Another zoo date

A few weeks ago, Jens had an all-day work meeting over a Saturday, so Mila and I took the opportunity to make another trip to the zoo. We meet up with our dear friend Sandy. Sandy has loved Mila since the moment she was born, and Mila has finally opened up and returned the love!

We went a little later than normal and the zoo was incredibly busy, but we enjoyed our time none-the-less. Mila walked on her own for most of it and she held both of our hands the entire time. We took the little train that goes on the backside of the large cats and camel rides and she seemed to really like the “choo-choo”!

After the zoo, we went for lunch. While it was Sandy’s birthday week, she came with a gift for Mila. It was an adorable, crazy-colored, stuffed elephant (we now call Elphie) and she fell in love with it. She had such a great time that she was socked out in her seat (with her gift bag and Elphie) just minutes after we left:

Thriller!

Mila experienced her first 80’s party, and she loved it!
Here’s a little snippet of her dancing to the Thriller:

My friend from work had a 40th birthday/Kicking Cancer party for his wife and it was an all out 80’s theme. The costumes were great. We saw everything from Miami Vice look-a-likes to side ponytails, leggings and pumps.

We (Jens) made cupcakes for the event. There were Pretty In Pink Champagne cupcakes, Madonna’s Mocha Not Quite Virgin (with Kahlua frosting) cupcakes, and some Walking On Sunshine Golden Vanilla mini cupcakes. Mila did her part by filling the cupcake tins with liners. She’d fill ‘em up, dump ‘em out, and do it all over again. It was enough to keep her occupied for a little while, and she looked cute doing it!

We had another celebration that weekend, Father’s Day! Todd’s family invited us to celebrate with them and it was a great day. The sun was out, the food was amazing, and it was an all-around great day. It’s really nice to have an extra family close to “home”. They’re always so welcoming and Mila loves the extra attention!

This weekend, Mila and Jens are getting a little extra daddy/daughter time (and I get some “me” time). I am off to Chicago for a design conference and will be gone Friday through late Monday night. Mila will do daycare like normal today and Monday (with help from Aunt Jessie for drop-off/pick-up). Over the weekend, Jens is taking Mila to Lake View to visit grandma and grandpa. So, in the end, I think this little trip will be good for all of us! (And I know I’ll be anxious to see them by Monday!)

June, off to a great start

June bring us to 19 months. It's been a great start to the month so far. Mila is over her croup/ear infection and she's been our happy, lovey little lady again.

She's still growing and learning so much every single day. I love watching her interact with other kids around her age. We've had a few gatherings with friends over the past few weeks and all of our kids are finally at ages where they can all play together. What a great feeling to send them "off to play" while the adult sit in the background and talk about things other than ABCs and 123s.

She also likes the change in weather because she loves being outside. And when she's not outside, she loves looking out the door and windows and keeps saying "ow--ide?". We took her down to The Sands this week to watch us play volleyball, but that didn't go as well as we planned. She loved running around and playing until we actually got to the sand courts. She lifted her legs like we were about enter hot lava, it was pretty dramatic. Jens ended up taking her home as soon as we started playing because she was really upset about the sand! 



This is Mila's new car companion, Cammy the camel. She was a gift from Uncle Todd and Mila just loves it. It might be the way the camel's neck bobs to her music, or just because its soft and cuddly... who knows. She's got a special place in her heart for Jessie and Todd. Right now, she loves saying "Todd", but "Jessie" isn't as easy to say. It comes out a little different every time!

 Today was a great day for a trip to the zoo. Mila was in such a great mood and the weather was just beautiful. Plus, Jens wanted to go and check out the dinosaur exhibit they've been advertising. Interestingly enough, he commented that this exhibit reminded him of the one he saw in grade school... only it seemed much more impressive then!

This was taken right outside of the dinosaur exhibit. I think she was dancing to the dinosaur roars!



Inside the dinosaur exhibit, Mila's not really sure what to think. But she and dad both say "cheeeese!"



Ok... T-Rex really isn't that cool. Let's move dad!

Hide-and-seek, where did Mila go?

The monkeys kept her attention for quite a while, but they weren't all that active today.

The giraffe was nice and close today!



18... months?

Mila turned 18 months on May Day. A year and a half already? It hardly seems possible!

She's quite the little girl. Every day seems to bring something new. Here are some of her favorites:

• Animal sounds: "Quack!" "Mew" and "Moo"
• Sing along: Old McDonald "Ee-igh, ee-igh, oh!"
• Numbers: 1-2-3 (She holds up her #1, and says "doo, dree!"
• Food: "Cheeese!"
• Drink: "Mi-mi" (milk) and "Ri-ri" (water)
• Name: "Mom. Mo-om. Moooo-ooom" (is it too early for this??)

We've been working a lot on "please" and "thank you" and she's been picking them up really well. In fact, she has her own sweet twist to "thank you". She says "dah do" and then holds her hand to her mouth and kisses. It's really cute.



Now that the weather is getting nice, we're spending more time outside. She's had her pink "cozy coupe" since her birthday (thank aunt Jess!) and we've got bubbles and some balls, but it was time to get some toys that would hold her interest a little longer. We got her a little water/sand table with farm animals a little tractors.





She was pretty anxious to see what dad was building, so she stood and waiting patiently while dad built the farm.

With just one side filled with some water, and she was hooked. All the animals became swimmers and the wagons became cups. Good thing it was a nice hot day, because things went from dry to soaked in no time.

Independence, then drama?

Crisis! Ma-ah-ahm... call dad!

