Halloween

Malachi's first Halloween has been fun so far (the festivities continue today with a scarecrow stuffing event at the park and a party). He was a dragon. Many thanks to my Mom for sewing this very AWESOME costume! Kevin was a dragon slayer (yes that's a shield made from a Pampers box). And, I was a princess.

Malachi wasn't too crazy about knocking on doors and getting candy...until he got home!

Visit with Grandma and Grandpa

Grammie had to leave, but Grandma and Grandpa soon arrived. Just in time for a trip to a pumpkin patch! We went on a hayride, walked through a corn maze and a hay maze, picked cotton, and feed the animals.

Oh, yes. Malachi is in a biting phase. I have the bruises to prove it!

Malachi and Daddy picking cotton...until Malachi decided to eat the cotton.
Malachi lovin' on his Daddy.
Three generations of Taylors...

As you can see, it's a little difficult to get Malachi to sit still these days. He's very busy.

Bye Bye Grammie

We had to say good bye to Grammie this morning. We had such a great time!

Getting ready for the airport.

While Grammie was here, Malachi learned how to run in place and he's trying to jump. This isn't the best video, but it gives you a glimpse at his newest tricks.

Fun with Grammie

My mom (Malachi's Grammie) came for a visit this week, spoiling us rotten with home-cooked meals and a clean house to come home to after work. She and Malachi had great fun together. Learning "noggin" (see below) and signs and shapes, doing puzzles, trying to color, swinging, and going for walks were just a few of their activities this week while Mama and Dada were at work.



We squeezed in a few walks at the lake, of course.

Malachi showed Grammie how much he loves cell phones.

Malachi in action with his cup. This was taken the first day without his bottles. Luckily, he's gotten less messy as the week has progressed.

We're still working on what to do with the cup when he's finished drinking...

Grammie took us to the children's museum. Malachi LOVES splashing in the water!

Walking

Our little man is finally walking!

Finally, a new post

We've been pretty busy, but all is well. Malachi went to another baseball game recently. As you can see he had a great time--played hard and crashed hard.


We went to a BugFest last weekend. Here Malachi is pushing a ball of "dung" to simulate a dungbeetle, with a little help from Daddy of course.
And, he's walking! On his own! His steps get more confident and quick each day. I'm having trouble uploading video right now, so please check back for a glimpse of our little man's newest moves.

And, arguably even bigger news...no more bottles. We had a check up on Friday, and the doctor, very gently but firmly said, they've got to go. Cold turkey. Many of you know that Malachi will NOT take a sippy cup (yes, we've tried them all--or close to it). We're just using a cup, which is quite messy, but he's getting the hang of it. He's not drinking nearly as much as he was drinking with the bottles, but he's taking in enough to stay hydrated (thank goodness). He get's better and better with the cup each day. His Grammie is visiting this week and helping him practice. We hope to have this skill mastered before the return to daycare next week.

The morning bottle was the hardest to give up; we both cried. Overall, he's doing really well with the transition, and he's now sleeping through the night since he knows he won't get a bottle.

Labor Day Weekend

This is not for those with weak stomachs. Malachi really enjoys clapping his hands and feeling the subsequent spray of food land on his face. What a little goober! :) We were at a park with some friends on Monday. Kevin had the idea to kick the soccer ball around on the bridge so Malachi could see it bounce around. Well, Malachi thought that was hilarious! He laughed so hard.
Then, Mommy accidentally kicked the ball over the bridge railing and into the water. Oops! I don't think Daddy was too pleased about retrieving it, but he did so nonetheless.

Malachi had another ear infection this week. Yes, even with the tubes. Fortunately, the tubes alleviate a lot of the pain associated with ear infections and he didn't experience a fever. Unfortunately, there was so much drainage, he was prescribed a 10-day couse of antiobiotics (usually with the tubes you can get by with three days of ear drops). He's acting his usual self though, just a bit tired.

He's starting to babble a bit. When I was about to scoop him up out of the high chair after dinner tonight he said "BAAAAAAATH" four times with a big smile. Baths happen immediately after dinner. Why? Please refer to the first picture!. We've also hear him saying Mom, Dad, bottle, and Foster (our cat). He's not using anything consistently, just when he feels like it, but it's a start and so much fun to listen to. When he says something that he thinks is a word (which I'm sure is, we just can't understand it yet), he gets a little smile on his face, likes he's proud, a little surprised, and tickled with himself all at once. So much fun.