Outdoors

So we spent some more time out on the lawn with Maia this weekend. While still not exactly a fan , she did eventually crawl through the grass... mostly because I sat myself down a few yards away from her. The best part about this pic... when I showed Maia on the computer screen... she put her hands up: "Sooooo Big!"

9 Month Checkup

We had Maia's check up today. Despite the ongoing runny nose, her ears and lungs are clear, so we're glad of that. She's on target with everything else. She is, in fact, a bit on the tiny side. Admittedly, the general growth charts are not specific to breastfed babies, who tend to trend lower. Said the pediatrician today: I might worry, but all you have to do is look at her to know she's thriving! Maia was happy to show her doctor how busy she is! So the details are: Weight: 17 lbs, 8 oz - 23rd percentile Height: 27 1/2 inches - 42nd percentile Head: 44.5 - 60th percentile (still a big noggin! Lots o' brain!) We're definitely seeing increasing comprehension when we're talking to her. And I think that we might be able to say her first word (such as it is) is "Uh-oh!" She's been immitating the noise in her own way for a couple weeks now (it started as "uh-uh"), but now she is using it correctly in response to when she drops something, or someone else does. She also uses the "no" head shake appropriately (often in conjunction with being offered something she isn't interested in or ready for - like food). When getting ready for bed, Maia often decides that she's not sleepy and wants to play once she's got her clothes off. So it comes down to either chasing her with a clean diaper and jammies, or letting her blow through the rest of her energy. So here's the progress she's made. Tell me this child isn't determined!?

Happy Memorial Day!

We had another beautiful day, and headed out to Grand Haven State Park with Grandma & Papa Veenstra, Aunt Kathleen, Uncle Andrew, Emily, Adrian and Lydia. She really really enjoyed the sand. It kept her entertained for quite some time. Quite a contrast to grass (which she is NOT a fan of!) Maia's first experience with Lake Michigan... a chilly 50 degrees. Despite the cold of the lake, she had no fear crawling right back to the water's edge to explore some more. She later got a really good splash with a larger wave while crawling, and she finally let out a good whine. Of course, by this point in the day, she was pretty exhausted. But she did SOOO well!

9 Months

I can't believe she's nine months old already!! This weekend, we did took part in the Stomp Out Stigma charity walk (as we do every year). It was rather cold and rainy, but Maia was pretty tolerant until the end, when she got very tired. She's getting much faster and more adept with this walk-behind toy.

Cruisin'

Nine months old today... I can hardly believe it!! Last night she stood by herself for a good 2-3 seconds, at the end of which she just bent her knees and sat down. No falling... just sat down. Now that she's figured out that she can move one toy by walking behind it, she's applied that knowledge to others. Her "uh-uh!" is her consistent response to Ray or I saying "uh-oh!" I gotta get those noisy toys! "So Big" and waiving (often using her whole arm at this time) are also newer games. Waiving has been a few weeks now (although I couldn't get her to do it on camera), but "So Big" just started this week. This is a favorite evening game. She'll do this more if you're sitting on the floor with her, and she's winding down for the night. This is the same toy used to be a back/tummy time floor toy, but reworked. She LOVES to crawl through it, and then crawl under her exersaucer.

Mother's Day

For my first (official) Mother's Day, Ray made me a fantastic meal of meatballs and sauce. YUM! We had my parents, and my sister's family over for dessert and coffee in the late afternoon. Maia is not fully into a phase of stranger anxiety, but she gets mildly clingy when people appear whom she has not seen for a while. Fortunately, she warms up quickly. The kids, however, never fail to get her happy, excited, and quickly heading toward overstimulated! Are they coming? Maia and her cousins: Lydia, Maia, Emily, Adrian Maia and My Mother Me, My Mother, My Sister

Working on her skill set

Where did my baby go? Temper? Who has a temper? I'm not happy because I ran out of room!

Swinging into May

Maia got a swing from Aunt Tara for Christmas, and while Maia and I shopped for some things for the house, Ray hung the swing. We were quite fortunate that two large hooks had already been drilled into a sturdy branch of our large maple in the back yard. It was a lovely afternoon to try it out! As you can imagine our Girl-On-the-Go just LOVED it! She also learned out to open cabinet doors this week, and just realized here that there was something inside. Wasn't sure what to do about the stuff inside, though...

April days (8 months)

Maia came back from New York with a nifty kid-sized rocking chair, courtsey of Grandpa and Grandma. It's a bit big now, but she figured out how to make it move! And she has a new found appreciation for all the things her tongue can do. She greatly enjoys exploring... She spent a good 45 minutes with this bowl, pulling it around the kitchen. I dropped things in, she pulled them out. She also discovered it fit nicely under the (non)island, and slid under and pulled it back out about a million times before I found the camera... and she stopped. She finds daddy's guitar intriguing... She will beat on the box and strum on the strings, and dance along as daddy plays.