Archive for January, 2015

Maia is 13 months old!

Tuesday, January 20th, 2015

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On the day of her birthday party, Maia called me Mama very distinctly, and gave me a kiss =) So sweet!

 

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Maia is 13 months old! She is such a sweet baby =) When she sees me her toddling pace speeds up and she gets a big smile on her face and holds up her arms as she runs right to me. I love her so much. She adores books, they are her favorite thing now. It sounds more like “pooksh” when she asks for them, but you know what she means because she is usually placing a book emphatically in your hand at the same time. We used to keep a book in her bed at bedtime, and she’d open Eric’s hand and whack him with it, or whack him in the head with it if he’d fallen asleep trying to get her to sleep. =) Her favorite is Dotty, especially the page when the deer tries to hop over the stream. She will say “hop hop hop!” She has another book with hopping and she loves that too. She got a book about a mouse named Teeny Weeny for her birthday, another favorite. She is not, however, at all gentle with her books. She is very rough with them, frequently tearing whole pages off board books! I thought they were designed to withstand toddlers, but she is too strong for that =)

 

Food is presenting a challenge. I may finally have found a cup she can drink from, but she is not thrilled at the idea of weaning. She is just too hungry to subsist only on my milk though, so she’s gotta add some solid food now! She loves spaghetti, and today decided the best way to eat it was to skip hands part of the process and bury her face in it. Yum! Strawberries are still her favorite though, and she will clap and bounce in the high chair when she sees me get out the container. She’ll eat chicken well and other finger foods. We tried purees in the pouch again, and I think she may have even consumed some… but it’s such a mess it’s hard to tell.

 

Daddy is sleep training her again. He has the gift of being able to sleep through baby shenanigans, and it seems to inspire them to sleep as well. I, however, can hear her when she wakes up even if I’m all the way downstairs with the monitor off.   Lol. However, she went through the last two nights without eating in the middle of them, and she got a lot more sleep as well so that’s great!

 

Maia still loves music videos. Laurie Berkner, and Sesame Street Singing with the Stars. Every now and again Eric and I hear the real version of a song on the radio and it confuses the heck out of us. =)

 

She adores Donovan and Serenity. This morning they were all three in her birthday tent, playing with magformers and cuddling. Ok, Maia was eating the magformers, but that counts =)

 

I’ve started decorating the nursery =)  I took down all DZ’s monkey stuff, which was sad, but I had cute stuff to put in its place!  Aunt Jen got Maia a deer decal for her birthday, and Grandma got her new purple sheets!  My Dad made her this adorable deer nightlight.  And I moved some of the pictures from her nursery corner downstairs up to her room =)  I bought a purple bedding set for the mattress we sleep on when she needs company.  I love the pattern on it so much, I kind of want to redo my room in purple so I can have it =)  I love the sashiko patterns!  I still plan to hang some of the star lanterns from her party, and move her owls from Uncle J upstairs, but so far so good =)

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Serenity's butterfly garden drawing , a starfish, a mirror low enough for her to look in, and some family pictures =)

Serenity’s butterfly garden drawing , a starfish, a mirror low enough for her to look in, and some family pictures =)

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Hoppity Hop Book

Hoppity Hop Book

My new dress from Vanaema =)

My new dress from Vanaema =)

One day the kids made "Baby Paradise"  They covered the floor with cushions and piled the baby toys high.  They also blocked Maia in with cushions but she didn't mind as long as they were with her =)

One day the kids made “Baby Paradise” They covered the floor with cushions and piled the baby toys high. They also blocked Maia in with cushions but she didn’t mind as long as they were with her =)

 

Loving books =)

Loving books =)

Thank you for my outfit Auntie Marilyn!  She looks so big in this picture!!!

Thank you for my outfit Auntie Marilyn! She looks so big in this picture!!!

