Belated Wishes

To all our friends and family...Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day!

Eating Rice Cereal

Before Rice Cereal (March 1)











After Rice Cereal (March 1)











The first day we fed Maya rice cereal was on Saturday, March 1. We got the go-ahead from the doctor and we were very excited to step into this phase of feeding. Brad and I got up and got ready...bouncer chair (check), extra towel to sit upright (check), bib (check), towel to cover Maya's body (check), rice cereal (check), new bowl and spoon (check), and Maya (check). We put Maya in the chair, and set the chair on the couch...then we started to feed her. Keep in mind that this was Maya's first experience with anything solid, as well as her first experience with a spoon. Well, the feeding didn't go as planned. There was much resistance to the insertion of a spoon into her mouth, followed by a lot of spitting, raspberries, and finally, a refusal to open the mouth. We gave up after a few tries
During the week that followed, Grandma Betty worked with Maya and she got her to eat her cereal, so when Brad and I tried the following weekend, the experience was so different. We played the game of the airplane flying into the hanger, and she opened her mouth wide. There was minimal spitting and if we waited too long to giver her the next spoon, she would remind us that her mouth was waiting open. Suffice to say that rice cereal is part of the norm, and this week, Maya started oatmeal, which she loves.

Feeding May got so much easier!

Dayling Savings Time

Sitting forward in the pram like a big girl.







Tasting the lemon off our lemon tree and looking at Dad for his approval.











This is such a great blessing - an extra few weeks of longer days. It has allowed us to spend more awake time with Maya. When we get home from work we go out for a long walk around our neighborhood. Since Maya is now a big girl, she sits forward in her stroller and looks out at the world - it's a whole new vantage point for her. Maya visits with the chickens and the bunnies, we smell the flowers along the way, and talk about how our day was. There is a little Vietnamese man who lives a few doors down from us, and Maya makes it a point to visit him and check on his building progress...we think he is building a grotto in his front yard. She smiles at him, coos, and almost brings him to tears. When we get back we are rested and relaxed. Maya then sleeps the whole night through!

Saturday in the Park

Yesterday was one of the warmest days we have had all year. Over the last two weeks, Brad and I have had the flu and we have not had much time together as a family. So, we decided to make most of the day and go out. We started with a great sushi lunch at Revolving Sushi in Tarzana. Shapai, Shamai, and Uncle Marlon joined us. Shapai and I feasted on our favorite sashimi and artfully crafted hand rolls, while the faint of heart had teriyaki delights. Maya even shared in the feast with a few licks of teriyaki sauce and marinated ginger. We are trying to open her mind to all tastes and flavors. After our lunch, we loaded up on English chocolate from Sri Lankan store and then headed out to Balboa Lake, to walk among the cherry blossoms.
Maya was not in her usual form having been awake since 6:00 a.m. in the morning, but she still was fascinated by the ducks, and other little children walking around. After relaxing on our blanket and admiring the cherry blossoms, we got back home happy that we had spent such a beautiful day together.

A Third of the Way There

Don't try to take away my miku
I said NO, NO, NO!
Have I been bad, don't I look sad
I said NO, NO, NO!
I may lose my mind, and I not be very kind,
Don't try to take away my miku
I said NO, NO, NO!
(sung to the tune of Amy Winehouse's Rehab)
Maya is now four months, and there is such a change in her. She is more animated, talkative, and she interacts with us. Her grip has got a lot stronger and she grabs onto my hair, earrings, necklaces, actually, whatever can be grabbed. Milk is being consumed at the 8oz level, about five times a day. She is very vocal when she gets hungry, and when one tries to take away the milk bottle, to allow for burping, Maya gets louder, and reaches out to grab it back. Tummy time is no longer an exercise as she rolls right over. She grabs for toys that go straight into her mouth. As a matter of fact, everything goes in her mouth and she drools, drools, drools.

Happy Day of Love

To all our family and friends, we wish you love, joy, happiness, and peace!
The Smiths

Maya's Christening

Our little girl was baptized Maya Rose on Saturday, February 9, 2008. Family and friends joined us at Our Lady of the Valley for a very personal ceremony with Loris and Roopali as her godparents. The ceremony was short and sweet with the actual baptism by water being the highlight. Maya was a good little girl; she was quiet, except for the moment that she decided to talk to the priest. When the water was put on her head, she sighed because it cooled her down. The end of the ceremony was her end of tolerance, and she wanted out of her christening dress.
We got home, changed into a light, cotton, onesie, and waited for our guests to arrive. It was a warm day, so everyone sat outside and enjoyed the garden. Maya was the star of the day, and she was carried around by every auntie. At the end of the day, our little angel fell asleep and slept the entire night. Maya finally became Jesus' buddy.