We are the Millers

How far along: 20 weeks 6 days Size of baby: Almost the size of a banana Maternity Clothes: I bought one new shirt at Target. Gender: It's a...........see below Movement: Although the baby is moving around in there, I still can't feel a thing as far as I know. They tell me I should start to feel movement within the next week or two. YAY! What I miss: My energy! I am still so very tired. Cravings: Mostly carbs like potatoes, cheese fries, pasta, cheddar gold fish and still sweets! Symptoms: I'm still very tired all of the time but I haven't been having too much trouble with headaches. I am still very moody and my ankles swell up at the drop of a hat. I've also got quite a bit of lower abdominal pain, which the doctor says is just my ovaries stretching. Boo! Today is the day that we have been waiting so patiently for! The ultrasound looked great! We could see all kinds of baby anatomy on this one. Go figure the baby is breach right now. So to answer the question that ...

"The desire has to be there before any action is likely to follow. The good news is, you've already got this one covered. After all, you're reading an article on Parents.com telling you how to be an awesome dad. Chances are, you're already a self-sacrificing, actively involved dad who loves to show off his kid's snapshots on Facebook, even if they're only sonograms." No problem with this one at all!!! My husband can't wait to be a daddy! And I know that once this little monster comes into our world, Daddy is going to be taking the poor thing everywhere with him! He couldn't wait to show everyone the first sonogram picture, I can't imagine what he'll actually do with a baby! That's the end of the "7 Ways to be an Awesome New Dad" blog series. I hope you enjoyed it. I will be posting a few random blogs in the next few days that aren't baby related but they are very interesting. I'll keep an eye out for another blog serie...

"You won't be able to enforce your expectations until your child is older, but the process will likely become one of the most enduring rules in parenting over time. One of your jobs as a dad is to protect and train your child, and even if it never really seems like it, kids crave structure. As your baby grows old enough to understand "yes" and "no," make sure those words have meaning. Let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no. Let your "I will" become "I did." You're not perfect, but now you've got a little adult watching you to see if the rules even matter." I'm not sure what to think about this one. I can guarantee that the word 'no' is going to be hard for my husband to use. He never uses it now! He just doesn't know how to say no to people. Anytime anyone asks his for help, he is always right there. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad trait, but sometimes you just have to say ...

"Always keep your digital camera handy and snap a few shots of the baby every couple of days. Make it your job to create and be responsible for the baby's photo database on the family computer or your laptop. Don't worry about being a pro -- there's a reason they're called snapshots. Every picture tells a story, so just imagine what a gifted storyteller you can easily become!" My husband has an iPhone so he is always snapping pictures. We are both addicted to taking random photos for no reason. If one of the pugs has a really cute face, we snap a photo. If one of the cats is curled up all cute-like on a blanket, we snap a photo. My husband also takes a lot of pictures of any jobs that he might be working on. We never seem to have any issues with taking pictures. The problem we have is taking pictures of ourselves! Whenever we go on vacation, we have tons of photos of the scenery or the place we are staying but never any of us. We have to break that! The only i...

"One of my biggest pet peeves is when I see a child complimented by a stranger in front of one of that child's parents, and then I hear the parent sarcastically reply, "You want him? You can take him home with you if you want..." Guard your attitude toward parenting. Sure, there are annoying things, but being the kind of dad your kids will be proud to call their own means building up, not tearing down." This is yet another area where my husband will have no issues at all. My husband has always been a positive person. He's almost always smiling and laughing and joking around and he generally carries a positive energy with him wherever he goes. His business has made him a little more bitter over the past few months but overall he is still a positive guy. He will have no problems praising our children at all. He likes to help people. He likes to make people feel better. He likes knowing that he can make a difference in in another person's life. He will be t...

"You are a guy. Therefore, you are funny, or at least you probably think you are. Your sense of humor may even be one of the reasons your wife was attracted to you in the first place. Now it's time to start using your comic talent to entertain the little squirt. Find the fun in goofing around with your baby. Because, honestly, what else do you do with babies besides change their diapers and feed them? Your instincts will guide you to treat your baby like the only person at an amusement park or the only member in the audience of your own late-night show." Ok, first of all, I love that they refer to the baby as 'little squirt' in this article, especially since I call our baby little monster. Second, my husband has a great sense of humor. He loves to joke around. I always say I will be raising two children because he is just such a kid at heart. This is why I see no issue with this at all. He sometimes gets uncomfortable with children because he doesn't always kn...

