Mia's first playgroup :o)

Mia and I attended our first parent-tot group, and it seems to have gone over really well. The tot classes are divided into two "age" groups: non-walking infants and walking infants. We are obviously in the non-walking group. The class ran about 45 minutes, which seems to have been the perfect length b/c at minute 46 a few of the babies (including Mia) starting crying. It was pretty funny. Anyhow, before we got to that point we let the babies roll and/or crawl around on the floor and look at each other and play together. Some of the kids can crawl already and came charging over to Mia who was like, "Oh, hello..." Then we sang some songs for them, blew bubbles, played with a parachute, and rolled some balls around in a circle. I think the parachute was the best part. If you've ever seen those giant parachutes that kids play with in P.E., this was the same sort of thing. We all set our little ones on the parachute near us and fluttered the 'chute a bit. Then we put them on the floor and fluttered it above them. Mia was amazed by the moving rainbow of colors...and of course she tried to eat it. ;o)

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Toes in the mouth!

Mia finally figured out to get her toes in her mouth, and she seemed pretty pleased with herself! :o)

Jumping bean!

Until today, Mia has only really liked her jumperoo as a place to stand and play w/ the toys on its tray. Today she suddenly figured out what the springs were for. It was a pretty fun afternoon! :o)

First solid food

Mia tried her first solid food on Sunday, and it went over pretty well. :o) Jeff fed her a small bowl of rice cereal, and Mia ate all of it. We made a couple of rookie mistakes (like forgetting a bib...), but otherwise, it was a success!

Growing fast :o)

Had to share this adorable picture of Mia:

It's been an interesting week with the baby. I think she must be going through another growth spurt b/c she's been waking up for a late dinner (btw/ 10pm and midnght) and then up for an early breakfast (btw/ 3am and 5am) when she used to sleep all the way through from around 7pm to 6-7am. Plus, she's been really fussy lately, too, which is totally not normal for her. But if I'd grown over 5 or 6 inches in the last 5 months, I probably be grumpy, too. :o)

She's already up to 18lbs, and it looks like she really, really wants to crawl soon. She can hold herself up really well on her arms, and she's got the motion down in her legs, but she can't quite pull her legs under herself yet. She made a couple of serious attemps at it yesterday, though, so it probably won't be long now!

Look what I can do!

So today was a big day! Yesterday, Mia started putting her arm down when she started losing her balance when put into a seated position. Today, I put her in the middle of my bed (lots of safe room to tip over…) and tried to see if she might try to hold herself up on her own…and she did! After sitting while leaning on her hand for about a minute before tipping over, I decided to grab the camera to get a picture. But when I propped her back up, she sat for another minute, but without leaning! So I guess Mia can officially sit up! At least for a minute. :o)

Mia figures out beverage containers...

I decided to let Mia start playing w/ an empty sippy cup this week when she demonstrated that she's figured out how grown-ups use beverage containers... Here are a couple of highlights (lowlights?) of her trying to get at my coffee and Pat's beer:

Weekend long run w/ Mom & Dad

I took this picture of Mia and Jeff about a week ago while the three of us were on a six-mile run on a local trail that followed a stream. It was a beautiful day and it was also the first time we had to stop for a diaper change during a run... :o\

Mia's trip to Seattle

So here I am catching up on news from earlier in the month! Ask & you shall receive! ;o) The big news of the month is that Mia and I flew to Seattle on the 1st of the month so that my paternal grandparents could meet their new great-granddaughter. We had a blast on the trip, but it went so, so fast! We flew out on a Thursday morning and had to fly back the following Monday. Mia was the best baby on the whole trip, and my secret is now out about how good of a sleep Mia is. ;o)There were only about five hours in the day that my grandparents really got to see her b/c she was asleep the rest of the time, including all the way through each night. Mom was very happy about that! Here are some highlights from the trip: This is Mia sound asleep on the flight to Seattle. I was really hoping I wouldn't be that woman on the flight with the crying baby...and luckily I wasn't. :o)

This is Mia and her great-granddad. So cute!!

Mia and I got out for one long run during our trip. We ran about 5.7 miles to and along part of Puget Sound. They are apparently building a golf course on the beach along the sound behind us.

Mia was snug as a bug in a rug on the drive w/ Gram & Granddad to check out the new shopping center that opened in their area.

Mia with her great-grandparents! And, if you look closely, you can see one of their cats sneaking into the photo. ;o)

Mia entertaining herself at the gate before our flight back. Unfortunately for the lady sitting next to us on this flight, Mia discovered her ability to "squawk" during our stay in Seattle...and she practiced all the way home. :o( Oh well, at least she wasn't crying!

Mia at 5 months!

