Chasing Mommy

So Sean and I have been playing this game with Tara for these last few months where we start growling and chasing after her. She absolutely LOVES this game! She'll come up to us if we're busy doing something, and place her hands on our legs and make a growling sound and then run away. So we'll start growling, and then drop to our hands and knees, and begin chasing her around the room; and eventually into a corner where she'll start giggling so hard she's holding her stomach :) Today for the first time though, once I cornered her; she started coming after me! She growled her tiny little baby growl, and started toddling after me...so I ran to a corner, and acted scared. Once she got to me, I acted terrified that she was going to "eat" me. She just stood there, and started laughing uncontrollably. Then she got so proud of herself for scaring mommy back that she actually jumped up and down, and shivered with delight! She was SO happy...I love that girl!

Is it ever going to end...?

So I mentioned the other day that Tara has now learned how to open doors, including the refrigerator door. I went into the kitchen a couple days ago, and this is what I found...












She made an utter mess in there, and enjoyed every minute of it :)




*sigh*

"When one door closes, another one opens..."

And it hasn't stopped! That is the motto for our household right now :) Yesterday Tara learned how to open the door for the first time. Yay. So mommy had a very difficult day in keeping Tara out of things she shouldn't be into. This includes the refrigerator door. Fun stuff people...She's so proud of herself too! She walks away with this smug look on her face like "I just did something HUGE...didn't I?" It's funny, but frustrating. The biggest frustration was her opening the fridge door constantly while she was in the kitchen "helping" mommy make banana bread. I've seen people who have those huge honkin locks and bolts for their refrigerators, but that seems a little ridiculous to me. There's got to be another way...To all the mommies out there-any suggestions?

Her smile...

I want to tell the story of Tara's smile. When I was pregnant with her, I went in for an ultrasound somewhere around 7(ish) months. The ultrasound tech was moving the device around, when we heard her gasp and then say "aww...". She pointed to the screen, and there was Tara; with a gigantic smile on her face. She said "She knows her mommy's voice!" It melted my heart, and made me fall in love with her even more! The tech said that she'd never seen such a happy fetus, and it blew her mind that a child could be that happy even before being born. She wanted to test her theory that Tara smiled every time she heard my voice; so she asked me to talk to Tara. When I was silent, she would just roll around and do her own thing. But every time I spoke, whether to her, or someone else in the room; this beautiful smile would come across her face. It was a big ear to ear grin, and it made me cry every time. When the ultrasound was over, I was led to the exam room to wait for my OB. She came in, and immediately said "You have one happy little girl!" It made me so proud, knowing that Tara was happy in there. She was already bringing so much joy to the world, just by a simple yet extraordinary smile. Each ultrasound throughout the rest of the pregnancy, the same thing occured. Giant smiles the whole way through. It made it all that much harder to wait until the birth, we wanted to meet her SO bad!


When Tara was born, that first time she fell asleep in my arms; we saw that gorgeous smile that had entered our dreams; and filled every waking moment with anticipation of meeting this amazing little girl. It surpassed everything we thought it would be in person, and made our hearts knit together in love for this little angel. During the first months she was with us, her daddy and I spent so much time just watching her sleep. Our hearts would burn with love for her, and we would wonder how we got so lucky. This went on for months, watching her smile in her sleep. When she was awake, and would give us that enrapturing grin; her eyes would sparkle with joy. We hoped it would never end...

This last April, we were finally able to move our little family into a two bedroom apartment (YAY!!!). Tara was nine months old, and finally had her own room. Watching our little one sleep became more rare. Around her first birthday, I happened to pass by her bedroom one afternoon while she was napping. I noticed I had left the door open a crack, so I snuck in and watched her for a moment. My heart almost exploded when I realized that she still smiles in her sleep the SAME way she did when she was a newborn! The tender mercies of the Lord...

