Christmas 2010 (Part 3)

Our Christmas adventures continue, this time in slightly warmer Greensboro, NC at my sister's beautiful home.  Seriously, have I ever mentioned jealous I am of their home and how clean it is?  I suppose it's a little easier when you don't work, but then again, I also think of my sister as supermom =). 

But I digress.  December 23rd was a rather low key day.  The first part of the day was spent hanging out and reacquainting the cousins with each other.  Have I mentioned how glad I am Taylor has a boy cousin?  Who else could teach her to do this?

Yep, Will taught Taylor to pick her nose.  At least she's not eating what she finds inside yet!  Will seriously is a great older cousin.  He was very gentle with Taylor the whole time.  Anytime she cried, he'd come over and try to comfort her and he liked playing with her.  Many times during our trip he would say "I think she really likes me."  Yes, Will, we think she does too. 

Later that evening, my sister hosted a big Christmas party for their friends in the neighborhood.  There were lots of kids there!  And a Christmas party with kids would not be complete without....

Santa!  Wondering who's behind that beard?  It was Walker!  My sister asked him to play Santa at the party and he did a great job.  Will didn't even know it was him.  Santa read two books at the party ("Olive the Other Reindeer"- super cute book, and "Twas the Night Before Christmas") and listened to what the kiddos wanted for Christmas. 

Courtney (our super adorable niece) told Santa she wanted a pony (what little girl doesn't?).  In fact, she told everyone not only that she wanted a pony but that she was getting a pony for Christmas.  What did Will want the most?  Rollerblades!  And he was honest when Santa asked him if he thought he would fall down (his response was "well, sometimes I will"). 

And in case you're wondering, Taylor did not sit on Santa's lap.  For one thing, she was already in bed, and for another, I was really afraid she would pull down Walker's beard and ruin the whole illusion.  There's always next year.  =)

In the Air Again (AKA Christmas 2010 part 2)

So our Christmas season continued on Dec. 22nd.  We had plans to fly out of Indianapolis shortly before 8 PM Eastern time.  Since both of us still had school that day, it was going to be really interesting.  But fortunately (or rather to look at the silver lining of a crummy situation) was that the stomach flu that Taylor had on Sunday and Monday transferred to Walker on Tuesday night so I made him stay home from school on Wednesday (could you imagine traveling with a toddler AND a sick hubby?  I don't think so!).   Somehow knowing that he wasn't also rushing home from school helped me feel better.  So shortly after 3 we hopped on the road towards Indy.  Traffic wasn't terrible and thankfully we only got held up for a few minutes around some construction.  We get to the airport and start searching for a parking spot.  Oh boy....it was crowded!  Luckily we found one pretty quickly and let's just say I'm thankful for our small car.  The people on either side of us clearly missed the day parking was covered in driver's ed.  Another blessing was that our car was near one of the "bus stations" and the shuttle pulled up right as we got to the shelter.  So far, so good.  We get in the terminal and yet another blessing- very small line for check in.  Although, I'm not happy that US Airways raised their rates for checked luggage again.   But we can't complain- after all the plane tickets were a very generous gift from my sister.   So we get all checked in and head over to security; the part I was dreading probably the most.  The line wasn't as bad as I thought but turns out it didn't matter how long the line was.  As soon as the TSA guy saw us, he moved back the rope thingy and put us right to the front!  He did that for anyone traveling with small children.  Major props for Indy airport on that one.  NO other airport I've gone through with Taylor has done that (and keep in mind that the last 2 times I traveled with her, I was by myself, had 2 carry ons PLUS a full size stroller and a car seat).   So lesson learned- travel through Indy if possible!!

Since we saved time going through security, we had enough time to get some dinner.  Now here's what does NOT make sense.  Outside of security they have a McDonald's and some other chain fast food places.  Once you get inside the gates though, they have almost nothing.  So we had dinner from Hot Dog King or something like that.  I will admit my corn dog was delicious but it was hard finding something for Taylor.   Luckily a kiosk had bottles of whole chocolate milk so Taylor had that and munched on some french fries.  Ahhhh the food we have to eat when we travel.

So far everything was going pretty well- our plane left on time and the ride wasn't that bad.  Taylor did get a little fussy towards the end of the flight but by this point, she'd been up about 3 hours past her bedtime.   We land in Charlotte and have to do a very fast walk to get to our other gate which feels like it's on the opposite end of the airport.  We barely had time to sit down before they started calling us to board.   Our plane to Greensboro was much smaller- in fact we had to go outside and board from the tarmac.   But it was a good short flight.   And by the time we landed it was now almost 5 hours past Taylor's bed time.  Did she sleep at all on the plane?  NOPE.   It took forever for us to get the stroller from the plane (quick plug for the Chicco lightweight strollers- they come with a carrying bag; MAJOR plus when you're traveling with one on a plane!) but we made it out of there just fine.  Taylor took a quick snooze on the ride to my sister's house and of course was wiiiide awake again once we got settled in the guest room.   It ended up being a very late night for the 3 of us but the most important thing was we got to NC safe and sound and so did all of our luggage.

So ends part 2.....I certainly can ramble on about air travel!   Next up, Christmas party and Christmas Eve in NC!

Christmas 2010 (Part 1)

No telling how many "parts" there will be to our Christmas this year.  I think it will have to do with how long I can sit in the computer chair without my back hurting or my butt going numb (thank you 3rd trimester).

