Time flies....

...when you are having fun and little sleep! Well, the fun part is the most accurate part of that statement. Sleep has been great now and fairly consistent. He is amazing and full of love.

Sorry that we have not written on this blog since March---but we have been all rather busy figuring each other out. I honestly think that Miller is smarter than Matt and I together. He has us so wrapped around his little finger and knows it.

Let's see---here are some "stats" about Miracle Miller---he is a little over 9 1/2 months. He is around 20 pounds but that is us figuring it out on our scale at home. He will go to Dr. Mirrop right before he turns 10 months. I am dreading this appointment because I know that it is a "bigger appointment" since he gets a huge series of shots. The question that we are faced is that do we let him get his shots all at one time OR do we divide the shots up. I believe it is the MMR shot that some are saying that leads to autism in children. Then again--there are always 2 sides to the story. So here we are, doing tons of research to see what the "right thing" to do will be for us. Yes, everyone has their own views about this subject--so if you would like to share anything with us, then please do.

Oh--2 weeks ago--Miller decided that it was his time to start crawling. Well, we call it crawling but I think it is more of the miltary crawling thing. It is funny to watch--but at the same time scary knowing that our boy is about to get really mobile. Here is a video of him crawling on the first day.....notice that we have moved all of big furniture out of our living room. I never understood why people with children had nothing in their living room but now I completely understand...better safe than sorry.

Miller has finally added 2 teeth to his wonderful smile--and believe it or not, he is even cuter! Spoken like a very proud parent! :) Actually, Miller's timing, as always, is impeccable because he decided to get his first tooth in when his daddy had ACL reconstruction on his knee! Fun weekend! Actually, it has been a fun month with a teething baby and a husband on vicodin! We have finally cojme out of this fun fog with a husband with a new knee, able to help more AND a very cute and happy baby. No complaints here!

So, I am not sure what is in store for us in the very near future but all is doing great in the DeLo household. We still can't believe that in a little over 2 months that Miller is going to be 1 year old. Time definitely flies by when you are having an amazing life.

Oh---Miller's new best friends were born in the past few weeks. Jake Long was born to David and Julie Long on the first home UT football game day. A true longhorn!!! I wasn't surprised since his parents are huge longhorns too. Next, Nicholas McGuire was born this past Tuesday. All mothers,fathers and babies are doing great! Miller just can't wait for the boys to get big enough so he can play with them. I bet he may even try to teach them a few things too!

Peace and Love to you all!

The DeLo's

Back by Popular Demand

Yes, we are back on the blog. No, nothing bad has happened to any of us, but rather after finally getting out of the house after a long (read: VERY LONG) pregnancy we have heard many of you say that you kept up with us through our blog. Well, after thinking about it, I (Dana) realized that this was a great way of keeping in touch, detailing our experiences and more so, helping me keep my sanity. The blog has been very therapeutic for me and guess I am in need of more therapy! ha-ha!

Anyway, today is November 25 and it has been 4 months since Miller blessed us with his presence. As of this past Sunday, I like to say, Jesus has risen, Spring has sprung and I am finally coming out of the "new mommy" fog. Matt has been trying to shake his fog by playing more golf. I think it has been working for him too. :)

So, our sweet boy is 4 months. He has been here almost as long as I was ordered on bed rest. I definitely would take these past 4 months than those long, boring ones on my couch, watching the world drive, walk, run by our house. However, these past 4 months have flown by and are in no way like the previous 4 months that dragged on and on.

Miller has been so much fun and now he is finally showing us how much fun he has been having with us. He likes to laugh and smile at us. I honestly think he is happy because he is getting more sleep--about 7 to 10 hours a night--with a small "wake up" call after about 4 hours of going to bed. I am trying to get him to stop doing this but not sure how to do it just yet. Many of our friends say that he will sleep even harder (and not do the special "wakeup" call) after he starts eating more than just formula. He has a doctor's appointment on April 1st and we are hoping that the doctor will give us the "go ahead" for the rice cereal.

He weighs about 13 pounds and that is just my guess for now. He is eating alot and definitely does not look like a baby that was born early. He has caught up and he did it fast!! We love his little baby fat rolls but not sure how he likes for us to keep pinching/squeezing them but we can't help it!

