Mia update

I haven't blogged solely about Mia since her first birthday and she's grown so much since then!! She'll be 17 months on the 21st and I can't believe this little lady will be going to nursery in December. What happened to my baby??!!! She's doing such big things these days. She started walking a little after her first birthday and by 14 months she had things figured out. I've loved watching her master walking (with all the stumbles and near falls that go with it!) and get such a kick out of watching her run. She gets so excited about so many things. And there are others that she could do without. I think Mr. Zomba grew on her last month. She was not amused with him at first, but after watching how we all interacted with him it didn't take her long to adjust. My favorite though was watching her get used to the witch we hang on the door leading to the basement. She's got a fun history! Lydia was so terrified that we put her back in the bin and eventually into the basement her second Halloween because even if she was out of sight Lyds knew she was there and wasn't okay with it. Soph was scared of her too (she cried at the sight of the witch last year and we had to put her away early then too), and apparently hadn't completely recovered from previous years. This year she'd do whatever it took to avoid getting anywhere near the witch. If she needed to get to the piano from the kitchen she'd run around to the front door and get to it that way. And Mia. So cute. Not a fan at all at first (she was a little standoffish), but over time she took her cues from her sisters. Eventually she got to be on pretty good terms with the witch. If she had to walk past her she'd look at her for a good long minute and then proceed on her way, patting the witch's dress as she walked by her. I so wish she could have told me what she was thinking when she did that, but it looked to me like she was pacifying the witch. Promising her that she wasn't going to give her any trouble, so no need to get upset. And then she'd rush on her way.

She loves loves loves this little smock. If we're headed outdoors she makes sure to let me know that she needs to be wearing it. That or her cupcake hoodie. And she's fallen in love with shoes. Shoes, earrings and hair accessories. I'm convinced that she's okay getting her hair done because she's watched her sisters get theirs done many, many times and knows what it's all about. She puts bows and flowers up to her hair, and if we start talking about hair at dinner we can count on her to touch hers. Not my favorite (especially if we're eating something particularly messy), but I love that she's chiming in. She also enjoys her food more lately if she can eat it off a plate or out of a bowl. I loved watching her eat ham and potato soup the other day. She did an awesome job with that spoon!

I mentioned her love of shoes. She'll try on everyone else's shoes, and take them to whomever they belong to, but if we ask her to put them back where they go, she does so immediately. She's very obedient and understands so much. I love that she'll take her diapers to the trash can, put away blocks for me and carry cans of food up from the basement too. She likes to brush her teeth and she's obsessed with the pantry. I've found this Tupperware of rice in many different places in the house on several occasions. Cracks me up. I've almost knocked it over a few times running into it in odd places. She loves pushing down the toaster button and carry odd appliances in and out of the pantry. So many treasures in there! And she knows some of her colors! About a months ago she was passing out pieces of cake from her tea set. She brought me a yellow piece and Soph asked if she could have the blue one as long as Mia was passing them out. She walked back to the table and got the blue one for Sophie. Like I said, she understands things so well! She'll respond back as well as she can with an enthusiastic Uh-huh or an emphatic NOOOOO!!! And it's always a no (it might actually be her favorite word) when I suggest she take a nap. She's pretty much not a fan of naps (or sleep in general- she's a night owl!), but isn't quite ready to give them up either.

She also loves to be outdoors. She loves the tramp and being on there with other kids. She's definitely a people person, and if there are other kids around she wants to be with them! When the weather was warmer she loved hanging out at our water table and splashing in it like crazy. She's a great splasher! During her baths I get pretty drenched. And she could swing in the swing for hours if time allowed for it. She's loved the freedom and independence that's come from learning to walk. She'd prefer to walk if given the chance. Occasionally I can be seen walking around the neighborhood with Sophie on my hip and holding Mia's hand. I love that she wants to walk everywhere. Taking Lyds to and from school, walking back to our car at Lagoon, or home from church are just a few of the times she'll take off on her own. Sometimes she prefers the grass to the sidewalk, but she doesn't yet understand the danger of the street. We'll get there!

She's also discovered treats. Sometimes I think she'd ask me why I feed her anything but candy if only she knew how. She loved standing in front of people's houses with her sisters with her candy bucket in front of her on Halloween. Clearly people were more than happy to share their treats with her and I'm guessing that's what she was thinking when she shoplifted a Butterfinger's Crunch at Bowman's the day after Halloween. She was riding in one of those kid shopping carts where they can "drive" around in front of our cart, and must have swiped the candy bar while we were waiting at the check out. I didn't have any idea until we were loading up our car. Fortunately it was still in tact and we got it back inside the store without incident.

And finally, this girl is tough as nails. She pulled a chair from our kitchen table on top of herself the other day. Didn't make a peep. Just waited there until I pulled it off of her. She gets tackled by Sophie all the time and Lydia too. Lots of love wrestling. Sometimes I think those girls think of her more as a doll and not so much as a tiny human person. And for all the bumps and thumps that have happened you'd think there would be lots of tears too. Not at all. She's enthusiastic and fun, knows what she wants and we love her! She hasn't really cared for TV much at all to this point, but in the last couple of weeks she's discovered Goldie and Bear on Netflix. And fallen in love. Like giddy excited in love if one of us mentions it. And books. She isn't ready to listen to Grandpa Blackhurst with her sisters yet, but she'll bring me books throughout the day and we'll read together for a few minutes.

Sophie loves Mia's laughter. She often thanks Heavenly Father for it. She loves giving her stuff and hugging her, and has tried to teach her to be reverent during mealtime prayers. She also loves choosing which outfits Mia wears.

Lydia likes it when Mia plays with her. She loves it when she giggles and when she pulls her hair, and she likes it when Mia holds her hand when they're walking.

We all love Mia's funny faces. She pulls lots of fun faces at the dinner table. She adds so much to our family and we just adore her!!