What a surprise!

Another fun Monday in our household has come to an end. We got a really great surprise yesterday when Carianne (Josh's former roommates wife) decided to come and visit Mia and I with her son Patrick. It was so great to see Carianne and spend some time chatting all about new mom stuff. I don't have a ton of friends with kids, so it was really refreshing to chat about everything I have been doing recently and bounce ideas off of each other. Patrick is almost exactly one month older than Mia - so I think Carianne and I are really in the same place in our lives. It makes me want to get out in the neighborhood more and meet some other Moms that may be out there and looking for friends for their kids.

Mia, Patrick, Carianne and I went to the park while they were here. Both the kids loved the swings and seemed to be content while we caught up on gossip and what each of our families have been up to. Despite being in the middle of what we thought may turn into a Watertown Tween Brawl, we had a nice time.

Josh and I have met a new neighborhood kid who seems to endlessly ride his bike around our area. He is intensely interested in Docket as well as Mia. This morning he came to the yard and spent a good 20 minutes playing with Docket and asking questions about babies. I was afraid I was going to get the "where do babies come from" question, but thankfully we avoided that topic. But, he wanted to know how old she is, what she eats, does she talk etc. etc. etc.

We are gearing up for our adventure to Richmond on Friday. I am really looking forward to spending the weekend with my family - but the trip on Friday is looming in the future. I am a bit nervous to take Mia on her first plane ride. Mostly b/c I don't want her to act up the entire time (which is a REAL possibility) but also b/c I am intensely afraid to fly. I guess this is a good trial run for our trip to St. John in December. We can figure out how to navigate security etc. I am sure I will have a ton to blog about come next week.

Hope all is well with everyone out there. We continue to try and be better about updates.

We got a socca playa

For all those that have stuck with us and our lack of blogging - THANK YOU! We are finally feeling a bit settled and are actually coming across some free time. Hopefully we will make good use of that time to update you on our lives with Mia. Continue to check back here for more updates on a regular schedule.

Josh got a break this weekend and flew to Baltimore to attend Craig's bachelor party and I got to spend three days/nights with Ms. Mia by myself. I LOVED having her all to myself and getting to spend so much time with her. She really amazes me all the time. I can't express how loving, caring and tender she is. I think I have decided that my favorite Mia moment is when she is tired and wants to play with my hair. She just strokes it and puts her hand in the hair on the back of my neck. It must be soothing to her because she tends to do this when she is exhausted.

Our weekend was full of ups and downs. Mia has progressed in her teething and now has become uncomfortable most of the time. She has found the power of her own voice and doesn't hold back when using it (wonder who she picked this up from!). She had some trouble sleeping through the night this weekend, which is the first time since she was an infant. Being a single parent for three days, I found this frustrating but understandable. I think I can finally feel a tooth or two coming in on her lower right side, and we are crossing our fingers that it happens soon. When naps only last 15 minutes, you know that she must be in some discomfort. Mia also graced me with a present of the liquid variety while I was changing her. Mom was trying to multi-task and didn't realize what was happening before it was too late. I had to laugh b/c once I realized she had peed all over me - I looked at her and she was giggling away. She knew.

We went to the Atrium Mall on Saturday in attempt to avoid the rain/thunderstorms and had a great time. All the store owners got a kick out of Mia and her attempts at babbling on the highest volume possible for a baby. She finally settled when Shannon and I stopped for a bit to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. I forgot how much I love this restaurant and I thank Mia for allowing me to actually eat a full meal out. :)

Sunday was not our happiest day. Cranky, no napping and then Josh called with the bad news that his flight had been cancelled. I almost had a breakdown, but gathered myself together and just pushed through. I think both Mia and I slept like rocks last night and both woke up re-freshed this morning.

Today we took our first trip to the park on our street. I always thought that maybe Mia was too little for the park, but to my surprise, she loved it. Baby swings were available - and she had a blast sitting in it and just barely swinging back and forth. Then Josh spent some time aquainting Mia with a soccer ball. I can see she has a future in this sport. She didn't want to touch it with her hands, only her feet.

I have posted some new park pics for everyone to see. Next weekend we have a house BBQ and then are heading to Richmond, VA the weekend after that to spend time with NOLA and Papa Doc. From what I hear, Eli and Oli will be there as well and I am very curious to hear all about their jaunt out West.

Hope this post finds everyone well. We will post again soon.