Everything Possible

There is a moment when one has meandered through the early years of her twenties when she officially realizes, I am not a child prodigy. I will never be a professional athlete. I will not be the youngest person to summit Everest, nor will I be the youngest person to do much of anything. And while one can certainly focus on the subtle feeling of let-down that accompanies that realization, it is good to accept one's fate and look forward knowing that great adventures can still follow and good work can still be done.

When I look at Mia, all I see is possibility. As much as I try to stay in the present and enjoy each moment of her current magical state, I can't help but become starry-eyed thinking about all that she will do in her lifetime. I'm not particularly attached to her becoming the first woman to compete in the Tour de France (or even the Giro d'Italia, for that matter), and it's okay if she doesn't cut her first live album before college. But I must admit, I have a sincere longing for her to live her life fully, embracing the myriad opportunities and welcoming adventures that surely will present themselves to her. And with all the milestones she reached in the month of December, it's difficult not to begin imagining all that Mia could become.

Josh and I are eager for Mia to experience this beginning part of her life surrounded by love and happiness, so that she will have a strong sense of confidence and a general feeling of well-being. We also want her to be surrounded by music, culture (sometimes not so easy to do from the comfy confines of SW PDX), language and nature. We want her to begin to realize the great possibility that awaits her as she lives her life and, if she so chooses, she can experience art, music and literature (Moo Baa La, La, La will have to suffice at this stage) starting right now.

And what better time to dive into the world of music than the Holiday Season? We busted out our collection of Christmas music on December One as Daddy commenced constructing his light display ala Clark Griswald. He took it to new levels this year and even took the time to attach a short, battery-operated string to Baby Mia's stroller. We rocked Aaron Neville's Soulful Christmas in the evening as we decorated the tree, which is WAY more fun with a curious, bright-eyed baby. She loved the ornaments and the feel of the prickly branches. And as the gentle lilt of Aaron's Ave Maria filled our home and soothed her to sleep, Baby Mia officially decided she would give her parents an early Christmas gift and drop her 5:00 a.m. feeding only to awaken with those shiny blueberry eyes at 7:00. We were tempted to shout "Hallelujah!" from the rooftops, but alas, we refrained.

For a little Country/Folk twang, we also played a lot of Emmylou Harris through this holiday season. Christmas Time's A-Comin' was the perfect accompaniment to all the holiday baking we did. Mia practiced her Plank pose and Downward Dog (Reggie is really a gifted teacher) on the kitchen floor as we baked Julekake (cardamom bread), Nog Logs, Star Spritz, Raspberry Crescents, and a new fave, Chocolate Espresso cookies. It wasn't until mid-December that I noticed that the previous four or five grocery store trips all involved a butter purchase (you're welcome Tillamook Creamery). Not kidding. I think we went through ten pounds of butter. Our house had a constant smell of nutmeg, cardamom and fir tree. I hope Mia will forever associate those sweet smells with feelings of comfort and joy.

We listened to Il Divo in the morning before Mia's morning nap. And as Los 4 Guapos belted out Noche de Paz, Mia decided that would be the background music for one of her major December milestones. She crawled. First she went for a book. Then, she went for a little light-up thing. Then the Christmas tree. She saw stuff she wanted and she went for it. As her strength developed over the month, so did her determination. She is interested in paper (she prefers newsprint--we'll see if she remembers what it was in 10 years when newsprint will likely be a thing of the past. Pardon me as I silently mourn the coming loss of my daily morning paper), presents, little toys that light up and make noise, musical instruments--especially the ones that Grammie Chris got her for Christmas, and, of course Jake, the cat. In fact, she loves Jake so much that she bursts into laughter when she sees him and her little body trembles with delight. Fortunately, Jake is so starved for attention that he'll take what he can get and welcomes Mia's clumsy pawing and tugging.

Josh took Mia out on lots of shopping dates this month and quickly realized that she is a total chick magnet. He threw her in the front pack and strutted through the stores as the ladies swooned over her sparkling eyes and sweet smile. He dutifully responded with, "well, she takes after her mother." Seriously, he told me he did.

We braved the cold for Tuba Christmas early in the month. Mia was well dressed in her fleece snow suit, but was happy to warm up with Irish Coffees and apple cider after the show. Speaking of snow, Mia got to experience her first encounter with a beautiful snow storm that hit the 29th. Unfortunately, her rookie parents decided it would be fun to go out for a walk in the blizzard and failed to cover her little hands. She evaded frostbite but her little pink mitts definitely took a few extra minutes to thaw when we got home. On the upside, our house was like a little snow globe for a couple of days and every window displayed a beautiful wintery scene.

