Prayers for Mia

I pray that she is nice, but not a people pleaser.
I pray that she is smart, but moreover, wise.
I pray that she is ambitious, but not so much that she misses the simple joys of motherhood.
I pray that she is sensitive to Your voice.
I pray that she has always has as much faith in me as she has right now.
I pray that I am always the kind of mother that deserves that much faith.
I pray that she always has as much faith in You as she has right now.
I pray that she is liked but not necessarily popular, and that she doesn't care either way.
I pray that she is humble and meek, but also, strong and courageous.
I pray that she is generous and kind.
I pray that she is not judgemental of anyone. Least of all, herself.
I pray that she always looks at her Daddy the way she does now.
I pray that she knows that no man is worthy of her unless he looks at her back with that same love.
I pray that she is giving with her friendship but guarded with her heart.
I pray that she can learn from my mistakes.
And that she can learn from her mistakes the first time.
I pray that she uses all of her gifts for Your glory.
And that we create an environment that nurtures and encourages those gifts.
I pray that she has a high self esteem but is not arrogant.
I pray that she is happy, but more so, joyful.
I pray that she knows that we want the very best for her.
I pray that she can feel, even if in part, how desperately in love with her we are.

UFC

This last weekend we went to the UFC in Dallas with Jaden's brother and sister-in-law. We had soo much fun! We got to meet Dana White (president of the UFC), Tito Ortiz (although I am not a big Tito fan, her was very nice), Mike Goldberg, Bruce Buffer, and a bunch of other fighters. They were all very nice! The blogspot would only let me put up so many pics, there are more on my facebook. We left Mia here which was even harder than I had imagined. We flew out Saturday afternoon and flew back sun morning so we were gone for almost exactly 24 hours. I sobbed the whole way to the airport. People were looking at me funny! They also looked at me funny when I put my breast pump through the scanner! It was so nice to get away though. It went better than I could have hoped. But, it will definitely be a while before we leave her again!

Mia had a great Labor Day weekend. We helped my mom move into her new house (which is awesome!), so Mia got to spend the day with Jaden's parents. She stayed and played over there all day and had so much fun! I am slowly learning to let go and trust people. Although I miss her so much when she is not around! She also got to spend some time with her Aunt Jenny and her best friend, Elliot. They are going to have so much fun together in the future!
I was watching a video yesterday from the day we brought Mia home. She was moving her arms around with jerky movements. She really had no idea what was going on. Now she is so curious, intuitive, smart, and happy. I am amazed at how much she learns every day. We went for a walk in the park this weekend and I looked over at Jaden pushing the stroller and Mia in the stroller smiling up at him and I thought, I can't believe this is my life! I can't believe this is my wonderful husband and my wonderful daughter. I am so blessed!


BFF

Mia loves her Aunt Jenny

"Hey, your pretty!" "Your pretty too!"

Loving on Daddy

The sweetest sound

Here is some video of Mia laughing. It is the sweetest sound in the whole world!

And here are some pics of the annual Boren family ice cream social. Mia had so much fun!
Mia with her cousin Jaycin and her Granny

Swinging with Daddy

Mia and Mommy

Mia and Papa

Mia and Gran Gran

Sweet baby

Mia has gotten to be so much fun! There was a time, not so long ago, that I thought we would never get on a good schedule. I could have never pictured taking Mia to run errands and actually enjoying it. Or taking her out to eat with us. She has grown up so much! Now she eats every 4 hours and takes 2 naps a day. She usually gets up around 8:30 and goes to bed around 8:30. Life has gotten SO much easier and she is such a joy to be around! She loves loves her daddy. She will stare at him and all he has to do is look at her and she grins from ear to ear. It is adorable. She is starting to reach to you when she wants you to hold her which I love. I know I'm gushing. sorry. I just can't believe my little baby is getting to be such a big girl. She is already 5 months old! That is almost half a year!!

On a sadder note, Mia has a UTI. We caught it very quickly so after 2 days of antibiotics, she was back to her old self. Her doctor wants to do some more tests to make sure she doesn't have ureteral reflux that would cause more UTIs. On one hand, I don't want to put her through alot of tests just to find out that she got a uti because little girls get uti's and nothing is wrong with her. On the other hand, I don't want to wait until she has 4 or 5 uti's to find out that something is wrong and they could have been prevented. It is funny, when something is wrong, all of my years of nursing experience and rational thought go out the window! I am praying for guidance. Now...pictures!

She loves her shades!

Playing piano with daddy

Our albino baby

First time to eat rice cereal!

