Age of Lady Cora: 8 months and 9 days
Family,
And a good afternoon to you from the Queen City, where another great month for Team Taylor is in the books. Let's get amongst it, shall we?
8/1 - So today was a BIG DAY in the life of Team Taylor. After much discussion, deliberation, and debate, Team Taylor decided that August 1 (marking mine and Jenny's 14 year first date anniversary, for the record) was the day we would set Thumb sucking elimination milestones and goals in place for Kaitlyn. JT had a brilliant plan, and our goal was to both sit down with her and discuss the approach. Here was the plan:1. Each day that she doesn't suck her thumb, she receives a sticker.
2. At the end of seven days, she can trade in the stickers for a trip to Sweet Frog (and let's be clear, she LOVES this place).3. If she can do a full month, she can pick a toy at Toys R Us.
So I was up with her that morning and noticed that, during her show, she didn't suck her thumb a single second. This was before we'd even mentioned anything to her, and so when I told Jenny, she agreed we should just kick it off. She mentioned only the "7 days until Sweet Frog" piece, and K LIT UP LIKE MCADDENVILLE. Seriously - it was TOO CUTE! I had no idea the power frozen yogurt held over my child... :-)
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But in all honesty, as I type this on day 7, the transformation has been almost immediate. We had to remind her twice on Day 2 (when she was exhausted), but now we don't even see her doing it at night in her room! She basically quit cold turkey - and all for some FroYo! Love this kid! So JT and I have decided we're not gonna mention Toys R Us yet. And K - in the event you're reading this 30 years from now and realize we didn't end up buying you a toy - sorry! We love you, pumpkin! :-)
I have really, really been proud of her, and I think K is proud she's stopped as well. She has mentioned that Ryann, Sam, and Kate don't suck their thumbs, so I think it's a big deal to her. So proud of that kid! And I'm hoping it will save us from dealing with a jacked up grill later down the road. K was a trooper in karate today as well - the only girl! We ended up skipping on 8/3 (her first and likely only miss), but that gave her the chance to play in the pool with Pattie, and we didn't want her to miss that.
And speaking of sports, K has expressed more than once an interest in playing soccer again. This marks the first time that she's campaigned to do something, and so that was good to hear. She was very interested in dance camp this year (after the previous year), so that's another thing that's clearly got her attention. It's just really neat to see what activities she gravitates to, and I think it will be fascinating to watch as that evolves over time.
On the Cora front, she is "lurch crawling" at this point. Basically she gets up on her knees like she's ready to go, and then she either collapses or launches forward like a ballistic missile. It's pretty funny. If she can just tuck in that tummy, she's ready to GO! She is drooling all over the place at this point, so there's no question that she's teething. You can here her breathing through the saliva at certain times during the day, and she's basically watered the entire hardwood. Of course, she promptly crawls right over the top and dries it, so the floors are actually the cleanest they've been in years... :-)
I did have a Cora scare today. JT and K were out, and I had Cora in the house with me. She'd woken up early, and since I was on a call, I couldn't play with her. Well, she screamed for about 30 minutes in the play pen, and I just assumed she'd finally calmed down. Well, when I went down there, she was FLAT on her tummy and not moving. I freaked out and hopped into the play pen, which startled her and woke her up. The girl had screamed so much, she'd worn herself out and gone to sleep! Mercifully that's all it was, but many did that frighten me. 
One other thing to note - K started working on drawing letters today. She did really good! She was tracing them, but I was still really impressed. And more impressive, she brought home a drawing from camp that was the first image that truly represented a person I've ever seen her do! She's getting a lot more dexterity to go with that creativity, and you can see it in how she holds her pencil (no doubt she's a lefty, for the record - pencil and the Wii remote are both firmly in the left hand).
8/2 - I came downstairs today to find K at her Princess table by herself practicing her letters - amazing! I mean, what daddy isn't proud to see that! The smile on her face when I bragged on her was priceless. Aunt Pattie and the girls showed up today, and K had a lot of fun playing with them. They played quite a bit of i-Spy, and the girls were really good to pick easy things K could find. There were some good laughs, and K enjoyed being "one of the girls." That being said, when I took them to lunch, K didn't want to do anything but snuggle with me (which I was definitely good with!). Pattie read to her that night, and all in all it was a good evening.
One thing I will say - I cannot WAIT to get rid of K's Sofia slippers. Holy Moly, those things REEK!!!!! She wears them everywhere, and when she takes them off, both her feet and those slippers are straight TOXIC. I have started washing her feet with a wipe every time she takes them off, as the smell is almost unbearable at times. Obviously we won't take them from her at this point, but man, will I be glad when she outgrows them!
And on the Cora front - that girl is SERIOUSLY teething! Her top two teeth are right there! She's been really uncomfortable lately, and the pain has woken her up early during all of her naps. She's sleeping pretty good at night, but you can still tell that it's bothering her, as she wakes up early (5ish) and never settles back great. We actually started giving her meds to help with the pain, and so she's on a diet of Tylenol in the morning and Ibuprofen at night. It has made a TREMENDOUS difference, and when you look in her mouth you can see why. There are little white buds everywhere!8/3 - So we had a scare today - a real one. I was working in the office, when I heard K say in a voice that was clearly distressed, "Somebody help me please." She wasn't screaming it, which is why it got my attention. It was clearly the voice of someone very scared and unsure of what to do.
I walked into her room and found her basically speechless and in shock. She was holding her finger, which she wouldn't let me touch. I then noticed black spots on her finger, and she said, "Dada - I burned the wall. There was fire." At that point I freaked out (but appeared outwardly calm, of course) and sat down beside her to survey the scene.K said (my memory of it): "I turned the night light on, and there was fire, and I burned the wall. I didn't know what to do, dada." (heartbreaking to see them so scared). Later on, we managed to piece it together. K had been sent to time out for pushing Cora (it had just been a slight push, but still - she knew what she was doing), and once in her room she had taken the nightlight out of the socket and thrown it against the door. That shattered the bulb, but when she then plugged it back in, the wire was exposed and sparked, burning the wall (it really is brown) and singing her a bit. The bulb then blew fully, opening the circuit, but obviously she didn't know that.
We managed to calm her down, and I didn't fuss at her anymore. She needed grace, forgiveness, and love in that moment. And regardless - something tells me she won't be doing that again anytime soon! She was frightened and cried the next couple of times I plugged another light in and turned it on, but eventually she calmed down. Truth be told, I think she was more concerned she was going to lose her nightlight. :-)
And the best news (aside from her being ok) - later on she admitted she had misbehaved and apologized to mommy, saying, "I'm sorry I pushed Cora." She's a good kid with a great heart. Love my girls!
8/4 - Cora started taking water from a straw today...and loved it! Seriously - that kid will CRUSH solids, she will drink water from a straw, and she will put ANYTHING into her mouth, but she is eating less and less formula. We usually manage to get enough in her to get her full, but it's becoming quite the process. The good news - this means less and less formula is being purchased. However, we do want to ensure that she at least gets 24 oz per day. She's still well within that range, and obviously solid food intake is counterbalancing some of that need. However, it is something we want to continue watching.K wrapped her last summer camp today, and she came home having learned a new game - Rock, Paper, Scissors! She showed up at the bottom of the stairs and said "Rock, Paper, Scissors - SHOOT!" It was pretty cute. We played that some today, as well as some iSpy at dinner (which was also fun). I am enjoying these slightly more sedentary pursuits. Cultivate this, I will...
I also introduced K probably to some of the Wii games, and she LOVED IT! Seriously - she was a ROCK STAR at bowling - rolled a 107 on her first try! She's really pretty good at Golf and Bowling, and I am having fun playing both with her. Admittedly we need to watch the screen time now that we've added video games, but between Karate, camps, friends, books, playing, and swimming, I think she's getting a healthy mix.
8/5 - So today was a great (but long!) day. I was up at 5:15 to run, and I got 4 hours and 7 minutes in at the whitewater center (19 miles on the trails, baby!!!). It was awesome, and I then came home to have several hours of dedicated time with K (which was also WICKED AWESOME). Seriously - I hadn't had that kind of quality time in awhile, and it really meant a ton to me. We got to go swimming at NOMAD, and she was a waterdog - constantly jumping off the blocks and swimming great. I really had fun - best we've played together in a long time. She wasn't whiny or fussy, and it was just a lot of fun. She did get sassy before church, but I think it was just her reaction to no longer having that dedicated daddy time, as we had both reveled in the focused time together. She bawled when we dropped her at church, but then she was great at pickup and for the rest of the evening. 
And K's best line of the day- when checking on my recent illness from Haiti, K asked, "Dada, do you still have a parachute in your tummy?" Too cute!8/6 - This day was a whirlwind, but we had plenty of good laughs. K and I had a good chunk of time playing upstairs in the bonus room, where we played blocks (she's really enjoyed that the last couple of days - we've made lower, wider structures, which has actually served to keep them upright! We have been building playgrounds and pre-schools, and a church is next on the list) for a bit before switching to the "earmuff game." Unlike Old School, this doesn't involve tons of foul language. Instead, it involves K saying a sentence and then me acting like I can't hear it because the earmuffs are blocking all sound. Instead of answering the question, I repeat a sentence that rhymes with what she said. She loved it - her laughter was infectious.
We then played some Wii, where she straight up beat me at fishing and the cow racing game - hilarious! Some of the games were a little too complicated for her, but by and large we had a blast.
I went to bed that night exhausted. Honestly, between Haiti, the sickness, the run at the whitewater center, and the weekend we'd just had, I was spent. In that moment it occurred to me that I (we) might be going a bit too hard, and that has prompted me to take stock in all of our activities. I want to re-baseline and simplify again to ensure we (me) aren't red-lining. That goes for the entire family across everything - church, activities, financials, you name it. I haven't started working on that yet, but it's on the plan for this week.
8/7 - I was up about 5:45 this morning because we thought Cora was up. However, she settled and actually slept until 7. That worked out great, as it gave me the time I needed to pray. K came down about 6:30, and her request was simple: "Dada, will you cuddle and watch a Paw Patrol with me for one minute?" It was so sweet - she just curled up with me and was happy as a clam. Anytime I kissed her on the head, she would kiss me on the cheek. She's actually done this for awhile, but it occurs to me that I haven't penned it yet. We just sat there, holding hands and her leaning on me, and it was perfect. We were able to do that again this evening (just for half an episode), and it was great once again. What I am trying to be mindful of at the moment - I am trying to spread my time out across everyone, and with K I want to ensure she's really getting dedicated time with me vs. 10 minutes here, 5 minutes there, etc. I think I've been guilty of that some, and that's not fair to her. Consequently, I'm making a conscious effort to truly give her a block of time so that we can play, talk, and bond, and I think that time needs to be outside of the food/bath/bed ritual, as I doubt she counts those as bonding time. 
Jenny had the Williams clan and the Rivera crew over today, and it was like a small zoo in this place. However, I think the kids had a lot of fun. K was awesome in protecting me in my office. When the kids started wandering into the halls or into her room, she ran in and said, "Guys, we have to stay in the bonus room!" Love that kid! Needing something calm in the afternoon, she painted...and was absolutely the cutest thing ever while doing it.Oh, and her best line of the day: "Dada, I didn't used to like pepperoni when I was three. But now that I'm four, I like it." Quality. Maybe now we can finally get a bit more meat in this kid.
The two milestones for the day:
1. 7 days with no thumb sucking - CHECK! Next stop: SWEET FROG!!!!
2. Cora climbed over the step in the bonus room today (the one entering the hallway), and we all go to see it! We didn't expect to see that today - awesome! She's getting up on those knees better - only a matter of time.
What's interesting - we are baby proofed, but Cora gets into EVERYTHING. Needless to say, the lack of attention we've paid to clipping the cabinets together will soon need to be addressed...
8/9 - So a big day on the playground for K - she slid down the pole at the playground all by herself! This is big, and something I have never seen (truth be told I don't think happened before today). This is just another thing that is awesome about K playing with girls a little older than her - she watches them do things, and it makes her want to do it because that achievement "further demonstrates that she's a big girl." Proud of you kid! In that same vein, I was watching her at the pool the other day as she pulled out of the water. She's got some arm muscles like her mommy! I have diesel women in my life - love it.
Also, JT and K went to NOMAD today, and Jenny said that she had one of the best swims she's had EVER. Period. She said that, while she was talking to a friend, K just jumped into the cold pool and swim a 50 free. And then, with everyone properly amazed, she proceeded to do a 50 back! Way to go, kiddo! Her endurance and strokes are looking better than ever, and best of all - she's actually enjoying the strokes and working on them right now (which is really good to see). They were in the cold pool for 45 minutes!
K has been an angel these last few days. She is doing more and more on her own now - getting dressed, brushing her hair, brushing her teeth, etc - and tonight she even cleaned the Bonus Room on her own! I mean, that is something I would NEVER have done at age 4, so clearly this child has more of JT's DNA than mine. :-)Two more K items to note:
1. Tank game! So K is officially in love with the Wii - especially the Tank game! This is on "Wii Play," and it involves us driving around and trying to blow up tanks while they shoot back at us. K is really improving, and now she is even hitting some of the tanks from a long way off - I'm impressed! She likes to curl up while we play - it's pretty darn cute.
