Cute Maya story: Earlier this week, Maya was cruising around the living room happily wreaking havoc and destruction at every turn, when she got it in her head to reeeeeeach clear over one of her toy boxes to play with the stereo buttons. She stretched that little body of hers and extended a finger, and, ta-da! Suddenly the Glengarry Bhoys CD started playing. Well, Maya was utterly delighted. She pulled herself upright, turned to look at us, and broke out in the widest grin of mischievous accomplishment I’ve ever seen. Seth and I couldn’t help but laugh. She then spent the next 15 minutes or so stopping and starting the CD. Mildly annoying, but funny just the same.

Maya does seem to enjoy music. Yesterday Seth arrived at daycare to find Maya thoroughly enjoying herself during “music time with Ms. Cami.” Seth said Maya was clapping and smiling as Ms. Cami sang some song about various animals. Seth also reported that Maya, “was not taking turns” touching Ms. Cami’s little animal finger puppets; in other words, Maya would touch the finger puppet, then touch it again, then again, and one more time, which was sort of blocking other kids from getting a turn. I immediately thought of that recent study about some daycare kids being less well-behaved upon entering elementary school. A-hem. I will, of course, hasten to teach Maya about taking turns once she’s old enough to understand.

We experienced a minor dietary victory recently when, after four or five days of trying, we got Maya to eat (and seemingly enjoy) pasta! I’m so glad, because it’s the pasta that’s enriched with protein, Omega-3s, etc., so it’s very hearty and nutritious. I cooked it with a simple marinara. The first several times I served it to her, she spit it out. So frustrating. But this week she changed her mind and pretty much scarfed it down. Hooray!

Have I mentioned that Maya can now sit and wave the cat wand around for Ndugu to play with? When I’m not worrying that she’ll poke her eyeball out with the wand (which, by the way, is about twice her body length), I quite enjoy witnessing Maya entertaining Ndugu in this way. The best part of it is the chuckling. Maya just chuckles away as spastic Ndugu leaps and contorts and generally goes bananas for the feather wand.