Crawling!

Miles first long distance crawling was captured on video at Jason's parents' house on Christmas Day. I'm not really sure we're ready for this!

7 Months Old

Miles turns 7 months old today and he's busier than ever. The photo above was how I found him during a nap this weekend! He is very close to crawling, often up on his hands and toes, rolling all over and scooting backwards. Miles #1 priority is Roxy these days. He moves to be close to her on the floor and then pulls fist-fulls of dog hair from her body. Thankfully, Roxy is very patient. Miles is also more vocal than ever with constant babbling, clapping and new sounds (see previous 2 posts.) He is expanding his food repertoire eating applesauce, bananas, avocados, squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots so far. Our favorite trick is his first lesson in cause & effect: he loves to turn the aquarium on & off in his crib to watch the fish move. Smart little guy! We're looking forward to a week and a half off from work to visit our families over the holidays! I suspect Miles will be crawling by the next post - watch out!

Clapping!

We've been practicing clapping for a few weeks now - this past Wednesday, Miles got it all put together and has been a clapping fiend since.

Baby Babble

Miles has a lot to say lately. Last week he just moved his mouth constantly like he was chewing. This week he's added sound, especially when talking to the doggie! Here's a small sample of what we hear all the time now.

6 Month Photo Shoot

We are very happy to share with you Miles' 6 month photo shoot. We hired Christine Wood photography (who is the sister of a friend) to come to our house and document our growing little boy. Enjoy him. We certainly do!

Half Birthday!

Hooray! Miles turned 6 months old on Friday and we're enjoying him more than ever! He weighs in at 17 lb. 10 oz. (50%) and measures 28.25 inches (95%) so he's growing like crazy! This month we have seen a lot of changes. Miles reaches for everything and tries to put it all in his mouth, although no teeth yet! He has been eating cereal for about 3 weeks now and will start all sorts of veggies and fruits in the coming weeks. Miles is infatuated with Roxy right now, smiling, reaching for her, and talking to her across the room. He calls to us when he wants attention and then smiles when we look. He's been up on his hands and knees, rolling around, and moving backwards, but hasn't been able to move forward quite yet. I'm sure it's coming soon! Miles can sit up most of the time by himself, but still crashes to the side from time to time. He is sleeping well, about 11 hours per night and we're thankful for that. We're also thankful this Thanksgiving for our day care provider and her husband, as they continue to give great care to Miles and great peace of mind to us!

More Laughs

Poppy has demanded more laughing videos, so here's our best shot for this week. Notice Miles is starting to mimic "ah-boo" back at us!

First Trip to Bismarck!

Miles took his first 7-hour trip to Bismarck last weekend to visit Grandma Jan & Grandpa Jim. He was a trooper eating in the car - we told him it was like the drive-through! Miles was very healthy and smiley while we were there thankfully. Here are some fun pics with the grandparents!

Happy 5 Months, Monkey!

Today marks Miles' 5 months on the earth and he is at such a fun age! He is quite responsive with smiles, giggles, flailing limbs, and then hiding his face when new people come in the room. He is rolling and scooting around the floor, but prefers to be upright sitting on laps or in the jumparoo bouncing endlessly! Miles responds to our voices and his name or nicknames. He has also started to smile and talk to Roxy when she walks by. He is quite flexible sucking on his toes whenever he has the chance. We have made it past Miles' first time being sick with a low grade fever, snotty nose, and general crabby baby a few weeks ago. Thankfully he tested negative for anything more serious, but he was the saddest little thing.

This month we also took Miles to North Dakota for the first time for a wedding in Fargo. Grandma Jan & Grandpa Jim met us there for some grandson time and also to help with Miles while we went to the wedding. It was fun to see them and have them see Miles growing. He's a pretty good little traveler so far!

Daddy says this photo is coming out for your first date!

Important Life Skills

Yes, thankfully Miles has perfected this very important life skill - chewing on his toes. We're pretty sure he'll need that for party tricks some day! We're so proud! It really has been fun watching him learn lately and come back to life after his first week of being sick.

