Guess who Melia saw?

Meeting Santa...










(scary beard)


New high chair...










(ready for take off!)


New trick...






(fav foods: oatmeal, bananas, winter squashes. least fav: avocado, peas)


First ride on a carousel...

Hats off to you

We 3 peeps spent Turkey Day in Tahoe. It was cooooooold yet there was no snow to be found anywhere. But it was gorgeous.

Do you think we brought enough hats to keep Melia's head warm? She is just too damn cute, dont'cha think?














Click here to see more pictures from our trip:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=ejd5ehd.1xueywht&Uy=-e205y7&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

Like my mother before me

SLEEPY HEAD

Melia sleeps with a blanket on her head. I know, some of you out there will think: "Ooh, bad mom. Aren't you worried about SIDS?" Of course, but it really isn't that common. And I have a cool crib alarm that my dad and Marcia gave us- if Melia stopped breathing the alarm would go off.

Here is the funny thing: did you know that I sleep with my head covered? Always have. My mom used to tell me that she would check on me constantly throughout the night to be sure I was still breathing. Good thing I have that alarm.

This picture was taken this morning. Ryan said to me, "Well we know she has your DNA for sure."

POOR MOMMY

I have mommy burn-out. I feel like I am losing brain cells daily. My memory is shit. So much for grad school, eh? Seems all my college education is good for these days is how to successfully change a poopy diaper. But, to my credit, I could kick any mom's butt at diaper changing. Bring it on. And folding teeny-tiny onesies used to be cute. Now it is just laundry. Which in-and-of-itself is annoying. My only saving grace is that we bought a really cool new high efficiency washer and dryer set...we will see how long it takes before the novely of that wears off. I can't even bring Melia to the gym anymore because she talks too much and is considered a liability. I need some SERIOUS adult stimulation where the discussion consists perhaps of philosophy and aesthetics instead of baby's inconsistent sleep patterns. Blah, blah, blah. Poor Mommy. Enough whining.

HELLO TURKEY

We are off to Lake Tahoe tomorrow. This is our 5th year going to Tahoe for Thanksgiving. Only this year I am not pregnant (hello chip-shots!) and we have our cutie pie with us. Have a fantastic Turkey Day, everyone!

Go with the Flo

So Aunt Flo showed up. Ladies, you know who I am talking about; Men, don't ask. 13 months! It's been 13 months since she was last here! This is sooooooo annoying.

I am always caught off guard by how much my love for this little lady grows each day. Each morning, no matter how little sleep I get the night before, there is just something about seeing her adorable smile in that little crib of hers when she awakes. Ryan saw it for the first time last week. He says to me "Is she always this happy when she wakes up?" My response: "Doesn't it just make your day?" How could it not.

I have car envy. Or should I say crossover sports utility vehicle envy. I really want one.

You've read the headlines, right? The ones about PVC-this and PVC-that and how it is bad for our kids and our environment? I guess you'd only know if you have little ones running around. Well, the stuff stinks. PVC's that is. Think "new shower curtain" smell. Yah, I don't really want those poisonous gasses around my little one. So a fellow mom and I are inventing a new product. I can't tell you what it is quite yet because I KNOW one of my devoted readers will steal the idea. But just know that something big is coming to the world of baby. The PVC-free world, that is.

Our little girl is sick again. Poor baby. I think she caught my cold.

We didn't really take any pics this week but watch this video- her new facial expression is just hilarious!

All it took was one tomato...

Boompa (Ryan's dad) came up this past weekend to visit. Melia LOVED playing with her Boompa and laughing at all of the funny sounds he made.

On Friday, Daddy and Boompa took Melia to swim class where Boompa got to meet Melia's friends. They had the BEST time! That evening we hosted a Mom's Group potluck at the house- 7 babies and their parents! Boompa got a real taste for Berkeley-esque Vegetarian Organic delights. But thank goodness for late hotdogs. :-)

On Saturday we had breakfast at our local cafe, then came back to the house to relax. I had thrown my back out so we were trying to not do too much. That afternoon we all went to the park, and then picked up some Zach's pizza to enjoy. That's when it happened: Melia grabbed a big, chunky tomato off of Ryan's pizza and tried to shove it in her mouth. Now she has grabbed at food before, but never with this much passion. We put the tomato in a bowl and Melia was adamant about getting that tomato into her mouth! At least she has good taste in food.

So the next day Ryan bought her some rice cereal, just in case she was hungry.

Sunglasses are da bomb

Guess who came to visit? Grammy! And she brought the coolest present! SUNGLASSES! Check 'em out...don't I look cool?

We did lots of fun things while Grammy was in town. We went to a b'day costume party that Melia's friend Connor threw for his mommy, we went for a hike at Tilden Park, we went to some yummy restaurants, and there were lots of cuddles.

Right now Melia's favorite thing to do, besides sucking on her toes, is drinking water from a glass! She LOVES to drink water!

Melia and Daddy Talking

This is just too cute...

Swimming and Cheering on Mama

Little Miss Melia went to swim class last Friday for the first time! Oh my, she l00ked so cute in her little bikini! It was too much. She had a blast and couldn't stop splashing around. One time she splashed herself so much that she started coughing- but she recovered nicely. Apparently the American Red Cross says no dunking kids in the water until they are at least 1 yr. old so she will just have to wait.





Feet. She found her feet. It is all about the feet. Feet when she wakes up, feet when she eats, feet for breakfast.



On Sunday I once again ran the Nike Women's Half Marathon. But the best part was the new addition to my cheering squad...you guessed it, the 25inch beauty. It was the best! Jill made the coolest sign: one side said "Run your buns off" and had a picture of a hamburger bun; the other said "Run Baby Run" and had a huge picture of Melia. It was so great! Very inspirational. Thanks Jill! And thanks to the cheering squad for coming out at the butt crack of dawn.

4 months already

Wow, I can't believe Melia is going to be 4 months old on Friday. Can you? She is growing up so fast. She is in that inbetween stage where she constantly needs to be entertained but doesn't quite have the eye-hand coordination to do it on her own. We had to get creative and find some new toys for her to play with. She loves the Mozart Music Cube, her new exersaucer, and her jumper. She also found her feet, which must taste good as they are often found in her mouth. We are also starting baby sign! Milk, blanket, eat...basic essentials! What else- she can't sleep without her little flannel blanket that Auntie Katrina made for her. She sucks her left thumb and then pulls the blanket up to her face with her right hand. She is also grabbing for toys when her hands aren't in her mouth and she laughs and sings and blows bubbles all the time. And anyday a tooth will arrive. Oh boy!

Today we went to storytime at the Berkeley library. It was so much fun! Here is a picture of her friends...

And here is Melia...

Little Ballerina

Oh me, oh my. What a cutie-pie.

Melia and her friends went to Sears to have their pictures taken. Imagine trying to organize 10 infants all at one time. Oh me, oh my. It was a bit chaotic. But they were so cute! First they were shot in their street clothes, and then in their costumes. What cutie-pies!

On Saturday we went down to Carmel for a wedding. Melia looked so cute! She was dressed in a beautiful white sundress that Ryan's friend Terrina sent over from Bangladesh, and some little pink tights. During the ceremony Melia's tummy began to gurgle and then suddenly there was an explosion! In her diaper! Oh shit. Literally. It was all over my hands, my dress, and her tights. It wasn't pretty. Her tights weren't pretty. Poor Ryan was ready to gag from the smell. I think she smelled like flowers. :-)

Sunday we took our little ballerina to the Pumpkin Patch. It was a gorgeous day and we had a blast!

Rolling Over

Ryan's brother Lance flew up from San Diego this past weekend to meet Melia. We had a great time and Melia really seemed to love her Uncle Lance. These pictures were taken at our favorite breakfast spot, Cock A Doodle Cafe in Oakland.

I can't believe that Melia rolled over while on her belly! Can you? Where does the time go. She has also learned to utilize her vocal chords. Her favorite thing is waking up at 4am and talking and singing VERY LOUD. Like we wouldn't hear her!

My mom's group had a potluck yesterday at another mom's house. Melia and her friend Melina were next to each other and started to have the cutest conversation. Click on the arrow at the bottom left of the video and be sure to turn up your volume (ignore the adults talking in the background).

The loud one is Melia. :-)

This and That

Nipple Wars
Melia's newest game is "Nipple Tug-of War." Open mouth, grab on nipple, suck some milk, turn head, take nipple with, smile, repeat. She thinks this is a riot. Playing with her food already. Oh joy!

Bye Bye Paci
Melia is no longer taking the pacifier- it is ALL about the left thumb. She is really good at using it to comfort herself. She hasn't quite figured out what to do with the rest of the fingers: sometimes they are across her nose, sometimes they are in her eye. But the thumb knows right where to go! I think she will be a lefty as I did this when I was her age.

Yucky Cold
Oh snot; oh snot extractor. Goin' on day 12 now. She is really building her immune system! We saw the doctor today, her lungs and ears look perfect so she is on the mend...all 13 lb 12 oz of her!

Sit Ups
Melia LOVES to be pulled up from a laying position to a sitting position. She actually "asks" for it by pulling her head up. It is too cute!

Spitting Game
I tought Melia to do raspberries, only her tongue doesn't stick out. Maybe it should be called a blueberry. I think that this, along with Nipple Wars, is her favorite thing to do right now. She is very good at it too! But the drool...oh the drool that comes with blueberries.

Road Trip
I went up to Mendocino last weekend for a women's business retreat and brought Melia with me. Although the car ride was fantastic (it was about 4 hours), she did feel a bit out of sorts once we were there. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep. At least it was good to know that she does well with distances.

(Melia pulled the towel over her eyes all on her own.)

Sucking out 3 month old green boogers

Oh boy, Melia has a nasty cold. Right now her best friend is "the bulb." The bulb is a bulbous syringe that, when stuffed up the nose, sucks out the snot. This isn't fun. I tried it. Although my nose didn't have stuff in it. But it still felt wierd.

The newest addition to our household is a jumper! Yes, now that Melia can hold her head up and has graduated to being a 3-month old we figured it was time to get jumpin'! She LOVES her new jumper.

1) Beautiful eyes

2) Having fun in the jumper with Abby

3) Being the best girl while mommy and daddy celebrate their 3rd anniversary

4) Abby cuddling with Melia's toy

Ok, Ok! Hold yer horses!

Sheesh! I'm a few days late with the post and everyone makes a stink about it! Well here ya go!

What is it about strangers wanting to touch Melia? On Sunday my office participated in the Solano Stroll, a local street festival. I brought Melia with me and made a onesie for her that said "Looking to buy or sell a house? Talk to my mommy." It was soooo cute- she was a hit!

The problem was that everyone who thought it was cute wanted to pinch her cheeks or touch her hand. This is so annoying. I felt like I needed to carry a bottle of hand sanitizer with me. I found myself having to back away alot to keep people from touching her. Her next onesie will read "I vomit on strangers who try to touch me."

Christmas in September? It is at the Smitty household. Well, sorta. See, Melia is growing so fast that she is outgrowing her clothes. She has the cutest Christmas pj's that we thought would fit her in December. Nope, they fit her in September. I look at this the same way as China- why only bring out the good stuff on holidays? Maybe I will pull out my Christmas jammies too. And make some cookies to leave for Santa. And milk...with one ice cube.

***************************************************

Lots of pictures this week...enjoy!

1) Baby Yoga- way cool!
2) Sucking my thumb, helps me sleep
3) Solano Stroll- cuddles with Mommy!
4) Hangin' with Isabella- legs in the air
5) Picnic at the park w/friends- legs in the air...again!