Belated Easter Wishes

Easter weekend, Lauren kept her eyes peeled for the Easter Bunny...



... then obliged us by donning her own bunny (snow)suit, tail and all.




Happy Easter to everyone!

Love You, Too

Here's Jack sporting some new pre-Mother's day pj's, winning my heart all over again while he's at it.

Angel Face

Lauren, our little love, may you always stay this sweet!

Step Into Liquid

Born a stone's throw from the ocean, Jack's love for water knows no bounds. Admittedly, we've allowed the tub faucet to run unabated more than a few times in deference to his calls for "Mo' watta!" These days, as his little mind adds to his burgeoning vocabulary, every water-related word brings pure delight: "Fish!" "Swimming!" "Ocean!" Here's a favorite photo of our budding Jacques Cousteau/Matt Biondi/Laird Hamilton. (Gotta love that t-shirt.)

Our Dual-Purpose Balcony

Jon has alerted me to an unforeseen benefit of the long winter season here in Boston: "When you run out of room in the fridge," he explained, "you can just put what doesn't fit outside, and it stays nice and cold."

Hello Sunshine

The sun is teasing us right now, sending thick beams of bright light streaming through the windows of Lauren's room. But a crack of the front door and a check at weather.com confirms the real story: Winter is holding its grip, with temperatures hovering steadily at 29 degrees. Here's Little L smiling anyway.

Happy New Year

The last eight weeks of 2007 went by in a flash, and we're well overdue for a blog update. A recap of of late-fall and early-winter Taylor family adventures is on its way soon. Happy New Year!

Lauren's First Flight

Hooray for little Lauren! She survived her first foray into air travel with flying colors. After six hours on the plane, we expected fussiness and tears, but this angel baby was all smiles. Here's the picture to prove it. She's simply amazing.

Daddy's girl

This morning, before church, I asked Jon to dress little L while I got ready. He put her in this gorgeous embroidered cable knit ensemble that instantly made her the envy of all baby girls everywhere. I was lucky enough to capture the father-daughter moment on film just before my camera battery gave out. Priceless.

Nurturing Jack's Creative Side

Jack loves to paint, color, and draw, but I've been reluctant to give him the tools necessary to craft his masterpieces out of fear that doing so might mean the irreparable destruction of clothes, carpet, walls, and the like. Last week, however, I came across a set of markers billed as "The World's Most Washable Washable Markers." Although skeptical at first, I decided to give it a go. Here's a photo of Jack putting the world's most washable washable markers to the test. After covering his entire body in purple, blue, and orange, we dunked him in the tub sans washcloth to see what would happen. To my total delight, the body art disappeared completely within a matter of seconds with no scrubbing and no visible traces of color. So it looks like Jack has the greenlight to tap into his inner Vermeer (or should I say Pollack?) after all. Somewhere, Mimi -- Jack's great-grandmother and an exceptional artist in her own right -- is smiling.

Dazzlin'

The first time I set eyes on a dazzleband(tm), I knew I wanted a baby girl next. So when a surprise package of these to-die-for hair accessories arrived this weekend from the dazzlebands creator herself, it was all smiles for Lauren and me both. Here's little L. modeling the goods. Thank you so much, Tarah! We love them!

At the Pumpkin Patch

We spotted this cute little pumpkin patch off the side of the road yesterday and pulled over to explore. It was especially brisk out and getting colder by the minute, but we managed to snap a few pics before the kids started shivering. Here's a look:

Steeler Mania

It's no secret that my dad is a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan. It turns out that little J shares the same passion for the team (is there a gene for that?): he insisted on wearing this jersey for three straight days and nights after it arrived in the mail. I thought he'd never let us wash it! Go Steelers!

We're Back!

Hello again to all of our family and friends! We were on a forced internet fast for more than a month thanks to a major delay in moving to our new place, hence the long hiatus from the blogosphere. It's a long story, but in short, the apartment's previous tenant and rumored pro-athlete hadn't exactly left everything spic and span on move-out day. In fact, the leasing office personnel characterized the apt's condition as "The worst we've ever seen." So we camped out in the city for a few more weeks, everything boxed up, while walls were patched and painted, carpet replaced, etc. It was worth the wait. We're here now and thrilled to finally be roaming the pretty and preppy Metro-West 'burbs. And with so many lovely little spots for picture-taking nearby, we promise to be posting photos galore. Here's a quick one of little L to start.

On the move

We are in the process of moving this week so check back later for updates.

Lovely Lauren

Here are a few more photos of our new little dream baby. She is wonderful beyond words.

Mom Recovers, Lauren Sleeps, & Jack Parties at Poppy's Place

I'm just getting back on my feet after an unexpected and most unwelcome post-delivery infection put me back in the hospital through Tuesday. Thankfully, Lauren was an angel throughout the ordeal, comfortable and content in the familiar surroundings of Brigham and Women's. Hospital policy banned little Jack from even one visit, so my dad whisked him away for a week and a half of non-stop fun at Poppy's Place in Virginia. I miss him so much I can hardly bear it, especially since today is his second birthday (he has lots of presents waiting for him here in Boston). By all accounts, though, and as this photo suggests, he's having the time of his life. Happy Birthday, Jack! We love you to pieces!

Introducing Lauren Alexis Taylor

We're thrilled to announce the arrival Lauren Alexis Taylor, born at Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston on July 29th at 2:55pm, weighing in at a healthy 7 pounds 15 ounces. She is so beautiful and angelic that we can hardly bear to set her down (even now, I'm typing this one-handed). We can't wait to introduce her in person to all of our family and friends.

Countdown to Baby #2

As of today, we have only three weeks to go before our new baby girl is scheduled to make her debut. We can't wait to meet her!

Ladies' Man

A month shy of just two years old, Jack already has a way with women. In recent weeks, he's refined the art of winking, smiling, and looking sufficiently adorable as to impel whole packs of little girls to chase him from place to place with glee. Here's a photo of the phenomenon in action, this time outside Prudential Center in downtown Boston. As you can see, he doesn't seem to mind the attention!