Happy 2 Months Baby Taylor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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