Jumparoo!

We have been exploring all sorts of new toys as Miles gets more stable and prefers to be upright rather than laying down. Here's the latest jumparoo practice session!

Lots of Laughs

Apparently, Miles thinks it's funny when he fills his diaper and I call him Stinky Monkey. These are the most laughs I've seen yet! Enjoy!

Baptism at 4 months old!

Happy 4 months, Miles! We had a fun weekend hosting family and friends to celebrate Miles' baptism at the Basilica of St. Mary. Miles was baptised with 19 other babies and he did quite well at the long service - no crying at the baptismal font! My favorite photos from this weekend are below!




Miles turned 4 months old on Sunday, the day of his baptism, and we are having so much fun with him at this age. We watch him learn and explore every day. Recently he's been starting to giggle, rolling front to back and back to front, studying his hands and toys, and scooting on his tummy on the floor or in his crib to get from point A to B. I call that one inchworm skills! At his 4 month appointment yesterday, Miles weighed 15 lb. 3 oz. (60%) and measuerd 26.5" (95%).



The other big change in the past month has been Miles' time at day care (or baby work as Jason calls it.) We are very happy with our day care and feel lucky to have Diane so close to our house. She is a licensed day care provider who has 7 kids in her care and lives on the corner of our block. She's been doing day care for 30 years and we feel that she really shares our values and the ways that we hope to raise our kids. (The photo below is not day care, it's my Grandma Nelly!)

Miles Laughs

I picked up Miles after work today. Normally Katie does this, but she had to stay late at work today. We had dude time after work before Katie came home.

We've been waiting for weeks for a little laugh from Miles. We got a hint of one this past Monday on the way out to the car from dinner with friends. Today Miles delivered the laughs. He laughed for a couple minutes for me, but I only managed to capture a little bit with the iPhone.

CSA Goodness

Our CSA this summer has been great. Our most recent box was interesting enough to warrant a couple photos.

Our watermelon had bug-induced mini-crop circles (although it still tasted great).



We also got Romanesco. Which can only be described as the fractal variety of broccoli.

Baby Hoedown

For the past couple of weeks Miles has been performing what we call the Baby Hoedown. He stomps his left foot in the bouncy seat, on the table when he sits with us, and in the air if he's standing in front of us. Here's our first video trying to capture the dance. He's actually got some good rhythm!

Must chew on everything!

Miles main goal lately is to chew on everything he can get to and I have a feeling he'll be doing this for months to come. He's getting better at hand coordination to help get things in his mouth! He chews on books, his hands, blankets, his shirts, and these plastic links are a favorite.

Happy 3 Months, Miles!

Yesterday Miles turned 3 months old and today marks the end of my maternity leave. I really feel like we've gotten in the groove with him recently. His schedule is pretty predictable and we're learning more and more how to read what he needs. We are both amazed every day by how quickly he grows and changes. Miles is discovering everything with his hands and most things then go into his mouth. He's fun to interact with and shows expression with his smiles, eyebrows, kicking, and flailing. We're still waiting for some giggles, though! He loves playing on his tummy exploring new textures and rolling to his back. Someone told me that these next 3 months are the blissful months, when he's fun and interactive, yet not mobile! We'll take it. We're excited about every moment we get to play with him right now!

Maternity Leave

This is the last week of my 13.5 week maternity leave. I feel very lucky that my personal and professional situations allowed me to take as much time as I wanted to be home with Miles. I do think May was the perfect time to have a baby for many reasons, but being home in the summer tops that list. The majority of the last 13 weeks I've felt too tired to really tackle anything beyond the baby, but I was prepared for that by my girlfriends. My favorite parts were sharing Miles with my parents every chance we got to be together, having frequent lunches with Jason, catching up with many girlfriends walking the lakes, and naps!

