Half way there!

We are at week 20 with pregnancy number 2, half way there!  Today was the much anticipated ultrasound appointment, our first real glimpse of Baby.  As controversial as it may be, and as we did with Riley, we did not find out the sex of the baby.  Surprises are fun and its a little extra motivation to get me through labor...when Im shouting explicits and saying, "I cant do this!"  And besides that, the look on Daddy's face will be priceless when the doctor announces what it is...making me so grateful that we didnt already know. 

The technician was very sure of the due date, May 29, as it has always been. So we'll wait another 20 or so more weeks before we get to meet little miss or mister. Unless of course this baby too decides to take after its mother and be late. But everything else with the appointment checked out with flying colors, for both me and the baby. And we have lots of wonderful pictures to remember by.

We saw both feet right away, both with five toes each.

 I love my baby but this picture is just a wee bit creepy.

I cannot stress enough how much this profile picture looks just like the one we have
of Riley at this stage.  From the nose down to the chin, its spot on!

This was one of those rare opportunities where we were able to capture on film,

the baby sucking its thumb. 

It really was quite awesome.  The video we have didnt turn out so well but it was as clear as day that it had its thumb in its mouth.  It put it in and took it out, you could see its lips move and everything.  Its astounding to know that its developing into a real baby, one that will be here in just a few short months.

Riley's First Haircut

Poor Riley had been in need of a haircut for quite some time.  But poor mommy couldn't quite bring herself to have it cut.  Although, it is hat season and the realization of never knowing what's going to turn out when you pull a hat off of Riley's head was more than I could stand.  So off to the salon we went.  The slide show below depicts the event but in a few short words, it all went pretty well.  And I've now discovered a new spot on Riley that I like to smother with kisses...the back of his little baby neck! 

Big Brother

Thanksgiving 2010 was a very special day for us as we announced to our families that Riley will soon be a big brother!  With the help of a very homemade t-shirt, Riley helped to deliver the news to grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles.  And with the help of technology, we're now spreading the joy to everyone else. 

So many people have already wished us well and we are truly grateful and appreciative of your support!  We look forward to posting updates on the baby's progress between now and May 29th.

Summer Rewind

Has it really been three months since my last post?!  Friends, I'm sorry!  What a fantastic summer the three of us had this year.  We continue to be amazed each and every day by the wonders of parenthood and this true blessing that is growing up right before our very eyes.  "They grow up so quickly" is such a cliche but truer words have never been spoken.  Recognizing that fact, we try to take in as much of this precious time as possible.  All too often though we fall into our day to day routine, hence my neglected blog. 

With Riley's first birthday just a little over a month away, I truly see how fast this time has gone.  A dear friend of mine, who has children in their pre-teens, recently dug out boxes of home videos.  Day after day they've poured over these irreplaceable, priceless gems that are memories in motion.  I cannot stop Father Time, nor can I slow him down, as much as I would like to.  But what I can do is capture as many of these moments on film as I possibly can...and share them with you!  Without further ado, ladies and gents...a summer rewind picture show!

July:

August:

Photo Shoot

As this hot and humid afternoon was coming to a close, Riley and I stepped outside during the last few moments before bath and bedtime.  My only intent was to get a little fresh air, to let Riley see the leaves twirling in the wind.  As I set him down on the lawn to let the grass crawl between his toes, I realized that I had the perfect opportunity for an impromptu photo shoot.  I ran inside, grabbed my camera, then proceeded to snap shot after shot after shot.  Never mind that tonight's dinner was dribbled down his shirt or that his hair was sticky from carrots and sweat.  For five minutes it was just me and him and all the wonder of an eight month old.  If only a camera could capture the feelings of a mother's heart!

Florida Vacation Picture Show

So its been two months since our first family vacation and Ive only posted half of the pictures.  I actually have a few spare minutes to myself so I thought I would post a quick slide show of all of the pictures, minus the commentary.  I have more up-to-date pictures that I would like to share but felt the need to finish what I started before doing so.  So here they are, enjoy!

Family Vacation Pics

Its been about three weeks since our first family vacation and I finally found an opportunity to post about it.  What can I say, life gets busy sometimes! 
Call us crazy but we decided to drive all the way from Lafayette IN to Lake Mary FL...in the tiny little Vibe.  We're young, new parents who felt that it would be worth it to save $100 in gas.  We'll chalk this one up to lesson learned and vow to fly next time!  But we left around 8:00 pm on Thursday and drove straight through.  Much like the development of the nursery, when I say "we" I really mean Max.  Little Riley was such a trooper, sleeping all night long in his car seat.  And when he did wake up, he was his usual chipper self like he is every morning.

