Rice Cereal

Maya had her first taste of solid food just after she turned six months old. The doctors always recommend starting with some form of cereal. We use the rice kind. You mix a tablespoon of the cereal with a few spoonfuls of formula or breast milk. It needs to be a smooth consistency so the baby doesn't choke. It looks and smells pretty nasty to me. Maya seemed excited about it when I put a little on her lower lip. She immediately opened her mouth for more. After a few bites she was underwhelmed and done. We moved onto butternut squash a few days later followed by sweet potatoes and pears. These have gone over much better! Can't say I blame her.

Nice Mommy. That looks kinda good.

Hey. Where are you going with that?

Okay. I'm done. Where's my bottle?

Maya, Maya, Maya!

Maya Stats as of Oct. 14
Weight: 16 lbs, 14 oz
Height: 27 in

Maya is almost seven months old. Each day is a learning day. Rolling is her primary mode of transportation. She rolls across the entire living room in a flash. This has given both Eric and I a few heart attacks. Imagine turning your back for a minute and your baby is not where you left her. She's like a little rolling pin. She also recently had her first taste of solid food. Butternut squash, sweet potatoes and pears make her very happy. She still sleeps through the night but will often wake up to play with her toes or practice her rolling skills. She can make a lot of noise but always falls back to sleep on her own. She's not really interested in toys unless it's something she can suck on or bang on her head. This really irritates Lila as the toys are usually hers and we don't let her do these things to them. Maya's personality is becoming more clear to us everyday. I can now imagine what she may be like at one or two years old. She's an observer and really patient. She is content sitting by herself but always throws you the biggest smile when you catch her eye. She's happiest just sitting on my lap listening to all the noise that fills our house. She's a mommy's girl, for sure.

San Diego 2009

The annual Hicks Family vacation was spent in San Diego! September is a great month to visit. We rented a house in Mission Beach by the bay. I'm still having withdrawal symptoms after returning. Our days were spent people-watching on our patio, sipping wine, BBQing, cruising the strand on our bikes and scheming for a way to move to there. Thanks to Grandma and Poppy Hicks for planning such a great family holiday. I can't wait for next year!

The Hicks' minus Uncle Tom.

Daddy and his girls

Hicks girls on the bay.

Will, Juliet and Thatcher visited for a few days.

Thatcher & Maya at the beach.

Sand and more sand. Lila's favorite thing.

Sunset at Mission Beach.

The girls on the patio.

Grandma and Maya

Cutest picture EVER!

Sea World!

Little penguins are good. Big penguins are scary.

Dolphins swimming behind glass is good.

Dolphins swimming up close so you can pet them is better!

Water shooting up from the ground! Hurrah!

Sea World should remind us that bathing suits are needed.

Flying Elmo Fish!

Waiting for killer whales!

Maya was more interested in watching her big sissy though.

Lila's favorite part was the aquarium. She found Nemo.

Grandma, Uncle Tom and Lila.

Summer 2009

Another busy summer for the Hicks Family. We spent most of our days somewhere in the sun. Finding time to work on the blog has been on my radar but clearly not a priority. It's raining in Oaktown, so I'm happy to sit on the couch in front of the fire with my girls today. It's a great time to go through all our photos from this summer. Lila LOVES to do this. She has to point out everyone in every photo and tell me who they are. Amazingly, she always gets it right. Maya has been a trooper too. She has sat on my lap all summer watching her big sissy run around on the beach or play in the kid pool. She squirms and squeals like she's going to jump up and chase Lila through the sand or into the water. I wouldn't be surprised if this little girl stood up and started walking soon just so she could play with her big sister.

Uncle Paul went to the Delta with us!

Fun with Sammie on the kiddie pool slide.

Eric taught Lila to do this Gene Simmons thing.

Maya taking a break in the Delta papasan.

They do this quite alot. I wonder how long it will last.

Thank goodness for the Bjorn.

San Francisco, Ocean Beach

Lila showed Maya how to dig.

I love this bathing suit!

A very rare day for the city.

Learning how to wave.

Our neighbor Jasper with Lila in the sandbox.

Why does it seem like Maya is always shirtless? It was HOT in this house.

Maya's first dip in the Clark Family pool.

Giraffe Groupie

Maya Update

Maya turned four months old on July 25th. I'm obviously behind on my blog updates since we are now upon her five month birthday. We saw the doctor for her four month wellness check-up. Of course she's perfect in every way. We discovered that she has a big head like the rest of us. She's much taller though. Somewhere in the 90 percentile.

So, what has she been up to the last two months? Her neck and arm strength have given her a whole new perspective on the world. We were able to put her in Lila's old exer-saucer a few weeks back. This beats the boredom of always laying on her back! She laughs at everything. Lila seems to be her favorite entertainer. She's also taking a bottle and is pretty good at holding it herself. She's still sleeping through the night, but daytime naps are becoming less routine. I think it's just too busy in our house during the day for her to dose off. She's also found her singing voice and regularly serenades the family with her pterodactyl impression. In the next couple of days she's going to try her first taste of rice cereal. I'm sure that will lead to some great photos!

The famous delta papasan

Maya & Casey Dog

Lila does enjoy feeding her baby sissy despite the bored look

Watching J.D's first big league game!

We love you Maya!

Happy Birthday America!

Just like last year, we spent the Fourth of July in Flagstaff with Gigi & Poppa. I love the Fourth and have since I was a kid. It's the best part of summer! We spent a week in Flag, but it went by too fast for all of us. We were kept pretty busy. Thankfully most of the time we were able to relax and enjoy the scenery. Flagstaff is a beautiful town! Gigi and Poppa have a great house and always throw the best parties. Good times!

Daddy & Lila at the parade

Mommy & the Little Girls

Daddy, Maya & Lila Bean

Three generations!

Nana & Lila Bean

Mommy & Maya

Matching Jammies! My Favorite!

Magic Poppa

Lila in her frog pool!

Lila & GiGi playing World Cup

Lila Bend'n it.

The whole crew... minus Uncle Paul. He was missed!

Thanks to all our Flag friends and family for making the Fourth memorable and fun for my girls. It was truly a great trip. See you next year, for sure!