Introducing Isabella Juliet Taylor

Two firsts in this blog: 1) Jake's adding a message for the first time and, more importantly, 2) Isabella Juliet is now in our lives. Isabella was born at 6:03 PM today, August 27 2008.. She measured 20 inches and weighed in at 6 lbs. 2 oz. and a about a ton and a half of pure beauty! We're so excited to have her with us!
The delivery went well, in fact as she approached delivery, before the Dr. arrived, the nurse turned to me and said "once we get her feet in the stirups, if she sneezes Isabella will be here!" Elisa did excellent. We are very fortunate and feel grateful for our new baby/blessing/sweetheart.

Induction Postponed till Tomorrow

Last night, I was so proud of myself for getting the house ready, packing my hospital bag, painting my toenails, and typing up the babies' schedule for my mother-in-law. I thought I had everything ready for Friday night. But, as many of us have learned the hard way (maybe one too many times), just when you think you've got a grip, life laughs at you. That's what happened to me last night. Jake and I turned in at 11:30 PM, and not 30 minutes later, my baby girl starts screaming and violently throwing up. This went on until 4 AM as I sang to her continuously while sitting her up in our bed. She probably would have continued this till morning, but I couldn't take any more and neither could she, so I gave her some Benadryl (feeling like a bad mom the whole time) and it knocked her right out... until 6:30 AM. Gabe woke up not too much past that with a fever (it's been a persistent low grade fever of 101* for four days with a snotty cold). I was just about to lose it completely, with two screaming sick babies and going on 2 1/2 hours of sleep, when I went downstairs to find that Chewy (our very well behaved dog) had also made an accident during the night. I realized that there was no way that I would willingly submit myself to another consecutive sleepless night (in labor), and I told my OB that the induction would have to be rescheduled for Saturday morning. So, 7:30 AM it is.

Our Honda Odyssey

In true Taylor form, we sold our Acura MDX and replaced it with a Honda Odyssey minivan just in the knick of time. It was almost an even trade, because even though our Odyssey is just the base model, it is nearly brand new (2007 with only 9,000 miles). We're happy with the new purchase -- with 3 babies in car seats, it was high time we got a more appropriate vehicle for the fam (in terms of space and convenience especially). Although when we were younger, Jake and I both swore that we'd never own a minivan, life gives you perspective. And since we had our kids close in age, it should only be a few years before they're out of their carseats and we can eagerly reclaim a more posh vehicle. Until then, move on over hunny because mama's driving the Odyssey!

38 Week Pregnancy *Update*

I went to my weekly OB appointment today and had my weekly ultrasound. I have gained 21 lbs. since the beginning of my pregnancy. I am dilated to 3 cm. and am 80% effaced. Like at 35 weeks, the ultrasound tech at my doctor's office measured Isabella as really small (5.4 lbs -- 3rd percentile), and freaked me and my doctor right out. He sent me straight over to the Perinatologist for a 3-D ultrasound, stating that he would induce me today if they got similar results. Also like at 35 weeks, they did not get the same results (thankfully). They measured Isabella in the 12th percentile at 6 lbs. even. They said that they didn't think that there would be any cause for concern as everything else seemed to be looking great as usual (breathing, amniotic fluid level, movement, tone, etc.). My OB called me later this afternoon, saying that because I am a "complicated woman" (I assume he meant a complicated patient), he would like to see the baby come sooner rather than later. He stated that he would leave it up to me whether to get induced today or at 39 weeks (next Tuesday), which would be the latest he'd let me go. He said that if I chose to wait till 39 weeks, I'd need to come in to the office twice for ultrasounds over the next few days. My choice? Neither, of course. I told him that I would allow the induction, but at 38 weeks and 3 days -- more specifically, on Friday evening at 8 PM (so I could make sure that my kids were tucked in bed, I had the weekend ahead of me, and my mother-in-law would have had ample notice to drive down to the valley). He told me that he could almost guarantee my request, because he has "a lot of pull at the hospital" and that he would call me to let me know for sure by noon tomorrow. So tentatively, that's where it stands... meantime, my contractions are coming about every 10 minutes right now -- no thanks to all the prodding and checking at my visits today.

Update: The induction is scheduled for this coming Friday at 10 PM.

On a side note, we have a new respite provider (nanny)! Her name is Brooke, and I like her a lot. She has been with us since last Wednesday, but I waited until now to mention it because of the incident with Julie earlier this month -- I didn't want to have to put my foot in my mouth again. Brooke couldn't have come at a better time -- I feel like she is really getting to know my kids and their schedules, which will make her beyond valuable once Isabella comes. She only works in the afternoons (usually), but it's still a big relief. I think she likes us, although she laughingly tells me that she is usually ready for bed at 8 PM on the days she works :) (hey, me too!). I'm praying this one sticks around.

Quirks Tag

Because my friend Kassidi tagged me, I am having to share with you seven of my quirks... so bear with me. I know the reason she tagged me is because I have to be one of the quirkiest people on her bloglist ;)! This should be funny -- for you, not for me.
1. I'm obsessed with clean floors. I know what you're probably thinking -- 'Elisa, your floor is not that clean', and while I know this to be true, it doesn't hinder my neuroticism in the least. Everyone that comes into my house must remove their shoes at the door, or I have a silent heart attack. When someone (or someone's kid) comes onto the carpet with shoes on, I will bust out the Resolve carpet cleaner and start spot cleaning right on their heels. My excuse is that I'm half Asian, so ha. In Asia, you just don't wear shoes anywhere there's a floor under your feet and a roof over your head. When I'm feeling too lazy to sweep or vacuum the tile, I 'sweep' the floor with my bare feet and brush the dirt off into the trash. I will not allow my dog onto carpeted areas ever... under any circumstances. Unfortunately for many pet owning friends & relatives, it follows that pets that cannot consistently obey this no animal on the carpet rule is banned from the house (and that leaves no pets).
2. I hate Walmart. Don't get me wrong -- I don't hate what they sell. I can definitely appreciate inexpensive groceries and other miscelaneous items. I just hate the place itself, and yes, I have my reasons... and they are many.
3. I love almost every food and am willing to try the most exotic dishes. The only exceptions are cucumbers, watermelon, bananas, baked potatoes, celery, and bell peppers -- I hate these foods. I don't think this is quirky, but other people seem to.
4. I have a nervous habit of biting the inside of my cheek. It looks rediculous, and I really just need to stop. So, if you ever have the displeasure of witnessing this, please call my attention to it immediately.
5. I'm very excitable -- for better or for worse. I'm not saying that I'm tempermental, because I'm not. I'm just really... passionate. I'm can be pretty opinionated, and when I get this way, I tend to raise my voice (even if I'm not upset). At these times, Jake lovingly calls me a "cat on a hot tin roof."
6. Just the thought of wet toilet paper makes me gag. I use table napkins, paper towels, and burp cloths for tissues because I can't stand to have a piece of detiorating damp tissue in my hand.
7. I've mentioned this in previous posts, but I'll say it again. Although I'm, by no means, a violent person, I'm really intrigued with the lives of CIA agents, arms dealers, military snipers, or any other dangerously smart profession. I'd love to have a hidden talent like that -- you know, like being a master at Kung Fu or secretly a pro at card counting in blackjack. One day, I'm just going to bust out and surprise you all. And you thought I was just an ordinary stay-at-home mom!
I tag Erin Buggy & Amber Larsen.

37 Week Pregnancy Update

This is just a brief update to say that my OB finally checked me (per my request), and as I suspected, Isabella is pretty close to coming. I am 80% effaced (out of 100), 2 cm. dilated (out of 10), and the head station is -1 (on a scale of 3 to -3). Although he said that many doctors consider 37 weeks term and the rest consider 38 weeks term, I'm still a little nervous about it being so early. I wish she would wait just a little longer... I guess we'll just have to wait and see. :)

36 Week Pregnancy Update

I'm happy to say that there isn't any major news in these last few weeks of my pregnancy (as of this moment). At 35 weeks, I had an ultrasound, which measured Isabella pretty small, my belly was measuring only 30 weeks, and my weight is 114 lbs. (19 lbs. over my pre-pregnancy weight). The small measurements were a little concerning, so I was sent to get a second ultrasound at my perinatologist. That ultrasound showed that although Isabella is measuring a smallish (15th percentile), she has been measuring that way pretty consistently -- which means that she is following her own curve and growing. Her weight was 5 lbs. at 35 weeks. Since I was a small full term baby (5 lbs. 13 oz.), this isn't too surprising. Everything else has been checking out fantastic -- her biophysical profiles show that she is breathing well and moving great (as if I needed someone to tell me that!). Isabella hid behind her foot for her 3-D ultrasound, so I only have her profile pictures in 2-D. She, without a doubt, has the Taylor lips. This morning was my last Lovonox shot, as tonight I am switching to Heparin. I never thought I'd say this, but I think that I'm going to miss being on the Lovonox. Reason being is that I have to inject a larger amount of Heparin for the same effect as the Lovonox. But seeing as though I only have 2 1/2 more weeks of it, it's probably a trifling thing to complain about.

