Whew...I made it.

I'm happy to say that the day I have been dreading has come and gone and I survived!! I found out about a month ago that I had a two day mandatory convention in Jefferson City for work. Which meant that I would have to be away from Maya for the first time. I warned my boss that it was a real possibility that I'd miss Maya too much and not make through the night. But, I did it! I made it all night and I only called to check on her a couple of times. I missed her very much and wished I didn't have to go but, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Brandon said they had a party while I was gone and that he let her chew on the dogs toys and climb on the steps. For his sake, I hope he was joking!!

Lezlie

Setback

Just when we think things are getting better, they make a turn the other way. Maya hadn't thrown up all of Friday. But then last night I should have known something was coming. I got a headache and my back started to ache. Around midnight, the virus took me over. I was down for the count. Then, around 4am, it started on Lezlie. Now, I would never wish sickness on Maya, but it worked out that she also got sick that next morning and slept a lot during the day. All in all, we each probably spent 6 hours laying down today. I'm starting to feel better but Lezlie headed to bed early. We've been feeding Maya Pedialyte all day and she hasn't thrown up since. But, she's still pretty week and not smiling as much as she usually does. So much for the grand Memorial day...

Under the Weather

Maya has been sick, again. Thursday she started vomiting at daycare ant this continued through late Friday morning. She was also running a low fever. So, I stayed home with her yesterday and took her in to see the doctor. It is just a virus so we are letting it run its course. She hasn't vomited any more but is still running a low fever.

She is really mastering crawling. This morning she crawled down the entire length of the basement. Of course her motivation was the dog's ball. She insists on playing with everything that is dangerous, expensive or full of germs! This morning, Brandon did some baby-proofing. He installed a gate at the top of the stairs (and it's a good one, we can barely open it) and some other little things to make it safe for our speed racer.

We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day.

Take care,
Lezlie

Let the Chasing Begin

Well, if you got to see Maya this weekend, you saw that she is now starting to crawl. Right now, only to Mama, Vinnie, remote controls, and cameras.

Lately, she has been waking herself up at night. She twists, turns, and rolls over and then reaches the side of the crib. Then, she gets mad when she can't twist no more. It's already Wednesday and I still don't thinks she's rested from the weekend. You all wore her out.

Lezlie and I are really looking forward to our mini-vacation in two weeks. We are going to the Smoky Mountains for four days with my parents and brother's family. Our cabin has a pool table, air hockey, Pac Man, and Galaga. I don't think I'll want to leave. I'll be playing Pac Man all night. Vinnie will also be making his first trip out of the state. Well, actually he was born in Illinois but hasn't made it back since. We'll have to make sure he doesn't go off chasing bears. He seems to get a little defensive with large counterparts.

Daddy's Girl

This is Maya's latest and greatest. And no, I did not train her.

My First Mother's Day

My first Mother's Day was absolutely great. This morning, Brandon got breakfast for us while I snuggled in bed with Maya. When he returned, I went into the kitchen where I was surprised with a pair of diamond earrings!!! We then lounged around for a while and went to church. I feel like all we did for the rest of the day is eat. We had a big lunch, BBQ for supper and then pie. Everything was delicious and the best part is, I didn't have to cook any of it! Brandon did a wonderful job at spoiling me today!

Maya had a good day today as well. She is really getting mobile. She gets on her hands and knees, rocks back and forth and then sits back up. She does this over and over until she eventually inches her way to where ever it is she wants to go (which is usually towards Vinnie). I know that it is just a matter of days until she is crawling.

This past week went well also. On Thursday, Maya and I went to our first tea party. Her daycare hosted it in honor of Mother's Day. Luckily, I had off of work (it was Truman Day) so I was able to go. There were just a couple of other moms there from her class room and we all sat around talking and comparing babies. It was nice getting to know them and it was really nice getting to know her teachers better. Other than that, the rest of the week was pretty routine. We are looking forward to going home again this coming weekend. Between the two of us we have 6 graduations and an 18th birthday to celebrate. It might be a whirl-wind of a weekend!

Lezlie

First Weddings

This weekend Maya went to her first two weddings. At 2pm on Saturday was our friend P.J.'s wedding in Sedalia. Maya was at first content with sitting in her car seat but soon got antzy and wanted out. Then, she and another boy (Tate Jennewein) began to talk it up. Normal church stuff, though. You can't expect an 8 month old to understand "shhhh."

Next, we raced back home to Cole Camp for our friend Kelly's wedding. Here she sat with Grammy and gawked at a boy sitting in the pew in front of us. It's amazing how kids are fascinated with each other.

There has been a lot of progress with Maya "getting around." She is really trying to crawl and pull herself up. I think she could get across the room but only by scooting. Also, we are proud to say that can say both "Mama" and "Dada." What is funny is that she only says "Mama" when she's crying. My friend Joelle said that this is only because mama is the one her comforts her and I'm only her "play" buddy. But, I guess I'm ok with that. Now, I know what you're thinking. She's just blabbing and "Mama" and "Dada" comes out. However, yesterday, I got home and when Maya first saw me, she immediately said "Dada." I'm telling you--she's a pretty smart cookie. I just wish I had got it on video.

Anyway, I've attached a few pictures from the weekend. I'd talk more but Vinnie keeps trying to give Maya a bath.