20 month old

20 months old means that TWO is just around the corner. That. is. amazing.

Taylor has become a little chatter bug. Her vocabulary is increasing daily, and often she will babble about something, using language we don't understand, and we just try really hard to interpret what she is trying to convey. I try to encourage her to use correct words to label something or try to help her pronounce new things. Today the words were milk - emphasis on the "k" sound - but it is a step up from just signing the word, as well as "hot" and "hat"!

Puzzles are a big part of our playtime right now. There is just something about watching her problem solve (about anything!) that just melts my heart!

As always, I like to include pictures with a post, but these were all impromptu shots taken with my phone, so the quality may be a bit diminished. :o)

Waiting for Ryan to come home (hours before he would actually walk through the door) pointing and saying, "dada?, dada?, dada?"

Chilly, blustery, fall day fun!

Half the time she chooses to go down the slide on her tummy

Walking with at LEAST one stick in her hand....a must

I have a feeling with the holiday season approaching, it is going to be her second birthday before we know it!

Little lost blankie

The first blanket Taylor really latched onto was a fuzzy green/silky brown little blanket that I got from a friend at a baby shower. It had one little tag on the side, and was just the perfect size - not too big, not too small. Taylor LOVES soft things, and hugging blankets, pillows and stuffed animals, and carries them around the house. It has definitely been a security blanket that she can take with her to daycare and obviously finds comfort in having it around.

(Sneaking it out of her crib)

(A picture from Tulip Time this year when she wouldn't let blankie go :o))

Yesterday, that little green blanket disappeared.

So today, we went to buy another one that she would hopefully latch onto like the last one. I think we found it. Same colors, same size, just with a few more taggies (these blankets are made in Holland, and apparently the creators have made them a little fancier in the past two years :o)).

At first she wasn't sure about all the tags, but she hasn't let go of this blanket since we bought it, so I think we have found a replacement.

Pure blankie love. :o)

The Apple Fest trip (that wasn't :))

 

Last year, we went up north in October for the Apple Fest, and we had the same idea this year. However, we realized once we were up that it is actually NEXT weekend. Ha! BUT the good news is that the weather was PERFECT, the fall colors were amazing, and if we had gone up next weekend it looks like it would have been cold and rainy. And we still got apples because farmers market is still in full swing this month... yum! 

The weather felt like the middle of summer - 80 degrees and sunny, and because it is so late in the year, we practically had the lake to ourselves. Most people already had their docks, hoists and boats pulled out - we were one of just a few that were still in the water in our own cove.

We got out on the boat...

Hung out in Charlevoix...

Ate outside...

And just enjoyed being out in the sun!

And at 12 weeks, baby Slagh #2 is starting to make his/her appearance... :o)

It was a fun weekend!!!

First Leaf Pile

Raked our first pile of leaves yesterday, and Taylor was a big fan!

So excited to FINALLY share!

We've known since the second week of August...

(trying to get her to put her finger to her mouth like the little monkey on her shirt :))

... that Taylor is going to be a BIG sister! :o)

At nine weeks we got to see our "little gummy bear" (the official term used by the ultrasound tech :)) with little arm and leg nubs and a quickly beating little heart (over 170 bpm!).

Today, at 12 weeks, we got to hear the heartbeat for the first time (high 160's). One of the best sounds in the world. :o)

We are due next spring on April 17 (one day after my mom's birthday - so she is hoping maybe baby Slagh #2 will come one day earlier :o)). It is hard to imagine what life, and our little house with 2 bedrooms, will look like when the second one arrives, but I know we will figure it all out...just like we did with Taylor.

Pictures of Taylor wearing her "big sister" shirt with family after we told them the news...

We are so thankful for each healthy week that goes by, and pray that everything goes as smoothly as it did the first time around. We feel like there is a lot to prepare and think about between now and next spring. We are starting to talk about when we will transition Taylor to a big girl bed - she's such a good sleeper, so hopefully that transition will go smoothly. She has also been showing interest in her little potty (I would LOVE to think that we would have as little time as possible with two children in diapers :-)).  Lots of changes on the horizon!

Looking forward to cherishing this time with Taylor over the next few months before we transition from a family of three to a family of FOUR!

Girls weekend

Scenes from our short weekend trip...

Discovering (and loving) the old rocking horse I used when I was little...

Helping mem with preparing the veggies for snacks to take with us on the road

Visiting with G. Betty...duck watching

 Gorgeous day!

 So happy to have found a hill! Run, run, run!

 Snack time

 Four generations together, again... :o)

Taylor was the perfect little traveler - she didn't cry once! I was so grateful for this and hope the streak continues as we have a couple of weekends away and longer drives coming up over the next few months. Also, grandpa Randy wasn't pictured, but there was plenty of time to spend with him as well - and Taylor may be developing a nickname for him. I've always referred to my mom as "mem", and can easily see Taylor using a similar nickname, but for my dad, she seems to have come up with her own little name for him. Each time she saw my dad or saw a picture of him around my parents or grandma's house, she would say, "bapa!". Curious to see if it sticks when we see them next weekend up north for the Apple Festival. :o)

Apple Picking 2011

It rained ALL morning, but there was a break in the weather and we were able to make it down to Cranes! This was the first year that we made it early enough before all the Honey Crisp were picked and there were trees full of them. It was definitely Taylor's favorite apple.

Posing in front of the rows and rows of trees

Picking her first apple

Taking a bite!! 

And the rest is history - she did not let go of that apple or stop eating it for the rest of the trip...chewing almost completely through the middle. If we tried to turn the apple so she wasn't chomping at the core, she got all frustrated that we took it away from her for even a second. Ryan caught her sucking the juice between bites - so sweet and tasty. We made sure to pick plenty just for her!

Yum!!

 

Getting pulled by daddy

 Big smiles

After picking, we headed over to the pie pantry to get some goodies which meant playtime for Taylor

This girl LOVES hills

(Tell me she doesn't look like such a big kid in this picture?!!)

We love this face - full of surprise and amazement

It was a great trip this year - and applesauce making is on the agenda for this week. It's only the third day of fall, but so far it has been a fun season!