Birth Story

I have to rewind back a few days for this one. it all started over the weekend. we got back from our quick trip to disneyland/california and the next week i had my midwives appointment, which was a huge releif because they confirmed baby girl's head had moved down and she had "dropped." the week before she was head up, and she had been doing sommersaults every night so i wasnt too sure where she was positioned. friday-river got sick with a sore throat/cold, then saturday night was hell-rumi got the stomach flu and was throwing up alllll night. to make it even better mowgli decided to throw up three times throughout the night as well. short story-it was a very sick weekend, the one weekend where we tried to plan some fun family things because i was sure baby girl was coming that very next saturday (my mom's birhtday, march 19th). but plans change. isnt that always the case though. so by monday night i had caught whatever rumi had and literally purged everything inside my body all throughout that night. tuesday comes and i am feeling so weak and exhausted. river didnt have school so we decided to take mowgli on an easy hike up battle creek. i just remember going up the tiny hill and telling river i definitely cannot have a baby today because i dont think i could physically make it. jokes on me. we pick up rumi from preschool and head home because i have the worst body aches. my kids were so sweet and so understanding-i jumped in a quick bath and rumi gave me an oil massage on my bed after (she gets it from her daddy;)). David came home from work by now. 5pm. as i am just laying there i literally feel like i just peed my pants, but i know i didn't. i hopped up so quick, all of rumi's perfectly placed gem stones roll off of me. david is like, are you ok? i had never had my water break with my other two pregnancies until the very end during transition so i was somehwhat in denial. david called my midwife, who lives just a few minutes away, just to confirm that this is truly amniotic fluid, because i just kept saying, no, this is not happening right now. well she came over and checked me out, and my water most definitely broke, and i was already dialated to a 3. crap. is what i thought. my midwife left and said she would come back whenever i felt like i needed her. david had gone downstairs to feed the kids and put on a show, and now all i could hear was him puking in the downstairs bathroom. great. he caught the flu. perfect timing. i just kept thinking, this isnt really happening right now. this was the week i was going to deep clean, prepare more for baby, and just get some last minute things ready. well, ready or not she was coming. i rememeber saying to david, i don't think i can physically do this right now, i feel so weak. i hadnt slept at all the night before and i didnt dare eat anything that whole day except water and a banana. david just turned to me and said, maybe this is going to help you to truly surrender and lean into that trust. my two words that i have meditated heavily on during this pregnancy. he was right. when you dont think you can, when you are truly in a weak place and humility sets in, that is where true growth lies. so i decided to go with that. if i wasnt feeling physically prepared then i for sure was going to get mentally prepared. "the body achieves what the mind believes." 8pm. i went into hyper ocd cleaning mode while having small surges every 3-5 minutes. literally deep cleaned my entire house in like two hours (with the help of david when he wasnt vomiting in the bathroom). the kids were so excited baby sis was coming! they helped me blow up the birth tub in my bathroom and loved playing in it while i was getting my room set up with all the diffusers/humidifiers, lights, and candles. they really wanted to stay awake all night with me, but i convinced them that she wouldnt be here for awhile and we would wake them up when she decided to come. i finally got everyone asleep and everything cleaned up, disinfected, and ready for baby...well as ready as i could with such short notice;) the husband was on his own. jk. but kinda. i text my midwife that i was going to try and sleep for a bit if i could. great idea. i was so grateful i fell asleep from about 1-3am. it was so needed. then i was startled awake by a surge. things started picking up. david had gone in to sleep with rumi in the middle of the night so i stayed in my quiet bedroom and breathed through the surges as i could feel them coming on stronger. i decided that by 4am if they didnt let up then i would start to fill the tub and let everyone