It is well with our souls - a blessed Team Taylor Thanksgiving

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  2 years, 8 months, 19 days

Family,

And a good Monday afternoon to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is fighting both a cold and

a gout attack but doing well.  A great November is almost in the books (and will be by the time I publish this, I'm sure) -
one filled with many laughs and great memories, but also with some heart ache and sorrow.  I will give both their due season in this post, but make no mistake - life is a journey, we are blessed beyond measure, and all is well on Regal Court.  No rain, no rainbows, and we know that our pot of gold is just over that next hill. :-)

On the Kaitlyn front, her personality continues to come out, and her classic moments continue to abound.  Tackling them in chronological fashion:

"Seriously - you keep drinking my milk shake and I
will deck you.  Just sayin'..."

11/9 - K counted to 10 in Spanish!  Again, this one wasn't on my radar, and then suddenly she just starts counting to 10 in Spanish during dinner.  "Quatro" is sometimes a bit hit or miss, but by and large she's rolling with them.  In thinking about this, it's actually been fascinating to listen to her as she continues to grasp the concept of numbers.  For example, the other day there were 3 items sitting on the counter (can't remember what), and K said, "What are those 3 things, dada?"  She definitely is associating the numbers 1-5 with a quantity now, and it's exciting to watch those pistons fire.  It's just more proof of how amazing a mother JT is and how much she's always working with her on various and sundry educational items.

To that point, I just want to say I continue to be AMAZED at the job Jenny's doing raising our daughter.   She's so clever in how she introduces things, and she has an incredible knack to know how to modify K's behavior when she's trending off the rails.  Case in point - getting her to stop constantly sipping water before bed ("gonna get a last sip..." - rinse/repeated 70 times) by saying "don't drink too much or you'll get a tummy ache." She also just knows when K is misbehaving vs. not feeling well (sick, tired, hungry, cold) and just acting out.  I do NOT possess the ability to discern that yet, and it's definitely something that I need to work on.  Also, I see JT very effective when she disciplines (time out is a good example), and I need to learn from her and emulate a lot of that behavior.

11/9 also saw the rise of "the Swiper game."  This largely consists of K selecting a marker and an animal in the bonus room, giving the marker to said animal, taking the marker away from said animal, "giving" it to another animal, and then throwing the marker across the room.  Here's a sample of how this goes (complete with Sam Taylor doing voice overs for each animal along the way):

1. K selects Penguina as "the hapless victim."

2.  Penguina says, "I love this Marker."

3.  K starts walking over with a monkey."

4.  Penguina tells the monkey "don't touch my marker" and says "Monkey, no swiping!  Monkey, no swiping!"

5.  The monkey takes the marker and throws it across the room.

6.  Penguina calls for crazy doll head girl.

7.  Penguina and crazy doll head girl have a spirited conversation about how best to retrieve the marker (reason, skills, plan, etc).

8.  Crazy doll head girl starts doing the helicopter toward the marker.

9.  K cuts crazy doll head girl off.

10.  Penguina FREAKS OUT.

11. Rinse repeat (but now with a new swiper and/or friend to assist).

And in case you need it (you can tell we've spent a LOT of time playing this), each friend has super powers:

1.  Elmo - can sing a lullaby to put swiper to sleep

2.  Rally monkey - can swing through the air over swiper

3.  Pooh ball - can roll to the marker

4.  Crazy Doll Head Girl - can use hair like a helicopter to fly

5.  Giraffa - has a long neck to see the "hidden" marker

6.  Herrod - can see through Fog to find the marker

7.  Light dog - can illuminate the darkness to find the marker

Bottom line from all this - K's imagination is ON FIRE right now.  You can really see the creativity, and it's given me a spark as well.  Truth be told, I needed that little spark ignited, as I was finding that I was having trouble coming up with new games/voices/characters when playing with K.  I think the energy is now alive and well, and I'm finding I'm having much more fun playing with her now.

Side note on this - K's favorite game right now is "running marathons."  This involves us touching the front door and then running around the island and through the front rooms.  To try and provide a little more context, I always ask K which marathon she wants to run and give her 2 choices.  Depending on what she selects, I give her a little sliver of culture from the location (language, history, food, etc.).  We then run, and I can confirm that I have yet to beat her. :-)

11/9 (still) - the arrival of Pee-wee the Kiwi:  WOW.  What.  Has.  Happened.  I barely know where to start on this one, but let's just begin with the arrival of a package of presents sent by Vol Nana and Grand Pooh from their time Down Under.  Inside it were several presents, most of which were stuffed animals.  We had a wallaby, 2 glow worms, a sheep, and then a little kiwi named Pee-wee (complete with the accompanying book "Peewee the Lonely Kiwi Finds a New Friend.").  I can now confirm that Pee-wee no longer needs a friend, as he's now the most popular flightless bird on the block and NEVER leaves K's side.  WOW - she took to this little guy INSTANTLY and has never looked back.  He instantly became a member of the "sleeping gang," and he was the only critter that would accompany K a) out of the crib, b) downstairs, and c) in the car (seriously - that has NEVER happened with any consistency).  Pee-wee flipped a switch inside K, and she now goes almost everywhere with one of three friends - Pee-wee, Bunny Bunny Bun-Bun, or Sophia the First (more on her later, as she's a late addition).  It seems that K has finally started getting attached to critters now, and poor Pee-wee definitely needed love.

