I really hate shots. I can avoid them now that I am an adult and can make my own choices. But I am putting my poor baby through the same thing I had to go through when I was little. For her own good, I tell myself. And the good of all man kind, if we can wipe out these diseases, right?

Anyway, Teslyn had her 2 month check up today. Yes, that two months has gone by fast! Honestly, I am glad. I am not a bad mother, I just like bigger babies better. They tend to entertain themselves more and more, which means they stay happier longer as they get older. And they become easier to read and more predictable.

So here is happy baby girl, not knowing what she's got coming to her.

Ouch!


I hate that. Anyway, she is generally a very happy and healthy baby. She is a whopping 12 lbs 1.5 oz today. Owen was a tanker though, if you think that is big. He was 14 lbs at 2 months! She is 23 inches long, and in the 75-90 % pretty much across the board.

We love our little squishy baby lady! She is great at snuggling too.

Wow, it's been a while! Part of the reason I haven't posted anything is because my pictures don't compare to the ones in the last post, so I let them be for a while. But today was a very cold and rainy day, and Owen had a great idea. We made a gingerbread (graham cracker) house! I can't remember the last time I did one, and I don't remember it being so messy. But it was fun, and Owen loved it! I love how he is at an age where he is totally into the holidays and having fun with everything. We have even made a paper-chain Christmas countdown and decorated a construction paper tree (in lieu of a real tree, because we will be in Utah for Christmas and I didn't want to get out more decor than I had to). Owen loves crafting! He is so cute at it.

This is the best smile I could get out of him! Like the Santa in the chimney?

This post would not be complete without cute baby pictures. I finally caught her with the camera while she was being cute and fun. She is getting so big so fast! And so sweet to snuggle. She is much more calm and laid back than Owen was as a baby. He was colicky and it made for a very long first few months with him. We are relieved that Teslyn is happier and sleeping well. As well as a new baby can, at least!

And this is how she has been taking her baths. She LOVES to be in the water. If she is fussy, she instantly calms down when she is in the water. I snuck her into the tub with her daddy and Owen on Sunday morning, but they wouldn't let me get a picture of that.

She's getting a little too big for the sink! We'll have to pull out the baby tub soon.

Sweet, clean, snuggly lady baby.

I will let these pictures speak for themselves. Just priceless.

Those are just a few of my favorites. There are too many that I love! Jenn is in my ward and she did an awesome job, and she is so good with the kids. Check out her photo blog @ jennreesephotography.blogspot.com

Happy Halloween!

I thought I would post some pictures before the holiday is over!
Here is my cute little pirate. He woke up from his nap in a bad mood, and didn't want his picture taken.

He is still protesting.

I showed him how sad he looked on the camera, and reminded him that he promised to let me take his picture. He felt bad about it, and tried to look happier.

And here is the smile I was waiting for! It's hard to see, but that wet streak on his vest is a tear drop! It just makes me laugh. He had a blast trick-or-treating with his cousins. He wasn't sad very long.

And here he is with all his loot. He stayed out much later and had more fun than I thought he would! Now what are we going to do with all this candy? We still have some of his leftover Halloween candy from last year!

Here he is carving his pumpkin with his daddy yesterday.

We loved that it was Nevada Day yesterday (actually it's today, Halloween, but it was observed yesterday) because Nick had no school, and no studying, and got to play with us all day!

Here is that pie recipe for those who are interested. It's really easy, and I followed the recipe exactly. It helped that I had a frozen pie crust in my freezer!

**I have updated this recipes since I've posted it. For my own benefit mainly, but just in case anyone else out there makes it.

Caramel Apple Pie

1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 cups thinly sliced tart green apples (If you are using a store-bought frozen pie crust like the Marie Callender ones I like, I found that 4 medium apples fills it well. Any kind.)

1/2 cup caramel topping (Add one tablespoon of flour and mix well. It keeps the pie from being too runny when it bakes.)

Crumb Topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup firm butter

1. Preheat oven to 400*F (205*C).
2. Combine sugar, flour and cinnamon. Toss with the prepared apples in a large bowl. Spoon apple mixture into unbaked pie shell then drizzle the caramel topping over the top.
3. Combine flour, pecans, brown sugar and butter in medium bowl until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over apple mixture (I pat all of it on top so it stays well, because there is a lot) and bake in the middle of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown (bake on a cookie sheet, it tends to ooze over). Cool for 1 hour before slicing. (I like to bake it covered in foil for 40-45 minutes, then remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes. This way the apples get soft enough, and the topping and crust doesn't burn)
4. Best served warm with vanilla ice cream!
   

