Miller Moments

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY

2010-03-26T12:12:00.004-06:00

Time has serious flown by. It seems like just a few months ago that we were bringing our little baby bundle home from the hospital and yet Brynlee just celebrated her first birthday. It's truly amazing how much children grow in their first year. I'm hoping she'll slow down a little so I can soak up her babyhood. But at the same time I am excited to see what she'll discover next.

Brynlee babbles and walks/runs all over the house. She enjoys chasing the animals to "love on them" and her favorite quiet time activity is reading. She will sit (when confined to a limited space) with her board books for the longest time and flip through the pages over and over again. She dances to music. . . well she bounces to it . . . and sings along - especially in the car. We play all different genres for variety and it's fun to see how she'll react. Just the other day we were listening to classic rock while driving around and Pink Floyd's song Money came on. In the review mirror I see Brynlee waving her arms and kicking her feet along with the music. During the guitar riff in the middle she stopped wiggling around and just nodded her head like she was groovin' with the beat. It was HILARIOUS! I wish I could have recorded it.

To celebrate her first birthday we had a small family gathering and let her cake-dive. Brynlee received many fabulous gifts. Which actually double as gifts for me since I now have new things to entertain her with. Thank you everyone for your love and support. Here are some pictures of the festivities and other events/milestones hat have come to pass since my last post.

Testing out the cake

I think she likes it, no?

Yeah, I'd say she likes it.

We had professional photos done
(which I will post later)
but here is the birthday girl
in her fancy birthday dress.
Aaawwwww.

After putting up with her dress for so long
it was time to run free in her diaper.
Threw on a tutu for giggles.
Super cute ballerina girl.

FIRST CHRISTMAS

2010-01-13T10:35:00.007-07:00

We had a wonderful Christmas with Brynlee even though the only gift Chris & I gave each other was a new furnace (the old one died and we figured a warm house was going to be a pretty important thing to have). Brynlee wasn't quite sure what was going on and probably thought it was a little silly to have a tree in the house. She never really bothered it though and was more fascinated by the bows and tissue paper-filled gift bags.
The grandparents spoiled her as grandparents do. Thanks to all for the wonderful and thoughtful gifts. We also had a great visit with Drew, Laura and their 3 boys between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Thanks for spending so much time with us y'all. We met Ian and Bryce (Caleb's twin brothers) for the first time and we already can't wait to cuddle them again! Caleb was so cute playing with Brynlee. He's a great cousin to her and we are excited to watch their interactions as all the kids grow.
Here's a few pictures from all the festivities. I tried to put together a slide show but many have said they can't get it to load so my apologies for the long string of photos. Enjoy!

Bryce and Ian
I love how they link arms when they lay by each other

Chris had to hold Brynlee in place
She was a bit restless

Cheesy family photo

Our Christmas princess
Thanks for the dress Grandpa John

Brynlee and dad

Brynlee and mom

Bryn was a lamb in the family nativity.
Nice yoda ears baby.

She did quite well with Santa

Even though she couldn't figure out
who this strange guy was

RAWR! TIGER ON THE PROWL

2009-11-04T22:05:00.005-07:00

Brynlee the ferocious tiger says. . . Hooray for Halloween! Although she is not old enough for candy quite yet, Brynlee dressed up and helped me hand out popcorn to the Trick-or-Treaters. She was very curious and studied all the costumes trying to figure out why everyone was dressed so silly. She got plenty of "Aawww"s and "How cute" comments. We agree. Don't you?

The hood didn't fit very well so the ears don't really show.
Oh well, she's still darling!

And, yes, we tried whiskers.
With all the thumb-sucking and face-rubbing the water based eyeliner didn't last long.
Bryn just had black smudgy cheeks, so off came the whiskers and out came the smile!!

JUST PLAYING AROUND

2009-10-03T00:06:00.003-06:00

Playtime is serious business to Brynlee.

SIX MONTHS OLD

2009-09-28T13:37:00.000-06:00

WOW!! Where has the time gone? Brynlee is growing so fast! At her 6 month check up she weighed in at 18 lbs and was 27 inches tall. So when I say growing I really mean it :)
Brynlee has become an efficient roller. She gets everywhere (and I do mean everywhere) by rolling. She has managed to escape the playmat and get out the office door in under two minutes. She also likes to venture under her crib. I think she follows Saba (the cat) under there since that's his favorite napping place lately.
Brynlee has also developed quite a taste for solids. She pretty much eats anything we offer. Sometimes she likes it, sometimes not so much. We haven't tried potatoes yet though. With Chris' very strong dislike for them it will be interesting to see what Bryn does.
U of U football games are quite different with Brynlee along. She is much more interested in watching the fans than the game. I have to admit, sometimes I am too. We are getting pretty good at the whole restroom stall nursing routine and she takes a quick power nap just before kick off and falls asleep pretty quickly after the game ends. When it gets too loud B and I walk the concourse and watch the herds of people at the concessions stands.
Here are some pictures of the little munchkin. As you can see she quite a happy girl. She sits quite well unsupported now and examines her toys carefully - mostly with her mouth.

