Halloween Time

Here we are in the middle of October. It's hard to believe I was still pregnant with Miles 3 short weeks ago. Well, we are gearing up for Halloween time, which is what Piper calls it. We took the kids to Owatta Farms where we picked a pumpkin, played duck race and jumped on this bouncy contraption. Miles is healthy and plumping up little by little. He is not sleeping much during the night, which has made daytime a challenge for all of us. An extreme lack of sleep causes us to do silly things like try to fit baby heads in our mouths. Nope, too big...

one week old

Yesterday Miles had his first checkup since we left the hospital. Our new pediatrician is a sweet and very intelligent older Jewish man. Every time we see him he kisses Miles on the head and says "He's so cute. God bless him." He told us that Miles is doing fine and that he is doing especially well gaining weight. As far as we can tell our new baby is pretty laid back. He is a great sleeper, eater and only complains when he is hungry or cold. He makes funny dragon noises and has the sweetest facial expressions. Broc and I stare at him for long periods of time, soaking up his babyhood while we can.

Welcome Miles

We are so happy to present our son, Miles Oliver Barnes. Miles was born on September 27th at 7:55 am. At birth Miles weighed 7lb 3oz and measured just over 20" long. All 3 of us have quickly fallen for this little man. It's incredible how he just fits right in to our lives as though he was missing all along. Piper is adjusting very well and seems to harbor no jealous feelings toward her little brother (yet). She wants to hold him regularly and kiss him often.

Two healthy kids. One pretty great husband. What more can I say except my cup is overflowing.

Princess Piper

Our lives have been so focused on unpacking and preparing for baby number 2, that Piper and I needed a fun mom-daughter activity. Last week we made some scrumptious red velvet cupcakes, which get me all revved up for autumn.

My patient sister-in-law has been waiting and waiting for some pictures of our new house, so here is a staring point. Piper is playing princess in her new room, which she seems to be very happy in.

Tomorrow is a big day, the birthday of our son. We are so excited to meet him and to introduce him to you all very soon.

ONE MORE WEEK!

If you weren't aware baby Piper had to be removed via cesarean section. While that wasn't ideal, it gave us the option to have scheduled babies. Our little guy will be joining us a week from today at approximately 8am. We are so looking forward to meeting him and surprisingly Broc and I are feeling rather relaxed about the whole thing. I guess we've been given a dose of that peace that passes understanding. We are still unsure about a name and have no solid leads, which leaves us all with an element of surprise. Piper talks about meeting her brother soon and what a good sister she will be.

We are almost completely unpacked and feeling pretty settled in. More to come on that this week.

Piper's Party

A few weeks ago we celebrated Piper's birthday. I promised her a party, so a party is what she got. The day started out almost comically as I ran over a screw driver with a car full of balloons. This left me stranded for a long while with a flat tire and a platter full of food on the most congested street in downtown Savannah. Broc saved the day, although it might have been funny to see me changing a flat at 30+ weeks pregnant.

We scrambled to get things ready with only 30 minutes before friends arrived, but by george we did it!

Ultimately the party went very well. Piper had 8 little buddies show up and they all had a great time. They played games and broke a pinata... well technically Broc had to smash the pinata, but the kids reaped the benefits. Piper had so much fun that she literally wet herself. Yep, that was my frazzled mind forgetting to ask her if she needed to go.

There are no words

With heavy hearts, Broc and I drove back to Michigan last week. My sister and brother-in-law experienced the loss of they're son Kellen, who was only 21 months old. There are no words for the amount of grief that they are experiencing. It's heart wrenching seeing those you love suffer in a way where you cannot bring them comfort. My sister is an incredible mom, in that I mean the kind of mom that I aspire to be. She has been blessed with three beautiful children and I know that she cherishes every good and tough moment with them.
Staying with my sister for a week allowed for Jacob and Piper to rekindle their cousinly love. We got to snuggle and kiss baby Kate Sofia, who thanks to Broc has been nicknamed baby quesadilla. I was able to see my family and be available for my sister when she had a memory or a thought to share. God, thank you for these blessings and thank you for Kellen's life.

Kellen Patrick Berkemeier

October 17, 2009 - August 2, 2011