100 Days

Only 100 days to go!

It still sounds like sort of a lot, but there seems to be a never-ending list of things that have to happen between now and then. For the first time I began to worry this week that I won't be ready for Sophie when she comes. With Mia, I had the first-timer paranoia to help get everything together. I'm sort of worried that because we've done this once before, we won't get Sophie's room done in time and she'll have to sleep in the sock drawer when she gets home. (Mostly kidding, Mom!)

I haven't posted a belly picture in while, so I thought I would post one from Regina & Mike's wedding almost two weeks ago. If this wedding had been one week later, I'd have had to hold my breath in this dress!! :o) For the rest of the girls, the sash sat on the natural waistline. (See Robin to the left...) But Sophie moved mine right on up. Enjoy!

25 Weeks

I had my 25-week appointment this week, and my OB thanked me again for making his job easy. I love being boring in the eyes of my doctors! :o) Weight gain & blood pressure are normal & Sophie's heart rate is good. He also measured the "height" of my belly for the first time this pregnancy. They'll measure it every time I go back now to make sure Sophie is growing sufficiently.

I go back in about a month for what will be my last ultrasound as long as Sophie is head-down and ready for delivery. Between now and then, I also go in for the blood sugar test where you drink a bottle of orange-flavored double-sugar soda and sit in the waiting room for an hour until they draw blood. I imagine after not eating, chasing Mia around a waiting room, and letting my blood sugar soar for an hour that I will be in a great mood after this test!

"Happy Cake"

Mia has long been a fan of cake, and this weekend she coined a new phrase: "happy cake". She's figured out that birthday cake is always served after the song "Happy Birthday", and this weekend while we were singing to our friend Eli at his 1st birthday party on Saturday, Mia turned to me and said, "happy cake, happy cake." :o) We also took a trip up to Fresno for Sean & Evie's 6th & 3rd birthdays, respectively. Here are some shots of that trip:

Mia after more "happy cake".

Not sure why she's scowling, but I like this photo of Mia showing off her "makeup".

Mom hands over the laptop so Mia can watch Elmo during the last 30 minutes of our 7-hour car trip!

Mia's 1st Bubble Bath

Mia *loves* bubbles and wasn't really feeling like taking a bath a few nights ago, so I decided it was time to bring bubbles to bath time. Here are some pictures of one of the longest baths Mia's every had. ;o)

Structurally Sound

My mom and Pat joined us for dinner a week ago, and while the rest of us were eating, Mia built a tower out of yogurt and squash. Jeff grabbed this video of our little engineer at work.

Plastical

"Plastical" is my hormone-induced Word of the Day.

My friends keep asking me how it's been to teach my Stroller Strides class as I get more and more pregnant. Surprisingly, while the physical changes in my body (read: breaking pelvic bone) have caused me to scale back a bit, the hardest part of teaching lately has been talking... I hear some of the words coming out of my mouth, and I wonder who came up with them sometimes.

This morning, I was trying to remind my moms to keep their core muscles engaged during an exercise, and instead I yelled out that they should keep their core muscles "tucked under". I just had to laugh at myself, wondering how you would even pull that off if you wanted to. More often, I'm telling my moms to "switch legs" while we're working out our arms, or something similar. And after class today, I was telling someone about a "plastic" toy I saw at Costco yesterday, but I made up "plastical" instead. I can't even imagine what I'll be telling these ladies to do in the coming weeks!

The experts term this condition "pregnancy brain," and here's an article verifying that it exists. ;o) My favorite comment here is that it's a "modest" impairment, sort of like comparing the memory of a 20-y/o to that of a 60-y/o. Modest? My brain has aged 40 years in just over 20 weeks, and that's modest??

The Name

Jeff and I think we have finally settled on a name for our little bean. We have been calling her Sophia Grace for the last week or two, and we still really like the way it sounds. We'll probably go with Sophie as her nickname, though. Mia seems to like it, too, and most importantly -- she can say it! ;o) And now when I ask her where Sophie is, she points to my belly.

"Hi, Daddy"

It's been about three or four weeks since I first felt the baby kick, and she's getting stronger every day. Today she was finally kicking hard enough that Jeff was able to feel her. I was pretty excited we got it on the first try, too. With Mia, the scenario played out like this about a dozen times first: "Hey, Jeff. Come feel the baby kick!" [Jeff walks all the way over to where I am.] "Oh, wait. She stopped. Never mind." ;o) So this one may have been more stubborn w/ the whole ultrasound thing, but at least she's more cooperative with the kicking!

Password

Do you remember that game show Password? I feel like I've been playing that game constantly since Mia's vocabulary has exploded, but her ability to speak in sentences or even phrases has not yet developed.

