INDEPENDENT MIA PART 2

July 7th, 2010

Mia is 9 months old today!

Right before the 4th of July holiday last year, I wrote a blog talking about Independence Day and the fact that I was 6 1/2 months pregnant. It dawned on me that I would soon be losing my own independence and would be giving myself over entirely to another person. Those thoughts scared me a little but now that the little person inside of me is on the outside, I can't even imagine why I thought I would be losing anything. I gained the most precious gift...Mia! This past 4th of July wasn't spent watching fireworks. It was spent with my family and most of all, it was spent with Mia. We took her out to dinner for the very first time. She had a ball! We went to the Beverly Hills Tennis Club and Mia spent the whole time looking up at the decorations hanging in the trees and marveling at all of the fun beads Grandma Pam brought with her to play with. Grandma Pam even got to feed her and Mia was so content! Mia always LOVES playing with Bon Bon's diamond necklace--of course she does, and her Grandpa Dusty got to spend some quality time holding her. She even took a little time out to "stop and smell the roses". With all of the craziness that goes on in my family, Grandma Pam put it so eloquently when she said that Mia really is the Tie that Binds...

MIA IS A GLEEK!

June 24th, 2010

Mia's age-8 months and 2 1/2 weeks

This month we have experienced a lot of new developments with Mia. She is crawling around like crazy AND this morning she actually clapped with both hands open for the first time! Check out the video below to view her in all of her glory. She is also trying to stand and seems to be getting pretty good at pulling herself up alone.

She is eating well. She LOVES butternut squash with brown rice, peaches, peas, bananas, carrots, applesauce and most of all, avocado! She can eat avocado like crazy, which is great since it contains lots of healthy fats for her brain development.

She still loves just looking and observes life around her and can concentrate really hard on someone or something, especially when there is music involved...Which leads me to "Glee". For those of reading this blog who don't already know this, our neighbor is Lea Michele, the star of "Glee". She's everywhere on every magazine cover and on award shows but lately, she's been starring in a Dove Shampoo/Glee Giveway infomercial that had been running in a loop on channel 125 up until last week. The commercial probably lasts around 4 minutes and features Lea singing "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music". It also features the Dove spokeswoman, Greta Monohan. The only reason I know this woman's name is because after Lea sings, the smile on Mia's face widens even more when Greta comes on and starts talking about how wonderful Dove shampoo is. I can't wait to tell our neighbor that her fans come in all ages and I keep thinking that I should send Greta a letter with a picture of Mia, ok probably not but please check out the pictures above as evidence. Thank God we DVR'd it so now we can play it again and again (sorry Judy). It's absolutely amazing! Mia's hair does seem to be growing so maybe some Dove Shampoo is in her future soon....We'll just have to wait and see....

MIA CRAWLS!

June 2nd, 2010

Mia is 7 months and 3 1/2 weeks

Today, Danny came home and told me that Mia was crawling forward! Attached is a video of the momentous occasion for your viewing pleasure. We have been eagerly awaiting this latest development ever since she stopped crying when we put her on "tummy time". She has been crawling backwards for the last month so I guess it was just a matter of time before she learned to go forward. Now, I fear we will have to start the process of "baby proofing" our condo. Mia is fascinated with all things gadget. Danny's IPhone, our house phone, my blackberry and just about anything else that lights up. Light socket blocks are going on tonight and any chords are going underneath the carpet for starters. The windows will need special locks since we're on the top the floor and the lower-level cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms will also need locks, as will the toilets. It's a whole new world for Ms. Mia and for Mia's mommy and daddy. We're so proud of our little girl....

MIA CRACKS THE TOP 10!

May 10th, 2010

Mia is 7 months and 3 days old!

I had my first official Mother's Day yesterday and was surprised to find that my daughter got me a card (thank you, Danny). What a surreal thing it is to receive calls from family members wishing ME Happy Mother's Day. It was great!

I was reading the news on Yahoo and there was an article about the most popular baby names of 2009. Names that came in at number one were Jacob for boys and Isabella for girls. They site the popularity of the "Twilight" books and movies since two of the main characters share these names. I was also delighted to read that only one new name made into the top 10 for girls and that name is none other than Mia! I'm so happy Mia is a popular name. I think it's beautiful and now knowing my daughter she really fits her name perfectly.