Mia is five months old today! I really can't believe it's been that long already. :o) This is a video Jeff shot today after I gave Mia a bath. She's been an absolute doll this week. She's learned how to blow raspberries and picked up a few new ways to play with her voice. And I promise: more cuteness is on the way!

Finding Fingers & Toes

She's finally found them! About three days ago, Mia began absolutely staring at her fingers. She would hold her hands a few inches in front of her face and just stare. Then something would distract her, but shortly after that she'd turn back to those every curious fingers. Then today I watched her discover her toes. For a while she looked at them like she was trying to figure out when they got there, and then she managed to get her fingers hook around a big toe for a while. So cute!!

Back to School

As many of you know, I started class again on Jan 3rd. It's been a pretty interesting experience to try getting reading done while I'm at home with Mia during the day. Sometimes I try to hold her in my lap while I read over or around her, but she figures out pretty quickly that she doesn't really have my attention and demands something different. :o) My first paper of the quarter was due today, and I finally figured out the most productive way for me to get my work done. I grabbed my coffee and my laptop and hit the floor next to Mia and her toys. That way she's free to roll around and do her thing, but she's able to keep an eye on me the whole time. Jeff and I figured out the other day that she's pretty content sometimes when she can just hear or see that we're around. And luckily it worked out for me today so that I was able to finish my first paper.

Rock and Roll!

Mia's grandma got to witness a major milestone yesterday: Mia rolled over in the other direction yesterday (back to tummy). Then she proceeded to repeat the feat over and over. At one point, Mia rolled herself to her tummy and stayed there a while...so tummy time apparently isn't so bad as long as it's Mia's idea and not her mom's!

Fingers?? Toys?? Fingers?? Toys??

It's so hard to decide! I watched Mia trying to chew on both hands and a couple of linked rings for about twenty minutes today. Here are some highlights, including amazing bed-head, a shot of her flipping the bird, and a brief attempt to fit her whole fist in her mouth. Jeff and I are trying to decide which of these to show her prom date when the time comes. ;o)



And just 'cause, here's another cute picture of Mia from the other day. We can't believe how big she is already!!

Mia rolling over

Even though Mia seems to be enjoying tummy time more and more, she's definitely happy that she can escape to her back at will! ;o)



Note: What the heck is w/ the crazy stripes in this video?? *sigh* Gotta love technology! ;o)

More of the orange ring

Mia rolled over!!

Today was a big milestone! During tummy time this morning, Mia rested her head to the side as she started getting tired. Then, instead of trying to pick her head back up, she just let the rest of her body follow her head until she was laying on her back. She looked surprised for a moment, and then she went back to protesting that she was still tired. ;o)

Mia & Daddy

Aren't they cute??

Mia does things on purpose!

It's my favorite thing in the world that Mia can do things with her hands now! I think I posted a picture of her a month or so ago where she was waving one of these little rings around, but she had no idea she was doing it. Mostly, I'd stick it in her hand, her fingers would close around it, and then it'd be there until she unknowingly relaxed her hand. Now I hold these in front of her and the look on her face says, "In the mouth!" Then she starts reaching for it, and as soon as she's got it...in the mouth it goes! So this makes for some pretty cute pictures.

Now, it would have been terribly inappropriate to have taken (much less posted!) pictures of what happened next. She sat there contentedly playing for several minutes until she absolutely gagged herself and threw up her entire breakfast. What is with that?? It is called a gag reflex, right?? What the heck? And she looked at me afterwords as if saying, "Mom, that sucks!" And I'm thinking, "Yeah, I would think so..." Yet, she keeps doing it!! She's going to be the first kid with a teething sofa, b/c I'm so about to take away all of her toys that are smaller than furniture...

Mia's Baptism

Mia's baptism was yesterday, and she was a perfect angel the whole time. :o) The cutest part of the ceremony took place when Pastor Tony was holding Mia at the very front of the church, and she practically leaned into the mic to say "ehhrrr" in a very serious-sounding sort of way that sounded like she was responding to his final blessing. He laughed and said, "I think she just said Amen!" It was so sweet! Mia's family was there to watch her big day. Jeff's Aunt Melody, who is now Mia's godmother, drove down from Fresno to be with us. Mia's grandparents Karen & Pat, her great-grandmother Marie, and her auntie Heather were also there. We're so glad everyone was able to share in this special day with us!

Finally, a reason to use those hands

Mia has been impressively apathetic about figuring out how to use her hands and fingers...until I put this dragonfly teether near her mouth. She is very interested in figuring out how to keep it near her mouth when Mommy isn't there to hold it. You can watch her efforts here. You can also watch her explore that gag reflex... Still not understanding that one very well! :o)

I'm officially a mom now

Remember when you were little and your mom would lick her finger to clean off your face? Remember how that was the grossest thing in the world? Maybe you'd had jelly or something on your chin, but now you had spit there instead... And remember how we all wondered how exactly that was a better situation?

