Six Things I Learned in September

If you follow me at all on social media or we hang out in real life, then you probably know Team Taylor became five this month. How's it going you may want to ask? The simple answer: It's going well. Rachel fits in our family. God continues to show us how he makes beauty from ashes through adoption.

But, obviously, I'm not usually one for short answers. I've told some stories already about Rachel, her birth, her adoption, and our family, and I will tell more. Fun note: Today was her due date, but we've gotten to have her nine days already!

For now, let's wrap up some randomness from September before yet another 2015 month escapes me. And, yes, beginning with the baby-related items ...

1. People really like baby pictures and stories. 

Okay, well, maybe this isn't news. But as soon I started posting picture of newborn Rachel and sharing more about our adoption story on Facebook, people started giving my posts thumbs up.

If you didn't know we're adopting a baby girl who was born Sept. 19, catch up here:

We're adopting again!

Generosity in adoption

Team Taylor welcomes Rachel!

Opening up about open adoption

2. Hallmark had a fabulous baby book with adoption option pages.

Cate and Ben have baby books in binders that include pages from a regular baby book and additional pages I printed and made to tell their adoption story. They're like scrapbooks meet baby books. Rachel's is going to be more of the same but with a different starting point because Hallmark has a great baby book with optional pages and room for other homemade ones to be added.

{That's not even an affiliate link. I really just like this baby book.}

3. I can have bulk groceries delivered to my front porch.

Okay, I know about {and love to use!} Amazon's Prime Pantry, which has some groceries, and ePantry, which sells household products, but Boxed is new to me. It's like a mail-order version of Costco. And there's an app.

My first order included Gatorade, Mandarin oranges in snack-sized cups, paper plates, allergy medicine and contact solution. But next time it's going to include fruit snacks, chips, noodles, and all sorts of other things I'm currently stocked up on.

Did I mention a bulk purchase of paper plates?! Exactly 170 paper places, to be precise. Hello, perfect timing, as I cuddle my newborn.

You can join in the fun! Use 28SI6 at check out and you'll save $15 on your first order PLUS GET FREE SHIPPING. Now, there's always free shipping for orders totaling at least $75.

4. Making my son's bunk beds into a tent earned me cool mom points and helped him sleep later!

Ben is the epitome of a morning person. He wakes up ready to go and isn't usually quiet about that. A few weeks ago, we were in the process of taking some down curtains and putting up blinds instead. Like many household projects, it took longer than expected because the lady at the store told us to get the wrong width of blinds based on my window measurements.

During the week, it didn't matter if his window wasn't covered because he has to get up for school. But one Saturday I was hoping to sleep in. And by "sleep in," I mean I hoped not to wake up until the 7 o'clock hour.

So I darkened his bunk beds with a tent. And it worked.

Now that his blinds are up, the tent is still up. Because, hello, I'm a cool mom who still wants to sleep in.

5. Losing teeth is a weird process.

Well, okay, really, I don't deal with the actual losing of teeth. Cate lost her 10th tooth this month. After losing nine teeth is in 16 months {starting the month after she turned 5}, she hadn't lost one in 23 months. Crazy.

{I'm not really a numbers person, but I like when numbers tell stories.}

Meanwhile, Ben is two months from turning 6 and doesn't have a loose tooth.

6. A Precept Upon Precept study is perfect for a girl who has always liked school supplies. 

Hello, colored pens! I joined a Bible study this month at a big church that's nearby. It's not where we regularly attend, but I have several friends there and have been wanting to do a study with them. We're doing "Covenant: Knowing God's Covenants" by Percept Ministries International.

We're just a couple lessons in, but so far so good!

Tell me about your September. Are y'all glad it's fall?
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I'm linking up with Emily Freeman for my favorite monthly recaps. Read other Things I Learned posts ::

{2013} June. July. August. September. October. November. 

{2014} January. February. March. April. May. June. 

July. August. September. October. November. December. 

{2015} January. February. March. April. May. June. July. August.

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through any of them, I'll receive a small portion of the sale. But I only recommend products I really do love and buying through my link doesn't change the price for you and sometimes, like the Boxed promo code, actually helps you.

Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

To Nap or Not To Nap?

My mom has told me I was a terrible at taking naps when I was a toddler.

Turns out, nothing has really changed.

Really, I bet the total naps since Cate was born more than seven years ago is less than 10. No wonder I didn’t like middle-of-the-night feedings with my babies. Speaking of babies, that’s me and newborn Cate in the picture above when we were still hanging out in the hotel room in Indiana waiting for the clearance from state adoption officials to head home to Kentucky.

Back to the subject at hand, I still get so restless when I even think about taking a nap.

Take today for instance: I didn’t sleep well from 3 to 4 o’clock this morning – although that shouldn’t be classified as morning – so I’ve been dragging today. Starting last night, I’ve been congested and achy. I went to sleep fine, but then was hot and restless when I woke up well before the sun came up. I read some on my phone and then moved to the couch to finish up sleeping until 6:45 a.m., which is a more respectable morning time. I woke up with a headache, congested nose, itchy throat, and tired eyes.

I had a busy morning of tending to work responsibilities for the two lake houses I manage and ran a couple other errands while my kids were both at school. I really prefer to be home when my kids are at school because they really are pretty good errand-running assistants and I can be oh-so productive at home when they’re not here – think writing, reading, doing laundry, cleaning the house, and organizing. But that just wasn’t going to happen this morning.

So I started thinking about napping. I figured Wednesday was a good day to try it. Cate gets out of school early on Wednesdays, so it gives us more time at home in the afternoons. I had a good plan: The kids could rest in their rooms and then watch a movie while I napped.

Well, they rested. Quietly. Exactly to the 2:30 p.m. time I designated.

And I laid in my bed, totally restless and wondering why I thought napping was a good idea. Being in bed in the middle of the day makes me think of everything possible I would rather be doing with my time: Reading. Writing. Blogging. Scrapbooking. Digging into “Breaking Free” by Beth Moore. Reading more of “Moment Maker” by Carlos Whittaker.

So I watched two episodes of “Private Practice” on Netflix on my Kindle Fire and mostly ignored my phone. That’s like resting, right? Yes indeed, especially for the mom who rarely ever turns the TV on for herself during the day.

Call it a mental nap. But it’s the best napping I have in me.

Even when I’m sickly.

And, yes, I pretty much drafted this blog post in my head while watching Addison Montgomery and company. Hey, it’s more restful than making the grocery list I need to make or sweeping the crumb-filled floor under the kitchen table.

Do you take regular naps? How about when you’re sick?
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meeting Caroline

My two dearest friends had babies ... 19 hours apart. Unfortunately, only one of them lives in my town. So I got to meet one of my two newest friends. In fact, my whole family is fond of Caroline Mae Tompkins. Well, OK, Ben wasn't really interested. But only because he couldn't chew on her.

But, as you can see, Cate and Greg each took their turn snuggling up with her ...

That's Cate being sweet with Caroline when she wasn't yet 24 hours old.

I love how my husband loves babies! He was happy to [finally!] get a chance to meet Caroline on third day of life.

Oh, you want details? Sure ... Caroline Mae was born at 1:34 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, weighing 8 lbs. 4 oz. and measuring 21 inches long. This baby sister also belongs to Luke and Norah, who have often appeared in pictures with my kids.

My other new friend, who is bound to be just as sweet, is a boy who is close to having a name. Katie and Brad were happy to welcome him into their new family of four on Friday, Aug. 20. He weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. and was 20 inches long.

Hooray for new life! And life-long friends!

Camping

Yes, I went camping this weekend. I know, it's November, and camping isn't listed under my usual list of hobbies, but my husband had been wanting to, my in-laws were going were and said we could use their camper, and I assumed my daughter would like it. I was right. Cate loved the experience. Greg satisfied the urge the camp. The weather was beautiful. And I didn't have to sleep outside. My iPhone even sometimes picked up the wi-fi signal from the nearby campground office.

We stayed close to Murray in case our birth mom called to inform us her water broke, or she was having frequent contractions, or anything else that would signify our son would arrive soon. But she didn't. The disadvantage of staying close was we couldn't see the lake, or any lake.

The kids, especially the girls [meaning Cate and her cousin Ethne, who she calls "Epney,"], loved playing together. Greg and Charles fall into the "kids" category, at least for the afternoon.

It was a bright, sun-shiny day, thankfully.

But, really, I've decided, evening is the best time of camping, mostly because it involves sitting around the campfire and eating s'mores. But, really, there is something nice about being around the fire because it feels good and just talking and laughing with everyone, or, in our case, playing the Name Game.

[There are more pictures here in my Facebook album.]

Waiting for Ben

We are perfectly content waiting for Ben because we know every week/day he remains in-utero is to his benefit, even if the birth mom is anxious and ready to deliver. At 37 weeks, she's still on bed rest, but the doctors said at this week's check-up appointment that he's comfortable with where she is, should Ben make his way into the world. I'm thankful the birth mom has been a good sport with bed rest and really done her part to take care of Ben.

But when he decides to come, we're ready. And even if he can't see the great colors in his room, his momma will be glad to know the room is finished ...

Here are some close-up shots of the bedding. It's called Zooptopia.

And on a random note, I'm loving his piggy bank collection. The blue one is actually his, thanks to Courtney. The red one is a pass-along from Cate. It matched her room in the old house and I really thought it looked cute in Ben's room in the new house. [Also, Cate has pink and purple pigs holding her change in her new room.] The white one, which you can't tell from here is actually features a University of Kentucky logo on the side, is actually Greg's and previously contained some Christmas cash from his parents.

Blessings for Ben [and me]

My friends threw Ben [and me] a baby shower yesterday. The gifts, beautiful flowers used for decoration, words of encouragement and reminder that I have gracious support system all blessed me greatly. I didn't really know I was [emotionally] at a place of needing something like that. But I was. And I got.

And, seriously, aren't those hydrangeas pretty?

Emily made this beautiful, beautiful quilt. I really appreciate the fact she took the time to make it for Ben and even incorporated colors from his room. Definitely a special gift.

One friend even thought to give Cate a little present so when I came in the house with arms full of presents for this baby brother we keep talking about she wouldn't feel left out. Good thinking, Molly.

And, thanks, friends for yesterday and for being who you for our family.

Nesting

I've been nesting, so they say. Most everything has a new home in our new home, which means we're feeling at home in this place we've lived for barely more than a week. My scrap area, which is taking over what would more generally be called an office, is in the process of being unpacked.

And, really, just so you know, I want to scrap. I have pictures from Texas. And Ben's ultrasound. And New Zealand. And lots of smaller moments. So I'm not short of inspiration, but rather time. I'm looking forward to [one day ...] scrapbooking while Cate plays.

Yes, that's right, this scrap area [um ... office ...] is housed in a lovely bonus room that also features a play room. Momma can play on one end while Cate plays in the other. Of course, Ben could be born soon and then I'll probably be too tired to scrap.

Really, you know, the thing about nesting: It's rather tiring too. Perhaps that's God's way of preparing me for a newborn. Well, at least sort of. Really there's no way to prepare for sleep deprivation, especially when if you're like me. Just ask my mom. I was grumpy after every slumber party I ever attended. Just ask my husband. I still get cranky when I don't sleep well.

People ask me if I'm nervous about having two kids, and, you know, some days I am. Other days not so much. But when I do think about it, sleep deprivation always rises [quickly] to the top of my concerns. Then I think about my friends who have been here in this season of life with a toddler and a newborn, and, somehow, they've managed to function. So I assume I can too. Somehow.

Meanwhile, I'm off to fold some laundry and maybe unpack some Sharpies and scissors. Oh, and yes, pictures of the renovated new house are on my to-do list. I thought I'd hang some pictures on the walls first, though.

Big girl bed, really

We tossed around several ideas for Cate's new bedroom, specifically, her new bed, and this bunk is what we came up with. That's what happen when you wander around Wal-Mart, even if the initial intention was to find a vacuum cleaner. Seriously, do you know how many different vacuum cleaners exist? Anyway, back to Cate's new bed ...

She loves it, which is good because she's "sharing" her crib/toddler bed with Ben. Sharing meaning it's in his room, not hers.

[And, you can't really tell in these pictures, but her walls are a purple/pink/beige color ... a light mauve, you might say. It wasn't what I pictured in my head, but I like it!]

Go shopping ...

Five parties ...

Yes, just this weekend.
1. Our 3-year-old friend Malaika had a birthday party Saturday afternoon. Cate loved decorating the pumpkin with stickers and swinging balloons at her friends. Then she seemed to think she was in a parade when the kids went on a hayride in the backyard.

2. The local Republican Party had its annual fall picnic, complete with its Ronald Reagan theme. Cate liked climbing on and jumping off the speaking stump. Maybe that's her idea of making politics even more entertaining. I enjoyed the jelly beans.

3. Continuing the autumn entertainment, our church had its annual fall party. The chili was delicious. The hayride was fun, especially because despite the fact the trailer tire went flat nobody had to walk. I actually neglected to take a single picture. Probably because talking with friends and keeping up with my 2 1/2-year-old near the bonfire and in the dark was plenty of multi-tasking for me.

4. The parties continued into Sunday. My two sisters-in-law and mother-in-law organized a fun, family baby shower for Ben. Thankfully, my mom and (nearly) sister-in-law, Laine, came down from Louisville to join in the baby fun. [That's Laine and me pictured together.]

5. We had a quick 30th birthday party with Charles, Angela and Christine later Sunday. (That's my brother-in-law and two sisters-in-law, for any new blog readers.) Basically, we gave them their presents and ate leftover goodies from the baby shower. But remember this hat? Oh, yes, it made a pass-it-on reappearance!

Now it's the beginning of the new week ... I need to go to the grocery store, wash some clothes and finish packing boxes.

Thursday's Thought

Dear Little Brother,
Mom keeps talking about you being here soon. I have no idea when that means, but I see her getting ready for you. Your car seat is waiting in the back seat next to me. Momma washed and folded all these little clothes that people have given you.

And Grandmom brought some of our cousin Jax's toys for you. I particularly liked this seat. You'll learn quickly I like any seat that is [close to] my size. I told Momma and Grandmom about these animals, turned on the music and buckled myself in. They mumbled something about if I could do all of that, then I might be too big for the seat. I thought I fit just fine.

We're moving to a new house. Momma keeps telling me I'm going to have a big girl bed because I need to give you my bed. I'm not sure what that's all about, but I just tell her I'll give you a hug. I know those little diapers are for you too. I go in the potty now and like to celebrate my success with an enthusiastic "I did it!" directed toward whoever will listen. Sometimes I talk really fast and Mom has to asked me what I said, but she usually understands.

Love,
Big Sister

Oh, it's for Ben!

A friend brought over a present for Ben (because, sadly, she's moving away ...) and I decided to let Cate open it to see what she would do. And, to be honest, she surprised me with her enthusiasm.

Neatly rolled in the box were several outfits, including a St. Louis Cardinals jogging suit. Cate held them up one at a time, each time talking about how the pants, or shirt, or jacket were for Ben. And she was rather excited.

Today she was even telling someone about how she opened Ben's present and that he got some clothes.

So, here's to hoping she continues her enthusiasm when Ben actually arrives and isn't an imaginary baby we often discuss. And, speaking of which, the birth mom had a check-up appointment on Tuesday. At 33 1/2 weeks, Ben remained in-utero, which is the goal for at least several more weeks.

House. Baby. Potty. Presents.

I packed some china -- which has still yet to be used in our seven years, two months and three days of marriage -- in cardboard boxes yesterday and piled them in our kitchen. I carefully arranged some candles and wall decorations in another box.

Then this morning I met our birth mom at the doctor's office, where we proceeded to see Ben via ultrasound. He didn't cooperate for pictures, but at least he's cooperating by staying in the womb. He measured 4 pounds, 2 ounces and about 17 1/2 inches at 31 1/2 weeks. Good boy. Now just grow some more, let those lungs develop, and we'll meet you soon enough.

But, hey, his room at the new house is painted. As is the kitchen, our room and the living room. The den -- where we're bound to spend most of our time -- has some paint on it, but covering paneling will probably take another coat. The carpet and laminate are ordered and scheduled to be installed in a couple weeks.

Meanwhile, I've been taking Cate to the potty. Oh, and yes, I say potty now on a regular basis like it's a normal adult word. I think went three times in Taco John's today for lunch. The trips come and go in spurts. She can hold it fairly well, but when she has to do more than pee (like describing poop is classier than just saying so ...) she usually has to make multiple trips before she decides she's ready to sit there. But, really, that's better than the alternative.

We've been potty training for a month now. And, really, I don't have any complaints. I did, however, buy prune juice to help certain bodily functions along in my slightly stubborn 2-year-old girl.

Now that it's nap time, I finished a few things that were deemed priorities, and now I have the urge to organize all the Christmas presents I've bought. Somehow that doesn't really seem like a priority.

Thursday's Thought

People ask if Cate is excited she's getting a brother. Truthfully, Cate has no idea what getting a brother is going to be about. We talk about having a baby. She knows his name is Ben. She knows he's going to wear the tiny diapers she noticed in her closet the other day. Most of the time she talks about giving him hugs and kisses, although she did mention throwing the baby the other day, and I quickly explained (again) that she has to be gentle with any baby.

Earlier this week I did some baby laundry as I was sorting the clothes people have been kind enough to give us. Cate must have decided she wanted to help because I found Greg's sock drawer opened with these little pairs of socks laying there like they belonged.

Thursday's Thought

Why didn't anyone tell me about diapers.com? Seriously ... who wouldn't want this big box of 216 diapers (size 1), 184 diapers (size 2), 770 refill wipes and 360 clean-and-go wipes (that's the red box you can barely see ...) to just show up on the porch? OK, well, I had to pay for them, but, still, no shipping, and here they are! And, yes, I'm brand loyal. Although, I've come around to Huggies, at least with size 5 diapers in recent months, but now we're back to Pampers with Easy-Ups.

Thursday's Thought

Yes, we're getting ready for Ben, which also means we're getting ready for a room transition for Cate. We're not painting what will be Ben's room because we figured it was enough to worry about re-doing the guest room, which will become Cate's room. We picked out a color [Fountain Mist] that is in the butterfly comforter [specifically the butterfly wings] that is going on her really-big-girl bed.

For those of you who have been to our house, a couple guys who work with Greg carpeted the hardwood stairs and built in an armoire/cabinet/shelf because the room doesn't have an actual closet.

Meanwhile, we found Ben some bedding that will look good with the green [specifically Mint Ice Cream] walls and black furniture he's inheriting from his big sister. You can see it if you click here.

More photos to come as we make progress.

Not yet, buddy ...

Ben is anxious to meet us, apparently.

His birth mom was having some contractions last week [at 28 weeks], but, thankfully, the prescribed medicine seems to be doing its job. She had a check-up this morning at the hospital. For the 90 minutes or so she was attached to the monitor, she didn't have any contractions like she had the week before.

The up side of her being monitored this morning and visiting the doctor's office yesterday [for a scheduled check-up exam with the ob/gyn] during a power outage was that I was with her so we got to know each other better. I continue to appreciate her attitude toward adoption and the way she's taking care of herself and Ben.

Brother Sandwich

Cassie + Cate enjoyed the ride down in the Queenstown gondola.

My sister's initial reaction to our decision to name our son Benjamin Lucas Taylor was that we named him after a gross sandwich. BLT. Um, no. I mean, yes, those are his initials, but we didn't chose those to be his initials because we like or dislike bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. Even so, Cassie likes to talk about BLT, and she especially did while we were visiting her on the other side of the world.

Meanwhile, Cate is into saying whether someone is a boy or a girl. [Those he/she and him/her pronouns are tricky, which is what prompted this boy/girl conversation with a 2-year-old.]

Keeping all of this in mind, here's a conversation that happened between Cate and Grandmom at the San Francisco Airport while we were waiting for our time to board the plane ...

Cate: Cate is a girl. Mommy is a girl. Daddy is a boy. Grandmom is a girl.

Grandmom: What is Ben going to be?

Cate: (Thinking ...) A sandwich.

Like Cassie said, hey, she's a quick learner. Thanks, Aunt Cassie for the lessons you teach my daughter!

Introducing ... Benjamin Lucas

25 weeks along; 1 lb. 7 oz.

We got to see our son via ultrasound today. It's so neat to see his little fingers and toes and watch his heart beat. Of course, we loved hearing that he (and the birth mom) are healthy and doing well.

Yes, as the title indicates, we've decided on Benjamin Lucas. Lucas is after my grandpa, John Lucas (aka Poppy). We'll likely call him Ben much of the time. And I do have to admit that boy names are much more difficult to come up with than girl names, but I'm really happy with our choice.

I love how God is into details. We first saw Cate at the 25-week mark of her birth mom's pregnancy. Now, same goes for Ben. The process to bring Cate into our home was more of a blessing than we ever imagined it would be, and it's so exciting to witness God doing it again, in some of the same ways, and in plenty of different ways. In the end, God's faithfulness remains and our hearts are able to overflow with joy.

Coming soon: BABY BOY

Several people have asked me how our meeting with the adoption agency in Texas went. Short answer: Great. We like the ladies we've met there and we like how they seem to handle adoptions.

But I need to back up ...

A couple weeks before we went to Texas, we met with our local attorney, just to update him about our hopes to adopt using the agency we were going to visit. The following Monday (which would have been five days before we left for Texas, for those of you keep track ...) our attorney told us about a woman in Calloway County (that's where we live ...) who was looking for adoptive parents for her baby that is due this winter.

Um, OK ...

So we thought about it for a couple of days and decided to tell our attorney we wanted to learn more about her. He suggested we just talk to her. So we did. First, I talked to her on that Wednesday, then we met with her that Friday (meaning the day before we left for Texas ...). We really liked her attitude toward adoption and were interested in learning more about the birth father.

Meanwhile, we had an orientation scheduled with the agency in Fort Worth on the last day of our vacation. We decided to go ahead with that meeting because we weren't quite at the point to commit whole-heartedly to the local couple. We still needed to talk to the birth father.

So, yes, the meeting was good, but we were also interested in the local adoption opportunity. Greg finally connected with the birth father yesterday, and we've decided to proceed with this ... meaning ...

WE'RE GOING TO ADOPT A BABY BOY WHO IS DUE IN LATE NOVEMBER/EARLY DECEMBER!

Yes, I'm excited.

A few things worth noting:

This time frame is similar to Cate's adoption story, which is summed up like this: We talked to the birth mom, then had a few weeks for people to sort things out, then started going to appointments with the birth mom, then Cate was born 15 weeks later. Similarly, we talked with this birth mom, needed the couple weeks before moving forward and should have a baby in four months. More specifically, we're meeting with the birth mom and our attorney on Monday to talk about some details of the process and then we hope to go to a doctor's appointment with her before we leave for New Zealand on Aug. 14.

This is definitely my preference for an adoption process. Private, independent adoptions like usually financially and logistically simpler and more relational, as far as getting to know the birth mom. Being led a birth mom like this was my hope, but I am realistic enough to know that this isn't the norm. Once again God has shown me his faithfulness to hear the desires of our hearts.