5 days old

Have we really only been parents for five days?? As I sit here next to her, it seems like she has been a part of our lives for much longer than that!

A week ago, I was busy getting the house ready for her arrival. We knew that we would be heading into the hospital the next day, and so it seemed like it was the last opportunity to get all that detailed cleaning, organizing and stock-up grocery shopping done! And today, a week later, with the exception of an exciting adventure out for her first doctor's appointment, all we have done is napped and eaten, and just been totally relaxed on the couch together.

I would say that we have adjusted pretty well to being a threesome. She doesn't spend much time not in one of our arms. Last night she only woke me up once in the middle of the night, and then not again until 7am! Yay for sleep!! :-)

Here is one of the few moments she has spent in her crib...
I was pretty excited for her to meet Brady...a future playmate...

Here is daddy multi-tasking - grad school work and burping at the same time...

Taylor showing off her feet and long little legs...
Snuggling in cozy blankets...

My mom is here for a few days, and she came bearing lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, planned dinners and very helpful hands! So far today she shoveled our driveway, accompanied me to the doctor's office for Taylor's first visit, went grocery shopping for us, made homemade applesauce, made and cleaned up dinner, and was the camcorder-holder for Taylor's first bath at home.

Here is a picture of our first family dinner at the table... :-)
Spending time with grand-mem...
Taylor's doctor's appointment went really well, and they said she is progressing exactly as she should be! She is already back above her birth weight - eating like a champ!! I was nervous about how she was doing, and I felt really happy and relieved to hear that everything is good! This whole being a mom thing was a lot less worrisome when she was in utero - I could protect her 24/7! :-)

Love this little girl!

Welcome to the world, Taylor Leigh!!

Taylor is here!!

Whew! It has been a whirlwind these past 38-ish hours, but an amazing experience!!

A week past our original due date, Tuesday at 7am, we left for the hospital to see if we could get the labor going, and after 20 hours of Olympics watching, Scrabble playing, jello eating, and yes, plenty of laboring, Taylor Leigh Slagh entered the world! The day was long - more exhausting than a marathon, and I think that we experienced every emotion possible, but it was SO worth it. Ryan was WONDERFUL the whole day. I cannot say enough about how well yesterday went with him by my side. He went above and beyond expectations. I am so glad that I got to experience this life changing event with him. We started pushing at 1:20am, and she was born at 3:01am! After announcing that we had a GIRL, she was immediately snuggled in a blanket on my chest, and I don't think I will ever forget what it felt like to feel her little 7 pound body in my arms and to hear her cry for the first time.

Dr. Z guessed she was going to be 7 pounds, 3 ounces, and she ended up being 7 pounds, 1 ounce! At 21 inches long she is a long, lean little girl. She has a little blister on each hand where she enjoyed sucking on her hands in utero. Every little part of her seems like a perfect little creation of God, and I cannot wait to see what adventures her life will hold.

Here are a few pictures of our day today - so, so excited to be PARENTS!! :-)

Taking a long walk Sunday night, trying to get labor going...
Leaving the house for the last time, just the two of us...

Just getting settled into our new room we will call "home" for 3 or 4 days...

And she's here!! (We're looking a little tired, but it is 3 in the morning!!)

Taylor...

We might be biased, but we think she is beautiful... :-)

First bath at the hospital :)

Sweet, sweet girl

Grandma and grandpa Parker (at least that is what we will call them until Taylor decides what their nicknames will be :-)) checking out her soft little feet and long little toes. :-)

 We are so happy...and so excited. :)

Original due date!!

Tomorrow is our original due date!! February 9 was the date we were looking forward to originally, but the 20 week ultrasound indicated that we would probably be closer to February 14, so we are still patiently waiting for the big day sometime in the next two weeks or so!

There are thoughts that the upcoming snowstorm may bring on labor - but only time will tell!! I rode my bike this past Saturday (on the trainer of course), and part of me wondered if it would be my last time riding with the group for a while. There are lots of those thoughts lately! Will this be the last time I....fill in the blank with pretty much anything!!

So next post could be a 40 week update, or a baby introduction!!

39 weeks... (this shirt is no longer covering all my belly :-P)

Ryan looking forward to the big day....

Pack 'n play ready to go...

Possibly me on Wednesday?? (yep, sorry teachers, I probably just jinxed it...but we're supposed to get a lot of snow!!)

Seems so close...

yet so far away!!

Yep - another post about baby stuff. It is kind of hard not to!! This little one has officially taken over me - physically and mentally!!

I know that I will never go through this "first time pregnancy" thing, again, and part of me feels a little sad about that! There is so much that is new and exciting and unknown. Each week there is something different that I experience or feel. It is very surreal and completely incredible at the same time.

Being 38 weeks pregnant doesn't feel like I had expected it to feel back when I was only 6 weeks pregnant and just finding out that we were going to have a baby. Physically, I thought I would be more miserable - which is a good thing!! I have been very thankful that so far I have had no swelling. I can still be pretty active, I can still put on my own socks and shoes, and I can still see my students when they stand close in front of me. :-) It is amazing how much the baby's movements are visible right now - makes the whole belly move!! Mentally, I thought I would feel more prepared. My realization throughout these past 9 months is that you can never actually be completely prepared for parenthood - it is an on-going learning experience - that will continue the rest of our lives. :-) I am just so glad that Ryan and I get to go through this adventure together, and feel much more at ease when I think about the fact that he is going to be right there with me - through the good and the bad. :-)

So this week's appointment showed some more progress!! What does that honestly mean? Well - it means that the baby is making its way down and that physically things are starting to prepare for the big day, but in terms of timing - it doesn't mean anything!! (A realization that is rather frustrating for this girl - who is more of a planner). :-) So tomorrow or 2 weeks from now - we could be ready to go!! The baby's heart rate was still in the 140's (it started out high again - in the 160's - but that was after Dr. Z had pushed and prodded a bit to see how he/she was positioned - poor little thing! :-)).

