&t The Taylor Family: May 2007

Thursday, May 31

Ceramics at home

It's been a long time since my mom and I went out to paint ceramics but it's okay because now we can do it at home. My mom bought every color that was offered on a website I found a few months ago. During the same time I had been looking at site after site trying to find the same large haunted house that my mom had painted in the early 80's. I was having no luck until I sent a picture of the house I was looking for to a lady I had ordered other pieces from to see if she might know where I could get it. Turns out she had the mold but only made the piece to order and therefore didn't put the photo online. I had wanted this house forever. My mom had painted one before I was born but being that Steve is the oldest he is the one who got to have it. I just got the house in the mail last week and today my mom and I spent time painting the accessories that go around it. We had a great time and it really helped keep me busy so I wasn't bored. My DR said I was aloud to sit up at a 45 degree angle so I was able to paint that way. I had to be careful though because the terbutaline I am on makes my hands shaky. I did good though and was happy with the pumpkins, scarecrow, and ghost I painted. My mom worked on the trick-or-treaters that stand in the lawn in front of the house. I have a couple boxes of Christmas village houses and I think a couple more small Halloween pieces that I can work on. With the paints my mom got we don't have to fire the finished product, instead you spray them with a coating that seals and protects them. Also you can add a rub-on antique that gives the pieces character, you can't do that with the underglaze paints that the shops use. There are a lot more options this way that we are doing it now and also you can see exactly what the piece will look like as you go. With the fired pieces you really don't know anything until after it is fired. This makes it so much easier.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 10:05 PM   0 comments

Wednesday, May 30

A real Puzzler

My mom bought a "real puzzle" for Brye to play with. One that isn't on a wood or cardboard back with little pegs to help pick them up. This puzzle was Brye's first. My mom had looked for a simpler puzzle that would be easier to do. Brye tends to get frustrated when she can't do something right away so she thought that Brye might attempt this and then give up. My mom really thought that she would play a little and then my mom would put it away for a year or so until Brye was old enough to do it without getting frustrated. Well, after I turned all the pieces up so she could see the pictures, Brye went right at it. I was more than willing to give her help if I thought she needed it but in the end I didn't give up anything. Brye finished the whole puzzle in about 10 minutes with no problems whatsoever! She started with one Elmo piece and then took each piece with red on it and connected them all together. Then she worked on Big Bird with his yellow and did the same until the two parts connected together. I was so impressed with Brye. She didn't need a bit of help and she made it look so easy. She had never done a puzzle before but she took right to it. Now Peter and I will have to go out and get more for her to do. I have always liked puzzles when I was little and still do a lot today. My dad always worked on them and would let us kids help so I think that's why I like them so much.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 10:08 PM   1 comments

Monday, May 28

A Day Out

This afternoon my mom asked me if I would like to come out to the garden and have lunch. Seizing an opportunity to get out of the house I said yes and after she set up the patio chairs so I could lay down out there I took my pillow and headed out. It was a hot day in the sun but in the shade the breeze felt great and it was really nice. I sat out there and my mom brought me lunch and I enjoyed the weather. My mom put a bunch of peanuts all over her two trees out there and I watched all the birds and squirrels come and take them away. After lunch I actually took a little nap out there and then when I woke up I just enjoyed the breeze. It was nice until the sun started to come my way. After that I went inside and laid down in bed again. It was nice to get some fresh air and enjoy the nature. My mom brought her camera out so I took a couple pictures while I was out there.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 10:22 PM   2 comments

Sunday, May 27

Moved

Yesterday my dad took me over to my mom's house where I will probably stay until the babies come. It is much closer to the hospital and my mom is great with the girls. She plays with them all day long. She got them some cool summer water toys so pretty soon they will be having a ball in her big backyard. Today Peter is taking the girls back to the house until Tuesday so that they can see their toys and sleep in their own beds. They haven't been home for 2 weeks, since I was admitted to the hospital. I know it's been hard on them, not knowing what is going on but this little trip back home will be good for them and they can pick out some toys to bring back too.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 10:16 AM   1 comments

Friday, May 25

The view from my room

This is what I see from my room at Dad and Judy's house. Their house is right on a lake and I have fun watching all the birds and ducks that come along during the day. Also there are a few jet skiers and boaters out regularly that take advantage of the weather. The lake is a little low right now due to the lack of rain but with the busy hurricane season that is expected I am sure it will fill up quick.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 4:18 PM   0 comments

Thursday, May 24

Yay, pictures!!

