No doubt about it (well, we think anyway...) - Kaitlyn has a word!

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  10 months and 18 days

Family,

Jenny portraying "Alphie" and teaching K
that "AD Pi...is the place you want to be."

And a good Wednesday evening to you from the Queen City.  Family, I am so excited about this blog I can barely contain myself - SO MUCH to talk about.  And whilst the title gives away one obvious milestone for which Jenny and I are celebrating, there have been SO MANY big wins for Team Taylor this week that my list of notes to capture events has spilled across multiple sheets of (admittedly garbled and full) paper.  I am dead serious when I say that I wish I could just follow my daughter around non-stop with a camcorder, as it's insane how quickly she's learning, how fast she's growing, and how much fun it is playing with her each day.  But I get ahead of myself, so let's get amongst it, eh?

K "on the edge of glory" - this was the
first time I ever saw her pull up to standing!

The week itself was a whirlwind, as the bull was up in Toronto (where the thermometer touched -25C, taking it's spot as the 3rd coldest I've ever been in my life) Tuesday through Thursday.  It was a bit distressing on Tuesday when Jenny and I both went in to see K and found her clearly sick and pulling on her ear, as I knew that a) another doctor's visit was imminent and b) I had to hope a plane in 2.5 hours.  JT ended up having to take a sick day, and her visit to the doctor confirmed that K did in fact still have an ear infection.  The quote was "I can't believe how terrible her ears look."  And so we went to the third round of antibiotics, some hyperactive version of amoxicillin.  10 days after the fact (we actually just finished the last dose about 45 minutes ago), I am pleased to report that K is acting much better, has her head back straight again (it had tilted quite severely in the days leading up to and just after the visit), and seems to have much more energy.  I am hopeful that she's finally kicked the ear infection this time - fingers crossed she can stay healthy for a bit (tough when in the midst of the "polar vortex!" - honestly who comes up with these naming conventions?).

"Quick, dad - pocket this while she isn't looking."

It should be noted, however, that no medical victory is without its tribulations.  For K, this manifested itself in the form of VOLCANIC, EXPLOSIVE, HOLY-COW-HIDE-THE-WOMEN-AND-CHILDREN DIARRHEA.  I mean, we are talking AMAZING SQUIRTS OF FURY!  Luckily, I was tucked away in the Great White North and missed a lot of it, but wife muffin was inundated with runny feces.  Case in point - K went through FOUR OUTFITS IN ONE DAY at daycare.  And get this - whilst the doctor did mention this was a possibility, he FAILED to mention the fact that diarrhea can actually persist for weeks OR EVEN MONTHS after finishing the medicine.  Luckily hers abated after 4 days, but still - I saw more than one outfit soiled, and I can only imagine what JT went through on her own.

Notice the letters - JT and I play a game where
we alternate saying a word that starts with
whatever letter she's holding.  Yes, I expect
her vocabulary to be AMAZING.

I arrived home on Thursday evening, and Friday morning Team Taylor set out "over the mountain" to Tennessee for my stepbrother Adam's wedding.  He was marrying his third grade sweetheart - they'd reunited recently after basically 20 years apart.  We knew we had to be in TN and at the church by 8 PM for the Rehearsal dinner, so we allowed PLENTY of time.  Good thing, too, as it took us THREE HOURS of packing just to get out the door on Friday morning.

The drive was smooth - we made it to TN in about 5 hours or so (best case given 1 hour to feed/change/burp and 4 hours of driving), arriving at casa de Grand-Nanny.  Mom wasn't there yet, and so we had some great time bonding with Nan and unpacking.  It took K all of .00003 seconds to identify the most dangerous spot in the living room and make straight for it - a brick ledge right on her chin level.  This actually turned out to be a good thing, however, as it was the PERFECT HEIGHT for her to practice pulling up.  That is a good segue way to announcing 3 new milestones that all occurred this week, more or less simultaneously.

1.  K pulled up!  She actually did this at our house last week, and the first location of choice was the 6 inch "half step" between our bonus room and the upstairs hallway.  K had been eyeing it for weeks, and up until this week she'd required our help to clear it.  This week, however, she finally figured out how to position herself and swing her leg.  AMAZING!  Daycare is working on K in the "obstacle course," and we're doing it as well.  We're seeing the benefits of it, as she's becoming much more adept at negotiating uneven surfaces (such as her parents) and figuring out when she can and cannot scale something.  She also pulled up on the brick ledge at Nanny's (this was the first time I'd seen it) - SO EXCITING!

