Waaaaaay behind!

Hi all -

Well, seems as if there was a rift in the space-time continuum, leading to a huge gap in our updates on this thing. Sorry!! I would say we will try to be better, but its probably not going to happen...

The holiday season is here, and we have been busy-busy. Thanksgiving jump started our celebrations, as Erika's parents drove up from California and joined us and Erika's sister/brother-in-law (the newlyweds) for a nice dinner.

A week later, we had more family in town (Grammy Marsha and Great Grandma) for Camden's blessing. It was really nice to have everyone there for this important event, and Camden performed just as we had rehearsed - slept right through the whole thing! A big thanks to all who were able to attend and support us in this very special occasion.

Camden continues to eat (a lot!!) and grow, although seeing him everyday makes it hard to notice. Erika took Camden down to California a few weeks ago, his first big road trip. After being gone a few days, I could notice a bit of a difference in his size. And I learned the very real lesson of being away from the Bug - even a few days seemed like an eternity!!




If you haven't heard the latest, the Seattle area has been pummeled with some unusual snow - enough to make life difficult for someone (me) who needs to drive around a lot for work. But I'm not really complaining, because I do love a good snowstorm - and to drive around in the slick stuff! Bug has been extra cuddly during the past few days, which I would like to attribute to the frosty stuff outside. Erika and I both love to have him snuggled up to us sleeping; unfortunately, he has gotten very accustomed to this and is in a phase of "I-need-to-be-snuggled-and-held-to sleep" phase - very annoying when you would like to sleep too! But, i guess its better than the 3-5 hours of straight up crying. which we haven't had to deal with yet (knock on wood)....




This week is Christmas, little Bug's first, and we'll be celebrating here at home. We are looking forward to this day and the opportunity to begin our own family traditions and continue some we have already started. We got Camden a stocking for Santa to fill up Christmas morning, and if you're out there Santa, I would like to apologize - this thing is monstrous, so unless you have a SUV for him this year, you'll need some good loot to fill that sucker up!


To sum up: we're good, Camden is good, Christmas is here, and there's a strong possibility of a white Christmas this year - gravy!!

("I want a Range Rover Santa" - can you resist this? I bet not!!)


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love, Aaron, Erika, and Camden Zane Nisbet

Camden update

Editor's note: I just found this post I was working on back in November - better late then never as they say!

Howdy y'all -

Been a while since we put anything on the "world's worst blog" (PC Magazine, November 2008), so i decided to just post some pictures of Bug - after all, he's the reason anyone checks up on this anyway:

We are all doing well, busy in our new family lifestyle and continuing to adapt to the challenges of raising a youngster. Camden is growing like a weed, probably because he eats 30-40 times a day. This tires mommy out considerably, but dad is sorry to admit that he actually likes it - especially when the dude is 6'6' and 240 lbs of pure raw power! Or, you know, whatever....

AZN

Settling in with the little dude

So I'm just sitting here with Bug on my lap (of course he is in a milk-induced drugged-out coma) checking emails when I realize it has been a long time since we posted an update. I quickly log onto the blog and spin the dude around so I can type somewhat effectively. He wiggles a bit to get back to a comfy position, and opens his eyes to glare at me for disturbing his sleepy. "What do you think?" I ask him.

"Lots of folks have asked for more pictures" Camden says to me with a toot and a wink, waking up a bit more as he adjusts himself again on my lap.

"You're a pretty cute little feller, and photos are great" I say, "but we need some meat, not just fluff. What else would you like to put in this update?"

"Duh dad, more pictures of me!" he cries back.

"Shouldn't I tell them that you are doing well, gaining some weight, and sleeping a lot? How about the times you are awake and playing with your parents. Or watching football and Ghosthunters on TV. I think people would like to know that you have gone out to eat, gone shopping at the mall, and dressed up for a Halloween party. Plus, you've continued to improve your skills at spraying down rooms with the little sprinkler, and created many a fresh poopy diaper for your daddy to change?" I chide him, half expecting a class 3 blowout for mentioning the diaper bit.

"How about you just put out the photos and let the pictures do the talking" he replies sharply, "and keep the peeing and pooping stuff to yourself!"

"You're the boss, bug; I will do your bidding as long as you stay so cute and cuddly." I stick a binky in his mouth to help him find dreamland again. "Here you go!"

