Our Little Sleepy Head

Last night after I put Mills down, I did a few things around the house and finally got in bed around 10:00. Erik so graciously offered to "tend" to the baby and feed him during the night if he should wake, so that I could get some MUCH NEEDED sleep! So, I took him up on his offer. When my alarm clock went off this morning, I sat up, got out of bed, only to realize that I had not gotten up all night, and neither had E. I reached for the monitor and our little Mills was still asleep. I turned the volume up just to make sure that he was breathing! LOL I couldn't hear him, so I quietly opened the door. We sleep in the loft upstairs on the otherside of the wall with a video monitor, and the air return is right beside us and the door to his nursery. It wakes him if it comes on so I keep the door closed. As I walked over to his crib, there he is, sleeping soundly. I could hear his sweet little breaths, and so I turned around, tip-toed out and closed the door, leaving he and his daddy to rest. WOW! I think I've been outsmarted! If E hadn't offered to tend to the baby, I would have probably been up 1000 times last night. Maybe I should tell him he can take charge again tonight. I can only wish, but after taking advice from a wonderful pediatrician friend of ours, we know that he can sleep all night now and so its time to start letting him cry if he wakes in the middle of the night. Boot camp has begun! Wish us luck...maybe we won't need it!

Mills Visits the Urologist

Today, I took Mills to the pediatric urologist. I have not mentioned this before, but at my 20 week ultrasound, the ultrasound tech thought that she saw a little bit of dilation in his kidneys. Mills was moving around so much that she couldn't get a good view of them, so just for a recheck, another ultrasound was performed at 28weeks gestation. It was confirmed that Mills' kidneys were a bit dilated, but it was VERY minimal. Of course I was a little worried, but when I talked to my OB, Dr. Stern, he assured me that this was a very common condition in male babies, and that his son had it. "It went away as soon as he tee-teed the first time outside the womb," he told me. He wasn't at all concerned about us seeing a specialist and told us that we should not be worried about it, but we could just watch it to see if it would eventually go away. He told us that most of the time when it is as minimal as Mills', babies will just outgrow it. This condition, "hydronephrosis," is the swelling of the kidneys due to back up of urine flow. Dr. S also said to tell our pediatrician about it so that we could have an ultrasound done after Mills' birth, just for a re-check. At 36 weeks gestation, another ultrasound was performed, and it was then when we saw that his right kidney had completely gone normal (yay!), and the left one still had a tiny bit of "fullness." The ultrasound tech told us that it wasn't much at all, and that everything was working just as it should. She also told us that he would be just fine and not to worry. So, I haven't at all been overly concerned about it. Mills is functioning just fine, believe me he tee-tees quite well! LOL In October, Dr. Owen, our pediatrician wanted us to go to Methodist G'town, for another check to see if the hydronephrosis was still present after birth. So, we went for another ultrasound. Mills did great! He was so funny, he just layed there as the tech put that warm gel on him and scanned his kidneys. He even smiled at her while she was doing it. She detected a small amount of dilation in his left kidney still, and the right one was still normal. She too told us that everything looked great and that they see this all of the time, but most babies have worse cases of it. "I would say that Mills' barely has hydro,"she told us. "I'm sure he'll eventually outgrow it." So after the results were sent back to our pediatrician, he wanted us to see a pediatric urologist just to make sure that the hydronephrosis, was "just" hydronephrosis and not being caused by PUV- posterior urethral valves. Our visit today was great. I was very impressed. Mills did wonderful during the ultrasound. It was confirmed that he still has a tiny bit of dilation, but even less than the last ultrasound. He told me that he had less than 1cm of back up and that he was not at all concerned. He doesn't even want to see Mills again until he is a year old. I could tell that he didn't think it was a "big deal," and that's exactly what I wanted! :) So, we will return to him next August for a follow up ultrasound, unless I suspect a problem, and if the hydro is the same or better, or if it is completely gone, he will be released from the urologist! So, we are very happy about our good report!!!

Last Night's "Funny"

Erik and I did a little cleaning after supper last night. I was mopping, so he offered to go ahead and give Mills a bath for me before story time and tummy time. Its always nice to have a helping hand. Usually. we both give him a bath, but since I was a little busy, it was nice of him to offer that extra help to make our routine easier. Mills LOVES his bath. We always expect to have a wall dripping with soap and water, wet floor, and well, we also get a bath during this time too. He flips and flops so much, and we usually get drenched, but we just let him do it. At least he doesn't scream his head off.

During bath time, we listen to Bible songs. Most of them are pretty familiar songs that you and I learned growing up. I think its good for him and am trying to teach him early. As I was downstairs I heard Mills go from 0-60 in 2 seconds flat. I thought, what in the world is wrong with him? He never does that during bath time. If anything, you can stick him in his tub when he's upset and it makes him happy again. So, I stopped and listened. Erik was giggling a bit, so I had to go up and see what all of the commotion was about. They were listening to a song about Jonah and the Whale. Erik was talking to Mills about this big fish, and as soon as he said "whale." Mills looked at him, poked his lip out, and started screaming, but immediately calmed down after Erik started rinsing him. When I asked what had happened. Erik said, "Well, I just told him about the "whale" and (Mills starts screaming again) he started screaming. Every time Erik would say it, he cried. We don't know what scared him about the word w-h-a-l-e, but he didn't like it! "Maybe I should skip that story," I told E.

