Hit the Road Mac!

I'm speechless. I'm not sure what to say. I believed so strongly in Apple iMac computers for 3 terrific weeks. Now, I'm just lonely and sad and hurt. Our brand spankin' new iMac broke so bad that we had to ship it back for another new one. It was only THREE WEEKS! Apple Care Customer Support couldn't even do anything to save it. It was toast! THREE WEEKS! THREE! We lost all our files. Glad I didn't upload any photos.

I am grateful for our hand-me-down laptop that has been through 2 of our computers already. I know I laugh when I can only create Word Perfect documents and can't open Excel files but seriously, I'm grateful for Ol' Faithful PC.

This means another delay for pictures and fun posts. In the meantime, I'll be counting my blessings.

Just DOO It!

For my birthday, back in September, my mom got me a great gift. The gift of a new hair doo! I haven't had my hair done since I was married (almost 5 years ago). So on Saturday, I got it done. I am so grateful to have my hair look good again. It really has been too long.

This is today. I can't seem to get it exactly how the hair dresser did it. The part in my hair is a little off here. Tomorrow might look better.

This picture shows how the hair dresser styled it. This is the day it was cut and colored. Sure looks better than plain hair put up in a ponytail.

This whole experience of having my hair done reminded me of a story my good friend told me:

I was walking down the street when I was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless woman who asked me for a couple of dollars for dinner.

I took out my wallet, got out ten dollars and asked, 'If I give you this money, will you buy chocolate with it instead of dinner?'

'No, I had to stop eating chocolate years ago', the homeless woman told me.

'Will you use it to go shopping instead of buying food?' I asked.

'No, I don't waste time shopping,' the homeless woman said. 'I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive.'

'Will you spend this on a beauty salon instead of food?' I asked.

'Are you NUTS!' replied the homeless woman. I haven't had my hair done in 20 years!'

'Well, I said, 'I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you out for dinner with my husband and me tonight.'

The homeless Woman was shocked. 'Won't your husband be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting.'

I said, 'That's okay. It's important for him to see what a woman looks like after she has given up shopping, hair appointments, and chocolate.'

Mac and "Cheese"

We finally got a new computer!!! It's awesome! We are so grateful to have a new iMac. We absolutely love it. At first I was super unsure because I remember my days in college when I had to do a whole project on a Mac and it was so difficult for me. I was always a PC girl. Macs scared the heck out of me. Now I'm not so sure why I was so intimidated. It is by far the best computer! It is really EASY too.

I've been trying to learn how to do things little by little. Maia and I love the Photo Booth.

We're still figuring out a lot of stuff but we now know how to smile, say, "Cheese," and capture pictures of Maia on a roller coaster at 18 months, standing on my lap.

Maia starting to get the hang of putting her hands up.

Maia got a little scared on that last drop. And I have a bolt (or part of the track) through my neck.

Again...still learning.

Bubby, Bubby

I had to share a funny story. If you have ever seen the episode of Friends where Joey speaks French (found at this website:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D30U-nz_Hts

watch from 7:17 to 8:04)

you will appreciate my story.

So Maia had a diaper that was pretty full. I said, "Maia, your diaper is saggy baggy." She looked down and I said, "Maia, say saggy baggy."

She responded, "bubby, bubby."

I said, "No, say, 'saggy baggy'."

She said, "bubby, bubby."

I tried again, and said, "Maia, say saggy."

She said, "Saddy"

I said, "Say baggy."

She said, "Baddy"

"Not bad. Ok, say, saggy baggy."

"Bubby, bubby."

New Favorites

Maia has grown up to be such as sweet girl. Lately she has made it known what her new favorite things are:

TV show/movie: any Elmo dvd checked out from the library
YouTube video: Elmo's song, Muppet's Manamanah song
Food: raisins, oranges, peas (tomatoes are still a favorite of hers but she is mildly allergic to them)
Toys: my wallet, computer, and still the "hello" (aka my cell phone)
Book: "I Am Reverent When..." The ironic thing is that she has no idea how to be reverent.
Daytime activity: library story time, going to the park to swing on the swings and to go down the twisty slides all by herself, being outside, blowing bubbles, bathtime


Things that never go unnoticed:

1. If the printer is filled with paper, Maia makes sure she empties it.
2. If there are vases under the sink, she will make sure that there aren't.
3. If she has something in her hands (sippy cup, blanket, toy) when you open her car door, she will make sure to drop it at the right time so that it lands in the street. (My reflexes are getting faster)
4. If all the toys are IN the baskets, she will make sure to empty all of them, and spread out all her toys in the front room, before daddy gets home.
5. If the computer is on and the chair is pulled out, she will climb up to push all the buttons and turn the computer off.
6. If a chair isn't pushed in around the kitchen table, she will climb up to see if there is a writing utensil she can use.
7. If her tray isn't on her high chair, she will climb up and turn the light switches on and off.

