Life as a father - 2 weeks in...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  2 weeks

Family,

And a good afternoon to you from the Queen City, where the Mountain Fortress of Team Taylor is currently silent like glass - no NCAA Tournament games, no crying newborn, no engaged breast pump, no oven beeping - nothing.  Truth be told, the silence is almost deafening.  I think I can already begin to understand how empty the house must sound after the last child goes off to college - but luckily I don't have to think about that for a long time, as the pitter patter of little feet will hopefully grace these halls for years to come.

You can ask my mother, but I'm pretty sure she'll confirm
that I NEVER slept that well.  I do love daddy tummy time.

Two weeks have now passed.  That's 336 hours, only about 10 of which have been utilized for sleep.  At the time of writing, Jenny is napping upstairs, which is a good thing because my wife has been an absolute WARRIOR in taking care of this child.  Seriously - her dedication at feeding time is truly something to watch - the way she deals with the initial pain (which looks, well, AWFUL) and works so hard to keep Kaitlyn awake.  As an outside observer, it looks exactly the way God intended, and I feel so blessed to bear witness to it.

As for me, I am finding that each day I'm winding down earlier.  I have a good burst of energy starting about 9 AM, thanks largely in part to a shower (which I didn't manage today) and 2 cups of coffee, chased by some Mountain Dew in the afternoon.  Initially I was settling into my "sleep cycles" (I try to sleep during the 3 evening sets) about 1 AM, but the last 2 nights it's moved from 1 back to 11, and then last night it moved from 11 back to 9.  I think I'll "hard stop" it there - otherwise I'm gonna feel like my entire life is being spent in that master bedroom.

Muffin Puffin and the Munchkin with a little "kanga care."

The sleep deprivation is taking its toll on me, and the pistons DEFINITELY aren't firing like they used to (insert the standard donkapotamus "They used to fire?  Really?" joke here).  Case in point was last night, where I had this...let's call it a dream (or a hallucination) that Jenny had this body suit with tubes running from her nipples attached to the baby.  Long story short, she could go anywhere in the house, and the kid could feed, and twice I woke up and went to the bathroom thinking that I was actually carrying Kaitlyn into the bathroom to be closer to Jenny.  I ALSO returned to the bed twice to tell Jenny that she shouldn't sleep with Kaitlyn in the bed because it might suffocate her.  And whilst this is sage wisdom, it should be noted (as my wife so politely pointed out - especially considering I'd just roused her rom sleep) that the baby had NEVER LEFT THE BASSINET.  Oh, and I also woke up screaming from a nightmare where a bald lady was in our kitchen with an axe.  Apparently she'd used a  weimeraner to break into the house (the dog ran into the bedroom), and that's what alerted us to the fact that she'd by-passed the alarm.  I armed Jenny with a Phillips head screwdriver, and I had my fork from supper.  I mean seriously - THAT DREAM IS MY BRAIN CHECKING TO ENSURE EVERYTHING IS FUNCTIONING?  Clearly there's a breakdown in the equipment somewhere...

As for the little one, she has been AMAZING.  For starters, she's FINALLY gaining weight.  In fact, she's gone from just an ounce above "concern weight" 9 days ago to gaining more than an ounce a day!  Again, all the credit goes to Jenny, who's been engaged in a constant stream of feeding, burping, changing, swaddling, pumping - rinse-repeat.  I am so proud of that woman.

Kaitlyn did have a bit of a rough time today, as the poor girl had to have her tongue clipped (just like her father).  However, she was a rock star (yes, dad - she "gut divorced it"), and she even managed to have a solid feeding just an hour later (again, kudos to Jenny for keeping her awake, engaged, and latched despite the screaming).  Aside from that, it's amazing how quickly they change.  She can raise her head high (just not maintain or lower it), can squirm enough that we could almost call it a roll in training, is starting to develop some baby fat rolls (which are SO CUTE), has definitely found her voice, is quite adamant that her arms should NOT be swaddled (especially her left), has ever-lightening blue eyes, and is starting to focus more and more on the world around her.  Our next task as parents is to start encouraging her to focus on us and to follow our faces as we move them.  As I am LOVING staring into those ever-widening eyes, I'm very much looking forward to this task.

Grammie and Grand Pooh - fresh off a "brisk little 14 hour drive" from Port of Everglades to the QC.  Love you guys!!!

Also, she's managed to see a lot of family.  Grammie and Grand Pooh (my mom and stepdad) came by on their way back from a cruise (they specifically picked this cruise date because they were CERTAIN they would be home in time for the baby - the best laid plans...), and my dad and stepmom are coming later this week.  Kaitlyn's already seen Grandma and Grandpa Tacy, as well as Aunt Kim.  Throw in several different sets of friends, and we've been well fed and well attended to during our brief tenure as parents.  Jenny's mom actually spent the last 2+ days with us, tackling a shedload of cooking and cleaning.  Jan - please consider this a very heartfelt - THANK YOU.

The co-hosts of the Baby Shower (with Kim and Matt being)
the other co-hosts.  Who knew that just 2 weeks after that
shower they'd be welcoming the newborn...still not yet
to her due date.

As for the original, founding members of Team Taylor - we are hanging in there. :-)  Whilst the sleep is minimal, this magic carpet ride remains a source of happiness and excitement beyond my imagination.  The look on her face when she sleeps, watching Jenny nurse, holding those little feetsies, dressing her in the cute clothes, looking at our newborn pics - it's all SO INCREDIBLY WONDERFUL.  And I am happy to report that, despite all descriptions of the fatigue factor being accurate, I wouldn't trade a second of this special time and am in NO HURRY for it to go away, as this is time we will NEVER get back.

Jenny looks amazing (as always) - the picture of health and happiness.  The family has been great to help and check in (I even got a call from Nanny this past week!), and all is right with the world.  We are laughing and loving this time, and minus an almost squabble about whether or not to change a diaper before a first doctor appointment, we still haven't fought - knock on wood that continues (forever, that is - not just during this time).

Over the coming weeks we'll start testing our limits.  We've been out for 1 walk so far, and we'll make that a staple of our day once it gets warmer and she can start having "awake time."  I expect we'll have a dinner date out at some point, and there's already a VBGB run on the calendar in 2 weeks time!  The trick will be learning to understand when she's cold, starving, or overstimulated, and then figuring out a way to react on-site vs. retreating back to the Creek for sanctuary.  But I'm sure we'll get to all that - and I'm sure there will be some GREAT stories.

Happy two week birthday, Kaitlyn Elaine!  Mommy and daddy love you!!!!

Love,

Sam and Jenny