Christmas 2009

We had such a nice time with family. Maya takes a little bit to warm up in groups and it especially stinks when she wakes up in a totally new place with lots of hustle and bustle. She seems to get a bit overwhelmed, but luckily she doesn't stay that way for long. It was fun to watch her interact with everyone and of course open presents. She was certainly spoiled! Cowboy boots and all!

Waiting for Christmas to Come

Maya loves Dinosaur Train. It is a very cute show and you could do anything to her because she becomes so engaged that she turns into jello. Makes diaper changes a little easier, too.



She is a generally happy girl. I imagine here I was taking too many pictures, but it is hard not to sometimes! She is very expressive and definitely lets you know how she feels.

Playing in the Snow - December 20th

We had a nice snowy Sunday with Daddy home. Maya loved the snow and was not very pleased when I decided for her that she was cold and tired. She had so much fun walking around and sliding down the snow slide that Daddy made for her!

Shape Sorter

Maya has been learning to put her shapes in the shape sorter. Not too bad for 14 months. Thanks, Grandma Cig!

What's up?

It took about 40 pictures to get the Christmas card shots. The cards are ordered and will hopefully be in the mail soon!

What's new this week?
Grandma taught Maya how to get her shapes into the shape sorter and how to kick a ball. She is understanding and saying more and more words. Today I told her to give her baby kisses and she came right over and gave her a kiss. Then she got her baby's bottle and said, "ba ba" and pretended to feed her. She also thinks it is hysterical to make the baby clap...I was amazed to see her do that. She is big into putting and taking off covers of things. I am little worried about her temper. One day she slightly bumped herself on the doorjamb and she proceeded to strangle and yell at it. The school psychologist I work with says that this is normal..crossing my fingers about that. We are very lucky though she is basically a happy, even tempered kid...let's hope she stays that way! Maya will be 15 months on Friday. Hard to believe!

Two Peas in a Pod

While Daddy and Uncle Mike were away, we celebrated Uncle Joe's birthday just the three of us. It was nice. We had some lunch and an ice cream cake...I think I am getting closer to replicating Carvel crunchies! Maya of course stole Uncle Joe's hat and he couldn't believe that she knew how to put it on backwards!

Where's your belly?

Fun at 14 Months

I probably say every age is the best age, but wow is 14 months a boat load of fun. It is fascinating to see how her mind works. She just loves hats and putting them on herself. Is she designing next years Halloween costume? She did this all on her own. She loves Dancing with the Stars! Bathtime is so much fun. Here she is imitating me laughing!

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving was surprisingly restful with our little toddler. She loved seeing her relatives and exploring her great aunt and uncle's house. We are so blessed that she is so good natured and she seemed to bring joy to all around her...such a nice feeling. She finds fun in all around her including...yes that's a turkey baster.


It is pretty hard to take a picture where everyone is smiling because everyone is trying to get Maya to smile and look at the camera. Here was her response to my attempt at taking several pictures with my parents.


Do you think she was having fun with Uncle Mike?


Check out more Thanksgiving photos on the link in under "Photos" on the right side.

Pay attention to ME please! - November 20th

I called my friend Claire on a whim today and she happened to be close by, so she stopped by with her twins for a play date. They are so adorable and it was fun to see how much they have changed. Maya was so sweet to watch with them (secretly I was terrified she would smother them) and she kept bringing them toys. If they didn't give her the attention she thought she deserved she would make them look at her even if it meant laying on the floor and looking up at them.





She only took one brief break to "read" a book in the corner. We all had so much fun and can't wait to get together with them again soon!

Catching up with Friends - November 14

I am always impressed with people that are so on the ball despite being working parents. I can't seem to keep it all together...especially my brain! But it is well worth it because I would rather spend my available free time with Maya, especially because she is changing faster than ever. Today we got to catch up with some special people that we have missed and haven't seen for ages it seems. We spent the afternoon with some cousins. Maya had a blast with the kids and the new kitties. Here is Maya and Maranda.

The kittens were only a few months old and too cute for words. Here is Bennett with Sandy.

We got an early start on the road because of the miserable weather and to see Daddy, but ended up he was working later than planned so we had a wonderful dinner and some play time with Christina and Caroline. Caroline and Maya were so sweet to watch together.

