Exhaustion and elation on the eve of Kaitlyn's first passport stamp...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  16 months and 1 week

Family,

And a good evening to you on a rare Friday installment of the family blog.  Apologies in advance, as this will be a quick one.  However, as Team Taylor is about to pack up and shuffle out of the country for a week, I wanted to make sure I didn't leave the post for this week too long (can't let the memories go stale!).

Um, YES - you are seeing that correctly.
K was so hungry that, when Jenny walked
away for .0000007 seconds, Kaitlyn actually
BIT INTO A KIWI.  Awesome.

So, first off, let me just say it - THE MOMENT IS HERE!  That's right, sports fans, the vacation Team Taylor has been talking about for 4 months has FINALLY arrived, and I COULD NOT be more excited about it.  I haven't had a vacation day in over 3 months (which for me is a record) and even worked one of the 2 national holidays over that span.  Work has been full-on as of late, and I am definitely ready to unplug and go somewhere my phone doesn't work. :-)

K's stuff for Jamaica - it represents 89% of our total packing.

I have been on pins and needles about K, but as of right now she's feeling really good and sleeping like a log.  She is teething, which has resulted in her feeling a bit warm to the touch.  However, regular temperatures checks have confirmed she's fine and dandy at present, and so with 16 hours to go until we take off, there's nothing to do but pack the suitcases and try not to scream with excitement!

Packing has been quite the adventure, but the good news is that a lot of things we normally have to bring are included at the house - crib, high chair, toys, etc.  We'll obviously still bring some things (well, to those who don't have kids, you'd think we're going on safari), but all the stuff on site should allow us to keep to 3 (or 4) bags.  Credit goes to JT, as she's done 100% of K's packing.  We are going to do the "final inspection and walk-through" tonight, going step-by-step to ensure we've got everything.  When it was just JT and I, we basically confirmed we had passports and a change of underwear, but, well, as they say:  "Having a baby changes everything." :-)

I mean, let's face it - the caption options on this are ENDLESS.

The week itself has flown by, filled with early morning exercising, long work days, and tons of to-do's in the evening.  Team Taylor has been on a Bataan Death March through personal to-do, and I have made the decision to start each morning with a workout, as it's become tougher and tougher to find time either a) during the work day or b) at the close of the day when I'd much rather play with K and talk to JT.  It's funny - I'm actually LOVING running so much right now that I don't mind the 4:30 AM starts. I've actually woken up before my alarm most days - start time normally ranges from 4:30-5:00, but today was a gift - slept until 6:11!  MAJOR LIE IN, BABY!!!

The future Olympian in training.

As for the sneetch, it's been another fun week for her.  Thursday she and JT made the trek uptown for a play date.  JT's friend Leigh and her daughter Charlotte live near Freedom Park, and so Thursday morning was a day of walking in the grass, playing with new toys, and K's personal favorite - eating sand on the volleyball court.  I mean, it's not ideal, but hey - it was how they brushed their teeth back in Ben Franklin's day, so it's good enough for me.  And besides, she's gonna eat another twenty pounds of it where she's going.

"Out in the great wide open..."

Friday was another class at Romp 'n Roll (JT found a deal - way to go, muffin!), which K seemed to enjoy OK.  She's been a bit fussy lately (and has consequently earned the nickname Princess Frump-a-lot), but I think it's just the teething.  And let's be honest, she's an angel baby, so what I call fussing most parents would rejoice over.  Plus, ten seconds after she cries, she's back to having a huge smile.  And once she sees that ocean - LOOK OUT, PARTY PEOPLE!  A surfer is born.

Sand - it's what's for dinner.

As for cute development items, just a few to report.  For starters, K has started rapping her knuckles against the wall on the stairs and the changing table and saying, "Knock, Knock."  I have NO IDEA where she go that from, as she's prone to a lot of imitation (such as "da DA!"), but it is simply adorable.  She's also learned to sniff.  Granted, I first learned this when JT said, "Does Daddy smell?" and she made her ridiculously over exaggerated sniffing and walked away from me, but still - I was happy and called it a win.  :-)

K helping Jenny stretch - demonstrating
proper calf extension posture.

"Feel the burn, mommy!!!!"

She's repeating "DA DA" a lot now, and I just can't tell you how fun it is to interact with our daughter. One of my favorite things is when she comes barreling into the office - DEAD SET on hugging her daddy.  Who could ask for anything more?  Also, when she sees me come down the stairs randomly and happens to be eating, she'll give Jenny the "all done" sign because she wants to play with me.  I just eat that up - she's got me right where she wants me.

So that's the week in a nutshell.  Sorry this is so choppy, but I at least wanted to get the pics of the week recorded for posterity.  We'll chat with everyone once we're back from the land of Red Stripe, unlikely bobsled teams, and ridiculously fast sprinters.  Bye for now!

Love,

Sam and Jenny