More Birthday Parties!

Since we lag so far behind our siblings in starting a family of our own, no one really has baby gear at their houses anymore. As such, we find ourselves bringing along Maia's "space saver" high chair to various events, and we are grateful to have it. It fits nicely in the back seat. So here I am, packing it up to take it to (Uncle) Andrew's and (Aunt) Kathleen's house, and Maia got a little annoyed that it was on the floor in the middle of the kitchen. She was pretty insistent upon sitting in it, and, once in it, was trying desperately to get the tray on! Success! (with a little help from mama)

So on Saturday evening, August 29th, we were off to Adrian's 9th birthday party. The third birthday party this month, with Emily's birthday on 8/1, Maia's on 8/14 and Adrian's on 8/29. Not to mention Grandpa Raymond's birthday on 8/20... August is busy! Maia LOVES to crawl on people, and after getting 4 shots on Friday, has been a little on the sleepy and clingy side. So here she is cuddling with Ade, and giving him a nice loving pat on the behind, which elicited a LOT of giggles from Adrian!

Adrian very much likes to look "sharp" and enjoys being dressed up. So in addition to the usual toys, Adrian received a 5 piece suit (3 piece plus a shirt & tie) from his parents. He was thrilled, and tossed us this excellent Mack Daddy pose upon trying on the jacket.

My, but he is handsome! Once she warmed up a little, Maia started playing well with everyone, and, again, really preferred the bows and ribbons on the gifts.

Lydia and Adrian are both toothless wonders right now. Adrian even lost another at the party. Here is Lydia flashing her missing three front teeth!

Maia had a great time playing 'Pony Girl' with Grandma Marcia, and got lots of smiles and giggles.

On Friday, the 28th, Maia had her 12 month appointment with the pediatrician. Ray came to this visit, too, and had to witness her getting shots. Four of them, this time, as the flu vaccine was in, although they hadn't planned on starting to give them until September first. They are also recommending that she get the H1N1 vaccine as well, being in a high risk category due to her age and the fact that she is in daycare. That, however, is apparently being distributed only by the State Health Department, and will likely be administered in flu clinics in the community.

As usual, she did great with her shots, and only cried for maybe 30 seconds. For this and many other experiences with her, I tend to think she has a pretty decent pain tolerance.

So, how is she doing? Great. She seemed to be on track for all the milestones they look for in this age. When the nurse went to put her on the scale, she asked if we had any guesses. Ray didn't, but I ventured 19.5... she was 19.6. Go me! Not bad, since the battery in our scale at home is dead so I haven't been able to weigh her since she was about 10 months old. So 19.6 lbs puts her at the 20th percentile for her weight. Her height was 29 1/4 inches, which is the 49th percentile. And her head... 65th! The doctor states that Maia is definitely continuing on the growth pattern that she established for herself.

The doctor was pleased. Only issue mentioned was the rattly cough she has (again) following her last cold. I'm thinking it's reasonable to expect that there are some mild environmental allergies there, but they don't seem to bother her, and there isn't much they can do to treat them at this age anyway. She would certainly come by them genetically!

What a petite little thing she is, though... 12 months and 20 lbs for forward-facing car seats... and she's not 20 lbs yet! Which is actually just as well - she's still in her bucket car seat anyway - and that one happens to go up to 35 lbs. That said, Ray and I are definitely tired of carrying her bucket seat back and forth to daycare each day, so the research is on for the right car seat for her and for our car to keep her safe. And, the fact of the matter is, this child will be spending up to 11 HOURS in that car seat for several trips a year for the foreseeable future... so comfy and safe are important!

