Happy Birthday!

It is so hard for me to belive that a year has already flown by. This has been the best year of our lives and we are so blessed to have a healthy and happy boy. He is such an easy kid most of the time and we are very spoiled! This is him first thing after having his morning bottle.


This is the "special birthday plate" that I painted for him to use every year until he gets tired of it!


Eating his breakfast of puffs :)

A Future Pianist??

professional pictures

Thank you Teresa's Photoworks!

Sorry!

I have been told by a few people recently that I needed to update the blog. I had misplaced my camera cord and what is a post worth without pictures of the baby?? I now have my cord and pictures of the last couple months. We have recently increased our family of donkeys to 3: Pedro, Rosa and Ellie Mae. Taylor loves them all and wants to go outside with them every afternoon. Taylor is eating better but still not without a lot of struggles. We did get a 3rd tooth this morning which is also on the bottom. No top teeth yet. He is now saying "mama' so I'm happy. He is a wonderful baby most of the time.

In other news, I have gotten a new job which I will start a week from tomorrow. I am very excited to be getting back into sports medicine and doing something that I love. This will mean a huge change in schedules for all 3 of us but we will be able to make it work. Enjoy the pictures!

Doctors update

We had Taylor's 9-month check up today and then spent the morning running errands. He now weighs in at 20 lbs and 29 inches. This means that he has outgrown his infant car seat and has to have a new one. The doctor seemed fine with everything and was glad to see that Taylor is eating a few things. He didn't have any more information our our therapy visits and whether or not they will be approved.

As far as eating, he has now added goldfish crackers and graham crackers to his list. I am trying hard to get him to eat fruit and things that are good for him. The spoon is still impossible at this point but I'm trying whenever possible. He also doesn't use a sippy cup at this point either so we are also trying to work on that. Hopefully we will continue to make progress.

9 months and eating progress

Today Taylor is 9 months old and I honestly can't believe it's been that long. The weeks just keep flying by and it seems to go faster every day. We have been so blessed with an exceptionally easy baby.

He sleeps through the night 95% of the time (I'm sure not tonight, just because I bragged) and it's usually from 7pm to 7am unless he is woken up earlier to go to daycare on days that I work.

He is crawling everywhere, pulling up on anything possible and can walk pretty steady as long as he is holding on to something.

He has the front 2 bottom teeth now and he is still acting like he has more coming in on the top.

He loves peek-a-boo and laughs hysterically every time. For some reason he also laughs if you scare him or bark at him like a dog.

He loves his bath time and thoroughly enjoys splashing.

He is in love with our donkey Pedro and fusses every afternoon until he goes out with Bryan to feed him.

He LOVES his daddy and speed-crawls to the door when he comes home every day.

Eating is still a struggle but it is improving. He apparently has Bryan's taste buds because he will only eat salty things, no sweets. Right now he eats cheese puffs, saltine crackers, chips, and bread sticks. Before you start thinking about how bad we are as parents for letting him eat this junk just know that I completely agree but the therapist told us to encourage anything that he is willing to eat. I continue to try fruit and cereals but with no success. He ate one thin slice of a peach last week but hasn't touched one since. His other issue seems to be a control thing; he will ONLY eat what he can pick up and put in his mouth by himself. If I try to feed him anything, including cheese puffs, we have a huge fight on our hands. We still haven't heard back from the therapist on whether or not the insurance has approved more visits but I am keeping my fingers crossed. We go to his 9-month checkup next week so I will ask the doctor about it then.

We are a blessed family and I thank God every day for the moments that we get to spend together.

Swallow Therapy - Take 1

Today was our first appointment with the speech and swallow therapist. We learned a lot and it relieves me to know that I am not crazy and there really is an issue that needs professional help. She watched him eat from his bottle and then progressed to trying to get him to put a spoon in his mouth and then a spoon with something on it. Needless to say, he did what he always does and refused to even open his mouth once there was food on the spoon. She did get a spoon in his mouth with nothing on it and she said that he was trying to move his tongue to the sides of his mouth instead of stabilizing the spoon in the middle of his mouth like he was supposed to.

Since eating is just one of those things that we do and don't think about I'm having a really difficult time trying to figure out how to break it down into manageable parts for him. She gave us a lot of little things to do over the next couple weeks to try and get him moving forward so hopefully those are successful. We will be adding a spoon to his toy box and to his bath toys so that he gets more used to it during play time. We will also be trying to get him to let us put our fingers in his mouth and anything else he will let us put in there easily. I am also going to try and let him play with food while in his highchair to get used to the new textures and just hope that he puts some in his mouth by mistake. We tried it today, see for yourself how it went! He did put his hand in his mouth once and immediately started spitting it out. Poor kid, he really doesn't know what he's missing!

Oh my!

This is what happens when daddy dresses Taylor!

Need a laugh?

I love this kid!! It just doesn't get any better than this. He is 8 months old today and we are still not eating at all. However, I did FINALLY feel a tooth tonight so maybe we are getting closer. He is pulling up on anything he can find and trying really hard to stand alone and walk. He stood by himself without holding on to anything for about 2-3 seconds today before he reached for the couch. I am excited to see how things continue to change but I'm a little nervous about how quickly it is all happening.

