Good Christmas..

Here we are in East Hampton hanging out..not much to report and no pictures to post. I did forget to mention that Maya laughed for the first time on Friday, the 22nd. She is so happy! Peter loves to make her laugh which means he laughs and talks like Elmo and she thinks it's hysterical (although, of course, she has no idea who Elmo is).

Christmas was nice..Peter got new gloves and a navigation system for the car, and I got beautiful black pearl earrings and Photoshop! Tessa scored the best-she got a new iMac laptop.

We are staying around here through the weekend and then we may head over to DC before going home.

Alright off to entertain the munchkin..though she is pretty self sufficient these days!

We're off to NY tomorrow..

So wish us luck! I'll be flying with Maya and Peter will be driving with Ajax & Kona. It's kind of a bummer that we won't be travelling together, but it'll be easier this way. Maya would not be happy in the car for 14 hours and Ajax & Kona have never flown before..and we aren't starting. Kona is enough of a stress case as it is! Luckily I'll be travelling lightly (other than the 12 lb baby strapped to my chest)--Peter's taking all the gear and luggage in the car.

We are looking forward to a relaxing week with Dziadek, Waipo and Tessa. Ha! Hopefully we'll take lots of pictures of Maya's first Christmas..

Happy Holidays!

3 months!!

Well, no new pictures to post--I've been a slacker this week. Actually, it's just been hectic with all sorts of running around seeing people and preparing for our trip out to NY on Saturday.

Maya is 3 months old today! I can't believe it. She is so stinkin' cute too. I think she is starting to laugh a little. Everyone says there is a big change at 3 months--but I didn't notice anything today :)

I'm THAT mom..

OK, so I know everyone thinks their baby is cute..and not ALL babies can be so yummy, but look at her! She is so darn cute! I have become one of those moms that thinks their baby is the best, most gorgeous baby ever..

But isn't she???

Lazy Saturday Mornings..

Some pictures of Maya from this morning..

She's sleeping like a champ--last night she slept from 10-9!! She likes to sleep in like her parents...







Loving her "siblings":

Smiler Wiler..

A couple of pics I took this morning of the little one smiling..she looks so cute, I can't resist!





And one where she isn't smiling..but still darn cute!



Not much going on here..except I think I hear Maya waking up from her nap--there goes the idea of that shower! Oh and we had our blinds in our bedroom installed today only about a year and a half after living here ;) Thanks to Babcia for those--now maybe we can all sleep in a bit in the morning..They look really nice..I'll post a before and after pic when I get a chance.

Peter made a friend...

Peter is very proud and wants to post this picture:



He met Bill at a luncheon a little while back, right before the election..thanks to his friend Dave. He is very excited about the picture and it redeems us from the time we met him when we first moved to DC and forgot our camera (before the advent of camera phones).

Perhaps this picture will mean more in a couple of years when he is the "First Husband?"

We shall see...

Obama '08 is our hope ;)

One more pic...

I took a bunch the other day...so I thought I would share two more..





Our weekend was fairly uneventful...but quite cold! The snow stuck around on the trees and everywhere and made for some beautiful winter scenery. We kept wondering why we were so cold today, and then saw on the evening news that the high temp today was 19 degrees! Maya is getting a lot of use out of the yummy Patagonia snowsuit that her friends Peter and Carrie got her!

Maya has gotten very interactive lately...she loves to make funny sounds that we love to interpret into words--"Did she just say hello? Did she say Baa--does she want a bottle?" Peter is sure she is about to say "dada"...

She also loves to give big gummy smiles. Those are the best--we are eagerly awaiting the giggle..hopefully soon!

Snowy Day pics..

Maya made a friend today...



She was a bit cold..but she should get used to it if she's going to grow up in Chicago:



And then she hung with her siblings and the new friend:



She also hung with her siblings inside:

It's a Miracle!!

Maya slept from 10pm to 6:45 am! That's a whole night in my book!! I've never been so happy to be up at 7am.

We also woke up to a couple of inches of snow and more coming down..pics of that adventure to come!

Thanksgiving Weekend...