In the book of Jonah, God tells Jonah to go to the evil nation of Nineveh, and preach repentance, but Jonah had other ideas, and ran the other way, hopped a boat, and tried to hide from God. So, God brought a big storm to the sea, and as Jonah's ship was sinking he was swallowed by a big fish. (Jonah 1:17). Jonah sat in the whale's belly for 3 days, but spent this time in prayer, thanking God for saving him. He realizes the miracle God has affected to save him and is truly grateful. This story teaches us about obedience, willingness of spirt, and God's patience and mercy. Maybe this will teach our Mills to be obedient! :) That poor ole' whale scared him half to death.

The Rolling Saga Continues...

Last night, I placed Mills down for tummy time. He did great until I took him off of his mat. He decided that he just didn't feel like doing it again. So, I layed him down on his back and he rolled from side to side as fast as he could go, but the poor fella just couldn't make it over.
Tonight, Mom asked me to come out and help her get her tree down from the attic. So, after picking Mills up from Mimi June's, we rushed home grabbed a bottle and diaper bag, let Joey potty, and off we went for a quick tree recovery. We put Mills in his bouncy and kept him busy with the TV until we could start putting it together. I then decided to take him out and lay him in the floor. As I was finishing the top of the tree, I looked over and our little guy was on his tummy, swimming like a fish. And yet again...I missed it! Then he decided he would just roll around everywhere. Was he not born just yesterday? Where is the time going? Am I ready for this "mobile" thing?

Rollin Rollin Rollin, Part II

Well, he finally did it on his own. Mills rolled over. If you will remember, a few months ago, he was on his tummy mat, and rolled right off of it onto his back, of course it was a fluke, but he did it nonetheless. Last night, during our routine tummy time. I took him off of his tummy time mat, layed him flat on his belly, reached for the video camera (just to get some footage), and it was too late. He had already leaned over and BAM! He's on his back, looking at me like, "Oh, and thats how that works!" How could I have so inconveniently missed that? I mean, the camera was in my hand, and I missed it, because I was so shocked. Oh well, maybe I'll be so lucky to catch another milestone in the future.

The Anniversary of a Happy Day

A year ago today, (well...actually tomorrow, but I will say today, because it was Sunday, and the tour of homes was "going on.") Erik and I had been to church, had eaten lunch at the CC, and had come home for the afternoon to rest and do whatever we wanted. Erik had decided to go and see "Daddy B" that afternoon, and I stayed home so that I could get a few scrubs washed for work the next day. Our Sunday school class had been working really hard on our Christmas parade float out at the Rose's, and I was supposed to be there at 4:00 that afternoon, to help finalize things. So, I had about 3 hours to get much needed things done around the house. Erik left around 2:00 and headed to Main St. to visit his granddad. I was resting on the couch when he left, and my mind started to wander. I thought, hmmm, just for fun and giggles, I'm going to take a "test." It was 2 days early, but I thought, "hey, with todays advancement in "tests" I will just take one." Hey, I was bored! What can I say? lol And the fact that I had one test in the bathroom, just sitting in a box, was even more tempting. I didn't have any symptoms, and just knew that I was wasting a beloved EPT! But like I said, I was bored. So, as soon as I saw Erik's truck leave, I headed for the bathroom, and what do you know...I couldn't "go!" hehe. So, I just sat it down, and went back in the living room to wait on my laudry to finish. About 30 minutes later, I finally felt the "urge." So, I made a second attempt. As I sat the test down, I watched it, and as I was watching, it was like slow motion...that little line, so slowly and faintly changed from - to +.

I thought, oh my goodness, am I seeing things? So, a little "freaked out." I kept watching it and thought, do I really see what I think I see? I was overwhelmed and didn't know what do to do. I ran to the front door, and looked out. There were tons of cars in front of my house, because my neighbor was participating in the tour of home. As I looked to my right, Kate's van was outside. I thought, "do I run over there like a mad-woman and get her to look at my test?" But I couldn't because Erik was not at home and I just wasn't convinced that I had really seen a plus sign. So, I got the bright idea to leave at 3:15, head to Kroger hoping that I would see no one I knew, and get a couple more tests. I said that I would NOT be the crazy person that would take more than one test, but I did. I went and bought the two most expensive, but different tests on the market. My thoughts were, that if I got a positive on all 3, which were different, then I couldn't be wrong. So, on my way to the Rose's, I made a detour through Kroger and bought the digital one that would say "yes" or "no," and the other digital would say "not pregnant" or "pregnant." I grabbed my bag, headed out the door, looked up, and here comes Kate. I looked like "deer caught in the headlights, she knew what I was doing, I just kept walking and said, "I'll see you in a few minutes." So, I just threw them in my car, and went to finish our float. My thoughts were to take the tests when I got home that evening and that is what I did.

