Making up your own lyrics is not only optional; it’s encouraged.
There’s something to be said for a 37-year-old man who had no exposure to kiddie shows/music until we met…and who now sings Wiggles songs even more than I do (even if he still doesn’t know the words, he sings them anyway). I found a good one!
All of that early hiking has paid off — Maya *loves* to be outdoors, and at times will even go grab my Ergo carrier and hand it to me insisting, “Mama — Back!”
I did, however, recently discover that if we’re going hiking, I need to NOT mention it until we’re ready to go out the door. A couple Sundays ago, I told Maya that after lunch, we were going to go for a hike. Here’s the resulting non-lunch.
And yes, she did get her hike. At least, we went halfway up the mountain, until my (2nd try at) new hiking boots gave me nasty blisters. We’ll be sticking with trail runners for a while, thanks.
Yes, yes. I’ve been quite the blog slacker, no?
Maya continues to morph into this amazing and astonishing creature. She’s funny, smart as a whip, and can charm nearly anyone she meets. That’s good, because with her current phase of yelling “NO! MINE!” at people who come near (No, Maya…that old gentleman isn’t going to steal your cookie. Relax, already.), she needs all the charm she can get. This phase passes, right?
Last night, I put Maya into some new size 3T (!) jammies for the first time, and they were so darned cute, I had to do an impromptu photo session. Rather than running around, being the moving target, Little Miss actually *posed* for me. What a character.
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This isn’t a first. Recently, she’s taken to making all sorts of faces during any given photo-op.
Off to school recently:
Given jellybeans from a care package from Grandma Collins:
Contrary to appearances, these photos were immediately followed by, “more pink jelly beans, PEEEEES!”
Eating her beloved mac-n-cheese:
Strike a pose, much?
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Hmmmm…what shall we do today? The same thing we do every day: try to take over the world!
This morning, Maya had her first visit with a pediatrician here in Santa Fe. I don’t adore him (yet) the way I did Dr. Dawson in Colorado Springs, but I don’t dislike him either. I had to apologize to Maya for being *wrong* about no new shots. She got her second flu shot (I didn’t know they’re supposed to get two their first winter?) and her first Hep-A shot (it’s regionally needed, and the doc said it’s going national anyway). The big news…
Maya’s on the chart for weight!
She wasn’t quite as heavy as I’d hoped/thought, but still, she’s gained more than 2 pounds in the past 3 months, huge for her. She’s also 1.5 inches taller — no wonder she seems so tall now! New stats:
Weight: 23lb, 4oz (5th percentile, 2lb 1oz since early Oct)
Height: 35.5″ (75th percentile, 1.5″ since Oct)
Head: 45cm = 17.75″ (5th percentile, .25″ since Oct)
Dang. Can you say, “growth spurt?”
Why yes…we did go through with it!
Thanks a million to everyone who came to celebrate with us — you made it quite a memorable evening!
After I start to get professional photos (so far, all we have are snapshots captured by family), I’ll post a link to a slideshow on Flickr.
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To those who actually know me and call me — I have a new cell phone number. If you need/want it (along with my other current contact info), drop me a line via email: meanderwithme (at) gmail (dot) com.
M: Wa hahs? Wa hahs?
(hey, she could certainly ask for worse things, right?)
A: You want to wash your hands, Maya?
M: Yeah. (Then, as if it were my suggestion in the first place, rather than guessing what she was saying) Okay.
As I listen to myself talk, I realize that this is a common thread. I’ll ask her if something is what she wants. She says “yeah.” I reply “okay.”
Yes, I haven’t posted in ages…including photos from Maya’s birthday party! I’ll start catching up before long, but this was just too good to not link.
Mary P. wrote a post that I wish I’d written — about parents’ attitudes toward their children and sex.
When I was a young married with a baby girl, our daughter’s father would joke that she wouldn’t be allowed to date until she was 35. Well, 30 if the prospective boyfriend was a member of the royal family. I’d laugh at his little joke, but it always annoyed me just a bit, though I wasn’t sure why. (The fact that it was feeble and repeated waaaaay too often didn’t help, but it was the actual content of the joke which bugged me.)
Not too long ago, some commenters on a blog I was visiting were speaking of the future dates of their infant girls. A couple of the daddy-types came out with the typical Big Protective Daddy comments. “The first guy to stick anything in her,” said one, “and I’ll stick something bigger into him.” (Charming, no?)
Here’s a thought that most parents of very small children don’t really understand:
One day, you will be the parent of an adult.
Go read the rest. Really, just go read it.
Still not wanting to? Okay, then I’ll tell you what sums it up for me:
Okay, now we’re coming to the crux of this post. Why did that stupid joke, why do those ‘protective daddy’ comments exasperate me so? Because they are based upon the assumption that females are passive recipients of sex. Females have no drives of their own, they have no sexual volition. They make no choices. If they are having sex, it’s because someone required it of them.
“My daughter couldn’t actually want to indulge with her boyfriend!” these parents wail. “It must be his idea, the filthy creep.” Well, I hope for your daughter’s sake that this isn’t true. I hope that the sex she has, happens when she’s ready, that it is joyful, respectful, mutually desired and mutually satisfying.
Just like you want for yourself.
***applause***