As a side note, K now has the book largely memorized as well - she recited it on the drive to Tennessee this past week.  It's a long book and rather complicated, so needless to say we were impressed when she just kicked into it.

Week of 11/9 - Pursuant to the conversation about imagination, this week we noticed K starting to play with imaginary friends such as Dora, baby goofy, etc.  Some she would have "beside her," others would be in the stroller.  Again, to me it's more proof that the imagination is growing (the Peppa episode of the imaginary friend likely didn't hurt :-)), and so obviously we're encouraging it.

11/13 - after 10 days of coughing, JT took K to the Peds, were we learned she had a sinus infection.  They gave her amoxycillin, which was fine with us because K LOVED IT.  Seriously - this girl LOVES medicine.  Case in point, this past week in TN she was getting up to 3 medicines, and she was sucking them down like a champ.  She can now say "amoxycillin" (and gets so excited when she sees the bottle that I think she might pee her pants), ibuprofen, and the cough syrup.  Granted, sometimes she calls them by their flavor, but the good news - she is a trooper and always takes the medicine willingly.  Sometimes we actually have to fight with her because she doesn't have a temperature and consequently doesn't need it but wants it anyway!


As an update on this, I am sorry to report that she's still fighting the cold.  It did go away for a bit, but it now seems to be back.  Her temp is hovering just shy of 100, but her nose is a faucet and she's been extremely fussy lately.  We have no introduced Zyrtec as well, but we're not sure whether or not anything is super effective at this point.  A lot really could be the change in weather, all the travel, etc - more to come on that when we summarize the Turkey Day week.  But what I will say - she is doing a better job of covering her mouth when she coughs, so that's good news.

11/14 - K's first time really decorating the tree:  Now I gotta say - we KNEW this year would be fun.  This is the first time K's really "understood" Christmas, and we knew that she'd love participating in trimming the tree.  And so, knowing that a) we'd lose 2 weekends to Tennessee for Thanksgiving, b) it was already cold outside, c) we actually had some free time, and d) I was exhausted after the Thunder Road Marathon (FINALLY!), we decided to just make a day of it.  The results, I'm happy to report, were better than expectations.

For starters, K loved EVERY second of the process.  From unpacking the tree to putting up decorations to lighting the reindeer to hanging ornaments, the afternoon was just a big string of "WHOAAAAA." :-)  K was actually really good at hanging the ornaments - dare I say she did 40% of the tree!  And while quite a few of them did bounce (and one broke - but it was long overdue for a glue job), it was just so much fun watching her hang them on the low branches.  Her primary role was hanging the Mickey ornaments (used to be my favorites as well - I still remember when we first got them), and she did a bang up job.  Her current job is turning on the reindeer and turning on the tree nightly.  So far, she's rocking it. :-)  Also, it should be noted that, just 2 days after starting the antibiotics, she was already sleeping and sounding better.

11/15 - K's first bible quote:  Now this one came out of NOWHERE.  Jenny and I are just standing in the kitchen when K walks up and says (complete with hand motions):  "Be strong!  and Brave!  For I (that's God) will be with you - eeeeeeeeeverywhere you go!"  Bull.  Jaw.  Drop.  :-)

This was SOOOOOO cute, and K is now saying it almost daily.  Jenny had to do a bit of the translation for me (she's working in the daycare now with the next age up, so she now knows what they work on in class), but the bottom line is that K learned a Bible verse before her father did!  Translation - I need to step it up. :-)  Seriously - coupling this with the prayers before meals and consistent attendance in church, I'm feeling really good about K's exposure to Jesus and religion.  She can also be heard singing "God Makes Me Brave!" (something else she learned from church pre-school and quoted on the 8th - this one tied to the story of Esther), and when I'm reading my Bible, she knows that's the book I have in my lap.  It's great encouragement for me to continue my daily lessons and focus, and I'm so thankful we've got Freedom House here to encourage us in our walk with Christ and also to provide such positive reinforcement for K.  Fingers crossed that she soon starts to develop friendships within the church community (same goes for us as well, which we've already started to see via some of the life groups).

11/17 - a meltdown for the ages:  now normally these wouldn't rate in the milestone chart, but the following 2 quotes from this episode will resonate with me forever.

1.  "I am NOT chilly willy poke poke bear!!!!!"  I could go into this...but you'd just have to know us.

2.  "Those are NOT T's!!!!  Those are S's!!!!"  Context:  I had on my Tennessee flannel bottoms with the big Power T all over them.  I mean - when she's in meltdown, she will pick a fight about ANYTHING.

11/18:  Complete redemption through memorization:  I walk downstairs to say hi to K and Jenny between meetings, and K says, "Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a daddy." Yes - I wept when she said it.  I actually almost weep every time she says it (even though she often leaves out the word "special" - details...). I almost got tears in my eyes again typing it.  She also quotes the other needlepoint in her room:  "Cleaning and scrubbing can wait 'til tomorrow, for babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow.  So quieten down cobwebs - dust go to sleep!  I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep."  Again - I'm about to tear up, as the way she says it with that sweet little voice is just magic.

11/19:  NOT READY FOR STAIR INDEPENDENCE:  So on this day I was watching K and decided to see if she could negotiate the stairs completely on her own.  Now granted, she's done this several times without our consent, but normally she's great to stay off the stairs and just point out when the gate is open.  This time I was following her, but given how good she's done with walking up them over the past several months, I thought I'd just let her go - BIG MISTAKE (almost).

