Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Proud Papa (and Mama)

May 9, 2007 by Kristin Leave a Comment

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. –Psalm 139:4


I realize the cliche that a picture is worth 1,000 words holds completely true. But here’s some more details from our first days of parenthood.

This new phase started early Sunday morning — at 5:47 a.m. (central), to be exact — when the birth mother called to tell us that her water broke. We were up and throwing our clothes in a bag and left the house by 6:30 a.m. (The jury is still out on whether we brought enough for ourselves, but Cate is the important one here, and her bags were packed for weeks!) We ran by Greg’s office (Hey, we had to have this lap top so you could see those beautiful newborn pictures!) before we hit the road to Bloomington. We were at the hospital by 12:10 p.m. (now on eastern time …) and awaited Cate’s arrival, which came about 14 hours after the birth mother arrived there.

The birth mother was amazing, even during her back pains and labor. Throughout the whole process, she’s been generous, gracious and strong, and her delivery of our daughter was no different. We were in the room when Cate was born, and I’m so thankful for that experience.

Cate had some trouble breathing on her own at first, so they put on her the smallest oxygen mask I’ve ever seen. We were there while they cleaned her up and tended to her. She griped our fingers. Then they took her the nursery and kept her on oxygen for an hour or two. She also was breathing kind of fast, so they wanted to make sure everything checked out.

Then at 4 a.m. Monday, the nurse brought our daughter to us. I fed her, and then I held her for three straight hours. Those were the moments for which I’ve been waiting. And, man, were they worth it.

Monday we just spent some time with her and then took care of some paperwork when the attorney came to the hospital. Then we were surprised when the pediatrician said we could leave as long as got the required newborn screen done in a couple of days. So, the hospital got the legal order that terminated the birth parents’ right and gave us temporary guardianship, and we were off for Jeffersonville, Indiana, about 8:30 p.m. — a couple dozen minutes shy of Cate’s first 24 hours in this world. We took a pit stop in Columbus, Indiana, to feed Cate and feed ourselves, and then we took up temporary residence in this hotel that is pretty close to the Ohio River. Exit 2 on the Hoosier side. In fact, we can see the buildings in Louisville. It feels pretty close to familiarity.

Even with this 4-day-old baby in our arms, the newness seems comfortable. We hold her and realize God planned her for us.

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Filed Under: Cate, faith, Greg

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness 🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness has walked beside me / The winter storms made way for spring / In every season, from where I'm standing / I see the evidence of Your goodness / All over my life … 🎶 @joshbaldwin in “Evidence”

I love summer. But my summer has started off busy: appointments, book edits deadline, establish new habits with the kids at home. All that’s necessary and good, it just cuts into my down time beside the pool. 

Today we have two open gyms for our basketball players, my book study with a few friends, a new weekly high school girls’ book study at our house, and a monthly dad-son character study. 

I long for a little more white space on the calendar, but I also wouldn’t change a thing because the kids are only 16, 13, and 7 once. This summer will only be this summer once. And I’ve already learned time flies with big kids. 

So here we are finding out footing, singing praises with church friends on our porch, grilling delicious chicken, and squeezing in the wide-open spaces when we can. This is evidence of the good stuff. 

#84daysofsummer #poolpeople #momlife #momconfessions #faithlife #livingfaithfully #favoritethings #choosingJOY #countryliving #reallife #PorchStories
The Hill family reunion at @shelterpointretreat ha The Hill family reunion at @shelterpointretreat has become a favorite tradition to kick off summer! The weather was perfect and everyone enjoyed one another. 

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Hello, #84daysofsummer! ☀️ #TeamTaylor #girl Hello, #84daysofsummer! ☀️ 

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But this made me wonder: how do we know if a book is going to be weird, contain elements we don’t like, or go places that don’t make sense? I don’t like to read much about a book before I read the book. Usually, I do a better job of picking books for myself. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #donotrecommend #bookofthemonth @bookofthemonth
I needed this low-key weekend that was pleasant we I needed this low-key weekend that was pleasant weather, a mixture of productivity and rest, and had plenty of wide-open space to enjoy our property and each other. 

#weekending #TeamTaylor #poolpeople #countryliving #favoritethings #choosingJOY #maydays
And that’s a wrap on soccer season! I love watch And that’s a wrap on soccer season! I love watching them both play. 

#soccermom #weekending #springtime #momlife #girlmom #boymom
On Mothers Day, I wanted to sit by the pool with a On Mothers Day, I wanted to sit by the pool with a book, but I didn’t know what I wanted to read. Whenever I have indecision about books, picking up a thriller usually helps because of the story’s pace. 

“The Only Survivors” worked well because there was a lot happening! Lots of creepy, mysterious moments. Only so many people could be guilty of infiltrating a small group who had lots of secrets! 

I loved the timeline of this one. The back story about an accident was told in seven one-hour segments. The present mystery was told in seven days. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #latergram #bookofthemonth @bookofthemonth #poolpeople #mothersday
Y’all we are very ready for summer. ☀️ And Y’all we are very ready for summer. ☀️ 

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I want to savor the #84daysofsummer and I want to embrace this new season. And it’s almost time. Three more days of school. (Deep breaths.) 

Meanwhile, I’m going to keep collecting the moments — the hard, hurried, happy, and heartfelt. The seasons do change, but this is the life we are living. 

“The moments you collect may not be loud or flashy. They might be quiet or covered or a far-off view you were lucky to catch. But this I know to be true: A moment savored says to your soul, ‘You have lived something beautiful.’ And it keeps you buoyed. It sustains you when you’re running empty. It lifts you up and carries you forward.” — Joanna Gaines in @magnolia summer 2023 journal issue no. 27 

#momlife #reallife #momconfessions #livingfaithfully #summerisbest #teenagedriver #choosingJOY
I’ve read quite a few World War II novels, but t I’ve read quite a few World War II novels, but this one by Soraya M. Lane focused on three nurses, their friendships, and how the war changed their lives. It’s a hard story, but it’s full of love and hope despite the destruction around them. 

And it’s the second historical fiction audiobook I’ve listened to in a row! #KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #audiobooks #Audible #KindleUnlimited #historicalfiction
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