I'm back on the blog wagon!

It was more than a busy life that took me away from the blog. It was Instagram. It's so quick. I don't have to sit down at the computer. The pictures are nice and square with fancy filters. But I miss the blog narrative, so I'm back. 

Part of me wants to play catch-up starting in November 2012, but I'm trying to me more practical these days and I know I won't get to it. So let's just start with a Mia update. 

Our little two-year old is verbal. Her favorite word right now is "actually." Here is a conversation we had after I found her playing with Miles' treasures:

Anna: Should we put Miles' money away?
Mia: Actually, it's my money.
Anna: I think it belongs to Miles.
Mia: No, it belongs to Mia.

She also loves music. She sings all the time and requires at least three songs before she will go to sleep. She has started narrating her activities with song. Here is an example (only grandmothers are required to watch the whole thing):

 

She loves to play dress up. It doesn't matter what's available. She will put it on. Don't be fooled by the underwear. She only uses it for play purposes and is not interested in it's real utility.

Mia throws a mean tea party. And she knows what everyone likes. She's always making me things to eat in her little kitchen.

Mia loves her brother more than anyone in the world. She does like comfort from me and Matt but when all else fails, she will go to Miles. She would follow him off a cliff if he asked her to. Good thing he's not that kind of guy. Miles loves his sister, too. On a recent drive to St. Louis, Miles wasn't feeling too well so he asked if Mia would hold his hand. And, she was happy to give comfort. Too bad they don't always get along so harmoniously. 

Counting ribs. You never know when one might go missing.

When Miles isn't around, Mia likes to hang out with me. The other day we were cooking together. She decided to taste the garlic powder. It was pretty shocking for her and she even dry heaved. Whenever she sees me cooking she pulls up a chair and says, "May I help you with rep-pees?"(recipes)

When she doesn't want to be near me, she's really good at getting away fast. I have to run to catch up with her. She is expert at running around the table and then dashing underneath when I get near. She laughs her head off when it takes me a while to catch her. Sometimes I laugh with her. Sometimes I don't.

And a few more Mia-isms:

"Holy gosh!"

"Mom, may I please flush your pee?"

"Tickle my armpits, please."

"My belly button hurts. Really bad."

While scratching her elbow: "It's bitchin', Mom, it's bitchin'!"

As we were walking into church: "Jesus said, 'No more monkey's jumpin' on the bed.'"

Ice cream and hot-fudge sauce

Mia is a talker these days. Here she is, using three of her favorite words: "bite," "thank you," and "please." She doesn't know exactly what they mean, but she knows they get her what she wants. 

Please don't judge us for feeding ice cream and hot fudge to a one-year-old. I don't think Miles tasted sugar until he was three. Times have changed, and she ate mostly broccoli for dinner. So we're just rounding things out, right?

And here is Miles, after his third bowl of ice cream. It was a good day so we let the little guy indulge. Bonus points if you can name the tune he hums. (Hint: you can hear it daily on the radio)


Here is the hot-fudge sauce recipe. It's from the Better Homes and Garden cookbook and I've never tasted better:


Hot Fudge Sauce

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
5 oz. (~2/3 cup) evaporated milk

In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate chips and butter. Add sugar; gradually stir in evaporated milk. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat. Boil gently over low heat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat. Cool slightly. Makes about 1.5 cups sauce. (I usually double the recipe and refrigerate. When you reheat in microwave, take out the portion you want and only heat that. If you don't it will turn grainy. You can also stir in some peanut butter, once the 8 minutes are up. Divine)

Mia's birth mom

 

Don't they look alike? The chin dimple doesn't show up in this picture of Mia, but it's there.

Ours is an open adoption. This means that we'll stay in touch. Because of this openness (and the great kindness of Mia's birth mom), we were able to attend Mia's birth, Miles was able to feel Mia kick in-utero, and we are able to see and know Mia's biological roots so that when questions arise, we will be able to answer them. Openness can also hasten the healing process for birth moms; we hope this is the case for "our" birth mom--we love her. 

Last month, I attended Mia's birth mother's wedding in toasty Arizona. I felt lucky to share such an important day with her and her family. I'm glad this lovely person found such a good husband. The bride was stunning and radiant. I hope Mia grows up to be as kind and beautiful as her birth mom.

Mesa, Arizona

During the festivities, I stayed with Birth Mom's grandmother--Mia's biological great grandmother. She was the perfect hostess. We had some great late-night chats. I also met all seven of Mia's biological aunts and uncles for the first time. What a great family! 

I hope Mia always knows that she is loved by many, many people, some she may never meet. We're grateful we're still in touch with Birth Mom and that I've been able to meet many members of Mia's amazing gene pool.