Christmas at Home

We opened family gifts on Christmas Eve. Luke's favorite gift - Toy Story 3.

Luke was super excited to open this big box from Gabe.


Mommy and Gabe - He's not really sure what to make of all this.

Two handsome boys dressed for the Christmas Eve service.

Family picture time! Gabe was so interested in us that he never did look at the camera.

First Trip to the ER

We had to take a break from holiday celebrations on Thursday night to take Luke to the doctor. He'd had a cough and needed some inhalers a few weeks ago, but had been off of them for about a week. He kept having coughing fits and the inhaler wasn't helping so we drove him to the urgent care clinic. The doctor there recommended either some elaborate set of inhalants with a machine at home or taking him to the er since his wheezing had gotten audibly worse while we were there (that might have been due to him crying that he didn't want to be there). So we opted to go ahead and visit the hospital to be on the safe side and to get meds into him sooner. Once we finally calmed him down, he did great at the hospital! I think he was the highlight of the evening for his doctors and nurses. He kept asking them questions, looking at their id badges, and talking up a storm. You could tell he was definitely feeling better after that first treatment. He also enjoyed walking through the hallway attached to a cord that I was holding and calling it his leash. He thought it was really cool to get a picture of his lungs (which were fine). Several hours later we finally made it back to grandma and grandpa Miller's house for some sleep. I'll try to post his lung pictures once I scan them in.

Holiday Travels

Gabe's first Christmas was a success! This was also Luke's first Christmas where he was really into Santa and traditions like making a birthday cake for Jesus. We had a lot of fun visiting family Wednesday and Thursday. I think Luke was a little present crazy by the end. He kept asking for his next present. Gabe was happy just to try and eat the wrapping paper!

Day 2 On My Own with the Boys

This isn't the first time I've had the boys on my own as Matt travels for work, but it has been the most eventful and it's only day 2. Luke's cough came back again and seemed even worse on Monday so I managed to get him a 4:45 appointment at the doctor. This meant that I had to haul both boys in after they'd been at Miss Julie's all day. Gabe really wants to eat close to 5. So I figured I would just feed him while we were waiting, but realized that I forgot to pack a spoon! The waiting room was as full as I've seen it in a long time. Luckily, it didn't take too long to get called back. We found out that not only did he have a double ear infection, but was also showing some asthmatic symtpoms in his breathing so he would need to use an inhaler at least temporarily. After the appointment, I decided that I needed to feed both boys before trying to drag them to the pharmacy. So we went home, ate, and headed out to get Luke's medicine which included the yummy pink Amoxocillan and 2 inhaler treatments.

Today began with me calling in for a sub and frantically preparing sub plans to email to a colleague. I am so blessed to work with people who are willing to jump in and help out in a pinch! I think the biggest problem was that he was so tired from not sleeping well. I didn't sleep well either because he was on all of this new medicine so I kept checking on him. Then factor in Gabe's regular stirrings and I'm amazed that I was awake with my alarm. It was kind of nice to stay home with them for the day though. We hung out, watched movies, made cookies, played, and made art! Luke's iswas much better, but still flares up when he gets too active. He was a little crazy at bedtime though curteousy of one of the medicines I'm sure. At one point he was growling loudly to get me to come in. Then he told me he was growling because the medicine made him growl! I think he heard me make an offhand comment about the medicine making him a little "crazy." A little after 9 though both boys were finally asleep. The trick for Luke was giving him 3 pillows to prop him up and reduce the coughing. He made the connection that it was like the hospital and then started talking about a baby coming out - that's his association wiht hospitals (me having Gabe).

On an unrelated note, he was writing his letter to Santa today but refuses to tell me what's on it. He simply said he wanted lot of presents. I asked how many and he said 5. Then he asked if that was a lot and I said yes. He changed his mind anyway and decided that 100 would be better. Then he upped it to a made-up number that sounded really big!

Things That Made Me Smile :)

After a long day at work, Gabe decided to show off and manuever himself all over the family room. While not quite crawling, he is quite proficient at scooting, rolling, and inching his way around. He also started calling Luke "Bubu!" Now if only we could get mama...

