Weekend

Matthew's daily routine does not vary much from day to day. The only way Matthew can determine a weekend from a weekday is that there is football on the weekend. As a result, Matthew, like many of the college students in nearby Athens, believes that the weekend starts Thursday evening and last through Monday night.
Matthew spends about 80% of his time either eating or sleeping. The remainder of the time he is either screaming at the top of his lungs, or quietly looking over his surroundings with his eyes wide open. Matthew's parents are still trying to figure out how to have him spend less time doing the former and more time on the latter.
Matthew spent most of Saturday evening screaming for his mother and aunt Tiffany. However, my the time his father and uncle James returned home soaking wet from the rain-drenched Georgia game about 11 p.m., Matthew was sound asleep.
Sunday Matthew was much better and allowed his mother to take a much needed nap. He also chose to demonstrate his urine skills to his father several times Sunday. Mark was most frustrated by the diapers that were neither leak-proof nor super-absorbent.
Below are some pictures from the weekend that include a lot of game-day attire.

Pooped little pup

Ready for the game

Uncle James holds Matthew like a Faberge Egg 

(James thought bubble:Please don't move)

Sleeping with Daddy

Sleeping for Mama

By the way, the answer to last weeks poll question was a tie for the number of Georgia turnovers and the number of Matthew's dirty diapers: three.

First Week

Matthew Garrett Campbell was one week old yesterday. For his parents, the first week went by very quickly. Both his mother and father are trying to enjoy every minute with him, even the ones where he is screaming.
Here are some picture from the past week.

Mom and Baby Boy shortly after birth

Dr. Campbell, Danielle, Mark, and Matthew

Dressed up to go home

He does not like baths

Ready to hunt

Stretching at the pediatrician's office (outfit number 2)

Day trip at 1 week old. He likes riding in the car.

Wardrobe

Before leaving for the doctors office this morning, Matthew decided that he did not want to wear what his mother had picked out for him. Since Matthew could not verbally indicate his objection he took the only recourse available to him, he pooped on everything. In the process of changing his clothes, Matthew decided to demonstrate his long distance urine skills as well.
Everything went well at the doctors office. Matthew has gained 2 ounces in weight since he left the hospital. That means that his mother has done a great job of keeping him well fed!

All-Star

Matthew is amazing. He slept much better last night and had a very good day today. Matthew and his parents seem to be working towards getting a good schedule together. Tomorrow, Matthew has an appiontment with the pediatrician where his father will ask a lot of questions.
Finally, after supper tonight, Matthew managed to have gas, urinate on himself and his mother, and poop all over the changing table. He only missed spitting-up to hit for the cycle. Three-for-four buddy, keep up the good work!

Achoo!

God Bless You!

Night time

Matthew just had a bath and is going to eat before hopefully sleeping a long time. Matthew did not sleep very much last night, and his parents are trying to adjust to this new schedule. Additional posts will come as time and sleep permits.

He's Home

Matthew had to wait a long time today for both his mama's doctor and the pediatrician to say they could go home. His mother dressed him up pretty to take lots of pictures. At one point, he looked like a hipster with a faux-hawk and popped collar. He has been sleeping a lot today and enjoyed his first car ride to the house. Matthew's father gave him his first bottle of formula at about 2 a.m. to try and let his mama sleep. It took Matthew a few minutes to get the hang of the bottle, but he chug-a-lugged that second half ounce like his big daddy and papa drink sweet tea!

First Day

Matthew is very loved. He gots visits from lots of folks today including his great-grandparents (Memaw and Grandaddy Whittle). He also got a visit from Dr. Campbell again. Yesterday, the doctor was moving him out and today she was modifying his manhood. No one would blame Matthew if he cried the next time he saw her.
Matthew has already gotten a gameday pep talk from his daddy. He is dressed is his UGA clothes and hat, sleeping to get ready for tonight's late game. His mommy is also doing very well.

