Good times, hard times

Dear Maya,

It's been twelve days since mommy's last post, but I can't put all the blame for that lapse on my laptop having been sent out for repairs. These two weeks have been full to the brim with lots of fun times, though each weekend did have a day that started with laughs and ended with tears...

Two Saturdays ago we went hiking to a nearby waterfall and had some wonderful family quality time. You had to stop every three steps to pick up an acorn so it was slow going. There were tons of people walking dogs along the path, plus we had lots of fruit for you to snack on so you were quite content indeed.

That night after we got home, daddy took you out on the back porch for a little while and the friendly grey neighbor kitty came to play with you. Somehow you and he ended up on a chair together so when he started playing a little too rough you couldn't back off. Mommy heard screams from inside and daddy rushed you in.

Your poor little leg and foot were covered in bleeding scratches. We cleaned you off and mommy called the pediatrician to see what we should do. A trip to the ER was in order, and although they only cleaned and wrapped your leg up, we didn't get home until almost 10pm. You were a good sport the whole night.

 

The next day Uncle Matt and Aunt Rhi came home from their long weekend away with some great news--they're engaged! We have long thought of Rhi as part of the family anyway, but we're so happy that Uncle Matt made it official. And now we have yet another family wedding to look forward to!

That Monday we went for a follow-up appointment for your leg which the doctor said was fine. Then Tuesday we went to the children's story hour at the library. One of these two activities was probably the direct cause of you coming down with a cold on Wednesday. You still have a runny nose a week later!

We had to hurry up and get you better because we had another full weekend in store. Grandma and Poppa Stan arrived Friday night and then Aunt Bobbie the next morning. Saturday was spent baking and decorating dozens of cookies and cupcakes for Aunt Kelsie's surprise bridal shower on Sunday. The preparations took a lot of hard work but everything was beautiful. Everyone enjoyed themselves and even though Kelsie wasn't completely surprised, she was happy to see everyone and to receive so many lovely gifts.

Sunday night after the shower, Aunt Kelsie and soon-to-be-Uncle Shawn came over to our house. You and he were playing chase when you lost control and hit a cabinet door hard. Mommy and daddy heard the thud from the next room but weren't prepared to see the egg-sized lump it caused in the middle of your forehead. Thank goodness Grandma was there with her calm reassurance and voice of experience or mommy might have given in to panic. Luckily the swelling was gone by the next day and now only the scratch is left.

This Monday we went to pick up mommy's laptop finally and Aunt Rhi came along to do some shopping at the mall. We ended up all getting glittery shoes (you, too!) to wear for Aunt Kelsie's wedding. After that we went to pay your great grandparents a short visit before heading home for dinner. The rest of the week has been a whirlwind of work, errands, and trying to keep you from bumping your head anymore. Let's just say that mommy and daddy are very much looking forward to their alone time this coming weekend!

Well, mommy really needs to get to sleep now. Love you!

P.S. Some new words you've attempted to say this week are: moon, up, turtle, car, up, thank you, blue and yellow!

A is for "apple"

Dear Maya,

Mommy is posting from daddy's laptop today so the photos are unedited and the writing may be quick, but there is just so much to report!

We went apple picking last weekend. You had fun wandering around the trees and eating as many apples as we let you get your little hands on. You even started to imitate us, rubbing them on your skirt to clean them. It was so sweet. Before we left we also went to the pick-your-own tomato area. The orange cherry tomatoes were unbelievably sweet and you enjoyed eating them and stomping on the fallen ones. Top that all off with a cider donut in the car on the way home and you were in fall food heaven! So were we once we stopped for pumpkin iced coffee!

Mommy took you to the playground the other day and you were much more independent than you had been last time. You kept climbing up all the steps and going over the little suspension bridge by yourself. This time you wouldn't go down the slide, though, by yourself or with mommy.

 

This week you played a lot of 'hallway soccer' with Uncle Matt and Aunt Rhi. You've gotten pretty good at kicking the soccer ball, and every time you do particularly well you give a double high five to anyone who will hold out their hands for you. You're so cute!

The biggest change over the last week is that your verbal floodgates have finally opened! Suddenly you imitate almost every word we ask you to with varying degrees of accuracy. Many are foods (apple, banana, carrot, milk, pepper, pizza) but there some others, too (bubble, bird, ow, phew, yeah). The best word, by far, is your high-pitched adorable version of "please" that you use to ask for something. It's really hard to say no to you now. We're so, so proud!

And, one more big update before mommy signs off. This morning while we were on the phone with great-grandpa to wish him a happy birthday, you gave him quite the little present. You used your potty for the first time! We played with blocks and gave you almost a whole can seltzer while you sat on it for 20 minutes and it all finally paid off. You didn't seem to really understand since it was only your first time trying, but you sure did understand your graham cracker reward!

Well, we're headed out to enjoy this nice fall day. Love you!

Calm before the fall

Dear Maya,

Lately every time mommy and daddy look at the calendar pages for the next couple of months we let out a sigh. There are so many events coming up this fall that pretty much every weekend is filled. Good events, fun events, special events, but every.single.weekend. So, we took advantage of some down time this past week.

Last Saturday daddy got some much-needed alone time at a home improvement store. Meanwhile, you and mommy went scouting for yard sales in the area. Mommy was looking to start Christmas shopping, but didn't find anything good. The last house we went to had a lot of toys and the woman let you take home a doll stroller for free! You happily pushed it to the car and played with it constantly until you broke a wheel (which daddy fixed) and then ripped the fabric by standing on it (which mommy will fix soon). You're tough!

On Monday we went for a nice long walk as a family. We even stopped at a park we haven't been to in quite a while and you got to try out the new playground set there. Mommy wished she had brought the camera to capture your face as you went down the slide for the first time. It was so cute!

Thursday we also had a free day as a family and we did next to nothing; we just hung out, played, and watched TV. We felt pretty lazy but it was wonderful. That night after you went to bed, mommy and daddy went out for a nightcap at a local Japanese place to celebrate the 4th anniversary of our US wedding. We had a wedding in Japan, too, so we have a few anniversaries a year, but we try to do something special for each. So rarely do we do anything without you that it felt a little weird at first, but it was really nice.

Well, our busy schedule starts this weekend so mommy's going to sign off now. My laptop is going in for repairs so hopefully I'll be able to post on daddy's laptop next week, but if not I'm sure we'll have a very long post when I get it back! Love you!