2. We have started playing "I Spy with my little eye" every time we sit down at the dinner table. I have to give her credit - she's pretty good at it! I credit Aunt Pattie for this, as she started it with her last week. Since that time, it's become a staple at meal time (much like the cloud shape game is now a staple while driving).On the Cora front, that girl pulled up already! Seriously - she's not properly crawling yet (soooooo close), but she is already pulling up everywhere she can. The other day she climbed onto the trampoline! This evening she pulled up and was nearly standing (was on her feet - just not erect) on the step in K's bathroom. It's crazy how strong that girl is (especially when she punches you in the throat when you're trying to burp her).
Also, today we had to start changing outfits because she's peeing so much while crawling! This has now happened to us about 3 times. I go to put her down, and when we lay her there to change her diaper, her front is wet around her tummy. Nuts! Again, this is something we NEVER dealt with during K's first year. The good news - Cora genuinely seems to enjoy getting changed, and it's HILARIOUS to hear her giggle when you blow on her tummy on the changing table. Too cute!
Oh, and while I was videoing Cora climbing onto the step tonight, K suddenly walked in front of the camera. Now under normal circumstances this wouldn't have been funny. At that moment, however, K was BUCK NAKED since it was bath time, and her bummy bummy just filled the screen! We were cackling.
8/11 - So Granddaddy and Granny A pulled up this day, and K was so excited she could barely stand it. She kept asking, "How many minutes is it until Granny A gets here" (sorry Dad, you were an afterthought :-)), and so every 5 minutes I gave her the revised count. When I would say "2 hours," she would say, "You mean 1, 2?" I had to explain the seconds vs. minutes vs. hours concept, which I think was most definitely lost in translation. The good news is that I had a distraction - FIRE TANKS!!!!
Jenny and K managed to get to the next level on the tank game, and K was ALL ABOUT IT. She and I started playing, and now I'm addicted (seriously - I am contemplating signing off from here to go play up there by myself - how sad is that?). The Wii has been a blessing during this intense heat, and given how hard K goes during the week - swimming, running, playing, karate, I don't mind the extra screen time. Admittedly we have to watch it (and we do - we set a timer), but it's been a blast so far. Plus, she's getting better and even taking some tanks out on her own!
As for K, she brushed her teeth unprompted today. She's brushing them really well on her own now - another milestone crossed, and I'm now a little less useful. Crazy how quickly they grow. Oh, and K has been in one of her princess dresses for 3 days straight now. It really is cute on her, and I think she loves how it feels. Getting it off her is a virtual impossibility. :-)8/12 - So today was about as flat out as I have EVER gone in my life as a father of 2. K was up about 5:45 or so, and so I was up feeding her before it was light outside. Once the house came to life, I headed out for 10 miles while Cora napped and they played with K (it should be noted that I returned to discover K was given sour patch kids at 8:40 AM...but to K's credit, she was the one who spilled the beans :-)). It was then over to IHOP, where we all ate like kings and felt bigger than houses. We then rolled over to Kirk Farms to walk the greenway, doing 1.25 out to the UNCC softball field before turning around. K was a MACHINE, as she ran pretty much non-stop while there. She had some new sparkly shoes from Granny A, and they made her superdeeduper fast. :-) Seriously - it was amazing to watch, as that girl ran over a mile on her own!
We then rolled over to Academy sports, where Cora dropped a steamer in the car while K, Granny A, and Granddaddy did a bit of shopping (K got some stylish shoes and clothes). We then headed over for the marquee event of the day - SWEET FROG!!!!! That's right, sports fans - K went a full week with no thumb sucking! Actually, as I type this, she's gone 15 days with virtually no thumb sucking. I saw it twice briefly yesterday (one was during her sleep, so we can't fault her for that one), but dare I say it - I think she's broken the habit. AMAZING!
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Next up was home before 90 minutes at the pool, where K showcased her strokes for the grandparents. I was here with Cora letting her nap, as the day wasn't done at that point (Cora was amazing all day - talk about such a trooper!). At 6, we rolled down to NoDa Brewing, where we really had a great couple of hours. The girls were good, K made a friend, and dad and Alice loved it (Dad said it was his favorite brewery in CLT to date). We then rolled him about 8:30, and the girls were in bed about 9. The grandparents were in bed at 9:15, and I was alone on the porch drinking a coldski until about 10 before I called it a night. WHEW - epic! But the good news -we know we can do it when we have to!
8/13 - Cora was up at 5:38 this morning. I was shocked given how late she went down, but JT has since explained to me that there is this thing called the "8 month sleep regression." Apparently, between the teething and everything new they are hearing and seeing, their minds are just racing, and they don't want to go to sleep. It is funny, but Cora really does fight me every single time I put her down. That being said, she then instantly rolls over and passes out (seriously - she goes to sleep faster than anyone in the house at this point, and between K and Jenny that is really saying something!).
