Apple Picking

On Sunday we took an adventure up to Wisconsin for some Fall Fun...Apple Picking and a visit to the Pumpkin Patch! I originally had planned spending all weekend finalizing everything for our condo, since it is going on the market this week -- but with the 80 degree weather this weekend and as a form of procrastination, I thought a family outing was a better idea! Having heard some good reviews about "Apple Holler" - we chose this as our destination..and we had a good time of course...but let's just say it was nothing as I had imagined!!

It was definitely a whole day affair instead of just a few hour activity as I had expected. The place was incredibly crowded and we waited almost 30 minutes to get inside...I'm not sure if it's always like this or if it was that everyone within driving distance had the same idea for a beautiful fall day. When I first saw the line, my thought was to head home and think of a less crowded adventure, but this is hard to explain to a toddler who has patiently sat in his carseat for 45 minutes - he was dying to get out and see "apples" (which is one of his newest words). And I didn't exactly want to get back into the car either since Maya had cried the entire way!! Unfortunately, getting out of the car didn't stop Maya from crying either - she proceeded to scream for about another hour even though she was being held and carried in the front pack -- oh the joys of a colicky baby!!

Nonetheless, our quick morning adventure turned into an all day affair that was fun for all...

4 months old

Dear Maya,

You’re already 4 months old!! I can hardly believe it!! The time is going way too fast!! You are the sweetest, most precious little girl --- and we’re so glad that we got so blessed to have you in our family!

Since this is the first letter I’m writing you, I should probably make sure you know that we were very surprised when we found out we were going to have another baby!! Your big brother EJ was only 9 months old when we learned the news!! We definitely wanted another baby – but you just happened to make your way a little sooner than expected! When you arrived on June 3rd, EJ was just 18 months old! You’re so lucky to have him as your brother – I hope you both grow up to be very close friends!

Anyways, a little about you now that you’re 4 months old…

You have the prettiest blue eyes and the prettiest smile!! You laugh so often now – but my favorite is when you laugh after I give you a big kiss and a “raspberry” on your cheek. It’s like you realize that we’re playing a little. You smile at me, Dad and EJ when we come near you, and kick your legs to show your excitement. You are cooing and making all sorts of sounds. You also blow tons of bubbles! EJ loves to see the bubbles you make with your mouth – and he says “bubble” and “ma” (which means “more”) because he wants you to keep making them.

You can roll from your stomach to your back (but you don’t do it often), and you lift your head and prop yourself up when it’s “tummy time.” You’re working hard every day on trying to sit up – even when you’re laying on your back, you attempt to do a “crunch-like” movement trying to sit-up, so I’m certain you’ll master this skill in no time at all.

Thank goodness you’re so cute and fun during the day – because recently you’ve become a terror at night! You started out so well as a newborn – only waking up 1-2 times each night!! It was so lovely! But over the past month or so, I think the “colic” has hit and you’re waking up every 30 min to 2 hours, which makes for one tired Mama. The worst part is that often you just scream and scream, and despite efforts to rock you, feed you, sing to you, and bounce you – it appears that you are in pain. As Nana says, it’s probably something related to an immature digestive tract and colic, but it’s so hard to see you this way. I hope you’re back to better sleeping and less pain soon!

I’m so happy you’re my daughter and can’t wait to watch you grow!! I love you more than you’ll ever know!!

Love,

Mama

4th of July and 1 month old!

I'm One Month Old already!! To celebrate, my Dad said there were fireworks for me! July 4th was so fun--I got to meet some of my relatives who were visiting from Seattle and Minnesota. My Grandpa Miller came to visit along with his sister, my Great Aunt Bronwyn, who lives in Wisconsin. And my Grandma Dorothy also came to visit from Minnesota! It was so fun to see all of them. I was sad when everyone had to go home.

So far I'm sleeping pretty good - sometimes 4 to 5 hours at a time! (Mom said my brother didn't sleep that long until he was almost 6 months old, so maybe I'll get on her good side.) I love to be held and simply close to someone...I really don't like to be put down (which makes some of Mom's days pretty hard). I also think I have some nicknames...I hear Mom call me "Spit-up Queen" and "Miss Maya" a lot every day.

We went to visit the doctor to get my one-month stats...she said I'm doing great!

Weight 10 Pounds 2 oz (73%)
Height 22.5 inches (90%)


One Month Old


EJ and Nana on 4th of July

3 Weeks old

Well, Maya is already 3 weeks old - the time is flying by. She is just a joy! She weighed in at 8 pounds 15 oz when she went for her 2 week check up - which puts her in the 63% for newborn girls her age. I was happy to hear this, because I was having doubts about her feedings. She is totally opposite her brother who would eat for about 30-40 minutes every 2-3 hours when he was first born. Maya is a "snacker" - she eats about 5 minutes every 30 minutes or so, which keeps us very busy! She's been more alert in the last few days and we're looking forward to seeing her first smile sometime soon. Big brother is adjusting rather well... he runs to kiss her every morning and waves at her and says "Hi" to her several times each day.

Here are a few recent photos from the past week...

It's a....

GIRL!!!



We were so excited to welcome our daughter, Maya Violet, into our family in the wee hours of the morning on Friday, June 3rd. She arrived precisely on her due date ... weighing in at 8 pounds, 7 oz and measured 21 inches long. After the first contraction...she wasted no time, arriving in less than 4 hours!! This allowed for a natural childbirth and successful VBAC, just as Mom had hoped for! (The recovery was amazing in comparison to the nearly 24 hours in labor and a C-Section with EJ!) EJ and his little sister are exactly 18 months apart to the day...which Eric and I think is so crazy!

We are enjoying every minute with Maya and big brother EJ is adjusting well to now having to share Mom and Dad! Thanks to everyone for the gifts, calls and welcoming wishes for Maya! She can't wait to meet all of our special family and friends!



Relaxing with Mom in the hospital



Big Brother gazing down at Maya



Now a Family of Four

Baby Belly #2

So, we're just under 3 weeks now until the expected arrival of baby #2! The time has flown by and we are so excited to meet this little person! I thought it would be fun to compare belly pics...so here's a belly shot of me now with baby #2 (wearing the blue shirt) along with my belly when I was pregnant with EJ (in black shirt) at about just the same time....any predictions for boy vs. girl??




















And some recent pics of the little man.. sneaking in a basketball practice session after bathtime before bed...

Getting ready to shoot...


finishing off his shot...

dunking...


Mothers Day and Birthday celebration at the Park

Florida Vacation

We were fortunate to be able to escape recently for a little R&R and family time on Captiva Island (just outside Ft Myers, FL). It was a wonderful getaway and EJ loved his time at the beach, in the pool and in warm weather!

15-Month Stats

Well, we can no longer call him "Buddha"... previously at the 90th percentile for weight, EJ is now weighing in at 22# 6oz -placing him at 18% for weight! He is now tall and skinny instead of tall and round! Guess we'll have to work on a new nickname for him. There's no question as to how he maintains his build - he is constantly on the go, exploring and getting into everything -- just as a 15-month old should! His height is still over 95% - measuring 33 inches! (This means there is still a great possibility for success in basketball - woohoo!)

He's working on his talking skills - his official words are "mama" - "dada" - "hot" - "out" and sometimes "hi." I'm sure new ones will continue to be discovered daily as he is quite the chatterbox from the moment he wakes up every day.

In other news...I think most people know that EJ will be a big brother in just a few more months - baby #2 is due on June 3rd! I will try to post some belly pictures over the weekend.

EJ's First Birthday Party

We celebrated EJ's first birthday with family and friends on Sunday. EJ had a wonderful time seeing everyone and we feel so blessed that there are so many wonderful people in his life (and ours). I had hoped to post some pictures of EJ at his celebration, but in looking at the pictures we took - I was shocked to see that we don't have one single picture of the little man on his birthday! We were busy taking pictures of all of his guests! :) We do have a short video of him being presented with his cake. Thanks to everyone who was with us to celebrate as well as those who celebrated with us from a distance!

Happy Birthday EJ

Today it's your 1st Birthday!!

We can't believe we welcomed our little man to the world one year ago!! The time has gone by so fast!! To celebrate, I thought I'd post a few of his recent "1-year old" photos! We'll have the big celebration on Sunday!

The milestone for his 1st birthday - learning to walk. He took his first steps a few weeks ago, but now has mastered the skill in the last few days. It is truly amazing and so fun to watch!

Barbeque Time!

