Talia's Baptism

Talia was baptized this past Sunday in the same church where Mommy and Daddy were married five years ago! Our little angel was lucky enough to share her big day with both sets of grandparents, great grandparents, an uncle and an aunt!

Because she was baptized at an older age, she wasn't nearly as apt to fall asleep through the church service. Her "T-Rex" reared its ugly head for a bit before the ceremony, but all in all, she did great. Notice how inquisitive the little tyke is during the brief video of the baptism. I think she was just making sure that Pastor Roth was reading the scripture correctly:)

Talia's favorite part of the ceremony was her "parade" around the congregation. She was in her glory with all eyes on her. (Yes, we seem to have a princess / ham / attention getter on our hands).

Grandma and Pappy Diffendal and Aunt Lee Ann and cousin Maddy drove to Lewistown for Talia's big day. Talia and Maddy had a great time together and can't wait to see each other again!

Alysia

Our Little Turkey

Talia made the long trek back to central Pennsylvania for the Thanksgiving holiday. Mommy and Daddy learned from the trip back in September and drove through the night this time. Yep - driving nearly 10 hours is much more fun without the background screaming:)

Talia was spoiled with love from so many people last week - and loved every second of it! Here are a few shots from the holiday:

Alysia

Model T

Talia posed once again for professional photos a few weeks ago. She was about 4.5 months old at the time, AND SO DARN BEAUTIFUL! You're quite the model, Miss T.

Compliments again of Renee Deckrow: http://capturedproductions.typepad.com/cp_photography/

Alysia

First Penn State Game!!!!!!

Talia attended her very first Penn State football game yesterday! She watched the Nittany Lions crush the Spartans and was, of course, dressed very well for the occasion. She was quite the hit amongst the Penn State fans in our section (we think everyone noticed her). Thanks Rosalie for the awesome knit hat! It's so darn cute and received many compliments!

Alysia

Talia - 22 Weeks

Talia is 22 Weeks old and now enjoying her Johnny Jumper! She doesn't jump very high yet, but seems to love being suspended in the air and uses her tip-toes to sway back and forth. She'll spend about 15-20 minutes in there entertaining herself.

Talia is getting spoiled by family love during the month of November! She's seen family now for 3 weeks in a row! Here she is spending some quality time with Nana last weekend.

Alysia

Talia - 5 Months

Unofficial Stats: 14 lbs; 24.5 inches

TALIA FUN FACTS

Favorite Pasttimes: Talking, Blowing Raspberries, Finding the closest TV to watch

Favorite Toys: Johnny Jumper, Exersaucer, Teethers
Favorite Thing to do with Mommy: Stand, Talk
Favorite Thing to do with Daddy: Listen to Guitar

Favorite Noises to Make: Blowing Raspberries, Talking

New-found "likes": Johnny Jumper, Her Feet, Blowing Raspberries

Talia's Sleeping Habits: Always starts the night in her crib and will sometimes remain there. Sleeps all snuggled up in her warm bag (no longer requires swaddle). Usually ends up in her swing for the second portion of the night after eating. Still won't fall asleep on her own unless in her swing. Has not succeeded when "crying it out" as the cries just get louder and louder.........

Talia's "Schedule": Typically in bed around 9PM - up once to eat (time is erratic), usually has to be awoken around 6:45AM. Talia spends the day with Mary from about 7:15AM - 5:15PM, usually taking two 2-hour naps during the day. The evening is full of playtime, with a typical 5-10 minute catnap to catch her second wind.

Froggy chair shots (1 month , 3 months, 5 months below):

Alysia

A New Favorite Sound

Alysia

Talia - 21 Weeks

Talia is 21 weeks old!

Nearly all pictures of Tally show off her constantly red cheeks and drooly lips now. Poor girl is just teething up a storm, but nothing to show for it yet.

Mommy and Daddy had some serious fun this weekend, leaving Talia for the first time for more than one night. Nana Phillips was so kind to fly up to Michigan to spend some quality time with our girl while we hit the Big Apple!

Alysia

Talia - 20 Weeks

Talia sure is growing up. It was hard to even type a '2' at the beginning of this weekly update knowing she's getting very close to the halfway mark in her first year!

Talia has entered a growth spurt recently. Her legs now touch the floor in her exersaucer (no need for the book anymore), but she hasn't realized that she can push off yet to propel herself around. She truly fills out her 3-month clothing now and it won't be long before we begin trying out her 6-month outfits. She has become an expert at standing - hardly wobbles anymore. Standing her up is a sure method of collecting an earful of excited coos!

Her little personality has been growing just as fast as her body. It's becoming more and more evident that she's an outgoing child. She seems to live for moments where she can be the center of attention, cooing loudly and preciously for anyone. She knows she's adorable, and can gain the interest of a crowd very easily:)

All in all, Talia is an INCREDIBLY happy and smiley girl. The "T-Rex" in her begins to appear in the evening as she gets tired and her poor gums start to bother her. We think her teeth have started to really move in the past two weeks: she can totally soak her shirt in a matter of minutes, she's reached a new level of crankiness in the evening, and she thoroughly enjoys her teethers.

This past week, Talia made her second trip to Pennsylvania! We traveled back to Pittsburgh for sweet Miss Madelyn's baptism this past weekend. The two girls spent some time getting to know each other: Talia teaching Maddy how to talk and roll over; Maddy (hopefully) teaching Talia how to sit contently without constant attention. Miss Madelyn was an angel during the ceremony and threw an awesome party afterwards!

Alysia

Daddy's Magic Action

Talia LOVES to listen to Daddy play the guitar. In the evening, she usually gets cranky - but not when Daddy is playing is magic! It is so adorable to watch. Her eyes move from the strings to his face again and again as she listens.....

Alysia

Splish Splash!

Mommy and Daddy are nearly always wet after tubby time now. Guess why?

Alysia

Baby's First Halloween

Most parents of baby girls choose something pink, frilly, or precious for her first Halloween. We're not most parents - we're Penn State parents! Talia dressed as a Penn State football - complete with Mommy Ref and Daddy JoePa.

We had our annual Penn State football party yesterday, and basically required costumes for those in attendance. The turnout was awesome, plenty of good food and drink was consumed, and our friends were so creative! Here's just a taste of the outfits (note, we aren't the only Penn State parents)......

Alysia