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Last night we had dinner at Brooke, Ray, and Nash's house. They were so nice to have us over for a celebratory New Year's Eve supper. They actually went to services afterward too. Wow. We had a great time with them.


"Mommy is giving me apples, in honor of a sweet New Year. No honey, Mommy. I'm not in the mood for botulism tonight."


"Nash, you are so good at your sippy. Got any pointers?"








Today, Maya is modeling the sweater dress that Auntie Nora knitted for her, especially for the high holidays. What do you think? She's very talented. Nora, I mean. Maya is talented, but in other ways - like eating, rolling, jumping, and smiling. I can't wait to take Maya to services in her pink dress. She'll be the talk of the city - or the talk of the temple - or the talk of our row in the temple - or at least the talk of our house. Any of those would be just fine.


"Thanks for the dress, Auntie Nora! It's a little big, but I feel so snuggly."


"I'm wearing leg warmers today, because it's crispy cool outside."


"Okay, I'm done here. I'm going to make an attempt to crawl away. Darn. Attempt failed. Maybe later."

Happy Half Birthday, Maya B.!

Today we are celebrating Maya's half birthday (that's 6 months, for those of you who are mathematically challenged). We will be celebrating by taking Maya to synagogue for Rosh HaShanah services. This is a good thing, because we'll get to go to temple, but a bad thing because we'll get to go to temple. Wait - what? Yeah, anyway, in honor Maya's half birthday, we watched the home video of her birth yesterday. It was quite amazing to see our reactions when we saw her for the first time. I guess you could call it surreal. Maya had no interest in the video, and she napped through the whole thing. Right now, she is jumping madly in the Jumperoo. She's also laughing like an evil scientist. It's very cute, but strangely creepy.

"This is my family. Happy birthday to me!"

My First Rosh!

Tonight will mark the beginning of Maya's first "out of body" high holiday season. Last year on Rosh HaShanah, I was about 12 weeks pregnant, but this year, Maya will get to partake in the Jewish New Year festivities. We don't actually have all that much planned. Tonight we are going to eat dinner with Brooke, Ray, and Nash. Tomorrow, we will attend children's services at local reform synagogue. As you can see, Maya is very excited about going to temple.

"Yay Rosh HaShanah! Gooooo temple!"

Snack Picnic

Yesterday afternoon, we took Maya to Castlewood State Park for a snack picnic. We packed our favorite snacks and laid out blankets on the grass in the shade. We fed Maya avocado, while we noshed on crackers, apples, and rice cakes. It was fun. Maya even wore her strawberry bib for the occasion. Maya is doing so well at sitting, we were able to feed her without the Bumbo or the high chair. Go Maya! Oh, and in other fun news, tonight, as I ate dinner, Maya rolled halfway across the family room. Wouldn't it be funny if she never learned to crawl, but if she rolled around instead?


"I need some help with my sippy. Thanks, Daddy."


"It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!"


"You think I'll ever be able to drink out of a bottle like that? You are so cool, Dad."

Guessing Games...

Okay, Readers - I have a game for you. Can you guess which food Maya has all over her face in these photos? Please post your guess in the comments section, and I will choose a winner, at random, from the correct responses. I have not chosen a prize yet, but I will be contemplating my options throughout the day today. Oh, and by the way, that is a straw in Maya's mouth. We've begun giving her water with her food, and she really enjoys when we give it to her through a straw. For some reason, the act of giving her a straw is incredibly entertaining for Kevin and me. You want to give it a try? Maybe next time you come visit (Wow. I'm actually bribing you to come visit, with the possibility of feeding Maya through a straw. How odd).


"Thanks. I was thirsty."


"What did I just eat?"

Big Doings...

Good evening, friends! We're home tonight, because Daddy had to work. We've had a semi-eventful day today. Kevin was home this morning, but we went to Cooperella to meet Brook and Brooke anyway. Unfortunately the morning ended on a sad note, as Nashy has some sort of bug which has him quite under the weather. Get well soon, Nash! After our morning out, we decided to make use of the new high chair. What do you think? She seems pretty small in it. We decided that we'll just pull the high chair up to the table for now. She can see very well over the tray yet, so I think this is best. What do you think (see photo)? In other very cool news, Maya finally rolled from her back to her belly tonight. She's been rolling from belly to back for a few months now, but this is a whole new ballgame. What a tremendous feat! As many of you know, Maya is not a big fan of tummy time, so this rollover was very impressive. Too bad Daddy missed it - hopefully she'll do a repeat tomorrow.


