K's first Christmas!!!!!

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  9 months and 18 days

Family,

Matching Pajama-grams - courtesy of Grammie!

And a good Sunday afternoon to you from the Queen City, where Team Taylor is EXHAUSTED from the whirlwind that has been Christmas week.  JT is actually asleep upstairs as I type this (as is the Munchkin), and the Bull will be in bed EARLY tonight after the first AFD in more than a week.  But SO MUCH FUN!!!!!  It has just been perfect, and we can't believe that K's first Christmas has already come and gone.

The latest hand-stitched creation from
Granny Alice - check out that beanie!

So as I believe I mentioned in a previous post, this was the first time that Jenny and I had ever hosted Christmas (or any holiday for that matter).  To call us novices in the kitchen is to give us WAY too much credit, but we were pumped up and ready for the challenge (and when I say "we" I mean "Jenny").  The schedule was tight, with Jenny's family arriving on Tuesday and leaving Friday afternoon before dad's clan arrived just 90 minutes later.  Mom hasn't arrived yet (coming tomorrow), and so the "flip time" for the house between my parents will actually be a full 24-28 hours - what to do with all the spare time! :-)

Still not a huge fan of wearing anything on her head...

Honestly, from the time that Kim and Matt arrived Tuesday (Christmas Eve) at 1 PM, it has been a blur of AMAZING food, great wine and beer, tons of laughs, and many wonderful new memories made.  We kicked things off on Tuesday with Kim, Matt, and Cuz Megan over at the house.  Auntie Megan spent the night, and so we made use of every bed in the house!  It was so fun cooking, being the sommelier, and just hosting in general.  Plates were going fast and furious  (in fact, we have run the dishwasher at least once a day EVERY DAY for the past 10 - I'm scared of the water bill this go around!), and we moved from a cheese tray into 4 cheese gnocchi (along with a shrimp cocktail) and dessert all whilst sipping some excellent red wine (after the bottle of white that had disappeared earlier).  K went down about 7:30 (her schedule was a bit off this week - understandably - but she did get quality time with everyone throughout the week), and the rest of us turned in about 10 PM or so.  Mercifully all of our guests were as exhausted as we were after a month (and year!) of being run ragged, and so we didn't have many late nights (which is a good thing, because K wasn't in a mood to sleep in this week!).

Wednesday was K's first Christmas morning, and whilst she obviously didn't know what was going on, so LOVED having everybody over.  She had a smile from ear to ear as different people held her and played with her.  Kudos to Nanny Tacy for being diligent with K's "PT routine" - those Tacy women give no quarter! :-)  But seriously - the change in K right now is daily and METEORIC.  She is standing (once brought to standing position) for minutes at a time - oftentimes only holding onto furniture with 1 hand!  If you put something on the couch she can touch or play with, she will stand there mesmerized - it is GREAT!  I have been thrilled to watch her continue to strengthen and gain ground on her motor skill milestones - she is now turning much faster, is able to push her self into sitting with barely a second thought, and can push herself backwards for a country mile on the hardwoods - it's so cute to watch her slide!  Still no forward crawling yet, but there have been a few instances where she definitely was moving forward (albeit just 1 motion or 2 at most).  I think the question of "where do my arms go" is still perplexing her, but hey - progress is DEFINITELY noticeable.

Christmas Day itself passed in the blink of an eye.  JT was a WARRIOR in the kitchen, making a casserole, stuffing, AND doing the Christmas ham.  I was SO PROUD of her - she has gone from beginner to Gordon Ramsay in the space of 5 days!  She actually made the broccoli casserole twice this week - once for her fam and once for dad's crew.  The one for dad's crew was made with cheese (her dad is allergic) and was simply delicious.  Matt (who is a master chef) had whipped up a great brekkie as well that morning, and so we ate like kings all day (honestly, I wasn't hungry for about 3 days straight yet ate constantly with reckless abandon).

Christmas morning brekkie - the first usage of the formal
dining room, baby!!!!!

In the gifts department, we all did very well, but K made out like a bandit!  She got several new books, lots of GREAT new clothes, and a rocking bunny plush from Grammie!  Jenny's folks also gave her the VERY generous gift of $500 for her college fund - can't argue with that!  My favorite present for myself would have to be the UNC Tarheel Christmas canvas that Kim made by hand - very impressive!  K, I hope you get your Aunt Kim's penchant for art!

Look who's standing on her own!

Thursday was another terrific and chill day.  Matt was in the kitchen that day, where he made coffee rubbed pork loin and pots de creme (amongst other things).  It was FANTASTIC, and we ate like there was no tomorrow.  Jenny and Kim's mom also joined us that day and spent the night, so it was another day of relaxing and hanging out.  And in a surprise, the Bull even got out for a matinee movie!  I went to see "American Hustle" - the first movie in a theater since becoming a dad!  Wow - 9.5 months between visits to the cinema - how is that even possible...especially for this guy.

