Normally when I’m in a bookstore perusing the stacks, I pretty much want to be left to my own devices. One hand clutches the coffee cup, the other hand pulls out books so I can read the jacket copy. Occasionally someone will try to strike up a conversation with me about their personal recommendations and [...]

Filed under: Diversions, Firsts, Matthew I.V.F. Miller | 2 Comments »

Seven years ago, I woke up in my childhood bedroom with Constance sleeping next to me. Rain was spitting against the window, and even if there hadn’t been a Philadelphia Eagles blanket affixed to the wall with thumbtacks, keeping the outside world out, it still would have been dark.
Alanis Morissette might believe it to be [...]

Filed under: Husband & Wife, Matthew I.V.F. Miller, Uncategorized | 11 Comments »

Constance is proud to announce that 14 weeks after giving birth she is now a mere 5 pounds away from her pre-pregnancy weight. She will tell you that the remaining pounds are all located in her stomach and she will also tell you that she hates doing sit-ups, crunches or, basically, any exercise that hones-in [...]

Filed under: Husband & Wife, Matthew I.V.F. Miller | 7 Comments »

One year ago today, Nola was transferred into Constance. She began life, to my eyes, as just a light on a screen. One of two bright lights that popped onto the ultrasound monitor that day and the only light that shone strong enough to become something I could hold in my arms.
Now, one year later, [...]

Filed under: Matthew I.V.F. Miller, Nola Eleanor | 3 Comments »

Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows that Dr. Leya, our infertility doctor leading up to IVF, is one of our favorite people on earth.
Today, while I was stuck at the office, Constance drove to Evanstan to introduce Nola to the woman who worked so hard to enable us to [...]

Filed under: Doctor, Doctor, Matthew I.V.F. Miller, Nola Eleanor | 9 Comments »

On Sunday we took Nola to see Up. And by took Nola, I mean Constance and I really wanted to see Up and thereby decided to take the non-voting member of our family to the theater on the day that marked the beginning of her 6th week on earth.
It came as no surprise that Up [...]

Filed under: Husband & Wife, Matthew I.V.F. Miller, Nola Eleanor | 11 Comments »

Forty weeks today and no baby on the way – at least not in the immediate moments (I’m at work drinking tea, eating a fiber muffin and going about business as usual). It’s an arbitrary number in some ways, I suppose, since so many people go early or late. But what is it about 40 [...]

Filed under: 3rd Trimester, Baby Prep, Matthew I.V.F. Miller | 3 Comments »

There’s a scene about 30 minutes into the film, “Marley and Me”, when the characters played by Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston go to the OB for an ultrasound between weeks nine and ten of their first pregnancy. Jelly is applied, the wand is whisked across her barely pregnant belly, and the ultrasound technician discovers [...]

Filed under: 1st trimester, 3rd Trimester, Husband & Wife, Matthew I.V.F. Miller | 7 Comments »

Since my arm really hurts - and no, thankfully, it’s not broken - I’m opting to share the email I wrote to my band mates in regards to postponing tonight’s practice instead of writing something all over again. A Valentine’s Day trip to a Michigan B&B proved to be very special for the drummer and [...]

Filed under: Diversions, Doctor, Doctor, Matthew I.V.F. Miller, News from the Parent Front | 3 Comments »

I’m putting the finishing touches on a nursery design story I’m writing for a syndicated home magazine. It’s about how, due to space limitations, we have combined our office and nursery and pet room into a single, fully functional, multipurpose space.
I’ve been attempting to craft it for weeks, trying as I might to stick to [...]

Filed under: 3rd Trimester, Husband & Wife, Matthew I.V.F. Miller | 1 Comment »