"Yeah, I'm awesome. Just did my first back to belly flip!"


"This is my new friend, Charlie. He's asleep in Christina's Moby, so you can't really see him, but he sure is yummy."


"Feed me. Oh, feed me please."


"Am I cute, or what?"

More...

Okay, here are 2 more of Liz's photos. I'll stop now though, because maybe you're getting bored. We're off for some "coffee talk" at Cooperella this morning. Maya woke up nice and fresh, so it should be a great day (knock on wood).

We have a good camera, but...

...not this good! We got our professional photos back from our friend Liz. She did an amazing job. It was a really crummy day outside, but she somehow made it look beautiful. I'm not going to lie - I was sort of against getting professional photos taken, because we have a pretty good camera, and I take so many photos, so it seemed silly to have someone else do it for us. I admit it though - I was wrong. Kevin and I are somewhat obsessed with the photos now. Here are a couple... I'll post more later.

Maya loves her mommy...

...but not enough to sleep through the night two days in a row. Oh well. Maybe tonight.

A Momentous Occasion...

Hooray! Wahoo! Maya slept through the night last night! Previously, when I said I hoped she'd sleep through the night, I meant that I hoped she'd sleep until about 4:00 a.m. That seemed like sleeping through the night. She did that twice, both when we were in Connecticut, when she'd gone to sleep fairly late. Last night, however, she went to bed by 8:20, and didn't wake up until a whopping 5:30. For those who are lousy at math, that's an incredibly 9 hours, and 10 minutes. Not only that, but she didn't even wake up screaming! She was happy and calm. I am so excited. Now, don't go thinking that I assume this will continue to happen. On the contrary, I'm sure tonight will be difficult. However, now I know she can do it, so I'm holding out hope that at some point she'll do it consistently. I'm so proud of you Maya!

"Grover and I are resting together."


"I know, I'm as shocked as you are about sleeping all night."


"Good kisses, Mommy."

Ode to Being a Babysitter.

Today we looked after Nash, while Brooke went to the doctor. She's due to have her baby in about 4 weeks, so the appointments are getting less toddler friendly. Brook and Brie brought their kids too, and we made a play date out of it. Truth be told, Nash loves his mommy. He missed her terribly, but eventually got over it and had a great time with us. The best part was when she came back. She crept in, and he got so excited, he almost cried. It was adorable. Why am I telling you this? Well, basically, I think Maya will be very attached to her mommy and daddy too. She really seems to enjoy hanging out with us. She's the most snuggly, affectionate, happy little baby. Lately, when we leave her in her room at night to go to sleep, she cries hysterically as we walk out the door. It makes me so sad, even though I know she needs to learn to go to sleep on her own. I know she just misses us. I miss her when she's sleeping too. Maybe that's strange, but sometimes I almost want to wake her up so we can play. Not today though. I'm tired too...


"More peas, please!"


"My hand is flapping around so much, you can barely see it!"


"I'm having a grand old time in my car seat!"


"Good morning, Mommy. I've been patiently waiting here for you. You like my vegetable sleeper?"

Food is Messy

Maya has recently gotten very excited when it comes to food. We usually put her in her Bumbo seat, and bring over a little bowl of food, a spoon, and wet paper towel, for cleaning. However, once Maya sees the food, she gets so excited, she starts flapping her arms and hitting the seat. It's completely adorable, except for the times when she accidentally hits the bowl of food, and it goes flying. Just the other day, the bowl hit the wall, and splattered green beans all over the floor, my pants, the wall, and the kitchen chairs. The only thing that stayed clean was - yeah, you guessed it - Maya. Lucky duck.



















"I'm ready for my tubby, Mama."

The Big Race

Yesterday, Kevin was called into work. What a bummer. Maya and I spent the day together, cleaning the house and running errands. At about 3:30, Kevin called and asked us to meet him at Forest Park to see the Great Balloon Race. So, Maya B. and I dropped everything and went to the hospital to meet Daddy. From there, we walked through the park until we got to the balloon launch site. It's pretty neat - they launch one balloon, and then then the other balloons chase it. When the first balloon (called the "Hare Balloon," since it's usually the Energizer Bunny balloon) lands, all the others try to throw a sack (of rice, or something?) from the air, and make it land closest to the Hare. The one that comes the closest is the winner.

Anyway, Maya came to the event, happy as a clam, but quickly fell asleep and missed the whole race. Go figure. Kevin ate something that was appropriately called a "sweet meat stick," (blech), and then we hit the road. We had a great time!


"Thanks for giving me your tablescraps, Mom. Sheesh. What am I, a dog?"


"Wow! This is so cool!"


"I like the view from here!"


"We missed you, Daddy! So happy you're done with work for the day!"


"Well, I'm done here. Good night."

Hot Air Balloons Everywhere!

Last night was Balloon Glow, which is an annual event at Forest Park, in St. Louis. It's always on a Friday night, and thousands of people gather to see about 50 hot air balloons lit up in a field. It's really a beautiful sight. All of the balloons are really advertisements for corporations, hospitals, airlines, movie theaters, etc. The balloons don't fly during Balloon Glow. They're just sitting there, and you can walk right up to them, which is really neat. Maya was a little angel during the evening. It was very noisy and there were thousands of people around, so I think she was probably very overstimulated by the situation. The second it was over, she completely flipped out - but I guess it was worth it. She didn't seem to care very much about the hot air balloons, but I think she had fun anyway. Kevin and I ate ice cream and just walked around the whole time. We didn't have a chance to meet up with friends, but it was nice hanging out as a family.


"I fell asleep in the car on the way to Balloon Glow, and now I'm all disoriented. Not sad, just confused..."


"Glad I get to hang out in the jogging stroller. It's comfy in here."


"Mommy, you're a master photographer!"


"Mmmmm. It's good to be home and in your bed. Do I have to sleep in my crib tonight?"


"I love when I'm fresh and clean."

Bonjour!

Have I mentioned that Maya loves food? In fact, she hasn't met a food she doesn't like, which is quite nice. Kevin and I are veggie lovers, so we're hoping she'll be the same. Here is a list (in order of when she tried them), of the foods she loves:
Cereal (barley is top notch)
Bananas
Applesauce
Prunes
Sweet Potatoes
Avocados
Peas
Green Beans
We just added green beans to the list yesterday, and it was an overwhelming success. Kevin isn't very neat in his feeding technique though. He needs some work. As you can see in the photos, Maya somehow ended up with a French man's goatee. She probably looks happy because Kevin and I were cracking up.


"Um, Daddy, you realize that if you put that much in my mouth, I'm likely to end up with it all over my face, right?"


"You see? My name is now Pierre."


"I shaved my mustache."


"Clean. String beans are fun."

Fun at DeMun

"Mmmmm. The sunshine feels yummy, Mommy!"













This morning we met Brook, James, and Keira, and Brie and Alex, at DeMun Park in Clayton. DeMun Park is a small gated area that has a big kids playground and a toddler playground. As an added bonus, there's a Kaldi's Coffee right down the block! We all wish it was a little closer to our houses, but that's okay. The kids had a great time playing. Maya and Keira had some back and belly time, and James and Alex made good use of the toddler slide. Let me tell you, the other little kiddos on the playground were super cute. The weather in St. Lou has been absolutely perfect lately, so it feels good to make good use of the sunshine and cooler temps. Now we are back home, just relaxing and getting ready for naptime.


"Mama, I love you. Have I ever told you that?"


"Keira, please come out and play with me."


"Finally! It's nice to have a friend on the blanket!"

Hey Dad!

Kevin came home from his trip in New Hampshire last night. He hasn't spent time with Maya yet, because he got home late, but we sure are happy to have him back. He'll be home with us tonight, which makes us so happy. Maya was such a good girl for the past few days. She's been sleeping great, and has been such a happy camper during the day. What a good girl!

In other news, Maya went to her first Bris today. Mindy and Rich named their baby boy "Corey Lee." He's so adorable. We didn't spend too long at the Bris, but we were glad we went. Mindy and Rich seem to be doing well, although I can only imagine how overwhelmed they must feel. It's like a distant memory to me, but those first weeks are definitely intense. Having 50 people around fawning over your 8 day old baby must be tough. That first week is so exhausting!

Anyway, I'm going to put Maya down for a nap. She's been a strange napper lately. She's been taking 3 short ones a day! In some ways it's good, but in other ways, it's really tough, because I never get my own nap! Selfish Mommy...


"Bye bye. I'm off to get some sleep."


"Please don't bother me while I'm getting in my tummy time."

Brrrrr.

It's getting chilly in St. Lou these days. I guess Fall is on its way. This morning we ventured out to Starbucks with Brooke and Nash. We bundled up the babies and sat outside. I love the fresh Fall air. After the brutally hot summer, the chill feels so nice. I miss New England this time of year. I think we're going apple picking next week, which is so exciting. Anyway, we came home today, and Maya got some exercise in the Jumperoo. I love watching her have a great time. It's pretty priceless.


