Last I wrote, I "couldn't wait" to update you with a regular monthly update. That would have been the 12 months update.
Well, apparently, I could wait because here we are and the Maya bear is now 14 1/2 months old.
Oh, hello, life! Nice of you to get all crazy on us.
We have been going NON-STOP since July 10th. I took my dance team to camp (me + 18 high school girls + 1 college campus + 4 days = exhausting!), went to our county fair a couple times, Maya went to her first baseball game with her friend EllieOnna, work has been so, so hectic and crazy including my first jury trial (not guilty, baby!), I turned 30, and we went on a family vacation. I also have 3 more trials scheduled before the end of the year. Phew!
So, at 12 months, Maya was 21 lbs., 11.5 oz and 29.5 inches tall. And now, she's bigger. Ok, bye!
Just kidding.
Dance camp was awesome. It was the longest I had ever been away from Maya, but we were so busy that I didn't have time to get too sad and sappy. We kept in touch with Facetime and Dan and Maya came to visit me for a little while on Day 3. My dance team did so, so well. They performed amazingly on a routine that we worked so hard on all summer, as well as a routine they learned at camp. It was Gold across the board, baby! Not only did they perform well, but they behaved better than I could have ever expected. They are truly a good group of very sweet girls that I am blessed to coach. But, let me tell you something. I am definitely 30 and cannot keep up with those teeny-boppers anymore! I was so exhausted when I got home on Sunday afternoon that I fell asleep on the floor of Maya's play room for a solid 2 hours.
The following weekend, Dan, Maya and I went to an Indians game with our friends Andrew, Tylan and their daughter EllieOnna. It was the girls' first baseball game and we had front row seats right behind home plate. We took Maya up early to show her our old stomping grounds and enjoyed a picnic on the canal. We made it to the 6th inning of the game and bedtime called. When Maya gets tired, she is pretty much just done with and over everything. Kind of like her momma! :)
The county fair was fun. Maya was mesmerized by all the animals, lights, sounds, and people. (The people who come out of the woodwork to go to the county fair are quite mesmerizing!) We met our small group out there one night and had dinner together and rode the carousel. It was soooo hot and sticky that night, so we didn't stick around long. We also put Maya in the baby show, but she didn't place. It may or may not have had something to do with the fact that she could not have cared less about anything except her Cheerios. Those old ladies trying to get her to smile, laugh, coo, or otherwise acknowledge their presence? Psshh. Girl had Cheerios and that's ALL that mattered. Her boyfriend, Blaine, got first place, though!
I got the joy (sarcasm!) of experiencing my first jury trial on my 30th birthday. I spent the last day in my 20s and the first day in my thirties in my county's superior courtroom. I thought I might get to enjoy the evening of my birthday, but nope! The jury deliberated until 7:30 pm and I didn't get home until about 8:30 pm. The jury returned a not guilty verdict, though, so that was a great present. When I came home, I found that my mom had delivered a delicious chocolate on chocolate on chocolate cake and Dan opened a bottle of sparkling wine from Huber's Winery, so I did get to celebrate a little bit.
The following weekend, Dan, Maya and I headed to Brookville Lake for the weekend. We enjoyed being lazy and relaxing in the sun with family and friends. It was a great little getaway.
The next morning, we got up and headed back home to re-pack and hit the road to St. Simons Island, Georgia for a family vacation. My family has been going there for years and it just so happened that we all (my mom, stepdad, brothers, brother's girlfriend, Dan, Maya and I) managed to get off work to be able to take a vacation together. Maya did about as good as can be expected on the 13 hour car ride. She did get a little fussy, but only when she was tired.
The week was great - so relaxing, which is exactly what I needed. No one was really on a schedule and we all just kind of came and went. We celebrated my birthday, had dinner together as a family every night, the guys went golfing, the girls relaxed in the sun, Maya loved the beach. It was just really, really great. I will say, though, that going to the beach with a baby is a chore. There is so much stuff to bring, sand gets everywhere, sunscreen needs to be reapplied so often, which when mixed with sand and a sleepy baby who loves to rub her eyes when she's tired is really not a good combo. She wasn't digging the sand or ocean on the first day, but by day 4, she was running full speed ahead toward the waves and giggling with delight. She also loved to chase the "ducks" (sea gulls). I would say her first beach experience was a success.
She's pretty much eating anything we put in front of her and we've started giving her watered down fruit juice on occasion. The girl loves milk. She says: mama and mommy, dada and daddy, up, duck, dog and doggy, ball, uh oh, okay, pretty, bubble, cracker, and a few other things, but only when she wants to. She does a whole lot of jibber jabbering and it really sounds like she knows what she's talking about, but I can't make anything of it. She also sometimes folds her hands to pray at meals and it is just the most heart-warming thing.
Summer was very fun, but I am looking forward to falling leaves, an apple orchard visit or two, pumpkin-flavored goodies, sweaters and boots, and the holidays.
