because i have so much time to waste...

This website is seriously addicting. Someone stop me now...

Your Goth Name is:

Draconia Absinthe

What's Your Goth Name?

Your Lucky Underwear is Purple

Dreamy and idealistic, you envision great things for your life. Your lucky purple underwear can make those dreams come true! You're a busy little butterfly. You have the most projects, interests, and friends of anyone you know. You also have a flair for the dramatic. Sometimes too much drama comes in to your life and brings things to a stop. If you want to focus more, and flutter less, put on your purple underpants. They'll help you get the important things done.

What Color Is Your Lucky Underwear?

Your Karaoke Theme Song is "Since U Been Gone"

You are a very expressive and genuine person. You're not so emotional that you wear your heart on your sleeve - but you're not afraid to show how you're truly feeling. Whether you're singing along in the car or singing on stage, your favorite songs make you get a little carried away. You're definitely the type most likely to dream of becoming a rock star! You might also sing: "Livin' La Vida Loca," "I Will Survive," or "Hollaback Girl" Stay away from people who sing: "I'll Make Love to You"

What's Your Karaoke Theme Song?

You Are Vanilla Ice Cream

Your personality is anything but "vanilla" You're a risk taker, who's up for anything new. You go well with anyone and fit into any situation. You are most compatible with rocky road ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

You Are 100% Yankee, 0% Dixie

You're so Yankee, it's possible you've never even been to the South!

Are You a Yankee or Dixie?

You Are Socks!

Cozy and warm... but easily lost. You make a good puppet.

What Crappy Christmas Gift Are You?

You Are Pumpkin Pie

You're the perfect combo of uniqueness and quality. You're able to relate to many types of people with many different tastes. But you're by no means generic or ordinary. In fact, you're one of the most original people around. Those who like you are looking for something (someone!) special. You tend confuse people when they first meet you. You're not as complicated as you seem. Even though you have a lot of spice and flavor to you, you're never overpowering. You are a calm and comforting force in people's lives.

What Kind of Pie Are You?

What Your Dreams Mean...

Your dreams seem to show that you're a bit disturbed... but nothing serious. You may have a problem you're trying to work out in your sleep. Overall, you are very content in your life. Your dreams tend to reflect your insecurities. You have a very vivid imagination and a rich creative mind. You secretly want to hide your dreams from your waking mind.

What Do Your Dreams Mean?

Checking In: Nine Months Old

Yesterday Mayumi had her nine-month visit to Dr. Lundgren. I know this will be an oft-repeated phrase, but I can't believe how`quickly she grows up! The doctor was pleased with Maya's health and progress and one again pronounced her perfect. Fortunately she didn't need any vaccinations this time around, but we will have to go in for blood work in the next week to test for lead and iron levels.

Stats

Height: 28 inches (50th percentile)

Weight: 18.7 pounds (50th percentile)

Head Circumference: 18 inches (90th percentile)

Maya is on track for her age. She crawls, pushes herself to a sitting position, pulls herself up to standing, cruises (walks while holding on to furniture), babbles and says "mama" and "dada", claps, responds to some sign language gestures (and occasionally attempts to make signs herself), continues to pee and poo in the toilet, gives kisses and hugs, and dances! Clearly, we think she's lovely and amazing.

Here you'll see how I found her after I left some necklaces out for her to play with after a bath. She put them on all by herself.

There's something decadent and somewhat naughty about wearing nothing but jewelry - very Titanic.

Beantown and Vicinity

We love going home to New England (especially during the summer when we get to escape the DC heat and humidity. Notice the sweater below; that would never happen in DC in July). This is how excited Mayumi was to see everyone:

Time With Mama

In Maine (where Mike was meeting with the governor regarding an interesting economic development program)

Luvin' mama in New Hampshire.

Cuddling in Massachusetts.

Time With Dada

Smooching in Maine.

Daddy loves trout. Imagine how his eyes glazed over to discover a whole aquarium full at LL Bean in Freeport. He's probably dreaming of fly fishing...
Clapping hands in New Hampshire.

Feeding the ducks in Maine.

Visiting Great-Sithoo and Pa in New Hampshire

Playing games with Pa.
Mmmm, Great-Sithoo is cooking some Lebanese food for us.

Great-Sithoo, Pa, Dada, Maya, Sithoo, Auntie Paula. Four Generations of good-lookin'!

How she could stand to be in the pool is beyond me - I thought the water was freezing. I made Mike go in with her.

Sturgis Side

Lounging with Auntie Annie - she was in town from Utah for a friend's wedding.

Saying bye to Obaa-chan, who is going to live in Japan to take care of her father. VERY sad that she will be so far away - can someone teach me how to use SKYPE?

Typical of Mom, she was busy up until the very last moment. The night before she left, instead of packing and taking it easy she was rushing around, cutting flowers to give to people, doing visiting teaching, etc. Only Mom would be thinking about other people when she's about to leave the country (and her family) for an indefinite amount of time.

These two were like peas in a pod - Uncle Chris and Maya.

Grampa Mark was so fun - he taught Maya how to turn on the light, find her nose, dance, etc. Perhaps the funniest moment on our trip is when we were watching the closing credits of a movie and Maya started bopping her hips to the music while resting on Grampa's tummy.
Visiting cousins Ethan and Aaron, future Olympic gymnasts.

Qualter Side

Getting kisses from Nana and Pops.
Riding with Pops on the lawnmower. Saying hello to Babci in the nursing home.
Four generations of Qualter handsomeness.

Visiting Sandra
We finally got to get out to western Mass to see Sandra. Maya loved her right away - recognized a kindred blonde spirit!
We had dinner and even did a little shopping in the UMass store. Are very much looking forward to auntie mimi coming to visit us in DC in the fall.

Must put in my usual disclaimer: I forgot my camera often and missed out on crucual photos of Maya with her Uncles Mark and Matt (aka Uncle Muscles), Wynda, Great Grammie Erma and Aunt Deanne and Uncle Tom, Ginny and the boys... etc. Apologies to them - hopefully you know how much we love you and how much we loved seeing you. And to those we missed visiting - come down to DC and see us soon! Otherwise, we'll see you in December.

the circle of life

My first night away from my baby was to see The Lion King at the Kennedy Center with Lizzie and Katie. I was so dorky - it was all I could do to keep from singing along during the opening sequence. Overall, I enjoyed it - it was quite a spectacle, but I think they sacrificed some of the storytelling for visual effect. One of my favorite scenes was the mourning of Mufasa (not in the movie version) where the lionesses are crying and they pull blue ribbons from their eyes for tears. I thought that was beautiful. I sat through the entire show with my cell phone clutched in my hand, anticipating a call from Mike to come home and placate Maya. But no call came. She was perfectly fine going to bed with her dada (she usually nurses to sleep).
The real stress of the night came when Liz and I went to get my car from the parking garage. Neither one of us could remember where I had parked and we roamed the various levels searching and searching to no avail. Finally, I shame-facedly asked a security guard to help us and he directed us to an employee in a golf cart who offered to drive us around to help us find it. When he saw us he said, "I know where you're parked. On the red level. I remember when you came in". At least someone remembered!

ice-cream and friends

So, the Friday before I left for Boston I got to see my NYC friends! Izzy and Bryn were in town for a visit so I met up with them and Nicole (whom I never see even though she lives here - bad Laney!). We stopped for ice-cream at this new place on H Street: Sweets 'n Treats. Very nice staff, good prices, but small and not nearly air-conditioned enough for a hot DC summer day. But it was so nice to catch up with the ladies. Izzy gets to know Mayumi
I heart Izzy, Bryn, and Nicole.

Maya hearts Pooh Bear.

where have we been?

Traveling, out-and-about. A bit frazzled. Cancelled flights, long drives, cramming in a lot of people and places. Much to catch up on. Stay tuned...

shirtless missionaries?

My sister alerted me to an AP article about this guy that got excommunicated from the LDS church for creating this calendar of shirtless Mormon missionaries. I'm both amused and appalled.

But it kind of got me to thinking about some other entrepreneurial ventures. What about taking pictures of animals wearing hip-hop jewelry, or bikinis, or velour pants that say "JUICY" across the butt? There's nothing offensive about our pets being immodest, right? Or, in the opposite direction, we could compile images of "sweet spirited" women in pioneer/Amish garb. We could launch a whole ANTI-SEXY movement. It may not be lucrative, but what a statement! And not as stomach churning (and provocative - admit it, you want to see this calendar) as 19 year-old missionaries in their birthday suits.

summer days

This afternoon I offered to watch Sofia so that her mom, Meredith, could have some one-on-one time with Sofia's twin sister, Mirabel. We started out by doing some watercoloring. Mayumi was relegated to literally only using water... and she didn't quite understand the whole concept of painting on paper anyhow. But she loved having Sofia around to play with and observe. We took the metrobus (a first for Sofia) downtown and met Katie and Cora in the park where we fed the birds, watched a Native American demonstration by the Capitol Building and then got an ice-cream on the way home.

After Sofia went home, Mayumi and I went to watch Mike and Eagle play in a softball game at Hain's Point. Guess where they played? On a field right at the tip where the Awakening statue used to be. That's right, folks, where it used to be - they MOVED it! I'm a little disturbed that they can just up and move a landmark like that. What it used to look like.what it looks like now.

Eagle takes a swing

Mike wacks it out of the ball park

Dada's biggest fans.

lunch

Mayumi has interesting eating habits. She loves food, but she doesn't like to eat pureed, jarred stuff anymore. What she REALLY loves is Japanese food. Tofu, nori, rice, osenbe, miso soup... and sometimes she won't eat something if you feed it to her on a baby spoon, but if you use chopsticks, then she's all into it! Today we had rice wrapped in nori with some umeboshi (pickled plum) for lunch. She couldn't get enough of it. I could barely keep up. I'm glad this is more evidence that she is, indeed, my child.

ohashi
little maki rolls - they take forever to make!
yum
nori on the chin