What's In a Name

In all the excitement and settling in, I have failed to tell the story of how Cecilia got her name. So I thought I would take the time today to share.

As many of you know it was a complete struggle for Brent and I to come up with a girl's name. The minute we found out we were pregnant we started thinking of names. We had a boy's name within hours but could never think of a girl's name that both of us liked or that I didn't already know someone with that name.

When we found out that we were having a girl, it was on. We searched the internet for names, went to Barnes and Noble and sat there for hours going through baby name books and I even started watching the credits of tv shows and movies to see if I saw a name I liked. I was wanting a family name but neither one of us could think too far past our grandparents to come up with a good name. Everyday we would call and text each other names we liked but we could never agree. Or if we did a few days later one of us would come back and decide we no longer liked that name. It was exhausting to say the least. Brent was at his wits end with me because he would really like a name but I would have to shoot it down because I knew someone with that name. He found it pretty ridiculous that I wouldn't name my child a certain name because someone I knew brother's wife's cousin named their child that. (it wasn't that bad but close!)

Anyway, a few weeks before Christmas I was doing a search on the internet for baby names yet again. I was determined to name this child by the end of January. There were certain letters we liked better than others, so I started re-looking at all the names again. That's when I came across Cecilia. I liked it pretty well and I knew no one with that name. SCORE! I threw it out there to Brent and we decided if we didn't find anything better then that is the name we were going to stick with.

I was at my Granny's celebrating Christmas and I started looking through a family tree book my dad had made. He was sitting next to me and asked if I saw any names that liked. No sooner had he gotten the last word out did my eyes fall on the name Cecilia! I let out a nervous laugh and said 'yeah Mammie.' (that is an actual family members name). I couldn't believe that Cecilia was a family name and I had no idea. It was my great great great grandmother's name. I texted Brent the news and we decided to keep the name. Sweet! We had a first name; now for the middle name.

Again we went back and forth with names. Brent wanted her to have initials that could be the name we called her like CJ. Well that just wasn't working because we could find nothing that went well with Cecilia. We almost changed her first name because we were having such a hard time finding a middle name.

A few weeks before I was due, my great Aunt Annie Reid died. She was my favorite great aunt, if that is possible to have a favorite, and I have always loved her name. When I was younger I wanted to name my child after her but someone I went to church with snagged that name before I had a chance to. What are the odds huh? She was a wonderful person and after her passing I knew I had to use her name somehow. Even though I knew a few people with the middle name Reid I decided I could live with it and wanted that to be Cecilia's middle name.

I have been a little nervous about her name ever since we finalized it because I knew our families were more excited about the name than they were about seeing what she looked like. I was scared we made too big of a deal about the name and it would only be a let down. We really didn't care about what others thought of it but I also didn't want our families to think it was the worst name in the world. Luckily everyone seemed to like it and we of course are in LOVE with the name now that we have a face to go with it!

So that is the story of how Cecilia got her name!

1 Week Old

(and a day) We have survived our first week! Things continue to go great and some how we were blessed with a baby that doesn't cry much! About the only time she kind of cries is during a diaper change and it usually lasts all of 10 seconds. When she wakes up for a bottle she just makes a few grunts to let us know she is up but never cries! We are hoping this won't change.

We are currently waking up every 3 hours now to feed but as soon as she is done eating we hang out for about 45 minutes then she falls back to sleep. Last night I did a trial run on if I could handle being the only one waking up in the middle of the night to feed her since this is Brent's last week off. Since she is only up for about an hour at a time, I handled it pretty well. I got to see some shows I don't normal get to see at 3 am in the morning! I did have to take a nap late this afternoon but that was more because of it is my Sunday afternoon tradition than being tired from the night before.

Hopefully this week we can start working on getting some type of schedule down. I know it is early but the earlier we can start the better. 6 weeks will fly by and I want a schedule down before I go back to work.

Me and Cecilia a week ago

Me and Cecilia today

First Doctor's Appointment

First thing this morning we loaded up and headed to our follow up appointment with the doctor. Everything is looking fine; gained more weight than normal babies (up to 7 lbs 1 oz) but some of that is because she is not a super dooper pooper. We are having some issues in that department but trying to get those worked out. Other than that we are doing great! She even slept most of the night only waking every 4 hours to eat!!! Brent and I were very thankful this morning but not counting our chickens just yet.

Well that is all we have for now. We are just hanging out catching some z's...

Home Sweet Home

Monday we were finally able to go home and get Cecilia settled into our house. I had the whole "going home" scene played out in my head but of course it played out nothing like what was in my head. First, the outfit I had planned on her wearing was not appropriate for the weather we were having. I was not pleased but we made do with a sleeper I had bought a few weeks before. I'm not sure it would have mattered if the weather would have cooperated because everything is pretty much swallowing her whole right now. Second, we discovered that Cecilia does not dig having her clothes changed so while I was changing her she was crying and carrying on. Third, Brent was bouncing off the walls all day ready to go so he wasn't really in the mood for the little photo shoot I had planned on with Cecilia in her going home outfit. The below picture is the only one we were able to take with all the commotion that was going on. I may have to recreate the going home moment so I can get a better picture!


