Week 39 & Beyond!

WOW - so as most of you already know - we are home with our beautiful baby GIRL!
Ms. Gracie Anne Michelle Miller made her appearance November 19th

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Labor & Delivery was quite the adventure. It all started Tuesday night when we thought we might be onto something only to make the trek to the hospital to be told - nope, not today. At my appointment the following day my doctor tells me she may let me go as far out as the 29th and THEN induce me. NOT what I was expecting nor what I was wanting to hear! We were ready for our little one but the doctor didn't seem to think it was time. Wednesday night as we are getting ready for bed around 10, I began to feel a little "off". My back started bothering me more than usual and I kept feeling like I needed to pee...3rd time's the charm I guess because suddenly there was a gush! "Steve...." I think he was more in shock than I was. Could this really be it?? Off we went - and there we stayed! And a mere 16 and a half hours later (!) we were kissing the beautiful face of our little baby girl. There truly are no words to describe how incredibly blessed Steve and I feel to have our little one here. It's definitely not easy, but it's the most rewarding job we've ever had.

Little Gracie is pure joy and we both find it difficult not to sit and stare. The facial expressions and little quirks of hers are so fun to watch. We are so excited to watch her grow each day and get to know her as her personality starts to really develop.

I am working on pics but things as you can all imagine are pretty hectic around the house. Just trying to get into a "routine" - haha - and working on getting Gracie from nights to days...so fun. :)

Special thanks to each & every one of our friends and family for their love & support on this wild ride. You all made our journey that much easier & that much more fun. We love you all!

Ally, Steve & Gracie!

and Tabi too! :)

Week 38

11 days to go & feeling pretty good still! :)

I have to admit I have definitely slowed down significantly in the last few days which is interesting. I have been experiencing more contractions (I think that's what I'm having) though still nothing consistent enough to put us into action. That being said Steve and I made a very impromptu decision to sneak away for a night - probably the last one for awhile! We skipped town with our friends & neighbors Kristin & Vanessa & headed up to Atlantic City for the night. While we didn't win millions we did enjoy our time away.

Steve and I are both pretty anxious about this weeks appointment. Last Thursday we had a sonogram which the doc wanted us to do in an effort to determine how big LM was. As of last Thursday LM was measuring with a weight of 6lbs 14oz! That being said - I'm not sure what that means as far as how my doctor will decide to proceed. We'll find out Wednesday! Here's the best pic the technician could get of LM:

Between the lack of space in there and the little one keeping his/her hands up around the face we couldn't get a great shot though the tech did make several attempts. Ahh well - we'll be seeing your beautiful face soon enough! So this week - what's going on? Little one is chunkin up! According to my weekly source of info - the LM should be weighing around 6.8lbs but we know he/she is weighing 6lbs14oz already! Crazy.

My source also claims that LM should be measuring over 19 & 1/2 inches long like a leek:
These veggie analogies are getting interesting. :)
As far as eye color we may not know for several months following birth though from what I've read if LM comes with brown eyes they will likely stay that color. My eyes are blue and Steve's are hazel/green (depending on his mood) so we'll see. Can't wait!

We are definitely playing the waiting game now. We still have yet to pack the bag for the hospital (I know, I know...) but since the "contractions" are being felt a little more we figure we might try to tackle that this evening. We'll know a little more Wednesday - hopefully - about when we might be able to expect our little one and we will certainly let you all know.

Pretty wild to know that within the next couple of weeks we will have our lives changed forever -pretty wild and pretty much the most wonderful thing we could ever hope for.

Love to all - have a great week!

Week 37

18 days to go! We have officially entered the BIRTH MONTH of our little one. Steve came in Sunday morning and wished me a Happy November and I about fell out of bed! November! Already! I truly cannot believe we are here already and with only 18 more days to the due date. It has gone SO incredibly fast and honestly been such a joyful experience.

This past week while a slightly busy one was a very fun one. Steve got to dress up twice for Halloween. For his work event - his team decided to become Food Network characters - he chose Duff Goldman from Ace of Cakes...and made a cake to bring along. He looked great & had a lot of fun with it - here he is as Duff with his cake creation:

We also had our annual Greenhill Halloween party and had a fantastic time as usual! Everyone looked amazing and we all had a great time! Steve was Robert Downey Jr's character from Tropic Thunder - Kirk Lazarus...hysterical! And I was as creative as I could be and went as a Magic 8 Ball...Steve made my shirt & did an incredible job! We had a really great time!

