Fuzzy Duck Attack!

Talia loves to grab ahold of (and attack) toys that are small enough for her to handle. She especially loves her fuzzy little duck - thanks Uncle Ben! She'll grab it from you if you wave it in front of her mouth, and for some reason, she likes to 'attack' it by rolling over on her side with it in her mouth......

Alysia

This Day in My Life

I recently finished reading "This Day in the Life: Diaries from Women Across America". I thoroughly enjoyed the book, a compilation of 24-hour true life stories, all written on June 29, 2004. The entries were so humorous, I was inspired to create my own......

2:54AM - Talia is crying, shoot. Mike came to bed late after watching yet another graduate course lecture, so I'll get her tonight. She smiles at me as I lean over the crib. I'll wake up for that smile any time of the day. Feeding doesn't go very well for some reason - and this never happens in the middle of the night. She's been a picky eater recently and I have to trick her with the pacifier. Not exactly what I was hoping for at this time in the morning. Finish nursing and place her in the swing for the remainder of the night. What will we do when she doesn't fit in the swing anymore? Quietly pump the milk she didn't eat in her nursery, hoping she doesn't wake up. Go downstairs to put milk in fridge, use the bathroom, get back in bed.

7:01AM - Okay, it's officially time to wake up. Talia is up for the day and Mike is changing her before he leaves for work. Feeding goes horribly again. I think a growth spurt is bothering her.

7:40AM - Pour a bowl of cereal and eat quickly from the couch while Talia plays with her Exersaucer arch. Thank goodness she is amused by toys now.

8:29AM - She's down for a nap. Rush to the bedroom to get changed into sweats. It's cold and wet this morning, but this makes the ground perfect for the task of planting the perennials I purchased Friday.

8:55AM - Finish planting the perennials just in time as cries come through the monitor I brought with me outside. Take off shoes, wash hands, and run up the stairs to stick a pacifier in her mouth. She falls back to sleep.

9:10AM - Put shoes back on and clean up the mess outside. I think I'll buy some more marked-down perennials. The garden is getting fuller, but still not full enough. Make my way inside, do dishes, water downstairs plants (contemplate watering ones upstairs, but decide it's best not to chance waking the baby), peruse cookbook to determine which dessert to bake for Mike this week, scour cupboards for ingredients, and make grocery list.

9:36AM - Crying again. Run up the stairs - pacifier back in mouth.

9:54AM - Crying again. Wow. She isn't exactly napping well this week. Run up the stairs to find her crying and pooping. Nap is officially over.

10:01AM - Changing and nursing. This session goes beautifully. Why can't they all? Of course, she poops again while eating. I think about 75% of her poops occur in my arms - I'm so lucky. Change her again. Place Talia downstairs with some toys and rush upstairs to pump what milk she didn't eat. She never eats everything at once, and will inevitably be hungry again soon (but won't nurse). I usually just pump and prepare a bottle to avoid the fight. Hope the bumblebee continues to amuse her for a bit. Come back downstairs and play: Stories, Singing, Sitting up, Tummy Time. I'm really going to miss her smile during the day.

11:34AM - Diaper change in an effort to calm fussiness. It works for a bit, but not long. Decide to sing Row, Row, Row your Boat while making funny faces. This does the trick for another ten minutes. I wonder if this talent will come in handy with disgruntled coworkers when I return to work in 2 weeks?

11:45AM - Feeding Talia again. A Menard's commercial airs on the television and I'm reminded of the bathroom stall graffiti my brother told us about this weekend. Someone had written "God Saves" on the stall and someone came back later and added "Big Money at Menards". Too funny.
12:00PM - Talia is groggy from eating. Decide now is the best time to run the errands around town. Successfuly buckle her into her car seat without angering her. Quickly log on to work computer and reschedule a work meeting from tomorrow to October 28th, per teammate request. Bummer that I have to start paying attention to emails since I'll be back to work soon.

1:24PM - Arrive back home. A guy at Meijer noticed my Penn State sweatshirt and asked if we won our game. Are you kidding? Did I need to be reminded of the pathetic loss? Didn't make it to Michael's. Another day. Talia smiled all through Meijer but then screamed all the way home and through the Walgreen's pick-up. While waiting in line, decided to get out of the car and soothe Talia with a pacifier. The guy in the line beside me looked over and smirked.

1:49PM - Nursing and bearing the brunt of another poo.

2:06PM - Place Talia down to play. Swap around laundry Mike started last night, retrieve and put away groceries from car, grab mail, put away clean dishes from last night's dinner, place hand sanitizer that I purchased in car (hope to avoid the flu this fall). Realize I haven't eaten lunch yet, and heat up some leftovers. Eat lunch on the floor while playing with Talia. Make loud "yummy" noises after each bite because that makes her smile.

3:11PM - Talia just went down for her afternoon nap. We would normally head out for a long walk now, but it's cold, windy, and raining. Wow. I have 3 voice mails? One is from Talia's daycare provider so I call her back, give Mike a quick call, then head down to the basement for a jaunt on the elliptical trainer. 59 seconds in and she's crying. Wow, that was a fantastic workout:)
4:42PM - Bumbo, singing, assisted sitting, playing, and now in swing so I can at least finish the laundry. Get back from laundry and she's asleep! Down I go to the elliptical again.... for 16 minutes this time before she awakens.

5:27PM - Mike gets home from work. Give my parents a call and catch up for 45 minutes. Play on the floor with Talia (who still hasn't napped)!

7:47PM - Settling down to dinner - homemade soup and fresh whole grain bread. Mmm.

8:43PM - Mike is bathing Talia. I love how her little lizard tongue goes in and out.

9:15PM - Lay our beautiful baby down for the night. Clean up all toys and put things away from the day. Finally water the indoor plants upstairs. Pour a glass of wine and settle down to watch some Monday Night Football.

9:47PM - Never mind the football. Crying began again at 9:25PM. Mike is now trying to get her to sleep. How can an infant have more energy than 2 adults? She's been up since ~9AM!

10:05PM - She's officially asleep now. Going to bed myself...... It's been a good, but exhausting day. They're not all like this, and every smile makes it worth it.

Talia - 14 Weeks

What a big week this was for Talia - this week marking the first week of 'mobility'! After weeks of complete rest on both belly and back, her neck muscles finally reached the point where they could support her head. And, now there's no looking back! Although she hasn't rolled since she rolled all day long on Wednesday, she always lifts her head and has started to 'froggy kick' her way into a few inches of creeping.

Since last Sunday marked her 3 month birthday, Mommy promised a tiny treat if she was a good girl on the walk to the ice cream shop. She was an angel, and we were all ready to capture her reaction to the sweet taste of vanilla ice cream. Haha. She couldn't have cared less, leaving the ice cream on her bottom lip without even the slightest lick:)

With each week, she continues to explore her world, licking everything in her path. Daddy has learned that Talia even likes the taste of his face if he holds her too close. And, if you put a toy up close to her mouth, she viciously attacks it:)

As she grows, her petite features continue to stand out. Her hair has become a unique combination of golden / auburn / brown and her eyes continue to hold onto a deep blue color. We think she becomes more beautiful each week.......

Alysia

First Playdate!

There has been a BABY BOOM in Midland in the past 2 years. A bunch of the moms decided to start a rotating monthly playdate so that the kiddos could get to know each other as they grow up together. Our first playdate was on Wednesday night - hosted by Amy and Steve. It was so fun!

Before all of the older kids arrived, Maddie and Talia 'faced off'.

Talia enjoyed staring at the colorful fish fort with her friends Maddie and Caden.

After several attempts at a group shot, the parents succeeded! We all started screaming and yelling - just silly enough to capture all 7 kids' attention:)

Isa (18 months), Taylor (24 months), Maddie (6 months), Talia (3 months), Penelope (10 months), Caden (9 months) and Aiden (11 months)

Talia sure was tuckered out by the end of the evening. Keeping up with all the big kids is tough work! She enjoyed a snooze in Maddie's bouncer while the others enjoyed the parachute!

Next month, the kids will have a close encounter with pumpkins at Brian and Stacie's. How fun!

Alysia

Some Advice for the Youngsters

Mommy & Daddy have been frustrated by my apparent 'laziness' during tummy time. I admit, for the first 6 weeks or so, I hated tummy time. But, that was before I found my hand. I've thoroughly enjoyed laying on my tummy, sucking my hand for the past 6 weeks! Although frustrated, they still persistently placed me on my tummy, hoping to strengthen my muscles (and give the back of my head a break) and I suppose I haven't given them the show they'd been hoping for -- until now.

What my parents didn't realize is that I'm not the kind of gal that does things halfway. There was truly no reason for me to lie there struggling to lift my head until I knew I could get myself out of that situation by rolling onto my back. To them, it looks like I put it all together in one day. But I've been visualizing the total package for quite some time now......

