Maia,
It is a common misconception -- possibly an outright lie--that you love your baby the moment she is born. There IS something profound in those first few days, but I don't think I can call it love. It is a feeling of responsibility, devotion and triumph... but not love. LOVE takes time.
For me, it all started when you needed help getting to sleep those nights and days before you had a real sleep schedule. You would wake up and I would hand you over to Mom for a warm, cuddly nurse. Then, we would go downstairs and sit in the chair. I would play the "Canções de Ninar" CD that Lu's family gave us and rock you to sleep. By the 6th or 7th song, you would fall asleep and I would CAREFULLY bring you back upstairs to your bassinet. Your warmth and cooing in my arms began the bond which grew exponentially from there.
There was the first smile you ever gave me. When I walked into the room, you grinned from ear to ear (much like your mother's smile) and shook your appendages with glee. Shortly after that, you started falling asleep on me randomly (not just when I was trying to get you to sleep), as if you knew you were in a safe and comforting place. Your arms stretched widely across my chest and your small rib cage bounced up and down with your breath.
I remember your first giggles. We were roughhousing a bit and I tickled your tummy. We all heard your real laugh for the first time. I still smile every day that I hear it. It has become much stronger and full of energy since then.
The bond you have with your mother is also something to note. You nurse with such great pleasure -- as if spending that time with Mom is the greatest part of your day. I love that about you. You really know how to connect with your family!
I think this is because you show such amazing empathy towards others. I have seen you look worriedly when other babies have hurt themselves or are crying. You hug and kiss the things in your life in which you have a connection: Mom, Me, other babies, the dogs, your dolls and stuffed animals (never mind the sack of potatoes Auntie Jo saw you kiss). When you play with toys, you are always eager to share them with us. Of your first 4 words, "Hi" and "Thank You" were two of them. I think this is very telling of your personality. You seem to care about connecting with others.
I also love the way you love to play with and read your books. I am sure this is mostly due to your mother's life-long fascination with them, but it has really rubbed off on you. Lately, as you have gotten older, we can sit together and read several books in a row. You stay focused and interested the entire time. Some of the most recent pictures we have taken are of you sitting at your table, reading a book by yourself. I can see an amazing brain inside your head and I cannot wait to see what you are capable of.
Of course, it wasn't ALL easy. I still have to get up several times in the night to help you get back to sleep or nurse with Mom. Your unwillingness to sleep sometimes frustrates me terribly. Watching after you can be physically draining and tiring. BUT, this past year has made me realize what it is really like to feel unconditional love. This love wasn't automatic or obligatory. It has been built from my interactions and care for you. Just last night, due to your molar pain, I got up about 15 times to help you get to sleep. In the morning, I woke up lethargic with a headache. When Mom brought you to me, you smiled and reached your arms towards me. The frustration of the night was erased by your adorable excitement to see us in the morning.
As we start our next year as a family, your mother and I are so excited to see you you develop into a talking, thinking, waking kid. You will begin to develop interests and continue developing your opinions. Your personality will blossom and we will be there to see it happen.
You are a beautiful girl, Maia. I love you. Happy Birthday.
Dad
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
New pictures
We've posted some new albums to the website. There are photos of Maia's first birthday party, and some photos of her playing at our house today.
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| From New Year's Day |
Remembering 1/1/07 . . .
I hope that everyone out there had a happy New Year's Eve celebration last night, and that you all have a great day today (food, family, football, general laziness, etc.). Maia's first molar is coming in, so we've had some challenging nights lately, but our sleep last night was significantly better than the last few. Maia is still asleep now, in fact, and I'm sitting downstairs on the rocking chair, alternating between typing and looking at the beautiful snow that's covering everything outside. The snow, combined with the holiday, is making for a strangely silent morning; no one is out and about, and there are no cars traveling down our street.
I'm just thinking about today in the context of Maia's first year here with us. I can so easily think back to a year ago, feeling contractions on and off throughout the entire day of January 1, 2007. There wasn't much of any regularity to them, but I certainly didn't feel well. It wasn't until about 6:00 PM that we began to (hesitantly) notice somewhat of a pattern, and we began to make some phone calls. Because we were scheduled for a week-42 labor induction on the morning of the 2nd anyway, we decided to go to the hospital and stay there after the staff had agreed that I was in some sort of early labor contraction pattern. I can look back on some of these choices now and wonder if things would have been different if, if, if . . . but circumstances were what they were, and I was so ready to meet my daughter after 42 weeks of pregnancy!
So throughout the night of the 1st and into the early morning of the 2nd, I remember quiet, darkness, pain, a profound sense of power, exhaustion, and closeness with Brian and with my Mom. It happened over and over again, hundreds of times, one minute-long contraction at a time for twelve, fourteen, sixteen, almost eighteen hours. My labor as a whole (at the hospital, that is) was about 21 hours long total, but I am particularly protective and proud of these first eighteen, before I made the choice to accept medication for my pain. (I remember being so desperate to rest . . . every cell in my body felt tired. My fingernails felt tired!) Those first eighteen hours will be something that I treasure and keep close to my heart forever. Conquering these hours, one contraction at a time, changed my understanding of myself and what I am capable of.
And then, of course, on the afternoon of the 2nd, my concept of myself changed in a different way! But I'm not quite ready to get to that yet. :)
I'm just thinking about today in the context of Maia's first year here with us. I can so easily think back to a year ago, feeling contractions on and off throughout the entire day of January 1, 2007. There wasn't much of any regularity to them, but I certainly didn't feel well. It wasn't until about 6:00 PM that we began to (hesitantly) notice somewhat of a pattern, and we began to make some phone calls. Because we were scheduled for a week-42 labor induction on the morning of the 2nd anyway, we decided to go to the hospital and stay there after the staff had agreed that I was in some sort of early labor contraction pattern. I can look back on some of these choices now and wonder if things would have been different if, if, if . . . but circumstances were what they were, and I was so ready to meet my daughter after 42 weeks of pregnancy!
So throughout the night of the 1st and into the early morning of the 2nd, I remember quiet, darkness, pain, a profound sense of power, exhaustion, and closeness with Brian and with my Mom. It happened over and over again, hundreds of times, one minute-long contraction at a time for twelve, fourteen, sixteen, almost eighteen hours. My labor as a whole (at the hospital, that is) was about 21 hours long total, but I am particularly protective and proud of these first eighteen, before I made the choice to accept medication for my pain. (I remember being so desperate to rest . . . every cell in my body felt tired. My fingernails felt tired!) Those first eighteen hours will be something that I treasure and keep close to my heart forever. Conquering these hours, one contraction at a time, changed my understanding of myself and what I am capable of.
And then, of course, on the afternoon of the 2nd, my concept of myself changed in a different way! But I'm not quite ready to get to that yet. :)
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Merry Christmas
Maia's working on going to sleep for her second nap today, the day after her first Christmas here with us. She was quite the looming presence last year, too, but she's even more so now. :) We've had a busy day so far today, but in a good way. (Made even better by Brian's presence--yay vacation!)
On Christmas, we had a quiet morning to ourselves, which is just what we hoped for when we decided to stay here in Ann Arbor for the holiday. We woke up late (at about 9:00), opened Maia's presents from us, and then helped her off to sleep for her 10 AM nap. After that, family started to arrive in waves at about noon or so. We talked and Maia played and ripped up paper and boxes and anything else she could get her hands on, and then we all sat down together for our Christmas meal of prime rib, salads, and the "kitchen island of a thousand desserts."
And after that, our little Dauphine (Joanna's very apt nickname for Maia) opened her multitude of first Christmas gifts. Thanks so much to everyone out there for their generosity! Maia, of course, had no idea why any of this stuff was going on around her, but I'm sure that she'll appreciate it someday!
Today, perhaps in part because of the generosity of all of Maia's relatives yesterday, we made a trip to the Salvation Army bearing several bags of old clothes and toys. We were one in a line of cars doing the same thing--and a couple of the other people there were bringing boxes of unopened Christmas gifts (the items were identifiable by the printing on the boxes, but the boxes were still sealed). We've kept some of Maia's favorites from her first few months of life, of course--they'll probably go into some kind of memory box someday. But we said goodbye to a bunch of stuffed animals, her first play mat, and some other things that have been left behind in the wake of her developmental progress. Brian and I decided today that we're probably going to adhere to some sort of rule along the lines of "get a new toy, give up an old one."
We are so fortunate to live the life that we do, with the people we have who are close to us. I hope that Christmases in the future will exist primarily to remind Maia of how lucky she is, and that this amount of good luck brings with it great responsibility. I have very clear and powerful memories of childhood Christmases that included community service of one kind or another--mainly, I recall, delivering meals to people who did not have families with whom they could celebrate. Ultimately, as Maia's parents, it's going to be our job to find a way to help Maia understand that her life situation is not the norm for the rest of the world--and as the division between the rich and the poor continues to deepen, it's becoming even less so.
So there it is, a philosophical end to this Christmas post. For so many reasons, Maia's one lucky little person. Thanks to everyone out there who helped make that fact so strikingly clear.
On Christmas, we had a quiet morning to ourselves, which is just what we hoped for when we decided to stay here in Ann Arbor for the holiday. We woke up late (at about 9:00), opened Maia's presents from us, and then helped her off to sleep for her 10 AM nap. After that, family started to arrive in waves at about noon or so. We talked and Maia played and ripped up paper and boxes and anything else she could get her hands on, and then we all sat down together for our Christmas meal of prime rib, salads, and the "kitchen island of a thousand desserts."
And after that, our little Dauphine (Joanna's very apt nickname for Maia) opened her multitude of first Christmas gifts. Thanks so much to everyone out there for their generosity! Maia, of course, had no idea why any of this stuff was going on around her, but I'm sure that she'll appreciate it someday!
Today, perhaps in part because of the generosity of all of Maia's relatives yesterday, we made a trip to the Salvation Army bearing several bags of old clothes and toys. We were one in a line of cars doing the same thing--and a couple of the other people there were bringing boxes of unopened Christmas gifts (the items were identifiable by the printing on the boxes, but the boxes were still sealed). We've kept some of Maia's favorites from her first few months of life, of course--they'll probably go into some kind of memory box someday. But we said goodbye to a bunch of stuffed animals, her first play mat, and some other things that have been left behind in the wake of her developmental progress. Brian and I decided today that we're probably going to adhere to some sort of rule along the lines of "get a new toy, give up an old one."
We are so fortunate to live the life that we do, with the people we have who are close to us. I hope that Christmases in the future will exist primarily to remind Maia of how lucky she is, and that this amount of good luck brings with it great responsibility. I have very clear and powerful memories of childhood Christmases that included community service of one kind or another--mainly, I recall, delivering meals to people who did not have families with whom they could celebrate. Ultimately, as Maia's parents, it's going to be our job to find a way to help Maia understand that her life situation is not the norm for the rest of the world--and as the division between the rich and the poor continues to deepen, it's becoming even less so.
So there it is, a philosophical end to this Christmas post. For so many reasons, Maia's one lucky little person. Thanks to everyone out there who helped make that fact so strikingly clear.
Monday, December 24, 2007
'Twas the night before Christmas
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| From Christmas 07 |
Warm chocolate chip cookies have just come out of the oven, and Maia's gone to sleep for the night. Here's the first annual letter to Santa, from Miss Maia Donna. :) (Also included in the very small photo album are a few pics of Maia with her Wolverine-esque bed head. Eat your heart out, Hugh Jackman!)
Great Papa Stan
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| From Late Septembe... |
Maia's Great Papa Stan passed away on Saturday evening. He was a Professor Emeritus at MSU and a veteran of the Second World War. We're all so thankful that Maia had the opportunity to meet him a few times over the last several months.
We love you, Papa.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
So cute it hurts.
Just now: after finishing her first breakfast (milk), Maia crawled over to Stella and gave her a big, sloppy baby kiss on her back. Then, after petting her a couple of times, she crawled over to Mona and did the same. :)
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Doctor Worm!
I have been gathering footage for this one for a while now. This is Maia's favorite song! Every time you see her dance in this video, she is either listening to this song or we are singing it to her.
A couple things of note:
1) Maia was first introduced to this song by Auntie Jo during her trip to New York. It's been a favorite ever since.
2) In a couple of shots, Maia is wearing the "Where's the Beef?" t-shirt that we blogged about way back in the day!
A couple things of note:
1) Maia was first introduced to this song by Auntie Jo during her trip to New York. It's been a favorite ever since.
2) In a couple of shots, Maia is wearing the "Where's the Beef?" t-shirt that we blogged about way back in the day!
Better already
Just a quick update: Maia's case of croup is REALLY mild, because it's already mostly gone. She's reverted to her original cold-like symptoms: runny nose and not much else. The coughing, raspy voice, and labored breathing are gone (for the most part). That's a quick recovery for our little kid! Let's hope that she keeps progressing in this direction.
And, as a side note, for anyone who's on the "Just how strong is Cara's immune system" watch, I'm still not sick! :) Brian's cold is improving steadily, Maia's croup is, too, and I think I dodged this bullet. Last illness: June, 2006.
And, as a side note, for anyone who's on the "Just how strong is Cara's immune system" watch, I'm still not sick! :) Brian's cold is improving steadily, Maia's croup is, too, and I think I dodged this bullet. Last illness: June, 2006.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Sicko
We went to the pediatrician this morning, and it turns out that Maia has a case of the croup! Her case is very mild, so we're lucky; she's not doing the constant, repetitive "barking" thing that characterizes a bad case. In fact, she's napping right now, which is a good indication that she doesn't have it bad.
She had a dose of steroids at the doc's, and some Tylenol to take down her 101-degree fever. Fortunately, Nana Dawn is here today to spend the day with us, so I'll be able to go to work for a couple of hours to prep for my class tonight without dragging little sicko Maia along with me.
And another bit of good news: she doesn't have an ear infection to go along with it! :) That's probably a sign that she's not going to be prone to ear infections, because this would have been a prime opportunity for her to get one.
She had a dose of steroids at the doc's, and some Tylenol to take down her 101-degree fever. Fortunately, Nana Dawn is here today to spend the day with us, so I'll be able to go to work for a couple of hours to prep for my class tonight without dragging little sicko Maia along with me.
And another bit of good news: she doesn't have an ear infection to go along with it! :) That's probably a sign that she's not going to be prone to ear infections, because this would have been a prime opportunity for her to get one.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Happy Winter!
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| From Wintertime! |
Winter has arrived in Ann Arbor! The TV weatherpeople are all in a tizzy (Alert, alert! Snow in Michigan in December!!!) with the arrival of about a foot of snow over last night and into today. Maia got her first taste of a for-real snowstorm and didn't really know what to make of it. Our road was unplowed into the afternoon, so we took her out in the old-school Hecker girls' sled--note our names written on the back--for a few minutes before the wind started to get too blustery. We figured it wasn't a big deal to go outside for a little while because she already has a cold! (See the next paragraph.)
Also coinciding with the arrival of the cold weather is a pretty icky cold for Maia. It's nothing dramatic or surprising: just a very runny nose and a scratchy throat. Maia slept for about 10 straight hours last night (a stretch we haven't seen in months) and then napped a lot today, but it was a challenge indeed to get her on her way to dreamland this evening. I'll probably take her to the pediatrician tomorrow just to be sure that her raspy little voice isn't a sign of trouble in her lungs. I'm sure that she's just fine. With the help of some saline drops and a nasal aspirator, we've been able to nurse all day, which certainly helps make her feel better (physically and emotionally, I think.) Complicating matters a bit, however, is the fact that Brian's also sick with said cold. Blah. You can bet I'm hoping that my iron-clad immune system carries me through this minefield!
Even through all this, I marvel at how fortunate we are to have an almost-one year old who's only had two colds and zero ear infections. Yay us!!!!
What else? Well, we put up our little Christmas tree in the family room. We went with a fake one this year, because I certainly have no interest in trailing Maia all day to make sure that she's not eating pine needles off the floor. It's getting to the point that she can play quite happily on her own on the floor with her books and toys while I get our lunch together or get my coat on, but that flexibility would end if a real tree entered into the picture. We got a small one--it's about four feet tall, and we've put it up on a table to keep it away from prying baby hands.
That's about all for now. Also included in the recent photo album is a picture of Maia opening her first ever wrapped Christmas present! Thanks so much to Harper and her family for the Eric Carle book! :)
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Dude Bug!
Yesterday we were in Battle Creek for a Medich Christmas party. On the way to the car, Maia looked at me, furrowed her brow a bit, and said--in a very loud, clear and distinct voice--"DUDE BUG!" It really funny, and I have a new nickname for her!
This nickname is similar to some of our many nicknames for her: Bug, Twinkle, Twinkle Worm, Doctor Worm, Worm, Twinkle Monster, Twinkle Lobster, Mai Mai, Cuddle Bug and Puppy.
I guess it is appropriate. She is all of those things and more :)
Last night, Cara and I went to the Youssou N'Dour concert. It was a ton of fun. There were 4 drummers (mostly African drums) and 4 tonal instruments. The drums were a huge part of the show, and it made it one of the most fun shows I have ever seen. Those who have known me most my life are very aware that music has always been a big part of who I am. For whatever reason, I have lost that a bit...
Now that I am a parent, I have been thinking a lot about how music is going to fit in to the way I relate to my child. I hope very much that Maia will grow up to enjoy music and drums AND that I get to share that interest with her.
I think we are on the right track. She seems very interested in music... I have taken her to a few live performances so far and she seems to really enjoy them. She dances when she hears the beat of a drum, the sound of a band playing, or even her dad's atonal singing voice. She watches with great interest when she sees musicians perform and often kicks her feet.
Dude Bug!
This nickname is similar to some of our many nicknames for her: Bug, Twinkle, Twinkle Worm, Doctor Worm, Worm, Twinkle Monster, Twinkle Lobster, Mai Mai, Cuddle Bug and Puppy.
I guess it is appropriate. She is all of those things and more :)
Last night, Cara and I went to the Youssou N'Dour concert. It was a ton of fun. There were 4 drummers (mostly African drums) and 4 tonal instruments. The drums were a huge part of the show, and it made it one of the most fun shows I have ever seen. Those who have known me most my life are very aware that music has always been a big part of who I am. For whatever reason, I have lost that a bit...
Now that I am a parent, I have been thinking a lot about how music is going to fit in to the way I relate to my child. I hope very much that Maia will grow up to enjoy music and drums AND that I get to share that interest with her.
I think we are on the right track. She seems very interested in music... I have taken her to a few live performances so far and she seems to really enjoy them. She dances when she hears the beat of a drum, the sound of a band playing, or even her dad's atonal singing voice. She watches with great interest when she sees musicians perform and often kicks her feet.
Dude Bug!
Friday, December 07, 2007
Gratitude
There's a lot going on tomorrow . . .
One of those things is the main topic of this entry: we need to take a moment to thank Nana Dawn and Papa Stan for the innumerable things that they've done for us over the last eleven months. Maia has been here with us for about 48 weeks now, and, at the rate of one or two visits per week, they've probably seen her about 80 times. Even throughout a busy football season, intense planning for a big high school reunion (Papa Stan), and 50+ hours per week of work (Nana Dawn), they've spent time with Maia almost one hundred times over the past year. And all of this includes a commute of over an hour to get here and another hour plus of driving to return home.
Nana and Papa have come to recognize when Maia's tired, hungry, bored, or anxious. They know her bedtime and nap time routines, her favorite toys, and her favorite meals. Both of them change her diapers, feed her bottles, change her clothes, take her for walks around the neighborhood, and run errands with her around town.
It's been so important to me to have this support, these extra sets of eyes and ears watching Maia's development and seeing her grow. Nana and Papa have been able to tell me about changes that they've seen over the last week that I haven't been able to sense, simply because I see Maia every day and the changes are so incremental. Much of my understanding of the pace of her physical, verbal, and emotional development has grown out of these conversations with Nana and Papa about their perspective.
This entry has focused on the investment of time, because that is paramount, but there are so many other ways in which we've been helped and supported over this year. I'll never be able to adequately express my thanks, but I suspect that Maia will. It's the little things: feeling comforted by a hug, returning a smile, offering a big sloppy baby kiss. These things aren't given freely by our sometimes-introverted little daughter--they are treasures. They are expressions of "thank you," and they are the payoff after a monumental investment of time and effort.
- 1) We have an annual reunion with the Medich side of the family (the origins of the "Donna" in "Maia Donna") in the afternoon.
- 2) We're going to our first concert (or show of any kind, for that matter) since Maia's birth. We're going to see Youssou N'Dour, a Senegalese singer, at Hill Auditorium. We're both really looking forward to it. We'll see Nana and Papa Hecker, and they'll be spending the evening with Maia.
- Tio Lu is arriving in the States (in New York City, at first) for his summer vacation! We'll see you in Michigan soon!
One of those things is the main topic of this entry: we need to take a moment to thank Nana Dawn and Papa Stan for the innumerable things that they've done for us over the last eleven months. Maia has been here with us for about 48 weeks now, and, at the rate of one or two visits per week, they've probably seen her about 80 times. Even throughout a busy football season, intense planning for a big high school reunion (Papa Stan), and 50+ hours per week of work (Nana Dawn), they've spent time with Maia almost one hundred times over the past year. And all of this includes a commute of over an hour to get here and another hour plus of driving to return home.
Nana and Papa have come to recognize when Maia's tired, hungry, bored, or anxious. They know her bedtime and nap time routines, her favorite toys, and her favorite meals. Both of them change her diapers, feed her bottles, change her clothes, take her for walks around the neighborhood, and run errands with her around town.
It's been so important to me to have this support, these extra sets of eyes and ears watching Maia's development and seeing her grow. Nana and Papa have been able to tell me about changes that they've seen over the last week that I haven't been able to sense, simply because I see Maia every day and the changes are so incremental. Much of my understanding of the pace of her physical, verbal, and emotional development has grown out of these conversations with Nana and Papa about their perspective.
This entry has focused on the investment of time, because that is paramount, but there are so many other ways in which we've been helped and supported over this year. I'll never be able to adequately express my thanks, but I suspect that Maia will. It's the little things: feeling comforted by a hug, returning a smile, offering a big sloppy baby kiss. These things aren't given freely by our sometimes-introverted little daughter--they are treasures. They are expressions of "thank you," and they are the payoff after a monumental investment of time and effort.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Words
Two words have emerged in Maia's vocabulary over the last couple of days: "uh oh!" (with the exact voice inflection that you'd use to say it) and "Dada." We got a video of both of them just now, and Brian's going to work on some video editing this evening to get it up online soon. Now that she's saying both things, we're going to work on context: "uh oh!" is for when something goes amiss, and "Dada" is Brian. :)
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Eleven Months
In the last eleven months, Maia has taught me (among a million other things) that:
- Starting off the morning with a big smile and a snort is a great way to kick off a day.
- Sometimes the sheer joy of moving is worth a giggle or two.
- Everything is meant to be shared--even pacifiers!
- If you hear the rhythm, you gotta dance.
- Blades of grass, pine needles, and ripples on a lake are mesmerizing things, if you look at them with fresh eyes.
- Books really are the best toys!
- There's nothing wrong with approaching life with a hint of caution.
- There might be no purer source of peace in the world than simple trust in the warmth and familiarity of home and family.
Friday, November 30, 2007
How big is Maia??
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| From November 30 |
A full day today:
1) A trip to the dermatologist for me--cross your fingers that I don't have skin cancer!
2) A bath for a very grimy baby.
3) Lots and lots of nursing. I'm being very vigilant about milk supply, because I think it's been low lately what with Maia's dazzling array of solid food tastes. So, her only solid food today came with . . .
3) A trip to Zingerman's for Maia's first reuben sandwich. She's had corned beef before, but never the full-on rueben with sauerkraut and Russian dressing on rye. She seemed to like it! And we took the pickle up a notch and gave her the really garlicky one. Yum!!!
4) Bedtime now. We'll probably see her little self again in about four hours or so.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
A few things I'm proud of... (Brian's edition)
1. We give Maia what she NEEDS, when she needs it.
2. It has been 11 months now, and we have managed to avoid playing baby TV.
3. Maia loves to see me in the morning when she wakes up.
4. Maia has learned that I am as important to her as Cara is.
5. Maia seems to really like music and drums (she likes to bang on things).
6. I don't hesitate to get up several times a night to take care of her.
7. I can do anything that Cara can do (except breastfeed) to soothe her or make her happy.
8. I've turned spending time with Maia into my biggest hobby.
9. Maia loves to eat the food that I make for her.
2. It has been 11 months now, and we have managed to avoid playing baby TV.
3. Maia loves to see me in the morning when she wakes up.
4. Maia has learned that I am as important to her as Cara is.
5. Maia seems to really like music and drums (she likes to bang on things).
6. I don't hesitate to get up several times a night to take care of her.
7. I can do anything that Cara can do (except breastfeed) to soothe her or make her happy.
8. I've turned spending time with Maia into my biggest hobby.
9. Maia loves to eat the food that I make for her.
Monday, November 26, 2007
A few things I'm proud of . . .
1) Some of Maia's favorite toys are her books.
2) We've stuck with the cloth diapers for several months, and they're the norm for us now.
3) Maia's never eaten commercially prepared baby food.
4) Brian and I are equally skilled at getting Maia to sleep . . . and lots of the time, he's better!
5) Nursing is still going strong at almost 11 months.
6) Maia loves pickles, corned beef hash, olives, chili . . . etc.
7) With all the sleep struggles lately, it still makes me smile every morning to see Maia's face and messy bed head when she wakes up!
2) We've stuck with the cloth diapers for several months, and they're the norm for us now.
3) Maia's never eaten commercially prepared baby food.
4) Brian and I are equally skilled at getting Maia to sleep . . . and lots of the time, he's better!
5) Nursing is still going strong at almost 11 months.
6) Maia loves pickles, corned beef hash, olives, chili . . . etc.
7) With all the sleep struggles lately, it still makes me smile every morning to see Maia's face and messy bed head when she wakes up!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Weekly update
Hello Maia watchers! It's been a while since I last wrote, partly due to the fact that we've been busy visiting with many of you over the last several days. Those of you whom we didn't see: we hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
We had two Thanksgivings this year: we spent Thursday in Portage with the Genisio side of the family, and Friday here in Ann Arbor with many of the Heckers (a shout-out to Aunt Katie and Tio Lu is due: we missed you!). Maia has now met all of her Great-Grandparents; it was really fantastic for her to have the opportunity to meet the LaMantias from Arizona at last.
Maia's continuing development into more of a toddler than a baby was evident during our two Thanksgivings. Her brain is able to understand and categorize so many things now that it couldn't previously: this is a house I know, this is not, this is a person I know, this is not . . . and a range of places in-between these two extremes. Almost daily, the degree to which Maia is primarily attached to Brian and I becomes more and more clear; this attachment is the source of most of her sleeping challenges in unfamiliar places and her hesitant behavior with unfamiliar people. If you were to ask Brian or I how thrilled we are with the aforementioned sleep challenges, we (of course) aren't so much, but, we know where the source is. And the fact of the matter is that if Maia were not exhibiting each and every one of these behaviors at this age, we'd be concerned about her attachment to us, and we'd probably be asking a whole bunch of questions about her neurological and emotional development.
I'm honored and thrilled by the fact that she feels at home here in this house, and she seeks comfort in being close to Brian and me. I read somewhere, back before Maia was born, that my main purpose of parenting in the first six or nine months of her life is to establish myself as her primary source of comfort and care. (This is an older research summary from the Department of Health and Human Services, one I read before Maia's arrival. Yes, I'm a nerd! I put citations in my blog entries!) In a way, her temporarily-clingy behavior now (and probably for the next several months) will reflect all of the effort that Brian and I have put into this attached relationship since the day she was born.
Does it sound a bit like I'm trying to talk myself into something? Probably. It is exhausting indeed to feel like we've regressed by months in terms of the quality of our sleep. Maia woke up and nursed three times last night between 7 PM and 7 AM; we haven't seen patterns like that since she was two months old. It's not easy to deal with an exhausted baby who is determined not to nap. It's not always easy to handle a baby who is expressing her opinions and emotions so much more strongly now. But again, I remind myself: be happy that Maia tells you what she wants. That means that she has confidence that I'll be there to meet her needs when she expresses them.
It's now a few hours after I began writing this post. The three of us have just returned from the bookstore, where Maia crawled around and was enthralled by the older kids who were also there. She does this throaty laugh, "Heh," whenever she sees something that interests her, and so she was "Heh-ing" at everyone and everything at the bookstore this evening.