Other than that, I think I'm starting to feel "ready," in the sense that my body is getting tired of the pregnancy. I'm pretty short of breath most days, and it's very difficult to carry Ariana up and down the stairs on my nonexistent hip bone. I don't feel quite as "ready" when it comes to thinking about being in labor, leaving my twins at home while I'm in labor and during my hospital stay (I've never been away from them that long), and having three babies 19 months and under... but I'm sure I'll get there with the help of a heavy dose of reality.

So far, I have to say that I've been very fortunate with this pregnancy. It has not been too strenuous, and I often have found myself, at times, forgetting that I am even pregnant at all. I look foward to meeting my little cookie, Isabella, and can't wait to feel the joy that she brings to our family. I'm aware that my belly pictures look pretty rough, but that just goes to show what I'm willing to do for my baby.

Best Mac and Cheese Ever

Serves 12
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for casserole
6 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to l/2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyère or swiss or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place the bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside
.2. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
3. While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 12 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyère (or 1 cup Pecorino Romano); set the cheese sauce aside.
5. Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyère (or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano), and the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes (though we needed a bit more time to get it brown, but your oven may vary). Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes; serve.

Our Respite Provider Quit

I normally don't like to use this blog to rant, BUT I think I'll take this as a special excepetion. In July, I started looking for respite providers, knowing that I was coming up on the time when I would need somebody to help me with the kids during the day. I think this goes without saying as I currently have 3-4 doctors appointments every week, twin 18 month olds, and a third baby whose due date is coming right up. I responsibly posted an ad on Care.com, to which I had several replies and interviews. I hired a 46 year old woman, named Julie Wils*n, who was nice and caring and seemed to be able to meet all of my job requirements. I specifically asked each interviewee about their long term plans, because I'm not that desperate for aid that I would want to have strangers in and out of my house every other month. I do have standards. Julie implied that she had every intention of nannying indefinitely. I turned down many a wonderful, qualified candidate, mostly on the grounds that Julie already had CPR & First Aid Certification and would be able to start work immediately. Julie began work on September 2. She worked four afternoons. Julie called today (July 8) to quit, stating happily that she got a job in her field (accounting!) and that she would be starting tomorrow. She seemed apologetic for totally stiffing me, which didn't change the fact that I made sure to tell her that she could not count on me as a reference. With only three weeks till my induction date, I'm feeling a little perturbed.

Our Acura SUV is for Sale :(

We have come to that sad, sad point in our lives where we have outgrown nice things and need to replace them with... shall we say, family things? We're buying a minivan, and need one in a hurry (with only 3 weeks till my induction date). If you're on the market for a beautiful, luxury SUV in excellent condition that gets great gas mileage, priced to sell, then click here to view the Craigslist ad for our baby (the car):
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/832041984.html

Can you Believe This Guy? --> Obama

I know that if you read my blog consistently, you must be a lover of babies. If not, you would have tired long ago of my incessant babble about the joys and sorrows and the miracles that they are. So this video is for all of my fellow baby lovers, regardless of your politics (although I don't indulge you often enough, I'm sure you can tell where I stand). Pause my playlist at the bottom of the page to hear the video.

What's New at 18 Months Old

On the one hand, I can't believe that my kids are 18 months old, because it seems like just yesterday they were my chubby little lumps that only smiled and drank breastmilk every 3 hours. On the other hand, they seem like such big kids to me recently that I think to myself, of course they're 18 months old -- they act practically all grown up at times!

Ariana has improved so much with her sitting and overall trunk support. All of her therapists are so proud of her -- we sometimes just sit and revel at how far she has come. She has some days that are better than others, which is to be expected, but she can generally sit without support for several minutes before needing some help getting readjusted. On her best days, she doesn't even need anyone to help her, but only remind her to "sit up Ari", to which she immediately responds by correcting her posture and flashing you a big grin. Ariana has also started making the "ba" sound with regularity. When I ask her to say "bye" to someone, she will give her famous enthusiatic wave and proudly say "ba," but I swear it sounds just like "bye." Ariana is more than ever responding to simple commands like "put the toy in your mouth" or "splash the water" or "give mommy a kiss." Her breadth of verbal understanding has grown so much lately. Another thing that Ariana is doing this month that she hasn't done before is retrieval of a dropped item in a sitting position. When I am taking my shower, I sit Ariana in her Bumbo seat (which offers hip support but no back support, so she needs to hold herself upright). When she's sitting in her seat, she gets to play with a toy or my cell phone to keep her occupied. Up until recently, once she dropped the toy the first time, it was lost to her until I came out and resued it. Now, she can drop it and pick it up over and over again all by herself (provided that she drops it to her left and not her right side). Ariana is also initiating a roll from right to left onto her tummy. While she can't complete the roll on her own yet, she gets so close and she knows it. She sometimes cracks up laughing while she's teetering on her side. It won't be long before she's rolling in all directions. Another gross motor skill that Ariana is slowly developing is the beginning of a crawling pattern. Ari has been trying to pull her legs up under her while using her arms to pivot or reach towards an item out of her reach. I get so excited every time I see her do this, which is increasing in frequency all the time. Sadly, Ariana is also beginning to get pickier with foods and is trying to turn herself into a vegetarian (she did not get this from me). It used to be that I could get her to eat chicken and ground beef, but she is protesting most dinner (savory) foods these days and spends many a dinnertime screaming every time we try to slip a bite into her mouth -- very frustrating. Her favorite foods lately are fruit (all kinds), crackers, scrambled eggs, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cereal, yogurt, macaroni and cheese, and sometimes veggies like beets, carrots, and green beans. She would eat an all fruit diet if I let her. This week, I'm venturing towards new sources of protein like hummus to see if I can win her over -- wish me luck. As sweet as she is, my little peach is starting to get a bit of an attitude at times. I guess it comes with the territory, but she can be pretty demanding of my attention and she does not like to share with Gabriel anymore. By 6 o'clock PM (my pumpkin time), I've pretty much had it with the whining and Jake playfully calls me a "baby hater," which is an exaggeration... but not by much.

Gabriel has turned into a big boy practically overnight. I know I say this every month, and I'm starting to sound like an old lady, but I can't deny it. It would be impossible to name every one of his many little achievements and milestones, so here are just a few. While Gabriel's spoken vocabulary is rapidly approaching 50 words, Gabriel has about a 20 word sign language vocabulary. It blew me away that he had learned more signs than me from his sign language DVDs, so I literally had to play catch up just to figure out what he was trying to communicate with me. The signs he uses most frequently are milk, help, please, blanket, and bear (referring to his teddy bear). Gabriel has recently gotten so attached to his blankets and teddy bear that he wants to carry them around with him everywhere. He hoards blankets (literally), by gathering all of the baby blankets in the house (4-6 at a time) and dragging them behind him. He also loves playing in piles of pillows. Gabriel's favorite toys this month are cars and his flash cards. While cars "ca" and trucks "tuck" are no brainers for little boys, the flash card thing just cracks me up. He begs me to drill him with his color flash cards. And as a result, my 1 1/2 year old (I'm going to brag here, so skip over this if excessive pride makes you cringe) knows 4 colors: red "ray", green "geen", blue "boo", and purple "poo poo". While he gets it right only about 75% of the time, I still think that's pretty dang good for a baby. Gabe can also identify about 10 animals (his favorites are lion and dog, which he signs all day) and 10 body parts (his favorites are belly button, teeth, and "pee pee"). Some of Gabe's gross motor developments include coming down the stairs by himself (safely). He can come all the way down backwards (which I prefer) or scoot down on his bottom. He opens the doors to the garage and the front door, which scare the crap out of me. I've found him playing happily in the garage on more than one occasion. Gabriel is also walking up his wedges in the playroom and sliding down on his own (something his physical therapist has been encouraging for a while). Gabriel is starting to climb on furniture, and he is trying on our shoes (which involves balancing on one leg and requires a lot of motor planning). Gabriel and Ariana have both started going to nursery at church and they love the socialization. I think that Gabriel learns so much from being around older kids. He and Ari had the time of their lives when their 3 and 4 year old cousins, Brayden and Trevor came to visit this past weekend. I only wish they lived closer to us. Of course, there are pros and cons to every age and stage (or that's what I tell myself anyway): Gabe has acquired a award-winning toddler attitude. Don't get me wrong, he is as loveable and affectionate as little boys come; frequently lunging into my arms for a hug and a kiss, cuddling in my lap while I read him a story. But he can throw a tantrum with the best of them. Needless to say, time out isn't a game anymore. What really gets me is that Gabe already knows how to push my buttons. For instance, when we are out in public and the babies are in the side-by-side double stroller and Gabriel wants my attention, he knows that all he has to do is hit or scratch Ariana. I can't help it -- I instinctively react. I've sworn that I'm going to get a front-back (tandem double stroller) if it kills me. If anyone has a used one that they don't need anymore, please lend it to save Ariana from Gabe's wrath. And it wouldn't be a month if there wasn't a sickness, would it? Gabe has come down with croup. He was having really awful sounding breathing so we took him into our favorite urgent care on Labor Day. They did a chest x-ray and came up with the diagnosis. It's viral, so he's only on a steriod medicine for 5 days to help ease his breathing. I hope it will pass soon, without Ari catching it.