Meet......

Everett Clyde O'Connor. He was born at 5:28 pm Sunday, September 27th, 2009. The hoodlum weighed in at a healthy 8lbs 12 oz. Proud parents sound tired but enthused. The expectation is to arrive home to Jordan with the new family member tomorrow (Monday), as Everett is healthy and showing no signs of jaundice. CONGRATS GUYS!!!

PS - Permission was granted to post since computers are few and far between on L&D ward tonight......

Announcing....

The O'Conner baby has arrived - both mom and baby sound to be doing well! We refuse to spoil the thunder of parents announcing boy vs girl, so you will just have to stay tuned to the blogs until either A) The new mom & dad give us permission or B) They post it themselves later this week. The important thing: Baby is here and all are doing well (and we're pretty sure John never threw up in the delivery room) :)

Amended Info

So...we were a little premature in projecting the O'Conner baby's entrance. Family members have found that the water was broken around 12:45 in high hopes of baby coming soon...vs it already happening. Sorry all and we'll wait a little longer for multiple confirmations until the next post! :)

Marisa/John Baby Update

Hey guys,
Marisa is in the last bit of pushing and the family is all headed into Miles City now at 12:45pm. Should have baby O'Connor arriving shortly!!!!

Wishing Them the Best!

For the record, this am John and Marisa headed down to Miles City with contractions early this am around 4ish. Updates will follow as we get them and we are all waiting in Jordan with bated breath to welcome the new addition to the family! Send positive vibes that direction!!! :) YAY!

One Year Ago Today......Happy 1st Birthday Gwen

One year ago today, Gwen was born at 6:55 am in Miles City's Holy Rosary Hospital. Boy how much has changed since then! Here's a little comparison:

It took the wee one 25 hours to show up, meaning we had started yesterday at 6am on our anniversary with 4 hrs of active pushing at the end. Worth. Every. Bit. Of. It.

Gwennie's New Winterwear

Gwen's great-great Aunt Sandy recently sent a hearty box of winterwear for the young hoodlum to enjoy while tossing herself in the snow this cold season. Sandy also selected highly colorful items which, in the case of a full face-plant, will be helpful to the parents speedily locating said hoodlum. Gwen tested the coat this am and decided it would work well, especially after she figured out it was the equivalent of a crash-suit, allowing her to try more potentially disastrous moves than usual...kinda like Cirque du Soleil for babies. Enjoy (and BIG THANKS Sandy!):

Speedy Gonzales Goes Fishing: Weekend Part 2

Above: The sneer is due to really BADLY wanting the cookies that the two pregnant ladies are eating in front of her (she got one...so it worked)

Post auction and wedding, the Miller crew got together with John and Marisa for some fishing down at the lake. Gwen got to be much more involved this time...thanks to a little help from John (no fishies were harmed during the filming of this moment, nor after)! Enjoy pics of "Speedy Gonzales" on her outing.......

The Weekend Part 1 - Auctions and Weddings

This weekend was a busy one. Early Saturday found Anne and Gwen getting ready for an antique/western memorabilia type auction in Jordan. And it may be the last auction she is allowed to attend for a while unescorted by the husband, because her bidding arm got a little itchy. Total loot? One oak Eastlake style spoon-carved side table (using as many adjectives as possible here makes her feel like it was money well-spent), 3 old sad (and yes, it was quite sad) irons, and a box of Silesia/HT&M Co/Victoria Schmidt & Co china (including a covered butter dish) . Her loving husband offered to bring in the table right away and has been very gracious about the purchases. However, to be totally honest, the irons will probably end up in the same spot as the old Singer sewing machine with no working parts and the 10 some frying pans out in the garage......he is a very patient man indeed. Pictures of the "loot" will be provided when pride isn't an issue - although, again, the table was a great deal! :)

The girls got home just in time to shower and be ready for an evening wedding. Eric's secretary Pohney's son Rich married his childhood sweetheart, Angie, in a beautiful ceremony and reception. A street dance was held afterward to celebrate but the Miller bunch turned into pumpkins shortly after cake, so lack pictures of that chunk of the eve.



The crew sat in the balcony for easy escaping if the hoodlum decided she didn't like weddings. First Eric read to Gwen, then she read to him.



The mother of the groom looking quite stunning in purple.



Sister of the groom, Amber, with no idea that her Calla lilly is under serious investigation and probable taste-testing



What you aren't seeing is the little ringbearer going Mach 10 up the aisle, leaving flower girl in the dust. He deposited his pillow at the front, then started to head back and retrieve her as well!



When someone is very wiggly, it is very hard to pay attention to the camera...and we're not just talking the baby here! A Christmas picture with everyone looking at the camera, with the Baby 2.0 addition included, is promised in the coming months. If you get it by Valentine's Day, figure you are doing well!

Labor Day Weekend 2009!

