All About Mia ~ Month Two

We are well into month two and Mia is doing great. At her last check up she weighed in at 12 pounds 5 oz and is now 23 1/2 inches long. We're amazed that she has gained five pounds and two inches in two months. So with her Michelin tire thighs and dimpled elbows comes better sleep ~ Yay! We can make it through the night with only one feeding which is so sweet.

She loves to be rocked and held and loved on. Between Mommy, Daddy, Grandmas and Ella, she hardly gets put down. She is holding her little head up so strong and loves to go for rides in the car and for walks in her stroller or carrier. The biggest challenge right now is her "evening colic" or unexplained fussiness from 6-9 every night. Rocking her helps, but this is prime time in our house as I get dinner ready, feed and bathe Carson and get him ready for bed. So, Sunday through Wednesday nights are sometimes a little stressful while Daddy is away. Fortunately, the doctor says she should outgrow this by three months :-)

Snuggle time with Ella.

Carson is really warming up to Mia more and more. He sings to her when she is crying and loves to share his beloved blanket with her while I'm feeding her. He often asks to hold her too. He says, "She's sooooo cute!"

It's official...Mia is definitely a daddy's girl. She loves hangin' out with her daddy and he has a way of consoling her crying when no one else can. She loves his made up silly songs and smiles alot for him. She even watches Nascar with him. Well, sort of...

Go, Jeff Gordon!

Enjoying a gorgeous day at the park.

I love my new doll...thank you Erica & Colin!

Keeping Up With Carson

It's been a busy month in our house with Mia growing so fast and Carson hitting three big milestones. Carson decided that he no longer needs his booster seat at the dining room table. This is great except for the part where he hops out of his chair after every bite to take a lap around the house or grab a different toy. Getting through a meal can be quite a lengthy process.

The second milestone happened during our bedtime prayers. Normally Greg and I say prayers for him and he ends with it for us with a very dramatic "Amen." One night, when I started it off, he interrupted me saying, "I want to talk to God." He proceeded to give thanks for Mommy, Daddy, Mia, Grandmas and Grandpas and Uncle Keevie and Uncle's dog Pippin. Every night since, he has shortened his prayer to, "Thank you God for Uncle Mark and everybody."

He has really taken a shine to his Uncle Mark. It took me a little while to realize that instead of saying, "On your mark, get set, go! he says, Uncle Mark, get set, go!" So cute.

We have been working on potty training for a while now, but he really seems to be ready suddenly. His new trick is to sit down, pee pee two drops, jump up and scream, "I peeeeeed!" Then he empties the potty in the toilet and flushes. High fives all around. Then the process starts over and over and over and over. Our water bill will reflect this routine I'm sure, but well worth it. Be sure to check the video clip of the victory...the end is hilarious when he accidentally puts the pee in the wrong place.

Deep concentration...

Success!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We hope you have fun this Valentine's Day. Greg and I are hoping for a nice sunset champagne picnic on the beach. Grandma Judy is still staying with us until sometime next week while her kitchen remodel is finishing up and she offered to watch the kiddos (thanks Grandma!) As a gift for Daddy, the kids and I had some portraits done...click below to see more:

http://www.photoshow.com/watch/dP6qi4Na

Poor Little Buddy

While getting Carson ready for bed the other night, I noticed a perfect little toddler sized bite on his right shoulder. I guess this is sort of a pre-school right of passage, but Greg and I were a little concerned that we didn't know about it when it happened at school. Actually, Greg was ready to send in a forensic team in to take dental impressions of every tot within a mile of the playground. I asked Carson what happened and all he would say was "I got boo boo." Still unwilling to rat out the half-pint Hannibal Lecter, he blamed the bite on a mosquito. I would hate to see THAT mosquito! We talked to the teacher the next day and she said he did cry that day on the playground but he wouldn't tell her what was wrong. We're working on teaching him to tell somebody when he gets hurt and hopefully he hasn't learned a new self-defense skill.

Happy Birthday Dads!

February 5th...a great day in history. Both of our fathers share the same birthday, so Greg and I took them out for a nice dinner at Flemmings Steakhouse last Saturday. Mom missed out on the fun due to a bad cold, but we had a fun time sharing good food and conversation. Greg is known for asking questions that bring about a deeper knowledge of people, so he asked, "What is the greatest memory of your life so far?" Greg's dad answered, "I took the girls (Ruth and Cheryl) out to the store one day and came home with a camper that was clearly not in the financial plan for the family and I got a LOT of heat from Judy at the time, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. That camper created so many good memories and brought our family together."

My dad said, "I was playing a gig at a private party and saw a gorgeous woman from across the room...sparks flew and it was all over. I told my buddy who brought my future wife there on a date to forget about Dorothy." Too bad Mom was sick at home and missed this great romantic moment!

We love you Dad and Pops...here's to a happy and healthy year ahead for you both.

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!

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!

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:

http://www.photoshow.com/watch/st6nI5AU

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

Sip & See Tea Party

Last Saturday we celebrated the upcoming arrival of our sweet baby girl with a "Sip & See" tea party. Surrounded by family and girlfriends, we nibbled on scones and sipped tea as the baby made her debut with a 3-D ultrasound from the comfort of our own couch.

It was difficult at first to get a clear view of her face because of her positioning and her "talk to the hand" posture. After sending down some sugar (a cupcake) and a little belly massage from Aunt Andi, we finally got a good shot.

Greg and I think she has her mommy's nose and those full, pouty Sadock lips. She looks so peaceful, doesn't she? Don't be fooled ~ she is quite a kicker...shapeshifting my belly all day long!

Three happy Grandmas!

My love and thanks to everyone who made the day so awesome.

Visit our photoshow of this special day by clicking the link below:

http://www.photoshow.com/watch/uM9xq2Wf

Team Wilbur ~ Halloween 2008

What a fun time we had this Halloween. We dressed up as a family (the littlest Wilbur included) as members of the Orlando Magic NBA team with Greg as the official. Angie Delaplane, an extremely talented artist who has been transforming our home over the last few months, transformed my belly into an incredibly realistic basketball with body paint. At 30 weeks along, my proportions were remarkably on target.

Grandpa Larry let us borrow his official whistle from when he was a basketball referee. Carson used it more than Greg did, I'm sure!

Only 10 weeks away from her debut, our baby girl was a slam dunk in the NBABY Finals!

Aunt Becky was Tippi Hedren from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and she won first prize in her office costume contest! Yea! She spent the evening with us from our neighborhood Halloween potluck to John & Angie's, to Grandma & Grandpa's then to Uncle Mark & Aunt Bonnie's house. It was a long, fun night and Carson was a trooper till the very end. Two words...SUGAR RUSH.


That was a BAD call, ref! Click here to see a photoshow of our Halloween fun and a visit to the pumpkin patch. Turn on your speakers and enjoy:

http://www.photoshow.com/watch/TG6ag7ai

Check out Angie's website at http://www.delaplanestudios.com/ her work is phenomenal!!!