Miss Maya's dandelion days

Dear Maya,

The weather is finally spring-like around here and we're ready to be outdoors and what happens? You catch a cold. Luckily the worst of it seems to be your endless running nose. After a day or two of occasionally sitting still for a change, you seem back to full capacity running, dancing, climbing and trouble-making!

squeezing under your crib to fetch a binky you threw

spinning and spinning and spinning around in circles until...

...you can't stand any more and fall down awkwardly

Yesterday we went out in the backyard for a while since you seemed to be feeling better. You ran around picking up sticks and pine cones and trying to climb up on the water pump platform while holding them all in your hand. Without an extra hand to balance, you had a hard time and managed to fall once.

You also continue to be interested in flowers like mommy. You smelled any you got near enough to, and you tried to repair them by putting fallen petals back on poppies or sticking dandelions we picked back in the ground. You also kept blowing dandelion puffs even though you were several feet away from them--so cute!

We have this cool weeping birch tree in the yard that has branches drooping so low even you need to crouch to get under them. Inside the dome created by these branches is a nice shady space with a greater concentration of dandelions. It's such a fun area for you (and mommy and daddy) to explore.

You are still singing more than talking, but last night you managed to clearly say "Lightning" when you saw Uncle Matt and Aunt Rhi's cat. He didn't come when you called but when you fed him some treats he ate out of your hand for a bit. I don't think our cat Clio will be doing that for a while, though.  You scare her.

I'm not sure how many weeks of food reporting mommy's missed, but you had a landmark experience this week--your first Girl Scout cookies! Thanks Shawn and Kelsie for bringing them over! We also had your first ham at your great grandparents' house and one night mommy made you your own mini spinach quiche.

Speaking of food, you have really been enjoying 'cooking' lately. Pretty much every day when mommy is in the kitchen making dinner you have to be at my feet with a mixing bowl, a spatula and whatever bits of food I give you to mix around. Tonight you really outdid yourself, though. When Auntie Rhi was preparing the Brussels sprouts for cooking, you sat on her lap and really, truly helped. You took each sprout out of the box, peeled off some of the outer leaves and handed them to her for trimming. What a good helper!

Well, mommy needs to go get some rest. Another day of chasing after you awaits! Love you!

Sweet sweet sixteen months

Dear Maya,

You are 16 months old today! In honor of that, here are 16 things you've been up to this week:

1. Shrieking with excitement. Sometimes you scream with delight when we chase you around, but most often it is directed at one of the cats who then runs away promptly. Those poor little creatures...
2. Throwing things, not in a bad way (yet). You started with the squeeze ball at the doctor's office when mommy had blood drawn, and since then you've been practicing with balls, etc. we have at home.
3. Climbing things. You like to turn over any box or container you can find and climb up on it. You've figured out that this can help you see more and reach more and use it to your advantage.

standing on the basket your toy food came in so you could watch a DVD

Intent on the Japanese lesson about eating and drinking in said DVD

Perking up noticeably when the topic switches to bananas!

4. Falling. This is related to the climbing, but also to your running, spinning and overconfidence in your sense of balance. You have a bruise on your cheek and a bump on your head from the last 2 days alone! 

5. Loving Auntie Rhi! Lately you are just so attached to her. You get excited in the morning to go downstairs to see her and always cling to her legs until she picks you up. And you love to share her drink. How sweet!

6. Putting pillows on your lap. Whenever you climb up on the couch to sit next to one of us you have to have a pillow to put on your lap. Even if you have toys or a drink, the pillow must be readied first.

"You want me to sit???" 

"Mmm...I don't think so."

"Oh, all right. I needed a break anyway..."

7. Laying down. Although you are extremely active, occasionally you join one of us in laying on the carpet in the living room. We set a pillow for your head and you always miss it, but you're back up soon anyways... 

8. Helping. You have helped put away your toys and messes for a long time, but lately you seem to want to help with other chores, too. When mommy is making the bed, you race to hand me the pillows even. Cute!

9. Cooking! Well, not really, but tonight while mommy was making scattered sushi and miso soup, you put vegetable scraps in a measuring cup and mixed them with a spoon. For over a half an hour!

Asking for a book  from the top shelf

Putting spilled Cheerios back in your bowl

Pondering your bird toy

10. Remembering a lot. You suddenly remember where you left things. When mommy went to give you a cucumber stick tonight, you went to get a dish you'd eaten out of earlier for me to put it in. Wow!

11. Hearing and responding. This morning there was a dog barking in the distance, not terribly noticeable. You looked up and said "Da!" to mommy several times until I confirmed it was a dog. Good job!

12. Understanding more words. Tonight when Uncle Matt hid a toy by putting it on his head, mommy told you to look at his head and you did! I guess all that "Head, shoulders, knees and toes" is paying off!

"Shall I put my shoe on?"

"I think I can, I think I can..."

"I can't! Grr..."

13. Loving shoes. You get very excited and sit right down when mommy pulls out shoes to put on you. Today we got a package of used baby clothes and you played with the winter boots like toys!

14. Playing with sticks. When we went to a huge sculpture garden yesterday you were much more interested in sticks than art. You used them to push against the ground from your stroller like oars! So funny!

Posing with some sculptures in the distance

Playing with sticks, ignoring large animal-like sculpture behind you

Admiring the mesmerizing motion of this piece with daddy

15. "Oh no"-ing. This morning you finally replaced your sad-sounding "Oh wow" with the proper phrase "Oh no" when something doesn't go your way. Your little voice + mispronunciation "nyo" = too cute!

...and, last but not least...

16. Singing your ABCs! Well, sort of. You took your beautiful rendition of "Twinkle, twinkle" from last week and added a run of what sounds like "H I J K lalalala" in there in the right place! Holy cow!

Well, goodnight my little 16-month old!

We love you!

The showering cherry blossoms

Dear Maya,

It's been two weeks since the last post because last week was a hard one.

Mommy's Aunt Patty passed away unexpectedly, making me very sad. One of the things that hurt mommy the most last week was the fact that your great aunt didn't get to meet you before she died. Thankfully she was a regular reader of this blog so she got to know you that way if not in person.

In this last two weeks you have been growing in leaps and bounds again. You seem much more interested in doing what the adults in your life do, be it climbing up to sit on the couch, playing games on Auntie Rhi's iPod, or standing on tiptoe on a step stool trying to help mommy make dinner.

You've also been very good about getting up and sitting in your own special chair for breakfast, lunch and snacks (we still put you in your high chair for dinner, though). You know that when the Cheerios or other snack foods come out, it's time to run over and climb on up.

You've also been even more vocal than ever. Your sense of pitch and memory of long melodies is so amazing--you now can sing about five songs recognizably with "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" being your current favorite. Also, a few days ago you started saying "Oh!" with the funniest little face. 

Your verbal communication is improving, too. Whether daddy gives you instructions in Japanese or mommy in English, you respond accordingly. You regularly point at something you are curious about and say something that sounds quite like "What's that?" with the proper rising intonation. And the pièce de résistance? This afternoon while playing 'catch' with Uncle Matt you said "Ball!" and then brought your bouncy red ball to mommy and said it again with perfect pronunciation! Mommy was so so proud!

Grandpa came up from NC a couple days before Aunt Patty's funeral. On Friday we went to visit your Great Great Aunt Gert in the nursing home. She has all but lost her eyesight but still perked up when mommy held you near her face. We also went to pay our respects at your Great Grandparents Jack and Jane Jameson's grave site. You helped mommy pick up sticks and fallen leaves to make the plot look nice. Finally we went to visit a friend of Grandpa's (hi, Karen!) for a bit before heading home for the night.

borrowing Auntie Rhi's pearls to accessorize your dress

Then, on Saturday we went to Staten Island for the funeral. It was an emotional day for mommy, Uncle Matt, Grandpa and the rest of our family. You were blissfully unaware as you ran around the funeral home as fast as your little legs could take you, a welcome distraction for mourners to look at and fawn over. You were quiet and curious for a few seconds when mommy took you to kneel by Aunt Patty's coffin, though. It was sad but mommy was glad she could finally introduce you in person. 

Afterwards in the parking lot the wind scattered cherry blossom petals all around us. In Japan, the 'storm' of cherry blossoms (sakura-fubuki) is considered symbolic of the fleeting beauty and fragility of life. To see you playing in piles of the fallen petals made it feel like Aunt Patty was there watching and loving you. 

Rest in peace, Aunt Patty. You will be missed.

Aunt Patty, smiling joyfully as always