Endless joy

Mia is officially a toddler. She is 21 months old and talking up a storm. She is smart. She has a sense of humor. She is sweet. She is beautiful. She is loved more than she could ever imagine. However, she does have some idea of how much. When I ask her, “do you know how much your mommy loves you?” She replies, without hesitation, “A lot!”

January arrived with a renewed sense of peace in our home and 2011 started out as a good year. Mia celebrated New Year's Eve with the traditional festivities with Dave and Courtney. She was happy to give Dave her dinosaur puppet book and was thrilled with his gift to her--her very own cell phone. She calls him on it constantly and had a great time ringing in 2011 with such good friends. She can’t wait for the baby in Courtney’s tummy to pop out!

We put away the Christmas ornaments, said goodbye to the Christmas angel that lives in Kelly's yard. We took down the lights and put away all the new toys. Mia transitioned back to school without much ado and we got back into our usual routine.

Mia is still going to bed around 7:00. We've stopped doing an evening bath because she usually showers with me in the morning. Her skin was getting a bit dry with all the water exposure, so we decided to change up the bedtime routine a bit. Her current daily routine is as follows

· Wake up around 5:00 and come into "the big bed." She yells "MAMA'S BED" around 4:45 and I usually give her 15 minutes to change her mind and go back to sleep in her crib. She NEVER chooses that option, so I bring her into bed with me. Usually, she'll snuggle in and fall back to sleep for another hour. Sometimes, unfortunately, she decides she's had enough of this sleeping business and is ready to start her day. She say’s “light on,” and “a boot” and paws at my face until I finally do her bidding.

· We get up and jump in the shower. Mia sits happily on the floor of the shower and colors with her soap crayons or plays with her tub animals. She particularly likes her little honu. One thing that has started in the last couple of weeks is that Mia insists on picking up all her crayons and toys before leaving the shower. "Clean up, clean up," she sings as she puts her things away.

· Then, we dry off and Mia sits on the bathroom counter while I do my hair and put on some make-up. Mia brushes her teeth with her electric toothbrush and organizes the Q-tips. She also likes to comb her own hair and keeps me company by naming all the objects on the counter. She is generally happy in the morning and, as long as she's NOT on the floor, she likes to just hang out while I get ready.

· Then, we get dressed. Fortunately, Mia doesn't have very strong opinions about what she wears yet. She's back to liking dresses (she wouldn't wear one for a while there) and she likes to talk about her "outfit." She knows the difference between jeans and sweatpants, shirts and sweaters. She HATES jeans and socks that are too tight and loves her little down vest that I got her when she was 6 months old. Somehow, it still fits and I think she'll cram herself into it until it won't zip anymore. She also loves her little blue wool hat I made for her.

· Once we're all dressed, we head downstairs for breakfast. Lately, Mia's been enjoying waffles, pears, cereal with milk, peanut butter toast, raisins, oatmeal and occasionally eggs (although some days, she won't touch them). She points out Mama's "hot coffee" and narrates everything Reggie and I do " Mama...paper. Reggie...sit. Mama...toast. Reggie...bad dog. Mama...breakfast. Reggie...Mia's breakfast. etc..." We always scan the paper for pictures of animals. We usually find at least one or two.

· After breakfast, we brush teeth (electric toothbrush is loads of fun), bundle up and head to school. As we drive by Mt. Carmel, Mia says, "old school...friends." When we arrive at Next Generation, she says, "new school...buddies." When we walk into school, her friends Isaac and Ethan always yell, "Mia's here!" Drop off is never stressful. I sit with Mia for about 5 or 10 minutes, read some books to her and her little buddies and leave without a fuss. It's so nice to know that Mia is happy at her school. They constantly tell me how impressed they are with her language development. The other day, her teacher Samantha told me Mia was the "teacher's assistant" because she was helping teach all the other kids how to talk.

· In the car, Mia sings “ABCD” and “The Wheels on the Bus” all the way to school. She loves to point out the gas station, busses that pass and always comments on the weather—especially if it’s raining (“raining, pouring…brrrrrrr”).

· After school, I race to pick up Mia. Daddy picks her up on Tuesdays and takes her for playtime at his house. The other days, I greet her at school and she comes running into my arms. It is quite a thrill to have someone be so excited to see me. We head home and talk about our days. Sometimes we stop at the grocery store or a park, if it’s not raining and freezing, but usually we just head home and dive into our books.

· Dinner is usually something I heat up that was made over the weekend.

Mia's Auntie Anna picks her up on Mondays still and brings her home to play for about an hour until I get home from my meeting. We all eat dinner together and play until Anna heads home around 5:30. Mia LOVES her Auntie Anna and always looks forward to their playtime.

Friday is Gramma’s day. Mia absolutely quivers with glee knowing that Gramma is coming over to play. Usually, they head to the library song circle around 10:00, then to Baja Fresh for “tatos and beetos.” She still eats a ton of mango salsa and everyone there knows her. Often, Bop will stop by for a visit on his way to Salem or, if he’s working in Portland for the day, Gramma and Mia will make a trip to Bop’s house to see him. After their day, Daddy comes to pick up Mia and takes her for dinner at the “Pizza Store” (Pizzicato) where they eat meatballs, ronis, and pear salad. David, the guy at the pizza store knows Mia and has a meatball ready for her while the pizza is being made.

Mia can read books for hours. She loves hunting for the Gold Bug, Dingo Dog and Officer Flossie in Cars and Trucks and Things that Go with Bop. In fact, she can point out the Gold Bug on every single page faster than anyone who reads with her. Dave Jarecki was reading with her recently and kept asking, “How does she do that?” She is becoming interested in Potty books, although is not too interested in using the potty. She loves rhyming books and is able to complete the sentences in Go, Dog Go, Front Back, Down by the Station, and A Baby Body Book, and dozens more. She loves Hop on Pop, Old Farmer Brown, Maple Hill Farms and, of course, Oh, What a Busy Day.

