Catch Up

Well it's 1:30am and I can't sleep. I figured why not just catch up on Taylor since it has been way too long and maybe it will keep my mind off things.

So nearly a month ago now, Taylor turned 9 months. She has only grown an inch since her last appointment 3 months ago (I think she's going to be a little shrimp), but she did reach a whopping 19 lbs 13 ounces. I swear she weighed more when were in California, so maybe all of this crawling around has made her start shedding some pounds. Honestly, I love the chub and I'm not quite ready to see it go, but trust me, there is still a lot there to enjoy. Here are some of the highlights and some of her favorite things right now:

• She loves waking up in the morning, always has. She just laughs when I pick her up. However she hates going to bed. After almost 5 months of putting her down without rocking her to sleep, she usually cries for at least 5 to 10 minutes. Sometimes (like tonight) she cries for over 30 minutes so I whimp out and pick her up. Her manipulation works and then before I know it, it's 10 pm.
• She is crawling! It may not be the traditional crawl, more of an army crawl, but she can move quick. I was cooking in the kitchen the other day and I looked back to check on her in the living room and couldn't find her. It had only been a couple of minutes but she made her way behind the couch!
• We haven't swam too much, but when her daddy took her in the pool on Memorial Day, she was kicking and swimming all over the place! I knew that she loved the water, but I've never seen her that excited in the pool. Most of her water experiences are in the bath tub, with all the splashing, it feel like I end up taking a bath with her.
• She loves hair. I don't mean just touching or pulling hair, I mean eating hair.... ugh! With a shedding dog in the house, no matter how much I vacuum, she is always bound to find some and she loves putting hair in her mouth. It is sooooo gross!
• Honestly, Taylor puts anything and everything in her mouth. I did have to stick my finger down her throat a few weeks back because she was gagging on something. It was pretty scary.
• She loves dogs barking. Whenever she goes over to her Grandma TTs and their yorkie is barking, she will honestly belly laugh. So cute!
• She barely fits in the bumbo chair and the other day she actually popped out of the bumbo chair. I look away for a minute and when I look back she is on her stomach on the kitchen counter. It's like I can't even take my eyes off her!
• She loves our daily walks. We usually take 2 walks per day to accommodate Quique, but Taylor loves it! Now that the rain is apparently gone, we can hopefully enjoy the outdoors even more!
• She loves music. A lot of times she will start to almost dance a little when she hears music. The other night we went to Red Iguana (my favorite Mexican Food except for maybe some food in Mexico) and the two gentlemen who go around with their guitars came over and sang a children's song to Taylor. She was in between them in her high chair and she just kept looking back and forth from one guy to the other. It was like she knew that they were singing to her. I got some of it on video, but it just doesn't do the experience justice.
• She claps all of the time. It's funny because she actually does it when she's happy or she hears people laughing. I hosted our Dinner Club this last month and we were laughing in the other room and Dustin told me when she heard us laughing she started laughing and clapping her hands.
• She is just a happy baby. We are so blessed to have such a special and happy baby. She is so good and so sweet!

I know I'm leaving out so much, but I do have one mommy highlight (at least I will only write one, but of course there are many many more):

• Less than 3 months of formula and then we are on to the real stuff! Our bank account will be so happy!

The only other update is Father's Day. I know that we are well past that special day, but this year it was so special. Dustin was actually ready and wanting kids long before me, but he waited until I was ready and then who knew it would be such a process! Whatever the case, he is such an amazing dad. Taylor lights up whenever he enters the room and he can make her laugh so hard. He is so good with her and the love those two have for each other is one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen. I am so grateful for a husband who is such an amazing dad and I am grateful for how hard he works and all of the sacrifices that he makes so that I can stay at home with Taylor. I'll be honest, staying home has been quite a life changing event for me, but I am so glad that I have the opportunity to do it because of Dustin. Dustin will be so entertained by her some times and he will say "I know you get to see this all of the time, but I love this"! Watching Taylor grow each and every day and watching her personality blossom is a miracle that I get to watch almost every minute of every single day and I'm so glad that I get to be a part of that. Who knew that this sweet little bundle of joy could fill our lives and to fill some of those empty spots in our hearts in ways that I can't even begin to explain. I love you DT! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!