Guess Who is Already THREE Months Old?

It sounds so cliche, but life with our little Mia truly is flying by. Mia is three months old today!! While this blog is intended (and likely will continue) to be primarily about my journey as a mother trying to navigate the world of special needs with and for my Sammie B, Mia will no doubt make appearances from time to time. She is, after all, part of our journey! (And a special little lady unto herself).

We are all continuing to adjust to life as a family of four. We take great care to plan what we call "special time" and "date nights" with Sammie B. Last week, she went shopping alone with B for clothes (and exclaimed either "so pretty!" or "too big!" for each outfit he tried on -- he trusted her fashion sense and purchased all the things she deemed "so pretty."). And this week, she had a dinner/grocery shopping night with me. I absolutely treasure my time alone with Sammie B. Her sense of humor and personality continue to amaze and inspire me.

As does her love for her sister . . . when Mia started crying yesterday after waking from a nap, Sammie B said, "Mama, pick her up!" And, for awhile I was a tad afraid of leaving them alone together . . . Sam likes to poke Mia's eyes and mouth from time to time (which Mia does not appreciate) but I'm convinced now this is to get a reaction out of us, so I've tested my theory and left them alone and watched from the doorway when Sammie B didn't know I was there. Before walking out of the room, I say "Sammie, can you watch Mia while I'm gone and if she cries, just tell her 'it's okay, Mia.'" (Just FYI - its not like I'm going out for drinks, just running to another room to grab something!) and each time, I come back to Sammie B just watching Mia intently (taking her job very seriously) and holding her hand. Pure sweetness. And when my mom was alone with the two of them, when Mia cried, Sammie B said, "Bottle!" She clearly is in tune with what her sister needs, and wants to protect her. Such a little lover.

I also cherish my time alone with Mia. Snuggles on the couch after Sammie B is asleep (we keep Mia up till about 10 and give her one last bottle before we put her down and then she's been sleeping till 5 or 6!!!) and snuggles and play while Sammie is at school or out and about with her fabulous nanny (we have really strived to keep her routine the same while I'm on maternity leave . . . and we knew that having her one "person" -- her nanny -- that she didn't have to share with Mia right away might help ease the transition for her to a family of four). Mia is a snuggly little lady that just loves her mama and loves to curl up into a ball on my shoulder, nuzzing her head under my chin and sleep, and I love that. Whenever she's not in my arms, her eyes follow me around the room, and she smiles whenever I get closer to her. Her smiles are huge and gummy and she coos and gurgles when I talk or sing to her like I'm the most delightful person in the world. I love that too.



I'm slowly slowly becoming less intimidated by being alone with both girls. It is not an easy job . . . to change floors, I have to carry one girly up and come back and get the other. Mia is a kiddo that likes to be held all the time, and I feel like this takes away from my ability to assist Sam with things. And Sam has had our undivided attention to play with her for three years. So, basically, when I'm alone with them, I constantly feel like I'm cheating one or the other. I know that will (hopefully) get easier as each girl becomes more independent, but it doesn't stop the usual mama guilt from haunting me now! B was on call two weeks ago for work, so I got A LOT of time alone with both girls, and felt intense guilt that I had to resort to letting Sammie B watch Sesame Street in the evenings when Mia was most demanding, so when he had to go out of town for a few days after that, I lined up evening sitters so that it would all be a little more manageable. With someone helping out, I was able to give each girl the one-on-one attention I want to give them AND even got another special date night out with Sammie B (which included a hair cut, car ride, and dinner).



A good time was had by all!

At three months, Mia still HATES the car and stroller (and most anything we put her down in . . . she likes to be held). And when I say she "hates" it, I'm talking the most heartbreaking tears, turning ten shades of purple and red kind of screaming . . . which has sort of made me hate the car too! I'm a constantly on-the-go kind of girl, but her disdain for the car keeps me home some days because I just can't take it. I have tried every kind of music under the sun, but it just doesn't do it for her! She LOVES being in the carriers on our chests, and most recently has decided she most likes to be facing out. She loves to be out seeing the world rarely falls asleep these days when we are out. It is as if she's terrified she'll miss something, and B and I are constantly amazed by how long she'll stay awake. When we are home though, she's usually good for a FEW quick cat naps and one good, long stretch of sleep in the afternoon, and as I mentioned, she's sleeping pretty well at night.

She's starting to tolerate some time in her play gym and longer stretches of tummy time (which is good, after years of working with PTs, we are pretty nervous about making sure she has enough tummy time!). Today she even ENJOYED her play gym while I got a few things done in the kitchen.

She LOVES watching her sister, and I love watching her watch her. We've recently starting propping Mia up on the couch or putting her in the bumbo and letting her just watch Sammie playing and she is so very content and enchanted with her sister. I cannot wait to watch these girls grow together.

In just three months, Miss Mia has already been to Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo, and Universal Studios. At each place, she happily stayed on one of our chests in the carrier, just taking it all in.

She's a chubby little lady with a buddha-esque belly and rolls on top of rolls. And she has cheeks and chinS that are just delicious. Delicious.

She is a snuggly little bug. She is Mia.