Baby Update

For those of you who care about such things, I went to the doctor yesterday and the good news is that I'm 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced...looking back on 2 years ago on the blog, I realize this is about where I was with Kathryn a week before she was born. So maybe I'll be blessed with another short labor this time (hopefully not too short, though!) I will most likely be delivering at Lake Norman, which means 10 more miles of driving for us. So....we'll just have to leave a little more time so we don't have a highway baby. :)

"You have forsaken your first love." -Revelation 2:4

"Ever to be remembered is that best and brightest of hours,
when we first saw the Lord, lost our burdens,
received the roll of promise, rejoiced in full salvation,
and went on our way in peace.
It was springtime in our soul; the winter was past...

...Then the flowers appeared in our heart;
hope, love, peace, and patience sprung from the sod;
the hyacinth of repentance, the snowdrop of pure holiness,
the crocus of golden faith, the daffodil of early love,
all decked the garden of the soul.
The time for the singing of birds had come,
and we rejoiced with thanksgiving;
we magnified the holy name of our forgiving God, and our resolve was,

"Lord, I am Yours, wholly Yours;
all I am, and all I have, I would devote to You.
You have bought me with your blood-
let e spend myself and be spent in Your service.
In life and death let me be consecrated to You."

How have we kept this resolve?

Our espousal love burned with a holy flame of devotion to Jesus-
is it the same now? Might not Jesus justifiably say to us,
"I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love"?

Alas! We have done so little for our Master's glory.
Our winter has lasted all too long.
We are as cold as ice when we should feel a summer's glow
and bloom with sacred flowers...

...O alert us so that we may return to our first love,
and do our first works!
Send us a genial spring, O Sun of Righteousness."

C.H. Spurgeon
Morning and Evening

Waiting...

We're all getting pretty excited around here that Swan Baby #2 is only 3 weeks away from his/her due date! I think Nick and I are both feeling ready and excited to welcome this new little one into our family. I still have some light projects to fill my time with, but after getting the baby stuff down from the attic, I'm super excited to hold this little munchkin! I went to the hospital today to see Alicia Seaver (born yesterday), and I was newly struck by how much I love newborns. They are just so tiny and cute and snugly....I can't wait for my own! And Kathryn is getting excited, too. I think she really gets the concept and knows what's happening, even though I'm sure she's still in for a good bit of adjustment once Baby actually comes.

I had an ultrasound last week, in which they wanted to see the size...their guess is that this baby will be a little bigger than Kathryn was (6 lbs. 9 oz), somewhere a little over 7 lbs. So we'll see if they guessed rightly. The funny thing about the ultrasound pictures that we got is that the profile is totally different than Kathryn's, including what look like huge lips! It's a pretty funny picture, actually. So I'm curious to see what this baby looks like.

I'm still feeling good- actually, better than a few months ago. The other night I woke up with contractions, strong enough to go charge my camera battery just in case this was "it", but then they stopped. So it looks like it'll be a while yet. I go to the Doctor on Tuesday, so we'll see if I'm any further along.

Kathryn has been very into all the baby clothes...I got all our newborn girl clothes down and washed them, just in case, which ended up being quite a hassle...Lots of spit up stains that got much worse sitting in the attic. After Oxiclean and a few soaks, they are looking good as new again. :)

Looks like this baby will have some competition for his/her bouncy seat!

8 Months (or 9, depending on how you look at it)

Kathryn's Birthday

Well, better late than never on the pictures, right? Here are a few pictures of how we spent Sunday night to celebrate Kathryn's birthday. We opted to not have a party for her this year, and just had the Lechners come over for dinner and cake. It was a wonderful evening, and Kathryn has loved playing with her new toys. We gave her some more play food for her kitchen, and I made her a little apron since she's always wanting to "help" me cook. :)

The finished creation before it was destroyed...

2 Year Portraits

I took Kathryn in for her 2 year portrait today...I haven't gotten her picture taken at a studio since she was 6 months old (where she picked at the fuzz on the table the whole time). I had a coupon for a free 8x10 portrait at Picture People, so I thought I'd give it another try. I was really happy with how they turned out, and I was good and stuck to my free portrait (the top one). Anyway, on to resting and organizing this afternoon....