My blog has been pretty boring without any pictures to look at. I am using my Dad's computer and I don't have my camera so I am little out of my element. Today I asked Judy if I could use her camera to take some pictures and she generously let me. I took a couple of the girls from my spot on the bed while they were having fun in the other part of the room. I don't have any photo editing software and it is hard to get a hard to get a real great picture from the laying down position so you will have to forgive me. I thought you all would like to see how the girls were doing and my blog needed some more color in it. Also I added a picture to Brian's' graduation post that Judy took that day.


Today I had to change the needle and tube sight in my leg that connects to the terb-pump. A Matria nurse came out to assist me since it was the first time it needed to be done since I left the hospital. I have to change the needle every 5 days and I am suppose to put it all in myself. Normally I don't have a problem giving myself shots but with this I am having a harder time. What it is is that I have to insert this needle that also inserts a catheter in my leg and then I have to pull the needle out. It isn't fun and I really don't enjoy doing it. It hurts when you put it in but after a couple of minutes the pain goes away and you don't feel anything after that.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 5:43 PM   0 comments

Wednesday, May 23

And the Dr said...

I had my first Dr appointment since I was released from the hospital today. I was really afraid of what he would say and was dreading returning. I went in and the appointment was real quick and went well. The Dr came in and after we talked for a while about the medicine I was on he said "well looks good, see you in two weeks" Yay!! No hospital for me. I am so excited to be back at Dad's and not the hospital that I hated so much! I am still on bed rest but I can handle that. He still wants me to go to 34 weeks and this weekend will be 30 weeks so we are getting closer!!

posted by We are the Taylors @ 6:39 PM   1 comments

Tuesday, May 22

Just lying around

Bed rest has got to be one of the most boring things a Dr can put you through. I have talked with other surrogates that are on bed rest also (both pregnant with twins and about 3 weeks ahead of me) and they don't have any encouraging thoughts. I am lucky though because I was able to put it off this long and I have triplets in here, the other girls both went down around 26 weeks and they only have two. Today Peter returned to work and so I am here alone and bored but at least I am not in the hospital, that would be much worse. I have books, my iPod, TV (I hardly ever watch TV though), and my Dad's computer (we can't get online with ours) to keep me occupied but even still I think I may go crazy if I have to stay like this for too much longer. I know I can at least stay happy as long as I am not in the hospital and knowing what the alternative could be helps keep me sane and in a better place. I do enjoy reading emails though so if you have a spare moment please send me a thought to help me on my mission.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 2:15 PM   0 comments

Monday, May 21

Congratulations Brian!!

Today, my little brother Brian graduated from high school. We are so very proud of him and are very excited for his new journey to begin. I didn't get to go to the graduation but after the ceremony my Dad and Judy threw him a party at their house so I got to be there for that. I didn't get to participate very much but I enjoyed seeing everyone and my nephews too. Sounded like the ceremony was nice and I am sure my oldest brother Steve took lots of pictures that I can take a look at later. Congratulations Brian!! We love you very much!!