It was a great day all around. After Dad and Alice left, I had the girls, and we had a fun afternoon of Wii before heading to swim lessons. K is learning to work the remote now - can fast forward, play, and pause. One more milestone, baby! But I'm not ready for her to start selecting her own programming just yet...anyhoo, swim lessons were great, but at the 24 minute mark, K pops out, grabs her crotch, clenches her cheeks, and says, "I really have to go poopie!" Now keep in mind - there is no outside bathroom, Renee is not home, and K is in a one piece. So what do we do? Strip her down naked and have her SQUAT IN THE YARD. Luckily it was a false alarm (translation - she just had to pee and did it in the pool...which she later whispered to me), but man was it hilarious. Oh, and the instructor didn't deduct the time. :-)
After that it was over to NOMAD, where K did something like 250 in the cold pool! Cora got in the cold pool as well, and she really seemed to enjoy it! Admittedly, I need to reinflate her little float, but all in all she seemed to have fun. It was a great day!8/14 - Cora was up at 5:36 this morning, but K made it all the way to 7:36! It's funny - she's suddenly started sleeping with her Dohm on again, and that has EASILY improved her sleep. She's now consistently getting another 45 minutes in the mornings, which is AWESOME.
So full disclosure - I was working and Daddy Daycare on this day, but by the blessings of God my schedule was perfect in that it allowed me to do both. When I had meetings, Cora was asleep and K played great by herself. When I was between meetings, I had time to feed Cora, play with K, read to them both, or make food. All in all, it was just fantastic. K and I played plenty of Wii (she's getting better, and she's even taken out a few fire tanks at this point "by her own" :-)), and the girls were super cute playing in the tunnel together. As I have said before, K is an unbelievable big sister in that she is GREAT about watching Cora, playing with her, and helping us with whatever we need. We feel truly blessed in that regard.The one funny part about the schedule. All went well until the ONE MEETING where I had to do a lot of talking. Well, I'm about halfway through my spiel, and K busts into the room holding her crotch. I go on mute and say, "Just use my bathroom," after which time she tells me "I really gotta poopy!" Poor girl must have sat on the can 15 minutes waiting on me, but we made it work!
8/15 - JT got back LATE last night (poor girl didn't get home until 1:30 due to storms - they even had to land at RDU to refuel!), but she was up at 5:12 with Cora (#rockstar). JT was ill from food poisoning - she hadn't eaten in a day and STILL let husband bear sleep while she tended to the Scream. Um, is she the best wife ever or what? This day was a blur (aren't they all at this point), but it did give me a chance to reflect on the weekend. It was great, and I really had fun with the girls. True, it takes a bit more planning when you have two, but you can still do anything and everything you want to do (and smile the whole time). Cora and I are bonding a lot more now - she's even reaching for me when she sees me in the room and someone else is holding her! Also, she's getting much better at snuggling and cuddling at night before bed (she's finally laying on my shoulder, which wasn't something that had happened really before this past week), and I actually watched her fall asleep for the first time ever on me the other night. One thing I struggled with during that reflection period - have I spent enough quality time with her? Jenny is GREAT about reading to her, playing with her, and getting on the floor with her, whereas my focused time has been more around feeding, bathing, diapering - the nuts-and-bolts logical stuff. It's something I will focus on going forward, as I don't want more time to pass with me having that worry.
8/16 - Play date with Kate today! JT said they had a blast. They went to her house vs. the pool due to weather, and it must have been a blast. I really, really, REALLY hope they are in the same class next year!
8/17 - K bagged a fire tank today! It was really cute. Oh, and she is AWESOME at the cow riding game! She has legitimately beaten me several times! Fast learner, that one is! The tank thing is particularly cute, as she rocks up right behind the stationary tanks and ASSASSINATES them. It's too cute to watch her face light up. Also, she was INCREDIBLE cleaning up last night. She's been a tremendous helper. They went to Katie's house this day, and JT said that K was super well behaved. PROUD OF YOU, KID!
Oh, and did I mention that Cora is now able to climb onto K's trampoline all by herself? Yeah, she's got her eye on the steps as well. Sooooooo glad someone else installed that gate for us... :-)
8/18 - As you can tell, the last few days have been a blur, but I am actually typing this update in real time. K put on her OWN SUNSCREEN before the pool today. I mean, WHAT!?!?!?!
8/20 - So today was a really fun day. We headed to the Lake for the semi-annual (now practically annual) LoanSolutions reunion, and everyone had a blast. We rocked up about 1:30 or so, and We actually managed to get Koda down for a nap. K and JT went on the boat with the other folks, and they must have had a BLAST. K apparently was even jumping off the side of the boat! She must have had a great time swimming and jumping - even if she was forced to wear her puddle jumper (rules in the lake, yo!).