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The pouch goes the other way Maia. Ok, I’m sure it tastes good on that side too now that it’s covered with blueberry sauce =)

I think I forgot to publish the collage for her pillow!  I love hers because some of the outfits were worn by both my girls.  The purple one was Serenity's outfit from her birth announcement, and the butterfly print was the dress Serenity chose to match her baby sister =)  The little heart print reminds me of the cute onesie Abbey got Maia that she wore in her first photo session =)

I think I forgot to publish the collage for her pillow! I love hers because some of the outfits were worn by both my girls. The purple one was Serenity’s outfit from her birth announcement, and the butterfly print was the dress Serenity chose to match her baby sister =) The little heart print reminds me of the cute onesie Abbey got Maia that she wore in her first photo session =)  And the purple sleeper was Maia’s coming home from the hospital outfit.

I've been working on changing the nursery from DZ's monkey decor to Maia's deer room =)  Papa made her this deer lantern!

I’ve been working on changing the nursery from DZ’s monkey decor to Maia’s deer room =) Papa made her this deer lantern!

Aunt Jen got her the cute decal for her birthday, and Grandma got her purple sheets =)  And it all works with her deer taggie blanket I made before she was born =)

Aunt Jen got her the cute decal for her birthday, and Grandma got her purple sheets =) And it all works with her deer taggie blanket I made before she was born =)

I moved some of her pictures upstairs as well.  Still some more to do though!

I moved some of her pictures upstairs as well. Still some more to do though!

Mmm spaghetti

Mmm spaghetti

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Maia’s Year One Update: Monthly Photos Plus a Few Favorites I haven’t posted yet =)

Sunday, January 4th, 2015
First Picture! =)

First Picture! =)

Pretty gold heart onesie from Abbey that influenced all my shopping for Maia this year =)  Gold hearts and stars =)

Pretty gold heart onesie from Abbey that influenced all my shopping for Maia this year =) Gold hearts and stars =)

Pic in the blue chair that I lived in with all my babies =)

Pic in the blue chair that I lived in with all my babies =)

Pic by Heather Warren

Pic by Heather Warren

Pic by Heather Warren

Pic by Heather Warren, she is wrapped in the lovely blanket decorated by Serenity with a picture of our family

Two Weeks

Two Weeks

One Month

One Month

One month in the baby bag I bought just for Maia, because I loved the pattern and Eric loves baby bags =)

One month in the baby bag I bought just for Maia, because I loved the pattern and Eric loves baby bags =)

Two Months

Two Months

On her deer blankie

On her deer blankie

Three Months

Three Months

Four Months

Four Months

Five months, feet are fun!

Five months, feet are fun!

Six months with her little deer toy =)

Six months with her little deer toy =)

Seven Months

Seven Months

Seven Months, getting mobile!

Seven Months, getting mobile!

8 Months

8 Months

9 Months

9 Months

Ten Months

Ten Months

11 Months

11 Months

12 Months

12 Months

12 Months =)

12 Months =)

 

 

 

 

 

I adore this monkey sweater!  I will be saving it forever =)

I adore this monkey sweater! I will be saving it forever =)

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Pretty lights at Rhema =)  Nice photo by Eric.

Pretty lights at Rhema =) Nice photo by Eric.

Just love this sweet face =)

Just love this sweet face =)

Pretty eyes =)

Pretty eyes =)

Maia’s One Year Update: Maia’s Favorite Things

Sunday, January 4th, 2015

 

Maia’s Favorites…

 

Books:

I start with books because those are really her favorite things right now =)
The Christmas Parade: This one is new but she gets SO excited to read it! She bounces and dances and then gets quiet and gives me the biggest smile when we get to the “boom biddy boom biddy boom boom boom” part. She also likes the part where the hippos go rat a tat tat. She really sounds like she’s trying to say Parade too!

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Snuggle Puppy (We used to sing this one to her as we were teaching her to sleep on her own in her bed. She’d quiet right down to listen to it)

 

Dotty: This book is about a baby deer that figures out how to cross a stream.  Eric was reading it to her in December and she was so excited he suggested deer as a birthday theme.  I’d already ordered all the star stuff though so we stuck with that.  But she has baby deer in her nursery =)

Proof that she ate the cover to Pajama Time, the corner of Snuggle Puppy, and part of Jamberry =)  All favorites!

Proof that she ate the cover to Pajama Time, the corner of Snuggle Puppy, and part of Jamberry =) All favorites!