posted by We are the Taylors @ 11:12 PM   0 comments

Sunday, May 20

Finally Free

Well, after 6 days in the hospital the Dr finally released me. I really hated it there it was really awful. I can safely say that I have been poked over 50 times to draw blood, get shots, check blood sugar, etc. I had to be on an IV drip for about 4.5 days and then I was on Oxygen for 2 days. I had to be on a contraction monitor 24/7 and they had to check the babies heartbeats and tones every 8 hours for an hour at first and then they reduced it just to make sure they were all doing well. I have a terbutaline pump in my leg right now and I have to change the medicine every 2 days and the needle and tubing every 5 days. It's really painful when I change it but after a few minutes it stops hurting. I have to be careful of the tubing though because it is easy to forget about it and pull on it and that's not fun. I was really miserable at the hospital so I am so happy to be out now. My Dr thought our house was too far away so I didn't get to go home but we are staying at my dad's house for now which is about half the distance from the hospital to our house. I am just so happy to be out of there. One of the nurses was so mean to me that I spent a whole day crying but for the most part the rest were really sweet and helpful. The hardest thing was being hooked up to everything all the time and not being able to even roll over freely. I was so relieved when they finally took the IV out, they left it in my arm but I wasn't hooked up and that was enough for me. Then they took the O2 off and I started to feel better. The nurses even came in and said that I seemed like I was a different person. I was so depressed but now I am much better. The whole time I was there there were no complications with the babies at all so that is very promising! We want these babies to stay in here until they are strong enough to make it without much assistance when they do choose to appear. From home I have to take care of my terb-pump and I have a monitor that I have to be on for 2 hours everyday to check for contractions. I also have to take my blood pressure and pulse everyday. I really can't say that it is much fun but I will do anything to stay out of the hospital. All that stress and depression can't be good for me or the babies now that I am out I am on complete bedrest but even still it is better than it could be. The whole time I was in the hospital I really wished I had a small camera so I could take misc pictures of things for the blog and myself. I have my cell camera but it isn't worth anything when there isn't much lighting. Also I didn't want to offend everyone with my noisy and super compressed images. Hopefully soon I will have a little camera to take around with me when I am out. Peter's been great to me and really taking care of things around here. My mom took the girls for almost the whole week and then Kim took them overnight until yesterday. I want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers and also their well wishes and sweet emails. I had a few visitors in while in the hospital and nothing makes you feel better than to know you have friends that care. Thank you to everyone who called, wrote, or stopped by you have no idea how much it was appreciated. Please continue to keep me and the babies in your prayers for a timely and safe delivery for all.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 1:31 PM   3 comments

Thursday, May 17

Morning Update

I know you all are waiting for an update so here it goes: Chellee is doing fine. Some of her labs yesterday were still not perfect, but there doing a few more tests to see what, if anything, needs to be done. She's bored and I'm sure she isn't very comfortable, but she's hanging in there. We saw the doctor for a few minutes this morning and it looks like we probably won't be taking her home today. It seems to me that they're more concerned right now with Chellee's health and that the babies are doing just fine. The goal still seems to be to keep them in as long as possible and I'm at least optomistic. We're just hoping it's safe to do so at home, but whatever the doctor suggests for the babies is what we're determined to do. The girls have been staying with Grandma and she's been an incredible help. I'm not sure how I would be right now if they weren't so well cared for. I'm still at the shop working, but I'm sure I'll be back at the hospital tonight. Chellee has her phone now and it's charged and working so feel free to call her if you have the time. I'm sure she wouldn't mind hearing from anyone. Thanks again so much for your prayers and support though this entire journey. We love you all.

-Peter

posted by We are the Taylors @ 10:11 AM   0 comments

Wednesday, May 16

Not what I was hoping for

Well, I just spoke with Chellee and it sounds like she may not be coming home for a while. Her platlette count was low this morning and they had decided to watch over her for the rest of the day and thru the night to see what happened. Her platlettes have now stabalized, but the level is very low. Also her potassium and hemoglobin levels are low. It looks like they're going to want to keep tabs on her for a bit. I'm still here at the shop and haven't talked to the doctor yet, but his big concern has been that we live so far away so I don't know that he's going to let her come back home for a while. Right now she's very bored and uncomfortable. I'll be staying there again tonight I expect, but I'm not sure how we're going to balance this and taking care of the girls. They're with Grandma right now, but I know she'll need a break. We'll have to wait and see what happens, in the mean time, please keep praying. Thank you all again for your love and support.

-Peter

posted by We are the Taylors @ 2:16 PM   0 comments

Tuesday, May 15

Still in the hospital.

