In Tribute to Astroland (my father)

As has been noted, my father WAS in Arizona for our 'family reunion' in early April, but was not caught on film by me. By my regular camera, that is. I did get a great clip of him dancing with Mayumi, however, which follows. But first, a little background: my father, who is musically inclined, used to sing to us constantly. We each had our own, personally little song. He also had a song for most situations and did not hesitate to sing with gusto (he still does on the front row of church). One of my favorites was a little ditty I learned later was the "Hamm's Beer" jingle (randomly, as my father does not drink). Another was the Marine Corp hymn (he was never in the military). No, there's really no way to explain his huge repetoire but there it is.

The following is one of the things he 'sung' to us as kids, but it also included a dance. We called the song and dance "Dum Dum Dum"--I think you'll see why. Enjoy!

Developmental Steps

Mayumi rarely does anything on cue, but for some reason I was able to capture her clapping here in this video (taken in Arizona!).

The Johnson Family Variety Show

Good times were had at The Stansfield Home in Gilbert, Arizona this April. I hope you enjoy the following pictures...and video!Allie Brooke loves to be in charge of her nieces...especially when they are in the car seats.

New mother Monique with Leah (B'Leah), doing what she does best: sleep.

Allie, too, liked to watch over B'Leah.


I caught a lot of great scenery on film but I'll only feature this one photo.

B'Leah wasn't awake much, but when she was she usually had a big smile and lots of sweetness for everyone.

Some of the family on a hike...four babies = four baby carriers.



Weirdlyl enough I didn't get ANY pictures containing my father--except this (and a few other) video clips. He WAS there--thankfully!

I like to call this "Ballerina with Banana"

Cousins, B'Lily and B'Yumi

My favorite photo--the bathing beauty.

Nate and I promised ourselves we'd start a garden as soon as we owned a home. Well--here we are, planting a garden. In fact, it is planted!

Here I am, earlier this spring, marking off the plot of land in barkyard designated for the garden--20 by 12 ft. Pretty ambitious!! Mayumi is looking on, fascinated.

Some weeks later, our neighbors kindly lent us their rented Rottotiller...and away Nate went. We (maybe mistakenly...we'll see) didn't kill the grass first, and just started hacking away at it.

My friend Rachel, who knows all, is my mentor in this project. She has contributed much and is, in fact, sharing this garden with us. Here she is (in the brown shirt) working the ground (you'll notice the nice brown dirt-i-ness of it...we had some topsoil and compost brought in). I am planting the first row of Alaska Peas.

And while I'm at it, I've decided to become as fully 'granola' as possible. To aid me in this plan, my mother kindly gifted me with a wheat grinder! Yay!! here I am grinding my first item--not wheat, as it turns out, but cinamon!! I've since ground much wheat and it makes DELICIOUS bread. Thanks Glo!

What happened to The Caterpiller?

For the longest time I assumed Mayumi could only move backwards, and only by accident. One day, however, I tried to lure her forward by dangling my iPod and lo--she did that breakdancing move The Caterpiller--and speedly crossed the floor to get it. Imagine my shock!

Two weeks ago I took Mayumi to Arizona to see her grandparents, aunties, and cousins, and we all speculated that she'd probably never actually CRAWL (hands and knees), but that she'd go from The Caterpiller to Walking. Three seconds after we said that she proved us wrong...as you can see below:

Happy Birthday Hilary!

Nate, in classic form, came up with a most excellent birthday present this year--a piano!!! Last year, as you can observe on this blog, he made me a kite (from scratch) and took me to the National Mall to fly it--which also happened to be the Cherry Blossom Kite Flying Festival. THIS year, he drove a completely oblivious me to the home of the man selling the piano--and viola! A piano!! Mayumi may be a prodigy just waiting to happen:

Mayumi on the Move

All I want for Easter is my....

And for the visually impaired...

The DC Metro Area

We keep busy here in the DC Metro Area (I like to include Herndon so as to still feel a part of things). The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts puts on an annual cultural exhibition and this year it featured the cultures of the Middle East. Mayumi is posed here in front of the exhibit "The Brides of the Arab World."

