Maya is 3!

Whooohooo!  My little baby is 3!  What can I say, life just takes a hold of you when you have a kid and whips you around like a roller coaster...up and down, twisting all around, screaming in happiness and giggles, then you get at the end.  Let's go again!  I love the fact that Maya has changed my life.  She is the center of my world.  It's the truth.  I can't say I regret a thing about it. 

Monday is Maya's big day, on World Down Syndrome Day, she will go to preschool.  I am so excited and yes a little nervous.  This is it. She will get to be in the world without her mama to protect her.  After meeting her teacher I am put at ease that she is in the right place.  I can't wait to see how it goes.

Here are a few snaps of Maya's big party.

Maya's birthday photos

Maya is 2!!!!

today my little baby turns 2! wow, i can't believe how fast time has flown by. i've had her in my life for 2 years? it feels like it was just yesterday that i held her in my arms for the first time.

what can i say, there is so much that has gone on this last year. maya has become a very active little creature. i guess she takes after her mama....of course we have to go out in the world at least once a day. whether it's the library, play dates or just swinging in the park...we enjoy being out with other people.

i've been working for the last two weeks on maya's photo slide show. i did this last year and i decided to do it again this year. mostly i do it for her birthday party, so everyone can see a little piece of maya's life. it's been an emotional journey to go through all the photos, edit them down to a several hundred and select music to go along with it. the first year, she was a baby, growing, mostly in our arms, secure and protected, this last year she became a toddler, exploring and developing her personality.

we had a lot of first this last year.... first crawl, first swim, first flight in her own seat, first and hopefully last eye surgery, first time swinging and sliding at the park, first toddler gym class, first bits of "real" food, first tooth, first haircut, first splash pad, first theater show, first ear infection, first story time, first time eating sand, first push on her push toy, first bump on her head, first zoo visit...the list goes on and the stories with these firsts are what makes our ordinary life amazing.

i feel so blessed to have maya in my life. she is my muse. by simply being herself, she has created a new life for all of us. i would never change a thing about her, not her stinky feet, her obsession for signing time videos, or her extra chromosome. it is true, maya, "you raise me up, to be more than i can be," and for this i am eternally grateful.

the adventure continues...

(photos coming soon)

a special birthday...

just a quick note to share the best birthday present i got today. while we had breakfast at a local restaurant, maya out of the blue said "bu-bye" to a total stranger. this was the second time in the last week that she has said "bu-bye" to someone. i can see that there is a shift going on in her mind...she is constantly trying to mouth "bbb" sounds and is vocalizing more in general. this is very different than the "ddd" sounds she has made for a while now.

it was a wonderful moment, to hear her sweet little voice. beside dada, this is the first "word" she has said and meant it. this is the best gift a mama could ever get!

celebrating month 5 as a family

today is maya's 5th month birthday as i like to call it. turns out that my husbands family also enjoys recognizing these little events. this week my sister in-law and family came over to our house for a few celebrations. first it was maaji's birthday (my mother-in-law), then maya's 5th month birthday and finally rakhi (an indian tradition to celebrate the bond between bother and sister). having 8 people in our house all at the same time would have been more stressful then fun for me if i had time to think about it. but it turns out i don't feel crowded or stressed this week.

this morning i woke up and could hear the shower to the guest bathroom go on, i saw my husband and mother-in-law outside, and as others slept in their makeshift beds, i wandered to the kitchen to make my protein shake. there was something interesting that happened at that moment. i felt like i was living in a small community. this feeling of knowing that there are people around who care, that are there to make you breakfast if you are hungry or hold your baby if you have to jet off to the gym, really got to me. i haven't had that in a long time and i had almost forgotten what it was like.

as she does every wednesday, the physical therapist came and worked with maya. the "family" watched and cheered as maya worked very hard at sitting up. it is so wonderful to see the interest that everyone is taking in maya. i think she brings people together in the most amazing ways.

i've seen some wonderful changes in maya even in the the last few days. she is generally a happy baby, but since the family has arrived she has been smiling almost nonstop. there are so many people who are here to entertain her, which i know she loves. she's taking in all the different sounds and languages and just having a ball with it.

there are moments when i wish that it was just the three of us. but i also see the value in having the extended family close by. the interaction that maya has with people who are hers forever is something that is priceless. i thank my stars that i have been blessed with her and the opportunity to experience all of this.

our adventure continues...