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.

I Love April!

Daddy is finally done with neurosurgery! That means I get to see him a little more and when I do see him, he isn't completely exhausted. Mommy is happier too. Mommy hasn't been updating the blog as much since she's been busy having fun with Daddy. He took a day of vacation yesterday and we had a big adventure. Euclid had a checkup in West Liberty so we drove over there. I was very interested in the smells of the vet clinic. Euclid was a very good boy and got lots of treats. After that, Mommy and Daddy went to eat at their favorite restaurant. I fell asleep while they dined on burritos, tacos, and enchiladas all covered with fresh cilantro and avocado. Mommy says she'll have me try avocado in a couple of months. Yay! After we ate, we played with Euclid in the field by Daddy and Mommy's old house. He loved it. I cried on the way home because I was hot, hungry, and still tired. Mommy took me out of my carseat and fed me while Daddy went in and got a movie at Blockbusters. I was back to my normal self after that. Mommy and Daddy need to remove my BundleMe because I was soaking wet with sweat from it. They understood why it made me cry.

My other big news is that I'm ticklish. I laugh when I get tickled in my armpits. I take after Daddy since Mommy isn't ticklish. Everyone loves to hear me laugh so they'll have to video it sometime. I'm also getting better at holding things. I like to hold the string from my Mylar balloon on the changing table and pull it towards my mouth. I also like to grab onto Mommy's hair.

Grandpa and Grandma D were going to bring Great Grandma D to visit today, but Grandma D is sick so they couldn't come. She has an ear infection, a head cold, and an upset tummy. Poor grandma! She didn't want to get me sick and isn't feeling up to traveling right now. I'll get to see them in a week though. They're going to take care of Euclid while we all go to a wedding and then to San Diego. I hope she feels up to the challenge by then. If snuggling is a challenge, that is.

There will be a special edition of the blog on Saturday. Mommy might make it a two-part series since it's kind of long. I bet some of you can figure out what it's going to be about. Later!