Month: October 2005

Taylor’s got skills – well, she’s working on them, anyway! Today she learned a new trick. We have these two rubber ducks that we put in the bathtub with her, and when they floated out of reach, she figured out that if she kicked her legs in the water, the ducks would float away from her feet and toward her hands so she could grab them. She had a wonderful time splashing water EVERYWHERE. I got soaking wet, but it was pretty funny to watch.

Recently she’s really started to figure out exactly what she wants and, more importantly, how to get it. It used to be that if she was playing with something that we didn’t want her to eat/poke in her eye/ruin, we’d switch it out with a more appropriate toy and she would be satisfied. Now we can’t pull the old bait and switch routine anymore, she’s caught on and she lets us know it! Zach and I are honing some skills of our own. Changing T.J.’s diapers and clothes is an exercise in patience and requires us to have lightning fast reflexes and finely tuned hand-eye coordination. As soon as we put her on the changing table, it’s a race to get her changed before she twists herself into a position where it’s physically impossible to change her. It’s pretty amazing to see the positions she gets herself into…maybe she’ll be a contortionist!

Two of T.J.’s bottom teeth have now made their appearance. Only 30 more to go!

In a pinch, Tupperware makes a great toy:

Baby’s first Halloween costume…she’s going as a peanut:

Happy Halloween!

One of the comments that I seem to hear over and over from people when I’m out with Taylor is, “I’d love to know what she’s thinking”. I wonder how much has she figured out and how much is still a mystery. I think about it especially when Zach or I are in the middle of doing some mundane chore and we look over at her and she’s giggling. We pride ourselves on our abilities to entertain Taylor with peekaboos and raspberries on the belly and miscellaneous goofy faces and sounds. When we see her laughing at what appears to be nothing, it makes us wonder if (gasp!) maybe we aren’t as entertaining as we think. Still, she’s the best audience we’ve ever had!

I think Taylor is her own biggest fan:

Most of the time, Taylor’s a pretty happy baby. She grins and hams it up whenever people are around…she can be a real charmer! That’s why it seemed strange this week when she started getting really cranky for no apparent reason. She was crying a lot and pulling on her ears, so I though that she must have an ear infection. Just shows what a parenting rookie I am…Zach pointed out that she might just be getting a tooth. Sure enough, we checked her mouth and we could see two little choppers trying to poke through her gums – an early Christmas present!

We’re always on the lookout for new distractions that can keep T.J. entertained long enough for us to do the dishes or take a quick shower. We haven’t really bought her many toys up to this point, she’s been pretty content so far with the ones that she’s got. Not long ago, however, we went to a picnic where there was another baby who had an Exersaucer. Taylor tried it out and took to it right away, so we’ve been trying to track down an inexpensive version ever since. This weekend, one was finally located and procured and Zach decided to try it out on Monday morning. It was an instant hit – lots of things to keep a little baby occupied!

In the exersaucer:

For years, my brother Mike has teased me because I would always fall asleep with a book in my hand. It’s a Cahalen family tradition…my grandmother Eloise used to do it, my dad does it, I do it and now Taylor is continuing the legacy!

Our little reader:

Last week, we met my friend Heather and her two kids, Ella and Ava at a park in Walnut Creek for some play time. We’ve been having some fabulous weather lately so the park was packed with kids! Ella and Ava had a blast running around and playing in the sand while Heather and I hung out with Taylor. At one point, Ella sat in Taylor’s carseat (amazingly, she could still fit, although her legs were spilling over the edge) so we put Taylor in her lap and took some pictures:

Our friends Thom and M.J. brought their little girl Marley over the other night. She’s about 10 months old and crawling up a storm. Watching Marley was like getting a glimpse into the future. We thought if we watched to see what she got into, then we would know what to start baby-proofing. Thom and M.J. looked around and ticked off the list of things that we would have to remove, lock up, raise off the ground, etc. Apparently, our house is what you might call a “safety-free” zone – not exactly baby friendly! We could probably have strewn broken glass pieces across the carpet and laid out barbed wire and we’d be in no worse shape. Taylor’s definitely showing more interest in crawling. When she’s on her stomach, she really gets those legs going and tries pushing forward. She doesn’t get very far, but it’s only a matter of time until she figures it out and we’re done for! We’re thinking maybe we’ll just have to sell the entire house with all it’s contents and start over in a Nerf house.

Zach and TJ:

Still in love with Mr. bear:

Got Carrots?