Teeny Tiny Bit of News

We have a little bit of news.  News about the size of a raspberry to be exact.  The next Jacobsen is in the making--I am pregnant!  I will write a post soon about the havoc that this child is wreaking on my body, but for now, let's just be happy.  And happy we are.  So grateful that the Lord has blessed us with another baby.  I am due October 13th, my little sister's birthday!  My Dr. even surprised me with her willingness to consider a VBAC, if all the criteria is met (i.e. no induction, not overdue, no high blood pressure, etc.).  Our friends who live in the South just had their second daughter, and their first is the age that Maya will be when our #2 comes on the scene, so it's fun to see how she has handled things.  When we went to visit them in the hospital, I was terrified at how Maya lunged and grabbed at the baby and I'm really grateful that she will be quite a bit older when baby #2 arrives.  Please pray for me--I have been very sick this time, and even with a very expensive drug from the states, I still continue to puke multiple times throughout the day and night.  Thanks for celebrating the good news with us!

Baby Doll

We got two sweet baby dolls as a gift from friends, right when Maya was born, and they have been sitting up on the top of her bookshelf ever since.  I noticed the other day that she had noticed them, so I thought, hey, it may be time to get those down.  Maya was fighting a nasty cold, so forgive the jammies, the bedhead, and the snot-crusted nose.  I promise, I do occassionally bathe and dress my child.  I don't know where my camera disappears to in those moments. . . .

I loved what was written on the box--reminded me of my China days.

 

Put a Bird on it

After my post about bird removal, my sister and brother in law sent us this link to a video of their (and our) favorite new show Portlandia.  It made Matt and I laugh so hard, we thought we would share.  It's a very funny series of sketches with basically these 2 people, who play all sorts of "characters" you might find in Portland.  Since Matt spent a few years out there, it's especially funny to him.  Apparantly, some of them are a wee bit, well, sketchy, but the ones we've seen are hysterical.  So, enjoy, and hey, put a bird on it. . .

My Little Valentine

Because at some point I am going to write an awesome post about my rockin' valentine, but didn't have time to because I was too busy on a hot date with him, these pictures of my little Valentine will have to suffice. . .

   

And I will leave you with these kisses from my little mini-valentine!

The Birds

Did you ever see that Alfred Hitchock movie?  So creepy.  That may be the origin of my general dislike of birds.  I had a boss once who loved birds.  I could never fully support that love.  Now don't get me wrong.  I love all of the cute/trendy birds that are all over the place right now on fabric and in other decor.  I just don't like actual birds.  Some dirty birds keep trying to build a nest in Maya's window box and there are regularly nasty eggs out there that need to be gathered up and thrown away.  But that's not what this blog is about.    Do you see the birds on my blog? (upper right hand corner)  How did they get there?  And more importantly, how do I get RID OF THEM?  They were never intentional.  I think I was trying to change the layout of my blog and somehow got the little flock to nest and while they kind of blend in with most of the backgrounds that I have used--I don't really want them.  I've changed my background many times and they stay.  I've tried to change the layout to "Simple" but they stay.  Any thoughts?  I know I've seen the birds on one other person's blog, but now I can't remember who.  Can you help me with my bird problem?

Walking and Talking

Maya has (finally) taken off this week.  She is officially walking!!  Our internet at home is too slow to be able to upload video, and I've been sick most of the week and didn't feel up to venturing out somewhere in search of faster internet, so you'll just have to imagine how cute she is walking all around.  At first, she would really only walk if she was too busy carrying something to realize that she was walking.  But now, she seems to prefer her new method of mobility over crawling (and she still really likes to carry stuff around).

Another thing she started doing not long ago is this:

She's asking to be picked up.  She doesn't do this often, but each time that she does, it melts my heart!

She's also saying two words:  Mama and Dada.  We were quite excited when we realized that she also recognizes two expressions in Arabic: "blow kisses" and "Do you want water?"  Pretty exciting to watch your child respond so quickly and naturally to a language that has taken you years to even semi-grasp.  It's true what the research says--kids can learn language sooooo much faster if we expose them while they are young.  I'm so very grateful that Maya is going to grow up hearing many languages and knowing people from many cultures (even if she does turn out a little bit "weird" by American standards).

Personality

More and more of Maya's personality is coming out each day. 

 More and more of her teeth are coming out too.  Not quite as much fun . . .

 I think she learned this from Laura (who lives with us currently, whom she really likes).  At first, she would go around each morning, making this face, looking for Laura.  She's gotten so many laughs from people when she does this, that now she does it just because she likes it when people laugh at her (sound like her dad much?!). 

 "The Kissy Face" head on.

 How can this not make you smile?

 Her first braid--doesn't she look SOOOO BIG?!