As we left the store, we were greeted with the first real snowfall of the year. It was dark, of course, and so Maia was fascinated by the huge snowflakes as they fell in the yellow light from the streetlamps lighting the parking lot. She reached up for them as they came down, and they landed on her forehead and in her hair and rested there. She blinked her eyes over and over again as the cool snowflakes landed on her cheeks. What I would have given to have a camera with me at that moment! :)
We had two Thanksgivings this year: we spent Thursday in Portage with the Genisio side of the family, and Friday here in Ann Arbor with many of the Heckers (a shout-out to Aunt Katie and Tio Lu is due: we missed you!). Maia has now met all of her Great-Grandparents; it was really fantastic for her to have the opportunity to meet the LaMantias from Arizona at last.
Maia's continuing development into more of a toddler than a baby was evident during our two Thanksgivings. Her brain is able to understand and categorize so many things now that it couldn't previously: this is a house I know, this is not, this is a person I know, this is not . . . and a range of places in-between these two extremes. Almost daily, the degree to which Maia is primarily attached to Brian and I becomes more and more clear; this attachment is the source of most of her sleeping challenges in unfamiliar places and her hesitant behavior with unfamiliar people. If you were to ask Brian or I how thrilled we are with the aforementioned sleep challenges, we (of course) aren't so much, but, we know where the source is. And the fact of the matter is that if Maia were not exhibiting each and every one of these behaviors at this age, we'd be concerned about her attachment to us, and we'd probably be asking a whole bunch of questions about her neurological and emotional development.
I'm honored and thrilled by the fact that she feels at home here in this house, and she seeks comfort in being close to Brian and me. I read somewhere, back before Maia was born, that my main purpose of parenting in the first six or nine months of her life is to establish myself as her primary source of comfort and care. (This is an older research summary from the Department of Health and Human Services, one I read before Maia's arrival. Yes, I'm a nerd! I put citations in my blog entries!) In a way, her temporarily-clingy behavior now (and probably for the next several months) will reflect all of the effort that Brian and I have put into this attached relationship since the day she was born.
Does it sound a bit like I'm trying to talk myself into something? Probably. It is exhausting indeed to feel like we've regressed by months in terms of the quality of our sleep. Maia woke up and nursed three times last night between 7 PM and 7 AM; we haven't seen patterns like that since she was two months old. It's not easy to deal with an exhausted baby who is determined not to nap. It's not always easy to handle a baby who is expressing her opinions and emotions so much more strongly now. But again, I remind myself: be happy that Maia tells you what she wants. That means that she has confidence that I'll be there to meet her needs when she expresses them.
It's now a few hours after I began writing this post. The three of us have just returned from the bookstore, where Maia crawled around and was enthralled by the older kids who were also there. She does this throaty laugh, "Heh," whenever she sees something that interests her, and so she was "Heh-ing" at everyone and everything at the bookstore this evening.
As we left the store, we were greeted with the first real snowfall of the year. It was dark, of course, and so Maia was fascinated by the huge snowflakes as they fell in the yellow light from the streetlamps lighting the parking lot. She reached up for them as they came down, and they landed on her forehead and in her hair and rested there. She blinked her eyes over and over again as the cool snowflakes landed on her cheeks. What I would have given to have a camera with me at that moment! :)
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
A small new photo album.
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| From Mid November |
I just put up four new pictures of Maia heading upstairs (really--she takes the stairs on her own, now) and then hanging out on her changing table before bed. She's drifting off to dreamland now, if the silence upstairs is any indication.
A new one for today: Maia now knows how to clap! It's become clear that she's able to mimic any little thing that I do, so I decided to give clapping a try this afternoon. Piece of cake! She sometimes claps an open hand to a fist, but hey, it works!
We took a walk around Gallup Park this afternoon, too. Maia rode in her stroller this time, rather than in the back carrier. My goal was to walk at a pretty quick pace, so the stroller was a good option for that. Maia's 20+ lbs. on my back will be an added challenge for an afternoon of exercise . . . one that I haven't worked my way up to yet!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Maia takes Manhattan, Part Deux
Hello family and friends! I posted the photos quickly last night, and didn't take the time to write a textual counterpart to the pics. This entry might not be as long as I'd ideally make it, because I have to be out of the house and on my way to teach in about 30 minutes. But, I can get started, at least . . .
The flight to New York was good, overall, although we had a few turbulent (ha!) stretches of time at the end. The plane departed on time, but we had to circle over NY for about 30 minutes, and that last 30 minutes was what pushed Maia over the edge for a bit. She started to get extremely squirmy and began to cry, at which point an awesome flight attendant took her back to the kitchen area to check out the plastic cups and tiny bottles of water. (My "fasten seat belt" light was on at the time, so I was stuck.)
(Continued on Tuesday morning . . . teaching was good last night!)
We landed at LaGuardia and took a taxi to the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where Auntie Jo lives. I really love her neighborhood--it's a combination of the New York of the movies (Park Avenue, Madison Avenue, Central Park) and the New York where "real people" live. It was immediately striking to me to see how nice New Yorkers are, contrary to legend. Doormen and waitresses and people on the street said "hello" and smiled and waved at Maia. As Joanna so accurately said, the people whom she meets in her building and local coffee shops are so much kinder than the average surly college student working at Starbucks in East Lansing or Ann Arbor. There's a bluntness to New Yorkers, though, that isn't a part of the Midwestern way of social interaction; if you're taking too long in line at the grocery store, for example, they'll let you know directly, rather than saying nothing or muttering under their breath (as we tend to do in that case, here in Michigan).
So, several times throughout the weekend, we wandered around the Upper East Side. We went to nearby corner cafes for breakfast, and visited Joanna's department at the Institute of Fine Arts. After our arrival on Friday, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but that was a short visit; Maia had been through a very full day of new experiences--airplane, taxi, subway, Jo's apartment--and the art museum was just too much. We were there for about 30 minutes or so before she started to fuss and then cry. We joked for the rest of the weekend that Maia hates art, much to Auntie Jo's chagrin.
On Saturday, we began with a trip to Union Square, to see the city's most well known Green Market. Even at this time of year, which is in the "off season" for most Farmer's Markets, this particular market was very impressive. It was really fun to wander through a farmer's market surrounded by multi-story buildings, with the top of the Empire State Building peeking up behind the smaller skyscrapers on one side of the square.
On and off throughout the day we returned to Joanna's neighborhood and her apartment for Maia's naptimes and for meals. At about 5:30 we were planning to venture out on a subway/train to Brooklyn for pizza and then a walk back across the Brooklyn Bridge, but, again, Maia's energy reserves were emptied, and she was not interested in leaving the apartment! She got progressively fussier as we put her coat and hat on, and began the full-on cry once we went outside. So, I stayed behind with her while Mom and Jo went to the famous Eli Zabar's market to pick up some treats for us all to eat (coconut cake and a Chocolate Babka).
Clearly, I learned throughout this weekend that Maia is more than happy to see and do new things for about 1/2 or 2/3 of the day, but she runs out of energy for it after her second nap, and probably needs to be back at "home" after about 5:00 PM or so. It was a good thing to learn; we'll see how this changes in future travels, as she gets older.
(I hear Maia waking up right now, so I'm going to publish what I've written thus far and finish this up later today!)
Later that same day . . .
It's 4:00 on Tuesday afternoon, now, and Maia is in the midst of her second nap of the day. I want to be sure to get the details of our trip down in writing, so, here goes . . .
On Saturday evening, after Mom and Jo came back from Eli Zabar's, Mom graciously and wonderfully volunteered to stay in the apartment with Maia so that Jo and I could go out again. After the disappointment of not taking the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, this was just what I needed. So, Jo and I picked up the 6 train at the 77th street stop (four blocks from her apartment) and rode down the World Trade Center site. It was dark by this time, and so the enormous construction site was illuminated by sports-stadium-type lights. There were bulldozers, cranes, and construction workers doing their thing, and the site is criscrossed with the foundations of the buildings that have fallen, and the new structures in progress. It's a huge hole in the ground, now, but one side is marked with drawings of the buildings that are planned for construction there. The site is in the financial district of the city, which, understandably, is very quiet on a Saturday night, but there were still several people who seemed to be doing what Jo and I did: walking around the perimeter of the site, and peeking in through holes in the tarps that are hung from the very tall fences on three out of four sides of the area.
I was surprised by my emotional reaction to visiting the so-called "Ground Zero" site; it made the tragedy of what happened there viscerally real, rather than the strange symbol that it's become, in many ways, over the last six years. I won't go into the long discussion that we had about the meaning of the site itself (upon our return to the apartment) . . . I'll just say that it's an upsetting place, for many reasons (some of which probably depend upon one's political leanings).
After another good night of sleep, we woke up on Sunday morning and went to Central Park, which is just a few short blocks from Jo's apartment. Her entrance to the park is right next to "the Stuart Little pond," where the fictional mouse Stuart Little raced in motorized boats across the water in the kiddie lit classic. Our time in the park was wonderful; it was probably my favorite part of the entire weekend. The weather was crisp and sunny, the park is stunningly beautiful on a fall morning, and the guy playing the trumpet (my favorite: The Star Wars theme song) added some extra urban fun and flavor to the whole place.
So, Maia said "hi!" the the other park visitors, watched two kids fight with balloon light sabres (while the aforementioned theme song was being played), and barked at the ducks on the south side of the pond. Then, as we left, we stopped by a street vendor to buy the classic "I -heart- NY" t-shirt for Maia.
Immediately upon our return to Jo's place: we hailed a taxi at 81st and York, and then made our way to LaGuardia and our flight home.
The flight to New York was good, overall, although we had a few turbulent (ha!) stretches of time at the end. The plane departed on time, but we had to circle over NY for about 30 minutes, and that last 30 minutes was what pushed Maia over the edge for a bit. She started to get extremely squirmy and began to cry, at which point an awesome flight attendant took her back to the kitchen area to check out the plastic cups and tiny bottles of water. (My "fasten seat belt" light was on at the time, so I was stuck.)
(Continued on Tuesday morning . . . teaching was good last night!)
We landed at LaGuardia and took a taxi to the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where Auntie Jo lives. I really love her neighborhood--it's a combination of the New York of the movies (Park Avenue, Madison Avenue, Central Park) and the New York where "real people" live. It was immediately striking to me to see how nice New Yorkers are, contrary to legend. Doormen and waitresses and people on the street said "hello" and smiled and waved at Maia. As Joanna so accurately said, the people whom she meets in her building and local coffee shops are so much kinder than the average surly college student working at Starbucks in East Lansing or Ann Arbor. There's a bluntness to New Yorkers, though, that isn't a part of the Midwestern way of social interaction; if you're taking too long in line at the grocery store, for example, they'll let you know directly, rather than saying nothing or muttering under their breath (as we tend to do in that case, here in Michigan).
So, several times throughout the weekend, we wandered around the Upper East Side. We went to nearby corner cafes for breakfast, and visited Joanna's department at the Institute of Fine Arts. After our arrival on Friday, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but that was a short visit; Maia had been through a very full day of new experiences--airplane, taxi, subway, Jo's apartment--and the art museum was just too much. We were there for about 30 minutes or so before she started to fuss and then cry. We joked for the rest of the weekend that Maia hates art, much to Auntie Jo's chagrin.
On Saturday, we began with a trip to Union Square, to see the city's most well known Green Market. Even at this time of year, which is in the "off season" for most Farmer's Markets, this particular market was very impressive. It was really fun to wander through a farmer's market surrounded by multi-story buildings, with the top of the Empire State Building peeking up behind the smaller skyscrapers on one side of the square.
On and off throughout the day we returned to Joanna's neighborhood and her apartment for Maia's naptimes and for meals. At about 5:30 we were planning to venture out on a subway/train to Brooklyn for pizza and then a walk back across the Brooklyn Bridge, but, again, Maia's energy reserves were emptied, and she was not interested in leaving the apartment! She got progressively fussier as we put her coat and hat on, and began the full-on cry once we went outside. So, I stayed behind with her while Mom and Jo went to the famous Eli Zabar's market to pick up some treats for us all to eat (coconut cake and a Chocolate Babka).
Clearly, I learned throughout this weekend that Maia is more than happy to see and do new things for about 1/2 or 2/3 of the day, but she runs out of energy for it after her second nap, and probably needs to be back at "home" after about 5:00 PM or so. It was a good thing to learn; we'll see how this changes in future travels, as she gets older.
(I hear Maia waking up right now, so I'm going to publish what I've written thus far and finish this up later today!)
Later that same day . . .
It's 4:00 on Tuesday afternoon, now, and Maia is in the midst of her second nap of the day. I want to be sure to get the details of our trip down in writing, so, here goes . . .
On Saturday evening, after Mom and Jo came back from Eli Zabar's, Mom graciously and wonderfully volunteered to stay in the apartment with Maia so that Jo and I could go out again. After the disappointment of not taking the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, this was just what I needed. So, Jo and I picked up the 6 train at the 77th street stop (four blocks from her apartment) and rode down the World Trade Center site. It was dark by this time, and so the enormous construction site was illuminated by sports-stadium-type lights. There were bulldozers, cranes, and construction workers doing their thing, and the site is criscrossed with the foundations of the buildings that have fallen, and the new structures in progress. It's a huge hole in the ground, now, but one side is marked with drawings of the buildings that are planned for construction there. The site is in the financial district of the city, which, understandably, is very quiet on a Saturday night, but there were still several people who seemed to be doing what Jo and I did: walking around the perimeter of the site, and peeking in through holes in the tarps that are hung from the very tall fences on three out of four sides of the area.
I was surprised by my emotional reaction to visiting the so-called "Ground Zero" site; it made the tragedy of what happened there viscerally real, rather than the strange symbol that it's become, in many ways, over the last six years. I won't go into the long discussion that we had about the meaning of the site itself (upon our return to the apartment) . . . I'll just say that it's an upsetting place, for many reasons (some of which probably depend upon one's political leanings).
After another good night of sleep, we woke up on Sunday morning and went to Central Park, which is just a few short blocks from Jo's apartment. Her entrance to the park is right next to "the Stuart Little pond," where the fictional mouse Stuart Little raced in motorized boats across the water in the kiddie lit classic. Our time in the park was wonderful; it was probably my favorite part of the entire weekend. The weather was crisp and sunny, the park is stunningly beautiful on a fall morning, and the guy playing the trumpet (my favorite: The Star Wars theme song) added some extra urban fun and flavor to the whole place.
So, Maia said "hi!" the the other park visitors, watched two kids fight with balloon light sabres (while the aforementioned theme song was being played), and barked at the ducks on the south side of the pond. Then, as we left, we stopped by a street vendor to buy the classic "I -heart- NY" t-shirt for Maia.
