Starting Solid Food

When we last visited the Pediatrician, she suggested that we begin trying some solid foods with Taylor.  This is a no-stress behavioral training!  We are basically teaching her to eat off a spoon.  She is still getting her regular bottles and we are trying to incorporate 2 feedings of 1 tablespoon of a solid each day.  So far we have tried rice cereal with some Mommy milk and it has been going very well.  She is getting better about opening her mouth for the spoon and more of it is making it her mouth than on her face.  Trickiest part is trying to make sure she doesn't put her hands in her mouth when it's full.  She loves when Daddy does the airplane and train feeding too!  Later in the week we are going to move on to some yellow vegetables before moving onto some green vegetables later in the month of January.

 

Look at me Dad!  I'm eating from a spoon!

 

Yum!  I'm liking this!

Taylor's 1st Christmas

Our 1st Christmas was so special!  We woke up bright and early to give Taylor her bottle.  Chris noticed out the window that it was snowing.  It was such a nice surprise.  How wonderful was it that for Taylor's first Christmas it snowed.  They say that Christmas snow is magical.  The day went well from there. Chris, Taylor and I opened stockings together and then after my parents arrived we had a nice lunch of Filet Mignon, Stuffed Baked Potatoes and Asparagus with Cherry Cheesecake and Cherry Nut Bread for dessert.  Chris did the meal, my mom did the desserts.  Me, I cooked nothing because I'm a horrible cook.  The meal was delicious!  Then we opened presents as a family and had some relaxing time watching movies and just spending time together.  Taylor seemed to enjoy all her gifts and spending more time with Nana, Poppy, and Uncle Aaron.

 

Taylor ready for the day in her Reindeer PJ's.

  

Outside enjoying the Christmas Snow!

 

The stocking was almost as big as she is!

 

We are still working on learning that gifts come in packaging.  

But she knew right where to put the pacifiers that were in her stocking!

 

Opening her first present!

 

Enjoying the gifts!

 

Kisses from Nana!

 

Look Mom!  Uncle Aaron is actually holding me!!  =)

We hope that everyone had a great Christmas together with their friends and family!

Have a safe and Happy New Year!!

I'm 4 Months OLD!

Last week Taylor had her 4 month appointment at the doctors.  They are pleased with her progress so far.  She weighs 13 pounds and 1 ounce and she is 25 3/4 inches long.  She also got two shots and an oral vaccine.  This month she learned to roll from her tummy to her back and enjoys drooling and sticking out her tongue.  She is playing more and more with anything she can put in her mouth.  Taylor is also talking up a storm and singing in the car on our way to daycare.  We also weathered our first little cold.  I did not enjoy the nose drops and snot sucker and neither did she but for now she appears to be past it.  We are looking forward to our first Christmas next week!

Just Had to Brag!

The video speaks for itself.  Need I say more?  Pardon the crying.  We are still working on enjoying tummy time!  =)

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Well winter is upon us!  So far we have had two small dustings, which is an improvement from last year.  This time last year we had had several inches with many more to come.  Let's hope for a normal amount of snow this year.  I'm not looking forward to helping shovel if we get a blizzard.  Last year my excuse was I was pregnant.  This year, I fear I have no good excuse for not shoveling.  Taylor loves her little snow sack.  Since it's been so cold during the days we have been using it almost every morning.  She loves how warm and snuggly she feels in it.

This past weekend Brandy came and visited us.  We had a great lunch together at Panera and then we enjoyed playing together.  Here is a photo of Taylor with her "Aunt" Brandy.  =)

My First Christmas Tree

So Chris and I have differing opinions about Christmas Trees.  I'm a fan of green trees.  He likes white trees so we have both and we alternate.  This year it is a white tree year.  Over the weekend we got out the tree and decorated it.  Of course Taylor fell asleep during the decoration stage but since then she has enjoyed looking at the lights.  Although so far the cats have gotten the most enjoyment out of the tree.  Yes you know what that means folks.  We are constantly yelling at them to get out of it and to stop playing with the ornaments that are near the bottom.  =)  Chris, Taylor, and I are all looking forward to Christmas morning!

