7 Weeks Old!

And growing like a weed.  :) Taylor's first Christmas was this week.  She was spoiled by family and friends.  We can't wait to put her in all the cute outfits! We made it home from the holidays.  Again Taylor was an amazing traveler!  Not a peep on the plane.  It's as if she knows exactly what to do.

We had a doctors appointment the day after we came home and she is a whapping 6 pounds 11 ounces! She's 19 3/4" long and 35 cm head circumference. All in the 1%!  Strong and steady growth.   It's amazing!  She's grown out of her preemie clothes.  She has big blue eyes.  She likes to talk a lot and staring at the ceiling fan is her new favorite thing to do.


Week 7 photos... http://goteamshaw.shutterfly.com/pictures/310

6 Weeks Old!

Meeting new family and friends never ends for this kid.  We started off the week visiting Grandma Mary and meeting Aunt Karen.  It was a short but sweet visit. On Friday Taylor took her first flight.  She was a fantastic traveler (of course!), not a peep out of her. We are so lucky. We went to Portland for 10 days.  First stop, a birthday surprise for Grandma Cathy.  We knew she couldn't wait to get her hands on this baby! Taylor also has been officially kicked out of a bar.  As we stood waiting for our table at Famous Dave's BBQ for Grandma Cathy's birthday dinner we were standing in the bar area. The manager approached OZ and let him know he couldn't stand there with her since she was underage.  So we had to move 5 feet to the right.  We thought it was quite funny.

Off to Forest Grove, OR to meet long awaited cousins, aunts & uncles.  We went to Salem as well for a long over due visit with our good friends the Dobrowolski's who had there little baby Ella 2 weeks before Taylor.  It was fun taking pictures of the girls together.  

We wondered what she weighed so we put her on the wii fit board.  She weighed in just over 6 pounds.  She looks like she's getting bigger to me and she's grown out of her preemie clothes.  Her awake time between feedings is still steadily increasing.  All in all there was a lot of meet & greeting.  It was a busy week for sure getting ready for Christmas.

On to week 7...

Meg.

http://goteamshaw.shutterfly.com/pictures/277 - pictures here.

5 Weeks Old!

Ok, let's be real.  There are truly not enough hours in the day.  I thought I was busy before... How do moms of 3 & 4 do it?!?!  Week 5 has been a little more challenging.  We're back home and all I can see is a million projects needing to be completed, errands to run, to-do lists to complete, Holy Cow it doesn't end. In the mean time Baby Taylor is as sweet as can be.

At the beginning of this week we had Taylor's check-up.  She's up to 5lbs 9ozs.  She's put on a whole pound since birth.  You can see the difference in her cheeks.  She's filling out nicely and getting a little more meat on her bones.  This week was also Taylor's actual due date, so we're cutting her some slack on keeping us up so much the last 4 weeks and letting her have a fresh start.  haha.  We cut her nails every other day it seems like. They grow like weeds and are as hard as ... well, nails.  lol. Therefore her hands are rarely exposed.  We keep her in outfits with sleeve cuffs mostly or put mittens on her (which usually slide right off and we find ourselves putting them on repeatedly). Her eyes are getting lighter with more of a blue hue to them.  Her hair is becoming a bit more thinner and more like a peach fuzz.  We are working on a more of a sleep routine now.  We're having bath time every night, less stimulation, a little reading from momma & papa before off to sleep.  She really seems to like the sound of our voices and it seems to relax her.

She did some visiting this week.  After her check-up we went to my mom's for a visit and took pictures with the gingerbread men.  I think we also did this when I was a baby.  We went by Mesa Airlines to bring some baby cheer and see some of the folks we haven't seen yet.  We went by OZ's office so papa could show off his little bundle of joy.  At OZ's office Major Sweeny made a cute point about babies I hadn't noticed before.  That when babies hold their arms up they barely reach the top of their head, as the ratio of their head is about 1/3 of their total size.  She had her first trip to the hair salon at Dre's with me and she was a perfect angel. She met some of my girlfriends this weekend.  We took her to the Tempe Town Lake Parade of Lights with the neighbors.  And to end week 5 a nice visit with my dad who absolutely can not get enough snuggle time in with her!

