Where Does The Time Go? 15 Months

It's hard to believe that it's been three months since I last posted.  Feels like just yesterday she had her first birthday, but I blinked and now she's 15 months of pure love and joy.  Mia had a well check at the doctor last week and weighed in at 23 pounds, 5 ounces and 31.5 inches long.  She is a great little eater, and loves water and milk. She is off bottles, so we are officially a bottle free household! Feels so good. :)

Mia is talking up a storm, and starting to string words together into phrases. She says many words, such as banana, more, water, all done, thank you, bubbles, outside.  Her favorite things to say are Hannah, Emma, Dada, Jersey, Mama. She loves running into Emma and Hannah's room and calling their names in the morning to wake them up. The first thing Hannah always does is gives Mia one of her beloved blankets.  One of the many selfless acts her sweet big sisters do for her.

Her little personality really shines, and it is so much fun watching it develop more and more each day. She is such a little ham, like big sis Hannah, and loves making people laugh.  Whenever I get my phone out to take a picture she says "cheese" and grins all on her own.  She is at that age where she wants to do whatever big sisters are doing and is pretty strong willed when she doesn't get her way. We are starting to see those adorable baby temper tantrums, and sometimes you just can't help but smile because she is so darn cute.


Mia mastered walking right at 13 months, and is now working on running. She loves the run away game! The girls and I chase her around and tickle her.... the giggles are priceless.

Over the past couple of months we have taken vacations to Juneau and San Diego to see our families, and Mia and the girls had a blast playing with grandparents and cousins, visiting beaches and the glacier, going to the fair and Sea World.

I can't say enough how blessed we feel to be Mia's mommy and daddy. Emma and Hannah absolutely adore her and would do anything for her (they don't even cry if she pulls their hair or pinches them - yes, we are in that phase too ;)  She completes our family in the most wonderful way. <3

Happy 1st Birthday, Little Miss Mia!

It is hard to believe that our baby girl is officially ONE year old! The past year has flown by, and we are having the best time watching Mia grow. Emma and Hannah especially love watching her reach new milestones and play with them more.  Their patience with her amazes me, and Mia just adores them.  Every morning she crawls down the hall to their bedroom to wake them up...it's the cutest thing ever.

Mia had her 12 month well check at the doctor this morning, and is doing great! She weighs 21.5 pounds and is 29.5 inches long.  The doctor was quite impressed with all the words she knows.  She says "bye-bye, mama, dada, ba-ba, boo, mema (Emma), dat (that)." 

Our hungry girl continues to be an amazing eater.  There hasn't been anything she won't eat so far! She loves bananas, spaghetti, mac and cheese, quesadillas, and more.  Her birthday cake was a hit too (the girls helped show her how to go for the frosting first...haha). Mia is officially off formula and drinking whole milk...yay! 

Sweet Mia's little sense of humor has really come out. She loves to tease, play peek-a-boo, and make her cute little scrunch face to make your laugh.  She stays busy with her library and Gymboree classes, and loves cruising around on the patio with Emma and Hannah.  She is not walking yet, but gets around quickly by cruising the furniture and crawling.  She uses anything and everything (chairs, etc.) as walkers and pushes them around the house.  For the past month she has been letting go to stand by herself, but when she realizes she's not supported she drops to her knees.  Maybe over the next month we will see her take her first steps. ;)  

We hope all is well with our family and friends. xo

Our Little Sunshine is 11 Months

We have officially started the countdown to the big first birthday now that Mia is 11 months old.  She is 21 pounds, and is growing longer and leaner by the day with all the crawling she is doing.  Mia has six teeth and is working on getting more in.

In the sleep department, we are all happy to say little Miss Mia continues to do amazingly well! She sleeps all night, every night and takes two good naps every day.

Now that she's such a big girl, Mia eats all of the foods we do and is loving the variety.  Mac and cheese and peas is her favorite meal.  She loves to snack on pouches, graham crackers, goldfish and teething biscuits.