On the way up, she almost fell back over, but she did manage to right herself.  On the way back down, I decided I better be a little closer.  Good thing to, as she missed the 5th step and was set to roll all the way down.  I caught her on the next step, but needless to say it scared both of us half to death.  K then started bawling and refused to move.  She then started fighting me and tried to walk down again, only to miss another step (I was right there and caught her).  In the end, I had to carry her off the staircase kicking and screaming.  Needless to say I'll continue following her for the foreseeable future.

Other general observations:

1.  K is now getting MUCH better at brushing her teeth.  In fact, she's gotten so much better (both at actual brushing and not swallowing), that we've switched back to fluoride toothpaste.  She's not fighting us after she gives it a go either, which is making "toupin time" much easier.

2.  Napping has become a bit more hit or miss, and there have been several days where she's just not settled in her crib.  Some of this has been driven by the coughing, but I do think we're starting to see a shift in the winds.  Now don't get me wrong - that girl still needs to sleep.  However, the plus side is that we've seen we can go a few days on the trot without a nap and still be fine.  That gives us some confidence as we think about future family vacations.

3.  K has now discovered Sophia the First, and she LOVES HER.  Consequently, we now have a few shows in the hopper should she request it.  More to come on this during the Thanksgiving section.

4.  K has also now discovered the magic of dressing up.  Lauren (the next door neighbor) brought over all of her old princess costumes, and K is LOVING playing with them.  Now granted, some of them are broke and others are borderline destroyed, but that's not slowing the munchkin down.  You just simply use a safety pin or tie a knot and you are good to go!  Her favorite combo?  The tinker bell dress with a witch hat.  She loves the witch outfit as well, but it's about 47 sizes too big and doesn't fasten in the back - AWESOME.  Oh, and K is riding around the house on her broomstick all the time now.  The one catch - she has the sweeping part facing out front.  Soooo....maybe not ready for Quidditch.  Yet. :-)

5.  K has discovered that she LOVES pumpkin bread.  Her pre-school teacher made this for her ahead of Thanksgiving, and K simply HAD TO HAVE IT during every meal.  Luckily she's not asked for it since, but I'm thinking we need to make some soon!

Okay, so those were some of the wins from November (of which there were clearly many).  We did take a big hit this month as well, however, as a follow-up visit to the Bradford clinic on Veteran's day revealed that there was still no heartbeat and that, while the uterus was tracking at 9 weeks, the baby was tracking at only 6 weeks and 2 days.  We didn't have our normal technician, and the lady who helped us was either a) shocked that the pregnancy wasn't progressing or b) just didn't have much of a bedside manner, but the news was clear either way - this pregnancy likely wasn't going to take.  Making matters worse, K was with us.  I had hoped (and fully expected) to point at that monitor and say "that's your baby brother or sister."  I hadn't actually thought about what I was going to say if we didn't hear a heartbeat.

I will be honest and say that I didn't process it at that time.  Truth be told, I'm not sure I've ever taken the time to process it.  But either way there we were talking to Dr. Bowles (who is AMAZING, for the record - this doctor is as good as they come, full stop), at which time she told us we were looking at a "threatened AB."  We scheduled a follow-up in 3 weeks time and then walked out in shock.

For the record - Jenny had a strong feeling this was going to happen.  She told me that a) she felt she was getting skinnier and b) the hard spot on her abdomen was going away.  I told her she was just thinking that, largely because a) I truly thought we'd be fine and b) because I didn't want her stressed.  But in the end - as with so many things - Jenny's amazing sense of "knowing" prognosticated what we later confirmed the following week (Jenny moved the appointment up because she knew that the story would be told over the next 7 days vs. 21).

Sure enough, that following Friday we were back in the clinic, at which point the yoke sack was forming, the amnion was forming, the uterus had progressed a week, but the baby still hadn't changed at all.  Couple that with no heartbeat, and it was clear that it was over.  At that point, there was little to do but schedule the D and C, which we did for the following Monday.  As this was the second D and C this year and the third lost pregnancy in a 12 month period, I don't think I have to describe how we felt that day in the hospital.  What I will say - this one was much, much tougher, and I feel the emotions that I think I've repressed swimming on the surface as I type this.  Last time I thought of it as a painful step in a very long journey, and I documented it for posterity, wanting Kaitlyn to know all the ups and downs we had during her childhood and that she has a sibling waiting for her in Heaven.  This time, there were no pictures.  There were no smiles.  There were just two people who felt they'd been punched in the gut.  But as is often the case, from out of the ashes, a Phoenix will rise.  This time is NO different.

Knowing that people will read this in the future and that the emotions still fresh in this house are likely to dissipate over time, I want to give you the lay of the emotional landscape here.  Are we upset?  Yes.  Are we disappointed?  ABSOLUTELY.  Are we beaten?  ABSOLUTELY NOT.  That's right, baby - Team Taylor is going to WAR against a fierce yet beatable enemy - RPL (recurrent pregnancy loss).  The day after the procedure, Team Taylor was on the phone booking fertility tests, RPL panels, ordering vitamins, scheduling consultations, and lining up all the troops for a full frontal assault against out new enemy.  And here's what I can tell you - my wife continues to AMAZE me with the strength she possesses.  I know that this whole process has taken a toll on her, but the woman I see in front of me now is stronger and more focused than ever.    Not only does she continue to excel at being a mother, bring immeasurable joy to my life, continue to touch those around her, and make this house a home (and make us a family, as she is well and truly the centerpiece that holds it all together), but she also is refusing to let her frustration and sadness keep her down.  And while I know some days are better than others and that there will still be a few shots on the chin to come, I am SO PROUD of the woman I love.