Tough night

I'm having a rough time tonight. Bryan went on a camping trip with our church for the weekend and Taylor is with my parents. This is the first night that I have spent away from him and it hit me pretty hard as my parents and I were driving in opposite directions. I have a lot to do tonight and tomorrow before I go pick him up to get the house clean and ready for our bonfire next weekend. I am trying to stay busy and not think about it too much so that I don't go crazy and pick him up at 5am! Of course he did fine and went to bed like a champ. I'm sure that he is loving every minute of this adventure. I know that some of my favorite memories as a kid were Friday nights when my sister, brother and I spent the night at our grandparents house. I am looking forward to a full night of sleep and not being woken up at 5 or 6am!

My little inchworm

This is a video of Taylor crawling today, sorry it's sideways! He's been doing it for a while now but he's getting faster every day. He's also pulling up on everything, including his crib. He was standing in the corner playing with his mobile at 4:30 this morning when I went in to feed him. I just can't believe how fast he is growing and changing.

Favorite photos

These are a few of my favorites from Taylor's 6-month photo session. Thank you very much Teresa's Photoworks!

Sick ... again

A few weeks ago Taylor had an ear infection so we went to the doctor and got some antibiotics. We followed the prescription and about a week later, he seemed to get much worse. One night I think he only slept about 2 hours total and he usually sleeps from 7pm to 5:30am straight. I took him to the doctor that day and the ear infection was back. Here's the kicker: the prescription was wrong. I'm not sure who messed up, the doctor or the pharmacy, but it was only written for 4 days instead of 10. So we are taking medicine again now. He has gotten a TON better about taking it without spitting it all over you but he doesn't like it. He now also has horrible diaper rash for the first time ever thanks to the side-effects of the medicine. It is getting better but it has been a battle just to get his diaper changed. I am not looking forward to giving him a bath in the morning.

Catch up ...

I have missed out on a few monumental occasions recently that need to be blogged about. First up ... Father's Day. We sent the morning at my parent's church so that I could see my dad and then we went to lunch with my grandparents. It was a nice day over all but Taylor was not in the best mood because he ran a fever all weekend long. I think that Bryan had a great day despite the circumstances. This picture is us trying to bring down his fever with a cool washcloth. Taylor was amused.

Second ... my 10-year high school reunion. It was a long day but I got to see several people that I haven't seen since graduation and catch up with a few old friends. We had a good time at the park and Taylor especially enjoyed swinging.

Third ... our first "pet". Some friends of ours have a field full of donkeys and needed to get rid of one. Bryan decided that we NEEDED this donkey so he spent an entire afternoon fixing fence and getting ready for him. He is a very cute miniature Sicilian donkey named Pedro but he is loud! He has woken me up every single night which is very unpleasant, especially since Taylor is sleeping through the night 75% of the time now. Bryan is really ready for Taylor to start riding Pedro but I'm hoping to put that off for as long as I possibly can.

Last but not least ... our 2nd anniversary. I honestly can't believe that we've only been married for 2 years. It seems like a lifetime that we have been together. When I think back about all that we have been through and accomplished in that time and it makes my head spin a little!

Right now Taylor is sick again. We spent the morning crying and not sleeping so after an unscheduled trip to the doctor we have an answer. He has a double ear infection which is apparently a result of the sickness he had a couple weeks ago. On Friday he will be 7 months old and he's still getting bigger and stronger. He's trying to pull up on things but hasn't really gotten the hang of it yet. He is crawling but not very fast or effectively. He STILL isn't eating anything other than his bottles. Several other people have tried to feed him with the exact same response so I'm not sure how long it will be until we can actually get some food in him.

Completely off topic, I have the cutest new nephew in the world. He is 3 weeks old today and just precious. Hopefully the boys will grow up to be great friends and confidants.

PICTURES!!

Yesterday we went to the Japanese Stroll Garden where Bryan and I took our engagement pictures a little over 2 years ago. It was HOT, a little over 90 degrees so I was surprised how well Taylor did. He also didn't have his normal nap so I was expecting a lot of crankiness but he wasn't too bad. Teresa might have a different opinion though. She has posted a few of the pictures on her blog today so go check it out and let me know what you think!

6 months!!

I honestly can't believe that Taylor is 6 months old. It just seems incredible to me that he's been in our lives for half a year. Last week was vacation Bible school at church so it was a busy and schedule crazy week. My new nephew will be here sometime Wednesday if all goes well and I can't wait to meet him. I hope that Taylor and Evan will grow up and be best friends.

Taylor is getting to a very fun age. He laughs and smiles all the time. He is sitting up own his own and playing by himself well. I think that he will be crawling pretty soon because he is really trying. However, he still doesn't want to eat anything. I did get him to eat a strawberry and a piece of pineapple the other day but that has yet to be repeated. The doctor isn't concerned because he's still growing really well. At his appointment on Wednesday he weighed in at a whopping 17 pounds, 5 oz. and 27.5 inches long.

We are having our family pictures and his 6 month pictures done tomorrow so check back for some fun previews a about a week. Until then, here are the pictures that I took of him from the last month.

