An oldie but goodie… a video of Mio “dancing” — or flailing her arms and bobbing her head — to LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem with her Auntie Miwa and Uncle Ted, during Christmastime when we were visiting Virginia. (You can hear my mom’s worried shrieks in the background…)
Mio has actually loved Party Rock Anthem since her Auntie Miwa kept playing it for her when she was 3 months old when we visited in June. When she hears the song, she’ll stop what she’s doing and start bobbing her head to it and clapping!
Yesterday was Mio’s first Thanksgiving, and also our first Thanksgiving as a family of three! We drove over to Dan’s parents’ house in San Lorenzo in the late morning, and helped out in cooking what would become a delicious feast.
We brought the Pack n’ Play with us so that Mio could play in it while we were busy cooking. Dan’s parents’ dog Choco was very curious and kept sticking his nose against the playpen. Mio was almost equally as curious about Choco, but she’d cringe and grimace every time he’d try to lick her on the face.
Mio and Choco, face-to-face.
Mio looking mildly uncomfortable and apprehensive of the arrangement.
"Moooooom!!! Get me out of here!" This picture cracks me up!
Dan and I helped cook the side dishes. This picture is totally cookbook cover-worthy. Watch out Paula Deen!
After everyone’s collaborative hard work, it was time to dig in… everything was amazing. I ate so much that at the meal’s end, I felt as stuffed as the turkey I ate.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Mio tried turkey and gravy baby food for the first time. Unfortunately, she was not a fan.
She did, however, love her sweet potato. No surprise there!
Here’s Mio, getting entertained by Grandma.
We were letting Mio play with a bottle of vitamins, and she started making funny sounds with it. She’s quite the musician!
Mio loves Grandma!
Spending some quality time with Grandpa, too!
After all the excitement, Mio was quite tired and fell asleep in Grandpa’s arms…
A sweet moment.
Our little sugarplum sleeps.
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for family and friends both near and far, for good health, for the freedom and opportunities to do what I love, and for the ability to give, and enrich my life and those of others. I am especially thankful this year for our darling little Mio, whom I have grown to love more unconditionally, selflessly, and boundlessly than I ever have before.
We hope everyone’s Thanksgiving was also full of love, good cheer, delicious food, and lots to be thankful for.
It finally felt like summer here in the East Bay this weekend, so we decided to get out and enjoy the nice weather with an impromptu family picnic over in Tilden Park in Berkeley. We set a blanket down on the field and ate the sandwiches and fruit we brought, and just soaked up the sun for a couple hours….
I created a makeshift canopy to shade Mio from the sun, with a blanket and some help from the wind… 😉
Hopefully the warm weather will continue for a few more weeks so we can get some more outings in… I’m not ready to say goodbye to summer yet!
Mio and I arrived in Virginia early Thursday morning, exhausted. Mio cried inconsolably for about fifteen minutes towards the beginning of the overnight flight, and although it was only fifteen minutes, it was the longest fifteen minutes of my life. I’m still uncertain about what was wrong with her, since I made sure to nurse her during takeoff and landing to make sure she didn’t get ear pressure problems. She slept for the last three hours of the flight, though, but I couldn’t sleep because I was afraid she’d slide off of my lap. The cabin of the plane was really hot, too, which made for a very uncomfortable five hours. Boy, was I relieved when we finally landed at Dulles Airport…. When we got to my parents’ house in Vienna, we just slept for several hours through the morning.
Mio got to meet some new members of Mommy’s family this time — my father, sister Miwa, and brother Kosei were all seeing her for the first time.
Mio met Auntie Miwa for the first time. She is already alarmed by her crazy aunt....
Meeting ojiichan for the first time.
Happy grandparents with their first grandchild.
My mom reunited with Mio. She was surprised by how much she'd grown!
Getting some love from Auntie Miwa.
My Dad holding Mio again. A proud ojiichan!
rMio wide awake from the excitement of meeting everyone!
I’m really happy to be back home in Virginia and am looking forward to the next two weeks that we’ll be spending here. We hope to spend a lot of time with family and friends, and just relax and enjoy our time here. It’s definitely summer here — hot and humid! I actually kind of missed the humidity of the Mid-Atlantic region, since this is the type of summer weather I grew up with!
Last Sunday, we took Mio down to San Jose to meet some very special people…. She got all dressed up in her Sunday best before making the drive down.
Mio in her vintage bonnet and dress, a lovely gift from our dear friend Tarrin.
My little blue belle ♥ Can't get enough of this adorable outfit!
Mio got to meet her great-grandmother Eileen! She is Dan’s paternal grandmother. 🙂
Mio with her great-grandmother, who still looks lovely at 92 years old.
Mio stretching in her great-grandmother's arms.
Little Mio also had the honor of being welcomed by her great-aunts!
Mio smiling up at her great-aunts.
Getting doted on by lovely great-aunt Mary.
Mio with her sweet great-aunt Monica and grandmother
Mio with her grandparents, great-grandmother and great-aunts!
With her Daddy this time... four generations of Allens!
Great-grandmother Eileen gave Mio a beautiful layette, and her great-aunts got her a portable swing! 🙂 We were very thankful for the generous gifts.
A portable swing for Mio. Great for travel and to take on-the-go!
Mio with Mommy. ♥
We enjoyed a delicious homemade dinner with everyone, and it was really nice seeing grandma Eileen and Dan’s aunts again, since we hadn’t been able to make it down to visit in a while. We were touched by their hospitality and were thrilled that Mio got to meet some of the wonderful ladies of the Allen family!
Mio ended up sleeping for most of our time there… I suppose it’s a lot of work being a newborn!
"This baby gig is pretty sweet but tiring... I'm pooped!"
