Mia ate whole wheat bagel and oranges for breakfast.  For lunch she ate ham & cheese, whole wheat bread, green beans, and canned cherries.

Mia was packing the same book around this morning as she was yesterday afternoon.  She'll do that for two or three days and then on to something different.  Anyhow, she took it to Lauralea on the couch several times.  She handed it to Lauralea and Lauralea put the book back in Mia's hand.  Mia took Lauralea's hand and put it on the book.  "Hey, I want you to read this to me!"  :)

She was laying on the mattress looking at me upside down and was laughing.  I told Lauralea that obviously I'm funny looking upside-down too!  :)

Alayna (she was in our program and moved to Butte) and her mom and dad came to visit this morning. She was jumping on the mattress and everyone was excited.  Mia was just standing there with a puzzled look and "studying" Alayna intently.  :)

She also played with the food toys and especially the cup and spoon; and also a bowl and spoon.  We really don't need all these toys for Mia; just find two or three things that she likes and it's all good.  :)

There are also books in one of the back rooms and Mia likes the little board books.  They are considerably smaller and she really likes those.  When we transitioned from that room to the other back room she went back in and came out with one of those little books.  "Hey! I don't want to leave this behind!"

Mia ate cheerios and peaches for breakfast.  For lunch she ate baked beans, dinner roll, several bites of potato salad, and bites of broccoli-cauliflower mix.

Mia was happy to be back this morning and it was cute when she got here.  She walks over in front of Morgan and Joslyn and just stands there looking at them as if to say; "Hey, I'm here!"  :)

Peyton was 'snuffling' her nose (after crying about daddy coming and giving her some medicine) and I guess it triggered Mia's 'nose blowing' because she blows hard and looks at Peyton as if to show her how it's suppose to be done.  :)

After Mia's morning nap she saw Morgan sitting and reading a book and Emily sitting in the chair reading a book.  She looks at them and goes and gets her own book and sits against the wall and starts reading.  Very cute.

Several of the kids were making "presents" for each other.  (legos buildings, etc.)  Joslyn gave one to Peyton and said, "Here's your present Peyton."  So Peyton turns around and offers it to Mia; "Here's your present!"  Mia looks at her, takes the legos, and strolls off.  :)  "Cool, I'll take that!"

She also played with the xylophone, the pop-up toys, and pushing the chair around on the hardwood floor again.  It's also cute how well she does with our transitions.  She knows exactly what we're going to do next and when we announce it (switch rooms, meal times, etc.) she immediately heads in the right direction.

Mia ate oatmeal and dried cranberries for breakfast.  For lunch she ate ground burger, whole wheat noodles (elbows) with cheese and peas, and ate applesauce.

Here's a picture of what Mia likes to do in one of the back rooms.  The chair slides easily on the hardwood floor and she loves scooting it around.  You can see in the picture that I neglected to fasten her onesie after changing her poopy diaper.  :)  Hey, every spare second helps sometimes.  Besides that, she looks cute in tails.

Right after Mia arrived this morning she was sitting on the couch watching the fish.  It looked like she was mesmerized; staring at the fish with her head tilted to one side.  Pretty funny.  It actually is pretty relaxing to watch fish in a tank; even the fake ones.  :)

She likes these small board books in the back room and packs them around and occasionally reads them too.  I think it's funny at her age how lots of them will look at the books upside-down about as often as 'right side up.'  They really don't care.

When Mia was sitting on the couch she pitched the pillow on the floor.  (another favorite trick)  Riley saw that and was going, "noooooo.." and trying to put it back on the couch.  Riley was very concerned that it wasn't where it was supposed to be!  Mia was like; "Ok, hand it back and I'll pitch it again!"  :)

Mia ate blueberry waffle and blueberries for breakfast.  For lunch she ate turkey burger, green beans, and kiwi.

I said hi to Mia, but called her Peyton instead.  Joslyn immediately let me know that was not right!  "That's not Peyton!!  That's Mia!!"  Thank you Joslyn, I need all the help I can get.  :)

Several times Mia came over and gave me the sweetest love and then just went on about her work.  (Which we call play.)  One of the times I was busy writing something and I felt this little person loving on me and it was Mia.  Very sweet.  :)

We were playing in the back room and Mia had managed to get one of her crib blankets and it was laying on the floor and she snuggled right down and laid her head on it.  (She'd just gotten up from her morning nap.)