Veteran's Day

It was so nice to be off on a Wednesday (even if I did a lot of work for school). I loved having an extra day with Maya. She is changing everyday. She is imitating words (at least I swear she is. Here sense of humor is really developing. Just tonight she offered me a pea and when I came over to eat it, she pulled it away and laughed. I couldn't believe it. She has this new double wave to make sure people don't miss her greeting and I think she said "hi" to someone yesterday at the store.

Fall Days - November 7 & 8

Maya loves being outside. The weather was just gorgeous and we played in the leaves on Saturday.


On Sunday, we went to see Uncle Mike's new pad. It is awesome. He did a great job picking out furnature and decorating. I was jealous and wanted to move right in. Needless to say Maya enjoyed exploring somewhere new.

Maya's New Smile - November 6

Maya has a new smile this week...it is so cute, silly, and squinty. We went to a small mom's group today and Maya kept walking up to the other mothers and toddlers and giving her squinty, toothy grin! Notice where she decided to sit in this picture. Yesterday my mom put her baby doll in the box and Maya threw her out and hopped right in. So, today she decided it was a good sitting place.

Walking

Maya is walking like crazy now...it is almost rare to see her crawl. It is so exciting and a little sad to see her grow and change so fast. I am having trouble keeping track of the milestones. She is definitily understanding more and more words and starting to say a few. I think "dada" is technically her first word. She does say "mama," but it seems less consistent. We think she is saying "baby" and "book." I swear today she was putting her hands up to me and saying, "pick up" though I am sure it was my imagination getting the best of me.

She loves exploring and figuring things out as most kids do. And I am just bewildered at how she can put hats on her head and she actually figured out how to get Dan's shirt on. Of course I missed the moment, but she got it over her head and the arms through and started walking. Hysterical looking! Much to my joy, she loves books. Just last week I was down in the kitchen washing dishes and she was up in the living room playing around. All of a sudden things were quiet and I ran upstairs. She was just sitting on the floor flipping through a book! Dan and I both love to read, so we hope she does, too!

Halloween Weekend

We had a fun Halloween weekend. Maya loved being in her costume and seeing other kids in costume. On Friday, Maya and I went to the school where I work to watch the parade. While I LOVE being off on Friday's, all the fun stuff always seems to happen then. My friend Denise and I share a door off of the cafeteria and though it was imperative that we enter the door decorating contest for Halloween. It was based on a book called The Little Brave Witch and We actually won! While Denise was the mastermind behind it, all of the children we service contributed to the construction. Here it is with my little flower!

On Saturday, Maya and I went to Davis Farmland with Tracy, Steve, and Lucas (sadly Daddy had to work) to check out the sights there. They have some cool animals. In the evening, we were supposed to go trick or treating with Bill, Sara, and Will, but poor Will had a cold. Instead we suprised them and said a quick hello before surprising some more friends. As you can see it was exhausting!

Apple Fest - September 25

Today we went to Apple Fest at Wachusett Mountain. Last year, this was our first family outing after Maya was born. It was a gorgeous day much like today. One of Maya's favorite things to do is to put things on and over her head. She recently discovered walking with things over her face. It is too funny!

New Friend - October 18

We went to Conneticut this weekend to visit some wonderful friends that we haven't seen for awhile, Shiela and Michael. At the same time some other friends were visiting with their 2 year old, Madison. Maya and Madison hit it off immediately. They were so cute to watch together. Maya also seemed to pick up the pace in the walking department on her 13 month birthday weeekend no less. I am not sure when you say they started walking. Would it be the first step or two unassisted for actually walking several steps with a little stability?

She also discovered the little sink on the kitchen island and plopped herself right down in it! Of course we were all laughing when she turned the water on herself, too. She loved it.


She loved sliding along the wood floors with her favorite little kitty!

Apple Picking and Uncle Joe's Visit -September 25

Maya and I went apple picking. She just loves being outside. I am sure it was a funny site watching me carry an overstuffed 1/2 bushel bag with a baby strapped to my chest.


Uncle Joe came for a visit and Maya was just completely in love...with Joe and his phone.

Maya Turns One - September 18

It is so exciting that Maya turned one today, but also a little sad. You see she is technically a toddler now....and boy is she toddling around everywhere. She is cruising around furniture and has taken a few isolated steps, but she can crawl so fast that this seems to be her preferred mode of transportation these days.


We had a quiet birthday celebration. Maya and I went to the park and enjoyed the beautiful weather. When Dan came home, we celebrated with a cupcake and just a few presents. She wasn't quite sure what to do with the cupcake, but she quickly learned how to take the paper off the presents (and eat it of course!)