Mia was a star for all the Christmas festivities. She bounced from party to party and enjoyed meeting her second cousins, Evan, Madeline, Abigail and Gracie. Those three girls passed Mia around like she was a little doll and she didn't complain once. In fact, she seemed to light up with the interaction and attention.

December ended with a few bumps in the road. Mia came down with her first cold and we quickly realized how lucky we are to have had such a healthy baby. It was, quite literally, torture for us to see Mia suffering with such inconsolable discomfort. I decided I better call the doctor to see what to do and when I rattled off her list of symptoms (runny nose, cough, low-grade fever), the doctor said, "so, what's the problem?" And I replied, "WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO TO MAKE HER FEEL BETTER???" And she replied, "this is your first child, isn't it? So, we spent lots of time taking hot steam showers, getting acquainted with the bulb syringe (Mia hates it), and doing lots of rocking and quiet time. And as Mia was whimpering and crying one night, she called for me. That's right. She said, "mama." Between Josh and I, we've heard it about 8 times. The first time I heard it, I said, "hah, it almost sounded like she said, 'mama.'" And Josh said, "She did." And, with our mouths hanging open, once again, in awe, we gave her big hugs, not quite believing that it actually happened.

We closed out the year with our fifth annual Jarecki party with oysters, fondue, champagne and a new addition of bacon wrapped dates. Sinful. And the answer is, no, we did not make it to midnight. In fact, the party was more of a happy hour and was over by 6:30.

The end of the year signified a coming transition for our family that will, without a doubt be a difficult one. I will begin preparing to go back to work in mid January and will have to remind myself daily how lucky I was to have been able to stay home with Mia until she was 8 months old. I take comfort in the fact that, in our new, albeit more separate lives, Mia will continue to develop and explore all that is before her. And the possibilities for Mia are endless. She is surrounded by love, language, music, culture, art and nature.

Everything Possible is a song that makes up the soundtrack of my life and, I haven't sung it much to Mia until recently, perhaps because I am preparing myself for the first of many transitions that we will face in our lives. It is now clear to me why my parents and my parents' friends sang it to Missy and me so frequently with such hope and love in their eyes.

Chorus of Everything Possible by Fred Small:

You can be anybody you want to be

You can love whomever you will

You can travel any country where your heart leads

And know I will love you still

You can live by yourself

You can gather friends around

You can choose one special one

And the only measure of your words and your deeds

Will be the love you leave behind when you're done

I can only hope that the messages she hears in the beginning of the soundtrack of her life will influence her as much as they influenced me. And I must agree with her Gramma who repeatedly exclaims (sometimes hollers from her balcony), "She's a love. That's all she is."

Gracias

When Mia was one month old, I sincerely thought that Josh and I would never eat dinner at the same time again. I thought I'd never sleep more than three hours in a row and was quite certain I would never successfully start and complete any single task in one day. I also thought my mom would continue coming over everyday, literally saving my life with every minute she let me nap. The month of November brought with it a return to normalcy. Of course, my definition of normal is quite different today than it was one year ago. But we have officially arrived at a place where we sit and wonder, "what did we do before Mia came?" And while that first month was so filled with unknowns and fragile (sometimes painful) moments, today we find solace in our new daily routines. Mia has a dinner time and a reliable bed time (6:30 strikes and she's out like a light). For my friends without children, it's difficult explain the joy we find in knowing when Mia will be ready to settle in for the night. In June, I never would've thought it possible. This sense of normalcy is anything but mundane. On the contrary, we are excited by it and comforted by our growing sense of confidence as new parents. We really know our daughter and find relief in the fact that we can soothe her when she needs soothing. We can sing her a favorite song (still a fan of the Little White Whale!). We can offer her a favorite toy. We can hold her in the position that gives her ideal access to her thumb. In some ways, I feel more settled into my new role as a mom than ever before.

It is fitting that the month of November began with our family's first annual chanterelle mushroom hunt followed by a good old fashioned cider pressing party. Nothing says fall more than a chilly day out on Lark and Mark's farm filled with apple chopping, turning, churning, and pressing. Mia happily oversaw the whole event. Her favorite part was watching Daddy turn the antique press (after having ridden his bike all the way out to the farm, no less!) with a "git 'er done" sense of dedication and focus. Sure, he suffered from a minor strain to his pectoralis major. No one said cider pressing was light work!

