11 Weeks in a Nutshell

So, what have we been up to for the past eleven weeks? We welcomed the lovely Miss Lillian (Lily) Fox Taylor on November 29th, 2011. And after that...time ceased to exist in any form I have previously been acquainted with.

Her birth was a long and difficult ordeal (46 hours in total). Jeff wrote her birth story live while we were in the hospital, and I'll post it later. Suffice it to say, she eventually joined us and we were all instantly smitten.



We spent the better part of a week in the hospital before finally bringing Lily home. We left the hospital in a fog, completely amazed that they let us take this tiny little creature home. The first three weeks were intense and a complete revelation. I know that time is relative, but I have never experienced the truth of this before until I had to care for a newborn infant. Time slowed and our entire world contracted to the small sphere of our home. Night followed day followed night without notice. Sleep came in gasps, short and sudden and quick to end, and at one point I thought I might never get off the couch again.



And yet, as with all things, this eventually passed. I figured out the Moby, and we were given the wonderful gift of the DVD Happiest Baby on the Block by good friends Matt and Adrienne (thank you thank you thank you). We were able to put Lily down, at first for only a few minutes, then for longer and longer periods.



We had lots of visitors (Grandma and Grandpa Taylor, Grandma Rushcamp, Uncle Matt, Aunt Erin, Aunt Melissa, and scores of friends). Lily enjoyed all the attention.






Eventually we got brave and started taking Lily out. She visited Punch's Pizza, The Groveland Tap, The Lowry, The Highland Grill, and various grocery stores and baby stores. Lily is happy to support our local shops and restaurants, and we're all looking forward to warmer weather when we can have weekend stroller adventures as a family.

Meanwhile, Lily continues to get bigger every day. She has started smiling, cooing, and laughing, and is a delight to be around. Well, for the most part. She seriously hates tummy time and is pretty grumpy about the whole thing. She loves her mobiles and watching us cook (all that chopping! and the smells!), and she tries to get outside any time the weather permits. We can't wait to take her on hikes and bike rides this summer. Being a baby born in Minnesota in the winter, her time outside has been limited, although it's been mild enough that she's gotten out more than one would expect.

Here are a few more pics of our lovely, happy girl. Lily, we are so glad you are a part of our lives!