You don't have to go there to be a Hornet.

For my part, I haven't talked about it much.  I like the idea of talking about it under the guise of it being therapeutic.  However, when I've mentioned it briefly to my friends in passing, the tears have come instantly.  And right now, there is a reality that I do not have time to grieve.  My family needs me to be strong, and I am prepared for that - not by anything I've done, but by the constant in-filling of the Holy Spirit.  God works in mysterious ways, and I truly believe that finding Freedom House and getting more involved in his Word and the Church has helped (and will continue to help) us persevere through this tough time.  I am praying more fervently than ever now - not just for a baby, but for God's will to be done.  And I want to use these experiences to make me a better husband, father, Christian, and man. To quote an old friend from home:  "God's grace and mercy are complete - even when it hurts."  I just pray I can take this energy and use it to refocus and rededicate myself to being the best husband and father I can be.  To that end, I will say that I am LOVING being a parent right now an really enjoying it.  The key is to take every day in and make it count - that is something I need to do a much better job of.

And so, with all that information, I will tell you that we packed up the car on Tuesday and drove to
East Tennessee with the goal of just getting away from EVERYTHING - away from loss, away from sadness, away from the grind of our respective jobs, away from everything that reminded us of what we'd just been through.  We arrived on Tuesday to sunny (and warm) skies in East TN and family members waiting for us with open arms.  And I gotta tell ya - it was all JUST what the doctor ordered.

K using Willie as her blanket.

K getting lessons from a pro.  It should be
noted that she's throwing and swinging
like she's a lefty!

We had 5.5 days in TN, and at the end of it I saw the one thing I wanted more than anything:  Jenny with a smile on her face.  Through that week we had great food, lots of laughs, and a chance to saturate in family time and remember what was important.  Even more than that, we were reminded again how blessed we are with what we have.  For all of these things, I am immensely grateful and realize anew that my cup truly runneth over.  In fact, I had "the 5 Epiphanies of Thanksgiving 2015" (which are preserved forever in my scribble in the notebook should anyone ever fancy a read).

K petted kitties and doggies, ate ice cream, watched oceans of television, danced around in fake Christmas lights, played outside on the farm, played t-ball and basketball, dressed up as Sophia the first (earrings and amulet!), watched her first movie (Inside Out by Pixar - outside on a screen no less!), ran marathons, fed chickens, ate at Tupelo Honey, ran all around the old railway station at Tupelo Honey, looked at the miniature train display at Tupelo Honey, ran up and down the hallway at Nanny's (reminded me of myself when I was a wee one - that was a special moment for me), visited MULTIPLE "beauty salons" (check the below pics for a little more on that), and a thousand other little things that I can't even remember.  But I did capture these 3 "beauty shop" pics for posterity:

Vol Nana's Beauty Salon

Jenny's Nail Studio

Granny A's House of Hair

Through it all a few things became apparent:

1.  Our daughter truly is a miracle, and we are very blessed.

2.  Jenny really is my soulmate, and I cannot imagine sharing life and these memories with anyone else.

"You know, Brynnox - you just might be
all right in my book.  But you gotta drop
the passy."

3.  Our family is truly one of a kind, and we love all the different traits that each member brings to to collective.  Some of these are great for K.  Others are great for us.  All of them are great for our perspective on parenting and how we want to raise the Munchkin.

K was sick for most of the trip, and every night we gave her at least one medicine.  I was sick as well and didn't sleep great, but that didn't change the fact that this time at home was just wonderful.  The views of the mountains, the good food, the laughs with family, the reconciliation we witnessed with Adam and Alice, the good chats with Pattie, watching K dance in the fake lights while chanting "We Love Christmas!" - all of it was the stuff that traditions and good times are made of.  Oh, and did I mention the food?   Because, well - we ate a lot of that.  So much so that I am now sitting here with gout as I type this.  Oh well, worth every needle being rammed into my ankle right now. :-)

So there you have it - another epic month in the books, and one that I am incredibly thankful for despite all the sad news, illness, and exhaustion.  We now focus our attention to December, complete with it's 2 big goals:  1.  Enjoy Christmas to the fullest.  2.  Kick off Phase 1 of the war against RPL in earnest. Cry havoc!  And let slip the dogs of war... :-)

That's all the news that's fit to print.  Chat soon!

Love,

Sam and Jenny

The October Classic - Team Taylor Edition

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  2 years, 7 months, and 16 days

Family,

And a good Monday evening to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is trying to avoid the mistakes of last month and get in front of the blog post for October.  It was an EPIC one for Team

Taylor (to say the least), so let's get amongst it, shall we?

It's hard to know where to start, so why don't we just go chronologically (since that's how my notes were written anyway) and see if we can recount the adventures of Team Taylor.  We'll start on October 1, where we had a first for the ages - K POOPED IN THE TUB!  Granted, I wasn't home to see it, but I get the sense it was much like Baby Ruth in Caddyshack - only it was the real thing. :-)  I'm happy to report that, 25 days later, we've not duplicated this feat - fingers crossed that favorable trend continues.

On the subject of potty training, it's been an interesting ride.  Simply put, there is NO QUESTION that K knows what the potty is and when she needs to use it.  More to the point, there's no question that she understands the urge and knows when it's time to go.  However, as is the case with most kids, I just think she doesn't want to take time out from whatever she's doing to go to the bathroom, pull her pants down, and then potty.  And let's face it - when you've got the diaper there keeping you dry, what's the rush?  :-)

Seriously - Passed.  OUT.

To that end, Jenny has just now procured some cloth diapers, and Team Taylor is about to start down the path of giving K a bit of discomfort when she doesn't use the potty.  K has actually asked for her "Doc McStuffin's panties" (another hand me down, this one courtesy of AC and Jeebs I think) several times, and Jenny's told her that she can't have them until she's potty trained.  JT has also promised her Peppa Panties once she's trained, but so far K's still not made the jump completely.  It's interesting, she will go at pre-school without problem.  At home, however, it's definitely been more of a negotiation.

But give JT a ton of credit on this, as on the 5th of October JT introduced the potential silver bullet - the cotton ball redemption program.  Taken a page from Team Brothernides, essentially the plan goes like this:

1.  You pee pee on the potty - you get a cotton ball.

2.  You poo poo on the potty - you get a cotton ball.

3.  5 cotton balls = 1 ice cream

"Yo!  You tryin' to copy my ride?"

And while we haven't had much luck getting her to poopy this month, we've definitely seen more consistency in peeing since introducing this (she's peed the last 2 nights before bath).  She's redeemed cotton balls 4 times at this point I think, and it's even had the ancillary effect of improving her counting!  Now I will say as a word of warning to other parents - at first K only wanted to eat the cotton balls, so make sure you keep a weather eye on your child before she drops the ball into the correct receptacle.  Now she's over her desire to consume the fabric of our lives, but it was touch and go at the outset. :-)

On 10/4, K surprised us all by announcing that she wanted to say her pre-school prayer instead of our family prayer.  This was TOO CUTE, as she then proceeded to fold her hands, shut her eyes so tight I thought she'd get a migraine, and then say:

I mean...too.  cute.

"God our Father, God our Father, we thank You, we thank You, for many blessings, for many blessings, A-men.  A-men."  Seriously.  CUTEST. CHILD. EVER.  But seriously - any time we don't start the meal with a prayer, K ALWAYS reminds us.  She'll shout out "We forgot to say a prayer!", after which time we ask whether she wants to do family prayer or pre-school prayer.  Lately it's been 100% family prayer, and she starts by holding our hands before immediately moving to fold hers together.  The funny part is that, with her eyes still closed, she'll then reach back out to touch us and try to take our hands again.  The other night she was slapping Jenny's forehead as if to say "you've been healed!"  And while this is fine before the meal, having her slap your forehead or grab your hair with pasta sauce is daily suboptimal.  But hey - life is messy.  That's part of the fun!

The week of 10/5 was a better week at daycare, and 10/8 featured the breakthrough - NO TEARS!  In fact, K seems to LOVE pre-school now. She says, "I like Ms. Tara," talks about what she does each time, shows me her art, and seems to really be enjoying it.  The funniest part - K had so much fun on 10/8 that she didn't want Jenny to wash her hands when they got home.  She kept saying, "Don't wash off pre-school, mama!  TT want dirty hands from pre-school!"  I mean, that's passion right there...

"A good day for doing nothing!"

10/4 was a big Sunday as well, as K really seemed to enjoy child watch.  She's actually started walking in now of her own volition - no tears anywhere in site.  When I go back to pick her up, her smile could melt a glacier, and she always shouts:  "DADA!!!!"  Of course, she then immediately wants her brown paper bag and her lollipop, but hey - I'm the center of attention for about .00000007 seconds (and I'll take anything I can get).  She's started showing us her lesson sheet as well (she colors on it a bit), and that day in particular she told us about Moses and the Burning Bush - too cute!

The rest of that week was really good for K, including a visit to Imaginon.  That being said, for that week (and still largely the case), K is very much in a mommy phase at present.  For that week in particular, she actually wanted NOTHING to do with me.  It's gotten a little better over the last couple of days, but for a solid 2 weeks in the middle of the month, she didn't want daddy in the bathroom, near the changing table, or reading her books at night.  I know kids go through those moments, and JT was a trooper carrying the load (as is always the case).  I just hated it for multiple reasons.  First, I obviously wanted to give JT a break.  Secondly, I don't want K to ever be in a position where she just flat doesn't want daddy around.  I realize that I was gone 2 weeks in August and quite a bit in September, but I have to ask the question - was I really that much of an absentee parent?  Or more importantly - am I not as focused as I need to be when I'm home?  Needless to say I'm trying to make a much more concerted effort to be switched on every second I'm home now - I just hope next week's trip to Singapore (just 1 week!) doesn't under the slight warming I've seen lately.  Oh, and for the record - the one time she's consistently wanted daddy this month?  Whenever she's had a poopy in public and needs to be changed.  LOVE IT!

There were three big highlights in October, the first of which came over Columbus Day weekend.  For
Jenny's birthday, Team Taylor packed up the Elantra and drop a whopping 1 hour and 40 minutes south of the border for a visit to Greenville, SC.  This place had long been on our radar, and I am thrilled to report that it FAR exceeded expectations.  Simply put - this little family holiday was PERFECT, and I definitely see Team Taylor going back there.

