Girls Just Want to Have Fun

After 20 long weeks, we confirmed what I had suspected:  

It could have been the horrific nausea, the consistent headaches, or perhaps just my intuition but something told me this baby was a girl.  Yesterday, that was confirmed.  While Jarrod panics about how to prepare for the arrival of a girl, Spence and I are thrilled.  Don't get me wrong - Jarrod will be thrilled but first the panic has to subside.  He fears changing a girl diaper ("It just feels wrong"), my likely increased spending habits, and the fact that we will one day likely have to pay for a wedding.

Spence and I, on the other hand, are excited.  I can confirm Jarrod's fears that I am excited for dresses, pink crib bedding, and bows.  Spence is excited because Captain America will now have a girlfriend and he won't have to fight a brother over the use of his Thomas bed.

The day we found out it was a girl, I came home with a horrific headache, spent the majority of the night puking my guts out over a toilet, and realized this little girl was already a trouble maker.  We have picked a name:  Barrett Caroline Taylor.  I can't wait to tell my grandfather.  Barrett was his grandfather's last name and he hated him.  Even with severe Altzheimer's, you mention the name Barrett and you are greeted with his thoughts that that was "one mean son-of-a-bitch."  Based on my sickness, I think he might be onto something with this one (just kidding!) but, nonetheless, I secretly can't wait to see his reaction every time he's reminder that's her name.  It's the little things that now give me pleasure.

Regardless of the drama this little one is already causing, we are thrilled, thankful, and anxiously awaiting her arrival.

Losing it......

I feel like Steve Martin in Father of the Bride when he's at the grocery store, flipping out about why they sell hot dogs in packs of 12 and buns in packs of 8. EVERYTHING right now seems to be getting on my nerves. While I'd love nothing more than a Xanex, that clearly isn't possible in my condition. So, instead, I'm left to try to ignore , forget, or simply explode. Then, I remembered...I have a blog. What do non-parents do on blogs? While I have very few friends who blog about things other than their children, I can only imagine that they must just complain. So, here (in no particular order) are my George Banks complaints of the day:

1. Finding a cute shirt on the sales rack, only to discover they have 20 size XS and nothing else.

2. Pollen, mold, dust, St. Louis, and anything else I'm allergic to.

3. Taco Bell: why can't one Taco Bell in the U.S. get a drive-thru order right? How hard is it to remember my mexican pizza?

4. People saying "We're pregnant." No, I'm pregnant - he will one day have a baby but currently, I'm doing 100% of the work.

5. People that say they've done laundry when, in fact, the hardest part of laundry (folding it) isn't done. (Okay, that one is specifically directed toward Jarrod who doesn't read my blog). :)

6. Parents who don't make their children say thank you.

7. Short toilets. Okay, this one is petty and no one's fault but the toilet maker. But, what is it with toilets that are practically on the ground, causing me back pain to pull my fat self off of them?

8. Old people. Again, horrible and uncalled for, I know. My grandma asks me during every conversation if I've gained weight. When I say no (because I puked 15 times a day for 8 weeks), she seems shocked. Then, when I confirm I have a growing baby bump, she follows with "so you're probably actually looking thinner in other areas."

I hope my George Banks moments don't turn into Fried Green Tomatoes Towanda moments or we might have problems. For now, I'm going to take a Zyrtec, double check my Taco Bell order, and go to bed for experience more horrible nightmares that leave me exhausted. I really should be a professional pregnant person...after all, I'm so enjoyable to be around! :)

What's a Trio + One?

As 100% of you who read my blog (mom and dad) already know, the Taylor Trio is adding a member! Although I would prefer it not be facebook-official (dad), I am almost 12 weeks pregnant. We've been spoiled with two ultrasounds and a doppler confirmation of a strong, fast heartbeat. It's been a rough 6 weeks (with all-day sickness) but I think we're finally ready to celebrate! The new bundle should arrive the first week of September...just in time for my ankles to swell to the size of a bowling ball in the 100 degree St. Louis summer!

Since my last blog, we've obviously had lots going on. Christmas came (and I do hope to post some pics soon) and the all-day sickness began. It was bad! Two weeks ago, I had the flu, a UTI (TMI), and horrific nausea all day long. It was so horrible that my wonderful mamma (and her housekeeper) came all the way to St. Louis to take care of us. We were pampered with a clean house, food in the freezer, and lots of drugs to help with my sickness. Finally, after 6 weeks of constant puking/nausea, last Friday I gave up phenergren! I am praying this feeling lasts because I can do this kind of pregnancy. Two weeks ago, I would've told you that, from here on out, we're adopting.

Spence is thrilled about the announcement and is (against his better judgement) rooting for a girl. We have 8 more weeks to wonder.....

I haven't downloaded any pictures from my camera so, for now, I leave you with this:

The Land Down Under

AUSTRALIA (said in my best Oprah impersonation)! As everyone knows, Jarrod and I spent the Thanksgiving holiday in the land down under. We had an amazing time. The first few and last few days were spent in Sydney with our good friends, Alan and Danelle Bronowicz, while the middle of the trip was spent in Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula.

The flight was L - O - N - G. No matter how many free cranberry and vodkas I consumed or bad movies I watched, there was no getting around the fact that 15 hours in a 30 inch seat is miserable. We did somehow manage to get some sleep and, according to Alan, looked better than most weary travellers upon our arrival in AUSTRALIA at 8:00 a.m.

The next few days were spent in Sydney. Some highlights included Manly Beach, fish and chips on the beach, and snorkeling (Jarrod saw incredible fish and a huge octopus).

We then flew to Melbourne on Tiger Air (their slogan should be "the ghetto airline of the land down under"), rented a car, and drove to our B&B in St. Andrews Beach on the Mornington Peninsula.

The B&B was incredible. Gourmet food, comfy beds, outdoor bathtub, on and on. While on the peninsula, we went to a hot springs resort, ate, visited vineyards, ate, shopped, ate, went kangaroo spotting, ate, explored Melbourne, ate, got couples massages, and ate.








Jarrod also got breathalyzed. Yes, breathalyzed. We were driving along the coast, headed home from a day of shopping, when we noticed all the cars forming a line to stop and speak with a policeman. We followed suit, rolled down our window, and waited for (what I assumed) was a wreck or construction. Suddenly, the police was at our window, sticking out a tube and telling Jarrod to "blow." He did - and I guess passed, because off we went. Apparently, it's common practice to avoid civil rights in Australia and require breathalyzers without any cause. Fun fact for those travelling abroad!

After four solid days exploring, we said five hail Mary's and boarded Tiger Air back to Sydney. On our return trip, we climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge, explored the Rocks, ate at Cafe Sydney, and attended the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Philharmonic Choir's performance at the Opera House. We also cooked and enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast with our hosts and their friends. Overall, it was an incredible time. We dearly missed Spence but are so thankful for such an amazing opportunity. We're already planning our next couples vacation!














Thanks to all who watched/loved Spence while we were gone. Although we're going through Papa and Kiki detox (i.e. telling him "no" and watching him throw fits), we appreciate them more than they know. Love to all!

Fall Update

This fall I have been horrible about blogging. Am I too busy at work, you ask? Oh no, that is not the problem. I'm just too lazy. I read other blogs and get annoyed when they're not updated with regularity but, for my own, I just stare at it and click to the next link. So, here is a general update on the fall.


We had surprisingly nice weather here. Relatively mild, gorgeous leaves, lots of sunny days! In September, we went to the Johnson family reunion (Jarrod's mom's family). We drove to Silver Mines, MO to visit with many, many cousins, aunts, and uncles. Spence always loves playing with all of his cousins (second cousins in this case).






Then, came my FAVORITE weekend of the year: the Balloon Glow! This year we didn't plan quite as well. We grabbed wine and cheese and hopped the metro to the park. Unfortunately, we forgot to feed Spence and the food lines were ridiculously long, the weather was less than perfect (a windy night made for some difficulty), and we arrived way too early! Oh well, it was still fun and we learned what not to do for next year. Seriously, people, if you're ever going to visit (which, for most of you, I have completely given up hope) - this is a really cool event!





In October, my parents came to visit. My dad got to hit with McEnroe/Chang on Friday which I thought was fun to watch! On Saturday, we headed to the pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins. Kiki then made me work all afternoon carving masterpieces which rotted prior to trick or treat! :)











Then, of course, came Halloween! Our Halloween turned out to be VERY hectic. At noon, I ran to Spence's daycare, got him dressed, and Jarrod and I accompanied him on a parade through the neighborhood with his whole class. Spence loved seeing all of his friends dress up - and I'm pretty sure they all napped in their costumes.








