Taylor Alexis Shearer

A Day With Daddy At The Park

2009-08-22T23:14:00.003-05:00

Today, Blake took Taylor for a Daddy / Daughter day at the park. He was actually being very sweet and giving me some time alone in the house. I think it was a great day for all of us. I was able to get some much needed cleaning done in the house, while Blake and Taylor had some great time together! He kept sending me picture messages asking me where I thought they were. It turns out, they were at Standing Stone State Park. He had the camera today, and took these pictures. (Not sure I would have approved of them if I were there because of how close she was to the water!!) Thanks Blake, for the break today!!

The New Sleep Position

2009-08-19T23:10:00.003-05:00

So, this is how Taylor has decided to sleep now. As soon as we put her down, she rolls over to her tummy and tucks her hands in. I was a little worried at first because you are supposed to put them down on their back, but everyone I have talked to says that it is okay if they roll over on their own. The good news is that she seems to sleep better in this position. Maybe we will have longer nights of sleep now!

It's Football Time In Tennessee

2009-08-18T23:16:00.003-05:00

So, I'm sure Blake's family does not appreciate the title of this post, but it is true for Avery Trace Middle School Football. Tonight was the first home game. Since Blake was working in the press box, I decided to take Taylor to the game so we could see him a little bit before bed time. Taylor ate her dinner of carrots in the stands, then spent the rest of the game socializing with the principals and some other teachers Blake works with. It was fun to be outside watching football. It makes me be excited for fall weather! I took a few pictures of the field. I tried to get one of Taylor, but it didn't focus at all.

Demolition Derby

2009-08-15T23:16:00.003-05:00

Since the fair is still in town for one more night, we decided to take Taylor to it again! Tonight was the demolition derby, which always promises for some good ole' redneck fun! We headed out in enough time to get a seat, but still had a little trouble finding one. This night is always popular at the fair. When the cars came out and started up, Taylor got a little nervous. She actually cried because of the noise, and then she would not let go of me! It is the first time she has really been scared and attached to me. So, we watched a couple heats, then decided to take Taylor away from the noise. We walked around the midway a couple times and got a funnel cake then we headed home for the night. Taylor fell asleep on the way home. I think she was just relieved to be away from all the noise! All in all, I think Taylor had a good experience at her first county fair!

Hanging on to Mommy!

The action!

Elmo Live!

2009-08-13T23:17:00.003-05:00

Taylor loves Elmo! Every time Elmos' World comes on TV, she stops everything and watches it. When we go to Wal-mart, I always take her to the toy section to play with the talking Elmo's. There is one Elmo that is awesome. It is called Elmo live, and he looks so real (as real as a TV puppet should look, I guess). Anyways, Taylor loves this Elmo. I have been trying to decide if I wanted to spend $60 - $70 on this talking Elmo. I kept thinking no, but really wanted her to have it. Well, today, I went to a new store in town that is similar to Big Lots. I looked across the store and spotted an Elmo sitting on the shelf. He was not in a box, but I knew he did something cool when I looked at him. He did not work in the store, but I thougt I would give it a try. I only paid $10 for him. I checked out the return policy so I would be safe in case new batteries did not work. When Blake got home from work, we replaced the batteries and turned him on. I was so excited when he started talking because it was Elmo live!!!!! I was so proud of my $10 find for Taylor. She wasn't too sure about him at first, but she is warming up to him! I'm sure we will have lots of fun with him. I think Blake and I are having more fun with him right now than Taylor is, but I'm sure that will change! Here are some pictures and Taylor playing with him.

Taylor Loves Her Table!

2009-08-12T23:09:00.003-05:00

Taylor loves the table that Grandmama got for her! She will pull up on it and stand there for the longest time playing with everything on it! It is nice for me because I can get a few things done while she entertains herself. Plus, as long as I hear the music from it, I know she is still standing there and hasn't crawled off to get into something!

Peek-A-Boo I See You!

2009-08-11T23:09:00.003-05:00

This is the face I get to see when Taylor wakes up!

Don't Hate Me 'Cause I'm Beautiful

2009-08-10T23:08:00.009-05:00

Taylor was too cute in her sunglasses after her lawn mower ride! I just had to take some pictures of her!

Veggie Tales - Do The Moo Shoo!

2009-08-10T23:08:00.008-05:00

Taylor's new bedtime routine is to watch a video with Daddy before he reads to her and sings her to sleep. I got a Veggie Tales video from the library called "Do The Moo Shoo". Taylor loves it! As soon as she hears the intro music, she will start squealing and crawling to her room to sit on her bear with Daddy and watch Moo Shoo! It is too cute!

Another Lawn Mower Ride

2009-08-10T23:07:00.003-05:00

Sunday Dinner With Grana and Grandaddy

2009-08-09T23:06:00.004-05:00

Today, Grana and Grandaddy came for a visit to see Taylor. Since they were making the trip to Cookeville, I fixed Sunday dinner. We had roast, potatoes, carrots, creamed corn, and rolls. My Mom brought snickerdoodle home made ice cream for dessert! It was a wonderful Sunday afternoon, and I know Taylor enjoyed getting to play with them. She was able to show off her crawling and pulling up skills today too! She spent a lot of time pulling up and chewing on the rocking chair. That seems to be her favorite thing to do these days! Here are a few pictures from the day!

I love how she sits like this!

Chewing on the rocker.

Crawling away!

Playing With Bubbles

2009-08-08T23:02:00.004-05:00

We have been playing with bubbles with Taylor outside for a few days now. I found a cool bubble thing for $1.00 at Wal-mart, and it does great bubbles! Taylor seems to like them when we do them, but her teacher at church tells us that she hates them. We think it is because they blow them in her face and they pop right at her face. We were trying to blow them a little closer to her face so maybe she would get used to them. She did okay with them today, and it made for great picture opportunities!

Fun Night At The Fair and A Movie In The Park

2009-08-07T22:38:00.003-05:00

After a fun day of playing, we took Taylor to the Putnam County Fair! We always go to the fair to eat one night, so we decided that tonight was a great night to do that. It was pretty crowded since it was a Friday night, but we managed it okay. After we ate dinner, we headed over to dogwood park. Tonight they were showing a free movie outside. It was a very fun night! The movie was great, and we were able to spend some time with friends as well. Taylor slept for most of the movie either on me or Blake, but it was still fun to be out under the stars enjoying a movie! Here are a few pictures I took to document the evening!

Daddy and Taylor.

The Midway.

A little blurry, but you get the drift. Movie outside.

Wiggle Time

2009-08-07T22:29:00.002-05:00

I took Taylor to a place in town called Wiggle Time today. I have been waiting for her to start crawling to take her so she would enjoy it. It is such a fun place! There are so many things for babies to crawl on and pull up on. She wasn't too sure about it at first, but then she just like to crawl around on the "squishy" floor. We only did a 30 minute session today because she started getting tired, but I foresee more trips here and longer play times in the future!