In keeping with our literary and cultural ambitions for Mayumi, Nate and I continue to read to her several times daily. I just picked up a new book called "The Best Friends Book" for her yesterday at a cute little book shop in Adams Morgan (D.C.), next to The Shawarma King (1600s block Columbia Road, but although the company of good friends was enjoyable, the food wasn't outstanding...I make far better shawarmas).

Although we hope she'll be an avid reader, Mayumi currently demonstrates the most interest in playing. Especially if it means she can poke, wiggle, giggle, or munch (with her new teeth). Here she is incorporating several of her favorite pasttimes:

The Invalid

Our computer was down for a while, but that didn't stop us from taking millions of pictures and videos. Ah, the digital age...

So we are in catch-up mode here. We hope you enjoy.

During this period of time, Mayumi caught her first flu virus. Considering how much she eats, I shouldn't have been surprised by how much could come out of her, and yet I was startled, even frightened at first. Alas, one large bottle of Pedialyte and seven days later she regained her appetite and keeps it all down.

Something else keeping her up at nights are her TEETH!! Yes, she has two little razor sharp teeth on her bottom gums. Our friend Rachel spotted them first, as you can see from this video:

We promise she's feeling better, in spite of how strung-out she looks in this photo:

Actually, we took this picture at a popular 'dive' on the main drag of our town. We decided to check it out and have confirmed that it lives up to its reputation: absolutely and wretchedly disgusting.

Easily amused

Mayumi is easy entertained. Don't get me wrong; she is just as easily dismayed, discouraged, and...yes, devastated. But when she laughes, it is memorable.

Baby Yumi still cannot crawl, and so relies heavily upon whatever items we put on front of her for entertainment (I know, if we didn't put anything in front of her she might go seek it and THEN start to crawl). I keep a couple of baskets full of random things (the more un-toylike, the better) with which she can play.

Hop on Pop

The Mariana Trench

As I mentioned in a previous post, a glacier developed between our home and our neighbors' house. This is the due to the fact that (apparantly) a spring resides under our houses. Ah. I suppose this explains why our sump pump is constantly working, regardless of whether or not is has rained in the last two weeks.

We have worried about the implications of this...what if our pump broke? How unsafe is this glacier? How ugly the area will be in the spring when it gets swampy? Fortunately, Nate is brilliant.

He devised a "French Drain" and installed it last Saturday.

Speed Reading

I love to read. I love to read so much that my brother once offered to attach a book holder to my bicycle handlebars so I could ride and read simultaneously. You might think a bit extreme, but nothing...not even a shower...could separate me from a book when I was a kid. More than once I slipped water-warped paged books back into the book return at the library and hoped that I wouldn't be charged.

I checked out so many books at a time that I often had trouble locating them all in time for return. Thus, one day while at the library, I was told by a stern-faced librarian that I wouldn't be allowed to check out my stack of 30 new books until I returned the 50 already loaned out to me.

I was devastated, and desperation can make villains out of even the most innocent people. I loaded up my sister Monique's Beneton book back full of those 30 Nancy Drews and Babysitter's Clubs and slipped around the security gates and out the door of the library. I had no intention of STEALING the books--I simply wanted to read them! I fully intended to return them within two weeks or so.

One hour later, however, I was waiting with my siblings at my father's nearby office and feeling the guilt of my crime weighing heavily around my neck, not to mention my BACK. I knew I had to return those books immediately. Assuring my siblings I'd be right back, I dashed back to the library, intending to slide the books back in the door and be gone.

In my agitation, I hadn't thought about the security gates and charged straight through them with my contraband. Alarms went off. Lights started flashing. Iron gates crashed down around me and, worst of all, the stern-faced librarian was trudging toward me, her footsteps thudding like the collapsing pillars in an Indian Jones temple.

One week later found me, my parents, and a panel of concerned librarians in a third-floor conference room in the library. My crime, I was told, was worth $104.50, which totalled approximately 20 hours of labor at minimum wage. And thus my summer plans were sealed: I spent several hours two days a week shelving books for what seemed like eternity.

I am happy to say that this sad tale did not cure me of my love of books. I still adore them, and would like to recommend one Nate and I just listened to. "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman. Read it! Watch Neil read it himself online! You'll be so glad you did.

