Kristin Owen

Taylor's Bird-day Bash

2011-08-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Bird-day, dear Taylor.

A very happy bird-day it was.

You won't remember it of course,

but it was beautiful.

Your Nonna and Grandma

are both thrilled to share

a birthday with you, dear one.

My favorite part

of this beautiful day

was that so many people

that absolutely cherish you, Tay,

were all gathered together

in one place.

Just look at how much love

is on their face.

I think I'll agree with Eli

and say the party was so fly.

You performed quite nicely

for it to just be your first birthday.

You even knew when to bite.

And when to hug.

And when to check your rearview mirrors

for signs of chunky cousin thugs.

Don't worry,

Tuh-Tuh, is busy snuggling.

And your best performance

would have to be

when the cake came out.

You got bashful all of a sudden.

It was oh so cute, you see.

You loved the laughs.

You loved the smiles.

And when that candle came out

you didn't know what to do

with it's bright flame.

So, mommy and daddy of course helped you.

But you knew...

Exactly what to do...

With that yummy cake

that daddy made just for you.

It was a beautiful party

with all of our family

and friends

and loved ones.

Thankful for you, sweet child.

And thankful for ones to love you.

Almost as much as we do.

One Year Old, Dear Taylor

2011-08-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

Dear Taylor,

One. Year. Old. You have turned 1 year old. That means you have been with our family for one whole year, not counting in belly time. It was such a wonderful year. When I look back on it, I am blown away. One year ago, our family was not quite complete. Yes, we were happy. But, my oh my, the JOY that God brought to us through you, our daughter. We thank God many times a day for the blessing He gave us. I could not have imagined the love that would burst forth from our hearts for you. I really do feel, like the Grinch, that our hearts grew 3 sizes somehow. How else would they have been able to hold the love that we feel for you? I say this every time, but we adore you. Someday you will know and understand the love that we feel for you. Your daddy absolutely adores you. You have stolen his heart.

Throughout this year so much has changed in our family. It is very hard to remember what it was like without you. This year we have been able to witness all the wonderful things you have learned and the ways you have developed. You have put on quite a show for us. Especially in these past two months. Here's what you've been up to.

You've started taking steps on your own. You had been pulling up and cruising for a while, and even standing up in the middle of the floor, but as soon as we would try to get you to let go and walk, you would flop that bottom down as fast as could be. But at the Carter's house at 11 1/2 months, you stood up out of nowhere and took 3 steps towards mommy. It was surprising and amazing to say the least. After that we could only get you to take steps when you were in the mood to. The most we got you to take was 8 steps.

You've started walking! This actually happened after a year, around 13 months, but I thought I'd mention it here. One day you just decided that you liked walking better than crawling. You then began walking all over the house just for the fun of it. I watched you walk around and around through the living room, through the dining room, and around again. It's so fun to see you mobile and loving it. Sometimes when you get too excited, you fall down and resort to crawling. But besides that, you are a walker.

You are talking/babbling a lot. I love the sound of your voice. You've started saying a few other words. You say "Z" for Zissou. "Tuh-Tuh" for Tucker. "P" for please. "Bebe" for baby. "Tees" for cheese. "Tan too" for thank you. "Bu" for book. And you sing and babble constantly. Love it.

You say no and shake your head. It's so funny. When we tell you no, or you go near something you're not supposed to touch, you will tell yourself no and shake your head. At least we know you understand.

You say the animal noises for dogs, elephants, horses, and ducks.

You can point to eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, ears, and hair.

When we say, "Where's the baby?" you lift up mommy's shirt. And sometimes we can get you to give the baby a kiss. You will lift up other people's shirts too, so I know you don't understand, but it's still funny.

You are obedient. For the most part, you obey quickly and respond to discipline from mommy. It's shocking how much you dislike when daddy gets on to you. All he has to do is look at you sternly, and you pout up and the tears start flowing. He has some power, that's for sure.

You are very into music. When you hear it, you dance by bouncing your knees. You heard a song with a ukulele in it, and immediately said, "Dada". I think it's because you recognized that your daddy plays that sound at bedtime for you. So amazing. You've got better ears for music than I ever did.

You have become much more snuggly. Hooray. You'll come up to mommy and wrap your arms around my neck and squeeze. I love it. Every time it happens, mommy almost cries.

You love babies. Love them. You want to hug and pick up real babies when you see them. You've also grown attached to your own baby dolls. You will carry them around the house and pat them and hug and kiss them on the head. It is precious to watch you develop that nurturing mothering spirit.

You are in the 3rd percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height. Ha. Your doc didn't even mention it last visit; I just happened to see it on the sheet. I'm not worried. You weigh 18 pounds. You are petite. I've accepted that. But you are looking a little chubbier these days. You wear 9-12 month clothes, size 3 diapers, and size 3 shoes.

You eat a lot. You eat a healthy amount at all three meals, and you also have an afternoon snack.

You are (almost) weaned off the bottle. We slowly got you used to milk by mixing more and more with the formula. You like the taste. The problem is that you are not very thirsty. I have to coax you to drink. So you are still getting a bottle at night, but only because I can get you to drink a lot of milk with a bottle. You don't drink as much with a cup. I just want to make sure you are getting enough milk, little girl.

You now have 6 teeth. 4 on the top middle, and the 2 on the bottom middle.

You had a nasty diaper rash. Oh man. One morning when I went to get you out of bed, I could smell that you had pooped. It had to have happened early in the morning, but you didn't let me know. So it caused a mean rash. Then you did it again the next 2 mornings. That wasn't helping clear up the rash. You stopped after that, thankfully. I let you walk around the house naked a lot to help clear up the rash, and you loved it. One day, you were walking around, and a plop of poop fell out. I picked you up to clean you up. When I turned back around, the poop was gone. And there stood Zissou looking quite satisfied. Gross. Gross. Gross. Oh well.

You sign please like it's going out of style. It's always easy to understand what you want. You'll sign please like crazy. We've noticed sometimes please means 'give me' and you don't like it when we have to say no. But it's still pretty adorable to see you asking for something fervently with please.

We absolutely love you, dear Taylor.

Mommy

A Year Old Am I

2011-08-13T19:07:00.001-07:00

Hello all. I am delighted to inform you that I come to my first year anniversary, some call it birthday. What a glorious first year it has been. Everyone tells me I've accomplished quite a bit in this short amount of time. I'll let my mommy tell you all about it later.

Right now, I'd like to share some photos from my one year old photo shoot. My Auntie Ha Ha was so kind as to take them for me. You can't see in the pictures, but my mommy is acting a fool behind the camera to get me to smile. I found it hilarious that she went to such lengths, but shhh, don't tell her, I only smiled to make her feel better. So here goes. Enjoy.

9 (and a half) Months

2011-04-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

Yep.

That's right, my peeps.

I am mobile and loving it.

Don't blink.

Or look away.

Cause if ya do.

I'll steal your keys.

But, seriously. This is Baby Taylor coming at ya. I am 9 (and a half) months old. Mom is a little late posting this. I've been waiting and waiting, and she finally got around to letting me borrow the computer so I could let ya'll know all the cool stuff I've been up to.

You're excited, aren't you?

I can see it in your eyes.

Here goes.

Crawling - I am crawling. Mom and dad had to bribe me with puffs to get me going the first time, but it worked. And since then, I get around quite nicely. I started out dragging my legs army style, but I've learned to stay up on my knees. Sometimes I even pull myself along one leg at a time. I'm not fast, unless I really want something; slow and steady is my motto.

Nursing - Mommy finally got my hints about being done with nursing. I tried to be difficult to let her know I was done, and she finally caught on. I have been 'off the mom' for a week now, and boy do I like the bottle. It allows me more freedom. (But in all honesty, I do miss my mom. I know she misses me.) Sidenote from Kristin: I wrote a post here about my struggles with nursing and how I worried it was over at 6 months, but I got a major blessing and made it 3 more months. I am very thankful.

Eating - I am a funny eater, I'll admit it. Sometimes I eat a lot; sometimes I won't eat anything. I have decided to boycott store "baby food". No more of that yucky stuff for me. I am very opinionated. If I don't like it; I won't eat it. Mama has been kind enough to start making my food for me. I prefer sweet potatoes and bananas. But she has been coaxing me to try new things. So far I also will eat green beans, spinach, avocado, plums, and carrots. She's been giving them to me chunky, because I like the texture better. That way I can practice my chewing.

Dental - I now have two teeth, and boy are they sharp. I know they are sharp, because I've bitten mom a few times, and she always makes a horrible face. I especially like to bite her when I'm pretending to give her a kiss. Man, I'm hilarious.

Social - I still love people. I am very entertained just to sit and watch them. They do the funniest things. Sometimes they will dance around in front of me and sing songs and make noises like animals. Boy, if they could only see how silly they look.

Verbal - I now choose to say Dada. I like to say it all the time. I know that it means the man who takes care of me, but it's fun to say it all day long, even if he's not there. I've also discovered that the word Mama is not just to be used when I am upset about something. I can also use it when I want the pretty lady to pick me up or give me attention. I also just ramble about nothing a lot. I enjoy talking; it's something to pass the time.

Walking - I am pretty good at pulling myself up now. I can cruise along things quite well.

Musical - I really love playing Patty Cake with the pretty lady. She claps, and I grab her hands and help her. It is a blast; let me tell you.

Coordination - I finally figured out how to hit my palms together. I think the big people call it clapping. It makes a silly noise. You can clap at just about anything, and the big people will ooh and ahh all over you. Helpful hint for aspiring babies out there.

New fun - Dada has started turning the world upside down for me, and I can't control my laughter. I think he is a magician. He does some of the most amazing things. I also enjoy playing with blocks. I especially like to take things out of containers and just spread them all around the floor. It is very fun to pull books off shelves. Oh, and stuffed animals are nice and snuggly. They are fun to bite and squeeze. I like books, but mostly to turn the pages. Oh, and keys. Keys are the bomb dot com. If you take them away from me, I will scream.

Physical - I weigh 15 pounds, don't judge me. They say I am petite. My red hair, yes red, is slowly growing longer. Right now it is fuzzy and soft. Daddy likes to rub my head. I think it's funny.

Okay, enough details. Now for some peeks at my photo shoot. There are a lot, because mommy couldn't narrow it down to just a few. So enjoy. All 100 of them. Not really, but close.

Favorite past time: flying.

Mohawks are in style. As are granny necklaces.

What is this thing?

He loves me...

He loves me not...

He loves me.

You're sure I'm not supposed to eat this thing?

Hey, Mr. Monkey.

I been looking all over for you.

And this bell too.

I do not know where all these came from. It wasn't me.

Say what?

Let me just check that out for you.

Almost there.

Now, how can I help you?

Upside down.

I wanna turn the whole world upside down.

You should totally give it a try.

Happy 9 Months to Me!

She's 8 Months... True Story.

2011-02-24T06:45:00.000-08:00

What?!

I don't believe you.

Did you hear what my Mommy said?

Am I really 8 months already?

Yes, dear Taylor it's true. You are indeed 8 marvelous months old. And oh my, the things you've been up to. You're practically a grown-up. Oh, and we love you.

Here are all the things you've been up to:

Waving- you are getting really good at waving. You of course pick and choose when and who you wave to, but it's still so fun.
High Fives- just the other day, mommy thought she'd show you how to do a high five. And of course you picked up on it right away. Well done. You think it's very funny.
Sink bath- Mommy (along with Lynnie, Auntie Ha Ha, Abbitha, and Laines) gave you your first sink bath at the beach. You enjoyed it. Mostly, we enjoyed taking your picture.
Rocking on knees- you have no interest in crawling...none. But sometimes we can trick you into playing on your belly. You can push up onto your knees and rock for a few seconds, then plop back down onto your belly.
Tooth- after fever and fussiness, a tooth has begun to make an appearance. It's barely poking through on the bottom middle left, but it is there. Hoozah.
Pushing backwards- you can push yourself backwards and go sideways, but not forward.
Love to stand- you hold your little hands up and grab for our fingers ALL THE TIME. You love standing up. Mommy is having a hard time, because she wants you to crawl first, but is torn because of how much you love standing.
Walk with hands- you can move one foot in front of the other while we hold your hands.
Kick legs when you want something- it is easy to tell when you want someone or something, because you hold your arms out and kick those little legs trying to propel yourself forward. So cute.
Beach- you went to the beach for the first time this past week with Lynnie and the girls.
Sand- ehh. Not a fan yet, but you will be.
Swimming- Lynnie suggested dunking you under the water, and mommy said why not. So Mommy dunked you, you came up looking surprised, but didn't cry. She believed you loved it. So she did it again.
Eating habits- you still nurse 4 times a day. You will eat only oatmeal for breakfast. You eat veggies (sweet potatoes, squash, and carrots) and fruits (bananas and pears) with the other 3 feedings. You take a bottle around 6:30. You started eating more this month, but since the tooth made an appearance, you've started boycotting food. Hmm.
Sleeping habits- your sleep hasn't changed. Wake up around 6:30. Nap from 7:30-9:00. Nap from 12:00-1:30. Sometimes nap from 4:00-5:00. Bedtime at 7:00. You mostly stick to that schedule, but you of course switch it up all the time. Since the tooth, you've been waking up at 5, nursing and going back to sleep next to Mommy. She's not complaining.
Mama- You can say mama, but you only say it when you are upset or want something. So, we need to work on saying it when you are happy too. Ok? Deal.
Kiss noise- you learned how to smack like you are kissing. We are working on the blowing part of the kiss.
Tongue out- you just started sticking that tongue out all the time...Michael Jordan style.
Recognize names of Mommy, Daddy, Zissou- when I ask where they are, you look directly at them.
Piggyback- you love being wrapped on my back...you love being wrapped any way.
In love with daddy- nuff said. I wish I could explain the way your face lights up when he enters the room.
Recognize voices- Daddy was talking in a meeting, and you immediately tried to find him.

Favorite toys:

Facebook- Daddy's name for a picture book of family members. You pat their faces.
Scout the dog- you love to hear his voice.
Blankie- you burrow your little head in it as soon as it's in your hands.
Crazy monkey- he makes you laugh.
Music table- it's fun to stand and push the buttons to hear the music.
Rattle- it's your only real rattle. I thought babies were supposed to have lots of rattles.
Songbird- we keep it at your changing table and it always makes you smile. always.
Outside Swing- you love it; we put you in and you immediately relax and turn lethargic.
Sophie the Giraffe - daddy says Sophie is more of a best friend than a toy.

Your personality:

joyful
observant
inquisitive
analytical
expressive
smiley
playful
extroverted
petite
opinionated
uncertain
happy

Yep, you are pretty amazing, kid. Pretty amazing.

The End.

These beautimus photos were taken by none other than the Haley Richter.
Yes, I know she is talented.

Kiddos

2011-02-22T21:25:00.000-08:00

I'm a teacher. Did you know that?

Sometimes I forget.

This past Sunday I started helping in the nursery again. I just started volunteering for one Sunday a month with the 2's. I haven't helped since before I got pregnant.

That's a long time.

Wanna know a secret?

I loved it.

Like, really loved it.

I mean of course I loved it. I'm a teacher. Did I mention that? I'm wired to teach. I didn't even actually teach these kids, though. I just played with them. And loved on them. That was enough.

I'm wired to kids. And I've missed them. And, yes, my first calling is to teach Taylor and future little Owen babies. But I'm also called to teach other kiddos. Other people's kiddos.

Did you know there is a whole bunch of kids up at church every Sunday morning?

And they are just waiting on me to play and love and teach them.

So, we'll see what happens.

I need to talk to God about it.

Beach Baby

2011-02-20T20:00:00.001-08:00

This past week I got the chance to take Taylor to the beach for the first time.

Lynn, aka Lynnie, aka Pooh, aka Gigi, aka Wynnie, aka we're not exactly for sure what she's going to be called yet, invited us to stay with her while she was there. For those of you who don't know, Pops and Lynnie are Taylor's Godparents. They have become like family to us, and it helps since we miss our families living close by.

Some of our life group girls were able to come with us, oh the joys of homeschooling. Two of them happen to be wonderfully gifted at taking pictures. And my baby just happens to be good at having her picture taken, so the girls gladly consented to snap a 'few' photos of sweet baby Tay. All these photos were taken by Haley Richter. Yes, she is quite talented. So, enjoy Taylor's first beach trip in pictures. Just for fun, I'll guess what Taylor is thinking and provide captions.

"Wow, it's bright out here. Why are you putting me down?"

"Um, what did you set me on? Maybe I should sit really still and be careful?"

"I guess I should just pick some of it up to investigate further."

"Ick, it feels really weird in my hands. No, seriously, really weird."

"Ugh, get it off my knee. Why is it on my knee?"

"Aw mom, I can't get it off my hands. Why is it sticking to me?"

"Like it? Do you see my face? Do I look like I like it?"

"Okay, super bored now. Can we go in?"

"Let's check out the water now."

"What is that? I'm not so sure about this."

"Um, no. Do you know how cold that is? Why do you get to wear a jacket?"

"I think I'll just play over here on my blanket where it's safe."

"It is fun to walk in this stuff."

"Mommy, what big feet you have."

"This is what I'm talking about. This is where the fun is."

Happy beach trip, Taylor!

Sink Time

2011-02-20T18:46:00.000-08:00

Scrub

dub

Taylor's

the

sink.

For her first sink time bath.

I wrote that myself.

Maybe.

Maybe I borrowed a few words.

And maybe I didn't even take these pics.

Maybe fantastic Haley Richter took them.

Or for sure she did.

Beautiful little girl. Beautiful pics. Beautiful all around.

Toy or Food? You decide.

2011-01-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

She sees it.
Toy or food?

Then she goes for it. Gotta investigate it further.

Gets a hold of it. Tries to see if she can talk it down; get it to fess up.

Contemplates...thinking...thinking. Toy? Food?

And, food it is.

We'll work on peeling later.

Playtime with a Doll

2011-01-26T14:00:00.000-08:00

Seven Months.

2011-01-25T07:43:00.000-08:00

Dear Taylor,

You are 7 months old today. At least you are in 'real' life. In my imagination, you are still 6 months. I think I'm just going to keep you there, if you don't mind.

You are such a delight to all. When I pray for you, I am always reminded of how much you are loved. Not just by Mommy and Daddy and Zissou, but by so many other people. I pray that you would take that love that you've been given, realize that it comes from God, and then give it all back. You are loved, baby girl, so loved.

Here is what you've been up to lately:

Food - you are eating food now. So far you like sweet potatoes, pears, and squash. I am slowly adding and introducing new stuff as we go. You are not a super big eater, but you are doing well.
Scooting - you've gotten good at scooting around on the floor. Backwards, not forwards. I will put a toy down as bait, and you will focus on it intently, and then slowly back away from it. But I know you want so bad to go towards it. All in good time, doll.
Weaning - you won't nurse before bed anymore. I'm having to give you a bottle instead. You still nurse during the day, but I sometimes supplement. Sometimes you want nothing to do with nursing, other times you act normal. I'm not sure why. We are still trying, though.
Pulling up - you've pulled yourself up a few times. You want to more, but you're not quite sure how to maneuver all the body parts yet to make that happen.
Standing - you love to stand. You like to hold our fingers tightly and look on with glee. You also like to hold on to your Bumbo seat while standing. It's quite funny.
Athletic skills - you are practicing your bball skills by palming clementines. Maybe you could teach Daddy. :-)
Music skills - you and Daddy have been playing on the piano. You love it. Your little legs kick like crazy, and you get so excited.
Soft hiney - you started using cloth diapers this week. So far you love them.
Pincher - you are so good at holding things with your hands and manipulating them. I would give you food to pinch, if only you had some teeth.

And now, of course, some 7 month pics. Mommy loves taking your picture.
Sweet, baby girl.

"I Wanna Crawl So Bad"

2011-01-23T15:50:00.000-08:00

Taylor really wants to crawl.
She keeps trying, but doesn't get very far.
It's still cute to see her trying. Ya wanna see?
(In all truthfulness, this is a post just to show off some cute pics of my baby.)
Enjoy.

Precious.

Here it Goes.

2011-01-22T18:57:00.001-08:00

Well, I decided to bite the bullet and just do it, Nike style...that is, cloth diapering. I wanted to use cloth diapers as soon as Taylor was born, but I was intimidated or maybe lazy, not sure which. And now over 6 months later, I am finally giving it a go.

I researched and researched and researched...

Did you know that there is a whole other language for cloth diapering? All these funny words and phrases and types of diapers. I still don't know the language fully. It's a lot.

So, anyways, I researched to find the right diaper for us.

Also, did you know that cloth diapers are not what they used to be? They have some that are just as easy as regular diapers. It's quite amazing.

I ordered a few different types to try out. So far it's going really well. It's not bad. At all.

I am using BumGenious diapers. I got three kinds.

Flip - basically a diaper cover with a pad. She can wear it all day; I just change the pad.
All in ones - just like a regular diaper. Except I wash it instead of throw it away.
4.0 - like a regular diaper with a pad. You take the pad out, but still wash whole diaper.

I'm not sure which I like best so far. The flip and 4.0 are adjustable so I can use them as Taylor grows. The all in ones are SUPER easy. The flip are the most inexpensive because you need less of them, but more inserts.

