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.