Paul arrives!

Paul Warwick Taylor entered the world at 3:37 am weighing 7 lbs and 20 1/2 inches long. I was able to have another natural delivery, although Paul's birth was much calmer than Alice's. My water broke as I was waking from a nap at 4:30 in the afternoon on Wed the 28th. No contractions yet...calls made to Robert, our Doula, and all the grandparents were made. By the time Robert came home my contractions had begun and we began making final preps for the night ahead...overnight bag-check, MaMa here for Alice-check. Our Doula Lin arrived just after 9:00 and contractions were 4-5 min apart and lasting about 45 sec. I labored around the house and took a walk around the neighborhood with my "labor posse" watchin my every move! around 11:45 things started to get more serious and we called the doctor. We checked in around 12:15 and I was measured at 7 cm, 100% effaced and baby was engaged. I was attached to an IV to receive fluids and an antibiotic and the fetal monitor briefly...then I was free to wander again. Our Doula had our lights down low, some calming aromatherapy, and instruction for quiet voices and no talking policy during contractions to allow me to focus. I also had my ipod humming with some tunes from Sting. I didn't wander around long...I entered transition and was ready for pushing shortly after 3 am. The doctor announced "you have a boy" and it was a very surreal moment. I remember looking at Robert and seeing the huge grin appear across his face as he looked for the first time at his son. We named him Paul to honor my father and grandfather, and Warwick to honor Robert, his father and grandmother. Alice has grown into her role as sister quite nicely and is a big helper when it comes to Paul. Their first meeting was fraught with jealously and Paul was promptly removed from Mommy's arms so that Big Sis could claim her spot. By the second day she held his hand and kissed him. Now she protects him whenever other toddler friends want to touch her baby brother (my Paul!) and will run to get his paci when he cries. I can tell they are going to be a great team!

Okay, seriously it's been too long...

Alright, I know it's been almost a year...and I have had the best intentions. So obviously this post has some Pre-Paul photos on it. I love these pictures so much that I had to share them first... I think it was the hottest day in October when we shot these at Hampton Park. AND Alice was in a serious funk...thank you to my friend Melanie who shot us and captured some great Alice moments!

Hold that Tiger!

I Love this winter coat! It is so stinkin cute it makes your stomach turn! It actually has a tail that looks like it is wagging as she walks. Alice will actually ask to hold the coat so she can "pet" it, and says "saaahhft" (soft).

Cousins come to visit!

Alice's cousins Savannah and Tori came to Charleston! The girls had so much fun! Tori and Savannah took turns carrying Alice around the house and then chasing each other around. Talk about a three ring circus! I hope that the girls will spend a lot of time in Charleston this summer and we look forward to the day when they may be able to move here!

This is how much the dogs love Alice...

Believe it or not when we adopted Zeke and Zeus they were both very protective over their dinner bowls. We could not even pet them while they were eating, let alone put a hand inside the dish. Zeke was the one who freaked out once Alice started becoming mobile and actually growled and snapped at her once. Man, they have come a long way...

This is Zeke allowing Alice to put a ski glove in his dish while he is eating.

Alice now will take food out of their dishes and run around the house with it in her hands and fall down in giggle fits when the dogs chase after her trying to sniff out the goodies.

Zeke is the first one to go in to get Alice out of bed in the mornings and after naps. We can't go to bed at night without saying night-night to the dogs. They love her and she loves them!

Chili Cook-off

Several weeks ago we went over to the Ailstock's home for the Annual Chili Cook-Off. Their daughter Helena is 9 months older than Alice, they had a great time playing around while the adults sampled over 10 chilis. Can you say heartburn? They have got a HUGE backyard and there is nothing that Alice loves more than running around outside. Congrats to Charles for the all around winning chili...ingredients including coffee, chocolate and tequila. What's not to love?

Our Trip to Arlington

God Bless my Mama, that's all I have to say! I have wanted to go and visit my cousin Jenn in Arlington since she delivered her beautiful baby boy Grant before Thanksgiving. Well after much back and forth and comparing weekend plans I finally decided to go last weekend. My mom never passes up an opportunity to love on a baby, and thank goodness for that! Mom, Alice and I left on Thursday afternoon to break up the drive into 2 days. We had a great time visiting with Jenn, Grant and Greg. They are such a gorgeous new family! It made me truly nostalgic for those new baby days! Which is crazy because during those new baby days I remember thinking that women were nuts to wish for sleep deprivation, sore breasts and a hormonal rollercoaster ride! Nonetheless...I was longing for those days when all Alice wanted was to be asleep in my arms. Alice could not be tempted to nap in the car or elsewhere, I guess she feared missing something important. She was largely unimpressed with Grant and only worried about him when he was taking up important space in her Mommy or Grandma's arms. Grant is a looker and a Talker. He could definately hold his own in a conversation. He did some great cooing and snuggling. We ventured out on Saturday to the National Building Museum, they had a pretty cool set up for kids 2-6, a free building space with all kinds of blocks and a kids room with building themed toys. Alice enjoyed having Mommy chase her all throughout the gallery and knocking down every tower in sight. Jenn managed to get pooped on by the lone winged resident of the museum...Ha! It caught her right on the tail, what are the chances! It was so great to spend a little time with Jenn, we were both equally distracted by our children...such is life! I hope that we will be able to visit again soon! Pictures to come as soon as I can get them from Grandma's camera!