"Having a baby adds a whole new list of to-dos to your wife's day and to yours. But don't just sit back and wait for things to get checked off the list. Jump right in and be the first one to figure out the best way to soothe your little one at night, or the easiest way to clean the baby bottles. And even though you can't breast feed your baby, you can take over for some daddy-baby bonding time afterwards. Soon enough you'll be doing other great proactive dad stuff like reading bedtime stories and signing up to coach Little League." I don't think my husband will have any issues with this at all. My husband is a jump-in-and-get-your-hands-dirty kind of guy. He loves to be involved in anything he possibly can be. Our church has game nights every Friday night and you can always find him playing volleyball with the adults or kickball with the kids. He always has to be moving. That's one of the reasons I think being a stay at home daddy will work for him...

How far along: 19 weeks Size of baby: The size of a mango Maternity Clothes: I haven't bought anything new since my last online shopping spree but I am loving my maternity clothes. Gender: Still unknown!! Find out August 1st! 11 days! Movement: Although the baby is moving around in there, I still can't feel a thing as far as I know. I should start to feel her moving soon. What I miss: My energy! I am still so very tired. Cravings: Mostly carbs like potatoes, cheese fries, pasta, cheddar gold fish and still sweets! Symptoms: I'm still very tired all of the time but I haven't been having too much trouble with headaches. I am still very moody and my ankles swell up at the drop of a hat. We are still waiting to feel this baby move!! I have not felt any movement yet, that I'm aware of. I think we are both overly excited for that. No baby movement = me more anxious to get to my next appointment and make sure everything is ok in there! Aside from the terrible mood swings a...

"Giving up a few (or many) things is perhaps the most obvious, fundamental rule in being an awesome dad. Without sacrificing your time, you wouldn't be able to pull off all of the other keys to becoming great. You trade in your relaxing after-work "zone-out time" for "zone-in time" with your wife and baby, but the key to giving up your time isn't as simple as just being there-- it's a matter of making yourself as involved as possible while you are there." This is going to be a tough one for my husband. Now we have already established that he is planning to be a stay at home daddy but he is also still planning to run his business from home. While he may be able to spend more time at home, I don't know how easy it will be for him to shut his brain off and actually BE at home. He has such a hard time doing that now. I think that if he is able to be at home mentally, he will enjoy his life much more. I think that he will have a great time tendi...

At this point, my husband and I have decided that he is going to be a stay at home daddy. There were many reasons we came to this conclusion: 1. He owns his own business: It is easier for him to run things from home. His whole goal this summer was to try to find a reliable enough employee to handle being the job manager so that he could run things from home. While this is proving to be a little more complicated than we had originally thought, we are still hoping to make this happen. 2. I love my job: I found a job that I actually enjoy and I want to keep it! My boss is also very flexible and will probably allow me to work from home a few days a weeks so I still get to enjoy my new baby. 3. Health Insurance: I have health insurance through my job and he doesn't. I know that we could get private insurance but that's going to cost way more than what I'm paying now. 4. Security: I have a job with a stable income and he doesn't, especially during the Winter months. He has th...

I got this article from theBump.com and I just had to share it. I know that as time goes on, I will have many questions and concerns about delivering my baby. I already have an issue with having a natural child birth....it scares me! So of course I have some concerns about what to expect and what could go wrong. I thought this article was great in covering some of the issues that can happen while delivering. When Childbirth Gets Scary We all know that giving birth isn't going to be like it is on TV dramas: Your water breaks; you gasp, exclaim, "She's coming!" Then, lipstick refreshed, you cradle your newborn as your handsome husband looks on. Alternatively, we hope it isn't going to be fodder for reality TV: A swarm of doctors sprints into the delivery room, shouting, "Get the NICU team, STAT! We've got a quadruple nuchal and need a cold-knife section!" More than likely, it will be somewhere between the two. However your labor story unfolds, being e...

Hello all! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I wanted to share some details about my weekend with everyone. Friday night we spent a few hours at our church, eating some food, playing some games and just hanging out. My husband and I couldn't stay long because we had to prepare for our Saturday trip to New York! We dropped our puggers off with my grandmother (she loves watching them) and we dropped the Lab off with our dog sitter Friday night. It was nice to have the whole bed to ourselves. We were up at 5:30 Saturday morning, which didn't make me too happy since it's the only day I ever get to sleep in, and we were on our way to New York by 7am. 6:56 am and ready to go! It wasn't too bad of a trip. I think it took 2.5 hours to get there. My husband and I walked around for a bit, stopping at only 2 stores. The first store was Build-A-Bear. We decided that we would build a bear for our baby. Regardless of the gender, we knew we could build one together that we could bo...

