Age of Lady Kaitlyn: 11 weeks and 6 days
Family,
And a good Sunday morning to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is sitting on his couch after 2 cups of coffee, contemplating the day that he always knew would come: the return to work. That's right, sports fans, after 12 AMAZING, EPIC, LIFE CHANGING weeks at home with my wife and daughter, a new chapter for Team Taylor begins officially tomorrow when Sammy the Bull drives inside of the 277 Beltway, leaving his wife and child alone for a full day for the first time ever. I honestly CANNOT believe this time has come - TWELVE WEEKS GONE! But I have NO complaints, as this experience has been such a gift in so many ways, and let's not kid ourselves - who on EARTH can complain about 12 weeks of paid paternity leave?
Am I excited about going back? Obviously I have very mixed feelings about it, but the short answer is yes. Whilst this week will be crazy, more often than not I will continue to work from home, meaning I'll get to see the Munchkin and Muffin a bit throughout the day and won't have to worry about a commute keeping me from bath time, meal time, bed time, or play time. It helps that I really enjoy what I do and the people I work with - I honestly think of them more as friends than colleagues, which makes the work environment a great place to be. Also, I will confess that I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things and feeling like I'm contributing to the GDP. Granted, we'll see how long that lasts, :-) but I am very content about everything right now - dare I say "quite Zen at the moment."
In looking back on the past 3 months, I wouldn't even know where to BEGIN to summarize the experience or how it's changed us (all in a positive way) as a couple. I think the first big change is that we've seen more sunrises in the last 3 months than the previous 30 years, so we're now definitely morning people! We are both really excited about this, as it's been incredible to realize how much you can get done in the first 2 hours of the day when you "get up and get amongst it," and I feel really thankful that K's on a 5:20-5:45 start schedule at present. Once I start back to work, this morning time will serve as my exercise time (targeting 3x weekly) and will enable me to spell Jenny in the afternoons or evenings when my work is done and she's ready to exercise. And whilst I'm sure the routine will have to change again once she starts back to work in September, I think we're got a plan that will certainly see us through the summer.
How else have we changed? Well, for starters we've certainly learned a lot about parenting. Over the past 90 days, we've gone from knob-green novices who didn't know ANYTHING about babies to parents who can at least fake some level of competence and confidence when it comes to child-rearing. Slowly we've started venturing out more, and what once seemed quite the ordeal (getting the munchkin in the car seat, to the stroller, to the destination of choice) now feels very manageable. In fact, in looking at the social calendar for the summer, I think we've lived Old School Cool's creed of "get 'em on your schedule" quite well.
And while I still VERY MUCH enjoy my wine and beer, I think it's safe to say that a new "threshold for consumption has been reached. The rule is simple now - if you have more than 3, be prepared for a ROUGH start to the day. :-) But no complaints, as it's kept us slimmer and certainly helped us feel better in the morning. Of course, I'd say establishing regular start/end times and getting more sleep is probably helping that as well (and special thanks to the Munchkin for starting to sleep through the night before Daddy returned to work - I love you, little one!).
Have we changed as a couple? I don't think so. Jenny and I have always been great (at least I think) about working as a team, thinking of each other first, and pitching in to accomplish whatever task was at hand. All that's changed now is we've got more tasks to cross off the list and less time to do it, but that hasn't slowed us down. If anything, our love has grown deeper, as it has always done throughout our time together. We've got even more to love now, and there really is nothing like those moments when we're all together, everyone smiling and enjoying the simple pleasure of each other's company.
The Paternity "to-do" list? Well, I think good progress was made. Those of you who know me know that I'm a list-maker, and whilst there are still tasks left on the sheet, I am VERY pleased with progress made to date. I feel good about the current state of Kaitlyn's development (most notably in the realm of sleep patterns), the current state of the house (minus some random plants sprouting in our gutters), the level of healing amongst my various ailments (and new shoes to boot!), the goals established for this year (books to read, races to complete), and the new challenges facing me at work (some fun new stuff and added responsibility). I'm happy about how often K's been able to meet/see her broader family, how comfortable we feel taking her out, and the fun stuff we've got planned for the rest of this year. But most importantly, I'm happy (beyond words) that I'm a daddy. There was no question that Jenny and I wanted a child (and hopefully some day children :-)), and I knew it would be an AMAZING experience. But never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be like this. Every day is an adventure filled with laughs to remember, challenges to make you stronger, and love that grows ever deeper. As Jenny said yesterday whilst sipping wine on the (now clean) screened-in porch - our cup truly runneth over. And now if you'll excuse me - I've got one day left with the munchkin before my thoughts and focus are scattered a bit further, and I mean to make the most of it.
Chat soon!
Love,
Sam and Jenny
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