Maya turned 2 (months, that is) this past Fri - a cause for celebration - Maya continues to eat, grow & sleep (mostly) like a champ.
How does she compare to her peers, you ask? Not that we're obsessed with numbers (actually, daddy is obsessed with her weight - hoping she packs it on early and stays healthy!). Maya's 11 lbs 9 oz at 2 months, means she's in the 69th percentile - wow!! She's definitely got a cute little buddha-like belly, but it's SO cute. Interestingly enough, she's also kinda tall at 22.75in which is the 65th percentile, esp considering how small her mommy & daddy are! She also has a big brain, with her head measuring 15.4 in (57th percentile).
Look at that growth curve! Maya's already ahead of the curve
She's also tall for her age - not to mention for a half-asian and the offspring of Lisa (5'2") and Richard (5'8").
And that noggin! She must have a big brain...
Everyone seems to think Maya is much older than her 2 months, based on her size, her alertness, her head & neck strength, but mostly her hair!
Besides my awesome hair, I still have BLUE eyes! People think I'm very mature for my age...
Hurricane Irene who? Try Hurricane Maya!
I think Grandma / Grandpa Laich prob got the worst of this that we did up in Boston, as Irene ended up veering more westward and just glancing Boston.
Hurricane Irene had NOTHING on Maya
Maya's first hurricane experience was a pretty mild one, but she turned into a small hurricane herself (or maybe just a small tropical storm) after getting her 2 month shots, which comprised of 2 injections (Hepatitis A & B, Influenza, Polio, Pneumococcal, DTaP) and 1 Rotavirus! She was such a trooper though and I think it caused just as much distress for mommy & daddy. Maya's been a little more fussy than normal, and a small case of constipation followed by the runs (prob too much information, but this is mostly family). Anyway, she was well enough to still pose for her parent's endless photo sessions - enjoy!
Psst Mr. Owl - are you as tired of these pics as I am?
Are we done yet?
NOW we're talking! Just give me my mobile and I'l happy (unless you're changing my diaper)
My favorite mommy hold!
My favorite daddy hold! Monogrammed bib courtesy of Joe & MiYong Lee
I don't know why daddy gets such a big kick out of feeding me - oh well, i'll humor him...
Maya's 8 weeks old today! We'll have "official" 2 month photo shots later this week... in the meantime, she's had so many firsts: starting to read (sort of), focusing (esp on her mobile & the monkey on her bouncy chair), sleeping in her own crib (down to only one feeding a night!), holding onto things, and smiling practically on cue.
I LOVE to smile!
I LOVE to read! Even if it's only shapes right now...
I LOVE sleeping in my crib (and only waking up once a night!)
I LOVE when my mommy reads to me...
I LOVE my mobile... I'm SO curious...
And I've just learned to hold things! My first "bracelet"
and I love walks with mommy & daddy in the city!
She's growing up way too fast, we need her to pause! But it's truly amazing watching how much she develops week to week. Fortunately, her baby acne is gone, but her beautiful hair is still there, as are her steel blue eyes (much to Lisa's delight). A few more cute shots of Maya, including a few with her future boyfriend, John Volpe. I had a few words with her after that about playing a little more hard to get...
Aren't I cute? I've got daddy wrapped around my little finger...
Oh yeah, mommy's pretty raptured with me too...
The monkey on this chair is my BFF
John Volpe's dad is much bigger than my dad!
What's a guy like you doing in a place like this?
My other new toy
I've been eating so well, I'm floating in my bath!
I may be jinxing it by writing this post at 3:30pm, but Maya is having an amazing day today, and I wanted to share it with all of you. I'm not in the habit of grading Maya, but if I was, today would definitely be an A+ day.
It all started this morning, when I woke up at 8:30am after an amazing night's sleep. Maya fell asleep last night around 11:30pm and only woke up one time, at 3:45am for a quick feeding. Then she fell back asleep for another 4 hours. This means I got 8 hours of sleep!! I feel so amazing today. Even more important, she fell asleep last night without a single cry. Its a huge accomplishment, because the last week or so has been tough. She started resisting bed time, and was definitely pretty vocal about it! But after a few nights of some tough love (which I absolutely hated, but I do believe in teaching her how to start to become self sufficient), she is back to being a great sleeper. For now...