DIVA

I'm terrible

I'm terrible, I know. I haven't posted in forever! I have been so busy/tired. Mia grows up so much every day. She is so fun to be around now! I never get on the computer cause I'm always playing with her. Lets see... where to start. We went on our first road trip to my cousins wedding in Dallas. For as much as Mia hates the car, she did great! She was the cutest baby at the wedding. :) It was her first hotel stay. We took her swimming for the first time in the pool. She liked it. I think she kinda just thought it was a big bath. But it was very cute. She has a big open mouth smile that just make you want to squeeze her! She gives sweetest kisses. She loves to talk and she sings everytime we are in the car. She is taking her bottle like a champ (big weight off of my shoulders). She isn't sleeping through the night yet but we are working on it. We used to swaddle her for every nap and at night. She can now roll over so we quit swaddling her. That took some getting used to! But she really likes being able to sleep on her tummy now. We also used to bounce her to sleep for every nap then take her to bed. We are trying to stop that and let her put herself to sleep. We lay her down and let her cry for min (which seems like an eternity) then we go back in and put the binky back in her mouth. Then she usually falls right to sleep.

We are going to Dallas in September for the UFC fights. We have decided to leave Mia here with her Gran Gran and Pa Pa. I am very excited to have some "us" time, but also VERY anxious. We are flying down sat afternoon and flying back sun afternoon so we won't be gone very long. I really want her to be sleeping through the night by then. I just can't stand the thought of her waking up and not seeing mine or daddy's faces! She will be 6 months old so SURELY she will be sleeping all night!
I will try to be better about posting!

Going to the Wedding!

Mia loves her jumper! I love that smile!

Going swimming. How cute is her little bathing suit!

Our little lady

Callie loves Mia's toys too! (this one is for you, Missa)

12 weeks!

Mia is 12 weeks old! We got her 3 month pics and they are soo cute! We are doing a re-shoot because she got kinda upset so we didn't get just a ton of pics. I can stare at her for hours. Sometimes I still can't believe that I am her Mommy and she is my daughter. She is definitely going to be a talker (I wonder where she gets that from?) She talks all the time! It is so adorable.

UPDATE: My last post I was really stressing about the bottle. Well, I worked one full day and Mia stayed with Daddy and....she took the bottle all day! We now try to give her one a day to keep her used to it. She still isn't crazy about it but she does it. Thank goodness! (Thanks Sarah for the tips.)

Pics by Carol Mckinney. www.photosbycarolmckinney.com

All Smiles

Mia is smiling and talking all the time. It is the cutest thing in the world. I have a few pictures of her smiling but they are hard to get. It seems like when I take out the camera, she gets shy. Maybe she is like her Daddy in that way. We went to the doctor and Mia weighted 11 lbs and 10oz. She is in the 75th percentile for height and weight (healthy girl!). We have almost completely quit the nightly screaming and are starting to get into a nighttime routine (thank the Lord). But now we have a new family drama.....the bottle.

Mia just flat refuses to take the bottle. We are blessed enough that I get to stay home with Mia but in the nursing field, things change very quickly. So I am still working prn (not full or part time). We thought this would be a good way for Mia to bond with Dad and for Mom to get a little break. I am only working a few days here and there but when I do work, Mia will not eat! We try everyday to give her a bottle. It ticks her off! We have spent a small fortune on bottles (not to mention a ridiculously expensive breast pump). We have looked up tips online. Everything. Our doctor said that if I am not here to feed her, she will not starve. She will eat eventually. It is just a battle of wills. Well, in Mia's 10 weeks of life, she has proven that her will is much stronger than Mommy's or Daddy's. If anybody has been in this situation or has any suggestions- I would love to hear about it!

Laughing

Daddy's girl!

Smiling for Mommy

After the flash (LOL) "What was that MOM?!"

Beyond the ceiling

It is 10:00pm. So begins our all too often ritual of crying, screaming, pacing, bouncing, swaying, singing, rocking.... Nothing is pleasing this child, so I go to my fail-safe. The bathroom. I turn on the bath water and begin my patented bounce/sway motion. Mia begins to calm. I am holding her upright by my shoulder, the way she likes. She stops crying and leans back into my hand, her arms limp by her side. She stares at the ceiling. She is staring so intently. Her eyes don't move and for the first time in 45 mins, she is completely calm. What is she looking at? What is so interesting about the ceiling? Maybe it is the bright white color. Maybe it is the ugly popcorn. Or maybe, she is seeing something beyond the ceiling. Something that my eyes are to cynical, too worldly to see. Maybe she is seeing the angels that surround her. Maybe she is seeing her Jesus smiling down on her. Her blinks are getting longer and longer until she doesn't open her eyes again. Then she gives a sweet, half smile. As if to tell me and everyone else that I can't see, good night. With that smile all of my frustration, exhaustion, and self pity melts away. Lord, I pray that Mia will always have the innocence to see you. I pray that she will always be sensitive to your presence. I pray that she will be able to discern good spirits and that she will use all of your good gifts. Oh yeah, and I pray that she STAYS ASLEEP!

