1 Month's Worth of Wisdom

Well I officially have 1 month under my belt and I've got to tell you that I have learned so much about life and motherhood. I've decided to compile a list for you lucky readers. It may seem like rambling so I am sorry:
1. Babies Make THEIR OWN schedule.
2. Relinquishing control to God is 10x harder when you have a sweet baby that you love so much in the mix.
3. All of the things that you thought you knew about being a parent, you really don't. Open mouth and insert foot.
4. You can't read your way into being a good parent
5. Trust your rational instincts
6. Listen to those older than you about things because wisdom does come with age and experience.
7. If you are constantly dragging your feet in regards to the decisions and thought of your husband, you are not following and you are definitely not being a helper. It dawned on me that just because I may appear submissive does not mean that I am if my heart is grumbling the whole way.
8. Keep the big picture in mind. One poor feeding won't kill the baby.
9. How you perceive a situation does not mean that the situation is that way, but it does mean that you can successfully sabotage the situation in your mind and make it that way.
10. Marriage is even harder work as a parent, but even more rewarding.

11.Babies grunt and fart (toot) A LOT!

12. Going to the market is a major outing.

Caption: Isabelle always toots before a
meal and after a nap. This is her in
action.

The State of My Heart

Well we have finished our first 2 weeks as parents. I have got to tell you that nothing in my life has been as fulfilling. I remember the day that I got married and the joy and love I felt for Jason on that day and to be honest on the day of Isabelle's birth I loved him more . I was talking to Jason's friend from college, Chris and he made a statement that his wife's mother had not known that she loved her husband so much until the day that her daughter was born. I could not agree more. The way Jason looked at Isabelle made my heart melt. I did not think that my heart had much more room to love in it especially where it was hardened with life experience, but it does. Each day I look at Jason and Isabelle and my heart's capacity grows. Funny enough at 3am when she wakes me for a feeding, which she eats like a 7 course meal and then acts like she wants to go out on the town afterward, I find myself not frustrated as much as amazed and in love. Life slows down and speeds up all at once. My days have changed in 2 short weeks from see how much you can get done off your "to do list" to loving naps in the sun, cuddling with my family in bed, and singing songs that I made up about poo. Being a mom is such a gift!

On another note, having Isabelle around Christmas also made me even more aware of the sacrifice that God made sending His only son to die for us. I got to tell you...I would be more than hesitant to put my daughter on the chopping block for someone else. God's love is plentiful and amazing!

This the link to our online nursery
http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/babypage.asp?UrlID=1D0M0C1X1O.

Welcoming Isabelle Katherine Taussig

Well she is here. I went into labor, that was erratic, about 9 hours after Jason got home from being snowed in at the airport. We went to the hospital at 5:00 am and I was 1 cm dilated without consistent contractions, which by the way were somewhat consistent when I was not being monitored. I went home and from the time that we got in the car to leave the hospital I had contractions lasting from 30 sec- 1:30 min spread out by 12 minutes to 3 minutes. At 4 pm I started having really bad contractions that were radiating down my leg across my back and into my butt. We had plans for my family to celebrate Christmas at 6 and at 8 I was in so much pain I had to cancel. We called the Dr. and headed down to the hospital. We got there at 9 ish and by then I was having contractions 5 minutes apart at the longest and lasting over 1 minute. They checked me and I was still dilated 1 cm after an entire day. I was having labor that would not progress. Well after the help of modern medicine and13.5 hours later at 10:25 am on Dec. 23 2006 we were blessed with a 6lb 14oz baby girl. God is so good!!!!!

Do You Know This Woman?

Holiday Blizzard 2006

For those of you who have not yet heard or do not reside in the beautiful state of Colorado, we are having a blizzard. This is actually a funny thing. Since Jason works at the airport and he is stuck there. His car is snowed in and we are snowed into the house. This makes for an interesting situation when you are 38 weeks pregnant which means that I could go into labor anytime or it could be weeks. Jason has been calling for hourly updates to make sure I am keeping the baby in. During the last Blizzard in 2003 I was snowboarding off of the cars and snowshoeing around, but due to my current status, it would not be a good idea to participate in those activities. Maybe next time! Thankfully I am not weathering the storm alone. Jason had foresight on this event and so my Mom and Lyle are staying with me. They have been shoveling the walks as best as they can and have been keeping me company. I know what you are thinking...Maggie is great company, but during a winter storm she is a weenie dog and hates to be cold so it is nice to have other people to talk with. Hopefully the snow will stop by today, Thursday 12/21 at noon and we can make some headway on be accessible so Jason can come home. He is going to make the trek at 4:00 with a generous co-worker with 4WD.

Oh Dear!!!!

Picture courtesy www.fotosearch.com

Today Jason and I went to the doctor for our 37 week appointment. Last week when we went I was 70% effaced (thinned out) and not dilated at all. This week I am 1 cm dilated and about 80% effaced. The doctor asked me if I wanted to have my membranes stripped and I went into panic mode. My brain was wiped clear and I could not recall the 700 hours of internet research that I had done on conception, labor and pregnancy. All I could think about was that stripping your membranes was breaking my water and that meant baby being born today or tomorrow. Oh dear...This baby is really going to be coming into the world and in a relatively short amount of time. It was a scary enough fact to learn that at 37 weeks you are considered full term, but now your telling me we could have her today. I started thinking about the 2 days of work I have and the unfinished chores at home. Needless to say we did not have my membranes stripped today. Maybe next week because it is good timing for Jason's work schedule :) There I go planning again.

