One Month Strong

April 17th, 2022 | EP. 7 – One Month Strong

HAPPY 1-Month to our baby girl Grace. You are so sweet and mom and dad absolutely love holding you. It’s honestly to the point where we are almost fighting over who is going to get to hold you. Keep being your adorbs self. You rockstar you! Mom and Dad love you!

Today, I would like to start off with some prayers. Please feel free to join me in prayer.

Dear God, thank you for the strength you have given Grace Elizabeth.  Lord, we know you have heard our prayers and many of those praying for us and baby Grace.  Thank you for hearing our prayers.  Lord, today we lift up prayers of continued strength for Grace.  Prayers of healing.  Prayers of your miracle hand touching Grace's heart.  Thank you Lord for your love and kindness.  Thank you Lord for your sacrifice on the cross as you have risen today for our humanity.  Father, I pray over Abby and Tommy today that you can continue to give them, strength, wisdom and patience.  We know our prayers do not go unheard and we thank you for blessing the Taylor family with such a sweet and loving child of Christ.  Thank you Lord.  We pray these things in your gracious and holy name; AMEN!

So today is Easter Sunday. Grace has been doing amazing over the past couple of days. Every day she seems to be opening her eyes more and more and is moving a lot more. However, I will elaborate in more detail about Grace further down in the post. For now, Abby and I have been notified by Grandma Amy and Great Grandma Betty that they will be visiting us today. They would like to take us out for Brunch. Abby and I, although always saddened to leave Grace’s bedside knowing she can’t come with us to brunch, we’re excited to get to see family for a couple of hours (only a couple hours at a time because let’s face it, babies need to eat and well, the milk isn’t going to pump itself. haha. For real though, breast pumping is like a full-time job. Not for me of course, but for my wife). First, I just want to say how appreciative we are to all our friends and family who have made the trip to Ann Arbor. It is certainly not the most convenient location to travel to for our friends and family, as everyone seems to live at least 2+ hours away. More so, even if they do come, they can’t see Grace due to COVID restrictions (with the exception of Grandma Amy as she is the only other certified person who can visit – outside of that no one else is permitted). I must say though, we are very lucky to have friends and family only 2 – 3 hours away. There are other families here who have traveled from far-far away, which makes it extremely hard and expensive for their families to visit. Prayers go out to those families for sure!

That being said, Abby and I got a head start on our day in anticipation of Grandma Amy and Great Grandma Betty’s arrival. We have been going to a church in Ann Arbor called: “Grace Church“. Interesting fact: Abby and I chose the church because when we did a Google search for ‘Churches Near us’, not only was it the first listing to show up, it also had the name ‘Grace’ (I feel like that last statement is pretty obvious and didn’t really need to be stated, but I digress). The church also aligned with our Christian values and beliefs. Talk about a win. Boo-Yah Grandma! #RaiseTheRoof

Anyways, we started the day off with an easter service. Of course, in typical Tommy fashion, I always find a way that causes us to be late. Actually, truth be told, I made us 30 mins late [ Not Ideal ]. We could have waited and gone to a later service, but it would have caused a conflict in our brunch schedule. Kind of ironic isn’t it? How easy it is that we place ourselves before God (I shouldn’t say ‘we’ because it was really me, not my wife, that caused the lateness that disrupted the start of our day). However, would it help you, blog readers, if I said it was because I didn’t want to leave the presence of Grace? Well, a wise man once said (and I’ll paraphrase this quote a little due to the verbiage):

“Excuses are like butts, everyone has one and they all stink”

Source: Unknown / Can’t Remember

Well, this excuse didn’t stink because it’s Grace. It’s just a little hard to leave her side with those precious eyes, nose, lips, dad’s forehead wrinkles, and cute little hands and feet.

Anyhow, Abby and I made it to church. It was a great service. #HeIsRisen. Directly after the service, we called to get our name in at Anna’s House Restaurant for the 2-hour wait time (Abby and I did our research in advance. So kudos to us!). It was practically perfect timing because about 20-ish minutes before our reservation, Grandma Amy and Great Grandma Betty (Which again, I have to reference a previous post that I don’t remember which one (click here to read all blogs) – some call Betty the mayor of Paw-Paw, MI – because she is legend… wait for it… DARY!!! in 2-Paws)… anyways, they showed up at the hospital to pick up Abby and me for brunch. We all trotted off toward our brunch destination and enjoyed a great meal with our family.

After brunch, we headed directly back to the hospital so Grandma Amy could get in some much-needed snuggles with baby girl Grace Elizabeth. (right-click & open in new tab to see pictures enlarged)

As mentioned, unfortunately, Great Grandma Betty was unable to come up to the room. So she had a chill sesh down in the lobby while doing some people-watching. Sometimes, when I stare at Great Grandma Betty when she’s sitting alone, I think to myself: “What is she thinking about in that noggin of hers?”. She just kind of blankly stares into space. It’s one of the funny attributes of Great Grandma Betty. She’s sweet! Just make sure, if you ever have a conversation with her, that she has her hearing aids turned on and turned ALL THE WAY UP (At the time of this post, I am assuming that one of the pet dogs in the family hasn’t eaten her hearing aids yet, honestly happens like every 2 months it feels like, that and her cell phone ending up in Spanish text from time to time. hahaha). Otherwise, your conversations are going to be all over the place. Heck, sometimes I’ll make a statement that warrants a response, or at least should warrant a response, and Great Grandma Betty just stares at me and laughs, nodding her head up and down, while also saying: “Yeah hahaha oh yeah… you’re the sweetest boy ever”. Umm, Betty…. I don’t think you heard me, I asked if you just farted… Just kidding I didn’t ask that… but legitimately, I made a serious statement last year like: “Did you hear about our dog Dexter? We sadly had to put him down. He had what the vets call: Megaesophagus“. [ “Yeah hahaha oh yeah… you’re the sweetest boy ever” ]That was her response to my statement. Shaking my head, I just kind of had to walk away and chuckle to myself. Bless Great Grandma Betty. She truly means well. Love that lady.

Let’s get back on track here. It was an exciting time for everyone on Easter Sunday. Grace, over the past couple of days, has been doing great. A few moments of low blood oxygen levels, but nothing that was overly concerning. Grandma Amy was excited to hold her as Grace was up bright and early this Easter morning because she absolutely loves getting to sit in her vibrating chair at the hospital. Every time we put Grace in the vibrating chair, she is bright-eyed and full of energy (You go, girl!). It actually was a tough decision to go to brunch before Grandma Amy could hold her because we were fearful that Grace would be asleep the whole time when we come back from brunch. Of course, that was the case. Grandma Amy held sweet baby Grace while she slept in her grandma’s arms the whole time. Classic Grace, being her bashful baby self. You’re too cute.

Grandma Amy and Great Grandma Betty were on a strict time schedule though. Unfortunately for Grace, but fortunate for other family members, they were only able to stay for a short amount of time. Why? Because Abby’s younger sister and her husband, Jake & Alyssa Hoffman just had their first baby.

So, as you can imagine, 2 newborn grandchildren and great-grandchildren for Grandma Amy and Great Grandma Betty have them in a pickle because they want to see both of our beautiful baby girls. I certainly don’t blame them cause look at Hadley and Grace, they are both very beautiful. Grace is excited to spend time with her new cousin Hadley. P.s. Internal family discussion that needs some help solving: Who do you think Hadley looks like more: Jake or Alyssa? Share your vote below.

All-in-All, Grace had a fun eventful weekend. Grandma Amy and Great Grandma Betty even got Grace an easter basket. The basket was filled with candy (mainly for mom and dad), stuffed animals, and a new unicorn binky. Grace loves her stuffed animals and binkies for sure. (right-click & open in new tab to see pictures enlarged)

On top of her stuffed animal collection, Grace has been raving all about her vibrating chair. I mentioned earlier she loves her vibrating chair. Every time she gets in the vibrating chair she perks right up. Her eyes get so big and bright. It’s a really cool experience for both Grace and her mom and dad.

I don’t have a picture yet, but Grace is definitely taking after Grandma Amy (Amy, don’t kill me for saying this) but Grace loves to stare at herself in the mirror. She just stares, and stares, and stares with wide eyes and curiosity. Doctors and nurses say it’s good for babies to stare at themselves in a mirror for developmental purposes. Whether it is clinically good or not, it’s just entertaining to me. Keep starring baby girl.

Grace has been doing so well over these past couple of days, doctors are ready to move her out of ICU for the 2nd time. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough room to move her out of the ICU, so she is just going to have to stay where she is for the time being. It’s just positive news that she is getting stronger. Just in time for her next heart surgery coming up on May 2nd. Also, Abby doesn’t think so, but I think I saw Grace starting to smile this weekend. I was playing the classic, yet the awe-inspiring, game of Peek-A-Boo. I swear I saw her smile twice but again, Abby doesn’t think so. Not sure what to think myself. Maybe I was hopeful??? Maybe she did?? Or maybe she didn’t?? When do babies start developing emotions and smiling habits? So many questions, so little time. Welp, I’m sure Google can give me 12 million answers in less than 1 second so I’ll just ask Google.

I have good and bad news. Which do you want first? I’ll give you the bad news first. I boldface lied to each and every one of you. Google does not have 12 million answers on this topic, they only had 630,000 answers (pssshhh, what a bunch of underachievers at Google — only 630,000 results). However, the good news is, I was right. Google was able to get me answers in less than 1 second (.57 seconds to be specific). The results are in and the answer to the infamous question of when do babies start smiling is pretty definitive.

Well, that kind of stinks. Literally and figuratively. Apparently, Grace was passing gas while playing peek-a-boo. Hmmm?! What a proud dad moment [I think sarcastically to myself at this moment in time]. Clearly Grace, only being 4 weeks old, does not fit within the realm of 6 to 8 weeks. So I guess that means my wife is right, yet again. She always is. I feel like I should be annoyed by it, but at this point, she’s right so often I just need to go put my nose in a corner and count something. Like my blessings because I have a smart wife who is always right. I love my wife! She is a great mom. ( #HeySiri – What is the definition of ‘dog house’? )

Well, I think I will conclude this blog on that note of a smart, loving wife that happens to also be a great mom. Look for the next blog post coming out shortly, as I’m technically writing this easter blog on April 20th, 2022 (3 days later), there have been some additional updates with Grace. Pretty much all good updates coming up. Stick around.

If you haven’t yet, I highly encourage you to subscribe to the Gracies World blog. I (Tommy) will add you to a contact list and will email you directly all new blog posts as soon as they are posted. It really helps with communication from Mom and Dad’s side of things. As you can imagine, between family and friends, it seems like we are constantly on our phones giving updates. Personally, I’m just really tired these days. A lot of times, I just don’t feel like talking to people. Or, at least, until I get behind my computer keyboard to write these blogs where I can just vent what’s on my mind all in one moment in time. I’m already a little ADHD, which makes it hard to focus on multiple text conversations. So using this blog really helps me stay focused. Also, I want to apologize to anyone out there who has texted me or my wife inquiring how things are going and may or may not have gotten a response. Sorry for not getting back to you quite yet, but trust me, we will get to you as soon as possible. Shoot, I just responded to a 3-week old text last night. YIKES!!!

Anyways, the show goes on. You can subscribe to the Gracies World blog by simply clicking the button below. Thank you all for your love, generosity, and support. Abby, Grace, and I love each and every one of you. Abby and I can’t wait to share Grace with the world in person! (Don’t ask me why I know this next part… but I do) – In the concluding phrase of every episode of the hit TV series: “Gossip Girl” starring ‘Blake Lively‘ … Ehh, Ehh, did I just spike the blood pressure and heart rates of every guy out there reading this blog post when I mention that name? – Anyways…

“XOXO”

-T.Squared