10 Days and Waiting...

We only have 10 days until our due date!   We are so incredibly excited to meet our Little Guy, we're all on pins and needles.  Sophia talks endlessly about being a big sister and what that will mean.  And she's so silly about it too.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about how that transition will go, but as Matthew reminds me, "We're not the first family to have a 2nd child.  We'll get through it."  I know he's right.  One part of me is sad to lose the special "only child" bond we have with her, while the other part is SO excited to see how she grows as a big sister. 

Part of the reason that we've been so bad about our Blog updates this year is because we've been busy getting ready for Ryland's arrival.  And in true Taylor form, we created a giant project.  One that wouldn't have been too bad, had we done something to the office when we first moved in to our house.  But we didn't.   We knew that the only purpose for that room was going to be an office for quite some time, so we didn't waste any time or money of changing it.  Until now.

And what a list of changes it has gone through.  The office was cleaned up and moved into a corner of our room (which is fine, being that our room is very large).  The poop-brown baseboards, door frame, closet door frames, and window sill all had to be replaced and painted.  The neutral color walls were not the neutral color we wanted now.  And the ceiling fan had to be replaced.   And none of the things on THIS list had to do with the nursery theme.  SO...for the past 2 months Matthew and his parents have been BUSY in that room!  So busy. 

I'm not going to bore you with all of the details, just provide you with a snapshot timeline of the events that took place from beginning to end of our Little Guy's Nursery.  And we LOVE the way it turned out.

 

 

 It looks like he's being lazy here...but let me tell you something we learned about painting stripes...You tape, you paint your under cover (tan wall color for us), you let it dry, you paint some more (the grey primer since we chose a dark red), and let it dry, you paint some more (1st coat of red) and let it dry, you paint the last coat (again more red) and let it dry...you see all that

 "let it dry" time...and that is JUST for the red...we still had blue to do...!  

 HONESTLY!   A very time consuming project....!

 Dad finished the dresser well before the time the stripes were finished.  So here is the finished project, ready and waiting for us!   LOVE this dresser!

 Old Fashioned Pennants to make a window valance 

 Dad cut and installed our baseboards!  Here's the finished touch after I puttied up the nail holes and filled in the corners.  (This was about all I was allowed to do, being that I had been restricted to "low activity"...thanks a lot blood pressure...)

 

 Oh I forgot!   I got the crafty projects too!  Valance is almost done!

and I got to touch the paint!   Getting the letters to match the wall!

 Yep, we're both perfectionists...Matthew's just extreme about it...some call it OCD???!!!

But I wouldn't have it any other way, because nothing turns out less than perfect when he's involved!

 Crib Assembly...somehow this looks familiar???  Yep!  Sophia's old crib, 2nd time around!

 We had tons of fun shopping for this room!  Ebay was a big hit for all of the old baseballs.  Who would have thought that getting old baseballs would be a difficult thing???

 Thanks to Hobby Lobby, we were able to find all of the vintage signage for the walls.  Date-Night turned shopping spree was a big success!

 Close up of the dresser/changing table in Ryland's room.  

So now we wait.   My due date is technically 10 days away.  (And as Matthew doesn't let me forget, that means I only have 10 days left in my 20's!!!)  BUT we're taking, and trying, all of the self-induction ideas we come across!   So far, nothing has proven successful.  I have my 39 week apt tomorrow and we're hoping that I've made enough progress for him to tell us it's Baby Time!  But we're also not holding our breath.   Just pray with us that Ryland makes his appearance sooner, rather than later, and that he is a healthy, happy little guy.  

We can't wait to introduce him to all of our family and friends who are anxiously awaiting his arrival as well!  Check back often for updates!   (We'll do our best this year!!!)



(and if you want email updates to tell you when we finish a new post, on the right-hand side of this page, there is a place for you to sign up for updates...1) enter your email, 2) check your email for the confirmation that you want to be added to our update list, and 3) you're all set!)

Happy 3rd Birthday to You

Dear Sophia,

Today you turn three years old.  Three.  I used to scoff at parents who got teary eyed when they would talk about their child turning another year older.  But now I am that mom.  It actually makes me a little heart-broken to know that you are getting older.   But at the same time, you are becoming your own person.

You continue to amaze your father and I everyday.  You are a bright and funny little girl.  You love your cuddle time with both Daddy and I; which melts our hearts completely.  You speak so clearly and communicate in actual conversations that sometimes we forget that we are talking to a toddler.  You tell us stories about your adventures at preschool.  You have stories memorized so you know when we are rushing bedtime along (and you don't let us get away with it!).

You are trying your best to be an independent little thing.  And it just makes us feel like we are already nearing the days when you don't need us as much.  This is what breaks your Momma's heart.  The little girl who needed her Mommy and Daddy for everything is suddenly becoming her own person.  One who can do things herself, which is only going to continue as you grow.

This has been such a big year for you.  And just like I told you last year, I may not have documented it all in your baby book or on here, but here are some things that we want to remember about you at 3 years old:

**You started preschool this year.  And you love it.  Everyday you come home with a new project, a new story about the fun things you did.  And you talk about your two friends Sky (though you pronounce it Ky) and Maddison.  Maddison taught you the song "On a Pontoon" by Little Big Town and it is hilarious to listen to you sing this song.   (We joke about how this is the song you come home singing after attending a Christian Preschool...)

