So, um, here we are again, right? Shall I just evade the fact that I haven't posted since August, or shall I own up to it?! All right, I'll own up to it and extend my sincere apologies, especially to the grandmothers, who were in the habit of checking this blog often for news about their little West-Coast sweetpea.
OK, where to begin? I guess starting with Hunter's birth is the best place. So, as we all know, that was in October. From the very first days of his life, Maya has adored and doted on her brother. Seeing this love she has for him (and recently, him for her) brings me so much joy. Maya likes to smile at and use baby talk with her little guy, and she gets mightily annoyed if we don't invite her to place Hunter's blanket over his body before we take him outside in his carseat. The two of them also have a game that involves Maya placing a blanket on Hunter's legs and Hunter kicking it off. They both find that HI-lar-i-ous. Maya also likes to invite Hunter into her bed with her, and give him kisses. Lately she has accompanied me to the infant room at St. Michael's to help stock Hunter's bin with supplies. (Hunter starts daycare in two days, and that will likely be the subject of future posts on Hunter's as-yet-unstarted blog...*)
For many weeks after we brought Hunter home, Maya seemed a little stressed (understandable) and also pretty mad at me (understandable, but very sad for me). Adding to the anxiety was my inability to pick Maya up or carry her until I'd healed from the surgery. That was difficult on both of us; I was eager to show her that I still loved her and could comfort her despite the new little being in our home.
However, things are better now! Not perfect, mind you, but better. Some days are better than others, but I think it helps that Hunter's been around for four months now, and Maya's really gotten used to his presence. Now that he has a personality, he cries less and requires a little less of my time.
Maya continues to do well in school. We think she's generally well-liked, because she has lately been receiving many birthday-party invitations from schoolmates. Unfortunately, her best friend, Shyre, has left school and is moving with her family to---of all places---Northern Virginia! That has been an adjustment for Maya. Her other best friend, Justin (pictured here with Maya at Sand Dune Park), who lives upstairs from us, will be moving with his family to Oregon next month. Unfortunately, it's possible we'll not see them again after they move. We'll likely see Shyre, though, whenever we travel to Falls Church to visit family. Yay! (And of course, when we finally move to the DC area ourselves.)
Other news in Mayaland is that she continues to be super-chatty, literally talking all day long, and asking "Why?" questions to the point where no answer exists ("Why are we not at the store yet?" "Well Maya, we just aren't"). Some days I'm home with her I actually find myself hoarse, with a sore throat, by evening, because I've spent hours answering her questions.
Maya's physical and motor development are cruising along. She's all excited that she can now jump on one foot and do a somersault. She's a good climber with a good sense of balance, too; yet she generally knows the limits of what's safe.
Lately I notice her doing a lot more "pretend play," such as putting her teddy bears to bed (thanks, Mom, for sending those!) and cradling a doll in her arms. This type of thing is sweet to watch.
I'm a little concerned about Maya's hearing and have asked the pediatrician about it. She's asked me to bring Maya in as soon as is convenient, and we'll start on the process of determining why Maya often says, "What, Mama? I can't hear you." I'm pretty scared, to tell you the truth, but am trying not to panic. The explanation could be as simple as earwax buildup or inner-ear fluid.

*I have a template for a blog for Hunter (thanks to technology-oriented friend Derek), but I'm finding it difficult to navigate and figure out. If I continue to have trouble, I'll get a makeshift blog for him set up here on Blogger, then I'll migrate it back over to Wordpress once I'm feeling capable. I'll keep you updated on that.

Maya is one month shy of two-and-a-half! I hadn't realized this until the other day, when Seth told someone Maya was two-and-a-half, and I said, "What? No she isn't," and then I did my math, and wouldn't you know it, Seth was (almost) right!
I would say the most remarkable of Maya's qualities right now are her incredible, elephant-like memory, and her continued verbal development. Oh! And her new-found love of 'nastics (gymnastics).
First, the memory. I won't bore you with dozens of examples of Maya's looooong memory, but suffice it to say that she takes after her Grandma Watson (Hi, Mom!) in this department. Maya is STILL talking about the rides at Hoffman's Playland in New York, where she went for one day two months ago. She also continues to point to the Hacienda Hotel whenever we drive by it and say, "We go swimming with Grandma and Pop-Pop there." Grandma and Pop-Pop were last seen at the Hacienda in April.
As for the verbal development, I would say building her vocabulary is Maya's number-one strength. (This is probably tied to her good memory, now that I think about it.) The kid often talks like an adult---albeit an impatient, petulant, demanding adult. She can narrate whatever's going on ("The light is red, so we're stopping"), ask questions ("Mommy, are you sad?"), and boss us all around ("No, Toonces! Don't sniff my foot!")
It's neat how Maya's discovery of the joy of jumping, swinging, and climbing has corresponded with the Summer Olympics. As a result, she's really taken to the "girl's nastics," (or "girls swinging"), and starts shouting, "I want to do it!" when we watch it together on TV. She's always looking for something to hang and swing from: kitchen tables, railings, countertops. Next time I get the opportunity I might guide her toward hanging upside-down from her legs (with me holding on to her, of course). She almost did that this morning from a railing outside of her school---she swung so high from it that her toes almost touched it.
In a moment of poor parental judgment recently, we tried having Seth teach Maya a somersault in the living room. (I've really been wanting to teach her this myself, but then reluctantly thought better of it, being 7.5 months' pregnant and all.) Anyway, it turns out Seth is not a gifted tumbler. He basically flailed around the living room, rolling over at strange, scary angles and knocking books off of shelves with his feet. Maya actually cried, which, truth be told, was sort of funny. I'm bummed, though, because I'm just itching to teach Maya a somersault myself. I know she can do it with the PROPER instruction.
:-)
But I probably shouldn't attempt that in my condition, right? Or would a quick forward roll be OK? Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion...

This morning I woke to "Mommy, I am ready to get out now" on the baby monitor.
This kid is getting ever more articulate. I'm proud of her, and I also find it humorous. This afternoon in the car, she wanted to rest her foot on the back of my seat, so she said, "Please Mommy move your seat back a little bit." For some reason, the "a little bit" made Seth and me chuckle. It's the kind of phrase that I think she's picked up from adults, along with "maybe later" and "What are we having?" (for dinner, lunch, etc.)
Another new thing Maya's doing is recognizing the letter "M" when she sees it. She'll point to an M and say, "Hey, that's my name!" which, of course, isn't entirely accurate, but we know what she means. We'll say something like, "Yes, that's the letter your name starts with." It's neat.
In other news, I am pleased to report that Maya had a good week at school last week. No crying in the morning during drop off, just "Bye Mommy" (some days more chipper-sounding than others). That's progress, as far as I'm concerned. I know some weeks will be better than others. I think the more laid-back summer preschool schedule helps. Her day there is less structured this time of year; plus, the kids get to do super-fun things like play in the sprinkler and eat popsicles.
...and speaking of popsicles, here's my advice to any parent of a two-year-old: Go buy yourself a popsicle mold. I spent three bucks on one last weekend at Bed Bath & Beyond, and wouldn't you know, those were the best three dollars I ever spent. Maya LOVES POPSICLES. She wakes up in the morning asking for one---seriously. When I take her to school, I have to constantly reassure her that yes, she can eat a popsicle as soon as she gets home. As soon as she finishes one popsicle, she asks for another. The great thing is, we just pour juice or yogurt into the molds, freeze, and there you have it. A serving of fruit or dairy, done. Seth and I were joking that we should start freezing all manner of foods into the posicle molds just so Maya will eat them: chicken, beets, straight milk, that kind of thing.
This afternoon we took Maya to the beach and had a great time. (Well, expect for happening upon the DEAD, DECAPITATED SEAL that washed up on the shore. Fortunately, we were able to hustle Maya away before she noticed it.)
Anyway, Maya seems to be starting to understand a little bit the potential danger of the ocean. She does less full-on charging into the water now, and turns around to run back (squealing with excitement) before getting herself too far in. That's good, because it means that Seth and I have fewer near-heart-attacks during our family beach trips and don't have to be constantly scooping Maya out of a wave at the last minute.

Well, May passed with nary a Mayalstones post! Baaaaad Mommy. Bad! Honestly, I'm not entirely sure where May went. There was Mother's Day, and my mom's birthday---Hi Mom!---and a Memorial Day weekend that barely registered on my radar, it came and went so fast. And now here we are into June, and I find myself with 13 days remaining before my Big Trip Back East With Maya (And No Seth). Ohhhh the anxiety.

But anyway, let's talk about Maya! I think Maya's existence right now can essentially be summarized by saying, "She's two." That kind of explains it all, really. She's giggly, sings a lot, is really honing her climbing and running skills, utters a long, sophisticated sentence every now and again, and generally doesn't listen to a word I say.

And now, let's break those down. First, the giggling. It's a little more like maniacal laughter, actually. She really gets going when she finds something funny (like throwing a fork at Mommy during dinner. A-hem). She's known for her laugh around the apartment complex. It makes the other kids smile and forgive her for constantly trying to swipe their toys. Next, the singing. Wow. Does she ever loooove the singing. I think she gets this from me, as I remember spending much of my time singing and humming to myself as a kid. My mom's like this, too. (Hi again, Mom!) It's fun to listen to her sing a few bars of something from school and realize it's a song we know. Lately these ditties have been pretty heavy on the Jesus, thanks to the Episcopalian influence of her church-run preschool. Stuff like, "Rise! And shine! And give God your glory glory!" She's like the world's tiniest evangelist, belting this stuff out around the apartment. We sort of roll our eyes about it, but I think it's OK for now.

Thirdly, the climbing and running. Man, is she ever cute when she runs! She really gets going and grins the whole way. It's just funny because her little legs are so short. But her balance is great and her speed ain't too shabby either! She's been climbing the cinder-block walls of our apartment complex, much to our constant terror, but she's been totally successful, managing to swing her legs up and over without too much physical trauma. She can also climb onto adult-sized chairs, and climb down from our bed, which is pretty far up off the ground. As for the long sentences, those are neat. She tends to speak in sentences of five or six words---you know, things like, "May I have some cheese please, Mommy?" (Well, OK, that was seven words.) But once a day or so she busts out with something longer and more complex, such as, "We'll put on shoes after we play with puzzles." It's neat. And as for rarely listening to me? Yeah. She rarely listens to me, much preferring to live life on her own schedule. She's two.

School has continued to be a bit of a struggle for her lately. We've been getting word that Maya cries easily and often and needs to be near an adult all the time. I get the feeling that she is overwhelmed now that she's in the preschool, but I'm not sure what to do about it. It's something Seth and I and the school staff need to talk about. I don't think she hates school, but I get the feeling that certain elements of her school day stress her out.

Maya is currently dealing with an ear infection (again). We're trying the wait-and-see approach before starting her on yet another antibiotic. We'll have her ears looked at again tomorrow to see if the infection healed on its own or not.

Happy June!

I am loooong overdue for a Mayalstones post!
So then, let’s jump right in!
Two-year-olds vary in the particular skills they choose to focus on at any given time. While some labor away at learning to jump and balance and tumble, others, like Maya, are just hell-bent on talking, talking, talking. Maya’s verbal skills are what she’s most interested in developing right now; and my goodness, is she ever. This is an exciting time in that every day, Maya seems more and more able to build sentences, express herself, and answer open-ended questions.
Last night, as we were all sitting down to a delicious-looking curry Seth had made (with thanks to Trader Joe’s for the sauce), I remarked on what an appetizing dish he’d managed to throw together despite having to field multiple phone calls and hold a clingy toddler through much of the preparation. Maya then turned to Seth, hugged his arm, and said very earnestly, “Good job, Daddy!”
Well. Hello, waterworks. I got all sniffly and teary-eyed at Maya’s well-articulated show of support for her dad.
Earlier that evening, as I was arriving home from work and ran into Maya and Seth playing in the courtyard, Maya announced, “I’m blowing bubbles, Mommy!” with totally unbridled enthusiasm.
When I asked her what she’d done at school that day (a tough question for a two-year-old to answer, I think, since there’s such a huge selection of potential answers), she struggled a bit but managed to tell me, “Um, um, I drank water…sink!”
Me: “You drank water? From the sink? Wha- Oh! Do you mean the water fountain? Did you drink from the water fountain by yourself?”
Maya: “Yeah! By self!”
Seth: “Yeah, I saw her in the process of doing that when I arrived this afternoon.”
After exchanging quick glances of “Oh great, now she knows how to use nasty old germ-infested water fountains” with Seth, I really had to stop and marvel at the answer she gave. She’s making progress fast and furiously!

**
…and now let’s talk about school. Maya’s been struggling some with the transition from the Infant/Toddler room at her daycare to the actual Green Room for two-year-olds at the preschool. It’s no wonder, really: In the I/T room, the emphasis was on large chunks of free play dotted here and there with storytime, dancing and singing, and art. This daily schedule was developmentally appropriate and really appealed to Maya’s sense of curiosity and toddler-sized attention span. In the Green Room, she has been confronting a much more structured day, full of transitions she does not want to make. When she’s having the time of her life fingerpainting, for example, she does not understand why she must suddenly stop and get cleaned up for a snack. The teachers said she’d been putting up a fuss and crying during such transitions; plus, when I’d take her to school in the mornings, she would freeze up right inside the door, and cry and shout “Mommeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” as I left. It’s been stressful and not a good way to start our day. However, the past two days, Maya’s acceptance of school has apparently improved, and the teachers have sent home handwritten notes remarking on her “turnaround.” I’m sure there will be more backsliding and roadblocks to come---but for now, I am SO proud of Maya for her recent successes.

