Time Flies!

Taylor took her first bottle on 12-16, while mommy was out to dinner with friends!

First visit to Uncle Eric & Aunt Krystle's on 12-19 to celebrate mom's, Uncle Eric's, and Aunt Kim's birthdays (all in December!). Grandma and Grandpa couldn't stop kissing her!

Holding Uncle Eric's finger

Staring at Aunt Krystle

Relaxing with Grandpa and Aunt KimHappy Holidays! Don't I look so cute in my Christmas dress??

A visit from Santa!
Hanging out with Cousin Ben - our future babysitter!Christmas morning!New Year's Day- Relaxing with Cousin Ryan and Uncle GusTaylor met Cousin Haley for the first time on New Years Day!Happy New Year!Spying on mommy

Hello everyone! I can't believe it's been over three weeks since my last post - Taylor has certainly been keeping me busy!! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!

So much has happened since my last post! Taylor took her first bottle on 12-16, which went great! She has since been taking one every other day or so. We visited Uncle Eric and Aunt Krystle on 12-19, which was her first real visit out! She did great in the car, and was very social with the family!

On 12-23 Taylor had her 1 month checkup. She was 9lb 3oz. at that point, and measured in at 22 inches long. She is in the 84th percentile for height, the 54th percentile for weight, and the 34th percentile for head size. We took her to the doctor on Monday 1/4 and she is now 10lb. 4oz. Our girl is completely healthy!

We spent Christmas Eve visiting family on both sides. We spent the afternoon at Aunt Maureen's, visiting with Cheryl's side of the family, and the evening at Grandma and Grandpa Pavelka's, visiting Sam's side. We had a great time at both, and are glad that Taylor got to meet many of her relatives!

On New Year's Eve, Grandma and Grandpa Forst came to babysit, and Sam and I got to get out for a nice dinner! It was wonderful! We spent the rest of the evening at the neighbors and had a great time. Taylor slept through most of it, although she did wake briefly to be social!

It's been a busy few weeks, and Taylor has grown a lot! She can keep her head up for longer periods of time, and she will smile in response to your smile (which is mom and dad's favorite!!). She has moved from the bassinet to the crib in her own room, which has been a rough transition. She is getting used to it though, and slept pretty well in her crib last night! She also has had a cold in the past couple of days, which has made her slightly uncomfortable. Overall, she is a very easy-going baby, and is a joy to have around!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!

Visitors Galore!

A visit from Taylor's cousins!

We captured a smile during her nap!

Staring at Dad

Taylor's first snowfall - she slept right through it!

Aunt Kim stayed with us this week, and was a huge help!

Second trip to the doctor

Taylor has enjoyed visits from many friends and family members these past couple of weeks. She's met so many people, and has been awake for about half of those visits! Thank you to everyone who has been by to see her - we have enjoyed your company!!

She had her 2 week checkup last Thursday 12-10-09, and we checked her weight - she is already 8 lb 1/2 oz, almost a pound more than her birthweight! I can't believe how fast she is growing! She does have 2 blocked tear ducts, which we have to give her medicine for 3 times per day. The doctor said that this is very common. Hopefully it will clear up soon. She also has some reflux, which has made her a little bit more fussy than usual, especially at night. We've elevated her mattress, which seems to help a bit. Hopefully this is just a phase, and it will get better over time!

Her sleep schedule has been very erratic lately. She sleeps about 3 hours at a time at night, but when she is up, she usually is up for 1-2 hours at a time. We think that this is because of her reflux, and possibly some gas issues. Again, we hope that this is just a phase!

She is getting much stronger, especially with her neck; she can hold her head up for a few seconds at a time now. She also seems to focus on faces and lights around the room. I swear that there have been a few times when I've made her smile, but I know that all of the books say that it's just a natural reflex. I can pretend that she's smiling at me though!

We are looking forward to Taylor's first Christmas, and hope that everyone stays warm and enjoys the upcoming holiday season!

One Week Old!

Proud Mom

Happy Family

Visit from Uncle Eric

A kiss from Aunt Kim

The "coming home" outfit!

Ready to come home!


Home at last!

Cuddling with Daddy

First bath - not her favorite part of the day!

At the doctor's office... thinking hard!
Lounging on the boppy pillow!Napping with daddy!

Thank you to everyone for your visits, messages, cards, and phone calls! We are so lucky to have such supportive friends and family during this exciting time!

We got home from the hospital on Thanksgiving night at around 9:30pm. Her first night was such an experience. Nothing can prepare you for that first 24 hours at home - we felt so unprepared! But Taylor has adjusted to life at home very well! She has not quite figured out her nights and days yet, and spends more time sleeping during the day than at night. Luckily, Sam and I have started to adjust to Taylor's schedule and have been taking frequent naps during the day as well! The doctor said that she should start adjusting to accommodate nights and days within a couple of weeks.

We had our first doctor's appointment on Monday, which went very well. We are very happy with the pediatric practice that we've chosen for her - all of the doctors and nurses have been wonderful. She has gained 2 ounces since being discharged from the hospital, which is great! She is now 6 pounds 15 ounces. Our doctor said she is right on track as far as weight gain goes. She certainly has been eating enough!