Some of Mia's favorites are Itsy Bitsy Spider, Gymboree and library classes, cruising in her walker on the patio with Emma and Hannah, swinging at the park, making her scrunch face and being silly, playing anything and everything her big sisters do, and looking at pictures of family around the house and asking "dat?"

Over the past month, Mia's big accomplishments have been pulling herself up and standing wherever possible, cruising along furniture, standing by herself (5 seconds is her record!), giving high fives, clapping, waving and saying "bye-bye," and holding her own bottle consistently.

This month will be an exciting one...Mia's first spring training baseball game and first Easter! It's crazy to think that next time I update this blog we will have a one-year-old on our hands. We are just so blessed.

Mia has Reached the Double Digits~10 Months

Another month has flown by, and Mia is 10 months old! She now weighs 20 pounds, 10 ounces and is 28.5 inches long. Sweet baby girl has four teeth now (two on top, two on the bottom), and is working on more. Still lots of drool and chewing on anything she can get her hands on.

Great news to report this month: Mia is finally sleeping through the night consistently! This makes for a well-rested baby and momma. ;)  She is taking two naps these days and having lots of fun play time in between.  She loves to play school and babies with her big sisters.  You can just tell she feels like such big stuff when she's playing with them.  Emma and Hannah just adore her and their patience with her amazes me, considering she chews on their toys and knocks over their magna tiles on a regular basis.

Mia is eating lots of big girl food these days.  She loves mac and cheese, peanut butter and jelly toast, pot roast, grilled cheese....there is really not much she won't eat!  Her favorite snacks are pouches, puffs and teething biscuits.

Over the past month, Mia has gotten very quick with her crawling, and can disappear from one room into the next in the blink of an eye.  She loves standing at her play table, walking along furniture, and pushing her walker.  It won't be long before she takes off walking....I think she really wants to keep up with Emma and Hannah!

Mia is doing more babbling these days, and her laughs are contagious.  She does the cutest little scrunch face sometimes when she smiles and she knows she's being funny.  She's got a great sense of humor already.  Over the past few weeks she has started signing and saying "more" and "all done" when she eats.  She is also pointing and saying "what dat?" Her favorite thing to look at around the house are pictures of Emma and Hannah.  We look at their school pictures on the shelf daily and her sweet little face just lights up!

Hope everyone has a happy Valentine's Day!

9 Months and Mobile!

Little Mia had a big month.... she started crawling about a week before she turned nine months (on New Year's Day)! She is all over the place now, and is loving exploring her world with a whole new level of freedom.  It is fun to watch her curiosity as she discovers new things.  Mia is also pulling herself up onto anything in sight, but is still a bit wobbly, so we have to be close by to spot her.

I took her to the doctor today for a well visit and she is 20 pounds, 4 ounces and is 28.5 inches long. Growing right on track! She got her first ear infection this month, the result of a cold that she, Emma and Hannah kept passing around.  Poor Mia!

Mia loves giving kisses (she makes the cutest little fish face), clapping, waving and babbling.  She says "ma-ma, da, ba, pa."  Story time is one of her favorites and her favorite book is Peek-a-Baby.  Her sisters love to read to her and always include her in all of their games and activities, including dress up.  Mia loves to be one of the big girls!

This month Mia started Gymboree and loves it! She adores other babies her size and loves the slides, bubbles, songs and parachute time.  It's a fun bonding activity for Mia and Mommy while big sisters are busy at school.

We hope every one's new year is off to a good start! Love and hugs from the whole John family.

Happy 8 Months & Happy Holidays!

Our happy, smiley Mia is already 8 months old. She is 19.5 pounds and is looking longer and leaner these days. Don't worry, those chunky, kissable thighs are still there!

Mia learned to wave and clap over the past month. She is so friendly, and gives big smiles and waves to everyone we meet.  She loves stacking toys, her Peek-a-Boo Baby book, and chewing on tags. Yes, she is an expert at finding tags on blankets, toys, clothes, you name it!  She also loves looking at all of the Christmas lights and Christmas tree.

