3 months already!

Mr. Man is 3 months old (and almost 14 weeks if you're still counting those....)! I know I'll continue to say it, but it's true. Time goes sooooo fast!! He's doing so great. Babbling (sp?) like a mad man, laughing all the the time and drooling insanely. It is so cool being a mom.

Above is his "official" three month pic, along with some other faves from the last couple of weeks. Enjoy!!

Perspective.

It's past midnight and I'm nowhere close to tired. My husband has given in to the exhaustion of another busy day (yes, even on Sunday) and is passed out on the couch for now; my precious son has been asleep for hours. There are bottles to make and clean laundry to put away and tomorrow I'll be tired, but all I can think is how lucky I am to be living such a beautiful life with these two amazing people.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love this kid so much!!

Lots to say....

Here's Riley doing two of his favorite things. Baby talk and watching TV. I know. It's bad. I just think it's so funny how he concentrates on it. Don't worry--I only let him watch for a couple of minutes.

Flip That House!

We interrupt this usually baby-focused blog (hey, it is the Miller Spot) because Riley's super cool parents (read: Kevin and Andrea) have finished production on their very first investment property. To see all the before, during, and after shots, click the link below:
http://tinyurl.com/3xf3qs

Now all we have to do is get this sucker sold...and then on to the next!

Rollin' with Riley

That's right...two videos in a row. We were playing on the blanket today when Riley busted out some mad rolling skills. We had to go grab the camera and make him do it again!

Sweet Bumbo Action

Here's a quick video of Riley hanging out in his Bumbo seat. He has important things to say...

2 months...CHECK!

Running waaaay behind on posts lately. Kevin and I have been frantically working to finish up our flip house and get the sucker on the market. I'm happy to report that will be happening in 2 short days. Woo hoo! In the meantime, we are still super busy working over there, but I had to pause and upload a couple of pics of Riley dude since he has made it past his 2 month birthday!

Official report: 13 pounds (75 % for weight), 22 inches (50% for length). I can't remember his exact head measurement off-hand, but I can tell you that he's in the 90% for it. Yes, our son has a big noggin'. The doctor said he is doing perfect and that he will be a big boy that will eat solids as soon as he is able to. YAY!

Have to brag that Riley is doing great at night. He eats his last meal at 9 p.m. and doesn't eat again until 4 or 5! Not only that, but we usually don't hear from him til 3 or 4. That's 6 hours if you're keeping track. Parenthood is awesome! It is so fun to raise this little man and watch him grow. :-)

I'll post a video in the next couple of days--stay tuned. In the meantime, here's Riley in his baby legs!

Tummy Time!!

We practiced tummy time today and got this priceless face:

Then, a few minutes later we got this priceless face:

And then, tummy time was over.

Don't wake the baby!

So...the other night it was clearly Riley's bedtime, but Kevin was sneaking in some cuddle time before we put him down. I leave the room to clean the kitchen and come back to this:


A few minutes later he started to move around and I thought he would wake up. Instead, he readjusted to this adorable and completely on-his-own pose:


He slept there until we finally woke him at 2:15 a.m. I can't help wondering if he would have stayed there all night if we hadn't intervened. I love a sleeping baby!

Riley smiles!

Here is a quick video of Riley and mom practicing smiles!

Riley is funny!

Here a few of my favorite pics as of late... Riley is so much fun. He's starting to smile and is slowly becoming more independent. He has grown a TON in 5 1/2 weeks and now has the cheeks and belly to prove it. Enjoy the pics and happy new year!

One month already!

I can't believe our baby boy has been with us for a month! In lots of ways, it has been a super challenging month, but also one of the most rewarding and emotional experiences that Kevin and I have had. I now realize that all those stories about newborns are very true...sleep is a distant and fond memory.

Riley has changed so much in his short month of life. Here's a quick video clip of us on the couch. I would swear that he is smiling when I start to talk to him!



Riley's Birth Story:
In honor of his one-month milestone, I thought I'd type out my birth story. This is more for my memory than to bore anyone else, so don't feel like you have to read it! Nonetheless, here it is:

Labor started early in the morning on Wednesday, November 21st. I woke up feeling not-quite-right about 7 a.m. or so and by 9 a.m. I was having contractions that felt distinctly different from the Braxton Hicks that had consumed my life for the past month. They didn't hurt exactly, just felt more powerful and kind of real! I actually thought, "wow, this is really it." I sent Kevin to work and told him I would let him know how things went and would call him if it got close. I knew from all of my reading that this could take a LONG time to become urgent. At about 14 minutes apart, it was a long way from the 4 minutes apart I would need to go the hospital. I spent a lot of time cleaning house, decorated the outside of the house for Christmas and put away clean laundry. I looked for any and everything I needed to do before Riley's arrival.