 Reading my Christmas Book from Ms. Natalie and Mr. Sean!  =)

 Kicking my legs with excitement! 

 I have Santa's on my feet!  Santa's on my feet!

Tristan doing his version of helping put up the tree.

 Daddy putting the first ornament of 2010 on the tree!

 Taking a snooze while Daddy does all the work decorating the tree!

 Tristan staring at the ornaments thinking just how he can get to them.

Our lights outside!  Chris finally got his deer!

Meeting Santa

On Sunday we went to the mall and introduced Taylor to Santa.  I was terrified that she was going to scream or she would vomit on him.  She was quite content.  No smiles but no screaming/crying fits either.  =)  Here's to many years of Christmas joy and cheer! 

I'm Quite the Talker

So this Sunday, Chris put Taylor in her crib and turned on the mobile.  I think he was hoping she would take a nap.......however she had a rip roarin' time!  She was talking, cooing, and squealing with delight.  I think all in all Chris must have re-wound the mobile at least 10 times.  Here is a quick video of her enjoying herself.  =)

Enjoy!

Taylor's Baptism

On Saturday November 20th we had Taylor Baptised.  Taylor's dress was made from my Mom's wedding dress and was sooo beautiful.  Thank you Ms. Florence for making such a special heirloom for our family!  Our hope is that Taylor will pass it down to her children in the future.  My mom also surprised us with a bonnet also made by Ms. Florence that if you remove a small row of stitches it will turn into a hankie that Taylor can hold on her Wedding Day.  Taylor did a great job during the Baptism and only got a little fussy at one point, otherwise she was on her best behavior.  She even took a little snooze towards the end of the ceremony.

 

Before the Ceremony

 

Beautiful and Ready to be Baptized in a gown made from Nana's Wedding Dress.

 Parents, Godparents, and Great Uncle Monsignor Alan

 Family

 

 Godparents - Kelly and Jay

After the ceremony everyone joined us in our home for a Thanksgiving Feast.  It was a great day and it was so wonderful to have so many of our friends and family join us on such a special day for Taylor. 

 Best Friends Already!

 Four Generations

 Cousins with Babies 

Both Mommies and Babies are just about the same age differences - About 1 Month!

 Hanging with Grandpa Trudden

 What cuties we are in our Matching Outfits!

I'm 3 Months OLD!

Time flies when you are having fun or so the saying goes! Here are some pictures of Taylor from her third month.

I'm 3 Months OLD! And getting so BIG!

Yes I'm just as shocked as you are that I'm SO BIG!

I'm pretty good about sitting up but sometimes I like to lean on my stuffed animals.

My new favorite trick is pulling up my shirt and showing off my belly.

Hanging with Poppi! He is such a funny guy!

Nana and I have lots of conversations when we are together. I love talking to her.

A Typical Evening @ Home

So Taylor is almost 12 weeks old. I've been back at work for almost a month and both Taylor and I are settling into an evening routine. Most nights it's just the two of us since Chris has been working late hours at work getting ready for Halloween. Now that Halloween is behind us Taylor and I are looking forward to having Daddy around for our evening time together as a family. Here is a sneak peek into our typical weeknight together.


Taylor typically sleeps on our way home and then a bit more when we get home which is perfect because it is usually just enough time for me to get her evening bottles and her bottles for the following day ready to go.

Then we do a quick diaper change. She is always so proud of herself when I change her diaper. It's as if she is saying "Hey Mom! Aren't you proud of what I have made for you?" =) She gives the biggest smiles too!



Then we have some tummy time and play time on her exercise mat. She really likes to play with her toys and is grabbing at things more and more. She loves to dance to the beat of the music! Most of the time she chatters away, I tried to get a video but of course she talked up a storm as soon as the video stopped. She does make a small noise in the middle.