One of my favorite parts about raising Mia is watching and listening to her language development. She has blossomed into a skilled conversationalist and seems to learn dozens of new words every week. At 21 months, she can recite the entire alphabet, count to 10 (not always in proper order), point out important landmarks on our usual car routes, comment on feelings, recognize opposites, remind her parents of things they said they were going to do, recognize her name in writing, name all the body parts, all the food she eats (and doesn’t eat), tell us where something hurts, name all the important people in her life, give commands to Reggie and Jake, ask for what she wants, say please, thank you, excuse me, make jokes and on and on and on. It is fascinating to me to see how far she has come in such a short period of time. She’s even able to say a few Spanish words (carro, perro, taza, gato). For “carro,” she says, “ca-d-d-d-o.”

Mia often refers to me as “Mama Amy” and knows everyone else’s “real” names too. She associates Huck with Missy, Bibi with Auntie April, Greg with Annalise and she’s named her baby doll “Ella,” after Ella Rosenswig. Recently, when we asked her, “Who is Chad’s dog?” She replied, “Missy!” Not to worry…when we asked her, “Who is Missy’s dog?” She promptly replied, “Chad!”

January went by rather quickly. Unfortunately, Mia had a runny nose and lots of congestion for most of January and February. It seemed like every time she started to feel better, five minutes later, she was sick again. It’s almost safe to say that she’s been fighting a cold since October. Now that we’re in March, she is finally feeling great and doesn’t have a runny nose. What a relief it is. She’s had several rounds of antibiotics and she looks forward to her acidophilus “treat” (she can actually say “acidophilus” now) each night. Speaking of supplements, Mia also takes a squirt of vitamins with fluoride each day and chews a little ball of fish oil. Which brings me to a sad tale that has a happy ending, thank god!

One day, Mia was eating her breakfast and asked for her “fish oil treat.” I gave it to her and immediately got back to the dishes. A minute or two later, I picked her up out of her chair and we started to get ready to brush our teeth and leave for school. We both noticed that the fish oil had spilled on her favorite blankie. Not a lot. Just enough. It absolutely fouled her special blankie and no amount of hot water washing was able to remove the smell. Fortunately, Mia had a second favorite blankie that hs been a perfect substitute. I did offer her the original blankie after washing it several times and she promptly handed it back to me. I guess she can be persuaded to embrace change under the right circumstances.

Mia had her first haircut at 21 months. The baby mullet had to go. I was all set to take her to a baby haircut salon ($20/cut) and, at the last minute, I decided to do it myself. I’m not a hair person, but I must admit, it came out better than expected. Her teachers at school were raving about her new do.

Mia is not 2 yet, but I’ve gotten a small taste of what a tantrum looks like. When Mia is frustrated or mad, she throws up her arms, looks at me like I’m digging a knife into her heart and begins to stomp her feet. She slowly stomps backward as if she’s going to hurl herself at whatever danger lurks behind her. I know that she is just unable to “organize her feelings” as Gramma says, so I simply get down to her level, hold her closely and tell her, “You must be feeling very upset, Mia.” Sometimes I hold her tightly and her entire body relaxes. The tantrums are very short-lived and usually happen when she’s tired or hungry. To be honest, it’s difficult not to smile when they’re happening because she’s so dang cute and so easily appeased. I learned the hard way that she DOES NOT want me to smile when she’s frustrated.

Mia is quite the naturalist. She can identify a daffodil, a dogwood flower, a hollyhock and a tulip. Her Auntie Lart would be proud of her skills as a Bird Nerd as well. She loves to spot hummingbirds ("hummers"), crows, bluebirds, flickers and cardinals (in the books, of course). She knows what sound a chickadee makes and loves to point out Canada geese around town. She frequently requests the "nocunars" in order to spot her favorite feathered friends.

Mia loves planes. And helicopters. And anything that flies and hangs out in the sky. Oftentimes, we'll be eating breakfast at 6:30 a.m. and she'll shout out, "PLANE!!" Without fail, she hears it before I do.

Here are a few more things Mia says and does these days:

· She blows kisses to the star in Kelly’s yard every night

· She says, “Yes,” instead of “Yeah.”

· In the car, she points out and names her old school, new school, tato store, gas station, daddy’s house, big park, little park, Fred Meyer, coffee store, grocery store, bus, school bus, MAX train, moon, raining/pouring, choo choo train, tram, bicycle, mail, etc…These are things she names without any prompting from me.

· She crawls into a familiar lap and sweetly says, “hi.”

· She says “Excuse me” after she sneezes or toots or when she wants to pass by and you’re in her way.

· She reminds me of all the people who brush their teeth (Gavin, Coen, Abie, Solly, Auntie Missy, Huck, Auntie Anna, Audrey, Henry, Gramma, Bop, Mama).

· She still loves peek-a-boo.

· She points out which way to go in the car (“this way…that way”).

· She loves to play with Q-tips and loves to organize her rubber bands and clips.

· She pushes baby Ella in her little stroller around the circuit of the house.

· She stomps in puddles.

· She hollers out for “WATER” in the middle of the night.

· She loves hats and looks great in them.

· She requests what she wants for breakfast (usually toast with peanut butter, fruit, waffles, cereal with milk—Crispix is her favorite, or oatmeal).

· She helps with the cooking and cleaning.

· She loves going to the Children’s Museum, the Zoo, the Indoor Play Park, the regular park.

· She LOVES to ride the escalator. Sometimes, we’ll head downtown and see how many escalators we can find. Turns out, they are everywhere!

· She paints. And she’s good.

· She colors.

· She puts things in shopping bags and walks around the house.

· She LOVES “Nakey Baby Time” which takes place nightly about 20 minutes before bedtime (which is still around 7:00).

· She will not touch a green bean. Still.

· She loves juicy fruit (pineapple, melon, mangoes, berries are some of her faves).

This list is obviously incomplete. Mia is quite the dynamic little person and to remember all the special things she does is nearly impossible. But, at the very least, it’s a small window into her life in these times.

Mia and Jake have a special relationship. Mia is head over heels for Jake. She rubs her face in his fur. She cries if he runs from her. She squeals with glee if she sneaks a peek of him outside. She likes to smother him and read with him and talk about him. She likes to watch him eat and wave bye-bye as he runs out the door. He is the most patient, sweetest cat I have every known. We are lucky to have him.

Mia and Reggie also have a special relationship. Sometimes, I think Reggie things she’s a puppy. We spend a lot of time on “Reggie’s couch” reading together. Mia becomes upset if she’s invited Reggie onto his bed to read and he chooses not to. One major benchmark that Mia has achieved this month is that she is doing her first actual chore. Each morning and night, Mia scoops Reggie’s food from the bag into his bowl. She knows how much to give him and knows that he’s supposed to wait until she’s all done to go ahead and eat. When she says, “go ahead, Reggie” he dives in. She is proud to be helping and I’m proud that she feels that way.

In late February, we took a trip to Black Butte with the Jepsens. Baby Oliver was there (two months) and so were Gavin and Coen. It was a lovely trip and Mia was thrilled to have so much time with her Grandparents and buddies. She was sick for much of the trip, however. In fact, she was sick for most of the winter. She is prone to ear infections and, after this last round of antibiotics, she experienced her first week without a runny nose in five months. We are happy to kiss this flu season goodbye and keep our fingers crossed about avoiding having to install tubes in her ears.

Mia is still routine-oriented. She likes to be told what is going to happen and she likes to rehash what she’s done. She is still somewhat reserved with new people and can be painfully shy if she’s sleepy or grumpy. For the most part, she is an observer and is very thoughtful when she decides to engage. Her laugh is contagious and her tummy is irresistible (especially when it’s “HUGE,” after mealtime).

I love Mia more everyday and am so thankful that I get to be a part of her life.

Blowing Kisses

Mia Hana Rose, at 19 months is truly an angel. She has sparkly eyes, wispy hair, beautiful skin and the sweetest demeanor imaginable. She is bold at times, shy at others and continues to be the light in her mama's life. Mia is a stunning beauty with long lashes and Great-Grandpa Durham's lips. She is strong and stable, running with ease, nimbly climbing in and out of "the big bed," and up and down the stairs on her own. She is still long and lean and has the cutest tummy ever. Looks like Auntie Missy's favorite nickname has finally been passed on. Mia is allowing me to cut her fingernails now (a huge relief) and her fine motor skills are improving everyday. She eats with a fork and spoon and most of the food actually makes it into her mouth. Mia doesn't love vegetables. Dr. Lin says it's really common for kids her age, but I wish she would eat at least something green. One time, I snuck a pea into a Mia-size handful of meat. She took one bite and spit the entire mouthful out. She would not be fooled.

Some of her favorite foods include, but are not limited to; yogurt, apples, pears, grapes, noodles ("nu-nus), gardenburgers, rice, dipping sauces, cheese, melon, meat (braised), waffles, cereal with milk, black olives, salmon, tomatoes, bananas and, of course...tacos! Mia loves tacos. She calls them "tatos" and her favorite flavor is carnitas. Oftentimes, her first word of the day is "tato," as if she were dreaming of them all night and wanted to be sure to put in her dinner requests to the chef early. She eats salsa picante and loves black beans and rice. Gramma takes Mia to Baja Fresh for tacos de carnitas every Friday after library song circle. It's no surprise that my last visit to Baja Fresh went something like this:

Me: Hi, we'd like two tacos de carnitas and some mango salsa, please.

Counter girl: Oh, I know her...she usually gets two orders of mango salsa!

5 minutes later, at our table...

Me: Mia, do you like you're taco?

Mia: Aggressively nodding, "YES!"

Girl mopping the floor who happens to be passing by: One time, I saw her eat 3 whole tacos!

Yes, she's now a regular. From now on, I just have to say, "she'll have 'the usual.'"

She still loves putting things in containers, but mostly, she loves taking them out. She's starting to realize that everything has a place and she's eager to help put away her toys at bedtime.

Mia has a budding sense of humor that comes out when she bursts into laughter while reading one of her new favorite titles, Yummy Yucky. She can listen to "I've been working on the railroad" 25 times in a row, each time growing more cheerful when we start "strumming on the old banjo." Gramma has taught her 45,000 songs and Mia knows all the moves that go with them. Which leads me to Thanksgiving...

Thanksgiving in Alpine was beautiful. Dan and Christine put out an incredible spread and being on the vineyard was calming for us all. We only stayed one night, but it felt like a real vacation. The Gladstones were there, but Sarina was on bedrest--baby Oliver was a bit eager to get a move on at that point, so she and Pete were only there via skype. Missy was in Kansas visiting Chad's grandparents. Another one of Kara's friends was there with her two girls, so there were 5 kidlets total and Gramma decided to do a music class for them after dinner.

