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...