Bye Bye First Home

It's August already.. and summer is just going by so quickly. We have been very busy lately. The past few weeks we have been getting ready to move out of our apartment loft. We found a house and moved in the last week of July. It was great to have the overlap between the house and the apartment. After 2 years of being in the apartment.. a lot of stuff have accumulated. Moving was definitely a lot of work. We have had great and fun memories at the apartment that we will treasure forever. We will always remember that it was Miles' first home. I will personally remember how he loved the blinds on the windows, the bricks, and the ceiling fans. I'll always remember how we would walk around the apartment and I would point out anything and everything. Miles and I would go to the bathroom and look at ourselves in the mirror. He liked that a lot. =) Tim and I have had great memories there.. making amazing meals together and entertaining our friends and family. Definitely a great first home and nothing will ruin those sweet memories for us.


We are now in our new house and we still have a lot of unpacking and putting away to do. Our plan is to have a garage sale with our friends to help get rid of things we do not need anymore. We are very excited to be here and Miles is now officially in his own room. He is growing up so much so quickly! He is such a cutie and a lot of fun. He "talks" a lot and is very active. He grabs on to the toys overhanging his playmat and his little rocker. He's great at socializing as well. He is very entertaining at this age. =) We have a lot of fun with him. I can't believe he's over 16 weeks old already!


On a different note... we want to wish Sedo and Amu Kareem a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Here's a special greeting for Sedo from Miles =)

A Wedding and Some Laughs

We went to Chicago this past weekend to see family and friends. Our main reason was to celebrate our friends' wedding on Saturday. This was Miles' first wedding he attended, hehe. The wedding and reception were at theWit hotel. Everything was so sweet and modern. The food was delicious there. Tim and I enjoyed everything, hehe. The wedding was very sweet and the reception was a lot of fun. Our friends' families were very fun fun. Miles did great during the wedding and reception. He socialized a good amount and also slept. He woke up towards the end of the night and caught his second wind.. partied with us for the rest of the night. =)

We also got see family in Chicago. We went to my cousin's apartment and stayed the night there on Friday. My aunt and uncle were also there - they were leaving for the Philippines on Sunday. So.. it was really nice we got to meet up with them before they left.

On Saturday, we stayed at a hotel after the wedding. It was nice to just relax on Sunday morning with Tim and Miles. Our hotel room had a great view of the city. Miles was such a cutie in the morning. Tim got to hear him laugh out loud for the first time. Here's a video of him laughing. He was laughing harder before Tim started recording. It was such a sweet moment. =) We had a really nice weekend. Lots of driving, but a lot of fun. =)

Smile Miles!

Our baby Miles had his first professional photo session a few weeks ago. We were supposed to have a family session done at the same time, but the weather was not cooperating so the whole session had to be rescheduled. I wanted to get Miles' session as soon as possible since he's growing up so quickly.. and I really wanted him to be as "newborn" for his newborn shots as possible. So, we did his session a few weeks ago and then the family one yesterday. Yesterday was the only time we had available that Tim could make.


Yesterday's photo session was a lot of fun too. Our photographer gave us the CD of Miles' session and we'll get our family ones in a couple of weeks. Miles did great during his photo shoot.. and we have a lot of good shots from it. Baby baby looks and also more of an older infant look. =) He's a natural with the camera. hehe We have such a handsome one! =) Our photographer lives at a camp.. so we had a lot of nature/outdoorsy shots for the family session. She was really sweet, so it was easy to get in the picture taking mood with her. I can't wait to see how our family session turned out!


We haven't been home during the weekend for the past couple of weeks. So, it was nice to just relax at home this weekend. Last night, we went out as a family for dinner. It was great. Miles and I visited Tim at work (yeah, he went in to get some stuff done) and we went out to dinner afterward. It was the perfect restaurant for us. It was an Italian restaurant and it was packed! All of the constant talking created a lot of white noise and Miles was asleep throughout the whole meal! The food was really good too! 


Speaking of sleep, Miles has been sleeping really well at night. His sleep patterns have been fairly predictable now during the day and he's sleeping a lot longer at night. What a sweet baby! =) Growing up so fast!

First Father's Day

Father's Day weekend was fun. Friday night, we had our friends Carla and Michael visit. It was Carla's first time meeting Miles - so that was pretty cute. It was fun to just hang out with them on Friday night too - full of funny conversations. Saturday morning.. we all walked around a little bit at the Farmers Market. After that, Carla and Michael headed out and then we headed to Tim's brothers. We spent the rest of the weekend with his family. First, we had dinner at Kareem and Dina's house. Later on, we spent Saturday night and Sunday at Joseph and Katie's house. It was a really nice time - hanging out with my brother/sister-in-laws and the little kiddies. Tim's parents drove down from Michigan, so Miles got to play with them again. Miles really loved watching Gabe, Grace, and Mena. Watching them wore him out and he napped well during the weekend. =) It'll be cute to see when Miles can play play with his cousins one day.


On the morning of Father's Day, we got a special breakfast in bed delivered to us by Gabriel. It was so cute(and yummy). It was really sweet of them to do that for us. Tim even got a card! =) After that, everyone came over to Joseph & Katie's house and we all enjoyed a nice bigger breakfast. Again, yummy. (We ate well during the weekend! hehe) We spent most of the day there - just relaxing and talking. Miles was very happy throughout the weekend. I think he really enjoys being with groups of people. He loves to people watch and also to get attention of his own ; ) We headed home in the late afternoon and we got to spend some Father's Day time at home on our own too.


Happy 1st Father's Day, Tim! You're a great Papa!

2 Month Check-Up

Miles had his 2 Month Check-up today. It was supposed to be last week - closer to his 2 month birthday, but since we were going to Michigan for the weekend and he would get his first shots on this visit, I rescheduled. 

Miles was asleep when we got to the office.. so, it was a loud start when I had to get him out of his carseat and undress him. He was not happy about any of that and who would be? Miles essentially cried throughout the appointment - sometimes he paused when he would listen to the doctor talk. Then the nurse came with needles. She was pretty swift about it all and Miles did great. He was crying before and after.. so, I'm not sure how he really felt about the shots. heh All in all, he did fine. I nursed him there afterward and he was pretty smiley after and once we were home. =)

Here's his stats:
2 Months Old
Length: 22 3/4 inches
Weight: 12 lbs
Head Circumference: 15 1/4 inches


Birth
Length: 18 3/4 inches
Weight: 6 lbs 12 oz
Head Circumference: 13 inches
It's pretty exciting that he's gaining weight =) I can't believe he has doubled already. Our baby is growing up!

Miles did really well during his first trip to Michigan too. He slept for most of the car rides (to and from Michigan) and he ate well throughout the whole weekend. We headed to Michigan on Friday and we stopped at my cousin Kat's apartment first and hung out with her. Then we headed to my brother's place and spent Friday night there. We hung out with my brother and my friend Thao on Saturday before heading to Tim's parents' house. My brother Herman held him for the first time! We joked with him .. saying Gabriel and Grace held Miles before him! =) Miles socialized with a lot of people this past weekend! He essentially met most of the town at church on Sunday. Tim introduced Miles to everyone at the potluck after church. It was cute to watch Tim with Miles. Very sweet. Everyone was pretty giddy with him and Miles loved chitchatting with them all. Once he got back to me, he zonked out on my shoulder in 2 minutes! We also visited the Dorland Family and Tim's piano teacher. It was a really nice weekend. I also got to sleep in on Monday morning while Tim and his mom played with Miles, so that was a nice treat! =) haha I'm so glad Miles did well during the weekend. I was a little worried at first, especially since I thought it was going to be bad weather for the weekend, but it all turned out nicely.