Luke was also quite entertaining. During bathtime, he suddenly decided to call me "mother" which he has never done before! He later asked daddy to shave him. To top it off he insulted daddy's reading by telling him that mommy would read the big book of nursery rhymes because it was "a little too hard for him!" He handed daddy a normal length story and told him that he needed to read the easier one...hilarious!

Finally Sleeping Well!

Gabe is finally sleeping soundly through the night (at least most nights)! This means more rest for everyone. Oddly, though my body seems to struggle to adjust to having sleep - you would think I would have more energy, but sometimes it makes me even more tired! Gabe is also very enthusiastic about his ability to say "dada" and says it ALL the time! We keep trying for a "mama," but no such luck. He sits very well and is beginning to manuever around the room (though not quite crawling).

Luke continues to be an awesome big brother! He loves to teach Gabe how to use new toys and tells him how big he is getting. His vocabulary continues to expand and he is really interested in learning about people's last names. We also discovered that he didn't know his birthday so we're working on that. Now he calls it "26th July." He is a little artist. The other day he asked to paint his birdhouse and his paint job looked good when he was finished! One of his favorite things to do is to add glitter and glue to all of his art. Now he is able to write his name and sign all of his artwork. The countdown to Christmas has begun and he is SUPER excited this year!

Teething or Not??

Gabe picked up rolling both ways a few weeks ago and is a pro at it now. He really wants to sit up and does mini crunches trying to achieve this position on his own. We're just starting to see some of the creeping, pre-crawling behaviors. I have a feeling he'll be mobile by Christmas!

Gabe has been drooling for months and loves to chew on his hands. The past couple of days though he has been really working on those gums so we keep looking to see if a little white bump is popping through. So far, nothing that I can see. Maybe we're just trying to find a reason for his night wakings!

More Luke Comments...

Luke explained to my mom that he was getting a baby sister. Her name would be Kenzy and she would sit in a carseat behind the driver's seat. There is NO baby sister on the way! Now we know he wants one though. A few days later he told me her name would be Raviola!

Today he walked in the door and told me that Aunt Beth is having 2 boys! Matt quickly corrected him that it is only 1 boy.

Luke: "Mommy, how do we get to heaven?"
Mommy: "How do you think?"
Luke: "Maybe there's a really big jet!"

Hilarious Moments

Luke has been saying some very interesting things lately:

Luke: When I have babies, there will be 3 daddies here.

Daddy: What happens to me when you have a baby?

Luke: You die.

Luke: Mommy, can I wear my hat at naptime?

Mommy: No, it would be hard to sleep that way.

Luke: I could just sleep upside down.

Luke right after his haircut: That man is a good cutter.

At dinner that night: That man is a cooker.

Us: What do you want to be when you get bigger?

Luke: A cutter and a cooker.

Luke on the toliet: I just got my poopy out like a big chicken!

Followed by: Singing a song about a big chicken while still on the toliet.

Luke after Gabe spit up all over mommy's pants (I was starting to take them off on the way upstairs because it was so gross!): Don't show me your vagina! Now why on earth would I do that??

Gabe on the other hand is experimenting with growling as a form of communication. He also learned to roll from back to front a few days ago. His intake of solid food is now up to 3 meals a day.

First Words

I have been hearing Gabe get closer and closer in his approximations of the word "hi" over the past week. A few days ago, he finally had it pretty close so I'm calling it his first word! I kicked it into high gear to get him to say mama next, but as we walked through Target this evening I heard him say "dada" more than once! O well, at least he's learning right :).

Family Zoo Trip

We choose the most beautiful day for a zoo trip! It was in the 60s-70s and all of the animals were out an active. My parents and sisters all joined us and we celebrated Sarah and dad's birthdays!

Our family at the zoo!
My sisters - Jenny and Sarah

Mamaw and Papaw with Gabe.

We didn't make Dusty at all uncomfortable by forcing him into a picture with our baby!

