A couple things happened today I thought I'd write about. This afternoon we put Teagan down for her nap - she apparently wanted to protest this idea and she pulled herself up in her crib.

I was blow drying my hair and Pat came in with the video monitor. He stood at the door, and waited for her do what he had seen her do just seconds before. He showed me the monitor as she was in mid pull. We both ran into the nursery and she held the pose until Pat was able to arrive with the camera.


Looks like it's time to drop the crib... AGAIN!







We have a toy corner in our living room. I'm sure everyone starts off with somthing that looks like this and then it grows!!!! So far Teagan is really enjoying it. We've caught her many times crawiling to the corner, sitting and pulling out toys to play with. Hopefully this corner becomes one of her favorites of the house. I know mom and dad enjoy it.


We also put up the Christmas tree today and some other house decorations. I was reluctant to load the tree with our normal clutter of ornaments because of the thought that Teagan would somehow pull the tree over within the next month but Pat was able to talk me into just enough ornaments to make it look decorated. Aunt Karen was over for the beginning of the tree setup and Teagan was sitting on her lap in AWE of the sparkly lights - Totally mesmerized. I now hope this little crawler of ours can leave the tree alone (for the most part) and we dont end up with lots of broken ornaments or having to put a gate around it. Cross your fingers!

7 month old

Teagan is 7 months today! She shares this day today with her cousin Cooper. Cooper John Chandler was born today at 11:04am weighing 9lbs at 20 1/2 inches long. We've been in KY this weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday and we were lucky enough to visit Keri, Shawn and Cooper at the hospital. Teagan just loves him. She wanted to touch him and got very excited when he was near.
Since we've been in KY Teagan's schedule has gone down hill. I read on the trip down that the one sure way to mess up a baby's schedule is a trip ... didn't believe it. After all, it's only an hour difference. It's not like we're going to the west coast or anything. Wrong! Between the different surroundings & new people it's been a bit of a mess. Especially during the night. I'm not sure if it's the unfamiliar crib, teething, not feeling well... or what but mommy and daddy have not been getting much sleep. Teagan's waking up at least twice a night and not returning to slumber nicely. Once she woke up at 1:30 and didn't go back to sleep until 3:30. It was as though she had a nice long nap and it was now time to play.


What's Teagan been up to lately?......


We'll she's a pro at sitting up all by herself. She gets on all fours and even crawls. That's right... Teagan made mommy proud and crawled before Thanksgiving. Well I must say she was army crawling on her belly and arms mostly before Thanksgiving but in the past couple days since getting to KY she's getting really good at crawling with her tummy off the ground. She was chasing a blue plastic ball around the floor at Grandma's house today. She has a couple of new tricks. She can now clap and she also gives high fives. The clapping often comes after giving a high five. She is also returning to mimicking people... especially uncle Shawn. If he makes a funny face at Teagan, she is pretty sure to return one back to him.
She's very vocal. Whether it's singing herself to sleep, laughing at funny people, talking to her toys, or talking to you - she gets her point across. We've added some more food varieties to her diet. For thanksgiving she had Gerber Turkey and Rice, real fresh sweet potatoes, some fresh mashed potatoes and even some pumpkin pie. She really liked the Turkey which was amazing to us because most jarred meats have been epic failures so far. She also liked the sweet and mashed potatoes. Pumpkin pie was a bit awkward. We will see where that goes.
Her favorite toys seem to be either stacking cups (can keep her entertained forever) or stuffed animals, especially the monkey Aunt Karen gave her. If none of those are available, we found out an empty water bottle will do just fine. She's now wearing 9 month clothing pretty regularly and is in size 3 shoes. Grandma C got her a super cute Christmas outfit - we tried it on today... let's hope it fits on Christmas Eve for the big family party.

Soon we take the trip back home. Hopefully schedules will return to normal. Regardless, we all had a lot of fun. It was great to catch up and visit the family. It was wonderful to welcome in our newest family member. Up next... Christmas.

Turkey Day #1

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Today was a great day. It started awful early, but it was still very, very enjoyable. As per our normal routine, we woke up and turned on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Teagan's bottle seemed to be finished quite quickly. She spent the early morning playing and watching Mikey. She really only watches when they sing or say "Oh Toodles!"

Kelly came downstairs to find a sleeping Teagan and daddy. It was nap time and we crashed on the floor with the TV on. We moved upstairs, but it only served to wake the little girl up.

