Mia’s Blog

You probably heard by now. I am 2 months late in telling you this - but we have added someone to our family. A new sister for me. She is called Livia Vivien but we usually refer to her simply by Livia or Livi. She came out of mommy’s belly bump on 12 February. She was a very cute baby. But I sort of ignored her a bit at first as she wasn’t that much fun. And I might have even been little angry with my parents about bringing her in. We were doing pretty well as family before she came along. At least I thought so. Mom and dad had loads of time for me and things were going well. With Livia’s arrival, things have changed drastically. Especially mommy started spending much more time with my sister, instead of me. Livia eats a lot. From mom. So I don’t get to have my mom any time I want. And she cries too, which I wasn’t a huge fan of either at first.

But life is getting better again. There is a bright side to this - my sister is very cute and she is growing bigger and even smiles at me now sometimes. She also touches my face with her tiny hand. And I get to help my parents with Livia whenever I feel like it. And she comes to my room with mommy or daddy and looks at all my toys and listens to what I am telling her. And as she gets bigger, I will get to teach her lots of cool stuff that I have learned - like eating by myself and drinking from a cup, getting dressed and undressed, going on a potty, putting on my shoes, speaking Slovak and English - and being a big girl in general. And I think she will love playing with me.

So even if I wasn’t too sure at first, I am definitely warming up to the idea of sisterhood. Livia gets cuddles and kisses from me on regular basis every day. She enjoys them. I still get to visit babinka when I want to and spend there some nights. And she also comes to our new apartment and plays with me or takes me for walks outside.

That’s my new life now - I am the big sister. And I am learning to like it. And so is everyone else…

We are almost done with all our 2007 Christmas festivities…

It was my second Slovak Christmas and it was spent with all of our family at babka and babinka’s house. Mommy and daddy mentioned we might be having the holidays at our new home in Nitra, where I’m getting my new beautiful room but in the end, we were not yet moved in. So we did the village thing once again. But I don’t mind at all, I love it here.

We had much fun. Friday before Christmas, my parents took me to Bratislava for Christmas market. It was wonderful!!! We had all sorts of special treats like sausages, grilled corn cobs, hot chocolate and kiddie punch, special fries and a gingerbread snowman. We saw lots of cute stalls with decorations and cookies and candy and other fun and yummy things. It didn’t even matter that it was very freezing cold. I got a brand new hand made hat!

We then went off to this massive family store called IKEA. And that was also full of fun. I am not yet three so they didn’t let me go and play with the other kids but that was ok because there is plenty to do in the store and they sure are set up for kids!! We made it through in about 2 hours and found lots of perfect stuff for our apartment. Mom and dad got a bed and we found some incredible couches that I tested by climbing on them. They work great.

On Saturday, my cousin Petka and I built the tree with daddy’s great help while mommy and babinka prepared the house for Christmas, which was on Monday. Because in Slovakia, we celebrate the 24th December as Christmas day. We all got together and the adults cooked our fish and potato salad and the cabbage soup. For some of us, there was also chicken soup and chicken legs with rice! (Daddy was pleased about that.) I was personally a big fan of fish and rice.
After dinner, we all went to look at the Christmas tree and what do you know? There was ton of presents under it! So then we had fun unwrapping them all and everyone got lots of nice gifts. I think I was a favorite or something because it sure seemed like I got the most! There was a train set, a guitar, new baby doll stroller and a teddy to go in, many puzzles, books, dvds, barbie doll, play-doh, candy and I forget what else. And even clothes! A very good day. And apparently, I am told there is one more special thing waiting for me in my new room… can’t wait with excitement.

Well, I have been playing with my cousin a lot over the last few days. And we’ve been eating and resting and watching Christmas stuff on TV. I got to eat the most candy and chocolate ever - probably more in the last 5 days than the previous 2 1/2 years of my life! Lovin’ it.

Today, mommy made a special meal especially for daddy’s sake - she cooked a turkey (first time ever) with mashed potatoes and stuffing and gravy and corn and roast veggies. He seemed to be in another world when eating it. That’s a good thing. I had a taste and I think for now, I’m gonna stick with more of the basics… like toast or pasta. But I tried.

I am sure hoping you all had a great time this Christmas too. Mommy and daddy keep telling me that this special time is mainly important for one reason - Jesus came into the world to save us. I saw a story about how He was born and I love watching that story. So I also trust you are able to think about it and be very grateful for this miracle. My parents are sure trying to remind me frequently how much we have to be thankful for and I believe them. So i am thankful to Jesus and I am thankful for what I have and that includes my friends. So enjoy the rest of this year, have a great 2008 and stay in touch!

So here I am again. I wonder though if anyone will read this as most have probably given up on returning to my blog. And I don’t blame you…

But briefly, here are some highlights since August:

My language skills are definitely advancing and I can illustrate it in this story… babinka was eager to learn a few English words from me or my dad and one day, she was excited to point out that we were seeing a “butterfly”. It shocked me to hear such word from her mouth so I looked up at her and said in Slovak: Babinka, you don’t say, “butterfly”, you say “motylik” (the Slovak word for butterfly); only daddy say, “butterfly”. Yeah, it’s clear to me who speaks what language. If only the rest of the family got that! Also, when I am telling a story or asking a question, I’ll go around and kindly tell the same thing to each of the Slovak speakers in their native tongue and then turn to daddy and explain all the same in English. I am quite the delight!

I got to travel with the parents to Turkey in November. It was fantastic! Family time was certainly due so we had loads of fun together. I was swimming a lot all week long; played with the other kids present; had wonderful naps; ate exotic foods, and overall, it was an amazing time.

As far as my play activities go these days, I am pretty versatile in my interests. Still like watching a few shows like Barney, Cinderella, and other cute cartoons. Reading is a great activity that I do with mom or dad or my dolls. And of course, I do lots of coloring and drawing too. I also enjoy puzzles and am extremely good at them. And babies (dolls) are definitely my favs. I carefully observe everything that my mom and dad and grandmas do with me and then in a great parenting fashion, I translate it onto my dolls. For example, the other day I figured out how to motivate my babies to take a nap – I simply put them down to bed and told them very lovingly but firmly that IF they do not close their eyes and fall asleep, then they will get spanking. And since they chose to ignore my 2 or 3 warnings, just like I do with my parents sometimes, I had no choice but to keep my word and punish them.

Few weeks ago, I was watching mommy put her make up on. I fell in love with this procedure. So I asked her to put some on me. She used her brushes to gently powder my eyes but I am pretty sure she was just humoring me as I got a glimpse of her smirk afterwards when telling my dad. Well, a week or two later, when mom and dad were out all day and I was with babinka, I had a brilliant idea. As mommy came back, I showed her my baby doll to brag how wonderful a mom I was – only my mommy seemed horrified. She started telling me that it is naughty to write on my babies’ faces… So I explained to her kindly that I used my crayons to color make up on them! She was suddenly speechless. She seemed to understand. But she did have a talk with me about the fact that only moms use make up and we certainly do NOT put make up on babies. So now I am educated; even if it means that I won’t be able to have fun with my baby sister and make up as I planned… oh well. I am a learner. But I do well with observing, too, you have to give me that!

Speaking of my baby sister, I am getting more and more excited. Mommy’s belly is huge and growing every day. I got to feel the little girl inside kicking already too, which was fun. I am still convinced at times that I as well have one inside my belly and try to convince my parents that MY BABY is kicking but they don’t seem to buy it. I went as far recently as stuffing my pajamas with all my toy animals just to resemble mom’s pregnancy. I did it while I was falling asleep during my nap so you can imagine the shocking surprise my parents experienced when going to check on me half way through my nap!! As far as names go, we’re having trouble as a family. I mean, I get on board with a name that my parents seem to suggest but then a week later, they’re telling me it’ll be something else. Confusion!!!

More wonderful news is that from what I hear, we should be having our own home soon. My mom and dad go away often these days and tell me they are preparing our apartment and my very own big girl room for moving! That truly excites me! I don’t even mind them going away when it comes to fixing up the place for the move. I can’t wait for my new-old bed and for my very own playroom. Hopefully, we should be in by Christmas.

And that is my life. I am hearing more and more about Christmas; and the decorated trees and lights in shops do fascinate me deeply these days. I also heard something about presents and that makes me giddy too. So I have a lot to look forward to. Until next time, stay well and all the best!

I’ve long given up the fight for my chance to blog. I had to learn that once you cross the baby stage, giving their child a voice on the web simply isn’t a high priority for said child’s parents… and fair enough. Babyhood beats toddlerhood when it comes to the whole ooh and aah aspect. (And I’m not so sure anymore how many really care to read my updates anyway. Yeah, even a 2-year old can be cynical!)

But now that I got my slot - what can I tell you, in a nutshell?

I guess the milestones – I turned 2 in May! It was during our trip in Canada. Compared to my last year’s celebration, I hardly noticed it was my birthday. But then I have to credit my parents – last year was a bit over the top anyway. So this time, my 2nd birthday was a low-key family affair. But because we were on a time-off in Kelowna and we were visiting with two different families of friends, I got a double set of homemade cup cakes for my birthday! They all were yummy and tasted even better shared with all my great buddies whom I only get to see once in a blue moon…I love you, Keighden, Natalia, Ayva, Ashleigh and Jonas!

We’ve traveled a lot during the months of May and June. So much so that I kind of lost my identity for a while. Million different beds, attempts at potty training on the go, new faces, planes, delays…too much for a toddler!!

But July has been relatively peaceful. Save for the new info brought to my attention – apparently, mommy somehow managed to stick a baby down her throat and now carries the poor thing in her belly! It’s pretty fun to kiss the belly and talk to my future sibling. But I am a bit confused by this “baby in belly” phenomenon… so I go around kissing daddy’s belly also and often will randomly select others whom I believe carry babies inside. Makes for some awkward moments for mom and dad.

Mommy sure isn’t fun right now either. The daily routine in our household involves her running to the toilet and making awful noises, to which babinka or dad explain that her belly baby is hurting her. It’s beyond me! I just hope it gets sorted soon. I want my mommy back. She apologizes regularly so I keep forgiving her.

Most other times are spent exploring, trying new adventures and, sadly, getting fresh bruises, cuts and scrapes one after another (like the newest one below)! But I am a tough cookie and hardly ever even cry. Well, that about sums up my life for now. So – leave a comment if you stopped by and I’ll occasionally post more updates when I get a chance…

Few weeks later; few counties farther. We’re traveling again. I love my family, don’t get me wrong. They sure know how to make a toughie out of ya though. I hear them say things like they wish their child to be adaptable and flexible and well experienced. Experience is what I’m getting, all right!

29^th April we set out on our 6-week trip. We left on a 9:30pm flight for England. That pretty much started my freaky time schedule off. Ever since then, it’s not been one normal day for me…

In England, during our 5 days, I managed to:

• see about 58 of my old friends (but still not enough of them as I have many more there I haven’t seen on this trip!)
• go to my old pre-school for 2 mornings to play
• visit with the newborn Caleb Zerr (who I hear very well might be my husband)
• walk all around Bedworth and Bulkington with mommy (who says not having a car isn’t all that bad if you live in the right location – thanks, Abby and John!)
• have 2 sleepovers with my dearly loved pals – the Melnichuks and the Westfields
• and even get a super-speedy haircut!

Then last Saturday, we traveled to Madrid. To shake things up a bit, it was a very early morning this time. This might be my parents’ idea of how to train me in adaptability! I have to mention here that through all this, they try to sedate me by using various pills they pop into me…for sleep purposes. Of course, none of them work.

So we landed in Spain last weekend and it’s been just great there. We were hosted at a fabulous hotel with an amazing neighborhood around – there are about gazillion kids’ parks and play areas there. Each of the three days we spent there, mom and dad have taken me out to one of them. It’s been a real blast. I was interacting with all these Spanish kiddies and tried to repeat the words they use. Daddy got a real kick out of that. The life in Spain is absolutely different though – the people stay up very late and they eat their dinner at about 10pm. It’s been more than challenging for me and I had to be very creative with my daily plans. But we managed pretty well. Minus the (more than) occasional spanking; and the fact I have been reverting back to the diaper…but let’s don’t ruin this otherwise positive entry…ok?

We also spent three nights in Bilbao, northern part of Spain. We did a lot of traveling over there but had an awesome time. We stayed with our friend Jesus. And yes, he has a last name, too. Giraldo. His family took a great care of us and we just loved being with them. I was, though, totally exhausted by the end of the week. Midnight just doesn’t cut it for me as bedtime. I suppose I have a lot to learn if I ever want to become Spanish. 

And now I am in Canada. We had a VERY eventful flight and day, all day! But let’s save that one for another story telling session. Good night, for now. 

**Only those who have been on such path before will truly understand and relate to my following disclosure…

I have achieved another significant accomplishment in the life of a toddler: I have PEED and POOPED on the real toilet!! A true breakthrough.

It has now been months (and feels like years!) since my parents and other related and unrelated people started inviting me to learn the art of toilet-training. Back in the summer months in Slovakia, it all started as innocent fun - the ancient potty was introduced ( I’m not kidding - my mom used that potty so the term is for real.) I quite enjoyed the reading sessions on my new special seat…

Then the fall arrived, we returned to England and I became reluctant of the potty. I stopped liking it. My parents eased up. We all took a break.

