Age of Lady Kaitlyn: 3 years, 8 months18 days
Gestational Age of Baby T: 36 weeks, 4 days
Family,
And a good evening to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is desperately trying to keep pace
with everything happening in the Taylor family. I have pages of notes and little time, so let's get amongst it, shall we?
with everything happening in the Taylor family. I have pages of notes and little time, so let's get amongst it, shall we?
11/1 - So we kicked off the month with a bang for the munchkin, as she got a flu jab. For the first time ever, this one hurt, but JT said that she was a rock star through the whole thing. The funny part was when, at Aldi, she told the cashier that she'd just received a flu shot and then started pulling her pants down to show the lady (it was on her bum)! Jenny stopped her, and she said you could tell that K didn't understand what the problem was. LOVE THAT KID!
Her leg did stiffen up throughout the day, and it was bothering her after dinner. As mentioned in the previous post, we'd been running the golf course a lot after dinner. Well, she tried this evening but ultimately couldn't do it. By the end of the night, I was carrying her to the table, to the bathroom, you name it.
We officially talked to the head of the old pre-school and her teacher today. They were sad but understood. I was proud of JT for talking to them (we'd emailed them on 10/31). My wife is a lioness rising, people!
11/2 - WHAT A GREAT BIRTHDAY!!! Seriously - 39 ROCKS. Looking back on it, this past month has been as good as any I've ever had. Every day has been fun! My birthday was particularly fantastic, as I cuddled up with K and watched a show, ate like a king, and just took it easy with my girls. They were very cute to sing Happy Birthday to me, and the best news was a great appointment for Jenny. Baby T's heartbeat was 152, and more importantly - all looked GREAT!
11/3 - The highlight of the day for me was running the golf course with K. We would go into the trees and just throw the leaves into the air. She was loving it, and it was hilarious as they got caught in her hair - she looked like an Ent! Jenny's highlight was receiving Kelly's fetal doppler, as it now meant she could do her own sonograms. That night we actually heard Baby T's heartbeat. Pretty amazing!
Also, we put K back in panties on this night! The night light was on so that she could find her way to the potty. I am thrilled to report that we didn't have an incidents!
11/4 - Baby T was 33 weeks today! Insanity! The size of a pineapple and at least 4 pounds.
We raked leaves today, and K was actually a GREAT helper. She had her own rake and broom, and she honestly did work! She was especially a trooper at holding the bag and picking leaves up - I was truly impressed. She wanted to help with the blower as well, but between the weight an the noise, that was a less than fruitful experience. However, she did enjoy watching the leaves fly, and she LOVED running through them, kicking them up, and throwing them in the air. All in all, we made great progress (6 bags I think), and K seemed to have fun.
K was in panties again this night, and all went well. What I will say - twice this week, she has peed ON THE GOLF COURSE. Essentially, we get to the green, lift the flag (which she can now do on her own), shout "IT'S IN THE HOLE," and then start the walk back. We get about 11 steps before she grabs her crotch and says, "I have to go potty!" We then have to do the mad scramble over to the trees, at which point she drops "trou" and pees a river on the fairway. I mean, gotta love it. We are nothing if not respectful home owners.
11/6 - BIG DAY IN THE LIFE OF TEAM TAYLOR - Jenny's Water Baptism! This was just a phenomenal, incredible, AMAZING day. Jenny's family came down for it, and we had a fantastic time at service and at home for lunch afterwards. SO PROUD OF YOU, WIFE MUFFIN!!!! I love my lioness rising!!!
Highlights from the big day:
11/7 - so this day was soccer shots, and K did really good. It was definitely her best practice so far! She was really engaged and ran around a ton, but the cutest part was her and Emmi holding hands while playing/practicing. They even held hands running over to the bathroom after practice. CUTE! K usually loses out to Mary Lladston during practice, so it was a big deal that she got to bond with Emmi. But I did chuckle when we had to separate them for the bathroom, as Emmi went in with Renee and I went in with K. You could tell it took a second to process. :-)
11/8 - We did the hospital tour on this day. Can I just say a) how surreal it was to be back, and b) how much it hit home that we'll be there soon enough! We were a little rusty at first, but it all came back in a flood as we started walking around. So many wonderful memories - can't wait to do it all again! It was cute to watch all of the new (clearly first time) couples as they listened. They were shy about asking questions at first, but they did warm up. The highlight for us occurred while in the delivery room. The gal is talking, and K just sits down on my foot and POOTS A SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS. Folks started laughing, and K just looked up at me oblivious. I took her into the hallway so everyone could focus - priceless. I will say, for something so boring she was really, really good. Once the tour was over, we rolled to Hawthorne's to celebrate.
Oh, and the biggest milestone of the day - K actually recited "the Lego Story" today. She has it virtually memorized! It was crazy to hear. What was NOT cool was when she kept asking Jenny to tell the story and then correcting her every time she made a mistake. :-)
11/9 - so this was a big moment for JT today, and I was so proud of her. After a third consecutive "less than stellar" swim lesson (from an instruction perspective), JT went over and talked to the deck coach. She then followed up with an email to the director. I was SO PROUD of JT, as she truly was our lioness rising. What I will say - since then the lessons have been MUCH better. They have done much more stroke work, have been back in the cold pool, and have done tons less talking and much more swimming. It's been GREAT to see, and I am so proud of Jenny for taking the bull by the horns on this one. At the time I jotted down notes, we were afraid that we were going to have to switch. However, as it's now much better, we think we're in good shape. I will give credit to NOMAD, as they addressed the situation quickly, and the changes they've made are absolutely for the better.
