Hanging out in the diaper

I know it's only a day later but Miles was hanging out in his diaper on the couch with Andrew and we grabbed the camera, with the following results!  So cute!  We are also including pictures of Miles after his nap.  We walked in to get him and he had somehow managed to scooch off and out from under his blankets and turn...  It was quite a surprise! Enjoy!

"Take my picture, mommy!"

Can you tell we like taking pictures of our little Miles?!  These are some I have taken randomly when he is looking all cute on blankets or whatnot - with an occasional teddy bear or hubby thrown in :)  I can't believe how fast he is growing!  I am really curious to know what his weight is now, cause he's huge!  These pictures have been taken in the past weeks so he is still little in some of them.  I will post a video soon... we are trying to catch one of him smiling (and maybe a laugh - he laughed a couple times yesterday!!)

He has hit the stage of unpredictability!  Some days he wants to sleep all day - and all night, yay! - but some days he wants to be awake for hours and hours...and hours and hours.  He decided he doesn't like pacifier, so we are working on getting him down for naps (since he used to conk out as soon as pacifier was in his mouth).  Basically he is driving me crazy as someone who likes predictability and schedules and consistency!  Mornings are best for me, with the whole day ahead.  Evenings and night-time are the hardest, simply because I am tired and over-thinking things.  He is getting better at sleeping at night, going down at 8 or 9 and sleeping til 7 or 8 (I get up with him twice usually) - but sometimes we are up all night it seems and he wants to be up for the day at 5...  Those are the days we just roll with it - ha ha...ask Andrew how well I "roll with it" :)  Anywho, he's adorable so it's all worth it!  Also (I know, you're thinking "enough already, on to the pictures!") I found a great article on parenting.com that was exactly what I needed to hear one day and I go back to it when I need a reminder.  I love stumbling on an article or a question-and-answer feed that gives me a little pick-me-up and motivates me to keep smiling (at least in public and occasionally around Andrew - ha ha!) This happens a lot with the scriptures, Ensign articles, and other Church publications as well.  And of course, one of the greatest blessings is prayer and being able to seek guidance and strength from my Heavenly Father.  He truly is the greatest source of light and peace, and I thank Him daily for my family!

Baby Miles!

So, this post is long overdue, but I am finally getting around to posting about our little baby Miles! He was the whole point of starting this blog and I've been keeping him all to myself for the last 6 1/2 weeks! But they have been really amazing weeks... tiring and long weeks, but also so sweet and beautiful! The first couple weeks were lazy and then we had a Utah trip and got back into the swing of life. He is a wonderful baby boy and I could never have dreamed he would have so much personality this early!

He loves to lick things (shirts, arms, blankets, fingers, etc...) and is always sticking his tongue out.  One of my favorite things is sticking carrots or apples or french fries in his mouth for him to lick...He has great reactions!
He loves snuggling up with blanket and pacifier for nap times, though he always spits pacifier out when he is getting serious about going to sleep
He loves that he can make noises now with his mouth and talks ALOT
He loves his swing anytime, but hates his carseat (one of the only times he will scream himself red in the face)
He loves yanking on me while nursing and making me really sore!  Otherwise he is a great nurser
He loves making cute and funny faces at me when I am up with him in the middle of the night - he is begging to play but I just tell him "heck no!"  Good thing they go from awake to sleepy so quickly!
He loves giving you his concerned face when you are doing everything you can to get him to smile
He loves putting his hand in front of his face when you get the camera
He loves loves loves bathtime, though it was an acquired love
He loves growing!  He is already huge and seems to always be in a growth spurt, eating every 1 1/2 - 2 hours and sleeping either a ton or not enough
He loves kicking his legs!  He will push himself across the bed and over Boppy if he wants to, and will climb up you like a rock climber while you hold him.  His legs are extremely strong
He loves music!  He likes listening to classical music during playtime, Jack Johnson on Saturday mornings while we make breakfast, PianoGuys when he is cranky, and Andrew or I singing Primary songs when he is sleepy.  Andrew especially sings to him a lot - it is really cute!
He loves his grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and cousin ALOT
He loves staring at clocks and fans
He loves watching everything
And I love that he is my baby and I get to keep him forever!

Here are a lot of pictures! Most of you don't need to see this many, but some of you have requested lots, so here they are! For some reason some of them are sideways and I spent forever trying to fix it...oh well!  And the formatting is kinda weird... 

It's a Boy!

The next day...

I sleep all day long! (Four days old)

Just brand new!

Tummy time!

Six days old

Warming up to bathtime - no screaming!

But still a little traumatizing...

Sitting up in the bobby, watching

Blessing day - wearing tuxedo Aunt Donna made,
sitting on blanket Grandpa Bird knitted

Blessing day

Blessing day

What?! There's more?!

Five generations!

