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!