On Friday we said bye to Kim, Matt, and Nanny.  Kim actually had to work on Thursday and Friday, so she left us in the morning.  Matt and Nanny, however, left us about 2:30, giving us 90 minutes to get the house prepped for visitors part II - Dad's clan.  The rolled in about 4 PM, and the next 43 hours passed in a blur!

Christmas in the 21st century - Skyping
with the Markham's and Tacy's in FL - so cool.

Granny Alice rolled into the house first with the CUTEST "puppy dog walker" for Kaitlyn - simply adorable!  It has all these interactive features and is PERFECT for where she's at in her development, as she's big enough to ride it and walk behind it.  We spent the evening hanging out and watching football before Adam, Casie, and Briley rolled in just before 9.  We all relaxed for a bit longer before calling it a night, as we had a big event on Saturday - THE BELK BOWL, BABY!!!!!

Now it should be noted that this night was a ROUGH ONE for Team Taylor.  K had been an angel all week, and on this night she'd even gone to bed at 7:30 right on schedule.  Well, at 10:45 (just when everyone is in their rooms and ready to go to sleep) K starts going CRAZY!  I mean, we're not talking"I'm awake in my cube and want to just look around," but instead "Somebody get in here right now before I call Child Services!) - it.  was.  CRAZY.

Given that we had every room full (and a 5 year old in the room beside Pattie), we didn't want to let her cry it out.  We picked her up and tried to sooth her in her room twice, but she was having NONE OF IT.  The first time she was fine when we picked her up but went crazy when we put her back into her crib.  The next time, however, she went crazy even when she was in the chair (after we'd taken her out of the room to try and distance the fam from the screaming).

Ultimately, we had to break out the PACK 'N PLAY from the car and put her to bed in our room RIGHT BESIDE me.  In retrospect, I think it was a mixture of a) her having so many new faces and by extension sensory overload, b) her not burning as many calories during the day (we weren't doing the normal drills with her given that we wanted to ensure all family had a chance to hold her), and c) probably some louder than usual noises whilst trying to sleep.  But the good news is that, by 11:45 PM, she was back down and sleeping, and she remained calm until 7:22 that morning (which was a good thing, because Team Taylor's adult contingent needed SLEEP).

Tailgating with the fam - Pattie was a trooper
with her crutches!

Saturday was a BLAST - Team Taylor's first football game in a year!  The Tarheels were in the Belk Bowl vs. the Cincinnati Bearcats, and so we rolled 6 deep over to Bank of a America Stadium for a fun-filled day of tailgating, concerts, and football.  We had a good brekkie before saying goodbye to the Munch (Granny Alice kept her and Bailey), arriving at our tailgate spot around 11 AM.  Sneetch - you will be proud to know that (when you read this 30 years from now and have already graduated college) your mom was a Flip-Cup Warrior, posting 3 "one-flip" performances. :-)  Seriously - we had SUCH a blast.  It was just great to relax, have a few beers, chat with friends (we pulled up beside some buddies and ran into a few more friends before heading to the game), and "be adults" for an afternoon with no responsibilities other than to ensure that recycling and trash were sorted into the correct bags.  Plus the Heels won, so you can't really complain about the day - so much fun!

That night was Hawthorne's pizza back at the house, and then Sunday morning we had Christmas with the fam (as well as a big breakfast) before they shuffled off about 11:15 AM.  We then spent the day washing, folding, cleaning, unpacking, and doing the other 16,000 tasks still on the to-do list.  And yes, I'm actually finishing this blog (meaning these last few paragraphs) on Monday, so I'll stop now (since that will form next week's installment :-)).

Bone thug in Christmas harmony.

We've still got Christmas and time with Mom and Steve before we officially "conclude" the holidays.  However, with Jenny's return to work looming on Tuesday and mine on Thursday (as well as K's return to daycare), it definitely feels like things are drawing to a close and the new year is beginning.  Hard to believe how quickly Christmas came and went this year, but it was a blast, and I definitely feel that we had adequate time to enjoy it and recharge our batteries.  Also, I must confess that I'm really charged about 2014, as I have a feeling it will be yet another great year.  But let's not get ahead of ourselves, as the EOY recap (and any prognostications for 2014) will be the focus of next week's blog. For now, let me just say that this was a very, VERY special Christmas for us for so many reasons - our first with the rug rat, our first at home, and our first time properly hosting a holiday.  We have been showered with gifts, love, and calories, and I wouldn't have changed a second of this past week.  That being said, I am ready for the new year, as this guy needs to burn some calories and get back into shape (other than round, that is!).

Chat next week - Happy New Year a few days early!

