A newfound appreciation for Wife Muffin's new job - a weekend of Daddy Daycare

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  14 months and 28 days

Family,

And a good Sunday afternoon to you (when I start this post, at least - the publish date will tell you when I finished it) from the Queen City, where Sammy the Bull is trying to shoehorn a blog into the
Munch's sleeping window (considering this is probably the 12th activity of the session, I'd say odds are
good I won't hit "publish" before someone stands up in their crib).  It's been another great (and quieter) week for Team Taylor, which is just what the doctor ordered.  Aside from Monday, I was home with my girls all week, which was FABULOUS.

No surprise, but life post JT quitting has continued to be nothing short of amazing.  I absolutely LOVE seeing K every time she wakes up (which is only twice a day, as we're still traveling down the "1 nap only" path at present) - she is SO CUTE when you walk in and she gives you that huge smile.  I will say that her little "mischievous" smile (it's that closed mouth smile that says "I'm pretty sure what I'm about to do is going to be hilarious - whether you think so or not") is now probably the new cutest thing she does, but the mile-wide smile she gives you when she takes your hand, stands up, starts walking, and then looks up at you is a VERY close second. :-)

Still no walking for the Munchkin, but all muscles and coordination continue to improve.  She's barely

"It's Lazare the cat!  Let's give him a pat."

hanging onto us now when she walks, and she's capable of walking quite a distance before she gets tuckered out.  To preserve this for posterity, I must recount how she gets into walking position:

1.  Sits on her knees (and may bounce a few times)

2.  Pops up her left arm (ALWAYS her left), palm down but open

3.  Says "ba" (code for "Get your lazy ass over here and help me walk - your back will heal fine...eventually)

4.  Takes your hand

5.  Twists her torso so that her right leg will be the piston that propels her upward

6.  Gets into standing position

7.  Takes off like a bat out of hell

8.  Looks up at you while walking 900 miles an hour

9.  Insert the cutest little smile ever here

Side note:  I have tried to take a picture of this about 16,000 times, but every time K sees the camera, she puts her hand down and either starts crying or bouncing on her legs like a jack russell terrier.  But I will NOT give up the fight!

The sneetch examining the new "buds" that
are forming in her mouth.  That's right, sports
fans - sneetch is teething again.  But, in angel
baby fashion - she's still been GREAT!

She is definitely walking better, now more capable of recognizing uneven ground and slopes (which I always tell her is "variegated topography" - gotta start the vocab training early!).  She is also really enjoying going up and down stairs (she needs help on the steps, of course), and she continues to LOVE pushing the deck chairs around outside.  One new thing we've introduced this week is passing her between Jenny and I, with her "running" to us.  She really does take 3 or 4 steps - it's just that she collapses into our arms once she arrives.  Also, as she has fallen straight backwards once or twice (we've always caught her!), it's not exactly a relaxing activity for me and JT.  Truth be told, I think it's just good practice for when she's fully mobile, as we'll of course no longer have control of her at that point!

Also on the walking front is that she's capable of covering much longer distances (she had a tenth of a mile and quarter mile walk this weekend AMAZING!).  The flip side of this is that, given how much I have to hunch over while she walks, at the end of a 20 minute session I look like the first cousin of Quasimoto (but no complaints!).  Also, it's hilarious that she now will take a few steps, pick something up, and then either a) carry it around on a world tour (we're talking things like leaves, rocks, books - you name it) or b) throw it down every 2 feet, bend down to touch it, adjust her grip, and pick it back up again.  As it's good exercise and she seems to enjoy it, you won't get an argument from me!  The stacking of the dead leaves outside, however, is not necessarily something I want her to aspire to.  That being said, she LOVES being outside in any capacity she can, and JT and I are ALL ABOUT that.

The only other developmental item I would note is that, for the first time ever, K is starting to not only take puzzle pieces out but is also starting to put them back in where they belong.  The first time I saw it was with a blue triangle from something the Hitman clan had given us, but I've since seen her move to slightly more complicated shapes (such as jungle animals in the puzzle from the Markham's.  And while she obviously still gets confused and tries to wedge things in the wrong place (or just gives up after about 5 seconds from sheer frustration), it is definitely cool to see the improvement.

K checking out the fish at her own speed.

