Who says the sequel is never better? November Daddy Daycare Part II - a MUCH better experience...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  20 months and 13 days

Family,

"Kaitlyn, are you happy?"  "YES, DADDY!
Num, num!"

And a good Sunday afternoon to you from a rainy Queen City, where the Bull is watching the Lions and the Pats while the Munch sleeps upstairs.  What a great week, capped by a PERFECT weekend!  Let's get amongst it, shall we?

Pound for pound, this was really one of those golden weeks in the life of parents.  For starters, the Munch has shed much of her cold, and the copious amounts of mucus that was such a problem last week have all but subsided.  Sure, her nose is still running a bit, but what kid doesn't have a runny nose by this point in November (especially with the weather roller coaster we've been on).

Second, K's personality has been coming out more and more, and this week so a host of new phrases, games, and rituals.  Case in point - K LOVES piling up all her toys (animals, books, blocks, whatever) into a container right now.  And if it's not a container (the crib is a great example, as she loves to have all her stuffed animals brought to her in the mornings), then she'll make a big pile in the floor.  This kid can spend a good 20 minutes just moving stuff from place to place, only to take it back again.  The interesting part for me is that more and more she's learning how to entertain herself, and in those moments I get glimpses of how fleeting this time is where she wants to play with daddy.  Consequently I've been trying to make every second count, which has led to another new game - chase Kaitlyn for a hug. :-)

Kaitlyn has LOVED being chased lately, and it is INSANE how fast she's become!  She'll give me the

"Nana, is that you?"

look (complete with that smile and adorable dimple) that says, "Come get me, daddy!"  If I don't get up, I'll get a "Dada," coupled with the look and a few steps in the opposite direction.  And once "Daddy Dragon" gets up and starts chasing, the laughter comes fast and furious.  K will go round and round (and round!) the island in the kitchen, randomly throwing in detours to the other front rooms for good measure.  She loves it, and all the while I keep making noises so she knows I"m getting closer.  When I finally get to her, I say "I'm gonna get my hug" and then pick her up, usually turning her partially upside down while I get a kiss.  Love it!

Sittin' in a rocker, eatin' Betty Crocker...

I'm also back in K's good graces for the nighttime ritual, so she's back to letting me read.  Nighttime has actually become increasingly more wonderful in the past week or so, as K has changed her routine as well (in my favor).  Once I"m done reading to her, she slides off my lap and grabs 2 stuffed animals, which she then drops into the crib.  She instantly wants to go into the crib (but no longer says "night, night"), but she stands up the second you put her in.  I say, "Can I say night, night?", at which point she reaches up so I can lift her out of the crib.  She then instantly puts her head on my shoulder (TOO CUTE) and lays there as long as I will let her.  Let me tell you, as someone who knows this time is finite, that is pretty much THE BEST PART OF MY DAY.  I am trying to soak up every second of that and take it

all in, because who knows when that changes (too soon is the answer, regardless of when it actually does happen).  Until that day comes, however, Kaitlyn will have a welcome shoulder to lay on, helping to soothe her to sleep.

Those Crocs...TOO CUTE.  Thanks, Rice clan!

Another great one right now is that, whenever I go into K's room in the morning, she always wants to "sit in the breadbasket" and have daddy read to her.  I worked from home on Thursday, and since I didn't have meetings until later in the day, I went in with Jenny to see K when she woke up.  It's SO CUTE how she does it.  She hands me 5 or 6 books, gets a nice pile beside me, and then steps over my leg, smiles at me, and then backs into my chest.  She then sits down as close to me as possible.  So now when I say "sit in the breadbasket," she backs right up, puts her thumb in her mouth, and awaits her literary reward - LOVE THIS!

Life was great for Jenny this week as well, as NOMAD continues to be a blessing for us and working out great.  Both of us prefer all the facilities, but even more important is the fact that K LOVES the daycare!  Twice this week she actually cried because Jenny made her leave!  It's worked out so well for the whole family, and it's half the price and half the distance to boot!  I actually took K there on Saturday (Jenny's out of town this weekend) and got a great 90 minute workout in - you just can't beat it!



The weekend itself has been absolutely perfect.  Unlike Round 1 of Daddy daycare, this schedule was much more relaxed (and consequently much more successful).  Yesterday was NOMAD in the morning and then the park in the afternoon.  It was cold but clear, and K and I just got on great.  We had a terrific mixture of outside time, running around the house, and activities - all with a little Peppa thrown in to boot.  Plus K has eaten and slept GREAT all weekend - yesterday she was nowhere NEAR the fusspot she was last time.  Today has been great as well, as I FINALLY got the chance to go to Romp 'n Roll over in Harrisburg - so neat!  We had a good 80 minutes in there (can't be that for $10!), and K was in Heaven.  She went NON-STOP, so I'm thinking I'll have to wake her by 3 today (she was EXHAUSTED by the time she left - no complaints here!).  Baths have been easy, she's been a trooper, and it's just been a lot of fun.  Plus I taught her to say "All right!" today, and she's said it about 1,100 times (is definitely convinced it's what you're supposed to say before getting into the car :-)).

For my part, it's just been a good weekend to relax and refocus.  Thinking about 2015, my goals and
focus will revolve around "the 3 F's" - family, financials, and fitness.  I know it probably seems like I unload my thoughts on this blog every week, but this week has been a bit of a boon in terms of thinking about my future.  For starters, I decided this week that I'm not going to run a race in January or February.  Instead, I'm going to treat Huntersville as the last race on the calendar (and I've not even signed up for that yet) and then dial back some of my miles.  I am really enjoying running on the treadmill right now, and I want to avail of NOMAD and see what kind of shape I can really get in.  I want to start "bricking" - doing 2 sports every workout, and I want to keep all my runs under 1 hour.  I want to work on speed work and getting higher quality miles vs. quantity miles.  Plus I am just exhausted and want to ensure I can heal up my body.  Hopefully JT and I will be be 100% healthy in January and can then put some stuff on the calendar.  I'd love for her to get a "swim-cation" in for 2015 - I'm happy to stand on the beach with the Munchkin and cheer her on!

Last little bits for the Munch - she's started saying "Num, num!" whenever she sees a food that she likes.  It's cute, and it gets louder and louder if she thinks you "didn't hear her the first 28 times."  Also, whenever she sees a laundry basket, she'll start pulling out clothes, announcing whether the owner of each is Mama or Dada.  The funny part is that she places the accent on the First syllable, meaning we get "MA-ma" or "DA-da" at about 128 decibels whilst she goes through our knickers.

Ok, that's about all the news that's fit to print over here in Meck.  Speak to you soon - can't believe I got 2 posts done in 48 hours!

Love,

Sam and (fresh off watching the Head Ball Coach become bowl eligible yet again) Jenny