Even though she creates a lot of messes and is very disruptive, she has a sweetness about her that makes everything worth it.

1. She will make sure to say "I love you" often, followed by some kisses.
2. Maia will be reverent and fold her arms for short prayers.
3. She will say "dee-doo" (thank you) when you give her something. (So polite)
4. When the phone rings, she reminds me that it's "daddy" calling.
5. When she pretends to talk on the phone, she's always talking to daddy.
6. If you're about to leave, she will get your shoes for you.
7. When it's bath time, she will go get her own towel and bring it to you.
8. If you ask her to wash her hands, she will quickly obey and run to her bathroom.
9. In the morning she wakes up calling "Mommy" from her crib.
10. She will try her best to make you laugh if you haven't been laughing for a while.

I love being Maia's mom.

Lil' Talker

Maia has become the little talker around here. She is starting to say things on command and copy what you say. I LOVE it! I love her sweet voice. I love the things she tries to say.

Thank you= dee-do
Mickey Mouse= Me me me
No gracias= No yeah yeahs
naranja= ha HA ha
hooray!= a-RAY!
yes= yeap
I love you= I why you

I'll try to post a video once I can. She loves to wave and say "Hi" to everyone in the grocery store or any store really. She's so friendly.

A Quiet Toddler is a Mischievous Toddler

Yesterday I was getting some things sorted out for the upcoming Primary Program, working with a client on my Etsy shop, and preparing stuff for an Enrichment activity...all of which required my attention at the computer.

Our regular family computer crashed after 4 years of good use. Gratefully, we received a hand-me-down computer that works! It's a little slow but it gets the job done. As a side note, this computer doesn't have Microsoft Word...no, rather it has Word Perfect. When was the last time you worked with Word Perfect? Don't send me any Excel Docs because I can't open those.

Anyway, back to my story of me being busy at the computer. I'm typing away and programming some stuff while Maia plays all around me. After a while, I notice that it is a lot quieter than usual. I turn to see where she is and she has managed to take my wallet out of my purse and pull out my checks, steal my credit card, Disneyland pass, library card, and debit card. She was in the middle of stealing my identity!!!

After I put my wallet back together and stash my purse on top of the table, I go back to my business at the computer. Again, Maia starts to play and then it gets quiet again. This time I notice the sound change a lot quicker. I turn to see where she is...She's getting ready to dance on the table or steal my purse again. I pull her down before she dives without a flotation device.

Now you would think that I would just stop what I'm trying to accomplish at the computer and monitor my wild child at this point. Nope, I give it one more shot except this time I decide to give her a snack in her high chair. At least she's got a tray holding her in her seat.

Maia: making noise,
me: type, type, type,
Maia: quiet,
me: look for Maia in her high chair
Maia: standing up in her high chair with one foot on her tray and the other foot ready for transition from seat to tray.
me: freak out, save Maia from utter self-destruction, lose patience, get Maia a bottle and put her to bed, think about all that happened in the last 10 minutes and rethink my strategies and safety restraints.

While I have been posting this, Maia hasn't stolen much, maybe just relocated a few items that I might not find for a week or so, hasn't been climbing on any furniture that might cause a head injury if she fell, and hasn't destroyed important documents, just a book that I was planning on giving to D.I. So far, so good.

What's that awful smell?

A stinky toddler is a poopy toddler.

Oh yeah, and one more thing, you might not see pictures on the blog for a while because we can't download those to the computer either.

Wyoming: Rafting

Michael with his hat on. (Also notice Joe and Kathy's expressions- Awesome!)

Michael without is hat on. (I actually think it is right behind his paddle and right in front of mine in this pic.)

R.I.P. Michael's hat.

This past week we spent our vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We did a bunch of fun stuff. Unfortunately, our computer is in the shop so we have no pics from our end. However, we did just get some pics from family.

Here are some of our Snake River rafting trip pics. Cameron, Kathy, Michael, Joe and I were all in one raft. It was so much fun. The guide in the raft behind us thought we were drunk. Joe and Michael did some funny stuff that kept all the other rafts entertained. One thing that they did was they took turns standing on the front of the boat while the rest paddled the raft in circles. It was a test of balance. The other thing they did was stand on opposite sides of the raft together and interlocked paddles. They were to lean back as far as they could as a test of trust. Lizzie, our guide, got them to lean back quite far and then took her paddle and broke the interlocking paddles. Both boys fell overboard into 57 degree water. But it didn't matter all that much. They were swimming in it long before the game. They made the trip so entertaining for all of us.

Cutie Pie

This is the most recent pic of Maia at 14 months captured by Auntie Laura. It turned out so cute. Way to go Laura! Maia isn't the easiest to capture on film. I love that we finally have a pic of her and her pig tails.

Oh Wow!

Does anyone find it funny when kids fake cry and pout and then suddenly stop?

I do! You only need to watch the first 5 seconds of this video to see what I mean.

Living for the Weekend

Saturday, July 18th, was a fun day. We went to the beach for cousin Sadie's 4th birthday and enjoyed food, folks, and sun.

Maia loved the feeling of wet sand between her toes.

Cousins

Uncle Dave came out from L.A. and we went to Tutor and Spunky's for lunch and consumed some awesome sandwiches. We also checked out Dana Point Harbor and soaked in the great scenery and companionship.

We had a great Saturday!

Peek-a-boo! Look who turned 30!

Yep, Joe turned 30! Happy Birthday, Joe! On Sunday we went to my mom's for a family party. We had a good time and played a game where we all designed a shoe just for Joe. Joe was the CEO of Shoeless Joe Enterprises and he had to hear our design pitch and see our fabulous sketches. We had some pretty awesome shoes.

On Tuesday, his actual b-day, I took Joe up to View Park (view point) in Laguna Niguel that overlooks several beaches from Dana Point up to Newport. We have done the same thing for the past 3 years. I packed a picnic dinner and we hiked this time to the perfect spot. I pulled out my journal and read to him entries that I had written when we were dating. After laughing over the entries and watching the sun set into the marine layer, we decided to go see a movie. We ended up seeing "Up." It was a cute movie and we had a great time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOE! I still love you more and more every day!

NO LONGER CURIOUS

Maia's curious case is no longer curious. We've been in
contact with the infectious disease doctor and his
uber-smart friend. This is what they said
about Maia and the sunscreen:

"The sunblock may actually have helped by wiping off or
diluting out the lime juice on other parts of the body.
Most people do not put sunblock closely around the mouth or on
the hands, so maybe that explains the fact that the eruption
only occurred in certain areas. Also, the clothes she was
wearing may have had some effect on the distribution of the
rash, since any covered areas would not react. The timing is
a little off for phytophotodermatitis, however, because
usually the sun exposure occurs about a day before the rash
appears.

"In any case, it looks like a reaction to something that
came in contact with the skin, as opposed to an infection.
If it is secondary to limes, it can recur in the future and
you should be careful that she doesn't get lime juice on her
skin before sun exposure. She can continue to eat foods with
limes, however, because it is not an allergic reaction. It
is a chemical reaction that occurs when certain compounds in
the lime juice interact with ultraviolet light."

We are grateful for great doctors
(and my dermatologist cousin who said the same thing).

HELLO my name is...

MAIA!




Today Maia said her name and twirled in a circle. Little accomplishments and victories.

The Curious Case of Maia Morin

After 5 days in the hospital with IVs of antibiotics running 4x a day and a drip all night, being quarantined in her own room, being with about a dozen nurses and 7 doctors and 1 infectious disease doctor, and a hospital bill the size of Texas, Maia is home without a firm diagnosis.

Maia was checked into the hospital last Friday after a follow-up visit with our pediatrician. We took her in on Thursday due to a red rash around her mouth and on her hands which turned into white blisters. One nurse thinks it's bollous impetigo. One doctor thinks she got a bad burn from exposure to citrus acid and sunlight. (Yes, that is true. She was eating a lime at lunch. She had sunscreen on, we were sitting under the shade at the table, and then went for a swim where she sat in her pool floatie which had a shade over it.) On Friday the white blisters turned into yellow blisters and then to nice scabs. She was admitted to th hospital. Doctors and nurses were thinking that it was bollous impetigo. They decided to take run some tests. All tests run by the hospital came back negative. Not a bacterial infection, not a systemic thing, not a staph or strep thing. However, she was on antibiotics for a day previous to the tests.

At the pediatrician's office on Thursday, they lanced one of the blisters on Maia's hand and took a culture from that. Great! Surely that would give us answers since they hadn't given her any antibiotics previous to the culture. We got news from the doctors and nurses that Maia's culture had been cancelled but then a day later they said that they found them and that they had been run.