Five generations with spouses

Visiting Grandma Shirley and Grandpa David

40 Weeks and counting?

Well, hopefully it isn't 40 weeks and counting, but for now little babycakes is sitting comfy!  Next time I get pregnant, I'm going to put an expiration date sticker on my stomach.  "Expires 02/14/2013"

Happy Valentine's Day though!  Andrew and I have really chill plans tonight, nothing too strenuous (or maybe we SHOULD go salsa dancing or something!?)  Well, anyways, we will probably do something fairly relaxing.  My mom and I went and saw "Warm Bodies" today!  Ha ha, go see it if you haven't!  But only when you are tired or loopy or with a big group of ridiculous friends...  I loved it because it was so cheesy and didn't take itself too seriously.  The kid's internal dialogue was great and the blatant "Romeo and Juliet" references were too perfect!  Some gross people-chomping in the beginning, but if you can breeze through that then you're golden.

Been doing lots of Vday crafts, keeping myself busy...  Thanks for all the love and support throughout the last months!  Hopefully my next post will involve a little munchkin :)

39.5 Weeks and counting!

Wow, I can't believe I am just a few days shy of my due date!  It felt like this day would never come and here it is!  It is crazy that we are on the threshold of the next stage of our lives!  It is a really good thing Andrew is here to share it with me because I don't think I could do it by myself.

My next Drs appointment is tomorrow and I'm hoping for some indication that I'm getting close!  My last two appointments found me just barely dilating - which was good but now I'm ready for some real action!  Andrew is hoping I will have the baby tomorrow (for purely historical reasons, if you're cool you will know why) but I'm kinda thinking I will be late.  Which would be good cause then we can have our Valentine's Day fondue date that we've been planning :)  Yum!

Andrew asked if we were going to go take some couples maternity pictures to commemorate our first baby and my humongousness.  Spell check says that isn't a word but I am the expert at humongousness at this point - it is definitely in my dictionary!  So, we went out and took some pictures at the Mesa Temple since the grass was nice and green right now.  I included some collages I made of the pictures rather than a bunch of singles.  My mom was our photographer and I fixed the pictures up a bit.  Andrew was amazing and didn't complain once about how long it took or how cold it was.  Since Utahans will be reading this I won't say how cold it actually was, but we definitely were missing our jackets!  It was fun to spend some time together and I'm glad to be posting pictures more creative than the typical side shot we've done until now :)

Andrew got his teaching license renewed and is officially official!  We were worried we would run into hiccups with that, but it went through without a hitch, thank goodness.  Planning continues to get easier, except the poor guy is trying to plan without knowing when he will need to get a substitute.  Ha ha, gotta keep him on his toes, right?  He will take a few days off to spend time with me and the baby when he comes.

Otherwise, not much is going on here!  Just relaxing and enjoying the last days of pregnancy - working on a quilt, reading, organizing, cleaning, etc.  But enjoy the pictures and I will post again probably in a couple days on my official due date! :)

37 Weeks and counting!

So, I am officially 37 weeks!  Since I have been going in to the OB every week now, I have been twice since I last posted.  I was nervous about the transfer but I really like my new doctor and the office!  They are great and he is very personable!  Definitely a good choice for me :)

My first appointment was on January 15th and it went well!  I was 60% effaced and 1 cm dilated and little babycakes was at -2.  Fair spot to be in with a month left!  He ordered an ultrasound for the next week since I was a new patient - fun! 

My second appointment was on January 21st.  My test results came back positive for group B so I will get an antibiotic while I'm in labor.  I'm kinda glad because I would rather get the antibiotic and be safe rather than test false negative and have him get sick or something...  So I am great with those results!

We also did the ultrasound and that was really fun!!  He was so big that all you could see was a hand or a leg at a time, but she was able to take a look and get some pictures.  She confirmed he is a boy, and did some measuring.  She said I was looking to be about four days ahead of schedule, but as due dates are such rough estimates they said the four days didn't really matter, so my due date is unchanged at Feb 14th!  She also estimated his weight and he seems to be about 6.5 lbs currently.  55th percentile - he should be fairly average weight.

So, that is the low-down on the last two appointments and I go in again on the 28th of January.  It is getting more and more exciting as we get closer!  I just can't wait to see Andrew as a dad!  I love seeing his face light up when he feels the baby kicking and during the ultrasound.  He will be amazing!  I think he is feeling a little stressed with the new job and insurance issues and lesson planning and finding a sub and wanting to be there for me 24/7, but we still have a couple weeks so hopefully he is feeling better by then :)

Speaking of prepping and feeling ready, we went to our first prenatal class at the hospital tonight.  It was week 1 of 2 and we were there from 5:30-9:30pm.  I think I will really like this hospital!  We did a tour at the end to get a feel for the facility also.  It has a really amazing NICU and the labor and delivery suites are definitely sweet!!  Ha ha!  And it was great that Andrew was able to be there with me.  It was a fun date night!  I don't even think he minded having to watch a lady pop her baby out on screen - heh heh...

