From VA to Vail to Vasectomy - a V filled September...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  4 years, 6 months, and 19 days

Age of Lady Cora:  9 months and 8 days

Family,

And a good afternoon to you from the Queen City.  We're back in school, fall is in the air, and football is on the telly.  It's a GREAT DAY to be an American, so let's get amongst it, shall we?

9/1 - K met her teachers this day!  She is super duper excited, and that is great to see.  They got there right at 9 and spent about an hour at the school, meeting the teachers and playing a bit.  K seems very excited about it, which thrills me.

The good news on the Cora front - temp is down to 102 unmedicated, and 100 medicated.  YAY!  that is a huge win, and she's already in better spirits.  She'll be on a steady diet of pain relievers through the weekend, but she's already acting more like her normal self, which is GREAT.

Some wedding highlights (the others are imbedded below):

Dinner time in Floyd!  K LOVED this seat.

Honestly...HEARTBREAKER.  

I barely held it together when she walked down the aisle.

With friend Freya...they were SUPER CUTE playing tag in those outfits.

Talk about EPIC eating...so guuuuuuud (peppy cheekies).

"Um...mom...what's she doing to me?"

I finished work about 1:30, and shortly thereafter we headed for the big event of the weekend - Megan's wedding in Floyd, VA!  It took about 3 hours to get up there (including a stop to feed Nugget), but it was an easy trip and the girls were good.  We arrived at the church about 5, where we opened the car door to find the temperature 30+ degrees colder than CLT!  We weren't prepared for that!

The rehearsal went about an hour, and K was GREAT.  She behaved and listen well, and she even made a new friend (Freya, the other flower girl :-)).  By 6:30, however, it was time to head out, and so JT and I split up (as we wanted to ensure she represented us at the rehearsal dinner, and I wanted to get the girls to bed).  Megan's mom had loaned us her father's house for the weekend (which was a lifesaver - 3 bedrooms!), and so we rolled up about 7 PM to set to work.  I will be honest - this next bit was ROUGH.

Me:  "Rock me, mamma, like a wagon wheel..."
K:  "You are an absolute FREAK SHOW CANDIDATE."

Between the rain, no TV, no wifi, and no toys, it was an ADVENTURE getting a) all the stuff in the house, b) keeping Cora from tearing the house down, c) keeping K entertained while I fed the Nugget and cooked her food, and d) set up the rooms.  But we got there!  We got Koda down at 8:30 and K down at 9:30.

The best quote of the night:  K was looking at the pictures and saw Michelle's wedding album.  She said, "Aw, Dada!  Auntie Megan is already married!!!"  It was pretty cute.

9/2 - Wedding day!  So first off, the good news - Cora and K slept really well together in the same room.  I think the first time we heard either of them was about 6:15 (Cora), but K didn't wake up until 7 or so.  It was a quick morning for her, as she had to be out the door for hair (with JT) by 7:45.

I drove Nugget with me to the church, arriving about 10.  She didn't want her bottle for some reason, but she wasn't fussy - just disinterested (and she was also ADORABLE in her outfit, for the record).  Cora was in the nursery for the ceremony, and due to being in opposite wings of the church and having no signal, I didn't get to see my other two girls until Go time.  And let me tell you - BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!

JT was the first bridesmaid down the aisle, and she looked absolutely stunning - I put a ring on that! :-)  And then, at the end just before the bride, K walked down the aisle as a flower girl with little Freya (also 4).  Family, let me tell you - I had to fight back tears.  She was BEAUTIFUL, and all I could think was how in about 2 decades she'll be doing that same thing, just likely in a different color dress. Her hair had flowers in it, she was just gorgeous with her shy smile, and I was a happy man, reveling in how lucky I am.

The ceremony was great, and K was really good through the whole thing.  She didn't want to stand the entire time, but she simply went over by Freya and watched the proceedings on her tummy, chin resting on her hands (it was pretty cute).  Freya and K bonded, as afterwards they were chasing each other around and playing tag.  It was pretty cute to watch them running in their wedding attire.

We then managed to get some great pics as a family before heading to the reception.  This party was held in a barn that her father built ALL BY HIMSELF!!!!!  Amazing!  Amish style!  The food was great, and K ate like a champion.  The only downside was the weather and the fact that it was gravel, meaning we couldn't really put Cora down anywhere.  However, it all went well, and we spent about 2.5 hours there before I loaded up the girls to drive home.  Now, to be clear, K was NOT happy about this, and she bawled her eyes out (we didn't tell her until we were at the reception, knowing this was likely to happen), but 10 minutes down the road she was fine and we were back to playing I Spy and the earmuff game (which we are pretty much playing non-stop at this point).  We got home about 6:30, and I got the girls to bed about 8 (JT stayed in Floyd and rode home with Webb).

9/3 - It was a good day for us, and it was an indicator of how tired everyone was.  K slept until after 7 (11.5 hours), and Cora was about the same!  And to beat it all, K even went into her room unprompted and slept from 2:30-4!  Poor thing was exhausted, but the good news for her - we finished her ear drop medication!  I am already itching to get her back in the pool.  She's swimming so good right now, and I don't want us to regress!  Don't worry, I am not tiger parent.  I just know she enjoys it, and I want to reestablish a good NOMAD routine now that the fall (and preschool) have started back up).

On the K front, she's now requested that we close her door at night (still no dohm).  We think it's because she's sucking her thumb (I think I mentioned this earlier), but it's all good, as we are still seeing her now sleep until 7 (vs. 6:15 previously).  If the girls keep giving us 8-7 on a regular basis, I am going to be one happy camper!

On the Cora front, that girl is basically RIPPING MY LEG HAIR OUT while feeding or trying to pull up on me.  Merciless!  She is pulling up with ease now, and she's even started (slowly) cruising along furniture.  More often than not she gets stuck, and her legs start sliding (forcing her to fall back on her bummy bummy before she gets into a complete split).

9/4 - So we gave Cora puffs today for the first time.  While she didn't LOVE it out of the gate, the first six we gave her eventually vanished, and she seemed to be smiling.  So we gave her another five, and we were quite proud of ourselves when those vanished.  So imagine our surprise when we lifted her out of the high chair and discovered that she hadn't eaten a single one of them but was instead SITTING ON THEM.  Hilarious!  She had just taken them, dropped them in her lap, and was making a bleacher seat out of them.  Good times...

Still a dentist in training, baby!

9/5 - First day of pre-school!!!!!  So this was a GREAT day.  K was super excited to go back, and she really enjoyed the day.  She got her first job (door holder) and was really chatty about everything.  It made us both so happy!  And to confirm - she still wants to be a dentist.  Good choice, kid. :-)

On the Cora front - while I can't yet confirm it, I believe that she is starting to say "mama" and apply it to JT.  When JT left her with me for a bit, Mama was the only syllable she repeated, and she wiggled away from me to go into the hall and look for her.  Dare I say we are raising a pair of geniuses in the house? :-)

9/8 - So fast forwarding a few days post 50K (which was a HOOT, by the way), I was chilling at Sierra Nevada Brewing on Friday afternoon when my ladies arrived!  They were in great spirits after a good week, and we spent that afternoon buying groceries and getting settled into the house for the weekend.  K discovered Netflix, and that CHANGED HER LIFE.  Seriously - I don't know what we would have done without Netflix, as that pretty much had K happy as a clam and catatonic 1.5 hours a day.  For my part, I couldn't believe all the titles available, and the second Moana came up, K was HOOKED.  It was really cute (plus I finally got the chance to watch it as well).

On the Koda front, she was ALL ABOUT this flimsy little table in the center of the room.  It was hilarious - talk about a moth to a flame!  But the good news - when it was bedtime, they were both great about sleeping in the same room.  K really likes sleeping in the same room with Cora, even if she does wake her up at 6 AM.  It is a cute routine - Cora goes to bed first, and then when it gets quiet, I "do my plan" using rooms other than her bedroom.  Then, after the surprise attack and some tickling, K is great about walking into the room silently, curling up in bed, and sacking out (without her thumb, for the record!).  I will say it's really cute how K is always asking, "what's your plan tonight, dada?" to me, to which I always respond, "I'm not telling you!  But there's NO WAY you'll figure it out!"  I do love (and will miss) these rituals when they are gone.

9/9 - So today was a BLAST.  We started it with Finding Dory (another first time viewing for me), after which time K and I got in the hot tub.  It was 101, but she loved it!  The weather was great, and after Koda's nap, we rolled over to New Belgium, where we spent the next couple of hours eating, drinking, and generally being merry.  K was great about playing with Koda, and JT had (wisely!) brought a blanket to the brewery so that Cora could crawl around.  After that we hit Wedge Brewing, where K made a friend named Grayson and was happy as a clam (I was quite reluctant to leave there considering that a) she had a friend and b) the brew was great, but alas - we had a schedule!).  We finished the day over at Highland, where there was an AWESOME field that we all got to run around in.

I have to give Cora credit, as she was AMAZING through this whole thing.  She managed to sleep for a bit on JT in the carrier, but by and large she was awake (and smiling!) the entire time.  We did forget her hat, so for the first time ever she did get a little sunburn (which was really quite cute on her little nose and cheeks for the record).  We got the tiddlywinks in bed by about 7:30-8 that night, and then we just chilled while we watched some football before crashing about 11 or so.

9/10 - So the kids made it until about 6:45 this morning, and we capitalized on every last second of that. :-)  The featured movie of the day was once again Moana, and K sat in rapt fascination as we hung out with Rice and Beka before they rolled out early.  After breakfast, we rolled over to Sierra Nevada, arriving right at noon to find a JAM PACKED parking lot.  Seriously - it was CRAZY, as the place had technically JUST OPENED!

We rolled in like we were caravanning across the Sahara, complete with the stroller, the carrier, and a blanket that covered about 100 acres of real estate.  On the way in, we met a lady who stopped and told us she used to do the same thing.  We then saw her and her friend inside, and so we merged blankets. :-)  They had 3 kids, and the girls proceeded to play for FOUR HOURS!  K was really great - she shared every single one of her toys without question, and they all seemed to get along really well.  They all got along so good, in fact, that K didn't even want to go in for lunch!  I mean, to be fair, she'd already had a PBJ, but when have you EVER known this kid to pass up Mac 'n Cheese? However, I am happy to report that she did come back into the restaurant for a bit to clean her plate.  :-)

It was funny - at one point JT and I were in the restaurant with Cora while K just ran around with 3 kids we couldn't name, chaperoned by two women we'd never met (we did step out to check on her, for the record.  K - if you are reading this 30 years after typing, please know that you were NEVER in danger. :-)).  At about 4, after some great beer, wonderful music, terrific food, and lots of giggles, the other girls and their mothers started packing up.  I started looking around and noticed that, while all of their toys were accounted for, none of K's were to be seen.  I gave it until the last possible moment, but then I asked K if she had all her toys.  When she realized she didn't, I asked to check the mom's stroller, where I found a few of the toys (not all the ones I expected, however).  I didn't dig through their entire stroller (but a good 85% of it) as I thought that might have been somewhat inappropriate.  However, I was a little upset that K had been SO GREAT about sharing her toys, only to have this happen.

Luckily, as we were leaving, I saw a little purse that one of the girls had left.  I opened it, and it was FILLED with K's toys.  I mean PACKED!  So we got everything back except 1 thing - Applejack (that's a "my little pony").  I didn't think anything about it at the time, and truth be told it could be ANYWHERE on that property.  And honestly, I didn't even think K would know.  Well, fast forward until the following day when we arrived back in CLT.  The SECOND K gets in and sits down to play, she says, "Dada, where is Applejack?"  I said I wasn't sure and that we'd probably find it as we unpacked.  However, I knew the truth.  The good news is that she hasn't asked for it.  The bad news is that it's still eating at me a bit (albeit much less now).  I feel like I let her down as a father, as I wasn't able to find it when she'd been so great about sharing and perhaps didn't press the issue as much as I should have.

