Goodbye Tay-Tay

On Saturday we said goodbye to our sweet puppy girl, Taylor. It was sudden and completely unexpected. To me it still feels like she is just gone to the groomer and will be home shortly. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that the night before I was snuggling with her on the couch while she kissed my face and snored in my ear. Just that morning she curled up next to Tim in bed and kept him extra warm.

She was a major part of our lives and a member of our family. We will miss everything about her....the way she would snap her teeth, her little head tilt, the way she would "sing" with Tim and howl at the phone and fire alarm, how she would bully Rocky and steal his food and sit on him, how she would duck when we would drive under and overpass on the freeway and how she would protect our baby girl and make her laugh.

It breaks my heart that Makaela will never remember Tay-Tay, but Tim and I certainly will remember all the special moments they shared.

We had her cremated and along with her ashes we were given a certificate, a tear-jerker of a poem, a paw imprint with her name and a piece of her hair. We appreciated the folks at the crematory and their compassion and thoughtfulness.

We will forever love you and miss you my sweet, sweet Tay Tay.

RIP Taylor - May 4, 2008- December 14, 2013

Reunited and it feels so good!

Daddy is finally home!!

It comes with the territory...the hubs is occasionally away from home for periods of time due to training. This summer he was gone for 5 weeks...in fact he had to leave the day the movers arrived with our stuff...great timing right? During those 5 weeks we were able to see him every Sunday for about an hour and half, and we got to talk to him on the phone 4 times. We looked forward to each of those moments. 

The training that he just returned from was 3 weeks and we could not see or speak to him at all :(

Fortunately, now that we live closer to family I had visitors to keep me company and help with little miss Makaela for a little bit each time Tim was gone. Although it always sucks being away from the hubby, it is nothing new and we try to stay as positive about it as possible! Keeping busy is key, I've found. 

I loved having my family come visit. My parents always cook yummy meals for me....like SUPER yummy. And of course I LOVE hanging with my little brother. He is the sweetest guy ever. He totally stepped into the role of "man of the house" while Tim was away. He helped with Makaela, took out the garbage, helped unpack (this summer) and helped keep things clean around the house. Best helper ever. 

Whenever Z comes to visit we are sure to make fun our priority. There is always a lot of ice cream eating, cookie baking and scarfing down of pizza....

The dogs adore him. The little fur balls crave attention and Z loves giving it to them. This summer poor little Taylor puppy actually got sick and threw up when Z left. Someone needs a lil doggy xanax..

One of our favorite things to do also included bowling. We always have fun doing this as a family....Grandma won of course. She does this little butt wiggle thing that cracks us all up. The first time we went this summer Grandpa kept baby Makaela entertained. And of course in pure Grandpa fashion, we went around and "showed her off" too all of the bowling center employees. 

This past time my mom came down and brought Z at the beginning of his Thanksgiving break. She stayed for a few days but then had to go back to work. My dad came down the last part of Z's break to hang with us and take Z back home. It sucked that my mom and dad's work schedule's didn't overlap, but it was great having Z here for his entire Thanksgiving break. 

Again we went bowling. I wore Makaela for 1.5 of the 3 games we played, and even managed to break 100 while doing so, hahah. 

I love bowlin' with my homies. 

We also made it to the Drive-In which is a blast. It's really neat having one close by!!

Z and I managed to squeeze in some serious tennis playing this past time too. You won't be seeing either of us at Wimbeldon but we had tons-o-fun, and Makaela enjoyed being outside. 

She was our official referee, however, we did catch her sleeping on the job a time or two....

It was a little chilly one day, hence the crazy outfit above. I didn't think the girl would need a coat in 'bama!

Makaela and Z are buds. She keeps her eyes locked on him at all times, and he gets a kick out of it. It is crazy to see how much she has changed in between visits from the fam!

Summer 2013

Fall 2013

 Thank you to all of my family and friends for always supporting us, especially when Timbo is away. We love you!!

But Trouble is FUN

So this happened...

It is hard to tell in the photo, but there are crumbs around her mouth....crumbs of DOG FOOD. I SWEAR I watch my child and don't leave her unattended. The girl just seeks out trouble. When she saw Tim coming to get her she shoved FISTFULS of dog food in her mouth. FISTFULS. 

And this....

...happens on the daily. Doesn't matter if it's white or black. She doesn't discriminate. She loves all cords equally. 

Also, I'm sure you notice that dang dog toy in the background that she still won't give up. 

All you can do is laugh. Babies are comical little creatures, no? When I stumbled upon this ten-month-old's letter to Santa I couldn't stop cracking up....those items are EXACTLY what Makaela wants for Christmas, in case you were planning to do some shopping ;-)

Sensory Sunday Funday: Felt Snowflake Magnets!

We worked on this project a couple weekends ago but I didn't get a chance to post about it until now. Now that Makaela is on the move and standing up against any and every surface, I figured it was time to turn the refrigerator into a fun spot.

I had some felt snowflake coasters laying around that I had picked up last Christmas at the Dollar Store. I decided to turn a few of them into magnets for the little lady.

It was superrrrr easy. I snagged some magnets for $2.50 at Hobby Lobby. I opted to get the roll because I could cut them to whatever size I wanted and I felt like that would make it less of a choking hazard than the little round ones. The self adhesive wasn't very adhesive-y so I glued the cut magnet to the snowflake. 

Ba-da-bing, Ba-da-bang. Done and done. 

Makaela LOVES them. The magnet is strong enough to stick to the fridge but weak enough for Makaela to easily move them around on the fridge or pull them down. 

She's not big on putting them back on the fridge yet. Perhaps, I should get used to that....the whole not liking to put away toys thing ;-) 

Library Baby Learning Playgroup

Since our move to Alabama, I've been trying to get involved in as much as possible. For one, I want to meet people and make friends. Secondly, I am trying to take advantage of the fact that I am not working right now and get to spend the day with my little lady!

Back in October we started going to "Baby Learn and Play"- a free program hosted by one of the local public libraries. It is ideal for babies age 3 months to 2 years old and is scheduled for 30 minutes (but typically runs about 45 minutes) once a week.  We go every week and it is something that both me and Makaela really look forward to!

The group is hosted by a woman who volunteers. She designed the program after being inspired by a similar program her daughter took part in back in Washington. You can tell she is truly passionate about it, and has even purchased the large playmat, several books and toys for the kids to utilize.

We always start out by going around and introducing each child. The group sings "Hi Makaela! How are you? Stand right up and we'll clap for you!" Makaela EATS THIS UP. She literally smiles from ear to ear when everyone claps for her. It melts my heart.

Next, we sing a few songs out of a cute paper book also made by Ms. Moon, the volunteer coordinator. All of the songs are interactive and the kids seem to really enjoy them. Next, Ms. Moon reads a few stories to the kids. Lastly, she dumps out a bunch of toys and the kiddos play and interact while the parents socialize.

I've met some really nice parents and enjoyed the conversations we have had.  And of course I have LOVED seeing Makaela socialize with other babies. She is fascinated with all the other littles...especially the boys (uh-oh!) and she just loves trying to hold hands with other kids, sharing (or stealing) toys and kissing Ms. Moon's baby doll.

This past week we were surprised with a visit from the local news! They heard about the program and wanted to highlight it on the news. I took a video of the news report when it ran on my TV but I've also included the link to the WTVY article and news clip. Better get an agent because we've got a small town celebrity on our hands ;-)

http://www.wtvy.com/home/headlines/Daleville-Babies-Get-Headstart-on-Learning-234309771.html

Allergic Reaction to Cottage Cheese

Last week when my family was visiting we decided to introduce Makaela to cottage cheese. Grandpa and Grandma both love it, so they were all about it. I don't know that I've ever even tried it, but that shouldn't hold Makaela back I thought.

I read online that cottage cheese is good to introduce to babies if they tolerated yogurt or other cheeses well. She has had no problems with either of those, so I think she is okay when it comes to dairy. Of course, we will wait to introduce cow's milk until after she hits 12 months. But guys....look what happened when she ate the cottage cheese!

We let her pick up the curds (is that what they are called?) herself, and anywhere they had contact with her skin she turned red! Poor girl. Thank GOODNESS she wasn't phased by it and thank GOODNESS there was no swelling or reaction inside her mouth or throat. The reaction disappeared within about an hour.

In reading up on it, other babies (who were fine with yogurt and other cheeses) had the same reaction to cottage cheese. Maybe it is some kind of dye or additive that caused it...not really sure. I have a couple (very manageable) food allergies, and I just pray Makaela is allergy free.

I will bring it up to her pediatrician at her 9 month well baby check to be cautious, but obviously we won't be giving her cottage cheese again anytime soon. Sorry MickMack! She seemed to really enjoy it too :(

8 month photos!

Let me start by saying it was nothing short of a miracle that I was actually able to capture a picture of this girl lying down for her monthly photo. Now that she CRAWLS and pulls herself up to stand on any and everything, she has no interest in sitting still. Ever. Okay, hardly ever.

She's rocking some post-bath wet hair in the above photo. This photo below does a much better job of showing how that monthly photo onesie actually fits...Could you just squeeze her or what?!

I'm sure I'll say this a million times over the course of her youth, but this is SUCH a fun age! I love that she is mobile and can explore on her own. It is so cool to see what she finds interesting. She gets to decide what she wants to do and where she wants to go whenever she wants....she is a little person!

Standing is just about the coolest thing in the world to her. She pulls herself up on tables, walls, boxes...you name it. And of course, she often has her tongue out. Tongue out is the ultimate symbol of concentration, no?

Is she too young to start a chore chart??

Sometimes you just have to kick back and relax after a busy day of chasing the puppies, pushing boxes around and banging on windows...

What is she sipping on you ask? Oh you know, just a baby coffee as I like to call it. It's about 1 part prune juice to 3 parts water or breast milk. 

Doesn't that sound DELICIOUS? Hey, it gets things moving, which she sometimes needs help with. Turns out a lot of the foods she was eating were "common constipators," so we are being more mindful of her daily food choices ;-)

Speaking of routines, we've been doing a good job lately having regular story time before bed.

We always read her favorite, Cha-Cha Chimps and then we read at least one other book. She is totally digging the touch and feel books as of late. In fact, she "pets" all of her books now. 

You may have noticed in many of the photos her hair is clipped to the side. That's because her bangs are past her eyes!! I'm constantly brushing the hair out of her face, so the easiest fix is a quick clip to the side. Something feels wrong about cutting her hair already....babies this age are supposed to have uneven, silly hair....thank goodness she doesn't mind hair bows!