Best Buds

Maya and Mommy love each other.

5 Months

Maya's 5 month birthday was yesterday. I honestly can't believe that she's been around for a whole 5 months. Seems impossible. Anyway, in honor of her birthday, we decided to join Brooke, Ray, and Nash, at the Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Unfortunately, we went way too early to see the cooking, drumming, and other demonstrations. It got so hot, so quickly, that we ended up leaving by noon. Oh, it was so gross outside. As uncomfy as I was, Brooke is very pregnant, and must have been ready to faint. Blech. After the festival, we went to a picnic at a local park. Our old friend Lisa, who I used to work with at school, has been having this picnic for the past 2 years, and it's always nice to see people. Christina and Ed came, along with their almost born baby. Christina is sporting a fairly giant belly, which is super adorable. I miss my giant baby bump sometimes, but 5-month-Maya is even better.

"This octopus is gigantic. I don't even know if I can handle it."


"Here's another beret photo. Maybe it's too big on me..."


"I'm so serious in my jogging stroller. Or maybe it's just way too sunny for me."


"Mommy, Nash and Ray look so cute on the sheep. Can I try it with Daddy? Maybe when I'm bigger."


"Mommy, I think Christina's baby just kicked me! When Charlie comes out, I'm going to kick him back!"

Morning Snuggles

This morning, we joined Daddy in bed for some morning cuddle time. We had a lot of plans for the morning, so it was nice to just spend some time together before the day officially started. Since I had swaddled Maya in only her diaper, I put her in her kimono-esque robe, courtesy of Jenny and Hailey. She looked so sweet. We love it when Daddy has a chance to stay in bed instead of rushing to leave for work.

"Grammy sent me this beret. Do you like it? I'm not sure how to wear it - does it look okay this way?"


"Mommy, Daddy, and Beth took me out for ice cream. I'm too little, but it sure looked good..."


"Can I have just a leeeetle bit of ice cream, Mommy? Just this much?"


"This is a very stylish bathrobe. Thanks Hailey!"

Do I love this? Or does it annoy me?

Maya is officially ticklish. You know when someone tickles you, and you laugh, but in reality, you actually want to punch them in the face? Check this out...

Maya B. Endorses Obama.

She wanted me to let you know...

Maya goes to Court.

Yes, Maya made her first court appearance last night. Well, sort of. We went with Kevin, who was asked by "Animal Control" to appear in court as a witness, in a case against a loud local dog. Sounds unbelievable, right? So, Maya and I accompanied him to the town hall and proceeded to spend 45 minutes staring into space and wondering what was going on. Yeah, it was totally boring and uneventful. Kevin didn't end up needing to do anything, as it was settled before it even got started. I kind of hoped it would be somewhat exciting - like Judge Judy or something - but alas, it was dullsville. Oh well. Maya behaved like a little lady in court though. Maybe she'll be a lawyer someday, just like Grampy and Aunt Nora. You think?


"What?!? Daddy is going to make me eat liver? That's heresay!"


"Objection! I move to strike, Mommy!"


"Your honor, I call Mommy to the stand."

Hello, Friends!

We're hanging out with Daddy today. It's so good to have him home. He actually slept last night, so we're happy that he can have fun times with us today.

Just us Girls!

"Hailey and Keira and I are just pretending to love tummy time."

Welcome Home, Daddy!

Kevin came home from North Carolina last night. Maya was very excited. We missed him, even though he was only gone for one night. I think he missed us too. He is on call tonight, so we only got a little sample of him last night, before he went back to work today. Fortunately, he'll be home tomorrow morning, so we can play with him then. Just think - in less than a year, we'll have more Daddy time!

I could sleep for several days straight.

I am really exhausted. That is all. I have a strong suspicion that we are nowhere even close to Maya sleeping through the night. She still a sweetie though. She's a little cranky this morning though. I think she's in the market for a long nap today. At least I hope so!


"Mom, do I have any teeth coming in? Check for me, please."

Long Day.

We had long, yet uneventful day today. Ugh. Maya has decided not to nap for the past couple of days, which seems to make the day interminable. Don't get me wrong - I love spending time with my munchkin, but she's a much happier kiddo when she's gotten enough rest. I think she might have a bit of a belly ache today too. Just a hunch. It seems like her food really enjoys sitting in her belly for long periods of time... if you know what I mean. She was still a happy camper today though. Just a little sensitive. Hey, she's a girl - she has every right to be moody. It's good practice for teenager-hood.


"This new jogging stroller is first rate, Mom! It's time to get your butt in gear and go for a run! Go!"



"My hand tastes even better than sweet potatoes, and I always have it with me!"

