Life with baby J.T. :)

It's been three weeks now since Joseph Taylor was born, and four since I've written any updates. Now that he's napping I'm going to quickly try to get some stuff written!

So my due date came and went, and no number of walks around the mall or 5 mile treks around town was helping J.T. come any sooner. Once I was a week overdue, the doctor was concerned that the baby was getting too big and strongly encouraged us to induce. Joe and I had prayed and felt confident that if the baby didn't come by one week after his due date, we were okay with inducing. So on December 17 we went to the hospital to have a baby!! Everything happened so fast: I was given the pitocin at about 9:30 and by 1:30 I started pushing. I pushed for two verrrrrry long hours and still no baby. At that point I was utterly exhausted and when the doctor came in and told me that the baby's head seemed to be too big to fit through the pelvis and that he had turned slightly to his side and the best option at that point was going to be a c-section, I literally said, "Just get this baby out of me!!" Though a c-section was the absolute last thing I wanted, I had a peace throughout the whole experience and was completely confident that God was in control and running the show. So many things went differently than my birth plan, but I was completely okay with it. I was able to experience the intense pain of labor, and even the sweet relief of the epidural halfway through. I experienced the unbelievable challenge of pushing to bring a new life into the world, and in the end I was able to hold a beautiful, healthy, strong baby boy. I learned so much from this experience and will take all of it into account for next time (that's right, I'm DEFINITELY doing this again!!).

Joseph Taylor was born at 3:37 p.m. on December 17, 2008. He weighed 8lbs. 80z. and measured 22 inches long. Immediately I saw those lips and knew he looked just like his daddy! What an overwhelming experience those first moments were! Joe was next to me as I lay on the operating table, and suddenly we heard a cry, and emotion overcame us both. Seconds before it had been just us, but that cry signaled that a new life had arrived, and that new life was entrusted to us, as our son.

Since that day we have made many adjustments. From the hospital to my parents' house where we stayed for the rest of December, and now home to North Carolina where we are now truly a family of three, there have been challenges and blessings around every corner. Recovering from the surgery was a lot more difficult than I had anticipated, and I do not know what I would have done had it not been for our amazing family around us to support and help us. Also, Joe has been absolutely amazing. I am in awe at how natural being a father is to him. Since I was recovering, especially the first few days in the hospital, Joe did absolutely everything except feed the baby. They have bonded so beautifully. Joe knows his cues so well. When J.T. cries, I often get overwhelmed and always ask Joe, "What does he want? What does that cry mean?" And Joe always seems to know. I love them both so much. Thank you, Lord, for these unbelievable blessings.

J.T. is such an amazing little person! He is growing so fast! Though as a newborn he doesn't do much but sleep, eat, and fill his diaper, everything about his absolutely entrances us. His little smiles, whether or not he knows he's making them, melt our hearts. We're all in the process of adjusting to a routine now that we're home. Joe is back at work, and fortunately my mom is up here with us for a few weeks. I do not know what I would do without her! Recovering from the surgery and getting used to breastfeeding (which, by the way, is one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences, I'm convinced!) leave me drained most of the time and my mom has been indispensible in helping with work around the house. There is always so much to do! It really is nonstop. And now we're on J.T.'s schedule, which doesn't consist of day or night, but really of three-hour intervals that cycle through 24 hour periods. He is now only waking up two or three times a night to feed, but that's enough to leave me wanting sleep come morning! It all is just so new and so surreal at times, but at the same time so natural. I have a baby. I have a son. Wow, my life is amazing. Thank you, Jesus!