And if I could just brag for a second. Today we had our first poopy in the cloth diaper. Taylor, not me. And you know what I did. I scraped the poopy into the toilet with toilet paper, and then I rinsed it out in the sink. With my bare hands. Ya, that's right. Be jealous.

Baby poop does not phase me anymore.

I am excited about these diapers. Here are my reasons for using them:

They are so soft and comfy on her little hiney.
Better for baby bottoms.
They are cheaper in the long run.
I will be able to use them for the rest of my kids, because they are durable.
Less waste, like trash, not poopy waste.
These bad boys are adjustable. Which means the diapers grow with the child. So cool.

Taylor really wanted to model her new diapers, so here goes.

Front view. Looking good kid, looking good.

A little side action. She's showing off the curves.

Ahh, big booty, big booty, big booty. Ahh ya, big booty.
It does make her hiney bigger, but we've talked about it, and she's okay with it.

Pause, while I kiss that cute belly.

Taylor gives them... two thumbs up. Her hiney gives them... pee and poop.

P.S. That kid is 5th percentile for weight. Really?

A Mother's Blessing

2011-01-10T17:42:00.000-08:00

What a blessing this has been. Nursing my sweet child. It was something I had been anticipating from the beginning; something I so desperately wanted, but at the same time feared. Thankfully, God allowed me this blessing. And I have cherished it...absolutely cherished it.

There have been times when I almost quit. Times when the uncertainty and doubt almost swallowed me whole, but I felt called to persevere. And persevere I did. With my trusty pump in hand, I fought for this. And God proved faithful. He has given me 6 full months of breastfeeding my child, and I am so very thankful to Him.

I thought I was finished about a month ago when Taylor didn't seem to be getting satisfied, but after pumping like a fool, the problem was fixed. It was then that I came to terms with the possibility that I might be done nursing, and surprisingly I was okay with it. Don't get me wrong, I would love to nurse all the way to a year. But I am not in control here. God helped me realize that if I didn't make it to a year, it would be okay.

I'm not quite sure, but I feel as if it is coming to an end. Taylor seems to be starting to wean herself. We started oatmeal last Monday, and have been trying fruits and vegetables also. The oatmeal is made with formula because after a period of supplementing when the supply wasn't meeting the demand, I used up all of my frozen stash. She is getting used to the formula now, and almost seems to prefer it. I am going to continue to offer her to nurse as long as she wants, and supplement with formula like I've been doing. But I don't know how long it's going to last.

Now that it might be happening for real, I have mixed emotions. I have accepted that it is okay if she does end up weaning herself. But at the same time, I am so very sad. As I'm typing this, my eyes are welling up with tears. This has been such a wonderful time of bonding with my sweet baby girl. She is not a snuggly baby, so nursing has been a great way for me to get my snuggles and bonding in with her.

Today, while I was nursing her, I asked Jonathan to take some (modest) pics for me. I am so glad he did. These pictures will be a great reminder of the time I was given to nurse my child.

To help me remember.

To remember the way she would reach up and touch my face while she nursed, and the way she clutched at my clothing and skin.

To remember the many hours I spent gazing and caressing her sweet face. All the while thanking God for this little bundle of blessing in my arms.

To remember the times she would look up at me out of nowhere and smile at me with such love and delight.

To remember the times she fell asleep nestled snug against me, and I just watched her.

To remember this special time I was given to spend with my firstborn child.
A blessing indeed...this motherhood thing...a blessing indeed.

Side-note: I struggled with whether or not I should publish this post. I would hate to offend or upset anyone. But this is my blog; a way for me to document this time with my precious child. And this is important to me; so in the end you can see what I decided to do.
I hope ya'll don't mind.

Daddy's LIttle Monkey

2011-01-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

Don't you just wanna eat her?

Daddy gave her this hat as a surprise Christmas present.

What a sweet Daddy you've got there, Taylor.

For real, he is the best Daddy ever.

But you already know that.

Bath Time Bliss

2011-01-10T15:41:00.001-08:00

warning: contains some nudity. cute little baby nudity. viewers may be blinded by cuteness.

Dear Taylor,

Have I mentioned how much we love you? Well, just so you don't forget, I'll say it again. We love you to pieces. You have been doing some very exciting new things lately. One of them is sitting up. You have started sitting up beautifully. All I do is set you down in a sitting position, put a pillow behind you for safety, and you do the rest.

So, mommy thought, "Hmm, what about bath time? Would the sitting up apply there as well?"

We decided to test it, and not to spoil the ending for you, but we think you did swimmingly.

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Mommy always puts your feet in the water to try and get you to pee-pee in your diaper one last time before going into the water all the way.

You love this rubber ducky that Old Lady gave to you. It was one of your very first presents when mommy and daddy found out you were coming.

When you drop a toy, you've learned it floats away in the water, so you frantically dive after anything you drop.

Now that you can sit up in the water, I think bath time is much more fun for you. You play a whole lot more.

You're even learning to submerge things under water. You will hold toys under, and then quickly pull them up for air. Look at those little baby toes. Yum yum.

Look at that hair coming in, doll baby. It's looking red. Mommy is super excited about that.

Sorry, dear. We had to put a few cute little hiney pics. Couldn't resist.

Mommy is amazed at how well you are sitting up.

You have the prettiest blue eyes, a dimpled nose, and big pouty lips. Love.

Mommy can't believe how grown up you are getting. Please slow down.

And that's all, folks.

Half a Year

2011-01-04T18:24:00.000-08:00

Dear Taylor,

I'm a little late writing this post, since your half-birthday just happens to fall on Christmas day. And we were kind of busy, ya know, taking your picture and ooohing and ahhhhing at your cuteness. You have officially been out of the womb for half a year. I decided to say half a year, because six months sounds older to me. Anyways, I can't even believe it.

By half a year you can:

Sit up on your own! Go baby girl. If I place you in a sitting position, you can hold it for a very long time. You will play with toys while sitting upright. I think you feel accomplished now that you can sit up. Like you have a whole new view of life. You even take baths sitting up now. You love it.
Roll over quite well both ways. Whenever I check the baby monitor at night, I never know how you will be sleeping. You are so good at changing positions on your own without waking up. You might be on your left side, then on your belly, then on your back with your arms above your head, then to your right side. I'm so glad you manage to self-soothe yourself if you do happen to wake up.
Sleep through the night like a champ...11 hours baby. I realize that I sometimes take that for granted. I know that is not always the case in babies your age, and I am so thankful. You still go to sleep on your own and self-soothe if you wake in the night. It's so funny because when you get too sleepy, you are ready to be put in that crib. No snuggling for you. You want us to lay you down, so you can put your two fingers in your mouth, grab your blankie, roll to your side, and drift off to dreamland.
Eat oatmeal. I finally gave in and decided to give you oatmeal. You didn't like the texture at all at first, but you've warmed up to it. After 3 days, you've already learned not to grab the spoon. We are starting vegetables and fruit next week. Yum.
Wave. This has only happened twice, but you did it. Yesterday, I realized that I hadn't even shown you how to wave. Silly, I know. So we practiced a few times in the mirror and waved to daddy as we entered and left the room. You thought it was fun, but made no effort to wave on your own. I didn't really expect you to on the first day. But that night you were hanging out at the Settle's house, and you just out of nowhere decided to wave to Zac and Megan. And then today you waved at me while I was cleaning up the kitchen. You smart little thing, you. This has made mommy realize that she needs to get busier with the instructing.
Practice baby signing. Mommy has been excited about starting this, but didn't know if you were ready. After your wave, she decided it was time. We are working on just a few to start with: please, milk, all done. You are not a fan of mommy moving your hands to make the signs, but you'll get used to it. You pay really close attention when mommy makes the signs herself, though.
Take a shower. When we were in a hurry, mommy just held you under the shower while daddy bathed you. You loved it. When the water would touch any part of your head, you would close your eyes and scrunch up your shoulders. I guess to prepare for water in the face. So cute.
Blow raspberries. You started doing these when you were upset, but now you will blow them at random.
Manipulate objects very well with your hands. When mommy hands you an object, you always check it out. You will look at one side, and then turn it around to check out all the other sides. It's very impressive. You even did it with your Christmas stocking; you checked out the stocking from all angles.
Still take 3 naps a day. Mommy is trying to get you to 2 longer naps; one in the morning, and one in the afternoon, but you still like 3 naps. We did drop the late afternoon nap, though.
You love your daddy. Whenever he is around, you want his attention. You already think he is so funny, and your face lights up when he smiles at you.
You watch people. You are constantly observing and studying people. You carefully watch their faces. You like to play a little game with mommy and daddy where we don't look at you. You will not take your eyes off us until we do. And when we finally do, you almost explode with excitement.
Excitement. When you are excited, you will flap your arms like you are flying and make this panting sound. It's so cute. It makes it very easy for mommy to know what you want.
You love peek-a-boo. You like when mommy or daddy pop out at your from behind things. You have just started trying to peek-a-boo yourself. You will take a blanket and lift it over your head and duck your head down, then drop the blanket, and smile so big.
You lift toys above your head. Part of your play involves you lifting the toys over your head. I don't know why that's fun, but it is.
Play. Your favorite toys: Scout the bear. Sophie the giraffe. Noise stick. Pink blankie. Music table. Teething brush. Mommy's phone. Giraffe blankie. Song bird. Books. You play well on your own, but mommy has to hide so you don't get distracted by her.
Still trying to crawl. You still raise that cute little bottom in the air and push with your legs, but you don't get farther than a scoot.
Milk. I still breastfeed 5 times a day and none during the night.
Clothes. You are wearing size 1 diapers still, but mommy just decided to move you to size 2. Tiny thing. You are in size 6 month clothing mostly except for pants. You need size 3 month pants/skirts for the tiny waist, but size 6 for the length. So we don't wear pants much, mostly leggings, onesies, and dresses.
Doctor. At your 6 month check-up you weighed 13 pounds and were 26 inches long. That puts you in the 5th, yes 5th, percentile for weight and 50th percentile for length. Mommy loves Dr. Stone because he doesn't make her feel bad that you are small. He reminds her that people come in all shapes and sizes, and yours happens to be petite. He just encouraged me to start fruits and vegetables and to make food readily available to you.
You've traveled quite a bit. You've been to Virginia (3 times), Washington, D.C., North Carolina, Huntsville, and Cullman.
You've stayed with several people. You've been sat on by Lynn, Aunt Heather, the Sleepers, the Wigintons, the Kennedys, the Settles. And of course Nonna, Aunt Jyme, and Grandma.

We are so in love with you, baby girl.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

It's Santa...It's Really Him!