Skip a weekend ago, Anne's close friend Joe came up from S. Idaho to visit while his wife Jen and "the boy" went on a trip to Seattle. Conveniently enough, Anne has also known Joe's wife Jen since kindergarten and therefore heartily approved when he went to pledge his love interest in her whilest in college (as you can see, things worked out well from that point on). In any case, House of Miller got to gleefully borrow Joe for the Labor Day weekend and proceeded to take him on the typical adventures found here. Within 48hrs time, the group went fishing on Fort Peck Lake, spotlighting (an Eric/Joe bonding opportunity - the pregnant lady went to bed), target practicing, reloading (again, lady of the house missed this one and ate ice cream instead), prairie dog "hunting," stained a deck and refinished porch steps. Although it was painfully hot part of the trip, the group still even managed to score massive hits on the 500 yd target gong and then reward themselves with cookie bars and iced tea. It would be useful information at this point to mention that when Joe and Anne were in high school and college, shooting was not exactly a skill she had...or even pretended to have. However, after realizing she couldn't hit the broadside of a barn because she was left eye dominant, not right eye as was attempted, things changed significantly. Hence, Senior Kaufman got to experience the new and improved Anne - who now appreciates firearms much more than in the 14 plus years prior to the discovery. Not to mention, this was probably the last showing of the pregnant lady out on the range until Baby 2.0 is born due to hearing loss concerns. Gwen loved the extra excitement (although was kept off-range) and definitely worked to show off to the new guest. Thanks for the great weekend and the Millers can't wait for the next Kaufman/Miller adventure!

When daddies give babies stuff they shouldn't have....

An important sidenote: Gwen had snagged the yogurt out of the grocery cart while shopping and patiently held it most of the trip. When unloading kidlet, Daddy noticed she had managed to lift the foil on one side to create a tiny hole, so figured she should be rewarded for her handiwork when in the car.

It was really all for the dryer......

The past week and half or so here at the Miller house found it's residents slightly under the weather. Anne came down with the flu promptly in time for her Doc appointment in Miles City on Friday, the 28th. Although she isn't particularly a fan of getting poked and prodded...at least now she gets "Mama Cow" and not "Heifer" status at the clinic, meaning the exams still aren't her favorite mode of business but at least it isn't all new. AND the Millers were scheduled to get a new gander at Baby 2.0 via ultrasound to check on size, etc. AND their dryer hadn't worked in several months (a whole post in itself) with the residents of the home also concluding 3 things: 1) Clean clothes not done at the laundromat are nice 2) Waiting for Sears to come through on anything, especially when you gleefully told them "No extended warranty is needed" only to find out maybe you should have bought it, is crazy talk 3) For the price of having a repairman arrive from Billings to fix it, you're already more than 3/4 of the way to buying a new one in Miles City. So, the wife scraped herself together with massive help from the husband and got in the car for the 90 mile drive.

All checked out well for Baby 2.0. The due date is still November 24th (it bumped once several months ago to Nov 26th, but returned to the earlier date) and Anne is hoping to sneak pecan pie into the hospital with her. Hoodlum is VERY active and has maintained heart rates in the 140s+ range. Mom's blood pressure has risen a bit but is being watched and no changes have been made in medication at this point. We will be posting 3D ultrasound pics shortly to the Chicks in the Sticks blog...as some readers think they are impossibly weird and definitely noncuddle looking, so we won't stick them here. Anne also had a slight bacterial infection showing up, was put on antibiotics, and then sent to "hydrate," which is code for having an IV for several hours. While "hydrating" (sounds much more spa-like), Anne was the only patient in that section of the clinic and tended to by a wonderful nurse that quietly pulled the privacy curtain for her. Not long after, another nurse wandered in, oblivious to the solo patient, and chatted with the attendant, announcing loudly, "Geez, its just like a morgue in here, so quiet today." Well, the humor potential of this was just too high.....and after evaluating professionalism and whether or not said nurse may have a heart condition, a voice decided to cry out next to her," Well, I sure hope not!" Once the nurse was peeled off the ceiling, she proceeded to get visual confirmation of Anne's existence and wish her a lovely day (and lifetime).

Next, after looking only so pulled together as one does following a battery of "Mama Cow" tests and related issues...the Millers drove straight to Ace and picked out the soon-to-be-beloved washer. When you are up to your eyeballs in dirty socks and underwear, anything with a plug and something resembling a washtub is a good value. However, the family succeed in purchasing a highly functional and less computerized species, with a TEN YEAR WARRANTY. After installation, it has definitely earned its keep and respect from the household - with many, many loads run in less than 48 hrs.

At this point in time, the flu has come and gone with everyone at the House of Miller. Or, as you could say, the only ones left that could possibly get it are the dogs. Bottles of Lysol were used to the point of nearly creating brain damage, the kitchen was sanitized and the bunch is all off and running again with brand new antibodies in clean clothes. Anne's infection (wherever and whatever it was) has cleared up and the next appointment is on August 14th (the Doc asked to see her within 2-3 weeks at the Flu Visit....something about keeping her in line, not doing crazy things, etc ;) )

As you can see, even Gwen was transfixed by the new appliance: