In the new world order, there are few things more precious than a quiet weekend at home...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  4 months and 3+ weeks

Family,

Check out the muscles on the munchkin -
Baby Spanx is the way to go!!!

And a good Sunday afternoon to you from the Queen City, where the munchkin is down for the count and Wife Muffin is whipping up some scrambled eggs and pancakes.  This weekend has been quiet, but NO COMPLAINTS from this guy, as Team Taylor was EXHAUSTED and wanted a few quiet nights in (even an AFD on a Saturday - somebody call Guinness!!!).

The week was good - nothing major to report and steadily busily - but good.  On the munchkin front, Kaitlyn continues to grow stronger.  We've now started "standies," which is basically where we make her stand on our lap (and occasionally on accident my twig and giggleberries when she starts kicking).  I am happy to report that her leg muscles are VERY strong, as evidenced not only by her standing time but also by the way she kicks and wiggles like a banshee trapped in a wardrobe during feeding or uses ONLY her legs during tummy time.  And on the tummy time subject, we may have regressed there a bit, as whilst the K's neck and back muscles are definitely getting stronger, she's now quite content to simply lay flat on her belly and suck her left thumb (and in case anyone's out there scoring - NO, she's still not found her right thumb.  She actually had it in her mouth the other day, but NO DICE.  I mean, why settle for the thumb when you can suck on THE ENTIRE FIST, right?

I think the biggest news of note this week is how we've really settled into a routine during wake time with the munchkin.  The schedule is as follows:

"So rock me, mamma, like a wagon wheel..."

1. Wake (she is ALWAYS smiling when we wake her up - few things in life are as precious as that smile with the single dimple) and nappy change (as well as lotrimin and lotion in the morning, followed by wiping away all "cheese" and "gunk" - both very technical terms - from her face and crevices (knee caps, pits, etc)

2.  Feed - she's consistently drinking 7-8+ ounces, and dare I say I think she's spitting up less. Now granted, when she does spit up, it's something like Mount St. Helens, and it should be noted that she still possesses an AMAZING gift for finding the one stitch of clothing the burp cloth doesn't cover and COATING IT with partially digested milk.  But let's be honest - as all of my clothes are 14+ years old, it's not really that big of an issue

Check out the WARDROBE of clothes from
the Brothernides clan - thanks, AC and Jeebs!!!

3.  Sitting time - we start in the bumbo, which is always best in the morning because she's the most rested and capable of holding her head up.  It's funny to watch as the exhaustion creeps in, as first she finds her thumb and then secondly her head begins slopping further and further forward until she's basically doubled over.  I know, I know - GREAT parenting...but we also read to her here.  Mom- you'll be happy to know that, after the storyboard books, K's first book was "The Great American Road Trip" - your gift to me on my first Father's Day. :-)  Next up - "501 Must See Destinations," courtesy of the Mad Peruvian and Brother Paul.

4.  Active time - we then move her to the jumperoo, where she's a bit more active on one condition - that mommy and daddy sing to her along with the music from the apparatus.  And now's a good time to say it - HAVE YOU HEARD HOW RIDICULOUS SOME OF THESE SONGS ARE?  Seriously - the "animal cracker" song?  Are you KIDDING ME?  That being said, Jenny and I pulled up "Little Bunny Foo Foo" and "Little Rabbit Come Inside" on YouTube yesterday and realized that, much like these songs, those are utter donkey trash.  All of a sudden the Teletubbies theme doesn't feel quite so out in left field...which is terrifying in and of itself.  But the big win on the jumperoo happens when watching K with "the letter blocks," as I think she's figuring out that if you pull the string and push them, they will fall off the board and out of her field of vision.  Now granted, she doesn't yet know how to get them back INTO her field of vision, but hey - baby steps.

Pool training continues...how cute are they...

5.  Filling the 2 hours - this is usually a combination of the playmat and the travel swing, which she's quite enjoying now.  The music is soft, and the swing on level 2 feels just about right for her.  She's also grabbing "Oz Mouse" a lot more now and lifting the little critter to her mouth.  In fact, aside from her bibs (which are CONSTANTLY in her mouth - covered in puke or no), she's now putting Oz Mouse and the KTE blanket (a gift from J-Money) into her mouth as well.  And whilst this screams bacteria, I'm quite excited, as it's definite progress from just "bone-crushing" her thumb.

The other big activity of the week has been increased time in the Bjorn, and today we've got an "excursion" to the tropical paradise that is Target, during which time the munchkin will spend more time in the Bjorn (hopefully acclimating).

This photo was taken about 4 PM on Friday - and no, I am not able to
answer the question as to who was more tired in the photo.

The weekend has been spent getting to bed early (before 10 PM last night!) and sleeping in (meaning 7-7:30...ooooooh, how times have changed), and we managed a nice walk and some overdue to-do's as well.  And whilst we always love the weekends, we know that this time is VERY special now and grows thin, as we've got one more weekend before we start lots of personal and work travel.  In fact, the rest of August will be quite busy, and then September will present a new challenge - JT's return to work.  I have no lie to tell - neither of us are looking forward to that, and there's no question it's something that increasingly feels present as we talk about the munchkin and the future.  But that will be a separate blog for sure, and I think it's fair to say I'm not the person best placed to write about that one. :-)

Okay, the munchkin is ready for food (as is Pappa Bear), so time to get up and get after it.  Chat soon!

Love,

Sam and Jenny