2010-12-29T20:48:00.000-08:00

Dear Taylor,

This post is long overdue, but I think you will find it in your heart to forgive mommy. She forgot about it, but here we go anyways. Today was a special day for a fun reason. Today you met Santa for the first time. We went to the Galleria, and I can honestly say, mommy completely expected you to cry when Santa held you. But you were indifferent, I mean brave.

While waiting for Santa, which by the way was not as long as the movies make it out to be, we managed to get some cute shots of you and mommy.

See Santa in the background? We are almost there.

Santa needed a drink, so we checked him out while we waited.

See, he's not so bad.

The kids in front of us came back for more when they realized that Santa wasn't so scary.

And I think to tell him a few more things from their list.

Finally, you got your turn with Santa. Yes, make sure you check him over carefully.

Look to mommy for moral support.

Make an attempt as escaping.

But then decided there was no use...he is Santa you know.

After Santa, we got some real smiles from you when you posed with Daddy.

Santa was pretty cool, but I think you know Daddy beats out Santa every time.

Taylor's Christmas in 30 Pictures

2010-12-29T13:40:00.001-08:00

This was Taylor's very 1st Christmas.
Our 1st Christmas with a baby.
And what a wonderful Christmas it was.
A baby makes Christmas special.
I can kinda understand God's reasoning for a baby.
The baby Jesus.
He made it even more special than I can fathom.
Beautiful.

I didn't think it was going to be too exciting yet, with Taylor being so young and all...

But, boy was she a doll.

I mean, look at her, adorable.

She started sitting up so great all by herself.

She blew tons of raspberries.

And more raspberries.

She attempted to crawl.

She ate plates...Grinch style.

She was adored by all.

She even got to open her very 1st stocking.

She just needed to check it out from all angles first.

She decided it was safe.

She reflected (chewed) upon the real meaning of Christmas.

She even watched Zissou open his stocking.

He enjoyed it with his bum leg and all.

And then, when Mommy wasn't paying attention...

This sweet little girl...

Bit the carpet.

Mommy-fail. It happens.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight.

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Here are some more photos from our trip.

Taylor's first ride in an umbrella stroller (as a pink bear).
I almost ate her...I'm not even kidding.

Pic with Grandma.

Listening to Granddaddy.

Playing with her favorite toy of the trip...a bell.

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Oh, and since I have very few photos of Taylor and Mommy, here is a fun photo shoot.

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Oh, and it was my birthday. More on that later.

Well, that was fun.
I hope you enjoyed it.

Trees and Traditions and Ornaments, Oh My!

2010-12-01T18:20:00.000-08:00

Trees and Traditions and Ornaments, Oh My!

Here she is all dolled up...our Christmas tree. I love real trees. I love colored lights. The large ones. I love simple, plain, tree decorations. That's just me. I truly love this tree. It is perfect.

It was so exciting this year, because we added a stocking for Taylor. And to be fair, we decided Zissou deserved one as well. Stockings are my favorite thing to open on Christmas morning. They are kind of a big deal to me. Good thing Jonathan knows that; he always does such a great job of filling my stocking.

Oh and that box thing on the mantle is super exciting as well. It has a little door for all 25 days of Christmas. We are starting a tradition where we put written activities and little treats in the doors, and every day we open up a door to see what is the special activity or treat for that day. I think our child(ren) will love that tradition.

Another tradition we have is that we each get to pick out a new ornament every year. Our tree has a small amount of ornaments right now, but we are slowly building our collection. This year we sort of went with bird themed ornaments. It just happened.

Jonathan's owl.

My owl.

Taylor's baby birdie.

Zissou's birdie.

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Oh, and here are some of my favorite ornaments.

This one I made in 1st grade. My friend's mom, Mrs. Cathy, brought these okra for us to make Santa's out of. I have kept it since. And I love it the most.

This is Mr. Sock Monkey. It is special because it reminds be of Becca.

Oh, and to add a little fright we have Jack the Pumpkin King. Painted by Jonathan.

Where the Wild Things Are.
(representing the book and not the boo scary movie version)

The Toys from the Island of Misfit Toys. Love clay movies. Love them.
(Fun fact: Do you know the doll's problem? She has emotional problems. Weird, huh?)

Jonathan gets me a Starbucks one whenever they come out with a new one.

This is just one of them.

Those are just a couple of my favorite ornaments and traditions.

Can I hear/see about your favorite traditions/ornaments?

Pretty please.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

2010-11-29T19:30:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again! Christmas tree hunting!

I confessed last year in a blog post of my snobbishness regarding 'real' trees vs. 'fake' trees. This year I thought I'd just post a few pics of our annual Christmas Tree Chopping.

It was Taylor's 1st year to participate, and as you can tell, she loved it.

See the delight in her eyes.

We found the perfect tree, and daddy cut it down while we watched.

We rode on a hay ride.

We saw real, genuine reindeer.

We played with Mommy's hat.

We grabbed the camera.

And, we looked cute.

All in all a super fun day.

What a great tradition!

I do love a real tree.

Dedicated to the Lord

2010-11-29T17:10:00.000-08:00

Dear Taylor,

Last Sunday was a momentous day in your life. Last Sunday, we dedicated you to the Lord. It was everything I had hoped it would be. It was honoring to the Lord and that's all we could have asked. Your daddy and I were so overjoyed. It was such a blessing to be able to make those commitments to "raise you in the truth". You were surrounded by people who care deeply about you: your family and friends. Even Granddaddy got to pray for you. I am so thankful for the support we have. People who I know will keep their promises to direct you closer to Him in any way they can.

The first time I came to a baby dedication, I was mesmerized by Pastor Harry's prayers. I loved the fact that he prayed such specific prayers for each baby that was being dedicated. I could not wait until the day that we had our own little baby, and we got to hear Pastor Harry's special prayer for him/her.

Well that baby turned out to be you, Taylor, and we could not have been happier.

I had asked Old Lady to write down Pastor Harry's specific prayer, so we could have it for you. Well, when I got back to my seat after the dedication, Old Lady looked a little worried. I asked if she was able to get the prayer written down. Her reply was so funny. "I'm so sorry. I tried to write it all down, but he was going too fast, I couldn't get it all. I tried. It was just too hard." The poor dear was almost in tears. She knew how much it meant to me to have that prayer. Such a sweetie.

Anyways, it all turned out okay, because the sound people (thanks J.C. and Michelle) recorded the whole baby dedication, so I was still able to get the prayer.

Here it is baby, girl. I hope it means as much to you some day as it does to me.

"Lord, we celebrate today the gift that Taylor Francis is to Jonathan and Kristin. Their firstborn, a little girl. We pray that You would shepherd them as parents and You would, Lord, give them grace and energy, wisdom and a unique capacity to discern her needs and her bent. And Lord may they invite her to know Christ, and may she receive You early. May she live for You wholly. God, would You provide her what she needs so she can be able to grow into the full beauty that You have endowed her with in Christ. Lord, give her a precious, sweet heart. Give her a large heart. Let her taste and feel, maybe what others miss. And give her the capacity to be a vessel that displays Your compassion and grace. Lord, I dedicate Taylor Francis Owen to You and I do so in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow! We rejoice over you, Taylor, and dedicate you to Him. We commit to bringing you up in the truth and doing everything we can to point you to Jesus Christ. We take personal responsibility to explain the Gospel to you, and to see to it that you understand the grace of God through Jesus Christ. We commit to raise you in a Christ-centered home; to confirm and validate the truth by living in a way that shows you Christ. We commit to support you if God calls you to full-time Christian service, wherever that may be. We will help you get to where God wants you to go. We dedicate ourselves to those things as much as we are dedicating you to the Lord. Amen.

5 Whole Months...Slow Down, Baby

2010-11-27T06:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Taylor,

I am loving every second with you, doll. You are truly a delightful baby. Your daddy and I comment all the time about how great you are. We love you. But could you maybe slow down a little bit? You are flying through this whole infant thing.

You are really starting to get fun and exciting, though.

Here are some things you are up to:

You love your blankie. It is a soft pink one with your name monogrammed on it. When you are ready for sleep, all we have to do is hand it to you. You put your fingers in your mouth, snuggle your blankie, and drift off to sleep.
You are so so so happy...like all the time. You will smile at anyone, as long as mommy or daddy are near. It is so easy to get you to give us a big ole grin.
You like sitting in your Bumbo seat while mommy or daddy do things in the kitchen. I think you feel like you are helping.
You love music. Mommy is constantly singing to keep you entertained and you love it. You even respond when I dance to the music.
You are always wanting our attention. You get so excited when we look straight at you after having been looking away.
You are still sleeping really great. Lately, you have been sleeping til 6:30 am. No complaints.
Rolling from your back to front and back again has become super easy to you. If you get bored for a second, you will roll to the other side.
You can hold yourself in a sitting position for like 2 seconds before you fall over lunging for a toy. I don't think you are super interested in sitting up on your own yet.
I know it's early, but you are already starting to try to crawl. You will pull your knees in and lift that hiney and try to inch forward. You'll get it eventually, doll.
You can hold onto my fingers while I pull you to a sitting then standing position. Strong little thing. Your face always shows delight when you do it.
You love your fingers. Your favorite ones are your pointer and middle finger on your left hand. But you will suck your thumb and other fingers as well.
Your little fingers are getting super coordinated. You can grab things really well. If it gets close enough to you, you can be sure that you'll grab it and bring it to your mouth.
You love to touch faces. You do this adorable thing where you sort of pull people closer to touch and feel their faces.
You immediately like anyone with a beard...anyone. I guess you have your daddy to thank for that 'trust' in beard people.
You like to nibble on your feet. You can pull your sock off in less than a second.
I am amazed at how smart you are. You interact with people like you know exactly what you're supposed to do. You will carry on a conversation with anyone who will listen.
I can't know for sure, but I think you understand how a mirror works. Zissou walked up behind you quietly while you were looking in the mirror, and you saw his reflection and turned around to find him behind you. Smarty.
You are super observant. You like to carefully watch all that's going on around you. Makes it difficult when I am feeding you, because you'd rather be looking around. :-)
You 'talk' the most to other children, dogs, and stuffed animals. If any of those are right at your face, you will chatter away at them.
You finally understand peekaboo. When I cover my face with my hands, you try and pull my hands off, and then smile super big when I reveal myself.
You've started blowing out and making noises while your lips vibrate (is there a word for that?)
When I pat your mouth, you hum so it makes a funny sound. I've been trying to get you to do that for awhile, and you actually just caught on.
You danced for the first time while playing with Grandma and a blow-up musical snowglobe.
Oh, and my favorite thing. You are reaching for people now. You will hold your arms out real wide and lean towards mommy the most, but you have reached for a few other people.

Wow, doll, check out all the cool stuff you are up to.
It's pretty amazing how God made you. Keep on growing and learning.

