happy june birthdays & graduations!!!

on sunday there was a family gathering to honor ethan's cousin Jo's graduation and to celebrate the birthdays of both his uncle dick and grandma doris. it was fun to see everyone again and for them to meet naomi. she was quite a hit! here are some pics of her with the rellies and one of the birthday girl herself!

with great grandma doris

with grandma gini

with great aunt nancy

birthday girl!!

guess how much i weigh now????

we were absolutely delighted to discover at naomi's check-up on tuesday that she has reached the grand weight of 8lbs 4oz!!! so very exciting. ethan and i figured out that means she is gaining about an ounce and a half EVERY day!!! i guess we weren't imagining things when we said that she looks bigger every time we look at her as she wakes from slumber in the morning...

bathtime!!!

naomi had her first real bath today! milestone in the life of a newborn and also in the life of the new parents! its one of those things, like cutting baby fingernails, that you sort of put off for fear of it going badly. we shouldn't have worried, naomi was a natural. though she hiccoughed the whole way through, she seemed to take to water quite well, and looked around inquisitively trying to figure out what was going on.

isles

we have a tradition, ethan and i. since the late fall of 2005, we have been going almost every sunday morning to isles bun and coffee in uptown for our breakfast. this all started when my friend mandi became a sunday morning baker at isles, we went to visit and fell in love with the place, not to mention the great cinnamon rolls and other baked goods. as time passed we discovered our favorite was the coffeecake which is topped with seasonal fruits. we became regulars and the staff knew to grab two pieces of coffeecake as soon as we walked in the front door. we were excited to share this miller tradition with naomi, so yesterday was her first of many trips to isles, as we affectionately call the place. we felt like celebrities when we walked in and all the staff oohed and ahhed over what was once danielle's bump! they even refused to let us pay for our treats! and sure enough, mandi was there, having baked since the wee hours of the morning, she came over and chatted with us as we ate strawberry mango coffeecake and gushed over naomi. here are some pictures you can enjoy and if any of you come to visit us in minneapolis, we'll be sure to take you to isles on sunday morning!

thriving

little naomi had her one week check-up yesterday. this is the moment where i, as her mother, wait with abated breath to see if my amateur attempts at breastfeeding have been in vain. this has probably been my biggest worry in the last week. is she eating enough? many of you know that once babies are born, they lose somewhere up to ten percent of their birth weight. doctors typically want to see them gain that back in 7-10 days. we were delighted yesterday when the nurse told us naomi weighed 6lb12.5oz, she had surpassed her birth weight by almost two ounces! good job naomi! and boy, did that make me feel proud. everything else was great and we went home feeling reassured that we were doing things right. it is so easy to worry with all the unknowns of new parenthood, but we feel that God truly is giving us grace enough for each day. thanks to those of you who have been praying for us, we can tell.

the many faces of naomi

it has been a thrill and a joy to watch naomi grow and change in this first week of life. one of the most entertaining parts of it all have been her different faces. although i have never seen a full smile on her yet, i am sure there will be plenty of that once learned. we don't claim to be the perfect parents but, naomi belongs to our little family, the miller household. i am going to attempt to interpret the faces that we have caught on camera to date.


"i'm tired but satisfied and comfy"


"i know that i am safe and secure with papa"


"i'm working on a bowel movement"


contented on the changing table, "eew, clean diaper"


"why is there a camera in my face"


"that's not mumma or papa"


"mum always takes care of me and feeds me"

naomi's first stroller outing

we took naomi on a nice wee walk to the wedge, our favorite local natural foods co-op, this afternoon. ethan was thrilled to finally take the stroller for a spin, as its been sitting sans baby for a few weeks in our front hall just screaming his name! boys with toys! it did us all three good to get some fresh air and stretch our legs a little. naomi seemed pleased with the stroller and quickly dozed off upon being strapped in. we're looking forward to longer walks around the lakes soon.