For example, Mia walked up to me the other day and said, "driving". Okay, so now I know she wants to go somewhere. "Food." "Eating." "Spoon." "High chair." "Buckle." Ah, got it. Mia wants to go out to eat. And the other day, she walked up to Jeff and said: "Driving." "Sand." "Shovel." "Playground." They then got in the car and drove to the park to play.

So, if they ever resurrect that old show with an option to bring a toddler along, I know who my partner is going to be! ;o)

Orange County Fair

Jeff and I took Mia to the Orange County Fair last night, and I'm not sure who had more fun. :o) Mia definitely had a blast petting the farm animals and riding the rides, but Jeff and I were laughing the whole time at how excited Mia got at absolutely everything! It was so much fun watching her jump up and down and giggle in anticipation over and over and over. Here are some pictures and a video.

Dress to Impress

Thought I'd share this fun picture of Mia after getting "dressed" a couple of evenings ago. I'm sooo looking forward to the toddler years of picking out clothing. :o) This time, she was insistent that the entirety of her outfit was my pink jacket & her diaper. Enjoy!

It's...a Girl!

Jeff, Mia, and I went in for a private ultrasound today in the hopes of getting a better look at our little bean. The ultrasound tech told us about a minute into that she was 100% sure it was a girl, guaranteed. After learning that Mia's going to have a little sister(!), we spent the next 15 minutes just watching our little one hide from the camera. The tech kept trying to get a great shot of the baby's face, and every time she almost had it, the baby would flip back around toward my spine. But we got some really cute shots of her hiding behind her hands. (About 12, in fact.) Hope you enjoy the pics. If you're ever at Casa de Sketeris and want to see the (awesome) 15-minute DVD of the entire ultrasound, just let us know! :o)

It's.....

...still a surprise! :o) This baby refused to give up the money shot today, so we still have no idea what we're having. Baby's knees were locked together the whole time w/ it's ankles crossed and folded underneath. So, this poor baby is in for at least another 9 weeks of being referred to as "it". Most importantly, though, Baby looks healthy and is measuring well for gestational age. Here are a the ultrasound pics we got to bring home:

What's your guess??

We are two days away from our "big" ultrasound, and I thought it might be fun to see what every thinks we're having. :o) I personally have no idea, so I'd love to know what your hunches are.

Santa Fe Recreational Dam

I'm excited to share these pictures with you all. I took Mia to the Santa Fe Recreational Dam on Saturday with a moms club we belong to, and we had a blast. They have a water play park, which is restricted to kids under 52" tall, so the littler kids aren't getting run over by teens. (I'm such a mom now...) The playground itself is a structure to climb on with several slides, and the whole thing sits in 1 1/2 feet of water. There are tunnels to crawl through, levers to pull, and lot of water sprays to run through. Most of the pictures below were taken by my friend Amber and her husband Brian. If you're looking for a photographer to capture you & your little ones, let me know and I'll put you in touch w/ them! ;o) Enjoy!

Jinxed!

I'm not going to write down anymore hopeful thoughts about this pregnancy on this blog! Last Monday I blogged about how great the exercising had been going... Then Tuesday, I went for what turned out to be my last run for this pregnancy. :o( I went for a pretty easy two-miler as a part of my bootcamp class, and I could feel my pelvic bone starting to ache. And then it really ached all day Wednesday. So....I won't be doing anymore running until about February it seems. This whole pelvic bone thing sucks, and it came on just as fast and just as bad as it did the first time around. So all week, I've been moving around like an 80-year-old: I have to sit on the bed to get dressed/undress b/c I can't stand on one leg at a time, I swing both legs locked together at the knees to get into/out of bed and my car, I try not to shift my weight while standing to just one leg or the other, and I move in a really slow & measured way, especially if I'm trying to pick something up. The funny thing, though, is that if my hips are completely stable and even, I'm still really strong. So this week I went back to the gym (which I haven't been to in months b/c I prefer my bootcamp class). A couple of days ago I rowed on the rowing machine, and today I rode on the stationary bike and lifted weights. I don't think the rower is going to be a long-term option, though, b/c there just won't be room for the belly as it grows. And I remember feeling like my legs were bumping into the bottom of my belly towards the end of my last pregnancy, but it did work. ;o)

1st Belly Photos

This is Mia saying "hi" to the baby at a day shy of 17 weeks.

16 Weeks

Mia and I just got back from my 16-week appointment, and I'm happy to report that this pregnancy is still "boring". :o) So far all of my lab work, weight gain, blood pressure, etc., are all textbook and uninteresting. (Just the way I like it!) I go back in two weeks for the "big" ultrasound, which is a couple of weeks earlier than I got it with Mia. So we may be able to update the color of the blog soon. ;o)

Now that I'm solidly into my second trimester, I'm feeling pretty good again. The nausea has been gone for a few weeks now, and my energy levels have returned to normal. The only real annoyance is that I've got the same constant head congestion that I had with Mia. Every day I feel like I'm almost over a head cold, only it never actually goes away. Every once in a while I get a twinge of the wrist & pelvic bone pain I had last time, but so far, neither has lasted. I keep crossing my fingers that I'll be able to avoid both this go around, but we'll see. Pregnancy is one surprise after another.

One thing that is going really well this time around is the exercising. :o) After all the studying I did about prenatal fitness when I was getting my Stroller Strides certification, I learned that the "keep your heart rate under 140" rule has been outdated since 1996. I felt like I gave up almost all of my fitness within a couple of months last time, but this time I'm still feeling pretty good. I'm teaching my Stroller Strides class five mornings per week, working out with our bootcamp program 2-3 times per week, and trying to get in one additional run/week. I'm definitely not trying to set any records these days, but it feels good just to be moving more or less like I'm used to. Being this active has also really helped keep the weight gain in check. I'm finding it's a lot easier to eat the food that Baby and I need w/o stressing out about the scale. It took buying my doctor a copy of Exercising Through Your Pregnancy, but he's on board w/ my exercise plans as long as I use common sense and the baby keeps growing well. :o)

Mia's First Camping Trip

Jeff and I took Mia on her first camping trip this weekend. We met up w/ Heather and Justin at one of the campgrounds at Bass Lake, which is about 15 miles south of Yosemite. Mia had a blast, and the trip was definitely a success. I think she thought we'd moved into a playground for a few days. She was covered in dirt the whole time, and kept giving me this look that said, "Aren't you going to make me go home soon?"

The only thing I was really worried about was how well she would sleep in a tent... She still sleeps in her crib at home, so I had no idea if she would take to a sleeping bag. The first night she crawled in between our mattress and her sleeping bag and slept right on the tent floor. The second night, she stayed on her bag, and slept with her butt up in the air. It made for a pretty cute picture, which you can see below. ;o)

Mia also had fun feeding ducks, splashing in the lake, and collecting sticks and pine cones. Jeff and I are both excited about taking her out again, especially since she had so much fun the first time around.

You can also click here to visit the album to view larger versions of the photos.

One to Ten

Mia blew my mind today by counting to ten by herself. I was giving her a cracker, and rather emphatically, I told her to only take ONE. And she repeated "one". Then proceeded to say, "two," which I repeated back to her. Then she said '"three", and "four", and "five"'.... and by the time she got to six I started staring at Jeff and Regina to make sure they weren't missing this. And she made it all the way to ten! Crazy. I've never heard her go past "one, two" on her own before, and then she just shot straight for ten. It's amazing what kids can learn without letting you know until they're ready! :o)

Garden Tour

This video is a couple of months old now, but I have been struggling to edit some of our clips down to a manageable size. I think I've finally got it figured out, and I'm still eager to share this one. :o) I shot this while Mia led me on a walk around our neighborhood. If you ever need a guide for a garden tour....let me know! Enjoy!(

12-Week Ultrasound

All right! Here they (finally!) are. On Friday of last week, I had an ultrasound. This was the same nuchal translucency test that I did with Mia at 12 weeks. They did a high-powered ultrasound and measured the thickness of the back of the neck, which gives the doctors an idea of the likelihood that this baby could have a chromosomal abnormality. Luckily, everything looks great with our peanut so far! :o)

And as a bonus, here are some really cool shots of the baby. The peanut is about 2 inches long (not counting the legs yet). The next pics are about two months away, so enjoy!!

It's Morning Somewhere...

I know I said this last time around, but "morning sickness" is a total lie. This is pretty crazy compared to last time. With Mia I was nauseous 24/7 and it was always more or less the same level of bad. This time around there are a lot more ups and downs. There are actually times that I feel really good, but when I feel bad it's way worse than last time. And it's SO the opposite of "morning" sickness... I usually feel pretty decent first thing in the morning, and it kicks in around noon. Then it gets worse every hour of the day, and I'm holding on for dear life from 6pm until bed time. Yuck!!

I'm just so hoping that the one thing this time around will have in common with last time is that it stops dead at the 10-week mark, b/c I really can't imagine more than a couple more days of this. Heck, I can't really imagine getting through the next few hours...

Surprise!

We've been keeping a little surprise from you all the last few weeks... ;o) Click here to read some of the previously "hidden" posts since early April. (And when you click the link, start at the bottom of the page if you want to read the posts chronologically.)

2nd Ultrasound

Jeff and Mia and I went to my first real OB appt for this pregnancy today, and I had my 2nd ultrasound. According to my doc, everything looks great and the baby is growing perfectly. He set my due date at Dec 12, but he told me to tell all of you that I'm not due until Dec 20 b/c I'll likely go late w/ this one, too. (So please don't start calling on Dec 1st to see if we've had the baby yet!!)

