Pegleg goes mobile!!!!!

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  2 years and 16 days

Family,

And a good Friday to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is FINALLY settling down to blog

about the last almost two weeks.  I will be honest - I fear that this blog is going to move to a 10 day or even 14 day cycle as we commence volume three, as I am really struggling to find the time right now.  Between K going down later in the evening (closer to 7:40 vs. what used to be 7), the average work day stretching to 9-10 hours, me having to commute more, and Team Taylor starting to catch-up on some long overdue activities, time just seems to be harder and harder to find. I've already dialed back exercise to 3-4 times a week and have dropped reading from the calendar all together, but I want to keep this writing going as long as possible, as it's important for me to have a record of all this time and the Munchkin's growth.

And speaking of growth - WOW!  So much to report here that I almost don't know where to start.  The biggest news is that K is now WALKING AND ALMOST RUNNING IN HER CAST!  It's been absolutely incredible (and almost life-changing for us), but I am getting ahead of myself.  Let me reset to cover the time since we last chatted.

For most of the week ending 3/22, K had certainly become more mobile.  While she wasn't yet bi-pedal, she had discovered a way to scoot on her rump that was nothing shy of a) comical and b) impressive.  I mean, watching her scoot like a rocket pretty much dispelled any notion that she might gain weight while having the cast, as this child was now working 10 times harder to keep herself mobile - all the while carrying an extra 5 pounds for that bloody cast (which is a WEAPON, for the record - I can't believe she hasn't dislocated my jaw or cracked my skull swinging that thing around during "dipe dipe" changing or when "TT rolling around" is the game of choice).

Then, near the end of the week, Jenny and I were shocked to find that K had used the rails along the bannister upstairs to pull herself up to standing!  She then started using the bannister rails as handles to support her, and BOOM - K WAS WALKING AGAIN!  Granted, it was more than a little unsteady and she did tire quickly, but there was no doubt about it - K could get upright and could move (so long as she was holding onto something).

Fast forward to this week, and let's just say that the training wheels have come off!  K is running around all OVER the place, is tackling the stairs on her own, and is practically diving and jumping on the couch (not OFF the couch - just from side to side).  Even better?  Jenny's taken her to the playground a couple of times this week, and she has been FEARLESS.  Seriously - no quit in that child, as she has been ALL ABOUT the slides this week.  And whereas this past weekend we had to help her climb up the slides or place her at the top, this week she's actually been able to climb up AND even use the stairs - INCREDIBLE!

She's now at the point that she's running, climbing, you name it.  She can climb onto the bed in our room by herself, climb onto all couches, tackle the stairs, climb into her high chair - just incredible.  What is awesome for me is that, in these moments, you can see exactly what they say in the movie "Gattaca" - there is no gene for the human spirit.  That girl WANTS TO GO, and by golly she's gonna

do it.  For my part, I'm so proud of her.  Also, it's been great for Jenny and I, as it's definitely made life easier.  For starters, not having to carry her around (given how much she now weighs) has helped.  More importantly, however, the fact that she's standing means she's not having as much diaper rash.  It had gotten quite serious prior to her standing, so we feel really lucky that it's now abating.  3 more sleeps and that cast is off - cannot WAIT!

In terms of other development, let's move to language.  Now I know that I said I wouldn't try to continue her catalogue of words, and I'm certainly not as militant about recording it as I was previously.  That being said, when classics come out, I feel compelled to capture thing.  And so, here's the latest installment of K's vocabulary development.  You'll notice a lot more sentences now, as she's really starting to put words together AND is demonstrating quite the memory - trotting out phrases from December even!

1.  Picnic basket (taken from Daisy Duck's picnic basket - one of her newest toys, courtesy of Vol Nana) - this one is really cute because she's starting to pretend that she's taking food out of the basket and eating it.  No matter what food I ask for - apple, avocado, crown rack of lamb - K has it in that basket and is always willing to share. :-)

2.  Picnic blanket (see above)

3.  Dirty

4.  Parrot

5.  Toucan (Yes, she says TOUCAN)

6.  Dragon (as in Stuffy the dragon from Doc McStuffins - she actually knows his name as well)

7.  Scuffy boat (as in Scuffy the tugboat, one of my old Golden Books)

8.  Spinning (as in what a balloon does when you fill it with air and then let it go) - JT had the great idea this past week to buy some balloons, as a) they are cheap, and b) K LOVES them.  She enjoys popping them as well, however, and so we're having to keep an eye on that.  Lately she's enjoyed watching "Boon fy," meaning blowing it up and letting it go.  It's all fun and games until you get light-headed...

9.  Shell

10.  Stripes - so this one was amazing, moreso for what K is doing at the end of vocabulary books.  When we get to the end of the book and the last page has a lot of words and pictures, K will now rattle off ALL OF THEM WITHOUT TAKING A BREATH.  The smile on her face when she's done is nothing she of priceless - LOVE THAT KID!