Our big girl is a pro at rolling across any room, and loves to sit and play with her sisters. She scoots, pushes up on all fours, and is almost crawling. We are in no hurry for that....she can take her time! haha. 

Mia still just has her two bottom teeth, but is working on more. Poor baby has been waking up more at night lately because of teething.  She started eating puffs this month and loves eating like her big sisters. Feels like such a big girl! 

Speaking of big sisters, Mia just loves to play and cuddle with them.  Hannah and Emma bring her toys, read her books, and hold her. Mia's eyes light up when she goes with me to wake her big sisters every morning.  It is so fun to watch their bond grow with each day. 

We hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season. Merry Christmas! 

7 Months Old!

Our baby girl is growing up so fast... she is now 7 months old and weighs 19.5 pounds. She has two teeth and is working on more. We go through lots of bibs, as the drool is constant!  Mia can roll all the way across a room, and scoot to get where she wants to go (usually to get to big sisters' toys). She gets up on her knees but hasn't started crawling yet. Now she can sit independently for long periods of time and transitions herself from a seated position to her tummy.

Mia loves going to the park, story time at the library, and being outside with Emma and Hannah.  She babbles and laughs at them a lot, which they just adore.  Mia waves very well and puts her hands together when I start singing "Patty Cakes." Won't be long before she's clapping! She still loves her nursery rhymes. 

Mia is still eating solids twice a day.  Fruits, veggies, oatmeal and rice cereal are what she's been eating so far. She tried a biscuit and was not a fan of something breaking off and dissolving in her mouth. Maybe we'll try puffs in the next month or so. 

More great news over the past month: Mia is now sleeping through the night! Bedtime is 8 pm and she sleeps until 5:30 or 6 am. Everyone is feeling more well rested around here. :) 

November is a busy month, with trips to Las Vegas for a family wedding, and San Diego to spend Thanksgiving with the family.  Mia does great in the car and she loves being out and about, so I'm sure she will have a great time! 

Happy Thanksgiving to all! 

Mia is 6 Months!

Mia celebrated her half-year birthday last week with a trip to the park, followed by some banana puree! She loves going on the swings, playing in the sand and sitting on Mommy's lap to go down the slide. Now that the weather is cooling down, she will get to go on many park adventures with Emma and Hannah.


Our sweet Mia girl is growing so quickly. She weighs 17 pounds, 13 ounces and is 26.5 inches long. Her first tooth finally poked through this past week, and she is teething like crazy. Lots of drool going on right now!

Some milestones for Mia this month were: rolling over both ways - she can now roll across the whole floor to get where she wants to go, sitting unassisted for short periods of time, and scooting on her tummy and back.

Mia is starting to sleep through the night more, which is nice for everyone! She is still eating a fruit or vegetable at lunch time and rice cereal or oatmeal in the evening.

Some of our sweet baby girl's favorites are: bath time, sitting up to play, bouncing in her Jumperoo, imitating sounds, reading/chewing on books, laughing at her big sisters, nursery rhymes, and playing with other babies. Each week we go to the Tiny Tots class at our local library, which she loves! She lets out little squeals of delight throughout the whole class. It is so cute.

We are all so smitten with our happy, lovable, kissable baby girl, especially her big sisters. They dote on her, feed her, and play with her every chance they get.

Happy 5 Months, Sweet Mia

Today is Mia's 5 month birthday, and it was filled with all of her favorite things. The girls sang her happy birthday as she bounced away in her Jumperoo at breakfast time (she loves being the center of their attention), Mommy took her to Tiny Tot time at the library, she happily played on her tummy and listened to stories after lunch, followed by a bath and then a nice long nap in the swing.

Mia now weighs 16.5 pounds and is wearing mostly 9 month clothing... I'd forgotten how quickly babies fly through the sizes in the first year of life.  Hard for a momma to keep up!

