HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I took these of cute little Miles yesterday on our way to the Ward halloween party. I think he makes a cute little pumpkin. I was glad to finally be able to dress him up in his costume, since I bought it about three months before he was born. :) I guess you could say I was just a little excited. More family halloween pictures to come later.



Hope everyone has a safe and fun halloween!

growing boy

Today was Miles' second Drs appointment. My mom was just DYING to find out how much he weighs now. He's still small, but he is growing and gaining weight right on track.

He started out at 5 lbs 7 oz and was 18.25 inches long

at his second Drs appointment he was down to 5 lbs and 0.5 oz, still 18.25 inches long

and now.....drum roll please......

He is a whopping 6 lbs and 3 oz.

and is 19.8 inches long

Way to go Miles! He has been gaining about 1 oz. a day, which is great. He's still only in the 15%, but I'm sure he'll catch up.

And onto another update.

We went to sacrament meeting for the first time on Sunday, and it was also our first time in our new ward. We had a meeting with the Bishop before church, and we were asked to be primary teachers. Oh boy!! :) We are "team teaching", which means we get to do it together. (But we all know that really means I will do most of the work, and Mike will play with the kids) :) We have the 5 year olds, which will be fun I think. I've never done Primary....so this could be interesting.

And another VERY important update. (atleast it is to me)

I've lost 22 pounds!!! wahoo!! I even pulled out a pair of capris from my closet today, and they mostly fit. ( I had to do the squat manuever to stretch them out just a little bit) But that means I am almost there. About 5 more pounds to go. I am going shopping this weekend for some new shirts and shoes. I think pants will have to wait a couple more weeks. But for now, I am happy to be back into mostly regular clothes.

Okay, this is a pretty boring post. But ohwell. I'll post more fun things later.

a few quiet moments

I know, I know....its been ages since I have posted anything. But what can I say except that I've been busy!!! And I know most everyone has been waiting (some of you patiently, some of you not so patiently) for new pictures of Miles, so I'll start with the good stuff!

Miles on his daddys lap yawning and stretching

our first family outing. We went to the park by our house and took Marlee to play and run around. Not too exciting, but it got us out of the house for awhile.

Grandpa Atkinson holding Miles. This was pretty much where my dad stayed his entire visit! He just loved holding and cuddeling his first little grandbaby. So cute!

In his swing. He doesn't mind swinging for awhile, but still prefers to be held. Especially now that my dad has spoiled him by holding him about 23 hours out of the day. :) I love this picture becuase it shows just how tiny the little guy is.

And one of my all time favorites. Miles in his car seat. This was taken at the Mall.....yes, I have already broken him into shopping at the Mall. Rachel put on his little hat and we laughed and laughed because it is so huge on his little head! It was funny to watch people craning their necks to see in the stroller as we walked him around. He was a hit!

Rachels in-laws sent this sweater set that Ed's Grandma had knitted. It is so adorable. Still a little big on him (but what isn't?) The sweater reminds me of the ones Great Grandma McKinnon used to make for the grand kids. Plus, it makes for a pretty cute picture.

The pictures are sure cute, but things have been pretty hectic around the Romer household.

But right now, Miles has been fed, changed, and is now sleeping. I am showered and dressed, the house is clean, the visitors are out hiking, and I have eaten breakfast AND lunch and managed to do other motherly duties like restock the diaper changer with supplies, sterilize bottles, wash baby clothes, and my favorite of all activities (I am being completely sarcastic here)....PUMP. If you have ever had to do this, no explanation is needed.

In any case, I have a few quiet moments to steal away for myself, and me, being the selfless person that I am, thought I would share my few quiet moments with you. :)

What a roller coaster ride this has been. Whew! After a slightly extended hospital stay, we came home and were excited to start being parents. Turns out Mike was forced to be more of a parent than I was for awhile. The Sunday after we came home from the hospital, I spiked a fever of 103, had chills, was achey, and basically pretty miserable. Mike took me back to the ER and 4 hours later we returned with a diagnosis of the Flu, and mastitis. Throw on top of that a big heaping pile of guilt for making my sweet husband take care of the baby and of me, and not being able to help with anything.....well, lets just say I was pretty miserable. But Mike was great, and my mom who was still here helping us was even greater! So with their help, some pain medication and a round of antibiotics later, I am feeling much better and have now been enjoying being a mom.

