Mia Faith - 11 to 12 months

6/10/2011  -  7/10/2011

Wow, I can't believe I'm ONE!  I'm officially a 1 year old!!! No longer a baby---a TODDLER.  This is great!!!

I'm officially walking!!!  Nothing can hold me back now!  My big sister Lila is so proud of me.  Whenever I stand up she runs to mommy and says: "mamame, look! Mia is walking!"  I think she'll be sorry soon because I can be a big pain in the neck.  If I could bother her and mess up her toys while crawling, imagine the mess I can do now that I'm walking!

I can be extremely dramatic. When I want something and get a "no" I put my head over my arm and cry. When Lila takes something away from me, I put my hands over my face and cry.

I'm having loads of fun now.  I love playing "I'm going to catch you", especially when I'm doing something mischivous.  Mommy looks at me and I just take off "running away" and I love it when she chases me.  I also love playing hide-and-seek.  I especially like hiding under the covers in Lila's bed.  I'm not a great "hider" yet because I keep giggling non-stop. (giggles)  When I get really excited I scream... really, I let out these very sharp screams.  Mommy calls me Mariah Carey!

Here are some other facts about me:
I eat like crazy.  Sometimes daddy gets worried that I'm eating too much but I just can't help myself. 
I'm very funny!  I can dance Lila's piece from her ballet recital and I make the funniest faces especially when I'm caught doing something wrong. 
I'm somewhat organized.  I love putting things away, even if it means putting it in the wrong place. 
I'm terrified of talking dolls...can't stand them, no matter how cute you try to convince me they are.
I am extremely sweet!  I love giving mommy, daddy and Lila kisses and leaning my head against their faces.

My vocabulary is as follows:

• MAMA: obviously, this is my "mamae"
• DADA: this is for "daddy"
• IA-IA: this is for "Lila"
• DEDE: I say this when I want something to drink
• NENE: this is for "nenem" which is "baby" in Portuguese
• FOFO: this is for "vovo" (my nana)
• NANA: this means banana
• PAPA: this means food
• A-O: this is for "hello"
• AIII: I say this in a very dramatic way when I get hurt
• HA: this is for hi
• BA: this is for bye
• NA: this is for "no" (and I shake my head while saying it)
• MM: this is for "um" which means "one" in Portuguese. I say it when I'm asked how old I'll be soon and I hold one finger up, too!
• DODO: this means "tudo" which is "everything" in Portuguese. My dad says "daddy loves you..." and I say "dodo!!!"

So, this first year has been awesome and I know my second year will be even more fun!  I can feel it!!! :-)

STATS:
weight: 19.14 lbs
height:  29.75 inches

Milestones:
walking: 7/1/2011

Mia Faith - 10 to 11 months

5/10/2011  -  6/10/2011

Hi everyone!  What a fun month this has been!  I've been doing lots of new things, saying new words and even took a couple of steps but haven't done more than that -- yet!

I'm dancing a lot, and clapping a lot... I actually clap whenever Lila finishes singing a song.  I feel she likes the audience. :-)  I can also say "hi" while waving.  I also say "hello" while holding a pretend phone to my ear and I also say "bye" while waving.  I actually do that every time I have to go to sleep: wave and say "bye" to everyone.  I'm just polite like that.

I'm extremely funny...even more so lately.  What can I say? I'm an entertainer!  Not to toot my own horn but I'm looking prettier every day, especially now that my middle top teeth started to grow.  I kind of looked like a bat before.  Let me explain:  I got my 2 center bottom teeth first.  Then, instead of the normal 2 center top teeth, I got the ones beside those so I had that big gap in the front and a weirdly-funny "vampire" look.  Not anymore though.  (sigh of relief!)

I can give my mommy a hard time too.  I'm extremely emotional all the time!  Whenever I get mad, I bang my head on the floor... Also, if I'm trying to go somewhere I shouldn't go (like under the dining table so I can play with the plugs) and if you stand in front of me blocking my way, I will try to bite your leg.  Just warning you.

So to sum up, I'm in that love-hate phase...but I feel I'm more "love" than "hate"!  I make up for my mischievousness by caressing mommy's face and giving her big, sloppy, wet kisses and very cuddly hugs.  Yeah, I'm pretty irresistible!  Take a look!

STATS:
weight: 19.1 lbs
height: 29.25 inches

MILESTONES:
taking one or two steps: 5/30/2011

Lila goes to school!

Lila's first school experience:

Since we are moving, we started looking for schools for Lila.  We found one that interested us and scheduled a tour.  It was impossible to imagine her attending school because we couldn't even get her to get dressed to tour the school that morning without a meltdown.  When we got to the school she started crying, got all clingy and wanted to be held all the time.  After about 15 minutes the school director offered some goldfish and water, so Lila sat down to enjoy her treat.  Just then, the kids who were attending the first day of summer camp started coming in from the playground and everyone sat down and started doing crafts.  Lila just got up from her little chair and asked to join the kids.  She sat with them, started coloring and chatting, as if they were all her best friends. :-)

Seeing that she was enjoying it and in an attempt to get her used to the school teachers and students, we registered her for camp.  When morning came, she was excited to get ready for her very first day of "school" and I asked her to grab her backpack.  She said "mamae, here you go. I have to take the grapes out."  Little did I know, the grapes that were supposed to be her after dinner snack ended up inside her backpack.  I was glad she told me though. Imagine the impression the teachers would have of me if I sent her with a backpack filled with rotting grapes.

