We're Still Here

Sorry for the lack of posts. I went back to work this week. On top of that, Malachi is teething and has a double ear infection--the second one in three weeks. Looks like tubes are in our near future.



At any rate, Malachi is finally feeling better. Kevin has spring break this week, which will give them so nice Daddy-Son time.

Watching the tournament. At this point, the remote is more interesting than the game, but we're working on that. He was watching for a moment here. Daddy let him switch between games. Yeah, right!

Malachi is really trying to work on his standing. He's pretty good at balancing with just one hand now.

Flying with Daddy! Seriously, this kid ALWAYS knows where the camera is!

It got quiet all of a sudden this morning...He was COMPLETELY out. This is what happens when Daddy's home and has lots of time to play with Malachi. He just wears him out.

He's just plain tuckered out from being sick this week. He feel asleep during his dinner bottle at 6:30. Of course, he's been up until 10:00p.m. a couple nights in a row, but getting up a regular time, so he has some catching up to do.

Big congratulations to my cousin Tiffy! She's expecting again! Her son Ethan is so good with little kids that we know he's going to be a great big brother. Congratulations!

Another Gift from the Easter Bunny

I forgot to mention that the Easter bunny also brought Malachi two new teeth. I could swear they weren't there in the morning, but they sure were by the afternoon. The Mystery of the Fussy Baby earlier in the week is now solved! :)

Jason and Eric left late this morning to make the trip back to Pennsylvania. Malachi had a great time playing with them, and both Jason and Eric were really good with him.

Happy Easter!

Two posts in one day!

Today was Malachi's first Easter and first of many trips to church. At the beginning he moaned a little bit until he fell asleep. A little boy next to us heard him and offered him his own bottle. How cute is that?!? Malachi slept during most of the sermon and was really well behaved (as usual) when he woke up.

When we gave Malachi his Easter basket he immediately pulled it toward him and dumped the goodies out. He got a spring jacket, a couple of books, an Easter bunny, and a wild and crazy chicken car. He's not so sure about the chicken car at this point, but I think he'll like it more when he's older. For now, it's keeping the adults entertained.

Speaking of adults, Kev's college buddies Jason and Eric are visiting this weekend. They're in town for the NCAA tournament. Malachi seems to be enjoying all the extra attention from the guys.

This outfit came from G.G. It's adorable, but you'll see that the shirt had to be switched out later in the day due to a banana spit-up situation.

Tipping over his basket. He pulled the jacket out first and then kept looking at Kevin and I as if he wasn't sure what to do next.
He did pretty well getting the wrapping paper off this gift from Grandma and Grandpa once I got it started for him.
Finally a smile. He figured out this is supposed to be fun.

Coloring eggs with Daddy.

And of course, I have another video. I was trying to capture his giggling. This isn't him at full tilt, but it gives you an idea.

NCAA Tournament

Kevin, Malachi, and I attended the first session of the NCAA Basketball Tournament in Raleigh on Friday. Davidson beat Gonzaga--a great game--and Georgetown beat UMBC. Malachi slept through the first half of each game. He was a little uncertain of all the noise at first, but once he saw that Kevin and I were having fun he was fine. We couldn't take a camera into the stadium, but here are a few pictures of us gearing up for the games.

I've Been Tagged!

Hi, all! It’s Malachi. My crib-buddy Mari tagged me, so I’m going to tell you ten random things about myself.

1. First of all, I’m a pretty happy-go-lucky guy. There’s not too much that I fuss about, which seems to amaze people. Life’s good. I have no complaints.
2. I love it when Mom sings and dances with me. Day-O by Raffi is one of our favorites.
3. When Mom sings the Barney song (although I’m not sure who this Barney character is—I’m not allowed to watch TV, yet) I get a big smile on my face in anticipation of the big hug and kiss that come toward the end of the song.
4. Books are awesome. I used to really like listening to the stories Mom and Dad would read, but now I’m more interested in turning the pages.
5. I love when my Daddy holds my hands and let’s me “walk.” Crawling is for the birds! I want to run like Daddy.
6. Baths are lots of fun, and I love to have lotion rubbed on my face afterwards.
7. I’m starting to become more acquainted with Foster, our tabby cat. He doesn’t seem too sure about me, but I like to pet him, especially his tail.
8. I love the camera. Anytime Mommy has it out, I look right at it and usually smile. It makes for great pictures, but it does make it extra difficult for Mommy to catch me in the middle of doing really cute things.
9. I love to be outside. My favorite spot is the lake near our house where I can feed the ducks and geese and then take a nice long nap in the Snuggli.
10. I’m a pretty big guy. I’m already 50th percentile for weight, a little over 50th percentile for height, and 90th percentile for head circumference. My Mom and Dad are on the small side. Mommy’s a hair shy of 5 foot, and Daddy’s only 5’8.” Needless to say, we get lots of comments about our size differences.

That’s all for now. I’d like to tag my cousin Nate, my buddy Ethan, and my HOH pal Silas.

Growing

I think it's time to retire the 12-month Gerber sleepers. What do you think?




Ahh, much better!

Okay, so I know I'm getting carried away with the video clips, but he's just so darn cute, I can't resist!

Crawling?

Okay, so Malachi has made a new attempt at crawling forward. He now tries to wiggle all four limbs at once while balancing on his tummy. It's too cute, although not entirely effective! :)

A few days ago, Malachi started sucking in his bottom lip and then bumping his gums. It's so funny, and he does it off and on all day.

My Boys

Sorry for the lack of posts. We began transitioning Malachi to daycare this week, so we've been away a lot during the day.

My boys...
Rough-housing already!
Smiling during his bedtime bottle.
Playing with Mr. Octopus. He's been a favored toy this week.

Hermie the Elf

Let's start at the beginning. So, Kevin was studying to be a physical therapist before deciding to become a dentist. A little unusual, yes, but a great decision in the end.

When Kevin started dental school at UNC, he let his hair grow out. Around Christmas time that year, students, family members, and friends started to see a resemblence between Kevin and the elf named Hermie. Hermie starred in the classic Christmas claymation movie Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as a "misfit" because he wanted to be a dentist instead of a toymaker. Thus, there appears to be more than just a physical similarity between Kevin and Hermie. As such, we've been the recipients of these two adorable Hermie dolls that move and sing.

Malachi is absolutely fascinated with these two dolls. See for yourself!

Play Time

G.G. (Great Grandma Whetzel) gave Malachi this animal train set. He absolutely loves it!

He hasn't quite figured out the pop-up toy (lower left-hand corner) yet, but he's getting close.

Happy Baby

Malachi "hyperventilates" when he is excited. His little eyes flutter, his arms are straight out in front of him, and his breathing quickens. It's the funniest thing ever!

Apparently, the messier the meal, the happier the baby.

Okay, so I love to watch him sleep. Here are a few pictures I've taken throughout our time with Malachi. The pictures start with a few from our time in Ethiopia and progress to the past couple of weeks.

Visit from Grandpa and Grandma

Kevin's mom and dad visited this weekend to celebrate Brian's (Kevin's younger brother) birthday and to meet Malachi.

Malachi ate lunch at Brian's and then we headed out to find lunch for ourselves, do some birthday shopping, and make a quick stop at the driving range before a home-cooked meal at Brian's and cards at our house. Malachi did really great with all the running around. He seems to like being out and about--he must be a Taylor! :)

(We're loving this booster seat that Mike, Courtney, and Nate gave us!)

Malachi is hamming it up for the camera with his Grandma.

And now with Grandpa.

Three generations of Taylors.