We have had lots of visitors. My mom was here for a week and a half, my dad came the day after my mom left, and stayed for the weekend. Then Rachel was here for four days, and now Mike's family (mom, dad, and 2 of his sisters) are here visiting us and Miles. We have had lots of help, and are so appreciative. Its been great seeing everyone love our little guy.

This sunday will be our first visit to church, and Monday is his next Drs appointment. So we'll see if he is back up to his birth weight. here's hoping.

I also figured out how to post a video. Actually, Rachel figured it out, so you can thank her for this.

This is a little video of Miles' first bath at home. His dad was so excited to give him the bath. As you can see, Miles wasn't quite as excited to receive it.

Look out world, Here He Comes!

Here at last.....

Many people have wanted pics, so here are a few to tide you over until I can dedicate some real "blog time" to post everything I want.

Miles William Romer

was born October 8, 2007 just after midnight at 12:39 am

He was a little guy...

5 pounds 7 ounces

18.25 inches long

He came into this world after a LONG and Difficult labor....

(okay...not really) My water broke 10/7/at 9pm....having no contractions at that time.

I drove myself home from work and called Mike on the way. We got our bags (mine was already packed, ofcourse) and headed to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital around 10:30 pm. Contractions coming on pretty strong now.

They check me and tell me its going to be awhile, as I am only dilated to 3cm...but baby is low (at a +1 station for those who know what this means.)

I ask for the epidural. Even though I am only a 3, contractions are very strong now, and only about 30 seconds apart.

The Anesthesiologist arrives and begins placing the epidural by 11:30 pm. Before he is finished I am feeling a LOT of pressure. And I mean a LOT. I tell the medical staff the baby is coming. They (0fcourse) don't believe me. I try not to push, but I can't help it.

They check again, and I am "complete"...10 cm dilated, and baby is coming. Mike can see the head. I am thinking..."what the heck??? I have only been here an hour!"

The nurses call the Dr. STAT....as the baby's heart rate has decelerated. The Dr. rushes in and says I have one chance to get this baby out....or I am going to emergency c-section.

I give 3 olympian style pushes.....(and a little help from the vacuum) and out popped my baby.

Just like that. Three hours and three pushes from start to finish. It all happened so fast!!!

Here are a few pics for your enjoyment. I will definitely post more details about what has been going on since we have been home, and our fun little hospital stay. And I'll post more pics and even some video clips!

But for now, I am just going to rest a little longer. :)

Thanks to everyone for your calls, prayers, love and support. We are thrilled to have little Miles home, safe and well.

Miles just after being born. Everything happened so fast, we almost forgot to get the camera out at all!

Being weighed. I weigh 2467 grams, or 5 lbs. 7 oz. I am also 18.25 inches long. And yes, that .25 is VERY important. :)

This is Miles' "mad face". He was all comfy inside his little house, and then all of a sudden he is outside, naked, cold and with all this "goop" in his eyes. You would be mad too!

Our first family photo, courtesy of the Labor and Delivery nurse. Thanks Amy! You were great! My dad really likes to play with my face and make it do all kinds of funny things. Then he laughs and laughs.
My boys resting. They had a really long day. :)

We have a LOT more pics, which I will post later. So stay tuned! But right now I have to call the insurance, call the Drs office, feed my little man, change some diapers, eat breakfast.....and the list goes on.

So be patient....there's more to come!

lunch lady land

A funny thing happened at dinner tonight. I trecked down to the cafeteria to get something to eat and it was really busy, which was unusual for a weekend. There was quite a long line, so I got in it and started to wait my turn. It didn't take long for the line to grow behind me.

After a couple minutes a lady standing behind me peered over my shoulder and asked: "What are you having?"

Trying to be friendly I replied "I think I am just going to have a grilled cheese sandwich and french fries....What are you having?"

The lady looked at me, astonished....and then started laughing out loud. And I mean really laughing.

