Standing up

One of Mia's favorite things to do in the last few days was trying to up and to stand. She is not quite standing by herself yet and needs to hold on to our bed or a coffee table but she is getting better every day.
Another new development are two new teeth for a grand total of four. She can use them to make a new sound that took us some time to figure out what it was.
With all his action she was really tired this morning and stretched out her morning nap to almost two hours:

The Blizzard

Mia's snow suit came in handy when we had some record breaking snow falls today. With all the snow on the ground we couldn't really go anywhere expect around our building where the sidewalk had been cleared with a snow plough. But at least Mia got some impression of the winter wonder land around her.

The snow suit

As we are getting closer to the beginning of winter it has gotten pretty cold and sometimes windy here. Good thing we got Mia a nice warm snow suit before our trip to Chicago. Now we can bundle her up when heading for a little walk in the neighborhood.
After the big birthday last week there was also another trip to the pediatrician for a check up and more shots. We also got her new weight which is 11 kg (24 lb 8 oz ) . He height is 75 cm (30 in ) - both numbers a bit about avaerage.

The birthday girl

On her first birthday Mia woke a bit earlier than usual - must have been the excitement. After opening some surprise presents in bed she also receiving a few phone calls. The birthday cake was of course another high light.


Happy Birthday Mia: It has been an amazing year with a sweet girl

Mia likes bread

A few days ago we were invited at a friend's place for a German style dinner with bread, cheeses and cold cuts (Abendbrot ). There we discovered that Mia really enjoys to chew on a piece of bread when sitting at the dinner table with us. So all to that it takes to keep her happy in her high chair in a restaurant or at home during dinner is an end piece of bread and some company:

Trip to Chicago

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we headed to Chicago to meet Ji's brother who flew in the same day from Bejing to attend a medical conference: A good opportunity for Mia to finally meet her uncle Zhongwei. After some initial shyness she warmed up to him quickly over breakfast.
All in all Mia enjoyed her stay in the nice hotel with its big 10 story lobby that included a few Christmas trees. Breakfast and dinner was more exciting than at home with lots of people to see and some very nice waitresses.
Mia also enjoyed sharing her cookies:


And helped papa pay the bills

First Thanksgiving

Mia's first Thanksgiving was very child friendly: Ryan and Amy had invited us over and Mia could make use of 19 month old Aiden's toys, play room and his crib for a nap. After some warming up they also played together a it. We also had a good time with nice friends and great food - maybe a bit too much to eat though...

The nosy girl

With her technique of turning on her tummy and rolling Mia can now can get into every corner of our apartment - and she certainly wants to. She is especially interested in those small corners - or like in the picture above - in a little cave like under the desk or under a coffee table. The walk-in closet is of course also of interest. Too bad for Mr. Mimi who also likes it as a napping place and was curled up in a empty box there the other day: His nap came to a sudden end when Mia started banging against this nice big box she had discovered.

At least he still has some safe spots where he is out of Mia's reach like the window sill


Mia also enjoyed a short trip into town this afternoon when we used a warm and sunny day to show her White House and - a fifteen minute walk away - the hospital she was born in.

First teeth

A bit after her ten month birthday Mia finally got her first two teeth coming out -the right front one a ittle bit faster than his left counterpart. Being the shy person she is it is very difficult to document this on a photo...

A walk in the woods

On an unusualy warm fall day we decided to head to a state park in Maryland for a little hike in the woods and a picnic by a lake there. We thought that this would be a good opportunity to try a new mode of transportation for Mia: Being carried on mama's back.
This had the advantage that she could pull mama's hair in case the scenery became boring and she needed extra entertainment.


After the little hike with lots of hair pulling we headed to a small lake for a picnic.

It included some sweet potatoes for Mia and a bit of playtime with a nicer view than at home

The active girl

For a few days now Mia is much more active and loves to roll around on the floor for a long time. She also has her talkative periods and even said "Mama" and "Papa" a few times now.

