Just Hangin Around...

In case you were wondering what a typical day in the life of Maria is like, here is a little snippet: I usually get up anywhere between 6:45 and 7:30 a.m. I throw back a bottle of milk before I do anything else and then I usually floss and brush my teeth for about 1/2 hour every morning. Most days I spend taking things out of drawers, trying on every pair of my mom's shoes, taking every book off the shelf and ripping out the pages, and trying very hard to get a cookie. Here are just a few pictures of me just "hanging around"...

Grandma Dar was here a couple weeks ago...as you can see from the smile on my face, I LOVE Grandma Dar!

A large part of my day also consists of chasing after Jacob. Is it just me, or does he look slightly annoyed here in this photo? I think he was exasperated with all the kisses I had just given him...

Did you say "Cookie?"

I am my father's daugher, there's no doubt about that...nope, none whatsoever. If it weren't obvious to you before with my big eyes and curly hair, then my newfound ability to exclaim my love for cookies has to prove it to you! I have discovered that if I actually say the word, "cookie," I am rewarded by, you guessed it, a cookie! I LOVE this game! Here I am with spaghetti all over my face practicing a few words.

Trick or Treat!

Halloween 2008 was a huge success in my book. Why you ask? Well, for starters I was allowed to skip my afternoon nap (which actually ended up being a problem later on that night). I was also allowed to stay up way later than my usual 7:00 bedtime, eat way more candy/sugar in one evening than I've consumed so far in my entire 14 month existence, and I got to hang out with Lucy the Piglet and Jacob the Dragon!! I kicked-off the night by strolling down to Fells Point to meet up with about 1000 other kids and their parents, all dressed up in their costumes. It didn't take me long to fall in the dirt, rip my tights, and figure out how to rip my bear hat off! Then we came back home, and I made the rounds of the neighborhood.

Here I am with JJ on his Grandma's lap. This was the only way Mommy and Josh could contain both of us long enough to get a picture.

I recently started passing out hugs and kisses, and Lucy is my favorite target! Lucy also likes to pass out hugs and kisses, so she doesn't mind! Here we are hugging in the park in our costumes, although a balloon got in the way right as the camera flashed, so the picture isn't perfect.

More Pumpkin Patches???

Well, my speculations that I was going to visit two more Pumpkin Patches proved to be dead on! I think it's safe to say that I am 'pumpkin-patched out!' Grammy and Grampa Rivera came down to visit me a few weeks back, and I took 'em to the Cadillac of Pumpkin Patches out in Westminster, MD. This joint had apple-picking, a petting zoo, live music (to which I enjoyed displaying my dance moves for a very large crowd), and of course TONS of pumpkins! There was one small hiccup though...there was a huge McCain-Palin sign at the front entrance. My daddy almost turned the car around when we saw that, but since we had driven an hour to get there, we decided to stay. As it turned out, their marketing efforts were fruitless anyway!

Here I am at Weber Farms again, but this time with my gal pals, Lily and Lucy. My mom and dad put me in this Bumble-bee get-up that was obviously way too small for me...hence the "hunched-over" look I am sporting in all of the pictures here. Thank goodness I'm still in diapers, otherwise that wedgie could've caused some serious damage!

Pumpkin Patch Season

So far this year, I've already been to 2 pumpkin patches and I've heard talk of going to 2 more. Now this is fine and dandy with me, just as long as those pumpkin patches have apples. I have discovered that there is nothing I love more than to crunch on a good, juicy, messy apple. It feels so good on my teeth (which, by the way, I now have 8 with 2 more on their way) and the juice is unlike anything I've ever tasted! Ok, enough on apples... On to the pumpkin patches. Lucy and I hit up the Harvest Fest down at the Inner Harbor this past weekend. Good times. We ate a few peas, made our way through the hay maze, and listened to a crazy old guy play a guitar (and I of course was dancing even though it wasn't my preferred rap music).
I also had my first carousel ride with Daddy. Wow!! I didn't want that horse to stop...I kept bouncing and kicking the horse hoping he would keep going, but I guess he was too pooped after all that running with both Daddy and I on his back.

Here I am at the second pumpkin patch. And here I am pushing the wagon instead of riding in the wagon...

This exact picture was also taken a year ago...wow, what a difference one year makes! I couldn't even keep my eyes open last year!
All those flowers looked so tasty! I couldn't resist tasting one or two of them before Mommy and Daddy caught me with the petals in my mouth. I still prefer the apples though...

So the word on the street is that I'm going back to this pumpkin patch dressed in my Halloween Costume, which to my knowledge is still undecided at this point. Guess my mommy better get busy!

