Taylor and Nathan

Eyes are Windows to the Soul... even in a baby

19 weeks old

"You'd never know I have pneumonia would you? You'd never know I'm a fountain of nasty snot, I throw up every time I eat, I cough way too much, and I poop constantly. Nope, you'd never know it because I'm so smiley and happy and I look at life as though my cup runneth over... you see it does. So, yes I might have pneumonia and a nasty cold, but I also have a lot to be thankful for, so I'll focus on that..." ~Taylor

Taylor Grace is teaching me a lot this week... her 12 pound 11 ounce little self is teaching me some huge lessons... about love, trust, and a positive outlook! Not to mention smiling makes you feel better!

Not only is she teaching me a lot, she's learning a lot herself! She loves to grasp her hands together and bring them to her mouth... she also loves to put her fingers, hand or thumb in her mouth. She's reaching for toys and bring them to her mouth too. She's so curious about things and is so curious. I love to watch her study things and taste and touch and really experience! ;) Who knew a cloth block was really that interesting?
She LOVES to talk to herself in a mirror. She laid on the floor the other day, wheezing and snotting everywhere, just cooing and talking and squealing at the baby in the mirror. It was soooo sweet to watch her kick her legs and arms and grin and go on and on in that sweet little raspy voice!
sweet smiley girl
Happy 19 weeks baby girl!

Reality

4 months old!

Taylor is 4 months old and oh my goodness what a joy she is! She's so interactive and silly! She loves to laugh and I've even seen her laugh so hard tears rolled down her face. She's soooooo laid back and easy going. She loves to be talked to and seems to love kids. She'll smile at any youngster, though adults she must know first. :) She's begun to be more aware of who's holding her and when she wants mommy, her bottom lip comes out and she lets whoever is holding her know that she wants mommy NOW. That rarely happens unless she's tired and then she wants to snuggle with me usually. Speaking of snuggling, oh my goodness, she's such a snuggle bug! She loves to have her face pressed against ours. She's content to lay her head on my chest and watch the world from there. She could be snuggled all day I think. When she's sleepy, she nuzzles her head into you and it's SOOOOO sweet! She sleeps with a blanket beside or on her face and has to have a paci to fall asleep, though sometimes she'll fall asleep nursing or with her thumb in her mouth.

Smiley Girl weighs 12 pounds 7 ounces (30th percentile), is 23.75 inches long (39th percentile) and her head circumference is 15.25 which is 43rd percentile. She's just graduated into 3-6 month clothes though they are a bit big on her. She's still a petite little thing for sure!

In the morning when she wakes up, she talks and coos. If you don't come to get her, then she starts to whimper. As long as you get her out of bed and change her diaper, she's content as can be, even without breakfast! :) Speaking of breakfast, we are going to wait a few months to start rice cereal or any other solids. She's gaining weight well as an exclusively breasst fed baby and since her tummy issues are still a bit perplexing, we don't want to add in another variable.
Taylor talks to her toys and it's so sweet! I love to hear her coo and squeal at them!

She has found her hands and fingers and often will just stare at her fingers and wiggle them. She's good at reaching for things and can grasp them and pull them to her mouth now. She's a big fan of the johnny jump up already and giggles if you bounce her in it.
She's eating around 8am, 12pm, 3/4pm, 7/8pm, and again at 11pm or 12am. She doesn't seem to need the last feeding anymore, but I enjoy the snuggle time with her. :) I think the days are numbered till she no longer wants anything to eat. She's already down to about 3 minutes of nursing at that last feeding. She takes a bottle beautifully, although now that we've got the yeast monster under control, nursing is much easier and so much more enjoyable! The bottles are less and less these days!

Taylor's favorite positions are sitting up and standing and although she's happy laying down and playing, she'd much rather sit or stand.
Super sweet kiddo, this one, and oh my she loves her brother!
I love all her faces and expressions!
Happy 4 month birthday little one!

numbers... can you guess?

12.7

39

30

23.75

43

15.25

Any guesses as to the significance of these numbers? :)

Bonding

Taylor Grace, you are one blessed little sister!

Nathan is such an amazing big brother!!! He has quite a tender heart and is so loving toward Taylor! About twice a week, Nathan will ask to get in Taylor's crib with her to play. This particular day, he stayed in there for almost 45 minutes. I watched from a distance for a while, then had to snap photos of this precious time. Nathan played cars with her, sharing his favorite red car, having Taylor "be" Sheriff, showing her the "tracks" that the car makes as it drives on her fuzzy sheets... He read a book to her, sang to her, played with her and made her smile, coo, and laugh. Then he wanted to hold her and take pictures -um, I dont' know why he would think of that... :). These moments are precious to me and I don't want to forget them!

16 and 17 weeks old

I can't believe she's almost 4 months old!!! Don't you think I'm cute?