She and Nora were sitting on the floor watching Thomas and Joslyn push the swivel-rocker chair around and around as fast as their legs could go.  And Peyton was enjoying the ride.  Mia was probably thinking how fun that looked.  :)

Everyday this week she's been initiating the crawling around the rocking chair in the other back room.  She loves it when she thinks they are chasing her.  Nora thought it looked like fun too; until she got in the middle of it and instantly wanted rescued.  "That's too rowdy for me!"

First thing this morning Lauralea was looking at a video of Coral's school Christmas concert and Mia was super interested in seeing whatever Lauralea was looking at.  "Hey!  Let me see!!"

Mia ate jelly toast and dried mangoes for breakfast.  For lunch she had beef & bean burrito, sweet potatoes, and tropical fruit.

Mia is the most inquisitive little girl.  I love it.  She was trying hard to peer into my coffee cup so after it was gone I was showing her and of course she immediately opened her mouth so I asked Lauralea to take a picture. Another example of her curiosity is when we walk to the back room for her naps or going back there to play.  She has to stop and check out everything; so many 'side roads' to explore!

And this is a picture of her in her favorite chair in one of the back rooms.  She just likes to crawl up in this one and sit.  Joslyn got behind the chair and Mia was getting excited trying to find her.  She was turning from one side to the other.  I also thought this was a cute picture of her ponytail.  After I took this picture Mia got on the floor and started crawling around this chair, squealing, and looking back to see if Joslyn would follow her.  And she was.

Mia had one of the doll bottles and was trying to 'feed' baby Noah.  :)  Then Nora had one and was trying to feed Mia.  However, Mia didn't slow down for her and it's too hard to hit a moving target.  So Nora gave up on that.

She was reading books again.  She was really looking at the pages and moving her head back-n-forth just like she was reading.  And doing it aloud; quite LOUD I might add.  :)

Mia ate cinnamon roll and dried plums for breakfast.  For lunch she ate scrambled eggs, waffle, hash browns, and cantaloupe.

Here's a picture of Mia's new favorite way to play with the xylophone.  It's hard to see in the picture, but on the back side there is a part of it that is 'ribbed.'  She must like the sound it makes when she runs the handle over it because she's been doing it over and over.  She started yesterday afternoon and when we went to the back room she immediately started it again.  :)

She got on her hands and knees and started crawling around the rocking chair.  Then Thomas, Peyton, and Emily followed her lead.  Now there are four of them on the floor crawling around and around the chair and going pretty fast.  And they were all laughing.

Baby Noah was getting some floor time this morning.  I turned my head for a few seconds and when I looked back Mia had him by the ankles and was starting to drag him across the floor.  I guess she figured that was a good way to move him around.  :)

Mia favorite food toys from this set are a spoon and cup and today it was the same ones she had from yesterday.  So many of them do that; they find something they like and they'll stick with it for awhile.

Mia ate kix cereal and mixed fruit for breakfast.  For lunch she ate ham & cheese sandwich, peas, and mandarin oranges.

We did a toy and book exchange and everyone stayed busy exploring stuff all morning.  I think Mia noticed some different toys, but it's hard to tell at her age.  :)

Here is a picture of her playing with the little xylophone in the back room.  I think I heard her say.... "Yes!  Something I can thump on without Gary redirecting me!!"  She especially liked thumping on it when Nora stuck her hand in there to grab it!  :)

I told Lauralea that Mia's first sentence would probably be "Move Back!"  She hears that from the other kids a lot!  :)  That's the phrase we teach them to say when someone is in your space or trying to take your toys.  (Instead of just screaming; tell them what you want.)  This morning Emily actually said, "You're in my space!"  (A little more sophisticated)

This story only involves Mia indirectly, but I thought it was funny.  (I think I told Mia's mommy on Friday, but I'll tell it for everyone.)  Friday afternoon I was changing Mia's poopy diaper and Joslyn looked at Emily and asked her, "Did you fart?"  She'd already asked Thomas and he denied it.  (We males learn to deny that question at an early age!)