She was so perky and happy to be going to school.  I took her inside and she just said "you sit right here (pointing to a bench outside the classroom)".  So I snuck out and after 3 hours went back to pick her up.  She was FINE.  The teachers said she cried a little bit asking for me but quickly calmed down.  I was skeptical that she wouldn't want to attend the next day but instead, she kept rushing me saying we were going to be late.  That day she didn't even look back.  Just went in and waved bye.  Every day when I went to pick her up she would proudly open her backpack and show me all the work she had done that day.  She would only talk about school all day long and loved every minute of it.  My big girl...I'm so proud of her.  And so that's how it was for the rest of summer camp and 'til this day she says she misses it.  Hard to explain she'll be back in a few months.  Little did I know this experience taught her confidence and now she enjoys staying in Bible class at church.  Thank GOD!

Lila's school art!

Ready for school!

Mia Faith - 9 to 10 months

4/10/2011 - 5/10/2011

This is a "mommy" post, not a "Mia" post.

Mia has been up to so much lately.  It's as if someone flipped a switch and now she's able to move around with more confidence.  She's been babbling "mama" and "papa" or "dada" all day long.  The other day I heard Lila saying:  "Mia, say LILA...say LI-LA".  It was pretty funny...even funnier when Mia kept saying "TA-TA".  I believe that's her way of calling her sister.

Lila is still the most caring big sister.  I do feel bad for her sometimes because Mia takes pleasure in messing up with her toys.  I have to say I have the worst personality combination when it comes to siblings.  One is fresh and the other likes to tease.  So Lila is a perfectionist.  Mia, because of her curiosity is somewhat an "annoyer".  Lila will build towers and set her dolls in her dollhouse in the pattern she believes to be perfect and Mia (who is now also known as "Mia-zilla" as in Godzilla) will crawl up to Lila's projects and destroy everything.  Of course Lila feels hurt, cries and whines while Mia looks at her with the biggest grin on her face.  Go figure.

Mia has a temper.  Yes, that's right.  If she wants to do something and for some reason can't, she'll throw a tantrum.  She'll stomp, grunt and even hit out of frustration.  It can get pretty intense.  On the other hand, she's constantly smiling and giggling...and she's the cuddliest baby ever.  She's very outgoing, although she may act shy sometimes.  She recently learned how to clap and dances whenever a familiar song plays.  She is so smart and copies everything Lila does.  Last week I caught her writing on the wall with chalk!   Mia's most recent adorable habit is a funny face she makes when she's trying to "seduce" us into picking her up or doing something she wants.  She looks at us and gives us the biggest smile but sort of closes her eyes in a funny way.  It's irresistible!!!

Mia has a total of 4 teeth now.  First she got her 2 bottom, middle teeth.  Now she also got 2 teeth on the top but they're not on the center, they're the ones next to the two center teeth so she looks very funny.  She also understands when we ask her to give us "um carinho" and so she softly caresses our face.  She also likes to play "peekaboo" by covering our eyes with her hands.

Time is going by so fast we can hardly believe she'll turn 1 in a couple of months. Wasn't it just yesterday she was the mystery baby in my belly???  :-)

Here are a couple of pictures!

STATS:
weight: 17.6 lbs
height: 28.25 inches

MILESTONES:
pulling herself up: 4/11/2011
crawling on all fours: 4/24/2011
cruising: 4/26/2011
clapping: 5/1/2011
blowing kisses: 5/7/2011

Mia Faith - 8 to 9 months

3/10/2011 - 4/10/2011

HELLO!!!

I've been up to lots lately!

I sort of know how to play dolls. After watching Lila do it I just learned it.  I can also brush my own hair and I like to clean things with wipes.  Give me a wipe or piece of paper towel and I'll scrub all over the house.  I try to put on my own clothes, I like to try to feed myself with a spoon and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE eating.  I'm eating pretty much EVERYTHING now. It's actually frightening to see how much I can eat!

This month's highlight (at least for my mom) is that I can say MAMA!  I've been saying it whenever I'm tired or if I'm stuck somewhere I probably shouldn't have gone in the first place.  Whenever I get hurt too... In other words, whenever I need to be rescued I call my MAMA.

I've also learned how to give big wet kisses and I can groove some moves now too!  I don't mean to toot my own horn but I'm getting cuter by the second!  Check me out...

 
 
STATS:
weight: 16.9 lbs
height: 27.25 inches

MILESTONES:
first word: "MAMA" 3/11/2011
kissing: 3/14/2011
position herself on hands and knees: 3/23/2011
dancing: 4/8/2011

LILA POST!

No matter how hard I try, I can't find the right words to describe what Lila's second year has been like.  Aguilar and I have never, ever experienced such joy and laughter.  Since Lila was born, that's all we've experienced. 

Lila is an entertainer!  She sings, dances, jokes...  She loves coloring, drawing, sculpting with play-doh, playing with stickers.  Lately, she is loving pretend play.  She's so funny!  She opens the fridge and pretends her Danimals yogurt are people...so there's the mommy, the daddy, the girl and the baby sister.  It goes a little something like this: "Hi mommy! Oh, hi daddy!  (then she makes a fake crying sound) Mommy, I made a boo-boo! Oh baby, (kissing sound) boo-boo is much better!"  It's hilarious!