Is that curly hair I see??

2009-08-06T22:24:00.000-05:00

A Present For Mommy!!!

2009-08-04T21:37:00.004-05:00

I know parents always say that they love anything their children give them, but I'm not so sure I'm going to like this present!!!

Not Looking Good For The Home Team...

2009-08-03T21:36:00.002-05:00

Taylor is scared of balls!!! She was playing with one this weekend, and every time it would get close to her she would start crying. This is not looking good for her playing basketball!

Yummo!

2009-08-02T21:45:00.001-05:00

Doesn't that toe look good?

Cousin Jennifer's Shower

2009-08-01T21:36:00.005-05:00

Blake's cousin Jennifer is getting married in September. We had a shower for her this weekend in Nashville. It was a great weekend to see family and celebrate the upcoming wedding! Here are the pictures from the weekend!

What a Face!!!

2009-07-29T21:12:00.001-05:00

If you can't already tell, I just cannot get enough of this sweet face!!!

Lawn Mower Ride With Daddy

2009-07-29T17:20:00.003-05:00

Blake took Taylor on her first lawn mower ride! Not too sre what she thought about it, but I think Blake had fun!! I'm sure this is the first of many!

Bath Time Has Gone To A Whole New Level

2009-07-28T20:11:00.001-05:00

Since Taylor has learned to crawl and pull up, bath time is much more difficult. She is now wanting to pull up in her bath tub and stand up! It is really difficult to hang on to a slippery baby when she is intent on standing. I was going to try and get a few pictures of it, but didn't feel safe enough to take my hands off of her. So, you'll just have to take my word for how cute it was!

Oh My Goodness!!!

2009-07-27T21:00:00.002-05:00

Well, I had to update, since this afternoon. Not only did Taylor start crawling today, but she decided to pull up too! I always set her down in her crib while I am getting her bath ready. When I came back, she was standing there looking at me! Time to lower the crib again! Oh my, this is moving way too fast!

Taylor Is Crawling!!!!

2009-07-27T15:59:00.001-05:00

Yep, you read it right!! She took her first couple of "crawls" today! Let the baby-proofing and chasing begin!!

Taylor's First Camping Trip.

2009-07-26T18:03:00.007-05:00

We took Taylor on her first camping trip this weekend. It is so hard to believe that this time last year we were talking about taking her camping, I was still pregnant, and just getting over my morning sickness! Wow, how time is flying by. We went to Cedars of Lebanon since it is half way between Cookeville and Pegram. We also thought it would be close in case Taylor didn't like camping and we needed to head back early. Well, we did not have to use that plan at all. Taylor loved camping! She loves being outside in general, so this was right up her alley! She played very well in her pack and play, and even slept in it the first night! We did lots of fun stuff with her as well. We went on walks, played in the swings, listened to live music, and ate lots of good food. She ate her solid food better this weekend than she ever has! She even took her bedtime bath outside!! The only down side to the weekend was Saturday night. I believe she was thirsty from being hot outside all day, and she nursed for over an hour (which is very unusual for her at this age). When I went to put her to bed, a cop came through the campgroun with lights flashing. I decided not to put her down yet so I could see what was going on. While I was holding her she woke up and spit up quite a bit. I figured she at too much and didn't think much about it. Well, she ended up throwing up (projectile style) three more times. At this point I was very worried. We called the after hours nurse line, and they told us to watch her and not let her get dehydrated. She slept on me the rest of the night, and I didn't sleep at all. She ended up being fine, but I was a nervous wreck! I guess that just comes along with being a parent! The next morning she was fine. She woke up and was her happy little self! It was a great trip overall, and I can't wait to take her camping again!

Playing in her pack and play

Hercules refuses to look at Taylor! Oh, the things we do to get a baby to smile!

Sleepy Girl

2009-07-23T22:08:00.001-05:00

Our Evening Walk.

2009-07-22T22:07:00.000-05:00

We love our evening walks!!

A Play Day With Savannah

2009-07-21T16:08:00.003-05:00

Today, Grandmama brought Savannah up to spend the day with us. She was very excited to spend the day playing with Taylor! We had a very full day. We visited Jackie and Don at the office, went on a picnic, played on the trains at the depot, and went to the library. After all that fun, we came back to the house to rest. Taylor took a nap while Savannah watched a Clifford video we got at the library. I think Blake and I needed a nap too! We had a great day! Here are the highlights!

Savannah wanted to push Taylor's stroller everywhere!

Hanging Out With Grana and Grandaddy

2009-07-20T21:37:00.002-05:00

My Mom and Dad stayed overnight with us after my birthday celebration. Here are a few pics from Sunday before they headed home.

Happy Birthday Mommy!

2009-07-19T16:07:00.003-05:00

Last night we celebrated my birthday with family at the Foglight Foodhouse. It was a wonderful meal and a great time with family. The Foglight is one of my favorite places to go, and it has kind of become a tradition to celebrate my birthday there. Of course, this year Taylor had a little more attention, but that was fine with me. The biggest surprise of the night was tickets to go see Wicked in September from Blake and Taylor. I got lots of other great gifts too! I always feel very blessed on my birthday, and this year was no different!

Spending time with T-Daddy.

Very Yummy Cake!

At The Drive-In Again.

2009-07-18T09:06:00.005-05:00

For my birthday, one of the things I asked for was to be able to see the new Harry Potter movie. Since the best way for us to go to movies right now is the drive-in, we packed up last night and went! Our friends Kyle and Christinne came with their little boy Jacob who is 4 weeks younger than Taylor. They had a blast playing with each other! Taylor did really well considering the only time she is around other babies is during class at church. She was more interested in Jacob than he was in her, and sometimes she just wanted to roll around in the back of the pathfinder! She did wonderful the whole time there. She slept soundly during most of the movie and I was able to watch it! Hopefully, we will try to catch one more movie this summer as a family. Until then, enjoy this pictures from our night out!

Evening Walk On Location

2009-07-17T20:47:00.000-05:00

We decided to take our evening walk tonight at Cane Creek Park. It was a nice change of scenery from our neighborhood.
Proof that Blake is not ashamed of his wife!! :)

There were hundreds of geese and one duck!

Taylor's New Favorite Past Time

2009-07-15T22:34:00.003-05:00

Taylor is so close to crawling! As soon as she wakes up, she rolls over and is up on all fours rocking back and forth! She also gets on her hands and feet kind of like the downward dog yoga pose! It is too cute. Here are a few pictures we caught of her in the act!

