Sleepless nights and a speedy metabolism - Lady Kaitlyn at 8 weeks...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  8 weeks and 1 day

Family,

And a good morning to you from the Queen City, where the missus is making coffee, the Bull is working on the Singapore photo album, and the Munchkin is passed out (despite our best efforts for the record) in the travel swing.  We're now 8 weeks in, and life continues to be wonderful - if somewhat unpredictable. :-)

My ladies - both bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. :-)

The last week was a great one, with K rolling over (from her belly) for the 3rd time, a lot of big to-do's crossed off the list, and a general sense of calm starting to settle over the Bull.  For some reason, the 7th week of Paternity was a tough one for me, as I felt a bit "adrift in the sea of life" (please feel free to insert "Life of Pi" jokes here).  It was odd, as the first six weeks were completely fine, but I think I felt a bit out of sorts due to a) a foot injury, b) a general lack of progress against my "to-do's," and c) a failure to sit down, assess new goals and priorities, and rededicate myself to the big goals for the next 12 months and 5 years.  All the malaise cleared up rather quickly this week, in large part to some healing (my foot feels better now, and some tooth pain that had spiked last week has since abated) and also in part to being able to run again.  I've always joked that running is "cheaper than a shrink," and those words have never rang more true than these last few weeks.  It just feels good to get out there, clear my head, and have some dedicated time to think about whatever the topic of the day might be.  Some days it's financials, other days it's travel planning, and still other days it's just blanking out and seeing if I can shave 5 seconds off each mile pace.  I am happy to report that, for whatever reason, my times and pace have been noticeably faster lately, which not only makes me feel better but also gets me back to the palace quicker so that I can help out with Kaitlyn.

This girl is CLEARLY not a Utes fan...

As for Kaitlyn's past week, her appetite has found a new dimension, and she's kicked the U.S.S. Stomach into hyperdrive!  Seriously - this kid is now taking at least 100+ ml's at almost every feeding, and her evening feeds have been the stuff of legends.  Seriously - she passed the 200 ml barrier for only the second time the other night.  Of course, in a moment of anything but wisdom, I made the COLOSSAL mistake of trying to clean her tongue (which was covered in white gunk) post feeding.  Well, I stuck my finger in her mouth and give the tongue a good sweep, and instantly her gag reflex kicks in.  Now honestly, at this point I still (naively) thought I'd been fine, but 3 seconds later THERE IS A RIVER OF WHITE VOMIT ALL OVER ME.  Seriously - the runoff from this display could have filled Lake Mead - AMAZING.  Where the hell does she put all of it?

She's been sleeping pretty good, but only once this week did we get 5+ hours uninterrupted.  It's a painful tease, as just when I think we're gonna drop the "middle of the night" feed, she has a few fussy nights on the trot.  The last 2 nights have been pretty rough, as she's having real trouble falling asleep between 11-1, and for most of the week we've been unable to get her down PERIOD between 6-10.  If she does sleep, it's for 15 minutes, after which time the nursery sounds like an air raid siren.  Consequently, over the last 4-5 days we've been less in the "let her cry it out" camp because we KNOW the cause of the problem is ALWAYS the same thing - K NEEDS MORE FOOD. :-)

Currently, Kaitlyn's sleeping great from 2 AM until 6, and then she sleeps like a rock for the better part of the morning and early afternoon.  And whilst this is good for the elder members of Team Taylor when they have things to do, it's less than ideal for establishing a a schedule of feed-wake time-nap.  Right now we think K's "one cycle off," as she's still sleeping better in the morning than she does late at night.  The swaddle is only to her armpits now, as we both think she'll roll over any day now, and we want to ensure she's got her arms free when that happens.

The good news is that, thanks to JT being an ANIMAL with the breast pump, we starting to build a good stockpile of milk.  We actually pulled the colostrum out of the fridge this week to see if K would take it.  She did, but it was clear that she did NOT like having to work that hard to feed.  Luckily Muffin had the brilliant idea to mix colostrum with the newer stuff, and diluting it certainly helped speed up the feeding.

In terms of visitors, we did get a chance to visit with the Crum's this week (first time in probably 5-6 years!), as well as T-Rowe Price and his family.  Also, Muffin Puffin made the trek into the office on Friday to visit with her old team and have lunch with a few friends.  We've still not managed a date night with a babysitter yet, but truth be told I don't think either one of us mind that.  We are absolutely LOVING this relaxed, slower time together at home.  JT said it best:  "Every day feels like the weekend."  I can feel the end of my paternity time nearing (only 1 month to go), but that's a) still a long way off, and b) I cannot complain about this precious gift that's been given to me in terms of all this time to bond with and care for Kaitlyn (as well as Jenny, obviously).  I've just gotta make the last month count!

Okay, back to working on the photo book - chat next week, if not sooner!

Love,

Sam and Jenny