Everyone gathered in the living room and each kid found a lap. Gramma led about 10 songs while she and Bop played the guitar. It was pretty magical watching everyone sing with glee. The class ended with a train of kids and moms choo-chooing through the house. Needless to say, everyone felt so blessed and thankful to be together in such a beautiful setting.

On our way home from Alpine, I decided that Mia and I would stop in at the Woodburn outlet mall to run in quickly to see if there were any good deals on cheap clothes--mostly for myself, since none of my clothes have been fitting lately. We found a parking spot that was about a city block away from the store I wanted to check out. Since it was late in the day, I figured I could leave the diaper bag in the car and just carry Mia. She's not a huge fan of shopping, and I try not to take her when I can, but I decided to roll the dice this time. After 5 minutes in the store, she pooped. Not a small poop. A large poop. So, I scooped her up and walked back to the car to change her. In the five minutes we had been in the store, I saw two or three things I wanted to buy that were screaming deals that I couldn't pass up. We went back in, sans diaper bag. This time, she made it about 2 minutes. She pooped AGAIN! Not a small one. A BIG one. So, I surrendered, packed her up and went home. Serves me right for shopping on black Friday!

The long weekend offered a much needed rest for us and it was exciting to begin counting down the days to Christmas.

Gramma and Bop brought over a beautiful Christmas tree and Mia helped me decorate it with all our ornaments. She, of course, discovered the Christmas taco early on and wanted to point to it each time we came downstairs. We put up lights and decorated the house and every time we came home, it felt warm and cozy. Mia loved watching the lights turn on each morning. She quickly learned which stocking belonged to her and loved reading all the Christmas books (which I got for a quarter apiece at the neighborhood book sale!). Each time Gramma came over, she brought Mia an ornament from her collection to hang on our tree. So fun!

Gramma also sent us a digital advent calendar for the computer. Each day, Mia clicked on the snowglobe and watched a 30 second video of something happening in Winterland. It was Mia's first real exposure to screen-time, I'm proud to say, and the little snippets were the perfect amount for an 18 month old. Her favorite one was the three elves and Santa playing Jingle Bells in a jazz quartet. She couldn't get enough.

Auntie Missy and I took Mia to look at the big tree in Pioneer Square and she loved the hustle and bustle of the evening downtown. Afterward, we went to Baja Fresh and Mia had "the usual."

Mia loved opening each Christmas card and taping it on the door. The first one we got was from the Haucks and Mia was elated when she saw pictures of Audrey and Henry greeting her each morning. She now knows the names of everyone on the door as well as everyone on the fridge and is particularly fond of Auntie Lart and Uncle Mart (she's still working on the "K" sound!).

Mia helped me make our Julekake Christmas bread and thoroughly enjoyed the process. She kneaded, stirred, punched-down, sampled the cherries, and ATE! She probably ate more Julekake than I did this year. She particularly loved it for breakfast with butter with a bit of fruit.

Mia got to hang out with the Bastas crowd and particularly loved her Auntie Casey. Auntie Robin finally got to meet her and fell in love instantly. It was so good to have them all in our house.

Mia learned all the big Christmas words (wreath, tree, present, lights, Santa, stocking, bell, candle, candy, party, star on top, etc...) and it's going to be impossible for me from this day forth to keep track of everything she says. Her vocabulary grows everyday and I'm constantly amazed that she can really tell me what she wants. On a side note, the other day, Mia busted out with, "Dammit!" and a big smile. I'm going to go ahead and blame Auntie Missy for that one. Back to Christmas. One of the most magical parts of Christmas for Mia was the beautiful angel that our neighbor Kelly put out in her back yard for Mia to see each night. It is about 3 feet tall and every night, Mia loved looking out on her and blowing kisses. It's now January, and Mia still asks if she can see if the Angel has returned.

Holly, Jesse and Ella had a wonderful Santa Party on the 23rd. Missy, Mia and I walked down and after about 30 minutes, SANTA arrived! Ella's Uncle Jeff missed the whole thing, but we all got to see Santa. He knew everybody's name and had a present for each child. At first, no one wanted to go sit on his lap, but when he called Mia's name, she rushed over to him, took the present he had for her, stuck her thumb in her mouth and ran back to her mama. Of course, Missy and I shook our heads quietly and tried to contain the laughter.

On Christmas morning, Gramma, Bop and Auntie Missy, having spent the night at our house, woke up and helped me celebrate Mia's first coherent Christmas with a wonderful, relaxing morning. Mia got a beautiful new kitchen and tons of toys. She was a bit overstimulated by all the presents and wanted to play with each one as she opened it. I learned my lesson that less is definitely more, but I must admit, I had a hard time resisting a few new toys for her. Aunt Rainey sent books and clothes for Mia and the LaToufs sent box after box of presents too. Mia dug into her stocking like a champ. I think her favorite stocking present was either her new slinky or her electric toothbrush (thank god, we can finally brush her teeth without a fight!).

Christmas night, we spent with the Jepsens again, but this time the Gladstones weren't there. Sarina and Pete made it and Sarina was about to pop with baby Oliver. He ended up arriving days later, healthy and perfect! Mia played piano and sang songs and had a ball on Christmas night.

On the 28th, Auntie Lark, Gramma, Mia and I all piled into the car and drove down to Lark's childhood home. Euni designed it and it was a very special day. Lark told us all about the history of the area and, despite the fog, Mia got to see red barn after red barn. She loved it! Seeing where Lark grew up gave us a small window to why she is the amazing person she is. We loved hearing the stories of Euni's various undertakings and were honored to bring home a couple of Euni paintings to try out in our home. We found the perfect one and it feels like we've had it forever. We knew it was going to be a perfect day because, when we picked up Lark at the farm, a huge flock of swans flew overhead through the mist. It was breathtaking and I think one of the most beautiful things I've seen. I'm pretty sure Mia saw them, but it was clear that much of her focus was placed on Lark's roosters.