I think my brother is pretty cute too! :) HeeHee! That's Nathan at the same age in the 1st photo... a whole 3 pounds heavier and a half inch longer...with the same sweet smile and bright eyes. Oh how the time flies!
Taylor Grace is a happpppppppppy baby! Bless her heart she's had tummy issues for so long, and an on and off fever for almost a month, yet 95% of the time she is smiling, laughing, talking, snuggling, or sleeping. She laughs very easily with people she knows well and still will not smile at a stranger until she's studied them awhile. She has the most adorable pouty lip and she knows when to use it! :) When you get her cackling she gets tears in her eyes from laughing so hard!

She loves the water and loves to turn her head to the side in the water and ends up with a mouthful. Silly girl!
She can support her own weight when standing quite well and for long periods of time. She loves to stand!
This baby girl loves tummy time and gets lots of it. She rolls over with ease so we often play the game, "keep Taylor on her belly." She's pretty adorable and she wears some pretty cute diapers too. Don't you agree?

I love that she is talking to the sheep in this pic. She talks to many of her toys and carries on intense conversations with them. It's hysterical! I have a feeling we've got another chatterbox on our hands!
This picture cracks me up!

Look at those eyelashes!

Smiley baby girl!!! At 12 pounds 2 ounces, she's a petite little smiley baby! She's still rocking 0-3 month clothes although a few one piece 3-6 things fit. She's got tiny little feet too! I can't wait to see what her percentages are at her 4 month appt.

In the pic below, I stood her up in her crib and put her arms over the rail so she would have plenty of support and help with balance. I squatted down below the front of her crib and played peek a boo with her. She thought this was a great game! I snapped a few pictures before I realized her name was in the background. :)
She's gaining more and more motor control by the day! She can reach for objects, grasp them, and pull them to her mouth; she can somehow pivot herself around almost 360 degrees when on her back (although I have no clue how); With support via hands on her hips or in the bumbo, or with a boppy behind her, she sits quite well. This week, I tested the waters a bit on her sitting skills... I sat her up in a sitting position with her hands out in front for support. She held herself up well (which I expected) but also was able to balance herself (keep from falling side to side) for a while too! Way to go Taylor! She's also figuring out how to roll from her back to her tummy. She does lots of baby crunches too, wanting so badly to sit up instead of lay on her back.

Have a great week everyone!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Taylor's room

I love Taylor's room!!! Chad did most of the "picking out" in here! He wanted something girly, yet not froofroo with an asian feel that was neutral yet girly. I think he picked a beautiful room, don't you? With the help of some things from my childhood and some paintings from Emily's mom, the nursery is now complete! :) What do you think?

14 and 15 weeks old

Somewhere along the line I missed a weekly update post or posted the pictures from one week onto another week. I can't imagine how that happened. :) On to the important stuff... Miss Taylor Grace! Oh my goodness!!! Smiley doesn't even begin to tell the whole story. She is such an easy going, cheerful, expressive kiddo (much like her brother). Taylor rarely ever cries (except for this week where she's been battling some kind of virus and has cried in pain and is so pitiful), and she's always smiling or laughing. She can giggle and cackle and laugh a good ole belly laugh these days! She's super ticklish on her collar bones, neck, and ribs. When she smiles, her whole face smiles! She's still not wild about smiling at people she doesn't know. She takes time to study people before offering up much more than a furrowed brow. Hee hee!
Taylor loves to be in the middle of things. She takes in everything around her and doesn't miss much. :) She likes to stand and can stand for almost a minute while just holding onto our fingers. Nathan could do this around 21 weeks... this girl's got some strong legs! She's trying to sit up from laying down and wants so badly to be able to. She's also working on rolling from her back to her tummy. Taylor Grace is a talker! She talks to people she knows well and this girl will carry on a serious conversation. She's spent close to 5 solid minutes engaged in conversation on numerous occasions. She coos and squeals happy squeals to get our attention (just like her brother) and once she starts talking, she keeps talking! :) It's absolutely precious and one of my favorite things about right now!

Taylor weighs 11 pounds and 11 ounces and is 22.75 inches long! She's grown almost 2 inches in the last month! That puts her in the 10th% for both according to her actual age and 50th% for height, 75% for weight according to her adjusted age. All that to say, she's growing and gaining just like she should be! She's wearing 0-3month clothes and a few smaller 3-6 one piece rompers. She still has teeny tiny feet. Her eyes are still blue but look like they might turn green!

She is reaching for things and able to grab things intentionally. She has her hands in her mouth almost constantly but doesn't seem to prefer a certain finger. She has also discovered that she has feet and hands. She brings her hands together often and loves to watch her feet and move them. She's grabbed a foot once but hasn't figured out how to do it intentionally.

Taylor eats every 4-5 hrs most of the day and every 3 hrs between 5pm and 11pm. She would go longer but since she goes so long during the day I want to make sure she's getting enough. We've started putting her to bed around 8:30 and dream feeding around 11pm or 12a when we go to bed. She sleeps soundly until 8 or 8:30am. When she wakes up she's happy to eat right away or can happily wait a bit. She's so patient!Taylor is a blessed little girl and is dearly loved by her big brother! She lights up whenever he's around and loves to spend time watching him. He loves to spend time with her too, especially in her crib. These two kiddos are such a joy! I love you guys!!