Play Time

Thought these pictures were fun...Kathryn and I spent a good part of the day yesterday just playing together. I wonder if she suspects a change coming soon with the baby because she's needed a little extra "Mommy time" the last few days. It's funny, she really reminds me of myself sometimes with her emotions! I guess even little ladies sometimes cry for no obvious reason. :) But I certainly don't mind the extra cuddles before bedtime and hugs/snuggles during the day.

Pregnancy Update

Hard to believe there are only 7 weeks until my due date! Just a quick update...I've started going to the Dr. every 2 weeks, which is exciting. This baby is coming soon! Nick and I are slowly going through the house trying to organize things and get rid of what we can to declutter the house and make room for another bed and person (and all the stuff that comes with a baby!) I have discovered that having a baby is highly motivating to get projects done that I've been procrastinating on. For instance, I spent the evening filling frames in Kathryn's room that have been empty for more than a year. What a nice feeling to have them done! Next on the list is organizing my recipes a little better on the computer. Then finishing the stockings that never got finished before Christmas. And maybe making a bunch of nursing covers so I have some in stock already made. We'll see on that one. We'll also move some furniture around, moving the futon into the computer room and setting up a toddler bed for Kathryn in her room with the crib. I'll post pictures when we switch things around. But for now, it's 1 am and I must get to bed!!!

Christmas Pictures

I can't believe it's been a whole month since my last post. I admit that my time has not really focused on blogging recently, but hopefully now I can get back into the swing of things. This year for Christmas we took our annual 2 week trip to visit both families. We loved seeing everyone...here are a few pictures.

Our Christmas on Dec. 21 in Charlotte. Kathryn was very excited about her tea set we got her. She has also loved playing with her playdough, which was a stocking gift. I think I'll try to stick with one gift for Christmas for our kids and then fill out some "needs" with the stocking stuffers. That seemed to work well this year, and maybe it will change...we'll see.

First leg of our trip was Muncie, where we celebrated Christmas with the Swans on the 23rd. Our annual traditions- Pizza King Pizza at night, then Christmas Eve Breakfast with the Swan extended family. Here's a picture of Kathryn with her cousin Tyler.

Hmmm, not the greatest of us, but one of the only ones from the whole trip!

Looking so forlorn...I had to post it because I think it's so funny.

The Swans-Pat & Sarah with Tyler, Us, Dennis & Marilyn, Sean & Stacey

Next we headed up to Michigan, where we celebrated Christmas on the 27th with my immediate family. We enjoyed the new house on the Michigan House property, which was a great place for us all to gather at. It was certainly a different feeling being there in the winter, but it was fun. Then on the 28th we headed back to Wheaton to spend more time with my family. Of course, no Taylor Christmas would be complete without a trip to Seven Dwarfs Restaurant- a Greek, Family-owned diner famous for its shakes. They know my brother-in-law by name there since he frequents it so often when he's in town, even though he lives in Atlanta!

Our family picture keeps growing! My parents, 5 original Tayors, 5 spouses, 6 grandkids, and Gram. Total count: 19!

Lastly, we headed to Brown County, Indiana to see more of Nick's extended family. The added bonus this year was a new indoor water park, which was pretty awesome. Kathryn spent the first hour terrified of the water, not even wanting to get her toes wet. Here's how she looked after 3 hours...in fact, it was quite an ordeal when we had to leave- she was enjoying herself that much!

I've been tagged

Jeanie "tagged" me on her blog...to post the 6th picture in the 6th folder on my computer, and then to tell about the picture. This is a picture of my niece Bethany holding Kathryn at the Outer Banks in 2007. Kathryn was 5 months old at the time, and Bethany was very eager to help with everything she could. Kathryn is quite excited to see her big cousin "Beh-Beh" next week at Nana and Papa's house!

Contentment

"A Christian comes to contentment,

not so much by way of addition,
as by way of subtraction...
not so much by adding to what he would have, or to what he has,
not by adding more to his condition;
but rather by subtracting from his desires,
so as to make his desires and his circumstances even and equal."

I've recently been re-reading "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment" by Jeremiah Burroughs, which is so full of treasures like this quote. What a wonderful reminder, especially this time of year, that changing/increasing my circumstances won't bring contentment. Rather, when I lower my desires to my current circumstance, I experience contentment in all the blessings God has given me already.

