THE JARVIS FAMILY GROWS BY 1....

Taylor has a new cousin!!!! Jeff and Emily Jarvis welcomed their 2nd son to the world this morning. We don't have all of the details, but Cooper Elliot weighs in at 8lbs 4oz and is 20.25" long. I can hardly wait for Taylor to meet her new little cousin!

DATE NIGHT!!!

Ray and I enjoyed a date night last night. The LDA hosted a cocktail party to honor the graduating seniors. It was at a venue on Bourbon Street. We had a blast throwing beads from the balcony to worthy passers-by. A friend of ours snapped a photo of us. It was so much fun, Ray and I were very grateful for my dad babysitting Taylor for us. Every Mommy and Daddy needs an occasional night on the town!

HOP TO IT...

We took a trip to the visit the Easter Bunny today. It went great! Taylor was all smile and giggles! No silly faces, dancing around or squeaky toys needed

RATTLE AND ROLL....

Taylor has figured out 2 new things...rattles and splashing. Bathtime is our favorite part of the day. Now that Taylor is sitting up, she loves playing with her bath toys and splashing in the water!

As far as rattles go, she loves the little noisemakers. Of course, she isn't satisfied by simply shaking the rattle. Taylor likes to beat it on her hip like a tiny tambourine! I get a kick out of it and I hope you will to. And with that introduction, here is our first video upload on the blog!!

BEACH BUNNY IN TRAINING...

This week is Spring Break for Caddo Parish schools, so my dad took the week off from work. My mom and dad were invited to spend a few days with David and Susan Austin at their condo in Perdido Key, Florida. I am sure they were looking forward to spending a few days on vacation with no kids; however, the Austins, known as LaLa and DaDa (pronounced 'Day-Day') were so kind as to extend an invitation to me, Ray and Taylor for a day at the beach! I was very excited, I LOVE going to the beach and felt that Ray could use a little vaca before his board exams, but I knew Ray might need some convincing. And how could he resist this....
So did it work.....OF COURSE!!! We packed up and headed on to Florida late Friday afternoon. Saturday was beautiful, a little chilly, but wonderful. We couldn't put Taylor in the water, not even the heated pool, but we did play in the sand. And she loved it!!

Thank you LaLa and DaDa for letting us enjoy your company AND your condo! Great memories from Taylor's first trip to the beach! Enjoy the rest of your vacation!

Taylor is 5 Months Old!!!!

Oh my goodness, could it be?! Taylor is already 5 months old? Of course it is such a blessing to watch our baby girl grow bigger and bigger. But Taylor is reaching an age where she observes and attempts new things. Just within the past week, she has become marveled by faces. One evening she was sitting in my lap, her big, beautiful eyes staring into mine, and suddenly, with a very gentle nature, she pressed her little starfish hands to my checks. For a moment she did nothing but study my reaction and then she began exploring the nooks and crannies of my face. My heart just melted. Well, until I got a finger up my nose. Since that evening, Taylor wants to grab our noses and pull our lips every chance she gets. And for her 5 month birthday, Taylor performed a few tricks:

-Taylor now places her paci back in her mouth all on her own. Sometimes its backwards and usually upside down, but hey, she's got the idea, right?

-She is attempting to hold her own bottle...this may take a bit more practice. Apparently, there is a very precise angle at which the bottle must be held. Taylor can't quite get that angle, but we're working n it.

-Taylor is scooting backwards! I am thinking that, at this point, it is not intentional. During tummy time, in an attempt to get on her knees, Taylor pushes herself backwards.

-And, Finally, TAYLOR IS A SITTER!!! That's right, our little 5 month old now enjoys sitting and playing with her toys!You may notice some major drool in these photos. EVERYTHING goes straight to Taylor's mouth...Sophie the Giraffe, stuffed animals, fingers, hair, you name. If Taylor is able to wrap her tiny hands around it, you can bet it will get a good coating of slobber. Could we be teething? Daddy the soon-to-be-dentist says its likely. However, just because we are teething doesn't mean we will be cutting teeth next week. I will definitely let you guys know when the first tooth starts to make an appearance!

HIP CHECK....

We had our follow up appointment with the Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon to check the development of Taylor's hips. As you may remember, Taylor was born breech, and, therefore, with her legs bent up towards her face. The ultrasound performed at 1 month looked OK, but the doctor wanted to check her hips again at 4 months. While waiting for the doctor, Taylor got a bit hungry and decided to nibble on her shoe...The doctor was very pleased with Taylor's hip placement. In fact, she said that Taylor's hip development is beyond what they usually see at 4-5 months of age! So, the doc said we no longer have to watch this. Yay!!