Tayler's Firsts

 I thought I'd document a few of Tayler's first for my own future memory :) And of course, I want to share her 'milestones' with all of you as well! Since she's only 9 days old, I suppose we're not exactly going to start embarking on TONS of firsts, but I still want to acknowledge the ones we've seen thus far :) I have her first documented smile, hehe! She was dreaming... we kept asking her if she was dreaming about boys and she just kept smiling!  This was taken April 3rd, 2011: 

And she had her first bath last night, April 8th, 2011. Here's a picture of that. I tried to get the hood on her, but she was such a wiggle worm, haha! The girl just wanted her clothes on!

Of course, she's had her first all out cry. She's had her first break down. She's thrown a fit, haha! But these are some of those special moments I wanted to document :)

 

American Idol Recap Part 2

Now, while I'm not a HUGE Pia fan-- I will say that I was in complete shock Thursday night when she got voted off. ESPECIALLY when she was up against Paul and Stefano.  Sorry. But that never should have happened.  

You could tell the disappointment and shock with the judges. It was just one of those 'oh my gosh, I cannot believe that just happened...' moments. (Much like the one we had a few weeks ago when Casey got voted off...)

Sorry to see Pia leave. Can we cross our fingers it's Stefano next week? Ooops. Am I suppose to say that? LOL

American Idol Recap

Thought I'd post a little update about American Idol this week considering last week, I was in labor during the Wednesday night show ;) haha! Last night was a pretty good show (from what I could tell-- my parents came to visit Tayler, so were chit-chatting through most of it!) Who are undeniably making it through? Haley-- Okay, I haven't always been a huge fan of hers, but she TORE IT UP last night.
Lauren- Amazing. 'Nuff said.
James Durbin- Yea, I knew he'd tear it up last night.
Scottie- That kid could definitely win this competition.
Casey- Wasn't his best performance, but I love seeing him with that bass! It's so unique!
Pia- She changed it up. I think that'll save it for her!  Paul- I loved him at first, but I think he'll be in the bottom 3 again :(
Jacob- Sorry, but I think we've seen all we're going to see from him...Stefano- I just want him to go home... haha! Who's going home? I want it to be Stefano, but I think it'll be Paul. We'll see, huh? 40 more minutes!   

April 7th-- She's 1 Week Old Today!

I know, I know... I'm going to be just like EVERY parent out there and say: Oh my heavens! I CANNOT believe my sweet baby girl is one week old already!  April 7th was my due date... and April 7th, Tayler has been alive for 1 week :)  Here's a snapshot of our LOOOOOOOOOOONG baby girl: 

 (Yes, she's on daddy's lap and yes, I think she's going to be a daddy's girl!) How is mommy life? AMAZING. I love that my arms soothe her. I love that she knows my voice when I walk through the door. I love that when others hold her and she hears me, she strains her neck to find me. I love that I have that bond with her. She has changed my whole life. We had a couple of rough nights at first. She wasn't alright with sleeping in her bassinet by herself-- and why would she? She's spent the past 39 weeks tucked inside her mommy's tummy. She's been comforted by me. So, the bassinet is not familiar. It's a bit lonely. There's a bit too much room. But last night, we were blessed with about 5-6 hours of sleep! She ate at 10:40 and slept (in her bassinet mind you!) til 12:40. Then slept in her bassinet again until 2:40. And then slept in her bassinet again til almost 4:00. Then, she got a little fussy and yes-- I did what (typically) any mother would do... and I let her sleep snuggled in my arms til 7:00 when it was time to eat again! :) That little girl is my MIRACLE.  And you know how everyone always tells you that after your child is born your love for your husband only grows deeper? They are absolutely correct! When I watch Ethan with her.. when I see them interacting.. when I see him kiss her forehead.. and change her diaper, I get overwhelmed. I love him not only as my husband now, but also as the father of my child. He literally takes my breath away.  Here's another shot of our Tayler at 1 week old: 

And our wide-eyed girl this morning! (Yes, her newborn sleepers are a tad bit too big for her still LOL)

 She's now 6lbs 2oz. (an ounce below her birth weight!) We're almost there, hehe! We scheduled her next doctor's appointment, God answered our prayers and healed her jaundice...  We are just SO thankful for this little miracle we have in our lives! We prayed consistently for her during our pregnancy and we want to continue doing that through her entire life! She's our whole world--- and we wouldn't change a thing about it!

Tayler is Finally Here!

 I know, I know... I've been slacking on putting up pictures of our sweetheart, soooo let me get on that! :) Tayler born 3/31/2011 at 2:22AM. She was 6lbs, 3oz and was 20" long :) This was our FIRST picture of her.. right after she was born: 

And this was my first time holding her :) Yes, it was LOVE at first sight, let me tell you!

