Toy or Food? You decide.

She sees it.
Toy or food?

Then she goes for it. Gotta investigate it further.

Gets a hold of it. Tries to see if she can talk it down; get it to fess up.

Contemplates...thinking...thinking. Toy? Food?

And, food it is.

We'll work on peeling later.

Playtime with a Doll

Seven Months.

Dear Taylor,

You are 7 months old today. At least you are in 'real' life. In my imagination, you are still 6 months. I think I'm just going to keep you there, if you don't mind.

You are such a delight to all. When I pray for you, I am always reminded of how much you are loved. Not just by Mommy and Daddy and Zissou, but by so many other people. I pray that you would take that love that you've been given, realize that it comes from God, and then give it all back. You are loved, baby girl, so loved.

Here is what you've been up to lately:

• Food - you are eating food now. So far you like sweet potatoes, pears, and squash. I am slowly adding and introducing new stuff as we go. You are not a super big eater, but you are doing well.
  
• Scooting - you've gotten good at scooting around on the floor. Backwards, not forwards. I will put a toy down as bait, and you will focus on it intently, and then slowly back away from it. But I know you want so bad to go towards it. All in good time, doll.
• Weaning - you won't nurse before bed anymore. I'm having to give you a bottle instead. You still nurse during the day, but I sometimes supplement. Sometimes you want nothing to do with nursing, other times you act normal. I'm not sure why. We are still trying, though.
  
• Pulling up - you've pulled yourself up a few times. You want to more, but you're not quite sure how to maneuver all the body parts yet to make that happen.
• Standing - you love to stand. You like to hold our fingers tightly and look on with glee. You also like to hold on to your Bumbo seat while standing. It's quite funny.
• Athletic skills - you are practicing your bball skills by palming clementines. Maybe you could teach Daddy. :-)
• Music skills - you and Daddy have been playing on the piano. You love it. Your little legs kick like crazy, and you get so excited.
  
• Soft hiney - you started using cloth diapers this week. So far you love them.
• Pincher - you are so good at holding things with your hands and manipulating them. I would give you food to pinch, if only you had some teeth.
  

And now, of course, some 7 month pics. Mommy loves taking your picture.
Sweet, baby girl.

"I Wanna Crawl So Bad"

Taylor really wants to crawl.
She keeps trying, but doesn't get very far.
It's still cute to see her trying. Ya wanna see?
(In all truthfulness, this is a post just to show off some cute pics of my baby.)
Enjoy.

Precious.

Here it Goes.

Well, I decided to bite the bullet and just do it, Nike style...that is, cloth diapering. I wanted to use cloth diapers as soon as Taylor was born, but I was intimidated or maybe lazy, not sure which. And now over 6 months later, I am finally giving it a go.

I researched and researched and researched...

Did you know that there is a whole other language for cloth diapering? All these funny words and phrases and types of diapers. I still don't know the language fully. It's a lot.

So, anyways, I researched to find the right diaper for us.

Also, did you know that cloth diapers are not what they used to be? They have some that are just as easy as regular diapers. It's quite amazing.

I ordered a few different types to try out. So far it's going really well. It's not bad. At all.

I am using BumGenious diapers. I got three kinds.

• Flip - basically a diaper cover with a pad. She can wear it all day; I just change the pad.
• All in ones - just like a regular diaper. Except I wash it instead of throw it away.
  
• 4.0 - like a regular diaper with a pad. You take the pad out, but still wash whole diaper.

I'm not sure which I like best so far. The flip and 4.0 are adjustable so I can use them as Taylor grows. The all in ones are SUPER easy. The flip are the most inexpensive because you need less of them, but more inserts.

And if I could just brag for a second. Today we had our first poopy in the cloth diaper. Taylor, not me. And you know what I did. I scraped the poopy into the toilet with toilet paper, and then I rinsed it out in the sink. With my bare hands. Ya, that's right. Be jealous.

Baby poop does not phase me anymore.

I am excited about these diapers. Here are my reasons for using them:

1. They are so soft and comfy on her little hiney.
2. Better for baby bottoms.
   
3. They are cheaper in the long run.
   
4. I will be able to use them for the rest of my kids, because they are durable.
5. Less waste, like trash, not poopy waste.
6. These bad boys are adjustable. Which means the diapers grow with the child. So cool.
   

Taylor really wanted to model her new diapers, so here goes.

Front view. Looking good kid, looking good.

A little side action. She's showing off the curves.

Ahh, big booty, big booty, big booty. Ahh ya, big booty.
It does make her hiney bigger, but we've talked about it, and she's okay with it.

Pause, while I kiss that cute belly.

Taylor gives them... two thumbs up. Her hiney gives them... pee and poop.

P.S. That kid is 5th percentile for weight. Really?

A Mother's Blessing

What a blessing this has been. Nursing my sweet child. It was something I had been anticipating from the beginning; something I so desperately wanted, but at the same time feared. Thankfully, God allowed me this blessing. And I have cherished it...absolutely cherished it.

There have been times when I almost quit. Times when the uncertainty and doubt almost swallowed me whole, but I felt called to persevere. And persevere I did. With my trusty pump in hand, I fought for this. And God proved faithful. He has given me 6 full months of breastfeeding my child, and I am so very thankful to Him.

I thought I was finished about a month ago when Taylor didn't seem to be getting satisfied, but after pumping like a fool, the problem was fixed. It was then that I came to terms with the possibility that I might be done nursing, and surprisingly I was okay with it. Don't get me wrong, I would love to nurse all the way to a year. But I am not in control here. God helped me realize that if I didn't make it to a year, it would be okay.

I'm not quite sure, but I feel as if it is coming to an end. Taylor seems to be starting to wean herself. We started oatmeal last Monday, and have been trying fruits and vegetables also. The oatmeal is made with formula because after a period of supplementing when the supply wasn't meeting the demand, I used up all of my frozen stash. She is getting used to the formula now, and almost seems to prefer it. I am going to continue to offer her to nurse as long as she wants, and supplement with formula like I've been doing. But I don't know how long it's going to last.

Now that it might be happening for real, I have mixed emotions. I have accepted that it is okay if she does end up weaning herself. But at the same time, I am so very sad. As I'm typing this, my eyes are welling up with tears. This has been such a wonderful time of bonding with my sweet baby girl. She is not a snuggly baby, so nursing has been a great way for me to get my snuggles and bonding in with her.

Today, while I was nursing her, I asked Jonathan to take some (modest) pics for me. I am so glad he did. These pictures will be a great reminder of the time I was given to nurse my child.

To help me remember.

To remember the way she would reach up and touch my face while she nursed, and the way she clutched at my clothing and skin.

To remember the many hours I spent gazing and caressing her sweet face. All the while thanking God for this little bundle of blessing in my arms.

To remember the times she would look up at me out of nowhere and smile at me with such love and delight.

To remember the times she fell asleep nestled snug against me, and I just watched her.

To remember this special time I was given to spend with my firstborn child.
A blessing indeed...this motherhood thing...a blessing indeed.

Side-note: I struggled with whether or not I should publish this post. I would hate to offend or upset anyone. But this is my blog; a way for me to document this time with my precious child. And this is important to me; so in the end you can see what I decided to do.
I hope ya'll don't mind.

Daddy's LIttle Monkey

Don't you just wanna eat her?

Daddy gave her this hat as a surprise Christmas present.

What a sweet Daddy you've got there, Taylor.

For real, he is the best Daddy ever.

But you already know that.

Bath Time Bliss

warning: contains some nudity. cute little baby nudity. viewers may be blinded by cuteness.

Dear Taylor,

Have I mentioned how much we love you? Well, just so you don't forget, I'll say it again. We love you to pieces. You have been doing some very exciting new things lately. One of them is sitting up. You have started sitting up beautifully. All I do is set you down in a sitting position, put a pillow behind you for safety, and you do the rest.

So, mommy thought, "Hmm, what about bath time? Would the sitting up apply there as well?"

We decided to test it, and not to spoil the ending for you, but we think you did swimmingly.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Mommy always puts your feet in the water to try and get you to pee-pee in your diaper one last time before going into the water all the way.

You love this rubber ducky that Old Lady gave to you. It was one of your very first presents when mommy and daddy found out you were coming.

When you drop a toy, you've learned it floats away in the water, so you frantically dive after anything you drop.

Now that you can sit up in the water, I think bath time is much more fun for you. You play a whole lot more.

You're even learning to submerge things under water. You will hold toys under, and then quickly pull them up for air. Look at those little baby toes. Yum yum.

Look at that hair coming in, doll baby. It's looking red. Mommy is super excited about that.

Sorry, dear. We had to put a few cute little hiney pics. Couldn't resist.

Mommy is amazed at how well you are sitting up.

You have the prettiest blue eyes, a dimpled nose, and big pouty lips. Love.

Mommy can't believe how grown up you are getting. Please slow down.

And that's all, folks.