First Night

Matthew has his father's nose and chubby cheeks. He also has his mother's chin and complextion. The boy has a good head full of black hair. Matthew loves to move his arms and legs and squirm around. And although he's not very interested in a pacifier right now, he likes to put his hands or fingers in his mouth.
Matthew slept okay his first night. The nurses woke up his mother more than they woke him up. At 3:00 a.m. Matthew let out a nice loud cry. From across the hospital room, without getting up or even rolling over, his father yelled out "maybe he's hungry" which was code for: please put something in his mouth to make him quite. But Danielle soon discovered Matthew was not hungry but instead had another problem. She summonded Matthew's father and upon opening his diaper, it appeared that Matthew was ready to work on a D.O.T. project; there was a tar-like substance everywhere. After the diaper change, his mood was much better.
Matthew's mom is still Wonder Woman for all the hard work she did yesterday. Thanks again to all the friends and family and well-wishes!

He's Here!

Matthew Garrett Campbell born September 18, 2009 at 4:49 p.m.
He weighed 8 lbs, 5 oz. Will give more details when availabe.

Update again

Now at 10. Paging Dr. Campbell. Danielle is getting ready to start pushing whenever she is instructed to do so.

Still waiting

Eight centimeters and still resting.

Waiting

Matthew's mama is still doing well. She is still having contractions about 2 minutes apart. Trying to rest while she can. Pitocin is flowing and epidural is helping. Dr. Campbell should be here in a little while to check on mama and baby.

Relief

Epidural was in at 10:45 and life for Matthew's mama is so much better. Thanks Dr. Joe. Those contractions were very strong and powerful and swift. Meanwhile, Matthew's daddy has Maria Carey's "always be my baby" stuck in his head....you'll always be a part of me....

Moving Day

Our wonderful nuse Tara set Daddy up with the Rainman suite! Big room, nice window with a view. The contractions are getting stronger. Watching the moniter is like watching the stock market, lots of sharp rises and falls.

Morning Update

Pitocin was started about 7:40. Dr. Campbell came by and broke Danielle's water about 8:30.
Think about the words ain't, Y'all, don't. Now imagine those contractions about 2 minutes apart. That's what is going on here. Stay tuned

Quick Study

Matthew's mother has read stacks of books about pregnancy and babies. That information combined with her medical experience and nursing education should have her very mentally prepared for the upcoming labor and delivery.Matthew's father, on the other hand, has furthered his education by watching even more episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. The goal has been to retain as many of Andy's fatherly pearls of wisdom as possible.

 "You laughed, you really laughed?"

Most likely tomorrow night will be similar in many ways to the night before a big test (PCAT, CPA, SAT, GED, any of the big ones). The often repeated advice is to, "get a good night's sleep", or "tomorrow's a big day, you need your rest". The reality is: most folks have a hard time getting their brain to relax in anticipation of such a big day. Thankfully, there will be an entire hospital staff ready to help Danielle and Matthew pass their test and help keep Mark from passing out.

Tonight Matthew's parents went out with friends for another fine dining experience. This time they were able to include more specific requests in their meal order, such as scattered, smothered, and covered.

 Babies are probably born here every day.

There was great potential for an alliterative local newspaper headline such as "Watkinsville Woman breaks Water at Waffle House". Fortunately for the Waffle House staff, Matthew decided not to make an appearance during supper. However, the headline possibilities and notoriety are appealing, so Matthew's parents plan a trip to Wal-Mart tomorrow.
The countdown to the hospital appointment is now less than 32 hours away, but Matthew will no doubt take his time getting here. So dear readers, please do not panic if you haven't received an update before 6 p.m. Friday or later. Since the mobile post below worked, updates will be posted here as soon as possible.

Mobile post

This post is not being made from a computer. Whenever Matthew's parents end up at the hospital, there may be a need to post remotely. This is a trial run. There may also be a need to post pictures from the hospital. So why not try that as well. Hopefully, a picture will appear with this post. The pic is of three beautiful ladies who can't wait to see Matthew. Matthew's mama is on the left, his Aunt Devin is in the middle, and his Aunt Tiffany is on the right. Let's hope this works...

Nope

No news! Zero, zilch, nada. Matthew is doing well. Dr. Campbell was not very sympathetic to Danielle's request to deliver him today. Blood pressure was great. Thankfully all signs point to both a healthy mother and baby.
Right now it appears that Matthew is warm, comfortable, cozy, and dug in like an Alabama tick.
However, he should begin to get ready for the much anticipated transition that is scheduled to begin around 6 a.m. Friday morning, which at this point seems as far away as Christmas.

Weekend that was

At approximately 11:00 p.m. Saturday night, Danielle let out a yell that made Matthew jump. He thought that she was in labor. But it wasn't because of a contraction, it was a deflection. That fourth down pass deflection allowed the Georgia Bulldogs to barely escape with a win, in a long, exciting, hard-fought football game. Meanwhile, approximately 10 miles away, Matthew's father was jumping up and down just a few yards from where the aforementioned pass deflection took place. Luckily he did not sprain an ankle and he bounded up the concrete stadium steps, high-fiving strangers in red, racing to beat the crowd home in record time.

That was the end to a very long Saturday. The day began with last minute preparations for Matthew's arrival. Most of which included house cleaning. Matthew's father attempted to help with the chores since his mother is supposed to be resting, but Mark often needs help determining what is clean, and what is not. However, once there was football on TV, he soon lost focus. Mark did manage to make a brief appearance at a bulldog tailgate before heading to the game, where the topic de jour was Matthew and Danielle. Thankfully, the text messages during the game were frequent and helped keep everyone informed.
Sunday was a wonderful day to rest, with only minor cleaning / nesting by Danielle.
Monday afternoon there is another Doctors appointment , and another chance to be sent to the hospital for an early delivery. Thanks to everyone for the continued encouragement and support.

Date Night

From the quiet hamlet of Watkinsville to the freshman dorms at UGA, everyone knows that when you want to go steppin' out in the metropolis of Athens there is only one destination....

Listen to the music of the traffic in the city...

Linger on the sidewalk where the neon lights are pretty...

The lights are much brighter there, you can forget all your troubles, forget all you cares and go...

Downtown! So that is where Matthew and his parents went tonight. They all ate supper at the Porterhouse Grill on Broad Street. They arrived before the rush, and were seated immediately. Soon the restaurant filled with an eclectic mix of people from college students, to professionals, professors with thick foreign accents and wine snobs wearing shorts and boat shoes. Any breaks in the conversation were filled with soft jazz music in the background. Although the ambiance was great, the fine dining was at the forefront of the evening. Danielle and Mark both started with salads. Danielle chose the special with mixed greens, goat cheese and raspberry vinaigrette while Mark stuck with the granny smith apples, toasted walnuts with spinach and sundried cranberries. Matthew and Danielle's low carb diet led them to select the filet minon with melted bleu cheese for an entree, while Mark was able to enjoy the NY strip topped with fried oysters on a bed of roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Eating is Fun!

While they were downtown, Matthew was already drawing the attention of some cute co-eds. Everyone had a great time, but managed to leave before it got too rowdy.

The theme of the evening was 'the last night out for a while with no baby-sitter required'. The weather was perfect with a hint of fall in the air. In some ways it seemed like the last day of summer before a long school year. There was a quiet realization that at this time next week, the coutdown clock at the bottom of this page will read less than 10 hours, and life will change forever...                          

 

Funny / Not Funny

Matthew has managed to put his parents in a mulititude of unfamiliar situations the past 9 months. They both realize that this will only get worse over time. Recently, during a long wait at the doctor's, Mark decided to stand at the foot of the bed Matthew's mother was laying on (near the stirrups) and pretend that he was actually a quarterback in the shotgun position.

Like this guy, his name is Matthew too

Being ready to take the baby in a snap was not enough. Matthew's father carried on by using hand signals to audible to his imaginary teammates and stomping his foot while calling out a "hot route". Mark, of course, thought this was the funniest thing that he could do, while Danielle wasn't nearly as impressed by being cast as the center in this particular pantomime.
Later, after the doctor came into the room, the medical professionals soon began talking over Mark's head so high that he felt more like this football player.

I was run-ning

He would ask questions along the lines of "is pitocin like pertussin" and "how is something that stops your cough gonna induce labor". That was about the time Danielle started laughing and Mark was less than amused.
So if laughter is the best medicine, with the folks around him, Matthew should be healthy for a long time.
 

Moving forward

Monday's holiday did not live up to it's moniker as 'Labor Day' since Matthew is still in his current residence. However, Mark did take advantage of a Labor Day sale to purchase Matthew a new gas grill, he is a very thoughtful dad.