McCormick's Creek

We all needed a short getaway to McCormick's Creek. We were only there a couple hours, but the weather was gorgeous and everyone had a great time! The best picture is one that I didn't catch with a camera - Luke and Matt were running after the dragonflies across a field.

New Milestones

In the past few weeks, Gabe has started solid foods. The first day was comical as most of it came right back out at us. He has quickly adapted and now finishes whatever we make! Luke is a big helper of course. He likes to help feed Gabe and does quite well at it. I'll have to post a picture of it soon. Luke has returned to the sweet boy that we once knew! He loves being Miss Julie's helper at school and wants to do homework when we get home! He has taken a keen interest in letters, sounds, and reading much to our delight!

The Struggle for Independence

I started back to work last week so things have been a little crazy here! Luckily, Gabe is sleeping better at night so that helps with the sleeping aspect. Luke went to visit his grandparents for a few nights also. Tonight was his first night back and here's how it went:

Luke has decided that he wants to play in the cul-de-sac with the other kids in the neighborhood. He's tried this out a couple of times with supervision, but tonight when I told him it was time to go home for a bath he ran away! I mean literally ran down the sidewalk and around the corner! It's not easy to chase a 3 year old with an infant strapped to you. Needless to say, he went staight to bed when we got home. As I was laying in bed talking to him about why it's not safe to run off, he started telling me about all the things he worries about. I was amazed at the amount of things weighing on his mind, but I know he gets it from me. So far his list of things to worry about includes: the house falling down, the fan falling down, the smoke detector, lions getting out of cages, alligators, and "fighters" aka guns. We're not even sure how he knows what guns are, but he was worried that daddy didn't have one to keep us safe. We had a long talk about how guns aren't safe for kids to play with so I think he knows not to touch one now. Of course now he's worried about people who might take him because I told him this could happen if he runs away from mommy and daddy.

Stomach Bug

Trust me, you don't want pictures to accomodate this post! This week the stomach bug got the best of all of us but Gabe (and we're not convinced that he didn't have it to a lesser degree). Luke fell victim Tuesday night and Matt was up multiple times with him. I am so grateful that he's willing to handle all of that yucky stuff. We thought maybe it was just drainage from his ear infection since no one else was sick. We had just begun thinking we were all in the clear when I was became ill Friday afternoon. Matt followed several hours later. Let me say that taking care of two healthy, energetic boys while both parents are ill is not a fun job. Luke actually ended up taking care of us and watching a lot of movies. Gabe, thankfully, cooperated and went to sleep pretty easily. He's making up for that today by being very loud. Luckily, we all recuperated within several hours so today we're back to normal - just a little tired. Luke bounced back much quicker than we did and was running around the house by Wednesday morning! Matt and I needed rest to fully recuperate.

Luke Turns 3

Luke officially turned 3 yesterday, but we celebrated Sunday with family at the lake. I'm not sure what his deal was, but he threw the worst tantrum of his life prior to the party (and slightly into the beginning of it)! I guess turning 3 was an emotional event for him. That was the worst tantrum we'd seen until after the party when Matt and I tried to take him for a boat ride. Those minor disturbances aside, he seemed to enjoy opening all of his presents and eating his slightly lopsided cake :) I make his cake each year, but this was not my best work...o well it tasted yummy. We've now taken almost every gift out of the box to try it out. He's loving all the new items! He spells some interesting words on his Fridge Words kit, constantly asks to play his new kid video game, builds marble towers, constructs new train tracks, loses his Buzz spaceship under the couch and makes us retrieve it, and takes his talking Buzz and Woody everywhere! He hasn't opened up the water guns yet because mommy's afraid of getting wet...I know he'll think of it soon...

Poo Explosion # ?? I Lost Track

I heard the first rumble and quickly moved Gabe off my lap just in time to see the diaper actually vibrate as it filled! Unfortunately, I moved him by lifting him straight up so the leakage burst through and landed on my lap in a puddle! I guess that's what I get for only dressing him in a onsie...

