Threw Mommy a Bone

Mommy misses me so much at night that I decided to give her a break and woke up at 4:30am today and called for her. She was very excited to come feed me, hold me, and snuggle. I gave her 10 minutes, but then I just wanted to go back to bed for a few hours. Seriously, Mommy was happy and excited to get up with me. Times have changed now that she's 95% healed and well rested. She even wore jeans yesterday for the first time in months.

I rolled from my back to front (most of the way, one arm was a little stuck under my body) and then from front to back once yesterday. I enjoy tummy time now and I'm getting strong. I can stand up if you pull me up by my hands. There aren't any pictures of that yet. Mommy took so many pictures of tummy time this morning that she killed the camera battery. Here it is in chronological order.

Tummy time is fun!I like to look all around. Mommy's voice is very interesting.I'm so strong. That duck had better watch out!What are you doing, Mommy?Even my backside is cute. Check out my hairdo and my thigh rolls.

That duck is still just a little too far away.Got him!I put my head down when I try to roll over. It's hard to move my legs and keep my head up at the same time!Okay, I've had enough. I'm sleepy.

Note from Andrea: Mina took a 2 hour nap after this tummy time session!

Links

I've added some links over on the right to some cool sites. The most interesting site is probably the photo album. Click on pictures of me to see them full size. Mommy has lots of friends on Facebook and they get to see pictures of me all the time. If you click on the link, then you can see lots of pictures of me too.

Mommy is having problems at night. She doesn't want to put me to bed because she misses me too much. She doesn't like having her arms empty for so long. She misses sniffing my head, kissing me, and giving me hugs. She dreams about me and wakes up and tries to find me. If she's this bad now, then I'm in for it when I want to go to summer camp and to stay at grandpa and grandma's house. It suits me now since I want her to hold me all the time anyway. Mommy is totally and completely wrapped around my little finger now that I giggle and interact with her. It seems to get worse every day. She's going to make my skin get chapped from all the kissing. I guess I'll put up with it.

Surprise!

Today was Great Grandma R's surprise birthday party. She turns 94 on May 2nd! A bunch of the family got together and surprised her with a fun lunch. I enjoyed myself most of the time even though I was scared of all the smiling faces. I finally gave in and let grandma entertain and snuggle me.

4 generations picture

I also got to meet my friend Evan today. He's a tiny (well, maybe not so tiny) baby. He was born while I was in San Diego and is over 9 pounds. That's amazing if you've seen how little his mommy is. My mommy enjoyed snuggling him and didn't even mind when he dirtied his diapers. She was just glad that she didn't have to change him.

Daddy has been on call 5 of the last 8 days so I'm looking forward to his vacation day tomorrow. He's only on call 6 days total in the month of May!

Math Stinks!

Literally. Mommy thought it would be funny to put one of her old calculus books under me so that I could jump in my jumperoo. My legs are just a little too short at this point. Anyway, Mommy was eating lunch and I was playing when she heard a noise and caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. It was my poop flying out the side of my leg down onto the calculus book and carpet. Take that! It also went all up my back. I must have lost a pound. No diaper could contain that blowout. Mommy cleaned me up and is going to give me a bath. She found a new use for Clorox wipes. We now have a disinfected math book. She's still working on the carpet. Oops! Maybe she should switch to one of daddy's chemistry books since she doesn't like chemistry as much.

Scary People

Mommy took me to Wilton today to see some of her former colleagues and students. They were so scary that I screamed practically the whole time I was there. It made a great echo all through the halls of the school. The best description would be bloodcurdling. I stopped crying as soon as we got back in the car. All of those smiling faces scared me. Mommy didn't want to believe that I have stranger anxiety already, but I have a bad case of it. I like Mommy and Daddy and that's it. Don't be surprised if I scream at you the next time you see me. It's not you, it's just a stage I'm going through. Mommy can have me changed, fed, and rested and you will make me scream just by smiling at me. Mommy might need to buy a bunch of ear plugs for everyone at the party on Sunday because I've got a set of lungs. Maybe I'll surprise her in a good way though.

I guess this means that Mommy and Daddy need to share more videos because it's not likely that I'll share my laughs, smiles, and happy talking with anyone else around. I'm such an easy baby when no one is bugging me.

Ruffle Butt

Mommy discovered that I'm growing out of 3-6 month sized clothes. She put me in this adorable outfit for the first and last time yesterday. At least she has pictures! I've worn all of my 3-6 month sized stuff at least once now so I guess it's time to move on.

I love to flirt with my daddy. Daddy seems especially eager to get home and hold me these days. Anyone that's talked to my mommy on the phone lately knows that I have a lot to say!
No, Daddy isn't going to spank me. Mommy just wanted a picture of my ruffle butt.
Look at how good I am at holding my head up.
Here's a closeup of the bum, you bum looker.

Big Girl

I rolled over today!!! The last time I rolled over I had the help of an incline, but this time I rolled from my tummy to my back on the floor. Mommy has been giving me more tummy time since we got back from vacation since I've been putting up with it a little better. Go me! I've also started sleeping in my own room (still in my bouncer) and taking baths without my hammock.

Soon I'll be eating solids. Look what Mommy bought yesterday. She's going to wait until Daddy is home sometime to photograph the first feeding process. I'm not sure if I'll get to start solids at 4 months, 6 months, or somewhere in between. Daddy spoiled me so much last week that Mommy has had a hard time getting on here to type up my blog for me. I get angry when I'm not being held these days. If I'm not being held, then I require 100% attention. I used to take naps in my swing, but now I prefer to take ALL naps on Mommy. I used to be okay with being put in my stroller, but now I want to be worn everywhere. It's a good thing that Mommy and Daddy like to snuggle me!

I have tummy issues now that I don't poo as frequently. This past weekend I cried when my grandparents visited, but it was because my tummy hurt. I was happy after I went potty (a little excessively in Mommy's opinion and a lot excessively in Daddy's opinion since it got all over his leg). At least I've been sleeping 10+ hours straight every night. I did show off some smiles and giggles.

Home Sweet Home

We got in around 7pm last night. We had lots of fun, but I was ready to come home! We spent time at Sea World, a few beaches, and Old Town San Diego. Mommy and Daddy did lots of exploring with me. Daddy spoiled me rotten and held me most of the time. It's kind of late so Mommy will give you the picture version of our trip and tell you more about it tomorrow or the next day.

Mommy bought me some cool shades that velcro to stay on. I tried them on while she packed on Sunday night. They'll fit better in a couple of months.It doesn't count as leaving baggage unattended if your 3.5 month old watches the luggage, right?I was super excited to get out of Iowa. I got the hiccups after Mommy made me giggle. I giggle a lot these days.
My first plane ride was uneventful. Mommy is so glad that I nurse because it made things pretty easy. Everyone commented on how well behaved (and cute) I was.
Traffic has come to a stand still due to a baby blocking the freeway (actually the Hertz lot).
The dolphin show at Sea World was extremely exciting. Mommy's nursing cover made a convenient hat since she left mine in the hotel room.
Shamu made me terribly hungry. It's not everyday that Mommy gets to nurse me and see killer whales jump at the same time.
Here are the two cutest penguins in the world. The one on the left looks like me and the one on the right looks like my daddy.

I got taken all over the place in my stroller. Here I am in front of the Pacific Ocean. Daddy and Mommy enjoyed taking me out on a pier on Coronado Island. They stood there and watched people surf while I napped. This was my view from the stroller.
Mommy dipped my feet into the ocean. We have it on video (we'll post it sometime). The water was cold and I got mad for a brief time afterwards.

San Diego Here We Come????

Our flights are through American Airlines so we're a little nervous that our vacation won't happen. This is Mommy and Daddy's second attempt to use these plane tickets. Their babymoon to watch The Smashing Pumpkins in Dallas was cancelled when the concert was postponed. They found out they had to transfer their tickets by July 2008 and this was the best time for Daddy to take a vacation. It sounds like all the planes should be inspected by the end of the week, but our flight might be really full. Maybe I'll scream....that will entertain people. Does anyone know if you can take Dramamine while breastfeeding? Mommy doesn't travel well.

Mommy made an itinerary for our trip yesterday. We plan to visit the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Old Town San Diego, Gas Lamp Quarter, and a beach for some toe dipping. It's supposed to be 60-70 degrees all next week so we aren't planning to do any swimming. We're going to have fun. If Jon & Kate can take all 8 kids to Disney World, then I think Daddy and Mommy can manage a vacation with little old me. Mommy just needs to take some deep breaths and calm down and Daddy needs to not be grumpy. They get along great 95% of the time and the other 5% of the time, they're packing and traveling somewhere.

It's a rainy, gloomy day today. I hope the weather is nice for the wedding this weekend. Daddy and Mommy were married on a beautiful day and they wish that on everyone. Their friends James and Dawn make such a cute couple. Daddy will get to wear a tuxedo on Saturday since he's in the wedding party. I bet he'll look even more handsome than usual. I'm proud of my daddy. I'm so glad that I'll get to see him all day everyday starting tomorrow at lunch time. I probably won't blog much for the next week and a half because I need lots of Daddy Time.

Miracle Nights

We had a fun Miracle Day. Thanks for all of your comments! Here are a few pictures from Saturday. It was still cold in the morning when we played outside so Mommy put me in this really sweet sweater and hat. She couldn't stop laughing because I looked so cute, but I was so serious. She couldn't see my face because she was wearing me, but I was bobbing my head. I discovered my hands a while back. However, I had been sucking on my whole hand until a couple of days ago. Mommy got a picture of me sucking on my fingers like she used to do. I love to be carried around. Daddy carries me around until my legs turn purple and Mommy freaks out. This is a picture from this morning. I was obviously in a good mood. I love my jumparoo.

Mommy is excited because my hair isn't silky anymore. It's more fuzzy and it MIGHT be starting to curl a little bit. She would love for me to have Daddy's hair. I'm not sure what I think about that. Also, I have a new trick. I can blow raspberries and imitate some sounds. During tummy time, I still don't roll, but I can come pretty close to doing a head stand. Isn't that more interesting anyway?

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Mommy is getting geared up for excitement this weekend and next week. She's decided to bring my sleeping chair all the way to California in a huge suitcase. I guess she's scared about how I'll sleep on vacation otherwise. I slept for 11 hours straight two nights in a row, but then gave Mommy a workout last night. She doesn't want to do that all next week.

Miracle Day Celebration

I was made a year ago today. The following entry may be confusing for younger readers so don’t have them read it unless you want to discuss how babies are made. Don’t worry – it isn’t graphic! Mommy has decided to allow me to share my story in the hopes of inspiring and educating others. Afterall, I’m a miracle! I’ll do my best to convey the story she told me.

It all started in 1996 when Mommy and Daddy fell in love. They were still in high school when they started dating and dated for about five years before they were engaged. They tied the knot on June 15, 2002 and Daddy started dental school while Mommy started teaching high school math. This went on for a few years and then Daddy and Mommy started to want a baby. Mommy even read a book a year before they started trying on how to best prepare her body for pregnancy. She started eating better, exercised, took vitamins, talked with Daddy about future plans, and felt prepared and excited to have a baby in 2005.

Mommy figured she would get pregnant right away since women in her family tend to be that way. She fully expected to be having a baby in the spring or summer of 2006 and tried to arrange it to best fit into her teaching schedule. They started trying to make me, but Mommy’s body didn’t cooperate. She says that Aunt Flo (whom I’ve never met, but Mommy assures me I’ll get to meet someday) would only come to visit every 90 days or so and that really made things challenging. Mommy was getting frustrated very quickly as others around her started to expect babies.

In January of 2006, Mommy went to see a specialist. He gave her some medicine called Clomid to help things along. She was convinced that she was going to expect a baby soon after that. Clomid did some crazy things to Mommy. She had hot flashes and was very emotional. Sometimes she was even mean and had to apologize for things she said. For four months Mommy and Daddy rode the emotional rollercoaster before they went in for more testing. The miracle medicine just wasn’t working for them.

