I had no idea how often I say that magic word…until just recently when I realized that Maya now shakes her head anytime I say it — whether to her or to the dogs.

Katie, NO!
(Maya shakes her head at the dog.)

Maya, no — hands off mama’s keyboard.
(Maya grins and shakes her head at me, then continues to reach for the keyboard.)

Usually, the “no” is delivered in a fairly matter-of-fact manner — along with my removing whatever she’s getting into from her reach. The “stern no” is reserved for anything that could be dangerous to her. Then, she bursts into tears. How *dare* I say no and sound like I really mean it?

Whether she understands or not, I usually tell her WHY the answer is no.

On the topic of Maya’s getting into things…I’m eagerly (okay, anxiously at this point) awaiting the arrival of a used cell phone from eBay. Why? Last weekend, my stomach got wonky, and since it allowed me a few moments of peace on the sofa, I didn’t take my cell away from Maya when she started exploring it…with her mouth.

At this point, my current phone works, but only when plugged in. So, if I’m home, I can get a call. If I’m in the car, ditto. (Of course, that assumes I remember to plug it in and turn it back on.) If I’m anywhere else, I’m simply not reachable, and you know what? It’s not killing me.

Just the same, Maya will *not* get to play with the new cell phone when it arrives.

The activity table is no longer *just* an activity table. Of course, “pushing” is an activity, isn’t it?

Woo-hoo! I finally made it to my first massive consignment sale. There must have been hundreds of shoppers (and a LONG line to get in at opening)…but there was plenty of good stuff to be had.

Maya’s grandpa scouted out this non-battery-operated activity table for her.

Backside - “duplo” type connection for block play.

Separates: two Baby Gap flared fleece sweats, one OshKosh legging, four turtlenecks by Carters, OldNavy, Gymboree, and Talbot’s.

Outerwear: Cherokee jacket (size 12mo, but god, it looks big), two fleece hats with under-chin ties and ear covers. Matching mittens for one hat (new with tags, even!).

Outfits: OshKosh 3-piece (the fleece vest sold me on that one), OshKosh leggings/turtleneck bodysuit, Carters jeans/long-sleeved teeshirt. I wasn’t convinced on the Carters outfit until I saw that for a 12 month, it was SKINNY — so the jeans should fit Maya, yay!

Holiday Outfit #1: Grandpa’s choice.

Holiday Outfit #2: Allison’s choice. Velvet skirt with tulle under-ruffle, embroidered cardigan, wool beret with black velvet trim. All Gymboree (cha-ching!), and in fab condition. Of course, I may have to alter the skirt for it to fit…it’s a tad wide through the waist, LOL

Maya’s loving the activity table so far (right now, she’s banging one of the blocks on the tile fireplace surround). Here, she sports her “replacement” Preschoolians — for a pair we got months ago that just wouldn’t fit her super-narrow feet. Cute, huh?

…

I love to kiss on Maya, and she loves to honk my nose.

…for cabinet locks.

Here’s what Maya got up to while I cleaned up the morning’s breakfast dishes.

Here I thought that today’s general malaise was due to some extra-strength teething.

That’s gotta hurt.

In case it’s not *obvious* what that was in the top-right corner…

We finally met another mama/baby pair from the September Mommies Group! Not only that, but Jessica and Maya share a birthday; Jessica is a mere 7 hours older than my peanut.

A full series of photos is here (slideshow).

Here are a couple highlights:

Learning new tricks.

…
Maya taught Jessica to climb stairs (which she just figured out herself on Friday). Jessica taught Maya how to drink from a bottle.

The girls shared the wonder-basket of toys dragged over from my house to Melanie’s (killer) loft downtown.

The girls sat side-by-side (both facing forward) for our second day of viewing new homes (Amy’s considering moving here, yay!)… On the bright side, Maya hated facing forward — this is good, since she’s only 15 pounds and will remain backwards for the indefinite future in my car. On the down side, this means she yelled for much of the drive to the far-reaches of suburbia on Saturday.

…
Jessica LOVES to ham for the camera.

There are more, of course. A good time was had by all, or at least until I turned a lovely shade of green at lunch Sunday (what the *&#@ did I eat?). I’m looking forward to Amy talking her dh into the move (not like it’ll take much) so we can have Maya’s birthday buddy nearby.

While naps are still difficult, this was a good sign. I FINALLY got Maya to take a decent nap laying down (instead of in the swing). Of course, I had to crate the dogs, else this would only last two seconds! On to moving naps to the crib…someday.

Spoon?

Maya found herself today. She even carried on a conversation, and they agreed that ice cream would be much better than beans and rice from Chipotle. (mama wanted a burrito!)

12:30. No nap yet. She came soooooo close, but fought it with all her will. Fine, lunchtime. Can you see where this is going?

Again, Maya fell asleep with her head on the highchair tray. Providence gave me an opportunity to snap the photo I missed yesterday. I turned on the camera, and Maya instantly woke up. Of course. I removed the highchair tray and set it aside, then put Maya in the swing for a nap.

She SCREAMED with all her strength, squealing even (that high-pitched screech that can shatter glass) insisting that she is NOT. TIRED. The squealing stopped, and this is what I saw:

As soon as I tried to move her head onto the back of the chair, she woke. Again. Guess it’s time to sell the swing and move naps to the crib permanently. As soon as her head touched the crib sheet, the insistent screaming began again:

After a few moments of this screechiness, silence reigned supreme in the household.

Don’t argue with mama, little one. Mama *will* win. It might take DAYS for her to do it, but she WILL win.