Batter Up!

After enjoying the view from the nursery window, Mia was ready for a nap in her car seat-stroller combo. In an effort to calm the little one down, Mom introduced the "lobster maracas" from Mia's new Baby Beach Band toy collection (love it!). She showed Mia the toy a few times and then hung it from the canopy on the stroller. Much to her surprise, Mia started swinging like crazy. Mom could hear her going after the maracas all afternoon while she was cleaning in various rooms of the apartment.
The wind up...
The hit...
The follow-through...

Hey Shutterbug!

Little Mia was enjoying the view (she's really starting to check things out) from a window in her nursery yesterday afternoon, so mom pulled out the camera and tried to capture her exploring the world outside. Upon taking the first shot, she abrubtly turned to the camera for a headshot (or to tell mom to bug off).

Welcome to my Crib

When we mentioned that the hiccups were a topic of discussion at the last doctor's appointment, we could have elaborated quite a bit. You see, the "Hiccup Monster" has been a frequent, but unwelcome, visitor to the D'Arco Nursery. He's managed to prevent little Mia from taking to her crib until now, arriving the very moment she tried to lay down. Though he still visits once and while, his primary attention seems to be elsewhere, thankfully. So here she is in full "touchdown" snooze mode after a busy morning of hanging out with Mom.

Bulking Up

Auntie Karen accompanied Mia and Mom to Mia's 3rd doctor's appointment yesterday. Topics of discussion included feeding, burping, the hiccups, bathing, diapering, and just about every other thing that happens in young Mia's life on a daily basis. Mia tipped the scales at 8 lbs. 2oz., pleasing both Mom and doctor with her substantial gain of over 1lb. since birth.

First Bottle

With the arrival of the not so charming pump on Saturday and an afternoon of boiling and assembling said pump's parts, came Mia's very first bottle--and Dad's first opportunity to feed the little munchkin. Mia enjoyed dining with a different view.

Next Nudist

We weren't sure whether we should label this post "Next Nudist" or "Big Blowout." Since the clean-up job had already been done, we went with the former. Either way, Mia is quite happy without anything on but her birthday suit.

Pea in a Pod

Mia takes to her Peanut Shell sling like a pea to a pod. A stroll in the cozy carrier seems to be a quick cure for the crankies of late. Here she is pre-walk-awake and post-walk-snoozing in the sling.

Double Teamed

Mia was doubled teamed by her aunties yesterday, with visits from both Aunt Lizzie and Auntie Karen. She would also like you to take note that her Uncle Scott came to visit, too.

Sunglassed

What's the deal with all this gray weather? Mia is ready for a little sunshine! What did that groundhog say again?

Take that Dad!

Women of the world unite! No swaddle is tight enough to keep us wrapped up! Despite Brad's efforts, and a specially designed swaddle blanket, Mia frees her hands once again.

I Love my Mom

She's always going in for a kiss!

Thank you Nana Jan and Sherrill!

Thank you Nana Jan and Sherrill for keeping the burp cloths clean, the food in mom's tummy, and the dogs at bay! You certainly made life a lot easier for those two amateurs. I'll report back to you about their progress in a few weeks. Wish me luck!

The Office

It's not exactly the kind of "home office" you're used to seeing. Eating, burping, and sleeping on the job are all highly encouraged...if you can figure out how to manage them. Yes, this is where Mom and Mia go to work each day...and all night. In fact, things have been so busy at "the office," that we didn't have time to blog yesterday. It's not easy keeping the little boss woman happy. Luckily, NetFlix, our friendly laptop (what kind of office doesn't have a computer?), and the Diaper Champ diaper disposal system keep the mood light into the wee (no pun intended) hours of the morning.

Cupid?

Well-- not exactly. By most definitions, Cupid is a naked baby boy. However, because the official "first bath" happened yesterday (Valentine's Day) it seemed appropriate to make some kind of reference. Mia definitely wasn't in love with the process of the bath (she screamed and shook uncontrollably most of the time), though we managed to capture a couple of calm moments.