Once we made it to Keri and Shawn's, we started cooking and playing and enjoying family time. Teagan was very happy to play with Bennett's toys. Bennett, on the other hand, was not happy at some points. I think he was a bit jealous, a bit selfish and a bit protective of his toys, but come on.. who wasn't when we were his age. Overall, I think he did a wonderful job playing nicely, sharing, and entertaining Teagan. He was showing some wonderful attributes... things that make me feel like he is going to be an EXCELLENT big brother.

We ended up being a bit ahead of schedule making food. We seemed to have a stubborn turkey that did not want to get up to temperature. In the end, it was well worth the wait. The turkey was delicious and moist. The various side dishes were equally wonderful. We had an apple-cranberry dressing, green bean almondine, brussel sprouts with onion and panchetta, fruit salad, Hawaiian salad, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, deviled eggs, and rolls to go with our turkey.

Clean up took a while, but it went well. Bennett even got to help do some dishes. He was quite happy to help. He helped scrub some pots and pans. I think his favorite part was rinsing the scrub brush under the running water. Then it was more like he was playing.

After dinner we all played around. Teagan and Bennett bounced on the couch. Grandma was holding Teagan so that she could touch Bennett's back and hair. She was giving him hugs, bouncing on him, and grabbing his hair and I would assume she probably pinched him a couple times. She usually does it to me.

There was only one thing that would have made this turkey day better... Teagan could have been awake for dinner. She totally crashed. She was wiped out. I can't blame her. She had a long couple of days. She has been over stimulated and has had way too much playtime. She is also in unfamiliar surroundings, so she is not exactly sleeping well. Hopefully tonight goes smoother, although it is starting out on a sour note as she is already awake after sleeping for about an hour.
I am very thankful for all that we have been blessed with. Teagan is a wonderful child. The family is great and it is wonderful to see them again. The food was awesome, and everyone is healthy.

Today was a great day for me. I hope it was equally wonderful for all of you.

Patrick

Growing up... Teagan Style

Our little girl is getting quite big. I swear she is changing every single day. She is engaged in everything she does. Her attention span seems never ending. She loves to interact with whatever she can. Some of her favorite things to do include looking at mommy, daddy and Teagan in the mirror, playing in what ever way she can with Cabo (she has a tendency to pinch him which makes him run away), getting her hair brushed, and taking baths. Other than that, she loves her stacking toys and Baby Einstein.

Mommy and daddy have been watching too many of Teagan's programs. For example, daddy spent the better part of 4 days with one song running through his head. Feel free to sing along if you watch the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...
Hot dog!
Hot dog!
Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggety dog
Now we got ears, it's time for sheers
Hot dog, hot dog, the probelm's solved
Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggety dog.
Mommy has a song stuck in her head too. It is about a sea turtle from Baby Einstein. Daddy does not know this song so he can't put it on here now.

Teagan is beginning to crawl. She is still very wobbly and falls on her face quite often, but in the end, she is beginning to move about. It is fun to watch her crawl after her jar of puffs. We also think she may be working on her upper teeth. We are once again being covered in drool. The crankiness quotient is on the rise, and she seems to be biting everything she can... including Cabo's hip, leg, back and tail. Cabo is wonderful with her. The worst thing he as done in retaliation is yelp, jump up and run away. It is either that or he turns and licks her face and hands.

Overall, teagan is still her happy self. She is growing, learning, and laughing, so we must be doing something right. We are one happy family.

Tea is officially a PRO at going from her stomach / all fours crawl position to side/thigh to butt. My lil girl can sit up by herself! Now it's time to work on crawling - C'mon pumpkin don't let mommy down. I've been telling everyone you'll be crawling by Thanksgiving!

We've also been expanding her diet ... Puffs are wonderful treats!

6 Month Checkup

Yes you read that correctly, 6 months already.

Little Miss Teagan Marie checked in with the following stats:

Head Circumference - 17.5" (90th percentile)
Weight - 19 pounds 8 ounces (Above 95th percentile)
Length - 28.25" (Above 95th percentile)

Once again, we have been told "she is big." the doctor walked in sat down and said "Looks like she is eating great."

Thanks doc...

Overall, Teagan is doing great. She is being considered a bit advanced with her ability to move from her belly to her side to a sitting position, which by the way, was the first time she had ever done that.

In conclusion, in 6 months we have found out that our daughter:
1. Flirts with people.
2. Is a total ham at times.
3. Loves people and their expressions.
4. Shows off a bit.
5. Is loved by all.


-Patrick