Our Trip to visit the Wrights/Leeths

Been a year since we saw the Wrights...the kids grow sooo fast! I had blast hanging out with my "second" family. We laughed, chatted, played games, had PIZZA-thanks Jim!
Beleive it or not Simon is only 5 months older than Alice. They were so sweet together watching the big kids through the window and sitting on the bottom step together and playing with trains.

Julia and Lil fed the horses that the Leeths board on their property...Girlfriend and Suddenly.

Alice was not daunted by the size of Kara's great dane Tucker and decided to climb all over him. Tucker was, of course, unfazed.

Liliana enjoyed every last bit of the popcorn while waiting for her turn on the rope swing

The Last Christmas Post...I promise I will move on!

I just want to say that I have always loved Christmas, I love everything about it! The shopping, the decorating, the food, the family, especially family and of course celebrating the birth of our Savior. I often wish we could bottle the wonderful feelings that we have during the season and pull them out on our bad days! Those of you with children of your own know that kids make every holiday bigger...especially Christmas. I know I just want to soak in every minute and record every cute/sweet/hysterical/new thing that is happening.

Alice's gift to me this year was independent walking! Being a physical therapist and having some background in pediatrics my concern was growing about her gait development (coupled with her small size). In my heart I knew Alice was developing normally at her own rate, but the inner PT voice was distressing. I even choose her big Christmas gift around the goal of gait. So imagine my joy when she LET GO and walked across the room like it was NOTHING!

Alice's first encounter with a piano...she's a budding composer!

Alice was Nelson's new best friend after he discovered that she drops food.

Okay, more Christmas stuff....

On Christmas morning all of the Grandparents and Robert's brothers Michael and Thomas as well as cousins Alan and Nik all piled into our cozy living room for breakfast and gift opening. Alice tickled us all by digging into her gift wrap, boxes and presents with the appropriate ooohhhs and aahhhs!

Alice zonked out on the way to Great Granny's in Lumberton, NC...zzzzz

Alice didn't hesitate helping Great Granny open her gifts.

Alice struck a pose at the front door in her adorable Christmas outfit...Robert calls those pants her clown pants!

Christmastime in Charleston

The Santa at the SC Aquarium really freaked Alice out!

We had a grand time at the Toogoodoo Tree Farm choosing our tree and taking a train ride around the farm. Alice had a blast on the toys that the family keeps around for the visiting kids!

Alice is Walking!

Alice started walking last week! She just decided it was time...she still has that wobbly unsteady gait with the hands high up in the air, it is just soo cute.

We took these photos about a month ago when Alice first discovered that she

could climb up into her rocking chair on her own.

Look at how Proud she is of herself!

I just Love that she has that little book

upside-down in her hands!

She sat and rocked, and rocked, and rocked !

I know, I know...I haven't been keeping up regularly with the blog. I hate that I haven't because so many really neat things have been going on here. Alice is such a smart little girl...it just amazes me to see her develop into a little peson with her own ideas and opinions. One evening after bath time I was getting her ready for bed and she was holding onto the bottle of lotion that I had just finished applying and said her version of balloon (which sound more like baaoon) So I of course said "no sweetie, that's not a balloon, that is lotion." At which point she said balloon again, a little more forcefully...I looked at the lotion and sure enough there were 3 balloons on the front of the bottle! She can say up, down, mom, dad, dog, ball, balloon, rock/rock, book, hot, fish, some kind of version of please which I can only identify because she signs please at the same time, of course "no", ho ho ho in honor of Christmas and some others that we have only heard once or twice like truck and tickle. She has remained very cautious about walking and has weaned down from requiring both hands held to just needing a pinky finger in her right hand...she likes to keep the left one free to pick stuff up with. She has walked stretches as long as 10 feet without any help, but she still likes us close. She is changing so much...less my little Baby, more my little Toddler.

Koi Pond

While touring the historic homes in St Augustine we came across Alice's favorite sight seeing...Fish.

St Augustine

Alice and I took a trip to St Augustine last weekend to visit with Jackie and Dave Scott who had traveled from Granbury, TX.
We took a sunset boat cruise and had a great time seeing all the sights from a new angle and learning a little history.

"Fish or Treat"

The South Carolina Aquarium has a cool little event for the kiddos for Halloween. We met a few of Alice's friends for some fishy fun and another opportunity for some costume wearing. We were missing a duck, a bunny and a pirate in this photo. And for those of you wondering about the little one on the left...Neve was the costume contest winner in her Starbucks Latte with whipped and chipped topping.
Alice was a flower in her pink and yellow tutu and green leggings...I just think she was so adorable!

Unfortunately Alice was not feeling so well on Halloween day and spiked a fever prompting a doctor's office visit. No biggie, just a fever and was feeling much better after a nap and some Tylenol...we went out for a brief tour around the neighborhood later that night and then later regretted that decision. We ended up keeping our germies away from Neve's (the Latte) Halloween party on Saturday...bummer we had to miss it!

I thought it was so awesome that even the big tank scuba divers got in on the costumes too!

Gardening

Alice enjoyed helping Mommy and Grandma out in the garden, look at that dirty bummy and the cool little Alice-sized shovel!

Carving Pumpkins

Alice helped me clean out our pumpkin prior to carving it, she had a good time playing with the goo inside but it was difficult to keep her from putting the goo in her mouth...yuck!

Pumpkin Patch

Right across the street from our neighborhood is a church that sells pumpkins every fall. I remember when I was in college coming out to the pumpkins to take pictures with our friends. Never thought I would be living across the street and taking photos of my 1 year old little girl here!

Alice had the best time crawling over and through the pumpkins...from the itty bitties to the ones that outweigh her by 20 lbs....