Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
A Long Overdue Update
Hello to all our family and friends. I know it has been a long time since we last updated the blog, so hopefully this will be a chance to catch up.
Libby is growing by leaps and bounds. She is three months old now and more alert than ever. She goes to bed around 7:30 and will usually only get up once during the night, usually around 2:00 for a bottle. She then falls back to sleep on her own with very little help from mom or dad. That bottle will get her to 6:30, when it is time to get her up, feed her and get her ready to head to Grandma Rosemary's for the day. She is pushing 14 pounds, if not already past it. She has rolled over from her back to her stomach a couple of times on her own, and the other night she did roll from her stomach to her back while we were on the floor playing. She does not like "tummy time" at all and prefers to be on her back. She really likes to sit up "like a big girl" and stand up with mom or dad helping her. She loves her baths and is "happy go lucky" most of the time. About the only time she is fussy or crying is when she gets over tired and we don't get her to bed on time.
We have attended six Bemidji State hockey games and Libby has seen five wins and one loss. We are thinking she is a good luck charm and we should get a road trip or two out of it! She enjoys being at the games, watching the action on the ice and the light show before the games. She will take a nap or two during the games, but when she wakes up, she wants to be facing the ice. She sleeps very well in the hotel room and mom and dad enjoy being able to just veg and bond with her in the room on the weekends away from home. Last weekend in Bemidji we were able to get her picture taken with Santa and will try to do the same in Alex and Garfield.
Troy's new job with PrimeWest is going very well. Now a little more than a month into it, more and more tasks get put on his plate. His main task is to process all dental requests that come in and gets them off to the dental reviewers. When the approval or denial comes back, he then processes the results, gets them off to the State and notifies the provider of the outcome. Right now it is all paper and pen, but the company wants to process them electronically like medical claims starting January 1. Right now that means testing claims that come in, working the bugs out and creating a flow chart for the company. He also helps out with medical claims and will be training in pharmacy claims in the next few weeks. Since he is the bottom person on the totum pole in the department, all phone calls come into his line (questions and forwarding) and he handles the agenda and minutes of department meetings. The 15 minute drive to and from work is great and he is able to pick up Libby from Grandma in the afternoon.
Denise's job with Verizon is going well. With the takeover, there have been many questions, some of which are still unanswered. We feel very fortunate though that she does have a job in this time of economic difficulties. What Verizon has in store for her future is any one's guess, but she is "mapped" to a boss at Verizon headquarters and they are sending her to training seminars in February. They are in Southlake, Texas (outside of Dallas), which means she will be away from Libby and Troy for a few days. I am sure it will be harder on her than it will be on Libby and Daddy. Her parents, who winter in Texas, have already made plans to visit her for a few days.
Well, that is about all from here. Hopefully it won't be so long between this update and the next one!
Troy, Denise and Libby
Libby is growing by leaps and bounds. She is three months old now and more alert than ever. She goes to bed around 7:30 and will usually only get up once during the night, usually around 2:00 for a bottle. She then falls back to sleep on her own with very little help from mom or dad. That bottle will get her to 6:30, when it is time to get her up, feed her and get her ready to head to Grandma Rosemary's for the day. She is pushing 14 pounds, if not already past it. She has rolled over from her back to her stomach a couple of times on her own, and the other night she did roll from her stomach to her back while we were on the floor playing. She does not like "tummy time" at all and prefers to be on her back. She really likes to sit up "like a big girl" and stand up with mom or dad helping her. She loves her baths and is "happy go lucky" most of the time. About the only time she is fussy or crying is when she gets over tired and we don't get her to bed on time.
We have attended six Bemidji State hockey games and Libby has seen five wins and one loss. We are thinking she is a good luck charm and we should get a road trip or two out of it! She enjoys being at the games, watching the action on the ice and the light show before the games. She will take a nap or two during the games, but when she wakes up, she wants to be facing the ice. She sleeps very well in the hotel room and mom and dad enjoy being able to just veg and bond with her in the room on the weekends away from home. Last weekend in Bemidji we were able to get her picture taken with Santa and will try to do the same in Alex and Garfield.
Troy's new job with PrimeWest is going very well. Now a little more than a month into it, more and more tasks get put on his plate. His main task is to process all dental requests that come in and gets them off to the dental reviewers. When the approval or denial comes back, he then processes the results, gets them off to the State and notifies the provider of the outcome. Right now it is all paper and pen, but the company wants to process them electronically like medical claims starting January 1. Right now that means testing claims that come in, working the bugs out and creating a flow chart for the company. He also helps out with medical claims and will be training in pharmacy claims in the next few weeks. Since he is the bottom person on the totum pole in the department, all phone calls come into his line (questions and forwarding) and he handles the agenda and minutes of department meetings. The 15 minute drive to and from work is great and he is able to pick up Libby from Grandma in the afternoon.
Denise's job with Verizon is going well. With the takeover, there have been many questions, some of which are still unanswered. We feel very fortunate though that she does have a job in this time of economic difficulties. What Verizon has in store for her future is any one's guess, but she is "mapped" to a boss at Verizon headquarters and they are sending her to training seminars in February. They are in Southlake, Texas (outside of Dallas), which means she will be away from Libby and Troy for a few days. I am sure it will be harder on her than it will be on Libby and Daddy. Her parents, who winter in Texas, have already made plans to visit her for a few days.
Well, that is about all from here. Hopefully it won't be so long between this update and the next one!
Troy, Denise and Libby
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Just a couple of cute pictures of Libby!
What are you up to???
Libby taking one of her many naps.And we are so lucky, cuz Libby loves her bath time. Lets hope that continues!
Enjoy the new week!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Hockey and Baptism
It is October, which in the Mills household means the start of hockey season. This past weekend, Denise, Libby and myself made the trek up to Bemidji to see the Beavers open their home schedule against St. Cloud State. There were several surprises on the weekend for us.
First, after an 0-4 start and being manhandled at Air Force, Bemidji managed to split with the Huskies from the WCHA. Bemidji was 0-10 in the D-I era against St. Cloud, but they outworked and outhit the more talented Huskies to skate away with a 4-2 win on Friday night. On Saturday, Bemidji played very well again, but had about a 12 minute stretch in the second period and St. Cloud made them pay for it as the Beavers fell 5-3. Then next time we will make the trek to Bemidji will be the end of November as Michigan Tech from the WCHA will make the trip to Bemidji.
First, after an 0-4 start and being manhandled at Air Force, Bemidji managed to split with the Huskies from the WCHA. Bemidji was 0-10 in the D-I era against St. Cloud, but they outworked and outhit the more talented Huskies to skate away with a 4-2 win on Friday night. On Saturday, Bemidji played very well again, but had about a 12 minute stretch in the second period and St. Cloud made them pay for it as the Beavers fell 5-3. Then next time we will make the trek to Bemidji will be the end of November as Michigan Tech from the WCHA will make the trip to Bemidji.
The second surprise was how well Libby did at the games. She did not raise any problems and actually slept through most of the games. She also did very well in the Pack and Play in the hotel room.
Here are some pictures of Libby at the game. They are not the best, but oh well!
After getting up at 6:00 on Sunday morning, it was on the road to Verndale at 7:45. The reason, Elizabeth Rose's baptism. Elizabeth did really well again this day as she slept through most of the service and the gathering afterwards. She was passed around a lot that day as there were several relatives who were meeting her for the first time. Thank you to Pastor Jill for making the service special and to all our family that witnessed the day with us! A special thank you to Stacy and Dave for standing up there with us and being Libby's godparents.
Here are a few pictures of the baptism:
Pator Jill baptising Elizabeth Rose Mills!
Godparents Stacy and Dave with Denise, Libby and myself
Denise and myself with Elizabeth.
The grandparents with Pastor Jill, Denise, Libby and myself.
How Libby spent most of her day, being held and sleeping!
Godfather Dave and Godmother Stacy!
Denise's parents with Libby!
My parents with Libby.
Four generations of Soderberg/Jasmers, myself, great grandma Mildred Soderberg (Jasmer), Libby and Grandma Vicky Mills (Soderberg).
Friday, October 24, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
It Has Been A While
I know, it has been a couple of weeks since we last updated the blog. So, we will try and get you caught up on what has been going on with the Mills Family.