Mia ate brown rice and raisins for breakfast.  For lunch she ate meatloaf, french bread, a couple bites of carrots, and ate dried apricots.

Mia continued to snuggle with Lauralea (for probably 10 - 15 minutes) just like she was doing when Mommy left her this morning.  That was our first clue that she probably wasn't feeling too great.  (nothing personal Lauralea!)  We just know how our busy little girl operates.

After her morning nap she still acted like she was still pretty tired and everything was bugging her.  She'd step on a toy and that would make her cry, she'd stumble and that would make her cry, Thomas told her to "move back" and that made her cry.  She was obviously feeling very sensitive.  And she didn't want to play with anything.  She was just wandering from one side of the room to the other.  So I got her binkie and that helped, but she didn't want to snuggle.

I don't know if you've seen her do this, but around the day care everyone cheers whenever we finish singing a song or listening to a song.  Even Nora will raise both arms and cheer loudly.  This morning was the first time I've seen Mia do it.  She took out her binkie and yelled when the song was over.  :)  That was pretty cute.

Lauralea and I were talking about how much we trust Mia around the babies now.  (Well, at least Noah.  Reid is still too young to be accessible in the daycare rooms.)  Mia has listened and knows she has to be gentle with Noah.  Good job Mia.  She'll occasionally sit a little toy on his chest, but that's about it.  :)

Mia ate cinnamon toast and two servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate chili, dinner roll, hash browns, and canned cherries.

Mia played in the igloo for a couple of minutes.  Then Morgan and Emily were having too much fun with running and being rowdy so she had to peek out and see what that was about.

I mentioned yesterday about Nora crawling over Mia and Mia starting to whimper.  Well here's an example of what Mia is normally like.  Today before breakfast Morgan stumbled and landed on Mia (full body crash right on her) and Mia acted like she barely noticed the 'inconvenience.'  :)  She's a tough little thing.

Thought you'd like to know she had two poopy diapers before noon.  (actually before 11:00)  And they were both full of corn from yesterday.  I guess I won't get any more descriptive.  :)

She and Peyton were having some fun 'chair play' in the back room.  Mia was in the chair and Peyton was behind and she'd pop around the corner to see Mia and then pop right back behind.  They were both laughing and having a great time.  I love it when they laugh together like that.  Mia didn't know which side Peyton would pop around and she was getting excited with the anticipation.

Well her favorite toy this morning was another one of the food toys; a sippy cup.  I think it's cute how she'll find something she likes and then pretty much pack that one thing around for most of the play in that room.

Mia ate whole wheat bagel and peaches for breakfast.  For lunch she ate ham, mac-n-cheese, lettuce salad, and corn.

When kids are coming (and leaving) Mia's always at the gate where all the activity is happening.  I told her to say bye to Kenzie and Riley's dad this morning and she did so; very loud and enthusiastically waving her hand.  :)  He got a kick out of that and told her she was going to be a cheerleader some day.

Mia played with the books a lot this morning; looking at them and packing them around.  And she was doing it again in the back room.  When I took this picture she was looking at it and jabbering.  :)  She used to put the books in her mouth all the time, but she rarely does that anymore.  When she does I'll just remind her and then she's good to go.  Good job Mia.

Her nose has been quite runny this morning.  She's been playing fine, but I've noticed she's just a little more sensitive than usual.  Certain things are bugging her that normally don't.  For example; Nora crawled over her legs and she started whimpering and crying.  Normally Mia doesn't care and usually acts like she doesn't even notice.  :)

Overall she had a good morning.  She was clapping her hands when we were singing, played with the swivel/rocker chair in the back room, experimenting with places to stick toys, rolling on the mattress, and climbing on the table.  Always a busy little girl.

Mia ate blueberry waffle and pears for breakfast.  For lunch she ate tuna and crackers, sweet potatoes, and oranges.

Mia was playing the 'chair game' again.  This time it was with the couch; she was waiting at the couch and as I was headed over there she charges right up onto my spot.  That used to be Emily's favorite thing to do when she was that age too.  Mia was grinning and I think it's just a fun game for her.

