Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!! Myles got to celebrate his very first Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, we all went to my parents house to celebrate Christmas with my mom's side of the family. There Myles got to open his very first Christmas present. He did a great job. We even got him to rip the paper from a couple of his presents. Granted he was more interested in the tissue paper and boxes more than anything.

Christmas morning came and to Myles' surprise, there were presents in his stocking from Santa. He was pretty curious as to what was in there. Around 7:30 am, my parents and my brother and his girlfriend, Sarah came over to have breakfast and open presents.

In the afternoon, we all went over to my aunt and uncle's community center at their apartment to celebrate Christmas with my dad's side of the family. Myles was pretty much the center of attention. We had lots of fun just socializing and playing games. Unfortunately, Myles was not feeling the best due to him teething and his stomach didn't seem to agree with anything he ate.

By the end of the day, Myles had enough of his first Christmas. He was starting to get crabby and tired, but over all it was a great day.

Myles' 1st Time on Santa's Lap

Today James and I took Myles to go see Santa at Crossroads. He did such a great job. He didn't cry or act scared. He just kind of sat there wondering who the heck is this guy and why am I on his lap. We tried to get him to smile, but no luck. Oh well, maybe next year.

Pickles and Myles Mix

Last week while James and I were eating dinner, Myles was starting to fuss sitting in his highchair. We decided to give him a pickle to gum on because I knew he was teething at the time and I thought a nice cold pickle would help. Let me tell you it did. The results speak for themselves.

Myles' 1st Tooth

Over the weekend Myles' 1st tooth finally broke through his bottom gum. I am such a proud mama! If that is not enough, yesterday I noticed his second tooth starting to come in. Before you know it, he will have a mouth full of teeth.

I do not have any good pictures of him smiling yet where you are able to see his teeth, but when I do, I will be sure to post them.

Sighting of Myles' 1st Tooth!!

When I picked Myles up from daycare today, Kelly told me she noticed a little white bump on Myles' bottom gum. Sure enough when he laughed earlier tonight I saw what she was talking about. This explains why over this past weekend he was not himself other than having a cold that he has been fighting for the last week or so. He's teething!! Ya!!

6 Month Professional Pics - Myles' 1st Thanksgiving - New Daycare

On November 5th, Myles had his 6 month pictures as well as we had our first professional family pictures taken. He was such a champ. Not cranky what so ever. Plus he was awake and smiling.

From now on, James and I have decided to alternate holidays between both of our families. It just gets way too hectic to try and go to everyone's house in one day so this year we went to the Hemminger's Thanksgiving over at my aunt Jeanna's new house. Myles had a blast. He was the center of attention. He also enjoyed getting fed turkey, potatoes, whip cream, and pie from everyone. I was a little hesitant at first because I did not want Myles to get fed too much to where he gets a tummy ache.

On Monday, Myles started new daycare. Her name is Kelly and she is just starting out in the daycare business. Right now she has only one other child that she watches besides Myles so it is nice to have peace of mind knowing he won't be neglected.

Myles in a Nutshell Over the Past 6 Months

Myles is 7 months old as of Friday so to get everyone up to speed here are some of the highlights that happened over the last 6 months.

The first couple of weeks were difficult with late night feedings, James going back to work, adjusting to being parents and not to mention that the doctor's gave me specific instructions not to do any strenuous activities due to me having a C-Section. I was pretty much on bed rest so to speak.

Before we knew it, four weeks had past and Myles was a month old. We got his pictures taken at JCPenney's and they turned out great. Unfortunately, Myles was asleep the whole time, but I would much rather have him sleep then be cranky.

At the end of June, Myles was two months old and that was when we had him baptized. He was great through the whole service.

I was scheduled to go back to work the first week in July and my mom had volunteered to watch him since she does not have to work in the summer. That helped out a lot because that would save us money and I would not have to drive as far to drop him off in the morning to go to work. Once the summer was over, Myles would be going to daycare at my cousin, Angie's house out in Kimball.

By the time September came around, Myles was 5 months old. He was sleeping through the night (thank God), being more observant of his surroundings, smiling, giggling, eating baby cereal, baby fruits, and baby veggies. He was at the point where you could interact with him more. He did not just lay there like he did in the first month or two.

October came and Myles got to celebrate his first Halloween. James and I decided to dress him up like a monkey. He looked so cute and adorable. We went trick or treating and he seemed to enjoy it.

Over the last 6 months, Myles has grown so much. He weights 22 lbs and is 26 inches long. His hair has come back, he can now roll all the way over onto is tummy, he can sit all by himself, he puts everything in his mouth that he gets a hold of, drooling like crazy so I am hoping that is a sign of teething, and he is now rolling around in his crib. We put him to bed on his back and when we wake up the next morning, he is on his side or his tummy.

I am excited to watch him continuously grow in the upcoming months and start to see his personality show and become his own person.

Being a mommy is the greatest feeling in the world!! I would not trade a second of it for anything.

The Journey of Myles into the World...

James and I found out we were expecting a baby on the day of his mother's funeral so in her own way she left us the greatest gift anyone could ever ask for.

The day of our Ultrasound appointment when we were going to find out the sex our little one, I had all sorts of emotions. I was nervous... anxious... excited. When the Ultrasound technician finally told us we were having a boy, I could not have been more happy even though in the back of my mind I was really hoping for a girl. I actually had the technician double check to see and sure enough, Myles was positioned just right that he definitely was a boy.

My original due date was set for April 21st. Well that day came and that day went. Dr. Pinkerton let me go a week over before she decided to induce me. I was admitted to the hospital Sunday night where I was given Topex which is a pill that was inserted into my cervix to help it thin out and help start contractions, but it did not work.

Between 7:00 am - 8:00 am Monday morning I was put on Pitosin to help me start contracting even more then Dr. Pinkerton came in, checked to see how far I was dilated and when she checked me she said I was 3 cm dilated. I was so happy to hear that because ever since my 37 week appointment on, I was only dilated 1 cm so it was such a relieve to hear a different number. After she checked me, she then proceeded to break my water. Once she did that, about 20 minutes later, I could start feeling contractions and all I could think about was I want an epidural.

After I was given the okay to get an epidural, I got it. I knew from the moment I found out I was pregnant I wanted one because I have a very low tolerance for pain. The anesthesiologist came in around 11:30 am. It took him 6 tries before he could get the catheter in between my spinal bone. As soon as he got it in and it started working, I felt so much better. Unfortunately, the epidural worked a little too well. It numbed me all the way up to my neck and the nurse had to shut it off.

By the time I got feeling back in my neck it was around 3:00 pm. At this time, I could tell the epidural was wearing off because I could start feeling contractions again. Dr. Pinkerton came in to check to see how far along I was and I was still only 3 cm dilated. She then made a decision and she decided to go ahead and perform a C-Section because I was not dilating plus it was putting strain on Myles.

My C-Section was a bit different from most. I had to be put to sleep because when Dr. Pinkerton made her practice incision, I felt it. She said it was because from what had happened with my epidural earlier in the day. I was upset that I had to be put to sleep because that meant James would not be able to be in the operating room with me and I was not going to get that moment with Myles when he was first born.

In the end, James and I welcomed Myles into world and he is the greatest joy to have in our lives.

Blog Totally Devoted to Myles and Family

Since not everyone is able to see Myles on a daily basis, I created a baby blog totally devoted to him and our family. Now our friends and family can see what's happening in his life. Thanks Nicole for the great idea!!