Week 28

Welcome to not only week 28 but the official start of yes, believe it or not people - the 3rd & FINAL trimester! I think I shock myself with each passing week at how quickly this whole thing is moving along. This week proved mostly uneventful. I did go to Virginia for a night to attend the Kenny Chesney concert with Mom, Dad & Jess:

We all had a great time at the show and it was just nice to see and spend a little time with them. Steve stayed home as he had his usual list of things he wanted to get accomplished around the house and he wanted to get some mountain biking in as well. We had a great weekend and can't believe we are already almost halfway through this one already! We are going to take some time come Thursday and get away just the two of us for a few days. Will be nice to have some time away...perhaps we can take some of that time & start a real discussion on names for this little one! Steve seems pretty convinced it is a girl & therefore offers only girl name suggestions. So...maybe we can chat about this and come up with some options. Little Miller will be here soon enough and pretty sure they won't let us leave without a name! :)

Now - what's going on with LM this week you ask? LM should be weighing in around 2 & 1/4 lbs - which is about the size of a Chinese cabbage:

and measuring 14.8 inches long from head to heels.

I think the increase in LM's size is definitely showing on me! :)

LM can blink his/her eyes now which by the way are sporting lashes! Along with the eyesight development he/she may be able to see the light that filters through the tummy. How cool is that! Shadow puppets anyone? :)

Billions of neurons are developing in the brain of our little one and LM is adding more & more body fat as each day goes on.

As for me - as I mentioned I have entered the 3rd trimester! It is estimated that I will gain about 11 pounds this trimester - which Steve thinks is pretty wild as I will probably be close to or possibly even surpass him in weight! Crazy but SO worth it! :) My ultrasound to evaluate the placenta previa was scheduled for today but had to be re-scheduled for the 10th. Steve and I will be returning from our getaway on the 9th so while next weeks blog will be a tad late we hope to have new pics of our little angel to share with everyone - so long as LM cooperates!

We shall see...

Love to all! Have a great week!

Week 27

87 days to go!

We have arrived at Week 27! Absolutely amazing how quickly this time is going but Steve and I both are getting more & more anxious about meeting our little one! With each passing day the anticipation grows - as does my tummy! :)

This week Little Miller weighs almost 2 lbs (or more...) which equates to about the size of a head of cauliflower.

LM is measuring around 14 & 1/2 inches long and wakes & sleeps at regular intervals now. Although I must say - this little angel at times feels like the acrobatics never stop! Makes me wonder just how much/how little he/she is actually sleeping! I was thinking I would keep a log for a day or two to track this so look out next week for that. LM is also opening and closing his/her eyes and possibly sucking on his/her fingers. I also read that along with opening & closing of the eyes he/she can see shadows which is pretty wild. Brain tissue is rapidly developing and active now! The lungs are still pretty immature but if born now they would be capable of functioning with lots of help...but this little one has a little ways to go - keep growing LM! I can now say I have experienced baby hiccups...little funny feeling but exciting too as it means that LM is doing exactly what he/she should be at this point in time. As for me - still feeling very good overall. The only new thing is some uncomfortable feelings in my lower back and I did have a little leg cramping the other night but that was probably attributable to not drinking enough water that day. :/

I am still walking most days and trying to stay as active as possible. We have our next doctor's appointment Wednesday, September 5th. At that point we should have a better idea of my placental location and possibly know if we'll be a scheduled c-section or will be able to labor normally. Either way - long as Little Miller gets here happy & healthy - that's all that matters to us. Plus - we'll get another chance to see our angel.

On that note - we hope you all have a wonderful week! Love to all!

Week 26

It's official - we have less than 100 days to go! 95 in fact...cannot believe how quickly the time seems to be progressing! And with each passing day the kicks this little one brings my way get stronger & stronger - such a great feeling! This week was pretty uneventful I must say. We had a very relaxing weekend at home. Steve did some things around the house - little projects he's been wanting to get done - painting exterior door trim, running new phone line for the new desk area - fun & very exciting things like that. :) I spent most of Saturday relaxing which was kind of nice. It's not often that we are home on a weekend and even less often that we don't have plans. I took full advantage of my free day. Sunday Steve went mountain biking and I headed up to Delaware to celebrate Ms. Hannah's 1st Birthday party.
She's grown so much since I last saw her and is sweet as can be.

