Introductions, Part 3

And the baby auntie!

1. Who are you, and what is your relation to Baby A?

I'm Miller, Boots's baby sister, and future (favorite) aunt to Baby A. I just started my freshman year at Vanderbilt and could not be more excited to be close to home to support my sister, brother-in-law, and "niephroo" for at least the next four years.

2. What was your first thought when you heard about the impending arrival?

My first thought? That Preds jersey is too small for Dad. But upon my realization at the significance of said tiny jersey, I can say with complete honesty that I was the most excited I had ever been in my life. 

3. What would you like Baby to know right now?

Baby BA, I want you to know that even at a few days old you were already the most loved human to ever exist. There are people at all ends of the Earth pulling for you. Also, on top of how much they love you, I want to tell you how much your parents love each other. I find myself constantly in awe of the support and care that Jess and Bri provide for one another, and their immense love for each other means unimaginable love towards you as you are a part of both of them. Bringing you in to this world - and the love that they have already demonstrated towards you - is a true testament to how your mom and dad are always willing and able to grow their hearts a little bigger so there's a little more love in this world. You could not have been blessed with better parents. Bonus: they look like the couple from the Little Mermaid.

4. The biggest surprise so far has been...

The biggest surprise so far has been how quickly you've grown! Your 13 week ultrasound picture is the background on my phone. I'm also startled by the idea of an external intestines. I hope you fix that soon.

5. What advice do you have for the parents-to-be?

To BA and Boots - raise your child to be the best of both of you. Raise him/her to empathize and develop passion the way you both have. Take advice from Doc, Jules, Boberto, and Dr. Kate because, obviously, they did a few things right in raising y'all. Jessie - don't get a mom haircut or a minivan. Bake the birthday cakes yourselves, never miss a game, and remember that Aunt Miller is always there to help in any way necessary.

Hooray! Thanks to our siblings for their timely and thoughtful responses. We'll check in periodically. If you want to do an intro, or if you have a question you'd like me to ask the aunts and uncles, send it this way. 

15 Weeks

How Far Along: 15 weeks.

Total Weight Gain: Hold on to your hats, friends. Here we gooooo...

Size of Baby: Baby is about 4 inches, head to bottom, and weighs about 2.5 ounces. This is about the size of an apple. 

Eyelids are still closed, but baby can sense light. I'm told that if I were to shine a flashlight on myself (but why?), baby would turn away. Clearly I have no way to verify this, so let's just move on. Also, taste buds are forming. 

Maternity Clothes: So here's the deal. I have a major bone to pick with lulu. Turns out, they don't make a dedicated maternity line. If you search for it, you get a page full of smug pregnant women boasting about how they wore their regular Om Flow Vinyasa Zen pants all! the! way! through! their pregnancies. The implication is that lulu is so great and versatile, they don't even need to make a maternity line! Here is the problem. This might work when you have an actual belly--buy a size up, and just fold the waistband down below the belly. But I'm not there yet. So in reality, the waistband bisects the bulge in a most unappealing way. This is also uncomfortable, and not really an inspiring look in workout clothes. So if you know anyone at corporate, tell him or her that I would like to have a talk. 

In the meantime, I have ordered the least unflattering pair of maternity workout pants I could find online--and this is not saying much--they give them all gaucho legs, as if I want to look stockier. I also found a pair of lulu pants that has a different waistband (the Astro pant, if you're interested) and bought a size up. As such, they are TOO LONG (are you listening, corporate??), but it's just what you gotta do to be brave. And I did share my feelings on this issue with the nice salesgirl, who said that one of their pregnant employees agreed with me, so I felt slightly better. Ugh. First-world problems. 

Other than that, the maternity clothing issue is not relevant. Yes, I've bought a bunch (sorry, credit card), but it's still too damn hot to wear any of it. In fact, it's too hot for any sort of pants, regular or maternity, so I don't even know if real pants still fit. I suspect I could button them but would be uncomfortable by day's end. So I am good with maxi dresses and trying not to swoon. 

Stretch Marks: Shut up.

Gender: Have you voted? It's way more fun than that other election going on...so get to clicking in that poll on the right of your screen and let us know your guess!

Movement: Maybe sometimes? A tiny little fluttersquirm when I lie really still. Maybe just the bubblegut. But I'd like to think that, as a reasonably educated person, I know the difference between gas and babies. I will just wait until I am sure. 

Sleep: Sometimes I do this. I also have to get up a lot. 

What I miss: Not looking "a little bit fat" (thanks to Catherine for this description, which is actually very accurate and didn't even make me a little bit mad). I would rather still be able to hide it or just be able to let it ride. But that won't be long, if the last week is any indication. Things change fast. 

Cravings: Cheese. Mac & cheese, cheese cheese, cottage cheese, cheese sticks, queso, grilled cheese, quesadillas, cheddar & sour cream Ruffles (??)...I have a legitimate concern that the baby might come out an alarming shade of fake-cheese orange. Can that happen? I am stating this for the record here and now, lest BA accuse me of having had a tryst with a Jersey Shore cast member when he sees the baby for the first time. 

Biscuits. Also, Hot Tamales. What a health nut, huh?

Other crazy symptoms: Lower back pain. Boogers. 

Best Moment this week: Snacks with Miss Miller, who is doing a great job of navigating her brand-new college world. 

We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, but I'm not expecting anything exciting. There's no ultrasound--just probably hearing the heartbeat again and taking some measurements. I'll update everyone but ideally it should be uneventful. 

Milestones

you bet your bottom I did.

Lemon Chicken

The current fruit of the week led me on a search for a quick and easy dinner, because I wanted to whip up something relatively healthful now that I feel like cooking again. I did indeed make this tonight, and it was simple and tasty. I particularly liked that it requires relatively few ingredients.

Lemon Chicken
original source, via Pinterest

2 tbsp lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (buy 2 large lemons)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp rosemary, finely minced
2-4 lbs of bone-in, skin-on chicken (the grocery did not have bone-in chicken, so I used boneless, skinless breasts. Changes noted below)
2-3 tbsp butter, melted
salt + pepper

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and salt/pepper--about 1 tsp each--in a large Ziploc bag. Seal the bag and shake well to blend. Place the chicken pieces in the bag, press out the air, and seal. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the chicken (skin side up, if relevant) in a baking dish. Reserve the marinade in the bag. Brush the top of each chicken piece with melted butter.

For boneless, skinless breasts, bake for about 40 minutes. For bone-in, bake 50-55 minutes until skin is crispy and brown. Halfway through baking, pour the reserved marinade over the chicken. Remove from the oven and let rest.

then take an unfortunate iPhone pic due to dead camera battery

I served it with brown rice and sauteed spinach. 

Weekend Update

Our internet connection has been finicky (thank you, Comcast, for your diagnosis of “noise in the cables,” to which you offered little in the way of solutions other than calling an electrician). So this is a mish-mash of disparate topics that would probably otherwise merit their own posts, but I’m putting them all together so I can try to post in a rare moment of internet connectivity.            

On the dog front:

• GA and Brooksie baby came over on Thursday to go for a walk. We added on a little hangout sesh so the little man could chill and the dogs could sniff his toes—a real baby is a better option than a baby doll, right? Anyway, I am pleased to report that they did fabulously, at least in my opinion (GA may disagree somewhat, but thank the sweet baby Jesus she has a dog and understands how this goes. Otherwise it would have been new-mom freakout fiesta). Abita was more concerned about GA herself—probably because she was wearing a most threatening getup (a baseball cap). I brought Abita on the walk with us, so she was too tired to care about baby anything after that. Madigan was a curious and gentle wonder, though there was some excessive drooling going on. I do not know what this was about—please enlighten me. My guess is that this means she was pretty keyed up, but knew she had to keep her body calm. She did not seem like she wanted to eat the baby.
• I did not allow them on the couch while mommy and baby were on it (the no-couch rule has not been enacted for serious yet, but I figured it wasn’t too early to introduce the concept of baby = no couch for you). Madigan still wanted to know exactly what Brooks was doing and saying at all times, so this was her solution to the couch ban:

• The dog book came, but I haven’t delved into the doggie 12-step program yet. We will see what changes our new outlook on pack leadership brings.
• I have now banned the dogs from the kitchen (i.e., the island/prep area) while I am cooking or preparing food. This was surprisingly painless and has gone very well—I’m encouraged. The biggest problem on that front wasn’t food grabbing, it was that Abita would lie right behind my feet while I was standing at the stove, and when I’d turn around, I’d be afraid I would trip over her or tabletop myself. She didn’t understand that cooking isn’t really a stationary activity, and I saw the risk of a fall increasing as I get bigger and less balanced. There’s now an invisible boundary before the island, and they get it. Madigan still lies right at the line, hoping for some food to fly her way, but Abita leaves the area entirely. Great success!

le sigh.

On the stove top:

• There have been many opportunities over the past few days to enforce the kitchen boundary, which is perhaps why it has gone well. First, I made some food to take to some friends who are new parents. I made quiche—one for them and one for us—using a “lighter” quiche base recipe I have used several times before. This is a great basic and merits its own post, so I’ll do that some time.
• I also made the peach-bourbon BBQ sauce from the 13-week Cooking with Baby post. Some photos:

if it looks like baby food, you're doing it right

• I had enough to fill four 8-oz jelly jars with a bit left over. I took one to the new parents, kept one for us, and gave the rest away. I wouldn’t make any changes to the recipe. For the record, it isn’t terribly spicy—you could increase or decrease the heat to your taste. The peaches add enough natural sweetness, so I like that there’s no added sugar (or anything highly processed, which is nice).

On the home front:

• A gift from Sara

baby's first propaganda

Introductions, Part 2

The one in which we meet the uncle. 

1. Who are you, and what is your relation to Baby A?

Hi I'm Trevor. The very excited uncle-to-be of lil baby A! 

2. What was your first thought when you heard about the impending arrival?

Well the first thing that actually happened to me when I found out was an extreme feeling of joy for the whole family and excitement that I am going to be an uncle!

3. What would you like Baby to know right now?

Lil baby A! You have an extremely loving family that will always be there for you. Uncle Trev will always be on call when you need him!

4. The biggest surprise so far has been...

The biggest surprise so far has been how relaxed BA was in Nantucket! It was great to hit the links with him and see how excited he is! 

5. What advice do you have for the parents-to-be?

My only advice isn't really new to BA & Boots. You two should take the amazing model of both sets of loving grandparents and create an awesome home for lil baby A! (Which I know you two will!)

As you likely know, this means there's only one aunt remaining to be introduced. If you are a friend or family member who'd also like to say hello in a dedicated post, leave a comment or email me!

14 Weeks

How Far Along: 14 weeks. As advertised. 

Size of Baby: Head to bottom, baby is about 3.5 inches--about the size of a lemon. By the end of this week, his/her arms will have grown in proportion to the body. Legs still have some catching up to do (in general, the arms develop first, then legs--this is why babies do arm things well before they walk). 

but seriously, folks. 

Baby's liver starts making bile this week, and the spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Thank GOD...I have been working SO HARD on those things. 

Baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his or her thumb. Sounds like a bad night in college.

Maternity Clothes: Well, I can now say I own some. I did indeed venture to the mall, and came home with 3 pairs of maternity jeans. I think they will pretty much be staples, whenever their time comes. And they're also non-tragic, so that's reassuring. Almost everyone I have talked to (about this topic) says don't be a hero trying to extend the life of your regular pants (e.g., with the rubberband trick, etc.) and to just go right for the pregnancy pants simply because they're much more comfortable. Personally, I think the idea of pants without buttons is quite appealing. I also got a couple tops and a dress, but I can really get by with regular tops for a while, I think. It helps that most of what's in regular stores right now is either long and/or swingy. 

For the record, in my experience, the Bella Band is probably not worth it. If you really need to put off buying new wardrobe items, for financial or other reasons, it could buy you some time. But otherwise, I'd probably say save your money. I think I've worn mine once. 

Stretch Marks: I know it's all to do with genetics, but I bought this anyway. We shall see. 

if nothing else, I'll smell lemony delicious.

Gender: I still don't know, but there's now a poll in the sidebar for you to weigh in! Check it out check it out. Exercise your right to vote. 

Movement: Sometimes I think maybe I feel something, but probably not. There's a lot going on in there that can be misleading. 

Sleep: Not great, but this is more likely due to the new (college kid) neighbors throwing their back-to-school partays and our dogs reacting with loud dismay that they've not been invited. 

Also, I had a dream about the baby being a cupcake. 

Tuesday night, I had a dream that Darth Vader invaded the Republican National Convention. Let's just leave it at that--but it was SUPER scary. 

What I miss: Logic and reason in American political discourse. 

I'm in an in-between phase, where I can't always hide the burgeoning bulge, but it's not an obvious baby yet, so that's a little weird. Sometimes I catch a glance of myself in the mirror and am like "girl, you gotta get back in the gym and get that under CONTROL," and then I remember I'm pregnant. So I guess it's not something that I miss, exactly, but I'm not loving this is-she-or-isn't-she phase.

Cravings: None, really.

Other crazy symptoms: More aches and pains. Eyeball changes (BA informs me that this is...wait for it...typical). 

Best Moment this week: Finding out that another dear friend is also expecting, and is about 3 weeks ahead of us. We have been friends for such a long time, and it's crazy to think that we'll be on this adventure together and that our kiddos will be exactly the same age.