Mia Learned to...

CLAP! Here's a sample.

Mia update

Mia is growing up so fast. I'm consumed by this thought every day. Where did my little newborn go?? She's crawling everywhere, and she's getting close to walking. This week, she's been able to stand alone without leaning on anything for up to 10-15seconds. Josh and I get so excited when we see this; we start squealing and then Mia gets a little scared and sits down. She likes following us around, and when she reaches us she pulls herself up on our legs, and then we walk together. So cute!
She also has a total of SEVEN teeth that have cut through her gums, but you can really only see three of them when she smiles. Here are a few pics.


"White Fang"



Too close!

She saw Josh walk in from work. She always get's excited to see him at the end of the day.

Her sweet bed head, and awesome wake-up face!

Splish Splash!

Fun in the Tub

Mia has been loving her baths lately. She's so content playing with the rubber duck and kicking and splashing in the tub.

Mia Loves Feet

This is from a little while ago, but it still cracks me up.

Bike Trip

Josh went mountain biking with some buddies last weekend. He had a pretty good time, but got a little beat up along the way. He needed some definite r 'n r afterwards.

Please Excuse My Lack of Tact

I'm just going to say it. Mia is scared of old people. We went to Winco (grocery store) today, and I decided to try Mia out in the kid seat part of the shopping cart b/c she's getting too heavy to lug around in the baby bjorn for longer amount of time. Anyway, we were in the produce section, and as I was picking out some apples, this sweet old lady started smiling and talking to Mia. I was behind Mia picking the apples, so I didn't see her face, but the lady said she was smiling, so I kept picking at the apples. A split second after she said that, Mia just started wailing. Great. The lady felt really bad, and walked away. Meanwhile, Mia wouldn't stop crying until I carried her, which I didn't want to do for obvious reasons. But, the baby rules, right? So, Mia helped me pick out the rest of the produce and some canned veggies. I had enough, so I put her back, and the only way she would stay in the seat w/o fussing was when she held on to the car keys. I normally try not to let her have them b/c keys are dirty and gross, but she really likes the Golden 1 rubber key chain part, and I was desperate. She was fine for the rest of the trip, but my keys got ridiculously slobbery. Priorities, right? It's interesting how having a child makes one realize the need for patience in one's self, her baby, and even, perhaps especially in total strangers.

If You Look Closely...

Mia got her first two teeth in this month. It's been really difficult to get a picture of them b/c every time we try, she always covers them with her tongue. But finally we were able to get a good pic of them.




These are the two best pics we could get of her teeth. Please, excuse my hideousness in the second picture!

Strange Deja Vu

I was one of those women who wasn't terribly ill when I was pregnant last year. There weren't too many smells or foods that made me nauseous. However, this one sound got me sick to my stomach every time I heard it, and that was the sound of the band called the Ting Tings. They're this British pop-rock band whose album a bought just before I got pregnant, and all throughout my pregnancy whenever I heard a song of theirs, I felt like yacking. Their was even a Fructis shampoo commercial on television that I couldn't watch b/c they were singing in the background. I don't know what it was about their sound that made me feel sick. It's not like I didn't like them otherwise, but I just couldn't stomach them. Well, Mia's 7 1/2 months old now. Today, as I was doing some house cleaning, I wanted to listen to some upbeat music to keep me focused, and I chose the Ting Tings b/c I missed them. Sadly, all those yucky feelings came flooding back. I couldn't get through three songs before switching to Keith Urban. Has this ever happened to anyone else, a sound making you feel sick, and then re-experiencing those same feelings a long time later? Maybe I'm just crazy!! Anyways, thanks to Keith, I'm feeling much better.

