New baby pictures

We had an ultrasound appointment yesterday and got to see our precious little baby. We also found out what we're having... another girl!

I thought we were having a boy and Aleks thought we were having a girl, so we decided to make a deal. Whoever was correct would get to pick the name. Needless to say, Aleks is now threatening Shaniqua Laboufa Sternfeld-Dunn. Either that or a name with all consonants...

Maia's little sister was so cute during the ultrasound, chewing on her hand and moving a ton. Could it possible that we have a daughter that has more personality than Maia? Heaven help us. We are both thrilled and looking forward to Maia having a sister.

PS. I know I promised pictures of the new house and my belly... the hardwood floors and tile are still being installed, so the house is a bit of a mess right now. They will come soon... probably next week since we're headed to Hartford this weekend for Aleks' commencement ceremony at the Hartt School.

Catching Up

It's been awhile since I've blogged and a lot has happened in the last month. My trip to CT went really well. I could not have done it without the help of my parents and Aleks' mom, they were invaluable and Maia loved seeing all her family.

Here are some pictures from my time in CT

Flowers from Aleks for my birthday, they lasted the entire time I was in CT!

The composer of Tom Sawyer, Phillip Martin

Some rehearsal pictures:

Becky (Katie Yeager) and Tom (Tracey Bloser)

Our conductor, Joseph Hodge and rehearsal pianist, Stephen Scarlato

Becky and Susy Harper getting excited about the picnic

Huck Finn (Rachel Bianco) and Tom in the haunted house

The show went really well. The audiences loved the production and plans are being made to continue making Hartford Opera Theater a permanent company.

And what blog would be complete without pictures of Maia?

Her first pigtails

And a naked girl just out of the bath!

The other big news is that Aleks and I bought a house here in Pullman. We closed on April 28 and have already started painting. We are going to have hardwood and tile installed this month and hope to move in completely by the end of May. I promise that my next post will include pictures of the house.

We will be finding out the sex of our baby on May 12. I have a belly now and will post pictures of it next time as well.

Maia's birthday and Easter

What a great weekend! Easter and Maia's first birthday.

Maia woke up with a huge smile on her face, as if she knew she was one. While she ate her blueberries, we practiced holding up one finger to show how old she is. Now when I say "How old is Maia?" she'll vaguely hold up one finger, usually with her left hand.

After breakfast, Maia got to open the presents that Aleks and I had bought her.

Of course she was more interested in the box than the toys.

Maia also got her first Easter basket. Mom and Dad enjoyed the candy, but she loves opening and closing the plastic eggs.

After church and lunch, Maia got to have her first taste of chocolate! At first she was unsure...

but it quickly became apparent that she is my daughter after all. It was so yummy!

We were invited over to a friends' house for Easter lunch. It was a lovely time of eating, talking, and enjoying the kids that were there.

These are my friend Michelle's beautiful children. Maia adores them both.

Toward the end of the afternoon, all the kids were reading together, it was so sweet.

Aleks had to fly home Sunday night to teach on Monday, but my dad flew into Hartford on Monday night. Maia was super excited to see him and to open the birthday present he brought!

Maia in her new outfit from Grandma and Grandpa.

Hartford has been absolutely beautiful since I got here a week ago. The weather has been warm and I've seen the trees bloom in front of my eyes. Maia seems to be adjusting well to the time change and is having minimal anxiety with her new surroundings. Rehearsals for the opera are going well. The show opens next weekend and we're all feeling a little panicked at this point. I know it will all come together and be something wonderful. For me, I'm enjoying being a performer and taking a bit of a break from mommy land a couple of hours a day.

More updates to come in the next few days on my birthday (29!!!) and opera pics.

Mommy Group's 1st B-Day Party

There is a wonderful group of women that I've been friends with who all have babies that were born around the same time as Maia. Some of the women were friends before the babies came and others were couples Aleks and I met at our birthing class. Throughout the past year we've tried to be a support for each other and meet at least twice a month if possible. Our get togethers have been more informative and reassuring than most any doctor's appointment we've been to.

So, we decided that we needed to celebrate our kids' first birthday in style! We met at my friend Chelsea's house and had a great time of eating and watching the kids play with one another. It was amazing to think back to our first mommy group when the babies were just a few weeks old. We were all so exhausted and just sat in a circle breastfeeding (with all our boppy pillows, diaper bags, burp rags, and car seats around) and talking about the babies' diapers, eating, and sleeping habits. Now, Owen is walking, they play with one another, they're starting to talk... my goodness how time flies!

Here are the birthday kids:

(Maia, April 4)

(Harmony, March 12)

(Owen, March 31)

(Oliver, March 20 and Alden, May 28)

*To you mommies: My apologies if I got some of the birthdays wrong!*

Oliver and Owen getting their birthday cakes!

