Giggles from Taylor

Taylor had her first full giggles and we were lucky enough to catch them on video!!

I don't know that this clip needs any other introduction than that.

LOVE HER!!

Splish Splash

Taylor loves her bath!

Just thought we'd share a video of Taylor in the bath this evening.  She already splashes around and gets everything all wet! She's going to be a water bug!

Of course, we couldn't forget to show you a picture of her in her cute robe!

That's My Daughter In the Water

On Memorial Day weekend, Mike, Taylor and I spent a day exploring a new part of the island.  We headed north and stopped at Camp Schwab.  The beach there is one of the few gradually sloping sandy beaches on the island.  We took the opportunity to let Taylor stick her feet in the ocean for the first time!  She handled it very well but was a little confused when water rushed over her tootsies.  The water was cold so we weren't ready for a full body dip, but we can now say Taylor has been in the ocean!!  Check out the video of her first experience with the waves!

Taylor says, "Rock on, Dude! I love the water!"

Happy First Father's Day!

This weekend we celebrated Mike's first Father's Day.  It was a great weekend spent hanging out around the house, going to lunch with friends and showering him with gifts.  He had to spend most of Sunday writing papers for his Masters classes, but he still took some time in the morning to snuggle with Taylor and Rusty on the couch.

Daddy opening his Father's Day card from Taylor.

Mike with both his kids.  

As one more Father's Day gift, Taylor and I came up with this list:

10 Reasons Why Mike Is the Best Dad Ever!!

1. He is a really good snuggler and Taylor loves to nap on his chest, especially when golf is on TV.

2. He is a really good listener.  Taylor loves to talk to him. See the video on this post for proof.

3. He makes Taylor smile.

4. He wears the Baby Bjorn, even in front of his buddies, just because he likes to have Taylor close.

5. He dances with Taylor to her favorite songs when she is upset or sad.

6. He calls her his "jellybean" when she's all curled up like a bean.

7. He gets up in the middle of the night to change her diaper before I feed her just to get a little more facetime with her (and to give me 2 more minutes of sleep!)

8. He loves to dress her up in all her cute, CUTE clothes!!

9. He gives her a kiss every morning before leaving for work.  In fact he gives her kisses all the time!

10. You can see by the way he looks at her, he loves Taylor so much and that love grows everyday.  As a mom, I couldn't ask for more than that! 

Michael, Happy Father's Day! I can't wait for many more to come.  Thank you for sharing in this roller coaster called parenthood with me. It's been so fun to watch Taylor grow, change, and thrive.  She has so many wonderful qualities from you and I can't wait to see how she becomes more like you as she grows. You are a great father!! I love you!

2 Months Old

So I'm a little late on this post, but I wanted to give you all a 2 month update on Taylor. Here are her stats:

Weight: 10 lbs 4 oz

Length: 22.75 inches

Hair: brown

Eyes: depending on the light, dark grey with a few hints of brown coming in

Skills: eating, pooping, wiggling, kicking, maintaining eye contact, following an object with her eyes, starting to grasp items in her hands, and cooing.  She especially loves to smile!

Night time sleeping: Consistently about 5 hours at a time.

Likes: Bath time - she is starting to kick in the water now too... not sure if that's intentional or if she just likes kicking no matter where she is. Talking - She loves it when you talk to her. She'll talk back some times too!  Sleeping in her Moby wrap on Mommy's tummy. Swaddling - She sleeps well at night when swaddled.

Dislikes: Being alone.  Well, she's never alone, but she might be in a place where she can't see us. That's when she gets unhappy. She is also warming to her carseat and bouncy seat as well!

 I am going to measure Taylor's growth each month with Rusty.  

Here she is at 2 months above, and one month below.

Her one month close-up.  

LOVE HER!

Daddy Daughter Talk

Tonight I was in the kitchen cleaning up and I heard Mike talking upstairs.  I hadn't heard the phone ring so I couldn't imagine who he was having a conversation with.  When I got up to Taylor's room, this is what I found:

She is talking more and more! I love her little giggles, cackles, and squeals! She's going to be a talker!!

Taylor Meets Her New Japanese Friends

Every Thursday night I teach an English conversation class to a group of Japanese women.  We spend 2 hours every week just chatting, sharing our lives and our cultures.  Now that Taylor is in the picture, I get share her with them as well. She comes with me to class and makes faces at all her new friends. They love to pass her around the room, share stories about their own children, and give advise.  It is really fun to see how sometimes childrearing is different between our cultures but more often than not, it is so very similar. I am grateful for this group of women, for all of their support, and for the opportunity to get to know them.  It is so nice to have time that is my own and that is totally unrelated to the base, the squadron, or the Air Force.  Would you like to meet them?

 Rumiko is an architect and has some pretty interesting stories about the Japanese office culture.

 Junco seems to be Taylor's favorite so far! She can always get a big smile out of her.  

Junco works at a local mall making the announcements of the loud speaker (among other things).  

 Yukari is the youngest of the group and is a massage therapist at a local spa.

She also just finished night school for office management and book keeping.

 Lika is so funny! She works at a childcare facility on a nearby Marine base.

She loves to party and is very open about her desire to marry an American!

(Left to right) Rumiko, Lika, Yukari, Yukari (yes there are 2 in class), Me and Taylor, Junco, and Yuki.

The petite fashionista sitting behind me is Yukari as well. She is a wonderful cook and always well dressed.

Yuki on the end in the purple is mother of 3 young ones but is also a midwife.  She was a great resource when I was pregnant.

I really enjoy my Thursday nights with the ladies.  They bring a whole new dimension to my week and to my life here in Japan.  HOMEWORK: I am always looking for topics to discuss in class.  If you have any questions to ask them, please send them my way.  If you have any "American" topics to discuss or share, I'm also looking for suggestions.  For example, my dad suggested I tell them the sexual definitions to baseball terms (first base, second base, etc).  Though a pretty intriguing idea, I'll wait for that topic to come up in class organically before I bring those to their attention.  But, I am looking for other suggestions!!  Help me out!

Happy 1st Mother's Day!

This year, I celebrated my first Mother's Day!! It was a very fun and lazy day spent with Mike and both my kids, Taylor and Rusty.  Mike made me breakfast in bed and then we took a walk to the park.  Rusty had a great time playing fetch while Taylor took a snuggly nap in her wrap.  It was a windy but cool day and perfect for some time spent outdoors. 

It didn't end there! The next weekend, I got a message and an afternoon to myself! I am such a very lucky lady!

Mike: Thanks for a wonderful Mother's Day! And thanks for making me a mommy!