We Have Baby Steps!

So many things have happened with the kiddos since my last post that I can't even begin to figure out how to catch up.

In fact, I'm not even going to try.

Instead... let's just celebrate...

BABY STEPS!

Yes, We Still Have a Baby

And here's a peek into what our family's littlest member was up to over the past few months...

Here's Miles at 4 months old. This month brought Miles' first weeks of daycare... and he has had a runny nose ever since. Not surprisingly, this also was the month that brought an end to my regular blogging. The constant stream of illnesses (mine, Miles' and Rowan's) was more than I could take. Thankfully, winter did finally end, and we all become well again... sometime around early July.


Here's Miles at 5 months old. Miles continued to have illnesses on and off this month, and I was struck by a bug as well. This month was honestly a bit of a blur. What I do remember is that Miles continued to be outrageously cute, and I was a good enough mom to capture his cuteness on film at a Target Portrait Studios. (Yes, this is a picture of a picture.)


Here's Miles at 6 months old. Let the army crawling begin! Miles also began to sit up somewhat unassisted during this month, although he remained rather wobbly until he reached 7 months old. Da da da da da was (and is) his favorite sound to make, much to my dismay. A doctor appointment around this time revealed that Miles weighed 19 pounds!


Miles at 7 months old. Sitting up is no problem! Miles also started to go from crawling back to sitting again as he neared 8 months old. He loves screaming matches, saying da da da da (still!) and being around other people at all times.

Ahhhhh. (That was a sigh of relief.) Now that you know what's been happening with our little guy, I can write an update about what he's doing now at 8 months old.

The Thing About the Second Child

Some people say it's because you're busier.

Some people say it's because you have another child distracting you.

Some people even say it's because things just aren't as new and exciting the second time around.

But why do I think parents spend less time documenting their second child's every milestone?

I think it's because they spend more time simply enjoying them. (Or at least that's what I tell myself when I fall so darn behind in my blogging.)

When Rowan was a baby, I was obsessed with milestones. I had a stack of parenting books on my bedside table. I received daily email alerts from baby websites. I even frequented online parenting groups where women obsessed about their babies' sleeping, eating and pooping habits.

This time around, we're taking it easy.

So maybe I "forgot" that you're supposed to wait three days between introducing each new food to a baby... and instead I gave him ground up (homemade!) beef stew for his first meal, because that's what I was eating for dinner.

And maybe I wanted to see how he would react to a little taste of my ice cream, even though babies aren't supposed to have dairy (or sugar) quite this early.

And maybe when he liked the ice cream, I gave him a little more... because he squealed with each tiny bite.

Is that so wrong?

I think not.

After all, rules and milestones are great, but sometimes a little fun and flexibility is even better.

Six Weeks Old

Week six brought more smiling and even a little cooing! And according to most of the baby sites I've visited, it also marked the end of Miles' newborn phase. He is now officially an infant.

Although I have no other babies to compare him to (and haven't had him officially weighed), my guess is that he's quite a bit bigger than your average infant. I now buy size 2 diapers and - as I reported last week - he wears 3-6 month clothes. I think I need to invest in a two-shoulder baby carrier that works well for infants. Although I love the fleece kangaroo korner pouch that I'm borrowing from my sister, it's starting to hurt my back!

But I am becoming stronger from carrying this guy around. He's getting stronger, too - holding his head up higher and higher every day!

Hmmm... Let's see.... What else happened during Miles' sixth week?

Oh, yeah! We endured the state's fifth largest snow storm and were stranded in our home for three days while we waited for the city to plow our street! (In case you're wondering: YES, I am still upset about it.)

The first two days were actually kind of nice. Cozy, even. We made Christmas cookies, watched movies and lazed around the house. By Monday, though, I was suffering from some serious cabin fever. School was cancelled, our street was stilled unplowed, and I was stuck at home all day with a stir crazy 5-year-old and a fussy baby.

When school was cancelled again on Tuesday, I contemplated promising the city that I would personally pick up any kids still stranded due to unplowed streets...on snow shoes, if necessary. But then I ventured out to Target with the kids and realized that the roads really were still too bad to have school buses driving around.

Thankfully, school resumed on Wednesday, the temps rose a bit and our road conditions improved (ever so slightly). Now we just have to hope for no more snow until the end of March. It could happen, right?

Five Weeks Old

Mr. Miles' fifth week brought a huge reward - his first real smiles! So adorable. This kid is becoming more babylicious each and every day.

I'd love to know how much he weighs right now, but it's not worth bringing him to the clinic during cold and flu season to find out. A very unscientific measurement on our home scale (I weighed myself alone, then holding him) suggested that he could be in the neighborhood of 13-14 pounds!

He is solidly in 3-6 month clothing now, although he can still squeeze into a few of his larger 0-3 month outfits. If he keeps growing at this pace, I will completely lose the advantage of having two boys born in the same season. Rowan's summer clothing simply might not fit his big little brother. We shall see...

We started introducing a daily bottle of expressed breastmilk to miles this week. Rowan wouldn't take a bottle, and we were determined not to have that happen again, if at all possible. (I'm going back to work part-time when Miles is 3 months old.) So far, so good!

Even Rowan got a chance to feed his little brother. (Is it just me, or does seeing them together only serve to highlight Miles' hugeness?)

Speaking of Rowan... we had a hard week last week. I don't know if it was cabin fever, sibling rivalry or impending Christmas craziness (or all of the above), but the whining reached a whole new level. Ugh.