The Joys of Parenting

With a title like that, you'd think this would be a nice, cute Maia story... but no. This is me, awake at 2:40 am, and unable to go back to sleep. This is the unfortunate by-product of parenting called Worry. And, I dunno, maybe it's just mommy-brain doing this crazy stuff to me. This is now the second (at least) time that I've had a dream about a disastrous event happening. Interestingly enough, the dream starts out having nothing to do with Maia. I wake up in a panic, and realize it was a dream but in my half-dreamy state, my mind takes the event and turns it around and puts up the magnifying glass: how would I get Maia out of that situation? This first dream like this happened last spring, and involved me driving down a highway on a gorgeous sunny day. I come upon a glittering river, probably half a mile wide, rimmed with trees. It was beautiful, except that the river had taken a turn and was inexplicably where it shouldn't be: crossing over that highway I was traveling down at 70 miles an hour. The highway just ended before I could react, and my car's forward momentum took me out over that river for a few seconds before the car's nose tipped forward and in I plunged, coming to a rather quick stop. First thing I thought: I'm so glad Maia isn't in the car! And I tried to assess the situation to get myself out and remember what I had learned by watching the Today Show (wow, I really should have one of those Life Hammers). Once I figured out how to get myself out, my brain tortured me: Okay - that's all well and good... what would happen if Maia was with you? And I spent the next half hour playing through all the possible twists and turns of that. What would I do first, how could I make sure she survived. UGH. Months later, the dream images remain quite vivid, and, if given the chance, my mind will update those "what ifs" with what Maia is able to do now. This evening's delightful dream was a fire in the house. Getting Maia out, would I remember to RACE: Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish. Would I remember to close the pocket doors behind me as I we leave? Would there be time to get the laptop, photo albums (things impossible to replace), phone, keys so we could back out the car? My mind is actually restful knowing that I have a fireproof and waterproof safe for our important documents. What duties would Ray take, and what would I do? I'm pretty sure I'd remember to PASS: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep if able to get the fire extinguisher. Fortunately, we actually practice using a fire extinguisher every year at work - which I actually think is invaluable experience (at least the first time). They don't behave exactly as you would think. The big tanks actually have some kick-back, although I doubt our small home models would have as much. And so I sit. Gotta get it out so I can think about something else and go back to bed. 3:10 now. Ugh. You just don't worry like this when you have only two, independent, capable adults living in a home. Through in a Little Person who is dependant upon you for their daily survival - and your mind really starts taking you for a ride.

Maia at 12 Months

"Ai!" my name is Maia. I am one year old. My Likes: Fruit. Any kind, all I can get! Don't feed me fruit first, though... or I won't eat anything else! My absolute favorite foods are watermelon and pasta. People seem surprised that I like blueberries and pineapple. Dancing. Usually bending my knees and waiving my arms (sometimes I alternate them, raising one then the other over my head) and grinning a lot! Reading books. I will grab a book, turn myself around and back up to you so you can pick me up and read to me. Shoes. I love them! I like to carry them around. Sometimes I put them in my mouth, and my mom says "Achy! Not in the mouth!" She says that so often, that I sometimes pick up her shoes and say "Ah-tee!" Talking. I talk ALL the time, even if you can't understand me. I have LOTs to say, and people tell my parents that I'm very vocal for my age. I don't know if that's true... but there are a lot of words out there that I need to learn! Pointing to facial features. Especially eyes. I'm able to identify eyes and noses easily on either you or me! I'm getting better at finding mouths. Climbing up and down the stairs. My mom or dad always go with me, but I'm getting pretty fast. Sometimes, though, I like to stop midway and look around. Water Taking baths, washing my hands, splashing. I like running water especially. I love to watch water trickle over my fingers Exploring and Being "On-the-Move" I gotta keep moving. I'm thinking about climbing. Even strollers get a little boring for me. Let me show you what I do instead: By the way... my mom isn't pushing the stroller (just steering it, and taking the video on her phone). I'm pushing it. Uphill. For about 1/2 a mile. I slept really well after this. My Dislikes: Sitting Still That includes if the book is too long. I've got a limit. Put me down now. Diaper Changes You have about 5 seconds to get this diaper changed, or I'm going to yell at you, flip over and try to crawl away... or both! However, if my diaper is stinky, I might tell you "ah-tee!" after you open it. Having my nose wiped ...although sometimes I've been known to blow it (and effectively) when my parents put the tissue on it. Words I Can Say (and what they sound like): Uh oh! (ah-oh!) Hi! (ai!) All done (ah-dah!) Down (dah) Up (upupup!) Out (aht!) Pretty (pihdee) Light (daaheee!) Yucky/Achy (ah-tee!) Please (pees?) Thank You (dih-doo) Drink (dih'tt) Bubbles (buh-bah!) Hello (ah-wah?) Words I DON'T Say: Mama Dada (at least, not to the people whom these words represent) I have 8 teeth (although 4 of them are still hard to see) I wear 9-12 month sized clothes I wear size 3 shoes And although I'm getting MORE hair... I still don't have much. However, the ladies at daycare set this look up for me. I guess it's called "antenna!"

Cake!

The bakery where we ordered Maia's cake provided a complimentary first birthday smash cake. The larger cake matched the decorations. She seemed a little perplexed by Mommy and Aunt Kathleen with the cakes and the candles, and everyone singing... but she broke out into a pretty big grin by the end of the song.