Love,

Sam and Jenny

K's first dance with antibiotics, Santa Part II, and lots of forward progress (all while moving backwards)...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  9 months and 2 weeks

Family,

And a good Sunday afternoon to you from the Queen City - what a week it's been!  We'll start with Monday, where K had the less than dubious distinction of visiting the Peds for the second time in 3 days.  When we went for her 9 month appointment on Friday the 13th, our doctor noticed that she had fluid in her ears.  However, as she was not in pain, still sleeping well, and not running a fever, the Peds said don't worry about it and call her if anything changes.  With our minds on some of the other feedback we'd received during that visit (as covered in the previous blog), we didn't think much about that bit of information.  After all, K's been very happy lately, and snot/a cold has just been part of the mix in the 3 months she's been in daycare.

Fast forward through the weekend, where K was
incredibly happy on Saturday and great on Sunday as well, although she did have an almost 13 hour sleep during the night.  We took her to daycare on Monday, and all seemed right with the world.  She was a bit sleepy, but we just thought that was part of another cold she was working through (similar to the one that sent us to the ER a few weeks back).  Well, sure enough, at 11:36 AM the Bull's phone rings - Primrose calling.  K has just recorded her first ever 100+ temperature, and consequently she requires immediate evac from the other children.  I happened to be uptown that day, but luckily I was at a good stopping point.  And so I packed up my gear and drove to Primrose, where the sneetch was ALL SMILES and very happy to see me (and hug everyone in an 8 block radius).

The miracle elixir...if you can get her to
swallow it.

Nothing more fun than being naked
at the doctor's office!

We called the nurse at the Peds, and she told us to monitor the sneetch over the course of the evening.  Well, she was fine and dandy that night - slept like a champ - but the next morning something was clearly off.  Jenny noticed that she was pulling on her ears, which was one of the warning signs the nurse had mentioned.  The good news was that she didn't have a temperature (and thank goodness Jenny was home and good with doing the rectal temp - that still FREAKS ME OUT), but she was definitely in pain (and a rather nasty cough had started deep in her chest).  Consequently, we had a 2 PM doctor's appointment, where the doctor confirmed K now had an ear infection.  Whilst not ideal, K was still all smiles at the doctor's office, AND we honestly felt relieved to know that we finally had a potential diagnosis for why her head was tilting (it had been sloping again rather severely over the previous 36-48 hours).  And K has now joined the antibiotics club - she's having her first dance with Amoxicillin!  We have to give her 4 mm every 12 hours, and again I am SO GLAD that Jenny is such a wizard with the dropper.  The first time I tried it solo, I'm pretty sure I almost choked my daughter on pink, viscous liquid (which she promptly spit back in my face).

At this point we're 6 nights in, and I definitely think that it's helping.  She definitely got worse before she got better, but today we've absolutely seen improvement - she's coughing less and eating more, even though she still seems a bit off and tired.  She returned to daycare that Wednesday and had no trouble (or fever) the rest of the week - just a deep cough and a lot of congestion which made it tough for her to take the bottle.  I did get worried on Friday that we might have to give her a bit of Pedialite, but luckily she's regained her appetite today (and ate pretty good yesterday as well).

Speaking of Friday, we had 2 other funny moments.  The first was a phone call we received about 11:30 AM (what is it with that time?) from - you guessed it - Primrose.  K had just received her first "incident report."  They called Jenny (who was relaying this to me), and my first thought as she pinged me was "our daughter bit someone."  Of course, that was followed up by the realization that "she only has 2 teeth - how bad could it have been?"  Well, I was wrong on both fronts, as K was not the instigator but instead the victim of a renegade flying rattle that accidentally whacked her across the forehead whilst she was playing with one of the other kids.  I am happy to report that a) the bruise is minor, b) K is still all smiles, and c) I don't think we'll be suing for assault and battery. :-)  And YES, I did have to take a photo of the "incident report" - too cute!

Hold her and distract her...and suddenly
there is silence in earth and Heaven.

The other activity was tempting fate, but we had to do it - Santa Part II!!!  Santa showed up at Primrose, and JT and I were on-hand to both get her reaction and try for another family photo.  I'm happy to report that this particular session went much, MUCH better.  As it turns out, all you have to do is not hand her to the man in the big red suit but instead let her munch on her teething ring, and all is right with the world.  We also got a chance to meet a few other moms who were there for the same reason, and it was nice to meet the folks who you may some day become good friends with (most of the kids in that class live in Highland Creek, and so it's not a stretch to think that K might go to school with some of those kids for the next 18 years - how crazy is that?).

