Current mood: accomplished
This is it! The countdown has officially begun.... this is Mia's final month before she reaches the big 01! Wow, seriously... time is flying by so fast! This has definately been an eventful month (like every month it seems) however, it also constained one of the biggest milestones of all.... she started WALKING!!!! WOW! I will get to that in a bit, lets get started now shall we?!
The month started with two new teeth! She popped them both out at the same time (again just like her bottom two) this time it was her top two front teeth. The day she popped them out she was unusally clingy to me and whiney. I didn't figure it out till the days end when I put my hand in her mouth and felt around. Sure enough there were two tiny little pointy teeth growing there. Ahh... no wonder! She cheered up by the next day and it was business as usual. She has not sprouted any new teeth since then but she has a few coming in strong. They just haven't broken the surface yet.
She is getting much better with using her teeth and munching things. With alittle reluctancy due to my over-protectiveness, she started on table food this month. I have since warmed up to it a bit and actually really enjoy cooking her own special little meals. She eats home-made beans now and I mix it with either tiny paste (just as a filler) or white rice and just recently started adding a touch of cheese for flavor. She loves it! I also boil her chicken, mash it up, and add veggies like carrots, potatoes and corn to it. She likes that too but not as much as her beans and rice! haha Since blueberries and strawberries are currently in season she has been eating them everyday. She loves blueberries but it is the strawberries that really give her a boost in energy. It never fails, after she eats them she starts zooming around the place. Its really cute! I will have to freeze some before the season is over so she can have some a few months from now haha. Another favorite of hers, is Mango. We have been stalking up on fresh Mango and she goes nuts with it. I do too, its so tastey and sweet.
Earlier this month she started refusing to let us change her diaper! I don't know what brought it on but thank goodness it only lasted a few days. She would even start crying looking at the changing table. Once she learned that she was going to get her diaper changed no matter what she finally stopped putting up a fight... phew.. Another thing that lasted for most of the month and just recently cleared up is she was also refusing to be put down for bed. Both naps and bedtime was horrible. She would scream at the top of her lungs and just throw the biggest fit ever! I would end up just having to lay her down and practically run out of the room and shut the door behind me while she just went nuts. Thank goodness she is finally getting back to her normal self and I can start putting to her bed nicely now. Putting her blankey around her, kissing her on the head and stuff.
A huge event happened this month as well... she was Baptized! After months of planning the big day finally came on May 17th. Both sets of Grandparents and Aunties and Uncles, and cousins came for her big day. She did great, no crying or fussing in church and when the moment came for her to have the water poured on her head (something I was concerned about since she throws HUGE fits during bathtime when I wash her hair) she didn't make a sound and let the Pastor do it. I was so proud of her. After a couple of small mishaps that happened in church (one cousin's foot got smashed so hard it bled, and the other cousin choked on some candy really bad) we all celebrated at our house. Her New Nina and Nino were so proud of her and overall it was good day. We just need to start going to church now haha
She is doing more baby jibberish now. She was doing a cute little sound that sorta sounded like she was whispering really fast "thick-a thick-a thick-a" but it now morphed into something else that I can't even attempt to sound out in writing, but she uses her tounge alot and its really cute. She also imitates you if you stick your tounge out at her, she will stick hers out back at you. Its a fun little game we do together in the back seat of the car while Daddy is driving.
She explores alot more now and with that we had to upgrade our baby proofing. We used to sit two chairs next to each other to block her way out of the living room and just a few days ago she learned to crawl underneath them and escape! When you say "Hey get back here!" she will quickly squeal, laugh and take off in a full blast super crawl trying to get away from you as you chase her. Now we took out the chairs and put her baby gate cross the exit. She has yet to find a way around it.... notice how I said yet... haha With her exploring she also learned how to climb our stairs and she climbed all the way to the top by herself! Of course I was right behind her to catch her just in case she fell.. which she didn't. We don't let her get on our stairs but I was practicing walking with her (by holding her two hands) and she walked over there and saw the cat at the top. I thought it would be a treat for her to try to get the cat and get some stair climbing practice in. It was cute.
She also got to go to a couple of parties this month. At one she met her best friend Koa, at his 1st birthday party. They first met while still in our tummies (Mona and myself). So it was a treat for us all to watch them meet for the first time. Not only did she catch Koa's eye but also another little boy there too (2 years old) it was funny how they always managed to come around her while she played haha. The other party she went to was for her Big Cousin Natalia's 5th birthday! She got to hit another pinata with Daddy's help and she is getting better with it... she is really warming up for her upcoming birthday! She also showed off her assisted walking skills and overall was a good baby the whole time.
She rode her first ride this month too! It was a small fire engine ride that was in front of Toys R Us. It didn't move much and she was quickly bored of it. Not surprising since she is "Super Baby" and likes to play rough and to be tossed around (literally) haha
Due to money issues and cut backs, we decided to cut our TV and cable completely. At first I thought it would be hard living without it, however, Adrian set up the computer in such a way that it plays on our TV. He copied all 300+ DVDs we had plus downloaded all the seasons of my favorite shows, including Mia's as well. So everyday I wake up in the morning, fix Mia's breakfast and start our line up consisting of 2 looney tunes, 1 I love lucy, 2 disney shorts (donald duck and/or chip n dale), 1 Gabba Gabba, something from the history or travel channel (Man v Wild usually), 2 penguines of Madagascar etc.. you get the picture. So we have that going while we play. Mia doesn't mind, since the TV loss she has been really catching up in her "Yo Gabba Gabba" show haha She even learned a new way to dance from watching it. She now does the "Funky Penguin" and moves her hips side to side. She now does that whenever there is music playing and she feels like dancing. Sometimes if you say "Dancey dance Mia" she will move her hips side to side. Its really cute.
