Happy 2012

Happy New Year

Love Sex in the City and the below is my favorite all time holiday movie montage. This year for New Years we stayed in, drank a good bottle or wine, ordered Thai food and had a family New Years.

I got three New Years kisses from my three favorite people. Hope everyone had a safe start to their 2012.

Review - Citrus Lane

I was gifted a six month subscription to Citrus Lane while pregnant with Celine. I had never before heard of the relatively new company prior but after checking out their site I was excited.

Citrus Lane is a monthly gift delivery for mothers and babies that includes age appropriate products. Their products are higher end and focus on quality. The first months package included a $50 credit at minted.com and this months included a fantastic bracelet from Stella and Dot.

Right now you can start your monthly subscription for less! Enter code CITRUSHALF4 at checkout and get the first month of your monthly subscription for only $12.50.

Citrus Lane Sign Up

This will be a go to baby shower gift for me.

Week Two

Little tidbits I want to remember about week two as a family of four.

• At Celine's two week appointment she had grown an inch and gained 10 ounces since we came home from the hospital. She is now 20 inches and 7lbs 14.5 ozs.
• Celine is doing great, she is sleeping four hour stretches at night and seems to have a content temperament.
• Between the hours of 2pm and 4pm you can find the three of us in bed together for an afternoon nap.
• Celine went to her first party on Saturday night, she hung out in the ergo while I ran around after Reece and Craig drank beers. We only stayed two hours but it was nice to see some friends.
• My pain med prescription ran out the same day Craig went back to work, bad timing and painful.
• My Mom came and took care of us for Craig's first three days back. I was reminded of how good my Mom is at taking care of you when you don't feel well.
• I am so ready to be able to exercise, I am craving it so bad I can hardly stand it. Flipside my stomach is still recovering from my cesarean, the bandages are still on I need to practice patience because it still hurts to get out of bed.
• I forgot how much newborns poop, seriously every two hours?

A name

Before I was ever pregnant I had a hundred names I thought would be lovely to name my children. Once it was real it was so much harder, plus I hadn't expected I would need to consider anyone else's opinion? Craig and I were not a couple who had a name locked down early for either of our children, both were named on their birthday. Each we thought we agreed a couple days prior (3 at most) but didn't actually finalize until after they were born.

Reece Joseph Miller
We always knew he would be a Joseph Miller after Craigs father but couldn't decide what his first name would be.
Craig wanted Austin
I wanted Greyson or Cohen
We both liked Reece and finally agreed to pick the name we both liked.
Reece means Enthusiasm

Celine Claire Miller
We had no clue where to start. We thought she was going to be a boy and had agreed on Hayes James Miller. If we have another son as of now this would be his name.
Craig wanted Madeline, Sydney or Leighton
I wanted Meadow, Marina, Isla, Simone or Juliette
We both liked Mila, Celine or Claire
Reece liked Pickle
So we put all of the above names in a bowl and let Reece draw.
First pick Celine and second Claire
We figured since they were both on our joint list it was meant to be.
Celine means heaven and Claire means bright.

Week One

Little tidbits I want to remember about week one as a family of four.

• Reece did great with the introduction of Celine to our family. At first he was apprehensive but quickly warmed up. He loves to hold Celine, rub his checks on hers and kiss her head.
• Having Craig home for ten days was amazing, usually when he has that much time off we are on vacation so it was nice to be able to just spend time at home together.
• Celine was the perfect first week baby, sleeping four hour stretches at night, eating well and loves the paci and swing.
• Celine loves to be warm, hates the cold.
• Breastfeeding hurt really bad days 6-7, but powering through and things are now ok. I went through the same with Reece, gel pads, nipple shields and patience got me through both.
• Reece has watched a tad bit more TV then normal and has been singing all the jingles to PBS kids.
• Craig is grumpy in the middle of the night, it is comical... in the morning we laugh about it. I plan to video tape it on my phone once I am a little more recovered and can move faster.
• Newborns are tiny, Reece all the sudden seems like such a big boy.
• I miss Reece already, he amazes me even more now that Celine is here. He is so smart, kind and polite. It feels like tantrums have slowed a little bit and I am loving his age/stage.
• I go back to work May 1st, it already feels like my leave is flying by...

Celine Claire Miller

At 8:33am on December 5th 2011 we welcomed our daughter Celine Claire Miller to the family. She weighed 7lbs 9.5 ozs and was 19 inches tall with a full head of dark brown hair. Celine has been incrediable, she is so sweet and delicate. Reece has been enjoying his big brother duties and only shown a little jealousy.

I want time to pause so we can sit here in this perfection.

Beauty Bag - Hospital Edition

Although I have yet to pack my hospital bag I have been planning my beauty bag for sometime now and finally put it altogether this morning. I remember when I was pregnant with Reece someone gave me the good advice to make sure I had my bathroom supplies (not the ones supplied by the hospital) because your first shower after birth is incredible only made better with your own little luxuries. I listened however didn't really understand, however this time I have better prepared.

Now I can only speak from experience but after two days of labor, surgery and not showering looking down two more days at the hospital those 10 minutes in the hot water were pure heaven. Craig also looked after Reece while I dried my hair, put on moisturizer and applied a little make up. I remember feeling like a new women.

My strategy This time was to gather as many sample size products of my regular beauty regimen prior. As I collected them I would throw them in a bag under the sink, before I realized it I had everything I needed.

Here is what made the list this time.