Harmony and Maia getting their turn with cake

All the kids with their party hats on, I think Maia is in the process of getting her hair pulled in this picture. Her hair was actually quite a hit with all the kids that day. It was pulled a lot, but you can't blame them, she does have a lot of hair.

We're going to be in Connecticut for her actual birthday. This week has been spent getting ready to leave, making lots of lists, and trying to get practice in. I do have to learn an opera! Look for updates on Maia's b-day, Easter, my b-day, and opera happenings in the next month.

Baby #2 Update: I'm starting to feel a lot better, hardly nauseous anymore. Today was a rough day, but it was the first one in a while. I think this little one is going to be more laid back than Maia... wishful thinking? We'll see.

Surprise!

We're having another baby!

We found out Jan. 13 that we're expecting baby no. 2

At our first doctor's appointment in Feb. we were able to hear the heartbeat which is nice and strong.

The first 7 weeks were really awful. I was really nauseous all the time and super tired, but I'm starting to have more and more good days. I still try and take a nap when Maia does and that seems to help quite a bit.

Everything with the baby and mama looks to be great. I'm due Sept. 18, but Aleks and I have decided to schedule a c-section. We're thinking that this baby will be born Sept. 12 (if they do c-sections on Sundays).

I'm feeling like this one is a boy. We're going to find out at 20 weeks, so we'll see!

Maia already finds my belly and gives it kisses. She has no idea, but it's pretty cute.

So, the adventure continues...

11 months old!

Today Maia is 11 months old. It's completely mind-boggeling to me that we've almost come to her first birthday. Maia is fully proficient at crawling and pulling herself up to standing on almost anything. We've caught her standing on her own a few times, but she's still very shaky.

Maia loves her books. She pulls herself up on the cabinet where her books are and pulls them all onto the floor. Then she sits, surrounded by her books, and "reads" them. It occupies her for a good 15 minutes, which in baby-land is like an hour or so.

My goofy girl.

Maia is definitely developing a sense of humor. She'll put our fingers in her mouth, then pull them out, look at us, and smile as if she knows that fingers aren't supposed to go in mouths. When we're cuddling on the couch, she'll pull her pacifier out of her mouth really quickly, then put it back in, and repeat over and over. She thinks it's hilarious.

She's also very social. The other day Maia and I were at the library (which has awesome toys and a play area; we love going there when we need to get out of the house) and there were 2 sisters who must have been 3 years old and 18 months. The 3 year old saw Maia and started bringing toys over to her. The 18 month old then came over and very gently put her forehead against Maia's forehead. It was like they were hugging foreheads, it had to be the cutest thing I've seen. When I told Aleks about it that night, he said "and then you immediately disinfected Maia right?". We're grateful that she's been really healthy so far.

Maia is a chatterbox! She says:

mama

dada

duck

book

walk

uh-oh

She said "eyes" and "Aleks" once, so I'm not sure they're for real yet

Here's a little video for your enjoyment:

10 months old

Maia turned 10 months old this Feb. It's so amazing to think that we are 2 short months away from having a 1 year old! Maia continues to amaze us with her sweet spirit, gorgeous smile, and curiosity.

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit for almost 2 weeks! They came to help out during WSU's Festival of Contemporary Art Music of which Aleks was a co-coordinator and I was a participant. It was so wonderful to have them here.

According to Grandma and Grandpa, Maia can now say:

"no" & "yogurt"

While I haven't heard her say "no", Maia definitely shakes her head no when she doesn't want something. The other day she was sitting in front of her cupboard of toys and made her sign for more (clapping her hands) and looked over at Grandma. Grandma said, "do you need something?" and walked over to Maia. Grandma pointed at the toys and said "do you want your toys?". Maia shook her head no. Grandma asked "do you want your books?". Maia laughed and waved her arms up and down (her sign for yes). It's amazing how much of what we're saying Maia understands. I guess she's been paying attention these past 10 months.

My records of Maia's words include:

"mama", "dada" & "yaya"

Maia also says "dap" and "daps". I'm not sure what this means, but it's her favorite word.

Maia now plays peek-a-boo. She puts her hands over her eyes and waits for you to say "Where's Maia?" and then she removes her hands with a huge grin. It's pretty cute.

Here are Maia and Grandma practicing the piano:

Grandma and Grandpa also took great pleasure in feeding Maia. During their visit she experienced lots of different foods (including a doughnut...). Her new favorites include grapes, muffins, grilled cheese, and cheerios in milk.

Maia loves taking baths. We just recently enrolled in a parent/child swimming class which Maia also loves. We sing lots of songs and learn to kick our feet and move our arms. Thankfully it's an indoor pool that is quite warm!

Now that Maia has decided to crawl, she's becoming more mobile each day. Her little legs are getting stronger and stronger and she's pulling herself up onto anything she can reach. It's nice to have her a bit more independent.