And the babbler arrives...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  7 months and 11 days

Family,

Look at this girl pulling up into Cobra - Yoga instructor
in training!  Such a cute, happy baby in the morning.

And a good (not so) idle Tuesday to you from the Queen City - another week is in the books!  I realize I'm two days late committing this one to the server, but MAN has it been busy.  Plus, with weekends being so absolutely precious with the Munchkin and Muffin, I am finding it increasingly harder to pull myself away from the girls to make these entries.  That being said, this is an important historical record of this amazing time in our lives, and I do want to ensure I keep it up to date!

So the past week was another great one.  For starters, after 7 weeks of congestion, I think the munch might FINALLY be clearing up a bit.  We haven't had to use the nose-frida in the last couple of days, and bottle feeding has DEFINITELY been easier for her.  And whilst I'm sure it's just temporary, we do think that the temperature in the new day care is a bit warmer, which is (hopefully) contributing to her drying out somewhat.

K has a new obsession - monkeys.  She's quite fond
of looking at them, touching them...and eating
their faces.

And whilst the congestion does seem to be abating somewhat, another problem has resurfaced.  About a month ago, we noticed that K's head was definitely tilting (the crown of her head was pointing to the right, with her chin pointing to the left).  At first we just diagnosed it as "she doesn't have the strength to hold her head up," but the first daycare commented that she could have a stiff muscle in her neck, causing her to favor that one side.  They started her on some stretches, and the difference was almost immediate.  However, now that we've moved, it seems as though her head position has deteriorated yet again.  The technical term is "tortichollis," but we have no idea if it really is an issue.  JT and I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday to confirm (and K gets her second flu shot - lucky girl!), but I think it's safe to say that some stretches are in our future (and I get the sinking feeling that she won't like them...).

And in this corner, weighing in at 18 pounds, the undisputed
cutest kid on earth....KAITLYN TAYLOR!!!!!

Note to self - rolling now means "I will eat
everything."

As far as her disposition, she continues to be the happiest kid on the planet.  She ALWAYS smiles when we get her up from a sleep, and she always smiles at me when I pick her up from daycare.  Whilst at daycare, she apparently smiles all the time and is quite the inquisitive munchkin - two things that do a father's heart good.  I definitely think she's super alert - she's always watching the world around her (with those beautiful, big eyes), reaching for things, and feeling new textures.  And still the cutest thing is when I pick her up from daycare - she basically grabs both veins in my next, twists and squeezes (and rips my skin apart with her Wolverine-style nails), and then plants her open mouth on my cheek - too cute (as is the ensuing smile).  And whilst she's not napping much at daycare (we're talking 3 naps of 10-30 minutes each - NOTHING), she's still very active (and more importantly - crashing HARD in the evening).  She's been a bit fussy at times during feeding, and her appetite definitely bounces from day to day.  Yesterday (Monday) she ate like a champ, but typically she's right at the "Mendoza line" on bottle intake (about 24 oz + the 2 oz for cereal).  When it comes to solids, however - LOOK OUT.  That girl can EAT!  She loves them!  Fruits will start next week - take cover!!!

Hey mommy, please remember that, when you
make this demon face...

...I will rip out every last shred of hair.

We did make another VBGB run this week, and K definitely did NOT enjoy that.  JT ended up taking her home early, but the highlight of the night was the Bull and Striker (the first 2 folks at the bar) sitting in our car whispering to each other and waiting for the rest of the gang (whilst the munchkin slept in the back).  She'd been away basically 5+ hours, and she crashed on the drive to Uptown.  We let her sleep a good hour, but I'm not sure she ever actually woke up before we put her down at 6:45.  She was an ANGEL during the weekend, however, and it was a PERFECT, happy 2 days.  As JT said:  "This feels just like maternity."

Celebrating a BIG Vols win:  23-21 over
the Gamecocks!  And note the head tilt - that
is what we'll be investigating this week.

As for the big accomplishments this week, the first is that she is FINALLY jumping in the Jumperoo!!! What was previously a "sedentary apparatus" has suddenly become quite the active session for the Munchkin, and she seems to really enjoy it!  She's also finally started playing with the "honeycomb sliders" at the front of the jumperoo.  I am proud, as I've been pushing that particular apparatus for some time now.  In fact, she's now playing with everything on there except 2 items in the back (not really her fault since we never point her that way).  And yes - she still LOVES to throw and eat blocks.

The other accomplishment has been the vocabulary - the Munchkin is now saying consonants!  So far we can get a steady stream of "babababababababababababababababa" - especially when she's tired.  What cracks us up is not how long she can go but the face she makes when doing the sound.  She makes this adorable little frown - too cute!

Okay - that's it for now.  chat again soon!

Love,

Sam and Jenny

Kaitlyn rolls seven months...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  7 months and 3 days

Family,

The Munch at 7 months and a day! Thanks
Uncle Ron and Aunt Janet - K loves
her dress!  

And a good Monday afternoon (Columbus Day) to you from the Queen City - WHAT A WEEK!  I would say that I don't know where to begin, but that's rather silly considering that the answer is always the same:  Monday. :-)

This week has been a HUGE one for the munchkin on many different levels, beginning with her starting a new daycare - Primrose School.  We had heard AMAZING things about this place from 2 separate couple friends of ours, and we actually put ourselves on the wait list when Jenny was EIGHT WEEKS PREGNANT (that's right, sports fans - we've been on the list since August of 2012).  Well, we officially got the green light back in September, and considering a) the rave reviews, b) the proximity to the house, and c) the time invested, we decided to go for it.  Now don't get us wrong - we LOVED the other place.  However, the convenience of this spot could not be beaten (3 min from the house vs. 20).

I am happy to say that the experience thus far has been truly incredible.  When we showed up on Day 1, the front office staff was there to greet us and said, "This must be Kaitlyn."  The infant room team has been fantastic so far in terms of working diligently on the motor skills we've requested, and every afternoon I've arrived to find Kaitlyn working on sitting up or motor skills with one of the instructors (we're very lucky in that there are 5 other kids almost her exact same age in the class - new friends!).  But the funniest occurrence was on Monday morning.  I handed them my child - they handed me homework!  This guy was the proud recipient of 100 flash cards for sign language.  And YES, in case anyone's curious - we are working on some of the basic ones with her.

K gearing up for another big day working on sitting.

As for the little munch herself, this week has been EPIC in terms of developmental milestones.  She's now eating 3x per day (1.5 tablespoons of cereal twice daily, followed by a half jar of vegetables) - squash and green beans were the new veggies of the week!  We're now contemplating whether or not to introduce sweet potatoes before going back through "the greens," as we want to ingrain a love for plain veggies before we get too crazy with the cheese whiz.  She definitely prefers the veggies to the cereal, but she's not turning anything down. :-)  Soon I reckon we'll have to increase both the cereal and the veggie, but we actually reduced the cereal from 4 tablespoons to 3 this week to ensure she gets enough milk/formula (baseline minimum is 24 oz, and right now she's hovering between 24-26.  We've also reduced the amount of milk/formula in the bottles, sending only 2 six ounce (vs. 8 previously) bottles to daycare and using just 7 ounces morning and night.  So far she's still sleeping through the night (knock on wood), but we'll monitor it to see if she starts waking up earlier.

We honestly thought that she'd be taking more milk and formula given how active she's been lately - especially at daycare, where she's doing virtually ZERO sleeping.  They are working her hard on sitting and tummy time, and it is DEFINITELY paying off.  Whilst we wouldn't want to leave her unattended, there's no question that she can sit on her own now without support. She's lasted well over 2-3 minutes on her own with no support (albeit a bit slouched), and I definitely think she's on the verge of being able to maintain that posture longer.  We're working with her a lot at home as well (both propped against us and the bumbo), and the results have been quick and AMAZING.  It really is an amazing science - she's 1 month behind when adjusted for gestational age, and she's hitting all of her 6 month milestones almost exactly 1 month later than "the books and experts" predict it happens.  Way to go, munchkin - catching up fast!

Tummy time is now NO problem.  In fact, the
only problem is keeping her ON her tummy!
And this photo was K's first time in jeans - she
looks like a little girl!  Ah, heartbreaker...

I say "catching up fast" because this week she rolled over (no pun intended - ok, very much intended) another milestone - the Munchkin can now roll back and forth from her tummy to back!  She rolled over at daycare on Tuesday, meaning that her crib now has the "green check mark" and the sign that says, "Hi, my name is Kaitlyn and I can roll over and sleep on my tummy."  She'd been sleeping on her side a lot recently (left side), but now she is FULL BOARD ROLLY POLY!!!!!  Seriously - it is NUTS to watch her in her crib now - she will start in the normal position, but by the end of each nap she will have gone ALL OVER that crib - it's not unusual to find her with her feet where her head used to be, perpendicular in the crib to how we laid her, or wedged all the way in the corner (where her face is out of our field of vision - a little uncomfortable for us).  She's also flailing her arms and legs during sleep, and on more than one occasion she's had an arm or leg through the slats of the crib.  Luckily she hasn't woken up and FREAKED OUT yet when this has occurred. :-)

What made all this extra special was the number of folks who got to witness it this weekend.  You see, yesterday (October 13th) was Wife Muffin's birthday - the big 3-5!!! - and her sister (Aunt/Fairy Godmother Kim) and her husband (Uncle Matt) made the drive up from Atlanta to be with us and help celebrate.  Jenny's folks came up as well, as Kim's birthday was September 28 and Jan's birthday (that's Jenny's mom) was 1 October.  Plus Friday marked the 7 month anniversary for the Munchkin, so we had LOADS of important dates for all the Tacy women.  Saturday was a big celebration, complete with lunch out, presents, and of course - a photo shoot for the munchkin!  I mean, I know that I'm a wee bit biased, but still - SERIOUSLY - cutest.  Kid.  EVER.

K checking to see if her fairy godmother's hair
actually does contain pixie dust...

Sunday was Jenny's actual birthday, and we celebrated with a quiet (but perfect) day in - big breakfast, some football, relaxation, and lots of quality time with the munchkin.  Kim's law school roommate even came over with her wee one (Prince Henry - 4 months old and ADORABLE!  I suppose I would be ok with K dating a younger man...), so we got a chance to catch up with her for the first time in 19 months (last time we'd seen her was St. Patty's Day of 2012 - quite a bit's changed since then!).

The last big milestone was perhaps the best birthday present Jenny could have asked for - SHE'S DONE PUMPING!!!!  That's right, sports fans - after 7 months (1 month longer than her goal and with loads of milk still to spare in the freezer) of pumping, the Striker is finally done!  She had scaled it back to twice a day the last couple of weeks, but given how quickly the supply has dwindled this week, we both realized that the "return on investment" was no longer there.  We've still got enough milk to carry us for about a month, especially since 75% of the bottles are formula at this point.  I'M SO PROUD OF YOU, MUFFIN!!!!  TAKE A BOW AND ENJOY THIS NEW FOUND FREEDOM!!!!!!

Socks courtesy of Matt's mom - LOVE THEM!

The munch is now asleep and Jenny's making a "BJ's run" as I type this, so I reckon I'll load the photos and then sign off ahead of her 3rd feed of the day.  Jenny and I chuckled about this weekend, as it marks the first Columbus Day since 2003 that we've not been somewhere on vacation this weekend (and the only reason we didn't go anywhere in 2003 is because we'd only been dating 2 months).  Life is definitely moving at a different speed, but we couldn't be happier.  Kaitlyn's personally is REALLY starting to come out now, and it's a disposition filled with smiles, laughter, curiosity, shyness, and sweetness.  When I look at how blessed I am and the fact that I get so much dedicated time with my soul mate and my daughter, I can't help but think that, as much as I've always loved travel, why on EARTH would I want to be anywhere other than in this house bonding with my girls.  Once again, I have realized that my cup truly runneth over.

Okay, that's it for this edition.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WIFE MUFFIN!!!!!!  I LOVE YOU!!!!!  BEST WIFE AND MOMMY EVER!!!!!!!

Love,

Sam (and Jenny remote from Aisle 16 at BJ's)

Motor Skill Mania!!!!

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  6 months and 27 days

Family,

Nothing beats peas, baby!!!

And a good Monday evening to you from the Queen City, where my wife is currently getting ripped in 30 and (NO JOKE) jogging around the island in the kitchen.  I don't really know how to respond to what I'm seeing right now - but she sure is hot. :-)

This week was a BLUR for Team Taylor, but it was packed with milestones yet again!  It is AMAZING how alert Kaitlyn has become over the last few days.  Over the past weeks and months she's become progressively more alert and inquisitive, but this weekend has witnessed an explosion of activity!  This past weekend saw her roll over twice from her tummy, and she's made HUGE strides in the sitting department (wow - that wasn't really meant to be a pun, but whatever).  On Thursday I sat her up in the crib, and she was legitimately able to sit there for 90-120 seconds without any assistance from me.  She's now able to push herself back up when she falls forward, which means she's learned to "negotiate the breast milk belly" as our Peds would say.  And where she was previously lunging all over the place, she's now much more in control.