This morning, about an hour ago; I laid her down for her first nap of the day. As I was rocking her, I realized it was no ordinary thing. It was one of those moments that take your breath away. She wasn't acting like our sassy little toddler this morning. For those moments that I was rocking her to sleep, she reminded me of how it was when she was a newborn. Her face was void of her normal funny expressions, she wasn't jabbering on as she's prone to do (she likes to tell stories), and she wasn't shaking her head "no" as I offered her her sippy. Instead, her eyes were filled with that wonder of a tiny babe; awestruck by the look of mommy's face. Her mouth was in the shape of an "O", with the corners slightly upturned forming a faint smile. She was gazing at me, in absolute silence; eyes locked on mine. She would break the gaze for a moment, just so she could turn into me and look away shyly. Then she'd come back, and start gazing at me again; and she couldn't stop smiling at me! It was so unbelievably adorable how she would go from a slight grin into a full fledged ear to ear smile, as if she couldn't contain her happiness. This went on for about fifteen minutes, eyelids getting increasingly more droopy; until she finally crashed with a big grin painted on her face. As I laid her down, I thanked Heavenly Father for such a beautiful child; and for loving us enough to allow her to come into our lives. It amazes me contstantly, how blessed we are. His love for us is apparent in moments like that...

What's my name?

So...this last Saturday afternoon, we ran a few errands. At one point, we stopped home to grab a package of diapers that we had to return. We walk through the front door, I was first in the door. Sean follows behind with Tara, whom he sets on the floor so she can walk in all by herself. She runs up to me and as she's coming towards me, she says "Melissa" CLEAR AS A BELL! Sean starts laughing, and I'm speechless. We couldn't believe she had just called me that :) Fast-forward a few minutes later, when we're ready to head back down to the car again. Sean picks Tara up, and she points to the photos we have hanging on the wall off the kitchen, of the baby and I when she was ten months old. She points to the photos and says again, "Melissa!". We couldn't stop laughing! She's a smart one...

Coast Trip Pictures...

So this last Saturday, we took a trip to Newport with my in-laws and had a blast. Sean's mom and brother had driven in Friday night from Idaho, and stayed until Monday morning. It wasn't long enough, but we had a great time with them. I wanted to get some of my favorite photos from the trip on here for you all to enjoy, so here they are!





After stopping at Nye beach, we stopped at a couple more spots along the coastline, and all in all just had a great time. On the way back to Eugene, we discovered that there is yet another food that Tara loved, that surprised us all. The boys (Sean and his brother Jake) had bought a bag of Lay's Jalapeno Potato Chips, and Tara ate most of them! This girl has never let anything spicy intimidate her :) Daddy's little girl in more ways than one! We had a great time though, and it was so nice to see Jake and Becky again. Wonderful weekend!

Simple Thoughts...

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I blogged. Don't get me wrong-the desire is often there. The energy is not...So that's how it's been about 9 months since I last blogged :) Tara's turned a year old in July, and it's still sinking in for Sean and I that we have a one year old. She's a toddler now, in every single way. She'll always be my baby, but she's growing up so fast right before our eyes. She's free-spirited, incredibly intelligent, funny as ever, and the most loving little girl! She's always going around giving kisses...to mommy, daddy, her baby dolls, the babies in her books, her favorite blankies. And it's baby kisses, so it's the drooly open-mouthed kisses with this sweet little noise she makes that resembles someone saying "aww...". So when her daddy and I are in the other room and hear that noise, we know she's probably found a toy she wants to play with. It's incredibly endearing...

She also makes the cutest little face now, it started about a week ago. She furrows her brows (as if she's concentrating) and her sweet little mouth forms a little o as she makes this sound that resembles a puppy whining. You know the one that breaks your heart? That's what she's been doing, and of course it always makes mommy laugh. I have no idea how it started, what she means by it, but when I start laughing after she does it; she breaks out in a little smile. So I figure she can't feel TOO misunderstood...I've determined she's simply testing out noises and expressions, and reactions to those noises and expressions. Either way, it's quite entertaining.

She has over twenty words in her vocabulary now, and most of it is just so fun to hear. She loves to go around and say "Uh oh..." with her palms upturned. So precious! She also loves to say "All done" when she's finished in her high chair, or when she wants out of her crib. This girl cracks me up. She also recently started mimicking when we tell her no no to something. She'll wave her little pointer finger back and forth, and walk around saying "No,no,no,no,no..." The funniest part is it's usually an indication of what sort of trouble she's about to seek out. Most of the time, it's on her way into the kitchen while heading towards the cabinet that holds our mason jars. She knows it's a no no, and heads there anyway. Cracks us up every time...

I love my little Tara. She's just the sweetest little angel, and such a light in our lives. Every day is so precious with her, just spending time with this special little girl; and feeling her love. She's so inquisitive, and loves to explore. I love watching her experience new things, and I love realizing how smart she is when she's mastered old things just like a big girl. She gets so proud of herself, and it just makes me want to cry! She's our sassy, sweet little girl; and we couldn't be prouder of her.