Action-Packed Trip to Michigan

I took another trip to the north to visit my family in Michigan, and man oh man, it was one entire week jam-packed with visiting family! We no sooner arrived in Grandma Dar's driveway than the Ice Cream Truck pulled up. I tell you--Grandma sure pulls out all the stops for me! So I kicked-off my visit in Michigan with an Ice Cream Sandwich and a mischief-free night full of fun with my Aunt Sandy while my parents, Grandma, and Uncle Elliot hit up Katie Jonker's wedding in Frankenmuth. (Apparently Aunt Sandy used to get into a lot of trouble while baby-sitting my mom--we're talking broken lamp shades, broken faucets...you name it)

By the way-my parents decided to abandon me for most of the trip and left me with Grandma Dar. Let me just say that I am A-okay with this arrangement because Grandma Dar spoils the h-e-double hockey sticks out of me. In fact, we got so cozy together that somehow I was mistakenly calling her "Mama" by the time my mommy returned from her galvanting around the state of Michigan. During my time in Michigan, I was able to visit with my all Great Grandparents, Grandpa Crabtree, Uncle Elliot, and lots of mommy's friends. I spent the night with my Great Aunt Claudia, Uncle Don, and cousins Eric, Ben, and Alex.

Here I am with Aunt Claudia as the center of attention...as usual!

Me and Alivia. I had major "Big Girl" syndrome around her. She is so cool!

Also-as a bonus, we met up with the "Boys" for breakfast in Ann Arbor right before I hopped on the plane to come back home. The boys include Uncle Johnny, Uncle Richie, and "Uncle" Kevin. (note-Kevin is not really my uncle, but he sends me birthday stuff...so in my book, he counts as an uncle!). I don't have any pictures from this event, but I sure did enjoy my French Toast and Uncle Richie's omelettes at the Big Boy!

Here are some pictures of Tricia's wedding. Wow--she sure was a beautiful bride! She looked like a princess in that dress. I wish I could have seen her!

Here is my mommy with Katie Jonker at her wedding in Frankenmuth. Another beautiful bride!

Oh-I guess my parents thought they needed a little R&R, so they drove up to northern Michigan where they stayed in a gorgeous hotel overlooking Lake Michigan, enjoyed nice dinners, and staked out their dream house. (Well, this would be mommy's dream house) When will I be included in these trips? I like wine tasting...

Trouble has Wheels

That's right, folks. Look out cuz here I come! No more crawling, scooting, or rolling...that stuff is for the birds. Perhaps my biggest piece of news is that I have now officially entered into the vertical world because I can stand, walk, and even run sometimes if I think someone is chasing me (or when I feel like really scaring my mommy and pretending to go in the street). I took my first steps a week before my birthday, but I really took off about a week after my birthday. Every day it seems that I get faster and faster and faster and faster (and faster...).

Now that I can walk, I enjoy pushing things to exemplify my strength. My buddy, Lucy, came over one night and I pushed her around in this car for almost a half an hour. She prefers to drive anyway. I also had to come to the rescue of my mom at Costco by helping her push the cart, which was stock full of stuff with no room for me. Together-we made it to the cash register safe and soundly. (I needed a little assistance in steering because I couldn't quite see over the cart) I also enjoy pushing my new Radio Flyer Wagon that Grammy and Grampa Rivera gave me for my birthday. I much prefer pushing over riding.

I have some videos of all this activity that I will post later this evening...

I Turned One!

Well, lets start with the oldest news first: I am officially one year old as of September 7, 2008. I don't like to brag, but I must admit that I have mastered quite a few survival skills during this first year here on earth. I am proficient in ripping apart almost anything given to me, I can climb on furniture and out of my crib if the need arises, and I can cut a rug like nobody's business....just to name a few. (For those of you who don't know what "cut a rug" means, it's code for dancing. I prefer rap music to really get my groove on)

My mom and dad threw a party to celebrate my first year, and all my Grandparents decided to show up for the event. It seemed like a lot of fuss and muss for a few hours, but at least I got to hang out with all my buddies at a bar and throw back a few (bottles of milk, that is). Yes, that is correct: my first birthday party was at a bar in downtown Baltimore. Apparently, Hurricane Hannah also decided to show up and celebrate my first birthday, so we couldn't have a back-yard BBQ. Guess I'm just a popular gal!

This is the cake that my mom and Lucy's mom, Kim, baked for me. My mom was very proud (and shocked) at how nicely this cake turned out. I won't spill the beans that Kim did most of the decorating...oops, did I just say that out loud?

Here is everyone singing Happy Birthday to me. I wasn't prepared for such a large amount of attention...but I think I can get used to it. I was not in the best of moods the day of my birthday. The hurricane really rained on my parade--pun intended. I was all set to enjoy a nice afternoon full of sunshine and popping balloons, and instead I got stuck in this 6' x 6' contraption that my parents thought was the greatest idea since sliced bread! Well, I didn't spend much time in that thing (as you can see I am not in this picture). I insisted on being held and was subsequently passed around from one Grandparent to the next...just the way I like it! After all, it was my party and I can cry if I want to!

Tearing up the Beach!

I had my first official beach vacation last week in Charlestown, Rhode Island. My Dad and I drove up to Grammy and Grandpa Rivera's house together while my mom was off partying in Michigan. (Don't forget to ask my daddy about his experience going to the restroom with me at a rest area on the way up to Connecticut!) We finally made it into Charlestown on Saturday night just in time for me to check out the swing-set in the backyard of our rental house with Uncle Johnny before I had to go to bed.

In preparation for this trip, I wanted to make sure my swimming goggles were fitting nice and snug. I hate it when the salt water gets inside!

As you can see, I had loads of fun frolicking on the beach (swimsuit or no swimsuit), getting all dressed up for dinner, and snuggling with Grammy Rivera. Grandpa Rivera is one crazy guy. He's always making these scary animal sounds, but they never fail to crack me up! Even when I just look at him I start laughing! Grandma Pat and Grandpa Art were also in tow, and I had fun crawling all around them at our house. I especially prefer to go through Grandma Pat's legs making her very nervous. I think they were tired out by just watching me!

Jacob Turns One!

So my buddy "JJ" turned one this month. I got all dressed up in my party dress for his big bash, but I don't think he even noticed! I guess he was busy checking out all the other ladies at the party since we see each other every day. His mommy had lots of good food for us to eat, so I completely pigged out and made a big mess of their table cloth (sorry Stacy!). Jacob got a lot of cool toys for his birthday, so I hope he will share them with me when I'm at his house. (I especially liked that big ball machine, Jacob!) I thought it was only appropriate to give him a kiss for his birthday, but he seemed more interested in his cake. Oh well! I had fun swimming in his Grandma's pool with Daddy.

Grandma Dar and Aunt Sandy's Summer Visit

My Grandma Dar and Aunt Sandy were in town for a whole week, and boy did they ever spoil me rotten! I got loaded up with lots of fancy things to wear on my vacation, they took me to Fells Point a few times, we went shopping at Nordstroms, and we even went swimming at the Patterson Park pool! I think my mom and dad enjoyed having them here for the whole week because the house was spotless, the laundry was always done, and for some reason the kitchen always smelled like freshly baked pie...no one shared any of the pies with me. I can't wait for Grandma Dar to come back for my birthday party in a couple weeks!

Pigtails!

My mom recently decided to try a new hairdo on me, and quite frankly, I'm still undecided on how I feel about these things called pigtails. I like to grab them and pull them out and put the clips in my mouth, but other than that...I could take them or leave them. Although I have now discovered that I have quite a bit of hair on my head, and I have been having fun pulling it and getting sticky things caught in my hair. One good thing about these pigtails is that people have stopped mistaking me for a boy. You'd think the pink and purple outfits would be enough of a clue, but obviously some people are color blind...

Dog Days of Summer

Boy, this summer has been jam-packed full of activities that I haven't even had time to post any new blog entries! I've been busy making new friends, traveling to Connecticut to visit with the Rivera side of my family, having fun with Grandma Dar and Aunt Sandy while they are in Baltimore visiting me, going to concerts in the park with my buddies, attending birthday parties, and getting ready for my big summer vacation! As you can tell, I'm quite the socialiate for an 11 month old. I take after my Uncle Elliot in that department :)

Here I am with my Uncle Richie and Lynne and Uncle Johnny and Desirae at Grammy and Grandpa Rivera's house in Connecticut. I love my uncles, but honestly, that crazy dog Elvis is my personal favorite! We like to take turns licking each other's faces! Elvis also likes to sit right next to my high chair when I eat...for some reason he's extra friendly during those feeding times.

Even with all this activity, I have still managed to perfect my crawling and mobility skills. I can get around pretty darn quickly these days...sometimes my mommy can't even keep up with me! I have found that I can get into mischief pretty easily, so my mommy and daddy started putting up these darn gates. I'm not a happy camper when those things come out--they get in the way of my "Search and Destroy" mode that my Daddy affectionately calls my mischievious activity. Jacob and I like to check out small places together, and occassionally we get stuck!

Here I am with my friends, Lily and Lucy at the concert in Patterson Park. I enjoyed eating all of Lucy's watermelon and pita bread for dinner, and I didn't care for any of the crap my mommy packed for me. Lucy's was much better!

Stay tuned for more pictures and stories from my vacation in Rhode Island!!! (By the way-my mommy finally got on the bandwagon and learned how to do this blog thing, so she's helping me out now) Later moons...