Denise and I are both back to work. I went back to Lakewood Health System on October 6th and Denise went back to Verizon (formerly Unicel) on October 15th. It has been going fairly well as we have been doing a rotation on the night time feedings. So far, I have been working later shifts in Staples, so I have been getting up a half hour early to get Elizabeth fed and changed so that Denise can get ready at a less rushed pace. We have not quite decided how it is going to work when I work the early shift at Staples since that means I have to be out of the house a little after 6 in the morning. But we will only have to do that for one week because...........
I have landed a job in Alexandria. During my paternity leave, I had an interview with a company called Prime West (www.primewest.org). They are a non-profit medical assistance provider for the residents of 13 counties in western Minnesota. They focus on education and prevention as ways to help keep health care costs down for their customers. My position is a Utilization Management Specialist, kind of a catch all since I will be the bottom rung on the ladder, but a majority of my duties will be working on prior authorizations in their growing dental division. I will also be helping out in the pharmaceutical and medical prior authorization areas also since the UMS unit is all one area. I will be starting there on November 3rd.
What this means for us as a family is that I will be 10 minutes from home instead of an hour and fifteen minutes. It also means a little bit of a pay raise, which always is nice, and no weekend work. It is also considered a government position as everything is run through the county from a benefits standpoint. Denise will be able to drop Libby off at daycare in the morning and I will be able to pick her up in the evening. It may cut into our hockey travels some since I can't take vacation days during my six month probation period. But that is a sacrifice we will make for this excellent opportunity.
As for Libby, she has been spending the days with Grandma Rosemary and Grampa Curtis and it seems to be going well. We will be getting her pictures back from Grace Park Photography here soon and will get them up on the blog shortly there after. This upcoming weekend will be a big one for her as she will attend her first Bemidji State Hockey games. Those will take place on Friday and Saturday night and then Sunday morning, she will be baptized in Verndale at the United Methodist Church by Pastor Jill (the same one as our wedding).
So, that is about it from here. Libby is a little over six weeks old now and as close as we can tell, between 13 and 14 pounds. She is growing well and getting stronger in the neck, arms and legs. She hasn't quite rolled over yet since the accidental one early on, but if she ever figured out how to work her hips and shoulders at the same time, she would have it.
Hope all is well with everyone!
Denise, Troy and Libby
Denise and I are both back to work. I went back to Lakewood Health System on October 6th and Denise went back to Verizon (formerly Unicel) on October 15th. It has been going fairly well as we have been doing a rotation on the night time feedings. So far, I have been working later shifts in Staples, so I have been getting up a half hour early to get Elizabeth fed and changed so that Denise can get ready at a less rushed pace. We have not quite decided how it is going to work when I work the early shift at Staples since that means I have to be out of the house a little after 6 in the morning. But we will only have to do that for one week because...........
I have landed a job in Alexandria. During my paternity leave, I had an interview with a company called Prime West (www.primewest.org). They are a non-profit medical assistance provider for the residents of 13 counties in western Minnesota. They focus on education and prevention as ways to help keep health care costs down for their customers. My position is a Utilization Management Specialist, kind of a catch all since I will be the bottom rung on the ladder, but a majority of my duties will be working on prior authorizations in their growing dental division. I will also be helping out in the pharmaceutical and medical prior authorization areas also since the UMS unit is all one area. I will be starting there on November 3rd.
What this means for us as a family is that I will be 10 minutes from home instead of an hour and fifteen minutes. It also means a little bit of a pay raise, which always is nice, and no weekend work. It is also considered a government position as everything is run through the county from a benefits standpoint. Denise will be able to drop Libby off at daycare in the morning and I will be able to pick her up in the evening. It may cut into our hockey travels some since I can't take vacation days during my six month probation period. But that is a sacrifice we will make for this excellent opportunity.
As for Libby, she has been spending the days with Grandma Rosemary and Grampa Curtis and it seems to be going well. We will be getting her pictures back from Grace Park Photography here soon and will get them up on the blog shortly there after. This upcoming weekend will be a big one for her as she will attend her first Bemidji State Hockey games. Those will take place on Friday and Saturday night and then Sunday morning, she will be baptized in Verndale at the United Methodist Church by Pastor Jill (the same one as our wedding).
