What a weekend!

Sorry it has been a while since we have posted. It has been a whirlwind of a weekend. My mom came back up on Thursday so Chad and I could go to the annual picnic on Friday and Saturday. We met people from all over the world and their kids were so cute! The surgeon gave Cam a shout out over the mic that he was the newest member of the crew! These doctors are brilliant and we are so thankful that they are taking care of Camden!

Chad flew home today to start his internship tomorrow. He didn't want to leave his buckaroo, but he did get to fly home on first class thanks to my Aunt Betty and Uncle Hank! We miss daddy, but he will fly back up on Thursday just in time for his birthday and the 4th of July!

Our friends from Maryland, Julie and Justin came to visit Camden today. It was so great to see them again. We spent so much time talking and playing with Cam. They are expecting a baby in November!

I am so ready to come home. Cam is handling it all better than me right now. He loves all of the attention he is getting from mom, dad, nana, and all of the nurses! The bubble machine found its way back to Cam's room and it is keeping him entertained. With all of the medicine he is on, it must look pretty cool. We need comments to keep us going!

Love

Jul, Chad, Cam and Nana

Goodbye Dr. Ernie!

Today Cam had a great day! He seems to have given up on trying to jump out of his bed and has come to terms with the fact that he is going to be here for awhile. He still has his fight in him, he is just finding other ways to entertain himself. He loves to pull the leads from his heart monitor off his chest, wait for the machine to beep, and then laugh! It is so funny to watch him! He likes to ride his "handle bars" as we call them when he holds onto his fixator. He was "talking" so much tonight! He has momma down and now we are working on dada. When I say dada he shakes his head 'no' and then goes on to say "momma". Chad and our nurse, Shonda, were giving him his bath today and Chad told Cam to say thank you and he said something that resembled "thank you". They were both impressed! He responds to his name now! All of the nurses and doctors say his name so he has really learned it!

One of the medical students that has been following Cam for the past few weeks has really shown a special interest in our little man. He finished his rotation on our floor today, so we wanted to give him a special shout out from Camden! Cam made him a special card and he gave it to him today. Thanks, Dr. Ernie!

We received some incredible packages today! Cam got Bert and Ernie puppets, along with some very cool shirts from the Milanese family. We also a package from the Heyward family. It was a very tasty collection from Harry and David, which happens to be one of Julie's absolute favorite stores. Just when we thought the day was done, one of our nurses came in carrying this great big package from our neighbors Marc and Doris. It was a collection of gourmet snacks! We have both gained a few pounds snacking by Cam's bedside, but we love it! Please know that we truly appreciate all of the cards, letters, emails, and packages. Each and every one brightens up our day. We are so very thankful to feel so loved from so far away. We feel blessed to have such great friends and family. It is something we thank the Lord for every night.

Chad, Julie, and Cam Man

Send in the Clowns!

Cam had his first experience with clowns today. It didn't go so well. The clowns have been to his room several times, but he has always been sleeping. So when they came in today he was actually awake! He liked them for all of 3 minutes so we could snap this picture and then he started wailing. They were blowing bubbles at him and it didn't help. I'm glad we didn't go with a clown theme for his room!

His surgeon came back and saw him today. He thought Cam had gotten bigger in the week that he was away. He also said that he usually sends his patients home when they have too many toys on the bed. Bring on the toys! He was very positive and thought Cam's recovery is going great.

We received some great packages from Jill, Al and Grandma Smith, my family in Savannah, Julie, Loyal, Benjamin Addisu, and Baylee, Donna and Dave Knudsen and several students from Eagles Landing have sent giftcards. Our nurse, Shonda, bought Cam his bath soap and lotion! She also bought us some Tasty Cakes! We don't think we can get these in Fl so we may have to bring a few boxes home.

This Friday will be 4 weeks after surgery. We feel like we are on a really bad vacation that will not end. We left home on May 24 and can't believe it is now June 24. Counting down the days til we can hold Cam again.

Love,

Julie, Chad and Camden

Sleepy Day

Cam had an uneventful day that consisted of sleeping all day! It probably has something to do with the fact that he was awake all night! He has his days and nights mixed up! The good thing was that he would take his bottle even while he was sleeping. It was the most unusual thing... but hey he's eating! Cam and I watched the gymnastics olympic trials together and now he is sleeping again. Chad had a bad day in the MLB world when the Cardinals lost in overtime.

