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.