Typhoid Mommy and other crazy tales........

Where to even begin? Truth be told......there is simply too much to catch up on. And so, after days of fretting (wow, I fret a LOT, way, way too often about way, way too many things........) I have decided that I am simply not going to try to fill in the "holes" of everything that is going on right now.

Simply put, life is awesome, but being a mommy can be hard work. Every day I think to myself of situations where I have thought "It's a baby, how hard can it be?" towards friends and acquaintances that have children. Truth be told, it is hard. It is the most awesome kind of "hard" on the face of the earth, but much tougher than I ever imagined. Life is not so carefree and spontaneous. Kids have crap-loads of gear. Before having a baby, I could just grab the car keys and run out. While out on my errands, I could stop at 7 places and run in just for a moment. Now, even the thought of the "best order" wastes an hour and by the time I would go out, it doesn't even seem worth it anymore. Holy cow, I NEVER realized that I overthink absolutely everything. I spend more time worrying about the most efficient way to do things, only to waste all the time and not get anything done. This, my friends, is the new story of my life. The "problem" lies in the fact that Miles has no schedule. I don't know how to establish a schedule and I don't handle him crying well.

Here's the deal: He sleeps well at night, really, really well. But then, he is a WILD CARD during the day. 100% unpredictable. Most days, the only thing he wants to do is be held. He does not nap unless I am holding him. If I try to lie him down, he wakes up and we have to start all over again. This leaves me in quite a state. I can't really do anything during the day because I have to hold him. If I put him down, he screams.

I think the doctor accidently left the instruction manual in my uterus. Dear Doctor, I NEED THAT THING. I am learning. Every day, I learn more and more. I love him so much it actually pains me. I don't want to leave him with anyone other than Nate because I don't trust them or feel like I can't ask. Honestly, it is harder than I anticipated not having family here. Yes, we have friends, they all have their own things going on, I don't want to ask them. I feel like I would be taking advantage of or burdening our church friends. And so, that leaves me. Nate is busy at school and I have one million things to do and not enough hours in the day to do them. Every day I wake up and think of all the things I could do when Miles goes down for a nap. Problem 1.) He doesn't nap, or if he does, it is for like 5 minutes and I can't get anything done in that amount of time. Problem 2.) IF he gives me 10 minutes, I end up spending that 10 minutes planning my "attack plan" for my list. And then he wakes up.

We have had dairy issues, I had to cut dairy and that was hard. Daddy got the flu - I had to take Miles to one of my girlfriend's for two days and two nights. We came home and I got a cold. Miles also got the cold as did Nate. We are still recovering from that.

And now, I have spent all this time blogging and no time cleaning. You all know I love Harry Potter and you have NO IDEA how much I would love my very own house elf right now. If only QP, our imaginary house elf were real......that would be amazing. But until that time, the mess will still be there for me tomorrow....and perhaps the next day, too. Oh well, clean is overrated.

I love these boys!

"Holy moly! That baby is really, really loud!"

"What can I do to help this loud little guy?"

"Wait!! I saw that loud lady try and give him something!"

"Yes....I saw her give him this.....maybe this will make him quiet down!"


On Monday Miles and I went for a visit at my dear friend Jenifer's house! Jenifer has a very dear, sweet little boy names Niko who is almost a year to the day older than Miles. They have been lifesavers for us. They have loaned us tons of baby products that have saved our lives! As we were getting ready to leave, Mr. M was being very, VERY crabby......Niko came in to action to try to "help" and it was about the cutest thing I have ever seen. Someday Niko will be an awesome big brother, and until then, he can practice all he wants on Miles!

We love Catherine Klimes!

The "Full Story"

Truth be told, this post is probably more for me than for anyone else....but it doesn't matter too much, because in blogging it, I will be sure to have it in one location while it is still somewhat fresh in my mind.

At around 10:30pm on Monday, August 30th, Nate and I were getting ready for bed. Nate has been doing some eye drops that need to be kept in the fridge, so I had put those in his eyes and walked out to the kitchen to put them away. As I opened the fridge, I had the smallest cramp/pain and fluid gushed.......I yelped and said something along the lines of "that's not normal!" Thank goodness we had our bags packed. Nate began throwing a few things in the bag that were "last minute items" and I made two calls 1.) to the doctor on call and 2.) to our friends Brad and Krista who were going to be watching Hans. The doctor told us to come to the hospital and Nate and I made arrangements to take Hans to Brad and Krista's. Literally within 20 minutes I was in ACTIVE labor. By the time we were pulling out of the driveway I told Nate we did not have time to take Hans to Stilgers - I told Nate to take him to our lovely neighbors/church friends. We had made no arrangements for this, but sometimes in a pinch, you do what you need to.