My doctor plans to do all the same tests & ultrasounds as last time, so we'll get that awesome 12-week 4D ultrasound in about a month. Can't wait!! :o)

A Toddler's Perspective

Yesterday we went to the Body Worlds 3 exhibit at the California ScienCenter. It was the second exhibit in the series that Jeff and I had seen, but it was the first time we took Mia with us. My favorite moment during our visit came when we approached a display similar to the one pictured here. This dissection reveals all of the blood vessels in the whole human body, and absolutely all other tissue is removed. It is truly an amazing thing to see.

A toddler's perspective, however, is very different. As Mia & I approached this body, she shouted, "Elmo!" at the top of her lungs. All of the other adults nearby started chuckling, and one commented to me that she would never look at Elmo the same way again. I don't think I will, either! :o)

Baby's First Photo!

We got our first look at the baby this week when I went in to see my doctor about a chest cold I've had the last couple of weeks. I wanted to make sure it wasn't turning into bronchitis since I really don't want to be taking antibiotics right now. Luckily it's just a post-viral thing that will clear up within a month or so on its own. Of my two OBs, this one is a softy, and she suggested we just "take a peek" at the bean to make sure that everything was okay. And everything is great! We even saw the heartbeat, so I'm really relieved about that. :o) Enjoy!

Oh, my tummy...

Holy moly... So I guess I just about asked for it, and the nausea has kicked in today. It sort of crept up over yesterday & today. At first I just felt a little nauseous if I waited too long before I ate. Then today my stomach decided it didn't care if I'd eaten or not, and I've been nauseous for most of the day.

The funny thing is that I'm actually kind of grateful that I feel so nauseous, because aside from the fatigue I haven't really felt pregnant. It's nice to get some signs that things are progressing as they should be, especially since I've got to wait a little more than two more weeks before I get to see my OB the first time for this pregnancy and check this bean out on the ultrasound.

I realized the other day that I'm really looking forward to enjoying this pregnancy, but I think it's going to be hard to relax and get to that point until I can feel this baby moving regularly and I'm getting regular feedback that s/he's okay. Unfortunately, it's going to be weeks until we get that far!! :o)

Feed Me.

Ok seriously, I don't think I could eat more food if I had to. Every time I eat, I'm starving an hour or two later. And I don't mean hungry, like, "Yeah, I guess I could eat." I mean starving. This is crazy. I'm starting to worry that I'm going to gain some crazy amount of weight in my first trimester...which I didn't have to worry about w/ Mia b/c I was so nauseaus I couldn't eat for a month. I'm certainly not rooting for the nausea to kick in, but I'm not looking forward to that first OB appt where my doc asks why I've already gained 10 pounds. ;o)

Zzzzzz...

The fatigue has certainly set in this week. I've never really been a good napper. I usually say I'm going to take a nap, and I never actually do b/c I'd rather get stuff done or I just can't fall asleep during the day. This week, however, I have taken a nap on four consecutive days. I am sooo happy that Mia *is* still a good napper, b/c I don't know how I'd do it otherwise.

Mia's First Baseball Game

Jeff and I took Mia to her first baseball game over the weekend. Jeff was pretty stoked on getting her a toddler-sized baseball cap (which Mia also liked), and I got a kick out of watching her w/ her little pom-pom. I really gained an appreciation for how much Mia enjoys clapping during the game. Whenever the crowd started cheering, she rushed to hand over to me whatever was in her hands to free them up for clapping. She was so excited to be clapping w/ so many people. I also taught her how to boo, and she found that pretty funny. :o)

Telling Kristy's Family

Mia and I had fun telling my mom the good news today. Last night I made Mia a necklace that spelled out "I'm the big sister" with the beads. Today we drove out to visit my mom, and I knew she would spot the necklace and figure it out in about 0.2 seconds...and I was right. ;o) She saw Mia's necklace and said, "Are you wearing a necklace? Oh, what does it say? Let's see, 'I'm the big sister...' Are you pregnant???" It was at that moment that I captured the smile below w/ my camera. It was a pretty fun start to the afternoon. :o)

Part Deux

I've decided to continue my tradition of running a 5k and learning that I'm pregnant immediately afterward. ;o) Jeff and I ran the Derby Day 5k this morning, and after I got home I decided to take a home pregnancy test even though I figured it was probably too early to get a positive result. Well the two lines popped up almost immediately, and I almost fell over. I called Mia over to me, gave her the test, and sent her to give it to Daddy. She obviously has *no idea* what news she shared w/ Jeff, but he started grinning from ear to ear and asked me if I was serious about eight times.