**You got a big girl bed this year.  We knew that at some point we'd need the crib and thought we had better transition you to your own bed before the need arose.  And you have done so well in your big twin-sized bed.  You have recently decided that after we are done with our story, prayers and bedtime songs that it still isn't time for bed.  So you lay in bed with your stuffed animals and sing to them.  Or we awake to a big pile of books in your bed.   We love that your independence is carrying over at this time.  You are so self sufficient that you entertain yourself quietly until you fall asleep.  (Though I really, really miss the days of cuddling you to sleep, and the challenge of getting you into bed without waking you up.)

**You are potty-trained!  It took quite some time for you to fully commit.  But like all things in your world, you were waiting until you were ready.  We gave it several shots this year, and each time you let us know that it was not time yet.  So we'd go back to the pull-ups (a bank-breaker!) and keep working with you.  Then it almost seemed like overnight you decided we were there.  We would come home from preschool, take the pullup off, and put on big girl panties.  Both Grandma Sue and Mae-Mae got you the cutest panties to choose from each time, and you were very thoughtful in which pair you were going to wear that afternoon.  But we made it!   And you've been so successful with it that most times, I don't even grab your backpack for those "just in case" moments...

**You became a cousin this year!   Tita and Uncle had your first cousin, Addison just a few short weeks after your birthday.  And you LOVE her.  "Baby Addison" is the first real baby that you had much contact with.  You are great with her.  You absolutely love to hold her (with assistance), hold her hand, or sit next to her.   Now that she is more mobile you have a harder time understanding that she can move and not sit on your lap as easily, but you are still interested in playing with her, showing her how to play with your toys, and read books to her.  Which really makes us excited for the upcoming change this year because...

**You are going to be a Big Sister!  You absolutely love to talk about "Baby Ryland Joseph" and all the things we are doing in preparation for his arrival in a few short weeks.  Sometimes your pronouns still get confused and you refer to him as "her" or "she" but we are pretty certain that you understand you'll have a brother.  And you genuinely seem excited about having a baby around.

**But we're not going to pretend that every second of our time with you is perfect.  You are three!  And sometimes that brings challenges to our lives that we really have to work through.   It seems like you are so grown up with your amazing communication and your need for independence that we forget that you really are still a toddler.  Tantrums happen.  You tell us "no".  You have started talking-back to us.  And sometimes you plain just don't listen.  And even though this article had your Daddy and I laughing until I had tears streaming down my face, we still love you.  SO MUCH. 

We are constantly amazed by how much you can seem to change and grow in just a few days time.  We absolutely love being your parents and feel so blessed that God has given you to us.  We know that the challenges we experience now are making you the person you are, and are forming us into the parents that we need to be for you.  It's a balancing act that we are still teetering on, and just when we think we've got you figured out, you teach us something new. 

I found this quote tonight, and I think it sums up pretty clearly what you do to our lives:

"While we try to teach our children all about life.  Often, it's our children who teach us what life is all about." ~Angela Schwindt

We Love you Forever Sophia,
Mommy and Daddy 

And we're starting fresh...

So I tried to do updates for each month, but as I finished one, another month passed and I kept falling more and more behind...so we're just going to start from here!
(BUT PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE UPDATES I DID COMPLETE!!!)

We've been so busy these days getting everything squared away for our Little Guy!   He will be here in about 5 weeks.   I know, it's been almost 9 months since I last posted and I haven't shared hardly anything with this pregnancy...but we are on pins and needles waiting his arrival.

We've had SO much help getting his room ready, and we are so thankful for our family and all of their hard work.  So here is a preview of the work so far...still far from complete, but it's getting there!   Thanks to Pinterest we've got tons of ideas of things that we'd like to do, or try...but as we're finding out, some of them will just have to wait!

We took this spare room/office and we're converting into the new nursery.

(By the way, Sophia loves listening to her Daddy's favorite band Linkin Park, so that's what's happening here!  Notice the smile on her Daddy's face?!?)

 Empty Room, ready for stripes!  (Tan walls already painted)

 More Measuring...

 Taping 1/2 way complete (for the red...)

 Red before tape is taken off

 And...Red complete...now onto the blue!

 Red and Blue!   LOVE how they turned out!

 Another shot with the window

While Whit and Sue have been so helpful IN the room, my dad has been super busy out in his garage building us this beautiful dresser!   Here's a picture of some of the progress (actually at this stage it's almost done!)

   And the completed project!   It's hard to tell from far away, but the handles are actually baseball bats, a mit and a baseball.   LOVE the way it turned out and can not wait to have it in the room!

Here's a close-up of the handles on the dresser

A collage of the progress thus far.    More pictures to come!

And my mom has been busy too!   My doctor has had me on a higher watch the past week due to higher blood pressure and has told me to take it easy and stay off my feet.   So mom, doing what she does best, cooked us meals.  Tons of meals.   Two days of cooking and our freezer is stocked.

We are seriously very loved to have so many family members watching over us and helping with every step along the way.

THANK YOU TO BOTH OF OUR FAMILIES!!!!