Saturday was a rainy day, but that honestly worked out great.  We had lunch at this yummy spot called Smoke on the Water, and then we wanted around in the rain for a bit amidst the Fall Festival in the center of down.  K played in the fountains (LOVED THEM), and we then walked across the overlook bridge to see the falls.  After that, we walked back to the car and drove to the SUPER CUTE condo.  From there it was nothing but UT football, some good beer, and lots of relaxation.  We even dined in that night - having a little publix rotisserie chicken in the eat in kitchen.  And while all of this might not sound that exotic, to us it was just PERFECT.  We were relaxed, K was LOVING the new condo (and it really is a perfect little space for 3 people).

Sunday was terrific and full of activities!  For starters, we met cousin Marc and his wife Kim for breakfast/lunch at a delish little spot called the Green Room.  We then spent more of the afternoon wandering around downtown, Falls Park, and the Swamp Rabbit trail.  K LOVED all the new spots to explore, and we wore that girl out!  I got a run in along the SRT while she napped, and then that afternoon we went back into downtown for one of the highlight's for K - KILWIN'S ICE CREAM!!!!  Man, K LOVED this.  For starters, the "selection" was absolutely priceless, as K got a chance to sample 2 or 3 flavors before selecting the winner.  Add in the fact that JT got a cup as well, and you have a kid that was ELECTRIC with sugar.  We then spent the next 45 minutes running around downtown with K, largely playing in this little waterfall that was outside Roost (another restaurant).  K was too cute - basically I would put my hands in the waterfall, spin around, and then run after her like I was going to get her wet.  We seriously did this for an HOUR - and I was as happy as could be.  It's interesting, as becoming a parent truly makes you realize what vacation is - a chance to get away from reality (and anything that would make you think of it), focus on family, and just let any stress melt away.  This little hour (and the subsequent visit to the Blue Ridge Brewery with our friends Sherry and Jason) was the embodiment of that, and it was just fantastic.

Shot of the trip - K absolutely REFUSING to take a family pic.

Monday saw us at the Greenville Zoo, which was another really fun day for K.  It was decorated for Halloween, and it's a very walkable zoo as well.  That combination of factors made it a lot of fun, and we spent about 2 hours there (the highlight was the baby monkey).  K was really good throughout all of this, and we even capped the afternoon with a delicious lunch at Roost before heading out.  Oh, and did I mention we hit Kilwin's again?  YEAH, BABY!!!!!!  Seriously - this was SUCH a perfect little getaway for the family, and I feel so blessed we got a chance to do it.  I think we'll definitely go back.  In fact, we even looked at going back for Halloween!  And while we weren't able to make that work, there are plenty of spots I still want to hit there, and so I think it, like Asheville, could become an annual stop on Team Taylor's tour of the world.

K ain't 'fraud 'a no ghost!

Thinking about the week of 10/13 (our arrival back from Greenville), K introduced one of our new favorite activities - THE FAMILY HUG!!!!!  We tried this earlier in the summer when either Jenny or I would leave, but at the time it didn't take. Now, however, K recommends it of her own volition.  She'll yell "Let's do family hug!," and then she'll run at me and Jenny.  She'll wrap her arms around our legs and kiss each of our legs - just too cute!  As I type this, I realize we haven't had one of these in a while. I need to rectify that. :-)

10/14 saw one of the most epic no nap day meltdowns I've ever experienced - this involved multiple spankings and a genuine discussion between Jenny and I as to whether or not K was demon possessed. Luckily, she was fine in the morning. :-)  Oh, and also this week - K got her flu shot and was a CHAMP.  JT said that she didn't even cry or flinch when they gave it to her!  Truth be told, all she wanted was the band-aid, and she wore that thing with pride and showed it to us EVERY DAY for that following week.  The crazy part?  She would NOT let us take it off her.  She even bathed in it but wouldn't let us take it.  Ultimately, it took us a week of asking and then a free cotton ball before she agreed to pull it off.  Oh, and throughout the week she would say the following when she looked at it:  "I AM ROUGH AND TUMBLE!"  That's my girl!  I mean, as long as she doesn't go Nelly style and put one on her face, I think we're ok... :-)

C-Web took this one - I absolutely love this pic.

The next day of note was 10/17 - a big day for the Bull, as it was my first ever 50K.  And while I didn't log the time I wanted, I did finish, am still vertical, and am already planning my next one in January.  What I will say - the weather was perfect, and it was just a GREAT day with my family at the NWC.

K hanging with the Miller girls.

The highlight was when Jenny and K were waiting for me about 50 yards from the finish line.  As I rounded the corner at the bridge, they surprised me with an unexpected treat - they each took one of my hands and then ran across the finish line with me!  I hadn't expected that, and it was SUCH a lift after a grueling run.  K enjoyed running across the line so much that she actually wanted to do it again.  I had to explain to her that wasn't really how it worked. :-)  Side note on this - ever since that day, K has been running around all over the place, and when she does she says, "I'm running a marathon like daddy!"  Tell me that doesn't warm the heart of a father/runner. :-)  But even more impressive, I've been with her when she's run two-thirds of a mile at a clip - she actually ran to Prosperity Park the other day!  She's also been tackling the incline in the cul-de-sac with some good speed.  We might very well have a runner on our hands!