I read lots of books to the kids before breakfast and Mia sat on my lap for several books.  Several times she would look up at me and lay her head on my chest.  It was so sweet.  Lauralea was enjoying watching her do that too.

She was walking across the room and maneuvering around some toys.  Then she started walking sideways.  I think she was just experimenting with what she could do.  It was pretty good.  I was thinking how much she has developed with her walking in a very short time.  Wow!

She played with the legos and building blocks in the back room.  She's stacking them on top of each other even though she doesn't 'fit' them together yet.  She has the basic idea of what to do by watching the others play with them.

She was shaking the maracas again and then dropped one on the hardwood floor.  "Whooooaaaaa!  What a cool sound!  I like that!!"  So she throws one down hard!  :)  We basically use the same words as when they are being too rough with their friends.  (Like just a few minutes earlier when Joslyn was bent over in front of her.  She didn't resist grabbing that ponytail.)  "Be Gentle.  Put the toy down gentle."  And she is starting to listen very well.  Good job Mia.

Mia ate chex cereal and fruit salad for breakfast.  For lunch she ate roast beef sandwich, drank half of her tomato soup, and ate most of apple pieces.

She was thirsty first thing today and I was fixing her a bottle.  When she saw me headed her way she raced for the couch and waited where I always feed her.  Then she turns around and watches me and was probably wondering why I'm slow.  :)

Thomas was so happy to see Mia and he was loving on her.  (It looked more like a mauling.)  She didn't seem to mind at all.  She was sitting in the chair and had this cute little amused look on her face and was just watching him.  And he's saying her name over and over.  His mommy said he was talking about Mia and Riley all morning.

Mia was holding the phone up to her ear and looked so big.  :)  I think that's the first time I've seen her doing that.  It (pretend play on the phone) is usually the first 'dramatic' play that we see from the kids.  It used to be 'pretend eating or drinking,' but now it's talking on the phone.  :)

Her poor little nose ran hard all morning.  There are lots of runny noses here so she probably has a cold.

She will see me headed for one of the chairs I sit in and she likes to scramble to get there first.  She was doing that last week and now again this morning.  Pretty funny.  She was sitting in the chair and starting to get out (her feet were almost on the floor), but she saw me headed her way and instantly switched directions.  :)  She does that mostly with this one chair in the back room.

She played in the legos drawer and on the legos table.  She also played with the food toys, looking at books, and watching Thomas, Emily, and Peyton playing the maracas and marching around the room singing "Jingle bells..."  So she grabbed a maraca too and was shaking it.

Mia ate oatmeal and dried plums for breakfast.  For lunch she ate hash brown casserole, biscuit, and mandarin oranges.

The first thing Mia grabbed again today was one of the doll bottles.  She loves those things.  Well, for one more day at least!  :)  Here's a picture of her playing with it at the big gate.  She was sliding it through the gate and then it was getting away from her on the hardwood floor.  Always curious and experimenting.

She walked up behind Aaron (who was sitting on the floor) and stuck her face up to the back of his head and gave him a kiss.  :)  At least that's what it looked like to me.  And Lauralea thought so too.  It was very cute.

I stood up and Mia was on the floor right next to me.  I took a step and now she's between my feet....How did you get there so fast?  Well at least I didn't step on her or land on my face.  :)

She motored back and forth across the room many times and occasionally got up on the step at the window to peer out.  Two days ago she was thumping on the window with a doll bottle and I got on her case about that and she hasn't done it since.  Wow!  Nice job Mia!!  She also played with the legos and looked at some books.

Joslyn went in and went potty and came back into the room and announced to Mia and Nora (they were the only two with me in the back room at that moment),  "Hey guys! I went potty!"  I don't think Joslyn even noticed that they were not visibally impressed.  :)

Mia ate french bread and cantaloupe for breakfast.  For lunch she ate turkey slices, biscuit, butternut squash, and dried mangoes.

