Mama J and her miracles!

I so infrequently am in pictures with my kids because I'm usually the one behind the camera and when Brad is taking pictures...I usually look a mess. LOL!

Anyways, we went to Eau Claire for the day today to go and visit Grandma Donna (since she is laid up with her foot surgery) and I wanted to dress the boys really nice to see her, so I put them in matching outfits that I recently bought them...and before we walked out of the house I had Brad shoot a few pictures of us. Naturally I didn't like most of them...go figure. But, here are a few that I don't mind posting. :) (Notice the grumpy frown Miles is giving Max for leaning too rough on him!)

We had a great day and the boys were excited to get some Grandma cuddle time in. I was actually able to meet the woman that I blogged about earlier this month who lost her little Myles after his strong fight for his life as a preemie. We'd been corresponding for months so it was nice to meet her and we had a really nice time. We talked about both our Myles/Miles and she shared with me her experience of motherhood (although short) and their loss. I fear I teared up several times during our time together. I hate that about myself...I really wanted to be strong and supportive for her and here I go and cry. Ugh. It was just really sad to hear of her last day with her baby and to imagine a loss so deep...and especially having just had a baby myself. In fact, our babies were born just days apart. Anyways, she is a strong woman and I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing her again soon...and hopefully one day I'll be able to meet her kids...you gotta keep HOPE! Without it...I never would have had Max or Miles.

Anyway...I lost track of time and had to rush back to Grandma Donna's as Miles was hungry. The rest of the afternoon was nice and we enjoyed ourself. Max missed his nap and was getting really fussy so we ate a quick dinner and left around 5pm. The last picture above was snapped within 20 minutes of leaving Grandma's house. :) My two little miracles sleeping peacefully. Made my heart sore to look at them both and think of the journey we had to get them here. :)

The little ones...

Here are just a few pics of the little ones from our day yesterday.

Miles cracks me up because he makes this face when his eyes get so wide. This picture shows a little bit of it...

Max enjoying a little time outside on the deck.

Sleepy Miles...

We've had a rough couple of nights this week as far as sleep goes, but when this kid sleeps...sometimes he SLEEPS and I can't wake him up for anything. It's a bit frustrating when he falls asleep when he's supposed to be eating...as I know it means he'll wake sooner...but it is a bit comical that he can sleep sooo deeply. I think I'm a bit jealous at this point! :)

Our weekend...

Just a few pictures of the family from this weekend!

This is the 1st picture of all 3 boys together!!

Another blankey boy???!

Here's a cute short clip of Miles...could he be another blankey boy in the making??

Max's 1st time out

Well, the little monkey has decided that he doesn't understand the word, "No" anymore. At least when we are saying it. So, we are attempting to teach him that when we say No...we mean it. He's gotten into the habbit of completely ignoring us and smiling at us and saying, "Hi!!" to be cute and then he does what he's not supposed to be doing.

He's also very smart and sneaky and realized really quickly that when mama is nursing...she's grounded to one spot for awhile. So, it's the perfect time to get into whatever he shouldn't be.

So, we decided that our oversized chair is his time out spot.

Here is a video of how his 1st time out went. :)



This kid absolutely cracks me up. Although his vocabulary has boomed...in this video most of what he's saying is "korean" to us! :) But, it definitely shows off his funny personality. I particularly like the, "Ummmmmm..." before he answers.

Michael...aka "Ga-Ko"

As I was saying in an earlier post...Max's vocabulary astonishes me because he says new words every day and is really good at repeating words as well.

Anyways, he just recently started to be able to say Michael's name. When he first started talking he called Michael, "Ga-ko" for some reason. And now he either calls him "My-Co" (for Michael) or he'll call him "Mo-key" (for monkey). It's hilarious!

Speaking of Monkeys...Baby Gap has these new astrology shirts with cute little pictures and descriptions for the astrology sign. Max is a Gemini and his shirt ironically has a monkey on it! I tried to buy him one but they were out of his size... How crazy is it that his shirt has a monkey on it though??!

