Our little love bug :) 
Our little one - nakie! 
Taking a break from all the picture taking. 
The puppies, Eli & Ellie, hanging out during the photo session. 
Our cutie pie
Auntie Meghan with Salem 
Our little "baby bird" 
1 hour ago
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
One Week Old Photo Shoot
This past weekend Meghan and Michael came to visit. It was a long trip but Meghan really wanted to see Salem while she is so tiny. We had a lot of fun together hanging out with the little one. She used her new camera to take some pictures of Salem at one week old.
Our little love bug :)
Our little one - nakie!
Taking a break from all the picture taking.
The puppies, Eli & Ellie, hanging out during the photo session.
Auntie Meghan with Salem
Our little "baby bird"
Our little love bug :) Our little one - nakie! Taking a break from all the picture taking. The puppies, Eli & Ellie, hanging out during the photo session. Auntie Meghan with Salem Our little "baby bird" Friday, June 12, 2009
The Meaning of Salem's Name
Many of you have been asking for the meaning of Salem (Sey-luhm) Zannah’s (Zan-uh) name. So we thought it would be good to offer the complete yet brief explanation here. Oh, and yes we will include some of the more important things that everyone loves, more pictures.
Below I have included the name card we handed out at the hospital for everyone that came by.
First of all, her name is not just a name; it is a blessing that LeeAnn and I have bestowed upon her. LeeAnn and I have liked the name Salem, for a while. Every year we take a couple with us to Old Salem, for their Christmas Candle Tea.
Salem means “peace” in Hebrew. But it is much more than that. Salem is mentioned three times in the Bible (Genesis 14:18, Psalm 76:2, & Hebrews 7:1-2). In the Genesis passage, Abraham is moving from the land of Ur to the land God promised him. Abraham finds himself caught up in the midst of several battles with the locals. Then Melchizedek, the King of Salem, comes out to meet Abraham, gives him praise and worships his God, God Most High. Abraham then gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had, setting the standard of tithing (giving back to the Lord) in the Old Testament.
In the Book of Hebrews, the author references this same Melchizedek, who was unique in the land, because he was not just a king, but a priest as well. Again the Hebrew author compares Melchizedek to Jesus Christ, who is also a priest and king. As we read the Old Testament we learn that Salem later becomes Jeru-Salem, which means, “to see Peace.”
Knowing all this, our blessing for young Salem is that as she grows people will find the all encompassing peace of Christ when they come into her presence. Of course, anyone who knows me knows that the thick irony of my Lord is that he has likely blessed us with a child who will be anything but peaceful. Nonetheless, she will grow into her own loving nature as a “daughter of the King” of Salem. I long for the day she enters into a relationship with “the Prince of Peace.”
As far as Zannah goes, the meaning is not quite as thought out. It shows up in the Bible in about 5 passages, but it is harder to find. In the English translations it is “Lily.” As many of you who know LeeAnn and I know, when we first started dating we enjoyed a long distance relationship. So, at the end of emails and instant messages we put an acronym. She put CILY, which means, Chuck I Love You, and I put LILY, which means, LeeAnn I Love You.
It is important that Salem understands that LeeAnn and I love each other dearly. Our relationship to each other takes precedence over our relationship with Salem. While I love Salem, I do not love her at the expense of LeeAnn, I love her through LeeAnn. We want her to know just as Christ loves the church (his bride), I too love her mother, LeeAnn, my bride.
So, Zannah is a creative way of saying LILY, but it is also a reference to how special we believe Salem Zannah to be. In Song of Solomon 2:1-2 it reads, I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens. We desire that the love, peace, and faith of our little Salem Zannah will stand out among many women.
Of course, our last name is Taylor, which simply means a person who sews. So the blessing that LeeAnn and I are giving to our beautiful daughter is that she will be a princess who tailors the peace and love of Christ.
I know this is a little long, but I hope it helps answer some questions. I hope Salem comes back to look at this one day, and I pray LeeAnn and I can foster the loving home which will help her grow into the blessing we desire for her.
So, now for the most important stuff…. more pictures.
Salem and Grandma Taylor, "Mi-mi" (mee-mee)
Salem with grandpa Taylor, "Nunny"
Below I have included the name card we handed out at the hospital for everyone that came by.
First of all, her name is not just a name; it is a blessing that LeeAnn and I have bestowed upon her. LeeAnn and I have liked the name Salem, for a while. Every year we take a couple with us to Old Salem, for their Christmas Candle Tea.
Salem means “peace” in Hebrew. But it is much more than that. Salem is mentioned three times in the Bible (Genesis 14:18, Psalm 76:2, & Hebrews 7:1-2). In the Genesis passage, Abraham is moving from the land of Ur to the land God promised him. Abraham finds himself caught up in the midst of several battles with the locals. Then Melchizedek, the King of Salem, comes out to meet Abraham, gives him praise and worships his God, God Most High. Abraham then gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had, setting the standard of tithing (giving back to the Lord) in the Old Testament.