Doctors and nurses still believe it to be bullous impetigo due to the lab results. And she is improving daily with the antibiotics that they have given her. However, one doctor disagrees on the 4th day and calls in the 'infectious disease' doctor. Infectious disease doctor comes in and asks for her history.

Was she around anyone infectious?- no
Does she have brothers or sisters? -no
Does she go to day care?- no
Did she have a fever?- no
Did she act sick?- no

He calls her case a "curious" one. He leaves to make a phone call, comes back and says that she is getting better on her own. The antibiotics aren't doing the healing, she is. Her body recognizes that it isn't well and that it is trying to heal it. He says that the lab results showed so little amounts of bacteria that it couldn't be an infection. It also couldn't be an infection because infections tend to spread and don't recognize borders. Maia's redness has stayed within the bounds that it broke out in. The doctor then asks Joe to send his doctor friend some pics that we had taken to show the progress of Maia. The doctor wants a second opinion from his friend who is the smartest guy he knows. The doctor thinks that Maia had a chemical reaction with something. The only thing Joe and I can think of is the lime/sunscreen/community pool chemicals that caused the reaction. What we can't understand is why it's not on the palms of her hands or why it's not in places where the juice ran down.

Maia was discharged yesterday from the hospital on 2 accounts (to cover their bums):

1. bollous impetigo
2. phytophotodermatitis (the chemical reaction with sunlight thing)

The 'infectious disease' doctor is still curious about Maia's case. He asked if we'd be willing to go up to his office in Orange to see him. Joe sent the pictures off to his friend and we haven't heard back yet.

Maia is doing great. Not once did she act sick or have a high fever. She was always happy and energetic. She was bummed that she couldn't use her hands (they were wrapped up to protect her blisters) and her arm that was taped to a splint to hold her IV in place. She was a good sport though and never gave up. She learned how to pick up her toys with both hands and even learned how to throw them with both hands.

With each new trial we look for lessons and blessings. We knew that our prayers and the prayers of our family and friends were heard and answered. We were very blessed by the service of our family members and friends. What a great example that was for us. Another blessing is that we don't have to deal with pacifiers anymore! Maia has been broken of the habit since she wasn't able to use them. We are grateful for good doctors and healthcare. We are grateful most of all that Maia is healthy and happy. We are also grateful that we were able to focus only on Maia for 5 days and not worry about what the house looked like, what was for dinner, what bills needed to be paid, what was rotting in our refrigerator, how many loads of laundry needed to be done, what was going on at work, etc. (I get to do that today.) We got a chance to play with her and hold her and rock her to sleep and entertain her for 5 days in one room.

Maia Upside Down

Maia has been growing so fast. It's fun to see her do new things every day. This is her video of going upside down or her downward dog pilates stance. I love the little things she does. It just melts my heart.

Maia:
has been helping me with the laundry (bringing clothes from our room to the washer and from the dryer to the couch and from the couch to my lap to fold),
has learned how to snap her fingers (Maia's way),
says "apples" (Aunt Amy taught her that one),
gets her own bath towel when it's bath time,
puts her hands above her head when I roll the car windows down just a bit,
and knows how to communicate when she wants to go outside by going to the front door, when she wants a bottle by going over to the counter where bottles are made, when she wants a bath by going to the bathtub, when she wants more food by doing the sign language sign for "more" and a few other tricks.

I need to get these moments on video because they are just too cute. I wish someone else could just follow Maia around with a camera all day.

Happy Birthday Maia...Again

On Maia's real birthday May 20th, we celebrated at Disneyland for just an afternoon. It seemed appropriate since Disneyland's theme this year is Celebrate Today. I think it was more of an excuse for Joe and me to go to Disneyland.

We first headed over to California Adventures to see Disney Playhouse Live on Stage. Maia loved it every time Donald Duck came on stage because she can relate the most with ducks. She quacked through the whole show.

Instead of a birthday cake, she had her first Disneyland churro.

Before we went on any rides that day Maia crashed.

We had a great afternoon. We were able to hit Small World, the carousel, Pinocchio, Pirates, Winnie the Pooh, Haunted Mansion, and the Jungle Cruise. Surprisingly, Maia was a real sport on all of them.

It's My Party, I Can Cry If I Want To...

We had a fun little family party at Aunt Alli's house today for Maia's first birthday! After fighting teething and fevers and diaper rash, Maia proved to be a real trooper in the face of adversity. Not always the happiest trooper, but a trooper nonetheless. We can't believe Maia Jane is already one year old. We love our little Muggies.

