Who let her in...

the men's hockey locker room at Colgate? Mia found Dad's old stall and posed for some picks under the family name.Where are my skates?

Mia does Colgate

Mia accompanied her parents to their 5-year college reunion this weekend. Besides returning home with lots of 'gate gear (sure to be the subject of future blogs), she brought back some photos from the trip.

Here she is with one of Mom's college roomies. Nice to meet you, Kate!
Mia even made it into Mom's freshman dorm room. Trust us, she makes it seem a lot bigger than it really is.

Games Week: Round 5

Game of the day: Catch the Dimples

Mom's been trying to get some photos of those nobby cheeks and killer dimples, but when ever she pulls out the camera, Mia turns them off. Instead of smiles Mom get's a blank stare. It's clear that we're going to have to be a man up to win this game with Mia.

Games Week: Round 4

Game of the Day: Whompers and Hair Pulls

Mia has found a defense against Mom's changing table belly whompers. Sometimes she even gets an ear. Her tactics may be crude, but they are nonetheless very effective in halting all belly whomper activity. Ouch!

Games Week: Round 3

Game of the day: Eat Feet

Unfortunately this isn't one that we can play with her.

Games Week: Round 2

Today's game is Giggle Neck.

Instructions for play:

1. Take one 4-month-old baby and hold her facing you.

2. Bend towards her and make giggly-monster noises into her neck/cheek area on left side.

3. Repeat steps 1 & 2 on the right side of the baby.

Games Week: Round 1

This week the blog is all about Mia's favorite games. You'll notice that none of them include any of the cool toys we've purchased for her thus far, but hey--we should be flattered that she finds us more interesting.

So here we are: Round 1- The Great Glasses Caper

Mia can't resist latching on to Brad's glasses whenever she sees them. Maybe she's just trying to free him of what looks like a weird foreign object. She's probably trying to say, "hey Dad, there's something on your face!"

Good Morning, "Good Night Moon"

In an attempt to kill a little time before breakfast this morning Mom grabbed a book and held it up for Mia to see as she reclined on her lap. Mia grabbed hold and started to really check it out. Later, as Mom and Dad did a little cleaning, Mia checked out Good Night Moon from her swing. I guess you could say she's into the classics. Don't ask Brad about it- he might start bragging.

Pomp and Circumstance

Mia attended her first Berkshire graduation this morning. She snoozed through the speeches and awards and woke up just in time to hear all the names called. (She made it through Prize Night on Thursday pretty much the same way.)

Home at last!

The girls came back home this afternoon. For the most part, they are quill-free (still have a few imbedded in their muzzles--poor Lina can't figure out why we won't let her near the baby). The vet said they should work their way out over time. This was the scene when we got home--a post-anesthesia slumber. We had been pretty good about keeping them off the sofas, but the whole porcupine incident turned us right back into a couple of softies.

What a week!

Well- this blog probably won't end up being about little Mia today. We've got to focus a great deal of love on the two puppies this afternoon. All I really need to say is: there's a naked porcupine running (or maybe limping) around in the woods right now and two very sedated dogs waking up in a very foreign veterinary office.


Acording to the vet (who we roused from slumber at 6:30 this morning) they pulled hundreds of quills out of the nose/mouth area of each dog. Do yourselves a favor and DO NOT type "Dog with porcupine quills" into Google images. We were too panicked to take a photo when Brad wrangled the girls and got them back to the apartment after his morning run. I then made the mistake of trying to find a picture similar to the scene we witnessed this morning.

Future Strap-hanger?

Mia has taken to grabbing on to the plush flower that bends over her changing table. At every diaper change she reaches up and clings to it. We think she's just preparing herself for a future of mass transit travel. With gas prices the way they are, who can blame her?

Tug-o-War

Brad came home from work today and engaged Mia in a little tug-o-war. At first, it was all fun and games.Then, we realized she was serious.

Who's in my tub?