Love you,
Mommy

The Head Injury that Wasn't

2010-11-23T13:13:00.000-08:00

No one ever told me that having children can be hazardous to my health.

Well, that's not fair, I can't blame it on the baby. She can't defend herself. I guess I'll have to claim fault.

Bath time is always a fun event at my house. Let me be clear. Taylor's bath time. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my bath time as well, but this happened at Taylor's bath time.

For her bath, I lie her on a foam thingy in the tub and bend over her to bath her. When she's had enough, I move her to a towel on the floor to dry off. Well, Thursday afternoon we did all that like normal, but with one important difference. I passed out.

I have relatively low blood pressure, so when I stand up too quickly, it can make me dizzy. After bathing Taylor I stood up with her in my arms a bit too quickly, and realized I was about to faint. All I had time to think about was "I'm fainting. Hold Taylor tightly."

So I fell.

Backwards into the tub.

(I thought about reenacting the moment and having Jonathan take a pic, but you'll just have to imagine a picture here.)

I remember falling, and then I opened my eyes and I was sitting in the tub with my legs hanging off the side. Taylor was safely cradled in my arms (another prayer of thanks for her safety) and she began crying because it startled her.

I was shaken up. After calming her down and putting her to bed, I was still "shakin like a polaroid picture". (Ha)

Anyways, lame jokes aside, I am so thankful that Taylor was not harmed. I know she could have bumped her head as well, but thank the Lord, she didn't.

I seemed to be fine as well, besides a headache that wouldn't go away. Lynn talked me into going to the doctor just to make sure I didn't have a concussion. Turns out I may have had a small concussion and slight bruising to the brain. No big deal. The doc just told me to be careful not to bump my head again any time soon. I will do my best to honor his wishes.

Oh and a word of warning. Be careful in the bathtub. It is a dangerous place.

Christmas Card Rejects

2010-11-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

We just took our Christmas card pictures. Actually Abby Clark took the pictures for us. Can I just say she is such a great photographer? Really great. I am so happy with the pic we are using for our card. If these are this great, you can only imagine how great the winner was.

Anyways, these pics are the 'reject' pictures. I am not using the word 'reject' the way you normally use it. In this case 'reject' means the fantastically beautiful pictures that were left over. So enjoy.

Isn't our daughter beautiful?

Precious Sleep

2010-11-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

I think it's official.

Taylor is sleeping through the night.

By through the night, I mean from 8 pm til 7 am or around 11 hours. I have been keeping it a secret, because I was worried that if I talked about it, it would go away.

(You watch. Tonight she'll relapse.)

Let me first tell you that she's actually been sleeping awesome since about 8 weeks old.

From birth to 8 weeks she would only(mostly) sleep if I was holding her. She and I spent many nights on the couch with her on my chest. Then I started letting her sleep in bed with me after her late night feeding. That worked well. I am a fan of shared sleeping at that young age. It worked for me. (Now that she's older, it doesn't work as well. She moves and stirs too much in the night).

But anyways, back to 8 weeks old.

We would get her to sleep in our arms, and then we noticed she would wake up as soon as we set her down in the crib, so something had to give. We let her cry 30 minutes the first night. Then 20 minutes the 2nd night. And by the 3rd night, it only took 15 minutes. It was the most difficult thing ever to listen to her wail, but it was what she needed. Now she goes to sleep on her own when we put her down in the crib. Yes, she fusses some, but not really crying. That's just how she settles down, with a little fussing. So she always started the night in the crib. She would wake up 2 times a night to eat, but always immediately go back to sleep. (We still shared sleep at this point. She would snuggle up as soon as she finished eating. Loved it, but I didn't sleep well). Then around 3 months old, she gradually got to where she was only waking up 1 time a night, normally around 2 a.m or 4 a.m. Again she would go back to sleep after eating. I started putting her back in her crib instead of keeping her with me. She had a bit of a growth spurt at around 4 months where she was waking up 2 times again, but that only lasted a week and a half. Then she went back to waking once around 4 a.m. (technically that is sleeping through the night and I was quite satisfied). I was more than thankful for that sleeping pattern. Even though I had to wake up to feed her, it still felt like I got a full-nights sleep.

Then the wonderful happened. She started sleeping all the way til 8 am! Wowie wow wow! I didn't know what to think. I kept telling myself it wouldn't last. I would even pretend in my brain that I'd be waking up at 4 am to feed her. Because it's so hard once you get used to sleeping, only to have it taken away.

Then... the unthinkable happened.

(Imagine scary, suspenseful music playing. Dum...dum...dummmm)

A monster arrived. And it's name is Daylight Savings.

Daylight savings arrived with her ugly self and stole what we had worked so hard on.

Taylor could not get adjusted. Her feedings were all over the place. I feared the worst.

But, happy ending, she finally got it figured out after a few days. She now sleeps til 7, and that's all right with me. I can live with that.

Yay for sleeping through the night, baby Taylor! You are awesome!

To Laugh in the Face of Danger

2010-11-15T17:24:00.000-08:00

We've discovered something funny about Taylor. At least it seems funny to us. I mean, for all I know, this could be a normal baby thing. But for all intensive purposes, let's pretend this is extraordinary. Okay? Good.

Enter Zissou. Zissou wants his toy. What does he do?

He barks. Loudly.

I am holding Taylor. I imagine that it frightens her, so I pull her tighter.

Then I hear a sound. Strange. What's that? She's laughing. Belly-shaking laughing.

The more Zissou barks, the more she laughs.

Then we think back to all the other times we've made Taylor laugh. Most of them involve some form of her being scared or startled. She makes a frightened face, then it turns to a laugh. So we've come to the conclusion that Taylor likes to be surprised/scared/startled. Instead of causing her to cry, it brings forth laughter. Hey, whatever works.

That's funny, because I hate being frightened. Ask my dad. Maybe it's because he mercilessly scared me as a child. He went above and beyond the call of duty to scare. That's why I've forbidden Jonathan to scare me. He is a sweet husband and he refrains. Thank goodness. But there are times when he scares me 'accidentally'. He startles me, but makes it look like he didn't mean to. Hmmm. I guess that's not so bad. Anyways, I am a super scaredy-cat.

But not our Taylor. She's better than that. Braver than me.

She laughs in the face of danger.

Mornings

2010-11-08T07:03:00.000-08:00

I love....

Going to get my sweet baby from her crib, and seeing her smile light up when she sees my face.

There's not much better.

Oh and when she lies in the bed with me, just hanging out, and grabs my face and runs her hands through my hair. All the while staring up at me with those beautiful blue eyes like she adores me. Mmmmm.

I'm blessed.

4 Months, Wowie Wow Wow

2010-09-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

So here we are again, Taylor.

Another 2 months have come and gone. Let me tell you a little secret, darling. You are absolutely wonderful. I thought so at first, but you seem to get better and better. Ask your dad. He'll tell ya. You have captivated us. Way more than we ever imagined. It's neat how God works like that. Christ has filled our hearts with His love for you. And that is our biggest goal; for you to see and understand that Love.

Here's what you've been working on these past two months.

You have developed an ability to grasp. You grab at anything that gets within a few inches and immediately pull it to your mouth for inspection.
You made your first friend, Sophie. You love that little giraffe.
You are a great listener. If someone is talking, you stare at their mouth the whole time. Sometimes, you even contribute to the conversation. I'm sure that what you're saying is very sound advice.
You have decided that you adore your daddy.
You've got eyes like a hawk. I've had to sneak by you many times as you drift off to sleep.
Speaking of sleep, you are great at sleeping at night. You only wake once at either 2 or 5 am. And then wake up for the day at either 7 or 8. I can't complain about that.
We've started a bedtime routine with you, and you absolutely love it. You smile at us the whole time. We sing songs, pray, daddy plays this special music box, then we turn on your mobile, and you drift off to sleep.
You love to roll from your back to your side, mostly when you are trying to get to sleep.
You can roll from your belly to your back, if you are extra frustrated.
You can also roll from your back to your belly.
You love to play on the floor. One day you were crying and crying and I tried every possible position to hold you. Nothing worked. So I put you down on the ground for a second, and you immediately stopped crying. Since then, no more snuggling for you.
You have discovered that you can make noises with your throat. You will talk and fuss and gurgle just to hear yourself.
You are ticklish under your arms and on your belly.
You smile a lot. Sometimes you give this bashful smile and turn away. Precious.
You've just become aware of Zissou. You follow him around with your eyes as if you're trying to decide what you think of him. If you catch him, you always try to eat him.
Sucking on your fingers, and ours, has become a new favorite pastime.
Sucking on your toes is pretty fun too.
You are getting a taste of technology.

We love you to pieces, baby Taylor. As you grow and mature, we want to make sure you are the healthiest, happiest, Godliest little girl you can be. Sometimes, Mommy worries that she's messing it up. She doesn't always know what to do. In fact, it feels like she rarely knows what to do. But ya know what? That's okay. It's not in her control. She will make mistakes. But she knows God is Sovereign. And she trusts in Him.

We love you, doll.
Mommy

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What's that? Now you'd like to see some adorable pics of our baby girl. No problem.

Happy 2 Months Baby Taylor

2010-08-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Baby Taylor,

Well, you've been with us for 2 whole months (not to mention the 9 months + 10 days in me). I just wanted you to know how much you have stolen our hearts. You are so very precious to your daddy and I. We both adore you completely. From the moment I pulled you up onto my chest, you had me. The first couple of weeks were an adjustment; we were trying to figure you out, as I'm sure you were doing the same to us. But I think we've finally got a nice thing going. You have grown and changed so much already in such a short time period.

In two months you:

have grown almost 3 inches

have gained over 2 pounds
are better at holding up your head

nap on your belly

make eye contact with us and follow us around with those big, blue eyes
coo and 'talk' to us

recognize mommy and daddy when you see us

recognize daddy by feeling his beard

smile when we play with you

play on your mat for over 30 minutes at a time

blow bubbles with your mouth

grab things with your hands

go to sleep when we lay you down at night (right now anyways)

stare at your hands and put them together

stare at your feet and sometimes get startled by them

listen to us when we read a book to you and even look at the pictures

laughed for the 1st time while mommy was singing you "Don't Worry, Be Happy"

have figured out that mommy's arms feel better than anyone else's

Doll baby, you are amazing!

Some other special things:

You love being wrapped up in your Moby. It's your safe place.

You're already showing some personality. You are a very happy, smiley baby. I also think you might be a little bit feisty, and you seem to have a bit of a temper. My family always said it's the red hair that does it.

Oh yeah, I think you are going to have red hair. Right now it's strawberry-blond, so we'll just have to wait and see.

You make the best facial expressions. That is from your daddy. Just wait: he will teach you all kinds of funny faces.