Just a few photos

Max showing his little brother how to be silly

I thought this picture was funny because Brad put Miles on the couch all laid out and it just was humorous to me because it was such a grown up pose and he's so little.

I love when he looks right at me. He looks like such a wise man.

Today we just wanted to let Grandma Donna know that we are thinking of her and hoping her foot sugery goes well and that you have a speedy recovery. We'll give you a little time to heal and then schedule a time to bring the boys out to see you...I'm sure that will bring a smile to your face! Love you!

ARGH...Insurance

I'll only complain for a minute (I know there are worse things that could happen), but anyone who has had sucky insurance can attest to what a total pain in the arse it is to deal w/ hospitals, insurance companies, etc...none of them seem to have the same answer and they all send you to someone else for an answer. It's so stressful and frustrating. And as blessed as we are to have Miles...our hospital bill is up to a whopping $28k not including my OB, the anesthesiologist fees for the epidural AND the OR stuff, etc...

I'm actually pretty stressed out about it, but Brad insists not to worry and keeps telling me that the hospital is not expecting us to cut a $30k check tomorrow and we'll just have to work out a payment plan with them...and as long as we show effort to make monthly payments they will be ok. I find it hard to believe that they'll be ok with us paying off our bill over the next 30 years...but I guess we'll see. Since charges continue to get added to the bill...I haven't actually seen the EOB or a bill. Scary.

Actually when my Father in law had his brain anurism...he didn't have insurance and his hospital bill was like $250k and he was somehow able to talk them down to $8k or $10k...so I guess anything is possible.

SIGH...

Miles - 1 month old!

Even though sleep has been scarce for me...this past month has been wonderful! We really are blessed to have this beautiful family complete...especially after the journey we were on to get here. It's really a dream come true!

Miles Update:
My little cookie is 1 month today! Some nights are still more of a challenge, but he's been nursing more efficiently & going longer stretches between nursing (day & night). At night I've been able to get 3 hour stretches (usually) and sometimes a 4 hour stretch. He's a pretty gassy little man, so that will sometimes wake him up between nursing...but for the most part I think things are starting to get better at night. Other than that...he is more alert during the day for 1-3 hour stretches (1 to 2 times a day). The 3 hour stretch is too long for him and usually makes it harder to lull him back to sleep. Also, more than a 1/2 hour of awake time and he's convinced that he needs to eat again...even if he ate shortly before. So, that can be a bit of a fight. Max was the same way...they are boys. They like the boobies! :) I've been giving Miles a bath each night around 6:30pm before I feed him and then put him to bed. This usually is followed by a 4 hour sleep stretch. He's really starting to plump out...he was a skinny little thing when we brought him home. Brad keeps telling him he's getting fat. LOL! I told him not to give him a complex.

Maxwell Update:
OMG...where do I start! Well, first of all...we are pretty sure he's teething his 2 year molars because he's been chewing on his fingers and drooling again. Not to mention he's a fussy little dude and not eating all that well unless I get creative with food. He has been challenging lately because of the fussiness AND he likes to do everything he's not supposed to do and then smiles about it. Stinker. His vocabulary has blossomed big time in the past month. It's amazing some of the things that comes out of his mouth!

Some of the funniest things he says is, "Sorry". And I think he actually knows what it means because he says it when it's appropriate...but he doesn't mean it because he'll do something naughty and then immediately say, "Sorry" and then do it again. LOL! He is also into saying, "What?"...but he just repeats it over and over. I bought Brad the new Harmony remote (which is a master remote control and it rocks!) and Max loves it because it's got neat buttons that light up. He calls it the "mote" and gets all excited when he sees it and will hollar (and I mean hollar!), "Mote! Mote! Mote!". What a nut! I'm not sure why, but he's gotten a little clumbsy lately and he'll fall or trip and then he'll get up and say, "Ok!".

This kid is just too smart for his own good. He's figured out how to open up the "child proof" safety gate down to the basement. So, he'll take it upon himself to open the gate and then go downstairs by himself! One time he decided this was a good idea while I was nursing Miles and he ended up falling down the stairs part of the way. He was carrying something so I think he fell mostly on his butt down. He didn't get hurt, thankfully...and only cried briefly...I think he was mostly just scared. I was more scared than he was. I could go on about some of the things our little monkey does...he cracks me up and keeps me on my toes!!

Me (recovery) Update:
Brad has been really good at making sure I continue to take my pre-natals, iron pills, and such. Apparently it takes up to 3 months to build up your blood supply and reserve when you lose as much as I did. Other than that...everything else seems to be no different than my recovery after having Max. All is good. And one great benefit from breast feeding (and running after a toddler!) is the help with losing the baby pounds. I've got 7 pounds remaining to get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight. Hopefully once I get the OK to start working out (after my postnatal appt on 3/3) I can get rid of them quickly and tone up.

Well, Max wants to go down the basement...so I'd better get moving before he decides to go down without me! :)

A few videos...

Here's a video of Max (post fat lip) last night having a little cake after dinner. He was nice enough to share with Miles! :)



And here's a video of Max (pre fat lip) from this week. He likes to "play" with the cat and found a feather that he was sharing with him. What a little ham!

Max's 1st fat lip

I guess with boys I'd better get used to the falls, boo-boo's, and blood...

Yesterday we were getting ready to go run a few errands and I needed to feed Miles before we left, so Brad took Max outside. They were out there for about 10 seconds when I hear this odd shrieking noise and then 10 seconds later Brad walks in the front door with poor screaming Maxwell who is dripping blood from his face. Apparently he slipped on the ice and went face first. OUCH!

Poor guy's lip was so swollen and sore looking, and he definitely didn't want any part of having ice put on it...but thankfully kids are resilliant and he was ready to go back outside after Brad got him cleaned up. These pictures don't quite show how icky his lip looked yesterday...it's still icky looking today but the swelling has gone down some. Ahhh the joys I have to look forward to!

Counting our blessings!

In this household...we don't need a reason to be ultra thankful for the little miracles called Maxwell and Miles, but today was just a reminder how precious those miracles really are.

Brad and I have a special relationship with our IVF clinic and I've spoken at their monthly IVF seminars many times. We were even asked to be in a news interview about the clinic which aired in November 06' (http://wcco.com/seenon/Fertility.clinic.money.2.363242.html). About 6 months ago I was asked by our clinic to speak with a woman who was considering using them and I was happy to speak to her. I've always been an advocate for my clinic and my RE. This woman and I talked at length about the clinic and my RE (whom she'd be seeing if she chose to use them). She had a bad experience with another clinic and was hesitant in trying another, but after speaking with me...she chose to give them a shot and as I did...had a wonderful experience with them and got pregnant after many years of infertility issues and multiple losses.

Anyways, we've kept in contact and she updated me on how her pregnancy was going. Well, about 6 weeks ago she was diagnosed with preclampsia and her condition worsened rather quickly. She was soon rushed to the Mayo clinic and had to deliver her son at 23 weeks. He weighed only 12oz and was born just a few days after Miles. They named their little guy Myles as well. She kept her friends and family up to date with his condition almost daily on a Mayo carepage and I checked it regularly to see how they were doing. Although so small...he seemed to be a fighter and most days looked rather good for him.

This morning I read that their little Myles passed away.

My heart has been so heavy for them all day. And like I said before...I don't need a reason or a reminder to cherish the beautiful children that we have...but I found myself hugging and kissing my boys that much more today.

Niki...I'm thinking of you and your family during this difficult time. Please don't hesitate to call if you need anything or we can do anything for you. Your little guy fought a good fight...you should be proud! Many hugs are being sent your way!

Oh the paparazzi again!

Miles looks like Brittney trying to avoid the flashes of the paparazzi! :)

No...I just think it's funny because he always has his hands by his face when he sleeps.

The little guy gave me a wonderful Valentine's day gift...some sleep. SOME being the key word. He cluster fed pretty much from 5:30 until 8:30pm last night and then he woke up about an hour later and ate again...but then he gave me 3 hour stretches the remainder of the night. It was great! I haven't had 3 hour stretches of sleep in...I don't even remember when! I don't expect tonight to be as wonderful...but it was a nice break and I really felt like I had so much more energy today.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentines day. Ours was uneventful. I made Chicken Marsala (at Michael's request) and a chocolate cake for dessert (decorated with red hots in the shape of a heart...filled in with small peanut sprinkles). I bought the boys cards and got Brad the Harmony remote (which is SWEET!). I usually try to get the boys special candy treats and small gifts...but Miles cut my shopping spree short the other day (as mentioned in a previous post), so dinner and cards had to do this year.

Have a wonderful weekend all...I'm sooo glad it's the weekend! :)

The boys...

Quality time w/ my buddy, Chewers

Mama's little cookie

Well, our week so far has been joyful, tiring, stressful, fun, entertaining, tiring, silly, tiring, and challenging...oh, and did I say tiring?? :)

Maxwell is going through a testing phase...which probably normally wouldn't be so difficult to deal with...but when you are running on little sleep...his tests can drive a mama crazy! And the little stinker knows when he's trying to get a rise from me because he gives me this silly grin and just goes for it (whatever it is at the time). He's probably doing whatever necessary to make sure he gets our full attention...but what a little stinker he can be!! But, in the same breath he is so dang cute and funny...he just cracks me up! I want to get angry with him but that little dimple makes me melt! Brad took him grocery shopping this evening (I had tried to go with Miles when Max was napping and he started screaming for food about a minute after we got there, so that was a disaster and we left in a hurry) and while waiting in line to pay for the groceries he caught sight of a phone and screamed, "CALL CALL"at the top of his lungs. He's done this to me before when we were waiting for Mike to get his hair cut about a month ago. He's a nut and completely obsessed with phones (he calls them "call call"s).

As far as being naughty...I tried to count the "count to 10" approach one time last week when he wasn't listening and this is how it went:

Me: "Max, bring that over to me right now"

Max: big smile

Me: "Ok, I'm going to count to 10 and you'd better bring it back to me"

Me: "Onnneeee..."

Max: "Twwwwooo..."

It was all I could do not to laugh. He's really too young to even understand the whole concept, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. It backfired...but made for a funny story.

As for Miles...we had an advertising meeting at the store today and then we tried to run a few errands, but as you see from above...that ended quickly. I had an elderly women (who meant well) come up as he was screaming and she proceeded to try to touch him and put his binkie back in his mouth. Anyone who knows me well can only smile trying to imagine me trying to be cordial but wanting this woman to get her nasty grubby hands off my baby!!! Blech.

Anyways, he is in this fun pattern of thinking he needs to nurse whenever he is awake...as if every 2-3 hours isn't enough. So it makes for a fun time when he's emptied out the food supply. Thankfully today was much better and he actually went 3 hour stretches most of the day and was alert a few times withought demanding food. It was so nice to be able to talk and cuddle with him without him hollaring for the boobie! I've nicknamed him "Cookie" or "Cookie monster" because he becomes so ravenous when it comes to eating. It just reminds me of how crazy cookie monster got when he got a cookie. :)

We are Family...

We are very blessed to have the family that we have.

We've got a full list of career paths...lawyers, nurses, business owners, teachers, retail managers, insurance related fields, artists, hair stylists, marketing reps, cops, city employees, and the list goes on...

It is my pleasure to show off our cousin's new website: http://www.fieldelectronicdrums.com/

Todd (Brad's mom's sister's son) designs and makes custom drum sets and as you can see from this website...he is very talented! If you know of anyone that enjoys playing or has always wanted to learn...check out this site!!