We celebrated our family Christmas early this year due to our trip to NC.  So Christmas morning for us was actually December 18th.  I kinda thought since Taylor is still so young and wasn't anxious to open presents that we could maybe have breakfast first (a very important meal to a preggo) but Walker decided presents were more important. I guess some kids never grow up. =)

I really thought this year would be more exciting for Taylor than last year.  Perhaps it was, but it still wasn't as thrilling as I was imagining (setting my expectations too high again).  Taylor still doesn't quite understand what the big deal with presents is.  Truth be told, Sadie (our dog) was more excited for the presents than Taylor.  In fact, once we let her open one of her presents, she thought every present after that was for her!

Anyway, since finances were a bit tight this year, Walker and I did not spend a lot of money on each other, although I was pleasantly surprised with a new camera bag that has room for my camera and 3 lenses!  As for Taylor's presents...well a lot of them were just birthday presents rewrapped in Christmas paper (hey, this will probably be the ONLY year I get to do that!).   Just to clarify, she never played with any of the presents before Christmas- when she got them for her birthday, I put them all in a big bag out of her reach so they were essentially new toys for her.  I have to say, doing this not only saved us money but it saved us room in the house.  I can't imagine where we would have put any more toys!

But it didn't seem to matter to Taylor what was inside the present; the more fun part was playing with the wrapping paper and tissue paper.  Maybe next year we'll save money again and just give her a big gift bag of tissue paper!

Sadie loved opening her presents

Taylor likes her xylophone

Taylor opens an ornament from my Aunt Rosemary and Uncle Bill

Wheee!  Tissue paper!

And now my butt is numb.  To be continued.....

Why Shutterfly is Awesome

Okay so basically I'm writing this to get 50 free cards from Shutterfly (thanks Emily for spreading word about the promotion!).  I have used Shutterfly in the past for several things.  The most recent project is actually something I can't mention on here because they are gifts and I wouldn't want to spoil it.  However, before that I did design Taylor's birthday invitations using this card:

 But obviously there was a "1" and Taylor's picture instead.  I got a lot of compliments on them.  I must say it was very hard to choose an invitation because there were so many great choices!

We also used Shutterfly for Taylor's birth announcements last year.  What was great was that they doubled as our Christmas card.  Of course they don't have that design available anymore (another great thing about Shutterfly- they constantly get new designs!).  But if you wanted to do something similar, I found this cute announcement/holiday card:

So now I have the task of picking a Christmas card for this year.  I've already taken Taylor's holiday photos and since I got quite a few good ones, I'm going to need a card that holds multiple pictures.
Here are some that I like:

  There are more that I really like, but I don't think I can post them all on here!  Not sure which one we're going with yet so I guess you'll just have to wait for your card to come in the mail.   I love how Shutterfly lets you customize the text on the cards so you can write pretty much anything.  Also, you can change the color and font of the text so the card is really personalized.   Maybe next year we'll make a calendar.  I really like this one:

And let's not forget I'll have to make birth announcements again here in a few months- I just checked out some of the new designs and they are SO adorable. 
Anyway, if you're interested in the blogger promotion that Shutterfly has got check out the requirements here.

Happy shopping and happy blogging!

1 Year Old!

Wow, a year has past already.  Honestly, there have been times this past year where I wondered what I had gotten myself into.  But even though motherhood is extremely difficult at times, it is so much more rewarding than I ever thought it could be.  But enough of my reminiscing... on with the update!

Weight: 16 lbs, 14.5 oz.  So Taylor has gained almost 11 pounds in one year.  So she didn't triple her birth weight like she was supposed to, but she stayed steady on the 4th percentile growth curve so the doctor is not concerned at all.  Honestly, I'm okay with it because she's still very easy to haul around; especially on days like today when she fell asleep in my arms at Target and I had to carry her around the store.  And honestly, 17ish lbs of dead weight is heavy enough!

Height: 27 3/4 inches.  I know I said a few months ago that she was 28 inches but that's because that's what the nurse said at the time.  Taylor did not shrink though.  It's just that today we had a nurse who's normally not a peds nurse and she had an odd way of doing Taylor's height.  She had me lay Taylor down on the table and then used her pen to mark on the table where Taylor's heels were and where her head was so it was a very precise measurement compared to the estimates we'd been getting.  But I was surprised to learn that her height puts her at the 48th percentile.  So she's jumped up percentiles for height which is great.  So now instead of just being petite, we can call her a beanpole.  Her dad is too so I'm not very surprised.  But even though she's middle of the road for height, I still need to buy 9 month or 6-12 month pants for her.  12 month pants are simply too long so I'm thinking most of her height is in her torso.  Definitely got that from her dad!

Language: We have our first words!  Taylor can now say "go go go!"   This comes courtesy of my daycare provider.  Does she know what it means?  Probably not, but it is pretty much the only word she repeats back to us consistently.  Occasionally we can get her to repeat buh-bye (which comes out as buh-buh-buh) and recently she has started growling whenever Sadie or I growl at her (to clarify, Sadie growls because she's annoyed- I growl only after I preface it with "what does a lion say?").  Other than that we have lots of syllables being repeated and our new favorite thing to do in the car; scream at the top of our lungs (she's not mad- she just likes making noise).  Oh yes, she also can "shhhh" when we prompt her.  I'm very happy about that- it's good practice for when her little sister gets here.

Physical Development: Well I already posted about how she's walking everywhere.  She gets better and better every day.  And Taylor is learning to throw a ball.  It doesn't go very far, but she's getting the concept.  And Taylor loves being a helper.  This entails pulling clothes out of the laundry basket (even after they've been folded) and unloading the dishwasher.  Well, the only part of the dishwasher she unloads is the silverware.  But she pulls out the silverware and gives it to us so we can put it away.  I know she'd pull out the plates and bowls if we let her but they're heavier than the silverware and I don't want her to drop them.  Now if only we could train her to load the dishwasher!

Cognitive Development: Probably the most exciting cognitive development we've had recently is that Taylor is starting to learn to play with the shape sorters.  So far, she can put the circle into the circle hole all by herself.  The other shapes she still needs a little help on getting all of the corners in at the same time. 

I think that's a good update.  And now for the pictures which were a total fail.  We only got one picture where there's almost a smile.  Oh well....

The Big Party

I promised an entry about the party and here it is.  We celebrated this past Saturday so Taylor wasn't technically 1 yet, but I figured no one would come to a party the weekend after Thanksgiving (not that I blame them with all of the great shopping to be done!).  The party was a big success.  Almost everyone came which was awesome.  I'm so glad Walker has a lot of family in the area because if we had to rely on my family as guests then Taylor would have been pretty disappointed. ;)   Anyway, we didn't really have a theme other than the decorations were pink and brown.  I'm so not into all the character stuff so it was hard to do a theme.  Anyway, Taylor loved seeing all of her relatives and opening her presents.  But of course the best part was the cupcake at the end.  I could go on, but I think pictures do a better job.  =)

 All the loot

 Yummy cupcakes!!

 Why yes, I did make the banner =)

 Taylor took a snooze in the middle of the party to make up for her missed afternoon nap.

 Papaw holding the 2 youngest grandchildren

 Taylor needed a little help from daddy opening her presents

 Where's my cupcake?

 Am I supposed to eat this or can I just play with it?

 Mmmmmm that's a good cupcake

 Sugar high!

 Frosting is good for the skin

Graden checks to see if Taylor wants to share her leftovers

Even the shoes were not immune to frosting fingers

Whoops!

Hmmmm how did I let Taylor's 1 birthday slip by without a blog post?  Well I didn't want to post her 12 month stats until we go to the doctor tomorrow (already cringing at the thought of more shots =( ).   I  want to get her official weight and height.  I'm thinking she's not much more than 17 pounds.  We'll see if I'm right. ;)
We did have a wonderful party on Saturday and I will post more details (and pictures) from that tomorrow.  Thankfully I don't have school so I'll be able to get all of this done while she naps.

In the meantime, you can enjoy this video that Walker put together of her 1st year. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFS5S_RyMjo

24 Weeks

Hmmm almost done with the 2nd trimester?  When did that happen?
Anyway, 24 week appointment went great other than the 6 pound weight gain I had this past month.  I keep telling myself it was all the water I've been drinking and my "heavy" winter clothes ;).
Feeling baby girl move every day which is good.  I still can't really feel her from the outside yet. I really think she's turned inward because it feels like she's kicking all of my organs.  So Walker has not been able to feel her yet but I'm sure he will soon.  Then again, he hasn't really tried to feel her.  As he said, he keeps forgetting I'm pregnant.  (Really?  Because I certainly can't forget these days!)
Feeling pretty good other than being completely exhausted.  I am usually laying in bed by 8:30 most nights.  I don't remember feeling this tired when I was pregnant with Taylor.  Maybe it's because now I'm chasing Taylor around!
As for a name....ugh.  We do not have a name yet.  I can't make up my mind because nothing "sounds" right.  Part of my problem is I feel it needs to kind of match Taylor's name.  Meaning, Taylor is kind of a common, normal sounding name.  It's not really weird, uncommon, or trendy.  So yeah...kinda stuck.  We want a 2-syllable name that does not end in a vowel.  Suggestions?

Eating My Words

So remember how I said Taylor wouldn't be walking that much before her 1st birthday?  I guess today she set out to prove me wrong because that is all she did today!  Anywhere she wanted to go, she walked.  The only time she crawled was to get to something she could pull up on so she could walk again!  She even walked down to her bedroom and got 2 of her pacifiers out (oh yeah she knows where we keep them!).  I'll try and get some pictures of it soon because she does look kind of funny when she walks.  Plus, it's pretty amazing to see someone so small walking on her own!

A hidden bonus to walking?  It totally wore her out- she was in bed before 5:30 and hasn't made a peep since.

Annnd as soon as she went to bed, Walker finished installing baby proof locks on the cabinets.  =)

Our New Dog

I meant to post this a few weeks ago; darn pregnancy brain!

So on October 23rd we welcomed a new family member: Sadie.  Sadie is an 8 year old Welsh Corgi.  She belonged to my brother but long story short, they sent her to us.  As Walker jokes, we are the retirement home for our families' dogs.

So far, Sadie  has been a pretty good dog.  Unfortunately for Mazie, she has very strong herding instincts.  The only thing Sadie sees to herd in our house is Mazie.  Therefore, Mazie gets herded....all the time.  "How can you herd a cat?" you might ask (especially since it's ONE cat and not multiple cats).  Well, in Sadie's mind this means that it's her job to make sure Mazie stays in certain places.  Anytime Mazie dares to go somewhere where she doesn't belong (in Sadie's mind) Sadie is right there watching her and most of the time, barking at her.  I have to tell you it is quite annoying.  Although they both have calmed down a bit.  I can only hope that they will adjust and learn to ignore each other. 