Enjoy this little video of Miles chitchatting with his Tetah =)

Chit-Chatty

I'm so glad the weather is getting nicer! I was pretty over the rain =P 

I felt like this week went by so quickly, that or I was just so preoccupied with Miles that I didn't even notice the days. Tim has been busy this week with work, so he came home later than usual most of the week. And Miles is a handful in the early evenings.. so, I was a bit tired from this week. I also had a few appointments to go to this week. Blahh. I found out I have gall stones, so I'm going to have surgery to remove my gall bladder in the near future. Not fun.
On a happier note, yesterday was First Friday in our downtown. Since the weather was so nice, especially later in the day, I decided to venture out with Miles using the Moby Wrap. It was really nice! He stayed nice and calm.. and he even looked at some artwork! So cute =) He eventually fell asleep while I was walking around, etc. Tim met me up and we walked around a bit more. I really liked using the Moby wrap.. very comfy.

This morning, I went out again with Miles in the Moby to the Farmers Market.. just for a few minutes. It was a bit warmer than last night's walk, but it was still nice. It's nice to be able to walk to the Farmers Market.. =) I love being able to get some fresh air with Miles. We get so bored being cooped up in the apartment all day long.

For Memorial Weekend, we drove out to Chicago and hung out with my friends. It was soo nice to see them again! They got to meet Miles for the first time.. and I got to meet my friend Ria's daughter Avery for the first time. =) Definitely a different Chicago experience for us. hehe But we loved it. It was really refreshing to see them all and to just hang out in Chicago. We also got to go out to dinner with the group on Sunday night and tried the restaurant Sweetwater for the first time ... I'm a fan. It was very good and a great venue. Before heading home, we actually walked around downtown Chicago some more during the day. Miles did great. I think he really likes to be outside. Miles got to meet so many people this Memorial Weekend - he did great and everyone thought he was adorable. =)

Here's a long video of Miles on Monday morning in our hotel room. He's so chitchatty now. It's so cute to listen to him, especially in the morning. It's fun to ask him questions and he'll respond with his coos. =)

7 Weeks Old & The 7 O'Clock Concert

Has it really been 7 weeks? I can't believe Miles is almost two months old. The time has definitely gone by really quickly. Things are going well with all of us. Miles is growing nicely. He's gaining weight, paying attention to more things, etc etc. We're very thankful. He is such a precious baby. We love hanging out with him. He is very cute and smiley during the day. For some of his naps, he wakes up without a peep. Overall, he's a happy baby. He's not too fussy. Except for 7 o'clock in the evening. 7pm plus/minus 10 minutes, Miles will start to just cry. He can be totally fine minutes before but around 7pm, he will start his wailing. He stiffens up his body and just cries. 


At first, this was obviously frustrating. We didn't know how to calm him down, etc etc. We could change him, try to feed him, hold him, walk around with him, anything.. and he would still cry. My mom coined the term 7 o'clock concert for his daily ritual. And after that, we just handled it as something he just needs to do. He doesn't cry too much during the day, so maybe he's just trying to get it out of his system in the evening. heh Who knows. But now, we are a bit more relaxed in just dealing with it at 7pm. At least we know it's going to happen. And it has actually gotten us to start getting into a routine with Miles. So, around 7pm, when he starts to cry - we usually let him do that for a little bit with some effort from us to calm him down, even though we know it's not going to do much. And then, we start getting a bath ready for him. He has usually cried during his bath-time... so.. if he's going to cry anyway, might as well be for 2 reasons at 1 time. hehe Bath-time sometimes calms him for a little bit, so that's just a bonus for us. After the bath, we'll lotion him up, put him in comfy pajamas, turn down the lights, and then I would just relax with him for a few minutes. Tim will then swaddle him and turn him over to me for a feeding. After that, he's usually zonked out. I usually try to get a burp out of him, even if he's asleep on my shoulder. Then I place him in the crib. Yay. So, he's usually in bed by 8:30 or so. =) It feels good to have some kind of order of things. =)