"Finally, you simply will not be able to get by without a camera. In fact, this little device will never be far from your hand and after a few weeks it might start to feel like a part of it. You will find yourself snapping photos of your baby in every change of clothing or environment. Minute changes of your baby's expressions will also come under the camera's scrutiny until you finally capture the one when the eyes light up and the lips curl because he saw your face. And despite everyone's assurances that newborns can't smile, you know, in your heart, that he's happy to see you." My husband and I are infamous for breaking cameras. It just happens. Last year, I bought my husband a Nikon camera for Christmas and that is now broken. So, we will need a new camera for all of our baby's moments. I like Nikon because the pixelation is great and the cameras are just so easy to use. I would love to have the one below, in pink of course. Do you think my husband...

So I was reading a random blog when I came across this amazing story (Rescuing Hug) about these twins. I was so touched by the story that I decided to do a Google search for other amazing baby survival stories. Here's what I found: Rescuing Hug - This article is about a set of twins who were born prematurely and only weighed around 2 pounds. One twin was thriving while the other was doing poorly. When the NICU nurse decided to put the two together in an incubator, the healthier baby threw her arm around her sister, who then completely stabilized. Twin Survives After Being Declared Deceased - This story is about a mom who had a set of twins at 27 weeks. The doctors told her that one twin was fine but that the other had not made it. She took her son and held him close to her, skin touching, speaking to him. After about two hours, the baby had come back to life. Fetus Survives Abortion - This story is about a woman who decided to abort her baby at 8 weeks because she thought he may...

How far along: 18 weeks Size of baby: The size of a sweet potato Maternity Clothes: I haven't bought anything new since my last online shopping spree but I am loving my maternity clothes. Gender: Still unknown!! Find out August 1st! 18 days! Movement: Although the baby is moving around in there, I still can't feel a thing as far as I know. I should start to feel her moving soon. What I miss: My energy! I am still so very tired. Cravings: Mostly carbs like potatoes, cheese fries, pasta and still sweets! Symptoms: I'm still very tired all of the time and I am still getting headaches, but they are not quite as bad as they were. I am still very moody and my ankles swell up at the drop of a hat. Boy is my belly growing! I am noticing a huge difference in the size of my bump within the last week or two. My husband has even noticed it. He is excited, of course, because he knows that we should be able to feel the baby soon and I know that once that happens, he won't keep his ha...

"Many studies have shown the benefits of reading to your baby from a very early age for her intellectual development. But it's also a wonderful time to cuddle with your baby and reacquaint yourself with some of your favorite stories from childhood -- and discover some new ones. Keep a small library of picture books within reach of your favorite rocking chair." Let's start with the rocking chair. A nice, comfortable chair has got to go into the nursery. You just can't have a nursery without it. Now there is a huge difference between the rocking chairs of 30 years ago and the rocking chairs of today. If I have it my way, we will have a gliding chair in our nursery. These chairs are so comfortable and they just glide so smoothly. You can pick one up at Wal-Mart. Customize Storkcraft Glider & Ottoman, Espresso Finish - I would go with this one because you can choose different colors. If you are not picky about the color, you can go with the beige color for around...

"Although most new moms are inclined to hover over their babies every moment, it's not always possible. A baby monitor offers some peace of mind in those moments when you have to be out of earshot of your baby's cries or coos. The best monitors offer a handset that you can take with you around the house or out into the yard. Keeping a nightlight in the baby's room is also a good idea. There will be many nighttime visits, and stumbling around the room when you're half-awake isn't safe for you or the baby. A low-level light won't startle either of you and is perfect for feeding or changing." I am very excited about buying a baby monitor. Yes, I know that's weird, but I don't care! I have been researching baby monitors a lot lately. It’s amazing and overwhelming to see how many different types of monitors there are out there and what kinds of options they all offer. I started off by listing the options I had to have: audio and video with color scr...