As we were working, my mind was going crazy. The next thing I know, Erik is pulling up. I'm thinking oh my goodness, do I have news for you! But, I couldn't say anything, because I wanted no one to know before him. Luckily when we left to go home, he had to make a detour for gas. So, this gave me the opportunity to get home as fast as I could and take the other 2 tests before he got home. After a result of +, yes, and pregnant, I managed to freak out again, get the tests wrapped and under the tree before E got home. He pulled in the driveway seconds after I had put them under the tree. I couldn't stand it, but I calmly looked at him when he walked in the door and said, "Oh, I have a little something I want you to go ahead and open before Christmas." So, I went and pulled the small package from under the tree and handed it to him. He opened it, and dropped two out of three tests, but bent down to pick them up and looked at them. He looked at me and said, "Does this mean we are?" I said, "Evidently, with 3 positives, I think we are!" He smiled, hugged me, and said, "So when do we find out what it is?" LOL We were very excited, because we thought that Christmas Day would be the best time to "tell" our family and friends. What a wonderful gift to them! So, a year later here we are with this...
Our sweet Mills Oliver. Today, I will be going to the tour of homes, and he will be going with me!

"Its a Booger...

..."as great-grandpa Garner would say."

Tonight we just had the biggest surprise. Our dear friend, Millie, stopped by to bring Mills a gift for his nursery. As she gave me his gift, my mouth dropped open in surprise. I know what you're thinking, "she gave us money from her lottery win!"...no, it was not money! hehe! Sorry I had to throw that in there :) It was even better than that! My grandaddy, Garner, was always so funny. I remember him sitting in his chair, staring out the sliding glass window, and staring out at the pasture at his cows. He was ususally reading the paper, smoking, and saying a few choice words about something that had happened or was happening at that time. That was just him. His famous line..."It's a Booger," was known by most people who live in this town. He said that about everything! It may be one of my fondest memories of him. Tonight, I will hang this...

in Mills nursery. He never knew his great-grandaddy, but will get to meet him one day. So, until then, we will look forward to the day that we can teach Mills to say, "It's a booger!" haha! Millie, we love you and thank you for such a thoughtful gift. I can honestly say that it is one of the best gifts our Mills will ever receive.

Love,

The Stockings are Hung....

by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas, soon will be there. Literally!

We have finally finished our Christmas decorations for this year. Last Friday, I was able to get everything done, except for our mantle. I finally received our new stocking holders, so the stockings are now hung. I kept thinking that the UPS man had gotten lost, but fortunately, to my surprise, they arrived on Tuesday. I have been wanting these stockings for almost 8 years now, but was afraid to get them in fear that IF we ever had a baby, I wouldn't be able to find one to match, but this year, is a different story. An early Christmas present from Mom, we now have my favorite stockings and the matching holders.

Mills even has his own tree in his nursery. I bought some ornaments at Hobby Lobby, and Christi and I used paint pens to help them match the nursery. I am still looking for a cute topper and some matching ribbon, and then his tree will be complete.

16 Weeks Old

Our little man is 16 weeks old today. He is growing like a weed. You should see the rolls on his thighs! We are so blessed that he is doing great and gaining weight. All is well, except for the major spitting up he is doing. Last week, Dr. O put Mills on Zantac, in hopes that it may help with the spit-up, but unfortuantely, I did no good. As a matter of fact, I think his spitting-up is worse this week than last. So, last night, we started him on Prevacid. Maybe, just maybe, this well help. He is a VERY happy baby, and he even smiles after he shoots formula over my shoulder. So, its not bothering him, but its awfully messy. We've tried everything from smaller amounts of formula at shorter intervals, to burping him more often, holding him upright etc. All of these things may have worked better if Mills hadn't thrown fits when I take his bottle away. If I stop to burp him, he gets so mad. And if I don't give him enough formula, he gets mad. I can't win for loosing. Wish us luck, hopefully the spitting will subside soon!

New Ornaments!

If you were a follower of our blog last Chrismtas, you may remember this post, from last year, I told you all that I am a collector of Christopher Radko ornaments. I love them! Everytime I receive an ornament box, I can't get it open fast enough. Its always so exciting to see what type of ornament will be inside. The ornaments are beautifully colored and the glittery sparkle definitely makes our tree georgeous! I received a new one last year from mom, after I made the post. I was a new one released for 2008. He is too cute! His name is "Pearly White." How appropriate?

This year, Mills was lucky enough to receive his first Radko ornament, an early Christmas gift from his Nana. It is absolutely beautiful, and...It rattles! I hope he will enjoy them as much as I, but I have a feeling that next year, we'll be putting them waaayyyy up high, out of his reach, of course!