I am Truly Blessed

Mia doesn't like going to bed at any time, no matter how sleepy she is. I try not nursing her to sleep anymore, and just putting her down when she's drowsy. Most of the time she cries her lungs out for a while until I can't take it anymore and come in and put her binky back in her mouth and hold her hand, while she still cries. Caressing her head used to calm her down, so did patting her back or rubbing her belly. Now, they do nothing for her, and she still keeps crying. Needless to say, getting this child to sleep (and stay asleep) is a real challenge.
Today, though, I put her down for her morning nap after feeding her (so she was good and drowsy), and she put up her usual fight. I forgot to mention, she now pulls herself up to the rail in her crib and cries, but she hasn't quite figured out how to get back down without hurting herself, so she just keeps crying. Well, she was doing that today, so I came back in her room and laid her back down with her binky. Sometimes, I can get her to stop crying by singing her the Sunbeam song. So, I tried that today, and she just laid there looking up at me, totally calm. Usually, only the Sunbeam song works, but I branched out and tried other Primary tunes, and after about five minutes, little girl closed her eyes...and they stayed closed once I stopped singing, instead of her crying again! Woohoo!!! I've never sung her to sleep before. And it was the first time she fell asleep without my touch. Amazing!
While I was singing to her, I couldn't help but feel a sweet spirit in the room that reminded me of what a precious angel and blessing she is that Heavenly Father has given our family. Our world is a better one because she is in it. I love being a mother. I love being her mother.

Our Little Musician

Mia loves music, and she really loves the piano. She would sit at it all day if would stay with her. Here's a sample of her future genius!

A Golden Day

Josh and I have been to San Francisco quite a few times, but neither of us had been through the Golden Gate Park, so we decided to head down there yesterday. We took a little detour through Union Square before going to the park where we did some shopping and people watching. The city was more crowded than usual since it's Labor Day Weekend. It made me appreciate our quiet city of Lincoln and the quality of normalcy it has. Everywhere we walked there were people yelling at each other, weird outfits and hairdos, young and old playing their instruments for money; and then a man in the middle of it all holding a poster that said, "Jesus loves you all." I'd have to say that SF is like a Picasso painting- lots of colors splattered all over the city canvas.






All our walking took it out of Mia, so she decided to nap.

The Park was amazing! We were sad that we went there so late in the day because it is a huge place where really we could have spent the entire day. It has botanical gardens, science and art museums, a Japanese Tea Garden, places to hike and bbq, soccer fields, polo fields, and more...all in the middle of the city. We found this really cool amphitheater and decided to take most of our pictures there. Mia really enjoyed being outside and seeing new things.










Still with all the beauty around us, our favorite sight to photograph was our little Mia.



She inherited her daddy's eyebrow lift!




Good trip!

Ahh, the Little Things...

So, I was folding laundry today, and for the first time EVER in my life, there was a match for every sock. As I got closer and closer to the end, I kept looking for spares, but there were none to be found. My heart pounded just a little bit faster for a moment, and then, of course, I just had to drop everything and write about it. No joke, the folded clothes aren't even put away yet. That's how excited I am about this tiny detail of my life today. :-)

Good Things. Bad Thing.

Good Things:
*Mia went down for a nap today without a fuss, AND fell asleep without me even in the room!
*Mia's first tooth broke through yesterday, putting a hold on her insane fussiness for a little while. Congrats little one!

Bad Thing:
*My first attempt at making lemon bars went terribly wrong. I tasted more egg than lemony zest. Yuck. I promise I followed the recipe; even looked over it more than once.

New Heights

Every morning, after changing her diaper, I put Mia back in her crib so I can find her something to wear. This morning was no different except that when I turned around, she was standing up, holding onto the crib herself. The video showcases this awesome (and scary) feet. *Pay no attention to the mother in this video!*

We Saw Them!

So, even though the meteor shower wasn't supposed to peak until the wee hours of the night last night, I couldn't stay up that late, so Josh and I took our chances on the earlier hours of the night to see if we could catch some shooting stars. The two of us laid on a blanket in our backyard and just watched the sky. As we were doing so, it occured to me that people, including myself, don't seem to appreciate the stars as much anymore. With cities getting larger and busyness happening twenty four hours a day, we've seemed to block the heavens out. But how grateful we should be that not only did our Father in Heaven paint us a beautiful evening sky with the sunset, but he gave us a neverending game of connect-the-dots! Laying there with my husband, looking at the stars, just reminded me that I should taken more productive time outs, rather than just vegging to a movie all the time. Anyways, we ended up seeing a few meteors. We even saw one with a tail, similar to a comet! It almost seemed to being going in slow motion. It was awesome! Afterwards, we packed up and went to bed. Later, Mia woke up for a night cap, and after I put her down again, I looked out my bedroom window for a few moments, and I saw another one. I should have made a wish!