• Chapstick
• Face Wash/body wash/face cream/eye cream/body moisturizer
• Clean towelettes
• Eye drops (weird for most, obsession of mine)
• Cuticle Oil and hand lotion
• Q- Tips
• Deodorant
• Shampoo/Conditioner/Hairspray
• Pony tail holders/Two headbands/Clip
• Toothbrush/toothpaste/Floss
• Hair Brush/hair dryer/flat iron
• Concealer/blush/lip gloss/eye lash curler/mascara

Pregnancy - First vrs. Second

One question I have gotten a lot with this pregnancy is how it compares to my first. I have broken out my experience with the comparison of the two below.


First Trimester - First

• Found out at five weeks, I handed Craig a whiskey on the rocks with the pregnancy test.
• Super nervous the entire time
• Traveled lots and was required to create and present several presentations in front of large audiences which was very challenging. I think I traveled ten plus times in my first trimester alone.
• Terrible headaches
• Walked three to four miles three plus times a week.
• Exhausted, I would fall asleep on the couch at seven then move to bed around nine.
• Sick to my stomach only once when I rode an elevator at seven am with someone who had just enjoyed a cigarette.
• Spent the entire holiday season pretending to drink or avoiding situations where my cover would be blown.
• At 13 weeks told family and friends

First Trimester - Second

• Found out at five weeks, emailed Craig a picture and told him to call me before opening which of course he didn't.
• Mildly nervous the entire time
• Only traveled for work once, so much better. When Reece was a year old I moved to a flexible part time schedule working 32 hours a week in the office only three days.
• Terrible headaches
• Did very little physical exercise
• Exhausted, but Reece did not allow the blissful couch sleeping I enjoyed the first time around.
• Mild nausea
• Now that I had been a Mom for a year and a half peoples expectations of my ability to be fun were lower, I didn't really have to hide my not drinking people had come to expect me to be boring.
• At 13 weeks told family and friends

Second Trimester - First

• Started buying everything the baby lists told me I needed, loved shopping for the baby even before I knew if Reece was a boy or girl.
• Mildly nervous the entire time
• Terrible headaches
• Walked three to four miles three plus times a week.
• Super hungry all the time, I did not miss a meal.
• Mild nausea
• At 17 weeks told work
• Found out Reece was a little boy
• Went on a babymoon to Maui for nine days it was bliss.

Second Trimester - Second

• Didn't buy anything until I found out that baby Miller was a girl.
• Not that nervous
• Mild headaches
• Obsessed with prenatal yoga, seriously looked forward to the next time I would go as I was leaving my sessions.
• Not that hungry
• Mild nausea
• At 13 weeks told work
• Found out baby Miller was a girl, love shopping for girl clothes
• Went on a family trip to San Diego with Reece for four days.

Third Trimester - First

• Super uncomfortable
• Walked three to four miles three plus times a week.
• Sciatica from weeks twenty eight through thirty three, I still walked but with a limp.
• Super hungry all the time, I did not miss a meal.
• Beautiful baby shower thrown by my friends, very fortunate.
• Very Grumpy, I didn't feel like myself.
• Lots of summer partying everywhere we went, very few friends has started their families yet.
• 90+ degrees my last month, record breaking temperatures that summer...lucky me.
• I followed all the checklists, hospital bag packed with everything I needed and more, car seat in the car early, pre-made frozen meals and my house was spotless.
• Stopped working at thirty seven weeks, spent the last four weeks enjoying the calm before the storm with matinees, massages, reading trashy novels and sleeping.
• Delivered Reece nine days after his due date after 32 hours of labor via c-section.

Third Trimester - First

• Pretty comfortable
• Prenatal yoga weekly was my only form of exercise.
• No Sciatica!
• Not hungry, constant heartburn after my first bite of anything.
• Beautiful baby shower thrown by my friends, very fortunate.
• Babies everywhere, a lot of our friends now have families of their own and the partying days are a little softer.
• I followed no checklists, hospital bag still isn't packed, I have no frozen meals and the house cleaners are coming the day I have her because our house is a mess.
• Stopped working at thirty seven weeks, spent the last three weeks enjoying the calm before the storm with museums, toddler tantrums, short stories, cozy naps cuddled up with my little boy and sporadic night sleep depending on Reece's mood and health.
• Scheduled to deliver baby Miller on her due date via c-section.

So there you have it the good, the bad and the ugly, I should state that with both pregnancies I have gained almost the exact same weight to the pound, which I am happy about. The first time around I was told I looked more pregnant then I was, this time people say I look little both I have measured a week under most of the way...?

I knew this time would be so much more pleasent no matter what happened, I had a different perspective. How can something that ends with the below be anything but beautiful?

Princess pickle

So here we are three days till baby girl Miller will be here and all three of us can't agree on her name. Reece has named her Princess pickle for months, not sure why? Craig prefers top 20 type names and myself super feminie but a little more unique. We have narrowed it down to 10 or so and may resort to letting Reece draw out of a bowl. I don't think we will include his picks though.

Cinderella Nails

Butter - Tart with a Heart

If you like glitter but aren't looking for the Vegas kind this polish is perfect. Reece calls my nails princess fingers and refers to me as Cinderella when I put it on, so two year old toddler boys approve too. It looks great layered with a light pink or gold base also.

Seventeen Days

Seventeen days at most till this family of three becomes four. I will be a mother to a son and a daughter in the blink of an eye. Growing up I always dreamed that one day I would get to live this life, I feel very blessed but also scared... this time I am not niaeve to what being a parent means. Parenting is not for the weak, it tests you in ways you can't even imagine and changes everything. I know this little family will be resilient and adapt however I am soaking in our last moments as three enjoying the dream of four. This time I am more aware of what is coming...