Maya's 1st Birthday PARTY

We were lucky enough to have a beautiful day at the train club. All our family and friends joined us to celebrate Maya's turning one. Here are some pics to show how happy our little girl was.

Happy Birthday Cousin Amber

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Guess What...Maya's a Pumpkinhead!

Maya at Mr. Bones' Pumpkin Patch from Rita Smith on Vimeo.
Yesterday, Brad took us down to Mr. Bones in Beverly Hills to pick up a pumpkin. It was such a hot day, but Maya was a trooper, stylin' in her Radio Flyer limousine. Pumpkins were galore, as was the entertainment for kids. The entire lot was decorated with monsters, blackbirds, skeletons, and of course, pumpkins. After spotting two celebrities (Edie's new husband from Desperate Housewives and Oswald from the Drew Carey show), we chose our pumpkin and made our way out. Maya chose a good sized pumpkin and we called him Fred.

Maya Turns One

Well, it was finally "Happy Boday to Maya!" The little birthday girl was up at 5:30 a.m. this morning and after a full bottle of whole milk, she was ready to face the day. Mummy and Daddy sang Happy Birthday to her, and after that, Daddy went off to work, Mummy went back under the covers, and Maya went back to sleep. After another two hours of shuteye, we resumed the birthday with a hearty breakfast and a nice birthday bath. What a morning...lots of birthday calls and ofcourse, practicing the blowing out of candles. Then, it was off to see Grandma Doroty for a visit, lunch at Red Robin (where Mummy missed the birthday song because she was in the bathroom), a bit of last mintue birthday shopping, then it was back home to prepare for the mini-birthday party (more partying on November 8th at the train club).
Shammy, Shappy, Grammy B., Grampa Bob, and Uncle Marlon joined us for a wonderful celebration. There was shepherds' pie and salad and birthday cake followed by a room full of presents...WOW!
Radio flyers wagon, doll house, dollies, Clubhoue Mickey car, stuffed animals, clothes, musical instruments, earrings, and a special shirt painted by Shappy...after digging into the cake, trying out all the presents, and clearing up the living room, Maya drank her milk, and with a deep sigh, headed into slumber...what a wonderful first year it's been.

Maya's First Sickie

On Monday night, Brad got home late from the club, and we felt that there was something not right with Maya. She woke up a few times after I had put her to bed, and kept fussing. It was obvious that she was in discomfort, or pain, for most of the night, but we were not sure what was wrong. After feeding her some milk, she spewed all over me, and all I could feel was relief for her. Soon enough, morning came and she was off to the doctor. An inner ear infection was the culprit, and thanks to the antibiotics, tlc from Shammy and Grammy B., and lots of hugs and kisses, Maya got better fast. Bless her heart, the little monkey is back to her usual self - screeching, cooing, gurgling, yakking, and all!

Maya's Got a Set of Brand New Wheels

On Thursday, our second day off together, we decided to take Maya shopping, after she woke up from her nap. Brad had decided that it would be a Toys R Us day, as well as a WalMart day. Why WalMart? I have not a clue. We packed up and hit WalMart first, in awe of its sheer size. After shopping for water filters, a phone case, and lots of stuff we didn't need, we headed off to the checkout stand...where all I can say is...I will do my utmost best never to step in another WalMart as long as I live. Now that we had succumbed Maya to such an expression of American capitalism, we decided to head onto yet another capitalistic venture...Toys R Us, where the lines are shorter, people are a lot nicer, and where our Maya's face lights up. The idea was to shop for a Radio Flyer wagon, but what we ended up with was a Step 2 vroom, vroom, car in red, blue, and yellow! Maya tested it out in the store and loved it, even daring to stand up at times voicing "Look Dad, no hands!" (in baby talk...the child is driving, not talking, people!) Brad zoomed her around the store, taking sharp turns, and going at a Mach 2 speed. Suffice to say, the car was purchased, but along with it, I fell victim to the doll section, where I picked up (for Maya, of course) a baby doll that sputters, cries, and coos, as well as her little car seat, diaper bag, accessories, and milk bottle. We are totally in trouble...aren't we?

Maya's First Zoo Day

Daddy decided to take a couple of days off this week and on his first day off, we decided to take Maya to the Los Angeles Zoo. Grammy B. packed us a lovely picnic and we headed off to see the animals. Maya was really responsive to us pointing out the different animals. We saw lions, tigers, an elephant, giraffes, chimps, and lots of birds and reptiles. This was my first time at the zoo as well, and I was a bit disappointed. It's important that all of you who live in Los Angeles support the zoo. It is low on funds, and this shows in the animal exhibits. Despite the humidity and heat, we had a great time and saw all the exhibitions and stayed until the zoo closed. After that we stopped off at Viva Fresh for some Mexican food and then headed home.