Once we got home, we introduced Colt to Cecilia. Colt was a little scared of her at first but in his defense she was screaming and he had no idea what to do. He hid behind Brent's legs until she calmed down. Once she settled down he sniffed her all over and tried to lick her. We feel like the meeting went well and he is slowing adjusting to someone else getting our attention.

We had a pretty quite night before bed. My brother and his girlfriend came over one last time to say their goodbyes and hold Cecilia before heading back to Atlanta. After they left it was time for one last bottle before we tried her out in her new room for the night.

Our first night wasn't that bad. I'm not saying she didn't wake up an hour or so after we put her down but I think she just wasn't digging her bed and she wasn't comfortable. I spent much of the night rocking her and holding her which I loved! We were still up at about 6:30 ready to start the day and Brent and I were feeling pretty good.

Yesterday we had to say goodbye to Brent's parents but they will be back this weekend along with Brent's younger brother, wife and daughter. We can't wait for Cecilia to meet her Uncle Bry Bry and Aunt Kaci. Oh and we are just dying to see what our niece, Aubrey, will think of her!

Bye Papaw!

Bye Grandma!

After Brent's parents left, we had a nice relaxing day and I was able to get all my laundry done and do a few things around the house. I have had plenty of energy and for the most part feel pretty normal. I keep saying I'm waiting for my body to realize what it just went through but so far it hasn't seemed to notice. I could hit a wall any day though!

Later that afternoon we had two wonderful visitors come over and bring what appears to be a weeks worth of dinners! Jaclyn and her mom, Mrs. Dianne, brought over a bunch of delicious dishes for us and our eyes lit up at all the food. They were also able to stay for awhile and visit with Cecilia. Thanks Aunt Jac and Mrs. Dianne for taking care of us! What would we do without you!

All in all we are adjusting well and taking each day as it comes. Last night was a little rough but we had expected that. We have discovered that her belly is a little upset and that might be what is keeping her up at night. We are trying something new day so we will see what tonight holds. I am so thankful that Brent is off until next Friday. It has been nice taking shifts and last night he was the only one who could calm her down. Its funny even at her worst its not that bad. Her little cries are more pitiful than ear piercing. And I may change my mind later but right now I'm kind of liking having the time with her at night when she is up holding her and talking to her. But this is only day 2 by day 5 I could be pulling my hair out!

More Pictures

Here are some pictures from Cecilia's big day yesterday. There is a toss up about who she looks like. Most say me but a few say Brent. We think she has my face and Brent's limbs. I'm hoping to get a baby picture of the both of us and post it with hers so we can do a comparison.

We have had lots of vistors and Cecilia has been loved on by everyone! She has been so good today and so far we have been blessed with a wonderful SLEEPING baby. We will see if that stays the same when we get home! We hope to head home sometime tomorrow. The updates may be few and far between after that!

Introducing...

Cecilia Reid Miller

Brent and I would like to introduce you to our precious daughter Cecilia, born at 6:01 pm Saturday March 20, 2010. Weighing in at 6 lbs 13 oz, 20 1/2 inches long and a HEAD FULL of dark hair!

We are all doing fabulous and looking forward to being a family!

Stay tuned because we hope to have more pictures later!

A Boost in Self Confidence

I was at my parent's house Tuesday night getting ready to host my monthly Bunco group. Mom and I were in the kitchen chatting about how we had a scare the night before thinking I was in labor. I was experiencing some pains I hadn't had yet but it turned out to be nothing. I was hustling around talking only to turn around to find my mom staring intently at my face. I said 'what is there supposed to be something on my face to tell us when I'm going into labor?' She told me that someone told her that the nose swells right before. Great! Mine was a tad larger but I was hoping it was because I had a cold. Then when talking with my Bunco girls, one of them turned to me and said you know your lips get big right before you go into labor and yours look a bit bigger. Really?! So not only is my nose getting bigger but my lips too! This is fantastic on the ole self confidence!

A little wounded from the evening, I come home and take my shoes off only to find that my feet had doubled in size! Brent's eyes about popped out of his head when he saw my feet! I told him it was only because I was on them all night and no worries they would go down the next day. Well they did but by mid day they were huge again and my shoes were starting to hurt. Good grief!

And if things could get worse. Brent had the nerve to look at me last night and say 'yeah your nose does looks a bit bigger.' If I thought I could have come across the table quick enough, he would have been mine! The copier guy at work even looked at me (my face to be more specific) today and told me he could tell I was about due!

Less than 2 weeks...

So Much to Talk About

It has been so long since I last posted and so much has happened. It has been a wild and crazy week but we have almost made it through!

We will start from the beginning...Friday my mom's wonderful co-workers threw her a Momoi's (grandmother) shower. They surprised her with food, cake and gifts that she will need when Belle is at her house. She was really surprised and we both thought it was so sweet of them to do that for her. She is now ready for Belle to come over.