The thing that seems the most strange at this point? That every night I leave work, I have to sit there and wonder if I will be back to work the next day or not. I am so close to my classes this year, and just love this group of kiddos - and so it is a little hard to think that I will not be there with them some morning soon! I know they will be in good hands, but I will miss them. :-)

Last weekend I had two fun showers, and am so blessed by the people I have in my life. We are pretty well prepared now - (well - we at least have the baby stuff to make us feel like we are prepared). Check out this yummy homemade cake...white cake, white frosting - the best kind. :-)

And my very first diaper cake!!

Picture of the 38 week belly...my goodness do you get a lot of looks from people at this point in pregnancy! Vests, scarves and winter clothes can only hide so much!! :-)


And a little glimpse of our little nursery...a little more put together!!!

And new living room furniture...yay!

Officially one month....

One month from now is our official due date - February 14!!

At 36 weeks, I find that 99% of my conversations revolve around Baby Slagh somehow - how am I feeling, how is the baby doing, are we ready, is the nursery ready, is Ryan getting excited... With the very obvious belly now, it is hard to not have it come up in conversation!

At my doctor's appointment this week, they always ask right away, "how are you feeling?" My immediate response of, "I'm feeling pretty good!" didn't seem to be the answer they were expecting! All in all, I cannot complain too much! Sure, I am loving my naps more and more each day, especially since sleep at night is more and more interrupted and inconsistent (side note - I am so very thankful for a husband who does not mind chatting at odd hours of the night when I can't sleep), but I'm still moving around well, still working out pretty much daily, still able to touch my toes (well that is if I bend to the side to be able to see them :-)), and I am still able to get up and down from little kindergarten sized chairs and the floor of my classroom pretty well. I have had a strong desire in the last week to get into the pool, and am almost tempted to just buy a bigger suit - even if it is only for a few weeks!

Baby Slagh looks like he/she should be staying put for a few weeks - not too much going on yet as of the appointment on Tuesday, but baby is at least head down, which we are happy about! If he or she wants to hang out for a little while longer, we are okay with that!!

Here is the 36 week picture, getting ready for Baby Slagh's arrival!

And a picture of "daddy" getting ready for the arrival, too!! :-)

Goals for the weekend? Finish report cards for school, figure out how to install car seat base, and start getting hospital bag packed (just in case!!).

Nothing much, just something funny...

Slagh update to come later this week after 36 week appointment. Until then...

One of my favorite Mutts comics strips this past month. I get a kick out of Mooch the cat and his friend Earl, the dog.

Happy New Year!!

2009 is all wrapped up!!

A quick recap of the big things that happened this year….

January – celebrated the New Year in Mexico!!! It was hot, sunny, and beautiful… :), Ryan and I tried skate skiing for the first time

February – Participated in the Ultimate Cycling Challenge, riding 6 ½ hours to help raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, bought a snuggie, and tried snowshoeing for the first time

March – bought Ryan his first road bike – yay!!

April – roads finally dried out and Ryan and I took our first outdoor bike ride together, enjoyed doing pretty much nothing for Spring Break, two days after Spring Break a co-workers sudden cancer diagnosis landed me teaching full time and taking over a new afternoon class for the rest of the school year

May – Two trips to Charlevoix - a fun weekend trip early May, then Memorial Day weekend with the family, also celebrated my 28^th birthday :), put the house up for sale

June – Wrapped up another school year, Ryan was back into softball full swing (3 games each week plus weekend tournaments), my roommate of 3 years while we were at Hope got married, I found out we were PREGNANT on Father’s Day while Ryan was at a Tiger’s game and after confirming with the Dr., I shared the good news with Ryan the next day :-)

July – Best 4^th of July weekend ever! Told my family during our trip up to Charlevoix that we were expecting, participated in the Goguac Lake Swim (and won my age group! :)), started wrapping up summer grad classes, got to hear baby Slagh’s heartbeat for the first time

August – Spent a fantastic entire week up north, witnessed the beautiful bride and groom, Jess and Mike, tie the knot :), got ready for a new school year (found out I would be teaching full time again)

September – Fun, fun Labor day weekend (at Charlevoix of course), amazing ultrasound experience where we got a sneak peek at our healthy little one, growing just like he/she should be, Ryan felt the first kicks

October - Kp and Ry weekend up north, started getting ready for Baby Slagh by taking our first trip to Babies ‘R Us, passed out 5 bags of Halloween candy in about an hour and a half

November – Started listening to Christmas music on the radio, painted the nursery, ate yummy turkey with family, Ryan turned 28 :)

December – Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, bought a new car, sold my little Accord, set up crib and dresser (thanks mem and dad!) and had a wonderful time at our first baby shower :)

2010 is here, and we can't wait to welcome Baby Slagh into the world and see what this year has to offer for our growing family!!!!! :-)