Daddy took the computer.

Kevin left for a trip to North Carolina this morning. We drove him to the airport at 6:45, and now we're home relaxing before we head out to take a walk. Unfortunately, we might be absent from blogging for the next couple of days, since Kevin took both the laptop and the camera. We'll try to make it to the desktop though. Not to worry!

"I miss you, Daddy! Come home soon please!"

Fun with Alex!

Yesterday was a very low key day for us. We spent the morning with Brooke, Nash, Ray, Brie, and Alex at the mall play area. After that, Maya and I came home so that she could take a nap in her crib. I'm not a big fan of napping in the car seat, since she doesn't seem to sleep very deeply there. After Maya woke up, we headed over to Brie's house for some playtime. Alex just celebrated his 1 year birthday, and he is such a big boy! He showed Maya how to play in the exersaucer, and he also showed her where her eyes, ears, and nose are located. He's a brainiac, and he walks like a pro. It's fun to go to other peoples' houses, because Maya likes to play with new toys.

"I love your exersaucer, Alex! Thanks for keeping it squeaky clean for me."


"Alex, where are my ears?"


"I need a break, Mommy. I've been playing hard!"

What a good rester!

Okay, so Maya seems to be back on track with her sleep. She is going to sleep at 8:00(ish), and waking up around 1 or 2 to eat, and then sleeping until 5:30(ish). Sometimes I can get her to rest for another hour after that, if she is in her swing, and it's silent in the room. Unfortunately, Kevin wakes up right around that time, which makes it tough, because she can't sleep through him getting ready. Don't get me wrong - it's not Kevin's fault. Actually, it's the fault of our house, because it's the size of a postage stamp, and we are all sort of on top of each other. Maya can't seem to go back to sleep in her crib though, once it's already 5:30. I'm not sure why. The problem is, if she doesn't go back to sleep, she's cranky by 7. Sheesh. Babies! I tell ya.

Maya, I hope you know...

...that Grammy really misses you.

Stretching: Take 2

Back by popular demand: Maya's first stretch of the day. I took this video this morning. Please excuse Maya's lovely bedhead, and Mommy's shaky camera hands. I hope you do not leave this video feeling motion sick. Enjoy!

We be Crafty.

So, after Aunt Nora gave us a beautiful hand-knit dress and 2 sweaters, I decided it's about time I learned how to knit. Yesterday I bought a "Teach Yourself to Knit" kit, and I've been working on it feverishly. Today I visited Brooke and her family at Brooke's house, and her mom (a wonderful knit-ress) taught me some basics. I'll be a pro in no time. At least I hope so. In other news, I got together with Brook, James, and Keira this morning. We went malling and then back to our house. It was fun times. I'm on a baby food making kick, and I think Brook will be partaking in the baby food fun. Did I mention that Maya digs sweet potatoes? Well, she doesn't literally "dig"them, but she enjoys them! Next stop? Avocados (my opinion of avocados? Blech.)...


"Mommy, your jokes are hilarious!"


"Please knit me some clothes, so I'm not naked all the time. Thank you.""

Thanks for your Comments!

"I like when you write to me!"

Kvetchy McDaniels.

That was the subject of the text message I sent to Kevin last night before he came home. For those of you who are not well versed in Yiddish, "kvetch" means something like complain, whine, cry, whoa is me, etc. Basically, Maya was super duper, incredibly, amazingly, irritatingly fussy last night. It was sad, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. She hasn't been sleeping well, which makes everything much more difficult. Anyway, the point is at 8:00, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I just took her sad little body, put it in the crib, and walked away. She fell asleep within 5 minutes. Go figure. I guess she was just exhausted. She slept a little better last night, but now I can't get her to go down for a nap. Sheesh. When will I figure her out??

"Wait! Don't take the picture? Am I presentable? How's my hair?"


"Wait again! Let me check my outfit for spit up stains!"

3-6 Months...

We are finally starting to put Maya in some 3-6 month clothes. Yes, she is almost 5 months, and yet her petite little bod has not allowed us to move past the 0-3 month clothes... until now! The thing that bothers me, is that we have all these clothes that we got as gifts, and I can't remember who gave us any of them! So, if you're the one who gave us this adorable hippo outfit, come out and show yourself. I'm madly in love with it - I think it's the animals. There's something about little fuzzy hippos that just makes me smile. Maya likes it to - in fact, she likes it so much, she didn't even spit up on it a single time yesterday. She stayed in it all the way until her evening shower. She did go through 3 bibs, but hey, at least the outfit stayed dry, right?


"I like your bed, Mommy. But where are the bars?"


"See? I love this outfit!"

