mila grace | 5 years old

Today I'm talking about Miss Mila Grace. My sweet, thoughtful, spunky, and oh-so-wonderful five-year-old. 

Mila is in kindergarten. Having a kindergartener for the second year in a row is helping me to see that some of the emotions and struggles just come with the grade. Being away from home on a daily basis has been a tough transition for my girls. Mila has some days where she gets up in the morning, gets ready for school happily, and heads off for a new day with a smile on her face. These mornings are fun and joyful . . . and few and far between. Most mornings Mila - who has LOVED to sleep ever since she was born - either wants to sleep longer or just plain refuses to get dressed. She'll either climb back in bed or lie down on the floor and not move. Or cry that she is NOT going to school. Or all of the above. Once she's at school, she's great. She works hard and stays focused and usually comes home happy and telling about what a good day she had. But getting her there can be hard.

Like I said, at school Mila really focuses. She likes to get things done, mostly because she wants to listen to what her teacher asks her to do. Sadly, she tells me pretty regularly that kindergarten is boring because she has to do too many worksheets. I know they do a variety of other things, but they do also have a lot of worksheets and do at least a few routine things every day.

But one routine Mila loves is coming home and holding Ever first thing. She is always the first to ask to hold her - every morning as soon as the baby wakes up and the minute she walks in the door after being gone anywhere. She ADORES her baby sister. And she's also really sweet with her. I only have to tell Mila one time how something needs to be done for Ever (like make sure not to carry her around or sit behind her so she has support and doesn't fall over) and Mila will make sure to be careful and follow my instructions every time. She's very conscientious about taking care of Ever. She's also so willing to help out by running to get anything I may need - as long as it is something for the baby.

She has really started being silly lately, which I attribute in part to her cousin, Tave. She loves hearing his jokes and telling them. She has started tickling people and thinks it's so fun try tickling anyone - even people she just barely met. Which is so opposite to her shy, reserved personality; she usually is very quiet around new people and will only whisper answers to questions or whisper things she needs to me if we are in front of people she doesn't know very well. And yet she will run up and tickle them like they've known each other forever. Funny girl. She thinks that everyone loves being tickled as much as she does, because Travis plays a Tickle Monster game with her that she LOVES. I try to tell her that most people don't like being tickled, but she doesn't seem to believe me.

She looks up to her big sister SO MUCH. After getting home from school she is always impatient for Kapria to get home so they can play. They play so well together and on a good day when they are both being kind and loving, they end up playing for hours. But if one of them is tired, play time is usually cut short by arguments and each of them hurting the other's feelings.On days like that we usually have some individual quiet time or watch a show to cool down.

I've started doing Mom&Mila time - 15 minutes a day that the two of us do an activity together of Mila's choosing. Mila LOVES this time and requests it every day. Her favorite activities for us to do together are talking about our day while I push her on the tree swing and dancing to music in the living room (right now her favorite songs are "This Girl Is On Fire" by Alicia Keys and "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. I've enjoyed this time just as much as her because I love hearing what she's thinking about that day. This has really helped the two of us get closer and so I'm trying to make sure it happens regularly for all my girls.

The girls took a gymnastics class together, and at the time they both would tell me they didn't want to go. So when the semester was over, we decided to try a different sport. But since then, Mila has been practicing gymnastics at home almost every day. She is determined to perfect her cartwheel and to figure out handstands. She also recently started doing the monkey bars at school and wants to practice on them at the park all the time.She has turned into such a climber! Which is perfect, really, because the sport we all decided they would do together is rock climbing. Travis is their coach, and he takes them to The Quarry for a couple hours every Wednesday (his day off). Both girls love it, and Mila is such a talented climber! When she was about 3, she was really nervous to get on the rock. But she sure loves it now. It's so fun to see the girls enjoying a sport with Trav. It makes me so happy and I know Trav feels the same. (More on this in a later post.)

Mila really pays attention to the things that go on around her. And when I least expect it, she'll have an insight into something that she gained from a totally different experience or conversation. She regularly reminds us to read the scriptures, and during our reading she will share such astute comments about faith and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. She's really listening and she really loves the Savior. It is such a beautiful thing to see her faith in God and our Savior grow. I love the gospel discussions we have each night as we read stories from the Old and New Testament and the Book of Mormon. (The same can be said of Kapria.)

