In true form

This week marks Taylor's first encounter with the spoon. She approached it like most babies, I'm sure, using her little tongue and trying to suck on the spoon inadvertently getting rice cereal all over herself. This experience reminded me of her first encounter with eating during the first few days in the hospital after she was born. She tried and tried to nurse, but she had a difficult time getting the hang of it. She would get so frustrated and would get herself all worked up screaming and howling. I would have to stop and rock her to calm her down out of her frenzy before we could get back to trying again. Well, she is attacking the spoon concept in true Taylor fashion. After a few attempts licking the spoon and trying to suck on the spoon, she started crying an carrying on as if to say, "Oh come on, mom, just give me my bottle! I'm good at that!" It might be too early to tell if this is a lasting character trait, but if so, I can see myself in her. My own mother has reminded me on several occasions throughout my life that I am too hard on myself. I get really frustrated when I'm not good at a skill the first time I try it or when I don't immediately get the hang of something new. I can envision future similar conversations with little Taylor as she grows up... "Don't be so hard on yourself, you'll get it, you always do, just give it some time..."

Somebunny is sick

I think all of our traveling has finally caught up to Tay as she has developed a cold :( I knew this day would come. I've been dreading the first time my little baby got sick. We've spent last night and today checking temps, cleaning out snotty noses, listening to coughing & sneezing, and fortunately... napping. Luckily, this is just a mild cold... because as a new mom, it's a little stressful to see your baby uncomfortable. When do babies learn to blow their noses???? We've probably got a long while before that happens. On another note, it seems as if overnight Taylor suddenly stopped fitting into her 0-3 month clothes and has moved into her 3-6 month sizes. She's getting so big!

TV Zombie

Have you ever watched somebody who is watching television? This person will often have a wide-eyed, mouth-open expression as if the mind has turned to mush and it can't break out from under a trance. If you don't know what I'm talking about, come to our house some evening. We call it the "TV zombie" look. Sometimes Thomas or I will notice this expression on each other faces while watching a show and jokingly start to sing our little "TV zombie" song (which is set to the chorus of The Who's "Teenage Wasteland.." it's funny, I'm singing it in my head right now). Well, guess who recently became a TV zombie??? Yep, little Tay has discovered the alluring glow of the television and sits quite contently in a trance whenever she sees it! ... And mommy has discovered that this 'electronic babysitter' affords her certain luxuries such as taking longer than a two minute shower, blow-drying her hair, or actually getting to put on make-up in the morning! So thank you, HGTV. Thank you, Tyra Show. Thank you to all the mindless, so-called "entertainment" that is day-time television for keeping my 3-month-old baby captivated long enough for me to get myself looking presentable!!
(Photo:Tay's tv zombie trance while sitting with Papa C)

A Few Milestones

Because babies change from week to week, I wanted to record a few of Tay's milestones: At 12 weeks, Taylor is consistently smiling at people other than mommy. She responds to mommy's voice when I walk into the room. She consistently settles herself down for bed/naps. And, her latest... she puts her fist in her mouth. Sometimes she just gazes at me with wide eyes and the biggest toothless grin she can muster and coos as if she's saying "oh mommy, I love you so much!"... it melts my heart. These are such small tasks in the scope of things. But to me, watching her day after day from the minute she was born, these things become huge milestones. This is such a precious and special time!

Tay had her second photo shoot this week (the first being her newborn pics in the hospital). She was a trooper and managed a few smiles despite being soo tired and wanting to nap. This photo is her best shot.

...You might be a mommy

Taylor is loving this Ohio weather! For one thing, it's not nearly as hot or as bright as it is in Phoenix, so it allows us to get out and enjoy the great outdoors! Tay is still not a fan of her stroller and car-seat, so I broke down and bought the very stylish and fashionable baby-carrier... the ultimate 'mommy' accessory.
If you are into comedy, you may be familiar with Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck" routine. (You know, the whole "If you go to a family wedding and could sit on either side of the church... you might be a redneck") I feel like I am developing my very own "You might be a mommy" comedy routine. The baby-carrier just made the list: If you're wearing an infant around your neck instead of a necklace..... you might be a mommy.
I'll have to work on the jokes. In the meantime, Tay & I are going to get out more and go for walks (in our very stylish sunglasses) and enjoy the fresh air.

Mini-Me

Last night, Taylor's grandmother and I were going through old photo albums of when I was a baby. I can't believe how much she resembles me when I was an infant. She has my nose, my lips, my baby-chub... she even makes the same goofy facial expressions that I used to make. It's so much fun for Tay's grandmother to hold her and be flooded with memories of raising me and my sisters during our infant years. Check this out... my baby picture is on the left and Tay is on the right. She's a little mini-me!!