Hanging with the ol' man

Hey there, wanna play with me?

Daddy gets some cuddly time

Check out my green sockies - so cool!!

Mommy loves me!!

Watching 3-D movies with the folks

Goodnight!

Some more pics

We've had lots of requests for more Camden pics, so since I'm up and holding the little dude right now (and he's super cute even when he's fussy!!!), I'll post some. He had his follow-up appointment yesterday at the hospital; hearing in one ear was good (the other still had some gunk in it, will need to recheck in 2 weeks), gaining back his weight, mom is feeding him well, but he is a little more jaundiced than he should be. So he had to have some blood drawn to check his billirubin level, and then over to the pediatrician for a checkup. Thankfully all is well and he should be getting better soon. We have another Dr's appointment on Thursday for the one-week check up. One week!! Definitely going to party like rock stars on Thursday!

Now for the pics....

Pimped out and ready to go home from the hospital

Carseat time!

What up?

Nature boy!

These hands taste good!

Its Super Camden!!

Welcome to the world, Camden!

Camden Zane Nisbet was born at 6:04 AM, October 17th, 2008. He weighed 7lbs 15oz and was 20" long with lots of hair. Of course his mom and dad think he is the cutest bug EVER!! Mom and baby are both doing great, if not a little worn out. We are going to be in the delivery room for a while until a post-partum room becomes available - was a busy night here at Overlake Hospital Birthing Center. Erika, Camden and I are looking forward to a little nap this morning, after a very busy night. So with out further ado:

Here we go!

Let the new Nisbet clan adventures begin!

Erika's water broke around 7:30 PM this evening, so we are timing contractions, packing up last minute things, and getting ready to head off to the hospital. We plan to leave as soon as the doula is here. And I am getting VERY nervous! Here we go!!

(Don't worry, I remembered my stuff! Oh, and the wife - she's important!)

Thanks again for everyone's love and support. We look forward to introducing everyone to Camden Zane Nisbet very soon!

Love, Aaron and Erika....and Camden!

Another Update: Nothing yet!?!

Hi all-

I know, I know - What is he doing in there still?? It MUST be comfy, because this little bugger is just as content as can be. Monday was another OB appointment, and the doc says that he is RIGHT THERE, ready to drop out at any moment. However, for some odd reason he just doesn't want to come out and meet us quite yet. Unfortunately this behavior has dear old dad questioning his role in this process - are we really ready to be parents? Is he afraid of what we might do to him? Does my breath stink so bad when I talk to him that he avoids every opportunity to join our little family? So many questions, so little time....

In the meantime - Erika is doing well, enjoying(??) her maternity leave and continuing to prep the baby's room. I have been preparing some things to do for the first few days at home with the bug; looking over sports schedules (hooray for the world series and football!!) and trying to talk Erika into an X-Box (honey, the baby won't mind if we use his gift cards to get one!). We also met with the pediatrician today, and received some new parent info. Turns out infants are unable to play catch at such a young age, so I guess I'll have to put the gloves away for a while. Anyway, we are doing our best to be somewhat prepared for the big event, going as far as having hospital bags ready to go and the car seat already in place. Not bad for a couple of true procrastinators!

By the way - a lot of people have called Erika and I in the last few days to check in on us and see if they are still in the "good news" loop. Becuse it has potential to send the wrong message ("if they are calling, they must have had the baby!"), we have decided to be fairly selective to who and when we are returning calls. So, please don't be offended if we fail to return your call, its just that we want to keep the excitement down a bit.

A few pics from over the weekend taken by our friend "Ansel Adams" Todd. We enjoyed a nice BBQ and game night with some friends on Friday night - good times had by all.

Stay tuned for another gripping update; you never know when it will be "The One"!

AZN

Update: Still cooking....

Well, we made it to the weekend without a hospital run (so far!), as it seems that our little guy is VERY content just chillen in the womb. In fact, he's been pretty content in there for the last two plus weeks. Guess this is a very planned and coordinated tactical statement from the bug that we are on HIS schedule. I hope this is not a precursor of who will be in charge of the family down the road....

Erika had her last day of work Friday, and we are hoping that the release of work-related stress will help move things along a little quicker. If this doesn't work, I'm afraid Erika might resort to drastic measures - has anyone ever induced labor by chugging a bottle of Castor oil? If that won't work, the other end result can't be good!?!?

