Halloween and other news...

Baikal had a great time trick or treating this year with Courtney, Matt, and our neighbors Jeff and Katie. She got to wear Katie's costume from last year, a Cinderella princess dress. Her favorite candy turned out to be lollipops which she calls, "pop pops." After trick or treating, her sugar high resulted in a 30 minute dance session to the Footloose soundtrack. After some coaxing, I got her to eat some chicken and drink some milk before bedtime. Halloween was a big hit for Baikal.

In other news, my weekly doctor visit went well. They have scheduled the c-section for Dec. 6th and will take me off bedrest and meds on Nov. 21st. If I go into labor after Nov. 21st, they will go ahead with a c-section at that time.

Merle Chicago Miller turns 10!!!

My loyal companion is now in the double digits! Merle is my first child. I know that she is a dog, but nothing prepared me better for motherhood than having a puppy. It is amazing to think back to the fall of 1997 of when I first got her. My friends and I had just been to a Merl Saunders concert in Chicago. Sometime during the concert, I lost my keys. We were waiting for the AAA truck to let us back into the car when a Chicago Tribune delivery truck pulled up. It was around 3 am and we had been waiting for a few hours. We thought he said, "would you like a paper?" But when my friend Laura approached the car, he handed her a puppy. "I found her eating trash a few blocks back," he said. She was all ribs and smelled horrible. The AAA man arrived shortly after. After a bath and a bowl of food Merle slept for 3 days straight. I brought her back to Atlanta with me and was completely attached. I took her to the vet. She had almost every kind of worm a dog can get. The vet said that her heart murmur was so severe that she probably wouldn't live very long and would never be very active. That was ten years ago. Thanks for the good times Merle!

Shave and a haircut...

Baikal had a great experience at Salon Red Kids. Who wouldn't enjoy half toy store, half beauty parlor???

Mural in progress

Courtney, cousin Karen, and mom all worked very hard on the mural for the next Miller baby. It looks so good! I love it!!! The theme for the room is animals in Asia. There are orangutans, pandas, tigers, and water buffaloes. I think the baby water buffalo is my favorite so far.

Everything is going well

I am so sorry for the delay in post, but our Internet was down for a few days. I had two doctor appointments this week (OBGYN and Ultrasound). Good news is that baby is doing great. He's up to around 4lbs! My labor has been stopped successfully and my amniotic fluid levels are still high, but in the normal range. YEAH! I attribute all of this good news to my mother who has taken over all of my responsibilities around the house and with Baikal and allowed me to rest. I am at 32 weeks (I change over on fridays). The game plan is to continue with the bedrest and meds until I finish the 35 week (Nov. 16th). They will schedule the c-section some time after that. Again thank you so much for all of the cards, prayers, and calls. That has really meant a lot!
The biggest dissapointment of my condition is that I will not be able to attend THE event of the year! My sister-in-law's wedding is next weekend and it is going to be a blast. Matt and Baikal have been instructed to take a full report and lots of pictures for me to post.

Baikal pics

There has been a lot and nothing at all going on here. Matt is taking me to the doctor tomorrow for a follow-up. I figured out that if I take my new meds with food the side effects are less severe, so that was a big help. Speaking of big help, my cousin Karen was here for her fall break last week and was a great help around the house. I don't know how much fun she had, but she certainly added a bit of entertainment around here. She also helped Courtney and my mom finish the mural in the baby's room. Pictures to follow. Here are two pictures that I took of Baikal a week ago and did not get around to posting. Enjoy!

Back on the home front...

I am back at home, getting lots of rest and trying to keep this baby in the cooker. It is funny because I had such a hard time getting Baikal out of the womb and now I have to work to keep this one in. I am on some meds that stop or reduce contractions, although I am still having them sporadically. My next doctor appointment is on Monday. My mom is here helping out which has been great. She has been keeping Baikal. Matt and Courtney have been swapping shifts while I was in the hospital. Thank you so much for all of the kind words, calls, and prayers. It is so nice to know that I have such great support.

Pre-term Labor?

Erin is at the hospital with a little bout of "pre-term labor". She's doing great! Baby is doing great, but seems to have a strong interest in seeing the world. The doctors are working to delay that for a few weeks.

More to follow when Erin returns to home!

- Matt

Too much of a good thing

At today's ultrasound appointment, the doctor informed me that I was carrying a higher than normal level of amniotic fluid. As a result, I am at increased risk for premature labor. Since it is best to keep baby in the womb as long as possible, I will be going to weekly ultrasound appointments to look for signs of premature labor. If found, I may be put on bed rest. For now, I just need to take it easy. Easier said than done when you have a toddler in tow.

Eli's pool

Baikal has really enjoyed her summer spent at various pools. Her favorite activity is to play motor boat. This is where you sing a song about a motor boat and spin her around in the pool at various speeds. She also loves to jump into pool and into her dad's strong arms. Thanks to Noelle for the pics!