Only One More Sleep...

Maja's Log #070810... Woke up in morning, was really blue... missing Grandma & Grandpa soooo much. Don't know how survived this long. Set up camera on self timer to take photo to better express emotions (see below)...
Then remembered only 1 sleep until Grandma & Grandpa return... mood instantly kick started - can't wait to see them! Again, set up camera on self timer to take photo to express emotions (see below)...
Yup, the long stretch of Grandma & Grandpa being on vacation will finally come to an end tomorrow evening! We are all very excited that they are coming home and can't wait to see them. It will be great to see them, to hear about their trip and for Maja to show them all of her new tricks.

I will update the blog soon with details of what Maja's been up to over the past couple of days, but right now, I have a husband who is lounging out back on the patio reading that I'd like to go spend time with (too bad for you)!

9-Month Checkup & Just Taking it Easy...

On Friday, Maja went to the doctor's for her 9-month checkup (ok, you got me, it was really her 9-month and 2 day checkup...). After walking around the doctor's waiting room with Bakica for a while Maja was called in (ok, so really "Mah-jah" was called, but I knew who they meant). :) The doctor was working with an assistant that day, so he was the one who took Maja's measurements before the doctor actually came in to chat with us. Poor fellow... I'm sure he's a nice guy, but Maja was not the least bit impressed with him! As soon as he came into the room and started chatting to us, Maja wailed and pretty much nothing could console her until he left the room! Anyhow, Maja is now 19 pounds even and is 29 inches tall (1 1/2 pounds more than at 7 months and 1 inch taller), which makes her in the 50th percentile for weight and the 97th percentile for height. Looks like she has her dad's body type (thank goodness)!

Here is a shot from a while ago of Maja sitting in her high-chair all excited that Daddy's going to feed her some lunch...
Then yesterday (Saturday), Maja got to celebrate Daddy's birthday with him. They played a bit together in the morning, went for a nice walk around the neighbourhood and then started to get ready for our visitors. In the evening we had a nice BBQ with Doug & Anna and their daughter, Emily, and Bakica and Teta Linda. It was a nice evening to be outside and it was a great visit full of chats, laughs, soccer ball kicking in the backyard (by Maja and Emily, not Marvin), and of course yummy chocolate cake for dessert. Here is a picture of Marvin and I blowing out the candles on the cake (we also celebrated my birthday too)...
This morning, the three of us headed out to church where we met up with Bakica, then this afternoon we're getting together with our friends Sandra & George and their two sons, Georgie & Sheldon.

Travelling Maja...

This morning Maja & I went for a nice walk with Stephanie and her two kids (Christine & Dash) up to the Shoppers Drug Mart and to pay a visit to the local Starbucks (its business has apparently been suffering ever since Grandma has been on vacation...). It was nice out because it was around 10:30 when we went and it hadn't got too sticky and humid yet. As usual, Maja & I had a great time hanging out with Steph and the gang - can't wait to meet up again guys!

Lately, Maja has been in some sort of transition with her naps. For the longest time, Maja would nap 3 times a day each time for about 45 minutes. Then for almost a full week last week, she switched to just napping 2 times but for between 1 1/2 and 2 hours long (heaven I tell you!!!). But, as per usual, just when I think she's settling into a pattern she pulls the carpet out from under me! Today she only had two 45 minute naps and didn't nap from 2:00pm onwards. Usually after having been awake for anything more than 2 hours she is pretty cranky, but that wasn't the case today. Who knows what she's up to!

Anyhow, I thought I'd post a picture I took of Maja this afternoon that made me laugh. I put her down on her mat between the pillows (I'm such a paranoid 1st time mom that I'm still surrounding her with pillows to break her fall even though she's been sitting up since she was 5 months old or so) with her tub of toys in front of her and then came over to the computer to do a couple of things. Every time I looked up she was just sitting there entertaining herself with a new toy that she removed from the tub. Well... after about 15 minutes I noticed that she had casually shuffled from the mat over to the jolly jumper (leaving a trail of discarded toys behind her as you can see) and was trying to pull herself up using the jumper frame. Ok, so maybe this isn't such a funny photo to you guys, but to me the trail of discarded toys, the fact that she ended up 3 feet away from where I left her (yet she doesn't crawl and can't walk on her own), and the "Me...no-I'm-not-up-to-anything!" look on her face made me chuckle...

I'm 3/4 of a Year Old Today!