We were at the hospital by 11:25. We did not call family due to the fact that it was late and there wasn't anything we thought they would do that night. We decided that we would be lucky to have baby Miles here by dinner time on Monday, so we thought we would call them at around 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning and if anyone wanted to come, they would probably be in time.

When we got to the hospital, I was dilated to a three and in a lot of pain. The contractions were not very long, but very intense and close together. They asked me if I wanted an epidural, and I said yes, they said it would likely be half an hour to an hour anyway. They continued the check-in process, and when the nurse came back in she said that the anesthesiologist had to go in for an emergency c-section - she gave me some nubain for the pain, and it certainly helped. Around 2:30am she came in and began the process for the epidural. It wasn't bad at all. Nate had to leave the room and was gone for a little bit. They rotated me back up on the bed and I began to feel some relief. About 2:45 the doctor came in to check my progress (please note, Nate was not back in the room yet) and when he checked, the look on his face was not good. He looked up at me and said "has anyone told you this baby was breech?!" As a matter of fact, three doctors had missed this fact in the last 4 weeks of my pregnancy! He did a quick ultrasound to confirm and yes, he was breech. They were prepping the OR, Nate was getting dressed in his scrubs - and I was in the OR by 3:27. Miles was born at 3:47am. The whole process was amazing and I remember looking and seeing his shock of black hair, the sound of his crazy crying, and then not too much. I asked Nate if he was healthy and he assured me he was. At this point I told the doctor I was going to puke, and then I did.....I suppose the meds made me feel very sick. When they got us back to our room I couldn't even hold Miles - I was just shaking too bad, but I knew he was ok and so was I. They took him to the nursery and I got taken down to recovery. By the time I got him back around 8:00 or 9:00am it was much better.

The road to get to him was a long one, but it was worth every minute.

Writing this blog post, we are nearly two weeks out from him birthday. 2 weeks ago today I was sitting in this chair, completely unaware of what the evening would bring. The first week was both the most awesome and most awful of my whole life. Meeting the little guy was amazing, loving him more than life itself, doubly amazing....recovering from major surgery, hormone levels all over the place, and sleep deprivation - not so awesome.

The second week has pretty much just been awesome. Wow, I love this little boy more than life itself. This is the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. Watching my husband hold, care for, and cuddle our son has been nothing short of miraculous.

This is why I am here on this earth......and it feels amazing. I am enjoying every minute, even the tears, the dirty diapers, and the yelling. Although those moments are not as sweet as some others, I know this whole process is going to go so fast, and I don't want to miss a moment.

I'm really proud of myself.....what can I say?

One week ago today, I got to take my first "post c-section" shower. Suffice it to say, it was the HARDEST shower of my entire life. Nate pretty much had to do it for me (it was ever-so-slighly shameful....YIKES - I don't care if we have been married for 5 years, it was still not something I was comfortable with.) Still, a shower always feels good. The 2 days later I took another, and just had to have Nate within ear-shot.

Today I took a shower and GUESS WHAT?! Not only do I not need help anymore - are you ready for this? If not, get ready....I SHAVED MY OWN LEGS! Granted I took such a long time, Nate did stick his head in the bathroom door to make sure I hadn't passed out. I peeked my head out the door with the biggest smile of my entire life and said "I DIDN'T PASS OUT - I SHAVED MY OWN LEGS!" Well, perhaps sometimes it is the small things in life that make you very proud!

I feel very good......almost unreasonably so considering that I had a baby 1 week and 1 day ago.....now if only I could sleep soundly, just for a little bit.....oh well - it will come in good time.

*This post was very "Jen-centered" - on a very special "Miles note" he had his one week check up today and he is doing AWESOME. His little bit of jaundice is gone, he is back up to his birth weight (he had dropped 8.4% down to 6 10.5 prior to our release), his belly button looks great (his umbilical cord fell off at 2 and a half days, from my understanding, this is quite early, I guess he is just THAT ADVANCED!) LOL! He has grown a half an inch. He is simply the picture of perfection - and WOW, we LOVE him! Did I mention that the kiddo is a "Super-pooper" - we may be financing Pampers by the time his early years are said and done!

Words are overrated!

Link

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=84137&id=1498410189&l=ab1ddaacd2

Miles Paul Stewart!

