I regret not posting for the last 5 months and hopefully getting started today will kick me in gear to post at least once a month. About the time I stopped posting, Mia started walking and life seemed to just "happen" in fast forward. I didn't want to miss a single minute I had with her and nap time seemed to get filled with household chores, catching up for work, and well, just resting! I am not sure I could catch up the happenings of the last 5 months in one single post - so I am going to just start with today.
At 19 months old, Mia loves to dance to her music, build blocks (and of course knock them down), ride her cars, play with stickers, color, play with her own computer that teaches her letters, play with the barn, and read books. That's the short list:) Although, if we never played inside that would be just fine with her. Being outside is by far her favorite activity. We had snow several times this winter (which shut down the city twice), and Mia constantly asked to put her boots on and play outside in the snow. Her version of that request went like this: walk to her closet and get out her boots, carry them to the door and say "boots", "snow", "outside". Despite the freezing temperatures, and her need to eat the snow with her fingers, she didn't care that it was cold at all. This Momma did not last very long in those temperatures, so it was a good thing Daddy was home:).
It seems Mia can say every word available these days and she usually says them very clearly. Of course, as her parents we understand a lot more than others can but it amazes me how quickly she learns. The last few days we have heard a lot of "no" as she learns to make her own choices. It's a hard lesson to learn so she has quickly learned the word "sorry" which is to follow by a hug!
Oh the hugs!! She squeezes my neck with all her might and I cherish the love she shares! I have to be careful not to squeeze back too hard, haha. Most of the time her hugs are frequent and unprompted. She also loves to kiss Mommy - but since Daddy has hair on his chin she is not a big fan of kissing Daddy. She still makes the kissy sound but turns her head so he can kiss her on her hair.
And the biggest news of all is that Mia has stopped nursing. This past Tuesday night (March 4) was the last time she nursed. So I think it is official. I let her wean herself and it took about a month or so. She started off not wanting to nurse in the morning - too ready to start her day. So I didn't pump and went with it. As the weeks went by, I didn't offer at night any more and waited for her to ask. I work Monday through Thursday right now (tax season) and those are the nights she wanted to nurse. She started to go the entire weekend without nursing. And slowly she moved on. She has asked once or twice since Tuesday, but she was easily distracted and fast asleep without any fuss. After such a struggle with her nursing in the beginning, I didn't know how far we would make it. I have to say, I am extremely proud to have nursed Mia until she was 19 months old. It is a beautiful gift that I cherished to the very end. There is a little sadness in its finality but also much freedom!
Mia is so much fun to be around and truly easy to parent. There is so much more to tell, so hopefully it won't be another 5 months before I write about it!
