Daddy's back at work

Josh was able to take a week off of work. That was great because he was able to come to the first doctor's appointment too! Caleb rocked his one week appointment (Tuesday), even though he was a bit irritable since a feeding was interrupted. Caleb was almost back at his birth weight, and everything else looked so good, that his doctor said we wouldn't have to come back until his 2 month appointment. His doc said that we were all doing so well with our first that we should have 4 or 5 kids. Josh and I just smiled at each other. We are very open to and excited to have a big family if that's what God has in store for us.

The next day, Wednesday, Josh went back to work. Caleb and I handled it well. It wasn't until later in the day though that I realized I hadn't been drinking as much water or eaten as much as I should have. I didn't have Josh to help refill my water jug or grab a snack for me. I had been spoiled! Josh has been so supportive and helpful! What a great Daddy!!! I'm so impressed with his instincts and memory from the classes we took or advice someone gave. He's been great at making sure Caleb gets tummy time. He's also the "Baby Whisperer." See picture:

Starting Wednesday (April 27th) Caleb has been having alert mornings. He will usually have a feeding around the 8:30am time and after that he just has 5 minute cat naps until early afternoon. I can't believe how alert he is! It's been fun, but also a transition for me. What I accomplished and the sleep I got changed too! Caleb liked the swing and Woody enjoyed hanging out near him.

Any bloggers know why this pic won't change directions even though it is saved that way on my computer?

Wednesday afternoon Caleb went to Oma's work. The physical therapists and other district employees enjoyed the baby time. We were there for two hours...being held and adored. He wore his onesie that said "I heart my physical therapist." Adorable! Oma has seen Caleb every day since he's been born. Going on 12 days today. Some times it's just 10 minutes, but it's still enough time for several kisses!

Thursday I stopped by Bridges, my work, after school to introduce Caleb to the whole staff. Again he was doted on and loved. He's pretty perfect...at least that's what everyone else says:) Below is another sideways picture (I don't know why), but it is Peggy, my teaching partner, holding Caleb.

Today, Saturday, has been a leisure day. Josh and I did some cleaning while Caleb did some sleeping. Hard work for all of us:) The family time with all three of us is my favorite. This morning we were all laying in bed and my heart nearly burst with joy. I am so blessed!

Photogenic

Caleb had his own photo shoot when he was 5 days old. Uncle Ryan and Aunt Britta have some nice photography equipment and they had the perfect subject. Here are some of the best shots:

One Week Old

One week has flown by and already our little man has changed and grown. We have done a lot in one week. Some of the highlights:

Lots of visitors in the hospital:
The nurses said we were the busiest room with a revolving door of visitors. Total he had 41 visitors! We liked the company and only one afternoon did Caleb let us know he just wanted to eat and be left alone. Otherwise he was very obliging and such a good boy. All of Josh's siblings came to the hospital and got to hold their newest nephew. We got to hear who everyone thought he looks like. Consensus seems to be that he looks like a good mix of both Josh and me.

Uncle Jason and Aunt Carrie

Aunt Jess (Boogie)

Aunt Jen

The adorable face they all got to see

Coming home:
Caleb wasn't crazy about being restrained, but the car ride lulled him into a trance. He didn't sleep, but he quieted. When I walked in the door Woody greeted me tenderly, as if he knew I had just gone through a big ordeal. He loved me up and then heard a squeak from the car seat. Woody greeted Caleb with curious sniffs and excitement, but he minded well. He immediately took on the role of protector and old brother very seriously. Every time Woody comes in from outside he sniffs out where Caleb is to make sure he is where he should be. He sniffs at Caleb's bassinet and is already dreaming about the days of fetch to come.

Don't know why it is sideways

More Visitors:
Friday morning was very exciting. One of my college roommates and her mom came to visit from the cities. Thanks for coming, Megan! Then my brother Garrett got to hold his first nephew and he was immediately in love. Around noon Britta (sister), Ryan (bro-in-law), Krista (sister) and Oma (my mom) came to visit. My sister and brother-in-law had driven through the night from Colorado and gotten a couple hours of sleep before they could wait no longer to meet Caleb. They too were immediately under Caleb's spell and had fallen in love.

Uncle Garrett and Caleb

Roommate Megan, Caleb, and Bri

Uncle Zach

Aunt Krista

Uncle Ryan & Aunt Britta with Caleb

Daddy's Birthday:
Josh turned 32 on April 23rd (Caleb's due date). We celebrated with a few gifts and DQ ice cream cake. Josh said it didn't feel like his birthday with everything else going on, but in a good way. He said Caleb was the best birthday present ever...so I guess I'm off the hook for any other gift;)

EASTER!
He is Risen! Caleb had some sleepy smiles right away on Easter morning. We stayed in bed a little later that day knowing that it would be a BIG day. First we had lunch at Jason and Carrie's house (uncle and aunt). The Miller boys took a picture together. All wearing blue without trying.