The Heavens are showering upon Us

The Perseid meteor shower is going on right now, and it supposedly peaks tonight through tomorrow morning. I guess there could be up to 60-70 meteors an hour traveling through our sky. We live in a community that's a little further away from the city lights, and we can usually get a good view of the stars, so hopefully, we'll be able to see a few of those meteors. I definitely can't stay up as late as I used to (the whole having a baby thing...and getting old), but Mia still wakes up in the middle of the night, so maybe I can sneak out at one of those times to catch a glimpse!

6 Months

Mia had her 6 month check up on Monday. The doctor was pleased with her growth, and that "they don't get much healthier than that!" I knew she was a healthy girl, but it's always nice to hear it from the doc.

STATS:
Height-- 2' 2"
Weight-- 15lb 9oz
Head-- Nornal size for her age. (whew!)

All good stuff. Then, she got another round of vaccinations. She did great with the oral one. She thought she was just getting to eat again, which she loves. But then came the shots. As soon as the nurse put on those blue gloves, Mia knew something was not right. She started crying right away. All I could do was hold her hand and kiss her forehead, as just cried and looked at me like, "Mom, what are you doing to me???" When they were done, and I could pick her up, she calmed down, but she didn't let the nurse come near her again. All in all, though, she was a trooper. We ended up having a nice relaxing day afterwards because she was so worn out and sore. She just slept most of the afternoon.

OTHER MIA INFO

THINGS SHE LIKES
+sitting up
+eating
+dancing with Mommy or Daddy
+being tickled on her rib cage and upper thighs
+juice
+Baby Einstein videos
+fresh air
+Daddy's funny faces
+the remote control
+jumping
+Mommy's phone
+the toy phone that Mommy got to distract Mia from hers
+mirrors
+tags
+the piano (listening and playing)
+cups (She loves not only chewing them, but talking into them to hear her echo)
+pretty much anything she can get into her mouth
+being anywhere that Mommy's at

THINGS SHE DOESN'T LIKE
+not being held
+crowds
+car rides
+her carseat
+getting her diaper changed first thing in the morning
+naps
+lying down or being on her belly for too long (like 5 minutes)
+loud sudden noises
+getting a toy taken away (she'll scream like a banchee)
+the beach (both times we've taken her, she's been quite fussy. I think it's the wind and the sun that get to her)

Here are a few recent pics.

Daddy Makes Mia Laugh

Love this Little Girl

A week from today, Mia will be six months old. I cannot believe how quickly she is growing. I feel like time is racing me, and I can't keep up. It seems like yesterday that she was introducing herself to us, completely helpess and so lovable. Now, she's smiling, laughing, rolling, grabbing for toys, and even sitting up on her own if only for a few seconds; plus, a lot of other stuff. Those are big accomplishments for a baby! She's so fun to be around. She makes me so happy. Our favorite time of day is when Josh comes home from work; that is when she get's uber-happy. No one can make her laugh the way her daddy can. I don't know how he does it. I try all his tricks, but I only get a confused look. I think she likes his face and his dark hair. Anyway, we love our little Mia, and are so grateful that she is in our family. I'm excited to watch her continue to grow and learn even more.

Something fun

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

I did not see that coming.

Baseball Fever? Not So Much...