So, that is about it from here. Libby is a little over six weeks old now and as close as we can tell, between 13 and 14 pounds. She is growing well and getting stronger in the neck, arms and legs. She hasn't quite rolled over yet since the accidental one early on, but if she ever figured out how to work her hips and shoulders at the same time, she would have it.
Hope all is well with everyone!
Denise, Troy and Libby
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Happy One Month Birthday!
I know it has been a bit since I last posted, but there has not been a whole lot going on here. But today seemed like as good a day as any to post since Elizabeth has now been in our lives for one month, and what a month it has been. I don't think either one of us would trade it for anything, and that is including the 2 1/2 hours of sitting up at night. It has had its rough spots, but with both of us on leave, it has been manageable. Next week will be interesting as I have to go back to work and Denise will have 10 more days off.
We haven't been completely home bound though. We did make it up to Verndale to see them play Bertha-Hewitt in football and took Grampa and Grandma Mills with us. It was a historic night as Verndale's football coach set the state record for career wins at 308, and Libby was there to witness it (even if she did sleep through most of it).
We haven't been completely home bound though. We did make it up to Verndale to see them play Bertha-Hewitt in football and took Grampa and Grandma Mills with us. It was a historic night as Verndale's football coach set the state record for career wins at 308, and Libby was there to witness it (even if she did sleep through most of it).
We have had a chance to get some newborn photos taken, and I will post a couple of them here at the end. We took advantage of a deal Walmart was running and got a package done through them. Those are the two pictures I will have at the end of the post. We also went to the Cities for a day and had her pictures taken at Grace Park Photography. This studio is run out of a house and my sister has used them for pictures of Abby and Maddy. We have absolutely loved the results of their pictures, so we are very anxious to see what we get for Elizabeth. Once they arrive, I will post some of them on here.
Last weekend, we again made the trip up to Verndale to see Grampa and Grandma Mills, Great Grandma Millie, Auntie Stacy and Cousins Abby and Maddy.
Other than that, we have been busy getting the house and yard ready for winter. I was able to get the lawn dethatched, aerated, fertilized and over seeded. We have also done some cleaning and weatherstripping, and this weekend will probably be spent organizing the basement storage. Then Monday, it is back to work for me!
Now, here are the pictures, both of which came from Libby's Walmart shoot!
Now, here are the pictures, both of which came from Libby's Walmart shoot!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Two Week Checkup!
Cousin Emily holding Elizabeth.
Elizabeth (12 days old), Emily (3 years old) and Anna (10 months old)It has been a few days since I last blogged, so this one will be a wrap up of what has been going on in Libby's life the past few days.
Last Friday, we loaded up the minivan and took Libby on her first weekend trip. After a stop in Alexandria to pick up Grampa Curtis and Grandma Rosemary, the van headed down I-94 for Mosinee, WI, just outside of Wausau. We were all on our way to visit Denise's sister Lisa, her husband Eric, and their two daughters, Emily and Anna.
We left Alexandria around 10:15 in the morning and we made a quick food stop in Hudson, WI, around 1:00. After the McDonalds was consumed and Libby had her bottle and diaper changing, it was back on the road. After a while, we realized we were probably making too good of time and decided to stop at a truck stop for some beverages, ice cream and any other munchies we needed. Of course, Libby needed another diaper change and bottle, but that was easy enough to do with four adults in the party.
We arrived at Lisa and Eric's around 5:00 Friday evening. The evening was pretty much spent catching up on events since the last time we saw them (August) and introducing the cousins to each other.
Saturday, we all decided to head into Wausau and catch the United Way Community Day Parade. The weather was a little chilly and it was drizzling off and on during the parade. It was a pretty good parade and Emily came home with a bucket full of candy. It was nice that the candy was actually handed out to the children along the street rather than being thrown out and having the kids go running for it. Everyone got some and it was a lot safer.
After the parade, we headed out to a local establishment (The 2510) for some food. It was outstanding food, the portions were huge and the cost was decent. The Minnesotans in the group decided to go off and find a cheese shop that Curtis and Rosemary had been to before before heading back to Lisa and Eric's. Due to road construction, we got to see more of the Wausau/Mosinee area than we bargained for. We did find the cheese shop and made our purchases just in time as they were closing soon. Once we got back to Lisa and Eric's, more conversation and some college football finished the evening.
Sunday, it was time to load up the van and head back to Garfield. A little over 6 hours and Libby handled it very well. With her in the vehicle, it kind of forced us to take a break about every 2 1/2 hours, which worked out great.
On Tuesday, Elizabeth had her two week checkup, which she got through with flying colors. She is up to 10 pounds now, so she put on almost a pound over the last week (15 ounces). She measured in at 21 3/4 inches, so needless to say, Dr. Peterson was very pleased with her progress. That also meant no more checkups until 6 weeks from now, when Libby will be two months and it will be shot time. We are all looking forward to that.
Today, Wednesday, we took Libby to Walmart for her first photo shoot (they were offering a great deal on pictures). She handled it pretty well, and the photographer did a great job with her. We got 18 shots taken while there and were able to narrow it down to three poses. I am sure those pictures will make it up on this site once we get them in the beginning of October.
Otherwise there is not a whole lot else going on here. We are working on getting the yard and the house ready for winter as the weather is still nice. On Friday, we plan on heading up to Verndale to catch the Verndale / Bertha-Hewitt football game. Not only is it a big rivalry, but Verndale's football coach will be going for his 307th win, which would be a Minnesota State Record. Then next Tuesday and Wednesday, we are planning on heading down to White Bear Lake to visit Stacy, Dave, Abby and Maddy, and to go to a photographer that has done excellent work with the twins.
So, all in all, not too busy, but busy enough to keep us from getting bored!
Hope everyone is having a great week!
Love
Troy, Denise and Libby
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Trial Run at Traveling
On Tuesday, Libby, Denise and myself decided to take a little trip as a trial run at traveling. We decided to take the afternoon and head up to Staples to visit the hospital pharmacy (my place of employment), Wayne's Hardware in Verndale (to see Grampa Mills) and then to Wadena to meet Great Grandmas Mills and Soderberg. All in all, things went very well and we even had a little time to grab supper at The Uptown in Wadena and then stop by our friends, the Formaneks, before making the drive home. All in all, we feel Libby will travel very well as she handled everything outstandingly. Here are a couple of photos from the day!
Great Grandma Rosa Mills (part of Libby's middle name along with Grandma Rosemary) with Libby. We showed up and kind of broke up the bingo game going on at Fair Oaks.
Great Grandma Rosa Mills, Libby and myself, three of four generations of Mills.
Great Grandma Millie Soderberg with Libby.
Three of four generations of Soderbergs.
That is about all for tonight!
Love
Troy, Denise and Libby
Monday, September 8, 2008
One Week Checkup
Good Evening Everyone!
Today we had Libby's one week checkup, okay, six day checkup. Everything is going really well. The main thing they were concerned with was her weight. She was born at 9 pounds, 6 ounces, but then dropped very quickly to 8 pounds, 7 ounces. By the time we left the hospital, she was at 8 pounds, 9 ounces and today she weighed in at 9 pounds, 1 ounce. Dr. Peterson was impressed with her growth, the way her eyes follow things around and how she moves her head already. We go back next Tuesday for her two week checkup and hopefully that will be it until her two month checkup and, GASP, "THE SHOTS"! Although she did have her Hepatitis B shot today and handled that great.
Evenings are going very well. Libby will take a bottle (either formula or breast milk) around 10:30 PM and then it will take about a half hour to rock her to sleep. So by 11:30 PM, she is out and we usually do not hear from her again until around 3:30 AM. After that, it is usually around every two hours until around 10:00 AM, and then it usually goes to three to four hours. She is usually pretty alert from 10-12 and then again around 3:00 PM.
This past weekend, Grampa and Grandma Mills made it down and spent some more time with their newest granddaughter. We also have had time to spend with Grampa and Grandma Danielson and tomorrow (Tuesday), we are going to head up north to Wadena to see Great Grandma Mills and Great Grandma Soderberg. Then this weekend, we are going to make the trek out to Wausau, WI, to visit Denise's sister, Lisa and her husband Eric, and their two children Emily and Anna. Grampa and Grandma Danielson will be along also, so we will have help on the trip. So that leaves Wednesday and Thursday as a chance to give a little yard work done, at least that is the plan.
