Big Sis To Be

It's been an eventful summer - swimming lessons, trips to the beach and the lake, ballet, etc. (more to come on all of this; I have some cute pics I need to post) - but the BIGGEST thing that has rocked our world the past few months has been my growing belly. That's right, we're adding a second child to the Bowen brood, and our baby Mia is about to become a big sister.

She takes this role very seriously. She's constantly telling us what she will be able to do once she's a big sister, like ride the bus to school (still have two years), and drink Diet Coke and wine (not kidding). For the most part, she's been very loving, giving my belly kisses and hugs and talking to the baby through my belly button. Issues arise when she tries to give it a "high five" and literally slaps my belly. She's also become very attached to me. She's all to aware that the baby goes everywhere with me, so I guess she feels a little left out. And, when I say attached, I mean that I haven't showered by myself in three weeks. "I want to shower with you and the baby!"
We told Mia she was going to be a big sister when I was 10 weeks pregnant. I couldn't wait any longer; knowing her love of babies, I knew that she was going to be so excited. Her initial reaction? "But, we don't have a Bumbo!" (A Bumbo is a baby seat. We had just come back from the lake with our friends who have an infant, and Mia took it upon herself to be the "Bumbo carrier" that weekend. She carried the Bumbo on the boat, to the restaurant, around the house, etc.) We cracked up at the fact that this was the first thing out of her mouth. She's just so unpredictable.

As part of her Big Sister surprise, we gave her this t-shirt, which I had made on Etsy.

My due date is Feb. 21. I'm 14 weeks at this point (looking like 20 weeks - it's crazy how fast I've popped out with the second one). We're all very excited, and at the same time, a little sad at the fact that our first baby is about to be the big sis. Kind of reminds me of that song, "Don't Blink..."

Turning Three and Looking Back

We had Mia's third birthday party at The Little Gym this year. She's been in TLG since she was 18 months and loves it. She invited all of her friends, and they had a blast running around, playing with the parachute, walking on the balance beam, doing forward rolls, hanging from the bars, etc. There were 15 of them total. Mia was on cloud 9. After an hour in the gym, we served pizza and a cupcake "cake" and ice cream. I found these cute little candles that spelled "Mia." And, again experienced one of those "my-child-is-growing-up" moments when she didn't need our help for ANYTHING. She stood up in front of the room as everyone sang "happy birthday" and then turned around like a pro and blew out the candles.

Mia's birthday has me thinking about some of my favorite memories of her over the past three years. Here are some favs:

• Kitty - Called "Key" by Mia, Kitty is one of those little blanket things with a kitty head. I remember getting a few of these at my baby showers and thinking, "What are these things?" Now I know. Kitty is our security. There was a tragic accident at a hotel in Williamsburg two years ago when we think the maid accidentally took Kitty, so we're on our second. But, I researched and found the exact replica (bought two just in case), which has been with us every day since. I wash Kitty every week, but she still has a distinct smell - a mix of urine, drool and Mia's baby lotion. Sounds awful - but I've grown to like it. I always thought if Mia ever gave up Kitty how I would have to put her in an air-tight bag so she wouldn't lose her smell. Weird, I know. But, you have to savor childhood somehow, I guess.


• The Motrin Bottle - For about six months and maybe longer - somewhere between one and two-years-old - Mia carried around empty infant Motrin bottles. She took them everywhere - to bed, to the store, in the bath, to the pool, etc. Our friends even made her a t-shirt which read, "I Love Motrin." Everyone commented on her infatuation with them. How often do you see a barely-walking toddler carrying around medicine bottles?


• Baby Ava - A cousin gave me Baby Ava at my baby shower, so Mia has had her since birth. She named her after our good friends' baby (Ava). Baby Ava is a member of our family. We're as attached to her as Mia is. And, I was so glad when Mia got her second doll that she still favored Baby Ava. I was sad thinking she might be replaced. But, five dolls later, and she still gets priority seating in the strollers and grocery cart and gets to sleep in Mia's bed.


• Her enthusiasm - Even as a baby, she has always been so enthusiastic about everything, which makes doing things with her that much more fun. You truly enjoy life more when looking at it through the eyes of your little one.


