Kaitlyn's first (surprisingly!) Easter...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  21 Days

Family,

Happy Easter to you from the Queen City!  Lady Kaitlyn rolls 3 weeks of life officially tomorrow, and today finds her wearing her first ever bits of Easter attire.  Given that she's not even 7 pounds and isn't mobile just yet, I managed to dodge purchasing the "Easter dress" bullet this year, but that doesn't mean that K went without!  Case in point - check out these (too cute!) photos of our little one:

Wearing her first Easter bib (courtesy of Grammie):

Wearing her first embarrassing (yet adorable!) hand-stitched beanie (courtesy of Granny):

Tonight should be a fun one, with our friends Heather and VA coming over.  I expect it will be filled with basketball, good food, and a growler of Greenway IPA from Triple C Brewing (that one's a given since I've got it in my fridge :-)).

As for the broader parental commentary, life is certainly easier (and a bit more predictable) at 21 days in.  Team Taylor has managed a 30 minute walk with the stroller the last 2 days, and we might pull one off today (if the rain can hold off).  In terms of sleeping, Jenny and I have decided that sleeping apart is NO FUN, and so we're still doing the shifts but now taking them upstairs.  I slept the best I've slept in a week last night, and I now think my days of sleeping on the couch are done (unless I get into trouble with Jenny, of course... :-)).

Some things we learned this week:

1.  THE WHITE NOISE APP ON THE i-Phone IS THE GREATEST INVENTION EVER.  Like, in the history of EVER (maybe Taylor Swift could sing about this for me).  Seriously - Faith, THANK YOU!!!

2.  The vibrating bassinet is the SECOND greatest invention ever.  Granny, you were right - don't be afraid to use whatever's necessary to put the child down. :-)

3.  If she's not going to sleep, chances are it's not hunger - it's gas.  Burp her more frequently - and be prepared to be SHOWERED with stomach contents.  My poor, poor red Colombia zip-up fleece...

4.  Kanga care really does work.  I honestly think K recognizes me more now that we're doing skin-to-skin on a regular basis.  I know I've said it before, but I'll really miss that when it's gone...(sniffle)...

Thank you, Easter Bunny - bak, bak!

5.  As for me, I'm slowly becoming more comfortable with the realization that there will always be things around my child I can't control (how folks hold her, their "advice" on parenting, volume levels, etc), and I need to find ways to accept that and move on.  Jenny and I have been making conscious efforts to get out at least every other day to continue the socialization not only of Kaitlyn, but also of us.  It's been tougher and easier than expected all at the same time, but I harken back to 2 pieces of advice:

My best friend John:  "Push your limits every day."

Old School Cool:  "Get 'em on your schedule as soon as possible."

I think we're making progress on both fronts, but a new set of questions has already emerged for me.  Now it's a question of how long do we let her cry when she's upset, as it's that delicate balance of "she's a preemie" vs. "it's time to go Baby-wise!"  We've got several appointments and will get some "professional" advice this week, but as with so many other things, I truly believe it's a question of just watching and learning how she acts and cues to us.

Not a whole lot else to report on this last day of her birth month, but no complaints.  I'm as happy as I've ever been - life is good.  God is good.  My cup runneth over.

Love,

Sam and Jenny