#standard

We made a last stop at Blue Ghost Brewing, where K played with some toys while we had a last drink with Loren and Sue.  It was then home for dinner, where we got the kids down early and then followed suit.  And can I just say thank goodness, as they weren't keen on sleeping!

9/11- the kids were up at 6:11!  Cora woke K, and we were struggling.  Luckily we found Trolls on Netflix, and that gave us time to pack up.  We were in motion from 6:11 until 8:47 when we left, and it felt like we'd worked a full day by the time we loaded up!

We got home about noon (had lunch at CFA), and we spent the rest of the day trying to relax and unpacking.  The girls were clearly exhausted, both of them with some drainage.  K's cough is exceptionally "productive" at the moment, and poor Cora is so stuffed up that she can barely breathe (yes, that means we've broken out the Nose Frida, which Cora hates worse than K did!).  She's also still sporting a temperature (albeit low grade), so she's been on a steady diet of ibuprofen at night.  Both of the girls have been a little fussy, but K's has largely been in the form of whining, whereas Koda has been REALLY crying from about 5:30 PM until bedtime.  Simply put - if you try to confine that girl, she goes CRAZY.  It doesn't matter the confine - jumperoo, Bjorn, jail, etc - she will start screaming instantly.  But if you just let her crawl around, she's instantly fine.  Once again - two more different children have never existed.

Applejack thieves!

9/12 - We were back to school today!  However, due to the Hurricane, we were on a two hour delay.  It somewhat threw off the rhythm of the day, but K didn't care, as she had Kate at the house to play for two hours!  Seriously - Kaitlyn was in HEAVEN.  Her job so far at preschool has been door holder, and I am happy to report that Kate was the other door holder.  I can just picture those two now.  Too cute.  They played great together until about 3, and then we chilled as a family.

On the Cora front, she's started rolling her tongue!  It's so cute to watch, as you can tell she's discovered that she can control the muscle.  I think she enjoys how it feels on her teeth, as her little grin gets so wide.

9/13 - Not a lot to report this day, other than to relate that K got an extra hour of play time on both ends of preschool with K today.  Cheryl picked her up and dropped her off, and since they had a team meeting, K and Kate got to play in the rainy day room for an hour.  A Win-Win!

9/14 - So as I sit here, finally caught up on the blog and (largely) done with the chores for the evening, I have to confess I am feeling off at the moment.  I know that exhaustion is a part of it, as the constant early mornings and the many wake-ups in the middle of the night have definitely taken a toll.  Recovery from the 50K is part of it as well, as I'm fighting a few injuries, not running regularly (and therefore not getting my head space), and now fighting a cold that's crept in.  Lastly, frustration is definitely part of it, as the incessant crying as of late has forced me to create a defense mechanism to deal with it.  I think there is some guilt in there as well, knowing that I will be traveling for work at least once in the coming month and leaving Jenny on her own for 5 days.  I think there is also the fixation I've got with getting K back in the pool (it's been 3 weeks) to ensure she doesn't regress (and also the realization that she's not feeling 100% and so I shouldn't push it).

It is an amalgamation of factors, but right now I will be honest - I am not being the best husband, father, or Christian I can be.  I am on the treadmill, stuff is getting done, and we are still having a lot of fun.  However, right now I am not behaving the way a Christian head of the household should be.  I know I could pen this in my Encounter log or journal instead of here, but I have always said that I wanted this to be an accurate recollection of our experiences, and to me that has to include the vulnerable times when I am struggling.  And this is in NO WAY a reflection of my family, as I love them SO MUCH.  And truthfully, this feeling eats at me, as I feel like I'm not giving them everything they deserve (even though I am trying desperately to do just that).  I can just tell that I am not stopping to smell the roses, not really taking in the experiences as I have them, and not acknowledging that every day is a gift.  I can tell it in the way I am talking to the kids and Jenny, the way I'm not stepping up for chores like I used to, the lack of updates I've recorded for the blog, and the limited number of pics I've taken recently.  I notice that I'm giving directions and doing things but not really looking at faces, and that scares me.  I think about the last scene from "Our Town" and how they all went through life so fast that they never really looked at each other.  That scene has always haunted me (I was actually in that show, kids - Simon Stimson), and it's front and center in my mind now.  Simply put, it's time to remember that pressure is a privilege and work harder to be the husband Jenny needs and the daddy these kids need.

