"No Explanation Necessary"

If there's one thing I love it's hanging out with old friends with whom there's no explanation necessary.  There's something comforting about hanging out with people who have known longer than a year or two, who know where you've been, what you're like, and where you plan on going.  It's also so nice to hang out with these people after you all experienced the addition of a child!  Tonight we did something we never do for a Monday night...grab a yummy dinner with friends and our young ones and enjoy a sunny, peaceful twilight walking around.

Here's the proof.  No explanation necessary.

Mia relaxing in the limelight

Juggling between the two boys (Left: Cash, Right: Dylan)

The babies & their dads -- all the while singing "Friends, I will remember you...think of you...and pray for you..." [the Friends* finale song -- Colt, Greg & Trey (left to right) were all in a performers band in college and this was the last song they sang at each performance!]

Baby daddy switch!

 Baby mamas!

It was sooo good to hang out with these people tonight. Why don't we do it more often??




* The Friends also performed tons more songs by artists you've probably actually heard of. Lots of rock classics, oldies, and contemporary music too (sheryl crow, sara evans, michelle branch...why can I only remember the girl artists?)

Change Gonna Come

Alright. It's been a journey of late. The excitement leading up to the big 1 has died down and life is "back to 'normal'" for now, which I've found is a bit less interesting than it was before.  It seems a lot of things have changed all at once again and as I sit here pondering what all is going on, I dug up a few quotes:

To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly. - Henri Bergson

The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance. -Nathaniel Branden

Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely. -Karen Kaiser Clark

Now before I go on depressing you, let me assure you that this change isn't bad. It's just different and sometimes takes a while before getting used to. You may wonder what on earth am I talking about? What are these big changes? Well in reality, they're nothing huge. Just a few things that change my week-by-week and thus I find myself searching for a new normal, knowing that probably in a matter of weeks or months, it will all change again.  I think this is the way it is for new parents.  People say, and I've now repeated it in my lofty 12 months of experience, "Just when you think you got it figured out, [they] go and change on ya!" So true.

And speaking of change, Greg & I have done a lot of reflecting on this past year and the weeks as they were at this time last year (the birth, the hospital, being at home with a newborn, etc.), and allow me to share a big change from last year to now:

Last year at this time we were finally home from the hospital with Mia as of this past Sunday.  My mom & Jackson were still in town, and we were receiving lots of help and meals from friends & family.  I believe it was this Thursday night that many people came over to our house to help us eat the abundant amounts of food we had from people dropping off meals.  I remember saying hi and trying to be grateful & cheery, which is how I honestly wanted to feel, but I was reeling in those postpartum hormones, uncertain of the hours and days to come, and still feeling a bit lousy from the bouts of flu-like symptoms I was experiencing from the mastitis.  I sometimes wish I could go back in time and turn those feelings off.  It would have been great to have actually enjoyed the company of so many people around me whom I loved, who had traveled a great distance to see Mia and our new family, but it was difficult to put on a happy face.  I remember wondering, "Am I going to feel like this forever?  Will it get better?"  I'm so thankful to report now that things did change and they did get better and now I know for anyone's future reference, it does get better!! 

In the wise words of Gavin DeGraw, covering Sam Cooke, "Change is gonna come."

And while it is oddly comforting, I oft remember the proverb, "There is nothing new under the sun."  So, when I'm feeling whatever which way, I am reassured: God has dealt with this one before and He can deal with it now. Let it go, sista!

O

One of Mia's favorite visitors: Big Uncle Nate! 

(About 2 weeks old in this picture) 

Mia @ 12 months

Mia had her 1 year doctor's appt today and she weighed in at 19lbs, 1oz, and measured 28 inches long.  She's maintaining her weight and height and growing, but the biggest increase was in her head circumference.  She's in the 90th percentile there!  So, something's working right.

I was able to answer "yes" to all of the developmental milestones, which always makes a new mom feel good, but I was a little disappointed in her doctor's answers to my questions about milk/dairy allergies.  He recommended soy milk as the next best bet. In some cases, I'm sure that'd be fine, but I'd rather Mia have that in moderation than regularly. I guess I will have to continue my search to find a suitable alternative for Mia, or continue to seek out information to reduce her allergic reactions.  In the meantime, I didn't think I'd make it past this point, but it's been 12 months, and I'm still pumping.  Let's hear it for all-natural milk. *Woot woot*  We'll see where this goes!

The family on Mia's actual birthday

PS: More birthday pictures to come.

Mia's Birthday Eve

Last year on a Sunday I went to a birth center with Greg. I left with Greg and a lil' Mia. This is the Sunday that that happened, but Mia's actual birthday is tomorrow, the 26th.

So, on the eve of her first birthday, I'll post a little treat showcasing this past year in photos, and a song I've been waiting to use for such an occasion for YEARS: "I love NYE" by Badly Drawn Boy, from the About A Boy soundtrack. Love it!  Pictures from the actual birthday party will follow in a future post. For now, I leave you with...Mia's First Year.
(Tip: Pause the audio player below before you watch the video.)

Mia's First Year from Megan Ciampa on Vimeo.

So much!

This is like finals week in the life of a mother of an almost 1 yr old. So much boiling down to the "exam," I mean, birthday party, this weekend! It's like crazy/stressed out/fun.  One minute you're bouncing off the walls because there's a lot to celebrate: We did it! We made it through the year! and the next minute you're thinking: I still have so much to do, how will I ever pull this off?! And everyone's gonna be here so I better get my game together.  Very reminiscent of graduation times at FC and USF.  Packing up your room, studying for exams, saying goodbye to friends, and anticipating the arrival of your family to witness the passing of another graduate.  You knew if you passed out after it was all over, you did your job right.  This time, it's watching us graduate from being complete "noobs" (short for "newbies," lingo for "novices") to now being the parents of an almost toddler. My goals for the remainder of the week are to let myself delegate and to accomplish one big thing per day. Hopefully then by this weekend, things will be smooth-sailing.

Speaking of parents, my dad is one of those people unfortunately stuck in foggy Londontown because of the volcanic ash hovering over Europe. How crazy is that?? I remembered he was traveling to London last Sunday for business, but when I heard about the volcano last Friday morning I did not think this might affect him. He was supposed to return on Friday. Then he heard maybe today (Tuesday). Now, he's probably not going to leave until Sunday, the 25th! Crazy. I know some people would probably celebrate extra time in Europe or London, but I think when you don't have any choice or would like to be somewhere else, it's probably not as much fun. 

So I sent him this picture. Yesterday Mia accompanied me, as she usually does, to grocery shop. We made it in record time through Publix, probably because I dawdled for so long in Nutrition S'mart, that I really didn't have time to leisurely stroll through Publix like I normally do. I bought my list of groceries in less than 30 mins flat!  The best!

She enjoyed her trip so much more once she figured out how to turn around and stare at other customers.  One thing is for sure: She looooves checking other people out! We're going to have to teach her not to gawk. "Mia, don't stare."