Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah!

Wow, this is Maya's second Hanukkah! Can you believe it? The holiday kicked off on Friday night. We lit our menorah and gave Maya her first gift - a kiddo medical kit. It's pretty cute, but it might be a little mature for Maya, with a scalpel, emesis basin,syringe, etc. She likes putting the toys in the box and taking them out though. She also loves the stethoscope and the little bottle of medicine, because the top pops on and off. Last night, we gave her a "Little People Schoolhouse," which she adores. It also has its own carrying case, so she is walking around the house with a little school house and medical kit. So cute. I wonder what we should give her tonight...

"Mommy and Daddy took me to the Montshire yesterday! I love looking at the turtles and fish."

"You like my menorah and medical kit? I take Hanukkah very seriously."

"Scuffy and I are going to make a house call. I have all my tools, in case I need to do surgery. Daddy, are you coming to do the anesthesia?"

"Hey Mommy, do you hear my heart?"

"Mommy made veggie chili for Hanukkah dinner. Very unconventional, don't you think? Where's the brisket?"

R.I.P. Cooperella Play Area

So, as I mentioned, we met Brook, James, and Keira at Cooperella for a quick drink and playdate this afternoon. It was a really nice way to break up the day, especially since Kevin won't be home tonight (he's on call). Anyway, there was a big sign on the wall, saying that Cooperella, a coffee house which normally has a separate room with a play area for kids, is under new ownership, and will soon change the play area into an art gallery. I am really bummed about this, since it is a really popular place for kids, and it attracts a ton of mommies and babies. Oh well. We'll have to scope out other kid friendly hotspots... Let me know if you know of any (um, don't forget that we live in St. Louis).
"This is what Mommy calls 'sharing.'"

"There are a lot of toys here. I'm sort of mesmerized."

"James is more coordinated than me - I admit it. He's almost 2 though, so he's got a few months on me."

"Mommy, why did you put strawberries on the table, and then leave Keira and me to stare at them? Please put them in my mouth. Now."

"Hi."

Cruel, or just Plain Funny?

So, recently Maya has become downright addicted to Cheerios. She munches on them throughout the day, and would probably prefer to eat them for lunch and dinner as well (although I never serve them to her instead of meals!). Anyway, I often give her O's when we are out at the store, and I end up leaving her in her car seat (for short trips). As a result, she has begun to accumulate piles of O's in the bottom of her car seat. We obviously clean them up, but once in a while, they build up, and we'll see Maya crawling over to her car seat in the corner, pulling out the Cheerios. Anyway, last night we tried putting Maya in her "door jumper," which was a hand-me-down that we rarely use. I don't know why, but I found this to be incredibly funny. Note the car seat to the left of the screen...

Another One Bites the Dust??

Ever since Maya was a week old, she has occupied herself in the bouncy seat or the swing, in the bathroom, while I shower. We banished the swing to the basement about 2 months ago, since Maya had lost interest, and it was just taking up space. Yesterday, I was about to hop in the shower, so I asked Kevin (who was finishing up our unpacking) to strap Maya into the bouncy seat and bring her into the bathroom. I took a nice birthday shower, but when I got out, Maya seemed like she was about to roll out of the bouncy, and was quite distressed about not being able sit back. See photo below for details. I immediately blamed Kevin for not strapping her in, when I realized that he did, in fact, strap her in! So, do we need to get rid of the bouncy?? Oy. What will I do without my trusty bouncy seat?

"I prefer to sit on the floor."

"Am I really going to roll out of here?"

"Here's another view of me. How did I get into this position?"

"Check out my morning hairdo."