Then we moved on to Oma and Grandpa's house. There were over 20 people eagerly awaiting our arrival and their turn to hold Caleb. Here's just a few of them.

Great Grandma Norma

Uroma

Great Grandpa Bill

Great Grandpa Mel

Aunt Greta

He's Here!

April 19, 2011

Woke up at 2:25 am to go to the bathroom and realized that my water was leaking. After giving it some time I knew it was officially my water...no gushing, but definitely my water. So I woke up Josh. He got some work stuff taken care of handing off and showered while I finished packing and called the hospital to tell them we were coming. 

On the way Josh joked he was failing his one job. Stupid pot holes. I also had my first real contraction on the way to the hospital which didn’t help his feeling. We pulled into the ER entrance and then parked (also with some finagling). I was admitted and my first two nurses were Julie and Delores. Delores was getting trained in on the floor. It was great to have two of them. They had great humor and were very encouraging, especially since my goal was to deliver without any pain medications. They checked my vitals and baby’s heart rate and then did the exam to see if I really broke my water. They said 90% of the time people go home because it was sweat or pee and not amniotic fluid. The lab results came back and I was happy to be part of the 10%. When they checked me I was at 3cm, with just a couple contractions.

But things picked up. They quickly went to 5 minutes apart. Dr Goersch came in as the doctor on call and checked me again and I was at about 3.5-4cm around 6:00am. She told me that things were progressing well, which Taylor would like, but Dr Taylor would likely recommend Pitosin if things didn’t continue to progress. Nurses changed at about 7:30 and I got a student nurse and Kristen. Again a great pair!

By the time Dr Taylor stopped in a little after 8. I had progressed to 8cm which made Dr Taylor very happy. He guessed we would have a baby by noon. From the 8 to 10 was the hardest. It got the point where I wanted to push but wasn’t far enough so I did a lot of pah, pah breathing. Josh did a great job. My right hip would hurt and he pressed on it the whole time. 

At 10:38am I was finally told I could start pushing. The student nurse was on my left leg and Josh on my right. Kristen was below. They coached me through. Looking back I was pushing but not quite giving it my all. A little afraid of the full out pain I guess. But I finally gave a good one and after that the nurse knew I was capable and really started coaching me to push more. At 12:00 Taylor came in to check on me. Was happy that things were going well, but wanted to keep things going. He was going to go do a C-section and would be back afterward.

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I was having trouble feeling when contractions were starting so Josh would watch the monitor and let me know so I could start my breathing better. That was very helpful. At 12:45 Taylor came back in and let me know that things hadn’t progressed too much and he was starting to think C-section…maybe the baby was too big. But baby was still handling it all well so he was ok with me still pushing if I could handle it (also concerned with my stamina). Well…that kicked me into high gear. The whole team really…Josh, Kristen, and the student were really coaching and counting now. By the time Taylor came back a half hour later, he was happy with the progress so he let me continue pushing. He actually got himself dressed and scrubbed up, so I knew the end was in sight. My bottom hurt from laying-sitting in the same position for 3 hours, my right hip was really hurting for some reason, and I was ready to have the baby. Dang it hurt, but we made it. They used the vacuum twice to keep at the crowning position between contractions instead of letting him slide back in. Found out later his head was 14cm!! So 3.5 hours, no pain medication, and a baby came!

2:10pm: Caleb was laid on my chest and my body...thoughts..and heart felt an explosion of joy, relief, and love! Josh had tears of joy and was so proud of me and Caleb. It was the best! They wiped him down on me, checked his vitals, and then he peed on me. haha We're obviously comfortable around each other from the start.

My mom, a physical therapist, had told me how important several things were to do in the first 7 to 20 minutes. So I had Caleb tummy to tummy as soon as possible. Then I held him up to my face and had him stare into my eyes. I asked a nurse to help me get him into Josh's arms from some face time too. 

Once they knew we were all ok and Dr. Taylor had stitched me up, the room cleared out and it was the three of us.There was Caleb, lying on my chest, grunting and burying his face into me, and I could only stare in awe. The first song I sang to him: "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always; As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."  After that came a few other songs and humming. He calmed right down and we enjoying our snuggle time. Nurses came in every so often to check our vitals. After about an hour we had the nurse do his first bath, weight, and measure him. Caleb cried occasionally for a brief period of time, but overall handled it all very well. 

Our first visitors were my parents. They came in the final stages of the bath. Mom brought me Peanut Butter Eggs and the day's newspaper. My mom came in and fell in love. Josh said the moment that touched his heart the most was watching my mom become a grandmother. There was a whole new glow to her. She was in awe and couldn't stop smiling (not that that is hard for my mom anyway).  Gene joined shortly after my mom got there and was eager to get his hands on his first grandson too. He hand the inspector's look on his face, inspecting Caleb's little body. 