The NWC day was just fantastic across the board.  The weather was perfect, my buddy Matt was there with his family, and we just had a terrific day chillin'.  Matt crushed the course (13th overall, 11th male), and so he was a bit more mobile than me after it was over.  I was moving rather gingerly, but K wasn't really concerned about that.  She wanted me to run around after her, which I was able to do to some degree after a good 30 minutes of sitting.  I should recognize my wife for being an amazing trooper, as she did most of the chasing and child rearing on that day (as is often the case!).  However, I will note that, when it was time to change the poopy, K was ALL ABOUT DADDY. :-)  Side note on that - K has very much been in a "mommy phase" for the past 4-6 weeks - this includes her asking JT to read most nights.  However, for some reason, there is one time I can always count on K to want daddy, and that is whenever there's a big, gooey poopy that needs changing.  But hey, I'll take any time I can get, so BRING ON THE WIPES, BABY!!!!!

Oh, and to conclude this day - everything was perfect until the evening (it was a no nap day, obviously), at which point K had an EPIC meltdown.  How severe?  Well, let's just say she puked up hot dog and mac 'n cheese ALL OVER THE BATHTUB.  And while it was MISERABLE in the moment, it was hilarious to hear her the following night say:  "I was being naughty last night and spit in the bathtub.  I spit hot dog and macaroni."  I mean, how can you not think she's the cutest thing ever?

The next milestone was 10/18 - K put the snake puzzle together completely on her own!  She still wants you to talk through the alphabet with her, but in terms of knowing the alphabet and how to fit the pieces together, she can handle that no problem.  Truth be told, I think she's got the shapes (and the letters) memorized, but I enjoy "partnering" with her to do the puzzle.  Oh, and my one concern - the fact that she now thinks "~n" is part of the alphabet.  It's pretty cute to hear her say:  "Is this en-yay?"

She's also learning tons of nursery rhymes now.  Between the books she's reading, pre-school, and the songs on JT's phone, K pretty much has most of them memorized.  Mary Had a Little Lamb is definitely her favorite, as she smiles a shy smile when you turn to that page in the nursery rhyme book.  Also, when she's laying in bed during nap time and bed time, that is her "go to" song (and we enjoy the serenade on the monitor).  Other favorites include Little Miss Muffet, Humpty Dumpty, Jack 'n Jill, and Baa Baa Black Sheep.

An interesting note during the week of October 19 was 3 additions to the bedtime ritual.  For starters, K now always likes to say, "It's just a little nap" - even when it's the evening.  Also, before she'll go to sleep in the evening, she always takes her sippy cup and says, "I'm gonna get a last sip."  And while that is good (because we want our daughter hydrated), she usually proceeds to take about 6 more sips until ultimately you have to say "don't drink any more or you'll hurt your tummy."  Credit to JT for thinking of that one... :-)  And then, finally, as you walk away, you can always count on hearing her say:  "Mommy gonna see me in the morning."

10/22 was another milestone - K's first school field trip!  She and Jenny went to the "pumpkin patch,"

where K received a pumpkin, sat on a tractor, played in the field, and generally had a blast.  At one point, we actually had 4 pumpkins on our front stoop (the count is now zero, as they are completely rotten - details...).  K even got to go on her first hay ride - granddaddy was so proud. :-)



On 10/23 we rolled over to McChesney, where we hung out with some of Jenny's mommy's group friends and attended a pumpkin painting/carving session.  It was a lot of fun, and K got to hang out with her good friend Emmy. :-).  We ended up eating there and getting to bed late, which concerned me given that Team Taylor had a full day of activities starting that following morning.

We kicked off the 24th at the UNCC Botanical Gardens, where Team Taylor had their fall pictures!  We didn't even know that UNCC had a botanical gardens, much less realize how big they were.  This was a GREAT morning, as K was really attentive, enjoyed the new setting, LOVED running around the garden (she was doing a marathon like daddy :-)), and was a good subject.  The photographer was a friend of a friend, and she did an AMAZING job.  Seriously - these photo shoots are SO worth it, as you capture moments with the entire family that you'd never be able to capture otherwise.  We spent a good hour and forty-five minutes there, after which time we treated ourselves to Panera. :-)

It was then over to Prosperity Park for the Highland Creek Fall Festival.  I must say that I am amazed at how good a shindig our HOA can throw, and I will also say how blessed and lucky we feel that the park they use is always the closest one to our house. :-)  K really enjoyed it (even if a bit overwhelmed out of the gate) - her favorite activity was running up to Sweet Frog and giving him a hug (we must have done this at least 3-4 times).  She was intrigued by the bounce houses, but you could tell the crowds were just too much.  Toward the end, however, she actually went up one of the slides twice (good timing, too, as they were about to close), laughing the entire way down.  Jenny had to go up with her, but it was still a win, as she was willing to make the climb.   The only downside to the whole thing was that, at one point while running with dada, an older kid running headlong crashed right into Kaitlyn, knocking her to the ground HARD.  You could tell it really hurt her, and for a good 5-10 minutes she was crying hard.  The boy did apologize, but let the record state that his parents were nowhere to be seen at any point during the episode or in the 10 minutes afterwards.  The good news is that K's totally fine, but I was worried about her head that night - it was a hard knock (with the boy and the ground).  But again - ROUGH AND TUMBLE!!!!!