I have also spent much time building Mayumi's library, and she has an obscene amount of books. We've read so much to her that she already has no problem turning the pages herself. The funny thing is, she turns the pages faster than we can read...as shown in this video. Enjoy!

Nine Months Ago Today...

I have the privilege of being the mother of Mayumi Aziza Ayer, age 9 months. She is an exquisitely beautiful little girl, with a delightful personality to match. Motherhood is hard in ways I never expected, primarily the fact that I am in so in love with this little girl that I simply can't give up my privilege to be her primary caregiver. Thus, I have had to get creative in finding opportunities to keep up my professional self (in lieu of returning to work). Being Mayumi's mother has had many unexpected 'side effects.' I used to count on my 'Jamila Charm' to get me what I want in the world, but all I need now is Mayumi, preferably in a front pack and smiling at whatever hapless victim is in front of me. No one can deny her anything.

I've taken millions of photographs of this little delicious baby and, naturally, they can't compare to the real thing. But let me share a few of my favorites with you. Sometimes Mayumi can't decide which is more diverting--a cell phone or her own feet.
This is rare--Mayumi doesn't really care for sleeping in her carseat. She used to LOATH her carseat, back when we lived in D.C. and rarely used the car. I still rarely use it (we only have the one and Nate drives it to work on cold days (bikes on others)), but she's grown much more used to the idea.

Nate was on the track team in high school and once heard himself referred to as 'that black guy on the track team.' :-) Put Nate and Mayumi in the sun, and they bronze instantly. Lucky!

Nate was sold the moment he saw his little girl. As is often the case, daddy is Mayumi's favorite person in the world it would seem.

Happy Birthday my little darling cuteness!!!

Happy Birthday Baby Leah!

My parents' grandchildren have quadrupled in the last year. Long-time solo grandchild Allie Brooke graciously shared the spotlight last Spring with Mayumi Aziiza and Lily Lou...and now all three have moved over to welcome the newest addition to the family: Leah Nicole Heileson, 8 lbs 1 oz, 21 inches, born this last Wednesday early evening. Leah's mother, Monique, is recovering nicely. Way to go Moey!!! In other news, I learned how to cut Nate's hair! Here I am, clipping Nate's hair (for the first time) in my good friend Rachel's kitchen. Rachel (of crepe fame, c.f. "Crepe Night") knows all things, including how to use clippers. She guided me through this scary first experience. "Number three on top, number one on the sides." Nate now looks like a cadet.

Mayumi has a tendency to wear Nate out (she takes after her mother).

Auntie Moey

Mayumi's Auntie Monique sent her Audrey, the Fashionista Bear when she was still in utero. Audrey is, as her name suggests, in the highest of fashion. Mayumi loves Audrey and, at times, can only be consoled by her.

Giggling Gorgeousness

Our baby loves to laugh. Check out Mayumi giggling with her favorite person in the world--her daddy.

Escape Artist

I left Mayumi alone for a few minutes the other day and I returned to find her as you see her here...Tarzan-like. Like me, she is probably happier with less on. You may notice her jacket and hat sitting next to her; while not quite arctic weather, it has been cold here, and she has to get suited up before going out.

Sadly, I am experiencing trouble with "Blogger" (anyone else?) and I cannot upload one of her latest videos (believe me, we have MANY). It features her conducting another circus-trick with a balloon. Alas, maybe I'll get it successfully posted at a later date.

Never Eat Yellow Snow

Mayumi experienced her real first snowfall this week. Tuesday it was, I believe. Snow fell the entire day and covered our town with a beautiful white blanket. That evening we cleared away the snow from our front walk and sidewalk, feeling very responsible as home owners. This turned out to be a big mistake; later that evening it began to sleet and by morning everything was covered with a thick layer of ice. Pavement that had been covered by snow was now covered with a very crunchy, nearly impenetrable slab of snow. Pavement (like ours) that had been cleared of snow, however, was snow shear ice. Sigh. Having stayed in the previous day, I had to get out. I made plans to visit a friend who lives (normally a 15 minute walk away. About 40 minutes into this walk, however, we had to give up. It was either too slippery OR impossible to move forward in chunky snow. Alas! I am pretty certain Mayumi had a great time.