Happy Halloween!

Front Porch Swingin'

Oh, how I love front porch swingin'...

I had been begging Allen for one for awhile now and I finally got one for my birthday! Just in time to enjoy the lovely weather outside. I say I finally got one, I actually got two. I first ordered one from a company online and the day it arrived I was joyously awaiting the moment we would pull it out of the package and Allen would put it together for me. Much to my disappointment and dismay, we opened the package and found a certified piece of poo. (to quote Allen)

But my husband, with all of his wonderful carpentry skills, decided he would just make me one. And it's beautiful and perfect and I love it! And so does Taylor Joy.

It kind of makes me feel like I'm in The Notebook, sipping my hot tea on the front porch...

Minus the beautiful view of the lake and big plantation home...

And plus a little one wiggling around on my lap...

Hooray for Cool Weather!

Taylor had her first encounter with cool weather and cool breezes these past few weeks. I think she loves it. We continued our walks only I had to bundle her up lots and bring a warm drink with me. Oh, how we love our walks! It's nice to get out of the house and Taylor usually talks nonstop while we're out. I think she definitely got that from Allen! She's gonna be a talker for sure.




She loves her Daddy SO much! We'll be sitting there in the family room and she will look over at Allen and as soon as he looks at her a HUGE smile breaks out on her face and she gets so excited. She does it over and over again. It's hilarious. Allen can't get any studying done when she's around.


What a precious family I have...Sigh...I am SO blessed.

Happy 5 Months, Taylor Tot!

Hi sweet girl! I wanted to leave you a little post that says, "Daddy loves you!" Have a great 5-month birthday today!

She did it!!!

Taylor rolled from her back to her tummy this afternoon! She has been doing it from her tummy to her back since July 4th, and now, on this momentous day, Friday the 13th, she rolled the other way! What's the deal with the "special days" anyways?

It was so funny because after she did it once, she kept doing it from one way to the other. Back and forth, back and forth...she was having a good time.

I guess that's just how she rolls.

I'll have to get some footage of it later. For now I just wanted to share the exciting news!

By Special Request

For those of you who requested to see our little spitter in action, here she is. After she finished ( I don't know if you can tell in the video) her face was completely covered in spit. So funny. Enjoy.


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Our little princess...

Hi, it's Taylor here.

I just wanted to update you on what's going on since mom hasn't done it lately.

I went to the doctor for my 4 month appt. a few weeks ago and it turns out I'm growing...ALOT.

I was 13 lbs, 13 oz. and 25 inches long!

That puts me in the 55% for weight and the 80% for height. Whoo hoo!

Mom says I am starting to get more proportional since the first few times I was like the 50% for weight and the 98% for height.





Also, I have started to like spitting. It started one day when mom was out to eat with a friend and sometimes I just do it when I'm mad. I like the sound.

Nana and Poppa (sp?) came to visit a few weekends ago and I had fun with them. Here is a video of me and Poppa playing.


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And I have been trying to call them and Aunt B on my phone, but for some reason can't get through.



Well, I better get back to eating my hands, squealing, and spitting!

Love,

Taylor Tot

Mom Jeans

I came across this and just had to share it.

HILARIOUS!

So glad I don't have any of those... My birthday's coming up, so PLEASE don't get any ideas...

Mom Jeans

Taylor's Playdate

Taylor had a playdate with some other babies from our church on Monday! She had so much fun! Check out the picture, isn't it hilarious. Starting from the left, Josiah Supercinski is 7 months old, of course Taylor (4 months), Aaron Winslow (5 weeks), and Jude Estes (3 weeks). And the boys have all eyes on her...

It's funny because Josiah was crawling over all the babies, Taylor was just very chill (unusual) and the other 2 were pretty calm too. I think Jude finally just fell asleep over there. What a cutie! Looks like Taylor has some sweet friends already!

I'm a Big Girl Now!

Hi everyone!

I just started sitting at the table with mom and dad last night! I also got some "cereal" mixed with my milk...Mom and Dad decided after a night of waking up just about every hour they needed to try something new. And guess what? It kinda worked! I did wake up a few times, but I went 10 hours without eating! Yippee! I like cereal!

Check out how I'm holding my bottle all by myself! Am I a big girl or what?

Sunshine for your day

I just couldn't keep this sunshine to myself! What a sweet bundle of joy I get to wake up to everyday...


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Man, that's the best laugh I've had in weeks

Hey bloggers, this is the one, the only...

Allen Joseph Duty.

That's right - it's Friday night, 8:53 p.m., which means it's time for bed. But not on this fateful night, oh no.

Let me tell you how this came to pass...

I was helping Kendra with the "nighttime routine" (which includes getting Taylor a bath, some "food," and into the crib) where, as those of you who know me well may have guessed, is 100% methodical and predictable every night.

However, on this fateful night, I journeyed past the "study" (which is really the guest room with the computer in it that will one day be another bedroom and force us to move the computer somewhere else, which in turn will drive me nuts) and it was as if the computer called out to me.

It said, "Read the blogs, Allen."

As though possessed, I went straight over and began to read. As I read, I laughed.

And laughed and laughed and laughed.

I don't know what it is, but it's like everyone at Living Hope Baptist Church is a comedian behind the keyboard. Why is that? Is it because the people who aren't lightning-fast with words and wit have time to come up with the exact right way to turn a phrase? I have no idea, but everyone is stinking hilarious.

For example, I went to the Hendrick blog. Now, I've known for quite some time that Heather is great with the written word and thus, it doesn't surprise me when I read funny stuff on their blog. But I was reading the stuff about the morning routine and about the puking episodes and anything that has something to do with Aaron and I thought I was going to pee in my pants.

We've got some really funny people at this church, and I guess what's funny is that everyone in our circle is just so brutally honest about life.

The point of this whole post was to say this: I'm sure glad that we don't have to wear masks that are designed to say, "Check me out; I've got it all together."

Taylor Update!

My Uncle Ship came in town this weekend and we had so much fun together. He came all the way from Indiana to see me. Yippee! I showed him how I can squeal and put my hands in my mouth. He also got to see my rolling over trick (see below).

In other news, I am teething! It's been fun to wake up so many times at night and see mom and dad.

Guess what else? I will be 4 months old on Sunday. I am a big girl! Mom says I am weighing in at 14 lbs these days.

I am also getting really good at rolling over. At nighttime I do it and then I can't go back to sleep. But mom or dad always comes to get me and roll me back. Check out the footage!


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Love,

Taylor Tot

Boo Family Ills

Well, we've all had it now. I have no idea where it came from and can only hope that it goes FAR FAR away from us and our friends. It's the 24 hour tummy virus. Here's how it started:


I was feeding Taylor Tuesday night and all of the sudden she looked up at me with those big blue eyes and threw up all over me. Again and again and again.

We were soaked.

The chair and ottoman were soaked.

The carpet? Completely soaked around us.

This was the scariest moment ever as a mom.

Fast forward to 2 am that morning and I've got my head in the toilet pretty much from then all the way until Wed night. Fun, right? It gets better. Wed night Allen and I had to start sharing the toilet. He had it bad and I started feeling better. In our whole dating/marriage relationship we had never gotten each other sick before now. It was horrible.

But, praise the Lord for the people who took care of our Taylor Joy when we couldn't. You don't read our blog, but we love you anyway. I really hope this virus doesn't catch up to any of you. Anytime you can't keep down a sip of water you know it's bad. We are all feeling better now. Praise the Lord!

More Videos...

For those who don't get to see her cuteness everyday...


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Taylor's newest tricks are: trying to stick her whole hand in her mouth, holding things (blocks, toys, mom's necklaces and hair) and pooping on everything in sight (yes, there was quite an incident yesterday). Let's just say she got to wear about 4 of her new outfits in one day. Anyhow, in case you haven't noticed this blog is ALL about her. I really don't know what I did before she came along. I must have been so boring. LIFE must have been so boring. Well, I hope these put a smile on your face today.

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!" Psm. 118:24

The Pout

Okay, so Taylor has this pout that could make you cry and laugh at the same time, it's so sweet. Straight from the womb Taylor has been doing this pout and it is absolutely the cutest (and saddest) thing I have ever seen. Like, quite literally she did it in the hospital and still does it sometimes. Do all babies just instinctively know to do this? I know Rachel said Josiah used to do it too. Well, I really wanted to get it on video and she did it at bathtime the other night. Check out the video below. It was right before bathtime and she was having a good time on her tummy and then...the lip came.



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5K? No Problem!

Well, he did it! Allen completed his first 5K run this weekend. Hooray! His plan ("Couch to 5K") really works! He crossed the finish line like a pro and we were so proud of him. Seven weeks of getting up way early, running in hundred degree weather, and not to mention being the busiest guy I know (oh, and so dang cute!). Major props!

Squealing Tot!

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Hey everyone! Here is Taylor's latest video. It's so funny because she's been squealing so much lately and it's like she's discovering that she's the one doing it. Check out how my cell phone starts ringing in the video and how excited she gets. What a cutie!

New Moms Advice

Hey moms-to-be! Several of you have asked me to make a list of products/etc. that I would recommend so I finally decided to do it. Sorry for the delay, I've had my hands a little full. Here goes:


1. Baby Bjorn - was a must-have for Taylor! During weeks about 3-10 she only liked to be held, not laying on the ground or in her crib, not the swing or bouncer, ONLY held so this enabled me to hold her all day and get a few things done! Many times we found that she would immediately stop crying when we put her in there. Amazing!

2. Diaper Champ - unlike many other smelly poop container thingies this one allows you to use any generic bags to put in there rather than having to buy specific brand name bags (i.e. expensive!). This keeps the costs down and the nursery smelling baby fresh!

3. Gas Drops (Mylicon) - Let's face it, babies are just gassy. They don't know how to deal with it when they have gas bubbles in their tummy or even when they need to poop sometimes. The first time we gave Taylor some she immediately stopped crying. I think it was because she liked the taste, but I feel like these really work too.

4. Gowns with little mittens - These are great because the little mittens prevent them from scratching their faces at night. Sounds weird, but their nails are sharp and you just can never get them quite short enough. They have no control over their hands and they end up with scratches all over their face. Plus, with the gowns night time diaper changes can be super quick when there aren't all those snaps.

5. Fisher Price Sounds & Lights Monitor - this monitor is cool because not only can you hear her, but you can see the lights too. This is great because if you are watching a movie or have people over and wouldn't be able to hear over the noise you can still see the lights on the monitor.

6. TONS of burp rags (cloth diapers work well) - You can never have too many! Stick one in every room of the house because as surely as you need one it won't be there! At least that's what happens in our house... Put one on the changing table and if there's an accident you only have to wash the rag and not the cover.

7. Ultimate Crib Sheet - If you have ever changed the sheet on a crib mattress you know it's a pain in the you know what. This sheet just lays on top of the crib sheet and hooks on to the sides of the crib. If there's an accident (and there will be many), you just snap off the sheet and wash it. I wish I had two of these for when one is in the wash.

8. Homemade Wipees- Heather H. and our Hope Group gave us all the stuff to make our own wipes and save lots of money. I can email you the recipe if you want it.

9. Oxy Clean Spray - It's the magic potion to get out spit up and poop stains. Baby = lots of outfit changes and lots of laundry.

Oh, and a few things that nobody ever told us...

1. Childbearing is EMOTIONAL. That's normal. Your hormones are out of whack and that's okay. Cry. Let people baby you and your baby. Take it easy and know that this too shall pass.

2. In the beginning your baby will sleep all the time. Again, normal. After several weeks we found that she wanted to stay awake most of the day. I guess she just doesn't need naps anymore we said. WRONG! Little babies need like 16-20 hours of sleep per day. LAY HER DOWN! She might fuss for a few minutes but if she's been up for 2 hours, she is tired and fussing anyways and she WILL fall asleep.

3. Diapers are expensive and babies go through so many (8-10 per day!). When Taylor first arrived we thought we had plenty and then all of the sudden they vanished. One thing that I have figured out is that there are tons of coupons out there and if you catch them on sale AND use the coupon you can get Pampers for the same price as the store brand. Just buy a bunch all at once if you find a good sale.

Wow, I never thought I would be pondering these kinds of things on a daily basis... I guess that's what motherhood does to you.

Well, those are the main things that have made our life easier living with miss Taylor. By the way, some of the things I mentioned are just the things that have worked for her. All babies are different and this might give you some things to try. I have plenty more if you are interested.

Oh, and motherhood is so fun! I can't imagine life without my Taylor Joy.

Ryleigh's Here!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to announce that my best friend Ryleigh Michelle Floyd arrived on Sunday! Everything went smoothly and she is 7 lbs, 9 oz. and 19 1/4 inches long. I get to visit her on Friday - I am so excited! She is beautiful just like her mommy!

Love,
Taylor Joy