Last Saturday, Josh's dad had some tickets to the Rivercats baseball game, and he invited his kids and their families to go. We were fortunate enough to snag a couple of those tickets. The atmosphere of a baseball game is always so much fun. I love watching all the funny things that people participate in like dancing for the camera, throwing pies at one another to win a free haircut, the wave. We always enjoy ourselves there. Well, having a baby with us changed things a little bit. First of all, Mia did not get very good naps in that day, so she was a bit cranky to begin with. Secondly, I think I overfed her in hopes that she would settle down and be in this milk-drunken state that would keep her calm and happy for the game; which caused her to have a tummy-ache instead, and be cranky. Thirdly, I don't think she was used to having a ton of people surrounding her so closely; we sat in the bleachers...at first. And fourthly, it was an evening game, so she was tired. Needless to say, I didn't see very much of the game. Not that it mattered because we ended up losing 11-0! Anyway, Mia likes to be up and walking a lot, so that's what we did, and eventually, we parked it in the grassy area where there was a bit more breathing room for her. Shortly after that, she fell asleep in my arms and stayed that way for about 4 innings. Sweet! I just relaxed, enjoyed the weather, and pretended to root for our losing team. Who goes to actually watch the game anyways? Josh went back and forth between staying with us and sitting with the rest of his family that was there, which I was totally fine with, but I think he was torn. He really likes being social, especially with his family. He was really great and patient with the whole situation. All in all, we had a very nice time, but I don't think we're going to be taking Mia back to a baseball game until she's a little bit older.

Zzzzzz's

Mia woke up at six this morning, which is way too early. A couple of hours afterwards she fell asleep for a brief time, but she was still pretty sleepy when she woke up, so I'd been trying since then to get her to sleep (and then I could get a nap too!). Well, she just wouldn't sleep, so I started getting ready to go run some errands. Whenever I need to change or do my hair/makeup when Mia is awake-because I can't be out of her sight EVER- I just lay in on the Boppy on the floor in our closet which faces the bathroom. She's usually pretty content to stay their with a binky and small toy. Anyway, so I laid her on the Boppy and proceeded to get ready, and when I was done in front of the mirror, I turned around, and this is what I saw...



Mia, your timing never ceases to amaze me!

Congrats!

This past Saturday marked the 29th wedding anniversary for my parents. I'm so grateful for them and the example that they set for me. Being married isn't always easy, but it is worth it. They have always showed my sister and me that they love and are in love with each other, even if they might be upset with one another for a time. They are each other's best friend. And as someone once told me, it isn't life unless you have your best friend to share it with. Congratulations, Mom and Dad. Twenty nine down; an eternity to go! :-)

Momentous

Up until a couple of nights ago, Mia has been getting up every 2 or 3 hours in the night, making it very easy for those dark circles to appear under my eyes. BUT two days ago, Mia only took one nap during the day (normally she took two solid 2 hour naps). This made her extra tired, and she ended up sleeping a whopping SIX hours before waking up hungry. [Listen to the choir sing "Halelujah!"] I thought that maybe it was just a fluke. Then, last night she slept a full SEVEN hours before waking up. The sleep that I got was amazing, refreshing, wonderful, etc. So, I think that limiting the naptime is a good thing for her. Now, the only issue is how do I keep her occupied while I try to get some house work done. She's still very attached to me, which I love and get frustrated with at the same time. She's so fun to hang out with, but I just know that Josh gets tired of seeing piles of clean clothes on the bed and not in the closet. Like the fabulous husband he is, he doesn't ever comment about it. He knows it'll get done eventually (I can just hear my mom getting frustrated over that remark. She knows I know better...)

Anyway, today was a big day for Mia because she finally discovered how to roll over on her own on more than one occasion...and without wailing in frustration. It came as such a surprise to me because she doesn't really like being on her tummy. I laid her on her back to watch a Baby Einsteins video so I could do some cleaning. I then went to check my phone, and when I turned around, she was on her tummy. I squealed with delight, which I think caught her by surprise, but when she figured how happy I was, she just smiled back at me. [Wipe a tear] She ended up doing this multiple times today, so much so that I don't think she likes being on her back anymore. I laid her down for her nap, and she rolled over onto her tummy. That's yet ANOTHER exciting thing that happened; she went to sleep today without needing the assistance of her "food source" in order to fall asleep.