On the car ride home, Jason says to me "The whole pregnancy and you don't panic and now you panic!" Well this is real...We are really going to have a baby. I know pregnancy is uncomfortable, but it is familiar and being a mother is not familiar. What if she cries and I can't soothe her? What if she thinks I am goofy? What if I fail her and God at being a mother? I guess all these feelings are normal. Thanks for letting me freak out a bit! Please continue to pray for a healthy baby and a safe and healthy delivery. Also pray for clarity on the question of the day...Do We Strip The Membranes Next Week!

Pictures From Our Shower

In October we had a baby shower with our whole family, which with all of the remarriages is quite large. It was really fun! Isabelle got a lot of stuff and now we are prepared for her arrival.

This is my niece Precious!

This is my other niece Alexandra. We also have a nephew named Austin. They are all so adorable. It is exciting to think about the types of personality that Isabelle will have and what she will look like. Only 3 more weeks 4 at the max is what I am being told.

I would post more pictures of family, but most of the people would rather shy away from the camera so I am assuming they would not want their picture published on the internet.

Back By Popular Demand

Okay...we are back to blogging again. I never thought that anyone looked at the blog, but after Jason's recent trip to Florida I learned differently.

Well here is an update of our life to date since the last post:

1. Jason got a new job with the City working in his field of expertise
2. I got a job working for the Aurora Public School Options Program- This program allows me to work less than 10 hours a week, but to still teach K and 1st Graders.
3. We are currently 36 Weeks pregnant with only a few short weeks to go. This is a really exciting time, but also one that produces a bit of anxiety.
4. Maggie is doing well...jumping our fence to explore the neighborhood and then eagerly loading up into the car after we go looking for her :)

It is so nice to hear that people are looking at the blog and I promise to be more diligent about updating !

The picture up top is a picture that my mom took. She is a professional photographer and we had her do some pregnancy pictures with and without the exposed belly. She did a really good job. To check out her website go to http://www.katherinepaynephotography.com/

It's a GIRL!

On Jan. 3ish we will have a new addition to our family named Isabelle Katherine Taussig. The ultrasound showed that she is very healthy and quite active. She likes to kick Jason when we are spooning. Please continue to pray for our health and for a healthy delivery.

For those of you who chose a boy your not out of the guessing game you can still get the date, weight and length.

He is Faithful

Praise GOD! In the last week we have had quite a lot happen. Jason recieved a job offer, we are under contract for a house, and we felt the baby kick hard. It is funny how just a few short weeks ago we were questioning God's goodness and he has again proven so faithful. We are so much like the Isrealites.

Jason's new job is with Air Serv (http://www.airservcorp.com/). He works out at DIA and gets to be in the aviation industry. Jason is a manager and has met a lot of people from around the world who have left their native country to escape turmoil and came the US. This is a great opportunity for Jason.

Our new house will be near his job and we will move in near the end of the month. The house will allow Maggie to have a yard and because the owners were great designers I don't have to paint a nursery. We are so excited to move in and have visitors.

Thank you fo your prayers!

Baby Taussig Poll

ALL POLLING MUST BE DONE BY AUGUST 14th!!!!!

Jason and I, in our spare time have decided to start a baby poll. We are going to have anyone who is interested make a guess on the sex, month, day, weight and length. We are still in the brainstorming phase, as far as prizes for the winners, but we will keep you posted on what we decide.

Jason Girl Jan 7th am 8lbs 3oz 21 in.
Allycia Girl Jan 2nd pm 8lbs 7oz 20 in.
Lyle Boy Jan 13th pm 8lbs 12oz 19.5 in.
Katherine Girl Dec 31st pm 8lbs 9oz 20.5 in.
Joan Boy Jan 2nd am 6lbs 5oz 21 in.
Grandma M. Girl Dec. 16th pm 6lbs 10oz 20 in.
Diana Boy Jan 2nd pm 8lbs 0oz 21 in.
Verne Boy Jan 2nd 8lbs and 8oz 20in.
Reed Boy Jan 7 pm 7lbs 7oz 21 in.
Kathy Girl Dec. 30 am 8lbs 12oz 21.5 in.
NEW!!! Andy and Bethany B. Boy Jan.8th High Noon 7lbs 3oz 21in.
NEW!!! Chris and Danielle Widmer Boy Dec.27th 7lbs 8oz 20.5 in.
NEW!! Schake Family Girl Jan 2nd 7lbs 2iz 21 in.
NEW!! Dolly Garnecki Girl Jan 9th 7lbs 0oz 18in.

If you have a guess please email me or comment on the blog and I will insert it into our nifty chart.
Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

An Update

Hello All,

I am not an experienced blogger, but I figured with friends in different time zones this would be one way for us to stay in contact. Currently Jason and I are living in CO and loving the weather. It has been really nice! We went fishing on Monday and Tuesday with a little luck, but a lot of great fun and fellowship.We are in the process of looking for jobs and at houses. Jason's parents have been very gracious to let us stay with them in this time of transition and it has been such a blessing.

We are still in the process of looking for a church. We have gone to a few, but no exact fit. I think that we compare the churches and the people to Christ Community. Through this time, we are remembering to lean on God's promises (Somedays are easier than others) and we are eagerly awaiting the time when we can look back and see the work God has done in our lives and the way that He has directed our steps.

As of today, we are 14 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I can't feel the baby yet, but I am eagerly awaiting the opportunity to feel its already crazy movements. We got to see an ultrasound at 11 weeks and "Baby Taussig" was jumping up and down. He/She would go to the bottom of its space and hop up to the top.

Please let us know how things are going for you and yours and we will keep you posted.

PS I haven't figured out spell check so if there are errors...SORRY