The Holiday Schedule

Here's what we have planned for our impending trip to AZ! Let me know if anything looks weird or wrong.

Wednesday -
Leave ABQ @ 3pm
Arrive at Dad's house in Phoenix around 10ish

Thursday -
Laurie's hair appt in Mesa @10pm - Pete and Maya at Dorothy's
Hang around until the afternoon, and then drive back to Dad's
9pm Comedy Show in Tempe (Dad and T, will you babysit?!)

Friday -
Make cookies in the morning to bring to the shindig later
Christmas Eve party at Ryan and Lynsey's
Spend the night at Dad and T's

Saturday -
Christmas morning at Dad's
Leave Dad's at around 8am and head up to Prescott
Arrive at Grammy's house in Prescott around 10am
Christmas at Grammy's!
Pete's parents swing by when they're done at Hanna's

Sunday -
Prescott all day - go to the movies (True Grit and/or Black Swan)

Monday -
Breakfast at Hanna's - not sure on what time
Kidnap Emily and head back to Albuquerque after breakfast!

Dr Who Awesomeness

I'm posting this at Pete's insistence. It is pretty funny, and there's a nice surprise at the end. Enjoy!

Maya's Lullaby

With a new baby brother coming in just a couple more months, I've been really kicking myself in the butt to update Maya's baby book, decorate her bedroom, and spend as much time as possible doing things with just the two of us. Since I have a Mac, I decided to try my hand at my iMovie app. I made this sweet video for Maya. Every time I hear this song I get all weepy for my little girl! It was an easy choice for the soundtrack. Enjoy!

The Sound of Music Reunion!

I was all excited about this episode of Oprah (which is rare because I'm not really an Oprah person), because the cast of The Sound of Music were going to be on, 45 years after the filming of the movie. Of course, I missed it. Luckily, some wonderful person posted it on YouTube. So, for those who care and missed it, here it is!

Sweet Maya

Maya has had so many awesome breakthroughs lately, and I've been a huge slacker and haven't really posted any of them here. So, here's the latest in the world of Maya.

The talking has gotten cuh-razy! She still isn't combining words yet, but she will learn and repeat words that I didn't even think she knew. I wore a shirt a couple weeks ago that has little beads sewn on it. She pointed to them, and I told her they were beads. She repeated me, and that was pretty much the end of it. Fast-forward to a couple weeks later, and I wear the shirt again. She points to me and says "beads" without skipping a beat. That is one example, there are tons more. The kid has a crazy memory.

Another thing that she's learning is her colors. The first color she learned and repeated back to me correctly was blue. Next she learned green, then red, then yellow, and so on. She learns a new color about every two or three days. Of course, she has been telling me what color EVERYTHING is now. Whenever I get her out a bowl or a cup, I let her pick which color she wants. If blue is an option, she practically screams "BLUE!!!" It's pretty obvious that blue is her favorite color, followed by pink and green.

Whenever Maya has something she wants to tell me, she always kinda yells "Mom!" Once she has my attention, she shows me the thing I needed to see, and then does it a few more times. Example:

Maya: Mom!
Me: Yes, Maya
Maya: Pink
Me: You're right, that is pink. You're so smart! (I go back to whatever I was doing)
Maya: MOM!
Me: How can I help you, Maya?
Maya: Pink!
Me: Yes, I see that it's pink.
Maya: MOOOOMMM!
Me:What?
Maya: MOOOOOOM!
Me: What do you need, Maya
Maya: Pink.

You get the idea. It's super awesome, and not annoying at all. (I love you, Maya!)

This weekend also marked the end of the bottle era for Maya. We told her that bottles are something that babies use, not little girls like Maya. She's not a baby anymore, so from now on we will not be having a bottle of water at naptime or bedtime. She was not a fan, and whined for a couple of minutes her first non-bottle nap. But, once she realized it was a done deal, she got over it and went to sleep. Then, at bedtime she told me "Bottle.......no." I concurred that we will not be enjoying a bottle. Again, she was kinda sad, but she went right to bed after I tucked her in. I was so worried, because all the baby books say to yank the bottle early because doing it later (like 19 months!) would be waaaay more difficult. I found it rather easy to just reason with her, though. I am blessed with one reasonable little girl!

Speaking of reasoning with Maya, whenever she gets really frustrated recently, she will throw whatever's in her hand. If there's nothing in her hand, she'll look around, find something to pick up, and throw it. Then, she'll look at me like, "That's right...I just threw it. What are you gonna do about it?" At first I thought it was kinda cute, but now I make her go pick whatever it was up, make her look me in the eyes, and tell her it's OK to be mad or frustrated, but it is not OK to throw things because they might break. It's so dang adorable when she gets into trouble, because the talk we have afterwards is usually incredibly sweet and ends with hugs and kisses. She is still yet to be sent to time out.

With other kids around, Maya likes to be the boss. She is totally a future Hall Monitor of America! She is very particular about other kids following the rules, but rather than come to me about something, she like to police the situation herself. She can be quite the little bossy-pants!

We talk to Maya all the time about babies, and how we're going to have a new baby in the house. She knows there's a baby in Mommy's tummy, and whenever I ask her where her baby brother is, she pats my tummy. She also knows that the ultrasound pictures are of her baby brother. It's so sweet! For now, anyways. I think she is going to be INCREDIBLY jealous when he gets here! She has no idea what's really in store, but we're doing our best to prepare her. We will definitely talk about it a lot more when we get a little closer to my due date.

Pete and I are seriously the luckiest parents on earth. Maya is a great eater, she has an amazing ability to pay attention and learn new things, she is super snuggly and often comes over for random hugs and kisses, and she is so dang cute and getting cuter by the second! I feel so blessed with the family I have, and can't believe how much love I have for Pete and Maya. Seriously, I could be homeless, and as long as I have them everything will work out! I'm wondering what having a new baby boy will do to our little family, but I can't imagine anything but awesomeness!

It's a Boy!

The Ristig men may rest easy. For, there is a male heir to the Ristig line. Huzzah!

Now, for the fun stuff. It's time to shop, and time to pick a baby name. I was considering vintage cowboys for the nursery, but the more I think about it, the more I'm set on Robots and Rocketships for the theme. Target has a pretty cute rocket crib set that I may need to acquire.


And now, the name game! Here is a list of names we've compiled thus far, in no particular order. Keep in mind that the middle name will be Peter no matter what, so a nice flow would be awesome. That being said, tell us what you think of the following names, and please feel free to give us suggestions.

Wyatt
Gustav
Samuel
Eric
Eli
Calvin
Thomas
Andrew
William (Liam for short)
Timothy
Jerome

The list is short, and I haven't really gone crazy looking names up yet, so like I said....suggestions!!

Fancy New Phones

Pete and I were perplexed at what we were going to do about our phone carrier, Verizon. First of all, they dropped their phone credit for new, two-year contracts from $100 to $50. So, if we wanted to get new phones (which we kinda need) we were gonna have to drop some cash upfront. Also, unless we wanted to get a dinosaur for a phone, we were going to have to start paying an extra $20 per month in data charges. We were paying for every picture message we sent or received, and were getting all kinds of random charges for stupid, unexpected things.

Now, I understand that cell phone service is pricier than just a land line, and I understand why. But, for us to be paying over $120 per month, plus for us to drop a bunch of money on the phones themselves is just plain unreasonable. So, our hunt commenced for a plan and phones that were more affordable, but gave us the same services we already had.

We found one better! Yay! I guess Sprint and Virgin Mobile recently struck up some kind of deal where Virgin Mobile now uses Sprint's signal. Virgin Mobile has an amazing deal, and we both signed up (actually, we didn't because there is no contract!). We get unlimited text, pix, and web, plus 300 minutes each per month for $25 per phone. WOO-HOO!!

So, Pete and I got new fancy phones. I got a Rumor2, and Pete got the Rumor Touch. His phone is definitely fancier than mine, but Pete likes gadgets, and really wanted the Touch.


Sorry to all you Verizon peeps out there who will actually have to use minutes to call me during business hours, but seriously. I'm saving $70 per month. Sorrrrryyyyyyyy!

Raddest Hand Dance EVAR!

A Week of Firsts!

This week, Maya helped Daddy make dinner for the first time. Well, she actually just helped shuck the corn, but still! She had lots of fun pulling the husk and corn silk off the corn with her dad's help. It was cute.


This week, we also got Maya her very first bank account! We'd been slowly filling up her piggy bank, and we deposited $93 into her new account. Woo-hoo! MIT, here we come! That oughta pay for half of a college text book. ;D

And the most momentous (at least for me) was that Maya transitioned into a big-girl bed last night! We put our old queen bed into her new room, and I painted her walls light, light pink earlier this week. I was nervous that she would get out of bed or try to play with toys or get into some other shenanigans during the night, but she didn't! She cried for about 20 seconds after I shut her door, then she just lay down and was asleep about ten minutes later. She didn't get out of bed or fuss all night! Pete said he did hear her whimper just once, but she put herself right back to sleep. What a relief! I was so worried. Before bedtime, I let Maya play in her new bed, and get used to the idea that she would be sleeping in there. Here are some pictures of the new bed fun that ensued.





I LOVE how Maya says "ribbit, ribbit." It's so stinkin' cute!



And, while they aren't necessarily firsts, here are some other pictures of stuff in general. Yes, Maya loves running around naked before we get our PJ's on. And yes, those are her panties on her head.

The Secret Ingredient Is......

Bwahahaha! Pete and I love Iron Chef America. Mark Dacascos is particularly goofy, and I love the swooshing sound effects when he chops the air. So. Corny.

Also, a real blog post is soon to come. I've been lazy.

Friggin Twilight

On a less depressing note, I found this video clip from a Jimmy Kimmel skit. It's the retarded kids from Jersey Shore doing Twilight. It made me laugh so hard I nearly peed my pants. Enjoy!

Feeling Bleh

This pregnancy is nothing at all like the first. I do have a lot of the same cravings, and my stomach is pretty much upset all the time, but WOWSA this is one depressing pregnancy! I feel mopey pretty much all the time, and then I feel depressed for being mopey. I'm really tired all over my body, so I just want to rest. But then, I feel like a giant, lazy slob for laying around. I'm going postal from housework and Maya clinging to me 24/7 (though I also simultaneously LOVE her clinging), and I feel like the house is nasty again two seconds after I just cleaned it. Ggguuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh......

Poor Pete is very tolerant of my ookiness, but it is getting so old. I'm also not looking forward to the next couple of weeks. I'll be driving to Prescott on Friday evening with Ciera and Maya. Pete's not coming, so I have to drive the whole way, round trip, with Maya's loveliness in the back seat. She just loves road trips. Not! Then, on the 13th, Ciera is leaving for Illinois. Who knows when I'll see her again. I'm gonna miss the poop out of her!!! On the same day, Pete is leaving for a business trip to D.C. for a week. So, I'm going to be left home alone with Maya. I love the pieces out of Maya, but geez Louise I need adult stimulation.

Yesterday I went to go see Eclipse with my girlfriend Carolyn and her sisters. It was the most amazing night I've had in so long. Getting away from everyone at home needs to happen more often. I can't remember the last time I just went somewhere with girlfriends and no kids or husbands.

There. I got the majority of my rant out. Aren't pregnancy hormones your favorite? Just an example of my insanity, I was singing "It's a Hard Knock Life" from Annie to Maya, and dancing around with her. I started crying mid-song because I felt really bad for the orphans. Is it February yet?

Definitely NOT Pete's Idea!

I just finished reading all the Twilight books at the insistence of my friend, Carolyn. The first one was meh. The second one was a little emo, but better. The third book sucked me in like crazy, and the fourth made me a Twilight fan forever! Anyways, in honor of the unveiling of Eclipse at the movie theater, I'm rocking the Twilight background for the next two weeks.

TEAM EDWARD!!!

Seriously Belated Stuff

I just realized that I haven't posted anything in over a month. I'm slapping myself on the wrist right now, and hoping that I'll not keep up the procrastination in the future. No promises, though. I mean, this is me we're talking about!

Well, during the last month a few things have happened. We went hiking at Tent Rocks, which is seriously one of the cooler hikes I've ever been on.




We got Ciera for the summer! Her family moved to Illinois, and she's spending a major part of her summer at our place before flying to meet her brothers and Dad. Ciera has been having a blast shopping. I've been trying to get her all stocked up and ready for the nasty winters ahead of her! It's really hard to find a store that carries warm boots in June in New Mexico. She's also been a big help with Maya and the babies. I'll be super-sad when she leaves. Who knows when we'll see her next. We've had her around for the last three-and-a-half years. It'll be weird without heaving her around whenever we feel like it.




We also went to AZ for my brother Dan's renewal of vows with his wifey, Autumn. It was really pretty, and very sweet! Maya did not appreciate the car ride there or back, but at least this time Ciera was there to help keep her occupied.












And, of course, here's the random pictures of Maya I've taken over the last month or so. I'm glad I'm such a crazy Japanese tourist with my picture taking needs. She'll have a wide variety of photos of herself growing up!

Maya got Bangs

I've been fighting the urge to cut Mayas bangs for a while. I was fed up with Maya's hair falling in her face every time she pulled out her barrettes (which was every ten seconds), and the last straw was this week when she had a cold. She kept waking up with her hair stuck on her booger-face! So, to the chagrin of Pete, I cut her some cute little bangs. Here are some pictures from the last couple days.




Her hair is a thousand time less work, and she somehow looks cleaner. I know her face is just as clean as it was before, but to me it just seems less dirty for some reason. Call me a crazy lady, but it's true!

Also, I forgot to post this one earlier. Pete and I are saving money and opening Maya a college savings account. All of our change (and some dollars, too!) is going into this piggy bank and is then getting deposited for Maya every time it fills up. We let her put the money in, and she does a pretty dang good job! Cute!

Swagger Wagon

I am in love with this video! It makes me feel way cooler for having a minivan.

Super Maya Update!

So, here's what we've been up to lately. Maya started walking last week, and she's saying more words every day. She's been on a "b" word kick lately. This week she started saying ball, bye-bye, and boo! She also says hi, Daddy, Mama, and kitty. She says banana, but it sounds more like buh-buh-buh. I know what she means, though! My favorite thing she does now (ahem) happens when she either doesn't get her way, or she accidentally loses her balance. She falls on the floor whining and kicking her foot. Ask me how much I love it. Unfortunately, I don't have video footage!









Maya also got her first freckle! It's on the top of her head. I noticed it when I was washing her hair in the tub. Since then, she's been lathered with sunscreen every time we go outdoors.




We went to the river this weekend. It's cool because the Rio Grand Nature Center is just up the street from our house. It has lots of trails right on the river. We took Peanut, too. She had fun trying to chase lizards and getting as far into the water as we'd let her get.


There were these weird flood control device thingies that made the trail look like the beaches at Normandy!





Two weeks ago Maya was riding on her little car. She tipped over and landed right on her face, poor little bug! She got some pretty gnarly road-rash from the sidewalk. She cried for about 30 seconds or so, and then was cool. She didn't even care when I cleaned it out! I was impressed. It doesn't look too bad in these pictures, but the next day it scabbed over and was not cute.



And here are some random cute pictures we've taken of her over the last few weeks. Enjoy!