I am so grateful to be pregnant, and I am so excited about doing this all over again. I can't wait to get into the doctor's office and see the first ultrasound, b/c it's so hard to believe it's real until I can see it with my own eyes. I can't wait to meet this addition to our family and to figure out if Mia has a little sister or brother. According to the baby websites, this bean is due on or around December 10th, so I'm looking forward to an early visit from Santa this year.

Happy Easter!

Jeff and I took Mia up to Fresno to celebrate Easter with our family there. Here are some clips of Mia & her cousins hunting for eggs & chocolate bunnies. :o)

A Thing for Music

This child has a thing for music. :o) She really enjoys all of her musical toys, especially the ones that play longer songs. Here is a clip of her dancing & clapping to the ABC song.

Look Who's Talking!

Jeff and I shot a fun video this week of Mia running through all of the words we could think of that she knows. You can see that she prefers to say some words and to sign other words, and with some words she always does both. Enjoy!

Snow Day

Jeff and I took advantage of all of Southern California's recent "weather" (I think that's what the rest of the country calls it, anyway) and drove up to Mt. Baldy to let Mia play in the snow. It was a fun day trip, but I'm not sure Mia understood why we left our warm house to go play outdoors in the freezing cold. Her interest peaked a bit when we started sledding down a small slope on a yoga mat. (That was a bit of innovation that saved us $20!) Enjoy! ;o)

Roll out!

We had a fun playdate yesterday w/ a couple of our new neighbors and fellow Stroller Strides moms, and I was floored that Mia figured out how to operate this little 4-wheeler. She didn't really get the whole steering thing, though, so I had to turn the handlebars all the way to one direction so that she kept going around in a big circle. :o)

Mia's Helmet

Ever wonder what happens when a toddler finds a plastic container the exact same size as her head...?

Walking the Dog

Mia received this toy dog for Christmas, and at first she had a pretty hard time figuring out how to walk the dog properly. She would charge forward holding the leash high above her head so that the poor dog either dangled behind her or just dragged sadly on his side. In the last couple of days she's figured out that he has a "right side up" and that it's easier to keep him that way if she walks slowly and keeps an eye on him. This video was also the first time I've seen her set him back on his feet when he's tipped over. Now if she could stay up on her feet!! ;o)

Suddenly Sipping

If you ignore the punks in the background...this is a pretty cute clip of Mia displaying her sudden ability to drink from an actual cup. :o)

C-L-I-P

A couple of days ago, I spelled a word in front of Mia for the first time to speak in "code" to Jeff. That was a big moment. Mia is slightly compulsive about yanking out any barrettes or clips I try to put in her hair. The other day, I noticed that Jeff was about to comment on a clip I'd managed to sneak into her hair, and I quickly said, "Don't tell her about the c-l-i-p or she'll pull it out." And she does, too! Whenever someone comments on how pretty her barrette or clip is, three seconds later she's got it in her hand along with a fist full of hair. Now that Jeff and I officially speak in "code", I guess I'll finally have to learn how to spell... ;o)

Santa Was Here!

Sketeris Family Christmas Photos

Here is a link to some of the portraits we had taken this year. This was a fun evening because we met with the same photographer who took our wedding photos (Kassel Studio, Santa Ana, CA). The files here should be big enough to download, but if you'd like me to email any of the full-size images to you, please let me know. Enjoy!

Sketeris Family Christmas 2007

Merry Christmas!

We can't believe this is already Mia's 2nd Christmas. Time sure flies. I think I can safely say that Mia added a considerable dose of joy and laughter to our family's festivities this year. Grandma and Grandpa (I mean Santa...) brought her the most adorable rocking horse, and she had us all laughing last night as she hugged, rode, and cooed at the horse. Here are some pictures that Auntie Heather took on Christmas Eve. Video of her horse (and it's adorable sound & movements) coming shortly!

Washington, D.C.

Jeff, Mia, & I took our first vacation together last week. Jeff and I bravely boarded a plane to Washington, D.C. with our 14 month old to visit our friend Robin and to take in some of the sights of the city. Here are some pictures from our trip.

Mia "Ham"

Here's a fun clip of Mia hamming it up for the camera. After a couple thousand pictures since birth, she's definitely figured out what the camera is and that it's a time to put on a little show. ;o)

Pre-dawn Nap

We had a week or so in which Mia was consistently waking up for the day in the pre-dawn hours. Jeff and I took turns entertaining her each morning while the other slept in until a more-or-less normal hour. One morning I got up and found that they both had fallen back asleep on the sofa. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Coffe Playdate

Here's a shot of Mia enjoying one of our recent coffee playdates. She's found a chair at the corner of the shop that she really enjoys relaxing in.

