365 Days Ago

Tomorrow is Miles' first birthday!!

Which means that it was a year ago today that I went into labor at 38-weeks pregnant. I have such fond memories of this day too. I have a CRYSTAL CLEAR memory of it!

It was basic, normal Monday. I went to work, ordered in lunch with my team partner since it was cold and snowy outside, I met with various people to prep them to take over my projects when I went on maternity leave, and left at around 4:00. Overall I remember it just being a GOOD, calm, day (Which is sometimes rare where I work, lol).

I got home and was realllllly tired. I had a bowl of cheerios, took a shower, and put my feet up. A few hours later, I noticed I was spotting and I got a little concerned so I called my OB. She was working at the hospital that night so she told me to come in and they would just give me a quick check up to make sure everything looked ok.

I was glad she was going to check me out so I could have some peace of mind, but I was also SO UPSET that I was going to the hospital for a check-up because I wanted the next time I went to the hospital to be the time I was having my baby! (At this point, I was completely convinced I'd be home a few hours later!) We called our parents and told them what was going on, but not to get too excited or too concerned because it was a just a check-up.

We brought my hospitals bags JUST IN CASE they admitted me, dropped our dog off at my in-laws he wouldn't be alone if it were a really late night, and we headed to the hospital in a blizzard!

We get to the hospital and they bring us back to a triage room in the Labor and Deliver unit at around 10:30pm. I was e-x-h-a-u-s-t-e-d and just anxious to hear that the baby was ok and we could go home. The nurse checks me out and confirms the heartbeat is strong and the baby looks great. She tells me they will just have the doctor take a look and then they'll send me home.

Well, the nurse leaves and not two minutes later my water breaks and I start having INSANE contractions. Elevens on an intensity scale of 1-10! So bad I made Evan go and get the nurse. The doctor and nurse come back 5-minutes later and check me out, and sure enough I was almost completely dialted and effaced and ready to go! I will never forget the moment they told me the baby was coming and instructed transport to bring me to a labor and delivery room immediately. What were the odds? Seriously? We were laughing the timing was so perfect!

I got my epidural around 11:30pm and then we called our parents to let them know the baby actually WAS on his way! I think we were all pretty much in shock in the most wonderful way! Obviously labor was painful and exhausting, but it was such a miracle to see this sweet little boy come into the world. When I reflect back on the year I think how much I truly loved pregnancy and caring for this absolutely amazing little boy and watching him grow! Love just isn't a strong enough word for how I feel about him and about the honor I feel it is to be his mom.

I can't believe tomorrow he will be ONE!!!

Fridays with Milesbear

As I shared on the blog before, I work on a "tailored work arrangement" and therefore do not work on Fridays anymore. I LOVE my Fridays with Miles! We play around the house, cuddle,  read books, go for walks, do laundry, take a long nap together, go shopping, lay outside under the big tree in our front yard, have play dates with friends, cuddle, practice walking, cuddle, and cuddle some more :)  I love my job and there are a lot of reasons that I decided to continue to work (which I will share in detail at some point), but I think taking Fridays off was one of the best decisions I ever made, and I cherish this extra mommy-Miles day!

 

    

 

This weekend he turns 8-months old! My oh my how time flies!

 

 

PS - These are al pics Ive posted on instagram. You can follow me at saramb11!



House Tour with Baby Stuff EVERYWHERE!

As you can imagine, when you have a new baby, you have a lot of associated STUFF that comes along with caring for that sweet little bundle of joy! In our case, it has infiltrated every single room of our house, and I LOVE it (from a functional standpoint at least!) Since I like my house clean and looking nice, we also placed things pretty strategically and invested a little more to obtain baby-stuff with a style/design that we liked and that worked in our home.

Let me give you the tour:

1) Den
First in the den, we have our Joovy Play Yard (in Blueberry). This is our command station on the first floor.  The changing table on the top is awesome. This is where we change 80% of all diapers. I also like this unit because  the left side of it has storage for diapers, lotions, clothes, etc. Easy access is essential! Miles doesn't sleep in this yet, so we currently use it for the storage of towels, his Ergo carrier, and spare outfits. We also have an Ubbi Diaper pail down here (and one in the nursery). These are great - they are stylish, they totally encapsulate the odors, and they use regular kitchen trash bags! I highly recommend this product. We also have a little metal bin down here that we use as a laundry basket.

 We also have this cute Anywhere Chair from PB Kids in our den, not that he has used it yet! He needs to be a little bit bigger first :)

2) Living Room
The most important thing in this room, and perhaps the most valuable baby item we have: THE SWING! We have the Graco Duet Soothee Swing and Rocker. It is amazing. Miles LOVES this thing. He loves the motion and the music. He is always, always happy when we put him in here. The other thing I like about it is that the swing seat can be removed from the base, so you can easily use it as a seat anywhere in the house. So functional.