I have been feeling great still though things are getting a little more intense!  Some days I feel like I am in labor, with back pain and cramps and contractions...  Some days I don't even feel pregnant!  And I finally got my pregnancy merit badge as my stretch marks showed up a couple days ago.  And boy did they show up!  Our little baby seems to be doing well too, except I don't think he likes it in there anymore!  He kicks and punches and pushes me without mercy and I think it is amazing my hips and ribs have survived!  But it just makes me love him all the more :)  We have officially unpacked and I have been catching up with friends and prepping for baby.  Andrew, as mentioned, is crazy busy!  Some of his online classes to renew his license have ended, however, so we anticipate less late nights and more of that "idyllic teaching schedule" we hear so much about.  He is a trooper and my number one hero!  He is just such an amazing man!

Anywho, I will post again soon!  Here are some pics of the tummy, the ultrasound (if you aren't an expert at reading these things, little munchkin is looking straight at you with his hand tucked under his chin...hopefully you can make out his eyes and white nose and little fingers), the nursery, and some pics of the house so you can get a feel for where we are living.  Hope this wasn't too long and boring!  More soon!

Mountain of boxes...not even half of them though...

 Nursery pics!  I think I am done tweaking it so this is the final product!

 Some pictures of the house... Kitchen, family room, front room, entryway with hallway down to bedrooms and little office area off the entryway

 Yep, I'm pretty massive now!

 And the ultrasound!  Again, he is laying on his side looking at the camera with his fist under his chin

34 Weeks and counting!

So, this post is a little late... We had our last appointment on the 28th of December but I am getting to this post a week late because of life-craziness that has included not having the internet for a couple days!  For those who haven't heard, we moved to Arizona!!  A short time before Christmas, Andrew had a video chat interview with a school down in Paradise Valley and heard back from them later that day that he got the job!  It took a couple days to be confirmed by the superintendent and HR (we found out last summer that principals don't hire, they submit your name so it is good to not get too excited until you hear from HR).  During this couple of days of anxiously waiting, we did a lot of thinking about where we want to be and what will get us there.  Also, we have been praying for a job opportunity to come along in Andrew's field since he graduated last December (a whole year!!).  When it came down to it, we decided that we needed to jump at this opportunity and not even think about complaining about timing!  It is a great job for Andrew!

So, we had two weeks to enjoy Christmas, pack up the house, solidify a place to live, switch doctors, and move!  We planned on moving Jan 2nd and Andrew's new job starts on Jan 7th.  We had a really really wonderful Christmas and New Years close to Andrew's family, soaking up the love and amazing spirit you can feel around them.  We also spoke in church, and packed!

I had my last Dr's appointment at Valley OBGYN on Dec 28th and it was super quick!  I went in planning on doing the group B test, but they decided that since I was moving and it would have been a little ahead of schedule anyways to have me wait.  I was fine with that!  I was happy to have complete records to transfer down to my new doctor instead of waiting for test results to come back in.  I filled out forms to fax to my new OBGYN (Dr Tamanaha - recommendation courtesy of Lana and Kelsey, whom I am already impressed with because his office was great to work with in switching!) and got a print out of my records for myself.  Those were fun to look through, except the nurse's notes from all my blood draws which say I turned "hostile" and that it took "nurse x2 to restrain patient."  Ok, someone is exaggerating!  I admit it was not one of my proudest moments but I don't remember being hostile and requiring a troop of nurses!  I will deny everything...  Anywho, my next appointment is in a week and a half on Jan 15th.  That was the closest to two weeks they could get it.

And then the big move!  Andrew's family came and helped us move, which was really such a blessing!  After two hours of playing tetras in the moving van, we got everything to fit!  Yay!  There was over a foot of snow outside and none of the boys could feel their noses by the end, but we were done!  Yay!  The girls cleaned and I sat back and watched like a helpless person!  Yay!  I had been having painful braxton-hicks contractions off and on the handful of days before, so I was being serious about taking it easy.   We spent the night at Andrew's parent's home and left the next day.  The trip was incredibly cold!!  I have never seen my car thermometer hit -20* before!  The trip took a little time with the moving truck, so we clocked in around 13 hours later (added 3ish hours) at 8:30 pm.  We unloaded that night and slept soo good!  We were both beat!  Since then, the unpacking wars have commenced and we are settling in!  Pictures of the house will be in the next post, but here is a 33 week picture (was that just last week!?).  Andrew and I are thinking of going to take pictures together before little Whiffenpoof is born...  (yes, our child has the weirdest nicknames...I typed that without even thinking about it, but then thought I aught to explain that it will not be on his birth certificate...).  I also included pics of my cute Andrew in our old house (I will secretly miss the small space and cinderblock walls and all the memories we have there) and the group picture at the Robinson family temple lights trip (see if you can id people with all the hats and scarves!)

So, to sum up, God is giving us all blessings at once and we are settling into our crazy new life!  It was hard and sad to leave Utah, but we are really happy and really feel good about where we are right now.  We feel like Heavenly Father gave us this opportunity for a reason and that is good enough for us! :)