Big milestones...and bigger screams...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  23 days

Family,

Team Taylor out for a family stroll in
Freedom Park on Monday, after just receiving
the "all clear" from the LC - WINNER,
WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER, BABY!!!!

And a good evening to you from the Queen City, where Sammy the Bull has just finished "In the Garden of Beasts" (brilliant read, for the record - vintage Larson), and Muffin Puffin is busily reading "Secret of the Baby Whisperer" with Kaitlyn feeding happily at the moment. Somehow it's already 6 PM, and increasingly JT and I are SHOCKED at how quickly the day passes.  She was up before 9 today, and I managed to pull myself out of bed by 9:47, but the speed with which each day goes by (especially when I don't have a litany of crossed off "to-do's" in hand) is shocking.

Today however was a great one, featuring a few milestones for the "old" Team Taylor.  For starters, I got back onto the parkway for my first run as a father!  I went 4 miles on this GORGEOUS, sunny Wednesday, strolling at a 9+ minute pace but just enjoying the fact that I was moving and getting some exercise.  I could tell that my conditioning has (understandably) waned, as it was my lungs that gave out before my legs.  I felt a little pain from the old stress fracture spot, but nothing too daunting (although the pop in my foot before I started was a bit ominous).  If anything, I think Kaitlyn's birth has given both mine and Muffin's bodies some much needed R & R, and my hope is that I'll truly be able to rebuild from the ground up ahead of the fall/winter running calendar.  For Jenny, the hope is that her foot is now fully recovered from surgery last August, meaning she'll be able to mix running with the elliptical and swimming once she returns to the gym.

Kaitlyn "Shackleton" Taylor, ready for the
hike to the Whaling Station on South Georgia
Island...or Highland Creek Parkway.

Additionally, Jenny got out for her 4th walk in 5 days with the stroller.  That has been a great new addition to the routine, especially given that everything is now in bloom and that the weather these past few days has been nothing shy of PERFECT.  Granted, it was chilly enough to deck K in her "Ice Hotel coat" today (courtesy of one of Jenny's friends - TOO CUTE!), but JT still logged 3 miles over roughly an hour.   She made this loop with her friend Kelly, a neighbor who's newest addition is only a few weeks older than K.  I'm so glad that Jenny's got another mom so close, as I know that will be incredibly important once I start back to work (plus it's just great for her to have someone else to talk to aside from a husband who gets all of his information from the internet - where only 100% truth is ever spoken :-)).

We've had several good walks lately, and we've now got a) the quick loop around our street (30 min) when she's fussy, b) the longer walk down the parkway when we're feeling a bit more ambitious, and c) the mack daddy - the Clarke Creek Greenway once we feel confident enough to load the car and go for a stroll.  My hope is that we can pull that off in the next 1-2 weeks, but we'll see how it all goes as we continue to elongate some of Kaitlyn's strolls down the parkway.

Look at those clean gums...well, just trust
me - those puppies are SPOTLESS.

Another big milestone for daddy was completing the book I referenced earlier.  I know it sounds silly, but as a man who's always set 1, 5, and 10 year goals, I've been drifting a bit lately trying to identify what I view as my goals, Kaitlyn's goals, and our family's goals over the next several months years.  I realize that may sound silly (and as with all of the posts for this blog, I feel I've been incredibly inept at articulating myself and my thoughts), and I am conscious that the most important goals at present (without question) are my both my daughter's health and development & my wife's health and happiness.  But as a guy who's always thinking about multiple things (and has never been able to turn off that switch - at least not since college), I've decided to break things down into several different sets of goals:

1.  Daddy for Kaitlyn:  continue gaining weight, ensuring Kaitlyn is bathed and mouth is cleaned every day, ensure she's laying on different sides of her head, start to focus on wake time and focus (I've broken out the rattles since that is apparently something they can comprehend without overstimulation before 3 months)

2.  Husband for Jenny:  ensure she's getting plenty of rest, ensure she gets out of the house at least once every other day to do something fun for her, ensure any stress she has is not child related, do what I can to support good milk supply production (admittedly I'm about as useless as tits on a boar hog on this one, but I can at least track volumes and the schedule), ensure she knows how amazing and beautiful she is every day, minimize the housework she has to do given that she has to handle so much of Kaitlyn's daily activities

3.  Husband/Father for Family:  get K's college fund set up, continue active tracking of debts to ensure that, each year a new debt is crossed off for the next 3-5 years, work on memory preservation - this blog, photo organization, video and photo clips, ensure annual trip with the Rice clan, the Tacy Reunion (Markham-Hunsucker-Tacy-Taylor), ensure annual trips for Jenny with the girls and me with the Boys, annual Granville Six reunion

4.  Personal goals:  For this year, it's all about crossing off some books that I've been wanting to read FOREVER, and getting back into shape (real shape - not just "survive the race" shape).  For 2014, I think the goals will start to shift to potentially adding triathlons to the mix, and there is a desire to begin reading more non-fiction, as I'm keen to try and re-sharpen my intellect and ensure that much of what I learned (and considered such a valuable treasure trove of knowledge) in college stays fresh and continues to reside in accessible reaches of my brain

The conquering - or conquered - hero...I'm
conscious this doesn't look like much progress
in the way of "awake time," but trust us - this
photo represents a victory - in gas relief, at least.

For Kaitlyn, several big milestones have been crossed off, most notably shattering the 7 pound barrier!!!  That's right, sports fans, Kaitlyn is now 7 pounds, 6 ounces!  We had a lactation consultant appointment on Monday, at which time we received the "all-clear" - no more appointments required for the foreseeable future!  For us, this was GREAT news, as it told us that our feeding strategy was working, K was taking in the food she needs, and our plan of working in shifts to allow for some measure of sanity was working for both us and the baby.  We celebrated by having an hour walk on the Little Sugar Creek Greenway with Cuz, which was fantastic - perfect weather, some nice exercise, and a good sense of accomplishment that we are able to elongate the time we are out of the house.

That being said, we are still struggling with K at night.  We've certainly discerned that she's a little gas pocket (but given her genetic code, how could she NOT be?), and we're finding that she's consistently fussier at night than at any other time during the day (starting about 10 PM and going until 6 AM).  Whilst she does take in quality feedings, she screams like a A RABID BANSHEE once the gas builds up.  As a parent it's heartbreaking, as there are fewer things more frustrating than not being able to sooth your child despite a full belly, a clean diaper, and some cuddling.  Consequently, we've instigated a period of "wake time," during which she's burped quite a bit (she normally only burps when you lay her down, and BOY can she let it go!), and then we try to do some focusing exercises for her eyes (this is when the rattle comes in).  I do think that this is paying off, as she is screaming less each evening and sleeping deeper once we let her work through the gas.  But still, the volume that little girl can get her lungs up to is something EPIC.

Now THAT is what you want to see - the rug rat PASSED OUT
on mummy, another successful feeding in the books.

Oh, and in other news, it seems that the tongue tie wasn't the only genetic defect Sammy the Bull passed along to K.  It seems I also passed my gum tie, which required surgery and stitches for me when I was a kid.  So that's 2 known defects that could be passed which have been found within her first month of life.  Here's hoping and praying that she's got her mother's blood pressure.

Okay, a bit of a ramble here, and I'm conscious more of it was about me than my rug rat.  However, daddy needs an outlet to process his thoughts as well, which is another key reason this secret little site exists.  Here's hoping that, when we next chat, I'll be through another book and the rug rat won't be screaming at me as though I've just put bamboo shoots under her teeny little fingernails.

Love,

Sam and Jenny