What goes in must come out..

Hi Maya,

You are of course playing with my iphone......what is it about babies loving anything electronic...you probably like it because you associate it with me...that is probably a sign that I use it too much around you....anywhooo....lets talk about food. You continue to eat like a champ....you have had the following foods:
1. carrots-not a huge fan...but will eat it if mixed with other fruits or oatmeal, but boy do they make your toots stinky!!!
2. apples
3. pears
4. bananas
5. green beans
6. sweet potatoes
7. turkey gravy-eek...but you ate it.
8. rice cereal and oatmeal

Your dad cooked up a whole bunch of food today. He has been in the kitchen all day...peeling...baking...blending... He is a good daddy to you. We will now have a good supply of papaya, apples, pears, sweet potatoes, squash, root vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes and parsnips). I am planning on starting you on avocados soon! We wouldn't have to buy any baby food now.

We went over to visit Sarah and Bethel yesterday. Bethel is 3 months older than you but about the same size as you. She had a lot of fun toys at her house so you had a good time. You really like playing with blocks. So I took you to TJ Max today and I bought you some more toys.... you are spoiled...he he! It is just so fun to watch you analyze and play with new toys.  You like to pick up an object in each hand and then bring them together and stare at them...you are trying to figure out how they relate. You also like to take objects out of boxes/containers and then put them back in....You are very purposeful in how you play...I love watching it!

You are still getting up at night to eat...usually at 4 am or later. I will first just hear you "talking" and then eventually you get mad and start crying and at that point your dad and I will go in there. We try to get you to go back to sleep by putting your pacifier back in your  mouth...but then you really get upset and start screaming. At that point I usually break down and feed you. And you eat ALOT!. But I would like to fit more feedings in during the day and get rid of the night time feeding. The only good thing about it (beside the fact that I don't mind seeing your cute little face in the middle of the night), is that you will then usually let us sleep in until after 8 on days that we don't have to get up to go to work.

This past Friday you had your six month shots. You weight 18 plus pounds. I don' t have the paperwork so I don't remember your height. You are still in the 91st percentile for weight but you have moved up to the 81st percentile for height. You used to be in the 60's. I was really excited about it...maybe you won't be short.

Love you lots Mayabird....

Where to start....

Hi Love,

You are sitting right in front of my as I write this playing with my Iphone. You are into EVERYTHING now. You love to look at things and analyze them. You sit up like a champ and play, play, play. Now onto more serious things...

Since I last wrote a lot has happened...your Grandpa Bernie passed away on January 17th.... It was a long process and emotionally and physically exhausting. Your daddy got called up to Little Falls urgently on January 11th as your Grandpa wasn't doing well.  I packed up you and we headed up the next day. Your Grandpa and Grandma Karimi were nice enough to drive up with me in order to take the Civic home, so we wouldn't have two cars. I ran inside right when we got there. Your Grandpa Bernie was still with it and I went and hugged him right away. I then had your dad bring you over to him. He had been pretty out of it all day. Not talking and mostly sleeping. But when we brought you to him he woke up and was alert and knew it was you...he even held you with some help from me...it was a beautiful moment. You were a little unsure of what was going on...but let him hold you. Everyone was tearing up. ...we fortunately got a lot of pictures of the moment...which we will cherish. I am so happy that your Grandpa Bernie got to meet you....but I am sad that you wouldn't remember him and that you won't get to spend time with your Grandpa Bernie as you get older....he loved you soo much. He normally didn't like to hold little babies, but he did with you. He was always concerned about protecting your neck, when you were really little. He would whistle at you and you would stare at him back. I hope that your cousins will tell you lots of stories about your Grandpa Bernie as hee was a wonderful Grandpa.

He did not end up passing away until January 17th, so it got to be a really long process. So I ended up taking you to cities the first weekend and we spent time with all your great aunts and some of your cousins on Grandma Lynne's side.  It was a nice break and we actually had some fun. I bought you some cute stuff from Baby gap.

Back to your Grandpa...the wake and funeral were beautiful...and you were such a champ during all of it. You were actually part of the funeral. You helped present the gifts with your cousin Gretchen.

During the whole process, before and after your Grandpa's death, you were such a breath of fresh air and provided so many moments of joy to everyone during such a tough time....thank you for keeping us all smiling and reminding of the wonderful things that are still present in our lives....you truly do provide joy to all of us.....

You continue to change and grow so much. You are now over 6 months old...You talk so much, no actual words but lots of cooing and talking...and as I said before you love to play...well you are starting to fuss...i better go!!!

 Your Grandpa Bernie holding you for the last time....it was a very emotional moment...

Fussypants..

Hi Honey...

You are in your exersaucer and are quite fussy. You don't want to eat, you don't want to nap but I think you are both hungry and tired! Grandma Lynne watched you today and for some reason you never nap as good at home as you do at daycare!!! Sometimes you will get up to a 2 hour nap at Mary's but we are lucky if we can get you to nap for 45 minutes. I think you are much happier in the evenings when you have napped well during the day....so tonight you are being what I call HM (high maintenance). I do agree that babes your age do well with routine and a schedule. Too bad we can't keep you on the same schedule when you are at home that you do when you are at daycare!!! Well you are screetching so I better attend to you he he. Oh by the way you had green beans today and it went pretty well!

Baby food and sitting up like a champ!

Hey love,

You tried rice cereal for the first time today and I think you liked it. You weren't quite sure at first but then you seemed to get the hang of the spoon thing and ate most of the 1 tablespoon serving (with 2 ounces of breast milk mixed in).  I am excited to add in more exciting things, like avacados, green beans and sweet potatoes to name a few.

Right now you are in your bumpo on the kitchen counter "helping" daddy secure in the new dishwasher. You have been such a good girl lately! (except at night which I will get to later). Yesterday we had our first trainer session in the basement. We put you in your excersaucer and you didn't whine for 90 minutes. You were such a champ. Your dad and I were very proud of you. You just looked around and played with all the attachments to exersaucer and all the things we added to it.

You are sitting up so well now. You still tip over every once and awhile but you can actually sit up with your back straight instead of leaned forward towards your toes like you used to. It is really fun. Sometimes I put you on the floor with pillows or your boppy behind you while I get ready in the bathroom and you just sit and stare at me.

Auntie Soni watched you on Tuesday this past week and you fell off the couch onto the floor! It was your first fall. You were completely fine but you really you shook up your Auntie. She felt so bad. You are just such a wiggler and a mover now that we can't take our eyes off you unless you are on the floor.

You are still loving your jumperoo and we still love watching your jump in it!

You have been wanting to get up at night to eat! Last night it was 2:30 but usually it is more like 4 or 5. I would prefer you didn't as I do like my sleep but you do seem hungry! I know you are capable of falling asleep on your own as there are times when I hear you wake up but you go back to sleep on your own. That is why when you don't fall back asleep I figure you are hungry. I don't know if I should or not, but the sooner I feed you the sooner I get to go back to sleep! I hope it doesn't continue. I would like you to eat more at your last feeding of the night, I think that would help.

I think you are still in the teething process as you love chewing on things. I am not ready to remove the pacifier from you life as it still helps soothe you when you need especially now that you are starting to teethe. The "books" say to get rid of it at 6 months, so that gives 11 days he he.

I love you soooo much my Mayabird and I feel so lucky to have you in my life. Thank you for all the joy your bring into our lives!!!

Christmas number two!

Hi Mayabird,
Uncle Jeebo and Auntie Katy were in Rochester this last week and got to spend a lot of time with you. They left yesterday evening and were really sad to say goodbye to you. Both had tears in their eyes!  But overall they had a great time with you. We celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on December 30th/31st. We even spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa Karimi's on "Christmas Eve". Your pack n play was in the den with Auntie Soni so she got a good dose of your thumping. Grandma and Grandpa heard you too!

You of course got a lot of presents!!! Uncle Jeebo and Aunty Katy got you an adorable swimsuit and outfit from Gap. The swimsuit was a 6-12 months but wasn't any too big. I think I might have to get you a bigger size to ensure you can wear it this summer. Speaking of swimming you were pretty fussy on Saturday (I think you are teething), so I gave you a bath at Grandma and Grandpa's. I didn't have your normal tub so I put a little basket in their big tub. But then I also let you float on your back and you loved it. You even went underwater two times and didn't even cry.  Uncle Jeebo and Aunty Katy helped with the bath.

Well back to the presents..you had a blast with all the wrapping paper. We had it piled up around you and you were grabbing and kicking at it. It was adorable.

Uncle Majid and Aunty Katy even put you to bed one night. I went up to your nursery to check on you and they were both sitting in your rocking chair, with the lamp on, staring at you! You were of course wide awake, staring right back at them. It was so cute. I had to explain to them that in order for you to fall asleep the light has to be off and you HAVE TO LEAVE THE ROOM. he he. Uncle Jeebo said "oh you don't just sit here and stare at her".

Aunty Katy and I took you shopping one day and you sat in the cart again like a big girl. You of course loved it as you could look around at everything. 

You are INTO EVERYTHING. You like to grab at everything you can get your hands on and get mad if you can't reach it.  I think you are going to be quite the rascal when you start crawling. You are going to get into everything.  You also like to "stare people down" as Grandpa Karimi says. I must admit you do have pretty incredible eye contact. You really like to take everyone in and you have a serious look on your face when you do!

You now roll to your side a lot so you can grab at things. I think you could easily roll all the way onto your stomach but you just don't want to as you don't especially enjoy being on your tummy.

Well I hope you sleep through the night tonight. Last week was a little rough you were getting up around 2 every night. I finally decided to let you "work it out". You wouldn't actually cry, just chirp and talk. But after 15-20 minutes the first night you fell back asleep on your own. It then took less time the next few nights and now you are sleeping until about 5 am.

Snuggling with Uncle Jeebo after he helped give you a bath!!

At TJMaxx. 

Sitting up in bed while I got ready!

Having fun with wrapping paper. 

 In your adorable Christmas socks that your Great Aunty Betty got you.

Trying to keep you occupied with a sandwhich bag. 

Wearing the adorable swimsuit Uncle Jeebo and Aunty Katy got you!

 Wardrobe change...now in the cute dress, pants and shoes they got you! 

 

Love this hat on you! You looked like a little Christmas elf!

Family picture! (just missing G and G)

One last picture with Aunty Kathy and Uncle Jeebo...they had tears in their eyes still...

(Out of order). After you bath.

During your bath!

Snuggling on "Christmas morning".

(Out of order once again). Uncle Jeebo getting you ready for bed.