There were a few other first for K this week.  For starters, we began "dental care" this weekend.  Basically, "dental care" to an infant means you take this tiny little rubber thimble, put it on our index finger, and then move it around the baby's mouth whilst a) you work to ensure she doesn't gag and b) she tries to break you finger in a vice grip.  I am supposed to do it twice a day, but so far one time a day has been my limit - largely because I'm too lazy to wash it unless I'm also washing the bottles at the end of the day.  K - if you're reading this 30 years from now, I am sorry your father was so lazy, and please don't fault me for any cavities you have or had - genetically I've given you very good teeth!  Hopefully that makes up for everything else I've given you to date. :-)

We also started Stage 3 foods this week.  Now honestly, I CANNOT tell much difference in terms of how pureed some of the Stage 3 foods are vs. Stage 2, but I can say that the flavors are HILARIOUS!  We have jars of "chicken noodle nutritious dinner," "spaghetti and meatballs," "rice pilaf with beef stroganoff," and "turkey, vegetables, and rice" - hilarious!   And whilst most of them do actually smell like some conglomeration of their respective titles, I have no lie to tell - none of them really smell good. We were wimps last night when we tried the first jar - sweet potatoes was as far as we were willing to push it. :-)  But she did rice cereal for the first time today, so that was a new item for the books.  she also started Graduate crunchy puffs, which she seems to like.  Apparently they have the dual benefit of helping with gross motor skills, and it is fun to watch her pick them up in her pincer grip.

Lastly, K received her first wrapped Christmas present, this one from one of Jenny's college friends Flowers.  It was a CUTE dress, and we let K have a crack at opening it before we assisted.  She made a valiant effort, and by valiant I mean did an excellent job of eating both the bow and the wrapping paper - not sure how many new germs we introduced, but it sure was cute...

In other news, the biggest item to report is undoubtably the progress made on K's motor skills.  It is INSANE how quickly it's happening, but everyone told us it would go this way.  In the space of a week, K has gone from rolling on occasion to rolling CONSTANTLY in both directions.  She is turning quite effectively, and she can even go from a sitting position to a laying and crawling position.  She does get up on her knees, but so far she hasn't been able to propel herself forward.  Well, on occasion she will catapult herself forward into the arms of some unsuspecting toy, but normally she goes to her belly.  But you can tell she's thinking about it!  She is able to move backwards (especially on the hardwood!), and she has even pushed herself from laying to sitting twice.  We have her next (and I expect final) PT appointment on January 3, and I think it's going to be excellent news (knock on wood)!

I was also going to report that K seems to have dropped her 3rd nap, but at this point I can't confirm that.  She's dropped it the last 2-3 days, but I think today will be a 3 napper (although she's been out for about 2 hours at this point on the current nap, which is CRAZY).  She took a 2.5 hour nap yesterday as well, and I would love for her to drop the 3rd nap, as it will make her schedule much easier for us.  I also think we'll soon make the move to 3 bottles a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), but that's still a ways down the pike.

The last little bit is a tidbit for K when she reads this 30 years down the road.  I have a new favorite song currently called "King and Lionheart" by "Of Monsters and Men," and it sums up Jenny and I to a tee.  K, when you listen to it on whatever the i-Tunes or SoundCloud equivalent is for your time, remember that this song will always make me think of your mother - someone with never-ending strength and patience who is always there to love me, guide me, and support me, holding my hand no matter where the road may go or where it ends.  I know you will be that same "Lionheart" for someone one day, and he will be a very, very lucky fella.

Okay, time to sign off.  Jenny's doing all the house work, and I need to contribute.  We're hosting Christmas for the first time ever this year, and there's plenty to get done between now and the first arrival on Tuesday afternoon!

Love,

Sam and Jenny  

Kaitlyn rolls 9 months...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  9 months and 4 days

Family,

And a good Sunday afternoon to you (yet again) on this Sunday afternoon, where the munch is passed out for nap #2 - 90 minutes and counting.  It's been another great week for Team Taylor, and another

Happy 9 month, Munch Munch!  Mommy and
Daddy love you!!!!!

milestone has now passed - Kaitlyn Elaine Taylor is now 9 months old.

The big day was actually Wednesday, but since I was traveling and the munch had gone through a few (slightly) fussy days, we waited until Saturday to get the 9 month picks.  It was funny - K actually had no desire to eat the sticker this time (until the end, that is), but for the first time in 9 tries she was NOT excited about posing for a photo shoot.  JT and I now approach the photography in a paparazzi fashion, with 2 cameras going constantly amid shouts at our subject, requesting she look this way.  And whilst it wasn't our best effort, I am pleased with the shots we got. :-)

Pre-photo stretching routine.

Probably the biggest news for us to report was that K had her 9 month Peds visit on Friday.  This was a big one for us, as last time we'd a) been reprimanded for not starting solids and b) had concerns about K's neck.  We went into this one hopeful that we'd get the "all clear' on all fronts and confirmation that K was back on schedule against milestones.  However, that wasn't quite how it went.

First - the facts:  she's grown 2 more inches, putting her at 26.5 inches long (20th percentile).  She now weights 19.5 lbs (65th percentile).  Lastly, her head circumference was in the 10th percentile - still the cutest little bonehead ever! :-)  Also, because she was ahead of schedule for her shots, we didn't have to get any sticks this go-around (or "ouchies" as the doctor calls them).

