Kaitlyn goes for her 4 month appointment...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  4 months and 10 days

Family,

The munchkin demonstrating her MAD NEW SKILLS -
look at that head control!  Way to go, Munch Munch!

And a good Sunday afternoon to you from the Queen City - what a week of incredible progress!!!!  I mean talk about an overnight transformation - I left for Toronto on Monday evening, leaving behind a child that hated tummy time, occasionally (but not deliberately) batted at things, and had virtually zero head control.  I landed back home on Thursday (after my Wednesday flight was cancelled - details...) to a child who had COMPLETELY turned corners on multiple phases of development - it was AMAZING!  For starters, K is no longer just "accidentally" batting things - now she is full on swatting them (a la Dikembe Mutombo in the Geico commercial).  When she's on the playmat, she is unquestionably slapping the horse, the lion, and the Lamaze critter (which I think is a peacock but honestly have NO IDEA), but even better - she's now grabbing and pulling them!




For the past few weeks, she's taken an increased interest in her bib, holding it almost all the time and even putting it in her mouth.  And while up until this week I was convinced that was just because she couldn't find her hand underneath the bib, I now believe she's on a voyage of discovery with her myriad bibs and quite enjoys chewing on all the different fabrics - she certainly enjoys puking and slobbering all over them...

I first noticed how much more control and how improved her motor skills were on Thursday when I put the "Oz Mouse" in her car seat.  She not only grabbed on of the ears, but she actually pulled the critter to her torso.  It was really cool to watch, as I'd seen her try previously but not make any progress due to the weight of the object she was pulling.  This time, however, she had almost no trouble moving that little guy closer to her face.

Lady Brisbee of Nihm would NOT be happy,
as I think the Munchkin as a taste for mice.

She still hasn't found her right thumb, but she is using both hands at this point (although still definitely favoring her left - YEAH, BABY!!!).  That's great news for multiple reasons, not the least of which is that she is now FINALLY using both arms to push up during tummy time (vs. just letting the right hand flop out).  Jenny sent me photos while I was at the airport on Monday night, and just during the hour I was away from home she'd gone from being a "rug" to being a "rug rat," as she was actually lifting herself up and moving around without crying.  Now granted, we've had some mixed success with that since my return, but it's definitely still trending in the right direction.

But perhaps the biggest victory to date?  HEAD CONTROL, BABY!!!!  That's right, folks - the munchkin has gone from a rollerball head to well and truly being able to control her little bone head and hold herself upright!  It really is amazing how quickly this transformation has occurred.  It's as though a light switch suddenly went off and she realized, "you know, this will be MUCH easier if I just do this on my own vs. crashing into my father's sternum all the time" - spectacular.  I am so proud of her, and every day her neck seems to be getting stronger.  JT deserves a lot of the credit, as she's been putting her in the jumperoo every day for 10-15 minutes, and that is paying HUGE dividends.  Now granted her little legs don't go all the way to the ground, but her toes touch the floor, and she's definitely getting the hang of the jumperoo.  Now, in the spirit of complete disclosure, I must confess that the songs on that jumperoo DRIVE ME CRAZY - but hey, she seems to like them, which is really all that matters. :-)

Not really sure who's having more fun in this picture...

So Friday was a very big day in the life of Team Taylor - the munchkin's 4 month appointment!  It was a good news story all around, as I'm happy to report that K is "developmentally on track" (direct quote from the Peds).  Our one big concern heading into the appointment was her weight, as she's chunked up quite nicely lately, and we were a bit concerned that we were over-feeding her.  The doctor said that, whilst she was solid for her age and disproportional to her height (she's just tipped 24 inches, putting her in the 30th percentile) - she weighed in at 14 pounds and 10 ounces, putting her in the 75th percentile - she was not concerned about breast fed babies, as they tend to carry a little more weight at first but burn it off soon enough once they become a bit more mobile.  She did tell us to cap K at 32 ounces per day, which is actually more than she takes on average and consequently isn't a concern.  This weekend she's held steady at about 7-7.5 ounces a feed, well south of her "upper spec limit."  Oh, and in case anyone's scoring, her head now has a circumference of 39.5 cm - she's cracked the 10th percentile, baby!!!!!!!  IQ WILL BE OFF THE CHARTS!!!!!! :-)

"To infinity...and beyond!"

The only items we did have to address (and are in process of doing) were 2 lotion treatments - lotrimin for her neck and pits (daily for a week to clear up a fungal rash) and hydrocortisone 1% for her scalp (2x daily for 2 weeks or until it goes away).  We started both yesterday, and it's INSANE how much better she looks today.  We've also been instructed to start bathing her every other day and to lotion her twice a day due to having slightly dry skin.  And whilst it might be dry, her skin is absolute porcelain - SOOOOOO CUTE.  Oh, and there was a classic moment when I told her that we'd been keeping the
house 75 to try and keep her warm.  The Peds looked at me as though I was from Mars and said, "Oh, that is WAAAAAAY too hot - that explains the heat rash on her back.  Keep it at 71-72."  Munchkin, it's a good thing daddy loves you, because our electric bill is about to SKYROCKET.

The goals for the next 2 months will include rolling over in both directions, sitting up straight without assistance, and perhaps the biggest challenge - starting solid foods.  We've got a good game plan and are quite excited about it, but luckily we've got a good 6 weeks before we have to try it for the first time (translation:  the Bull and Striker have 6 weeks to find a high chair at consignment and figure out how to work their food processor).

The Bull and Striker brought the munchkin along for date night on Saturday - nothing like rocking up
at 4:57 PM and being the first folks in the place.  It's a new world, kids...

There was more soy sauce on the burp cloth than spit up - I'm a pretty classy guy.

Another big happening on Saturday - Mindy's shower.  Very soon Kaitlyn will have a new best friend
who lives down in Charleston - Min is 34 weeks in this photo!

Also, whilst we sing to her often and read to her daily, the doctor said that we need to formalize the reading routine.  Consequently, today the Bull commenced reading "The Great American Road Trip" - courtesy of Grammie - to our daughter.  She is already VERY excited about the Hollywood sign and is glad that the arson fire that damaged one of the "L's" resulted in a 250K renovation.

So there you have it - a daughter who's changing daily and a set of parents who are desperately trying to keep up, document everything, and enjoy every moment.  I think we're doing a pretty good job so far - at a minimum, we're certainly enjoying the ride.  The next 3-4 weeks will be quiet for us and give us some time to recharge before a busy fall that will see the munchkin on her first airplane!  Helloooooo pacifier... :-)

Chat soon,

Sam and Jenny