As for Sadie and Taylor...well I think Taylor likes Sadie more than Sadie likes Taylor.  Sadie has not been around small children very much.  So I think sometimes Sadie thinks that Taylor is another dog (and Sadie does NOT like other dogs) and sometimes I think she understands that Taylor is a person (albeit a very small person).  So sometimes Sadie will lick Taylor and allow her to pet her (okay grab her fur and smack her on the head) and sometimes Sadie will bark and growl at Taylor.  So we do have to be very careful when Taylor is near Sadie.  She hasn't really bitten her yet but she has kinda nipped Taylor on the fingers; very lightly though so I know Taylor wasn't hurt.  Although, the best thing happened this morning.  All three of us were in the kitchen (me, Taylor, Sadie) and Sadie kinda growled at Taylor.  Well Taylor growled right back at her!  It was awesome!!!  I have a feeling these 2 will be giving us lots of laughs over the next few years!

Overall, we are very happy to have a dog again.  I know Walker enjoys having a good excuse for walking around the neighborhood at night.  He thinks that walking by himself at night makes him seem creepy.  I don't think he's any more creepy than any of the other guys that walk around our neighborhood but I am married to him so maybe I'm biased.  Anyway, I'm glad Sadie came to live with us.  She's definitely a good dog!

2nd Time, Not as Exciting?

So maybe I've brought this up before, but how come with this pregnancy things just aren't as exciting?  I really don't think it has to do with the fact that it was unplanned planned by God.   I was just thinking how it's been 2 weeks since I had read my weekly update on my iphone apps (yes appS- I have 2 pg tracker apps).  When I was pregnant with Taylor I obsessively checked multiple pregnancy websites daily and I couldn't WAIT until I got to read the new updates.  I also religiously read my weekly updates from "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" and I would even sneak peeks at the coming weeks. 

But with this pregnancy?  Sorry kiddo but I just don't have time!   And maybe part of it is that I kinda already know what's going on because I remember from last time (easy to do since it wasn't that long ago!).

I really hope this doesn't mean that this baby's firsts won't be as exciting.  They will be right?  I mean I pretty much cried the first time Taylor laughed.  I really hope that things will be just as exciting with this baby, even if the pregnancy is not. 

And now I will go catch up on my weekly updates....

1 Month to Go

Until Taylor turns one years old that is.  What?!?!  It's time for the 11 month update!

Let's see....Taylor will take a few steps by herself but it has always been quickly followed by a flop down to the floor.  I think the most steps she's taken at once has been 7.  So will she be completely walking before she turns 1?  Eh....I kinda doubt it.  Honestly, that is A-okay with me because she gets into enough stuff as it is!  And also in the physical development (and I guess cognitive) Taylor is starting to "experiment" with clapping.  She loves when other people clap but has been slow to do it herself.  Literally!  When she claps, she brings her hands together verrrry slowly and she watches both of them like "slooowwlly, sloooowly.....line them up....make them touch...."  It is actually hilarious to watch her concentrate so hard.  It's like she wants to do it just perfectly!

No words yet either.  I mean we get lots of "mama"s and "dada"s but does she really know what she's saying?  I have to be a pessimist and say no.  But I have heard that babies either work on the talking thing or the walking thing, not both at the same time.  So maybe she'll say her first word after she gets this walking thing under control? 

I think she's doing well cognitively.  She loooves looking at herself in the mirror and at pictures of herself.  I think I wrote that in her last update but honestly, I feel like she enjoys it even more now.  Oh such a narcissist!  She is also starting to learn cause and effect.  Her latest discovery is that Sadie (our new dog) will bark at her if she pulls on Sadie's fur.  Taylor loves it when Sadie barks; she laughs hysterically.  So what does Taylor do whenever she gets near Sadie?  Pull on her fur of course!  To be honest I'm not thrilled that Taylor doesn't understand that Sadie is warning her.  Taylor has got to learn that not all doggies just bark and never bite like Sadie.

And another tooth cut through last week so that brings us up to 7!  I was hoping it was a molar but no such luck- it was an incisor.  I know Taylor is anxious to start eating table food.  She watches us eat very intently and the other day I had a cracker hanging out of my mouth (I was making funny faces at her) and she broke the cracker off and put it in her mouth!  I do like trying new foods with her.  I'm proud to say that she tried hummus over the weekend and liked it a lot!  (She also liked the chocolate ice cream I let her try last week- shhhh!)

Overall she is a very happy little girl (who by the way now sleeps from 6 PM to 6 or 6:30 AM- it is wonderful!) and I can't believe in less than a month she will be one years old.  Birthday party plans are in full swing!

It's a.....

We had our "big" ultrasound today.  Everything with baby looks great- already measuring at 14 oz.  My midwife (who actually is moving away- sadness!!) said our ultrasound could not have looked more perfect.
But we found out that Taylor's going to have a little sister!  I see lots of matching dresses in my future.  =)  Now the hard part....the name....

How Easily We Forget

Okay moms, do you remember the floppy newborn stage?  I hate to admit it, but I had totally forgotten about it until this past weekend.  I went to visit my best friend and her adorable baby boy who will be 1 month tomorrow (sheesh already?).  I loved seeing her and meeting him but I realized that I just didn't remember what they were like at that age.  All squirmy and squeaky....and every time I held him, he started rooting around.  But I guess he does that to everyone who holds him!  Must be a boob man...haha!

Anyway, while I was holding precious little Zach, I just kept thinking oh my goodness I'm going to have to do this alll over again in a few months.  I have to admit, I'm a little apprehensive.  And why is that?  I've done it before and I obviously survived (and more importantly so did Taylor).  There shouldn't be anything to be nervous about.  Is it the fact that I'll also have a toddler?  Or that I dont' want to make the same mistakes I did before?  Gah!

