Happy first birthday Maya!

Wow, how did that happen? Maya turned 1 last week and I am still in a bit of disbelief .... our curious, smart, strong, beautiful, bold Maya has grown so much in the past year. It is really quite amazing! And a bit bittersweet if I am totally honest.

So here's to Maya:

Wow! I can't believe you are One year old already! You have officially entered toddlerhood, are more independent, and need me less .. Which makes me oh so proud and happy ... and at the same time comes with a twinge of 'my baby is growing up too fast' sadness. 

You love to walk - so proud of yourself you stop and clap when you walk particularly far or thru/over some harder obstacles! Love that you have that sense of self-esteem!

I love that you are a bit of a trickster - you have quite the sense of humor! For example, calling me 'dada' when you know very well how to say 'mama', just to get me going :)

Words, words, words! "hi", "thank you", "gentle", "pick up", "baby", "bird", "owl"  …  the list continues.  I am so impressed by your vocabulary already! I love that your most popular words are 'hi' and 'thank you'. and I love that you are super proud of yourself when you learn a new word :) 

Food - you love peaches, blueberries, watermelon, corn, potatoes, avocado, hamburger … and apparently cupcakes :) It is so fun to watch you explore new tastes, and I love that you always want to help me pick strawberries and blueberries straight from the garden (and into your mouth).

 

 

I love to watch you explore. You listen, you watch, and you absorb. Then you touch and taste … or  watch some more. You are quite the little studier!

It's been a great/crazy/fast/amazing year! I haven't even touched on the memories we've made or the learning and growing I have done as a parent and as a person because of you.  So thank you ... Thank you for the wonderful person you are! Happy first birthday Maya - may you have many many more!

 

 

Chelan for the weekend!

What fun! I have been wanting to go to Chelan since ... well, since moving to the PNW! And I've been wanting to do the Echo Valley race there for 6 years :) I haven't done it yet because the 24 hour solo I usually do is the weekend before and I'm too tired/busy.

But this year ... this year I got to do both!  What a beautiful place - we will definitely go back. The race is amazing with great views and a super fast course. Lots of climbing which suits me well, and really fast flowing singletrack which I just love!

Maya was a trooper as always .. enjoyed the people, the sand, the lake, the pool, and exploring.

At the race, before the start!

and after the race ... happy with my finishing time of just over 2.5 hours for 30 miles and >3,000 ft of climbing! Managed 4th place too...

Great views for a nice morning run!

Love this fruit stand in Leavenworth!

 

Maya threw a bit of a tantrum when we took her out of this swing :)

8 months, Whistler, and Portland

Yup, it's that time again ...

Maya is 8 months old! Standing, traveling, crawling ... this girl is now fully mobile!  She also now has her two upper front teeth and continues to put everything and anything into her mouth :) She's eating more and more solids but shows no sign of weaning any time soon.  Lots of 'firsts' for Maya lately: First train ride (Portland), first time swinging, first time on a slide, first time on a ferry, first bike race she has cheered me on, first time 'playing' hopscotch, first time 'playing' soccer ... so many fun firsts!

Our little family has been busy ... we went to Whistler with the whole Keller family for a weekend ... Skating, tubing, family dinners, touring the village, Peak 2 Peak ... so  much fun packed into a short weekend away. The only thing missing was snow :) The West coast has been a bit light on snow this year ... Jonathan and I did get out snowboarding but it was pretty crap. We had fun though - I think we found the best runs on the mountain :)

We also took a trip to Portland to celebrate a friend's birthday - this trip was just the 4 of us. We got a short but sweet visit with our friends Sue and Tim, and were lucky enough to be welcomed into their home for the weekend. They live right next to the commuter train and we all enjoyed using the train to get downtown. We toured the Saturday market, the Children's museum (another first for Maya!), and got out for two bday celebration dinners! A fun trip. Maya had her first train ride and Emily loved the train!

In between I completed 2 races - i'll do a separate post on that :)

Short but sweet blog post - too busy with the fantastic juggle of family, work, cycling, and life :)



 

Fun at the Children's museam

Playing Soccer

Playing Hopscotch - Maya really loved this!!

6 Months Already!!!

Dear Smushey ...

You turned 6 months old last week ... six months! It feels like such a short time, and yet, such a long time. I cannot imagine life without you. I remember it, but it seems so far away.  I fell in love with you the moment I saw you ... I had been falling in love for months with all the acrobatics in my belly .... but I was head over heals from the first moment I saw you. 

You have grown so much in six short months! Your personality is starting to shine thru and it is to fun to watch you learn and grow.

• You are super curious about the world around you - so much that it's hard to nurse you when there is any activity around you :) 
• You are very social - you love people and especially love when they talk to you :) And when people don't talk to you, you find ways to demand their attention (like your high pitched screams :))
• you are very determined/stubborn/persistent ... hmm, wonder who you get that from!
• you are full of love and life - you love to smile, giggle, and give kisses and hugs!
• you love to try new things and are curious about how things work (recent favorite: Curious George as a jack in the box - you try to stuff him back in and turn the handle yourself!)

I can't believe how much time has flow. I remember when we counted your age in days, and then weeks. Now we are counting it in months ...

So many great memories to look back on but also great things to look forward to ... It has been somewhat emotional to pack away your newborn, 3 month, and now 6 month clothes (yes, into the 9 month clothes already!) .. but I was happy to pack away the wedge! I will also be happy when we finally wean you off the Ranitidine! one milestone at a time :)

I'm also looking forward to the time when you won't be eating every 2 hours thru the night ... I am sure the first time it happens I will wonder what happened and if you are ok. i'll worry and wake up with a start. But i'm sure i'll adjust :) And I look forward to the time when you have more 'play time' in the evenings after daycare before you go to sleep :)

But most of all, I look forward to the many memories and adventures we are sure to have together, as a family, over the years. But I'll take it one day, one week, one month ... one memory, one adventure ... at a time.