Note from Dad and Sue

Dear Cara and Mia,

Papa and Nana are going on a trip (Scotland, Ireland, France and England). We will be gone until July 13th and we will miss you both every minute of every day. Now that you are a little older you will learn that when Nana and Papa go on trips we bring back SURPRISES!!!!!! So both of you be good little girls while we are gone. Papa and Nana can't call you while we are gone but Mommy and Daddy can send us messages and PICTURES through the magic telephone line in the sky that will go across the ocean right to Papa and Nana's boat. Mom and Daddy give our babies lots of kisses and hugs from us every day. XXXXOOOOOO

Love you Papa and Nana

Four Month Check-up

Mia had her four month check-up on Tuesday. She now weighs a hearty 14 pounds, 5 ounces putting her in the 75th percentile. She's also 24 3/4 inches long, the 90th percentile for height. The doctor suggested we start her on rice cereal this week, not in her bottle but feeding her with a spoon. Tonight was her first go at it and she did great! She opened her mouth when she saw the spoon approaching and seemed very eager for more. By the end she was frustrated because it wasn't filling her quickly enough, so I stopped and let her go for the bottle. In the future I'll give her the bottle first.

Mia's feet made their way to her mouth today. I snapped a picture of that. She was very happy with herself at that achievement. She also loves playing in her activity chair, and Reese is always nearby to protect her. Here are some pictures I took today.

Mia Month 4

Four Months Old

• Mia is now four months old. I can hardly believe it. She's so much more animated these days, smiling and kicking in response to all that goes on around her. 
• She lights up when she hears Mike's or my voice. It melts our hearts.
• Mia loves her feet and is constantly grabbing them. It will be no time before they make it to her mouth.
• She got to spend the night with every one of her grandparents this past week, while Mike and I got the store ready to open. She attended opening weekend of MODA and was quite the social butterfly!
• Mia loves to touch my face when I hold her. She puts her hands in my mouth, pulls on my hair, and today she started grabbing my nose over and over. 
• Mia also likes to take her paci and her bottle out of her mouth and then try to put them back in. Sometimes she's actually successful!
• We had to reschedule her four month check-up for this week due to MODA commitments, so I'm not sure of Mia's current length or weight. But last week we had to buy size 2 diapers, and she's outgrown her 3-6 month sleepers because she's too long.

Note: Thank you so much to Carol, Brent, Dad, Sue, Mom and Bruce for taking such good care of our baby for us this past week. We truly could not have worked those hours and gotten the store open without your support, and we would not have done it if we hadn't known Mia was in such loving hands. We love you. 

MODA article

In case you missed yesterday's paper, MODA was featured in an article. They are about halfway down the page under Westport Village Celebrates.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008806140367

Happy Father's Day

I've written here many times about what an incredible man I've married, and how blessed I am that he's the father of my child. I am awed by his dedication, patience, generosity and courage every day. Mia is so lucky to have him as a father, and today I am thankful that she will have the same type of devoted father that I am blessed with as well.

No matter what life brings us, Dad always puts it into perspective by showing us the humor in every situation. When he went on strike one summer and money got tight, we made a made a family joke out of all the different types of frozen patties we ate. When we were teenagers, Dad reminded us to "get over" ourselves by skipping through parking lots or acting "retarded" when he was with us. When Grandma Ruby died, we consoled ourselves by displaying a picture of Grandma and Richard (her male blow-up doll) in a prime spot in the funeral home.

Our parents taught us the joy of being outside, and we used to camp every summer. Dad taught us to swim and fish and grill on a campfire. One of my favorite parts of all our summer vacations was the drive with Dad. He would play the oldies channels on the radio, teaching us such classics as Love Potion Number 9 and Do Wah Diddy. He also taught us other great songs that I've already begun singing to Mia: Fried Boogers and There Was Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. 

Dad and Mom taught us the art of conversation from a very young age. Every night we'd go around the kitchen table as we ate dinner, each sharing details of our day. Missy and I heard about our parent's day and got to hear how they worked through their problems. Dad didn't just sit there while we talked. He was very engaged in the conversation, so we knew he cared about us and our lives. Dad also knows how to listen, an art typically not mastered by men. He knows when we just need to be heard and when we need his wise advice. Luckily that love and support continues today, and I still find myself working out my problems with him at the kitchen table.

Dad is patient and he's devoted. There were very few ball games he didn't attend, he could be found chaperoning dances and field trips, and he helped at talent shows and coached our tee ball team. Dad also spoils us through our stomachs. The man can cook, and his roast beef, apple pie and chicken and dumplings are specialties!

They say girls end up marrying someone that reminds them of their own father. In many ways I did just that. Both Mike and my Dad are funny, lovable, kind, family-oriented men and both have loved me through many ups and downs. I am so blessed to have them in my life and I am happy that Mia will grow up in their love and support as well. Happy Father's Day to both of you.

16 Weeks Old

Last week got really hectic for us. The store is opening next weekend, so Mike has been very busy. Likewise, my job has been very stressful. So we haven't had much time to relax together. To make matters worse, daycare called us on Thursday saying Mia had a fever of 101.3 and we needed to come get her. Turns out she has an ear infection, probably from the allergies she definitely seems to have inherited from her parents. She could not return to daycare on Friday, so she stayed with Pawpaw Albert. On Friday night she spent the night with Mamaw Carol while Mike and I painted the store with Mom and Bruce and some of Mike and Freddy's friends. Yesterday Mike went to the store and I stayed home with Mia. She slept nearly all day.