I prayed about it tonight, and I already feel tremendously better (funny how that works, isn't it?).  And I am resolved to be better, especially over these next 2.5 days before I shuffle off to Canada and then Colorado (I am only in CLT 11 hours between flights, so I won't even see the kids except asleep).  But the good news - we have a fun weekend planned, and I think that will help put us all in a better spot.

Oh, and we had a great K line tonight.  She ran into the bonus room and said, "Dada, we've got show and tell tomorrow.  It's the letter J, and I know what I'm going to bring."  I told her that was great, and when I asked what it was, she said, "Liony!"  So....we sort of had to work on that one. :-)  We ended up picking a "jet", so hopefully that goes well.

And it should be noted that Cora was actually sitting on the trampoline today when she fell back and hit her head.  The good news - that kid is UNBREAKABLE and really didn't cry much.  The bad news - I now officially can NEVER take my eyes off her.

9/15 - Today was a good day - we hit the playground, where K demonstrated mastery of the pole!  She also went higher than before on the swing.  Koda got on the swing a bit as well - that girl LOVES

it!  I will say that K whined and cried the entire walk there, but I refused to let her get in the stroller.  I know, I know, I am a tyrant.  But I am all about endurance, baby - we've gotta build it up! :-)

Oh, and in other news, it was NOT show and tell today.  Apparently the teacher was not best pleased that I allowed K to bring a toy in her backpack.  Oh well, so it goes... :-)

9/16 - So I feel like a new man - PRAISE JESUS!!!!  Honestly, after praying about it, God completely transformed my outlook, and I am now SO much happier.  Today has been a GREAT day. Cora was up at 5:42, but that worked out well, as it meant that we rocked up to NOMAD the second child watch was open.  I got 6 miles in (felt great), and we got back in time to get Cora down before JT and I ran around flagging sprinkler heads.  K was a big help!

We hit the park in the afternoon after Cora's first nap, and K did the pole many times.  She acted scared at first, but soon she rallied.  the highlight for me:  she was standing at the top, and a little boy walked up and said, "It's scary, isn't it?"  K looks at him and says, "Watch this," and then proceeds to ROCK IT.  When she lands, he said, "Well, it's scary sometimes."  K just looked at me.  I gave her the thumbs up, and she returned it back with a huge smile (or should I say "thumbs high").  Awesome!  She also did a great job defending out lunch and stuff when another kid just randomly came over and kept trying to take it.  Good job, Suzie Q!  Way to be strong.  Love it.

After Cora's second nap, we rolled over to Prosperity park again - this time for the final outdoor swim of the year (the pools closed at 7 PM).  The water was chilly, but it was nothing like the cold pool at NOMAD, and so we were fine.  We only swam for about 45 minutes, but K seemed ready to go and was happy.  Koda was great throughout the whole thing - the cold didn't phase her!  It really was a nice end to the day and, effectively, to "summer."

K had 2 great quotes (and one epic collision with the trampoline while running around and suddenly turning):

1.  As we were pulling into the house after the NOMAD visit, she saw the Ways packing up for their move.  K said, "Awwww - why are they leaving their forever home?"  Now THAT is the power and influence of HGTV ladies and gentlemen - much like when K sings the nationwide jingle or just says "SC Johnson and Company" out of the blue.

2.  K was a bottomless pit today, and at one point after I'd basically given her one of EVERYTHING in the fridge, she walked to the trash, through the yogurt cup in, and then looked at me and said "Growth Spurt!"  Too cute!

9/17 - So K successfully opened the back white gate today!  I didn't think she could, and she was only able to do it once.  However, it won't be long before it's a regular thing, as she clearly has the torque to pull it off.

The only other thing to report today (and this was relayed to me after I landed in Toronto) - K said that she was scared and wanted the door locked before bed.  No idea where that came from, as she's never said that to me.  The good news - she hasn't done it again, so perhaps that was just something she'd heard from someone.  She has often expressed that she's afraid to be on a floor of the house by herself, but she usually is fine once she commits to something and is settled.

Also for me - this started NINE CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF BEING AWAY FROM MY KIDS, the longest stretch ever for me.  I had 4.5 days in Toronto and 4.5 days in Colorado, with my only time in CLT being an 11 hour stretch to get home, pack, and head back out.  I didn't love the prospect of being away that long, but it was unavoidable given the commitments.  September 2017 really will go down as the craziest month of our lives!

9/19 - JT told me that Cora is not only rolling her tongue, but she's also sticking it out.  Too cute!

9/22 - the Nugget officially rolled 9 months today!  We weren't around for it and didn't see her (we landed in Denver early that morning), but Vol Nana continued her display of awesomeness and managed to get a few shots of her with her 9 month sticker on.  Impressive!

Also, a highlight for me today.  We got up at 4:45 with designs of being out the door by 5:30.  Well, at 5:11, I'm packing when I look into the hallway and see the door opening.  K was awake!  The banging around in the bathroom woke her up, and she ran into our room and tackled me.  It was SO GREAT, as I was really desperate to see her but didn't want to wake her or Cora (obviously) at any point while home.  So we got to snuggle for about 10 min before we put a show on for her and then headed out (don't worry - Vol Nana was here).  And I am happy to report that K watched her show until about 6:40 and then waited patiently downstairs until Vol Nana woke up at 6:45.

And for the record - during our time in Denver, Cora woke up at 5:30 EVERY MORNING except the last one.  Vol Nana was a trooper!

9/26 - HOME!!!!!!  I gotta say, Vail was AMAZING - undoubtedly one of THE BEST weekends EVER - but man is it GREAT to be home with the kiddos again.  We landed about 1 and made it home right at 2:30, where we found the Nugget, the Sneetch, and Vol Nana hiding in their newly built teepee!!!!  That's right, sports fans - we've got a new addition to the Bonus Room!  K LOVES it, and mom said that she was very appreciative and thankful to her and pooh for building it.

We had FaceTimed with them every day, and between that and the pictures we had a pretty good idea of a) how tired mom was and b) how much fun the girls had.  They had new toys, K had a new bed spread (and teepee!), and they had even made cupcakes!  Mom was a trooper (seriously - I have NO WORDS to thank her for all that she did), and she even found time to clean the house, fold the clothes, and manage the sprinklers!  K was really good about Vol Nana leaving until the very end, at which point she broke down.  However, it was short lived.  I think a) having us back and b) knowing that she'll see mom again in 12 days helped ease the blow, but man - does she love her grandmother!

K's high school on Wii Bowling!
She legitimately beat us!

K had a big bruise on her knee where she ran into Kate playing today, but the great news:  when it happened, she looked at her teacher and said, "I am rough and tumble."  THAT'S MY GIRL!!!!!  She was basically Evil Knievel all night after that, jumping off everything and crashing into stuff.  And her response whenever she'd wipe out?  "I'm good!"  (with her thumb in the air).  AWESOME!  Seriously - this is a far cry from the gal who usually cries whenever she gets a bruise or a scratch.  WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!

Oh, and Cora (who is looking cute as a button these days, btw - blond hair and pure chunk) tackled the stairs for the first time today!  Obviously Jenny was right behind her, and yes she did fall back into JT's arms plenty.  However, she did make it to the top, and the smile on her face was a mile wide.  She's sticking her tongue out now, and when doing it while exerting herself, it looks like she's the picture of focus.  She was SO happy when she made the top!  K was great and really encouraged her - she's such a great sister.

9/27 - Today was a big one - Cora's 9 month appointment!  Dr. Knutson said that everything looked great.  She only got 1 jab (first of 2 flu shots), and she scored 25% in height, 70% in weight (19.1 lbs), and 40% in head.  Little chunker!


I worked uptown today and made it home in time for a round of tag and bath time.  Honestly, after that trip to CO, my frame of mind is SO different.  I loved running around with K, bathing her, reading the story, and everything else that comes with being a father.  I was obviously much better before I left (after that rough day and praying about it), but I am in an even better place right now.  I am loving every second with the kids and really savoring the small things, which is such a good feeling.  I just cannot thank mom enough for giving JT and I that time so that we could recharge and come back focused.

One other note - I go in for the big procedure tomorrow!  Team Taylor is very ready.  Truth be told, it has arrived quicker than I expected.  I have been asked several times if we are ready for this, and I can say with extreme confidence that we are.  People have asked us if we want a third, but the truth is that life is perfect right now and we couldn't be happier.  Plus, we know that we have three little ones who are already with the angels and their Creator, and I think 5 is a good number of arrows. :-)

This was the poster I saw when I laid back.
Hilarious!!!

9/28 - Well, in the saga of "Raise Kids with the Taylors," today was a big moment - the big snip.  Not a lot to say other than a) I'm glad it's over, b) we are SO at peace with the decision, c) it was cheaper and easier than I expected, and d) Cora's screaming on the drive home helped solidify any doubts about the decision. :-)  Seriously - it was really smooth, and I can't believe it's already come and gone.  I was informed I'm still "fully loaded" and therefore must continue to take precautions, but we are on the home stretch toward officially closing the factory.

It was something of a surreal experience walking in there, as it's not often you make a choice to voluntarily let someone poke a hole through and make cuts in your body.  So far, it just feels like someone punched me in the testicles, and I'm hoping it doesn't get much worse than that.  But in the event it does, I've got plenty of good stuff to help ease the pain. :-)

9/29 - So the Bull woke up plenty stiff today, but it was able to go a full 7 hours last night without a pain pill.  It honestly feels more sore than anything, mixed with a bit of "someone just kicked me down there with a vengeance" kind of feeling.  I am moving slow, not lifting anything, and I spent the entire day working in the bed with frozen pea bags resting squarely on my nether region (and rotating said pea bags every 90 minutes).  I wasn't able to help much around the house, but JT was a rock star about the whole thing.  I love that woman!  I definitely married up!

9/30 - So I felt a little better today, but I still was largely confined to the couch (and rotating pea bags).  The good news - it was college football.  The bad news - the Vols and the Heels got crushed, and it was a GORGEOUS day that I couldn't participate in.  That being said, it was still fun, and I even managed to have a few beers. :-)

On the kid front, mom taught K a blast from my past while we were in Colorado:  the "rub-scratch-tickle."  This was something mom did to me ALL the time growing up, and I loved it.  Essentially, she would rub my back, then scratch a bit, and then tickle me up my spine.  Sure enough, K is a huge fan as well. :-)

Officer's Gulch outside Vail - INCREDIBLE. 

K is also improving her pronunciation I'm noticing.  She is saying her g's and v's much better now, which is really cool to hear and observe.  What is less exciting is the fact that I can tell she's mad at me because I'm so immobile.  I can't chase her, can't play hide and seek, can't tickle her, can't let her sit in the bread basket (you name it), and it really has colored our relationship these past few days.  She is definitely in the mommy camp now, but we are all collectively taking it in stride.  Honestly, there's nothing I can really do about it, so what else can I do? :-)

On the Cora front, JT has become concerned with the volume of Cora's falls - especially on the hard wood.  Cora is EVERYWHERE at this point like a Spitfire bomber, and it's not uncommon for her to fall backwards and bang her head at least once or twice a day.  Jenny actually did a concussion test with a flashlight today!  The good news - all was well. :-)  Seriously - we both know she's fine, but we also know that we have to take a completely different approach with her than we did with K.  Outlets?  K never had any interest.  Cora is AMAZED by them (don't worry - they are all covered).  The book cases in the sitting room?  K never cared.  Cora has already tried to climb them!  Cora has even made it up a step and grabbed hold of the gates - insane!  I usually revert to the jumperoo or jail, but JT is a rock star mom and tries to give Koda as much freedom as possible.  I joked tonight that I was going to start calling her Vishali - the female version of "the Destroyer." :-)

So there you have it - the craziest September EVER in the books.  2 weddings in two different states (both of which we were in), a 50K, a brewery tour of Asheville, a trip to Colorado, a girls weekend in Georgia for JT, and a vasectomy for this guy - WHEW!  The good news - shy of a 24 hour day in Phoenix in October, we are basically sedentary in the QC.  That's good, because Team Taylor needs it at this point. :-)

That's all the news that's fit to print.  Chat with you in a month!

