Team Taylor welcomes Rachel!

My husband and I were wearing matching Team Taylor T-shirts the day our daughter was born. And we didn’t even plan it.

Well, we planned to wear the Team Taylor shirts because we were going to be part of some Hazel Day festivities and they advertise Greg’s business. Our kids were even wearing theirs too. The shirts were actually left over from a 5K race Greg’s law practice helped sponsor a couple years ago.

And, yes, clearly I feel the need to continue to explain why we were matching when Rachel Elizabeth was born on Sept. 19. I explained to people at the hospital. And then I explained on social media.

At first I thought it was a dorky coincidence. But then I saw the beauty in the detail.

Team Taylor. 

We’re so grateful our family grew by one this past weekend. The actual adoption proceedings are underway, but our girl is in our house and already dearly loved.

After having an ultrasound and being monitored for a while Friday afternoon, birth mom Stacy and the doctor made a plan for her to be induced early Wednesday morning. Although she had been sick that morning with a stomach bug, Stacy was disappointed she was sent home Friday after talk of a possible induction because she was ready.

Apparently Rachel was ready too.

Stacy called me Saturday morning at 7:59 a.m. to tell me she was having regular contractions and needed to go to the hospital. Greg and I – along with Cate and Ben – had just pulled into his office driveway in Hazel, a little town just south of Murray. Our family – along with many other Taylors were going to be the grand marshals in the parade – and then we were going to host an activity at his new office.

Turns out, that’s what the other Taylors did.

We hung out at the hospital in matching shirts and greeted our daughter just after she was born at 1:09 p.m. She was 7 pounds 3 ounces and 19 inches.

This adoption is open like our other two, but each experience has been different. We’ve brought home three babies as newborn – two from our local hospital. But each time God shows me something new as he orchestrates these unique bonds between our family, our children, and their birth moms.

I’m going to share more about that, but I’m going to have to spread out these stories or you’re going to be here all day reading!

I stayed at the hospital Saturday night with Rachel and then she was discharged at 25 hours old. Although the kids had met her at the hospital, coming home and having my family of five under the same roof was exactly where I wanted to be – dorky matching shirts included.

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Just last week, I wrote about how Team Taylor isn’t going to win any tennis titles. But, hey, we have matching shirts!

If you’re new here, I change the birth moms’ names when I share stories because some details are meant to be private. 

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