The story of Miles...

(Three weeks+ late....)

October 28th. 

39 weeks and 1 day pregnant with little man. Still haven't agreed on a name. Three in the running. Nervous we won't be able to agree! 

4:45 am - alarm goes off (as usual). Ben walked the dog. Cold and dark. She was more than slightly confused especially seeing my mom asleep on the chaise in the living room. 

5:30 am - Lunch and breakfast made. Phone rings. 203 area code. Hospital says "sorry about that 6:00 check-in... we have some back ups from last night, come on in at 11." Sorry, Mom. You could've slept in your own bed!  ...and I could've eaten something last night.

Regular relaxed morning routine with Oliver. 

8:30 am - phone rings again. Same number. It's my doctor. "Come on in when you can." Ummmm. Okay. I'll be there at 10? 

9:45 am - making our way over to the hospital, bags ready, cell phones charged, hair straightened. (Yes, I did. No apologies. Not one.)

The nurses are amazing. The anesthesiologist is fantastic and explains the spinal vs. epidural. I'm wheeled down to surgery and learn very quickly to avoid turning my head to the right - reflections in the glass cabinets are unnecessary to be seen. Get a little lightheaded, tiny bit sick. 

11:28 am - "Here he comes...."  "Wow! He's got so much hair!" ...and they put him in the warmer (photo below). What do B+I say to each other? "Holy $h*t, it looks exactly like Oliver."  ...and then ::somehow:: we agreed on his name. 

7lbs even. (Although the pediatrician claims he was 6lbs 15.8oz - I'm going with 7). 20.5" long. Miles Alexander. Welcome to the world!

Sometime shortly after 11:28am (whilst feeling some movement below the curtain) (stop reading here if deliveries make you queasy) my OB says "alright! I'm putting your uterus back in now." I could've done without hearing that, but thank you for the update. 

First shot!

Noonish - in recovery. With Miles and Ben. (What? In NC I was alone. Solo.) M latched on (woah! bravo! kicking your big brother's butt already!) and we enjoyed some cell-phone free bonding time while nurses monitored my slowly recovering heart rate. (Apparently 60/25 isn't good?)

Love.

The hospital was awesome. The nurses were incredibly nice, comforting, helpful, and understanding. This C-section was a completely (COMPLETELY) different experience than the last one. I was up walking to the bathroom after 14 hours vs. bedridden for three days. Not to mention the food was pretty delicious - chicken pot pies, tomato soup, pancakes, and the famous lobster or filet dinner (I had salmon. It was banging). Miles stayed in the nursery overnight for 3 hours at a time because B was at home with O, and they brought him to me when he needed to feed. (TMI - sorry dad - I had to pump 6oz at the hospital because I was drowning the poor kid. I guess second time around is easier? and more plentiful? sheesh.) 

I got some GREAT advice from friends around here with regards to the much anticipated meeting. We'd obviously been talking about baby brother for weeks, but we not so sure if Oliver knew what was about to happen to him. When Ben picked Oliver up from daycare and brought him over, Miles was in the nursery. He came and said hi to me, I told him I had a boo boo on my tummy and to be careful. He really just wanted to sit in the bed with me. He and Ben walked down to the nursery to get Miles, and Oliver was so excited to see him that he even pushed the layette back to my room. (Only narrowly avoiding a collision with the wall). We, then, gave Oliver the present Miles had brought? bought? him. An extra large Caterpillar dump truck. Baby brother has fantastic taste and it looks JUST like the one we saw at Target last week! Hmmmm.... 

Proud (?) big brother. 

I love this photo more than any other one we took those three days in the hospital. Especially because when Oliver sees it he says "Miles is crying because he has to go to the doctor." Yes, buddy, that's EXACTLY why he's crying. 

...and so begins life with my two boys.

Dear Oliver...

Dear Oliver, 

Next week we will welcome into the world your little brother. I know this will be a challenging, trying, exciting, new, scary, frustrating, happy, confusing time for all of us - but there are some secrets I want you you need to know.  And not to forget. 

You made me a "Mommy." 
Even though you like to call me "Julie" or "Mommy Porter" - you're the first person in the world to call me Mommy. That will never change. Ever. (Just don't tell your brother what my 'real' name is for a while, mmmmk?)

You've taught me what it means to love someone unconditionally. 
Only minutes after throwing a temper tantrum, you look into my eyes and say "I'm sorry, Mommy, I got mad." You melt my heart. You never really know how much your parents love you until you have a child of your own. It's difficult to put into words. 

You've taught me what fearlessness is. 
Touching an unknown animal (just not a worm), jumping into a pool, sliding down a fire pole. Bravery is something that fades as we age, and I just need a little boy like you to help show me the way. To not be afraid of new things, or of failure. 