So ... this week Little Miller is working on hearing...the nerves are becoming more sensitive and more developed enabling the little one to hear both mine & Steve's voices. Very cool. LM has also begun to practice breathing movements as he/she inhales & exhales small amounts of amniotic fluid. And of course - the babe is working on puttin on that baby fat. LM should be weighing in around a pound & two-thirds and measuring around 14 inches from head to heel.
This is about the size of an English Cucumber!
Grow Little Miller grow!

Steve and I are getting ready to sign up for our CPR/First Aid classes and making mental lists for things we both would like to get accomplished over the next 3 months -
3 months!! Wow! :) Well that's about it for us this week...we hope you all have a wonderful week! Love to all!

Week 25

Wow! Time is certainly flying by...cannot believe it but we have only 102 days to go!! Crazy!

This week went by quickly which was great since we had a very fun filled weekend we were anxious to enjoy. Saturday we saw Dave Matthews Band with our dear friends Greg & Melanie...

We had a blast! Little Miller was movin & shakin throughout - having as good a time as Mom & Dad I'm sure :) Did manage to remember to bring the camera along but definitely forgot to make sure the battery was charged! Got a couple pictures before the power died though.

Sunday we had a wonderful brunch with friends - lots of food & great conversation & company! Also got the opportunity to meet the newest addition to the group - Kara & John's daughter Kendall who is 4 weeks old. Precious little girl - so tiny!

It was fun to watch Steve with her and just gets me even more excited to see him with our own little one. :)

We headed home and then spent the rest of the day relaxing. All in all a fabulous weekend.

Now onto our little grasshopper...this week head to heel LM is measuring at around 13 & 1/2 inches long & weighing in at about a pound & a half or about the size of a rutabaga:The lean body of our babe will start taking on more baby fat soon & that wrinkled skin will start to smooth out. The color & texture of his/her hair is visible now - if we were able to see it - and just keeps growing. As for me - I've been reading about watching my balance and I have to admit I am a little more clumsy these days. Graceful movements are definitely not my specialty right now but overall I am feeling really good.

Steve's taking great care of me & we are enjoying counting down the days together until we meet our little one.

So exciting!!

Well - that's it for this week - have a great day! Love to all!

Week 24

Hello Baby Miller watchers! :)

This week was a relatively quick one since we didn't get back home from our FL weekend away until Monday evening. Gotta love a shortened work week! We had no set plans for the weekend which was nice. Steve of course had his usual lists of household chores he wanted to get done so we planned to do a few of those and otherwise just be home & relax. It was wonderful.

Saturday we did venture out for some errands and caught a movie with a friend. We saw Funny People which was actually better than we both expected...then spent the rest of the weekend doing random things around the house & just spending time with each other. Savoring those days since they are numbered. :)

Speaking of which...time for the weekly update on Little Miller (LM). LM is growing, growing, growing! He/she is weighing in at more than 1 lb and about 4 oz of that is just within the last week!

LM is about a foot long - like an ear of corn and starting to fill out proportionally. The brain is growing quickly and the taste buds are still developing as well. The lungs of our little babe are "branching" out and starting their development. And finally the skin is still translucent but will be changing soon enough.

As for me - the top of my uterus is now located above my belly button and is about the size of a soccer ball! (as you can see)

My next appointment is this Wednesday but it will just consist of them checking my weight & blood pressure. I have another 4 weeks before she will re-evaluate me for the placenta previa. She will do another ultrasound and see if the placenta has moved at all with the growth of my uterus. Let's hope so! If not - that's ok too - just need to know what we are dealing with. :)

On the plus side we'll get to see our little angel again & we couldn't be more excited for that!

We hope you all have a wonderful week! Love to all!