A Visit To Kentucky

2009-07-14T22:36:00.006-05:00

We spent the last couple days in Monticello, Kentucky. Blake was the president of his senior class, so he is working on his ten year reunion. We decided to go spend a couple days with Grandma and Grandpa. We went up Sunday afternoon and came back today. While we were there, we were able to go to church where Blake grew up and spend lots of time with Grandma and Grandpa. They got to see her eat sweet potatoes and cereal, take a bath, play in her exersaucer, sit up, and roll over. It was a really good visit, and a productive one for Blake! Here are the pictures from the weekend! She loves sitting outside with Grandpa!
Playing with Grandma.
Hanging on while Daddy drives!
Sitting with Daddy in her Papa's rocking chair.

Trying to make her smile!

Waiting for Grandpa to get home for lunch.
Checking out the mirror.

Still Fighting Diaper Rash

2009-07-10T00:24:00.003-05:00

Taylor still has a bad diaper rash. We actually got a prescription called in today that will hopefully clear it up. If it isn't better by Monday, we will have to take her to the doctor to get it checked out. She has been pretty fussy today and is actually laying beside me tonight because she keeps waking up crying. I think she wakes up when she goes to the bathroom because it hurts her. It may be a long night!

Hangin' With Henley

2009-07-09T00:43:00.007-05:00

Our good friends Matt and Lindsay have a four year old little girl (well, almost four). They live in Arkansas, but she is here visiting her aunt and Grandma for a couple weeks. We got to hang out with her some today. We spent some time at the Cookeville Children's Museum then came back to the house and watched a movie and colored and played outside. We had a great day hanging out with her!

She was not afraid of the snakes! Blake and I were standing as far away as possible!!!

Daddy being silly.

Why Is Taylor Half Dressed???

2009-07-09T00:34:00.004-05:00

Taylor has officially had a pretty bad diaper rash for about a week now. We actually think it is a little worse than just a normal diaper rash. I called the after hours nurse line and they suggested her going without a diaper for a while, so that is what we are doing!! It is still a cute baby bottom even though it has a rash!

She is thinking, "Seriously, Mom, enough with the naked bottom pictures. I will be totally embarrased when you pull these out when I am a teenager!"

Taylor Loves Her Peas!!!

2009-07-08T00:37:00.001-05:00

Tonight as I was feeding Taylor her peas, she actually leaned in and opened her mouth! She did it several times! I think she really likes them! I'm so excited to see her finally making progress eating. I know it is a process, but I was starting to get a little worried that she would be content with milk for a long time! :)

Taylor is Seven Months Old!

2009-07-07T21:05:00.005-05:00

Taylor's Seven Month Perspective Pictures!

Patriotic Feet!!

Does This Look Like A Good Idea?????

2009-07-06T22:11:00.002-05:00

Blake decided that Taylor needed help eating her peas, so he just dumped them out on her high chair. What a mess!!!! She just played in them and didn't even attempt to eat them!

After dinner, we went to dogwood park for a free concert with our friends Garrett and Joriel and their kids. It was a nice night out, and we topped it off with ice cream from Sonic!!

Taylor, Garrett, and Tanner

A Bedtime Disturbance...

2009-07-05T22:06:00.001-05:00

One of the things we loved about our neighborhood was the 4th of July. The first year we were in our house, the 4th was during the week. We did not want to make a one day trip to Nashville for the Pegram Parade and Nashville fireworks, so we stayed in Cookeville. After we got home from watching the Cookeville fireworks, we got a great show from our front porch! It seems everyone in our neighborhood loves shooting fireworks. We were really looking forward to that this year, but it was pouring the rain when we got home from the fireworks. Needless to say, we were a little disappointed, but we had a baby to put to bed, so we didn't think much of it. Tonight as I was putting Taylor down, we heard the fireworks begin! Apparently everyone had purchased fireworks for last night and were determined to use them! As soon as it started getting dark, they loud bangs began! Well, Taylor was not sleeping through that, so we just went out on the porch and enjoyed the show. Bed time was a little later tonight, but it was a wonderful night sitting on the porch watching the fireworks. (Even if it was a day late)!

Happy Fourth Of July!

2009-07-04T16:04:00.005-05:00

This year we spent the fourth of July in Cookeville. One of our good friends was in town, so we spent the afternoon at his sister's house. We had a great time! Taylor and Blake went swimming, we ate good food, had good coversation, played with sparklers, and watched the Cookeville fireworks. It rained at the very end, which we thought ended the fireworks early. We found out later that the city cut the budget and that was all the fireworks we could afford! I guess the 4th got hit by the economy too! I think Taylor enjoyed her first Fourth of July. Next year we may brave the Pegram Parade!!! Here are the pics from the day!

Swimming With Daddy!

Mommy and Taylor!
Matt was trying to convince Henley that the sparkler was cool!Fireworks!
Watching the fireworks.
Finally home and very ready to be in her bed!

Taylor and Savannah's Trip to the Zoo

2009-07-02T20:02:00.008-05:00

We took Savannah to the zoo while we were in Nashville. Since there is a new baby in their house, we thought it would be a fun time for Savannah and Taylor and also help Maggie out! We had a great time watching all the animals. We got there around 9:00 a.m. and left at about 2:00 p.m. Taylor and Savannah both did great, and I think they were both exhausted by the time we left! (We were pretty tired too). We are hoping to make this an annual trip with Taylor and her cousins! Here are a few pictures from our day!

Taylor was very protected from the sun!
Checking out the MeerKats.
Savannah was not too thrilled with this picture.
Lunch Break!

Getting Sprayed by the turtle sprinkler!

Feeding the Larikeets. Probably the coolest part of the zoo!

Riding the Carousel!

Nashville Vacation

2009-07-02T19:53:00.001-05:00

**Post With Pictures Coming Soon**
(My camera battery died while uploading)

Where are Taylor's Hands??

2009-06-25T20:11:00.003-05:00

This was hilarious!! Taylor has a pair of pajamas that are tight going on around her hands. They are made to fit snug. It is always difficult to pull the over her hands, so I just put the top on first, then tackle the hands. Well, tonight she realized that her hands were missing, and she just sat there staring at the little green part of the pj's where her hands were supposed to be. Then she would just wave them around. It was very cute!

Laughing at Daddy's Foot

2009-06-24T20:03:00.002-05:00

For some reason Taylor was very amused with Daddy's foot today!

Then she changed her mind and wanted the remote...

Just Hanging Out (Sitting Up!!)

2009-06-23T19:54:00.000-05:00

I haven't had a chance to post that Taylor is officially sitting up on her own! She started on the 13th for just a few seconds (3 to be exact). I would sit behind her so she would not fall over and bump her head so she could practice her new skill. Now we use the boppy behind her. It works really well at keeping her from hurting herself if she falls, and it allows her to play on the floor by herself! I guess crawling will be the next thing to check off the list. Oh my!! Until then, I am going to enjoy my baby as she sits with her straight back playing on the floor with her toys!

Welcome Cousin Sydney!!

