7 Months

Dear Sophia,

Today you turn 7 months old. It has been an amazing journey watching you grow. Every day you are learning something new; whether it is repeating words or sounds, or how to climb out of your swing, or feed yourself your rice cereal puffs. Keeping up with you is keeping us on our toes.

Again, you have had a very big month. This month you had many, many firsts. You figured out the sound for DADA, and repeat it constantly, as it is your most favorite word. But mostly, we hear it when Daddy gets home from work. Which I'm certain is the highlight of his day. Someday, I'm sure you will understand just how excited he was to hear DADA as your first word.

You also took your very first camping trip. A trip which was not only one for the books, as a whole new experience for your Dada and I. But it was also memorable for the entire campground, as you were teething. As tough as the week turned out, you really were a trooper and once those pearly whites popped out, you were back to your good ol' happy self!

Perhaps the most memorable milestone you hit this month was crawling. You have been scooting around for quite some time, so we had a feeling it would be any day. But it's just the cutest thing to see your tiny little body crawling around the house. Today was an interesting day, as I pretty much let you explore our home, following just behind you, but always in reach. I'll say that most of our household decorations are temporarily in the garage after our house tour! But I'm sure you'll find something appealing tomorrow that I'll be adding to the garage collection. (Thank goodness Dad built those shelves for us just in time!)

You have definately come to have a favorite toy...and perhaps one that might be unexpected. Forget the soft, cuddly teddy bears and toy dolls. It's all about the rubber duckies. You have 3 of them, and sometimes, I'm not sure that is enough. In the bath tub, you search all around until you have one, or two, of these ducks in your hands and mouth. You repeat the "d" sound while playing with them, and on occasion will say "Duck," which takes your dad and I by surprise.

Each and every day we fall more and more in love with you, which hardly seems possible. But we do. And we are constantly amazed at how much you are understanding and learning. You are becoming quite the independent litte girl, and it's so fun to watch your personality shine through in all you do.

Happy 7 Months Sweet Pea,

Love, Mama & Daddy

Busy, Busy Taylors

Sophia's smile!

Life around the Taylor home has become quite the busy place! We've been up to so many side projects, home improvement projects, and crafting projects that we've been to busy to stop and breathe.

But, being busy is my thing. I am truly not one who can sit around and be idle. I have to have something going on at all times. Otherwise I go stir-crazy. So here's what we've been up to;

Last weekend we had a huge yard sale! So, going through every room in the house and deciding if some of the things we had were really necessary to hold on to kept me going for about 2 weeks. I made giant piles in the garage, much to Matthew's demise, and we got rid of everything! There is something so freeing of purging the house of unnecessary things. Now, to look at our house you would never guess we got rid of things, but let me tell you, I'm starting to feel like our house has enough storage room for the things we do want to keep!

Not only has the yard sale helped with that, Matthew and Whit built storage! (I know that really, the shelves are for me, since I'm always complaining that there is no storage room in our house, so thank you Matthew and Whit for making room for our things!) This in itself was a huge undertaking for my not-so-handy man. :) But, he carefully measured, drew pictures, and measured again and the shelves turned out PERFECT! They look like they were professionally done! The best part of this project is (not only the room we have now), but watching Matthew glow when he looks at them. I get the sense that he's turning into my very own Tim Allen, and I'll have my very own version of Tool Time around here soon!

Perfect Shelves!!!

They're not going anywhere!

So, while Matthew's been busy planning and building shelving, I've taken on a project of my own. It started out as a project for Sophia's room, and has taken on a life of it's own. So, Sophia has got quite the collection of hair bows and flower clips, and no where to put them. So I created a board to match her room, and organize her hair bows. From this idea, Carly and I were talking about doing the Colusa Co. Craft Fair in November. So, I thought this would be a fun project, along with the bows and flowers to go with them...Then... while we were out at Sophia's 6 month pictures with Amanda, I noticed all of her hair bows in ZipLock bags. So I told her about the bow board I made, and she was dying to see it. Long story short, the cute little gift store she has her studio in, Serendipity, (How cute of a name is Serendipity for a gift shop??!!!) has asked to buy 6 of them from me as a starting point to see how they sell! So...what started off as a craft project for Sophia has began a whole new "Keep Me Busy" side business. :) I'm excited to see where this entrepreneur side of me goes!

Bow Boards

6 Month Photo Shoot

They're in! (and here's a little preview!) Thanks Amanda for sending us the Sneak Peak...we LOVE it!


Amanda's 6 month photos are in!

Take a look and email me, katers283@yahoo.com if you'd like to order any.

Remember, they'll be up for 2 weeks from today! Enjoy our little Muffin Girl :)

http://amandamarianphotography.com/viewing/ She's on the second page!
Password is all lowercase sophia6

A good snapshot stops a moment from running away. ~Eudora Welty

Sophia's all blurry because now that she's mobile
she's decided she simply can't sit in the shakey seat anymore!

Sophia's this close to crawling. She's on her hands and knees all the time,
she rocks backs and forth, and has rug burns from scooting. It's just a matter
of time before she's completely mobile.

Just another Saturday morning under the piano!

I absolutely love this picture. We read to Sophia all the time and
each day she is more and more interested in the stories. I just
love watching Matthew read to her. SO CUTE!

Not much to report around here, so I though I'd share some of our more recent pictures!

And our 6 month photo shoot with our photographer, Amanda, should be up today. So I may be posting again! We are super anxious to see these pics!

Tents, Trinity, and Teeth!

The Boys with their catch

Our first family camping trip

The boys and their fish

Sophia and I next to our new giant tent (Sleeps 8!)

A happy moment for our teething girlie

Summer wouldn't feel complete if we didn't take our annual trip up to Trinity Lake. So we braved it with our baby girl in tow! From the beginning, it was a challenge. Even packing was different. Now we all know that when you go anywhere, the goal in packing is to take as little as necessary. Well this proved to be challenge number one. If you know me, you know I am a list maker. So the best way for me to tackle the "wants" or "needs" of packing for Sophia began with a list. We figured out, after lots of discussion, what things could be double used, like her car seat carrier became her high chair, her napping spot and play place. Her pack and play tripled as a bed, playpen and changing table. We just had to be creative!

So, after packing our gear, camping gear, and Sophia's gear, we were pretty much ready to go. Or so we thought. The morning started out bright and early, as it always does, and we hit the road. We made a stop for breakfast and were on the road. Everything seemed to be going off without a hitch. And for some reason, this totally surprised me. I was expecting a terrible car ride, and a fussy baby. And then, just outside of Redding it hit. With a tremendous force. Sophia began crying like I had never heard her cry. She could not be soothed. Sitting with her didn't help, her pacifier didn't help. A new diaper didn't help. A bottle didn't help. And then it struck us...could she be teething? We pulled over and I began playing dentist. I started probing around her mouth for signs that her first tooth was on its way. And sure enough, I found bright red, puffy gums. perfect.

So we dosed her with some baby tylenol, pulled out all of her teething rings, and hit the road again. Matthew kept amazing patience as we climbed Hwy. 299 through the twists and turns with our screaming little girl, and I did all I could to console her until she fell asleep.

So began our camping adventure. Upon arriving at camp, we took full advantage of every second that Sophia was napping, because as soon as she was awake, all bets were off. Was she going to be happy and content enough that we could continue, or is she going to start screaming and we'd have to sleep under the stars?

After three hours we had managed to set up camp. Our two tents and move our suitcases into them. 3 hours!

The rest of the week was as normal and traditional as it could be with the newest family member in tow! Matthew, Grandpa Don and Uncle Josh went out fishing in the morning, we swam in the afternoon, and cleaned up before dinner in the evenings. As needy as Miss Sophia was during the camping trip, I'm glad that we decided to go. Grandma Mary and Grandpa Don gave us plenty of breaks so we could still enjoy our time, and though it is a lot more work to camp with a baby, we are looking forward to the next trip. Just hoping Sophia's teeth make better appearance times in the future!

Happy Half-of-a-year!!! 6 Months

Photo Shoot from 6 Month Birthday!

Dad called while we were taking pictures! Sophia was very interested in his voice!

Dear Sophia,

Happy 6 month birthday, little love bug! You are six months old today and Dad and I are already trying to choke back the tears as we think about how fast you're growing up. It's been so wonderful watching you grow and learn new things every single day, but the time goes by too quickly. The snuggles and smiles are here one moment and gone the next, leaving your daddy and I wondering how these days can fly by so fast.

This has been such a big month for you. You have become quite the mover! You so badly want to crawl around the living room to get to your toys! Last week, I put you on one end of your blanket, and dumped your toys at the other end. It wasn't long before you had scooted yourself all the way across. I was so proud, and ran for the video camera. But, inevitably, as soon as the camera was on, you were content to lay with your well-earned toys and chew. The squirming was through. But as it was, I settled for smothering your little face in kisses.

This month, you still haven't grown any teeth! While you are growing in all other areas, those teeth just don't seem to be making their appearance anytime soon!

You have become very aware of the things taking place around you, especially when it comes to food. Anytime that someone is eating, you let us know that you would like to be eating too. This makes things a bit complicated when your daddy and I go to restaurants, but we've learned to keep a stash of extra baby food and a bottle handy at all times.

Your favorite food is still sweet potatoes! And whenever you get a taste of that yummy orange treat, you never fail to grab the spoon and ask for more. Or lately, you've learned how to blow bubbles with your lips so the yummy goodness ends up sprayed all over Daddy and I. You're not quite ready to feed yourself yet, but you try your best, bringing the spoon up to your face in an attempt to find your mouth. You are growing up so quickly, but it's nice to be reminded that you still need your mama and daddy to help you with a few things!

This month you began repeatedly saying "Dada" for the first time. We could hardly believe our ears that morning as we heard you babbling away in your crib, and then you kept it up as we cuddled in bed. It still melts our hearts every time you say it. And I know secretly, Dad loves that your first word has been his name! We're working very hard on getting the next word..."Mama", but you haven't quite mastered that one! At first we were not quite sure if you really knew what you were saying, but I'm convinced, as you only say it when Dad is home, or if he is in the room. And Saturday, you looked right at him and said with conviction, "Dada" while being held by Grandma Sue.

These last six months have been a wild ride and we've had a few scrapes and bumps along the way. I'm not perfect mom, but I look back on these six months and I see how we have grown together. From our very first meeting in that hospital bed to this evening as I watched you sleep in your crib, I can see how this journey has changed us both. You have become so sweet and so strong. You have a distinct personality with strong likes and dislikes. You know your mama and daddy, and your whole face lights up when we play with you. You are growing into a wonderful little girl and I cannot wait to see what the next six months will bring.

Through all of your changes, you have made me a better mama. Six months ago, I had no idea what I was doing and the concept of changing a diaper on your delicate, breakable little body was terrifying. You have shown me that I can be a good mama. You have taught me what it means to sacrifice myself for someone else. And you continue to make me into the person I want to be, the person I want you to look up to and admire as you grow and become a little girl.

Sophia, I am so proud of you. When I look at you, I see the very best of your daddy and myself. You are so bright, so open, and so loving; it leaves me absolutely speechless to try to put words to the hopes and dreams I have for you. I love you more than I can say.

All of my love,
Mama

Life Lately

Things around here have been pretty routine lately. But we are not bored. Not in the least!

We've been having a great time playing with our little munchkin, and watching her grow more and more every day!

Here are some snap shots of a week with Sophia!

Sophia rolling around on the floor. She wants to crawl so bad, and she'll try...for like 5-10 minutes. Then it's all tears! She's definitely scooting all over the place!

Bath time fun! She's becoming so wiggly that bath time has become quite the challenge!

Drying off after the bath! We love the ducky towel!


Sophia in one of her swim suits! We've really enjoyed swimming at Grandma Sue and Grandpa Whit's house during this summer heat!


Sophia in her second swim suit! What girl doesn't need more than one suit, right?!
(Thanks Michelle for spoiling our little girl with a Baby Gap swim suit! )



Sophia in her Hippo Floaty! This thing is a crazy contraption...BUT she loves it! And it even has a handy sun shade! Perfect!

Napping on the way home from a day at the pool! Swimming and the sun take a lot out of us!

Our own little Kewpie Doll with the tuft of hair sticking up!

Happy girl waking up after nap time!

She loves her Jungle Bouncer SO much that she jumped herself to sleep! :) Cracked us up!



First time Sophia wore sandals, so she's checking them out. After the fights with socks this winter, I wondered how long these would last....grand total of 10 minutes before her toes were out and they were flapping from her ankles!

Hi Mom and Dad! :) I got myself un-swaddled last night!