xoxox

Pearson and I have repeated discussions of who kisses Mae more, he or I? Yes, a silly argument but this is what we talk about. As you can guess, I think I win. He thinks he wins. Regardless of who wins, we love to kiss those chubby cheeks.

You can teach a dog new tricks.

Tonight marked the first time that Mae rolled over from her back to her front. It took quite of bit of coaxing and a little trickery from me but she did it!! As I have said, she doesn't roll. She has done front to back but not the other way. I thought she wouldn't do it because it was a dog trick. It happened during naked time, a nightly ritual where Mae gets to spend time just being in her birthday suit. She loves this time of day and I fear we are encouraging her to be a nudist one day, where she will hang out at Doe Bay but that is another topic for another day.

Tonight started like most, Mae did some time on her tummy, stood for a little bit, then I decided to get out the "egg" shakers (thanks Aunt Heather for them). Mae and I shook them while I sang 'Shake your Boottie" and 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' (a little more appropriate for her age). Then I decided to lay her down and take the shaker away from her (I know not very nice). I placed the shaker above her head (right side) just a little out of reach. She went for it but when she realized she couldn't get to it she gave up. Then I started the coaxing. I started shaking it on the floor right above her head encouraging her to "get it." A couple more failed attempts. So I decided to try the left side. Same thing, she went for it, got half on her side, and realized that she still wasn't going to get it. She started to get a little frustrated, turned red, but kept trying and trying. I stuck with it too. I knew that I could help her roll over or easier yet, i could place the shaker so that she could get it. BUT that wouldn't be her doing it on her own. And FINALLY after many more attempts she did it. Success. I am so proud of Mae and despite her frustration, she stuck with it. I think she might be stubborn like her Dad (and Mom :)

Ba, Ba, Ba, Ba, Ba

Two weeks ago was Mae's six month checkup. At which time, Dr. Sheridan [pediatrician] asked us, "so you have probably been hearing a bunch of consonants sounds, 'ga, ba, da,' and lots of babble?" Pearson and I looked at each other. We have been hearing babble but not consonants sounds. Oh no, two people who love the gift of gab have a daughter that hasn't hit the "developmental timeline for speech." Many questions arose in my mind, 'Was I talking to her enough?' 'Was I reading enough to her?' 'Were we not letting her get a word in edge wise?'

No fear. Without fail our daughter started talking a week later and has been on a role. She has really only mastered the ba, ba, ba sound for now but I am sure her dad is practicing the da, da, da sound with her.

Here is a little video of her. She is also becoming quite a mover.

I like the way you move it, move it.

Mae is approximately six and half months and it is mind blowing the amount that she has accomplished in such a short window of time. I say this in relation to what I have accomplished in the same amount of time. Yes, yes, I have gone through my own discoveries (learned I can't control everything, found a love that I never knew existed, have been able to let things go, etc..) but watching Mae discover her world and herself has been astounding. Everyday is a new and exciting thing and again I am remiss for not writing it all down (mother's guilt) BUT her latest skill is being able to crawl backgrounds. She doesn't do it all the time and I wouldn't say she necessarily LOVES it (I think she does it out of pure frustration) but she is on the move. I am both thrilled by this and also apprehensive. I am thrilled that she is developing and has a curiosity to want to get places. I am apprehensive because I know once it begins, gone are the days of me ever being able to sit down or putting her in one place and her staying there.

In terms of other movement:

• Mae still doesn't want to roll over. She only has gone front to back to date and has made no sign she wants to roll from back to front. I think she thinks rolling is a dog trick, not fit for babies.
• We started table foods a couple of weeks ago so we go some interesting movement down below the belly button (ick!).
• She loves to stand (has for the last month and half) and she is finally mastering the "jump" in the Johnny Jumperoo.

Gold or Silver

I remember singing as a child, "Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold." As I sang that I wondered what that all meant and how I would never, ever have the need to have "silver" friends because I would never move beyond Shelley Street [the street I grewup on] and neither would any of my "gold" friends. Oh, I was so naive. Well as life has it, I grew up, went to college, got a job, moved, moved again, moved again, got married, and had a baby. Needless to say, I am a long way from Shelley Street today and now am a mom and a wife.

As a mom, I have had the fortune to have met and found some truly fantastic women. They are each uniquely intelligent, beautiful, hysterical, and loving. Along with all their many positively wonderful characteristics, they each come with their own little ones, who are equally as unique and amazing. I am thrilled to be able to see all these babies grow up and lay (which they are doing now), then crawl, then walk, then talk alongside Mae. I know she will value friends as much as Pearson and I. She, too, will realize that some days, you feel like wearing gold and other days you feel like wearing silver but being able to wear both is the mark of a great woman.

Photo of Mae last Thursday with her friend Edie at Madrona Playground.

AMAEzing Mommy and Distant Daddy

It's been a few weeks since we shifted to a new dynamic at home, namely Alison being a full-time mom. Unfortunately, during this same time I've been traveling and working quite a bit.

Needless to say, it is not fun to be away from home during this time of growth. Mae is changing daily, probably to the consernation of her mother at times since that change equals more burden on Alison's shoulders.

I remain totally blown away by Alison's energy. It's been tough to be gone while she takes on the bulk of the work, and she is pretty tired these days. Not only does Alison have to take care of Mae, but also Ditka the crazy dog. One of the things that consistently makes me laugh (and cry) is when folks stop me and say, "that dog is such a cute puppy. great puppy energy". My response is generally, "well, ma'am, she's actually 3".

Being a "distant" daddy right now sucks...i never thought I would be that guy, but right now I have to "find time" to play with Mae. I'm looking forward to a pretty free weekend and some fun with Maesers.

It's Not Because We Don't Love You

The Cummguts have had many exciting, noteworthy, and memorable moments over the last couple of years. Nothing more life changing then the birth of our beautiful daughter Mae Rose Cummings. Mae's arrival has brought a completeness to our family that I hadn't realized we were missing. As all parents do, Pearson and I fall more in love with her everyday. With that said, I have felt extreme guilt over the last almost five months that I have not kept a record of the aMAEzing time that we have had with her, the many, many milestones of her life, and our thoughts and feelings about this adventure that we are all on. Folks are not lying when they say time moves so quickly. I am going to try my best to recap/recreate the many moments of the last five months and then try (as I always say I am) to keep posting, maybe even convince Pearson to post a couple of times since this was his idea over two years ago. So Mae, when you read this at age 18, it isn't because we didn't love you, it is simply because we were to busy smelling the roses.