People are asking if I liked being home and if I'm ready to return to work. I have mixed feelings about all of it. Here are the facts as I see them: 1) God has given us a beautiful and healthy little guy and I want the world for him. 2) I will miss him tremendously each day and wonder if he's being well cared for always. 3) I will be a much better mommy with a fulfilling professional life. 4) I have wanted to work on campus for years and love my job. So yes, I like being home, and yes, I'll be ready to go back to work.

Miles Talks

Miles has had a lot to say lately. His little voice is getting louder and stronger as he tries new intervals and adds syllables. Yesterday I got up early at our resort in Two Harbors to feed him, but he was more interested in talking. We'll let you in on some of our conversation below!

Vacation in Two Harbors

We had a great time on Miles' first official vacation to the North Shore of Lake Superior last weekend. He had a lot of firsts including first time swimming, first time in a hotel, first time facing forward in the Bjorn, and first time in daddy's car. Thank God for easy baby travel gear!

Big Sister Roxy

Many people have asked us how Roxy, our almost 6-year-old yellow lab mix, is doing with the arrival of the new baby. All in all, she's doing very well and I didn't expect any major problems. She comes to get us if Miles cries too long; she looks for him right away when she comes in the house; she barks if a stranger holds him; and she always wants to be right next to him on the floor. Here are a few snapshots of our morning today. I hope Miles grows up to love these big doggies just like I do!

2 months old today!

Wow! Time has flown by and Miles turns two months old today. It's fascinating to watch him change and grow. He smiles and coos in multiple syllables when we talk to him and he's started cooing at his toys a bit. His head is much stronger and he holds it up almost all of the time. He is taking notice of his hands, rubs his eyes when he wakes up, and has started to follow Roxy as she moves through a room. He's still trying hard to get his thumb in his mouth, but has some more work to do on that!

At the doctor today, Miles weighed 12 lb. 3 oz. (75th percentile) and measured 24.5" long (95th percentile,) so he's growing well. He continues to sleep one 6-7 hour stretch each night getting up once to eat, which is certainly manageable for mommy. Enjoy a few pics of him here or see our Picasa photos page for more.

June Photos

More of Miles' June photos posted here: http://picasaweb.google.com/jaselby. Enjoy!

One month old today!

Our little Miles is one month old today and our house has been a revolving door of family and friend coming to visit the little prince! We're enjoying watching him develop and grow. He holds his head up more as he gains strength; his eyelashes have come in more fully; his tear ducts work now; he follows us with his eyes quite well; and he's discovering his hands more and more, working on getting that thumb in his mouth! We think he weighs about 11 lb. and is growing out of newborn diapers and clothes. We're gearing up for our first road trip to Wisconsin next weekend to meet all of the extended relatives and attend a graduation party. Time flies already!

2 Weeks Old!

Can you believe that Miles will be 2 weeks old tomorrow? Crazy! Things are going quite well at our house with regular feeding and sleeping schedules so far - I know it will all change at the drop of a hat just when I get used to it! Jason goes back to work tomorrow and we're both sad to have this 2-week vacation together come to an end. I certainly miss my girl talk at work and look forward to booking girl time in the weeks to come. I've been thankful for the gorgeous weather and will be thankful that I have so many friends around this summer. We appreciate all of the calls & support - keep it coming!

Miles James Selby

He's finally here! Miles James Selby was born on Wednesday, May 20th at 5:14 a.m. weighing 9 lb. 9 0z. and measuring 23" long. Katie started labor late Tuesday evening after a spicy Mexican dinner with girlfriends! We checked into the hospital around 4:00 a.m. fully dilated, and he was born not soon after. No time for pain meds, which made for a painful delivery (of course) but has also contributed to a quick recovery for Katie.

We have been home since Friday morning and are getting the hang of things. Miles is nursing well and sleeping better than I'd hoped for at only 6 days of age! He's so adorable with perfect little features, blond hair, and blue eyes so far. Photos are on our Picasa web site. More to come!

Last of the Belly Pics (I hope!)

Everyone reading this is a close personal friend of ours, right?! Ha! Here are the latest of the scary belly pics. I have a hard time not blinking in front of our new camera, so Jason tries all sorts of tricks to get me to keep my eyes open for photos. I swear it's the noise that triggers my blinking. We're in the waiting game now, very excited to meet the one we call Cletus!