Where to begin?!? Well, today (as the title suggests) Maja turned 9 months old! I can't believe, I really can't! Marvin & I chatted about it this morning and it just seems so surreal. Maja is now a little girl - not just because she is 9 months old, but because of all the "real person" things she does... she smiles at you, she lets you know when she's angry because you took a toy away, she lets you know that she's trying to figure something out by furrowing her brows and she has her likes and dislikes just like everyone else. I love it!

So what did Maja do to celebrate her 9 month anniversary, you ask? Well, this morning Bakica, Maja & I headed downtown to do some jewellery shopping. First, we stopped off at our jeweller to get my rings and Marvin's all nice and sparkly, and then, we headed over to Tiffany's so that Bakica could look into exchanging a ring and bracelet. Of course, what would an outing be without a pooh I ask you?!? After having Maja turn many shades of red and make some very unlady like noises, Maja & I headed up to the third floor to check out the bathrooms and let me tell you, if you have to pooh, Tiffany's is the place to pooh! Nice marble floors and counters, a change table that probably is cleaner that my dining room table, a nice
chair sitting in the corner for lounging (?) and paper towels that were more like formal napkins! On the way home, Maja told Bakica & I that she will only pooh in Tiffany's going forward! :)

So what else is new with Maja? Well, she's started to recognize words that we say... for example, when you put her on the change table and ask her where Monkey is, she'll turn to look at or grab Jorge the Monkey. She also recognizes her bath toy Froggie that Teta Linda bought her and pictures of babies (like those on her cereal boxes or baby food jars - guess those store bought green beans and carrots that she likes are educational...).

Maja's latest thing is waving - it's so cute! Every morning and lunch time when Marvin leaves for work, Maja & I will stand by the front window (or outside on the front porch now that the weather is nicer) and wave bye to him. Up until just yesterday, I had to move Maja's arm back and forth for her, but now she will actually wave on her own! Granted, she doesn't always wave when you ask her to and will often wave at inanimate objects (like the truck, her stroller, the phone, the trees - the list goes on), but she is waving on demand more and more. There's something so innocent and sweet about it. I wonder when that trait disappears or maybe for a mother it never does... do you think my mom still gets those warm and fuzzy feelings when I wave at cars? I'll have to ask her when she gets back! :)

Maja has also started to connect the fact that when food is on her hands that licking them provides a pretty tasty treat! Yesterday I gave in and after Maja decided she was done with her mashed apples I smacked a pile of them on the high chair tray for her to play with (I hear it's a good idea to let the kids play with some of the puree, but it makes such a mess, the control/neat freak in me just can't bring myself to do it very often). What a blast she had! I swear, by the end of it all there were apples in Maja's ears, Maja's eyelashes, Maja's nose, Maja's pants pockets, on the floor, on my t-shirt and as I found this morning, on the window beside the high chair!

The other day, I was chatting with my sister and found out that she and my nephew (Will) both earned their Green Stripes in Tae Kwon Do recently (a nice big congratulations to you guys)! Delighted with the news, Maja asked that I post a picture of her clapping to honour their achievement, so here you go...
Here Maja is getting ready to go for a walk with Marvin in her jogger stroller...
And here she is in the stroller (looking like she's holding on for dear life)...
Yesterday on the way home from walking up to the store, Maja & I thought we'd drop in on our friends who live just down the street (Irene, her son Marko, and her daughter Marina). After a short visit, it was time to head back home because Maja was getting hungry and cranky due to lack of sleep. But before we left, Irene took this great shot of the kids (from left to right: Maja, Marko and Marina)...

Tomorrow our plans include going for a walk with our friends Stephanie, Christine and Dashiell. Gotta love the nice weather we're having these days!

Bonjour, Grandma & Grandpa!

Maja's Log #070809... Been 13 days without Grandma & Grandpa and withdrawl symptoms (involuntary squinting for Grandma's camera flash, smiling on demand for Grandpa, sore neck from whipping head side to side searching for them throughout house) starting to subside. Wondering if they're missing me while they're in Moraco as much as I'm missing them. Only 10 more bedtimes until Grandma & Grandpa return to Canada - must start to prepare welcome home speech now...

I can't believe how quickly Maja is growing up these days. It seems like every day there is something new with her. For example, every time I look at her, it seems like her hair is longer and curlier. After her baths I don't specifically try to curl it, but the next morning there is usually a single curl on the top and some frizzy curls around the back. Of course, longer hair also means more opportunity for bedhead. Case in point below...
I've also noticed that she's getting more and more vocal. Sometimes she just sits and chats to herself while she's playing with her toys and sometimes she'll yell at Marvin & I if she doesn't like what we're doing or just done (like take away a toy or her sippy cup before she's finished). Another cool thing she's doing is using her right index finger more. She'll use it to play with the buttons on my shirt, play with the wings of the Beetle Bug in one of her books, or use it to pick Teta Linda's nose (happens on more occasions than I think Teta really wants). :) Maja's also starting to notice more obscure things around the house - like the ceiling lights, the dining room chandelier and the nice holes in the stairwell walls from when we tried to move the queen box spring upstairs. It's quite entertaining to see her grin and make a "heeeee" noise only to follow her line of sight and see that it's the hall light that is providing such a source of amusement for her. :)

A month ago I posted a picture of a mother duck who had set up a nest of 12 eggs in our neighbour's garden. Unfortunately a couple of weeks ago we woke up to see a bunch of broken, bloody eggs scattered along the fence and near the nest - most likely a raccoon ate the eggs. :( But, rest assured mama duck is still hanging around. Occasionally we've seen her drinking water from the neighbour's pool and then on Friday morning Maja & I saw her (and her man) out in our backyard wandering around! Here's a shot of the cute couple...
Friday afternoon, Maja had a date with some of her boyfriends in High Park (she likes to meet up with her boyfriends in small groups so they don't all find out about each other - if they did, she'd have some explaining to do for sure!). After a nice walk through the park, over to the petting zoo and around the playground, the kids wanted to sit down for a snack of yummy cookies and muffins that Liam brought (Casey, Liam's mom, tried to pass them off as her baking, but we know that's not the case - like she has time to bake!). Here's a shot of the kids hanging out after the snacks (from left to right: Luca, Nicholas, Maja, Stewart and Liam - respective moms are Karen, Susan, yours truly, Martha and Casey) - I love how Liam & Maja are trying to reach across Stewart to hold hands - true love I tell you...

Friday was a special day not only because it was my birthday, but also because it was the first time that Teta Linda babysat Maja all on her own! Despite almost burning down our kitchen while baking a birthday cake for me, Teta Linda did a great job with Maja (don't worry Linda, it must be something about the kitchen... remember I nearly burned it down earlier in the week by turning on the wrong burner and melting a bag of pasta on the burner and starting a full out fire)! :) Teta Linda went for a walk with Maja to the movie store, did some make-up shopping at Shoppers, fed Maja her dinner and bottle, and tucked Maja in for the night while Marvin & I went out for dinner! Job well done Teta! And just to show you how good of a job Teta did with putting Maja down for the night, here is a shot of Maja later that night (I love how she's using Pedro as a pillow)...

Earlier today, Teta Linda made Marvin, Bakica and me a wonderful pasta suta lunch ("Friday Nights with Teta" style) - poor Maja missed out because she was napping. Afterwards, Maja, Marvin & I headed over to visit Doug, Anna & Emily for a hour or so. Maja was a bit cranky given she didn't nap for too long this afternoon, so we ended up cutting our visit short so we could get the Princess home, fed and put to bed, which is where our dear Maja is right now.

I Love Carrots & Tap, Tap, Tap...

Ok so Maja doesn't like my carrots, she only likes store bought carrots (similar to how she will only eat store bought green beans) - how rude! :) This morning, at the suggestion of Marvin, I tried giving Maja store bought carrots instead of the ones I've made (and have mixed with anything and everything you can imagine to get her to eat them) and she loves them! What a little bugger she is! I'm sure once my mother reads this, she'll say "Like mother, like daughter"! I guess she gets her picky eating from me.

Yesterday I noticed that Maja is starting to "wave" her right hand a bit. At first I thought she was just really excited but then I started paying a bit more attention and it looks like she's imitating me when I tap two objects together and say "tap, tap, tap". So today whenever she "tapped" I said "tap, tap, tap" and she grinned from ear to ear and the "tapping" got faster! Maybe she's trying to learn morse code so she can chat with Grandpa without anyone else knowing what they're saying...

Earlier today, Bakica came by to watch Maja for a couple of hours so I could go to the gym for a class (thanks a bunch Bakica!). Can you believe that with the exception of one step class over two months ago, I haven't been to the gym or done any kind of physical workout (aside from labour with Maja, of course) in about a year?!? It felt great to finally get back into it but, oh boy, will I ever be sore tomorrow!

Anyhow, here is a shot of Maja from this morning where she's wearing the great shirt that Ben (Christine & Dash's Daddy) got Maja when she was born and the pair of Adidas shoes that Teta Linda gave her for Christmas...

What a Dreary, Drizzly Day...

Last night, Marvin gave me the night off by taking care of Maja after her swimming lesson so I could go out for a Girls Night (thanks Marvin) - what a treat! Last night's night out was held at Sonia's place so all the girls could stop by and "eww" and "ahh" over her adorable twin boys who are just over a month old now. Xavier and Adrian were such angels all night (and I'm sure they loved all the attention they were getting from all those women) and Sonia made quite a dessert spread for all of us (ice cream sundaes with various toppings, fresh fruit, chocolates and whipped cream)! Thanks for a great night Sonia!

It hasn't stopped raining all day today... there's been heavy rain, there's been light rain, there's been acid rain and there's been kisa (rain in Croatian)! What better way to escape the rainy weather blues than to go grocery shopping with your Bakica?!? Earlier today, Bakica, Maja & I headed off to Loblaws so I could pick up a couple of things hassle-free. It was so nice to have Lora there to keep Maja occupied while I ran around. It was also nice to watch Lora with Maja... she was pushing Maja around in the stroller just watching Maja observe everything and everyone around her. Bakica was such a proud Baka today! Here is a shot of Bakica & Maja in the parking lot on the way into the store...
Then this afternoon between naps, Maja sat for a while alone in the living room playing with her toys. I'm always so tickled when I peek around the corner and see her entertaining herself. My favourite is when I catch her with either a furrowed brow trying to figure something out or chatting away to herself. Here is a shot of Maja playing with her toys...

Feeling a Bit Under the Nice Weather...

Don't you just hate it when you get a summer cold? Well, I have to say more than that, I hate my it when daughter gets a spring cold like she has now. :( After recovering from her high fever near the end of last week, Maja was back to her usual self until Sunday night when she started coughing a bit. Then yesterday and today her cough has been joined by a runny nose and a bit of crankiness. Doesn't that suck?!? Oh well, I thought the best way to teach the spring cold a lesson was to blast it with some sunshine mixed with a warm wind and humidity! :) Here are a couple of pictures of Maja and I "attacking" the cold this afternoon in the backyard.

We have recently learned that Maja doesn't like to touch grass with her barefeet. When I try to stand her up on the grass barefoot she lifts up her legs until they are parallel with the ground and then starts to cry! Very amusing for us! Here Maja has just removed her sun hat (not a great thing given how sunny it is right now), is trying to not touch the grass that surrounds her and is a bit confused by the flip flops that are on her feet...
Here Maja is pondering (hence the pointed finger on her cheek) life...

A close up of Maja pondering....
Anyhow, we have to get going... we're about 1/2 an hour away from our swimming lesson!

10 Years Ago Today...

Marked the saddest day of my life - it was the day that my Grandy (my mom's father - Colin Alexander) passed away. The second saddest day of my life (January 29, 2002) was when his wife, my Grandma Evelyn Clara, passed away. Grandy was the first person in my life that had ever died which made it hard to deal with, but he was also one of my favourite people that I had ever met (still the case even to this day), which made it even harder. Even now, there are times that I think about him and I am instantly brought back to tears because I miss him so much (like now).

He was such a special man... he was always so happy and smilie, a true kindred spirit. I can remember sitting around his and my Grandma's dining room table as a teenager playing Rumoli with them... I can still hear him playing Clare de Lune by Claude Debussy or The Entertainer by Scott Joplin (which I have playing in the background as I type this) on our piano at home... and I can still hear him call me his "Sweetie-pie" or call out "Puss Puss Puss" to his cat Puss in White Boots. It was for these reasons, and so many more, that we made Maja's middle name Colleen to honour him.

So today as I remember what a wonderful man my Grandy was and how much of a loss it was to lose him 10 years ago, I want to share with all of you my favourite picture of him..
I miss you Grandy, love Erin.

Happy Mother's Day!

Marvin...
and I...Would like to wish our mothers a Happy Mothers' Day!

Being a mother has made me understand, respect, appreciate and love my mom more than ever before because I now know what it means to be a mom. Mom, thank you for giving yourself to me in all ways possible! Thank you for putting up with my "challenging" ways and my quirky nature... thank you for always being there for me, even when you had other things you wanted (and needed) to do... thank you for being such a great role model for me... thank you for making me who I am today... but most of all, thank you for being such a great mom! I hope you have a great Mother's Day (although it's almost over for you given you're in Greece right now...) and I love you!