For all those younger babies out there,

"If you can't roll yet, just think about it and suck your hand."

Talia

Big Fan

She's not at all influenced by her parents..........

Alysia

Attempted Giggle (Or Gurgle)

Talia started gurgling (likely by mistake) a few weeks ago. It has now become her favorite noise to attach to the backside of every coo. For now, it seems to be her first attempt at giggling. So cute, it had to be shared!

Alysia

Talia - 3 Months

Unofficial Stats: 11.5 lbs via kitchen scale, 23 inches

TALIA FUN FACTS

Favorite Pasttimes: Talking, Eating, Sleeping

Favorite Toys: Exersaucer Arch, Hands

Favorite Thing to do with Mommy: Sit Up (assisted)
Favorite Thing to do with Daddy: Dance

Favorite Noises to Make: Gurgling, Cooing

Longest Stretch of Sleep at Night (without eating): 10 hours (once)
New-found "likes": Toys, Lifting legs to chest, Sitting in Bumbo

Talia's "Schedule": In bed between 9 - 10PM. Occasionally sleeps through the night until 6-7AM. Usually wakes up once around 2AM for a quick snack before hitting the hay again until 6-8AM. She'll play a bit but get cranky and want more sleep in the morning hours. Prime playtime is from about 11AM - 4PM, until she begins fighting her afternoon nap.

Nicknames: Tally, T, T Rex, T Bird, Model T, Tally Bumpers, Tally Monster, Drooly Pants, Grunts McMae, Bubbles, Squeakers, Crankpot

Froggy chair shots (1 month, 2 months, 3 months below):

Alysia

Talia - 13 Weeks

Talia is 13 weeks old! Or, as I realized yesterday, 1/4 of a year old! Boy, how this summer has flown by. The picture above shows you a few things about this week:

1. First, Talia has begun to show interest in her toys! She absolutely loves her exersaucer arch now, and will grab ahold of a toy if you place it in front of her face. She especially likes the star in the picture above because the little colored fabric pieces that hang off are so yummy (thanks for letting her borrow it Caden)!
2. Second, Mommy finally paid for not clipping Talia's nails often like every good Mommy would do. Notice the poor baby's scratch on her forehead? Yep, I felt horrible:)

Talia has also begun to master her bumbo, and sat playfully in it last night for about 15 minutes without teetering much at all.

Talia has also started to really use her legs. She has been kicking and bicycling for many weeks now, but recently, she has learned that she can pick up her whole behind, lifting her legs up to her chest! It won't be long before she realizes this will cause her to roll to her side if she puts a little effort into it. For now, it just makes for interesting action shots:)

Alysia

The Fab Four

Through trial-and-error, we have discovered a unique way to calm-down Talia when she is going ballistic. Apparently, all that it takes is singing "With a Little Help from my Friends". Her response is instant and remarkable! The transition is almost like flipping a switch. When I'm trying to feed her, she'll change from completely (and loudly) rejecting the bottle to eagerly eating and looking around... provided that I keep singing.

Who would have thought that the Fab Four would have that kind of an impact? So far, I've had a 100% success rate with this new discovery. And I haven't even tried "Yellow Submarine" yet ...

Of course, maybe she'll respond this way to ANY song, but for now I like to think that this is one of Talia's peculiarities!

Until next time....

- Mike

When Nobody's Looking

Mom & Dad were wondering if I might be a bit behind, developmentally, as I seem to have little interest in batting at toys, or really using my hands for anything other than a pacifier. Ha! They just didn't realize that I'll ALWAYS choose to carry on a conversation with another person if they're beside me. Why would I want to play with some silly inanimate object when I could be a socialite?

So, I guess they decided to put me to the test by leaving me alone with my toys for once. What's a girl to do but entertain herself? If only I had realized that Mom was still in the room....... this never would have happened.

Talia

Talia - 12 Weeks

Big Sleeper

Talia hit a milestone this week - SHE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT TWICE (and again last night)!

Tuesday, 9/8/09: 10PM - 8AM

Thursday, 9/10/09: 9:30PM - 6AM

Monday, 9/14/09: 10PM - 6:45AM

Yay Talia!

Alysia

First Trip to Pennsylvania - NEW COUSIN!

Pennsylvania welcomed Talia with open arms last week (lots of arms)! It was a fun-filled week of visiting family and friends. Talia was the perfect little traveler - we only wish it wasn't necessary for her to spend so much time in her car seat.