A few replacement books for those now missing pages.  Maia's Christmas mostly included books =)

A few replacement books for those now missing pages. Maia’s Christmas mostly included books =)

Reading the Christmas Parade

Reading the Christmas Parade

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Serenity reading Have You Ever Tickled a Tiger

Serenity reading Have You Ever Tickled a Tiger

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Pajama Time: She’s actually eaten this book. Tore the cover right off and chewed it to bits. She loves to read it too though =)

 

Have you Ever Tickled a Tiger: This one has great textures. She’s pulled the feathers out of the ostrich she’s played with it so much. She also likes Haiku Baby by the same author.

 

Foods:

Strawberry muffin from her breakfast on her actual birthday.  =)  She was very interested in the feel of the whipped cream but didn't figure out it was food until I broke up the muffin for her.  She was trying to get the berry!

Strawberry muffin from her breakfast on her actual birthday. =) She was very interested in the feel of the whipped cream but didn’t figure out it was food until I broke up the muffin for her. She was trying to get the berry!

As per tradition, Jen fed Maia her first sugar =)  A cookie!

As per tradition, Jen fed Maia her first sugar =) A cookie!

Strawberries. This is so her favorite food I don’t even feel a need to list any others. She gets so excited when she sees them it’s adorable.

 

She never ate any pureed food really. She’d always push it out with her tongue, probably accidentally, but she enjoys self feeding much more. So now I just chop up whatever is handy from our dinners and give it to her. Peas, string cheese, ritz crackers, pizza, toast, fruit, broccoli. It is a problem that I can’t get oatmeal or yogurt down her though. Gonna have to teach her to use a spoon herself I guess! And a cup! Trying to get her to drink from a cup is just not happening. And as she doesn’t use bottles either…

 

Toys:

Her swing!  I nearly forgot this until I went searching back through pictures.  Maia loved the swing more than any of her siblings.  She napped in there for at least part of every night long after she grew too big for it.  By the end it could barely swing her at all.  It was very well loved.  Thank you Mimi!

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wooden puzzles

Eating her favorite piece from the tool puzzle in her favorite hideout, under Daddy's desk chair.

Eating her favorite piece from the tool puzzle in her favorite hideout, under Daddy’s desk chair.

Another wooden puzzle to eat =)

Another wooden puzzle to eat =)

gear toy

lego duplo, especially the minifigs, muffin cup and the vine. Guess they have really interesting textures to chew =)

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favorite rattle

chewable books like Rainforest Tails

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the corner of the carpet

my wallet/keys

Maia, in a box, eating my keys.  Perfect =)

Maia, in a box, eating my keys. Perfect =)

Her tea party set from Braley

hot wheels cars, magformers, basically any piece of her siblings toys she can get ahold of =)

She also really loves the feel of the velcro on her woombie.  She’s completely torn a hole in the bottom of this, so we finally gave it up, but she finds it and drags it around sometimes which I find adorable.  She slept in the woombie until just this month!

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She's loving her bunny she got when she was born from Abbey.  It's in her bed right now =)

She’s loving her bunny she got when she was born from Abbey. It’s in her bed right now =)

Mama's phone is delicious.

Mama’s phone is delicious.

 

 

 

 

Music:

Sesame Street. We have the celebrity sing-a-long dvd and she loves all those songs. Eric will sometimes play with them on youtube while she sits in his lap.

 

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First words:

DZ

Sis

We’ve heard her say a few words now, but the ones she says most often are DZ and Sis. It’s sooo cute. We decided those were her first words because one morning while she was snuggling me in bed she sat up, looked very definitely at the door, and said DZ! Sis! Sure enough, a minute later they were in the room with us and she was a very happy baby. She has said a few other things, but not regularly. Bath, (More like baaaa) and downstairs and yes! And I think she’s trying to say parade when we read her favorite book.   She says berries and pizza. Papa.

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Large boxes are fun too =) She crawled in this all by herself sometimes!

Climbing stairs is also one of her very favorite things right now!  Her birthday present from Daddy was getting to climb up and down them as many times as she wanted!

Climbing stairs is also one of her very favorite things right now! Her birthday present from Daddy was getting to climb up and down them as many times as she wanted!