The Taylor's Triumphs

My new blog friend, Tiff, tagged me yesterday! How neat! I love answering these things!

We've been outside all day at our Spring Fling here at school. I dont' function very well after being in the heat and SWEATING all day, so just look over some of my answers if they're crazy!

Here's how 8 THINGS works:
- Mention the person that tagged you.
- Complete the lists of 8's.
- Tag 8 of your wonderful bloggy friends.
- Go tell them you tagged them!

During my time here in blog world, I have come across many different blogs. One of these that I now follow is Keeping Up with the Welsh's. Their youngest daughter, Bentley, is a beautiful blue-eyed baby that has the biggest smile in almost all her pictures. Bentley has a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot. She is scheduled to have open heart surgery in the next couple of months and from what I read, they don't know the actual severity until they go into surgery. I wasn't really familiar with TOF until Crystal created a post on her blog all about the actual defect. To read more about TOF please click here and you'll go directly to her post on it.

Crystal is having a give away to promote CHD awareness. So, go on over to her blog and check it out. She has some super cute items that could possibly be useful to you or to someone near and dear to you.

Another of Lizzy's favorite things these days....biting our feet and pants legs. She will bite and hold on for dear life! It's kind of funny because if she has a hold on your pants leg and you try to walk, she'll just let you drag her everywhere. She growls in her little puppy growl and holds tight!

Another love of Lizzy is laying out in the sun. She loves our sunny Spring days where she can just lay out in the grass and be lazy! She likes it even more when she and Gypsy are out there together!

Today is not a good day for me.

Today marks one year since my first-ever positive pregnancy test. What a crazy feeling that was a year ago today. I remember feelings of shock and unbelief, as well as a little relief and assurance. What a crazy mixture! I'll never forget telling David. I actually left all 3 tests that I took on the bathroom counter, so when he awoke and went in there, he'd see them. Let me just say, he never did mention them until I did. When I asked if he saw them, he simply said "well, are you?" It took him a little while to come around to the whole "I'm gonna be a daddy, again" idea. Once he did come around, oh my. We were both so excited! I fell instantly in love with that little creation inside of me. It seemed that was all I could think about. I was constantly reading my What to Expect book, and checking to see what was growing on our baby that week. I caught myself looking in the baby section when I was in a store and wondering if I would buy pink or blue one day. Although, in our hearts we really felt pink. We already had a game plan for where we'd put certain baby gear items in our home. We had dreams for our baby. We just knew she'd be born with very little hair, eventually have David's brown eyes and complexion, and have a few curls on her head by her first birthday. She was due on December 4, 2008, but we figured she'd probably make her appearance a little closer to Thanksgiving. We'd love on our little girl her first Christmas morning. Our hearts would be bursting with love and joy, rather than tears during that Christmas season.

I never dreamed that we would only have 3 1/2 weeks of enjoying that little life. I guess there was always that possibility of miscarriage somewhere in the back of my mind, but I think we all have the "it won't happen to us" thoughts also. Those days after we found out were some of the darkest days of my life. I wouldn't change them though. That was the plan God had for us. He allowed us a brief time with that precious baby, so I could see how precious life really is. My eyes were opened a little wider because of our loss. If it's in God's plan for us to experience pregnancy again, not one second of it will be taken for granted.

So, today isn't that great, but tomorrow I'll be better.

If you've not read MckMama's blog, go read and see what the latest updates are on baby Stellan. When he was in the womb, he was diagnosed with several heart problems. However, at birth, he was born a healthy baby boy. Now he is having problems similar to those he was having in utero. Please go to MckMama's and read the full story with details. You'll fall in love with the whole family very quickly.
Please pray for Stellan and his family. God has shown them healing before and if we all get on our knees for this baby, He can surely do it again.

I had to take Lizzy to the vet yesterday. Her front legs looked a little funny and she seemed to be favoring one of them a tiny bit, so we decided she needed to be checked out. Dr. Stacy could find absolutely nothing wrong with her other than she looks a little bow-legged(sp?). I just couldn't figure out why she would all-of-a-sudden be like this. Then, they weighed her. We took her to the bet 2 1/2 weeks ago for a round of shots and she weighed 2 pounds, 6 ounces. Y'all, she weighed a whopping 4 pounds, 4 ounces yesterday! No wonder the crazy, biting, active little thing is bow-legged!!!! Needless to say, her food bowl is now being taken up when she walks away from it. It was good to find out that nothing serious was wrong with her. On another note, she and Gypsy now get along. Gypsy isn't nearly as hyper-active as Lizzy, but she tolerates her now and even chases and plays with her. It's too funny to hear them running through the house. I'll post a new picture of her on my next post so you can see how much she really has grown.