We also love the Farmyard Activity Gym from PB Kids. Miles loves what we call "kick time", where he just lays on his back and kicks for several 10-15 increments throughout the day. He loves it and it gives him exercise! Another essential is the Boppy Pillow. We use it every day for tummy time, and it is also really nice for holding him on the floor or on our bed because it props his head up.

3) Dining Room 
In our dining room we have the Joovy Spoon walker. (Again, something he hasn't used YET!)

4) Kitchen
In our kitchen, we have a Fisher-Price Rock 'n Play bassinet. It is really nice to put him in this when I'm making meals or doing dishes and want him close by. (Just a note, I think he currently likes being in this more than the Joovy pack and play at this point because its more enclosed and cozy).

In our kitchen, we also have a whole baby section on our countertop (far left corner) where we store bottles, pacifiers, and pump accessories as they dry. I keep the pieces and parts in clear glass canisters when they are clean, but seriously we are always washing a handful of these things so its just become a normal part of life to have them drying out on the counter!

5) Master Bedroom
In our bedroom we have the Restoration Hardware Moses Basket. He doesn't sleep in this unsupervised (I'm a little nervous about all of the fabric), but its really nice to put him in here when I'm changing, folding laundry, or cleaning our room. He loves it too. He almost always falls asleep right away when he's placed in here.

6) Master Bathroom
We also use the basket in the master bathroom when we are showering so we can keep a close eye on him. It is easy to move around and like I said, he loves it, which means I can get in a nice, long peaceful shower every morning! :)

7) Mudroom
Our mudroom now houses our stroller and carseat. Since its not a very big room, this stuff basically has taken over this room. Very convenient though!

It might seem a little overkill to have something that can hold him in almost every room, but it is so convenient not to have to lug things from room-to-room (especially when trying to comfort a crying baby!) So having something in every room has been great (and even greater that virtually everything we got as gifts!)  

Like I said, the baby stuff is EVERYWHERE! However, we wouldn't change a thing :) 

What tips do you have for incorporating baby stuff into your house?

Miles, Miles, Miles

Sorry for the lack of posting.. you'd think you have a lot of free time on maternity leave, but you'd be wrong! ;) Miles and I are busy busy cuddling, napping, nursing, doing laundry, diaper changing, and cuddling some more!

Miles turns 10-weeks old tomorrow and we are finally getting into a good routine during the day and sleeping well at night! This is such a fun time right now too because he just smiles like crazy! He loves bath time, laying down and kicking his legs (future soccer play like daddy), swinging in his swing, reading books, and talking (lots of cooing and loud yells of "ha!")

All in all, Evan and I have never been happier. This little guy is the best and our hearts are just overflowing with love! That being said, here are some of my favorite pictures from the last month so you can see what we have been up to :)

This boy LOVES tummy time!

Oops, his winter coat is just a little too big! :)

First walk! FINALLY warm enough a couple weeks ago! (I highly recommend this stroller by the way, the Britax B-Ready.. his carseat clips right in!)

Being a mom = best job ever! Also the hardest job ever! To keep it real, we definitely have struggled with Miles having "silent reflux", a form of acid reflux where instead of spitting up a lot, when any spit up comes up he tries to swallow it and sometimes chokes  or gags (so, so hard to watch). Along with it comes wet hiccups which are very uncomfortable for him (and again, for me to watch!)  Lots of tears over these issues from both me and him. His symptoms started around 3.5 weeks and I'm happy to say that a combination of medicine, holding him up for at last 30-minutes after eating, sleeping on an incline (we got a Rock and Play), cutting out almost all dairy, and time in general has really helped and he rarely has symptoms anymore! THANK GOD. He also had a cold the last couple of weeks which was also miserable. Many nights I just held him all night because he just wanted to cuddle and nuzzle up in my neck. Who needs sleep? I would do anything to get this guy feeling happy and healthy and thankfully thats where we are today! All smiles :)

Final Nursery Reveal

Thank you all for the sweet messages regarding the arrival of baby Miles!

I was able to snap some quick pictures of the finished nursery a couple of days before going into labor. I love this room, it is my favorite room in the house! (Which is good because we spend a LOT of time in here!) 

Just a note, we aren't actually using the bumper in the crib right now. In fact, I'm considering returning it because I'm not sure I ever see us using it!

Evan did a great job of hiding the cord to the monitor behind a little dowel (see below). I was extremely impressed!

This is my little tray where I keep my phone, Lanolin, pacifier, chapstick, etc. while nursing! The iPad is also essential ;)

More of Miles

We love this boy!

Although it's true what they say that a newborn will turn your world completely upside down, our hearts could not be more full! Some thoughts: 

• He is so sweet and cuddly and LOVES his cheeks being kissed. 
• It melts my heart that he calms down at the sound of my voice. 
• Even though the late night feedings are still difficult for this tired mama, it is such a special time I spend with him and I am cherishing every second of it while it lasts! 
• I feel so proud to be able to say "my son" when talking about him <3 So, so proud!
• He is absolutely GROWING before our eyes! His little chicken legs are starting to plump, he's more alert every day, and he is packing on the ounces ;)