The month has been filled with new adventures that Mia seems to welcome with a genuine sense of wonderment. We've been swimming in the local pool, we've visited the library several times, and we've even had lunch out at a restaurant with Great Auntie Cyndie and Auntie M, an adventure that I was pretty sure I'd never have again.

As expected, Mia, is continuing to grow more and more charming every day. Her eyes seem to be staying that beautiful ocean blue (although, should they change, they will, no doubt continue to be beautiful!). As one of her grandmas said, "She looks like her dad with her mom's face stamped on top." She has a smile that melts our hearts and two pearly whites peeking through her bottom gums. She is constantly looking for new challenges. She has mastered the art of the sit and the roll and is moments away from crawling. Surely she'll put that off until mom and dad stop procrastinating the baby-proofing of the house, right?

As her bright eyes shine, so does Mia's little personality. I remember when she was born thinking, "I can't wait to get to know her." I am amazed at how much of her personality has already developed. She is determined, curious, aware, independent, strong and sweet. Josh and I fight over who's turn it is to pick her up after she wakes up from her naps because she inevitably flashes an unforgettable grin that never fails to melt our hearts.

One of Mia's biggest adventures in the month of November included one of the culinary variety. Mia's first experiences with solid foods have been a huge success so far. She prefers oatmeal over rice cereal and seems to be warming to the Hubbard squash that was given to her by our neighbor Kelly. Josh can't wait to give her homemade pizza.

Mia celebrated her first Thanksgiving and made the rounds to visit all the family and friends who were so excited to see her. She got to peer at her growing cousin Maehle, hang out with cousins Audrey, Henry and Iris, and then got to meet Coen and Gavin (Jepsen) Gladstone. One can only hope that Mia and Gavin and Coen will have as much fun together as the Durham girls did with the Jepsen girls years ago.

Josh and I make it a habit to count our blessings and speak often about how thankful we are for each other and all that we have. But this year, it is just different. Besides being generally thankful for our loving families, we are particularly thankful this year that they all live nearby. Besides appreciating living in a house we love, we feel particularly blessed to be in what feels like a small haven, surrounded by the beauty of the woods. And aside from being thankful that we have a sweet little baby in our family, we are particularly grateful that Mia is healthy and growing stronger each day. What a gift she is!

Rollin' Along!

That's right, folks. She rolls. She rolls from front to back, back to front, left to right, and right to left. One quiet morning of playing on the floor was interrupted by Mia's burning desire to get off her back and get onto her tummy, without any help. I'll never forget that evening when Daddy, Uncle Brian, Auntie M and I were circled around Baby Mia as she twisted and turned until she flipped herself over from her typical Savassana to a sturdy Upward Dog. All four of us were eagerly cheering her on with encouraging hollers..."Come on, Mia! You can do it. Go, Baby, Go!!" And she did it. And we were all in awe.

Needless to say, the month of October flew by and Mia is growing fast! It was a whirlwind kind of month that was filled with parties, fun and new adventures. Most importantly, Mia got to welcome her new baby cousin Maehle to the world on October 8th. She is beautiful and healthy and Mia can't wait to play with her. What fun those two are going to have! Not that this blog is about me, but I must say, I love the fact that I'm now an Auntie.

When I say parties, I mean lots of parties. Mia attended her big cousin Audrey's 3rd birthday party the first weekend of the month. It was a costume party with a super-fun carnival put on by her super-creative parents. After that, she attended a BTV (Bridgetown Velo) birthday party and was quite the hit there. She also went to her Cousin Sarah's beautiful wedding. A couple weeks later, she hosted her very first Pumpkin Carving Party. We plan to make it an annual event because it was such a great time. Daddy spent the day creating a beautiful harvest setting with the help of the pristine sunshine and gorgeous fall leaves. We had carving competitions, homemade doughnuts (fried on the spot), hot stew, pumpkin seed brittle dipped in chocolate, and cornbread muffins all followed by a roaring campfire. Mia had many of her little baby friends over, including Lowe, Ella and Cousin Henry. As her Grammy said, what a difference a year makes!

While Mia has been talking since she was very young, October was the month that she really found her voice. Her repertoire of consonant vowel combinations quadrupled and she's currently loving the sound of high-pitched screaming, followed by smirks and giggles. She enjoys chatting with the baby in the mirror and singing along to Baby Beluga, her favorite bedtime lullaby.

