Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
July 22 - Three Months Old!
Tucker is 3 months old today!
Our morning started out with "breakfast in bed" (nursing while I'm still half asleep), then a diaper change. We had some lovey-dovey time, and we read an animal farm book from Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Larry : ) as well as some nursery rhymes. Then, it was time for a bath, and I undressed Mr. Tucker. While I was admiring his little tushy, a dark green/brown substance squeezed out from his cute little tushy, and ran down the front of my arm! A plop of it landed on his changing table cover...ironic, huh?
(Austin Kinard...I just wanted you to know that you are NOT alone!!)
We did another diaper change...and I started a load of laundry.
Our next great activity was...the bath! Mr. Tucker has quite a goofy sense of humor - he peed as soon as his little warm body felt the warmth of the bath water. So what did we do next??
Took him out, emptied the water out, and started OVER!
This is my life right now, and I have to say that I think I'm just starting to grasp the art of not getting frustrated at the moments of futility (while balancing the fact that this is a day of JOY - 3 months!) He's pooping! He's peeing! This means that everything is WORKING properly! Yay! We just started formula AND breastmilk and so, I say "hallelujah" that he's pooping! Even IF he's doing it on my ARM...
Later...Todd was changing his diaper and Tucker, in his charming way of saying "HI" to daddy, peed "at" daddy!
So, right now, Tucker is sitting on his bouncey seat in his NEW diaper, under a blanket (no clothes since those got peed on, too), bouncing his little 3-month old body and hitting the little characters on his bouncey seat to make music.
TWO HOURS LATER...
Tucker was sitting on my lap while Todd made our lunch. He made a yummy salad, and I was about to get a good forkful of it when Tucker smiled a BIG smile, then he tooted.
Or, at least, I THOUGHT he just tooted...
Thinking I'd better check his diapers, I turned him over (still on my lap) and saw pretty much what you see above in the photo there. I hadn't even noticed the pumpkin-colored goo all over my left hand. Oh my gosh - what if I hadn't turned him over? No telling when I would have realized "what lie beneath"!!!
The photo above was Todd's brainstorm to get a quick photo before we threw him and his clothes into our bathtub for a dowsing of water and Johnson & Johnson's baby wash!
I totally need a cup of coffee now!
Recently, Todd and I were talking and we wondered if God is grossed out OR excited about our "spiritual blow-outs" as we experience Tucker's poopy blow-outs. Sometimes our spiritual poops are messy, but does God stop loving us when we have a blow-out?
Nope!
Is He grossed out, or disgusted with us?
Nope!
He's probably saying something like, "Cool! Look at my kid's blow-out! I started him on a new diet of grace and holiness...it must be working! That was a GOOD one, Kiddo!"
Praise God!
Jennifer
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Nana Writes from Pennsylvania
Dearest Tucker,
Maybe Mom told you but Nana and Papa J are in PA (that is short for Pennsylvania) one of the states in America. We are at Papa J's family reunion. Family reunion is when all members of the extended family get together and have FUN an PLAY. Sounds great, right!
We miss you so very much. We want you to know that we will be home in about a week. We MISS you already!
Are you having a good week, so far? We have been hearing that you are getting Mom and Dad up during the night too much. Now, darling, they need their rest and so do you! However, as much as you might want to play at night, this isn't fair. Playing during the day is just as much fun, especially since you, Mom and Dad have soooooo many wonderful friends. they love to visit your house. Having said that, I recommend that you ALL sleep at night. See, it is really easy.
You are such a good and sweet fella! Are you doing you arm and leg excersises? You are so good at doing them. Everyone is impressed with you! How about the neck workout? Again we are amazed at your many, many talents.
Since you can't read,yet, Mom can read this to you. When Nana returns, you and I are going to start playing with the alphabet. I'm looking for a couple of really fun toys for you and I to play with, Okay.
God bless you,
Love Nana and Papa J
xxxxxxxxxxoooooooooo
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Just the family having fun
On Saturday, July 11, we celebrated with many friends the twofold blessing in the Taylor family: Annie is officially adopted, and Max is officially a US citizen! Yay! 
Back in June, we asked Paul & Melissa how we could help, and our friend Mary suggested that Jen show up in one of her clown outfits. Todd blessed Jennifer's socks off by painting his own face and then painting hers. Then...he went online and printed off several very cool face designs. Up until this point, Jen had only done little things...you know...stars, hearts, blah, blah, blah. But, having some visual aids really helped stretch her, and she has found a new passion in face painting! She just wants more practice. So, if you visit her, you may be her next customer!
By the way, Austin Kinard, if you're reading this, you should try to do some face painting. You'd be really, really, really good at it!
As you can see from Tucker's bubble words, he got roped into this!! Well, they say you can't pick your family! Grandma and Grandpa Horne got him that adorable clown outfit (it was on backwards though, we confess) and Todd applied the make up! He was a little groggy for this photo, but his natural charisma caused him to be passed around the room from friend to friend.
Taylors, we celebrate the blessings of the Lord for your family! Congratulations! We love you guys!
Back in June, we asked Paul & Melissa how we could help, and our friend Mary suggested that Jen show up in one of her clown outfits. Todd blessed Jennifer's socks off by painting his own face and then painting hers. Then...he went online and printed off several very cool face designs. Up until this point, Jen had only done little things...you know...stars, hearts, blah, blah, blah. But, having some visual aids really helped stretch her, and she has found a new passion in face painting! She just wants more practice. So, if you visit her, you may be her next customer!
By the way, Austin Kinard, if you're reading this, you should try to do some face painting. You'd be really, really, really good at it!
As you can see from Tucker's bubble words, he got roped into this!! Well, they say you can't pick your family! Grandma and Grandpa Horne got him that adorable clown outfit (it was on backwards though, we confess) and Todd applied the make up! He was a little groggy for this photo, but his natural charisma caused him to be passed around the room from friend to friend.
Taylors, we celebrate the blessings of the Lord for your family! Congratulations! We love you guys!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Overdue Blogging!!
Well, I have so much to fill you in on! Unfortunately, as I type this, Todd has the camera and I can't upload any new photos...but the good news is, I will soon!
The past 2 weeks have been very eventful! We celebrated Brittany Kinard's graduation at her open house where we got to visit with the family and saw some familiar faces (mutual friends). Tucker was "a hit"...several of Brit's cousins and aunts commented on what a beautiful baby he is! One of the cousins, Lexi, is a nurse, and she said that she's seen some 'interesting' looking infants...she joking says to herself, "I hope they grow out of that!" Lexi is a lovely young lady who was complimenting Tucker on his natural good looks early on. It was great to see Brittany surrounded by the family and friends who love her and who have watched her grow. Her mom, Rhoda, along with aunts, Meena and the rest of the family, made a beautiful day awesome with the details of the open house!
The day after that was Father's Day...Todd's first Daddy's Day! All our Dads met us at Milham Park...Aunt Joanna, Aunt Heidi and Jason all came. It was a great afternoon with ribs, salads, bocchi ball (did I spell that right?) and each other. Tucker enjoyed lying down on a blanket looking at trees. Tucker gave Todd a travel mug with a photo collage of himself on it. The words "Tucker Loves Daddy" are written across the top of the collage. Great first Dad's Day!
In fact...Stan gave Todd a hammock - it's like a hammock chair - to Todd for Dad's Day, and while Todd was in DC, our friend Jonathan helped put it up on our back deck. I also bought some tiki torches for the back yard, and Jonathan helped me put them into the ground this afternoon. These will surprise Todd when he gets back tonight from DC. I can't wait for him to see the backyard!
After Father's Day, Todd, Tucker and I drove to Port Sanilac and shared a few days with my dad and Jeanette, who owns a cottage on Lake Huron there. We were blessed to visit with my cousin Kelly and three of her four wonderful kids: Camden (6), Carter (11) and Dean (15). Dean had just celebrated a birthday and Jeanette's birthday was the day we arrived, so I made a cake and decorated half of it with chocolate frosting and sprinkles and the other half with vanilla frosting and put strawberries and blueberries on it. Yum, yum! For those of you who know me, this was quite an accomplishment! (not really...I can totally cook, but it's not my first love by any means). This has been something I've been trying to grow in recently, since I'm at home full-time. I've actually found some joy in shopping for just the right things to make something, or throwing things together that you don't normally think of...then finding out that it's a pretty good meal. Anyway...back to Port Sanilac...it was beautiful! I've never seen Lake Huron look so aqua blue. The weather was perfect. While Dad took Kelly and the boys to Port Huron, Todd and I went into Lexington, a nearby town, to check out the shops and see the lake from there. It's small, but reminded me of a smaller version of South Haven...I'd recommend folks check things out there. They have an art fair in August. We can't go then, but we're headed there for the same art fair in Port Sanilac this month. Fun.
Let's see...then Todd left for Washington, DC. He's having a great time and has enjoyed the seminars as well as the site-seeing. I wish Tucker and I could have gone, but we'll make that a family vacation destination someday...so much history there to see and appreciate. Can't wait!
Yesterday, I took a day trip to Chelsea, where I graduated from high school. Through Facebook, my best friend Amy contacted my sister Joanna, and put her in touch with me. It had been 14 years! It was so good to see her again. We lunched, and tried to catch up on the past 14 years over about 2 hours...not enough time for sure! I was having a flood of memories about Chelsea and life there. Amy was a great friend and we did everything together. How did we ever lose touch...? I don't know...different colleges, things pulling in different directions. She has 3 kids and married her high school sweetheart, Howie, who was in our little group of friends...the choir kids. : ) Choir, musicals, etc. That was our thing. I'm definitely looking forward to making some new memories with them!
We had another special visit from a friend, Miss Helen from Texas. She's been a friend of my mother's family for years, and she comes up once a year. This year, Papa J took Todd, Miss Helen, Stan and our friends Michael and Margaret out on a fishing tour on Lake Michigan...no salmon caught this year, but plenty of lake trout! They had a marvelous day. Todd has photos of that trip as well.