You've made me laugh harder than I've ever thought possible.
Thank you for that. Each and every day you've made me laugh whether you've meant to or not. Whether it's riding Stella around the house, saying "winner, winner, chicken dinner!" or mastering your own fake laugh... they are the happiest sounds to hear in our house. 

We've learned (and are still learning) how to share. 
Sharing time, food, attention, pastimes, sleeping spaces, toys, screen time, stories, books, experiences. We share everything. And I love that.  (Although two minutes of an uninterrupted shower would be nice...)

You've taught me what observational honesty is. 
Just today, walking the dog - when Daddy asked if you wanted to go on his shoulders, you sat down and stated "I have to go poop. Poop is coming out of my bum right now."  Or last week when you asked if there was a baby in that man's belly at the grocery store. I will never, ever forget when we were running and you commented "Mommy, that big lady running slowly!" With time, you'll understand. But for now, I appreciate your pure, unbridled honesty. And I'll try my best to keep a straight face, but know that I'm cracking up inside. 

We've learned together. 
We've done the sleep training, breast feeding, tantrum calming, foot and mouth, ear infection, teething, croup, moving, allergy/sensitivity thing together. (There are still those yet-to-be-conquered items like the potty...) You helped me figure out what was right for us, at that given time. It might not be right again, and it might not have been what 'experts' suggested. So, thank you for letting me figure out my own kind of being a mom.

You've taught me to appreciate the little things. 
The 4:25 hug. The giggle let out when Stella licks you. Listening to Elmo all the way to work alone. Noticing the cement mixer ("no, it's not a cable repair truck!") parked across the street. The "wow Mommy! I love your beautiful haircut!" comment, even if Daddy did prompt bribe you. 

You've taught me how to prioritize. 
Is a donut for breakfast the worst thing that could possibly happen in this world? No.  Shoot, sometimes (when you go the whole night without a pacifier) it's an absolutely necessary reward.  Do I need to write back to this email at this exact moment or can it wait until I've rubbed your back and read you a bedtime story? 

You've taught me how to be a better teacher. 
I look at my students differently now. (Not that teachers without kids can't be amazing). I appreciate the faith that parents have in me because that's the faith I put in your daycare teachers every morning I leave you in their capable hands. You've taught me to do what I love, and to love what I do. Because you would rather read "100 Trucks" over another book and that's okay. That's your passion. 

Your little brother will look up to you, respect you, envy you, want to be you, copy you, annoy you, and love you. Every day of your lives. I hope you remember these 'secrets' and learn a fraction as much from him as I have from you. 

I love you, 
Mommy

10 days...

Tomorrow, P2's birthday will be in the 10 day forecast. WOAH.

One week stands between me and four months of maternity leave. 

(And next Friday I have ONE HOUR of Parent-teacher conferences). 

37/38 week outfits

#1 (left) - cranberry skinny pants (H&M), black boots (DSW) white tank and black maternity sweater (Motherhood Maternity), houndstooth infinity scarf (Target)

#2 (center) - black maternity maxi dress (Target), rust colored sweater (non-maternity, Target), houndstooth belt (Kohls). Photo Day outfit. 

#3 (right) - maternity jeans (Target), striped maternity shirt (Kohls), grey cardigan (Old Navy) 

Full term... Hospital bag

37 weeks. Fully cooked. I guess that warrants packing the hospital bag, yes? Okay. Fine. 

I'd like to think this time around that I'm packing a bit better.... we will see.

(Disclaimer: there are some not-so-glamorous items here.)

The whole shebang. [See below for more detail.]

Only packing for myself and baby - B will come home in the evenings to do dinner/bed/breakfast with O and make sure that everything is as normal as possible for him. Until it hits the fan. 

My bag. Unpacked. 

Contents of my bag: 
- slippers
- two outfits (PJ pants with comfortable waist bands, warm, fuzzy socks, underwear with no top seams, nursing tank, nursing bra, robe or wrap sweater)
- cell phone and charger
- camera batteries and charger (camera was taking the photo - obviously)
- shield (very useful last time)
- makeup/shampoo/deodorant bag (for that one glorious shower)
- pads, nursing pads (glamour)
(computer/ipad will eventually make it in there...)

Baby's stuff. 

Contents of baby's bag: 
- coming home outfit (left) - the same one Oliver wore. Onesie, one piece button up, hat, hand mittens (to avoid scratching)
- two other outfits that include onesie and swaddle (one velcro and one wrap-up), hand mittens and hat 
- pacifier (now with self-sanitizing box!) that was photographed with my stuff
- size 1 diapers (they look SOOOOO teeny!)
- sensitive wipes (we love Target brand)

The car seat bases will go in this week, once I have my car majorly cleaned. We've had so many generous and kind friends help us with some items we've needed. Between the stroller adaptor (thanks, Claire!) and the MamaRoo (thanks, Jess!) or the glider (thanks, Jodie!) - I feel pretty set on this one. My mom is picking up the extra camera for our monitor although he'll be in the bassinet in our room for a few months... 

