Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Epic Tale of Baby Milo

Well it all started in February, I'm sure you can guess when in February....

*hint: not Ground Hogs Day
We don't need to get into the details...hee-hee, but needless to say it happened but I had no idea for at least two months because I was working at the state capitol as a page for the state senate and, for those of you that didn't know, for the month of February and some of March my place of work looked like this...


and this...


awesome.

It really wasn't that bad at the time but I am pretty sure I have PTSD because of it.  My heart does race little anytime I hear crowds of people chanting or drums pounding in unison. But enough about that. 

So, we didn't know for almost two months because I was so distracted by work but I am impressed that little Milo made it through such a stressful time. He's a little fighter that one. Its is a little interesting that I am unconsciously fixated on putting my little ones through a stress test. With the first is was a half marathon (which might have proved to be too much) and with Milo it was the protest of the year. Either way I am so glad that my Milo is a fighter, just like his mama. 

Just as we were finding out about little Milo, we had more life changing decisions to make. Chaz had applied to several companies in hopes for a summer internship and these companies responded with full time job interviews. He had several interviews, one with IBM, one with a local software company and one with a patent law firm in Chicago. 

I went with Chaz to Chicago for his interview and even though I was a little tired, well really tired all the time, we had a pretty good mini vacation.
While Chaz continued interviewing with company after company, I was well into first trimester symptoms. Nausea was not a problem but fatigue was...


Chaz would often find me asleep on the couch

and apparently it was contagious...


even little Bullet couldn't escape the overwhelming need to sleep.
the rest of March and April was spent sleeping and eating. I probably gained a little bit more weight than I needed to but food is just so good...mmm food.

My first pregnancy was a no-go so we waited until Milo made it thru the first trimester before we started telling family and friends. The last time we told people and literally the next day we lost it, so we wanted to make sure we knew for certain before we started spreading the news. As May neared closer, Chaz and I got more and more excited that at the reality that we can start telling people about the baby.

Since I was a little unsure about when I had my last cycle, again work was really stressful, my doctor had us get an ultrasound to find out how far along I was in the pregnancy. I had an ultrasound done in May and Milo was measuring at 13 weeks. 

5/13/11: Baby Milo at 13 weeks 4 days

Along with getting our first glimpse of Milo, Chaz was getting offers for jobs starting in the summer. His original plan was to get his PHD but with the job offers coming in and after lots of praying and fasting we decided to take the job offer in Chicago. So, now along with the excitement of telling people we are having a baby we also had news of new jobs and moving.


McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff (MBHB), a patent law firm, wanted Chaz to start at the end of May right after graduation. We found an apartment in the south loop of Chicago and we started packing.


Around 14 weeks Pregnant and in the thick of packing. 


We moved into our new apartment on the first of June. Chaz would go into work everyday I would unpack and settle the house. Since I really didn't have much to do we were unpacked in four days, the fastest I have ever unpacked in any move. 


June: Around 16 weeks, no bump yet.
Toward the end of June we had the Wiltbank family reunion in Fort Robinson, Nebraska. It was in Nebraska that I felt Milo kick for the first time, it was so amazing. I knew he was in there but now its really obvious he is there. One of the activities was to hike the bluffs, due to baby Milo, I only hiked up one bluff but it was definitely fun and exciting.

June: Around 18 weeks, down from the bluffs with a slight bump!
July was an exciting month because Chaz's insurance finally was activated. I should have gone in for an ultrasound around 18 weeks to figure out growth and sex but with the new job, our insurance was not yet ready. We had to wait until July before I could meet with my doctor and get that ultrasound. After one night of no sleep because I was so excited, we got our ultrasound.


Baby Milo around 20 weeks

After a lot of  hunting and searching, apparently Milo was lying on his side with his legs closed making it impossible to see, the technician told us that we were having a little boy. Chaz and I were so excited and we immediately knew what his name would be. Not only are we naming the baby after Chaz's father but also his great grandfather, so Milo will be Milo Charles Wiltbank III. How cool is that! I knew that I wanted the name Milo before we knew we were having a boy and I am so glad that we are able to use the name right away. We did have to keep the name a secret for a while just to make sure that it was the name we really wanted. As we became certain it was the name we wanted, we began to tell family and friends and they were just as excited as Chaz and I.

July: Around 22 weeks, bump is getting bigger.
August came and went without any serious events. Chaz continued to make progress in training at work and I continued in making the house comfortable. We made a purchase of a new couch, the old one was very old and it was getting harder and harder for me to get out of it, so it had to go. We also got some bookshelves and other pieces of furniture to complete the apartment and give us all the room we needed. With the nesting bug in full swing, I also started looking for ideas on how to decorate the nursery and slowly began to come up with my vision for Milo's room. In August, my sisters came to visit and I soon learned that they were wanting to plan a shower for me. It quickly became my goal to have the nursery done and ready by the shower.

August: 28 weeks
September brought not only beautiful fall colors but football. I was getting more and more homesick with each Badger game so Chaz bought us football tickets when the Badgers played Northern Illinois University. I tried to find a Badger maternity shirt but couldn't find one I liked so, I made my own. We bought plan red T-shirts, paints, stencils and t-shirt tranfers. Chaz made a motion W that had the Chicago skyline and I made a Badger bump t-shirt with stencils and paint. It really wasn't that hard to get the stencils to work or to get the ribbon on the slevees. The hardest part was making the shirt a v-neck when it started out as a crew neck. I found a couple of tutorials on you tube and after watching several of them I was able to successfully change me crew neck t-shirt into a v-neck. We both looked pretty good as we made our way down to Solider's Field for the game. 


September: Around 30 weeks and ready to cheer on the Badgers.
By October I reached my goal of completing the nursery (I will have another posting about the nursery) and it was perfect timing. By this month I am definitely feeling pregnant. Up until this point I haven't really been that uncomfortable. But this month it has gotten harder for me to bend over and move around in general so, it is a very good thing that I was able to get all the decorating and layout of the house complete before I couldn't do anything. Just a couple of days ago we had the baby shower that my sisters organized for me  and they did a great job (again, I will have another posting about the shower). Right now Chaz and I are just excited and anxious for the big day. As of right now I totally ready, I know that will probably change but for right now I wish it were tomorrow.

October: Around 36 weeks and feeling it!

2 comments:

Emily said...

I'm so excited for you guys!!!! Love the name and the story and pictures. :) (also, so sorry about the loss of your first one. :( I just lost another baby and it's not awesome).

Steph Peterson said...

YEA!!!!!! Congratulations, and good luck! I saw your link on facebook to the blog, with the word "baby", and got really excited! I'm so happy for you two - you're still 2 of my favorite people! Hope you're enjoying Chicago too.