Mia is on the verge of doing many things. She's about to sit up on her own. She's about to crawl. She's about to begin eating solid food. She's about to begin standing / leaning (while supported, of course), and she's about to grow some teeth. The coming months are sure to be filled with milestones!

Mia's favorite toys are her blocks and stacking cups. She loves coasters, my coffee cup (it's Mexican Talavera--she certainly has good taste!), the sound of the guitar, and her duck family that lives in the bathtub. Gramma found out that Mia loves to watch the fall leaves in the bird bath and the sound of October rain. She will happily stare at the leaves for a good solid five minutes. And those of you who were wondering if Mia still likes her thumb, the answer is, yes! She can't get enough of it at nap time and bedtime.

October ended with with a costume parade. Mia went as a three different characters. The Ducks were playing that day, so, obviously she had to don her Duck Cheerleader outfit for a spell. But before that, she reserved the right to remain cozy in her Jack-o-lantern jammies. Finally, she humored her mother and dressed up in her shrimp costume. I do believe she was the only shrimp on the block. Thank you, Mia, for your patience, and I'll expect the obligatory eye-rolling in approximately 14 years.

As I look out on the forest that surrounds our house I believe I can safely say a good strong windstorm will put an end to the falling leaves and will bring the inevitable chill of winter. My baking and knitting will likely continue into the holidays and Mia will certainly continue to use that voice of hers. She is developing a taste for her favorite people in the world. Unsurprisingly, they include her parents and grandparents, aunties and uncles. Josh's face lights up every time he sees his daughter and consistently complains that he doesn't get enough time with her. The echoing sound of all the pre-baby advice ("enjoy this time, because it goes so fast") is ringing in our ears and we're quickly realizing that the advice was spot-on. We enjoy every moment with sweet Baby Mia and feel blessed that she is in our lives.

She found her feet.

Smooch.

Go Ducks!

Love, at a New Level

People (mostly my mom and dad) have told me all along that I could plan to experience love at a level never before felt. Most of the time, I would roll my eyes and nod my head and think, "Uh-huh. Yeah. Okay. Whatever," much as I would when they would tell me how important it was to save money or floss my teeth every night. Lo and behold, they were right (about the saving and flossing too). Josh and I were never prepared for this bursting feeling of love we have for Sweet Baby Mia. It overwhelms us on a daily basis and we frequently look at each other in disbelief and say, "Can you believe how AMAZING she is?" And, honestly, it isn't just us. Everyone who meets little Mia is taken aback by her sweetness, her strength (physical and mental), and her beauty. They say things, like, "No really, she is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen," and they aren't even Grandparents, who are basically required to say stuff like that. Her doctor picked her up and said, "Wow, she's so strong and alert for her age!" We knew all that time at the gym would pay off!

September was a month of celebrating the harvest at Mia's house. Yes, Mia's adventures continued, but many of them occurred at home. It seems that each day, Mia was overseeing a new project from the vantage of her pink bouncy chair which sits upon the kitchen counter (it will likely be any day that she'll be too big to enjoy that particular perch). She observed mindfully as Gramma and Mom tore up the kitchen with pounds and pounds of fruits and vegetables (many of which came from Lark and Mark's farm), canning equipment, the dehydrator, and the mixer. We'll end the month with cupboards full of plum jam, canned peaches, spicy spaghetti sauce, dried pears, dried Italian plums and a freezer full of blackberry jam and Sauvie Island corn. We also have one jar of home-grown pesto thanks to Uncle Ryan and Auntie Kat which we will surely savor on a cold winter night in December. Josh will be relieved when the colder weather sets in and we can bid adieu to our friends the fruit-flies who have dutifully tended to the piles of produce we've had in the kitchen. Of course, he's forgotten about apple season!

Mia has also been overseeing my bread-baking. I committed to baking all our bread while I'm home from school and, so far, it's been quite a success. My three seed whole-wheat flax bread has been the favorite so far, although that one loaf of fluffy white sandwich bread was certainly a guilty pleasure.

Mia's new favorite past-time is laughing. That's right. She laughs. A lot. In fact, Uncle Ryan recently made her laugh so hard that she nearly burst and walked away from the whole ordeal with a wicked case of the hiccups. She later said it was totally worth it.