11.  Steamer (as in a huge poopy) - yes, yes, I know - parent of the year...

12.  waffle

13.  syrup

14.  teacher

15.  children

16.  blooming (and so much is right now)

17.  "Cloudy out" - much like "sunny out," she loves to drop this one while riding in the stroller or as soon as we get out of the car.  The good news is that, when it is sunny out, she now likes to wear her sunnies - very cute!

18.  Card (and she thinks ALL of them are for her, because after all - it's ALWAYS "TT birthday")

19.  Present (see #18)

20.  astronaut - I'm telling you - GENIUS

21.  "Dada working at home" - it's pretty crazy, but she now realizes that the bedroom is the office and that daddy is in there doing work (which is why he can't play). She's said this both in the car on the way home and in the bonus room when I leave after checking in.  Love it!

22.  "TT walking on my own" - she said this for the first time when she stood up and walked between the couches in the bonus room.  JT and I were FLOORED.

23.  "TT turning around" - same thing (and basically at the same time) - just incredible.

24.  "Good morning!"  She said this to me for the first time EVER today - I was shocked.  And the smile that accompanied it was nothing shy of perfect.

In terms of other development items to note, JT has started working on counting with K - most often when she's going up the stairs.  What's crazy - K has learned almost all the numbers from 1-20 overnight (GREAT job, Wife Muffin - teacher of the year!), and she loves to rattle them off as she climbs.  What's funny is that at first we alternated - she's say 1, we'd say 2, she'd say 3, etc.  However, we soon realized that, because of this, she wasn't learning all of them in a row (2 and 8 are absolute black holes for her at present).  Consequently, JT and I are now rattling them off 1 at a time, either asking her to repeat them or asking her what's next in the sequence (and then repeating it once she says it).  She's not there yet, but the speed of learning is explosive!

K is also getting much quicker at puzzles (the ladies at NOMAD noticed this first) and is now rolling through her shapes.  She can name a ton of them - I watched this happen when she was reading her "Peter Cottontail" book, as she blitzed through what each one was on the "shape page."  She did the same thing on the color page and animal noise page.

And speaking of animals, K now has two classic rituals with her crib.  At night she puts 6 animals in her crib.  They rotate, but at time of writing - Minnie, Rompy, Beefeater Bear, Go Dog, Purple Hop Hop, Monkey Baby - each of these animals is tossed in prior to K going into the crib.  And then, once I put her down, she actually takes each of them and arranges them along the front of the crib before moving them back to the side closest to the glider.  It is at this point that she settles for sleep.  Then, in the morning, she throws each of them out of the crib one by one (stating their name first!) before saying "TT turn!", which is my queue to pull her out (at which time she says "Reading dada" before I can

even give her a kiss).

Also, as per the dentist instructions, JT has started calmly telling K that she should NOT suck her thumb during the day, as this was bad for her teeth.  I will be honest, I haven't had the heart to do it yet, mainly because it's SO CUTE when she's watching TV.  However, Jenny has been the strong one and has said it regularly, and today the unthinkable happened.  K was sucking her thumb before Mickey Mouse Clubhouse came on,and Jenny mentioned that she shouldn't do it.  K said, "No thumb - bad for teeth!" and took her thumb out.  She then proceeded to watch THE ENTIRE SHOW without the thumb - amazing!  Way to go, wife muffin!

Other random notes:

1. K continues to grow like a weed.  She's now so talk that she can't walk under the marble overhang on our island in the kitchen.

2.  K can now identify a mouse and a computer, pointing at each.

3.  K stacked 12 blocks today - double the milestone threshold.  What, WHAT!?!?!?!?

4.  K can actually identify a Robin when she sees one.  She knows it specifically, as she calls it a Robin, where she calls all the other flying critters "birds."  Pretty clever... :-)

The rest of the week last week was a blur (to say nothing of this week), but the biggest item from last week was the EPIC Spring Picture shoot K had with a photographer.  I am attaching all the pictures because words can't do them justice, but needless to say it went GREAT!  K was an angel, the bunnies were cooperative, and the photographer did a great job of capturing all kinds of different shots, many of which hid the cast very well.  JT said it was incredible, and having seen the output, I couldn't agree more.  Check it out!

Also, this past weekend we drove up to Floyd, VA, for cousin Marshall's 3rd birthday party.  It was 2+ hours each way (and K had a MELTDOWN on the way home), but the 5 hours there were nothing shy of magic, and we had SO MUCH FUN!  It was so great to see the Quesenberry clan and catch up, and K absolutely LOVED the bounce house, the toys, and most especially - the playground that had ground up used tires vs. wood chips!  She had a blast and spent tons of time walking around, going down (SMALL) slides, and soaking up the sun.  The weather was great, the food was excellent, the company was fun - it was just a perfect happy day.