37 week outfits (two work, one gym)

Can't wait to box up the maternity clothes. 

Almost "fully cooked"!

36 week outfits

Woah, now that I look at this - that yellow shirt makes me look like I'm smuggling a watermelon or basketball under there.  The non-maternity hand-me-up white cardigan from my little sister probably doesn't help anything either. Sorry to anyone I offended! It's also starting to get pretty cold out - especially at 7:30 am when we leave the house which means cardigans, boots, sweaters, and my favorite - scarves! Hooray! 

I've been on a baking kick the last three weeks months. Apple crisp, apple turnovers, muffins, cupcakes, pies, anything sweet. My mom gifted an awesome donut tray (didn't know they were so specific and so incredible) so I tried out a pumpkin donut recipe I found on Pinterest tonight after dinner.  Instead of butter dipping and cinnamon sugar dusting, I put a little melted milk chocolate on top and they are uh-mazing. Try 'em out if you're pregnant or not!  Original recipe here.

Yes, please!

On Sunday, a friend took some photos of our family before baby gets here. They turned out adorable - here are some sneak peeks she posted, I can't wait to see the rest!  If you're a CT local, check out her page (here) - some great deals going on because she's trying to build her portfolio and buy some new equipment.  

Thank you, Shannon! 

Love this boy.

Handsome little man. 

Weeeeee!

What a face!

Sunset silhouette. 

32 day countdown...

Four weeks from Monday (or sooner) Oliver will have a baby brother. What? I'm slightly terrified about just how soon it is.... yikes! Lots to do... (see list)

34 and 35 week outfits. 

Lots of black. Scarves. Layers.

#1 - black maternity skinny pants - H&M, plaid maternity tunic - Target, white Old Navy cardigan, brown DSW boots. 

#2 - purple maternity dress and black maternity leggings - Destination Maternity (2010)

#3 - brown dress pants - Destination Maternity (2010), white ribbed tank - Target, navy Old Navy cardigan (non-maternity) and orange scarf (Fleming-Reid wedding!) plus Broncos earrings :) 

#4 - white long sleeved maternity shirt (rouched sides) - Destination Maternity (2010), brown sweater tee (non-maternity) - Kohls, black skinny pants - H&M (fans)

#5 - black maternity dress - Target, striped sweater (non-maternity) Kohls.

To do list:

- get bassinet from Gigi's house

- pack hospital bag

- take hospital tour

- buy Oliver present from baby

- get Mamaroo from awesome friend

- buy and assemble new glider/rocker

- install old car seat bases

- put together double stroller

- order double stroller snack tray/car seat adaptor

- finish planning November (for sub)

And, oh yeah... FIGURE OUT A NAME. (touchy subject). Suggestions welcome. 

6 weeks to go!

Somehow, we only have about six short weeks left until we meet P2. That's what I've been calling him seeing as that might end up being his name the way we're going... 

We've been back to work for about a week and a half. Which means a few things for us. It means getting up at 4:45am (yes, I'm still crazy), in turn going to bed at 9:00pm. It means packed lunches and snacks. It means trying not to feel exhausted from 5-8pm. It means that for 10 hours a day I can't wear yoga pants. It means trying to make the most of our weekends. It means not having a whole lot of "free" time and feeling like I do laundry all day Saturday and Sunday. 

Lots of black. And stripes. And more black. (Sorry Mer!)
(Thank you to my little sister for the hand-me-up green sweater!)

"Go purple shirts!" - Oliver watching Auntie play FH last weekend.

How far along: 32.5 weeks
Baby info: 4.5 lbs, 19in. Size of a HONEYDEW. WOAH.
Total weight gain: Haven't been to the doctor in a few weeks and I am NOT getting on my scale at home. It'll all come off. Eventually. Right?
Maternity clothes: Yes and still (!) no. I'm wearing a dress shirt from Old Navy today, just unbuttoned from the sternum down. It doesn't look horrendous? 
Sleep: Pillow between the knees, but still not fantastic. 
Best moment of this week: A happy surprise for B plus getting really sweet, thoughtful emails from parents after curriculum night. I was SO worried about being so pregnant, but I'm feeling pretty supported and valued. Yay!
Miss anything: Still - deli meat, sushi, I think that's about it.
Food cravings: Gatorade. Egg salad. Pizza. Caesar salad. French fries. String cheese. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really? Maybe the smell of 6th grade students after recess? 
Have you started to show yet: Yep. Totally.
Gender: Still a boy!
Looking forward to: Sunday we're headed to the Manning Bowl aka the Broncos/Giants game. Best husband ever.