Blink...

With the "blink of an eye" our little baby boy is 4 months old. It is almost indescribable how much love, peace, laughter, and joy our son has brought to our lives. We are so blessed! I am loving this stage, I am loving all the "firsts" Jack is experiencing (and we are experiencing through him). There are times that I just want to "freeze frame" the moment, because it is so special and I don't ever want to forget it. With the "blink of an eye" Jack is rolling over, smiling like crazy, babbling up a storm, eating cereal & veggies (and loving them), laughing, playing with his toys, grabbing at the toys with two hands, really holding his head up high when he is on his tummy, sitting/playing in his excersaucer (he loves it), he loves being read to, and he even "helps" mommy turn the pages of book(s), sometimes! A sweet transformation has taken place...from newborn to baby! We love you so much, sweet boy! You will forever be our little "monkey"!

Today Jack had his 4 month photo shoot with my friend, Kelle Hampton! Here are ust a few of the amazing shots Kelle took of our precious little boy! Thanks, Kelle!

3 Months Old Today...

It is hard to believe my baby is three months old today! Where has the time gone? These have been the most incredible three months of our lives! The world is a better place because God has placed you in our hands and our hearts to love forever and ever! You are the greatest gift HE could ever give us! We love you more than you'll ever know!


I wasn't sure which direction to go with this post. On the one hand, I thought to myself I could list "90 Things I love About You" (3 months =90 days = 90 Things I Love About You). But then I thought the list extends far beyond the number 90. Then I decided to just write from my heart, write what I have been feeling these past three months. By the end of this post I will have somewhat combined the two. Here it goes, (deep breath, tears already rolling down my cheeks, before I even start writing):

I don't quite know how to explain my love for you, my sweet little boy. You have changed my life forever, and for the better. I never knew life could be this GOOD! From the time you were a "twinkle in my eye" to a "bean sprout" in my belly, I knew you were special. On the day you were born I was the happiest MOMMY in town! My heart was filled with love, happiness, and peace. I couldn't wait to hold you, kiss and hug you, listen to you cry (letting me know that you were REALLY here & everything was OK),stare at this miracle before me, which was you.

While I definitely don't want to "fast forward" your life (I actually would like to "pause" it at times, as it seems to be going so fast already), I will "fast forward" this post. Your daddy & I look forward to teaching you so many things throughout your life. We want to fill your life with love, and provide you with so many opportunities that will hopefully help shape/mold you into the wonderful man I know you will one day become. Right now, we are learning from you. We are learning how to live stronger, healthier, richer (not in the monetary sense...your great-great grandfather used to always refer to being rich not as the "things" you possess, but the family and friends that surround you) and most importantly to love deeper. You have taught us that what we once thought was important, pales in comparison to what is important now. We have learned so much from you, and am certain we will continue to learn from you as we embark on this wonderful journey together, as a family. These past three months have been fabulous. We LOVE you Jack Adam Miller, more than words can ever say!

I love...
(By: Mommy)
I love(d) seeing you for the first time. I love kissing you on the forehead. I love our first family photo (it is priceless). I love holding you in my arms. I love the way you look at me. I love taking you places. I love kissing your toes. I love the way you smell. I love the way your soft baby skin feels. I love your cries. I love spending one-on-one time with you. I love you in nothing but a diaper. I love your smiles. I love how you asked me to "Make it better Mama", without saying a word. I love your coos. I love the two dimples on your cheeks (face). I love the little chub chub rolls on your legs. I love how you rub your finger tips on your favorite blankie, when going "night night". I love how you hold your head up (you are so strong). I love how you kick your feet in the bathtub. I love how you rub your eyes, letting me know you're tired. I love how cute you look wrapped up in your MONKEY bath towel. I love the baby noises you make, when you drink your ba-ba. I love the way we talk with one another. I love that you're starting to laugh. I love reading books to you. I love singing to you. I love how your daddy loves you. I love how you love your daddy. I love how you are becoming so inquisitive. I love how you are starting to roll over (what a big boy you are). I love how you hold my hand, when I rock you to sleep. I love that you have a pet fishie, Nemo, and that you can sit in front of the tank and watch him swim around & around for as long as I will let you! I love how your tiny fingers grab my wedding ring(s), while you drink your ba-ba. I love how you rest your head on my shoulder. I love your screetchy voice that lets me know you're happy & excited. I love that I am really getting to know YOU - your wants & your needs! I love that you have so many people who love & care for you. I love that I am your mama AND I love that you are my son!