2009-06-22T23:47:00.005-05:00

Taylor's new cousin Sydney made her arrival today at 2:12 p.m.! Blake was actually on the phone with Maggie at about 2:00 and she let him go because everyone was getting ready for her to push. Not many pushes later, and Sydney was born! Mom and Baby came through wonderfully, and needless to say, everyone is smitten with this new little addition to the family!

It is amazing how small she seemed compared to Taylor now! I can't believe Taylor was ever this small!

Uncle Blake holding Sydney for the first time.

Savannah wanted to read Taylor's new Elmo book to her!

Happy First Father's Day!!!

2009-06-21T23:49:00.001-05:00

Taylor and I are so very blessed to have Blake in our lives! We could not ask for a better man to be a husband and Daddy! I am constantly amazed at how wonderful he is to me, and how great he is as a Daddy. I always knew he would be a wonderful dad, but he is more than I could have asked or imagined. He is so hands on. He is always willing to jump in and change a diaper, rock her to sleep, play with her, or anything else she might need. So, Blake, on your first Father's Day, know that you are very loved and appreciated by your two girls!!!

An Evening Swim

2009-06-21T23:48:00.002-05:00

Our neighbors are out of town for the week, and they told us we could use their pool while they were gone. We took them up on the offer tonight and took Taylor swimming. She wasn't too keen on the idea at first because the water was not quite as warm as her bath water. She got a little more used to it and had a few minutes of fun! We are trying our best to keep her around water so she will not be afraid of it. Here is a Daddy / Daughter shot I snapped on the walk back to our house. Happy Father's Day Again!!!

An Early Father's Day Celebration

2009-06-20T23:50:00.003-05:00

After a fun-filled day out, we came home and rested up for the evening activities. Taylor and I took Daddy out for an early Father's Day celebration. We tried out a new restaurant in town called Char. It was really good! We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather. After dinner, we took Taylor on a walk around the square. We sat on a bench and watched traffic go by, then decided we should head home and get Taylor ready for bed. It was a nice family evening out to celebrate a wonderful Daddy!

A Walk On The West Side

2009-06-20T23:49:00.002-05:00

Today was a "picks n grins" festival in downtown Cookeville. After Blake finished mowing the yard, we decided to check it out. We were pretty disappointed with the festival, but we did get to enjoy a nice Saturday out in our favorite part of town, The West Side. We ate lunch at Cafe Trio (formerly World Foods) then walked around in some of the shops, include discovery depot. They have so many fun toys! Taylor really enjoyed a pig puppet they had. Had it not been $50, we would have brought it home! Oh well. It was a nice day out for our family. Here are a few pictures from the day!
Loving the Pig!!

Tired and ready to go home and take a nap.

In The Gym Again...

2009-06-18T23:51:00.001-05:00

Blake has had basketball camp this week at Tech, so we have had Taylor in the gym some more this week. Tonight Avery Trace played my old high school (Harpeth High), so I definitely had to go watch this game. Avery Trace won! Taylor enjoyed herself and was held by several of the parents there. I think everyone enjoys it when we are there because they can play with Taylor! Congratulations to Blake and the team for a great job at camp this week!

First Wednesday Night Class

2009-06-17T12:29:00.001-05:00

Taylor went to her first Wednesday night class at church tonight. She was the only one in there, but she did great! We ended up staying right outside the class and talking with some other people that go to our class, so we got to peek in on her and see how she was doing. She seems to do really well with other people. I think she will definitely be a social little girl!!

Sing Yourself Silly!!

2009-06-15T12:28:00.002-05:00

Every week when we go to the library, I pick up a couple educational DVD's for Taylor to watch. This week, I got a seasame street DVD. Taylor loves it!!! It is amazing how she will just sit and watch the whole thing! She especially loves the part when Elmo comes on. He may be becoming her favorite!! The sad part is that Blake and I go around singing silly songs in our head all day long! I guess that is what happens when you have kids!

Please Pass The Peas!

2009-06-14T12:27:00.004-05:00

Today, we gave Taylor her first taste of food...PEAS!!! She did pretty good eating them. The funniest part was when she actually swallowed. She would shake all over like it was the worst thing ever that just went down! By the time we were finished, she had peas all over her face, but she was too cute! Hopefully, we will get the hang of eating food soon!

Shearer Reunion

2009-06-13T12:25:00.005-05:00

Today we went to Monticello for the Shearer Reunion. It was amazing to think that this time last year, I was pregnant! My how time flies!! We had a great time visiting with family and introducing everyone to our sweet baby girl!

Hanging out with Grandpa.

Spending Time with Grandma.

Taylor's name tag.

Getting started early on a motorcycle!!

She started getting fussy, so Grandpa took her outside. They had been out there for a while, so Blake looked outside and this is what he found! They were both sitting on the chair as content as could be. When we opened the door to take the picture, Taylor turned around to see what was going on!

Saying bye to Grandpa!

6 Month Checkup

2009-06-12T22:04:00.002-05:00

Taylor had her six month checkup today! She weighed in at 16 pounds 8 ounces and is now 27 and 1/2 inches long! Dr. Franklin said that everything looked great! So, once again, another excellent report. Of course, we know that we have a perfect baby, but it is nice to have it confirmed! We also got the green light to start baby food, so we will be feeding her green peas in the next couple days. Today was a much easier visit since Blake was able to come with us. This was his first doctor visit to come to. He definitely was not looking forward to the end of the visit...the shots, but it sure was nice to have him there to help hold her while I filled out paperwork. When we finally got called back, he helped get her undressed and entertained her when she got fussy. While Dr. Franklin was talking to us, she even fell asleep on him. I think the sweetest part of the day was right after her shots. I held her as I always do during the shots. The difference this time was as soon as the shots were over, Blake took her, and she was immediately quiet and laid her little head on his shoulder. She felt so safe and secure with her Daddy, and I think his heart melted right then and there. So far, these shots haven't been as bad as the last round (even though they are the same ones she got last time). She generally sleeps more after her shots, so hopefully that will be the only side effect tonight. Of course I am ready with the Tylenol to help her feel better if she needs it. We are going to bed a little later tonight because she napped later this afternoon. I think story time is about over, so I better go get her and put her to sleep!

Look at that hair!!!

2009-06-11T20:34:00.002-05:00

Taylor woke up from her nap today with a new hairdo!!!