Lila is the best big sister in the world.  She is caring, she is attentive, patient, loving, playful, and incredibly sweet.  Whenever Mia cries she immediately tends to her, gives her toys, kisses, tickles...whatever causes Mia to stop crying. 

Lila is helpful.  She gets diapers for Mia if necessary.  She tries hard to be calm when the house is "upside down", which keeps me calm.  She plays independently which is awesome.  Like I've said before, she entertains Mia when she's fussy.  She's extremely obedient, believe it or not.  If I tell her NO or WAIT she may not like it but she makes her peace with it.

Lila is sweet.  She can't stand to see us sad.  She hugs and kisses us, and keeps asking us "are you much better?" or "are you happy now?".  She loves cuddling, loves being held, loves to be caressed by Mia.  Being funny is very important to her.  You want to break her heart you tell her she's not funny. She'll cry and say "Lila IS funny!" until you tell her that she is, indeed, funny.

Lila's favorite things lately: 
TV shows:  Pocoyo, Olivia, Peppa Pig and VeggieTales.
Books:  Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy and the Bible.

Lila still doesn't have a favorite color.  Yes, she does say "pink" for lots of things but she's not settled on one color just yet.  I know this because at ballet class she always picks a different color for her pretend bike or pet when it's time to use her imagination.  Also, she loves doing her nails but never asks for the same color.  She likes purple with pink polka-dots, or red with white polka-dots, or even "french manicure".  I have to say, I LOVE THIS about her because I can have things go my way a lot of the time.  She's somewhat flexible.  :-)

Finally, Lila is now toilet-trained.  Considering we've been trying since 18 months old, she took a long time, but when she was finally ready to let go of diapers it only took 3 days (exactly March 10).  We invested in 3 different potties.  The one that finally worked was the musical one.  Rewards that worked for us were balloons.  I seriously feel that it had nothing to do with the potty and even though the rewards helped the key thing was Lila being ready.  She's very proud of it!!!
LILA'S 3RD BIRTHDAY

It was such a great day!!!  She said WOW when she saw her present (a big doll house) but was really in awe when she opened Mia's gift to her (crayola gel paint).  Her gratefulness touched us...she couldn't stop saying "this is for me, Mia? Thank you so much!!!"  Later, we went shopping for a fish.  That was one of Vovó Mê's presents.  So she picked a red fish and pink floral bowl decor.  After hours of asking her what she was going to call the fish, she finally came up with "Well" or something that sounds like that (I actually think she calls the fish a WHALE).  After getting balloons we went home to bake cupcakes.  Her cousins came over and she played a lot!  We sang Happy Birthday and she had her moment to blow out candles...then Vovó Mê came over and we did it all over again.  Of course, she refused to go to bed but was too tired to put up a fight.

Lila never ceases to surprise me with the things she says. She spilled oil all over the kitchen counter as we were making the cupcake batter.  I had walked away for a minute and told her not to touch anything until I came back, but she wanted to use the measuring cups and poured almost the entire container of oil inside the 1/4 measuring cup.  It went everywhere...under the microwave, mixer, coffee maker... and I had just finished cleaning the kitchen.  Needless to say I was really upset.  I showed her the mess she made, told her to go to the living room and told her how upset I was she didn't obey me.  She played quietly while I cleaned up her mess.  When I was done I asked her if she still wanted to help me make the cupcakes and her face lit up.  She ran to the kitchen, gave me the biggest hug and said "YOU FORGAVE ME!!! I'm sorry mamae! I'm sooooo happy, mamae, you forgave me!" I get teary-eyed every time I remember the purity of her joy when she realized she had been forgiven.  Why don't I have this same reaction every single day towards God?  No wonder the Bible says we have to become like children to enter the Kingdom.

Needless to say, our lives have been more joyful since Lila became a part of it.  Everyday there's a reason to laugh, and to be thankful.  She reminds us of the little things that really matter.  We are so grateful for the experience of being Lila's parents.  God is awesome.

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Lila's stats at 36 months:  she weighs 30 lbs and is 38 inches tall.

Mia Faith - 7 to 8 months

2/10/2011 - 3/10/2011

Hi!

This has been a very rough month in the health department.  Mommy and Lila were very sick with the flu and then, just when they started feeling better, I GOT SICK.  I had a very high fever, didn't sleep a wink for a whole night.  We ended up going to the emergency room and I had ear infection and a very terrible cold.  We are all better now, thankfully!

I celebrated my first LOVE day.  Mommy let me watch as my big sister Lila helped make cupcakes.  I didn't have any cupcakes this time ... I had one when I turned 6 months...my mommy's gift to me! On the other hand, I've been experiencing lots of love from mommy, daddy and my big sister.  I am enjoying my Nana a lot more now, too... She's a lot of fun! :-)

A couple of weeks ago I started getting crummy because my tooth was coming out.  You should have seen how happy mommy was when she saw my first tooth.  You'd think she won the lottery...or in the very least, you'd think my first tooth was a gold tooth.  (giggles...)

Nope, I'm not crawling yet.  Mommy thinks I'm just plain lazy...but really, why crawl when I can go anywhere I want to go by rolling/spinning/scooting?  I can pretty much army-crawl anywhere (that means dragging myself).  Mommy says she has mixed feelings about me crawling.  On the one hand, she wants me to crawl so I can entertain myself for longer periods of time (probably by following Lila around).  Then she says she is happy with me not crawling because she feels I may make her job a little harder by going places I shouldn't go.

Last month I discovered my big voice.  This month I have mastered my big voice.  If only American Idol would lower their minimum age requirement... sigh!!!  I think people think it's sort of annoying, especially because I can tell I startle a lot of people with my high notes. Oh well...

See you in a little while, hopefully, with more exciting news.  :-)

STATS:
weight: 15.14 lbs
height:  26.5 inches

MILESTONES:
first tooth: 3/5/2011
army-crawl: 3/8/2011

Mia Faith - 6 to 7 months

1/10/2011 - 2/10/2011

Hey everyone!

I'm a half-year old!

This has been another exciting month for me.  I've mastered the skill of sitting without support and I roll around the floor and wiggle and scoot to get places.  You wouldn't believe the amount of fun things people leave on the floor... Thank God I have a big sister who isn't as neat as mommy would like her to be. :-)

I absolutely LOVE to play with my big sister Lila, who also loves playing with me.  She is always so careful not to hurt me and whenever I cry she says "Mia, Lila is here..." as she tries to cheer me up.

Now I have a set schedule so I sleep all night plus 2 long naps during the day...........my mommy and daddy couldn't be happier.  I've also been trying lots of different yummy foods.  Curiosity is a huge thing for me so I'm grabbing anything and everything and "tasting" it to find out what it is.  Well, you know, a baby's mouth is not really considered a mouth.  It's considered the EYE, and it's the center of the world for me. 
I've been losing weight, which drives my mommy insane since she is trying and can't...and in the meantime, all I do is repeat a cycle of eat-sleep-cry-poop and still manage to shed some baby fat!  Maybe she should try that diet.  Ha!!!

Be back in a little while with more updates!  Toodles!

How can I not love my big sis?!

My first snow!

STATS:
weight: 15.3 lbs
height:  26.25 inches

MILESTONES:
I can hold my sippy cup! 1/13/2011

Mia Faith - 5 to 6 months

12/10/2010 - 1/10/2011

Happy New Year!!!

This year is THE year for me!  Lots of exciting stuff will happen, I just know it!

I've been having so much fun! I love my big sister so much...now that I'm taking a bath with her, she is the one who actually washes my hands, my feet and she loves it when I splash water all over her!  I try to hold her feet, which she says it "tickles" her but she lets me do it anyway.  She shares her toys with me.  She's so sweet that, even though she will occasionally want to play with something I'm already playing with, she'll give me something else to play with so I'll get distracted. That's how she makes "the switch".

This month I had my first plane ride!  We went to Florida for the holidays and I had tons of fun with my cousins.  Sure I gave mommy and daddy a hard time by waking up way too many times during the night but I made up for it with smiles.  I learned to sit without support and now I really go places when I roll around on the floor.

So, that's what I have to report this month.  See you soon!

STATS:
weight: 14.6 lbs
height:  26 inches

MILESTONES:
sitting without support:  12/30/2010

Mia Faith - 4 to 5 months

11/10/2010  -  12/10/2010

Hi there!

Time is going by fast!  I'm such a happy little girl and my sister is one of the biggest reasons for that!  I love watching her twirl around, play, sing, dance and I especially love it when she plays with me.  She is such an awesome big sister.  She shares her toys with me, likes to tell me I'm beautiful and cute, comes to my bedroom when I cry and fills my crib with her toys so I'll stop crying, and even likes to hold me sometimes.  I love her lots and I can't wait to get grown-up enough to play with her.  I think we'll have a lot of fun together. :)

This month I've been suffering a little bit.  Apparently I have had big issues with digesting the new food I'm trying and now I can't poop! That's right... so I'm back to 90% breastmilk and that's still not helping much.  I learned how to suck my thumb so now I sleep through the night!  That's right, I sleep through the night MOST NIGHTS and my mommy is so happy!

On another note, I am insanely cute.  In fact, every day I get cuter and cuter.  I'm also so in love with my mommy.  Just looking at her makes me smile and that makes daddy a little jealous!  I'm almost sitting without support and I will grab anything and everything that is within reach.

Here are some pics:

STATS:
weight:  15lbs
height:  24.75 inches

MILESTONES:
sleeps through the night!: 11/10/2010
makes herself fall asleep: 11/14/2010
rolled from back to tummy: 11/15/2010

Mia Faith - 3 to 4 months

10/10/2010 - 11/10/2010

Hello world!  I'm officially a quarter of a year old! :)  I'm very independent now and I sleep all by myself in my room... no need to have mommy beside me anymore now that I'm a big girl!  I also got earrings this month and now I look even prettier than before, if that's at all possible!

I also learned to roll over and I'm very aware of my surroundings.  The highlight of this month was that I started eating some real food for a change...well, not really EAT since it's such a tiny amount.  I'm not a big fan of it yet but as I watch my big sister I noticed I have to eat veggies and fruits in order to move on to candy and chocolate.   Although, I did have my very first taste of chocolate a couple of weeks ago.  My mommy was having a tough day with me not wanting to nap and all so she grabbed a handful of chocolate chips and one fell in her shirt so when it was time for me to have some milk I got chocolate milk instead of the plain kind.  It was yummy ... I had a little bit of a tummy-ache but it was SO WORTH IT!  :-)

I'm getting really big and really smart.  I have yet to learn how to sleep through the night even though I sometimes tease my mommy with about 6-7 hours of sleep (one time I did a 10-hour night!) and I don't like to sleep during the day.  I'm a happy girl though... I can make my mommy and daddy forget about how tired they are when I smile. 