You have mommy's eye shape, but daddy's blue eyes.

You also have looooong legs and arms.

You love your arms over your head.

You have a huge dimple on the left side of your cheek. Adorable.

You love it when mommy sings to you and makes funny voices.

P.S. You are incredibly loved! I thank God every day for the way our church, the youth group, and your family love you. You are precious in His sight and many others too!

Love,

Mommy

My Thoughts After Two Months

2010-08-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it...we have a 2 month old little angel. The time really has flown. We made it through the brand-new baby stage. I loved every minute of it (almost).

There were definately hard parts, days where I just cried along with Taylor, felt totally inadequate for mommyhood, had no idea what to do, and doubted myself completely. Now I'm sure those days will come throughout all stages of parenting, but I'm glad they are over for now. It just requires me constantly dying to myself and trusting in Christ.

Lynn kept telling me her motto for raising children, "This too shall pass." And it's totally true. I thought Taylor's gas issues were going to be the end of me. It broke my heart to listen to her cry in pain from those evil gas bubbles in her belly. But that has passed. And it's wonderful. Yes, she cries...she's a baby. But it is nothing like those evil gas bubbly cries, and for that, I am thankful.

6 weeks was the magic number for me.

Oh, and nursing is going well. Nursing was the thing I was most anxious about, even more than labor. I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to nurse, and I wanted to so badly. It hasn't been easy. I had to use these shields for awhile, and they were a pain. I was glad to use them, though, because they helped Taylor get a good latch. But I'm pretty sure they were the cause of the bad tummy issues. So, I'm glad my mom 'made' me get Taylor off of the shields. We've been shield-free for over 2 weeks, and I don't plan on going back. :-)

Nursing has also been difficult because of the unknown. I worried myself sick over whether or not Taylor was getting enough to eat. I think it's because I've heard so many people say they had problems with their child not getting enough to eat. I convinced myself that was the case for me too. I was so insecure all the time: "Is she crying because she's hungry or tired?" "There's no milk." "My child is hungry." "I can't do this!" I would secondguess myself constantly and go against my gut feelings. I finally had to come to the realization that I was not in control. I had to give it up to God, and put my trust in Him. God has taught me a lot about trust through nursing.

By the way, can I just say that I LOVE nursing! There is something so wonderful about feeding my sweet baby girl. I wish Jonathan could experience it, but I guess it's something special that God reserved just for mommys. It is such a special bonding time between mommy and baby.

Oh, and one more thing: smiles are the most magical things! God knew what He was doing with smiles. They light up my day and melt my heart. When she first smiled her bright smile at me, all the hard parts of mommyhood suddenly seemed so dim. They are the best!

That's all.

Taylor Francis Owen: The Story of Her Birth

2010-06-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: This is a birth story, so I am going to be detailed and super long. Those details might be graphic, so if you don't want graphic, maybe you shouldn't read this. :-)

Sometime, a very long time ago, I decided that I wanted a natural birth. I'm not sure what prompted that decision, but it happened nonetheless. I first considered it when my older sister delivered naturally. Since then, I've learned more and more about it, and it's excited me all the more. When I found out I was pregnant, I began to get serious about natural birth. Jonathan was totally supportive of what I wanted. I talked to others who've had natural births and looked into getting a doula. The doula I wanted, however, was unable to because she was having a baby herself. Understandable. So, I decided not to get a doula. Then one day I was talking with Lynn Sleeper, and we talked about how she loved her natural births. I talked with Jonathan, and we decided we wanted Lynn in there helping us with relaxation and breathing. So, now that you have the prologue, let me get to the good parts.

My estimated due date was June 15, 2010. Well, when that day came and went, I wasn't too worried. I had read that many births, especially first ones, were late. My only real concern was being induced. I knew that once the due date passed, the pressure to induce would build. I felt that since my pregnancy had not had any hiccups at all, an induction wouldn't be an option. Of course if there was a danger to Taylor or myself, I would have allowed induction in a heartbeat.

On Thursday, June 24th, we went to the doctor for some tests. With me being past my due date, they wanted to make sure the baby was doing fine. They checked her heartbeat and her movement and found everything to be perfect. Which meant they would 'allow' me to wait until the 29th before being induced. Yay. While I was hooked up to the monitor, Taylor stretched and pushed out against my belly (later I discovered this was actually a contraction, but I wasn't 100% sure what one felt like, so I ignored it).

When we got home around 6, I decided to rest on the couch. That was difficult because Taylor kept arching her back and pushing out against my belly (again, contractions, but I didn't know). She did this many times, so much so, that I began to wonder in my head "Kristin, are you having contractions?" (Yes, I sometimes talk to myself like that.) To keep myself from getting my hopes up, I do this thing where I secretly think something, but pretend like I don't. So I secretly thought I was beginning labor, but I pretended like I wasn't. I didn't want to get all excited, only to be disappointed if I was wrong.

We then went to the church for the viewing of Mical Parker. I had casually mentioned to Jonathan that I might be having contractions. But I told him I probably wasn't. While standing in line for the viewing, the pains began to get stronger and more frequent. They were short, but happening every 5 or so minutes. Jonathan began to get a little nervous, because he wanted to know if he needed to go ahead and make arrangements to miss camp. Lynn was at the viewing, so I described what I was feeling and asked her if I might be going into labor. I had begun feeling the pains in my lower back as well. At this point I was pretty certain, but I still tried to act like I wasn't. She said it sounded like I could be starting labor, and just to wait and see if they got stronger. They did get stronger, so much that I was having a hard time having conversations with people without making a grimace.

After the viewing we decided to go ahead to counselor hangout. It was at the Moore's house, and we thought it would serve as a distraction. I managed to hide the fact that I was having contractions. When one would come, I would stand still and let it pass. This worked for a little while, but pretty soon I decided to go home. We told the counselors right before we left the Moore's house, and in true camp fashion, they made a bridge with their arms for us to exit under.

When we got home, my mom let me know that they were almost to the house. I had text people while I was at the viewing to let them know that maybe contractions were starting. I told my mom to wait before coming; I wanted to be sure this was it. Well, she didn't listen to me. My mom, nanny, papa, and sister arrived at our house shortly after we got home. And then we waited. I wanted to labor at home for as long as possible.

Around 9 o'clock, I started timing the length of the contractions; well, Jonathan started timing them for me. They were 30-40 seconds long and happening 4, 5, and 6 minutes apart. Having never been in labor before, I was getting nervous. I didn't want to get too close to labor. So, around 12 o'clock, I was on facebook and saw a comment from Rachel Garcia. She told me to call her if I had any questions. I immediately called her. (Side note: I wanted Rachel to be my doula, but she couldn't because she had just had a sweet baby herself.) Rachel told me to stop timing my contractions and go take a bath to relax. She then wanted to talk to Jonathan. I shortly found out that she had given him secret dad tips. I could tell when he started trying to use them. He was trying to distract me from the contractions. I found myself annoyed at him. ;-)

So, I got in the tub and it did help me relax some. Jonathan grabbed a nap while I tried to relax. When I got out of the tub, the contractions hurt again. I was focusing only on the contractions, so it made them seem worse than they were. I tried to sleep, but would be woken every 5 minutes by a contraction. Around 1:30 I started timing the contractions again. They were coming every 5 minutes consistently and lasting for over a minute each time. They were getting more intense. Around 2:30 I finally couldn't handle it anymore. I was too excited; I wanted to go ahead to the hospital. I woke Jonathan up, and we left for the hospital. I was so excited!We got to the hospital around 3:00. After being dropped off by Jonathan, they took me to our super huge room.

When you want to water labor, they give you a bigger room to fit the tub. They were preparing the blow-up tub while I got checked. I was so worried I wouldn't be dilated anymore than 1 centimeter. When the nurse told me I was already 4 centimeters, I felt validation. I wasn't a wimp. Those contractions had actually been something. Thank goodness.

When the pool was finally ready, I climbed in for my relaxing time. It was delightful. I sat in the warm water and watched "The Office". When a contraction would come, I would turn on my knees, lean over the side, and focus on arching my back. It worked wonders. Thanks for the suggestion, nice nurse Nicole. Those contractions in the pool seemed like nothing. This labor thing was turning out to be too easy. :-) Dr. Adcock came in to check on me. He was very comforting. He put his hand on my head and prayed for us.
I very much appreciated it. He won me over.

By 6:00 am I had only progressed 1 more centimeter, putting me at 5 centimeters. I had hoped for more progress than that. Jonathan had been tweeting what was going on. Rachel G. happened to see the tweet about me being in the pool. She called Lynn and gave me an assignment. She wanted me to get out of the pool and walk around the hall for 10-12 good contractions. I reluctantly agreed; that water felt so good. It was hard to get out of it.

Jonathan and I walked up and down those halls at a pretty good pace. When a contraction would come, we would stop and breathe through it. I would either lean against the wall or lean against Jonathan. He would breath and have me copy him. The contractions were the strongest yet, but we were getting through them just fine.

It felt great to walk around. Once we completed our assignment, we went back to the room and I labored on the exercise ball for a little bit. From this point on, I became totally dependent on Jonathan. I would not let him get a foot away from me. He got me through the rest of labor.

At 8:00 When Dr. Adcock came back in to check me I was at 7 centimeters and the baby was at 0 station. Hip hip hooray! He offered to break my water for me, but I declined. I told him if it was still intact around 9 centimeters, then he could break it. As he walked away to wash his hands, I felt a strong contraction coming on. I turned on my side to deal with it. Something exploded inside of me. I felt/heard a loud POP! It terrified me; I didn't know what had just happened to me. Then I felt super wet, and they told me my water had just broken. It was 8:10. Dr. Adcock laughed and made sure to tell me that he hadn't done anything to make that happen. Ha. I knew that. Once my water broke, the pain got super intense. The pain was so strong, that it actually made me sick. I threw up several times. I wanted to use the bathroom, and while I was in there, decided to labor a bit on the toilet. It actually felt good to sit on the toilet, which is funny, because every other time I had used the bathroom, it had been agony to sit down.

At 8:30 I decided to get back in the pool to labor a bit. These contractions were so intense that the pool wasn't helping very much. I made Jonathan stay right there to help me through each contraction. I would let out a deep moan to help me through each contraction. It made me feel better to let out noise. I started getting the urge to push while in the pool. That scared me. I didn't want to push while in the pool, so I made the decision to get out.

