One Month Old!!!

Yesterday was Taylor's 1 month birthday and it's hard to believe! She had her 1 month check-up which went very well, and we're happy to say that she is growing like a weed! At 1 month she weighs 8 lbs 9 oz and is 21.5 inches long. That's a gain of 2 lbs 8 oz and 2 inches. The last month has flown by and although it's been fun, there have been some challenging times...some very challenging times :) She seems to be learning how to sleep a little better and nurse a little better, too. But she still has some work to do in both areas. Taylor is definately more alert than she was the first couple of weeks, so that's been fun.

The Crooms Cousins

Taylor had the privilege of spending some time with her cousins Streed and Ella this weekend. Streed loves her and is so sweet to her. Ella, on the other hand, couldn't care less. I'm sure she will one day, but I think she's a little too young to be interested...or a little too busy to even notice. Streed calls her Tay-Tay and loves to kiss her on the head. What a sweet big brother he'll be to new Baby Crooms! As you can see in the last picture, my house is not baby-proof and Ella was into everything, including the office trash.

They're Baaack!!!

My feet have returned to their normal, pre-pregnancy state and I can't tell you how happy I am. The bones, tendons, and veins are visible again! They've actually been back to normal for 2 or 3 weeks now, but I'm just getting around to posting the pics. In case you're new to our blog or you've forgotten just how disgustingly swollen they were, I've posted the picture to remind you. I wish I had taken another while I was still in the hospital because, believe it or not, the swelling got worse. And it wasn't just my feet and ankles but my entire legs. I know I've said it already, but I just can't tell you how happy I am to have my old feet and ankles back. Enjoy the pics and I hope it makes you laugh!

A few recent pics

Ahhh, nap time

It's nap time right now at my house and though I should probably be taking a nap while Taylor is sleeping, I'm not. I'm enjoying some time on the computer, which prior to baby I had a lot of. This is my second day being all by myself. Nick is at work and his parents left yesterday morning. Between my mom being over to help and his parents being in town, I had gotten quite spoiled having extra sets of hands to hold Taylor when I needed to get things done. Not to mention all of the help that our parents have been. THANK YOU PARENTS!!! I drove for the first time today since July 27th and I wasn't nearly as nervous as I thought I'd be with Taylor in the car. It was a short, but nice, trip up to the church and back. Ok, Taylor is awake and crying, so that's it for now.

Mommy's Favorite Picture

This is my favorite picture that Nick has taken so far...and let me tell you, there are a ton to choose from! Lindsay took some like this during our photo shoot and did some cool stuff to it with photoshop. I'm sure that will be one of the many we order from her. Isn't Taylor just the cutest?!

New picture

This new picture has quickly become one of my favorites...it's so sweet!

Dr. appointments

Taylor and Robyn both had dr. appointments last friday and both went very well.

Taylor now weighs 6 pounds 13 ounces! She has gained 12 ounces from her birth weight and 1 pound 2 ounces from her low weight in the hospital. We are very glad that she has gained so much weight so quickly because the reason that we induced, as you may recall, is that she had only gained 4 ounces in the last 2 weeks before she was born. We prayed a lot about whether or not to induce and this seems to be confirmation that we listened to the Lord and did what he wanted.

Robyn also had her first appointment with her dr. since the c-section. The doctor is very pleased with how quickly she is recovering. And as a bonus, (hopefully Robyn won't get embarrassed by me announcing this) she has lost 23 pounds already! I am amazed at how quickly she lost so much weight, but I'd love her the same regardless of how much she had/hadn't lost.

Photo Shoot and a Special Thanks

Taylor had her first photo shoot on Friday - we're starting her modeling career early. My dear friend Lindsay is a photographer and artist, and wanted to take some newborn and family pictures of us. She drove 4 hours just to do this for us! Lindsay, we can't thank you enough for your generous and selfless offer! We had a blast and can't wait to see the pictures! We know they'll be beautiful!

You can check out Lindsay's work at www.linzies.com She lives in Tuscaloosa, but travels to other cities. I'm sure you'll be impressed!

Little Squirt

Taylor turned 1 week old today and I have given her many nicknames already. But there is one that every day she proves to live up to. That would be "Little Squirt". It started out as simply a description of how tiny she is, but quickly turned into something else. Taylor seems to like to use the bathroom WHILE her diaper is being changed. She's not afraid to pee and/or poop on your hand, the clean diaper, the changing table, or even your bed sheets! So far she's squirted Nick, my mom, and me. So she will continue to be called "Little Squirt" and I will love ner no less, even if she never grows out of it.

Sleepy Baby

Baby V. Made 3

We don't have time to write a complete update right now, but the short story is that both mama and baby are doing great. For those of you who don't know, Taylor Elyse was born via c-section (after almost 3 hours of pushing) at 5:51 pm on Saturday. She was 6 pounds, 1 ounce and was 19 1/2 inches long. We'll give more details later, but we know that you really just want to see some picutres!