And to Lora, Happy Mother's Day to you too! Thank you for being there for Marvin and I whenever we needed you... thank you for being a great mom to my wonderful husband... thank you for being a great mother-in-law to me... thank you for being a great Bakica to Maja... and thank you for raising such a great son and giving me the best husband I could ever ask for.

Now that I'm a mom, I got to finally join in the wonderful celebration of Mother's Day (although technically I was a mom this time last year, I have to say it's so much better being able to hold your child on Mother's Day as opposed to just poke its head through your belly)! The day has been a great day so far... it started off wonderfully as Marvin got up with Maja this morning, entertained her, changed her poopy diaper (extra points), brought her in to see me while I was still lounging in bed, fed her breakfast, got her ready for our brunch with Teta & Bakica and occupied her while we were at brunch so I could enjoy a warm meal (thank Marvin)! I also got two beautiful cards - one from Marvin (which was hand delivered to me along with a hug and kiss) and one from Maja (which was left for me in the fridge beside her food knowing that I'd see it there)!

Anyhow, here are some pictures from our brunch with Teta Linda & Bakica at the Mandarin (my pants are still tight and it's been a good couple hours since we came back home)! Here Maja is pointing out the fish and the turtle at the front of the Mandarin to Bakica...

Here Maja is pretending to look at the camera for a nice shot with Teta Linda, but is really watching the fish in the aquarium behind me (she was just fascinated by the fish)...
And here is a shot of the five of us as were left the restaurant stuffed to the gills...
Now for some photos from the past couple of days... On Friday (when Maja still wasn't feeling so great), I spoiled Maja by letting her watch 5 minutes of TV (specifically Captain Hup from Four Squares on the Treehouse channel). Here is a shot of her watching TV and sporting her cute little jumper that Grandma got her before she left for her trip earlier this week...Here's Maja saying "Look what I can do"...
Here Maja is showing off her new pjs with little zebras all over them... And then here is a shot of Maja in the crib yesterday morning as she played with Marvin (she always cracks me up)...
A close up of her foot positioning from in the picture above...
A shot of Maja as she was getting ready to go for a walk with Daddy yesterday afternoon...
Maja double checking that it was in fact Daddy's fingers she was holding (one of her latest tricks - leaning her head waaaay back to see who is with her)...
Last night, Marvin, Maja & I headed over to our friends' place (Nevenka & George) for a nice dinner and great chatting (thanks again for a wonderful evening guys)! Maja made me soooo proud yesterday (not that she doesn't make me proud other days, but yesterday she made me extra proud)! First, she napped in the car on the way to our friends' house, which made for a refreshed and friendly Maja just in time for when we arrived. Then she was very sociable with our hosts and was passed around from person to person without making a fuss at all (and even went for a short ride on the back of their golden lab on the deck). And then, she went to sleep for the night upstairs in their bedroom with only a little bit of encouragement from me. She stayed asleep until we had to wake her up at 11:30pm when we left for the night, at which time she was very smily again and was her usual charming self. Just in case I haven't told all fo you this before... I love our daughter very much - she is such a sweetie!

Les Misérables...

As today's title suggests, today Maja is having a down right miserable day... she isn't feeling herself these days. :( Yesterday morning I noticed Maja was a bit more clingy than usual, and of course, being the new mom that I am I immediately attributed it to the fact that I was somehow to blame and must have been holding her too much lately and that if I don't want to have a spoiled child I have to get her to start playing more on her own... why do we moms do that to ourselves?!? Anyhow, I digress...

So, Maja was a bit clingy in the morning and although she was just up from a nap and had a full tummy when we went out to have lunch with my friend Sevana, Maja was quite cranky and felt warm throughout the lunch (very out of character for her). Then before I had a chance to drive all the way home, poor Maja fell asleep in the car. When I got her home and took her temperature, she had a fever of 102.6 - yikes! After giving her some Tylenol she napped a bit and her temperature fell a bit but she still was pretty miserable. Anyhow, last night wasn't a great night for her and although she seemed ok when she first woke up this morning, she is back to having a temperature. :( Not even a drop-in visit from Bakica this morning could raise Maja's spirits for more than a minute or two. :(

So unfortunately, no pictures from yesterday or today... maybe this afternoon she'll feel a bit better and will pose for a picture or two. Hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful weather we're having (27 degrees and sunny for those of you not in town - ahem... Grandma & Grandpa).

Some Quick Pics...

Maja is now awake and starting to look for a bit of attention from me, so this will be a short update. Here are a couple of shots for your enjoyment!