Fall Pic interlude (just including a few here, as I'll include some others in the November blog):

10/30 was another big milestone, as we watched K climb the apparatus at the playground (the one by the slides) for the first time ever - completely on her own!  Granted, we were there to ensure she didn't fall, but she did it multiple times and got stronger (and braver) with each ascent.  This really summarized what October has been - a period of increasing confidence, comfort, and strength for K.  Some of that is pre-school.  Some of that is age.  But a lot of it is just the constant love and support she gets from her mother, as K knows that mommy will always be there to take care of her.  As she says before going to child care at church each Sunday:  "Haffa not cry.  Mommy will come back for me."  Those two are my whole world - love my girls!


10/30 was also the date of the Romp n Roll Halloween Party.  K's friend Emmy was there, and they had a blast.  I give RnR a lot of credit, as they packed a TON into a 90 minute little party.  These kids played around on all the equipment, they did crafts, they played games, they ate pizza (and K even had her first marshmallow) - there was even a bounce house.  And while K was intimidated at first by the # of kids (all of which were quite rambunctious), but the end she was bouncing around in there like crazy.  And it's a good thing she went in when she did, as after her big session of playing in there, they deflated it for good (just like the Fall Festival at Prosperity Park - talk about fortuitous timing!).

Saturday I had to start my flight around the globe, which means that I missed Halloween with my girls. And while the previous two years weren't a big deal, this was the first time K actually knew what was going on.  Consequently, I really hate I missed it - rest assured that won't happen again.

JT said that K had a blast.  She dressed up like a fairy princess (courtesy of Vol Nana), and much to our delight so did Kaelyn (our next door neighbor's youngest daughter).  It's been interesting to watch those two, as they are almost the exact same age and have really taken a liking to each other in short order.  So as you can imagine, those two fast friends dressed in the same outfits and begging for candy was a hoot!  And yes - they did get some candy.  And YES - we even let K eat a bit of it. :-)  Again - thanks to Vol Nana, as she bought the jack-o-lantern/candy collection receptacle that was used for this endeavor.

The last points to capture from October:

1.  Every night at dinner, K wants me to bring her the wash cloth to wipe her hands.  Once I pull the tray away, she says, "I'm gonna do my favorite thing!"  She then puts the wash cloth on her left foot.  NO IDEA why she does this, but I act all surprised and run over to yank it off her foot.  She cackles every time - I love it.

2.  "The Kaitlyn Frump" - I feel I simply must describe K's whining ritual when she doesn't want to do something.  It basically consists of her raising her arms and her chest at the same time, and then she flaps her arms out and slaps her legs.  Depending on how agitated she is, she will buck like a bronco. :-)

3.  "Skippy the Skeleton" - so Jenny bought a $1 skeleton for Halloween, and K just thinks it's the cutest thing ever.  Realizing that it is a bit morbid, I named him "Skippy," thinking that would take the edge off the fact that we have a skeleton hanging in our daughter's bathroom because she likes "for Skippy to watch me take a bath" (let's hold all commentary, please).  Well, one night we were waving Skippy's hands (he's rather rickety, as you can expect), and K said, "What's Skippy doing?"  Well, JT drops the classic:  "Skippy says GET ME OUT OF THE GRAVE!"  Now to be clear - I am mortified, thinking our daughter will be scarred for life.  But then you realize - K has no idea this is supposed to be scary.  Instead, for the next week, she runs around telling me:  "Look, dada!  I got Skippy out of the grave!"  From the mouth of babes...gotta love it. :-)

For my part, as I (finally) finish typing this, I am done traveling with work for the rest of the year and couldn't be happier about it.  Work travel is great, and I love the miles, but this trip was officially the one that made me say "if I never get another passport stamp, I'm ok with it."  Simply put, travel used to be grueling but something you looked forward to.  Now, finally, travel is truly an inconvenience.  Everything I love is in CLT now, and those roots are deeper than ever.  And where your treasure is, there will your heart be.  Translation - this guy is looking forward to the end of this project, where he knows his work will be centered in the Queen City - right here with his family, his running trails, his breweries, and his Tarheels. :-)  Oh, and did I mention that the cough I had before I left has now been passed to my family, meaning that the entire house is now hacking?  Yeah - good times... :-)

Oh, and there is just this one more little detail....

WHA, WHAAAAAAAAAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Now - keep in mind that this blog is for October, and it's mid-November as I get around to typing this.  Given that, suffice it to say that I have a lot more information vs. when we saw these lines.  What I will tell you is that, at month's end, JT was definitely late, we had strong double lines, we were elated (but nervous obviously given previous experiences), and were as anxious to get confirmation as possible.  We actually scheduled an early ultrasound right before I departed for Singapore, and what was saw was nothing short of a miracle - we actually saw the heart forming!  It was too early for a heartbeat (so we scheduled a follow-up for November 11), but we did see the heart forming.  With that piece of information, I'll leave this blog as a cliffhanger.  And besides - I need to ensure I've got stuff to report for November!

So there you have it - October 2015 recorded for posterity.  Talk about a JOURNEY to get this written.  Going forward, I realize that I'm either going to have to write less or just jot a few notes down on the site as I go.  I really, really, REALLY want to continue doing this, but it's just getting tougher and tougher to find the time.  The current thinking is that I'm going to get up 10-15 minutes earlier every morning to start reading the Bible (and ensure I get at least a chapter in).  I'm thinking some days I should try to wedge a few updates in as well.  We'll see how that goes, as I gotta try something!

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print.  Chat soon!

Love,

Sam and Jenny