My Little Sweet Tomato

In honor of Grammy's visit, Maya had her first dish of ice cream... well, frozen yogurt. We were at Sweet Tomatoes, which is apparently Maya's favorite dive. Anyway, I've tried to avoid giving her sweets, but this is just irresistible. Note: Very soon after this video was taken, I put the kabosh on the rest of the bowl of ice cream. After all, she'd already eaten veggies, mac and cheese, a potato, and some black bean soup. I guess she is her mommy's daughter...

Maya at the Mall

Well, Grammy has been here for almost a week, and we've been spending a lot of time at the mall. You might think that Maya and I are getting tired of the mall. Like maybe we are sick of looking in the shops and taking walks. Um, yeah... no. We're good. Maya is probably going to be a shopper, because she spends an inordinate amount of time at the mall. It's the best place to go walking, since St. Louis has such extremes of weather. In the summer, it's a million degrees, and in the winter, we have stretches of awful cold and wet weather. Today it's going to be 50 degrees, which is beautiful, but I seem to have come down with a lovely cold (the 3rd one in 2 months!), so I don't know if I'll be spending a lot of time outside today. Anyway, Grammy will be here until Thursday, so we have a couple more days of mall walking in our future. Then Auntie Debs comes, and I know she HATES the mall, so we won't be going there. Just kidding. Debbie is queen of the mall, so I'm guessing we'll have much more shopping in our future. Hey, I'm cool with that.
"Like my hat?"

"What about this one? I prefer the first, but whatev."

Bumps and Bruises

Oops. Yesterday, I was giving Maya a much needed manicure, and I may have accidentally clipped off the tip of her finger. She cried for about 5 seconds, but then got over it like a champ. I put a lovely bandaid on it, which she then proceeded to play with for hours, until she eventually pulled it off while we were at Costco. Speaking of Costco, Maya managed to eat ice cream, rice with chicken, and guacamole with a chicken and cheese Taquito. What an eater! Oh, and the night before, we went to Red Robin, and Maya tried her first burger, with french fries and ketchup. She even drank through a straw out of a kid's cup! It was amazing! I have to say - I don't want her to be a junk food addict, but it sure is fun to watch her enjoy a bowl of ice cream - even if the bowl is actually a teensy paper cup sample from Costco!

"I'm pouting because Mama cut my finger."

"Ouch, Mommy!"

"This flashlight is absolutely fascinating."

"Fun times, Mommy. Fun times."

"Mommy undid my diaper, and found out that I was hiding a Cheerio in there."

Mischeivous Maya

Maya is officially getting into everything. She doesn't exactly crawl, but she sure gets around. As my sis and mom say, "She's very busy." Honestly, I love watching her figure out new ways to stir up trouble...

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm just checking out the carbon monoxide detector."

"Looks like it's working okay... let me taste it, just to make sure."

"Does this thing come out of the wall?"

"Mama, I promise not to put my finger in any light sockets... mostly because you have them plugged up with those silly plastic things. Boo."

"I love you, Grammy."

"I think I'll just check under the bed, to see what's going on down here."

Happy Christmas!

Today is a funny day for us. We don't celebrate Christmas, so there isn't much to do. My family has always celebrated "Jewish Christmas," meaning that we go out for Chinese food and see a movie on Christmas Day. Now, with Maya around, we can't see a movie, and it doesn't appear that many (if any) Chinese restaurants are open here today. Sigh. Oh well. This morning Maya and I played, and I sewed her an apron while she tore apart a Shape magazine (yeah, that's right, we spit on dieting and exercise!). I made one for Alex a couple of weeks ago, so now Maya and Alex can match! Maya's doesn't fit her all that well, but it's cute anyway. I don't think she's ready to cook with me anyway, so I guess it was just for practice. Kevin is working today, and then he's off to Connecticut to visit his mom for a few days, so we said good-bye this morning, and we'll see him on Sunday. Fortunately... GRAMMY IS COMING!!! We are going to pick her up at the airport 1:45 this afternoon, and we can't wait. I am happy to report that Maya is healthy and happy today, so I know our visit with Grammy is going to be a hit!

"Merry Jewish and Non-Jewish Christmas!"

"I'm so thirsty..."

"Mommy, what should we do today?"

"I dig the apron, Mommy, but what are we baking?"

"Mommy, it looks even nicer just hanging from the doorknob..."

Long, Boring... and sweet

This is what we did after dinner tonight. This dreidel fun lasted an hour before we got tired of it. I can't believe we actually lasted that long!

More Hanukkah Fun

In honor of the third night of Hanukkah, and we spent an nearly an hour playing with dreidels after dinner tonight. We had a blast spinning dreidels upside down and right side up, and letting Maya chase and catch them. Kevin is very proud of his upside down dreideling abilities, by the way. Maya also finds him to be quite talented. We really had a great time tonight. It's times like these when I feel like we're really a family, instead of just a mom, dad, and baby. It's such a warm, fuzzy feeling. Anyway, Maya was so exhausted at bedtime from all the excitement, she went right to sleep without playing at all. Happy Hanukkah!

"What's that?"

"Ohhhhh... a dreidel!"

"There are spinning dreidels, falling from the sky!"

"Oh Daddy, you are so silly."

"Wow Daddy! That dreidel is spinning on its head!"

Happy Hanukkah!

Last night was Maya's first night of Hanukkah at home. We spent the first night at Mindy and Rich's house, but last night we had a nice Hanukkah dinner at home, and we played dreidel together at the table. Maya was absolutely mesmerized by the dreidels. She was trying to grab them, but they kept flying away. Please excuse her hair. We had just removed her ponytail, so she was looking a little einstein-esque...

Ciao for Now, Auntie Nora and Uncle Adam!

We drove Nora and Adam to the airport this morning for their flight back to Rhode Island. We loved having them here, and I think they really enjoyed spending time with Maya. They really haven't had a chance to spend more than a few hours with Maya at a time, and never one-on-one, so I was so happy to see them bonding.

Last night we all went to Mindy, Rich, and Corey's house for a celebration of the first night of Hanukkah, and Mindy's birthday. We had a great time. Coincidentally, as we walked into Mindy's house, another couple was right behind us. Once we all got inside, we realized that the other couple were friends of Nora's from college! Go figure. So Nora and Adam caught up with them all evening, and we met a lot of new friends. In another bizarre twist to the evening, one of Kevin's friends from college was there as well. It was like a reunion of East coasters, but in the Midwest! Oh, and in case you're wondering how Maya enjoyed her first night of Hanukkah, she thoroughly enjoyed it. She was a little afraid of the dogs at Mindy's house though. It was really funny. Every time they came near her, she screamed a very girly scream, and threw her hands up in the air. She definitely takes after her mommy!
"Don't even think about coming any closer.

"Good-bye Auntie Nora and Uncle Adam! It's been fun times!"

"Mommy, did you just take a tubby?"

"Just hangin' on the kitchen floor. This is the life."

This is what happens...

...when your baby can only crawl backwards. Maya and I were hanging out in her bedroom while I was folding clothes, and she managed to scoot herself under the crib, where she found all sorts of goodies to play with. We keep bins of her clothes and toys down there, so you can only imagine the fun she was having as she rifled through these bins in the dark under her crib.
"Just backin' up, Mama."

"Hmmm... what's this under here?"

"I found something!"

"Hey Ma! You found me!"

Where's Mommy?

Last night, Aunt Nora and Uncle Adam kindly allowed Kevin and me to go out to a happy hour with the anesthesia department. Brook and Ben drove me to the bar, where I met Kevin, who was coming from work. We partied for a while, and then came home for dinner. Nora and Adam had a good time with Maya, although she definitely gave them a workout. Apparently, Maya is not such a fan of being put to bed by anyone other than Kevin or me. We definitely have ourselves to blame - she really never has babysitters. I'm glad we went out, but it made me realize that we need to get out more often and let other people put Maya to bed. She's very attached to us, and I don't want her to be scared or sad when other people help with her routine. I've decided that we should try letting Nora and Adam put her to bed again tonight, but this time, I'll stay with them. Maybe that'll help. Any other suggestions?

"I'm going to give Auntie Nora and Uncle Adam a run for their money. Get ready, guys."

"I don't hold a grudge though. I'm not sad that you left me last night, Mommy and Daddy. I had fun with Aunt Nora and Uncle Adam."

"Bye bye! You can even go out again!!! I'll be better next time!"

"Like my dress? I'm so comfy today."

Party like a Rockstar

First of all, yesterday was Grammy's birthday, so we send a mega shout out to Grammy on her special day! In honor of her birthday, she got a snow day from school today. Happy birthday, Grammy!