Cold weather

With an unusual cold spell in the last days Mia had to be bundled up when going outside. Good thing we already had a winter jacket and some hats for her. So Mia can at least face this cold northerly wind in fashionable pink

This kind of weather also means more time spend inside. There are old favorites like the jumperoo

..and surprises like this red balloon that mysteriously showed up at her high chair this afternoon

New carseat

Since Mia is definitely getting too big for her current carseat it is time to check out and adjust the new one we actually already bought a few months ago. It is now also installed in the car.
After testing the new seat Mia of course headed to the computer to update her blog:

10 months old

Mia doesn't yet know how to walk but once in a while she now likes to stand with a little support

Mia's plate

A surprise present for Mia and us was a plate with her name and birth day and weight we got from an old friend of Ji. Of course Mia needed to take a close look and play with it for a while.

An no, she didn't drop it.
Another item with Mia's name on it is a bib we got from a former neigbor. She uses it for special occasions - or, since its pretty big, when we think her meal will get really messy

New Shoes

Mia can't walk yet but we got her a few pair of shoes so that we are ready when she needs them. This also gives her some time to find out what pair she likes most and which is most comfortable

No Oktoberfest

Recently our neighbor Lorene invited us to an Oktoberfest hosted by the German air force here in Washington. Of course said yes to an evening with sausages, schnitzel, beer and all the other ingredients of German Gemütlichkeit. Little did we know that the age limit of 21 was strictly enforced so that Mia couldn't have any part of it.

So Mia stayed outside at the parking lot with Lorene and Ji, while Thomas went in with Lorene's husband for a quick bit. After that he came back to bring Mia back home.


So Mia missed out on a lot of music and dancing. So maybe next year we have to head to Munich for the real thing

Saturday soccer

With a new more powerfull computer Mia can finally start watching live Bundesliga games that are only available here as streams over the internet. Her first game was Bayern Munich vs FC Nürnberg. With her grandfather a former member of the FCN and having been to Nürnberg just a few weeks ago this was a must see. Unfortunately the Nürnberg team lost 1:2 after a late goal from Munich.

The new fall fashion from Hamburg

Right after Labor day we had some cool and rainy days that gave a first taste of fall. A good time to review Mia's fashion options for fall. Some really nice outfits like the one in the picture above we already got in August when visiting Ji's friend Li in Hamburg .
Mia now also enjoys to drink from her sippy cup on her own.

09/09/09

On 09/09/09 Mia turned 9 months. Just in time for her big day a package with toys arrived: She She is getting more active and likes to play and grab things so we thought her toy selection would need a little update.
Later in the afternoon we went off again to the pediatrician for Mia's nine month check up. The doctor was happy with her but Mia was not so hapy with two shots and a prick in her finger to draw some blood. Her weight is now 22 pounds and 8 oz (10.3 kg ) and her length 29 inches (74 cm ) - that is 1 kg more and 9 cm longer than 3 months ago. So our impression that she had stretched out a bit has been right.

Labor day weekend

Part of Mia's Labor Day weekend was a picnic in a state park one hour west of Washington. After her bottle and some butternut squash she was still intersted in Ji's sandwich. But without any teeth yet she has to wait a bit for her first salami sandwich.
Of course some shopping was part of this weekend as well and for the first time ever she got the premium view from the child seat at the end of the shopping cart:

She also has become more active again. After the trip she probably was a bit overwhelmed and took it easy for some days. Having a stuffy nose didn't help either. Nice to see her back in the swing (...only Mr Mimi napping in the background wasn't very impressed)

After all this excitement a bath in the evening is just the right thing to unwind:

The morning paper

Of course we all like to start the day well informed with a look ito the morning paper. Mia's first pick is usually the art section.

First trip to Germany

Here some impressions from Mia's first trip to Germany from which we returned this afternoon:

On the plane to Frankfurt: Mia had Economy plus I had just a regular economy seat - but she still likes sitting on my lap


A little snack in the dining car in the train from Frankfurt to Hamburg


A visit to the weekly farmer's market in Hamburg

Fancy dinner at an Italian restaurant

An even fancier dinner on the next night

Off to the country side at the lower Rhine in Spellen; Mia's first look at chicken

A break in a hammok
Mia's first look at cows

Relaxing on a hot day at the Rhine with Andrea

In the ICE express train to Nürnberg

Hanging out with cousin Matthias on his 40'th birthday

First trip to a Bavarian beer garden for the big birthday bash

Hanging out with Max, the other second generation from our "gang" in a cafe in Frankfurt.