11/10 - K just broke out with "Spirits" by the Strumbellas today - too cute! She kept singing, "I got guns in my head and they won't go, spirits in my head and they won't go," and then after doing it twice she would always say, "One more!" and then repeat it again. Too cute! Also - she memorized then recited "the Night Before Christmas" during quiet time! This was incredible to watch, as I could see her on the monitor working through it, listening, thinking, studying, and then repeating. I know everyone thinks their kid is a genius, but I gotta say - she's pretty smart! Obviously that makes me SO happy, as it will make her life so much easier no matter what she gets into.
And we introduced an interesting concept today (courtesy of Lindsey Williams) - the "poopy rule." If you say the word poop or poopy, you must go into the bathroom and try to use it. We have implemented it, albeit with mixed results so far. The biggest result is that she just starts screaming PEE PEE POOP over and over while she's in the powder room. So yeah...we need to work on that one a bit.
One very sweet thing - K's started requesting a hug from both me and Jenny at bedtime. She'll yell "Double Hug!", and when we both squeeze her, she'll say, "Thanks, you two." Too cute!
11/11 - Baby T hit 34 weeks today - the size of a cantaloupe!!!!! Honestly, this was a HUGE milestone for us, as everything is pretty well developed at this point. Obviously we didn't want Jenny going this early, but there was a reality that, even if she did, Baby T would be fine and might not even need NICU time. PRAISE JESUS!
We drove to TN this day and spent it at mom's house. It was a ton of fun, and K had a blast. Obviously they have a basquillion leaves, so we piled a TON of them up (buried me, in fact), after which point I would rise out of them as "the leaf monster" (I know - so original). K got in their as well, and he had SUCH FUN just laying in the leaves, jumping in them, running through them, and throwing them in the air. K also had fun with the kitties and the doggies (of course), and Vol Nana even built a "kitty palace" where K could pretend to be Emmi (or whichever cat was the favorite at the moment).
We played a lot of hide and seek, and as I looked for her, I was making up rhymes about the things I was looking at. K thought this was HILARIOUS and was really laughing - it was great! K looked at Mom and said, "My daddy is silly - you never know what he's going to say." And anytime I said underwear, she would just cackle.
K also recited the Hallmark books (the voice recorded ones), and people were just amazed. We did it for Pattie on Sunday, and she honestly couldn't believe it. Oh, and K has officially claimed my "Littlefoot" doll - she takes him everywhere. However, she has renamed him "Twinkle Star," and she will ALWAYS correct you if you say it wrong. She must have corrected me half a dozen times over the weekend until I got on-board. :-)
11/12 - big milestone for the adults: mine and Jenny's last date night out of town before baby! Now granted, it wasn't too crazy - I was hammered by 6 PM and had to walk around the neighborhood for an hour before being confined to water for the rest of the night, and we also slept in different beds (both twins for children). That being said, it was an absolute BLAST, and we had so much fun just hanging out with friends, devoid of any schedule or responsibilities.
K was with mom, and she did have a classic quote. They were watching a video on mom's phone when the playback stopped. Mom started to try and fix it, but K jus said, "Don't worry, Vol Nana. It's just buffering." PRICELESS!
11/13 - so this was a HUGE moment - Grandmother Taylor's 100th birthday. The actual get together was moved late in the game from Sunday to Saturday, meaning that we couldn't make that party. However, this truly worked out better, as we got dedicated time with Grandmother and Chris. 100 years - amazing. Born when World War I was in progress. Emotionally I knew this would be tough, and as they read our card to her (she can't really see any more), it was very, very tough to hold back the tears.
Admittedly, Grandmother will never remember that day. K won't either, even though we've got some cute pictures. I, however, always will. And while I know this blog is primarily about our children, it's also about family. And since I have no other place to record this for posterity, let me say that the memory I will forever hold in my heart from that day is one of Grandmother, frail, feeble, and nearly blind, leaning forward to listen to the music box we gave her (which mom picked out), playing a tune from Barnum & Bailey's circus (the company her father worked for). It is and will be etched in my mind forever. K - you may never remember Grandmother Taylor and certainly won't know her the way I did, but let me tell you - she was (and is) one amazing lady. Someday in Heaven we'll arrange a proper meeting, as she truly is the salt of the earth.
And speaking of K, she was EXHAUSTED by the end of this whirlwind weekend. However, 2 pieces of cake and a bite of cheesecake kept her well fueled!
11/14 - Ese Juan Ramon! So, as you might remember, K does NOT like me speaking Spanish to her. Usually I will start speaking, at which point she'll say, "No, dada - don't say the funny words!" Well, I think we might FINALLY have turned a corner, as K has now discovered the Spanish translation of "Green Eggs and Ham" - "Huevos Verdes con Jamon." She's even started quoting the opening: "Ese Juan Ramon! Ese Juan Ramon! No me gusta nada, ese Juan Ramon!" She even does it in my "Proof of Life" bad guy Spanish voice, which is HILARIOUS! Too cute. And for the record - the book is TOUGH, but we power through. :-)
11/15 - JT had another great appointment today! Heartbeat was 140. JT weighed 156. I was 159 on that day...getting closer! However, as I type this now (JT is 37 w and 5 d), there is a reality that she won't catch me, as JT has actually either lost or maintained her weight over the previous weeks. More to come on that a bit further down, but fret not - all is well!
11/16 - So this day did NOT have an auspicious beginning, as K called us in at 6:09. I went in there, and she had thrown up in the bed. It was crazy, as she had basically soaked the bed in clear snot - nuts! She felt and acted fine, which was obviously the most important thing, but the volume was just shocking.
The day ended much better, as K had a VASTLY improved swim lesson. The coaching to the coach must have been received, as it was WAY more in line with what we'd come to expect. K was doing strokes and getting back in the cold pool. And while it took a little time to knock the rust off, soon the muscle memory was kicking in, and she was right back in the swing of things. I wasn't actually there, but I was happy to get this good report.