I am tired of posting pictures of Cam lying in the bed so I put up a picture of us in Patterson Park. The whole gang went there the day before his surgery. The week he is out of the hospital and we have to hang around Baltimore, we plan on spending a great deal of time at the park. He needs some fresh air and sunshine so badly! Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. He is doing great!

Love,

Jul, Chad and Cam

We made it through a Friday!

We have been pretending that today was either another Thursday or already Saturday because the past 2 Fridays have been too eventful. The epidural felt out the first Friday after surgery and then the IV fell out last Friday! Thankfully nothing fell out today and we still haven't needed the feeding tube.

On a fun note, he has started saying, "Mum Ma" or that is what is sounds like. We aren't sure if he really knows that is me because Chad will say "Dada" and he replies with "Mum Ma". Even the nurses have heard him talk! He has been laughing and his new favorite song is "The Wheels on the Bus". He especially likes to do the hand motions.

I am putting some pictures on with us and the one of me is awful, but Cam had the biggest smile. I did get a 3 hour nap today, but from the bags under my eyes, you can't tell. We enjoy every precious moment with our little man.

Owyn was moved to a hospital near his house in Pennsylvania today. We are so happy that their family can be all together again. The Children's House had a cookout tonight for all of the families and the food was great. We miss everything about Florida. There is a channel on the TV at the hospital that has beach scenes to relax patients and we can't wait to really see the beach.

Love,
Jul, Chad and Cam

Eat Up Cam

Cam has had a great 2 days. He has been happy and playful. This morning got a little scary when the pediatricians came in and told us he wasn't eating enough and they were going to have to give him a feeding tube. We have known that this is a possibility, but we were hoping he wouldn't need one. He needs calories to heal his body. 5 minutes later the dietician came in and calculated his food intake and said he had taken enough food and didn't need the feeding tube. What an answer to prayers!

As the day went on, he slept for the majority of the day and didn't eat enough. So tomorrow morning we are prepared to hear that he may still need the tube. It will not be permanent and he can still eat and drink by mouth with the tube. He just doesn't like to keep tubes in his body, so we are afraid of how many times he will pull it out. He is a little fiesty like his mom!

We are sorry the pictures don't get more exciting than Cam laying in bed, but that is all he is allowed to do. We put his play gym on his bed and he has been having a ball! We won links in Bingo yesterday and they were the perfect addition to his gym! Its his Baby Einstein Sea Creature gym that Lisa and Casey Farmer gave him! Each time a new nurse comes to visit he stretches his arms up as if to say, "Will you pick me up because nobody else will!" It has been 3 weeks since we have held him and that is one of the hardest parts. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since his surgery and the halfway point! All of the nurses are fighting over him and they have been so wonderful! We know that Cam is in the best place possible and that ultimately the Great Healer is taking care of him. We can't wait to come home! We hope you are all doing well! I received an envelope with letters from my 6th graders at SRCS. We have decorated Camden's room with the sweet cards! Thanks for all of the support!

Love,

Julie, Chad and Camden

Happy 7 months old!

Hi from Baltimore. We have had a whirlwind of a few days. We're not really sure where to begin....Today Camden is 7 months old. We put up his play gym in his bed and he loves to play with his toys! Of course today was Bingo and we won new links for our gym! Chad even got into Bingo today so I had to share my board with him! This morning a group of professional BMX and skateboards came to visit the children in the hospital. It was outside on the 3rd floor playdeck so Cam couldn't go. Chad and I went for him and got to talk to one really nice BMX guy named Jamie Bestwick. He has a 3 year old son so we shared stories about our little guys. There is a big event here this weekend at Camden Yards so they are here to compete.

Cam's procedure went well yesterday. He went into surgery at 2 pm and was finished by 3. He had a tough time waking up from the anesthesia. Once he woke up a part of his fixator came lose and we had to page the orthopedic doctor at midnight. He came to fix it and they took an xray this morning and everything looked like it did in last week's xray. He is still having trouble with his medication, but I think that is going to be a battle until we get out of here. We also removed the air mattress he has been laying on to see if that will help keep him still.