"Bundle me! Bundle me! Mmmm. You're comfy, Mommy."


"Hi Mountain Man Nashy!"


"This is really fun."


"See me in action!"

Tubby Time with a Twist

It's fun to play with Maya's mop in the tub. Tonight I was going for a mohawk, but the photos don't do it justice. I think we need to buy some "No More Tangles." I'm starting to dreadlocks in Maya's future...


"This is my daily hairdo."


"Mommy, what are you doing? Are you making me look like a nerd?"


"You may like this now, but if I wear my hair like this when I'm in high school, you'll probably disown me!"

Harry Potter and Hermione

We had a pretty low key weekend. Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with Brooke, Nash, and Ray. Nash has a wizard costume, which is obviously adorable, He isn't a huge fan of the hat though, so he lent it to Maya. What a good sharer!

"Wow Nashy! Nice costume!"


"Thank you for lending me this hat!"


"I'm hiding."

R.I.P. Kiddapotamous

What is a Kiddapotamous, you ask? The Kiddapotamous is Maya's velcro swaddle. She actually has 3 of them, and we've been using them religiously at bedtime for the past few months. Occasionally, she squirms or kicks out of it, and I happily re-swaddle during her middle-of-the-night-feeding. Well, two nights ago, Maya decided she was done with the swaddle. She was like a flailing, kicking, out of control animal. After I put her to sleep, she squirmed out 11 times, before I said, "Forget it. No more swaddling tonight." I put her in a warm jammies, and we both proceeded to have a very fussy and restless night of sleep. It was awful. We are done with swaddling though, and determined to bear through the long nights. Last night was much better, so tonight will hopefully be great. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

"I'm 4 weeks old here, and loving the old Kiddapotamous. Don't I look like a snowman or a totem pole?"













In other news, Ike is making a cameo in St. Louis today. There is wild wind and a ton of rain. I see a loss of power in our future. Maya and I are staying snuggly and toasty at home.


"Rain is a recipe for bad hair, right Mommy?"


"Mommy took this photo from our front door. You can't really tell but it's raining cats and dogs and the trees are swaying like crazy."

Halloween is fast approaching...

So, we went to the mall today to return some things. You know, I always enjoyed the idea of Halloween, but I never realized how many absolutely adorable things they have for babies. Let's start with Pottery Barn Kids, where they have a 90 dollar hamburger costume. The kicker? It actually might be worth 90 dollars. It's that cute. I wanted to try some costumes on Maya, but I think she'd flip out, so we just tried the doggie ears. At Gymboree, the costumes are very princessy, which is not my style at all (and clearly, it's my style that counts), but Kevin found this adorable cowboy hat. Maya isn't too fond of head wear though. I mean, she enjoys her bows, but give her a hat or headband and she'll bite your head off. Oh well. Her costume has a hood this year. I hope it's cold out so she'll want a warm head...


"Let's go to the mall, Mommy! Daddy, you should come too!"


"What do you think I am? A dog?"


"Yippy yay ay!"

Just for Practice

Lately, we've been practicing sitting. She's almost a pro!

Okay, now for the good stuff.

Christina and Ed served Charlie George with eviction papers this week... 3 weeks early! Maya and I went to visit them at the hospital on Tuesday. Charlie is just yummy, and Christina and Ed are elated.


"Ed, you remind me of my Daddy when I was brand new..."


"Christina, I think you're gonna be the best mommy ever!"










While we're on baby news, Mindy and Rich also had a little boy this week They're still mum on the baby's name though. We're hoping to go visit them soon too.

Hmmmm. What else? I'll think about it and get back to you.


"Hey guys! We'll have a more interesting week next week!"

I'm not naming any names, but...

..."someone" said I seem like I'm having a bummer of a week (you know who you are!). Well, I guess it's true. I am, in fact, having sort of a tough week. Let me explain why. First of all, Maya is going through something. I don't know what, but it's definitely something. Her sleep is off, and her eating is strange and fussy. I can only attribute it to teething, but who knows? Eh. She'll get over it. In addition, there's my back problem, which is sort of making me feel a little bummed out. I'm thinking that it might be slowly mending itself though. The problem is, my house is getting messier and messier, and I'm having a hard time bending over to clean it up. Lastly, we haven't done much this week. It's been very slow and boring, which is never fun. Brooke has cold (loads of fun at 8 months pregnant), Brook is on vacation in Seattle, and I haven't been able to connect with Brie, due to all sort of random circumstances. So we've been particularly anti-social. However, today we did go out with Brooke and Nash. Brooke gave us a lovely array of fruit preserves from The Loveless Cafe in Nashville, where they went last weekend. Yum. You may or may not know that I'm a fan of jams and jellies. Oh, and seeing Brooke and Nash was nice too.