I could go on and on about all the amazing qualities Mila has. She is kind and thoughtful and forgiving and patient and understanding. She is quick to cry about things that upset her, but also quick to get over them and be happy again. Some days she can throw a good tantrum - I'm learning this is normal for kindergarten. And when she does, it's a pretty big deal meltdown. She will usually end up cooling off on her bed and will sulk there for awhile. But once you get her laughing again, she moves on and is happy as can be.

I'm continually amazed by this loving, beautiful girl. I'm so grateful she's mine.

sweet mila

May 2011 - Mila is 21 months old. I can't believe she's nearly two! She recently started role playing. Every day now she finds her baby and takes care of her - feeding her, rocking her, putting her to sleep (she even closes the blinds and curtains so the room is dark). She brings her over to me to hug and love on when the baby cries.


Mila's so thoughtful of others, too. She's concerned about Kapria and always pays attention to what her sister needs. If anyone in the family gets hurt, she runs over to kiss you. If someone's upset, she gives you a hug. Most times if the kids are fighting over a toy, she'll give it to the person who wants it rather than keep it for herself.

She loves listening to music, especially Tarzan (still) and SteveSongs. Now she asks every night for me to sing her a Tarzan song at bedtime.

She's warming up to animals now and loves to pet Oso, my parents' dog. Except one day he accidentally backed up into her and knocked her over, so her newfound love for him waivered for a few hours and she'd run away.

She loves coloring. At this age, Kapria didn't really care about it, and she still is only interested in it for a few minutes before she wanders to something else. But Mila could color for an entire hour before getting bored.

She got a new tooth - her lower right incisor (finally)!

She loves talking. She's started adding "uh" on the end of words and sentences: "sippy cupp-uh," "kiss-uh," "two-uh," "help-uh." You get the idea.

Favorite things to say:
"I want a minty"
"Kappy!"
"I wanta color."
"I need helpa!"
"My baby."

We love our Mila Bean!

haircuts part 3: the results

And what you've all been waiting for...

Kapria absolutely loves her new haircut. That night she kept looking in the mirror and smiling at herself. Trav didn't get home until after the girls went to bed, and she had such a hard time going to sleep because she couldn't wait to show him. The next morning she ran into our room and said, "Dad, look at my haircut!" She also was excited to show her friends. It's so fun to see your kids love something about themselves.

Truth be told, I really really miss her long hair. It's like my baby girl is gone and now there's this growing-up-girl that's getting so big so fast. But seeing her happiness makes me happy we did it. The other day she did say, "Now I’ll grow it long again, then I’ll cut it. Then I’ll grow it, then I’ll cut it.” Wait till she realizes how long it takes to grow your hair to lower-back length...

And Mila got a slight A-line trim, which helped with how her hair lays but didn't take too much off the length. (She really did not want me to take any pictures of her new hair and kept running away. So here's the best I got. She still looks cute :)

I love my beautiful girls!

haircuts part 2: getting the job done

 

The girls were really good about sitting for their haircuts. Kapria was especially serious. She wanted to go first and she was so quiet and listened perfectly.

haircuts part 1: before

Tuesday, April 19, 2011
We'd talked about cutting Kapria's hair for awhile because she hates having it fixed at all and especially hates having it combed. One day after an especially rough time of combing her incredibly tangled hair (and lots of tears and running away), I maybe sorta threatened to cut it all off. To which she replied, "Yes I want it cut!"

But I was sad to cut it and so put off making an appointment for a long time. I love her beautiful hair. Then I finally just called my friend and did it, mainly because Mila's hair was looking so scraggly and needed a trim.

Kapria was so excited. She wanted her hair "Short! Short! Short!" I convinced her that ponytail-length would be short enough. Summer's coming, after all, and we want to pull it back sometimes, right?

climbing

Mila has started climbing everything. Her favorite spots are the kitchen table (she climbs up and over to get on the bench), the toilet (to make faces at herself in the mirror), the couch (so she can dive into the lovesac), and then at random: the bathroom sink (so she could get her toothbrush).