SEPTEMBER ALREADY??

2009-09-02T09:59:00.005-06:00

When I started this blog my goal was to update it weekly. So. . . yeah. It's turned into more of a monthly sort of thing (if that). I can't believe it's September already. Here's a quick update:

The most exciting news is we are an Aunt & Uncle again. TWICE!! Drew and Laura had their twin boys, Bryce & Ian, on the 24th of August. They are absolutely darling. We are hoping to be able to visit them sometime in the next few months. For now they have other family members visiting and helping them get settled in. Caleb is a great big brother. He looks even more grown up next to those tiny little guys. All our best and lots of hugs and kisses to you guys. You're fantastic parents and Bryce & Ian are lucky to have you (and Caleb too of course).

Chris is still working his tail off at Franklin Covey. All his hard work and determination have really paid off by keeping him safe through some pretty major cut backs. Way to go babe! I'm so proud of you climbing that ladder. I'm glad those around you at work realize how valuable you are. I've know it for so long. Here's hoping some monetary recognition comes your way, eh? Commission work is challenging.

I have found new employment as my merchandising work is running thin. I am a server at the new Olive Garden restaurant that just opened two days ago in The District shopping area. It's quite literally just down the street. Specifically 0.4 miles from home. Yay!! No more graveyard shift and midnight drives to who-knows-where. OG has an amazing training program and the management team is super! They really help you and all the employees are so friendly. It's a fun place to work. Come see me!

Brynlee is growing so fast! She's rolling and babbling like crazy. She loves to be up on her feet so Nana & Grampa (Miller) bought her a play center she can stand in and the seat spins around so she can play with a variety of toys. Thanks for the "entertainment center" you two! We all love it! And a shout out to Gramma Kit for watching Brynlee while I trained at the OG. Those were some long days. I appreciate your help! :)

Sounds like Brynlee is waking from her nap. Time for lunch. We are onto "real" food and I think we'll try squash today. Wish me luck. I'll get some pictures and videos on here sometime over the weekend (at least I'll try). Check back soon.

UP, UP and AWAY!

2009-08-04T11:13:00.005-06:00

Chris had to travel to Nashville for work a couple of weeks ago and my father-in-law generously transferred some frequent flier miles to me so Brynlee and I could join him. We extended our trip for a few days to visit Drew, Laura & Caleb while we were there. They are expecting twin boys at anytime. We are so excited for them. Thanks for letting us bunk in at your place on non-work days y'all.

This trip was Brynlee's first experience with flying. So two days after her 4 month birthday we boarded a plane and flew up, up and away. She did amazingly well. Our first flight was only an hour to Vegas then a brief layover before we were off on another plane for the three hour trek to Nashville. Brynlee slept most of the way and ate and played the rest of the flight charming those around her. The best compliment was given as passengers passed us on the way off the plane saying, "She was so quiet. I didn't even know there was a baby on board".

The flight home went well until just after the pilot announced our decent into SLC and required passengers to remain seated. It was then that Brynlee did the hugest super pooper ever. It took the rest of our wipes and the plane was TOTALLY full so I had to change her on my lap with no elbow room (outfit and all - a true blowout). Thanks to my wonderful hubby who calmly handed me what I needed on cue. Thankfully the passenger sharing our row was a mother herself and she complimented or ninja like diapering skills. We got Bryn cleaned up and everything stashed before anyone else even noticed.

It was a wonderful trip. We stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel for the first two nights and then with family the rest of the time. We all had a great time playing together and Chris especially enjoyed his one-on-one time with his nephew Caleb. Caleb is going to be a great big brother! Even though he is so loving and gentle with babies I'm sure he will be glad when the boys are old enough to roughhouse with him.

Thanks again to everyone for their help in getting us to and from the airports, the plane tickets and accommodations. Here are a few pics from the trip.

This is actually inside the hotel.
The center is a huge atrium with gardens and waterfalls.