In terms of motor skills, the good news was that her head didn't droop during the appointment (neither the sudden drop that sent us to the ER nor the tilt that sent us to the PT), and she did a terrific job sitting up.  The Peds wasn't concerned there, nor was she concerned with any of her eating habits (she said that she's growing nicely and that we're ready to start meat and stage 3 foods).  However, the doctor was a bit concerned on some of her other motor skills.  The fact that she hadn't crawled didn't concern her - it was more that she hasn't made an active effort to pull herself up or do any "cruising" - walking along furniture.

We talked about the PT work and that we were seeing improvement, and so we both agreed that it was most likely due to the prematurity.  She told us to keep the final PT appointment in January (scheduled for Friday, the 3rd) and to let her know if K did not show continued improvement over the next month. Honestly, I think we'll be totally fine, as the last 1-2 weeks have been meteoric in terms of her progress.  Within the last week she's started moving from sitting to a crawling position (only to the sides, but she can definitely do it), and her turning has been much better.  Also, we've started standing her at the table (holding her, of course!), and she's already showing stronger legs and a better understanding of what it means to stand on her own.  We obviously have tons of exercises to do with her, and we are performing them diligently when she's awake - poor thing is EXHAUSTED by the end of the day!  I maintain that we'll be fine in a month, so no concerns from the Bull at all.  Kids progress at their own rate, and she seems happy, alert, and inquisitive, so I have no concerns.

Sammy the Bull pointing at the camera, since
we now point at EVERYTHING when talking.

The other slightly alarming discussion was around her 9 month autism test.  I struggle to call it a "scientific analysis," as basically you just fill out a form with your responses and then the Peds tells you whether or not K passed.  Apparently she failed by a point (no idea what the scoring system was), and the concern was largely around language skills.  K hasn't said a word yet (which I would never have expected her to), and to date she's really only used 2 syllables - ba and da.  Well, apparently that's behind where she should be, as most kids should have mama and dada in their repertoire, as well as being able to babble with 5 or 6 consonants.  Again, I'm not worried, but we were told that we'd need to check it again at 1 year to ensure progress was being made.  The good news is that this weekend alone she's added 2 new consonants, so as I've said before - progress is coming fast and furious.  At 1 year she needs 1-3 words aside from mama and dada, and I am confident we'll hit that.   We talk to her all the time, and now we're making much more exaggerated, demonstrative gestures (a lot of pointing for example) to further encourage her understanding that speech is our method of communication.

On the whole, it was not the glorious report I was hoping for, as the doctor showed a bit more concern than I was expecting.  That being said, I really am not worried about K's development, as I treat the milestones in place very much as rough guidelines - especially for a premie.  Also, as I've said in previous blogs, I'm not sure what else Jenny or I can do.  We read several books daily, we do exercises with K multiple times daily, and we are certainly attentive parents.  I think that we just have to keep working with her and showing her love and support.  This weekend alone she's already added clapping to her repertoire, and she can stand longer at the table than at any time previous.

Jenny is more concerned than I am, but like me she's confident that everything is fine.  I think her concern is probably more around the motor skills, whereas mine is more around the language and cognitive development.  However, the rule is that, unless both of us are worried about something, it is NOT an issue.  That should hopefully alleviate some of the concern. :-)

Oh, and side note from the Peds.  K has had bumps on her body for the past month or so, as well as a red spot on her cheek.  We have slathered lotion all over her multiple times daily, but to no avail.  At some point I commented to Jenny - "I wonder if that's karatosis polaris," a skin condition like eczema that I had as a child.  Well, sure enough, we're in the Peds asking about it, and the doctor says, "That's karatosis polaris - it's hereditary."  THAT'S RIGHT, SPORTS FANS.  So far Sammy the Bull has passed down both his tongue and his skin condition - 2 for 2.  That frustrates me, but the bigger concern is that I fear this pattern could lead to me giving her the worst part of my genetic makeup - high blood pressure.  Jenny is 88/58, whereas I'm 135/78 medicated.  Fingers crossed the worst thing she got from me was a surgery when she was 8 days old and a few bumps that will randomly show up (but hopefully vanish once she's older as they did with me).

K loves her "trackin'" - just like her daddy. 

But Peds appointment aside, the week and weekend were both great.  At 9 months, K seems happy as a clam.  She's got 2 teeth, is still sleeping through the night, always wakes up happy, and is definitely progressing against her milestones.  She seems eager to look at new things - case in point would be the John Deere tractor from Granddaddy!  Also, she's taken to sleeping with her butt almost straight up in the air - HILARIOUS!  She's in that pose now (pushing 2 hours of her afternoon nap - no 3rd nap for that one!).  She's eating good - she's tried TONS of new things, but so far we haven't had any texture aversion issues (and only diced bananas and peaches have been blacklisted for her foods).  She continues to love daycare, and she's been illness free (knock on wood) - minus the standard daycare runny nose, of course.

On the parent side, we are getting a bit more flexible in the routine.  Baths are still every other day, but Jenny's now working from home 1-2 days a week, which makes our lives MUCH easier.  It really is great, as it allows us to sleep in a bit a few times a week, meaning we can let her stay up a bit later or amend her afternoon schedule as necessary.  I know that's Jenny's happier, as this way she gets a chance to feed the sneetch and spend more time with her during the week.  All in all, it's been a win-win, and I am SO GLAD she's been able to make that work.

Ok, that's it for this one - a bit more serious than most, but serious topics call for serious words.  But don't worry - Team Taylor ain't skeered. :-)  The munch is happy and healthy and we love her to bits - can't really ask for anything more.

Feels good to be caught up - chat next week!

Love,

Sam and Jenny

Kaitlyn meets Santa!

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  9 months and 4 days

Family,

And a good Sunday morning to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is finally sitting down for this long overdue catch-up blog for the week ending on 8 December (whilst Munch Munch screams upstairs from her crib, for the record).  Apologies that I'm just now getting to this, but as I lost my entire Sunday last week to traveling for work, this is honestly the first chance I've had to put key to server.

So, December 1-8 - what a week!  For Kaitlyn, there were yet again several big firsts in the mix, starting with her first bash at finger foods!  We actually hadn't even contemplated it yet, and Ms. Oliva (one of the daycare instructors) told us that she felt it was definitely time to move into the finger food department.  And so the next day we showed up menu in hand, telling them to "go for the gusto" with anything age appropriate.

She's now into her second week of finger foods, and so far she really seems to like them!  We get the report every day, and to date she seems to be a huge fan of peas and green beans (stand on your head if you're surprised at that one), whilst she can definitely leave peaches and bananas for the birds (like her momma, that one...).  The quote from day care re:  bananas was that "she got more on her than in her, but we're pretty sure she ingested some."  At home we've actually only tried finger foods once (we have to ratchet that up starting this month), an

Bananas...negative, ghost rider.

d as fate would have it we tried bananas.  K was NOT impressed.  She had no difficulty picking them up - but she DEFINITELY was not happy about swallowing them.  Oh well, clearly we'll have to find other ways to get potassium in her. :-)

She's now eating at least 2 finger foods a day at daycare in addition to 4 bottles and 2-3 other solids.  It sounds like she's being WAAAAAAY overfed, but the folks at daycare said that we were actually most likely making her go too long between feeds.  Once the Peds concurred that there aren't enough calories in the solids and finger foods to worry, we felt a lot better about the volume being consumed (more on that in the next blog).

On Thursday, 5 December - we had K's third PT appointment.  Although she was a bit tired (and had not eaten exactly on schedule), she did GREAT!  The PT was really pleased with results to date and instead spent most of the session pushing her on her next set of motor skill goals - crawling, moving to a sitting up position from laying down, etc.  It was SUCH a relief to have the PT validate what we were thinking, which is that K is making progress in leaps and bounds and catching up quickly.  Apparently each month a baby is born premature is a year it takes them to "catch up" within the first 2-3 years.  Well, I am thrilled to report that the progress in terms of motor skills has been meteoric of late, and we now have the tools (meaning exercises and queues) to help K make that happen.  We have a whole new set of exercises to help her with her trunk and mobility muscles, but I'm happy to report that she's doing a lot of it on her own.  She's been GREAT about turning lately - it's amazing to watch her spin on her belly to track an object she's after.

The sneetch working on crawling.

Also, K had her first opportunity to play with a sippy cup this week!  We put just a drop of formula in there to see if she could suck it out, but no joy on that front.  Of course, what we didn't know then (and didn't learn until her checkup 2 days ago) was that you actually have to remove the stopper from the system so that they can learn the purpose of the cup first - details.  Honestly, at this point it was really more of a new toy than a vessel for nutrition/sustenance delivery, so I don't think we've done any irreparable harm. :-)

In terms of holiday firsts, K saw her first tree lit up this week!  Team Taylor (adult representatives) finally got around to putting the lights on the tree last Saturday, and K then got a chance to see it all lit up.  I showed her the Olympic Torch ornament and played the song for her.  I'm pretty sure she's going to compete in the summer vs. winter games, so it's appropriate we have that in the house. :-)

The mythical zippy cup - the holy grail for infants.

The highlight of the week, however, occurred about noon on Saturday-  K's first visit with Santa!  Seriously - when you talk about funniest moments of the year, this was DEFINITELY up there.  So here's the deal - we saw in the weekly neighborhood newsletter that Santa was going to be at the Clubhouse on Saturday from 11-2.  Well, Team Taylor decides that "we'll show up right when the doors open and beat the rush."  Which, like communism, is BRILLIANT in theory but NOT in practice, as that's obviously what every other parent in a 20 block radius wanted to do as well.  All the same, the line wasn't bad, and we spent about 40 minutes waiting for our turn to meet Saint Nick.  During this entire time, the Munchkin was an ANGEL - looking around, smiling, eating my face - you name it.  No fear.  No concern.  No worries.

