To Taylor

I wrote this letter to Taylor two days before she was born. Dustin took these pictures of us yesterday after church. I thought that the pictures and the letter were fitting to go together.



October 14, 2006

Dear Taylor,

As I await your arrival, I can’t help but think of all the things the future holds. I first wonder what you will look like. What color will your hair be? Will you have fat cheeks, dimples, full lips, and a round nose? Will you be really long or will you be short? When will you first roll over, get your first tooth, and say your first word? When will you take your first step? What will you be like as you get older? Will you be a prissy little girl or a tomboy? Will you want to cheer and dance or play basketball and rough house with the boys? All of these things make me so excited about the future! I promise to cherish each day and each moment as its own. I want to enjoy these moments with you and not look ahead. Taylor, your daddy and I are already so blessed to have you and we both thank God for you!

We promise that we will raise you in a Christian home. We want to instill values in you that will please our God. We promise to teach you about your Creator, and the love He has for YOU! We promise to teach you about His Son and the sacrifice He made for YOU! I pray that you may have a tender, compassionate heart. I pray that you will have a giving spirit. I pray that you will be a light so that others may see who makes you glow.

Taylor, as your mom, I know there will be times when you don’t like me very much. I pray that you understand that anything I do to upset you is done out of love for you. You are a precious life that God has given me and asked me to look after. It is my vow to raise you in a way that will make God happy. Taylor, I love you so much and I always will.

Love,
Mom

Picture for the Paper

I've been trying to get the "perfect picture" of Taylor to put in our hometown paper. I think I got it today! I definitely wanted it to be with her eyes open. I was changing her diaper today, and there is such good light in her nursery. I looked at her when I finished changing her and noticed that she was kicking and looking around. She was so content to be laying there. So I buckled her on the changing pad and ran to get my camera. We played for about 15 minutes and I managed to get these really cute pictures. The first one is the one for the paper. The rest are some of my other favorites.

Pretty in Pink

Taylor wore a cute little onsie today that my college room mate Ashli gave her. It's a little wrap around pink and white stripe onsie. Mom and I also took her out twice with her today. We went to Hollyhocks this morning and fell in love with so many cute things!! We also went to the scrapbook store this afternoon and the girls working just thought she was so cute. It was fun to get out of the house for a while, and of course, to show her off!!

She's also getting really good at holding her head up for a bit. When you put her on your shoulder, she pulls back and holds her head up on her own for a few seconds. Of course, I think this makes my baby the smartest baby EVER!! I know you may not all agree, but I figure I might think she's the smartest and greatest at everything she does for the rest of her life. That's just how parents are suppose to feel, right?!

I love this sweet girl so much!! I never thought I could love like this. Even in those moments that should be frustrating (like 3 am and she's been up for 2 hours already) I look at her and fall in love all over again! She truly is my heart outside of my body!!

Cute in Courduroy

Last Saturday, we made our first family outing. Dustin's cousins little girl, Riley Klare, was baptised at the Catholic church in Slaton. Of course, I had to dress Taylor up so that she would look cute for her first big outing. I love this pink and brown courduroy outfit. Micah and Melinda, some friends of ours, gave her this cute little outfit. I can tell I'm going to have lots of fun dressing up Taylor!

Tiny Feet

Taylor loves to stretch out her feet. Today, while she was sleeping, I took these pictures of her tiny feet. I love to look at all her tiny little features, especially her feet.

Got Sleep?

Well, we got sleep last night!! Taylor was very fussy at night the first two nights we had her at home. She thought it would be fun to be awake and cry between 1:00 am and 4:00 am both nights. Mom and Dad, on the other hand, didn't think it was very much fun. Last night, Dustin took the first feeding and was able to sleep from midnight - 1:30, then from 2:00 - 7:00. He had to go in for practice this morning. I slept from midnight - 3:30 then 4:00 - 8:00. It was so awesome!

In other news, Taylor went for a weight check yesterday. At 4 days old, she is already 1 ounce over her birth weight. Our little piglet weighs 8 lbs! She is such a great eater. She finishes her bottles in less than 15 minutes, burping and all. We even have the slowest nipple on, so I guess she's just really hungry. We bumped her up to 3 ounces at night, which I think it was attributed to the good nights sleep.

Here are some pictures of Miss Taylor this morning. We had some really fun wake time!

Just Hanging Out

Boy that light sure is bright!!
It sure is a tough life!
Check out the dimple on her left cheek. Her cheeks are so fat, we weren't sure if she had dimples, but there it is!
Staring at her daddy.
Dustin gave Taylor her first rose with a note that said "You inspire me." It's amazing that someone so new and small can inspire you, but it's so true.
A dozen beautiful roses from my hubby. I'm so blessed by him and his amazing love!!