11/17 - K sang "Father Abraham" today during quiet time. Pretty cute! She also met "Mr. Richard" - a buddy of mine from the UK who was over for a visit. I had picked him up the night before (which is why I missed the swim lesson), but we hadn't actually seen K until that morning. He had a few cute presents for her - bracelets and a necklace - which she of course wanted to wear to pre-school. :-)
Also, it should be noted that K quite enjoys pretending she's a cat - particularly my mom's cats. The funny line from today: "I can't wait to go to Tennessee in a couple months with Baby T - can you help me pet the kitties?" She has been super sweet lately, which has been nice. She has been ALL ABOUT DADDY still, so of course I'm enjoying that.
11/18 - Baby T rolled 35 weeks today!!! The size of a honeydew mellon, at least 5 1/4 lbs, and processing waste at this point. According to the baby center app, Baby T is now fully baked at this point - just staying in there to gain weight. EXCITING! Jenny and I did have a laugh as we took the Bumpie - would this be the last one? After all, we never got a 36 week bumpy with K! Things definitely felt more real at the 35 week mark. I mean, the only frame of reference we had was K, and that meant we only had FIVE MORE DAYS before it was go time!
So I had to work this day, and K was home (no pre-school). She LOVED hanging out with Richard. He's got 3 of his own and is great with children, and she LOVED playing with him. He pretended to be a lion for a bit, and she thought that was great fun. He read to her as well, and she ate that up. Also, I started this game where I said, "I am going to hold you forever and NOT put you down." Well, K loved that as well. And for the next week, whenever she wanted to play it she would run up and say, "Will you hold me forever?" I mean - HOW CUTE IS THAT?!?!?!?!? So yes, the "hold me forever" game is just about as good as it gets. :-)
11/19 - She curled up with me (us) in our bed this morning, and I had one of the coolest experiences EVER. I was holding K with my hand on Jenny's belly, when I felt Baby T kick. It's a very, very unique experience to feel all members of your immediately family at the same time, and I very much enjoyed my morning sounding around.
This day was Jenny's "baby sprinkle," and so Richard and I headed out with the munchkin for a day of activities. What I will say about the sprinkle - when they decorated, they decided to put "It's a Boy!" over the mantle. Now granted, this was a joint shower for Jenny and her friend Megan (who's having a boy), but I couldn't help but wonder - prophetic? :-) Either way, it was just neat to see decorations up, as we had them up the last time Jenny delivered!
Highlights from the shower:
We kicked things off at the Famous Toastery, where we sat down and realized we were two dudes with a 3 year old...and Richard was in a pink shirt. Needless to say everyone was VERY friendly to us... :-) But the food was good and K was cute as a button, so all was well. I will say that, while there she sneezed and fired ROCKET STREAMS of snot out, and then later while sitting on the toilet she slipped through and fell in!
After Toast, we went for a walk on the Greenway, and it was gorgeous. The leaves were turning (mostly yellow), and the wind was sending them cascading down onto the path. K loved chasing after them, and it was perfect weather for a walk. We then rolled up to Davidson before hitting Primal for a few pints. I brought K's usually 1,000 books in, and it was cute to watch her curled up to Richard as he read to her. I think she loved the accent. :-)
11/20 - So today was the first time we noticed Jenny's mobility was changing. She's having trouble sitting comfortably at this point, and she's now finally having to sort of "fall back" into certain seats.
The highlight of the day came at 6:15 AM that morning. K climbed into bed with me, put her head on my pillow, put one thumb in her mouth, threw her other arm around my neck, looked at me and said, "I love you, dada." Best. Morning. Ever.
It was not the best evening, however, as K was a TERROR that evening. Not sure if it was Mr. Richard's departure, K being tired, or what, but by the time she settled I'd taken 14 animals and given her multiple stripings! Seriously - it was a CRAZY. I actually STILL have animals "in jail" from that incident - which is less than ideal considering they are ALL OVER my clothes. But I digress...
11/21 - Quote for the ages: K runs out of the powder room and shouts: "Dada, I just did a huge steamer and it looked like a snake!" I'm telling you - FATHER OF THE YEAR.
This was K's last Soccer Shots practice, and they did a cute little awards ceremony where she got a medal and a certificate. Unfortunately, I had to miss it, which I was really bummed about. I didn't know they were going to do awards, and so I attended the call I had in that window. I won't make that mistake again!
11/22 - So on this day, JT and I woke up with the knowledge that, when we had Kaitlyn, this was THE LAST DAY BEFORE THE WORLD CHANGED (for the better, of course!). JT was at 35 weeks and 4 days, and the goose came at 35w5d. We were conscious that, if we woke up tomorrow and JT's water hadn't broken, we were officially off the map and into uncharted territory. Exciting! Oh, and did I mention that K woke up at 4:54? Yeah, not quite as exciting...
Today was the last day at K's old pre-school, and it was a wonderful way to go out. The staff served us a Thanksgiving meal, and K had a little Indian head dress she wore while eating. It was really cute watching her run around before lunch - especially to see her playing with her "best friend in class," a little girl named Mimi. Seeing how she interacted with her classmates and her teachers - especially Ms. Tara and Ms. Cindy - it was obviously a bit sad to think that we
were the ones making the conscious decision to remove her from this setting. Clearly she'd learned over the past 3 semesters, clearly she was having fun, and clearly she loved the staff. And as they gushed over Kaitlyn (Ms. Cindy said that K was one of her favorites) and posed for farewell pictures with her, there were moments of sadness and apprehension - were we making the right choice? It really was a big moment for us, as this was the first time we'd done a switch like this where K would remember both locations (the day care at the beginning when she was 6 months doesn't count). And while there is a reality that switching is fairly harmless given how easily kids adapt, I do think this is a great opportunity for JT and I to think about what we did, our motivations for doing it, and whether or not we saw the results/changes we expected when we moved. This was a good litmus test for us, as obviously there will be many more of these decisions that have to be made in the future, and we want to ensure we really are thinking about what is best for K and being able to make the right decisions when the time comes.
