10 Months and Then Some

We have been busy with a cranky baby. First it was a nasty cold which she got from Momma. Then it was something else. "Why aren't you sleeping baby? Why aren't you happy? Why are you screaming your head off even when we hold you?" Oh, you have a new toothie that's why!

Then two days later she had a total of four new toothies. She popped out three in one night. She's still working on pushing them out, so she's still mildly cranky. Her new thing is that she's totally not interested in baby food. She just won't eat it. Good news is she likes chili (just beans and tomatoes). And she tried a pickle. Her face read, "Hmmm, it's weird but I like it."

Her new words are "duck," "bye bye," and "book." She also likes to just yell "whaaatt?" for no reason. At least, that's what we think she's saying. She loves being tickled ("tickle tickle" she'll try to say) and also to have her toes eaten. If I say, "Toes?" She'll pop them up for me to eat. She is a snuggler.

At the mall playground she loves to watch the big kids but seems to be afraid (Kyle said she cried when a seven month old started yelling) of baby's around her age. When I take her out and we see other kids in shopping carts she gives them shy little smirks, she also does this when strangers say "aren't you a pretty baby." The smirk is a Dieter trademark she must have learned from Max. At restaurants she jabbers away like she's in on the conversations going on in the entire room.

She has taken to letting go of things while standing and just stands there for a few seconds, and then slowly sits down. So she's a little closer to walking.

8 Mumphs

Maya is 8 Mumphs old! It's crazy we've got this talkative little wiggle butt who was just a little peanut 8 whole mumphs ago. She's gotta be close to 20 pounds of pure wiggle now.

(Maya watching Barack on Inauguration Day)

Maya is in love with jumping. Either in her jumperoo or in our arms she enjoys bouncing and jumping. She has suddenly become a good sleeper and eater in the last week, six whole hours without waking up?? This behavior scares mommy who has to check Maya at least once in that six hours. But it's nice to not get up and make four bottles a night. I don't know maybe all that jumping wears her out and she sleeps soundly.

She says "kitty" but it's always this excited little whisper (she also squeals when she sees one in her books or if she goes to see Wylie), she says Dadda or Daddy when she sees her Daddy, and a few times she's said, "bahbah" and waved bye bye.

She is just the bees knees.

Daddy's Girl

Lately Maya's been super attached to Daddy. She still loves Mommy, and gets really excited when Mommy comes thru the door for lunch or after work, but she really really loves Daddy.

And Daddy gets a little tired of it. Maya constantly wants Daddy to pick her up and play with her causing Daddy to moan, "Can't I get a a break?"

Mommy says, "It's hard work being somebody's favorite."

Maya is constantly moving, grabbing, eating, and grabbing some more. She wants everything right now! She spent half an hour bouncing in her jumperoo before starting to whine (but continuing to jump). She likes to lay down in the bubble and talk, we think she likes the way she sounds underwater.
She's been eating and eating and eating lately, solid foods and lots of milkie. Here is a picture of her awesome tummy to prove it. I love this tummy, it's just adorable.




It's been hard for me to get good pictures of her lately. She sees the camera and squints her eyes.

Eatin'

This is Maya in the big girl high chair. She's not quite sure what to think of it. It's pretty big, we have to stuff the side with pillows, and the back so that she doesn't slip out. If we feed her in her bouncy chair she kicks so much (eating is exciting) that food goes everywhere.




I wish I had more pictures today, but it's been cold out so we've been stuck inside. Maya loves taggies. Anything with a tag on it is instantly in her mouth and being talked to while in there. She talks whenever she puts anything in her mouth, but tags are her favorite. It's a good thing she's getting a taggie book for Christmas!!

We are looking forward to going to Ames next week so that Maya can meet her cousin Maisie for the first time. Maya is also probably looking forward to playing with Pete and Charlie, she loooves kitties. Mommy and Daddy are looking forward to eating yummy food (and Mommy is looking forward to putting up the Christmas tree at Grandma's).

Success!

Maya had an interesting week. We found out that although she loves loves loves sweetie potatoes (as the picture shows) squash makes her barf in public(picture not shown). She also loves loves loves bananas and makes yummy noises while eating them.




We went to an apple orchard and she madly sucked on an apple (picture shown, and cried when we took it away (picture not shown).



But her biggest success of the week,besides perfecting rolling over and trying to scoot, was finally getting to taste her own toesy. Yeah!! Piggies in the mouth!!
That's pretty much her favorite thing, holding her toes, eating her toes, and grabbing them once the socks come off.




KISSES!!

Four Month Well Baby Check Up

Last Monday Maya had her four month well baby check up, a week or so late but that didn't matter. She is 25 and 3 quarters inches long (92%), 14 pounds and 2 ounces (55%), and her noggin is 41.5 cm (60%). She handled getting shots a lot better this time around, but had a really rough week AFTER the shots. She slept off a fever and was fussy for a few days.



(This is a picture of her lounging in the bath last week). On Friday she felt a lot better, and so we thought it would be okay to take her over to her Grandma Paula's while we went to a movie. But this did not sit well with Maya who hasn't been around a lot of people in the last couple of weeks. She cried for two and a half hours, didn't sleep or eat until Mommy, but especially Daddy, came back. Then she was laughing and smiling at Grandma's new kitty Wylie. For a Gemini she sure acts like a Taurus!

In the food department she has tried and disliked peas but yesterday she really loved sweet potatoes! She has been exploring her voice and trying to talk in different ways (or she's copying the silliness of Mommy and Daddy), she's laughing at everything, rolling over a lot, and she's really digging laying on the floor holding onto her toes. Oh, and last night she slept for eight hours straight!!

I'll make sure to take more photos this week!

Geese, Appie Sauce, and Mustacheo Basheos?

The Mustacheo Basheo has finally come and gone. It was a little stressful for Maya who doesn't do well when over stimulated, but she did sit and talk people's ears off once a majority of the party patrons had left.


She loves to talk, especially in conversations. If you are talking to someone, she has to interject..and she just goes on and on. She has also learned how to push off one sock, and bounce herself in her chair. She has been really fussy this week leading us to believe that teeth may be sprouting soon. (Here she is riding the mustacheo pinata! Viva La Mustacheo Revolution!!) Speaking of sprouting and hair, it's starting to look like she's growing some. On her head of course. That's a fake mustache.



I also have included a picture of her eating cereal mixed in appie sauce which, of course, she loves so much she tries to feed herself!



And last, a picture from the park last week when the geese were big enough to eat her. Whole.

Visting Ames

Last weekend we went to Ames to visit Grandma Jo who pulled a Grandma Jo and fell down the basement stairs breaking her collar bone. But being Grandma Jo she's already back to work and walking 2 Miles! We also got to see Brynna and Jason, Nika and Grandpa Greg! Maya was awesome in the car, she's getting to be a better traveller, with lots of patience.




Maya has laughed a few times, but I guess I really missed out on her rolling laughter at Uncle Jason. I've beeb trying to get her to do it again, but no luck yet.




Besides talking a lot and laughing a little, Maya has also become super duper interested in food. She stares at us and gets excited when we eat, so we make yummy noises and sign "food, we're eating food" and keep telling her that the next time we go to the store we promise to get her some rice cereal.

Tonight we're going to a birthday party and on Saturday is Momma's 30th Birthday! So Maya will be attending a Moustacheo Basheo. Those pictures will be awesome.

Kisses!!

It's Beautiful and So are You

Today, actually in about an hour, Maya has her two week doctor's appointment. She has been sleeping and eating like the rapid little monkey she is. She also has been scratching her face a lot when she eats (mommy and daddy really need to reclip her nails, but are a little afraid because they are so tiny!) so we've resorted back to the dreaded mittens. Maya has also been fussy lately. She'll fuss and fuss and occasionally, the only thing that calms her down, is a boobie. But this lasts for only a few minutes because she uses the boobie like other babies use pacie's. She hates pacie's. So she'll go to the boobie, take a few swigs and either fall asleep or get extremely frustrated because it's not comforting her (it doesn't feel right, she's a tactile baby). But we don't care, at least she spends a little bit of time at the boobie.

One thing I've noticed- we've taken to ending everything in "ie" :

diapie, wipie, kewpie, burpie, poopie, blankie, milkie, drinkie, etc, etc....

Maya makes the cutest kewpie doll face that we've tried and tried to get a good photo of. She's very expressive and we find it hilarious. She also makes dragon sounds which her dad has tried to get her to make into a microphone but she's sneaky and won't play ball. So I like to call her "Dragon". Her favorite song that Daddy plays for her is "Dear Prudence." Which is okay by me.

In visitors news: Chris, Kim, and K'nute came to visit us and we had a nice time with them..except Maya slept the whole time. And trust me, we tried everything to wake her up. I will try to post some of those later...