Autumn? What's that?

Don't even get me started on how the temperature was 94 yesterday and we are well into the second week of OCTOBER. Here are some pictures from the weekend. We went to a family reunion, picked out some pumpkins and explored our devilish side. I have no idea why the last picture is so tiny. Enjoy!

Lordy, Lordy, Lordy

Mia is busy as always. She loves to plunder through my purse. Her favorite items being my cell phone and car keys. She likes to eat the keys. I have never understood why, but she has always liked chewing on metal objects. Yuck. She has been doing well lately. Her newest word, or should I say phrase, is Lordy, Lordy, Lordy. She picked that up from GranE. It actually comes out sounding more like lerdy, lerdy, lerdy and it makes me laugh every time she says it.


It's official. I am going to be a stay-at-home mommy. My last day as a full time employee will be November 2nd. I'm very excited. I will remain employed with the hospital as PRN. Maybe I'll return one day after Mia has started school. I am looking forward to devoting more time to her although I think it's going to feel strange not working. For a while, it will probably feel like I'm doing something wrong or playing hookey from work.


I managed to survive being away from Mia for 3 days while we were in New Orleans. And the only reason I did survive is because GranE gave me constant updates on Mia. Clay and I had a great time even though our team did not win. We had a fabulous dinner at my favorite New Orleans restaurant, Bayona. You really must try it the next time you are in NO. Bourbon Street is smelly as ever but I imagine it just would not be the same if it didn't smell.

Mia's Playground

Mia and I have been checking out the playgrounds all around town. This particular one did not have swings but we still had fun. She loves the sliding board and most of all she loves all the other kids. I was reminded how bratty and honest kids can be. One little girl came up to me and told me that Mia was too little to be there. Mia swatted at her and barely touched her and the little girl was whining that Mia hit her. Then the little girl started swinging on a bar next to where we had been playing and almost knocked Mia down. We left. Mia takes it all in stride and was not bothered by the little girl at all. Mommy on the other hand needs more practice at the playground and playing well with others. :)




Mia still loves the appliances. I have to watch her when I'm emptying the dishwasher now because she can climb onto the door. She likes to "help". She is the best helper, too!

Growing up so fast

I need to improve on my updates here, but who has the time! Miss Mia keeps me busy and I love it. She is getting into everything and it is so much fun. Shortly after returning home from Folly Beach, we took Mia to a children's museum in town called EdVenture. It is such a neat place. It is all hands on and encourages children to jump right in and touch everything.


There was a small section dedicated to toddlers, but the majority of the museum is geared towards older children. Mia had a lot of fun just being able to touch things and to be around all the people. We will definitely be going back. I can see her really enjoying it even more when she's a little older.


We attended my stepbrother's wedding a few weeks ago. The couple were married by the lake in the evening. It was hot but very nice. It was nearing Mia's bedtime but she was such a good girl and was happy to visit and be cute for everyone. She was so cute dancing with her daddy. I try not to think about her doing that at her OWN wedding. It is way to early to be getting all teary eyed about that.


Mia is doing great with her walking. It's amazing how far she's come in just one month. She is going from sitting to standing using only her legs with no assistance with holding on to anything. Babies are truly amazing. We are expecting her to start running any day now. LOL! We went out to eat last night and she walked all the way from the table to the truck. It was a bittersweet moment for mommy watching her big girl being such a big girl! And I can't forget to update about her many teeth. I discovered this morning that she now has 16 teeth. Yes, 16!! Her top right cuspid broke through Monday of last week and when I looked this morning, her left cuspid has also cut through the gums. People think she is older because of all of her teeth!


As you can see, Mia LOVES the stairs. We finally had to break down and buy a babygate to keep her from scooting up them all the time. Some of her other favorite playing spots in the house are the kitchen cabinets, specifically the "tupperware" cabinet. She really liked getting into the cabinets under the sink where the no-nos are kept, but we put cabinets locks on those and I received quite "the look" from her the first time she tried getting into those cabinets and could not. The still loves the fridge and the freezer and can now climb up onto the dishwasher door when it's open. I am starting to think we spend entirely too much time in the kitchen!


It is daddy's favorite time of year again: Football Season. Mommy got a new Under Armor (the most comfortable material!) shirt and Mia a new cheerleader outfit. She's the cutest cheerleader ever, if I do say so myself! Football season also means that she gets to spend more time with her GranE which GranE couldn't be happier about. The first game was last Saturday night and she even spent the night. I am still not sure how I am going to leave her for an ENTIRE WEEKEND in a couple of weeks when we go to NO. I will not even think about it.