Mia has been described as a "muscle body." She is long and lean. She holds her head up with the strength of a giraffe, enjoys Tummy Time and loves to stand and bounce. Her new favorite toy is one that fits right into our current budget...her feet. She loves to grab them, roll around while holding them, and stare at them. She's working on putting them in her mouth, but she's not quite there yet. Frankly, it's become quite a problem because, it's not like I can say, "Ok, Mia. It's time to put your feet away and take a nap," right? She's no dummy.

With the change of the season, Mia will get to learn what it's like to be a true Oregonian. Fall, in our family is not a time to hunker down and begin hibernating early. We have big plans to attend Cyclocross races to cheer on our bike team, take walks in the fall leaves, make soup, prepare the garden for winter, and take our first trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Something tells me Mia is going to LOVE hunting for the perfect pumpkin.

At nearly 4 months, Mia is an absolute joy to have around. She is on a wonderful routine that allows us to meet her needs without too much guesswork. She lets us know when she's tired or hungry with little fussing. While she struggles occasionally to go down for a nap or sleep through the night, she is, as all the Grandmas say, a really good baby. And they should know. We just feel like we got lucky.

Hanging with cousin Henry and Auntie Sara

at Gramma's house.

Mia likes to read! Her current literary

favorite is Hop on Pop.

Mia found her mobile. Auntie M can't get enough!

What's Gramma's favorite kind of pie?

MiaPie, of course!

Yes! She can hold her head up. Such a strong girl.

Baby Mia with Grandpa Rick in Hawaii

We can't stop kissing her!

August was a busy month!

The month of August for Ms. MiaPie was filled with adventure!

The month started out with record breaking heat for Portland. The highs reached 107 degrees. Thank goodness, Daddy brought home a pool for the family to enjoy. Mia went swimming every night and proved that she is definitely a water-baby.

We made our first family trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. We stayed on the Kohala Coast with Grandpa Rick, Grandma Marla, Uncle Devon, Great-Grandma Jan, Uncle Kyle and we had a visit from Brian Lee who is living in Maui. Mia was a perfect little traveler and loved being on the Island. She went swimming in the pool everyday and went in the ocean at Hapuna Beach. She slept each night at the foot of Mom and Dad's bed in a pink bassinet. Everyone was happy until the biting ants joined us in our room for a night. Yikes! Thankfully, we were able to bid them adieu after only a few hours. We think they were after Mia's spit-up rags. As Brian says, "I don't care who thinks they own these islands. Anyone who lives here knows that the islands belong to the ants!"

We all attended a beautiful ceremony as we lay to rest the ashes of Auntie Allison and Uncle Gavin. Danny Akaka and Uncle Dan led the event with chanting and Hawaiian rituals. While it was an emotional day for all, it was also uplifting to know that both of them are at peace on the island.

Mia got to meet her little cousin Devlin, the son of Naomi and we spent some time with Kim and Richard (Kim and Naomi are Uncle Gavin's daughters).

Josh cooked beautiful meals for everyone (fresh ahi and mahimahi, teriyaki chicken, etc...) and we all had a wonderful, restful time.

The next weekend was our trip to Alpine for Pete and Sarina's wedding. Once again, Mia was a perfect traveler and loved the party. She looked beautiful in her little ladybug dress and hat that Gramma made for her. She danced her first waltz with mom and dad had a great time being held by Auntie M and visiting with Lark and Mark.

The next weekend was Uncle Ryan and Auntie Katrin's wedding at the house in Road's End. Katrin was a beautiful bride and the whole wedding party looked stunning in their linen outfits. It was a perfect day at the beach--bright sunshine and warm weather (a little windy on the beach, but that's to be expected at the Oregon Coast!). Ryan and Katrin said their vows on the sand with all the family watching. Reverend Dad was the officiant and the chef! He cooked a phenomenal 5 course meal. The whole event was one to remember!

Mia has done lots of plum picking and so far she's helped mom make plum jam, dried plums, and gelatto della prugna. All delicious!

As the month of August winds down and Mia completes her third month of life, she is dazzling us with her smiles and the beginnings of little laughs. She's holding her head up on her own and loves following things with her eyes. She's holding on to rattles (her keys are her favorite). She loves going for walks and sitting under trees so that she can watch the leaves and listen to them rustle in the breeze. Everyday that passes, we are more in love with her than the day before. She is simply amazing.

Aloha

Sunset at the Mauna Lani Hotel. Mia's first trip to Hawaii.

Welcome to Mia's Blog!

Welcome, Family!

On this blog, you will be able to follow the adventures of Ms. Mia. We'll do our best to post pictures of Baby MiaPie so you can keep up with her activities.

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