Jack, Leslie, Mark and Izzy came to visit us yesterday! It was such a fun time! Jack is as cute as he can be and all the nurses were so excited to see him. He was almost walking by himself through the halls! Jack and his family have been such an inspiration to us! They brought Cam a Veggie Tales video and some wonderful homemade salsa and chips! We know that God is in control of this whole situation because we were having a rough day and it really brought our spirits up to see them.

We continued to be showered with love from home! We received some beautiful flowers from Anita and her family. The cards are so appreciated! We are hoping to have an uneventful next few weeks. This Friday we will be at the halfway point. Thanks for following our journey with us. We will be so happy to have this part behind us. Here is the picture of Chad and the BMXer.

Love,

Julie, Chad and Cam

Back to the OR

Hi everyone! Well, after having a fun Father's Day, Cam was supposed to get his Pic line on Monday morning. They wanted to try to do it at his bedside so they wouldn't have to put him under anethesia. The line wasn't going in right and Cam got hysterical. I have never seen him so upset. It didn't seem like he was in pain, just mad. It took 30 minutes to calm him down once they stopped the procedure. It was a pretty traumatic experience for all 3 of us. The rest of the day was fine. He slept for quite a while after. Today, he has to go to the OR to have the line put in. The procedure should start between 12 and 1, so please keep little man in your thoughts and prayers. He hasn't been able to eat since midnight, but he is sleeping comfortably right now. (so is dad!)

We are so thankful that God is wrapping His arms around our little man. He is giving us all the strength to get through this. Thankfully the hiccups we have had have been more with keeping him still instead of with the major surgery. It has been 2 and a half weeks. 3 and a half more to go.

They are cleaning Cam's room today so we had to move to a different room. We we get back from the OR he will be back in his clean room. Every 21 days, they have to move the children so this will count as his move.

I'll post a picture later.
Love,
Jul, Chad and Cam

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all of you dads out there! We hope you had a great day with your families! We made the best of Chad's first Father's Day in the hospital! He received all kinds of gifts from the hospital gift shop! My sister sent Cam a camoflage shirt that says, "My Dad Rules" and I found a matching "World's Greatest Dad" shirt also in camoflage! They looked so cute together! We did take out for brunch this morning at a little diner called Jimmy's in honor of our Jim Dog!

Cam and Chad had so much fun playing together today. It was nice to see Cam so comfortable and happy. He gets his new pic line in the morning so please pray that goes well.

We have received so many encouraging cards! Thank you all so much! Gail Nugent sent a beautiful Creative Memories album and we love looking at all of the fun pictures of Cam. The Milanese Family sent some awesome puppets that I think Chad and I are enjoying as much as Cam! He also loves his Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Thanks to all of you!

Our little buddy, Owen, was moved into our room tonight. We are so thankful that he is out of ICU. His parents are both teachers and are staying at the Children's House, too.

Still counting down the days til we can hold our little man again.

Love,

Chad, Julie and Camden

Another obstacle

Well, just as we thought Cam was on "Cruise Control" as his surgeon said this morning, his main IV line came out. He has been receiving all of his antibiotics, pain meds and fluid through this IV in his neck. Since he has been squirming a little, it worked its way out. Two IV specialists tried to start an IV in Cam's hand, but were having trouble finding a good vein. It took a third nurse to find one in his hand. This is temporary until he can get a more long term IV called a pic line on Monday. He was poked 4 times at least. He was such a trooper through it all. The only drawback now is that he has a big No No on his arm. It is to prevent him from pulling at the IV, which he needs! Cam has been frustrated because he liked having the ablility to move his arms and play with his toys. He can still play with one arm and he is working on a plan to remove his No No. He really is smart! It is going to be a long 4 weeks with only 1 arm in use. Through it all, he continues to smile! God gave him a great sense of humor!

We received some great shirts for Cam to wear from my sister, Rod, Kylie and friend Ann. Ann sewed up some really cute shirts, one in particular says, "My dad rocks" which Cam can wear on Sunday. Jenn also sent me some clothes since I seemed to pack very unpractical clothes for the hospital, like you are all surprised! Thanks you guys! My family in Georgia sent Cam this great Dr. Seuss book and homemade fudge! Thanks Henrietta and Sid!

