Snowbound Herpetologist

Just a couple cute ones :) When I said she got the curls, I meant it.  Yikes. Ergo back carry - finally!!!!  She's like 17 lbs and killing me in the front carry. I'm still monitoring her eye color…boy, I wish she could just spit in a tube already! Maya and Daddy, post-snake catching :)

Every day, Maya reminds me more and more of her father!  Waking up at 4 this morning to go birding in Canada?  For Maya (and husband), no problem!  (Mommy, however, was stumbling around in a haze while spilling her coffee.)  It's more than just sleep patterns, though - she's started making a few of his facial expressions, she's got his natural athletic ability, and she loves no one in the world more than him :) I'm in the middle of making dinner (squash, kale, and goat cheese enchiladas!), so you're getting another set of bulleted lists! New skills since four month update: - sitting unsupported, for minutes and minutes and minutes! - bending legs while standing - sooooooo close to consistent rolling - the beginnings of eating solids (yeah, yeah, we meant to wait until 6 months, but I could only pull the food that she stole from our plates out of her mouth so many times before I gave up and let her eat some stuff.  Besides, she was almost two weeks late, ...

Keep in mind that this was a week ago - she grows (noticeably!) steadier by the day! (Again, sorry that she's naked, but naked time just happened to coincide with a good sitting sesh when phones were nearby, so this is what you get!  I'm sure she'll thank me later :))

We are home!  While away, the baby changed immensely - she's now a totally independent sitter who can reach for two different things with her two different hands (while sitting!!  She completely skipped the "tripod" stage.).  She can make a bunch of new sounds like m's and b's and "ya" (and including an awful one while sucking in air, reminiscent of a bad asthma patient and scaring the dickens out of her poor mother every time she does it) and has learned the sign for "milk."  It's like we brought home a totally different baby! I am preparing a fun post on spring bird migration, but in the meantime, here are some final gems from our trip. FUN RANDOMNESS: Birding at Oso Flaco Coffee with Daddy - she's totally fascinated by him! Naked and sitting Modeling the new puppy towel gift from my parents' friends  Can't take any more photos of her because she always reaches for the camera! DATE NIGHT (looooo...

Things have been busy since arriving in California.  Since many of them had not yet seen the baby, it’s been a near constant parade of friends, family, and neighbors through my parents’ house since last Wednesday.  It was great to see my older brother and introduce Maya to her only (so far!) cousin, my niece Shayna.  We’ve had some quality pool time, during which I simply marveled at how different California looks once you’ve spent a bad winter in Michigan.  Part of that is because California got some late rains, so things are far greener and flowerier than they usually are in early May (although browning quickly).  But the rest of it is a perspective thing - it now looks like my parents live in a tropical resort! Mostly, though, I’ve spent my time trying to manage Maya’s sleep, which has been...bad.  I was worried about the time change, but in the end, I don’t think that’s the issue.  She goes to sleep fine for both naps and evening bedtime - and a...

We made it to the left coast!  I'll write a proper post sometime soon where I detail the excitement of our flight, but for the moment, here are some pictorial highlights from baby's first trip to the beach :) I absolutely adore her face in this one.  Really, honey badger don't care. Thanks so much, Lesley, for the awesome beach gear!  Check out my killer thighs, yo. Classic California celebrity shot - the nip slip wardrobe malfunction.  We have a whole series of these.