Around 1 p.m. things slowed way down. It had been nearly an hour since my last contraction and I was so bummed. I just knew this could not be fake. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed my Red Raspberry Leaf Tea. I brewed up a cup with very little water and took it like a shot. I don't know if it was the tea or pure willpower, but things started right up again and before I knew it, contractions were 10 minutes apart. So went the day... around 4 or so, I called Kevin and let him know that he shouldn't stay at work late and what he should actually do is come home and try to sleep. I knew this would go late into the night and wanted at least one of us to be well-rested. He came home, did a few last minute preparations and after awhile, I decided that I wanted my last pre-delivery meal to be a banana split.

We headed to Blockbuster and picked up a few DVDs (for the hospital) and then went to Braum's for my last supper. At this point, it's about 10 p.m. and things are getting much more intense. The contractions are about 7 min apart and taking my breath away. We come home, Kevin sleeps and I labor around the house. Around 12:30, I can hardly take the intensity, but the timing is just not where it needs to be. I put the bags by the front door and wait some more...

At 1 a.m. I'm doubling over in pain, but still 4-6 minutes apart. I call the hospital and they agree that I can come in to be checked. I wake up Kevin, we get our stuff loaded and off to the hospital we go. Once we arrive, I'm checked in and my contractions are monitered and, of course, they slow waaay down. I was so frustrated and determined that I would not leave that hospital! I asked them to check me, and so they do (mostly to humor me, i think). They find out I'm almost 4 cm dialted and 90% effaced. The head nurse says, "you get to stay!" I've never been happier. She asks if I want an epidural and since I'm near tears on some of the contractions, I quickly say yes and they make the 2:30 am call to the anesthesiologist. About an hour later, my life is a million times better as my pain is replaced by tingles.

From here, things seemed so fast. They checked me every once in a while and within a couple hours I had made it to 6 cm and was fully effaced. At this point, they decided to speed it along and broke my water and gave me a pitocin drip. I was feeling great, although i couldn't quit shivering and was way nervous. Kevin and my mom kept me super calm and I appreciated the quiet environment that the middle of the night and holiday provided.

It wasn't too long before I was at 8 cm and the sun was coming up. Then 9, the 10cm. It flew by. They let me know I was an 10 and ready to push and they were informing the doctor again. I immediately starting crying a little as I anticipated the pushing. I was so scared of this part. They turned my calm room into a full-blown hospital room as a team of delivery nurses came in, the nursery nurse arrived and set up the scale and other baby things. Lights came up, stirrups came out and the stage was definitely set. I started pushing and although I could feel it, it wasn't excruciating. It was so calm in there and no one was yelling like on TV. I was so relieved. I remember watching the TV between pushes--it was the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. After only a few pushes, the nurse was ready for the doctor to take over and only a couple of pushes after that, I knew the big part was over. Baby cries soon followed and after about 15 minutes of pushing, our son was here.

It was an experience I'll obviously never forget and was so much better than I imagined it would be. I thought it would be horrible and it really wasn't even close. I would do it again in a second. I loved sharing the experience with my husband and mom and Kevin was such a calming force on me--as usual. Needless to say, it was the best Thanksgiving of our lives!

He's Here!!!

Riley Donald Miller made his arrival on Thanksgiving Day, November 22nd at 9:37 a.m. He weighed in at 7lbs, 5 oz, and 20 inches long. As of now, he's down to 6 lbs, 13 oz, but we're working on getting that back up! He's so beautiful and I can't imagine him being anymore perfect. Kevin and I are having lots of sleepless fun learning about our new little boy. He's great! Taking a small break from internet fun while we settle in, but here's a couple of pics of the cuteness!

It's beginning....

Soooo, I've been having contractions all. day. long. It's been a long 15 hours of counting and waiting. I started out with contractions about 15 minutes apart and have made it to around 5-7 minutes. They are super intense. More than I imagined, for sure! Guess you're never really prepared for that feeling.... Anyhow, Kevin and I will be headed to the hospital soon to get checked out. Hopefully, the next time I post it will be with pictures of Riley! Send good thoughts for a smooth delivery. :-)

Baby weigh-in...