Everything is so exciting right now but I'm hoping I can get moving soon.  Sitting in a bumbo seat or in a jumperoo is starting to get a little boring.

See ya next month! :)

STATS: 
weight: 14.3 lbs
height:  24 inches

MILESTONES:
sleeping in her room: 10/11/2010
earrings: 10/16/2010
rolled from tummy to back: 10/17/2010
grabbing feet: 10/20/2010
slept through the night (10 straight hours): 10/25/2010
started eating solids: 10/31/2010

Mia Faith - 2 to 3 months

9/10/2010  -  10/10/2010

Hi there!  Mia here!  I thought I'd write this since mommy's version of what's going on with me is growing a little boring.  I can say that about my mom, right?  :)

"Anywho", I am growing up fast and I'm learning lots of new things.  For starters, I now giggle!  Mommy loves it, although she does seem guilty that she can't make me laugh a lot all day because of all the work she has to do around the house.  I'm a very happy little girl and I love to smile!  I can also reach out and grab stuff.  Luckily, I have a very messy big sister who spreads her toys all around, so I have easy access to some very interesting things!  I also love grabbing mommy's hair, earrings, necklace and my all time favorite, her glasses!  Did I mention I have some pretty amazing things attached to the end of my arm?  Yes, that's right, I discovered my hands earlier this month and it's pretty fun!  I have yet to learn how to suck my thumb so for now I'm content with sucking any and as many fingers I can!

Sleeping is still an issue for me.  I surprise my mommy every once in a while and sleep for 6 hours but the next day I'll go back to my 3 hour stretch.  I can tell that drives my mommy crazy but I think she's kinda used to having to wake up.  I absolutely must need to start liking the bottle... I eventually take it after much stress but I don't like it and I make sure I state that!

I don't cry as much anymore, but then again, I'll have my bad days.  As my mom says, at least it's not every day. :)  I'm very chubby and have very cute, fat cheeks!  Mom wants to bite them so badly!  My doctor's visits have slowed down, thankfully!  I was poked twice more this month for blood tests and I have a feeling some doctors think that, just because I'm white, I'm a lab mouse.  My mom says we've had enough tough.  She's a really great mommy!

Overall, we're having a lot of fun. I'm more aware of my big sister and she's so sweet that I often smile for her and that makes her SOOOO happy!  She's a really great big sister.  I can't wait 'til I'm ready to sit and play with her.  I think we'll have a lot of fun playing together.

I'll pop in next month to let you all know what I'm up to.  I have a feeling I'll have lots of news!  See ya!

xoxo

Mia Faith

STATS:
weight:  12.6 lbs
height:  22.75 inches

MILESTONES:
First giggle: 9/22/2010
Reaching out to grab toys: 10/1/2010

Mia Faith - 1 to 2 months

8/10/2010 - 9/10/2010

Hectic but joyful is probably the best description for this month.  Joyful because it always is.  Mia is sweet.  She's a calm baby, smiles a lot and brings us more love than we could ever imagine.  Hectic because, only this month, we had one x-ray, one ultrasound and two blood tests done, not to mention her shots which I know are routine but the poor thing suffered a lot! 

Mia's belly has been very bloated and hard and she has been very fussy because of it.  Her pediatrician thinks the more she cries, the more air she swallows and that makes her belly even harder but to be sure she requested an x-ray of her abdomen.  So we did that and the results were that there was a lot of air in her belly. They also found some fluid in her intestinal tract but they don't know what that means and told me she could have had a virus.  I'm not surprised by them telling me this because, as you may know, a virus is the answer to almost anything doctors can't figure out.

The blood test is another story.  Mia's umbilical cord stump has yet to fall off!!!  Her pediatrician explained that she may have an immune system deficiency and that's what's causing the detachment delay so she requested the blood test.  I was so nervous about doing that on Mia because she's so little but we went and they did it.  On my way home the doctor calls me to tell me her blood clotted and we had to repeat the test.  Awesome. :-/  They managed to use some of the blood that hadn't clotted and ran the tests hoping they had enough blood.  One test came back normal (the one that shows she has a normal immune system...no deficiencies, so, YAY!) but the cell study they did showed that she had high potassium and her cells that fight off infections came back a little low.  Her doctor was going to consult a hematologist to find out more about that and let me know if they wanted a second test.  That's exactly what sent us in for a second blood test and this time the cells came back normal but her potassium is still high so we'll have to see a hematologist for that.  I was told it could be nothing but it could also be a problem with her adrenal gland.  My heart is filled with peace and I doubt anything will be wrong but I think they'll want to poke Mia again and do another blood test to confirm.  Meanwhile, she also needs to be seen by the hematologist because of the amount of time it has taken for her cord stump to detach.  The ultrasound was to make sure her umbilical cord had developed correctly from within her body and to check her organs.  I'm still unsure what they were looking for but they couldn't really see much.  Mia had so much gas that the ultrasound image was pretty blurry but they didn't seem worried.  She's a very healthy baby overall.  I guess they just want to cross everything off the list before calling this umbilical cord issue a "freak of nature".  Everyone, including doctors, I talk to say they have NEVER seen this happen.  It's the worse thing you can hear when it's health related. 