Parade Loot

Luke has been asking to see a parade for awhile now so he jumped at the chance to go with papaw to the 4-H parade while Sarah, mom and I went to Angie's bridal shower. I have NEVER been to a parade and come back with as much loot as Luke had! He was covered in stickers, had a green necklace, a keychain, and TONS of candy! Needless to say, he had a blast and will want to go to every parade possible!

A Very Long Night

So we've been spoiled and both boys have been sleeping through the night pretty well recently...until last night that is. Luke has an ear/sinus infection which prompted his 2 middle of the night wake ups. This was combined with what I can only assume is Gabe's growth spurt. This led to Gabe waking up at 2, 4, 5, and 6 am. I think I fed him at two of those wake-ups (though the details are a little blury). Of course none of their wake ups occured at the same same time, in fact, they alternated quite nicely with each waiting until I had just climbed back into bed before the next would start crying! I am really hoping that things will be back to normal tonight...

Train Ride

We took Luke on his first train ride on Saturday! After barely making it there on time, we enjoyed a ride through several small towns. Luke just liked watching out the window. The train traveled from Noblesville to Atlanta, IN. Why did it travel there? We are still asking that question. There was not much to see. We did buy some ice cream drumsticks from the people selling them on the sidewalk, but the cones were chewy. The train ride was a neat experience because Luke really likes trains. He even got to climb up in the engine.

We also visited a new park which may have been just as exciting for Luke. That part would have been much more enjoyable if it hadn't been 90 degrees outside!

Here Comes the...shhh Luke We Have to Be Quiet

We attended our first wedding with both kids a week ago for my friend Shayna. It was quite the experience. I think it was probably a good thing that my boys wound up missing most of the ceremony due to Gabe's explosive poo and the extensive clean-up that my husband had to perform in the car (no changing table in the church). Seeing Gabe leave right at the start made Luke remember that he needed to go too so they all left and didn't return until the end. Even so, there was still enough time for Luke to shout, "Mommy, I'm hungry!" and "What's that lady doing up there?"

Blowing bubbles at the bride was a hit with Luke - not getting to ride in the limo with the wedding party resulted in the major break down. The crying lasted halfway to the reception at which point the lace on the bubbles caught Luke's eye and he thought it was a pretty dress. This apparently dissolvled his bad mood and we were refocused on what was important - getting cake! Gabe just took everything in and made silly faces at the people around him. Luke started out shy, but warmed up enough to break loose on the dance floor. He dances like daddy ;)

The First 3 Months

Gabe will be three months old on Sunday. I can't believe how quickly the time is going by! He is such a different baby than he was even a month ago. He's discovered his voice and can use it to express his like or dislike of a situation. On one hand, he smiles sweetly and makes his babbling noises so you know he's happy. On the other hand, he screams VERY loudly to make it known that he needs something NOW! He is a huge fan of his swing and his playmat. The musical star on the playmat is just as big of a hit with Gabe as it was with Luke. He has recently discovered that he can kick the side and cause the music to start. His brother likes to "help" him learn how to roll. When he's not being helped, he does try hard to move from side to side, but has yet to turn all the way over. The next three months I am sure will reveal even more of his personality.

Preschool Friendship

I'm listening to Luke explain the mechanics of preschooler friendships. He and Lauryn aren't best friends anymore he tells me. I asked him why and he said because they "fighted." He then reenacted the arguement they had about going outside. Afterward he determined that he needs to get his best friend back and asked to have her over!

Poo Story

This happened several weeks ago but was such a stand out moment that I needed to include it in the blog.

Reach into carseat to pick up baby while at the mall...feel something wet. Go ahead and pick him up anyway. Hold him on my chest. Feel something gooey on my arm. Finally realize that the substance is poo! Call sis on cell phone for back up after wiping off hand. Mom, aunt, sister, and Luke arrive to assist only to inform me that the poo is also all over my cream colored shirt and my skirt! Further inspection leads us to discover poo in the carseat, all over baby, and soaking his blanket. Stomache ache relieved. Clean-up commences.

How to make two boys laugh at the same time.

Luke and Gabe were both swinging. I got Luke laughing by occasionally pushing his heels instead of his back while on his swing. He found this so hysterical that he fell off the swing a couple times. Gabe also enjoys swinging, but I got him laughing by making the swing wiggle a little bit while pushing (just push offcenter).

Gabe had his first round of vaccinations last week. He has since been very fussy, so we've been using pain meds on him. He has been sleeping through the night. That is, until last night, when we didn't give him pain meds... He woke up several times. Our theory is his stomach still can't handle the formula, so he often has a stomachache. He will develop out of this problem, but in the meantime we fear a lot of sleepless nights.

Luke's getting excited for his third birthday. He wants a violin. He got a harmonica as an early present, and he loves it. He's definitely into music. Luke's starting to be proficient in sports. He can toss a tennis ball up and hit it ten feet or so. He can react fast enough when I toss a ball to him to catch or hit it. Now if I could only teach him to swing himself...

What I Should Be Doing...

Dishes, laundry, sweeping, mopping, cleaning walls, planning dinner...

What I am doing - none of the above :) Better go get started!

Brothers

Luke came to the hospital the next day to meet his brother. He was soo sweet with him. The first thing he asked, however, was "Can we go to the lake now?" We had told him that we couldn't go to the lake unti after the baby was born...smart little guy :)

They Love the Lake

After spending a long weekend at the lake, we were reluctant to leave.

Gabe and Luke are right at home at the lake. Gabe could sit outside all day long and enjoy the breeze, water splashing, and boats humming by. He was calm when outside; he only cried when he was hungry.

Luke enjoyed it just as much. He would pass the time by walking out on the pier, sitting in a chair, walking back to the deck, sitting on the deck, repeat. He'd check out the jetski, the boat, the boats out on the water. He kept looking for turtles and fish. Then of course some of the time his cousin was there, so they kept themselves plenty busy.

Luke's finally getting over his fear of water. A few weeks ago, he was sure that going under the water was certain death. While not a bad instinct for him to have, it does get old to hear screams of fear everytime someone gets their hair wet.

Once we explained to him that swimmers aren't suicidal, Luke started to test his limits in the water. He got a few scares whenever he lost his balance, usually on a raft, and fell in over his head, but he was making a sincere effort at swimming by the end of the weekend. He's a lot more comfortable when he can touch bottom. No matter how many times I reassure him that his life vest will keep him floating, he still has a near heart attack if we let him go.

Melissa is getting close to solving the baby sleep puzzle again. Gabe's been sleeping long stretches at night, including a couple full nights over the weekend. She's narrowed the issue to milk vs formula. Now we have to try to find a way to get Gabe to eat some semblance of breast milk, but it's going to be tricky. He's very picky.

The lake trip was a roaring success all in all. It makes us seriously consider trying to get some lakefront property. Gabe and Luke aren't the only ones who could spend hours in the breeze.