I had the flu last week. That was the first time I've had it in years. It was horrible! Luckily, David hasn't shown any signs of getting it. (Him being sick is worse than me being sick. He's such a baby!) Cloie was supposed to come last weekend, but we suggested she wait until this weekend since I was sick. She quickly responded with "I don't want the flu!!!!" We missed her and it seems like forever since we've seen her, but she'll be here this weekend and get to stay for a whole week since it's Spring Break.

Amongst my two trips to the doctor because of the flu, I was also due to have my monthly blood work to check my HCG levels. I had that done and they were at 2 this week (0-5 is considered safe, for me). So, things are still going well regarding that and hopefully, we'll get the go-ahead in July to start trying again for our baby. I can't wait!

Oh, and go over to this blog and meet Abby. She did a super cool week of giveaway's and I won one of the day's prizes. It was a duo of a custom onesie and burp cloth. She sent me a pic of the custom design she made for my onesie and it is so cute! As soon as I get it in, I'll be sure to post a pic of them. Her work is just too cute! I'm so excited to add these two new items to my little "baby collection" that we have. When we were pregnant in April and then again in July, I bought a few things for the baby, but sadly, had to put them away. I'm looking at things a little more positively now as we count down the next 4 months when we can start trying again.

Hope you all have had a great month since I last blogged. It's been a busy one for us!

As stated in my last post, we have a new addition at our house! I'm sure you instantly thought of a baby in the human sense, but she's a baby Min Pin. We got her on Sunday, February 8, and she has just turned 8 weeks old. She went about 24 hours without a name, but we finally decided she looks like a "Lizzy". We love her so much already and have only had her for a week. She is just too cute and so sweet until she starts barking during the middle of the night. :) I think we've probably just spoiled her during the day by holding her so much and now she wants to be held during the night too. I'm sure she'll get adjusted soon though. We love having her at our house, but Gypsy (our other dog that is 5) thinks otherwise. When Lizzy first came home with us, Gypsy would snap at her or actually bite her. Gypsy got in trouble quite a few times for that and now she just runs from her when Lizzy comes near her. I guess that's just the best way to avoid getting into trouble! We're hoping they'll make friends soon because we really don't like having to guard their every step to be sure they don't cross paths. Any way, she's really cute isn't she?

It's been quite a while since I've written. I planned to be a "good blogger" and keep up with things a little better, but I obviously haven't done very well. Maybe today will be the new beginning of a better go at this.

Over the past week, God has really been talking to me. Actually, He's been talking to both David and me. I love it when I can really feel that God is telling me something, but sometimes when it's still in the preliminary stages, it can be kinda confusing (to me). I'm one that doubts myself and also questions things sometimes, so I'm sure I make it more difficult to actually hear Him speaking to me. There are a couple areas of our lives that I'm really trying to focus on and I think those are the 2 that God is really working on for us. One is church. We love going to church. However, lately, we have felt that God may be moving us somewhere else. This is a pretty difficult situation, but if it's what God is wanting us to do, then we will without hesitation. David leads the music at our church and we are working on our Easter Cantata so we feel as though we are supposed to stay put until after Easter. We feel as though it is time for David to be a choir member rather than director so this is a pretty big change for us. We're unsure of where God may be leading us, but we're welcoming it if it's his will for us.

The other area that God is dealing with me about is one that I can't really disclose right now. This concerns me more than David, and I'm a little scared because it does require me stepping out of my comfort zone a little. However, I am eager to see what God decides in this situation as well.

Please pray for us as we go through these changes. We know God has allowed me this opportunity and He will see me through it, regardless of its outcome. We also know that God's hand is definitely in the church situation. We believe we have received the final confirmation about that and are at peace with it now. It's still just difficult to think about leaving the church family we have now. I guess that's all for now. I have another post to write soon, but I have to wait until I have pictures! I will give you a hint though....it's about our new ADDITION!!!! ~~I promise it's not the addition you're thinking!~~ ;)

There are several familiar songs and hymns that have been incorporated. I can't wait to see what all God reveals to us through this music.


Hope you all had a great weekend as well. I have a refreshed feeling today and I'm hoping this feeling stays with me for a while!

