Dear Maya,
This is how you greet the world EVERY day:
when you wake up in the morning and we open the blinds, this is your exact face. Yes, you are truly excited to be alive. I still remember when you were colicky and one night I promised you that things would get better. I think you now agree, and I'm going to try to remember this face when you're a teenager.
Auntie Nicole came to visit us by surprise one weekend recently. We didn't get any pictures of you together which made me resolve to do a better job with pictures, and so we've tried to be better since then. These are some roses that she brought for us from her very own garden in North Carolina.
So lots of people as us how we're doing with the dogs. You and Jake are fast friends, and you even know how to..very deliberately.. open his cage. Bella is having a harder time, to the point that Mummy (and Daddy's coming around) would like to find a new home for Bella. She really misses her lap time and doesn't particularly like to be swatted by a baby. It is strange though to think that you may grow up without knowing Bella. We promise to find her a very loving home.
Daddy took you to a neighbourhood party and reported to me that you ate "a lot of watermelon".. good thing we have neighbours who send mummy pictures even when she's at work.
And yes, you are such a Daddy's girl. Sometimes.. with the stress on "some", I feel bad for daddy because you won't let him out of your sight. But this is a very special bond, which I'm sure will continue to grow over the years.
So this summer, quite a few visitors came to town. These are friends from Barbados, Kayla and Megan who loved playing with you.
And our most important visitor..ta-da!! Gran came to town.
Gran is here today
Gran is here today.
We're so glad that Gran is here, let's all shout Hooray.. Hoooray!
We can sing this for two more days and then we'll have to say, until November.
I did try to capture a few of your moments together, even though there could never be enough pictures that capture how special it is to see you two together.
You were merciful, and broke gran in slowly..
You took her to all of your activities, including the Children's museum:
High tea with Gran at the museum:
Bargaining with Gran for La Senorita. Do you notice how blurry you are in many pictures.. you are a fast mover and shaker. You and La Senorita have a very special relationship, which you'll see in the video below.
Some other activities:
Swinging in the park:
Sliding and making friends in the park:
Riding bicycles with Daddy:
(although you can't go very far until you let us put on your helmet!)
Playing in the fountains at Discovery Green:
You were in heaven. One passerby commented to me "She has no fear!"
Playing at Little Gym class:
(Mummy is so lucky to have Monday mornings off to take you to gym class)
In this one the teacher said you were multi-tasking which is a gentle reminder that you still needed your pacifier towards the end of class.
This puzzle came all the way from Gran in Alaska. She is a mastermind at choosing presents for you, and struck gold yet again:
Here's one of your favourtie outdoor toys, and I have to capture a video of you walking with this because you can go a good few ?15 steps with this all by yourself. We have to put you in long pants and shoes outsides though because you insist on crawling and walking on the concrete.
This past week, I had a week of vacation to spend with you and Gran, and it was great. We spent our mornings doing activities with you, and then took some hours in the afternoon to go out and shop or .. well, shop :) We also worked on sleep training.. oww, you are a tough cookie, but can now take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to put yourself to sleep. Sometimes you cry a little at the end, but mummy stays with you and gives you encouragement if you need it, until you are asleep. You also get a little rice cereal and yogurt at 6pm to try to help you settle. You are now sleeping much better at nights, and we have our fingers crossed that this will last.