Oh one more thing: last night was the first night I spent away from Taylor and it was incredibly hard.  I really didn't think it would be (I actually was looking forward to it!) but as I was laying there in bed, I couldn't help but cry because I hadn't been able to kiss my baby goodnight.  Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who is an even more wonderful father; that knowledge definitely helped.

Zachary

Food Poisoning and Diaper Rash Woes

2:00 AM Friday morning: I woke up feeling pretty nauseous.  I figured I had bad heartburn again because I had eaten right before bed (I know- so bad!) and it's happened a few times this pregnancy.  No matter what I did, the feeling would not go away, even after I swigged some apple cider vinegar (blecch!).  So I finally gave in and got sick.  Now usually, if it's heartburn, I'll feel better after doing that.  Not this time- that nauseous feeling came right back.  I knew I couldn't sleep so I watched TV.  Cut to 4 AM and I had to run to the bathroom again.....and again at 5 AM.  By this point I knew I wasn't going into work.  Even if I had not thrown up a 3rd time, I was going on 3 hours of being wide awake and I still felt so awful. 
You know the worst part about being a teacher?  I had to drive up to Rantoul at 6 AM to make sure things were ready for my sub.  And I had to do it that early so I could be back in time for Walker to leave for work.
Anyway, I felt pretty awful the whole morning; I tried eating crackers and drinking ginger ale and could not keep those down.  All I could do was lay on the couch and watch Taylor play.  It was like a total flashback to my first trimester of pregnancy.  Speaking of which, thank goodness I had a prescription for my morning sickness because taking that medicine on Friday totally helped.  I was finally able to keep some water down.
As the day wore on I was more and more convinced I had the flu because I was becoming increasingly achy, particularly in my back.
Well around 3:30 my school nurse called me and told me to call my doctor because she thought I had food poisoning.  Apparently 6 other staff members were out or went home early on Friday and another 2 complained of feeling bad, plus more teachers from another school in our district!  And it just so happens that all of us ate at Pizza Hut on Wednesday for lunch (ugggh just thinking about it makes me feel sick again).
I felt better Saturday but I didn't do a good job at replenishing my fluids and I didn't stick to bland foods so by Saturday night I felt pretty bad again.  However, I'm happy to say today was much much better.
So that was my fun bout with food poisoning.
Now here's what Taylor was dealing with:   the worst diaper rash I've ever seen.  I don't know what to do for her.  On Friday, her butt was so red it was practically purple and there were bumps all over.  I know what the problem is- she poops all the time!  She goes at least twice a day, usually 3 times.  And it's not like we let her sit in dirty diapers.  Trust me, we change her right away because the smell is awful (especially to this pregnant lady's nose!).  We were using the butt paste but we switched to triple cream.  That seems to be working a bit better; her butt is not as red, but it's still pretty bumpy.  We did let her go naked for a little while this afternoon but I'm not sure if that made a huge difference.
I feel like we're doing all the right things to help the rash but it's not going anywhere and honestly I feel if she stopped pooping for a few days that would help greatly!  But how do you get a baby to stop pooping?  Especially when she eats a lot of fruits and veggies?  I don't want to stop the fruits and veggies because they're good for her and she likes them.  I have tried giving her more yogurt since that obviously doesn't have as much fiber in it but I'm not sure how much that is helping. 

On a good note though, sleep training is going splendidly and I'm so glad we are doing it!

Lots of "S" Things!

I realized that I have a lot of things to talk about that start with S, hence the title. 

Snuggling: Taylor has started snuggling her stuffed animals and it is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.  She holds them near her neck, tilts her head to the side, and squeezes the life out of them!  She also has started to snuggle on me- thankfully she doesn't squeeze the life out of me!  Mostly, she just will put her head into my neck but it is so sweet.
Another new activity Taylor does with her stuffed animals is wrestling!  I know she picked this up from her sitter's.  She will launch herself on top of her stuffed animals and pin them on the ground.  And I hate to admit it but sometimes there is some humping....I don't think she really knows what she's doing though- haha!

Sleep Training: The past couple of weeks I realized that I was fed up with how we got Taylor to sleep.  We are lucky in that her naps are absolutely no problem; it's the nighttime that didn't work.  I was completely overwhelmed by all the methods so I called my most reliable source: my sister.  My sister used the Ferber method with both of her kids and I know Walker's older siblings did too.  The Ferber method is very similar to Cry It Out- in fact I can't see the difference between the two.  Anyway, for those not familiar, you do the bedtime routine (same routine every single night!) and then lay the kid down to sleep.  You wait 5-10 minutes from the point the child starts crying (depending on age).  If they are still crying, go in, reassure them that you are still there, you still love them, and then walk out.  Do not pick up the baby.  Then you wait 10-15 minutes from the point of crying.  Go in, reassure, walk out.  Then wait 15-20 minutes.  Same routine until baby goes to sleep.  Okay, I will be the first to say it- you have to be really hard hearted on this.  It is incredibly painful to listen to your child cry and not respond.  The only thing that got me through the first night was reminding myself that she was safe, warm, dry, and full; she didn't need anything from me.   I will say that each night has been better- she has cried less and I've become a little more immune to the crying.  And tonight (night 4) I didn't have to go in at all.  Not to say she didn't cry- she did.  But she finished before the 10 min. was up. 
I am not saying this method is perfect for everyone- it's just working really well for us.  And I know this is not hurting our bond as she still is very happy to see me in the morning.  Plus, all of my nieces and nephews are incredibly well-adjusted kids who love their parents very much.  Phew!

