…they do! Every parent tells me this, but it’s really true! Mio turned 29 weeks yesterday, and her smiles have changed. Before, they’d creep across her face and were given with a bit of reservation, oftentimes disappearing after a few seconds. In the last few days, her smiles seem to have keyed up a notch and are a lot more enthusiastic and wholehearted… I’m not sure how else to describe it except that they’re so animated that they take up her entire face! Her nose scrunches up, her eyes disappear into crescents, and her mouth opens wide to reveal her toothy grin (well, as toothy as you can get with just two bottom teeth). They are the most adorable smiles I’ve ever seen, and are truly infectious!
Some more photos and videos from yesterday…
Focused on eating the hippo.
Thanks Auntie Hanna for the outfit! So adorable!
Reading a book with Daddy.
Always getting distracted by Mama, even when she's with Daddy... love how her eyes always follow me around the room. (I win!)
Mio showing off her crawling skills for Daddy:
Having fun playing with her blanket and Mama:
…and I shall end with yet another photo of that smile of hers. Just can’t get enough of them! 😛
We went to the doctor today for Mio’s 6-month checkup. Her pediatrician, upon examining her, said that she is “the picture of health, and just perfect.” Just the words a mama likes to hear! 🙂 I had been a little concerned about a dry cough Mio has exhibited occasionally over the past week… but she only coughs once or twice a day, has no fever, and is her regular happy self…. Her doctor said that it’s nothing to worry about, so that’s a relief!
As for the latest growth stats for Mio, today she weighed 19lbs 5oz, which is in the 92nd growth percentile based on weight-for-age. Our chubster is getting quite heavy! No wonder our arms are sore these days….
For her height, she measured 26.75 inches long, in the 76th growth percentile based on length-for-age. (The pediatrician said, “She’s going to take after her dad, and will beat you in height. You’ll be the shrimp in the family!” Thanks…? hahaha*)
Mio’s head circumference was 17.52 inches, which is in the 90th growth percentile based on head circumference-for-age. I’m tellin’ ya, the girl’s got a huge head!
Mio got her third round of vaccination shots administered today, along with the flu shot. (That’s a lot of needles! 🙁 It still pains me to watch her getting shots, and as they say, it’s probably rougher on the parents than on the baby.) She cried bloody murder, but calmed as soon as I picked her up afterwards. It still amazes me how much comfort she finds in my arms… I’m still so clueless and new at this whole mothering business, but it’s sweet reassurance that I must be doing something right! Mio will have to go in for her second dose of the flu shot in about a month, but after that, she won’t have to worry about needles for a while! Good news for both Mio and for Mama!
(Photos above are from last Sunday at the grandparents’ house.)
Something cute Mio has been doing lately: when I hold out my hand towards her, she’ll army crawl towards it to reach for it and put her little hand in mine. Here it is on video!
If I make her do it too many times without picking her up, though, she starts to get cranky, as is the case below:
Alright, alright… for all that hard work, I will smother you in huggles! 🙂
Mio is 27 weeks old as of Saturday, and her growth and development is making our heads spin these days. She’s able to do so much now! We introduced her to the sippy cup a couple weeks ago, around the same time we started her on solids, and she has now mastered holding and drinking from it!
Before, she used to make a face every time she’d take a sip and discover it was water and not breast milk, but it seems like she’s finally gotten used to it. Look how relaxed she looks while drinking! 😛
Mio has also started to “commando crawl,” also known as “army crawl” — it’s not quite a true crawl, but she’s been moving around using her arms and dragging her feet behind her. We definitely need to get a foam playmat for her and babyproof the place now that she’s on the move!