"Hey Nash, don't tell my mom, but I'm planning on having a major meltdown in the car on the way home."


So there you have it... the week wasn't all bad.I think I'll write a separate post about the good stuff though. I wouldn't want to put a damper on good news, you know?

"Care to serve me breakfast in bed, Mommy?"


Oh, but before I go, I should let you know that little Maya is sitting in her exersaucer right now, playing like crazy. She's hilarious - just babbling and laughing and moving around these little wooden things. She sometimes starts to whine, and if I look over at her, she gives me this face that I'm taking to mean, "Hi Mom. Thanks for looking at me." What a sweetie.

"This exersaucer is particularly amusing today."

Maya is feeling out of sorts today.

We had a strange day today. Maya just went down for a nap, and it's already 4:00. Hmmmm. I wonder if she'll sleep tonight. I feel like we are regressing in the sleep category. It's no fun, but I'm sure we'll sort it out. Maya is one feisty little girl. She knows what she wants, and when she wants to be awake, she'll be awake. But hey, who can resist this face?

Daddy Time.

So, yesterday Kevin was post-call - this means he had just finished a 24 hour shift, and was home to play with us. Well, he napped first, and then he was a tremendous helper. My back has been hurting, so Kevin had a lot of Maya time. They practiced sitting, and Kevin gave Maya a bath. Too bad he didn't realize there were snaps on the back of her shirt. He couldn't get it over her head. It was really funny, although Maya didn't think so.

"Daddy? Is it just me, or are you carrying me exceptionally low to the ground?"


"Dad! Oh my gosh! The snaps! Help! Get this thing off my head!"


"See? I'm sitting!"

Maya B. Folds Laundry

Maya enjoys sitting in the bassinet in the basement, while I dump clean laundry on her.

"Do it again! Do it again!"

We didn't do anything today.

Well, that's not exactly true. I agreed to organize a Halloween Party for WUMCHA (the Women's group at WashU), so I met with another woman who is working on it with me. I decided this morning that I wasn't going to do very much today, because I suddenly have a bum lower back. I think I lifted Maya one too many times the other night when she was up half the night. Ever since then, my back is just awful. Grrrr.

Ooo, one more tidbit about today!

We went to get Baby Orajel at WalMart. There was no bar code on the tube, and we were at the self-checkout, so the cashier came over and said, "Do you know how much this was?"
I said, "Yeah, $4.44."
So she said, "What? 50 cents? Okay."
What a nice woman. She liked Maya so she gave us a good deal. Excellent.


"Thanks for the Orajel, WalMart Lady. Maybe I'll pop out a tooth for you soon!"


"Mmmmmm. Cupcakes."


"Mommy is tired, but I'm ready to party."

What's that you say?

Do you hear what I hear? Okay, I know she's just babbling, but I love it!!! I can't wait until she knows what it means!

Maya-lestones

Maya drinks from a bottle at night, just before bed, so she can take her vitamins and medicine. Last night she insisted on holding her own bottle. It was very sweet. She actually held it for her entire meal! She's really getting strong.


"I can't wait to eat at Sweet Tomatoes like my Mommy and Daddy!"


"I'm playing with my toys in my carseat. You like my hood?"


"You see?? I can hold my own bottle!"

So much for being a good sleeper...

Maya was awake from 11:30 p.m. until 4:30 a.m. this morning. We are all tired. Poor little muffin. We couldn't figure out what was wrong, but she sure was fussy!

Hey Maya? Are you alive in there?

Maya woke up at 12:45 and 4:30 last night. Usually this 4:30 time is a final wake up, and I dread it, because it means a looooong morning. Ugh. So this morning I was determined to get her back to sleep - that way neither of us would be cranky. At about 5, I put her in her swing in the family room. She went right to sleep, but I soon realized that Kevin had his alarm set for 5:15, and he'd surely wake her during his morning routine. So, I decided to move the swing while Maya was in it. This used to be an easy feat, when she was 8 pounds or so. Doing it now, without crashing it into walls and doorways is a huge challenge. Anyway, I dropped off the swing in her room, pointed the video monitor at her, and ran for my life. At about 5:30 I heard her whining, and I called out to Kevin, "Throw in the pacifier!" You know what happened???