I was completely confused....what was so funny about a grilled cheese?

Finally she was able to say "No, not what are you ordering...What are you HAVING.....The BABY.....is it a boy or a girl?"

Oh.....I quickly responded "It's a boy", grabbed my grilled cheese and left. She's probably still laughing. :)

I guess its pretty obvious where my mind is around dinner time. :)

progressing....

Well, according to my blog header today, I have 23 more days to go until D-Day. That's what I called it on my home calendar. D-Day (Due Day) ...circled and written in big RED letters. As if I could forget. I feel like I am ENORMOUS. Thinking about getting even bigger over the next three weeks is certainly not appealing to me. But I don't have much of a choice. Even my undies don't fit so swell anymore...(as if you really wanted to know.) But I am NOT buying fat lady underwear. I simply refuse.

Everything is going well so far. I had a Drs appointment last Friday. And without going into too many of the specifics...the baby is head down, and things are "progressing" normally. I am still hoping he comes a little sooner rather than a little later.

I went to human resources today to fill out the paper work for maternity leave. I thought it would be a horrendous, long and drawn out process, but it really wasn't bad at all. It took about 10 minutes start to finish. So for right now, my leave is officially starting October 20. Obviously if the baby comes sooner, my leave will start sooner. All I have to do is call HR and have them change the date on the paper work. But even if the baby comes later...the 20th is it. I'm through working full-time. Wahoo!!!! :) After my 3 months of leave I will start working one day a week. I think I am almost more excited about this than the baby!!! (Okay, not really. But it is one definite perk.) One not so great perk is that we will be broke. but ohwell. I can live with that for a couple more years.

AND....I think we have narrowed down the name selection to 2 different names. But...unfortuantely for you, I am not telling! hahaha. It is just going to have to be a surprise. If you've waited this long, a few more weeks won't hurt. Mike decided on Saturday that the goal for the day was to decide on a name. And about 10 minutes later we had picked 2. So we can check that off the list.

I have my hospital bag all packed. I bought some cute new jammies and a robe and some cute little slipper thingies. I think I'll be the best dressed, pajama clad, new mom at the hospital. And I have my list of things I'm not going to pack just yet, but need to remember to bring. So, as far as that goes, I think I am prepared. If there are any moms out there with suggestions of what to bring, (or not bring) I am definitely open to suggestions. I have scoured the internet and looked at all kinds of check-lists and I've taken the things I thought would be most useful. I know...I am a geek. Actually, I think I"m more like an obsessive planning freak and control freak. But I feel prepared, and that is all that matters.

I have been taking Marlee for long walks everyday. People say long walks are good to help bring on labor... so we'll see. I figure it can't hurt. Anything to get this baby out sooner, I'm all for. If anyone has any other secrets for this, please pass them on!

And one more new thing...Our church ward has been essentially deleted! There was a big meeting on Sunday, and at this big meeting, the first thing they did was release our entire bishopric. So obvoiusly something big was coming. Then the next thing they did was "release anyone holding a calling at this time in the Desert Sky Ward." The Whole WARD!!! So, I am no longer the ward chorister/choir director. (which is actually a relief, not having to find subs for when I have the baby). They announced ward boundary changes, and our ward was divided essentially in half, and grouped into 2 other wards. In other words..there were 3 wards, and now there are 2. The new ward we are in, the Agua Fria Ward, will be nice..with a lot of familiar faces, but I"ll definitely miss the other half of MY ward. I loved my ward. It was the friendliest ward I have ever been in. Following releasing everyone in my ward, they released everyone in the other two wards too! apparrently they wanted the bishoprics to pick people for callings taking into consideration all the new people moving into the ward. I'm glad My husband isn't in the bishopric. I can't imagine having to "start from scratch" for every calling in the ward. And do it within 2 weeks. Yikes! Maybe I"ll get another calling...and Maybe I'll just be able to sit and enjoy all meetings every week. Wouldn't that be nice! :)

Alright well....Thats all the news. I haven't had any pictures for awhile, so I will take some of my ever expanding mid section tomorrow and post those for the whole world to see. And ofcourse, if I get any new baby news...I'll let ya know!