Two weeks are down, and 4 more to go. Cam has become a favorite of the nurses. Even when he is not one of their patients, they always stop by to get a smile or coo from him. He loves it! We are holding on to each other and getting through this. Cam is our inspiration through it all. We continue to feel lifted up in prayer and can't wait to see everyone soon.

Love,

Julie, Chad and Camden

What a difference a day makes!

Well, we have hit the boredom phase and we are just fine with that. The doctors said the first few days were going to be eventful and the last few days will be exciting, but the 5 weeks in the middle should be boring. Cam had such a good day today! He was laughing and playing with his toys and nurses! He is quite the little flirt with all of his nurses! His little personality is returning and that brings a smile to our faces! He is cooing and smiling so big! And giving belly laughs when daddy shows him his balloon. Chad and Cam watch their Cardinals each night on the computer and then they play their own version of baseball in the hospital bed.

We had the opportunity to meet 2 great people yesterday. One of my cousins had a contact with a pastor in the Baltimore area and he came to visit and pray for Cam with us. It was so nice to have a visitor. The pastor reminded us of Dan Myers, the pastor who married Chad and me. He had a very calming presence and told us to call him if we needed anything, even at 2 in the morning! We also met a volunteer from the hospital whose daughter had surgery by our surgeon 24 years ago. Her daughter is now in medical school. She is sewing 5 more shirts so Cam can wear them with all of his wires.

The other highlight of the day was Hospital Bingo!! I am addicted! I see why my grandmother loves it so much! They broadcast it from the 9th floor and we watched it from Cam's bedside on the 6th floor. If you win, you call up to the 9th floor and read out your Bingo. We won Bingo and Cam got a cool Winnie the Pooh blanket! They have some awesome prizes so we can't wait until next week. Bingo is played every Wednesday at 2:30 so now that is what I will look forward to every week. I know...it's bad~! There is another family we met with a son with the same condition and I heard she was quite the Bingo Champ! Go Stacie! Leslie and Jack are coming to visit tomorrow so we are looking forward to that! The nurses will love seeing little Jack again, too!

Thanks to Brandy, Brett and their boys for the delicious Edible Arrangement! We have munched on it all day. It is also quite a hit with the nurses! Thanks Scott, Leslie and Caleb for the cute outfit and snuggle blankie. He is sleeping with it right now! Thanks for Gary, Jessica, Hailey and Addison for the box of goodies! The oreos are great at 2 am! Chad hasn't put down his magazine yet! I loved reading all of the nice emails from many of you. It helps make the time go by and feel like we are still connected at home.

There has been some major activity at the hospital. A little girl from Texas was having half of her brain removed to stop her seizures. It is caused by a rare neurological disease. She came out of surgery around 5 today and is stable. Their family is staying at the Children's House too. Two other toddlers were hurt in a shooting in Baltimore and they were in our room. Thankfully they are doing ok.

We continue to be thankful for our support crew from all over the US. Each of you has helped us along our journey and we appreciate it so much! We know God is healing Cam right now and that He has big plans for this little guy! We can't wait to watch him grow up! I know I have said it many times, but this place really makes you appreciate your health, family, friends and each day we have. Moms and dads hug your kids, and kids tell your parents you love them.

We will update you all again.
Love from Baltimore,
Julie, Chad and Camden

Getting his appetite back!

Well, for those of you who know how Cam eats, you will be happy to hear that he is regaining some of that hearty appetite! He has eaten a whole container of sweet potatoes and he tried peaches for the first time today. He is also taking more formula than he had been so all of this food will help him heal. We seem to be getting everything back under control. He has discovered TV and likes Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Please pray for one of his roomates. He had a code blue this morning and it was really scary. The little guy is back to his playful self this afternoon, but I have never seen so many doctors and nurses come running so quickly. There were 2 other codes on the floor this morning so we pray that tonight will be quieter.

The doctors come in and say that everything is looking good. We just heard that there are a few other doctors who perform this surgery and some only keep the child in traction for 1 week. There can be problems with moving too soon, so we are grateful that our doctor takes extra precaution, even though it means sitting here for 6 weeks. It will be worth it in the long run. We will update you all later!