We left bright and early Tuesday morning, after Talia decided to wake up at 3AM for the first time in many, many weeks:) The six-hour trip to Pittsburgh was rather uneventful as she snoozed most of the way. During our visit, we were able to meet the newest member of the Diffendal family - Miss Madelyn Tripp. The perfect little angel decided to follow suit behind Talia, arriving on her mother's birthday! Here are some pictures of Maddie:

Talia had a great time visiting with Grandma and Pappy. She was spoiled with many kisses, hugs, and conversations. Grandma will always remember Talia using her dish bin as a tubby!

On Friday morning, we hit the road again, traveling East to visit Nana and Poppy. Mommy & Daddy spent their first night away from Talia, partying hard in State College with college buddies and watching Penn State beat up on Syracuse Saturday.

Talia met so many people at Nana & Poppy's! Her negligent mother forgot to take pictures, so unfortunately, we can only list the folks: Great Aunt Kathy & Uncle Mike, second cousins Alex, Sierra, & Sadie, Danny & Lynne, Sharma & Jillian, Wayne, Donna & Denny, Great Grandma & Grandpa Phillips, and Meme. Wow!

It was such a wonderful trip - we're going to try to forget the ride home. Talia was such an angel, but it's so hard to ride 9.5 hours in a car when you're three months old. Needless to say, it was a long and stressful day for the whole Diffendal family......

Alysia

Talia - 11 Weeks

This eleventh week marked Talia's introduction to college football, a very important time of year at the Diffendal household. It's pretty important that she learns to enjoy football, as there are many get-togethers with friends that involve watching the game. So, this week, we made sure to get her used to the sport right off the bat! On Thursday night, we met up with friends at a new sports bar in town to watch the very first games of the year. Here's Talia with her friend Penelope - (two very special miracle babies)!

And here's Talia with her buddy Caden, hanging out during the Penn State game! (We wish we had a picture of Madelyn with them - but Talia was snoozing while she was there).

Almost every evening, Daddy and Talia read together. You probably imagine them reading hard-back children's books about monkeys or shapes & letters. Nope. They read the heavy stuff - she's definitely going to be an intellectual:)

The biggest news to report during Talia's 11th week is that she's really settled into a sleeping schedule now. She goes down for bed every night between 9 -10:30, waking only once around 4AM for a quick snack before settling right back down until 7-8AM. Not bad. Here's to hoping we can maintain that schedule next week while we're visiting family!

Alysia

We Are....

PENN STATE!!!

Talia's first game as a PSU fan starts in 18 minutes and counting.... She'll be watching the game with 4 other alumni and their newest PSU fans, Caden and Madelyn.

Time to get ready for kickoff....

Until next time...

- Mike

No Need for Words

Alysia

Crabby in the Evenings

Talia has officially become crabby in the evenings. It all started about a week or two ago, and has commenced into an all-out whine and cry fest starting sometime from 5-7PM until bedtime. How can the perfect angel grow horns so quickly? And why doesn't anything make them go away?

So, we play games at night. All in all, Talia wins most of the time - but sometimes Mommy or Daddy at least score a point. For instance, take the game we played this afternoon:

Setting: Talia is crabby, screaming loudly for ~1 hour

Talia: (scream, scream)

Mommy: tries the swing, tries to rock

Talia: (scream, scream)

Mommy: walks her around outside, tries to feed her (3X)

Talia: (scream, scream)

Mommy: changes her diaper, tries the pacifier

Talia (scream, scream)

Mommy: changes her again - quickly sticks pacifier in mouth, when pacifier drops - swiftly replaces with bottle ---- SCORE!

Oh, the games we play. After 75 minutes of frustration, I was awarded a big smile as she pooped her newly changed diaper.

Alysia

Getting Better at the Bumbo

Alysia

The Little Things

It's so cliche - but I've realized I completely agree with the statement "Having a baby changes the way you see things". For instance, it is amazing how much joy can be felt in the littlest things Talia does every day. We know these "things" will change as she grows, and so I've tried to capture some of our favorites below.

We love the way she:

1. Sticks her tongue out when she smiles
2. Holds her hands together (like she's praying) while she eats
3. Thoroughly enjoys getting her face washed in the tubby
4. Snuggles her head into your chest when she's sleepy
5. Becomes serious and comtemplative when she needs to go to the bathroom
6. Coos in delight when you talk to her
7. Follows the page turns when you read to her
8. Never produces just a "wet" diaper - there are always a few "skitters" (Dad's term)

Alysia