Today has been a good day. Now, I just need to finish the laundry! :-)

Before


After

Let's Chat

Mia has found her voice this past week. Almost everyday, I'll put her in the bumbo or stroller with me in the kitchen while I work, and she'll be content to provide me with some very thought-provoking conversations. Here's a sample.


On an unrelated note, we have a local radio station out here that just plays music from the '90s, which is awesome. Yesterday, I heard "Men in Black" by Will Smith, which brought back some fun church dance memories. I found myself doing the little dance that goes with the song. I was very proud of myself for remembering the moves. I then took the liberty of finding this fun hit and put it on my ever extending blog playlist. I encourage all to take a few minutes to enjoy the tune. :-)

Something New

So, yesterday, Mia tried rice cereal for the first time. I don't think she liked it very much. The video says it all.

Auntie Meg Comes for a Visit

A couple of weekends ago, my little sister came up from So Cal on break from her Air Force duties. It was a short but very enjoyable visit. I don't get to see Megan very often, and she hadn't met Mia yet, so this was a real treat to hang out for a little bit. Mia took to her pretty well, and even gave her an opportunity to change a poopy diaper. Meg was a real sport in changing it, though, I think it was good birth control for her. The rest of the time was spent just chatting, watching Josh's soccer game, and attempting to cut her hair. All I can say about the hair is "I'm so sorry, Megan!!" ;-) It was so refreshing to have her with us. Thanks Megan; we love you!

My Vain Little Sweetie

Mia's favorite room these days is our bathroom. She loves watching us get ready. Everyday, she'll study Josh as he shaves and puts in his hair gel. She also gets captivated by my hair dryer. I thought she would be scared of the loud noise it makes, but every time it comes on, she goes into this calm place and watches.

But her favorite thing in there is the mirror. I've been standing her in front of it lately to introduce her to herself, and she finally found her face this week. Now, every time she sees herself, she gives the biggest smile and squeals. I think she likes what she sees. :-)

Here's a recent photo of our sweetie.

A Mother's Heart Melts

My baby laughed today!!!! I almost started crying when I first heard it. It was beautiful music to my ears. I called Josh at work immediately to let him know b/c he's been so anxious for her to start laughing. For a man to doesn't show much emotion, he sounded pretty dang excited, too.

Thank you, Mia, for bringing happiness into ours lives. We love you!!

A just because pic.

LOVE it!!!!

So, back in my teeny bopper days, I was a mega fan of Hanson. I sang Mmmbop all the time, got all their CD's, put all their posters on the walls of my bedroom, and even skipped a morning of school to try and win tickets to one of their concerts (sadly in vain. never won :-( ). Then, once the hype of their bugglegum hit faded, I my fanship started to as well. But now! they've come out with a new single called Thinking 'Bout Somethin' and I like it a lot. It's catchy. AND they've got a killer video to go with it. You Blues Brothers fans will be amused by it. So, here for your amazement, enjoy their video. P.S. Once a fan, always a fan:-) P.S.S Check out Weird Al Yankovic playing the tamborine!


Thinking 'Bout Somethin'

HANSON | MySpace Music Videos

New Stuff

Mia is growing so fast. It's interesting to watch the phases that she goes through. When she was first born, she was so very cuddly, and liked to sleep on my chest, facing inward with her head right over my heart. Then at one month, she liked sleeping by me, but on her side. A few weeks ago, she started enjoying sleeping on her back more...still with me, but with some space. That was combined with sleeping in the swing on and off through the night. Now, she can sleep fully by herself in her own room in her crib.

Her sleeping habits reflect how she likes to be held, too. She as she was so cuddly to sleep with in the beginning, she liked to face inward and cling to mom when being held. Now, not so much. She loves seeing everything that I see, and studying everything I do. She's very attentive. I love it. She's fascinated with the hair dryer. She could be extremely fussy when I have to put her down to get ready, but all I have to do is sit her in her car seat next to me and start drying my hair, and viola! No more fuss!! She has the same reaction to this Chopin piece that plays as a demo song on our electric piano. That's Josh's go-to when nothing will calm Mia down, and she doesn't need to be fed, and I have chores to catch up on. Works like a charm every time.