Well, Chellee spent the day in the hospital and they still want to keep her. At least for tonight. We haven't heard, but hopefully she can come home in the morning. Her cell phone died and I left her charger at home so she hasn't been able to get any calls and since everyones numbers are in her phone she can't call anyone either. I am staying with her tonight. I'll have to go in to the shop in the morning though. Hopefully I can come and get her after work tomorrow. She got flowers from the IP's earlier today. They're very pretty. I know she appreciated them since they got here way before I did today and I know it hasn't been fun being stuck here alone. Well, we'll keep our fingers crossed and keep praying that we can go home for a while soon. Thanks again everyone for the prayer and support.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 10:39 PM   1 comments

Monday, May 14

To Bed At Last...

Well, I just got home from the longest Dr's appointment yet, and with my better half still away. Chellee and I went for our routine weekly checkup today. After the ultrasound tech took all the babies' measurments they discovered that Chellee's cervix was a bit thinner than they were comfortable with. The Dr. decided that he wanted to monitor any contractions that Chellee was having and that it would be a good idea to admit her to the hospital to do that. They're not particularly worried (as far as we can tell) since we knew that this would be an almost unavoidable step, but still we're not what you'd call "thrilled" about the idea. So far everything is fine. The Drs. are just trying to sort out what the monitoring is telling them and making sure that they have enough data to make an intelligent decision about the next logical step. We are hoping that they will conclude their tests early tomorrow and let me bring Chellee back home for a while. Please keep us in your prayers and we will keep you all updated.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 11:37 PM   2 comments

Sunday, May 13

Hope everyone's Mother's Day was happy!!

Yesterday was a great day, mostly because Peter wasn't working and I got to spend the whole day with him. We made the rounds, seeing his mom than my mom and then of course doing a little celebrating for me. It was a great day that wasn't too hectic and it was good to just enjoy my family for a change. Hope everyone else had a great day too!!javascript:void(0)

posted by We are the Taylors @ 11:37 PM   0 comments

Saturday, May 12

You Are the Cure!

Last night Peter and I dropped the girls off at Miss Kim's house where they spent the night. It was great, Peter and I went out to dinner and we were going to go to the movies too but I was really tired so we just rented one instead. In the morning Peter went off to his shop and I went to the Sanford Mall where I had signed up to volunteer in a Bone Marrow Drive that the Sherrifs Department and the Sanford Police Department were putting on. I had always wanted to be a bone marrow donor but all the agencies I researched said you had to pay for a certian test and it was too much money for me to be able to donate. This drive was supported by "Kids Beating Cancer, Inc." where they take care of all the medical costs for tests and such. I happily signed up and gave my DNA sample (a simple swab of the mouth) so that I could be put in their records for future matches. After I signed up myself I assisted other people in signing up and telling them how to swab their mouths (I didn't touch any of that stuff). The drive was very informative and I really enjoyed it. There were lots of people that signed up because they knew someone close that had cancer and they wanted to help the cause. I think there were three news stations covering the drive and a little boy with cancer (who started the drive through the police departments) gave a speech and took pictures with some officers. I wish I could have stayed later but I had to get the girls and of course I was tired once again. If you would like more information on how to become a donor yourself go to Kidsbeatingcancer.com they have a registery but not nearly enough people on the lists.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 8:19 PM   0 comments

Friday, May 11

Free Advertising

posted by We are the Taylors @ 10:10 PM   0 comments

Thursday, May 10

Mother's Day is coming

Brye and Abbi worked really hard on Grandma's present and today it was time to wrap them all up. We got Grandma a couple other things for Mother's Day and I needed Brye's help with the wrapping. I did the paper folding while Brye used her stickers to hold the paper together and make the presents extra special. Abbi mostly just watched this time around but probably next year she will be ready to help out too! After they were all wrapped and ready to go Brye filled out Grandma's card for her and Abbi. She works so hard to make it perfect and I am sure Grandma will be really impressed!

posted by We are the Taylors @ 5:43 PM   1 comments

Wednesday, May 9

So Sweet

This picture was taken last month while we were out geocaching for easy grab and go caches before an event. I thought it was too cute not to share.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 8:37 PM   1 comments

Tuesday, May 8

A look into the world of dance photography... (from Peter)

I thought I'd share a bit of the life I've been living on weekends. This past weekend was my last geocaching/photography trip for the season. Hopefully the store will pick up enough to not have to go out on the road again. I thought you all might want to see what it was all about so I made a short video with my phone (sorry).