(Still) No More Tears

I'd like to think that the reason that Mia never sheds any tears is because I'm such a great mom....but we figured that we should look into a physiological reason. (Just in case!) Most babies start shedding tears in the first few weeks of life, but our little Mia has shed four tears in her 13.5 months, and none of them made it all the way to her cheeks. So our pediatrician recommended that we visit an ophthalmologist. We did that today and learned some interesting things. First, the human body produces two kinds of tears. One kind is what your eyes produce all day long just to keep your eyes moist. The other are produced by some glands on either side of your forehead that flood your eyes when you cry. Apparently some people just don't produce the second kind. There are no real problems associated w/ not producing these tears, and furthermore there isn't anything to be done about it anyhow. So...since she's made it this far in life with no tears, the doctor says that she probably won't produce many more moving forward. Who knew??

Mia Cam

I thought I'd try to capture some video to show you all how well Mia is walking now, but she has become rather infatuated w/ all electronic devices and especially with the camera. So instead this video of her walking turned into a Mia cam. Enjoy!

1st Molar!

Holy moly, we have a molar! I was going to be kind of disappointed if there was no new tooth, and I kind of hoped it might be a molar b/c the three of us all had a really, really, really long night on Friday night to welcome it to the world... Jeff and I put Mia to bed around 8pm on Friday night, and she woke back up around 10pm. And then we were pretty much up while Mia wailed off and on the rest of the night. Jeff and I are still pretty messed up sleepwise & Mia seems to think she's nocturnal now, but she's got her first top-right molar poking through.

Bananas

Jeff and I think it's pretty funny to watch such a little person hold & eat an entire banana, so we thought we'd share. Mia *loves* bananas and points to the them in the fruit bowl every morning. :o)

Sand Toys at the Park

These were taken yesterday during a playdate at the park after our Stroller Strides class. I can't believe Mia's already big enough to play w/ other kids at the park!

Halloween

I can't believe Mia's second Halloween has already come and gone! This year we dressed her as a little chicken. It was pretty funny to watch her walk around in her costume b/c her walk tends to be a little jerky still, so it worked pretty well as a chicken walk! ;o)

Mia's 1st Waffle

Mia finally tasted the waffle for which she was nicknamed last week. Unfortunately, the occasion was the closing of the restaurant where Jeff and I enjoyed our weekly waffles while I was pregnant. :o( Not sure how I could ever survive another pregnancy without a weekly waffle from Spires to looks forward to...

Bottoms up!

Mia fell asleep on the sofa a couple of weeks ago, and Jeff & I got this adorable shot. :o)

Mia's 1st Birthday Party

We celebrated Mia's birthday party, and I think she had a great time. I'm glad we decided to keep it a small-ish affair b/c she was already exhausted & a tad overwhelmed after a couple of hours. She actually went to bed for the night a couple of hours early!! Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Mia!

I seriously cannot believe it's been a year since Mia's birth!! All day long I've been thinking about where we were a year ago today. And...of course, around 10am I thought about the fact that I'd been in labor since 4am the day before and that it would still be 3.5 hours until her arrival!! Then around 2pm, I was thinking about her first 1/2 hour of life, her first bath, and all the disbelieving smiles at this miraculous little life. By around 7pm we were settled in for the evening in our maternity room, and Mia was tucked into her bili bed... And here we are a year later!!

Today Jeff, Heather, Justin, and I took Mia out for a birthday dinner (and margaritas for those of us over 21!). After dinner, Jeff and I introduced Mia to chocolate cake. Enjoy!



P.S. Mia's birthday party is this Saturday at 2pm. Please email me for the location if you are able to join us! :o)

Clip of Mia walking

Here is a very short (but also very cute!) video of Mia "walking". :o) It looks a bit like she's walking on the deck of a boat during a thunderstorm, but she's getting better each day. Most importantly, I think, she seems to have figured out that walking is much faster than crawling, so she seems pretty eager to figure it out. Enjoy!

Looking back...

I cannot believe we're already coming up on Mia's first birthday!! I put together a little collage of Mia's development from 0 - 11 months. I seriously cannot believe how much she has grown and changed in the last year!! Enjoy!

P.S. Birthday party info is coming soon!! (I promise!)

Teeth 5 & 6!!

Mia's top, center teeth popped out today. I knew there was at least one
on its way b/c she's been pulling on her ears again. I think it's funny
that they keep coming in pairs: first the bottom center ones, then the
top eye teeth, and now the top center ones. I'm just grateful she's not
having a hard time with them!!

Breakfast with Mia and Kitties

Here is some better footage of the kitties, some of Mia's current babble (which is pretty fun), and a two-handed wave! :o)

Walking toys!

Mia finally figured out what her walker toy is all about, and she's pretty happy about the discovery!

Cats!