That's about all I can think of right now. Oh yes, and she's getting so much more hair. It sticks up and I call her little fuzzy head. She ignores me and does not think it's as cute as I do. She is going to be quite the sassy handful. :)

One year check-up

Things have been busy lately and I have not been able to update the blog like I wanted. Our computer is still being repaired therefore I have no new pictures to post right now. Mia had her one year check-up last Tuesday. She now weighs 21 pounds, 12 ounces and is 28 3/4 inches long now. She seems much taller than that to us, but the nurse measured her THREE times, and I even measured her once when we got home. Dr. W was very pleased with Mia's growth and development. She is now in the 50th percentile for height, weight and head circumference. We were sad to learn from Dr. W that she is retiring early and will no longer be Mia's pediatrician. We really liked her and she just loves Mia. We promised to keep her updated on Mia and send her pictures so she can still see her grow up.

Mia is walking all over the place. She is still doing the scowl and I have figured out that I am to blame for that one. Monkey see, monkey do. I discovered that she is actually giving me "the look". I have been trying to give her the look instead of telling her "no" and "stop" all the time. Now, she is giving it back to me!!! It is too funny. Her top eye teeth are close to popping through. Dr. W was so surprised to see that she has almost all of her teeth except (what she called) her 2-year molars.

I know I wanted to report a few other things but I seem to be sick and my brain is not working properly right now. Will update again soon...hopefully with some pictures!

Beach buddies

Greetings from Folly Beach

We are having a great time! Mia loves the ocean and isn't eating the sand this time. :) Enjoy the pics while we are enjoying some sun and relaxation.

Party Time!

Mia's first birthday party was a hit! She had loads of fun and was so sweet and lively even though she was running on fumes because she'd only had a 30 minute nap before the party. She was too excited to sleep. She had visits from grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, and friends. Some of the fun gifts included her Elmo riding toy, books, a Leap Frog Lilly counting doll, a toolbench, a ton of clothes, her very own remote, a piggy bank that plays "It's a Small World", and some cash to start her very own savings account.

She LOVED her cake. When we put it down in front of her she didn't quite know what to think. She stuck one little finger in the icing and tasted it and liked what she had in front of her. She was careful to savor every bite and was so dainty with it. She eventually got both hands in it and started getting actual cake. The sugar in her system erased all signs of her needing a nap but she crashed shortly after that. She was such an angel all day....no big surprise there.

She had a great first birthday. It was a special day for mommy, too. One of my Babyfit friends described her son's first birthday as being better than her own. I couldn't have said it better myself. She seemed to have changed so much over the past two days. She just "looks" and acts older. Since her birthday, she has been walking more on her own and her daddy FINALLY got to see it. We are so proud of her. Enjoy the pictures!

Happy Birthday, Mia Pia!

Where does the time go? Really? It feels like just yesterday that I was lying in a hospital bed gazing at this amazing little person that I had just given birth to only a few short hours before. It sort of felt like a dream at the time. Dreams do come true and she is living proof. This has been a truly blessed year. Mia started her birthday off early at 6:30 this morning. I walked into her room singing 'Happy Birthday'. She liked that. As she was having breakfast (banana pancakes and yogurt) I looked up at the clock right at 8:43 and we sang 'Happy Birthday' to her again. She is getting the hang of the birthday song and has figured out it IS all about HER! She had a short birthday nap. I think she is too excited about her party. I will post party pictures later. We have some birthday celebrating to do right now. Here are some updates and pictures. We will see you later.

Although you can not tell from this picture because her cute little tongue is in the way, our big girl has 14 teeth! Tooth #13 broke through on Tuesday and #14 quickly followed the next day! And I have the nerve to wonder why she has trouble sleeping sometimes. Who wouldn't?! She is a big girl and rarely complains.

Her newest thing is with the headband. She was in the bathroom with me one day and she needed something to play with so I handed her a headband of mine. As some of you may know, she likes to hold onto things...always has. Well, this headband is now a daily part of her playing, sleeping, and eating routine. LOL! She will find it on the floor as she is crawling around and will stop to pick it up, sit up and proceed to get it "just right" on her head. Then, she will go about her business. She has taken naps while wearing it. She eats meals while wearing it. It has even become a part of the nighttime routine when we are in the glider reading. I slip it off her head once she has calmed down and is just about asleep. She is so funny.

I may have mentioned how much she likes to play in the refrigerator and the freezer. If she is in the living room playing and she hears me open one of the doors, she will make a bee-line for the kitchen. This also applies to the dishwasher. She likes to "help" me unload and load the dishes. The kitchen has never been MORE fun. She brightens everything in life!