2.  First steps!  Now granted, they aren't on her own, but K is now finally figuring out that, as long as she's holding something, she can take a step to move closer to her target.  Granted, she doesn't always want to do it, but she's getting more comfortable with every passing day.  Sometimes she's willing to take steps with us holding her hand, but more often than not she prefers to take steps when she's in the "down dog" yoga position (which daycare is noticing as well).  That girl gets into plank ALL THE TIME - her arms (and legs) are definitely getting stronger, and we're seeing some additional strengthening in her torso as well.  The goal for me is to now focus more on reading and thinking with her, as I truly feel that physically she's caught up and is starting to really excel at using her muscles.

K opening her first ever Valentine's Day
present (from Grammie, of course).
And YES - I can confirm that the torch of
$14 per annum has officially been passed.

3.  Cruising (Florida-Georgia Line style!)!  That's right, folks - when you add 1 and 2 together, you get some cruising!  Now granted, it's not much at all, and I can't really get her to take more than 1 or 2 steps at a time.  However, there's now question that she IS taking conscious steps to move toward an objective, and we are SO happy about it.  It really has felt like almost instant improvement in her motor skills over the last two weeks, and I'm feeling better and better about having a professional install those gates (especially watching her shake them for all they were worth today).

Friday night was the rehearsal dinner, and it was delicious.  It was also great to see the fam.  We didn't bring K, but given that dinner started after her bedtime and it was freezing outside (9 degrees Fahrenheit!), we thought it best to leave her with Grammie and Grand Nanny.

Saturday was the wedding, and it was BEAUTIFUL!  They did such an amazing job with their vintage theme, and you could truly feel the love in the church.  I cried on more than one occasion, which I always think is a good thing at a wedding.  JT looked SMOKIN' HOT with her straight hair, and the entire experience was just wonderful - good food, good visiting with family, and that warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing two people are made for each other, are in love, and are a part of your life.  Yes, yes - I am a sappy soul.  K - I apologize in advance for all the times I'll cry talking about you and watching you in whatever you get into. :-)

The fam, with the newlyweds in the center - congrats, guys!

Check out my exceptionally awesome "faux hawk" - quality.

Sunday was a lazy, wonderful day.  I moved a grand total of 10 feet, basically going back and forth between the kitchen and the living room (Nanny made chicken casserole - OH YEAH, BABY!!!!).  K was an angel baby all day, laughing and playing, and it is always so much fun to watch her with Nanny.  It was also hilarious to watch her with mom's necklace - she was a HUGE fan of Grammie's jewelry!  Steve came over, as did Benny, Kay, and Charlie, and it was wonderful to have so much family so close.  I feel really good about how much time we've been able to spend with TN family since K's birth - it's important for her to know them at an early age, and it's important for us to always keep that connection to my roots strong.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the milestone for which this post is titled - K definitely has a word!  Drumroll please - it's "light!"  But before we go too crazy and pop open the champagne, a few qualifiers:

1.  She actually pronounces it "aight"

2.  Sometimes she points at a fan that had NO LIGHT OF ANY KIND and says "aight" - we give her credit

3.  Sometimes she just looks up at a white ceiling and says "AIGHT"  - I was a little skeptical about this one until I found out that, technically, babies associate their first words to "concepts" vs. actual objects, meaning that she could really just think about any bright area above her head as "light" - again, I'll take it

K posing with Grammie and part of her Valentine's Day
present - the full length version of her favorite book!

She's also gone consonant crazy, and I believe she's finally starting to associate "mamamamamama" with Jenny and "dadadadadadadadada" with me.  She definitely knows when we're about to pick her up, as she sits up straight and raises her arms (it's soooooooo cute), and I am pretty sure those consonants do directly relate to us.  She's clapping all the time now and even waving some, so as you can see - it's been quite the week of discovery!

Okay, I think that's enough for this session, but a proud papa has to brag. :-)  Speak soon!

Love,

Sam and Jenny