• Her love of music - We started her in Kindermusik at four months. She was moving to music and carrying a tune before she could crawl/talk. She's going to be our singing star, I just know it.


• Her first day of pre-school - After AGONIZING over whether to send her at two, the first day of school finally came, and I was so proud of her. Her little lip quivered, and she looked at me and said "mommy, stay a yittle while," but there was no loud crying or gripping me begging me not to leave. I was the one who was a mess - bawled all the way home. But, best decision yet; she loves school.

Ok, so some of these are more "now" than memories, but these are the things that come to mind and warm my heart when I think of Mia. Interestingly enough, the first three things that came to mind are the things that she's loved the most.

Big Girl Room = Big Girl

So, here comes the part where I have to admit that our child was in a crib until her third birthday. (Hey, why fix it if it isn't broken?) We finally took off the front railings of the crib two months ago so she could climb in and out. So, guess what she wanted for her birthday? A big girl room. And, feeling a little guilty that she was still in a nursery, that's what we gave her. We painted it purple - her favorite color if you didn't know that already (which means you've never met her because she's borderline obsessed with purple). And, gave her a big girl bed. My next project is to upholster a headboard for her. There was no way I was tackling that PLUS re-decorating her entire room PLUS planning her birthday party in one week. I do have my limits. So, we have a makeshift headboard in there now (actually part of her crib - just couldn't let that thing go, could I? ha).

Her first reaction? Took off ALL of her clothes and jumped under the covers. I guess that meant she liked it? Actually, she loved it. She wouldn't leave it - played in it all the next day and even ate breakfast AND lunch there. I love that she has her own space where she can now go play. And, it was almost as if the big-girl room sparked some big-girl mannerisms. The night we surprised her with the room, we put her to bed and went to check on her an hour later to find her "reading" in bed. We thought she was asleep but found her quietly getting out of bed, grabbing books, crawling back in bed and flipping through the pages. She had a pile of 30+ books that she'd crawled in and out of bed to get. It was one of those parenting "moments" for us watching her do this - realizing she was no longer a baby.

Pre-School Spring Concert

Mia's pre-school Spring concert was held the evening of her actual birthday. Her 2-year-old class sang two songs - a counting/number song and the Itsy Bitsy Spider - and then played instruments for the third song. She was so cute - walked right up on stage, found us right away and kept giving us huge smiles and waves. You can tell she loves the spotlight; I think she would've stayed and sang with the older kids if they would've let her. After the concert, we took her out for a birthday ice cream.

Here's a picture of Mia with her class. She's at the top right with the pigtails. Check out her friend, Jack, in the front row - the one with the socks and his hands in his pockets. How cute is he?

Mia "Ham"

We signed Mia up for our community soccer league (in our neighborhood). My favorite line during the first practice was from the coordinator, "This is a free league, and you pay for what you get." It's actually perfect for three-to-five-year-olds. Very laid back, just teaching them the basics.

Mia showed up at the first practice dressed in her new pink soccer socks. At least, I think they're soccer socks. Actually, someone said she would be perfect for roller derby, which cracked me up (my friend Robin, a roller derby girl, would be proud). We don't really have athletic apparel, so we had to settle for a "skort." She looked adorable if I may say so. And, she really surprised me. She listened to the coach, did all of the exercises and just acted like an independent "big girl."

This past Sunday, just about everyone in our [local] family showed up. Mia had a huge cheering section - nine of us total - and completely performed for the crowd. She was the first one to complete the exercises, kick the ball in the net, etc. It's funny because she acts shy sometimes but then gets in these situations where she's a complete ham. At one point, she dramatically fell to the ground while giving all of us this "I'm just exhausted" look, and one little 3-year-old teammate ran up to her and was like, "What are you doing? Yoga?" Then pointed to the coach exclaiming, "She's doing Yoga!" Hilarious. Mia has no idea what Yoga is but thought it was funny because we were all laughing. I'm loving soccer...and my Mia "Ham."

Here's a picture of her warming up with her team.

Here's her trying to be "one of the guys" with the "older" boys before practice. Just thought this was a cute picture.