Max - 1 wk old picture

For comparison sake... here is a picture of Max at 1 week old.

Can we say...TWINS?!

Mama's hunky monkey...

These pictures (taken today) might as well have been Maxwell when he was little! Sometimes it's uncanny how much Miles looks like Max did and other times he looks so different to me.

This morning was the first day that Miles was really alert and making good eye contact for an extended amount of time. It really is amazing to have your little miracle looking back into your eyes when you speak to them. It even looked like he would search for my face after he looked away.

The outfit he is wearing is a combination of getting spoiled by both Grandmas. Gma Donna found the cute furry pants on sale at the Gap and Gma Bonnie bought the monkey onesie and sweatshirt from Old Navy when we were out shopping the other day. Thanks, Grands!!

"Go Go"

I think I've mentioned this many times before...but Maxwell is quite attached to his binkie and his blankey and pretty much needs these items to go to sleep. They are what comforts him when he's upset.

Anyways, Brad just realized tonight that he calls them his "Go go". I guess both of us have heard him say "Go go" but more in a question like mannor, like "where'd they go" when he is looking for them. Brad put him to bed tonight and Max pointed to his binkie and blankey (which are kept together) and said, "Go go!".

This may not mean anything to many people...but the crazy part about him calling them his "Go go" is because Brad had a blankey when he was little and apparently he drug that thing everywhere and he called it his, "Gitty gitty go" because his mom would say, "Go get your blanket and let's go" when they needed to go somewhere. Anyways, it's just funny how their pet names for their "lovies" are so similar. Like papa, like son.

The pictures above are from a little photo shoot I took of the boys this afternoon. It's funny how they look so much alike...yet so unique and different.

Today was my 1st real full day alone w/ the boys (with no help from the Grands) and surprisingly it went relatively well. A few hiccups here and there when both the boys needed me at the same time or both wanted lunch at the same time...but we worked through it. Max definitely gets jealous when I am nursing Miles, so that's a special time that we watch "Handy Manny" (his favorite show right now). I also pumped and introduced Miles his 1st bottle fed breast milk today (he was a little confused at first, but caught on quickly) and Maxwell didn't understand why I was giving the baby milk. Max loves milk and I think he was upset that I was sharing some milk with this kid that showed up a few weeks ago. :)

All in all...it was a good day. Now, if we can only get Miles to start sleeping longer stretches at night...we'll be in really good shape! :) I went and looked at the breast feeding logs I kept when Max was born and they are really similar to Miles' patterns. I also am re-reading some of my baby sleep aid books I purchased when Max was challenging us with sleeping through the night...and they say that baby's tend to start sleeping longer stretches at night when they reach 6wks (past their due date) because their digestive system matures, their body regulates their temperature better, and some hormones mature to help them sleep longer. So, I'll be looking forward to some better sleep in another 5 weeks or so. :)

Double Fisting...

I guess when you are young...double fisting is referred to about beer. Now it's kids. :)

Last night was a slightly better night for Miles and I. I took out the bouncy seat from the bassinet and put down a soft blanket and swaddled him in a blanket just enough to be snug, but allowed his arms to be up (he loves to have his hands by his face) and he seemed to sleep better. Knock on wood. He woke up every 2 hours or so to nurse...but that was an improvement over the night before which was at least every hour from 1am until we "got up" at 7am.

Max and I were feeling a little closterphobic from being housebound this week, so Mom, Amy, and I took the 2 boys to Burnsville Mall for a little shopping spree for Amy. We found her some really cute clothes and both the boys did great. Miles slept the entire time (I pumped especially for the trip and everything...go figure) and Max enjoyed our new double stroller...and enjoyed running around in the mall even more. It was nice to get out of the house for a little while and the excercise felt good.

ZZzzzzzzz...

Sleep...what a beautiful thing.

From what I remember.

