I almost forgot.

We got the CD with Miller's newborn pictures from the hospital. I can't believe how much he's changed already in just a month. Look how short his hair was!

A week of company!

As I mentioned in the last post, my friend Adriene was in town to visit with Miller. Well, she was so much help with Miller. She even sat up with him Monday morning, and let me get a couple more hours sleep, which is just amazing and so appreciated. She went home a little bit before lunch on Monday, which was her birthday. Happy birthday Adriene!

Monday night, our friends, the Casas family came in town for a visit. We've been trying to plan a visit since the boys were born (McKason was born exactly two weeks before Miller), and, with all that we've got going on right now, it's just impossible to have weekend visits. We're used to seeing each other about once a month, so since we hadn't seen them since the beginning of May, this was a REALLY long time to go without seeing each other. It was a wonderful week. They did so much stuff to help out around the house, including grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning the kitchen more times than I could count. It was so nice for me to have them here, even though John had to work the whole time they were here. Poor guy. Jessie and McKade would go swimming, and Amy and I would walk the babies in their strollers around the neighborhood. We also had to make time for a visit to Mimi and Paw-paw, which we did on two different days. Mimi and Paw-paw always enjoy spending time with the Casas's, and Paw-paw decided that he would finally celebrate his birthday with dinner out to Shogun's with ALL of us. McKade hadn't ever eaten at a place like this, and I knew he would enjoy them cooking dinner right in front of him with all the fire and jokes. It was definitely a fun visit, and the two newborns did so well!

Of course, while Amy was here, we did pictures. Tons and tons of pictures, with Miller crying through about 75% of them. Even so, because Amy is such a great photographer and she always has a camera on her, we still got plenty of adorable pictures. Of course, she has to "fix" them, and do all the fun additions that she does, plus she has a busy (almost) 6 year old, and a demanding 6 week old, so it might be a while before I can post any of those. It'll be well worth the wait though. I did take a few pictures while they were here though, which is so out of character, but it happened. :-)

John and I had already discussed that we wanted Jessie and Amy to be Miller's godparents. It was just hard to find the time without getting interrupted by a crying baby at one point on another. Finally, last night, I was feeding Miller, Amy was snapping pictures, and John and Jessie were in the recliners. Jessie turned to us and asked us to be McKason's godparents, which we happily said yes too. He gave us the perfect opportunity to ask them to be Miller's godparents, which they were happy to agree to as well. Then, we asked McKade to be his godbrother, which I don't think he quite understood, but I'm sure he'll grow to like it. :-) This morning, Jessie was kissing Miller goodbye, and I told him to tell his Uncle Jessie goodbye, and Jessie said, "Just call me the Godfather." Too funny. I'm sure John can't wait to use that line himself.

Today was Miller's one month appointment. He is exactly 9 lbs, and is 21 inches long. Dr. Hughes says he's doing well, and is perfectly healthy. He's in the 25th percentile for his growth, which is good, and he has really good head control for his age. He did get his second Hep shot today. John took an early lunch to be there for the appointment, but after weighing, measuring, poking and prodding, he had to leave before Miller got his shot. Then, Dr. Hughes always leaves the room before shots, so the two men in the room took off to leave me with my poor baby as he got his shot. He did really well though. He cried for a few seconds as soon as the nurse gave him the shot, but was quiet by the time we walked out of there.

Here's some pictures that I took during the week:

The truest phrase ever. His onesie says, "I'll sleep when I'm good and ready" as the little toot sleeps on his changing pad instead of sleeping during the night.

I love this little outfit! He's just so sweet, sleeping on his daddy's chest. Daddy likes this too because he can sit there and play his video game and people will wait on him as long as he's holding the little guy.

Miller with Paw-paw. Jessie got some good pictures too. The only reason Paw-paw got to hold him for very long without Mimi yanking him out of his hands was because she was busy holding McKason.

John, Miller, and Mimi at the restaurant. (This is Mimi's usual pose around Miller, unless she's holding him.)

Paw-paw, Jessie, and McKade.

Here's Amy with McKason and Nonna with Miller. Mom was going through withdrawals because she hadn't seen him in four days.

