Sunday, December 20, 2009

Such a BIG Girl!

I know every parent laments at how quickly their kids grow up. And though this is part of the process, and I have expected it all along, I'm still surprised at how big Taylor is getting! I was looking back at her pictures from when she was a newborn, and now she looks like she's big enough to eat that sweet little baby we brought home back in July. She is now sitting up by herself (Look, ma! No hands!). She still gets a little wobbly after a while (usually 30 minutes is when she starts geting tired) and inevitably winds up on her side or face. I'm also amazed at how she watches EVERYTHING around her and reaches for just about anything that strikes her fancy.

She will sometimes hold her bottle all by herself.

Hmm, what does this guy do?


She LOVES this bear. We like him because he's a safe alternative to the cats.

Daddy Days

Saturdays I work at the hospital, and since Jody wings it all on his own, Saturday has become known as "Daddy Day." Inevitably Jody and Taylor have quite an adventure, and usually by the end of the day there is usually some story to tell me when I come home. This Saturday I came home to find my camera out on the coffee table. When I asked Jody if I had missed something cute, he merely replied with a coy, "maybe." So, I turned on my camera and you can see below what I found. Gotta love the things a man will come up with to amuse himself!



He thought it would be funny to see what she would look like as a Russian guard (you know, the guys with the black Q-tip hats).


I think she looks like a garden gnome!


Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Crimmas!

Taylor hasn't mastered the art of sitting 100% just yet, but she can do it for a couple of seconds at a time, so I wanted to get a picture of her under the tree. As you can see, it took a few tries before we finally got it right, and also a few tries to get some with out "Demon Baby" red eye.


Weebles wobble but they don't fall down.

I think she was distracted by the shiny lights.

I'm trying like hell to make her into a book nerd like me. Today she really enjoyed reading the Grinch!


FINALLY! Two seconds later she was on her back like a turtle again, but we got it!

Cookie Monster

As every parent knows, biter biscuits are a great occupier when your baby is teething, provided that you can get past the slimy mess. Taylor LOVES these nasty things and will usually eat them down to a tiny nub that's just the right size to choke on (yes, that's when it gets thrown away......).

The eerie blue glow is the TV. Taylor likes a little snack while she watches "World News Tonight."


Mmmmmmmm!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Taylor Goes to the Ophthalmologist

You may remember a few posts back that Taylor's pediatrician referred us to a pediatric ophthalmologist to get her droopy eye (that's ptosis, if you want to get all clinical about it) checked out and make sure everything was on the up and up. Lo and behold, the ptosis is mild enough that it should correct itself, but we did find a few other problems that the doctor felt were a cause for concern.

First off, the problem of the runny eyes. We brought this problem to the attention of our pediatrician about a month and a half ago, and he assured us that it was merely a blocked tear duct. These are fairly common among babies, and he felt the best thing to do was just to watch it and most likely Taylor would grow out of it. Well, apparently the eye doc felt a bit differently. I was instructed to "massage" (he demonstrated this technique on me, and let me tell you massage is not the right word - mash the ever-loving hell out of is a more appropriate term) the area between her eye and nose on each side in hopes of popping the membrane that's causing all the trouble.

Next on the list is that Taylor is apparently "extremely farsighted." Now, for those of you who, like me, have always wondered how you determine a thing like this in a small child who won't read an eye chart - they dilate the eye and look inside. Apparently the doctor can tell this way how good or bad your kid's vision is. Taylor's is apparently bad enough that if left untreated, she would go cross-eyed. So, yes, she was fitted for glasses today :( I have to say, this part of the appointment was more traumatic for me than for her. She was a total sport while the lady kept attempting different frames, I on the other hand was on the verge of tears because my child looked like a bald Harry Potter in most of them. There were a couple of pairs that weren't too bad, but alas, Taylor got here mama's giant head and the only pair that would fit were these hideous thick pink plastic frames. I guess she'll just have to channel her inner Sally Jesse Raphael for a while, at least until she grows into a bigger size with more options. They won't be ready for 5-7 business days, but I did manage to find a picture of the frames we bought online, and posted it below.

Now we just have to go back in a month to see if her prescription was sufficient - he only went at half power with her prescription. We will have to watch, if her eyes start to cross then she'll have to go full blast. At that time he'll also follow up on that tear duct, and if I haven't managed to pop it open, she will have to have them corrected surgically (not a very big deal, just a lot of hassle that i want to avoid if possible). I promise to post pics of Taylor in her new pop-bottles as soon as we get them in next week - until then you can just lament with me over their hideousness through the picture below.


Imagine these in pink. As if they weren't terrible enough on their own, they even have a Tigger decal on the earpiece. Jesus, help me through this!

Fa-LaLa-La-La, La-la la la!

FINALLY got our Christmas stuff out today. For those of you who know me, yes I still hate Christmas with a purple passion, but seeing as how it's a kids' dream holiday I figure I owe it to Taylor to at least half-ass decorate and try to get into the Christmas spirit.



The stockings were hung over the litterbox with care........

No, that is not the original beer can angel from a few years ago. This one is new and improved (also the cans are inside out to hide their true origin).


All lit up!

Like Father Like Daughter......


.......And yet Jody STILL doesn't see the resemblance! I think we need to get his eyes checked!


Taylor

Jody (rockin' that SWEET Olan Mills forest backdrop)