High Five

I forgot to post this picture from the other day...this is Max giving Miles his first High Five. I thought it was cute. :)

I got in a 1 hour nap this afternoon while both the boys were napping and Mom and Amy were keeping an eye on Miles just in case he woke up. It felt great. Probably about 7 hours too short...but felt great just the same. Funny how a simple hour of extra sleep can do wonders.

The boys and I are enjoying our week w/ Mom and can imagine that she'll be coming out for more visits when she retires at the end of this school year. She loves the cuddle time w/ her Grandbabies and I'm realizing more and more each day that help from others is wonderful. (Plus as a bonus she's been bringing me out Vanilla Latte's from Caribou every morning...the caffeine is a God send about then! :) I'm a bit thick headed at times and tend to want to be that supermom that can handle everything all by myself and perfectly...but having the extra help from both the Grandma's the past few weeks has been a blessing.

That being said...it'll be just me and the boys next week. Brad is back to work full time this week and I'll be juggling the two of them by myself. I'm actually looking forward to the challenge (must be lack of sleep talking, right?!) and figuring out a new schedule that works for us all. And as much as Max has loved all the extra attention...I think he's ready to get back into a regular routine as well. He loves being down the basement so much that I'm going to have Brad start splitting up his days and working out of my office for part of the day so that I can bring the boys down the basement and Max can get a change of scenery. There's more room to run around and I think he gets bored being confined to the main level. We all will be so happy when spring rolls around and we can spend some time outdoors. In fact...I fear I may never be able to be inside as Max would prefer to be outside all the time. Guess we are going to have to invest in a nice playset in our yard this year!

We gave the boys baths tonight. Brad bathed Max in our tub and I bathed Miles in his babytub on our sink. It is hilarious how completely opposite they feel about bathtime right now. Max was having a blast and would spend another hour in the tub if we let him and Miles started screaming the minute I put him in the water until I got him out and warmed up a bit. Poor kid. I'm going to have to start running warmer water for him...he just hates to be cold. He's got some lungs on him too! :)

Miles' 1st Bath

Miles "loving" his 1st bath!

Oh Mama...that was so traumatic!

Miles had his 1st emersed bath over the weekend and I just uploaded the pictures tonight...as you can see...he was THRILLED!

It's funny because since he was our little frozen embryo for 19 months, Brad used to joke that he would have super powers and be immune to the cold MN winters, but so far it's quite the opposite. He hates to be cold...even for quick diaper changes he gets so upset to have a little breeze on him. I guess he thought being frozen for 19 months was plenty. :)

Making strides...

Hey, big bro!

The 1st kiss captured on camera!!

Max getting comfy and leaning up against his little brother!

And lastly...our sweet little smily binkie boy!

One step forward...two steps back is the name of the game around here lately.

Miles decided to go on a sleep strike this weekend, so it was a rough few nights for me. I sent Papa back down to the basement to make sure he was at least getting sufficient sleep. I'm thinking he may be down there for the next month or so. I miss him...but it makes it easier for me if I don't have to worry about him being too tired the following day and I am able to turn on the tv while nursing and don't have to worry about being too loud.

And the transition for Max has been going pretty smooth but this week Brad is back to working full time...and although my mom is coming out this week to help...Max is definitely needing more attention from his mama and making it well known when he's upset that the baby is in my arms. "Do you want me to put the baby down and hold you, Max?"..."Umm Kaaayyy" (with the 'oh woes me' tone). :) My sister, Amy, came out today and I think is planning on coming tomorrow too...which helps because Max thinks she is a lot of fun and got sooo excited to see her.

As you can see from the pictures above...Max is getting more comfortable around Miles and defnitely more interested in him. We propped Miles up in the couch last night and Max thought it was really neat to be sitting next to him. He was pointing to his nose and patting him on the head and trying to hold conversations with him. It was pretty cute.

All in all...life is grand and we are enjoying getting to "know" our new life as parents of "our 3 sons"! :)