10 weeks old - Maya's First Christmas

Dear Maya,

we had our first Christmas together! Auntie Nicole even joined us for part of it.
You were funny.. you are now very aware of who is holding you and you wouldn't let Auntie hold you for very long... but then you would smile at auntie once Mummy took you.
As always it was a reminder that you are very loved, as you got many gifts from aunties/uncles/friends/grandparents from allll over the map.

Here are our family pictures from Christmas day, taken by our favourite photographer... Daddy!


Our little (human) family:

Jake and the girls..(the only way to get the dogs looking forward was for daddy to stand in front..)

The whole (human and canine) family together:

This one just shows you in a slightly different pose..

So what are you up to at 10 weeks?

Eating: ravenous appetite, still about every two hours during the day..
Sleeping: most nights a 4-5 hour stretch beginning at 7:30/8 (after your bath), and then every 2-3 hours feeds the rest of the night
Activity: you really like to whisk your head from side to side.  You love to smile, especially between 5 and 7 am.  You now sit in your activity gym and occasionally reach for things.  You like to talk to the mobile in your swing, and of course your old friends .. fan and blinds.  you looove to dance with Mummy.

You just woke up.. this is our last blog for a while as tomorrow you're travelling to Barbados to spend time with Gran and Gramps!

2 months old!

Dear Maya,

We can't believe you're two months old!

But, you have the vital stats to prove it.. better than Barbie!

At your two month check up, you also got your immunization shots.  Daddy and I held it together for you, and you cried (appropriately) at the three shots.  That night you had a fever and we had to give you Tylenol twice to make it better.  The next day you were a little fussy but Mummy is afraid to give you too much of anything.. cept breastmilk.. and you did well with that and some TLC.  Mummy is probably going to take the day off after your next set of shots just in case.

Ok that was the hardest day of your life so far.. since then you've made up for it:

Maria pushes you on the swing..

Maria pushes you on the swing some more..

Maria makes you laugh..

Daddy swings with you:

Daddy swing with you some more...

7.5 weeks old - memories of weeks 5 and 6

Dear Maya,

This post is a reflection on weeks 5 and 6, and the post below is your real 7.5 week post.
When folks ask how you're doing (in your absence) there's one picture I show them:

This just sums you up.. you love to eat and sleep and are content and good-natured once those two needs are met.  Well except between 5 and 8p, when you just need your parents even more.. We bought you some Gripe Water, something I've always been curious about.  This one has chamomile and fennel in it, and seems to make you burp, but who knows really.


Daddy proudly taking you out for a walk.

Your first recorded curls.. off your head :)

Your first bottle of pumped milk.  You took it, but only if we lay you against mummy's boob to enhance the experience.

On this day, we were so determined just to get out of the house for a walk even though it was a little chilly..

And how exciting.. here is little Maita!
We went to the hospital to visit the latest Bajan to be born in Houston.  It was so strange to be back at the Womens Pavillion, and you looked so grown up next to her.

And here are just a couple fun video's that I'm not sure if I've included elsewhere:

7.5 weeks old - alert and smiling

Dear Maya,

Here's my new favourite picture of you.
You are smiling so much, but we're so busy watching you and holding you that this is the only picture I have so far.  Most of the time you show your gums too.

Here you are in your jungle chair, and you have some fancy leg moves to control the lights.  You've actually started to look at the mobile, but you still like our faces.. and the fan.. and the blinds a lot more.

This past weekend was such nice weather, we spent as much of it outdoors as we could.  Some of it was here at home in our new outdoor space:

But we also got out to a playground/dog park, and made our first trip back to Jenni's Noodle House.

 Then the weather got coooold, but we made the best of it!
Here we are in our matching pajamas!  They didn't come with matching sleep cycles..
Right now you will sleep from about 9pm to 1am most nights... although last night you woke at 11:30 with a surprise poop.  Otherwise you're pretty much on an every 2-2.5 hour feeding cycle.  The upside of this is we get some good snuggle time on the couch together.

Here you are getting ready to head out for.. your passport!
It took us three visits to two different offices to get your passport setup, and so this was your longest afternoon out yet!  When we got to the real place, the lady at the front desk said "how cuuuute, how old is your baby?" (this is pretty much your standard greeting).  When I said 7 weeks old, she replied "and you let her out of the house?"... to which your mummy smartly replied "It's even worse.. we're here for her passport so we can leave the country!"

Almost 7 weeks old & Memories of week 4

Dear Maya,

..and then there was pink!

Your mummy wasn't too sure how she felt about stereotyping girls to pink and boys to blue, but I have to say.. you sure look cute in everything.

Maya you love to look at people (especially Mummy :)) and fans and you really like the outdoors (phew).  Although you have a play gym and a vibrating chair, you stare right past the lights and sounds to whoever might pick you up out of them.

This week we also got mail addressed to "parent of Maya GLT", and it was a little startling to have the title.

This is a 3-6 month outfit that Uncle Binoy brought you last weekend and it fits you perfectly.

This is one of Auntie Nicole's Tuesday Morning specials, as we were heading for a walk to CVS .. isn't Houston's 80 degree weather in December perfect for us?

So cute that you still have your Buddha legs:

Grandma Larrier had to tell me that we had a vibrating chair for you in the closet.  See, she is still here in spirit, and can see us all the way from Barbados.  You will sit in the chair for about 5 mins, before commanding attention.

And now for some memories of week 4:

It was this week that we walked you to CVS and you bawwwled down the place.  Mummy had to take you to the bathroom, change your poopy diaper on the bathroom floor and push her left boob in your mouth to make a "graceful" exit.  This was the day Mummy learnt to hold and feed you with one hand while pushing the stroller with the other.. alas a mother is born.

Here are other more pleasant memories from the week:

Mummy starts to see curls!

This is still your favourite sleeping position, and look how you've perfected your pacifier use.  Your cheeks and arms are starting to fill out a little.

The garage apartment.. oh yes! Appliances arrived this week and cabinetry is in!

Some photos of how we spend our days on the couch.

Although you're serious in the first video clip, the second video clip below has you already smiling

Some fun sleeping poses, including Uncle Kevin's smart wool socks all the way from AK.

Introducing you to Mr. Caterpillar from your play gym

6 weeks old - memories of week 3

Dear Maya,

occasionally I forget if you are a boy or girl..lol.. not when I'm with you, but we got so accustomed to not knowing that it's a surprise to know all over again.

So Mummy thought she knew you were a girl..why?

Well a good 75+% of people were "sure" you were a boy.. something about the way Mummy was carrying..

I warned them all that everyone thought I was a boy when Granny was carrying me..

The other little things that made Mummy wonder were:

- Auntie Nikhila, Julina and Ady are all having boys just after you, so the laws of probability pointed to you being a girl, and

- whenever we went for an ultrasound, no one seemed worried enough that we would see a penis..

And THEN during our labour, the OB resident said "push her out".. then said it again..yes, ok this last one was a little more definitive, and fortunately Mummy was too tired to yell "did you say her?"

All in all, we are sooo happy you are you, our perfect Maya Grace.

Here are some pictures and memories from Week 3 of life:

We took you on your first stroller ride to let Daddy vote.. this is the election where President Obama was elected for his second term of office and we are so proud that you could be part of this.

Shedding the last of your skin, and beginning of baby acne.. so beautiful.

Learning to use a pacifier, which is almost as big as you are :)

5.5 Weeks - Memories of Week 2 at home

Dear Maya,

you're almost six weeks old, and exactly like the book says- you have the most rewarding smiles, and the most heart-wrenching crying.  

Here is a video from earlier this week.. neither smiling, nor crying, just growing quickly and doing a little back stroke.

(sorry folks having trouble getting this to play)

And now for memories of Week 2 at home.

Although you still slept most of the day, we were convinced that you were alert for your age.  Granny and Maria assembled your play gym and placed it in your Pack n Play.  We also added a favourite stuffed red and yellow bird from Granny Turner, that you can see in the corner there.

Auntie Nicole came to visit for a few days, and you snuggled on her chest.