In the Book of Hebrews, the author references this same Melchizedek, who was unique in the land, because he was not just a king, but a priest as well. Again the Hebrew author compares Melchizedek to Jesus Christ, who is also a priest and king. As we read the Old Testament we learn that Salem later becomes Jeru-Salem, which means, “to see Peace.”
Knowing all this, our blessing for young Salem is that as she grows people will find the all encompassing peace of Christ when they come into her presence. Of course, anyone who knows me knows that the thick irony of my Lord is that he has likely blessed us with a child who will be anything but peaceful. Nonetheless, she will grow into her own loving nature as a “daughter of the King” of Salem. I long for the day she enters into a relationship with “the Prince of Peace.”
As far as Zannah goes, the meaning is not quite as thought out. It shows up in the Bible in about 5 passages, but it is harder to find. In the English translations it is “Lily.” As many of you who know LeeAnn and I know, when we first started dating we enjoyed a long distance relationship. So, at the end of emails and instant messages we put an acronym. She put CILY, which means, Chuck I Love You, and I put LILY, which means, LeeAnn I Love You.
It is important that Salem understands that LeeAnn and I love each other dearly. Our relationship to each other takes precedence over our relationship with Salem. While I love Salem, I do not love her at the expense of LeeAnn, I love her through LeeAnn. We want her to know just as Christ loves the church (his bride), I too love her mother, LeeAnn, my bride.
So, Zannah is a creative way of saying LILY, but it is also a reference to how special we believe Salem Zannah to be. In Song of Solomon 2:1-2 it reads, I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens. We desire that the love, peace, and faith of our little Salem Zannah will stand out among many women.
Of course, our last name is Taylor, which simply means a person who sews. So the blessing that LeeAnn and I are giving to our beautiful daughter is that she will be a princess who tailors the peace and love of Christ.
I know this is a little long, but I hope it helps answer some questions. I hope Salem comes back to look at this one day, and I pray LeeAnn and I can foster the loving home which will help her grow into the blessing we desire for her.
So, now for the most important stuff…. more pictures.
Salem and Grandma Taylor, "Mi-mi" (mee-mee)
Salem with grandpa Taylor, "Nunny"
Salem with grandpa Godbey, (name not decided yet)
Salem with grandma Godbey, (name not decided yet)
This is all for now, but no worries, LeeAnn is going to upload some "coming home" pics soon.
Thank you all for your loving support.
Hospital Pictures
Last night was our second night home from the hospital. Thankfully, it went much better than the first! The first night was quite exhausting, with Salem wanting to eat every hour and then not really settling down to sleep before she wanted to eat again. It was a long night and it left us wondering how future nights would go.
Last night was much much different though. We finally made it to bed around midnight and were able to get Salem to eat enough to be full and sleep for 2-3 hours a stretch. It made for a much better night and we're feeling a lot more rested.
Today will be our first outing - Salem has her first pediatrician visit this afternoon. We're also expecting visitors this morning, our friends Jordan and Jenny and their little girl Addison. Addison and Salem are just a few weeks apart and we can't wait to see them together. Two little cuties!
Here's a few pictures from the hospital stay for all of you who keep asking for pictures :).
Salem all wrapped up in her hospital gear - standard issue hat and blanket.
Some of Salem's first visitors
Last night was much much different though. We finally made it to bed around midnight and were able to get Salem to eat enough to be full and sleep for 2-3 hours a stretch. It made for a much better night and we're feeling a lot more rested.
Today will be our first outing - Salem has her first pediatrician visit this afternoon. We're also expecting visitors this morning, our friends Jordan and Jenny and their little girl Addison. Addison and Salem are just a few weeks apart and we can't wait to see them together. Two little cuties!
Here's a few pictures from the hospital stay for all of you who keep asking for pictures :).
Salem all wrapped up in her hospital gear - standard issue hat and blanket. 
Family picture
Chuck changing Salem into a cute outfit.
Cuddling with baby Salem
Some of Salem's first visitors
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Salem Update from Chuck
So, mom & dad are tired. People are right, whew, sleep what a luxury! Salem is a great little girl, but has this deep and abiding addiction to sleep. I can't imagine how you ladies who endured a C-section had to wake your children after the anesthesia.
We have had a couple of rough nights. The CNA's and RN's are not on the same schedule, so we get 30 minutes of sleep between them and then Salem needs to feed. She is dropping weight pretty quickly. She is still within range, thank you God, but they are watching her, to make sure she does not lose much more weight. We just tried feeding her at 4am, but she would not really wake up.
We have sufficiently made her mad. We have undressed her and put her directly to LeeAnn's breasts, we are rubbed her, changed her diaper, I have burped her, and I even ran a cold container of cranberry juice along her back - nothing. This girl takes after grandpa Taylor and can sleep through anything!
She has the most beautiful bird sounds too! Many of you know that we called her Little Bird, when we weren't giving out the name. However, it is still so appropriate. She cooed this morning, I think it was cute, even though it did sound what I imagine a baby pterodactyl would sound like.
Oh, and she is excellent at self-soothing. So far she has not needed a pacifier at all. We started to offer one when the tech came in to do her hearing test, because she had to be quiet, but Salem just relaxed and watched the tech. We really do not want her to depend on a pacifier. We hope she continues to be able to self-sooth so well.
We are rushing to get out of the hospital, because I have a job interview this afternoon in Surry County, (for a job in Davie County) at 3:15. So, we have asked our nurses if we can be the first ones discharged. If everything goes well, they will try to accommodate us.
Then it will be a another day of firsts. Her first time at home, her first introduction to her brother and sister (our puppies, Eli & Ellie), first car ride, we can't wait.
Finally, my great revelation of God, is about his deep and abiding love for us. As I held Salem, I would tell her how much I love her. I know she cannot cognitively understand me, but that is not important, I just want her to feel my love. Then I thought, hey that is a God moment. How often does God look at us, rub our backs and say, "I Love you." He doesn't need for us to respond back with an " I love you too." He just wants us to know that he loves us. And that was me, praising God for loving me, and constantly giving me his love. Thank you Dad, you're the greatest!
Oh, and here are some more pics. Feel free to rave!
Salem's Details on her bassinet.
Close up of the details
Salem with Cousin Tyler, Uncle Nathan, and Tyler's momma Aunt Linna.
Salem passing the hearing test
Salem got a visit today from her buddy Jonah, see patriceandmattwilliams.blogspot.com
We have had a couple of rough nights. The CNA's and RN's are not on the same schedule, so we get 30 minutes of sleep between them and then Salem needs to feed. She is dropping weight pretty quickly. She is still within range, thank you God, but they are watching her, to make sure she does not lose much more weight. We just tried feeding her at 4am, but she would not really wake up.
We have sufficiently made her mad. We have undressed her and put her directly to LeeAnn's breasts, we are rubbed her, changed her diaper, I have burped her, and I even ran a cold container of cranberry juice along her back - nothing. This girl takes after grandpa Taylor and can sleep through anything!
She has the most beautiful bird sounds too! Many of you know that we called her Little Bird, when we weren't giving out the name. However, it is still so appropriate. She cooed this morning, I think it was cute, even though it did sound what I imagine a baby pterodactyl would sound like.
Oh, and she is excellent at self-soothing. So far she has not needed a pacifier at all. We started to offer one when the tech came in to do her hearing test, because she had to be quiet, but Salem just relaxed and watched the tech. We really do not want her to depend on a pacifier. We hope she continues to be able to self-sooth so well.
We are rushing to get out of the hospital, because I have a job interview this afternoon in Surry County, (for a job in Davie County) at 3:15. So, we have asked our nurses if we can be the first ones discharged. If everything goes well, they will try to accommodate us.
Then it will be a another day of firsts. Her first time at home, her first introduction to her brother and sister (our puppies, Eli & Ellie), first car ride, we can't wait.
Finally, my great revelation of God, is about his deep and abiding love for us. As I held Salem, I would tell her how much I love her. I know she cannot cognitively understand me, but that is not important, I just want her to feel my love. Then I thought, hey that is a God moment. How often does God look at us, rub our backs and say, "I Love you." He doesn't need for us to respond back with an " I love you too." He just wants us to know that he loves us. And that was me, praising God for loving me, and constantly giving me his love. Thank you Dad, you're the greatest!
Oh, and here are some more pics. Feel free to rave!
Salem's Details on her bassinet.
Close up of the details
Salem with Cousin Tyler, Uncle Nathan, and Tyler's momma Aunt Linna.
Salem passing the hearing test
Salem got a visit today from her buddy Jonah, see patriceandmattwilliams.blogspot.com
Monday, June 8, 2009
Salem Zannah Taylor
So here she is, our beautiful baby girl!!! Thank you Lord for the blessing of this wonderful life you have entrusted in our hands. We are blessed and we will never forget it. Salem Zannah is a healthy and loud precious little gift. Mom is excellent. LeeAnn did wonderfully well with the birth. I am so super proud of her. Salem is nursing well, and our family is great. Thank you for all the prayers. We know Salem has come to us through God's glory and power, as our church family prayed for her to come last night, so that we could say that God brought her, and that he did. What a wonderful God we serve!!!
Thank you all,
Love Chuck, LeeAnn, and Salem Taylor
updates
LeeAnn is at 6 cm. Still going strong. Chuck is a great support. LeeAnn is a trooper. (update by Ashton)--cousin
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