So a fun bit for K - she's naming EVERYTHING now, often with really, really, REALLY long names. a stuffed animal could be named "River Bark Freaka Fry Twinkle Doo." I mean, it's that kind of stuff all the time - hilarious!
And JT had another great appointment today! Heartbeat was 144, and the baby is estimated at 6 lb, 10 oz! Admittedly there is a pound of wiggle room on either side, but how about that! Jenny ended up having an ultrasound, as the baby looked small to Dr. Schneider out of the gate. Upon review, he determined that the baby was just sitting low. That was comforting to hear (obviously), plus JT got another ultrasound! RE-SULT!
11/24 - This was Thanksgiving Day, and K was up at 5:40. She was SUPER sweet while we read for an hour down on the couch - talk about starting your day off with a bang! She just snuggled into my arm and leaned on me - it was perfect.
We spent most of the day down at JT's parents, where we ate like kings and enjoyed the INSANELY good weather - an all-time high in Charlotte! The temp was 75 degrees at one point, and both K and I had to pull our pants up to keep from sweating profusely outside! K played with James quite a bit and really was a good sharer. I hope that's a taste of things to come. JT said she did notice that, anytime she was holding James, K would come over and try to insert herself. So perhaps we will have a bit of jealousy to contend with, but hey - we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
More importantly, as Thanksgiving is a time to count one's blessings, it's hard to even begin to enumerate all the blessings Team Taylor has been showered with this year. From a rainbow baby to some of the biggest financial blessings to great new vacations to watching K blossom into a wonderful little girl to increased leadership and responsibility in the church, 2016 has been THE BEST year of my life, and I just cannot believe how blessed we are. Our cups truly runneth over, and it is amazing to see how God moves, not only in our lives but in the lives of those around us. THANK YOU, FATHER! Truly, God is good all the time, and we are blessed.
11/25 - Inspired by Jill Cope's "CopaChristmaspalooza," Team Taylor started doing Christmas decorations today. K ran into our room at 6:45 and asked if we were decorating tomorrow. When we told her it was today, she was ELECTRIC. K loved every second of it and was running around like gangbusters. I actually forgot that I had to work that day, but I definitely got some time with them in the AM setting out decorations and stringing lights. K just loved getting stuff out of boxes and setting out all the decorations. She loved piling them all together, and so we had to go behind her and move a few around.
And Baby T is 36 weeks!!!!! The size of a head of cabbage!
11/26 - Today was the centerpiece of holiday decorating - the Christmas Tree! Now it should be noted - our tree is 12 years old at this point, meaning that it's looking a little sparse in places, doesn't have working lights on the top third, and no longer has a tree skirt. However, it still does us just fine, and K had an absolute BLAST putting on ornaments. She really was a GREAT helper, and it was so much fun just rocking out to Christmas music, trimming the tree, and drinking hot cocoa (that might have been the highlight of K's YEAR). In fact, K had so much fun with the ornaments that for the following few days she would ask if she could take a few ornaments down. We'd let her, and then you could hear her in the sitting room playing with them - making up stories, having them ride together to different spots, etc. It was really cute to watch her constantly play with the ornaments (as well as to observe the concentration of ornaments that were low and centralized at the front of the tree).
Kim and Matt were still there, and Aunt Kim introduced "the Blocking Game," where you basically run around a corner and try to keep K from dribbling through with the Big Red Ball.
Side note about K - when drying her hands, it is HILARIOUS to watch her first do the "hand flap" before grabbing the towel. Essentially, she just SPRAYS water all over the place, and you can see it on the walls, the floor, etc. By the time she gets to the towel, she is pretty much done. So I guess there is a method to her madness... :-)
So the highlight for me today - K asked if she could "curl up with me and watch football." I mean, there I am, holding K, sitting on the couch, watching the Iron Bowl - it doesn't get much better than that!
What I will say - K has been protesting with some very defiant "No's," lately, and we're not really sure why. Truly, it's likely just testing boundaries, but JT and I did wonder during this period if it was an awareness that things were changing. Interestingly enough, when I popped over the the neighbor's house to borrow a ladder, they mentioned that K had talked with Lauren while babysitting about "things changing." Now who knows what was really said, but K has been almost desperate for dada lately. And while I have loved it, obviously I want to ensure she knows how much she's loved and valued & that things, while different, will be a good different once Baby arrives. More to come on this.
Also - I had to tie JT's shoes for the first time ever today! She just couldn't bend down from the angle she was at. Too funny! I mean, let's face it - it looks like she swallowed a Volvo at this point. And yes, she is all belly - but that belly is starting to get in the way! She and K have crashed into each other more than once because that puppy is sticking out there. Too cute! The baby is definitely sitting low, and Jenny is having to pee ALL THE TIME now. She's actually going more than me, which has NEVER happened.
Oh, and side note - K is taking Littlefoot aka Twinklestar (now just called Twink) everywhere! She's taking him in the car, sitting with him at dinner, and sleeping with him every night. He's actually seen so much attention that he's blown a stitch, so we need to get that corrected ASAP.
11/27 - This day was really chill. As we had a busy week coming up and didn't know if this would be our last weekend to just chill as a family, we didn't get into much. We just curled up and watched Toy Story. K was nestled in the crook of my arm the whole time. It was FABULOUS. :-)
11/28 - First day of the new pre-school!!!! And I am happy to report that things went GREAT. K was apparently a little nervous and apprehensive in the drive over (I didn't witness this, but JT told me). However, upon arrival everything went great. When they pulled up and she saw the building, she said, "Little Scientists!" Then she was happy. And since it was someone's last day, she got pizza and a cupcake. Can't argue with that!