At each competition there were at least two people. A photographer was set up in the auditorium shooting all the dance numbers (anywhere from 200 to 700) and someone would be in the lobby making low res versions of the shots for preview, talking to customers, and making cd's. I was usually in the lobby. It was hard work, but kinda fun and I was able to get geocaches in almost every state I visited (keeping Chellee appeased.)

posted by We are the Taylors @ 10:40 PM   0 comments

Monday, May 7

More shots

I had a doctor appointment today and everything looks fine. The doctor once again sent me home without putting me on bedrest and I have to return next Monday when they will take measurements of all the babies again. I have been checking my blood sugar everyday and normally after I eat my levels aren't high but for some reason in the morning before I eat anything they are higher than they should be. Today the dr put me on insulin and before I eat dinner every night I have to give myself a shot that should last through the morning. Because it is gestational Diabetes my body should go back to normal after the babies are born and I shouldn't have to take insulin anymore. It's annoying but it's just one more thing that I have to do. I don't want to do it of course but in the end, it will all be worth it.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 9:00 PM   1 comments

Sunday, May 6

Scrub that floor!

Tonight we have to go pick Peter up from the airport. We are so happy he had a short weekend this time around. We would hate for him to come home to a messy house though so the girls set to work cleaning their rooms. Brye cleans her room just about everyday (sometimes twice) because she always makes a mess of it but Abbi's room usually isn't too bad. Today she cleaned it (with a little assistance) and in the picture you can see she is even straightening the rug. What a good girl, Daddy will be so proud. I would have cleaned my room too but I didn't have any toys out though I did make my bed.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 12:21 PM   0 comments

Saturday, May 5

Drink it up

posted by We are the Taylors @ 9:24 PM   0 comments

Friday, May 4

Bye Bye Peter

This morning I had to take Peter to the airport to head to Houston. As always I will sure miss him when he is gone! This is his last weekend away though so I am very happy about that. Now that his shop is up and running and he has even had a few paying customers and since I am getting closer to the end of the pregnancy I need him more at home. After we dropped Daddy off the girls and I went to a nearby park to stretch our legs. It was a great spot and there was no one around. The girls had fun running all over while I sat and watched. I forgot my camera though I really wanted to bring it but Peter and I got new cell phones because we were eligible for free upgrades since our contract ran out so I used the camera on my phone to take a picture of them playing. It's not too bad but definitely doesn't compare to what I am use to.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 9:30 PM   0 comments

Wednesday, May 2

Works of Love

Today after a nice nap, Brye and Abbi worked really hard on a present to give Grandma for Mother's Day. They got a lot of popsicle sticks from the Easter Bunny and today it was time to use a few. Brye had a great time picking out colors and putting them in the design that she liked while Abbi just liked playing with all the sticks. I can't put the finished product up just in case Grandma checks the blog but you can pretty much figure it out. My best friend Tina and I made these for her parents anniversary when we were little and that's where I got the idea. I know Grandma will be excited!

posted by We are the Taylors @ 11:09 PM   1 comments

Tuesday, May 1

I love it when Peter comes home!!

Peter was in Connecticut all weekend and got home yesterday afternoon. I am always so excited when he gets home because I miss him so much when he is away. We spent the whole day together yesterday and my mom came over and watched the girls and Peter and I got to go out and spend time alone, it was great! Today Peter had to go to work at the shop and it's a good thing he did because he had a bunch of customers, Yay!! I am so happy for him, he will do so great with his shop. Tonight we went out to dinner and it was so nice to be able to spend time together as a family! I love my husband so much!

posted by We are the Taylors @ 9:59 PM   0 comments