Mia is now 6 weeks old and has officially started to really smile!  What joy it makes you feel!  Most often, Mia is lying on her changing table and responds to 'the changer' talking sweetly to her.  (Is she thinking "I've got  a surprise for you!"?)  Mom Mom and Grandpa were over a few nights ago and she smiled a huge smile for Mom Mom!  However, Mia and I went to get her 6-week pictures taken at JCPenney's, and the photo shoot was unsuccessful.  No smiles for the camera and I can't say that the workers were all that friendly, so we didn't go back another time to try again.  So I've been on a mission all week to catch Mia's sweet smile on camera, and it's tough!  The response time on our camera is too slow for Mia's quick smile.  I'm sure I'll catch it one of these days. 

Well, this year's shin-dig was definitely the biggest and best yet!  Keith worked so hard for over 2 weeks getting all of the decorations set out.  He decorated the main floor (every room, too!), the front yard, and the annual Haunted Basement for the kids.  However, this year the Haunted Basement tested its limits for kids... it was really scary!  All of Keith's hard work paid off, though... everyone enjoyed it!  We had so much wonderful food from everyone's contributions... some people even brought dishes with a scary twist.  Needless to say, we were exhausted when it was all over, but it was definitely worth it!  One thing we need to improve is our picture-taking... we never take enough pictures at the party!  So if anyone has any pictures to share, please send them to us!  Thanks to Dad and Mary Jo for theirs!  Be sure to check the photo page!

Our Little Chili Pepper was quite the 'hot stuff' of the evening!  And so many of Mia's new pals came to the party, too!  Some even had costumes... like a cute little bumblebee and a dinosaur!

We are so glad everyone had a good time! 

We visited the Eckerts Pumpkin Patch in Grafton last Saturday.  Mia obviously didn't get to enjoy the trip, but we had fun taking her picture!  It was a great family day!  Be sure to check out more pics from the pumpkin patch on the 'Photo Collections' page!

Mia got dressed up to visit her Grandma N. and her Great-Grandparents last week! 

This picture was actually taken at Grandma N.'s the day we left the hospital.  Keith wanted Mia to dress in a cute Halloween outfit today since it's October 1st, but I told him that it's a bit too soon.  Mia did receive several super-cute Halloween onesies, sleepers, bibs, and hats for gifts!  Lots of our friends couldn't resist the Halloween gifts since Halloween is one of Keith's favorite and it's the holiday he is most known for.  We'll be sure to post some pictures of those outfits in the coming days! 

During these last two weeks, cuddling is on the top of our list of things we enjoy doing!  Keith comes home every night and enjoys his cuddle time with Mia, even when she's sound asleep.  (I let him know it's okay to let her lay down and stretch out, but...)  And just so you know, Mia was in no danger in that last photo. 

Admittedly, this is how Mia and I spent our first few nights home from the hospital... cuddling in the chair in the nursery.  This was partly because Mia didn't like sleeping in her bassinette, and partly because I loved having her snugly warm with me!  However, Mia has since successfully moved on to sleeping in her crib at night.  Would you believe she'll sleep 5 hours straight at night?!  I have a difficult time waking her up to eat!  She would sleep this long during the day, and even longer at night if I let her, but she's supposed to eat every 3 hours for her best health.  (It's okay for her to sleep a little longer at night.)  We are counting our lucky stars that she is a good sleeper... but not counting our chickens before they hatch... will it last? 

Well, we won't share the pictures of the actual first bathtime because it looks like someone could call Family Services on us, considering how much Mia cried and cried!  We were so relieved when Mia lost her belly button plug so we could dunk her little behind in some warm water to soak for a minute!  What a relief!  So after a quick bath and cuddle time in her new bathrobe, we were able to get a happy face from Mia.  Lesson learned:  Mia does not like bathing in the sink.  Her second bath was in the tub and she loved it!  Of course, the camera was nowhere around...