Week 23

What an incredible whirlwind of a weekend! Steve & I went to Ft. Lauderdale initially so that I could attend Rachel's baby shower...but then Steve's Mom decided since we were there it would be great to host a shower for Steve & I so that the Florida friends & family could attend.
I had a wonderful time at Rachel's shower and super happy I was able to celebrate such a wonderful day with her. She has the sweetest family and Ava will be loved by many - but that's not a big surprise! :)

It was so great to be able to see everyone and visit. We miss you all very much. The shower was incredible and truly left me speechless. I was blown away by the number of people that came out to share the day with me and even more so by the showering of gifts for this little one! This child will want for nothing that's for sure!

While the ladies enjoyed the shower, Steve was able to spend some quality time with his Dad & brothers which was also great! They spent their day golfing together. No pics unfortunately but according to Dad - everyone played surprisingly well. Few birdies, double bogie's & evidently a fair amount of eagles. :)

Here are a few pics from the shower:

The invite - so cute! ~ All the Mom's & Mom-to-be ~ Adorable favors

Beautiful balloons! ~ INCREDIBLE cake!! ~ Kimmie, me & Grammie :)

We played a few games and shared lots of laughs. I am,WE are extremely lucky to have such wonderful people in our lives and we're very much looking forward to Little Miller meeting you all!

Speaking of LM :) ... this week the sense of movement is developed and the babe can feel me dance & move. LOTS of movement with this little one!

He/she is now more than 11 inches long & weighs just over 1 lb which is about the size of a large mango!

The blood vessels in the lungs are developing in preparation for breathing and the babe's hearing is getting better by the day. Making lots of noise outside so LM will be prepared for all sorts of noises. :) As for me - we were able to make it down to the beach while we were in Ft. Lauderdale. This week's pic was taken underwater courtesy of Bella and her fabulous camera -

Thanks Bella!

Guess you could say it was technically LM's first dip in the ocean! First of many more to come!

Other than growing (seemingly by the day!) I still feel really good. I've started to see some swelling in my feet & hands since the increased temps have finally arrived but it's not too bad. Just trying to keep them elevated & stay hydrated. So far so good. :)

Anyway - we hope you all have a great week! We are home this weekend and have no set plans which is nice...will try to get some things done around the house & relax a bit.

We both need it after this last weekend! :) Love to all!

Week 22

Well this has been a super fun week for the two, or three of us I should say :)

Busy too - but well worth it! Little Miller (LM) is moving all around - active little guy/gal. Most activity is usually around 11am and then really gets going around 6pm. The 6pm one is great since Steve usually gets home right at that time - coincidence? :)

This week LM is measuring right around 11 inches which is about the length of a spaghetti squash.

We are probably right at 1 lb. or maybe even a little over at this point. The lips, eyelids and eyebrows are more defined and the tooth buds are developing under his/her gums. The eyes are formed though the irises still lack pigment...wonder what color they'll be? Inside the belly his/her pancreas is in the process of developing. Lots going on this week. :)

Here's my latest development - ha. No hiding it now!

We were happily busy all weekend long. The end result - furniture! We are both very pleased with the way the nursery is coming along. Furniture looks great and just gets us both even more excited for the very near arrival of our little guy/gal. Who knew it was possible to be this excited about meeting someone! Anyway - here's some pics...

This weekend we are headed to sunny South Florida to celebrate the soon to arrive Ms. Ava Valabek and her Mommy, Rachel. Can't wait to see them and the rest of our Florida family! Hoping to squeeze in some beach time too - we'll see. :)

Enjoy the week! Love to all!

Week 21

This week went by so quickly! Was nice to get to the weekend since we were able to be home with no outside obligations and get some much needed work done around the house. :)

Steve was able to finish up the pocket door project by painting the hallway and it looks fantastic! So nice to have that area of the house back to "normal". :)

Bigger news is the nursery paint! I don't know how he does it so quickly but he got it all painted and we are both very pleased with the way it turned out. The room is super cheery and we both find ourselves smiling as soon as we go inside. With the paint finished up we are going to get the carpet cleaned and then will be able to start moving in the furniture! I cannot wait to see the room with the furniture in it. Slowly but surely everything seems to be coming together.

All very exciting!