This is the cake they had made for her. Since I wasn't able to come to the shower until I got off work they tried to eat around all the decorations! They did a good job because at this angle the cake looks whole. I thought the cake was really cute and it was really good too!

Saturday Mom and I helped throw Jac her first shower. I have been jazzed about this shower for a while and everything turned out great (WAY TO GO NAT!!!) for Jac's special day. We did a dress theme using pink and white as our colors. Everything was a dress pattern; invitations, centerpieces, the cake and even some cookies I managed to make. Jac got lots of gifts and adorable outfits that I know Sydney will look fabulous in!

Here is the cake. How cute is this?! Not only did it look good but it tasted delicious! I heart Sugarbakers (the people who made the cake)!

This was the food table centerpiece. I loved this carriage! I think I might have to find one for Belle.

Sunday, Brent and I had a shower at my mom's church. We walked in to a room decorated in hot pink and lime green. Not sure where they got those colors. :) One of the ladies had even made a diaper cake that was so cute! I love those diaper cake because everything on them is usable! We got TONS of wonderful gifts and we started to realize that Belle's room is quickly filling up! I think after the shower we have just about everything we need for her arrival. Alls we need is her!

This is what her room looked like when Brent brought all the gifts in. It took me 3 hours to get it all out of boxes and somewhat organized in her room. Needless to say I was wiped out after that!

Now for the Belle update. She has actually listened to me and stayed put through all my important events that I had planned for the week. We only have to make it through my pedicure tomorrow and then we are good to go. I will be hitting the pavement and walking my tail off.

I haven't made much more progress since last week which I assumed would be the case. I'm fine with that; the longer she is in there the better for her. Brent was a little disappointed I think. He was all ready to go to the hospital but we will just have to put that off for a few more days. My doctor did promise me that if I make it to my next week appointment that it would be my last. Not that that is some big thing since it is just a week before my due date. Apparently most pregnant women at this point are dying to get their child out. Not me. I guess it would be different if I were miserable but I'm not. I'm just going with the flow and when she decides to come out she will.

Well that is about all the fun events I have for now!

Good Golly Miss Molly!

We had an interesting doctor's visit yesterday. After about 8 months of boring doctor's visits, it is about time for a change. Nothing dramatic happened but I learned that I am now 2 cm dilated! For those who are counting that is 1 cm more than last week! Actually she told me if we tried hard enough we could make me 3. (I will NOT go into details on how that is done!) It made me very excited but I'm not going too crazy because I know I could get stuck here til my due date. Of course when I was leaving she said 'see ya next week if not before.' HA! Sorry ain't gonna happen! I have too much going on this next week, the most important is a pedicure next Thursday and I'm not going into labor without having my toes done. I will cross my legs if I have to because I'm pretty sure the nurses will not appreciate having to work around my mom in the labor room painting my toenails!

This whole time I assumed I would either be right on time or late but now it is looking like it could just be any day. Brent has decided he better start going with me to the doctor now just in case she sends us to the hopsital. And we are ready!

Our bags are packed and ready to go. Sadly, they have been packed since about mid January. I had some friends scare me into packing early because they packed a month before their due date and an hour later they were headed to the hospital! I was not going to be found unorganized and unprepared! I guess we will just have to see what this next week holds for us!

Great Friends

This weekend was all about our friends and spending time with them. Friday night we had what is probably our last double date for awhile with Jac and Corey. I hate thinking that way but the reality is that I am due in 3 weeks and could pop at any moment. We had a great dinner at Montana Grill and spent the whole time catching up and talking about our upcoming arrivals. It has been just absolutely wonderful going through this experience with Jaclyn. I read an article sometime back that some women get jealous when their friends announce they are pregnant at the same time they are. That has never been the case with me. I remember the night I told Jac I was pregnant, I sat there waiting for her to tell me the same. When she finally told me a week later, I was so excited for them and jealously was the furthest emotion I was feeling. I love being able to talk to someone who is currently going through the same emotions, sickness, and planning that I am. Its been great!

Saturday morning Brent and I went to Bowl for Kids Sake so he could bowl for Target's team. This was his second year to bowl and we always have a good time. They usually have two teams and it is fun to watch the competitiveness between the two teams.

Saturday afternoon our Sunday School class had a shower for us and we were yet again showered with wonderful gifts. We have really enjoyed getting to know everyone in our class and it was fun to hang out with them in a social setting. They are all wonderful people and it was so sweet of them to host a shower for us even though we aren't officially members yet.

Sunday I spent a couple of hours with my book club girls. It was my month the select a book and host the meeting. We met at Starbucks and had a great time talking about the book and hanging out. They even brought gifts for me to open. They had planned a shower for me last weekend but at the last minute there was an unexpected trip to Urgent Care by one of the hostess so we had to cancel. She hated to cancel but I completely understood. I hated that she was so sick and she is still trying to get over it. This funk in the air is just getting everyone. I can't wait for spring!

I wish I could say that things are slowing down but they are just gearing up. I have a busy week ahead as well as another busy weekend. I actually like being this busy because it makes the time go by and I don't sit around thinking about what is about to me in 3 weeks!