All in all-these past 4 months have been the best ones of our lives--and definitely worth the other 4 where I watched the world go by. If ever asked to do it again, I would do it in a heartbeat! Once again, we are true believers in the power of prayer! We can't thank you enough for all of the prayers y'all said for us! We hold our miracle every day. Miller is incredible.

I hope that you are all are doing well! Peace and Love to you all!

Dana, Matt and Miracle Miller

After a Miraculous Comeback...Team Miller Wins!!!

Team Miller has officially won the BIG game and is now currently celebrating this special victory with lots of partying all hours of the night, drinking lots of milk, and definitely lots of dirty diapers!

As of Sunday, November 25th at 6:06am--the game officially ended and the celebration started! Miller was born and he weighed in at a hefty 5 pounds/13 ounces and 18 inches long! At the time he was born, he was 35 weeks and 6 days. Now, he is officially 1 week old and doing incredible!!

Mommy and Daddy are doing wonderful too! Just enjoying this big win and celebrating all hours of the night with Miller. Tired but so deliriously happy because Miller is a wonderful baby! Even the nurses at Seton would comment what a good baby he was especially for being a "near term" baby! He is very alert, on a schedule already and is exactly like his daddy! Everyone is thankful that he is so good--which is an extra blessing!

Currently, the whole family is at home now and have been here since Wednesday afternoon. We have already had to go to the peditricians office on Thursday to make sure he wasn't dropping too much weight--and he was good at 5 pounds and 4 ounces. Another doctor's visit is set for Monday! (Mommy gets one too so that they can check on the hernia surgery because we never got a chance to go see the doctor 1 week postop due to being in the hospital.)

Lastly--MVP for the BIG game was voted on being Lawton DeLorenzo. Without his strength, and love for his family---this big game win would never have been possible!!

A special thank you to Team Miller's special "coaches" including all of the brilliant doctors, nurses, family and friends! We truly believe in Miracles because we have one at home with us!

Mommy and Daddy have to go because Miller is "calling" us to help him continue the celebration! Mommy gets to bring the milk this time! Also, Mommy and Daddy are going to end this blog now and start a new one because this is now the beginning of a new game called "life". Praise God! With God, all things are possible!

Peace and Love to you all!!

Dana, Matt and Miracle Miller

My what??

Ok....I obviously spoke too soon last Friday when I said that it was our "quiet time" and we were enjoying listening to the bliss of the stillness of the household as well as enjoying a "normal pregnancy" finally! This changed a little as of this past Monday. No, no worries....Miller is not here yet!


On Monday--Week 35/Day 1, we went to go in for our normal OB doctor's visit. It has been nice to have "normal" check-ups because this pregnancy has been far from normal! MM was looking great and they did a quick check on size and they thought he was approaching 6 pounds! They say it is hard to tell when you do growth checks so close together--so not sure how much I believe that he is a 6 pounder already. Then again, it is hard for us to believe that we are even at this stage when 15 weeks ago--we were just trying to get to week 24, 28, 30 and then week 32.

Anyway--after the OB doctor, we had to visit another doctor because my belly button didn't look quite normal---like other prego women have. Dr. U wanted me to be safe than sorry thus he wanted me to get it checked out by a general surgeon. Our doctor's appointment was immediately following the OB one. By 9am---Matt and I had learned that we were suddenly scheduled for surgery later that afternoon to fix my umbilical hernia. My what????

Yes, to add yet another twist to this very unusual pregnancy---I had surgery on Monday at 2pm though waking up that morning we had no clue that surgery was even an option for that day. Our heads were spinning because so many things could have happen. The surgery was under general anesthesia so both MM and I slept through it. He came through it like a champ--though he did give us a little scare because his heartbeat got down to a 107. (His normal is from 140-160) So he did give us a scare---but once again, we realized that we have a special angel in Heaven, Lawton, and here on earth, Julie, who took care of us. Julie, our best friend and nurse practitioner, came in right at the exact moment when the nurses were trying to hunt down Dr. U to see what they should do. Julie quickly took control of the situation--made them turn me on my left side--thus giving MM more oxygenated blood (or something like that.) Anyway--MM quickly "woke up" for his Aunt Julie and his momma--thus putting our hearts and minds at ease.