Today's doctor's appointment was much less eventful than Friday's, all indicators were very good for both mom and baby. The doctor also indicated that Matthew's frequent hiccups were just him getting ready to breath. Despite any plans of leaving on a jet plane, all of Matthew's bags are packed are ready to go, to the hosiptal. Now everyone is waiting, some more patiently than others. Big Mama reminded Matthew's parents that "when the apple is ripe, it will fall from the tree". However, just in case Matthew needs some help, there is an induction scheduled for 6 a.m. September 18th. The beautifully named Dr. Campbell then proceeded to jinx an earlier arrival by stating, "he'll probably come before then." This blog will continue to be updated with any new developments, your thoughts, prayers and well wishes are greatly appreciated.

Saturday Pics

Here are a few of the pictures taken Saturday.

 

Special Thanks to Heather Waters for the pictures!!!

Long Weekend

Saturday, Matthew and Danielle only left the house very briefly to have some photos taken of a beautiful girl and one very large belly. The photo session was a sweet baby gift by the photographer. Once editing of those photos is complete, copies will certainly be posted here.

The day was going well for Matthew's family until just a few minutes before 5 o'clock. At which time, his father's emotions became increasingly similar to the boy pictured. It was also fortuitous that Matthew was still in the womb, or he may have heard a few words that should not be part of his vocabulary. At least the fans of every other SEC school were happy with their teams wins.

Today was much better however. The restful Sunday started off great as Danielle was able to clearly see her ankle bones instead of the blobs that had previously swollen around her feet.

Sunday also included hickory smoked pork and a freezer full of meals from loving friends and neighbors. It is much more difficult to feel sorry for yourself when you have a full belly!

Hopefully tomorrow will be even better...

TEST

Matthew and his mother had a scheduled doctor's visit this morning. Unfortunately, during the office visit the doctor furrowed her brow and said that Danielle needed more tests. That meant that after the doctors appointment, they had to go to the only lab that was open on Friday that could guarantee immediate results, the hospital. While at the hospital, Matthew's parents got to both see and hear his heartbeat and got to hear his hiccups for the first time thanks to the spiffy fetal monitor. Matthew's heartbeat was great and only fluctuated during his occasional exercise sessions. The nurses said that Danielle passed all of her tests, but still sent her home with instructions to rest and a jug for her urine (the jug has to stay in the fridge, which is a completely different type of test). Everyone is thankful that both Matthew and his mother passed the tests with flying colors, or it would have been a very long weekend. The trip to the 3rd floor of the hospital, Labor and Delivery, did manage to make Matthew's father aware of the fact that he is woefully unprepared for an extended stay in that location.
There has been some speculation between family members that Matthew may have been interested in watching the Georgia football game tomorrow. However, the level of play during the much anticipated football contests on television Thursday night were not exciting enough to stir anyone into action. Hopefully, Matthew plans to support the Dawgs in their effort to defeat the cowpokes in stillwater from where he currently resides. Stay tuned for more updates, and GO DAWGS!

Living Arrangements

So the image to the left is where Matthew is currently residing. He has a great lease agreement with all utilities included. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts to upgrade and expand his living quarters, he's going to be moving out soon. His landlord is getting impatient with the increased demands, partying at all hours and exercise sessions. However, there is good news! When his current lease is up, the landlord is going to help him move, along with the assistance of some hired professionals. The new place is going to be great with plenty of bedrooms, lots of friendly visitors, and a bathroom just about anywhere you look. Room to stretch out and enjoy all that life has to offer.

One of the bedrooms in the new residence is pictured below, being guarded by a bearded man that is apparently an integral part of the deal. The upcoming move is going to be intimidating since Matthew has lived in his current residence what seems like his whole life, but it should be exciting with an opportunity to meet lots of new people!

Tomorrow will bring Matthew's first experience with college football, when South Carolina faces North Carolina State. But he can't stay up too late, because he has a doctor's appointment Friday morning.

FIRST POST!

Friends and family have been asking about a website to keep up with the events of Matthew Garrett Campbell's life. He hasn't even been born yet and already he is getting the rock star treatment. Just to see if we can make this thing work, I'll try to include a picture. Okay, the one above is pretty old, it is from way back in May '09 when Matthew was much younger and smaller. Alright, that seems to be enough heavy lifting for now. I want to pace myself. Stay tuned for more updates and exciting announcements!