Things are really progressing in Mia's world. She rolls all over the place and can sit up and spend a fairly decent amount of time that way playing with her favorite toys like her mini-classical number piano game and her orange ball. She also rolls over on her stomach quite a bit, especially when we put her down to sleep in her crib. Whenever she is in bed, I run to the video monitor to just watch her. First, she rolls over on her stomach and stares into the camera. I have to say there is nothing more amazing than turning around and seeing her big hazel eyes. She also has a new routine. She likes to have all of her mini-blankets, or "crib friends" around her--or rather--on top of her face while she's sleeping. She spends a good 15 minutes gathering up her Snoopy, Piggy and Froggy mini-blankets, and even her actual blanket-blanket, and proceeds to move them and roll into a ball or anything that gets as many things on top of her face as possible. It is a mesmerizing sight to behold. When she finally falls asleep, I can creep in and move the blankets from her face so as not restrict her airway (paranoid mom).

She is eating more solids too. We bought the Beaba baby cook and while I'm not a gourmet by any stretch, I do enjoy making her fresh baby food as opposed to using jars. She really loves carrots, avocado and banana and has even warmed up to applesauce. Next, we're going to try to get her to like sweet potato. Last time we tried was last month and she pushed the spoon out of my hand and started crying. One more time can't hurt right? Keeping my fingers crossed....

Until next time....

MAD FOR PLAID

April 13th, 2010

Mia is 6 months and 6 days old.

Yesterday morning I went into visit Mia as usual. I slowly walked into her room and her nanny Lily was feeding her. I smiled and she smiled back and then I said "good morning little Mia".

Mia is the type of baby you have to approach with a certain amount of caution since she doesn't like it when people rush up to her too fast. Many a person has gone right up to her face in a well-meaning attempt to greet her and when that happens, she cries because she needs a little time to recognize who you are before she is ready. Just like a Queen. One must greet her with some level of respect (and even a bow or two).

As I walked closer I noticed her eyes were immediately drawn to the plaid pajama pants I was wearing. After giving birth to Mia, the post baby weight has been s-l-o-w-l-y coming off. My old clothes still don't fit me and I fight everyday to find something acceptable to wear to work that will cover both my post-baby stomach and my much larger rear-end. The one article of clothing I have always been able to count on fitting me both pre-and-post baby are my red-plaid Victoria's Secret pajama bottoms.

Mia seemed fixated on my pants so I sat down while Lily was still feeding her and let her touch them. She practically pushed the bottle out of her mouth in an effort to grab the fabric. I ended up hoisting my legs closer to her face so she could play with my pants while she was eating. Lily and I figured out that it was the red color mixed with the plaid pattern that was so intriguing.

So, this morning after my pants had been thoroughly washed I brought them into Mia and saw her face light up. Even though she was in her baby gym and had plenty of toys to play with, she completely ignored them and grabbed my pants.

Guess now I know who REALLY wears the pants in the family...

TURN OVER!

April 6th, 2010

Mia is 6 months old tomorrow!

When you have a baby, EVERYTHING becomes a first. There is her first bottle, her first bite of rice cereal, her first tooth. In fact, Mia's first 2 teeth have started to appear and now I can feel a new tooth coming in on the top of her gums. She is really teething now. She sucks down on her top lip in an effort to soothe her sore gums. Although I'm sure it doesn't feel very good to her, it's kind of funny to watch her suck away with her tongue sticking halfway out of her mouth. This seems to calm her and it's also quite entertaining.

Mia is laughing now more than ever. Belly laughs! Laughing so hard and loud she practically screams! It's especially adorable when we rub our noses on her little tummy. She almost sings with laughter!

Another wonderful thing has happened. Mia is rolling over! We knew it was only a matter of time because lately, whenever she has been on the changing table, she turns to face her favorite toy. The other day as I was changing her, she actually turned all the way over to her stomach! It's amazing that a little thing like Mia turning over has become such a highlight in my life! The small things we take for granted are momunental in terms of how a baby develops from infant to toddler to child.

Mia is my daughter and she never ceases to amaze me. What's next? Stay tuned...

I FOUND THE ACORN!

March 9th, 2010

Mia's age - 5 months and 2 days

As a working mom, I make a point to always spend as much time with Mia as possible. My routine starts by waking up at around 6:30am and spending a few minutes adjusting my eyes because it's usually still dark at that time and anyone who knew me before Mia, the notion that I would be waking up at 6:30am is hilarious. After getting up, I then brush my teeth and head into Mia's room. She's usually just finished eating and sitting on the perch of her current nanny, Lily. When she sees me, she smiles and I sing a song to the music of "Happy Birthday", called "Good Morning To You". We then play together on the floor of her baby gym while Lily gets ready for the day.