As you can tell in this first picture below, Mila is ALL business. She's got her phone, her drink... and her drama. She knows what she wants and she isn't shy about telling you. Now, if we could just figure out what she's saying... we'd be in good shape.

She's discovered a love for clothes. Well, maybe its just a love of rearranging clothes, but we'll go with it. She's always digging in her dresser and pulling out her clothes and stuffing them back in there. Any organization I try is shot down. She's got her own method.

Mila also loves putting on pants. It doesn't matter if she's already got some on or not, she'll try anyway. Apparently, her "jeggings" under her dress weren't good enough on this day. She tried adding a pair of yellow leggings, brown pants, black pants and even a pink pair. Oh Mila, we're going to have to work on your fashion sense a little bit!

Once she was done rearranging her dresser and trying on pants, she looked outside and watched as dad rolled up in his big green truck. She gets pretty excited to see dad come home.

Another new obsession are the kitchen table and chairs. She can crawl up onto the chairs on her own and thinks she's pretty cool when she climbs from one chair to another. Dinner time has become a bit obnoxious with this table obsession too. We've got a great new seat for her with a fun removable "play tray"... but she prefers to stand on a chair at the table instead. I can't even tell you how many times we've wrestled her into her own chair, only to let her out after a meltdown. As soon as she's unbuckled, she smells freedom and is one happy child again. We're doomed, aren't we?

On a hair update, she's got enough for pigtails! I'm sure you noticed the addition of the side pony in the pictures above... but the pigtails had to be called out. We put them in a few weeks ago and they just crack me up. She really looks like such a big girl with the pig tails! They make me feel like pre-school is right around the corner. Awe, our little babe is really growing up.



Mila can do it.

We've hit a new phase: independence. Well, maybe I shouldn't say it's new, let's just say she's taken it to a whole new level!

Whether it's hers or not, Mila wants it... and she wants to do it all by herself! And while it may sound like an excuse, that's a big reason why I don't get time to update her blog as frequently. Our little monster craves technology. Laptop, cell phones, remote controls... she wants them ALL!

Now, some of the independence is great. She loves to play on her own and she does a great job keeping herself entertained (as long as she doesn't sniff out that you're on the laptop or cell phone that is).

I don't know why I'm not used to it by now, but I'm always amazed at what she can reach. Recently, she's learned that she can reach into the top row of drawers and pull things out. This discovery led to a day of going through all of the top row drawers in the house. First she grabbed my make-up caddy out, then she tried to feed Tweetie his canned food and then she discovered the straws. Nothing is safe anymore. Nothing.

Below are some great photos that capture some of her latest "achievements".


This is yogurt... head to toe in yogurt.
Of course, she had to do it ALL BY HERSELF.
What a glorious mess!



Straws, fresh out of the drawer.
Notice that the cat is trying to look away
to show that he's an innocent party in all of this.



Ok, Tweetie is now in the game. It must be getting serious.



Mila finally realizes that she's been caught
and "plays cute" to get out of trouble.

Time for a string cheese snack. For both Mila and Tweetie.
Looks like this friendship might work out afterall.

Say CHEESE! Wait, no don't... you've got a mouth full of it!

Uh-oh. Tweetie took the rest of my cheese.

Wait a sec, where'd the snow go?

Hey kitty. It's nice, come on out and play!

Ok... now there's the face we love to see!

Zoo Date!

Quite a bit has happened since I posted last... a cold, a vacation, a visit to the zoo, another cold that lead to pneumonia... and a few other odds and ends. I'll start with the fun stuff.

Jens and I had our first big "grown-up" trip since Mila entered our lives. We went to Las Vegas with our friends Cherri and Derek Wilson and all the kids stayed in Iowa. Mila had a wonderful time with Grandma and Grandpa Blessington. In fact, she had such a great time that Grandma Lori said she didn't even miss us! While that stings a little bit, it also felt good know she was having fun without us. Click here if you'd like to see a recap of our trip (thank you for saving me some work Cherri!)

A week after being home, we decided it was time for another play date with the Wilsons, but this time it was for the kiddos. We both have memberships to the Blank Park Zoo here in Des Moines, so it's a great place for a little outing. While quite a few animals are still locked away for winter, the ones that were out kept us entertained. Check out the photos down below.

On a sad note, Mila had a pesky cold last week that lead to pneumonia. Luckily, we caught it early and it was treatable by a simple anti-biotic. Her fevers and cough are gone, the nose is dripping instead of running and her appetite is coming back. She's really bouncing back like a trooper!

We've got to keep an eye on Kade, he's puttin' the moves on our little lady!
Mila wasn't too thrilled to be sitting on the bench. There were so many things to look at



Mila loves watching the tropical fish. It's just like being at Aunt Jessie and Uncle Todd's place!

 

Kade loved sitting in the fish bowl. He was the only one of the three who would actually sit in there and pose for pictures. Maybe it's a boy thing?



Lazy, lazy lions! Well, at least they chose a napping spot right up front so we could see them. The big 'ol male lion was sleeping with his tongue out and keep creeping his eye open at us. Mila thought it was pretty funny.




This tiger was hungry... and entertaining! He kept standing on his back legs and stretching and pawing against the glass. He was just acting like a big 'ol kitty cat. I'm sure Mila thought he was just like Tweetie, so she stuck out her hand for the tiger to sniff. (Thank goodness for the thick window panes!)



Jens also thought it was just a big 'ol kitty cat. They took cheeky photos, had staring contests and played through the glass. He might be a cat whisperer... but he did get this fella riled up. At one point he let out a large roar that caught everybody's attention.