Parker is 1 Month Old!

It is hard to believe it has already been a month since we welcomed Parker into our family! Over the past four weeks there have been tears or joy, frustration, and complete exhaustion...but we wouldn't trade one single moment for anything in this entire world!

Parker continues to amaze us and grow by the minute! We have already traded in his newborn clothes...and 0-3 month...Yes, he is wearing 3 month onesies already...

In the past month, Parker...
...took his first bath.
...had his first doctor's appointment.
...held his own bottle!
...went to Poland.
...learned to hold his head up when laying on his belly.
...'s favorite toy is his glow seahorse from Auntie Mandy (in the picture with him)
...is starting to get on a feeding and sleeping schedule (and Mommy and Daddy are SO excited!)
...got his first passport photo taken :)

Splish, Splash!

When most newborns are introduced to the bath for the first time, it is not a pleasant experience for them or those trying to bathe the slippery, wiggly little baby. However, this is what happened when we introduced Parker to the bath for the first time...

...he LOVES bathtime!!

He even fell asleep a few nights later!

Our first few weeks with Parker

The first few days were pretty surreal and overwhelming. I caught myself just staring at him thinking "is he real?"..."is he really mine?"...

The morning after he was born in the hospital

Day 2 of the outside world and it is exhausting being a baby!

Parker was born early Wednesday morning and I was able to come home Friday afternoon! As we bundled little Parker up and strapped him into his carseat, Michael and I just kind of smiled at each other as if to silently say "here goes nothing!" As we ventured home, we were eagerly greeted at the front door by Nana (Michael's Mom), Mimi (my Mom) and of course, Cooper! The photo below answers the question of "How did Cooper react to Parker?"...he hasn't left his side since this photo was taken!

...and now...the many faces of Parker...

As the days fly by and the nights (sometimes) drag on, I fall in love with this little man more and more every single day. We look forward to officially introducing each and every one of you to our son, but until then, we will do our best to virtually update you!

All our love,
The Millers :)

Welcome, Parker!

Introducing...

PARKER MICHAEL MILLER
Birthdate: January 23, 2013
Time: 2:25 a.m.
Weight: 9lbs 8 oz (no, that is not a mistake.)
Length: 22.25 inches

Our first look at Parker

Daddy holding Parker for the first time

Our first family photo!

Even though we are far away from our family and friends during this incredible time in our lives, we were fortunate that my Mom and Michael's Mom were able to join us in Germany to welcome Parker into our lives. I am so thankful they were there to support me through labor and share in our joy as we became a family of three!

Proud Nana!

My breathing coach! Thanks, Mom!

Labor and Delivery

Friday, January 18, 2013 : Labor Begins.

I began having mild contractions on Friday evening that progressed to 5-6 minutes apart and kept me up most of the night, but slowed down the next day.

Saturday, January 19, 2013 : Let's Walk!

If we were back in the states, the 24-hour Wal-Mart would have been our "go to" walking area. However, we are in Germany...in January...so we were restricted to laps in our PX (basically our Army Wal-Mart, but smaller. WAY smaller.) And after about the 5th trip there, we were bored and just ready for Parker to arrive. Contractions picked back up by the evening, but still no progression past 5 minutes...

Sunday, January 20, 2013 : What do you mean you can't sleep through contractions?!

Let the sleepless nights begin! ...and the baby isn't even here yet! Day 3 of contractions with what seems like little progression...

Monday, January 21, 2013 : "I think we should go to the hospital..."

After long nights and days of walking in circles looking at the same 10 things at the PX, a trip to the hospital is in our near future. We arrived at the hospital around 9:00 p.m. and I was only 1 cm dilated. Bummer. The "good" news: my contractions were getting more intense and by the next morning, I had progressed to 3 cm!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013 : The Due Date.

I spent the day walking around the hospital and sitting on the CDG Monitor (to monitor contractions and the baby's heartbeat), but by dinner time, I was in the bathtub trying to relieve some labor pains. Despite being asked multiple times if I wanted anything to relieve the pain, I was determined to have Parker all natural and continued to refuse the pain meds. The midwife checked me again around 11:30 p.m. and I was 6 cm dilated so she moved me to the labor and delivery room - we were on our way! Shortly after moving and getting settled in, they broke my water and we were moments away from meeting our son! I pushed for about 1 hour...

My labor and delivery room. We were 90 minutes from delivery at this point, and even though contractions were steadily increasing and I was pain medicine free...I was still smiling! :)

38 Weeks And...

...Hospitalized.

I had a checkup on January 7th that revealed our "little" monster to be 7.7 pounds already! Everything looked good, but my CDG (the baby's heart rate and movement) wasn't so great. His heart rate was pretty elevated and his movement pretty low. I also wasn't feeling so great and came down with a case of the chills while I was in the doctor's office. She scheduled an appointment for me to come back that Wednesday for another check to ensure that all was well with Parker...but I didn't quite make it to Wednesday...

That night I spiked a fever and just wasn't feeling good at all the next day when I woke up, so when I called my doctor, she advised me to go straight to the hospital, they would be awaiting my arrival. They immediately did another CDG and found Parker's heart rate to be 180-200+, mine was also high and I spiked another fever. After a battery of tests and ultrasounds, I was sent to the Urologist. He did an ultrasound of my kidneys and found my right kidney to be enlarged and inflamed, also not passing urine to my bladder. He said that some kidney enlargement is normal at this stage in pregnancy, but coupled with the infection they had detected in my blood test, I was pretty sick. They hooked me up to antibiotics via an IV and started to monitor Parker's heart rate until it started to lower. 

Another meeting with the Urologist revealed some talk about surgery. They were concerned that if the antibiotics did not treat the infection and relieve some of my symptoms that I would have to undergo surgery to correct the problem. After lots of questions, a night of antibiotics, and CDGs every 2 hours, the morning brought some hope. I visited with the Urologist again and my morning blood tests revealed the antibiotics to be working and Parker's heart rate was back into the normal range! I spent another night to ensure that things were going to continue to improve and I came home Thursday night!

I was hospitalized for a few days back in October for a similar issue, but this time the infection was centralized in my kidneys. The doctors have assured me that the issues will resolve after my pregnancy and there will be no long-term side effects at all. 

My Mom and Ann have since arrived and we are all anxiously awaiting Parker's arrival! Hopefully my next post will be his official introduction!

All our love xoxo

"One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, NEW Fish!"

Have I told you how much we love technology?! I should have known that my Mom would put her creativity to good use once again...her and Parker's Auntie Barb put on a "virtual" baby shower for us in Maine! So creative and so much fun! My parents visited at the end of November and showed up with our own little bag of baby shower items (a table cloth, plates, cups, baby shower games) and even cupcakes decorated with "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, New Fish!" So awesome!! We signed onto FaceTime and were able to fully participate with our family and friends in Maine virtually.

A little back story...
From the time I was 3 years old, I knew I wanted to be a Marine Biologist and one of my favorite books as a child was Dr. Suess' "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish". For my high school graduation, my parents gave me a copy of the book with a note urging me to follow my dreams and never give up on what I believe in. So when I saw the invitation to this shower, it had a deeper meaning for me and marks a new chapter in my life in a special way...

Here is the invitation for the shower

Here is what it looked like on our end (Cooper was convinced at least ONE present was for him...)

The decorations in Maine:

Our amazing family celebrating with us!

Everyone thought I was kidding when I said Parker had 21 pairs of shoes (and one pair of slippers)...here is the proof...and currently, I believe the count is up to 26...

We had such a great time celebrating with our friends and family in Maine! Thank you all for coming and being open-minded to this creative baby shower! We love you <3