lunch time with taylor

Alas, I have so many things to catch up on. Open House, Easter, Spring Break, yikes! Instead of being diligent and getting those checked off the list I will show you these random pictures that I took of Taylor while she was eating her lunch today. I wish I would grab my camera and do this more often because she is changing so quickly. 

Here are just a few things that Taylor's been up to this month: 

* playing peek-a-boo by covering her face with both hands

* blowing kisses

* leaning in for a smooch saying "mmmmm"

* giving hugs by laying her head on your shoulder... (melts my heart) 

* when we ask, "How was your day?" She says "goo" in response

* She says, "goo guh" for "good girl," "ooooo kaaaay" and "up"

* She stares so closely at you when you talk to her and you can tell she's trying to soak every little thing in

*She's understanding simple directions like, "Can you give this to Daddy?" 

* She's little miss curious right now, always getting into trouble. Today she picked up Molly's food from her dish by the handful and threw it into the kitchen trashcan. 

* She has also been found with said dog food in her own mouth. 

* As crazy and active as she is, the second you start singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to her, she'll freeze and stare at you with her hands up trying to do the moves. It's the perfect distraction while trying to change her diaper. 

* She always walks around the house holding onto something. 

* She sleeps through the night well... except when she's teething. 

*We're trying to transition her to one nap but she's still wanting her two.

* She'll eat just about everything except for eggs

* She recognizes everyone in the family and loves doing facetime with her grandparents. 

* She is the happiest when she's playing with Donovan and Emmerson. She especially loves playing with Donovan. She laughs so hard when he tickles her or chases after her. 

*She loves to sit on your lap while you read her a story. Last week, she went to her book shelf and found her favorite little book, "Are you my Mommy?" and said, "Momma!" 

And I am sure there are a million more things that I am forgetting... but gosh, I don't want to forget a thing about her at this stage. Her softest little cheeks and her silly giggle. And her eyes! I am so smitten with our Taylor Joy. 

emmerson grace

 This summer our baby girl has officially become a toddler. I am beyond grateful for these last few weeks at home. I've been able to soak up this precious time with her. It is so true what people tell you about second babies… we have NO videos of Emmerson and it makes me so annoyed with myself when I think about it. How can I let these moments pass us by without capturing them?! Thank goodness for smart phones, eh? I made a conscious effort to snap a few photos and a quick video of her today. 

Here are just a few things I do not want to forget about my 14 month old girl. ...

 Em has her very own Linus blanket. My Oma knitted it for her before she was born. Now typically these types of priceless baby gifts are tucked away in drawers or used as nursery decor… Not this one. It follows Emmerson everywhere! She wraps herself in it and rubs her face with it. She is obsessed and I think it's the sweetest thing. 

Emmerson officially began walking confidently within the last week. Until now she took baby steps here or there but now she is starting to walk everywhere. It makes her seem so much older! 

Emmerson loves to talk on the phone. She begs to grab my phone whenever I'm talking to someone. She babbles and uses the same intonation that I use as she babbles away. If it's not a real phone, she pretends that every toy that she's holding is a make-shift phone. 

Speaking of toys that she's holding… she carries around the most random things lately. At all times (it seems) she has this very specific Lego from Donovan's Lego collection. It's the one Lego that has a traffic signal painted on it. She digs through his entire Lego box until she finds it and then proceeds to grip it for dear life as she walks around the house for the rest of the day. And if it's not the Lego, then it's a a plastic screw from Donovan's tool bench. Random, huh? 

Every night before I tuck Emmerson in, I always read her a verse that's framed on her wall. She loves to point at the words while I'm reading it to her and she whispers as I read it like she's reading it along with me. 

Em can say some words so clearly now, that at times I have to do a double take and think, "Was that Donovan or Emmerson?" Today when she woke up from her nap, she kept saying, "Moooom. Mooom." And I could have sworn it was Donovan's loud, clear voice… but he was still sound asleep and she was bouncing in her crib waiting for me to come get her. 

Quite possibly my most favorite thing that she does right now is give kisses. If you ask her for a kiss she'll lift her head up with her tiny puckered lips and give you the best smooch right on your lips. Dustin and I laugh because she will give him 10+ kisses in a row before she gets tired of it. She is such a Daddy's girl already. 

She now has 6 teeth on the top and 5 on the bottom. She's cutting the last of her 1 year molars right now. 

The thing she is most commonly heard saying lately is "No, no, no!" Pretty sure she picked this one up from her brother. She is very territorial with her little possessions and anyone that comes close to taking them from her, she'll tuck them in tight and tell you, "No, no!" 

Emmerson is obsessed with Molly. She calls her "Maw, Maw" and always in the cutest high-pitched tone. Em chases after her all day long. She cracks up when Molly's tail wags in her face. 

Dustin and I are constantly amazed at how much Emmerson can understand all of the sudden. We can call to her half way across the house and say, "Emme, can you bring me your juice?" She will walk over to her cup, pick it up, and then walk it over to us." She is starting to follow simple commands like that more often. It's incredible how much they understand before they can speak. 

I am sure there are a million more things I want to record in my memory. But that's all that this tired Momma has for the time being. 

Every moment spent with Emmerson and her big brother are my favorite. Even in the very worst of moments when they're both crying and tired and acting crazy, I can still smile and give thanks that they're ours. I love them soooooo much! 

MVI 2673 from Meghan Hein on Vimeo.