Laura, Caleb & Brynlee

Drew meets Brynlee for the first time

Gramma Kit made Brynlee a plane cushion.
Traveling in comfort (it saved my lap too)!

The Aquarium Restaurant
The center is a GINORMOUS aquarium complete
with sharks, rays, eels and a variety of large fish.
Very cool!

All three Miller boys playing soccer.
Soon there will be two more!

PLAY TIME

2009-06-13T16:19:00.005-06:00

One of Brynlee's favorite places in the whole house - odd as it sounds - is her changing table. Thanks Gramma Kit for the fun mobile. It keeps us ALL entertained! Brynlee will laugh at the animals on this mobile and dance for as long as we're willing to stand there and watch her. Okay, it's more just wiggling than dancing. But take a look at her moves and tell me she won't be dancing as soon as she's on her feet. Thanks for keeping us so entertained little one!

BABIES ARE A BLESSING

2009-06-13T16:12:00.004-06:00

Here are a few photos from Brynlee's bless day (May 3rd, 2009). Thanks for taking these great pictures Grampa John :)

TEMPLE IN OUR MIDST

2009-06-10T14:02:00.008-06:00

The open house celebration for the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple is under way. We are so blessed to have this temple only a couple of miles from our home. We have a nice view from our back deck and I love to sit by the window and see it all lit up at night. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to usher visitors through the building during the open house. It is so amazingly beautiful and peaceful there. I encourage anyone and everyone to visit. The open house is free to the public and runs through the 1st of August. Make your reservation today so you won't have to wait in a long line. Visit www.lds.org for reservations and details.

WATCH HER GROW

2009-06-10T13:30:00.005-06:00

Here are some pictures as promised. Sorry for the long string of photos but I have heard from several people that the slide shows aren't coming through. I'll work on getting that figured out. Until then we hope you enjoy these snapshots of our little angel.

Saba is such a great, um, "Helper"???
April 1, 2009

She's not too sure how she feels about her carrier.
April 1, 2009

What color are your eyes going to be baby?
May 1, 2009

She's such a happy girl when she wakes up.
May 2, 2009

Using her tongue to smack now. Hint, hint mom - I'm hungry.
May 1, 2009

Her least favorite part of bath time is getting out of the water.
May 23, 2009

Tummy time is a great part of the day.
May 24, 2009

She's found that her thumb makes a good "soothie".
June 1, 2009

She sleeps with her fist like this . . . on the hand she's not sucking anyway.
June 7, 2009

CALLING ALL PHOTOS

2009-06-04T06:49:00.004-06:00

I know, I know, it's been forever since I posted! Life has been a little crazy since I've gone back to work after birth. I have been waiting until I have pictures of Brynlee to post. However, I am finding that I have not been very good at taking them. So I would like to ask anyone who has any photos if they could send them my way. Chris and I both have the bad habit of taking photos on our phones which I haven't figured how to upload to the computer. So until I get that sorted out here's a quick update.

Brynlee is 11 weeks old now and growing so amazingly fast. Not just physically but mentally as well. She has made two very important discoveries lately: her voice and her thumb. She used to suck on her whole fist when she was tired or hungry but she has now figured out how to get just her thumb in her mouth. It makes such a cute slurpy noise. I just hope that we will be able to break her of the thumb-sucking habit as she gets older.

Brynlee also likes to carry on long conversations. She'll gurgle and coo and use her very expressive eyebrows to communicate. It seems she knows exactly what she's saying and we just talk back like we totally understand. This can go on for quite some time. We had a good chat in the middle of her feeding yesterday morning that went on for 10 minutes or so. I guess she was telling me all about her dreams that night.

I will work on getting pictures and maybe some video posted soon. Please, again, if you have any photos of Brynlee I would LOVE to have them. I am also compiling pictures for her memory book so I'd love to get other people's shots as another perspective on her precious moments.

Thanks to all!

2 WEEKS OLD ALREADY???

2009-04-01T13:31:00.003-06:00

Brynlee girl, you are growing so fast! Our little one has her two week check up today. Poor thing has to have a second PKU/Bilirubin test. That means a heel-prick blood draw. She handled the first one beautifully. Let's hope for a repeat performance.

Chris and I want to thank Aunt Dani for coming and taking pictures of Brynlee for her official baby announcements. She has such a great eye and fun ideas. We had a hard time choosing which pictures to use, they were all so darling. Brynlee was not particularly cooperative that day so I really have to hand it to Dani for getting such good shots. Here are some of my favorites. Thanks again Dani. You rock!!