Mia is learning to play with our cats, and they are learning to play with her. Baby-feline relations are definitely improving! The lighting here isn't the best, but this video is definitely good for a couple of laughs. :o)



P.S. If you don't recognize these cats, it's not the lighting or your bad eyes... We tragically lost Friday & Holli this summer. These cats are Theo (the tabby) and Miles (gray & white). We adopted them to be Holli's "back-up dancers" after we lost Friday, but we sadly lost her shortly after that. Drop Jeff or me a line if you're interested in the rest of the sad story....

Mia walked!

Mia took four steps this morning!! And it happened exactly how I thought it might: she picked up two things she wanted to hold onto and started looking at a place she wanted to get to...and she just started walking! For a second, I thought she might make it clear across the kitchen, but I think for steps is pretty good four a first attempt! :o)

Mia waved!

Mia waved yesterday! She and I were hanging out at the office of our church while I was helping to work on the website. She spent the best part of a couple hours playing with Henry the office manager while I worked. When Mia and I were finally heading out, Henry and I were both trying to get her to wave goodbye, and she actually did! I don't think she gets the meaning of a wave yet, but she definitely seemed pleased that she could mimic whatever the heck Henry and I were doing. ;o)

The Great Park Balloon Ride

Mia and I went The Great Park Balloon Ride in Irvine today. The land used to be an airbase, and they are in the process of turning it into a giant park. The one feature that is ready now is the giant balloon, which carries its passengers pretty far from the ground. The balloon is tethered to the ground by a giant steel cable, and the passenger car hangs from the balloon. It was a pretty short ride, but it was definitely novel. :o)

Play Time

Here are a couple of clips of Mia playing in her nursery. Highlights include finally figuring out how to play the drum and more hugs for the stuffed lion chair. She *loves* that lion!!

Road Trip

This is video of Mia shortly before she actually lost her mind during a longish drive up to Fresno to see her cousins for their birthday. This video is pretty funny, but shortly after this it was all screams... ;o) Luckily she had a blast during the birthday party and wore herself out, so she slept for most of the drive back home later the same day!

Summer fun!

It's taken all summer, but Mia is finally willing to wear her shades. :o) This was taken as we were on our way out of an indoor playground at the mall yesterday.We hung out for a couple of hours w/ a friend of mine and her two kids. After Mia had explored every square inch of the playground, we went home for a loooong nap. ;o)

P.S. If you look at the large version of this picture, you can see all four of Mia's teeth!

Almost a toddler!

Mia is turning into a toddler right before my eyes!! She crawled into this plush toddler chair several times this evening. She gets the biggest kick out of the lion's face and usually just sort of lays on him face down. I flipped her around once and, to my surprise, she just sat there like a littler person. I remember how silly that chair seemed when I first brought Mia home and she couldn't even hold her head up, much less sit in a toddler chair!

Mia is also making a lot of progress on the food front. In the last couple of weeks, we've added pasta, string cheese, black beans, and some raw fruits to her diet. Jeff and I have both noticed that she eyes our plates pretty eagerly these days. It won't be long before she's working w/ her own fork & spoon!

9-month check up

Mia and I went to her 9-month check up a couple of days ago, and she's doing really well. She weighed in at 19lbs 12.5oz and measured 27 3/4". (And for extra credit, her head circumference is 18".) That puts Mia in about the 70th percentile for height and weight and about 90th percentile for head circumference.

Our doctor was happy with Mia's development so far: babbling, two teeth, pincher grip, crawling, pulling to standing, cruising, etc. It was a first appointment in 7 months where she didn't have to get any shots. However, we got a lab slip for a blood draw we have to complete before we go in for her 12-month check up. :o( If she likes that as much as she did when we were in the hospital after her birth...that'll be a great day.

On a funny note, when were in the exam room waiting for our doctor to come in, I was sitting w/ one ankle crossed over the other knee. Mia, who was just wearing a diaper at this point, was sitting in my lap like she was chilling in a chaise lounge, sitting on my lower leg and laying back over the other. When the doctor walked in, she just started laughing out loud at how mellow Mia appeared. And through the first half of the exam when she and I were talking about Mia's development, she kept looking at Mia and started laughing out loud again. I guess she hadn't seen a baby quite so chilled out at a doctor's appointment before. I gave Jeff credit for that part of Mia's personality, because I don't think I've ever been so relaxed in my life, and especially not anywhere near a doctor's office!

Petting zoo!!

Jeff, Regina, and I took Mia to the zoo today, and we got to take Mia into the petting zoo for the first time. Sooo much fun!! :o) If you listen carefully to this video, you can hear Mia laughing when the goat gets close to her, especially at the very end. This was a priceless day! :o) :o) There are a few still photos from our trip in her photo albumn.

T-r-o-u-b-l-e !

