Merry Christmas!!

Little All-Star

Hi everyone! We are noticing it was a whole lot easier to post to the blog before Camden was born. We are enjoying our little man so much! He is growing everyday! He turned 1 month old on Wednesday! Today we went and had pictures taken. We are becoming regulars at the photo store! Chad's last day of school is tomorrow and then we will have Daddy home for 2 weeks! We hope all of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Celebrate all of the little miracles!

Picture Day!

Hey everyone! We are getting settled in and things are going great! Camden had a doctor's appointment today and the doctor was so pleased with his weight gain! He is a whopping 7 pounds 15 ounces~! 1 ounce shy of 8 pounds! Chad went back to work on Monday and Cam and I are hanging out at home. We went to our first mommy and me class yesterday and we learned a ton of things! Cam slept the whole time! My mom came down yesterday to spend some time with Cam and let me get some sleep! I felt like I had a live in nanny last night! We went to the Christmas parade with his best friend Cooper! Today we went and had pictures taken at Portrait Innovations. Hope you enjoy seeing our little man!

Love,
Julie, Chad and Camden

We're Home!!!

Hi everyone! We arrived home last night!! It was great to get home before the holidays. We had a wonderful trip and Camden is doing just great! The surgeon wanted to wait on the big surgery until he is 6-10 months old so we will be going back for the long stay in the summer or fall. Jimmy likes his new brother! Chad and I are getting used to a lack of sleep...even though he is a good sleeper... it only lasts for about 3 hours! We have 2 doctor's appointments tomorrow. Thanks for following our journey with us! We appreciate all of the prayers and supportive messages! They really helped us get through being away for a month.

On our way home

WE left Baltimore today at 2:00 and are on our way to Orlando. The trip so far has been good. Baby Camden likes to ride!!! We will stop in S Carolina tonight and hopefully in Orlando by Sunday. Soon he will be back in Deerfield to his real home.
Mom and Dad are adjusting to their new roles just great. They are natural parents!!
Pray for a safe trip for us.

CAMDEN COMES HOME

Today was an exciting day. Julie and Chad brought Camden "home" from the hospital.
They are all settled in the Children's House for now and are busy with all the baby fun of changing diapers, feeding and changing diapers!! They are so glad to have him out of the NICU. Chad has already made a run to Babies R Us since we didn't have a bed for the baby. Soon we will start our journey home to Camden's real home. Kylie got to meet her new little cousin before she left today. Julie and Chad had a welcome home group with her Dad, sister Jenn, brother in law Rod and Kylie and Nana as they left the hospital with Camden. Julie and Chad are too busy to add to the blog right now so this is Nana again to let you kmow what is happening. Thanks for all the prayers and support and we are truly celebrating Thanksgiving with Camden's safe arrival.

Mommy's little angel!

Hi everyone! Just wanted to say hi and let everyone know how we are doing! Camden is the healthiest baby in the NICU, which is wonderful! He is boring some of the nurses! I got out of the hospital yesterday, but we are still there round the clock! Gampi (my dad), Aunt Jenn Jenn, Uncle Rod and Ky Ky came to visit Cam yesterday! He was very excited to meet them! Ky Ky can't wait to kiss his toes! We are enjoying visiting with family! Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers! Our little man is amazing and I can't wait for everyone to meet him! We are back in the technology world with Chad's laptop. It came back yesterday so we will get some more pictures posted soon! Love to you all!

Julie, Chad and Cam

A short clip of Cam!

Here is some video of little Camden! The video is from last night (Tuesday) before they sent him down to the "basement" for an MRI. He also had surgery today. Dr. Gearhart has given Camden the best care and we have met people from all over the country that have traveled with their children so he could perform their surgeries. Dr. G assured us that everything is going well and we should be encouraged from all we have seen. Julie has been discharged from the hospital and is feeling well. We are so thankful that our network of family and friends has been so supportive. We truly know that this is the best place for Camden to receive his care. God is good! Enjoy the video! Chad and Julie

Camden Daniel McBane

Hi everyone this is Nana again. Here are pictures to introduce Camden Daniel McBane. I know I'm his Nana but let me say he is a good looking boy and so cuddly to hold. We are so grateful for his safe arrival and that Julie is doing fine. We are so thankful for everyones prayers and support. It has been a blessing to all of us. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Baby Mcbane arrives

Great News!!! Baby McBane arrived on Sunday November 18, 2007 at 2:35 PM. He weighed 7lbs 10oz. Mom and Dad are so excited and doing great. Nana is entering on the blog for the first time since Julie and Chad are staying with the baby. I am so proud of my new little grandson. His little cousin Kylie is going to love him so much. Here is the first photo of the happy little family.

Uncle David Visits!

To our surprise, yesterday Chad's brother David came to visit us! We went to dinner at the Cheescake Factory at the Inner Harbor, a special night out! Today we went to the Thanksgiving Parade at the Harbor. The weather was nice enough to enjoy the time outside. We must have walked 8 miles today, again they are trying to rush this baby along! After the parade we grabbed a quick bite to eat and Chad and his brother toured the battleships around the Harbor. Their favorite was the submarine. It's been nice to share all that we have learned about Baltimore with someone. We are starting to feel like locals! All of the walking has tired us out. Tomorrow we will take David to the airport and then head to church. Chad is hoping that the baby does not come during the Colts game on Thanksgiving Day! Knowing how things have gone, it probably will!