Tonight we saw OZ's baby picture.  She definitely looks like him, with my eyes.  I wish I could capture a picture of her dimples.  I can't wait for her to start smiling.

Until next week... http://goteamshaw.shutterfly.com/pictures/252

Meg.

4 Weeks Old!

It has been quite a week, better late than never.  This mommy business is busy work.  I'm trying to stick to a timeline and stay organized, this week I had little success. Wish me luck!

Taylor is fitting in quite well with our little Shaw family.  She's been to 6 states in 4 weeks.  We discussed with her to stay in this family she needs to be a good traveler.  Turns out she's a Great traveler!  She slept great in the car of course, and we just planned our drives with a few pull over stops to feed, burp and change. Starting week 4 we left elk camp (with 2 elk, by the way) and traveled up to Oregon to see Grandma & Grandpa Shaw.  Boy were they surprised to see us!  We were able to introduce Taylor to OZ's Uncle Bill while we were there too.  We played some pinochle for the night and all the next day, then back on the road we went. On to Lake Tahoe to meet up with the Marrs.  Gunni quickly declared himself her Big Brother.  It was very cute how every squeal she made he would run over and ask, "Does she need her big brother?".  From Tahoe it was a very creepy drive through desolate Nevada back to Page to meet more family. She met more of her cousins. Aubree even made a cute little cheer for her and sweet Ryan just loved on her. Aran came down the street to visit, and she'll meet the rest of the Mowbray household when they're all feeling better. Uncle Pat even came to make sure we weren't making this whole baby thing up. He feels he has the naming rights to new comers in the family and has given her the name Beautilda Beth. Oh dear! We rested for a couple nights at my Uncle Mike's and onward to home in Tempe.  Slowly but surely we'll get to show her off to everyone. ;)

We have a feeding routine down.  I'm slowly trying to get more accomplished in-between feedings.  Her little feet and hands are so cute.  She has really strong neck muscles and is holding her head up really well.  I have to try to get a picture of when she sucks her chin down to her chest and makes her body straight and stiff like a plank. I think she makes the funniest faces. 

I worked on getting the photo's more organized.  Here are a few pictures from this week.  Eventually I'll start taking pictures with this in mind. So far it's all been snap shots from my phone.  http://goteamshaw.shutterfly.com/pictures/202

On to week 5.

Meg.

3 Weeks Old!

It was a week of firsts for little Miss Taylor.  Taylor's first Thanksgiving was pretty low key.  We were prepping to leave for our trip. So no turkey. Just a nice visit with Grandpa Shaw.  This week was Taylor's first road trip and elk hunt. We all piled into Grandpa Shaw's truck for our trip to the Grand Canyon.  She was a trooper.  Taylor went on her first elk hunt.  She hunted for about 10 hours.  We realized she has a natural coyote call.  She may have been confused about what we were hunting.  After Grandpa Mike and OZ landed their elks we met up with Uncle Casey & cousin Charlie.  On the way out we did a little sightseeing. Growing up our family took many great trips to the Canyon & Kaibab.  It was fun taking Taylor for her first time. Then onward to Page, my home town, for her first trip to the World Famous R.D.'s! She met a lot of family this week and more to come! She's been a great traveler. She's starting to stay awake a little more between feedings with her eyes wide open. I think her eyes are turning more blue.  She loves riding in Grandpa Shaw's truck. She loves to snuggle.  She's becoming quite the eater and makes the cutest faces when she's done eating.  Oh and I have to mention how long I think her feet are. They are as long as my pinky.  As I type this we are currently traveling in her first snow storm.   I'm catching up on weekly pictures. Here's what I have so far.  http://goteamshaw.shutterfly.com/pictures/183 More to come.  Enjoy! Meg.

2 Weeks Old!

We had her 2 week check-up yesterday.  She's starting to really beef up!  She's 4 lbs. 14 ozs.  She is very strong, has a strong neck and it almost seems like she's holding her head up some times.
This week has been mostly about trying to get a schedule down.
She eats & sleeps pretty good and we keep to the 3 hour feeding schedule.
She had her first photo-shoot this week with an old friend of mine Sarah Crank.  -So many cute photo's I can't wait to post them.  You can check them out here and please sign the guest book.

http://www.pictage.com/1170689

She went to her first birthday party for our friend Nicole.
She's awake a little more each after each time we feed her.
Last night she met her Grandpa Shaw.
So far we're totally in love with her.  We have a hard time putting her down, we love cuddling with her so much and I think the feeling is mutual.

