Hair

I'm gonna treat myself to a spa day and get my hair cut when Pete returns from Colorado Springs. I'm thinking about doing it like this...

...only not blonde. Question: should I do it exactly like this, cut the bangs shorter, or do a completely different hairstyle altogether? Comments?

Two Month Stats

Maya had her 2 month check-up and shots today. She weighed in at 9 pounds 3 ounces, and was 23.25 inches long. She is in the 50th percentile for head size, the 80th percentile for height, and the 10th percentile for weight. I'd be worried about the weight thing if she didn't have such a rocky start, but she's gained a pound in the last two weeks. Plus, she's on her way to being a tall, lanky ballerina! (just kidding)

Here's a couple pictures I just took a moment ago.


Can you believe she looked like this just two months ago?!

WAAAAAHHHHHH!!

This video is so cool. It helps parents determine what their crying babies want. I watched it yesterday, and since then have been paying special attention to the sounds Maya makes when she cries. It wasn't 100%, but for the most part the sounds she made were consistent with what the lady here says she wanted. I wish I had seen this two months ago! It's pretty cool because the lady who analyzed the cries, Priscilla Dunston, has a photographic memory for sound. She figured it all out listening to her own baby cry, and then did studies on other babies and determined that there were commonalities in the sounds babies make. Check it out. Especially you moms. Skip ahead to the one minute mark for the meat and potatoes.

You can actually purchase a DVD that goes into more detail. Here's a bit of that video.

We miss you, Pete!

(Pete is in Colorado Springs on business until Friday for those of you who didn't know)

Stuff...nothin to speak of

We painted our bedroom yellow yesterday. Other than that, there's not a lot going on in our neck of the woods. Nothing except Maya being FREAKIN' ADORABLE!

Stand By Me

Thanks for e-mailing me this, Grammy. I love it!

Is there a Doctor in the house?

Pete is considering going back to school for his Ph.D. He's been thinking about it for just around a year now, and brought it up yesterday again. I told him that I would support whatever decision he makes, but to keep in mind that ITT may relocate us if they decide to promote him in the next year or two. He knows that before taking on such an expensive and time-consuming endeavor he needs to make sure he can finish it should we end up moving. It's not like an undergrad where you just transfer your credits over! The good thing is that ITT will pay his tuition if he makes a commitment to stay with them after he graduates for however many years he is in school. So, if he spends three years on his doctorate, we'd be with ITT for at least six years.

My only concern is how many hours after work he'll be away while I'm at home with the baby. That, and how enthusiastic he'll be about taking her off my hands after 8 hours at work and another few hours in class. I think we'd both be pretty burnt out. The questions remains whether or not it would be worth it in the end. I've always said I didn't mind a little agony as long as I know it'll end and I'll get something out of it.

This is still in the preliminary stages. It's really just an idea being tossed around at this point. I really shouldn't even really be posting it up here, but I'm bored and the computer was beckoning me to do it. Bad computer! Bad!

She's Back!

Maya has finally reached (and exceeded) her birth weight! Yay! It took a lot longer than it should have, but with lots of feedings, lots of pumping, and a little formula to supplement what I couldn't provide, she is finally gaining weight at the rate she should. Whew!

Apparently, I fall into the 2% of women who can't produce an adequate quantity of breast milk to nourish a baby. Even after weeks of ritual pumping, my supply was mediocre at best. It kind of made me feel like a deadbeat Mom, but the way I look at it I did everything I could to boost my supply including taking hippie supplements of this fennel seed concoction that smelled awful. Thank goodness for formula! I'm still going to continue breastfeeding, but formula is going to be playing a major role as well. It's actually kinda nice because if we are out in public I can whip out a bottle instead of...well...you know.

Regardless of her lack of proper nourishment, Maya has met and exceeded all of her milestones. She is even doing things she's not supposed to do for another month or two. She can push herself up on her hands during tummy time while holding her head up for quite a while before it flops over, and she can also support her weight on her legs when we hold her upright. You saw that she is a definite smiler from that last video, and she also enjoys having heartfelt talks with her Mom.

And yes.. I totally speak Motherese to her. I can't help it. Babies and dogs make me baby-talk.

We got a Wii....Wheeeee!

Pete and I have wanted to get a Nintendo Wii for at least a year. We just couldn't justify dropping the dough for a video game console. Well, our friend Kevin brought his over to our house last week, and that pretty much made up our minds. We had $100 left on a Babies 'R Us gift card Pete got from work, so we decided to put that towards the purchase price of a Wii of our very own. We also got a Sonic the Hedgehog game to accompany the Wii Sports that comes with the console. I'm seriously considering getting a Gamefly membership. Can anyone recommend any good games for the Wii that I should try?


I'm determined to save up for the Wii Fit, now. It's basically a workout program disguised as a video game.


That way, I can exercise in the comfort of my own home while Maya is napping.


Smooshface!

Maya Smiles!

This Tuesday morning after Maya's breakfast, I sat in bed with Maya chit-chatting. Apparently, she liked what I had to say because she started grinning at me. At first I thought it was just a random grin like she'd given me before, but then she kept on smiling and cooing at me. It's official now that she smiles responsively, and today I got video. Yay!

Usually when she smiles I'm on the other side of the house from the camera, but this time I got around that problem by handing her off to her Aunt Katie (who is here visiting by the way) and rushing over to get the camera to take some video. She starts getting really cute at around the 40 second mark. Enjoy!

The Picture....

The photo shoot pictures turned out OK, but just OK. Dan wants to do a re-shoot next Saturday. He wants me to wear a more colorful shirt, and we're going to do the shoot when there's better light in the living room. Here's the best of the pictures.