Please pray for Scott, Kelly and Harper Stamps. Harper was born last night and was having difficulty breathing due to pneumonia. She has been airlifted to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, OK, where she may be put on a heart/lung machine for a while. Please pray for safe travel for Kelly and her parents as they join Scott and his parents at Harper's bedside. Please go to http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/ for more information and updates.

Okay..... so we all know that teachers have the easiest job there is, right???? SO MANY people (my husband included) think that and......well, I beg to differ. Yes, we have GREAT holidays....until there is a hurricane, which seems to be making an appearance yearly now and we miss at least one day of school which is to be made up at a later date (CHRISTMAS holidays). And then there is the time when it snows and you get 2 wonderful, much needed days off, which have to be made up during SPRING BREAK (for crying out loud people, who came up with that?). But honestly, we do have great holidays and great hours, especially if you have a family. I love my job, don't get me wrong. I actually enjoy it. However, some of my students have just about driven me insane today.

One major problem is all the mouths that continue to move even when they've been told to be quiet. I promise you I tell them to be quiet and they look at me as if I've grown another limb or something. Then there are those who choose to just simply not do their work. What in the world makes them think they have the ability to say what they will or will not do? Maybe it's because I come from a family of educators, but I was raised KNOWING that we didn't have a choice. We simply did what we were told and didn't question the adult telling us to do it. Some of my students question me when they're given an assignment. They try to bargain with me about the quantity as well as quality of work they'll produce. WHAT?????? I just don't understand. Who has taught them to be this disrespectful? One student in particular was given an assignment and 2 hours later had not completed even half of it. What was the assignment? Well it was defining 20 simple spelling words. He only got 5 of them done in 2 hours time. Not because he's incapable, but because he's lazy and just doesn't understand why I'm picking on him and making him do all this work. Oh my word!! I think my blood pressure is going up again just thinking about it.

When did things change in our society to make our children think they can disrespect those in authority? I pray that I can be somewhat of an influence on my students and help them to understand the importance of respecting their peers, themselves, and their leaders. If anyone out there actually reads my blog, please say a little prayer for me and my students. I kinda lost my cool earlier, but I believe they got my point about respecting others!

The weekend has come and gone quickly. Friday after school I went and bought groceries (stupid move for a Friday afternoon). I picked up pizza on the way home and David and I spent the night watching TV. Saturday I finally convinced myself that I had procrastinated long enough. I slowly and reluctantly began taking down my Christmas decorations. I pretty much "Christmas" the whole house. I got everything from the hall bath, kitchen and den taken down. I still have the living room and Cloie's room to finish. I must say, everything looks so bare now. I LOVE Christmas decorations and since this was the first one since we completely finished our house, it was decorated really well. We had 2 events at our house this holiday season and I wanted it to look really nice when everyone came over. So I guess I was very reluctant to take down all that hard work and thus led to my major bout with procrastination.

Saturday afternoon we kept our neighbors' twins (girl/boy). They'll be 3 at the end of this month so they're both pretty active, but we love keeping them. Conner absolutely loves David and I enjoy watching them interact. I hope we have a little boy one day so I can watch "my boys" do all the things that daddy's and their sons do.

Saturday night was girls night; no kids and no husbands!!!! Jackie, Niki and I get together as often as we can. Sometimes it's only once a month, but other times it may be every couple weeks. Our normal meeting place is El Sombrero in Brookhaven. We eat and just catch up on the happenings of our every day lives. We sometimes vent, cry, or laugh 'til we cry, but it's always so fun picking up where we left off the previous time. Jackie suggested that we go see Bride Wars this time, so we met at El Som, ate and then it was off to the movies! Niki didn't go see the movie with us and we hated that she didn't, but she had some other things to do before going home. This movie was great! We were laughing one second and crying the next. It was a typical chick flick and captured every emotion. I seriously hope there is a sequel to this movie! The ending left us thinking there was a serious possibility of it...I sure hope so! You should pay the $7.75 and go see it. I hate to admit it, but it was worth the admission!

I love spending time with the girls. It's amazing that through all the high school drama and then separation during our college years we are still the best of friends. Sometimes we may go a week or longer without talking and we still pick up right where we left off. We all know that if we ever need anything the other girls are just a simple call or text away. It's hard to find friends like that and I'm so thankful that God allowed these two special people to remain in my life.

Well, this is my first post here in the land of blog. I've been lurking for quite some time here in blog land on various peoples' sites. So many of these sites have provided me with some awesome words of encouragement and inspiration on days when I really needed it. I'm thinking it's now my turn to begin my journey with blogger.

So, how do you start these things? I know there's supposed to be a meet and greet, first post and all, but how do you start them? **Everything that comes to mind reminds me of an AA introduction. ** Hmm, well, here goes!

My name is Kelly Taylor and first and foremost I'm a Christian, Wife, Step-mama, Sister, Daughter, Granddaughter, Cousin, Teacher, Friend, etc. My husband, David, and I have been married for almost 14 months. Wow, that's been quick! David has a sweet and beautiful little girl, Cloie, from a previous marriage. We love our time with her and crave more time with her every time she has to leave us. I have to say our first year of marriage has been one wild roller coaster of a ride. I really like roller coasters, but good grief, enough is enough sometimes! God has used each and every day of this craziness to really grab me and get my attention. I love my Lord and I am thankful for EVERYTHING David and I have gone through this past year. But my goodness, it has been difficult at times. I'll provide you with a little background info:

David and I learned we were expecting our first baby together in late March 2008. After the initial SHOCK wore off, were ECSTATIC!!! Over three short weeks, we created so many life scenarios about our baby girl or boy. We set so many goals for our family and home. We pictured that precious baby bed with beautiful bedding in our extra bedroom. We imagined what the age difference would be like with Cloie being 8 years old when this newborn entered our home for the first time. You see, in 3 short weeks, we fell deeply in love with a precious tiny baby who was just a little miraculous "blob" on the sonogram screen at 5 wks and 5 days; whose heartbeat was the most beautiful thumping beat we'd ever heard. At 7 wks, 5 days, we lost our baby. All I can say is "Wow". That was absolutely the most difficult thing I had ever experienced in my life. It was as if someone had knocked the wind right out of me when I heard those words from the sonographer. And bless her heart, she cried with us too. Looking back now, I can honestly say I went through every stage of grief. It was horrible and heart wrenching. I had to do so much soul searching and every single time I moved one step closer to the Creator.

David and I decided to start trying again immediately. We found out in July that we were pregnant again! We were so surprised that it happened so quickly. We went in on July 18, 2008 to have our first scan. This scan was precautionary; to see if everything appeared to be "okay". Once again, we were heartbroken. There was nothing on that small screen this time. Nothing that resembled anything. My doctor concluded that we had experienced a Complete Molar Pregnancy. Basically, a baby never even formed, just a bunch of cells and tissue. I had to go through another D&C along with another twist on my already emotional roller coaster ride. I managed to scare myself to death the night before the D&C was scheduled. Dr. Sumrall had clearly told me not to go home and research our situation until she was 100% sure that was what had happened, but, you know me, I'm a detail person if anything! So I found that not only did we not have that 2nd baby we were praying and planning for, but we also now faced the possibility of these cells coming back spontaneously and chemo as treatment. What???? Yeah my thoughts exactly. After the D&C, I went to the Dr. weekly and had blood work done each week for 10 weeks. I love the McComb Clinic and I LOVE the girls in the lab, but good grief, even they got tired of seeing me each week. She then moved me to every other week and then in November, she decided I could start a monthly blood work check. We have to wait until the one year mark (July/Aug.) before trying to get pregnant again. So that pretty much brings us up to date. **Looking over what I just wrote, I believe you got the short and condensed version....be glad :) Remember, I'm a detail person!**

With all that said, I'm glad I'm here. I'm glad you're here. I'm glad I'm on this journey I'm on. Which, may sound somewhat crazy, but you know what? If I hadn't gone through both of these heart breaking experiences I wouldn't be where I am now as a Christian, wife, or future mother. I follow Angie Smith's blog, Bring the Rain, and she once posted something about being thankful for the worst of circumstances. She's suffered loss too. They lost their baby girl, Audrey. Her words in that post lit a fire inside of me. It motivated me and after SO MUCH prayer, I told God that I was and am thankful for the loss we experienced and the other medical obstacles I'm still having checked monthly. That was a super hard thing to actually tell God. I thought being thankful for loss was unheard of, but I meant it when I told Him "thank you". I pray that as I continue to have these life experiences, I will continue to grow closer to God with every single little or big step I take.

Thanks for reading all my ramblings for the day. I hope you'll come back to visit and comment!

Kelly