October, 2001

Notable Events

During the weekend of October 6th and 7th, two VIV's (Very Important Visitors) arrived. The first was Brian Williams, one of Daddy's Knoxville friends, who was so impressed by Maya that he was heard remarking, "I've got to get me one of these." The second VIV was none other than Mimi. Everyone wished that her visit could have been longer, but she and Maya spent time getting to know each other better, and that made us all happy.

Another first for Maya Blue in October was her maiden voyage to Knoxville October 12th. She proved to be an excellent traveler, keeping herself busy by alternately sleeping and playing with Nana's fingers. While there, she met approximately a million relatives and friends (a conservative estimate) and also got to visit with Nancy, Sarah, and Lew.

Accomplishments

Maya seems to learn something new almost every day. One of her most noticeable new skills is her new-found ability to squeal. She acquired this new talent with the help of her Great-Uncle David. When he found that waving a toy airplane in her vicinity elicited blood-curdling yells of joy, he repeated it until he was sure she had the hang of it. We're planning to reward him with a tape recording for Christmas.

Maya added eating from a spoon to her culinary skills this month. Daddy mixed rice cereal with distilled water until it was just the right mushy consistency, then we all held our breaths as he offered this delicious concoction to Maya. When she got over her astonishment, she proceeded to gobble it down and opened her mouth for more.

Maya became more mobile duting October. She learned to hold herself up on her hands and knees and propel herself by pushing her body forward, flopping down on her belly, then starting the whole process over again. Grandpa Richard responded to this new skill by lining the living room with every pillow and beach towel in the place.

Sebastian (one of the cats) seemed to realize that Maya is a little person at the same time she became more interested in him. She began to stop whatever she was doing and follow him around the room with her eyes. He occasionally honored her with his attention by sniffing at whatever body part he could get to, then pointed his nose and tail in the air and walked away. He has no idea how interesting his life will become when she's able to increase her crawling speed.

This next accomplishment is one that non-grandparents might be skeptical of, but since this newsletter is exclusive to that elite group, it's being included. On October 27th, Grandpa Richard and I witnessed Maya trying to say her name! She pursed her lips and said "My-ah." Of course, when her Daddy came home, she refused to repeat this performance, but it was recorded on her calendar anyway. As her Mommy would say, "I'm counting it!"

I don't know if growing is a bonafide accomplishment, but I'm going to include it anyway. When Maya had her four-month check-up on October 5th, she weighed in at 14 lbs., 9 oz. and measured 25 inches long. Since she has now outgrown all her newborn clothes and is wearing size 6-9 months, Grandpa and I decided to do our own calculations at the end of October. Our unofficial results were as follows: weight - 15 1/4 lbs., length - 26 1/4 inches. Maybe she'll contribute some height to the Smith-Church (translation - "short") side of her family tree.