McKade holding his Godbrother. :-)

Sweet boy, and breaks for Mommy

We had some ups and downs this week. One day, both Miller and I had to change clothes approximately three times. So, I was a little concerned when both he and I had a doctor's appointment on Friday. He did such a great job though. We found out that he now weighs 8 lbs 6 oz, which is exactly one pound more than when he was born. He's still gaining more than an ounce a day, which is really good. Dr. Hughes seemed very impressed that he was gaining as fast as he was on only breast milk. After my doctor's appointment that afternoon, I swung by work, so Miller could meet everyone I work with. Then, we had dinner with my aunt and uncle, who are in town for the weekend. My sweet, sweet husband slept in the recliner Friday night from 3:00 until 9:30 this morning, and let me sleep in the bed the whole time. At 6:30, he fed him a bottle, which brings us to our next piece of exciting news, Miller is now able to take a bottle and a pacifier, which is a huge relief for Mommy!

Saturday, my friend Adriene came into town for the weekend, to meet Miller for the first time. John continued his quest for the husband of the year award by offering to watch Miller while Adriene and I went out to eat and walked around the Boardwalk for a while. It was a nice break, but I couldn't stand being away from the little man that long. As soon as I got home, I was kissing all over the little guy.

Since Miller has gotten over 8 pounds, he's starting to fit into his 0-3 months outfits, so there's probably going to be a lot of pictures of Miller just laying there, to show off whatever outfit he's got on for the day...as long as he doesn't get it dirty before I get the picture taken.

Here's some pictures from the past week:
Here's Miller in his swing. I didn't stop the swing, so that's why it's so off-centered. :-)

Here's Miller getting his first bottle. It took him a while to get used to it, but I think he's gotten it down now.

Here's Miller in his bouncer, one of the first times he had a pacifier. It takes him a few times to get it right, but once he gets started he enjoys it.

Here he is after his bath. Daddy had him wrapped up in a towel, getting him warm.

Here he is, showing off one of his adorable outfits. My mom gave him this one, and John's mom gave him the Spiderman booties.

Here he is in one of his A&M outfits, looking up at his daddy.

Here's a picture of my Aunt Shanna, holding him. She's another one who agrees that he's absolutely perfect.

Daddy dressed him this morning. I think John's been counting down the days until he was big enough to wear this one. If you look closely, you can see the pacifier says I Love Daddy Here's a picture of Miller and Adriene. Adam better watch out. I think it was love at first site.

Two steps forward and one step back...

At least that's still one step forward, right? This past week, Miller and I were pretty much on our own. Mimi did come down for a couple of hours during the day, just to give me a chance to take a shower and grab something to eat. I did manage to get us both ready (and him changed into two different outfits because he spit up all over the first one) for a weight check for him. It's normal for a breast-fed baby to lose some weight at the beginning. So, after he was born at 7 lbs, 6 oz, he dropped to 6 lbs, 13 oz. Last Friday he was up to 7 lbs 3.5 oz, which is right on schedule for the half ounce a day gain. Imagine my surprise when he was weighed on Friday, and was up to 7 lbs 12 oz! That's almost a whole pound gained in two weeks. We're definitely on the right track.

Miller got a package this week from the Casas family. It had a zacky, which is this weird stuffed hand and arm that you can warm to make him more comfortable. I still haven't quite figured out how to use it. Even better though, Amy sent us a sling, which I can already tell will be really useful. I'll try to remember to get some pictures of us in it for next post.

Last night we had a really good night. I put Miller down around 11, in his crib, and he slept until 2:45 or so. I fed him, and put him back in his crib, and he slept some more, until a little after 5. After I fed him, he didn't want to be back in the crib any more. He wasn't screaming crying, but he was being really fussy, and keeping us from falling back to sleep. So, John got up with him around 6:30, and they slept in the recliner until 9:30. That's definitely the longest time he's slept in his crib, and the most time John and I have slept in the bed, at the same time, since Miller was born. I'm hoping this is setting a new pattern...time will only tell. He's definitely waking up more and more, and John and I can start seeing some of his personality. One day, he was laying in my lap, and I would kiss his little cheeks and he would just smile and giggle. He did that three or four times, but he hasn't done it any more since...little stinker.

Here's a couple of pictures from the week.

This was Miller's "tummy time." He didn't like hanging out on the Boppy too long though. He prefers just to be on his stomach. He's getting so strong, and he's really lifting his head more and more.
Here's Miller getting his first bath in his big boy tub. He's still in the newborn sling, until he can sit up better and hold up his head better.

Here's a good shot of him holding his head up. Of course, I had just changed his diaper, and he wasn't in the best mood, but you can definitely see some of his personality in that expression. I'm thinking that his hair might have some red in it, and I think this picture kind of shows that off. The red hair would be passed down from John's grandfather.

Here's feeding time at the Chewning household. As it gets around 5:00 or so, the three horses show up to the gate, waiting for my dad to come feed them. Then, my parents have inheritted some stray cats, and they've started coming up from the barn at the same time the horses do. If you look closely, you can see a couple of them in this picture. Finally, Elvis never leaves my dad's side, so he follows right along too.

We've got lots going on this week, including my first postpartum appointment, and another weight check for Mr. Man. Then, my friend Adriene will be coming in for the weekend. Yea! She's been trying to come for a visit for months now, and we finally planned one once we had gotten settled in with Miller. I'm so excited to see her again. Finally, this is finals week for John. I'll be glad to have him home in the evenings again, but I'm going to miss being fed by my family on John's class nights. :-) Have a great week everybody!

It's hard to keep up, with the little guy around.

Things are moving right along in the Vrana household, although I think John and I are missing the sleep. I know Lexi is. During the day, I'll leave the door to our bedroom open, and she'll go back to sleep on the bed.

Well, Mr. Man is two weeks old today. We had a doctor's appointment on Friday, and he was back up to 7 lbs 4 oz. He's been gaining about a half an ounce a day, which is exactly what he should be gaining. The doctor was really happy with that, considering we're only breast-feeding, with no formula supplement, so far. We're still working on figuring out a schedule. So far it's pretty much, sleep, change diaper, eat, repeat...with a lot of dirty diapers in between. I hope everyone is doing well. Here's a few pictures from the past week.

Getting a little tummy time. I guess it wore him out because he ended up falling asleep. He is starting to lift his head. We just don't have that on film yet.

Bath time. He hated the first sponge bath, but this one wasn't so bad. His next bath, he'll actually get to get in the water, since his umbillical cord has fallen off.

Sunday morning we went for a walk before it got too hot, which is hard to do since it's 100+ degrees by noon.

He enjoys time in his bouncer, but Daddy still has to help him out with the whole bouncing thing.

Pictures, pictures, and more pictures

After Miller's first night home, my two handsome men.
Austin couldn't make it to the hospital, but he rushed home as soon as he got off work Thursday evening. You can tell because he's still sporting the Counter Culture shirt. He was only able to hold him for 5 minutes because he had to get to practice. Thankfully, he got tons of time with him this weekend.

Miller's favorite position. He loves sleeping on chests. This is the outfit Daddy dressed him in his first day home. Isn't he so handsome?

Our first family picture. We had breakfast at Nonna and Pops's house before heading to Miller's first doctor's appointment. Dr. Hughes says he looks good, and we'll go back in a week just to make sure he's gaining weight. He was down to 6lbs 13 oz at this appointment.

Mrs. Peggy was in town for the weekend, and she loved holding the little guy.

Mr. Terry spent most of the weekend at the camp, but he came back in town on Saturday. He even held Miller...until he made a sound, then he had to pass him off as fast as possible. :-)

Here's a picture from today. He just loves sleeping on somebody's chest. It was Nonna for this picture.

OK, that's about it for now. I'm guessing John will be posting his side of the story soon, with some other pictures. Poor guy, he's been so busy, trying to keep up with school. I can't believe he goes back to work tomorrow. This week just went by so fast. Thankfully, Nonna will be hanging out with us, helping out, this week.