On the 26th we had our traditional Christmas celebration with Grandpa Rick, Grandma Marla and Uncle Devon. We even got to see Great-Grandma Jan. Mia loved her new vacuum and new book and particularly loved playing with Devon.

We spent NYE 2010 with our dear friends Uncle Dave and Auntie Courtney. Mia was intrigued by Courtney's belly and amused by Dave's puppet show. They brought her her very own cell phone and she's already running up a ridiculous bill. I may have to take it away from her if this continues.

If you ask Mia a question that requires her to form an opinion or decide what she'll eat for her next meal, she always precedes her answer with, "uuuuummmmm...." When I say, "Mia, do you know how much your mama loves you?" Before I even finish, she replies, "A LOT!" Because she's still working on the "K" sound, many of her words are just a bit off. Examples: Who says moo? A tow. What does a pig say? Oint. What's your favorite food? Tatos. What shall we do, Mia? A boot. So cute!

Mia still wakes up VERY early. I bring her into bed with me around 5:30. Sometimes she goes back to sleep. Sometimes she begins pawing my face and saying "light...boot." I resist. I beg. I plead with her to sleep longer. Then, I get up and turn on the lights and read. She is always cheerful in the morning and I consider myself lucky to wake up to that sweet, smiling face, regardless of the excruciatingly painful hour it might be.

Mia is definitely approaching the 2s. She loves to stop her feet, back up and holler when she's frustrated. I wouldn't call them tantrums yet, but I might call them fits. Usually, they last a fleeting 20 seconds or so, but they may be a small taste of what's to com. I know she is smart and I know she is strong-willed...a potentially dangerous combination.

It is an honor to be Mia's mom and participate in this journey we are on together. She lifts my spirits on a daily basis and I am so enjoying learning how to parent her. Each day brings new discoveries for her, whether it's new ways to pretend to cook eggs, or showing me that she's memorized parts of a book (she can fill in the blanks to many of her favorites, including Moo Baa La La La, The Vegetable Rap, Goodnight Moon, Oh What a Busy Day). She is a bright eyed little beauty and being with her is a daily gift that I continue to cherish.

Boo!

My proudest moment as a mother has arrived. Mia said “please!” It is one of her first 20 words and it is music to my ears. She has been signing “please” for many months and that was quite a thrill as well, but to actually hear it from her mouth is such an honor. Just this morning, at 5:00 a.m., Mia was in bed with me in the pitch black November morning. She began to squirm, crawled over my face and whispered, “buk, pees.” And she repeated it time after time after time. Despite all my pleading with her to PLEASE close her eyes for 5 more minutes, I finally deemed her request completely reasonable, and dove into the Vegetable rap. Her cheery head bobbing was more of a pick-me-up than the richest mug of Stumptown.

It's hard to imagine a more precious little thing in the whole world. At 17 months, Mia is as joyful and as spirited as ever. She lights up the room with her smile and occasionally wakes up with a clearly defined curly-Q on top of her head. She still weighs just over 20 pounds and is still long and lean (at least before her meals, that is!). She's holding on to her blue eyes, but they are slowly developing little flecks of brown and green. She has rosy cheeks, olive skin and glistening white teeth. Her molars have been cutting through for months now and she still loves sucking that good-old thumb. Her hair is growing in thick in the back. The top and sides are taking their time. Her light brown locks are curly and soft and beautiful. Her teachers at school love to put a pigtail right on top of her head.

Mia is charming and playful. Her current favorite toys are her books, broom, stacking boxes and stacking rings--especially the one that sings, crayons, stickers, the popcorn popper toy, her farm, flash cards, colander, the corks, bugs in a jar, soap crayons, and the ukulele. She still loves her little yellow blankie and doesn't let it out of her sight. She enjoys the chime of the bird clock and the tick tock of the bike ring clock. She loves turning on and turning off the lights and opening and closing the garage door. She would be happy opening and closing anything for hours. It's one of her current favorite past times. She also loves moving things from one place to another. Just today, she moved leaves from one pile to another then moved the pile into the leaf bin…one leaf at a time. It was an enormous help to her tired mom!

Mia has busy weeks. She has transitioned beautifully to her new school. They love her there and constantly comment on how she enthusiastically bobs her head "yes." She takes a nap on a mat and eats at the table every day. She’s becoming quite adept at wielding a spoon and has completely refused to eat on her plastic tray. She will only eat at the table. She loves playing with her buddies and enjoys story time. Drop-off is a bit stressful for Mia. She doesn't like it when I leave, but she usually quiets down after a minute or two. A couple of times, she’s let me leave without a fuss. Frankly, it's torture for me to leave her everyday.

Mia loves her time on Mondays with Auntie Anna. Yesterday, they ate scrambled eggs and made duck masks out of egg cartons. SO fun! Mia is so lucky to have her!

Mia misses her dog Reggie. It's been tough not seeing him everyday, but she has found a new best friend in Jake. Every morning, Mia bids Jake goodbye and waves to him as he races out the door. She would love it if he would sleep in her crib with her, but he says he'd prefer to sleep on mama's face.

Fall has definitely arrived on Maplecrest Ct. and the leaves are abandoning their branches for their much-anticipated descent to the Earth. Mia and I have enjoyed watching the storms blow through. We are lulled to sleep by the rain and don’t mind staying in our PJs until it blows over on Sunday mornings. She has her first set of rain boots and it has become quite apparent that puddle stomping is certainly one of her talents.

