11 months old!

We are in shock. Our little Mya is going to be 1 next month. Where did the time go?! Mya is getting into everything these days. Now that she can crawl and walk along the furniture, she is becoming a little more daring -- she'll stand by herself for a few moments without falling, she looooooves to walk with you when you hold her hands, and she has already mastered going up the stairs (which scares the crap out of us!). Philip also just celebrated his first father's day with our little Mya, and had a great day. He got a new grill with all the accessories to go with it for his big day. They had a wonderful day and we're looking forward to celebrating many more together!

She is also starting to talk... A LOT. Besides the normal baby babbles, she says "up" when she's ready to be picked up and puts her arms out; "duhg" is, of course, the dog; "no" is perhaps her favorite word so far. Plus she finds it hilarious to say no, which makes us crack up. She also says mama and dada, and we think she is trying to say Nan as well (my mom is currently visiting and that's what we call her).

Mya has also started with a spoon of her own when eating; although she's not exactly sure how to use it completely. She mostly just sticks it in the bowl of food, and then mashes it on her face. At least she's going in the right direction with the spoon... sooner or later she'll figure out it goes in her mouth!

Plans are in full swing for the big first birthday bash. We can't wait to celebrate her big day with her. We're keeping it relatively low key, just bbq, the pool and games for the kids.

We can't believe how much she is changing, and how big she is getting! More updates to come soon.

Love,

Philip, Lauren & Mya (and Chloe too) xoxoxoxoxoxo

Hello Again!

After a few busy weeks, we've finally had a chance to update you all on the latest happenings with Mya! She is now crawling - and getting into everything! She has gotten pretty quick these days, and most of the time she is crawling after Chloe. She also likes to crawl over to something she can pull herself up, so she can stand up. Once she gets up, she likes to try and walk too -- so its only a matter of time before she's REALLY taking off!

A lot has happened over the past few weeks -- Mya went to her first Yankee game with Bryan and Tara and Mommy and Daddy. We had GREAT seats - right on the 1st base side next to the Yankees dugout. We also spent a great 1st mother's day together as a family, and spent some time with friends over the past couple of weekends.

This past weekend our friend Haley came to visit and see Mya for the 1st time, and we had a great weekend! Mya made a new friend for life, and we can't wait to see Haley and the rest of the Ryan family soon -- hopefully sometime in August.

We also spent some time over at Chris & Krista's house this past weekend (Mya's Godfather) with their two little ones Giana and Anthony, as well as our friends Alex & Cristina & little Alex who is already 2 months old now. All of the kids are growing up soooo quickly!

Hope you enjoy some of the most recent photos! See you all again soon!

Love,
Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

9 Months Old!

Our little Mya is growing up so quickly! She is already 9 months old, and she just went for her 9-month checkup last Thursday. She is 29 1/2 inches long (90th percentile for her age), and 18 pounds 12 ounces (65th percentile for her age). She is growing very quickly, and is really starting to move around a lot these days.

Now, we have to really listen for her in the mornings when she wakes up. She has started just waking up and sitting in her crib to talk to her bear and blanket. All you hear sometimes is "ba ba ba" and then a giggle. Its very cute, but I'm starting to think she is plotting with her bear and blankie on just how exactly she is going to get out of that crib.

She is still not "crawling" in the traditional sense, but shuffling herself around. She gets to where she wants to go, but she hasn't quite mastered the art of crawling just yet. She is however still pulling herself up to stand on a regular basis. One of these days, she will just figure out how to put one foot in front of the other, and then we're really in for some trouble!

Other than that, not much else to report. Mya is doing great with her finger foods and still loves her "Yo Gabba Gabba" and Elmo. She gets so excited for both of them! And now, unfortunately, Phil and I find ourselves constantly singing those Yo Gabba Gabba songs. "Don't Bite your Friends," "I like Bugs," and "Don't Give Up" happen to be some of our favorites so far. All of you parents know exactly what I'm talking about.

Anyways - more to come as it happens. Love to everyone. Enjoy the latest video of Mya and Chloe together... perhaps the only reason Chloe now likes her is because she constantly smells of food. Hmmmm...

Love,
Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Mya's First Vacation!

We just got back from Arizona, and we had a wonderful time! We left on April 9th, and returned on the 18th. Mya did GREAT on the plane ride, and her ears didn't seem to bother her at all. The only problem we seemed to face was that she is too nosey to sleep -- all she wanted to do was play with all the other passengers around us, and see what they were doing. She was a champ though for the 5+ hour flight!

She had quite the week at Nan and Papa Tom's! She went to her first baseball game (Diamondbacks vs. Cardinals), she went swimming for the first time in the pool, she started waving hello to everyone (and everything), she started eating finger foods and she got to do LOTS of shopping. Not to mention a great trip to the Arizona Botanical Gardens, her first sleepover with Nan and Papa Tom (Mommy and Daddy went away for the evening to the Arizona Biltmore), and an overall great visit out west.

Mya also loves to dance now... whenever Yo Gaba Gaba or Sesame Street is on, she starts this little butt shake dance when she's sitting that coincides with the music. Its QUITE cute! She also has started waving to everyone and everything she sees now, and whether you are coming or going, she will wave to you. She also is doing really well with her finger foods now... she's eating the little cheerios and gerber melt-aways, plus a little bit of cut up banana here and there.


Mya also had her first play date with Charlotte and Madilyn, Charisse's 2 girls, on Easter. Mya and Charlotte are only about 2 weeks apart in age, so it was very cute to see them interact together. Mya also got to meet Aunt Sherri for the first time, and was able to get out and about in Arizona quite a bit on our trip.


We are anxious to get back to Arizona soon, and Nan and Papa Tom already miss her tons. They will be back here in June for Father's Day (Phil was able to get Masters Tickets - so he will be going with my Dad, and two brother-in-laws on Father's Day weekend).

We are also starting to plan out Mya's first birthday in July... which will be here before we know it! Its hard to believe she is 9 months old already, but amazing to see how she's growing so much. More to come soon!


Love,

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo