Age of Lady Kaitlyn: 8 months and 1 week
Family,
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| I wanna go to Pittsburgh, mommy!!! |
And a good evening to you from the Queen City, where Team Taylor is back from a FANTASTIC weekend in the Steel City. But hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves, as it was another terrific (and busy!) week in the life of Team Taylor (party of three).
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| First time facing OUT in the Bjorn! |
In terms of the work week, K had 3 big events worth recording.
The first was that K met her first "international man of mystery" this week - the Reverend (and Y Parchedig) Owain Morgan! Owain is a buddy of mine who works in our London office (but he's a Welshman - be careful how you label him! :-)), and we have worked together across the Pond since 2006. He is without a doubt one of the most genuine and flat out best guys I know, and we had a great dinner (even if I did accidentally tell our other buddy Matt the wrong restaurant...details...).
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| Ychida! Cymru am byth!!! |
The second was that she had her first follow-up appointment with the pediatric physical therapist. Now JT and I had been working our poor daughter like drill instructors during the Navy SEALs hell week, and so we were curious to see what progress she was making. We certainly felt that she was exhibiting more strength, and we hoped the expert was going to concur with that assessment.
As fate would have it, the appointment (which we thought we'd planned perfectly) coincided with her nap period (she'd managed to get a bit off that day), which meant that she showed up sweet as can be and with the biggest smile this side of Mercury, but our little girl was a sleepy cutie bootie. Consequently, it took her a bit of time to rev the engine. :-)
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You wanna win the cross-fit games? You
better start 'em young...just sayin'... |
Just like last time, the PT was terrific. She was very patient, answered all of our questions, and did an amazing job of not only keeping K focused but also smiling and laughing. For my part, I thought the session was an absolute riot, as there were so many "too cute" moments where K either refused to do what the PT wanted or just flat laid there, taking in the world. The early prediction for our daughter is type B introvert - which is completely and totally 100% fine by me. :-)
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This pose is a familiar one. It's called "why
would I move when you bring everything to me? |
In terms of progress, K's sitting is NOTICEABLY better. She has definitely elongated her spine, and the PT noted that she's doing a much better job of engaging her hips. She also did a nice job on the exercise ball, adjusting as she was leaned forward and to both sides. She didn't like it at first, but she definitely got the hang of it pretty quick (and started engaging the muscles).
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So JT is actually doing one of the prescribed
exercises - carry her at an angle so she'll adjust. |
In terms of rolling, however, it was HILARIOUS! The PT said, "let me see you roll," and K looked at her as though she were an alien who'd just landed speaking Mongolian. It didn't matter what toy the PT brought out - K wanted none of it. The gal even brought out a sloped surface to encourage her to roll WITH GRAVITY - nada. Instead, she clung onto the top for dear life, and when the PT took her hand away, she simply "shimmied" down the slope on her butt. The message was clear - I will roll when I am DAMN GOOD AND READY. Too cute...
Our next appointment is in 3 weeks, which I think is good, as it will give us time to work with her over Thanksgiving (lots of dedicated time then!). And we were encouraged, as the therapist a) said that she could see improvement and b) gave us new stretches and exercises to further improve her, which to me is a good thing.
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| Georgeanne helping out during play time. |
Milestone #2 is one that's been MONTHS in the making - K has her first tooth! We wondered why she'd been a bit fussier than normal over the past week, and now (as of Friday) we know - she's joined the tooth club! JT and I found this HYSTERICAL, as we've had people tell us she's teething since she was 3 month old. In fact, every time my mum has seen her, she's said that she was teething. Well, she's finally in the club - it's such a teeny little nub!
The weekend was just perfect, as we took Friday off and flew to Pittsburgh to watch UNC vs. Pitt and visit with our friends - Team Brothernides! They have 2 girls as well (Georgeanne and Ivanna), and all week they'd been talking about how excited they were to play with baby Kaitlyn. Sure enough, they were like two big sisters - they took GREAT care of her!
The weekend was a blast - great food, new beer, a Heels victory (and a babysitter to boot, which allowed for a bit of tailgating - booooooonuuuuuuuus), and plenty of laughs & fellowship. The only hiccups were:
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| Pre-gaming outside Heinz Field - GO HEELS!!!! |
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| Cheering on the Heels to a 34-27 victory over the Panthers. What a beautiful day! |
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| The gang, fresh off a victory (and ready for some cheese at the post-game tailgate). |
1. Friday night when I took my eye off of K for ONE SECOND (not kidding, it was ONE SECOND) and she fell backwards, slamming her little bone head onto the floor. Yes - father of the year (and now minus one cochlea, as she screamed her lungs out).
2. Saturday night when we returned form the game. The babysitter had said (and I quote) "she is the happiest, most perfect baby ever. I want one just like her" just before handing her over to us...at which point K went COMPLETELY MENTAL. She started screaming and crying - sub-optimal.
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K slept in the laundry room - which she LOVED.
A constant hum, pitch black - she actually slept
12.5 hours one night! |
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| All the gals! |
3. Sunday afternoon on the flight home. K slept on me all the way there and all the way back, but with 10 minutes until landing in CLT, she woke up and decided to tell the world she was hungry. K has a very unique way of crying in that you get the first salvo (the fore shock), then a deep breath, where silence ensues (the eye of the hurricane), and then the full force scream (the Shuraka winds of the Apocalypse). Well, in this particular episode, she sucked in so much air that she almost de-pressurized the cabin - WOW. But hey, we got her fed, and soon enough all was right with the world.
We got back about 6, and it was a power hour of feeding, bathing, and unpacking. Team Taylor's adult contingent got in bed too late last night, and we're paying for it today. But I must fight through, as the Panthers are on Monday Night Football!
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| No one gets out of making K do tummy time! |
AC, Jeebs, Georgie, and Ivanna - thank you all SO MUCH for such a PERFECT weekend. Burgatory is pretty much the greatest place EVER. :-)
To everyone else - have a great week! We'll chat next Sunday. :-)
Love,
Sam and Jenny
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