Mia is learning to talk. About a month ago, she began babbling and playing with different sounds. She made robot-type noises and swished around Rs and Ls and Ts and Bs as if she was trying to communicate with aliens. She mimicked my rising and falling intonation and produced made-up words that implied her understanding of interrogatives, imperatives and negatives. I can hear the echo of my dad's teaching; “if you want to speak clearly and be understood, you must use your lips and your teeth and your tongue,” in heavily stressed enunciation. Poor Mia…I’m totally going to be saying that to her before long. Each day, she adds new words to her repertoire. So far, she can say, please, bye-bye, hi, ball, bird, baby, bath, bug, apple, waffle, blueberry, milk (she says, “meh”), uh-oh, oh-no, oh-boy, All done, book, tons of animal sounds, mama, Ma (for gramma), Bop (for grandpa), Missy, Na (for Annalise), Hi Jake, Bye Jake, Audrey, spider, purple, blue, open, close, nut, meow, pee-pee, diaper, breakfast, water, waffle, bread, bagel, doggie, Reggie, more, no (one of her favorites), up (she says “bup), she’s trying to say thank you and some more that I’ll have to add later. Hearing her speak is such a sweet sound.

Mia had a nice Halloween. We dressed her up in her Wonder Woman costume on Friday and went to her school party. We painted a pumpkin, dug for ghosts and had a snack. On Sunday (actually date of Halloween), we got together with baby Ella and her family, Auntie Missy and Chad and went trick or treating in Multnomah Village. There was a huge parade of people in elaborate costumes. Mia started to be able to say “trick or treat” and she immediately understood the game. She had a blast. After that, we went trick or treating at the Sherman's house and at Gramma and Grandpa’s. When we rang the doorbell, Gramma brought out a bag of treats for Mia (blueberries) and a little present of Mia’s favorite farm animals to put in her pumpkin. Then, we ate delicious stew and went trick or treating at Baby Grace’s house and the family in the gasoline house across the street. Mia was joyful and giddy when she got to put her treats in her bucket. I’m thinking that next year, I’m probably not going to be able to trick her into giving me all her candy.

November has been a typically rainy month. Every time Mia and I go out to rake our leaves, moments later, the ground is completely covered again. To be honest, I don’t mind so much. Mia loves the smell of the rain and enjoys playing in the leaves. She loves opening and closing Reggie’s gate and playing peek-a-boo by the back fence. Typically, it’s tough to get her to come inside.

We’re looking forward to Thanksgiving in Alpine with Gavin and Coen and can’t wait to put up our Christmas tree. I can just see the joy on Mia’s face when we light up the lights.

Despite the chaos that is our life right now, Mia’s days are filled with love and laughter. I am doing my best to keep her on a safe, stable routine and remind her everyday how much I love her. Sometimes, when she looks at me with those big, round eyes and holds her gaze for more than a few seconds, I think she is telling me, “Mama, everything is going to be alright.” When she says it, I can’t help but believe her.

Mia saves mama's life

In the dark times of August 2010, Mia Hana Rose is saving her mama's life. She is the reason I get up in the morning. She is the reason I put one foot in front of the other. I think writing about her will pull me out of the darkness and give me a much needed glimpse into the light. She is a delight and full of joy. She continues to charm everyone she meets and, as her personality continues to shine, her sparkly smile remains as contagious as ever.

Mia is almost 16 months and her communication is extraordinary. The Mt. Carmel teachers are in awe of her ability to use sign language and she is a huge fans of words that start with the letter "B" (bone, bird, ball, baa baa, bowl, book, bow-wow, bock-bock). She loves to "click" with the clock, vroom with the planes (every time she sees one she asks for "more, more") and pucker with the fish. She can sign the words for apple, cracker, food, milk, light, book, dog, flower, plane, water, more, baby, all done, and bird (among others). It is so much fun to communicate with her and meet her needs in a whole new way.

Mia has fallen in love with a blankie. It's a little yellow softie with pink satin trim and she will not let it out of her site. One of her favorite pastimes is sucking her thumb and rubbing her face with her blankie.

Mia loves babies. She is still in the baby room at Mt. Carmel (because of space issues), but she'll be moving up to the toddler room when she starts at Next Generation Kids in October.

Mia loves to go down the slide at the park. She squeals with glee as she plummets down the slide and immediately asks for "more-more" when she hits the floor.

Mia loves escalators. Gramma took her for her first escalator rides at Nordstrom yesterday and she was elated. She also got her first helium balloon, which was quite a hit.

Mia and Edgy-Reggie are best buds. Unfortunately, Mia thinks it's super fun to open mouth kiss Reggie dozens of times a day. She's really out of control.

Mia got to go out to Auntie Lark and Uncle Mark's farm to have lunch and play with the chickens. She loved hanging out with Wiley Boy and and even got to find an egg in the chicken coop.

Berry picking has been a highlight for Mia this Summer. She got to go out to Sauvie's Island with Mama and Gramma to pick raspberries and marion berries. She even had her own picking cup (which was empty as soon as it was filled). Some of us are concerned that Mia might actually turn into a berry herself, if she isn't careful.

Through all the turmoil of the end of Summer, Mia remains a bright light; growing more beautiful everyday, developing her vocabulary and communication skills, playing new games and building strong relationships with those who love her. Regardless of Mia's current family drama, she will know family, much the way I know family--with loving and supportive grandparents and too many doting aunties to count. What a lucky girl she is. And what a lucky Mama I am to have her to squeeze.