That evening, we went over to our neighbor's house for a quick dinner then lined up at the end of our block (along with the other 40 or 50 kids from our block ALONE - I kid you not) for a 1 block parade for all the parents to see. After that, we had a never-ending stream of kids for trick or treat!






It's definitely been a busy fall! In addition to all the above, Spence started soccer again, we saw Toy Story on Ice, Spence saw his first movie in the movie theater, and we had lots of fun visiting parks, the zoo, the Magic House, etc.



We miss everyone. Love from the Taylor Trio!

Parenting the Little Boogers

Jarrod and I really are spoiled. We honestly wonder if we should have other kids because Spence has been relatively (dare I say....) easy. Now, while he is pretty compliant and tender-hearted, he definitely has his moments of madness. He can be whiney and stubborn (both things I'm sure he gets from his dad). :)

Anyway, I have felt at a loss recently. It's so difficult to see the bigger picture of discipline. Often, in the middle of a trantrum where we're both buckling down hard, I think "I should've just said 'yes'." We've tried time-out, awards charts, spanking, taking away privileges...all work at temporarily changing the behavior but I'm unsure about real long-term change.

This weekend, Jarrod and I went to parenting conference here in STL with Paul Tripp. I expected a typical conference where I'd be ready to peace out the door about an hour in. However, instead, I found myself really entertained, educated, and enlightened (he should use that on his website). Anyway, he began by saying that if a parent's goal is to simply constrain and control behavior, you will have failed as a parent. I immediately realized that was me. I don't care if Spence cusses me under his breath as long as he doesn't throw a tantrum in the bathtube. I'm so concerned with his BEHAVIOR rather than his HEART.

He offered great tips on helping children see that their improper motives in their behavior lead to negative consequences.

It was so great, in fact, that I bought the DVD to share. I realize that if, in fact, ANYONE actual reads this, they probably live in Huntington where (if we're honest) there aren't a lot of opportunities for incredible speakers. I'd LOVE to let anyone borrow the DVD. It would be easy to get through - I think it's 10 sessions of 25 minutes each.

I'm going to be stalking some of you to borrow it (as I've seen your facebook statuses...) :) Anyway, just let me know. While ridiculously convicting it was also inspirng. Love from the big City. :)

September Already...

Summer is over! The positive of this statement is that I no longer have to shield my son's eyes (okay - actually my husband's eyes) from the hoochie shorts and tank "tops" that seem everywhere. The negative is that I no longer get to strut around in my hoochie shorts and tank tops! :)

I still hope to one day receive and, therefore, post pictures of my big 3-0 extravagenzas in both Huntington and St. Louis. But, for now, you'll just have to suffer through pictures of the cutest kid in the world!

We finished up parent and me soccer this summer. Spence loved playing with his daddy and, lets face it, it's all about the free t-shirt anyway. Spence wants to play again but mommy and daddy are hoping to give it a rest for a little bit.




Before leaving for Scotland, my brother came to visit! We actually saw him twice in St. Louis this summer (each time before a trip to Europe - can you say spoiled....?) This time, I was a horrible sister & mother by not taking pictures of them together. However, we did go to dinner just the 3 of us (Jarrod was with a friend at a SLU soccer game) and then to the Fountain on Locust for dessert. If you couldn't tell from the picture below, it's Spence's new favorite place.



For awhile this summer, Spence was by-far the most popular of the Taylor Trio. We had birthday parties, end of summer bbqs, back-to-summer picnics...on and on. Below is Daniel's Birthday at BounceU. I was dreading it as, last time, Jarrod and I had to take turn hiking our big booties up this inflatable slides because Spence was too weak to pull himself up them. Fortunately, this time, Spence was able to play without our help.



For Labor Day weekend, we went to Chicago! A lot of Spence's friends had gone to Chicago last summer so Spence was very excited. It would've been great to ride the train up but we really needed a car. The weekend started out with a Covenant v. Wheaton soccer game with our good friends - the Douglass'. They graciously let us stay at their house so we got to see them and enjoy Chicago. Although we had plans to visit the Aquarium, the crowds were too much. Instead we did a transportation tour (a made-up tour by Lindsay) involving taxis, the El, and a double-decker bus. The best part, however, was eating at our favorite restaurant - Frontera Grill - for brunch! Yum.



It was a miserably hot, exhausting busy, yet incredibly wonderful summer. Our boy is 3, we are settling into St. Louis, and excited about what the fall will bring! Love to all......