A Movin' And a Shakin'

It's so hard to sit still... even when we're swinging in our swing. She's under the impression there's always something better happening directly behind her...

But, Maya was happy to smile and show off her new fancy pj's from Grammie. She says they fit just perfect and she was warm as a campfire all night long. Snug as a bug!

We're up and at 'em lately. She's gotten so good at balancing and loves standing. It still brings great smiles to her face. She's ready to put her feet into action soon!

Early Santa Sighting

Maya donned one of her most sophisticated dresses (the first dress Dad bought her!) to meet Santa for the first time. She wanted to look "Good" to avoid any confusion over which list should she be on this year. Despite reports she has been a poor napper and a food spitter, she felt this ensemble would leave an excellent first impression with Mr. Claus.

Maya enjoyed a kids' concert at the mall followed by a fancy guest appearance by Santa. Santa arrived via train and Maya was mouth agape at all his splendor. She can barely contain her excitement with just a little over a month to go before she finds out what all the magic of Christmas is all about.

"Santa?? Santa?? Where?? Let me at him!"

"Do you think he heard my whole list? A girl's gotta have toys you know..."

"Mom, take a picture of me with my lame toy. Santa is sure to bring me good presents when he sees what I play with now..."

Baby rattles and stuffed animals are so yesterday... Today it's all about the Kleenex box...

Revised Christmas Wish List

So, it's confirmed, Maya will have to revise her Santa, Please list -- she no longer needs to ask for her two front teeth for Xmas. They've both made their initial descent, the left one in a slight lead. She's going to have one cute little chipmunk grin in the next week or so.

"Mom, my turn. Let me take a picture of you."

"Do you really think I'm a good swimmer?"

"Oh good, me too!"

Maya had another great swim lesson yesterday. She especially loves to be on her belly whooshing through the water. After watching Mom blow bubbles, she even gave it a try and got two (ok, maybe three) bubbles to emerge. Excellent progress!

Orthodontist's Dream

"Mama, I'm ready for a chocolate milk shake."

"These puffies are delicious, but slippery little suckers... A girl could go hungry like this."

Maya is both excited and in anguish over her top two teeth coming in. They've made significant headway over the weekend and the tiniest tip of the top left one has peaked out from the gum. In a similar fashion to her bottom teeth, they don't seem to be coming in the least bit straight (or in proportion to those bottom teeth, they seem quite a bit larger). But these chompers will certainly come in handy for her first drumstick come Thanksgiving time. What a festive teether!

Maya also raced through her 2nd 5k this weekend, braving the elements yet again for the Get Your Rear In Gear Race benefiting the Colon Cancer Coalition. She was a champ, taking early wake ups, missed naps, drizzly weather and beaucoup amounts of car seat time all in stride. As a reward, she happily noshed on her first taste of naan. "Delicious!" she exclaimed -- just like her Dad...

Her Daddy's Daughter

Along the lines of "If Jim Likes To Eat It, Maya Will Too" - peas were a huge hit last night pureed into some mashed potatoes. A vegan shepherd's pie for baby! All this good eating has Maya's legs growing ever longer and her belly ever rounder. If 1 chin is cute, 2 is cuter, right??

Also on the eating horizon - tofu and asparagus... I don't have high hopes for these (though Jim does like asparagus...), but they're worth a shot. If Maya had her way, she'd probably just have pears for every meal. This girl can put a serious hit on an orchard...

Summer Olympics 2028 Star!

Maya donned her first swimsuit today for her inaugural dip and whirl around the pool. She LOVED it. She excels at floating on her back (chubbyness helps!), kicking herself along, and being a great swim student. She didn't fight or protest at any of the new maneuvers and looked like a seasoned pro. Maya learned quickly to purse her lips shut when they went under water and although we're not blowing bubbles yet, hopefully we'll pick that up along the way. I've never been so proud, and we're hopeful Dad will join us soon so he can snap some pictures of her in action. Future swim champ in the making!

"Mom, these swim pants are a little snug... I hope no one notices my belly hanging over the top..."

Poor, Maya... the rule for the swim lessons is a swim diaper plus built in swim pants in the suit. This means one tight little bottom for her (to avoid any embarrassing leaks in the pool). We could barely get her bottom in these pants! She'll have to wait for the beach to sport any bikinis!

Crazy Cohorts

Maya enjoyed lots of family time this weekend. She was thrilled to see her Pau Pau and Gung Gung again, as well as her Cue Cue (Uncle Timmon) and Kim Kim (Aunt Janetta). They brought along a lot of laughs and reasons to jump for joy in her jumper.

"Pau Pau, can you hem this mini skirt up a little, I want to show some more leg. But, don't tell Daddy."

"Gung Gung, people say we look alike, but I think you're much skinnier than me."

"Push me again, Mom! And don't put me on that slide anymore!"

Maya was also giddy with delight that Pau Pau is no stickler for pesky naps or sleeping during the night. It turns out that if left alone, neither of these two would ever sleep, they'd just play and sing around the clock... and I'm sure her Pau Pau would have it no other way.

No matter how big Maya gets, she still loves and fully expects to fly as much as possible. Too bad her parents' triceps aren't keeping up!