Back up and running.....

Our laptop died last week so I apoligize for the delay between postings! We have had a busy week......but I have not been a good mommy......I FORGOT the camera each time we went on a new adventure. I will do better this next week!

Last week Shaefer started Orientation, which continues today and tomorrow. He got his new white coats, which I might add, he looks FANTASTIC in! And, they are a bit longer than his 'med school' coat, so he's definitely moving up in the ranks. Smiles! He got his prescription pads, too, but those came along with a strict 1 hour 'talk' telling all of the interns how important it is for them not to write scripts for their family members or friends. They can lose their medical license forever for doing so. So, I guess we all still have to go to our 'usual' doctors for our healthcare needs. :)

We have had several dinners and picnics over the past week where we got to meet the other interns, residents, and many of their spouses and children. There are a lot fewer interns and residents with children than I imagined. However, out of those lucky ones who have been blessed with sweet babies, I have met some neat ladies with little ones that I hope to have playdates with soon.

We also used our first ever 'real' babysitter last Tuesday. We were so blessed in Macon to be surrounded by family members and friends who always watched Camden when we needed a date, or to run errands, or just a little free time. Anyway, it is amazing how God blessed us with someone we would be so comfortable with last week. We met a great couple at the church we visisted Sunday a week ago, and they had an 8 month old. We talked after church and exchanged emails and numbers, and the sweet girl sent me some contacts for babysitters. I will not go into all the details, but from the list of contacts I was connected with a wonderful Christian woman who has 9 children. She made several calls for me and we ended up with a 'babysitter's mom to watch Camden. (This lady's daughters usually babysit, but they were both out of town, so she stepped in and did it for us.) Camden connected with her right when she walked in the door. She didn't even cry when we left, and was fast asleep when we got back home. (Side Note: Two of my friends also have family here, and connected me with some other babysitters that I know we will probably have to use in the future. We are surrounded by caring, loving people!)

Camden is doing GREAT! She is standing all by herself and stays up for quite a while. She even took a step today and 'fell' into the recliner in her room, so I'm not calling that her first step, but I feel like we are close! I'll keep you posted! Guess I need to get the video camera out and ready so I can capture those first sweet steps in the next few weeks, hopefully! :)

Saturday we went hiking (and strolling) at a local state park that is about 10 minutes from our house. It is a great park, and has lots of trails. Ofcourse, I forgot the camera and this was our first family hike in Tennessee, but we had a great time! Camden was in the stroller for the most part....there are some paved trails and lookouts, so we took those to be easy on the stroller wheels, and to give Cam a smooth ride. Our hike was around 11 am and it was already 94 degrees!!! Camden was sweating more than Shaefer and I and she wasn't even having to do any work. When we got back, we went to the pool and cooled off. Camden is becoming quite the little swimmer!

Sunday we tried a new church that we loved. It's called West End Community Church. It's about 5 miles from our home and the service we went to was at 10:45, so it worked out great for Camden's naptimes. Anyway, there were more preggo ladies and babies in the lobby of the church than I have seen in all of Nashville in the past month!!! It is a very young congregation, which is something I was looking for. They have a ladies' bible study on Wed am's, with childcare, so that is a plus. There are also community groups that we can get involved with. There was a guest pastor whose sermon we enjoyed very much. We, or atleast me (Shaef may be working) plan to go back this coming Sunday to hopefully hear the usual pastor. We'll keep you posted.

Camden and I have been walking each morning with my neighbor who has an 8 month old. I am enjoying these walks, although they are not the same as with my walking buddy in Macon (tears, tears). Anyway, today we went to the pool with them, and it was fun to see Camden and Ben (the 8 month old) playing together. We had 'armies' and rings and the big turtle float (again, I forgot my camera) so we all had a big time. There was also a set of 3 year old triplets at the pool, so Camden was mezmerized (spelling?) by all the children. She seems to really love other kids.

So, even though this has been a long post, with no pictures, it pretty much catches you up with our past week. I'll post more soon....with pictures! :)