tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4844330337391677232024-03-13T19:53:54.449-07:00Mommy Luv LettersA Mom's letters of love to her baby daughter.Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-91701168554212020912011-10-07T20:33:00.001-07:002011-10-07T20:40:38.961-07:00Girly GirlMy Dear Daughter,<br />I'm not a very girly-girl myself (barely wear any make-up, never wear heels, etc) so I'm not quite sure how you picked this up, but let the facts speak for themselves...<br /><br /><ul><br /><li>While at the store tonight, you ran to the diamond jewelry counter and squealed in delight, your hands and face pressed eagerly on the glass in front of the shiny baubles.</li><br /><li>Last night, you got my make-up brush out and proceed to dust your cheeks like you were putting on blush. (You've maybe seen me do that once before?)</li><br /><li>Last Sunday, while waiting for Daddy to try on suits, you ran to the shoe department, pulled out a high-heel, shiny pink shoe and insisted on trying it on and trying to walk in it.</li></ul><br /><p>Needless to say, this amuses me quite a bit! :-)<br />Love,<br />Mom</p>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-33934631402285358022010-07-24T20:36:00.000-07:002010-07-24T20:42:41.341-07:00Busy BabyMy Dear Princess,<br />Now that you are walking, you are certainly a busy baby! You want to constantly be on the move. Your favorite activities are to open and close any door, especially the gate to your room. You also love to take things down from shelves and re-arrange items. Today you opened up the door under the bathroom sink, grabbed my makeup, and threw it in the washing machine. Then moved some of the makeup from the washing machine back to the container under the sink. Needless to say, I watch you like a hawk to make sure you don't get hurt, but it is definitely time to get more baby gates up and latches on!<br />You also laugh a lot, which is absolutely wonderful. You especially laugh whenever you can get a reaction out of me. Today you hit me with a bottle on my eyeglasses. Instinctively, I yelped, "Oww!" and you laughed and did it again! I then distracted you so you wouldn't do it to me a third time, but later in the day I was holding you again and you got ahold of that bottle. You got the cutest mischievous smile on your face and bonked me lightly on the head. And of course, you laughed. :-)<br />I love you with all my heart,<br />MomMelinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-58264895822665354192010-06-30T04:52:00.001-07:002010-06-30T05:01:39.561-07:00Baby Walks!My Dear Princess,<div>On June 16 you took 6 steps in a row. I think that counts as walking! I couldn't believe my eyes. You were in your room, playing with your toys. You took a step towards your activity table, as I had seen you do many times before. But instead of falling on your butt, you managed to take another step, and another step! I counted six steps (step step, small pause, step step, small pause, step, step) before you got to your toy. I am so proud of you!</div><div>You are now up to 10 steps and walking really well (for a toddler!).</div><div>You are also saying things when the mood strikes you. This morning I was looking for your shoes and kept saying, "Where are your shoes? Where are your shoes?" You responded with, "shoooe?" So cute.</div><div>A couple weeks ago, I was changing your diaper and I brought out the big bottle of diaper rash cream (which fortunately we don't have to do too often). You looked at that bottle and said, "Good grief, what's that?" At the time I was so surprised to hear you say that, but then I remembered that Miss Erin at daycare says "good grief" all the time so it's pretty natural that at some point you would say it!<br /></div><div>Last weekend you were playing with your Fisher Price phone and you held the phone to your ear and said, "Who's there?"</div><div>You don't talk all the time, just when the mood strikes you, but when you do speak it's lots of fun!</div><div>Cheers to my walking, talking toddler. (But I still get to consider you a baby until you are 24 months!) :-)</div><div>Love,</div><div>Mom</div>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-36456787896381306402010-06-15T09:09:00.000-07:002010-06-15T09:23:26.727-07:00One Year New!My Dearest Princess,<div><br /></div><div>Happy 1st Birthday! I can't believe you are one year new. To celebrate, you had not one, but FOUR birthday parties. Whew! Too much birthday for your poor, worn-out Mom, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">LOL</span>!</div><div><br /></div><div>Your first birthday party was in Chicago with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sittee</span>, Grandpa, Uncle M, and Aunt B. We made Sprinkles cupcakes for you, complete with pink cream cheese frosting. You enjoyed eating the cake and pulling at the packages. During that trip, you also got to attend your Uncle M's graduation and tour his college. You also got to meet one of your other Great-Grandma's. How special to be the little princess!