Steps: As in first steps!  Yes that's right today Taylor took her first steps all by herself.  I guess we should finish baby proofing the house...

I thought I had more S things to share....oh well!  Maybe I'll think of them later...

16 Weeks

Last post for today, I promise!

Yesterday was my 16 week prenatal appointment.  I got to meet the newest midwife at Christie Clinic, Deb.  She's really nice and she used to be an L&D nurse at Provena so if she ends up delivering me that will be awesome!

I'm very proud to say that I'm keeping my weight gain in check this pregnancy!  I actually lost a 1/2 pound from my last appointment.  Don't worry; I'm not trying to lose weight- I eat plenty!  I think it really helps that I've been very good about working out.  I don't even do much- just 20-30 min. of cardio or strength training about 5 times a week.  I guess it's making a difference though; total weight gain so far is about 4 pounds- woohoo!

Baby's heartbeat was good although it took the nurse a while to find it.  Honestly I was getting a little scared.  And as soon as she found it, Baby ran away- little stinker!   But it was 154 which makes me think maybe this one is a girl too (oh I hope I hope I hope!!!).   But then again, I was so sure Taylor was going to be a boy.  I guess we'll find out for sure on October 21st! 

Paranoid Moms Unite!

I don't think of myself as a paranoid mom; in fact I think I'm pretty chill about most things.  But there are a few things that really get me going.  The major one being Taylor's weight.  I know, I know; it's way too early to worry about her weight but I can't help it.  She's just so stinkin' little  and I can't figure out who she gets that from! 
Anyway, over the weekend we weighed her on our scale and it indicated she had only gained 2 oz in the past month.  So of course, I kinda freak out thinking there's something wrong with her (especially since Walker was diagnosed so recently).  Since it was a Saturday it's not like I could call the doctor so I turn to the internet.  Well that was a mistake.  I found some website (it looked very legit) that said between 5-12 months babies should be getting around 850 cals/day.  Now if I had stopped to think about this I would have dismissed it.  I don't understand why a baby who barely moves (5 months) needs the same nutrition as a baby who's probably constantly on the go (12 months).  But anyway, I didn't think of that and I immediately started keeping track of Taylor's calorie intake.  That was another mistake as I saw she wasn't getting anywhere close to 850.  It was more like 600-650.  I was trying to brush it off but it was driving me crazy.  So then yesterday when my sitter told me she refused her bottle all day (but still ate her solid foods) and then last night when she continued to reject the bottle (not completely; just didn't drink as much) I really got worried and called the ped. nurse.  Here is where I sing the praises of Christie Clinic.  The nurse said I could bring her (no appointment needed) to get her weighed just to check.  So today we did just that.  And then the nurse stayed and talked with me a bit about my concerns.  I definitely feel better!  Also, the nurse who I saw through my pregnancy (who then transferred to peds.) came in just to see me and Taylor.  I thought that was so sweet of her to come say hi.  And now I'm sidetracking but when I told her I was pregnant again, she said I should tell Walker to stay at school more- HA!  I totally agreed with her.  Tee hee hee.
Anyway, everything seems to be fine and thankfully Taylor did take 4 oz when we got home; not as much as she usually takes but it's something.  Hopefully she'll take more later; I don't want her to lose any weight.  =P

10 Months!

A few days late in posting this but what can you expect when her "10 month birthday" is in the middle of the week?
Stats first (and these are official since they were done today by a Christie Clinic nurse- more on the reason for that in the next post):
Height: 28 inches
Weight: 16 lbs, 3 oz
I'm actually really surprised she grew an inch- for whatever reason I thought her height growth would slow down, like her weight gain did.

Physical development is good I think.  Taylor can definitely crawl on all fours; she just chooses not to.  I think it's silly to army crawl still considering she comes home from the sitter's with rug burns on her knees but whatever.  She's cruising a ton still- with the way our living room is set up, she can go from the coffee table, to the couch, to the recliner, and then the side table and back again.  She is quite good at standing- in fact when she's engaged with her activity table she'll stand on her own for quite a long time.  But when I'm holding her and try to get her to stand on her own, she refuses.  Just like she refuses to walk with me with only one hand, even though I know she can do it.  She just needs confidence.  And she feeds herself finger foods easily.  Every day we come home and have a snack of puffs and she doesn't mind when I steal a few from her (they are actually really good!)

Language skills: no official first word yet.  But she understands "bye" because she'll wave her arm emphatically when someone says it to her. 

I think her cognitive development is on track as well.  She can recognize pictures of herself- it's so cute when she starts watching our screensaver (which is mostly pictures from my picasa album); every time she sees a picture of herself she giggles or shrieks with excitement.  Definitely love that!

And oh yes she's teething again.  Her hands have been in her mouth constantly the past few weeks.  Mostly on the left side in the back, so I'm thinking molars.  I don't know why books tell you babies get their teeth in a certain order; Taylor is definitely not following that order and many other moms I talk to say their kids didn't follow it either.  So honestly, why even put it in there?  Let us parents be surprised as to what tooth is coming in next. 