I'm trying to cut him some slack, since we've experienced a lot of changes over the past month. Still, there's nothing more frustrating than attempting to eat dinner while bouncing a fussy baby and listening to your preschooler complain about everything under the sun. Here's hoping this week is better. Rowan's Christmas break is coming up, and I'd really like to enter that time with some good days under our belts! Pretty please?

Game-Changer (His First Real Smiles!)

Just like his big brother did, Miles began flashing his first real smiles just after 4 weeks!

With Rowan, I remember feeling that this milestone was such a huge game-changer. After weeks of fussiness and "what do you want?!" moments, there was suddenly a light of joy and recognition in his eyes.

I now feel the same way with Miles. Seeing his face light up at the sound of our voices is such a reward after these demanding (and delightful) first weeks. It's as if he's saying, "Here I am, mama! I know it's been a lot of work to take care of me, but we're going to have so much fun now. Just you wait and see!"

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)!

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!

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.

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!

My Big Boys!

This past week brought two big milestones...

Rowan, my first baby boy, turned 5 — an age at which a little guy is truly marching down the path to big-kid-dom.

And Bubs, my unborn (and as-yet unnamed) second baby boy, reached the 37-week mark — a stage at which he is now considered full-term.

Last weekend, we celebrated Rowan's 5th birthday with our families on a gorgeous fall day. Our plans for this weekend? We will celebrate Bubs' full-term status by installing the infant car seat, purchasing last-minute essentials, packing our overnight bags and RELAXING. Sounds lovely to me!

Rowan's First Day of Pre-K!

I swear, this little baby boy growing inside of me is going to be creative and energetic — a real go-getter. How do I know? Because he has sucked these qualities out of his mother!

But now, after a much-needed summer break, I will attempt to get back into blogging. We have too many huge milestones coming up for me neglect our only baby book for Rowan and his soon-to-be-born baby brother.

Our first big milestone of the fall: Rowan's first day of pre-k!

We started the morning with Rowan's favorite breakfast: French toast with whipped cream and maple syrup, bacon and strawberries. He slept great last night and woke up excited for his big day.


Dressed and ready to go! Thank God for school uniforms. I never have to worry about what he's going to wear or whether his outfit matches. Heaven, in my book.

He's ready! (Yes, we eventually ditched the gum.)

Stepping onto the bus. This is the moment when most moms lose it, but I was determined to put on a happy face when Rowan peeked out the window.

And he did peek! You can see Kyle's smiling reflection in Rowan's silhouette.

Then the bus pulled away, and I did start to lose it. But just a little bit.

How was his day? Well, I wasn't expecting "A kid freaked out and puked!" to be one his first reports about the day. He didn't seem bothered, though (until I made him wash his hands for a full 60 seconds). He said he had lots of fun and looks forward to going again tomorrow. All in all, a successful first day!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2007

Christmas 2006

Christmas 2005

Happy Birthday, Rowan!

Leave it to a 3-year-old to make the best of a bad situation. Rowan spent his birthday weekend with the stomach flu. We had thought he might be feeling better by today, but the virus just made its way down the digestive tract (if you know what I mean).

This morning, Rowan woke up feeling sick to his stomach and asked in a groggy little voice, "Is today my birthday?" I told him that it was, but I also promised that we'd have a super fun birthday do-over as soon as he was feeling better.

By this evening, Rowan was feeling a little more playful. He even let me take a few pictures of him in his mismatched PJs (we've been doing A LOT of laundry).





Rowan wasn't nearly as perky yesterday. In fact, he was so tired by naptime that he fell asleep standing up!


Happy birthday, my sweet little man! I'm so sorry that you had to be sick on your special day. Daddy and I will make it up to you as soon as you're feeling better. We love you!

-Angie

Not What We'd Planned

What a beautiful day for a birthday party!

Unfortunately, Rowan got the stomach flu last night, forcing us to postpone his special day. What could be more miserable than vomiting in a bucket? How about vomiting in a bucket while surrounded by decorations for the party you've been excited about all week? Bummer. Big bummer.

Rowan's feeling quite a bit better this afternoon. Kyle bought him a new movie to watch while he rests on the couch. Hopefully, we'll all be healthy tomorrow and can do something fun on his actual birthday. Looks like yucky weather, though. Maybe a trip to Nickelodeon Universe is in order if Rowan's feeling up to it.

This has been a really tough fall for our family. Since ECFE started, Rowan has had pink eye, a bad cold and the stomach flu. Lovely.

Maybe we're in for a healthy winter. Think so? Bright side...

-Angie

Help Me! I'm too Tired to Think.

I'm beat.

After completing the Breast Cancer 3-Day last weekend, I'm physically and emotionally exhausted. And it didn't help that I returned home to an empty fridge, piles of laundry, a messy house, and the anticipation of a busy work week. Bah! (Why is it that any semblance of order vanishes when mama's away?)

So rather than hit you with the usual "blah...blah...blah," I'm asking for YOUR input.

I'm turning 29 in a little less than two weeks. (Yikes!) I'd like to compile a fun list of "30 Things to Do Before I Turn 30." Any recommendations? How shall I spend the last year of my fleeting 20s?

I'm trying to keep the list fairly realistic. A second honeymoon in France is unlikely to fit in our budget, for example. And I have no interest in risking my life by base jumping, sky diving, or performing other stunts that involve speed or heights.

But I guess I'm stifling your creativity...

What would you do during the last year of your 20s? What did you do? What do you wish you did?

Suggest away!

-Angie