Well, it's apparently an unconscious maneuver. Mia had some dried milk on her cheek the other day, and I totally licked my thumb and wiped it off. Then I froze and thought, "Oh no, I just did that..."

Now that I've apparently become a turncoat, I thought I'd speak out on behalf of moms everywhere and explain why this is actually okay. Three reasons:

1. Spit is invisible, and whatever was there before wasn't. If your kid can't actually be clean at the moment, at least she can look it!
2. I have been covered in Mia's slobber for months, so it's fair, even if it isn't sanitary.
3. A mom's spit has magical disinfecting properties. Just like slaying monsters under the bed and undoing really big knots, it's one of the super powers they give you before you leave the hospital.

Mia's Baptism - Next Weekend!

Hey, everyone! Just wanted to let you know that Mia's baptism will be next weekend. If you'd like to attend, just drop me an email so I can let you know where & when. Dress is pretty casual, and we'll grab brunch at our favorite diner afterward.

Laughing in the New Year

Happy New Year! Mia got us off to the right start this year w/ a real laugh on New Year's Day. :o) Jeff & I spent New Year's Eve at my mom's house on a (mostly inflated) camping mattress. The next morning, we laid Mia on it and Heather started pressing down & releasing part of the (mostly inflated) mattress, causing Mia to rise and sink. It was pretty funny to watch, and Mia apparently thought it was the funniest thing ever, b/c it caused her to really laugh out loud for the first time!

This is a picture of Mia in her very own chair! No, she can't sit up on her own yet, but this chair is designed to prop up babies 3 - 18 months. I love it b/c she likes to sit in it and look around, and I get a few minutes to eat breakfast and drink my coffee w/ two hands!! (Thanks, Chris!!) And you'll notice that she is wearing the most adorable pink Converse. ;o) Every time she's worn these outside, we get stopped by someone telling me how flippin' adorable Mia is in her little shoes. (Thanks, Dolly!)

Mia's First Christmas

About six months ago, Jeff and I were marveling at my ever-growing belly and could hardly believe that we would have a three-month-old at Christmas this year. Well, here we are! I am so grateful for our little girl, and I'm excited to share this first Christmas with her. After church this morning, Mia is spending her first Christmas Eve at her grandparents' house, and she'll spend Christmas day with her aunt and cousins a few hours north of here.

We love you all & wish you a very merry Christmas!

~Kristy, Jeff, & Mia

Tummy Time!

Mia is finally getting over the "trauma" of being placed on her tummy, and she seems to be able to lift her head and chest a little higher and a lot longer each day! Here is a video from today:

Peek-a-boo

Robin snapped this photo of Mia while we were at the Huntington Library gardens this week. I love her eyes here. This picture also reminds me of the neighbor on Home Improvement. :o)

New pictures in Mia's photo album!

Mia's connected!

Mia got her first cell phone for Christmas, so she's now plugged in & connected! For those of you gasping, you'll be glad to know it's a plush phone w/ cute frogs embroidered on the keypad. ;o) But it does look like she's taken to the idea pretty well!

Christmas portraits

Here are Mia's portraits for Christmas this year!

Developmental Milestones

	Mia	"Friday"
	(3 m/o human)	(5 y/o house cat)
Follows objects briefly with eyes	x	x
Vocalizes: oohs and aahs	x
Can see black-and-white patterns	x	x
Smiles, laughs	x
Holds head at 45-degree angle	x	x
Makes smoother movements	x	x
Squeals, gurgles, coos	x
Blows bubbles	x
Recognizes your voice	x	x
Does mini push-up		x
Can grasp a toy
Rolls over, from tummy to back		x
Recognizes own name		x
Turns toward new sounds	x	x
Rolls over in both directions		x
Is ready for solid foods		x
Sits without support		x
Mouths objects	x	x
Passes objects from hand to hand

A conversation with Mia

Here is a video of a conversation that Mia and I had this morning after her bath. :o)

Mia at 11 1/2 weeks

Here is another cute video of Mia with her mobile. She's very interested in it now, and she protests loudly when it stops playing. :o) She weighs in at 15lbs even now, which would put her above the 90th percentile even if she were already 3 months old... So Jeff and I have decided to stop contributing to her college fund and pursue wrestling scholarships instead. Mia's major hobby right now is sucking on her fingers. She's very good at it and actually managed to put my hand in her mouth yesterday. The funny thing is that what she is not good at is putting her fingers in her mouth w/o also putting them in her throat. Several times yesterday I heard her gagging and looked over to see a very surprised Mia. I'm hoping it's not too long before she learns that, even though the uvula looks funny, it is not a toy. ;o)

Had to share!

