5 Months Old!

Being cute!

Check out my beautiful eyes!Lounging in the high chair!

The growing list of things that Taylor puts in her mouth include...

...books......other people's hands......blankets and toys......her own hand......her high chair toy...... and anything on her exersaucer, but particularly this flag!

Falling asleep has become much easier...

...especially on daddy...

...and grandma!

On April 24th, Taylor turned 5 months old! She is getting so big! She is such a happy, delightful baby. Her sleeping has gotten much better since we started sleep training. Now she goes to bed at around 7 and sleeps to 6:45am with only a couple of night wakings. She still eats at around midnight and 4am. Hopefully one (or both!) of those feedings will gradually disappear. She has reached all of her milestones, except for rolling over. She has no interest in doing it whatsoever! Hopefully she will do it soon!

Here is an updated list of her likes and dislikes:

Taylor likes...
Putting everything in her mouth, practicing standing, eating rice cereal, taking a bath, getting tickled, hearing kissing noises, kisses from mommy and daddy (and anyone really!), playing with - and pulling - mommy's hair, playing with mommy's face while nursing (mommy's favorite), grabbing at everything, playing with her toes, player in her Jumparoo, playing in her exersaucer, getting ready for bathtime, screeching, blowing bubbles, falling asleep on people

Taylor dislikes...
Getting tired, tummy time (still!), loud noises, being left alone (even for a second!), socks, taking her Nuk out and not being able to figure out how to put it back in, gusts of wind, teething

Happy Easter!

I love Aunt Kim!Unlcle Eric & Aunt KrystleCheck out my string of drool!

Balancing on Grandpa's head! Thank goodness for Pampers!

Family photo - if only Taylor would look at the camera!

Cousin Ryan took good care of me!

Hanging out with mommy

Don't I look pretty in my Easter dress?

Taylor really enjoyed her first Easter! We spent Holy Saturday at Grandma and Grandpa Forst's house with the family. She didn't get to spend too much time in her Easter dress, because she was having some difficulty napping in it. She napped in her white onesie, and we added bunny ears and slippers to make her more festive! Easter Sunday was spent at Grandma and Grandpa Pavelka's house. We spent some time outside enjoying the beautiful day and visiting with lots of family!

Starting solids!

First time...

My first spoonful... a little nervous...I survived!

A few days later...

I love rice cereal!I still love my fingers more though!Mom, clean me up!Hey, let me try!Spoon + fingers + leftover rice cereal on bib = mess for mommy!
All done!

Last Saturday, 3/27, we gave Taylor her first serving of solid foods. She had 1 tablespoon of rice cereal mixed with 2 oz. of breastmilk. It was very watery and hard to keep on the spoon! She didn't quite know what to do but got the hang of it quickly! It took a few days but she's now eating about 1 1/2 tablespoons with 1 1/2 oz. of breastmilk and she loves it!

4 Months Old!

Our little burrito!

Getting ready for bed with daddy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! (I'm Irish today only, purely for the cute outfit!)

Smiling for the camera!

Meeting Jack for the first time... they couldn't figure each other out!

Mom, why aren't you helping me sit up?

Finally, tummy time has become productive!

My exersaucer is still my favorite toy!

Where does the time go? Taylor turned 4 months old on Wednesday, March 24th! We had her 4 month checkup yesterday, and here are her stats:

Height: 24.8 inches (71%)
Weight: 15lb 8oz (88%)
Head Circumference: 41.9cm (77%)

She is completely healthy! The flat spot on her head on the left side has rounded out, and she has excellent head control. Our doctor gave us the green light to start sleep training her, which we started last night. It went great! We put her down at 7pm, and it took 11 minutes initially to cry herself to sleep. She woke up at 7:30, and it took 6 minutes to cry herself to sleep. She woke up again at 10:30 and it took 12 minutes. Then, we didn't hear a peep from her until 5:15am! She woke at that point, and I fed her, and she is still sleeping (it's 8:10am!). Our first night was very successful, but she also had her immunizations so we are prepared for a tougher night tonight!