And to finish, some of my favorite pictures from 10 months (done at Curtis Apple Orchard):

Mystery Solved

For those of you who have not seen Walker in the past 6 months you might be quite shocked to see him now.  No, he does not have some crazy hair do (ha! could you imagine?).  No he's just 40 pounds lighter than he used to be.  Did you just say "whoa!"?  Yes that is the appropriate reaction.  Walker started losing weight shortly after Taylor was born (yeah just what every new mother needs- a husband who is losing weight while she sadly dreams of the clothes she used to be able to wear) without really changing anything at all.  At first we thought that maybe he was just losing weight because he had stopped lifting weights.  However, his weight loss became more rapid over the summer and finally last week I told him that enough was enough and it was time to consult a doctor.  Walker went in for an appointment last Tuesday where they did a blood draw.  He went back yesterday and received a diagnosis: Diabetes Type 2. 
Huh?  Doesn't that happen to people who lead really bad lifestyles?  Yes, and was Walker one of those people?  No!  Besides maybe eating junk food at night occasionally (well okay maybe a little more than occasionally) Walker leads a pretty healthy lifestyle.  He never stopped working out (just switched to more cardio), never smoked, doesn't drink heavily, and eats right for the most part. 
So what gives?  Well type 2 means either two things: 1. your body is resisting the insulin it makes or 2. your body simply doesn't make enough insulin.  Walker's body is doing the latter.  Now, his dad was diagnosed with Diabetes type 2 years ago from leading a poor lifestyle.  I'm thinking that what happened to Walker is hereditary and really had nothing to do with his lifestyle.
So what does this mean?  Well, obviously Walker needs to follow new nutrition guidelines.  He also has to take 2 pills twice a day.  His doctor says that if he follows the diet and keeps working out, he won't need to start insulin shots for a while.  However, it sounds like going on the shots eventually is inevitable.  As in, this isn't going away. 
This also means that Taylor's risk (and the baby's) for diabetes is very high.  Not only is it on Walker's side of the family but my grandpa had adult onset of diabetes type 1 (the juvenile kind).   I'm honestly wondering how early kids can develop diabetes.   I need to do research obviously, and talk to her pediatrician but if it's possible for babies to have it from birth, could it be why she doesn't gain weight?  Oh my could you imagine having to give a toddler a shot every day?  I think I'm getting ahead of myself...no need to worry until there's something to worry about right?

The Juppy Walker

Alright, I don't normally buy weird baby products online but when this little item came across my email from babysteals.com (any moms out there who aren't getting emails from them....make sure you sign up!). 

This is the Juppy Walker.  No, it is not a grocery bag with holes in the bottom.  And it is not a restraining device for your child.  It is so when your child is learning to walk you are not leaning over killing your lower back trying to help them.  Ours came in the mail on Monday and I have to say it is awesome.  Taylor loves using it and so do we (especially Walker!).  The straps are adjustable so you can make them fit any height.  The lining on the inside is super soft, it zips up in the back, and it comes in a cute little pouch.  No, Juppy is not paying me to say all these things.  I just felt I needed to share an awesome product with all my parenting friends!
I think it's normally $25-$30 but through babysteals I got it for $15 (plus $3 for shipping).  Definitely worth it!

A Little Bug

Let me tell you a story dating back to late June.....I thought I had a little stomach bug.  It all started innocently enough in that I would eat something and an hour later be famished like I hadn't eaten anything at all.  Then very quickly it would turn into nausea and I would lose my appetite completely.  This went on for a few days and I really had myself convinced that it was just a virus that was going around.  Until one morning I realized....I've had this feeling before.  Last March....shortly before I found out I was pregnant with Taylor.  I laughed it off thinking "surely not- it's impossible!" (Note: if you have sex, pregnancy is possible, no matter what) but deep down I knew I needed to find out for sure.  I ran out to Meijer, came home, and sure enough 3 minutes later.....

Oh that little line of truth.....of course I reacted how any woman reacts to a positive test- I burst into tears and ran to Walker and said "I'm so sorry!"  Oh wait....that's not how most women react (well maybe the crying bit is universal).  Anyhow, after I came to grips with what was clearly God's plan (He never bothers to check with us, does He?) we came up with a fun way to tell my father-in-law the good news:

Pictures are always better than words right?  (even if the picture is a little crooked- yikes!  how did I not notice that before?)

How has this pregnancy been?  Well a lot worse than the first one!  Now I truly understand what morning sickness is.  Or rather all day sickness.  And taking care of a 9 month old when all you want to do is sleep all day is quite the challenge.  Needless to say, Taylor became quite proficient at entertaining herself this summer.

So here is a first look at "Bug" (good nickname, eh?)

overhead shot of a hand, and the face on the right

2 profile shots

Bug is doing extremely well- measuring perfectly and has a nice strong heartbeat of 162.  Naturally I'm inclined to think it's a girl, but I know a high heartbeat doesn't necessarily mean girl.  Walker thinks it's a boy (or maybe he just wants it to be a boy) because this one has been more ornery with all the morning sickness.  I guess come Oct. 21st we'll find out for sure.

Taylor's reaction to all this?  Well it's hard to tell but she did blow raspberries at monitor during the ultrasound so maybe she's already trying to show her dominance to her sibling.

Oh yes, the most important detail: I'm due March 8th.  For those of you who are not good with math, Taylor will be about 16 months.  Are we crazy?  Yes.  But just think, I'll be done a lot faster with the diaper stage than a lot of you who are spacing them out (haha suckers!).  Of course I'll also be half insane by next summer but show me a mom of two young children who isn't? 

9 Months

I promised a 9 month update and I will deliver (with some pictures too!)

First weight and height: 15 1/2 pounds (4th percentile) and 27 inches (37th percentile).  It's official- she's a beanpole!  Either I was wrong when I weighed her last month or she just didn't gain that much weight this month.  Given how much Taylor moves around, the latter is a strong possibility.  That being said, let's get into her physical development....

