The Last Day of Age 2

Tomorrow is Mia's third birthday. Mind boggling, isn't it? I'm still trying to figure out how we got here so quickly.

I just watched the video that was a few posts back. I can't even believe the changes in her since then. She's a big girl now.

No more high chairs. No booster seats. She sits at the table like a big kid.

She's fully potty trained, except we still do diapers at night to make my life easier.

She knows her first and last name. And mine. She can even spell "Mia". Of course, it helps I chose something with only 3 letters. 

She's learning her alphabet, can count, knows quite a few colors and shapes. Her thought process amazes me daily. I have no doubt she's smarter than I am. And I'll be in trouble some day because of that.

She's funny. Every day she makes me laugh. Some days she makes me want to pull my hair out. But most days, I laugh.

She's confident, outgoing and full of charm. Often she'll walk right up to a sales clerk and announce "Hi. I'm Mia. Nice to meet you". And because of this, we've started reading some stranger danger books as our bedtime selections. LOL!

Her favorite color is blue... much to my chagrin. But she tells me she likes pink, too. I think she's just trying to spare my feelings though.

Her favorite foods are pb&j sandwiches, cottage cheese, clementine oranges, hot dogs and mac-n-cheese. She's going through this weird period where she doesn't want me to heat her food. She wants to eat everything cold. So I'm always sticking her plate in the freezer for a few minutes to chill it. She's quirky like that.

She's very opinionated and when she makes up her mind, she's committed. She decided a few weeks ago that she wanted to be a princess for Halloween. When I asked her specifics, she told me "Aurora" [aka "Sleeping Beauty"]. And no matter how many times I ask or how many other costume options I show her.... she has not changed her mind.

She loves music. Whether that means listening to her songs in the car, playing her Dora guitar, jamming on her piano [which is really just one of those annoying books with a keyboard on it] or singing into her microphone. And she's an incredibly passionate performer. Just see for yourself.

She has a huge imagination. This past Saturday she insisted on taking her purse with her when we left the house... as she often does. Everywhere we went she told people about the dragon in her purse and made up silly stories about it.
 

She starts pre-school on Monday. I'm so excited to see how she blossoms there. I expect it'll be a bit bumpy at first. But I know my girl and I know eventually, she'll love it.
 

She's growing up. Right in front of my eyes, she's growing up. Some days it's subtle. Some days it's right in my face. But there's no denying it. And tomorrow... she'll be 3 yrs old.

And Somehow It's 6 Months Later...

I have failed miserably at blogging this year. The truth is... life is busy. At the end of the day, when I finally get to sit down and breathe after working, running, juggling, balancing, and mothering since before the sun came up (literally)... I'm exhausted. So I let some things fall away. The blog was a casualty.

But I have regrets about that. So many things have happened. So many milestones for my girl. So much growth. So much blossoming. So many memories. And my mind is already starting to blur the details.

I need to write this down. I have to write this down. For me, but mostly for her. I want her to have this window into her childhood. And some day, when I'm old and gray[er] and my sweet little birdie has flown the coop... I'll be able to come here, relive a memory and smile about this amazing miracle I was blessed with. 

So I'm jumping back in. And I'm really gonna try. I'll start right here, right where we are. But as often as I can, I'd like to throw in some flashbacks and catch up on some of the important stuff over the last 6+ months that I really don't want to forget.

And there you have it. Finally ... the 13th blog post of 2013. 

2nd Referral Anniversary

Two years ago I saw this beautiful face for the first time.

Instantly I fell madly in love.

I'm amazed at how different she looks now.

How tall she's gotten.

How much she's grown.

How long that hair has gotten in just 2 years.

Quite a difference even from that fidgety little girl who wouldn't sit still for a photo last year.

Animal Sounds

I dumped my camera tonight and found this video from January. It was too cute not to share.

Important Stuff

I want to organize some of the important posts from my old blog into one place that's easy for me to find.... hence this post. :)

Why Single Motherhood?

Why China?

The Process to Adopt from China

Plan B Becomes Plan A

The Signs

What's In A Name?

Finally ...Mia

The Call: Part One

The Call: Part Two

Her Name and Another Red Thread

Baby Shower 1

Baby Shower 2

Almost Right

The Penguin Thing

Road Trip 2

Since our Wisconsin road trip was pretty successful, we drove down to Tennessee to spend Thanksgiving with Mia's cousins. They live out in the country now. Way out in the country.

With chickens.

And cows.

And there was a horse, too. Not my sister's animals but they live on the same land she does. It was a little strange for this city girl to put Mia down for a nap and hear cows mooing right outside the window.

We were too busy having fun so I didn't get my camera out much. But Mia had a great time with her cousins. And she got to go for a swim in Aunt Carla's big bathtub with Tess.

Tatum helped style her hair.

She looks just like an elf to me in this one. LOL!

We're so excited to be making the 5 1/2 hr drive again this weekend to spend Easter there. Well, we're not excited for the drive... but we miss Aunt Carla, Uncle Bobby and all the T's. And we can't wait to see them. I'll just have to make sure to take some pictures this time....

Road Trip 1

Back in Sept, Mia and I took our first road trip. I was nervous. Driving nearly 8 hrs alone with a 2 yr old was more than a little terrifying.

I timed our departure right at nap time. So I got the first 2 hrs of driving behind us without issue.

We stopped to eat our picnic dinner and burn some energy at the halfway point.

Mia traveled much better than I expected. I was very proud of her. Finally we made it to Wisconsin. The next morning, I got to introduce my daughter to her great-grandparents for the very first time.

They were so excited to meet her.

We spent a couple days hanging out while she got to know them a little better.

We went to the zoo and Mia experienced her first Wisconsin cheese festival.

She also met her mommy's Aunt Deb.

And Uncle Mike.

The trip threw Mia off kilter for a few days once we got home. All the driving, being in a different place, out of her routine and off schedule did not bode well for my girl. But she bounced right back once we got back into her normal groove.

My grandfather had a stroke a few years ago and is unable to travel now. Time is never promised. So it was important for me to get Mia up there to meet both my grandparents. I'm so glad we made the trip.