Miller Louis Vrana

Well, here we are, home from the hospital, and getting adjusted to our new lives. John and I have gone back and forth about who should write the blog about Miller's birth, and, in the end, we've each decided to write one because we both had very different perspectives on the whole process. I'll even try to throw in a picture or two for you. ;-)

As John mentioned, at my appointment last Thursday, Dr. LaBarre had given me the option of being induced since I was already progressing. I decided that I would go for it, and Dr. LaBarre gave me the first available day open, that Monday. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was really surprised to find out I would be having Miller in just four days. Everybody else felt pretty much the same way. When I told John, he just kept repeating Monday over and over again. Monday? Monday. Monday! It was so funny. Since things were so rushed, I didn't really get a chance to post over the weekend, so I'm glad John was able to.

We were supposed to be at the hospital at 4:30 a.m., but they ended up calling us Sunday evening, and asked us to be there at 4:00 because I was scheduled to get the hormone to induce labor by 5:00. I don't know why we even tried, but John and I went to sleep early that night, and pretty much tossed and turned until the alarm went off at 3:00. We were at the hospital by 3:45 or so, all checked in and ready to go. They did an exam, and I was even further dilated, 1.5 cm, and 70 percent effaced. It looks like Miller was planning on being here pretty soon regardless. At least this way, most of the family was able to plan on being there for it. My mom showed up at the hospital by 9:00, and they had already broken my water at that point. Up until then, I was easily able to handle the contractions, but from that point on they got more painful. Dr. LaBarre told me that I shouldn't have an epidural until at least an hour later. I had heard how being induced can lead to longer labor, as well as an epidural slowing down labor, so I was already concerned it would take quite some time. I guess the fact that I had progressed naturally really aided in being induced because, while John was eating lunch, they told me that I was 9 cm, and very close. By 1:00, I was fully progressed. Dr. LaBarre, asked that I wait until 1:30 to push, just to allow Miller to naturally drop a little more. We followed the schedule, and Miller was born at 2:18 pm at 7 pounds 6 ounces and 19 inches long. John was just amazing during all this. He did everything he could to make me feel better, and make sure I was feeling completely comfortable physically, mentally, and any other way he could. In fact, there's not one thing he could have done differently to make it any easier on me. He was wonderful, anticipating everything. I know that he is the main reason it went so smoothly for me.

Miller had so many people waiting anxiously to hear he was born, but he was having a little trouble breathing. Unfortunately, he had to go straight up to the nursery, and I wasn't able to spend time with him as soon as he was born. It upset me a little bit, but the nurses assured me that this was normal with "little white boys." This is something I'd heard before, so it wasn't completely shocking. John was awesome enough to think to ask them if I could hold him for just a few minutes before he went up to the nursery. It was incredibly thoughtful of him to ask because I was not in the mindframe to think to ask myself. The nurse brought him back a few hours later, saying, just as soon as she got him into the elevator his breathing evened out, and he was fine. I happen to think it was being held that brought him around so quickly. :-)
We were able to bring him home yesterday afternoon, and I think we're still in shock. In fact, as I'm writing this, John is holding Miller, and I think he's kissed his head at least 100 times as I've written this. We've got our first doctor's appointment tomorrow morning, and, hopefully, he'll still be doing well. With that, here are some pictures from Miller's first few days. They're a little out of order, but you get the picture. :-)

His first picture. The nurse actually had to remind John to go get the camera. Poor little fellow.

This is Miller's introduction to Lexi. She's such a good big sister. She stands on the edge of our bed at night, and looks over at him in the Pack N Play, just to make sure he's doing OK.

This is Miller on the way home from the hospital. We've since rolled up a receiving blanket to put around the inside of the head support, so he doesn't move at all anymore.

Miller and his Daddy. Look at those big, beautiful blue eyes.

Miller with Pops.

Miller with Nonna. She didn't get a chance to hold him on the day he was born, so she made sure to come up during her lunch hour the next day, just to spend some time with him.

Mimi with Miller.

These are from the actual day Miller was born...see what I mean about uploading them out of order?

Miller and Granny Chris

Miller and Aunt Elizabeth. She flew in all the way from New Mexico, just to be here for his birth!

Miller and Aunt Tess, and me looking a little rough in the background. I guess that's what having a baby will do to you. :-)

Miller and Great-Grandma Allison