First Date

Yep--that's right--while Dad was at work yesterday, Mom arranged for my first date with my buddy Fitz, who was born December 29th. It didn't really go as our moms had hoped. As you can see from the photo, we weren't exactly into each other. Despite his screaming efforts to rouse me, I snoozed most of the time, barely giving the poor guy the time of day. When I finally came to my senses he only had eyes for his mom.

I'm a little peanut...

Mom calls me her peanut, but now she went and bought a shirt to go with the embarrassing moniker. This is getting out-of-control. Where's dad when you need him?

More Ears!

We were busy yesterday with our first visit from one of the college roomies. Lauren came to see Mia, and brought with her some "more ears." We know Brad loves these things, but what does Mia think? I think that's a wink, isn't it?

College Hockey Night

The Bean Pot may be on TV, but who has time for Boston teams? There's only one team to cheer for at the D'Arco house! Here's Mia in her first jersey. Go 'Gate!

Daddy's whiskers tickle my nose!

Mia's been smiling a lot lately and it isn't because of all the cute gifts that have been showing up--although they make Mom smile every time. No, it's Dad's goatee that does the job every morning and afternoon. The tickle from those whiskers never seems to get old.

Where are my hands?!

Mia manages to wriggle free from even the tightest swaddle blanket wrap-ups (think straight jacket). But she has yet to figure out how to get at her hands (and tiny razor sharp nails) through one of these onesie deals. Here she is in an all-out rage trying to get at them. Score Mom: 1, Mia: 0. Until...WHAP! A right jab to mom's face in the second round. Tie game.

Afternoon Delight

Sleep all day...wake all night. There has been little resting in the evening hours the past few days in the D'Arco apartment. Mia seems to take her sleeping orders from our 6am alarm clock. No worries, though, we're adjusting to the new schedule.

La La La

Well, it may look sweet in writing, but the "LA LA LA's" we've been hearing lately are anything but. Mia's biggest screams sound like some kind of enraged choral warm-up. Who knows, maybe she'll turn out to be a rock star. Anyhow, we take advantage of the quiet times as best we can. Here are two shots of post-diaper change bliss.

Size Matters

Well, at least that's what we've been told- and Mia's voracious appetite and sudden weight gain don't have mom thinking any different. So, we thought we'd better try to freeze time with a shot of her tiny (dancer) fingers.

Who's that?

We thought for sure that Buca would fall into the "Nana dog" role. However, it appears that Lina is most interested in the newest member of the D'Arco family. Or...she just thinks that mobile is made up of a bunch of really great squeaky toys.

Pink is my Favorite Color

You've probably jumped to the conclusion that pink is Mia's favorite color. While it may seem that she is always dressed in blush tones, it is actually Brad who has admitted his fondness for the feminine pastel. (I'm sure he'll jump back into the blog action soon after this entry.) Anyhow, it's a good thing he's in touch with his feminine side, now that we've got him out-numbered 4:1.

Mom and Mia

Here's one more shot from the hospital. Advice for soon-to-be parents: stay there as long as they'll let you. You'll have plenty of time to lose sleep (and that smile, kidding) when you go home.

Who called the Easter Bunny?

No, it's not your favorite spring-time furry animal. Here's a photo we took on the ride home from the hospital. Not only is Brad convinced that "anything with ears" looks great on Mia (granted she needs to grow into this snow suit a bit), but he also thinks the car seat is the cure for any given cry. (Mia watched the superbowl from her car seat last night.)

The Birth of the Blog

The ridiculous amount of attention, piles of new clothes, baskets of new toys, and mounds of new furniture just were not enough; we also had to give our daughter her very own Blog (don't worry, there is no chance this kid will be spoiled). But as you can see from the pictures she certainly is worth it, what with her being the most beautiful infant in the world (its true, we asked).

So the point of this Blog is to allow Linda and I to brag and go on and on about our perfect child, and no one can stop us.

Hopefully we keep it updated, and by we I mean Linda, as it is a great way for us to stay connected and in some cases re-connect.

Happy Birthday, Mia!

Here is a picture of Baby Mia shortly after her birth on Thursday, January 31st. Enjoy!