This was too funny to pass up... Pat and I were joking the other week that I needed some sort of device that would let me just hang Mia from the wall when she gets tired. She'd be out of the way and I'd know exactly where she was. The thing is that we were joking. Someone out there, however, had that same thought and wasn't... This is a Babykeeper...which allows you to hang your child from a wall!! And this one goes a step further in that it is designed to hang your child inside the stall of a public toilet while you pee, thereby scarring your child for life and ensuring that you spend the college fund on years of adolecent therapy. If you visit their website, you can see additional photos, including some of the hanging children serving as toilet paper dispensers. Very disturbing... Thanks to Erika for this one! :o)

Mia's photo album updated.

Mia's 1st Thanksgiving

Here are some pictures of a little blessing I am truly grateful for this year!

C-r-a-n-k-y baby...

Mia woke up on the wrong side of the cradle today, and she was in a bad mood all day long. Jeff and I have been taking turns rocking, swaddling, & troubleshooting since about 5:30 this morning. And it was only during two car rides and two walks with the stroller (including a lap around the block with Jeff between appetizers and the main dish of dinner out tonight!) that we got much of a break from her moodiness. I thought this day wore me out, but it apparently took its toll on Mia, too. Here's Mia trying to hide from the world when she finally fell asleep this evening:

Two months!

This was a big week! Mia had her 2mo doctor visit this week...which means she had her 2mo shots... :o( It never occurred to me when I was a kid that my mom hated these appts as much as I did (or more!). I had to hold Mia in my lap while she got three shots in the tops of her thighs. Mia screamed after the first & screamed bloody murder after the second. Then the nurse said, "You'll want to really hold her for this one b/c this one hurts." Great, so this is the one that hurts. I'll be sure to tell Mia... So after that shot Mia turned beet red from the top of her head all the way to her toes and didn't even breathe for about 15 or 20 seconds while she was building up to the scream. It was horrible. :o( Now I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to sell her on these visits when she's old enough to ask, "Am I going to get a shot today?" On the lighter side, Mia grew an entire two inches in the last 4 weeks and keeps gaining weight like a champ. She's now 23.5" and weighed in at 13lbs 7.5oz. That puts her weight in the 96th percentile for her age. ;o) Apparently breastfed babies around rounder in the first six months and leaner in the next six months than their formula-fed counterparts. And in other exciting news, Mia slept six hours three nights in a row this week and seven hours last night!!!!!!!!!!!! I woke up startled this morning and thought, "What was that?? Oh, it was a clear thought." Hehehe. I was really happy that her shots this week didn't mess up our little sleeping streak. ;o) This morning we did another 5k race, and I ran it 6 1/2 min faster than last weekend(!). It's so nice to see obvious proof that I'm getting back into shape. :-D

Mia lifting her head

Here are some pictures of Mia playing in her crib. She seems pretty excited to be getting her head up so she can look around. In the video below, she can't seem to decide what sort of mood she's in. :o)

Mia's first road race!

Mia ran her first 5k yesterday! Okay, well she didn't exactly run it, but she was along for the ride and definitely gave her out-of-shape mom something besides being out of shape to focus on! Jeff, my sister Heather, and I all ran the San Gabriel Turkey Trot 5k yesterday, and everyone had a great race. Heather's goal was not to walk & she didn't. Jeff beat his time goal. And I beat a goal I hadn't even set... The original plan was for Jeff & Heather to run and for me to walk. Well, the walkers were schedule to start 40 minutes before the runners, and we didn't make it to the park in time for me to pick up my registration packet. (And for once, it wasn't even the baby's fault that we were late! The city posted some amazingly inaccurate directions to the start of the event...) At any rate, I decided to switch my registration from "walker" to "runner" and just to trot at the back of the back. Well, I ended up running the whole thing (though very, very slowly). And Mia & I got lots of cheers out on the course, which was super fun & very encouraging. :o)

Out for a jog!

Mia and I have finally gotten out for a couple of runs. Our first trip was yesterday, and Mom was so excited to be outside again that we went again today...despite being really sore from yesterday still. ;o)

Mia w/ her mobile

Mia is newly aware of her mobiles. She has one on her swing that she now looks at, and this one in her crib elicited some genuine smiles from her today (albeit, before the video...).

New Photo Album

I've created a new online album that houses pictures of Mia since her birth. My plan is to keep adding more & more pictures to it. You can view all of the pictures as a slide show or you can download full-sized copies of all pictures. You can even download the whole album if you want. To view the album, click on the picture of Mia in the top of the right column.

Mia sleeps like her daddy

And if you know Mia's daddy, you know that his super power is that he can sleep any time, any place, & under any conditions. Mia had taken a rather long siesta in her swing, and we turned it off in the hopes that she would wake up an eat. You can see that it didn't work...