Stuff on our list that we didn’t get done:
6 websites – some of the design is done
Maeve’s citizenship – missing some papers
working on this year’s Bible study theme
study programs, etc.
study nutrition
take dance lessons
invoicing
organize/archive computers
organize pictures/video
organize fonts/brushes
scrapbook monthaversaries/Maeve
will/guardian/insurance stuff
work on legal/tax crap
lose weight
argh. Soooooo now we still have all that stuff to do, plus the stuff we normally do at home, plus a bunch of other stuff… did we actually get anything done here???! Well, yes, thankfully. And we got to enjoy Maeve so much!!! And all the family here… we also got to see a number of random people that we don’t get to see very often: Dave & Mayela – twice!, Pablo & Judi, Paul Kurtz, Esther Helmuth, Ximena… I hope I’m not forgetting anyone. This has been a very blessed and well-timed time :-) We can’t begin to express our thanks to the Vargas’s and Tia Vicki!!! I’m pretty sure I’m going to cry tomorrow. Yucky. I hate these transition times. Thankfully, my parents are blessing us greatly in making it easier to go back by getting our apartment freshened up, fixing our van, and coming all the way to Chicago to pick us up in the middle of the night! God is very good to us through many people… we hope we can pass even a fraction of the blessing to others that has been given to us! Costa Rica is now joining the places where I feel at home, and I’d say it’s in second place – if we could bring our church and a bunch of people here, I don’t think we’d have any reason to leave. Well, ok, I could do without ants in my kitchen :-) And carpet is a way underrated luxury! I will miss it a lot until we get to be here again, though… we’re sad to leave! God is always going before us, though. One way this time is that David’s hours are probably changing to 8-4 instead of 6-2. We had gotten used to/appreciated his hours and getting off earlier, but we think this really will be a good change now that Maeve can go to bed a little later and it will also make so that WE can go to bed a little later. Going to bed at nine was lame, no matter how necessary it was. Two new pics of us in the “us” gallery.
You are ONE YEAR OLD!!! You have four teeth, and your hair is getting longer and longer, slowly but surely, and lays down now for the most part. You weigh 24 pounds and are 31 inches tall. You have been walking all over the place for a month now (you walked before that, but didn’t care too much). Here are the other things you are doing:
English words: daddy, mommy, down, Naynay (Maeve), woof, nonono (with finger shake), nighnigh (night night), hi, bye, uhuh (uhoh)
Spanish words: hola, tia, gracias, Andi, Dani
Sounds: dog, monkey, sheep, pig, car, chicken, bear/lion
“Sign language”: all done, out/down, up, nodding/shaking head
English directions: are you all done? (motion for all done), do you want to get out/down? (motion for out/down), hi/bye bye (waves), give daddy a kiss (gives daddy a kiss), yay! (claps), pretty eyes (bats eyelashes), get/kick your ball, blow your nose (blows in a Kleenex), how old is Maeve? (holds up one finger), do you need to go potty? (makes a blowing sound – we don’t know why except that for a long time when we know you are going potty we make a sssssssss sound)
Spanish directions: choquela (give me five), como hace el pajarito? (flaps arms), como hace el monito? (clicks teeth), como hace el chanchito? (snort/sniff), cante (lalalalala), digale adios (waves bye), aaaw-awww-aaaw-awww (sing-song/rocks baby), dame un besito (gives or blows kiss), sople (blow),
Favorite foods: popcorn, pasta, bread, crackers, green beans, apples, bananas, pizza, potatoes, squash/zucchini,
Other foods you have eaten:
kohlrabi, cucumber, baby cereal, peas, pear, applesauce, bananas, green beans, avocado, tangerine, baby food peaches, humus, bread, palm heart, waffle, snackie puffs, potatoes, rum cake, tamales, rice, carrots, squash/zucchini, tomatoes, pasta, peppers, broccoli, olives, pickle, pizza, yucca, picadillo, black beans, tortillas, watermelon, strawberries, pineapple, crackers, popcorn, chicken, torta, platano, cantaloupe, lime, mushroom, salmon, water apple, mango, and other stuff mommy forgets.
Activities you enjoy: blowing bubbles with your mouth (you will do this for five minutes at a time), dancing/head banging/tapping/clapping to rhythms (you can do this forever), singing, reading books, exploring in cupboards, talking on the phone (you pick it up – or other random things that kind of resemble a phone – put it to your ear, and say “Hola!”), playing catch or kicking a ball, watching a little bit of cartoons, playing with your magnet letters (and eating them), “running away” from someone chasing you, playing peek-a-boo, vrrroooming with your toy car, doing anything outside, drinking out of a squirt bottle (or having us spray it in your mouth), making Indian noises with your mouth/hand, blowing raspberries on mommy’s arm, tumbling around and climbing all over mommy and daddy and their bed, the Maaaaaaaaaaave/daaaaaaaady game,
Other skills:
whenever you find a piece of toilet paper you hold it up to your nose and blow
if we give you your comb you will comb your hair
drinking from a straw
Putting lids on stuff
helping pull shirts over your head
holding up your foot to put on your shoe
you have a dog that makes noises, and you know all the places to push on it, plus you know the one that makes music – your daddy was teasing you the other day by pushing something else and interrupting your song, so you would keep pushing the hand that played music.
going up stairs by yourself (standing up)
Little funnies:
if you’re going to sleep and mommy put your paci in your mouth before you were done nursing you will take your paci out and give it to mommy
you know you’re not supposed to go outside or into the bathroom by yourself, so you will sometimes drop things outside or roll things into the bathroom to see if that gives you an excuse
Current nicknames: babylou, Maemae, Maevitovi, munchkin, Maevebaby, mosqui, Maaaaaaaaeve
WE LOVE YOU, MAEVE TOVIAH!!!
(obviously you should check the Maeve gallery for cute pics ;-) )
