Milestones: The Other Babies

We introduced Miles to three other babies, one right after another! This seems like it should be overwhelming, but Miles took it all in stride and is now celebrating with a growth spurt. Yay getting up multiple times a night again! Yay hard work just to get him to sleep in the first place! When, exactly, do babies become somewhat predicable? We had a tough one last night but fortunately, it is summer, so Jon was home to take over in the early morning and let Mummy get some necessary sleep so she could rediscover her sense of humor.

We're getting ready for a big change in our lifestyle in this school year; please pray for us as we adjust and learn the steps to this new dance. No doubt we're already measurably less able to visit with loved ones this summer [No dump tour :-( No Barker :-( ] but we hope not to utterly disappear from your lives. We will have to scale down some, but I really hope not to be completely isolated.

So far, so good! Leah and Matthew were so generous as to visit us a SECOND time this summer, this time with the added bonus of being able to introduce Miles to his cousin Abigail, much to our delight, Abby's curiosity, and Miles'... indifference. Well, he's new here. He doesn't understand what an important relationship he's just begun.

It was a rare joy and satisfaction to introduce Miles to his godparents, to see Abby again and mark how much she looks like her mother, and to encourage each other through this new shared adventure.

The next day we were able to have the Rezendes family for the better part of the day! Theirs was also a good long visit in which we were able to swap stories and anecdotes and in which we Grunerts were thoroughly encouraged in this

new life by how far

the other family had come through similar struggles and how much fun they are having with their little creeper. Ben's smile is a golden reminder that babies do love their parents in return.

Finally, I enclose ANOTHER video (we can't help ourselves!). Yay for one-handed typing

Milestones: Two pics and a video

Fresh from a bath that he actually enjoyed

Grendel gets used to Miles' smell.

Watch Miles lift and turn his head! While he looks pained at first, it becomes a pseudo-smile.

Milestones: The Birth of the Cool

In his second week, Miles has had several exciting events take place.

First, Miles met some more family. From Virginia, Aunt Michaela/Tita visited on Friday, and she made him a Super Baby. She's thrilled to be an aunt, since she can spoil him but not have to deal with the crying at night. Miles also met some New York family when Grandpa Jim and Morai (informal Gaelic for "grandmother," pronounces MO-ree) visited. In their visit, we took Miles for his first extended outing, to downtown Annapolis. Not only did Miles experience his first stroller ride, Mum got to test-drive her huge diaper bag, and Papa introduced Miles to some students, who were thrilled to meet him, even offering to babysit! Miles thoroughly loves his stroller and does not feel pushed away from his parents. Instead, he tends to sleep in it.

Second, Miles went to church for the first time, staying very quiet during the whole service and only sleeping for a tiny bit. We are truly blessed to belong to such a group, who have been praying for us throughout the pregnancy. Miles was generally happy to see everyone there.

Third, we took Miles to see his first movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The couple sitting next to us was skeptical during the obnoxiously loud previews, but Miles proved them wrong by being quieter than the people in front of us. He only made noise with his baby snores at the end of the movie. The theatre-goers complimented Miles on his quietness and attention to the movie. (Miles visibly startled when the inferi grabbed Harry's ankle.) After the movie, we took Miles to my softball game, where the coach tried to recruit him. I think Miles' only valid excuse is his inability to walk. But that'll only last another year, so I expect to see him playing next year.

Fourth, Miles' two-week checkup has him weighing over eight pounds. This is very exciting, since it means that he's regained birth weight (plus five ounces). So, Mum and Papa don't need to set alarms any longer, and Miles will just wake us Mum up when he needs to eat.

Last, Miles' tummy time has begun. He's not thrilled by it, but he can lift his head up some, but not for very long. Tummy time also means that the cats are allowed to become more curious about him, as Grendel (left) demonstrates. They're not hostile, only generally disinterested, as you can see Dragon looking out the window, trying to ignore the existence of a baby.


Grandma and Grandpa got to babysit for a few hours this week and they were thrilled. They even banished the dog for the time.

Milestones III: This pun is getting really old

We're living and learning in here! Here is a list of things we are learning. We're learning:

• how little sleep we can get and still function
• exactly which contingency items are necessary at the changing table, and that pee can go REALLY far when unleashed
• that the five "S"s are impossible to punctuate but absolutely dead USEFUL
• that it's really hard to go to the store with a baby. really hard. I've never been less tempted to browse in the Target in my LIFE (Jon says hooray for the new shopping!)
• that you sometimes have to just trust the baby and let go of your plans for how things should go.