Erika and I almost have a baby nursery put together; still needs a bit of work (especially since we cannot paint the walls), but I am liking the outcome. As you can see we decided on a baseball/Seattle Mariners theme, at least as much stuff as we could muster up. We found a few little Mariners hats, baseballs, and some friends gave us a cool blanket and some memorabilia (all about the Ichiro bobblehead). If I ever can find a few good posters, those will go up on the walls to drown out the dull whiteness in there. Some pics for anyone who cares (mom, that's you):
Stay tuned for another boring installment of Baby Watch 2008 in a few days - unless of course we can post the big news. (I believe this is called a "tease" in the industry)

AZN

Update: I'm out of the pool!

Hi all-

Well, looks like Oct 7th has come and gone and no baby yet. After our OB/GYN appointment two weeks ago I was sure that today would be the day. But for the second time since the early 50's (1953 to be exact), I was wrong on something. Erika is still counting on Oct 11th, and she may be right. All is well with mommy and little bug; she is still working and he is still kicking and poking. We are looking forward to the weekend and hopefully a little rest before the big day - maybe....


The freaky soon-to-be-parents!?!

Status Report: Still waiting....

Yep, still no indication when this little kid of ours is going to make his debut. So Baby Watch 2008 continues....
In the meantime, Erika had her hair done again - it may be the last "professional" appointment she will have for a while.

It is definitely shorter, and I made the classic mistake of telling her she "looked like a mom now". (Note to guys everywhere: ALWAYS say it looks great!) Sorry dear, I meant to say that it looks fantastic!

Monday brings a new week of Baby Watch 2008, so remember kids - I have my $$ on Tuesday Oct 7th. We'll just have to wait and see - stay tuned!

AZN

Did you have the baby yet????

There are times when I wish that this was the $50 question, because I would have around 2.4 billion dollars by now!

Yes, we certainly have been asked the all important question a lot the past few days, but it is great to know how many people care enough to ask.

The last week or so has been fairly exciting. We have been told by the OB/GYN that our little bug has made his way down to the starting gate and is primed and ready for the gun. In fact, Erika had to tell bug that he couldn't start his journey until after this last weekend, because her doctor was at a medical conference, she had her last baby shower, and I had Mariner's tickets! We made it through, and are well into week two of "Baby Watch 2008". I still have my money on Oct 7th, but we'll see. In the meantime.....

I have sent out an email to friends, family, coworkers, and even a few people I don't know to link them here to our (horrible) little blog - we thought it was a great way for everyone to get an update on Baby Watch 2008. My goal is to update this more often during the next few weeks, including an attempt to update if and when we are on our way to the hospital for the big show. So, feel free to check back to the blog whenever you get an urge and feel like calling (hahahahahaha!!!!).



One more thing - I may have said this before, but big thanks again to all our family and friends that have supported us through this new and exciting adventure. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives to share this experience with. Rock and roll!!

AZN

It's about %@#!$ time!

Yes, it is about time that I posted another installment of the blog known the world over as the most fascinating blog ever viewed by 3 people. Well, it has been a crazy end-of-summer/start-to-fall, but all three of us are doing well. A quick update on the little Nisbet clan:

Erika is doing great, and looks great for being full of child. Still working full time, her only issue continues to be a little swelling, and maybe some fatigue and soreness from caring around a human bowlingball. Sometimes it looks like she ate a whole watermelon and hasn't been able to digest it for about 2 months now.
Seriously though, she is looking good and this picture taken last month proves it!

Our little bug is growing, kicking, and pushing mommy all over the place. It has been really fun to watch him move around or feel him poke when I have my hand on Erika's belly. We just finished up our birthing classes, and for the most part I think we learned some good stuff from them. I must admit that I did have a little trouble paying attention when we were asked to relax and help our partners focus - for some reason I thought that this meant that it was time to crack jokes and get Erika upset. Its a safe bet I won't be much help in the delivery room...

Finally for me - just finished up my summer fun last week with a wet bikeride down the Iron Horse Trail. It has been a while since the last post, so I will include a few pictures from the high adventure in August and the overnight trip with Willie T to Rampart Lakes.

Look for another update shortly!

AZN