Pictures in the Park

Yesterday we went to Patterson Park to take some more pictures before Baby McBane arrives. It was kind of a chilly day. The wind was really blowing. But the leaves are beautiful up here. This is one of our favorite pictures. We had a doctor's appointment yesterday and he said the baby is ready to go! It could be anytime now! Chad and my mom are making me walk every mall we can find! I know most of you won't believe this, but I am not in the mood to shop! As most of you have commented, nothing fits me anyway!!!

We thank all of you for your continued prayers. We were a little disappointed on Thursday because we were supposed to meet with Dr. Gearhart, but he was called into surgery. We couldn't be too upset because he will doing the same for us one day! We rescheduled our appointment for Tuesday. We miss you all and can't wait to get back to sunny Florida!!!

The Aquarium

Hi everyone! Today we went to the National Aquarium at the Inner Harbor. It was quite amazing to see all of the exhibits! The highlights were the dolphin show and the fish feeding at the coral reef. Two scuba divers were in the water hand feeding the fish. There was the largest puffer fish I have ever seen!

We have three doctor's appointments over the next three days. We meet with the surgeon on Thursday for a consultation. There is a magazine out up here in Baltimore that describes the "Best Doctors" in Baltimore. Our surgeon and 2 of the OB's were listed! We know we are in the best place possible.

13 days until my due date...but we are hoping for a little sooner! Thanks for all of the emails. We are trying to respond, but our laptop is still in Kentucky so we are at the library. This whole experience is really making us feel grateful for all we have at home! Thanks for all of your prayers. We miss you all!

Love,
Julie, Chad and Nana

The Inner Harbor

There are several places in Baltimore that we have found to be interesting. One of the best places is the Inner Harbor. This part of Baltimore is down by the water and has various restaurants and shops. We had a quick lunch at the Hard Rock and walked around the harbor for the afternoon. Julie and Maxine went to the Gallery Mall right across the street. They have 100 shops to browse through. My buddy Phil (who recently moved to Baltimore) and I watched the Colts get beat by New England at the ESPN Zone. It was a sad day.

The baby is just chilling! Julie has started experiencing contractions that she can actually feel on a daily basis. When we took our childbirthing class the nurse said she would be like this for a short while, then the real contractions would start. It has all been very exciting!

We have been spending a lot of time at the library since the great computer crash of 07. My classwork is slowly getting complete, and Julie is able to keep in touch through email. We hope to have video up soon!

Our temporary address

Hi everyone,
Several of you have asked for an address for us. Here it is:

Chad and Julie McBane
2000 McElderry Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21205

Mail will be sent to the main office and then they deliver it to our townhouse. Once we move into The Children's House or Ronald McDonald House, we will update our address.

A busy day....

What a day! We had an ultrasound, toured the labor and delivery, and took a childbirthing class! Oh, and it is only 4 o'clock. We also met baby Jack. Jack is another exstrophy baby. He was so cute and looked excited to meet us. His mom was a great resource and will be in Baltimore for the next three weeks. I have a feeling that Julie and her will become close during our stay. It was great to talk to see what our baby will be enduring in the hospital.

On another note, my computer is on the fritz. Luckily, as we learned with our digital camera, I am very good at buying the service plan. So, while our computer is on the mend, we will be "hopping" from computer to computer, updating the blog. We are so thrilled that many people have responded. Feel free to share the blog and pictures with others. Right now we are at The Children's House. The Children's House provides housing for parents with kids that are patients in the hospital. We are not allowed to stay here yet, but Maxine has started volunteering and they are allowing us to use their computers. She has already spent a few hours teaching someone how to use email! The Childrens House has Playstation, Xbox, and a pool table. All a dad could want! The people here are very nice and the house is so cheerful with several murals painted on the walls. They provide dinners throughout the week to help the families offset some of the cost.

We love you all and appreciate your prayers and support!

Chad and Julie

A Trip to Wal-Mart

When you are this far along in the pregnancy every trip is an adventure. We had to make a trip to Wal-Mart for some odds and ends yesterday. Because the baby is near, Julie had to ride around in the senior citizen motorized cart. I thought everyone would enjoy this picture! We are moving downtown today, and we are very excited. Julie wants to take pictures in Patterson Park, so we may have to go borrow a wheelchair from the hospital to push her around town! Thanks again for all the support!

We're Here!

On Tuesday, Julie had a scheduled doctor appointment. They found that she was having some contractions. The problem is we were not in Maryland yet! The doctors admitted her to the hospital to slow down the contractions and on Wednesday afternoon we left for Baltimore. We drove straight through the night, (well Maxine and I drove while Julie slept!).

Because we came up early, our scheduled temporary home is not ready until Monday. Therefore, we are staying at the Homewood Suites for a few days. Things are moving along, and Julie is feeling great. All of the phone calls and prayers have been great! The snacks that several of you sent along with us have been great.

Thanks to everyone that has been so generous and giving during this time.

On our way to Baltimore

After hearing the diagnosis of our baby, Julie and I have decided to document our baby's journey into this world. We will update the website with news and pictures to share with all of our friends and family. It is unfortunate that our little one will have such a rough start and be so far away from home. However, the staff at Johns Hopkins is the best in the world! They have been so helpful when our emotions have been a roller coaster. Please feel free to add comments or post pictures for us to see of you. There are many events we are going to miss and we want to hear the stories!

A special thanks to both of our families and friends. Also, our school families have been so supportive. Please keep us in your prayers during this difficult time.

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12