Over the weekend my friend Sebastian came over with his parents to have dinner with us. Sebastian and I had such a good time playing with our toys together. We were so good playing on the blanket in the yard while our parents ate. I tried to pull Sebastians' hair a few times...and then I tried to yank off his sandal, but I couldn't get it and he was a good sport about it - he didn't even cry. Mom told me that I shouldn't pull other people's hair - but I don't understand that - it's so fun to grab things!! I hope I get to see Sebastian again soon!

Playing with Sebastian

With our wonderful Dad's

6 months old

I turned 6 months old earlier this month, so I asked Mom to put up another blog update.

First of all for my stats...I weighed in at 19 pounds, 13 oz and measured 28 1/2 inches long at my six month check up. That puts me in the 95% for height and dropped me down to the 85% for weight. Despite this minor decrease down the 85th %tile, my parents still call me "Buddha" an awful lot. I guess the nickname does fit pretty well. The other night some high school football coaches were already trying to recruit me. Mom says I can't play football -- she says I'll like basketball much better. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

I've mastered the skill of sitting up and I just love it. I don't like to lay on my back anymore because sitting is so much more fun! I still practice with my tummy time and rolling - I can roll over but then I get caught on my arm. I haven't quite figured out how to get my arm out from underneath me and I get so frustrated.

I get to eat a lot more foods now - vegetables, fruit, chicken, oatmeal - I really haven't found any foods that I don't like. But I think pears are probably my favorite. I'm trying to use a sippy cup for some water during the day, but it's a little tricky - I need another month or so to practice.

Mom and Dad took me to Minnesota this past weekend. I had so much fun visiting my Grandma Dorothy and my aunt, uncle and cousins. I was so well behaved on the plane rides - I love flying!! My Mom went to meet her friend Becky, so I also got to meet Becky's two sweet little twin girls - Ava and Eliana - we all took a walk around Lake Calhoun.

Here are some recent pictures...

Wearing Mama's hat at the Street Fest

Yes, I do know how to smile and laugh...but I'm still serious most of the time

Loving the swing!

Watching the baby ducks at the park -- serious business!

On top of Mom's head

At the park

Sitting up in the hotel room chair
Playing with Ava (Eliana was in her swing)

5-1/2 months old!

My mom's not very good at keeping this blog-thing updated. Now that she's back at work, I keep hearing her say she hardly has time for anything. I don't know what she means - because she plays with me an awful lot!! We go on walks, read books, go to playgroups with other Mom's and babies. I always have so much fun with Mom!!

The weekends are my favorite when Mom's home from work and Dad doesn't work quite as much. During the week Mom and Dad leave me at home with Grandma or with Marta, my wonderful nanny. When Marta's at my house we practice speaking Spanish. I love learning a second language!

These days I'm really busy trying to roll over and sit up. Mom thinks I'll sit up before I roll over - that's how good I am at it!! I love grabbing my toes and screaming to see how loud my voice sounds. And my favorite thing to do is read books. I can read for about an hour and I give happy screams and squeals the entire time! My parents can't believe how long my attention span is for reading books!

Mom and Dad have started to give me some new foods. It's fun to have something other than milk every once in a while. I love pears and prunes. Bananas are okay. I heard I get to try some veggies this week -- I hope I'll like them!!

Loving Pears! Yum-yum!

Playing with Grandma on Mother's Day

Meeting Great Uncle Kermit in March

Reading before bed with Mom

Ready to go for a walk outside

March Madness!

I love basketball!!!  My Mom and Dad have been watching a lot of it lately - they say it's called "March Madness" and they've been saying "Go Dawgs" or "Go Boilermakers" a lot.  When they have the TV on, I like to turn my head and watch the boys running up and down the court.  It looks like so much fun - maybe I'll try playing basketball one day.  

This weekend I got to wear my Purdue outfit while we cheered on the Boilermakers playing Texas A&M.  Later this week, I'm putting on my Husky jersey to watch Washington beat West Virginia.  This might be my favorite time of year! 

Ready to watch a Purdue victory!

With Mom in our Purdue gear...

(don't worry - she's still a Husky!)

EJ's First Vacation!

My Mom said she didn't get to go on an airplane until she was 8 or 9 years old...but I got to fly at only 3 months!!  My parents were a little worried about how I would travel - but I traveled like a pro!! No crying on the plane at all!  I loved Puerto Rico - I didn't have to wear layers of clothes like I do in Chicago, I got to go swimming and take lots of naps outside in the warm breeze.  It was a great getaway for all of us! I can't wait until our next family vacation!