Today's Events

2009-06-10T22:22:00.002-05:00

Today was a pretty fun day. Taylor and I met my friend Caroline for some play time and lunch. Caroline was my roommate in college for a couple years, and has been living in Texas and Washington D.C. for the last four years. We spent some time playing with her and John (her husband) and their dog Hank, as well as John's Mom and their dog Stella. Both dogs are much bigger than Taylor is used to (Hank is an 80 pound boxer). She did great with both of them! Caroline got some pictures of Taylor petting Hank. I forgot my camera, so hopefully, I can get her to send them to me and I will post them on here. After we played for a little while, Caroline, Taylor, and I headed out to lunch at Fazoli's. It was great to get to catch up, and I am looking forward to more time with her since they will be here all summer!! We came home and I fed Taylor then Blake took her for her afternoon nap. They napped together for a couple hours. During that time I was able to finish some laundry and edit some of Taylor's six month pictures (see the post below)! Later tonight, I was getting Taylor ready for bed with her nightly bath. She was cracking me up! She sat up on her own the entire time in the bath! Then she kept reaching up and trying to pull herself up on the front of her little tub! I really thought she was going to stand up on her own. Our little girl is growing and getting so strong! Blake was out tonight, so I had bed time on my own (he read her stories before he left). I laid her in her crib so I could empty her bath water and get ready to put her to sleep. She has a little sea horse that plays music that I sat beside her. She reached over and wrapped her arms around it, hugged it, then looked up at me with the biggest smile! She just melts my heart! I love this little girl so much! We definitely had a great day. She is sleeping soundly right now, so I will be headed off to bed pretty soon. I can't wait to see her in the morning and see what tomorrow holds for us!!

First Round of Six Month Pictures

2009-06-10T21:56:00.006-05:00

Okay, here are the first official edited six month pictures! This is just the first pose! We actually took 107 of her with this background. (Yikes!) I guess we went a little overboard, but honestly, they were all turning out so good! (Of course you can't help but have excellent pictures when you have the most beautiful baby... if I do say so myself). Anyways, here are a few that I picked to post. There will be many more, and I will post them as soon as they are complete!

Basketball and more basketball

2009-06-09T21:02:00.003-05:00

While I am working on editing six month pictures, I will share what we've been doing the last couple of days! Blake has had basketball camp at Tech the last two nights, so we have spent several hours in the gym. Taylor does such a great job while we are out. Several different people held her during the two games we went to, and she was so good. She even got in some yelling at the refs!! (That's my girl!) It has been a fun two nights in the gym. We are working on making our baby a basketball player yet!!

Sweet Kisses

2009-06-08T14:02:00.000-05:00

Taylor has learned to give kisses! We can ask her to give us kisses and make a "kissy sound" and she will lean in and touch her lips to ours! It is the sweetest thing ever! I think Blake absolutley loves it because he asks for kisses all the time!!! We'll try to get some pictures of it soon. Stay tuned for six month perspective pictures as well!

First Time In Sunday School!

2009-06-07T22:55:00.005-05:00

Taylor went to Sunday School for the first time this morning! Since she turned six months old today, we decided it was a good time to start her going to class. It was kind of difficult to leave her, but our friend Beth was teaching this morning, so it made it easier for us. When we came back down to get her she was in a new outfit. She had pooped all over her Sunday dress! At least I had an extra outfit packed for her. We did get a good report, though. She sat in the table the whole time and was very good! They said she was the most vocal one! (I'm not surprised by that at all). Her first Sunday School was a success! Hopefully they will all be that way!

Saturday At Burgess Falls

2009-06-06T23:01:00.003-05:00

We spent the afternoon at Burgess Falls today. We packed up around noon and got some sandwiches from our favorite little market and took a picnic out to the park. We ate lunch, then hiked the gravel trail with the stroller to the falls. The weather was perfect! Taylor really loves being outside, so we try to get out as much as possible with her!Sitting in her carrier chewing on her bottle of water.
Don't worry, she was just playing with the bottle, not drinking it!

Too cute!
Looking out over the falls.

A Night Out

2009-06-05T23:02:00.001-05:00

Aunt Jackie called us this morning and said she needed a "Taylor fix", so Blake and I decided to take advantage of the offer and go out. We still have some gift cards to eat, so we went to Olive Garden and enjoyed a nice dinner. Then we went to a local coffee shop. Once we had finished our coffee, we had been gone about two hours, so we thought we should make our way back. We got back and Taylor had just woke up from a nap, so she was happy and ready to go! We all four took her on a walk around the neighborhood, then came back and played a little. When she started getting tired, we made our way home to put her to bed. It was a nice evening! Thanks Aunt Jackie and Uncle Don!

Nashville Trip and Visit With Granny Doris

2009-06-04T23:03:00.004-05:00

I took a little trip to Nashville yesterday. Blake had training for the summer class he is teaching, so I decided it would be a good time to head in and visit with Granny Doris. I spent the night Wednesday night with Grana and G-Grandpa-Daddy (we are still decided on a name). We enjoyed a great dinner, then spent some time drinking coffee at Starbucks. Once we got home, Taylor played in my lap with a blanket for about an hour! The night was a little rough. For some reason, she thought she didn't need any sleep and then wanted to be awake at 4:00 a.m.!! Needless to say, I was back at Starbucks Thursday morning for some more coffee (not decaf this time)! Thursday we made our way to Granny Doris' place and spent about 3 and 1/2 hours there. I'm sure she looked very different to Granny since it has been two months since they have seen each other. Taylor did great! She played, smiled, rolled over, talked, and laughed for Granny! We had a great time. Taylor slept the whole way home (even through a stop at Jo Ann's in Mt. Juliet). She was a sleepy girl, but it was a great visit!

Getting Ready For Solid Food!!

2009-06-02T23:05:00.003-05:00

I started making food today for Taylor so we will be ready for her to try something new at 6 months! My Mom gave me a baby cookbook for Mother's Day, so I pulled it out and put it to good use. I used a 14 oz. bag of organic frozen peas and it made 38 "ice cube" portions! I only paid $2.25 for the bag of peas, so that is a pretty good price for 38 little meals for Miss Taylor bug! Just for fun, I took pictures of the process!

An Evening Walk With Daddy

2009-06-01T23:06:00.002-05:00

Blake took Taylor out for an evening walk tonight while I cleaned up the kitchen after dinner. This is how she was when they came back from their walk!

School's Out For Summer!!!

2009-05-30T22:39:00.002-05:00

Today was Blake's last day of school!! Yay!!! We get him home for the summer! I am so excited to have him around to spend time with Taylor for 10 weeks! After they let out this morning, there was a carnival in the parking lot to help raise money for the Jere Whitson School playground. Blake volunteered to be in the dunking booth, so we went over to cheer him on! (And Taylor got to dunk her daddy!)

A Sneak Peak

2009-05-30T22:37:00.000-05:00

I started working on Taylor's six month pictures today! Here is a sneak peak of one!

A Night At The Drive-In

2009-05-30T22:28:00.003-05:00

We took Taylor to the drive-in last night to see a movie. We decided the drive-in would be our best way to see a movie and not worry too much about her being loud. We saw "Night At The Museum". It was a cute movie. We took our own dinner and snacks and laid the seats down in the Pathfinder. We have decided that an SUV is the way to go! We were able to keep Taylor warm after the sun went down and stretch out and enjoy the movie! It worked out that the movie started right around her normal bed time, so I fed her and she went to sleep during the movie. It was an enjoyable night out for our little family!