I'm trying to make the next week or so my training for not just keeping Miles alive and clean and fed but for functioning Out in the World. I will learn to use hooter-hiders, and not feel like an idiot SuperDog with my cape on backwards. I will not panic when Miles cries, for real, like he means it (he's only JUST begun doing this). I will learn to remove and replace the carseat in the base. I will learn to operate the Moby Wrap so my baby doesn't fall out or sink to the ground. I will learn to use Gdiapers so they don't leak. I will learn what I do and don't need in the diaper bag. I will also learn to forgive myself when I don't yet have all this down after one week.

Cheers!! Have a look!

1. Look at Miles' big-boy belly button!!! The cord is gone, my friends
2. Miles was reunited with his Grandparents Grunert this week
3. He has been MUCH more alert these days... and much more hungry. He lives to eat. I live to... sit on the couch and facilitate this. It's a growth spurt, it'll pass. I hope.
4. Miles' dimples making a rare appearance in a blurry shot. He has two! Just like his Grandpa Jim!
5. This kid was screaming a moment ago. HOORAY for the five S-es!

Milestones II

Miles endures and flourishes in Pasadena! We know we've been rather uncommunicative of late, and we know that you understand this. I break the silence today, though, because our little Captain Shrimp (Miles Standish's actual nickname! Because he was so short! And now Miles Grunert's alias. do you love it??) is less shrimpy all the time.

We brought Miles home on Friday and had Miles' grandparents Grunert over; they kindly brought us dinner and spent some time adoring their new grandson. Saturday we welcomed the Sutters over for dinner- all three! Three-year-old Jeremiah is delighted that Toodles has become Baby Miles, and he (Jeremiah) has politely refused to gloat that he was right about Toodles' gender, which he ascertained for us months ago using a flashlight :-) We gave Miles his first bath that night. Well... does any infant like baths? On Sunday we received a visit from Mike and Stef who made us dinner, brownies, AND did the dishes! We feel SO LOVED by our friends and family this week!

Our struggles since we came home have not been what I expected. I thought my biggest problem as a new mom would be getting any sleep at all and trying not to run mad from the constant crying. I thought the five "S"s would be employed nearly constantly as we ran wild trying to figure out what our new baby required in order to be happy and calm. I did not expect to spend the first days as a mother struggling to wake my baby UP. This is what has been happening, however. The nice folks at Anne Arundel Medical Center, where we took him in a panic on Sunday when the not-eating continued and a slight fever was detected, have informed us that this sluggishness is one of the symptoms of Miles' mild jaundice. I know, I don't think he looks yellow either! But I had been spending a good hour and a half each time three hours had advanced STRUGGLING to wake my little dude from impenetrable slumber and getting more and more frustrated and feeling more than a little rejected. HOWEVER. At the hospital, Miles roused and ate two feedings in four hours (big accomplishment for him) and since then has been more and more willing to latch on (another BIG struggle requiring all of my and Jon's efforts!) and EAT. The strategy by night has been to set alarms, because although Miles has advanced to sucking his fist quietly to demonstrate hunger, he won't yet make any noises that would wake us up. Every three hours, therefore, we've been rising to the alarm, diapering and succesfully feeding our little one, so that yesterday he received a clean bill of health from the Pediatrician! He gained three ounces from Sunday to Monday! Mum and Papa are SO relieved and are now moving on to really really enjoying our gorgeous son. Look! Enjoy!

My emotions in the past few days have been all over the place, but no matter what I might experience moment to moment, no matter how uncomfortable recovering from the birth and no matter how much anxiety he might have given me recently, I have a deep current of awe and wild joy in having finally seen my baby to birth. Just observing him breathe, feeling his heart beat, seeing tiny capillaries in his tiny round ears and knowing that he was growing and developing inside ME and is now a person in his own right... the words I would use have been taken, so I must quote another joyful mother here:

My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and Holy is His Name

Milestones: First days

Please join us in welcoming Miles Franz Joseph into our lives. Today (July 10) is the due date, but we’re delighted that he came a few days early.

Miles clearly has some propensity toward number sequencing already, deciding to arrive on 7/8/09 at 10 minutes to 11 p.m. While this doesn’t necessarily hold any real significance in itself, the numerological idea that the number 11 is symbolic of rejuvenation and renewal is meaningful to both Lissa and me.

Early labor started on Monday evening, subsiding enough during the night to allow both Lissa and me some sleep. Contractions began again Tuesday morning, intensifying all day and subsiding enough in the evening to fool us into thinking we’d get some sleep. We arrived at the midwifery at 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, where Lissa labored for nine hours like a champ. The midwives, Marijke, and I were all extremely impressed by Lissa’s endurance without any meds, and all of us were surprised and disappointed that, by 1 p.m., little had progressed. In an effort to get some rest, we decided to be admitted to the hospital, where Lissa labored in relative peace (thanks to the nice epidural lady).

Lissa and me dancing through labor pains

Marijke taking a well-earned nap

I’m so proud of Lissa for enduring through the whole labor, and then for pushing for three hours. It was clearly hard work, but we got the reward of a new son. The most proud moment I’ve had throughout fatherhood thus far (<50 hours) is announcing to Lissa that he was, in fact, a boy, and in introducing Miles to his Mum. Lissa’s first thought upon seeing him was, “Wow, he’s huge!” And yes, he seemed so. While holding him, looking at him for the first time, we thought it appropriate that he listen to “So What,” the first track on Kind of Blue. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any Haydn to plain in addition. But we’ll remedy that soon. He’s taken to both of us quite well, responding positively to our voices and our touch.

When we first started to seriously discuss having children, it was important that the names have familial significance. While we finally decided on a spelling for the girl’s name between pushes on Wednesday night, the boy’s name came quite quickly. With a name that means “peaceful soldier,” he’s named first after Miles Standish, the military adviser for the Mayflower Puritans and the first of Lissa’s ancestors to leave his home for a new continent. His middle names, Franz Joseph, come from his great-great grandfather, the first of the Grunert line born in North America. Franz Joseph Grunert’s father, who left Poland in search of something better, was named Michael, of which Miles is a related form. In naming him Miles Franz Joseph, we’re encouraging him to live like his namesakes. Miles Standish and Michael Grunert embody the boldness to seek out a better life for one’s self and, more importantly, for one’s family. Franz Joseph Grunert signified the hope of his parents that success was possible in newness, and he showed that his parents’ faith and boldness were not in vain. We’d like our son to embody these notions to the fullest, and we’ll do what we can to help him along that path.

A Clarification

I've updated the settings for this blog so the author is marked at the end of each entry. You can probably figure out who J. and L. are.

A Baby!

On 7/8/09 at 10 minutes to 11 pm, (I'm not joking), Lissa and I welcomed Miles Franz Joseph Grunert into the world. He's 7 lb, 12 oz, and 20 in. long. Mother, baby, and father are all doing well, and two of the three are trying to get more rest.

A fuller post is already written, but it won't be posted until I can get pictures posted at the same time. That is, after all, why you all read this.

Don't get excited

We're not in labor, nor (apparently) anticipating labor in the immediate future. We're coping with this as well as we can :-) But I thought I'd share some recent pictures to tide our readers over and show that we are still alive.

First phenomenon: my amazing swollen feet. For over a week now I have had

unrecognizable "Flintstone Feet" (Jon's loving appellation).

So I choose, at night: do I want to make improvements to my poor extremities by doing the recommended side-lying sleep pose while elevating my feet, OR do I want to SLEEP and not have back/hip pain in the morning? I have chosen the former

only once and concluded that, as fun as it was to have recognizable feet.... sleep is better.

On Friday, we received Leah and Matthew! up from North Carolina as visitors in our apartment; they very kindly came even further North for us, though they had already driven to Annapolis and were staying with Aunt Eileen and Uncle Chris. We got to show them around our place, catch up, let baby Abigail test-drive our changing table... :-) It was marvelous to see them in our natural habitat. On Saturday, we had an extremely enjoyable and

peaceful Fourth of July; I'm really not sure how it could have been better. We hung out with baby Abigail, played video games with Jamie, ate delicious food provided and prepared by Eileen and Chris, played

beanbags, celebrated Leah's birthday with candlelight and cake, and strolled down to the beach for to catch (some of) the Annapolis

fireworks. That was definitely the best possible location, as it was peaceful and allowed an amazing view of several fireworks displays, the bay bridge and the proliferation of BOATS lit up in the

harbor, AND allowed for a really smooth getaway. Perfect for a rather uncomfortable (okay, huge) lady and the parents of an infant.

Yesterday I enjoyed my spa appointment for which I had been staving off labor for a long time. It was.... indescribable. Massage, meditation in the Tranquility Lounge, private detoxifying lunch and beverages, manicure, pedicure.. I was so pleasantly psychedelic when I got out. It made me very aware of my body, but not limited by its discomfort, which would have been a perfect state of mind to begin to labor in... alas. Nothing.

We're determinedly basking in the full moon and taking long walks, but also trying to amuse ourselves with more usual summer pursuits, yet without going on trips or going far from home... this is a bit tricky. We're trying to cope with the leisure time as best as we can, though :-)