There Is Sunshine In My Soul

Taylor is 10 months old today. My love for her has grown more and more each day. I have thought she was the cutest baby I have ever seen ever since she was born, but things got so much more interesting around 8 months when her personality really started to shine through. I was playing with her today and got sentimental for a moment. There are so many little things that she does right now that I just LOVE, and I know things will change as she gets older. They will probably be replaced by new things that I love about her, but I still wish that I could somehow capture every facial expression, every smile, every new discovery, EVERYTHING, and remember it forever!

I love her smile! She has such a big smile, and her toothless grin is so precious. Now she's starting to get teeth, but I'm sure her "toothy" smile will have its own cuteness. I love her laugh! I love that I can make her laugh. Granted, the fact that she is ticklish always helps, but sometimes she is amused by the most ridiculous things that I do. I love how she likes to mimic her dad and me. Jared will "growl" at her, she will growl right back at him, and they will keep doing that back and forth. Today, she and I had a contest to see who could have the most high-pitched scream. I think she may have won that one :-) I love when she gets all excited while I'm holding her, and she bounces up and down (as if she were riding a horse) or she kicks her legs and waves her arms. I love when she just babbles and babbles and carries on her own conversation. It is especially cute when she does it after waking up. We hear the cutest noises coming from her room, and we just know that she slept well. I love when she raises her arms in the air and opens and closes her hands as if she were waving. I love when she chases me down the hallway and she looks like an alligator as she crawls. I love when she tries to eat my face and suck on my chin. Okay, so I don't love the slobber so much, but she just thinks it's hilarious!(Jared helped me remember the last two). I love all of her facial expressions- and she has so many! I love that sometimes when I'm changing her diaper (those few times when she's not going crazy and trying to roll over!) she will reach over, grab my shirt, and rub my stomach. I love how sweet she looks when she is sleeping and how sometimes she puckers her lips as if she's sucking on her pacifer even after it has already fallen out of her mouth. I LOVE when she sleeps through the night (HA!) I love when she falls asleep in her daddy's arms. There is just something so sweet and secure about being in daddy's arms. I love how she makes cute noises while she eats as if she is savoring every bite. I love her fingers and toes, her eyes, hair, and nose. I love everything about her!

She's getting two teeth and getting into everything she can get her hands on (and stick in her mouth!). She's starting to feed herself little finger foods. She's crawling all over the place and pulling up on furniture (or ME!). She has even gotten brave several times, let go, and stood on her own for a few seconds. She is getting so big (well, in the sense that she seems to be getting older so quickly... she is definitely not literally big because she's only 16 lbs at 10 months!), and in only a couple of months, she will be a year old!! I can't believe it! Time has flown by, and I definitely look forward to all of the joy, adventures, and new "loves" that the future will bring!