This kid is mobile, and she's curious about everything!! Let me just say that it is nearly impossible for me to study during the day now that Mia is mobile. The days of me studying next to her while she quietly plays on the floor are so over... ;o) As I write this, Mia is four-wheeling over a pile of books, toys, and diaper supplies that she has pulled down to play with. And I think she's just about pulled down everything that can be pulled down. And to think that she'll soon be able to walk without needing to hold on to stuff!!

Playland

Mia and I went to a little "playland" nearby that has all kinds of toys and soft spaces for infants and toddlers. Mia had a blast in the little ball pit and crawling (and falling) on their foam-covered floor. :o) They even had a giant jumper that we jumped on together. Mia got some good laughs out of that one. Enjoy!

Laughing on the swing

My friend Dolly drove out from Vegas to visit Mia & me last week, and I shot this video of Mia on the swings while the three of us were out at the beach. Her laugh at the end is priceless. :o)

Another big week!

Mia has been keeping us rather busy lately! Since my last post, she's become a very speedy crawler, she's taken a couple of cruising steps, she's started saying "da-da-da", and I felt her first tooth!! What a week! She spent most of this week chasing the cats or trying to get to their food. She actually caught Friday once and laughed victoriously. Jeff and I are also pretty excited that she holds her arms up to us when she wants to be picked up now. :o)

Mia's mom is not excited, however, that Mia is still not sleeping through the night anymore. Ugh. (I have to take a final and turn in a paper next week, and I can't even think straight anymore!!) Since Mia started crawling, rolling over, and standing all at once, she's been waking up around 1am and 4am every night to nurse. I'm starting to feel like I did back in the early weeks home from the hospital. But as you can see from this picture, Mia is still happy & healthy, so it's all worth it.

For the record, the emerging tooth is Mia lower, front, left-of-center tooth. There's probably a better name for it, but you know what I mean and I'm too tired to go look it up. :o)

Mia & her Cousins

Mia and I drove up to Fresno yesterday to celebrate her Godmother's graduation, and she got a chance to hang out w/ her cousins Sean & Evie. Congratulations again, Melody!! :o)

Baby Gate

Mia really disapproves of the baby gate I've installed in her doorway. Here's a picture of her protesting...and it was actually taken between screams of protest, so she looks much calmer than she really was. And on a funny note, this gate must be a whopping 26" tall, and Friday absolutely cannot figure out how to get over it. He was in the room w/ Mia & me when I installed it, and he freaked out b/c he couldn't figure out how to get out. He tried crawling under and squeezing through on both sides. When this approach (obviously) failed, he sought refuge from Mia by seeking higher ground instead. Like Heather said the other day, he's never been accused of being the brightest kitty... ;o)

Yet another use for the Boppy

I can't believe this took so long, but Friday finally discovered that the Boppy can be used to make a cat nest. He was like this when I went off to bed last night, and this was how I found him when I got up again this morning. ;o)

You asked for it!

Alrighty, ask & you shall receive! :o) Here is video footage of Mia jumping earlier this week. (Xan, this is for you!)

Brought to you by the letter "M"

We've got M's!! For the last few days, Mia has starting babbling "mum-mum-mum", and last night Jeff and I both swear we heard her say "mom". It's amazing how fascinating it is to hear new sounds suddenly coming out of this little creature. :o)

Our Jumping Bean

Mia has been taking her jumping very seriously lately. ;o) Here's an action shot I captured yesterday while Mia was in the middle of a marathon jumping session.

Sippy cup

Another quick milestone to share: Mia took her first successful drink from a sippy cup yesterday! I gave her an ounce or two of water in her green froggy sippy cup (which matches the green froggy bib I posted a picture of earlier), and instead of looking at it like it was a teether, she opened her mouth and tipped her head back. I suspected she might be interested in drinking some water when the temperatures pushed over 90 degrees yesterday. She's growing so fast!!

Uh-oh....

So Mia decided that this whole crawling thing is for babies... The same day she crawled for the first time, she also pulled herself to standing a couple of times. Crazy! Aren't they supposed to crawl for a while before they go vertical?? Geeze! Anywho, here are a couple of pictures I shot of her today after we got back from a walk. I sat her down on the floor next to her stroller, and she popped up right next to it so that she could play w/ the straps. Enjoy! ;o)

All You Can Eat

This cracked me up! Mia was exploring today w/ her new-found freedom, and I think she thought she'd struck gold: the All-You-Can-Eat snack bar!! I'm still laughing at this one... (Jeff & I may have to reserve this one to embarrass her on prom night or something.)

Mia's starting to crawl!!

Here is a video of Mia's first successful attempts at crawling! She traveled about 4 feet to get to her toys, some of it on her hands & knees and some of it on her tummy army-style.