The sweet, sweet return to normalcy...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  16 months and 24

Family,

And a good Sunday afternoon to you from the Admiral’s lounge in DFW international airport, where the Bull is hoping to chip away (or even finish) this week’s blog whilst waiting for his fl

ight to Buenos Aires.  And while this trip will see the Bull get a new passport stamp, I have no lie to tell – I just want to be at home with my girls!

It feels like life was FLAT OUT this week – JT and I barely got a chance to chat between our running schedules, taking care of K, lots of work, and then my dad’s visit. Now don’t get me wrong, as I LOVED everything that happened this week – K got back onto her normal schedule, my wife logged 6 and then SEVEN miles, as well as running 3+ at tempo!, I got some big runs in and felt really strong, and we had an AMAZING time with my dad (more to come on that below).  However, between the trip to Jamaica (which, while wonderful, was ANYTHING but relaxing) and this past week, I am KNACKERED.  Add in the thought of the week in front of me (overnight flight tonight and Thursday, with meetings in 2 more countries), and I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment.  Luckily I’m trying a new Amber lager brewed in Texas – that’s taking a little of the edge off. :-)

As for the week itself, it was SO GREAT to be back at home.  I was uptown 1 day this week, but by and large the last 6-7 days have felt very much like a return to normalcy.  For starters, despite the Sunday night debacle of K screaming out, she is very much back on her sleep schedule.  In fact, the evening sleeps now seem to be even deeper, with K now sleeping 12 hours consistently and even touching 12.5 hours multiple times this week.  I think that, just like us, she was exhausted and has LOVED being back in her crib (normal noises, temperature, and mattress).  I actually did the impossible the first 2 nights – SLEPT ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT WITHOUT USING THE BATHROOM – AMAZING!!!1

"Um, think you missed a spot over there..."

We did take K to the doctor on Thursday, however, as she has seemed a bit fussier than normal and had run a temperature for more than a week.  She wanted to be held constantly, which, while very cute, was a bit concerning to us (as we were afraid she was quite sick since we could never get her temp down consistently below 100).  Our normal Peds was off on Thursday, so we visited Dr. Berger, who is wonderful and someone else we’ve seen on previous occasions.  She confirmed a) K’s tubes and ears looked GREAT, b) she wasn’t sick, and c) the fever was most likely a result of teething (apparently her canines and molars are coming in, and these are the most painful and difficult).  She told us not to worry about the amount of ibuprofen or benadryll we gave her and that we might even have to give her doses of both for a month straight!  However, she also said not to worry about the temperature as much as how she acted.  This was great news, as a) it meant we could medicate without fear of any addiction or liver damage, and b) it gave us the comfort to know that we didn’t HAVE to try and always regulate her temperature to 98.6.  I am pleased to report that, as I type this, we’ve gone three straight nights without meds – which is a GREAT feeling. 

Also, in terms of the “wanting to be held,” the doctor told us that was a normal phase between 16-20 months and that we should just “enjoy the ride.”  Well, you didn’t have to tell this guy twice, and consequently I’ve picked her up every single time she’s reached for me.  Personally, I am LOVING having her ask for daddy and laying her head on my shoulder when I pick her up – just melts my heart when she snuggles up.  It does get a bit tricky when your hands are full and she grabs both legs and basically buries herself between your legs, but honestly – SO CUTE, and I’m only too happy to oblige her.  Don’t worry – I will be a disciplinarian when the time comes! J

I mean, she may not yet be an expert at
it, but K LOVES brushing her teeth.  You
try to do it for her, and she might rip your hand off.

In terms of K’s development, she’s been simply adorable this week.  For starters, she’s trying to dress herself now.  And while she can’t do it, she is always trying to put on either my shoes, Jenny’s shoes, or Jenny’s sports bras.  Now granted, she only puts them around her neck and treats them like necklaces, but still – she is all about trying to accessorize.  Fashionista in the making?  Oh boy…

But on the subject of shoes, we did have a “moment for the generations” this week.  When mom came at the start of July, she gave me a pair of shoes I wore when I was just over one (basically K’s age).  Well, this week was a milestone, as she found the shoes and BEGGED me to put them on her.  Sure enough, they fit!  She’s worn them twice so far – they are still a little big, but she gets around in them fine.  I couldn’t help but send the pic to mom and dad, and mom texted back that she was in tears from the flood of memories.  For my part, I am just SO THRILLED that she kept them, as that is something unbelievably special that I didn’t even know we still had in the archives.  And even more importantly, I was already thinking about when her kid puts those shoes on and the tears I myself will shed. 

Oh yeah, baby - getting the hang of it...

K is now fully on-board with the “big girl tub,” but at present she LOVES to try and stand up in it.  We let her do this in Jamaica because it was the best way to get the sand out of her roles, but now it’s become a bit of a problem because our tub is so slick (I probably need to look into rumble strips).  I will say that Jenny’s a master in controlling her.  I, on the other hand, am NOT a master (as evidenced Thursday when I had to bathe her and the poor kid was always a heartbeat away from a sliding concussion).  Again, my wife is a wizard!

Other fun things for K:

1.     The new pterodactyl sound – seriously, our child is now making this sound that is something out of Pet Sematary (yes, I know that’s misspelled – just like the novel title).  She does this weird air-sucking, noise clicking, demon releasing a hiss sound, and she’s doing it all the time.  I do have some concerns our next babysitter might call the Exorcist, so I think we better leave this little personality trait in the notes. J 

2.     She LOVES to run in circles.  Seriously – be it my car in the garage, the island in the kitchen, or the loop in the Jack ‘n Jill, she is ALL ABOUT making the loop – I watched her do 7 in a row around the island today! 

3.     She’s now a fan of the bunny rocker! Twice this week K has actually CLIMBED ON IT HERSELF and even proceeded to rock it a bit – too cute!  Granted, she’s not going wild on it yet, but there’s no question she now identifies it and can play on it (and

Another relative sucked into the "Easy
Street" Vortex.  Roll it, roll it, wheels so fat...

actually wants to).

4.     She’s grown 3 inches in the last 6 weeks!  They measured and weighed her at the doctor’s office, and she’s now 32.5 inches and 24 pounds, 10 ounces – she could still be a middle blocker!  All joking aside, that is SERIOUS growing in a short period of time.  Between some extra inches and the fact that she’s now wearing hair bows, she really does look like a little girl (a little angel, I might add).

5.     The hair bows – she doesn’t really like wearing these, but she tolerates them.  Actually, it’s pretty funny, as she will YANK them out of her hair.  However, before she realized she could pull the bows out, she ran around the house shaking her head like a crazy person.  It took Jenny and I about 10 minutes to figure out what she was doing – largely because we were CACKLING the entire time. 

Never miss an opportunity to show
ANYONE your tongue.

Who loves her Granddaddy?  THIS GIRL!!!

The weekend itself was a blast, as GRANDDADDY came for a visit!  It was a whirlwind of activity, but we sure did have fun.  Dad got there on Friday night (had just missed K), but we had a great day on Saturday and a terrific morning today.  He couldn’t believe how much she’d grown, and we have some TERRIFIC pictures of them together.  The only complaint was that it went so fast!  Luckily we’ll be home in October, and so we know we’ll see them again soon.  I could go through the activities list on Saturday, but I think the photos of the day will tell a much better story. J

Okay, sorry so short, but I just wanted to make sure I got all my thoughts down while fresh.  It was SUCH a good, fun, NORMAL week, and I can’t believe I’m already back on the road.  However, I’ll be back on Friday for a full day with the Munchkin, and after the weekend away we’ll have some more good family bonding time (but I won’t spoil the surprise – stay tuned!).

Okay, that’s all the news that’s fit to print.  Chat next week!

Love,

Sam and Jenny