Monday, November 29, 2010

Made-for-TV Moment

Sometimes your kids say things that melt your heart... Or make you wonder if they've been rehearsing for a Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-TV special. Such was the case last week, when Kyle and Rowan shared this little moment:

Kyle: "I love you, buddy."

Rowan: "I already know that, Daddy."

Kyle: "How do you know that? You didn't even think about it."

Rowan: "I know because I don't have to think about it."

Wow.

(Naturally, I couldn't help but play the part of the mom whose eyes filled with tears.)

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thanksgiving Plan B

Our Thanksgiving plans were derailed this year when six members of Kyle's side of the family came down with the stomach flu. Yikes!

So we spent our first ever Thankgiving at home...just us. No rushing around to get ready. No packing the diaper bag. No driving for an hour. Just a low-key day hanging out as a family.

Well...I guess it wasn't totally low-key. I still wanted my Thanksgiving dinner! I cooked all of our traditional favorites, substituting a chicken for the turkey. We feasted on roast chicken, cranberries, vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy (my first time making gravy!), sweet potato casserole, dinner rolls and lefse.

In what I am still thinking was a Thanksgiving miracle, Rowan even ate the chicken!

Yummy... yummy... yummy!

Miles nursed through part of dinner, threw up on me and then promptly fell asleep, leaving me to enjoy my meal. (I only dribbled a few drops of gravy on his sleeper.)

After dinner, I snuggled with the boys while Kyle cleaned up.

Then we had some apple crisp with whipped cream for dessert.

And finally, Kyle got some time to watch football, snuggle with Miles and rest.

It certainly wasn't what we had planned, but it was a lovely Thanksgiving! I couldn't ask for three sweeter guys to spend my day with.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Three Weeks Old


Who stole my perfect baby and replaced him with this fussy thing?!

Yep. The two-week honeymoon period has ended. Just like his big brother did, Miles started to exhibit a bit more fussiness in his third week. He's still sleeping well at night, thank goodness (and knock on wood), but he's been having fussy spells during the day now.

The culprit? I think I'm experiencing an overabundance of milk again this time around. You see, while some new moms struggle to maintain an adequate milk supply, I produce enough milk to feed all of the babies in Africa — possibly from right here at my desk, since that's how far the milk seems to eject. (In case you hadn't noticed, the concept of "TMI" doesn't really register with new moms and nursing moms.) The consequences of my oversupply for Miles: gulping, gasping, air-swallowing, gassiness and general frustration.

The good news is that I've been through this before and knew what we were dealing with right away. I'm following advice that I found on kellymom, and it already seems to be helping. My supply has calmed down a bit, and so has Miles.

Let's hope things continue looking up tomorrow. After all, I'll have a Thanksgiving dinner to prepare (and eat)!

Monday, November 22, 2010

It's the Thought That Counts

Last week, Rowan handed Kyle this little piece of blue fuzz and said, "Daddy, I found this in my my pocket at naptime. I was going to throw it away, but then I noticed it was your favorite color. So I kept it for you."

Pretty sweet, huh?

(P.S. Kyle: Please do not let this kid pick out my Christmas presents!)

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Two Weeks Old

Little Mister Miles is two weeks old today. His second week proved bittersweet, as I was already forced to pull many of his little gowns and sleepers out of the rotation because they're too small. [Sigh]

I do love his chubby cheeks and roly poly legs, though. And I think that having a bigger baby carries some significant advantages. Miles seems more "finished" than Rowan did as a newborn (if that makes sense). He has no trouble eating, he has a fairly predictable wake and sleep schedule and he seems quite sturdy when I handle him. Still, I will admit that it's a bit heartbraking to watch my baby grow out of everything so rapidly!

Miles continues to be a fairly easy baby...so far. (He had a rather fussy evening today, so I'm wondering about the days ahead...)

He generally wakes up between 7:30 and 8 a.m. and has a nice, long alert period (lasting about two hours). When Miles first wakes up, Kyle and Rowan talk to him while I shower and get ready for the day.

Between 9:30 and 10, he nurses and sleeps until his next alert period in the evening (waking every couple of hours to nurse and have his diaper changed). Sometimes he wakes up fussy for a little while during the day because of a gas bubble or because he has to poop. But generally, he's a sleepy guy in the middle of the day.

His evening alert time usually happens around dinnertime. Again, it lasts about two hours. (This is when he was fussy this evening.) Then we get him into his pajamas, swaddle him up, and he's a sleepy guy all night (again waking every couple of hours to nurse and have his diaper changed).

Rowan is adjusting well to being a big brother, but I can tell that it's been a major change for him. Whenever I take pictures of Miles, Rowan suggests (or should I say demands) that he be in some pictures, too. I happily oblige, always eager to snap more pics of them together.

And then, of course, he suggests (or should I say demands) that he be in some pictures all by himself. Once again, I oblige. After all, he's pretty darn cute, too.

Wrangling a newborn and a 5-year-old certainly has us on our toes, but we're surviving...and having lots of fun along the way!

Monday, November 15, 2010

First Snow!

Nothing says "first snow of the season" like...

...an ecstatic 5-year-old trudging through the backyard slush...


...or a precious little newborn donning his "Baby's First Snow" romper...


...or a giant tree branch crashing down inches in front of the car we paid off the day before.

Ah, another Minnesota winter has begun.

Thankfully, nothing was damaged and no one was hurt!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

One Week Old

Today, Miles is one week old! Strangely enough, this little guy has both turned our world upside down and woven himself effortlessly into our family life.


So far ― and I hate to say this for fear of jinxing myself ― he's been a relatively easy baby. He nurses well. He has two or three predictable alert periods during the day. And he generally sleeps for two to three hours at a time at night between feedings. When Miles has had a few short crying spells at night, Rowan has remained blissfully asleep in his room. So far, so good!


But I won't celebrate (or gloat) quite yet, because I seem to remember two weeks being a bit of a "who stole my perfect baby and replaced him with this fussy thing" turningpoint for Rowan. We'll see...


Right now, I'm just trying to soak up every newborn moment. Watching his sleepy smiles and laughs. Feeling his hot, swift breaths on my neck. Rubbing my nose in his wispy hair. Kissing his chubby little cheeks. I can't get enough of him!

He's already changing so much. He seems to see really well, has impressive neck control and shows interest in his hands. We've even seen several awake smiles (which I realize is probably a total fluke, but it sure seems real to us)!

All of the pediatricians who examined Miles after the birth (and I gave birth at a teaching hospital, so there were many) commented that he seemed older than a newborn. And then the pediatrician at his one-week visit said the same thing! I'm not sure whether to feel proud because he's so strong and alert or start crying because his newborn phase feels cut short.


Rowan has been adjusting well to his new role as big brother. In fact, he almost always refers to Miles as "my brother." "My brother wants to nurse, Mama" "My brother is sooooo cute." "Do you think my brother's favorite color is red?" "Why does my brother's umbilical cord stump stink?" "Will you make sure that my brother doesn't spit up on my Halloween candy?"


Watching Rowan assume the role of big brother has been one of the most moving experiences I've had as a mom. I feel amazingly blessed to have two healthy and (in my totally biased view) adorable and brilliant boys.


I may be the only girl in this house, but that's perfectly OK with me. I wouldn't trade my guys for anything in the world.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Not a Rowan Repeat

Rowan Brand New (6 pounds, 12.5 ounces)


Miles Brand New (9 pounds, 6.8 ounces)


Rowan's First Bath


Miles' First Bath


Rowan's One-Week Weigh-In (7 pounds, 8.5 ounces)


Miles' One-Week Weigh-In (9 pounds, 13.5 ounces)

Although there's no doubt they each have a look all their own, I can still tell that they're brothers.

Rowan Sleeping

Miles Sleeping


I can't wait to see who Miles ends up looking like as he grows up!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Miles Smiles

A little sleepy smile from our little guy to brighten your Monday!

My birth story will have to wait until tomorrow (when my sis can help to fill me in on some details about the timeline). But later, I plan to post about Miles' first visit to the doctor. Boy, has he grown!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Our Family of Four

Miles Birch came into the world on Wednesday, November 3 at 12:24 a.m. He weighed a whopping 9 lbs, 6.8 oz, and was 21 inches long! More details and photos to come!
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