Immediately upon our return to Jo's place: we hailed a taxi at 81st and York, and then made our way to LaGuardia and our flight home.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Friday, November 09, 2007
Safe and Sound in New York City
I just got word that Cara, Maia and Dawn have arrived safely at Joanna's place in New York. Apparently the flight went a bit longer than planned, and Maia had a mini-melt down near the 2 hour mark at which a flight attendant took her for a tour of the "Kitchen" area. She got her wings pin and a certificate commemorating her first flight. VERY COOL!
So, I am sure we will hear plenty more from them after the weekend. More updates at that time!
So, I am sure we will hear plenty more from them after the weekend. More updates at that time!
Thursday, November 08, 2007
All the new things that I need to think about . . .
Here's an example of the intricacies of traveling with children in this post-9/11 world. Oh, the things that I've never had to think about before . . .
OK, back to packing!
OK, back to packing!
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
An interesting article.
This article in the New York Times is about something that has become a regular (though not daily) part of our lives. I've read several articles in the last few months about the practice of co-sleeping being on the rise in the United States; it's an interesting trend that is rising up as an alternative, I think, to having your little one "train" him or herself to sleep through the night by crying-it-out (as it's called).
I know that here in our family, we had a decision-making moment hit us when Maia was about 8 months old--we were either going to bring her into our room with us in the middle of the night, or we were going to let her cry herself to sleep. The alternative (us standing there at her crib, often for 30 or 45 minutes) was simply not an option at 3:00 AM. So, we came to co-sleeping as our answer, and it just feels right and appropriate and good.
So, read the article if you're interested!
I know that here in our family, we had a decision-making moment hit us when Maia was about 8 months old--we were either going to bring her into our room with us in the middle of the night, or we were going to let her cry herself to sleep. The alternative (us standing there at her crib, often for 30 or 45 minutes) was simply not an option at 3:00 AM. So, we came to co-sleeping as our answer, and it just feels right and appropriate and good.
So, read the article if you're interested!
Monday, November 05, 2007
A weekend of firsts.
A quick post before I head off for the evening to teach childbirth class . . .
1) Maia is now in the midst of her first cold. A few months ago, we thought she was sick, but it was a reaction to the dry air in the house at the beginning of the summer (due to the A.C.). But this time, it's the real thing. She has a runny nose and had a temp of 101 yesterday evening. You can bet that I'm desperately hopeful that she's over this by the time we get on the plane on Friday morning!
2) Maia's saying her very first word! We were very hesitant to say this for certain, but it's undeniable. Her first word is "Hi!" When Brian or I comes into the room (particularly after a longer absence), we wave and say "Hi!" Maia then responds with a wave of her own and "Haaa" or "Heh" or sometimes "Hi." But it's always one syllable, and it always begins with the /h/ sound! :)
3) Not a "first," but a fifth . . . she has her fifth tooth, now. Now she has three teeth peeking through on the top, and two that are more prominent on the bottom.
1) Maia is now in the midst of her first cold. A few months ago, we thought she was sick, but it was a reaction to the dry air in the house at the beginning of the summer (due to the A.C.). But this time, it's the real thing. She has a runny nose and had a temp of 101 yesterday evening. You can bet that I'm desperately hopeful that she's over this by the time we get on the plane on Friday morning!
2) Maia's saying her very first word! We were very hesitant to say this for certain, but it's undeniable. Her first word is "Hi!" When Brian or I comes into the room (particularly after a longer absence), we wave and say "Hi!" Maia then responds with a wave of her own and "Haaa" or "Heh" or sometimes "Hi." But it's always one syllable, and it always begins with the /h/ sound! :)
3) Not a "first," but a fifth . . . she has her fifth tooth, now. Now she has three teeth peeking through on the top, and two that are more prominent on the bottom.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
After a hard fought battle . . .
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| From Early November |
It's time for some celebratory milk. :) (That one's for you, Aunt Katie!)
Also, there are a few photos from Maia's ten-month birthday outing to Zingerman's (including her first balloon!), and a taste of red velvet cake at Cake Nouveau, a cupcake shop here in Ann Arbor.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
We're nearing the 10 month mark . . .
. . . so I figured that it's time for another longer post. But first, a photo:
Maia was in East Lansing today, and she got this wicked awesome sweatshirt (thanks to Nana and Papa Hecker)! Here she is, doing the wave all by herself on our front lawn. One of the cool things about "Michigan rivalry week" for Maia is that when you have a Mom from one school and a Dad from the other, you're happy no matter who wins the game. :)
There's lots going on in general Maia News these days. Let's see . . . well, her fourth tooth just came through her gums today, which is very cool indeed. She's now showing her two front teeth both on the bottom and on the top. The arrival of teeth is one of those weird milestones that has an absolutely huge range of "normal." For example, I know one 12-month old with thirteen teeth, and another with two. Both of those stats are just fine, and neither is a cause for celebration or concern. I think that's quite interesting. In general, baby milestones operate on a tighter range of "normal" than that . . . except for the age at which babies start walking. That's another huge one, all the way from seven months to sixteen (or more!).
Maia is now eating regular table food with us on most nights. She just eats a ground-up or broken-up version of whatever we're eating, sometimes with the spice level reduced a bit (especially if we're eating Indian or Thai). The list of "off-limit" foods is now MUCH shorter than the list of foods that are just fine; basically, the only no-nos are nuts, strawberries, honey, and milk. That sure does make life easy! (And, for some reason, tabbouleh doesn't sit well with her, either. Too acidic?) Maia still nurses about five times in a 24-hour period, and I imagine that that number will decrease slowly over time, until . . . who knows? I think she'll probably still be nursing once or twice a day at this time next year.
Maia is really big on making raspberries these days. She sticks her tongue out and lets the spit fly!
Brian and I have adjusted to our new sleep schedule, which is somewhat of a return to the pattern of three-month-old Maia. She generally wakes once in the middle of the night now, usually around 2:00 or 3:00 AM. It's a quick wake-up: we hear her babbling over the baby monitor, and she's standing up in her crib, looking at the door when one of us (generally Brian) walks into the room. She then has a quick nurse (usually about 10 minutes), and then is back into bed and usually back to sleep with no fuss. Honestly, I could keep up this pattern for years; it's really not difficult, and I enjoy the middle of the night nursing sessions and will miss them when they're gone for good. Brian and I were talking about this a few nights ago, and we realized that Maia's sleep challenges during her eighth month of life were quite a readjustment period for us after months of 10, 11, 11.5 hour stretches of continuous sleep. It was a bit of a wake-up call (pun intended!), a return to the more-likely reality of being a parent. We realized that this is part of the deal: when you become a parent, you accept that disturbed sleep is part of the bargain, probably for years.
We've started to call Maia "puppy," because she's doing several puppy-like things. She crawls around with things in her mouth, she barks, and she even begs for food! Brian was sitting on the floor, eating a piece of very yummy pumpkin bread that he'd made, and Maia crawled up to him, put her hands on his leg, and then on his arm, and proceeded to reach for the bread. She stayed there for several minutes, just waiting patiently for him to hand her little pieces of what he was eating.
I think that that's enough for now. Happy Halloween, everyone!
 |
| From October 30 |
Maia was in East Lansing today, and she got this wicked awesome sweatshirt (thanks to Nana and Papa Hecker)! Here she is, doing the wave all by herself on our front lawn. One of the cool things about "Michigan rivalry week" for Maia is that when you have a Mom from one school and a Dad from the other, you're happy no matter who wins the game. :)
There's lots going on in general Maia News these days. Let's see . . . well, her fourth tooth just came through her gums today, which is very cool indeed. She's now showing her two front teeth both on the bottom and on the top. The arrival of teeth is one of those weird milestones that has an absolutely huge range of "normal." For example, I know one 12-month old with thirteen teeth, and another with two. Both of those stats are just fine, and neither is a cause for celebration or concern. I think that's quite interesting. In general, baby milestones operate on a tighter range of "normal" than that . . . except for the age at which babies start walking. That's another huge one, all the way from seven months to sixteen (or more!).
Maia is now eating regular table food with us on most nights. She just eats a ground-up or broken-up version of whatever we're eating, sometimes with the spice level reduced a bit (especially if we're eating Indian or Thai). The list of "off-limit" foods is now MUCH shorter than the list of foods that are just fine; basically, the only no-nos are nuts, strawberries, honey, and milk. That sure does make life easy! (And, for some reason, tabbouleh doesn't sit well with her, either. Too acidic?) Maia still nurses about five times in a 24-hour period, and I imagine that that number will decrease slowly over time, until . . . who knows? I think she'll probably still be nursing once or twice a day at this time next year.
Maia is really big on making raspberries these days. She sticks her tongue out and lets the spit fly!
Brian and I have adjusted to our new sleep schedule, which is somewhat of a return to the pattern of three-month-old Maia. She generally wakes once in the middle of the night now, usually around 2:00 or 3:00 AM. It's a quick wake-up: we hear her babbling over the baby monitor, and she's standing up in her crib, looking at the door when one of us (generally Brian) walks into the room. She then has a quick nurse (usually about 10 minutes), and then is back into bed and usually back to sleep with no fuss. Honestly, I could keep up this pattern for years; it's really not difficult, and I enjoy the middle of the night nursing sessions and will miss them when they're gone for good. Brian and I were talking about this a few nights ago, and we realized that Maia's sleep challenges during her eighth month of life were quite a readjustment period for us after months of 10, 11, 11.5 hour stretches of continuous sleep. It was a bit of a wake-up call (pun intended!), a return to the more-likely reality of being a parent. We realized that this is part of the deal: when you become a parent, you accept that disturbed sleep is part of the bargain, probably for years.
We've started to call Maia "puppy," because she's doing several puppy-like things. She crawls around with things in her mouth, she barks, and she even begs for food! Brian was sitting on the floor, eating a piece of very yummy pumpkin bread that he'd made, and Maia crawled up to him, put her hands on his leg, and then on his arm, and proceeded to reach for the bread. She stayed there for several minutes, just waiting patiently for him to hand her little pieces of what he was eating.
I think that that's enough for now. Happy Halloween, everyone!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Busy morning baby!
I've added a few photos of Maia's busy little self at about 9:00 this morning. She was in her PJs, with a fantastic case of Bed Head, and she was getting into everything! In the last photo, she's actually standing on her tip-toes, trying to pull down all of her toys on the top shelf. No toy in particular--she just likes pulling them off the shelf, one by one, for the fun of it.
Also, I must say an enormous THANK YOU to our friends the Dunbars in Bloomington! Deb, Kurt and Grace very generously gave us all of Grace's old clothes. Thanks to them, Maia essentially has her wardrobe from the age of 2 through 4. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!!!! :)
Also, I must say an enormous THANK YOU to our friends the Dunbars in Bloomington! Deb, Kurt and Grace very generously gave us all of Grace's old clothes. Thanks to them, Maia essentially has her wardrobe from the age of 2 through 4. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!!!! :)
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| From Busy Morning ... |
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Weekend in Chicago
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| From Chicago Weekend |
Hello everyone! This is just a quick post to let you all know that we've updated our photo album with some images from our weekend in Chicago with the Genisio/Wulterkens side of Brian's family. We had a fantastic time visiting with all the cousins and kids of cousins (there's a term for that, I know), and Maia got to meet her Great Grandma Genisio for the first time.
After our day in suburban Schaumburg on Saturday, the three of us went downtown to Chicago on Sunday morning. It was Maia's first opportunity to see real skyscrapers and to hear the sound of city buses and taxis and smell that city street funk. :) Maia giggled and barked her way down Michigan avenue and Lake Shore Drive, and we had a great time!
Friday, October 19, 2007
Friday
Well hello everyone. Just a quick post to let you know about a new album online, courtesy of me and our camera and our trip to Gallup Park, which is a beautiful, winding park along the Huron River about 5 minutes from our house.
Also, a couple of quick Maia updates:
1) One of her top front teeth has emerged over the last couple of days. Remember all of those posts about disturbed sleep routines? Teething, perhaps?? Duh.
2) She barks now! She barks at our dogs, at geese (see Gallup Park photos), and in imitation of Brian and me. Not exactly her first word, but, she's headed down that path. :)
Also, a couple of quick Maia updates:
1) One of her top front teeth has emerged over the last couple of days. Remember all of those posts about disturbed sleep routines? Teething, perhaps?? Duh.
2) She barks now! She barks at our dogs, at geese (see Gallup Park photos), and in imitation of Brian and me. Not exactly her first word, but, she's headed down that path. :)
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| From Gallup Park |
Sunday, October 14, 2007
It's fall at last.
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| From October Weekend |
Hello friends and family! We are wrapping-up a very busy weekend--Brian is doing some software work here at home (he has a Siemens laptop now that makes that possible!), I am preparing for my Childbirth Prep teaching tomorrow evening, and Maia is asleep.
It was a beautiful, cool weekend here in Ann Arbor. Yesterday (Saturday) we did our usual rounds through the Farmer's Market and got a bunch of beautiful fall veggies (butternut squash, potatoes, carrots, etc.) for our meals this week. This really is a fantastic time of year for harvests in Michigan, and it makes it relatively easy for us to do the vast majority of our food shopping for the week at the market.
It was a football Saturday in Ann Arbor, too, which means lots of traffic, tourists, and marching band music being played from storefront stereos throughout downtown. We went to Conor O'Neill's to watch some of the game, and Maia had her first taste of cheeseburger and french fries (albeit tiny tastes!) while we were there. She also charmed a table full of sorority sister alumni (seated next to us) who were in town for homecoming.
Then we went to the first birthday party of a "friend" of Maia's (the quotes signifying the impossibility of that distinction at her age). At that party, Maia had her first taste of birthday cake (prepared by the former pastry chef of Zingerman's! Fancy!!!) and Haagen Dazs ice cream. Clearly, Maia was living LARGE this weekend!!!
And then, today, we visited Wasem's apple orchard and pumpkin patch, where we picked a bushel of apples and got a pumpkin for our front porch. The farm was wonderful--it was busy with families, as you would expect this time of year, but it wasn't overly-commercial and crowded with petting zoos and corn mazes and other such things. It was basic: apples, pumpkins, cider, and doughnuts. It was just what we were looking for. And, of course, Maia tasted her first doughnut!
It was a busy weekend, but not too much. Because it has been so very hard to predict what Maia's sleep will be like from one day to the next, we try to be flexible with our plans and responsive to Maia's needs. With each day that passes, she becomes less like a baby and more like a toddler (particularly with the constant standing up and moving!), and with that comes the inevitable growth of her personality and attitude. Just today, at the pumpkin patch, she was playing on the ground and digging through the weeds and pumpkin stalks with her hands. When it was time to move on and pick more apples, she was not happy to be picked-up and put back into her baby carrier. She didn't cry, but she certainly made her feelings known. :)
Oh, and the last photo in the new album is her current favorite face: she wrinkles her nose and often snorts through it. My parents tell me that I did the exact same thing for months when I was her age, and they have the photos to prove it!
