Summer Begins

First time in the sand. The "flood buggies" were so bad this day that we didn't stay long at The Palisades.

Don't look, I gonna eat some clovers.

Lately, we've been spending almost everyday at the park. We'll, Maya and her Daddy have, and I'm usually working. She loves to climb on the equipment, spin the spinning things, and go down the slide. She also likes to pick up pine cones, go for walks, and try to eat things that are generally yucky..mmm, wood chips. The result of all this running around and playing is a baby that goes to sleep much earlier and sleeps fairly well. This makes mommy and daddy happy because it means more mommy and daddy time.

Maya is interested in other kids at the playground, but doesn't really interact with them (she likes to watch). Although she does enjoy chasing Max around and laughing when she sees him.

She still loves fruit, won't eat ice cream or cakey. But if you cut up grapes-that's the good stuff.

Man she's a talker now. "Up", "Wylie", "Shoes", "Hot" - these are just a few of the new ones. If we pour coffee, or if you open the stove she says "hot" in this cute whispery way that Max used to do when he was her age. They told us that she would know six words by 15 months. We looked at each other because she already knew six and now it's like ten or twelve.

I don't mean to brag, but she's getting an A- in AP English.

She also loves her new big girl car seat!

Almost One!

Maya is six days away from turning one. Where did the year go?? I watch her sleep in my arms and I can't even remember her being a teeny tiny. It goes so fast!
Right now Maya is all about "getting dressed." But her version of getting dressed is wrapping things around her neck. Scarves, belts, playstation controls, she'll even try to get shoes on there. She's accessorizing I guess. In five minutes this morning she had a scarf, a belt, a measuring tape and then an attempt at a shoe- all around the neck.
She's also all about walking!! (five steps and then plop!) And talking!! Her list is growing: "momma, dadda (her favorite word), bye bye, ball (she'll even point to them in books and say "ball"), wheeeee!!, uh oh, whoa, bubble, kids (she'll say "hi kids" ), noooooooo, kitty, and dat?"

Blowing kisses!! "mmmmmmmmoihhh!" And another toothie! And eating with her left hand only??!! A leftie perhaps??

She still loves berries (gobbles them up!), veggies (nummy nummy), Nina and Star on "The Goodnight Show" on Sprout, and carrying around socks. From all the other eleven month olds I've run across she seems to be way taller. And she has huge feet. Where she got this tall/huge feet gene, I do not know.

But, damn. She's cute. And silly. And a firecracker.

This weekend we go to Ames to celebrate her birthday and she'll have another party at Grammy Paula's and Grandpa Jeff's on Tuesday!

Until next week when she is one!!

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.