He made it - and is already ruining our plans - and we wouldn't have it any other way. I am way to busy cuddling to be on the 'net......

The facts are these:
Water broke at 10:45 pm on Monday August 30st.
He was delivered via unplanned c-section at 3:47 am on August 31st, 2010. We will need to enroll him in boyscouts because he doesn't know north from south (he was butt down, the darn stinker!)
7 lbs 4 ounces
19.5 inches long
full head of black hair
PERFECT in every way!

See this link for pictures (mama is all about multi-tasking right now!)

I will see what I can do later about the "full-birth story".....need to cuddle and kiss for right now - I am the luckiest lady, EVER!

The human ticking time bomb........

Well folks, this blog post may be it for a little while (or not, who knows? - perhaps I will be in the "mood" to blog daily from now until Friday - I will roll with the punches.)

This post finds me 38 weeks and 4 days pregnant. I am exhausted and mostly delerious from lack of sleep - I haven't slept more than about 45 minutes at a time in the past three weeks. I feel so "off" but I am not in labor. The nurse (whom I am sure knows me on a first name basis and says the words "oh no, not her again" each time my number appears on their office phone) assures me that this is all normal and to be expected at this point in the pregnancy. I never realized how incompatible with my personality this last little bit of the pregnancy would be. Last Friday I went in for my check up - at which point the doctor (not my doctor - seeing as how he was on vacation last week) says to me "oh yes, you're making progress, it could be later today or later" - are you kidding me, buddy? Couldn't you evaluate me and announce - "yes, you are this far along, you will be holding a cute, cuddly baby boy in your arms in exactly 3 days, 2 hours and 29 minutes......."

AHHHHHHHH!!!! So, in case you didn't catch the drift, I am exhausted and my nerves are shot. Here's the deal. Because I am pretty sure the doctor is positive I am going to LOSE it without a definitive end date - IF Miles does not come naturally before Saturday, September 4th (that is THIS Saturday) we will be dragging our little bums over to the hospital for an induction at 6:00 am. The light is at the end of the tunnel. That is only 4 days from now. I will be 39 weeks and 2 days - and they will agree to induce you at 39 weeks even if not medically deemed necessary (and we are NOT medically necessary - we are "mom is going bat-crap crazy" necessary - and there IS a difference.) Some people may disagree with our decision process, but we are confident with it. This is the day after Nate's exam and the first day of his "vacation" month - and we know that month will come to a definite end - so that is another reason we are going forward with this plan.

As for my plans for these next four days - it is going to involve whatever in the heck I want it to. Right now that is reading, cuddling with Hans, and speding a pretty fair amount of time in the chair. It may include walks (if I feel like it) it should include some laundry (hmmmm....we'll see about that one). Perhaps I should try to make one more trip to the grocery store (I SHOULD but this doesn't mean it is going to happen.) I don't want to go very far seeing as how my belly pretty much touches the steering wheel when I drive.

And so, perhaps there will be another post, perhaps not. After Miles is born, I am more than sure that within a given matter of time, we will be sharing his story and pictures on here - so until then, I bid you all a short goodbye!

A Whirlwind Weekend Wilkey Style!

Friday morning I awoke to a cute husband who made me stay in the bedroom while he "arranged" my gift(s). Since our first "anniversary" (please note I am referring to the dating one - so over 7 years and still going strong) he has always planned fun and amazing things. I got out of bed to a "treasure hunt" to find my gifts. There were four steps around the house. He bought me a beautiful pair of stud earrings and an amazing vintage ring I had seen at a store a while back. Although the last 4 wedding anniversaries included surprise trips - this was equal to, if not better! So, suffice it to say, my morning began on a strong note. The only horrible part of the day was that after that amazing series of gifts, Nate's darn present didn't even make it (or Saturday, either, darn it! - I swear, if it doesn't come today, I am may absolutely LOSE it....who am I kidding, I pretty much run that risk even IF the present does come today :)

Grandma and grandpa arrived at around 10:00. We went to Sophia's House of Pankcakes for yummy, delicious brunch. Then sweet hunniebug had an eye appointment (he has been having some issues - so I was glad we were finally getting him checked out.) Meanwhile, Bapa, Meems and myself went to Gander Mountain and I found a great waterproof, windbreaker on super-clearance! It was pretty fun. Then we decided to go to Sears to check out the clearance Lands End section - holy cow, we hit the Lands End Jackpot!!!! Grandma got a pair of shoes and a pair of pants, I got two new tops, and we found Nate a jacket, a pair of grey pants, and a sweater. The original ticket prices were somewhere around the $250 range. Each of these items (there were 7 items) were on clearance for only $9.99 - and we thought we were getting a HUGE deal, only to get to the counter to learn that there was an ADDITIONAL 25% off. We walked out of the store for $56 for ALL of the items - talk about a lucky day. Grandma and I went to get pedicures while Grandpa and Nate went to a tool store. We got home and got all ready and went to Pipers for our special anniversary dinner. We all dressed up a little bit, it was super-fun! We were celebrating our anniversary and Miles coming - so we kind of took out all the stoppers. We got caprese salad as an appetizer, I got lobster, Nate was adventurous and got Crawfish Etouffee (it was AMAZING!), Bapa got King Crab legs, and Meem got grilled shrimp. We finished off dinner with 2 pieces of pie we all tried. It was very fun!

Saturday we began the day with grandpa and grandma coming over and playing the Wii. It was hilarious and cute - two 78 year-olds enjoying Wii Bowling! We went down to Franklin and went to Starbucks, a cute toy store, Kohls, and then were going to go to Aunt Judy's for lunch, but they were closed, so we went to Athens Kitchen and even Bapa ate a gyro! This is a pretty big deal considering sometimes Bapa isn't too much of a risk taker with foods - but guess what!? He ate it and liked it! First Wii bowling and then a gyro - all in one day - I would call that a successful trip. When we got back home around 3:00 grandpa and grandma hit the road. Nate and I finished out the day with some chores.

I suppose that is all! I was very bad and we didn't take a single picture all weekend - too bad none of this is photographically chronicled for life - oopsy!

Year 5!

And here we are - year 5! This post feels a bit silly, considering that it is chronicled in pretty great detail on this blog.

I suppose it looks something like this:
School for Nate, housecleaning and managing for Jen. 2 weeks spent in Alaska for the Christmas holiday. January saw me getting the "dream" job and keeping a very fun (but BIG and challenging!) secret. March revealed a healthy baby boy. May Nate took boards. A few weeks were spent in intensive "get-ready-for-baby" mode. Nate began rotations at the same time I spent 5 days in the hospital, 27 weeks pregnant with a kidney mystery. There were baby showers and fun. And then, all too suddenly, here we are - married for 5 years with a baby on the way.

Truth be told, it has been quite a ride (that is just beginning!). Some parts were awesome, some parts a little bit tough, but the whole ride more than worth it. I love my husband more today than I did yesterday. We may have been 19, but I wouldn't trade a minute of it for anything.

I love my life, it is as close to a "fairy-tale" as real life can get!

Year 4!

Year four saw us adjusting to our time and life in Greenwood. Nate began med school and I settled in to my job. I polished up my laundry skills trying to get the cadaver smell out of scrubs from Nate's anatomy class. We traveled with grandma and grandpa to Arizona and had some fun in the sun. We rode in a hot air balloon and visited some family. In March they downsized my company and I lost my job. I spent much of the rest of the year unemployed and wandering. We had some "personal" issues as well with the loss of our first pregnancy. On the bright side, our marriage strenghtened and we found a church.

Nate and I got rid of the Saturn, it was a sad time. The Saturn gave us one last gift of some money to take an anniversary vacation of fun. Nate planned a great and amazing trip that included Gettysburg, PA, Hershey, PA, Philadelphia, PA - and wrapped up in THE BIG APPLE - New York City. It was hands down one of the most fun experiences, EVER. By this point, I was blogging - so if you want to know more, refer to the archives.

Year 3!

Is it just me or is it SUPER sad that this is the best picture we have of both of us together on our college graduation day (oh well, at least Nate looks like the goofball and not me!)

If you look really hard, there is an iguana in this picture - the iguana explains the slightly "strained and terrified" smile on my face - I was pretty convinced it was going to attack

The third year saw us enter our last year of college (well, undergrad, at least!) I got a job at the Hardware in North Manchester and LOVED it! Even at the beginning of the school year, we began to dream of the upcoming graduation from Manchester and the next steps, and began wondering if we would accomplish our goal of getting in to med school. We arranged "Plan B" in our mind, but it was a rather anxious time. For Spring Break and Graduation, as well as helping Grandma and Grandpa celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, we went on a cruise to the lovely Caribbean. Upon our return from the cruise, we found a very important piece of mail - a Manila envelope from IU Med School! We bought a house, we began spending weekends at the new house to get it ready for our move, we studied for finals, and packed ourselves up to leave North Manchester.