Summertime

I mean, would you just look at her. This baby is stunning. And this is her blog, so believe I can safely and unabashedly go on and on about how unique and lovely this little girl truly is. Yes, she is gorgeous. Yes, she is smart. But most importantly, she is sweet and warm and happy nearly all day everyday. She is an absolute joy to be around and Josh and I continue to be staggered at all that she is capable of doing.

After Mia's birthday lu'au, we geared up for the big Rollins Kaua'i vacation. In late June, after I moved out of my Grant High School classroom (I'll be starting at Wilson in the fall), we packed up at met Uncle Ryan, Auntie Kat, and cousin Maehle at the airport. By that time, Mia was walking unaided and, while we were waiting to board the plane, she had made her rounds through the waiting area and greeted nearly every passenger with a wave and a smile. Once we had boarded, we realized we were given an extra seat in between the two of us for free...THANK GOD! Mia immediately occupied that seat, bobbed her head and smiled and proceeded to wiggle for the next 5 hours. It was happy wiggling, of course, but wiggling nonetheless. When we arrived in HI, we met Grandpa Miles, Grammie Chris and Uncle Gabe at the Bali Hai condo in Princeville. Mia was immediately taken aback by what would become the most entertaining part of the island of Kaua’i…the roosters! Each time Mia sees an animal in real life that she has met previously only in books, she seems surprised and thrilled, as if she’s thinking, “I had no idea those could actually exist!” She loved chasing the roosters and listening to her dorky parents cock-a-doodle-doo over and over again.

Mia loved swimming in the pool at the condo and playing in the tide pools at the beach and pointing at the squiggling little fish. Most days, we took her with us in the backpack to do our exploring, but some days, Grammie Chris stayed with her and played while we went off to snorkel and swim at some of the harder to access beaches (like Queen’s Bath and The Cliffs). It is easy to see why Kaua’i is called the Garden Island. It is lush and beautiful and I’ve never seen coral of such vibrant greens and lavenders. We swam with turtles and did a bit of light hiking, but mostly, we all just hung out and relaxed. It was a great trip and Mia was a perfect travel buddy.

Back in Portland, we both acclimated quickly to having me home to play all day long. Our daily routine is pretty low-key. Mia wakes up around 6:30 or 7:00 and gets in bed with us for about 15 minutes or so, depending on the day. We pick up her Maple Hill Farms book and do our daily animal noise practice. So far, she knows bow-wow, baa-baa, neigh (most days), vroom-vroom (car), and fish lips. After that, we get up and have breakfast. Mia usually eats a mountain of fruit. Current favorites are watermelon, cantaloupe, berries, bananas and homemade applesauce with the peels still on. Sometimes, we have oatmeal with kefir or cereal—her new favorite thing to do with food is to dip it. So, often I’ll give her a small bowl of milk and she’ll dip individual cheerios into it.

At Mia’s one-year appointment, Dr. Lin told me I needed to wean her from the bottle, which made me really nervous because I knew how much comfort it gave her. I’m happy to report that it took Mia two days to be completely done with bottles. There were about two moments where I could tell she was looking for one, but I easily distracted her with something else and that was that. Mia now drinks water, milk, smoothies and kefir from a sippy cup.

After breakfast, we usually play on the floor and read some books. Mia loves the flashcards Annalise and Greg got her for her birthday and she’s really into organizing things. She loves putting the corks in containers and stacking the box-blocks that came from her cousins Audrey and Henry. By about 9:00, Mia gets sleepy and goes down for about an hour nap. After that, we’ve been doing some fun outings to the zoo (thank you Gramma, for the membership!!) and different parks around town. Mia loves to go down the slide! Then, Mia usually eats an enormous lunch. She’s just discovering zucchini. She loves drinking milk and kefir, but doesn't drink as much as she used to. She likes turkey sandwiches and wants to try whatever we are eating. She hasn't had much sugar, but she did indulge in some homemade nectarine cardamom ice cream. Of course, after one bite, she started in with the approving head nod and the persistent repeating of "more, more, more!!" she loves cannelini beans, proscuitto, and still won’t touch a green bean. Please don’t give them to her…she may begin to cry. Mostly, Mia enjoys food with flavor. She’s not interested in the bland stuff anymore and even likes a bit of spice. She loved her first tamale and can put down cherry tomatoes like it’s nobody’s business. One day, she ate about 20 in one sitting. Lately, she’s been putting them in her mouth, squirting out the insides, then spitting out the skins. Fun with food!

After lunch, it’s more playtime followed by an afternoon nap that can last anywhere from one to two hours. I must say, that’s also my rest time, and some days, it couldn’t come soon enough! After her nap, Mia gets up and plays some more. Her favorite outdoor toys are a little water table and her Bridgetown tricycle. She also enjoys vacuuming (she has a toy vacuum—I’m trying to train her early…Grandpa Rick would be proud!), coloring with crayons (actually, she prefers playing with the crayon box over actually coloring), pulling anything out of drawers and unfolding laundry. At around 5:30 we go out and hang on the front porch until Daddy arrives home, at which point, Mia immediately giggles in a frenzy and rushes to his car. She hops in, sits on his lap and plays in his car with him, bobbing her head for about 20 minutes repeating “vroom vroom” over and over again. Then, dinner. Then, bath (lately, in the kitchen sink). Then, bed. Unless people are over to visit, she usually goes down to bed with little to no fuss. She LOVES her little yellow blanket with the satin edging and has recently discovered Bear, who was my bear from age six on. He now sleeps in her crib with her and keeps her company as she falls asleep. She knows the word “bear” (which sounds dangerously similar to her versions of “bike,” “ball,” and “bird,” needless to say). I’m not embarrassed to admit that I take comfort knowing that he’s watching over her.

