Merry Christmas!

The Friday before the Christmas holiday, I took Taylor out into the snow and Jeff, our neighbor pulled her around in the sled! Here is a shot of Taylor enjoying the snow!




Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We all had a wonderful Christmas, spent with family and friends! We spent Christmas Eve at Tony's parents house and enjoyed the frigid weather as best we could. Taylor's Uncle Keith and cousins, Joshua, Kayla and Nick also came for dinner and presents. After the wonderful dinner of ham, sweet potatoes, tuna salad and rice pilaf, we opened presents... which the kids were very excited to do! We had a great time, and each received such wonderful gifts! Taylor got some clothes, a pull along doggie, some toddler cars, and stuffed animals. Grandpa also made her a beautiful wooden toy box! And that was just from Grandma and Grandpa! From Uncle Keith we got some clothes (which Tony loves - a shirt says "Daddy thinks he's in charge") and, of course a drum set!





We came home, visited with Jeff, Renee and Ashley for a little while, and then put Tay to bed. Later that night Santa must have visited because there were more presents than originally under the tree! Tony and I awoke around 8 am, but we let Tay sleep in an hour. We went and woke Tay up (she will sleep until 11am if we let her!) and opened presents! From us Taylor got a Little Peoples Barn and some Little People people. From Santa she received a beautiful overall dress and cowboy boots, along with a bucket of beads.







After opening presents at home we got ready for the day and went to Bushka's for breakfast. We made omelets and potatoes cakes. We then opened presents. From Bushka and Grandpa Mike Taylor got some clothes, a wooden sled (just her size) and a lion walker. She looks so precious on the lion! At about 4 pm we headed home and enjoyed the rest of our day.







Happy Holidays Everyone! Have a safe New Year!

Thanksgiving and Santa!

We awoke Thanksgiving morning to snow! Yep, 4 inches of the white stuff! Tay really loves to watch it fall! We enjoyed our morning and then we went to my Grandparents house for dinner. There Taylor was able to meet her Great Grandfather and her "PaPa." This was the first time either of them had met her. Overall Taylor did very well, and she really enjoyed the food! She was up all day with no nap and was very well behaved! Thanksgiving was a great day and it was proven to be so as Taylor FINALLY sat up on her own! A few days later she was off crawling all over the place. We are waiting for the day when she lets go of the furniture and walks away!


On December 9th we took Taylor to see Santa and give her the opprotunity to tell him what she wanted for Christmas. She sat with him and got her picture taken, but there was no smile... We are just happy that she wasn't screaming!


Now that we are getting ready for Christmas, Taylor is enjoying all the lights and the ornaments. We have to be very careful now so we are constantly watching her every move! Yesterday the gate went up on the stairs as Taylor finally figured out how to climb them!

Here is picture for you all... Taylor in all her glory!

Happy 1st Birthday Taylor!

On Taylor's birthday (November fourteenth) we took Taylor to get her one year pictures as well as her Christmas pictures! They turned out beautiful. As one of our gifts to Tay we went to Build-a-Bear and built her a bear. She named it "Ba Ba" and dressed it in a black skirt with a pink polka dot shirt. When we got home, my mom "Bushka" and Grandpa Mike, along with Renee, Jeff, Danielle, and Dominic came over for presents and cake. Taylor got a Leap Frog book, a winter coat (we need it!), some clothes, books, and a stuffed bunny. We then went into the kitchen for cake and ice cream! We sat Taylor in her highchair and all sang happy birthday. We waited for a mess... and waited... and waited. At first she only stuck her finger in. Then we gave her a taste and she began to dig in. Overall though, she was pretty mild. She made a small mess but it was rather easy to clean. She really liked the icing and the ice cream! Happy Birthday Baby! Taylor really enjoyed hanging out with "Bushka" and Grandpa Mike. She showed them all her new tricks, like clapping and waving and spitting!





Taylor had her one year check up on Friday! She is 26 inches and 1/4 long! And she weighs 14lbs. 14 ounces! She is still a peanut but it suits her well!

