what a day!

Saturday, March 5

It started out as a pretty normal Saturday. We got dressed and headed to Ponca City for Jamie Trout's wedding. (Which, by the way, was gorgeous! My mom helped Janet make centerpieces and decorate for the reception. It was absolutely beautiful...they did an AMAZING job! Congratulations, Jamie and Adam!)

We had a few minor mishaps on the way, but no big deal. Miller's jeans were dirty, so we threw them in the washing machine and forgot to grab them before we left. We realized about halfway to Ponca City that we forgot Miller's jeans, so my parents went to JCPenny and bought Miller a new pair of jeans for the wedding. (Thanks, mom and dad!) Then, we got pulled over on the way to Ponca for speeding. At least we just got a warning.

Miller was great during the wedding. He was a little talkative, so he and Colby went to the narthex and played with some of his toys. But, about halfway through the reception, he started acting very lethargic. He began to look flushed and felt really hot, although he never acted fussy like he was in pain. He has had a runny nose for the past couple of days, but he has always had clear secretions and no fever. During the reception, his nasal secretions turned thick and yellow and he started acting like he was having trouble breathing. So, I gave him a little Tylenol and we decided to leave the reception and take him to urgent care.

At urgent care, his fever was 101.2° and he was tachypneic (breathing fast) and retracting (having difficulty breathing). They tested him for RSV and the flu, but thankfully both were negative! The PA listened to his lungs and said they sounded clear. But, his left ear and throat were both red. So, they tested him for strep throat. That was also negative. She said she thought he had an ear infection and a sinus infection and gave us a prescription for an antibiotic.

This suction is one of our best baby purchases! It even plays music while you suction...HA! I wish we had bought one sooner....the bulb syringes are pretty worthless.



We also picked up some Motrin and this battery-powered nasal suction at Walgreens. He seems to have perked up a little bit after the medicine. Hopefully, the antibiotic will work and he will continue to feel better! It is absolutely shocking to me how fast he went from being well to being sick! He went the first six months of his life without being sick one time. And now he was been sick three times in the past month! Let's hope this is not becoming a trend!

six month appointment

March 1

After rescheduling twice, I finally took Miller for his six-month check-up today. His appointment was originally scheduled for February 9, during Tulsa's big snowstorm. So, I rescheduled his appointment for February 15. Then, he was diagnosed with RSV on Valentine's Day, so we had to reschedule again!

He is a happy, healthy baby! He is in the 43rd percentile for weight and the 84th percentile for height. He is meeting all of his developmental milestones and showed Kathy how well he sits up! He had his shots and only cried for a minute. He does have an umbilical hernia, but Kathy says that it is completely normal and should close on its own.

We can continue adding more foods to his diet and he will naturally decrease his formula intake. Kathy suggested that we try feeding him yogurt as well as applesauce and prunes for constipation. Around nine months, when he develops a pincer grasp, we can start feeding him foods like cheerios.

We also need to start encouraging Miller to sleep through the night. At this age, he should be able to sleep for 10-12 hours without waking up to eat. Kathy suggested letting him cry, but I plan on doing a little bit more research before making any decisions about sleep training.

miller's six month pics

Monday, February 21

We took Miller to have his 6-month photoshoot with Brenda. The pictures are now available to view online and will be available for 7 days. Just go to www.brendahoran.com. Click the Clients tab across the top of the page. The password is miller all lowercase. We love them and hope you will too!

mops and the great organization project

A couple of months ago, we met one of Colby's distant cousins at a family event. He is around our age and he and his wife live in Broken Arrow with their 2 year old son. I learned that she is a stay-at-home mom. We started talking about how staying at home can be lonely and really make you long for adult conversation. She invited me to MOPS (mother's of pre-schoolers) at her church and I went for the first time in January. They have breakfast treats, a speaker, and table discussions. It was really fun and Miller did really well in the child care!

The speaker at the January meeting was an organization expert and gave tips and ideas for organizing your home. I thought I was already organized, but I was wrong!

Just for fun, here are some of my "projects". Most of them are related to Miller and trying to fit all of his baby stuff into our tiny little house.

