adventures in Cali

on the airplane to Cali

it always amazes me how Maya rolls with the punches.  Maya doesn't stress about flying on a plane which is so wonderful. thank goodness for ipods and now our ipad.  she watched her videos and played her favorite games quietly. unlike other times we've travelled, Maya seems to have adjusted to sleeping or should i say falling asleep at a reasonable hour.  this made me very happy to say the least! she never did get very good about nap time though.  the only way we could get her to nap was by driving around. these are the joys of traveling with a toddler i guess.

by the second day, Maya taught herself how to climb up on the couch at my sister in-law's house.  from then on she has been climbing on couches and getting off by herself just fine.  it makes me feel like my little girl is growing up.  i love seeing her independence.

it was so great to see the interaction between Maya and her two older cousins.  she seemed to really enjoy just hanging out with them.  they were so sweet with Maya and indulged her by singing and dancing when she asked.  every time i see them interact i wish we lived closer to each other.

when we visited our friend in San Jose the first thing that Maya did was walk right to the doggies.  she just loves dogs and she is not at all afraid of them.  in the beginning she kept signing horse because i guess to her they are large enough to be horses.  she even tried to ride them a couple of times.  i thought that was cute.

at the playground

the highlight for me was when we drove down to Monterey. our first stop was Monterey Bay aquarium.  Maya wasn't as interested in the fishes as she was just roaming the place.  luckily it wasn't crazy crowded and she could walk around quite a bit.   on our way back to the hotel we saw a farmer's market and decided to check it out.  it was super crowded but we managed to get Maya in the stroller (a small feat in itself) and walk around a bit.  the best part was when we found a couple of musicians playing on opposite ends of the market.  Maya was just so mesmerized by the musicians. she wanted to hang out and hear every single song.  she watched them intently and clapped at the end of each song.  we could have been there all night i think and she would have been perfectly happy.

it was the perfect ending to our week long trip to Cali.  being with our friends and family is always so special to me.  it seems now more than ever.

Monterey Bay aquarium

not so impressed with the slimy water

listening to some funky music

the best fan anyone could ever have

wordless wednesday

i'm back!

boy have i missed you all! i haven't been able to read any blogs lately or even write because we have been doing some traveling lately.  so today during maya's respite time i decided not to go to the gym but instead come to a local coffee/cafe and do some writing.  it's been a long time since i've used respite to really relax, just hang out and go within.  usually i'm trying to run errands, shop, workout, or socialize.  it's good but there is nothing that can replace slowing down a little, having a cup of joe and doing a little writing.  so.....

we always said that when maya started walking we would start traveling, i think we said this mainly to help us through the the times of limited to no travel.  before maya i have always tried to travel as much as i could.  going to a new place, experiencing the people and culture of a different location has been a passion of mine for along time.   but after maya was conceived, traveling became limited for various reasons.

when maya was born, one of the ways my husband helped me and perhaps himself deal with the challenge was to say, "maya will be a world traveler!"  or "maya's going to climb mount everest!"  it really touched my heart because he was basically saying that she can do anything and she will be a role model to everyone.  but heart of hearts, i think there was a part of me that started to focus too much on the "work" maya had to do.  physical therapy, speech, occupational, feeding and so on, has taken a lot of time to manage and i don't want maya to miss out on any opportunity to develop.  managing the home, being a mom, (ie: a teacher and therapist) has taken a great deal of time.  the fact is i have taken on the responsibility of managing our daughter's life.  she is like a little super star, and i am her assistant.

all in all i don't regret a thing, but i can see now that i need to enjoy things that aren't on the agenda.  perhaps throw in a little curve ball every once in a while. like going to a new place.  a place none of us have ever been before. balance is something i think about everyday and in a way traveling has made me realize that i need to relax and have fun a little more.  i think i'm back, or at least this is a step towards me coming back into my own again.  the girl who loves to travel, loves to laugh and take photographs, the girl who loves to watch other people and think about what makes the world go round. there is more to me than just being a mom to maya, there is a lot more.

next stop danville, san jose, monterey california, i can't wait to tell you all about it....