See that smile? Pride and joy. Look at what I did all by myself!

yummy

December 2, 2010

move those feet

Mila is walking everywhere. She thinks it's great fun and can't be bothered to stop and take a picture. (Not that she ever stopped moving so we could anyway.)

happy ten months, mila!

tenth month (may 11 - june 11)

I love this time because every day Mila learns something new. Some of her latest milestones:

• Says "Dada." - We were so happy to hear it!
• Moves from lying on her back to sitting up, all on her own.
• Drinks from a sippy cup every day now.
• Says "buh buh" for "bye bye."
• Loves to swing and go for walks outside.
• Moves all the time.
• Adores Kapria - even when she's tired and won't smile for anyone else, if Kapria talks to her she'll smile and laugh and be happy.
• Loves to eat macaroni and cheese, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs (still), and blueberries (a new favorite. she'll clean her tray every time if it's blueberries).
• Says "mmm" when she's eating food she really likes.
• Got her first tooth! bottom front left at the end of May.
• Got her second tooth! bottom front right on 06.03.10.
• Started crawling! on Sunday, June 6, 2010.
• Pulls herself up to kneeling next to the couch.
• Pulls herself up to standing occasionally.
• Loves to play on the couch cushions when they're lying on the floor. Kapria always pulls them down for Mila to play on.
• Sleeps great - goes to bed at 8pm and wakes up at 8:30 or 9am.
• Takes two naps: one 2 hour nap in the morning (about 10am - noon) and one 2 hour nap in the afternoon (about 2:30pm - 4:30pm).
• Gives huge cuddle hugs by laying on your shoulder and putting her arms around you. Then she'll pat your back. It's the best feeling to have her pat your back!
• Moves like crazy:

 Mila is such a sweetheart. She loves to cuddle and give hugs, but since she also loves moving, she gives quick hugs then wants to get down and play. She plays pretty well on her own and is doing better about being in a room by herself for a little bit.

Right after she drinks her bottle in the morning, she likes to get down and play on her own for about 20 - 30 minutes. Then she's ready to have you play with her. When she's done playing on her own, she cries if she's left alone. That means she wants you to sit on the floor next to her. She likes having us nearby, even if we're doing other things.

Mila Bean, we love you!

happy nine months, mila!

Ninth month (april 11 - may 11)
 

Milestones:

• Has her own room. We put her in the office, still sleeping in the playpen.
• Sleeps through the night. Now that she's in her own room, if she wakes up in the middle of the night, she cries for a little bit then goes back to sleep.
• Drinks from a sippy cup and drinks with a straw. Whatever cup Kapria's using is the cup Mila wants.
• Likes any food she tries, including oatmeal, cottage cheese, hard-boiled eggs (a favorite), strawberries, bananas (another favorite), oranges, broccoli (fave), and bagels.
• Scoots in circles on her bum.
• Shakes her head "yes" and "no."
• Signs "all done."
• Waves goodbye.
• Claps.
• Plays with toys, including the music tables, balls, and baby dolls.
• Likes to sit on Mom's lap and chill.

Growing Growing Growing

date: 5.12.2010
age: 9 months

length: 25 1/2 inches (grew 1/4 inch since 7 mo)

weight: 15 lbs 3 oz (gained 1 lb 5 oz)

head circ: 42.4 cm (grew .4 cm)

first haircut

Mila's hair was growing longer on one side than the other, so she needed a haircut. Nicole was willing to trim it for us. Mila moves around so much now that it was pretty tough, but Nic did a great job. We need to trim her bangs a little more, but Mila was DONE. We decided to finish another night...soon.

soon, very soon

Mila moves all over the place—she reaches for everything around, pushes herself up on her arms, squirms and scoots and pulls and rolls. She's getting ready to crawl.

talk to me

Mila said her first word this month. Travis was campaigning hard for it, but she would not be swayed.

"momomomom"

She says it a lot, especially when she wants me to hold her.
Sometimes she shouts it.

"MOM!"

Especially when she wants my attention.
A lot of times she says it and smiles. Or kisses me.

Oh I love Mila.

And being her Mom.

happy eight months, mila!

Mila's personality is starting to show more and more. I love the process of getting to know each of our kids. During her eighth month (March 11 to April 11), Mila had some big milestones.