It's Beginnig to Look A Lot Like Christmas

I have really been enjoying this Christmas season, way more than the last few years. I think it's helped that Kathryn is old enough to start noticing the decorations up and grasp a basic excitement for the Christmas story. Every morning we read from our Advent book, which is Luke 2 broken up into 25 passages, each one a door flap to lift up. It is really perfect (thanks, Nancy, for foreseeing my appreciation of this book!) Then we "act" out the story with Kathryn's Little People Manger set. She gets really excited pointing out all the decorations around the house: "Angels," "Tee" (Christmas Tree) "Doll" (my caroler dolls), "Dada's" (Nick's Nativity Display), "Angel on top!" (points to the Angel on the top of the tree), "Tocking" (stockings). I just love it.

After being inspired from some ladies at church, I decided to try and get as much shopping done early this year, which has been a huge blessing. I remember this time last year feeling very frantic, which is why we booked a last minute flight instead of driving for Christmas. But this week's agenda is pretty calm, which is amazing for leaving on Monday. I'm thankful that I've been able to slow down this month, enjoy meditating on the story of our Lord's birth, as well as enjoying some quality time with Kathryn. What a difference it has made!

Park Outing

I have been loving this warm weather, even though it's been pretty rainy the last few days. Nick and I took a little excursion to the park on Monday to enjoy some fresh air and give Kathryn some exercise. I've been slacking on my posting, so here are some pictures...

I love life through a toddler's eyes...everything is fascinating, including a plane in the sky, which is what she was pointing at in this picture.

Sittin' like a lady

Thanksgiving in Hilton Head

We just got back from a lovely weekend in Hilton Head at Gram's house (my mom's mom). We met up with my parents, my sister Margaret and her husband Josh, and my mom's sister Becky and her family. It was so fun being with extended family for Thanksgiving...lots of cooking, which is exactly what I was wanting. We actually had Thanksgiving dinner Wednesday AND Thursday to accommodate the different people coming and going. I contributed corn casserole, pumpkin bread, an egg and goat cheese fritatta, and sweet potato casserole. Can you tell I like comfort foods? :)

4 Generations- Mom, Kathryn, Me, Gram

Dad carving the turkey

"The Ladies:" Gram, Lauren (my cousin David's fiance), Lisa (cousin Jordan's wife), my mom, Becky (my mom's sister), and me. We threw a little bridal shower for Lauren on Thanksgiving morning.

Dad and Bill trimming the trees outside Gram's house so we could see the beautiful view of the golf course pond.

Here are some shots of the Salt Lake Marshes, part of the neighborhood that Gram lives in. It is just beautiful.

Gram (or "Gam", as Kathryn called her) and kathryn playing

Our 2008 Christmas picture

Stockings

My new project is making stockings so that we all have matching stockings (as well as future kids). So, opinion time...I'm trying decide if I should put just the first letter of our names on the stockings or figure out a way to write the full names across the top of the stockings. Thoughts?

Cooking

Kathryn has been really into "helping" me cook this last week. Every time I go into the kitchen, she drags a chair across to the counter saying, "I want to see" (well, it's more like "Ah seeee"). Then she pulls all of the measuring spoons out and "cooks" with me. I try not to think about kitchen sanitation as I put all the spoons she's sucked on back in the drawer. :) She's also been very into wearing an apron, which is so funny. I think I'm going to make her one for Christmas.

These are actually some of my sweetest times as a mother. I hope that Kathryn always wants to cook alongside me...I love having a daughter and hope the future brings lots of time in the kitchen together. What sweet times these are.

Playing

Well, I'm a little sad to see the beautiful weather turn into being quite cold outside (I know, it's not THAT cold compared with a lot of other places, but I've quickly become used to Southern climate.) We enjoyed a few days outside last week while the leaves were still pretty on the ground. And now more of our time has been spent inside, like trying out the new Elmo coloring book I got Kathryn at Dollar Tree. That is a great place to go for "art" stuff for 2 year olds, by the way. I love how concentrated Kathryn looks in this picture...I think she gets that furrowed brow from her mother. :)