Here are a few pics from the party:

And now onto what's going on with LM

37 weeks = FULL TERM BABY!

Yes, that's right! Should LM decide to come now the lungs should be fully mature and ready for the world! Weight should be around 6 & 1/3 lb & from head to heel LM should be measuring over 19 inches long!

That's about as tall as a stalk of Swiss Chard

Braxton Hicks contractions have been present for a couple weeks now I believe. I confirmed with the doctor last week that the sensations I've been feeling are indeed BH contractions. Although I am having those - LM has not dropped down quite yet so this week when we see our doc, if there's still no progress she will do a sonogram to see what's going on in there. :) LM is still quite active even with the limited space which just means that with each movement I FEEL it! Other than that things are pretty quiet in our house. We went to dinner and the movies this weekend. We wanted to take some time to just enjoy being with each other.

Soon enough our household of 2 will be a 3! We'll keep you posted on any progress...until then...

We hope you all enjoy the rest of your week! Love to all!

Week 36

24 Days to go! The beginning of the end is rapidly approaching! :)

As we draw nearer to the arrival date of our little one - the days are cooling & the level of activity for both baby & Mama are slowing down...well - for Mama anyway. Baby is still a mover & a shaker and as I mentioned last week, while the movements themselves might be a tad slower - the frequency hasn't really declined but the intensity grows by the day.

This kid is strong!

The room is done - the linens have been washed and the diapers have been stacked. This week was a relatively low key one for Steve and I which was nice. We didn't have any major social events and we were able to stick around the house & get some things done. We got the house cleaned and ran some errands and then Sunday we had our breastfeeding class - oh so very exciting! :) Following that we had a wonderful get together with our incredible neighbors for the 2nd Annual Greenhill Pumpkin Carving. We had some new additions and as always - great food & heavy competition! So fun!

What's LM up to this week? Still packin on the pounds! LM is now gaining about an ounce a day which puts his/her weight at right around 6 lbs. or equivalent to that of a crenshaw melon:

I will be honest - I have never heard of...though I will be looking for one at the grocery this week to get an idea. :) Length-wise LM should be around 18 & 1/2 inches long and by now most of the downy covering of hair that has been protecting the skin of our little one while he/she bakes has been shed. Come Friday - LM will be considered FULL TERM.

That's right - DING - the oven timer will sound. We are of course up to weekly visits with our doctor and as of last week LM was head down as he/she should be. All is looking well & right on track.

Guess we should get that hospital bag packed - LM will be here soon enough!
Have a great week - Love to all!

Oh - and for all you Florida people who don't get to enjoy the beauty that is FALL :)

Here are a couple pics of some trees on my street...ahhhh - I love fall!

Week 35

32 days to go! We are coming up on the 4 week countdown! Unbelievable...and so very exciting! This weekend we went down to VA to celebrate my brother StephenMichael's 8th birthday...it's hard to believe 8 years have already gone by since he got here. Just another friendly reminder of how quickly time passes and how much we should appreciate and savor every single day we get.
Anyway - here are a few shots from the fun time we all had at Pump It Up...very cool place for kids I might add. And adults too :)
Stephen & Jess
Jess being victorious & Steve still trying to take her out...

Not so fast!

Jenn & Steve coming out of the obstacle course...

I had my fun too! :)

We headed home Saturday evening after watching a great attempt by Arkansas to upset the Gators...while it didn't happen it was a fun game to watch...Sunday Steve and I headed to the movies - something we know we won't be doing for a little while after LM arrives. :) After the movie we enjoyed a nice lunch and then ran all over the place for errands. While there are still lots of things we feel we need to get done over the next 4 weeks, the list is definitely getting shorter. As for what LM has been up to this week....there's not much room left in there now that he/she has reached over 18 inches long and is weighing in around 5 & 1/4 lbs! That's about the size of a honeydew melon:
While I am no longer feeling the crazy swirls of somersaults I am definitely still feeling lots of movement - just a little slower and a lot stronger! The kidneys of our little guy/gal are fully developed and the liver is now capable of processing waste. The physical development is complete so now the next few weeks are all about putting on weight! As for me - my once tiny uterus is now reaching up under my ribcage and I am made aware of that fact everyday! :) There is now more baby than amniotic fluid and all of my fabulous organs have been pushed to the side to accommodate our little one. Fine by me. :)

I am pretty tired by the end of the day but I am overall feeling great. I just wish I didn't have such a hard time putting socks on! :) This sudden blast of cooler weather while very happily received has made getting dressed a fun event. I feel like I am getting bigger everyday - I'm not sure if you can see it as well in my pics but I feel it! :) Steve and I are enjoying these last few weeks...they will pass all too quickly and soon enough we'll be sharing pics of our beautiful LM!

Ahh - so much to look forward to! :)

That's all for now...have a fantastic week! Love to all!

Week 34

Sorry for the delay in the post Little Miller followers!

All is well here and moving right along. Had an appointment today with the doctor and we are still on track for November 20th. Everything is measuring appropriately. I have developed a fair amount of swelling/water retention and have been told to lay low as much as possible. She didn't say the "B" word yet - that's bedrest for those who didn't know - but I have a feeling if I don't look less puffy next week she might throw that word out there...lets hope not! :) And yes, I did say next week - we are now seeing her weekly! Next week marks the 1 month countdown! We have 37 days to go people! Literally right around the corner...though LM still has some cookin to do. So that being said - what's going on this week with the little one?

Well - LM is now weighing in at around 4 & 3/4 lbs! That is about the size of your average cantaloupe:

LM is measuring almost 18 inches long and the fat layers surrounding our little bundle of joy are now filling out. This added plumpness will help LM to regulate his/her body temp once he/she makes his/her appearance. :) The central nervous system is maturing and the lungs are still continuing to mature as well - though at this point should LM decide now is the time to make an appearance - he/she would do just fine.

As for me - I'm doing just fine. Definitely feeling more tired as the days progress but honestly other than that I'm doing great! I have an incredible hubby to thank for making this process a thoroughly enjoyable one. Thanks for taking such good care of me & our little one!

Here's this week's belly progress - getting bigger by the day it seems :)

LM is still VERY active and as the little guy/gal continues to grow the movements just get stronger - amazing. The little one is already taking my breath away and he/she is not even here yet! :) As anxious as I am to see who this person is - I will miss the moments that we are sharing now...I'm savoring these last few weeks and really trying to enjoy every possible second. The experience thus far has been an amazing one and one that has gone SO fast!

35 weeks Friday! 5 to go!! :)

Have a great week - Love to all!

Week 33

What a whirlwind of a week/weekend!!
The fun began Thursday - Mom Spalton arrived that afternoon and we started things off with a fabulous dinner at the Annabel Lee Tavern (http://www.annabelleetavern.com/) in Baltimore.
If you have not yet been - GO. It was wonderful.
Friday was work as usual and then it was time to head to VA for the 2nd Baby Shower for Little Miller! This child is spoiled already & not even here! :)
This is the lovely lady that made it all happen (along with amazing help from Melanie, Greg & Jenn!). Can I just say it was amazing & beautiful & I will just show a few pics of the day so you can try to grasp how wonderful it all was...
Chocolate bar favors...yum!
Steve & I diving into the goodies for Little Miller
Just one of the 3 incredible diaper cakes Mom Noone made!! I don't know if any of you have ever made one of these - holy my goodness I had no idea all of the work that went into these things! Lets just say she has WAY more patience than I do! And I am stocked with diapers - for at least a week I've been told ;)
Proud Daddy - & this is just a shirt...imagine how big the smile will get when the kid actually arrives!! :)
Chattin with some of the fabulous ladies that came out to share the day...and of course - last but certainly NOT least - the incredible cake! I'm still VERY upset that I forgot to snag some to bring home with me :( Although...Mom might be visiting this weekend so I may have to see if she can bring some up! If there's any left now! Dad!
Mmmm - SO GOOD! :) And how cute is that!
Now - for your viewing pleasure - ha. We feel like the nursery now has it's finished touches complete. The window treatments have been hung - the closet is finished and now all we need is Little Miller...Did I mention that my (our) :) chair arrived!! I am SO flippin excited about this chair and it is SO super comfy...Here are the pics of the bebe's room:

Thanks to Marishka - a fabulous artist & friend - we have Little Miller's first original piece of art! She made this for the room and it is absolutely perfect! The colors are amazing and we couldn't be happier with it!

Steve and I are still talking about the shower & the weekend and how incredibly blessed we are. We have some of the most amazing friends & family ever & truly are grateful for each & every one of you! We cannot wait to introduce our little one to you all!

Now - speaking of said little one...what's going on with Little Miller this week? Well, first off - we have 45 days to go! That's right people - we are in the 40's! LM is measuring around 17 inches long - and let me tell you those little feet are making their presence known...I've never been more aware of my rib cage than I have in the last week or so! :) LM is weighing in a little over the 4 lb mark(!) which is equivalent to the size of a pineapple
LM is still shedding the loose, wrinkly skin as the baby fat accumulates and the bones of our little guy/gal are rapidly hardening - making each and every one of his/her movements really felt! I myself have officially entered the waddling stage I believe...and definitely feeling front heavy these days :)
Swelling in the hands & feet has become more & more present as the days progress and sleep - well...not so much. I spend much of the night switching from my left to right side depending on how long it takes the arms to go numb. Just another lovely reminder of the growth...I love it. :) I have my doctor's visit next week and Steve and I have begun the process of pediatrician interviews. So far so good. I think we will be able to make an informed decision by next week which will make my doctor happy since she's been asking about that. :)
Thank you all for your continued support & love - have a great week! Love to all!

Week 32

53 days to go!

This week was a good one for us - very productive. Steve was able to get the closets finished up and I was able to get everything put away & organized - whew! I feel SO much better now. Nice to have everything away & organized. He did an amazing job - as usual - and then we were able to enjoy some time relaxing - not much - but a little. :)

Besides finishing up the closet - the weekend consisted of dinner with friends Friday and our friend Lito's birthday party - it was a blast! Other than that - pretty low key.

This week Little Miller is weighing in around 3.75 pounds - about the size of a large jicama:
LM is measuring about 16.7 inches long(!) and taking up more & more space as he/she is also gaining about 1/2 lb a week! LM is supposed to gain a third to half of his/her weight during the next 7 weeks. LM has toenails, fingernails, & hair - which was evident in the pics at our last ultrasound and the little one's skin is smoothing out as the weight packs on. Good times!

As for me - my blood volume has increased 40-50% since I became pregnant - pretty wild! My uterus is now pushing up near my diaphragm and crowding my stomach which now brings on shortness of breath & heartburn on occassion - I love it! :) Sleeping is definitely becoming more complicated but it's all worth it. Here's this weeks' shot:

This week is a very exciting one for Steve & I both. Mom Spalton is headed up Thursday and we have our VA babyshower this Saturday! We are very excited to see everyone & really looking forward to a great time with friends & family. For those who we won't be seeing in person - we will be thinking of you and assuredly seeing you sometime in the near future...

Love to all! Have a great week!

Week 31

First of all - we must take time out to welcome Ms. Ava Mae Valabek!

Congrats to Rachel & Mike on the arrival of their daughter last Thursday! She is absolutely gorgeous as you can see & we cannot wait to meet her!

Looking forward to heading to Nole games with the little ones :)

Feels like it was just last week that Rachel shared her wonderful news that she was expecting and then very shortly thereafter sharing with her that we were! Crazy to me that Ava is already here & just a friendly (amazing, wonderful) reminder that LM's arrival is right around the corner!

59 days to go people!! Can you believe it!! :)

So on that note - what's going on with LM this week? Well, LM is measuring over 16 inches long and weighing about 3.3 lbs which is equivalent to about 4 naval oranges (Mmmm). He/she can turn his/her head from side to side and the arms, legs & body of our little one are beginning to fill out as LM accumulates fat under the skin. Needless to say there are no worries on my end as to whether this little guy/gal is moving around - holy my goodness! Read this week that sleeping may prove more difficult due to the little one's movements - DUH! Ha. Sleeping is no problem for me - being comfortable these days though while sleeping is definitely proving more difficult. Steve tells me that LM is really active when I first fall asleep - I'm calling that Daddy time. :) He enjoys that moment - just the two of them & I enjoy hearing about it in the morning...

Here's this week's pic - grow Little Miller grow!

Steve and I had a really great & relaxing weekend. Saturday we went to class & graduated all in the same day! We are now certified in both CPR&First Aid. Good times. After that we were able to enjoy our friends & neighbors at the annual Grapes on Greenhill event.

Thanks to Kristen & Vanessa for hosting - the food was incredible & the company even better. Already looking forward to next years! Here are a few pics from the party...

Sunday we went to the Redskins game! We had a great time cheering on the team & the win made it even better...even if it was achieved with 3 field goals! :)

Did I mention our Noles won Saturday too! Yes, it was a great weekend!

Looking forward to our next one already! haha. Love to all!