On Saturday the 17th we met Tony's family up at Frankenmuth to do some shopping and go to dinner. Taylor really enjoyed hanging out with her cousins! Even all bundled up she was in good spirits! We went to Zender's for dinner and afterwards we had cake! Everyone sang really loud and some people from other tables even joined in! We ate cake and then opened presents. Tay got a xylophone (thanks Uncle Keith!), a jewelry box, a phone, some clothes, and a gold cross. Everyone had a lot of fun and Taylor did very well for not getting a nap all day! Although Taylor did get loaded up on ice cream and cake, so that is probably what kept her going!




Today Tony had to help Jeff get his boat out of the water, so while he was outside Taylor watched hime through the sliding door. When she saw him she hit the glass and said "Daddy!" It was too cute!

And for Grandma and Grandpa Van Sant, Taylor has learned the cooing!

Good Times with Great friends!... oh and Happy Birthday Mommy!

On Saturday Tony, Taylor and I drove out to Buffalo, NY to visit with Annette, Marwan and Kate. Soraya and Max also came! We all had dinner and exchanged gifts for the girls birthdays! After the kids went to bed the adults got a chance to hang out, have some drinks and chat. The usual was talked about, Politics and Religion (seriously!) and we reminisced about Kaz. We even got to talking about trying to go back adopt again together! Fun was had by all and it was great to see everyone again!


This past week we went to my in-laws since Tony was out of town and it was my birthday. Taylor had a great time hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa. And yes, thats me with the long hair, I had put extensions in... but they did not last.


Here is the update on Taylor:
~Taylor now has four teeth! The fourth one popped in this weekend!
~Taylor's favorite words are bye bye and daddy.
~Tay can wave bye bye (while saying bye bye) and wave hello (they are two different waves, each done with a different hand!
~Tay is pulling herself up and walking up and down the furniture!
~Taylor will be one year old on Wednesday! YAY!

Halloween!

Lets start with Halloween prep! On Saturday we carved pumpkins and Taylor played with the guts! She is not one for being overly messy, but she had fun! She has a book titled "Five Little Pumpkins" and she chose the face of her pumpkin from that book. Tony decided to go scary, and I just went for happy.


Last night was Halloween! Taylor dressed up as a penguin and went to about twenty houses trick-or-treating! She looked so cute in her costume, and she really seemed to enjoy being out with all the kids. She received a lot of candy, and surprisingly she can eat most of it! Her favorite is suckers, even though they make a huge mess, but she doesn't care. She lets the sticky drool fall!


As of right now, Taylor is enrolled in Gymboree Music and Gym, and she is making new friends fast! She loves to watch all the other kids and everyday she is growing more and more. Today she got onto her knees (this is a big thing since she has always hated being on her knees!) and then stood! Yep, we are those parents! Everything is great!...even the yucky stuff like her cold! I just tell myself "Hey at least she is building antibodies!


And just in case you were all wondering about our adult Halloween party, here is a picture of us!

Fun Times, the Cider Mill and Frankenmuth!

Things have been very busy around here lately! Since Tony has been back to work, and I have become a full time mom, I am finding that Taylor can be be a riot! Bathtime has become a fun and exciting thing, especially since bubbles have been introduced and she can play with "gator" and "hippo!"



Tommy, the small cat has really taken a liking to Taylor and he really does put up with a lot of her stuff... considering that Tay has no idea that she could really hurt him! Below is just a pic to give you an idea of what he puts up with! Kody, the big cat stays as far away as possible!



On Sunday, we took Taylor to Diehl;s Cider Mill in Holly, MI and she had a great time. She enjoyed sitting on the hay bales and eating the hay, and she really loved to watch the other kids playing. We then went and sat with the pumpkins and bought cider and doughnuts. We have not found any good carving pumpkins yet, but I am keeping an eye out!





