Babysitting

I got to spend some quality time with Taylor Wednesday night. . . Brad and Gayle asked if I could watch her for a few hours while they took in dinner and a movie. Since they have kept my kids so often that I owe them about a year's worth of uninterrupted childcare, and since Taylor is the sweetest little peanut on the planet, I happily said "Duh. See you at 7." So they dropped her off and headed out, and the kids and I got to hang with our TaterBug for a while.

It was soooooooo much fun.

She grinned, she laughed, she cooed, she chewed on her own feet. She scooted around my living room at the speed of light and tried to eat one of Sam's shoes. Sam and Ellen couldn't leave her alone; I think Ellen sighed "Aww, Baby Taylor!" and hugged her about ten times the first five minutes she was there. Sam baby talked her and tickled her belly. It was awesome. When she finally fell asleep she snuggled up on my shoulder and went out in about 3.2 seconds, and then she slept on a Boppy pillow til her parents arrived to reclaim her. I hope we get to keep her again soon!

One Million Dollars. . .

Brad sent me this picture today with the caption "One Million Dollars"



Only my dorky little brother would think of comparing this baby angel to Dr. Evil. Although considering how much she looks like him in this photo, it may not be too far from the truth ;).

Happy One Month Birthday, Taylor!

My adorable niece turned one month old on Sunday. Brad and Gayle tell me that she is growing fast and already developing her own unique personality (Brad says her most outstanding quality right now is "spoiled".) He sent me a new picture a few days ago, and it is so darn cute I had to post it here.Happy one month birthday, smiley girl!

Dothan

Sam and I have just gotten back from an over night trip to Dothan to visit my brother and his growing family. We got to meet Taylor for the first time and I am happy to report that she is every bit as wonderful as I expected. She is so dainty, with long slender fingers and feet and an adorable dimple. Brad and Gayle are absolutely head over heels for her. And Sam is utterly smitten. We got some great pictures of him with new baby cousin.

When he saw her left hand for the first time, I tried to explain to him that it was a little different than most people's. "It's special," I told him.

He grasped her (normal) right hand. "This one is special too!" he said. How wonderful that all he could see was his precious baby cousin, perfect just as she is. It's too bad that more adults don't have that same sort of tunnel vision.

Taylor Ann

So, the big news for our family is the arrival of my beautiful niece, Taylor. She was born November 7 at 4:07 p.m., weighing 6 lbs 15 ozs, and 20 inches long. She has big dark eyes, sweet rosy lips, and a gorgeous dimple (so I hear; I haven't seen her yet because my brother lives 4 hours away. Yes, it stinks.) For those who may not have heard, she was also born missing 3 fingers from her left hand. This was (as you can imagine) a surprise to everyone, but her doctor tells us that it is a result of something called Amniotic Band Syndrome, which is a rare but not unheard of condition that occurs in utero. You can read all about it here . Thankfully Taylor is a healthy baby and I am confident that the missing fingers won't have too great an impact on her life overall. Brad tells me that she can use that hand pretty well already, and other than having her days and nights mixed up, she is a perfect baby. We are all so thankful that she is here and that she and Gayle are doing well.




Look at that face. Isn't she a beauty?