Yesterday Taylor had a follow up appointment with her developmental therapist.  The doctor said he is very pleased with her progress since his examination of her in the hospital. Taylor’s reflexes have improved and her range of motion is normal. At this point there aren’t a lot of milestones to be able to gauge her development, but from what he can tell she is on the right track. He’ll reexamine her in a few months and hopefully we will have more good news. 

Finally- Taylor is putting on some weight! In the last few days she’s gained almost half a pound. She’s nearly 8 1/2 pounds now. That’s pretty tiny for a baby that is 9 weeks adjusted age. But HUGE for our little 1 1/2 pound wonder. We are proud!

Here are a few pictures I took of Taylor today. She looks good in Ralph Lauren, huh?! :)  

After hanging out with us for about a week- Grandma and Grandpa Hunt had to head back to Colorado. But not before we had our first Hunt Family BBQ in the backyard! Thanks to Jeff, we had a beautifully manicured back yard to dine in! :)

Cuddling with Grandpa before he left.

And Grandma too!

Thanks for coming out to visit us! We had a great time and can’t wait to see you again!

My boss, Representative Ted Poe (TX-02), gave a touching tribute to Taylor and her incredible journey.

TAYLOR: THE LITTLE MIRACLE BABY

SPEECH OF HON. TED POE OF TEXAS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2009

• Mr. POE of Texas. “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” Madame Speaker, Hellen Keller made this observation about life and today I’d like to share the inspiring story of Taylor Christine Hunt. A little baby who I like to call the Miracle Baby. Her story is a moving reminder that prayer, faith, hope, and love can and do overcome the challenges of life.

• Born at 27 weeks and weighing just one and a half pounds little Baby Taylor beat the odds. Last fall my staffer, Nicole Hunt and her husband Jeff Hunt shared their excitement with me as they announced they were expecting their first baby at the end of May. In January of this year they found out they were having a girl. We all rejoiced at the news. However, on March 1, 2009, due to pregnancy complications, little Baby Taylor was born three and a half months premature.

• Taylor was immediately admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and placed on a ventilator to help her breathe. She remained on the ventilator for nearly a week as doctors kept a close watch on her. Nicknamed the “little spitfire” by doctors and nurses because of her sassy and stubborn attitude towards all of their poking and prodding, Taylor would not let anything keep her down.

• Early on doctors detected an irregularity with her heart and took prompt medical action to correct it. Thankfully they were successful. In the first few months of her life doctors also discovered that Taylor had an eye disorder that primarily affects premature babies. Miraculously, it was there one day and gone the next. Today Taylor has perfect vision. Slowly, as Taylor’s body matured, she learned to breathe on her own, take food, and maintain her body temperature.

• While Jeff and Nicole sat by her bedside day and night, they also rallied a huge group of supporters to pray for Taylor. Taylor even had her own website called “Pray Taylor Home” and literally thousands of people all over this country and the world prayed for her recovery.

• On June 2, 2009, after 94 days of hospitalization, hundreds of tests, dozens of specialists, 3 blood transfusions, and one ambulance ride, Taylor was finally well enough to go home.

• Today Taylor has been home for about two months and is thriving. She is almost 8 pounds and is developing beautifully. It has been a pleasure to see this little Miracle Baby beat the odds and I am proud to share her story with this Chamber today.

• Edith Wharton, a famous novelist, once wrote: “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” Taylor is that candle–spreading hope and teaching all of us that we must never give up.

• And that’s just the way it is.

THEN

NOW 

This past weekend the Hunts headed out to Mount Vernon and Taylor got her first taste of life as the American President. It was a pretty warm day- but Taylor did great and we even dined at the Mount Vernon Inn after our tour. It was a great day!

This past weekend Taylor welcomed back her Grandma and Grandpa Hunt. She hasn’t see Grandpa since she was just a few weeks old and still in the NICU. Grandpa got to hold Taylor for the very first time. As you can tell it was very exciting. :)

And as usual Taylor loves it when Grandma holds her.

Today was Taylor’s first play date. My girlfriend- and bridesmaid, Rebeccah, found out she was pregnant four weeks after me. We had a fun time being pregnant together and now we are excited to raise our little girls together. Today Taylor met Beccah’s baby girl, Charlotte. Beccah and I think they are destined to be life long friends! :) Here are a few pictures:

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.