Sometimes the 'older' kids (this morning it was Morgan and Emily) like to go to the big window and bonk their heads on it.  Which of course they, and all the other kids, think is extremely hilarious.  Mia was watching them and she stood up on the little step and started bonking her forehead on the window. She held her hands up there first and gently laid her head on the window; kind of like she was testing the water.  Then she bonked it a couple of times.  They'll do just about anything they see the other kids doing.  :)  Just what you wanted to hear right!?

Shortly after the window bonking Morgan was down on the floor crawling and being silly.  Sure enough, Mia got right down and started crawling across the floor too.  :)

We agreed to let a young lady come and observe our program this morning for about an hour.  She's taking an infant and toddler class and it's part of their learning experience.  Anyhow, it always changes the dynamics of the group when someone else is here; especially a stranger.  Mia was totally fine with someone new hanging out and it didn't bother her at all.  Not much stranger anxiety there.  :)  At least not yet.

I've mentioned how she 'trucks' back-n-forth between the rooms when we do room switches.  She knows the routines and knows right where she's supposed to be.  Good job Mia!

Oh, she pooped during her morning nap.  You had mentioned that she pooped during the night as well.  Her little bottom looked somewhat red, but not too bad.  I put lots of cream on her.

Mia ate whole wheat toast and mixed berries for breakfast.  For lunch she had a bite of ham (not her favorite; at least not yet), ate crackers, bean & bacon soup, and kiwi.

Here's a picture of Mia with one of the 'kitty plates.'  This was her favorite for a couple of days and now today she has been packing around one of the doll bottles.  So I had to 'stage' this picture a little by just laying it in front of her so you could see the plate that she was enjoying.  :)

Thomas was playing with the food toys and putting some on a plate for Mia and sitting it on the table.  Of course she just grabbed it and took off.  It was not quite the reaction or participation he was expecting and he yells, "Hey, Hey!!!"  :)

She played with the swivel chair in the back room again and had it going around and around.  She also likes the rocking chair in the other back room.  She can get into it easily and will sit way back all spread out and make it rock a little.

She still lays on her back occasionally and looks at the fan, ceiling, sky, or whatever is up there.  :)  She likes doing that and was doing it again this morning.  Just randomly laying down with some toys and looking at the world from that perspective.  :)

Mia ate whole wheat bagel and dried apricots for breakfast.  For lunch she ate tilapia, whole wheat elbow noodles with cheese and peas, and ate applesauce.

I showed mommy Darcy the plates that Mia likes in this food toy set.  They are kitty plates with ears and the kitty face on the plate.  Mia was packing them all over this morning.  I'll try to get a picture when she is 'studying' them.  As you know, I have to move fast to get a picture of her.  She doesn't waste much time in any one place.  :)

Lauralea was fixing all the girls' hair this morning and she did Mia's hair too.  Her little ponytail is cute; it's sticking straight up.  :)

Mia can be playing and you think she's just oblivious, but as soon as a gate or door opens she just smokes for it!  "Sweet!  An escape route!!"  It's like she has this built-in alert system.  :)

All the kids in my group, including Mia, were playing with the maracas in the back room again.  She loves shaking them along with everyone.  And with a big grin on her face.

Mia was trying hard to keep up with Thomas and Peyton as they were running back-n-forth across the room.  I guarantee you it won't be long and they'll have to work hard at keeping up with her.  :)

Mia ate bran cereal and dried cranberries for breakfast.  For lunch she ate cheese pizza, peas, and tropical fruit.

We did a toy, book, and puzzle exchange and so everyone stayed busy exploring everything.  Which is basically Mia's MO anyhow.  :)  She immediately found some of the food toys she liked and packed one of the sippy cups around.

I took a picture of her in the back room shaking one of the maracas.  "Yes!! I can shake it and it makes lots of noise!!"  :)  She played with other toys, but always went back to the maracas in this room.  The only thing better was when she had one in each hand!

Lauralea was sitting on the floor (shortly after Mia arrived) and she held out her arms to Mia.  Mia held her arms in the air and almost started running across the room.  It was very cute and I was impressed with how fast she can go already.  :)  And she maintained her balance.

In the block room she was back in the legos drawer where she likes to hang out.  She can shuffle the legos all around and there are lots of them in there.  Well, for awhile anyhow!  :)