Jason planted this tree in our front yard for Jack. The tree is a magnificent one, I wish I could remember the name of it. Anyway, it's gonna need plenty of room to grow! :)

Jack is 3 months old in this pic (08-05-09)...oh my, where does the time go?

Uh Oh, look who climbed into daddy's chair & got a hold of his remote control! What a little cutie...just look at his grin.

He's waiting for a text message from one of his buddies! Our little peanut caught a cold. This is the only way he could sleep comfortably because he was pretty congested! Poor baby! :(

Jack, Me, Danny, & Becky (and our wittle cousin, in Becky's tummy).

Cousin Roman, Paloma, and Jack (pic @ the Lavin family party)

My Baby Boy

My baby boy. Oh, how I LOVE uttering those words. I am a mama to the most beautiful baby boy! Jack Adam Miller was born into this world on May 5, 2009 at 6:59 PM. He was 7 lbs 3 oz & 19 in. I never knew the magnitude of a mother's love until I became one. The bond between my baby & I was immediate, it is beautiful, and oh so natural. How quickly I fell in love with my baby. I loved him from the moment I found out I was pregnant, but when he was born that love grew tenfold (at least). The moment I saw him (peering over the curtain, I had a C-Section), I knew my love for him was like no other love I have ever felt, I knew I was in deep! I will forever remember his sweet, scrunchy face, his rosy cheeks, and his sweet, sweet newborn cry. I remember having the nurse bring him to me moments after he was born, so I could smell his sweet baby smell, and touch his soft baby skin, and tell him how much I LOVED him!

These past three months (Jack will be 3 months on Aug 5, 2009), have been nothing less than glorious! I have treasured every moment. Our morning time is nothing short of perfect, and I couldn't imagine it being any more precious than it has! Each morning I walk into his room, look into his crib & see my precious little peanut. Lately, I am greeted by the sweetest smile, when I go to pick him up. Then it's breakfast (bottle time). I sit on the rocker (sometimes w/coffee in hand) while he drinks his bottle. I find myself just staring in awe at him. It sometimes brings me to tears, & I think to myself "WOW! This is my/our baby." And I envision our life together, and dream of what he will make of this wonderful life he has ahead of him! Once he has had his bottle, it's PLAY TIME! Oh, do we have fun! I love how he's interacting with people now. We talk, and laugh & just make the most of the play session that we can! Our play time is followed by a nap. I LOVE rocking him to sleep. I love his heavy breaths, as he falls into a deep slumber as he rests his sweet head on my shoulder! Our afternoons have been just as wonderful. There were days where we had play dates with friends, and other days we would be content to just stay home. When Jason comes home from work, I always make it a point to give them their daddy/son time. It is so precious to see the two of them together. Once we have all had dinner, it's time for our "night night" routine. Aside from our mornings together, I think this is a favorite time for me. Jack gets a bottle, then it's bath time, I put on his pj's and we read books, while sitting in the rocking chair. Alas, that leads into me rocking/singing to my sweet boy as he closes his eyes and falls fast asleep! Did I mention that throughout the day he gets a BILLION xoxoxo from me! Oh, how I love this boy! I have said it before, but I will say it again. I never used to fully understand the expression my mother would use, which was "I love you so much my heart hurts!" She used to say that to me when I was younger, and she still says it to my sisters. But I never grasped just how profoundly true that expression/statement was until I had Jack. WHEW, I do now! I seriously feel like my heart is going to explode from so much love!
I don't know how to end this post exactly, except to say I love my life. I am happier than I ever thought I could be. I have a wonderful husband, and am a mother to my beautiful baby boy. My life is complete.

This was about an hour after Jack was born. I had just come up to the room from recovery ,after my C-Section

Jack loves his swing!

My sweet boy! He was such a peanut here. He was three weeks old!

