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

Hello Again!

We are TRYING to be better about updating the blog these days... Mya is getting so big, so fast and we really want to keep all of you aprised of her latest discoveries! She had her first portraits done a few weeks ago, and it took all of 15 minutes since she was smiling the entire time! She is always so happy and in such a good mood!

She is becoming pretty mobile these days - she's not exactly crawling just yet, more like scooting. Instead, she would rather try and stand up than crawl. This of course leads Phil and I to believe we have the smartest baby ever because it looks as though she may skip the whole crawling thing all together. Ha ha ha!

Her two bottom teeth are fully in, and the top ones should be next to break through, but we haven't seen them just yet. I'm sure they are coming shortly, and we'll have some sleepless nights ahead of us. Mya just got over a double ear infection, which she handled pretty well. It was terrible seeing her sick, but once the antibiotics were started she got better pretty quickly.

We're getting ready to head out to Arizona on April 9th for Mya's first trip! We are very excited and can't wait to spend Easter out there with Nan and Papa Tom (Lauren's parents). We'll be gone for 10 days, and cannot wait to get to the warm weather. Mya will also get to see her first baseball game -- we're going to see the Diamondbacks play while we're there. While its not the Mets, Daddy said its ok for her to root for the Dbacks now : )

Its hard to believe little Miss Mya is already 8 months old! She has started to figure out the waving thing too. She will watch you as you wave to her, and think about it for a little while and then decide if she wants to wave back. Its very cute... She is eating like a champ and loves her yogurt. I think she would eat that all day everyday if we let her. She especially likes trying to grab the little yogurt container from you as you are feeding her, and sticking her hand in it to rub all over her face or the high chair - or both! Mya also loves to look at the pictures we have up on the walls at home. Especially Phil and I's wedding pictures : )

She keeps watching Chloe's tail when it wags -- and one of these days we know she's going to catch it. She's just not that quick right now. Chloe has been great with her, and we really think Chloe is starting to like her (before, she used to just try and pretend like Mya wasn't there)... it may have something to do with the fact that Mya is at her level now and usually has the scent of food on her : ) Mya loves to watch Chloe run in the backyard, and can't wait to one day get up and chase her. Poor Chloe doesn't know what she's in for!

We will update again soon... lots of love.

Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Its been a little while since we updated Mya's blog... sorry! Mya is ALMOST mobile. She sits up by herself and scoots herself around, but hasn't quite mastered crawling just yet. She is very close, and we give her just a few more weeks before she is into everything in the house!

Mya is also eating well and doing great otherwise. She just had her first battle with an ear infection -- actually BOTH ears were infected, but you honestly would have never known! The only reason I took her to the doctor was because she was coughing, the next thing we know, he's telling us both of her ears are infected. She had no fever, wasn't pulling on her ears or being overly fussy. She was still eating like normal too, so I was baffled when we found out what was wrong! Now, she is doing much better. As you can see from the video, she seems to be pretty happy! : )

She is celebrating her first St. Patrick's Day today, and I must say she looks good in Green and White! She also has TWO teeth now, and is chewing on everything. She can't wait to eat real food... every time Phil and I eat in front of her she gives us dirty looks, and then tries to mimic our chewing. Its quite cute, but we also feel kinda bad for her too!

We'll be posting some more photos of her shortly.

Love to all!

Mya, Lauren, Philip & Chloe (woof!) xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

6 months old!

Mya just had her half year birthday! Her Christening was on January 18th as well, and she did great during the ceremony. No cries or fussiness - she was so interested in what everyone in the church was doing. For her christening she wore Philip's christening gown, which was originally from Ireland. We were so happy she fit into it!

Nan and Papa Tom were also here to visit, and Nan was able to stay a few extra days to help take care of her while we went to work that week.

Mya now weighs about 16lbs 9 ounces, and goes to the doctor again next friday for her latest checkup. She is eating foods 3 times a day now... her favorites being sweet potatoes and bananas. She can't get enough! She is also sitting upright all by herself, and is starting the beginning stages of crawling... she can get herself all the way up on her arms and knees in the crawling position, but then she doesn't know what to do next. She's getting there! She also will pull herself up to stand when she is in your lap - although she's pretty wobbly with that trick right now.

She is VERY interested in Chloe... everytime she sees her she laughs and smiles at her, its very cute. Mya keeps trying to grab her nose and stick her fingers up there, which Chloe is pretty annoyed by, but she just licks her across the face anyways. Mya is definitely starting to grow on her.

More to come soon. Here are some of the pictures of the christening, etc.

Love,
Lauren, Philip, Mya and Chloe xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

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