Upon arrival to Slovakia, my two grandmas shockingly discovered I interrupted the potty-training system. And they weren’t thrilled. Mommy took their side, of course. And the terror began, again. Whatever. I went along. Especially because this time, mom and dad got thrifty and made the deal even more fun: They bought me a mini toilet seat cover suited for mini people like me. And even more - a great cool toy to go with it. The rule: Mia plays with the magnet drawing board EXCLUSIVELY when seated on the toilet. Sure, why not?!

So I have been enjoying my new toy in the last few weeks. On the toilet.

And then, the unthinkable took place yesterday. Mommy got tired. Tired of waiting. She finally understood that this to me was only a silly game. So she sat me on the seat and TOOK my toy AWAY. I naturally had a fit but she meant business. She closed the toilet door! (Her idea of punishing me…)

Closing the door was a winner for me - something clicked, I got focused - and - TINKLE. I peed for the first time in a big toilet instead of a nappy. Oh the excitement!!! All three women went ballistic. And I even got chocolate.

So to shorten my story - throughout yesterday and today, I peed four times in the toilet, pooped once in the potty and three times in the toilet. Pretty good record, if you ask me. Every time I require a closed door, of course. Every time there also is squealing and bursts of laughter and happiness.

Regrets? If you noticed I never mentioned darling daddy in any of this. That’s because he’s gone on business trip. That makes me sad - my hero wasn’t here to see my first toilet poop.

Do you know why I have been this quiet for so long? Wanna guess?

FACEBOOK. Mommy once again gave into another virtual fad - the phenomenon called facebook.com. She has betrayed the world of blog. She converted to facebook. She even lured daddy to it. And he, too gave in.

But to mom’s credit, she at least created a photo album of ME in her account. So at this time - that’s all I’ve got for you:
CLICK HERE

Lots happening…

No time to record it. So let these few pics tell my story:

Back in February, we had a very special visitor with us. Auntie Michelle came primarily as my mommy’s guest but if you ask me, she was most interested in seeing me! She did some girlie fun stuff with mom (where strangely I wasn’t invited though I am pretty sure I too am a girl…) - like mud treatment in the spa. I loved having her around again and wish she could come every week. Or at least once a month! BTW, the two dots on the photo are me and daddy. We all had a day trip to castle Trencin but I was not encouraged to climb the narrow spiral stairs into the tower. So me and dad hung out in the courtyard while mom with Michelle braved it up there.

Easter IS coming, everyone. I even got to paint (well, something very close to painting) my very first Easter eggs last Saturday. But these certainly aren’t those I painted. I rather keep those on my own special display, not to be seen by public. Though one day, they might be considered a unique abstract piece of art, right?

When in Slovakia, do as the Slovaks do. So I am doing what the village life requires - wearing a head scarf. Got a problem with that? I love it!

Now, this one is crazy. My adventurous momma decided one day not so long ago that my hair is way too long. And my what-was-she-thinking-grandma encouraged that thought spontaneously… The result?! My mom cut my hair…all by herself; first time ever in her life; front and back all the same. What do you think? Secretly, I actually like it. But let’s pretend it was a ridiculous idea.

And here is just plain old silly me…loving daddy’s hat. (And not because I feel traumatized by the above mentioned haircut, either.) Yes, I am a TODDLER now.

Enough said. More on me later. I do have more to say…Like how I am becoming a very particular little girl thus breaking the infamous easy-going nature of my early days. But as I said, more about that later.

I’ve had 5 swimming lessons so far. For the most part, I really enjoyed it. There were also few unexpected dips here and there that left me with too much water in my nose, eyes or mouth. That’s when I pointed outside the pool and asked to go out. But beyond that, all’s well. I am getting used to the water and getting along with my swimming-mate Sofia.

This week has also been exciting for another reason. We had some visitors here from Canada. Paul and Nicole were my daddy’s good friends in college. But they haven’t seen each other for five years now! So when they planned their European holiday, they reserved a couple of days for us, too. They arrived on Tuesday night and spent with us three nights. Mommy and daddy really loved seeing them. And I certainly enjoyed meeting them for the first time. Nicole has a baby in her belly so it was fun to see. And Paul – well Paul was something else! I think I fell in love. From the moment I laid my eyes on this man, I was smitten. His name rolled of my tongue with ease. And I couldn’t stop saying it. Literally, even when going to sleep and waking up – first thing I said was his name. We all took a day trip to a nearby castle Bojnice. I had ton of fun with Paul.

Now they are gone. So I am back to favoring my daddy. These other men come and go but my daddy remains with me. I like that. I miss Paul and say his name here and there but essentially, I am over him. After all, he has his beautiful wife and expecting his own baby so I had to let it go. We shared some great times though, Paul. Hope you won’t forget me!