Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone! Mya had a great first Christmas, and wants to thank everyone for the gifts and well wishes they sent. She was more interested in the wrapping paper than some of her toys, but she was treated very well by Santa.

Some of Mya's favorite toys Santa brought were a Cookie monster stuffed animal, the Horton Hears a Who book, movie and stuffed animal, and of course - her horse jumperoo, which we havent' been able to keep her out of. She also got lots of clothes and other toys which we're gradually getting out of the boxes and she's playing with.

We hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas, and wish everyone a great New Year!

Love,

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Happy Holidays!

Mya is doing fantastic... She's now 4 1/2 months old, and it has flown by. She went to the doctors last week, and she weighed 15lbs 1 ounce and is 26 inches long. She's in the 95% for her height, and 75% for her weight. She also just started on some fruits... which is INTERESTING to say the least : ) She had apples first, and she wasn't a fan. Now, she's on bananas and she seems to be doing much better with those. Mom is also making her own baby food at home which is going pretty well... its pretty easy too, and quite a bit cheaper in the long run.

We're gearing up for the holidays now. We're putting the tree up this weekend, and our Christmas cards have been ordered, but won't be here until the 16th unfortunately (so if you haven't gotten one from us, don't worry its on its way!) I feel like we're a bit behind this year, but I guess that's what happens when you have a baby!!! At least we've got most of the Christmas shopping done : )

We're also all done with the planning for Mya's Christening which will be on January 18th. She will be Christened at the same church where Mommy and Daddy were married - St. Ann's Parish in Sayville. All we have to do is get the invites out now.

Anyways, here's some new photos of the little munchkin. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!!!

Love,

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxoxo

Update!

So its almost Thanksgiving, and we've been very lazy in updating the blog lately. Sorry! Mya is doing great... she has found her tongue and loves to stick it out at you, and also loves to grab it - which is funny when she's trying to babble to you. She is almost rolling over on a regular basis now too... she can kick over on her side, but doesn't flip herself over on her belly every single time.

She is already in 6-9 month clothes now... pants are the big problem. 3-6 month clothes fit as far as length, but they are WAY too tight around her belly. That's why she has to be in the 6-9 ones now. She's a growing girl, what can we say!?

Papa Tom came 2 weeks ago to visit, and had a great time with Mya. She has grown sooo much since she saw him last (which was in the beginning of September). He can't believe how big she gotten, and how much she has changed... she is laughing and smiling a lot these days, and has certainly figured out that she loves the boys... she LOVES flirting with Daddy and Papa Tom. She also has started really following Chloe around the house (with her eyes of course - she can't crawl... yet), and laughs and giggles at her all the time.

Anyways, more to come on Turkey Day. We wish everyone a great Thanksgiving!!!

Love,
Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxo

More milestones!

Mya went to the doctor this past Friday and weighed in at 14 lbs. 1 ounce! She is getting quite big these days... we can't believe it. She has also figured out how to pull her socks off of her feet now (which they then promptly go into her mouth), and she loves to babble to all of her toys. For those of you who have had the pleasure of hanging out with Mya on Sundays, you've seen how much she LOVES football. She is definitely daddy's little girl. She just stares at the tv screen and starts to babble to it, almost like she's trying to tell the team what play to run next. That's our girl!

This past Sunday we were at our friend's Bryan and Tara's house for a football brunch. Mya was able to make a new friend Mia who was born June 24th - exactly one month before her! So we had Mya and Mia on football sunday... it was quite cute. She spent a good part of the day watching football, and certainly made her daddy proud.

Papa Tom (Lauren's Dad) comes in on Friday for a short weekend visit. He will certainly be shocked at how big she has gotten since the last time he saw her back at the beginning of September. We looked in her baby book, and since then she has gained 3 pounds!

