Happy Holidays from Little Miss Maia

Mommy wanted me to let you know that it is all her fault that the blog is a little behind. I have been wanting to tell you about a lot of things, like turning 10 months old (and all my new tricks), visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Chicago, and volunteering for important baby research at a Very Big And Impressive University.

But for now, I hope that you all have a very nice Christmas, Hannukah, Winter Solstice, Kwaanza, or FESTIVUS! Mommy and Daddy have told me that some guy named Santa is coming tonight but I don't know why it should matter to me since I go to bed at 7:00. I guess I'll find out...

Little Miss Maia Jams Out

Here are some funny pictures my Daddy took of me.
I really like music. When something comes on that I like, I start to dance. Here I am doing the Hustle, or something like it.
Let's boogie!

Little Miss Maia Does Thanksgiving

Last week we had a very special time putting on our nice clothes and eating all day long. Mommy and Daddy say it's called "Thanksgiving".

Here I am in my fancy dress showing Auntie Dawn my new stuffed dragon.

And hanging out with GG before dinner. (Good thing we hung out before dinner, because I caught GG napping for a long time after dinner---shhh! don't tell anyone I told you!)

Opa and I helped Bapcia set the table. Sort of.
OK, we didn't help at all.

Mommy had to make sure we got lots of pictures of my Thanksgiving dress!

Mommy said to tell you that she certainly did not try to coordinate our clothes, and she has no idea what you could possibly be talking about.
When it was time to eat, we all sat at a fancy table at Bapcia's house (well not me, I was in my highchair)Turn me around and sit down already so I can get my hands on some turkey!Mmmm...that's better.
After dinner, Uncle Mike and I provided some light entertainment. But first, I had to fight to get my guitar back from Opa. He really loves that thing.
Uncle Mike didn't have too much Grown Up Juice, he just looks like he did.
The next day, we were all pretty tired.
BUT...I still made a trip to meet Santa! I'm not so sure if I liked getting my picture taken with him, but I have a feeling he's still going to bring me some good presents. I *have* been a very good girl, after all.
P.S. Daddy took a lot of nice pictures at Thanksgiving but he didn't give them to Mommy yet so she will have to post them later for me!

Get well soon Hazel!

Please pray for my friend Hazel. She is in the hospital. She got very sick from swallowing a battery and had to have an operation to take it out, but it was in there for a while and made her insides get hurt.
Get better soon Hazel! We love you!

Hazel's doctor said that lots of babies get sick from swallowing batteries--especially the kind that are in greeting cards that play music. Please don't send any cards like that to me or anybody else who has a baby in the house!

Little Miss Maia Says "Gobble Gobble!"

Today, I am thankful for lots of things. Especially Puffs.

Progress Report: 9 Months

I've finally spent as much time on the outside as on the inside! Sure, floating around in the warm dark was nice, but out here there are kitties, milk, blueberries, and rides on Daddy's shoulders. Pretty good deal!


This month Mommy had to go on some trips for work, and Daddy had to take care of me all by himself. He did a pretty good job!


He was pretty tired by the time Mommy got home though...


I've been learning lots of new things this month: waving hi and bye-bye, how to make the sign for "milk", and how to get my tongue onto the floor really fast before Mommy sees me do it.

I haven't learned to read yet but we're working on it.

This month I also battled a giant lobster.



Don't worry, I won.

9 month stats: 21 lbs, 9 oz; 28 inches tall!

Little Miss Maia has a Blueberry Breakfast

This morning Mommy and Daddy gave me something new for breakfast--waffles with blueberries! The waffles were just my size and Mommy poured blueberry juice on them to make them soft and sweet. Even so, I liked the plain blueberries even better. Once I ate one, I couldn't get enough. I made a big mess, too, so it was tasty AND fun!







Think you can handle even more cuteness? Check out the video!

Little Miss Maia Gives Kitty Kisses

Mommy says that our kitty Bisoux is really good at putting up with me. I'm not sure what she means, but here's a video of me playing with Bisoux. He's one of my very favorite toys. (P.S. for my fans, there's a little Wiggle Dancing thrown in too!)

Little Miss Maia is Stylin'

Last weekend Mommy and I went shopping. I was a very good girl while Mommy picked out clothes for me. Then she tried to look for some things for herself and I cried. So I was the only one who went home with new threads. Here's one of my new outfits--coolest velour tracksuit ever!

Little Miss Maia's First Election

On Tuesday Mommy and Daddy took me to the school that I'll be going to in a few years. But we didn't go to class, we went to vote! I got to sit on Mommy's lap while she filled out her ballot. She said she wished there was a lever for me to pull, but now they have fancy new bubble sheet ballots so I couldn't help.


That night, after I went to bed, history was made.

Little Miss Maia says...

PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO VOTE TODAY!

Little Miss Maia does the Wiggle Dance

Behold...one part Stevie Wonder plus one part "the back of my head itches" equals one funny baby dance. It's even better when performed flat on one's back.

Progress Report: 8 Months (ok, almost 8 and a half...)

The last month and a half have been lots of fun but also very busy here at our house! Let me catch you up with everything I've been doing lately.


Even though I'm not crawling, I've figured out how to get around using my own special mix of rolling and scooting. Mommy only has to turn her back for a few seconds before I've got my mouth on a magazine, my socks, or the carpet. Sometimes I get up into a crawling position just to tease Mommy and Daddy. The look of excitement on their faces is just precious, but then I ruin it for them by collapsing onto the floor and crying. Works every time.

I am still trying lots of new foods and I actually like to eat most everything I try now. My very favorite thing is still yogurt mixed with bananas, I can't get enough! I am really good at eating Cheerios and "puffs" now, and sometimes Mommy even gives me other things to try that I can pick up and eat by myself. Yesterday I tried tofu. It was kind of hard to pick up, so I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. Daddy doesn't like tofu, but Mommy said that she would not try to bias me against tomatoes if Daddy would just keep his trap shut about the tofu.
I am talking all the time now, but I don't think Mommy and Daddy understand me most of the time, except for when I say "Dada" and "Mama". They get pretty jazzed when they hear me saying those. I like to yell "Dada" a lot, just for fun. I am also trying really hard to say "kitty"...I think Mommy and Daddy finally heard me the other day.

I still only have my 2 bottom teeth, but they have gotten a lot bigger. Just waiting for the top teeth now! If you look really close, you can see my teeth in this picture of me and cousin Maddie. (I'd already gotten my own socks off so I was working on setting her feet free next...)

Here are some other things you might want to know about me:

Favorite musician: Herb Alpert

Favorite book: That's Not My Bear

Favorite cat: Bisoux, because he doesn't run away when I maul him

Favorite foods: yogurt with bananas, pears, minestrone soup

Favorite toys: Daddy's old 80's keyboard, Swirlin' Surprise Gumball Machine, maracas

Favorite time of day: bath time

Least favorite time of day: putting PJs on before bed

Favorite things to do in public: stare at strangers for an uncomfortably long time; smile back at anybody who smiles at me

Favorite things about Mommy: her hair; her necklaces; when she makes animal noises (especially owls and pigs); she feeds me

Favorite things about Daddy: his tattoos; his funny voices; when he lets me ride on his shoulders and we chase Mommy around the house together

Favorite things to say to dogs...watch this video and see for yourself:



(This actually went on for quite a bit longer..."bark!" "aaaaah!!!" "bark!" "aaaaah!!!"...you get the idea.)

Little Miss Maia goes to Cape Ann

First of all, Mommy would like me to tell you that she's very sorry that she hasn't let me post anything new in a while. She has been very very busy and we have been spending our free time snuggling instead of playing with the computer. But now it's time to catch up!

A few weeks ago Mommy and Daddy took me for a long ride in the car. When we finally got out, we were right next to the ocean! Mommy and Daddy told me that we were on vacation. I'm not sure what that means except that we all had to sleep in one room together and every morning I got to go out on the balcony and watch funny birds squawk and fly over the water.

Here is where we stayed:I was happy to get out of the car and into our room. Do you like my "traveling outfit"?
After we got settled in, we went for a walk.I told you we were right by the ocean!Here I am with Daddy in front of some red building that people really, really like to paint and take pictures of.
The next morning, we went out on the balcony to look at the ocean.
Then, we got back in the car again, and drove a little while to this place:
Daddy and I had fun posing around the town.
By the time we got to the graveyard, I was getting a little cranky. Don't worry, it wasn't because of the witch ghost spirits, I was just hungry.We also went to the Salem Witch Museum, where we saw a show about the witch trials. I was very good during the show, and I even helped make it scarier by yelling in my gravely exorcist voice during the parts of the show about "the afflicted" girls. Then I tried on some new gear at the gift shop.

The next morning, we went for a walk on the beach behind our hotel.I had a good time watching the birds.
Then, we went for a little trip to visit some of Mommy's friends who have babies the same age as me! We ate lunch at the pub in Ipswich.
Then, we had tons of fun playing on the floor at my new friend Hazel's house. Here's a picture of me and Hazel playing maracas.
I had to check Hazel out REAL good, just to make sure....well I don't know what I was trying to make sure of but it sure made for funny pictures.See what I just did to her? I do that to the cat, too. Luckily he doesn't seem to mind. Actually, Hazel didn't seem to mind either.

Here's our other friend who came to play. You're not going to believe this, but her name is Maia too! How crazy is that?
Before we said goodbye, we all squeezed into the armchair for a group picture. Baby pile!
On our last day in Rockport, Mommy made sure Daddy took some nice pictures of me and Mommy.
Before we left, I took some time to stand out on the balcony and watch the birds some more.
What a fun vacation!