At the age of 1, Mia weighs in at 20 pounds. She is taking multiple steps unaided (she usually crashes after around 10), she knows some words (Reggie, "edgy," Dada, Mama, Jake, light, hot, Moo, This, That, Ball), she nods her head for "yes," and her personality is blossoming more and more each day. Her daily routine consists of an early wake-up (between 6:15 and 7:30). She joins mommy and daddy in bed for a look through one of her favorite books (Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farms). She has a light breakfast, usually some berries, yogurt, a banana and oatmeal, a bottle of warm milk, then back to bed around 9:00. Her morning nap typically lasts between 45 and 90 minutes. After that, she's ready to play until her lunch time. She generally eats a good lunch. Current favorite foods include whole wheat noodles sauced with a squash puree. She loves yogurt and tortellini, strawberries and pears. She can't resist shredded pork and has an affinity for tortilla soup. She also likes humus and pita, tomatoes and tabbouleh. After lunch, Mia plays hard, reading books, dancing to her favorite tunes, and practicing her walking. Reggie dutifully cleans up after her lunch, then herds her into her play area and parks himself on the perimeter until it's time for his walk. Mia's afternoon nap lasts from about 1 to 2 hours and is followed up by more play and dinner time. She still has a bath before bed and typically snuggles down without much fuss. When she's tired, she loves to crawl into her crib.
Mia is a party queen. The month of May was absolutely filled with parties, beginning with Mama's 33rd birthday. It was followed by my first Mother's day, Grandpa Skip's birthday, Gramma's birthday and Josh's 37th birthday. All, of course were a prelude to Mia's 1st birthday Lu'au which took place on June 5th. In May, we experienced a few sunny days, but May and June 2010 have broken all kinds of records for rain. It's been cold and nasty much of the time lately. That is with the exception of the day of Mia's party. Bright sun shone down on the little keiki and all her Oregonian friends were beaming along with it. Daddy made our yard beautiful and, with the help of the family, Mia had an incredible Lu'au feast. She tried her first Kalua pork, Char Siu chicken, veggie sushi roll, and Korean style ribs. She sucked on a rib bone for a good 10 minutes, savoring every bit of flavor she could extract. Her love of vegetables has subsided a bit, but she's always happy to put down some pork.
After dinner, Auntie M gathered all the party-goers for a welcoming hula on the brick patio. I could feel the love and happiness everyone felt, just being together to celebrate this special little girl. Once the hula was complete, Mia dug into her birthday cake, a little green plate piled high with whipped cream, strawberries and a little mochi for the birthday girl. She was tentative at first, then promptly dug in. Because Mia's party was also a fundraiser for Pies for Peace (we raised over $100), Auntie Lark brought in all kinds of pie for Mia's guests. The pies were beautiful and delicious and the party was a total success. Daddy surprised her with her very own red wagon for a birthday present. Now, everyday, she goes for a ride in it up the driveway to get the mail.
Mia did lots of bike riding in the month of May. She loves her new front seat on daddy's bike and understands the word "helmet." She points out all the bikes on the road when we're in the car and seems to associate biking with fun.
Mia is beginning to assert herself more and more as she learns the boundaries and rules of the house. She's not as easily distracted when she wants something she isn't supposed to have (ie, bottles of poison) and she tends to throw the occasional fit. But her fits don't often last more than a moment or two and a smile quickly returns to her face.
Mia's smile is another constant topic in our household. She loves to show off her 7 teeth and we frequently catch ourselves bending over backwards to make her laugh (although it doesn't usually take much).
Mia attended her first Rose Festival parade and got to practice her waving--she was so pleased that everyone was waving back. She came to a couple of bike races (I got in my first post-baby race) and did lots of outings to parks around town.
As Josh and I look back over the past year, we are overwhelmed at 1. How quickly it flew by and 2. How much fun we had. We continue to count our blessings and cherish the time we have with the little Mia Pie. In our humble opinions, she is the sweetest person we have ever known.
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