Father's Day

Ethan's first Father's Day!!
Taya got this cute outfit from my friend, Erica. She wore it to church and to celebrate the day. Thanks Erica, it is so cute!!

We went to the zoo for about an hour today. There was a new baby sea lion; it was so little it was hanging out as you see it below and it was crying to it's mother, who we could also hear guiding it to the shady area to the right. It was so sweet.

There was also a sun bear hanging out in the tree. I thought it was funny!

Taya being her cute self! She likes the zoo, but more for the people than the animals.

Ethan was making Taya laugh.

Taya's pool got nice a warm today. By 4:30 this afternoon, the water was warm but we were in the shade in the back yard. She had a fun time splashing me! We'll definitely be doing this more often.

0Click on the video below to see Taya splashing in her pool.

All about Taya

Taya is taking a nap...why am I not taking a nap?!
I decided to give more of an update on Taya because I have been brief in my recent blogs and because I don't have any new pictures to post today. I love talking about my girl, so what a better venue than my blog??

Taya's new favorite food is YoBaby yogurt. She has been trying all sorts of new foods the past few weeks, including adult peas/carrots/apricots/peaches/cherries/pears; cinnamon bread; scrambled eggs; string cheese; and the yogurt. At first I got the variety pack with apple and mixed berry flavors. She didn't seem all that interested in those. Then I bought the pack with vanilla and banana and she eats a whole carton (4 oz) at a time. She has handled the milk proteins just fine, which leads up to our next new food:

Whole milk. Now this might be TMI for a few people, but I am not shy about talking about breastfeeding. I am very proud of breastfeeding my daughter and giving her the healthiest start I can. The past few weeks she has really been cutting down on nursing and she actually self-weaned on Tuesday of this week. She is not at all interested in nursing anymore. I have still been pumping twice a day just to make sure she gets the nutrients and antibodies from the breastmilk. I am not really interested in giving her formula just to turn around and start cow's milk in another 6 weeks, so I am slowly introducing the cow's milk now. Actually she had her first this morning; I am mixing 4 oz breastmilk + 1 oz whole milk and putting it in her sippy cup. I guess we're weaning from a bottle also! She drank it right down! I don't know how long I will pump, but we go to my mom's for the 4th of July, so I might be done then. I have quite the reserve of breastmilk in the freezer, so Taya should get breastmilk 'til her 1st birthday. We'll gradually up the whole milk ratio and will be to 100% whole milk in 6 weeks.

I think it's my nature as a dietitian to worry about what Taya eats and to make sure she's getting all of her nutrients. Cow's milk is lower in iron than breastmilk or formula, but she gets it from her meat and cereal so I am not too worried. She also needs about 1000 calories/day and I calculated what she usually eats and it's not quite enough. I might have to add another snack or more milk. She is really thinning out and looking more like a toddler; I swear she grew overnight on Thursday. My little baby is growing up.

Taya has been walking along the couch and walking behind her shopping cart. Once in a while she'll just let go and stand by herself. Last night she stood by herself for at least 20 seconds and gained her balance 4 times without falling over. It's so cute and we really praise her.

Taya is very social. The other day when Ethan picked her up from daycare, she was standing by an exersaucer that had a baby in it and she as talking to the baby. She also says hi to little kids she sees at the store. She likes to talk to herself in the mirror also. She will definitely need some siblings so she doesn't get bored with just Ethan and me!

We don't have a lot planned for Ethan for Father's Day, but he is going golfing this evening and we have some gifts for him to open tomorrow. We'll go to Mass and possibly out to eat breakfast. We hope all you fathers out there (probably not many reading this blog) have a very happy day.

Well, I think Taya is awake now. She is working very hard to grow in her other top front tooth. Hopefully we'll have pictures to post of it soon!

Misc.

Ethan hung a swing in the front yard for Taya. She reallly likes it!

Omi and Papa came down to visit on Sunday. We had a BBQ and got to visit. Taya exhibited her quick movements and snatched Papa's glasses; he didn't seem to mind!

Eating some peas.

Taya is very independent and especially likes to feed herself. We are experimenting with different "finger foods" and one of her favorites is peas (canned, no salt). They are the perfect size for her to pick up but are still rather small. This is in addition to her all time favorite...Gerber Puffs (puffed cereal snacks). She likes them because she can crunch them between her teeth.

A good friend, Mandy, was in town and came for dinner last night. She was a former classmate and former co-worker. She was visiting from Frederick, MD.
Here is a video of Taya eating her peas. I think it's the cutest thing ever!

10 month old in the house

Our sweet baby girl turned 10 months old last Saturday. She has been crawling all over the place. She is now pulling herself up and trying to walk along the couch. Just tonight she walked behind her grocery cart. She is also getting brave and letting go to stand by herself for a few seconds.

Taya now has two new top teeth (the front left one and the one to the side of it). Her front right one is coming in but is not quite through yet. She really likes to chew on puffs and crackers with her teeth. She thinks she is a very big girl!

Ethan was gone for 5 days last week/weekend so my mom stayed with us. Ethan survived his time away from us and we survived without him. We are very glad to have him home again. My mom and I bought our dresses and Taya's dress for my brother's wedding coming up in August.

Taya is also recovering from her first case of pink eye, which is going around daycare now. She and I got to be home together on Wednesday and she didn't go back to daycare until Thursday afternoon. At her doctor appt., with her clothes on, she weighed 20lbs 11 oz. She seems to be slimming down and isn't my chubby baby anymore.

Below are a few pictures I took yesterday so I would have something to post. I tried to get a shot of her new teeth, but that didn't happen.

A video of Taya

Taya's first family vacation (and plane ride!)

Taya two weeks ago with her daddy


Taya getting ready to get on her first plane


On the plane...

In her seat, ready to go!


In front of Jarv's rododendrons


It was bright outside.




Hanging out at the beach house

At Mystic Pizza with our cousins
Clockwise from top: Taya, me, Laila, Bader, George, Nina-Katherine, Jenny, Giada (the other baby)

Neither of us has seen the movie, but here we are at Mystic Pizza in Mystic, CT

At the Mystic Aquarium

Jenny, Bader, and the kids watching some animals at the aquarium

Taya with her Grammy and mommy at Fenwick (Old Saybrook, CT)
Taya's frist trip to the beach (Atlantic Ocean)

A cute picture of Taya from this week. She will be 10 months old in 5 days!

A clip of Taya's frist trip to the beach

Well, as you can see we went on vacation last week. If I look tired, it's because I am!! Taya was a trooper and did AWESOME on the plane, but being away from home and off our usual schedule is rough on me. We had a nice time. We spent most of the time with my mom and Jarv but also saw Ethan's cousin Jenny and her family. Ethan also golfed almost every day. We are now back at home and getting back into our usual routine. Ethan is leaving on Wednesday for a conference at Estes Park, CO so we are trying to get things settled before he goes. On the plus side, my mom is coming to help me so we're going to have a "girls weekend" and watch chick flicks. I am excited!

I hope you enjoy the pictures and the clip of Taya at the beach.