"Taking walks with your new baby is one of the simple joys of motherhood. A stroller is a necessity for these ramblings around the neighborhood or, especially in cold weather, the mall. There are so many different styles available that it's worth shopping ahead of time and "test-driving" as many types as you can to see what fits your needs best. For example, if you live in a city apartment, an easy-to-fold style might be best for you to store or get on the bus. On the other hand, if long, suburban rambles are on your to-do list, a stroller with a sturdier frame and plenty of storage pockets might be just right." Of course I already have the stroller picked out. As you saw in my last blog, I have a travel system picked out. It comes with the stroller and the car seat. Below are more details of the stroller, and more reasons why I want it! The Graco Alano Travel System ($179) is stylish, feature-friendly and ready for all of your adventures. The complete Graco Al...

I am so tired of people telling me that I am having a boy or a girl. "You're craving sweets so you're having a girl." "The heart rate is what?! Oh you're having a boy." "Well your Mom had two girls so you are having a girl too." "You look like you're carrying low so it has to be a boy." REALLY??!!! The baby is whatever the baby is! You can't tell me what the gender is by looking at my belly or analyzing what I'm eating. The baby is what the baby is! We find out August 1st what the monster is so leave it alone! My husband and I were joking about it for quite some time. I would call the baby a 'she' and he would call the baby a 'he'. I realized recently that I was actually getting irritated every time he said 'he' so I asked him to stop and we both agreed to leave it alone until we find out. Why can't everyone else leave it alone? I feel like people are starting to ruin it for us. I'm so tired...

"An infant car seat is the only baby gear that you are absolutely required to have, as the hospital will not allow you to take your baby home without it. Buy it a few weeks before your due date and practice securing it properly in all your vehicles to get familiar with it before the baby comes. Find a seat that doubles as an infant carrier so you have an easy resting spot for the baby in a grocery store or restaurant, for example." I think I'm set for a car seat. I actually found the car seat at Wal-Mart and it matches the stroller, playard, high chair and swing set that I want. I like this car seat because it has the easy-to-carry handle and it attaches to the stroller. Wal-Mart sells it as a travel system. Graco Travel System, Carina - This would be the pattern I would have for a little girl. I fell in love with the pink and brown pattern the second I saw it! Graco Travel System, Ashford - This is the exact same system, but the colors are green, brown and tan for a li...

I came across this article the other day and thought it was very interesting. Six simple ways that you can save some money just by doing some things around your house. Six Money Saving Tips -- The mesh bags onions and potatoes come in from the grocery store generally end up in the garbage can. Instead of tossing them, I save a few and use their naturally abrasive texture to scrub pots and pans. The bags are far more gentle on hands than S.O.S pads filled with chemicals. I like this idea and think it makes a lot of sense but I don't usually buy the potatoes in the mesh bags. I may have to look into it though because it might be cheaper. -- Paper towels are ridiculously expensive. Many people have moved to cleaning with old washcloths or a sponge, and that is certainly a great alternative. However, I am one of those people who prefer to throw away things I have used to wipe the toilet. If you are like me, try using cheap coffee filters. They clean better than paper towels (especiall...

"A diaper bag is a must-have for outings with your newborn. Choose a roomy style with compartments that will help you find necessities quickly. Also look for one that includes a foldout changing pad since you can't control your surroundings when Baby needs a diaper change. Select a style that suits you -- not your nursery decor--and if you ever want Daddy to carry it for you, you might want to consider his style, too." It may sound odd but I'm really looking forward to the baby bag. There are so many different styles out there and so many different things you can get! I have decided that we probably need two baby bags, one for me and one for my husband. I am so specific about what I want and I know that I was something that is going to be gender specific but he might wants something a little more generic. Here's what I have in mind: Carina Tote Diaper Bag - I love this bag! It matches the Carina style stroller, car seat and playard set that I have picked out. It...

Who would have thought that breast pumps could be so exciting?! I can't believe how many different products there are to choose from. This blog contains information on the four that I had mentioned in my previous blog. Since I base a majority of my opinion on reviews, I will start with the worst reviewed and work my way to the best reviewed. Evenflo SimplyGo Dual Electric Breast Pump - $60.00 • Silicone insert adds cushioned comfort • Pump operates quietly • Flange size accommodates most breast sizes • Sleek, contemporary look • All components are BPA free - Includes: • A tote bag & cooler bag • 2 ice packs • 2 breast pump units • 2 soft flange inserts • 2 sealing discs • 2 hoods • 2 nipples • 2 x 5oz collection bottle • 2 pump stands • 2 pack of breast pads with a coupon (included inside the pad pack) • 2 additional overflow valves • AC adapter • Requires 3 AA batteries for portable use (not included) • This breast pump is intended for occasional use only Review: “Tried to sav...