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What do you do?

Wednesday, December 30, 2009
What do you do when you get home from work? I usually reach right into the car seat that holds my little pumpkin, loosen and unstrap all of her multiple harnesses, and pull her up for a good snuggle and squeeze.

As you know we have recently switched over to full-time formula. There were a few bags of breast milk left, lonely in the freezer. We decided it would be easiest to send them with her to day care until they were gone. I may have changed my mind about that now...

Every day that Kate consumes the frozen breast milk, she spits up more. Before I thought that breast milk stunk less than formula, but that was not bringing into mention "frozen" breast milk. All I can even think about when I cuddle her close, as her neck and sometimes clothes reek of stinky milk, is how fast I can get her upstairs into a bath while holding my breath!

Yesterday when I picked her up, there was not much smell to be smelled. Testing my good fortune I brought Kate upstairs and began to play with some new (from Christmas) toys with her.

While changing her diaper the first bit of spit up decided to arrive...and let me tell you, even one small drop is enough to stop my nose in its tracks!

After outfit change #1 we sat on the floor to play. Not long after our sitting up escapades had begun, the river of spit up began to flow again.

No problem, I thought. While on the floor I quick whipped her out of outfit #1 and into outfit #3. A couple of swipes with a wipe later and we were good to go again.

Of course, after a flow that large there couldn't possibly be any more to come up...right? Wrong!

The river of spit up overflowed again, now onto the third outfit of Kate's day.

That was it, I decided that at this point a bath was eminent. Instead of tarnishing another outfit before bath time Kate and I continued our playing with her only in her diaper. Have I told you how much my kid loves being naked now?

Later that night John commented on how much laundry that Kate had...little did he know how it all got there!

Not Me Monday

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Have you ever done something, seen something, said something, or even heard something that caused you to stop and think, am I really doing this.

Or have you ever stopped after actually doing/saying something and thought to yourself, did I really just do/say that?

If so, MckMama has created a way for us to voice these crazy happenings. So if you do not have any to share, at least check out the "not me" Monday postings on others blogs, they will make you feel better about your own "not me" moments!
This week...
...it was not me who woke up at 3:15am and stayed up just so that I could take a longer shower in the morning, imagine the water bill this month!
...it couldn't have been me who ate dessert for breakfast three days in a row...and still counting!
...i never would have given my daughter a bath as soon as I got home because no matter how cute she is it is hard to snuggle with a stinky-milk-necked baby!
...and finally I never would have reached into my pocket to grab my keys while walking towards my car, thinking of what to make for dinner, humming a song in my head, and talking on the phone and not notice that the pink nuk in my hands will not unlock the door after all!

She Gets That From...The Beagles?

Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Last night in her bath, Kate decided to pull out one of her brand new tricks since she had the undivided attention of both her mommy and daddy.

While John was talking to her (also known as sounding like a crazy person, which is an ailment most adults contract when within five feet of any infant or toddler) she was watching him and then she tilted her head to the side. Right away she brought it back up like nothing happened and John and I both kind of stopped. Then she did it again, and again, and even went back and forth from side to side.

(I will try my best to get this on camera, but as most people know, once the camera is out it becomes much more interesting than what was happening before.)

John thinks that it could be because he tilts his head when talking to her sometimes.

I think it is from all that time she spends watching her friends, the Beagles.

When talking to either Beagle, but especially Puller (I know, only crazy people talk to their dogs right?) they will often tilt their head as if to say, "I don't understand", or "I sympathise", or even "I am trying to figure out what you are saying to me".

We have many, and I mean many, pictures of them holding this pose, none of which I have handy to post along with this right now.

Great...my baby is going to be a Beagle when she grows up!

Just like at the Deli Counter

Tuesday, December 22, 2009
I used to work in a grocery store, at the deli counter. I have had plenty of experience with the calling numbers method that is used at most locations.

It seems that this method may also soon find itself applicable with my family...

We have a suggestion from some family members, that when arriving at my parents' house on Christmas day, that each person would get a number. Then, every so often (timed period of course) a new number would be called. I am sure you wonder what would happen when this number is called, don't you?

The person with the number that is called will then be able to, for their allotted period of time...


hold Kate!

Ha, ha, ha! This funny idea definitely gave me a well-needed chuckle at work today!

As long as everyone plays fair, we shouldn't have to resort to these drastic measures.

Advice for the next grandchild to have a baby...

have multiples!

Merry Christmas from the Taylors


Kate's Four Month Slideshow

Sunday, December 20, 2009

The Great Diaper Debate

Friday, December 18, 2009
If you have had the privilege of parenting, grandparenting, or caring for a child in diapers you will agree with me that the amount of brands and types can be dizzying.

Because we are new parents, and also because we knew that there couldn't be that much of a difference between the premium priced diapers and the value diapers, John and I decided it would be best for us to try out a bunch of brands.

Below are listed the brands that we have tried and what we thought of them. This is only based off of our experience which means that other peoples' experiences may be different since no two kids are exactly alike. In case you happen to have a child that is exactly like Kate, this will help you shop for diapers for her/him.