Tummy time is not her favorite. Usually she fusses and will only stay there for a few minutes before becoming so upset that she is inconsolable for several minutes afterwards. I'm hoping that her dislike = her learning how to roll over sooner. As you can see from the video she is definitely getting better. She can almost get up on her side. Once she figures out what to do with that pesky arm in the way, she will be rolling over with no problem. =)

Working on Holding up my Head

Then we have our bath. The first few weeks she HATED bath time. It was AWFUL! All she would do is scream. Now she loves bath time. She lays down comfortably and loves when I run water over her tummy.



After her bath she loves snuggling up in her towel and getting dried off!



This week we have moved our bath time up to 7 pm instead of 8 and cut out our 9 o'clock bottle in favor of a 7 o'clock one. This has enabled us to have three days in a row of an early bedtime at 8 instead of 10 PM.

Yes she is still a GREAT sleeper. My friends are all jealous but she sleeps through the night and hasn't been up once before 5 am in almost 5 weeks. Most mornings I have to wake her up.

All in all our evenings are such a fun time together. Sometimes they make me wish I could stay home more with her but I feel that I'm a much better mom to her and a better wife to Chris when I work. Plus financially it's not an option.

Coming up is Taylor's baptism and then Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are all looking forward to celebrating these wonderful holidays together as a family! =)

Trick or Treat!

We hope that everyone had a fun and safe Halloween. Taylor, Chris, and I enjoyed our first family Halloween together. Taylor made it outside for about an hour before getting fussy and needing to go inside. Next year we will go walking around our street with Taylor to collect some treats. Our neighborhood is quite the bustling place for Trick or Treaters. Our 4 jumbo bags of candy didn't last much longer than Taylor did. We are thankful that Halloween is behind us because it means that we will see Chris home more often. Now it is time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas though! Eeek! Where did the time go?!? It was August just a few days ago right?

Mommy's Cute Little Lamb

Taylor snuggling with Daddy outside

Enjoying an evening at home

2 Month Check Up!

Taylor had her two month check up yesterday.....which meant some vaccinations. She took the shots like a champ and has had little to no reactions other than being a bit fussier than normal last night and tonight. But she still slept through the night last night and I'm hopeful that she does the same tonight. The doctor is very pleased with her progress. She is now 10 1/2 pounds which is 40-50% for her age and is 24 inches long which is the 90%! She is tall, which is funny because both Chris and I are short. Taylor chatted away with Dr. L and told her all kinds of funny stories. I say they were funny because she laughed and smiled the entire time. Dr. L was very impressed with her alertness and conversation skills (she gets that from me....I love to talk) and told us that she has some functioning that is closer to that of a 4 month old. Go Taylor! Our next well appointment is at 4 months so right before Christmas we will get more shots. And as much as I was looking forward to going back to work, I'm counting down the days to Thanksgiving and Christmas so I get some time at home with Taylor.

Almost Halloween

Halloween is always a busy time in the Trudden household. We celebrated our 2nd year of marriage on the 18th. Chris works long hours at his job, Halloween is like their Christmas, and it's almost the end of the first quarter for me! My co-teacher Natalie got Taylor the Tomie dePaola book, My First Halloween. Taylor really liked all the colors and images on the pages. She liked them so much she leaned in for a taste! Chris and his family got her some Halloween wear so she has been wearing them! We can't wait until next week when we get her Halloween costume and dress her up! =) I used some of my free time to make a small Halloween treat for a few special people!

All in all things are busy around here but good. =)

Taylor with her Halloween Book!

Daddy is definitely under my spell!

Tummy Time!

Hanging Out with Daddy!

Flowers from Chris for our anniversary! =)

My Halloween Craftiness!
The tin and candy corn I got from Target.
The Post-it note holder I made. =)
Click here for the video on how to make the post-it note holder.