We had a great thanksgiving weekend with Dad, Rebecca and Tessa. There was lots of cooking--holy turkey, batman! We stuffed ourselves silly and passed out (well, the girls did--Peter and Dad went to see the new Bond movie, which Dad pronounced "Fantastic!").

On Friday and Saturday we had Mike and Amanda's wedding activities. The wedding was beautiful and I think they had a great time. Peter and I actually spent the night downtown on Saturday while Dziadek and Wai-Puo watched Maya. For those of you in the dark, Rebecca is now Wai-Puo which means maternal grandmother in Chinese. No, we are not Chinese. Yes, my father wants to be.

Anyways..here is a pic of us at the wedding...



And here is another one of us with Mike & Amanda:



We've had quite a few guests over the last 2 months and it seems like we are winding down--no more guests for a while...but we are going to take our first airplane trip this month--we'll be going to NY for Christmas.

More pics of Maya to come..I know that's why y'all come visit!

Happy 2 month birthday Maya!

Maya had her 2 month check up today! The stats:

Weight: 10 lbs 8 oz!!!
Height: 22 1/4 inches

She is a growing girl--She has basically doubled her weight since she left the hospital!

It wasn't all fun and games though--she did have her first set of immunizations..which she did not enjoy. But she recovered quickly and spent the afternoon napping.

She said her first word last night ;) Well, she was cooing and it sounded like Hi! Peter and I both heard it--it was right before we gave her the bath. We ran out to buy a video camera today to capture the next word on film..coming soon to a blog near you!

PS. Hopefully technical difficulties are coming to an end, since I am coming to you from my PHat new iMac.

More pictures soon!

Technical Difficulties...

That's why there haven't been updates--but hopefully those will be rectified in the next day or two.

It's late..so no updates. But we go for a 2 month check up today..

Here are some latest "8 week" pics:

So. Stupid. To. Be. Up. This. Late.

A new leaf..

I am turning over one--I swear. I was so good with the regular updates and pictures, and all of a sudden life just started getting really busy!

Maya is doing great--she is growing a ton. We don't know how much she weighs right now, but we have our 2 month checkup a week from today. My bet is about 10 pounds! I can't believe how fast time is flying!

She definitely isn't the little squirt that we brought home from the hospital..she smiles regularly and can lift her head quite a bit.

Best of all? She's sleeping! (kind of). A good night is sleep from 10-3, and then from 4-7. Who knew I would be so excited to get 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep?

Here are some pics of Maya from the recent days:

Sleeping...

And more sleeping:

Hanging out with "aunt Amy" this weekend:

Chillin' in her favorite chair from her Aunt Karin, Uncle Paul & cousins, Jack, Kate & Kira:

Peter trying to offer Maya up to Ajax:

And just because I can't resist Ajax's random hang out spots:

Tomorrow's the Big Day!!

Election day, that is! It's been a crazy few weeks leading up to the election and we are really excited. We hope that there are lots of reasons to celebrate tomorrow..

I have been helping the Seals campaign with their election night party, so that's been taking up quite a bit of my time--and Maya takes up the rest.

Maya is doing great--she sported her Dan Seal's t-shirt on Friday during a rally. She smiles and is very sweet--most of the time! She is still sleeping in 3-4 hour increments--but we've been lucky to have some 4-5 hour stretches here and there.

More pictures to come very soon--as soon as the election is over we will have tons of time!

In the meantime..here are some "brand new" pics--we finally managed to get Maya's first moments off of Peter's camera phone..

Happy Halloween!!

Our little jalapeno greeted some trick or treaters today...well, she hung out and we greeted them. We went through 8 bags of candy!!

We've been trying to fatten up Maya since she came home from the hospital so she could fit into her costume.





Maya's friend Mikayla and her mom Carrie came over too..someday we'll use the picture to embarass them :)

Ooops...

Sorry it's been a while without an update :(

This was the first almost complete week I have been on my own--no parents or anything to help out. And you would think I have a lot more time on my hands...but that's not really how it works, apparently.

On Wednesday, Maya and I ventured out for our first trip alone together. We did a little shopping in Highland Park.

Unfortunately, Thursday and Friday were rainy and gross..so we didn't take any excursions. On Thursday evening, Maya and I went to our monthly WOFA meeting (that's the Women of Forestview Association). It was nice to have some adult conversation!

We're on the election countdown..only 8 more days to go..

More pictures to come very soon-I swear!

So cute!!!

I couldn't pass up taking a picture of this little scene..how adorable are my son and daughter?:

Another exciting day in Maya's life..eating, naps, tummy time. Don't you wish that you could just hang out all day and cater to your every whim?

The Official Weigh-In...

So Maya had her 1 month check up today..and the much anticipated weigh in. At the last doctor's appointment 3 weeks ago, she weighed an even 6 pounds. Today? 8 pounds!! That's 32 oz in 21 days! I guess this baby really is a Rapaczynski/Karafotas--we love to eat and gain weight ;)

Maya also grew an inch, and is now 21 inches. She is in the 25th percentile for weight (she barely registered when she was born) and is in the 50th percentile for height. All in all, she is in great shape!

After our appointment, Dziadek, Peter and I went to the botanical gardens..it was really pretty. We topped the day off with a meal at P.F. Changs.

No new pictures to report unfortunately...but some will come soon...

My Little Democrat...

It says Dan Seals for Congress.. ;)

www.dansealsforcongress.com

Not a Month Yet..

But Maya is four weeks old today! Her 1 month birthday is on Friday..

I can't believe it has been four weeks already! It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing her home and worrying how we would ever get through the night..much less four whole weeks!

Maya has lots of alert time and is able to follow objects with her eyes. She had some tummy time today and was able to switch the direction her head was facing.

Tomorrow Dziadek comes for the weekend. Also, mom's friend Ama from DC is going to stop by!

We can't wait for Saturday--it's her 1 month pediatrician appointment and we are so excited to see how much she weighs!!

Today after dinner we celebrated Maya's 4 week birthday with a cake that WoW bought for Maya..she loved blowing out the candles ;)

A glamour shot or two:

Lazy Sundays...

Look what we found in the pumpkin patch!:



We decided to take her home:



We had a nice little day today..we went out to lunch and took a nice walk in Wilmette. After coming home and Peter making some chocolate chip cookies, we went out to a nice dinner in Evanston at Campagnola for WoW's birthday. Maya was the perfect dinner guest--seen, but not heard..
Last night Peter and I went out for our first dinner alone..we went to have sushi. Papou and WoW babysat and even got to change a nice smelly diaper! It was awesome to have some raw tuna after 10 months. I even had a few sips of beer..but I didn't want to over do it on indulgences..
Papou has a way with kiddos..this is his 6th grandchild:

It Snowed Today!!

Can you believe it? October 12th..and it was snowing off and on all day today! No accumulation, but the weather was so frigid Maya and I couldn't go for a walk :( We took a picture out in the snow, but I look so giant, that I can't post it..

Maya decided to get dressed up today-Babcia sent her a very cute outfit that actually fits her! She entertained her father's Uncle John and her Aunt Joanna and her cousins Alyse and Andrew..it was quite the day. She actually slept like an angel in her swing for quite some time, even with noise and lots of exciting stuff going on.

Here is Maya in her new outfit..note for those having babies--buy "newborn" size clothing! That 0-3 months stuff is huge!



Here is a picture of Maya in her bath--for her privacy, we have edited the picture. We don't want these ending up in Playboy when she runs for president...

Maya's 3 Week Birthday!

Happy 3 week birthday! She is getting so old--next thing you know we'll be visiting colleges ;)

We are learning new stuff about Maya all the time--she gets cranky when she's tired and she doesn't like to sleep in the morning.

This past weekend we spent both days out and about-we had our first meal out in a restaurant with her--she slept the whole time. She also made her first trip into the city--she slept through that too. She loves her carseat!

Papou and Claudia are here--they have already been a great help--I got to nap a little this morning and even ran some errands solo this afternoon.

Peter's crazy with work right now..but only twenty-something days until the election and I hopefully get my husband back!

Here are Maya's 3 week photos: