Age of Lady Cora: 11 months and 8 days
Family,
And a good evening to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is about to publish his first post since turning 40!!! Plenty of items to record from this EPIC November, so let's get amongst it, shall we?
11/1 - So this was the day Team Taylor's parental units left for VEGAS, BABY, but we did at least get the chance to see the girls in the morning before we left. Lindsey picked up K, but in the morning I had both girls early in the AM. K had the line of the day - as Cora was climbing on her, pulling on both the seat and the blanket, K said, "It's okay if Cora falls all over me, dada. It's baby love." Too cute!
Insert - the next 4 days were nothing shy of immortality for the Bull and Striker. I turned 40 on the Thursday (the 2nd), and we had an INCREDIBLE 4 days in Vegas. It was among if not THE BEST time I've ever had out there, and I can't thank my wife, friends, and family enough for making it so incredibly special. |
| Now THIS is how you watch a movie... |
But the good news - all went well, and my mom arrived on Friday afternoon just before K arrived home from preschool. What followed in the next 2 days was nothing short of the greatest weekend in K's life - seriously.
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| "I'm authorized to be here...I promise..." |
What followed was a series of SUPER CUTE photo ops and the biggest acquisition of all - a pair of mermaids from the gift shop. Again, there were these two mermaids that K apparently had always asked JT for, but she'd always said no. Well, Vol Nana didn't bat an eye. Good on ya. :-) Add in a carousel ride, more stuffed animals (members of the Paw Patrol), a cookie, and a Sweet Frog run, and you have pretty much the greatest day EVER.11/5 - On Sunday we arrived home and played with the girls a bit before mom took K to see My Little Pony at the movies. K's quote was the best: "We're going to have lunch at the movies - popcorn, a drink, and some gummy bears." For the record, some stromboli bites were consumed as well. :-) Oh, and K got to drive these little unicorn 4 wheeler things around the mall that I didn't even know existed. She was in HEAVEN! She even showed me her "Happy Dance" when she got home (which is really cute).
And so it should come as no surprise that, when 3 PM rolled around and mom had to leave, K was clearly trying to fight back tears. She was super brave and really did good until mom was out the door, at which point we had some tears. However, after I held her a bit, she did calm down. And then, just when the issue was again in doubt, mom came through once again - this time in the form of a package waiting for K on the front door.
Mom - that girl loves you SO MUCH. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being such a special person and shining light in her life. I know that she views her time with you as nothing shy of pure magic, and I know that I am so blessed to have you in all of our lives. I know you take incredible care of Cora as well, but since she screams more than she talks, I'll just have to wait to hear all the fun stuff you two do. :-)
Mom, Jan, Bob - I simply cannot THANK YOU ENOUGH for watching over our beautiful girls so Jenny and I could have this time together. They were loved, they had fun, and they didn't miss their parents - which is all I could have asked for and then some. Thank you all for loving our children so much, for playing with them, for making them laugh, for feeding them, and for spoiling them as only grandparents can. It was an incredible 4 day stretch for everything, and I am so thankful for everything. 11/6 - So I have no lie to tell, after 10+ hours of sleep, I was very well rested but still frazzled on this day. The return to normalcy after those 4 days was tougher than the normal re-entry into the atmosphere, but as I write this (the next day), I am feeling better. K had her last swim lesson today, and it went GREAT. Her instructor was very impressed, and as we're now taking a break, it's going to be up to us to keep her active and keep her skills in a reasonable spot until summer. And now that we've decided to stay at Nomad (they kept our rate flat), I actually feel much better about carving out time in the schedule to swim and keep her active.
11/7 - Jenny signed the Goose up for Fun to Be Fit today, and we're SUPER excited about starting that later this month. This is a gymnastics class, and all of her friends who have done it have all said great things. The price was really reasonable, and since it's only 7 minutes away, it felt like something fun to definitely try. So we're excited!
11/9 - So today K brushed her own teeth, wiped her own bottom after a poopy, and dried herself off after the bath. It's so AWESOME to watch her not only learn how to do things, but also watch her proactively just tackle basic life activities. The flip side - she needs me for less and less, and it was with a bit of sadness that I watched her grab her towel and dry herself off this evening. Don't get me wrong - it's GREAT that she can do all this, and I am SO PROUD of her. It's just a little add at the same time, as I am slowly being rendered obsolete. But hey - I still had to dry her hair, so I'm still good for something. :-)
On the Koda front, Buke is now into EVERYTHING! Seriously - this girl just goes FLAT OUT for whatever is the most dangerous thing in the room. And now that she can crawl full speed, she goes at said dangerous object at about FOUR HUNDRED MILES AN HOUR. Now that she's got "robe's," she is a BULLET. Most notably now - she is ALL ABOUT opening drawers in the kitchen, and she wants to get into them all the time. Consequently...the child locks have come back out. Again, it's amazing, as K had NO INTEREST in those cabinets. So crazy!
11/10 - today was a super fun day! I was off due to Veteran's Day, and so we kicked off the festivities at UNCC for our annual fall pictures. It was a GREAT day - beautiful, full of leaves, and complete with some neat backgrounds. We didn't actually wander too far afield during the shoot, but I do think we got some really neat pics.
Highlights from the shoot:
After that, we had lunch at CFA, where Team Taylor basically ate an entire coop of chickens. :-) K was in Heaven, consuming chocolate milk, ice cream, chicken strips, and even playing on the playground for a bit (it should be noted that it was BEDLAM in that place given that it was a) lunchtime and b) kids out of school). After that it was home, where we chilled for a bit before going to the park with K. During that chill session at home, we crossed off another big milestone for the nugget - BYE BYE INFANT CARRIER!!!! That's right, sports fans - Cora is now in a rear facing car seat! It really wasn't as bad as I expected, and after a few adjustments she now appears comfortable. I will say that I'll be much happier when it's forward facing, but still - this was a big moment for us.One thing I have to say about the park - K LOVES to do the pole (slides down it like Ryder from Paw Patrol), but she always acts like she's afraid when she gets there. She'll climb to the top, but then she wants you to stand right below it "in case she falls." I usually do this the first time or two, but then after that I don't. When I refuse, K breaks down into a heap, bawling and asking for help getting down. I always refuse, as she an either climb or slide (and regardless she's not in danger), but the constant spectacle from this has proven quite frustrating (as it's a ritual we repeat EVERY TIME we go to the park). I think she was just tired today, as it was really tough getting her to go home. She basically refused to pedal all the way home on the trike and kept asking for mommy vs. daddy (mommy was walking). Despite the rough ending, however, it was still a really good day.
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| IN. HEAVEN. |
11/11 - Today was another fun one, as it started another 24 hour whirlwind with Dad and Alice. They rocked up about 10:15, which was a good thing since K had asked me "are they off the interstate?" about 367 times that morning. I had stopped answering after the 84th question, so you can imagine how relieved I was to see them. :-)The featured activity of the day was a first for my girls - their first ever football game! We had tickets to UNCC vs. MTSU, and the timing was perfect (2 PM start). We were a little concerned about the weather, but honestly things couldn't have been better. We rocked up about 1:30, checked the stroller, and then wandered around the stadium (super nice!). Alice and K listened to the band while the rest of us found our seats, and then K got the one thing she'd been waiting for all day - POPCORN! They bought a bottomless tub, and K went after that thing like she hadn't been fed in months. Oh, and she spun some prize wheel and won sour patch kids! I mean, can you say best day ever? Throw in gifts from granny A, a bounce house (that was BEDLAM - I thought she was going to get crushed by the boys rough-housing in there), a refill on said bottomless popcorn tub, a free sandwich from Jimmy John's, and a ride in the stroller on the way back to the car, and you've got a recipe for BEST. DAY. EVER. Cora even slept for an hour on Alice, which is WAY longer than I've ever seen her sleep on anyone (she was snoring to beat the band). All in all, the game was an absolute success - even if K didn't watch a single play. :-) Baby steps, my friends...
Afterwards we rolled over to Primal Brewing, where we got the chance to hang out with the Miller's. There was another family there, so K had a chance to play with an avalanche of toys before AJ rocked up with his Kindle. K then got to watch the kindle, which of course put her in seventh heaven. Add in a few puppies and some snacks, and that girl was good to go. :-)
The most interesting thing of the evening - Alice had her Kindle out while holding Cora. In almost no time flat, Cora was swiping and touching the screen, playing the game that Alice had in front of her. It is just AMAZING a) how quickly kids pick things up and b) how well engineered those products are.
All in all, it was a TREMENDOUS day for everyone - every day of my 40's has been pretty epic thus far!
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| Absolutely love this pic. |
On the Cora development front, that girl is really starting to use and drink from her sippy cup! JT has introduced it every time she's in her high chair, and you can tell that Cora is really getting the hang of it - very cool! I mean, that little nugget is just growing like a weed. Her mullet is finally starting to get a bit longer, and she's now finally getting some bangs in the front. The hair is still cornsilk blonde and those eyes are still blue - wonder if it will stay that way.
We hit NOMAD as a family to swim in the afternoon, getting about 40 minutes in the warm pool playing "kitty catcher" (I'm still trying to figure out all the rules, for the record...). And we even played a few rounds of Old Maid, where K showed off her AMAZING poker face (NOT). It was hilarious - she had Old Maid, and when JT drew it from her, Kaitlyn just started cackling - too funny!Old Maid has proven to be a bit of a problem, however, as K goes MENTAL when she gets Old Maid and loses (we are talking tears of agony). We have told her that, at this point, won't play with her if she a) cheats, b) refuses to draw a card, or c) cries when she loses. We'll see if that brings her around, as it's almost as crazy as the ritual with the pole at the playground (if not moreso).
So...lately I can't help but notice how much K wants to be around other folks all of the time. I noticed it at the game in the bounce house (she was so sweet asking other girls if she could play with them), but I I have now come to realize that it's almost vital for K to be around people. I will struggle mightily to pen what I'm trying to say, in large part to the fact that it's so different from the way I look at things. K loves to have a playmate, and I'm not sure if it's because she just feels insecure, hasn't yet learned to entertain herself, isn't sure what to do in a lot of situations and wants to watch & learn from other people, or if it's just the way she's wired. Case in point was today while I showered. Rather than playing she sat on the rug of the shower and just waited for me to finish. I'n not worried about it - it's just something that I will continue to monitor.
11/13 - So today ended up being rough. In the evening, K refused to give JT back her phone after lotion was done (screamed "NO"). When Jenny took it from her, she actually tried to kick JT (she denied it, and to her credit she might have just been flailing, but still - unacceptable). That cost her a book (at which point she started bawling), but then she started screaming (at which point she lost the plan privilege). We ended up just telling her good night and walking out of the room. I am happy to report that we haven't had any more incidents like that at bed, but I did still have to snatch the phone from her this evening (it's 11/15 as I type this).
11/15 - So I noticed something today while putting Cora down and reading to her. She's learning how to turn the pages and understanding the significance of it! I am opening the board books so the next page pops up, and without fail she'll grab it and flip the page. I love her smile when we start reading. She is loving the Little Quack books - I think that is her favorite at present. I normally do 2 or 3 books when I put her down (and I've been fortunate enough to be able to do that some lately for the morning nap), and she does seem to enjoy it. But boy, when it's done and I turn the lamp off, LOOK OUT!!!! Holy Moly that girl is angry (and has some STRONG obliques - it's tough to turn her!) She also has a knack for punching me in the throat and face when I'm trying to settle her...which means that I don't usually settle her for very long... :-)
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| Pre-school shirts! |
11/18 - So today started the week vacation to TN. I'm actually writing the TN recap back in CLT, so hopefully all this is in good order. :-) The drive over was really easy - we stopped at CFA, where K played great and we all ate like kings. We made really good time to Johnny's house in Knoxville, at which point it was MAGIC. You see, Johnny has just finished his basement, and the kids went down there the SECOND we arrived. Y'all, they played down there ALL AFTERNOON - we didn't even see them except when they came up for food! It was amazing! I mean seriously - once we got Koda down, it was smooth sailing, as the kids went right to bed (K slept with Sam, and Buke had her own room with the pack 'n play - it was awesome!
11/19 - continuing with the theme of awesomeness, the kids played non-stop in the basement all morning. When Cora woke up, we rolled over to Smoky Mtn Brewery, where the kids were in heaven playing and eating together while the adults just chilled. Seriously - it was INCREDIBLE, as K just sat there and colored (which is something she would NEVER have done had Sam not been there).
After we said bye to them (swinging back by their house to pick up Twink...), we rolled via Whitesburg the long way, which allowed us to get a mint chocolate chip milkshake from Cardin's! It was fun, as we ordered a medium and took turns sipping on it. K was in heaven, as this was NOT a treat she was expecting. Good times. We arrived in the Burg about 1 PM or so, and after that is was 2.5 days of eating great, being spoiled, and petting kitties at Vol Nana and Grand Pooh's house. K got to decorate her own tree, and she LOVED that (good call, Vol Nana). And best of all...Sweetie Pie went into K's room and slept with her! K didn't know it until the middle of the night when she went to pee, but Sweetie stayed on her bed all night EVERY NIGHT that K was there. That girl absolutely LOVES those cats - knows their names, knows where they like to sleep, you name it. She helped Mom and Steve feed the cats and the dogs every single day, and she spent most of her days stalking them and petting them non-stop. It was honestly a sea of good food, cats, and movies (we watched Sing and Trolls), with an hour of visits to the park each day. Oh, and did I mention we made a Yoder's run? :-)
Oh, and a great line from K the first night we were there. She looks at Vol Nana during bedtime and asks, "What are we gonna do tomorrow?" When mom says that she doesn't know, K says, "Chik-fil-A could be fun!" Sneaky kid! And for the record - we didn't go. :-)
11/20 - One thing I should have noted on the drive day: K is really good about watching the scenery while we're in the car. I love it, as a) it's what I did and b) I think helps to give an appreciation for the beauty of nature.
On the Cora front, that girl is moving her tongue around constantly. Sometimes this gets frustrating, as she refuses to let the bottle into her mouth. More often than not, however, I think she's just experimenting with a new set of discovered muscles. And for the record - that girl has a LONG tongue - she can really stick that thing out there!
11/21 - Team Taylor rolled to the park today, where we ran into the Pastor who married us! How cool is that? The park was great, as it gave us a good hour of outdoor time. We even let Cora crawl around on the equipment, which she seemed to enjoy. And when we came home, we had a very special surprise from Grand Pooh - this hilarious fishing game! Think of it as next generation Hungry Hippo, where the fish open and close their mouths and you have to hook them. It is trickier than it looks until you get into the rhythm - especially when K is knocking the fish off your line and then harpooning her own! But it was a lot of fun, and it gave us a much needed activity.
The funny thing from Koda- mom had spread a velour blanket out on the ground, and Cora LOVED it. She would constantly lay flat on it and rub her face in it. And more than once, she would get so excited that she would just slam her head against it, thinking it was nice and fluffy! I mean, that kid has hit her head SO MANY TIMES in her first year of life - it's just crazy. Rough and Tumble, baby!!!11/22 - the Scream rolled 11 months today! I mean, how is that even possible! It's crazy how sturdy she is now - she really can stand on her own (when she wants to). the trick is getting her to let go of things. That being said, she's definitely getting braver! It's only a matter of time now.
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| "Watch this, Vol Nana - I will HARPOON this little critter..." |
1. We think Cora just might be allergic to cats. She was very red-faced and flushed all day today, and she sneezed pretty much constantly while at mom's. More to come, obviously, but it was so interesting to see those symptoms at mom's but nowhere else while we were in TN (certainly not at our house).
2. K was really, really tough to manage this day. She wants to win all the time at everything, which just feels so contradictory to how we are trying to teach her. Case in point is the fishing game. I caught a fish she was "apparently trying" to catch, and she spun around backwards and refused to play! I obviously ended up catching more of them, and then she repeatedly said that she won. I told her that we wouldn't play going forward if she couldn't have fun, and I realize now that we are going to have to really enforce that (we have in the past already, which is why I'm shocked that it's reared its ugly head again). 