Well, we get up to Santa, and the big man says "HO HO HO" in a booming voice, which I think puts K slightly on edge.  She sits in his lap calmly of about, oh, I don't know.....approximately .00008 seconds before touching his beard.  And then - HOLY MOLY - CALL SOCIAL SERVICES, AS OUR CHILD IS CLEARLY IN DISTRESS.  The photo (meme courtesy of cousin Steve) says it all):

Away from the fat dude in red - WHEW.  Life is good.

K starts SCREAMING to beat the band - it was one of her best wails EVER.  Not sure why (and I know that kids sometimes do have this reaction), but my mom thinks (and I now agree) that it's the beard, as she did the same thing at Thanksgiving when she felt Uncle Benny's beard.  So in the spirit of holiday cruelty we took a few classics of her wailing before pulling her off the man, at which point she went RADIO SILENT and was smiling like it was her birthday - too funny!  So we took some other shots at various spots set up for photo ops before packing it in and heading home for her (long overdue) nap.   

One other side note to mention is K's first "habit" that we've identified - spinning her feet!  It is seriously the cutest thing EVER - whenever she's excited or happy, she rolls her ankles around and around.  I have a video of it that I'm pretty sure I'll keep forever, as it is just adorable.

Okay, sorry that this one is short, but I have another one to crank through, and I want to ensure that I keep my sequence of events accurate (and don't opine on any topic in one blog best tied to another - i.e. K's 9 month Peds appointment and our reactions!).

Chat soon!

Love,

Sam and Jenny

Kaitlyn's First Thanksgiving...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  8 months and 3 weeks

Family,

And a good Monday evening to you from the Queen City, where the fire is blazing in the hearth, the weather outside is chilly, and the Munchkin is down for the night after crying out from her crib for the first time since JULY.  We're not sure what the problem was, but she now seems settled - kudos to wife muffin for getting Munch Munch settled back down.

What a week to recap!  It was definitely one filled with firsts, starting on Monday night when I turned on the fire about 6:30 PM.  Normally I don't turn it on until later, but this time Munch Munch was awake and saw flames for the first time.  Now granted, I don't think she fully grasped what I meant when I said "Look, K - Prometheus' greatest gift!", but I think she was intrigued all the same.

The Munch loving her first snowfall - look
at that beautiful smile!  Love my ladies!

On Tuesday, Team Taylor packed up Ellie the Elantra and headed "over the mountain" to the great state of Tennessee.  A few side notes here:

1.  For starters, it is AMAZING how much longer packing takes with a rug rat.  We spent THREE HOURS packing on Monday night, only to spend ANOTHER three hours on Tuesday morning getting everything in place and ready to go.  Between us, JT and I had 1 suitcase.  By her 19 pound lonesome, the Sneetch had the following:

1 stroller the size of a Sherman tank
1 suitcase full of clothes
1 bag full of food
1 cooler filled with refrigerated milk and food
1 diaper bag
1 infant carrier
1 high chair
1 bag of toys
1 bag of additional accessories (monitor, etc)

AMAZING!  But hey, that's life with a baby, and I was just impressed we managed to pack it all into a Hyundai sedan. :-)

2.  The weather was ATROCIOUS for the entire drive.  It was 22 and raining when we started, and the interchanges along the interstates were just horrible.  Luckily the weather was above freezing in Asheville, but still - the 20-35 mile stretch where I-40 crosses the border was ROUGH.  Ultimately what was a 3:45 trip pre-kid was a 6:15 trip on the way over, but I am happy to report that we all arrived safe and sound in Whitesburg, TN about 3:30 PM.

K petting dad's dog, named Helen Keller (YES - the dog is deaf and has
glassy eyes due to juvenile diabetes.  NO - I did NOT name her...)

Tuesday was a totally chill, relaxed day at home with Mom and Steve.  We didn't manage to get in a "nil dog" (code for Spades), but we had an absolute blast hanging out and eating like kings.  Steve and Mom pull out all the stops when we show up, and this was no exception.  Also, the addition of memory foam to our bed was a nice touch... :-)  The munchkin went down about 7:45ish, and we followed suit about 10:30.  You will notice a theme for this week - we definitely, DEFINITELY got lax in the schedule.  However, our angel baby proved quite flexible, and all worked out better than I could have dreamed.