HAPPY ONE WEEK BIRTHDAY BRYNLEE

2009-03-25T21:09:00.006-06:00

I can't believe she's already a week old. She has grown so much already. I just love watching her discover her world (when she's awake . . . which isn't very often). Even though she spends most of her time asleep she amazes me. She loves the sound of Chris' voice and he can always get her to make the cutest faces.
Here are some pictures (finally) of her first few days in the world.
Happy one week birthday little angel. We love you so very much!!

WELCOME HOME BABY

2009-03-23T12:00:00.005-06:00

SHE'S HERE! SHE'S FINALLY HERE!!
Brynlee Miller was delivered into the world at 7:53 am on March 18th, 2009 by way of Ceserean section at Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) by Dr. Ronald Larkin and an amazing medical team. She weighed in at 8 lbs 5 ozs and measured 20 inches.
What an experience! It was a little weird to think that on one side of a drape I was completely awake and on the other side my belly was completely open. Chris sat by my head to keep me company and more importantly to keep me calm. He was absolutely amazing! Thank you sweetie for being my hero :)
The minute we heard her cry Chris was able to go with a nurse to clean her off and wrap her up. He brought her over to me so I could see her beautiful face. I couldn't hold her since I was numb but Chris held her by my cheek so I could give her a first kiss. There were tears all around. I have to admit I was a bit loopy from the numbing drugs (they added a shot of morphine for after surgery pain) so I didn't cry as much as I thought I would. I'm usually quite the water works. But I definitely made up for it with happy tears over the following days.

We were able to stay in the hospital for four days. That was just long enough. When the time came to go home we were more than ready. All of our nurses were great and our lactation consultant, Kim, totally rocked. I have never learned so much from one person in such a short amount of time. And not just about nursing. Kim was our nurse as well and she really listened to our questions and concerns. She gave us great advice and shared her experience all the while giving us encouragement and confidence. Thank you Kim. You're a superstar!

Vader, Saba & Spot (pets) have all had very different reactions to Brynlee. Vader is a bit nervous around her. He sniffs at her now and then but mostly stays at a distance. Of course, he's terrified of most everything. He's a bit of a wuss. Saba is very afraid and leery. He does not like to be around her and every time she makes a noise he slinks around looking for an escape. Spot surprised us. He's normally the one who runs and hides at every noise. He has been the one to get the closest and stay the longest with Brynlee. He'll lay on the bed with us and doesn't go running when she babbles. Crying, however, sends them all running for the hills.

All in all we are adjusting to our new life rather well. Even when the nights are rough we manage to make up for it with a good peaceful day. We're on our way and what a journey it will be!

*Pictures coming soon*

EVICTION NOTICE

2009-03-16T21:04:00.004-06:00

Well, it's been decided. "Tater" has her official eviction notice and will be "born" on Wednesday the 18th via C-section. After much deliberation our extremely knowledgeable and talented medical team came to the conclusion that this would be the safest way for her to make her entrance into the world. With all my past medical issues and surgeries it will be safer for me to have an abdominal incision than risk any heavy stress on my other inner workings.
It may take me a while to get around to updating the blog after she arrives with all the adjusting we'll be doing, so be patient if you don't get pics for a while yet. I'll do my best, but our little angel will have all our attention for sure.
Thanks to you all for your love, support and concern. We love y'all!

WILL SHE, OR WON'T SHE?

2009-03-13T16:34:00.004-06:00

The question originally was directed at whether or not baby would arrive by her due date. Since we are now officially two days overdue we have redirected the question. Will she, or won't she, come on her own. I am hoping that labor will not have to be induced but our little princess seems to be quite comfortable where she is. I have had no signs of labor but am reaching that "I'm ready to be done with this" phase.
Most people I talk to say I don't "look" ready (small belly, I guess) but I feel ready. I've got the waddle down-pat and the hourly potty breaks are a real nuisance sometimes (like in the middle of the night . . . okay, more like ALL night). We're hoping the doctor has some good news about our progress at our next check-up. Or better yet - here's hoping that we go into labor before that. We are both just very anxious to get our little bundle here healthy and happy.

Carrying high and tight

Can he build it? . . . Yes, he can!

2009-02-08T15:17:00.002-07:00

I just want to take a moment to thank my patient husband for assembling all our nursery furniture. He is truly amazing. We are setting up the nursery one piece at a time so we don't get too overwhelmed. So far it has seemed to be working! Thanks again pa bear. I love you!

The pets tried to help too!

Don't tell anyone, but he's reading the instructions :)

It's a girl!

2009-02-08T14:16:00.003-07:00

Wow! Where has the time gone? I kept thinking I had all this time to update our blog and announce our excitement for a baby girl. Well, she's almost here and I'm finally getting around to blogging about it. Sorry for the delay. Guess I've been a bit preoccupied, eh?

Anyway . . . . our blessed baby girl is due on March 11th. Whether or not that's when she'll arrive is really up to her. Thank you to all our family and friends that have supported us throughout this pregnancy. Many of you may know that due to medical issues of mine (both past and present) it took a lot of effort and some medical intervention to finally get pregnant. Chris and I have truly learned patience and faith throughout the whole ordeal and hope that the patience will last as we acclimate to being parents.

A profile of baby "Tater"

*Note: Before we knew if it was a boy or girl we dubbed our little one "Tater" so we would have a name besides just "the baby". The nickname caught on throughout the family but not to worry, I'm sure a cuter one will come to mind once we see her precious face in person.

More photos coming soon!

Christmas memories

2009-02-08T13:56:00.004-07:00

What a great holiday season we had. My extended family had our traditional gathering the Saturday before Christmas. We Young/Kirkmans know how to party with a complete feast and gift swap. The kids were darling reenacting the Nativity. We are blessed to have such wonderful family in our lives.
Speaking of wonderful family, Chris' brother's family came for a visit from Nashville between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanks for spending so much time with us during your visit y'all. We had a blast catching up and playing with our adorable nephew Caleb. Chris' parents got a Wii system and we played all morning on Christmas day. I found out I'm a pretty good boxer but not coordinated enough for baseball or tennis. Chris and dad were the tennis champs for the day and mom showed off her bowling skills.
Thank you all for a fun and memorable holiday!

Plenty of snow for a white Christmas

Mom's a bowling champ

Hold on tight to those controllers guys!

What tree is complete without the grinch and the abominable snowman?

Nashville and back again

2008-10-26T12:33:00.004-06:00

We finally made time to get away and take a little vacation. A BIG thank you to Chris' brother Drew and his wife Laura for giving us a place to stay while we visited them in Nashville. The highlight of our stay was getting to spend so much time with our adorable nephew Caleb. Chris' latest "bouncer look" (goatee) earned him the nickname "Dude Beard" which was lovingly given him by Caleb. In true Nashville fashion we went out to check the local music scene and found ourselves at the Bluebird Cafe for songwriters night. We got to hear some amazing writers and musicians share their music with us. We also spent some time walking around historic downtwon Franklin. Franklin is quite a cozy little place and we got to see some great landmarks and learn a little history. Another fun adventure was hiking through the Montgomery Belle State Park. Chris didn't care much for all the creepy-crawlies living in the forest but the foliage was breathtaking!! Nashville is so beautiful in the fall (my favorite season). Below are some pictures of our trip. I'm not that great with the camera but I gave it my best "shot".

Music in the round at the Bluebird Cafe

Me and Chris at the Bluebird Cafe

Caleb loved sitting on Chris' shoulders
while we walked through Franklin.

Beautiful weather for a hike!

Montgomery Belle State Park - gorgeous!

Laura, Drew & Caleb.
What a darling family!!
Thanks for your hospitality guys :)

Green, green everywhere

2008-10-24T19:33:00.005-06:00

Hooray! We finally have grass. How sweet it is! We truly appreciate all the neighbors in our fantastic ward that helped lay all the beautiful grass we will enjoy for years to come. Thank you to Chanshare Sod Farms. They really know their stuff.

Before - After

Before - After

The grass is always greener. . . .we're just glad to have some

2008-09-28T16:22:00.000-06:00

It's a miracle. We have finally jumped on the blog-wagon. I'm sure I will be the one doing most of the posting so when it goes too long without an update you'll know who to blame. Anywho, since I am new at this, this first entry will be rather short and sweet.
Chris and I are so excited to be finishing our front yard the coming week. My dad, we'll call him "Super Don" leveled a huge sink hole and helped replace our sprinkler system over the summer. Now that cooler (yeah right) weather is here we are finally laying sod. I'll be sure to post before and after pictures for y'all. As much as we have enjoyed only having half the amount of grass to mow it will be nice to not be known as "the dirt house" anymore.
Now that we have a beautiful, sturdy deck in the backyard and a level, green frontyard it must be time to start on fixing up the inside of the house, eh? Well . . . that may just have to wait.