I didn't hear from her until 7:20!!! Holy cow! What a little princess!


"Brooke, I know you bought this for your baby, but can I have it?"


"Sure Nash! I can share your mommy's lap with you!"


"Hey James! Wanna play with me in the dog bed?"


"Save me, James! I fell!"

Teething Maya?

I suspect Maya might be teething. She's been a drooling, biting, chewing, fussing little monkey. I can't see any teeth sprouting yet, but I'm guessing that they are on the horizon. I'll miss her gummy smiles, but I can't wait to check out her pearly whites.

"Do I look like this panda?"


"This is my pacifier smile."


"Um, is this teething ring supposed to help?"


Someday soon, you might even see my teeth when I smile."

This One's for you, Grammy!

Poor Grammy can't watch the videos at work! Blasted firewall! Here are some photos of hot Maya in the kitchen last night. Oh, and PS - the air is now at 75. We hit an all time high of 81 last night. Awesome.


"I'm hot. Thank goodness for birthday suits."


"Daddy, thank you for taking me away from the fan. I was actually getting chilly. But now I'm hot again. Sheesh."

What?! You want more??

Here is the continuation of the fan video... in case you needed a little more Maya. Oh, and just to update you on the situation - our house is still 80 degrees. It's going to be 76 tomorrow though. Thank goodness.

It's Hot.

Yes, we are in one of those "end-of-summer-in-St.-Louis" heat waves. Ugh. To top it all off, our air conditioner is in desperate need of being replaced, and our house is officially 80 degrees. It's really bad... Anyway, Maya was starting to get very schvitzy (a.k.a. she was sweating like a wrestler), so we put her in the Bumbo Seat in front of the fan. She was having a great time. Sometimes we blow in Maya's face, and she really gets a kick out of it. This time, the fan was blowing on her, so I think she was a little confused... Check it out.

Yum.

Apparently, Maya would eat just about anything...

A Few of my Favorite Things...

It's amazing how after only 5 months, Maya knows exactly what she likes... and of course, she also knows what she doesn't like. Here's a list:

Things Maya likes (in no particular order):
1. Mommy
2. Daddy (remember, this is in no particular order)
3. Shopping
4. Long walks (except she doesn't do the walking)
5. Food (this includes milk, bananas, applesauce, sweet potatoes, avocados, prunes, and barley cereal)
6. Her birthday suit
7. Music (particularly when people sing to her)
8. Funny faces and noises
9. Kisses
10. Lazy mornings in bed with Mom and Dad
11. Pacifiers (mostly for resting)
12. Stretching
13. Clean diapers
14. Friends
15. Showers and Baths
17. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins
18. Her feet (yum)
19. Her hands (yum)
20. Mommy's hair
21. Mommy and Daddy (we deserve to be on the list twice, right?)

Things Maya doesn't like:
1. Long car rides
2. Boring days at home
3. Dirty dipes that don't get changed immediately
4. Sudden loud noises
5. Playing with one toy for longer than 10 minutes (this is a serious no-no)
6. Dinnertime for Mommy and Daddy (We think Maya gets jealous)
7. Being sleepy but not asleep (this is tough - she's fussy, but not ready for bed)

Okay. That's all I can think of. I love that the happy list is so much longer. What a good girl!


"Morning snuggles with Mommy - see List 1, number 10."


"Daddy time - see List 1, number 2."

Catfight!

Last night we attended a Labor Day feast at Brooke, Ray, and Nash's house. Brook, Ben, Keira, and James came also, and we had a great time. Kevin and Ray brewed beer all day before Maya and I came over. Better him than me - it was over 90 degrees outside! Sheesh. You've gotta really love beer to want to be outside brewing in that kind of heat. Anyway, once we were all there, we put the girls on the floor for some playtime. Keira can't get enough of tummy time, while Maya is a perpetual back-roller. See the chaos that ensued, as the girls scooted closer and closer to each other...


4:45 p.m.: "This is nice, Mommy! I'm on my back, and Kiki is on her belly. To each her own."


4:47 p.m.: "I think I'll see if I can stick my hand in Kiki's mouth..."


4:50 p.m.: "What? You didn't like my fist in your mouth? Well, how would you like my fingers in your eye?"


4:52 p.m.: "Sorry Kiki. I didn't mean to hurt you."


4:53 p.m.: "Kiki forgave me!"