A Messy Video

Lately, Maya always wants more food. At dinnertime, we load up her plate with veggies, some kind of meat or bean, and pasta or some other grainy food. It always seems like a lot of food, but she enjoys it when we put more on her plate, even if she isn't finished yet. Most of the time, she finishes her meal with a handful of raisins. She adores the sweetness of raisins, and is constantly whining for more, so we taught her how to sign "more," instead of whining and squealing when she's ready for a refill. Please note that this is at the end of a meal, so she's kind of a mess, and we were just trying to keep her entertained while we cleaned the kitchen. Our little "raspberry fight" is probably not particularly good table manners, but sometimes I can't help myself!

Pull-Ups

Maya has been crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything lately! She has the best time playing in her bedroom, and we spent an hour in there last night, just finding new things to pull on, and new corners to hide out. I wonder when she'll start walking. She seems to be raring to go these days. She is surely a curious little monkey!
"Is it raining in here?"

"Mommy, you left your phone over here. I'm bringing it over."

"I"m getting up! It's hard work, but I can stand! Now that I'm up, please wipe the spaghetti sauce off my nose."

"Pick me up, Mommy!"

"No, really Mommy - take your phone. I'm sick of holding it."

Random Fun Times

This wasn't meant to be a "Daddy's Home" video, but Kevin happened to come home during it. Maya wasn't quite as excited as last time, but she loves her daddy!

Where have we Been?

Busy weekend... Well, sort of. Kevin worked a lot this weekend, and Saturday was full of dealing with realtors, de-cluttering the house, running errands, and then we had a function with the anesthesia department in the evening. On Sunday, it was just Maya and me, and we had a blast. It was a very relaxed day, which is always nice, although we really missed having Kevin around. I can't wait until next year, when Kevin will be home more often in the evenings. I'm pretty much done with this whole residency thing. It's starting to wear on my nerves! Today we went to visit Kevin at work, and now Maya is napping sweetly in her bed. I have a lot of photos from the weekend. More to come!
"Mommy, do you want this? It's empty."

"Ha! I pull it away, just as you grab for it! I gotcha!"

"This is a silly game, Mommy. You're funny."

"I finished my food, so now I eat the plate."

"Wait, these aren't food! These are my new shoes!"

Best Mood Ever.

Maya had a great night last night. She was at her absolute best. I made her a little polenta pizza at 5:30, but she was still hungry afterward, so I steamed up some corn and carrots and put them on her tray. She proceeded to feast on them for an hour, while Kevin and I ate dinner. She was the most giggly baby - playing peek-a-boo and other silly games while she ate. After dinner we played in our bedroom, singing songs, having tickle fights, and jumping on the bed. Maya had a blast. She was so exhausted at bedtime, she fell asleep in about 5 seconds. I love happy Maya. She is so interactive and funny. Her current favorite game is peek-a-boo. She wants to play it nonstop. I have to admit, I'm really starting to like it, too!
"Just playing with my cups."

"Mommy, I had fun, but now I'm positively exhausted!"

On the Mend

"I'm really sick of hanging out at home."

"We're going out?? Where?"

"The bookstore? Yes!!! My favorite!"


We finally went out this morning! After basically staying at home since Thursday of last week, we ventured out to the mall this morning, to meet Brooke, Nash, Margot, and Brook at Barnes and Noble. We happened to run into Mindy, Corey, Jennifer, and Addison too, so it was a party! Maya did some excellent playing at the train table, followed by a trip to the toy store. It was a really nice, quick morning. I love healthy Maya - she's so much fun!

Crafty Mama vs. Whiny Baby

So... it seems that something is up with Maya. I can't figure out if she's not feeling well, or if she's experiencing some discomfort from teething. It's a mystery. All I know if that she's super fussy, and is opting not to eat any solids (besides her sacred Cheerios). Needless to say, we haven't had much time for snapping happy photos... It's a bummer, because today is a beautiful day, and I would love to take Maya outside for a while. Maybe we'll venture out for a walk when Maya wakes up from her nap. Anyway, I've spent the week working hard on a new craft project, courtesy of Brooke (and her mom!). We've been making fabric, fold-up dollhouses (got the pattern from another blog). I've made 2 so far (only because I'm trying to perfect them - I'm not the best seamstress!). I'm having the best time, and I think it's safe to say that Kevin has never seen me excited about a project. I hope that one day Maya can play house with these. Just the thought of it gives me goosebumps!

"I love to empty Mommy's bag. I'm currently eating coupons. You know, the broccoli coupon doesn't taste like actual broccoli. Too bad."

"I'm coming, Mommy."

"Can you tell I feel a little 'off'?"

Maya in Training

We went to play at the train table at Barnes and Noble yesterday. For the first time, Maya was able to stand there and play! The other little boy who was playing there (he was three) didn't really understand that Maya was a little too small to actually get out of his way though. I guess she's still a tad too little to play with the big kids!

This Weekend was a Yawn.

We had a nice weekend, but it was pretty boring. Kevin was on call yesterday, and we didn't have much to do, so we ran errands, played at home, and took a walk at the mall. It was a nice day, but we missed Kevin. Today was also pretty low key. Tomorrow, we are getting our basement floor painted, so Maya and I are going to leave the house for the day. I'm pretty nervous about it, since I'm not exactly sure what we'll do for an entire day out of the house, but I'm sure we'll make it work. We need to go to the outlets to return some things, and I'm hoping Maya will get some sleep in the car on our travels. We'll see. I'll let you know what we decide to do!

"Mommy, what are you doing back there?"

"I see snacks! That's what happens when I take my bath in the kitchen!"

"Um, Mommy? What am I wearing??"

"No pictures, please. This outfit is ridiculous!"

"You mean I have to unload the dishwasher?"

We're Moving Soon.

Maya and I are trying to find a more balanced schedule these days. Since Kevin and I will be putting the house on the market in about a month, it's crucial that I do some work on the house - like keep it clean and de-clutter... Anyway, I'm trying to find a balance between errands, social time, and home time. Yesterday we went to Brooke's house in the morning, and then we came home for a nap, followed by cooking, cleaning, and exercising. It felt like such a nice, low key day. It was also great when Kevin came home to a bright and clean house, complete with a lovely dinner on the table. I guess I'm a sucker for being a homemaker. It felt so good!

"Now that I'm done with my dinner, I would like to eat your dinner."

"I love family dinner!"

"Pick me up, please! I want to be on your lap!"

"I use this stool as a table while Mommy exercises."

"Did Mommy tell you? I'm crawling everywhere now!"

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."

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."

Things I like...

Eating
Daddy time
My swing
Eating
Resting with Mommy
Back rubs
Tubby time (not to be confused with tummy time, which I hate)
Eating
My snuggly duck