And the parents couldn't be prouder - THE MUNCH GOES MOBILE!!!!

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  9 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days

Family,

All bundled up and ready for a stroll on the parkway!
Which might have actually led to yet another ear
infection...because I am father of the year...

And a good Tuesday evening to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is quite delinquent in getting you this week's post.  I really did have all the best intentions of doing this both Sunday and Monday, but hey - life happens, right?  And besides - better late than never. :-)  Ok, let's get amongst it, as this post is one for the ages!

This week was Grammie and Grand Pooh's week to visit, and boy did we have a blast.  They rolled in on Monday about 5 PM, and we took it easy that night (just 1 game of Spades, or should I say "nil dog"...) because wife muffin had to work on the 31st (brutal, right?  Who works on New Year's Eve?).

"Purple Couch is awesome, mommy!"

The 31st was a pretty quiet one as well, as we'd given Mom and Steve show tickets for their Christmas present (the Book of Mormon, which was HILARIOUS, for the record).  Between Jenny working and Mom & Steve off to downtown, the Bull had a good 6-7 hours of bonding time with the Munchkin, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.  For starters, K is REALLY improving her ability to stand up.  In fact, she's actually trying to pull herself up now from a sitting position.  We made the move from the downstairs back to the bonus room this week, and that has honestly made SUCH a difference on so many fronts.  For starters, the living room no longer looks like a bomb went off, and there is no question that a tidy house is certainly a bit more serene.  The bigger advantage, however, is that it's a much better exploratory environment for K.  There's so much more for her to look at (and at her eye level), it's all carpet (so she's a lot less gun-shy about rolling and moving), and there are shelves and couches at an appropriate height to work on her standing.  Grammie was the first one to point out that she was trying to pull herself up, and that day I did notice that she was engaging her biceps in an effort to reach the toys on the couch.  At this point, she still hadn't crawled, but we could tell the moment was imminent.

Seriously - when is the last time YOU
slept that good?  Too cute...

New Year's Day was next, and Team Taylor a) stayed up until midnight to ring in the New Year, and b) had date night on New Year's, baby!!!!  We went to Strike City to watch the first half of the Rose Bowl (and have some Fat Tire and beer, of course) before rolling over to the Belk Theater to watch The Book of Mormon (as I said - HILARIOUS).  We got home about 10:30, at which point we watched the 2014 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, where I am THRILLED to report that Jenny's Golden Knights SHOCKED THE FOOTBALL WORLD by defeating #6 Baylor 52-42 in the highest scoring game (and biggest upset) in BCS history.  Munchkin - it was a BIG DAY that capped off a BIG SEASON for your mommy!  But it also meant that we were up past midnight on back to back nights for the first time since probably 2011...ouch.

JT and I were both back at work on the 2nd, but mom stuck around to watch K.  I was downstairs working, but I could hear them upstairs having a blast - reading, singing, and playing.  They have such a great relationship, and K lights up with a HUGE smile when she sees her Grammie.  JT got home about 4ish, and that's where this post takes a turn for the epic. :-)

The moment of truth!  The Munch on her feet, ready to obliterate the plastic Tower of Babel.

Throughout the week the munch had managed to shuffle herself a bit, either rolling, scooting backwards, or quasi-army crawling to whatever tickled her fancy.  The good news is that, whilst not terribly fluid, she was getting to whatever toy/object/item she wanted to touch (and, by extension, eat).  This was big, because a) it hadn't really happened even the week previous, and b) Dr. Knutson said that she was less concerned with her crawling than her being able to reach whatever item she was fixated upon.  However, I have no lie to tell - Team Taylor still wanted to see that first crawl.

And then, suddenly, the moment arrives.  K is sitting up, staring at her new Vtech "laptop" that's about 3 feet away.  Slowly, she moves to her hands, and then, she gets her butt up in the air and in the crawl position.  Now, we'd seen this before, but usually the first move results in her going flat and reaching for the object in question, usually no closer to it than when she started.  This time, however, there was "the lurch," and BAM - the Munch had just moved her hand forward.  There was the "wobble," where she tried to figure out what to do next, and then - MAGIC - the Munchkin brings her leg and arm in motion at the same time.  Rinse-repeat 3 times, and then she's at the laptop.

I am so excited I can barely contain myself, and then Jenny starts stacking blocks about 5 crawl steps away.  K watches this for a second, then puts herself in position, and then slowly she starts covering the distance, so focused it's the absolute picture of concentration.  And then, the hand, the contact with the blocks, and the tower falling into oblivion!!!!!  At which point, the tears start, and I break down.

A pretty good summary of a normal Team Taylor weekend -
a basquillion toys, formula, coffee, sleepy parents,
football on the telly, and a child who CANNOT TAKE
HER EYES OF THE SCREEN.

Now I will admit that I am an emotional guy who "needs a good cry" once in awhile, but this was more than that.  This was, dare I say, one of my absolute PROUDEST MOMENTS, as I was watching the milestone that Jenny and I had waited to see for so long.  All the exercises, the trips to PT, and the worry - it was all worth it and then some as we watched her pound across the bonus room on 2 January.  I'm sure it sounds crazy if you're reading it, and I will probably laugh about it as well in 30 years time, but the relief I had when I watched her crawl was palpable.  As a father, you worry about everything - your child's diet, their development, their mental capabilities, you name it - and to see her catch up and hit such an important milestone was a tidal wave of relief, especially after having just (albeit barely) failed the initial autism review.  I wanted to squeeze Jenny to pieces and share in that moment, as it felt like such a triumph for every member of Team Taylor.

We played for another hour before it was bath time, and I have no lie to tell - it was, without a doubt, among the best, happiest hours of my entire life.  Those who know me know that I am obsessed with lifts, goals, and constant progress, but in that hour all of it fell to the wayside and I just enjoyed being a father, son, and husband with my girls.  As the quote goes:  "We don't remember days - we remember moments."  I will certainly remember that one forever.

Watch, as the cheetah approaches...

In the last several days the pace of change has increased.  Whilst still quiet (my prediction is a type B introvert - you heard it here), the babbling is picking up again.  When she goes to her toys, there is a more deliberate motion to pushing buttons, almost as if a) she remembers they are there and b) knows they will cause a reaction of some sorts.  And most important, she can now cover an entire room!  The cutest thing to date has been the game she plays with Jenny (I can't believe she grasps the concept of a game at this point!).  Jenny will go across the room and cover her face with K's "tag blanket" before saying "good night!"  K then crawls across the room and pulls the blanket off Jenny's face.  She always does this and knows what to expect (Jenny popping up and saying "Peekaboo!") - again, simply amazing to watch learning occur at what feels like the molecular level.

Lastly, it should be noted that I don't feel I've been a great husband lately.  Whilst I do think I've been a good dad, I need to work harder to support Jenny.  I have been tired and haven't worked out lately, but I will make no excuses.  I feel that my responses have been curt too often (not intentionally, but they seem to have come out that way), and she deserves better given all she's going through between the job and balancing that with her responsibilities at home.  Munchkin - when you read this 30 years from now, just remember how much I love your mom.  Daddy's 2014 resolution is to take better care of both of you. :-)

Okay, that's it for this installment - PROUD PAPPA SIGNING OFF! :-)

Love,

Sam and Jenny