Piano lessons from great-grandma. He did seem really interested and was pushing on the keys a little bit. I am sure that this will change as soon as he realizes that he can make the noise on his own.

He loves bath time and now that he's big enough to be out of his baby tub I think he's really going to enjoy it a lot more. So far, he doesn't seem to enjoy splashing but I expect that to change soon.

Mother's Day and 5 months

Taylor was 5 months old on Sunday and it was also my 1st Mother's day with him. It was a wonderful day full of special memories. Bryan had a corsage and a card for me when I woke up that Taylor attempted to sign but evidently would have rather just chewed on the pen. We went to church and took Taylor to Bible class. When I went to pick him up they had made cards with his tiny hands cut out and he had scribbled on it with a crayon. It moved me to tears.

We went to lunch with all of the grandmothers/moms on Bryan's side of the family which was a good time. We also went to dinner with my mom and one of my grandmas on Friday so we got to see almost all of our family over the weekend.

Taylor is getting such a huge personality. Unless he is really tired or really hungry, he is always smiling. He laughs all the time and he gets so excited when Bryan or I walk into the room. He is rolling all over the place which is about to make things much more interesting once he figures out that he can get places now. He loves to stand up most of the time so he's getting really strong. He is able to sit up on his own for about 20-30 seconds before falling over.

He is definitely a mama's boy, much to Bryan's disappointment. Most nights he goes to sleep on his own when you put him in his crib but not always. He is still not sleeping through the night on a regular basis so that gets very overwhelming since I wake up at 3:00AM most days for work.

He is still working on cutting teeth so he does get cranky every once in a while but he's been pretty good about it.

The other kids at the babysitters seem to really like him and she says that he is a great baby. That makes me proud!

4 months

I know that I am a week late in writing this but I wanted to wait for his doctor's appointment so I would have all of his new information. He weighed in at 15 pounds, 2 ounces and is 25.5 inches long. He is generally a very happy baby but he does have his moments. Here are just a few of the things that he has been up to lately.

• He smiles and laughs all the time but mainly for Bryan and me.
• He loves bath time.
• He isn't a very good eater. Most of the time he doesn't finish his bottles and when he does, he is only getting 4oz, which is the same amount he was eating at 6 weeks. He does seem interested in our food while we are eating but refuses to eat his own food. He is still growing though so there isn't much to worry about right now.
• He is mesmerized by the speakerphone. He tries to grab the phone so he can figure out where the voice is coming from.
• He is a mover! We put him to sleep on his tummy and we never know where he will be when he wakes up. He is usually on his back and in the corner because he crawled/scooted there and then can't get back out on his own.
• Standing is his favorite position. He just loves to bounce and jump but since he can't do it on his own yet, it gets pretty exhausting after awhile.
• He is rolling over, but only front-to-back that I have witnessed. He tries to go back-to-front but he just can't seem to get the momentum that he needs.
• He enjoys being outside and seeing the neighbor's dogs and horses.

I feel so blessed to be a mother and I can't wait to see what the next several months bring. I love him more than I could have ever imagined and it is the best feeling in the world!

Who does he look like?

Several people have told me that they think Taylor looks like me. Here are some recently aquired photos of Bryan as a baby. Now can you see where he gets his handsome looks?

Laughing = the best sound in the world

My parents babysat last week so this video is of my dad blowing in Taylor's face and his hilarious reaction. He is still mesmerized by this video when he watches it. Pretty entertaining, enjoy!

3 months!

I honestly can't believe that it's been 3 months since the best day of our lives. The time has just flown by but in another sense, I can't really remember what life was like without him. I think that I love him more everyday but I don't know how that's possible. He is learning so many things and it's amazing to see the look on his face when things finally click. Just last night he was scratching his knee and he kept looking at his hand and then his knee and then it was just obvious when he realized that he was the one scratching his knee. He is soooo wonderful!

He just melts my heart when he smiles at me or laughs when he sees me. I am looking forward to the moment when I go to pick him up and he reaches his arms up for me. I wish that I could record every second of his life because I already feel like it's going by too fast and I don't want to miss anything or forget anything. Since I obviously can't do that, here are a few select pictures of him today!

Adorable

Lately when I've been changing Taylor's diaper I've noticed that he has been trying to blow bubbles like I do on his belly when I change him. Well he finally figured it out yesterday and now he can do it anytime that you encourage him by doing it first. I was so happy to catch it on video because he usually quits laughing and smiling as soon as he sees the camera.

Here are some new pictures as well.

Smiles and Teeth

Time has been flying by lately but everything is going well. Last week Bryan started a new job working with the city Public Works department. Right now everything seems to be going well and I am happiest about the fact that he has set hours every day!

Taylor has been going to his new daycare for 1 week now and seems to be doing really well. He is teething now which just blows my mind but according to my mom, I had 6 teeth by the time I was 4 months old. He is handling it pretty well but he does get pretty fussy about once or twice a day. He calms down pretty quick though. Here are his newest pictures. Enjoy!

Hanging out with my dad so that Bryan and I could go out for Valentine's Day

Holding up his head and rolling over

Sitting up in his Bumbo