27 weeks

So this week's post is a little late, but it's here. We've had a rough week it seems. We think Mia is starting the process of teething, and if it's true to "Mia style" it will probably take FOREVER!!! haha! This week she has just been really fussy, doesn't want her paci (she LOVES her paci), is drooling buckets and wants to CHEW on everything. These are the times I am glad I am done nursing. So here are a few pictures of our little drool monster.

This is what it looks like everyday, fingers in her mouth and drool all over.

Here she is 27 weeks and not too thrilled

This is the face we've been seeing this week!

26 weeks/6 months/Half a year

26 weeks, 6 months, half of a year...no matter how you put it, Mia is celebrating her half birthday. Our baby girl is 6 months old!! As I sit here writing this post, I had to stop and just think for a minute. I am almost brought to tears as I think back to what the last 6 months have looked like. It started with a trip to Labor and Delivery because I thought my water was leaking and finished with an emergency C-section with Josh almost not making it in time, because her heartrate was dropping. Just 6 short months ago, the life Josh and I once knew, changed forever in an instance. At 10:51pm, April 22nd, our baby girl was born, and moments later we held her for the first time. It would be the first time we would cry tears of joy at the sight of our miracle baby. Over the next few months, there were trials and tribulations as we dealt with a colic baby who we later found was allergic to formula. There were nights Josh spent sleeping on the floor of Mia's room, while I rocked her for hours...and then we would switch. I remember the nights sobbing in her room, staring at my crying baby, wondering if I was really meant to be a mom...and yet as I sit here today, I wouldn't trade those moments for anything. During those moments God taught me patience at a new level, He showed me a love that only a wife can have for her husband as he lays on the floor "just to be supportive", I learned to appreciate my parents a little bit more for the sacrifices I know now they made, I learned what it means to truly love unconditionally and because of that I wouldn't change a thing.

The other thing that has happened through theses experiences is that we have learned to really appreciate and understand Mia's personality. I can't tell you what a blessing she is to be around. Her smiles melt my heart and her giggles make me tear up. We have watched her develop into this amazing baby and we have come to realize that she is just a "tad" sensitive. She knows what she wants, when she wants it!! I can't explain the feeling I get when my daughter smiles as I walk in the room after getting home from work, or the grin she gives her daddy first thing in the morning. These are feelings I never knew I could feel, but am so glad God blessed us with the chance to experience them.

So on Mia's Half Birthday I say: "Happy Birthday, Cricket!! Thank you for being the most amazing blessing to come into our lives! We love you with all our heart and can't wait to watch you grow, learn, and conquer the world! We love you! Love, Mommy!!"

*Okay so I wrote a book today...sorry...here are the pictures...and if you made it this far in the reading...THANKS!

My cousin got married last weekend and this is the dress Mia wore.

Family picture at the wedding

Mia fell asleep, so Grandma rocked her so mommy could eat

Daddy and Mia's first dance to "Butterfly Kisses". Mia is so blessed to have such an amazing daddy.

Playing with her new toy

This is Mia all bundled up for her morning walk with Daddy and Comiskey

26 weeks old

Look at that smile

And here are some pictures from her 6 month photo shoot. We got them done at Portrait Innovations. They turned out pretty cute!

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY, BABY GIRL!!

25 weeks old!!!

So as Mia approaches the 6 month mark, I can't believe how much she is changing. The funniest part is, it's only been 6 months, not years since her birth and yet in those few short (okay, sometimes, very long) months, she has grown and changed so much. Just for a reference her is our little bean at almost 4 weeks old. She is just so tiny laying there in that big huge tub.

Well this was Mia just a couple of days ago, she barely fits in her tub anymore!! Can you believe how much has changed in her 25 weeks of life. I know I say this every week, but I am astounded and amazed at what an amazing baby she is in so many ways.

Her other amazing thing she is doing is starting to sit up. Here she is leaning against the ottoman, but she is trying very hard to sit up "like a big girl". She still likes to throw herself backwards every once in awhile. She is also in LOVE with Comiskey, she will just sit and giggle while Comiskey just lies on the floor. It is so funny. We have to start putting Miskey outside while Mia eats, otherwise she just sits there and laughs the whole time!!
Well, we took our first "family Holiday outing" this weekend. We went to the Pride of the Wapsi Pumpkin Patch. It was so much fun to a "family" activity. I almost cried on the way home, just thinking about how far we have come in the past couple of years, and how amazingly blessed I have been. So here are the pictures from the pumpkin patch.

Here is Daddy holding Mia in the Pumpkin Heads.

Daddy and Mia at the Pumpkin Patch
The 2 pumpkins we picked out...the big one weighed 30 pounds!! haha!!
Mommy and Mia on the hayrack ride
Here is Mia in her jean skirt. I had to take a picture because her belly is too big and she probably won't get to wear it again!!
And here she is...25 weeks. Can you believe it! She is almost 6 months old already. She is towering over her little bear now.
And here are 2 pictures of her sitting up SO BIG!!!! I just stare at her and can't believe this little being who just 6 short months ago couldn't even hold her head up, is now sitting on her own. Wow, what an amazing journey this is and will continue to be.
SO BIG!

24 weeks, can you believe it!!

Well here we are another week closer to our little girl being 6 months old. I can't believe that time is moving so quickly. This week was a busy one. On Saturday morning, Mia and I ran the 3.1 mile Killer Bee race for St. Ambrose Homecoming (Yes, I went to Augustana, but I work at Ambrose and they had a team). It went okay...I didn't do near as well as I would have liked to but: I pushed a baby for 3.1 miles and at the 2.5 mile mark I carried her because she was crying, put her back in there to finish and run it in under 36 minutes...so not great...but hey we finished. Then after that we went to a going away party for some friends. They are really going to be missed!!!! After that we went to the Light The Night walk for Leukemia and Lymphoma. We walked for my 6 year old Cousin, Hunter, who was diagnosed this summer with cancer. He designed the shirts we are wearing below. It was great to see friends and family all together.

Mia is growing so much. She has starting eating solids for breakfast and dinner. She LOVES applesauce and isn't to sure about bananas yet, but she loves to open her mouth really wide and wait for the next bite..it's too fun!!

Well here are this week in pictures!
Here is Josh and I at the walk wearing our Hunter Rocks the Most shirts!

Here is me, my sister and Mia (She's in the sling) at the walk
They didn't make shirts small enough, so I had one made for Mia
Here she is at 24 weeks.
Chewing on her fingers like always!!!

23 weeks old!

Sorry I didn't really take a lot of "fun" pictures this week. Mia continues to grow and change everyday. We started feeding her applesauce and she LOVES it...I still need to upload the video, we also gave her sweet potatoes tonight...everytime I lift the spoon up, she opens her mouth REAL wide waiting for the next bite...it's so cute. She has also figured out how to JUMP in her jumparoo, before she would maybe bounce once or twice, but today was full out jumping and laughing and smiling. I love to watch her grow and learn and just take in all of her surroundings. I sometimes still can't fathom the blessing she has been in my life, I just can't imagine life without her, and everyday I realize how much she was worth the wait, how God blessed me like He promised he would, how he taught me patience through my battle with infertility, and God knows I needed some patience with Mia!! haha!! She makes me want to be a better mother, a better daughter, sister, friend, wife. She reminds me how to love unconditionally and that tomorrow is always a new day, no matter how bad today was. Thank you, Mia, for making me a better person and for choosing us to be your parents!

23 weeks old!

Sucking on her fingers! That's her favorite thing to do.
Toes...she found them and is really starting to like them!

5 months and 22 weeks!

So Mia is continuing to grow right before our eyes! She just amazes us more and more everyday. She is now a pro at rolling from back to belly...however, she wants NOTHING to do with rolling from belly to back, so a typical day on her mat is like this: Starts on back...quickly rolls over to her belly, cries, we help her to her back again, she quickly rolls over onto her belly, cries, and the cycle repeats until we finally pick her up...it's too funny!

She has such a personality and still tends to be a pretty sassy baby...but at the same time she is SO fun...laughing and smiling and engaging our attention. I love every minute of it!
Here she is with her daddy...I think she was trying to say "Daddy, I love you THIS much!"

Here I am 5 months post-partum, I still have some weight to go, but Stroller Strides is kicking my butt, so hopefully I'll be skinny again soon!
Mommy and Mia
Look how big those thighs are...this little one is definately not starving!
Mia 22 weeks old!! I just can't believe it sometimes!

We have a roller!!

So tomorrow Mia is 5 months old!! And while she refuses to be on her belly and therefore will not roll from belly to back, she has mastered back to belly. Today was the first time she did and she did it at least 5 times...she cries once she gets to her belly though!! haha!!

So here is our baby girl rolling over!

21 weeks!!!

WOW!!! So much is happening in our lives right now, I sometimes feel slightly overwhelmed. However, when I stop long enough to breathe, I realize how blessed we are as a family. Mia is growing bigger and bigger everyday. She is so fun, most of the time! haha!! She still isn't sleeping well, but as tired as I am, I wouldn't trade these moments for anything. I still look at her in amazement and wonder how I could love someone so much. She is such a blessing to our lives. I have also been reminded of what an amazing husband I have. Sometimes I wonder if there are any dads better than Mia's. No matter how tired he is, or how late he has worked the night before, he is up with her every morning. He loves spending time with her and because of that I am able to do some things I enjoy while he spends time with her. The look on her face when she sees her daddy is priceless. My prayer is that if every baby had a daddy HALF as great as Josh...children would have an amazing role model in their life and know the unconditional love of a daddy!

Here are some recent pictures of Miss Mia...
This is Mommy and Mia before going to run some errands

Mia cuddling with her new blankie...don't worry she still perfers her "stinks"
Okay, so this is the most exciting news. Mia won the Cutest Baby contest at Happy Joe's. We entered her in the 0-5 month group, she had to go up before a panel of 5 judges. She was smiling so big at all the judges. So she won!! She got a tiara, trophy, Free Pizza for a Year from Happy Joe's. It was so adorable...and so now I am not just a biased mom...it's official...she IS the cutest baby!!! haha~~~

Here she is with her tiara and trophy
21 weeks old! Look how big she is!
So big...and on 1 foot!!

20 weeks!!

Well, Mia and I are taking a Stroller Strides class 3x a week. It is awesome, because Mommy gets to try to get back into to shape and Mia gets to come along for a ride in her stroller!! She LOVES being outside. She is getting so big, although she still refuses to roll over, hopefully soon I will be posting that she rolled over, but right now she is happy on her back hitting her toys!

She had to go to the Dr. last Thursday because she had a clogged tear duct and she weighed in at 17lbs, 2oz. That means she gained a pound in 2 weeks!! YIKES!! Oh well, we like her a little chunky!! haha!!

We are also blessed because on Monday nights my mom is watching her so I can go teach dance. I just feel so blessed that my mom and Mia get that time to bond.
Here is a picture of Grandma and Baby Mia! :)

And here is Mia, 20 weeks old, with her belly all hanging out!
Look at that face..she is changing so much!

19 weeks!!

So here is Mia in her White Sox Dress...she was watching the White Sox game!! Such a cheerleader!

Pretty intense, huh?!?!
Daddy and Mia getting ready for Fantasy Football...she was helping him pick players!
19 weeks old!! She is so big!
Check out those chunky thighs!