For those of you who have asked... we are using 'G Diapers' for Mya. They are just like cloth diapers, but they have a biodegradable liner insert that you can either throw away, flush down the toilet or compost. We just throw them away (we were worried about it clogging up our plumbing... and we weren't too keen on the idea of composting them and using that soil in our garden). The outside cloth part, and the snap-in liner are washable as well. We love them and they are working out great. Here's the website for those of you who want to check it out: http://www.gdiapers.com/.

Other than that, not much else going on. We're just very busy trying to keep up with Mya, and keep ourselves sane. Love you all.

Love,

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Here are some of the pictures from Mya's first Halloween! She did much better this time when we put her in her bumble bee outfit. She even was able to attend her very first Halloween party, Mom and Dad went dressed as the beekeepers for the little baby bee!

Mya goes again on Friday to the pediatrician for another round of immunizations and a weight/length check. She is eating like a little piggy these days and is doing great with the rice cereal she has been getting once a day. She is even starting to grab the spoon when you feed her!

Some other new developments include:
Mya has started grabbing her feet and pulling on her socks.

She can now hold he bottle when she's being fed (well, only when there is about 1-2 ounces left... otherwise its too heavy for her).

She has also started sitting up very well in her bumbo chair. She has also been talking (babbling) a lot more, and has really started noticing Chloe a lot more these days too. More to come soon... love you all.

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxo

Its Halloween...

Well, its not quite Halloween, but close! Although Mya won't be trick or treating this year, we put Mya in her bumble bee costume, and needless to say she hated it. We got 14 seconds of her in the costume before she lost her mind (although Philip and I and my mom thought it was the funniest thing ever). On the day of actual Halloween we're going to try again... hopefully we haven't scarred her for life. She did however love the pumpkin patch we took her to on Sunday. She fit right in and everyone there thought she was just the cutest little thing. We picked out some good ones for our front porch.

Mya also had a doctors appointment on Sunday (yes, our doctor does weekend hours). She got 2 shots and took them like a champ with only a little crying on the second one. She also weighs 13 pounds 7 ounces now at nearly 14 weeks old. She has found some new toys that she adores too in the house and is trying desperately to shove her hands in her mouth at all times since we believe she's started to teeth a bit (lots of drooling going on these days, and the hands are always in her mouth, and her gums are a little red in the front).

Mya is doing well with the rice cereal and probably won't start any other foods for about another month. The doctors are very impressed by how she's progressing and are shocked that she moves around and has so much strength at her age. She's already pushing up on her hands when she's on her belly and is holding her head up really well these days. She's also flipped herself over a few times (full disclosure here - we're not sure if it was an accident or not though!) and when she is on her belly and pushing up with her arms she's also moving her legs like she's trying to crawl... but she doesn't go anywhere of course. Not yet anyways...

More to come soon...

Love,

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxo

New Photos

Here are some of the latest pics of Miss Mya. She is now 3 months and 1 week old. Enjoy!

Love,

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxox

Video Links...

Ok, so here are some of the latest videos we've taken of Mya. Some are a little long, so don't feel obligated to watch the WHOLE thing. But please do check out the link for Mya's appearance on CNBC!

Love,
Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxoxo


Mya on CNBC - http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=42475455

Mya eating rice cereal for the first time - http://www.box.net/shared/d7s30q46oy

Mya laughing in the tub - http://www.box.net/shared/td195a78m1

The weigh in...

We just couldn't stand it anymore. We had to know what Mya weighed. She is quite the load to carry around these days, so we went to babies r us yesterday and bought a baby scale.

She is 13lbs 4oz. at 3 months and 3 days old. Later this week she goes back to the pediatrician to get another round of shots and get her normal checkup. She is doing great these days and is sleeping, eating and pooping like a champ. (I'm sure all of you could have done without knowing the latter, but oh well. We're proud of her!)

We'll update with some more pictures shortly.

Love,
Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxoxoxo

3 Months Old!

Today Mya turns 3 months old! We can't believe how quickly its gone. Mya is doing great these days. She's holding her head up really well, and has now figured out how to push up with her arms when she's laying on her belly. She is SO strong and is constantly moving her arms and legs, and looks like she's running a marathon!