The kids were really cute playing together. K and Georgia played well, but we think they had a crush on the same boy (Ben) and kept arguing over who got to sit beside him. :-) At one point, I think K even ordered Georgia (who is cute as a button, by the way - 2 years old) to move so Ben would have a spot! It was actually a really interesting dynamic to watch, as normally K is younger than the kids she's playing with. Watching her with Georgia, I think they did a pretty good job of interacting (although it did take them a little while to warm up to each other), especially once toys started getting pulled out in Pop Pop's apartment. :-) Seriously - it was great, as I got lots of good Bane brewing on draft, and the kids were largely self-sufficient and self-entertained.
Cora was really good as well - slept GREAT in the pack 'n play (2.5 hours!), and she absolutely LOVED being in the swing later in the afternoon. Again, I am amazed by how different our children are. Kaitlyn has never really liked swings (she's getting used to them now that she can control her speed and knows how to pump her arms), but Buke (her new nickname) LOVES being in motion. Just like the car - Cora is asleep instantly when we get going, but K never slept in the car at that age (and certainly not the length of time Cora does currently). 8/21 - Today was a big one for the US - Solar Eclipse Day! Luckily we had a friend give us ISO certified glasses, and so Team Taylor camped out on the front lawn for about an hour or so and watched the whole thing. We didn't get totality here (we were about 98%), but it was still really neat. The world definitely got darker, the insects started going nuts, and the world got 10 degrees cooler. K was not overly impressed, but she was a good sport about it (even if she did try to sneak a glance or two without glasses) :-). I mean, at the end of the day, when you're 4 and all you're looking at is a black circle moving over another circle, it's admittedly pretty boring. Her cutest line was about 30 minutes into the whole thing while we were back inside: "Dada, can I go look at the sun?" Love it.
Swim lessons were also really good that day. K is really doing GREAT work, and best of all she's working hard on her stroke and technique. The key will obviously be maintaining it during the winter (as we don't think we'll sign up for group lessons or anything), but I am confident that we can do it - we just need to build a routine where swimming in the cold pool is fun...even when it's 40 degrees outside. :-)
Speaking of swimming, I just have to say it's crazy how tan K is after a summer in the pool. The great news is that she never got a burn, and her little tan lines are just about the cutest thing ever.
Also, for Cora - big switch today for the bath - we moved her from the slope to the seat in the kiddie tub. It made a HUGE difference, as now she's at the point she can sit up. Before it was just a struggle to keep her from sliding down into the water, but now it's much easier. And other other day K actually came in and helped us do her bath! She was so cute pouring water from the cup over her. All went well until K dumped it on her head (where I had shampoo). Cora didn't love that too much, but hey - we all rallied quickly. :-)8/22 - And just like that, we have an 8 month old! I mean, come on! This kid is growing like a weed! It's crazy how quickly she's developing - both her physical strength and her milestones. Case in point - this kid STOOD UP in the crib today! So yes, we had to lower that puppy, as we otherwise risked her climbing out of it in the not too distant future - insane!
JT got out the block sorter on this day, and Cora seems to love playing with that. Granted, she's not actually using it for its intended purpose yet, but she does seem to be loving chewing on each and every piece. :-) Oh, and Scout is now back down on the hardwood, as Cora is pulling up on EVERYTHING at this point. There is no question that her favorite spot in the house is ON THE TRAMPOLINE. She gravitates to it the second she's allowed to get on the floor - too funny. And it's really cute when both the girls get on it - I have taken some great pictures.I will say again that it's just been SO wonderful to watch how great Kaitlyn is with Cora. She really is a wonderful big sister, playing with her, watching her, helping to bathe her, offering to feed her, you name it. JT said it well - we are so blessed to have all of this time at home as a family and to be able to play together and bond together. Every day is a gift, and I have been really proud of all my girls for how they've played together, traveled together, shopped together, eaten together, and just bonded day in and day out. A ton of credit goes to Jenny there, as she's really helping them to forge an amazing relationship.
K had karate on this day, and then she returned home to wait for Vol Nana. Vol Nana rolled in shortly thereafter, and K was in HEAVEN. Seriously - mom was SO GREAT with her, and they really did have fun. Mom rocked up with a few new games - most notably Busy Town - and K wanted to play it non-stop. It really is a cute game (I've played it as well), and given that each round is different, it was great for holding her attention. 8/23 - The Williams clan was at the house for a few hours today, and while it was just shy of disorganized chaos, we all survived. :-) What I will say - I was SO PROUD of how K conducted herself. That girl really is super well behaved. She doesn't scream. She is respectful. She listens to the adults. I was really, really proud of her (and told her as much after the fact). Love that kid! That sure makes a papa proud!
8/24 - Big day for K: she had her final karate class and tested out for her Orange Belt! JT and mom went to watch, and they said it was GREAT. K must have worked really hard and listened really good, and the video & photos they have from it were super cute. Proud of you, little goose! Now granted, K is NOT interested in continuing at this time, but I am curious if it's something she'll want to get into again in future. She has mentioned wanting to do soccer again, but we haven't heard much about that since she first brought it up. Realistically I think we'll wait and see what 5 day a week preschool does to her, and then we'll assess. I want to be sensitive to how busy she'll already be and not try to overload her, as I want to ensure she's got the chance to just play, rest, and be a kid.
This day overall was a whirlwind for everyone. Mom, Muffin, and K went to IHOP for breakfast, and after the karate test out I met them at Sweet Frog to celebrate. K absolutely LOVES that place - it is just too cute to watch her in there with the pumps. She also eats every last ounce of whatever she pours, and her face looks like she's been rooting around in mud afterwards - too cute.
And crazy news on the Cora front - Buke actually WALKED with me holding her today. Seriously - she took probably a good 6-8 steps (more like thumps, but still) while I was holding her hands, and she was smiling the whole time. I actually just tried again (writing this on the 28th) today, and she wasn't as interested. However, she definitely is capable!
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| This girl LOVES being in motion! |
The afternoon was good. Vol Nana left in the early afternoon, and while there were some tears (K was super brave), she rebounded quickly. Mom and K had spent most of the morning swimming, and then Ry came home with K for a couple of hours. They played really well together, decorating stuffed animals and even performing their own version of Sleeping Beauty (it was pretty cute). Having Ry there (as well as the pool time) really was a life saver, as otherwise K would have been MENTAL once Vol Nana headed out. Of course, she's already asking when Vol Nana is coming back...but at least there are no tears (and she's not yet started asking "How many minutes is it?" :-)).
Oh, and it's official - Cora has now pulled ALL THE WAY UP TO STANDING. I mean...this kid is a force of nature...
8/26 - We spent the day on the lake today, hanging out at Sean's place. We again availed of their AWESOME guest apartment, which always makes our lives SO much easier given the nap schedules and bedtimes for the 2 kids. Everyone had a blast - especially K! She got to play with her "best friend Sara," and they spent hours in the pool, diving for rings and swimming around. Sara was great with her, and I do think they had fun. Plus, their family has two puppies, so K was in Heaven. :-)Also, this was a big night, as K and Cora slept in the same room for the first time ever! K was really, really good about it. She was super quiet, and she just crawled right into bed when it was her turn to head up. And best of all - BOTH KIDS SLEPT UNTIL ALMOST 7!!!! Cora has been sleeping increasingly longer and longer now that we've dropped the third nap - we are praying we've cracked the code! Plus we think some of the teething has subsided, so that's a big win.
8/27 - So this was another really terrific day. We had church in the morning (after donuts, baby), and then in the afternoon we spent about 90 minutes at the Sports Club pool. I went down the slides with K, and we spent a good thirty minutes playing with the water gun. I started throwing K in the pool, and I must have done it 40 times (not kidding). It was a hoot, and she LOVED it. She just kept saying, "Again, again!" I mean, who can resist that? Plus it was really fun.One thing that was concerning - for the second day in a row, K mentioned that she had something crusty in her ear. On Saturday, she just asked me to wipe it, which I did and all seemed instantly fine. This evening, however, she complained of crustiness again, and her ear was sensitive to the touch. We ended up giving her Advil, and it was clear that something wasn't right. We both thought it was an ear infection, but the good news - crusty denoted that the tubes were working and draining, so that was a good thing.
8/28 - The house woke up at 7 AM today - Cora slept 12 hours! That's the third straight MONEY BALL sleep we've had in a row! We didn't wake up until K climbed in our bed at 7. Unfortunately for K however, she didn't sleep great. Our fears were confirmed when, upon inspecting her pillow, saw lots of discharge from her ear. It's really an amazing thing to watch how tubes function, as it's CRAZY to think that, before this, all of that fluid was just accumulating within her middle ear. No wonder she sometimes had trouble hearing us!
We made an appointment with the Peds as soon as they opened, and they confirmed that K does have an ear infection. She's been in the water a ton lately, so perhaps it was just a matter of time. The good news - both tubes are still in and working properly. And so we have meds now, and the goal will to just keep her as comfortable as possible while the pain subsides.