Remember when I said she'd be crawling soon?  I was wrong!  She still army crawls everywhere.  Honestly, with our wood floors it's a very efficient way for her to get around (as I type she's in the hallway playing with the door stop) so why should she go through the trouble of learning to crawl properly?  That's not to say she hasn't attempted it.  Sometimes she'll do a cross between a crawl on all fours and a butt scoot.  That usually doesn't last very long as she doesn't get anywhere.  Also remember how she was too short to reach things to pull up on?  That is no longer the case!  She pulls up on everything now!!  Even things she shouldn't be pulling up on.  We've had quite a few tumbles (including one at the dr.'s office this morning- you should have seen the look the receptionist gave me when she started crying ::insert eye roll::).  Taylor can be a little over-dramatic when she takes a spill so Walker and I tend not to overreact.  We think that will only fuel the dramatization.  However, if she really gets a good bonk we're very comforting and snuggly- don't worry about that!  Oh yes, and Taylor looooves walking around the room while holding onto our hands.  We bought her one of those push toys hoping to give our lower backs a break, but her balance isn't quite good enough yet and she gets scared when it starts to get too far in front of her so she hasn't used it too much.  And she's developing her pincer grasp nicely although she doesn't really seem to want to feed herself yet.  We're working on it....slowly.

Language skills haven't changed too much- still lots of syllables.  I have noticed that whenever she sees something new and interesting she says "eehhhh!"  I'm guessing that means "look!" or "what's that?"  haha- who knows?  She definitely understands the sign for milk because whenever we make the sign she smiles and starts kicking her legs.

Cognitively, I would say she definitely understands the word "no!"  Or at least she understands she's done something wrong.  Hearing that from us has elicited a few tears and we didn't even raise our voices when we said it!  Like I said, a total drama queen sometimes!  And this past weekend, her grandpa taught her how to wave.  It's more like she flops her arm up and down, than actual waving  but it still works.  I love it when she waves at herself in the mirror!

And now for some pictures!!

Oh yeah, in case you hadn't noticed, her 2 front teeth came in- she has 6 teeth!

Our Little World Traveler

Well okay, Taylor's not a world traveler but is anyone else impressed that she's already been to 4 different states (not including IL), 2 round trip flights,  and she's not even a year old yet?  I am. =)

Earlier this month, we packed up our car (and by packed I mean we crammed everything we could into our tiny vehicle and still had to ask Walker's dad to transport some stuff for us) and drove 9 hours to Gatlinburg, TN for the big Willis family vacation.  Walker's dad rented a huge cabin for all the kids and grandkids to stay in.  There were 5 kids, 4 spouses, and 8 grandkids- I know that doesn't hold a candle to some of my friends' family reunions (you know who you are!!!) but for someone who came from a small family, that's huge in my opinion!  We had a great time in TN, even though it was very touristy.  Taylor got to ride her first amusement park ride- the carousel.  I'm guessing by the few smiles she gave, she liked it. 
After we got home, she and I had barely a week to recover before we set off for Colorado!  Yes I have now traveled by myself with my baby twice and I survived!  Haha!  Walker would have come with us but he had work starting (thank you RCS for delaying the school year!!).  This time around, I was smart and purchased Taylor her own seat on the plane so she could ride comfortably in her carseat and I was able to sneak in a nap.  Oh just for fun sometime, try and go to the bathroom in an airplane potty with your 9 month old in tow.  Mothers who can successfully accomplish this feat deserve their own "mile high" club!  Haha!
While in Colorado, we got to see my brother and sister-in-law show their corgis at a big dog show in Greeley, CO.  Let me say that these dog shows are nothing like the ones they show on TV.  But then again, we didn't watch the group or best of show competitions since my brother's dogs didn't qualify for those.  It was still pretty cool to be at the show and see all the different types of dogs.  Oh yes, have I mentioned how much Taylor loves animals, in particular dogs?  When we first got to my brother's house, I set her down on the floor, and he let all 4 of their dogs out and she just laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and....well you get the idea!  She simply had a ball watching them run around.  And 2 kept running by and giving her kisses.  The great thing was, the dog my brother is sending us in September got along very well with Taylor so there are no worries about that. 
The whole trip was wonderful...until I got off the plane and there was my stroller with 3 pieces snapped off it.  UGH.  I was infuriated with Frontier airlines.  Luckily, I was able to get all 3 pieces back on.  Thank you Chicco for making a durable stroller!  Believe me, Frontier's complaint department heard from me today.  The response was less than satisfactory but it's kind of what I expected so oh well.
I took pictures during both trips of course but I'm too lazy to post them right now.  I will try and get to it tomorrow....or the next day.  =P
And coming soon will be Taylor's 9 month post.  She is 9 months old officially now, but I might not post anything until after her appointment tomorrow and I can get her "official" weight and height. 

8 Month Pictures

Yesterday morning we took Taylor to Meadowbrook to do her 8 month pictures.  Overall I have to say it was pretty unsuccessful.  First, it was horribly humid (even though it was only 8 in the morning) so we were all uncomfortable.  Second, Taylor was a lot more interested in the grass, dirt, leaves, plants, basically everything but the camera.  And since she is still in the middle of teething, any time we did get her to look at the camera, her hands were in her mouth.  After her nap, I set up a "studio" in our living room since we have such good light coming in and I was able to take some more inside.  Even though I took around 140 pictures of her, I only ended up keeping just over 30.  It's not that those were the only good ones- I just figured we didn't need tons of pictures of her eating her hands (and yet somehow we still ended up with a lot like that). 
All of the pictures can be viewed on my picasa album (http://picasaweb.google.com/joannal.willis/Taylor#) but here are a few of my favorites.