And how have Tucker and I fared without Daddy these past 5 days? Pretty well! He's onto sucking his hand now, which I quickly take out to replace with a toy to distract, or if I must...a pacifier. He's started to grab at things and is REALLY holding his head up when he has 'tummy time'! He smiles so much...such a delightful smile, like he has a secret joy inside his heart. I've done better than I thought. It was good for me to have Todd gone because it showed me how much I'm actually able to do on my own as long as I don't over-schedule myself. I'm grateful for family and friends.
By the way, I've started a new reading in my Bible lately...1 Thessalonians...awesome! It's my new favorite Bible book!! Check it out.
Jennifer
The past 2 weeks have been very eventful! We celebrated Brittany Kinard's graduation at her open house where we got to visit with the family and saw some familiar faces (mutual friends). Tucker was "a hit"...several of Brit's cousins and aunts commented on what a beautiful baby he is! One of the cousins, Lexi, is a nurse, and she said that she's seen some 'interesting' looking infants...she joking says to herself, "I hope they grow out of that!" Lexi is a lovely young lady who was complimenting Tucker on his natural good looks early on. It was great to see Brittany surrounded by the family and friends who love her and who have watched her grow. Her mom, Rhoda, along with aunts, Meena and the rest of the family, made a beautiful day awesome with the details of the open house!
The day after that was Father's Day...Todd's first Daddy's Day! All our Dads met us at Milham Park...Aunt Joanna, Aunt Heidi and Jason all came. It was a great afternoon with ribs, salads, bocchi ball (did I spell that right?) and each other. Tucker enjoyed lying down on a blanket looking at trees. Tucker gave Todd a travel mug with a photo collage of himself on it. The words "Tucker Loves Daddy" are written across the top of the collage. Great first Dad's Day!
In fact...Stan gave Todd a hammock - it's like a hammock chair - to Todd for Dad's Day, and while Todd was in DC, our friend Jonathan helped put it up on our back deck. I also bought some tiki torches for the back yard, and Jonathan helped me put them into the ground this afternoon. These will surprise Todd when he gets back tonight from DC. I can't wait for him to see the backyard!
After Father's Day, Todd, Tucker and I drove to Port Sanilac and shared a few days with my dad and Jeanette, who owns a cottage on Lake Huron there. We were blessed to visit with my cousin Kelly and three of her four wonderful kids: Camden (6), Carter (11) and Dean (15). Dean had just celebrated a birthday and Jeanette's birthday was the day we arrived, so I made a cake and decorated half of it with chocolate frosting and sprinkles and the other half with vanilla frosting and put strawberries and blueberries on it. Yum, yum! For those of you who know me, this was quite an accomplishment! (not really...I can totally cook, but it's not my first love by any means). This has been something I've been trying to grow in recently, since I'm at home full-time. I've actually found some joy in shopping for just the right things to make something, or throwing things together that you don't normally think of...then finding out that it's a pretty good meal. Anyway...back to Port Sanilac...it was beautiful! I've never seen Lake Huron look so aqua blue. The weather was perfect. While Dad took Kelly and the boys to Port Huron, Todd and I went into Lexington, a nearby town, to check out the shops and see the lake from there. It's small, but reminded me of a smaller version of South Haven...I'd recommend folks check things out there. They have an art fair in August. We can't go then, but we're headed there for the same art fair in Port Sanilac this month. Fun.
Let's see...then Todd left for Washington, DC. He's having a great time and has enjoyed the seminars as well as the site-seeing. I wish Tucker and I could have gone, but we'll make that a family vacation destination someday...so much history there to see and appreciate. Can't wait!
Yesterday, I took a day trip to Chelsea, where I graduated from high school. Through Facebook, my best friend Amy contacted my sister Joanna, and put her in touch with me. It had been 14 years! It was so good to see her again. We lunched, and tried to catch up on the past 14 years over about 2 hours...not enough time for sure! I was having a flood of memories about Chelsea and life there. Amy was a great friend and we did everything together. How did we ever lose touch...? I don't know...different colleges, things pulling in different directions. She has 3 kids and married her high school sweetheart, Howie, who was in our little group of friends...the choir kids. : ) Choir, musicals, etc. That was our thing. I'm definitely looking forward to making some new memories with them!
We had another special visit from a friend, Miss Helen from Texas. She's been a friend of my mother's family for years, and she comes up once a year. This year, Papa J took Todd, Miss Helen, Stan and our friends Michael and Margaret out on a fishing tour on Lake Michigan...no salmon caught this year, but plenty of lake trout! They had a marvelous day. Todd has photos of that trip as well.
And how have Tucker and I fared without Daddy these past 5 days? Pretty well! He's onto sucking his hand now, which I quickly take out to replace with a toy to distract, or if I must...a pacifier. He's started to grab at things and is REALLY holding his head up when he has 'tummy time'! He smiles so much...such a delightful smile, like he has a secret joy inside his heart. I've done better than I thought. It was good for me to have Todd gone because it showed me how much I'm actually able to do on my own as long as I don't over-schedule myself. I'm grateful for family and friends.
By the way, I've started a new reading in my Bible lately...1 Thessalonians...awesome! It's my new favorite Bible book!! Check it out.
Jennifer
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