Granny walked you every morning along Dryden, building arm muscles.
Sadly this was also the week that she left, on your two week birthday.  The next time she sees you, you will be double the size.

Just a picture of you sleeping with your little cloth-diapered tush in the air.

5.5 Weeks Old - Memories of our first week home

Dear Maya,

Before I begin with memories of our first week home, I want to show you one of your favourite positions right now.  This is how you like to sleep- holding on tight and with one eye on your property! Lol, Mummy did her best to take this in a G-rated way, but just had to capture the moment.

And now, on to your first week home.
I think it is fair to say that the reason it has taken this long to restart your blog is because we have immersed ourself in .. you.  We took sporadic pictures along the way, hoping they would remind us of these days which have just flown by.

In our first days home when food was precious, Auntie Nicole sent us a most delicious edible arrangement.  She came to visit us during week 2.

Here is Granny enjoying her time with you.

On this day, I let Daddy dress you.. hence the reason you're in your hospital outfit :)  We have this stored as a keepsake for you, as you've loooong outgrown it by now.

Day of life #5, at your first pediatrician appointment with Dr. Koush.  You were almost back to your birthweight that day, and already with 7-10 poops/day, so you were granted tummy time privileges and mummy no longer had to record your ins and outs
This was our first trip out of the house with you, and you were a patient teacher.

One of your favourite poses while asleep in the pack n play.
May everything good in the world embrace you.

Your first bath. It took all three of us and I don't think you cried.  Now you don't cry during the bath, but you cry when we dry you off after, no matter how much we snuggle you in your towel.

One of our favourite gifts, from Auntie Oneeka.  Daddy had gotten your first pictures developed that morning, and lo and behold the frame came that same evening.

Mummy and Daddy adjust to the sleepless nights.

Mummy trying to find a co-sleeping solution.  The velcro snuggle and sleepy sheep were priceless gifts from Auntie CC.
Of note, some people pay money for cleavage like Mummy has in this picture.

5.5 weeks After Birth - Memories of your birth

Dear MAYA GRACE!

It's funny to be back on the blog and see the last picture with mummy's big belly.

Well, you're a girl!.. and an amazing one at that.
Sometimes we call you Maya, and sometimes Gracie.
You were born at 2:23 am (or was it 2:33am?? I can't believe the memory is already fading) on your due date, October 20th, at exactly 8.0 lbs, and 50 cm long.
Your Daddy was the best labour coach.
Your Granny made it all the way from Barbados, took a taxi from the airport to the hospital, and spent the evening into morning of labour with us.

Here is how the whole thing went down:
Mummy's water broke at 3am on Friday the 19th, but it was a very slow leak, and so she didn't want to go in immediately.  Daddy stayed home from work the following day and hooked up the new sink which we got because we broke the old sink trying to install your new bath system.  This all seems so long ago.


Here is a pic with the missing sink and the bath system on the left

Here's Daddy working feverishly in the living room the night before to set up the sink stand.

But I digress.
Around noon on Friday, mummy finally talked to her OB who recommended coming into the hospital.
Mummy was having light contractions (back pain), and cried as they headed to the car because she knew this meant she was going to be induced (and for some reason this made her sad)

After admission the contractions gradually got stronger, but still only a trickle of amniotic fluid.
Granny arrived (yea!)
They placed an epidural around 7pm ish and then broke mummy's bag of water, and started Pitocin.
Over the next few hours, Mummy was half resting but also eating ice chips to try to keep you moving.
Around midnight mummy could feel that your little head was ready.  Sure enough when they checked, you were ready to begin your journey.

Maya, you and Mummy worked together over the next few hours and then there you were.. on my chest.. all 8 lbs of you.  I remember being more surprised that you had been living inside of me, than at you being a girl.

This is our first picture of you.. flushed, bloody, and just beautiful:

This is us at the elevators being taken from the labor and delivery floor to our home for the next 2 nights.

And here we are in our room:

Never getting tired of watching you:

Below are the pictures taken by the hospital photographer on the day after you were born.
I think they speak for themselves.

I had to include this one of you leaving the hospital.  This is what happens when they let new parents strap you in your carseat.

Our first picture of you at home: