How 'bout those toes?!

Mila may have a good grip with ther hands, but her toes are just as strong! At bath time, we have to pry the towel out from her toes before we can put her in the water. And trying to wash between them poses another challege!

Trying out her new bathrobe was fun. She thought it was nice cozy and didn't want to let go of the sleeves when it was time to get in the water.

Mila found her stomach muscles recently and is always trying to sit up. I put her in her Boppy with just her head propped, and to my great surprise, she sat straight up! It was such a fun moment because she was laughing and smiling when she saw my shocked reaction!

Then, she got serious when I got the camera!

Watching the fish swim in circles must have worn her out!

There's an aquarium attached to the crib on the right.

12 Weeks and Growing Fast

Mila has grown so much in the past few weeks! Not only in size, but in personality. She's been much more vocal and is engaged with patterns and textures.

Daycare has been going really well. My heart just melted the first day I picked her up. She was full of smiles and was cooing and giggling. She's got a few new friends that just love her to pieces. Clair (2 yrs) always greets me at the door and says "Mila's here!". I tell her I hope so, because that's where I left her!

She's still fascinated with her fists. Lately, she's been trying to eat her bib and just loves to hang on to her pink elephant blanket buddy (Ellie). She's got quite a grip!

She's also gotten incredibly strong! In the past week, she's really found her stomache muscles. She keeps trying to sit up on her own and acts like she's doing crunches. Crazy girl, doesn't she know she's too young for that?

Can you guess what else she's found? I think she's got that tongue out more than she's got it in these days!

 And a little update on bath time: She actually likes being naked now and has fun in her little tub!

Last Day Home With Mom

It's hard to believe that my time at home with Mila is has come to an end! Tomorrow, I will be going back to work full-time and Mila will begin daycare. We had originally planned on making this move on Monday, but the Iowa Court System intervened when they called up our daycare provider for jury duty. I think it was fate, because I really loved being home these extra few days.

We took a "test drive" with daycare last week and it went really well. Her daycare provider's name is Jeri and she just fell in love with Mila off the bat. There are four other kiddos with her and they seem to be great kids. Although it'll be sad to leave her, I know she's in great hands and that she'll be waiting for me at the end of the work day!
Here are some photos from this morning... she's just so happy and lovey when she wakes up.

Not so sure about being naked this morning.

She's holding her head up strong!

Happy New Year!

This January 1st brings us to a new year, a new decade and the start of a new month with Mila. She's officially two months old!

She loves to "talk" and is still smiley and bright eyed as ever. We go in for her two month check up on Monday, we think she's around 10 pounds now. She's really filling out and is getting some of those adorable baby rolls on her arms and legs.

Mila's cousin, Ally, came to stay with us this week. Ally has four younger siblings, so she's a pro when it comes to babies! We had a great week and it was nice to have her around to help out and keep us company.

Merry Christmas!

Our first Christmas as a family of three... and here we sit at home, just the three of us! Since the whole state has been plagued with ice and snow, we decided it was best just to stay home. And while it's nice to have time at home together, it really feels strange not to feel the stress of traveling and getting in all of the family time.

We did have a few early Christmas celebrations. A few weeks ago, we went to Grandma Lori's and celebrated with her brothers and sisters. The boys (Rocky & Toby) just love Mila and they're always looking out for her.

On Sunday, we went to brunch with Aunt Jessie & Todd and then went to her place to open gifts. As you can imagine, she was spoiled! Among other things, she got her first pair of All Stars (shoes). They're a bit big, but she'll grow into them!

Earlier this summer, our friends graciously gave us their old swing and we set it up for Mila last week. She fell in love with it! However, as the week went on, it went slower and slower and... well, it died and new batteries didn't help one bit. Yesterday, Jens decided a new swing was just what Santa ordered.

Since Mila was born, Tweetie has been very good with her. Mostly, he checks her out and then walks away. Yesterday, they had a few "closer" moments. He hung out long enough for her to start grabbing towards him, then he was off!

One Month Photos & Mila's First Laugh

Pictures from Mila's one month photo shoot with Betsy Rudicil.

She's been just full of smiles and even had her first real belly laugh this week. Unfortunately, I was the only one to hear it! Mila was sleeping on my lap and woke herself up laughing. She must have been dreaming about the funny faces dad was making at her earlier in the night! It was such an amazing sound, it just melted my heart. I can't wait to hear more of her beautiful giggles!

Santa's 'Lil Helper

Mila's cousins picked out this little outfit for her and we promised we take some pictures of her wearing it. Since we're home bound until the blizzard conditions pass, I figured it was a perfect day to take some holiday pictures.