Kaitlyn visits the National Whitewater Center and has a reunion with "old" friends... :-)

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  14 months and 15 days

Family,

And a good Monday afternoon to you from the Queen City - Happy Memorial Day!  I'm taking advantage of a bit of downtime to recount the past week's events.  Plenty to cover, so let's get amongst it!

The week itself was another great one, made doubly wonderful by the fact that I was on US soil the entire time.  Now don't get me wrong - it was a really busy week.  That being said, it is just so great to be able to walk into K's room and be there when she wakes up, give Jenny a 5 minute break when she needs it, and just walk around the house holding our daughter's hand while she practices her mobility.  And speaking of mobility, the sneetch is DEFINITELY ratcheting up toward walking.  She is cruising faster and faster on the furniture, but more importantly she WANTS to walk and be active now.  For really the first time ever, we're seeing her actively reach for mommy and daddy so that she can walk around the house.  She LOVES being outside, and if she sees a set of stairs - LOOK OUT, as she'll want to climb up and down them NON-STEP (with mommy and daddy saying "Big step!" every step of the way - literally...).  For the first time, we are seeing a girl that actually wants to be active and gets fussy when you take her away from her activity.  Also, we're watching K's curiosity explode, as she wants to get into and touch everything (her favorite toy this week is daddy's blood pressure pill box.  Don't worry - it's sealed up tight :-)).  I really can't believe how high she can reach now, especially when she gets on her toes (which she's doing constantly).  She is starting to want to try and climb out of her crib, which feels like a great idea to her until she raises her leg and realizes there's nothing to push off against. :-)

On the walking front, she's at the point now that, while she always wants to start walking with both of us each holding a hand, so soon lets go of one of us to walk with 1 hand free.  This is great, as I really do think she's becoming emboldened.  She's also letting go of our hands (really fingers) more regularly and is controlling her drop to the floor.  And so while she definitely can't stand on her own, we know it's close.  She's still not lunging between furniture while cruising, but we've seen a few moments where  she's done something akin to the "lunge," and so again we know that she's close to getting up the courage.  Watch this space - the milestone is approaching!

JT also bought her a tunnel this week, and she has LOVED it.  It has been SO CUTE to watch her go through it (especially when we play peekaboo from the other end).  We've had it both upstairs and down, and we even took it outside for a bit.  K didn't enjoy it as much in the backyard, but she LOVES the stairs on the deck (and to the back porch), the hammocks, sitting in the grass, and pushing the chairs around on the deck.  Dare I say, I think she's going to be an outdoors kind of girl (exactly as planned :-)).

K shows she's got mommy's rock
climbing genes...

And on that topic, we took K to the National Whitewater Center this weekend.  I had a 5 mile trail run (my first ever trail run - WHEW!), and so we went up there to enjoy the day and visit with our friends Matt and Ray and their families.  It was a great day, and the weather could not have been better.  The plus for me was definitely getting another race under my belt, as I had been wanting something on the calendar.  This race definitely put me back in the racing spirit and has re-energized me on the half marathon path.  The only down side was that, due to not being able to bring food or drink into the facility, I didn't get my normal post race adult beverage (I actually tried to bring something in and got yelled at the SECOND I opened the bag - quality).  Also, I think I was a bit overambitious, as I had dreamed of Team Taylor sitting in a covered picnic area, with K sleeping in her Bob (hammock-style j

Fueling up before her event - stair climbing...

ust like Seattle) post-lunch while JT and I ate our food and drank a few cold beers amidst a nice breeze blowing through the park, all the while with rafters crashing in the waves below our perch.  The reality is that, since a) you couldn't bring food in, b) they couldn't pour beer until 12, c) K was too stimulated to sleep (she just wanted to go up and down the concrete stairs), and d) the place was packed due to the holiday, none of the above happened.  I must confess I was a little frustrated (totally my own fault because I didn't read up on the food and drink policy), but the reality in retrospect is that it was a GREAT day with friends, the race was a blast, JT got to do some laps around the water with K, and we learned how easy it was to get to the center.  We'll definitely go back - next time with a more realistic game plan. :-)  As I sit here typing this wearing the race shirt, I now realize how nice a day it was and how things like that will get easier very soon - I just need to be patient. :-)


Later that afternoon we went over to Kelly and Tom's, where Kaitlyn got an unexpected treat - a pool party with Avery and her other friend Grace from daycare!  Grace was one of the 4 "witches of Eastfield,"meaning the 4 girls in the infant room at Primrose who hung together.  Grace also started walking faster than ANY CHILD ON THE PLANET - as she was NO JOKE walking at 7 months.  It was amazing to watch that gal run around, and she was one of the kids that I knew we'd miss when we left Primrose.  Well, as fate would have it, her parents are best friends with Kelly and Tom, and so we have now reconnected!  The day was GREAT - we hung out with 3 other couples (all of whom had kids), and it was an afternoon of good food, good beer, lots of laughs, and everyone sharing some great stories - all the while policing each other's kids.  I had a blast, and it COMPLETELY eliminated my frumpiness from the earlier whitewater debacle (if it can even be called that).  All in all, it was a GREAT day - definitely a fantastic way to end the holiday weekend.

K tries the trampoline for the first time...

The girls reunited - too cute!

In other development news, Kaitlyn is now CRAZY for books.  I am seriously reading 10-20 books a day to her, including 5 every night before bed.  She sometimes still flips through the pages quickly, but more often than not she's now sitting attentively, listening to the story.  It is SO CUTE anytime there's a dog or cat (especially a dog), as she'll smile and reach for it (and try to pet it).  She definitely seems to be more of a dog person than a cat person, which of course makes my wife very happy. :-)

"Roll it, roll it, wheels so fat..."

K's favorite book a few weeks ago was "Dear Zoo," but now she's changed her tune - the winner is now "Easy Street," which is one of the books from Benny, Kay, and Charlie.  The funny part is that
this book - which is all about constructing a street - is EASILY the "manliest" book in her collection.  However, she LOVES it.  The other day I read it 7 times in a row (and have probably read it 50 times this week).  The best line:  "Roll it, roll it, wheels so fat - roll it down to make it flat."  I try to read it in a rhythm, and K will jerk to the beat.  She's starting to dance now - which is pretty darn funny.

Okay, that's the week in a nutshell.  Who knows - next week could be BIG news on the mobility front.  Stay tuned!

Love,

Sam and Jenny