Here we are in Twin Lakes, WI. Jack is 2 1/2 months here. We are with Becky, Danny, & Baby Lee #2 (it's another boy, due in October)!

****I have been SUPER bad about updating my blog w/pics! I have a TON on FB, if you are on FB you can view them there! Going forward, I promise to get better at updating the blog!

DELIVER ME...

So, Jason & I went to the doctor's yesterday. It was a good appointment, my BP was the best it has been in awhile. The doctor checked me, and we found out that I am 1 cm dilated & 70% effaced. That was exciting! Then he asked me how I was feeling, to which I replied, "Fine." He continued to say that he thought Jason & I should begin talking about dates next week. At first, I was a bit confused...but then realized he was talking about inducing me. He wanted Jason & I to pick a date next week for me to go into the hospital. Well, again Jason & I were a bit surprised. The doctor left the room, while I got dressed. As soon as I was done, we were supposed to let his nurse know what day we decided upon, and see if it was available per hospital policy (i.e. only "x" number of scheduled inductions per day). Well, she had beat us to the punch. We walked out of the exam room & she told us that I am scheduled to go in on Monday at 7 PM. WOW, WOW, WOW! We were informed that I am to call the hospital an hour before I am scheduled to go in, just to make sure there is a bed for me. Jason & I left the doctor's office, a bit dazed. It was a HAPPY state to be in.

Jason had to go back to work after the appointment, so I hung out with my mom for awhile. We made some phone calls to family & friends and shared the exciting news with them. Everyone was so excited! We have some odds & ends things to finish up before Monday, so that we are fully ready for when the baby comes. The next post could very well be a post announcing the birth of Baby Miller, along with plenty of pics! If all goes well, Baby Miller will be here sometime on Tuesday, May 5, 2009! We'll keep you posted!

Surprise Baby Shower & Nursery Pics

On Friday, March 20, 2009, my friends and family threw me a surprise shower. All along, I thought my mom was throwing it for me on Saturday. I was totally surprised. My shower happened to coincide with my aunt and her kids being in Naples for spring break. It was very FUN!

My mom, me, and my Aunt Nancy.
My sisters, (Meg, Margret, & Sarah), along with my cousins, and a family friend.

Auntie Margret, me, and Auntie Meagan (two of my sisters)

My cousins, along with my sisters, and a family friend.

Baby Miller's crib...I love the dark (chocolate) wood with the blue!

This is the hallway which leads into the baby's bedroom.

The room...my Aunt Gwen painted the stars, and the stripes on the walls. Thanks, Gwenie!

My mom helping out with the layout of the room. I found this cute wall art that went with the theme of the nursery. It was quite a coincidence! :o)

Insomnia (No I am NOT Napping), a Lovely Day & Contractions....

Here it is nearly 1:00 AM, and I am WIDE AWAKE, checking e-mails, catching up on friends' blogs, and attempting a new blog post, myself. My husband is sound asleep( I don't blame him...envy him, maybe, but no blame), and the dogs are all curled up right next to me. Anyway, as of late I have not been able to get to sleep at night. Earlier in my pregnancy, I used to be able to take about an hour nap, and I would still be able to get to sleep at a decent bedtime. I don't even nap anymore, and yet I can't sleep! On the nights when I am able to get to sleep at a decent time (i.e. before 11:00 PM), I wake up around 1:30-2:00 AM, toss and turn for 45 minutes or so ...then I fall back asleep. Sometimes I wake again around 4:00 or 4:30 and from that point, I just lye in bed until the sun light peeks through the blinds. This "routine" I have gotten myself into happens more than not. I guess it's par for the course...as insomnia is fairly common amongst pregnant women, especially in the 3rd trimester. I have resolved to not let the lack of "traditional sleep/sleeping pattern" get the best of me. If I can get a couple hours in mid-morning, afternoon, so-be-it. If I can tack on a few more hours in the evening I am fine with that. I have to be.