These days Maya is a bit of a Moody McMoodypants. When I go to retrieve her from her crib every morning, I never know what’s in store for us that day. Sometimes, as was the case today, she starts out happy and goofy and high-spirited and more or less independent, then we’ll hit a crying spell late morning (the cause of which might be utterly unknown to me), then she’ll recover and do fine for another several hours, then she’ll get mad during her evening bath and wail away plaintively until bottle time with Daddy. Other days, Maya is happy-go-lucky from sunup to sundown, tra-la-la, fiddle-dee-dee.

And then there are the Chock Full O’ Tantrum days, where Maya seems to go from one meltdown to the next, becoming angry and frustrated at the slightest (to my mind, anyway) provocation. Those days are rough on everybody, including poor Maya.

Moodiness aside, Maya continues to astound us with her delightful sense of humor. For instance, a few weeks back she and I started this game where she’d point to me and say, “Toonces?” and I’d say, “No, silly! I’m Mommy!” She’ll point to Seth and call him Ndugu; she’ll point to Toonces and call her Mommy—you get the idea. And she loves it when we do the whole faux-outrage routine, as in, “What?! No no no! I am NOT a kitty-cat! I am MOMMY!”

More evidence of Maya’s sense of humor: Ask her if she likes pizza. Or kitty-cats. Or cookies. Or Elmo. Then, when she says “Yeah!” say an incredulous “Nuh-uh!” Oh, man. She’ll laugh for days.

This morning Maya was requesting cheek zerberts from her daddy, who unfortunately could not oblige, being that he was at work and all. Sometimes when I give her tummy zerberts, she’ll laugh for a bit, then she’ll tire of it all and pronounce, “No zerberts.” I’ll try to sneak one more in, and she’ll cry, and then I’ll feel like the Meanest Mom Ever.

Other recent accomplishments of note:

• She can count items with a real sense of quantity. She’ll point to four items and count them: “One, two, three, four.”
• She continues to string short sentences together: “What doing, Mommy?” “Where crayon go?” “Ndugu sleeping!”
• She’s really into the mothering thing right now. We seem to always be putting diapers on Elmo and her two baby dolls, and Maya usually has one of her babies sitting in her old highchair with a little toy cup or plate on the tray. Maya is also a fan of putting her dolls and stuffed Elmos to bed.
• She’s getting very good at remembering people’s names and knowing who everyone is. In our apartment complex, for instance, she can identify and name Eileen, Marion, and their daughter Leilani; the new baby next door (“Baby Alysen”); and the woman across the way (also an Allison, but spelled more traditionally). She knows who my friend Jenna is and can name just about everybody in our photographs on the fridge, including long-distance friend Lucy Rehmert.

Here's ten typical minutes with Maya these days:
"What doing, Mommy?"
"Mommy's putting on mascara, Maya."
"Ma-care-uh."
"Yes, mascara."
"What doing, Mommy?"
"Mommy's putting on mascara, Maya."
"What doing, Mommy?"
"Mommy is still putting on mascara, Maya."
(grabbing mascara tube) "Mine."
"No, Honey. The mascara is Mommy's." (takes it from Maya's hand)
"Mine!"
"No, it isn't. It's Mommy's. Thank you."
"What doing, Mommy?"
"Still applying my mascara, Maya."
"Where Daddy go?"
"Daddy's at work today. You'll see him later."
"Where Daddy go?"
"Like I said, Daddy's at work today. You'll see him later."
"What doing, Mommy?"

And the thing is, she will not be ignored! If I try to go a few seconds without responding to one of her queries, she repeats it again (and again), growing increasingly annoyed with me for not answering. I suspect this is because I got in the habit early on of always responding to her when she spoke, to encourage her to talk (ha!), so now she expects a response every time. Oops. Anyway, on days I'm home with her, I get physically exhausted from talking with her ALL DAY LONG. By the time Seth gets home, I just want to be silent for awhile. I'm not complaining---I love that Maya is becoming ever more verbal and communicative with each passing day. It's fun and amazing and helpful to our relationship. I'm just saying that it wears me out!

Lately Maya likes us to build tunnels for her. We make them out of living-room furniture and blankets. Of course, the time it takes to create a tunnel is about triple the time Maya actually plays in it, but still, for the period of time she's enjoying it, it's great fun to watch!

Maya's also really into putting caps onto their respective items. Examples: pen caps, toothpaste caps, water-bottle caps. Removing and replacing caps is a challenge she really focuses on. I like to see her so concentrated on a task like that. I try not to rush in and do it for her when she gets frustrated.