Even though Max drove through the night, we still had several hours to go before we arrived to our destination.  I'm not sure if it was the lack of sleep, the coffee-energy drinks-Mountain Dew concoctions, or what but Max kept himself entertained, while I was driving, at Riley's expense. 

Please note that RR is wearing a different outfit than in the previous picture.  Let me tell you, changing diapers and outfits at a gas station in the middle of Georgia is NOT ideal.  Neither is using their restrooms.  *shudder*

Just after lunch sometime we finally made it to our destination.  Wshew!  What a long trip! 

The weather was perfect and the hotel had a nice pool so we planned to take Riley swimming for the first time.  I ran out to the local K-mart (not a Walmart in sight!!) to get some Lil' Swimmers and returned to this:

And this:

But it wasn't long and we were all "rested" and ready for the pool.

Oh wait, I guess RR needed to relax just a little while longer.

These pictures just crack us up!  I wonder what Riley is thinking... 
"This is the life!"
"If only I had a bottle..."
"How YOU doin'?!"
"Where are all the hot babies?!"

Maybe it was just gas.

So into the water went Daddy and Riley, one slow step at a time.

Thankfully, the pool was so warm, like a giant blue bath!

It didn't take long and RR was loving it!

He looks less than thrilled here but trust me, he was having a really good time!

So that was the first day of our first family vacation.  Come back soon to see what we did on day number two.  Here's a hint!

Family Vacation

The three of us returned home late Monday night from our first "family vacation".  Check back soon for a complete pictorial of the trip!

A Week of Firsts

What an exciting week! To start out, Riley was still fighting his way through the terrible cold he’s had for the past two weeks. Thankfully, the goopy eye situation cleared up rather quickly. That was a great thing because he was catching on to every antic I could come up with in order to get adequate drops in his eyes. But no amount of humidity in his room, elevation of his bed, or vapor rub on his chest would calm his worsening cough and snotty nose.

What started out as a dry, seemingly normal cough turned into something very phlegmy and persistent. He had coughing fits throughout the night that would wake up everyone in the house. Poor little guy. A week went by since we originally saw the doctor and he wasn’t all better yet. So he had to go back. Except this time, Max took him without me. So imagine my heartbreaking surprise when I received a call and heard that Riley had an ear infection. Riley’s first ear infection and I wasn’t there to comfort him while the doctor poked and prodded his little ears. His first ear infection. An ear infection that led to his first prescription of pink, bubble-gum flavored, amoxicillin. Ick.

Speaking of icks and firsts, Riley also tried his first spoonful of cereal this week. He’s four months old now and curiosity got the best of us so we decided to give it a whirl. It went about as well as to be expected. I cant say I blame him as the stuff looks and smells disgusting. So we’re looking forward to more enjoyable things like…smooshed peas and squished squash.

As exciting as amoxicillin and cereal is, it was no match for what we were to discover on Thursday evening. After work, we were all settled on the couches, probably watching Sponge Bob or The Simpsons, cause that’s how we do here at the Miller house, and Riley was nursing. As he often does when he’s finished, he lie there smiling at me with his big gummy grin. We can sit there together forever, smiling at each other, playing, giggling, me chewing his little fingers. But this time…this time I caught a glimpse of something. “Is that what I think it is?!” I quickly got up, handed the baby to Max, and went and washed my hands.

As Max looked at me like I was bonkers, I pulled Riley’s lip down to take a peek inside. Instinctively, down goes the lip and out comes the tongue. Little booger. So I ran my finger along his bottom gum to see if I could feel what I thought I saw. Oh my gosh…it’s a tooth!! He has a tooth! At four months old, Riley Roger has a tooth! I was ecstatic. Dumbfounded. And proud! My son cut his first tooth! This explains the excessive drooling for the past month or so. The chewing of the fingers. A couple of strange poopies. Who would have thought we’d experience our first tooth so early in the game? It’s a good thing we started him on cereal this week because as his sitter said, ‘he’ll be eatin’ ham by Easter!”

Poor Riley

I have just determined that being the mommy of a sick little boy feels far worse than being sick myself. Riley is sick. Sick with a cold that seems to be kicking his tail.

A few days ago I noticed that he was getting stuffy and snotty. Yesterday morning, as I was loading him up in his car seat to go to the sitter, I noticed a substantial amount of “goop” on his left eye. I wasn’t sure if it came from his eye or his nose so I quickly wiped it off and sent him on his way. After checking in with the sitter throughout the day, I learned that the goopy eye was getting worse, as was his cough, and he should probably be seen by a doctor. Great. So I made his appointment for today, took the day off work, and tried to cope the best I could in the meantime.