Gabe's Birth

Everything about Gabe's birth was different from Luke's. To begin with he was 3 days early! Since I had been dilated to 3cm for several weeks, I was expecting him anytime. I even had MANY days with false labor contractions that would be consistent and last for hours, but never get strong enough. By the day came for actual labor, I was so tired of thinking I "might" be in labor, I took the contractions in stride and went out to dinner with friends. Up until this point, I had eaten very lightly when I was feeling contractions...just in case. I love food so this trend was just not going to work for me anymore. In hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have ordered fettuccine alfredo... After dinner and a walk, we had friends over to play games. At this point my contractions were still going and seemed stronger. Halfway through a game, I opted out and waddled my way upstairs to make sure I had everything packed that I needed. Since my water broke with Luke, I kept postponing the call to the doctor. Once I realized that the contractions were only 2 minutes apart, I thought I should go ahead and give the doctor a call. He told me to come in, but I could tell that he didn't believe I was very far along. Matt thought he should finish playing the game before even starting to pack his bag!!! We headed down the road about 15 minutes later in quite a bit of pain. I gave my boss a call on the way to let her know I wouldn't be in Monday and then called both our parents to let them know. At the hospital, the nurses got me all set up in a room. Once she checked me and let me know that I was already 9cm and that there probably wasn't going to be time for an epidural the reality of natural childbirth set in. I was still feeling pretty good at the time (around 10:00). There were nurses quickly getting everything ready for delivery. The doctor arrived to break my water and this intensified the pain to levels that I prefer to forget. Luckily, the labor was fast at this point. I quickly dilated to 10. Okay I was 9 with a small rim, but I wanted to push so they let me. Okay so my body wanted to push, but I wasn't mentally ready. I think I panicked. Luckily one of the nurses was able to calm me down enough to push. The fact that I was also fighting to keep that fettuccine down while simultaneously push made it even more difficult. I am glad to say that I won that battle. Gabe was born at 11:13 after a few HARD pushes and a blood curdling scream that terrified Matt. Gabe was so alert and quiet after his initial cries. He just wanted to look at everything. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of holding him was put on hold while the doctor tried to stitch up my tears. It took several tries to get me fully numb - not a pleasant experience! It was all over so quickly though and I had a beautiful baby boy to show for it all. Grandma and Grandpa Aldridge had just arrived in town so they stopped by the hospital on their way to our house to watch Luke. They tell you to rest after birth...I think I was awake for the next 48 hours because I was so excited about everything :)

Luke's Birth

I can't very well write about Gabe's birth without first telling the story of Luke's birth. Luke Matthew Miller took his time making an entrance into the world. He was four days late, born July 26. I awaited his arrival anxiously all summer as I was on summer break with nothing else to do. I tried it all to coax him out, but he was stubborn (a trait that has persisted). He arrived the day before we were scheduled for a nonstress test. I was bound and determined to have this baby without being induced. Labor with Luke began at about 4 a.m. on the 25th with fairly mild contractions. You know the ones where you hope that this is it, but you can't be sure yet. I couldn't go walking outside in the dark so I walked laps around our house to keep them going. I finally relaxed part of the day just waiting to see if I should call Matt home from work. The contractions were getting more consistent by the time Matt arrived home at his normal time, but still weren't too strong. Since they hadn't stopped, we decided to cancel plans with friends and hang close to home. Sure enough around 8:00 p.m. my water broke. Only it didn't gush out. There was a slow leak, but enough that I knew it had happened. My doctor evidently didn't think I was in enough pain when I called him at that time and told me I might be fine until morning and to call back when it hurt worse. I waited until about midnight when my husband finally told me I needed to call - they hurt at that point (A LOT)! We headed to the hospital, calling family on the way. Luke was the first grandchild on my side so when they found out that I was already 7cm, my parents and sister headed down that night even though it was a 2 hour drive. Matt's parents wisely chose to wait until morning to drive down. I really wanted to try this whole natural child birth thing. The contractions at 7 cm weren't unbearable, but I am a wuss and the thought of those contractions right on top of one another was just a little too daunting so I opted for the epidural. After that, things slowed down - way down. I was at 9.5 cm for hours waiting on the last bit of "rim" to give way so that I could push. Finally, close to 10 a.m. the doctor said I could start pushing. I think he just wanted to get sleep :) Epidurals are a wonderful thing - I didn't feel a thing and Luke was born after about 30 minutes of pushing. He weighed in at 8lb 6oz and 22in long. He was observant from the very beginning, checking out the world around him. I apparently have babies with freakishly strong necks because both Luke and Gabe were born holding up their heads. I think he was born at 10:26 a.m. but now I'm thinking I better go double check. This is why I need to write it all down, so I don't forget! Gabe's story to come later...I learn why women choose epidurals!

