Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Meet: Miller August

Well how 'bout that. A minute ago I was hoping our little guy would arrive early...and what? He did! (If he wanted to win Best Listener of the Bowden kids, then mission accomplished). Introducing

Miller August Bowden 
8/15/15, 10:03am, 8lbs 5oz, 20" long

At only 3 days old, he might be a little young for a FAQ, but who can resist hearing all about a new baby? So here is a little about the things we've been asked so far:

How did you come up with his name? (Variations: like, the beer? Because he was born in August?) 
Yes. And yes.  J/k. Kinda. He's certainly not named after a beer. But we're aware of the association and ready for the inevitable "Miller time!" comments. (Though I don't promise to laugh every time). I came across it as an option a while ago and for some reason it just stuck out as a favorite. Dustin wasn't quite sure, but he eventually came around (as he does to most of my genius ideas...) and it became the front runner. I was nervous about not having any formal ties to the name (it's not a family name, as far as we're aware) but in the end we just liked the sound of it, and how it fit with the girls' names. So Miller was the winner. 

As for the middle name. We actually had a different name in mind but after he was born I just wasn't sure. This drove Dustin crazy, of course (he was ready to announce his son to the world and my indecisiveness was cramping his style!) We had August on the list but never loved it enough to make it a first name. I knew we wouldn't use it if he was born at the beginning of September- it seemed odd to me to have missed the timing connection by so little and still go with it, but we didn't just pick it because of his early birthday. It was another "just felt right" kind of decision, and while I'm still getting used to saying it out loud, I hope he grows into it and eventually likes it as much as we do.





What will you call him? 
So far his most common nickname is Fin. But that's mostly because I'm tired and confused and used to her being my baby. Once we get that straightened out though, we'll likely call him Miller or Mills. I also love the middle name nickname Gus (specifically Gus-Gus. Yes, like the chubby mouse in Cinderella) so I don't know if we'll ever use it, but it's nice to have options. (Speaking of...this little guys still needs a hashtag. #millennialbabyproblems)

Who does he look like? 
Dustin. 100%. But that's what my babies do. He's got a round face, and the signature Bowden chin. His hair is semi-dark now, pretty similar to Piper's when she was born, but I'll be surprised if it stays that way. I'm not exactly sure if he resembles the girls yet. He does look more like Piper than Fin, but he's smaller and has a regular sized head. ;)

He was three weeks early and still over 8 pounds?
Right?! Tell me about it.  I swore from the beginning that this kid was huge, and strongly, and vocally, doubted that I'd make it to my official due date (September 3rd). He measured large the entire time, but more importantly, I just felt big the whole time. I was convinced he was a big kid, and was convinced (/wishfully thinking) he'd come early to compromise for it. On Friday night I hit a wall, and tearfully worried aloud to Dustin that I couldn't do it. I couldn't make it three more weeks. I wasn't even sure I could make it one more day. And lo and behold, my water broke five hours later. Glory!

(As a refresher: Piper was 8lbs 12oz, 3 days late. Fin was 8lbs 6oz, 10 days early. So the Guinness Book people aren't exactly knocking down my door, but I still say we don't cook 'em light. I'm scared to think of how big this monster would have been in another 19 days!)
What is he like? 
Welllll....it's a little soon to say. Basically, we have no idea. We're getting to know him moment by moment, and he's still figuring himself out. I have no clue what soothes him best, what his quirks are, so for now we're just winging it! The most I can say so far is that he's sleeeeeepy (weird, he says the same thing about me!) And hungry (weird, he says the same thing about me!) He does a lot of snoozing, but he's also developed quite the appetite in the last day, so I'm hoping my milk will come in soon and be able to keep up with him! (When he's hungry, he's pretty adamant about being fed right away, so it's quite possible, that he's a mini-Courtney in a mini-Dustin's body.)






Is it different having a boy?
So far? No. But I haven't gotten peed on yet, which I think is the main rite of passage for a boy-mom at this stage. We're trying to keep the monster truck onesies to a minimum, and we're reusing a ton of the girls' (kinda) neutral gear so the gender thing isn't super focal around here. That's bound to change (quickly) though. Some of traditional boy stuff will no doubt trickle in, but with the girls' influence I think he might end up being forced into more girly things than he might prefer. In the end though, babies are babies, so with the exception of learning a couple diaper changing tricks, our bigger task is really learning about who this little guy is, regardless of gender. (But don't let Dustin lie to you. He's excited to have a little help shifting the hormone balance in the house back his way.)
How are you feeling? How was your delivery?
Oh, thank you for asking! If I had to classify Piper's birth...I'd say it was a typical delivery, with a traumatic recovery. With Fin, it was a wildly quick delivery, that left us stunned (but laughing) for a while afterwards. I had no idea what to expect this time. I wanted to error on the side of caution, just in case he arrived in a hurry too, so we planned to waste no time heading to the hospital when the time came (though at 37 weeks I didn't yet have my bag packed). And I hoped that each birth would bet a little easier physically, but I didn't want to take that for granted, because the truth is, you just never know.