And so there you have it, 12 crazy days in the life of Team Taylor.  I do hate that this will realistically become less frequent than weekly, but for my sanity I think that's ultimately where it will land.  However, I don't want it to spread out longer than that, as K is changing SO FAST right now, and I'm desperate to capture all these changes.  Also, for me, it helps me hold these memories and moments a little longer, as I get the chance to sit down and rehash them in my head before K goes and does something even more incredible.  It's just all these moments that make you realize how precious this time is and how every second counts.  It's also in these moments that you realize how proud you are of your daughter and how blessed you feel to watch her on this voyage of discovery, all the while wondering who and what she will become.

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print.  I hope this was a fitting kickoff for Volume III!

Love,

Sam and Jenny

And so it ends - Year Two as a parent...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  2 years (WHAT?!?!?!?) and 12 days

Family,

And a good Thursday to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is working on yet another milestone post.  This entry will officially conclude Volume 2 of "Raise Kids With the Taylors," which means

My girls!  Happy Birthday, Munchkin!!!!

only 1 thing - OUR DAUGHTER IS 2 YEARS OLD.  How is that possible?!?!?!

This post in particular has occupied my thoughts quite a bit lately, and I've been desperate to find a chunk of time for sitting down and committing it to "paper."  However, between recovering from Vegas and everything else going on, I've been tired this week and just haven't had a good window.  However, I'm finally feeling refreshed and up early on a Thursday morning, so I'm hopeful I can do this last entry (for this volume anyway!) justice.

Two years - I really can't believe I'm typing that.  I mean, K is no longer an infant, newborn, or baby - none of those descriptors now apply.  Our child is a toddler, a youngster,  A LITTLE GIRL - and this year's transformation has just been incredible.  I still remember a card my mom gave me that said:  "Son - you came.  You grew up.  You defy explanation.  Have you been fun to love or what?"  That is EXACTLY how I feel about K.

I mean, let's just think about everything that's happened this year (and I'll do the 20 memories later, but these are big enough moments that they deserve a little more air time).  The stretch from March 2014 to March 2015 saw K's first surgery (tubes in her ears), Jenny quit work to stay at home with Kaitlyn, us say farewell to Primrose, K's first passport stamp, K's first step, run, and jump, our last Christmas in Tennessee, and K's first broken bone - and that's just a few of the highlights!  Plus, with K at the cusp of so many transitions - big girl bed, potty, day care, you name it - Year Three is gonna be one wild ride!

The Mac now has almost 21,000 pictures, 99% of which are the Munchkin.  The house now sports a toddler basketball hoop, a trampoline (not yet set up for obvious reasons), a little tykes cozy coupe, and a newly opened up bonus room (Good call, Wife muffin!).  The Go Pro has almost an hour of footage, a lot of which are just normal, everyday moments with K - laughing, playing, running, etc - which makes those files more precious than gold to me and Jenny.

For my part, 2014 was incredible, and it's not a stretch to call the first 3 months of 2015 the best three of my entire life.  The decision to have Jenny stay at home has transformed this house for the better in every way imaginable and more ways than I ever thought possible.  In her new role as Director of Operations for Team Taylor, LLC, Jenny has shown time and time again how amazing a mother she is, and the benefits of having her home are easily evident when looking at how quickly K is developing and learning.  For my part, I've become a lazy slob when it comes to cleaning and a fat slob as well, as JT IS NOW THE GODDESS OF THE KITCHEN AND SHOULD HOST HER OWN COOKING SHOW.  Summary - life is guuuuuuuuuud.

That last sentence sums up Team Taylor right now - we just cannot believe how blessed we are.  K is healthy (minus the break, but that seems to be healing nicely), we love our home, we've really been lucky to spend a lot more time with family lately, and life has just been great.  We've found a church, I've found a happy medium on running (not killing myself by getting up at 5:30 every morning), we're loving experimenting in the kitchen, the weather is getting nicer (which means beautiful flowers and more walks), and I think the goals we set out when we moved to "the burbs" are coming to fruition (truth be told, I think they were always there - it just took me awhile to see them and realize I was living the dream I wanted but hadn't yet acknowledged).  And now, as I look back on the year that has closed in K's life, I feel so blessed and realize how my cup truly runneth over.  And as I think back to all the laughs, emotions, and memories over these past 12 months, a sense of excitement fills me as I think about what K's next year of life will bring.

Tell me that's not the picture of relaxation.

But before I roll through my memories of this past year, let's do the standard development items, shall we?  On the development front, K is starting to become quite feisty about putting on her own clothes.  I see it more at nighttime when putting on pajamas, but simply put - you try and put her PJ's on for her, a

nd SHE. GOES. CRAZY.   She is pretty good at getting her head through the "head hole," but then she wants to put her arms through the head hole as well.  On the bottoms, she's getting better, and given that she's got a cast on 1 leg, I'm cutting her a little slack in the interim. :-)  She still doesn't always get the legs in the right holes (normally tries to go 2 for 1), but she's close.  Genius, I tell ya!

The week was a fun one for her and JT, starting with the monthly Chik-fil-a breakfast on Monday.  As an aside, it's been AMAZING to see how much more mobile K's become with the cast - nothing can slow this girl down!  She was crawling the first week, but now she's sliding on her butt and moving quite quickly - so much so that we can no longer leave the gates open.  Talk about a short reprieve there!  And get this - she's even climbing on the furniture!  She can actually climb all the couches and her little adirondack chair now (and still tries to jump out of her chair after eating) - incredible!

On the language front, K has started combining words into sentences NON-STOP.  It's really incredible to watch not only the vocabulary development, but also the grammar and syntax structure.  One really exciting item for me to note was that, when I landed back from Vegas on Sunday, K pulled out the alphabet puzzle and said ALL OF HER LETTERS!  Now granted, she didn't do them all in order, but she knows every single one and was MUCH better at putting them into their appropriate slots.  That was truly the amazing thing for me, as I'd always felt like it had been a struggle for her.  I'm telling you, sports fans, my wife is doing an AMAZING job of teaching our daughter (and pushing her to figure things out on her own.  I give JT a TON of credit here, as I've not been as good about that and need to work on pushing her to solve problems in 2015 vs. providing assistance too quickly).

On the word front, here are the new additions:

1.  Church

2.  Playground (this past week she had to walk past it but obviously couldn't do anything with her cast - she was a trooper about it, and I'm happy to report that she's now getting some playground time - stay tuned for the next post :-))

3.  Robin - now I know that "bird" was what I thought was her first word, so animals of the aviary persuasion have caused me some embarrassment before, but hear me, people - K CAN IDENTIFY A ROBIN.  She can point out any critter with the orange breast and call it a robin, whereas all the other winged critters are just "birds." I saw this first hand on a walk last Sunday - amazing!

4.  Headstand - no idea where she learned this word, as JT and I have NEVER said it.  However, she's trying to do them nonstop (pushes herself into down dog), and when Jenny asked what on earth she was doing, "headstand" was her response.

5.  xylophone

6.  bulldozer (Loved that one!)

7.  ponytail - she's FINALLY letting us put her hair back now - so cute!

8.  birthday (and BELIEVE ME - she knows that equates to presents :-))

9.  watermelon - which she is eating a TON of, for the record.  This summer could be a watermelon eating spectacle the world has never seen - complete with the full diapers to match...

10.  "Two years old" - she started repeating this on her birthday (most likely after we'd said it 1,600 times).  I'm not sure she gets it, but if you ask how old she is, she does say "two years old" ...and holds up 4 fingers.  Details...

11.  "Thank You" - now I might have given her credit for this one before, but she proactively said it for the first time this week.  She sometimes signs it as well, and I love hearing her say it.  Just like when she repeats "I love you" - it's just about the sweetest thing ever.

On the sentence front, "night moon out" was probably my favorite from the week, but she's probably added 20 new "pidgin English" sentences to the repertoire.  Jenny said it best - in times previous, we've been amazed when parents have been able to translate what their kids are saying (as we had no clue).  Now, however, we get it, as we know exactly what she's saying even when no one else would have a PRAYER of guessing it.  My how times change... :-)


As for the rest of the week, K had a successful dentist visit on Tuesday and a visit to the aquarium for her birthday on Wednesday (where she bonded with the Octonauts).  The dentist said the everything looked good, but we have now officially been placed on warning that it's time for K to stop sucking her thumb.  He said that ideally we need to break her of the habit over the next 2 years, and obviously the sooner the better.  Apparently the thumb sucking motion results in the front teeth growing faster, which is why it's important to get them to stop.  The instructions for now are simple - just tell her calmly that she shouldn't do it because it will hurt her teeth whenever you see her doing it.  For me, it's largely during reading time, Mickey time, and bed time.  I haven't yet had the heart to say, "Sweetheart, please stop" - between the birthday and the cast, it's just felt wrong to deprive her of such a comfort.  However, I know that the time will soon come, and once April rolls around, I plan to start doing my part (vs. leaving it all to Jenny :-)).

Oh, and the last funny bits of the week?  K has really enjoyed "the burping game," this week, whereby she says "Dada burp!" and I have to do it on command.  Now, as I can't actually burp on command like Jenny can, I have to just make some ridiculous noise, and when I do K just cackles.  In a similar vein, Jenny has taught K how to make "poot" noises, but K can't quite get the tongue and air mixture just right.  The result is K trying to make the noise, slobbering or spitting all over Jenny, and then cackling uncontrollably (rinse - repeat).  I'm telling - PARENTS OF THE YEAR.