Mya also started some rice cereal in her diet yesterday as well. She was eating about 7-8 ounces every 3 hours, so it was definitely time for her to get something with a little more substance in her belly!

Nan (Lauren's mom) has been here for the past 2 weeks helping out with daycare, and is here for another week or so. Mya is certainly getting spoiled, and loves dancing and singing with her around the house.

The other day, Mya also laughed for the first time. She's been giggling since she was about 6 weeks old, but this was an actual LAUGH where she really sounded like a little girl and not a 12 week old! It was very cute. She loooovveees talking to Daddy when he gets home and tell him about her day. She already has him wrapped around her finger... that didn't take very long!

Other than that, we've been busy trying to get adjusted being back at work and getting Mya on a schedule. We'll update with more soon!

Love,

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxoxoxo

Back to Work... Unfortunately

Mom went back to work on Wednesday (October 1st) after being off since the end of June. It has been wonderful being home with Mya since she was born in July, and it has been very difficult leaving her. Needless to say, she doesn't know much of a difference just yet. As long as she gets fed and changed, and you entertain her a little bit - she doesn't notice that mom is really gone just yet.

I have to say though, it was great coming home yesterday to a big smiling face! I am hoping to work from home every once in a while as work permits, but as many of you know its a very busy time in the financial news business... so we shall see what happens.

Phil's mom will be watching her today and tomorrow, and then Lauren's mom comes in to town on Saturday to help out for the rest of the month. We will also be sending Mya to daycare once or twice a week in October to get used to being around her new babysitter and the other kids she watches (that way she's used to them by November). By the way, we found a wonderful woman down the block from us that does it out of her house. She was recommended by our neighbors, and is great with Mya. We're so happy we found someone great that is close to us.

More photos will be posted soon...

Love,
Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxoxox

Video of Mya

Here's one of the latest videos of Mya in her swing. She was really telling the little bear that hangs down quite the story!

Its been a while!

Sorry we haven't posted any updates on Mya recently, its been a little crazy around here and we keep putting it off! Mya is now 9 weeks old (will be 10 weeks on Thursday), and weighs somewhere around 12 pounds. She last went to the pediatrician on September 19th and weighed 11 lbs. 12 oz., so we're thinking she's put on about 1/2 lb since then. She is definitely getting longer too - she was last 24 1/2 inches long, and it seems like she gets longer every day!

She also now sleeps in her crib! We just started that this week, and she is doing great. She seems to be pretty happy in there, and is also now sleeping through the night for the most part (about 7 hours or so straight), which we are VERY happy about!!! She is still just on breastmilk, no solids yet and no rice cereal either, but that will be coming probably in the next 5-6 weeks. The pediatrician said to wait to reduce the chance of her getting any food allergies (especially since Mom has a few, she may be more prone to getting some). She's up to about 6 ounces at every feeding too, which is great. She has quite the appetite!

Other than that, Mom goes back to work on Wednesday (October 1st), and Lauren's Mom is coming on October 4th to stay for the month to help us watch Mya. Dad is very busy back at work, and loving the school year so far, but missing Mya terribly.

Mya has also started talking (well, babbling) to her toys and her Baby Einstein videos too. She has also found her thumb too, and looovvees to suck on it when she's tired. She also now tries to mimic you when you talk to her too - its very cute. She is trying to get control of her arms and legs, and has started hitting some of the toys in her crib and swing too! She can also hold her head up now, although she's still a little wobbly. She's definitely getting there though, and probably within the next 2 weeks will be fine holding her head up.

By the way - in the birthday bet we had going, no one picked her actual birthday July 24th, or the exact weight. The closest person to the birthday (without going over) that also picked girl was actually Phil! He picked July 21st, and that she would weigh 8lb.s 2 oz. -- so he was only off by 3 ounces, and 3 days! Not too bad!!!

Mya is a celebrity!