Tummy Time

Here is Miles doing a little bit of tummy time. His neck has been pretty strong fairly early on. And now, he's definitely getting stronger by doing tummy time without wailing! haha It's fun to watch him do tummy time. And recently, Miles has finally noticed the animals hanging on his crib mobile. He's slightly noticed them before, but now he definitely sees them and follows them. It's so cute to watch. His crib mobile has captured his attention for about 15-20 minutes yesterday and today, which I am so impressed by! He even laughed a couple of times today while watching the animals on his crib mobile. Too cute! =)

Tim went to Pittsburgh for work on Sunday night and will be back tomorrow night. This was the longest he has been away from Miles.. he missed him. hehe (And me too, I hope! haha) Thank goodness my parents are still here. It helped to have them around while Tim was gone..Help with Miles and also for company so I don't get lonely. =P My parents will be heading to California on Thursday. I'm getting really sad at the thought of that. I will miss them so much. My mom is so good with Miles. She holds him and he'll stop crying. She'll hold him and rock him for so long. So patient. hehe I'm so grateful for all of her help with Miles.

Miles Update

We can't believe Miles is a month old already. Where did the time go?? We have honestly enjoyed this first month with him. He is such a precious baby and he hasn't given us too hard of a time ; ) He's a sweet baby boy. We love his growing personality and we wonder what he'll be like in the coming months. It's fun to watch him look at stuff and be so enchanted by the window blinds, our skylight or our brick walls. It's so cute to see him smile and/or laugh seconds before falling asleep. His laugh is so funny. He eats well and sleeps pretty good. At night, I feed him every 2 hours or so. Tim changes him once during the night and swaddles him up. Tim is great at swaddling. =) Miles has had a few tub baths already. He's all right through them. He doesn't love or hate them. =) But I love smelling him after!! =) hehe 


I've had Miles try out tummy time a few times. In the beginning, it was funny to just see him lay there. haha But today, we actually a nice successful tummy time! He didn't freak out and he actually lifted himself up a few times. I had him do this just for a few minutes, but it went really well. I was really excited. haha


My parents are back with us again. They were in Michigan for a little over a week and they will head to California next week. I have loved having them around and so has Miles. My ma is great with Miles. He falls asleep so easily with her. It's so cute. I'm going to miss having my parents around. They have been a tremendous help for us during this past month with Miles. And the next time we'll see each other again will be awhile - possibly for Miles' baptism or his 1st birthday.. a long time =(


Miles has gone on a couple of road trips already. hehe We all went out for dinner a week or so ago and it was Miles' first 30 min car ride. haha He did great and slept the whole time during dinner.. which made for a relaxing meal. And last weekend, we drove to Naperville to see his cousins. It was a good trip and the kids loved seeing and holding Miles. It was very precious to watch. =)

3 Weeks Old

Wow, time is definitely going fast. I can definitely relate to those comments parents say that kids grow up fast.. Tim and I can't believe Miles is 3 weeks old already. He's doing great. We had the 2 week well baby check up last week and he gained weight .. past his birth weight. (That was nice to hear) He is now 7 lbs 10 oz.. Since that was at 2 weeks, I'm sure he's over that now. He did so well at the doctor's visit.

Miles is a pretty strong baby. We're surprised how strong his neck is. He is definitely ready for tummy time. His umbilical cord stump has fallen off.. meaning, we will give him a real bath soon. We went out yesterday since the weather was so nice. We walked around the block and we used his stroller for the first time. We also got to do some errands.. going to the meijer and target. It was a really nice day. Tim and I rented 127 Hours and watched that last night. Miles was great, woke up to eat and be changed and back to sleep.

My parents have been a major help here at home. It's definitely nice to have people watch over Miles while I'm doing other stuff.. and my ma is great at calming him down and putting him to sleep. My parents have helped cooked and clean - it's awesome. We are definitely thankful. My brothers drove down here on Thursday and left on Saturday.. and my parents went with them. So this weekend has been mine and Tim's first time alone with Miles. So far, so good. I hope I do ok this week.. for my first week alone with Miles during the day. (Wish me luck!)

Miles - getting some sun while being rocked by my dad