In Mia's room, there is a television and for all the naysayers, I have to say it's been a great tool. There is an entire channel called BabyFirst TV that is totally dedicated to programming for babies and children. They also teach parents how to teach their children things so it's very interactive and since I'm a new mom and have no idea what I'm doing, I have found it invaluable. We put it on in the morning when it's quiet and for the most part, Mia looks at it but basically doesn't really know what's going on. I think she's fascinated by the colors and sounds...Until this morning.

This morning, we went about our usual routine, I put Mia on her tummy in her gym but the minute the theme song to a show on BabyFirst TV called "The Acorn" came on, Mia immediately turned her head to face the tv, while still on her tummy. She then motioned for me to pick her up and sat on my lap fixated while the cartoon squirrels spent their time (as they always do) "hiding an acorn" and playing "hot & cold" while one of them searches for it. When the hidden acorn is found, the squirrels sing a little song and encourages the viewers to clap. Mia still can't quite clap yet so instead, she flaps her arms and giggles whenever the singing begins. When I saw the effect the show had on my daughter, I recorded it to replay in the future. The picture above is Mia, with her Bon Bon watching "The Acorn" and the enormous smile on her face reflects what I witnessed this morning.

I just can't believe that, at only 5 months old Mia is recognizing things and is able to express her excitement. She is growing a little personality and I can't wait to see what television show she likes next. Of course, being a mom who works in television, I reserve the right to program what she watches but so far, so good.

BECAUSE YOUR KISS IS ON MY LIPS

March 1st, 2010

Mia's age-almost 5 months..........

As a working mom, people always ask me if it's hard to be away from my daughter during the day. I can say that although it was hard at first, it has gotten much easier. The minute I wake up I go into Mia's room, hug and kiss her and bring her into bed with me. We chill out and watch Dora the Explorer or listen to Howard Stern. At night, I go straight to her room to hug & kiss her hello and then spend the remainder of the evening either bathing her or just playing with her. I feel that I do have quality time with my daughter and that time together is precious.

I also think what helps me go on with my day is that I'm leaving Mia in really good hands. Her nanny is wonderful and my family lives close by so someone visits her daily. Whenever someone visits, I almost always get a photo and phone call to let me know what new things Mia is up to.

I just received the photo above from my mother. Mia appears to be trying to kiss. Lately, she's been making all kinds of funny noises. Sometimes she squeezes her lips together and makes a buzzing sound and when she does this, drool form all around her mouth so the noise ends up sounding like wet buzz. Sometimes when she's sleeping she makes a humming sound. It's like she's on wave in the ocean and she's calling to the whales. It's really funny when it's quiet in her room and all of sudden a strange noise emanates from her crib. Sometimes I don't what to make of it. Thankfully, the new noises are all apart of Mia's development and I'm glad because I really look forward to them.

Mia also seems to have discovered her feet (also seen in the photo). She grabs and tugs her feet and even appears to do mini crunches while trying to grab them. I really need to workout more and seeing my barely 5-month old daughter with better abs than me is very motivating.

We also realize how much Mia is growing. I had to give away all of her 3-6 month clothing. When Mia goes to sleep, she wears feet pajamas for 9 month-old babies. I guess it's to be expected considering her daddy is 6 feet. I just remember looking at those and thinking I can't believe Mia is going to get that big and now, here she is out-growing her clothes! Life is amazing and the posting will continue with Mia's next milestone...

How Many Weeks?

February 23rd, 2010

Mia's age- 4 months & 3 weeks (or almost 5 months)

A little rant...

Before our darling daughter, Mia arrived in the world, whenever a new mom would tell me the age of their child, they would almost always say it in terms of how many weeks or months old the child is such as, a recent incident with a mom who told me her daughter was 22 months. After I spent a few minutes adding, I realized that her daughter was almost 2 years old. Maybe it's me? Maybe I'm just slow but how about just SAYING your daughter is almost 2 when asked? Is this hard? After the first month of Mia's life, I never used weeks describe how old my daughter is, if only to help prevent whoever was asking from having to add. Really, is it so difficult to say 4 months and 3 weeks or almost 5 months? Do I need to say 19 weeks? Is there a rule that I never heard about that was passed around some "Mommy & Me" class that I missed? I would like to start a movement. Please join me if you're a new mom and feel the same. Nuff said.

Age issues aside, being a mom is like being on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, with new things happening daily and a few bumps along the way. Mia is growing up so fast I can hardly believe it. She has started rolling over on her side and in addition to giggling, she actually screams out loud when she's tickled underneath neck. I go out of my way to kiss her on her neck just so I can hear her scream with laughter. It's a wonderful sound.

Since Mia was a large baby when she was born, her appetite is larger. She loves her feeding times and now knows what the bottle is and how to spot it when one close by. She reaches out to grab it but can't quite hold onto to it just yet. We have made the decision (with the ok from our doctor) to start giving her baby cereal. It's rice cereal. She has a sterling silver spoon and really, what princess doesn't? It's so fun to see her eat. At first it looked like she didn't like it and who can blame her? It looks and tastes like paste BUT she seems to be getting the hang of it and although she only gets 1 teaspoon a day, she's doing really well.

Mia is also ALMOST sitting up on her own! We play games with her by propping her up on our bed and then let go and count to see how long it takes before she starts to slope forward. I could seriously do this all day but Mia is only patient for so long before she decides it's enough and even when she does, I secretly wait for her to calm down before I do it again. So fun!

It won't be long before Mia is crawling then walking and talking. She is really turning into a little person. I can't wait for what's next!

As Time Goes By...

January 15, 2010

It's a new year and I'm still a new mommy.

My mother, also known as "Bon Bon" for Mia's benefit strongly suggested that I start writing down anything that's been happening with Mia. She told me I need to keep a record of all the milestones and now here I am 3 months later with the latest update.

I'm sure most parents think this about their children but Mia is truly a miracle. She came into this world a very healthy 10 lbs and has already given us her first smile and first giggle. Last night, I tickled her tummy and she laughed out loud. Since she was born on October 7th, she's already had her first Halloween, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years--complete with a mini-trip to the Ojai Valley Resort. Her eyes seems to be getting wider by the day as she observes the world around her. Her eye color has been the subject of much speculation. Her eyes are shade of blue that I have never seen. They are so beautiful. I keep hearing they will change color but that has yet to happen. Through her eyes I see wonder and I often ponder just what exactly it is she's thinking. Who is that crazy lady with the wild hair dancing like monkey? Who is that man with the impossibly sexy voice doing Ray Romano impressions? Who is the woman who has been feeding me all day? Why can't I go back to the place where I was floating and it was warm and rhythmic?

We are very fortunate to have a wonderful woman named Blanca in our home to dutifully care for our daughter while we're working. It has been a blessing and Mia loves her. Mia used to hate having anything touch her head so all of the adorable headbands and infant hats I was given have been sitting and collecting dust. With Blanca's gentle hands, it now appears that Mia LOVES hats. In fact, she even sleeps with them too. This is a new and exciting change on a long list of new and exciting.

Mia also seems to love watching television. There were many a heated debate in our household about putting a television in her nursery. I was pro TV while my husband was con. I've read all of the literature where so-called experts say that too much tv is bad for babies. I say NONSENSE! In fact, there's a whole channel dedicated to the development of babies called The Baby Channel. I put that channel on and Mia is captivated by the colors and sounds. She loves the Hello Kitty show and the "Shooshpie" show and song. Since going back to work, our morning ritual has been me bringing Mia into our bedroom, propping her up on pillows and putting on the television. If it wasn't obvious she was a baby, she would look just like I do on a lazy Sunday morning. She just chills. All she's missing is room service.

Bath time has also morphed into a splash session with water everywhere but in the tub. When Mia was first born, she couldn't be put in a baby tub because a portion of her umbilical cord was still attached and had to be kept dry so it would fall off. Therefore, she started out having sponge baths. She always seemed so relaxed--so much so that her baby nurse, Delia couldn't believe that Mia never even cried when her hair was being washed, something most babies do. Her love of water became more apparent by the time we were able to place her in her tub for the first time--about 3 weeks after her birth. At first she would just lie back and stare at herself in the mirror while I poured water over her tummy and back. Now, she flaps and kicks like she's getting ready to swim the English Channel. Blanca and I are usually drenched head-to-toe by the time it's all over and I wouldn't have it any other way. Bath time with Mia is by far my favorite time of day.

I'm going to get better about posting Mia's greatest hits as they come. For now, I'm going to "hit the hay" because soon my little girl will be awake and I will be in heaven....