Mila:

• Moved from sleeping in her bassinet to sleeping in the playpen. The transition went great (still sleeping in our room).
• Still wakes up for a bottle in the middle of the night. Sometimes twice.
• Flew in an airplane for the first time.
• Away from Dad for the first time over night (she was so happy to see him when we got home.)
• Eats only "real" food - no more mushy baby food for her. She'll just spit it out. She wants what everyone else is eating and will close her lips tightly and refuse to eat until you give her what she wants. (The only problem is: no teeth.)
• Feeds herself. She's really good at picking up finger foods, but still drops a lot of her food. Toward the end of her meals she wants us to feed her so she can eat faster.
• Sits up all the time now. But still likes to lay down and roll around.
• Loves baths now. Still loves the shower, but likes sitting in the tub and splashing, too.
• Said her first word: mama/mom.
• Celebrated her first St. Patty's Day and first Easter.
• Met Aunt Meg.
• Caught her first bad cold. Was sick for nearly two weeks with a runny nose, fever, cough. That's when she started waking up twice in the middle of the night.  
• Wants to be carried everywhere. She loves being held and would rather be carried around with us than sit and play with toys on her own (this is the opposite of Kapria, who always needed -and still needs - play time all by herself).
• Loves being with people.
• Likes her uncles again! She has been scared of men for the past few months and would cry if any man besides Dad talked to her or held her, Shawn and Jeff included. But she likes her uncles now. Yay! (She can keep being scared of other men. That's probably a good thing for now. ha ha.)
• Hates being left alone in a room. Will cry like she's been badly hurt. I've run into a room in a panic when I heard her start to cry, thinking she hit her head or something horrible happened by the sound of her, and she's there sitting in the room perfectly unharmed, just upset at being left alone. As soon as you come in and talk to her, she's happy again.
• Smiles all the time.

happy seven months, mila!

Oh baby, you're growing too fast! Mila is changing every day. Here are some of the things that happened during her seventh month (February 11 to March 11).

Mila:

• Quit nursing. Toward the end of February (the 24th to be exact), Mila decided she didn't like nursing anymore. Bottles are faster and easier!
• Makes lots of noises and babbles.
• Learned to blow raspberries.
• Rolls over a lot.
• Reaches for the things she wants.
• Sits up really well, and only falls once in awhile.
• Laughs and talks to us all the time.
• Loves to take showers and hates taking baths.
• Teething, but no teeth.
• Gets upset if Kapria tries to pick her up.
• Plays with the remote, any phone, and Kapria's mini magna doodle. They are her favorite toys.
• Throws any toy she doesn't want to play with.
• Cries when you take her toys away. She knows what she wants and definitely lets you know, too.
• Likes being on her tummy (this is new; she used to hate it.)
• Mommy's girl. Gets a huge smile on her face when Mom comes home from work and just wants to be held by her. Will cry and squirm away from Dad until Mom holds her. Then she's perfectly quiet and happy.
• Enjoys going out, but is really a homebody. She's so happy when we get home and will start smiling and laughing as soon as we walk in the door.

She's our happy, happy girl.

the last time

I've loved nursing my girls. I relish the time one-on-one with them. My favorite part of nursing Mila was how she would grab on to her foot the whole time. She would let go, grab it, let go, grab it. Her hands always had to be moving. Then she'd look up at me and smile, with milk dripping down her chin. During that time, we could relax and enjoy being mommy and baby.



Mila quit nursing at the end of February, at six months old. (You can read my thoughts on that here.) I'm so glad Trav caught these last moments of that time together.

happy six months, mila!

I was shocked when I realized that half a year has gone by since Mila was born! It has been such a fun time, and she bring so much joy to our family. Here are some of the things she's been doing this past month:

• Plays peek-a-boo by pulling any cloth, blanket, or clothing over her eyes. Then she waits for us to see her and say, "peek-a-boo!" before she pulls it off.
• Eats baby foods, including applesauce, peaches, pears, and sweet potatoes. She ate peas a couple times, then decided she doesn't like them. She doesn't like rice cereal or any kind of cereal, so it's just fruit and veggies and bottles for her. (Kapria was the same way.)
• Grabs her feet. She loves playing holding on to her toes.
• Rolls over. On 01.18 she rolled over from her back to her tummy. She hates being on her tummy, though, and starts crying because she's stuck. By 02.06 she started rolling over a lot more, though it's still not consistent. I left her on the couch that morning, and she rolled off and landed in the laundry basket. I was lucky it was there - and full - so she had something soft to land on. But I learned my lesson, and she's never on the couch alone any more.
• Reaches for everything around her, and grabs whatever she can get her hands on. She's nearly rolling over as she tries to reach whatever it is she wants.
• Watches Kapria all the time and laughs at her and talks to her.
• Wants to move!
• Stares at the tv if it's on. She can't look away! So we try not to have it on too much.
• Gives kisses with her mouth open - they're wet and slobbery, but so sweet.
• Likes reading stories and turning the pages of her books.
• Moves objects from hand to hand.
• Dislikes jumping in the bouncer. She's happy for a few minutes, then just wants out. So we put it away, and we'll try again in a couple weeks.
• Smiles and laughs all the time.

Growing Growing Growing
date: 3.9.2010
length: 25 1/4 inches
weight: 13 lbs 14 oz
head circ: 42 cm

We are so grateful to have Mila in our family. She is such a calm, content, and happy girl. We all adore her. And those cheeks - we cannot kiss them enough!

happy two months, mila!

Mila has grown so much in just two months!

• She smiles a lot and loves to talk with us.
• She found her hands and likes to suck on them.
• She enjoys being in her crib and watching the mobile or talking to her dolls.
• She loves it when Kapria talks to her and will smile and talk back.
• She gets nervous when Kapria holds her.
• She loves being held by mom and dad, and especially loves when we walk around with her.
• She likes to watch what's going on in the room.
• She hates wearing hats and will squirm until I take it off. Unless we're outside and it's cold. Then she doesn't mind the hat.
• She sleeps best when she's bundled like a burrito. When she's tired, she'll cry until we bundle her and give her the pacifier. Once she has those, she calms down right away and snuggles into my arm.
• She eats really well and has gotten very fast. Most days it only takes about 20 minutes each time she eats.
• She likes to take a break in the middle of eating and suck on her pacifier and snuggle into my arm. I love it.
• She eats every 3 hours. Sometimes she goes longer if she's really tired. Then she'll probably eat the next time after 2 hours.
• She takes a bottle really well, and gets one once or twice a day from Trav (while I'm at work).
• She's staying awake for longer periods of time - usually between 1 to 2 hours before needing a nap.
• She likes sitting in the swing or the highchair, as long as she gets to be where everyone else is.
• She gets fussy in the evenings, mostly if we're not at home. She enjoys being at home at night.
• She sleeps between 7-8 hours every night.

Growing Growing Growing
date: 10.19.2009
length: 22.9 inches (50%)
weight: 10 lbs 7 oz (25%)
head circ: 38.5 cm (25%)

I love the process of getting to know our children and what their personalities are like. Mila is such a calm and happy girl. She tolerates a lot, but also lets her voice be heard. If she's unhapy, she's loud about it. She's patient and such a sweetheart. We love having her as part of our family. The past two months have flown by, and I'm amazed at how much easier life gets in just a few short weeks. Outings are always eventful, and I don't go out much with both girls by myself, at least not to the store. But we go for walks or to the park, and it's a lot of fun. Mila loves watching Kapria play. It will be fun when they can play together.

We love you so much, Mila!

what mila's been up to: september

tummy time







hanging out (and talking a little)





bathing (and staying awake)





smiling (for the first time!)

happy one month, mila!

How does one month go so quickly? The first month is always such a mix of emotions for me. On the one hand, I want it to be done so that my body feels better...so that nursing is better. So that the baby (and I) can sleep for longer periods of time. But on the other hand, I want my baby to stay little. I want to enjoy every little sigh and newborn sounding cry.

Mila made the first month so enjoyable. Nursing was hard, but she was so good. She cries only when she's absolutely ready to eat. Otherwise she is a pretty calm baby. Within the first month she started sleeping 5-6 hours at night, which made life so much more managable.

She is a peaceful and happy baby already. And oh those cheeks! I could kiss them all day.





Growing Growing Growing
age: 2 weeks
date: 8.24.2009
length: 21 inches (75%)
weight: 8 lbs 5 oz (50%)
head circ: 35.8 cm (50%)