So, once again, poor Matt, my parents and my brother were in the waiting room and praying that MM would not come during the surgery. While I was being wheeled in to surgery--I kept telling the doctors and nurses my baby's name so that they can address him by name and tell him to not come during surgery. They obviously took care of both of us! They were wonderful! My poor family----I have given them so many scares throughout this pregnancy that I will owe them for the rest of my life for making them worry about MM and me so much!

Now---it is Wednesday--the day before Thanksgiving. Yesterday was a very tough day for all of us because having stitches in your belly button is one thing--but having them when you are 20 pounds heavier and the pressure of a 6 pound baby kicking on them is a completely different story!!! OUCH is an understatement but I keep telling myself that it is preparing me for the REAL thing soon!

This surgery was a huge shock for us but even more so for MM. He keeps thinking that he is supposed to come for Thanksgiving! We held off labor last night and today---which is a huge relief! I guess it wouldn't be so bad if we did come now since he has hit the big milestones that he has needed to do so. But, we would rather have him "cook" a little while longer plus there is still about 10 more things that I just thought of that needs to be done!! (Nesting instinct I guess.)

Anyway--Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!! We promise to post once Miracle Miller gets here as well as email everyone that we can think of! However, hoping that we have one more post for next week prior to his arrival!

Love and Peace to you and your family!!
We love you! Dana, Matt and MM

Quiet time...

Today is Friday, November 16th. The last time we posted was October 26th and sorry to those of you who read this blog on a weekly basis to get updates. Obviously things changed for us a little when we hit week 32--2 weeks ago.

At that big 32 week appointment--we got the "ok" to get off strict bed rest and start doing modified bed rest---which means I can DRIVE!!! Not that I can get out and be my normal "go at 100+ miles per hour self" but still to get permission to get out of the house 1 time a day was a huge step for us. I am sure Matt is thrilled with this because I am no longer as grumpy as I had been. So, these past 2 1/2 weeks, I have been consumed with making sure we are ready for MM to get here! Thanks to great information from many friends---we think we are ready. However, sure to any "new parents" life--I have a feeling that we have missed something and will realize it the first night when we get home.

So--according to our plan--MM is scheduled to be here on December 3rd! If he is anything like his father---he will be ON TIME or 15 minutes early! We are set for a csection that morning but not sure of the exact time yet. Our families are busy getting ready for this grand occasion.

In the meantime, Matt and I have realized that we need to take a Baby Care Class so that we will actually have an idea of what to do when he gets here. (I have come to learn that MM does not pop out with an instruction manual.) I have also asked Matt to come with me to a Breastfeeding Class too---to insure that I don't miss any crucial information. My "baby brain" tends to kick in quite alot these days! As said before, Matt is an incredible and supportive husband and I know that he will be a wonderful father too!

We have 2 weeks and 3 days to go until we get to meet MM! There have been many nights that Matt and I have stopped what we are doing, mute the TV and just sit there and listen to the quietness within the house. After sitting there and not saying a word--we look at each other and just smile because we know that this quiet time is only going to last 2 weeks and 3 days longer. However, Matt and I look forward to the chaos, lack of sleep and all of the love that MM will add to our lives. We know that MM is bringing us love as well as his brother's spirit into our lives very soon! We look forward to introducing him to all of you.

Thank you for helping to make our Miracle come true by praying for all of us! We could not have gotten to this place in our lives without your love and support!

Peace and love to you all!
Dana, Matt and MM

Only 5 1/2 weeks and counting...

Yep---only 5 1/2 more weeks to go before we get to meet Miracle Miller up close and personal! It is so surreal to actually know that by the first week of December we will have a baby in this house! Matt and I met with both Dr. U and Dr. B this week and have started planning everything. Cerclage comes out November 29th and MM will be here shortly thereafter. Of course, this is a perfect scenerio and pending no complications between now and then. I realize that we have come such a long way in 13 weeks and know that MM can hold out for the last 5 1/2! I am certain that he has stubbornness gene of both the Delo's and Meserole's! This little boy is going to be a "handful" but I can't wait!


