Grandma Betty's Living Doll

Maya has a Grandma Betty who has a great love for dolls, as can be seen in her doll collection. She has a beautiful Russian doll dressed in lace and gold threads, a cute sailor boy doll, pretty Victorian dolls, and lots and lots of others. Now, Grandma has her very own living doll. Grandma calls Maya Rose her dolly with smooth skin, big blue eyes with long eyelashes, rosebud pink lips, and hair that can be styled. Maya Rose can play dress up in the many outfits that she has and even poses for Grandma when pictures are taken. Can you tell who the doll is?

Letter to Maya

Hello Princess Bonkuli:
I know, I know...this is a nickname that will only last until the day before you start school...I promise. I call you Princess Bonkuli because you, first and foremost, are my princess, and second, your bonkuli (butt) is so tiny and cute that it fits in the palm of my hand. It is now clear that the bump I felt protrude from my tummy was you, sticking your butt out at me.
It has been about a month since we met and what a great month it has been. You have taught me love like I have never felt before. I drown in your eyes and am brought to tears by your gurgling sounds. I missed your birth, eventhough I was there; the drugs made me loopy and I don't remember much of the day you were born. Your Daddy showed me a video of your birth and I got to experience everything, without the pain. What a cry you let out, letting us all know that you were here, and ready to live! What an attitude to start life with...I am so proud of you.
Thank your for giving me such a positive perspective when my hormones got the better of me. I would look at you when I felt like crying and my heart would well up with such warmth for you. You have been very kind to your Daddy and me with your sleep pattern. Thank you for giving us the quality of life that allows us to take care of you and ourselves.
My favorite time with you is when I feed you and you grab onto my breast, or onto my shirt. You look up at me when you feed and you talk to me with your eyes. I sometimes hear you say "Hi Mum." I love putting you on my bed after your early morning feed and snuggling with you until it's time to wake up again. You press up against me and I can feel you breathe, and as I gently caress your cheek, you coo. I love our little silly songs about burping and pooping and feeding and how you laugh when I blow on your tummy or nibble your toes.
I could go on and on, but it's time that I get some sleep before your midnight feed. Good night my Princess Bonkuli and I will see you when the clock strikes twelve.
xoxoxoxoxo
Your Mummy

One Month Mark

Maya Rose turned one month old today. She has changed so much since her birth. Her hair is getting long, especially around her ears and her eyelashes have thickened and got longer as well. She is more animated, if you can believe that. Her thousand expressions are still there, but some are more expressed than others. After she feeds, she turns into a mini drunken sailor with droopy eyes and a droopy mouth. There are times when I think my little girl suffers from narcolepsy because she feeds and when burping, she immediately passes out. Maya now drinks four ounces of milk every three-four hours. She sleeps between most feeds, but after her morning feed, she likes to play. After her 7:00 p.m. feeding, she sleeps for about six hours before waking up hungry. We consider ourselves very lucky to be able to sleep well at night. Maya's eyes have got more focused and when carrying her, she will stare deep into one's eyes, mesmerizing them. She coos and giggles and makes her likes and dislikes very clear. Our Maya is truly an angel and we are so blessed to have her in our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving

Brad and I have so much to be thankful for this year, most of all, our Maya Rose. She is now four weeks old and gets cuter and more animated by the minute. Her hair is getting longer, her eyelashes are getting fuller and longer, her eyes are getting bluer, and her cheeks are getting fuller. Maya smiles, coos, and makes a thousand different expressions keeping us fully engaged. She has such a happy and relaxed personality.
Maya's first Thanksgiving was spent at the home of Auntie Al and Uncle Ed. She was the star of the feast being ooohed and ahhhhed over by all the aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. Her feast consisted of a 4oz bottle of milk after which she went into a deep slumber, allowing us to sit down to a bountiful feast.
After visiting for a while, we packed up and came home, satisfied, loved, and thankful for the many gifts that God has granted us.

No Country For Old Men...Do Bearded Ones Count?

Tonight we decided to head to the movies to watch No Country For Old Men, a movie that got straight A's from the critics and from moviegoers. Shapai and Shamai were kind enough to look after Maya for a couple of hours. After bundling her up and taking her over the the grandparents, we headed over to the Woodland Hills AMC for our movie. As expected, it was crowded with teenie boppers and overzealous moviegoers, and the only seats available were those that wreck havoc on the necks, way up front in the theater. After getting a quick refund, we raced over to the Arclight in Hollywood only to find out that the movie was sold out. So, no old men for us tonight, at least not the type that we thought. After driving all the way to Hollywood, we decided not to waste our night, so we drove around a bit and stopped at the Kodak complex. It was there that I found my new favorite old man...Beard Papa. (http://www.muginohousa.com)
What is Beard Papa? Well, it's a Japanese phenomenon that Brad introduced me to earlier this week. Beard Papas are decadent cream puffs - large flaky shells filled will the smoothest vanilla, chocolate, caramel, strawberry, or mango creams. There are only three stores in southern California, and one was staring right at us at the Kodak complex. We walked in, got our Beard Papas (I had a caramel flavored one and Brad had chocolate), topped it off with milk, and called it a night. So we didn't get to see No Country For Old Men, but if we had, I would have not had my Beard Papa tonight.

The Dreaded Poop Story

Maya has been on a consistent diet of breast milk and formula, and from the time she was born, it was a known fact that a poopy diaper awaited us before and after every feeding. This week has been a little different as the poopy diapers are few and far between. Mummy has even gone as far as praying for poop to ensure that Maya was not constipated. Well, Mummy's prayers were answered yesterday, on Daddy's lap. As he was feeding her, he could feel the depth chargers being released, and the nuclear reactors being activated, but nothing readied him for what he saw in that diaper. Daddy walked back from the nursery, Maya in his arms, looking like a zombie. It was as if he had gone to Chernobyl and back. He ensured me that my prayers were definitely answered and that Maya had well made up for being poopless. The motions are now regular, feedings still on schedule, and as I write this, Maya sleeps peacefully in her swing. My, how the focus of my prayers has changed.
Instead of burdening you with a picture of the nuclear accident that our nursery suffered yesterday, I have opted for a bath time snap. Enjoy.

Brad Goes Off to Work...

Today Brad left for work after being home with us for 18 days. I was not looking forward to today because Brad has been a strong source of support in getting adjusted to life with Maya. My fear was that I would not be able to deal with diaper or feeding crises without him as he has been a yell away for the last three weeks. I also feared the loneliness I would feel being alone with Maya. Last night, I did all the feeding and diaper changes so that Brad would have a night of uninterrupted sleep before heading back to work. I felt sleep deprived and exhausted when he left, but Maya and I lay down together and got three more hours of sleep. Well, I am more than happy to say that the day went pretty smoothly. Maya and I got along just fine. After a couple of hours of not being able to put her down to sleep, Grandma Betty came over and gave me a bit of a breather. I took a longed for shower, had a bite of lunch, and got a chance to wind down. Maya lay down to sleep after a new 5oz record of milk. She is growing so fast and is looking like the prettiest little girl. Maya slept for most of the afternoon and I got to clean up the house a bit, organize all her paperwork, get started on her photo album, and even put some dinner in the oven.
I've got to give myself more credit as a mother, and have faith that I can take care of our little girl well. Luckily, I have Grandma Betty at close hand, and a Bubu who will be home in an hour and a half.