Come on, Daddy!

Maya wants to be standing lately. It's so cute. Yeah, we've tried letting go, and she goes crashing to the ground - well, the bed or the lap I should say. She's a strong one though!


"Let's go, Dad! You always take forever to get ready!"

Um, where are you guys?

Ahem! Why is no one commenting on Maya's blog lately? Boo on all of you lurkers! Come out, come out, wherever you are!

A Friend for Maya.

Maya went to her second baby shower yesterday. Our friends, Mindy and Rich, are expecting a little bundle in the middle of September. You can barely tell that Mindy is pregnant in this photo, but she sure looks adorable! Just as we were about to leave the shower, Mindy told me that she had a little gift for Maya. What?!? This is your shower, Mindy! Not mine! But of course, Maya loves presents, so we graciously accepted. Mindy and Rich gave Maya the most adorable little snuggly (see photo), and it has her name on it! It's very similar to Doug (Maya's cuddle duck), but it's personalized, which I always love. Why do I love personalized things so much? How strange. Anyway, we are naming this snuggly, "Little Maya," since it says "Maya" on it. We'll have to figure out how to let Little Maya and Doug share the carseat equally. We don't want anyone to get jealous, do we?

Maya Enjoys a Good Picnic.

Last night we went to a picnic at Forest Park with the anesthesia department. Some of you may be thinking, "A picnic with a bunch of anesthesiologists? Ugh. What could be more boring??" Well, suprise! It was a great time. It's funny, because usually the department is known for their monthly "Happy Hour" at a local bar, but this was so much better, considering the fact that almost everyone has children. Maya seemed to enjoy herself, and it was a beautiful day here in St. Lou, so I'm really glad we went.

"Thanks for letting me have a little suck, Mommy."


"I know I should eat this until I'm 8 months old, but a little slurp slurp can't hurt... Oh, and don't worry Mom - I'm going to spit up in about 30 seconds anyway."


"This was fun, but it's time for me to go home and get my rest."

There's No Place Like Home.

We're home again! Yup, back to St. Louis, as of yesterday evening. Maya and I flew home together, because Kevin went home last weekend. I must admit, I was really nervous to fly home alone with Maya. We had so much gear, and it seemed impossible for me to carry all our stuff - but a baby on top of it all? No way. My mom ended up coming with us to the gate (thanks for the pass, Southwest Airlines!), and I had several helpers throughout my 2 flights. All in all, it was a positive experience. Maya was such a good girl the whole time - thank goodness. On our way to Connecticut, she was less than thrilled by the flying experience, but I think she recovered! Now we just need to get her back on a sleeping schedule. She is all turned around from her change in routine, but I'm working on her. Ugh. Wish us luck.


"Mommy? Will you start me on candy next week? Pretty please?"


"I love hanging out with Ryan and Lizzie, Mommy. Can we come to Connecticut more often?"


"I'm wearing a diaper. I swear."


"Mommy took this photo herself! Isn't she awesome?!?"

Mozart Maya

Maybe she'll be a musician...

Happy Birthday, Grampy!

Grampy turned 60 years old on Saturday! We had a celebration at home, and Grammy and Grampy's family joined us. Maya had a great time, despite her whacky nap schedule that day. Most importantly, Grampy had a really good time seeing his family. We probably didn't take enough photos at the party, but here are the highlights:

"Aunt Beth, you have such a comfy lap. I wish I could take you home with me!"











"Happy birthday, Grampy! You're a lot older and wiser than me."













"Grammy takes me outside when I get fussy in the house. Must be cabin fever, because I always calm down when she sings to me out here."

Shout Out to Daddy!

We dropped Kevin off at the airport yesterday at 4:45, for his 6 p.m. flight. He was supposed to arrive in St. Lou at 10:30, but instead, didn't arrive until this morning at 4:45 a.m. He was less than amused. At 1:45 this morning, when I was awake feeding Maya, Kev called to say that he was sleeping on a cot at the airport in Chicago. Ugh. Poor guy. He's very happy to be back in St. Louis today. We miss him though. He's on call tonight, so hopefully he'll get some shuteye in the morning. Hey Kev - if you're reading this, you should know that I made applesauce for Maya, and she loved it! She misses you though. Today we took her to the West Farms Mall. I think Maya feels very comfy at malls. She tends to take good naps in them. Must be because she spends so much time there in St. Lou. Hmph. Maybe she'll be a shopaholic someday.






"Today I rested in Auntie Deb's arms at the mall. She loves me."














"What are you looking at?"














"I really like Aryella's exersaucer. So girlie..."













"Thanks for holding me, Mommy. You're my best bud."