Easter

Every holiday gets better as Mia gets older. For Easter this year, we got to do "big girl" stuff together like color eggs. Mia's eggs turned out much better than mine did. Instead of dipping the eggs in just 1-2 colors (my way), she put them in an empty bowl and spooned all of the colors on top of them, making them multi-colored. How long have I been coloring eggs? And, I've never thought of that.

The Easter Bunny brought lots of goodies - gardening tools, a watering can, charm bracelet, movies, markers, etc. But, when asked, the only thing I would hear her tell people was that the Easter Bunny brought her candy. Of course, the entire weekend was filled with candy eating. We had four egg hunts that included candy-filled egg surprises (one of which she got about 20 eggs), so I can see why she had candy on the brain.

I took her to the mall one day, and the Easter Bunny was there. Still wouldn't sit on his lap. But, she did yell to him over the fence that she wanted a charm bracelet (which she had seen in Gap two minutes before). Must've worked - she got the bracelet :)

This last picture is one of my favorites from the weekend. This is Granny ("mum" as she's known to Mia) pushing Mia on her walker. This is what they do when they see each other now. Too funny.

Annie

Mia's favorite movie for the past six-plus months has been "Annie." She could sing "Tomorrow" a few months after she turned two and can now sing every song, so when I heard that the Broadway show was coming to Charlottesville, I quickly booked tickets. And, when I say "quickly," I mean I must have been one of the first to book because we got front row seats. We made it a girls' night with some of our friends (and check out the little one front and center who came dressed as Annie - too cute).

The show started at 7:30, which is Mia's bedtime. I was a little concerned about her making it through, but she held up like a trooper (being so close to the stage and literally next to the orchestra helped - so did the sugar and popcorn she consumed). We didn't get home until 11 p.m., and she was one of the last ones standing.

We saw this show in March. Since then, she's not so into the movie anymore - I think it pales in comparison to watching it live - but she now likes to act like she's Annie. She goes running around the house yelling for Sandy (and outside, which is a little embarrassing when she opens the door and stands on the front porch yelling for a non-existing Sandy at the top of her lungs). And, guess who she tells me to be? Miss Hannigan :(

Here's a video of her singing "Tomorrow" in the car. Caught it with my new Flip video camera, which I love.

Baby Abby

It's been four months since I last posted. Where has the time gone? I'm reading a book about taking time to do the things that make you happiest. This blog is one of them because I know Mia will one day enjoy reading about her life. So, time to play catch up.


The biggest thing that's happened to us since my last post is the adoption of my niece. My sister and her husband went through the LONG adoption process and were approved in December. On January 21, they got a call that a baby girl had been born and the birth mother selected them as parents. If they accepted (which, of course they did), the little girl would be placed in foster care for 10 days. On February 1, we went to Fredericksburg for the adoption ceremony; Abigail Marie, or "Baby Abby" as she's known in our house, was brought in the room by her completely wonderful foster parents (below) to meet her new mommy and daddy. It was one of the most moving moments of my life.



Debbie, Abby's foster mom, was the first to let Mia hold Baby Abby. And, it was love at first sight for Mia - for all of us really. Mia talks about her constantly - picks up her toys around the house and says, "I'm giving this to Baby Abby." She tells everyone who will listen about her new cousin Abby. (Funny story: During the 10-day wait before my sister and her husband got Abby, Mia was telling everyone she was getting a new SISTER. Her teachers asked my mom if I was pregnant because they heard Mia was getting a sister. Hilarious. But, we finally got her to say cousin.) The true test of Mia's adoration for Abby came when she got a new doll and named her "Baby Abby." We are all so happy to have Abby in our lives. We get to go to the beach with her for a week in 45 days (who's counting?). I'm so excited. My sister called tonight to say that she'd bought Mia and Abby matching nightgowns. And, Nana bought Mia and Abby matching dresses. They are going to be so cute together.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It's day 2 of being snowed in. I can't remember the last time we got this much snow. It started on Friday evening. I think we got somewhere around 2 feet - too much for Mia to even stand up in. Andrew shoveled the drive-way yesterday so she had a place to play. I use the term "play" loosely. I'm not sure she knows what to do with all of this white stuff; she mainly just stands and eats it. Andrew attempted the 2-feet-deep snow angels; I made a snowman; and Mia just watched and ate :) Below are some pics. I've also included a video of her singing a snowflake song she learned at pre-school. It's our current favorite.

I'm a little snowflake, I seem round;

I fall from the sky and I don't make a sound;

When it's cold I stay all day;

When it's warm (but Mia says cold again) I melt away.

Typical snow day fun... Mia's own version of a sno-cone.

Best Christmas Pageant Ever - Literally

Remember that book, "Best Christmas Pageant Ever?" I hadn't thought of it until I typed the title of this post. Well, Mia had her first Christmas pageant tonight. And, I'm happy to say the kids were nothing like those in the book; the 2-year-olds did a fabulous job standing up there in front of 100+ people and singing and smiling. They were just too cute for words.

I had no expectations going into this. I was a tiny bit worried that she might see us and come running off stage. But, then I thought about pre-school and how I thought she'd scream the first day and she completely proved me wrong. The minute I saw her walk in behind her teacher leading the rest of the class to the stage and then smiling this hilarious smile as she stood up there waiting for the first song (because the teacher was telling them all to smile), I knew she was good to go. And, I was just so proud of her singing all three songs looking into the faces of a sea of strangers. It wasn't until the very last song that she found us - and she gave us a little wave.

Afterwards, we took her to Wendy's for an M&M frosty. She sat down and told the guy sitting at the table next to us, "I'm two and I was singing!" She then proceeded to sing Annie's "Tomorrow" and the little snowflake song that was part of the show tonight REALLY loud - several times. I think she enjoyed the little taste of fame that she got tonight.

Here are several pictures and a video we took of her last performance tonight:

Mia pre-show:

"Jingle Bells"

Mia and her friend from school. They ran up on stage and gave each other a huge hug after the show. It was just so cute. The hug below was re-enacted for the photo opp.

Mia enjoying her frosty post-pageant.

Mamma Mia

It's funny to watch little girls with their dolls. They (or at least this one) really do have a nurturing instinct. Mia's favorite doll is Baby Ava. She feeds her; walks her in the stroller; wraps her in a blanket and rocks her to sleep; holds her and kisses her; sings to her; soothes her when she's "crying;" and puts her to bed every night (Baby Ava has a crib in Mia's room). As I'm writing this, Mia has Baby Ava in her stroller doing loops around the first floor pretending they're at the grocery store. She keeps stopping by to tell me she needs to "check out."

The funniest thing happened the other morning. Mia was bringing Baby Ava down the stairs and accidentally dropped her (no, that's not the funny part). Baby Ava took quite a tumble all the way down the stairs. I thought Mia was going to cry. Once she got down the stairs, she picked up Baby Ava and was kissing her and asking if she was ok. I said "Poor Baby Ava. Is she alright?" And, Mia said, "Yea. She's just had a really crappy morning." I cracked up and then thought to myself that "crappy" was Mia's first "bad word." And, she totally got that from me. At least, I'll take this one and Andrew can take the next :)

Here's a video we shot of Mia and Baby Ava a few weeks ago. She told us she was going to sing her a song, but instead, you get to see a bit of Mamma Mia in action.

I Love You; You Love Me

It's Halloween! And, guess what Mia wanted to be? Not a princess. Not a fairy. Not even a VT cheerleader (believe me, I tried). She wanted to be Barney - her favorite "person" other than mommy, daddy and the grandparents. I don't think I've talked about Mia's love of Barney on the blog. That's literally the only show on TV that she's watched since she was one. We've tried introducing other shows - but up until a month ago, it was the only thing she'd watch. We know every Barney song, every character that's been on that show for the past 18 years, and have a pretty hefty collection of Barney DVDs.

Every holiday gets better as Mia gets older. We even were able to paint pumpkins with her this year (see below). She loved going trick-or-treating (we went twice - to the UVA Lawn last night and then tonight in our neighborhood). Although, I have to say, I think she had even more fun when we got back to the house tonight and she got to answer the doorbell and hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters. I was trying to feed her dinner, and the doorbell rang every two minutes. She'd jump down off the bar stool and she and her friend Trudy would race to the door to open it and give the trick-or-treaters candy. Very cute. Now, what to do with all of this candy...