know. i felt bad waking david up, but by 4am things were definitely not slowing down. i text my midwives and let them know i was going to jump in the tub and to come over in the next hour. rumi had woken up to be with us and i just have to say she was the sweetest thing the whole night. she was excitedly whispering and would come check on me in the tub every so often. i love her. she stayed awake up until about 6:30am. she was a trooper. by 7am though baby girl was coming. i tried a few different positions. i got out of the tub a couple times, but i always found my way back in. ha. i wasnt set on if i was going to have a water birth this time. i actually didnt think i was going to, but the water just feels so good to labor in, especially this one. i had my two previous births at a birth center which had the porcelain tubs-but now i know... they do not compare to this. this one was a blow up one, which is soft and has handles you can lean into, plus i could fill it up much deeper. im pretty much saying the birthing tub is my favorite. now i was no longer breathing through my surges very well and just full on letting my body lead. my body was naturally "nudging" baby down. i did have specific instructions for david and my midwife towards the end... that when baby started crowning they needed to remind me to change my breath and slow down. i really didnt want to have stitches;) so baby was crowning and they told me to breath "up" which is like quick hyperventillating breaths upwards. it sounds counterintuitive and doesnt feel natural at all, but it is highly effective in slowing down and allowing your body to stretch. i remember at this point looking out my bathroom window. the sun was rising. it was so beautiful. the light came through. i felt so calm. i was wearing both my mom and grandma's rings. i felt their presence and the power of the feminine... it was probably a split second moment, but it was my most powerful moment throughout my entire birth. 7:29 am. baby girl in all her tininess came into this world. our sunrise girl. my midwife quickly unwrapped her cord around her neck and brought her up to my chest. there is no other moment that compares to this. i cannot even attempt to explain. my midwives team, teryl (who i couldnt have done it without), amber, and kalli with birth mind body were seriously amazing. they were so calm, strong, and super educated-it gave me such a peace of mind. it was pretty cool to be surrounded by these amazing women as they helped me bring my baby girl here. and david. oh man. he was such a freaking rock. i know he didnt feel good at all and he was a rockstar through the whole night. he is so involved and supportive, and right by my side when i needed him most. we woke the kids up and we all cuddled on our bed and stared in awe of our new baby sis. there is something so great about having your little family there in your own space. i didnt have to pack a hospital bag, figure out who would watch my kids in the middle of the night, and the list goes on. heck, i didnt have to leave my house for one checkup during my whole pregnancy. i created a peaceful space in my room where i prepared for birth and it just felt so right to birth there after all the nights and hours of meditating and visualizing it. it's pretty cool that i literally told my husband, sister, and friend that i was just going to labor in the night while everyone was asleep and baby would come in the morning as the kids woke up. and that is literally what happened. i went into this pregnancy having to totally rely on faith and trust. i studied a lot and learned so much more this time around. i was more open to all the possibilities while also much more detailed in what i wanted to experience with this birth. this being my last pregnancy, i just wanted to put in the work with no regrets. i didn't want to go into the birth not feeling prepared mentally. someone once asked, if you were a marathon runner would you prepare for the big race by just getting new running shoes, maybe a new outfit, or just figuring out the logistics? no. you would prepare physically and mentally. at least if you wanted to accomplish it. and that is what (natural) labor day is kinda like. a marathon. its definitely something to prepare for, and the more mentally and physically you can prepare, the better the outcome. just like most things in life. i am so grateful for this experience. i have learned that i am much stronger than i even thought before. creating life is the most miraculous and beautiful experience that i will ever be a part of. i am forever grateful.

so we had a few names picked out and as names are the hardest part for me, we decided to wait until we could meet her. the crazy thing is, i have a video back in july when we told our two kids they were going to have a new baby soon-river says in it, "lets name HER, Riley Sage." which i quickly replied, we dont even know if it is a boy or girl yet. he did that with rumi too... when we found out rumi's gender he turned to mowgli and said, "we're going to have a baby rumi sister". we were like, ok, thats the name we are going with. so river pretty much sealed the deal on both his sister's names. her name is also inspired by two very important people in my life, two people who mean more to me than words can say... hint: both their birthdays are on september 5;)

introducing: Riley Sage Campbell 6 lbs 3 oz 18 in

we are full of more love than we know what to do with. she is pure heaven, peace, and everything good. we love you to inifinity and beyond baby girl. xo

ps. shout out to my sister and my nephew, Ryder. they came and got river and rumi and mowgli too. they made them feel so special and spoiled them all day while mom and dad slept. it was so needed after what felt like a sickness marathon weekend/birthday party;) thank you times one million!

F O U R

"in a field of roses she is a wildflower". i came upon this quote and knew it was 100% accurate of rumi rey. so when she told me she wanted a birthday party with flowers and purple i knew right what we would do. we celebrated our little girl turning four at a park that holds a lot of treasured memories, nielsons grove park. it was a perfect september evening and we are so grateful to everyone that came to support and celebrate this very special girl.

currently: rumi is growing like a weed. she turned four and suddenly became this adult kid. she is smart, sassy, hilarious, caring, intuitive, curious, determined, knows exactly what she wants and what she doesnt, sensitive, friendly, beautiful, and so much more. she loves animals and taking care of them. she loves doing homeschool and asks me when we can do it. she loves crafts and creating things, dance parties, swimming, drawing...she is really into painting right now and will sit and paint all the rocks outisde. she got a big kid bike with pedals so she is working on transitioning to that from her balance bike. she loves the movie lion king. she drinks coconut water nonstop, her dads tea and smoothies, and says her favorite food is tofu and noodles. she loves to help cook and bake. she is always telling me when she grows up she is going to live in her own house all byp herself with her german shepherd dog. she loves the book, grumpy monkey, and all of our halloween ones that we just put out. she loooooves halloween and all the scary things. she is a little firecracker and is constantly keeping us on our toes. she is our little boss baby and pretty much ruler of the house. ha. we love you to the moon and back, unconditionally and forever. happy birthday baby girl.

7

He is now 7! 7?!?! Seven feels so old. I have this little human man now who has a big personality and has his own opinions and ideas. And I love it. Of course I miss my squishy baby rolly poley river monster, but I am taking in every stage with him and loving it all. I am so grateful I get to be present and there for it. This kid is one of a kind and totally rocks this motherhood role for me...in a good way. River has taught me more about myself in his seven years of life than I have learned in all my years of life. Thank you my little boyfriend. 

. 

Some of rivers favorite things at seven years old goes like this...

He loves stories, reading, telling, listening to, etc. He is still obsessed with dinosaurs and building/creating things. He can name any car we pass on the street, tell me the make and model and random facts about them. Just tonight we pulled up next to an Acura NSX (which I had no clue what that even was) and he was telling me how its the new Acura and it beat so and so, but then they made the new blah blah blah and I am just over here, like ok, I don’t even know what youre saying or how you know all this.

 This kid is incredibly aware, pays attention to detail, is very in tune with his emotions and the emotions around him, but he also has this wild, silly side where he loves to play pranks, reenact things for a laugh, and tease his baby sis. He is sweet and sour, but mostly sweet;)  

His favorite color: grey and black

Favorite animal: a cat (he’s so allergic, but we go to cat cafes and adoption centers still because he truly loves them) 

Favorite book: Harry Potter, but is super into the Sam Fox adventure series right now. 

He loves drawing. 

Tonight he said he wants to be a policeman when he grows up, but that also changes on the daily. Yesterday he wanted to be a photographer for super cars and races. 

He thrives with one-on-one time, and our dates are some of my favorite memories. He does really well in school and is such a good student, but begs me every night not to go to school. 

He is an animal lover at heart. He has been stung by bees four times already, but will always save one if its flipped over or stuck in a pool. He takes such good care of his dog brother and baby sister. He is a natural born leader and dances to the beat of his own drum. I am still learning to stay back far enough to get out of his way and let his journey unfold. 

We love you River Zen. 

To infinity and beyond. 

You are smart. You are wise. You are strong. You are kind. You are important, and oh so loved. 

Happy Seventh. 

Xo

wild and three

My baby girl turned 3 (on september 14). She is pure sunshine and full of so much joy. We don’t know how we lived life without her. I hate that she is growing up. I want to freeze her right now. She is just too dang funny, sweet, and full of saaaaass. 

Her Current Favorites

Color: purple and blue

Animal: gorilla and polar bear

Food: noodles, pancakes

Drink: coca (coconut water)

Movie: Elsa (frozen)

Book: interactive ones (we read this poke-a-dot alphabet one nightly)

She loves swinging, riding her balance bike, all animals (snakes, spiders, you name it), riding “neigh neighs” at the farm, telling stories, building with magnatiles, playing poison ball on the tramp, making little setups around the house, her dog, babies, living room dance parties, makeup, and the list goes on. She is so full of life, sometimes we are just trying to keep up;)

Lately she has been going thru an attachment phase and is acting shy around people, but once she gets past that she is wild and silly. She is so sweet and always checks on her brothers. When I tell her, I love you, she always says, thank you back. She has to cuddle BOTH mom and dad at night before bed and we love it. She is so tiny and sweet, and gives the best hugs (when she decides to). We can’t get enough of her!

We celebrated by taking some friends and family to the butterfly museum (another one of her favorites) and then having a backyard butterfly party. It was so much fun! Thank you for all those that showed up for our baby girl. We love you! And now for a few pics, because what is a blog without pictures;) jk. still waiting on pics from the party, but here are a few from my phone. 





Happy 3rd birthday Rumi Rey. We love you to infinity and beyond! 
Xo