Two weeks of memories, laughs, and milestones...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  19 months and 23 days

Family,

And a good Tuesday afternoon to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is desperately trying to get
caught up on life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and most importantly - this blog.  I'm conscious that's it's been 2 weeks since the last post, and for that all I can do is apologize.  Remember the statements I've made recently about defining my limits?  Well, that has happened again over the last few weeks, as the pace of life has just been through the rough.  Between weekend travel for fun and workweek travel as well, the last 14 days have been a blur, and I am now resigned to the fact that future posts might stretch to semi-monthly on a more frequent basis.  Luckily the craziest month of the year - October - is now behind us, and I'm hoping that November will be a much easier ride to glory.  But enough whining - we've got plenty to cover, so let's get amongst it, shall we?

For starters - THE SNEETCH IS GROWING.  I'm not sure if it's just her getting taller (which is

And just like that...the world changes.

happening I think, as she looks ENORMOUS in her crib), her motor skills improving (which is definitely true, as evidenced by the fact that she can now turn on her fan and turn off her humidifier as well as walk backwards at a pretty quick clip), or a combination of both, but the sneetch has ratcheted up her ability to "get into things" to a whole new level.  Case in point - SHE CAN NOW OPEN DOORS.

Jenny warned me that this was now possible while I was in London last week, but I didn't witness it in action until she closed the door and barricaded herself in the bathroom this weekend.  Luckily she didn't lock the door (but she very well could have), but all the same we've now progressed to the next stage of the child-proofing evolution - the door handle covers.  K has NOT been able to figure those out yet, but  I'm sure that's only bought us a few months.  All the same, we'll take it!

Going back 2 weeks ago, a lot has happened.  For starters, K had her 6 months ENT follow-up, and I'm thrilled to report that things look great.  The doctor was very pleased and said that everything was progressing nicely.  Sounds like the tubes are starting to move, which suggests that her Eustacian tubes are trending in the right direction.  We've got another appointment in 2015, by which time the tubes will have most likely popped out.

The week commencing on the 20th of October was a short one for us, but JT packed it in.  We had a free week's membership at Romp n Roll, and so JT and the Munch hit 'em up twice.  K really, REALLY loves that place now.  Part of it is definitely that her confidence and strength continue to bloom, allowing her to do more physically and utilize all the apparatuses available.  Case in point, she was ALL ABOUT the slide during one of the visits, constantly sliding into a pile of balls (too cute).  She also spent some quality time with Rompy, the facility's mascot.  Even when Rompy was hidden, he was no match for the super sleuthing powers of the little Munchkin. :-)

JT also hit the library with the Sneetch, and while she's still not super-excited about story time or song time, she is now starting to learn the moves to the various songs.  She loves "open/shut them" and "wheels on the bus" now:  "open shut" is a favorite during meal time, while "wheels" is a favorite during a "dipe dipe" change.  She basically does the "false start" sign, which is mommy and daddy's cue to start singing. :-)  In the car she's now clapping at (almost) the right time for "Happy and You Know It" - definitely starting to put things together!

"Quick, mommy - put all these in your bag and
we might be able to pay for this fiasco..."

K's new fascination - climbing on top of EVERYTHING.  Full Stop.

Apparently this kid steamrolled K last week.  Consequently,
we dressed her as a bruiser this go-around.

"MASQUERADE!!!!  Paper faces on parade..."

Jenny and I had the long awaited "Haunted Half and Boo to Brew Relay" on the 25th, so I had both Thursday and Friday off.  Team Taylor PACKED it in on this trip over the mountain, starting with seeing mom on Thursday - complete with a stop at IHOP along the way.  IHOP was hilarious, as it was  all decorated with ghosts and witches, all of which blew Kaitlyn's mind.  She kept looking at the cats, cobwebs, spiders, and skeletons, all the while trying to make the "whoooooooooo" sound that a ghost would make.  I must confess - it was pretty darn cute (biased, party of 1).

The day with mom and Steve was just FANTASTIC.  For starters, the weather was amazing.  Secondly, now that K's mobile, she LOVED running around their big yard, seeing the dogs and cats everywhere (7 cats, mind you).  She tried (and succeeded) at petting a few cats, but her "petting" largely consisted her her thumping their lower backs in an effort to stroke their fur.  The one exception was Graybel (the newest cat - DESPERATE for love), as he was constantly rubbing up against her and nearly knocking her off her feet!  K didn't quite know what to make of that one, but they seemed to get along fine. :-)  The highlight for K was DEFINITELY the scarecrow hanging from a tree, and K held court in the front yard, commanding each adult to spin it in turn.  Surprisingly enough, we were all only too happy to oblige. :-)

Littlefoot and K meet. :-)

This one is precious to me because getting
these 4 folks together in a picture is a rare
thing - treasure these photos, Munchkin,
as they are few and far between.

In the house was a true stroll down memory lane, as mom had pulled out all my stuffed animals from when I was a kid.  We're talking Care Bears, Little Foot, you name it.  Throw in a newly purchased Dumbo and about 35 new books to read, and you had a wee one who was in hog Heaven - so much fun.  All in all, it was a GREAT night, even if a) it went WAAAAAY too fast and b) K did NOT sleep very well (which was shocking considering that my mom had a brand new crib for her that was every bit as large as ours).  And a side note here - since returning home, K has completely FALLEN IN LOVE with Dumbo.  She now sleeps with him every night.  Even more interesting, she gets really emotional when we read the story to her.  For starters, she always stops on the page where the kids make fun of Dumbo and points to the kid missing a tooth.  You can tell that it really bothers her, almost as if she's sad for Dumbo.  Then, when you turn to the page where Dumbo's mom is holding him outside her cell, K gets even more emotional (went ballistic today before nap time).  But the levity from all this comes from how she tells Jenny and I she wants Dumbo, as she tries to do an elephant trumpet - HILARIOUS!  I didn't believe mom when she said that K was doing it, but K even raises her arm like it's a trunk and everything - LOVE THIS KID!

