Family,
And a good evening to you from the Queen City, where the Bull cannot believe what he's typing. 365 days, 8 states, 2 weddings, 2 daycares, and 1 exhausted set of parents later, Team Taylor (party of 3) has closed a year as a family. Don't ask me how it happened. Don't ask me where the time went. Don't ask me what happens next. The only question I want you to ask me is "Is it everything you thought it would be?" The answer to that question is not just "yes" - it's "more than I could have ever hoped for, dreamed of, or deserve." |
| Kanga care - look at those peppy cheekies! |
For my part, I will say that I didn't truly appreciate the adage "having a baby changes everything" until probably the 4 month mark. The first 120 days were an absolute blur, but between the newness of everything, the adrenaline from having to learn so much on the job, and the 12 weeks of leave, it was almost more of a "vacation meets implementation"than a "new normal." Once we started to prepare for Jenny's return to work and put K in daycare, however, a routine did emerge, and with that a sense of what "the new normal" would be. I think a lot of folks thought Team Taylor might go crazy with the change in pace, but the truth couldn't be farther from that perception. Having a baby does change EVERYTHING - but in all the right ways.
You priorities change. You get smarter about money. You get smarter of the "to-do list." You take time to enjoy things (cup of coffee, 20 minutes of silence, etc). You no longer take any "adult time" with you spouse for granted, because its so rare and precious (date nights for the Broadway Lights Series, baby!!!). You make more of an effort to engage family in your life (not that Jenny and I were bad about that, but given how much we want K's grandparents to be involved in her life, we've definitely stepped up the efforts). But most importantly - you realize how blessed beyond measure you are. I think this realization surfaces when you notice that there's even more love in the house. Mine and Jenny's love and relationship is stronger than ever, and there's no denying that K is a large part of that. Add in how much we love the sneetch, and the truth is that I am, without a doubt, happier than I have EVER been or thought I could ever be.
To Jenny - my queen, my wife, my love (and my Lionheart of course :-)) - I love you SO MUCH. This year has challenged you so much, and each time you have not only risen to the challenge but smashed through any obstacle in your way. From all the time spent pumping to making the tough decision to go back to work to all the love you've shown to both me and Kaitlyn to being so wonderful about letting Husband Bear have his "me time," I cannot say thank you enough or tell you how proud I am of you and the mother you are to our daughter. I know that this year (especially the last 6 months) has been incredibly tough on you, but you have handled all this adversity with the same quiet strength that has pulled you through so many other tough moments. Rest assured that you are NOT a "weekend mom" but rather an amazing wife, mother, companion, and best friend. We made it through year one - can you believe it? :-)
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| The sneetch - exactly 1 minute old. |
And lastly, to Kaitlyn - there is SO MUCH I want to say to you in this post. I want it to be your first birthday card from daddy (but you'll have one of those as well), a love letter to you for being the best, most perfect, most wonderful child ever, a list of how you've changed mine and mommy's life in all the right ways and forever for the better, the record of my promises to you - you name it. But as is often the case when trying to express emotions of such magnitude, words fall woefully short of capturing the true feeling behind them. And so instead I will try to sum it up the same way I summed up year one as an expat - with the collection of our best memories from the last year.
1. Sammy the Bull walking up to the register at the hospital canteen at 2 PM on D-Day and preparing to pay when he received a phone call from Jenny saying "it's time to push"
2. The first time I held you in the rocker, your eyes barely open and less than 1 hour old
3. When I broke down crying before my first work trip, afraid you might forget the fleeting memory/concept of "daddy" by the time I returned (you were 4 months old at the time)4. When I broke down crying singing "Swept Away" to you at Kim & Matt's wedding (in our hotel room) - sense a pattern forming here?
5. January 2 - the day you officially went mobile - I have never been prouder of anyone in my life
6. "Kanga care" - you asleep on my chest while I watched March Madness and the Masters - never been happier than having you right there passed out
7. Your "special delivery" to me during your newborn photo shoot
8. Walking you back down the aisle of the flight from Seattle after you had WRECKED your diaper...AND the outfit we'd put you in...
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| The poor Steelers onesie - which was soiled on FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS... |
9. My first attempt at a diaper change...which resulted in me ringing the call bell for the nurse
10. The first night home from the hospital - your first time breathing (cold) air, and the crying that ensued...all to be followed by me ringing "Uncle John and Aunt Beka" to confirm you could sleep in the bassinet (it was slightly slanted)
11. The first time leaving you with a babysitter and coming home to find you asleep but with your bib still on - I'm sure it was all fine, but I freaked out at the time.
12. Your smile EVERY MORNING when you wake up - it could melt a glacier
13. The smile and head shake you started doing around the 8 month mark - simply too cute
14. The look on my mom's face the first time she saw you (Grammie had gout and had just driven 14 hours from Miami after getting off a cruise through the Panama canal)
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| K enjoying her first Christmas. |
15. The look on K's face at the end of the Iron Bowl...when I was the only person in the room who knew a blood curdling scream was imminent
16. The first time K "slept through the night" - and her blatant refusal to eat breast milk the following day (fueling fears that we'd consumed too much wine...which I still don't think was the case, for the record)
17. "Animal crackers, one two three..."
18. That first trip to the pediatric physical therapist, just hoping that everything was a-ok
19. "Headin' down South to the land of the pine..."
20. "Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Columbus is the capital of O-HI-O..."
21. Shaking the "graduate puffs" before feeding time and watching you get so excited you couldn't contain yourself
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| Year One - talk about an adventure! |
22. The little "clacking sound" that has become your "language" with daddy
23. The way you try to find my finger so you can hold it while you settle before bed on my chest
24. Your first visit with Santa - priceless
25. Your first road trip...which saw us make it a whopping 45 minutes to the South Carolina state line before having to stop for a feeding
Honestly, there are countless other memories, funny stories, and moments, but those will just have to live in our hearts and minds (and portable hard drive, of course). This year saw us take over 10,000 photos of the sneetch, so I feel confident we can string together a fairly accurate recollection of events should we need to. :-)
Ok, that's all the news that's fit to print, and that will officially conclude Volume One. Stay tuned, however, as we've got a "Season 2 Cliffhanger" in the works...
Love,
Sam and Jenny
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