In between all the stuff with work and the store we have really been having fun with Mia. She's such a good baby that even though she's sick, she still smiles and laughs all the time. Last week she found her "girlie parts". We now have to be very careful when we change her diaper because her hand can easily end up in a mess! She also found both her feet and constantly grabs and pulls on them. I think she'll be rolling from back to stomach in no time since she's always on her side playing with her feet. She's taking much more interest in reaching for the toys on her playmat. She's always loved looking at herself in the mirror and kicking the rattles with her feet, but now she grabs the other dangling toys and pulls them to her mouth. Mia continues to be very vocal and loves to hear herself "talk". She loves to talk very softly then suddenly yell very loudly. It makes her laugh. And boy, she has a temper. If she's ready to eat, you better have that bottle ready. She will scream her head off until she gets it (Mom said she knows exactly where she gets that). She has started trying to hold her bottle herself now too. She can do it for awhile, but then it falls. That makes her mad! 

Water Baby

Mia's first trip to the pool at Nana and Pawpaw's.

Busy Day

After going to the gym, I met Mike and Mia, his parents, and his Aunt Sharon at Westport Village to check out progress on the store. The permanent sign is up, so I thought I'd share a picture of that. Glassworks will put their sign above the other door, since their display is in that window. Mike then went back to the store to tile the bathrooms and I took Mia home. Her congestion got so bad that by late afternoon she was screaming unconsolably. I called the doctor's office and they sent us to the urgent care center. She only had a slight fever and was happy and smiley by the time we got there (of course!) so they just told us to keep using the nasal drops and to prop her up when she sleeps to help drain it. So we did all that, and she slept better last night than she did the previous two nights.

Crazy Week

Well, this was quite a crazy week for all of us. I had an extremely hectic and stressful week at work, and I found it very difficult to balance my work/home life. In the past I would have worked several evenings until 8 or 9 to get everything done, but that just didn't seem right this week with it being Mia's first week at daycare. Plus Mike is working longer and longer hours as we approach the store opening, so he can't just drop everything to go get Mia. So I crammed 12 or so hours of work into 8 and it really wore me out. I also joined the gym, because I need some type of stress relief (although I'm honestly not sure when I will fit that into my schedule).

Mia is adored by all in her daycare. They always comment about how happy she is and how she doesn't cry - things we adore about her too! ;-) She didn't really nap her first couple days there, but yesterday they said she napped 3 hours, something I don't think she's ever done (unless being held by one of her grandparents!). She's also increased her nighttime sleeping from about 8 1/2 hours to 10-12 hours. I'm sure there will be an adjustment period to all the stimulation at daycare, so I'm not holding my breath that this will last. But with our crazy week, it sure was nice.

Another reason we think she may be sleeping more is due to allergies. Mike and I both have them, and there has been very high pollen, trees and molds lately. We've all been stuffy, but Mia even more than usual. So perhaps her immune system is in overdrive and she's sleeping more due to that.

Today Mike has taken Mia to the farmer's market, and I'm heading to the gym. I snapped her picture before she left. She's hilarious!

Mamaw and Papaw Robbins

Mamaw and Papaw came to visit Tuesday night and we went to see the store. Here are a few pictures I took before we left.

Our weekend

On Saturday Mike went to an all day bachelor party. They started the day with golf at 7 am, then went to Churchill Downs, then went out that night. I stayed home all morning waiting for someone to some fix our central air, all in vain it turned out. After several hours he gave up. Mamaw Carol came to get Mia and I met Margo, Amy, Carol and Stephanie for drinks and $ex and the City. If you have not seen it, I will be happy to join you and see it again. It is one of the best girlfriend movies I've ever seen. We laughed out loud in parts and cried our eyes out in others. Excellent!

Missy and Cara stayed the night with us Saturday night. Missy and I attempted to watch a movie, but we were so tired we fell asleep in the living room. Sunday was Jennifer's baby shower at my (very hot) house. It was a great shower and Jennifer got lots of nice things. Here's a picture of Mia and Cara together.  

First Day at Daycare

Today Mia started daycare. She was supposed to start yesterday, but we forgot to get her immunization certificate, so Mike kept her one more day. This morning, as we packed her into her carrier, Mike said, "What if I kept her another week? We could start her next week." So we considered that for awhile. Ultimately, we got real with ourselves and admitted we could keep putting it off, but it wouldn't make it any easier when the time came. So off we went. 

The drop off went okay. She has her own crib, changing table and dresser there, so I filled them with her blankets, toys and clothes. We talked to the teachers for a few minutes, then put her on a play mat since she loves to kick. She just went to town, so we said good-bye and went out to drop off her paperwork and speak to the director. It was about that time I started crying, and I looked at Mike and he had tears in his eyes. We know she is in great hands, but it was hard to leave our baby with strangers, nonetheless.

When I picked her up this afternoon she was laying on the floor with the other babies, but she was crying. It was a weak little cry, so she was probably just getting fussy. I walked right over to her and picked her up. As soon as she saw it was me she smiled, and when I said her name she started laughing. It was this deep, throaty laugh that made me laugh too. I sat down in the rocking chair with her and just talked to her for awhile. It felt so good to see that smile, and to know she was okay.

I took her for a walk tonight, and just watched her while we walked. She's finally found her fingers. She's shoved those fists into her mouth for awhile now, but today she was sucking on just a couple fingers at a time. She also wrapped her arms around my neck when I held her tonight, probably one of the most amazing feelings I've ever experienced. She just buried her face into my neck and wrapped her little arms around me, and my heart literally skipped a beat. I was getting ready to put her into her crib, but feeling her cling to me, I couldn't let her down. I went to the rocking chair and just held her. My girl. She has truly stolen my heart.