I woke up from a nap with the kids today, and my house was freezing! I figured the best way to warm us up was to bake. I have a load of apples from my mom's orchard in Utah, so I knew I had to make something apple. Caramel Apple Pie, to be exact. Dinner time rolled around, and there was no dinner, but there was delicious apple pie. No biggie. Nick wasn't home yet, and Taco Bell has 39 cent tacos. And the house was warm again!

And no, the baby weight is not expected to start coming off until after the holidays. I hope I can find pants to fit in the meantime.

Nick and I were just kind of laughing about this past week, and everything that has happened. It has gone by very fast, luckily, because it has been one of the craziest and most difficult we've had together. This is a very long post, but it is documenting part of our lives, so here you go, if you are interested in reading.
Starting with the birth of little Teslyn Becca Miller. Nick and I decided to be scheduled to have my water broken to get things going, and the baby here before his midterms the next week. And my very helpful sister and her fiance had fall break that week, so they came to hang out with Owen. There are a lot of fun details, but I will try to make it brief here. I was scheduled to deliver at one hospital, but was sent to another when we found out they didn't accept our type of insurance. Bummer for me. Luckily I wasn't in real labor, or that could have been crazy. So, upon being admitted at the hospital, I was having mild irregular contractions and I was dilated to a 4-5. I had the nurse break my water, and was then at a 6. They knew I was attempting this birth natural, like I had with Owen's. They told me I had 2 hours to progress on my own, then they would have to hook me up to pitocin. I was trying to avoid that. After 2 hours, not much progress. The nurse said she'd give me 15 more minutes, and allowed me to get off the bed to stand and walk, like I had been hoping to. That brought the contractions on pretty quick. After doing that for a while, they got so intense, I didn't think I could handle it any more. They were coming on stronger and harder than I had remembered with Owen. I climbed into the bed and begged for an epidural. The nurse informed me that the anesthesiologist had just left, thinking I was doing it natural, but he could be back in 20 minutes. The nurse then quickly started to prep the room and start a fluid iv for the epidural. At that point, the contractions were on top of each other, no break in between to relax, and I could feel the baby coming. I paniked, called for the nurse, the doctor, anyone to just come quick! Nick almost sacrificed his right hand and the pocket of his shorts, I was gripping so tight. The anesthesiologist showed up at that point and asked if I wanted the epidural. I said, "it's too late, the baby is coming!" The nurse checked me and sure enough, I was at a 10 and the head was crowning. She told me to not push because the doctor wasn't there yet. I didn't push. The baby just practically fell out at that point. That's how strong those contractions were! My doctor walked in about then. She was bugged that she wasn't called sooner, but in the nurses' defense, I progressed much faster than anyone expected. But all that mattered was that little Teslyn Becca was here, safe and healthy. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 14 oz. and 19 1/4 in. The nurse told me that from the time she broke my water to when the baby came out, was just 3 hours and 37 minutes. I was amazed. The doctor told me my next one might come in the parking lot!
I forgot to mention that I went in to have that baby while I had a sore throat. The day after I got home, that cold hit me pretty hard. I was feverish and had chills, which made me a little nervous with the flu going around. Being pregnant, giving birth and nursing is pretty demanding on your body, and trying to fight a cold doesn't help. But luckily Nick's mom flew in to take care of us. And it's a dang good thing she did! Monday Nick came home from school early with abdominal pains. We all thought it was his ulcer for the longest time. He is a stress case and gets hearburn kinda frequently, so it wouldn't surprise us. By evening it didn't get better, so we called his brother-in-law who is the bishop in his ward, and also the elders quorum president of our ward. They both so willingly showed up so quickly to give Nick a blessing. It was an amazing one. But Nick was in so much pain, I asked his mom to take him to the hospital. I sat at home with the two kiddos, worried sick. A few hours and uncomfortable tests later, he went in to surgery to get his appendix removed. Later, Nick's mom told me the scariest part. When he got there and he was in so much pain, they gave him morphine to help. That wasn't enough to help. They had to dose him up so much, that when he was comfortable enough to sleep, he would stop breathing. She paniked and woke him up, and he would start breathing again. That lasted a little while. I told her it was a good thing I wasn't there, I would have completely lost it if I saw my husband like that! Nick was released the next afternoon. That was a very long and miserable day for me as well. The poor guy was back in school the next day. He had to, there were midterm tests, quizes and practicals to take! He even studied in the hospital while he was waiting to be released. He is such a trooper. His mom extended her flight home a day later, to help keep this little family in one piece.
We have since felt so much love and support from our ward and friends here. They have all been so amazing and helpful. Owen loves his baby sister, and that baby sister has been an angel. Seriously. She sleeps through the night. All night. I almost feel guilty not waking her to feed or change her. Last night she went to sleep at 11 pm and I woke her up to feed her when she starting stirring at 6:30 am. I really hope that lasts.
In all the trauma, illness and trial, I have felt very blessed. I guess that is a gift I have, to feel like things could always be worse. I am grateful Nick wasn't getting his appendix out the same time I was delivering a baby. I am grateful that my sister came to stay with Owen, and I didn't have to worry about him spending the night away from home his first time. I am eternally grateful to Nick's mom, who decided last minute to fly out and help. I am grateful that my little family is on the mend, and that there are lots of fun things for the 4 of us to look forward to doing together. As soon as I am brave enough to take this tiny baby out. I still can't believe she is so small. At her 4 day check up, she had lost a few ounces (which is normal) and she was exactly a pound less than Owen weighed at birth. Owen chunked up pretty quick, and I hope she does as well because she seems so small and fragile! Don't worry though, she is a great eater. It's just a matter of time. Honestly though, I can't wait to have Nick back to full daddy capability. That will be nice. He's getting there.