What is interesting - she is talking about this preschool much more than the other one. We actually get snippets of her day, which we very rarely got previously. It's really been great, and K seems to be loving it. as Jenny noted - the rooms are bigger, the windows let in more light, and most importantly - they seem to focus even more on play time. It sounds like K plays HARD when she's there, as she's always worn out when JT picks her up! For some reason she's not been eating her lunch there but instead is eating it in the car. I think it's because it's all so new and she won't focus, but hey - she's happy, so that's all that matters. :-)
Also, she's in a nut free classroom for the first time ever. While at first we thought this would be a problem, it's actually been good, as it's forced us to think of new options for feeding her. Give JT all the credit, as she does all the work!
Also, we thought that the M-W-F would be a problem, but that's not been the case at all. If anything, we actually like it better, as it gives us a good break after the weekend, and K seems to enjoy pre-school more with a day's break in between each session. All in all, we feel GREAT about the decision. THANK YOU, FATHER!!!!!
Oh, and a cute moment - when I mentioned I saw her doing something in her room, she said, "Did you see me on the thermometer?" I mean, hey - it's still a big word. #GENIUS.
11/29 - After 10 days of coughing and nose blowing, JT took K to the Peds today. Turns out she's got a sinus infection, so it's 10 days of 10 ml's of Amoxicillin 2x daily. Luckily K loves medicine!
Poor thing did wake up at 12:36 this morning calling out for us. She'd wet the bed and was shivering. However, she was great as always, and soon we got her back down and settled.
JT had a bit of a worrying moment today, as she wasn't feeling much movement from Baby T. Luckily she got into Bradford, and all was good! Dr. Schneider was there, and they did an ultrasound. He just said that the baby is very low, but all is well (heartbeat was 130-140 range). They did a non-stress test as well, and all was good. No contractions yet!
11/30 - K had a GREAT swim lesson on this day. For the second session in a row, she was all by herself! Nothing like a discounted private lesson! Cassidy worked her HARD - basically grinding out laps the entire time. And then, after the lesson, we received an email saying that she'd mastered several strokes! This is really exciting, as it means she might be able to move up to Seahorse soon - exciting!!! I give Cassidy a lot of credit, as she responded very quickly to the feedback and has really helped K move forward and progress over these past 2-3 weeks.
Oh, and when I entered her room and laid down in the bed, she said, "Is it the weekend?" She was confused why I was curling up mid-week. I've gone to my standard response - "It's a special day." :-) Previously I wouldn't have done this, but with the changes coming up AND knowing that this is a short, special window, I have decided to embrace every second vs. worrying about potential "teaching moments." Kim helped my perspective a ton when she said she couldn't wait for James to ask for a cuddle.
So there you have it - the summary of the last month EVER Team Taylor will be Party of 3. The next post will be a wild ride of emotions, humor, sleepless nights, and dirt nappies, so stay tuned. IT'S GO TIME!!!! BRING IT ON, BABY!!!!!
Love,
Sam, Jenny, Kaitlyn, and Baby T
Also, we put K back in panties on this night! The night light was on so that she could find her way to the potty. I am thrilled to report that we didn't have an incidents!
11/4 - Baby T was 33 weeks today! Insanity! The size of a pineapple and at least 4 pounds.
We raked leaves today, and K was actually a GREAT helper. She had her own rake and broom, and she honestly did work! She was especially a trooper at holding the bag and picking leaves up - I was truly impressed. She wanted to help with the blower as well, but between the weight an the noise, that was a less than fruitful experience. However, she did enjoy watching the leaves fly, and she LOVED running through them, kicking them up, and throwing them in the air. All in all, we made great progress (6 bags I think), and K seemed to have fun.
K was in panties again this night, and all went well. What I will say - twice this week, she has peed ON THE GOLF COURSE. Essentially, we get to the green, lift the flag (which she can now do on her own), shout "IT'S IN THE HOLE," and then start the walk back. We get about 11 steps before she grabs her crotch and says, "I have to go potty!" We then have to do the mad scramble over to the trees, at which point she drops "trou" and pees a river on the fairway. I mean, gotta love it. We are nothing if not respectful home owners.
11/6 - BIG DAY IN THE LIFE OF TEAM TAYLOR - Jenny's Water Baptism! This was just a phenomenal, incredible, AMAZING day. Jenny's family came down for it, and we had a fantastic time at service and at home for lunch afterwards. SO PROUD OF YOU, WIFE MUFFIN!!!! I love my lioness rising!!!
Highlights from the big day:
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| Standing in line for the Baptismal pool (that's her friend Melissa behind her). |
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| Stepping in (with assistance from Pastor Joel - leader of the Youth team). |
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| Not as cold as she thought it would be! |
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| Moment of truth (literally)! |
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| Born again (with Baby T in tow)! |
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| Lunch back at the house. |
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| The fam! |
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| And...K dunking dada and practicing Baptism. |
11/7 - so this day was soccer shots, and K did really good. It was definitely her best practice so far! She was really engaged and ran around a ton, but the cutest part was her and Emmi holding hands while playing/practicing. They even held hands running over to the bathroom after practice. CUTE! K usually loses out to Mary Lladston during practice, so it was a big deal that she got to bond with Emmi. But I did chuckle when we had to separate them for the bathroom, as Emmi went in with Renee and I went in with K. You could tell it took a second to process. :-)
Oh, and the biggest milestone of the day - K actually recited "the Lego Story" today. She has it virtually memorized! It was crazy to hear. What was NOT cool was when she kept asking Jenny to tell the story and then correcting her every time she made a mistake. :-)
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| Love this pic! |
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| "Yippie ki yo, ki yah...Sherriff Callie's Wild West!" |
11/10 - K just broke out with "Spirits" by the Strumbellas today - too cute! She kept singing, "I got guns in my head and they won't go, spirits in my head and they won't go," and then after doing it twice she would always say, "One more!" and then repeat it again. Too cute! Also - she memorized then recited "the Night Before Christmas" during quiet time! This was incredible to watch, as I could see her on the monitor working through it, listening, thinking, studying, and then repeating. I know everyone thinks their kid is a genius, but I gotta say - she's pretty smart! Obviously that makes me SO happy, as it will make her life so much easier no matter what she gets into.
And we introduced an interesting concept today (courtesy of Lindsey Williams) - the "poopy rule." If you say the word poop or poopy, you must go into the bathroom and try to use it. We have implemented it, albeit with mixed results so far. The biggest result is that she just starts screaming PEE PEE POOP over and over while she's in the powder room. So yeah...we need to work on that one a bit.
One very sweet thing - K's started requesting a hug from both me and Jenny at bedtime. She'll yell "Double Hug!", and when we both squeeze her, she'll say, "Thanks, you two." Too cute!
11/11 - Baby T hit 34 weeks today - the size of a cantaloupe!!!!! Honestly, this was a HUGE milestone for us, as everything is pretty well developed at this point. Obviously we didn't want Jenny going this early, but there was a reality that, even if she did, Baby T would be fine and might not even need NICU time. PRAISE JESUS!
We drove to TN this day and spent it at mom's house. It was a ton of fun, and K had a blast. Obviously they have a basquillion leaves, so we piled a TON of them up (buried me, in fact), after which point I would rise out of them as "the leaf monster" (I know - so original). K got in their as well, and he had SUCH FUN just laying in the leaves, jumping in them, running through them, and throwing them in the air. K also had fun with the kitties and the doggies (of course), and Vol Nana even built a "kitty palace" where K could pretend to be Emmi (or whichever cat was the favorite at the moment). We played a lot of hide and seek, and as I looked for her, I was making up rhymes about the things I was looking at. K thought this was HILARIOUS and was really laughing - it was great! K looked at Mom and said, "My daddy is silly - you never know what he's going to say." And anytime I said underwear, she would just cackle.
K also recited the Hallmark books (the voice recorded ones), and people were just amazed. We did it for Pattie on Sunday, and she honestly couldn't believe it. Oh, and K has officially claimed my "Littlefoot" doll - she takes him everywhere. However, she has renamed him "Twinkle Star," and she will ALWAYS correct you if you say it wrong. She must have corrected me half a dozen times over the weekend until I got on-board. :-)
11/12 - big milestone for the adults: mine and Jenny's last date night out of town before baby! Now granted, it wasn't too crazy - I was hammered by 6 PM and had to walk around the neighborhood for an hour before being confined to water for the rest of the night, and we also slept in different beds (both twins for children). That being said, it was an absolute BLAST, and we had so much fun just hanging out with friends, devoid of any schedule or responsibilities.
K was with mom, and she did have a classic quote. They were watching a video on mom's phone when the playback stopped. Mom started to try and fix it, but K jus said, "Don't worry, Vol Nana. It's just buffering." PRICELESS!
11/13 - so this was a HUGE moment - Grandmother Taylor's 100th birthday. The actual get together was moved late in the game from Sunday to Saturday, meaning that we couldn't make that party. However, this truly worked out better, as we got dedicated time with Grandmother and Chris. 100 years - amazing. Born when World War I was in progress. Emotionally I knew this would be tough, and as they read our card to her (she can't really see any more), it was very, very tough to hold back the tears.Admittedly, Grandmother will never remember that day. K won't either, even though we've got some cute pictures. I, however, always will. And while I know this blog is primarily about our children, it's also about family. And since I have no other place to record this for posterity, let me say that the memory I will forever hold in my heart from that day is one of Grandmother, frail, feeble, and nearly blind, leaning forward to listen to the music box we gave her (which mom picked out), playing a tune from Barnum & Bailey's circus (the company her father worked for). It is and will be etched in my mind forever. K - you may never remember Grandmother Taylor and certainly won't know her the way I did, but let me tell you - she was (and is) one amazing lady. Someday in Heaven we'll arrange a proper meeting, as she truly is the salt of the earth.
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| Photo for the ages. I will always, ALWAYS remember this. |
And speaking of K, she was EXHAUSTED by the end of this whirlwind weekend. However, 2 pieces of cake and a bite of cheesecake kept her well fueled!
11/14 - Ese Juan Ramon! So, as you might remember, K does NOT like me speaking Spanish to her. Usually I will start speaking, at which point she'll say, "No, dada - don't say the funny words!" Well, I think we might FINALLY have turned a corner, as K has now discovered the Spanish translation of "Green Eggs and Ham" - "Huevos Verdes con Jamon." She's even started quoting the opening: "Ese Juan Ramon! Ese Juan Ramon! No me gusta nada, ese Juan Ramon!" She even does it in my "Proof of Life" bad guy Spanish voice, which is HILARIOUS! Too cute. And for the record - the book is TOUGH, but we power through. :-)
11/15 - JT had another great appointment today! Heartbeat was 140. JT weighed 156. I was 159 on that day...getting closer! However, as I type this now (JT is 37 w and 5 d), there is a reality that she won't catch me, as JT has actually either lost or maintained her weight over the previous weeks. More to come on that a bit further down, but fret not - all is well!
11/16 - So this day did NOT have an auspicious beginning, as K called us in at 6:09. I went in there, and she had thrown up in the bed. It was crazy, as she had basically soaked the bed in clear snot - nuts! She felt and acted fine, which was obviously the most important thing, but the volume was just shocking.
The day ended much better, as K had a VASTLY improved swim lesson. The coaching to the coach must have been received, as it was WAY more in line with what we'd come to expect. K was doing strokes and getting back in the cold pool. And while it took a little time to knock the rust off, soon the muscle memory was kicking in, and she was right back in the swing of things. I wasn't actually there, but I was happy to get this good report.
11/17 - K sang "Father Abraham" today during quiet time. Pretty cute! She also met "Mr. Richard" - a buddy of mine from the UK who was over for a visit. I had picked him up the night before (which is why I missed the swim lesson), but we hadn't actually seen K until that morning. He had a few cute presents for her - bracelets and a necklace - which she of course wanted to wear to pre-school. :-)
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| 26 acre! |
11/18 - Baby T rolled 35 weeks today!!! The size of a honeydew mellon, at least 5 1/4 lbs, and processing waste at this point. According to the baby center app, Baby T is now fully baked at this point - just staying in there to gain weight. EXCITING! Jenny and I did have a laugh as we took the Bumpie - would this be the last one? After all, we never got a 36 week bumpy with K! Things definitely felt more real at the 35 week mark. I mean, the only frame of reference we had was K, and that meant we only had FIVE MORE DAYS before it was go time!
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| Hunting with your 3 year old and someone from Britain. Just your typical Sat... |
11/19 - She curled up with me (us) in our bed this morning, and I had one of the coolest experiences EVER. I was holding K with my hand on Jenny's belly, when I felt Baby T kick. It's a very, very unique experience to feel all members of your immediately family at the same time, and I very much enjoyed my morning sounding around.
This day was Jenny's "baby sprinkle," and so Richard and I headed out with the munchkin for a day of activities. What I will say about the sprinkle - when they decorated, they decided to put "It's a Boy!" over the mantle. Now granted, this was a joint shower for Jenny and her friend Megan (who's having a boy), but I couldn't help but wonder - prophetic? :-) Either way, it was just neat to see decorations up, as we had them up the last time Jenny delivered!
Highlights from the shower:
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| Prophetic? :-) |
We kicked things off at the Famous Toastery, where we sat down and realized we were two dudes with a 3 year old...and Richard was in a pink shirt. Needless to say everyone was VERY friendly to us... :-) But the food was good and K was cute as a button, so all was well. I will say that, while there she sneezed and fired ROCKET STREAMS of snot out, and then later while sitting on the toilet she slipped through and fell in!
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| Reading at Primal. Books. Popcorn. Perfection. |
11/20 - So today was the first time we noticed Jenny's mobility was changing. She's having trouble sitting comfortably at this point, and she's now finally having to sort of "fall back" into certain seats.
The highlight of the day came at 6:15 AM that morning. K climbed into bed with me, put her head on my pillow, put one thumb in her mouth, threw her other arm around my neck, looked at me and said, "I love you, dada." Best. Morning. Ever.
It was not the best evening, however, as K was a TERROR that evening. Not sure if it was Mr. Richard's departure, K being tired, or what, but by the time she settled I'd taken 14 animals and given her multiple stripings! Seriously - it was a CRAZY. I actually STILL have animals "in jail" from that incident - which is less than ideal considering they are ALL OVER my clothes. But I digress...
11/21 - Quote for the ages: K runs out of the powder room and shouts: "Dada, I just did a huge steamer and it looked like a snake!" I'm telling you - FATHER OF THE YEAR.
11/22 - So on this day, JT and I woke up with the knowledge that, when we had Kaitlyn, this was THE LAST DAY BEFORE THE WORLD CHANGED (for the better, of course!). JT was at 35 weeks and 4 days, and the goose came at 35w5d. We were conscious that, if we woke up tomorrow and JT's water hadn't broken, we were officially off the map and into uncharted territory. Exciting! Oh, and did I mention that K woke up at 4:54? Yeah, not quite as exciting...
Today was the last day at K's old pre-school, and it was a wonderful way to go out. The staff served us a Thanksgiving meal, and K had a little Indian head dress she wore while eating. It was really cute watching her run around before lunch - especially to see her playing with her "best friend in class," a little girl named Mimi. Seeing how she interacted with her classmates and her teachers - especially Ms. Tara and Ms. Cindy - it was obviously a bit sad to think that we
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| K with Ms. Cindy (her teacher). |
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| K (super excited!) with Isabelle (director) and Ms. Tara. |
And JT had another great appointment today! Heartbeat was 144, and the baby is estimated at 6 lb, 10 oz! Admittedly there is a pound of wiggle room on either side, but how about that! Jenny ended up having an ultrasound, as the baby looked small to Dr. Schneider out of the gate. Upon review, he determined that the baby was just sitting low. That was comforting to hear (obviously), plus JT got another ultrasound! RE-SULT!
11/24 - This was Thanksgiving Day, and K was up at 5:40. She was SUPER sweet while we read for an hour down on the couch - talk about starting your day off with a bang! She just snuggled into my arm and leaned on me - it was perfect.
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| Note the hornets shirt - LOVE IT! |
More importantly, as Thanksgiving is a time to count one's blessings, it's hard to even begin to enumerate all the blessings Team Taylor has been showered with this year. From a rainbow baby to some of the biggest financial blessings to great new vacations to watching K blossom into a wonderful little girl to increased leadership and responsibility in the church, 2016 has been THE BEST year of my life, and I just cannot believe how blessed we are. Our cups truly runneth over, and it is amazing to see how God moves, not only in our lives but in the lives of those around us. THANK YOU, FATHER! Truly, God is good all the time, and we are blessed.
11/25 - Inspired by Jill Cope's "CopaChristmaspalooza," Team Taylor started doing Christmas decorations today. K ran into our room at 6:45 and asked if we were decorating tomorrow. When we told her it was today, she was ELECTRIC. K loved every second of it and was running around like gangbusters. I actually forgot that I had to work that day, but I definitely got some time with them in the AM setting out decorations and stringing lights. K just loved getting stuff out of boxes and setting out all the decorations. She loved piling them all together, and so we had to go behind her and move a few around.
And Baby T is 36 weeks!!!!! The size of a head of cabbage!
11/26 - Today was the centerpiece of holiday decorating - the Christmas Tree! Now it should be noted - our tree is 12 years old at this point, meaning that it's looking a little sparse in places, doesn't have working lights on the top third, and no longer has a tree skirt. However, it still does us just fine, and K had an absolute BLAST putting on ornaments. She really was a GREAT helper, and it was so much fun just rocking out to Christmas music, trimming the tree, and drinking hot cocoa (that might have been the highlight of K's YEAR). In fact, K had so much fun with the ornaments that for the following few days she would ask if she could take a few ornaments down. We'd let her, and then you could hear her in the sitting room playing with them - making up stories, having them ride together to different spots, etc. It was really cute to watch her constantly play with the ornaments (as well as to observe the concentration of ornaments that were low and centralized at the front of the tree). 
Kim and Matt were still there, and Aunt Kim introduced "the Blocking Game," where you basically run around a corner and try to keep K from dribbling through with the Big Red Ball. Side note about K - when drying her hands, it is HILARIOUS to watch her first do the "hand flap" before grabbing the towel. Essentially, she just SPRAYS water all over the place, and you can see it on the walls, the floor, etc. By the time she gets to the towel, she is pretty much done. So I guess there is a method to her madness... :-)
So the highlight for me today - K asked if she could "curl up with me and watch football." I mean, there I am, holding K, sitting on the couch, watching the Iron Bowl - it doesn't get much better than that! What I will say - K has been protesting with some very defiant "No's," lately, and we're not really sure why. Truly, it's likely just testing boundaries, but JT and I did wonder during this period if it was an awareness that things were changing. Interestingly enough, when I popped over the the neighbor's house to borrow a ladder, they mentioned that K had talked with Lauren while babysitting about "things changing." Now who knows what was really said, but K has been almost desperate for dada lately. And while I have loved it, obviously I want to ensure she knows how much she's loved and valued & that things, while different, will be a good different once Baby arrives. More to come on this.
Also - I had to tie JT's shoes for the first time ever today! She just couldn't bend down from the angle she was at. Too funny! I mean, let's face it - it looks like she swallowed a Volvo at this point. And yes, she is all belly - but that belly is starting to get in the way! She and K have crashed into each other more than once because that puppy is sticking out there. Too cute! The baby is definitely sitting low, and Jenny is having to pee ALL THE TIME now. She's actually going more than me, which has NEVER happened. 
11/27 - This day was really chill. As we had a busy week coming up and didn't know if this would be our last weekend to just chill as a family, we didn't get into much. We just curled up and watched Toy Story. K was nestled in the crook of my arm the whole time. It was FABULOUS. :-)
11/28 - First day of the new pre-school!!!! And I am happy to report that things went GREAT. K was apparently a little nervous and apprehensive in the drive over (I didn't witness this, but JT told me). However, upon arrival everything went great. When they pulled up and she saw the building, she said, "Little Scientists!" Then she was happy. And since it was someone's last day, she got pizza and a cupcake. Can't argue with that! 
What is interesting - she is talking about this preschool much more than the other one. We actually get snippets of her day, which we very rarely got previously. It's really been great, and K seems to be loving it. as Jenny noted - the rooms are bigger, the windows let in more light, and most importantly - they seem to focus even more on play time. It sounds like K plays HARD when she's there, as she's always worn out when JT picks her up! For some reason she's not been eating her lunch there but instead is eating it in the car. I think it's because it's all so new and she won't focus, but hey - she's happy, so that's all that matters. :-)Also, she's in a nut free classroom for the first time ever. While at first we thought this would be a problem, it's actually been good, as it's forced us to think of new options for feeding her. Give JT all the credit, as she does all the work!
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| The gift that keeps on giving... tools for yard work. |
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| Jenny's favorite new toy - the fetal doppler. |
Oh, and a cute moment - when I mentioned I saw her doing something in her room, she said, "Did you see me on the thermometer?" I mean, hey - it's still a big word. #GENIUS.
11/29 - After 10 days of coughing and nose blowing, JT took K to the Peds today. Turns out she's got a sinus infection, so it's 10 days of 10 ml's of Amoxicillin 2x daily. Luckily K loves medicine!
Poor thing did wake up at 12:36 this morning calling out for us. She'd wet the bed and was shivering. However, she was great as always, and soon we got her back down and settled.JT had a bit of a worrying moment today, as she wasn't feeling much movement from Baby T. Luckily she got into Bradford, and all was good! Dr. Schneider was there, and they did an ultrasound. He just said that the baby is very low, but all is well (heartbeat was 130-140 range). They did a non-stress test as well, and all was good. No contractions yet!
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| Leaf Monsters, UNITE! |
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| Brekkie at King Daddy, baby!!! |
Oh, and when I entered her room and laid down in the bed, she said, "Is it the weekend?" She was confused why I was curling up mid-week. I've gone to my standard response - "It's a special day." :-) Previously I wouldn't have done this, but with the changes coming up AND knowing that this is a short, special window, I have decided to embrace every second vs. worrying about potential "teaching moments." Kim helped my perspective a ton when she said she couldn't wait for James to ask for a cuddle.
So there you have it - the summary of the last month EVER Team Taylor will be Party of 3. The next post will be a wild ride of emotions, humor, sleepless nights, and dirt nappies, so stay tuned. IT'S GO TIME!!!! BRING IT ON, BABY!!!!!
Love,
Sam, Jenny, Kaitlyn, and Baby T
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