I’d like to go on record to say that last night was our worst night ever. I will take two-hour feedings over last night any day. I had his humidifier on high. I propped up his bed so that he was elevated. I tried laying him on his back. I tried laying him on his belly. The poor kid couldn’t sleep. All he would do is softly cry. And break my heart in the process. But my baby wanted his mommy, that much I know. He would only sleep soundly when I was holding him. That in and of itself made me feel as if I was doing at least something right. Except…how was I supposed to sleep? For hours, I was up and down, in and out of bed to sooth him. I was finally at my whit’s end and resorted to lugging his car seat up to his bedroom and laid him to sleep in that. I then, slept on the floor beside him so that I could reposition his fallen pacifier, or gently rock him when he stirred. It was a long night. A long and difficult night indeed.

But, today is a new day and I think he is showing signs of feeling a little bit better. We visited the doctor, who confirmed that he had nothing wrong with his chest or ears but prescribed some drops for his eyes. Id like to add another notch to my mommy belt by saying that I successfully added two drops in each of his eyes! Either he’s a great kid or Im gettin’ the hang of this mommy business. Or maybe its both. That being said, he’s still more comfortable in his car seat, so that’s what we’re going with. Here’s to hoping spring gets here sooner rather than later so we can all feel better!

Go Colts!

This is Riley after the Colts won the Championship game a couple of weeks ago. We're hoping for the big win later today!

Growing on Three Months

We've passed the three month mark and have we ever made progress! Riley has been sleeping through the night for a while now, although he does have set backs every now and again. I really enjoy my sleep so Im glad we're past the point of getting up every two or three hours. But I must say, I sort of miss it too. Those feedings in the wee hours of the morning are always so peaceful. So snugly. So memorable. When he's 30, I hope I can still remember how he felt, all tiny in my arms. The feel of his long skinny fingers. His chubby cheeks. His downy hair. As I write this he lies asleep in his crib, where he's been for the last couple of hours, and I miss him already.

Our little baby is growing so fast. He's been a strong little guy from the day he was born so it shouldn't have been such a surprise when I walked in on him the other day doing this:



I suppose this is his first step in learning to roll over.

Each day we encourage his development. His movements. His sounds. And each day we're excited with his progress yet I find myself wanting to slow him down so that he doesnt get too big too fast. But I dont think that's possible. Life as we knew it truly is over. We're now one of "those" parents. The ones that say, "enjoy them while they're young, they grow up way too fast!" Boy, if that isn't the truth!

Picture Day

Dinner is over, the washing machine is going, and the baby is asleep. I thought now would be a good time to post a few pictures of Riley. I plugged in the camera, started the download, and realized that I have a LOT of pictures of him…none of which I’ve shared with you! So here are just a few favorites out of a plethora of photos we’ve taken in the last month or so.

Dear Santa...

I've been a very good boy!

Back to Work

After a six week maternity leave, Im due back to work in just two short hours. How does a new mom leave such a sweet little face?

Bad Dog

Being home with Riley over the past six weeks has been wonderful…all 42 days of sleepless nights. The pets have enjoyed me being home too, especially the Dee Oh Gee…dog. Yesterday I needed to run a quick errand so Riley and I packed up and headed out the door. Usually, whenever we leave the house the dog goes outside as you never know what kind of mess you’ll come home to. But the dog was sleeping quietly upstairs and I was only going to be gone for a minute. But like one of Pavlov’s dogs, the sound of my keys had her awake and looking over the catwalk to see where we were going. Shoot! Oh well, I’ll only be gone a minute, Im sure she’ll be fine. Famous last words.

After being gone for about 30 minutes, Riley and I were back home again. Typically, the dog goes spastic to greet us and inevitably wakes up anyone who is sleeping…like the baby. But she didn’t…which only means one thing…she’s been a bad girl. I look to my left and sure enough, she got in the trash. But nothing major, she just pulled out a paper towel, a cat food can, and some wrapping paper. I can live with that. Odd, I thought to myself, that she still hasn’t come down to sheepishly greet us (knowing that she’s been bad). So I headed upstairs…and saw this: That’s right. Shredded poopie diapers. All over the carpet. I had recently emptied the Diaper Genie and left the bag in the hallway to be taken outside once I had a free moment. I had completely forgotten about it when I left…but apparently Mandy hadn’t. Its my own fault as I know she gets upset when I leave and likes to destroy things (like eating my underwear). So don’t feel sorry for me, especially since this is the second time its happened!

A Quick Hello

Just a quick hello and recent picture of Riley, who is now six weeks old.