She has been SUPER smiley lately, and has been "talking" like crazy! She is a very social baby and will smile at anyone. She will try to mimic your facial expressions, and has laughed and squealed with delight a lot lately too! She drools a lot, and chews on anything that goes near her mouth, which makes us wonder if she's begun teething. She also can reach for objects and hold them in her hand - her favorite is mommy's hair! Ouch! She still loves her exersaucer - she could spend 45 minutes in it sometimes! We are going to set up the Jumperoo this weekend because we think she'll enjoy that just as much! Her tummy time has become much more productive - she can lift her chest up off of the ground, and she is SO close to rolling over!

Tomorrow, we are going to start her on solids! Our doctor said she seems ready for rice cereal. We will try and get some pictures and post them soon!

3 Months Old!

My 3 month picture - look at my dimples!This was the closest thing to a smile that we could get...

Taken on my 3 month birthday by mommy!

I love the exersaucer!Who are these people and why won't they talk to me?

So much fun!

Daddy's little sportsfan

Hi everyone! Taylor turned 3 months old last Wednesday. We didn't have a well-visit this month, but we had taken her to the doctor 2 weeks ago and she weighed 13 lb 6 oz. We're pretty sure she's probably close to 14 lbs by now! She started off her 3rd month with a bang - she spent all of last week not napping, not eating, waking every 30 minutes at night, and crying relentlessly! The doctor thinks it is a growth spurt. The week before that, she had slept through the night 3 times, and now it feels like someone hit the "reset" button on her! She is doing better this week. She's napping and doesn't cry every time we put her down. She's still a little fussier than usual, and hasn't been sleeping the greatest at night. Hopefully next week will be better, since I will be going back to work!

Her newest accomplishment is the discovery of her hands. She loves putting her hands in her mouth, putting her hands together, and grabbing at my clothing. She also rubs her eyes now when she's tired, which is a nice indicator for us when she's ready for a nap! She loves being in her exersaucer now. She stares at the king and queen on the side, and plays with the multicolored fabric. She could spend up to 30 minutes in there sometimes!

She has developed a distinct "fake cry" when she wants our attention. She does this a lot at night. Sam and I are trying to decide if this means she is ready for sleep training. We think we're going to wait until at least 5 months though.

Baptism and Other Events!

Showing off my bracelet from Grandma Pavelka

I was the only baby who didn't cry!Godparents were Uncle Gus & Aunt KimTalking to Grandma and Grandpa ForstEnjoying a visit from my friend Quinn! My first walk outside with Maya and Roman. It was COLD!Relaxing in the bathtubSmiling for the camera!Beautiful blue eyesMy new favorite position in the swing! Mommy tries to adjust me, but I go right back to hunching over!I love practicing sitting up!I'm quite the flirt already!The pacifier is never out of reach!

Hello everyone! It's been quite a while since my last post. Taylor is almost 3 months old already! We had her Baptism on February 7th at St. Ann Catholic Church in Channahon. It was a wonderful ceremony shared with friends and family. Taylor did a great job - she didn't cry once, not even when she got the hiccups! She loved the attention at the luncheon afterward, and even slept through the night that night! My future sister-in-law Krystle took some amazing pictures - you can see all of them if you click on the link on the right.

Taylor has been growing and developing every day. She discovered her hands recently, and can't seem to keep them out of her mouth! She even tries to put them in her mouth when she's eating or sucking on her pacifier. Hopefully she learns soon that those two don't mix! She's also so much more aware of the things around her. She is fascinated by fabric and colors on people's clothes. This is also a distraction sometimes when I'm nursing her - she will stop eating just to play with my clothing! Her new favorite activity is to practice sitting up. She loves sitting up in the Bumbo chair, and also being pulled up by her hands. Tummy time is still a struggle, and she is nowhere near being able to roll over! She is sleeping through the night sometimes - at least once a week now. But she is still having some bad nights here and there. All in good time!

She has been having a little tummy trouble lately. She is back on her reflux medicine, and I have stopped eating dairy, broccoli, tomatoes, onions, and chocolate (so sad!) to try and ease her tummy. It seems to be bothering her enough to wake her up at night and during naps. We are even considering giving her rice cereal early to see if it helps. Hopefully it's just a phase - I definitely miss my dairy!

Taylor and I have been enjoying our time together, especially since I will be going back to work in less than two weeks. No offense to my wonderful coworkers, but I am really going to miss being home with her. I'm very grateful for the time that I've had at home with her, and even more grateful that summer break is only a few months away!

Think warm thoughts everyone! Spring is right around the corner!