Here are some of the latest pictures we have taken.
Three generations of Mills with Grampa and Grandma Mills, Libby and myself.
Denise and Libby in front of the "It's A Girl" sign that appeared in our yard.
Libby likes to put her hands on her bottles from time to time.
I just had to throw this cute picture on the blog!
Libby's deep blue eyes, chubby cheeks and blondish-red hair! I am not quite sure how she ended up with all of those!
Have a great evening!
Today we had Libby's one week checkup, okay, six day checkup. Everything is going really well. The main thing they were concerned with was her weight. She was born at 9 pounds, 6 ounces, but then dropped very quickly to 8 pounds, 7 ounces. By the time we left the hospital, she was at 8 pounds, 9 ounces and today she weighed in at 9 pounds, 1 ounce. Dr. Peterson was impressed with her growth, the way her eyes follow things around and how she moves her head already. We go back next Tuesday for her two week checkup and hopefully that will be it until her two month checkup and, GASP, "THE SHOTS"! Although she did have her Hepatitis B shot today and handled that great.
Evenings are going very well. Libby will take a bottle (either formula or breast milk) around 10:30 PM and then it will take about a half hour to rock her to sleep. So by 11:30 PM, she is out and we usually do not hear from her again until around 3:30 AM. After that, it is usually around every two hours until around 10:00 AM, and then it usually goes to three to four hours. She is usually pretty alert from 10-12 and then again around 3:00 PM.
This past weekend, Grampa and Grandma Mills made it down and spent some more time with their newest granddaughter. We also have had time to spend with Grampa and Grandma Danielson and tomorrow (Tuesday), we are going to head up north to Wadena to see Great Grandma Mills and Great Grandma Soderberg. Then this weekend, we are going to make the trek out to Wausau, WI, to visit Denise's sister, Lisa and her husband Eric, and their two children Emily and Anna. Grampa and Grandma Danielson will be along also, so we will have help on the trip. So that leaves Wednesday and Thursday as a chance to give a little yard work done, at least that is the plan.
Here are some of the latest pictures we have taken.
Three generations of Mills with Grampa and Grandma Mills, Libby and myself.
Denise and Libby in front of the "It's A Girl" sign that appeared in our yard.
Libby likes to put her hands on her bottles from time to time.
I just had to throw this cute picture on the blog!
Libby's deep blue eyes, chubby cheeks and blondish-red hair! I am not quite sure how she ended up with all of those!Have a great evening!
Love,
Troy, Denise and Libby
Friday, September 5, 2008
We Are Home!
There is just something to be said for being in your own house!!!
Denise, Elizabeth and myself made it home today around 3:00 in the afternoon. It feels just awesome and Libby seems to be taking to it very well. Once we got home, Denise tried feeding Libby, which we are finding out to be a problem at times. She only seems to eat when she wants to eat, which is a little bit of a problem for her. As you know, she weighed in at 9 pounds, 6 ounces, and at one point of our hospital stay, she was down to 8 pounds, 7 ounces. When we left today, she was just under 9 pounds, but she just will not eat on any type of schedule. But when she does eat, it is close to 45 minutes of breast feeding followed by anywhere from 1 to 1.5 ounces of formula. Then it is back to sleep for Libby and she sleeps until she is hungry the next time. The nurses would like to see her eating every three hours, but at times when we wake her, she just doesn't want anything. But we are going to try and keep to their schedule.
Mom is doing really great today. The pain isn't nearly as bad as yesterday, and we are keeping her on the Ibuprofen scheduled and the Percocet as needed. She is getting sleepy with Libby on her chest right now, so we may be off to bed here shortly and await the next feeding. Which will it be, scheduled or demanded?
Dad is doing great also. I have gotten two loads of laundry done today and the luggage put away from the hospital stay. Once Denise is done feeding, it is up to me to burp Libby and feed her formula if needed. We take turns holding her as she sleeps really well laying on our chests. Hopefully the crib will work as well for her as the bassinet did in the hospital.
It is about time to sign off today, but I am going to leave you with a couple of pictures from today. Most were from our bath teaching at the hospital before discharge.
Good Night Everyone!
Troy, Denise and Elizabeth
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