Week 38

Week 37

Showered Baby

I've had 3 more fantastic baby showers in the last few weeks and am overwhelmed by people's generosity. This baby already has so many people who love him or her! Showers have been with Minneapolis girlfriends (photos below,) sopranos from the Basilica choir, and work friends. In these photos are Cletus' first playmates with mommies Michele (due May 17) and Elisa (due June 24)!! I'm always excited to receive handmade gifts from friends and the most recent is this beautiful quilt from our friend, Amy. Thanks to everyone in our lives for your support so far - I'm sure we'll need to lean on you more and more!

34 Weeks

OK, so here's what 34 weeks of pregnancy looks like on my body. I'm telling you - it doesn't seem that big from my perspective looking down, but these pictures really are getting scary! I'm still happy to report a relatively comfortable pregnancy with the help of weekly chiropractic appointments. I'm also thankful to have the perfect husband for me and a flexible work place to make it as easy as possible.

The Grandparents

Easter weekend was a lot of fun with all four expectant grandparents visiting us from Bismarck and Wisconsin Rapids. We had fun playing games and drinking brandy (well, some of us) and we're very fortunate that the grandfathers could help Jason assemble the crib and that Grandma Jan has been stitching the baby's room accessories. This is the first grandchild for both families, so everyone is very excited! Happy Easter to all!

Maternity Photo Shoot

We wanted to capture a few more images of the two of us before baby photos take over. Thanks to our friends Bryan & Melissa McGowan for the photography at the Como Conservatory in St. Paul this morning!

Week 32

This week we begin week 32 and it's hard to believe that we have approximately 8 weeks left before Cletus enters the world - by some other name I hope! I've been feeling well, despite some minor back pain, and am learning tricks to manage my energy. I'm happy to report that I'm back to regular sleep once again, and it's reassuring to know that's still possible. Our weekly photos have gotten a bit mixed up with the transition to the new parents-grade camera, so here's the most recent pic of week 31 taken last weekend at the the Elephant Walk Bed & Breakfast in Stillwater, MN. Jason and I spent a fantastic weekend there together to focus on each other. Just like people recommended we do so before our wedding, this was a great chance for us to spend time away from distractions and enjoy each other!

Baby Shower in Wisconsin Rapids

Last weekend we traveled to Wisconsin Rapids for a hometown baby shower. We got to town early enough on Friday evening to go out for a good old fashioned Wisconsin fish fry with my family - it's been way too long! My mom and sister-in-law, Sara, hosted a baby shower for us on Saturday with about 20 of our family, neighbors, and family friends. It was great to see my grandmothers and aunts, and so many other women who shaped my memories growing up in that same house. Everyone was tremendously generous, including some beautiful handmade gifts. The best part is watching my mom's excitement build as she prepares to be Grammy for the first time!!

The Nursery

Preparations for the baby's arrival are moving right along, and the long unused bedroom off our 2nd floor bathroom has come to life! I wanted a neutral color that wasn't yellow or green. I liked the idea of orange, but tried to stay away from anything too peachy, so we have ORANGE! We are a little overwhelmed by how bright the color is, but are going to let it sit for a few weeks to see how it looks with a rug, furniture, and baby accessories in it. The crib and dresser have arrived and we're waiting on the rocker. If our child has problems sleeping, maybe we'll have to tone down the color eventually (or buy tiny sunglasses!) Thanks to Jason for all of his work on the plaster, ceiling, trim, and walls in this room. ;)

Baby Bump Pics

OK, Erin, this one's for you. We've been taking photos of my tummy every week since week 10 of this pregnancy, or October 30th for those of you not tied to this schedule like I am. My far away friends have been asking for photos, so here they are, probably my first really embarrassing pics online, but I'm sure it will only get worse from here. Here's a sampling of our progression so far!

Week 10


Week 14 on the Caribbean cruise!


Week 18 - Christmas


Week 22