Loving This New Stage

I just had to write a post about how every day I'm falling more and more in love with my baby girl.  She's reached an age where she just does incredibly adorable things that warm my heart.  Mother Nature is pretty smart in that regards- it's good to build up the love bank before she reaches the dreaded terrible two's!  Anyway, I just wanted to share a few of my favorites...

1. Taylor loves books.  It is a rare moment when she walks by a book without stopping what she is doing to sit down and look at it.  It is amazing how far reading to your child can go.  I swear we only read for about 10-15 minutes each night with her but already it is paying off .  I'm proud to say she is even learning directionality in regards to which way to turn the pages.  And when she's reading by herself, she even talks as she turns the pages- I love that she's associating books with spoken words.

Yes I know she's looking at the book upside down, but normally she does turn it the right way.

2. Taylor's really gotten into snuggling with her stuffed animals and her Bitty Baby.  She now walks around holding them against her cheek.  She just loves anything she can cuddle; if it's soft, she'll hug it.  This includes diapers...

By the way, that is the Snuggle Bear (from the fabric softener commercials) that I had when I was a baby!

3. That she is making more of an attempt to communicate other than crying.  It seems Taylor has finally understood how to use the "milk" sign.  I thought she got it before, but now she uses it pretty consistently.  And even though she doesn't use actual words in context, she definitely tries to tell us things.  Like when Walker runs the vacuum or the swiffer sweeper, she'll run over to him and yell at him because she doesn't like the noise. 

4. Going along with the communication is her being able to understand us.  If you say "yaaaay!" she'll clap.  If you say "tummy" she'll pat her tummy.  "Bye-bye" will get you a wave (most of the time) and now you'll get rewarded with some fast stomping if you say "dance."  Oh and if you ask her where the kitty is, she'll go look for her (much to Mazie's dismay). 

Other little things I love....
-the way her diaper makes a rustling sound when she walks (I know this is a weird one but I think it's cute)
-how she sleeps on her tummy with her knees tucked under so her tush is up in the air
-the huge hug she gives me every morning when I get her out of her crib
-the fact that she's eating table food
-the little amused/surprised face she makes after she sneezes


I could probably go on forever but I won't.  I'm just going to enjoy this wonderful time with her before her baby sister comes.  ::happy sigh::