Wednesday was over at dad's, where K got another first - her first time seeing snow fall!  We awoke that morning to a nice dusting on the ground (JT said it was her first snowfall in TN), but by the time we got to dad's it was well and truly snowing.  I really do think K loves being outside - she smiles every time she sees the trees blowing in the wind or feels the wind on her face.  This was no exception, and it was so cute to try and watch her process what she was seeing.  K also got the chance to touch a dog for the first time - she petted Helen!  And of course Jenny couldn't resist the temptation to play with Helen's new puppies - all of which were VERY cute.  We dropped K off about 6:30 or so back home before returning for an early Thanksgiving dinner with dad.  We ate like KINGS, and there was nothing but a vapor trail left of that turkey by the time we were done.

Thursday was the big day - K's first Thanksgiving!  As usual, Team Taylor rolled over to Nanny's, where K slept in her 5th crib in 5 days (such a trooper).  The meal was nothing short of FANTASTIC as always - Steve definitely outdid himself with the brined turkey, and all the sides were their usual version of Heaven.  It was a fantastic (and lazy) day - complete with 3

A dream come true (and a stroll down memory lane) for mum -
K's first bath in the kitchen sink (which, considering it's at
Nanny's house, is probably the cleanest surface she's ever sat on).

pro and 2 college football games.  And now that Nanny gets ESPN (thank you, DirecTv!), I was able to catch the Egg Bowl and lots of NFL action.  As for K, she was SUCH a great baby, and watching her bond with Nanny really was something special.

Grand Pooh holding the munch for the firs time - he's a natural!

On Friday, Team Taylor stayed at Nanny's, and the highlight for me was another first for the ages - watching Steve (aka Grand Pooh) hold a baby for the first time ever.  They were so cute together, and K was absolutely mesmerized by him.  We took it easy all day (with a few visitors coming and going), and about 6:30 Team Taylor drove to the urban metroplex that is Surgoinsville, TN to watch Benny play.  THIS was a hoot!


So here's the deal - Benny (now 62) started his musical career about age 12 in a band called "the Missing Links."  This group morphed into another band called "The odds and ends," and for the past 14 years they have performed a reunion concert at the old Surgoinsville Hardware Store (NO - you CANNOT make this stuff up).  I had no idea what to expect, but let me tell you - it was PACKED.  The venue was SO CUTE, and when I drove past it an hour before showtime there wasn't a seat in the house!  Seriously - every possible spot to park a car had been taken, and people were streaming toward the only building of any size in downtown.  When we arrived with Benny (shoulder in a sling thanks to recent surgery), the only thing left was a bench on the back row!  But the acoustics were great, the show was a blast, and the entertainment was lively for 3 hours!  And the funniest part?  The drummer was also the current mayor of Surgoinsville - classic.

K LOVES Nanny...and LOVES that gray hair.

Saturday was back to dad's for a delicious breakfast and some football (including the most epic Iron Bowl I have ever watched), complete with a 2 hour stop at Grandmother's.  She was in great spirits, and it was so good to catch up with her.  I hadn't been home since May, and so

97 years meets 9 months in a home that's 65 years old -
pretty amazing stuff.

it was very important that I get some time with her (especially since I'm not sure when the next visit will be).  We left dad's about 7:30 (after the craziest finish ever to the Iron Bowl - one that had the whole house screaming, the result of which was K terrified and crying herself into oblivion :-)), arriving home to find that Mom had laid out a mini-Christmas festivity!  We each had a stocking and a present - how do you argue with that!  It was so much fun - complete with egg nog and more candy than any human has a right to eat in a calendar year.  We then crashed about midnight or so, waking up at 7 AM (K mercifully let us sleep that night, which I desperately needed since she'd awoken at 4:45 AM on
Friday morning at Nanny's) and having a last delicious brekkie before loading the car (there wasn't a millimeter of space left in that puppy thanks to 2 boxes of clothes from the Rice clan and all the stuff from mom) and heading home via a new (and now preferred route) - the old Asheville highway.  Whilst it's got more curves than Bear Tooth pass in some places, it was a GORGEOUS drive, and it was definitely the fastest way to Asheville.

And so there you have it - an indulgent, lazy, WONDERFUL week in the Volunteer State.  Work felt VERY far away the entire time, and we got so many great pictures of a very memorable first thanksgiving that I will have a very hard time deciding which ones to include on this blog (I do the photos after I type it up).  I didn't sleep great at any point - I always struggle when K's in the room with us, and I am finding that more and more I am sensitive to noises on the monitor - but that's nothing that a little Mountain Dew and morning K cups couldn't rectify fairly quickly.  Also, I am finding that I'm now having an easier time with other folks holding and playing with K.  Obviously I think it does become easier as she gets stronger and builds up more immunities, but I think initially I had 2 fears - one that folks didn't always want to hold someone else's child (which I have now learned is almost completely categorically not the case) and second that anything someone does for a finite period of time is not going to undo the programming of the previous 9 months.  I really do hope that my parents don't think I'm an ogre with the schedule I impose on K (and by extension them) or the rules I have in place, but hey - it's a work in progress - I will do better. :-)

OK - time to start trying to wedge in 600 photos.  Chat soon!

Love,

Sam and Jenny