Mia's also getting very strong. She can hold her head up like a pro. And she likes to sit up instead of lay down. And she really likes being on her feet. I think she'll start to walk before crawling. We'll see. Josh and I felt it was time to purchase the Bumbo chair to help her strengthen her already stellar sitting skills. She likes it, but only for about fifteen minutes at a time. Little steps. She's so fun!

Here are some pics.

One of the few times that Mia will just sit with Dad, which was nice for him b/c he was pretty tired. It was too cute that I just had to capture it. Who knows when that'll happen again?

Mia's new "friend" Dotti. Josh's sister gave that to us when I was pregnant, and it's become one of Mia's fascinations.

As I was photograhing this, she kept grabbing at Dotti's ear and looking at it as if she were thinking, "Hey! What is this?!"

One Big Baby Step

Ever since Mia was born, she has slept on me, beside me, or in the swing by our bed. In those positions, she has slept great. Mom on the other hand...not so much. I tried putting her in the crib a few times before, but she would just throw a fit every time. She liked being close to me. The crib at the time was just a few feet away from our bed, but that wasn't close enough.

Well, Mia's room is now all in order, so we moved her crib in there, but we didn't have any monitors, and I wasn't comfortable leaving her in there all night w/o them in fear that I might not hear her when she "calls." So, I just kept her in bed with me. Finally, last night, Josh and I purchased the baby monitors and tested them on Mia. I didn't think she'd last one hour, but to our amazement, she lasted THREE hours before waking up hungry. HOORAY!!!!! So, she woke up at one, four, and 6:30, which is normal for her anyway. Good job, Mia! We are so proud of you.

Here's a little picture of her having fun with Daddy.

Let's Try This Again

So, here is what I failed to post on April 1...Mia rolling over.

Karate Baby

Love her!

April Fools!

So, I really didn't do two entries in the same month. I forgot that today is April 1st. Oops! Also, my computer must be playing a prank on me b/c it failed to upload my video. Nice. Just so you know, Mia was pretty dang cute in it...

Two in a Row in the Same Month!

So, Mia is in a pretty good mood right now, so I thought I'd get another post in while I can. We've just started doing "tummy time" with our little girl this last week, and we've always known that she has a strong neck (since day 1), but we learned that she can roll over now too. Exciting stuff for the baby and her parents. Here's a video of the exciting moment in Mia's life. :-)

One for the New Year...a little Late!

All right...so most, if not all of you that read this blog should know that Josh and I bought a house and had a baby girl in January. As you may have noticed by my lack of entries, we have had our hands full; and loving it! It's still hard for me to comprehend our owning a house, AND being PARENTS. CRAZY!!!! I absolutely adore our little Mia Lynn; she is so much fun, even when she's throwing a temper tantrum. Yes, 2 months olds can throw temper tantrums-at least my little girl. She can be quite sassy sometimes. Lately, she's been smiling a lot more, and let me just say she has the cutest smile in the world. Josh and I have taken way too many pictures of her, most of them when she's sleeping. We first-time parents HAVE to capture every moment, ya know.

On March 21st, Josh blessed Mia. What a wonderful event in a child's life as well as for the parents! Josh spent a lot of time preparing for what he was going to say. That Sunday, he went into a very quite place within himself, taking Mia with him, just to ponder. So tender! He gave a beautiful blessing. I cried, only a little. My dad came in from Ohio that weekend to participate in the blessing too, as well as actually meet his first grandchild. He and Mia became good buddies in just a few short days. She was very comfortable in his arms, and he even made her smile. It was good to see him again. Heck! It was nice to have an extra pair of arms to hold Mia, so I could get a shower w/o her getting upset. Thanks Dad!

So much time has been spent with Mia that hardly anything has been done on the house. Josh painted Mia's room pink; which, it used to be this hideous indigo blue and yellow. Yuck! And even this last weekend did we just get her crib and other things in the room, tho she doesn't do much sleeping in there. She likes to be near to her mom and dad at night.

Here are some pics.




















There's more, but Mia's waking up. Gotta run. Happy belated New Year!!