Taylor has been an absolute doll all day! It has been so fun to have her home. I feel like she has brought strength to mine and Dustin's marriage (not that it was lacking...it just got that much better)! She makes me smile and laugh and brings more joy to my life than I could EVER have imagined. I knew I would love her, but it's more than words could ever describe!!!

We go to the pediatrician tomorrow for a weight and color check with the nurse. I'm interested to see what she weighs. She eats so stinkin' good! She always eats at least 1 1/4 ounces, most of the time all 2 ounces, and would keep going if we would let her. She hasn't hardly spit up at all either and never wastes a drop while we're feeding her. I'm so proud of her. Can you tell??!!

More Pictures!!

This is right before we brought her home. She really doesn't like it when she's not wrapped up like a burritto! We also think she looks a little like a boxer here with her scratch mittens on. She sure keeps her guard up!
Such a peaceful sleeper.
Wide eyed!!

Taylor Faith is HERE!!!

Please put me back in!!!

She takes after her daddy...7 lbs 15 oz!!!

Our little glow worm.

Taylor Faith blessed her mommy and daddy with her appearance on Monday, October 16 at 11:07 pm. She weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz and was 22 1/2 inches long!!! She is so perfect! I checked her little pinkie finger today and I found her daddy wrapped around it already. Here are a few pictures and you know good and well there will be more to come!

Early Labor

That's right, I'm in early labor! And I'm at home blogging!! We went to the hospital last night about 8 b/c my contractions were pretty bad and I was having really severe right belly pain. As it turns out, the right belly pain was contractions. Taylor's just hanging out on my right side, making the pain worse on that side. My contractions stayed between 1 to 4 minutes apart. Some of them were really big (between 70 and 90 on a scale of 100)! The problem is, I can't get past 2 cm dilated. The nurse said it is early labor, but that could last hours, even DAYS!!! The on call doctor had the nurse give me some Vicodin, then sent me on home after 5 hours, since I hadn't dilated any more. The Vicodin helped me to sleep about three hours, but that's it(and they didn't send me home with any extra pain meds). Unfortunately, the contractions haven't picked up in intensity or frequency, so I'm just at home waiting. Maybe I'll take a walk here pretty soon before it rains too much and see if that helps. I've started having back labor, which is no fun. The only thing that keeps me going is the fact that I'm going to get to hold my little girl very soon. I can't believe it!!! If you will, say a little prayer for us. I've been selfishly praying that she decides to make an appearance today.

Fred Flinestone Feet

So, for the last week now, I've had Fred Flinestone feet! It looks like someone blew into my big toe, and my feet blew up just like a balloon! They hurt pretty bad, and due to that and the fact that Taylor is dropping, I am also embracing the waddle. I have considered quacking when I walk, since people stare so much anyway! Atleast it would make for a good laugh.

It's been a long last couple of weeks, but I'm trying to just enjoy this time and not get too anxious. One of my favorite things is Taylor gets the hiccups atleast once a day, sometimes 2 or 3 times. It's so fun to feel her jump around in my belly. I love being this close to her and feeling her move around, but I totally can't wait to see her! We have set up the induction for this Thursday, unless she chooses to make an early appearance. I can't believe I will be holding my baby girl this time next week. It's so surreal!! I get so choked up each time I think about her finally being here. I already love her so much.

When I went to the doctor on Wednesday, he estimated her weight. I was thinking around 7 1/2 pounds. He shocked me when he said between 8 & 8 1/2 pounds!!!! Hmmmmm...and she's going to come out how??!! I guess there's no turning back now! Check back next week for pictures of our little bundle of joy!

Facing the Giants

Last night, a good friend of ours called to tell us about this movie that's out right now called "Facing the Giants." She said it is so good and we have to go see it. It was only suppose to show through last weekend, but is still there this week. We looked up the times and realized we had missed the 7:30 show and the next one was not until 10:30. We watched the trailer online and decided we HAD to go! Not many more weeks until we can't be this spotaneous, so we decided to go for it. And I am so glad we did. If you can, go see it this week...it's worth it!! Here is a link to the webpage where you can view the trailer. Here is a quick write up about the movie.

From the award-winning producers of FLYWHEEL comes a new, action-packed, family-friendly drama about a high school football coach who draws up a new game plan for his team … and himself.

In his six years of coaching, Grant Taylor has never had a winning season. Even the hope of a new season is squelched when the best player on his Shiloh Eagles decides to transfer schools. After losing their first three games of the season, the coach discovers a group of fathers are plotting to have him fired. Combined with pressures at home, Coach Taylor has lost hope in his battle against fear and failure.

However, an unexpected challenge helps him find a purpose bigger than just victories. Daring to trust God to do the impossible, Coach Taylor and the Eagles discover how faith plays out on the field … and off.

With God, all things are possible …