Until next week.
Meg.

One Week Old!

Already? It's been a whirlwind of a week.  We are slowly but surely figuring things out.  We were able to take her home on the first day.  Everyone was so impressed at what a healthy baby she was for being a 35 week old preemie.  I would like to document her first year of life with weekly updates.  So this just the beginning and what we've learned so far...

• She loves to have her arms free or up by her face at the least - swaddling them down is a terrible idea.
• The car seat is way too big for her - OZ and I were so nervous about bringing her home since she is about as big as the buckle that holds her in. (We've since put a blanket under her to raise her up)
• Her clothes are all way too big.
• She's been to the doctor 3 times already, 2 weight checks and a hearing test. 
• She sleeps, eats and pees & poops mostly.
• She does not like being cold.
• She has her mom's fingers and her dad's lips
• She has dimples in both her cheeks.
• We wake her up to eat every 3 hours and she'll sometimes stay awake for a few minutes after, which we love.
• She makes lots of sounds that we enjoy... it lets us know she's still breathing.  

She's had tons and tons of visitors, at the hospital & home. The party never seems stops in the Shaw household. We love to be surrounded by our friends and family! OZ is back to work, Taylor and I are getting along just fine. We're looking forward to learning more about her each week.

http://goteamshaw.shutterfly.com/pictures/107   http://goteamshaw.shutterfly.com/pictures/108

Taylor Poppy Shaw Arrived!

What an amazing experience! So after a week of bed rest, which if you know me you know is a challenge in it self, I was actually laying in bed when my water broke around 9am Wednesday morning (Nov. 9th).  I guess this baby is coming today I thought, 5 weeks early, but she was ready to come out.  I took a shower and ate a bowl of cheerios, checked the mail, double checked my hospital bag and a couple of hours later called OZ.  He said he was on his way home to make us lunch.  When I told him my water broke, he said, "Well then I guess I'm on my way home to take you to the hospital".  We were both pretty excited.  We arrived at the hospital around 1 in the afternoon.  Called all our folks to let them know she was on her way.  I was only dilated to 1 centimeter, so we walked for about 3 hours.  Around 6 pm they started me on a slow drip of pitocin.  It took about 5 hours to kick in.  We had plenty of company in the mean time.  My good girlfriend Liz works at the hospital was with us, my mom and dad arrived, our good friends Chris & Nikki, Jonathan & Jake joined us as well.  Everyone was waiting for Taylor's big arrival.  Everyone put in their bets around what time she would make her debut.  Around 11pm folk all decided it wasn't happening and went home.  At 11:30pm my contractions started kicking it up a notch and I went from 1 centimeter to 3.  I was at 3 centimeters for about an hour.    Around 12:45 I hit 5 centimeters, then went to 10 in matter of minutes.  Three pushes and Taylor was out.  I looked at OZ and said, "That wasn't so bad, I could do that again." lol. (I was delirious!)  It is amazing how once they are out, all the pain is over.

We named her Taylor Poppy Shaw.  Taylor after my maiden name and Poppy after our good friend  Chris Pappaioanou who we love and adore. We call Chris the Fun Poppy or just Poppy for short.  We've had years of adventures together and look forward to many more in the years to come.  When everyone returned in the morning, my cousin Michael, my mom & dad, Liz, Chris & Nikki & Jonathan.  OZ popped the magnum bottle of champagne Liz brought us and we introduced Miss Taylor Poppy Shaw to her new family & friends! I think we surprised Poppy by naming our first born after him. ;)

She came out looking like most aliens do as OZ would say.  No fat on her bones just yet.  She was small, but healthy.  She weighed 4lbs 9ozs and was 17 & 3/4 inches long.  We were just so delighted that she was 100% healthy.

Here's a few pictures from the great event.  http://goteamshaw.shutterfly.com/pictures/27