Her fussiness seems to be decreasing and she has been growing well.  She brings so much joy to our family and brings out the best in us.  I've learned to be calmer, to let go of wanting to be the one in control.  God uses the weirdest things to work with us and change what needs to be changed.  I'm thankful for that.  I know this will make me a better daughter, a better wife, a better mom, a better sister, a better friend...

STATS:
weight: 11.6 lbs
height:  22 inches

MILESTONES:
Cooing: 8/12/2010
Rolling to sides: 8/24/2010

BIG sister Lila Grace

I am so proud of Lila!  She has truly amazed me. I never thought having a sister would bring out so much love in her.  I knew she'd be loving but I wasn't expecting her to be helpful at such a young age. 

Whenever Mia cries she lets me know and goes to her immediately.  ("Mamae, Mia choando." ou "Mamae, Mia ardou."... the first one means Mia is crying and the second means Mia woke up.)
She leans over and says "oh Mia, it's okay".  Sometimes she'll get a book and read to her while she's crying.  One time she took her Bible and "read" the story of Noah and sang the Noah song she knows.  It was the sweetest thing!  Other times Lila has taken her dolls and showed them to her..."Look Mia, balleina (ballerina...)" .  Whenever she draws pictures or colors a page she runs to Mia and shows it to her.  She says: "Look Mia, I did it!"  Smart!  It helps a lot that Lila isn't the type to want to touch Mia all the time.  She doesn't try to change her diaper or feed her or even hold her.  It has been easy to trust her around Mia without fear of Mia accidentally getting hurt.

We told her that Mia has a tummy boo-boo and if she cries Lila runs and gets the pacifier and Gripe Water so we can help the "boo-boo" and she'll actually say "Mia dodoi barriga" (Mia has boo-boo belly)...then she prays so Jesus will kiss her baby sister's boo-boo away. ("Papai Ceu, bejinhu dodoi barriga Mia, ome Jesus, Amen!") So sweet!

Lila hasn't been giving me an ounce of trouble...really.  The only thing she requests is to be held which is so okay with me.  She is sweet, and loves helping me out.  It has been a very pleasant surprise to say the least!

I am so blessed.  I can't thank God enough for these wonderful presents He is trusting me to care for.  To close, here's a picture that shows a ton of sisterly love.  Notice Lila's pout? :)

Mia Faith - 0 to 1 month

7/10/2010  -  8/10/2010

Time flew by... 

Mia is such a good baby.... very alert and likes to smile all the time!  She nurses a lot... on average, she'll nurse every 2 hours if not every hour and a half.  She's so chubby now!  At 3 weeks she weighed near 9 pounds!  Yes, it's exhausting feeding her so often, but so worth it and I'm really enjoying it.  It's amazing how much more confidence a mother has with the second child compared with the first.  Of course, with Lila it was hectic since the very beginning and the experience we had with her gave me a certain sense of insecurity which took a while for me to let go of.  However, I wouldn't change a thing about it because I learned a lot from it and how to relinquish control of some things.

Sadly, Mia also has a lot of colic and cries a lot.  I feel helpless because there's really NOTHING a mom can do to help alleviate the pain except wait until she's about 3 months old when it naturally stops. I've done my share of researching and changed my diet but I guess waiting is the best medicine right now.  I never wished for time to go by fast until now.

Her umbilical cord stump hasn't fallen off yet... yes...that's right.  I was worried at first but, since there's no infection, I guess there's really nothing to worry about.  It's actually weird that I think it's sort of neat that her umbilical cord stump is still intact because I feel it's the little symbol of both of us being connected and when I look at it I smile...  :)

So, not much to report this month.  We'll be back next month!

STATS:
weight:  8.6 lbs
height:  21 inches

MILESTONES:
First smile: 7/31/2010

The first 15 days!

I can't believe it has been 15 days since we brought our little bundle of joy home.  We've been adjusting pretty well and Mia is an angel!  I've been having a lot of help, thank God... it's not easy taking care of 2 kids!!!  Even though I have help, I still miss some of the pampering I got when I was in the hospital...for exemple: since Mia was nursing well at the hospital, I asked the nursery to bring her to me during the night and not give her formula.  It was great having the nurses bring her to me and then take her from me when I was done so I could get some sleep.  :-)  Still, there's no place like home!

Lila went to visit us at the hospital and it was very interesting.  I missed her like crazy... I actually had to keep a picture of her next to me the entire time so I could look at it.  It was hard not to cry but knowing my mom was with her kept me at peace.  She didn't seem to understand that Mia was no longer in my belly or that there even could be a possibility of her being in there...LOL  The funny thing was that after a few minutes she was already calling that little swaddled peanut "Mia".  She even sang and danced for Mia...so adorable!  I was fearful that she would give me a hard time with Mia, maybe want more attention, or that she would be too physical with the baby but she has been SO SWEET and so easygoing.  Thank God for that!  Lila actually lets me know if Mia is crying, wants me to pick her up as soon as she starts to fuss and wants to kiss her head and hug her but always asks first.  There have been no tantrums!  Seriously!  At least not related to Mia... :-)  I'm really, really blessed to have such a good, sweet and kind little girl.  I knew she would be an awesome big sister...I'm so proud of her!

Mia is a really good baby.  Sometimes she manages to sleep relatively well...sometimes she'll go 3 hours from one feeding to the next.  Other nights (like last night...) she'll wake up every 1.5 hours to nurse.  She has been having colic and now I fear she may have reflux, too, which breaks my heart.  Seeing her in pain makes me feel pretty useless. 

Being alone with the two girls has been interesting.  Some days are okay, some days are harder.  I've been blessed with a lot of help this time.  When I had Lila, I didn't have a lot of help.  My sister-in-law has been bringing me food nearly every day which has made my life a lot easier.  My mother-in-law likes to come over to watch Mia so I can sleep when Lila naps.  My mother (my hero, really) works like crazy all day and sometimes she'll still make time to come to my house to take Lila outside or to keep me company.  I can't thank these people enough.  All I can do is pray that God will bless them SO MUCH. 

Yes, I am exhausted...but I've never been happier.  Between Lila's hugs and kisses and Mia's smiles I manage to forget how tired I am.  My husband and I look at each other and we're just speechless at how blessed we are.  God is amazing...and we're so greatful!!!

Here are some more pictures!

Mia Faith is here!

Meet Mia Faith!

Born on July 10, 2010 at 3:20 p.m.
6 lbs, 12 oz  - 19.5 inches

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It all happened so fast! 

I actually managed to sleep through the night and did not experience the false labor contractions I had been having for the past few days.  I got up at around 6 and everything was calm... even the contractions I had been having off and on were gone.  I was doing nothing out of the ordinary when the contractions slowly started coming back.  It was around 8:30 in the morning.  They were mild and coming every 15 minutes or so but I wasn't really paying attention to them since I had gone through this before.  Then they started coming every 12 minutes, then 10.  When I noticed this, I called my mother and asked her to come over.  I told JR that I was going to take a shower and that I thought I was in active labor.  Suddenly, the contractions went from mild to painful but manageable...it was around 10:45 a.m.  I called the doctor on call who said I was definitely supposed to go to the hospital.  By this time, the pain was getting pretty intense.  On the way to the hospital my contractions were already every 8 minutes and every bump on the road made me feel like Mia was going to come out in the car.  We live about 45 minutes from the hospital so, needless to say, it was pretty crazy.  Between contractions I was laughing with joy and excitement because I was getting my wish:  no need for induction this time.  JR helped by laughing (I think he was nervous...) and saying "see, this is what you wanted... you once said you wanted to have Mia the natural way without pain medication and you might get that wish too" which freaked me out because the pain was getting stronger and stronger.  This didn't stop him from trying to get a video of me in pain while we were driving to the hospital.  Why do men do that???  Luckily I was too happy to punch him in the face.

So we got the hospital and I was admitted at noon.  They left me at triage for about 45 minutes.  By then, my contractions were 3-5 minutes apart and I was 6 cm dilated.  At 1:40 p.m. the anesthesiologist gave me a spinal block instead of an epidural because things were moving too fast and the epidural takes 20 minutes to apply plus 20 minutes to start taking effect.  The spinal block takes effect in 2 minutes but only lasts 2 hours.  At 2:33 p.m. the doctor broke my water and exactly a half hour after that I was in more pain than before getting the anesthesia.  I called the nurse who called the anesthesiologist and she gave me what I call a "booster" shot in the spinal IV to help with the pain but it had not effect. Then she increased the medication on my spinal block but still, no difference. When the doctor checked me she said I had to start pushing because it was time. I was so afraid of the pain I was in but at 3:12 p.m. I started pushing and Mia came out 8 minutes after that. Amazingly, the pain was gone as soon as I saw her. I actually saw her come out of me. She looked so small but simply PERFECT. She was crying loudly which was a relief (given what had happened to Lila when she was born) and I got to hold her for a long time before they took her to be weighed and measured. At 3:44 p.m. I got to breastfeed her for the very first time. She knew exactly what to do and I was overwhelmed by the love I was feeling for this little baby that had just come out of me. I felt so blessed to be able to hold her and admire her as soon as she was born. There was no chaos in the delivery room. It was just the 3 of us and we were bonding instantly. This was all very new to me and JR. Mia nursed for almost one hour and we realized just how great it is to wait for God's plan to take place in our lives. Maybe, if I had been induced yesterday, I wouldn't have had the same experience. God's will truly is good and perfect and we're forever thankful that He allowed us to go through this wonderful experience.


Here are a few more pictures:

 

Pregnancy Journal: month #10

• Tenth month: 07/09/10 to only God knows when...

Yes...that's right...it's my due date and here I am!  We actually went to the doctor this morning with my bags all packed because they had told me my amniotic fluid was decreasing and, if it had slightly decreased again in today's exam, they would send me to the hospital to be induced.  My mother took the day off and we left her with Lila.  My heart was heavy because I already missed her as soon as I walked out the door.  After the exam, the nurse in charge said my fluid had increased (surprise, surprise...) and there was no need to send me to the hospital.  In the meantime, my doctor is on vacation and will only come back next week.  Knowing her, she'll have me wait at least a week past my due date until we talk "induction" again.  That's what she told me in our last exam - the same exam where she told me "I'm sure you won't make it to your due date, never mind go past it."  So we go back on Monday (that's when I'm 3 days late) to see my doctor who I pray will be refreshed from her vacation and will send me to the hospital.  That is, of course, unless I go into labor on my own this weekend.  Is that too much to ask?