In the past two months, Mia's ability to answer yes and no questions is her most remarkable development, in my humble opinion. If we ask her, "Mia, would you like to go to sleep in your crib?" She nods "yes" and begins waving bye-bye and blowing kisses. When we ask her, "Mia, would you like to read a book?" She nods yes, and rubs her chest (the sign for "please"), and toddles over to her bookshelves to pick out one of her current faves (see accompanying book list for Mia's picks). She understands that a picture of a child with a duck on his head is silly (it cracks her up), and she is always up for a game of peek-a-boo (which she often initiates). She LOVES to say "more" and "bow-wow." When Reggie's barking, she's been known to say, "Bow-Wow-wow...More!" Some new signs she frequently uses include; book, phone, hat, baby, food, giraffe, elephant, monkey, dinosaur, bird and bunny-rabbit. She waves bye-bye, but also says it now with some clarity. She said her first sentence (“There he is!”) which was followed by proud smiles and applause. The nano-second after she slides down the slide at the park, she begins saying, “more, more.” As I recently commented to Josh, the ability to ask for more is a powerful skill.

Mia has eight teeth up front and got her 1-year molars in July. She was really uncomfortable for a couple of days and even developed a bit of a fever, poor little one.

We are realizing quickly that Mia has an ear for music. She seems to hear rhythm in everything she does and gravitates toward music everywhere she goes. She's played the piano and marimba at Gramma's house and loves to pick up the uke and strum a bit at home. Gramma has said repeatedly, "I don't insist on much, but I really hope she learns to play the piano." We hope so too! This Summer has been filled with fun times and lazy Summer activities. We’ve been swimming at the Wilson High School pool, we’ve been berry picking (Mia carried her own berry bucket that Gramma made for her), we’ve gone to evening park concerts and taken wagon rides with neighbor baby Ella, and we’ve simply enjoyed being home at our beautiful, peaceful house. I’ve canned homemade pickles, raspberry and marionberry jam. I’ve surrendered to not being able to supply our family’s bread needs, but I’m still making sure most of Mia’s food is homemade. The garden has more weeds than usual and many projects are being left undone, but I can easily say, this is the best Summer of my life and I can’t wait to hear more of what Sweet Baby Mia has to say!

Hau'oli La Hanau, Mia!

On June 3rd, 2010, Mia Hana Rose celebrated her first birthday. And what an amazing journey it's been. She continues to steal the hearts of her friends and family and has, quite simply, blessed her parents lives in unimaginable ways.

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.

Best Friends

Josh has loved Mia since before she was born. He used to daydream about her and imagine all the fun he was going to have teaching her to ride a bike, tie her shoes, cook and swim. Since she's been around, the love he so blatantly feels for her manifests, not only in the words he speaks to her (constantly reminding her how much he loves her), but also in his daily interactions with her. He has a relentless drive to do things that will put a smile on her face and is totally committed to ensuring her safety and comfort. Mia's Daddy loves her more than he can even begin to articulate. A stressful day, a sleepless night, a rainy Saturday morning... none of it impedes the joy he clearly feels when he sees little Mia. And she is equally as elated by his presence. She shudders with happiness when he enters the room and cannot contain her excitement when he peek-a-boos around a door with bright, happy eyes. They are best friends. And they have found each other.

April began with, yep, you guessed it...more parties. Mia was a lovely little Easter Baby at the beginning of the month and got to visit all her family after egg dying and cookie decorating. She loved banging the Easter eggs together and especially loved the little white bunny from her Auntie Gina.

April had a few sunny days, but most were visited by that typical Oregon drizzle. Mia came down with her second ear infection and spent the first part of the month fighting those symptoms. It is torture for us to see her uncomfortable. Fortunately, it only lasted about a week and she bounced back pretty quickly. It's amazing how happy she remains, despite temperature spikes and a nose that was running like a faucet.

Mia has walking toys to help her move around, but she prefers to push her little white chair, which is decked out with tennis balls to ease the pushing (a dad invention). She still loves keys and phones (hmmm...do I sense a bit of foreshadowing??), but her favorite toys are currently her books. She will happily thumb through her board books for extended periods of time and seems to love every one she's read (with the exception of the truck book, which she WILL NOT even give the time of day). When nap time arrives, if Mia isn't ready to go right to sleep, often she'll sit in her crib with a book and read to herself until she's ready to shut her eyes.

It's nearly impossible to take Mia anywhere without being stopped by folks who want to play with her. She flirts with her toothy grin and her long lashes--I'm always surprised by the people who want to talk with her. Last week, the checker at Fred's called over his buddy to "check out how cute this baby is, dude!" I think she likes the attention. She just seems happy to be out and about, experiencing the world and enjoying the people in it.

Mia is so close to walking. She's taking more risks with standing unsupported and she maneuvers around the house easily with her white chair. We guess she has a couple more weeks of supported practice in her before she'll need her running shoes.

Mia is eating almost everything we give her. She still hates green beans, but loves toast, beans and rice, tortellini, avocado, kiwi, melon, mango, salad, strawberries, chicken, pickles, eggs, yogurt, squash, and of course...CHEESE. That girl would eat cheese and nothing else if she had her way. And I'm not kidding about the green beans. I gave her some and she almost started to cry. No green beans.

April started out fun, but continued on with the daily grind of working for the weekend. April is notoriously long for teachers because it signals the beginning of the slide to Summer vacation. And there's still SO much to do before then in the classroom that it would be in bad taste to begin counting the days at that point. Nonetheless, I must admit that I'm looking forward more this year than ever before to the end of the school year.

We continue to enjoy the time we have with babyMia more everyday and Josh and I are in total agreement that she is the coolest person we've ever meant.