She Did It!!!

I'm sure she'll be rolling over and over all over the place now! I guess I'll have to tether her, if I want to get anything done! j/k (well, maybe...no, really, j/k!)

I should mention that this was the third time she did it, and she has rolled over a ton since! I missed the first time - one second she was on her back, the next second she was on her tummy! I put her back on her back and ran to get the camera; by the time I got back, she was on her tummy again! She's sneaky!!

FOOD!!!!!

All stocked up! We have our booster seat; we have rice cereal, oatmeal, and barley; we have bowls, spoons, and bibs; we have homemade sweet potatoes and peas! We're set!

That's one too many bites, mommy!

I'll just eat my new bib instead!

This is just a real short clip of her first couple of bites - thought we'd spare you the 5 minute video that captured the whole meal! =)

Did I say "in a couple of days?"

I should have said, "Now that Mira has mastered grabbing her feet, she'll have them in her mouth tomorrow!!"

She sure loves those toes (but, honestly, what's not to love??)!!!!

Some video: I snuck up on her really going to town on those toes!

Thanks for humoring me...

Mira was patient and sweet enough to let me try some headgear on her at Target, but she put her foot down and wouldn't let me buy any....

4 Month Well-Baby

So, we had Mira's 4 month check-up today. Everything went well - she "looks great" and is "doing perfect"! =)

She got two shots today - didn't even cry on the first one! She only cried a brief second on the second (it's the one that really stings). I always get so worked up during the days before we go - dreading the shots and the horrible look that will come across her sweet face...then she hardly seems fazed! So proud of her!

We also discussed starting solids - Dr. Crittell gave us the go-ahead!! Yea!!! So, after the appointment, Mira and I went to Target and got all the required (and not-so-required) paraphernalia for starting "real food"! I got so excited about the bowls and spoons and bibs...I got out to the car and realized I had forgot one thing - the cereal! So, we had to make a quick dash back inside! Silly Mommy! =)

So, Mira is doing the greatest thing these days. It's one of the things I've been looking forward to most...she grabs your face with both hands and pulls you in for a big, slobbery, open-mouthed kiss!!! I LOVE it! We let her do it over and over again - it's the best! This girl really knows how to melt our hearts!

Other fantastic new achievements include talking so loud that Kenny and I have to raise our voices to have a conversation or just be quiet and listen!

Today, she finally got a hold on her feet - she's been eyeing them up for some time now, but is just now able to grab them. There's no doubt that she'll have mastered putting them in her mouth in a couple of days!

She is ever-so-close to rolling from her back to her tummy - she gets so very close and then decides she is content on her side. Of course, figuring out that she can play with her feet now does a good job of destracting her when she's about halfway there! =)

You can see a glimmer of understanding of cause-and-effect in her eyes. She has managed to figure out how to make some of her toys play their lights/music and watches the water in the tub when she splashes.

Speaking of the tub - she loves to watch and grab at the water when I pour a cupful on her belly or hands!

Also, to my delight, she is suddenly taking longer naps (hour to hour and a half) and eating every 2 1/2 to 3 hours (rather than every 2 hours). This is awesome!!! And she's done it on her own once I stopped trying to put her on a schedule! Go figure!

I've done a couple of songs in sign language from birth, but now we are really starting to do a bunch more songs - she really likes them a lot! In a couple more months, we'll start focusing more on signing during our day-to-day activities ("eat," "more," "drink," etc.)

That's about it for now!!

Look at me sitting up!!!

Mira is doing very well with the first stage of sitting up by herself - she uses her hands on the floor as support beams for now. It works, and she can do it for a long time!! Watch her go:

Georgia Trip!

So, we're back from our road trip to Georgia! We had a blast; we visited with Kenny's Uncle Rich and Aunt Monina (along with the rest of their gang), toured Coca-Cola Park, ate at a great vegetarian restaurant, and, of course, experienced the Georgia Aquarium from both sides of the glass (Kenny and I dove in the aquarium with Whale Sharks, Hammerheads, Sawfish, and much more)!!

Kenny and I from Sheila's point of view inside the Underwater Tunnel at the Georgia Aquarium.

Mira did great on the road - of course, G'ma Sheila was amazing at keeping her company, helping her to nod off, and feeding her bottles as I pumped! (Anything to keep moving!!) Kenny did allow us to stop a couple of times on each day of the trip to stretch our legs, and Mira seemed to enjoy these breaks.

We broke the driving up into two legs, spending the night in Meridian, MS (halfway point) on the way there and on the return trip. That was a great idea and helped us all make it through the trip with our sanity in tact!

Mira really took in all the sights and sounds! She was very interested in the Coca-Cola Polar Bear and gazed at the fish at the aquarium as long as we stood there. Of course, she also enjoyed people-watching, too! She tried her hardest not to fall asleep but finally gave in.

Getting some love at Coca-Cola Park.

Uncle Rich and Aunt Monina went back and forth, vying to hold Mira all weekend. She ate it up!!



We have a ton of video and photos from the trip, but it will take a while to get the video edited/spliced; we'll post ASAP.

Sleeping Beauty

While visiting Erika in Nebraska, I rifled through a stack of snapshots of Ben and saw a ton of him sleeping. Ah, a sleeping baby - what a sweet sight. Then, it suddenly occurred to me - I hardly have any pictures of Mira asleep! I don't know why...I guess I'm too busy staring at her sweet, beautiful face to remember to get the camera! Now I snap pictures of her sleeping every chance I get!

Grocery shopping is a great time for a quick snooze. (She's already got all the groceries she needs!)

Look Mom - no paci!! (I love how she has her little leg tucked up under the other, and she looks so long!)

Mommy's arms....the perfect place for a nice long nap. (Until I blind her with the flash of a camera! j/k - she didn't stir a bit!)

My second favorite spot: Mommy & Daddy's bed!! Ah...sateen sheets, a soft pillow, my paci, and a burp cloth to snuggle...this is nirvana! (YES, I realize we're creating a monster!)

Accessorize!

My Aunt Con got me this hat in Guatamala - Aunt Kara helped me style it, so that I look super-fly!

My hair is long enough and thick enough to hold a bow! This is so silly...I look CRAZY!

As if the bow wasn't bad enough...CoCo put this poofy headband on me! Now I look like I'm ready to head to the BINGO parlor!!

A Jumpin' Good Time!

Grandma Sheila got Mira a Jumparoo, Daddy assembled it, and Mira loved it!! I know she's going to enjoy it more and more every time she gets in. She was a little overwhelmed at first by all the sights and sounds, but she still had a great time! Notice that at less than 4 months old, she's able to hold her head and body up all by herself (we didn't have to pad it at all)!! Here's just a short clip of her first try: