Thank You

I wanted to give a special thanks today for our military men and women. I have always been so proud of this country, but it wasn't until I married into a family that is all in the Army that it hit me how much of a sacrifice it really is. I am so proud of Derek, his brothers ( Matt, Brent, Bryan, Devin and Travis), and our friends that proudly serve this country.

I still remember when Derek and I were engaged and he asked me how I felt about him joining the military. It really didn't come to much of a surprise, and I was proud that he would be so selfless. Being in the military has been no picnic, with alot of ups and downs. Tears have been in plenty, but I have also been blessed. I never would have been able to handle Derek being gone with out the support of my family; especially my sister in laws Jennie, Brittany, Natalie, and Michelle.

Thank you again to all of you willing to make the sacrifice to keep our country free.

Pictures, pictures, pictures

Well after three sittings and two days we finally accomplished family pictures. I hope the next ones go a little bit easier. Jane was a monster for most of it, but it was all worth it. I love most of her shots and wouldn't trade them for the world. I just thought we would share how adorable out little girl has gotten, and what a handle she has become!

Our Jane

Four Months!!

Some more....

Family Pictures

Yes, Jane was a turd for most of the pictures but we still wanted to have our memories. Here are a few of my favorites that we had taken.

Jane's Blessing

Now that Jane's Daddy got back in the country we were able to do her blessing. We did it at Derek's Aunt and Uncle's home instead of at the church, just for a little more intimate setting. We were so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family there. I was even happier that Jane didn't cry through the blessing.

Playing with Jane before everyone got there.

I was able to pass down my blessing dress to Jane. My Great Grandma made it for me, and now it will be Jane's dress to pass down to her daughter someday. It really meant to much to me to have her wear it.

Michelle with Beckham!

We call this face "the pirate" Jane does it all the time!

Sargent Taylor

The end of July, the 31st, to be more specific Derek got promoted to be a Sargent. This was very exciting for our little family. It was really nice to be able to have Derek's family there with us. They came down early for Jane's blessing to see the ceremony. Derek told me seconds before the cerimony started that I had to put his new rank on him. I have no idea why I was nervous, but it was my first time doing it.

This is a picture of Derek reciting the NCO Creed.

Derek cutting his cake to share with everyone. Not the best cake in the world, but the gesture was wonderful.

Our little family all together. I can never get enough of Jane and Derek together. I love this picture of them together.

After Derek's Promotion was over we went over to one of the hangers where some Apache and Kiowa Helicopters were. Needless to say Derek and his brothers (and sister) were in heaven playing around in them. They all had to take turns getting in them and pretending to fly the beasts, it was quite a scene to behold. Jane on the other hand wanted nothing to do with it. You will notice that by the was she is screaming in every picture; we still have to capture the moments though and just show her later in life what a stinker she was.

Jane and her Aunt Michelle just looking as happy as can be!

Not as noticible, but Jane is also screaming in this picture with Uncle Devin!

Derek just hanging out outside of the Apache. It is always fun to go down to Derek's work and see everything. If only everyone's job was this fun!

Here Is To The Dad!!

This past week Jane had to got five shots. None of us were too thrilled about it, and Jane was the first to show her displeasure. A few days after her shots she was being extremely fussy. She was never quite content during the day, and at night she was up every few hours. After a few nights of this I was a complete wreak. Lack of sleep is something that I do not handle well at all. So on that second morning, Derek went in late to work and took care of Jane so I could get to sleep. Last weekend, he also stayed up with her so I could get in some solid blocks of sleep. Needless to say he saved me. I am so grateful for a husband who loves me so much. He never complains about anything. Even when I feel bad that the house is a mess, dinner is not made, and I am still in my pj's when he comes home from work...he is just happy to see us!! I honestly do not know how anyone can raise a child alone. Derek has been my strength through everything and I owe my sanity to him.

Smiles

This morning Jane decided that she didn't need to sleep anymore. We were hanging out on the couch together and she decided to go into a fit of smiles. I have been waiting for the moment when Jane would look at me and smile, and this morning it happened. All on her own she looked up at me with her blue eyes, a wide grin across her face, and it made my heart melt. Unfortunately once I got the camera out she never smiled as big as she was before, but I will take what I can get. Seeing her happy made me forget how much sleep I didn't get last night and how much I still needed. Ahhh....I love my little girl.

Our Family

What a crazy two months this has been! Derek just got back last Friday from Columbia. It is not hard enough having a new born, but throw on being a single mother with her husband out of the country. I am surprised that I do not have any gray hair from the experience. I was so blessed to have such wonderful family who helped me out night and day getting me through the rough patches. I could not have survived without them. Life with Jane is starting to get so much fun. I am finally getting good blocks of sleep and can enjoy my time with her more during the day. She is still a handful but we love her so much.

Jane just had her two month check up and she came in with a whooping weight of 10 lbs 13 oz, and a height of 21.5 inches. I know she is still pretty small,but we love every inch of her. We just had a nephew born and I think that little Alex (Brent and Jennies little boy) will soon pass her in everything being just weeks old. Jane is healthy and happy (most of the time) we love having her around.

I have two new favorite things about Jane. The first is her smiles. She is starting to smile more and more everyday. Derek and I can't get enough of it. My second favorite thing is when she cries, she snorts. I know I shouldn't be laughing when she cry's but we have to do something to stay sane. Thanks to her new binkies we can now keep her a little more calm in the evening. I love being a mom, and Derek can never get enough of his little girl.

A New Respect...

Ever since I was young I would look at moms and think of how fun it would be to have a bunch of little kids running around. I mean how hard could it really be??? Mormon women have a million kids and they make it look so easy. Over these past six and a half weeks my eyes have been open. I love my baby girl more than anything, but oh my goodness. I have never had less sleep, time to eat, get ready, let alone shower. The main points of my day consist of feeding, changing diapers, and occasionally trying to take a nap. I have never had such high highs and such low lows since I became a mom. I have a completely new respect for motherhood now. It is by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life; it actually makes my degree look like a piece of cake. I admire any women out there who is willing to make the sacrifice that it takes to accomplish this great task.

Home at Last

So my post is a little delayed, but I never imagined being a new mom could be so tiring. I know everyone tells you how exhausting a new born is, but I don't think that anyone realizes how hard it is until you experience it for yourself. Derek and I have been having so much fun though. We cannot even begin to express how much we love our baby girl. She has been such a blessing in our lives.

After being in the hospital for five days we were finally able to come home. It felt absolutely wonderful to be home again, especially with our new little addition! We had such a good experience at Mercy Gilbert, and highly recommend it to anyone. Once Jane was home she slept so much better than when we were at the hospital.

This was her first attempt at a bath...or at least her first wipe down. Jane is so little that she didn't even come close to fitting in her new bath chair. She surprisingly didn't even cry. After her chord fell off though we did give her a real bath. It was short lived because Jane decided to poop everywhere. So Gross! Derek actually put on gloves to clean it up; I took the child. Needless to say that her next bath we kept her diaper on her just incase she felt the need to unload everything again.

After her bath we got Jane all dressed up and posed for a picture for Daddy. Thanks to Aunt Natalie for getting Jane some newborn onesies. They are the only clothes that fits her. I should have bought some preemie clothes, but who expects thier child to be four weeks early.

When we went to her first doctor's appointment they told us that she had some jaudice that we needed to get under control. In about a week and a half we had to go to the doctors four times and she had to get her blood taken four times. It was so sad. Everytime they took it I couldn't even look; Derek had to hold her. They did give us a light at home though to help keep it under control. That was such a blessing because this way we didn't have to go back to the hospital. After being on the blanket a week her levels came down and she is finally free!

Derek was able to stay home for two weeks, then it was back to work. It was more rough on mom than it was on Jane. It was hard not having him there, especially since I am still recovering from the c-section. We have been so lucky though to have so many family and friends stop by to visit and help. These are just a few pictures of our little girl hanging out with her pops. Everyday when Derek gets home from work he picks her up and suggles with her. He can't seem to get enough of his little girl.

Like most babies, Jane's favorite thing to do is sleep! Derek proped her up against me and litterally a few seconds later she was out. She is so adorable. We are all about her sleeping unless she needs to eat, and won't budge at all.

Derek and I are tired all the time, but are wonderful. I know I keep saying it, but we love Jane so much and thank our Heavenly Father everyday that we have her.

Welcome Little Jane

Life has been crazy, and I have given up on trying to update everything! But some things cannot be passed up. This past Tuesday threw us a little surprise when I woke up and to my water being broken. I actually didn't even realize it broke until I was at the hospital and they told me. We were at the hospital over 30 hours when they told me that my labor was not progressing whatsoever and they were going to have to do a c-section to get her out! This came as the biggest surprise of all because she was not even supposed to come out for four more weeks. Here are some pictures of the start of our new exciting adventure.

This is Jane and I in the recovery room. It was the first time that I was able to see her since they pulled her out. It was absolutely amazing to finally be able to hold her in my arms. Derek was able to go to the nursery with her and help clean her up and get ready to go. She still takes our breath away every time we get a look at her. Even though she was four weeks early, she weighed in at 5 lbs 12 oz and was 18.5 inches long. One of my favorite features on her is her long brown hair. I just can't get over what a beautiful baby I have! It didn't take to long to get her here once the doctors finally decided what they wanted to do. Derek said that the first incision took place at 12:30pm and our little girl was out and screaming by 12:46pm. There were no complications or problems, just one healthy kid with a great new set of lungs!!

This is Jane a day old. We were just hanging out in bed one time after her feeding. We love it when she opens her big blue eyes and just looks at us. She loves to snuggle with mommy and daddy, she is so spoiled. I don't know if she will ever be put down.

Aunt Megann is always so happy to come to the hospital to hold Jane while her parents sleep. It has been so wonderful to have so many freinds and family come and visit us while we have been here. Jane loves every one, especially her aunts.

This morning Derek didn't want to put her down after I was done feeding her so he picked her up and sunggled with her for the next few hours while they slept. I loved it. I kept looking over at them, it was so cute. Derek has fallen completely in love with Jane. He is always giving her kisses and telling her how beautiful she is, we are in trouble for the future.

Belly Shots!!

I have had a few requests for a new belly shot!!
So here it is, just me looking fat! I am 24 weeks along and have been loving it. She moves around all the time, but Derek still claims that he hasn't felt her yet! We are getting more and more excited for her to come.