Love,

Sam and Jenny

And so ends the first summer as a part of 4...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  4 years, 5 months, and 20 days

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... :-)

#standard

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.

That afternoon we headed over to VBGB for Megan and Ryan's shower, and K was really good for almost the whole time.  3 hours in that heat was challenging for everyone, but she stayed busy coloring the Water Wow, eating, petting puppies, and playing Connect 4.  Toward the end, however, she went into meltdown, and as we left she was BAWLING.  We asked her if she wanted to go with me (I had to leave early with Cora, who was great the entire time) or stay with Jenny, and she said go with me.  Well, we started pulling out, and then she started screaming "LET ME OUT!!!! I WANT TO STAY WITH MOMMY!!!!"  Well, of course, we'd already started driving out, and when I said no she started bawling and saying "I want mommy!"  Now I have no idea how many times she said it, but I did start counting once we got to exit 18 on I-77.  In the 1.5 miles between there and I-485, she said it 29 times.  So....I'm putting the over/under at about 225.  EPIC.

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!

Orange belt, sir!

None of us save K had ever been there, so we had no idea what to expect.  Well, K was a great tour guide, as she knew EXACTLY what flavors she wanted.  This girl then proceeded to get OVER A POUND OF YOGURT, covered with rainbow sprinkles, a chocolate kiss, and a gummy frog.  And do you think she struggled to finish it?  NOT A CHANCE.  She crushed it.  In fact, when she was too cold inside and went outside and the remainder melted, she just drank it like a milkshake.  I am telling you people - when we are talking about treats, that girl is a FORCE. OF. NATURE.  It was incredible.

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!

This girl LOVES being in motion!

8/25 - GOOD NEWS!  We got the classmate assignments for UCUMC, and Kaitlyn is in Kate's class!!!!  We are thrilled about this obviously, as Kate is her best friend and they have SUCH a good time together.  Kate will definitely go to Bradford Prep next year, but we don't know about that since we'll have to enter the lottery.  Consequently, if this is the last year they are in school together, we wanted to ensure it was a fun one and that they made it count.

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.

Crazy that this would have been BEHIND her
ear if we didn't have the tubes in to drain it!

8/29 - So...tough night at the Taylor household.  For starters, Screamus called out at 12:30 or so and cried for about 30 min.  JT ended up going in there twice trying to soothe her, but she did finally settle.  Then, at 4:46 AM, I heard K saying, "Mommy....mommy...."  I went in there, and the poor girl was clearly distraught.  She was sitting up, somewhat afraid to move, and clearly in pain.  She had that deer in headlights look she gets when she's really uncomfortable, and you could tell that she was really in pain.  The doctor had told Jenny that it was quite an infection in there, and it must have finally manifested in totality during the night.  K was a FIRECRACKER - hottest I've ever felt her - and she didn't want anyone to touch or get near her ear.  The fluid was coming out so much that drops were pooling under her chin!  So we got her some ibuprofen, and I laid in bed with her until about 5:30. She still wasn't asleep, but at least the medicine was working and she was drowsy.

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).

20-30 min 2x daily like this while the
drops soaked in.  She was a trooper!

8/30 - K called out at 1 AM last night, but her fever had broken, and she did seem better.  She was still in pain and on the verge of tears, but you could tell that the discomfort wasn't all consuming.

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!

Because yard sale plastic is SOOO
good for you.

Oh, and in Cora news - she STOOD IN HER PRISON TODAY!!!  Seriously - I put her in the playpen for a bit, and I then look up to see her head above the walls, trying to touch the big red ball.  Are you kidding me!?!?!?!?  Craziness!

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!"

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