Today Taylor got her first taste of life inside the beltway and was literally swept off her feet! We had a great time visiting with folks in Representative Poe’s office and with the Congressman himself. Here are a few pictures. We all agree Taylor will be the first female Republican president. She’s a natural. :)

…was rained out! Or we were anyways!

This past weekend the Hunt family headed out to Wolf Trap, a charming outdoor performing arts theater in northern Virginia (http://www.wolftrap.org/). It was Taylor’s first official outing. We planned to see the National Symphony Orchestra perform some of John Williams most famous movie scores including theme songs from Star Wars, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, E.T and lots more. Unfortunately- the weather man’s 0% chance of rain turned into 100% chance of rain- so the Hunt family had to cut the outing short.  Since Taylor was born during the last snow storm of the year it’s fitting that during her first public appearance there were severe thunderstorm warnings.

Regardless we all had quite an adventure and are looking forward to going back again soon- this time on a sunny, rain free day! We got this picture right before the heavens opened and rained down their fury on us! Hope you all are enjoying your summer!

Who does Taylor look most like?

Over the last three weeks or so Taylor has grown increasingly stronger and lively. She’s been going to the pediatrician every other week since she was discharged from the hospital to have her weight checked. She continues to struggle with weight gain and is currently below the growth curve even for her adjusted age. Doctors want to make sure that it does not effect her development. We have been adding extra calories to her milk to fatten her up. Up until this last week it really wasn’t have much of an effect on her. Typically newborns should gain an ounce a day- Taylor has been gaining on average a little less than half an ounce a day. Since the end of last week, however, things have been much better. A weight check this morning suggests that since last Thursday she’s been gaining almost 2 ounces a day! Go Taylor! She hasn’t quite hit the 8 pound mark, but we are close and so proud of little Taylor!

A few weeks ago we got great news from the pulmonologist- Taylor’s lungs and heart are totally normally and she no longer needs to be on the monitor! We are thrilled. It’s a relief not to have to carry that monitor all around the house with her and we are so grateful knowing that her organs are working properly.

Last week Taylor had her second round of immunizations- aside from the crying there were no adverse reactions or setbacks. Another sigh of relief!

Overall, Taylor is developing beautifully. Everyday she is more aware of what’s going on around her. She is tracking objects and people that move in front of her with her eyes and seems to be chatting to herself at times. The best is that she is now starting to responsively smile at us – which is just so darn cute. I think she might have a dimple in one of her cheeks- also so darn cute! :)

Anyways we are so proud of her and just love watching her grow into the little person God has created her to be. She is such a blessing.

Here are a few pictures of Taylor in her summer dress.

A new video of the Champ and her coach:

The Champ: Taylor Hunt from Hunt Family on Vimeo.

The Hunt family had a wonderful day enjoying the great weather, grilling dinner, watching fireworks from home, and lighting a few of our own sparklers to celebrate the occassion. Here are a few pictures of our day together!

Sparkler fun in the front yard. River is amazed. :)

Watch me go!

My talented husband!

Today was Jeff’s first Father’s Day- and he celebrated by sleeping in :) … and spending time with little Miss Taylor of course! Here are a few pictures from our fun day relaxing at home.

The Hunts!

Daddy and Taylor :) Look at the photogenic pair!

What a lucky Daddy! Baby Taylor’s home AND an electric drum set… :)

This is Jeff teaching Taylor how to rock out… or it’s Taylor yawning…:)

Thank you Jeff for being such a wonderful hunsband and father. We love you!

This past week Jeff’s mom came to town and has been a tremendous help. Here are a few pictures from her visit thus far.

Glam grandma. :)

Taylor and Grandma napping together.

And three generations of Hunts.

Last week Taylor had several follow up doctor appointments. Although Taylor is still gaining weight the pediatrician would like to see her gaining more. She’s just under 6 1/2 pounds- still at about the bottom 3% of babies her age. On a better note, the eye doctor says that all signs of ROP – an eye disease common in extreme preemies -are gone! Praise the Lord!  Taylor also saw several specialists about her finger. It has healed remarkably well and Taylor seems to be using it without any pain. The doctors will continue to follow it’s growth, however, to make sure that there are no complications and that it grows as it should. Please continue to pray for complete healing and recovery of Taylor’s finger. Thanks for checking in on our little fighter and for your prayers. We are so proud of her!

This past week Taylor received her first visitor- her Grandma Darlene. Mom and Dad were more than happy to have an extra set of hands to help as they continue to adjust to having Taylor at home. River was happy to have one more person to play with her! Grandma was a HUGE help and we were very happy to have her for the week. Here are a few pictures from Grandma’s visit.

As you can tell Taylor liked napping with her Grandma. :)

Look at that happy baby :)

Three generations!

Everyday Taylor grows stronger. She is eating more than she used to and developing well. We are all very proud of our little fighter. I know we are partial– but really — isn’t she just adorable?!

Last weekend marked Taylor’s first week home. Mom, Dad, and River (the puppy) are much happier now that Taylor is hanging out with them 24/7. According to doctor’s orders, Taylor came home on an apnea monitor which measures all of Taylor’s breathing and her heartbeats to make sure nothing is wrong. She has already been to her first appointment with the pediatrician and we are watching her weight very closely. Although she’s just over 6 pounds, she is still in the bottom 3% of babies her age in terms of weight. The pediatrician ordered that she should get extra calories so we are adding special preemie formula to her bottles to make sure she is getting all the nutrients she needs to grow. Last weekend we took our first family pictures at home. Here are a few of our favorites.

Hunt Family Homecoming!

Dad entertaining Taylor.

Mom loves Taylor!

And River loves Taylor too! :)

After Taylor’s first photo shoot on the back balcony – we took her for a stroll around the neighborhood.

Everyone had a great weekend! Thanks for praying for Taylor. She is making great progress and we are just so very happy to finally have her home!