5 Months 2 weeks

We've had a very busy month. We have been steadily getting the property ready for the dome... the well is going to be drilled next Monday - pray for us, and think water! Jimmy has been clearing out trees, purchasing solar panels, researching composting toilets, and the design of the dome. We just returned from a whirlwind trip to Syracuse where Maya met the other members of her family. She did really well on the flights considering we spent over 10 hours traveling each way, and was really good with all the new people and the new surroundings. She visited her first zoo, and seemed to be interested in the elephant, and fell in love with the penguins, she let out some really loud whines when they would swim out of sight. She slept through most of the rest of the animals, so Uncle Sam gave us a personalized tour. Maya met two great grandmas and went to Johnny's Pizza for the first time. She did get a bit sick near the end of the end of the trip, but seems completely recovered after sleeping in her own bed and listening to the quiet we have here in Selma for a few days. She is sitting up by herself for 30 seconds and more at a time, is waving "bye-bye," and enjoyed her first meal of "solid" food. She's in love with the massive German Shepard "Dante" and she's enjoying her alone time with her toys more and more. What a little doll we've been blessed with, if only she wouldn't grow quite so fast!

PS The photos of us in the Denver airport was taken by a Beach Boy - Maya's first celebrity!

Four Months Three Weeks

The weather has finally warmed up and we've been too busy to blog. Maya has continued to grow much more vocal and much more mobile. I need to video one of her giggle/yelping sessions before she quits and something new develops. Right now, she is a drooling maniac, and keeps her fingers, or anything she can get her hands on in her mouth. She had her first picnic in the park with Daddy and Mommy, and went on the swing for the first time. Maya can now sit in her high chair, and in a couple weeks we're going to start her on solid food. She still isn't sleeping through the night, she wakes up around every three to three and half hours to eat, but does this for around 12 hours - then takes a couple of very short morning naps and a couple of even shorter afternoon naps (if we're lucky). Either way she's a bundle of fun...
We celebrated mother's day, just the three of us in Jacksonville at the Jacksonville Inn, then cruised around the Applegate Valley for the afternoon. When Mom came back from California, Walt, Monica, Jimmy, and I treated her for some sushi. We also got a fun photo session in, of Mom, Maya, and I. We signed Maya up for swim lessons which start in July with cousin Jessie, and on a weekend trip to Bend, Maya strutted her stuff in(and out of) her new bikini. She loves the water, and goes for a tiny dip now almost every day in the pool. Today we had a bar-b-q with the family for memorial day, and are going to work on the property the next two days. Next week we're off to Syracuse for a week, so I'm sure we'll have tons of photos and stories of the big trip... pray for good ears, and happy baby!

Maya Graduates Infant Massage Class

3 Months 3 Weeks

Maya has changed so much in the last couple of weeks. Along with growing, she's started being much more vocal. Mommy heard the words she's been longing to hear early yesterday morning! Maaaaa Maaaaa! Too bad it was in a dimly lit early morning fuss, and wasn't in a sweet cooing way, but we will take what we can get! Maya is also letting everyone know exactly what she wants and when she wants it with grunts, yelps, giggles, and yes... screams. She's finding her voice and temper at the same time. She loves her toys, and has figured out how to reach, grab, and stuff them into her mouth. When things don't cooperate, she gets furious, letting out loud yells. So much for Daddy wanting to be Mister Mom after he witnessed a fit!) She seems to be curious about everything, and also gets bored easily if you stop entertaining her. She loves her new standing play toy from Gramps, Omi, and Great Grandma Hayes, since she wants to be standing or rolling and that's it. (Our arms are all getting quite the work-out!) She loves being read to, tossed gently in the air, watching the dogs, going for walks in the stroller, going to farmers market, going to the park to look at the ducks, looking at her fish in the aquarium, the train at Daddy's work, and baths. The days of her hanging out calmly in the tub are now over. She wants to be touching the splashing water from the shower, or wiggling and rolling in the tub. We will be starting swimming lessons this summer, since Maya seems born to be a swimmer. She has, sadly, outgrown the sweet Moses Basket, and now takes naps in her crib. She's starting to get on a schedule, of at least a big nap in the morning, and if we're lucky, a couple short ones in the afternoon, with bedtime around 7:30. In a nutshell, our days exists only for little Maya, and we wouldn't have it any other way!

our sweet girl...

Four Generations of CRAZY!

Maya Three Months Old

Maya is three months old, and has had many firsts in the last week or two. Three nights ago, she finally rolled from back to belly, and this morning from belly to back. She's grabbing everything, and with both hands. She giggling up a storm, which makes us all act much sillier than usual, just to get an adorable little laugh. She took her first trip to the Illy River and loved all the little streams running into it. She's also realized the dogs, especially Illy, and loves to watch his tail. She's giving Mommy a couple extra hours of sleep at night, with her first stretch running 4-5 hours. She got her first round of vaccinations which she took like a champ and Mommy took it like a huge wimp. She weighs 11lbs 5oz, and is growing steadily, although she's only in the 30th percentile - petite little thing. She loves being read to every night before bed, and will sit though the entire of book of Corduroy and A Child's Goodnight Prayer. She met little baby Pablo, who is super cute. She lets us all know what she wants and we give it to as fast as possible, making her not only the most spoiled little person ever, but also the cutest!