Friday, October 12, 2007
A restful day
Hello again. It's about 3:30 PM and Maia is napping right now. She went to sleep relatively happily at about 3:00; I had to go into her room once to remind her to lay down. Oh, and her new thing is to fling her pacifier onto the floor when she's standing up in her crib, so I also had to fetch her paci from the floor. But, after that, she went to sleep with no struggles and no fuss. All in all, it's been a great day of sleep and naps, and so I'm breathing a sigh of relief and celebrating the restful days as they come. They've been few and far between lately.
I just made an appointment with a chiropractor, because I think that Maia's big noggin did some damage to my tailbone during labor and birth. I had back labor for several hours, and that might have been the point at which my tailbone was bruised. Or, it could have happened as I was pushing her out. Who knows? All I know is that it's gotten worse over the last nine months, and it's at the point now that Brian sometimes has to help me stand up from a sitting position because of the pain. Not good. So, I'm seeing a chiropractor next Wednesday. Let's hope it's not broken!!!
That's about all for now. Maia is still sound asleep, so I'm going to take the opportunity to wash her diapers and catch up on some reading for work. Later.
I just made an appointment with a chiropractor, because I think that Maia's big noggin did some damage to my tailbone during labor and birth. I had back labor for several hours, and that might have been the point at which my tailbone was bruised. Or, it could have happened as I was pushing her out. Who knows? All I know is that it's gotten worse over the last nine months, and it's at the point now that Brian sometimes has to help me stand up from a sitting position because of the pain. Not good. So, I'm seeing a chiropractor next Wednesday. Let's hope it's not broken!!!
That's about all for now. Maia is still sound asleep, so I'm going to take the opportunity to wash her diapers and catch up on some reading for work. Later.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
To sleep, perchance to dream.
Yeah, so, I know that Hamlet was sort of talking about death with that line, but I still think it's beautiful and worth quoting when you've just helped your sleepy baby lull herself to sleep for the night (hopefully)!
Another evening, another fifteen minutes or so spent rubbing Maia's back and swaddling her arms against her side with my hands (thus hindering any crawling and standing efforts). I was thinking today about all of this, and I recognized that the change in our patterns and practices with regards to sleep is completely logical. In the months before now, Brian and I were (no offense to us!) merely Maia's most frequent sources of warmth and milk. Our voices and smell were familiar, but they could have been exchanged with those of other people and she would have adjusted and been just fine. We were the ones who provided those basic needs (from Maslow's hierarchy) of human existence: food, clothing, shelter, etc.
Now, because of those months of meeting her basic needs, there's more to it than that. There's emotional comfort, intellectual stimulation, humor, and familiarity. We are "parents" now, in her mind, in many ways, rather than "the people who give me stuff most often." Thus it comes as no surprise that as Maia's ability to distance herself from us becomes more pronounced (with crawling and, soon, walking), she becomes more aware that we are what's familiar, we are the ones she can depend on, we are home to her.
There's a phrase called "nighttime parenting" that's really starting to mean a lot to me these days. As Maia's understanding of me as "a parent" increases, then her need to have me fill that role is going to become more prominent, even in the middle of the night, and as she drifts off to sleep. She's moving away from operating purely from instinct to a more social mode of existing in the world. Thank goodness for that! Some might argue that that's what makes us human.
Perhaps linked to all this, perhaps not: Maia made her first "joke" this weekend! When she woke up with us in the morning, I was smiling with her and watching her play. She had her paci in her mouth, and I took it and put it in mine. She watched me, laughed, took the paci from me, and then very deliberately put it back in my mouth. Giggles ensued, from us both! She did it several times to Brian and me, and laughed each time.
So there you are: a recognition of the difference between "them" and "me." She saw that as she put the paci in my mouth, it was funny because it wasn't something that I normally did. And she knew that her mouth and mine were the same thing, but on different people. Imagine the mental work and development that goes into all that!
Another evening, another fifteen minutes or so spent rubbing Maia's back and swaddling her arms against her side with my hands (thus hindering any crawling and standing efforts). I was thinking today about all of this, and I recognized that the change in our patterns and practices with regards to sleep is completely logical. In the months before now, Brian and I were (no offense to us!) merely Maia's most frequent sources of warmth and milk. Our voices and smell were familiar, but they could have been exchanged with those of other people and she would have adjusted and been just fine. We were the ones who provided those basic needs (from Maslow's hierarchy) of human existence: food, clothing, shelter, etc.
Now, because of those months of meeting her basic needs, there's more to it than that. There's emotional comfort, intellectual stimulation, humor, and familiarity. We are "parents" now, in her mind, in many ways, rather than "the people who give me stuff most often." Thus it comes as no surprise that as Maia's ability to distance herself from us becomes more pronounced (with crawling and, soon, walking), she becomes more aware that we are what's familiar, we are the ones she can depend on, we are home to her.
There's a phrase called "nighttime parenting" that's really starting to mean a lot to me these days. As Maia's understanding of me as "a parent" increases, then her need to have me fill that role is going to become more prominent, even in the middle of the night, and as she drifts off to sleep. She's moving away from operating purely from instinct to a more social mode of existing in the world. Thank goodness for that! Some might argue that that's what makes us human.
Perhaps linked to all this, perhaps not: Maia made her first "joke" this weekend! When she woke up with us in the morning, I was smiling with her and watching her play. She had her paci in her mouth, and I took it and put it in mine. She watched me, laughed, took the paci from me, and then very deliberately put it back in my mouth. Giggles ensued, from us both! She did it several times to Brian and me, and laughed each time.
So there you are: a recognition of the difference between "them" and "me." She saw that as she put the paci in my mouth, it was funny because it wasn't something that I normally did. And she knew that her mouth and mine were the same thing, but on different people. Imagine the mental work and development that goes into all that!
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Where did baby Maia go?
In many ways, it feels like we've entered toddlerhood already. I'll begin with a couple of photos to illustrate the point. Here is what I saw yesterday when I went into Maia's room during what was intended to be naptime (the room lights are off in this photo; the light is from the camera's flash):
And when I snapped a couple of photos with the camera rather than coming to pick her up, here's the face with which I was greeted:
Maia is standing up in her crib in both of these photos.
Maia seems to be going through several stages at once right now, the two main ones being 1) a transition from a horizontal to a vertical orientation, and 2) the start of separation anxiety. She is big, strong, and determined to be on her feet, even when she is exhausted. So, those little wake-up periods in the middle of the night during which she used to fuss for a minute and then go back to sleep have turned into adventures of getting up onto her feet in the dark.
The separation anxiety is interesting to me as a concept. Before about eight months or so of age, babies apparently aren't able to hold an image in their heads of someone or something that isn't there. So, in other words, when Mom's gone, she's gone, and they don't have any concept that she's somewhere else OR that she's ever coming back. What we're going through right now is the beginning of real memory, and the development of Maia's mental ability to think about Brian or me when we're not there. What that means for us--especially at 3 AM, it seems--is that when she wakes up and realizes that we're not there, she's not happy. This has proven to be a challenge to my "I'll never let her cry-it-out" rule, but, I'm absolutely sticking to my guns on that one! This also means she's often not too keen on spending a few minutes in her ExerSaucer while I make myself something to eat or go to the bathroom.
These are a lot of changes for me to process, so I can't imagine what it feels like for Maia! It's all quite exciting, really. Brian and I were talking last week about the fact that it feels like there's been a shift in purpose in terms of our role: we've moved from focusing on nurturing and attachment to focusing on mental stimulation and learning. Separation anxiety is a good sign, because it's evidence that Maia feels a connection to us that she wants to continue to feel; it means we've done the work of establishing her attachment to us. Now, using that as the essential foundation, we're moving into a stage where she is constantly moving, constantly curious, and always on the go when she's awake. She wants new sights, new sounds, new textures and tastes. She's burning calories and getting even leaner than she was before, and I wouldn't be surprised if she's dropped a bit of weight in the last week.
Every day it is something new. Every day, when Brian comes home from work, there's a new development or "first" to report. As I said in an earlier post, the pace is exhausting! But what a thrill and a joy it is, too. I'm witnessing the minutiae of the development of a human being.
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| From Early October 07 |
And when I snapped a couple of photos with the camera rather than coming to pick her up, here's the face with which I was greeted:
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| From Early October 07 |
Maia seems to be going through several stages at once right now, the two main ones being 1) a transition from a horizontal to a vertical orientation, and 2) the start of separation anxiety. She is big, strong, and determined to be on her feet, even when she is exhausted. So, those little wake-up periods in the middle of the night during which she used to fuss for a minute and then go back to sleep have turned into adventures of getting up onto her feet in the dark.
The separation anxiety is interesting to me as a concept. Before about eight months or so of age, babies apparently aren't able to hold an image in their heads of someone or something that isn't there. So, in other words, when Mom's gone, she's gone, and they don't have any concept that she's somewhere else OR that she's ever coming back. What we're going through right now is the beginning of real memory, and the development of Maia's mental ability to think about Brian or me when we're not there. What that means for us--especially at 3 AM, it seems--is that when she wakes up and realizes that we're not there, she's not happy. This has proven to be a challenge to my "I'll never let her cry-it-out" rule, but, I'm absolutely sticking to my guns on that one! This also means she's often not too keen on spending a few minutes in her ExerSaucer while I make myself something to eat or go to the bathroom.
These are a lot of changes for me to process, so I can't imagine what it feels like for Maia! It's all quite exciting, really. Brian and I were talking last week about the fact that it feels like there's been a shift in purpose in terms of our role: we've moved from focusing on nurturing and attachment to focusing on mental stimulation and learning. Separation anxiety is a good sign, because it's evidence that Maia feels a connection to us that she wants to continue to feel; it means we've done the work of establishing her attachment to us. Now, using that as the essential foundation, we're moving into a stage where she is constantly moving, constantly curious, and always on the go when she's awake. She wants new sights, new sounds, new textures and tastes. She's burning calories and getting even leaner than she was before, and I wouldn't be surprised if she's dropped a bit of weight in the last week.
Every day it is something new. Every day, when Brian comes home from work, there's a new development or "first" to report. As I said in an earlier post, the pace is exhausting! But what a thrill and a joy it is, too. I'm witnessing the minutiae of the development of a human being.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Happy Nine Month Birthday!
A quick post to say "Happy Nine Month Birthday to Maia!" :) She's in bed right now (at 8:40 AM), perhaps on her way to sleep, perhaps not. We had a weird night of sleep last night, and so our routine is a bit goofed-up. Brian is attending a seminar in Boston; he'll be there until late tomorrow, and so Maia and I have one more night on our own tonight.
I'll probably write a longer post later today or sometime tomorrow, but for now I need to go get some breakfast. The lack of noises coming through on the baby monitor tell me that Maia has drifted off to sleep . . . but for who knows how long? So I'll take advantage of this time to go eat and perhaps sleep a bit myself. After so many months of consistent sleep, these more broken-up nights hit like a ton of bricks!
I'll probably write a longer post later today or sometime tomorrow, but for now I need to go get some breakfast. The lack of noises coming through on the baby monitor tell me that Maia has drifted off to sleep . . . but for who knows how long? So I'll take advantage of this time to go eat and perhaps sleep a bit myself. After so many months of consistent sleep, these more broken-up nights hit like a ton of bricks!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Photo update
Hey again everyone. Just a short post to let you know that we've added some more pictures to the usual site. Take a look at the new pics here. They're in the "Late September 07" album.
Maia had her first full meal with us today, which was an occasion to celebrate! We made a pasta dish with zucchini, carrot, chicken, and wheat rotini. After chopping the mixture up into smaller pieces, we gave Maia bits of everything to try. She ate everything, although the texture seemed to confuse her a bit at first. Also, it's been rare for her to eat solids that are as warm as tonight's dinner, which might have added to the initial confusion.
Also included in the newest album are photos of Maia's most recent visit with Great Grandma and Grandpa Hecker in East Lansing, and some pictures of her selecting some reading material from our bookshelf. Her favorites that day were Fahrenheit 451 and the Oedipus plays by Sophocles. :)
Maia had her first full meal with us today, which was an occasion to celebrate! We made a pasta dish with zucchini, carrot, chicken, and wheat rotini. After chopping the mixture up into smaller pieces, we gave Maia bits of everything to try. She ate everything, although the texture seemed to confuse her a bit at first. Also, it's been rare for her to eat solids that are as warm as tonight's dinner, which might have added to the initial confusion.
Also included in the newest album are photos of Maia's most recent visit with Great Grandma and Grandpa Hecker in East Lansing, and some pictures of her selecting some reading material from our bookshelf. Her favorites that day were Fahrenheit 451 and the Oedipus plays by Sophocles. :)
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| From Late Septembe... |
Saturday, September 22, 2007
The pace is exhausting!
It's late, and I'm going to keep this post very short, but, I just wanted to write down the changes we've seen in the last few days:
1) Thursday, the first really confident, controlled, direct crawl for several feet. Maia's really moving now!
2) Yesterday, Maia pulled herself up onto her knees (with her hands on her play table).
3) Today, in front of several party guests (and again, later, in her crib in front of Nana Dawn), Maia pulled herself up to standing! We got a photo on a guest's iPhone (to be posted soon).
All of this in the span of one week.
1) Thursday, the first really confident, controlled, direct crawl for several feet. Maia's really moving now!
2) Yesterday, Maia pulled herself up onto her knees (with her hands on her play table).
3) Today, in front of several party guests (and again, later, in her crib in front of Nana Dawn), Maia pulled herself up to standing! We got a photo on a guest's iPhone (to be posted soon).
All of this in the span of one week.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Every day, something new!
Maia's menu has recently included two favorites: bagel with cream cheese (Zingerman's, of course) and hummus with pita bread! :) She especially enjoyed the hummus--probably because of all the garlic flavor she's already gotten used to via my milk.
Also, we booked our tickets to fly to New York City to visit Tia Jo on November 9th. The flight is just under two hours, and I'm really looking forward to the trip itself, and also to seeing Maia go through all of these new experiences: planes, taxi cabs, the subway, Central Park, and the busy streets of Manhattan! I think it's way cool that she's going to see the Metropolitan Museum of Art before she's one year old. I think we're going to spend most of our time just relaxing and wandering around the Upper East Side, but we'll probably venture out of that part of town once or twice. Perhaps a visit to Ground Zero . . . I visited the Trade Center the last time I was in the city in 1999. Weird.
Also, we booked our tickets to fly to New York City to visit Tia Jo on November 9th. The flight is just under two hours, and I'm really looking forward to the trip itself, and also to seeing Maia go through all of these new experiences: planes, taxi cabs, the subway, Central Park, and the busy streets of Manhattan! I think it's way cool that she's going to see the Metropolitan Museum of Art before she's one year old. I think we're going to spend most of our time just relaxing and wandering around the Upper East Side, but we'll probably venture out of that part of town once or twice. Perhaps a visit to Ground Zero . . . I visited the Trade Center the last time I was in the city in 1999. Weird.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Pediatrician update.
Hey everyone! We went to Maia's 9-month appointment this morning (even though she's only 8 1/2 months . . .), and here are the stats:
Weight: 19.25 lbs.
Length: 28.25 inches.
Head circ: 46 cm.
She's still a pretty big girl. Not in terms of her weight (which is at about the 60th percentile), but in terms of her length (about the 80th) and her head (95th). Maia is long and relatively lean, with a big old noggin on top! :) Her rate of weight gain has slowed down considerably, which is completely normal and is supposed to happen after the first six months or so. So, all is well.
We're particularly happy to know that the iron levels in her blood are normal; we've been ignoring conventional wisdom somewhat by not giving her iron-fortified cereal these last three months, so we're very pleased to know that she's getting the iron she needs from my milk. (I take iron in my vitamin to make sure that she gets it from me.) There's a lot of evidence that iron in breastmilk is more readily absorbed by the body than iron-fortified stuff anyway, so we can keep doing what we're doing!
She had one immunization, which was a nice relief from the four or five per visit that she'd been dealing with since she was 2 months old. She's upstairs on her way to sleep right now, and I'm about to begin preparing for teaching this evening. It's my last class of my "student teaching" series, and I've already started teaching on my own on Monday nights (last night was class two). So, I have some things to work on! Later.
Weight: 19.25 lbs.
Length: 28.25 inches.
Head circ: 46 cm.
She's still a pretty big girl. Not in terms of her weight (which is at about the 60th percentile), but in terms of her length (about the 80th) and her head (95th). Maia is long and relatively lean, with a big old noggin on top! :) Her rate of weight gain has slowed down considerably, which is completely normal and is supposed to happen after the first six months or so. So, all is well.
We're particularly happy to know that the iron levels in her blood are normal; we've been ignoring conventional wisdom somewhat by not giving her iron-fortified cereal these last three months, so we're very pleased to know that she's getting the iron she needs from my milk. (I take iron in my vitamin to make sure that she gets it from me.) There's a lot of evidence that iron in breastmilk is more readily absorbed by the body than iron-fortified stuff anyway, so we can keep doing what we're doing!
She had one immunization, which was a nice relief from the four or five per visit that she'd been dealing with since she was 2 months old. She's upstairs on her way to sleep right now, and I'm about to begin preparing for teaching this evening. It's my last class of my "student teaching" series, and I've already started teaching on my own on Monday nights (last night was class two). So, I have some things to work on! Later.
Friday, September 14, 2007
More photos.
We put a few photos up on the website. We have the visit with Great-Grandma Mary and Papa Stan, and then a few from this morning in her room. The photos in her room are from just after her first crawl; I brought the camera upstairs and then, of course, no more crawling! :)
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| From Mid September |
Milestones
Maia crawled this morning! She didn't go very far (only a couple of feet), but she definitely crawled herself forward without touching her belly on the ground. Yay!!
Also, yesterday I think she made the sign for "milk" for the first time. We've been doing baby signs with her for months--only a few, like "milk" and "eat" and "more"--but yesterday morning I think she made a sign herself for the first time. The "milk" sign involves opening and closing your hand into a fist, and while she was nursing yesterday she held her left hand into a little fist and kept looking at it. It was very deliberate and not a normal thing for her to do. Hmmmm . . .
Also, yesterday I think she made the sign for "milk" for the first time. We've been doing baby signs with her for months--only a few, like "milk" and "eat" and "more"--but yesterday morning I think she made a sign herself for the first time. The "milk" sign involves opening and closing your hand into a fist, and while she was nursing yesterday she held her left hand into a little fist and kept looking at it. It was very deliberate and not a normal thing for her to do. Hmmmm . . .
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Good night, sleep tight..... please?
Hey all, it is Brian posting now... it has been a while, and I thought I would pop my head in to say "Hi".
We don't really have anything new to report here. Maia is still trying to crawl, but hasn't actually made the move to a full-blown crawl. She can mash and slide her way across the room, but she has yet to put one hand in front of another in order to crawl. We aren't hurrying her, and she is in no hurry.
Her days continue to be filled with smiles and giggles as she buzzes around like the busy bee she is. We took a quick walk around downtown tonight and she smiled the whole way. I would poke her forehead with my finger and she would giggle like I was the best game maker-upper in the whole world... as if she were saying "Poke my forehead again, dad! This is sooooo much fun!"
Her sleep has been mostly good lately... when she finally falls asleep. The amount of time it takes for her to fall asleep is extremely inconsistent. This weekend, it took an hour for her to fall asleep which included back rubs and the like to get her there. Monday and Tuesday, she fell asleep immediately without a peep. Tonight, it is 9:15 and she is STILL awake! The most telltale sign is the music maker attached to the side of the crib. She likes to turn it on and off. She gets a real kick out of it. Mom and Dad, on the other hand, wish she would just fall asleep for god's sake! You'd think we fed her coffee before bed! We are going through what they call "sleep regressions". They are really common around 4 months and 8 months and it looks like we have seen both of them!
Next weekend is our big barbecue party. We look forward to seeing everyone who can make it and will miss those who cannot. The current RSVP count is up to 42 including kids. There will be a TON of kids this year! The weekend after that is when I go to Boston on Business. Then, in October, we have a trip to Chicago to see my Genisio family (Grandma, Aunt/Uncle, Cousins, new kids, etc) and then Cara will fly to New York with Maia to visit Joanna. The next 6 weeks are really busy!
Maia is STILL AWAKE! Go to sleep, my sweet little girl.
Talk to you soon,
Brian, Cara and Maia
We don't really have anything new to report here. Maia is still trying to crawl, but hasn't actually made the move to a full-blown crawl. She can mash and slide her way across the room, but she has yet to put one hand in front of another in order to crawl. We aren't hurrying her, and she is in no hurry.
Her days continue to be filled with smiles and giggles as she buzzes around like the busy bee she is. We took a quick walk around downtown tonight and she smiled the whole way. I would poke her forehead with my finger and she would giggle like I was the best game maker-upper in the whole world... as if she were saying "Poke my forehead again, dad! This is sooooo much fun!"
Her sleep has been mostly good lately... when she finally falls asleep. The amount of time it takes for her to fall asleep is extremely inconsistent. This weekend, it took an hour for her to fall asleep which included back rubs and the like to get her there. Monday and Tuesday, she fell asleep immediately without a peep. Tonight, it is 9:15 and she is STILL awake! The most telltale sign is the music maker attached to the side of the crib. She likes to turn it on and off. She gets a real kick out of it. Mom and Dad, on the other hand, wish she would just fall asleep for god's sake! You'd think we fed her coffee before bed! We are going through what they call "sleep regressions". They are really common around 4 months and 8 months and it looks like we have seen both of them!
Next weekend is our big barbecue party. We look forward to seeing everyone who can make it and will miss those who cannot. The current RSVP count is up to 42 including kids. There will be a TON of kids this year! The weekend after that is when I go to Boston on Business. Then, in October, we have a trip to Chicago to see my Genisio family (Grandma, Aunt/Uncle, Cousins, new kids, etc) and then Cara will fly to New York with Maia to visit Joanna. The next 6 weeks are really busy!
Maia is STILL AWAKE! Go to sleep, my sweet little girl.
Talk to you soon,
Brian, Cara and Maia
Friday, September 07, 2007
More pics.
Hey everyone. We have a bunch of new photos from the first few days of September. They're in the "Early September 07" album at the usual spot. The photos include some action shots of Maia's most recent feats of strength: awesome almost-crawling moves! We also have pictures from our visit with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt, Uncle and Cousin in Portage. Finally, there is a collection of shots from Michigan's marching band practice; Maia seemed especially geeked about the yellow flags and the shiny tubas!
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| From Early Septemb... |
Monday, September 03, 2007
It's been too long!
Hello everyone! Sorry that it's been more than my usual few days between posts. We haven't been that busy, really . . . so who knows where the time went??
Maia is upstairs right now (it's 8:08 PM) attempting to chill out enough to go to sleep. Remember when I wrote that I wouldn't write about sleep until something changed? Well, here we are. I recall blogging about the "sleep regression" that we experienced right around the time that Maia was three and a half months old or so. Back then, I read about sleep regressions and how they so frequently occur at the age of four-ish and eight-ish months. Well, Maia turned eight months old (!) yesterday, and we're definitely in the throes of a sleep regression these days. She still sleeps for long, blissful stretches at night, but getting her to that point has been a challenge indeed. It's taken 30, 45, even 50 minutes over these past several days to get her to sleep, both at night and during the day for naps. Ugh. Because Maia is so dedicated to learning how to crawl, she's actually "practicing" while she's absolutely exhausted and desperate to sleep. She'll be up on her hands and knees in her bed, whining and fussing and just generally unhappy, but she really can't relax enough to get down on her tummy and fall asleep. We won't let her cry, so we've had to devise a strategy to deal with this. So, our solution has been to go into the room and stand there with a hand on her back, rubbing her back and keeping her off her hands and knees long enough that she settles into the rhythms of going to sleep.
She hasn't mastered crawling yet, although she gets closer every single day. Now, she's really strong and solid on her hands and knees, and she will rock back and forth there while she checks out her surroundings and sometimes engages in some serious babbling. But, she hasn't yet figured out how to move those hands forward (just like I wrote in the last post). The silliest thing that she's added to her repertoire is the "downward dog" position, in which she's on hands and knees and then straightens her legs, thus taking her knees off the ground and raising her big diapered behind into the air. It's quite funny to see!
The latest Maia tricks include:
1) (After you've clapped your hands in front of her) Grabbing your fingers and very deliberately clapping your hands together. She doesn't yet clap her own hands, but man oh man does she get a kick out of clapping someone else's!
2) A sideways, up and down wave. You know what Eminem did during the rap battle at the end of "8 Mile"? Like that. That's what she'll do to copy you if you wave at her, and she also seems to do it when she's in an excited mood in general.
3) Brian swears she said the word "dog" while mimicking him (while they were both staring at Mona). I'm skeptical, and I was sitting right there. We'll keep you posted on this one.
4) Eating nice chunky pieces of bread and whole Cheerios. She'll sometimes grab onto the desired chunk with her hand and then forget that she has it there; it takes her a few times through the process before she goes directly from picking up the piece to putting it in her mouth. But she's getting to be quite adept at chewing things down into manageable pieces.
So that's the Maia update for the day. Happy Labor Day!!!
Maia is upstairs right now (it's 8:08 PM) attempting to chill out enough to go to sleep. Remember when I wrote that I wouldn't write about sleep until something changed? Well, here we are. I recall blogging about the "sleep regression" that we experienced right around the time that Maia was three and a half months old or so. Back then, I read about sleep regressions and how they so frequently occur at the age of four-ish and eight-ish months. Well, Maia turned eight months old (!) yesterday, and we're definitely in the throes of a sleep regression these days. She still sleeps for long, blissful stretches at night, but getting her to that point has been a challenge indeed. It's taken 30, 45, even 50 minutes over these past several days to get her to sleep, both at night and during the day for naps. Ugh. Because Maia is so dedicated to learning how to crawl, she's actually "practicing" while she's absolutely exhausted and desperate to sleep. She'll be up on her hands and knees in her bed, whining and fussing and just generally unhappy, but she really can't relax enough to get down on her tummy and fall asleep. We won't let her cry, so we've had to devise a strategy to deal with this. So, our solution has been to go into the room and stand there with a hand on her back, rubbing her back and keeping her off her hands and knees long enough that she settles into the rhythms of going to sleep.
She hasn't mastered crawling yet, although she gets closer every single day. Now, she's really strong and solid on her hands and knees, and she will rock back and forth there while she checks out her surroundings and sometimes engages in some serious babbling. But, she hasn't yet figured out how to move those hands forward (just like I wrote in the last post). The silliest thing that she's added to her repertoire is the "downward dog" position, in which she's on hands and knees and then straightens her legs, thus taking her knees off the ground and raising her big diapered behind into the air. It's quite funny to see!
The latest Maia tricks include:
1) (After you've clapped your hands in front of her) Grabbing your fingers and very deliberately clapping your hands together. She doesn't yet clap her own hands, but man oh man does she get a kick out of clapping someone else's!
2) A sideways, up and down wave. You know what Eminem did during the rap battle at the end of "8 Mile"? Like that. That's what she'll do to copy you if you wave at her, and she also seems to do it when she's in an excited mood in general.
3) Brian swears she said the word "dog" while mimicking him (while they were both staring at Mona). I'm skeptical, and I was sitting right there. We'll keep you posted on this one.
4) Eating nice chunky pieces of bread and whole Cheerios. She'll sometimes grab onto the desired chunk with her hand and then forget that she has it there; it takes her a few times through the process before she goes directly from picking up the piece to putting it in her mouth. But she's getting to be quite adept at chewing things down into manageable pieces.
So that's the Maia update for the day. Happy Labor Day!!!
Friday, August 24, 2007
More photos.
We (well, Brian) got the photos up and running again. So, here's more, including the first photos of Maia's teeth and Maia up on hands and knees! Check out the usual website! They're in the "Late August 07" album.
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| From Late August 07 |
Choices
During Maia's first nap, I had to go into the basement today to get a couple of things. There, stacked up against the wall: the odds and ends, binders and books, boxes and bins of my professional life. Collecting dust. The start of a new school year is just around the corner, and that doesn't mean a thing to me for the first time since I was in preschool. I feel very strange about that, very detached and awkward. Yuck.
But then . . .
In the middle of a weekday morning, Maia and I went together to Zingerman's and sat outside at one of their picnic tables. I held her on my lap and we flipped through the pages of her Baby Faces book. With each turn of the page and each new pair of baby photos, she giggled, flapped her arms, and bounced up and down with happiness. We had nowhere to go, nowhere to be but there. She and I, just talking and laughing and soaking in the sun.
That's all. At the start of a new school year, I must remember that I cannot be two places at once, and I chose to be here in the middle of my weekdays, rather than there. I need to treasure that fact and soak it in, just like this morning's sunshine.
But then . . .
In the middle of a weekday morning, Maia and I went together to Zingerman's and sat outside at one of their picnic tables. I held her on my lap and we flipped through the pages of her Baby Faces book. With each turn of the page and each new pair of baby photos, she giggled, flapped her arms, and bounced up and down with happiness. We had nowhere to go, nowhere to be but there. She and I, just talking and laughing and soaking in the sun.
That's all. At the start of a new school year, I must remember that I cannot be two places at once, and I chose to be here in the middle of my weekdays, rather than there. I need to treasure that fact and soak it in, just like this morning's sunshine.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Maia Weekly
The week in Maia news begins with a big one in the "feats of strength" category: Maia is now crawling! Now, granted, she moves backwards rather than forwards, and it's only a little scoot at a time, but she's definitely on hands and knees and is most definitely mobile. She's been getting up on her hands and knees and just rocking and wiggling in place now for a few days, but yesterday evening she started actually scooting backwards. I've read that this actually is quite common because it's easier and more logical to push backwards with our arms rather than reaching forward to move. But, probably in a matter of days, she'll be on her way! Yikes.
Maia has also continued with the trend of being an enormous chatterbox. She's really doing a lot with the /d/ and /g/ sounds at a very rapid pace; the funny thing is the changes in tone, volume, and pitch that accompany her strings of consonant-vowel syllables. (Wow, I hear my training in linguistics and phonemic-based reading instruction in that sentence!) It's really remarkable to observe the pace at which these types of things are changing. Remember the Godfather-esque jaw clenching from a few days ago? Well, I haven't seen it since just around that time I wrote that post. Now, she's tensing her upper lip and stretching it down across her upper jaw in a way that makes her look a little bit like The Grinch. She's playing with all of the structures--muscles, skin, bones--that play a role in being verbal. It's really quite remarkable to watch.
In other baby news, Maia's wearing her very first cloth diaper right now as she's sleeping. We took the cloth diaper plunge yesterday and I think that we're both really excited about it. We're not using a diaper service, but instead will be laundering the diapers ourselves every couple of days. We went with the bumGenius brand, which is a one-size, velcro-closure, user-friendly pocket diaper. We had to drop a nice chunk of change up front, but, we never have to pay for diapers again! Wow!!! Even with the affordable diapers that we've been able to buy (a million thanks to Nana and Papa Hecker's access to the MSU Stores!), this method will save us hundreds of dollars over the next couple of years. We figured out that we were throwing away about $1.20 a day with the disposables, and putting an enormous amount of waste into our local landfills while we were at it. So, for us and for our value system, these cloth diapers will work out really well. We're psyched. Thank goodness for Tree City Diapers.
So that's all for now. I turn 31 on Saturday, and I must say that because my 30th year was so wonderful, I can't wait for the 31st to get started. :) Now that I'm a parent, the concept of "birthday" has a lot of extra added weight and meaning; my thoughts are turning to my parents a lot as I think about what August 25th meant for them, not just what it means to me. Wow. Yep. There are the tears again. :)
Maia has also continued with the trend of being an enormous chatterbox. She's really doing a lot with the /d/ and /g/ sounds at a very rapid pace; the funny thing is the changes in tone, volume, and pitch that accompany her strings of consonant-vowel syllables. (Wow, I hear my training in linguistics and phonemic-based reading instruction in that sentence!) It's really remarkable to observe the pace at which these types of things are changing. Remember the Godfather-esque jaw clenching from a few days ago? Well, I haven't seen it since just around that time I wrote that post. Now, she's tensing her upper lip and stretching it down across her upper jaw in a way that makes her look a little bit like The Grinch. She's playing with all of the structures--muscles, skin, bones--that play a role in being verbal. It's really quite remarkable to watch.
In other baby news, Maia's wearing her very first cloth diaper right now as she's sleeping. We took the cloth diaper plunge yesterday and I think that we're both really excited about it. We're not using a diaper service, but instead will be laundering the diapers ourselves every couple of days. We went with the bumGenius brand, which is a one-size, velcro-closure, user-friendly pocket diaper. We had to drop a nice chunk of change up front, but, we never have to pay for diapers again! Wow!!! Even with the affordable diapers that we've been able to buy (a million thanks to Nana and Papa Hecker's access to the MSU Stores!), this method will save us hundreds of dollars over the next couple of years. We figured out that we were throwing away about $1.20 a day with the disposables, and putting an enormous amount of waste into our local landfills while we were at it. So, for us and for our value system, these cloth diapers will work out really well. We're psyched. Thank goodness for Tree City Diapers.
So that's all for now. I turn 31 on Saturday, and I must say that because my 30th year was so wonderful, I can't wait for the 31st to get started. :) Now that I'm a parent, the concept of "birthday" has a lot of extra added weight and meaning; my thoughts are turning to my parents a lot as I think about what August 25th meant for them, not just what it means to me. Wow. Yep. There are the tears again. :)
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Lazy Sunday
Hey family and friends! Although we've been playing with the new camera quite a bit, we don't have any new photos to add today because our basement server is "hosed," as Brian puts it. Now, thank goodness we do a double back-up of all of our photo data (soon to be a triple, thanks to a fancy "external back-up" that Brian's working on) or else we might have lost all of our photos. One of the perils of digital, yes? But, on the other hand, it's pretty easy to have three or four copies of digital photo data in several different places, so the ease of data storage is also a benefit (even though that means it also can be easily lost).
Blahdy blah blah. Anyway, because of this little hiccup in the server (which might be fixed already, says Brian), we can't post any photos to the web. So there we are.
We're doing well on this rainy Sunday morning. We went to crowded-as-always Zingerman's for coffee and a bagel at about 8:30 this morning, and Maia is now fully into her first nap of the day. We have friends coming over (classmates from our Lamaze class way back in the day!) anytime now, and then we're going to go shopping for new clothes for Brian this afternoon.
Maia was talking up a storm this morning; she was such a big mouth, in fact, that I could hear her talking with Brian while I was 1) taking a shower, 2) with the bathroom fan on, and 3) in a different room. She was really working on her /m/ and /n/ sounds and syllables. She's doing this wacky thing where she juts out her bottom jaw as she makes her syllables, so she looks a little Don Corleone-ish if she's in the right mood. Hilarious indeed. :)
She's probably mere days away from crawling, which I know will mean a drastic change in the tenor and nature of our days home together. It also means that we have to get serious about some aspects of babyproofing the house. We've had plugs in the sockets downstairs for weeks, but now I think we need to check out the status of cords and sharp-edged objects near the floor. We also have to work on safety latches for the cabinets that contain the household cleaners and such.
Maia's solid food menu is ever-expanding. Here's what she's eaten so far: avocados, bananas, peaches, apricots, pluots, sweet potatoes, green peas, barley cereal, and millet cereal. This week we're really excited to try tofu for the first time to introduce some protein into that list. Next week, maybe turkey or chicken?? It's also gotten to the point now where she can eat a couple servings of solids per meal if she hasn't filled up her tank on milk beforehand, so we're starting to switch around the order of meals somewhat: now we're trying solids first and then nursing, rather than the other way around. She has a couple meals of solids per day, but she's still getting the vast majority of her calories from milk, which is just the way we want to keep it until she's over a year old.
So, all in all, things are going well. We're learning that one of the most remarkable things about Maia is how thoroughly content she is while we take her here and there and everywhere. Now that she can sit up in her little Bumbo seat or on someone's lap (as long as we bring some toys along!), she can go to a restaurant, a coffee shop, a bookstore, or even a work meeting. She looks at the world around her, talks to herself and to us, plays with her toys and only starts to express frustration if she's sleepy or gets bored with her current toy. The cool part about this is that she's coming to learn what we enjoy doing on a relaxing day; she's getting to know who Brian and I are and what we care about aside from being "just" her parents. (I don't use that "just" to minimize the role of being a parent, but rather to signify it's one aspect of our identities, along with many other things.) I like that she's able to be engaged with the world in this way.
In final baby news, we're thinking we're going to make the switch to cloth diapers to reduce our so-called "environmental footprint." Now that she's not making a poopy diaper eight times a day, it might be a little easier. Wish us luck!! :)
Blahdy blah blah. Anyway, because of this little hiccup in the server (which might be fixed already, says Brian), we can't post any photos to the web. So there we are.
We're doing well on this rainy Sunday morning. We went to crowded-as-always Zingerman's for coffee and a bagel at about 8:30 this morning, and Maia is now fully into her first nap of the day. We have friends coming over (classmates from our Lamaze class way back in the day!) anytime now, and then we're going to go shopping for new clothes for Brian this afternoon.
Maia was talking up a storm this morning; she was such a big mouth, in fact, that I could hear her talking with Brian while I was 1) taking a shower, 2) with the bathroom fan on, and 3) in a different room. She was really working on her /m/ and /n/ sounds and syllables. She's doing this wacky thing where she juts out her bottom jaw as she makes her syllables, so she looks a little Don Corleone-ish if she's in the right mood. Hilarious indeed. :)
She's probably mere days away from crawling, which I know will mean a drastic change in the tenor and nature of our days home together. It also means that we have to get serious about some aspects of babyproofing the house. We've had plugs in the sockets downstairs for weeks, but now I think we need to check out the status of cords and sharp-edged objects near the floor. We also have to work on safety latches for the cabinets that contain the household cleaners and such.
Maia's solid food menu is ever-expanding. Here's what she's eaten so far: avocados, bananas, peaches, apricots, pluots, sweet potatoes, green peas, barley cereal, and millet cereal. This week we're really excited to try tofu for the first time to introduce some protein into that list. Next week, maybe turkey or chicken?? It's also gotten to the point now where she can eat a couple servings of solids per meal if she hasn't filled up her tank on milk beforehand, so we're starting to switch around the order of meals somewhat: now we're trying solids first and then nursing, rather than the other way around. She has a couple meals of solids per day, but she's still getting the vast majority of her calories from milk, which is just the way we want to keep it until she's over a year old.
So, all in all, things are going well. We're learning that one of the most remarkable things about Maia is how thoroughly content she is while we take her here and there and everywhere. Now that she can sit up in her little Bumbo seat or on someone's lap (as long as we bring some toys along!), she can go to a restaurant, a coffee shop, a bookstore, or even a work meeting. She looks at the world around her, talks to herself and to us, plays with her toys and only starts to express frustration if she's sleepy or gets bored with her current toy. The cool part about this is that she's coming to learn what we enjoy doing on a relaxing day; she's getting to know who Brian and I are and what we care about aside from being "just" her parents. (I don't use that "just" to minimize the role of being a parent, but rather to signify it's one aspect of our identities, along with many other things.) I like that she's able to be engaged with the world in this way.
In final baby news, we're thinking we're going to make the switch to cloth diapers to reduce our so-called "environmental footprint." Now that she's not making a poopy diaper eight times a day, it might be a little easier. Wish us luck!! :)
Monday, August 13, 2007
Time with Family, Part Deux
(First of all, let me wish "Happy Birthday!" today to Papa Stan!)
The entry I wrote yesterday really just notified you readers of the new photos on the website, so I thought I'd take a bit more time here to write about how we're doing. Maia has just gone to bed for her first nap of the day (a bit on the early side . . .), and so I'll take some time for this fun "work" before I get down to the business of preparing for my first Childbirth Class tomorrow evening.
Yesterday's trip to K-zoo was very enjoyable. Maia slept on and off for the 1 hour, 45 minute drive over there, and then was wide awake from about 12:30 until 4:00 or so, when we drove home. That's a relatively long stretch for her to be awake, social, and busy, but she was in a fantastic mood and smiled at people all afternoon. :) Being in a baby-friendly house made it a piece of cake to change diapers and nurse, so it really was a relaxing visit. When we left, she fell asleep almost immediately as we drove out of their neighborhood, and she was out cold asleep for the entire drive home.
There were lots of little ones at the party, with Maia pretty much right in the middle age-wise. There was a 2-month old, a 4-month old, Maia (at 7 months), and an almost-year-old. It was cool to see the babies' various developmental stages and little personalities all in one room. Human beings really do make astounding developmental progress in that first year; we go from lacking the muscle strength to hold our own heads up to walking in the span of 12 months or so. Spending time with the babies yesterday was quite a reminder of how important this "groundwork" is that's being laid down at this age, right now, during this first year. Because the development is at such a rapid pace, I never really know for sure what Maia will be capable of from one day to the next. It's so important, therefore, for me to be consistent in the things that I consider fundamental: teaching her that I will love her unconditionally (even if, at some points down the road, I might not like her decisions), valuing her opinions and the things she has to say, and showing her that I really do enjoy being in her presence.
On the schedule for this week: as mentioned above, I begin teaching Childbirth Class this Tuesday. We'll have visits with Nana Dawn and Papa Stan (probably Wednesday), and then perhaps share a meal with some local friends of ours this weekend.
The entry I wrote yesterday really just notified you readers of the new photos on the website, so I thought I'd take a bit more time here to write about how we're doing. Maia has just gone to bed for her first nap of the day (a bit on the early side . . .), and so I'll take some time for this fun "work" before I get down to the business of preparing for my first Childbirth Class tomorrow evening.
Yesterday's trip to K-zoo was very enjoyable. Maia slept on and off for the 1 hour, 45 minute drive over there, and then was wide awake from about 12:30 until 4:00 or so, when we drove home. That's a relatively long stretch for her to be awake, social, and busy, but she was in a fantastic mood and smiled at people all afternoon. :) Being in a baby-friendly house made it a piece of cake to change diapers and nurse, so it really was a relaxing visit. When we left, she fell asleep almost immediately as we drove out of their neighborhood, and she was out cold asleep for the entire drive home.
There were lots of little ones at the party, with Maia pretty much right in the middle age-wise. There was a 2-month old, a 4-month old, Maia (at 7 months), and an almost-year-old. It was cool to see the babies' various developmental stages and little personalities all in one room. Human beings really do make astounding developmental progress in that first year; we go from lacking the muscle strength to hold our own heads up to walking in the span of 12 months or so. Spending time with the babies yesterday was quite a reminder of how important this "groundwork" is that's being laid down at this age, right now, during this first year. Because the development is at such a rapid pace, I never really know for sure what Maia will be capable of from one day to the next. It's so important, therefore, for me to be consistent in the things that I consider fundamental: teaching her that I will love her unconditionally (even if, at some points down the road, I might not like her decisions), valuing her opinions and the things she has to say, and showing her that I really do enjoy being in her presence.
