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)