Puke = "I love you" in baby talk :)

Watch carefully...
Maria spits up right in dad's face and he doesn't even notice right away!!!

3 Months!

Well, folks, yesterday Maria officially turned 3 months old. We hear that things are supposed to get easier from here... we'll see about that!!!

We celebrated by having her pictures taken at Sears. It was quite an experience.

Note to self: Avoid all portrait studios just prior to any major holiday!
But we have some pretty great shots of our little cutie pie! We'll show them off soon.

Here's some highlights about Maria:

She currently weighs 12lbs 8ozs. She smiles A LOT. She has officially become a thumb-sucker... as long as she can find it! Her favorite toy is an iPod-ish little device (a gift from her cousin, Alex) that blinks lights & plays songs - songs that mom & dad hear in their sleep all night long! She is sleeping through the night quite beautifully, but has absolutely no need for naps during the day. She has (sadly) grown out of her 0-3 month clothes, but it's fun to put her in all her 3-6 month stuff!

We are incredibly thankful today for Maria Katharine... and we can't even remember what life was like without her!

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Good morning! It's time to watch the parade. I hope I get to eat some turkey-flavored formula later! Gobble, Gobble, Gobble."

"Hmmm... my phone's ringing. I wonder who it could be?!"

"Oh, hi Grandma! No, I'm not busy. Mom & Dad just keep putting me on the floor to take pictures of me. They're pretty annoying. (But don't tell them I said that!)"

"Yay! Grandma's coming over!"

Maria's ear infection appears to be all cleared up.

Now that she isn't as crabby as she was last week, it gives her more time for her favorite new activity - trying to get her whole hand in her mouth!!! Yes, she has discovered that she can chew on her fingers. It's sort of amusing to watch.




(Oh... and she likes the taste of dad's nose, too.)

Back to the Doctor's Office!

While we are all familiar with Maria's cute and cuddly side... rest assured that she does have an alter ego!! As you can see in this picture, she actually has the ability to physically frown. We see this face from time to time (especially in the evenings between 6 & 7pm,) but got concerned when it was really her dominant mood for the last few days. She was sleeping and eating poorly, so we called our old friend - Maria's pediatrician. We brought her in and it turns out that she has an ear infection!!!

So... we're back to antibiotics and not looking forward to the diapers she'll produce as a result. But at the same time, we're happy that it is something treatable and that she'll be better in a few days. All she wants to do right now is sleep and cry. We prefer the sleep.

Hopefully the next post will have some happier pictures! Until then, we'll just cuddle with our little crabby girl.

Yesterday was a special day for Maria. We're so happy that she will grow up during this amazing time in our country!

"We're on our way into our polling place.
Wow!!!!! I am experiencing history in the making."

"Voting was fun. I can't wait until I get to do it!"

"Me, my Dad, and my future President!"

Here I am with Mom, Dad, Uncle Andrew & Aunt Mel. It was quite a party!!! There were lots of Obama signs and red, white & blue decorations. There were even festive adult beverages - but nobody would let me try theirs!"

"Yawn! I''m so tired! But I am glad that I stayed up to watch the race officially called for Obama."

Maria's First Halloween!