As you can see by this picture, Maja's hair is starting to get more and more curly. Here is a shot from this morning showing off the curls (I'm sure the humidity these days is helping)...
Yesterday Maja and I went to Sherway Gardens to return a dress I bought for her (too warm for the summer). But right after we returned the dress, we bought (ok, I bought) her a hat. Here's a shot of Maja modelling it (yes, I know it's a bit big and in this picture it looks like she's about to go fishing, but it really is cute on her)...
But as you can see by the picture below, Maja isn't as keen on the hat as I am (maybe she just knows that she's indoors and doesn't really see the need for a hat)...

Later this morning, Maja & I are meeting up with Dash & Christine (and their mom, Steph) to go to a P&G sale. Other than that, our plans for the rest of the day include lounging around in the warm weather... ahhh summer is on it's way!

Buon Giorno, Grandma & Grandpa!

Maja's Log #070807... First day without Grandma & Grandma in the country. Woke up as usual banging legs against crib mattress but just didn't feel the same. Like my legs knew that Grandma & Grandpa not around to hear thunking. Cried out to see if they could hear me... unfortunately only Mommy heard - Grandma & Grandpa probably enjoying lunch at quaint Italian cafe somewhere in Rome... *sigh*.

Last night while I was trying to feed Maja some parsnip and carrot mixture (much to Maja's protesting...), we got a call from Grandpa asking if we could meet him and Grandma at the airport with a copy of their itinerary because they forgot to bring one. Maja was all excited because she thought that meant that she wouldn't have to finish her parsnips and carrots (and completely bypass the broccoli that was to follow them) - unfortunately for her, the veggie-fest was just postponed until we got back. :) Here are a couple of shots of Maja saying one more goodbye to Grandma & Grandpa at the airport. Don't their giddy "Hey-I'm-leaving-for-vacation-in-an-hour-or-two" smiles just make you sick?!? :)

Here's Grandma with Maja...
Here's Maja (sporting Grandpa's sunglasses) trying to show Grandpa her LeapFrog book - "No, no, no, Grandpa... forget about the cruise, look at my book!"...
And here's a close up of Maja in Grandpa's sunglasses...

Today's Blog is Brought to You By Grandma...

Ok, so maybe not all the photos were taken by Grandma, but enough of them were to justify the title. Today is a bitter sweet day in that it marks the last day that Maja (and me for that matter) will see Grandma (and Grandpa too) for almost three and a half weeks. Grandma & Grandpa leave tonight to go on a wonderful cruise vacation around the Meditteranean! We are all very jealous, but still hope they have a great time. We'll miss you guys but promise to keep you guys up to date on our adventures via daily (hopefully) blog updates. So, in honour of Grandma who likes to take a lot of photos, today's blog contains a lot of photos as a "Bon Voyage" for Grandma! Love you lots guys and come back safely!

Here is a shot of Maja "multi-tasking" last Friday - how many of you can jump, eat a carrot and play with your activity arch at the same time?!? Maybe she'll be a one-woman band when she grows up...
For the past 30 years or so, my family has been getting together for Mother's Day brunch with close family friends. But, because this year Grandma & Grandpa will be in Europe (Croatia specifically...) on the actual Mother's Day, we got together yesterday instead. Here's a nice shot of Grandma with her two cutie-pie Granddaughters (Anna on the left and Maja on the right). Maja was asking for a high-five from Anna but Anna was too busy eating her waffle and just left Maja hanging...
Given Anna has three older brothers, she was delighted to finally catch up with Maja and do some girlie things yesterday while the rest of us were eating lunch. Here is a shot of them hanging out under the table comparing purses...
To get one last dose of Maja before she leaves, Grandma stopped by this morning, which was a real treat for both Maja and me (I always love our chats and time together, Mom!). Maja took this opportunity to show Grandma some of her new tricks. Here Maja is just about to open up her bedroom door to surprise Grandma as she came up the stairs (look carefully for Maja's little fingers)...

And tada! Welcome to my room Grandma...
Maja looking cute in the little lamb overalls Grandma & Grandpa gave her...
Maja showing Grandma where she keeps her toy stash these days (I've finally been able to find a place for all of the dishes that used to be in those cabinets so Maja can have the cupboard to herself)... Maja taking Grandma for a walk out in the backyard...

Maja hanging out on the stump on the patio...
Grandma & Maja checking out the back lawn for weeds...

Maja sharing her toys with Grandma on the blankets in the back...

Maja looking for the woodpecker that was trying to reach Grandpa via morsecode...

Bon Voyage Grandma & Grandpa - we love you!