Sigh...............

Pregnancy Journal: month #9

• Ninth month: 06/09/10 to 07/09/10: anticipating, nesting and so much more...

I can't believe it... 9th month!!! :-)

Anxiety has now been taken over by excitement...well, maybe not yet...  Yes, I am a little anxious about the day I'll meet Mia and hold her in my arms but the thing that has been making me the most anxious is WHEN..WHEN will she be here? Will I go past my due date again?  This has been an issue I constantly bring up at my prenatal visits.  From the very beginning I asked my doctor to NOT let me go past my due date but I am torn between that and being induced.  She tells me she really believes I won't go past my due date this time.  I really want to experience the feeling of going into labor without being induced but I don't know right now if it's worth waiting for the natural to happen.  I was anxious when my due date arrived while pregnant with Lila...and each day that passed I was getting more and more anxious but it was ok since I had not other children to care for.  This time it's a totally different situation.  I have been struggling to give these "worries" to the Lord.  I know He knows what's best and Mia's arrival is all planned out by Him and it couldn't be more perfectly planned.

I'm so blessed that my mom is near and will be taking a few days off to take care of Lila when I go to the hospital and to help me once I come home.  God bless her for doing that.  I'm also very blessed my mother-in-law is here and will also be helping me once Mia arrives. :-)

Nesting:  I call it an obsession now.  I don't think I can go one day without cleaning or organizing something in the house.  There's still so much to do in Mia's room but at this point I decided it can wait until after she arrives.  I managed to get the most important things done (bassinet, glider, dresser, laundry) so the decor will come later.  If you know me, you will know this is not normal behavior for Joyce...LOL... I guess I have started to learn how to pick my battles as I'm sure I'll be doing lots of that in the years to come.  I hear having 2 girls is not easy and I sort of know that since I have an older sister and a younger brother.  Our house was anything but calm.

Lila has yet to understand what's going to happen.  I anticipate she'll give me a hard time because it's really just me and her all day...I'm sure she'll be a very loving big sister but she'll struggle to have my attention divided between her and her little sister.  I'm already praying hard about this because it'll be the 3 of us alone all day for a few weeks.  Since I know I won't be getting much sleep, my patience will be short and God knows how I'll handle it.  Also trying to give this up to the Lord completely but during my sleepless nights (yes, I'm still experiencing insomnia) that's one of the things I find myself constantly thinking about.  She officially calls my belly bump "Mia" now but sometimes she calls her daddy's "belly bump" that too...LOL

Well, I hope to be back next time with news of Mia's birth!  Hang in there with me...  :-)

Pregnancy Journal: month #8

• Eighth Month 05/09/10 to 06/09/10:  anxiety, "where are my toes?", preparations, big sister Lila Grace...

Anxiety: a big issue this month.  Believe it or not, now all I can think about is that Mia Faith will arrive way too soon and I won't be ready.  I hope this is just "fear of the unprepared" because, really, I haven't started doing ANYTHING yet.  I've managed to make a list of all the things I need to buy and do but have yet to find the time to get started.  We bought Mia's dresser and a bed for Lila (so we can use her crib and mattress for Mia) but that's about it.  Now we need to paint it in the color I want and go from there.  There's also a ton of laundry I need to do which is something I'm actually looking forward to.  I love organizing things and doing it for my daughter only makes it more fun!

"Where are my toes?":  that is the question this month... seriously.  I've been hearing "oh you look so small" and "you don't look like you're in the second trimester, let alone the third!" and all of a sudden my belly just POPPED.  It's not terribly heavy just yet but it's heavy enough!  Mia is not huge... the doctor said she's about four and a half pounds this week (week 33).

I had the nicest surprise last week.  My friends and family threw a surprise baby shower and it was so much fun!  Just having the ones I love all together in one room for a couple of hours was so great.  I've been so busy with errands, doctor's appointments, crossing things off my "to do" list that I haven't had a whole lot of time left and this was such a treat!  Thank you all for the wonderful surprise and all the lovely gifts!  I love you all!!!  (I'll post pictures soon!)

Lila is still oblivious to the fact that she's going to have a sister soon.  I try to talk to her about it as much as I can but I don't feel like there's a need to really push the subject when she doesn't seem to understand it just yet.  She's always sweet when I ask her "who's inside mommy's belly" and she says "baby" or "Mina" (her way of saying Mia)...  The funny thing is when I lift my shirt and say "there's a baby inside mommy's belly...it's Lila's little sister, right?" and she pulls my shirt down and says "night-night baby".  LOL  I think what she's really trying to say is "I'll deal with her when I have to but not right now"...LOL  Just a quick note about something sweet that happened and I can't stop thinking about:  we started doing the non-stress test this week (that test where they put a couple of monitors on the belly to track the baby's heartbeat, movement and contractions).  Lila is always present at every appointment I have... for 20 minutes we got to listen to Mia's heartbeat and Lila was actually dancing to the sound of it!  It was soooo sweet!  Next time, I'll try to catch it on video.  :-)

Be blessed everyone!

xoxo