Good times with great friends...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  3.75 months :-)

Family,

The Munchkin meeting AJ - her future boyfriend.  That kid
is made of steel - fell out of his swing and didn't say a word.
In fact, the kid SMILED at me when I went over there. Awesome...

And a good Sunday afternoon to you from the bonus room on Regal Court, where the munchkin is currently down for a nap but already making quite a few noises thanks to the 45 minute intruder.  The last few days have been a bit of a challenge, as the munchkin has been quite fussy during eating and wake time.  The GREAT news is that she's still sleeping through the night (10 hours last night and 11 the night before).  During the day, however, K has been more than a little fussy, and all attempts by Team Taylor Detective Services to ascertain the cause of this discomfort have proved futile.  That being said, she started the day VERY sleepy but happy, and so we're hoping that she's just been working through a rough patch these past few days.

Kaitlyn's time to feed:  30 minutes.
AJ's time to feed:  11 seconds.  WOW.  Seriously.  WOW.

In terms of eating, despite some token efforts to push her to 4 big feeds a day, the munchkin seems to prefer 5 feedings, with us going a bit light on the "wake time" toward the end of the day.  Give Wife Muffin credit, as she's been the driving force to keep her awake after her first feed of the day, and I think that's paid huge dividends toward keeping her on a schedule.  Also, JT's made the ultimate sacrifice as of late - mandatory tummy time!  K continues to HATE it, but the progress has been undeniable.  But for some reason, K will only use both feet and her left hand.  No matter where you put her right hand, her first instinct is ALWAYS the same - pull the arm flat and straight down by her side, rendering it as useless as tits on a boar hog when she's trying to lift her head.  But today was a bit of progress on that front, as she did make a few token efforts to put her right arm in "push-up position."

The last couple of weeks or so have been busy from a social perspective, as we've been fortunate enough to spend lots of time with good friends and keep Kaitlyn acclimated to meeting (and being held by) new people.  We were over at Hitman's 2 weeks back, and we were also treated to a surprise visit from one of Jenny's college friends - Katie Colley (with hubby and 3 kids in tow :-)).  This week has seen us hanging with Joe and Kate (at our house), VBGB (K's 4th trip, and she was an ANGEL - slept 2 hours as soon as she got there!), and the featured event of the weekend on Saturday - hanging at Casa de Miller with Matt's family and Old School Cool's family!  We had a blast, and Kaitlyn met her future boyfriend AJ (I'm not ready to call him a son-in-law yet :-)).

ShanTan and the Munchkin - both parties quite Zen.

It is, of course, a very different experience traveling for a day trip to a friend's house with a rug rat.  That being said, it's really been much easier than expected.  At Hitman's, we brought the pack n play, and it was easy to keep the munchkin in a quiet spot where she could sleep.  For folks visiting here (and Dinger's set to arrive in about 2 hours, so add another one to the friend visitation list!), it's obviously quite easy, and at Matt's it was PERFECT, as AJ's only 2 months older than K, meaning there's a changing table, crib, swing, pack n play, playmat - you name it.  Also, as most of our friends have kids themselves (and often kids nearly the same age), there's certainly that sense of camaraderie and understanding.  Rarely does a visit pass without one of us exchanging a look that says, "Hey brother, we've been there."  Which is usually followed up with another look that suggests, "And just you wait - you ain't seen NUTHIN' yet."  :-)  The keys for us:

Katie B!!!!  Well, now Katie C!!!!  And company...

1. Feed before you leave the house if possible, and then try "wake time" in the car.  If that's not possible, then feed as soon as you get there and see if K will get drowsy for a nap.

2.  We practice PDF, so the schedule is flexible to a degree.  That being said, you always need to keep the intervals (periods between feed starts) to no more than 4 hours to keep her from going crazy (and to her credit, she does an AMAZING job of keeping herself on a 3 hour schedule).

3.  Always get her home for the last feed so that you can put her down as soon as it's over.  You want her home by 8:30 if possible to keep bed time in line.  That being said, we didn't do that yesterday after leaving the Miller's, and all was still right with the world once we got her down.  She doesn't sleep as well on the road, which helps a lot when it's time to put her down for the count.

I'll miss you, wee one!!!  But daddy loves you
and will be home soon!!!!!!  Be good for mommy!

Today is a mixed emotion day for the Bull, as tomorrow I go on my first work trip as a father.  I'll be in Costa Rica for a week, and whilst I'm very much looking forward to meeting the team, practicing my Spanish, and crossing off some overdue TARs on my work list, I am really, really, REALLY going to miss my girls.  As I haven't done this before, I'm not sure where my emotions will go, but I imagine that feelings of guilt, loneliness, and missing out will be quite prevalent over the course of the week.  The good news is that we've got a nice weekend with friends upon my return, followed by a few days off for Aunt/Fairy Godmother Kim's wedding the following week.

It's funny - before kids, it was always true that Team Taylor's travel/social calendar was WAAAAAAY crazier in the second half of the year.  And whilst the number of flights might have diminished, I can confirm that, looking at the rest of this year, Team Taylor - now party of 3 - is keeping that same routine alive and well.  When I look at what the next 6 months have in store, I get so excited I can barely contain myself.  But let's not get ahead of ourselves, as I have no desire to rush these precious moments.

Okay, the missus is making pancakes and eggs downstairs, and I don't want to miss that!  Chat next week, after I'm heavy one more passport stamp. :-)

Love,

Sam and Jenny