After her breakfast, she was in a great mood. We went to stroller strides, where we met up with her BFF Ella. After getting nice and sweaty, the 4 of us hung out at the courtyard of the Pru, where Maya and Ella both had an early lunch while Ella's mom, Annie, and I caught up on her big move to Wellseley. Then we headed over to the Barnes & Noble, where I was supposed to only buy a book for a friend. Instead, I bought 4 books for Maya:
We are really into books now, especially as part of our naptime & bedtime routine. Maya loves it when I read to her, and I'm hoping to create a future bookworm, just like I was!
Maya was still so happy to be hanging out with Ella and Annie, so we went for a walk over to Newbury Street, and checked out the ridiculously cute clothes of Petite Bateau. Very French, ooh la la, but way too expensive for such short-time use. We're very happy with Target & Baby Gap! (Uncle Eddie, are you reading?)
We came home around 1pm, and after she ate we played in her bouncy seat. She was so smiley, and cute, so I ran to get the video camera. But by the time I came back, she was starting to get just a little bit fussy.
I'm trying to be better about reading her sleep cues, and I figured she was getting tired from her hectic morning. So I swaddled her up, read her a story and put her down in her crib without a peep! She's still sleeping there now, sweet as can be.
All in all, I think she's cried for like 10 minutes in the last 24 hours. I love my good little baby!!
Maya is a little over 6 weeks old now, and boy is she developing fast! Here are a couple of things she's starting doing over the last few days:
1. SMILING! OK, she's been a pretty smiley baby since day 1, but back then her smiles were more involuntary muscle spasms likely brought on by gas. NOW her smiles are directed right at Mommy and Daddy, and usually are the result of us singing her a song or talking in a really high pitched, annoying voice. For proof, check out the video of her smiling on cue in the last post.
2. TALKING! Maya is also cooing more and more, and just like smiling, it's often in response to something she likes. The main thing that makes her coo is her special mobile above the crib. It's called a stim mobile, and it basically just has modern-art looking images with strong contrasting colors, which they say is basically all babies can see now. She loves that thing so much, she doesn't even notice her diaper is being changed when she stares up at it. Here's a video of it.
3. DRINKING! Maya has started drinking from a bottle! We had to start getting her used to the bottle now, since she'll need it when I go back to work. The first few days were tough, she definitely preferred drinking straight from me. But Richard found a really good position that she likes, and of course, it's more what you would expect from a 6-month old rather than a 6-week old. He's officially broken my feeding monopoly! (although he still needs me to supply the milk!)
Those are the 3 main areas we've seen significant growth so far. But she's also getting better and better at tummy time, and continues to love looking at people's faces really intently. Courtney and Aaron are visiting this week, and she really likes looking at both of them.
Last Saturday, our friend Amy Yang came over to snap some pictures of Maya. Amy and Richard worked together at P&G, but she has been studying photography for the last 3-4 years and we've always been really impressed by her pictures. We thought it would be much more natural (and fun) to have a friend capture Maya's first month in our home, rather than going to a studio. We LOVE the results, and hope you do too!
Maya decided to tell you a little bit about what she thinks of each picture:
I call this look "Blue Steel, because of my big blue eyes!
Cuddling with my favorite (ok, my only) stuffed pig
Smiley Happy Family
Mommy is so glad my head isn't as big as Daddy's!
This is my favorite position
Mesmerized by the ceiling lights
Showing off my amazing strength - I can hold my head up all by myself!
Mommy loves my feet
One of these things is not like the others...
My daddy loves this hat, too bad it doesn't fit him!
Yummy, Mommy's pinky!
Daddy calls his look "Magnum"
I love all the attention!!
Daddy Time!
Hey, I want to get in on that action!
This would have been such a cute family picture, does anyone know how to photoshop out a pacifier?
Having a diva moment... it was short lived!
Oye vey, this is just embarrassing...
I thought we said no nude shots!!
At the end of the long shoot, I just want to cuddle with mommy...
