Dear Maya,
I won't cry... I won't cry... I won't cry... This is what I have to keep telling myself, now that you are only a month away from being a ONE year old! I have said it a million times, and I'm sure I'll say it a million more, but you have grown up way too quickly. These last 11 months have been pure bliss. You really ARE my sunshine-- in fact, you are everyone's sunshine. Even though I know there must have been a Time Before Maya, I simply find it impossible to imagine the world without you in it.
Being the spunky little gal you are, your eleventh month of life has, yet again, been loaded with growth and change. Perhaps the biggest change has been your sudden interest in speaking! You were never much of a talker before-- you seemed to prefer focusing your efforts on achieving physical milestones. But lately, you will yank your pacifier out of your mouth and tell us things. Like "Hi!" (accompanied with a wave) or, my personal favorite, "Mama!" You have a number of other "words" which we don't quite understand yet, but our knowledge of speech development tells us that they must mean something important to you. Only time will tell, I suppose!
On the physical side of things, you continue to be busy, busy, busy. You are totally adept at pulling up on things, and you do it constantly. You cruise along furniture, getting faster by the day, and are now confident enough to let go and only hold on with one hand. People are constantly commenting on your fearlessness and your determined nature. If you fall down, you might cry for a second or two, but you get right back up and try again. You give your brother a run for his money, and he has had to come up with more (higher) places to hide particular toys, if he doesn't want you to get to them. He used to just put them on the couch, but that simply doesn't work, now that you can reach!
Speaking of you and Nikos... You two have such an incredible relationship. It's not always perfect (he has been known to pull your hair occasionally, and he doesn't like it when you climb on top of him while he's attempting to read a book or play with his cars), but the two of you are SO sweet together 95% of the time. He is always aware of where you are and what you need, and often goes out of his way to fetch toys for you or make you laugh. In the morning, I get you out of your crib and bring you into the living room, where your brother is sitting on the couch. Your little arm shoots up into the air right away, frantically waving hello to your brother. This always has the effect of making him smile, or giggle, and he's just so happy to have you around. We all are, of course!
Yes... You giggle, you wave, you clap, you throw your arms over your head, and you basically exude cuteness and sweetness twenty-four hours a day. At the same time, you are one tough cookie, and aren't about to let anyone tell you that you can't achieve whatever it is you want to accomplish. It's amazing how clear some of your personality traits are already-- you are definitely not a quitter! But we adore you to pieces. As I often say to both you and your brother, I love you forever. You are an amazing, incredible little person, and we are so lucky to know you! Happy 11 months, sweet baby girl!
All our love, always,
Mommy and Daddy
(and Nikos)
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