Making Memories of Us
more dancing while watching the last season of the Biggest Loser...
It was at this point that I realized Taylor and the baby would NEVER be left alone together ;-)
making Daddy proud...
The last couple of times I've tried to take her picture, she would get right up in the camera and say, "Cheese!" (something she picked up from her cousin Noah) while puckering her lips and being goofy.
She really likes to try to put on mommy and daddy's shoes and walk around. She's never been a big fan of wearing hats, bows, clips, etc., but she found a little toboggan that is really too small for her. Yet, for some reason, she loves to wear it and will go through much effort to force that thing on her head and then velcro it around her chin. (This collage is also of her "cheesing" for the camera).
More of the same...
She likes to dress herself at times (already!) whether it be putting on a different pair of pants- or multiple pairs at the same time- or putting on different shoes. The below collage is such an example. She once again found the toboggan, pulled on another onesie up around her waist, and put on her daddy's shoes.
Being silly with daddy... these two crack me up!
This is a picture of Taylor wearing some boots that my cousin Sheree gave her last Christmas. Aunt Mimi calls this her "go-go" outfit.
More cuteness to come....
I believe they announce their top 10 the first week of March. Then, people get to vote for which baby they like best. (If she makes it to the top 10, I will definitely be counting on you to vote!!) The top 5 all get to participate in a photoshoot, and then the producers of the show and the magazine editors decide who the winner is. The winner gets $125,000 towards college!!! Man, that would be nice!
In other news: to update you all on Taylor's surgery, we went back to the doctor yesterday. He said, "It's amazing how quickly kids heal up!" Taylor's surgery site was SOOO much better after just a week of the Silvadene cream. He said to continue the Silvadene for another week and then start Kelo-cote. Kelo-cote is a scar treatment ointment that is quite pricey!! It cost us $54 for an itty bitty tube. He said to use that twice a day for two months, and then after two months, we'll go back to see him again. Jared and I have been quite pleased with the way she has healed up so far and can't wait to see how this Kelo-cote does!
(I have to say that my baby looks dang cute in anything--- even a hospital gown!!)
We were told that when they came to get them for surgery they would take them out in a wagon or let them drive a little power wheels car which we thought was cool, but when the OR nurse came to get her, she asked if we thought she should carry her or let her walk- neither of which sounded like good options to us but told her to carry her. So, she picked Taylor up and walked out of the room without a single scream or tear from Taylor. Jared said he thought I was a little upset that Taylor didn't start crying. I said no, I was just very, very surprised (and relieved!). We went back out to the waiting room, and shortly afterward, they called out to the waiting room to let us know that they were starting the surgery and that Taylor had done great; they said she gave a little whimper when they first put the gas mask on her but that was all. It sure made things a lot easier knowing that she wasn't crying and distressed.
After the surgery, the surgeon came out and talked to us about how the surgery went. He said that it was a bit of a challenge because of the location of the birthmark, and of course, you want it removed without causing any deformities. He said that he didn't have to do a skin graft (thank goodness!), and he sewed the site up in an "X" shape. He gave us instructions on how to keep it clean and said that the stitches were dissolvable.
We were warned before the surgery about how Taylor may act afterwards. We were told not to get upset if she was crying and hysterical because a lot of kids reacted that way because the anesthesia made them feel so horrible. Only one of us could go back to the recovery area, so the nurse came and got me, and as we were walking back there, she told me how cute Taylor was and how great she was doing. She said that she wasn't crying at all; she was just watching the little girl next to her who was screaming and crying. Sure enough, when I saw her, she was sitting calmly on the bed just looking at the other little girl, but when she saw me, she immediately crawled into my arms and started crying. She was not happy about the IV in her arm, and I just held her and rocked her for a little while. They monitored her for just a little while longer and then took us back to the area we went to before the surgery where Jared, Grandma, and Granny were able to see her, too. We didn't have to stick around long after that. Aunt Mimi also showed up with lots of treats! As we were leaving, they let us pick out a little stuffed animal. I ended up just grabbing a little Beanie Baby bear like the one she already had that she loves so much. This one was black, and on the left side of the chest it says "The End" which I thought was kind of appropriate to get at the end of her surgery!
I'm not exactly sure what time we left the hospital, but we stopped to get some bandaids, peroxide, and her antibiotic prescription and were home by 11:30 although it sure seemed like it was a lot later in the day. Taylor never really acted like she was in any pain or discomfort. She was bouncing off the walls like normal, but she HATED having her diaper changed. In fact, Jared and I usually had to tag team her and hold her down just to get it done. We had to clean it with peroxide and put antibiotic ointment on it. She's such a tough little girl though and always made sure to tell us that she was "o-tay" after we were done :-)
We had a follow up appointment with the plastic surgeon's nurse a week after the surgery. The day before that, Taylor scratched at her surgical site and made it bleed. I was afraid at first that she had really messed it up but then figured it probably just bled a little. The nurse said everything looked fine and scheduled us for an appointment with the surgeon the following week to talk about scar treatment. Over that next week, things started getting worse. Apparently, Taylor had pulled out some stitches when she scratched herself, and it gradually started opening up right in the middle of the "X." It wasn't deep or anything, and I figured there probably wasn't much they could do about it at this point, so I decided to just keep an eye on it. Let me tell you, that next week was quite a challenge. There comes a point where a wound like that just really needs to air out and dry, but it was pretty much impossible due to the location, and I was also concerned about it getting infected. The day before her doctor's appointment, I thought it just looked horrible, and I was really afraid that it was infected because to me it looked like it was having a little bit of drainage. Jared came home from work that afternoon, and I was just bawling because I was just so afraid that I should have done something more or taken her back to the doctor sooner.
The next day, we went to the doctor, and he said he didn't think it was infected. He was very nonchalant about it and acted like it wasn't a big deal which made me feel a lot better. He said he was sorry that it opened up like that and that it was going to look worse before it got better. He gave us a prescription for some Silvadene cream like they use on burns, and that stuff has done wonders!! Her surgical site looks sooooo much better now! Of course, we'll have to wait and see how it scars and everything, but for now, I am just so grateful that it is healing so well. Our biggest challenge right now is trying to keep her from putting her hands down her pants and pulling off the bandaid or scratching at it. Now, we joke that instead of having a birthmark there, she has an "X" marks the spot--- and no boys still better find out about it!!!
We go back in about a week and a half to have another follow up with the doctor. I have to say that I don't think the surgery could have possibly gone any better, which I am so very grateful for, and although the recovery has been challenging at times, I'm glad that she is healing up well and has had little or no discomfort throughout it all.
Taylor knocked over our Christmas tree a few times which I was not so happy about. The first time, it fell over on our table and shattered a Christmas ornament that we were given as a gift when she was born.
All of the Mayfields got together for Christmas dinner at Dawn & Shawn's house. Dawn did a fabulous job! The house was gorgeous and the food was amazing! Thanks for having all of us!
3 days before Christmas, my new baby niece was born. Her name is Eden, and she is a beauty! She has a head full of naturally highlighted hair :-) It's hard to capture in pictures, but her hair is really dark with blonde tips.
The day after Christmas, we went back over to Dawn's to celebrate my sil Cari's 30th birthday! We made homemade pizzas, and they were very yummy!