Yesterday, Maya and I ventured out to Nash and Margot's house for our gift exchange with Brooke, Brook, and Brie. We had a great time. Brook gave Maya 3 adorable toys - a wooden clacker, a big puppet, and a glove puppet. She loves her new toys! Brooke and Brook also had a bunch of crafts ready for us. First we made macaroni/felt necklaces, and then the kiddos stamped their handprints/footprints on cardstock. After the second craft, and a bunch of snacks, Maya was ready to hit the road. She hadn't gotten a nap yet, so she fell asleep in the car, and then stayed asleep for an hour once we got home. When she woke up, it was time to get Nora and Adam from the airport. They were right on time, and we pulled up just as they were walking out. It was quite impressive. Anyway, since then, we've been doing lots of playing and partying.
"Mommy, I tried your macaroni necklace, and it did not taste good at all."

"I am so cool."

"I think I'd rather eat these glasses than wear them. Is that weird?"

That's the Wrong Way!

Here's a video of Maya's backwards crawling/sitting talents. Notice that she's concentrating so hard, that when I say, "Good job!" she gets very startled and jumps. Now if only she'd crawl to me, instead of away from me...

This is it!

This is the last video installment of the "Tubby" series. We did this video "self-portrait style." My first time!

Fun Times in the Tub

Here is Maya's "Ode to a Good Tubby":

Before and After

Here are Maya's before and after tubby shots. I had just taken out her ponytail, and we were waiting for the water to warm up before she took her dunk.

"I'm goin' in!"

"Clean!"

Tickle Me Maya

For some reason, Maya was very fussy yesterday afternoon. At first, I got nervous she was sick again, but now I'm chalking it up to cabin fever, since it was so cold outside and we didn't get out much. Fortunately, she did a complete 180 by the evening, and was the cutest little girl on the planet. No, seriously - the entire planet. I have lots of video and pictures from our fun night...

Is it just me...

...or is it totally unseasonably cold outside? Yeah, that's right, it didn't go above 17 degrees here in Crestwood, Missouri - at least according to our trusty thermometer. Maya and I ventured out to the car, with the intention of going to Hobby Lobby this morning. The only problem was that we spent 15 minutes in the car, letting the windshields thaw out, which never really happened. Anyway, after a short stint at the Lobby, and 2 lovely Maya-naps, we made our way out to Walgreens and Barnes and Noble for a quick afternoon outing. I must admit, it's much easier being out in the cold without a baby. She has a really warm car seat cover now, and I stuffed a blanket in there also, but sheesh... 13 degrees is no temp for an 8 month old. Especially for me, since I can't put my hands in my pockets while I'm wheeling the stroller or carrying the car seat. So... I guess I need warm gloves this winter. Fortunately, St. Lou doesn't get much colder than this. I can't wait to move to New Hampshire next year, where it's this cold for months on end (spoken very sarcastically, in case you didn't get that).
"I'm toasty in the house, Mom."

"Look! Quick! I'm standing!"


"I know I look sort of annoyed (I swear, I'm not), but Mommy thinks I look like Grammy's baby pictures in this photo. Grammy, what do you think?"

"I'm practicing my crawling, but can only go backwards. Soon I'll surprise Mommy and Daddy and crawl forward!"

"This is my silly 'I'm-up-to-no-good' face."

Don't be Angry at Me, Maya!

Last night, I put Maya down on the changing table to get her ready for tubby time, and she started screaming. I mean, really, truly screaming like she was in serious pain. I couldn't figure it out, so I chalked it up to evening fussies and being sleepy. As I started soaping her up in the tub though, I noticed her back felt rough, and when I looked, I noticed a huge scratch across her back. I realized that it must have been my watch scratching her as I put her down on the changing table! I felt terrible. Poor little muffin. You can't really tell from the photo, but there's a part of the scratch that's actually bloody. Ugh. Today there's a scab, so that's good. I don't think it really hurts her.

Anyway, our weekend was very uneventful, but nice nonetheless. We did a lot of organizing and cleaning yesterday, which is always a happy event. Living in such a small space requires extreme organization. Otherwise, it's clutter central. This weekend I worked on the pantry, the junk drawer, and the kitchen cabinets. Kevin dealt with his "office." I must say, it looks pretty good in here!

"I'm not angry, Mommy."

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Target is hilarious. Look at all this Christmas shoppers! Did you get me something for Hanukkah, Mommy and Daddy? I was good this year!"

"Here's the comb - now do my hair, Mommy!"

"Hahahaha! Bubble wrap is so silly. Look at this giant roll!"