Mommy and Daddy got terrible news in June of 2006. They found out their chances of making a baby on their own were extremely low. Not only that, but the problems weren’t easy to fix. Mommy cried and cried and cried. Then she picked herself up and decided to try something else. She was nowhere near the point of giving up on me. Mommy and Daddy proceeded with a Follistim and IUI cycle. For those of you that watch Jon & Kate Plus 8, that’s what they did that ended up with sextuplets. Anyway, Mommy’s body over responded to the medicine and the doctors were afraid she would get six babies just like Kate. She also got very sick and had to go to the hospital to get checked out. Despite all of that, Mommy and Daddy still weren’t expecting even one baby. That was a big letdown!

It was time to get serious. Daddy started his Oral Surgery residency so all medical treatments were now free so they figured, why not? Mommy’s body didn’t handle the IUI cycle well so they didn’t want to repeat it. It was time for the big guns. In August of 2006, they went to the specialist to see about starting an IVF with ICSI cycle. It was very overwhelming, but they were ready for their dreams to come true and willing to try almost anything. Their first IVF cycle ended in disaster in December of 2006. That’s a whole other story that Mommy will tell me when I’m much, much older. You can see the sadness in Mommy's eyes on December 31, 2006. If only she knew she'd be nursing me as she rang in the next new year.

Mommy lost a piece of her heart, but was ready to start another IVF cycle in February of 2007. Mommy started getting shots in March and Daddy took very good care of her. He did all of the shots and gave her stickers for every single one. Even mommies need encouragement sometimes. Mommy had lots of bruises and her tummy didn’t feel good, but she knew that a baby would be worth it all. Her body responded very well to all of the baby-making medicine and the doctors told her to come in to see them on April 5th.

Aunt Emily came to stay and help Mommy. She drove Mommy to the hospital early in the morning. They listened to Weird Al on the way because Mommy listened to it on the way to every appointment to break the tension. Aunt Emily dropped her off and wished her luck and Daddy met Mommy upstairs. He had already been working that morning and was only able to take off a few hours. Mommy put on a gown and kissed Daddy goodbye before she was wheeled into surgery. That’s where the magic happened. Dr. Chris removed a couple dozen eggs from Mommy while she slept. He did a great job. Daddy went to the Daddy “Fun Room” and he did his part to make babies too. Mommy woke up and was happy to hear that everything went well. Daddy drove her home and got her settled in with Aunt Emily as nurse. They watched movies and hung out until Daddy got home from work to take over.

Mommy wondered how I was doing the next day and she found out that 15 of her eggs were fertilized and they froze 8 embryos right away. Embryos are potential babies with a bunch of luck and love. She was soooo happy that I was growing nice and healthy and couldn’t wait for me to be back in her belly. On April 10th, they transferred two embryos back into Mommy. One of them was me and one of them was my guardian angel. In fact, I have an angel’s kiss above my right eye and Mommy likes to think it was from him. This is Mommy's first pregnancy picture that was taken a few minutes after they put me in her.This is a picture of me with my guardian angel. I don't know for sure which one was me, but I think I'm on the right. Mommy nicknamed us Thunder and Lightning. Lightning came on fast and looked very pretty, but Thunder came from behind and was very strong. Maybe that's why she calls me Strong Woman so much.I stayed safe and sound in Mommy until December 29, 2007. I gave Mommy a couple of scares, but overall she had a very easy pregnancy. She loved being pregnant, but she was so glad to meet me after a long labor.
This picture was taken a few hours before Mommy went into labor. She was 40 weeks pregnant.So that’s my story. Now I understand why Mommy cries sometimes when I smile and laugh. I understand why she holds me so tight. She’s so full of love for me and so grateful for the gift of my life. Someday, I hope to have a brother or sister. Afterall, my siblings could already be made. They’re chilling out just a couple of floors away from where Daddy works every day. Wouldn’t that be cool if my brother or sister had the same miracle day as me? We’d kind of be like twins.
Note from Andrea: Please leave comments to wish Mina a happy Miracle Day. Thanks for all of your support through our journey! We plan to celebrate Miracle Day every year. I hope all of you that are trying have a Miracle Day very, very soon.