Here is what we have been up to the last week! :-)
Slept in the bouncy seat (little Taylor has a cold and can breathe better when she is more upright...)
Made funny faces at mom
Read stories with grandma mem while mom and dad went out on a date!
Had a three-generation girls day out in downtown Holland
Wore our first pair of jeans - new little overalls :-)
Lots of tummy time
Played with Brady
Slept while mom and dad watched Avatar (first movie we have watched the whole way through since Taylor was born!) Hung out on the couch Cuddled with her new taggie blanket - love it!!! Celebrated Earth Day (see her shirt - "Handle with Care")
Race to the Top Program: Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions, January 13, 2010 (PDF)
A mere three months ago I was waking up at 5:00am, working out, going to work, teaching about letters and numbers, coming home, and putting up my tired, pregnant feet while eating dinner and watching reruns of the Office.
Two months ago we were welcoming a new life into this world, a life that we had known about for 9 months, but we were becoming acquainted face to face for the first time. We were learning how to feed, bathe, diaper, swaddle, and generally care for this little person. Everything was new, and the learning curve was slow at first.
Now, with Taylor two months old, it feels like she has been a part of our lives for a long, long time. I can tell the difference between cries (tired, hungry, over-stimulated, wanting to be held, wanting a pacifier, etc.). It takes hardly any time to change a diaper, and we can tell when she is thinking about soaking us in the middle of changing her because she becomes really still and quiet. We have a little bit of a bedtime routine now, and are getting to sleep at a more normal time. We know that we have to be patient and slow with the bottle for her to take it. We have to hold her a certain way, and that it has to be just the right temperature. And she is like her mom – she needs her sleep, and gets out of sorts when she is over tired.
Taylor has the best expressions and smiles, and can make me laugh out loud as we just sit and make faces at each other. She focuses so intently when we look at each other, and then will just break out into the biggest, gummy, smile. We call her the little boxer sometimes because she holds her little fists so tight that her knuckles go white. She likes to snuggle when she is tired, and generally wakes up happy in the morning and after her naps. She loves the sound of water (can’t wait to take her to Lake Charlevoix!). During tummy time, Taylor refuses to just lay and look at things, she wants to MOVE and kicks her little legs back and forth, looking like she wants to get moving and crawl if she could.
It is such a joy to be parents and to have a little person look to you and recognize you as their comforter and care taker. What an awesome job and responsibility.
At two months Taylor is 12 pounds 13.5 ounces (80th percentile), and 23 inches long (75th percentile). Big girl!! She’s growing so well, and the doctor’s say she is doing just perfectly. Music to our ears…
Brave girl after her shots (poor little thing - I think it was as hard on me as it was on her...)
I like her pink camouflage and sparkly band-aids. Looking pretty with her daddy
Little smile
Boxing girl with tight little fists Sleeping with her feet out, just like mom
Taylor hit the seven week mark on Wednesday, and we feel like we can see changes almost daily!! She is getting so much stronger with her neck and legs, and can hold her head up for longer periods of time. The hair that she was born with fell out a bit, but it is now starting to grow back in the front, and it is so cute! Her head reminds me of a little fuzzy peach - the little hairs are so short and soft. The bottle feeding seems to have taken a step back. She is refusing it more often than she is taking it, but we will continue to work on it. For the past 6 straight nights, Taylor has only gotten me up once during the night! She isn't going down until almost 11, but then will sleep until almost 4, and then not get up until almost 8. I hope this will start to shift earlier when I have to go back to work, but for now it is great!
Ryan and I are still trucking along. Ryan is busy almost every night working on things for his two masters classes this semester. I have started my final master's project, utilizing some of Taylor's naps while I am on maternity leave. We both cannot wait to be done with our master's degrees!!
This past week the weather has not been that great, and we are ready for the warmth and sunshine to return!! We're hoping for better weather next week for more walks, runs, and, yes, it's that time of year again, softball practices for Ryan. :-)
Pics
All clean Trying to sit in the bumbo seat for the first time Looking at her own reflection Go team!
Heading out for a walk, it feels like winter again!! Taylor after the walk, all snuggled in and sleeping Taylor - our little rocket Chubby cheeks :-) Playing in her bouncy chair
It started with Ryan taking a half day on Friday, and the three of us headed to 8th street for the afternoon. Afterwards, Ryan and Taylor took a good long nap before dinner. :-)
Grandma mem and Grandpa Randy came up from Battle Creek on Saturday to visit and brought Taylor some Easter goodies - a few cute outfits and a fun counting book. It will be so much fun when she starts interacting with books more!
Then today, Easter Sunday, Taylor went to church for the first time!! She did so well! She slept through most of the service and didn't make a peep. It was fun to dress her up in a cute little dress, and have our church friends finally meet her! Afterward, we headed to grandma and grandpa Slagh's for Easter dinner. Unfortunately we had a little messy diaper incident, and we had to change her clothes before heading over, but she still looked awfully sweet! Taylor got a cute little Easter bunny - a little beanie baby named Hippity - lucky girl!
It was a big day for Taylor, and she took a really long nap after all the excitement (and her mom and dad may have napped as well :-)).
Here are some pictures from Taylor's first Easter Sunday!!
Family picture (trying to get all three of us using photo booth) At church (iphone pictures :-))