New this month for Miss Mia - She is now rolling over easily from back to tummy. Whenever I lay her on her back she quickly rolls over (I think part of why she's so eager to do this is that she loves the cheers from Mommy, Emma and Hannah every time she does this - her grin is priceless). Mia is eating solid foods twice a day now. She eats a fruit or veggie at lunch time and rice cereal before bed. Her favorite foods are the veggies at this time (sweet potatoes and carrots). She is not a big fan of bananas at this point.

Mia is teething, although no teeth have popped through yet. The drool is almost constant and everything she can get a hold of goes straight into her mouth.  She is sitting when supported by the Bumbo, pillows, or couch.  When on her stomach she can scoot herself around 90 degrees to reach her favorite toys.  In addition, Mia reached one of my favorite milestones over the past month: laughing. Her little giggle is the cutest! Emma and Hannah have been making her laugh lately and it's the cutest thing to watch.  I'm still trying to capture it on video for all to see.

Some of Mia's favorites are playtime with her big sisters, playing on her tummy, chewing away on teething toys, bath time and splashing Mommy, story time at the library, her Mother Goose toy, Elmo book, nursery rhymes (Pat-a-Cake, Itsy Bitsy Spider), napping in her swing, tickles on her neck and under her arms.

As you can tell we are having so much fun with our sweet baby Mia. This is such a fun age! They engage with you, talk, coo and giggle, and stay put when you set them down...for the most part. ;)

Mia is 4 Months Old!

Mia had her 4 month well visit at the doctor today and is doing great! She weighs 15 pounds, 11 ounces and is 25.5 inches long.  She is growing stronger and more curious each day.

Mia loves sitting in her Bumbo and watching her sisters run around and play. She has also started playing in her Jumperoo and loves watching the lights and listening to the music while she plays.  Her favorite nursery rhymes are Pat A Cake and Baa Baa Black Sheep.  Story time is also a favorite (she loves Pajama Time, Moo Baa La La La, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear).  Mia is talking and engaging much more and has some sweet little laughs that come out on occasion.

This month Mia started eating brown rice cereal and loves it.  She gets a big smile when eating in her high chair like a big girl! She will get to try some fruits and veggies next. :)

We hope everyone has a happy fall!  We are looking forward to cooler temperatures so Mia can experience the park with her big sisters.

3 Months and Growing!

Our adorable, cuddly Mia is already 3 months old.  She weighs a healthy 14 pounds, and has gotten so long she takes up most of her bassinet.

Mia is grabbing onto toys and even starting to bring them up to her mouth to chew on them.  She also puts her hands in her mouth a lot too, so we are thinking she may be an early teether.  

Mia can sit up when supported by pillows or the Bumbo seat.  She loves the views when sitting up, especially the ability to watch her sisters better.  Our sweet baby girl also fell in love with the birdie bouncer at Grammy and Papa's house, so we now have it at our house.  She grabs onto little handles to make the bird spin around, and smiles and coos at it.  It's the cutest thing ever!  Mia also loves books, like Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Ten in the Bed.  She even talks/reads with me sometimes. ;)

Little Mia is still eating 4 ounces every 2-3 hours during the day.  She catnaps in the morning and sleeps for a good 2-3 hour stretch in the afternoon.  At night she usually just wakes up once to eat, and then goes right back to sleep.  Such a good baby!  

Now that Mia is awake during the daytime more, she gets to participate in more of Emma and Hannah's activities.  She loves Shake Rattle and Roll music class a the library, and watches what is going on intently. 

Happy summer to all! 

Happy 2 Months, Mia!

Sweet Mia is already 2 months old!  She weighs 11 pounds, 15 ounces and is 22.75 inches long.  Mia impressed the doctor with how alert and strong she is.  When placed on her tummy she uses her arms to push up and lift her head.  She's starting to be awake for longer stretches during the day and has slept for 9 hours straight several times at night.

Milestones this month: Mia started smiling at 6 weeks old, and cooing/'talking' to us around 8 weeks. 

Mia loves to be read stories and listen to songs.  Her favorites are Wheels on the Bus and Baby Beluga. She also loves when her big sisters talk to her and bring her toys.  You can tell she already looks up to them! 

Mia sends lots of love to the family and friends. xo