As far as development this week, the baby should be weighing in around 3/4 of a lb though our little one is most likely a little heavier than that since he/she was weighing in at 12 oz last week. I am feeling a little bigger this week - guess I should get used to that!

Little Miller is about 10 & 1/2 inches long which is equivalent to the length of a carrot!

I'm starting to notice that the movements are typically around the same time everyday and that's fun - I look forward to it everyday. :) I can't wait for Steve to be able to feel the movements from the outside - neither can he!

After the painting and working over the weekend we managed to get out for dinner & a movie which was great. Trying to take advantage of being able to pick up & do those things on a whim while we can! :) That's about it for this week - we both hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love to all!

Week 20

Halfway there!! We cannot believe we are already at the halfway point of this wonderful experience! It will be November before we know it! Crazy.

This week we had an ultrasound and met with our super cute doctor. :)

Everything looks great - Little Miller is doing all the right things and growing like a weed. Babe measured in at 12 ounces and had a heart rate of 139 bpm. Right on target. Slight curveball came our way in the form of placenta previa. Not totally uncommon and typically found during the 2nd trimester, this means that the placenta is lying across my cervix which could ultimately mean a scheduled c-section in the event that the placenta does not move out of the way of my cervix as my uterus continues to stretch. We are hopeful that as the weeks progress the placenta will move up and we can plan on laboring versus a c-section. Important thing is that the little one continues growing appropriately and so far that is happening. I have to chill out a bit on my exercise routine for the next 8 weeks at which point they will do another sonogram to see what my placenta has done if anything. Least we will get to see the babe again which is always fun :) As I mentioned we are just going to think positive thoughts and hope that things move as they need to.

Now - as far as what's going on with the little one this week - according to what I've read the babe should weigh around 10 & 1/2 ounces but as you know Little Miller weighed in at 12 ounces at the appointment. Not much more so I think we are still running the average. From head to heel LM should be around 10 inches long - which is about the length of a banana.

Getting bigger!

The little one is swallowing more which is practice for his/her digestive system. The top of my uterus is sitting right around my belly button which you can start to see in my pictures. I'm gaining the appropriate amount of weight and still feeling really good overall. I'm a little bummed about having to cut back on my activity level since I am feeling so good but I will do whatever I'm told to ensure everything is ok. :) I have a feeling Steve is going to become my own personal drill sergeant making sure I don't overdo anything. Fun. : P

Hope you all have a wonderful week! Love to all!

Week 19

Hello all! We are back from our Nova Scotia trip well rested and very relaxed. We had an incredible time as usual and really enjoyed our visit with the family. This time around was a little different as I was unable to participate in some of the usual activities such as the rock walks we usually enjoy along Rock & Roll Beach but I will say everyone went out of their way to ensure we found things for me to do as well. What you say? Well - how about Duckpin Bowling for one! Who knew the little town of Liverpool would have a bowling alley!

I did lots of walking while there - which enabled me to really enjoy the beautiful surroundings...

Steve tried out some surfing which was pretty commendable considering the water temperature there that time of year is pretty chilly. Not to mention the weather throughout most of the week wasn't exactly warm. :)
I was really impressed with the wetsuit though I must say. Really did keep him warm - almost hot he said! I'm looking forward to trying this out with Steve next year.

And as for Little Miller (LM)...this week sensory development is working hard! The brain is assigning areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision & touch. Some say the babe can hear our voices at this point so we have had some chats. :) Babe should be weighing around 8 & 1/2 ounces and measuring about 6 inches, head to bottom which is about the size of a large heirloom tomato.

As for me ... I am getting a little bigger everyday

I am officially out of my own pants and into maternity wear which I have to say is way more comfy! My wardrobe is expanding and I am really starting to enjoy my new body. It's a little easier to say that when you actually start looking pregnant! :)

LM's arms & legs are now in the right proportion to each other & the rest of his/her body. The kidneys are making urine and the hair on his/her little scalp is starting to sprout! There is a waxy coat covering the babe's skin to protect it while it's floating for the next several months.

As for me - still feeling really good! Little bit of round ligament pain here & there but overall - feeling great...