At 9:00 I got in the bed. Rachel G. recommended me getting on my knees and facing the head of the bed. This was helpful because I could lean over the top of the bed and grab the bars behind it. When a contraction would come, I would grip the bars to get through the pain. I had such a strong urge to push, but I was scared to because I wasn't fully dilated yet. The nurse kept telling me to do what my body was telling me. Well, my body was screaming at me to push, so I allowed myself to bear down. I would bear down when a contraction came, but only a little. The contractions were so strong that I was yelling...loudly. The pain even made me throw up a few times (maybe I shouldn't have snuck those pretzels and popsicles earlier). I could hear the conversations of the nurse and Lynn. I heard someone say, "Is the doctor almost here?" "Can you catch a baby?" "Where is he?" I knew I was getting close if they had called the doctor. The nurse checked me, and let me know that I was fully dilated, so it was totally safe to push. By 9:30 I was making progress. At 10:00 I decided to turn onto my back. They could see the baby's head, and I didn't want to push the baby out in my knee position. Once I got on my back, it was so uncomfortable. I put one leg up and leaned ever so slightly on my side. This is when I started doing the extreme pushing. The nurse had me grab my leg and she put the stirrups up for me to push off of. They had me push for a count of 10. This helped because I had something to focus on. After many pushes, she still wasn't coming, so the Dr. asked if he could give me an episiotemy. At that point I did not care. I was hardly able to understand what he was saying; I was so delirious. I readily agreed; I just wanted that baby out. He cut once and I could feel him trying to help the head out while I pushed. I was in so much pain. It was way more than I had expected. I was screaming and pleading for God to help me. I remember yelling "I don't think I can do this!" I felt like that baby wasn't coming out. The Dr. yelled my name and told me to calm down. He then told me to reach down and grab my baby. I had no idea what he was talking about. I said, "I don't know what you mean." He told me to open my eyes, and when I finally did, I realized that her head was out. So, I reached my arms down and felt her head. Then I pulled, and to my amazement, a baby came with my hands. Victory! I pulled her up onto my chest and began sobbing.

I cannot describe the joy that I felt at that moment. It was completely beautiful. We were overcome with emotions. I held my crying baby and thanked God...mostly for the baby, but also for surviving. It was so much harder than I thought it was going to be, but it made it so much more worth it. I just cried and held her there. Such a special moment. And thankfully, Rachel Jones captured it in pictures. I can look back at those pics and remember exactly what the whole moment felt like.
I can even see my husbands face, and see the pure joy that he experienced at the sight of his baby girl (I didn't get a chance to see his face much when it was all actually happening). God gave us a baby...a beautiful, healthy baby girl. We could not have been more thankful. 7 lbs. 14 oz. and 20 3/4 inches long: perfect.

More to come later on our first few weeks together.

Fly Into Your Nest, Baby Birdie Taylor

2010-06-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

Come on, baby Taylor.

It is now 5 days after your due date, and we are "patiently" waiting on you. We don't mind, though, because you are going to be worth it. When you decide to make your appearance, we know it will be perfect, because it will be in God's timing. He already has that day set and in mind. He knows everything about you.

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." Psalm 139:13-16

We have everything all ready for you. The whole time I have been pregnant, people talked all about something called the 'nesting' instinct. Well, baby, your nest is all ready to go. So, little birdie, here is the room we made just for you.

Scenes from your nursery:

Who Knew Five-Year-Olds Could Be So Dangerous

2010-02-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

Question: What is considered dangerous for the baby Taylor in my belly?

Answer: A hyper, active, imaginative five-year-old nephew.

I've always been the kind of aunt who plays and is silly with her nephews, so now that there is a baby in my tummy, some new guidelines have to be set in place for 'protection' of this baby in my belly, so stuff like this doesn't happen.

Guideline #1- You may not run at me and jump into my arms, especially while I am standing on a slippery porch step. I may or may not be forced to catch you with only my arms and then roll onto my side, to protect you and baby.

Guideline #2- You may not jump into my lap while I am sitting on the couch. Climbing softly in and sitting on my legs is suggested.

Guideline #3- You may not punch me in the stomach, even if you're pretending.

Guideline #4- You may not kick me in your sleep, or poke me, or push me off the edge of the bed.

Guideline #5- You may not keep the baby just because you'd like a little sister.

I know these sound like horribly strict regulations, but they are necessary for the duration of my pregnancy. There are however a few things that both of you( my nephews) can continue to do:

1. Devan, you may continue to softly place your hand on my belly to feel your cousin, Taylor.
2. Devan, you may continue to get excited while we watch the video of Taylor moving around.

3. Carson, you may continue to climb into bed with me in the early morning and whisper with me. Especially if you whisper "Ya, know, I like you." And when I whisper back, " I like you, too. I even love you." You may respond, "I love you, too."
4. Both of you may continue to climb into bed and snuggle with me.

5. Both of you may continue to be excited about the fact that your new cousin is going to be a little girl.

I know it'll be an adjustment and a big transition, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

Maternity Clothes, Here I Am

2010-01-28T19:21:00.001-08:00

I am at the 20 week mark of my pregnancy....halfway. Do I get an award? Actually, Wesley Slappey tried to buy me half a cake. He ended up getting a box of mini ice-cream cones instead.

I am loving this stage of pregnancy. I want it to go nice and slow, so I can savor this special time with Taylor.

My belly has reached the limit. I am now in maternity clothes, and there's no stopping me now. It felt a little weird making the switch to maternity. I kept trying to make myself believe that I didn't need them yet. Boy, was I wrong.

These things are wonderful! My belly feels so much better now that it's got a little more freedom. And maternity pants are pretty cool. They look normal, but have that special flap that just goes right over your belly. (It would be even cooler if they sold skinny, maternity jeans).

I am hooked on maternity clothes now. Luckily, the only thing I've needed to purchase was a few pairs of pants to get me through. God has kindly provided the rest through magnificent people. Here are the many ways God has provided. He deserves the credit:

a wonderful friend, Shea, lent me a ton of maternity shirts and dresses
my coworkers gave me a gift card to Old Navy, which I spent on dresses and tanks
Jonathan's coworker, Jaci, loaned me lots of clothes (she's mucho tiny, so I only fit into a few items, but the thought was greatly appreciated, especially since she also gave me 4 boxes of baby girl clothes)
Rachel Jones and Abby Falls decided on a whim to lavish me with maternity clothes they purchased today from Gap. What generosity and kindness! So thankful!
And lastly, due to the style of clothes right now, many of the things I already own will last me through most of the pregnancy.

Praise God! What a blessing!

Maternity clothes, you've won me over. I am your biggest fan.

Kick Me, Kick Me, If You Can

2010-01-28T18:52:00.000-08:00

Alright, Taylor, get it all out now. This is your chance.

Kick me...kick me...as hard as you want.

Because this is the only time you'll be able to kick me without consequences. No time-outs. No talking to's. No stern looks. No spankings. Absolutely no consequences. Just acceptance.

Kick me...I beg you. When you kick me, my heart leaps. When you kick me, happiness fills me up. When you kick me, I am closer to you. So, please, please, kick me all you want. You can move around and squirm around and be crazy in my tummy. I'll even be happy if you kick me in the ribs.

Why, you might ask, am I okay with you 'beating up' on mommy? Because I absolutely love you! It's still going to be a few more months before I get to see you in person, so I want to cherish every touch I get from you, even if it's in the form of a kick.

The first time you kicked me was magical. It was January 5th. I was taking attendance of the first grade class I teach, when I felt a thump in my belly. I quickly put my hand to my tummy and felt another thump. It's like you were saying, "Hey, mommy, I'm right here!" I'm going to imagine you were telling me you loved me. Well, I love you too, sweetheart. Very much.

Daddy was jealous. He wanted to feel you too. You didn't disappoint. A few days later, you let Daddy feel you too. You moved and wiggled so much that Daddy could feel you when he put his hand on my tummy. That meant a lot to him. He loves you very much too. You're going to love him so much. He is going to be the best daddy in the whole world, I promise you that.

Thanks for kicking me, I mean that.

Love,
Mommy

They Say Taylor Was a Good Girl...

2010-01-15T18:01:00.000-08:00

Taylor....boy or a girl?

This doctor's visit proved to be one of the most exciting ones...January 15th, the day we find out if our baby Taylor was a boy or a girl. The appointment was nice and early. We got there right on time, after I got off on the wrong floor yet again. Why can't I remember the floor? Jonathan settled in to read a magazine, but I foiled those plans by making him run to look for a caffeinated drink (I was told to drink one to make sure the baby was moving enough to 'flash' us).

Before he could make it to a machine, they called us back. Giddy with excitement, we were sent straight back to the magical sonogram room. Jonathan was asked to wait outside, which I thought rather mean of them. So, I got to be the lucky one who sat there as the lady rubbed that thing all over my belly - without saying a word. She didn't speak to me. I haven't seen this baby in a very long time, and she's looking at 'it' and not making any comments. I'm sitting there thinking, "Is everything okay? Why isn't she speaking? Can she see anything? Is the baby asleep? Are we going to be able to tell what 'it' is? Is my baby healthy? Something must be wrong."

I couldn't take it anymore, so I finally got up the nerve to ask a question. I carefully planned a single question that would give me multiple answers. "Is the baby awake and moving?" Her response, "Ya, I'm actually chasing 'it' around."

Whew...baby alright...check...baby awake...check...baby active...check...nothing to worry about...check.

After about 5 whole minutes of analyzing my baby, she FINALLY lets Jonathan in. They turn on the magical screen and we watch in anticipation. Then we see the baby...moving like crazy. The nurse begins to move all around and show us different aspects of our baby; the brain, heart, stomach, arms, legs, hands, face, eyes, ribs, backbone, and finally the thing we were waiting for....baby bottom.

We sat and watched as the nurse shook my belly to try and get the baby to 'spread it's legs'. After many attempts, finally we could see private parts. Jonathan knew before I did. I actually thought I was looking at boy parts, shows ya how much I know. But then the nurse froze the screen and I could tell it was a GIRL! Apparently, girls make an equal sign. I cannot express the joy and excitement and bundle of emotions I felt when I saw our child...our baby girl! She was so beautiful! So perfect! Such a miracle! What a magical moment! Tears streaming down my face, I sat next to my wonderful husband and praised God for this precious child!

A baby girl...we're having a baby girl.

Here she is if you'd like to meet her:

No One Told Me Babies Move Like That

2010-01-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

As a pregnant lady, waking up constantly to go the restroom is a normal occurrence. So when I woke up around 5 to potty, I didn't expect anything out of the ordinary. I mean, this is your pretty run-of-the-mill stuff.

Rolled from my right side onto my back...just like I do every morning. This time I was met with a new feeling...pain. My stomach felt pulled. "It's okay", I told myself. "I guess my belly's just a little heavier and that's why it hurt. I rolled over too fast."

So, I sit there a minute. Then I feel my belly. The left side of my belly is soft and flat; that's normal. But when I move my hand to the right side, I am met by an enormous bulge! I cup my hand over the bulge to feel it, and it's like super hard. What?! I have this large lump in the right side of my belly!

