Happy Easter!

Today was Maddie's first Easter! We eschewed egg hunts and costume bunnies this year. But I did dress her up in a hand-me-down dress (Naomi wore it to Stephen and Grace's wedding!) and borrowed headband, and we made a fine appearance in church. I think she amused by the little crinoline in the dress:

The consoling power of a hug:

Christos anesti!

9 months

Belated post of Maddie's 9 month photos! It's getting harder and harder to take pictures of her, now that she's crawling and curious and unwilling to sit still. She's much more aware and capable: for example, I put her "9" sticker on a pillow behind her, like I have in previous months, but she immediately spied it and tore it off and crumpled it up. So...no number sticker in this month's pictures! Haha. Big developments this past month: her appetite for solids has increased, she crawls efficiently, she can pull herself up on the furniture and cruise, and she can even stand for 10 seconds by herself! We just might have an early walker on our hands! She can clap her hands, though waving hi/bye is still very hit or miss. She enjoys exercising her lungs, but still no dental or labial consonants.

Tribute to M.

We met up with my cousin Ruth a few weeks ago in the D.C. area. In addition to her many talents as a journalist and producer, she is also an artist! And just look at this gift she made for us:

A beautiful line drawing with wash of our little girl! Maybe you'll recognize the photo Ruth was working from:

I'm so touched at the way Ruth captured Maddie at seven months – and she already looks different today. This special portrait is now proudly displayed on our shelf in the living room. Come on over so you can admire it for yourself! Thank you, Ruth!!

34

For someone who ostensibly does not make a big deal about birthdays, I had quite the extended birthday celebration this year! On my actual birthday, Dave made me a delicious paella (his specialty), and I got to blow out a candle on a little cake.

We took a little family portrait afterwards:

A few days later, we were in NJ to celebrate a very special occasion: Julie and Shoobo's engagement and Shoobo's birthday!! The party was swank, the guests feeling festive, and the food was amazing! And much to my surprise, Julie and Shoobo made my birthday part of their celebration! I had my own ice cream cake (mmm, crunchies), complete with handmade sign and my own photo banner! Such sweet and thoughtful friends—on a day that was about celebrating them, they shared the spotlight with me. I was so surprised, I truly could not figure out what was going on. Hahaha!

Dave says M. looks like a miner with a headlight on here. 

My big birthday experience was today. Dave took me to a concert to hear the Eroica Trio at the Tilles Center out here in Long Island. It was a lovely concert, spanning Renaissance to contemporary music, played with flair and fun. It was a little disconcerting to look at the audience; in all of my classical music experiences, I had never been around such a uniformly geriatric crowd. Yikes, classical music, don't go the way of classics!

It was our first real date out since Maddie was born. We even got to go out to dinner – I ordered a whole grilled fish, to remind myself of my days in Greece. Can't wait til Maddie is old enough to enjoy these things with us!

It's almost hard to remember what our lives were like when I turned 33. Maddie was still just "Lumpy" to us; we were anticipating so much change, but unsure of what it would actually look like. This year, I'm so thankful for our happy, healthy, and splendid baby, for Dave, for our families, and for every precious day we have together!

8 months

I can't believe how the time flies. Maddie is now 8 months, and she is crawling! She has started pulling herself up too, and she'll probably start cruising in a few weeks. Her taste in foods is expanding a little; she still loves her orange vegetables, but she is also happy with green vegetables, and more fruits (apple, pear, banana). She sleeps consistently through the night (HURRAY!) and is a sweet and joyful little person. She had her first cold, but bounced back pretty well. Her hair is really coming in, but (Chinese) strangers still like to tell me that "she has a face like a boy." Haha!

Here are some highlights from her eight month photos:

7 months

What a month it has been for our Maddie! She is sitting up very well and "swimming" on her belly: we're going to have a crawler soon! She is showing definite preferences with solid foods; she loves sweet potato, butternut squash, and carrots, but clamps her jaw together for bananas, peach, and avocado. She is experimenting with new grunts and squawks and squeaks, and now she can play peekaboo. She is our splendid baby!

Dave was very busy in the month of January. He was staying late at the office nearly every night, often coming home after we had gone to bed. Poor Dave! Working so hard and not getting to play with Maddie at night. But he has just turned in a big federal grant (fingers crossed!), and now he's back. I'm happy, he's happy, and M. is just delighted.

Here are some highlights from her 7-month photos. Lo, she now has a neck!

6 months

I find it hard to believe, but our splendid baby has already made it to her half birthday! I remember reading in the baby books about what she'd be able to do at six months, and when she was just a newborn, it seemed impossible that she'd be laughing and rolling over and bouncing on her legs in so short a time. Infancy is really an amazing thing. She has her off-nights, but she is generally sleeping well (from 11:15 pm to 6 am) at night; she's more finicky about naps, though, and often insists on being held in the carrier in order to sleep. Humph. She's still only tasting solids and not really swallowing, but we just keep trying it out every day. Her temperament is still mild and easy-going, and she brings lots of laughs and smiles wherever she goes. Every time she smiles and kicks her feet with joy, my heart overflows. Here are the highlights from today's photo session: