Tybee Island

In March we took a Hunter Family trip to Tybee Island. We stayed for a long weekend and had a wonderful time. We stayed in a REALLY old historic home on Tybee Island for a long weekend. Some of the highlights included walking around river front; walking around Savannah and stopping at several old churches, cemeteries, and parks; eating lunch at a hole in the wall BBQ joint- some of the best BBQ and fried pickles I've ever had; putting together puzzles- I think the grand total was 3; and touring Tybee lighthouse. Of course we also spent a little time on the beach, although it was pretty chilly while we were there. That of course didn't stop Maya, she loved the sand and holding my hands as she walked down the beach. Maya also entertained everyone with her push toy. She was very impressed with the wide open space of the house, and the wood floors made for quite the race track! It was great to have the 3 cousins together and so much fun watching them interact with one anther!

Maya turns One!!

I can not believe that my baby girl is One! Oh, how time flies when you are having fun. I feel like every month gets better and better. We celebrated Maya's 1 year birthday with a family cookout. It was the perfect way to celebrate! Not too overwhelming for Maya, but she was still surrounded by people that love her. I decided to get a little crafty (and as you all know, this is a very rare occasion!) and make her birthday hat and cake. Thankfully I have a wonderful teacher when it comes to making cakes! My mother in law, Marilynn, is so talented and can make the most beautiful cakes. The best part is, they taste good as well!! So, she instructed and I made Maya's first birthday cake, it was a baby face with a birthday hat on. The face was made of vanilla cake and the hat was a chocolate cake. It turned out much better than I had ever imagined! I'm so happy I was able to do this for Maya, but not sure how often it will happen, because it was A LOT of work!

For her birthday Joey and I bought her a little cushiony rocking chair, just her size and some books. It was definitely a hit, she just climbed right in and starting looking at her books. Of course, it also serves as a jungle gym at times!

As far as 1 year accomplishments, Maya has been very busy! She is pretty much wide open all the time, full speed ahead. She still takes 2 naps a day, which surprises a lot of people, but I say if nap time is the ONLY time you are still you probably still need two naps. I know I do! Maya is very independent. Her favorite toy is a little push toy and boy when she is behind that thing, you better look out! She has 5 teeth now, 2 on top and 3 on bottom. She can wave bye-bye which started at 9 months and has now turned into the princess wave instead of waving at herself. She can blow kisses which she also started at 9 months, but can actually do the hand motion now instead of just putting her had to her mouth. Probably her favorite motion is shaking her finger no-no, pretty much anytime she sees one of our dogs she starts shaking her finger no-no (does that tell you anything about how well behaved our dogs are?). She can also sign "more" which she loves to do while she is eating. As far as words go: she is saying Dada, Mama, "ta-ta" which means Till-till for Tillman, and "Jesey" for Jersey, done, and shoe. One of he favorite toys is shape sorter box with 4 sides that they can put shapes in, which she loves to do. I have to turn the box to the right shape, but then she can fit the shape through and always gives herself a round of applause for doing it! The biggest accomplishment is that she started walking 9 days after her birthday. She had taken a couple little steps when she was 11 months old on 2 separate occasions, but nothing for the baby books. But on March 20th, Joey was playing with Maya on the floor in our room and I walked out of the bathroom and she just took off across the floor right to me. I'm talking a least a good 8 steps, full speed ahead, typical Maya style!

I am so thankful and honored that I was chosen to be Maya's mom. She has already brought so much joy, love, and laughter into our lives and it's only just beginning!