The next day was another whirlwind, as we had lunch with Dad and Alice before wandering over to Nanny's for the afternoon and evening.  The schedule worked out quite well, as we got a good 3-4 hours of dedicated time with Nanny before mom came over.  As Nanny hadn't seen her walking, she was AMAZED at how much bigger she'd become (put
me squarely in that camp every week!).   K loved running up and down the hill at Nanny's house, and she spent a good 15 minutes just circling the poles on her front porch.  All those slopes were great, as they wore her out! K slept much better that night, which was good since Saturday was D-Day for the race!

My mom and Nanny were saints on Saturday, keeping K so Jenny and I could spend the afternoon running the race and then hanging out at Rockin' the Hallows.  Uncle Benny was the Headliner, and it was a BLAST!  Nothing like hanging around with a celebrity - we even got a local restaurant to open the kitchen for us once Benny showed up - BONUS, BABY!!!!!  The race was at an odd time (3 PM), but it was great in that I got a chance to see dad for a bit and even have some time with Pattie who was in from MTSU.

Sunday was an early departure, as I had to catch a flight to

London that night.  The drive was (mercifully) super smooth, and I got home in time to unpack, repack, kiss my girls goodbye, and roll out the door.  What followed was an EXHAUSTING week in the Smoke for this guy, as well as a very busy one for the ladies in my life as well.  JT spent 3 days with her folks before heading home Wednesday night.  Thursday was the Romp n Roll Halloween Bash, and K was dressed as the cutest (if not happiest) fairy in the land!  Jenny said that it was really great, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to attend a few of these next year.

Pregame - NOT excited about the fairy costume.

"Um, mommy - not this guy again..."

K discovers the bounce house...and LOVES it.

I did at least make it home in time for Halloween on Friday, which was a HOOT (or should I say an oink).  K went as Peppa Pig (courtesy of the Rice clan), and the outfit was a hit!  K loved it (nowhere near as tight as last year) and actually kept it on this go-around.  She had a BLAST playing in the cul-de-sac.  And funnily enough, she kept pointing the moon in amazement.  JT and I chuckled at this, but then we realized that this was probably the first time K had ever seen the moon and actually known what it was, as normally she's in bed long before it rises.  She was up and down the Way's driveway for the better part of 2 hours (often pushing a toy lawn mower) and even walked along the street for a bit.  However, we didn't actually make it to any houses for trick-or-treating (not that we're complaining, as she clearly had a blast).  She actually didn't want to go in - even after falling forward on a chair and SLAMMING her head into the pavement.  She had a blue knot on her forehead the size of a golf ball, which was sub optimal considering that we had professional pictures planned the following morning at 10 AM.  However, she was none the worse for wear, and the knot was nothing some Clinique and photoshop couldn't fix!

"It's GO TIME, BABY!!!!"

CANDY!!!! Well, and used, plastic lawn mowers...

"So, um...do I just stand here and destroy the scare-bunny or what?"

All smiles, daddy!!!

The photo shoot was actually hilarious, as K was ALL ABOUT this oversized snowman which she kept wanting to run around with and hand to the photographer.  I think we got some great shots, and the lady seemed really sweet (and talented, as we saw some of the pics, which were just priceless).  That got us up and out for lunch with Dad and Alice (they'd come in for my birthday weekend), and the day went by in a blur of bad weather, great football, excellent food, family bonding, and beer - no complaints here!

The fam left early on Sunday, leaving me with my girls for my 37th birthday.  WOW - THIRTY-SEVEN.  Not sure where on EARTH that time went, but I can say that, 37 years in, I count myself blessed beyond measure.  The day itself was wonderful - I had a lot of time with my girls, was well taken care of, and even got a 10 mile run in.  But more importantly, the way I feel now is just SO GOOD.  Yes, work can be a bit stressful at times.

"Lean on me, when you're not strong..."

Yes, I'm not a huge fan of the commute (but understand the necessity).  But my goodness, what on earth do I have to complain about?  I have the most amazing wife and daughter anyone could ask for, I feel in the best shape I've been in for probably 5 years, and I am genuinely happy.  Slowly I'm coming to terms with the limits we've discussed (you can't work out 6 days a week, you shouldn't worry about race times, not everything will get crossed off your to-do list every month, etc), and I think that's helping.  I do think I've been snippy with Jenny as of late, and I know I need to do a much better job about always being a supportive, active partner.  That I will continue to monitor - call that a New Year's Resolution for 2015 and, well, forever. :-)

The other big news from the last 2 weeks - we've now got a potty for K!  That's right, sports fans - as s

I mean...does it really get much cuter than this?

he's showing interest, Team Taylor is considering starting potty training.  So far all we've done is have her sit on it and identify which potty is "mommy's potty" vs. "Kaitlyn's potty."  The funny part is that she LOVES sitting on it and thinks it's a toy.  It's in the shape of a duck (or "baba" as K would say), and she goes BALLISTIC when we close the door and won't let her sit on it - too cute.  Now I guess I have some learning to do, as I don't have the first clue what I need to do in terms of getting her to tell me "when she needs to go."  Always an adventure, my friends!

Okay, so I'm conscious that was a fairly quick whip through 2 weeks, and I apologize for both a) the delay in posting and b) the brevity of the writing.  However, I didn't want to let these notes and memories get stale, so I figured it better to be short and sweet at the expense of waxing profound, poetic, and philosophical. :-)

Speak to everyone next week!

Love,

Sam and Jenny