Thank heaven for best friends

What a difference a year makes!

I was thinking this weekend about what I was doing this time last year. I was in Dallas. I flew to Dallas for Jennie's baby shower. She was very pregnant. I was not even pregnant yet but was trying very hard to be! We had so much fun that weekend. We went shopping. We hung out and napped. We went to a Ranger's game and then after the game we watched Robert Earl Keen in the VIP section (nice to have friends with connections). I sat next to Kevin Millwood (Ranger pitcher)and even got my pic with him! I could have never imagined how different both of our lives would be in one year. I could have never imagined how consumed and in love we would be with our little girls! From now on, when we have weekends together, our girls will be playing too! I hope they will be best friends like we are. I don't know what I would have done without Jennie to talk to, vent to, brag to, cry with, and get advise from during this time. I am so thankful that God put her in my life. Love you, Jenn.

Me and Kevin Millwood

Jenn and me and the Ranger game

Isn't she cute!

Baby Wise?

We had a wonderful weekend and I had the BEST Mother's Day. Now that I am a mother- I love love love Mother's Day. It is just special. Daddy did good on my present! (pic below). Mia had her pcis made with her beautiful cousins and some of just her. She is too cute!

I read a book called Baby Wise. Anyone heard of it? It has some very good principals and we started Mia on a new schedule based on the book. It says to feed the baby but don't let them fall asleep right after eating. They have a wake time right after eating then it is nap time then repeat. She was happier the first day we did the schedule. I can already tell a big difference! I think maybe she wasn't getting enough sleep during the day and it was making her cranky. One thing that the book says to do (that I don't do yet) is to put the baby down to nap while still awake. This way they learn to fall asleep on their own. It says that it is normal for baby to cry for up to 20min before falling asleep. It says it will not hurt the baby to cry and in fact-babies need to cry some. I just can't do it! 20 min is a long time!I have heard that you shouldn't let a newborn "cry it out", but at what point are they not a newborn anymore? I know I ask alot of questions to the blogging public (and I really appreciate your input!) I just want to always be doing the best thing for Mia and for our family.

Did you let your babies cry?
For how long?

Now....pictures
Mia and her beautiful cousins. Britlee and Brooklyn

She spit up on her dress right before the pic. LOL

We just think she is so beautiful!

Mother's day present. The stone is Mia's birth stone

Mia's Kentucky Derby party outfit. Floppy hat and all!

Tagged

I got tagged by Sarah to write 7 things about me that no one knows and then tag 5 other people to do the same. Thanks Sarah!

1. I'm a cowgirl. Yes that is right, a cowgirl. Not by birth but by marriage. I fell for a very hot rodeo cowboy! We have a beautiful home on 2 acres (thank goodness for riding lawn mowers). We have a horse. I ride him and help feed him. I have even been know to show up at work with hay in my hair. oops!

2. I LOVE my cat. Probably too much. She was abandon as a kitten and was the runt so she was very small (still is). I had to bottle feed her for 3 weeks. She thinks I am her mommy and I am! She lays on me like a baby. It is so sweet. I have enough love in my heart for both my babies.

3.I'm not really that "wife-y". I try to be. I would love to keep a perfect home and cook big meals. I will go through spells where I figure out what I'm going to cook all week and go to the store to buy all the stuff. But most of the time Jaden and I end up standing in the kitchen about 6:30pm staring into the fridge trying to figure out what I can cook. Or, Jaden has to run to the store in the middle of me cooking because I am missing a key ingredient (which is not easy when you live in the country). Does anyone else have this problem?

4.I love to pick at things. Zits, hair, whatever! Gross I know! I long for Jaden to get a Zit or an ingrown hair so I can pick at it. Mia has a couple little white heads on her face and I have to hold myself back!

This is hard!

5. I watch some really embarrassing shows. Jaden works a month of days and a month of evenings. So, when he is on evenings (esp. before Mia) I got really board. I'm hooked on things like "The Hills" (OMG I can't believe Heidi married Spencer), "Real Housewives of New York/OC/Atlanta", Real World/Road Rules Challenges, "Dancing with the Stars", American Idol. The list goes on. Get a life? I know.

