OMGOMGOMG! I can’t believe I just did this. Scott left his video camera with me, but I haven’t even TOUCHED it until today, 2-1/2 months after he left town. I filmed Maya a little this morning, then left the cam plugged in so I could try to use it later. Really, I just wanted to get some of those sounds she’s making.

So, I put Maya on her belly, and noticed she looked like she’d figured out how to push herself over. I grabbed the camera, and whaddyaknow? I got Maya’s first rollover on video! I put her back on her belly to try again, and she repeated within maybe 30 seconds. Woo-hoo!

Maya’s grandparents spoil her yet again (it’s their job, they tell me) with a play gym by Baby Einstein. She loves it, and now has a few more “friends” to talk to!

Maya reaches out for a ladybug.

And talks to the blinking star…

And smiles for the camera. This is cool!

Today, for the first time, tummytime was not only not horrible, it was a smiley event! After this, she (again, for the first time) got pushed up onto her hands, legs up in the air, with only her belly touching the ground. She looked like she was practicing for freefall.

More chatter to the fishies over the swing, while I was working away at my desk. She was noisy enough that the person on the other end of the phone commented, “your baby’s talking to you!”

I sneaked a picture of Maya “talking” to the animals on the mobile above her swing. She’s turning into a little chatterbox…wonder where she could have *possibly* picked that up? (shrug)

What is it about overalls on babies that’s so entirely *precious*?

Maya had her first visit to church today - to the United Church of Christ in downtown Colorado Springs. I visited it once this summer and found that the message was just what I needed to hear at that point. Today was no different for me.

The service was run mostly by a group of college students, and they spoke about how we (erroneously) often segregate ourselves into “people of faith” and “people of reason.” In reality, the goal should be to strive for a balance — faith without reason needs grounding, and reason without faith lacks imagination. For us to serve God well, we need both.

Of course, I *would* like a church where the featured music was by the Indigo Girls…

Exactly - as long as I stop trying to expect ONE answer to the questions life offers, I can handle whatever comes my way. I’ve got to use ALL of the light and intelligence at my disposal, not just one aspect at a time.

One of the pastors hosted an open house at his Victorian on the West side, so I stopped by for a few moments to gauge if I’m right that I believe I’d fit in well at this church. Many of the people are older, but there are younger ones as well. Overall, one person summed it up well — at many churches, people are so busy being “christian” that they forget to be Christ-LIKE. There’s a sense of compassion and caring here that I find attractive.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that, to the last one, they said that Maya’s the prettiest, most alert baby they’ve ever seen.

New perspective on self…
That brings me to one thought I’ve been meaning to post. Maya has given me a new outlook on myself, and my own level of attraction. It’s an amazing thing to have someone say these two things together:

“She’s gorgeous!”
“She looks just like her mommy!”

Hmmm…wait a second. So, if A=B, and B=C, does that really mean A=C? Kewl. I didn’t realize I was that beautiful (grin). Cute, yes. I’ve *always* been cute…but I find that as I’m getting older, I become a more beautiful person overall, even though I have far, far to go.