Too Many Thoughts

I think maybe I need to blog because I'm used to talking all day when I teach, and now being at home with the baby there is no one to listen to all my thoughts. The trouble is where to begin. My birthday is tomorrow so I'm inching my way closer to 30 (28). My life has changed many times over the past 5 years since marrying my husband, Matt. I left a kindergarten teaching job to follow him to his new job. This led to a year of teaching a 2/3 split class and now my current job looping between 1st and 2nd grade. Although I love teaching, it's getting pushed further and further back on the priority list. My first son Luke was born almost 3 years ago and was an easy going baby. His baby memories have been captured on a blog written mostly by my husband with some input from me: lukematthewmiller@blogspot.com. Eleven weeks ago, we welcomed our second boy, Gabriel James Miller, into the world on April 18. We didn't find out the gender this time mostly because my husband really wanted it to be a surprise. It drove me crazy not knowing! Of course, I guessed a girl - boy was I surprised! More on his birth later (we were too late for an epidural). We are all settling into somewhat of a routine for the summer. Six more weeks and I head back to school - I'm so not ready for that so I'm going to ignore that fact for now.

Does he come with volume control?

Gabe has been exercising his lungs a lot lately. I'm not entirely sure why, but blood-curling screams are now his signature "hello". We get to hear these screams all day and night long.

He stirs in his sleep? Blood-curling scream. Hungry? Blood-curling scream. Wet? Hot? Cold? Quiet? Happy? Just because?

Melissa and I have started cuddling for survival. Family that visits usually leaves visibly disturbed. Meanwhile, Luke somehow sleeps peacefully through it all. Which means he's roaring to go at 7:30 every morning. Two children is definitely a different scenario than one.

Luke went to Holiday World, and he was fearless on the water slides. He's already eager to try out roller coasters (really, aren't they just glorified trains?), so I should have an amusement park buddy in the future.

We're trying to clear out the house with a garage sale. Maybe we'll have room again for the mountains of toys that endlessly accumulate. Probably not, so it's a good thing we're thinking about a bigger house.

Gabe the Weed

Gabe is growing. He's already out of 0-3 month clothes. Fortunately, growing has it's benefits. For one, his digestion is improving, so he's grunting less often. It still happens a lot, but it's better than it was.

Gabe's digestive issues are a lot like Luke's. He seems to do a lot better on his side than flat on his back. Luke was strong enough after a couple months to roll himself on his side to sleep. I'm guessing Gabe will do the same when he reaches that age.

While Gabe is grunting less, he's suddenly becoming a spit-up machine. He'll spit up a little milk from just about every meal now. He tends to gorge himself at every feeding, and he's upset if he's not 100% full. He's a chunky baby. I don't remember Luke having spit-up issues.

Gabe's starting to notice people now. He'll stare at Melissa and I anytime he can. He even smiles at us occasionally.

Luke is fully potty trained now. The welcome relief on the diaper budget was excellent timing. Luke is still misfiring occasionally. He pees on the toilet as often as in it, and he occasionally soils himself. There's a couple slides in Bloomington you might want to avoid. Overall he's doing great though.

Melissa continues to not get sleep. We finally get the children to sleep for a solid stretch and then she has a night where she can't fall asleep for hours.

And even more depressing, hockey's almost over for the season.

The Milk Protein Allergy

Gabe's been having a rough time. He grunts for extended periods after every feeding. Melissa has narrowed it down to being a milk protein allergy.

I had a problem with milk for a few months when I was a baby. My parents had to switch to a soy formula. Gabe acts like he's got gas or is spitting up after every feeding. This wouldn't be such a big deal except you have to feed a baby every 3 hours all day long. So Melissa has to fight the grunting every night to try to get him to sleep, so she can actually sleep.

A lot of websites say that Melissa can alter her diet to cut dairy and that should help. Cutting out ice cream is no fun. She'll have to find something else for her cravings (I'm hoping it's me). We also are going to experiment with different formulas to see if we can find one that makes a difference.

In another two months, Gabe should develop enough of a digestive system to handle the milk. Hopefully we can find a better solution until then.

Meanwhile, Luke's now completely "#1" trained. We still have to overcome some fear with "#2" in the potty, but I'm guessing it's not far off. That'll be a huge relief on the diaper expense.

Luke had an interesting week at the lake. I'd say the most interesting discovery we had was Luke's reaction to swimming. Apparently I need to teach him that putting your head under the water is safe. Luke's experience is getting his hair rinsed in the bath, and he usually chokes a little bit on the water. He doesn't quite understand holding his breath. Apparently he generalized that experience to meaning that having your head under water means certain death.