We've only had her for a week, but she has already changed so much! Her face is fuller and her pink color has stabilized. Her facial features have become more defined - we can't wait to see who she looks like! We have gotten to know a few things about her personality already! So far this is what we've learned about our little girl:
Taylor likes... eating, sleeping, peeing on the changing table, getting burped, looking at light coming through the window, her pacifier (only at night), car rides, being held by anyone, her soft yellow and green blanket, looking at people's faces, shivering, grunting, sleeping in her fleece sleep sack, and lounging on the papasan bouncer.
Taylor dislikes... when mom and dad go to sleep, sleeping at night, being naked, getting her diaper changed, having the hiccups, taking baths, tummy time, being hungry for more than 2 seconds, and being cold.

We are looking forward to learning more about her and watching her grow even more!

Introducing: Taylor Grace Pavelka

Born: 11/24/09 at 11:59pm
Height: 19 inches
Weight: 7 lb. 1 oz.

We are very happy and proud to introduce our new daughter to the world! Taylor Grace Pavelka made her appearance at 11:59pm. She is so beautiful and doing great!! Our doctor said she looks perfect and scored a 9 on the Apgar scale.

Tuesday was definitely a surprising day for us! We went to our doctor's appointment immediately after work, and we were told that my amniotic fluid was slightly low and that they would need to induce... right away! We were shocked. By the time we were checked into the hospital at around 4:00pm though, I had started to go into labor on my own. I ended up being induced after a couple of hours, and things went quickly after that! Labor and delivery went very smoothly! I received an epidural, to which I attribute a lot of the smooth delivery! After about 40 minutes of pushing, she came into the world a minute shy of midnight! She REALLY wanted to be born on the 24th!

She is doing really well. We are hoping to stay in the hospital one more night, but we'll see what insurance will allow. She has taken to nursing quite well. She is not a very fussy baby, although she whimpers a lot and it's the cutest little sound! She cries when she gets cold, and when her diaper is being changed. She has the smoothest skin and tiny wrinkly hands and feet. She is also developing some dimples in her cheeks. If I am allowed to say, she really is the cutest baby on the planet!!!!

Sam is doing a great job as a new daddy. He has been practicing swaddling her and has gotten really good at it! He also has been in charge of diaper changes, when she's not in the nursery.

I've posted a couple of pictures. We also had some pictures taken by my wonderful aunt who works for Bella Baby photography. They are adorable! The pictures can be seen at: http://www.bellababyphotography.com Password: 1124taylorpavelka More pictures and updates to come!! Thanks to everyone for your support and well wishes!!! We love you all!!

Home Stretch!

Hi everyone! Sam and I had our doctor's appointment yesterday. Nothing has changed - I'm still 4cm and around 70-80% effaced and ready to go! Our doctor said that we could go at any time, and that she wouldn't be surprised to see us at the hospital this weekend... I told her to stop filling our heads with the idea that we're going early! It doesn't seem like this baby girl is in any hurry! We are definitely getting anxious to meet her, and I am getting anxious to not be pregnant anymore! :)

We had another non-stress test done and everything went great. She seems to be in good health and progressing as she should be! When we hear news like that, we don't mind the wait.

We are very happy to welcome our new niece, Haley Marie Pavelka, into the world this week! She was born two nights ago and she is cute as ever!!! Congratulations to Sam's brother Mark and his wife Colleen on their new addition! :)

Our next doctor's appointment will be on Tuesday. We will keep you updated with any news! Thanks to everyone for their continuing encouragement and support! We can't wait to share her arrival with you all!!

4 cm!

Hi everyone! Well we had our doctor's appointment on Monday... right now I am between 3.5 and 4 centimeters dilated, and 70% effaced! Our doctor said that she is surprised that my water hasn't broken yet. I have another appointment next Wednesday, but hopefully I will be done by then! I can wish, right?

I also had a non-stress test done today, which went well. The only thing was that they kept extending my time. The baby wasn't moving a lot - it's not one of her usual active times of the day! So I ended up sitting there for an hour just to get the right number of movements! Overall, she seemed healthy. We weren't able to get a good ultrasound picture - her hands were covering her face again. I hope this isn't a trend with her!

I was able to get the H1N1 flu shot today at my doctor's office, which was nice because I avoided the long lines at the county health department. Now I don't have to worry every time one of my students has a cough or runny nose!

Well our bags are packed, the house is in order, sub plans are ready at school, we are all set- we just need the baby!

3 cm!

Hi everyone! We just got back from our latest doctor's appointment, and I am 3 cm dilated this week! I'm still 50 % effaced. My doctor said that for a first time pregnancy, that is pretty good. She said she'd be surprised if I went to my due date, but also warned that she has been surprised by other women before! Obviously it will happen when it happens, but I'm very excited that I have dilated one more centimeter in less than a week! Hopefully this means that I am close!

The baby has been kicking and moving like crazy lately too. I think she's getting anxious to come out and meet everyone. She likes to kick VERY strongly on my right side - I think she's practicing waking her mommy up in the middle of the night that way!

Tomorrow I will have another non-stress test done on the baby's movement. Our next check-up will be next Monday so I will keep everyone updated on how that goes!