On the schedule for this week: as mentioned above, I begin teaching Childbirth Class this Tuesday. We'll have visits with Nana Dawn and Papa Stan (probably Wednesday), and then perhaps share a meal with some local friends of ours this weekend.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Time with family
We drove out to the Kalamazoo area today to Aunt Laurie, Uncle Ryan and Cousin Matthew's house. While we were there, we used our snazzy new camera to get some pictures of Maia with Grandma and Grandpa Genisio. Check 'em out at the photo website.
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| From Maia with Gra... |
Friday, August 10, 2007
New photos . . . yay!
Thanks to Nana Dawn and Papa Stan, we got a new camera this week with which to document the next several years of our life here with little (and yet kind of BIG) Maia. A million thanks to them! Enjoy the new photos at the usual website.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Maia's asleep now, so, here's more.
Hey everyone. That previous post was submitted just before Maia went to bed. I thought I'd return here and write a bit more, because I realize that it's been a while since I posted a nice, long, detailed story of how we're doing these days.
I'll start with an overview of our daily routine:
Between 8:00 and 9:00 AM, Maia wakes up from her nighttime sleep. We'll usually have some playtime upstairs, with Maia still in her PJs, and then she'll usually hang out and play in her ExerSaucer while I take a shower. She used to sit in her bouncy chair in the bathroom while I showered, but she's too big and strong for it now. She leaned waaaaay over to the side in the seat this morning and made me a little nervous; we don't want any mishaps with tipped-over chairs. So, I put together the secondhand (YAY!) ExerSaucer that Lesley, Rob and Aiden handed-down to us. That's now sitting in our bedroom, so we have one upstairs and one downstairs.
About one to one and a half hours after she wakes up from her nighttime sleep, Maia goes down for her first nap of the day. This is usually at about 10:00, give or take an hour. This nap usually lasts for about 90-120 minutes. During this time I'll do Lamaze work, catch up on my fun reading, or watch the previous night's Daily Show episode.
When Maia wakes up (usually at about noon), it's time to get out and about! Depending on the weather, we'll go wander around downtown Ann Arbor or campus or perhaps the mall (if it's rainy, like yesterday). Today we went to meet Brian for lunch at our favorite Lebanese/Greek lunch joint, Ahmo's. For this stretch of time, Maia will be awake for two hours (sometimes as much as three). This is usually her most cheerful, silly, excited time of day.
Then, at about 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon, it's time for Maia's second nap. This one is the same length as the first: about 90-120 minutes. This is my time, again, to clean the house, do Lamaze work, read, or catch up on e-mail.
Finally, between 4:00 and 5:00 (usually closer to 4:00), Maia is up and ready for the evening. Brian comes home around this time, and so we usually find a way to get dinner prepared (today it was leftover beef brisket, with sauteed peppers and zucchini) and then get out of the house again as a family. This is the perfect time to wander up and down Main or State Street with an ice cream cone or coffee. We'll try to be home at about 7:00-ish to begin Maia's bedtime routine (PJs, bottle, books, cuddles, then off to bed for the little one).
So, Maia is off to bed sometime between 7:00 and 8:00 PM, and she wakes up for her early morning nursing session sometime between 5:30 and 6:30 AM. Then, as I mentioned before, it's back to sleep until 8:00 or 9:00 AM. Then we start all over again!
Those who've spent time with us over the course of a few days know that whenever we're out and about, one of us carries Maia in one of our baby slings/carriers. My current favorite is my BabyHawk mei tai, which was an early birthday present from my mom. I'm sure we'll use the stroller regularly when Maia's a bigger toddler, but for now it's been sitting in our entry way for about three weeks between uses (on average).
In the course of a day, Maia will nurse about six times, and have one bottle from Brian. Most of those nursing sessions will be here in the house, although we'll have one out and about every other day or so, depending upon our timing. She'll eat solids either once or twice (yesterday it was bananas and peas). Some of the solids will be mixed with a little bit of breastmilk (the peas), some not (fresh banana mashed up!). She'll also have several big, messy guzzles of water from a sippy cup with the sippy top unscrewed. :)
Maia has grown into a remarkably happy, mellow, curious little person. I speak the truth--REALLY--when I say that I haven't seen her cry (with tears) for three or four days (I'm not really exactly sure, but it's been a while). She'll fuss over this and that every day, of course, but she really doesn't cry unless something hurts her, like an inadvertent head bump, or we've taken far too long to get her to bed when she's sleepy. She has a strong personality, and she certainly lets you know when she's bored or preoccupied or just dissatisfied with something, but she's just come to communicate those things in ways other than crying. For example, Maia's sleepy signals are: rubbing eyes, yawning, arching her back, burying her head into your shoulder, and a clenched-mouth whine. If we miss ALL of those things, she might cry . . . but then we've earned it by not paying atttention!
Maia smiles and laughs all day, and her current list of greatest hits are: the game of "sucker-punch Mom," where she flaps her hands in front of my face and I react with "oooofs" and "ouches" that a WWF-wrestler would envy; an article of clothing dangled above her head and brushed against her face; any "lap-ride" type song that involves her sitting on your lap and moving with the music; and "tickle fingers" in her armpits and on her belly. Her laugh is music to my ears, and one of the greatest sounds in the world, if you ask me. :)
Okay, this entry is getting ridiculously long, and it's now after 10:00 PM. I need to do a bit of work reading before bed, so I'm going to say good night. Bye for now!
I'll start with an overview of our daily routine:
Between 8:00 and 9:00 AM, Maia wakes up from her nighttime sleep. We'll usually have some playtime upstairs, with Maia still in her PJs, and then she'll usually hang out and play in her ExerSaucer while I take a shower. She used to sit in her bouncy chair in the bathroom while I showered, but she's too big and strong for it now. She leaned waaaaay over to the side in the seat this morning and made me a little nervous; we don't want any mishaps with tipped-over chairs. So, I put together the secondhand (YAY!) ExerSaucer that Lesley, Rob and Aiden handed-down to us. That's now sitting in our bedroom, so we have one upstairs and one downstairs.
About one to one and a half hours after she wakes up from her nighttime sleep, Maia goes down for her first nap of the day. This is usually at about 10:00, give or take an hour. This nap usually lasts for about 90-120 minutes. During this time I'll do Lamaze work, catch up on my fun reading, or watch the previous night's Daily Show episode.
When Maia wakes up (usually at about noon), it's time to get out and about! Depending on the weather, we'll go wander around downtown Ann Arbor or campus or perhaps the mall (if it's rainy, like yesterday). Today we went to meet Brian for lunch at our favorite Lebanese/Greek lunch joint, Ahmo's. For this stretch of time, Maia will be awake for two hours (sometimes as much as three). This is usually her most cheerful, silly, excited time of day.
Then, at about 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon, it's time for Maia's second nap. This one is the same length as the first: about 90-120 minutes. This is my time, again, to clean the house, do Lamaze work, read, or catch up on e-mail.
Finally, between 4:00 and 5:00 (usually closer to 4:00), Maia is up and ready for the evening. Brian comes home around this time, and so we usually find a way to get dinner prepared (today it was leftover beef brisket, with sauteed peppers and zucchini) and then get out of the house again as a family. This is the perfect time to wander up and down Main or State Street with an ice cream cone or coffee. We'll try to be home at about 7:00-ish to begin Maia's bedtime routine (PJs, bottle, books, cuddles, then off to bed for the little one).
So, Maia is off to bed sometime between 7:00 and 8:00 PM, and she wakes up for her early morning nursing session sometime between 5:30 and 6:30 AM. Then, as I mentioned before, it's back to sleep until 8:00 or 9:00 AM. Then we start all over again!
Those who've spent time with us over the course of a few days know that whenever we're out and about, one of us carries Maia in one of our baby slings/carriers. My current favorite is my BabyHawk mei tai, which was an early birthday present from my mom. I'm sure we'll use the stroller regularly when Maia's a bigger toddler, but for now it's been sitting in our entry way for about three weeks between uses (on average).
In the course of a day, Maia will nurse about six times, and have one bottle from Brian. Most of those nursing sessions will be here in the house, although we'll have one out and about every other day or so, depending upon our timing. She'll eat solids either once or twice (yesterday it was bananas and peas). Some of the solids will be mixed with a little bit of breastmilk (the peas), some not (fresh banana mashed up!). She'll also have several big, messy guzzles of water from a sippy cup with the sippy top unscrewed. :)
Maia has grown into a remarkably happy, mellow, curious little person. I speak the truth--REALLY--when I say that I haven't seen her cry (with tears) for three or four days (I'm not really exactly sure, but it's been a while). She'll fuss over this and that every day, of course, but she really doesn't cry unless something hurts her, like an inadvertent head bump, or we've taken far too long to get her to bed when she's sleepy. She has a strong personality, and she certainly lets you know when she's bored or preoccupied or just dissatisfied with something, but she's just come to communicate those things in ways other than crying. For example, Maia's sleepy signals are: rubbing eyes, yawning, arching her back, burying her head into your shoulder, and a clenched-mouth whine. If we miss ALL of those things, she might cry . . . but then we've earned it by not paying atttention!
Maia smiles and laughs all day, and her current list of greatest hits are: the game of "sucker-punch Mom," where she flaps her hands in front of my face and I react with "oooofs" and "ouches" that a WWF-wrestler would envy; an article of clothing dangled above her head and brushed against her face; any "lap-ride" type song that involves her sitting on your lap and moving with the music; and "tickle fingers" in her armpits and on her belly. Her laugh is music to my ears, and one of the greatest sounds in the world, if you ask me. :)
Okay, this entry is getting ridiculously long, and it's now after 10:00 PM. I need to do a bit of work reading before bed, so I'm going to say good night. Bye for now!
Maia says . . .
"llm jhy vbh rchmg h tjr bv64 uh y nb on9-g gucuvnbn ;ceqw drwsv ee imhum"
That's what she wrote when she and I sat down in front of the keyboard this evening to practice typing. There are a few words in there! I'm sure she wrote them deliberately . . . :)
That's what she wrote when she and I sat down in front of the keyboard this evening to practice typing. There are a few words in there! I'm sure she wrote them deliberately . . . :)
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Cousins
Laurie and Matthew visited this afternoon. It was a very relaxing visit (including naps for both babies, and a yummy brisket courtesy of Brian's BBQ smoker), and it was quite a trip to see little cousin Matthew again. Two months is a kind of "in-between" age, because Matthew is certainly coming out of his newborn stage (some call it the "fourth trimester," when babies still are pretty ill-suited to be in the outside world), but he's still making the funny noises and jerky movements that very little babies make.
Matthew is two months old, and it is just remarkable to see him and to try to remember Maia at that age. It's actually quite hard to do, so, I re-read some of our February and March blog entries and took a look at the photos of Maia when she was about two months old. That whole period is still a bit foggy for me, but it did help to revisit it via our digital memories! Thank goodness for the Internet! :)
So, take a look at our new photo album. That's a heckuva lot of photos for one day! :)
Matthew is two months old, and it is just remarkable to see him and to try to remember Maia at that age. It's actually quite hard to do, so, I re-read some of our February and March blog entries and took a look at the photos of Maia when she was about two months old. That whole period is still a bit foggy for me, but it did help to revisit it via our digital memories! Thank goodness for the Internet! :)
So, take a look at our new photo album. That's a heckuva lot of photos for one day! :)
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| From Maia and Matthew |
New photos.
Auntie Jo was here over the last few days, which means we got some awesome photos of Maia and both her parents at once! It was a rainy day when we shot the pictures, so the quality of the light was a challenge. But we're just thrilled with how these images turned out! Check out the usual website to see them.
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| From Portraits by ... |
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Happy 7 Month Day To Maia!
Maia turns seven months old today. Woooo hoooo!!! :) We're celebrating her 7 month day with a full slate of events:
1) A La Leche League meeting at 10:00 this morning. We've just returned from that, and Maia is now in her bed napping . . . hence the free time to write a blog entry. The meeting was only my second, but I'm feeling very welcome and comfortable there. It's a nice thing to do once a month.
2) Mother's Group at Lamaze this afternoon at 3:15. I haven't seen this group in two weeks, so I'm really looking forward to hanging out with them again.
3) A visit from Auntie Jo, which will be her last for quite a few months, most likely. She's moving to New York City in the middle of this month, and so we definitely wanted to make sure that she got a few more days to hang out with us here in Ann Arbor before she moves. She's probably going to arrive sometime this afternoon, and stay through Sunday morning.
So, clearly, Maia is having a very social day. I'm currently writing this downstairs at our dining room table, and, from what I can hear on the baby monitor, Maia fell asleep almost immediately after I put her into her crib. She was one sleepy kid towards the end of the meeting; I'm glad that we left in time to get her to bed before she became too tired.
In work-related news, the class for older siblings officially became mine last night, when I taught it on my own at the U of M hospital. It was a good four straight hours of teaching (two back-to-back classes) with kids ranging in age from 2 to 12. Whew! I'm so glad that I have the opportunity to teach this class, because it gives me the time with kids of all ages that I've missed while I've been home with Maia. I guess you could say that it gives me my classroom teaching fix!
1) A La Leche League meeting at 10:00 this morning. We've just returned from that, and Maia is now in her bed napping . . . hence the free time to write a blog entry. The meeting was only my second, but I'm feeling very welcome and comfortable there. It's a nice thing to do once a month.
2) Mother's Group at Lamaze this afternoon at 3:15. I haven't seen this group in two weeks, so I'm really looking forward to hanging out with them again.
3) A visit from Auntie Jo, which will be her last for quite a few months, most likely. She's moving to New York City in the middle of this month, and so we definitely wanted to make sure that she got a few more days to hang out with us here in Ann Arbor before she moves. She's probably going to arrive sometime this afternoon, and stay through Sunday morning.
So, clearly, Maia is having a very social day. I'm currently writing this downstairs at our dining room table, and, from what I can hear on the baby monitor, Maia fell asleep almost immediately after I put her into her crib. She was one sleepy kid towards the end of the meeting; I'm glad that we left in time to get her to bed before she became too tired.
In work-related news, the class for older siblings officially became mine last night, when I taught it on my own at the U of M hospital. It was a good four straight hours of teaching (two back-to-back classes) with kids ranging in age from 2 to 12. Whew! I'm so glad that I have the opportunity to teach this class, because it gives me the time with kids of all ages that I've missed while I've been home with Maia. I guess you could say that it gives me my classroom teaching fix!
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