We actually had this done before Miller was born. We hung his bathtub on the back wall of our tub/shower. It's hidden behind our shower curtain and it can drip dry without getting water all over our floor or carpet. Perfect!

Cute storage for all of Miller's bath toys! It suctions right to our shower wall and the toys are easy to grab during bathtime.

This was a new project. Before, everything was thrown into one basket. I bought some plastic containers for his drawer. Now everything is easy to find. Vaseline and diaper creams on the right, brushes and tweezers/nail clippers next, medicine and droppers after that, and pacifiers/clips on the left.

His shoe drawer. I can't figure out how to turn the picture on blogger. The basket is for socks. Most of them were in the laundry when I took this picture.

I bought some hanging drawers to store all of his blankets. We have a lot of them! I couldn't fit them all into his dresser.

The top of his closet. In the green basket, I have binders with labeled plastic sleeves for special papers, cards, and memories. The plastic box underneath is for larger mementos that won't fit in the binder. I keep his little shirt from the hospital in there.

I found a really neat plastic container with a handle, so it is easy to pull down from the top of his closet. In it I keep extra accessories for his toys (such as chargers, headphones for his DVD player, etc.) in labeled sandwich baggies.

We had this basic concept in place before Miller was born. I had to reorganize after Christmas. The toys are easy to grab and the blue baskets look great in his room! I also have one on his changing table for all of his diapers.

I couldn't get a really good picture, but this is his cabinet in the kitchen. The white containers separate lids, nipples, teethers, and storage containers to freeze baby food.

We hung all of his bibs inside a cabinet in the kitchen. Each end of the string has a loop. So, when you want a bib you just pull one end of the string from the hook and slide off the bib. Or, you could unsnap/unvelcro the bib that you want to use.

Colby hung a shelf in the garage to store all of the baby clothes that Miller has outgrown. It goes so quickly! We chose small plastic containers so that things are easier to find and we don't have to dig through a huge 45 gallon container to find newborn onesies at the bottom. Also, I like the clear containers so that you can easily see what is inside. I also labeled the front of the containers. Miller's swing is on the shelf right now, but it will probably have to be relocated as we fill more storage containers with clothes. The shelf can hold 12 storage containers!

I had to include picture of my spice drawer. I love it! It is so much more convenient and efficient than storage risers or turntables.

pat-february visit

Thursday, February 24

Last Thursday, Caralee came over for our monthly PAT visit. Miller was in a great mood and was smiling and squealing the entire time.

We talked about the importance of playing social baby games like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake. Miller is a huge fan of peek-a-boo. In fact, it was the best way to get him to smile for his 6-month pictures with Brenda. (more about that in another post)

Caralee also wanted to see me interacting with Miller, so she gave me a lift-the-flap book to read to him. Miller loves to read books and especially enjoys feeling all the pages, turning the pages, and chewing on the corners of the book. Caralee said that she could tell that we read to Miller on a regular basis.

Miller showed Caralee how he can sit up without any support. He is also really starting to notice strangers. Caralee commented on how Miller really studied her and was very curious when she showed up at our house.

Our biggest goal is getting Miller to sleep through the night and, in turn, creating a more consistent eating and napping schedule during the day.

Caralee was very impressed with Miller and said that he is right on track developmentally and that he is lucky to have us for parents. She is so kind!

monthly photos

Miller's Birthday!

One Month!

Two Months!

Three Months!

Four Months!

Five Months!

Six Months! He's growing so fast!

happy valentine's day

Thank you to Grandma Paula for watching Miller the Saturday before Valentine's Day so that Colby and I could go out to dinner!

February 14 Prince Charming. The new little love of my life all dressed up in his Valentine's Day outfit.

February 15

A trip to Ponca City over the weekend, many long nights with a sick baby, and an unexpected trip to the doctor on Monday put me a little behind on Valentine's Day plans. So, Miller opened his Valentine's Day present the day after Valentine's Day.

Miller with his present.

He loved the bow!

Miller and Daddy.

Daddy reading Miller his card.

He was more interested in eating the card than reading it.

Opening the present.

It's a race car track!

So fun! We love you Miller!