He went swimming with cousin Macy, and Macy would float around using water wings. However, whenever her head or face got near the water, Luke would scream bloody murder. He would try to grab her and help her up, which of course made her actually breathe in some water and start choking, reinforcing his fear. We picked him up and found his heart pounding; he was generally scared to tears for her.

Finally we realized what was going on, so I demonstrated that your head can go underwater and it's perfectly fine. It helped some, but he was still scared and crying for Macy a lot of the time. We're going to have to practice in the bathtub some before the next lake trip.

Is there a baby crying?

First night away from the kids since Gabe was born, and I still wake up multiple times thinking I hear a baby crying! So much for getting rest while on travel...

Luke has been throwing a fit at the lake. We're not sure why, but going to bed has been an all-out war. He argues about everything, even though he's been talking about the lake for months.

Luke has been using the potty, though, which is great! Almost back to one in diapers...

My Temporary Building

My group at work is going to move to a brand new building. In the meantime, they had to make room for some new hires, so I was moved to a temporary building. I had to pack up 5 years of work and cart them over. My new office is small, and the people who work here are out of the office most of the time. I'm fairly sure I could come to work without pants and no one would notice.

Meanwhile, Melissa still tries to get some sleep when Gabe lets her. He fights sleep, especially when he's "overtired". He basically cries and kicks while Missy tries to calm him down. He's immediately calm and quiet whenever we hold him, but that's a big no-no when trying to get them to sleep in the crib. He also eats like he's been starved for a week at every meal.

Melissa finally found a way to get Luke to use the potty - tell him he had to do it to go to the lake. He responded immediately and has gone several times. Luke really, really likes the lake.

You're soaked again!?

Gabe somehow manages to soak his entire outfit virtually every time he pees. It doesn't make sense. He's definitely aimed straight into the meat of the diaper, so the diapers must be absorbing nothing and deflecting the rest out the nearest opening. Several different brands have the same results. Surely this isn't common, so how exactly is Gabe doing it? We'll end up wearing our washing machine out at the eight outfits per day we're averaging.

Luke and Gabe handle a car ride pretty well. Luke, amazingly, can stay awake and quiet for an hour trip. Gabe just sleeps the whole time. This is good news since long car rides will be common this summer.

Luke's Baby Pig

Luke has started creating pretend babies of his own. I think it's part of his way of dealing with Gabe's arrival. Here's a conversation we had yesterday:

Luke: Daddy, look, it's my baby. *Shows me a black and white spotted pig*. It's my cow.

Me: That's a pig.

Luke: He's cute. *Looks at the pig. Runs away to play.*

2 minutes later, Luke: Daddy, look, it's my baby. *shows me the pig*. It's my cat.

Me: It's a pig. Look, see how his ears stand up?

Luke: Hold him. *Hands me the pig.* He's cute. He's my baby. *Takes the pig and runs away.* He's crying, he's hungry.

We need to get Luke some dolls. He has a police car, and the current passengers are: an octopus, the pig, a jack, a police badge, and a block. Usually the police car is delivering a pizza (we almost never get pizza delivered).

Gabe's had a stomachache and hasn't slept in 24 hours. Hopefully he sleeps soon or Melissa might be sleeping in a rocking chair.

Restarting the Blog!

Melissa helped convince me to get the blog going again. You can find the old blog at lukematthewmiller.blogspot.com.

I'll try to post here occasionally to let you know what's going on in our family.

Right now, we're pretty tired. Gabe (3 weeks old) has developed a sleeping pattern of fussiness for 24 hours, sleep heavily for 24 hours. The 24 hours of fussy wear us down pretty well. Occasionally he will take a decent nap, but his timing is poor - usually it's when I have to get up for work, or when Luke (2.5 years old) is home.

Luke's adjusting to Gabe pretty well. He wants to take care of him. He really likes to pat Gabe on the head (which scares us to death because Luke hasn't exactly learned the difference between gently patting and breaking bricks with his fist).

More to come soon.