This time last year...

Maxine was not reading and her cloth diapers were not leaking (see the wet spots on her pants?)... now she loves books and we are working on the leaking-thing. I believe she has graduated to the category of "super soaker" and we have ordered hemp inserts to try and remedy the situation. Back to the books, she loves reading, turning the pages and pointing at pictures. The other day I held up a magazine with the picture of a woman's face on it and she pointed at the woman's mouth and then touched her own. Maxine is so smart!

This time last year Maxine was eating every 2 to 3 hours and she was sleeping in our room. To make it easier for us we just put her in the travel bed between us. We called this period the "Bento Box Days".

The photo above is a shout out to our Nepal friends. Not only does Maxine eat rice with her hands like any Nepali babe her age, she can sort the rocks out of rice like no other... she even has the squat down. So proud...

We have been in a whirlwind preparing for the move to Ethiopia... we leave for DC one week from tomorrow. Maxine had 5 vaccinations on Thursday and it was terrible. She had a super high fever, felt terrible and thought we were trying to give her shots every time we tried to take her temp. Yesterday I was out of town and Ben ended up taking her to the ER because she had a temp of 104! We now know that is apparently "normal" or "okay" for a baby because their metabolisms are much faster and she has had so many vaccinations to make her immune system work extra hard. However, we were freaking out because one of the shots she had was yellow fever and it can have scary side effects for young kids (like under 4 months but we were still worried... despite all of the professional medical advice we received telling us it was not going to be a risk). She is still having a fever but she is so much better today.

She Walks!

On Friday September 26, 2008, Maxine took 8 consecutive steps without any assistance! Since then she has been taking 1 or 2 steps hear or there. Maxine refuses to walk if we try to get her to walk - for instance, when we stand her up to walk to something or someone she wants. Her reaction is to make her body dead weight in your arms or to fall to her knees in a dramatic manner. Over the past two days I have learned that the best way to get her to walk is to ignore what she is doing when she starts standing. She has done me the honor of taking 9 to 10 steps and then today she took 19 in front of her Grandma Gerry, Dad and myself! We just acted natural while she walked across the front porch during our VERY SUCCESSFUL yard sale.

Maxine's walking can truly be credited to the great group of friends that joined us at the cabin for Ben's birthday. Kelly, Alicia, Christof, and Patrick cheered Maxine to those fantastic 8 steps. Above is a picture of Kelly luring Maxine across the floor.

Maxine, Rana, Ben, and I went to the cabin for 5 days. This trip was to celebrate Ben's birthday. But, when we discovered we are moving to Ethiopia it was also to soak up the cabin and its wonderful-ness because we don't know when we will be back to it. So, we went fishing and I caught the first fish of the weekend...

The second day our friends, "The Ericksons," came up to the cabin and went fishing with us. They are Alicia, Christof, Isaac, Eva and Atlas.

Maxine slept through the first part of the outing...

Then, Maxine's dad became the angler he always claimed and caught an 18 inch trout! Favorite quotes, after we finished squealing, were, "Now I know what it feels like to dominate another species," and, "Isn't there a lake near Addis Ababa?" The fishing banter was fun and the trout was tasty...

While the adults laughed, ate trout, enjoyed stories about Patrick (Evie's Dad) and drank from Ben's birthday pony-keg, Maxine LOVED playing with Evie, Eva and Isaac!

It was such a wonderful weekend and we were very sad to leave the cabin. Visiting with the Ericksons and Lacroix's was so wonderful, too.

As Maxine has become more mobile we are discovering what she loves. For instance, she loves Rana, the Park, swings and sand. I think we can sum it up to animals, being outside and experiencing different textures. My friend Alicia, mother of 3, told me to give Maxine different gooey things, wet things, beans, rocks, sand, etc so she can play with textures. It is true. She LOVES the simplest things! Who needs the plastic fake cell phone - that she loves, too? Satisfying her right now is very easy!

Maxine is 1 year and 2 weeks and she is still breastfeeding. I am so thrilled that I am not pumping and am okay with her breastfeeding, for now. She breastfeeds in the morning and evening. We have given her some whole milk but she prefers the boob. So many people I know have children that self-weaned but Maxine is dedicated to the boob. Some kids have a safety blanket or stuffed animal they hold near but Maxine has the boob. She is always sticking her hand down my shirt and grabbing my nipples. She does this anywhere, anytime and for as long as I let her. Weaning is going to be difficult. The only reason I haven't done it yet is because we are waiting to see the milk situation in Ethiopia. I have to say, for those of you who need to relate or those that are pregnant and need something to look forward to, my breasts have reached what some call "The Chicken Cutlet Stage." Yeah, the big boob honeymoon is over... they are smaller, deflated and as close to some of the shirtless older Nepali women they have ever been.What happens after the second child??? Anyone? Anyone?

There are so many other things happening to my body that I intend to share. Unfortunately, I doubt many people have made it this far in this LONG entry. Stay tuned for more on my belly button, menstration after 1 year post-birth, incontinence, and emotions/hormones.