today, to check on Baby Cameron's growth. Other than being a little thin, he looks great. Look how beautiful he is!

I'm in the 3rd trimester now, coming down the home stretch. It's still not real to me that Scott and I are going to be parents. Even at this point, I'm just cautiously optimistic that things will turn out well. I'm scared to hope, even though I know this pregnancy is progressing normally.

Scott and I have made an exciting purchase...a LAWNMOWER!!! Romantic, eh? Our yard appears to have been neglected for a long time, and I think we have a lot of work ahead of us to get it under control. We're just trying to do a little bit at a time.

No, We Don't Have The Swine Flu!

In fact, we'd never even heard of it until we got back from our honeymoon in Cozumel.

We had a wonderful week, with lots of food, relaxing, and fun. We were at an all-inclusive resort. We spent time on the beach and in the pool, reading and relaxing. One day we went on a Jeep tour around the island that included snorkeling, a visit to Mayan ruins, a tour of the tequila factory, a trip to a lighthouse, and lunch. We met a very nice young couple from Boston, also on their honeymoon.
We also signed up for a horseback ride through the jungle. This was the funniest part of the trip. The "jungle" turned out to be a slow, hot ride down a busy street, with a little foliage off to the side. Every once in a while we'd detour off the road through some bushes, then back onto the road. lol
We spent a day in town, where Scott got his Hard Rock Cozumel shirt, and we found some small gifts. We treated ourselves to massages at the spa, and indulged in plenty of food at the buffet!
The most stressful part of the trip was the day we were leaving, when I accidentally left my wedding rings behind. We were on our way to the airport when I realized I didn't have them, and I panicked, and made the driver turn around. Thankfully they were still on the bed, where I had taken them off to put on some lotion. No one had been in to clean the room yet. I burst into tears with relief.
When we got to the airport, Scott realized he hadn't kept his immigration form. We were sent to the immigration office with a form that was completely in Spanish. When we tried to explain that we didn't understand what it was asking for, they tried to send us to a different office. Scott finally just filled in his name and passport number (we have no idea if this is what the form asked for). They didn't even glance at it, just stamped it and sent us on our way.
So we made it home, from the tropical breezes and high temps of Mexico, to the snow of Utah. From shorts and swimsuits to long pants and coats.

For all of you that made special arrangements to be here for the wedding, especially in these times of economic stress, we just can't thank you enough. The day would not have been the same without all of your love and support. We'll continue to keep you posted as we build our lives and family together.