EGAD!  Why are the Vols wearing gray?

On the tummy time front, it is AMAZING the difference now.  She no longer gets tired.  In fact, she not only keeps her head up during tummy time, but she is now pushing herself up more and more.  Today was a new record - she was basically pulling up into Cobra - WOW!

You caught me - I AM little bunny Foo Foo.

Another VERY exciting development for us is that she's largely stopped tilting her head to one side when she's unsupported.  We'd noticed this several weeks ago, but last week one of the teachers at the daycare mentioned it as well.  I have to give Ms. Arriva all the credit in the world, as she instantly put her on "baby physical therapy," and it is CRAZY how dramatically things have improved.  During the day, every toy K reached for was on her left side, so that she had to look that way.  The teacher also did stretches to work out the sore muscle, and she even put her on her side to sleep (which is how she now naps - usually with her right arm slung over her face - too cute :-)).  She also told us to support her neck in the infant carrier and stroller, and we've started that.  The results, I am THRILLED to say, have been almost instantaneous - now it's up to us to keep monitoring her progress.  She definitely has the neck strength now, so we'll just ensure we're keeping her looking in both directions.

Wife Muffin getting "ripped in 30" - Munch,
your mom has traded in laps in a pool for
trying to turn her arms into a helicopter -
it's the ultimate sacrifice! :-)

In the food department, we've now added carrots to the regime, and she LOVES them.  Seriously - she finished an ENTIRE JAR tonight, and there was basically NOTHING on her bib.  I mean, her mother and father dog carrots like it's nothing on a nightly basis, so perhaps it was something in the breast milk.  Stay tuned, as green beans are the next food on the docket. :-)  I will say that, after trimming down pre-starting solids, the munch is starting to put a little weight back on.  She's getting her little rolls back, and she is SOOOOOOOOOO CUTE - peppy cheekies.

But I would be remiss if I didn't highlight one tough aspect of the week - leaving Gateway Academy daycare.  After a short 4 week stint there, Team Taylor had to say farewell to the staff, who are some of the nicest and most wonderful people on the planet.  I honestly can't say enough good things about the entire crew, and the best part was watching K's face light up each morning when she saw her teacher.  They called her "love love," and I heard more than once that she gave the best hugs.  It was tough saying goodbye, and they gave us a very nice farewell note that now resides in K's baby chest.  I'll talk more about daycare in the next blog (coming on JT's birthday next Sunday), but for now let me say THANK YOU, members of the Gateway Academy team.  You were terrific, and I can't thank you enough for how you looked after our little girl.

But in happy news, 2 events to report from this week.  First off - THE CONDO WENT UNDER CONTRACT ON FRIDAY!!!!!  After 90 or so days on the market, Team Taylor got a solid offer and accepted after a brief negotiation.  We close in less than a month!  Fingers crossed it all works out!  And whilst we are obviously THRILLED to be selling it (as that was the goal of putting it on the market!), we both definitely got a wee bit sad when thinking that the place we called home for half a decade and owned for 8 years was about to pass to someone else.  It was the first place we ever owned together, the first place we returned to as husband and wife, and the place that allowed us to live our dream of traveling overseas for so many years.  We have a TON of fond memories of "the way station," and I hope the new owners have as many wonderful adventures as we did whilst calling that place home.

The twins on their 3 month (quarter year)
birthday - Steve bought pumpkin pie to
celebrate, and the girls were gussied up.

Lastly, Sammy the Bull played hooky this weekend and actually flew down solo to Florida, where I crossed off a bucket list item - seeing a game in the Swamp.  That's right, sports fans, this guy even donned Gator Orange and Blue to watch the Gators beat the Hogs in an SEC showdown.  I went with cousin Steve, and it was an absolute BLAST.  And whilst my exploits aren't the focus of this blog, they can be included when I get to see family - ESPECIALLY THE TWINS!!!  It's amazing what a difference 6 weeks has made.  They are holding their heads up much better, the are growing like weeds, and one of them is even sleeping through the night (Malin - McKinley is still getting up 2-3x per night).  I only got to see them a few hours, but it was fantastic, and got some GREAT pics.

I know that was a quick one given how much happened and how many accomplishments there were to record.  However time is precious, and this guy's gotta get some food before bottle preparation begins!

Love,

Sam and Jenny