Friday, January 30, 2009

All about Mia ~ Month One


Already our little one is five weeks old...here are some of the highlights of her first month:

Mia has found her smile and stolen our hearts. She has discovered her hands and feet and lifts her head. She loves taking baths and being outside. Like most newborns, she loves to be cuddled, rocked and loved on. She sometimes sucks her thumb, but refuses a pacifier. She is growing at lightning speed (maybe due to the every two hour feedings!) and is quickly making her way into and out of her wardrobe.

As a very sleepy little baby, Carson was given the royal title "Sir Sleeps A Lot." Not to be outdone, Mia has been lovingly crowned "Princess Poops A Lot." The poop-fest has led us into the battle of the raging diaper rash. Our weapons of choice have included two prescriptions and over half a dozen over the counter remedies which have led mostly to frustration. I think we're finally getting ahead of her tushie tenderness, but whew, has it been a challenge!

Carson is getting used to the idea of sharing his world with "sister baby." We had one episode of jealousy where he faked a knee injury that led us to the doctor's office only to find he was a strong, perfectly healthy toddler in need of more attention. Can't wait to share this story when the kiddos are grown!

Mia's first bath at home, Daddy sure is good at this, isn't he?

These daily oatmeal baths sure do make my tushie feel better!

Oh, good ~ there's my thumb. Now I'm ready for my nap.

I'm not hurting her, I'm just practicing my hair pulling technique for later!

I'm a big girl!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

When Daddy's away...Aunties will play!

Last weekend began a 7 day Carribean cruise for Greg and the ROI team and the first long stretch of time with Daddy away since Mia was born. I put out the call for help and Aunties came to the rescue! After a very long and sleepless Friday night, Mia and I caught up on some much needed rest while Aunt Becky and Carson went to the Largo Park "Touch A Truck" event. Carson was in his glory sitting in the driver's seat of a fire engine, garbage truck, rescue vehicles, a motorcycle and more. It was little boy heaven with all of the buttons he could get his hands on.
Click here to see a photoshow of Carson behind the wheel of some very impressive vehicles:
http://www.photoshow.com/watch/nZ2pV2SV

Aunties Andi, Gayle and Becky swooped in for a short sleepover to help me with the kiddos, get to know baby Mia and of course get really silly. Mia was totally spoiled with lots of rocking, cuddling, and even a massage from Aunt Andi.






True to tradition, a sister sleepover wouldn't be complete without an early Sunday morning trip to the 49er Flea Market. So they packed up Carson and left Mia and I in happy dreamland. Everyone came home with treasures including Carson who worked his Aunties for a toy Hummer truck and jumbo train set which has kept him busy all week. Thank you :-)

Sunday afternoon we were in for a real treat when Auntie Chin (aka Andi) arrived to give us a concert. A special song was dedicated to Mia and her lucious little lips!



This was one of our favorite things to do as kids. How fun to see the tradition carried on!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The best gift of all!

We received an early gift this year just in time for Christmas...
Mia Lauren Wilbur was born December 23, 2008 at 5:44 p.m. and was by far the best gift under the Christmas tree! She weighed in at 7 lbs 3.8 oz and thankfully we were able to get her home to meet her big brother on Christmas Eve. We should have known she would make an early appearance, who just like her brother made his early debut the day before Easter. Apparently, our kiddos don't want to miss out on any special holidays! Her birth was very amazing and attended by Greg, my sister Becky and our awesome Doula, Candy Mueller. After about 7 hours of drug-free labor, our baby girl was born. We had such a hard time deciding on a name, the list went from 30+ possibilities down to two, which we slept on and named her Mia (meaning blessed and my girl) Lauren (after my sister) the next day. She is so sweet, sleeping well and is nursing like a champ. She has already grown an inch and has gained over a pound and a half in three weeks! My apologies for not getting pictures out sooner, but it is just amazing how many hours can be spent gazing at and loving on a newborn.







Click here to see more pictures of Mia's birth and homecoming:







Carson is doing so well in his new role as "big brother." He likes to tickle Mia and tells everyone, "She's so cute!" He is convinced that her belly button is made of chocolate (remnants of her umbilical cord.) Yes, I am keeping a journal! In the last few weeks, Carson has hit some milestones in the spirit of being the big brother. He has graduated to his big boy bed and now rides around the neighborhood on his new big boy bike.
We had an awesome Christmas season, including our annual "girl Christmas party." The theme this year was to give gifts to each other that were either "homemade or hand-me-downs from the heart." It was a very special time for the girls to get together and share good food and holiday time together. We are always amazed at how each year seems more special and fun than the last. Andi and Becky brought hand sewn pillows that they made for each of us out of fabrics, trims and accessories that were special and sentimental in some way. They could have a budding business on their hands!
The next week was a mad race to the finish line getting ready for Christmas and the birth of our baby. On Christmas morning, Becky and Greg's Dad and Marsha came over and we opened gifts and shared our sweet Mia with her Grandparents.


Later that day, we packed up the kiddos and headed over to my Mom and Dad's house for Christmas with my family and another debut for our little Mia. She was met with lots of love and fun at the Sadock house.
Then we celebrated with Greg's Mom over New Year's weekend ~ Carson was very excited about his new watch and his remote control car!


Click here to see more photos from Christmas time.
http://www.photoshow.com/watch/rI5vy6ZD