Houston... we have a baby bump!

Hello all!!!

Baby Taylor is definitely growing these days!

What else is happening with Baby Taylor this week?

The network of nerves in our baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. (S)he may now be able to hear both mom & dad's voice as we chat with each other. (S)he's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his/her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when (s)he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And (s)he's continuing to put on baby fat. (S)he now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches from head to heel - still about the size of an eggplant.

I've done a little work on the nursery! I made some curtains and recovered the futon. We still need to paint. I think I have finally decided on what I want to do in there so we'll get it done eventually! You'll get a little sneak peak of the curtains and futon in the pics.

Baby Taylor's been listening to some classical music every night.... also seen in a pic!

Our next midwife appointment is Nov. 5th. After that appointment we move up to being seen once every two weeks rather than once a month.

Above: Clothed bump @ 26 weeks!

Above: Bare bump @ 26 weeks!

Above: Baby Taylor jammin' out to some Mozart!

Much love!

The Taylors!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-U!

Well friends! It's that time of year again! OU/tx weekend! I'm ready to see some Sooner Magic... and I don't mind seeing Mr. Bob Stoops and Mr. Sammy Bradford either! ;o)

BOOMER SOONER!

BEAT TEXAS!

Since the hubs and I have not gotten around to putting the stroller together yet I haven't taken any 'real' pics of it or the car seat. But I promised some eye candy of the new things that G-Ma and G-Pa got for our sweet tiny! So here we go!

This is the Britax Chaperone Travel System in Savannah. I love it!

AND... This is Baby Taylor's 'coming home outfit'!!! I am obsessed with it! I just think it is soo cuddly and cute! I can't wait to dress our sweet lil babe up in it! If it's a girl... we'll be accessorizing with a bow, of course! :o)

We also got a bunch of books to read Baby Taylor. We got 'Oh, The Places You'll Go,' 'Green Eggs and Ham,' a collection of the golden books (including The Poky Little Puppy!), 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar,' and more! Daddy Taylor is looking forward to story time with his little nugget!

We are having the carpets cleaned in baby's room this afternoon... then I'll have free reign to get the ball rolling in there!

25 weeks!

What's happening with our sweet tiny this week???

Head to heels, our baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches and weighs about a pound and a half... about the size of an eggplant! (S)he's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As this happens, his/her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and (s)he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. (S)he's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture (and I'm guessing any child of ours has little to no hair and it's probably as blonde/white as can be!).

Our baby's skin is turning pinker. Not because he or she's getting overheated (in fact, the amniotic fluid is perfectly climate controlled, keeping our baby at an always comfortable temperature), but because small blood vessels, called capillaries, are forming under the skin and filling with blood. Later this week, blood vessels will also develop in our baby's lungs, bringing them one step closer to full maturity — and one step closer to taking that first breath of fresh air. But right now those lungs are still very much works in progress. Though they are already beginning to develop surfactant, a substance that will help the lungs expand after the baby is born, the lungs are still too undeveloped to sufficiently send oxygen to the bloodstream and release carbon dioxide when he or she exhales.

The lungs aren't the only system that's gearing up for air intake. Our baby's nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open this week. This actually allows our little one to begin taking practice breaths. (Of course since there's no air in there, our baby is really only "breathing" amniotic fluid, but it's the practice that counts, right?) We had our first appointment with our new midwife here in Oklahoma last Thursday. Everything is still looking good! We're measuring right on schedule and that little heart beat is still as sweet as ever! Hearing it sends me straight to cloud 9 every time! This sweet tiny's kicks and punches (or breakdancing) are getting stronger. Daddy Taylor finally got to feel a kick from the outside the other night! Every once in a while you can see my belly move when the baby kicks. SO COOL! We've been working on the nursery a little more. Hopefully it will come together soon! It's going to be darling! Until next time! (I may start doing 2 week belly pics... I think we're going to be growing a little quicker here pretty soon!) Much love! The Taylors **I'm not sure why the format of this is showing up all weird... and I can't get it to change. Oh well! It's legible! :o) **

6 months... really? and some baby bump eye candy! :o)

**This is a few days late!**

---------------------> That's the 6 month bump! :o)

Hey hey! 6 months has arrived!!!!

Our baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him/her at just over a pound. Since (s)he's almost a foot long so (s)he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his/her body is filling out proportionally and (s)he'll soon start to plump up. His/her brain is also growing quickly now, and his/her taste buds are continuing to develop. His/her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his/her air sacs inflate once (s)he hits the outside world. His/her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

We've decided on a midwife here in Oklahoma City. We'll be having Baby Taylor at the OU Hospital in downtown Oklahoma City. We have our first prenatal visit with our new midwife today to see how we are doing! Everything seems to be going well... just growing and kicking in there! It'll be so nice having the appointments here now so Daddy Taylor can come to all of them!

Grandma & Grandpa bought Baby Taylor a stroller/car seat this past weekend! Yay! and Thank goodness for grandparents! We are so excited about it! We decided on the Britax Chaperone travel system and love it! We got in the Savannah fabric. We also got a "going home" outfit for Baby Taylor and it is PRECIOUS!!!!! and.. we also got a bunch of books to read to this sweet lil babe! Grandparents are the bestest! I will do a separate post with pics of all the new goodies!

Until then... Much love from The Taylors!

It's here! It's here!

Baby Taylor's bedding FINALLY arrived! It has been on back order for a over a month! I'm so glad to finally receive it and see it in person. I love it just as much (if not more) in person as I did just seeing it online. Now we need to get this sweet lil nugget's crib together so we can start getting the nursery together. :o) Yay! I'll do another post dedicated to the nursery once we start to make some progress... but I just had to share the cuteness!

This is the main fabric of the quilt and bumpers.

The stripes is the the crib skirt, polka dots is the sheet (and curtains I think), paisley is the front of the bumper, gingham is the back of the bumper.

And here is all of it together!

I can't wait to get it in this sweet tiny's room! :o)

**EDIT: I ordred it from Nursery Depot, but have also seen it on Babies R Us website and JCPenny website. The brand is My Baby Sam. They have a pink super girly version that is so cute too! But I thought this was perfectly neutral! **