</div><div><br /></div><div>Your second birthday party was celebrated at our home on Memorial Day. We had your dad's father's family over for a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">bbq</span>, cake, and presents. I went with a "pink" theme, not too heavy on the "princess" or any particular character. You fell asleep in Grandpa's arms. Your Grandpa loves that picture and has it posted as his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">facebook</span> profile pic now.</div><div><br /></div><div>Your third party <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">occured</span> on your birthday date. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Sittee</span> and Uncle M came to town to visit you just for your birthday. We had dinner at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Frisch's</span> and then <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Sittee</span> bought a kid's cake for you at Kroger. She placed a giant "one" candle on the cake and we sang happy birthday to you. You then proceeded to smear cake all over the table! (I guess you weren't very hungry!). I had to change both of our clothes because we were both wet and covered in frosting! Daddy mopped the floor. :-)</div><div><br /></div><div>Your final party was the Sunday after your birthday at Ma'am and Pap's house. Your paternal grandma and her family also attended. You were too full on cookies to eat any cake! But you loved the Elmo cell phone that Grandma gave you. When Daddy tried to take the phone away from you (just to see it), you lunged for the phone and yelped, "I need it! I need it!" Everyone heard you and knew exactly what you said!</div><div><br /></div><div>Your communication skills are amazing. A couple of weeks before Memorial Day, I tried to feed you peas. You kept turning your head to the side, obviously not wanting the peas, but I kept insisting. Finally, you looked me straight in the face and said, "I hate it." I didn't try to feed you any more peas after that!</div><div><br /></div><div>You point to pictures of yourself and say, "I did it." You also can say, "I want it." While climbing stairs, you've reportedly said, "Up" (though I didn't hear that myself). You will also ask, "What is it?" and "Who is it?" While listening to bagpipe music in the car last night, you asked us, "What is it?" and then said, "It's nice." Your dad and I are amazed every day at your speaking skills. Your speech is somewhat muffled, but the fact that you can say as much as you do is very cool.</div><div><br /></div><div>I love you!</div><div>Mom</div><div><br /></div>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-10345655095109903552010-05-08T19:44:00.000-07:002010-05-08T20:05:02.109-07:00Almost Walking!My dearest Princess,<div>I'm sorry it has been so long since the previous post. Since you have become mobile, more of my time is spent "chasing" you! You are definitely a curious baby. Anything that I have in my hands -- you want. Any where you can crawl, you will go. In fact, you climbed to the top of the stairs at Mammaw's house last weekend! </div><div>As soon as you started crawling, one of the first things you did was push yourself up to a standing position while holding onto a chair. You are still doing that, and your favorite thing to do now is to walk from side to side while gliding your hands along an object. I think if I worked with you with the walker you could be walking....but I don't want to push it. (It's supposedly better for your eye development if you spend a few months crawling). </div><div>A typical day for you involves waking up about 7 am, eating, diaper change, clothes change, and then... play time! You can stack blocks, flip pages in books, pull the pieces out of the alphabet mat on the floor, and poke at the tiniest minutia of dirt. In about 3 hour intervals you eat, play, and then take a short nap. You tend to still wake up about once in the night, around 2 am for a quick drink, then immediately back to sleep.</div><div>Your chatter seems to have become more focused within the past few weeks. For example, on April 30, I was taking you to daycare and had a few balloons in the back of the van for a co-worker's surprise birthday party. You gestured at the balloons and excitedly babbled to me "about" the balloons. That's new! Similarly, this morning, you gestured at the picture of you on the wall and said one of your most common pattern of sounds, "I did it!" (Yes! That is you in the picture!) This is a change from what seemed like more random chatter before. Of course, you still say lots of "Mamma, Dadda!" </div><div>Your cognition of speech is improving too. I remember on April 18, you were playing with your diaper pail and I said, "No, you can't play with that" while shaking my head no. You shook your no also and turned away from the pail. (And then you turned back to the pail and cried because you wanted to play with it!).</div><div>It's been fun to watch your eating skills improve over the past month. You can now feed yourself puffed cereal and even teething biscuits! You are also doing much better on eating food with textures. For Grandma S.'s birthday, she was so pleased to watch you eating the puffed cereal on skype!</div><div>You were the star at Easter Mass. :-) Grandma and Grandpa came in town and we all went to Church together. You wore a sweet pink dress with white tights, white sweater, and black shoes. Everyone smiled at the adorable baby! </div><div>Tomorrow we will celebrate our first Mother's Day together. OK, never mind, it's really our second Mother's Day together -- I made Daddy buy me a gift last year. :-)</div><div>I love you with all my heart,</div><div>Mom</div>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-46026362158844676452010-03-09T19:37:00.000-08:002010-03-09T19:43:20.170-08:00The Valentine CrawlerMy Dearest Princess,<div>On Saturday, February 13, I was playing with you on the floor in your bedroom when you scooted forward on your hands and knees. All day, I pondered whether or not that counted as crawling. You were on your hands and knees, but you had moved along by pulling your butt into your chest, rather than moving each leg independently. By the end of the day, I decided that that did indeed count as crawling because your arms were straight, your legs at 90 degree angles, and you had covered some distance. But I didn't need to worry! That evening, you did a full-out crawl! You were on one end of the floor mat and I thoughtlessly placed a container of Clorox wipes on the other end. You wanted to get to that new object, and nothing was going to stop you! You crawled, one hand in front of the other, one knee at a time, across the floor to that container, then proudly grabbed it and banged on it like a drum. I am so proud of my little crawler!</div><div>Love,</div><div>Mom</div>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-86738523949743626152010-01-25T03:01:00.000-08:002010-01-25T03:26:35.366-08:00On the CuspMy Dearest Little Princess,<div>I am enjoying these last few days when you are "relatively" immobile. I have spent the last 7 months (plus the 9 months before that) carrying you, but that is quickly changing. You have been scooting backwards and rotating to the side by pushing up with your hands for awhile now. About a week ago, you figured out how to push up with both your hands AND your knees, but then you looked around confused because you couldn't move from that position. </div><div>Yesterday, I put you down for your nap in your crib while you were still awake because sometimes you will just fall asleep. I went into my bedroom, grabbed a basket of laundry, and passed your bedroom on my way to the stairs. I noticed that you were on your hands and knees facing the crib rail. I literally just went down the stairs and set the basket down at the foot of the stairs and came right back upstairs to get you (since you were obviously not going to fall asleep). And in those brief moments you had pulled yourself up the side of the crib and were teething on the top rail. Since when did you start doing pull-ups??! </div><div>Here are some posts from your Dad. His writing is a bit more creative in style:</div><div>Jan 21: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 13px; ">Got another bad report card from school today. Bulling a pair of boys half again her size, three months older, and that can walk. Apparently the toys in question are hers, and hers alone.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; ">Jan 21: </span>Daddy is apparently back on baby's "Cool List".<br /></span></div><div>Jan 20:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 13px; ">New life lesson. Home alone with sick baby = very exhausting.</span><br /></div><div>Jan 17: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 13px; ">I grabbed the baby's plastic chain toy as she was playing with it. She aggressively ripped it out of my hands and screamed. "Ba Ba Ba, DaDa!" (Translation: Bad Bad Bad, Dad!)</span></div><div>Jan 14: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 13px; ">Princess scooted forward about 6 feet on the floor at school yesterday afternoon. Apparently she was chasing some boy.</span></div><div>Jan 10: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 13px; ">A pearly white has been sighted peaking through the gum line.</span></div><div>Dec 27: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 13px; ">At 6 months old, my daughter recognized the remote control was the most powerful item in the world. At 6 months, 3 weeks, she is strong enough to rip it out of my hands...during kickoff.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; ">Love,</span><br /></span></div><div>Mom & Dad</div>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-59935696478411404222010-01-20T04:50:00.000-08:002010-01-20T04:56:45.799-08:00Baby's First New YearDear Little Princess,<div>For New Years, your family from Chicago came to visit. Aunt B arrived on New Year's Eve and we had so much fun playing with you. Aunt B held you in her arms and walked backwards with you while you held onto the string of the Fisher Price Chatter Phone and watched the toy's eyes move up & down. Aunt B and I took turns holding you while dancing to Christmas songs. And of course there was lots of peek-a-boo! You and I were too tired to make it until midnight, but we had had a wonderful evening with Aunt B!