What's New with the Millers

I mean, this blog is called Miller Family News (which Sam thinks is the lamest blog name ever), and there hasn't been much news from the Millers as of late. Time for an update on our ever-fascinating lives.

1- We went bowling as a family on New Years. It was Elle's idea. She loves bowling. Bennett didn't want to go. Something about having to wear the weird bowling shoes. But once we got him there, I think he had a good time. We all did. Except for maybe Reagan. We made her sit on the table for most of the game, and pushed suckers on her over and over to try to keep her occupied. Here are a slew of not-very-good-pictures that I took while we bowled:





I loved that the kids would throw the ball, and then immediately turn around and walk back to us, with no apparent regard for the outcome of the throw:


Here's one more picture of Sam, just because he has such great form (he did take Bowling at BYU), and such a cute tush:

We failed to get a picture of me bowling, which apparently was quite the sight. I didn't really think about what a 35-week pregnant woman would look like bowling. But the people around us seemed fascinated by the whole thing. One woman in particular seemed very amused as I would bowl, then come back and wrestle Reagan for a bit, then bowl again. She finally couldn't hold in her curiosity any longer, and asked me how far along I was. When I told her, she said, "You look like you are about to pop, but you look good." Hmmmm, interesting recovery. That seems to me like a fairly conflicting statement, but whatever. And then she had to follow up with the, "You've really got your hands full" comment. I love that one. Especially at this point in my pregnancy.

I tried to get a picture of our final scores, and this is how it turned out:

You'll just have to take my word for it that I won, 35-weeks pregnant and all. And I didn't even take the bowling class while at BYU.

2. Elle is back at school after a two-week Holiday break. She had a few really hard weeks back in November and December, but seems to be doing better now. I think the last week of school, when she was the big cheese, helped her go out on a high note. She hasn't asked me yet if she can stay home from school, so that is good. Although I wouldn't change Ellery for the world, all of this drama this early in her school career has me very worried for what lies ahead.

3. Bennett is back at school as well. He LOVES preschool. I make mention of this only because it really has surprised me how much he has taken to it. He looks forward to Monday and Wednesday so much. He loves to write his letters, and will get out a piece of paper daily, write the alphabet on it, and then start writing his name and the names of all the kids in his preschool class. So cute.

4. Sam gave Bennett his semi-annual haircut. The was much moaning, weeping, and gnashing of teeth. Then we made him get in the bath so we could get all of the hair off of his body. You would have thought we were torturing him. He looks so grown-up with his short hair. We think we will take him to a professional for the first time right before Caroline's wedding. That should be interesting.

5. Last week we had a 60 degree day. It has been a while since I let Bennett and Reagan get out of the car during Elle's drop-off or pick-up. But it was such a nice day, and we were all showered and dressed, and Bennett wanted to get out and play for a bit, so I said okay. Not five minutes into our time on the playground, and Reagan fell off a metal balance beam of sorts. By the time I got to her, there was already a fair amount of blood coming from her lips. Reagan was drooling and crying and wiping the drool and blood all over her face and clothes, which made the injury look worse than it was. Elle proceeds to come over, sees the somewhat excessive amount of blood, and starts screaming as well. I have a couple of friends that were there picking up kids who were trying to help, handing me tissues and water. And Reagan was somewhat histerical, and would not let me wipe her mouth at all. It was a classic moment, and as I couldn't help but feel like everyone who was witnessing this spectical was thinking, "And this woman thinks she can handle another child?" I got Reagan strapped in her seat as quickly as possible, so that she was a bit restrained and I could try to access the damage. All teeth are still intact (all the teeth she has, I should say), but there were cuts on her lower lip on the inside and outside, so I think she might have bit through her lip. Ouch. It is still healing. We won't be getting out of the car at pick-up again any time soon.

6. I went to the doctor yesterday for my 37 week check, hoping she would tell me that I was dialated to a 4 and could just go on over to the hospital (a girl can dream, right?) Instead we discovered that the baby is breech. His/her head is nestled snuggly up in my rib cage, facing outward. This means several things. This explains what this very hard mass is that I was assuming was the bottom, and why I have been so uncomfortable as of late, with my ribs absolutely killing me. Although there is always a chance that the baby could flip on its own, I got the feeling that isn't super likely at this point in my pregnancy. I really don't want to have a C-Section. I know many a woman has survived them, but the greater expense, greater recovery time, and increased odds of C-Sections on subsequent deliveries makes it the least preferred method for me. So this means that the doctor is going to try to make the baby turn. She did an ultrasound to make sure there is plenty of fluid to attempt such a procedure. There is. She wants to wait one more week to give the lungs a bit more time to develop. So next Monday morning I will go to the hospital at 7:00 am for the flip. Several things could happen. I could get there, the baby has already flipped on its own, and she will just send me home. I could get there, the baby won't flip, and she will just send me home, with the hopes that the baby might still flip on its own before the next week. The flip could be successful, in which case she will just induce me then to avoid the chance of the baby flipping back. Or the procedure could put the baby into distress, which might lead to an emergency C-Section. I have to admit that I am worried. I have such uneventful pregnancies, so I guess it is my turn for a potential complication of sorts. But I am struggling with the unknown, with all the variables here, and all the potential outcomes. My mom is scheduled to arrive the next Monday, but I don't want her to change her ticket, since there is certainly no guarantee that I will have a baby on Monday. I am worried about the actual procedure -- it sounds painful. I am worried about the baby. And I really don't want to have a C-Section. At all. I think I am making myself sick over this. I couldn't sleep at all last night, and am now feeling physically ill, which I think is stress-related since no one else in the family is sick.
I am one of those women who pregnancy after pregnancy keep the hope alive that I will deliver two or three weeks early, even though it is never the case. But this is not at all how I hoped such a scenerio would come to pass. I fear I may get what I thought I wanted, in a very different way than I wanted.

So that is what is new with us. Anything new with you?