On another note, Jason & I spent a wonderful day together. He didn't go into work today, as his car had to be brought into the shop, and I had another dr. appt. Our day began by dropping off the car. From there we went out to breakfast. It was so nice to enjoy each other's company. I love spending time with him. He "gets" me...on top of that, some of the qualities that I LOVE about him is ; his conversational ability, his wit, and the fact that he is such a good listenter. He truly is my best friend. OK, back to "our day"...during breakfast, I began to feel some contractions. They were somewhat irregular, and slightly uncomfortable. I figured I would mention them to the doctor when we saw him. When we got to the doctor's office, my BP was higher than it was on Fri, but not as high as it was last Tues. I wasn't sure what he was going to recommend...Jason, my mom (she wanted to meet us there )& I were making "bets" as to what he'd say. To cut to the chase, I won the "bet". He didn't feel the need to do anything (i.e. induction)based on my BP. He did tell me to monitor my contractions closely, but more than likely he'd see me next week. After the appt, Jason & I had some time to kill before his car was ready. So, we drove around for awhile...then stopped at "our beach" for a short time. It was nice. My contractions had sort of subsided (much to the disappointment of my mom, whom I feel secretly wanted me to go into labor today, LOL!) From there Jason & I headed to get the car, and then decided to "splurge" and go out to dinner, too! We had a lovely dinner, despite the horrible server/service. We didn't let that get to us...we realized that we aren't going to get many of these days together for awhile once our 'lil peanut comes. A quiet evening at home after dinner, was spent together just the two of us...aahhhh! It was a perfect day.

Meanwhile, my contractions have started back up a bit, and they seem to be a bit more regular but not regular enough to pack the bags & head to the hopsital. We'll see...if they continue through the night, I might make a call to the doctor in the morning I will update my blog if that happens! Good night!

A Good Doctor's Appointment

Well, I went to the doctor today for a follow up appointment. I had been to see him on Tues, for my regular weekly appt. At that time, my blood pressure had sky rocketed. My doctor was extremely concerned. I have been on bed rest for the past 3.5 weeks for this reason. I was shocked to hear that my BP had gone up. And I was WORRIED....worried for my health and the health of Baby Miller. Basically, he explained that we were looking at three possible scenarios:

1) If my BP drops, then we carry on.. and do nothing
2) If my BP goes up, then he was going to induce me on Friday.
3) If my BP stayed the same, more than likely he would indce me on Sunday

Obviously, Jason & I, and the doc were HOPING for scenario #1...being the best possible scenario. So, after I left his office on Tues, I was SHOCKED, and scared. I think Jason was feeling the same way. Sure, I am 36 weeks...and plenty of women give birth to healthy babies @ 36 weeks, I wanted more time, and felt like Baby M needed more time to grow healthy & strong in his mommy's belly. After all, our lil peanut weighed (as of Tues) 5 lbs 10 oz.

Following my appt, I decided to put myself on STRICT bed rest. I did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for the next three days that followed. This was my routine; Wake up, Jason brought me breakfast, I watched hours upon hours of tv, got up only to go to the bathroom (I did a lot of that as I was drinking GALLONS of water), & make myself lunch. On Thursday, I think I set a personal record of watching tv for 12 hours straight! Oh dear...that is somewhat embarrassing to admit!
So today, (Friday), I went back to the doctor. I got up this morning, and packed "The Bags". I packed the diaper bag, and my bag for the hospital. Along with those items, I put the infant car seat, camera, and boppy pillow in the car. I had no idea what was going to unfold but I wanted to be prepared. Jason & my mom both met me @ the doc's office. While, we all tried to appear cool, calm, and collected I could feel the uncertainty & nerves of everyone. I did my best to engage in conversation, all the while my thoughts were on my BP. Finally, we got called into the office. The nurse had me pee in the cup, weighed me, and then she took my BP. That was nerve wracking to say the least....but I was happy to hear the nurse report what my BP was & that it had gone down significantly! A huge SMILE appeared on all of our faces. We met with the doc & he was very pleased with my BP. He said for me to keep doing whatever it was that I was doing....which of course was NOTHING! I was glad to hear him say let's keep going and see if we can go for another week or two! YAY! Music to everyone's ears!! :o) So, I go back to the doc on Tues. We'll see what he has to say then! In the meantime, I will be spending the weekend on BED REST! :o)