She also started to really play peek-a-boo now. She will throw her blankey over her face and wait for you to say "wheres Mia?! Where did she go!?" then she will throw it down and give you the biggest laugh and smile as you go "There she is!!!" and she will repeat this over and over. I love doing that with her on long trips in the car.
She also went to her first San Diego Padres game this month. We decided to take her because it was "Meet the players" day, unfortunately though we got there just a tad bit late and barely missed it. But we still had fun anyways. Mia got a new Padres hat and got to play in the grass. She was good and never cried once, it really seemed like she enjoyed herself. We can't wait to take her again.
She also is learning how to brush her hair! Haha I have recently really set time aside to brush her hair. Not so much because that she needs it, but more for the fact I know it feels good and its relaxing. She loves her hair brushed, she will sit still with her blankey and lets me do it. We can sit there for almost a half hour doing it haha. Anyways since I have started using my own brush on her hair she now takes it and tries to comb her own hair with it. Its really cute to watch her try to do it, I have been trying to capture it on video or a picture but I haven't been able to yet. Hopefully I will soon.
She is also starting to become greedy with her toys and things. Not so much with me, though she does do it sometimes but mostly with Daddy. If you are holding her blankey and she notices, she will race over to you just to pull it off of you and use it herself or throws it on the floor so you can't use it. She also doesn't like when Daddy plays with her toys, she will take it away from him and throw it. If he hands it to her she will throw it on the ground.. wait a second then pick it back up and play with it. She refuses to have him play or give her toys. Its really funny, but Daddy things shes greedy! haha Thats my girl! I was the same way when I was her age haha
Another big thing that she started doing this month is listening to commands. You can say "Wheres your blankey, go get your blankey" and she will stop what she is going, crawl to her blankey and get it. She will get her "Kitty" too or snackies or whatever else she recongizes. Sometimes when she is tired and whiney I say "Wanna sit with Mama? go get your blankey first" and she will grab her blankey, drag it to me and wait for me to pick her up and sit her on my lap. Its amazing how she can recongize objects like that... just makes me realize what a big girl shes becoming.
Speaking of big girl now on the the HUGE thing of the month... she is officially WALKING!!!! HOORAY! Before I get to that, I wanna go over how she got to that point. She has been practices how to walk for awhile now. I believe she first started assisted walking (with you holding her hands) the end of April. We would practice with her everyday and she started to show signs of interest in walking herself, especially when she took her first couple of steps. Then progressed started to slow down. She insisted on crawling more and when you would try to encourage her to walk on her own she would just lean over and fall down so she could crawl. She contiuned to cruise around the furniture and would let go so she would stand there, but then would fall to the ground and crawl away. Then she slowly learned how to stand up from the floor. First it was from a bent position, now she can stand straight up from the ground just using her legs. We were really excited by this but still she wouldn't walk by herself. It almost seemed like she could only really take one step and had trouble getting the second foot off the ground consistantly. Though I was begining to believe she wouldn't walk before her first birhtday, I still practiced everyday with her and eventually she learned to walk with just holding 1 of my hands. Then it happened... I am not sure if it was due to her natural sugar rush from the strawberries she ate but she took two giant steps forward all by herself then jumped off the ground!!! Then she landed with both feet, balanced herself then fell forward to crawl away. She did it right in front of Adrian and myself who got a HUGE kick out of it. She only did it once, however the next day she began walking!!! I missed the moment she took her first steps but Adrian saw it and yelled for me. She saw me coming and fell down. Daddy was so excited and said she had walked 6 steps all by herself while holding her blankey! I was so happy to hear that but kinda of sad I missed the big moment! (I was in the kitchen preparing lunch). Then she did it again! and again! and by the end of the day she was pro. She has since taken more than 10 steps and even tried doing it fast (not really a run yet but more of a fast walk). I can't believe how well she is catching on. She has always had the strength in her legs, and the balance but she has never had the confidence to do it. Now that she has seen herself do it she is on a roll. She takes off and is always trying to walk now. We are so proud of her! I managed to be able to capture it on video and I have uploaded on of them. So that was her huge milestone for this month.. shes walking. Wow I can't believe it, she sure is growing up so fast. Funny thing is she started walking right before her 11 month birthday, guess she wanted to be able to say "I started walking at 10 months!" haha
Well thats about it for the month. So many new things and new adventures. I can't wait to see what her final month before she hits "1" brings. I wonder if she will start running! Oh-no! I better start really baby proofing the house now haha
Summary:
Feedings: Other than the incorporation of table foods (beans, rice, chicken.. etc) her feeding habbits haven't changed much. She still eats a big bowl of wheat oatmeal in the morning (her favorite) followed up with a 6 oz bottle, tablefood for lunch with some blueberries or strawberries or other fruit for dessert and water from her sippy, fruit for a snack in between, and either stage 3 dinner (mac and cheese is her favorite) or table food for dinner. For bedtime she still gets a 8oz bottle of formula.
New Things: WALKING!, combing hair, greediess with toys and blankey, first ride, first steps, standing up by herself, 2 new top teeth, Baptism, new baby jibberish, sticks out tounge when you do, peek-a-boo, met Koa, climbed stairs all the way to the top, eating table foods, dances with hips, listens to commands, first Padres game, and hopped off the ground while standing.
Weight: 19 lbs (per bathroom scale)
Goals met from last month?:
She hit every goal but one set from last month. She does stand alone now, unassisted. Infact she can stand up now from the ground. She not only takes a few steps, she full on walks now. The only thing she hasn't learned is, how to point. I am sure that will come in time since I am now starting to point to things myself when I identify things. Maybe she will pick that up soon as well.
Goals for next month:
Learn to run, eat more varitey of tablefoods, learn more commands, jump
