weekly adventures: 10 weeks

Today I am 10 weeks old. I can't believe how much I've done already! This week Mommy and Daddy took me for a walk in the backyard. I got to ride with Daddy.

I fell asleep pretty quick.
Good thing, because Daddy wanted to take pictures, and when I was awake, I wanted him to keep on moving.

Mommy and Daddy's friend Jenny bought me this cool seahorse rattle. It's the only toy I feel like holding on to for more than 3 seconds. I even try to get it in my mouth sometimes--I'm not sure what else to do with it. Hitting myself in the forehead with it isn't much fun.

Remember my Bumbo seat? Here I am sitting in my Bumbo helping Daddy make salad. I think I'm trying to tell him he's doing a rockin' job.
I held this burp cloth for him while he chopped things. I'm going to be a very good helper someday.

we are family

Hi everybody! I've had a very busy week. First, I helped my Great Grandma (aka G.G.) celebrate her birthday. I look pretty comfy in her lap, don't you think?


Here's a picture of Grammy and G.G. talking about how cute I am. I'm sure they could spend hours on that topic!

My Uncle Kris was in town to visit. We got in a few good cuddles before I spit up all over his designer shirt. I sure didn't do that on purpose. No way. *wink*
Uncle Mike and Uncle Kris wanted to make sure I get a jump start on learning all the important things in life.

And look! Opa actually looks kind of comfortable with me in his arms. I knew he'd come around.

A few days later, Grandma Ellie and Grandpa Ritz came to visit. Here they are making me feel better after I got my first set of shots .
I was a much happier baby later on that day.

2 month portraits

Progress Report: 2 Months

I can't believe I'm already 2 months old! A lot has happened this month. First, you might have noticed that I've started writing my own blog posts. I'm one smart girl!

I mentioned before about my big discovery this month--my hands! Here's a video Mommy and Daddy took of me examining my hands one morning a couple of weeks ago. I think you'll enjoy how it ends.


One of the biggest changes that has happened this month is that I've learned that I like to PLAY! Here's a video of me playing on my rainforest play mat. I really like to dance to the music. I talk and smile even more now than I did a week ago when this video was made!


I went to 2 more yoga classes with Mommy this month, and I hardly cried at all! Last week I could hear the other babies talking so I looked over and talked back. Mommy is learning the songs we sing in class to sing to me at home.

Even though I've been talking and smiling so much lately, I've been secretly torturing Mommy and Daddy by aiming most of my babbling and grinning up at the ceiling. This morning I decided to surprise Mommy though...when I woke up and she came to get me, I looked right at her and gave her 3 of my biggest smiles in a row. I think she liked it.

P.S. Want to see an extra-silly video Daddy made starring ME? Click here.

2 month stats: 12 lbs, 13 oz. 23 inches long

"First of all, everything's OK"

visiting the ER, originally uploaded by sarah~stock.

"First of all, everything's OK." That's how Mommy had to start the phone call to Grandma Ellie this morning to tell her what happened to me last night. I was feeling fine except for all this gunk stuck in my nose, but Mommy found out that I had a fever so the doctor said we had to go to the emergency room because I'm so little.

Everyone at the ER was very nice to me, even when they had to poke me and collect my bodily fluids. I cried hardest when Daddy had to hold my arms so they could take pictures of my insides. Getting my blood taken wasn't so bad because I got to have some sugar water while they were doing it. In the picture you can see where they taped the catheter to my hand.

Next time I get to stay up that late I hope it's for a party instead. Can I get the sugar water again without the needles?

P.S. I feel better today. No more fever!

Little Miss Maia goes for a hike

Maia's first hike, originally uploaded by sarah~stock.

On Sunday we headed over to Gay City State Park, which is only about 5 miles from our house, for a nice hike. I slept through the whole thing, but I heard Mommy and Daddy saying what a nice park it was, and how the trails were great for taking me along in the carrier. I'm sure we'll be heading back again sometime when I'm awake!

an amazing discovery

You will not believe what I've found, everybody. Apparently there are these wavy things attached to me that Mommy calls "arms", and at the ends of them are the coolest things ever...fingers! They move and bend and when I manage to get one or two in my mouth, well that's heaven right there. They keep running away but one of these days I'll get them to stay in there, even if it means whacking myself in the face one more time. Every morning I wake up and I can't believe it, but there they are again--fingers! I doublecheck to make sure by trying really hard to get them in my mouth. Once Daddy even caught me trying to pull my own finger. He thought it was hysterical but I'm not sure why.

it's Bumbo time!