</div><div>Grandma S, Grandpa D, and Uncle M were here on New Year's Day. I took you over to their hotel where Grandpa D was in the breakfast area reading the paper. He was so happy to see you! He read to you Pat the Bunny and pretended that one of your toys was a talking puppet. And of course, Grandma S and Uncle M were so delighted to see you and hold you.</div><div>I was a little sad to see 2009 go just because it was the year you were born, so it is very special to me. But I'm looking forward to all of your wonderful milestones for 2010!</div><div>Love,</div><div>Mom</div>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-30135568661121035842009-12-29T18:27:00.000-08:002009-12-29T18:43:38.842-08:00Baby Loves Tissue PaperDear Little Princess,<div>I underestimated how much you fell in love with wrapping at Christmas. As I discovered today, you now LOVE to rip tissue paper. At dinner tonight, I secured you in your high chair, put your bib on, and then when to the refrigerator to get your dinner (a jar of sweet potatoes). Notice that my back was turned for maybe 5 seconds there. When I returned to your high chair, in those 5 seconds, you had torn your bib off and were eagerly yanking it between your hands. I realized after awhile that the plastic on the back of the bib makes a similar sound to the ripping of tissue paper, and that you were throwing your arms apart while holding onto the bib like you were trying to rip it. Fortunately, I had some tissue paper handy and gave it to you (watching like a hawk of course to make sure none of it got close to your mouth). You happily yanked and tore and RIPPED that paper! I'm proud of you for your coordination, though I'm also slightly worried that maybe this means you have frustrations you are taking out on that paper! I took some of the tissue and made confetti, which greatly amused you to watch the little confetti pieces fall.</div><div>This isn't the first time you have shown some impressive coordination. About a week or two ago you successfully turned off (and on) the waterfall soother on your crib. I had asked you maybe a month ago, "How do you turn it off?" and you grasped at the button, not quite able to hit it (though I'm still impressed that you apparently understood and answered the question!). I had thought, though, that maybe it was a fluke that you had grasped at the button after I asked you how to turn it off. Well, ever since then you became determined to turn it off yourself. The first time you did push that button yourself, you beamed and turned to me with a full grin, completely satisfied that you could do it yourself. After mastering turning on and off the waterfall soother, you are now trying to turn on and off other things too, like the swing! Daddy says you are his little engineer. Grandpa calls you Cyber Baby because of all the Skype video calling we do as a family. As for me? I secretly think of you as my little genius. Yes, a genius for ripping paper and pushing buttons. :-) Moms are so proud of the smallest things!</div><div>Love,</div><div>Mom </div>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-7617514134423419492009-12-27T11:50:00.000-08:002009-12-27T12:00:04.707-08:00Baby's First Christmas!Dear Princess,<div>It was a pleasure having you with us this Christmas! We took you to the family parties in your Santa suit and you were a HUGE hit. Everyone wanted to hold and look at you. You got tons of toys and clothes (all of which Mom is very grateful for!). Your new favorite toys are the stuffed animals that sing and a toy that has pop-up smile faces. Mom's favorite new toy is the playpen. I can finally put you down and let you play freely with your toys! You aren't quite crawling or sitting up all by yourself, but you are on the cusp... you can sit with a little support for long periods (or by yourself for about 5 seconds before flopping onto your belly). You can't crawl but you can scoot a bit from side to side reaching for toys.</div><div>You almost unwrapped a present while we were at Michelle's house on Christmas Eve. I poked a hole in the wrapping paper and you slowly pulled at it, fascinated with the colorful paper (but not really noticing the toy inside). Next Christmas, when you can really shred the paper to get those toys, will be even more fun!</div><div>Love,</div><div>Mom</div>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-90358481898403286512009-12-19T13:55:00.000-08:002009-12-19T14:03:56.434-08:00Baby's First No!Dear Little Princess,<div>Last Sunday (6 days ago), you were in jumparoo happily bouncing and banging the toys. I came over and asked if you would like a snack. You looked at me and retorted, "No!" Your dad and I both jumped, shocked, because that's not something you had ever said before. Then we laughed, and I picked you up and carried you over to dad, at which point you started fussing and reaching for me like you really were hungry. So I don't think you knew what you said when you said no. You're probably just imitating some kid from daycare. Still, it was really funny!</div><div>In the past day or so, you've started babbling dada. Again..it's really cute, but I don't think you know what you are saying yet!</div><div>Love,</div><div>Mom</div>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-81831934953920530752009-12-08T12:33:00.000-08:002009-12-08T12:40:54.213-08:00Baby's 1st ThanksgivingDear Princess,<div>We had your first Thanksgiving! Your Great-Grandma S wanted to meet you, so she came to town with your Great-Aunt and Great-Uncle. With Grandma S and Aunt B also in attendance, it was quite a celebration! </div><div>One special moment was when we took a 4 generations photo -- Great Grandma, Grandma, Mom, and you!</div><div>For Thanksgiving, you had your first real baby food (besides rice cereal), organic sweet peas out of the jar. At your first taste, Grandma S heard you say, "Mmmm." However, I must have started you on carrots and sweet potatoes too quickly afterwards because now you spit out those nasty peas. That or your daddy has been talking to you about vegetables. :-)</div><div>Love,</div><div>Mom</div>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-59792853972988002492009-11-15T21:08:00.000-08:002009-11-22T16:38:29.729-08:00Top 10 Things I've Learned Since Becoming a MomMy Dear Little Princess,<br />You have taught me several things since you've arrived 5 months ago! Among them...<br />1. You have an innate and perfect sense of timing. For example, you will be calm during a car ride right up until we pull up to the microphone at Chick-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">fil</span>-a to place an order. Then you will SCREAM like we are never going to let you out of that darn car seat. I have no idea what the poor waitress taking the order must think of us, but I swear you calm down again once we leave the parking lot.<br />2. Speaking of car rides, if you are in the car long enough, you will poop. It's like you are bored, so well, nothing better to do than poop. This has lead to several diaper explosions. And the third thing you've given me the opportunity to learn...<br />3. How to remove poop stains for clothing. My secret is <a href="http://amzn.com/B000ZHS6A4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Dreft</span> Stain Remover</a>. I douse the stain with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Dreft</span> before tossing the garment in the laundry. Seriously, don't hold back...SOAK that stain. Then I wash the clothes in cold water (despite what the package says) since warm water seems to set anything that didn't immediately come out. Once the first wash is done, I inspect each item to make sure the stain really has disappeared. If not, douse and repeat washing until it is gone. That is a critical step. Otherwise, the dryer will bake in the lovely shade of poop yellow. Finally, dry the clothes on delicate because baby clothes seem to be made from the thinnest cotton possible. Seriously, I had to throw out 3 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">onesies</span> because they <span style="font-style: italic;">molded</span> after being damp for a couple of days. That's never happened to me with my adult clothing.<br />4. Speaking of clothing, I was planning to still wear my maternity clothes after having you. (I wasn't naive enough to think that my body would go right back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">pre</span>-pregnancy size after giving birth). However, much to my chagrin, most of the maternity clothes looked absurd without the baby belly. Which is how I learned that pregnancy-related expenses never stop. See exhibit A, the new post-maternity wardrobe.<br />5. I've learned never to leave the house without toys. I've been complimented on what a good baby you are. At this age, though, I don't think it's about discipline. It's just making sure that are you fed, napped, and have a steady stream of things to keep you entertained. (Oh, look! Your baby links! Once you toss the links aside... Oh look! Your book! and so on).<br />6. Bottle warmers do not work. I really wish someone had told me this before I bought one. The best thing to warm a bottle is to microwave a coffee mug full of water for a minute or so, then just hold the bottle in the warm water for about a minute. (Of course, I'm careful not to let you near the hot water and I test the bottle before giving it).<br />7. Baby baths suck. I hate them. You hate them. The one bath tub that we have in the house is mostly blocked by the toilet, so we bought an infant tub that sits over the kitchen sink. This works out relatively well, though I am scared to death that either you or the tub might slip overboard. Therefore, Dad has the job of holding you in a sitting position during the bath time so that I can quickly rub you with you soap and then spray you down. Still, you hate getting any water in your face (which is difficult considering your mass of hair that needs washing). And I usually err on the side of the water being too cold, so you can't wait to get into that little hooded towel at the end. Still, baths are great for getting rid of diaper rash. For you, when it comes to diaper rash, the trick is to use a high-quality, cloth-like diaper. Then, for each change, you need a wipe and then to be dried (I dab you dry with a tissue or a clean washcloth). This is followed by A&D ointment and powder. The final trick for getting rid of diaper rash? Frequent changes, even at night. Which leads to the next lesson learned.<br />8. Sleep is the most precious commodity ever. I love you, dear, but I will be really grateful when you can go more than 3 hours at night without needing to be fed. I have tried to start you on rice cereal 3 times now (which will supposedly help with the need for frequent feedings), but each time you didn't poop for two days. Then when you finally did have a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">bm</span>, it was really loose. This leads me to believe that you are not quite yet ready for solids foods. Well, you aren't quite 6 months yet either. We'll give it a few more weeks. (Sorry to obsess over your bodily functions, dear. This must be something that Moms just can't help. I wasn't allowed to take you home from the hospital until you proved that you could properly dirty a diaper, so somehow each dirty diaper is a proud reminder to me of how healthy you are).<br />9. I've learned what a Mother's Room is. It's basically a lit closet with a chair, small table, and an electrical outlet that allows me to pump at work while you are at daycare. It's been fantastic that my employer allows this. I bought a hands-free style pump (<a href="http://amzn.com/B0013O9RX8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Medela</span> Freestyle</a>) that allows me to keep working on my laptop while also being a cow.<br />10. Jokes about feeling like a cow aside, I truly feel like being a parent really is the most overwhelmingly wonderful thing that can happen to a person. I look at you, baby, and see my past, my present, my future. With you in my arms I see everything good about myself and everything I wish I could change or do better. Having you is scary, exciting, and amazing. And I'm sure that this only the beginning of what I'm going to learn!<br />Love,<br />MomMelinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-46912489304430968022009-11-12T03:30:00.000-08:002009-11-12T03:47:53.534-08:00Baby Rolls Over!Dear Princess,<br />On Tuesday, November 7, you rolled over for the first time! You were lying on your stomach on your <a href="http://amzn.com/B0009XS9QA">Fisher-Price Kick and Crawl</a>, reaching for the tags on the end of mat. Your right arm was tucked under your body, so to grab the tags you had to move your left arm diagonally across your body to get to the tags over to the right. This set you off balance enough that all the sudden you just flipped onto your back! You scrunched up your face to cry, but were too shocked to wail.<br />Your fascination with tags fascinates me. You stretch to grab the tags on your Kick and Crawl, your <a href="http://amzn.com/B001GQ2RZI">Jumparoo</a>, and the clips that hold the <a href="http://amzn.com/B000JIMVV4">Waterfall Soother</a> onto your crib. These are things that I don't see any more because I've learned to filter them out from conscious thought. Not you -- everything is new and exciting!<br />Love,<br />MomMelinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-50087388723146469582009-11-07T11:34:00.000-08:002009-11-07T11:41:48.077-08:00First Laugh!Dear Princess,<div>I was taking a nap on the bed this afternoon when Daddy brought you in and plopped you down beside me. You smiled and ran your fingers over my face, gurgling sounds like "goo" and "zee." When I repeated what you said out loud, I realized you were trying to say, "It's good to see you!"</div><div>I then sat you on my chest and pretended to eat your fingers because this made you <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">almost</span> laugh yesterday.... you gave a "heh" sound and grinned. But you weren't very entertained by the finger-eating today because you were more interested in the dogs, who had climbed onto the bed as well. I turned you around so that you could see the dogs and Bailey came over and sniffed your fingers, then licked your hand. You erupted into full laughter! I guess the doggie kiss tickled you. I can't wait to her your laugh again.</div><div>Love,</div><div>Mom </div>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-79986352772679302622009-11-05T13:31:00.000-08:002009-11-05T13:44:29.736-08:00Growing So FastMy Dear Little Baby,<div>Everyone told me that you will grow incredibly fast, but frankly, I did not comprehend just how quickly.</div><div>For example, I have a friend that just had a baby and I am SHOCKED at how tiny her baby is. Were you really that small just 5 months ago? I went back and looked at your pictures from June. Yes, you were really were that small! I can't believe how much you have grown and changed in what amounts to just a few weeks!