We went today for a final ultrasound to check Riley's size and position and got some great news -- he's not huge! He's weighing in at a respectable 6 lbs, 12 oz. Our doctor told us that the results could be off by a pound in either direction, which is fine with me. I was truly afraid of a 9 lb baby...

We also found out that he's measuring a little behind because apparently Mr. Man has some short legs! That, I would have never guessed.

What else...he's really low, still showing hair, and has a very squished up face right now with a super cute double chin.

All in all, in was great to get one more glimpse of our baby before he makes his in-person debut! Here's hoping that's soon!

38 week update!

Just a quick update with the latest report from the doctor today...

2 cm dilated
50% effaced
-2 station

Also, I asked how big he was and she said "not too big," which kind of freaked me out. I asked what that meant and she ordered an ultrasound to determine size. We'll have that tomorrow afternoon, so look for another update soon!

Some FYI on what all that means:
The concept of "station" denotes the degree of engagement of the fetal head as it navigates the maternal pelvis. Station is the relationship of the presentng part to an imaginary line drawn between the ischial spines of the pelvis. The ischial spines are two bony prominences that demarcate the middle of the pelvis.

Although we assess station during the last weeks of prenatal care (or in the case of preterm labor), its most frequent application is in labor. Progress in labor is assessed by means of several parameters, namely cervical consistency (soft to firm), cervical effacement (shortening), cervical position (posterior, anterior, or mid), cervical dilatation (0 to 10 cm) and station (-4 which is just coming into the pelvis to +4 station which is on the perineum or ready to be born). When the top of the fetal head (or other presenting part as in a breech presentation), arrives at the level of the ischial spines, the baby is said to be at 0 station or "engaged.”

Primigravidas (women having their first baby) typically engage before labor and may enter labor at -1, 0 or even +1 station.

Riley's nursery ROCKS!

Since I haven't had a baby yet, I thought I would share pictures of my son's rockin' nursery. I had so much fun planning and decorating this little part of our house. It's now the only completely decorated and finished room in the house and I love to go in and sit in the glider and relax. The calm before the storm...

Before the transformation....a plain, white, and empty room (and a picture of the "before" light fixture).


Kevin working hard at cutting in on the ceiling. (I only painted at floor level.)

Kevin nails in the trim. (And a good shot of the blue ceiling!)


The completed room!!




Here's a good pic of his bedding. I designed it and my super-talented mom made it all. I LOVE how it turned out. Can't wait to see it with spit-up all over it. (Also, note the AMAZING baby blanket that Jimmy's mom made for us from a swatch of our bedding fabric. It is PERFECT!)


A not-so-good shot of the awesome valance that my mom also made. Panels are courtesy of Target. :-)


Various detail shots:


His wall shelves (ignore the generic babies!)


I finally found the perfect lamp for the table last week! It turned out to be one the trickiest things to find.



Another shot of the blue ceiling--completed. (and Kevin's skills with the new ceiling fan--he rules at home repair!)


Riley's new furry friends from Brandi and Virginia.



My Projects! Pregnancy apparently brings on craftiness! I made this bulletin board, painted the letters and painted and decorated a once very boring (and plain wood) trashcan. (pretty sure these new skills will disappear with delivery.)

The bulletin board (for tracking feedings!)


His wall letters. They took a lot of time, but I'm probably most proud of these!


And the trashcan (A similar one sold online for $50. Are you kidding me? Mine was $7.)

Still no news to report except that contractions are a way of life right now, but they seem to be getting stronger...
Sprinkle labor dust my way!

One year down!!

This is totally not Riley-related, but this is, after all, the Miller Spot....

I came across this today and couldn't remember if I ever even passed it on to anyone! This is the feature that the Knot.com did on our wedding. It is on the site as one of Oklahoma's featured weddings...so cool! Anyway, in honor of our anniversary (which was about a week and two days ago), I thought I would post the link! Check it out if you haven't. I love to look at how slim my face appears and how I actually have a waist!

Little did we know where we'd be a year from then....
http://tinyurl.com/2wec2r

P.S. I love my husband!!! I'm seriously the luckiest girl in the world.