Monkey Business

Well, we decided our little monkey is going to dress up like a little monkey for her first Halloween. I've got to savor these early years when I get to pick out her costumes before she's old enough to do it herself, because she's probably not going to go for silly monkey costumes like this! Oh, and tooth number two came in!!! Look out steak and potatoes, Taylor's comin' for you.

Bouncing to sleep

Taylor loves to bounce SO MUCH that she is starting to bounce in her sleep! She started falling asleep in her bouncer and it's just so cute! I tried to get it on video. The quality and my shooting skills make it a little difficult to see (I was fending off a dog while trying to hold the camera as you will see!), but try to watch Tay's eyes. She starts to close her eyes and nod off, then suddenly starts up bouncing again. She is so entertaining.

Bumbo Butt

Hey moms out there, is this a shared experience? Taylor often gets her meaty little thighs stuck in the Bumbo when I try to pry her out of it after a meal. I think she looks like a turkey. It's pretty cute, although she probably begs to differ. At least, she will when she's 16 and we are showing this picture to her friends and talking about what a cute, chubby-wubby baby she used to be! Sorry, Taylor, it's coming...

My first tooth!!!!!!

During Taylor's bath last night we discovered she has cut her first tooth!!!! (Bottom, left of center... what's the technical term for that one?? Nisha???) She is growing up too fast! It's so tiny and cute, and next to impossible to photograph. So take my word for it!

The second best $50 I ever spent

Let me start by saying that about 2 1/2 months ago I was saying the Ocean Wonders Play Gym was the best $50 I ever spent! Taylor lays on the mat and is entertained by lights, sounds, and colorful toys to grab. This purchase allowed me to lay her down for up to 40 minutes to get some badly needed chores done around the house. Well a few months later, here we are with the next best toy: the Bouncer. We noticed that Tay was having a ball at the gym child care center when she was placed in a bouncer. Luckily I was able to find a great used Baby Einstein bouncer at a local second-hand store (these suckers are expensive!). Taylor is so cute bouncing up and down and squealing in delight. She's so proud of her new moves!

First Wedding

DISCLAIMER: This was one of those precious stories we will always remember, but if you gross out easily, please enjoy the cute picture and don't read on.
Here goes: It was a long awaited day and family and friends of Jenna and Colin Summers all gathered together for a special ceremony. The bride was gorgeous, fall colors were everywhere, and guests were dressed in their best. Taylor was decked out in a gorgeous fall dress (thanks, Michelle!), new shoes, tights... the works. Isn't it every mother's joy to dress up and show off her beautiful baby girl to the family for the first time?
The ceremony was beautiful... or so we heard.
The trouble all started just before the ceremony when Taylor was enjoying a bottle. I watched her grunt...felt a rumble on my lap... and I smelled that all too familiar smell. No big deal. I let her finish up and headed for the bathroom for a routine change, wipes and new diaper in hand. A routine change it was not. In fact, it may have been the biggest blow out to date. Thankfully the bathroom had more wipes... key word, HAD. I hope nobody else was counting on those being there because we used every last one. As I was cleaning Tay's explosion out of tights, dress (sorry, Michelle!), baby, changing table, side table, and myself, I must have lost track of time because Thomas came knocking on the bathroom door. "Is everything ok in there?" "NO! HELP," I cried. Thomas quickly moved into action. So, there we were, our little family, in the women's bathroom with a semi-naked baby cleaning and hand-drying clothes, getting spit-up out of shoes (still not sure how that happened), sanitizing, well, every surface we touched. About 25 minutes later we emerged just to see the bride and groom, now married, coming back down the isle to the back of the church. And this is how we spent Taylor's first wedding... one we will remember for a long time.

Lunch is a battlefield

Well, not really. But sometimes Taylor comes out of it looking like she fought and lost a good battle with the spoon. Between her wiggling, sticking her fingers in her mouth, and trying to lick her bib it's a miracle the spoon finds it's way inside her mouth at all sometimes. This is more the look of a post-daddy-fed lunch, but I'll own up to this one. We've added baby oatmeal and apples to the menu as of yesterday. Yummy! Yummy!

October in Phoenix

What can you do during the month of October in Phoenix that you can't do in the midwest? Go Swimmin'!! The water in our pool is pretty cool these days, but surprisingly enjoyable for baby girls. And, good news: swimming in a bathing suit is just as fun as skinny dipping :)
Even more good news: Taylor is finally starting to tolerate a bath and even flash a few tentative smiles in the process. She grips the sides of the tub like it's her final moments on the Titanic... but we get the job done. She doesn't quite trust yet that I'm not going to let her slip out of my hands to a watery grave! It's fun to watch her because I can tell she wants to reach for the bath toys, but she just can't bring herself to do it quite yet.