We moved all our life in to our new house on a Saturday in May, and officially graduated from Manchester on Sunday. I got a "real" big girl job. I had a very bad bout of kidney stones. Nate got to play "stay-at-home" husband for the summer. Finally, August rolled around and Med School began. We celebrated our anniversary ever-so-slightly delayed at the beginning of September in Cincinnati.

And that, dear ones, is year three in a nutshell!

Year 2!

Because of the time of year Nate and I got married - our "early" years were always marked by the beginning of a new year of continuing education. During the second year, we began our junior year of college. Nate made me wait until Thanksgiving to decorate the house for Christmas. Then in January, 2007 - we went on a January term trip to London for 2 and a half weeks. Although the memories and experiences from this trip are amazing - truth be told, I would very much like to burn every single picture with me in them. My love affair with the brownies led to 30 pounds and suffice it to say, short haircuts look better on Hollywood size -3 models. Oh well, it was what it was. Beginning in February (it is no coincidence that I was motivated to action AFTER seeing the London pictures) I began a 10 month journey with Weight Watchers and letting no scissors near my hair. Another not so fun thing that happened during 2007 was my lovely case of giardia (you know, since I drink out of stangnant puddles all of the time). By the time summer rolled around - things were looking up. Nate had an internship that he did at the school and began studying like a wild-man for the MCATs, while I had a horrible summer working at the CVS. By the time August rolled around yet again, we were ready to continue on the journey leading to now.......

My grandparents gave us a week in their condo in Maine so that I could eat all of the lobster I pleased. It was a GREAT week. By day four, Nate couldn't handle any more lobster - and by day 7, even I had my fill! It was a very fun trip. We went to Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and then finished out the week with a trip up to Niagara Falls (previously unplanned!) Another year down! Another year more in love with the cute little man I call my husband!

Year 1!

This Friday, Nate and I will celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary! It is so hard to believe that 5 years has gone so quickly - and yet, we have sure packed a lot of fun and experiences in to those years!

I thought it would be fun to have pictures from each year, one for each day - leading up to 5 years on Friday! Join us if you will!

The first year began with a big, beautiful, fairy tale wedding. I quickly tested the limits of Nate's love for me by deciding I hated hair and needed to go with a pixie cut. Then I began my love affair with brownies and baked goods. (Just wait until days 2 and 3 for some pictures I would rather not share!) We honeymooned in San Antonio, Texas and began our sophomore year of college. We lasted exactly 2 weeks without cable and internet. I insisted on decorating our house for Christmas the day after Halloween. We went on a cruise to the Panama Canal with Grandma and Grandpa over Spring Break. We moved out of our rental and into the house we would call home the rest of our time in Manchester. We approached our first wedding anniversary by going with some our friends to Missouri and then to Mackinac Island with Grandpa and Grandma before bringing in our junior year.

Continue the journey tomorrow!!!!

Baby on the brain

Baby Nate


Baby Jen


Jen's crazy toes

Nate and I have been thinking a little bit about what Miles might look like when he is born - and in thinking about this, we have referenced back to our own baby photos......

We thought it might be fun to get some "feedback" on what our family and friends think Miles will be like:

How much do you think he will weigh?
How long do you think he will be?
Do you think he will have hair?
If you think he will have hair - any guesses on the color?
Will he have Mommy's toes (2nd toe in longer - Scottish toes) or will he have daddy's toes (normal!)?

Any early guesses or hopes on due dates? - We have had the following due dates indicated at different points - 9/9, 9/11, and 9/13.

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock.........

I am torn between two very different and distinct feelings from one another right now. On one hand, I am so excited for Miles that I can barely stand it. I want to meet him, I want to hold him and love him, and I want to have my body back. And yet, I am not 100% ready. There are still a few more things I want to get done around the house before he makes his big arrival - and to be truthful, I am not moving on those items very quickly.

The last few weeks have been priceless to me. Following the shower on the 24th of July, I spent the week getting his room organized, ready and all of his "things" prepared. In this way, if he came tonight, we are 100% ready for his arrival. There is simply nothing else we need right now. I am sure a few things will come up after he is born, but I have read all the books, checked all the sources - and we have everything! We installed his car-seat and had it inspected by the fire department. I have been doing all of the "socializing" with my friends that I can possibly do! And I wouldn't trade it for the world! Life is going to change in more ways that I can imagine. I couldn't be more excited if my life depended on it, but I know that this is my last time with "just me" - so I suppose the "selfish" part of me just wanted to make sure I had gotten all of this out of my system.

I have begun checking out books from the library with titles like "Bouncing Back After Baby" and "Get Your Body Back." Haha, I suppose we can see where my mind is focused. This pregnancy has given me the resolve to get in better shape than I even was before. Who knew that a pregnancy was so tolling on a mom's body? (I don't mean to sound like an idiot - but truth be told, I didn't have much of an idea.)

For about 2 weeks - and especially in the last week, Miles has wedged himself so far up in my right ribs that I simply was about ready to lose it. He is so worth it, but good grief - I don't think I have ever been that uncomfortable for that long of a stretch of time. At 4:30 this morning I awoke to an odd sensation - I felt fine - and this was alarming. As a matter of fact, I didn't feel pregnant, I just felt kind of crampy......After a few moments I was worried. I suppose my mind is just in overdrive about what to expect at this point. I got up for a while, and realized that there was absolutely nothing wrong. I was more comfortable than I had been in weeks. Miles was moving around - and I could still feel him - but a good solid 6 inches lower than normal. From my understanding he is probably in the process of "dropping" - I am sure the doctor will either confirm or refute this on Tuesday. We shall surely see. I understand all women and each pregnancy are different, but after a call to my dear Aunt Candy - she said that sometimes this signals the beginning of labor - perhaps in two weeks? Who knows, maybe it will be longer? I want him to be as far along as possible so that he is healthy, but goodness knows Mama is ready! I still think we will be seeing him somewhere in the region of the second week of September, but we shall see - I am trying to tell myself it will be longer rather than shorter at the suggestions of a few wise friends of mine.

One of my only worries or fears right now is just the factor of "unknown" - I have never been in labor before - will I know it when it is here? I more than assume that this is stupid - of course I will know. Not to mention, it sure doesn't hurt to have over 1/2 of a doctor in the house!

The anticipation grows as does the excitement.....until then, I will just keep myself busy and occupied - passing away the days........Miles will be here before we know it!

Introducing the amazing talents and skills of Miss Catherine Klimes

Why I love life in Indianapolis!

I will never forget that two years ago when we moved to Greenwood, I couldn't believe that I was ever going to even like it here - let alone fall in love with it. We seemed so far away from "home" which seemed to me like it would always be Middlebury. And then, all too suddenly - here we are two years later and you would have to drag me away kicking and screaming!

First we began to meet "med-school" friends, then we began to make "other" friends (my dear friend Amber whom I met at the beauty school) - friends of friends who became closer than family, and then a year ago we found Mt. Auburn United Methodist Church - maybe this, above and beyond the other factors, "sealed the deal" if you will......and now, Greenwood is solidly home - with a Middlebury being our hometown. The shift may seem small on all surface appearances, but when you dig a little bit deeper, it feels big!

Although I had an AMAZING shower in Middlebury on June 26th that was full of friends and family from the "northern Indiana" region, my lovely church family (Sarah Taylor and Shari Greenbaum, in particular) volunteered to throw me a second shower for all of my Indy friends and surrogate family who could not come to the "northern" shower.

These women went above and beyond any expectations I had and threw me the most adorable, cute, and lady-themed shower I have ever been to! We had a brunch with casseroles, muffins, donuts, and fruit bruchetta. Then, my dear friend Sarah made the cutest cupcakes I have ever laid eyes on (by hand, mind you - also, please note she has a tiny child - I can only imagine the sacrifice in time she made to make me these!) The room was set up with cute summery colors and tablecloths, with flower centerpieces and the whole kit-and-kaboodle! The gift table was overflowing so much that the gifts couldn't even all fit. I absolutely LOVE everyone that was in that room, however, it should be noted that several of them knew no one else there, and came only for me - and this meant a lot. My sweet Gram and Momzie made the trip from Middlebury (they left at prior to 6:00 am - and dear, sweet Momzie is still restricted to a wheelchair or walker, so this was no "tiny" thing!)

I had friends from college, friends from now, friends from med-school, and friends and acquaintances from church. The generosity of the gifts was nothing less than enough to blow me away. People gave gifts that I know took sacrifices from them in other areas of their lives.

We are so appreciative, so humbled, and feel so undeserving. All we can do is make sure people know our level of gratitude and love. I can say without hesitation that we are more than ready for Miles' arrival. He has a little bit longer to go to finish "baking" completely in there, but I can't wait for him to get out here to meet all of these people who love him and are going to be there for him for his entire life! He is such a gift from God, not only to us, but also to so much of family and so many of our friends. He is already so blessed, and we are blessed to be his parents!