Guess what everybody? I can sit in my Bumbo chair that my Aunt Maggie (who I am still DYING to meet) bought for me. It says it's not for babies as young as me but Mommy has been impressed that I can hold my big cranium up all by myself so she let me try it out. It kind of bends me over a little too much when my tummy is full so I spit my milk out all over the place but I still thought it was fun to sit in.

Little Miss Maia schools you: Lesson 1--What's in a Name?

Many of you may be wondering how Little Miss Maia got her name. Well, it all started when Mommy and Daddy got married and went on their honeymoon in Belize. While they were there, they visited some amazing Mayan ruins. They even went back the following year to see some more. So, the name "Maya" popped up in the baby name search. Mommy didn't want to be quite so referential to the Mayan civilization, so she looked up the alternative spelling "Maia" and found some interesting stuff.

According to wikipedia, "Maia in Greek mythology, was the eldest of the Pleiades, the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. She and her sisters, born on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia, are sometimes called mountain goddesses, oreads, for Simonides of Ceos sang of "mountain Maia" (Maia oureias) "of the lively black eyes". Maia was the oldest, most beautiful and shyest. Aeschylus repeatedly identified her with Gaia. She and her sisters were pursued by Orion, and turned into doves to preserve their safety. According to the Homeric hymn to Hermes, Zeus in the dead of night secretly begot Hermes upon Maia, who avoided the company of the gods, in a cave of Cyllene. After giving birth to the baby, Maia wrapped him in blankets and went to sleep. The rapidly-maturing infant Hermes crawled away to Thessaly, where by nightfall of his first day he stole some of Apollo's cattle and invented a lyre. Maia refused to believe Apollo when he claimed Hermes was the thief and Zeus then sided with Apollo. Finally, Apollo exchanged the cattle for the lyre. In Roman mythology, Maia was identified with Maia Maiestas (also called Fauna, Bona Dea (the 'Good Goddess') and Ops), a goddess who may be equivalent to an old Italic goddess of spring. The month of May was named for her; the first and fifteenth of May were sacred to her." (Count back 9 months from February, when Little Miss Maia was born, and you arrive in May! Just sayin'...)

Being that the constellations are linked to mythology, there is also a star named "Maia" in the constellation Taurus. Wikipedia informs us that "The Pleiades (star cluster), the Seven Sisters star cluster (one of two naked eye clusters that belong to Taurus, the other the Hyades (star cluster)), twinkle high in northern hemisphere autumn and winter skies, while shining closer to the horizon in the skies of southern hemisphere spring and summer. Maia, a proper name, is one of the seven mythical daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Shining at bright third magnitude (3.87) from a distance of 385 light years, she ranks fourth brightest after Alcyone, Atlas, and Electra. A blue-white class B (B8) giant star, Maia radiates 660 times more energy than does the Sun from a warm surface with a rather uncertain temperature of 12,600 kelvins. Its radius of 5½ times that of the Sun gives it true giant status.

An astrophotography website (you can see a picture of the Maia nebula here), says that "One of the most stunning deep-sky objects is the Pleiades open star cluster in Taurus, a celestial gem which has been cited by Homer (Illiad, 750 BC; Odyssey, 720 BC), Hesiod (700 BC), various ancient Greek astronomers as well as several references in the Bible."

So that's the story of Little Miss Maia's first name.

What about her middle name, Ellin? Well, that's easy. Little Miss Maia has 2 wonderful grandmas named Ellen and Linda. Ellen + Linda = Ellin!

Namaste* from Little Miss Maia!

Little Miss Maia went to her first "Mom & Baby" yoga class yesterday. She liked when Mommy joined in with the other moms to sing the silly songs and when Mommy bounced her on the big exercise ball. She cried the rest of the time, but Mommy is sure she'll do better next time.


*The divine peace in me greets the divine peace in you