6. I like opposites. I just recently figured this out. My husband and I are opposites. He is very quiet (at least in a crowd) and I am, well....not. My best friend (Jenny) is also very quiet and reserved. What is funny is that she and Jaden are alot alike and me and Jordan (her hubby) are alot alike! Funny huh.

7. I have broken 2 bones in my body. A very small one, my nose. And the biggest one, my femur. I broke my femur when I was 7. My brother dared me to get on my grandmother's roof. I never back down from a dare. I had 2 surgeries. I was in traction for 6 weeks and a full body cast (arm pits to toes) for 3 months. The doctor said it was a miracle that I didn't walk with a limp!

OK, now I tag- Jordan, Melissa, Mandy, Elizabeth, Ashley B

Cuddle bug

We love miss Mia so much that I think we have created a monster. We read that kids should be able to fall asleep on their own and "self soothe". Mia does not do this. She does not fall asleep or stay asleep unless she is being cuddled. She is a cuddle bug! (which, by the way, I love. But, we need to do what is in her best interest. So, this week we are working on self soothing. It is not easy for mommy.

Mia also has eye infections. It was just in one eye and we thought it was a clogged tear duct but then it spread to the other eye. So we are not sure. We are putting antibiotic ointment on them. They were pretty goopy for a couple of days. It didn't seem to bother Mia but it bothered us!

Another note: I got a baby K tan. It is a baby holder that has lots of different positions you can hold your baby in. I LOVE it! It is very handy.

More pics (of course)!
Mia-Daddy cuddle/nap time

I love this headband

I can whistle! :)

Bath time

Happy Easter

Thanks to everyone for your comments. It helps so much to see what other people have done with their kids. I just want to make things as easy on us and her as possible. I will take ANY suggestions, ANY time, from ANY one!

We were not going to go to Easter dinner because Mia is only 3 weeks old, but Jaden had an uncle in town who probably won't get another chance to see her for at least 6 months. So, we went. I cried on the way there. I was so nervous. We got there and there were a TON of people! I was watching all of these kids run around with runny noses. At one point, Jaden's cousin said I wasn't being myself and I ran out of the living room crying! We all laughed about it later. I always thought I would be a really easy going mom. I hope I will get better! I feel like a mother bear who could rip anyone apart that comes near my baby! Overall though, we had a really good Easter. How amazing that God gave his son and let him go through the cross for US! I can't imagine. Thank you Lord.

Another Dr's appointment and lots of questions

Mia had her 2nd Dr's appointment yesterday. She has grown an inch and weighs 9 lbs now! She is doing so great. The Dr ask me how we were sleeping, my response was-"umm, ok". As of now, Mia sleeps in her swing next to our bed. She is not a big crier (more of a grunter) so when she starts to wake up and grunt, I feed her. Sometime in the middle of the night, she usually ends up in bed cuddling with me the rest of the night. The Dr told me to wait to feed her until she really starts to cry. She said to feed her, burp her and put her back down. No talking, cuddling, or playing. She said this will help her start to sleep through the night. I hate it. I cried more than she did last night. I am afraid I am going to teach her that she needs to cry to get things. She is such a good baby and I don't want to change that.

Any advise from any moms would be greatly appriciated.
Did you let your baby cry before you fed them?
Did they sleep in your room or in your bed? If so, for how long?
When did they get on a regular nighttime schedule?
Did you swaddle them at night?
Please Help!

Doctors appointment

Mia had her first Dr's appointment yesterday. It was just to weigh her and make sure she is gaining. They want babies to be up to their birth weight by 2 weeks. Well, Mia is a champ. She has already passed her birth weight. She weighs 8lbs and 10oz (almost a pound over her birth weight)! She is Mommy and Daddy's good little eater. She is already very social. She is awake alot more now and really likes being talked to. Wow, we just love her so much! Here are some more pics. Mia is ready for the Easter bunny!

On a side note: I realize my last post had some grammatical errors. Sorry if it was hard to understand. I am sleep deprived.

My gift

This week has been great. Mia is doing perfectly. We both feel really good. Jaden has been super dad and husband. He keeps the house clean, takes care of me and Mia and is just generally wonderful. I have been a little emotional these last few days. I think it is a combo of hormones and pure joy. I have been thinking about a Rascal Flatts song "Here". It talks about how he would not take anything back that has happened to him in his life because it has all brought him to this moment. That is how I feel. I feel like everything in my life has led up to this. And because of everything, I can fully appreciate what I have. To have a family who loves you and who you love is such a blessing. To understand what a how just how blessed you are is a gift. Thank you god for the gift of my beautiful family and my beautiful life.


Here are a few more pics. We take a picture everyday of her outfit that day (and about 30 more throughout the day!)