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

Mia is 1 Month Old

Mia's first month has flown by! She is now 9 pounds and 21.5 inches long. We are enjoying watching her grow and become more alert with each day.  She is eating and sleeping well.... some nights she goes 7 hour stretches (which Mommy loves)!

Emma and Hannah love doing play time with her on the floor. They read her books and bring her more toys than she knows what to do with! In addition to play time with her big sisters, Mia loves her swing and loves to cuddle. She's not a huge fan of tummy time yet, but is good at it.  She lifts her head and turns it from side to side.  

We are all just so in love with Mia and thank God every day for this blessing.  We are also thankful for all of the help of both sets of grandparents in our first few weeks at home with all three of our little angels. We couldn't have done it without them (or at least not as sanely)! 

Sending everyone love and kisses...xoxo

Our Littlest Princess Has Arrived!

We are so proud to introduce sweet Mia Jaimee to the world!  She is such a gift from God; a true blessing for sure.  She entered the world on Thursday, April 9, 2015 at 7:25 am.  It was instant love and Mommy and Daddy, along with all the nurses couldn't believe how perfect and alert little Miss Mia was.  Mia weighed in at 7 pounds, 0.5 ounces and was 20.25 inches long.  Big sisters Emma and Hannah got to meet her shortly after she was born and were so smitten with her.

Here is the story of Mia's arrival....
Mommy went in to be induced on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 8th, and by 5:30 that evening the contractions started coming on pretty strong.  I called Daddy at work and told him the news, and we were at the hospital by 7:30 pm.  Once there, we found out that I was dilated to 4 cm and the baby had turned back onto her side (she had previously been transverse at 36 weeks but had turned to be head down by 37 weeks). Dr. Newman had to come and do a version to get her in the right position again.  I got an epidural shortly after and Daddy and I were able to get some sleep off and on throughout the night.  In the morning, around 7 am I was fully dilated and ready to push.  Once the nurses and Dr. Newman were there I only had to push for a minute and a half, and Mia was here! She looked right at us and our hearts just melted.

Mia is now two weeks old and is all settled in at home.  She is totally adored by her big sisters and all of the family.  She is still sleeping and eating most of the time, but is starting to have a bit more alert time where she likes to be read to and look at toys with bright contrasting colors.  She also loves her swing!  Emma and Hannah love it when they get to sit by her on a blanket on the floor and play with her.  Mia isn't a fan of 'tummy time' yet but is already able to move her head from side to side.

We are so excited for the future and to watch Mia's bond with her sisters grow.  Our little family is now complete and we couldn't be happier!