New Kicks

Maddie bought Taylor her first pair of real shoes today while we were at the mall. She looks so cute walking in them because she lifts her knees real high like the shoes weigh a ton. I feel like they instantly erased any trace of baby that she had left in her... it makes me a little sad.

11.5 months

Busy Busy Busy... haven't had a moment to write Taylor's 11 month post but I don't want to miss it!

Is our Baby really almost one? I can't believe how fast this is all going and just like months past Taylor seems to be changing just as rapidly as ever. I don't even know where to start. She has been getting in to things and exploring her little world more and more and she is always so proud of herself. The kitchen and her bedroom are her favorite rooms in the house. She can pull her clothes out of her drawers for minutes (ha ha-a long time for her) at a time, put them back, and start again. Folding laundry has become an impossible task with her around. In the kitchen she likes to pull the sandwich bags out of one drawer and put them in another drawer. There is a method to her madness and if I could understand her babbles I am sure I would get it.

Save me from this grass

At times Taylor's energy seems to be endless and sitting still for 2 seconds is completely out of the question, but she is starting to become more and more of a cuddle bug. She has this ability to completely melt us when she is going, going, going and then crawls over to us and lays her head in our lap. It may only last for a few seconds but it is wonderful- Emma thinks so too! She is starting to love her blanky and will take a break from playing to grab it and hug it for a second. Ahh, adorable.

Taylor is really understand general conversation and is picking up on things and doing things that we haven't taught her. The first time she did this we said, "Taylor you want to go night night?" and she grabbed her blanket and dropped to the floor pretending to sleep. Mike and I both looked at each other like, "did you teach her that?" She amazes us with these things all the time now... wiping her nose with a tissue, putting phones to her ear, brushing her hair, and trying to use qtips. It is amazing how much she can pick up ( it is time to curb the potty mouth Mike!)



Taylor has shown little interest in walking. She can stand on her own when she doesn't realize that she is doing it but when I try to tell to stand and try to let go of her, she collapse with what I call "noodle legs." Just over the past couple of days she started reaching from one thing to another, tries to take a step, and collapses to her knees. I think she may finally be starting to realize that walking would be better then crawling. I have a feeling it is just around the corner since things seems to progress pretty quickly.

Mom, we want to go outside

One thing that Mike and I will need and will probably get much practice with is not laughing when she does things we don't want to perpetuate. She is starting to know how to make us laugh and unfortunately some of these things are not really socially appropriate behaviors. I was feeding her lunch the other day and she refused to open her mouth. After trying and trying I was about to give up when she opened as wide as ever and I quickly put a huge spoonful in... only to have her spray it back at me. It was as if she was saying, "alright mom, I will show you what happens when you force me to eat something I don't want." I couldn't help but laugh out loud all the while knowing I was making a huge mistake! I guess we will just have to keep working on this one!

Boat Ride (more vacation pics)

Here is Taylor enjoying her first boat ride. She seemed to like being out on the water although the lifevest made any movements pretty tough.

Hats and sunglasses, always a good time.

Islamorada, Florida... to be continued

We enjoyed a family vacation in Islamorada, Florida. It was wonderful. The weather was 75 and sunny, the house was beautiful, the food was good, and I enjoyed a margarita or blue moon everyday... most importantly we spent time with my wonderful parents, Grandmother, Brother, Sister-in-law, niece, and nephews. Taylor was loving life too... so much so she didn't want to sleep past 4:30 or 5am. The one morning I was walking around outside with her at about 4:45am feeling a little cranky about it and I realized that walking on the dock and looking up at the amazing stars was much much better than the alternative which would have been me pacing my hallways with her at home! Truth be told though, Mike was a trooper and got up with her the majority of the mornings!

We were so lucky to have a pool at our house because Taylor loves the water! It was a little nerve wracking at times since she is a speed crawler with no fear... bad combo!

Taylor's stranger anxiety was a little heightened being in a new place with some new people to meet but she took to the kids immediately. They were so great with her. I wish we lived closer... hopefully lots of visits in the future!

Although Taylor was beautiful in her dress and we got lots of great pictures it was a little frustrating for her because it is basically impossible to crawl in a dress. The poor thing had to lift her knees off the ground and basically walk with her hands down (can you get the visual?). I thought it would motivate her to walk but that wasn't the case!

This was early one morning while Mike was trying to quietly entertain her... a cell phone always does the trick!We went to a dolphin and sea lion show and Taylor was very impressed. Each one was about a 1/2 hour and she was completely engrossed. You can see the intensity in her eyebrows!

I have more pics to post and more to write but I haven't had much time... I will add more and do her 11 month post eventually!!

TLC

Emma is recovering from a minor surgery to have two lumps removed. We are keeping our fingers crossed that she is healthy and that they are not cancerous. In the meantime we are giving her some TLC... which is always the best when it is coming from Taylor.

It is nothing that a little smack with a maraca can't help!

Sleep is good

I think Taylor is finally starting to like to sleep and I love it because this has translated in to longer naps. Occasionally the longer naps are in my arms which I can't complain about... for two reasons- 1. it is the only time I get to sit during the day 2. there is nothing I love more than snuggling her in my arms and watching her sleep. As she gets older I realize that this isn't going to last forever. When she was a baby baby I used to panic every time I gave in and held her to sleep because I thought I would ruin all potential of having a good sleeper but now I just enjoy every moment that we get to cuddle!

The other day after coming home from a busy day at Gram's Taylor was spent and she fell asleep in my arms as I was taking her out of the car seat. After an hour in my arms I laid her on the floor so I could start dinner. After about three minutes in the kitchen I walked out to check on her and this is what I found...

Sometimes Taylor takes a few minutes to adjust to being awake and there isn't too much that can make her happy. I love how annoyed she looks in the picture, like "why are you taking a picture of me mom, can't you see I am cranky?"

Daddy's girl

Taylor has prefered me over Mike for much of her life so far but the tide is turning... She gets upset when he leaves for work in the morning and when he gets home she sprints (in a crawling position!) right towards him. This weekend we went for a walk outside and when she saw her Daddy working in the garage, and slightly ignoring her, she cried. He came out to show her the tape measure and she was surely impressed... like it was the coolest thing she has ever seen!