He's a precocious little man, that Miles. We tend to call him by many names, Miles, Milo, Meelo, Milosh,
Miloshkovitz Danielewski, Stinky, Bubba, Buggaboo, and sometime just baby boy or little man.
We've been through the tiring, terrifying days of new babyhood, making it through a rough few days in the NICU, presumably more emotionally draining and physically taxing for a body that was fresh off the C-section table. Little man had low blood sugar to start, but recovered within the first few days, and before we knew it we were on our way home. Thank God for the Grandmas! I would have never made through those first few weeks and months post baby without a LOT of help from the grandmas. Either my mom or Ryan's mom was here for the first two months or so, and they were here to give much needed help, cook, clean, hold and play with the babe and give all kinds of needed advice.
I struggled a lot with our nursing relationship, which was already disadvantaged due to the fact that I didn't get skin to skin contact right after Miles was born, due to the c-section, and then being in the NICU made it difficult, but those nurses helped, and we slowly, slowly made progress with breast feeding at home, resorting to a weekly weigh in and check in with a lactation consultat. Mr. Miles wasn't gaining weight fast enough. He never stopped gaining, but he did go from the 7th percentile for his weight, down to the first. We were visiting the pediatrician on a semi-weekly basis for weight checks there for awhile. I worked very hard to keep up with the nursing, tried hard to increase my supply, but did give formula to supplement with a few bottles a week. I never gave up on breastfeeding though! This seemed to help, and by his 6 month appointment he was starting to make more progress. Always was fine for height and head circumference. Ryan never worried about the baby's "financial super brain," as he's come to call it! It was at that 6 month appointment though, that our pediatrician told me that due to some unfortunate diapers and a scary spit-up session that included blood, that the baby was most likely dairy sensitive, so that meant that if we were going to continue to nurse, I had to cut out all dairy and soy (often another allergy that goes along with the dairy) from my diet. So, after the stint in the NICU, my mom and I had a running joke that "it's one g-d thing after another," and honestly, it still sorta feels like that. This was another one of those times! So, we are dairy free, BUT, baby is now growing like a weed, and is in the 30% for his weight. Oh how far we've come!!
Eating solids started around that time as well, and man, does the little guy LOVE to eat! He's moved past just purées now, and is eating lots more finger foods like banana, carrot, pancakes (I made them dairy free), and today he enjoyed some meatballs. Tomorrow we try eggs! He has his 9 month checkup tomorrow, so I figured if he has an allergy to eggs, it's a good day to try.
Tuesdays are always pretty busy, so in addition to the doctor appointment, we are going to Milo's favorite thing to do (besides going to Grandma and Grandpa's in Michigan or Meemaw and Pop-pops in NJ) which is Little Gym! It's an actual gymnastics gym for kids, but they have classes that start for 5 months and up, and Miles LOVES that class! He adores his teacher, Ms Stacy, and he's definitely taken off in the motor skills department. This kid was crawling at 7.5 months and now at 9, I'm pretty sure he's going to be walking around any day now, king of the castle, indeed! He loves rolling over, hanging from the rings, jumping and practicing his walking. I know visiting Meemaw and pop-pop for New Years was great for him- he was able to master the fine art of the walker, maneuvering around the dog and rolling around and around the kitchen island. He also loved the giant bouncy house they had in their basement! Ryan came along to Little Gym last week, and we are definitely signing up for the next session. I think he will move up from the Bugs class to the Birds class! I'm already having those "he's growing up so fast" moments! Ahhhhh!
When this kid is at home, he is ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!! I just don't know if this apartment is big enough for this kid. We really have tried not to clutter up with too much baby stuff, but it's really hard, especially now that we've made it through the season of giving and receiving of baby toys! Our living room may or may not look like a mini Mcdonalds play place. He's now into everything that he shouldn't be, attempting to pull the stereo bar off the TV stand, climbing the wine bar, and just today opening and closing the cabinet doors, then instantly learning how to pull duct tape off the "secured" cabinet doors. It's ok Milo, if you want to pull wine bottles and all the pots and pans onto yourself, that's alright. Best parents ever. Our place is so not baby friendly. We clearly need more baby proofing, stat! I've made due with duct tape for the cabinets and even more duct tape and some cardboard retrieved from the recycle bin taped over the existing wine racks. That'll work for now, I'm sure the financial super brain won't figure out how to pour himself a refreshing glass or wine any time soon. I'm sure that all these shenanigans don't have anything to do with my ever lengthening wish lists of homes I search on my real estate apps during many of the baby's nap times! He's a monster, I tell ya!!! Another fitting nickname- Dinobaby!
He's actually a very funny kid, if any who know us will be shocked to find out. He wakes up happy every morning with a giant grin, he loves attacking your face with kisses, and now that he has two baby bottom teeth, they kinda hurt because his kisses are more like open mouth slobber fests. It's cute though, he loves weird noises and trying to imitate them, funny faces, this little piggy with his toes and rasberries on his belly before and after his bath. He adores books, and mostly would rather read them than eat them, we read Night Night Little Pookie every night before bed, after the baby massage! He'd rather play with us than on his own, but he can amuse himself sometimes without getting bored and crying. He enjoys his little bouncy chair and the activity chair with lots of toys attached. Ryan calls it his captains chair and prefers when he wears his Star Trek onsie while in it! Miles would usually rather sleep in our bed than his own, especially after that first wake up around 1 or 2. I don't think he likes to be moved after he's fallen asleep! We are working on some sleep training, but I think it'll take a little more consistency from us for it to take full effect.
As far as travel adventures, this kid hasn't had a lack of travel! Within his first 9 months he's been to Michigan more times than I can count, he's been to NJ on a plane and back probably 5 times, visited Lake Michigan, both here and in Michigan, camping, 
Lake Ontario, Wisconsin lake house with our fiend Jamie and her family, Milwaukee for a Cubs game, New York to visit friends, and I'm sure there will be many, many more destinations in the fiture! How can he not be ready to explore the world, with a name like Miles!
I'm so excited to have this funny, smart, adorable, energetic little man as part of my world now. He's our greatest adventure, I think I've been able to explain our new jaunts into parenthood by of course making a travel reference. Travel, like watching your child grow, has so much fun and wonder in the mystery of what will happen, and dreaming of what each destination will be like, then experiencing each place with wonder and excitement. It's so amazing to see each dream become a reality. Every day with a baby is like this. You can think and dream about all the ways they will learn and grow, and then to watch it happen, new and bright each day, is so, so amazing. So, like on my trips around the world, I'm taking lots of pictures and making some sweet, sweet memories! :)
That's it for the catch up! I hope to post regularly with whatever crazy nonsense comes up in our new adventure with three.
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