The week itself was great but passed by in a FLASH.  The biggest item to note was JT and Munchkin's first visit to the Concord Aquarium.  It was an arranged visit with the "Meet Up" group, and K seemed to really enjoy it.  It's short, obviously, but that's great for her age and fit in perfectly with her current schedule.  We are still on the "1 nap" march, and barring the Peds telling us anything different next week (for K's FIFTEEN MONTH APPT - CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?), it's our expectation that we'll stick with it.

The biggest item to report was the weekend, where Sammy the Bull got his first true taste of JT's world.  As JT had a (very well deserved) girls' weekend in Asheville, Sammy the Bull was on Daddy Daycare for 48 hours!  And let me be up front and say that, while it was WONDERFUL - I don't know how JT does it. :-)

The sneetch after "7 mile Saturday" -
such a trooper.

So first off, you'll notice that there are virtually NO pictures of the weekend.  Why, you ask?  Well, as I spent the weekend either a) running around after the munchkin, b) scrambling to get stuff done around the house, or c) attached to her by 1 finger, there was virtually ZERO time for photos.  However, I am happy to report that both dad and daughter survived the ordeal - even if I might have pushed the munch a bit too hard. :-)

Friday was pretty chill - just hanging out in the backyard and around the house.  Saturday was busy, however, as I knew I wouldn't get my workout in and still wanted to log some miles.  That meant that I took poor sneetch first on a 5K loop in the stroller and then later (after her nap) to the Greenway in 90 degree heat for a 4 mile walk.  And while it was shaded, it was more humid than Mississippi in August, and sneetch was SO WARM.  It is crazy how quickly she heats up (her little arms were like radiators), and what was crazier was how much water she drank to cool back down after the walk was done.  I rotated on walking a mile or 2 and then letting her out of the stroller to walk a bit with me (this is when she did the tenth and quarter mile segments).  It was so cute - all I had to do was hold one hand and then keep the stroller wheel just slightly out of reach.  She chased that puppy FOREVER.

And speaking of puppies, on both Saturday and Sunday when I took K out to walk around the cul-de-sac, she marched straight to Mike and Julie's driveway.  You see, she knows there are 2 dogs on the other side of that fence (Bailey and Bear), and she desperately wanted to see them.  When I wouldn't let her she, well, EXPLODED - pretty sure no one on the street was asleep after that little outburst (rinse repeat on Sunday just to make sure the neighbors LOVE me).  And on that note (sorry - I know I'm all over the place this post) - you should see her when she's in the stroller. She is either waving at EVERYBODY, pointing at birds/squirrels/sprinklers, or bucking up like a bronco when she sees a dog in her path (and she always makes the same little laugh/contented noise when she sees them - TOO CUTE!).

How wife muffin "relaxes" on a girls' trip. :-)

Sunday was rainy, meaning that we were stuck in the house after the 5K.  I didn't mind, however, as Sneetch woke up at 6:15 that morning!  So needless to say - when Jenny arrived and we put the Munch to bed, this guy cracked a beer!

In all seriousness, it was great - dedicated time with K, great weather for most of the weekend, and most importantly JT got some time away that was a lot of fun for her (but make no mistake, Munchkin - she missed her little girl terribly and was very, VERY ready to be home!).  I will also say that it was great for me to experience this, because I now have a much more profound appreciation for how truly tough JT's job is and the amount of focus, planning, and patience it requires.  I always knew that I could never be a stay at home dad (Munch Munch - this is NOT because I don't love you immensely and don't love spending time with you), but this was definitely the litmus test to prove it.  Truth be told, I think I am a much better parent in shorter periods of focus, as I feel my work & personality lend me to being very focused and compartmentalized on each key activity or period of time in my day.  For example, when I am working from home but my mom is here, I always feel guilty - as though I'm not doing either job well (which again gives me an appreciation for how JT felt when she was working).  But when I can break up my day in a more orderly fashion (work, food, work, exercise, work, family time, shower, adult time), I think I'm more "switched on" in all facets.  That's why I feel SO BLESSED to have a wife that both wants to stay at home and takes it VERY seriously, as I know the entire family unit (and especially the sneetch) will benefit so much from it.

Okay, a bit all over the shop this time, but that's the post for this past week.  Speak soon!

Love,

Sam and Jenny