So this time? It was just normal. Which is so nice. I won't get all into the details, but the gist is:
My water broke at home (a first for me, as it happened at the hospital with both girls) around 2:30am on Saturday. We went to the hospital around an hour later, I got an epidural before contractions wee even too painful and then a teeny dose of pitocin when things slowed a bit. When it came time to deliver, he was ready but my doctor wasn't there yet (sound familiar, Fin?). We somehow managed to delay him until she got there, and then he came quickly and easily around 10am.

I got to snuggle him right away for about an hour, which was awesome. We just soaked up his real-ness (the sudden arrival of an actual human never ceases to amaze me) and marveled at our newest baby. We were doing so well, the hospital even let us go home early, so just over 24 hours later, we were on our way out. Since then, recovery has been pretty easy. Yes, I had a baby, so I'm still sore and tired and achy, but it's nothing out of the ordinary.And for that I am so thankful!

What's it like to have three kids?
I actually don't really know. My mom came to stay with the girls when we left for the hospital, and then they all visited us. But when we went home early, we thought it'd be best not to push it, and had them stay another night with the grandparents (with trips to the pool, special crafts, dinner at Five Guys, and ice cream outings, they weren't complaining too much). Then they had school on Monday, (which helped us have an easier day after our first night at home with Miller), so we haven't really had to face the reality of dealing with the needs of three children. I'm nervous about how we're going to juggle it all, but I know we'll make it through somehow...(right?) We will keep you posted (and by that, I mean we'll invite you over to help. ;)


What do the girls think?
Well, it kinda depends on which one you ask.

One of them is super proud and excited:



And one of them...not so much.

(She wanted to hold him, but then each time she did, she almost immediately changed her mind, complaining: "Too big! Take a-WAY!" To be fair she is kind of a peanut, so she might have felt trapped.)



They're both excited in theory...but Piper obviously understands it a bit better. I'm sure they'll both struggle with the adjustment a little, but I hope they see the value in another sibling. And I really hope we can do a good job loving each of them individually and well, during this time...and forever, really.



When do you go back to work? Does Dustin get time off too? What will the girls do while you're on maternity leave?
I'm taking twelve weeks (so I'm off until November-ish), and Dustin generously gets two weeks paternity leave (he's always just had to take vacation, so we're super pumped about this perk!) We don't fully know our plan for the girls yet, so we're taking it a little at a time. For now they'll keep with their schedule of three days a week of daycare, two days with my mom. I think it's good for them to keep up with their routine especially when everything around them is a little topsy turvy. Plus, for me, it's better to ease in to things before I take on more than I can handle. I'd love to have them home with me at least a little bit, but for the first couple weeks I'm trying to go easy on myself and not feel any pressure to do too much. Having time with just Miller is a huge blessing, so I try to see it that way vs. feeling guilty about indulging in just him. Similarly- having some time with Dustin without the girls is an awesome gift too. With our the girls we never had a lot of time just us (he never took this much time off, and we usually had family visiting since they were all out of town) so it's already been really fun to be on a babymoon with our newest little one.

Are you going to have more?
#toosoon or similarly, but in the exact words of Dustin since Fin's newborn days: "pump the breaks'.
I know I tend to get baby fever pretty soon after bringing a new bundle home, but right now I genuinely have no clue if we'll have more babies or not. During my pregnancy, there were times I was sure I wanted more, and there were times when I doubted if I'd even make it to see number three, let alone anything after that. I will say, all the girly gear is packed away, not given away, so it's not a done deal, but at the same time, I'm in no hurry to think about anything beyond our new little guy.

For now, at least, these three little goons (plus the big one) are enough...

(this is the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" type of family picture that is becoming more and more common in our fam these days. As usual: Fin started it.)

And finally: Is he officially the cutest baby ever?
Why, yes. Yes he is.



P.s. Get the scoop on the arrival of our little ladies- Piper and Fin.
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4 comments :

  1. He is adorable, congratulations!!

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  2. Congrats!!! And I think August was a great choice. My sister named her son August, and at first I wasn't a big fan, but I've grown to really like it.

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  3. Not that I can speak with any knowledge of comparison, but, boys are pretty awesome! There is something special between a mother and her little boy. Congrats on the arrival of your lil' man.

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  4. SO PUMPED for you guys. I still firmly believe you are the coolest parents these nuggets could have. Miller is one lucky dude. (Also, Courtney, you would have the cutest robes ever. Nice touch. You're such a hot mama.)

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