I think the room is finished minus a shelf and a few pictures that need to get hung--but other than that--it ready for MM's arrival. This room is so very special to me because it has been a group effort by family and friends since I was not allowed to go out shopping! However, I have learned to shop on the internet which I think is a little more dangerous than doing it in person. It is easy to hit "enter" on an order and not realize that the money is magically disappearing from your wallet without even opening your purse. I think I am ready to do an AmEx commercial about the convenience of the internet and their card! Ha-ha!


For those of you who have not seen it--Miller's (and Lawton's) room is in a safari theme! I wanted MM to be around bright colors and fun animals! Matt refinished a piece of furniture and it turned out amazing! He also hung these antique tin shelves that Pam found for us when she was out shopping. On one of the shelves--we have reserved it solely for memories, sonogram pictures of Lawton. It is a special area that I wanted in the baby's room because without Lawton's strength of love for his big brother, Miller, we would have never gotten this far! He is our special angel and definitely needed to be included! As for the rest of the room, Matt did an incredible job and I honestly think he surprised himself on his "handy man" abilities!


The crib looks like an antique sleigh bed that reminds me of my Grandma Lucy's bed (straight from Italy) that I used to take naps in--and I always felts so secure because of the high headboard and high footboard. Susie (my sister-in-law and aka--Martha Stewart) is putting the final touches on a tablecloth for an end table and the valances. She is an amazing mom and seamstress and I plan take plenty of lessons from her in both areas!


So, all in all--things are fantastic here in the DeLo household. Matt and I sit around and just talk about how far we have come and try to imagine how crazy our house is soon to get when MM gets here! We also talk about the past--and know that we have to look back to realize even more how very blessed we are with our MM, family, friends, our angel in heaven (and butterfly on earth)--Lawton, and those we may never get to meet!

Peace and love to you all--
Dana, Matt and MM

p.s. Aunt Julie has renamed me "M.o.m.m.y." and I love it! It stands for "Mother of Miracle Miller...Yippee!" Thank you Julie--it is truly a special name and will be one that I "wear" proudly! :)

Looking back...

Today is Tuesday--October 16th. We went to the doctors last Thursday and it was our best appointment by far! Both Dr. U and Dr. B were very pleased that we were in Week 29 and counting. We even discussed our next options which included one more round of steroid shots when we hit week 32, when they would be removing the cerclage and when Miller may come into this world! All of this has made my head spin, my heart race and the rest of my body is experience chills. This is all good though it may not sound like it.


Don't get me wrong, I am more than excited that Miller is on his way---but at the same time, I am sad and torn from the past when I look back. I remember when I was in the hospital that a good friend told me that I will be having these emotions the closer to the birth of Miller. I have found that going forward is proving to be just as hard as it is looking back.


I know that we are not supposed to live in the past but rather learn from it and move on. Why does it feel like moving on alienates my other son, Lawton? Don't get me wrong--but I know that we have overcome so many obstacles and have been witness to so many miracles throughout this whole situation--but it just hurts that I won't get to hold both of my sons in the end! I realized that I just need to pray hard to find peace and comfort in knowing that this has all been God's plan. I have been at that peaceful place before---and I can find it again.

So, tomorrow--12 weeks ago--seems like an eternity and/or a whole different life. But, we have made so much great progress that it still seems to baffle me. Week 30!! We are in week 30! We have definitely won our Championship game but there is still a few more minutes left of the clock--so we will need to just keep racking up the points.

Maybe I feel like a bad sportsman because I am wanting to ramp up the score--but about 11 weeks and 5 days ago--Matt and I decided that we were in this to "win it" and give Miller the best life possible as his brother would have wanted it to be! We are definitely going to do it--though for some reason these next few weeks (7 weeks) seems like they are going to be the hardest. I have to keep telling myself that we have made it this far-so what is another 7 more weeks?? (However, tell yourself that while still trying to be a good patient and stay on bedrest.) So much to do in the next 7 weeks before he gets here.....need to get organized! Do you realize how much 1 baby requires---lots of clothes, burp clothes, diapers, etc... It is mind boggling!

However, through all of this mind boggling things and while looking back---Matt and I continue to realize that we are blessed to be in this situation and have one very special baby soon-to-be with us on earth and another special angel who is already in Heaven! He has been the greatest inspiration and cheerleader to Matt, Miller and myself! Go Team MM!

Wow--week 30 AND 2 days already! God's amazing work!

Peace and Love to you all--
Dana, Matt and MM