We rolled over to Dad's today, where we had a really, really great visit. It was a mixture of petting puppies, running around outside, playing with Brylie and Brynnox, being loved on by Granny A and Aunt Pattie, and just hanging out.11/23 - Happy Turkey Day!!!! It was a great one that saw us POUNDING food, watching sports, and taking it easy. We even made it over to Needmore Road to look at the land, and K came with us. She got sooooooo sleepy in the car that she even dozed for a bit (too cute). Her bedtime has consistently been 1 or so hours later than normal, and she's consistently been getting up earlier than normal, so something had to give.
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| Cindy Lou Who and the Grinch. |
11/24 - we packed up and headed over to Nanny's today, where we had Thanksgiving dinner part 2! It was a great day, and Nanny was feeling really good. She'd only seen Cora one other time, and she actually cried when we brought her through the door. She also got to hold her twice, which was wonderful to see (Cora sat there happily, which was a blessing - thank you, Father!).
11/25 - Today was another great day, but it started tough for K. She knew that we were leaving, and while she was excited to see Sam, Jack, and Henry, there was no denying the tears that come from leaving Vol Nana. She was really brave and tried so hard, but at the end of the day the dam would not hold. But hey, that means she really, really loves hanging out with her, so I am not going to complain for love nor money. :-) And soon enough we were in Knoxville, where K went straight to the basement with the kids and had a blast! We did take a break to visit Abridged Brewing by their house, and the kids were great to keep themselves occupied while the adults had a few. It was then back to the house for good football, great food, and lots of laughs. And yes - we basically didn't see K the rest of the night. :-) When it's 4 adults to 1 Cora, life is a lot easier...
One sweet thing to note - when it's quiet or when I know she's sad, I always drive with 1 hand and give K my other. Invariably, she always takes it. We don't have to say anything - it is understood that I am reaching out to tell her I love her. It's a unique, sweet bond, and I hope we have those moments for a long time to come.
11/26 - We headed out fairly early this morning, which was a good thing since it took us SIX HOURS to get home due to holiday traffic. K was brave again, but the poor girl lost it when she had to say goodbye to Sam. Talk about an emotional roller coaster! We have so many good friends in TN - I wish we could see them more often, but we do the best we can (as do they).
The girls were so tired that they both slept almost TWO HOURS in the car ride home - basically the distance from Asheville to CLT! All was ok but tenuous (you could tell K was tired and grouchy) until we got home, at which point we had a MELTDOWN FOR THE AGES. Seriously, y'all - I have never seen anything like this. Here's the deal: we got home, and K wanted to play outside. We said yes, and then she asked if she could have her treat when she was done. We said yes, and then 2 minutes later she was inside. :-) Well, the first treat she wanted, we didn't have. Then I offered her some rice krispies treats to take out to the kids she was playing with (the neighbors). When she said no, I offered suckers. When she said she wanted the Halloween candy, I got that down. She started on gummy bears, but halfway through she decided she didn't want those. She'd been in the car for 6 hours, so I gave her a pass and let her choose something else. That's where the breakdown occurred.
So here's what happened - bottom line is that K refused to "pick a treat." After 10 minutes of sifting through her candy, I put her on a 3 minute clock. When the clock expired, I took all the candy but two options (Caramel or plain M&M's) and said, "I am still unloading the car. When I come back, pick between the two." When she hadn't, I picked for her (plain M & M's :-)). I told her that, when I came back from the next load, they better be open (to be clear, there had been some other sass and back talk, so I was trying to make the point that I didn't have time for this foolishness). I came back in and they weren't, and so I took the M & M's and threw them in the trash. And it was at this point, dear readers, that K. Went. BALLISTIC. 
This girl went NUTS! She was throwing stuff, screaming, and just going crazy. JT took her outside (you have to scream outside - that's the rule), and K actually punched our storm door! We took her to her room, where she tried to tear the door handle off. There was nothing we could do to calm her - twink: gone. Show: gone. No Kate play date this week: gone. Boxes of stuffed animals into jail: gone. Spanking: gone. It was amazing. Finally we did get her calm, but it was a meltdown the likes of which I'd never seen (and hope I never see again). 11/27 - So let's just call it like it is: Cora is just about ready to let go and walk! Tonight at the dinner table she let go of the chair she was holding and just stood there playing with a block. She must have stood for 10 seconds - crazy! That girl is almost ready to walk - look out, Regal Court!
Other funny Cora updates - today I honestly thought she said her first word. I was taking her up for her nap, and she pointed at the ceiling while going up the stairs and said (what sounded like) "up!" I genuinely thought she made the association, but then her subsequent babbling poured a little water on that fire. :-) I will say that she's now pointing at all kinds of stuff (especially in books), and she's also waving all the time. That part is really funny, as she seems to wave constantly. When you stand over her (or when she crawls to you while you're in the kitchen), she raises her arms expectantly, hoping that you will pick her up. However, when you are doing 10,000 things in the kitchen and don't have time to do this, she pretty much gets FURIOUS at you, starts crying, and then follows you to wherever you are going. This makes a) loading the dish washer (her favorite appliance), b) getting anything out of the fridge, or c) moving quickly around the island very difficult. Also, did I mention that we now have EVERY SINGLE CABINET locked because Buke wants into ALL of them? She LOVES to get into the dish rags, and now that she's discovered the rotating cupboard with the pots, we have to keep an extra special weather eye on her. Never a dull moment!
Also, today was Day 1 with just 2 bottles! That's right, sports fans - we have made the move to just 2 bottles a day (down from 4). The schedule is still the same - 2 naps and 7 total feeds. The difference now is that we're doing 2 bottles (7 AM and 7 PM), with 5 meals spread throughout the day. Cora didn't love the approach at first, but I am pleased to report that she slept great (and didn't even get up until 7:30 this morning because she was SO tired!).
And good news on the Kaitlyn front - today was MUCH better. While there were flashes of disobedience, it was NOTHING like Sunday night. Obviously we didn't give her any animals back this evening, but provided all goes well tomorrow, we should be good to go for the ceremonial "returning of Twink."
11/28 - So VERY good news - Kaitlyn definitely seems to be getting back to normal, and one better - Cora is sleeping GREAT! This was the second day in a row that she's made it until 7 AM, which is just incredible. 
Also, K seems to LOVE gymnastics. She had her first "real" class today, and she came back SO excited about it. This is great news, as she definitely didn't have this same energy at the end of each swim lesson. She showed me her "straddle" - that girl can almost get into a split! JT said that she was a long way away from the action (and feeding Cora), but she was able to watch K in action. They must have gotten onto the beams, the trampoline, and some other stuff - YAY!
As for Cora - Day 2 with just two bottles seems to be going ok. She took 7 oz tonight, and she went to sleep fairly quickly. Apparently solid food metabolizes slower and helps them to sleep longer, so perhaps that's what's elongating her sleep to 7. Whatever it is, I'm not complaining! :-) Plus JT said that she really likes the 5 meal/2 bottle plan, as it works better schedule-wise. I have come downstairs the last couple of days to see them playing together - it's cute. Oh, and Cora has suddenly started just shaking her head at random - it's pretty funny. She won't do the "yes" nod - only the "no" nod, and she does it quite vigorously. Oh, and a cute moment - Cheryl dropped Kate off this morning (JT took them to school), and they did get to play a bit. They are so cute, as they include Cora in everything. They play "Cora tag" and run form her as she crawls after them. Kate has even started calling her Buke. Love. It.
11/29 - So I might have mentioned it, but Cora is waving all the time now - it's too cute! She is waving at people when they leave especially, which is pretty adorable. 11/30 - So, I want the record to state that, at the moment, I feel like a terrible historian. Yes, I know that there are a lot of words above to capture the events of the month, and yes, I am proud that nearly all major (and minor) events and milestones are being recorded. However, at the moment I feel like I am absolutely scrambling to get them captured in time to remember the actual date the event took place. Life just seems so busy right now, and the girls are changing so fast. I have got to make more of an effort to either write every day or at least jot down notes. Being gone for so many days in November didn't help, so hopefully this will be easier in December.
The one thing I have to relate today - ever since we arrived home last Sunday, K has been asking when we were going to decorate for Christmas - especially the tree. I actually took it down from the attic yesterday and left it upstairs, which in retrospect was probably torture for her since we were so close. I have vacillated, as I wanted to ensure we carved out dedicated time for the activity (with cocoa, music, and all that good stuff), but the flip side is that we lost the last 2 weekends in November and are gone all this weekend, meaning that there just hasn't been a good window of time for that. consequently, we started doing a little decorating yesterday, with the big activity (the tree) kicking off today. 
K was THRILLED - she went at those ornaments with a vengeance. She was a big help in the afternoon, helping us to unpack the decorations around the house, open up the tree box, etc. That same ferocity continued into the evening when it was time to do the ornaments, and she started TEARING into them. Now honestly, there was a lot going on, and I didn't think much of it. But when I heard the first one bounce on the floor, I did pay attention. I heard "sorry, daddy," and I looked to see that my Larry Bird ornament (probably 30 years old) was now in 2 pieces (luckily just the basketball had separated from Larry's hand - an easy glue job). I told her it was ok, and to her credit she worked diligently to try and put it back together, albeit to no avail. I wasn't happy about it, but at the end of the day it was just an ornament - we have 7 million others, so all good.A few more did fall, bounce, and clang, and I told Kaitlyn that, if any more were dropped or fell, she couldn't open any. Also, I noticed a few breakable ones that I set aside and said, "Mommy has to open these." You can probably see where this is going.
So throughout this whole process, JT and I are obviously chasing Cora, who is trying to touch and eat everything in her path. Well, JT had (rightfully so) been 100% dedicated to that pursuit, and it was when I was going to spell her and let her put up some ornaments that we hear something SHATTER. JT calmly said, "that didn't sound good," and then we looked over. I didn't know what it was, but Jenny realized it instantly and was distraught, saying, "Oh no, no, no, no - that's first Christmas!" I was still oblivious, as I couldn't remember our first Christmas ornament. When I walked over, however, I saw what she meant. In the floor, now in a thousand pieces and covered in the sand it held within, was the ornament we received in 2013 for "Baby's 1st Christmas," meaning the first ornament given to us for Kaitlyn. It was among Jenny's favorites, and you could tell that JT was heartbroken. She was on her knees looking at it, a mixture of shock and sadness on her face.
K was standing by the tree, and you could already tell that she knew something was wrong. She said, "That's ok. You can just put it back together," but you could already tell that she was fighting back tears and knew that wasn't possible - simply hoping against hope that her parents had a miracle up their sleeves. When I said, "it's okay, we just need to clean up (there was glass everywhere), and moved K over a bit, the poor girl just LOST IT. She was SOBBING, which of course got Cora sobbing (while eating erasers on the table, of course), and all the while JT was really upset and having to clean up the mess while I held K and tried to calm her. K got so upset that she hid behind the brown recliner and cried. Honestly - it was a tough moment all around. I didn't really know what to do, so I comforted K while at the same time keeping an eye on Buke. I then went to price replacements (astronomical), but there wasn't much left to say. I told K "let's end on a good note," and had her put a few more ornaments on the tree, but then her and JT found a rhythm and continued until it was done (and it looks really good, for the record). I am sure reading this 15+ years from now we'll chuckle about it, but I don't mind saying it was a really, really traumatic moment for everyone. K felt like she'd let us down. JT was sad because she'd lost a favorite ornament. And I felt helpless because I didn't know how to help anyone. We did rally, and today is a new day. But MAN, that was tough.
The good news - K now has to let adults open all ornaments, and she seems quite content to let that happen. :-)
Okay, that closes out November - what an epic month and start to a new decade for Sammy the Bull. Happy Holidays! Chat in a month!
Love,
Sam and Jenny