It didn't take long for her to start really digging in.

And smooshing it into her face!

Ah-Dah!

After being covered in frosting, it was time for a bath, and bed!

She did so well!! She went to bed over an hour late and never was there a whine or a tantrum. I was so proud of her!

Presents!

At first, she was mostly interested in the bows. She would just take them and walk away. She had a great time! Shoes!! Who needs toys when I've got these fabulous things. Here... wanna see? After a while, she finally started to get the hang of it. OooOoOo! Fun! Puppets!! By the end of the party, she not only got the process, but decided this bag would make a nice purse!

Maia's Party

Tara, Dave and Rachael arrived at about 11 am, while Maia was napping. After she woke up, we played for a while... ...and then headed out for lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. The party got started around 5:00. Dinner, presents... cake... It was a hot night, so we didn't end up spending much of the evening outside. By 8:00, we were FINALLY getting her into the bath and down for the night. Sleepy as she was, she was happily knuckling frosting into her eyes and nose. Friends and family stayed on for a while, but it was much more comfortable inside than out! At the end of the night, I found myself thinking the following things: 1. That went SO well! 2. Maia did better than I hoped she could. Not a single melt-down or temper tantrum. Even with a shorter-than-usual afternoon nap, and getting to bed an hour late. 3. I am so grateful for everyone! 4. Whew! That party was LONG!!! I hope that people stayed because they were having a good time, and not just because everything took forever!

Happy First Birthday, Maia!!

Maia's first birthday was on a Friday. I was torn: send her to daycare to keep her on schedule while I get the house ready for her party (and reduce the chances of a meltdown), or spend the day playing with her, telling her how much I love her, and reminiscing about what was happening at this time last year? Her party was planned to start at 5 pm. However, a few days before the party, (Aunt) Tara and Ray were talking about the party, which Tara was thinking was scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Ray corrected her: No, it's her birthday, Friday the 14th. As it turns out, Tara was planning on showing up on Saturday morning to surprise us. She really really really wanted to be here for Maia's first birthday So, a few phone calls and an email or two later... it was arranged. We moved the party to Saturday afternoon the 15th. Same time, same place. So as a result, Maia and I ran errands for part of the day, played a bunch, and spent a quiet evening at home. After dinner, Maia opened her gifts. ... or, well, I did: I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone! Throughout the day, I gave Maia little updates on what we were doing a year ago... Well Maia, at this time last year, you were born! ...you were getting your first bath! (something there are, unfortunately, no pictures of. I was recovering, and Ray and Kathleen had gone to get something to eat.) ... we were going up to our room. You were in my arms, and I was looking down at you thinking: I thought for sure I would know what your name was when I met you... but I don't! What a difference a year makes!

Maia and Lydia's Weekend of Fun! (part 2)

This blog entry brought to you by this event: On Saturday it rained. All day. So we spent part of the morning watching Finding Nemo, and Maia and Lydia played together in the living room. After Maia went down for her long-afternoon nap, it seemed like Lydia needed to blow through some energy, so I brought her to the Mall to play on the over sized breakfast food. That evening, the four of us had dinner at Brann's with my parents. This marked the first time we actually ordered Maia her own meal from the kids menu: Macaroni and Cheese. It was a good sized portion, and she ate over half of it... off her spoon. Similar to this:

Sunday was sunny and HOT. I'd filled up the pool early to let it warm in the sun... but Lydia wasn't really interested in waiting that long. She had a list of things she wanted to do with Maia: 1. Play in the kiddie pool (check!)

2. Push her in the swing (check!) 3. Play outdoors (check!) 4. Go for a walk with Maia in the stroller. That we didn't get to... However - Lydia DID want to climb a tree. Sorry for the horrible quality, but I was more involved with watching Lydia than the video!

Maia and Lydia's Weekend Of Fun! (part 1)

Lydia's family were all Elsewhere for the weekend, so we got to spend our own special weekend with her at our house (her first time sleeping over here!). The weather was lovely, although increasingly overcast, on Friday afternoon. So we went to Meijer gardens to play. Maia in the wading pool: Her favorite! Maia at 11.75 months, this other child at 9 months (I think that's what her mom said... 8 or 9. And coincidentally... her name was Mia) At the Story Telling Garden, Lydia shows Maia the puppets Then off to the Rock Quarry to dig for fossils Lydia and Maia have a Tea Party! Maia thinks the tea is delicious (Hey! There's nothing in here! What gives?) I didn't even teach her to put her pinkie out like that. Isn't she dainty?