Pampers Swaddlers (est. $0.23 each): One of the best, but also one of the most expensive. They hold throughout an entire night without leaking, unless there is more than one type of filler (if you know what I mean).

Pampers Baby Dry (est. $0.20 each): We liked these a lot as well, but were pretty much comparable to the Luvs brand if you don't count which type of character design is on the diaper.

Huggies Little Snugglers (est. $0.25 each): By far my favorite diaper! They are comparable to the pampers in their holdability but they have an inside flap in the back of the diaper. Do you know what that flap saves? It saves John and I time, wet wipes, a load of laundry, and most importantly it saves our daughter's back from being covered in you know what! If I have a coupon and these are on sale I will always buy them, but only then.

Huggies Regular (est. $0.24 each): Comparable to the Luvs.

Target Brand (est. $0.13 each): At first we thought that these would be the diapers we would always use. They are by far one of the cheapest and seem to be okay. After using them for a while we realized that we had to change them more often and therefor were not actually saving money.

Luvs (est. $.16 each): These are the diapers that we will probably purchase from now on, on a regular basis (except for the times that we buy Huggies). They seem to be exactly the same as both Pampers and Huggies regular types but are significantly lower in price.

All in all, for a newborn I would purchase the Pampers swaddlers. But after their belly button heals then I would definitely switch on over to the Luvs. When you look back as your child gets older you will be proud of yourself for saving almost half of what you may have paid while purchasing Pampers or Huggies!

Revving Her Engine

Thursday, December 17, 2009
Yesterday when I got home I had to go through the mail and the large stack of packages outside our door. Kate seems to like the Christmas tree lights quite a bit so I decided to put her in her Bumbo chair in front of the tree.

While I was opening/organizing/tossing I could hear her making noises at the tree. These noises were new and weren't like the "talking" that she has done in the past. The noises were more like a very small car, revving its engine over and over again.

At the time I thought it was pretty funny, and kept on going through what I was working on.

About ten minutes later she started to fuss a little and I was done, so I went over to see what was wrong...

About ten feet from her the pungent aroma hit my nostrils. By the time I made it upstairs with her (it smelled too rank to change her on the pad downstairs) I was practically gagging at the stench!

Ten wipes, an impromptu load of laundry, and a bath later I had one very happy and talkative little girl.

I guess I have learned my lesson...

Revving does not equal cute, it equals mess!

Four Months

Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Our little pumpkin turned four months old yesterday!

This month has brought us some of the biggest changes so far for Kate.

She is weighing in at 14.5 pounds and is 24.75 inches long. This moves her from the 50th percentile in height and weight to the 75th percentile. We knew all that sleeping and eating was good for something...growing!

She is fitting into 3-6 month clothes now, in length anyways. The arms on all of her shirts are too long and the shirts themselves are way too wide. We may have a tall little girl on our hands...wonder where she got that from (in case you didn't know already, John and I are the tallest siblings by at least a head in both of our families)?

She has finally mastered the art of sitting in her Bumbo and loves to watch either myself or John make dinner, we like to call her our little sous chef!

Besides sitting in her Bumbo she loves to sit on peoples laps and has recently started whining unless you support her standing on your lap! The other day I propped her at an angle on our big chair and she pulled herself all the way into the sitting position...looks like we may have to start keeping a closer eye on her!

One of her favorite tricks besides sticking her tongue out at Grandma is to reach into her mouth and grab ahold of her tongue, it is quite a site when she smiles, sticks her tongue out, and still has ahold of it!

She is eating cereal every night for dinner and has recently started eating peas with that cereal. I think she is really enjoying eating food because yesterday when being held she went for a fry that her holder, Sue, was going to eat. After she realized that it wasn't going into her mouth she started to wail. I don't know how to explain to her that she is not ready for that solid of foods yet (if she is anything like her two cousins those fries will end up being only a way to get ketchup and ranch into her mouth)!

Talking has become one of her favorite past times. She talks to the dogs, cats, herself in the mirror, her hand, other people, the closet, the hanging toys, etc. Again, not too sure where she gets that from either! : )

With all of the new things she is learning each day I know that it will only get more exciting, probably both for her and for us. We can't wait!

Lion's Christmas Project

Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Kate and I are on our way to volunteer at the Lion's Christmas Project today. I'm pretty sure that I will be doing all of the heavy lifting (wrapping) while Kate just soaks in all the attention that she will be getting from Grandma and Grandpa.
To get everyone in the holiday spirit I have finally remembered to upload the picture of Kate with Santa!
Enjoy!

Making Peace With It

Monday, December 14, 2009
Since Kate was born she has been drinking breast milk. The amount that she drinks has differed greatly over her first four months. We have needed to feed her both formula and breast milk since birth.

Unfortunately I have never been able to produce the amount of breast milk that Kate is hungry for or needs. This has been a constant challenge for me over the last four months that has caused me both aggravation and increased emotions.

It has gotten to the point now where I can only express up to 12 ounces each day, when Kate is eating between 36 and 40.

I have tried the herbs and teas, increased water, etc.

Finally, today I have gotten to the point where I need to make a decision.

Is it worth the extra grief that I put myself through? She has technically been on breast milk now for four months, which is really good.

At this point I have finally made peace with the idea of feeding her only formula for milk. She doesn't seem to notice one bit between the two, and is happy either way.

I guess this means I better dust off my old gym card...since those extra calories I was burning will be burnt no more!

Christmas at Macy's

Sunday, December 13, 2009
We started a new family tradition yesterday, maybe one that will grow some more in the future.

John, Kate and I went to Macy's downtown to see the holiday display. The theme of the display this year is "A Day in the Life of an Elf".

This was the first time going to this event for both Kate and John, and after getting there John made a comment about how much he would have loved it as a kid.

I remember going as a kid, but this always included waiting in a super long line. The long wait takes some of the fun out of it, but not for us yesterday.

For some reason we arrived at the perfect lull in the action. There was no line to get to the displays and only about a fifteen minute wait for Santa. Definately worth it!

Kate did great, and sat on Santa's lap without a peep! The picture turned out so cute and we were able to get it digitally on a flash drive which is really nice. It was a bit spendy to do this but for $19.99 plus tax we got the one picture on the flash drive and parking validation. We figured no matter what other package we purchased, after paying $9.00 in parking this option was best.

Plus, now I can share her super cute photo with all of you (once I can remember to upload it)!

Peas

Thursday, December 10, 2009
My grandma hated vegetables...

My mom hates peas...

Kate loves them!

We started Kate on cereal about two weeks ago. Our little girl decided that even after eating gallons of breast milk and formula, that she should start waking up at night crying for more food.

The cereal transition has gone over seamlessly, we were both really surprised at her innate ability to eat from a spoon (a little tip for those who haven't had this experience yet, the thicker it is the easier it is for them to eat.)

So last night, just for kicks we decided to add some peas in with her cereal. John mixed in half a container (thanks mom for the shower game/food gift) and set her up to chow down.

After her first taste, she screwed up her face and kind of looked at John like "what are you feeding me now?" At that point I think we both thought we were embarking on an uphill battle.

**Side Note**
One of my biggest fears is to have kids that are afraid to eat anything except pizza and hot dogs (though John and I like those things, they get old really fast!).

John and I would not be deterred, our Kate was going to like peas and vegetables if we had to force feed them to her until she succumbed!

Thankfully that type of behavior was not necessary since after a couple more bites she was practically begging for more. And by begging I mean short little whimperings that soon turn into large wails if the spoon does not hit her mouth with food in it!

So my baby likes peas, is it weird that something this small feels like an accomplishment to me?

Christmas Presents

Wednesday, December 9, 2009
What in the world do you buy for a four month old baby at Christmas?

Our families seem to be picking up the toy department for the holidays, so John and I weren't sure what we should do.

At one point we thought we would just deposit some cash in her savings account, which we might still do.

Then, I had a great idea!

Every little kid needs a suitcase to carry their things to grandma and grandpa's house, don't they?

I found the cutest little suitcase with wheels at Pottery Barn Kids and even was able to get her name embroidered on it. (Picture Kate on it instead of Ella).


I know that Christmas in the first couple of years is more for the adults than for the kids, but I can't help but buy something for her. It is amazing how much fun I get out of shopping for her, which is something she will probably enjoy when she gets older and wants to go to the mall!

Pretzel M&Ms

Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Today my boss Kim pulled me into her office to try something new that she had...


Pretzel M&Ms!


Tiny balls of pretzel covered in chocolate and then the trademark candy coating.

I only got one, but it was awesome!

I went online to the M&M website, and they weren't even listed there, must be too new.

Anyways, if you happen to see them around I would definately suggest them!

Over-Tired

Monday, December 7, 2009
We officially know what it is like to have an “over-tired” child.

Kate spent the night at John’s parents’ house on Saturday, and it seems she had so much fun that she forgot to sleep. Darlene said that she slept through the night, but I think that on Saturday night the excitement of being around a bunch of people ready to give her attention caused her to skip her nap.

We got her home on Sunday and I wanted to give her a bath. But when I sat her down on her changing table to start undressing her the tears sprung forward. Even after getting her completely naked (which she usually loves), she continued crying. As I picked her up to carry her into the bathroom she quieted down. Then, halfway through the air towards the tub she started up again.

This was the first bath since she was a newborn that she cried to, let’s just say I made it quick. Finally I was able to get her diapered and dressed, still through more crying. John picked her up and cuddled her close and she started quieting down.

We decided to try a bottle due to the ferociousness in how she attacked her nuk at that point. Six ounces later I had one happy, smiling, and talking baby.

Thankfully, not much longer after that she tuckered out. Whew, not fun! This morning though she was still tired but back to being smiley!

Daddy's Girl

Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Could Kate look any more like John in this picture?