Denise Alms, Oma

Gene Alms, will be named by Caleb

 

Josh's parents came next with smiles and anticipation. Nana and Papa were eager to welcome their sixth grandchild to the family. Nana got some time to oooh and aaah and then Papa got some time in the rocking chair with Caleb and wasn't eager to give him up any time soon:)

Ruthan Miller, Nana

Bob Miller, Papa

While Nana, Papa, and Josh moved our belongings and Caleb to the recovery room I took my shower. One of the most surreal moments where you realize what your body just did. That's all I have to say about that.

The rest of the night we had family and a couple friends stop by. Everyone was so happy to meet Caleb. I had a very successful full feeding with Caleb. Afterward he was so alert and bright eyed. Both Josh and I got time to hold him and stare into his eyes. What a feeling!

Our Family

Week 39

Nope...baby hasn't come yet. I'm beginning to feel like giving up on anticipating it. Josh said, "I'm ready to start planning the graduation party to take place in utero." Haha! I know I've still got a week, but I'm ready.

At my appointment Thursday I was still unable to see my doctor since he was busy delivering twins. If I were delivering I'd hope for others to be understanding, so I just said I'd see another doctor. I saw a kind doctor who predicts I have "at least an eight pounder" in there right now. Head is down LOW, I'm dilating, and almost fully effaced. It could be any time now. I'm hoping sooner rather than later so that baby doesn't get too big. I'm hoping to do this au natural. I don't need a 10lber to prove anything, so I'm hoping he/she comes soon so that it doesn't have the time to get that big.

I've been sleeping part of the night on the couch now, and then moving to the bed. It helps me keep from getting overheated. I can't sleep in the recliner because being reclined on my back still puts too much of an awkward pressure on baby and my tummy. I don't mean to come across as a complainer and the truly I am happy and excited. This transition time is difficult because you know "in theory" what's coming, but it's not here yet. I can't wait to hold our child...to comfort him/her...to kiss him/her..to show him/her off to the world! I just can't wait! But in the mean time more gets checked off the list, Woody gets a few extra snuggle times, and I give into Easter candy temptations. Josh and I will let you know when "it's time!" Next doctor's appointment is Tuesday, April 19.

Above is a picture of my mom and I last weekend. She had great deliveries with my 3 siblings and me. She's also a tower of strength and integrity. I hope to take after her in all ways! ...especially the "great deliveries" part ;)

Week 38

This week was 16 years since my dad was killed in a car accident. I was 10 years old on a beautiful spring day when my life changed in a tragic and significant way. My family learned the importance of saying, "I love you" as often as you can. We also learned the importance of community. We had neighbors and family members pouring out love and comfort over us within moments of the news, and every since. Thank you!

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If anyone knows Josh, they know he isn't the most patient man. He is the kind of guy that likes to give the present as soon as he buys it, or even before he buys it! I honestly can't believe he had my engagement ring as long as he did before proposing. Josh has wanted to open his "present" since the first ultrasound. He can't wait for this baby and to become a daddy! I've been pretty patient for Baby Miller, up until Wednesday. I had my check up with the nurse practitioner again (2nd time in a row) since my doctor has been out of the office for the last two weeks. I was ready to go in and have her tell me I should just stay since I was so dilated, but alas, that was not my fate. She also struggled checking me so it was a less than confident result and overall appointment. The next day I was very uncomfortable and felt a lot of pressure. I am slow getting up now. Baby is definitely low.


Josh and my pillow talk right now usually starts with, "I just want the baby now." We'll see when God decides the right "now" is. I just know my body and its ability to find a comfortable sleeping/sitting position is praying that it is sooner rather than later.

Thank you for the prayers, encouraging comments and fb messages. We just can't wait!

Week 37

37 weeks and the countdown is definitely on. I have been feeling well, but now my body is starting to lose stamina and ache in places that are difficult to comfort. Today I was driving to a friend's house while listening to an old mix of Christian praise songs I'd burned. The song "In the Secret" came on and I started to cry. 

Chorus says:
I want to know you
I want to see your face
I want to know you more
I want to touch you
I want to hear your voice
I want to know you more

I don't know how sacrilegious it is to make a song about God into a song about me, but I felt the words were prefect for how I was feeling about Baby Miller. I truly can't wait to see our baby's face or hear his/her cry and voice. I have known Baby Miller only by my instinct and physical reactions. Soon I will know Baby Miller through sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste through kisses. I can't wait! I'm ready to hold my baby!

In preparation I washed down and dusted every surface in our bedroom today, where the baby will be sleeping in a bassinet to start. Josh is nesting in an industrial way. He has built more shelving in the garage and is giving it a total overhaul. Tomorrow he will finish up while I give the rest of the house a semi-thorough cleaning :)

Counting down...three weeks to go (or sooner?) Comment with your guess of the baby's arrival (date and time), gender, weight, and length if you haven't already. And don't guess anything over 10lbs or past April 23, or you'll be sorry ;)