Mya had a very busy day yesterday! First we went to Lauren's work and met the CNBC family, and she even had an appearance on CNBC's "Power Lunch" program. She is now the youngest contributor and journalist out there today - not bad for a 7 week old! The file of the video is very large, so I can't post it on here. However, I'm hoping to get an edited version soon that's smaller in size.

After that, we went off to visit Daddy at work, and all of the teachers loved her. Everyone thinks she looks like him! Now everyone at his work is anxious for us to give Mya a little brother or sister, but we'll stick with just Mya for now : )

Mya did wonderful on her big outing for the day, although she was pretty wiped out when we got home. She just loved all of the attention she got all day!

Talk to you all soon!

Love,

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxoxo

Busy Weekend!

Mya went to the pediatrician on Friday, and she weighed in at 11 pounds, 1 ounce and she is 22 3/4 inches long now! That means she's gained about 3 pounds, 2 ounces since she was born, and she's grown nearly 3 inches! She's getting so big! She handled her shots pretty well, but I think mom was more upset about it than she was. She was a little fussy the rest of the day, but slept really well that night.

Friday night she also got to hang out with her Aunt Jen and cousin Terrence since Phil and I had a wedding to go to. She had lots of fun with the two of them!

Lauren's dad was also here for the weekend since he was on the east coast for a business trip. Mya got her alone time with Papa Tom, and the two couldn't have been happier together! He was very sad to leave, and thought about trying to kidnap her, but we know where to find him.

Other than that, things are going great. Mya is still eating and sleeping pretty well, and smiling a lot these days! Lauren is taking Mya in to meet everyone at her work today, and then stopping by Phil's work too. She's a popular little girl!

Love,

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxoxoxo

6 weeks old today!

Today our little Mya turns 6 weeks old! Hard to believe... my how she has grown so fast! She goes to the pediatrician tomorrow for her check up and shots (ouch!). It will be a bittersweet appointment because we can't wait to see how much she weighs and how long she's gotten since her last appointment, but we're not looking forward to her getting her first shots.

Dad has been busy back at work, and misses Mya terribly during the day. He is always so anxious to see her when he gets home each day. Mom will be going back to work on October 1st (unless we magically win the lottery in the next few weeks of course), and we'll be getting some help from family to take care of Mya. Lauren's mom will be coming for about 3 weeks to help watch her, and Phil's mom will be helping out after that. Also, we have a babysitter that will be watching her a few days a week. It will be a busy schedule, but we're glad to have all the help!

More to come tomorrow on how she does at the doctor's appointment!

Love,
Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe

Mya Smiles!

We just had to share this with everyone! The other night Daddy was feeding Mya, and she was smiling with him every time he went to give her the bottle. It was too cute! So, here's the video of what we were able to capture. Enjoy!

Love,

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxoxoxo

Mya's first public outing!

Today Mya went with Mom and Dad to Macy's, and it was her first trip out in public. Granted, we were only there for about an hour and a half, but she did great. We can tell she'll be a typical girl and love shopping.

Mya goes next week to the pediatrician to get weighed and measured, as well as get her first round of shots (which Mom and Dad aren't looking forward to!) She has been working really hard on holding her head up, and can now hold it for about 10 seconds before her head goes crashing back down into your shoulder. She's also now pushing really hard with her legs, and tries to climb over your shoulder when you hold her. She's quite the little monkey, and she's only about 5 weeks old!

Other than that, she's doing great. She gets up about every three hours or so, but the longest she's gone so far is about 5 hours straight without waking us up. She has definitely found her voice too, and lets us know when she's not happy, and has even started babbling a little bit to herself.

We'll keep you posted on more progress as it happens!

Love,

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe

4 weeks old today!

Today Mya turns 4 weeks old! Its hard to believe it! In one way it feels like we just had her yesterday, and in another way it feels like she's always been here. She is doing great, still eating and sleeping well. We really can't complain too much! We don't know her exact weight right now, but we are guessing about 9 1/2 or so. It seems like she gets heavier every day now.

