Wasn't I just saying...?

Yeah, Mia is already 5 months.

I know some babies that were born after her are already bigger than her, but I pick her up now and look at her and think, this baby is HUGE!

What can she do now?
-Roll over, bof ways
-Sleep through the night (well, on occasion, but there was a great string of 6 nights in a row)
-Work math problems using the quadratic equation
-Take random midday 3 hr naps
-Make sounds that sound like "hey" or "hi" or "okay"
-Style her own hair

We've always said she is very advanced.
You decide which of those above are true.

Minnesota Love

We made it back from our trek up to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. In short, the trip went really well. It was less a "vacation" and more a "journey" into what it's like to travel as a family of 3 and not a couple of 2 (semi-redundant).

Mia handled the flights really well. Thankfully NWA/Delta still offers a nonstop between TPA & MSP so in only 3 hrs we were at our destination. She did manage to poo her pants during the final descent into Tampa on our return flight (you know - the time when you are sequestered to your seat with the seatbelt light on and cannot move?) so we had to wait until we deboarded the plane to change her diaper AND her outfit.

Being back in MN was surreal. This was the second time I've visited since my parents moved in Dec '07. Despite what many may think, it's not automatically cold in MN this time of year, in fact, it was considered "hot" even in my book on a couple of occasions. However, the two nights we stayed at a friend's house, we slept without the AC on and even got chilly in the middle of the night. I forgot that was possible.

As for Mia in Minnesota...we were so busy even though we got up there a few days early that getting a regular dosage of naps was seemingly impossible. I underestimated the effect of this but soon realized she was looking for sleep, which is sometimes hard to get in an unfamiliar place. She seems right back to normal though now that we are home.

And as for the wedding, it went very smoothly. Both the bride and groom (my brother) were very calm and at peace the day of. It was a really special event for the whole family and I'm glad we all got to participate. Greg handled Mia all day Friday almost entirely by himself and did a bang-up job. He showed up for family pictures early with Mia who was dressed and even had the bow I laid out for her in her hair. Of course, family pictures got moved back until after the ceremony but what can you do.
I managed to be the whitest girl in the ceremony. I dyed my hair a bit darker the week before we left and was hoping I'd get some color on my skin beforehand, either via a spray tan (gasp!), some actual sun, or e'en self-tanner, which I hadn't fiddled with in years. None of those things happened. So, I worked the goth/Anne Hathaway/white porcelain look. Just call me a poster child for the Victorian years. Of course I remind myself, no one really cares what the bridesmaids look like, it's the bride for whom we're all the rage. And she looked smashingly beautiful.

And, always one to please, here are some pictures for your viewing enjoyment:


Sleeping on a jetplane




Rehearsal Dinner







Prepping in full effect







The Ceremony






Harley Get-Away

I somehow did not manage to actually get a picture of Nate & Jenna together on their wedding day, and the only other picture I have of them from this trip has some serious red-eye (and is totally candid) so...we must all wait until their real wedding pictures arrive for you to see what they really looked like!

septiembre

Is it September already? I think the month of August flashed by in an instant. It was just weeks ago (right?) that I was thinking, "September won't be for a while. I have time to prepare for this."
Which reminds me - I totally forgot to pick up my bridesmaid dress from the alteration shop this week! Let's hope they're open on Saturdays or that I can quickly run and grab it Monday morning. OOPS. Slight oversight. My mind's not as brilliant as it once was...thanks to motherhood. :-D

So yes, a bridesmaid dress. I'm in my eldest brother's wedding next week, indeed, a week from tonight, as a bridesmaid. I was so honored to be asked, and really quite surprised. He is marrying a very sweet soul, who is also a labor & delivery nurse. She works at the very hospital where I was born years ago. As a family, we're braving the airports and planes and flying up to Minnesota early next week and will be in my beloved Twin Cities for about 6 days. I'm excited yet nervous about flying with a 4 month old. Everyone says it'll be fine and babies this age are pretty easy to travel with. I think it's more all the junk we'll be hauling with us that I'm worried about. Will we pack the right things? Pack too much? Not enough? Forget something majorly important? All these things...
I guess that's what Super Target is for, and since we're going to Minneapolis where Target's headquarters are, we'll be in a safe distance of several Targets once we hit our destination. Can we say *sigh of relief*.

Well, enough of me. I'm aware enough to know that most visit this blog for pictures of Mia and I do not want to disappoint.
Here's a few word updates though:
-She rolled over, tummy to back, 2x on Monday. Good girl!
-She slept through the night (which I personally consider to be past 6am) 3x this week. Thank you!
-And she found her hands/fingers a few weeks ago, where she'll sit and stare at them like they're super cool.

She's pretty amazing, that Mia.

With the glasses, she's posing as Joe Madden, the Rays baseball coach.
The other picture is Mia modeling her 2 piece Calvin Klein ensemble. I wasn't sure about this outfit when I saw it on the hanger, but when I put it on Mia it fit her like a glove (well, a little long in the legs, but longer pants > high waters, yes?)

And I'm sure I'll have more pictures after next week!