And here is one I just took today. Owen had been taking way too long of a nap so Teslyn and I went in to wake him up, unsuccessfully. He didn't even move, and then slept for almost another hour. I guess this past week has worn him out as well!

Nick and I got a kick out of this song. It's from one of my new favorite bands. It should be Nick's theme song for the next while. Check it out!

Wanna see something crazy?

There you go!

Hallelujah! Relief is in the forecast!

This little boy is now 3 years old! When he woke up on his birthday and I gave him his morning snuggles, it hit me! He is definitely not a baby anymore. I have loved and celebrated every milestone and growth achievement with him, and didn't feel an ounce of sadness until that day. He is only going to keep on getting bigger and bigger. I love his independence, but too soon the day will come where he thinks he doesn't need me anymore, or he's too big or too cool for his mommy. So I will have to savor his littleness while it lasts. I love his littleness.

He had preschool in the morning, so I had made some cupcakes to bring and share with his class. While he was gone to preschool, I came home and set up the tables, party hats, balloons and decorations. It was so fun to see his expression when he walked in the door after I picked him up! But first, we had to make a few stops to run some errands, and pick him up a happy meal, his lunch of choice on his happy birthday!

That evening we had some of Nick's dental student friends and their families over to celebrate. We had dinner, pinata, and cake. It was so much fun, they are such great friends! And here is the soccer ball cake Owen requested for his birthday. I have to admit, I was very pleased with the way it turned out! It was pretty experimental, and very hard to get the black frosting to look like a soccer ball. There was an ice cream layer in the middle, with green tinted coconut for grass.

After singing happy birthday, here is the birthday boy blowing out the candles.

It was really fun to see these little kids trying to break open the pinata. They just don't hit very hard, so we had to get help from some of the daddies there. It was pretty funny!

I think it's fun to look back in time exactly a year ago to see how much has changed. Owen has grown a ton this past year! Last year this time we had barely moved in to our house a week and a half before Owen's birthday, and we were still getting settled in. I took a look at my blog post that day, and thought it was fun. Check it out if you are interested!

http://millerrubbish.blogspot.com/2008/09/happy-birthday-to-owen.html

Today was Owen's first day of preschool! Yeah, I know he isn't even three until next week, but he is definitely ready (or at least I am). And I have to take advantage of the opportunity while there is one! There is a group of 6 of us in our ward here who want to do a neighborhood Joy School thing. And it is cheap. I am not sure we'll be able to afford to put Owen in a real preschool ($150 + a month in Vegas!) so this will have to do! We get the lesson plans and materials in the mail, and we take turns hosting it at our homes by months. It's just two hours a day, twice a week. Here he is, all excited to go.

I made him stop for a picture before I dropped him off. He was ready to play with the kids!

Here he is playing with a buddy, Nathan. When I came to pick him up, he asked if he could come back. He was very happy when I told him he'll be back in two days! Success! I wanted a picture of his little class, but only 4 of the 6 were there today. Maybe next time. They are cuties!

This is from our last weekend of freedom! Nick started back to school today (going on his second of four years, yipee!) so this was the last relaxing weekend he'll have for a while. We went to St. George to spend time with family and see Owen's cousin get baptized.

Owen has really been into dinosaurs lately. He has a book with pop-out dino skeletons. He likes to talk about how they are not alive anymore, but we can find their bones in the dirt. There is a place in St. George where they have found dinosaur footprints, and have a museum to check them out. Nick took Owen to see them.

He was really hoping to see a full skeleton, but there was just a small collection of random bones and eggs. Which is still pretty cool.

And of course we spent some time at the pool everyday. I forgot how packed it got there on Labor Day weekend!

Here is Owen laying out with daddy. I was hoping his daddy would get a little more color on his skin before he went back into his cave for the next year, but it didn't really happen. Owen is still darker!