"Well, you can't never let anything happen to him. Then nothing would ever happen to him."~Dory (Finding Nemo)

Mila has been obsessed with Finding Nemo since she was six weeks old!  Partly because we chose it to be her entertainment during our trips to NY and PA.  She could care less about Baby Einstein or any other "baby" oriented videos.  How could you blame her?  Bright colored, fast moving, funny sea creatures with the BEST story line!  Obviously she doesn't get the story line.  However, she lights up in a way that's unimaginable!  She shrieks joy and dances non-stop.  She actually laughs at the appropriately funny moments.  She watches it from beginning to end.  Mila WILL have a Nemo birthday party this year!

We got to visit the Denver Aquarium yesterday for the first time.  Is there ever a good day to take a road trip when their teething?  Mila hasn't slept well in weeks, and missing nap time could potentially pose disastrous for us.  Her canine teeth have begun to come in and they are devilish!  Mila is a ridiculously good baby, so when she is unhappy, it throws us all out of sorts.  Does teething ever end?!  She's way ahead on the teeth curve, but I would be totally happy if she slowed down.  

Can you sense her enthusiasm?

Michael and I had not been to an aquarium in years, so we were excited.  The reviews of the Denver Aquarium were mediocre, but we didn't let that deter us from having a good time!  We saw all kinds of creatures.  You could even touch starfish and pet stingrays.  We opted out of those because there were a few classes of crazy kids there.  Man was it LOUD.  Mila couldn't hang & in midst of all the noise, somehow fell asleep halfway through.

The sea life in Finding Nemo is depicted as real life on the ocean bottom, so seeing all the creatures characteristics up close was fun for us.

Is it summer yet?  Mama is looking mighty green!

I was so sad because she missed her favorite fish of all!!! I couldn't even share my excitement when we found Dory, Marlin, and Nemo in the sea anemones.  

Despite the crankiness, napping in the middle of the "fun," we had a great day being together.  Michael had his first day off after working 12 days in a row.  It becomes difficult at times because we all wish he were home more.  Not having a circle of friends poses its own difficulties, but thankfully we have each other!  Have I mentioned before I have the most amazing girlfriends?! Face Time, Voxer, texting, and phone calls make me feel like I'm right at home.

Along with the aquarium being one of Mila's "firsts," we've celebrated a few other "firsts."

~Mila can pull "See-n-Say" lever down...something we've been practicing for a while (cause and effect is really exciting for us)

~Mila is crawling upstairs with assistance (she would rather stand than stay on all fours) "Saftey 101"

~She has just begun rambling more and more.  Nothing makes sense of course.  Two of the syllables are "ra-ra" and "la-la".  SAY WHAT?! Out of all possible syllables, she chooses two of the hardest!  I love my girl :)

~She can pop bubbles in between her thumb and index finger (which is universal sign for "pop").  Mila always finds a way to utilize her fine motor skills when her gross motor is lacking.

~With encouragement, Mila has begun to crawl over things (pillows, boxes, our legs).  Her biggest obstacle at times is herself!  Fear of the unknown.  With guidance and even cheering (yes, I mean full on, loud "whoop-whoops"), Mila becomes very brave and almost impulsive :).

~She stacks blocks with us instead of knocking down what we build

~She can match up shapes with the sorter and will actually drop them in (before she would match up shapes, act as if she was dropping them in, and quickly pull them back out).

~It's the little things~