Last week Ryan's parents came to visit and spent a few days spoiling Maeli. As always, she loved the attention and had fun getting to play with her Grandma and Grandpa McFarlane. 
While here, Ryan's parents wanted to teach Maeli how to climb up and down the stairs. 
As you can see, she worked hard and with a little bit of help made it to the top. 
After mastering the art of crawling, Maeli quickly moved on to bigger and better things. Now that she is mobile, she loves pulling herself up on ANYTHING she can reach. Needless to say, we're quickly realizing how non baby-proof our house really is. 
Since the weather is absolutely perfect right now, we've been spending a lot more time outside. We've quickly learned that Maeli loves the grass and can't wait to explore everything around her.
I swear I don't only choose to post pictures where Maeli looks like this, but she literally has this look on her face ALL of the time. She especially loves the camera and lights up every time she sees it. What can I say, the girl loves the camera!
During a recent playtime, Maeli decided to have a wrestling match with her doll.
Don't be fooled by the picture of her kissing the baby - this was a hardcore death-match complete with grunting and biting. Needless to say, my girl came out on top. ;-)
**Note: No babies were actually given Mountain Dew slushies for the taking of this picture - the cup was used solely for straw chewing purposes.
I guess we better put up the baby gates because this girl is just about ready to crawl!
Maeli Cakes,
We cannot believe you are already 6 months old! Who knew such a little peanut could bring so much joy to our lives. It seems like just yesterday the nurse was calling you a little gummy bear on the ultrasound screen.
It's amazing to see how much you learn every day. In addition to learning to sit up on your own, you recently started getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth. You are SO close to crawling - you just haven't quite mastered the movement of your arms. Maeli, you are a very determined baby and refuse to give up until you get what you want. As you begin to master new skills, you get very excited and even wake up in the middle of the night to practice. At night we often wake to you babbling only to find you rocking back and forth on all fours in your crib. Sorry that we're not quite as enthusiastic about playing at 2 in the morning. ;-)
Maeli, you may be tiny but you are deceptively strong (especially your cry). You are also quite the little trouble-maker. It seems like every time we turn around, you're getting into something that you shouldn't be. At a recent Costco trip, Mom let you bite her straw only to realize that you had started sucking and were drinking her soda. Dad will most likely never let her live that one down.
Maeli, we know that you are your mother's daughter because you LOVE food. You'll eat almost anything...almost. We recently started you on solids and so far you love bananas, applesauce, carrots, peas, and kiwi. Unfortunately, you haven't been quite as fond of broccoli and avocados. We've noticed that you are particularly fond of whatever WE are eating. And since you've recently become very "grabby," we spend the majority of our mealtimes trying to keep you from stealing our food.
We're quickly learning that it's tough to be mad at that contagious smile of yours. You make friends with strangers everywhere we go by batting your big blue eyes and flashing your smile. Getting through a trip to the store can often be quite the task since you want to stop and play with everyone we meet. Your dad and I can't believe how much joy you bring to our lives. It's hard to even remember what life was like without you. We're so excited to call you ours and can't wait to see what new developments you make over the next 6 months.
Love,
Mom & Dad
Besides being the only child, Maeli is also the only grandchild (on my side of the family) who lives close by. So as you can probably imagine, she is EXTREMELY spoiled by her grandparents.
My dad has several horses and was nice enough to take Maeli on her first horse ride. Although she's not quite old enough to ride on her own, she enjoyed getting to ride with the help of her dad. Who knows, maybe she'll be a horse lover and will fulfill her grandpa's long lost dream of having a cowgirl in the family!
Maeli has recently become infatuated with mirrors. She loves talking to herself and touching the mirror. We've decided that we either have a very vain daughter or Maeli has made a new best friend. 
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