So there you have it - thoughts and emotions from a father after another week (and year!) in the books.  Honestly, there's so much that I want say that I could write for a hundred years, but the reality is that words will never do justice to the experience of being a parent.  As with so many things, you can never appreciate it until you do it.  And once you've done it, you are so immensely grateful for the blessings God has given you and the chance to go down this path.  Between Jenny and Kaitlyn, I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth, and I only hope that in Year Three I can give them half the joy they've given (and continue to give) me.

I leave you now with the 20 memories of Year Two - Happy Reading:

1.  Looking out the window on a June day just in time to see the Munchkin take her first steps - and then to see the look on mine and Jenny's face that said, "Yeah, that's our kid.  Not bad, huh?"

2.  Holding hands during prayer and eating with my daughter at Grandmother and Granddaddy's on Christmas Eve, knowing full well it would be the last time I'd ever be there on Christmas Eve and being so thankful that I'd have that memory forever.

3.  Wondering why JT was three hours late responding to a text asking simply "How's the day going?", only to later receive a response that said "Interesting day..."

4.  That first photo on the beach in Jamaica of Team Taylor looking out at the ocean (backs to the camera, taken by C-Web) - so exhausted from what we'd been through, so excited for what was to come, and so naive...

5.  The look on JT's face when she realized we could do it - she was going to stay home and raise our daughter.

6.  The last photo outside Primrose of K and Jenny with the playground in the background, knowing we were closing a major chapter in our lives and opening an even bigger one.

7.  The look on Jenny's face at 5 AM when she walked into the "living room" of the Country Inn and Suites to see me sipping coffee and K surrounded by a mountain of Kleenex - just 2.5 hours before a half marathon.

8.  The Smile on K's face as she ran up the beach in Amelia Island - "To infinity, and beyond!"

9.  "Eyeball, Dada!"  This was the moment I realized how much better K was getting at communicating what was wrong and what she wanted.

10.  Changing my daughter's diaper in my Disney Marathon shirt and hearing her say:  "Minnie!"  Little did I know what that was about to mean...

11.  The fear of the unknown when a doctor and five nurses whisked our daughter around a corner to put tubes in her ears.

12.  The moment of being "on the knife's edge" as K had a leg out of the crib and was straddling the top of the pack 'n play.  It was the moment where we KNEW we had to get in gear and figure out the next stage in her sleeping evolution.

13.  Santa Epic Fail 2.0.  So much promise.  Such similar results.

14.  Watching K hugging Rompy and being thrilled that she like it (especially since it was the first Christmas present from her parents).  Note - hearing her say his name still makes me smile from ear to ear.

15.  Watching in amazement as K went from crawling up steps to walking with parents up steps to holding onto the rails to climb steps to actually taking strides - just amazing to watch will and learning in action.

16.  "1 MINNIE!"  Cutest.  Thing.  Ever.

17.  Watching the memory and vocabulary progression on an almost hourly basis - and realizing how proud you can be of every new word your child says (and realizing that "the good stuff" in life is most often found in the smallest of moments)

18.  Hearing K ask for "Big Girl Bed" and knowing that YES - we as parents are actually capable of ushering in a smooth transition to the next big milestone

19.  Watching K with her grandparents and seeing how much she loves each one of them (and now knows their names!) - each brings something totally different to the table, and K is so blessed for how much richer they make her life (and how much richer she makes each of theirs)

20.  "Reading dada" - without a doubt the best way to unwind and end each day. :-)

So beautiful.  So happy.  So inquisitive.
I love you, kiddo.  Can't wait to see what
joys, adventures, and surprises year 3 brings.

Jenny - I am so proud of you.  I hope you realize the transformation you've brought about in this house.  K is the child she is because of you.  I am the man I am because of you.  And this house is a home because of you.  Thank you for your love, your patience, you sacrifice, your sense of humor - thank you for being my best friend, my soul mate, and the best wife and mother any man could ever dream of having.

Kaitlyn - no doubt scores of years will pass before you ever read this, but when you do find your way to these pages, please know a few things.  Your father loves you so much he can't begin to explain it.  This year saw a ton of change for you, and you handled it all with a resiliency that people of any age would respect and envy.  You have challenged yourself, laughed, hugged, loved, cried, traveled, smiled, and just been a joy to be around.  Your laugh is infectious - I want to hear it all the time.  I love nothing more than walking into your room in the morning to see that smile, and there is no greater pleasure in life than having your head on my shoulder as I walk you to your crib.  You have made mine and Jenny's life complete.  You are an angel and a treasure, and I cannot WAIT to see what the future holds for you and the adventures we'll share.  Dada and mama love you - don't you ever forget or doubt that.

Family - I hope you enjoyed Volume 2.  Volume 3 commences next week! :-)  Speak soon.

Love,

Sam and Jenny

A milestone that you DON'T cheer for - Kaitlyn gets her first cast...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  23 months and 29 days

Family,

And a good evening to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is fresh off a twelve hour day at work

and trying to wedge this post in before his trip to VEGAS, BABY.  But lest anyone think I'm giving the "woe is me" speech, I will acknowledge that my wife has had a MUCH tougher day for reasons I'm about to elucidate.  And with that lead in, let's get amongst it, shall we?

So I realize that normally I start with Kaitlyn's word count, and I promise we'll get to that.  However, while the emotions and memories are still fresh, I think it more appropriate to start with the event that prompted the title of this post - and it all started with a little text asking "How's the day going?"

Long story short - The first part of the week was great, with K getting down to Discovery Place Uptown for a play date with Marlowe and Tina, and all signs were pointing to a wonderful last full week of her 24th month.  The trend continued last Wednesday, as Jenny took K down to Mindy's for a play date with Hayden.  It should be noted that K was SO EXCITED - the whole night before she kept talking about "Hayden backpack!" and "Baby Seth!", and when you asked her where she was going, she would say "Meeendeeee."  The play date itself also started well - everyone was having fun, the weather was gorgeous and all was right with the world. Things were going so well, in fact, that the gang decided to make a trek over to Freedom Park (as you would do with weather like we had) and play on the playground.

The gang found some slides, and one slide in particular (henceforth known as "blue slide") was particularly steep.  JT let K go down it once on her own, but the incline was quite severe and worried JT.  Kaitlyn was NOT worried, however, and wanted to go down it again.  And so Jenny, being the wonderful mother that she is and wanting for foster and nurture K's sense of adventure (you'll notice a theme here in my writing, but let me spell it out clearly before we go any further - MY WIFE IS AMAZING AND THE BEST MOTHER ON THE PLANET), went down the slide with her, holding K on her lap.  Well, as fate would have it, K's foot got caught against the slide on the way down and twisted at a rather harsh angle.  What happened after that, was, well, nothing shy of awful.

Now keep in mind that I wasn't around for ANY of this.  However, given how clearly it's imprinted in JT's memory bank, I feel the below will be a fairly accurate recreation of events.  K was apparently screaming uncontrollably, just shouting "blue slide knee!" and pointing to that part of her body.  At first everyone thought that she was scared, but when K couldn't put any weight on it and screamed uncontrollably the entire walk back and then on the ride home, it was clear something was wrong.  JT, again being the amazing mother she is and having good instincts, managed to get an appointment at the Peds, who took her in for an x-ray (although it should be noted that, while waiting for said x-ray, there was a FIRE ALARM, meaning they had to stand outside for 20 minute - did I mention this is the SECOND TIME this has happened when we've been to the Peds?  And it's not like we're there every day.  Anyhoo...).  Oddly enough, they didn't see anything on the x-ray and said that it was probably just a sprain.  They sent the film onto our Children's Hospital here, who said they would look at it and call us if they saw anything.  With that plan of attack, JT brought K home, where she was still in pain and could bear no weight.

Snack time for the munch on Thursday - it
was so much easier to bring the food to her
vs. trying to move her pre-cast.

I got home late that night - all I'd had from JT was a text that said "Interesting day - all ok.  Will tell you when home."  Well, of course I couldn't handle that, and so I had to call on the drive home.  K was in good spirits and eating when I arrived, but anytime you picked her up, she screamed and was clearly in pain.  In the bathtub she kept scratching her leg, and it was clear something was wrong.  To be fair, we still thought it was just a sprain coupled with exhaustion (she'd only slept 45 minutes), but when she woke up the next morning and still couldn't walk, we knew something was wrong.

The Peds called later that morning, telling us that the folks at Levine (that's the children's hospital) had reviewed the film and confirmed the unexpected - K had a broken tibia.  Although booked, those fine people managed to make a spot for us at 2:40, and so we jumped at the chance.  Oh, and did I mention that, throughout all this, we picked THIS DAY to transition her to a big girl bed?  That's right, folks - if you're gonna make the switch and change a baby's routine, YOU GO WHOLE HOG.

Here's the deal - we'd been planning to make the jump since Atlanta, and our thoughts were multiple fold.  For starters, it was going to be much easier to get her out of a big girl bed on the floor vs. leaning

into the crib (less painful for her as well).  Secondly, it's not like she was terribly mobile, so we realized we could use this time to get her used to the new bed and get her into the habit without having to deal with a munchkin constantly crawling out of bed and heading to the bookshelf.  Third, we felt that it was time anyway, and given that her focus was elsewhere, she might not react that adversely to the change. And while I will speak more on this in a bit, I am VERY happy to report that, at time of writing, she's still sleeping in her big girl bed and has only had 1 reversion (which we predict will be the last!).

Okay - back to the story at hand:  K didn't fall asleep that day until almost 1:30, and then we had to wake her at 2:00 to get downtown for our appointment.  Parking was a nightmare, but we did arrive in time and found the Levine Specialty Center.  Now a quick word here - obviously it's terrible when your kid breaks a bone.  Heck, it's awful when they get injured or feel bad period.  But when you go into this area of the hospital, there are basically 2 ways you can go - 1 is for things like broken bones.  The other is their cancer research center.  Family, let me tell you something - when you look at that door, you realize how blessed you are that you're not walking through it and hope and PRAY you never have to.  And it was with that sobering thought that we rolled into the broken bone wing and kicked off quite the adventure - getting K into a cast.

So another bit of commentary here - the staff was amazing, and the service was top notch.  We had to do follow-up x-rays, and through them we learned that K had a clean break straight through the middle of her tibia from the ankle to the knee.  K got to select her cast color ("Pur-pullllll"), and I think she genuinely enjoyed having the cast molded to her (she winced a bit when he formed it around her knee, but most of the time she was mesmerized).  The good news - once that cast was on, she was INSTANTLY pain free, and her cute little smile returned almost immediately.

Here's the experience in photos:

Act I:  The check-in

Act II:  Uncertainty and Discomfort

Act III:  Rapt Fascination (and some comfort)

Act IV:  The selection of "Poopul Cast"

Act V:  The instructions

Another bit of commentary - my poor wife was DISTRAUGHT throughout this entire process.  And Jenny, I am going to say it again for the cheap seats - THIS WAS AN ACCIDENT, AND YOU SHOULD NOT BE UPSET WITH YOURSELF.  Things like this happen, and K won't even remember or know it happened until we show her the pictures (just like Jamaica!).  You are the THE BEST MOTHER I have ever seen - I mean that! - and don't you ever doubt for a second the care, love, and protection that you provide the Sneetch each and every day.  I know this was tough, and I'm sure that, in your shoes, I would have felt the same way.  But look at all the love and hugs K is giving you - all is well!

The good news is that, since the cast, K has been (largely) all smiles and very happy (certainly pain free).  Helping her mood has been a generous portion of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, some Mickey stickers, lots of Peppa Pig, plenty of books, and even some visitors (more to come on that in a bit).  All in all, she's been happy, and has even managed to become mobile again!  She is doing an amazing job of crawling, scooting, and pulling herself wherever she wants to go - she's even tried to stand up a few times and jump!  What's cute is when she watches Mickey during the Hot dog dance.  At first she tried to get off the seat, but now she realizes that she can't dance.  Instead, she just bounces in her seat and kicks her free leg up and down - too cute!

The new feeding position - the pillow to
keep her foot elevated.

Also, she's continuing to love the Big Girl bed.  At night when you say "do you want to sleep in your crib or Big Girl Bed?", she always points to the mattress and says "big girl bed."  She usually also asks for "air pump!," but we've stopped turning that on to appease her (no drama so far :-)).  On Friday, K actually wouldn't stay in her big girl bed, and after she crawled out twice (JT went into her room and found her by the books saying, "Reading, mama") Jenny moved her to the crib.  K went INSANE, but the good news - after that, she has NOT crawled out of the bed once.  I think she realized that the big girl bed was a privilege and a sign of growing up, whereas reverting to the crib was a prison.  So far the lesson seems to be intact, and last night we even made the switch from the air mattress to the actual crib mattress.  K was a little confused (at first she was pointing to the crib), but soon enough she figured it out and went to sleep on a bed of stuffed animals. :-)

Needless to say Mickey is now getting ALL
KINDS OF LOVE.  

The weekend itself was fantastic, as Dad and Alice showed up on Friday night for the weekend.  We had an absolute blast, and K was treated to a few more birthday presents!  She's now the proud owner of a Minnie Mouse plush, and she also got a little more money for that college fund - thanks, Granddaddy and Granny A!  They were also the first signatories on K's cast.  For K's part, she was in Heaven, as Alice had all kinds of games on her tablet (which kept K in rapt fascination for pretty much the whole of the visit).  K really enjoyed a memory game (picture a simpler version of Classic Concentration) and actually became quite good at it - genius, I tell ya!

Still smiling!

So there you have it - quite the roller coaster week of emotions for Team Taylor.  K is in the cast for 3 weeks, and our follow-up appointment is on March 30th.  The doctor said this type of break really was common and didn't seem concerned, and some of the reading I've done said that kids normally just break bones before getting sprains given their physiology at this age.  JT is on the mend emotionally as well, and I now think harmony has been restored in the Taylor household.  All the same, we'll ALL be glad when that cast is off (20 days - not that I'm counting...).

In terms of other development items, K's vocabulary continues to explode - most notably in the form of simple sentences!  Within the past week, I've heard:

And forever scholarly...