First Swim In Her Frog Pool!

2009-05-29T22:16:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago, I found a frog pool at Wal-mart for $5 and just had to get it for Taylor! It is the cutest pool ever! Today, we decided it was time to try it out, so we put on a swim diaper, her swim suit, hat, and sunglasses and hit the pool! She wasn't too sure about it since the water was a little cooler than what she is used to at bath time, but I think by the end of the summer she will be loving it!

Ready to head out!
A cute shot with her sunglasses on!
Trying to figure out if she likes it.

Still not too sure.
I had to take this picture! This was after Blake turned on the spray and it was pointing straight at Taylor! It nailed her in the face! She really wasn't sure what to think after that!

The New Favorite Toy!

2009-05-29T22:07:00.000-05:00

Taylor has starting playing in her exersaucer and she absolutely loves it!! She is amazed by all the toys on it, and even jumps like crazy while she is in it! She spends quite a bit of time playing in it and is completely content, which is good for us if we need to get something done around the house. She is so cute when she is in it! Here are a few of the shots I took while she was playing today.

Aunt Maggie's 30th Birthday

2009-05-28T21:53:00.000-05:00

After all the wedding festivities on Friday and Saturday, we headed across town on Sunday for Maggie's 30th birthday party. It was great to spend time with more family! Maggie got lots of great gifts. It is exciting too because she is expecting her second girl on July 5th! Taylor will have another little cousin pretty soon!! Even though it was an exhausting weekend, we really enjoyed spending time with all of our family. We even managed to sneak off for a couple hours while Grandmama watched Taylor for us! Here are some pictures from the party!

Taylor enjoys playing with balloons!

Blowing out the candles (with a little help from Savannah)

Taylor, Grandmama, and Daddy

Taylor and Savannah playing on the bed!

Casey's Wedding

2009-05-27T21:30:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago, my cousin Casey got married!! It was a beautiful day and a gorgeous wedding! We spent the entire weekend celebrating at the rehearsal dinner, bridesmaid's brunch, and the wedding itself. Here are some of our favorite family pictures from the day!

Uncle Roy holding Taylor at rehearsal.

Mommy and Taylor before the wedding.

Family shot.

Close up family shot.

Daddy and daughter.

Taylor with Grana and G-Pa

Watching Mommy walk out.
At the reception

Playing with the bubbles!

Big Weekend Happenings!

2009-05-26T21:29:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was a big one for our family! I am working on getting pictures uploaded so I can publish the posts for the events of the weekend! Stay tuned for pictures coming soon!

Good Naps

2009-05-21T21:13:00.003-05:00

I always know when Taylor takes a good nap. She wakes up so happy. A lot of times, I hear her talking and cooing. Today, I let her take her morning nap on our bed. When she went to sleep, I filed her nails down, so I knew I would be pushing it to move her to the crib after all that work on her nails. I checked on her a million times during her three hour nap. I never feel as secure when she is not in her crib. Finally, I heard her talking, and this is what I came in to find! She had reached over and grabbed her toy and started playing! It was too sweet not to capture on "film".

Sweet Little Sounds

2009-05-20T21:07:00.000-05:00

I just love the little sounds my baby girl makes! Today as I was driving around town completing errands, I had the radio turned off just listening to Taylor "talk" to Mr. Lion (one of her little chime toys). It really sounded like she was having a conversation with him! She would get loud, then make sweet little "cooing" sounds. The whole time she had her eyes on him. (I know this because I kept glancing at her in the mirror we have on the back seat). I don't think I will ever get tired of hearing her sweet little voice! We got quite a bit accomplished this morning while we were out. We went to the bank, had some copies made, got a great deal on diapers at Kroger, and washed Daddy's truck and filled it up with gas. The last one was a little thank you surprise for Blake for working so hard so I can stay home with Taylor! After we got home, Taylor took a good afternoon nap while I cleaned up the house and did laundry. I think it was a pretty productive day! This evening we headed to church for dinner and huddle groups. We got to eat with some friends then spend time with Teenside. Taylor always loves seeing everyone there. She always does so great during devo and huddle groups. We will be taking her to her first Bible class in a few weeks!!! Just for fun, here are some pictures from today!

Cereal and A Neighborhood Walk

2009-05-19T20:49:00.002-05:00

I think Taylor has become a pro at eating cereal overnight! Yesterday and today she ate almost her whole bowl we made for her. We have started feeding her cereal while we eat dinner. It works out really great for everyone. Blake is able to feed her and we are all able to eat! Tonight after dinner we took a nice walk around our neighborhood. It is so great to be able to get out and walk again. We enjoyed it so much last summer, and it is even better this year with our baby girl! Here is a picture of Taylor and her Daddy having fun on the porch after our walk!

Is She Really Still Asleep????

2009-05-19T06:13:00.000-05:00

It is 6:15 a.m. and Taylor is still asleep!!! She went to sleep at 9:30 p.m. last night! And, for the record, she has rolled over onto her belly again!

Busy, Busy Weekend

2009-05-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

Wow, this weekend was a busy one! Saturday morning, Blake had a basketball play day that started at 8:00 a.m.! We then had Savannah's birthday party at 12:00. After that we had a wedding to attend at 6:30 p.m. and I was trying to finalize everything for a baby shower I was helping with at church on Sunday at 2:00!!! Even though it was super busy, it was a great weekend. We were able to spend time with family and friends and celebrate some great things! My Mom even came up and cleaned our house and ran a few errands for me while we were out. Then she entertained Taylor while we were getting ready for the next event of the weekend! I think Taylor laughed more than she ever has right before we left for the wedding! Thanks again to Grana for coming and helping out! I probably would have gone crazy, but instead, enjoyed every minute of our weekend!!

Is That A Toe In Your Mouth???

2009-05-17T21:59:00.001-05:00

Tonight after Taylor's bath, I was drying her off and noticed something funny. Her toe was in her mouth!!! I knew it was only a matter of time before it got there. She has been so close! I wasn't able to grab the camera quick enough to get a picture of it, but trust me, it was very cute!

Friday Fun

2009-05-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

Friday, I decided to have a Mommy and Baby fun day with Taylor! We started out by going to the library for story time at 10:00 a.m.! Taylor did awesome! She loved hearing the guitar and singing and even listened to one story! She started getting a little "chatty" so I decided to sneak out so we wouldn't be a big distraction to all the other kids there. We returned our books from a couple weeks ago, and looked around for some new books to take home for story time with Daddy. We got about 10 new books for this week and three DVD's for her to watch. We also got a baby songs CD which turned out to be one that Blake listened to as a child. He was more excited than Taylor I think! After the library, Taylor fell asleep, so I decided to grab a sandwhich and head to the train depot for a little picnic. She slept while I ate then woke up for a quick little outdoor photo session. After our picnic we went to the school to see Daddy during lunch. He is always excited to see us during the day. While I was at the school, I picked up my books that some teachers had borrowed that Jackie wanted to read. I decided to give her a call and see if I could bring them by. I didn't realize that Maggie and Savannah were already in town, so we spent some time with them playing and talking. A little bit later, Blake's Nana called and had Larry and Becky with her. They wanted to see Taylor, so we headed back to the house so they could spend some time with her. Unfortunately, she slept the whole time they were there, so they just got to look at her. I was pretty tired after all the fun of the day, so I suggested to Blake that we use a gift card and go out to dinner. After dinner, it was back home to put Taylor to bed! Whew!! It was a long day, but lots of fun!! Here are some of the pictures from the day!

Sleeping in her car seat.
Just waking up.

Playing with Mr. Callipiter.

Smiles for Mommy!

She loves her fingers!

Taylor and Savannah in their coordinated outfits!

Taylor, Savannah, and Aunt Jackie!

Uh Oh!

2009-05-15T21:02:00.000-05:00

Last night when I put Taylor to bed, she pushed up and her head came off the back of her wedge sleep positioner. I didn't like the way she was laying, but decided to give her a few minutes to get into a good sleep before I came back in and moved her around. I waited about 20 minutes and went back in her room. When I got to the bed, I saw she had some how kicked herself out of the wedge and rolled to her side with her face against her bumper pads. Well, the bumper pads came out and so did the wedge to a temporary home on the floor (see picture below). I moved Taylor back to the middle of her crib on her back, watched her sleep for a minute, then went to bed.When she woke up at 5:20 this morning, I went in her room to find this! She had rolled over onto her belly and was sideways! I turned on the light to get a picture, so I caught her just waking up and adjusting to the light.
I guess it is time for her to be moving around in her bed! I'll be excited to see where I find her in the mornings now!

I Love Bed Time!

2009-05-14T16:12:00.001-05:00

Okay, before you start thinking that I'm so excited to get my child asleep so I can get things done, don't. That is not where I'm going with this! We have recently started a bed time routine with Taylor. We start off with a bath while relaxing music is playing in the background. (Lately we've been playing Acappella Lullabyes). Then we get her pj's on and Blake comes in and reads her a couple books and tells her a story. Next its off to our bed to feed her and get her to sleep. Then she goes down in her crib for the night (or at least until she wakes up). I have really started enjoying this time and even look forward to it every day. It is some of Taylor's sweetest time. She loves her bath and is so "cuddly" afterwards. I even love sitting at the door and listening to Blake read and make up stories for her! Who knew you could find so much joy in simple things like giving a bath and reading a book!?

Longest Night of Sleep!!!

2009-05-11T20:45:00.000-05:00

Taylor went to sleep at about 9:15 last night. I woke up at 2:00 a.m. ready to feed her, but she was not awake. After staying up for 2 hours waiting for her to wake up, I finally fell back to sleep. She finally woke up at about 5:15 a.m.!!! I was so proud of her! I think the bath and bed time routine is really starting to work.

Bath Time For Us All.

2009-05-10T20:48:00.000-05:00

We have been working on a bed time routine for the last couple weeks which includes a bath, book and story time with Daddy, "sleepy" blanket, eat and then bed time. Taylor has really started enjoying bath time. Tonight she really started splashing around and kicking her feet! By the time bath time was over, I was soaked and actually had to change pajama pants!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T04:05:00.000-05:00

Today I officially celebrated my first Mother's Day! I cannot even begin to describe the absolute joy it is to be a Mommy! I never knew that I would be this way. I knew that I wanted kids, but just never saw myself as the "Mommy" type (you know, the girl who was a "mom" from the time she was 12 and couldn't wait to get married and start popping out babies). Well, I truly believe that I have figured out what I want to be when I grow up, and that is the best Mommy that I can be! I love staying home with Taylor and being able to raise her and see all the cute (and not so cute) things she does every day. I am truly blessed with a husband who is willing to work harder so I can stay home with our baby. I think I finally understand the sacrifices my parents made for me when I was growing up along with all the time, patience, and love they invested in me. My first Mother's Day was a great one. Grandmama and T-Daddy came up and spent the night with us and went to church with us Sunday morning. We came back and Blake and T-Daddy fixed lunch for us. Blake gave me a very sweet card with a Starbucks gift card and the promise of some time to myself while he watched Taylor. Not that I am trying to get away from my baby, but sometimes it is nice to have a little time to myself. All in all, it was a wonderful day, and I can say that I am truly blessed to be a Mommy!

Warning...Indecent Exposure!!

2009-05-09T22:35:00.000-05:00

Check out that cute baby bottom!!!

5 Year Anniversary

2009-05-09T21:59:00.000-05:00

Five years ago, Blake and I promised forever to each other. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine what a blessing the next five years would be to my life. I married a great man. We have made some wonderful memories and had some great adventures in the last five years. (Of course the greatest memory and biggest adventure yet has been becoming parents). Blake surprised me with a card on the morning of our anniversary telling me that we would be spending the night in the Iris Suite of the Garden Inn, which happens to be the same place we were five years ago! We were very excited to be going back, and this time we were bringing our little girl with us (since she still will not take a bottle and I'm not quite ready to spend the night away from her)! We were a little worried about her screaming through the night (even though she has never done that). Of course our little girl was perfect! We checked in around 7:00 p.m. and got our stuff settled. We then headed downstairs for dessert (some of the best cheesecake we have eaten) and picked out a movie or two for later. We took Taylor back to the room and got her to bed in her pack and play. She did wake up about 20 minutes later but we got her right back to sleep. She then slept until 3:00 a.m. and I got to her before she started crying. She woke up at about 6:30 because it was storming, but still did not cry! We were able to get ready and enjoy breakfast together where she entertained everyone there! Breakfast was excellent! We then got a call that our puppy (who we left at home with the neighbors watching him) had been a little punk the whole time, so we decided to head on back. It was such a wonderful time and way to spend our anniversary! The owners were so nice and told us to bring Taylor back any time! We are so blessed with each other and with a wonderful baby!!! Here is to the next five years as a family!!

Taylor had to check out the tub!

A view of our room.

The three of us!

First Time For Cereal

2009-05-09T14:03:00.000-05:00

We tried cereal today for the first time. I really wanted to wait until she was 5 months old to try it as long as she was satisfied with just milk before then. I also wanted to try it on a Saturday morning when Blake was home and we were not rushing out of town. We got everything ready and even set her in her high chair for the first time. She looked so cute and grown up sitting in her chair! We started out with very thin cereal (1 tablespoon of cereal to 4 tablespoons of milk). The first bite came right back out, but by the time we were at the end of the feeding, she was opening her mouth when the spoon came to her! She probably only got about 1 teaspoon in and swallowed, but I wasn't expecting a miracle the first time. By the time she is 6 months old and ready for food, she will be a pro! I just can't believe it is time for my baby girl to be eating cereal! Enjoy the pictures we took!