Lyla was also very festive for the party. Poor baby was teething too.

After a long night of preparation, waking up with Maia all night, and a day of working and partying, Joe says, "I hope none of our other children turn 1."

Just Walkin' Around

So, I know this is late, but thought I'd post it anyway because it's so cute when Maia walks/wobbles. This is Maia walking at 11 months. I love her stiff legs.

Lessons in Personal Hygiene

For the past week or so, Maia has been under the weather. Over that time she has learned a couple new things. She now knows how to wash her hands and blow her "boogers." As a side note, saying "mama" is still pretty tricky. The closest she's gotten is "ma-bah."



No swine flu for us.

Easter 2009

Maia, Autumn, Lyla, Kimball, Sadie, Andi

Maia and Kimball

It was Maia's first Easter this year. She really had a good time with all her cousins. She really grasped the concept of putting the plastic eggs in her basket. She also loved to find that the eggs had Kix and Cheerios in them.

Emmers Embroidery

I had to start somewhere so I decided to start on etsy.com. I have so much to learn to make my stuff look good online. For one, I need good lighting and a good camera. Too bad I don't have either at the moment. But, I'll keep trying. Take a quick look if you have minute or two.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7197660

I have also made (but not shown) bibs, bloomers, dresses, onesies, towels, blankets, aprons, and more. If you'd like to see something, let me know. Keep checking back every once in a while for new things. I will soon have onesies with ties for baby boys and a cute new retro bird design for girls. Look out for my new shaggy applique designs as well.

I appreciate any feedback you may have too.

I Love Your...

Feet, toes and smile...

cheeks...

other cheeks and eyes...

nose, teeth and...

thighs!

Maia at 10 months.

Happy Park Day!

For St. Patrick's Day, Maia and I went to the park with Auntie Boo and baby Andi. The weather was heavenly. It was nice and warm with a nice cool breeze. We could have spent all day there. Maia played on the swings and in the sand! What fun!!!!

Maia loved the swings so much that she kicked her legs in excitement.







Maia wasn't too sure about the sand at first but then got the hang of it. Suprisingly, she didn't put any sand in her mouth the whole afternoon.






Maia loves the park. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2 Baby Cousins

Maia has been a lucky girl these days. She is 3 months and a day apart from her cousin Kimball and she loves her baby cousin Lyla (Maia tries to say her name). Maia was lucky to get 2 new baby cousins within 36 hours this week!!!

ANDI RENEE DAVIS, daughter of Laura and Michael Davis, was born Tuesday, March 10, at 1:27 am. She was 8 lbs. 4 oz. (the exact same weight as Maia) and 18 inches long (not the same as Maia).

MACKAY CONRAD MORIN, son of Conrad and Kristin Morin, was born Wednesday, March 11, at 8:35 pm. He was 7 lbs. 4 oz. and 21 inches long.

Both babies are adorable and mothers are doing well. We are so excited for the new additions. We love the babies. Keep 'em coming.

I did take another picture that said, "WE LUV MCKAY" but then found out that his name is spelled "MACKAY" and Maia's blocks don't contain duplicate vowels. Bummer. Sorry Mackay. We still love you!

9 months

My sweet pea.

Joe accompanying Maia in watching Baby Einstein. It's Maia's favorite...not so much Joe's.

Can you believe that she's not even mad in this picture? That's just one of her many facial expressions.

Maia waving with her big paw.

Maia had her 9 month appt. on 2/20/2009 (exactly 9 months). She has moved up in her stats:

Weight: 19 lbs. 5 oz. (60%)
Height: 29 3/4" (> 97%) yes, that's what the dr. wrote... >97%
Head Circumference: 17 3/4" (80%)

She's still pretty thin but getting really tall. She has also done some new things:

She knows and can recreate the sound of a duck.
She refuses to eat any type of baby food. She is all table food. (There goes convenience for me.)
She throws any extra food onto the floor when she's done eating. I think it's her way of clearing off the table (or high chair). Not so cute.
She can manage to get into cupboards even with a 10-lbs. bag of rice holding the door closed.
She can take a step or two unassisted.
She can understand some words in Spanish and react to them.
She likes to play the "up/down" or "arriba/abajo" game. I say either up, down, arriba, or abajo and she will put her hands above her head or down by her tummy. She thinks it's funny when I tickle her when her hands are up.

Here are a couple videos of Maia doing some stuff. Joe is the best dad, as you can tell with the second video. He loves playing with Maia in the mornings and she LOVES being with her dad. He's so fun and entertaining.