K was so tired that she actually made a bed in the living room and fell asleep on Twink. Poor girl was sleeping on her favorite stuffed animal. It was heartbreaking.
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| Crazy that this would have been BEHIND her ear if we didn't have the tubes in to drain it! |
That was the first time both kids have ever cried out during the night, and needless to say I was dragging the next morning. K was definitely in a lot of pain, and so we had to start mixing Tylenol with Advil. However, she powered through, and Eli and Tessa were over in the evening, which definitely helped. As long as we could keep her mind off it - movies, the Wii, etc - it was ok. But by evening, it was clear she was really in pain. We did manage to clean it later in the day, but it really hurt her anytime something touched it, so we had to be very delicate (at one point, K just laid on a washcloth so the warm water would slowly leech all the infection out).
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| 20-30 min 2x daily like this while the drops soaked in. She was a trooper! |
Cora actually woke up fussy this morning. She'd been pulling on her ears for the past few days, and we feared that she might have an ear infection as well. Luckily, it was just teething (we took her to the Peds to be safe), but while at the Peds and looking at K again, they told us that K actually needed to keep her head tilted for 30 minutes after the drops to really let the medicine work. Armed with that new knowledge, we've started applying the drops in her ears during the morning and evening while she's watching her show. She's been really good about keeping her head tilted (she keeps it on the arm of her chair), which to me is a sign of how much she's hurting. Chewing is a problem for her, and she's been super emotional (likely due to exhaustion and pain). I give her credit - she really is trying to be tough. Proud of you, kid!
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| Because yard sale plastic is SOOO good for you. |
8/31 - So GOOD NEWS on the K front - she woke up this morning in MUCH better spirits. She gave me the thumbs up (we say "thumbs high" - from Armageddon in case anyone's curious), and that's great news. I will say that, speaking of thumb, she is now sucking her thumb at night again (we can hear it because it is SO LOUD), but I am not trying to police that right now. The reality is that a) she isn't doing it at any other point in the day, b) we can't police it in her room anyway, c) she has been sick and is likely looking for comfort, and d) she passes out almost instantly anyway, so I think it's fine. She has asked that we start closing her door at night, and I think it's so we don't see her doing it. I don't mind this, however, as that closed door has equated to (on average) an extra hour of sleep each night for her, so it's a win-win as far as I'm concerned!
The bad news is on the Cora front - poor thing spiked a temp of 103.8 today! We managed to get it down with some Tylenol, and obviously the poor thing didn't feel good. Hopefully it will pass quickly, as that's the highest temp I've ever seen for either of our children.
But the temperature didn't tell the whole story....:-) So JT went to UCUMC to meet K's teachers, leaving me with the girls. It was time for Cora's standard 7 PM feed, and she took it down pretty well. She was fussy, and it took a few starts and stops, but on the whole I felt good about her intake (about 8 oz). She then started really fussing when I tried to give her ibuprofen, and it was WORK to get the syringe in her mouth. And so, when I got it in there, I squirted the medicine quickly with the hope of just getting it into her system. Historically, she has cried when I've done this, but it's always been fine. Today, however, was my waterloo.
So I get the medicine into her mouth, and I think all is good. Then, however, I notice her gagging a bit. Two seconds later, there is PROJECTILE VOMIT spewing from her mouth. Seriously - it was something out of a movie (not sure if it was a horror or comedy). My shirt was covered. Her bib was a pool of vomit. And my shorts were soaked. K witnessed the whole thing and said, "Dada, she threw up a lot! You'll have to tell mama!"
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| It's like the toddler version of Bane... |
And then, about 2 minutes later, ROUND 2!!!! She again SPEWED LIKE A VOLCANO, sending a waterfall of vomit down the couch (and yes, I did give her a bath...which was crazy since JT had bathed her an hour before).
Dear readers, it was about the most disgusting thing I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. And the funniest part? I still haven't bothered to resolve the couch, and the stain is EPIC. But the good news, I did get 7 oz in her, and she slept like a champ that night.
So there you have it - August in the books. Honestly, this feels like the end of a major chapter - our first summer with 2 kids, and the last time K won't be in school 5 days a week. I feel like we have made it count, and I am proud of our efforts. I am also absolutely EXHAUSTED and ready for school to be back in session. :-) Truth be told, I think it's a good thing for all of us, as it will help us build a schedule, give JT and I more time to focus on various and sundry things around the house (as well as exercise and other stuff), give me some additional bonding time with Cora, and give K more great opportunities to learn and grow in a faith based environment.
That's all the news that's fit to print. Chat with you in a month!
Love,
Sam and Jenny