On Monday, I took Taylor up to Frankenmuth, MI where we met up with Tony's parents for the day. We did a lot of shopping (browsing for me!) We ate lunch at the Lamplighter where Taylor had pears and blueberries and crackers! She sat very well on the booth and even stood for a while! Tony met up with us for dinner and Tay did great eating a ton of cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, and even trying some liver patte! Then for dessert she had ice cream and sherbert! What a day! We left and came home at 9pm, and due to not napping for the day and having a ton of attention frim Grandma and Grandpa, she did npot want to sleep. She screamed the entire way home and did not fall asleep completely until about 10:30pm! Eventually she fell asleep and slept until 10:00 am the following morning! Whoo Hoo! She is not finally taking a nap (it is 2:30pm) and I am hoping she will sleep for a while. I have a feeling she will be going to one nap a day very soon!




So, here is the update on Tay! We went to the doctor on Friday for her second set of of immunizations and she now weighs 13 lbs 12 ounces! and she is 25.5 inches long! I cant believe that she is so tiny still! She is finally into a size 6 months clothes! We go for a neuropsych exam next Thursday just to make sure that everything is going well, but I am not worried. We start Gymboree on Thursday and I am hoping that that will help with her movement. She is finally pulling herself up and she has two teeth coming! One on the bottom and one on the top! Taylor has also learned what the word "no" means and whenever we say it she cries! And it is not just a cry but you can literally see her face get ready to cry! It is so hard not to laugh right in front of her!
Taylor is also building a vocabulary! She can say ma-ma, da-da, kitty cat, bye bye (with a wave!), and baby! She is also learning duck!
On Friday I will be taking her to her Grandparents for the weekend so that we can have our annual Van Sant Halloween Bash! This is the first time that we will be away from Tay for more than a day, and we are very excited to have Friday night just Tony and I!

Busy weeks and the Second Gotcha Party

So we have been very busy getting used to life. On the 13th of September we went to the zoo with some friends. Taylor had a great time and really seemed to enjoy looking at all the animals. Some of her favorties were the turtles. She would lean in on her stroller to get a better look!

While having a snack break four peacocks walked right up to us. Taylor squealed and tried to reach for them!

The butterfly house was another hit! Taylor was out of the stroller for the time and she started to reach for the butterflies. She watch intently every one that flew by her.

The second party!

On September 15th my mother in law and my sister in law held a gotcha day party for all the friends and family in Ohio. We were very surprised at the amount of time and effort put into it. We thank them very much.
The turn-out was great! We had people that came that we havent seen in years and some that we have never even met! For those of you that know me, I have an obsession with penguins, so our cake was a penguin!

Taylor overall had a good time. This time however, she was more leerly of others holding her. Needless to say that on the way home... she passed out!

We recieved so many wonderful gifts and few that amazed us! Our friends Jason and Rachel gave us letters to Taylors name that Rachel has hand painted to match the decors of the baby room! They are so beautiful and look awesome above Tay's crib.



Back to reality!

Tony has officially been back to work now for a week. He seems to be exhausted but life has to move on. Taylor has been sleeping better through the night and now I pray that she will start to take naps... Mom needs the break!

First Gotcha Day Party!!

Saturday was the first Welcome Home Party for Taylor! It was held by my friends Beth, Marty, Elyse, Marna and Bruce. Everything was spectacular and beautiful! The decorations were wonderful and the M&M's with "Taylor Van Sant" on them were amazing! My sister did a great job with all the signs! Many of our friends and family came to celebrate with us. A special thank you to Marty, Beth, Elyse, Bruce, and Marna for all that you did. And thank you to everyone who came.

Taylor did very well with all the people and the excitement and she really enjoyed herself!

Things here with Taylor have been going extremely well. She sleeps through the night and sometimes she even decides to let us sleep in a little! Naps however, are not as easy! She fights it with every ounce of her 13lb body. She will scream, and when she does eventually fall asleep it only lasts about 30-45 minutes! She is beginning to have night terrors though, and that freaks us out! The other night she was sleeping and about an hour in she woke up with a very high shrieker scream. No matter what we did, she would not settle down.

Taylor is beginning to enjoy many new foods. Here you see her eating grapes!