Finally, my common sense kicks in and I realize that the baby has 'slid' down to the right side of my belly while I slept on that side. Finally, after a couple of minutes, the baby slides back into normal position. Wow! That was my first 'feeling' of the baby from the outside. I've felt my lower stomach where it's getting harder, but this was the small baby all concentrated in one spot very close to the surface. Such a cool feeling! I had no idea that they can slide to different spots in your tummy. I know they roll and kick and stretch, but moving to one little location... crazy.

No one told me babies move like that!

Baby Bump Blues

2010-01-07T07:24:00.001-08:00

Let me preface this post by saying, "I am so thrilled to be pregnant!" Yes, I felt the need for quotation marks, just to emphasize my delight. I am in my 17th week, and I know it's only going to get more exciting. Aside from the morning (all day) sickness, I have experienced my first area of pregnancy that I've had to... adjust to.

Let me go back to the beginning.

When I was a baby, my mom's mom, Nanny, would constantly remark and nag my mother about how 'scrawny' and 'sickly' I was looking. She always worried that I wasn't getting enough to eat, but my mom was doing everything normally, I was just a scrawny baby.

A couple of years into toddlerhood, and it's the same thing. I'm still scrawny; even though most children have that 'baby fat' phase they go through. My body must have missed that life development stage, because I never received my 'baby fat'.

Never.

Not in elementary school...people still called me 'scrawny', which might I add, is not a very flattering or nice term for my body type.

Not in middle school...I had these skinny little arms and legs and no body fat. You can imagine how people feared me in basketball...not...I had to make up for my lack of meat in aggressiveness.

Not in high school...I reached my full height in 9th grade, 5'9", which is pretty tall for a girl. I was this tall, skinny, red-headed, freckleface girl. (People had kindly resorted to calling me skinny instead of scrawny.)

I grew up hearing remarks constantly about how I needed to eat more, how I was too thin, how I was just skinny. I never thought much about the remarks; I was pretty accustomed to them. I mean, of course I had all sorts of other things that I was insecure about. (I'll tell ya about those later.) Having a 'belly' was never a thing I had to deal with. I was always active in sports all throughout school, so I guess that helped. I mostly contribute it to my genes. Thank you fast metabolism.

Even in college, I really didn't put on the pounds. I did gain a little, but not enough to take me off the thin category.

That brings us to now...pregnant.

I have to admit that I've had a difficult time adjusting to people drawing attention to my waste and saying comments like "Oh, you're getting bigger." "I can see your belly." "Yep, it's poking out there." "Oh, look, your pants are getting tight."
Now, of course, there is nothing wrong with those comments. Those are normal comments.

As soon as someone makes a comment about my belly, I find myself straightening up, sucking my belly in what I can, and tightening my "booty". The first time I did that I quickly realized how vain that is, but I'm still having a hard time not doing it. I mean, I'm pregnant, for crying out loud. I'm supposed to have a belly. So, if you've made comments about my belly, please continue to do so. And if you see me straighten up and try and suck in, you'll know why.

Maybe it's just because I'm not big enough to be obvious yet. I don't know. I'm pretty sure once it's poking out there huge, I'll be okay with it. But right now, it feels so weird to have a little 'belly pooch'. But I am embracing every last moment of this baby being inside of me.

So, if you're a girl, touch my growing belly all ya want (my youth group girls have already gotten me used to that). Just don't call me fat. :-)

Sew, Sew Exciting!

2009-12-26T15:59:00.000-08:00

This Christmas, I wanted one thing....a sewing machine.

Here she is in all her glory:

I know nothing about sewing or machines that sew, but since we're having a baby, I thought it would be a nice hobby to start. Instead of having to spend oodles and oodles of money on new 'adorable' clothing for baby, I'll be able to make all that I want (by spending oodles and oodles on fabric).

So, now at nearly 25 years old, I have finally decided to sew. I am slightly ashamed of myself. The sad part is that I have many proficient seamstresses in my family. My nanny is a professional. She can make anything that you ask of her, but I have never shown an interest in it. Shame on me. All those many times spent just hanging out at Nanny's house, probably reading one of my books, and I could have been learning a great life-skill. Oh well, now I'll have to make up for lost time.

My very first project was this: the letter T. In case you don't know, T for Taylor, our baby.

Now I am trying to decide what my next project will be. I bought this beautiful fabric at a nearby fabric store, and the possibilities are endless. So exciting!

I will keep you posted on my many projects. I know you're excited, too!

I am a Christmas Tree Snob

2009-12-22T06:46:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what happened to me as a child to put such a strong hatred for 'fake' trees into my head. Maybe it was the fact that we had a real one for most of my childhood. Or maybe it's because I have such fond childhood memories of going to a tree farm, picking our tree, cutting it down, and watching that cool machine shake all the loose needles off. Or I could have been attacked by a 'fake' tree in one of my dreams; I was a very vivid dreamer. Whatever the reason, I despise 'fake' trees.

I remember when my mom turned to the dark side and bought a 'fake' tree. I was in college, so I guess she felt it was safe to move in the 'fake' tree direction. I guess I can understand why she did it. I mean, even though I'm nuts about real trees, I'm not blind to their faults.

They are more of an expense, since you have to buy one ever year.
Fake trees are easier.
If you don't water them constantly, they die and the needles are deadly sharp.
They shed needles constantly; all over the floor below, in the presents below, and somehow in every other room of the house.
Sometimes the ornaments are too heavy, especially as the tree dies, and the tree takes on a sagging appearance.
Fake trees are easier.
They are a huge fire hazard, especially if you place them right next to the fire place as we did.
Fake trees are easier.
When Christmas is over, and you take all the ornaments and lights off, you have quite a mess to clean up.
And lastly, fake trees are easier.

Despite all of these faults, I still cannot help being madly in love with real trees.

Now, if you in fact have one of the loathed 'fake' trees, do not worry. I don't judge you. It's just a personal preference. You are totally free to pick your own way. When I heard of tree allergies, I was alarmed. If our child is allergic to trees, I'm going to have to have a change of heart. Oh I hope not.

Anyways, since my husband is so wonderful, he goes along with my real tree fantasy. I know he loves real trees as well, but I don't think it's quite as big a deal to him as it is to me. But, luckily, he humors me, and I'm sure even when we are 70, he will faithfully travel with me to pick out a real tree.

So, now that you know all this about me, you know the truth: I am a Christmas Tree Snob. Please don't think badly of me; I can't help it.

Getting a real tree is quite the process and it's become a tradition as well.

First, you need the right equipment.

You've got to survey all your options.

Then, the process of locating the right tree for you.

Here comes the dirty work: lying on the ground and sawing that beast yourself (while a punk know-it-all kid provides you with his advice for how you should be doing it).

Now that you've cut down (killed) your very own tree, you get to tie it to your car to take it home with you. By the way, this is the closest thing to hunting that I will ever do.

Once you wrestle that bad boy up the long flight of steps, perfectly place it in it's stand, and release it from it's bondings, you get to DECORATE IT!

For a perfectly wonderful tree experience, it's best to have a raging fire and a glass of sparkling white grape juice (warning: if you are pregnant, you might throw up the sparkling white grape juice immediately after consumption).

Be careful not to get tangled up in the lights. It happens.

Once all the lights have been wound, the ornaments placed (after you looked at each one individually and reminisced about where it came from) you are ready to complete the final step: admiration.

This is the best part, sitting in front of the fire, glass in hand, admiring the wonderful REAL tree, and smelling it's piney goodness. Ahhhh.....nothing better.

Truth or Dare?

2009-11-30T16:38:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd start this little project out with a little truth or dare. First off, I am not good at sharing, so this whole experience will be good for me. I'm what you could call a "dead sea" type person. Basically, I think lots of thoughts, but you wouldn't know that because I don't share them. I keep them locked away and only let them out at precise, magical moments when I feel comfortable.

Second off, I struggle with perfectionism. God has stripped lots of that away over the years, but frequently it still shows it's ugly head. So, beginning a blog brings forth many insecurities. What if I'm boring? What if I have nothing to say? What if I mess up? What if someone doesn't like something I said? And the worst ever for a perfectionist...What if I fail?

Now, of course I know this is just silly. Failing at a blog. How do you even do that? That's not even important. Even though I know this truth, I still allow myself to believe the lie that I have to perform. So I decided to start out truthfully by telling you that I have insecurities. Gasp... I know. Like I'm the only one.

Here comes the dare. And yes, I am daring myself. (Don't worry it's allowed. I checked the rules on wikepedia.) I tell you all this to say that I am going to dare myself to be honest, to be brave, to share hidden parts of myself, to be vulnerable, and of course to tell the funnies of life. Even if I feel like I am 'failing', I am going to push forth and do it anyway.

This is what I remind myself of when I recognize that I am 'performing'. "I am deeply loved, completely forgiven, fully pleasing, totally accepted, and complete in Christ." What a wonderful feeling! And I know without a doubt that I will be boring at times, I will mess up occasionally, I will have nothing to say often, and yes, I will even fail a bunch. But, knowing my position in Christ's eyes let's me know... I think I can handle that.

What's In a Name?

2009-11-29T19:46:00.000-08:00

My blog name was very hard to come up with. I mean, this is a big deal. I recognize that. This name is going to be at the top of every page; it's even in the address. It has to really be special.

I thought and thought about this until it made my, and my husband's, head hurt. I mean it's not like I'm just picking an outfit to wear to school. This is my blog name. This is the name I'll still be looking at in years to come. I mean it's close to being as important as our own child's name....not really, but you get the point.

I want a name that really says a lot. It is super hard to define yourself in a couple of words. I realize defining myself in a couple of words is a little too unrealistic, so I settled for something that just provided a little insight into Kristin: "Faking Adulthood".

How perfect! I mean this is how I feel 95% of the time. I've never felt like an actual grown-up; not even when I got married or found out I was pregnant. I mean, I'm intimidated by grown-ups. I've always said, "Kids are so much easier that adults." So thinking of myself as one just doesn't happen. But when people look at me, I think they see a grown-up, so I'm forced to do the only thing I can think of....fake it.

Now I'm by no means calling myself a fake. But I do still feel like a child, and when grown-up things come into my life for me to deal with, I feel as if I just fake it like I know what's going on. When in all truthfulness, I have no idea what I'm doing. So in this wonderful journey of life, you're invited to watch, and maybe laugh, as I do my best at "Faking Adulthood."

Oh, and just for fun, here are some of the names that were considered, some more seriously than others.

Freckleface Strawberry
Click, Clack, Moo
Redheaded and Loving It
Finding Security in My Insecurities
Kbama Baby Mama