Yesterday Mya got to hang out with her cousin Terrence - who is going to be 1 next month. As you can see, he's very big for his age! Mya is very alert and active already, so the two of them together when they get a little older will certainly be trouble.

Other than that, not too much else to report. Phil goes back to work next Thursday, so it will just be Mya and Mommy for a little while until she heads back in October.

See you all soon!

Love,

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe

Our 1-year wedding anniversary!

Today is Philip and I's 1-year wedding anniversary! What a difference a year can make! We'll be going out to dinner tonight... it will be the first time we've been out of the house for more than an hour together. Phil's mom will be babysitting, but we'll see how long it takes for both of us to miss Mya and rush home to see her.

Mya is doing great. She's up to eating about 4 ounces each feeding now (although its hard to tell since she's being breastfed), and is sleeping a bit longer in between feedings (which we're very happy about!) She's already outgrowing some of her clothes too! This thursday she'll be 4 weeks old, which is very hard to believe.

Also - we just want to say thank you to everyone who has stopped by to meet Mya, and everyone that has sent us cards and gifts for our new addition. We really appreciate everyone's generosity and thoughtfulness.

Mya is waking up now... so we must go. She's probably getting hungry. Again.

Love,
Philip, Lauren, Mya and Chloe

3 weeks old!

Mya turned 3 weeks old yesterday! She is getting bigger every day and is really working on holding her head up on her own. She's had lots of visitors these past few weeks, but her Nan and Papa Tom went home this past Monday. She misses them terribly, and can't wait to see them again in the fall!

She has been getting very good at recognizing mom and dad's voices too - especially dad's! She laughs and smiles every time he talks to her. She is definitely a daddy's little girl!

Other than the normal every day stuff, she is doing very well. She's eating a ton, and we can only imagine what she'll weigh next time we take her to the pediatrician!

Until next time...

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxo

Getting bigger by the day!

Mya had another pediatrician appointment this past Thursday, and she is growing like a weed! She is now up to 8lbs. 14 oz., and she also grew 3/4 of an inch since her appointment last Thursday. We can't believe how much she grew in one week!

She is doing great at home, eating like crazy and doing a lot of sleeping and keeping mommy and daddy busy with diaper duty. She is very active too, and she actually rolled herself over the other day - no, we're not kidding. She was on her back and rolled all the way over onto her belly all by herself. We were amazed to say the least. Then she got frustrated because she realized she couldn't actually go anywhere... but it was still a big milestone.

She's trying very hard to lift her head as well, and is very strong. Now Mommy knows why her ribs and back hurt so bad for those last 2 months or so - it was all those kicks and punches!!!

Here's a shot of her relaxing with Grandpa this weekend --

More updates to come!

Love,

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxo

A growing girl

Chloe has been very curious about the new member of our household, and has been very good with Mya. She will be a great protector, and fellow troublemaker with the little munchkin!

Mya is doing great these days. She's 11 days old now, and eating A LOT. Yesterday Mom got to go out of the house for the first time - for a whole 2 1/2 hours! Dad did a great job of babysitting, although she didn't let him relax too much. She stayed awake the whole time!

Mya's belly button fell off a few days ago, and its all healed up now and is very cute. Last night we were able to give her a REAL bath in the tub, which she loved!

She's had lots of visitors this week too, and everyone is in love with her. Daddy is already looking into shotguns to keep the boys away!

The grandparents are very excited about little Miss Mya, and have already been spoiling her. Needless to say we're in big trouble...

Our first visit to the doctor

Today Mya had her first appointment with the pediatrician. She's 6 days old now, and the doctor says she looks great. Actually, the words she used were "she's a perfect little baby," which Phil and I already knew of course!

She's also gained a few ounces - she's now up to 8lbs. 1oz. She was born at 7lbs. 15oz., so she's eating very well and doing great.

Last night she also got her first bath since being home, and she loved it! Here's some of the photos of bath time with Daddy!