1.  "Dada Running" (she saw me in a picture at the Chicago Marathon and knew the gear equates to my exercise)

2.  "Girl painting!" (a sticker in a book)

3.  "Dada working!"  (she knows this is what happens when I close the door to the office or give her a kiss downstairs before heading up)

4.  "Dada beer!"  - HILARIOUS!!!!  This one (my personal favorite) came out of the blue on Saturday after I cracked open my first beer post-race (30th half marathon in the books, baby!).

5.  "Mama gym!" (when she sees Jenny in the read Singapore Shirt - a sure sign she's swimming)

6.  "Reading Mama/Dada" - it really all depends on who she's in the mood for

And as for the words, WOW - here's the latest and greatest:

1.  Doughnut (she hasn't tried one - just saw it in her Elmo book)

2.  X-ray (no surprise where she learned this one) - the funny thing is that now, whenever she flips through a dictionary or word book, she ALWAYS says "x-ray!" when she sees the image

3.  Dollhouse

4.  Jumprope (from Sesame Street)

5.  Sloth (the stuffed gift from the Ticos)

6.  walking (and she will add "mama walking" and "dada walking")

7.  crayons

8.  umbrella

9.  gym

10.  gym bag (she can identify JT's gym bag and follows it up with "Mama gym!"  She then usually goes on to name her two favorite caretakers - Brenda and Kathy, aka "Binda Kateeee" - so cute...)

11.  backpack (from Hayden)

12.  Piano (not sure how she learned this one, but it is arguably her FAVORITE WORD in the "Baby's first dictionary" book - she always says piano as soon as she picks up the book and wants to flip straight to it)

13.  Ribbit (I mean, come on - just go with it)

14.  Squeak (because, after all, it IS the sound a mouse makes)

15.  Gobble (that's right, baby!  K now knows the Turkey noise!)

16.  Mud - this was on the Tuesday I think, and I was outside with K playing.  The weather was gorgeous, but the rain from the previous day had left the ground quite muddy.  K played for quite a while outside and eventually had mud all over her shoes, some of her clothes, and a nice streak on her cheek.  When I went to clean it off, she proudly announced "mud" - Tomboy in training, baby...

17.  Tag (as in the tag in her pants)

18.  Pants - so K is now desperate to try and put her own pants on.  JT is a saint with regards to this, always patiently trying to explain to K that a) the tag has to be in the back, b) you can't put both legs in the same hole, and c) it is virtual impossible to put pants over a cast.  K has been getting quite frustrated, but I'm pleased to report that JT's persistence has paid off and progress is visible (more to come on next week's post, as I don't want to steal all the thunder there)

19.  "Uptown" - so whenever JT drives uptown now, K always says "Uptown!"  She's actually taken it 1 step further, saying "Uptown dada working."  Basically, she now understands the concept that "daddy works in a building uptown," and that's where he is when he's not at home in the office. What's funny is that, when I read to her and we see any picture of a building, she always says, "Dada!" and points to it.  I mean, seriously...adorable...

20.  Kangaroo (not quite as cute as when she says koala, but it's pretty darn cute)

21.  Cream

22.  Peter Pan - so this one blew my mind, but K can now name almost ALL of the characters from my old Peter Pan book!  She has fired off Tinkerbell, Wendy, John, and Michael so far, and I'm starting to work on Captain hook and Tiger Lily.  It's actually been really amazing for me to read some of my old books to her, and she's loving some of them (the Bunny Book, Scruffy the Tug boat, and Peter Pan).  Two aspects in particular have been wonderful.  The first has been opening each one, seeing who gave it to me and the date/occasion presented (given that he's no longer here with us, the ones that have Granddaddy's name always make me smile).  The second has been that, as we work through more of them, I'm starting to remember some of them from my childhood - most notably "Sesame Street Count to 10."  I must have read that book a basquillion times, and it's CRAZY to look through those pages and remember things like the 9 dragons who wanted to play baseball, King Hungry the 8th, etc.

23.  Mermaid - see above - tied to Peter Pan

Lastly, K is continuing to show off her memory skills and association.  The first came when we were looking at the dictionary book and saw the zoo.  K said, "May May Mac Mac Zoo," remembering that she went to the zoo in Tampa with them.  The other was when Jenny and K were going to Discovery Place.  JT mentioned that they were going to meet Marlowe, and K heard "Maya" (another friend.  K then said, "Maya choo choo train mall," a memory from a few months back where she and Muffin Puffin rode the train around Concord Mills (best $8 JT's ever spent :-)).  Bottom line - that mind is a steel trap right now, which is a VERY large reason the Bull has decided to curtain his language severely.

So there you have it, a CRAZY week in the books, but one that will definitely live forever in the memory of Team Taylor (well, the adult portion, at least).  For my part, I am happy to report that my girls are both doing well, and hopefully JT's psyche is healing as quickly as the Sneetch's leg.  3 weeks to go in the cast, so stay tuned for more adventures!

Love,

Sam and Jenny