Lots of love,
Jul, Chad, Nana and Cam

One step back

Well, unfortunately Cam's epidural fell out yesterday. We were hoping it would last 3-4 weeks, but we only got 1 week out of it. Now we are having to give him pain meds through his IV and it isn't working as well. Daddy spent the night at the hospital with him and they were both up all night. They are both sleeping now. We just feel like we are back to where we began. Please pray that Cam gets some relief and stays calm.

The picture is from the other night with the nurse drapped the fiber optic tubes over him from his bubble machine. No, it's not some weird medical treatment...just trying to give him something to look at. He looked so bright in all of the lights!

Thanks for the comments. We'll update more later.

Julie, Chad, Cam and Nana

Day 7!! But who's counting??

Hey everyone! Things are going much better now. Cam has actually smiled and played with his baseball. The only thing bothering him at the moment is his belly. He has to eat lying down and he can't burp. The doctors are really pleased with his progress! He has several "girlfriend nurses". He got his 2nd tooth today! He probably didn't even feel it because of all the pain meds. He also had his first bath since surgery! He smells so good! We are enjoying reading all of the comments so keep em coming!

We have met some amazing people here at The Children's House. If you want to add a few more children to your prayers, please keep Owen, a 2 week old boy with heart problems, Chelsea, a 17 year old girl with a brain injury (she was a cheerleader!), and Christopher who has Hodgkins Lymphoma. All of their parents are such strong people and we have enjoyed talking to them.

Chad, my mom and I are with Cam around the clock. He is beginning to accept the fact that he is stuck in bed, but he knows we are here with him! Thanks for all prayers and thoughts. We only have 5 weeks left!

Love to you all!
Julie, Chad, Camden, and Nana

Hanging in there

Now that we have passed day 3 after surgery, we are hoping things will keep improving. Cam looks so sweet in his big hospital bed. All of the nurses just love him! We are trying to find the balance between keeping him totally zonked and in too much pain. Last night his blood pressure and breathing were both getting a little too low and slow so we have decreased his pain meds a little. The doctors told us he would sleep for 2-4 weeks depending on how his recovery is doing. It is just hard to see your little man go from such an active little guy to sleeping all the time. But, God is in control so we are keeping the faith. Thanks to the Kreisel family for the sweet card we received yesterday. My parents neighbor, Ann, has been taking Jimmy on long walks! I know he loves them! Thanks, Ann! In the picture is a blue blanket from a Brownie Troop in Maryland. It is called Project Linus. This is a program that donates blankets to hospitals to help keep kids comfortable. He loves his blankie!

Love,
Julie, Chad and Camden

Cam got a baba!

Hey everyone! Today was the first day Cam could have a bottle since his surgery. He is doing much better now that his belly is full. Both of his surgeons were pleased with the way surgery went and with his recovery so far. The nurses are working hard to keep him still and comfortable. He is requirring quite a bit of medication for such a little guy! Even with all Cam is going through, being at Hopkins, we still feel like this is "minor" compared to so many other situations. Thank you for all of the prayers, well wishes, calls, texts, and everything else. We will keep you all updtaed on his progress.

Love,
Julie, Chad, and Camden

No more NG Tube!!!

Julie stayed the night with Cam last night and I was able to get some rest at the Children's House. I brought her breakfast in her chair this morning. It was not quite breakfast in bed, but it worked. We met with his orthepedic surgeon this morning and he said that everything is going great. Hearing the good news Julie and I went to get a shower and do some laundry. We received a call about a twenty minutes later from Gampie letting us know that Cam had ripped his NG tube out!!! This is a tube that goes into the nose and keeps the stomach empty. Oh, did I add that he did this right in front of the doctor! The doctors were great and said we can leave it out for now, or at least until we hear from Dr. Gearhart. Dr. Gearhart will decide if he is able to start eating again. If they say yes to food, then we will not have to put the tube back in. We are hoping for a yes, as it seems Cam is a hungry boy! Every single hour he looks more and more healthy. He has had some bladder spasms that cause him a some pain, but the pain management team is giving him a patch that will ease the pain. Valium seems to be his drug of choice! I think we could all use a little right now. We are hangin in there!