Sunday proved to be a pretty dirty--then clean day for Mia and her "doggie sisters." While Mia seemed over-joyed by the idea that her puppies might also have to take baths once and a while, Lina was less than impressed.
"Doesn't she take enough baths for the both of us?"

All or Nothing

True to her father's competitive spirit, Mia sees no middle ground. She followed the motto, "Go big or go home," when playing with her toys this weekend.
"I have all the toys!! Hahahhaha!"

"Well, at least I can still sit here and look cute."

Sensory Overload

Sometimes we wonder if all the bright colors and shapes in Mia's toys aren't a bit too much to take in. She just keeps going back for more, though.

Cool Cat

Besides having a wardrobe twice the size of Mom and Dad's, Mia owns two pairs of sunglasses and a number of other stylish accessories. Just wait until she grows a little more hair for the barrettes!

Stroller Squish

With the warm weather we've been spending more and more time outside, enjoying the final days of the spring sports season. On a particuarly windy afternoon, Mia's BundleMe stroller cover blew up over her almost entirely. She didn't seem to mind too much.

Bath time special

The grandma's double-teamed Mia at bath time on Monday. There was hardly any room for manuevering in the bathroom. Hurry up with that towel!

Little Love Bites

Well, by the end of the weekend, several ladies were walking around with "little love bites." Look closely at this picture of Mia and Grandma Hammie.

Lipstick kisses anyone?

How about that hickey Mia left on Nana Jan's jaw? When she's hungry she means business.

First Mother's Day

Well, Mom was spoiled big time on her first Mother's Day. It all started with a giant brunch prepared by Nana's Jan and Sherrill. Then we headed outside for some family pics. Mia got all dressed up in her "Roman Holiday" dress and sunhat.

Four Generations

The relatives came pouring into town for our first Mother's Day. Four generations of the lovely ladies made it out for a stroll around campus on Saturday afternoon. We intended to watch Dad's lacrosse game, but the team had a giant lead, so we opted for a photo shoot instead.

Super Mia wishes...

Super Mia is here to save the day and, more importantly, to wish Poppi a happy 80th birthday!

Belly Button

"Innie" or "outie"? We're sure you've all been wondering, so we decided to post the answer. There's only one problem-- it looks inconclusive from this shot. We think it's an "innie," but a little of both could help her stand out in the day care crowd!

Turtleneck

Well, here's proof of the neck. Sometimes she'll come out and share it with us, sometimes not...kind of like a turtle, I guess.

Daddy's sweaty hugs

Ahh..nothing like a big hug from Dad right when he gets homes from lacrosse practice. He spends the afternoons waging physical challenges against members of the boys' JV lacrosse team (hasn't lost a foot race yet). By the time he gets home around 5, he's hardly seen the little one all day. Sometimes Mom cringes, but Mia doesn't seem to mind.

Fake Crying

Mia's taken to what Brad calls "fake crying." She's smiling and happy one minute and breaking down the next. We call it fake because she hardly puts any effort into it at all. It's not at all like her all-out temper tantrum scream. She turns it right off when you make a funny face for her. We suppose it's just her way of soliciting entertainment.

Young Blue Eyes

Yes, yes-- we've heard the complaints. What happened to the blog? Don't worry, Grandma Lu relayed the message, and we're on it. But, once again- we find ourselves trying to make up for lost blogging. At least Mia's ready for her close-up, so we're all set. Action!

Push-Ups

Mia's Tummy Time skills are improving greatly. She now spends a minute or two (of the ten) propping herself up to take a look a around. And then, she unravels into her typical Tummy Time scream. But hey, we're making progress!

Chicken Little

Mia is becoming more and more interested in toys. She has started using the play tray on her Bumbo chair and makes sure not to leave the house for a walk without one of her brightly-colored gadgets. This afternoon is was a "Barn Baby" teether toy that captured her interest and gave Mom a little time to check email.