</div><div>I have all of your clothes divided into drawers by size. The first drawer has newborn to three months clothes. The second drawer has size 3-6 months, and so on. A couple of months ago, I was sad when I realized that I was closing the drawer on your "newborn" clothes for the last time. And now, after tugging to get you into your size 3-6 month clothing this morning, I realize that the drawer for size 3-6 month clothing will soon close for the last time.</div><div>Sigh, you really do grow so fast!</div><div>Love,</div><div>Mom</div>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-60019386134385741722009-11-03T09:25:00.000-08:002009-11-03T09:36:52.971-08:00Baby's First BooDear Mamma's Little Pumpkin,<div>We had your first Halloween! We didn't go trick-or-treating because I thought it might be obvious that mommy was collecting all of the candy for herself. But you did "help" me pass out candy. You seemed quite entertained at the children's costumes, and your ready smile indicated that you were pleased by all the cries of, "Awww, what a cute baby!"</div><div>Love,</div><div>Mom</div>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-85824044581201883452009-10-29T03:28:00.000-07:002009-10-29T03:53:51.049-07:00Baby BookwormDear Princess,<div>Since you were two and half months old, your favorite toy by far has been your set of <a href="http://amzn.com/B001H9NXDE" target="_blank">Sassy Baby Books</a>. I love how your eyes light up when I pull out these books, and you reach for them with outstretched arms and eager hands that clearly say, "Give me!" </div><div>The colorful pictures have kept you entertained for extended periods during Church, as you carefully study the pages. Sometimes, though, you do fuss a bit at your books because you can't quite turn the pages yet! One time, you managed to remedy this page-turning problem yourself by holding the book vertically and turning the pages down (rather than side-to-side). Quite a clever trick, though you haven't remembered it since!</div><div>The book with the black and white handle is the best because of the strong pattern contrast and ease of handling. I assumed it was your favorite, but last Saturday over supper, Daddy held up two of your books and asked you which one you wanted. You looked at each one, and then reached for the fabric "sensations" book that Daddy was holding a little bit further away from you. </div><div>Dear little baby, I hope this is just the start of a lifetime of book-reading for you!</div><div>Love, </div><div>Mom</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-3999623447099915842009-10-23T03:34:00.000-07:002009-11-05T13:50:58.110-08:00As Your Great-Grandma Would Say...My Dear Little Princess,<br />When I was younger, I didn't live close to my grandma, so when our family went to visit her she would exclaim in joy, "Your face is my heart!" It was her way of saying how much she loved to us, and how much she loved to see us in person. (You won't remember this, baby, but before <a href="http://www.skype.com/">Skype</a> video calling existed, it was a lot more difficult to instantly see someone!)<br />Every day that I am with you, I understand more and more what my grandma meant when she said, "Your face is my heart!" Seeing your picture on my desk at work brings instant pleasure to my day. Coming home to your toothless grin almost overwhelms me with happiness.<br />And much to my delight, you seem to enjoy my face too! When I hold you up to eye level, you smile and reach for my visage with both hands, usually going for my lips or eyeglasses. While daddy was holding you yesterday, you rubbed your small hands over the stubble on his chin, as if you were curious about that new feature.<br />I love your sweet face!<br />Love,<br />MomMelinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-12859770982265370442009-10-20T18:54:00.000-07:002009-10-20T19:09:30.581-07:00MilestonesDear Princess,<br />These past few days have had amazing milestones for you! On October 17 (Saturday), we were sitting in Church. I gave you a set of plastic keys to play with, and you purposefully shook them, grinning proudly that you could make the keys rattle!<br />That same night, you finally accomplished something you have been working on for weeks...you pulled your toes into your mouth! The look on your face said that you weren't expecting your feet to taste quite so much like your hands, so you dropped the foot and just sucked on your thumb instead. <br />In other milestone news, tonight I was holding you on my lap while sitting in front of the computer. You really wanted to crunch up the papers on the desk, so I gave you some plain papers to crinkle and crease in your small hands. (You are very fascinated by different textures.) After a few minutes you tired of the paper, so to reinvigorate your interest I put a marker in your hand and showed you how to draw a scribble on the paper. You were hooked! You held that marker in your hand and studied it carefully, then you held it with both hands, then you passed the marker to your left hand, and so forth. I kept expecting you to put the marker in your mouth but you never did bring it to your lips. Finally you dropped the marker to the floor. <br />Daddy insists that your first drawing should have a special permanent spot on the refrigerator.<br />Love,<br />MomMelinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-91186226729247846532009-10-14T15:01:00.000-07:002009-10-14T15:06:21.646-07:00No Hobbits HereMy dearest baby daughter,<br />As I carry you around the house, joy bubbles in my heart, prompting me to softly whisper in your ear, "Princess, I love you so much! You are so precious!" <br />And then I stop, worried, because this reminds me of the character Gollum, from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/J-R-R-Tolkien-Boxed-Hobbit-Rings/dp/0345340426/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255557756&sr=8-4">The Hobbit</a> by JRR Tolkein. Gollum is protrayed as a very degenerative character, constantly hissing "precious, precious" to his magic ring. I have no desire to be a Gollum, and yet my dear, I can't help but say it. You are...most precious!!<br />Love & Kisses,<br />MomMelinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-38177196059702759182009-10-13T03:57:00.000-07:002009-10-20T19:10:17.821-07:00Sock WarsDear Princess,<br />As perfect as your little toes are, you understandably like to show them off. You are constantly rubbing your ankles together to get those socks off. However, unbeknownst to you, parents have a quiet league of sock watchers. For example, we were walking through Sam's Club the other day, and I could not directly see anything but your face and arms because I was carrying you in your Baby Bjorn. Fortunately, a stranger passing by gave me the nod and annouced, "Baby. Right Foot." I reached down and there it was - a sock barely dangling by a toe on your right foot, like an ornament hanging onto a Christmas tree by the most tenuous hook. Thanks to that stranger (and many others of the Sock Watching League!) we have not yet permanently lost a sock. Heaven forbid those perfect feet get cold. :-)<br />Love,<br />MomMelinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-8605532911716595322009-10-08T19:29:00.000-07:002009-10-08T19:32:03.979-07:00The InspirationLittle Daughter,<br />There is nothing in the world I love to do so much as hold you in my arms. There is an amazing number of things I have learned to do with one left hand, while carrying you around wrapped tightly in my right hand (using my right hip for your chair, of course).<br />But it is most wonderful when I get to hold you in my arms while you are nursing or sleeping. After bringing you home from the hospital, I spent hours rocking you, spell-bound by your sweet face. There are many things your father and I want for you that we talk about constantly (Let's teach her to play piano! Let's save for her college education!). But since the first moments when I was sitting in the rocking chair with you in my arms, Princess, please know that my deepest desire is for you to grow up feeling good about yourself.<br />Love,<br />MomMelinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-40041423282356446942009-10-06T12:55:00.000-07:002009-10-10T18:54:40.895-07:00This Little Piggy...My Dear Baby,<br />You have the most precious little feet, and you seem to know this! Whenever I lay you on your back, you raise your legs and grasp your toes, like you are just as fascinated with them as I am. Yesterday, you almost succeeded in bringing those tiny toes to your mouth!<br />A thousand kissies for your little piggies,<br />MomMelinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484433033739167723.post-68416091104712313802009-10-06T12:39:00.000-07:002009-10-06T12:51:21.201-07:00Old MacDonald<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NPF7GGYd6kU/SsuemtNm9wI/AAAAAAAAAAM/MISlRFZfAWo/s1600-h/100_0271.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NPF7GGYd6kU/SsuemtNm9wI/AAAAAAAAAAM/MISlRFZfAWo/s320/100_0271.JPG" border="0" alt="ducks we saw on a farm during baby first visit to the farm" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389575766887823106" /></a><br />Dearest Baby Daughter,<div>Almost every day I sing to you "Old MacDonald Had a Farm." I grab your little arms and shake them to the left and then to the right to the beat of "a moo moo here and a moo there..." going through the cow, sheep, horse, duck, dog, cat, and mouse. (What sound does a mouse make? Squeek!)</div><div>This past weekend, we had a sunny Sunday and nothing to do, so your father and I decided to take you a farm! There were dwarf horse, cows, goats, chickens, rabbits, and ducks. I couldn't wait to show you the animals from the song! But you slept in my arms during the entire tour. Ah well, there will be more trips to Old MacDonald's.</div>Melinda Love Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10821758600479378379noreply@blogger.com0