Dancing Queen

I have no idea where Halle's rhythm comes from. It certainly isn't from Sam or me, but she certainly has learned how to "shake those hips." She had her dance recital on Saturday, and holy smokes, the girl has learned to dance. We were super proud!

Halle hasn't ever had a problem learning the steps of a dance, but she usually doesn't smile, because in her words "it's a lot of work to dance and smile at the same time." Well, since I know that this girl will do anything for a bribe, I told her she could have a Happy Meal if she smiled the whole time. Boy, did she earn those chicken nuggets!

Way to go, Halle! You're awesome!

I Need to Get With It!

I have a mere 2 months until we welcome baby #3 into the Taylor household. You'd think with such a short timetable, I'd be busy preparing, and making sure things are good to go. But, I'm not. This poor baby has a blanket. One blanket. That's been the extent of my "preparing for baby" activity. It's not that I'm not excited, because I am. I love everything about new babies: their smell, the way they curl up into a little ball, their tiny features. I can't wait to meet this new little one.

Here's the deal: I'm still not convinced that this baby is a girl. We had the ultrasound, and the tech (who happened to be in training) told us 3 times that it's a girl, but I'm not convinced. I think it's a boy, and I don't want to go shopping for all this pink stuff, only to need a lot of blue stuff. I know, I'm probably crazy. The chances that she was wrong are slim, but there is still a chance, so I don't make any purchases.

Sam says I'm losing my mind. Or, I've already lost it. One of the two... I can't remember. So, here's my goal: I'm going to live dangerously, and flood our house with all things pink. But, just in case, I'm keeping my receipts...

Finding Something to Talk About

Warning... I'm going to break a blog "code of ethics." I'm not going to brag about my child, and I'm going to be honest. Gasp! Sometimes I feel like I'm writing about how fabulous everything is at my house and with my kids, when in actuality, most of the time, my house is a mess, the television is on too much, and my kids don't always behave (or rarely, for that matter). Now that I've got you all depressed, let me explain one of my greatest frustrations for the last few months.

Chase has been 2 for a month now, and we are still having a hard time getting him to talk--like a really hard time. He's had his hearing tested, and I had him tested for autism, since I know that slow talking is a sign of that. Luckily, both came back okay. He started speech therapy about a month ago, and I guess I thought I'd see instant results, but so far, we haven't accomplished anything. We talk to him all day, and he understands everything we say, but he's not talking back. So far, he knows the words balloon, ball, mama and dad, but even those, he doesn't use all the time. I've heard many people say that he will talk when he wants to, but as his mom, I worry that he's falling behind. He just doesn't seem to have any interest in talking.

I think sometimes as moms, we find ourselves comparing our children to other children. For me, it's hard to see other kids his age speaking in sentences and communicating with their parents, when all we are getting is grunts back from Chase.

I know in the grand scheme of things, a slow talker isn't the biggest deal, but for the time being, it's pretty frustrating. I love my little trouble maker, and I just want the best for him.

Have any of you had any similar experiences?

**I just reread this. I sound seriously depressing. Sorry! I promise to have only happy posts for the rest of the month.