 Our first family picture :) 

Our beautiful baby girl coming home:

 

I'll post more when I have time

but welcome to the world TAYLER!

BAY-TIFUL BLISS UPDATE :)

As of Wednesday, March 30th, 2011--- my priorities have shifted. That's right. For all of my blog readers out there--- I went into labor at 8:45AM March 30th. I'll fill everyone in on those details in a minute :) As you all know, I've been a dedicated "Project 365-er" for quite some time. I LOVE blogging. I LOVE giving everyone updates. I just LOVE this period :) But, since having my sweet baby girl... and all the time I have been spending getting things organized and getting a routine down.. my blog will be just that-- a blog. I'll still update, but it may not be EVERY day (or it could!) It will just depend on how my sweet Tayler is, how this momma is feeling, and what we have planned for the day :)  Now-- for a TAYLER update. Here's my labor story: DISCLAIMER: This is my labor story. For those of you that are currently pregnant or trying to conceive, please note that EVERY labor is different. What worked/happened/didn't work for me, may not work/not happen/work for you. Enjoy your own experience and don't be afraid of what happened with me. You will be different... one way or another. Wednesday, March 30th, 2011, I woke up and felt a bit damp. Silly old me thought I'd peed the bed. But as I got up, more liquid began dripping down my leg. Gross? I know, haha! The more I walked, the more it gushed. I knew right then and there-- my water was breaking. I called my mom and told her the news... I called the nurse hot-line and asked them what I needed to do (because I was not contracting whatsoever when my water broke.) They told me to wait until my contractions got stronger... and then... I called the husband. I said 'Hey! You ready to be a daddy today?' and he started freaking out! 'What, what are you talking about?' I told him my water had just broke and all I heard was, 'Okay, I'm on my way!' And he was off. Where was he you might be wondering? At work-- in Columbus! So, my dad ended up coming down to sit with me while we waited for Ethan to get home. (He got home from near the Columbus Airport in 50 minutes!) We got my contractions going, grabbed our bags, and headed for the hospital. We arrived at the hospital about noon. We got a room, they hooked us up to machines, and we were set to go. Or so we thought. 5:00 came around... and I was still only dilated 2, so they started the pitocin. Of course, the contractions started getting a bit stronger. Thank God I had some distractions (family... and the wonderful American Idol!) Although I couldn't really focus on either, haha! Well, the night continued going and March 30th soon passed. (I thought for sure that was going to be Tayler's birthday!) At midnight, they checked me and I was still only dilated 2. Talk about frustrating! I'd went through 1 bag of pitocin.. and was still only contracting about every 6 minutes. So, they started another bag of pitocin... and told me that since I was having trouble dilating, a c-section may be in order since they like to have babies out within 24 hours of the water breaking. I was dreading a c-section, but I was exhausted and just ready to have Tayler. As the night progressed, my contractions started getting stronger. They gave me some pain medication to ease the pain since I wasn't able to get the epidural yet and it knocked me out for awhile (thank God!) At 1AM, I knew there was a change being made in my body. Contractions were rough... and I was getting cranky (sorry family and hubby!) They checked me and told me I was FINALLY dilated 5! The nurse said, 'You can get the epidural now!' Finally! All of that talk about how relief was coming was here! But it seemed like the anastesiologist was taking forever. I remember yelling, 'Someone please help me! Get them to help me!' Ethan was asking them to get the epidural because I was losing it. I remember pulling my hair, frustrated. At 1:15AM, they checked me again prior to giving me the epidural. And as I looked at the nurse's face.... she looked shocked. All she said was, "You're clear." I remember asking, 'What does that mean?!' And she said, 'Sweetie, you're dilated 10! You can't get the epidural...' Everyone walked out of the room. LITERALLY, hahaha! Even Ethan. They all knew this pregnant lady was probably about to lose it. But I didn't... all I said was, "WELL LETS DO THIS! LETS GET THIS BABY OUT!" They started rushing into the room with lights and all of their equipment. I kept telling them I had the urge to push... they told me to wait. My legs were shaking trying to hold it in. (I didn't... and the waters started gushing, haha!) They finally got the stirrups up, my legs were ready, and it was time to push! I started pushing at 1:27AM. They counted me off 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10... deep breath, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. I pushed for about an hour and finally at 2:22AM, Tayler Serenity Bay was born! She was 6lbs, 3oz and 20" long. We were in love already! It was tough. I won't lie. It hurts. And is painful, but trust me--- it is so worth it! When women say that once your baby is laying on your belly and you see them for the first time, you forget about the pain-- YOU DO. I remember during contractions, I kept saying, 'I'm never having another baby!' And now, I would do it all over again just to see a new baby again <3