It Just Isn't Fair!

2009-05-07T21:36:00.000-05:00

So, I'm the one who spent 16 weeks being sick during 9 months of pregnancy. Then went through 21 hours of labor and a C-section, and Taylor looks like her Daddy. To top it all off, guess what she started doing today...... saying "Da Da"! Oh well! She is pretty cute, and I love seeing the huge grin on her Daddy's face when she starts saying "Da da da da da". Too cute!!!

Taylor is Five Months Old

2009-05-07T04:32:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe that I have a 5 month old baby!!! Here are her 5 month perspective pictures.

Laid Back

2009-05-04T16:53:00.000-05:00

Celebrating Mother's Day One Week Early

2009-05-03T21:40:00.000-05:00

This weekend I celebrated Mother's Day with my Mom a little early. For the last couple years, we have done a Mother's Day luncheon for all the Moms in our family. This year, the luncheon didn't work out, so we celebrated at Miss Mable's Tea Room in Dickson, TN. I am glad we got the opportunity to go there since they are closing in June. We had a great lunch and a wonderful time just spending time together. We did manage to get a few pictures. After we had lunch, we went to a little shop there and looked around at all the neat things. While I was walking around, I had Taylor facing out so she could see everything as I carried her around the store. I happened to look down at her and realized her little head was laying on my arm and she was sound asleep! It was too cute. I didn't have my camera with me, so I didn't get a picture of it. It was such a good day, and a great start to celebrating my first Mother's Day. I have definitely been very blessed with an incredible Mom! She has set the bar pretty high. I just hope and pray that I can be as good of a Mom to Taylor as she has been to me!!

First Trip To The Library

2009-05-01T04:46:00.000-05:00

We took our first trip to the public library today. I had intended on making it for story time, but we got there about 15 minutes late and I didn't want to make a late entrance our first time there. We browsed around the library for a while. Taylor could hear the lady telling the story and singing, and she seemed very interested. I believe she will really enjoy story time when we finally make it there! I was really impressed with the selection at the library! We came home with three DVD's, one book on CD, and about seven books to read. I think we will really enjoy the library, and it will give us the opportunity to read lots of different books to Taylor bug!

First Laugh!

2009-04-16T07:39:00.000-05:00

Taylor made progress today when she really laughed for the first time! I was standing in line at Wal-mart waiting to check out when I started going for her feet. She obviously thought it was funny because she just started laughing! I'm kind of glad the people in front of me were taking forever because I stood there for 5 straight minutes listening to her laugh! I called Blake and left him a voice mail with the sounds of her laughter on it. He later told me that it made his day to hear that! It was so cute! I'm sure that I will be acting like a fool now to try and hear her sweet little laughs again!

Easter Weekend.

2009-04-14T16:11:00.001-05:00

Taylor's first Easter weekend was a busy one! After her 4 month checkup and storm drama (see previous post), we made our way to Nashville. Our first stop was at Grandmama and T-Daddy's house. We had dinner Friday night with Grandmama, T-Daddy, Michael, Maggie, Savannah, Jeremy, and Ann Claire. Taylor was a little fussy since she had two shots earlier in the day, and we actually gave her the first dose of Tylenol ever. Once the Tylenol kicked in, she felt great! She talked and squealed so much that we couldn't get her to go to sleep! She finally went down at 10:00 p.m. and slept until 5:15 a.m.!!! (Longest stretch so far). We slept a little more after she ate then got up and had a big breakfast. Savannah came back over for the morning and we did an Easter egg hunt and got Easter baskets from Grandmama and T-Daddy. It was a great morning. Next, we made our way to Pegram for the annual Chester family egg hunt. My whole family was there and we had a blast as always. My Dad (A.K.A. Grandpa) was the Easter chicken again. I think he enjoyed it even more this year getting to find eggs for Taylor! I think she had a good time and even grabbed onto an egg and held it for quite a while. She was definitely in a better mood, but we still gave her a little Tylenol because she was running a low fever. After the egg hunt, we headed back to Grana and Grandpa's house for a little while. Taylor got her Easter basket there and we visited for a little bit then headed back to Cookeville. Sunday morning we were able to go to church at Collegeside. Taylor looked beautiful in her new Easter dress! We had so many people come up and tell us how pretty she was. (Of course we already knew she was beautiful!) After church we had lunch at Cracker Barrel with Jackie and Don then we made our way back home. After Taylor ate lunch we went outside to take some family pictures and then Taylor got her Easter basket that the Easter bunny left for her! It was such a wonderful weekend with family and friends! I think we were all tired, but it was completely worth it! Taylor got a lot of great things for Easter! I'm thinking we will have to rent a trailer at Christmas after seeing all the "loot" we brought back from Easter!!! Enjoy the pictures from our weekend!

Opening her Easter basket from Grandmama and T-Daddy.

Proud Grandmama with Taylor and Savannah.

T-Daddy, Grandmama, Taylor, and Savannah.

Uncle C.H. holding Taylor.

Grandpa helping Taylor hunt eggs!

Granny Pat and Pa with all the grandchildren.

Mommy and Taylor. Check out the grip on that egg!

Grandpa showing Taylor an egg.

Easter basket from Grana and Grandpa.

Grana showing her the bunny from her basket.

Ready to head home in her Easter p.j.'s

Easter basket from the Easter Bunny.

The back of Taylor's dress. Love it!

Just chillin'.

Easter Family Photo.

Closer shot.

4 Month Checkup

2009-04-13T22:20:00.000-05:00

Taylor went for her 4 month checkup on Friday. I was excited to see exactly how much she had grown, but not excited for the shots she would be getting. She weighed in at 14 pounds 11 ounces and was 26 inches long! Dr. Franklin said that everything looked wonderful. I asked about starting rice cereal, but he said we didn't need to start it yet. He said we could try it just to give her the idea of eating with a spoon, but it didn't need to be consistent. As far as anything else, I really do not know, and there is a good reason for this. While she was getting her shots and oral vaccine (she did great with it, but screamed horribly through the shots), the tornado sirens started going off in Cookeville. The office was going crazy! They got us in an interior room and wouldn't let us leave. I was able to shut the door and nurse Taylor so she would calm down, but I was not calm at all! Blake, Hercules, and our neighbor's daughter were all in our basement while the storm came through. I was very thankful that the storm passed over with no tornado. So, I will be making a phone call to the office next week to find out what percentile Taylor was in and to schedule her next appointment! I'll update as soon as I know something!